Happy Easter

Amazing hummingbird video

Drinking the Kool-Aid

Google has received a lot of negative press about privacy since it first hit the market. It's mission to "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful" implies that it needs to collect all the world's information, or at least to see it. And what is information?

• a message received and understood
• knowledge acquired through study or experience or instruction
• data: a collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn; "statistical data"

In Google's terms, that means, essentially anything it can get it's hands, er um, spiders on. Fromnews articles on CNN, to blog posts on A World Discovered, to videos of funny cats, to Britney Spear's son's birth certificate and other public records and maps (including StreetView imagestaken just tens of feet from your front door). It also includes health information provided by you, your doctors and other medical professionals assisting in your treatments. This also includes anything that it can gather and glean from your searching and usage on it's vast collection of web properties,the contacts that you communicate with through those services, and even your credit information when you use Google Checkout. Google's alliance with the US-National Security Agency does little to squelch fears about invasion of privacy (for Google or the US Government).

Scared yet? I was too. I was really leery about using Google Toolbar when it was first released. I was concerned about the fact that it would scan my entire hard drive in the interest of providing faster and better search results of my local docs as well as my web searches. I was concerned about the information that would pass through Google Mail (Gmail). I was scared about having a Google Health account. I was scared about all of the integration that the Nexus One offers.

I'm scared of dying too. But that too is inevitable.

I'm not saying that there is no risk with using all of Google's services, of providing them with your life and being, but I've come to realize that it's better to live than to fear dying. It's better to take advantage of all of the power that you're provided, than to feign blindness and ignore the elephant in the room. I'm not advocating running naked through the streets with a pair of scissors in each hand in the middle of rush hour, but, with clothes, using a crosswalk, you can still get pummeled.

The older I get, the less I remember. That too is a fact of life. But, an elephant, like Google (and the Internet) never forgets. I can look up phone numbers for people I haven't spoken to in eons (even if I don't know what city they live in). I can search for that cookie recipe that I know I had printed out somewhere but can no longer find. I can get turn-by-turn driving directions (the shortest, or mostscenic) to appointments at places I've never been (including seeing ahead of time what the building actually looks like.) I can find things so quickly from the Web that I have tossed my 1000's of bookmarks I spent so much time collecting and organizing years ago (a large number of them were no longer active anyway). I can get to my mail, and many of my documents from any computer in the world. I no longer need to worry about SPAM in my mailbox (I get one a year that slips through and 2800 a month that are cleansed, and no false positives in over a year). I'm entertained with news and posts that are of interest to me versus having to slog through the full news paper (or more often it's digital equivalent). It has literally changed the way I (and many millions of others) do things. It's freed us up to be more efficient, to worry about more important things and to think freer thoughts instead of having to occupy our brains with remembering and processing more trivial things. It's enriched my mind with more current, useful, entertaining information and knowledge.

There is a chance that Google will be hacked (again). There is a chance that the US Government isspying on it's own citizens. There is a chance that anything can happen (or already has without ourknowledge). We can become activists (that's the subject of an upcoming post), or we can take advantage of what's put before us and move on.

Google is a corporation with a reputation to uphold. If it does not keep it's users happy, there are many, many alternatives that users will flock to. If we all flock to other services, Google makes no money. We're not talking millions of dollars at stake. We're not even talking about hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. Try over 23.6 billion in full year revenue for 2009 -- and they're still growing at 6% a year even in this economy. I don't think that they have any plans to muck with that revenue stream knowing how fast it'd all be wiped out if they ticked us off.

Life's a risk. I chose to live. I choose to drink the Kool-Aid. (OK, that's an oxymoronic comparison I guess, but you get the point.).

If it takes the bottom line to cause change...

...then it takes the bottom line to cause change. So long as it causes change... Click the image to read more.

In the 1980's...

I don't remember what conversation my youngest son (6) and I were in the middle of when he stopped me and asked, "In the 1980's - did they have showers back then?" I laughed a little and assured him that they, er uh, we did in fact have showers way back then.

The more I thought about it, though, I more I realized how rational that question really was. There are a LOT of things that my kids take for granted that weren't even invented when I was growing up. Looking back further, I'm sure that there are many, many things that I grew up with (or am using right this very moment) that my dad would never have imagined.

I can't imagine what kind of things my kids kids will take for granted when they are 6... can you?

Real Peanuts!

