If I knew then... What I know now

Are Internet Stocks Like Groupon, A Good Buy?

2012-05-18T17:18:00.000-05:00

A house of cards, the internet stock, Groupon (GRPN) down 6.69% isn't. But don't mistake this for an opportunity to make some profit, nor run out and buy the stock. Is it a case of knowing now, what I should have know back then.

The worst critics of the leading Internet coupon site have, in the past, argued that its business model would collapse when it dialed down marketing expenses. Without spending to promote its daily deals, it would be tough to generate growth.

Groupon's marketing expense has fallen; however, the company still doesn't generate net profit. That is largely because Groupon is getting no operating leverage with respect to overhead. Costs associated with sales and corporate staffs have remained at 50% of revenue. Nor is the company likely to get additional benefits on the marketing line-it expects to continue to spend 20% of revenue. Meantime, the cost of goods sold as a percentage of revenue rose in the first quarter—to 21% of revenue, up from 13% in the same period a year ago. And the lower marketing expense could have a delayed impact. Groupon's guidance for the second quarter calls for just 2% growth in revenue compared with the first quarter.

The 40% stock-price surge since last week's all-time low likely reflects excessively bearish expectations for the company, and perhaps short sellers buying back shares to cover their negative bets. Either way people are hoping for a bounce back.

They may be doing so prematurely. Restrictions that have prevented insiders from selling shares will be lifted on June 1. Roughly 90% of shares outstanding will come available for sale for the first time. Investors shouldn't step in front of a potential tsunami of selling.

Who Remembers What All That Old Spice Hype Was About?

2010-08-19T11:30:00.001-05:00

I couldn't load this story from the source PR Squared, so I am reposting it here. I want to share with you what we know now that we didn't know before. We all remember the Old Spice tweets last week. Here are some of the results.

The hilarious Old Spice campaign from 2 weeks ago rightfully caused a viral stir. The project was funny and well-executed. Whether or not the brand’s sales rise remains to be seen, but my guess is that, to most marketers, it won’t matter: they’ll press their agencies to “do something as cool as the Old Spice campaign” whether it passes the ROI test or not.
Two things occured to me during the campaign.
#1 was that consumers LOVED the fact that the brand’s spokesman interacted with them directly. This “1:1:many” approach has long been touted as one of the key benefits of Social Media Marketing, and it was writ large via Old Spice. I say “1:1:many” to denote that the interactions with the spokesman were 1:1, but the dialogue was performed in public, thus the “many” (and thus, the outsized credit attributed to the responses).
This “customization as performance” model is sure to strike many as the Next Big Thing in Marketing, despite the fact that it’s been done in smallball fashion via the public-facing Customer Service efforts of brands like Comcast, Dell, etc.
#2 was a caution: what happens in public can be derailed in public.
As I tweeted about during the campaign, actress Alyssa Milano’s public challenge to Old Spice to donate $100K to Gulf Cleanup efforts went unanswered. The challenge was covered in high-profile outlets like the Huffington Post, and still went unanswered… To date, no one seems very interested in helping Ms. Milano’s challenge go viral, but, one can easily imagine how a fun campaign like Old Spice’s could get caught up in an unforseen imbroglio that destroyed all that newfound goodwill!

Welcome to the future. It won’t always smell as good as Old Spice.

Originally posted by Todd Defren

Shape Up With Toning Shoes? You Be The Judge!

2010-07-07T08:20:00.003-05:00

I read an article online regarding those workout shoes with rounded soles like a rocking chair -- are marketed by manufacturers like Skechers, Reebok, AVIA and New Balance with claims that they promote healthy weight loss, improve posture, fight cellulite, reduce knee joint stress and improve the shape of wearers' thighs and buttocks. The customer base for the shoes is 90 percent women, and they sell for $100 to $250.

I know the pricing is correct, because a year or so ago I decided to purchased a pair of those Skechers Women's Toning Shoes for my wife Kathy. Not an inexpensive shoe by any means, but I felt the benefits out weighed the costs; and hey were pink, looked like something she might like, so I bought them.

She was excited to try them and loved the color. Sadly, she only tried them maybe two or three times, complaining of how they hurt her feet and didn't feel the difference in her daily three mile walk.

