Smaller Indiana

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Robby Slaughter

Robby Slaughter's Blog (9)

Reasons To Say "No Comments"

As my blog Turning Left Against Traffic barrels into another year, readers and dissenters seem to offer one unifying query. Why does this blog refuse to permit comments? For the answer to this puzzling question, you will need to head down an electronic rabbit hole. Namely: venturing past this teaser paragraph into the heart of the post.… Continue

Added by Robby Slaughter on November 29, 2009 at 3:34pm — 1 Comment

Contesting the Contests

In the style of Hollywood disaster flicks, October saw the coincidental release of two contests intended to highlight Indiana’s best blogs. One competition, sponsored by Linking Indiana, features sixty-seven candidates divided into ten categories. Despite its name, the Top 50 Indiana Blogs pro… Continue

Added by Robby Slaughter on October 26, 2009 at 8:56pm — 54 Comments

Wearing Hats in Church

In the few minutes before the procession, I studied the worship space. Rows of pews flanked a long central aisle. Bold architectural lines culminated above a raised corner, forming a radiant starburst. Soon, a groom in a black suit and a bride in a white gown would appear and advance. Only the sea of heads in front of me seemed irregular. Each one was slightly obscured by a spiral of fabric: a kippah, or yarmulke. Same But Different A Jewish synagogue is unlike a Christian church in ways we fo… Continue

Added by Robby Slaughter on September 9, 2009 at 11:00am — No Comments

Freedom Killed the Video Stars

From my vantage point running a small business in Indiana, it’s impossible to avoid the tremendous array of “opportunities” for additional streams of income. Each is brazenly associated with an incredulous claim: healthy chocolate, superfood fruit juice, free jewelry or the existence of a subconscious blueprint in the millionaire mind. Given the number of programs and the persistence of their promoters, fairly evaluating each is a full-time job. That’s why I am taking on just one of these ventur… Continue

Added by Robby Slaughter on June 20, 2009 at 4:38pm — 1 Comment

The Ugly and Unsung

Earlier this month, an unemployed 47-year old woman became an instant worldwide celebrity. Her single act was neither famously kind-hearted nor infamously violent. Instead, she waddled up to a microphone on a British television show, made a few sarcastic remarks and then belted out a showtune. Susan Boyle “dreamed a dream.”

First things First

Before we discuss the sociocultural importance of the frumpy phenom, go and watch that video. Pay attention to the stagecraft of Britian’s Got T… Continue

Added by Robby Slaughter on April 28, 2009 at 8:19pm — 12 Comments

Shortcuts to Productivity?

As Americans diligently strive for personal and occupational success, productivity improvement schemes continue to gain momentum and support. Yet, between old-fashioned “know-how” and fancy technological solutions, what is the best strategy in the race for ultimate efficiency? According to a Wall Street Journal article, Tips for Getting Things Done, there are two separate approaches for improving individual productivity:… Continue

Added by Robby Slaughter on March 23, 2009 at 3:41pm — No Comments

Three-Click Monte

These days, surfing the net requires a skeptical eye. We must be wary of phishers who set up fake copies of authentic websites to collect personal information. We shake our fists at linkjackers who steal traffic by creating content-free, ad-infested intermediary pages. We dodge spyware, trojans and viruses. For every useful, entertaining or provocative spectacle on the web there is a shadowy, vindictive counterpart bent on gleeful destruction. Unfortunately, there is one other problem, which is… Continue

Added by Robby Slaughter on February 20, 2009 at 9:00am — No Comments

Seven Perhaps Unexpected Attributes Regarding Yours Truly

A meme is spreading throughout Smaller Indiana, like a joke email on a Friday in the late 1990s. Seven Perhaps Unexpected Attributes Regarding Yours Truly 1. My favorite movie composer is the late Shirely Walker. You've never heard of her, and she never had the opportunity to write songs for anything remotely famous, but she is amazing. 2. My second favorite movie composer is the late Basil Poledoruis. He is also not well known, although you have certainly heard of his soundtracks, which incl… Continue

Added by Robby Slaughter on January 23, 2009 at 7:47pm — 6 Comments

The Expert Detector

Recently, I faced an everyday conundrum of modern life: a schedule conflict. I could either attend a small business networking function or socialize with others interested in foreign languages at a meeting of the local conversational French club. At the former, I might find exciting prospects or be forced to endure a droll sales pitch. At the later, I could learn new words or could find myself embarrassingly inadequate. Each seemed to offer possible risk or reward. I chose the event where I coul… Continue

Added by Robby Slaughter on January 5, 2009 at 1:00pm — No Comments

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