Sticky Jello

Long time, no speak!

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 14:18:00 +0000

Too many things on my mind lately to write them all down. The economy and the pending lapse of our dear tax breaks, the mosque at Ground Zero, the changing of the guard at the Obama White House, the kickoff of the NFL and College Football seasons, all those damn cupcake shows on cable, the fact that my Starbucks coffee at home is tasting better than the one at the stores lately, the impact of government spending cutbacks on my business, the arrival of Fall in the next few weeks. Too much to process!

The SAT (Spatially Aware Test): Are you spatially aware?

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:36:00 +0000

Having the ability or right to do something is not the same as it being the polite or spatially aware thing to do. So many of the situations that we currently face in the US could be solved using the Spatial Awareness Test. Essentially it's a case of personal responsibility and do unto others as they would do unto you. This test can be applied to many individual situations we face during the day as well and would help to make us a more considerate society. Should I cut that guy off in traffic? Should I skip the line at the deli? Should I race ahead of that old woman to get in front of her at Starbucks? While I can and most definitely could, should I?

What is the SAT (Spatial Awareness Test)?

The SAT consists of applying the following questions to a situation. If you can answer yes to all of the following, your decision/course of action is spatially aware.

1. If this situation happened to me, my spouse or family, would I be OK with it?
2. Would I be confident enough in my decision to tell my kids and be able to explain it in a way that they would understand?
3. Would I be able to sleep soundly at night knowing how I treated that person or group?
4. Would I be willing to go on the news or be interviewed by a newspaper and proudly state my opinion of the issue?
5. Would a reasonable person who I met as a stranger on the street hear my decision/course of action and think that it was perfectly sane or consistent with normal behavior in your country?

Let's take a look at a few of the major issues in our country today and apply the SAT (Spatial Awareness Test) to them.

The Quran Burning

The First Amendment of the Constitution defends our right to public displays of protest, flag burning, free exercise of religion, etc. Seemingly, this would also protect the Dove World group's right to burn Quran's in protest this coming weekend. However, what purpose does this really serve except to enrage a group of people that otherwise would have had no knowledge of your actions? Is this a shallow attempt to build followers and publicity for this church? If so, shame on them. If not, what purpose does it serve to publicize the event other than to enrage an otherwise disengaged group of people (the large percentage of Muslims in the world) and give "bulletin board" material to Islamic extremists? Now, I would defend their right to burn the Quran but I hardly agree with them doing it.

Let us apply the SAT:

1. If a small mosque of Muslims in Florida joined together and burned the Bible, what would this church say?
2. What would their children say other than it seems silly to burn a book.
3. Seems like they might sleep soundly resting on over-zealous religious faith.
4. They have already taken to the news outlets so this would be no-go. However, they've done so as a church group, not as individuals. Would they each go on record with their name, address, etc.?
5. I would guess that there are less than .00001% of Americans who would see this activity as normal.

The Ground Zero Mosque
This is a situation that I try to work with my kids on all the time. Just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD. I will defend the rights of the Ground Zero mosque people to place their mosque there but I am absolutely in the camp that they SHOULDN'T due to the emotions, outcry and anger it has stirred up. Take the land offer from NY State and put it elsewhere. If the organizers of the GZ mosque were more spatially aware, they would move quietly elsewhere and take the high road.

Just because you CAN reach the toaster now doesn't mean you should see if your fork fits in it.

1. If we put a large Christian outreach center across the street from the Masjid al-Haram mosque in Mecca or some other venerated site, would you quietly allow it?
2. How do you handle it if your child bothers another child by teasing, poking, hitting, etc.? Would you allow it to continue by placing them in the same room or same space? Or would you separate them for a bit, let them cool down and then talk about playing nicely?
3. Not sure about this one. It seems that the organizers are getting a perverse joy by placing the mosque in this location.
4. The organizers of the GZ mosque have been very quiet about their intentions, etc. for the center given the outcry and anger while letting others stir up civil rights, racism, intolerance arguments. If they addressed the media, it may shed some light on why they are choosing this site and insisting on continuing the process.
5. Given that over 70% of Americans are against the placement, it would seem that this behavior would be considered abnormal.