Turns out doctors are starting to warn that the shoes destabilize how people walk, and wearing them can strain people's Achilles tendons. The shoes can also be a special threat to older people who have more difficulty keeping their balance. Their built-in instability makes a wearer work harder to maintain balance, giving more of a workout, according to companies that make them, and while there are some elements of truth to the ads, doctors question their safety and want more independent studies of the shoes instead of industry-financed research.

The fancy toning shoes have patiently been sitting in Kathy's closet waiting for the day she decides to give them another chance. From what I've been reading, I don't think they have much benefit, but then again, that's my opinion.

If I knew back when I purchased the shoes, that these were more of a gimmick than not, I wouldn't have wasted the money.

For more information read CNN Health's:

Shoes' toning claims draw experts' doubts

Blondes do really have more fun. They just don't know it!

2010-07-01T13:19:00.001-05:00

There are times when if you knew better, you probably wouldn't do some of the stupid things we do.

I have to share this: I'm watching and kind of listening to Kathy, as she is making her "New Diet" lunch. "Flat Belly Diet" FYI, this is the 7th diet in so many months.

Anyway, I hear her mumbling, "What is wrong with this knife? It won't cut!" I (of course) have to look up to see what's the problem; and NOT to my surprise, there she is trying to cut cherry tomatoes with a garnish carving knife.

I told her that won't work, so she quickly goes in and picks out her next experimental cutting tool. Same thing but this time *with a look of surprise*, "this one does cut EITHER!"

NOPE! There's no mystery here, because now she's trying to cut with an oyster shucker.

I guess it's time for an intervention. Trying not to piss her off too much. I make a suggestion, "Let's go to where there are knives." I went into the "KNIFE DRAWER"

I know who would have thunk? Eureka blondie finally cuts her up some tomatoes. Success!!!!!

She knew where this mysterious drawer was. But at the time didn't remember. NOW she knows...

I Would Never Waste Money on Biore Pore Strips Again

2010-04-29T15:10:00.000-05:00

Elmer's Glue vs Biore Pore Strips.

Yesterday while sipping my morning coffee, I began my morning ritual and ventured onto the twitterverse. It was an early and relatively uneventful morning, until I happened upon this tweet:

CocktailDeeva
7:21am, Mar 25 from HootSuite

I have plaster my nose in white glue....supposed to clean my pores..not sure about that..but 100% sure it makes me feel like an ASS

Hello! Not being one to let an opportunity slip through my finger tips. I put my coffee down and read the tweet again (slower).

The tweet looks random enough... and it has all the requirements. It's within the 140 character limitation, it's provocative, informative and (let's hope) funny. More importantly, it generating a response. It's the perfect tweet!

As funny as it was to imagine someone slathering Elmer’s Glue on them, I couldn't get past it. Immediately, I was hooked. It felt like, the times, when you slow down to drive by an accident, with the anticipation of sneaking a peek. I was mesmerized and compelled to know what happened.

So I responded:

javilabbe
7:22am, Mar 25 from TweetDeck

@CocktailDeeva let me know how it turns out. It could be the subject of my next post on "If I knew then... What I know now" blog

I thought to myself, this might be one of those “If I knew then…”moments.

@CocktailDeeva replies:

CocktailDeeva
7:25am, Mar 25 from HootSuite

@javilabbe LMAO..for real..? that is too funny...Will Do..do u need a pic?? ewwww LMAO

I figured she’ll try it out – no harm no foul. I have plenty of time to check this out...

I replied back:

javilabbe
7:26am, Mar 25 from TweetDeck

Sure, I think it's hilarious RT @CocktailDeeva:@javilabbe LMAO..for real..? that is too funny...Will Do..do u need a pic?? ewwww LMAO

So in the meantime, I went on Google to search”Elmer’s Glue for Skin Treatments.” I was shocked at all the references for using Elmer’s Glue as a facial product and to clean your pores. @CocktailDeeva is vindicated, This crazy idea might not be that far fetched.

The sites gave detailed instructions for using the Elmer’s Glue as a facial mask and as an alternative to Biore Pore Strips.

