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Real Lives Pt. 4
Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:38 AM PDT
| Real Lives Pt. 4 Posted: 27 Oct 2013 07:18 PM PDT From TPM Reader SJ, a side of the health care insurance struggle that I suspect is almost wholly invisible to most of the people who dominate the public conversation on this issue ... I'd like to add my two cents to this discussion because I feel like my family's situation is something that often gets missed. My wife and I have two children, ages 4 and almost 2. I'm an educator not working under contract and my wife works in agriculture. We're very, very grateful that we are currently insured via BadgerCare, Wisconsin's Medicaid program for low income families. We don't use it much, save the shots and check-ups for the kiddos. But it's a godsend, a just-in-case sort of comfort. Read More → | | Lou Reed, Dead at 71 Posted: 27 Oct 2013 10:45 AM PDT Damn. That's all I got. One of the greats. Cont. ... It was back in the early or maybe mid- 1980s when the Velvet Underground albums were reissued for the first time since their original release in the very late 60s and 1970. I'm not certain but I think I read about this momentous news in Rolling Stone and that it was a really big deal, that all the real music aficionados had been holding on to almost totally played out originals for 15 years or more. But they were coming. And soon. Read More → | | Trouble with Your TPMPrime Auto-Renewal? Posted: 27 Oct 2013 09:45 AM PDT If you're having trouble with your TPMPrime auto-renewal, help after the jump. Read More → | | Real Lives Pt. 3 Posted: 24 Oct 2013 05:01 PM PDT TPM Reader SC on awaiting the new premiums ... I'm sure you'll start seeing this more often soon, but... I've been employed full time by the same national company for 12 years, a decent sized firm with 11,000 full time employees. I've been single the entire time, and my insurance premiums have gone up anywhere from 5-15% a year throughout my career. I got a look at this years options today, and with all the scare mongering over the ACA I was a bit nervous. Read More → | You are subscribed to email updates from Editor's Blog
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Why You Need to Include Soft Skills on Your Resume
Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:29 AM PDT
| Why You Need to Include Soft Skills on Your Resume Posted: 27 Oct 2013 12:30 PM PDT International Talent Management Strategist Dorothy Dalton recently wrote a compelling blog post: "The Hard Truth About Soft Skills," which absolutely nails the value of soft skills in a career story resume.  Dalton describes how resumes that come to her attention often do so based on the "high incidence of hard skills in the text," but goes on to assert that "… unless the resume or professional profile tells an engaging account, the chances of the phone being picked up are slim."
She continues to describe how articulating your success stories verbally is crucial to being able to continue through the hiring process, underscoring that "it is therefore imperative to bring clarity and show coherence around your career story as early as possible." Don't let your resume be ambushed by less important details So many resume writing blog posts focus on things like the demise of the Objective statement, formatting dos and don'ts, differences between the resume and your LinkedIn profile, whether or not to use color, charts or graphs and so on. The problem with these types of messages is that careerists get mired in those details to the extent it ambushes their thinking from the most foundational issue: how and why they do what they do and why that matters to the target company. This relates to the what's-in-it-for-me message that hiring decision-makers seek, but it goes even deeper. It requires a yawning reach into your career story, examining chapter-by-chapter things like your relationships with and influence toward bosses, clients, vendors and all other stakeholders. Beware the ineffectiveness of random soft skills These soft skills often are omitted or, if included, thrown in randomly and ineffectively, resulting in an incoherent story. Incorporating soft skills articulately means describing how you helped tame heated meetings and how your ability to communicate orally or in writing helped forge alliances, influence solidarity and/or move projects so they steamed ahead and achieved bottom-line goals. In fact, your soft skills probably were most heavily relied upon when you first started your job. For each new position, you've either taken over after someone voluntarily left or was fired and therefore replaced an employee who was succeeding or who had failed. Perhaps even, you were recruited to pave the way for a new position. Whatever the case, you faced challenges to repair brokenness, expand on success, open new marketplace roadways – and so on. Soft skills drive hard results The common thread is that, unless you are a robot, you didn't just bulldoze your way in and mechanically drive results. Instead, you began by applying softer skills in order to achieve more concrete outcomes. Those softer skills encompassed: - Analysis—assessing current situations
- Collaboration—working to understand teammates' or employees' frustrations, areas of satisfaction and fears so you could more meaningfully contribute
- Composure—proving that you are composed, despite an unfamiliar, new environment often wrought with jealous, distrusting employees who may see you as a threat
- Listening—showing, through responsive action that you heard and worked to understand what was requested; and the list goes on
Bottom line: Peppering your resume with metrics and outcomes is great, but not at the sacrifice of the softer skills and initiatives that deftly pull the threads together to achieve those hard-hitting outcomes. It's as much about the back-story, replete with the how and why you performed the way you did and the intricate relationship weaving, influencing, analyzing, listening, innovating, change driving, negotiating and global communications, as it is about the result. Differentiate yourself by doing the "Hard Yards" Why careerists do not prepare their story this way is multifold, but probably the primary reason is "lack of self-insights." Says Dalton: "They simply don't do the hard yards and take the time to look into their own careers. It's a lot of work and probably the most significant career management exercise anyone will do. Ever." However, people who get it and are willing to delve into introspection needed to write an effective resume story generally out-compete others in the market. Author: Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter is a Glassdoor career and workplace expert, chief career writer and partner with CareerTrend, and is one of only 28 Master Resume Writers (MRW) globally. An intuitive researcher, she helps professionals unearth compelling career story details to help best present their unique experience, skillset and interests in resumes and other career positioning documents as well as through social media profiles. In addition to being interviewed for television and radio stories, Jacqui has written for the Career Management Alliance Connection monthly newsletter and blog, ExecuNet's Career Smart Advisor, The Kansas City Star, The Business Journal and The Wall Street Journal. In addition, she and her husband, "Sailor Rob," host a lively careers-focused blog over at http://careertrend.net/blog. Jacqui also is a power Twitter user listed on several “Best People to Follow" lists for job seekers. | | The Art of Connecting Genuinely via Social Media Posted: 27 Oct 2013 10:30 AM PDT  Building a following for your personal brand via social media requires not only expertise and a point of view, but also the ability to be perceived as genuine in your interactions. Many people attempt to build a brand on social media only to spout off statistics or opinions, without taking the time to truly connect with their audience on a personal level. Below are four tips for creating genuine connections via social media.
- Create posts based on your personal experience that are also the shared experiences of your followers. Last week I created a post on Facebook in celebration of the six year anniversary of the day that I quit my job and started working for my own marketing firm full time. Shortly after being created, the profile post had received over 425 likes and 115 comments from Facebook friends who either had done the same thing, planned to do the same thing, or dreamed of one day having that same opportunity. The post hit a nerve, increasing engagement and allowing friends to share their own stories.
- Highlight your connections' accomplishments. Remember when you made honor roll or won an award as a child and your family/friends bragged on you to others? We never outgrow the desire to be acknowledged and oftentimes, as adults, we are not highlighted as much as we should be. Take the time to create posts and/or post hyperlinks about your friends' accomplishments and be sure to tag them if you're mentioning them on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+. They'll appreciate you and will likely reciprocate in the future.
- Create updates based on the needs of your connections. Have you noticed several connections needing help with the same items? Create updates or post links to helpful articles and then tag your friends who needed assistance.
- Take online relationships offline. There is no substitute for phone conversations and face-to-face meetings. Schedule coffee with a Facebook friend, call your LinkedIn contact, or support your Twitter follower in a charity fundraising event. While most of us ignore them now, take a peek at Facebook events you've been invited to and attend one.
Author: Crystal Washington is a social media marketing strategist, speaker, co-founder of Socialtunities—a social media instruction brand that trains Gen Ys-Boomers on the strategic use of social media, and the author of The Social Media WHY: A Busy Professional's Practical Guide to Using Social Media Including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+ and Blogs for Business. She is hired by corporations and associations around the globe to provide keynotes, workshops, and webinars. | | Finding Keywords to Manage Your Career Posted: 27 Oct 2013 02:30 AM PDT How do you know which keywords you should be using in your LinkedIn profile and other social media profiles?  Everyone talks about keywords but how do you find them?
The keywords you want to use are those keywords that recruiters and hiring managers are using in LinkedIn and Google searches. First, what are the keywords and keyword phrases your target companies, industries and/or profession are using today? These keywords and keyword phrases can change over time. You need to perform research on keywords on a regular basis. The method I recommend is using word cloud tools like Wordle and Tagcrowd. Word cloud tools take all the text you enter and make a visual image with the words. The largest words are the ones that make a pretty picture from the text you enter. The most common words will appear larger in the picture. Where do you get the text? If you are looking for a job, cut and paste all of the text from a job description into the word cloud tool. Reduce the number of words to use in the word cloud to ten. You will now have a picture of the most common words that the company used. Good chance those are the most important words to that company. Now you need to go back into the original text and search on how these words are used. What exact keyword phrases did the company use? Watch this video to see a demonstration on how to find keywords in a job description. Clearly, management was the most common word. The most common phrases were learning management system, and project management. Follow this same procedure on at least the top five words in each job description. Find at least five job descriptions for similar positions to see if there is a pattern within the industry. You can use this same process on: - Corporate web pages
- Marketing collateral
- White Papers
- Facebook pages
- Corporate LinkedIn Pages and Posts
You are looking for the language that your target audience is using. You should come up with a list of keywords and keyword phrases that you can use in your LinkedIn profile and other social media platforms. Basically, you're giving them exactly what they're looking for! How do you know your keywords are working? If you buy the most inexpensive LinkedIn premium business plan, you will be able to see the search terms that users are using to find your profile. Often you can get the first 30 days free. Seed the keyword phrases that the companies you're interested in are using into your own your LinkedIn profile. Periodically, check LinkedIn to see if there is any change in the search terms that your profile is found with. I recommend you to re-evaluate your keywords at least once a year. Make note of any shift in keywords that your target companies, industries and/or profession are using. Have you looked for keywords before? Have you looked for keyword phrases? Will you now? How will you use keywords to manage your career? Author: Marc Miller is the founder of Career Pivot which helps Baby Boomers design careers they can grow into for the next 30 years. Marc authored the book Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers, published in January 2013, which has been featured on Forbes.com, US News and World Report, CBS Money-Watch and PBS' Next Avenue. Career Pivot was selected for the Forbes Top 100 Websites for your Career. Marc has made six career pivots himself, serving in several positions at IBM in addition to working at two successful Austin, Texas startups, teaching math in an inner-city high school and working for a local non-profit. Learn more about Marc and Career Pivot by visiting the Career Pivot Blog or follow Marc on Twitter or Facebook. |
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[video] Styled to Rock - Rock It for Rihanna
Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:19 AM PDT
| [video] Styled to Rock - Rock It for Rihanna Posted: 27 Oct 2013 08:25 PM PDT "Music meets fashion in Bravo's newest competition series Styled to Rock from executive producer and fashion icon Robyn Rihanna Fenty. The hour-long 10-episode series will give 12 up-and-coming designers, hand-picked by Rihanna, the opportunity of a lifetime - to create unique fashion pieces for some of the biggest names in entertainment. The stakes will be high as these up-and-coming designers | | [video] Project Runway All Stars - You Got Punked! / Million Dollar Shoppers: Half-Pint's Judging Me! Posted: 27 Oct 2013 08:25 PM PDT "The competition goes into overdrive as three past Project Runway winners join the third season of Project Runway All Stars alongside new host Alyssa Milano and a fresh slate of A-list guest judges including Abigail Breslin, Kristin Chenoweth, Nina Garcia and more. Receiving guidance from new mentor, Marie Claire's Senior Fashion Editor Zanna Roberts Rassi, this season's designers must prove to | You are subscribed to email updates from Free iTunes Downloads
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Profitless Prosperity
Posted: 28 Oct 2013 01:15 AM PDT
| Profitless Prosperity Posted: 27 Oct 2013 09:13 AM PDT If a Company is making huge profits this year but will not make any profits in the future, it is worthless in the eyes of an investor. But if it loses money this year and next year and may lose money for a few more years, it can still be very valuable in the eyes of an investor. Amazon had negative net income in 2012 and pretty much zero net income this year to date. And yet it is worth $166bn in the eyes of investors. This is because companies are worth the present value of future cash flows, not current cash flows, and certainly not past cash flows. Amazon is not the only company that is plowing back all of its incremental profits into growing its business. This is very common for enterprise software companies as well. Salesforce has made or lost a small amount of money every year for the past four years but it has grown its revenue from $1.3bn to over $3bn in those four years. And its market value has gone from $12bn to $32bn in the same time frame. Workday hasn't made any profits in the last four years, in fact the net losses have been increasing. But the stock has doubled in the past year and the Company is now worth almost $14bn. The lesson here is that you can't just value a company by taking its current performance into account. You really need to have a view towards its future performance. And you need to understand why the company is not currently profitable. In the case of Amazon, it is making huge investments in warehouses and logistics to be able to continue to grow its retailing business and it is making similarly large investments in data centers to be able to continue to grow its AWS business. If Amazon did not want to continue to grow, it could stop making those investments and start generating profits. If you believe, as Amazon management does, that the future growth is going to be there for Amazon, then you ignore the current P&L and think about what a future P&L might look like. In the case of Salesforce and Workday, they are making huge investments in sales and marketing to secure additional customers. They are also making significant annual investments in R&D to maintain the market leadership of their existing products and bring new ones to market. If you think that Salesforce and Workday can continue to grow their revenues at or near their current growth rates, then you ignore the current P&L and think about what a future P&L might look like. Profits are critical to the health of a business, but that doesn't mean a healthy business has to currently profitable. It needs to be able to be profitable if it wants to be and it needs to be profitable at some point in the future, at least hypothetically. So when you read that a company is losing money, don't read that as a bad thing. It could be a very good thing. It all depends on why.  | You are subscribed to email updates from A VC
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7 Ways to Be More Fearless
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 07:27 PM PDT
| 7 Ways to Be More Fearless Posted: 29 May 2013 07:21 AM PDT 
Being fearless doesn't necessarily mean jumping out of airplanes or traveling to the world's most dangerous regions (although it certainly can if you want). For some people, cultivating a sense of fearlessness is more about gathering the courage to ask for a major promotion or to make a cross-country move for the chance at a better life. No matter what specific end result you're working towards, the following tips should help you to minimize fear and embrace courage in your life: Tip #1 – Identify your fears The first step towards becoming more fearless is to simply identify what it is you're afraid of. If you've been fighting a vague sense of anxiety or unease, it's a vital part of the fear-busting process! However, while some fears are fairly straightforward (for example, the fear of spiders or snakes), lifestyle fears tend to be more complex. If, as an example, you're afraid of tornadoes, be aware that it's not just the weather phenomenon that scares you – it's also the threat of death, devastation and loss that these types of systems can bring about. By taking the time to really get to the root of what scares you, you'll be able to process your fears using the following tips in order to reduce the impact they have on your life. Tip #2 – Explore worst case and more likely scenarios Once you know what it is you're afraid of, take the time to map out the worst case scenarios that could result. Say you want to ask for a raise, but are afraid of being rejected. In this example, the worst case scenario would be your boss telling you to pack your bags and leave. But it's much more likely that your request will either be approved or turned down politely. Use these more likely scenarios to prevent your mind from running away with the absolute worst possible outcome in a given situation. Tip #3 – Pick a relaxation technique People deal with stress in different ways. Having a relaxation technique that suits your personality is a vital part of managing fear in your life. For example, to help control your fears, you could try: - Engaging in meditation
- Getting an intense workout
- Writing in a journal
- Singing along with loud music
- Attending religious services
There's no right or wrong way to relax, so listen to your own mind when it comes to finding activities that'll take the edge off your fear. Tip #4 – Avoid anticipatory fear Being scared of an event or action is one thing. But it's also common for people to build up certain scenarios in their own minds to the point where the fear of anticipation is worse than the fear of the event itself! Don't do this to yourself. If you find yourself feeling fearful about a future event (or something that you aren't sure will even happen), use the relaxation techniques described above to calm yourself down. There's no reason to make your fear worse by psyching yourself up unnecessarily. Tip #5 – Tell somebody your fears Fear tends to be a very personal thing, which distorts our perspective and magnifies our fears. If, for example, you're afraid of being rejected by a potential date, you might revisit the fear over and over again in your mind – until you're certain that you'll never get a date again. It might be scary to think about telling a friend or family member about the things you fear, but often, getting this type of outsider input can help you to see your fears from a different angle. You'll immediately feel less alone after confiding in another person, and you may find yourself coming away from the exchange with advice and recommendations from others who have dealt with the same fears. Tip #6 – See a therapist We all face fears and – nine times out of ten – these fears are manageable. However, in some cases, fear grows out of control, becoming something that actively prevents people from living full, engaging lives. If you find yourself in this situation, consider seeing a therapist who specializes in fear and anxiety management. There's nothing shameful about seeking professional help, and you might be surprised by how much of a difference this type of support can make in your life. Tip #7 – Confront your fears head on Finally, once you've worked through all of the tips listed above, there's nothing else to do but to confront your fears head on. On a regular basis, try to do things that scare you. Don't be stupid or take unnecessarily dangerous risks, but do make it an effort to counteract fear with action. If you're afraid of romantic rejection, ask the hottest person in the bar out on a date. If you're scared about asking for a promotion at work, set a deadline for yourself and commit to talking to your boss on a particular day. We all have fears, but there's no reason to let them control your life. Adopt the above tips in your own life and start being more fearless today! | You are subscribed to email updates from Persuasive
