Amen, Bro!

http://www.piyooshrai.com/2014/04/lessons-for-father-who-do-you-work-for.html

A Life is to be LIVED, not built or managed.

http://www.psmag.com/navigation/business-economics/leaning-out-sheryl-sandberg-women-career-work-78360/

and...

http://www.psmag.com/navigation/business-economics/will-ever-able-enjoy-shorter-work-week-78891/

Taxes 2013

All I can say (yet again) is "WHOLLY FUCK! FILING YOUR TAXES SURE DOES SUCK!"

Glad that's over....for now.

Some of my favorite art is science

Stumbled upon this quick little post of a presentation by Jonathan Corum, Science Graphics Editor at the New York Times, entitled The Weight of Rain.

It's a beautifully succinct and touching overview of how he has struggled to create meaningful visualizations of science efforts such as the explorations of the Mars Curiosity Rover .....

or the Kepler Search for Habitable Planets survey.

Well worth the quick read.

Smarter thieves means we need smarter cops....and a purge in Washington

I'm currently reading Griftopia by Matt Taibbi....yet another punch in the stomach to my ever-more corroded notions that America is a nation of justice and equal treatment of law for all.

With Mr. Taibbia's background, it's no surprise that the book has a bit of a leftist-leaning bias...but I think that shouldn't be taken as a reason to avoid the book. I mention it simply so you have some idea of the perspective the author carries into his book....and you can prepare the appropriate "bias filters" as you consider the writing.  I'd offer the same warning for any detected bias...regardless of political spectrum it leans towards. I.e. don't read only those that agree with you....and be EXTRA careful about your "bias filters" when you're reading those whom you agree with...sneaky mindfucks creep in too often in such moments of letting your guard down.

 Nonetheless, having worked in the mortgage industry during the sub-prime boom that lead up to the 2008 crash, and being closely involved in that industry during the crash, I assure you that much of what Griftopia describes is accurate.  I would differ with some of the descriptions, opinions and conclusions the book presents, yet overall, the main point he makes and the tone of his writing make the book a worthy read for anyone who wasn't intimately involved with the high level financial shenanigans that went down.  For the rest of us, Matt explains the overall arc of this recent international financial scam in his entertaining and accessible writings.  Sadly, the overall arc is a description of how, yet again, the powers that be have pulled a giant con on the masses, enriching themselves at the expense of the common man and his offspring for generations to come.

Today I stumbled upon this article in the NY Times regarding a recent investigative report from the Inspector General of the Justice Department.  Although its focus is on fraud closer to the loan origination side than Griftopia's (which covers the BILLIONS of dollars swindled via the treasury and the financial markets), it still is sickening in its revelations of the scope of the problems. The report, “Audit of the Department of Justice’s Efforts to Address Mortgage Fraud,” emphasizes how our law enforcement and regulatory agencies are at best, incompetent in the face of "white-collar" criminals, or quite possibly, complacent in the fleecing of the American taxpayer (and other victims around the world) via corruption throughout our government and financial entities.

Religion and sex are power plays

Manipulate the people for the money they pay

Selling skin, selling God

The numbers look the same on their credit cards

Politicians say no to drugs

While we pay for wars in South America

Fighting fire with empty words

While the banks get fat

And the poor stay poor

And the rich get rich

And the cops get paid to look away

As the one percent rules America

  - Spreading the Disease, Operation Mindcrime - Queensrÿche

Fecund Destruction

“It is almost banal to say so yet it needs to be stressed continually: all is creation, all is change, all is flux, all is metamorphosis."

 - Henry Miller

Mental makeup of good managers

An interesting read...

Why Good Managers Are So Rare - Randall Beck , and James Harter - Harvard Business Review
http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/03/why-good-managers-are-so-rare/

A Beautiful Visualization of Air Traffic Over Europe

This isn't just a wonderful visualization of something right over our heads all the time...so much so that we take it for granted, it's beautiful just as art:

http://nats.aero/blog/2014/03/europe-24-air-traffic-data-visualisation/

Holstee Manifesto

From the Holstee Manifesto...

"...Life is about the people you meet, and the things you create with them. So go out and start creating."

Seems Confusing To Call It the "Second First Friday Salon." Hmm?

I've decided I want to start an art club.  It turns out I'm not getting enough time sipping shiraz out of a paper cup and smoking a filterless cigarette that gently litters light grey ashes across my "Hades midnight" (black) organic cotton turtleneck.  Life is too short.

Ok, actually it's not really an art club, it's an artists' club.  Yep, I've been hitting the Seth Godin kool-aid again.

The idea, in it's beta version was released to the public during a delightful evening of beers, food, and conversation with two of the most genuine and admirable guys I know: Mike Proctor and Steve Hathaway.  The seed for that idea was planted by a lunch outing with my ex-boss and friend, Mark Swift just hours prior.  My brain-to-mouth turn-time is amazing, eh?  "Fuck it, Ship it!"

Initially, the idea was to form a monthly gathering of friends....just an assortment of the interesting, impressive, admirable, wickedly smart people that I've been blessed to have stumble on to my life's stage. Poor bastards!

