April 2010
1 post
time management - a simple philosophy
Back in high school I developed a philosophy about how I spent my time, and I actually still find it relevant today. This became a super important topic for me, because I was involved in a number of activities, each trying to pull me in one direction or another. Of course, academics placed a huge demand on my time. This could have easily taken all of my time then. Then, there were sports. Not...
March 2010
2 posts
Passion for the job
A friend has recently been considering switching jobs. Something that is weighing into the decision is a concern that the potential opportunity, while better from a day to day lifestyle, may not be the ideal job he is passionate about.
It’s got me thinking quite a bit. In general, I think today we all have a luxury (it’s a good thing) to worry about finding work you are passionate...
Emotional Labor: Quite possibly the most...
I’m currently in the process of reading Seth Godin’s “Linchpin: Are You Indispensable”. One of the more thought provoking concepts that Seth addresses is the concept called Emotional Labor. Emotional Labor includes the interactions between individuals, including co-workers, clients, superiors, etc. Emotional Labor can involve connecting with others, flashing a smile,...
November 2008
2 posts
12 Steps to Practical Problem Solving by Paul...
The 12 Steps to Practical Problem Solving:
1. Go where the action is. “Spend significant time with your customers. This is how you learn what they need,” he says. Not hours, days. Polak lived with his farmers for 6 months.
2. Interview at least 100 customers a year. You do it. Not an employee. Listen to what they have to say. “Too many entrepreneurs build the product they want to build — not the...
October 2008
1 post
September 2008
5 posts
free market is a scary thing
As everyone probably knows by now, there are some serious issues with our financial system right now. It seems to me that a series of investment firms took some big risks on loans that wouldn’t get paid back because they are too risky. Even further, a series of home owners bought homes they couldn’t afford and took these loans. Now, the market is correcting itself, and some fear is...
August 2008
9 posts
I am taking a red-eye tonight to the east coast. Amidst the high fuel prices I have all but given up any choice for airline and am just taking whatever airline is the cheapest. Tonight, that means Continental. I can’t tell you how much I despise Continental. It’s been a long time since I have flown them…for good reason. I am a tall guy, and I think even Shawn Johnson would...
“BEIJING — Officials said that a child who appeared to sing a patriotic...”
– 1 Song, but 2 Girls - WSJ.com
“My theory is that if you look confident you can pull off anything - even if you...”
– Jessica Alba
July 2008
14 posts
Scrabulous is Back! Its New Name is Wordscraper →
Not sure if you have been following this, but two brothers from India created a killer Facebook scrable application called Scrabulous. So Hasbro, the maker of the boardgame version of scrable, like any good corporation sued them immediately. So the Indian brothers were forced to shut down, temporarily saddening users. It didn’t take those guys long to launch an identical app under...
“I’m so sick of hearing that nothing can be done…The Janjaweed is a...”
Mercenaries for Darfur →
This is ironic and quite honestly surprising. Blackwater (the same one that caused a stir in Iraq) has offered to go kick some butt in Darfur. Quite literally. “At cost” blackwater will go down and train African Union forces in Darfur to fight Janjaweed that is killing so many people. When so many people seem to be ignoring what is going on in Darfur, or just discussing what to do...
How to eat street vendor food in developing... →
Google released a new product that is a pseudo competitor to wikipedia, and I decided I would through my hat in the ring and participate. Why not?
So check out this quick piece I put together.
“Over the last 25 years the penthouse has gotten really, really nice. All sorts...”
– Economist Larwence Katz descrbing the distribution of income ineqaulity in the US
“Anyone who says the bank governor should violate the head of state is violating...”
– This strikes me as a bit ironic, since as a result of Zimbabwe’s central bank policy millions of people are living in poverty, without freedom, and with bleak futures. I would argue that there are probably some things that Jesus would not agree with.
Also, as a side note Gono’s salary...
Recommended - This American Life →
Occasionally on this blog I will throw out recommendations of some of the things I like checking out and you might like checking out as well.
One of those things is This American Life. I have talked about this radio show quite a bit, but if you haven’t checked it out yet, you should. Every week, they take a subject and do a series of stories around it. It’s very good story telling...
