If anyone knows of a good job fair, clue me in. They’re like window shopping at a science fair. You want to take a gander in case it’s worthwhile, but you don’t want to get to close, sucked into a prepared presentation. If you can find a map, by all means plan your attack. Instead of a joyous carnival, all I ever get at these confusing events is a bunch of literature from companies I’ll never work for just because I felt bad as they thrust the leaflets desperately at me. It’s like that guy with the religious pamphlets: what would Jesus do? Not waste so much goddamn paper! Now when I’m bombarded by mission statements, crappy pens and stress balls I fire my own useless duds. Here, business suit woman with short hair, have my generic resume printed on paper so thin it doubles as tracing paper. Enjoy it. Use your imagination.
So I walk around like a dope asking if my services are needed. Nope. When you say write or writer employers assume you mean novelist. If I were a novelist, I wouldn’t be wasting my time at a career fair would I? I’d be writing my masterpiece!
Face it: the best part of these excuses for executives to escape the office is candy. Everybody like candy. It’s too bad they don’t put a symbol on the map. No, I’m not interested in a job with Boeing, but yes, I’ll listen to your spiel for a Snickers. You can keep the fanny pack, thanks. If I were an employer I’d advertise “CANDY! Apply with Allstate."
By the time I’m loosening my tie, nipping from my flask and flying paper airplane resumes to every table in range (how appropriate for Boeing) I realize I’d better get out of here before the traffic gets bad and have a good excuse not to fill out the exit survey. “I’m late for my dog’s enema”, usually shuts ‘em up.
Showing posts with label (Mind your own) Business. Show all posts
Showing posts with label (Mind your own) Business. Show all posts
09 April 2007
03 April 2007
If a fence falls in the backyard, can you fix it?
Robert Frost’s cold companion was right: good fences do make good neighbors. On the other hand, 50-mile an hour winds and fences are mortal enemies.
On St. Patrick’s day, an ailing fence in my backyard finally fell, exposing the backside of my house to my accommodating neighbors. These gracious folks permitted me to work on their side of the fence, to fix up the rickety old planks. They even let their friendly dog out to help. Accepting that bungee cords and old reliable duct tape wouldn’t quite do the trick; I called up great uncle Frank Reith.
Syracuse Wire and Fence Company; founded by John Frank Reith, and carried on by his sons— brothers Frank, Henry and my grandfather, Chuck; flourished in Syracuse for 65 years. Throughout their years manufacturing and servicing chain link fences, the Reiths always worked without pay for any religious establishment, be it Synagogue, Church or Temple. They provided pro bono labor to their extended family, including my grandpa Russell Morton, who offered money every time, which Frank and grandpa Chuck Reith refused every time.
In Frank’s dictionary there’s a void between ‘retinue’ and ‘retook’ where the word ‘retire’ should be; at 80 he’s still hard at work. Decades of laboring from daybreak to sundown have taken their toll on Frank’s back, so I had to swing the sledge[hammer]. At first I was awfully shy with the sledge; if fencing is in my blood, I think it skipped a generation. But with the fence’s salvation on the line, soon I was hitting the fence posts good and square, living up to my name. So, anyone need a fence fixed? That is, after the soreness subsides.
Thanks to video games, the Internet and other diversions that coop us up in the great indoors, handy work is mostly lost on my generation. Sure, we mow the occasional lawn, but desperation sets in when we see woodwork in disrepair. For example: I did call my 80 year-old great uncle.
I learned more than how to mend a fence; I witnessed a chapter of my heritage first hand. Without great grandfather John forging Syracuse Wire and Fence, my family wouldn’t be where we are today.
At sunset, the fence was stable again, so we called it a day and warmed up with the help of my
four-cup Krups. America’s blue collar has frayed. The factories and mills of Syracuse’s salad days have wilted, the city’s small businesses are suffering and a new era is reported perpetually on the horizon. In just a score shy of a century, Frank has seen his fair share of changes, but my great uncle still takes his coffee black and still tells it straight. Exported labor makes it hard to make an old fashioned living. And homemade dollar disasters, such as Destiny, USA, worry Uncle Frank. Nevertheless, his example proves economic shifts are no match for an honest day’s work.
On St. Patrick’s day, an ailing fence in my backyard finally fell, exposing the backside of my house to my accommodating neighbors. These gracious folks permitted me to work on their side of the fence, to fix up the rickety old planks. They even let their friendly dog out to help. Accepting that bungee cords and old reliable duct tape wouldn’t quite do the trick; I called up great uncle Frank Reith.
Syracuse Wire and Fence Company; founded by John Frank Reith, and carried on by his sons— brothers Frank, Henry and my grandfather, Chuck; flourished in Syracuse for 65 years. Throughout their years manufacturing and servicing chain link fences, the Reiths always worked without pay for any religious establishment, be it Synagogue, Church or Temple. They provided pro bono labor to their extended family, including my grandpa Russell Morton, who offered money every time, which Frank and grandpa Chuck Reith refused every time.
In Frank’s dictionary there’s a void between ‘retinue’ and ‘retook’ where the word ‘retire’ should be; at 80 he’s still hard at work. Decades of laboring from daybreak to sundown have taken their toll on Frank’s back, so I had to swing the sledge[hammer]. At first I was awfully shy with the sledge; if fencing is in my blood, I think it skipped a generation. But with the fence’s salvation on the line, soon I was hitting the fence posts good and square, living up to my name. So, anyone need a fence fixed? That is, after the soreness subsides.
Thanks to video games, the Internet and other diversions that coop us up in the great indoors, handy work is mostly lost on my generation. Sure, we mow the occasional lawn, but desperation sets in when we see woodwork in disrepair. For example: I did call my 80 year-old great uncle.
I learned more than how to mend a fence; I witnessed a chapter of my heritage first hand. Without great grandfather John forging Syracuse Wire and Fence, my family wouldn’t be where we are today.
At sunset, the fence was stable again, so we called it a day and warmed up with the help of my
four-cup Krups. America’s blue collar has frayed. The factories and mills of Syracuse’s salad days have wilted, the city’s small businesses are suffering and a new era is reported perpetually on the horizon. In just a score shy of a century, Frank has seen his fair share of changes, but my great uncle still takes his coffee black and still tells it straight. Exported labor makes it hard to make an old fashioned living. And homemade dollar disasters, such as Destiny, USA, worry Uncle Frank. Nevertheless, his example proves economic shifts are no match for an honest day’s work.
31 March 2007
Start me up: Performster set to bring down the house
Internet startups are everywhere; everyone’s doing one, but one brilliant business team realized that not everyone knows how to start a startup, so they’re documenting their homegrown internet talent show. To my knowledge Brian Patterson and Reza are the first to breakdown a startup. Their blog (http://blog.performster.com) features videos, daily updates, a backstage pass to development and decision making with the option to leave feedback, and allows enthusiasts free pre-registration which puts your name (or email address) in a hat for a free ipod.