Illegal Immigration

Immigration will continue to be a hot button issue for years as many Americans still identify themselves based on their heritage (ex. "I'm half Irish and half Italian" or "I'm a mutt") along with being an American as compared to most other countries who are more nationalistic in their identity. There is still a romance about America being the melting pot based on our formation as a country. This clouds the issue of Illegal Immigration as it avoids the real crux of the situation and how it effects our entire country. Just because I don't agree with Illegal Immigration doesn't mean that I hate or dislike or mistrust people from other countries. In fact, I embrace our diversity, I just want the people in our country to be here legally and to be documented as such. Let's see what the SAT would say about this situation:

1. If I illegally entered your country, siphoned jobs, resources, etc. would you tolerate me and allow me to get by without speaking your language, paying taxes, contributing to social security, etc? Would you allow me to steal documentation, educational resources, etc. without recompense?
2. If I told my kids that I was going to go to another country, take everything I needed without paying for it, what would they say?
3. First and foremost I could sleep well knowing I took care of my family but knowing that I was fleecing someone else out of the resources they've paid for wouldn't sit very well with me.
4. Would you be willing, as an illegal immigrant, to stand up and say in the press that "I'm here illegally and I'm proud of it!"? What would happen if I did that in your home country?
5. Is lurking in the shadows of society, not paying taxes, avoiding showing legitimate documentation, all considered normal? I would argue no and it seems that the majority of Americans would agree with me as well.

These are but a few examples of the SAT and how it could be applied. We as a country have become overly tolerant for fear that we offend someone or step on someone's toes. As a result it seems like those willing to flaunt that tolerance for their own gain are called victims when we find out about their chicanery.

I submit that we as a country should begin applying the SAT more regularly to our everyday lives and start taking personal responsibility to "being the change you want to see in the world" (thanks Ghandi).

Yet another bailout

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:13:00 +0000

I'm probably as confused as the rest of America this morning. How did all these super smart, freakish even, Ivy League grads screw this up so badly? Aren't they America's best and brightest on Wall Street? I'll tell you how. Hubris, greed, complete and utter ignorance to what is happening in the world, you name it.

When you start receiving pay packages north of $1M per year, things get a bit fuzzy and unclear. When $5M is the norm, prices don't even matter anymore. Past $1oM and you probably don't even consider what is happening to the price of gas in NJ let alone what the summer house in the Hamptons is going to run you for maintenance over the course of the season. Seriously, let's talk about being disconnected from reality. That's what happened to these massive, over bloated investment banks on Wall Street.

Now they are receiving bailouts for their poor performance in the fashion of either a Fed infusion or a lucrative buyout offer from BofA. Talk about the rich keeping the rich afloat. It's not about what's good for the economy at this point. While there will be painful results from this, we'll live. It's about keeping all their prep school buddies in their S550s and in the stands for the US Open. Its' about screwing the little guy again who is left holding the tax bag to help out these idiots who took too many risks and are now paying the price.

If there is one thing that I have shown in my writings on this blog, I'm all about the survival of the fittest. If your coffee sucks, you're going to lose business. If your cars suck, people will go elsewhere. Well, in finance, if your decisions suck, you should go out of business. Pay the price and hold yourselves accountable dammit!

Can we all just look at the glass as half full for a bit?

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:37:00 +0000

I must agree. Most of the stories you read are gloom and doom out there. It's pretty bad when everywhere you turn, there is a picture of a line at the bank, $5.00 gas, a foreclosure sign, filthy jalapenos, etc. It's getting a bit ridiculous and seemingly only getting worse if you believe the prophets of doom in the media. I say ENOUGH!

