Travis McMenimon's Odyssey of the Mind

The Case for Saving A.I.G., by A.I.G

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:17:00 PST

Andrew Sorkin of the New York Times has an article out entitled: The Case for Saving A.I.G., by A.I.G.

In it he quickly tries to put in perspective the potential "economic apocalypse" that would happen if the Government were to let AIG fail.

Selected Excerpts Follow:

“Systemic risk” is a phrase often used to describe the domino effect of one business’s failure on the rest of the economy. We saw the dangers of systemic risk in action when Lehman Brothers failed in September. And we’ve heard a lot from Detroit automobile executives about the systemic risk they say the nation would face should General Motors teeter. But those failures look like summer thundershowers compared with the financial hurricane that a collapse of A.I.G. would represent...
One of the biggest worries, besides the considerable collateral damage to the banking system, is a risk that most people aren’t talking about, perhaps because it’s too scary. This one is probably easier to understand than any kind of financial chicanery: the dangers lurking below A.I.G.’s seemingly stable, highly regulated life insurance business. In the United States, A.I.G. has more than 375 million policies with a face value of $19 trillion.
Even though A.I.G.’s insurance business is regulated by states, there probably would not be enough money to pay out to consumers from what’s known as a guarantee fund. Other regulated insurance companies, which have been weakened by credit losses, would be required to pay money into the fund to cover the shortfall, weakening them further and in some cases bankrupting them.
What’s worse, if A.I.G. failed, many people would be unable to obtain the same insurance from a competitor for the same price. In fact, many people would probably be shut out. “Some life-policy holders may no longer be insurable at commensurate rates or as a result of adverse health situations since the purchase of the original policy,” the document said.

And that is just the effects of the failure of the US life insurance businesses!

Did You Know?

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 09:42:25 PST

We are living in a world of exponential change and this video makes it abundantly clear.

The Weekender, Like Weekends Are Meaningless if You Are Unemployed

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:58:47 PST

Parody of the ubiqutious NY Times Weekender ad.

I think Paul Rudd is in there somewhere.

[hat tip: The Business Sheet]

Just turn off CNBC!

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 10:10:58 PST

Howard Lindzon of WallStrip fame rants about all the absurdity of the financial media (especially CNBC) and the condition of the big banks.

It get's good at the 2:20 mark.

Just remember to turn off all the nose out there and focus on what you can control.

McArdle on Madoff

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:22:15 PST

Megan McArdle who happens to be one of my favorite bloggers for The Atlantic sounds off on her post regarding the Madoff fraud.

How did Bernie Madoff get away with it?

Somehow, even though everyone agreed that this was the sort of thing the SEC should be aggressively rooting out, and the SEC has perfectly adequate resources to investigate high-profile fraud at a 20-person operation, the SEC dropped the ball so hard it's probably even now still falling through the Earth's mantle towards China.

The market failed as badly as the government. The people he bilked weren't unsophisticated consumers of the sort that we assume need regulatory protection. They were extremely rich people, many of them with backgrounds in finance.

The market failed. The government failed. Leaving us with a big WTF? We cannot fix this either by new rules--the SEC hardly needs new rules to make it clearer that you shouldn't fake financial statements while paying current investors out of the funds invested by new ones. Nor by better reliance on private institutions--it's hard to argue that super rich people with considerable financial savvy were somehow blinded by some badly designed government intervention. Everyone just screwed up.

I'd be willing to bet his kids go to jail as well, we will see in the next few weeks. At least we can be sure there will be some great show trials in 2009 with all this financial fraud and drama in the world.

Media I Consume

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:55:13 PST

I have had a couple conversations with people at work about the kind of media we consume on a day to day basis. I was the odd man out when I said that I get most of my information diet from blogs. Perhaps it was just a function of being the youngest in the conversation.

Also many of the older people I work with asked what kind of blogs I read. As you can see it mainly revolves around money, politics and entrepreneurship. Check out some of these blogs when you are feeling like it is time to venture outside the confines of your feed reader!

Anyway, here is a look at my daily information diet (sans friends photo feeds).

