Origin of the “Goddin” Surname
The origin of the “Goddin” surname is detailed here, including why it’s so rare (hint: it’s William the Conqueror’s fault).
The Two WordPress Websites and the Sleazy Business of Monetizing a Free Product
An investigation into Automattic’s legal but ethically questionable business practices that resulted in two WordPress websites both claiming to be the real deal.
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SOLVED: WordPress “Invalid JSON Response” Error
This workaround for the “invalid JSON response” error in WordPress works every time and will have you back to posting to your blog in no time.
Send Automatic Birthday Emails with this Automator Workflow
Send automatic birthday emails with this Automator workflow, daily, without lifting a finger. This Mac OS app is easy to use if you just follow these steps.
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Self Published Author’s Guide to the Parts of a Book
This guide to the parts of a book will ensure you don’t mix up your prologue, preface and introduction and that you put them all in the right order.
The Self-Published Author’s Book Cover Design Guide
Create the best cover for your self-published book with this guide, from DIY options to hiring a designer.
An Appreciation of Popularity
I am pleased and grateful that three of my stories for Mobility Lab made their Top 10 Most Popular Stories list for 2015. In descending order, they are:
It’s a Feature, not a Bug: Inequality in Liberal Cities
At the November 10, 2015 Republican presidential debate, candidate Rand Paul said that inequality in cities — the gap between the rich and poor — “seems to be worst in cities run by Democrats.” His comment received rousing applause from the audience, and much media attention.
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Walkability and Transit Mean Independence in Golden Years
Most adults want to age in place; that is, grow older without the need to move from their home or community. As driving becomes a challenge, though, seniors can feel dependent upon others, or isolated and cut off from their friends or public services.
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Energizing People to Re-Imagine our Cities
I’m not the creator of the below video, but I found it randomly, recently, and it was created during my tenure as a consultant for Mobility Lab, a think tank funded by Arlington County government. We had been tasked with persuading DC metro commuters to take public transit rather than drive alone to work. The time period in which this video was produced felt like a special time in Arlington County, a small but influential and wealthy county in Northern Virginia just across the river from Washington, DC.. (in fact, the county makes up the bottom left portion of the diamond shape originally conceived as the boundaries for the nation’s capital).
When ‘To Protect and Serve’ Becomes ‘To Shame and Ridicule’
The disparity between the “haves” and “have nots” is perhaps nowhere more striking than in New York City. One end of the economic spectrum is best symbolized by the array of new condominium skyscrapers reshaping the city’s skyline (top price, $95 million).
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The Rebirth of the Zombie and — Dare I Say it — Walkable City
Ever since George Romero’s 1978 film “Dawn of the Dead” (arguably the best zombie film of all time, with a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes), zombies have symbolized modern-day anxieties, specifically American consumerism. For what is a zombie but a mindless automaton consuming everything in its path? But give me a little latitude here, because I believe a strong case can be made that zombie movies also mirror migration trends and settlement patterns, and the new movie “Warm Bodies” gives hope that things are headed in the right direction.
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