mason minute

Customer Service (MM #4768)

In recent years, a phone call to customer service has been something that many of us dread. It doesn’t matter what the product is; we all find that it’s a frustrating experience. It’s never been fun, but it’s gotten more frustrating in recent years because most call centers aren’t here in the U.S. For many,…

Read More

Look At Me (MM #4767)

Today, we live in a world where people constantly seek attention. It’s not everyone, but those who desire to be treated special are multiplying. It’s almost like they’re shouting look at me to anyone who will listen. Perhaps social media is to blame. Many people think that’s the case. But it’s just one avenue where…

Read More

Lump Sum (MM #4766)

As I get older, I sometimes have problems sleeping. Sometimes, I can’t fall asleep, while other times, I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t fall back asleep. I had that problem the other night. And for some reason, my mind wandered to the recent Powerball jackpot. There was one winner over…

Read More

Another Eclipse (MM #4765)

For many people, today is an exciting day. Another eclipse will traverse much of the United States. The last major eclipse that crossed the country was just seven years ago. While the path of today’s solar eclipse crosses a more significant part of the country than any other in our lifetime, it’s not like they’re…

Read More

Too Cold (MM #4764)

While I understand the economics of sports, I honestly wonder why each league tries to keep extending the length of their schedule. Sure, more games mean more chances to make money. But sometimes, that doesn’t make sense. Take baseball as an example. Why are we playing games right now in most northern cities? It’s too…

Read More

LTC (MM #4763)

The White House wants NASA to develop a new time zone for the Moon. You would think they would be more focused on the pressing issues in our world, but this is another priority. Because of the different gravitational field strength on the Moon, time moves quicker there relative to Earth. This new time zone…

Read More

Just Walk Out (MM #4762)

For the last few years, Amazon has been experimenting with what they called just walk out technology. Their Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go stores had no cashiers or cash registers; your app tracked what you bought. Amazon hoped to sell the technology to other companies but wanted to iron out the problems in their few…

Read More

Check The Date (MM #4761)

For decades, people got their news from a few trusted sources. For many, it was the daily newspaper or the nightly news on TV. But thanks to technology, that has changed. Now, we can get up-to-the-minute news on our phones any time of the day or night. But with many news apps, the stories aren’t…

Read More

No School (MM #4760)

Middle Tennessee has always had to deal with severe weather. Severe storms, floods, and tornadoes happen often. And many feel that climate change is only making things worse. For the last week, weather people told us to prepare for bad weather on Tuesday. And while most areas stay weather-aware, we seem to panic. There was…

Read More

Vegetables (MM #4759)

You hear it said when you’re a small child, make sure you eat your vegetables. Even as we age, our doctors constantly remind us that we need more fruit and vegetables in our diet. And even when you eat more, it likely still isn’t enough. Researchers have been tracking the nutrients in our veggies and…

Read More