Virtually everybody knows that cardboard boxes and other paper-based packaging are recyclable. The same goes for plastic food containers. And in case there’s any doubt, these items usually have a recycling symbol right on the product itself. But what about the items that fall into a gray area, like those cardboard-ish molded trays that come […]

Let’s say your name is John Smith. You decide to sign up for a run-of-the-mill email account. During the registration process, you make a typo when entering the desired email address. So instead of getting johnsmith@example.com, you end up with jhonsmith@example.com. Then, you proceed to use this new email account to correspond with friends, family […]

There’s a display table at the front of my local Trader Joe’s where they promote freshly-made sandwiches, along with cheese spreads and other items. Many of the same products are available elsewhere in the store, but they’re always in a refrigerated case. I had always wondered why the cheese and sandwiches didn’t spoil, and figured […]

A few years ago, they filmed “The Dark Knight” in Chicago. I forget the exact timing, but it was a warm summer month — probably July or August. Fast forward to today, and they’re filming “Transformers 3” here. The temperatures? Consistently around 90 degrees every day, which makes things harder on the actors, extras and […]

The last time I saw a product registration card, I spent a few seconds looking over the form, and then tossed it aside. There wasn’t any enticing reason to fill it out, so I didn’t see the need to spend my time on the task. Assuming that manufacturers want people to fill out their product […]

A few days ago, we got a call from a vendor to say that our corporate credit card was declined for a purchase. We pay off the card every month, and there was plenty of available credit, so this was a rather puzzling turn of events. We called the card issuer, and they said that […]

This past weekend, I spent several hours on hold with a vendor’s tech support department. I was trying to resolve a network configuration issue, and needed to have it fixed before Monday morning. Each time I called them, the operator placed me on hold — even when I was supposedly being transferred to a specific […]

Let’s say that you order the same meal from the same restaurant on two different days. The first time, you eat at the restaurant itself. There’s a small problem with the order — like some missing vegetables — so you ask the server about it. The server quickly brings out the extra items, and you’re […]

When my wife and I travel together, it’s standard practice for me to hold onto our boarding passes and other travel documents, and then present them at the appropriate times. This seems like a more efficient and streamlined approach than keeping them separately, although airport staff do their best to prove me wrong. The scenario […]

Like many travelers, I have often lamented the lack of easily-accessible power outlets in airports and hotel rooms. So, it was a pleasant surprise to check into a hotel earlier this month, and find several power outlets in plain sight. The room designers were thoughtful enough to put outlets above each of the bedside tables, […]