It’s called performster.com. Think YouTube talent show. Young entrepreneur and professional magician, Brian Patterson naturally has some tricks up his sleeve. The proposed service is going to be incredibly interactive; it’s a series of online talent contests with prizes, which advertisers can contribute to, a jury of peers (users) who vote on videos, and networking to connect fans to performers to talent agencies in any combination imaginable. And there’s more:
“…not only performers can win! We also offer blingPoints - this is our way of rewarding our happy, active site members. You’ll get points for watching videos, commenting, voting, inviting friends, uploading videos, and many other activities. You can then cash your blingPoints in for great gifts.”
— http://blog.performster.com
It takes humble yet brave innovators to expose the inner workings of their project. It melds entertainment with education, the same way the service will marry actual talent with education. Check it out!
It’s called performster.com. Think YouTube talent show. Young entrepreneur and professional magician, Brian Patterson naturally has some tricks up his sleeve. The proposed service is going to be incredibly interactive; it’s a series of online talent contests with prizes, which advertisers can contribute to, a jury of peers (users) who vote on videos, and networking to connect fans to performers to talent agencies in any combination imaginable. And there’s more:
“…not only performers can win! We also offer blingPoints - this is our way of rewarding our happy, active site members. You’ll get points for watching videos, commenting, voting, inviting friends, uploading videos, and many other activities. You can then cash your blingPoints in for great gifts.”
— http://blog.performster.com
It takes humble yet brave innovators to expose the inner workings of their project. It melds entertainment with education, the same way the service will marry actual talent with education. Check it out!
30 March 2007
Paper pushers pushed too far: Why are so many mainstays of major newspapers being fired or forced into early retirement?
Communication Breakdown
There was a time when the typewriter ruled the print media world. Said world is going the way of the typewriter. Its epitaph is written everywhere, except on physical paper. Community papers are the only newspapers making money these days, because people want to know who won the high school football game last night. Many are aggressively competing with the big city papers, forcing these publications to adapt—feature more specialized articles, quickly rev up an interactive website, or hold on and decimate the seasoned writing staff. “Don’t know web publishing?” Then it’s “do I know you?”
Book and magazine publishers better stay ahead of the curve, also; digital magazines that update continually and books with automatic edition renewing hit shelves soon.
As personal service plummets, interactivity mounts; manufacturers will have to replace personnel with artificial intelligence to make consumers comfortable again. Despite the brave new world’s exploding population, there are fewer personal touches; business is brisk and often faceless, so technology has to take over. Imagine if you didn’t have to send a greeting card because a server already signed, sealed, and delivered it. Myspace and Facebook already alert users to buddies’s birthday. It’s happening; witness all the abandoned Northeastern U.S. paper mills.
There was a time when the typewriter ruled the print media world. Said world is going the way of the typewriter. Its epitaph is written everywhere, except on physical paper. Community papers are the only newspapers making money these days, because people want to know who won the high school football game last night. Many are aggressively competing with the big city papers, forcing these publications to adapt—feature more specialized articles, quickly rev up an interactive website, or hold on and decimate the seasoned writing staff. “Don’t know web publishing?” Then it’s “do I know you?”
Book and magazine publishers better stay ahead of the curve, also; digital magazines that update continually and books with automatic edition renewing hit shelves soon.
As personal service plummets, interactivity mounts; manufacturers will have to replace personnel with artificial intelligence to make consumers comfortable again. Despite the brave new world’s exploding population, there are fewer personal touches; business is brisk and often faceless, so technology has to take over. Imagine if you didn’t have to send a greeting card because a server already signed, sealed, and delivered it. Myspace and Facebook already alert users to buddies’s birthday. It’s happening; witness all the abandoned Northeastern U.S. paper mills.
29 March 2007
Smoking or non? Yet another reason not to light up.
No Butts
There’s a funny little attention getter lurking in the upper left hand corner of my resume; it reads “Nonsmoker” right before my contact information. Why? Well, besides being a bold statement, I can’t be discriminated against. Yes, your habit can affect where you work.
Aside from the obvious: smokers take smoke breaks, a company’s bottom line might be affected if you smoke because— —bingo! It’s a health risk, therefore benefits cost more. Plus bad breath, nicotine handshakes, and smoker’s cough might scare away clients. Companies are working on policies to screen for obesity as well because health insurance premiums go up with the scale.
Now you’re thinking what I’m thinking: discrimination! They can’t do that! But they can, far more heinous crimes go unpunished because a corporation’s lone responsibility is to make its investors rich. I don’t necessarily agree with these policies, but I will take advantage of them, hence the prominent “Nonsmoker.” Many employers will take action against phony nonsmokers, if they’re caught.
Perhaps a better solution lies in rewards for smokeless employees or those committed to quitting. Money’s a powerful thing; some folks might trash the pack and replace it with the patch, if the price is right. So unless you’re applying to Philip Morris, keep the jacks under wraps.
Burned
And the smoking bans… move to Virginia or the Carolinas before the ban gets you. It’s gonna be on the ballot in Texas, and it’s coming to a state near you.
Although going to a bar and being smoked like a Virginia ham is all part of the experience, it was refreshing to know while in New York if I went out I wouldn’t have to immediately wash my duds. No smoke smell steaming off your showering body and no complaints from girls (ewww do you smoke?!) they never believe me, even when I say, only when I see you, sweetheart, or but I’m drunk! Smooth.
To be blunt, I don’t care that smokers have to go outdoors to indulge. It’s their call, and I often accompany friends on the freezing escapades, perhaps to some sub par pizza parlor? You’re buying, right?
On the other hand, smoking sections don’t bother me. Some folks like to smoke while eating, doesn’t bother me if it’s not blowing in my face. Others won’t even eat in restaurants which allow tobacco, maybe seal the sections off with plastic wrap? A sort of makeshift kitchen quarantine should do the trick.
Welcome to Circuit City, where service is subject to profitability
One last thing, boo to Circuit City for laying off skilled salespeople. They deserve higher pay, because they’re knowledgeable. There is no excuse for firing workers just because cheaper labor is available. Where’s the loyalty? Where’s the negotiation? Where’s my boycott list? I’ve got a new inductee.
There’s a funny little attention getter lurking in the upper left hand corner of my resume; it reads “Nonsmoker” right before my contact information. Why? Well, besides being a bold statement, I can’t be discriminated against. Yes, your habit can affect where you work.
Aside from the obvious: smokers take smoke breaks, a company’s bottom line might be affected if you smoke because— —bingo! It’s a health risk, therefore benefits cost more. Plus bad breath, nicotine handshakes, and smoker’s cough might scare away clients. Companies are working on policies to screen for obesity as well because health insurance premiums go up with the scale.
Now you’re thinking what I’m thinking: discrimination! They can’t do that! But they can, far more heinous crimes go unpunished because a corporation’s lone responsibility is to make its investors rich. I don’t necessarily agree with these policies, but I will take advantage of them, hence the prominent “Nonsmoker.” Many employers will take action against phony nonsmokers, if they’re caught.
Perhaps a better solution lies in rewards for smokeless employees or those committed to quitting. Money’s a powerful thing; some folks might trash the pack and replace it with the patch, if the price is right. So unless you’re applying to Philip Morris, keep the jacks under wraps.
Burned
And the smoking bans… move to Virginia or the Carolinas before the ban gets you. It’s gonna be on the ballot in Texas, and it’s coming to a state near you.
