Weekly Roundup: Jan 24 - 30

Blog Posts:

UPDATE: How Many Friends Can You Manage?

Passion and Work: Do You Love Your Job?

Notecard Art:

Untitled 20100127

Pictures of the Day:

Paranormal Activity

Wednesday Art: Untitled 20100127

Tue Pic of the Day: Paranormal Activity?

This branch fell from a tree on a windy day and landed like this. It wasn't a hurricane, or even a heavy thunderstorm, just a normal, rainy day. Strange.

Passion and Work: Do You Love Your Job?

Are you passionate about what you do for a living, or is it something you do because you have to pay the bills? Would you call yourself a professional, or do you just have a job? Is there a difference between working in a profession and working a job?

Some would say that the true mark of being passionate about your work is that you would do it for free. I don't necessarily agree with this because I consider myself passionate about my work, and I consider myself a professional, but there are days when I wouldn't do my work for free.

I do think it's important to find work that your are passionate about. After all, you spend a good chunk of your life at work, it helps if you enjoy what your are doing.

I also think that to be a professional you have to be passionate about your work, otherwise, you are just working a job.

Finding something you are passionate about, and actually earning a living at it, is difficult. It's wonderful when you do, though, because being passionate about your work, and making that work part of your life, adds an enriching layer to who you are.

How Many Friends Can You Manage?

UPDATE 1: Similar article regarding Dunbar's Number.

11/13/2009

British anthropologist Robin Dunbar suggests that the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships is roughly one hundred fifty people. A stable social relationship is defined as one where an individual knows who each person is and how each person relates to every other person.

This got me thinking: With the rise of social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, how does Dunbar's number apply to network-based social "communities"?

I have about three hundred "friends" on Facebook and roughly five hundred followers on Twitter.

Because I approve my Facebook friends, I have a working knowledge of who they are and some knowledge of how they link to my other friends.

My Twitter community is a completely different story. Other than a one hundred forty character biographic description, I know next to nothing about my Twitter followers.

Is the way we create relationships changing as a result of network-based social communities? Do we have too many "friends"? Can we effectively engage them all?

"People" by Lola Grace

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Related Random Thoughts
Twitter Likes and Dislikes
What Gordon Gekko Can Teach Us About Smartphones
The Perishable Mind

Weekly Roundup: Jan 17-23

Blog Posts:

In Through the Out Door: There Has to Be a Better Way to Manage Airport Security

The “Twenty-Eight Day Rule”: The Netflix and Warner Agreement

Guest Random Thought By Scott Knapp: The Bill Acceptor

Notecard Art:

Lateral Movement

Pictures of the Day

Airblade

A Long Walk to the Top

Taxation…

Sat Pic of the Day: Taxation...

I know it's difficult to read, but the picture is meant to show you the motto on a Washington, DC license plate.

The motto reads, "Taxation Without Representation."

It always perplexes me when I read this because you would figure DC would want to place something positive on their license plate. Something for District citizens to rally around. Maybe something similar to New Hampshire's motto, which is, "Live Free or Die."

The New Hampshire motto highlights something the state takes pride in - they are a free people.

Do the citizens of DC take pride in the fact that they are taxed, but don't have a representative in the federal government? I wouldn't take pride in that.

Guest Random Thought by Scott Knapp: The Bill Acceptor

I was in a hotel last week in Louisville. I arrived late and instead of going back out to get a bite to eat, I walked down the hall to grab a Diet Coke. When I pulled out my wallet I noticed I had about four singles, none of which looked any newer than twenty years old.

I took out two of the least beat up dollars, and sure enough the machine took them both like a champ.

It used to be where you needed to iron the bills, rub them back and forth on the corner of the machine nine times, and pray. From there you would try at least ten times, only to have the bill acceptor spit the bill back out to you. Then you would walk away disgruntled with nothing but frustration.

I give kudos to the guy who came up with the technology to advance the bill acceptor to the state they are today.

Related Random Thoughts

Redbox

The Specimen

Light Kicks

Thu Pic of the Day: A Long Walk to the Top

Use the picture as a metaphore for your life, career, or both. Niether is easy, and it is indeed a long walk to the top. Good luck.

The “Twenty-Eight Day Rule”: The Netflix and Warner Agreement

Netflix Just Gave iTunes a Big Fat Kiss

The twenty-eight day rule is an agreement between Netflix and Warner that prevents Netflix from renting any new-to-DVD movie from Warner until twenty-eight days after its release to DVD.