Turn 'em off tonight!

Perspective

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

Happy Birthday!

Got a birthday coming up? There are a quite a few companies that want to help you celebrate. Grab your proof and head on out for a TON of free stuff...

Fresh idea

Read more...

Things someone much smarter than me has already learned...

• Get everything in writing. Always.
• Very little goes according to plan – be prepared to adapt, especially in this fast-paced industry.
• Play to your strengths – focusing on your weaknesses is soul-sapping and counter-productive.
• Hire experts to fill any gaps in your knowledge base and/or skill set.
• Surround yourself with talented, motivated people and treat them like gold.
• Don’t keep all your eggs in one basket – diversify at the earliest opportunity.
• Undertake to work with clients on your own terms.
• Managing client expectations correctly, from the beginning, will save you a lot of unnecessary stress and trauma later on.
• Saying “no” is completely liberating.
• Don’t work for or with people that you clash with – the relationship will not survive.
• Look after your existing clients – it’s easier to up sell than cold sell.
• Word-of-mouth is the most effective marketing tool in your artillery.
• Admit when you’ve made a booboo and then fix it. It can lead to unexpected doors opening.
• Making tough decisions is part of the package. Deal with it.
• Never undertake spec work – you’ll set a dangerous precedent that will come back to haunt you.
• Most meetings are a total waste of time.
• Backup your data regularly.
• There will always be someone else cheaper, faster and better than you so position yourself to add unexpected value.
• Under promise and over deliver – exceed all expectations.
• Honesty and integrity will serve you well.
• And guess what? The learning process never ends! In fact, the more I learn, the more I realize how little I know. That’s incredibly humbling!

Kids say the darnedest things...

I've posted before about the need to keep track of cute things that your kids say. You never know when it'll come in handy... Say for a reminder of just how cute they are after they've written all over your walls with permanent marker, or as bribery when they get older, or so make a ton of money by publishing them in a book for all the world to laugh at. Don't worry, I've not really started it yet either...

But... I found another site that IS collecting and publishing those funny things. Heard on the Playground is a free, no-registration-required site that you can use to share those funny thoughts, observations and even pictures that come about by living in a world filled with wonderful children! You don't need to hear it on the playground to share. You don't need to share to read. You don't even have to laugh out loud when you read. You should, however, take a moment to visit the site and be reminded of the ingenious, intellectual, hilarious thoughts crammed into those little bodies we adore. Take a break and go get your daily chuckle!

WATCH OUT!

Cord minder

Pure Genius! This is one of those "why didn't I think of that" ideas.

The importance of spell checking...

"Went to the career fair today..I handed out many resumes to find out later that they say I have a bachelor o farts degree..."

I hate...

...incompetence and incompetents. There. I said it. It may not be PC, but it's true. Know your job. Learn your job, or at least acknowledge you don't know something until you can find the answer. Too many people sneak through on Peter's coattails or via nepotism.

There are people like this in every organization. From the customer service manager at my otherwise favorite store, to the 85-year-old person trying to accept my appointment today, to many, many people I've worked with over the years. Some are there 'cuz they suck up to who they think is the rising star. Others are there because there was no one else to fill the void. Maybe they are there because no one is brave enough to tell them to get the heck out.

I'm not saying that they were always incompetent. Maybe they just hung around long enough that they were put into that position. Maybe they've reached the point in their careers that they've checked out, but forgot to leave the room when they turned the lights out.

I admit that I've been placed into roles that were not a good fit for my skills. People actually thought, myself included, that I'd be a good manager of people. Guess we all learned something on that one. I'm not a people [managing] person. Sorry guys.

But I learned from that experience. I learned what was not working and molded it into something that worked out much better. They key to that transition was understanding, and admitting, that I was somewhere that I shouldn't be. I thought sure that was where I wanted to be, but I found out otherwise.

So are these incompetents in the wrong position because they can't admit that they're in the wrong position? Are they they because they've checked out and are just going through the motions to collect their paycheck? Are they still there because no one will tell them their time is up? [And what about those people afraid to take responsibility and do their job and get them out of the wrong position?!] Or are they there because they are absolutely so darn clueless that they don't know what time it is? Probably a little of all of it. They take the easy road. Stay the course. Don't rock the boat.

I'm not naming names. I feel like putting a little subliminal Carly Simon reference in here... but I won't.

