Mark Evanier has one of the most vibrant, wildly entertaining blogs I've come across, News from ME. Rather than go into great detail about why it's so wonderful, here's a Huffington Post column I wrote, "The Fourth Best Blog on the Internet," explaining its many thoughtful, fair-minded and hilarious joys.
Beyond just the daily blog, which he updates frequently, be sure to check out the link to Articles, under which is listed "POV Columns." These are among the best of Mark's in-depth pieces. Considering what a remarkable storyteller he is, anything that's considered "the best" on this site is high cotton. To make things even easier for you, in case you get lost, here's a direct link to the POV Columns. Just another service we provide here at Elisberg Industries.
Making the world a safer place for less-crazy email
So, have you ever gotten a panicked email from a friend who has forwarded a "true, this is really true" email to you that he or she received that says something like, "If you type the word, 'banana,' in an email and send it any time after March 23, a virus will destroy your computer"? Or "Did you know that the Democrats have a secret plan to force all Americans to pray to oak trees as their one-and-only God? Really, this is true."
Well, before you panic and forward it off to other friends of yours, asking, "Did you see this? Could it be true??" -- and continue perpetuating the insane spam -- do yourself and the rest of the sentient world a favor. Go first to the wonderful Snopes website and check first. Snopes has a massive database about almost any rumor you can imagine, and they do a seriously impressive job tracking down the history. Sometimes they'll report that the rumor is actually true -- or partially true. But usually, you'll find out that, no, Microsoft is not planning to charge everyone a dollar every day they use Windows.
It's a Wonderful Lifesize
My good pal Myles Bekowitz and Stephen Cates have created a terrific diet product. Terrific because it has nothing to do with dieting. It's about changing the way you eat. The point is portion control. In fact, with their Lifesize Portions, you can eat whatever you want -- whatever you want -- just smaller portions. They provide the devices and guides to help. A study at Colorado State University reported how well it worked.
Even the New York Times added their 2-cents, and wrote a wonderful article about the product and the company. You can read the full article on the Times website. Or read the Huffington Post column, "How to Lose Weight, One Small Business at a Time" for the convoluted story about the company's hellish, uphill battle from nothing as a start-up.