The movie studios are reeling financially and, like all media outlets, are looking for new ways to generate, or simply maintain, revenue. Even though last year was a record setting year for movie theater revenue, the reason for the revenue uptick was higher ticket prices; attendance in the theater actually declined.

The movie studios depend on DVD sales to help generate revenue, but the numbers show that DVD sales are declining, as well – more people are opting to rent movies digitally.

So, the twenty-eight day rule is a desperate attempt by Warner to maintain a DVD revenue stream.

In return for the twenty-eight day rule, Netflix was able to flesh out its streaming video library with more, older Warner titles.

The other thing here is that other Internet movie rental businesses (Apple, Blockbuster, etc) have not agreed to the twenty-eight day rule.

Personally, I could care less about waiting an extra month to see a movie, and I don’t collect DVDs either. So, this is not a big deal to me. Actually, having access to more Warner titles streaming via Netflix works in my favor.

What’s obvious with this scenario is that you have a company, Warner, who is trying to restrict access to content in the hopes it can hold onto a revenue generating channel that is dying. There is no creativity here. It’s a panic attempt to stay afloat.

Related Random Thoughts

Redbox

No TV? What to Do?

Wednesday Art: Lateral Movemement

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Related Random Thoughts
Unbalanced/Balanced

Odd Occurrence

Untitled 20091008

Tue Pic of the Day: Airblade

File this under: "Things That Work"

Okay, I guess I do go around taking pictures in restrooms. This is the Dyson Airblade hand dryer, and it's awesome.

Not sure about you, but when I go into a public restroom and see a hand dryer, and no paper towel option, I get a little annoyed.

What happens is you wash your hands, stand there for a couple minutes rubbing them together under the "dryer," only to walk away with wet hands.

Forget about it if it's a busy restroom; you'll wait for days to dry your hands. Everyone stands around holding their hands up like a surgeon who just scrubbed in, dripping water all over the floor, waiting for a dryer to open up.

Not with the Airblade. This thing rocks. It actually works as advertised. Still not as fast as the good old paper towel, but a giant leap forward from the tired, old-school hand dryer, and kind of fun to use.

I'm not a Dyson vacuum cleaner owner (I have an Oreck), but I know people who swear by their design. If Dyson's vacuums work like the Airblade, then Kudos to Dyson for their design and functionality engineering.

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In Through the Out Door: There Has to Be a Better Way to Manage Airport Security Breaches

This is getting out of control. For the second time in the past few weeks, a chuckle head walking through the wrong door has cleared an airport terminal.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about security. Being in the line of work I am, I understand the difficulties of keeping America safe.

My simple point here: I think legit terrorists know that if you set off an alarm on a secured door, or walk in the wrong way at a terminal, all hell is going to break loose.

There is nothing sneaky about doing either of those things, and the chances of a successful terror attack just went out the window if you're stupid enough to do them.

There has to be a better way to mitigate "security breaches" every time an idiot wants one last kiss before his old lady flies off.

How about if TSA puts security cameras on those "no, no" access points and does a quick search of the video footage when a breach occurs? Certainly there must be a technology that can assist with this. At a minimum, put a human being at these access points to help make it more idiot proof.

I know it's not that easy, but all I'm saying is let's get creative. The alternative is to keep jerking everyone through a knothole.

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Related Random Thoughts

Thinking About Private William Long

Let's Not Forget the Timothy McVeigh Example...

Bold Call for Obama, Even Bolder Call for Bainbridge Skipper

Weekly Roundup: Jan 10 - 16

Blog Posts:

To-do List

UPDATE: Thoughts on Free Wi-Fi

The Resolutioner's: Why You Are Doomed to Fail and What to Do About It

Notecard Art:

Unbalanced/Balanced

Pictures of the Day:

Red Box

Passing Train

Wendy

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Related Random Thoughts

Weekly Roundup: Jan 3 - 9

Sat Pic of the Day: Wendy

This cute little birdie's name is Wendy. Wendy occupies a nondescript perch in a corner, overwatching the room of a four year old little girl. You have to look hard to see Wendy, but when you find her you never forget she's there. In fact, I find myself looking for Wendy whenever I'm in the room.

