Mike Pilewski writes about life, politics and culture in the United States
Cara Carleton Sneed Fiorina has lived the American dream. She started as a secretary, rose through the ranks, and became the head of one of the world’s largest technology companies. As CEO of Hewlett-Packard, Fiorina engineered that company’s $19 billion merger with Compaq in 2002. A turbulent relationship with the board of directors, however, led to her dismissal only three … >>
I almost didn’t go inside. From what I could see, every table in the restaurant was taken. This was bad news for someone about to catch an international flight. This place in the departures area was my only chance to eat real food, but it was packed like a suitcase. I’d be lucky even to sit at the bar, I … >>
Last week’s column was about designing cities of the future that would meet all the needs of their residents. But what about the cities of today? What do you do with a city that’s, say, 300 years old, that represents an important time in history, and that wants to be a modern place where people enjoy living? Philadelphia is an … >>
Recently in the comments section of this column, a loyal reader asked: “What is the next big, bleeding-edge thing?” We are confronted with bleeding-edge things all the time that are changing our lives in one way or another. Mobile phones and the Internet — and the combination of the two — are good examples. Robotic assistants are helping out on … >>
Yesterday’s news in the publishing business met with shock and horror. One of America’s most respected newspapers, The Washington Post, was being sold. Newspapers and publishing houses tend to be started by individuals, then handed down to their descendants. So to someone in the business, selling such a company would be like selling one of his own children. The natural … >>
Have you noticed? Nearly all of the big movies coming out of Hollywood seem to be sequels based on cartoon characters, animated figures, toys, video games or superheroes. This summer has seen Iron Man 3, Despicable Me 2, Star Trek: Into Darkness, and Fast & Furious 6. A new Superman movie is out, and it’s never long between Batman films. … >>
We all knew this day would come. Last Friday, the Münchener Filmpassage shut its doors. This wasn’t just any video-rental place. It had the largest selection of English-language films anywhere in Germany, including numerous titles released directly to video that no one would have known about otherwise. I’d go in looking for one film and come out with four or … >>
If you tried to read the English-language Wikipedia last Wednesday, you couldn’t. Every page was replaced with a black screen explaining that, as part of a protest, the content of the free online encyclopedia was being hidden for 24 hours. (A banner appeared at the top of Wikipedia’s Spanish- and German-language pages, but this was hardly more distracting than the … >>
Bargains are easy to find in the United States. But among the bargains, there is one super-bargain. For only 44 cents (€0.34), you can send a letter anywhere within the US or its territories — as far as from Maine to Guam. If you send the letter to a military address, you can even send it around the world for … >>
Well, it’s happened. My favorite bookstore has gone out of business. The Borders chain had been struggling since about 2007 and had already closed some of its stores. After an attempt at restructuring failed, the company announced last week it would be closing its 399 remaining stores. This will put 10,700 people out of work. This is a big loss … >>