Just a reminder that one week from tonight, I’ll be reading at WYSIWYG. The topic is, “The City That Never Shuts Up: New York Stories.” I’m nervous but excited. Maybe this will be my big break and Ellen DeGeneres will be in the audience and think I’m wonderful and invite me onto her show as a guest and put me in touch with other people, including a book publisher.

Or I’ll just have a really good time.

You can buy tickets in advance. Come one, come all. See you there!

Every customer review of a product on Amazon.com is followed by the words, “Was this review helpful to you?” followed by “yes” and “no” buttons.

I’m never quite sure how to answer the question. If you take it as worded, the question is meant to be answered by a person who’s trying to decide whether or not to buy/consume a particular product. Did the review help the person make a decision? But in practice, I think most people who answer the question are those who have already bought/consumed the product, and they’re voting on whether or not they agree with the review. That’s a different question entirely. Or “helpful” could mean not just whether it helps someone make the decision to buy/consume, but whether, after the fact, that turned out to be a good or bad decision. But that would require someone to read the review, then buy/consume the product, and then go back and read that review again, days or weeks later. I don’t think most people are that conscientious.

The question is just too vague. It would be better for Amazon.com to ask, “Do you agree with this review?”, since that’s probably what most people use it for anyway, and its meaning is clearer.

I could very well have too much time on my hands.

Yesterday I discovered TV ARK, a treasure trove of TV network identification theme music and logos, including pages for local news stations. Those of you who grew up in the New York area will appreciate these News 4 New York clips, using the old early 1980s theme music and graphics. (Chuck Scarborough and Sue Simmons have been around forever!) And Matt went nuts at these Birmingham, Alabama clips.

Some of my other favorites on the site are this two-minute NBC “Be There” promo, with cameos by tons of early-80s NBC TV stars (Ricky Schroeder, Charlotte Rae, Mr. T, the Smurfs, and lots more – I could watch this over and over); the other NBC clips, especially the various “NBC Monday Night at the Movies” intros (this was back before everything on TV was steeped in irony); and the very famous and familiar “A CBS Special Presentation” clip.

There’s lots of other great stuff on there — have fun.