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The Resolutioner's: Why You Are Doomed to Fail and What to do About It

Are you a "Resolutioner?" That's the name I've given to the folks who resolve to lose weight toward the end of the year, flood into the gym for the first couple months of the new year, only to fizzle out.

Fortunately, I don't fight the resolutioner crowd because I exercise in my garage, but I drive by the gym every morning and evening on may way to and from work, and this time of year there are cars parked on top of cars during the morning and evening peak exercise hours. I also listen to friends who use the gym complain about how crowded they are and how they can't get on this or that machine.

The crowded gym parking lot usually lasts until mid-February or early March. That's about when the resolutioner's run out of schlitz, but it doesn't have to be this way.

I think most of the resolutioner's are doomed to fail because the system is designed to make you fail. The system says you have to read this fitness magazine or follow this fitness plan, eat this kind of food, go to a gym, and use these kinds of machines.

The system is designed so you make a half-hearted attempt to get into shape, spend some of your hard-earned money, and give up; only to do it all over the next year. You never really get anywhere.

Why is that? The system doesn't realistically fit into your daily routine. Just the act of going to the gym is what usually dooms most of the resolutioner's. To get your exercise in you have to get up early (or go after work), pack a bag with shower supplies, towel, shower shoes, etc. After a while, this drill becomes tiresome and, suddenly, a little extra sleep in the morning, or happy hour after work are more enticing.

So what can you do? Make your exercise fit into your routine. Try the below workout, which doesn't require machines and can be done anywhere.

-5 push-ups

-5 air squats

-5 dips

-20 crunches

-Run 100 yards

Scale as needed and do it three times. Good luck!

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Related Random Thoughts

I resolve to...

The Battle of Wills

Exercising: My Love/Hate Relationship With the Gym

Hobbies: The Family, Work, Exercise Triumvirate

Thu Pic of the Day: Passing Train

I spend a lot of time in train stations traveling here to there. I'm always mesmerized by a passing train. Not sure why because it's somewhat violent - it's loud and makes the ground shake. But there is something about a passing train that draws me in.

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Wednesday Art: Unbalanced/Balanced

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Related Random Thoughts

Odd Occurrence

Untitled 20091008

The Museum

Tue Pic of the Day: Red Box

Have you ever seen these big, clunky, red boxes parked outside of retail stores? I've walked by them and wondered why anyone would want to rent a movie from them.

Well, a little birdy told me that it was an easy and practical way to rent movies, so today I rented my first movie from Red Box.

It was easy, and best of all the movie was only a dollar (as long as you return it by 9:00 pm the following night).

The way it works is you select a movie, swipe your credit card, plug in an email address (optional), and, just as if you bought a candy bar from a vending machine, out pops your movie. When you're done with the movie, you take back to ANY Red Box.

I've been a Netflix user for years, but I'm reconsidering that subscription because I have a Red Box five minutes from my house.

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UPDATE: Thoughts on Free Wi-Fi

1/12/2010

UPDATE 2: Email? Free. Internet? That'll Cost You.

Good NYT article on what the airlines are doing with internet access on planes. I found it encouraging that most of the big carriers are moving forward with Wi-Fi installation. Also, found it interesting how Continental is approaching the topic: testing a full internet capability and an email/text messaging capability with DirecTV.

12/16/2009

UPDATE: "McDonald's Adds Free Wi-Fi to the Menu"

Well, not sure if it's a victory, but I think it might be. McDonald's, obviously, has a lot of presence in the marketplace. I might be more inclined to go into McDonald's -- hopefully, not to eat the food. The way I see it, if I am more inclined to spend more time at McDonald's, I assume more folks will, too. It will be interesting to see the McDonald's return on investment with this, and to see if others follow. I think McDonald's is going to reap benefits here, and it will be a case study for the "If you offer free Wi-Fi, they will come."

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June 2009

It's been a while since I have done any significant traveling, but recently I have been on planes and trains and staying at hotels. In the time since I last actively traveled, smartphones and netbooks have become prolific. I have one of each and with 3G connectivity I am never far from the network. But what about the free Wi-Fi revolution?

It kind of surprised me that businesses have yet to figure out the Wi-Fi mystery: if you build a FREE Wi-Fi network, people will come. The fact that businesses are still trying to charge for this service is kind of mind-boggling.

A good example is McDonald's. Walk into most McDonald's these days and right on the door is a sign advertising Wi-Fi. The catch is that they want to charge you for the service. When was the last time you saw someone pull out their laptop in McDonald's?