Although going to a bar and being smoked like a Virginia ham is all part of the experience, it was refreshing to know while in New York if I went out I wouldn’t have to immediately wash my duds. No smoke smell steaming off your showering body and no complaints from girls (ewww do you smoke?!) they never believe me, even when I say, only when I see you, sweetheart, or but I’m drunk! Smooth.
To be blunt, I don’t care that smokers have to go outdoors to indulge. It’s their call, and I often accompany friends on the freezing escapades, perhaps to some sub par pizza parlor? You’re buying, right?
On the other hand, smoking sections don’t bother me. Some folks like to smoke while eating, doesn’t bother me if it’s not blowing in my face. Others won’t even eat in restaurants which allow tobacco, maybe seal the sections off with plastic wrap? A sort of makeshift kitchen quarantine should do the trick.
Welcome to Circuit City, where service is subject to profitability
One last thing, boo to Circuit City for laying off skilled salespeople. They deserve higher pay, because they’re knowledgeable. There is no excuse for firing workers just because cheaper labor is available. Where’s the loyalty? Where’s the negotiation? Where’s my boycott list? I’ve got a new inductee.
27 March 2007
Books falling from my shelf
My latest must reads:
“I’m Just Here for MORE Food”- Alton Brown
Most celebrity chefs I can take or leave. Emeril? Too gimmicky; needs glasses, but he does everything from scratch. Rachel Ray? She’s ok, but her endorsements and talk show water down her cooking, however, the girl’s got skills and can make almost any dish look nice. But Alton? He’s logical, methodical, entertaining and tells you why, not just when and where. As soon as I saw this one in the store and realized it was about baking I was sold. The secrets to quality baked goods live here, and it’s a page turner with tested recipes and illustrations. Even if you don’t bake, it’s fascinating to science buffs and anyone
who’s interested in what’s in their bread, muffin (or as Brown reveals cupcake masquerading as a muffin) and fruitcake. Yes, fruitcake; homemade fruitcake.
“Strangers on a Train”- Patricia Highsmith
The Fort Worth daughter makes every word count. Every sentence casts a spell. Sure, you’ve seen the Hitchcock flick, but I dare you to put this book down after the first chapter. Unlike Farley Granger’s portrayal, Highsmith’s Guy has a spark of evil in him and Bruno is a better charmer than in the movie. Read it before Hollywood ruins it in 2008.
“REALLY Useful Job Search Tactics”- Rick Gillis
Call him a guru, or crazy, but this guy’s got some revolutionary ideas when it comes to resumes and interviews. Gillis helped pioneer internet job searching with his HoustonEmployment.com in 1995 and he’s gonna give monster and careerbuilder a run for their money with his latest venture http://www.hirebuddy.com/. “REALLY Useful” is just what it advertises, and it’s about guerilla marketing and finding work in the job jungle. You can buy it from amazon.com and check out what Rick and his book are all about at http://www.rickgillis.com/.
What about you; what are you reading?
“I’m Just Here for MORE Food”- Alton Brown
Most celebrity chefs I can take or leave. Emeril? Too gimmicky; needs glasses, but he does everything from scratch. Rachel Ray? She’s ok, but her endorsements and talk show water down her cooking, however, the girl’s got skills and can make almost any dish look nice. But Alton? He’s logical, methodical, entertaining and tells you why, not just when and where. As soon as I saw this one in the store and realized it was about baking I was sold. The secrets to quality baked goods live here, and it’s a page turner with tested recipes and illustrations. Even if you don’t bake, it’s fascinating to science buffs and anyone
who’s interested in what’s in their bread, muffin (or as Brown reveals cupcake masquerading as a muffin) and fruitcake. Yes, fruitcake; homemade fruitcake.“Strangers on a Train”- Patricia Highsmith
The Fort Worth daughter makes every word count. Every sentence casts a spell. Sure, you’ve seen the Hitchcock flick, but I dare you to put this book down after the first chapter. Unlike Farley Granger’s portrayal, Highsmith’s Guy has a spark of evil in him and Bruno is a better charmer than in the movie. Read it before Hollywood ruins it in 2008.
“REALLY Useful Job Search Tactics”- Rick Gillis
Call him a guru, or crazy, but this guy’s got some revolutionary ideas when it comes to resumes and interviews. Gillis helped pioneer internet job searching with his HoustonEmployment.com in 1995 and he’s gonna give monster and careerbuilder a run for their money with his latest venture http://www.hirebuddy.com/. “REALLY Useful” is just what it advertises, and it’s about guerilla marketing and finding work in the job jungle. You can buy it from amazon.com and check out what Rick and his book are all about at http://www.rickgillis.com/.
What about you; what are you reading?
21 March 2007
Pet chow's gone to the dogs, but why?
Ok, I may have waited too long to dogpile on this one, but as the reports pile up, like all recalls, there are bound to be consumers crying wolf. Did someone say “sue?” The difference here is death. Animals died and America dropped their porkchops, appalled. With the exception of “Cujo”, U.S. moviegoers are more moved by man’s best friend’s silver screen demise than man’s. Why? Because we don’t know that guy or she’s a bad girl, but when a canine’s assassinated we’re all heart: “aww, that looks like Toby.” So I forecasted outrage immediately and indefinitely.
No surprises
Pet food ingredients are no secret: surplus corn, rice, wheat, and (ahem) Barbaro and friends (horses), or let’s just say "leftover protein" wind up in your cat’s food dish. And why not? It cuts food waste. But I wasn’t surprised when premium pet chow was revealed no better than Alpo. What did consumers expect to be in there, organic Angus beef and truffle oil? Sometimes you don’t get what you pay for. Recalls and the assumption that less expensive generic packaged foods originate from the same factory shake our name brand faith. Now apply that logic to Kibbles 'n Bits versus Pellets 'n Pits. Manufacturers design feed to be nutritionally complete as efficiently as possible, then they pile on the filler. But cheap food doesn’t do this kind of damage. I don’t know if whipping up chicken and rice for fluffy is necessary, but it’d be both safer and cheaper.
This is taking longer than the Anna Nicole's paternity test!
The only loose threads baffling us should be what happened to kill these unlucky creatures? Sudden kidney failure commonly results from an allergic reaction or poisoning, but labs are still at a loss to isolate a cause.
No surprises
Pet food ingredients are no secret: surplus corn, rice, wheat, and (ahem) Barbaro and friends (horses), or let’s just say "leftover protein" wind up in your cat’s food dish. And why not? It cuts food waste. But I wasn’t surprised when premium pet chow was revealed no better than Alpo. What did consumers expect to be in there, organic Angus beef and truffle oil? Sometimes you don’t get what you pay for. Recalls and the assumption that less expensive generic packaged foods originate from the same factory shake our name brand faith. Now apply that logic to Kibbles 'n Bits versus Pellets 'n Pits. Manufacturers design feed to be nutritionally complete as efficiently as possible, then they pile on the filler. But cheap food doesn’t do this kind of damage. I don’t know if whipping up chicken and rice for fluffy is necessary, but it’d be both safer and cheaper.
This is taking longer than the Anna Nicole's paternity test!
The only loose threads baffling us should be what happened to kill these unlucky creatures? Sudden kidney failure commonly results from an allergic reaction or poisoning, but labs are still at a loss to isolate a cause.