Hard Copy Periodicals
- The Atlantic (monthly)
- The Economist (weekly)

Podcasts
- NPR: This I Believe
- WNYC's Radio Lab
- NPR: Planet Money
- NPR: Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me!
- Philosophy Bites
- This American Life
- Stuff You Should Know

Blogs (in alphabetical order)
- A VC
- Adam McFarland's Blog
- Adventures in Capitalism
- Altgate
- Altos Ventures Musings
- AngelBlog Best Practices for Angel Investing
- Bankrate.com: Advice Headlines
- Ben Casnocha
- Berberian's Blog
- Bill Flagg
- Blog Maverick (Mark Cuban)
- Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk
- Carrie in Cambodia
- Change.gov
- Dan Pritchard Musings et. all
- Dual Income No Kids
- Employee Evolution
- Escape from Cubicle Nation
- False Precision
- Feld Thoughts
- Get Rich Slowly
- Girl Meets Business
- Go BIG Network Entrepreneur Blog
- James Fallows
- Jeff Maurone
- Knabb - Making a Difference
- Lazy Man and Money
- LifeDev
- Megan McArdle
- Michael Li
- New York Times > Week In Review
- Open Culture
- Personal Finance 101
- PostSecret
- The Art of Manliness
- The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss
- The Digerati Life
- The Dough Roller
- The Entrepreneurial Mind
- Toilet Paper Entrepreneur
- Up and Running
- VC Confidential
- We Need To Be Debt Free

Occasional News Reads
- New York Times
- MSNBC
- Engadget

Other
- Random articles posted by people I follow on Twitter

Holman Gets It Right On AIG

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 08:30:35 PST

I've been pretty quiet when it comes to my feelings about the AIG mess. I mean, I do work for them and see many of the businesses that are in the news headlines on an almost daily basis. They are all healthy and profitable sans the Financial Products and Global Securities Lending businesses.

However, in the face of public criticism (some warranted, and some needlessly incendiary re: Cramer Fiasco) there have been very few people out there that have gotten the outlook right.

In a WSJ column by Holman W. Jenkins Jr:

AIG, an otherwise healthy insurance company that went bust betting on housing debt, has already consumed taxpayer loans and capital injections nearly as big as AIG's $200 billion market cap when it was one of the world's most admired firms. AIG still has a valuable insurance business, but ignoramuses in Congress and the press are busy destroying it. The company sells many of its products through busy independent agents. It uses lush "seminars" to encourage them to sit still for pitches about why AIG should still be trusted despite AIG's purgatory in the headlines. But these seminars only produce more outraged grandstanding from the political commentariat.

It will take years for the government to get AIG off its hands, and there likely won't be much value left for taxpayers when it finally does.
The opinions made in this post are my own and do not reflect the views of AIG or its Executive Management Team

Knowing When Enough is Enough - Take Your Ball and Go Home

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 09:06:19 PDT

Andrew Lahde, manager of a small California hedge fund, Lahde Capital, burst into the spotlight last year after his one-year-old fund returned 866% betting on the subprime collapse. Last month, he took his ball and went home. Tired of the stress, he closed the fund.

I have cut out some of the end of his letter, to see it in its entirety see here.

Enjoy:

Dear Investor:

Today I write not to gloat. Given the pain that nearly everyone is experiencing, that would be entirely inappropriate. Nor am I writing to make further predictions, as most of my forecasts in previous letters have unfolded or are in the process of unfolding. Instead, I am writing to say goodbye.

Recently, on the front page of Section C of the Wall Street Journal, a hedge fund manager who was also closing up shop (a $300 million fund), was quoted as saying, “What I have learned about the hedge fund business is that I hate it.” I could not agree more with that statement. I was in this game for the money. The low hanging fruit, i.e. idiots whose parents paid for prep school, Yale, and then the Harvard MBA, was there for the taking. These people who were (often) truly not worthy of the education they received (or supposedly received) rose to the top of companies such as AIG, Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers and all levels of our government. All of this behavior supporting the Aristocracy, only ended up making it easier for me to find people stupid enough to take the other side of my trades. God bless America.

There are far too many people for me to sincerely thank for my success. However, I do not want to sound like a Hollywood actor accepting an award. The money was reward enough. Furthermore, the endless list those deserving thanks know who they are.