Another example is Starbucks. It's pretty difficult to drive more than a few miles these days and not drive by a Starbucks -- they are everywhere; the preeminent coffee shop in the world. But they still have not solved the Wi-Fi mystery. Sure, Starbucks has Wi-Fi, but it's provided by T-Mobile and AT&T and Starbucks wants to charge you for it. Now, to be sure, there are people in Starbucks coffee shops connected to Wi-Fi on laptops and smartphpones, but there probably would be more, buying more expensive drinks and snacks, if Starbucks provided Wi-Fi as a complimentary service.

How about hotels? Most budget and mid-scale hotel chains are now providing free Wi-Fi access, but the definition of access is open to wide interpretation. Some have great, four-bar access in rooms, while others advertise free Wi-Fi, but it can only be reliably accessed from the lobby. Upscale hotels are a different story with most still charging for this service. I find this silly and, all things being equal, avoid upscale hotels in search of free access to Wi-Fi when I travel.

I'm no frequent flier, but in the past few months I've been to airports in Jacksonville, NC, Charlotte, NYC, Flint, Milwaukee, and Chicago. If my brain serves me correct, all these airports offered Wi-Fi through the Boingo network, which appears to service many different airports. It's a service you must pay for. I'm on the fence here because you can't choose an airport like a restaurant, coffee shop or hotel, so from a capitalist perspective you have a captive audience and it makes sense to charge for the service. But as a consumer, I would like to see free Wi-Fi at airports.

A company named Aircell is currently fitting U.S. airplanes with Wi-Fi connectivity. By the end of this year, Aircell plans to have one thousand planes Wi-Fi enabled and is planning on having two thousand on line by the end of next year. The price to outfit each plane is roughly one hundred thousand dollars. Airlines are planning to charge for this service, with per flight rates for occasional travelers and monthly subscription rates for frequent travelers. Much like the airports, initially charging for this service makes sense. However, as more airlines come on line, this service should become a commodity. I know I would most likely choose to fly an airline that offered free Wi-Fi over one that did not. Airlines, are you listening...?

Wi-Fi on trains is spotty. Many business commuter rails are beginning to offer Wi-Fi, which is a good thing. But Amtrak provides Wi-Fi service only on some of its routes. I would think that eventually Amtrak will start outfitting more of its trains with Wi-Fi, especially since the airline industry is beginning to come on board. Time will tell.

In the short term, I can understand charging a nominal fee for Wi-Fi access in airports and on planes and trains, but as this market matures, Wi-Fi service should be expected for free. As for restaurants, coffee shops and hotels, Wi-Fi should be a "no brainer" complimentary service. If restaurants, coffee shops, and hotels are not already offering free Wi-Fi, they are probably already losing customers, and missing out on those that would come through the door for the free service.

To-do List

In my post last Friday I wrote about the "Forgetful Mind." To combat the forgetful mind -- or as I rationalize it: I'm older, have more responsibility, which means more things to remember, and I can't remember them all... -- I make "to-do" lists.

I have a running to-do list of things, both personal and professional, I want to get done, and that list just keep growing. There's no way I could remember all the things I am trying to get accomplished without my to-do list.

Even without the forgetful mind I've always made to-do lists. At least I've made them since I have had to manage things to get done - probably starting in high school.

My to-do list process has evolved over time, but there is one constant: I have to have them typed/written on paper. I have tried to manage them electronically - and I do store them electronically - but, for execution, I need a piece of paper.

If I remember correctly, the human mind can remember about seven things at any given point - that's why a phone number has seven numbers. My current to-do list has thirty-nine items. Obviously, I'm not going to remember all thirty-nine items, and recall them when I need them most.

A simple to-do list system helps keep me on track.

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Related Random Thoughts
Life As Business
The Battle of Wills
Do Something!

Weekly Roundup: Jan 3 - 9

Blog Posts:
Sharing Too Much: Do I Really Need to Know That...?
A Forgetful Mind?

Notecard Art:
Odd Occurrence

Pictures of the Day:
3D
"Inanimate" Object
WC

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Weekly Roundup: Dec 27- Jan 2

Sat Pic of the Day: WC

I spent a wonderful Saturday afternoon and evening in NYC and ate dinner at a great restaurant called Recipe. Recipe is one of those retaurants that is about the size of a closet - it has about five or six tables.