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Eat With Your Stomach, Not Your Brain – An Interview with Dr. Brian Wansink
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 07:27 PM PDT
| Eat With Your Stomach, Not Your Brain – An Interview with Dr. Brian Wansink Posted: 27 Oct 2013 10:58 AM PDT 
 I was fortunate enough to interview Dr. Brian Wansink, lead author to over 100 academic articles and books, including his best-seller Mindless Eating. Dr. Wansink spent a lifetime studying the reasons for the decisions people make when they eat. Whether you are someone who is interested in losing weight, or even a nutrition expert, you will find this interview interesting and eye-opening. Sergeant Volkin: Your book, Mindless Eating has opened many people's eyes into what food they put in their mouth. Which of our senses provides the biggest bias on what foods we choose to eat? Dr. Wansink: Well, all of our senses affect the way we eat but our eyes affect our eating decisions the most. In one study involving chicken wings, a group of students were invited to an all-you-can-eat Buffalo Wing feast. The students were free to serve themselves from an open buffet of chicken wings and were able to go back for more during the game. There were bowls at each table to hold the wing bones. During the course of the game, waitresses collected the bowls and replaced them with empty bowls - but only at half of the tables. At the other tables, the bowls containing the finished wings were not picked up. Dr. Wansink: After the game, me and my team weighed the discarded bones from each table. The students who didn't have the leftover bones as a reminder of how much they had already eaten, ate more - an average of seven wings per person; versus five wings per person of the other group. Although a two-wing difference (at 100 calories each) doesn't sound like much that translates to 200 additional calories per day, which equals a weight gain of 20 pounds per year. Sergeant Volkin: One of your findings suggests that nationality plays a role in our food psychology. For example, the French know they are done with their food when they feel full. When asking Chicago residents, your results show they are done when their plate is empty. Do you think this mindset is the reason for the obesity epidemic in America? Dr. Wansink: There are many reasons for the obesity epidemic but that reason is only a very small part. In my opinion, the greater contribution to the obesity epidemic in this country is the affordability and availability of food. Sergeant Volkin: Let's talk about children. Obviously marketing has got very sophisticated over the years and it is harder than ever to get kids to eat their fruit and vegetables. You did a study and found that by adding fruit to the end of a lunch line, it increases fruit sales 70%. Same with vegetables, you can increase sales 25% just by giving vegetables catchy names. So let's use the example of a typical mom with a couple of children. This mom is cooking her children dinner, what can she do in her home to get her kids more excited about fruits and vegetables? Dr. Wansink: It is estimated that 70% of all fruits and vegetables consumed in the home are consumed during dinner. However, only 23% of dinner meals served in the home have a vegetable or fruit option. So always be sure to serve a vegetables or fruit at dinner. Another tip you can do to increase your child's consumption of fruit and vegetables it to have a bowl of fruit or a vegetable tray within two feet of where your child will walk in the house. This will give your child easy access to healthy finger food. Sergeant Volkin: You've made the difficult transition of taking your research and applying it practically to school lunch rooms throughout the country. Can you tell me a bit about the initiatives you are undertaking and where my readers can go for more information? Dr. Wansink: MindlessEating.org is my main website but smarterlunchrooms.org is an initiative I have with schools across the country. In my new book that will be released in April called Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life, I will introduce groundbreaking solutions for designing our most common spaces like schools, restaurants, grocery stores, home kitchens and more. Sergeant Volkin: You have found that we all consume more food from big packages, whatever the product is. Is it safe to say you do not have a Costco or BJ's Wholesale membership card? Dr. Wansink: I have actually been a member of a wholesale club for years. Just because you buy in bulk doesn't mean you need to eat in bulk. Let's say you buy a big bag of pretzels at one of these warehouse stores. I suggest portioning out the pretzels in baggies. This method has proven to effectively reduce the amount of food you consume. Now let's suppose you buy a bag of chips at one of these warehouse stores but the chips are already in individual bags. My suggestion is to just take a few bags and put them in your pantry, then take the rest and store them in a place where you don't normally store food (e.g. your garage or basement). This method reduces the chance of you grabbing more bags than you want for a quick snack. Sergeant Volkin: In a recent interview with the Calorie Lab you stated "Most of us don't overeat because we're hungry. We overeat because of family and friends, packages and plates, names and numbers, labels and lights, colors and candles, shapes and smells, distractions and distances, cupboards and containers." For those who haven't read your books or your dozens of articles and studies, what one tip can you give them as a takeaway to this interview that will help them instantly make smarter eating decisions? Dr. Wansink: My tip is people need to be aware of mindless eating, not mindful eating. There are many ways people make mistakes eating, from party binging to mindless snacking. Be conscious of the way you eat, then come up with one easy thing you can do to remedy that mistake. Much of the time the correct action is just being conscious that you are making the mistake. Sergeant Volkin: Dr. Wansink thank you so much for your time today and congratulations on the success of your books. I am looking forward to the release of Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life Dr. Wansink: Thank you for your time and your service Sergeant Volkin This interview was conducted by Sergeant Michael Volkin, best-selling author of military basic training books and inventor of Strength Stack 52, a unique way to transform bodyweight exercises into fun and competitive workouts. The post Eat With Your Stomach, Not Your Brain – An Interview with Dr. Brian Wansink appeared first on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. |
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The Animal Spirits In Your Pipeline
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 07:06 PM PDT
| The Animal Spirits In Your Pipeline Posted: 27 Oct 2013 06:00 PM PDT The Animal Spirits In Your Pipeline is a post from: The Sales Blog | S. Anthony Iannarino We have a lot of ideas about how buyers buy and how we as sellers should sell. We collect and count data (mostly without capturing any context) and use it to show how buyers make thoughtful, rational, well-informed decisions. But mostly, as buyers, we aren't as thoughtful or rational as we pretend to be. Mostly, we make emotional decisions and rationalize them after the fact. This week, Alan Greenspan, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve, made the rounds to promote his new book. With a sexy title like The Map and the Territory: Risk, Human Nature, and the Future of Forecasting, how could I possibly resist picking up? It wasn't the title that got me. It was Greenspan's admission that "animal spirits" have a greater impact on the economy as a whole, and that we aren't ruled by "considerations of our rational long-term self-interest." Greenspan wrote the book to suggest that animal spirits need to be considered when you look at whole economies. So how is this useful to you and me? You and I have known animal spirits underlie economic decisions for a long time. Our clients aren't rational, decision-making creatures. Here are a few ideas Greenspan discusses in the book. I selected them specifically for the crossover into sales. Animal Spirits: John Maynard Keynes coined this phrase to mean "a spontaneous urge to action rather than inaction, and not as the rational outcome of a weighted average of quantitative benefits multiplied quantitative probabilities." Purchasing agents use spreadsheets to try to rationalize buying decisions. No one else does. The weighting is done in their head and doesn't have very much to do with mathematical equations. Fear and Euphoria: "We all directly experience threats to our self and our values (fear) and the sense of well-being or elation (euphoria) triggered in pursuits of economic interests. Fear, a major component of animal spirits, is a response to a threat of life, limb, and net worth." People are motivated to move away from pain and towards pleasure. We move away from danger and towards security. In larger, complex deals, this matters a great deal. Time Preference: "Time preference is the self-evident propensity to value more highly a claim to an asset today than a claim to that same asset at some fixed time in the future. A promise delivered tomorrow is not as valuable as that promised delivered today." The return on investment we promise needs to be sooner rather than later. We don't act in our own long-term self-interest because we are focused on the here and now. Even (especially) your clients. Herd Behavior: "There is a universally observed human trait to follow a leader of some sort. It is driven by most people's need to achieve the security (emotional and physical) of belonging to a group. It is arguably one of our most important propensities, second only to fear, and a significant driver of economic activity." "The emergence of modern social media has only accelerated herd behavior." "People in every society seek to improve their status in the pecking order of any organization." Want to know why consensus is so important? Want to know why people go along and get along? We need to belong to a group. Want to know why some organizations are so political? It's the pecking order. Welcome to the herd! Home Bias: "Home bias is the propensity to deal with the familiar: with people and things geographically close to home and familiar in terms of culture, language, and trust." "A propensity related to the comfort and familiarity of trading with partners close to home is the emotional comfort we all sense in personal relationships that become familiar and predictable. The uncertainty that arises with strangers imparts a certain, if minor, stress that subsides with familiarity." All things being equal, relationships win. Trust matters. Caring matters. Look at the opportunities that you are working on right now. Look at your clients. If you can't see the animal spirits at work, then look deeper. We are human beings, and animal spirits is the deep stuff that drives our behaviors and beliefs. | | Episode 28 – On Turning Adversaries Into Allies with Bob Burg Posted: 27 Oct 2013 02:27 PM PDT | You are subscribed to email updates from The Sales Blog
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Make Yourself 'Interruptible' For Better Meetings
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 03:38 PM PDT
| Make Yourself 'Interruptible' For Better Meetings Posted: 27 Oct 2013 03:00 PM PDT Email clutter can mount up at work, so Behance's William Allen recommends having a face-to-face talk. And no matter how tricky the conversation is, there is one prerequisite to all such meetings: "be interruptible". More » | | Do You Use Your Mobile Phone In Meetings? Posted: 27 Oct 2013 02:45 PM PDT In theory, you should be paying full attention in office meetings. In reality, it's often tempting to pull out your phone and check your emails and texts. Do you succumb? More » | | Last Week's 10 Biggest Posts Posted: 27 Oct 2013 02:30 PM PDT You wanted Mavericks upgrade advice, job interview techniques and . Kick off your Monday by checking out the ten most popular posts from Lifehacker Australia last week: More » | | Ask LH: How Can We Organise A FIFO Household Schedule? Posted: 27 Oct 2013 02:00 PM PDT Hey Lifehacker, I am a fly-in fly-out worker and live in a share house with a few other FIFO workers. Our work schedules often change and it can be tricky keeping track of who will be in the house and when. What is the best software/app to create a shared calender that is easy for all of us to update with our movements? Thanks, OuttaTime More » | | How Big Data Can Be Used To Bet On Climate Change Posted: 27 Oct 2013 01:30 PM PDT The recent news of Monsanto's $US930m acquisition of data science company Climate Corporation, raises important questions about the economies developing in response to climate change. A new generation of companies have emerged that harness new methods of data analysis to turn vast datasets ("big data") into exploitable, marketable information. As the Financial Times reported, Monsanto's purchase signals the first significant "big data" acquisition. More »  | | Five Best Travel Routers Posted: 27 Oct 2013 01:00 PM PDT If you're hitting the road and taking your gadgets with you, a good travel router will help you share the Wi-Fi in your hotel, office or anywhere else. The best ones do it with no hassle, easy setup, and small form-factors that slip nicely into a carry-on bag. Some even keep your gadgets charged while they're connected. This week, we're looking at five of the best travel routers, based on your nominations. More » | | DIY Bleeding Candles And 5 Other Last-Minute Halloween Hacks Posted: 27 Oct 2013 11:00 AM PDT Halloween is just around the corner but if you haven't got your decorations done, there's no need to worry. BuzzFeed's little video will take you through six really easy spooky decoration hacks. More » | | Create An Industrial-Strength Hand Cleaner With Oatmeal And Milk Posted: 27 Oct 2013 09:00 AM PDT Whether it's some greasy work with mechanics or digging around in the garden, dirty hands can be a real bother when you are done. Fortunately, a solution that cleans and moisturises is as close as your kitchen. More » | | Clean And De-Stink Your Garbage Disposal With Lemon And Vinegar Cubes Posted: 26 Oct 2013 10:00 PM PDT In-sink garbage disposals are gross, wet and they smell bad over time. You can clean them out, however, with some lemon and vinegar ice cubes. More » | | Wash Your Face Once A Day At Night For Better Skin Posted: 26 Oct 2013 09:00 PM PDT You wouldn't think face washing would be an exact science, but over at The Wall Street Journal dermatologists suggest that for the best skin, you want to stick to washing your face only once a day at night. More » | | Can You Peel Apples In Seconds With A Cordless Drill? Posted: 26 Oct 2013 08:00 PM PDT Peeling apples isn't exactly difficult, but if you have a ton to peel (and you don't have a tabletop apple peeler), it can be time consuming. When we stumbled on this method from Instructables user bricobart, we had to give it a try. Good news, it works! Kind of. More » | | 'It's Dangerous To Accept Crisis As Your Baseline' Posted: 26 Oct 2013 07:30 PM PDT Stress, while a part of life, is not a normal, healthy state and that's something I'm sure we all realise. Sadly, it can seem easier to just accept that stress without taking action to keep it at manageable levels or eliminate it entirely — a situation author Amity Gaige believes is a mistake. More » | | Apologise For Anything Before Asking For A Favour Posted: 26 Oct 2013 07:00 PM PDT The next time you want to ask someone for a favour, try apologising first. Apologising for what? Anything at all, even the rain! More » | | Lifetime Accounts Return To Feedly Posted: 26 Oct 2013 06:30 PM PDT Feedly users hoping the RSS reader would reintroduce lifetime subscriptions, well, your wish was granted a few days ago with the service's 17.4 update. More » | | Twitter's Jack Dorsey: Create A Daily 'Do And Don't' List For Better Behaviour Posted: 26 Oct 2013 05:00 PM PDT In his talk at Y Combinator's Startup School, Twitter chairman and Square co-founder Jack Dorsey expanded on how he consciously reminds himself to make better choices and in turn, be a better person. He calls it a "do and don't" list. More » | | Top 10 Ways To Take Your Media Collections Digital Posted: 26 Oct 2013 04:00 PM PDT There's nothing quite like the feel of a new book, the smell of an old record, or the joy of heading to the comic book store every Wednesday. Sometimes, though, those physical collections can be a burden — like when you're starved for space or want something more portable for travelling. Here are 10 forms of media you can take into the digital age. More »  | You are subscribed to email updates from Lifehacker Australia
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How SEO's Future Affects Inbound, Seth Godin Talks Google, and More in HubSpot Content This Week
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 03:30 PM PDT
| How SEO's Future Affects Inbound, Seth Godin Talks Google, and More in HubSpot Content This Week Posted: 27 Oct 2013 05:00 AM PDT  It's okay to admit: There are some marketing strategies you think are so difficult to implement that you find them scary (even spooky, perhaps?).
Fear not, marketers -- we've got you covered. Below, you'll find comprehensive-yet-concise tips on how to accomplish a number of inbound undertakings via some of the posts featured on Inbound Hub this past week. You'll also get some insights regarding just what exactly the future holds for SEO, and what the heck is going on over at Google. So take a break from putting together your Walter White or Miley Cyrus Halloween costume (seriously -- everyone's going to be them this year, so you may wanna come up a backup plan) and absorb all of the advice and observations we've published in the last seven days. The Future of SEO and What it Means for Inbound Marketing [SlideShare] No, this isn't fake forecasting like Conan does from time to time. With some expert analysis, we delved into just how much SEO has shifted in the last decade (and even the past few years) and predicted what will change in the world of search -- from mobile, to social, to context. In addition to this thorough post, we also have a SlideShare detailing what's to come for SEO and inbound. How to Generate Click-to-Tweet Links for Your Content [Quick Tip] Posting great content just isn't enough these days -- you've gotta know how to get people to share your content. A simple way to do this? Add click-to-tweet links right next to your copy. So, the next time you develop a post filled with useful stats or quotes you want the Twitterverse to share, plop some of these buttons next to them and you could see social sharing of your content boom. The Complete Checklist for Creating Compelling Calls-to-Action Coming up with distinct, awesome-looking calls-to-action that'll entice readers to click isn't the easiest of tasks -- that is, of course, unless you know the vital elements that make great CTAs. Take a glance at this easy-to-follow list of the major components successful CTAs have and you'll realize just how easy it is to start generating some of your own. 4 Essential Best Practices to Successfully Prospect Inbound Leads From our own Mark Roberge comes a post salespeople would be wise to read. When it comes to prospecting, Mark knows a thing or two. To get a glimpse into what he considers the best practices for working with leads and moving them through the sales cycle, check out his latest post featured in our Sales section. (Hint: Making old-school cold calls and elevator pitches aren't moves he advises). How to Hack Google Plus for SEO Value Ah, Google+: the other social network -- or is it? Marketers everywhere are starting to view it as much more than just a bonus social platform to post their content to and engage with their audiences. It's actually become quite the substantial source for leads for many agencies and companies, and it continues to grow and evolve by the day. Check out our post on Inbound Insiders that relays how you can garner some SEO value from the site. Seth Godin Says Google Has Officially Jumped the Shark Speaking of Google, the company continues to make noise with changes galore. After announcing it will start using users' photos and information in ads, The Google is now shaking up another aspect of its ad game by testing out some (rather obscenely large) banner ads. Dan Lyons talks about the move and what's going on with the search engine conglomerate lately in his Up and to the Right section. What was the most interesting thing you learned this week on Inbound Hub? What do you want to see more of? Leave your feedback in the comments! Image credit: Kheoh Yee Wei    | You are subscribed to email updates from Inbound Hub | Marketing
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¿Por qué elegir Intel Bay Trail en lugar de procesadores ARM?
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 03:25 PM PDT
| ¿Por qué elegir Intel Bay Trail en lugar de procesadores ARM? Posted: 27 Oct 2013 01:48 PM PDT Se acerca la temporada de compras navideñas y los fabricantes están poniendo toda la carne en el asador para llevarse buena cuota del mercado. Varios de nosotros compraremos algún dispositivo electrónico, posiblemente una tablet o smartphone, lo más demandado en el mercado actual. Para poder realizar una buena compra despejaremos algunas dudas y nos centraremos en saber por qué nos será mejor elegir un dispositivo con Intel Bay Trail que con algún procesador ARM. 