20 March 2007
craigslist crazy
What do you think of craigslist? It’s more entertaining than useful to me. When I search jobs I can count on the amusing calls for call girls and some outlandish part time gigs. A retired friend of my mother’s landed a chauffeur stint for some wealthy Dallas doctor by responding to an ad. A friend of mine met his future roommate and girlfriend through his craigslist curiosity. Another acquaintance has a plush sectional to vegetate on; thanks to some Georgetown yuppie who was just dumping rather than selling, because he had to vamoose.
I know it’s not a reputable place for serious job sleuthing; however, there are more jobs in my field (writing) than any other online employment site. So maybe it is reputable. I admit I get sidetracked by the garage sale items, but I earnestly apply to what seem like legitimate jobs (i.e. detailed and with a real email address not job3456@craigslist.org) to no avail.
But honestly, over the past 2 years the management team is getting much better at weeding out scams and shady posts. Though craiglist’s layout bores, no advertisements assail you at login, you don’t have to subscribe or feed information to anyone you don’t choose to, and often you aren’t whisked to some other site while applying to jobs. In other words it’s less stress than monster or careerbuilder.
All this makes me wonder where the revenues coming from, who owns the site, and why hasn’t some internet or media or internet media goliath snatched craigslist up?
Turns out job postings do cost in major U.S. cities, which discourages some bogus ads. In the startup’s hometown, San Francisco, craigslist want ads cost nearly triple their print predecessors, but at $75 a pop companies shell out anyway. There are 200 active San Fran posts dating from a month and a day ago to today on the writer/editor link alone. That’s $15,000, for you math wizards. And if you want your post to appear under two headings, it’ll cost ya double. More paydirt! Craig Newmark puts the Craig in craigslist and owns 75% of his internet namesake; eBay owns the rest. I knew there was a reason I spent so much time on both sites!
If you are reading this and have experienced the bewildering (or not so bewildering, depending on your take) world of craigslist please post!
I know it’s not a reputable place for serious job sleuthing; however, there are more jobs in my field (writing) than any other online employment site. So maybe it is reputable. I admit I get sidetracked by the garage sale items, but I earnestly apply to what seem like legitimate jobs (i.e. detailed and with a real email address not job3456@craigslist.org) to no avail.
But honestly, over the past 2 years the management team is getting much better at weeding out scams and shady posts. Though craiglist’s layout bores, no advertisements assail you at login, you don’t have to subscribe or feed information to anyone you don’t choose to, and often you aren’t whisked to some other site while applying to jobs. In other words it’s less stress than monster or careerbuilder.
All this makes me wonder where the revenues coming from, who owns the site, and why hasn’t some internet or media or internet media goliath snatched craigslist up?
Turns out job postings do cost in major U.S. cities, which discourages some bogus ads. In the startup’s hometown, San Francisco, craigslist want ads cost nearly triple their print predecessors, but at $75 a pop companies shell out anyway. There are 200 active San Fran posts dating from a month and a day ago to today on the writer/editor link alone. That’s $15,000, for you math wizards. And if you want your post to appear under two headings, it’ll cost ya double. More paydirt! Craig Newmark puts the Craig in craigslist and owns 75% of his internet namesake; eBay owns the rest. I knew there was a reason I spent so much time on both sites!
If you are reading this and have experienced the bewildering (or not so bewildering, depending on your take) world of craigslist please post!
15 March 2007
Navigating the seas of internet piracy
Let’s face it, YouTube has a hot monopoly, but you can’t blame ‘em. No one else caught on as quickly; now traditional media sources like Viacom scramble to catch the digital video clip bus. Viacom may be too late, so it filed a $1 billion suit against YouTube for copyright infringement.
Sound familiar? Napster succumbed to similar pressure from Metallica and the RIAA, and started charging for downloads as clone programs such as KaZaa sprung up, staying under the radar. Who’s going to pay for something you can still get free? Then the RIAA started making examples of users who illegally downloaded music. It didn’t stop pirates and didn’t get people to pay. When was the last time you heard “Napster”?
YouTube’s parent company is too savvy to charge users, so they’re trying to eliminate the offending videos. Some speculate Viacom really wants a piece of the action or partnership, but the company denies it. Publicity is my guess, because otherwise not aligning Viacom with YouTube seems strange:
This is what Napster creator Shawn Fanning should have held out for. If enough devotees “steal” media with your server’s help you have enough buzz to generate big bucks and buyout. That’s the lesson I see here. People want internet content free—at least at first—then pseudotheft pays off. What did we think all the out of work information tech geeks would do when the bubble burst? They found a way out of a necktie noose. Good for them.
Sound familiar? Napster succumbed to similar pressure from Metallica and the RIAA, and started charging for downloads as clone programs such as KaZaa sprung up, staying under the radar. Who’s going to pay for something you can still get free? Then the RIAA started making examples of users who illegally downloaded music. It didn’t stop pirates and didn’t get people to pay. When was the last time you heard “Napster”?
YouTube’s parent company is too savvy to charge users, so they’re trying to eliminate the offending videos. Some speculate Viacom really wants a piece of the action or partnership, but the company denies it. Publicity is my guess, because otherwise not aligning Viacom with YouTube seems strange:
BitTorrent, a popular file-sharing technology that claims 135 million users
worldwide, developed a loyal following as a tool for pirated video and audio
downloads. Now, the company has re-tooled itself as the BitTorrent Entertainment
Network and partnered with Viacom and other media companies to offer paid video
downloads. Users can buy new release movies for $3.99 each; TV shows and music
videos cost $1.99. So far, 20th Century Fox, Lions Gate, MTV Networks, Paramount
Pictures, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and MGM have signed on.
John W. Schoen, MSNBC.com
This is what Napster creator Shawn Fanning should have held out for. If enough devotees “steal” media with your server’s help you have enough buzz to generate big bucks and buyout. That’s the lesson I see here. People want internet content free—at least at first—then pseudotheft pays off. What did we think all the out of work information tech geeks would do when the bubble burst? They found a way out of a necktie noose. Good for them.
10 March 2007
Boxes and bags, corn, beer, and mistakes, but not necessarily in that order
Charge me with two counts of laziness last night. I broke my own no copy and paste axiom and did not censor the names or address of the defendants, but I protected the innocent with a false name: “Amy Blevins.” I have amended the post, below, and this is what should have run last night.
Beer goggles
Duke graduate John Cornwell, inventor of the beer dispensing fridge should have called me before the big game. Gladly would I have served as go between for Cornwell and the beer big guys (Miller Lite seems to be his favorite). And my rates are close to minimum wage. A commercial featuring the fridge pitching a can through a television would crush the competition! Think of it: the Super Bowl onscreen fizzles into smoke and electricity, while Cornwell slowly turns around and looks over, scowls at his creation, turns back, but looks again over his shoulder with a quivering lip and leaps over the couch, hugging the fridge “I can’t stay mad at you,” Cornwell sniffs. Sure, there’s always next year, but you gotta strike while the iron’s hot.
An improved beer can launching refrigerator will be available for $1500 to enthusiasts who contact Cornwell through his website (http://www.duke.edu/~jwc13/beerlauncher.html), but will Pepto-Bismol fit in the queue for the morning after?