Let's look at the positives that we get to experience every day:

We get to live in the best country in the world, hands down. Although with less Starbucks on every corner, we're just not as caffeinated.
The bowel pains from salmonella will help remind you to watch what you eat.
We get to experience freedom like nowhere else. Let's give it up for EZ-Pass!
We'll all be in much better shape as a result of biking and walking everywhere since we can't afford to fill our SUVs.
Fear, mistrust, self-loathing is all a state of mind. Stay positive about the stock market and invest now instead of selling off! Fortunes are made in recessions....by people with more money than you.
We are much better off than our forefathers were 50 years ago. I mean they didn't even have blogs to tell us what to think.
The internet provides every potentially laid off worker an outlet to make money from home. From Ebay to WOW to Second Life, the possibilities are endless.
Once this down period is over, it can only get better! Think of the good times ahead! Now I'm not saying put it all on plastic to pay it off later but we're not as far away as you might think.

Seriously though, I think that a little positive attitude will really help this country get its act back on track. We haven't had a crisis like this in 25 years where we need to band together, show some grit and remind the world who we are! It's time to remember that we are the big dog on the block and not some sniveling little bichon frise that we've been acting like for the last 4 years.

The salvation of Freddie and Fannie

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 13:57:00 +0000

What else do we need to do at this point to bolster our fledgling economy. This morning's move by the Treasury and the Fed to save the two large mortgage giants is just another tiny step to fixing what's wrong with the system right now. Granted, stricter lending requirements and more oversight into the secondary credit markets will help in the long run, but let's face it, rules were meant to be bent and broken.

Regardless of what is done to fix the problem now, it will only breed a new level of creativity from shyster brokers and credit lenders. We have to correct the problem, not the symptom. If I'm Dan Mudd from Fannie Mae and this is how my ineptitude and complete ignorance of a problem is rewarded, why am I going to change? If I keep printing money for myself and the other executives while getting a handout from the government to prop my failing business model back up on wobbly legs; why bother doing it differently?

Maybe it's time to send a message to this whole industry. There is no safety net or security blanket. You have to make your business work or it will fail. Along with that, many people will go broke and have misery thrust upon their lives. When faced with adversity, it's either sink or swim and now is the time for some adversity in the American public. A panacea bailout is not the solution.

Alright dammit, back to blogging!

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:51:00 +0000

Well, I've been a bad blog friend. You had me for a few months on a weekly basis and then, BAM! I take a month off just after I promised that I was back. This time I truly am.

Let's review what's happened since I last wrote. The economy is still tanking, houses are still foreclosing, Starbucks still can't sell coffee to caffeine addicted worker bees, oil is still hovering near $20000 a barrel, gas is still overpriced, people are still stupid and we're still only a few months from being more like France and Canada then we ever thought we'd be. So what do I have to write about that's new and novel?

How about the new iPhone that effectively screws all the previous owners by selling at 1/2 the price with three times the speed? How about the Tampa Bay Devil Rays who are shocking the baseball world? What about my hometown Celtics finally winning #17? Nope, I want to talk common sense.

What is America doing with all it's new found wealth (our lucrative tax rebates...) in the last few weeks? Spending it to stimulate the economy? Saving it to stave off future debt? Paying off high interest credit cards? No! They are basically handing it over to Big Oil and the rest of the fossil establishment. They're paying more for food, clothing and getting to work than they ever have! While a tax rebate is nice, wasn't this just a correction for how bad everything has been screwed up in the economy lately?

My common sense thought of the day is this. First the question, what can we all do to lower the impact of fuel costs on our lives? Stop eating so much! Stop driving so much! Stay home with your family and get to know them! Work from home if you can! Stop driving your Humvees and SUVs one mile to the post office! Send an email, not a posted mail! Send a message that we don't need as much as we're currently consuming and watch the prices fall. Simplicity is king in life and if you don't have it, get some.