Para situarnos tenemos que llegar directamente hasta el pasado mes de septiembre cuando Intel presentó de forma oficial durante su evento para desarrolladores anual, el IDF 2013 que cubrimos en directo desde San Francisco, su nueva generación de procesadores enfocado en el mundo de los dispositivos móviles que montan Android o Windows. Si bien le hemos dado mucha más importancia a la 4ª generación de procesadores de Intel, nombre en clave Haswell, no podemos quitarle el ojo de encima a esta nueva familia, pues llegará al mercado estas navidades para recuperar un terreno perdido frente a los procesadores ARM mejorando exactamente los puntos fuertes de esta arquitectura. Claves de Intel Bay Trail -
Bajo coste: Los procesadores de Intel Bay Trail serán de bajo coste. Uno de los pilares importantes, en estos momentos donde la economía importa mucho, es reducir el precio de los procesadores para así abaratar el precio de los dispositivos. El tope de precio calculado en los dispositivos que incorporen los procesadores más caros (64 bits) estará en los $600 dólares, mientras que los más baratos con la versión Intel Bay Trail-T se situarán incluso por debajo de los $100 dólares. -
Buena potencia: Que sean más baratos no significa que no sean potentes. Concretamente la línea de procesadores Z3000 de Intel Bay Trail tendrá el doble de rendimiento de CPU que un procesador ARM de las mismas características o el triple si nos centramos en el procesamiento gráfico. El tope de gama de Intel Bay Trail soportará dispositivos compatibles con resoluciones de hasta 2560 x 1600 píxeles o incluso superiores. 
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Larga duración de batería: Posiblemente, el que es el pilar fundamental de los procesadores ARM, quede totalmente eclipsado con los nuevos procesadores de Intel. Como mínimo los dispositivos tendrán una autonomía de 8 horas, calculado para lo que es una jornada de trabajo típica, sin embargo, dependiendo de las características del equipo, podríamos llegar a las 10-12 horas sin problemas. -
Compatibilidad: En el tema de la compatibilidad nos encontramos con unos de los puntos más fuertes, claves y exclusivos de esta generación de procesadores. Si nos centramos en el mundo de dispositivos con Windows RT, el sistema operativo de Microsoft compatible con procesadores ARM, los consumidores tendrán bien aprendido que no pueden instalar ningún tipo de programa de terceros en el escritorio por motivos de incompatibilidad. Este quebradero de cabeza para muchos es la razón por la que la amplia mayoría de fabricantes de hardware han decidido no apostar por este sistema, salvo Microsoft o Nokia. Pues bien, con Intel Bay Trail, un procesador que monta tanto arquitecturas de x86 como de x64 este problema está resuelto. Los consumidores podrán instalar en sus equipos móviles de bajo coste todos los programas de escritorio que quieran sin problemas. 
Por suerte, tras la ristra de datos oficiales de Intel, hay varias pruebas que confirman de primera mano las ventajas. Durante la pasada IFA 2013, la feria tecnológica más importante de Europa, tuve la oportunidad de cacharrear durante varias horas con la Toshiba Encore, la primera tableta pequeña que llegaría al mercado con Windows 8.1. Este equipo incorporaba la nueva generación de Intel Bay Trail y en comparación con tabletas de su mismo tamaño, las ventajas de apreciaban desde el primer momento en el que poníamos nuestro dedo sobre la pantalla. La potencia, estabilidad, fluidez, gráficos y compatibilidad hacía de este dispositivo algo que no se podía comparar con otro dispositivo con Windows RT. Con respecto a los equipos Android, cuyo sistema operativo es menos fluido, imaginamos que las diferencias serán también notables.
A pesar de que los primeros dispositivos con estos nuevos procesadores llegarán en las próximas semanas, el gran despliegue comercial se espera que se produzca en la primavera-verano del 2014. La entrada ¿Por qué elegir Intel Bay Trail en lugar de procesadores ARM? aparece primero en Gizmología. | | Chipolo, el gadget que encontrará todos tus objetos perdidos Posted: 27 Oct 2013 04:13 AM PDT Chipolo es un gadget compatible con iOS o Android que acaba de aparecer en Kickstarter batiendo todos los récords de precocidad. Su funcionamiento es sencillo, sin embargo se adentra en un mercado en auge como es el de los rastreadores de objetos que se seguro serán tan de moda en el futuro. 
Chipolo es capaz de rastrear nuestros objetos perdidos hasta a 60 metros de distancia. Totalmente compatible con iOS o Android, este gadget es completamente seguro, nadie más que nosotros podrá acceder a sus búsquedas de objetos. Gracias a su conexión Bluetooth 4.0 de baja energía, Chipolo es totalmente inalámbrico y su batería recargable dura hasta 6 meses. La aplicación para los diferentes sistemas operativos móviles estará a pleno funcionamiento de forma gratuita cuando Chipolo llegue al mercado internacional a principios del próximo mes de diciembre. Personalmente este tipo de gadgets me parecen una muy buena idea con mucho camino por recorrer. Si bien podemos comprar todos los Chipolo que queramos para incorporarlos a cualquier tipo de objetos, lo ideal y como imagino que será el futuro de estos productos, es crear un gadget capaz de dejar un código rastreados a multitud de objetos que pueda ser rastreado por nuestro dispositivo móvil a través de una aplicación. El equipo de Chipolo, que está formado por un grupo de ingenieros y diseñadores eslovenos, está trabajando en un SDK para que desarrolladores de todo el mundo puedan crear sus propias aplicaciones para smartphones desde las que podremos tener diferentes formas de interactuar con este pequeño objeto de colores. Los diseñadores de Chipolo no se han dejado ningún cabo suelto, su producto está disponible en varios colores, es personalizable, respetuoso con el medio ambiente y tiene tan solo 4.6 milímetros de grosor, algo así como una ficha para las atracciones de las ferias. Su precio de venta estimado para estas navidades es de $35 dólares, como hemos dicho antes llegará a todo el mundo y cualquier que quiera apostar por este producto puede poner su granito de arena en Kickstarter hasta mediados del próximo mes de noviembre. La entrada Chipolo, el gadget que encontrará todos tus objetos perdidos aparece primero en Gizmología. | You are subscribed to email updates from Gizmología
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Organize It Linky Party ~ {November}
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 03:23 PM PDT
| Organize It Linky Party ~ {November} Posted: 27 Oct 2013 12:17 PM PDT Here we meet again for the Organize It! Linky Party hosted by the Top Organizing Bloggers! If you have posted any organizing projects on your blog this past month, we’d love to see them added to the linky list below! We provide multiple categories to link up to so it stays all nice and organized. Plus if you are just looking this makes it super easy to quickly find what you need and get some major inspiration fast. I am loving this monthly link party because there is so much organizing eye candy to fuel my habit :) I hope you are enjoying it too! Happy organizing y'all! 
We can’t wait to see what you’ve been up to! Our favorites throughout the month will be pinned to our Organize It! Pinterest board. Also this linky list below will appear across all 8 of our organizing blogs giving you major exposure! 
1. Must be organizing related. 2. Must have the button or a text link, linked back to one of our 8 blogs. 3. Must be a new link up each month (No duplicates). 4. A maximum of 2 posts may be linked up each month. 5. Please link to the correct category. 6. The link up must be your own work. *We have the right to delete any link ups that do not follow the rules. 
The event will last all month. You can link up on the first day, the last or any day in between. Make sure you only link up a maximum of 2 organizing posts per month. Have fun, get lots of inspiration and share the party with the world! 
{right click on the button above and save to your computer to upload to your post} 
 Organize It Linky Party ~ {November} is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie. If you are not reading it from my feed, it has been STOLEN. Please let Laura at organizingjunkie (at) gmail (dot) com know. Thanks! | | Organized Teenage Boy Closet ~ Day #27 Posted: 26 Oct 2013 08:31 PM PDT Earlier this year I blogged about my reorganized son’s closet but I thought I’d share what we did again for this 31 day series on closets. He has a pretty typical closet with some standard wire shelving that was in place when we moved in. One of the problems with wire shelving though is that items can often fall through the cracks which was definitely happening for my son on a regular basis. It is definitely frustrating but oh how I love to solve these annoying little organizational problems. Which is good considering it’s how I make my living :) Organized Teenage Boy Closet: So my son needed some bins! My little town has a Walmart and a Canadian Tire for shopping (but rumor has it a Dollarama is coming…whoot!) and so shopping for organizing supplies is a little limited. The city is over two hours away and we don’t get in very often especially in winter. Here is his closet before 
Luckily I found these canvas bins (in a neutral color to boot…I’m pretty sure pink bins wouldn’t have gone over too well) at Walmart and picked up six of them…two for each of the shelves. 
In these bins he stores things like Pokemon cards, stuffies, extra blankets, games, costumes, and whatever else boys like to hang on to :) All those types of things need a home or they will pile up all over his closet and room creating big fat cluttered messes. 
We also purchased him a 6 shelf hanging organizer. These type of hanging organizers are pretty fantastic. They come in all sorts of sizes, widths and colors. 
We added some clear shoe boxes to the space to make it even more organized (forgive me, I’m a junkie, it’s what I do) for more odds and sodds. I also keep one of these hanging organizers that’s a little narrower in my closet for my hats. So many possibilities really. If you have something you can’t seem to find a home for, then one of these might be the answer for you. They also work great with little ones to set out their outfits for each day of the week. Another great tip for maximizing space is to always try to take advantage of vertical space. My son doesn’t have long dresses to make room for so there was a little extra space I could take advantage of by adding a shoe rack for his soccer shoes and lifting his laundry basket up off the floor. It’s just like doing a puzzle putting it all together. 
Here are some examples of similar items that might work for your closet, click on the pictures below for further information and pricing if you are interested. Hanging Closet Organizer 
Love this one with the days of the week 
Canvas Storage Bin 
Storage Bins for the gals 
I couldn’t find the exact shoe rack I purchased on either Walmart or Amazon but the following two are great options especially considering they both stack! Go as high as you want. Chrome Shoe Rack  Laminate Shoe Organizer 
I would have LOVED this one though with the two drawers…nice! 
So there you have it, a few more ideas for your closet. We are on the home stretch now folks :) Don’t miss a post…get blog updates via email: 
All of the posts in this 31 day series can be found by clicking on the graphic below. 
Organized Teenage Boy Closet ~ Day #27 is a post from: I'm an Organizing Junkie. If you are not reading it from my feed, it has been STOLEN. Please let Laura at organizingjunkie (at) gmail (dot) com know. Thanks! | You are subscribed to email updates from I'm an Organizing Junkie
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WhatsApp is leading the mobile messaging battle, but will it win the war?
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 03:21 PM PDT
| WhatsApp is leading the mobile messaging battle, but will it win the war? Posted: 27 Oct 2013 01:47 PM PDT  It's been quite a week for messaging startup WhatsApp. Fresh from announcing that his company now has 350 million active users each month, WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum rounded things off this Sunday by revealing that its users share more than 400 million photos daily. To be clear, that figure refers to the number of photos that are sent by users, not the total received; a distinction that is often confused when measuring messages sent. Every day our users share over 400 million photos via WhatsApp… #erlang #freebsd — jan koum (@jankoum) October 27, 2013
That's not at all bad for a messaging app, to put it lightly, particularly when you consider the number of daily photos shared on other services, as analyst Benedict Evans did. Just last month, Snapchat revealed its users are sharing 350 million photos per day, that's the same number that Facebook sees daily — as of September – which might explain why Mark Zuckerberg apparently lodged an unsuccessful $1 billion-plus bid for the service. Instagram sees 55 million photos per day, on average, for what's worth. Since no other messaging apps reveal their daily photo numbers, we're not able to compare WhatsApp to its peers. There's little doubt that WhatsApp is on a tear though, its growth is quite something. The service hit 200 million monthly active users in April of this year and, based on its recent progress, it could double that by the end of the year. These figures show a vast number of active users and high levels of engagement, WhatsApp is winning the battle by some margin. Its nearest rival WeChat had just over 235 million monthly active users as of August — although most are based in China — and none of its other main rivals have revealed their active user bases, instead preferring to tout their registered user numbers. Koum's response to that is amusing. He is right that direct comparisons are the only true measurement, and it seems quite possible that WhatsApp's dominance is a major reason some of its rivals are avoiding providing a basis for that comparison: Comparing total registered users and active users is like comparing Ferrari 250 GTO with a skateboard. — jan koum (@jankoum) May 1, 2013
Yet, despite this huge lead, it isn't for sure that WhatsApp will continue to dominate in the US and other markets in the West and worldwide. Are people bored of WhatsApp? WhatsApp's success appears to be down to its decision to eschew the feature-rich approach of many apps, as much as it is about early mover advantage. First launched in 2009, the service has a simple design that makes it easy for even the least tech-savvy folk to use. But, with other apps adding games, stickers, video calling and other features, are users seeking more than the bare bones experience offered by WhatsApp? 
Data from now-Facebook owned app analytics firm Onavo suggests that the service's phenomenal growth is slowing, at least in the US, as BGR reported: The number of iPhone owners using WhatsApp on a monthly basis has now fallen for three straight months, dropping from 9.25 percent in May to 7.97 percent in August. What is even odder, the rate of decline seems to be accelerating. This is in stark contrast with Kik, which has increased its engagement from 4.81 percent to 5.83 percent between May and August. Or GroupMe, which has moved from 2.45 percent to 2.81 percent.
Stats from App Annie, another much referenced analytics firm, show WhatsApp has ranked consistently high over the past year, but there has been a recent wobble over the past few months: 
The first dip occurs during the Christmas period — when more exciting apps typically leap up the charts — but the recent zig-zagging is different. It could be due to changes to the App Store algorithm, in favor of free apps over those that are paid-for, but the possibility remains that a level of fatigue is setting in for US consumers. The stats are similar for the UK, France, Germany and other countries. Are people in these places seeking more than just the basics from a messaging app, is WhatsApp approaching saturation, or is the competition cutting into its growth? The answer may differ depending on your point of view. One interesting example is Spain, where Line claims over 15 million downloads following an extensive marketing campaign. Yet, despite these downloads, WhatsApp appears to have maintained its grip on the market as the most actively used messaging app — also seeing off competition from WeChat, which recruited Barcelona football star Lionel Messi to front its latest advertising campaign. The platformization of messaging apps The WhatsApp business model is as straightforward as its design: users pay $0.99 per year for unlimited access. No features are restricted and WhatsApp is free from ads, marketing and games. We don't know how many registered users WhatsApp has, but, with 300 million active users, it's fair to say it could have anything between 500 million and 1 billion active subscriptions at any one time. That's pretty impressive, and the decision to buy/renew for $0.99 is easy if your friends are all using it. However, WhatsApp is likely to come under increasing pressure from free messaging apps (if it isn't already) which operate under an entirely different business model: content distribution. Line is one company that is pursuing that business model, which we recently described thusly: Line is really a content and communications platform on mobile. Already it acts as a network for distributing games, digital content and there are plans to introduce e-commerce, music and perhaps other services in the future. The company also makes money by charging companies to use its network to communicate advertising and marketing messages to users that opt-in to receive them.
It isn't just that financials are different — Line's revenue is at over $0.5 billion per year based on its last quarter of business, which was up 45 percent quarter-on-quarter — but the user experience is more developed that WhatsApp. There's free video and voice calling, connected games/apps, stickers and more. 
Line isn't alone in pursuing this approach although it is perhaps the most aggressive, thanks to a sizable marketing and advertising budget, and a roster of more than 30 'connected' games and apps. Korea's Kakao Talk and China's WeChat — both of which dominate their respective domestic markets and are pushing out internationally — follow a similar approach, but, perhaps more telling, is that Tango, Kik and even BlackBerry's BBM, three WhatsApp rivals with a core audience in the US, also include gaming and other content. Parts of Asia have always been early adopters and particular keen on content — 'Web toons' are bigger than Facebook in Korea, for example — but the Asian messaging business model is beginning to take root among non-Asian businesses, the question is whether users are open and ready for it? What will it take to win? This Venture Beat post argues that the companies and apps that provide "a deeper and richer experience" will win the fragmented mobile messaging space. Thinking along those lines, it remains to be seen if simplicity will continue to triumph over multimedia. If multimedia and content are what it takes to win, then WhatsApp is in a difficult position. Most of its rivals are focused on iOS and Android — the two platforms that are most commonly used by developers — but WhatsApp has a seemingly far more diverse base of users. Koum this week said WhatsApp signs up 250,000 users of Nokia devices per day. That's a lot of non-iOS and Android, more than 7.5 million new users on Nokia phones each month. It would be technically difficult to develop a games and content platform that extended to Asha, Nokia's dated Symbian, BlackBerry and other platforms where WhatsApp is believed to be strong, while likewise finding game developers to cover Windows Phone would not be straightforward. Perhaps then, it's no surprise that Koum and WhatsApp are firmly against gaming and other non-messaging services. To date, the theory of simplicity over features hasn't really been put to the test in western markets, but in many parts of Asia there's little doubt that WhatsApp has lost market share to Line, WeChat and others, although many users do use more than one messaging app. But as the Asian apps increase their focus and marketing budgets for global expansion, and Kik, Tango and others continue to develop their services, the question is whether Western markets will stick to simplicity?  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | | Startup hiring isn’t just about qualifications, it’s about finding cultural fits Posted: 27 Oct 2013 12:39 PM PDT  Running your own startup is a challenge that never ends and as time goes on and the company scales, bringing in employees is one of the inevitable tasks that not only founders, but executives need to do. But how does one find the right person for the job, meaning that he or she isn't just technically capable, but also the right fit culturally for the company? Three renowned engineers in the tech industry, Abhi Khune (Head of Engineering at Pinterest), Eric Feng (CTO of Flipboard), and Matt Rogers (CTO of Nest) spoke at a Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB) leadership event last week and shared their thoughts and ideas on how to build world class teams without dramatically changing a company's values. During this one hour conversation moderated by KPCB's Mike Abbott, who isn't a stranger to leadership and recruiting roles having served as Vice President of Engineering at Twitter, Palm, and Microsoft, several main points emerged: - It's not what's on paper, but your personality that matters
- Recruiting is everyone's responsibility
- Make sure that potential applicants are the right fit
Get to really know what they're capable of It's one thing to have your skills and credentials listed on a resume, but it's another thing to be in a completely unknown setting and have your personality tested. When we've been accepted to have that face-to-face interview, we're relieved that we're getting close to the final stage where we'll either get the job or not. But while the applicant is looking to show off their personality, the interviewer, whether it's the recruiter, an executive, or the founder, could be interested in understanding whether you're a cultural fit with the organization. It's one thing to say that an applicant meets the technical requirements, but if they're looking for X, Y, and Z in a company, but it only has A, B, and C, then it may be time to decline them an offer. Abbott said that one of the things that he's done in the past and has worked well is taking the applicant away from the office environment and see how they react. Instead of interviewing them in a conference room or office where their guard will be up expecting questions, he suggests perhaps having the meeting during lunch or when you're out for a beer — this will disarm them and hopefully allow them to speak more freely like you're friends instead of a potential boss. 