Ads on bags
To tread old water, an obvious idea eluded me during my bag the bags blog (http://myblogservations.blogspot.com/2007/02/new-business-ethics.html). Shopping sacks are the perfect advertising vehicle, especially in malls, where buyers store hop with bright or sheik statements on purchase luggage. They’re also another status symbol. What socialite wouldn’t want everyone to know she can afford Nordstrom? Shhh! No one has to know about the sales rack. Another revelation struck shortly after blogging, Wal-Mart offshoot Sam’s Club sacked the sacks since the beginning. Yes, the ’Mart is evil, yet brilliant for boxing up bulk items at the checkout. Besides reusability, boxes boast better weight distribution, are often easier conveyance, they don’t squish your squishables (bread) or break you breakables (eggs), they don’t rip your fingers off during lifting, and hold more goods than their plastic and paper predecessors. Why not institute these in grocery chains? It only makes cents.
Corn shooting up; beef, poultry, and pork to follow
Just how much more will we pay at the check stand? A bushel of corn costs $3.20, up from last year’s $2. But the scarcity doesn’t end there:
Meat and poultry production will fall as producers face higher feed costs, the department predicted in its monthly crop report. Corn ethanol fuel, which is blended with gasoline, is consuming 20 percent of last year's crop and is expected to gobble up more than 25 percent of this year's crop.
The Associated Press
With questionable environmental benefit (see my earlier corn blog; http://myblogservations.blogspot.com/2007/03/yellow-is-new-green.html) and hitting America’s softest spot—our stomachs—on ethanol’s resume, I vote for corn as merely a gasoline additive. Only when it’s more efficient, its manufacture is sustainable, and its use doesn’t bloat the grocery bill, should ethanol enjoy exclusivity.
Beer goggles
Duke graduate John Cornwell, inventor of the beer dispensing fridge should have called me before the big game. Gladly would I have served as go between for Cornwell and the beer big guys (Miller Lite seems to be his favorite). And my rates are close to minimum wage. A commercial featuring the fridge pitching a can through a television would crush the competition! Think of it: the Super Bowl onscreen fizzles into smoke and electricity, while Cornwell slowly turns around and looks over, scowls at his creation, turns back, but looks again over his shoulder with a quivering lip and leaps over the couch, hugging the fridge “I can’t stay mad at you,” Cornwell sniffs. Sure, there’s always next year, but you gotta strike while the iron’s hot.
An improved beer can launching refrigerator will be available for $1500 to enthusiasts who contact Cornwell through his website (http://www.duke.edu/~jwc13/beerlauncher.html), but will Pepto-Bismol fit in the queue for the morning after?
Ads on bags
To tread old water, an obvious idea eluded me during my bag the bags blog (http://myblogservations.blogspot.com/2007/02/new-business-ethics.html). Shopping sacks are the perfect advertising vehicle, especially in malls, where buyers store hop with bright or sheik statements on purchase luggage. They’re also another status symbol. What socialite wouldn’t want everyone to know she can afford Nordstrom? Shhh! No one has to know about the sales rack. Another revelation struck shortly after blogging, Wal-Mart offshoot Sam’s Club sacked the sacks since the beginning. Yes, the ’Mart is evil, yet brilliant for boxing up bulk items at the checkout. Besides reusability, boxes boast better weight distribution, are often easier conveyance, they don’t squish your squishables (bread) or break you breakables (eggs), they don’t rip your fingers off during lifting, and hold more goods than their plastic and paper predecessors. Why not institute these in grocery chains? It only makes cents.
Corn shooting up; beef, poultry, and pork to follow
Just how much more will we pay at the check stand? A bushel of corn costs $3.20, up from last year’s $2. But the scarcity doesn’t end there:
Meat and poultry production will fall as producers face higher feed costs, the department predicted in its monthly crop report. Corn ethanol fuel, which is blended with gasoline, is consuming 20 percent of last year's crop and is expected to gobble up more than 25 percent of this year's crop.
The Associated Press
With questionable environmental benefit (see my earlier corn blog; http://myblogservations.blogspot.com/2007/03/yellow-is-new-green.html) and hitting America’s softest spot—our stomachs—on ethanol’s resume, I vote for corn as merely a gasoline additive. Only when it’s more efficient, its manufacture is sustainable, and its use doesn’t bloat the grocery bill, should ethanol enjoy exclusivity.
08 March 2007
Double Feature: Classic comic import to grace the silver screen and Brilliant billionaires: an American endangered species?
He’s a reporter with a knack for solving crimes before twin dimwitted detectives catch a clue. Any good reporter strives to be a detective anyway; and journalist is the closest you can come today without chasing cheating spouses. But I’m talking about Tintin, Belgium’s number one sleuth, his popularity and likeability has Steven Spielberg himself salivating. DreamWorks will host the world renowned cartoon character’s film debut, but will the adaptation ring true? I’m hoping for classic 2-D animation or even live action featuring actors with appropriate accents. I don’t want to see a CGI movie sacrificing depth and character development for cheap laughs. Conversely, the comic relief distinguishes Tintin, but whatever’s popular in two years dictates the film’s feel, so what do core fans matter? That’s not who Hollywood’s aiming at. Granted TMNT looks terrible, and its graphics will eventually date it, that won’t stop devotees, like me, and restless kids on spring break alike from plunking down $8.
What to do with all the money? Forbes magazine released its billionaires list today and everyone’s wondering what these folks spend their dough on. To anyone rich or poor, doesn’t time matter more than money? I have more time than money, but that doesn’t mean I’m wasting time, I probably waste more money. It’s great more women and Indians made the cut, but how do the rich and perhaps famous spend their time? Bill Gates generously gives hours to citizens of Africa, struggling students ( as a Harvard dropout, he was once one), and overseeing the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Ingenuity and creativity founded many of the listed billionaires, while American public schools and standardized tests discourage these two talents. We have many freedoms, but when will our children be free to think again? Proud as I am that the U.S. encourages opinions, I wish school administers would listen to kids, instead of the cha-ching of cash registers. Perhaps it’d put more money in students’s pockets.
What to do with all the money? Forbes magazine released its billionaires list today and everyone’s wondering what these folks spend their dough on. To anyone rich or poor, doesn’t time matter more than money? I have more time than money, but that doesn’t mean I’m wasting time, I probably waste more money. It’s great more women and Indians made the cut, but how do the rich and perhaps famous spend their time? Bill Gates generously gives hours to citizens of Africa, struggling students ( as a Harvard dropout, he was once one), and overseeing the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Ingenuity and creativity founded many of the listed billionaires, while American public schools and standardized tests discourage these two talents. We have many freedoms, but when will our children be free to think again? Proud as I am that the U.S. encourages opinions, I wish school administers would listen to kids, instead of the cha-ching of cash registers. Perhaps it’d put more money in students’s pockets.
04 March 2007
Loudmouth with laryngitis
This is what happens when I take my medicine. Here are some business stories you might have missed:
Petty grand larceny
Wall Street’s Bonnie and Clyde, Randi and Christopher Collotta absconded with $14 million worth of inside information, traded to 12 other offenders. This averages beautifully to $1 million per participant. Not much to get busted for, but this still makes me want to get into the high profile lawyer bracket. Preference? Prosecution.