I will no longer manage money for other people or institutions. I have enough of my own wealth to manage. Some people, who think they have arrived at a reasonable estimate of my net worth, might be surprised that I would call it quits with such a small war chest. That is fine; I am content with my rewards. Moreover, I will let others try to amass nine, ten or eleven figure net worths. Meanwhile, their lives suck. Appointments back to back, booked solid for the next three months, they look forward to their two week vacation in January during which they will likely be glued to their Blackberries or other such devices. What is the point? They will all be forgotten in fifty years anyway. Steve Balmer, Steven Cohen, and Larry Ellison will all be forgotten. I do not understand the legacy thing. Nearly everyone will be forgotten. Give up on leaving your mark. Throw the Blackberry away and enjoy life.

So this is it. With all due respect, I am dropping out. Please do not expect any type of reply to emails or voicemails within normal time frames or at all. Andy Springer and his company will be handling the dissolution of the fund. And don’t worry about my employees, they were always employed by Mr. Springer’s company and only one (who has been well-rewarded) will lose his job.

I have no interest in any deals in which anyone would like me to participate. I truly do not have a strong opinion about any market right now, other than to say that things will continue to get worse for some time, probably years. I am content sitting on the sidelines and waiting. After all, sitting and waiting is how we made money from the subprime debacle. I now have time to repair my health, which was destroyed by the stress I layered onto myself over the past two years, as well as my entire life — where I had to compete for spaces in universities and graduate schools, jobs and assets under management — with those who had all the advantages (rich parents) that I did not. May meritocracy be part of a new form of government, which needs to be established.

With that I say good-bye and good luck.

All the best,
Andrew Lahde

I Need Your Opinion

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:20:43 PDT

So for those of you that don't know, a friend and I have been looking into starting a business for about seven months now. We have looked at about 7-10 franchised businesses and selected one in a huge market that is getting ready to explode. The industry isn't sexy like high tech, but it will provide serious long term growth for our business for many years.

No, I am not mentioning what company/industry it is until we move forward.

Anyway, we have completed our due dilligence and are looking to raise money from friends, family and close business associates. We have come up with two different ways to pay back the investor.

I will present the two ways and then please comment on which one you would go with if you were an investor. Also assume that the P&L projections can be reasonably achieved. For ease of comparison I will use the same investment figures.

1. Fixed Infinite Cashflow
In year 0 you loan me $100,000. I promise to repay you 30% of your contributed capital ($30,000) annually for as long as I own the business.

In this scenario it will take you a little over 5 years to recoup your
initial investment, but after that it is just cash in the bank from there on
out.

2. Double Your Money in 4-5 Years

This scenario is exactly what it sounds like. You give me $100,000 and I hand you back $200K in 4 or 5 years.

Obviously in this scenario, you get your initial capital as well as your return much sooner, but you miss out on the recurring cashflows.

Side By Side Comparison

So here it is with the associated IRRs. Based purely on IRR, the "rational investor" would choose scenario 2, but I am trying to determine if scenario 1 is compelling as well since in absolute terms I would pay you back almost $400K in the first scenario.

What do you think?

I'm Back - And In a New Home!

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 12:36:58 PDT

Hi there and welcome back! I have been on a hiatus from this blog for almost two years now. Alot has happened in that time. For those of you that don't know, I now live and work in NY.

I migrated this blog off of Typepad's service where I was paying for it during that time I wasn't using it. I considered scrapping the whole "blogging experiement" and deleting the typepad blog, but I got to looking though the archives and realized that there was a history of my past thinking out there. So amazed I was at being able to look back at how I was thinking over two years ago I decided I couldn't just delete the blog!

In the past I wrote alot about business and entrepreneurship and I don't think that will change too much. I will however, focus on those topic as they relate to my day to day life. Also I will try to post about personal dealings. Check out my readings, tweets, and pics on the right sidebar - everything is there and neatly organized for you!

As a result, you now have what you see before you with all the Web 2.0 goodness (Twitter, Facebook, Shelfari, etc). The best part of it all is my new home on Blogger is FREE!

I don't know if I will post a ton and I know it will take a while to find my voice again so bear with me. There is alot of stuff going on in the world and in my life so come back often to see what is going on. You can get updates via RSS, email, via imported notes in Facebook. So hook it up!