But while some tend to be more swayed by in-person interactions, there are some who want to see if the resume matches up with the applicant. Khune's team at Pinterest will look at an applicants previous employer and find out why they went to work there. He explained that by understanding an applicant's choice, it will enable them to better assess what's important to them. The resume itself is also an important factor for Pinterest — Khune says that it has certain values that the team likes to espouse and, without telling the applicant, he tries to figure out whether they are faking it. Picking the right applicants to meet On any given week, executives at startups and more established companies could receive hundreds, if not thousands, of applications for any number of available positions. How exactly do department heads best figure out who to bring in to talk with the team? Rogers says that in Nest's early days, the company was still very much in stealth mode and therefore unable to divulge details of its business to candidates. Since he couldn't really put together an effective sales pitch to the public, Rogers instead reached out to everyone in his own network. However, once that reached its limits, he needed to find another way — that's when the company decided to bring in a professional recruiter, Jose Cong, in to grow its network. But one shouldn't mistake having a recruiter as an opportunity to pass off hiring responsibilities — in the early days, Rogers and his team needed to interview all the early employees to find out if they were the right fit for the company. 
Feng suggests one of the things that can be helpful to determine whether a candidate is a good fit is through the use of online code challenges. Granted that the evening's talk was aimed at engineers, but similar tests can be useful in proving how qualified someone is. He believes that it will also help set up "very natural" phone screen interviews. While everyone hopes that they'll be able to get face-to-face meeting time, it's just not viable from within a company — it's actually more costly to do so compared to having a phone screen. So if a candidate has completed the code challenge, Feng says then the interviewer can ask the candidate to explain their reasoning for doing it a certain way instead of merely speaking in hypotheticals. If satisfied by their answer, it could shed some light on whether the applicant will blend well with others in the organization. Finding the right people is everyone's responsibility It's understandable in the early days of a startup that much of the recruiting will probably be handled by founders and executives, but overall, it's the responsibility of everyone to help find candidates that not only have the moxy to take on assigned tasks and products, but also have the right cultural fit. 
Feng says that it should be the mission of everyone in the company, whether you're a founder, manager, engineer, designer, or in a support capacity, to help bring it people they think can no only do the job but help move the company forward. Everyone has their own limit of network contacts that they can tap into and naturally, you can't expect them to know every designer or engineer that is actively looking for new opportunities. If a company is to scale, everyone at every level must be involved. However, that's not to say that everyone should be involved in the interviewing process. Only certain people will be suited to interviewing and Rogers believes it's important to find out who they are. In Nest's case, there are a few people that handle phone screenings and the company puts a lot of trust into them to determine who makes it in for a face-to-face interview. Feng says that Flipboard has an individual that will sit in most interviews regardless of what the candidate is applying for — the company leans on him to help assess culture check, more than whether they have the skills to do the job. Culture above all else But no matter who you're hiring for, it's important that you ensure that they're going to be a good fit for your company. While the applicant may be the best designer, engineer, product manager, or recruiter, if they don't get along with others in the team or are looking for something more conservative or liberal, it might be best to pass. But in the event that you do hire someone and they are not a good fit, Feng that you shouldn't drag out letting them go. But, rather than just simply firing someone because they "don't fit in", make sure you give them the opportunity to see what changes you'd like to see made and give them every effort to correct it. Firing someone is never an easy thing to do, but Feng says that if there's a need to do it, it should be taken care of in a "definitive and expedited manner". In fact, the worst thing you could do is recognize that you have a problem in your company and culture, but don't confront it. In his experience, Feng estimates that 99 percent of the people he parted ways with were eventually relieved at the decision — some have even called to thank him or asked to have a beer with him. 
Khune believes that when you confront individuals, you should talk about the situation that happened, explaining what it is about the person's conduct, behavior or chemistry that impacts the team. This could help them change their actions and improve the situation for all. This weekend, Homebrew venture capitalist Hunter Walk published a post about company culture. In it, he reinforces the stance that Khune, Feng, and Rogers have on culture — the people you invite into your company "ARE YOUR CULTURE" (emphasis Walk's). He strongly believes that one should not compromise on the cultural ideals of a company when making a hire. If you stick with them, it will help make successive hires and the functionality of the team that much easier. When thinking about new hires, Walk suggests: Which do you think will build a stronger company over time? A technically competent team of people who share no collective set of motivations, styles or goals – or – a technically competent team of people who are united by a clearly articulated set of values and expectations the CEO has both described to them and tested for during the interview process? It's not a trick question.
This also applies in other companies like Automattic, the creators of popular blogging software WordPress. In his book The Year Without Pants, author and Automattic employee Scott Berkun highlights the company's objective of hiring self-sufficient and passionate people. He writes that in his company experience, resumes and pedigrees don't demonstrate a person's passion — it's not that you went to school and were taught how to be a programmer or a great designer, but rather you have the drive to become part of that profession. Perhaps this line from Berkun's book sums it all up the best, while also echoing everyone mentioned in this piece: "Finding the first match sets the tone. Once you have two or three like-minded people, a culture forms that attracts more people with similar values and repels those that don't." Culture is everything. Photo credit: David Ramos/Getty Images, BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images, John Moore/Getty Images, and Scott Olson/Getty Images  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | | White version of Google’s Nexus 5 and November 1 launch date teased in latest leak Posted: 27 Oct 2013 11:51 AM PDT Ah, the not-so-mysterious Nexus 5. We've seen leaked photos, a leaked video and product shots accidentally published to Google Play, so it's fair to say we know Google's new smartphone is coming soon, but the wait could be over by November 1 — according to the latest leak. Ever-prolific leak meister @evleaks tweeted a photo of a Nexus 5 with a white back panel and a reference to November 1. It's unclear if that might be the announcement date, or the retail launch of the device — which has also been rumored for a October 31 press conference. In white. 11/1. pic.twitter.com/5SSmtTGUg7 — @evleaks (@evleaks) October 27, 2013
A white version of the Nexus 4 wasn't forthcoming until some seven months after the black one went on sale, but @Evleaks implies a white Nexus 5 will be available at launch. Thumbnail image via toprankblog / Flickr  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | | Productivity’s at an all-time low? 10 tips for revitalizing your workflow Posted: 27 Oct 2013 09:30 AM PDT  Ilya Pozin is an entrepreneur, writer and investor. He is the founder of Open Me, a social greeting card company, and Ciplex, a digital marketing agency. He's a columnist on entrepreneurship and marketing
Productivity is a hot topic for just about everyone in the working world. But when it comes to those of you in a leadership role, the need for increased productivity and efficiency may be even more glaring. Maybe you're a CEO, entrepreneur, venture capitalist, or even a project manager. All of these positions have one thing in common: The need to accomplish more than you probably have time for… a lot more, really. Toss in the unavoidable workplace distractions and the temptations of social media, and you've got a recipe for productivity loss. Unlike lower-level employees, if your productivity level sucks, there's no one to blame but yourself. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to rejuvenate your productivity. Leaders, try these tips: 1. Redefine your to-do list Ask yourself: Do you really get things done when you create a lengthy, unnecessary to-do list? I know I don't. For a more productive way to accomplish tasks, try scheduling what you need to accomplish right down to the minute. For instance, take today's tasks and add them to your calendar with a specific time allotment. If you're looking to add some extra heat to your productivity, create a tight deadline for yourself and stick to it. 2. Avoid meetings like the plague You don't need to attend every meeting you're invited to. While it may feel like being there will keep you "in the know," you're actually wasting valuable time you could be spending on accomplishing things. Set your own personal rules for what types of meetings you'll make mandatory and which you'll politely decline. If all else fails, skip out early and catch up on notes later. 3. Get a hobby This may sound counter-productive, but you'd be surprised what a hobby can do for time management – like joining an intramural soccer league, for example. If you know you have practice or games certain nights a week, you'll be more likely to fly through your tasks with efficiency. Also, taking time for activities away from work means you'll probably be a lot happier on the job. 4. Quit chasing perfection If you're constantly sending things back to the drawing board or tweaking them into oblivion, you're not only killing your productivity, but also your team's. Forget chasing 100 percent and settle for 80 percent. This is known as the 80/20 rule. Your productivity level will rise because once you've completed 80 percent of a task, the remaining 20 percent only gets you diminishing returns anyway. 5. Get an early start Whether you come in an hour early every morning or knock out some projects on Sunday evening, getting an early start may be just what you need for increased productivity. Diving in earlier than normal will allow you to cut through some of the daily noise, dedicate more time to a task than normal, and clear off your plate much faster. 6. Truly trust your team Delegation could save you hours of time every day, week, month, and even year. If you're not making this an active part of your workplace routine, you probably don't trust your team. Just because someone completes a task differently than you doesn't mean it's wrong. Rather than trying to tackle everything on your own, delegate some of your work to those employees whom you trust the most. 7. Minimize online distractions Locking yourself in your office isn't doing much for your productivity if you're obsessively checking social media, your phone, the news or other websites. If you're unable to put an end to your distracting online tendencies, then maybe you need the help of an app. 8. Set email boundaries If your inbox is the main culprit in your productivity downfall, it's time to set some boundaries. Choose a few times a day to check your inbox and make your schedule known to those who email you most frequently. If someone needs to reach you for an important matter, have them call or text you directly. 9. Cut down on planning How much time do you spend every day just planning to accomplish something? Instead of twiddling your thumbs, dive right in. Remember, you can always go back and prove throughout the process. In most cases, getting a jumpstart is more important than planning. 10. Avoid tunnel vision Contrary to popular belief, tunnel vision isn't indicative of productivity. In fact, staring at your screen for five hours will probably leave you feeling a little fried. Be sure to take regular breaks so you can come back to your project or task feeling refreshed. Leaders, put these tips into play to boost efficiency and give your productivity a jump to the next level. How do you stay productive as leader? Image credit: alphaspirit/Shutterstock  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | | Google is testing an Android app that connects devices to city-wide WiFi hotspots Posted: 27 Oct 2013 08:51 AM PDT  Google is trialing an interesting new service in Jakarta, Indonesia, where WiFi Passport, an Android app that includes access to a variety of WiFi hotspots, has been spotted.
It's not easy to get speedy, reliable Internet access in cities like Jakarta so WiFi is a popular option — with even carriers offering access points. Google and partner MOGPlay have set up a range of hotspots which WiFi Passport users can access directly from the app, with no need for repeat passwords/log-in. The service is free for an initial 10 days, thereafter it costs 20,000 IDR (under-$2) for 20 days and 50,000 IDR (under-$5) for 50 days. We can see how this would be attractive in emerging markets, but for now the trial appears limited to Jakarta. ➤ WiFi Passport [Google] Via Google Operating System Thumbnail image via littleny / Shutterstock  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | | 20 of our favorite typefaces from this past month Posted: 27 Oct 2013 06:00 AM PDT  Sean Mitchell is an interactive designer based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and the editor of TypeRelease.
We've gathered 20 of the most beautiful typefaces released within the past month. Let's take a look at this edition's lovely batch!
Beauty and elegance guaranteed. 
Seven feature-rich weights with built-in small caps, swash alternates, and contextual alternate initials and finials. 
A carefully engineered take on the original Nanami family. Commercial Type: Portrait 
Aggressive in its simplicity but nuanced in its details. 
New meets old meets technic, FF Mark is not an average geometric sans. Strong, simple, bold – and created with utmost consideration and precision. Type Supply: Balto 
From casual to authoritative, classic to contemporary, passive to aggressive, Balto is ready for the job. 
Based on geometrical shapes, it's primarily intended for headline use but also offers excellent legibility in small sizes. 
Designed for continuous text – legible at medium and small sizes, with great space-saving. 
A high contrast transitional typeface, a kind of missing link between Bodoni and Times. The Signal Type Foundry: Center 
The future is squarish. Based on a rounded rectangle, its geometry has been subtly refined for smoother reading. 
Broad-shouldered and heavy-armed: the rolling, dark silhouettes of its characters create a soothing yet forceful impression that serves to anchor words, no matter where they appear. 
Influenced by the ironwork and carved decorations of New York City row houses. Typotheque: Lava 
Designed for magazine use, but far transcends its original application. It's a no–nonsense workhorse typeface that can handle large quantities of text with ease. 
A slab-serif typeface with a technological and minimalist look. 
Not just Kievit Sans with slab serifs attached. It has been carefully adjusted and fine tuned in width and contrast to help make it an extremely legible typeface. 
An elegant serif with a humanistic touch. 
A new versatile geometric sans face in 16 styles, designed on a geometric base. 
Compunabula began as a rejected logo for a client. Happy accident! 
Combines readability with a gentle but strong personality. The smooth and balanced forms share space with expressive ink traps. 
Continues in the fine tradition of fonts such as Franklin Gothic, News Gothic and Trade Gothic offering a contemporary interpretation of the condensed sans-serif – functionality with personality. Header image credit: Shutterstock  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | | Trademark filing suggests Logitech’s leaked iPhone gamepad is real and will be called Powershell Posted: 26 Oct 2013 11:30 PM PDT  We've already seen leaked images of Logitech's apparent upcoming gamepad for the iPhone and now, less than a month later, the product looks a whole lot more real thanks to another leak and a trademark filing that suggest it will be called Powershell. The name was first put forward by serial technology insider @evleaks — who leaked initial images of the Powershell, below, on October 2 – and that claim is backed up by an entry on trademark and patent filing database Legalforce – flagged by @DustinLeiblein – which shows Logitech registered the Powershell trademark in September of this year. The trademark filing describes the device as an "integrated game control device and battery pack for use with computers and digital electronic devices," but, since it is merely a filing, there's no mention of the iPhone nor are there any other details. 
Logitech announced a reorganization in January which saw it switch its focus to mobile computing — and specifically tablets and smartphones — following a disappointing period of business for its PC peripherals devision. The Powershell, which could be rivalled by a rumored iPhone controller from Moga, would clearly fit with Logitech's new strategy. Headline image via Geoff Stokes /Flickr, other via @evleaks  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | | What to do if your social media account has been hacked or hijacked Posted: 26 Oct 2013 04:20 PM PDT  Almost everyone has had their social media accounts compromised at least once in the past, where their accounts automatically share scam links to friends and followers. Today's attack on Buffer showed just how easy it is for a reputable company to cause its users to become victims of social media attacks, despite having done nothing wrong. It's hard to know what to do in these situations so we've prepared a primer on how you can deal with attacks if your social media account were to be compromised. How to tell your account has been compromised Sometimes it can be hard to tell that your account is compromised, especially if the attacker is only making small changes or sending out a message from time to time. Some common signs of your account being compromised are: - Automated likes, favorites, follows/unfollows or friend requests
- Private messages being posted to your friends (this can be hard to spot unless someone points it out to you)
- Unexpected email/push notifications from the social network, such as warning that your email address has been changed
- Purchases appearing that you didn't make or new games/apps being added
- Status updates/tweets that you didn't make
- Changes to the profile or pictures on the account
Giving out your password As a general rule of thumb you should never give your social media password to any website except the one it's intended for. Applications that connect to Twitter should never directly ask for your password, instead they should ask you to sign in using the official website of the network you are using. Twitter and Facebook both use social sign on buttons that redirect to their login page for authentication, so that you don't need to give your credentials to a third party. Some attacks — known as phishing attempts — impersonate a website after you click on a compromised link (such as in a direct message or chat) and ask you to log in using a fake login screen. Once this is done, attackers are able to log in as you on the social network and change your information or share messages from your account. 
The best way to combat these is knowing if the site you're visiting is the one you intended to visit. The easiest way is by checking the address bar in your browser matches the site you expected to visit, then checking if it also has a matching security certificate. If you were intending to visit Twitter and the URL is anything other than 'Twitter.com,' you should not enter your password as it will likely be used to compromise your account. A common technique used to lure you to do this is when you receive a URL from a friend that is hidden behind a link shortening tool like Bit.ly. There are tools such as LongURL that allow you to expand that shortened URL to see what is hidden behind it before clicking. If you weren't expecting a link or it looks suspicious using this method can be a good way to ensure it is legitimate. Authenticating Apps When you authenticate an application to your social media account you're putting all your trust in someone else's ability to manage your social network. Even if their intentions are good, sometimes things are out of their control and your account could be compromised. A good example of this is when Buffer — a social post scheduling tool — was hacked this week causing thousands of personal and corporate accounts to tweet weight loss tips. There isn't much users could do to prevent the kind of attack that happened with Buffer but it's always worth ensuring the applications you are using are trustworthy and reviewing the approved list on a regular basis. Many applications that promise more followers for free on Twitter actually end up spamming all your existing followers with links, for example, so ensure that what you are authenticating is well regarded before using it. Revoking applications you no longer use is a good way to prevent anything happening to your account before it happens. What to do if your account is compromised It can be hard to keep a cool head when your account gets a mind of its own but it's easier to get back in control than you probably think. We recommend following these simple steps: - Change your password immediately and make sure it is unique to the account you are using as well as your email address' password to ensure access cannot be obtained via the reset password form of the website
- Visit the applications page of the social network and remove any apps you don't recognize. If the account continues to behave erratically we recommend you revoke access to all applications.