Double B looks for the steal
Blockbuster’s sweet on Movielink Inc. “Movielink, based in Santa Monica, California, is a studio jointly owned by MGM, Paramount, Sony Pictures, Universal and Warner Bros.” (People’s Daily Online)
The ‘Buster is banking on renters’s slow migration to downloads over the next five years. But at only $50 million, the studio execs have half a decade to hold out for more. And they should. As entertainment and computing continue to integrate downloads will steal DVD, HD, and Blu-ray discs’s thunder.
Good first impression doesn’t last: Netflix is fixed
Late last month Blockbuster rival Netflix delivered its astonishing billionth DVD. Big deal. That milestone should have come sooner. During fall 2005 I had 3 film classes. I was watching four or five or six movies a week and grew tired of falling asleep in the library with my headphones on. An epiphany or a “duh!” struck me: why not sign up for the free Netflix trial; there’s a temporary fix! The movies rolled in to my tiny college P.O. Box, and I volleyed ‘em back as fast as Netflix served ‘em, often I’d watch a disc and mail it back the same day. After the trial I decided why end a beautiful friendship? Things went well for a few weeks and then after midterms and Thanksgiving break, our relationship began to break down. No matter how fast I devoured and returned the DVDs, Netflix slowed shipment significantly. Back in the library, yet still paying my online rental dues, I sometimes sent discs back the same day, not because I rushed to the dorm and watched them, sealing the DVDs, still hot from the player, in return envelopes, but because I’d already seen the film at the library or borrowed a copy. I cancelled the service before the next billing cycle. A few months later I found out I wasn’t alone: http://redtape.msnbc.com/2005/11/consumer_to_pay.html --but now I hardly watch one movie weekly, so four free rentals induces yawns.
Petty grand larceny
Wall Street’s Bonnie and Clyde, Randi and Christopher Collotta absconded with $14 million worth of inside information, traded to 12 other offenders. This averages beautifully to $1 million per participant. Not much to get busted for, but this still makes me want to get into the high profile lawyer bracket. Preference? Prosecution.
Double B looks for the steal
Blockbuster’s sweet on Movielink Inc. “Movielink, based in Santa Monica, California, is a studio jointly owned by MGM, Paramount, Sony Pictures, Universal and Warner Bros.” (People’s Daily Online)
The ‘Buster is banking on renters’s slow migration to downloads over the next five years. But at only $50 million, the studio execs have half a decade to hold out for more. And they should. As entertainment and computing continue to integrate downloads will steal DVD, HD, and Blu-ray discs’s thunder.
Good first impression doesn’t last: Netflix is fixed
Late last month Blockbuster rival Netflix delivered its astonishing billionth DVD. Big deal. That milestone should have come sooner. During fall 2005 I had 3 film classes. I was watching four or five or six movies a week and grew tired of falling asleep in the library with my headphones on. An epiphany or a “duh!” struck me: why not sign up for the free Netflix trial; there’s a temporary fix! The movies rolled in to my tiny college P.O. Box, and I volleyed ‘em back as fast as Netflix served ‘em, often I’d watch a disc and mail it back the same day. After the trial I decided why end a beautiful friendship? Things went well for a few weeks and then after midterms and Thanksgiving break, our relationship began to break down. No matter how fast I devoured and returned the DVDs, Netflix slowed shipment significantly. Back in the library, yet still paying my online rental dues, I sometimes sent discs back the same day, not because I rushed to the dorm and watched them, sealing the DVDs, still hot from the player, in return envelopes, but because I’d already seen the film at the library or borrowed a copy. I cancelled the service before the next billing cycle. A few months later I found out I wasn’t alone: http://redtape.msnbc.com/2005/11/consumer_to_pay.html --but now I hardly watch one movie weekly, so four free rentals induces yawns.
25 February 2007
New business ethics
Paper, plastic, or that beat up thing dangling from your shoulder?
Though the furniture is usually cheap or gaudy or both and you have to put it together, I applaud Ikea—just not for its wares, for its big bag idea. Customers can purchase a reusable Ikea tote bag for 59 cents to fill up with Swiss goodies the next time. And who says you can’t use the bag at the grocery? Or the mall? Don’t wanna buy the bag? It’ll cost ya anyway. You still have to buy traditional shopping bags at their actual cost –a nickel apiece.
“All proceeds will go to American Forests, the nation’s oldest nonprofit citizens’ conservation organization.”
The Dallas Morning News
Perhaps other outlets will follow suit. In the modern marketplace we even have bags for our bags. Next time you buy a backpack and a bunch of junk, tell the scanner numb cashier not to waste any plastic bags because you can strap the pack on and fill it with your goods. For cryin’ out loud it’s a knapsack! Use it! And somehow I think I’ll manage transporting a Snickers without a shopping sack. Even on the off chance I’m not going to eat it immediately or I’m not wearing any pants and have no pockets, I’ll just carry it. It’s not that heavy. I have too many plastic receptacles with “Thank You” printed on them choking my cabinets as it is.
Is badmouth the new boycott?
McDonald’s may not be burger king forever. According to research consultant Karen Fraser the Arches and other corporations with questionable ethics are oblivious or think they’re immune to negative word of mouth. Just like when you were an invincible teenager and then your drunken friend learns a deadly physics lesson. When there’s no other option, an entire town patronizes Wall-Mart. They have no choice and the Mart knows it. They pray Target doesn’t decide it’d like to live in Nowheresville, USA too.
Companies ignore non-customers, it’s only logical, but what happens when their followers aren’t so loyal? Sound hypocritical? Yes and no. consumers aren’t just blissfully ignorant anymore. Stores can no longer count on an uninformed clientele; educated buyers are the chain’s worst nightmare. And there’s something intriguing about an American with a mouthful of McDonald’s blabbing about how Ronald’s selling the environment and kids short. A year from now when a fledgling burger joint where the only numbers on the menu are prices that buys locally, fresh cuts fries, recycles its packaging, and donates its food waste to homeless shelters moves in next to the fast food goliath. Sure, real ground beef makes new kid’s grub a little pricier, but Mr. America think it’s tastier, too. Suddenly McDonald’s has one less customer. And he’ll share the fresh ideas with friends. Sometimes change is good.
Though the furniture is usually cheap or gaudy or both and you have to put it together, I applaud Ikea—just not for its wares, for its big bag idea. Customers can purchase a reusable Ikea tote bag for 59 cents to fill up with Swiss goodies the next time. And who says you can’t use the bag at the grocery? Or the mall? Don’t wanna buy the bag? It’ll cost ya anyway. You still have to buy traditional shopping bags at their actual cost –a nickel apiece.
“All proceeds will go to American Forests, the nation’s oldest nonprofit citizens’ conservation organization.”
The Dallas Morning News
Perhaps other outlets will follow suit. In the modern marketplace we even have bags for our bags. Next time you buy a backpack and a bunch of junk, tell the scanner numb cashier not to waste any plastic bags because you can strap the pack on and fill it with your goods. For cryin’ out loud it’s a knapsack! Use it! And somehow I think I’ll manage transporting a Snickers without a shopping sack. Even on the off chance I’m not going to eat it immediately or I’m not wearing any pants and have no pockets, I’ll just carry it. It’s not that heavy. I have too many plastic receptacles with “Thank You” printed on them choking my cabinets as it is.
