Corey Snipes

The Short Answer: Tanks all day. We needed to replace our aging hot water tank in 2020, so I discussed the tankless option with several plumbing professionals and homeowners. Over the last few years, I have experienced the transition from tank to tankless at my in-laws home. We confidently decided the tank was better. Tankless solves a problem we don't have (unlimited hot water) and creates two new problems: 1) Slightly longer delay in getting hot water at the taps,…

COVID has permanently shuttered many bars and venues, but the announcement from El Chapultapec in Denver really hits home for me. This unassuming little bar in downtown was a long-standing institution in the music scene, not just locally but nationally too. You could go and hear incredible musicians in this tiny joint any night of the week, most playing not for the patrons but for the love and joy of music. National touring performers have been stopping by El Chapultapec…

I love this building on Canal Road, below the Carnegie bridge and the Guardians of Transportation. Four floors of gently curved industrial brick facing the tracks. A long-disused loading dock hints at a bustle of warehouse activity and freight logistics. The building is just steps from Tower City, Progressive Field, and Collision Bend on the Cuyahoga River, but hardly a car to be seen and no foot traffic at all. (Cleveland, OH, USA - December 2020)

One of my all-time favorite TV shows is an Australian series called "Utopia" (in the US: "Dreamland" on Netflix). It's a comedy centered around a government infrastructure planning and development office (the Nation Building Authority), and the frustrations of bureaucracy and incompetent colleagues. Even if that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, I promise you the scenarios and characters are spot on, and the humor is quick, deadpan, hilarious. I am making my way through the recommendations, and here's…

I am interested in green burial (aka natural burial). Traditional cemeteries are arranged for the living. Traditional burial is expensive, wasteful, and weirdly permanent. Green burial (as defined by the Green Burial Council), is a way of "caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact that aids in the conservation of natural resources, reduction of carbon emissions, protection of worker health, and the restoration and/or preservation of habitat." That resonates strongly with me. Green burial uses non-toxic and biodegradable materials,…

The Political Compass has been around on the internet since 2001. Their essential point is that Right and Left politically are mostly a measure of economics, and that people's politics is better measured by adding a second dimension (Authoritarian vs. Libertarian). https://www.politicalcompass.org One of my friends from college nudged me to do this via Facebook message. Distinct from the garbage heap of "how do you score on this quiz" that swirls around Facebook, this is well-crafted, timeless, and supported by…

Cleveland civic leaders are gaga for blockchain right now. Organizations are pulling together in an uncharacteristic way, in support of Bernie Moreno's moonshot "Blockland". This week, Noriel Roubini's delivered well-researched statements for the Senate banking committee, on why cryptocurrency is a scam ("the mother or father of all scams and bubbles"), and blockchain is massively overhyped ("In practice it is nothing better than a glorified spreadsheet or database"). Roubini is a professor at NYU, studies asset and credit bubbles, and…

I love WNYC's RadioLab. The hosts are great, the topics are compelling, and the production of the show is just great. I really like the way they use sound and incorporate off-script words and phrases throughout the show and credits. Here are three RadioLab shows about plants doing unexpected things (communicating, learning, sharing, etc). As with every RadioLab show, they're fascinating.