- Ensure your email address is still set to the default of the account so that you're able to sign in
- Run a virus scan on your PC to ensure you aren't infected with a virus
- Contact the people your account has messaged to let them know that your account was compromised and that it wasn't you sending the messages
Here's a quick list of links to the applications pages of major social networks: If it's too late and you've completely lost control of your account there are a few ways that can work to get it back: - Reset your password using the 'forgot password' link on the front page of the site
- Contact support via email or phone:
Other things you can do to prevent attack There are a few other things you can do to prevent attacks on your account but they require some forward thinking and annoyance when you are logging in. The first of these is ensuring you always use unique passwords for each account and never share passwords across networks. This means if one account is compromised it's not possible for attackers to gain access to your other ones as well. Second, most social networks also now support something called two factor authentication. This is a system which requires both your password and a number generated by a device (such as your phone) to get access, which makes it almost impossible for an attacker to break into your account (unless they have a pre-authenticated application!). Facebook, Google+ and Twitter all have their own versions of this: Facebook and Twitter will send an SMS to your phone with a number that you use to log in while Google uses an application on your phone to generate a number. All in all, if you're careful who you give the keys to your account to it can be easy to protect yourself online. It just requires a little forethought. Photo credit: ra2studio/Shutterstock  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | You are subscribed to email updates from The Next Web
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LA Times: Middle-class Californians feeling surprised, dismayed by higher ObamaCare costs
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 03:21 PM PDT
| LA Times: Middle-class Californians feeling surprised, dismayed by higher ObamaCare costs Posted: 27 Oct 2013 02:01 PM PDT 
"I was all for ObamaCare, until I found out I was paying for it."
California was both the first and largest state to commit to building their own state-specific individual marketplace rather than working through the still mostly-busted federal exchange, and the launch of their Covered California site has been relatively smoother than most (although not without its own problems). Like the Obama administration, California is reporting an encouraging […] Read this post » | | Dick Cheney not such an Enzi fan these days it seems Posted: 27 Oct 2013 12:31 PM PDT 
"Simply not true"
This was a pretty good interview with Dick Cheney all around on ABC this morning. It was broken out into a few segments and covered plenty of ground. Portions of it had to do with his new book in which he discusses some fairly heavy, non-policy topics, specifically dealing with his own mortality while waiting […] Read this post » | | Video – Homeland Security Chair: Our allies really don’t get this spying thing Posted: 27 Oct 2013 11:01 AM PDT 
Nothing personal. It's just business.
Brought to you by Patrick Brennan at The Corner, the Sunday morning shows had the usual parade of administration reps out there explaining why things aren’t anywhere near as craptastic as your lying eyes might lead you to believe. One of them was the Homeland Security chair, Mike Rogers, who sat down with Candy Crawley […] View the video » | | NFL Week 8 open thread Posted: 27 Oct 2013 09:31 AM PDT 
Raiding.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a genuine streak going now, beating the Baltimore Ravens 19-16 last week to post their second straight victory after starting the season with a four-game losing streak. They travel to Oakland today, a team with an identical 2-4 record that has its own problems. They’re last in the league in passing, […] Read this post » | | Georgia’s open Senate seat – Anyone better than Nunn Posted: 27 Oct 2013 08:01 AM PDT 
Nunn of the above
Since it was announced that Saxby Chambliss wouldn’t be running for another term, the Democrats seem to have fixed on this Senate seat as a target of opportunity. That’s a bit of a puzzler, since Georgia voters haven’t taken a favorable look at a Democrat for that spot in nearly a decade and a half […] Read this post » | | Film review: The Counselor Posted: 27 Oct 2013 06:31 AM PDT 
Crossroads.
A lawyer whose outgo outstrips his income makes the decision to get involved in a drug deal to score a quick fortune, believing that he can simply go back to his normal life afterward. But is it that simple? Do decisions, once made, strip us of the ability to choose later, or stop an escalating […] Read this post » | | Open thread: Sunday morning talking heads Posted: 27 Oct 2013 05:01 AM PDT 
Security.
Foolishly, I thought this morning would be all about the Healthcare.gov apocalypse. Nope. It’s on the menu — Steve Beshear and John Kasich will do some Dem/GOP squabbling over O-Care on “Meet the Press” — but the guests this week are heavy on natsec hawks: Mike Rogers on “State of the Union,” Peter King on […] Read this post » | | Quotes of the day Posted: 26 Oct 2013 05:31 PM PDT 
Movements.
Whereas the old game of attacking even very conservative Republicans as sellouts was something of a direct-mail fundraising racket, the new cause is more like a real movement. And that's why this time the infighting might lead to real war. For starters, the populists are much better funded and organized. Despite liberal doomsaying that Citizens […] Read this post » | | French president refuses to renege on new “supertax,” despite soccer teams’ protestations Posted: 26 Oct 2013 04:01 PM PDT While some European economists and finance ministers are all about the optimism and are acting quite pleased with the eurozone’s “achievement” of barely-there but finally above-zero economic growth numbers, others are thinking a little more cautiously about whether or not member states have really, truly created long-term growth-friendly policies that can help with lowering outsized […] Read this post » | You are subscribed to email updates from Hot Air » Top Picks
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What do tobacco and software have in common?
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 03:19 PM PDT
| What do tobacco and software have in common? Posted: 27 Oct 2013 01:00 PM PDT Everything from algorithmic trading in investments to lean manufacturing has been invented to drive up corporate profits. Following Gordon Gecko's mantra, "Greed is good," one has to wonder, if enterprises have gone through such creative measures to optimize everything and eke out new marginal efficiency, what can a modern company do to boost the bottom line? Look to the top performing net margin industries, of course. Looking at the Fortune 500, the average net margins across the Fortune 500 were 7.28 percent with a median of 6.75 percent; however, the top two performing industries by net margin in 2011 were tobacco and software, with 21.50 percent and 19.88 percent, respectively. Clearly, tobacco and software maintain a wide gap when compared to these normative measures, and these numbers persisted through 2012. Can companies in other industries incorporate tobacco or software into their business to boost margins?
Okay, so maybe not tobacco since that industry operates under circumstances (i.e., harmful chemical addictive agents) that can't be replicated elsewhere. Software, on the other hand, offers an interesting proposition to Fortune 1000 companies looking to disrupt the status quo. Today, enterprise applications can be written to do or supplement anything. For example, I can write an application to simplify word processing or to control the temperature of my refrigerator. As a result, software has become much more than a feature or means of improving operational efficiency. In fact, software has become the backbone of many non-software businesses, including Diebold, Nike and Tesla to name only a few. Diebold, the world's leading ATM manufacturer, released a vision statement in its investor relations deck last year stating they wanted "to transform from a hardware-centric manufacturing company to a world-class product, software and services provider." Diebold recently announced the first ATM that integrates with mobile devices via the cloud, allowing consumers to complete secure transactions without cards, completely overhauling the traditional ATM experience. Nike embeds chips in fitness apparel, sells tracking bracelets and supplies mobile applications that help you track runs, number of steps and other fitness metrics. Essentially, Nike is using software to shift from being a fitness apparel company to a fitness solutions company. And aggressive upstart Tesla has a software interface for its electric cars that allows owners to develop applications that control certain aspects of the vehicle. Want to honk the horn? You can use your iPhone from 400 feet away. 
Diebold, Nike and Tesla are examples of a new type of business known as "software-defined enterprises" that illustrate the truly transformative nature of software beyond just driving operational efficiencies and improving customer experience. Let's examine why these three companies and others have decided to make this shift:
- Increased net margins – With software companies at an average net margin of 19.88 percent, average net margins of 7.28 percent don't look so great. Rather than viewing this as a problem, software-defined enterprises see the difference as a 12.6 percent opportunity gap. They are incorporating software aligned with their product and services portfolios in order to flank existing revenues with a profit-rich revenue source.
In fact, pulling the annual report for healthcare wholesaler McKesson, we find that although its distribution business accounted for 97.3 percent of revenue, the company's software arm contributed to 14.1 percent of the bottom line while only accounting for 2.7 percent of revenue in 2012! Looking at operating pre-tax profits as a percent of revenue, McKesson's software business provides 6x leverage, dollar for dollar, over its distribution business. Companies like McKesson expand revenues with a high-net margin software business that enhances regular revenues with nimble software value. - Better customer acquisition – The proliferation of mobile devices and cloud services have reshaped consumer psychology, and today, consumers expect everything to have an app interface or some cloud service attached to it. To remain competitive and win over new customers, corporations need to embed a "software guaranteed" mentality to any new goods and services.
Phillips released the Hue, a personal wireless lighting system, to attract consumers with home lighting technology that can be controlled from a mobile device. Consumers can go as far as uploading a photo to the hue app and using it as a lighting palette. This is surely attractive to today's tech savvy consumer and will win over new customers from competitors like GE. 
- Better customer loyalty – If a company can't find a good way to increase net profits through new software-based revenue sources, software can represent a new way to reduce the risk of losing existing revenue and profit streams. Nike is a great example of this. Consumers are no longer buying just apparel; they are buying holistic fitness solutions with the software quickly becoming the hub of the purchase.
When looking to buy a pair of shoes, most consumers don't only buy the shoes; they buy shoes, a Nike+ Fuelband and download the mobile app. This creates a new ecosystem. Much like Apple did with iTunes, Nike ensures its existing consumers will remain customers because the cost and effort required to change to Adidas is simply too high. The software services incorporated into the physical shoe are driving this change. Software-defined enterprises are the future, and, like Diebold, companies across the globe must reevaluate their own corporate visions to establish software as a key strategy for all service and product offerings. Enterprises that do this right will realize new profit margins and become industry leaders, while those that don't will become obsolete. If Tesla's recent stock surge is any indication of the business benefits that software-defined enterprises will enjoy, why wouldn't you want to become one? Sinclair Schuller is the CEO of Apprenda.  
Related research and analysis from Gigaom Research:
Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.  | | Kevin Kelly & the power of ideas Posted: 27 Oct 2013 12:43 PM PDT "Success does amazing things to people," said Shel Kapham, the first employee of Amazon, in a conversation with Brad Stone, a BusinessWeek writer and author of the new book The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos & the Age of Amazon. Shel was reflecting on Bezos, but it could be said of many more people who have changed after tasting that rare fruit: success. But it is the truly great ones who don't change with success, regardless of fame and fortune. And one of those rare ones is Kevin Kelly, an author who is a true blue chronicler of technology's today and painter of technology's tomorrow.  Wired magazine issue #1 In his past life, Kelly was editor & publisher of the Whole Earth Catalog, was the founding executive editor of Wired magazine and helped create The Well. His books were a major influence on the writers and directors of The Matrix. Kelly has been on my bucket list of people to meet before my CPU burns out. Ten years ago, when I read this piece in Wired magazine, I was taught a vital lesson — technology and innovation means different things to different people in different parts of the world. So you can only imagine my excitement when I learned that he was also in attendance at the same social gathering where Kapham (who worked at the Whole Earth Catalog) was being interviewed by BusinessWeek's Stone. And when I went and shook his hand, I quietly muttered to myself — Achievement Unlocked! His theory of 1,000 true fans has been a guiding principle of our company. And not a month goes by when his blog doesn't teach me something new, forcing me to change my preconceptions. Do I sound like a gushing tween who just met Justin Bieber? Damn straight, I do indeed feel that way! Kelly is a great role model for any and every technology writer. His relevance doesn't come from his past or the publication(s) he writes for, or how many Twitter followers he has. Instead, his relevance (as always) comes from the very foundation of our world — ideas. Later in the evening, long after the interviews were over, the selfies had been taken and gushing had stopped, I fell into a conversation with Kelly about a looming feeling of cynicism — especially as the valley transforms from a focus on things to people. In 1994, technology was what writers used to obsess about in Silicon Valley. In 2004 it was about business (and business models) and in 2014, it seems to be all about the people and the spectacle of technology. Kelly, who has been part of many inflections and has been a spectator of many booms (and equally numerous busts), had rather simple but effective advice — learn from history by reading about the past and use it to get some context about the present. In other words, try and understand the time frame and then focus on the long view. 
Technologies take a long time to make their view through society and having a lasting impact. Today, thanks to our planet's interconnectedness, new technical innovations (and ideas) spread much faster, but their impact still takes time. Focusing on the long view is the easiest way to ignore the short-term events and the cynicism that comes as a by-product of short-term thinking. He went on to offer some more advice. You have to look at the world in terms of opportunity, he said (I am paraphrasing), because opportunity and optimism are part of the same fabric. Around the world, he said, millions of people every year leave their rural homes and march into an urban life. They leave behind family and simple life in search of one thing — opportunity and hope for a better tomorrow. That optimism is the antidote to any cynicism we might feel in the world. Kelly pointed out that it is easy to dismiss a startup, but we shouldn't. Each startup is an idea that is worth exploring, and thus an opportunity. Like every newborn child is full of promise, the new startups too are reason for optimism, he pointed out. Not every kid grows up to be an Albert Einstein or Zadie Smith — the same is true with startups. Some become Facebook, Twitter, Intel and Apple. Others live a faceless existence. And before I took off for the evening, Kelly said that taking long walks with one's thoughts is a good way to slow down and a way to take the long view. Maybe that would be good for my waistline too. Still, I am glad to say that the reality of Kevin Kelly matched the expectations of my mind. Success has just made him more amazing.  
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Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.  | | Finding Nirvana with Amazon Web Services Posted: 27 Oct 2013 12:00 PM PDT It's been a damn good year for Amazon. On October 1st, the day of the federal government shutdown, Amazon's stock was up more than 8 points when the market closed. Year-over-year, Amazon stock is up 24 percent, despite global threats (Syria), political contention (Obamacare) and overall a highly volatile period for corporate earnings. It seems logical that the continued success of Amazon's cloud computing business, AWS, has something to do with these gains. At this year’s AWS Summit in New York City, Amazon CEO Werner Vogels said that AWS has seen a 102 percent increase in customers since the start of 2013, and a 53 percent increase in usage of services per customer.  Structure 2011: Werner Vogels – CTO, Amazon.com Customers love AWS because it's extremely affordable and easy to spin up a server for new project or to scale up an existing one. Amazon continues to match or beat formidable competitors such as Microsoft and Google on pricing. Yet don't forget: EC2 is a commodity cloud architecture, which means there will be variations and occasional disruptions in performance, network latency and reliability in exchange for considerable value. There will be slowdowns and outages on AWS, and as with an internal data center; you must plan for them, design your apps for unpredictability in the cloud and measure performance all the time. WHere are a few tips on how to manage risk, optimize performance, close security gaps and get to agility nirvana while using AWS (or any other large public cloud provider). - Application design: Closely align your development strategy with the architecture of AWS or any other major cloud provider. Amazon publishes information on its architecture and configurations to help customers optimize services to run on the platform, and you can hire AWS solution architects to help in that effort. At a certain point, you may want to engage in a deeper investment in Amazon's PaaS offerings, such as by using AWS Elastic Beanstalk and OpsWorks. Doing so can help optimize performance and management of your cloud applications further.
- Scaling for performance: Design your cloud architecture for horizontal scaling, which will help cost-effectively achieve performance as demand grows as well as deliver a healthy measure of backup and redundancy. While horizontal scaling in traditional IT environments has typically been about over-provisioning, don't overdo that in the cloud. If you are monitoring capacity and demand in real-time, you can provision resources at the point of need with less risk of buying hardware that sits underutilized. Elastic scaling is also important in the cloud. This is facilitated when application monitoring tools trigger events (such as adding nodes) based on capacity thresholds (such as nearing the ceiling on CPU).
- Monitoring: Amazon has hundreds of components and services that are interdependent and susceptible to failure from aging hardware, electrical storms, natural disasters, integration failures or operator error. As the company continues to introduce new technologies and services for customers, invariably some will be weaker than others. Case in point is the EBS block level storage, which has been behind a few outages and can cause problems with other services that rely upon it. Real-time monitoring can help narrow down problems to a specific layer of the AWS infrastructure, which is extremely helpful to arrive at a quick resolution, such as moving the application to a more stable zone.
Use AWS CloudWatch for a base set of metrics, but you'll need other cloud-centric tools to dig deeper. Integrate data from open source and commercial tools to provide a single-screen view of your entire environment. Modern tools should also incorporate alert mechanisms for when metrics have exceeded the parameters of normal behavior and require investigation. - Security considerations : Whether you host your applications on Amazon or some other provider, the considerations are largely the same. Do the proper diligence on the provider's physical security, software-based security (such as AES encryption) and certifications. Policies and human behavior are always the sticking point. It's tempting to issue shared logins, but that is just opening the door to potential trouble.