For example:

This substitute peel-off mask idea comes from Looking Good Newsletter:

You know those strips you can buy to remove blackheads and dirt from your face? Yep, they're not cheap. There is another way to achieve the same results and at a cost of pennies, or less. It's Elmer's Glue. You heard me, good old fashioned Elmer's Glue that most of us grew up using for one thing or another.

Apply a layer of glue on your face, concentrating on the nose area if that is a problem area for you. Let it dry completely and peel off as you would with a peel-off mask. Rinse what residue doesn't come off when peeling. Feel your skin. Pretty nice… huh? Follow with a toner if you like.

Elmer's Glue disclaimer: When using Elmer's Glue as a beauty treatment, one should make sure they are not allergic to the product. While I don't know the statistics of "Elmer's Glue allergy," there is a chance that someone, somewhere, is allergic to the stuff. Also, I would like to add that when applying glue to your face, it is not advisable to apply glue anywhere near the eyes to prevent the possibly hazardous "Glued Eye Syndrome." Likewise - for the mouth area.

Truth be told, I personally have no experience with Biore strips, pores on my nose or facials. What interests me is if it works, then potentially, you could save yourself a pretty penny (hahaha, get it?).

For all those people who were as curious. We have news...

The results:

CocktailDeeva
11:09am, Mar 25 from HootSuite

@javilabbe So the glue on the nose actually worked..dried, pealed off & took some yuck with it..and my nose feels nice & smooth..face next?

You may rest easy, for you now know the following: There is empirical proof confirming you can use Elmer’s Glue, in lieu of pricey pore strips and facials, for clean pores and smooth skin.

For those who wanted to know what it looks like to actually put Elmer's Glue on your nose, in real life. Here is CocktailDeeva doing just that.

She said "IT WORKS!"

Who knew...

I reposted this on my blog because I couldn't add Dee's picture.

To visit her website http://www.cocktaildeeva.com/

Microwave Ovens. What the...

2010-04-29T12:43:00.002-05:00

If I knew that running my microwave empty would damage it, could I have saved them?

A few weeks ago my microwave wasn’t heating properly. I know what you’re thinking, that in itself isn’t that extraordinary. This is the third microwave from I’ve replaced/repaired in almost as many years. So the next day, after they have already replaced the magnetron, the microwave started making a funny noise. I contacted the GE Appliance Service Department (who, by the way, provides EXCELLENT SERVICE) and they scheduled an appointment for the next day.

The service technician arrived as scheduled and asked, “what was wrong with the microwave?” I described the rattling sound I hear when running the microwave; and how it was just fixed a few days ago. He grabbed a measuring cup that was on the counter, filled it with water and walked right up to the unit, turned it on and pressed one of the buttons (which by the way I never-ever noticed before) and the noise stopped. WTF? Why is it when any service people check something we say is not working, all they have to do is just look at it and VOILÁ it’s working? The button he pressed was the turn table on/off button. Apparently, the rollers or the microwave glass had something on it, causing the rattling noise.

Come to think of it, as I read this, It kind of sounds like I may not be the brightest bulb in the kitchen (when it comes to appliance stuff). Not to prove that last statement as fact (or maybe I just did) I turned on the microwave and hit the button. The serviceman stopped me dead in my tracks. He ~~yelled~~ said in a stern voice, “DON’T EVER RUN A MICROWAVE EMPTY!”

Apparently this is not a good thing. Not that anyone would ever run a microwave empty. Right? Why would you? Anyway, he told me that running a microwave empty damages the unit. I don’t think a microwave is ever actually empty or maybe I've done it and subsequently have had to repair/replace them. I mean, isn’t there that glass plate you put your food on?

For better or worse, I decided to do a little research and here is what I've found:

The GE service technician told me never to run the microwave while it’s empty.

Because the electromagnetic fields inside it will build up to extremely high levels. Since the walls of the oven are mirror-like and the plate is almost perfectly transparent to microwaves, the electromagnetic waves streaming out of the oven's magnetron tube bounce around endlessly inside the oven's cooking chamber. The resulting intense fields can produce various types of electric breakdown along the walls of the cooking chamber and thereby damage the surface with burns or arcs.
Furthermore, the intense microwaves in the cooking chamber will reflect back into the magnetron and can upset its internal oscillations so that it doesn't function properly. Although magnetrons are astonishingly robust and long-lived, they don't appreciate having to reabsorb their own emitted microwaves.