Back in the house!

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Wed, 28 May 2008 20:22:00 +0000

Well it's been a crazy couple of weeks here in Sticky Jello world but now its back to the task at hand! Good current event satire.... I'd like to think of myself more as an astute media observer but I keep getting hung up on "astute". That being said, today is more of a personal post.

The family and I are gearing up for a big operation for our son this Friday and that has really captured the majority of our focus. It really makes you prioritize things in your life quite myopically. I don't want to say that work, hobbies, etc. have taken a back seat but I don't think about them nearly as much as what my son is going to endure the next few weeks.

How do you cope with this 24/7 world when someone you love is in crisis? What is the first thing that you cut out? The last?

Consumers are leaving in droves!

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Thu, 08 May 2008 13:10:00 +0000

What are we going to do? First we give everyone a tax rebate, then all the market sages say "Save it, don't spend it!", then consumer spending drops. Go figure!

The vast majority of the US populace knows the equivalent of nothing about economics. Any advice that is given to them is going to be followed, at least half the time. Everyone is talking about a recession, high gas prices, mortgage failures, so everyone is buckling down. When it costs more than a year's tuition at Yale to buy gas to go to Walmart, is it any surprise that people aren't spending money?

What I would look for with all this economic goodness is an increase in online spending (correlated with a significant rise in shipping costs) as consumers look for alternative ways to shop.

The larger issue is that we have to come to grips with the fact that this isn't going away. Our dollar is cheap, goods are expensive and life is harder right now. Life on a budget isn't fun and America is finally learning this fact.

Join the smoking club? Get some!

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:31:00 +0000

Just released, if you ever smoked a cigarette in Florida, regardless of whether or not you knew it was bad for you despite ALL of the information available, you can get a slice of $600M! Is it just me or is this litigious group getting a bit out of hand? One suit after another for cigarette smoking, french fries, trans fats, etc. Get a clue people!

What happened to the adage, "Too much of a good thing is bad?" or "Everything in moderation" as governors for our habits or ingestions? I'm tired of our society blaming others for their misfortune or better yet, their STUPIDITY! Mortgage bailouts, welfare, lawsuits for cigarette smoking, illegal immigrant allowances, ENOUGH already.

America has always been the land of opportunity and a place where its citizens can make a better life for themselves. We have turned into a socialist society where if you don't want to get off the couch or don't want to pay your mortgage, no problem, here's some cash. Start smoking because you somehow, with myriad pamphlets, commercials, studies etc. telling you how bad it is, lit one up, no problem, here's some cash. Eat French Fries every day because you somehow thought they were a vegetable, no problem, here's some cash. Cross into our country illegally and expect free health care without paying taxes, no problem, here's some amnesty.

It's time that we start to change our society back to what made us so successful in the first place, a capitalistic society. One where people work hard and save money. Where people are expected to take care of themselves and their families first before looking to the government.

We have been corrupted enough and I for one am sick of it. How about you?

We need a hero!

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:03:00 +0000

I can't tell you how humdrum the world is sounding these days. Food prices at all time highs, oil / gas price spikes, recession, housing slumps, credit markets down, the Yankees are only .500, candidate verbal sparring, all of these things just make you want to look inwardly and find a happy place to hide in for a couple of years.

We need a hero dammit! And what do you know, a potential figure just landed in Maryland. He wears a costume, speaks multiple languages, holds sway over an army of followers, that's right folks. The Pope! Who cares if you're not Catholic or you think the dogma of the church is dated? Just because you're jaded from the touchy-feely priest scandals or collusion with the Germans in WWII or the fact that they have more money than most African countries, doesn't mean we should turn our back on our friend Benny.

He's here to help folks. Benny's going to unify us in more ways than one. Some of you will be unified in your piety. Others will be unified in your hatred of what he stands for. Regardless of what impact he has, he'll get you all focused on something other than the current noise in the news. The arrival of a Pope in America has a galvanizing effect on our populace and brings out the right type of conversations. It elicits thoughts about higher powers and belief systems (and no, I don't mean Google and Facebook).