Spend the extra time to use the Identity Access Management (IAM) tool that AWS offers, which enables distinct logins per user including administrator-level permissions. You can also enable multi-factor authentication so that when users sign in to an AWS website, they must also supply an authentication code from an MFA device. The AWS Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) service allows you to add another layer of network security to your instances by creating private subnets or adding an IPsec VPN tunnel between your network and AWS. - Cost management: Managing costs on Amazon or any other cloud provider is all about striking the right balance between benefits (such as uptime and response time) and efficiency. Monitoring tools that watch for capacity thresholds can help provision accurately in the real-time cloud infrastructure world so that you're not over-provisioning unnecessarily. Keep in close touch with business leads, such as the marketing director, about upcoming campaigns for projects that may affect traffic volumes so you can plan ahead. Educate IT staff on best practices, such as shutting down instances when they are no longer being used to avoid unnecessary costs.
AWS, like other cloud services, has weak points and risks, and that is the trade-off of attaining quick access to flexible, low-cost infrastructure. With a team in place to monitor and manage AWS across the key areas of reliability, uptime, service levels, security, disaster recovery and costs, your company can have a positive experience in the public cloud. Gary Read is president and CEO at Boundary.  
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Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.  | | Amazon cloud keeps growing but so do options; the week in cloud Posted: 27 Oct 2013 09:00 AM PDT The big cloud news this week was that Amazon Web Services had another banner quarter — at least from what can be discerned from Amazon’s earnings report. For the third quarter, AWS accounted for $850 million of the $960 million in the overall category in which AWS resides according to Technology Business Research estimates. And since Amazon isn’t saying we’re all free to speculate. Also interesting is the growing acceptance (at least outside Amazon) that AWS is not necessarily the most price-effective IaaS solution for every situation, as we’ve reported and analyst Ben Kepes spells out here. Kepes referenced a new IaaS benchmark from Cloud Spectator which monitors more than 20 of the biggest IaaS providers comparing “VM performance (i.e., CPU, RAM, disk, internal network, and workloads) and pricing.” According to Kepes Cloud Spectator tried to create a common apples-to-apples framework to gauge vendor performance against each other. And, he wrote: “… the results are pretty interesting – such well known cloud vendors as Softlayer, Terremark, Rackspace and AWS feature near the bottom of the list. While big names, but less respected vendors such as Virtustream, HP and Microsoft come out on top.”
Vendors from Internap to Virtustream were quick to pounce on the benchmarks to tout their own relative strengths. Check out the price-performance chart below. 
But, the broader question is whether that matters given Amazon’s head start and the pace at which it adds services and drops prices. It’s also becoming clear that while Amazon likes to be seen as the most cost-effective {read cheapest) option, customers realize price isn’t everything. That’s why the CIA chose AWS over IBM to build its cloud even though IBM’s projected price was $54 million less than Amazon’s. So it will be interesting to see how the IBMs, the HPs, the VMwares(s vmw( of the world will react once AWS starts stressing value over price. After all, that’s the spiel the legacy IT vendors like to give. Structure Show Check out this week’s podcast: That time the CIA dropped by Backblaze and how AWS isn't always the cheapest option. Other cloud news from around the interwebz: From Gigaom: Jason Hoffman has landed — At Ericsson From: ZDnet: OwnCloud Docutments to bring Open Document Format editing to private cloud From CIteWorld: Salesforce.com to shut down Do.com task management service From Gigaom: Cooladata raises $7.4 million for Google cloud-based analytic platform  
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Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.  | | Battle of the sub-$300 laptops: HP Chromebook 11 vs. Acer Chromebook C720 Posted: 27 Oct 2013 08:00 AM PDT Looking to grab a new Google Chromebook without breaking the bank? Two recently released models are definite contenders for your money: The $249 Acer Chromebook C720 and the $279 HP Chromebook 11. Both are new but one actually uses a chip from last year. 
If you guessed the lower-priced one, you’d be wrong though: It’s the HP model that keeps the 2012 ARM-based chip inside. That makes the less expensive Acer C720 with its next-generation Intel Celeron chip the easy choice, right? Not so fast. I’ve been using both models for the past two weeks and if I had to buy one of these two, my choice might surprise. Specs are highly even Here’s a quick look at the base specifications for each device. You can see that they’re pretty evenly matched on most. 
The Acer uses Intel’s latest chip built on the Haswell architecture, providing both solid performance and battery life. HP — or perhaps Google since it collaborated on the design — opted for last year’s Samsung chip typically found in smartphones and tablets. Acer gets the nod here for the better silicon inside. HP surely wins out on the display, however: It’s far better than the Acer panel with vibrant colors, better viewing angles and, even though the resolution is the same, sharper text and images. Neither rivals the 2560 x 1700 resolution display on my Chromebook Pixel, but the HP is much closer to it than the Acer. Acer fights back and wins in the battery life department, however. I’m generally getting 8 hours of usage on a single charge with the Acer C720. For the same type of use, I get close to the claimed 6 hours of run-time on the HP Chromebook 11; typically a bit more than 5.5 hours and once over 6 hours. The performance difference is clear There’s no doubt that using Intel’s newest Celeron was a smart move by Acer. In benchmark tests, the device tests at roughly twice as fast as the HP model. And real-world performance reflects those scores: Everything happens quicker on the Acer unit. In the SunSpider 1.0.1 test for JavaScript, where a lower score is better, the Acer scores 347.6 milliseconds while the HP scores 676.8 milliseconds. Using Google’s own Octane benchmark test, where a higher score is better, the Acer earns 10,730 compared to the 5,300 mark on the HP. For reference, my Chromebook Pixel with third-generation Core i5 processor scores 256 milliseconds in SunSpider and 17,212 in Octane.  Benchmarks aside, you’ll see the performance benefit of the Acer if you were to duplicate your tasks on the HP. This shouldn’t surprise since the HP uses the same chipset in last year’s $249 Samsung Chromebook, which is a disappointment and missed opportunity.
The extra memory in the Acer will also allow for more open and active tabs than the HP. I didn’t notice any performance hit on the C720 until I had opened a good 20 tabs; not a standard practice for me but done for testing purposes. In contrast, the HP will bog down around 10 tabs as the lesser amount of memory gets gobbled up. Ah, but what about other aspects and intangibles? At this point, you’re likely saying, “Wow, the Acer is $30 cheaper and a better performer so it’s definitely the winner, right?” I’m not so sure due to some other aspects and the overall experience after using both devices for several days. Although I value performance, I’d personally choose the HP Chromebook 11 for a few reasons. The build quality and design of the device is much better. As I said recently on our Chrome Show podcast, the Acer fells like a cheap notebook or a re-purposed netbook. It looks and feels very plasticky, the trackpad is very noisy when you click it and the keyboard is average at best. Surely, personal preference comes into play here but the HP design is much nicer, looking like an older white Apple MacBook with fit and finish to match. The trackpad is much better and after days of typing, I actually like the HP keyboard better than that of the Chromebook Pixel. It’s that good. 
I’ve already mentioned the superior screen on the HP so I won’t rehash that, but when I think about devices, there are two main aspects I’d consider: Input and output. Input is the keyboard and trackpad while output is the display. Both are better on the HP and those are what you’ll be using all day to create and consume data. Yes, you’ll do so slower due to the Samsung chipset in the HP, so if performance is what you’re after, the Acer will win out. One other interesting observation: The HP charges with any micro USB cord so you can effectively re-charge it with the same charger you have for your phone. Or you could carry the small charger HP includes with the Chromebook 11, which charges the laptop over micro USB in less than 3 hours and can recharge a phone at the same time through one of the USB ports. I mention this because it makes the HP a little easier to tote around. The Acer has a much larger proprietary charger. Heck, even the Pixel has one of those; maybe that’s why I enjoyed carrying the HP in San Francisco last week. Ultimately, there is good and bad with both of these low-cost Chromebooks. And there are likely more new models right around the corner. If you’re in the market, I’d recommend getting some hands-on time with any and all of them because there’s something to be said for a device outside of its hardware specs on paper.  
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Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.  | | As Apple pushes free apps and iCloud, should Google be worried? Posted: 27 Oct 2013 07:00 AM PDT Among the many topics on our weekly Chrome Show podcast, we took the deepest dive on Apple’s move to make its iWork apps free with the purchase of new hardware. Between that initiative and improvements in iCloud, Apple is starting to make waves in Google’s ocean. Google Docs has become a useful productivity suite over time and will likely get better as Google continues to integrate Quickoffice into the suite; it’s already a part of the Chrome OS, in fact. Should Google be worried and try to fend off Apple in this regard or does the company have no reason to fear Apple’s latest moves? We chat about that and more on the show, which you can download here or listen in directly below. As a Chromebook owner, I can actually get the best of both worlds: iCloud runs just fine in the Chrome browser!  
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Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.  | | Last week on Research: hardware and design Posted: 27 Oct 2013 06:00 AM PDT It's been a big week at Gigaom, as we launched our refreshed logo and site design, and we're in the final stages of preparing for Roadmap, our final conference of the year, which takes place in San Francisco on November 5-6. We still have a few tickets left, and plenty of great background reading to get you up to speed, including this recent post, where five our our favorite designers pick five of their favorite product designs. Speaking of design, over on Gigaom Research, our analysts are delving into design themselves, taking a look at the convergence of engineering and product design, and how it's bound to impact the hardware industry in the near future. Note: Gigaom Research is a subscription-based research service offering in-depth, timely analysis of developing trends and technologies. Visit research.gigaom.com to learn more about it. Cloud: Cloud and data third-quarter 2013: analysis and outlook
David Linthicum and Jo Maitland Analysts David Linthicum and Jo Maitland take a look back at the big executive shakeups, news items, and technology and trends that emerged in the cloud and big data market over the past three months. While growth in this market sector slowed down over the summer, there's still plenty to review, including continued repercussions from the NSA surveillance scandal, the rise of multicloud, and a renewed focus on Microsoft's future, in the wake of Steve Ballmer's announcement that he plans to vacate his position as CEO. Linthicum and Maitland summarize other important news from the market sector to create a series of key takeaways from the quarter, and what to expect for the rest of 2013. Connected Consumer: Connected consumer third-quarter 2013: analysis and outlook
Paul Sweeting In his latest quarterly wrap-up, analyst Paul Sweeting looks at how the past quarter may impact the digital living room, especially as digital and print media continue to battle with broadcasters, publishers, networks, and investors. The market is an especially turbulent one: conflicts between CBS and Time Warner about retransmission consent and legal battles between networks and services such as Aereo and Cablevision were just a few of the issues to come to a head over the past three months. And, of course, Jeff Bezos' purchase of the Washington Post and Twitter's planned IPO also stand to inject the media landscape with new funding and new challenges. Mobile: The rebirth of hardware demands new definition of design
Haydn Shaughnessy "The nature of hardware is changing," notes analyst Haydn Shaughnessy at the beginning of his latest report. "Products are becoming devices — new-generation products that combine the four elements of hardware, software, service, and connection." Shaughnessy contends that design is at a critical turning point, as engineering and product design converge. Design must now incorporate four key elements of device design and functionality: hardware, service, software, and connection. He goes on to look at major trends and emerging technologies that today's designers must now take into consideration, such as the open hardware/open engineering movement, the rise of wearables, and the need for system-wide design skills.  
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Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial.  | | Jason Hoffman has landed: At Ericsson Posted: 26 Oct 2013 03:52 PM PDT When Jason Hoffman, the CTO of Joyent, stepped down from that company in September, we wondered what he’d be up to. Now we know: He’s joining Ericsson as VP of corporate strategy and portfolio management for the Swedish telecom giant. The new gig starts next week, Hoffman confirmed via email. Ericsson, with roughly $34 billion a year in revenue, is headquartered in Stockholm with U.S. operations in San Jose, Calif. and Plano, Texas. The company is a major player in telecom gear and mobile phone networks and is parlaying that expertise in fast-growth areas including the internet of things and cloud computing. All of that work will require big, efficient infrastructure, something Hoffman, a frequent speaker at Gigaom’s Structure conferences, knows a little something about. Hoffman, who had been working as a cancer pathologist, co-founded Joyent ten years ago in large part to build infrastructure to speed up that research. Now it looks like he’ll be building out still more massive infrastructure.  
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Listening is hard
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 03:10 PM PDT
| Listening is hard Posted: 27 Oct 2013 08:51 AM PDT This happens every so often, you're out with someone, and you can't get a word in. The other person never pauses in their story. Every little detail of their life is sacred. Every idea they have. When you insert something about yourself, it's just a cue for them to explain something else to you, about them.  After a while your mind drifts, you start looking away as the person is talking wondering if they'll get the hint. It's nice to have a smart phone you can take out and start browsing, while they're talking. Maybe they'll wonder why you aren't listening? You have to wonder what is going through this person's mind. And when they leave, and they tell another friend they saw you, when asked how you're doing what will they say? They didn't get any information. I tend to do a lot of talking myself, I'm aware of it, so I try to reign it in. Tell my mind to listen and not talk. That's hard for some reason, but it's important. Otherwise why bother spending time with others? I can hear myself talk any time. This is a different person across the table. Someone I don't see every day. What's their experience? What can I learn from them? I want to know. And if I can't get my mind to quiet down, none of that happens. Tips/ideas - A conversation is like a tennis game. Hit the ball over the net, pause, the other person hits it back. Hopefully with a little spin, an edge, sharpness, a bit of humor or wisdom. Every so often something completely new. Hit it, they hit it, back and forth.
- As a general rule if there are two people each person should do 50 percent of the talking. It's okay if it's as much as 80-20, or even 90-10. But if it's 100-0, something isn't right. If you're the 100, just stop. Maybe something interesting will fill the silence.
- Or ask questions. Imagine you're interviewing them. What just happened in their life? Find out what it's like to be them, but don't ask the question that way. Ask for a story. How do you like your apartment? Did you have fun on your trip to Boston? What will you do with all that money? How are your parents, kids, etc.
- If you're the 0 and the other person is 100, it's possible they think it's the other way around. I've had that happen, where a conversation was so dominated by one person, but they think the exact opposite is happening. People are weird, but remember, you're a person too. ;-)
- If you really are the 0, there's a possible silver lining. It's possible that instead of the other person not caring about you (which is how it feels) they care about you too much. I had this happen once on a date. I was really pissed, but was also in therapy so I told the story at my next session. My therapist suggested that maybe my date was just trying to impress me. So the next time I asked her and she said yes. I said I was already impressed. Then things evened out nicely. ;-)
- It was a big surprise that a woman could want to impress me. I thought I was a zero. That's it's my job to do the impressing. What a revelation!
- Another thing I learned, again from therapy, is that people whose life is in crisis, because of death or disease, or a job loss, or a marriage failing, something like that, have a hard time seeing anything from anyone else's perspective. They may even be conscious of it. So if this is a friend, you pretty much have to cut them the slack they need, and be a good listener, even if it hurts. You're helping them through a tough time.
Bette Midler in Beaches - A great line from the movie Beaches.
- "But enough about me, let's talk about you. What do you think of me?"
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A year ago on Unclutterer
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 01:41 PM PDT
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Cheney Stumps for Daughter Liz by Trashing Mike Enzi on This Week
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 01:33 PM PDT
| Cheney Stumps for Daughter Liz by Trashing Mike Enzi on This Week Posted: 27 Oct 2013 01:00 PM PDT  Click here to view this media (h/t Heather the Invincible)  Q: How do you know when Dick Cheney is lying in his own naked self-interest? A: He opens his mouth.
Dick Cheney uses this national platform on a Sunday morning not to tout his newest book on the miraculous heart transplant that has kept this vampire alive far longer than Nature intended, but to stump for his daughter Liz Cheney's flailing Senate run. That meant going after current office-holder, Mike Enzi, instead of those elusive memoir purchasers. It's a testimony to how weak a candidate Liz is that Daddy's best arguments are that Enzi really isn't his "fishing buddy" (although it was a description given by Jonathan Martin in the NY Times, not Enzi directly) and that he takes money mostly from Washington rather than one of the least populous states in the union. CHENEY: Well, Mike also said he and I are fishing buddies, which is simply not true. Never happened. The fact of the matter is, Washington is not going to elect the next senator from Wyoming. The people of Wyoming will elect that senator. Mike has a record, if you go back and review his finances, of getting about 84 percent of his campaign funds Washington-based PACs. That's more than any senator of either party. He doesn't get much money from Wyoming. In the quarter just reported, Liz got 25 percent of her funds from Wyoming; he got 13 percent of his from Wyoming. She outraised him in the last quarter, over a million dollars in the first quarter out there. So I think it's a great campaign. She's going full speed. She's going to win and Washington isn't going to decide who's the next senator from Wyoming; Wyoming is.
Of course, the devil is in the details, and Cheney's details are certainly devilish. Looking at Open Secrets, Enzi does not come close to raising the most money out there and his PAC contributions are about 74% of his total donations. Cheney did outraise Enzi in the last quarter, but surprise, surprise! her contributions are largely coming from Washington and New York, not Wyoming. Cheney's campaign does not appear to be impressing Wyomingans, with her blatant pandering. So let's chalk up Darth Daddy's stump assertions to be in the same category as the "last throes" claims. | | Rep. John Fleming Wants Kathleen Sebelius Fired Because He's a Tax Payer, Dammit! Posted: 27 Oct 2013 12:00 PM PDT  Click here to view this media Republicans are making the bad ACA website roll out their newest mission in life since they looked like fools during the government shutdown fiasco and are looking for some scalps to take home to their base. And Kathleen Sebelius' head is first in line. One of the most idiotic reasons for calling her to be fired came from Rep. John Fleming (R-MD), who was on CNN's State Of The Union this morning. Kathleen Sebelius said that those calling for her head are the same ones who have been trying to destroy Obamacare from the outset so they should be ignored. Well, Fleming came up with a cringe-worthy reason as to why she needs to listen to him and vacate her office immediately. Crowley: The secretary made a case that many of her critics--and there are some democratic ones who are a lot quieter--have never wanted Obamacare to take effect anyway and it sort of discounts your criticism. One criticism of the Republican Party, because how seriously do you take that kind of criticism when we know you don't want it to go into effect? Fleming: Candy, Americans--both Democrat and Republicans--demand accountability and Secretary Sebelius is obviously not taking accountability for this. She says the people who want her to resign she doesn't work for. I hate to tell you but, I'm a tax payer, she works for me, she's a public servant. I'm a public servant and I work for the American people.