Boiling water in the microwave can be explosive:

When you use a microwave oven to heat water in a glass or glazed container, the water will have difficulty boiling properly. That's because boiling is an accelerated version of evaporation in which water vapor evaporates not only from the water's upper surface, but also through the surface of any water vapor bubbles the water happens to contain.

Below water's boiling temperature, bubbles of water vapor are unstable they are quickly crushed by atmospheric pressure and vanish into the liquid. At or above water's boiling temperature, those water vapor bubbles are finally dense enough to withstand atmospheric pressure and they grow via evaporation, rise to the surface, and pop.

Forming water vapor bubbles in the midst of liquid water, a process called nucleation, is surprisingly difficult and it typically happens at hot spots or non-wetted defects (places where the water doesn't completely coat the surface and there is trapped air). When you boil water in a metal pot on the stove, there are hot spots and defects galore and nucleating the bubbles is not a problem. When you boil water in a glass or glazed container using a microwave oven, however, there are no significant hot spots and few non-wetted defects. The water boils fitfully or not at all. The "not at all" possibility can lead to disaster.

Water that's being heated in a metal pot on the stove boils so vigorously that the stove is unable to heat it more than tiny bit above its boiling temperature. All the heat that's flowing into the water is consumed by the process of transforming liquid water into gaseous water, so the water temperature doesn't rise. Water that's being heated in a glass container in a microwave oven boils so fitfully that you can heat it above its boiling temperature. It's simply not able to use up all the thermal energy it receives via the microwaves and its temperature keeps rising. The water becomes superheated.

Most of the time, there are enough defects around to keep the water boiling a bit and it superheats only a small amount. When you remove the container of water from the microwave oven and toss in some coffee powder or a teabag, thus dragging air bubbles below the surface, the superheated water boils into those air bubbles. A stream of bubbles suddenly appears on the surface of the water. Most people would assume that those bubbles had something to do with the powder or teabag, not with the water itself. Make no mistake, however, the water was responsible and those bubbles are mostly steam, not air.

Occasionally, though, the water fails to boil at all or stops boiling after it manages to wet the last of the defects on the glass or glazed surface. I've made this happen deliberately many times and it's simply not that hard to do. It can easily happen by accident. With no bubbles to assist evaporation, the water's only way to get rid of heat is via evaporation from its top surface. If the microwave oven continues to add thermal energy to the water while it is having such difficulty getting rid of that energy, the water's temperature will skyrocket and it will superheat severely.

Highly superheated water is explosive. If something causes nucleation in that water, a significant fraction of the water will flash to steam in the blink of an eye and blast the remaining liquid water everywhere. That boiling-hot water and steam are a major burn hazard and the blast can break the container or blow it across the room.

Here is a video from Mythbusters proving the point:

How microwaves are killing the foods we eat:
Consumers are dying today in part because they continue to eat dead foods that are killed in the microwave. They take a perfectly healthy piece of raw food, loaded with vitamins and natural medicines, then nuke it in the microwave and destroy most of its nutrition. Humans are the only animals on the planet who destroy the nutritional value of their food before eating it. All other animals consume food in its natural, unprocessed state, but humans actually go out of their way to render food nutritionally worthless before eating it. No wonder humans are the least healthy mammals on the planet.
The invention of the microwave and its mass adoption by the population coincides with the onset of obesity in developed nations around the world. Not only did the microwave make it convenient to eat more obesity-promoting foods, it also destroyed much of the nutritional content of those foods, leaving consumers in an ongoing state of malnourished overfeeding. In other words, people eat too many calories but not enough real nutrition. The result is, of course, what we see today: Epidemic rates of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, depression, kidney failure, liver disorders and much more. These diseases are all caused by a combination of malnutrition and exposure to toxic chemicals (plus other factors such as emotional trauma, lack of exercise, etc.). Microwaves make malnutrition virtually automatic, and being exposed to toxic chemicals is easy to accomplish by simply eating processed foods (which are universally manufactured with the addition of toxic chemicals that act as preservatives, colorings, flavor enhancers and so on).
Microwaving is, technically, a form of food irradiation. I find it interesting that people who say that would never eat "irradiated" food have no hesitation about microwaving their food. It's the same thing (just a different wavelength of radiation). In fact, microwaves were originally called "radar ranges." Sounds strange today, doesn't it? But when microwaves were first introduced in the 1970's, they were proudly advertised as radar ranges. You blast your food with high-intensity radar and it gets hot. This was seen as some sort of space-age miracle in the 1970's. Perhaps someday an inventor will create a food heating device that does not radically alter the nutritional value of the foods in the process, but I'm not holding my breath on this one. Probably the best way to heat foods right now is to simply use a countertop toaster oven, and keep the heat as low as possible.
The microwave does work as advertised, by the way. It makes your food hot. But the mechanism by which heat is produced causes internal damage to the delicate molecular structures of vitamins and phytonutrients. Minerals are largely unaffected, however, so you'll still get the same magnesium, calcium and zinc in microwaved foods as you would in non-microwaved foods, but the all-important B vitamins, anthocyanins, flavonoids and other nutritional elements are easily destroyed by microwave ovens.

Brilliant

2010-04-26T10:58:00.003-05:00

Brett Domino: Hip-Hop Medley - Stylophone Beatbox
These guys are great to listen too. Brett Domino and his crew were first seen on "Britain's Got More Talent"
As the Brits would say, they are brilliant!

Posted via web from Things you should know

I April Fooled Myself Getting a Tan

2010-04-01T18:03:00.000-05:00

April 1st 2010 we Chicagoans awakened to the promise of a beautiful Sping day with temperatures reaching the mid to high 70's. The kind of day that lends to ditching work. This promise was kept and so my story begins.

Although it was April Fools day, most of my tweeps (need I say on Twitter?) were updating creatively deceptive ways for getting out of work. Here are a few: Tell your boss you have a doctors appointment you totally forgot about. Another one I liked was, today is the last day for me to take my car in for the recall. The most serious excuses were sudden illnesses or family members getting sick. (not one I would use, cuz you can jinx yourself).

Fortunately, we have our own business so there really isn't any reason to make up excuses to get out and enjoy a beautiful day. I, for one, listen to others who probably know better than myself. So I decided to get outside immediately. All I had to do is foward the phones to my cell, make a big ass drink and lotion up. The first two went without incident. HOWever, the part of my plan... not so much! I put lotion on and headed up the stairs, only to second guess my applicaton process. At the last minute it dawned on me to put some product on my face. It's Easter this weekend and I want to look healthy and tanned. The face being the first thing people notice. MUST add more product!

I closed my eyes, held my breath and proceeded to spray on this quick dry tanning stuff I bought last year. What could possibly be go wrong, right? HOLY SHIT STORM!!!! The first thing that happened was, I couldn't catch my breath. The spray was all alcoholy and it took my breath away. Then I felt piercing needles poking me in the eyes. Not literally, but my eyes were burning sooooo bad, it made my nose run.

I have to admit, this was probably one of those ridiculous moments in my life were I should acknowledge READ THE INSTRUCTIONS first. My eyes are burning so bad I can barely see what I am typing this very moment.

If I knew then that spraying quick dry tanning lotion on my face was going to asphyxiate and blind me. I would never have used it in that way. What I know now is something I am sure someone way smarter than me once said, "think before you act!"

This is not an April Fools prank! May my stupidity help you from ever experiencing this searing paing I have in my eyes.

Don't be surprised to see more of the same...

Sneaking a nip here and there

2010-03-16T11:18:00.000-05:00

Earlier today I shared a few tweets with the world renown comedian Josh Wolf ( @joshwolfcomedy ). You've all experienced his comedy stylings on the E Network show, Chelse Lately. He's the guy Chelsea and crew call out as "the good looking one." Easily recognized by his signature baseball hat turned backwards and rugged good looks. Not that there is anything wrong with that. I'm just saying...

Anyway, I wanted to make sure he was that dude on Chelsea, so I googled him. The first link I clicked was this one where he talks about a lesson he taught his teenage son.

