“The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.”
― Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference


A few years back. Riding into the city on the 7:58 express to Grand Central, sitting next to a long time friend and former client/industry colleague. I’ve got my copied NY Times daily crossword (leaving the original at home for Ellen) on my lap and he’s got the hot new must read book of the month on his. It’s Mr. Gladwell’s new Hocus Pocus Opus The Tipping Point and by the time we reach The Bronx I’ve pretty much heard about as much as my freshly caffeinated nervous system can handle at that hour of the morning. It occurred to me then, and reoccurs to me now that perhaps there might be an appreciative (and easily seduced) market for another book of this type—one that similarly explores the mysteries of human behavior and societal trends as they intertwine and intersect in ways that are both quantifiable and yet paradoxical. But like all such ideas I have had arising from such moments of seemingly inspired revelation, I let the moment pass and at the risk of squandering an opportunity that could forever free me from the daily tedium of the 7:58 , I return to the more pressing problem of coming up with answers to questions concerning Norse mythology and the names of characters from TV shows I've never even heard of.


But today on the train, where I’m no longer in the habit of conquering the daily dare from Will Shortz, I once again thought about that idea I had—and now that I have this blog, I decided I would pick up the discarded pieces of my pipe-dream and prepare a workable outline for a book proposal that could propel me to the Olympian Heights of Oracular fame and fortune.



Title: The Point of Tipping

Sub-Title : What The Giving and Receiving of Gratuities Tells Us About Who We Are, What We Want And Where We’re Going in An Infinite and Ever Expanding Universe.

Employing the most advanced tools in data collection and management in conjunction with anecdotal evidence (mostly true) and analytical assessments based on instinct and intuition (see: Blink. M. Gladwell) this book will explore an uncharted and brave new world where an ever increasing population of low-wage workers dependent on voluntarily provided donations intersects with an ever decreasing population of donors for whom the meaning of honest employment and work has been lost or abandoned.

In this book you will meet big tippers and small tippers. You’ll get to know what makes Tippers who tip to gain status tick, and what makes tippers who tip to gain control sick. You’ll meet the status seeking tipper who wants everyone to know how much money he has, and the tipsy tipper who can’t help letting everyone know how little he knows about how much money he has.

You’ll also meet the Tippees. Waiters, waitresses, cab drivers and baggage handlers—all with telling stories to tell and secrets to reveal. You’ll learn how they have been surprised by sudden bursts of generosity from the unlikeliest of sources and shocked by equally sudden demonstrations of demeaning and humiliating abuse.

Conclusion: The Point of Tipping is both an idea and a book whose time has come. With the rise of the Occupy Wall Street movement and the continued expansion of Tea Party partisans and participants throughout the nation—the role of the voluntary gratuity in our economic system has never been greater or more critical to its continuance. This is a book that will be read by everyone who tips and everyone who is tipped. And that is a number that far exceeds the “Tipping Point” at which a book goes from being just another bogus bunch of bull to a Blazingly hot phenomenon that breaks out and breaks through to become an all-time bestselling bonanza for the publishing arm of a multi-national conglomerate with the wherewithal to maximize profits across a multitude of media platforms.

Bidding will begin at 5 million dollars.
(Gratuity not included)




At work, we do some projects for Cox Cable. As you might imagine, it’s kinda tricky doing any kind of communications work (and radio spots are trickiest) for a company with a name so easily subject to glib vulgarization. And we have a very entertaining file filled with various headlines and story leads that had to be discarded due to their double entendre implications. So I got to thinking about the world of the web and how I’ve been occasionally stupefied by the choices of some companies and individuals when it came to the selection of a URL.—cause when you remove spaces between words, you’re bound to create some confusion…or worse. I couldn’t remember any offhand, but search and ye shall find:


Looking to hire a celebrity? Then give the agent finders at “Who Represents” a holler.
You’ll find them at: 
www.whorepresents.com

Professional Programmers unite and exchange advice and views at : 
www.expertsexchange.com

Marooned without a pen to write your SOS message. Don’t panic, just go to Pen Island at 
www.penisland.net

A good shrink is hard to find. Unless you go to Therapist Finder at 
www.therapistfinder.com

I don’t what they do or how they do it, but as they say, when in Rome…go to Italian Power Generator company at: …
www.powergenitalia.com

Green thumb gardeners can find lots to like at the Mole Station Native Nursery, based in New South Wales: 
www.molestationnursery.com

Searching for software and just can’t hold it in any longer? always 
www.ipanywhere.com

Welcome to the First Cumming Methodist Church. Their website is www.cummingfirst.com

Then, of course, there’s art designers, and their whacky website: 
www.speedofart.com

Let’s got to Lake Tahoe! But first lets download some info at: 
www.gotahoe.com