Using his own logic to sort this out then isn't Sebelius an American citizen and a tax payer too? Doesn't he work for her as well? Will he quit his office if she demands that he does? He goes on to recite a litany of the same dribble that Republicans have been spewing to try to end Obamacare and it's not persuasive or believable. The big question everyone is asking is, does he now belong to the King/Gohmert/Bachmann caucus from now on? | | U.N. Calls For Release of Report on Bush-Era Torture Posted: 27 Oct 2013 11:00 AM PDT Via Democracy Now! Ben Emmerson, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights and counterterrorism, has called on Britain and the United States to release confidential reports into the countries' involvement in kidnapping and torture of terrorism suspects during the era of the George W. Bush administration — after years of denial. "A crucial part of the duty of accountability under international law is the so-called right to truth," Emmerson says. "That's a right that is not just belonging to the victims, but to society at large." Transcript below the fold... This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: Ben Emmerson, finally, you've called on Britain and the U.S. to release confidential reports into the countries' involvement in the kidnapping and torture of terrorism suspects, accusing them of years of official denials. Can you expand on that? BEN EMMERSON: Yes, I presented in my last report to the Human Rights Council a series of principles on accountability for what are described in international law as gross or systemic human rights violations. And I think that there's no doubt that the conspiracy that involved the commission of acts of secret detention, torture and rendition under the Bush administration constitute gross and systematic human rights violations. And international law is clear on this. There is no superior orders defense. There is no principle that would justify—just as at the Nuremberg trials there was no principle that would allow someone to say, "Well, this is what was ordered by my officials." There must be—international law requires that there be—a system for achieving accountability. And we know that the Feinstein Senate committee report into the activities of the CIA is said to be a very thorough and comprehensive analysis and to identify who made the decisions, who committed the acts alleged, and where and how and why. And a crucial part of the duty of accountability under international law is the so-called right to truth. And that's a right that's not just belonging to the victims, but to society at large. And, therefore, I mean, the time has come, unequivocally, for the release of the Feinstein report. I mean, if there have to be particular redactions in order to protect the identity of operatives from reprisals, so be it. But the key findings of the Feinstein report and of a parallel report commissioned and prepared and provided to the British prime minister in relation to the United Kingdom's involvement in these activities must now be made public. And we will not stop calling for the publication of this material until at least a sufficient amount of it has been put into the public domain. AMY GOODMAN: Ben Emmerson, I want to thank you for being with us, U.N. special rapporteur on human rights and counterterrorism, has issued an interim report on his investigation into U.S. drone strikes and targeted killings. His findings, along with a report by the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, will be debated today at the U.N. General Assembly. This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. | | Ted Cruz Defends Dick Cheney For Shooting Friend In Face Posted: 27 Oct 2013 10:00 AM PDT
Rep. Steve King is one of the more outspoken tea party politicians and one of the more outrageous too. All you need to see is the video of his trip to Egypt with tea partiers Louie Gohmert and Michelle Bachmann. My name is Michelle Bachmann. I'm a member of the United States Congress from the United States.
It went even further downhill from there. Now if you were going hunting, would you let Rep. Steve King be your guide? Republicans have become accustomed to defending former Vice President Dick Cheney's political record, but Texas firebrand Sen. Ted Cruz is now defending his reputation as a hunter. Cruz joined Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, for a pheasant hunt in western Iowa on Saturday, and the two discussed the now infamous 2006 incident when Cheney accidentally shot a friend while quail hunting in Texas. "Look, it happens," said Cruz. King said the incident "doesn't bother me a bit. The way I understood it, he was standing in the wrong place." Cheney wounded campaign contributor Harry Whittington, who Cruz said was a friend. The Tea Party Republican said Whittington still has pellets in his shoulder that set off airport metal detectors. Cruz and King spent hours Saturday trudging through brush in western Iowa with a group of hunters in the hopes of bagging a few pheasants. King has hosted past Republican presidential hopefuls. Rick Santorum and Rick Perry for similar hunting outings in the first-in-the-nation voting state. King also jokingly acknowledged Cruz's status as a political target since the prominent role the senator played in orchestrating the 16-day government shutdown. At a speech in front of Iowa Republicans on Friday, Cruz made the case that the battle against President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act helped to shed light on the problems with the legislation and will aid the GOP in the 2014 midterm elections. "There are a lot of people who would like to shoot me and you, I've noticed," King said to Cruz before they took off."That would be a fundraiser to end them all, wouldn't it?"
Hey, shooting people in the face happens all the time when you go hunting, doesn't it? Ted Tea Cruz sure loves the limelight. Steve King thinks it's Whittington's fault for standing in front of Cheney's rifle, but doesn't any shooter have a responsibility of not shooting someone in the face when they are in the line of fire? But the real question is would Ted Cruz go hunting with Dick Cheney? This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now | | CGI Federal Won't Accept Blame In A Failed Product Posted: 27 Oct 2013 09:00 AM PDT  Click here to view this media
So who is to blame for the problems with healthcare.gov? Well if you listened to the primary contractor this week at a Capital Hill hearing, apparently all the blame lays on the Obama administration: Executives from CGI Federal and QSSI, the site's main contractors, are among four companies testifying before the House Energy and Commerce Committee Thursday on the glitches. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) "serves the important role of systems integrator or `quarterback' on this project and is the ultimate responsible party for the end-to-end performance," CGI's Senior Vice President Cheryl Campbell said in prepared testimony, according to The Associated Press. "No amount of testing within reasonable time limits can adequately replicate a live environment of this nature," she added.
I happen to agree with that. It is hard to stress test a website and predict exactly what kind of traffic it might get, especially something as highly anticipated as healthcare.gov. But is the government to blame there? Having owned my own web development company for over ten years now, any contract I enter into has a clause to address changes and that it may affect not only price, but also due date. So why didn't CGI Federal include such a clause? Perhaps they were just too quick to jump on the money that came with building the site. What I haven't heard is if the lead people from the different contractors informed the government that the changes they wanted would mean less chance for testing, meaning a greater chance of problems, or did they just say "sure, we can do it" and moved on. And let's not forget, we aren't talking about people new to the government contract game. CGI Federal is basically built on government contracts, so they know very well what is involved. Where they can't blame the government is for the actual code they produced, such as the Javascript code, which runs in a visitors browser when they visit various parts of the page. For example, the registration page downloads over 2mb of Javascript files to the user's browser. Some of it is open source libraries and some proprietary code, written specifically for the website. As a developer, I can tell you that proprietary code is absolutely painful to look at. And there's another place where the government can take a blunt of the blame, and it's something I doubt Congress will address - a highly broken procurement system, that exists not only in this administration, but also the previous one: CGI was one of 16 companies that had been qualified by HHS during President George W. Bush's second term to deliver, without public competition, a variety of hardware, software and communication products and services.
Now this is a serious problem and one that should cause bi-partisan outrage. Sadly though our elected officials don't seem to worry about it that much. Instead we let these no-bid contracts go on, as they have for years, and that leads to problems like we see today. So if Congress is really wanting to find out what happened with the roll-out and prevent something similar from happening in the future, then they need to ask why government contractors aren't putting their foot down when unrealistic changes are being requested and why we keep awarding no-bid contracts. Get answers to those, then we might be on the way to fixing a problem that has plagued our government for years. Without pushing those questions, then these hearings are nothing more than heckling, as Politico puts it. | | Mitt Romney's New Mansion Complete With Hidden Room Behind Bookcase Posted: 27 Oct 2013 08:00 AM PDT Maybe he's going to hide his tax returns in there? "The front door of Mitt Romney's soon to be constructed Hollady house opens to a massive living room, and to your left, around the fireplace, lies a study. If you look closely at the bookshelves there, you find something interesting: a secret door. The second bookshelf from the far wall is really a door that swivels out to reveal a hidden room... The architectural drawings say it's for "office storage." It measures 11 feet long and is lined with cabinets. The "hidden door," as it's labeled on the documents, is masked as a bookshelf and swings into the study." [Salt Lake Tribune] | | Bill Maher Takes Minimum Wage Employers to Task in 'New Rules' Segement Posted: 27 Oct 2013 07:00 AM PDT  Click here to view this media Good for Bill Maher, who during his "New Rules" segment this Friday, took the likes of Walmart and McDonalds to task for being too cheap to pay their workers a living wage, and dumping the cost of them doing business onto the taxpayers. MAHER: Now, when it comes to raising the minimum wage, conservatives always say it's a non-starter because it cuts into profits. Well, yeah. Of course. Paying workers is one of those unfortunate expenses of running a business... you know, like taxes, or making a product. If you want to get rich with a tax-free enterprise that sells nothing, start a church. You might think that paying people enough to live is so self-evident that even crazy people could understand it, but you would be wrong. Michele Bachmann is not only against raising the minimum wage, she's against having one at all. She once said "if we took away the minimum wage... we could virtually wipe out unemployment because we would be able to offer jobs at whatever level." Put that in your brain and smoke it. You could hire everyone if you didn't have to pay them. And naturally, Ted Cruz agrees.Ted Cruz thinks it's a good thing that when his Cuban father came to America he was paid $.50 an hour to work as a dishwasher, before becoming Charo. When did the American dream become this pathway to indentured servitude? This economic death spiral where workers get paid next to nothing, so they can only afford to buy next to nothing, so businesses are forced to sell cheaper and cheaper shit? Walmart employees can only afford to shop at Walmart. McDonalds workers can only afford to eat at McDonalds. And Hooters waitresses have to wear shirts they grew out of years ago. Even if you're not moved by the "don't be such a heartless prick" argument, consider the fact that most fast food workers, whose average age by the way now is 29, we're not talking about kids, are on some form of public assistance. Which is not surprising. When even working people can't make enough to live, they take money from the government in the form of food stamps, school lunches, housing assistance, day care. This is the welfare that conservatives hate. But they never stop to think, if we raised the minimum wage and forced McDonalds and Walmart to pay their employees enough to eat, we the taxpayers wouldn't have to pick up the slack. This is the question the right has to answer. Do you want smaller government with less handouts, or do you want a low minimum wage? Because you cannot have both. If Col. Sanders isn't going to pay the lady behind the counter enough to live on, then Uncle Sam has to, and I for one am getting a little tired of helping highly profitable companies pay their workers.
Amen to that brother. | | Mike's Blog Round Up Posted: 27 Oct 2013 06:00 AM PDT Mahablog: The Grand Old Party has devolved into Grifters on Parade. Connecting the Dots: A contemplation of the impact of Obama Disrespect Disorder. Joe.My.God.: Cindy McCain petitions her husband to end his opposition to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). PoliticsUSA: Here's something that's not the matter with Kansas. GOP Governor Sam Brownback is trailing his Democratic challenger. Speaking of which, your quote of the day: "My focus is to create a red-state model that allows the Republican ticket to say, 'See, we've got a different way, and it works.'" (Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, February 2013.) Guest blogging Mike's Blog Round Up for the last time this week is Jon Perr from Perrspectives. Send your tips, recommendations, comments and angst to mbru AT crooksandliars DOT com. | | Sunday Morning Bobblehead Thread Posted: 27 Oct 2013 05:00 AM PDT History of the Haunted Mansion Since it's Halloween week, I figured it's a good time to bring up one of my favorite attractions at Disneyland: the Haunted Mansion. The story of how the Haunted Mansion came to be is also an apt analogy to the discussion on Obamacare. The attraction was always part of the concept of a "Disneyland", even when the park was simply a pie-in-the-sky folly in the mind of Walt Disney. However, it took eighteen long years, years of fits and starts, of tossing aside plans and starting anew, of bickering teams and lack of clear leadership after Walt's death before it finally opened. The imagineers had even given themselves a deadline by declaring an opening date before plans had been finalized, which they promptly then blew right past. Like Disneyland itself, it was derided as unworkable and a money pit driving Disney into bankruptcy. But the attraction survived the tribulations and opened to the public in August 1969. Within a week of its opening, the park set a to-date attendance record. Now more than 40 years later, the Haunted Mansion is still one of the reliable favorites at the park and is the inspiration for an upcoming Guillermo del Toro film (the less said about the Eddie Murphy version, the better). But the point is, the idea had been kicked around for a very long time. It took various iterations and forms as they worked between finessing concepts and doing something that was workable with the demands of everyone involved, including the public. It came online ridiculously late and over-budget. The final project looked nothing like what had been promised initially, and tweaks have occurred pretty much continually since its opening date, but overall, people still like the attraction. Sound like pretty much every government social program? I thought so. ABC's "This Week" — Dick Cheney; Sens. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. Roundtable: Democratic strategist and ABC News contributor Donna Brazile, co-host of CNN's Crossfire S.E. Cupp, former Vermont governor and founder of Democracy for America Howard Dean, and Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol. Anchor Jorge Ramos. Joshua Debois, author of "The President's Devotional". NBC's "Meet the Press" — Govs. John Kasich, R-Ohio, and Steve Beshear, D-Ky.; Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y.; Patrick J. Geraghty, chairman and CEO, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida. Panel: 2012 Republican Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum; former Michigan Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm; President of the Center for American Progress Neera Tanden; and Republican strategist Alex Castellanos. CBS' "Face the Nation" — Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H.; Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. Phil Shenon, former investigative reporter for the New York Times and author of "A Cruel and Shocking Act: The Secret History of the Kennedy assassination." MSNBC's "UP with Steve Kornacki" - Mara Schiavocampo, NBC News correspondent; Bob Franken, political reporter; Robert George, New York Post; Reid Wilson, The Washington Post; Kate Nocera, BuzzFeed.com; Evan Thomas, former Newsweek editor-at-large, Princeton University professor, author of "Ike's Bluff: President Eisenhower's Secret Battle to Save the World. MSNBC's "Melissa Harris-Perry" - Chris Matthews, Host of MSNBC's Hardball; Carol Marin, Political Columnist at the Chicago Sun-Times and Political Editor at NBC5 News in Chicago; Bob Herbert, Distinguished Senior Fellow at DEMOS; Barton Gellman, Senior Fellow at the Century Foundation; Clifford Chanin, VP for Education and Public Programs at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum / Author of "The Stories They Tell"; Kiron Skinner, Director of Carnegie Mellon University's Center for International Relations / Politics and Research Fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution; Noah Shachtman, Executive Editor for News at Foreign Policy Magazine. MSNBC's "Disrupt with Karen Finney" - Amanda Terkel, Huffington Post; Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL); Ryan Grim, Huffington Post; Joshua DuBois, Former Spiritual advisor to President Obama; Igor Volsky, ThinkProgress; Karry Sabato, Author, The Kennedy Half Century. CNN's "State of the Union" — Reps. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a Health Policy Adviser to the Obama Administration from 2009-2011 and Congressman John Fleming, a Republican and one-time Louisiana Family Doctor of the Year. Political Commentators: Ross Douthat and Cornell Belcher will join A.B. Stoddard from The Hill. CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" - Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haas, Wall Street Journal columnist Bret Stephens, journalist Karen Elliott House and former Pakistani ambassador to the U.S. Husain Haqqani. Author Malcolm Gladwell. CNN's "Reliable Sources" - Guest host: John Avlon. Rosie Gray of Buzzfeed, Mediaite's Joe Concha and Jamelle Bouie of The Daily Beast. CNN's Jake Tapper, NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik, New York author and columnist Jimmy Breslin. "Fox News Sunday" — Gov. Bobby Jindal, R-La.; Reps. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Xavier Becerra, D-Calif. Brit Hume, Fox News Senior Political Analyst; Peter Baker, White House Correspondent, New York Times; George Will, Syndicated Columnist; Juan Williams, Fox News Political Analyst
So what's catching your eye this morning? | | Open Thread: C&L's Saturday Night Podcast Round Up Posted: 26 Oct 2013 08:30 PM PDT | You are subscribed to email updates from Crooks and Liars
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CNN Blackfish documentary movie sparks debate online
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 01:32 PM PDT
| CNN Blackfish documentary movie sparks debate online Posted: 27 Oct 2013 11:37 AM PDT CNN aired the TV debut of Blackfish on Thursday October 24 at 9 p.m. ET and got its ratings wins; CNN hosted the TV movie premier of Blackfish. This has caused a huge amount of comments on Twitter, Facebook and CNN with the majority saying they will never go to a SeaWorld show ever again. [...] | You are subscribed to email updates from Online Social Media
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Halloween Webcast: Vanishing Customers? Usability Analysis Can Help
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 01:30 PM PDT
| Halloween Webcast: Vanishing Customers? Usability Analysis Can Help Posted: 27 Oct 2013 12:00 PM PDT Trick or Treat! On Thursday, October 31, at 1 PM EDT, Digital Marketing Depot will host a webcast featuring Elisabeth Osmeloski, Search Engine Land’s Director of Audience Development; Ginny Marvin of Marketing Land, and John Dawes of TeaLeaf Technology, Inc. The topic? How to figure out why... Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.  |
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[2b2k] Globalization of local expertise
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 01:04 PM PDT
| [2b2k] Globalization of local expertise Posted: 27 Oct 2013 04:46 AM PDT In August, I blogged about a mangled quotation supposedly from Mark Twain posted on an interstitial page at Forbes.com. When I tweeted about the post, it was (thanks to John Overholt [twitter:JohnOverholt]) noticed by Quote Investigator [twitter:QuoteResearch] , who over the course of a few hours tweeted the results of his investigation. Yes, it was mangled. No, it was not Twain. It was probably Christian Bovee. Quote Investigator, who goes by the pen name Garson O’Toole, has now posted on his site at greater length about this investigation. It’s been clear from the beginning of the Web that it gives us access to experts on topics we never even thought of. As the Web has become more social, and as conversations have become scaled up, these crazy-smart experts are no longer nestling at home. They’re showing up like genies summoned by the incantation of particular words. We see this at Twitter, Reddit, and other sites with large populations and open-circle conversations. This is a great thing, especially if the conversational space is engineered to give prominence to the contributions of drive-by experts. We want to take advantage of the fact that iIf enough people are in a conversation, one of them will be an expert. | You are subscribed to email updates from Joho the Blog
