I wish I were less awkward around strangers. I never know what to say when someone asks me who I am and what the hell I'm doing in their house.

But I still have him in the form of the finest and highest standard of what it means to be a journalist and critic. All my life, Roger Ebert has always been the bar I've tried to reach. I never will. But his example has made me stronger through failure.

To a writer, an open browser tab is like a glass of whiskey. 1 or 2 can help the work. Too many ensures that nothing gets done.

I wish I were less awkward around strangers. I never know what to say when someone asks me who I am and what the hell I'm doing in their house.

Microsoft doesn't have to make back the purchase price. They have to make something of Skype, not from Skype. If they fail to grow as a company, I'm going to conclude that Microsoft has officially and deliberately taken themselves off the list of "A list innovators."

When all hope is lost, pig-headed refusal to acknowledge reality will always save the day.