Fogo is a Go

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:03:27 PDT

On Thursday night I had the opportunity to visit Fogo de Chao for the first time for a group birthday dinner for a friend and colleague. During a time when I feel like all my fine dining experiences seem to "run together" I must say I was pleasantly surprised.
We walked in off of the bitter cold streets of Washington DC to the warm decor and overwhelming aroma of all different kinds of meats that wafted into the guest waiting area. I didn't know much about the resturaunt before coming in except the fact that there were guys that walked around to each table with giant swords of meat on them! Well those guys are called Gaucho chefs and they carry and carve all the meat offerings of Fogo tableside for you at your request. How do the Gaucho chefs know whether or not to interrupt your eating or great conversation? Good question, I am glad you asked. There are little disks (much like coasters) on your table in front of each patron. When you want the Gaucho chefs to stop at your table, just flip the disk so that the green side is up. All the chefs will continue to stop at your table until your disk is red.
My favorite cuts of meat from the meal were the Picanha - Tender sirloin with sea salt and garlic, and the Linguica - slow roasted pork sausages. The Filet Mignon wrapped in bacon was also delicious. Overall Fogo offers sixteen different cuts of meat ranging from beef, pork chicken and lamb. Vegetarians beware!
Currently, Fogo de Chao operates at seven cities in the US and only two on the east coast. The east coast cities are Philadelphia and Washington DC.
Given that you have an opportunity to sample the entire menu without the annoying dynamics of a family style dining experience it more than makes up for its price of about $50/person.
So call some of your closest friends, make your reservation, order your favorite wine (I like Cabernet Sauvignon), sit back, turn your disks to green and let the Gaucho chefs go to town serving you some of the most perfectly prepared selections of meat around!

Personal Portalization - More Work Needed!

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:03:46 PDT

My last post talked alot about the virtues of the Google Customized Homepage. I run a variety of widgets that import the information that is important to me to one information dashboard. Previously, I mentioned the weaknesses in the task list functionality. Well I found a much better solution for those of you that are out there looking for a solution.
Remember the Milk (www.rememberthemilk.com) started as what you an imagine - a web based grocery list. Well the service has grown up. It now has functionality to completely integrate with Google Calendar and imports directly to the customized homepage. The functionality it provides in separating the work, personal, etc. tasks is huge for me. Lists can be published, shared and subscribed to through RSS. Task clouds (like tag clouds in del.icio.us) help visualize the categories which have the most outstanding or high importance things to do.
Best of all: The service is FREE. I would highly recommend this service. I have found it very effective for my needs. Check out the new configuration below.

Currently I am running a customized Google Homepage with "widgets" (third party developed applets) that display weather, stocks, Google Calendar entries for Sophy and I, virtual Post-It notes, daily quote, weight tracking (I am on a diet) and task lists.

I use Google for a few reasons:
1. I know they won't be out of business tomorrow.
2. Gmail, Google Talk and Calendar all interact well with each other.
3. Gmail offers me nearly limitless space on their servers to save my mail.
4. Google offers a variety of widgets that get me the most relevant/pertinent information in front of my face ASAP.
5. None of the Google web properties are blocked by my company which allows me to have the most up to date information across any computer with a web connection.
Task lists:
For me, task lists are critical. My daily actions and schedule are driven off the priorities of my task list. Being able to tie specific tasks to my Google Calendar would be a godsend. I would then be able to have a daily meetings agenda with tasks related to that specific day. Everything (tasks, email, calendaring) would be unified on the web. Good task lists which I have tried for the trial period are offered by Gootodo and Ta-da Lists by 37signals. Unfortunately I will never switch to either of these until I can integrate it with my information dashboard. It is ashamed since I really enjoyed Ta-da Lists!
Brad Feld of A VC talks about the deportalization of the internet. I think that the portal needs to become more integrated and personalized. If personal information (email, contacts, etc.) is the main driver for someone to visit a web property like Google's Gmail, Calendar, etc. The case could be made that sucg offerings would be jumping off point into the rabbit hole that is the internet and hence a wider audience with more stickiness (like crazy glue).

