Sparkplug

In my ongoing quest to find a new template for Sparkplug I am trying out yet another new theme.  Let me know what you think of this three column format.

Ah the wonders of technology…

I locked myself out of the site for a couple of weeks by eliminating a piece of code on a style sheet that I thought I had backed up but hadn’t.  The result?  My sidebar disappeared for a couple of weeks along with with Admin login.  I finally found a way in and selected this theme so that I could repair the damage.

But now I am not sure.  I kind of like this theme.

I may try it for a couple of weeks while I decide.

Yes, it’s Oscar night again.  If I sound less than enthusiastic it’s because I am.  Again, like last year the Best Picture line up is a collection of quality films, but I am still in a snit because The Dark Knight did not make the cut.

So here are my picks. (more…)

Looks a lot like the old one.  However, our focus going forward will be on communications and communications issues in the 21st century.

This is an open source site and I invite anyone with a point of view — complimentary or contrary — to take part.

Peter McGarvey

Head Mechanic

Today marks the second anniversary of Sparkplug going live.  As I promised several postings ago we are about to undergo a major refocus here.

Going forward Sparkplug will focus on practical communications issues in business and in your personal life.

Starting next week we begin anew.

For now, a Happy New Year to all.

True to its name Future Shop is a leading indicator of where the entertainment dollar is being spent today. (more…)

As I hinted several postings ago, after two years Sparkplug is about to undergo a major overhaul. (more…)

Just got word that electronics retailer Circuit City has filed for Chapter 11. (more…)

President Elect Barack Obama

It’s finally here after almost two years. 

This Presidential election is the most important in our generation and it is easy to see why.  Tomorrow, history will be made.  (more…)

This says it all.   Click the picture to make it bigger.

The house of cards that once was the American financial system is falling faster than Sarah Palin’s poll numbers. 

Yesterday saw the single greatest drop on the New York Stock Exchange in history.  (more…)

Thanks to the loyal readers who noticed that I have been off the air for a few weeks.

This was not intentional, but after almost two years of Sparkplugging I was suffering a mild case of blog burnout.

It’s not that there hasn’t been a lot happening what with the Presidential debate, the Canadian election and Sarah Palin’s latest strangeness. 

I just needed to take a short break.

Sad to say that my friend Douglas passed away last week after battling a long illness.  I wrote a piece on eating chicken wings at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo several postings back.  That was almost the last time that our family and Douglas’s spent time together.  We all had a great time that day. 

Again it is often the simple pleasures in life that can mean so much.  As Warren Zevon once said “Enjoy every sandwich.”

As we approach our second year I have been thinking a lot about Sparkplug and over the coming months I plan to take it in a new direction.  Over the next weeks I will talk about this further.

But for now, I have crawled out from under the bed and gotten back to work.

The contrast is in the shots of the crowd.  I’ve been watching pundit free coverage on CSPAN of the RNC and everytime they go to a shot of the crowd the faces are always the same - white, well-fed and wrinkly. (more…)

It’s all about the sizzle. 

Over the next few days the Democrats are meeting in Denver to nominate Barak Obama as their choice for President.  (more…)