Agoraphilia

Back in 2005 and 2007 , I wrote a couple of posts about the "Annual Rite of Overdue Dumping." I claimed this event occurs early ...

If you've walked into a Halloween store recently, you've probably been treated to a soundtrack of what seem to be classic haunting ...

Happy Loving Day! On this date, forty-one years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court issued Loving v. Virginia, 88 U.S. 1 (1967), striking down st...

Dinesh D'Souza feigns ignorance . Yes, I agree that many nominal Christians have also forgotten the message of Christmas. Even so I wond...

Santa failed , but the sexbot passed ... oddly, for similar reasons. Context is everything. (Explanation of the Turing test here . Links ...

Seems like I should have something to say about Valentine’s Day, so here are some scattered thoughts. The cynic in me says Valentine’s Day, ...

Economists like to tweak normal people’s sensibilities by saying that gift-giving is inefficient, and that it would make more sense for ever...

Children's fiction often promotes credulity as a virtue. Consider, for instance, the admonitions in Disney's Peter Pan, in Elf, ...

This year, as every year, my grandfather gave me a universal gift certificate for Christmas: The cool thing about this gift certificate is t...

Here’s another example of how Wal-Mart is ruining America . When shopping there last week, I would occasionally see an item and think, “Hey...

So I was looking at my gorgeous Christmas tree, and it got me thinking: aside from the color scheme, what makes a tree beautiful? Clearly ...

I had a great July 4th, but the most surprisingly pleasant part of the day was… the drive. Somehow I managed to dodge all the traffic, both...

This photo was taken on Christmas Day at my parents' house in Houston. That's my Uncle Rick (standing), me (farthest away), my sist...

Few people want to be alone on Thanksgiving... or Christmas... or New Year's... or Valentine's Day. As a result, many courtships th...

I'm visiting my family in Houston for the holidays (so expect light blogging for the next week or so). Flipping through the Houston Chr...

Hoo, doggies, but my post about Santaism got 'em going! The 25 comments may have set an Agoraphilia record. I thank you all. I love ...

Lots of parents lie to their children, repeatedly and ardently, about the existence of Santa Claus. Why? Santaism imposes large costs on p...

Merry Christmas to all! I have nothing new to say about this holiday, but here's something old (from this blog a year ago).

Regifting According to this Reuters story , the Christmas shopping season may be "extended" this year because of the unexpectedly ...

Unfinished Business Amy sent me a few more suggestions for clever group names: A bouquet of florists A yard of landscapers A sextet of pr...