Alan’s Anecdotes

Alan Sparrow is one of the co-owners of the Nance County Journal. Read his column each week in the newspaper and on the website.

Alan Sparrow is one of the co-owners of the Nance County Journal. Read his column each week in the newspaper and on the website.

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Free speech matters

Alan Sparrow
Tuesday, October 17, 2023
This week is Free Speech Week. I received an email encouraging people like me to talk about “the importance of freedom of speech and a free press in our democracy.” I can’t do that. Don’t get me wrong, I embrace freedom of speech and a free press. I regularly speak of their importance.
Alan Sparrow is one of the co-owners of the Nance County Journal. Read his column each week in the newspaper and on the website.

Alan Sparrow is one of the co-owners of the Nance County Journal. Read his column each week in the newspaper and on the website.

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The evolution of robotics

Alan Sparrow
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
The field of robotics has come a long way in my lifetime. My earliest impressions on robotics came from movies and television. Some robots were a bit silly, like the robot from “Lost in Space.” Some were scary, like the HAL 9000 from “2001: A Space Odyssey” and later “The Terminator” robots.
Alan Sparrow is one of the co-owners of the Nance County Journal. Read his column each week in the newspaper and on the website.

Alan Sparrow is one of the co-owners of the Nance County Journal. Read his column each week in the newspaper and on the website.

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It’s time to get involved

Alan Sparrow
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
The past week was a busy week. I went to a dinner for a close friend’s church celebrating its founding twenty years ago and its ongoing ministry. I also celebrated two birthdays (including my own) and went to parent teacher conferences. On Monday I went to my very first political meeting.
Alan Sparrow is one of the co-owners of the Nance County Journal. Read his column each week in the newspaper and on the website.

Alan Sparrow is one of the co-owners of the Nance County Journal. Read his column each week in the newspaper and on the website.

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Surveys: You are doing them wrong

Alan Sparrow
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
You’re probably filling out surveys wrong. I was before I learned what I’m about to share. I’ll keep all the boring math to the next two paragraphs. Once you see surveys from this perspective, it may change the way you look at product ratings when you make online purchases.
Alan Sparrow is one of the co-owners of the Nance County Journal. Read his column each week in the newspaper and on the website.

Alan Sparrow is one of the co-owners of the Nance County Journal. Read his column each week in the newspaper and on the website.

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Passing down values

Alan Sparrow
Wednesday, September 6, 2023
Annually, for most of my daughter’s life, we’ve stopped at Atalissa, Iowa to get a picture of our daughter next to the town sign. On a couple occasions we’ve also stopped at Riverside, Iowa to get a picture of our son next to the monument marking the “future birthplace” of Captain Kirk.
Alan Sparrow is one of the co-owners of the Nance County Journal. Read his column each week in the newspaper and on the website.

Alan Sparrow is one of the co-owners of the Nance County Journal. Read his column each week in the newspaper and on the website.

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Default Settings

Alan Sparrow
Wednesday, August 30, 2023
A couple weeks ago I wrote about a newspaper in Kansas being raided. I ended that column saying “Last, but not least, the story makes me grateful for the communities we serve. This incident couldn’t happen everywhere in our country, and I don’t think it would happen here.
Alan Sparrow is one of the co-owners of the Nance County Journal. Read his column each week in the newspaper and on the website.

Alan Sparrow is one of the co-owners of the Nance County Journal. Read his column each week in the newspaper and on the website.

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An attack on free speech

Alan Sparrow
Wednesday, August 16, 2023
On Friday I read a news story about an alleged injustice here in America. Since then it has been written about by most major news outlets in the country.
Alan Sparrow is one of the co-owners of the Nance County Journal. Read his column each week in the newspaper and on the website.

Alan Sparrow is one of the co-owners of the Nance County Journal. Read his column each week in the newspaper and on the website.

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Preparing for the Semiquincentennial

Alan Sparrow
Wednesday, August 9, 2023
I remember celebrating our country’s bicentennial. No, I’m not continuing last week’s column “Say You’re Old Without Saying Your Age.” At the time, I could count my age with one hand.
Alan Sparrow is one of the co-owners of the Nance County Journal. Read his column each week in the newspaper and on the website.

Alan Sparrow is one of the co-owners of the Nance County Journal. Read his column each week in the newspaper and on the website.

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Let’s play the age game

Alan Sparrow
Wednesday, August 2, 2023
Tell me you’re old without saying your age. I’ll start with a few to get the conversation going. The first time I called someone I had to turn a dial on the phone. There was no such thing as caller ID or answering machines, so we ran to the phone to answer it.
Alan Sparrow is one of the co-owners of the Nance County Journal. Read his column each week in the newspaper and on the website.

Alan Sparrow is one of the co-owners of the Nance County Journal. Read his column each week in the newspaper and on the website.

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Life is an adventure

Alan Sparrow
Wednesday, July 26, 2023
I grew up in northwest Indiana and didn’t visit Nebraska until I was in junior high. I wish I could remember more about the trip. Memory is a funny thing. There are so many things I wish I could remember, and so many things I wish I could forget. But that’s a column for another day.