The Mason Minute

I love trivia. And I've always loved watching sports trivia shows on TV. The first show I remember is Sports Challenge starring Dick Enberg back in the 1970s. Over the weekend, I was reminded of another one of my faves from the early 2000s. The show was called Stump The Schwab. ESPN's Stuart Scott was the host, and it featured one of their top researchers, Howie Schwab. Players competed against on...

For years, there's been discussion about the advantages of a 4-day work week. It was something that Bernie Sanders campaigned on when he ran for President in 2020. Since the pandemic, more companies have tried it, but the jury is still determining whether it will ever become the norm. But this week, an Indiana school district announced that one of their elementary schools will try a 4-day school w...

I've got a craving for pancakes, but I might have waffles instead. While I prefer pancakes, I have a Waffle House down the street and may settle for that. There are other places I can go to get pancakes, but they're further away, and their pancakes just aren't that good. While I like Waffle House, eating waffles isn't the same as eating pancakes. I understand why they don't have them, but I wish t...

I've got a few household projects that I've been putting off. So, it's time to visit the hardware store and get them done. Hopefully, they won't be too difficult. I used to love those honey-do chores. But there's a big difference between doing them when you own versus when you rent. They're small projects, so they shouldn't be too involved. I used to be able to spend hours at the hardware store be...

I love technology, and usually, I'm an early adopter. But when it comes to my phone, I hate buying a new one. Some people always want the latest and greatest iPhone or Android. But I like to hold on to mine as long as I can. I still use an iPhone 7, but I know I must upgrade soon. The iPhone 7 came out in 2016, so it's technically outdated as of January. That means it will still get security updat...

For decades, the International Space Station has been orbiting the Earth. It's been up there so long that many people don't even think about it. But what would you do if something broke off the space station and fell back to Earth? The odds of that happening are close to impossible. But it has happened recently. Some space junk discarded back in 2021 fell to Earth last week and came through the ro...

For as long as I can remember, people have discussed the difference in the salaries of men and women doing the same job. While strides are being made, for many, more is needed. Will wage equality ever happen in our lifetime? I don't know. The topic has been a big part of the news cycle for the last few days. People were shocked when they learned what Caitlin Clark would make in her rookie season p...

Attention to detail is a vital skill set to possess and master. You have to continually work at it even if you're good. And if details aren't your strength, you need to surround yourself with people who can take care of it for you. Over the last couple of days, I've witnessed examples, both good and bad. CBS-TV over the weekend proved what happens when you don't pay attention. Then, on Monday nigh...

I talked about this yesterday on my Road Warrior video blog. My wife and I came very close to being in a major auto accident over the weekend. A big panel van was sitting on the side of the road and decided to pull a U-turn directly in front of us. The driver obviously wasn't paying attention, and it almost ended poorly. Somehow, I missed hitting the side of that van head-on. I'm unsure how close...

Whenever I see a TV commercial for Hamburger Helper, it takes me back to a particular time in my life. It transports me back to the 1980s when I was a baby radio DJ. I didn't make much money, so I often looked for a meal that could serve as dinner and then had some leftovers that would be lunch the next day. Hamburger Helper was something that fit the bill. It's not something I've had in years, bu...

In recent years, you have likely noticed that the size of your favorite chocolate bar is shrinking while the price is rising. And it looks like things are about to get worse. There is a significant cocoa shortage worldwide, and prices are beginning to increase. The days of a cheap candy bar are likely gone for good. And the store shelves may not be stocked quite as well, as candy makers adjust to...

Recently, I've seen a lot of stories about people getting rich with their side hustle. It reminds me of the days when I started what you could consider my side hustle. When I started my company in the early 2000s, it was something to supplement my radio work. Now, I don't think my work on the side qualifies because even in the beginning, it wasn't something I would spend a few hours working on and...

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, 'Bob" in customer service isn't telling us his real name. He's likely answering your call f...

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 people find others who indulge their needs. The desire for this attention may have...

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 the weekend, and now they have a big choice: do they take a 1.3 billion dollar annuity over the nex...

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 uncommon. An eclipse happens somewhere on Earth roughly every 18 months. But from how...

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 cold, and the likelihood of rain or snow has increased. Chicago, Cleveland, and...

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 will be called Coordinated Lunar Time and use the acronym LTC. The government feels the need...

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 retail locations first. They pulled the plug on this experiment this week because it...

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 always brand new. The algorithm determines what news we see. Often, you need to check the date of a new...

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 no school throughout the region yesterday. Most schools closed rather than...

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 find that over the last 20 years, most have lost around 50% of their nutrient density. And it coul...

It's April Fools' Day, one of my least favorite days of the year. I love a good joke, but I never got into pranks. I know this is something I talk about every year. It's a day for amateurs to try to be funny, and they often fail. I always assumed that this was a holiday invented by Americans. But as I dug in, some say Chaucer first references it in the Canterbury Tales. Most people trace its origi...

I watched a lot of this year's NCAA Basketball Tournament. I've probably watched more men's and women's games than in recent years combined. And while the rules, for the most part, are the same as when I played back in high school, it's not the same game. Today, the referees aren't as critical to most violations. They don't call many 3-second violations, double dribble, or even traveling. And I wo...

For many, Spring Break is wrapping up. For the last week, our nieces and nephews from Indiana have been scattered throughout Florida, enjoying their time off from school. They're heading home today and tomorrow and back hitting the books on Monday. While Spring Break isn't new, it's still strange to me even after all these years. I knew a few families back in my school days that vacationed this ti...