Wedding Singer, A Review

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:04:21 PDT

Ever since seeing Avenue Q (my first show) on Broadway this past spring, I have been hooked on the Broadway experience.
Considering my thoughts while standing in line to see Avenue Q “I can’t believe I am going to see a play [like the ones in high school]. Not only that, but this one is $60 and has puppets!” now I can’t believe I was so short-sighted in my views of Broadway. Avenue Q was great and the score was instantly addictive with songs like [favorites listed]: What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?, It Sucks to Be Me, Everyone's a Little Bit Racist and The Internet Is for Porn.
Needless to say, I am hooked. When I was in New York for the first two weeks in October, shows would have to added to the list of things to do. I had lined up The Wedding Singer and Monty Python’s SPAMALOT for the two weeks that I was there. Unfortunately I had to bail on SPAMALOT till the next time I am in New York.
The desire to see The Wedding Singer over one of the other comedic Broadway Musicals was driven by my love for Stephen Lynch and his musical comedy. The Wedding Singer tells the story of Robbie Hart, a popular New Jersey wedding singer, who begins to ruin other people's wedding days after his fiancée leaves him at the altar. Things begin to look up after he meets Julia, a warm-hearted waitress -- who is also engaged to be married.

The Wedding Singer was a bit of a shallow show, and very predictable (especially if you saw the movie with Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore). The cast is good and the score is good but I was waiting for a breakout from one of the main characters the whole show – it never came. It is a fun “date show” that doesn’t require much thought or emotional investment. I don’t see it becoming one of those shows that is on Broadway for multiple years, like Les Miserables or RENT. If you are looking for a light-hearted comedy, see it only if you can’t get tickets to Avenue Q!

Shadyness on Canal Street

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:11:23 PDT

Chinatown in New York City is unofficially known as the place in the city to get good knock offs of popular name brands like Coach, Rolex and Louis Vuitton. One cannot take five steps out of the train station before being assaulted by all sorts of people standing on the sidewalk, inconspicuously, saying the brand names that they offer. If you are interested in some of their knock off wares, you should acknowledge the person and they will take you to some back room of a storefront or in my case, a beat up mini van a block off Canal Street (the main street in Chinatown).
The person I was with was interested in getting a “Coach” bag. I was totally against such activities, but since the person from whom we would be buy said “Coach” bag was known by one of the people I was spending the day with, my uneasiness was abated – momentarily. We were ushered down a back street towards a beat-up mid-80’s mini van. I didn’t know what to expect, but apparently we had reached the place of business. I was planning on waiting outside the van since my instincts of self-preservation were kicking in at this point. I was ushered into the van where I found myself sitting on a wooden plank that was supported by two milk crates. Around me were hundreds of knock off bags. They were on the “after-market wooden shelving” installed in the car as well as all over the floor. While my companion and merchant were talking about the bags, I noticed that there was a thick black felt cloth that was stapled to the ceiling blocking out the visibility from behind the driver’s seat as well as heavy blackout window tint on all of the windows in the rear of the car.
Anyway, this super shady, obviously illegal, operation got me thinking as to how much money someone could make selling knock off handbags to people on the sidewalk. My friend asked him if he made good money selling bags. He responded that he had made about $1,000 bucks yesterday (Saturday). $1,000 for a weekend seemed pretty typical in the way that he responded. Assuming a 100% mark up, that would mean he and his wife (this is a two person operation) would make $1,000 profit, per weekend. Of course there would be no taxes to account for. Not bad if this is your side job! Unfortunately, this is highly contingent on many factors like the presence of the NYPD (a night in jail and $10,000 fine if caught) and weather – since not many people like walking around on the sidewalk in the rain. Not to
All in all a pretty interesting experience, one that I would not like to repeat anytime soon. Maybe I will be more accepting of this type of “back-door” business if I were to travel to Asia or Europe.
[Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of the interior of the mini van, it would have been a sight, but I leave you with a sign of one of the “legit” street vendors.]

The Way I See It #178

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:05:57 PDT

I was sitting down to my computer this morning with my obligatory grande house blend coffee from Starbucks when the brown cardboard sleeve that the coffee comes in slipped off revealing the "Way I See It" series. I always knew that it was on there, but never took notice since I was always rushing around. The purpose of the series is to get people talking and engaged in "good, healthy discussion."
Here is what my cup had to say:

The measure of genuine civilization, it has been said, is the quality of life for a nation's poorest and least priviledged people. By that measure, we are barbarians. Our current level of inequality cannot be justified or sustained.
--Robert W. McChesney Author, media critic and professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

As I sit here in downtown Manhattan, one block from Wall Street, I wonder how I can work to better the quality of life for this nation's poor. Short of donating money and volunteering my time I don't have a good way of bettering society's ills. Hell, I have enough of a problem keeping myself above water.
More thought on this is required.