Is badmouth the new boycott?
McDonald’s may not be burger king forever. According to research consultant Karen Fraser the Arches and other corporations with questionable ethics are oblivious or think they’re immune to negative word of mouth. Just like when you were an invincible teenager and then your drunken friend learns a deadly physics lesson. When there’s no other option, an entire town patronizes Wall-Mart. They have no choice and the Mart knows it. They pray Target doesn’t decide it’d like to live in Nowheresville, USA too.
Companies ignore non-customers, it’s only logical, but what happens when their followers aren’t so loyal? Sound hypocritical? Yes and no. consumers aren’t just blissfully ignorant anymore. Stores can no longer count on an uninformed clientele; educated buyers are the chain’s worst nightmare. And there’s something intriguing about an American with a mouthful of McDonald’s blabbing about how Ronald’s selling the environment and kids short. A year from now when a fledgling burger joint where the only numbers on the menu are prices that buys locally, fresh cuts fries, recycles its packaging, and donates its food waste to homeless shelters moves in next to the fast food goliath. Sure, real ground beef makes new kid’s grub a little pricier, but Mr. America think it’s tastier, too. Suddenly McDonald’s has one less customer. And he’ll share the fresh ideas with friends. Sometimes change is good.
19 February 2007
An intergalactic crossover bigger than When Harry Met Sally or when the Jetsons met the Flintstones!
Satellite radio single signals Sirius and XM may tie the speaker wire knot. Bigwigs held meetings to discus the merger and stocks should shoot up a bit as the buzz circulates. The union would be yet another step towards America, Inc. But new a new challenger could step into the ring. Overzealous college radio DJs might be cooking something up and the Sirius-XM marriage should spur response from conventional radio stations. I’ll bet Clear Channel’s got something up its sleeve and large independent stations may work together towards an alternative subscription service.
No matter the outcome, the publicity is priceless for the two broadcasters. Even my lowly blog serves as a double plug, no matter what I say. Speaking of cutting advertising costs, merging slashes marketing and operation overhead, making satellite radio profitable.
Customers see it one of two ways: it’s bad, because I have no choice, or it’s good because I was on the fence anyway; I like it when people make decisions for me. Then there’s the monopoly debacle. No, I’m not referring to starting a board game that lasts hours. But don’t worry, I’m sure the bright boys down at Sirius and XM will find away to railroad us, pass go with the merger, collect two hundred dollars for service, and hold on to their “get out of jail free” cards. So turn it up and stay tuned for the latest in corporate buyouts. Will Blockbuster snatch up Netflix? How about all those Target shoppers clutching that last shred of dignity when Wal-Mart hits the super-center-merger-mark? Can you say Tar-Mart? Wall-Get? Bullseye!
No matter the outcome, the publicity is priceless for the two broadcasters. Even my lowly blog serves as a double plug, no matter what I say. Speaking of cutting advertising costs, merging slashes marketing and operation overhead, making satellite radio profitable.
Customers see it one of two ways: it’s bad, because I have no choice, or it’s good because I was on the fence anyway; I like it when people make decisions for me. Then there’s the monopoly debacle. No, I’m not referring to starting a board game that lasts hours. But don’t worry, I’m sure the bright boys down at Sirius and XM will find away to railroad us, pass go with the merger, collect two hundred dollars for service, and hold on to their “get out of jail free” cards. So turn it up and stay tuned for the latest in corporate buyouts. Will Blockbuster snatch up Netflix? How about all those Target shoppers clutching that last shred of dignity when Wal-Mart hits the super-center-merger-mark? Can you say Tar-Mart? Wall-Get? Bullseye!
16 February 2007
7-Eleven learns some new numbers
A feast of food news this week! A drunk and stoned teenager stumbles into 7-11; an apple is not what he’s looking for. As I’ve said before, and you’re probably, no definitely tired of reading this, fresh food takes the cake. Rather, fruits and vegetables replace the cake when Americans reach for a snack. It’s only logical 7-Eleven will follow the fad and imagine the markup on a fruit cup! Our flirtation with fresh has spread to the convenience store: the final frontier. Is no snack food Mecca sacred?
Headquartered in Dallas, 7-Eleven hopes to scoop up new customers who might drop by health food stores before work. You can’t get gas at Whole Foods, so this is convenient. Traveling across the country last year, I marveled at sushi in a Seattle gas station. I didn’t buy any, but I considered it. How bad could a convenience store California roll be? Ok, it could be bad, but it could be good.
While it’ll be strange to see fresh fare in such an unlikely venue, I don’t think there’ll be wine and cheese tasting parties on aisle six anytime soon. And that’s a good thing. 7-Elevens are, however, beefing up their wine lists, so when I need a moderately priced yet highly marked up cabaret at two A.M.; I’ll know who to call. Who knows? You might see me there for lunch sometime, but I won’t forego the oatmeal pie dessert, after all, they’re still a quarter, right?
Headquartered in Dallas, 7-Eleven hopes to scoop up new customers who might drop by health food stores before work. You can’t get gas at Whole Foods, so this is convenient. Traveling across the country last year, I marveled at sushi in a Seattle gas station. I didn’t buy any, but I considered it. How bad could a convenience store California roll be? Ok, it could be bad, but it could be good.
While it’ll be strange to see fresh fare in such an unlikely venue, I don’t think there’ll be wine and cheese tasting parties on aisle six anytime soon. And that’s a good thing. 7-Elevens are, however, beefing up their wine lists, so when I need a moderately priced yet highly marked up cabaret at two A.M.; I’ll know who to call. Who knows? You might see me there for lunch sometime, but I won’t forego the oatmeal pie dessert, after all, they’re still a quarter, right?
12 February 2007
You have the right to remain silent
It’s quiet; you can feel eyes burning, burrowing into the back of your head, you turn around and… was it your imagination? No, but they are silent, slick, sleek, and stealthy. You can’t see them, but the can see you. They want to know everything about you; I hope you have nothing to hide. Here’s some advice to improve your invisibility:
You see yellow and hit the accelerator. You think you’re gonna, just a little further –damn! It turned red. You look around; wipe your brow, “whew!” no one saw you. No one with a badge and red lights, anyway. Not someone, something. A week later you open a mysterious letter only to find a fine. Politicians say the stoplight surveillance is for your safety, but you know better, just look at the traffic ticket.
”But if I go out Saturday night I’m going to miss my programs.” Thanks to TiVo staying in on the weekend, like grandma watching her British soaps, is a thing of the past. Now you can cure that hangover with some quality prerecorded television; plus you can skip those pesky commercials. But is there a spy in your house? Once an expensive luxury, TiVo now invades millions of homes. Invades? Yes. And unless you tell TiVo “no!” it not only records your favorite shows, the device enlightens marketers of your viewing habits. So you don’t have to stop recording hours of QVC hand modeling, you just don’t have to share your fringe fetish with market analysts.