The above picture is from the bathroom at Recipe. I usually don't go around taking pictures in bathrooms, but that sink set-up kind of confused me, so, in the spirit of Random Thoughts, I thought I would share it with you.

My question for you: What do you think that white thing is? Here's a hint: While you're trying to figure out what it is, keep your thoughts clean because the white thing will help keep you clean. Any ideas?

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A Forgetful Mind?

As you get older do you forget things, or do you have too many things to remember and just can't remember them all?

I keep telling myself, as I keep forgetting things, that with age comes more responsibility. And with that responsibility comes more things to remember. So I have too many things to remember and just can't remember them all, so I'm not really forgetting things.

What do you think of that rationale? Now I can't remember what I was talking about...

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Related Random Thoughts

Hearing vs Listening

The Importance of Social Networking Tools

Book Smarts or Street Smarts

Thu Pic of the Day: "Inanimate" Object

Any idea what this is? No, it's not a planet, but after a few repetitions it feels as heavy as one.

It's my home-made medecine ball. It's a basketball filled with twenty pounds of sand and wrapped with duct tape.

If you've resolved to get into shape this year, make yourself a medecine ball and do some Wall Ball Shots.

While it's an inanimate object, do enough work with it, and other exercises, and it just might give you a little more life. But I guarantee you'll come to love and hate "fellowship" time with your medecine ball and Wall Ball Shots.

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Wednesday Art: Odd Occurrence

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Related Random Thoughts
Untitled 20091008

The Museum

Lollipops

Tue Pic of the Day: 3D

1/7/2010

UPDATE 2:

Avatar Steers Filmdom Toward a New, 3D World

1/6/2010
UPDATE: Found these related articles while reading today

2010 could be the year for 3D with 3-dimensional at-home TV

ESPN 3D to Show Soccer, Football, More

1/5/2010

I'm still not sold on the 3D movie resurgence. I'm not so sure the technology is much better then when I saw Jaws 3 in 3D... I've seen quite a few 3D movies this past year, most recently Avatar, and I feel robbed when I walk out. There are a handful of scenes in each movie that showcase the technology, but when I'm paying $13.50 I want more than that.

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Sharing Too Much: Do I really Need To Know That...?

Do you share too much of your life publicly? A couple articles I recently read (We All Live In Public Now. Get Used To It and Year in Review: narcissism, stress in psych news spotlight) got me thinking on this topic.

It wasn't too long ago that (unless you were some sort of celebrity) we lived settled, hum-drum, unmentioned lives. We shared with friends and family in our little circles, and rarely ventured beyond. We shared intimate details with only those close to us.

Now, it seems people are willing to share anything and everything with everyone. Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have given people a platform to sound off, and, boy, are people sounding off. Sounding off too much.

The line between simple "updates" and sharing too much is fine. It's increasingly difficult to define what too much to share is. But, I think you know it when you see it. We have all streamed through our social network feeds and, at some point or another, read an update and thought, "Huh, did I really need, or want, to know that...?"

The funny thing is, we are all narcissistic updaters. We think our updates are great and everyone wants, or needs, to know what we are posting, but we think the other guy is posting too much. It's kind of like the fat guy that looks in the mirror and thinks he's ripped, but everyone know he's just a fat guy.

Do I really need to know you lost your job and your wife is leaving you? Do I really need to know exactly what your are doing every minute of the day? Do I care you just woke up and are making coffee?

Truthfully, I don't. Give me something of substance. Help me to learn something new.

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Related Random Thoughts

Appearance Is Everything

How Many Friends Can You Manage?

Hearing vs Listening

Weekly Roundup: Dec 27 - Jan 2

Blog Posts:
UPDATE: Traveling Without a Net
Happy New Year and Thu Pic of the Day

Notecard Art:
Untitled 20091008

Pictures of the Day:
Winter Fun
Happy New Year and Thu Pic of the Day
Creepy Advertising

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Weekly Roundup: Dec 20-26

Sat Pic of the Day: Creepy Advertising

I spent last weekend in San Antonio; went there to watch Michigan State in the Alamo Bowl. While wandering around downtown near the River Walk, I saw this window display, which was actually an advertisement for a steak house. This thing creeped me out. Luckily the place was closed, and I can't help but think it was closed because they did a creepy/crappy job of advertising. Would you eat at a place that had a window display like this?

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Happy New Year and Thu Pic of the Day

Happy New Year to everyone.

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