Tough Decisions

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:11:36 PDT

This is becoming an ever increasingly difficult decision to make.
Paper or Pixels?

So Pissed

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:12:01 PDT

It is 11:30pm and I am getting ready to sit down with In an Uncertain World when I realized that I left it on the Amtrak train when coming up to New York City this morning. Time to find the closest bookstore in the morning.
What a let down :-(

Alot Can Happen in Six Months

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:12:08 PDT

Like I said in my welcome back post, this is the time of the year when I do the most self-reflection and planning for the year to come. Plato once said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." With that here is a quick recap of the last six months.
At this time six months ago, I was wearing shorts and sandals to work at a start-up, driving an old '92 Mercury Grand Marquis and not making too much money. I lived a couple miles from my office with a good buddy from college. I was dating the same girl I had been all throughout college and I was developing a good group of friends and professional contacts. I was beginning to shrug off the college mentality and come into my own. Philadelphia was beginning to become a place that I called home.

Professionally, I couldn't have asked for more (except more money). I liked my job and the people I worked with. I believed in the idea and the management team - especially the CEO. The CEO and I began to think of him as more of a mentor than just a boss. The hammer fell this past February when I was informed that I was being let go (along with 3 other people) to make the financial statements look better to a VC firm that had been interested in us for several months. I could tell he was crushed when he had to tell me. I felt like I had been blindsided by a Mack Truck. I went back to my apartment, that Monday afternoon, in complete and utter shock.
A couple of weeks later my long time girlfriend broke up with me. It wasn't because of the job, but I will save you from the bloody details. I felt like that sphere of comfort that I described in the first paragraph was collapsing around me.
My life is much different now. I live on the doorstep of the Nation's Capital, Washington DC. I have a new, overpriced apartment in Alexandria, VA, a new car, new girlfriend, new roommate (also a good buddy from Villanova) and I am a new member of the Free Masons. Did I mention that I have a new job at PricewaterhouseCoopers, the largest of the Big Four public accounting firms? Ask any of my friends from college and I bet none of them ever thought I would be working as an information security auditor for a Big Four firm.

It has actually been only six months since all this change started happening and I must say, while it has been a whirlwind. I can say the one thing that I am most excited about is developing new relationships both professional and personal in the DC Metro area. When I made to Philadelphia five years ago, I knew two people. When I made it to Washington, I knew one. I know it will certainly be a challenge in this new environment but I am up to it.
The bigger challenge in my eyes will be maintaining the relationships I have in Boston and Philadelphia while working hard to build a strong network of friends and professional contacts in DC.

Notable News

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:09:24 PDT

In yesterday's New York Times there was an article entitled, "Medicare Refund Mixup Part of a Larger Tangle" It quotes President Bush as saying that the mistakenly sent Medicare refunds was part of a large scale "computer glitch" is quite amusing to me. I am currently deployed on a client engagement for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. I really wish I could go on about the relationship, between Medicare and the Contractors that administer the drug plans, but independence issue prohibit me from doing so. However, it is pretty neat being in able to see, from the inside, what is being discussed in the National headlines.
In an article entitled, "Here's Your Syllabus, and Your Condom" Stephanie Rosenbloom describes the growing target market of college students as a primary focus by Trojan, Durex and the like. Not that this news is overly surprising, but when I think of back to school, I thought of notebooks, textbooks, dorm living and drunken debauchery - never condoms. Then again, I suppose a night of drunken debauchery dovetails nicely with pack of Trojans!

This isn't notable news, but is interesting nonetheless:
An Atheist Manifesto is a very interesting exposition into Atheism. While I have heard most of these arguments before they are arranged in a very interesting way. I don't agree with the author's thesis but I do respect the argument he is trying to make. The true existence of God is always an important conversation to have, especially when extreme and fundamentalist religious groups dominate todays headlines. I ask that you give is a read, one time, with an open mind.

Below is the Editor's Note:
At a time when fundamentalist religion has an unparalleled influence in the highest government levels in the United States, and religion-based terror dominates the world stage, Sam Harris argues that progressive tolerance of faith-based unreason is as great a menace as religion itself.