The physics of vodka: http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi3893953049/

Watching the video reminded me of when I was barely a teenager, my brother and I use to sneak a sip and ilute the alcohol in "the liquor cabinet." We were young and impetuous kids, trying to get away with little nip here and there. We would only take, the alleged, nips from the special bottles. The expensive stuff our parents would pull out for special occasions.

At the time we thought it was funny when these people would take sips of these exotic tequilas and vodkas and comment on how smooth they are and: how they couldn't even taste the alcohol. WE thought that was hilarious! Hahaha, probably not so funny now, if they only knew... There were a few instances where I can remember my mother saying, "I think this has gone bad!" It looks cloudy, with white stuff floating in the bottle. There were a few times when they opened the bottle and OUCH it smelled like crap!

Unfortunatley, what we didn't know then... but I know now is, that when you dilute liquor past a certain point the contents of the bottle change. Strange things begin to grow in there. Much like the physics of vodka changes and it can mysteriously freeze from diluting. Also, bacteria can grow in a bottle that contains mostly water instead of the original spirits.

I never told anyone that story. No one knew back then what we were up to. To make amends, I want to share some knowledge with parents they can benefit from.

Why would I think you would want to know?

2010-03-08T13:36:00.000-06:00

Everyone, at one time or another, has had an experience where if they had known better, they probably would have done things differently. That knowledge would have influenced their decisions, forever altering the outcome of influential events in their lives. "If I knew then... What I know now."

The idea came to me a long time ago. At one point I actually wanted to write a book titled "If I knew then what I know now." I have A.D.D., so that's not gonna happen. What I want to with this blog, is to have a place where we document and share those, life changing, experiences of when someone says or thinks "if I knew then... what I know now."

As best I can remember, as a kid I was afforded an opportunity to accompany my father, from New Orleans to Miami, on one of his business trips. We spent the week meeting with his Florida based, South American business contacts (no, he wasn't a drug dealer). I was impressed to find out, these associates of his, were the presidents and CEOs of large shipping companies. As a teenager, at the time, I was old enough to know my father was a VP at his company; but not old enough to care one way or the other. All I knew was, he's my dad, he happens to be one of the Vice Presidents working at this compay were we hang out at after school.

While sitting in on one of the meetings, I realized something extraordinary, these guys were literally up my dad's ass! They were seriously brown nosing him. Wow, my dad was some sort of a big shot! Who would have known???

I'm not sure what it was, but they knew something I didn't know. They were so obvious, it was embarrassing We were wined (not me) and dined at swanky country clubs for lunch and five star restaurants, like "The Forge" for dinner. We were provided with a car and driver to take us from the hotel to wherever we wanted to go. I wasn't compaining, I'm just saying...

OK, let's get to the point! Don't ask me why, but around the third day, it occured to me that I could probably do whatever I wanted. So I decided to pick these guys brains. I asked them things like, hiring a college graduate versus someone without a degree; and if it's important to speak mulitple languages. I also asked stuff about dealing with foreign companies and politics. I'm sure I asked a bunch more; but you get the point. Eventually, I asked (I am sure, not in these exact words) "If you could give me advice today that could help me in the future, what would that be? Something that you now know, that you might not have known when you were younger. That thing you wish you would have known to where you would have done things differently. DUH! "If I knew then, what I know now"

Most of them gave the patent response of "wish I would have payed attention in school" or "I wouldn't have voted for Nixon" and "~~why do you ask such stupid questions?"~~ plus "I wish I would have listened to whatever, blah blah blah." What I remember most is what the gentlemen said, who answered me by starting off with, "well... if I knew then, what I know now. He then began explaining about how if he would have listened to everyone and used a condom. How certain things in his life would have turned out differently. (use your imagine to fill in the blanks).

With this blog, I want people to share those experiences we have of knowing the outcome of decisions we've made. If I knew then... (that thing which would have made a difference, before a specific even) What I know now. (the result of what you now know, after it happened)

If you've ever heard someone say hindsight is 20/20, then you know what I mean. I want to avoid ever saying that in my future and the future of others. Please share your insight into experiences that have altered your life for the better or worse, so that future generations may benefit from this knowledge.