We went in knowing that The Polar Express event at our favorite Colorado cultural institution—the Colorado Railroad Museum—is a BIG DEAL. Mostly, because of the not-inexpensive ticket prices. But, honestly, we were impressed. More than just another train ride, the staff of the museum—supported by a bevy of volunteers and an actual acting troupe—transformed the … Continue reading On The Polar Express at the Colorado Railroad Museum
Category: Thinking Hat
On quitting
I quit my job today. But there was no drama to it—it wasn’t the typical story you see online, where a mistreated employee, full of piss and vinegar, says their righteous piece to The Man. It was pretty quiet, actually. Threaded with moments of pained silence, an inability to maintain eye contact. And the sense—which … Continue reading On quitting
On the simplicity of holding open a door
No one is excited to go to Discount Tire. You end up there either out of necessity—a puncture, a flat—or out of mere maintenance—rotating tires, season tire exchange. The waiting room of a Discount Tire feels more like a doctor’s office than anything else: no customer is bright-eyed with excitement. The amazing thing is, I’ve … Continue reading On the simplicity of holding open a door
On the Challenger and the stories we think we know
At a friend’s (gentle!) urging, I started in a few weeks ago on The Challenger Launch Decision, an exhaustive ethno-history on the work culture that resulted in the Challenger disaster. I won’t bother recounting the Challenger disaster for those unfamiliar—because 1) Wikipedia will do do the job and 2) Wikipedia (and most other sources) will … Continue reading On the Challenger and the stories we think we know
On the foot
The foot was just another one of those things from childhood that you never really think about. I knew it was weird, of course—not every family has a mummified human foot displayed in their living room—but I never considered it as much more than an oddity. That is, until the other morning, driving back from … Continue reading On the foot
On the ultimate necessity of technology in Explorer: Lake of Fire
Prodded by the latest issue of National Geographic, I pulled up Disney+ last night to check out the latest volcano document. (I’m a big sucker for content about volcanos.) Lake of Fire was riveting…but also disappointing. Disappointing in the sense that while the team managed to confirm the existence of the Earths’s ninth lava lake—a … Continue reading On the ultimate necessity of technology in Explorer: Lake of Fire
On your personal “toolkit”
I've been leafing through Richard Feynman's amusing Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!—a pseudo-memoir that's amusing, if a little slight, for the author being one of the most famous scientists of the 20th century. But there are plenty of tasty nuggets sandwiched between silly, self-aggrandizing anecdotes. (There's a very brash, American 'tude to much of the … Continue reading On your personal “toolkit”
On “not much” as the response to “what’s new?”
God, isn’t it the worst? But, in an uninspired moment, that was me this past Sunday. It’s the conversational equivalent of someone handing you a beverage and just pouring it on the ground. They’ll wonder, Why did I even bother? It helps to remember that having someone to even ask you the question is a … Continue reading On “not much” as the response to “what’s new?”
On my tendency to overcomplicate things
I’ll blame Robert Frost. No—it’s not his fault, really. Better to blame the poster. Remember that one? The autumnal background with “The Road Less Traveled” emblazoned across it? That call-to-arms for fighting against the mainstream impulse? Not that the poem actually is that, of course. Frost is far too wry for the poem to be … Continue reading On my tendency to overcomplicate things
On not noticing obvious user interface features
Two scenes, a week apart: Scene 1 Our kitchen, my wife washing dishes. I sit at the kitchen table. She—magically?—pauses the water. Me: Wait. What? Her: What? Me: How did you get it to pause like that? She looks at the faucet nozzle in hand, then back to me. Her: You mean, the button? Me: … Continue reading On not noticing obvious user interface features
Taylor Coe 