Live fully, in This World

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:08:22 PDT

Here is a great quote from Joan Didion's commencement address at U.C. Riverside:
I'm not telling you to make the world better, because I don't think that progress is necessarily part of the package, I'm just telling you to live in it. Not just to endure it, not just to suffer it, not just to pass through it, but to live in it. To look at it. To try to get the picture. To live recklessly. To take chances. To make your own work and take pride in it. To seize the moment. And if you ask me why you should bother to do that, I could tell you that the grave's a fine and private place, but none I think do there embrace. Nor do they sing there, or write, or argue, or see the tidal bore on the Amazon, or touch their children. And that's what there is to do and get it while you can and good luck at it.
[hat tip: Ben]

The Web...Embraced

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:10:25 PDT

[Written at 35,000 feet - somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico]

I have finally fully embraced the web! I have come to realization that with the amount of travelling most knowledge workers theses days are expected to do there are one truth:

· Less is more

To that point, the less that we have to carry the better off we are both at the security check points and in having less to carry around.

But what is more, I have found myself on the road, spending the night at a hotel or at a client site when I need something that resides on my personal PC back inVirginia i.e. a billing statement, personal file or check book.

Over the course of the past two weeks I have moved all of my personal files to the web using Gmail as my online storage device. My collaborative calendaring is also handled through Google using Calendar. It is a great service that works in a similar fashion to an enterprise version of Microsoft's Outlook. The best feature, though, is that it will send me text messages reminding me that I need to be somewhere. I wish Google would build in a simple "To Do List" function that would eliminate the electronic Post-Its on my desktop. I also host almost all of my pictures through Facebook.

All available billing statements are set for e-delivery/e-payment. Those that I cannot pay via the web are paid by way of the automatic check processing service from Bank of America. Bank of America will automatically cut a check to the person or entity you designate and drop it in the mail for you with the person to whom you wrote the check for within three days. This service has saved me on a couple of occasions when I have been out of town when I forgot to leave out a check for rent on the apartment. Best of all - The service is free!

I have even trivialized the need for my Ipod since I have moved to Yahoo's Music Service - Launcast. What's best, I don't have to worry about charging and synching another device. Nor do I have the headache of worrying if my heard drive fails. I usually always have a high speed connection except in the airport and on the plane. As such these are the only places that I used said device. Now I have a completely customizable radio station without the worry of lugging my clunky second generation Ipod around. [I currently have Rob Thomas, Jason Miraz, Jamie Cullum, Maroon 5 and Norah Jones on heavy rotation.] There is one device that I wish I had that has some considerable "clunk" - The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones. However, I can't justify the cost right now.

I have had some interesting conversations with Sophy about how much I trust the Web and whether I trust it a little too much. I argue that the companies I have entrusted my daily productivity and data storage to (Yahoo, Google, Bank of America, etc) are not going away any time soon. She argues that she trusts none of them and she will continue to hold onto her notebooks and check books. She has a point, some of the oldest documents we have as a civilization are on papyrus. While, I respectfully disagree, I still love her, but she will just have more to carry!

Back to In an Uncertain World (it is turning out to be a very good book, even though I am in the early goings). Thanks Jeff and Ben.

Did You Even Read the Blog...?

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:32:02 PDT

This morning I received an email from a marketer that would like to "partner" with me and help me earn money while referring people to his company. I really think that sending out blind emails like the one below is pointless. He must have a response rate that is much lower than the typical direct mail response rate. Here is what he said:

Hi Travis,
Daily reader and fan of your business opportunities blog. I read it every day along with some of the other recommended blogs from your blogroll.
I wanted to ask you how you decide what to write about each day?
I ask because I work for CreditCards.com, a site to search compare and apply for credit cards online. We just launched our "partnership program" allowing website owners to earn money from approved applications. I though maybe it could be a topic you could blog about. Program Details: http://www.netfiniti.com/partners/credit-cards-com
I guess what I was thinking is that you could become a "partner" of CreditCards.com and earn money from talking about the program in your blog.
Let me know your thoughts on this.
Sincerely,
[Name Removed]Partnership Program Manager13809 Research Blvd. Suite 906Austin TX. 78726

At least he could have started his letter to me with a grammatically correct opening sentence. And let's be honest if he has been reading my blog on a daily basis, he must have been pretty dumb not to realize that there has been no new content for the better part of six months. I have had a couple marketers read one of my posts and make a comment about it. At least that is a start and a way to get my attention longer than it takes for me to scroll to the delete button!

