by Adrian Daniel Schramm | Aug 29, 2016 | SOTW
Strip Clubs. Taboo, or innocent fun. A bachelor party or sleazy lunch. A good time, or not, depending on who you are and what you like. Blushing, maybe drunken, exciting, sad. And then there are those who find something more at the strip club; a place of safety, a place of acceptance, a place where judgments don’t exist, and where the almighty American dollar is undeniable; where cash truly is king. Much of Minneapolis’ Warehouse District (which more or less operates as the city’s Red-Light District) is defined by the overstated neons and flashing lights of Downtown Cabaret, Rick’s, Sinners, Dreamgirls, the show-all Deja Vu, Choice, the Seville… So we sat down with a few unique visitors, those who might not fall in line with the usual stereotypes (traveling businessman, bachelor/ette or birthday partier, aging sad sack, famous athlete, etc) who might have a different perspective of life in a strip club. Note: Names have been changed. What it’s like to be sober at the strip club Mike has been going to strip clubs consistently (“a few times a month at least”) for four years. At age 27, he’s a young man who also utilizes dating websites to try and meet people as he says, “in real life.” He has also been completely sober (“No booze, no weed, no nothing”) for the last 2 years. “I quit drinking after one of those nights where you don’t remember,” he tells us, “and sometimes has to tell you, in great detail, how much of an ass you were.” So you went cold turkey? “I started working out instead. Any athletic activity I could get into. That...
by Adrian Daniel Schramm | Aug 25, 2016 | SOTW
The Digital Age is the current period of human history in which we moved from the industry-based society of the Industrial Revolution to a focus on computerizing information and creating a knowledge-based society. Also known as the Age of Information, the Digital Age’s greatest achievement is the internet. With the internet (connecting computers through a series of networks) comes access to things we may never have gotten our hands on, and certainly not all at once. Information has, throughout human history, been a priceless commodity and has never before been so readily available as it is today. So when we ask the question, Have we become more intelligent or less in the Digital Age? the knee jerk response is of course we’re smarter now. We have access to a wealth of information (a seemingly unlimited amount). We can connect cultures, and all of the learning therein, with the click of a button. And what’s more, we have the opportunity to share/spread that knowledge in the most revolutionary way since the printing press. But as has also been discussed (in the article Why facts won’t help win an argument, for example), we often latch only onto the things that we agree with, or, more importantly, the things that agree with us. With the amount of half-truths, unfounded claims, and falsehoods on the internet, it has become too easy to trade truth for misinformation. We’re not always getting the truth or the right information, and then we pass it along thinking we’re doing the world a favor. And, even if we are more informed, we’re not necessarily smarter. The convergence of computer ability, data storage, and network ubiquity have...
by Adrian Daniel Schramm | Aug 24, 2016 | Local
The secrets of a mid-sized city don’t usually excite anyone but the locals. The number of locals is growing in St. Paul, however, as is the number of visitors. When talking about what makes a city great, as we did in St. Paul, a city of the future, it’s easy to forget the small pockets of culture lost in the shuffle of progress. Here’s a quick look at local spots that should have a line out the door all the time, but don’t (yet) have the hype. Dining Sunrise Creative Gourmet: Still relatively new to Grand Avenue (in a district where local, family-owned businesses are an increasingly rare commodity), this restaurant/deli sells pizza by the slice, fluffy quiche, hearty, jam-packed sandwiches, homemade pastries and baked goods, and a decent selection of beer and wine. There is a small market in the back as well that offers a selection of authentic Italian pastas, sauces, cheeses and more, and a few local goods as well. Tavial Grill: The warranted 4.5-star rating on Yelp is a good start, but doesn’t really tell how great this Mexican joint located in the former Falafel King on West 7th is. Excellent tacos (with carnitas, pastor, chicken, lengua, you name it, they got it), burritos, enchiladas, alambre, and some random Philly cheese steaks and french fries thrown in for good(?) measure. Stick with the Mexican cuisine and this family-owned restaurant will make you feel as though you’re dining south of the border. Little Szechuan: Hot-pot style (fondue for Westerners) Chinese restaurant. It’s the only restaurant of its type in the city, and we’re all the better for...
by Adrian Daniel Schramm | Aug 17, 2016 | Local
Minnesota was named the fastest-growing state for tech jobs in the country by Forbes in 2015. CNET also championed the Minnesota tech scene for startups seeking funding, and Huffington Post listed Minneapolis as one of the top 10 cities for techies should move to earlier this year. Quietly, the North Star State has emerged as a leader in tech jobs and startups. But, even with all the positive press, “quietly” is still the operative word. Minnesota still isn’t known, or respected, as a tech hub. Minnesota’s issues with tech One possible reason for this is Minnesota’s wariness when moving forward with the speed required to keep up with the industry. It took only a year for California to change legislation and allow the testing of driverless cars. Would/could the same thing happen in Minnesota, a state notorious for spending ample time, money, resources “studying” before enacting change? As the Star Tribune identified: “For a state known for innovation (think 3M or Best Buy), there’s also a confounding resistance to change that interferes with making improvements or exploring new ideas at work.” It was also noted by the Strib, back in 2014, that the lack of a major tech firm (a Google, Amazon, Apple, etc.) was causing many of Minnesota’s startups to head west; the problem isn’t founding startups, the problem is keeping them here. We may have a plethora of Fortune 500 companies hiring tech workers, but when a startup looks to sell out or merge, they must do it outside of the state. To go even further back, you’ll find that Minnesota was once a major presence in America’s growing...
by Adrian Daniel Schramm | Aug 15, 2016 | Ideas
“I want to live life to the fullest.” “I want to reach for the stars.” “I want to…” “I want to live life before I die.” These are not real goals. These are meta goals, and should not be your focus. The same as sitting down to come up with the most brilliant idea to change the world or attain happiness and wealth, they are intangible. And it doesn’t work that way. Set real goals Before you say “I’m going to give it my all,” know what “it” is. It doesn’t matter how big or small. If you want to read all of the published Game of Thrones books by the end of the year, do it. If you want to join a Zumba class by next week, do that. If you want to ask out that cute coworker before the end of the day, that’s all you. These are tangible accomplishments. It doesn’t matter at all what the activity is, it matters how much of yourself you put into it. Engage yourself to the fullest, dive in and make it your everything. Don’t listen to anyone who tries to judge you based on how sophisticated your goals are, what is worthy or unworthy of your time, or what you should be doing. Only you know what you want/need to accomplish. What is should? Too many people give in to what they (think they) should be doing. You should be doing this, you should be doing that. You should be doing things the way everyone else is doing them. “Should” isn’t a real word. Well technically it is. But it’s just an auxiliary verb “used to indicate...
