The Mason Minute

Middle Tennessee basketball fans were frustrated yesterday. If you wanted to watch the Little League World Series championship game on ABC, you couldn't. The Nashville affiliate, WKRN, opted to run a Tennessee Titans preseason game in its place. Usually, when something like this happens, the local TV station runs a message across the bottom of the screen telling you where you can watch the game or...

No matter what you call it, soda, pop, or soda pop, we all know that experts tell us it's one of the worst things we can put in our bodies. It can be regular or diet, it doesn't matter. Some say the versions we used to drink years ago, while still not healthy beverages, weren't as bad. Years ago, soda pop was made with real sugar. However, for years, beverage companies have replaced sugar with hig...

I doubt that this will shock you, but we have a problem with boredom in today's society. Our attention span continues to get shorter. A couple of weeks ago, here on the podcast, I talked about all the time I spend scrolling. Research shows that we become bored because of all of the fast-forwarding and scrolling we do on the internet daily. These activities are now a huge problem for young people....

Have you seen the commercial for the new Sonic Smasher hamburger? It has the theme of a press conference talking about how they think it will be your new favorite burger. Of course, for many, it may simply be commercial hype. But there's an interesting message behind the commercial that's pretty deep. A favorite is only your favorite until a new one comes along. I'm not saying it the way they say...

Social media has occupied my life for nearly two decades. I make my living from it and spend much of my free time creating content, too. It's definitely changed since the early days when most people spent time only on MySpace. Yes, social media has become much more political, and that's both good and bad. But I've noticed that most people just want to participate in the latest trend. For months, a...

For thousands of years, humans have been searching for the perfect relationship. Of course, perfection is in the eye of the beholder. But if the divorce rate is any indication, many are still searching. There are no shortcuts and no easy theories. And even if you think you've found the perfect person, have you? Is it worth risking everything? Everyone wants to be a relationship expert, and social...

Football fans have been paying close attention to this year's preseason games. During the off-season, NFL owners agreed to new rules for the kickoff. They've adapted what the XFL used a couple of years ago. So far, reviews are mixed. Some love the changes, while football purists already hate them. The overall goal is to bring back some excitement and even create some opportunity for teams to try s...

I've done a fair amount of traveling throughout my life. But I've never understood why there are so many brands of hotels and motels. Years ago, there were many family-owned options. Most of those have disappeared. Now, national and international brands control the business. And they offer dozens of brands for people to choose from. Obviously, they have reasons for providing so many choices. Who k...

If you've ever wondered why some of your favorite TV shows and movies aren't available on the streaming services, it often has a common reason: music clearance. Whenever a TV show or movie wants to include popular music, producers have to get approval from the songwriters and performers of those songs. Music clearance is what theyh call this agreement amongst everyone. You just can't use any song...

I've never considered myself normal. So, go ahead and judge me. I have no problem admitting that I don't like french fries. Now, perhaps you'll understand when I explain. I used to enjoy fries, but they're not as good as they used to be. Whether they're from a world-famous fast food joint, a diner, or even a meat and three doesn't matter. Now that everyone uses healthy oil, it's not the same. But...

Experts have long had thoughts on aging. We've all heard about growing old gracefully. However, researchers have found that we don't age gradually. They say there are ages where we spike. It's like we grow old quicker, around 44 and 60. I wish we had known this 20 years ago. I often thought that ages like 40, 50, and 60 were such major milestones in our lives that everything magnified. The highs w...

The other day, we were talking about electric vehicles. They're in the news a lot these days. Many states struggle with them, too. You don't need gas when you drive an EV, so you're not paying gas taxes. And that's how most states fund their road repairs and construction. So many states want EV drivers to pay a fee that replaces the gas tax money. But experts say that won't help. People aren't dri...