Page Layout Issues

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:31:00 PDT

Is this page loading correctly in your browser? I am having issues getting the lists on the right sidebar to display correctly in Internet Explorer. I have no troubles in Firefox.
I have been trying to update links, freshen up the layout and displayed content of the page and I just keep having display issues in IE.

I am such a dork

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:32:58 PDT

This was first written on Friday 9/15, but until now I haven't had time to edit and post it!
I am flying back home from my second week in Jackson, Mississippi to Washington DC and I realized it was about the time that the October Atlantic Monthly should be hitting news stands. I rushedthrough security and into the magazine shop in the Jackson airport looking feverishly for the issue. I felt like a little kid rushing to the snack bar after a Little League game hoping to get a snow cone. My tastes have changed since I was eleven, but my reaction to disappointment hasn't. I had no such luck on getting the issue. I was informed it doesn't hit the news stands till Monday.
When I arrived in Washington I was driving around to get some errands done before my girlfriend, Sophy, came down from New York later that night. [Sophy and I read and discuss The Atlantic every month and sometimes it is almost a competition to see who can finish it first]
I happened to be by the local Borders and decided to poke my head in and check it out and see if, maybe on an off chance, they had stocked The Atlantic. Again, no such luck. I went and questioned the customer service rep that was stocking some other magazines as to if they had copies in stock in the backroom. She replied, "Indeed we do, but they are not shelved till Monday." I began to explain how I was traveling and wouldn't have time to get myself a copy. She was smiling at me (I felt a glimmer of hope that I may be able to get one) and probally trying to grasp why I was so desperate about getting the latest copy. I am sure that this kind of thing may happen for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, but not the Atlantic.
I can say that I was able to walk out of Borders proudly holding two copies (one for Sophy) of the October issue of The Atlantic Monthly. I felt like kid coming home after a night of trick or treating-ing holding my full sack of candy.
Who goes to these lengths you ask? - This Guy!
I promptly took out one of the many subscription cards from inside the magazine, checked the box for a two year subscription and wrote them a check so I won't have this problem again!

What was that..?

noreply@blogger.com (TMAC) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:33:55 PDT

"Whoa!"
This is what you are probably saying to yourself right now.
"Did I just see the "Odyssey of the Mind" feed go to bold? Did he really post something?"
That's right ladies and gents, my first post in who knows how long. My last post outlined at a very high level what I had dubbed the "Summer of Travis" (blatant Seinfeld mention). Well the Summer of Travis was great. Seeing friends in Boston, Philly and moving to Washington DC were all great but the first leg of my travels proved the hardest to overcome.
My time spent in the Pacific Northwest was nothing short of spectacular. Jeff was a great guide as he provided the quintessential experience. We visited the San Juan Islands, Seattle, Microsoft (I'm a geek at heart), the Public Market, the First Starbucks, Mariners game and we went to Mt Rainier. When I say we "went to Rainier" we REALLY went to it, buy climbing it - not all the way, of course, but to Moon Rocks (about 9,000 feet). Needless to say, a great time and easily the highlight of the summer.
The summer officially ended with me waking up at 4am for a flight to Chicago. Two weeks of training, one and a half weeks in DC, three clients later, I find myself in a Residence Inn in the bustling downtown of Jackson, Mississippi! While I definitely did not see myself in Jackson, Mississippi during any time in my life, I am happy to be afforded to opportunity to travel. Thank goodness because I am on the road for the next two months Jackson, Mississippi; Tulsa, Oklahoma; New York, New York and Omaha, Nebraska will all be traveled to before the end of October.
Every year (around my birthday) I engage myself in a pretty informal goal setting/self evaluation period. What went right over the past year? What went wrong? Where can I improve? What things do I want to get involved? The post Labor Day time frame has always worked well for me because that is when the hecticness of summer ends, I would have been heading back to school, it was around my birthday, etc. It just so happens it is the same time that my development plan is due for the year as well.
So where am I now (besides Mississippi) and what am I doing? Well that is partly the reason I am getting back into blogging. It helps me vet out my thoughts and understand where I stand on various topics. So look out for some of those things to become topics over the next few months.
Cheers.