I feel bad about Nora.

          A gifted writer I admire has passed away. Surely you've heard of Nora Ephron.

          She is the author of bestsellers "Heartburn" and "Crazy Salad", and "I Feel Bad About My Neck". Nora received Academy Award nominations for Best Original Screenplay for "When Harry Met Sally", "Silkwood", and "Sleepless in Seattle", which she directed as well. She wrote "You've Got Mail" and the play, "Imaginary Friends".

          Few people have brought so much joy to so many. Here's a bit of what she wrote about handbags: "I hate my purse. I absolutely hate it. This is for women who hate their purses, are bad at purses, who understand that their purses are reflections of negative housekeeping, hopeless disorganization, a chronic inability to throw anything away, and an on-going failure to handle the obligations of a demanding and difficult accessory. The obligation, for example, that it should, in some way, match what you're wearing."

           I loved the way Nora Ephron wrote,the way she thought. She was sharpened to a precise instrument. If she was famous for anything, it was her vulnerabilities.We have that in common. Not being famous, being vulnerable. She said that when she was young, she wanted to write like Dorothy Parker.

           I hope you don't think it's inappropriate, but I'd like to end with this Nora Ephron comment, which I've laughed out loud about for years: "Sometimes I think that not having to worry about your hair anymore is the upside of death."

           Goodbye, Nora. We should've told you long ago that we loved you just as you were.

Will the creative class please come to order.

          A big topic of conversation these days is the creative class in our society. There's a belief that creativity is the most valuable business product that America offers today. Authors have become obsessed about who the creative people are, where they live, how to better educate them, and how to introduce them to your daughter.

          A large number of these people are on the tech side of things. We need these people so much that politicians are talking about how to import more of them and give them green cards before they reach their baggage.

          Others are "content" creators, including authors, writers, illustrators, animators, Web people, game designers---as well as architects and engineers of all kinds.

          One of the most important parts of the creative class is designers. Design has become a crucial part of everything everyone makes.

          The obvious example is Apple. The designs of the iMac were captivating, and were followed up with the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad and the MacAir. Design, including the intuitive way these products work and even feel, is why we know Dell, appreciate HP, but love Apple.

           Advertising has rewarded creative people quite well since New York headhunter Judy Wald put art directors and copywriters on the star system. They've stayed well paid because without them, ad agencies would have nothing to sell or distinguish themselves.

           But design improvements are everywhere. Compare interior design at Starbucks with local coffee shops. Compare some of the original things you can get on eBay with goods in a department store. Compare the Apple store with Radio Shack. Even the wine bottles and labels that look so impressively traditional have been designed to look that way.

          Design helps brands look special, makes manufacturing more efficient, makes customers feel important and catered to, makes products more practical, and makes Web sites look contemporary and substantial.

          Breakfast cereal in candy bars, yogurt in tubes, soup in microwavable cups --- design affects everything today.

          Who would you rather work for, Apple or IBM? Welcome to the creative class.