The other day, someone at work asked me what was my favorite hobby. I thought for a moment and replied, scrolling. You may not realize this, but it could also be one of your favorite hobbies. What did we spend much time doing when we got our first computer? What are you doing When you open one of your favorite social media apps? And if you use any streaming apps, how do you spend most of your time...

While many people have turned to electric vehicles as a way to live a greener life, some, like me still have a lot of concerns. I'm not worried about using an EV as a commuter vehicle. My biggest concern is using an EV on long-distance trips. While the idea of portable charging stations seems like the best solution, many problems still need to be solved. Many charging stations experience long wait...

A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I were waiting at a stoplight. We looked up at a billboard promoting one of those big-time personal injury lawyers. And at the bottom, in small print, was a disclaimer saying that if you engaged this company, you wouldn't actually meet with the named attorney; you'd be meeting with the guy who heads the Nashville office. This disclaimer was so small it looked lik...

The other night, I was up late and scrolling through the TV listings. On one of my movie channels, I stumbled upon Tommy, the rock opera from The Who. I remember seeing it in the theater when it came out in 1975, but I don't recall much about it. I wanted to see Elton John and Tina Turner perform, but I remember little else. So, I decided to stay up and watch. It was definitely an art piece, and w...

To say that McDonald's is an iconic brand is an understatement. It's one of the best-known brands in the world. They've done a great job naming their distinct menu items, like the Big Mac, Egg McMuffin, McGriddle, and Filet-o-Fish. Even their mistakes, like the McDLT and McLean, are well known. But one of their most popular sandwiches has always had a simple name until now. McDonald's just announc...

Over the last few years, I've paid more attention to youth sports than I did in decades. And one of the most significant changes I've noticed since my playing days is the emphasis on good sportsmanship. While coaches always stressed being a good sport in my youth, it wasn't a big deal. We all had to do the 'good game' handshakes with the opposing team, and it was rarely sincere. Today that hasn't...

It's been a long time since I was in school, much longer than I want to admit. But around this time of year, every year, I think back to my school days. And while many would want to relive those times, I look back for different reasons. I think about my classes and why we had to take them. I also wish they offered what I call practical classes. These are electives that teach practical subjects, th...

Yesterday, I read a story about a group called Root Nashville, offering free trees to county residents. There's no catch; they're just trying to help beautify a city that some say is growing too fast. They're giving people a choice of five different trees native to the area. The giveaway reminds me of a program we had back in my younger days. Every year around Arbor Day, second-grade students lear...

Tipping fatigue is something that many people are talking about. Many say that giving a tip for good service is an American concept. But lately, it seems out of control. So much in our world changed with the COVID-19 shutdown a few years ago. Even after the world reopened, many service-oriented businesses continued to struggle. And with that came more people suggesting that you add a tip. Surveys...

New words are always being added to the dictionary. When someone coins a word to explain something new, it only makes sense to legitimize the word. Shrinkflation is a great example. It's a term created in the last decade to describe something new we were witnessing in stores. Manufacturers were looking to find new ways to boost profits. At some point, rising prices aren't an option, so many compan...

My mother taught me how to play solitaire when I was four or five. And I've been playing ever since. Whenever I got bored, I could pull out the playing cards and play a game or two or ten. Kids today don't have the same problem. Ever since the internet came into our lives, there's always something to do. And while I don't keep a deck of playing cards handy, I still play daily on my iPad. I like to...

Sometimes, events in life remind me of how long I've been on this earth. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's usually something simple. Last weekend, my niece Hattie played Pac-Man for the first time. My sister-in-law's kids got a tabletop version of the game for Christmas, and their 12-year-old cousin decided she wanted to play. I played the game in the arcade over 40 years ago. It's b...

In the last few years, water bottles have become a status item. People, young and old, judge you by the brand of bottle you carry—they judge the color of the bottle and the accessories you include. I don't know why they matter. But water bottles aren't anything like the one I had on my bicycle in the 1970s. Sure, it's essential to stay hydrated, and using one of these reusable bottles does help re...