John Mark Dempsey

“Luck’s a chance, but trouble’s sure …”

John Mark Dempsey — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:33:49 +0000

I saw something online that fueled my natural pessimistic tendencies. It was a story about a University of Texas law student who, on a computer, has developed a plastic gun whose parts can apparently can be fabricated using a 3-D printer (did you know there were 3-D printers?) and assembled as a gun that actually fires bullets.

“How” and other “bad words:” A-OK

John Mark Dempsey — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:33:13 +0000

I bought a nice Mother’s Day card recently for the long-suffering Tricia. It carried a sweet and sentimental message – “Screw the laundry.”

Musical mavens: Bluegrass, Western swing and Son of Fab

John Mark Dempsey — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:53:30 +0000

I’ve probably seen more musical performances this year than the previous 10 years combined (as described previously, the ’60s band the Zombies, followed by Eric Clapton and the performers named here).

Zombies, Slowhand and the weight of the years

John Mark Dempsey — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:33:34 +0000

Lovely wife Tricia and I have attended more than our share of music events lately. So much that a friend of mine commented on Facebook, “You are really hitting the nightlife!”

Smile when you say that (call “Beaver” unrealistic), podna

John Mark Dempsey — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:30:00 +0000

The 1950s are a litmus test for our political views; love the ’50s, you’re likely conservative; hate the ’50s, you’re likely liberal.*

JMD on Washington and Mt. Vernon

John Mark Dempsey — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:15:00 +0000

I went to Washington, D.C. recently for an academic conference – one of those conclaves where you present your brilliant scholarly insights to a room of 15 other Deep Thinkers.

JMD on the 'Shingles spot'

John Mark Dempsey — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:17:03 +0000

Perhaps you’ve seen a commercial recently on TV. (Given the highly targeted nature of advertising today, it probably helps if you frequent the news and sports channels viewed by middle-aged men like me.)

JMD on the 24-hour news cycle

John Mark Dempsey — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:04:30 +0000

I felt a certain guilt in watching the search for the two alleged Boston Marathon bombers: I enjoyed it.