Mike Pilewski writes about life, politics and culture in the United States
You have to hand it to Americans — we know a thing or two about marketing. Would people really eat fast food and chug soft drinks if they weren’t told to do so all the time? Would consumers really rush out and buy iPads if they saw the price first and the features later? And would buyers put so much … >>
I grew up during the golden age of science fiction. Every day, my friends and I would turn on the TV and see what the world would look like in the far-off 21st century, when we’d be in the prime of our lives. There would be colonies in space, encounters with aliens (both friendly and unfriendly), robots either doing our … >>
Do you remember what you were doing back in July? I do. I was glued to the TV, watching all the documentaries about the first moon landing 40 years ago in 1969. It was the greatest technical achievement in human history. Watching recent interviews with the former Apollo astronauts — Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin in particular — helped to reawaken some … >>
“Hi,” said the man as he walked up to me. I didn’t think I knew him, but I said hello back. “I just wanted to let you know how I’m doing,” he said. Well, that’s considerate, I thought. The Philadelphia airport, where we were standing, is the epitome of discomfort and inconvenience, so the passengers often try to be friendly … >>
It says something about the state of the discussion on climate change that the skeptics haven’t spoken up this year. Usually it takes only a few days of cold, rainy weather — not an entire “summer” like this one in southern Germany — for them to start crowing and scoffing. But even those who don’t accept the idea of climate … >>