Rent vs. Buy Calculator →
Like any good American, I feel the need to own my own home. So I periodically flirt with the idea. Mostly, I want a home that I would like to live in (nice open space, conveniently located, etc). To have that in the Bay Area, it will cost you an arm and a leg. So it begs the question, will you ever recoup the money you invest? Well, after I put that question to the test with this rent v buy...
Have you ever left a comment on a website?
Who leaves comments on websites? Seriously, I am curious if you leave any comments anywhere on the internet? If you do, please leave a comment here and tell me.
Personally, I use the web more than the average bear. I even read comments sometimes. But I have never ever left one.
I like the idea of comments. I would like to start leaving comments. But my issue is like much of my life, I am...
NetFlix’s New Plan: This Could Change Things →
This new product from netflix is exactly what I have been waiting for. You can stream unlimited movies right to my TV. The set costs $99 and my monthly fee of $18 bucks I am already paying. Good bye $65 cable packages.
If it ain't broke...
It’s funny how my eyes get used to things I use on the web. For instance, I am now a long time gmail user (I think I can claim I was an early adopter). Now, when I go back to using Yahoo Mail I get kind of frustrated for a couple of reasons: 1) It’s not gmail; and 2) It’s not the old Yahoo mail I used to use.
To me, this makes me think that if I want to develop a new web...
June 2008
6 posts
Bananas: Bananas Represent Everything That Is... →
My friend Justin Bosely brought this article to my attention. It is quite interesting. Bananas are really really cheap, and I have long wondered why exactly what that is.
I am not sure if you even had those mini bananas (we called them ‘banana shots”) that you can get in Central / South America. They are SOO much tastier and better than the bananas you get from the store here in...
“An economist is a man who states the obvious in terms of the incomprehensible.”
– Alfred A. Knopf
Israel - Some Initial Impressions
So after my 24 hour journey, I have arrived in Tel Aviv.
Here are a list of some of the stuff that has caught my eye in the first 12 hours:
* Tow trucks “scoop up” your car and take it away, it is awesome
* Riding mountain bikes on the beach boardwalk with full protective gear seems to be the “cool” thing
* There is a cool little surf culture here, and some good waves...
Which podcasts do you listen to?
As I am preparing for my trip to Israel, I am downloading a bunch of podcasts. I wanted to find new podcasts I would like. This turned out to be harder than I thought. There are a ton of podcasts out there, but often I find when I listed to a new podcast it is of poor quality or uninteresting.
I would love to have a list of the podcasts that my friends are listing to. So I figured, someone...
“My stomach is hungry. And my baby is sick. We need help.”
– Dureti Degefi, one of the mothers at a feeding centre in Ethiopia’s Siraro District
BBC NEWS | Africa | Aid appeal for Ethiopian children
May 2008
7 posts
“As time goes on, I get more and more convinced that the right method in...”
– Someone threw a business plan my way yesterday that was in the space I work on - widgets. From what I know, it is a good idea, and I believe in the management. But the question is, should I invest in the industry I work in? Seems like I wouldn’t be diversifying my income stream too much. ...
IPhone: Google Reader iPhone Beta Launches →
My favorite feature of the iphone - google reader
Eye-Fi adds two new wireless memory cards to their... →
This is one of my favorite and most useful things I own - eye-fi card. This enables wireless transfers of photos.
Before I had this thing, I would leave photos on my camera for ages. In fact, I wouldn’t even take photos because I knew I wouldn’t do anything with them. Eye-fi solved all that. We worth it.
Three’s Company Or Three’s A Crowd? Google To... →
So first Myspace, then Facebook, and now Google. Seems that the big web powers that be aren’t afraid to make decisions about how we want our data thrown around the web. The question is - are the user’s going to be able to control this new found openess?
Facebook Responds To MySpace With Facebook Connect →
It certainly didn’t take long for Facebook to follow suit to what Myspace was doing. I never thought either of these guys would do this.
Yahoo’s Answer to Google’s Universal Search is... →
It’s amazing to me that Yahoo is still getting anything done in the midst of all the drama. This actually sounds like a cool product