A new measure of time

Each of the clocks represented below are actually animated. These pictures don't really do justice to the ingenious artwork of their creators. Click on each of the clocks to see them in their full glory.

3.14...

...15926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209 7494459230781640628620899862803482534211706798214808651 3282306647093844609550582231725359408128481117450284102 7019385211055596446229489549303819644288109756659334461 2847564823378678316527120190914564856692346034861045432 6648213393607260249141273724587006606315588174881520920 9628292540917153643678925903600113305305488204665213841 4695194151160943305727036575959195309218611738193261179 3105118548074462379962749567351885752724891227938183011 9491298336733624406566430860213949463952247371907021798 6094370277053921717629317675238467481846766940513200056 8127145263560827785771342757789609173637178721468440901 2249534301465495853710507922796892589235420199561121290 2196086403441815981362977477130996051870721134999999837 2978049951059731732816096318595024459455346908302642522 3082533446850352619311881710100031378387528865875332083 8142061717766914730359825349042875546873115956286388235 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Happy Pi Day :-)

Been one of those weeks :-(

What's your day like?

Outsider

My oldest son (10) had some issues the other day and instead of being able to play outside after school with his siblings, he had to stay inside. While he was "trapped" in his room he decided to write a poem. This is the result:

Outsider

Wet, mushy, and covered in snow

Greens and browns cover the ground

And balls scattered all around

Not 2, not 4, not 6, but 12

Houses in the background

The clouds are light, fluffy and clear

I see kids out in their yards

as they play with cheer

The basketball hoops stand alone

Because everyone's everywhere but home

The birds flutter and flap

From tree to tree

O, I wish how I could be like them

Nice and free

The sun shines and casts dark shadows

The swings creek in the wind

As I watch I see the melted snow

Flood the grass

It reminds me of the rice fields

As clear as glass

I stare, stare, and stare out my window

And all I see is

Outside.

I'm sorry card...

... from (or for) a geek :-)

BTW...

Had to create a new profile before I could get Chrome loaded. I love a lot of things about it now that I can use it, including the fact that EVERY text box comes with a built in (red-underline, Word-esque) spell checker. I am definitely noticing the speed increases as well.

I'm lazy

OK, I admit it. I'm being a little lazy right now. I do have things to share, there are about 150 post ideas sitting in draft state right now, but I've just discovered a new Google toy called Google Reader Play. It allows you to breeze through a seemingly odd collection of stuff it finds in its indexes (indices) personalized for you. I'll dig around a little more and post about it later, but thought I'd share a few things that I've found tonight...

It's not a game!

Fruit

Colors

I must be partly in tune with my inner female side. I at least recognize most of the colors on the left :-)

Two feet of snow!

TMI

Via: Online Schools

A whole new world

Every year the school district tests the kids eye sight and hearing. This year, my eldest son didn't pass the eye exam. There'd been no issues in previous years, and he'd not been complaining of vision problems, headaches, nor anything else recently that might make us question his visual acuity. Nonetheless, with County Health Department form in hand we took him to an opthamologist for a full exam. A short time later, he was all set and had glasses on order.

I met them clan at the mall after work as they were finishing up with the Doc. I was a little surprised at his excitedness. He was really surprised how much better he could see now. For the next couple of hours he kept asking me, "Daddy, can you read __insert any word more than 5 feet away here__" as if indication that he couldn't. In most cases I could read them thankfully.

All weekend, the exam was Friday night, he kept asking my wife, "Did they call yet? Think they'll call today? What time do they open?" He really wanted those lenses.

When he finally got them the other day after school, he was almost giddy! It really made a big difference in what he was able to see. He's near-sighted, so he must have had trouble reading the blackboard, etc. at school. No more. He could read the serial number on a jet as it flew overhead if you're to believe the difference these have made.

I'm sure he'll endure the requisite teasing at school at some point, but he seemed quite at ease, if not proud, as he left for school. He said the only comment he got were that he looked good, smarter and older. (Is there hope left in our kids today? Time will tell.)

My wife and I both wear glasses (I got mine as a Junior in high school though probably should've gotten them a few years earlier, she got hers a little younger). I put mine on when I get out of bed in the morning and take them off when I climb in bed at night. my wife can go a whole day without them, but will likely end up with eye-strain. My son is supposed to wear them anytime he's not sleeping or reading.

I'm glad he's comfortable with them and that he's going to be able to see the world a lot more clearly now.