I read somewhere – I think it was Malcolm Gladwell that wrote it, either in New Yorker or his blog – about the benefits of being a public writer, i.e. doing his writing in a public place. Like a café.
Like me, right now.
And hey, he’s onto something. There is something to be said about the image of a public writer. The creative type, the intelligent one, the thinker. Here I am!
Americans know customer service like no other nation. Sure, we Europeans laugh and joke about the Americans’ niceties and over-polite waitresses, but hey, it’s better than under-polite which is something we’re way too used to over here.
Now, the French have supposedly made an art of being obnoxious, but we’re not that far behind here in Scandinavia. Or, we’re not obnoxious. We’re just afraid of the Man.
It’s official: the best music ever was written between 1982 and 1987. (The exception to the rule being an obscure British band called the Beatles that recorded a few catchy tunes in the Sixties).
Say you have to taste somebody’s water from his water bottle. Quickly: What is the best way to do it?
Right, right.
A friend of mine, Pailu (not his real name) was just on a ten-day vacation which means that he was on his way home after the alleged (yes, I read big newspapers, and watch Matlock) terrorist plot was foiled in the UK, and after the airlines tightened their security measures.
As you know, all kinds of gels and liquids are now a no-no, so the security person in Lisbon wanted to take a closer look at my friend’s, Sailu’s, (this isn’t his real name, either. Same guy, though) water bottle.
His method?
Sticking his finger into the bottle, and licking it. Stick and lick.
Maybe it’s just me, but I think that’s weird.
Dear blogger,
You seem to have answers to everything. Can it be true?
Best,
Just Jack
circa 1985
Yes, I file this under “humor.” Spede, the star of the video, was a comic genius, but in English, this is funny on yet another level.
It’s been 11 minutes and 20 seconds now. That’s how long I’ve been holding to get the customer service of “3“, the Swedish 3G mobile operator. I’ve heard all about their campaigns, how to create a photo album on their site, how to change the ring tones, and tones for outgoing calls.
Remember the power of photographer? Yeah, well, that spell doesn’t work on everybody.
Today, I had three interviews lined up. The first two were Finnish CEOs, pretty heavy weight executives of Kemira and Outokumpu.
This just in:
Donald L. Barlett [aged 70] and James B. Steele [63], the longtime, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporters who lost their jobs at Time Inc. a few months ago, have taken the leap from mass to class and are joining Vanity Fair.
The two have accepted an offer from Graydon Carter, the editor, to sign a multiyear contract, agreeing to write two articles a year.
I’d file both stories by the end of March and just hang out for nine months.