You see, after returning from Mexico (and accentuated by our too-brief visit back to Oaxaca in January), Meredith and I have felt the withdrawal of no more fiestas de amigos. In Mexico we spent a good chunk of time in each month just hanging out with our friends - talking, making/enjoying music, drinking, laughing and saying God-only-knows-what to them in our half-assed Spanish.  Yet, here in the "Land of the Free, Home of the Brave" we have spent less time over seven months than we did there in any given month doing anything similar to those Mexican social gatherings. HELL, I spend more time in my fucking car in traffic each week than I do truly, actively "in" my friendships!!

Perhaps, I could see more of my friends (and they could see more of each other) if I made it a bit more "scheduled."  Nothing more formal than a happy-hour after work would at least be something...if not the first step towards something even more "real," and intimate, and meaningful.

Many years ago....ok, MANY, MANY years ago, my girlfriend and I started something similar.  Most of us were in our twenties and dispersing geographically across the metro area.  News was slow to make the rounds. Job changes and relationship changes could happen and once-close friends might found out only months later via some shared contact.

This wasn't just pre-Facebook. This was pre-(public)-Internet, BITCHES!!!!

We started the First Friday social club and convinced enough people to join us for cocktails and appetizers and, most importantly, conversation, on that designated evening each month.  We emphasized it wasn't a party or a dining event. It was a chance to catch up with a special group of people.....friends who had many years together.....friends who were now noticing that life was pulling them apart and the bonds would wither without some effort.

Eventually, we started rotating the location among the homes of the participants.  And it grew.  And, I believe, it became a meaningful event to all of us. Time marched on and more changes came and went just like the seasons.

So, I want to do it again.  I want to spend more time hearing the thoughts and laughter of the clever, funny people I know.  I want to see what happens when those who don't know each other make acquaintances. I want to share more of the nifty, amazing, awe-inspiring, silly, inspiring things I stumble across.  And I want my friends to do the same so we can determine if maybe these types of honest intimacy are the true jewels we ignore in the crazy-lust of consumerism that seems to be America. Thus, it's time for a new salon!

More details to follow.  In the meantime, Id love to hear your thoughts on starting, conducting or nurturing the growth of a salon? Care to join us?

Employee Mindset for an Edge-of-change Company

My boss recently shared an interesting item with the team.

How does a cutting-edge company, or one that finds itself competing in a realm that is on the edge of (industry) change, hire and keep the right kind of employees?  Here is how NetFlix explains its thinking regarding that challenge:

http://www.slideshare.net/reed2001/culture-1798664

If you want more context on this PowerPoint presentation, here is a Harvard Business Review article (registration required):

http://hbr.org/2014/01/how-netflix-reinvented-hr/ar/1


I LOVED this! Right on, NetFlix!

SnapTimer for Better Time Tracking

I've yet to meet a consultant who LIKES keeping track of their time (billable or non), but most I've met like to get paid. So, doing your invoicing is (sadly still) part of the job.

I have found that I can significantly decrease the time I spend on doing my weekly timecard, increase the accuracy of my time entries, AND provide better received billing notes for client invoices. To do this requires a bit of technohelp…at least for me.

I use SnapTimer (freeware) from Dan Hersam (http://dan.hersam.com/software/snaptimer/ ) to keep a countdown timer running on my desktop and to automatically pop up a simple text file log every 30 minutes.

I have configured the SnapTimer to launch automatically so I always have it up on my desktop. My configuration causes it to countdown from 30 minutes and thing start ringing a chime and then launching a Notepad instance with a datetime stamp prepopulated.  I then record what I did (or didn’t do) for the last 30 minutes. I try to put this in a format that carries easily into the billing system.  For example, here is this morning’s entries….

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

------------------------------------------------------------------

Mon 02/17/2014

08:15 AM

..

Arrive 6:45

Admin = 1.5Hrs = Relocate desk, minor chatter with Mr.X

 

------------------------------------------------------------------

Mon 02/17/2014

08:30 AM

..

Admin = 0.25 Hrs = email

------------------------------------------------------------------

Mon 02/17/2014

09:01 AM

..

Training = 0.50 Hrs = Research AngularJS

------------------------------------------------------------------

Mon 02/17/2014

09:32 AM

..

Admin = 0.50 Hrs = email and NetFlix slidedeck

------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I’ve provided a zip file with all the goodies you’ll need but you’ll need to configure it for your system/setup:

 

http://www.ambitionfoundry.com/BigBox/SnapTimer.zip

 

This is the same pre-compiled download available from Dan's site (and I urge you to get the download there and maybe throw the guy a few PayPal bucks or BitCoins) but also includes the BAT file I use to datetimestamp the log file and open it for entry of your notes.

Note that SnapTimer is a standalone .EXE so you can run it from a USB key or whatever.  I myself locate the SnapTimer folder at:

C:\Program Files\SnapTimer

Then, for various personal preferences (e.g. perms on the Program Files folder, my SOP for my BAT files), I put the two supplemental .BAT and .LOG files into a folder in my Documents folder.  I then configure the SnapTimer (after you read its ReadMe and launch it) to launch my .BAT file at the end of the countdown.  I then configure the .BAT file to point to the .LOG file (path).

Finally, remember to put a shortcut to the SnapTimer.EXE in your StartUp folder for autolaunch at login.

Holler if you’d like help with the initial configuration. Plus, please share your thoughts and suggestions for more efficient time tracking (with or without SnapTimer).