Effective Thoughts

It really pisses me off when a company nickel and dimes me. You got a good service? Great. I'll pay for it. But don't nickel and dime me. Hilarious (but not...) article on the price of data communication via SMS on AT&T. Someday, I want to find a reasonably-priced media alternative and say 'kiss off' to all the companies like AT&T, Time Warner and Insight that nickel and dime me for cable, Internet and phone. Grrrr.

In an unusual turn of events, the stars aligned yesterday and I got a full hour by myself to pursue one of my favorite activities: browsing at the bookstore. You're probably asking, "what's so striking about that?" Go have two kids and you'll have your answer. I love browsing at the bookstore. Particularly a big, national bookstore...like Barnes and Noble. Grab a cup of Starbucks and just lose track of time. Ahhh. A lot of my enjoyment stems from the uninterrupted quiet time. Sure, my cell is in my pocket but there aren't any of the normal distractions (see above: two kids...I love 'em though!). Secondly, I love to read and learn. What better place than in the bookstore? Typically, I like to browse by subject: technology, business/management/leadership, current events, history, economics are a few of my regular stops. Despite my bookstore love, it remains an incomplete experience. The online retailers trump bookstores with (1) superior pricing, (2) reader ...