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7 Thoughts About Finding Your Passion In Life
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 01:03 PM PDT
| 7 Thoughts About Finding Your Passion In Life Posted: 26 Oct 2013 11:20 PM PDT 1. "Passion" is a very broad word. Each of us chooses to define as we will. It may vary from "work that gets me excited" to "this is why I believe I was placed on this earth." When we are talking with someone about this subject, each of us may think we know what the other means. But often we are wrong. If we use it, we need to define what we mean by it. 2. "My passion" is related to, and dependent upon, self-knowledge. Show teenagers, for example, a list of possible careers, and ask them which ones they feel any passion for, and they are liable to answer "None." Come to that same person ten or fifteen years later, and they have gained in knowledge of the world of work. More importantly they have gained in knowledge of themselves. Now they know, from experience, exactly what they like or don't like. We, who are trying to help, may speed up that process by asking them to do a self-inventory. At any age. Typically, they will want a template for doing such an inventory. 3. "Passion" has seven parts to it. The most helpful self-inventories always turn out to be those that correspond to the parts of a job. That is to say, every job has seven parts to it: it requires certain skills (do), certain knowledge (know), certain goals (reach), certain people environments (surround), certain working conditions (enable), certain locations (find), and a certain level of responsibility (chart). Thus, a helpful self-inventory covers all these parts: what do you most love to do, what do you most love knowing, what are you most trying to reach, who are you most trying to surround yourself with, what most enables you to do your best work, where do you find such places, and what project, plan, or challenge, do you most want to help chart? One example of a seven-part inventory is chapter five in the current edition (2013) of What Color Is Your Parachute? However, there are shorter inventories (on O*NET, for example) that omit some of these seven parts of one's passion. 4. "Passion" is found in an overlap of your present work (with only some of the seven parts). For example, if I find a place where I am surrounded with the kinds of people I most love to work with, using the knowledge I most love to use, and tackling the challenge or problem I would most love to solve, I may feel I have found my passion in life. But if, as time goes on, there’s more of an overlap of my work with all seven parts of me, I will more and more feel I have found my passion in life. 5. Taking time to define your passion in all seven of its parts increases your awareness of the missing parts when you do stumble over them. Doing a self-inventory of these seven parts increases what you’re listening for, even if your current job is only a partial overlap. 6. "Passion" is energy. The more you find your true passion in life, the more energy you will feel when you’re at work. Thus, as we grow older, and our physical energy begins to diminish, it becomes all the more important to replace it with the energy that comes from having found our passion. 7. Finding your "Passion" in life is only a means to an end; the end should be com-passion. Defining your passion in life is not a sufficient goal for any life. That can be very selfish and inwardly-directed. This makes me excited; this makes me happy. So what? Let us suppose you were out of work for two years before you finally found meaningful work. What does that leave you with? A hope you will never go through such a period again? Yes. But is that all? Let us say you have now arrived in some function where you need to hire people. Do you reach out and go the extra mile, now, to help someone who has been out of work for two years? Or do you turn them down, and say, “Sorry, we don't hire people out of work as long as you've been”? You haven’t grown until you have wrung every bit of compassion out of your own experience and used it to feel and show empathy toward someone in a similar predicament. Compassion, to find and feel our ties to all other human beings, should be our real passion in life. Passion; does it teach you compassion? That’s the acid test of any life. Copyright © 2013 by What Color Is Your Parachute
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Photo Credit: Shutterstock The post 7 Thoughts About Finding Your Passion In Life appeared first on CAREEREALISM. | | How To Create An Eye-Catching Resume Posted: 26 Oct 2013 11:00 PM PDT With a dwindling market, the way you job search and present yourself to potential employers is a job, itself. For every job you apply for, there could be any number of other candidates just as qualified or more qualified than you. Providing potential employers with less than a stellar resume will only hurt your chances of getting the job, if the hiring manager even gives your resume a second glance. How To Create An Eye-Catching Resume Here are some tips for creating an eye-catching resume: Layout And Design Interesting resume designs and layouts can help distinguish your resume from all the others. When you choose to change the layout or design of your resume, you must keep in mind that you still need to include all relevant information in an easy-to-read format. Making your resume look interesting can be as easy as adding a personal touch, such as a logo at the top or bottom of the resume. Different fonts can also make your resume stand out more. However, the font must be readable and not distracting. While unique layouts and designs may seem like a good idea, the most important aspect of any resume design is how easy it is for someone to glance over, find the information they need, and move on. Selling Yourself Many resumes go unnoticed simply because of the phrasing and information. When you use boring words, avoid action words and fail to include vital information that is relative to the job, you end up selling yourself short. Potential employers briefly glance over a resume. If nothing stands out to them, your resume might not ever be looked at again. Use buzzwords when you describe your work experience and your educational experience. Using buzzwords helps your resume stand out both electronically, and to a physical person. When you write out your resume, it is vital that you include relevant work experience. Including experience that does not pertain to your potential job ends up being filler. A resume should never simply list jobs you have held. Instead, a resume is a way to show potential employers your abilities. Unlike a job application, resumes give you the chance to go further in-depth regarding your past employment and educational experiences. Providing a resume that gives little to no insight about who you are, makes it generic and boring. Prevent your resume from getting lost among the stacks of others by being honest about your qualifications and only discussing relevant job experience.
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Photo Credit: Shutterstock The post How To Create An Eye-Catching Resume appeared first on CAREEREALISM. | | 3 Essential Office Etiquette Tips Posted: 26 Oct 2013 10:30 PM PDT Quite simply, proper office etiquette refers to an unwritten code employees should follow in order to be successful in the workplace. It's a set of norms widely accepted as appropriate behavior. Office etiquette may include having good manners and being courteous of others, as well as using workplace technology in a suitable manner. Here are a few tips for good office etiquette: 1. Dress Appropriately If the dress code is business casual, make sure you clarify what is and isn't appropriate. Business casual has become the norm for many employers, but many people are still unclear on what this means. For some, it means khakis and polo shirts, casual pants, casual dresses, and so on. Some companies have a business casual policy that excludes jeans or open-toed shoes. Some companies have one dress code when you're working in the office and another when you're meeting with clients. The generally accepted rule is to dress like the client or one step above, but double-check with your supervisor. One of my first managers always told me to "dress for the job you want." This is good advice and has been helpful throughout my career. If you're dressing like your manager or the people in the next hierarchical level of the company, you’re probably appropriate for the workplace. 2. ‘Please’ And ‘Thank You’ Are Still Magic Words When we were children, "please" and "thank you" were referred to as "magic words" that were to be used when we were asking for something and then, in turn, receiving something. Although we’ve all outgrown the reminders from our parents, these words have certainly not lost their enchantment. In fact, these words are so important almost every language has some equivalent with similar meaning. Please and thank you still have a prominent place in the business world and you should use them at every opportunity. By using common courtesies, you demonstrate you respect the people with whom you’re dealing. Even if you don't work in a customer service job, keep an attitude of customer service. Your colleagues and, more importantly, your superiors will begin to realize you’re a go-to person if you're almost always pleasant. 3. Be A Team Player In many workplaces and career fields, there is an expectation you will work with other people on projects during the course of your employment. It's sometimes tough to get along with varying personalities and that’s precisely why clear communication is so important. Part of office etiquette is working well with others and communicating effectively. Take time to listen to other people's points of view. You may not always agree, but it's likely you can learn something new by being open to other perspectives and respectful of other people's opinions. Here are a few additional office etiquette tips to encourage positive working relationships: - Be friendly and encouraging to co-workers.
- Be responsible – if you say you're going to do something, do it. If you're unable to complete a task for some reason, make sure information is communicated to all team members who would be impacted.
- If you share an office, be considerate. Find out how your office mate works and be respectful. For example, some people need to work in complete silence, while others enjoy background music. Make sure you're not inadvertently making your office mate crazy with your personal habits.
- Understand people are unique and dwell on their positive qualities, not their negative qualities. It's acceptable to not be friends with everyone, but try to at least be professional and cordial in your interactions.
- Rise above office gossip. No one wants to earn the reputation of being the office busybody.
- Communicate, communicate, communicate! Your co-workers are not mind readers, so make sure you're communicating with them and your manager on a regular basis.
Proper office etiquette isn't hard to learn, but it's a skill you should constantly practice and improve upon throughout your entire career. Check out my video below for bonus etiquette tips on e-mail!
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Photo Credit: Shutterstock The post 3 Essential Office Etiquette Tips appeared first on CAREEREALISM. | | 4 Ways To Reconnect With Your Career Posted: 26 Oct 2013 10:15 PM PDT Remember all those years ago when you first started down your career path, making steady progress or landing a job you were sure you would want forever? Or maybe you just accepted a job that seemed promising, or that you felt was the best you could do, and one thing led to another – leaving you stuck without even a honeymoon period to look back fondly on? It happens a lot. We wake up and don't want the job that we've got. It pays decently, or more-than-decently, and/or provides some other Holy Grail-type perks, such as flex time or, the Grail of all Grails, good group health insurance. And yet, we keep humming the old Peggy Lee song, "Is That All There Is?" as we toil away at our desks. Honestly, it feels like someone else's job sometimes, even while we’re doing it. But there are ways to reconnect with your career, to find the right path and course-correct, no matter what phase of your career you are in. Here are four exercises that will help you clarify what’s missing, so you know whether what you need is a little tweak or a complete reboot. 1. Take Inventory Really break down what is and isn't working for you in your current position. You feel comfortable in the environment, for instance, but the actual work you are doing is a dull grind. Get specific and create two lists: "Like" and "Don't Like." 2. Retrace Your Steps Go to previous jobs and break down what worked and didn't work for you in each one. Was there a job you had in the past that you loved? What was it that loved? Were you working in a field you were passionate about? Being challenged by big projects on tight deadlines? Again, get specific and break it down into "Liked" and "Didn't Like." Yes, even in a job you loved, there was something about it that you didn't love. Don't gloss over that. The pay was low, the hours were crazy, or the boss was a tyrant? Include it in your breakdown. 3. Go Back To Class Don't despair if you've never had a job you loved, if you feel you got off on the wrong foot right out of school. Think back to your student days. What classes did you love? Was the Advanced Marketing class your favorite? Why? Was it the group projects, the psychology behind getting people to buy, the amazing mentorship by the professor? These are clues to help you discover what you are currently missing, and what could be the key to career satisfaction. 4. Indulge In Envy You know when you get together with your friends and one friend is always talking about her job? It sounds like she is complaining, but you know she is really bragging because it's an AWESOME job that you would KILL for. You wish you had a job like hers. Again, start making a list. What is it about your friend's job that you envy? What would you not want from her job? You love the idea of giving presentations to rooms full of people, but not of flying to Timbuktu to do it. Once you've broken down that friend's job, think about other people whose jobs you envy? Get specific. There is gold in that envy. Once you have done these four exercises, you should have a better idea of what you are not getting from your current job and maybe more importantly, what you are getting. There may be a way to somehow change your current job to make it more of a fit (make a lateral move into a more dynamic department or with a boss who has less micromanagement tendencies, for instance). Or, it may be that, as you suspected, the job is just the wrong fit in so many basic ways that you have to get out. Use the results of these exercises as a guide so when you make your plan, you have a more complete picture of where your career happiness lies.
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Photo Credit: Shutterstock The post 4 Ways To Reconnect With Your Career appeared first on CAREEREALISM. | | 3 Grooming Faux Pas Your Interviewer Won’t Tell You Posted: 26 Oct 2013 10:00 PM PDT Men and women have different faux pas when it comes to wardrobe. However, they make a lot of the same mistakes when it comes to personal hygiene and grooming – and an interviewer will definitely take notice. While most of my clients apply to work in conservative environments like law firms, investment banks, and corporations, the hygiene and grooming faux pas discussed here are important to avoid in any work environment. They are the distracting and annoying mistakes that could put an end to all the hard work you've done in writing your resume, targeting employers, and scheduling and preparing for interviews. That's pretty bad. But the good news these mistakes are all avoidable. Those who've read my other blogs and How to Get a Legal Job: A Guide for New Attorneys and Law School Students know I don't just rely on my own opinions for these tips. I spend a great deal of time talking to hiring decision-markers, including hiring directors, interviewers, personnel managers, and recruiters—in other words, the people who will be interviewing you. What Your Interviewer Won’t Tell You Here are three grooming faux pas to avoid: 1. You Stink Maybe you smell like cigarette smoke. Or, you used too much perfume or cologne. Maybe your breath is horrible. Whatever it is, it's making your interviewer's nose wrinkle and eyes water, and she's counting the minutes until your interview is over. Air out (or better yet, clean) those dress clothes that have been stored in your smoke-filled home. Don't smoke before your interview. Keep applications of cologne, perfume, and scented products to a minimum. Save your pungent and spicy snacks until after your interview. In other words, don't be remembered as the guy that caused your interviewer to Febreeze her office and that sent her running for her asthma inhaler. 2. You Should’ve Done Something About That Facial Hair Yes, this does apply to men and women. Unruly—or unexpected—facial hair is a distraction to your interviewer. He doesn't want to stare at the tufts of hair coming for your ears or your hairy lip, but he can't help himself. Guys, keep in mind that—fair or not—facial hair is a no-no in some workplaces. So keep your mustache, beard, and sideburns in good order, and be aware that you may be better off clean-shaven for your interviews. 3. You're Sweaty Of course we all sweat, and even more so when we're nervous. But the old adage, "Never let them see you sweat" holds true for job interviews. A sweaty handshake is an unpleasant way to start the interview—both for you and for your interviewer. So bring a handkerchief with you to dry off those sweaty palms before you walk in the door. And while you're at it, dab down your forehead, nose, upper lip, or any place else you're prone to visibly sweat. Wear your antiperspirant and deodorant, and dress in natural fibers that allow your skin to breathe and sweat to evaporate.
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Photo Credit: Shutterstock The post 3 Grooming Faux Pas Your Interviewer Won't Tell You appeared first on CAREEREALISM. | You are subscribed to email updates from CAREEREALISM
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Youth Center Sets Record for Most People Wearing Googly Eye Glasses
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 11:43 AM PDT
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Why Are So Many People Drinking the Clinkle Kool-Aid? by @albertcostill
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 11:35 AM PDT
| Why Are So Many People Drinking the Clinkle Kool-Aid? by @albertcostill Posted: 27 Oct 2013 07:00 AM PDT Clinkle/Facebook Have you heard of a startup called Clinkle? Don’t be ashamed if you haven’t. Up until this morning, I hadn’t heard of Clinkle either. But, it’s getting a lot of buzz. Normally, this is expected for any new and exciting startup. What makes Clinkle unique, however, is that no one is exactly sure what […] Author informationJust a typical guy that enjoys an ice-cold beer, pizza, sports and music. Since venturing into the blogosphere many years ago to discuss his favorite tunes, Al has been known to write for online publications by Alpha Brand Media such as SoJones and AMOG, as well as Search Engine Journal, to discuss everything and anything that matters. The post Why Are So Many People Drinking the Clinkle Kool-Aid? by @albertcostill appeared first on Search Engine Journal. | You are subscribed to email updates from Search Engine Journal
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How to write a killer cover letter and get the job
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 11:27 AM PDT
| How to write a killer cover letter and get the job Posted: 27 Oct 2013 07:00 AM PDT I review at least 100 resumes every week. Here’s how you break through the clutter, impress the screener, and get the job: 1. Write a great cover letter: It tells your story and shows that you give a shit. 2. Answer one question in that letter: Can you do THIS job? Provide evidence that you a) know what the job is and b) have some specific experience that proves you’ve done it before or are likely to do it well. This applies to any company, not just us. (Hiring great people is our secret ingredient here, which is why it’s the CEO’s job. Take a look at our openings.) |
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First ‘The Good Dinosaur’ Teaser Poster
Posted: 27 Oct 2013 11:25 AM PDT
| First ‘The Good Dinosaur’ Teaser Poster Posted: 26 Oct 2013 01:56 PM PDT 
Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur may be delayed, but it isn’t shelved entirely. The first teaser poster has been released for the film, which is set for release in November 2015. That’s concept art from D23 above; see the poster below.
We still don’t know who the final credited director (or directors) on the film will be. We do know the cast (John Lithgow is the father of a family of farming Apatosaurs; Frances McDormand is the mother, Bill Hader and Neil Patrick Harris are brothers Forrest and Cliff, Judy Greer is Ivy, and Lucas Neff voices the lead character Arlo) and this still describes the story: "The Good Dinosaur" asks the generations-old question: What if the cataclysmic asteroid that forever changed life on Earth actually missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? In theaters May 30, 2014, the film is a humorous and exciting original story about Arlo, a lively 70-foot-tall teenage Apatosaurus with a big heart. After a traumatic event rattles Arlo's tranquil community, he sets out on a quest to restore peace, gaining an unlikely companion along the way—a young human boy named Spot.
[JPosters and The Rotoscopers via Upcoming Pixar]  | You are subscribed to email updates from /Film
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