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Humans have always had a complicated relationship with weather. Ancient cultures prayed and made offerings to gods in hopes of receiving conditions conducive to growing crops. Adverse weather, then, w…
Humans have always h…
Humans have always had a complicated relationship with weather. Ancient cultures prayed and made offerings to gods in hopes of receiving conditions conducive to growing crops. Adverse weather, then, was often interpreted as displeasure on behalf of those same beings—a punishment for failing to observe proper rituals. It doesn’t take a history scholar to understand this impulse. Weather, now as then, is both an enemy and ally. On one hand, it provides everything from the raw material for food—sunlight driving photosynthesis, wind the primary method of plants spreading their seeds—to …
Sometimes, writing about art and theater feels a lot like falling down the proverbial rabbit hole as I try to find the angle to write about wandering through a haunted-theater immersive experience, ge…
Sometimes, writing a…
Sometimes, writing about art and theater feels a lot like falling down the proverbial rabbit hole as I try to find the angle to write about wandering through a haunted-theater immersive experience, getting splashed in a Halloween horror show in the basement of a spaghetti emporium, sweating through a DIY D&D in a comic shop, savoring (har har!) Sweeney Todd’s enraged high notes, and trying to quiet my howling dog in a public house. I’ve found myself in some odd and awkward scenarios. To update the metaphor, writing this column is a lot like drunk-clicking through an endless algorithm o…
Jessie Hanson
January 8, 2020
On June 23rd, the people of the United Kingdom narrowly voted in a referendum to leave the European Union, ending the UK’s 41-year membership. Immediately, the world experienced negative economic fe…
On June 23rd, the pe…
On June 23rd, the people of the United Kingdom narrowly voted in a referendum to leave the European Union, ending the UK’s 41-year membership. Immediately, the world experienced negative economic feedback, as the British Pound dropped in value and stockbrokers everywhere missed expected returns. It has been nearly two weeks since the Brexit (British-exit) took place, but there still remains substantial economic uncertainty about the long-term effects of such a decision and its (both good and bad) consequences. What could the Brexit mean for American businesses? It seems the biggest conseq…
Andrew Paniello
July 5, 2016
When you go to an American sporting event, you can usually expect to see two things: crazy fans and crazy high concession stand prices. Over the past few decades, concession prices have been steadily …
When you go to an Am…
When you go to an American sporting event, you can usually expect to see two things: crazy fans and crazy high concession stand prices. Over the past few decades, concession prices have been steadily rising much faster than the consumer price index, and almost every other possible measure of inflation; because stadium owners know that—for three hours or so—they have an absolute monopoly on their fans’ food and beverage needs, fans are often taken advantage of, and demanded to pay prices for concessions far beyond typical market values. Fans have responded by trying t…
Andrew Paniello
June 7, 2016
Around Boulder, and elsewhere, there has been a growing trend over the past few years: the intentional exclusion of price tags. Such a practice has become a near industry norm at bars, pubs, and other…
Around Boulder, and …
Around Boulder, and elsewhere, there has been a growing trend over the past few years: the intentional exclusion of price tags. Such a practice has become a near industry norm at bars, pubs, and other places that serve alcohol (an explicit exploitation of those who are intoxicated), but until recently, consumers have rightfully expected to know what they are going to pay for what they are buying—whether it be bread, clothing, or any other good or service. Knowing the price of something is the fundamental basis of capitalism and informed consumerism; without an informed purchase opportunit…
Andrew Paniello
May 30, 2016
Like many industries in the world of business, public transportation has experienced a wave of changes in the 21st century. Across the United States, cities are investing more in pu…
L…
Like many industries in the world of business, public transportation has experienced a wave of changes in the 21st century. Across the United States, cities are investing more in public transportation as populations, environmental concerns, and frustrations with congestion continue to rise. In Boulder, Denver, and throughout the Front Range, these changes are made apparent through increased RTD usage, the renovation of Denver’s Union Station, and a proposed light-rail system that will connect Boulder and Denver sometime between now and the end of time. Other local chang…
Andrew Paniello
May 23, 2016
Vertical farming is a growing trend across the world, particularly in places similar to Boulder with limited space and a green conscious. Essentially, vertical farming is the practice of producing foo…
Vertical farming is …
Vertical farming is a growing trend across the world, particularly in places similar to Boulder with limited space and a green conscious. Essentially, vertical farming is the practice of producing food and other bio-matter in vertically stacked layers; these layers can either be stacked through multiple stories at the macro level, or through multiple shelves within a single story at the micro level. Vertical farming may be an attractive alternative to traditional methods of food production because it is a more efficient use of land, and can also extend the potential growing season. Addition…
Andrew Paniello
May 16, 2016
It seems clear that the Boulder business community is notoriously competitive, but what is less clear are the reasons why some businesses survive the competition, while others do not. In order to find…
It seems clear that …
It seems clear that the Boulder business community is notoriously competitive, but what is less clear are the reasons why some businesses survive the competition, while others do not. In order to find the root of such competitive advantages, I spoke with several Boulder business owners and asked them how they have managed to survive the ever-changing community landscape; in the end, one things was clear: detail matters. While many businesses can decrease their costs by changing their financial or operating models, decreasing these costs alone will not be enough to stay open; what owners nee…
Andrew Paniello
May 8, 2016
Businesses are frequently forced to make the difficult choice between practicing environmentally friendly behavior and the pursuit of profit; conflict between being sustainable and being profitable me…
Businesses are frequ…
Businesses are frequently forced to make the difficult choice between practicing environmentally friendly behavior and the pursuit of profit; conflict between being sustainable and being profitable means that one of the two will often be ignored. However, recently, it seems that businesses’ interests in profit and planet are becoming more compatible and less of a trade-off. Here are five reasons why businesses have not just the environmental, but also the economic incentive to go green: Solving for Scarcity Earth is a finite planet, and there are mathematically a finite number of nat…
Andrew Paniello
May 1, 2016
In a world where developments in technology, legislation, and culture have entirely altered the way human beings consume media, it is surprising that that even after decades of use, the vinyl record p…
In a world where dev…
In a world where developments in technology, legislation, and culture have entirely altered the way human beings consume media, it is surprising that that even after decades of use, the vinyl record player is still many music lovers outlet of choice. As the world spins, and changes, the vinyl record does too, keeping time, and telling a story. Perhaps it is the joy of being able to tangibly hold a piece of music; perhaps it is the friendly crackle that greets the listener as the needle embraces the vinyl; perhaps it is the escape from the commercialization, digitizing, and monitoring of mus…
Andrew Paniello
April 24, 2016
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