Can you see me now? Can you track me down? Turn your mobile phone on and anyone with a Global Positioning System tracking unit who knows your number knows where your phone is. Cell phone service providers will not activate phones without GPS. Only now are cell companies selling the service. So the next time your kid says he’s at the library, but really at the whorehouse, you’ll know.
Speaking of kids, you know those kiddie IDs? Good idea, right? Wrong. Giving children picture identification invites every pedophile and abductor into your child’s life. Not to mention when your son decides to rob that liquor store at age 16, he’ll be bummed when the cops match the fingerprints at the crime scene to his elementary school ID. Thanks, mom.
Think those grocery store club cards are just for you? Think again. Your spending routine shapes the store’s order. Shops snoop your purchases, putting items on “sale” only legitimizes applying for and remembering to bring the card in the first place. Whenever possible I shop at nonexclusive supermarkets or pretend I forgot my card. Oh and here’s a tip: according to my friend, a former Peters (a defunct grocery store in upstate New York) produce employee, the cards are interchangeable. Whether bargain buying at Albertsons, bulk food finding at Wegmans, or carefully maneuvering your cart at Safeway; you can scan the same savings card. Just be sure to use the self checkout to avoid that “are you crazy?” look from cashiers.
Well, it’s not as cool as going undercover and not as extreme as going underground, but with some consumer education you can cover your financial tracks a bit better. When with identity theft runs rampant and you can’t count on cops, the brave new world calls for brave new customers taking the law into their own hands. Buyer beware and be resourceful.
You see yellow and hit the accelerator. You think you’re gonna, just a little further –damn! It turned red. You look around; wipe your brow, “whew!” no one saw you. No one with a badge and red lights, anyway. Not someone, something. A week later you open a mysterious letter only to find a fine. Politicians say the stoplight surveillance is for your safety, but you know better, just look at the traffic ticket.
”But if I go out Saturday night I’m going to miss my programs.” Thanks to TiVo staying in on the weekend, like grandma watching her British soaps, is a thing of the past. Now you can cure that hangover with some quality prerecorded television; plus you can skip those pesky commercials. But is there a spy in your house? Once an expensive luxury, TiVo now invades millions of homes. Invades? Yes. And unless you tell TiVo “no!” it not only records your favorite shows, the device enlightens marketers of your viewing habits. So you don’t have to stop recording hours of QVC hand modeling, you just don’t have to share your fringe fetish with market analysts.
Can you see me now? Can you track me down? Turn your mobile phone on and anyone with a Global Positioning System tracking unit who knows your number knows where your phone is. Cell phone service providers will not activate phones without GPS. Only now are cell companies selling the service. So the next time your kid says he’s at the library, but really at the whorehouse, you’ll know.
Speaking of kids, you know those kiddie IDs? Good idea, right? Wrong. Giving children picture identification invites every pedophile and abductor into your child’s life. Not to mention when your son decides to rob that liquor store at age 16, he’ll be bummed when the cops match the fingerprints at the crime scene to his elementary school ID. Thanks, mom.
Think those grocery store club cards are just for you? Think again. Your spending routine shapes the store’s order. Shops snoop your purchases, putting items on “sale” only legitimizes applying for and remembering to bring the card in the first place. Whenever possible I shop at nonexclusive supermarkets or pretend I forgot my card. Oh and here’s a tip: according to my friend, a former Peters (a defunct grocery store in upstate New York) produce employee, the cards are interchangeable. Whether bargain buying at Albertsons, bulk food finding at Wegmans, or carefully maneuvering your cart at Safeway; you can scan the same savings card. Just be sure to use the self checkout to avoid that “are you crazy?” look from cashiers.
Well, it’s not as cool as going undercover and not as extreme as going underground, but with some consumer education you can cover your financial tracks a bit better. When with identity theft runs rampant and you can’t count on cops, the brave new world calls for brave new customers taking the law into their own hands. Buyer beware and be resourceful.
06 February 2007
Business News Briefs
Sick as a dog, of work
Jobless as I may be, I’m still looking out for you, the gainfully employed. Two recent studies begged my two cents, and without steady income, four pennies was all I could afford.
Remember Ferris and his blissful day off? One third of the 1,650 personnel surveyed in Orlando, Florida admit to faking sick to stay home.
“Meanwhile more than one in four [of 1,150 surveyed] hiring managers said they had fired a worker for taking a sick day with no legitimate reason for doing so.” The Orlando Sentinel
Ouch! Last time I watched the aforementioned film, Bueler played hooky all the time and never got expelled. Then again, maybe some managers were just trying to sound tough and scare off potential slackers. One thing’s for sure, although the number who confessed to phony maladies dropped from 43% in 2005, someone who’s creative enough to invent a disease might lie when asked about it.
If it’s any consolation to employees canned for having a little fun, weren’t you trying to get out of work in the first place? Right, now you’ll never have to go again. To all those wriggle-out-of-work pros out there, practice those bogus coughs!
The American pipe dream heads down the tubes.
The good old American dream purportedly received a makeover, or so says MetLife’s product research.
“ ‘Where previously the American dream was defined as a combination of homeownership, a happy family life and financial security stemming from a stable career, the defining theme now is almost a singular desire for financial security,’ said Rob Henrikson, chairman and chief executive of MetLife.”
Pamela Yip
Our country’s radical new dream? In order of importance: financial security, free from want, family/children, and homeownership. Surprise! If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the American dream is the same as always. Sure, depleted pensions make financial security top reverie, but all the original tenets are accounted for. As for me, I hit the hay wishing for a job I won’t call in sick to. I also still want a wii; it’d make whiling away the responsibility free hours that much more enjoyable.
Jobless as I may be, I’m still looking out for you, the gainfully employed. Two recent studies begged my two cents, and without steady income, four pennies was all I could afford.
Remember Ferris and his blissful day off? One third of the 1,650 personnel surveyed in Orlando, Florida admit to faking sick to stay home.
“Meanwhile more than one in four [of 1,150 surveyed] hiring managers said they had fired a worker for taking a sick day with no legitimate reason for doing so.” The Orlando Sentinel
Ouch! Last time I watched the aforementioned film, Bueler played hooky all the time and never got expelled. Then again, maybe some managers were just trying to sound tough and scare off potential slackers. One thing’s for sure, although the number who confessed to phony maladies dropped from 43% in 2005, someone who’s creative enough to invent a disease might lie when asked about it.
If it’s any consolation to employees canned for having a little fun, weren’t you trying to get out of work in the first place? Right, now you’ll never have to go again. To all those wriggle-out-of-work pros out there, practice those bogus coughs!
The American pipe dream heads down the tubes.
The good old American dream purportedly received a makeover, or so says MetLife’s product research.
“ ‘Where previously the American dream was defined as a combination of homeownership, a happy family life and financial security stemming from a stable career, the defining theme now is almost a singular desire for financial security,’ said Rob Henrikson, chairman and chief executive of MetLife.”
Pamela Yip
Our country’s radical new dream? In order of importance: financial security, free from want, family/children, and homeownership. Surprise! If I didn’t know any better, I’d say the American dream is the same as always. Sure, depleted pensions make financial security top reverie, but all the original tenets are accounted for. As for me, I hit the hay wishing for a job I won’t call in sick to. I also still want a wii; it’d make whiling away the responsibility free hours that much more enjoyable.
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