So take a moment today and reflect on how the Pope can help you escape from the drudgery of current events. Let him be your hero for the next few days as he spreads his message around the US.

Boo MicroHoo

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 12:56:00 +0000

Alright already folks! Enough with the posturing and the dancing. Let's just end it. What do you all think about that? The folks at Google must be laughing behind closed doors while eating their catered lunches. This is making you both look like immature freshmen.

I understand that there is a mating ritual to these large deals and something like this is somewhat unprecedented in the software world but please! End the squabble already.

As a completely uninvolved outside observer, this is like watching two novices trying to bluff each other at a World Series of Poker entry tournament at a Native American casino.

Only so many new ideas?

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:16:00 +0000

I have to disagree with Jim Romanesko's comment today about the MyStarbucksIdea site. He said, "I think that's going to be one of their problems ... and something my readers have noticed: It's become redundant after three weeks. There are only so many good ideas." Jim, have you ever realized how definitive statements like these typically get thrown back in your face in the not too distant future?

Just because there is a lack of originality on this board, having the opportunity to interact with thousands of customers directly is a huge advantage/opportunity for Starbucks. Facebook, CNN, Google, Microsoft, Krispy Kreme, all of these entities were formed by a single idea that generated at a point in time. If we had just ignored all of these ideas because they weren't included in the first three weeks of a brainstorming session with ten thousand of your closest friends, where would we be?

I say, leave the board up and more often than not, a good, if not great, idea will surface periodically. If nothing else, customers who feel they have a voice with the companies they conduct commerce with have been shown to be far more loyal than not.

Let's give it more than 3 weeks before we label this valiant effort by the folks in Seattle as "redundant".

You can read more from Jim at his Starbucks Gossip blog.

Is this high school?

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:06:00 +0000

You can all remember back to high school when to that guy in high school who was so infatuated with some girl and he spent all day talking about her. He'd talk about how cool she was and how cute she was. Then he'd talk to his friends about her and find out what she liked and what kind of music she was into. He'd start to hang around her lunch table and get to know her friends and do nice things for her. Then he'd start to "be friends" with that girl and try to impress her with how cool he was.

She would think "Wow, this guy is really nice". What a great guy and he seems like a great friend! I never really knew him for what he is. He seems smart and intellectual, worldly and funny. I'm really glad that I listened to all of my friends and finally paid attention to him. I hope he asks me out....

Well, then the guy finally works up the nerve to ask her out, and she says, "let's just go for a movie and see what happens". The guy pulls out all the stops, not sparing a dime to try to impress her. He even buys a large popcorn and her own soda!

The date goes swimmingly and then.....one day goes by, and nothing happens. Then two days. A week. Neither one calls the other because they're afraid of what could happen. They pass in the hall and make awkward glances. People whisper, "What happened? They were so into each other!" And sooner or later, the flame dies and people move on.

Are you both still living in High School MicroHoo or are you just going to make it happen???

Best Speaker

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 20:42:00 +0000

I have to report back that I performed admirably last night during my "Enhance your speech with gestures" lesson at Toastmasters. So much so that I won Best Speaker. I can honestly say that getting involved with TM is one of the best personal investments I've ever made.

If you or someone you love has trouble presenting, speaking on the spot or just socializing, I can't recommend investigating a local club enough. Our local Loudoun Toastmasters crew is welcoming, very helpful with their constructive feedback and most importantly, a lot of fun.

Let me know if I can help out with recommendations or questions if you're interested in finding a local club.

See you all on Monday!

Nothing new today

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 19:24:00 +0000

I'm working on my fifth Toastmasters speech tonight. Wish me luck everyone! Halfway to my CTM.

Are you receding?

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:08:00 +0000

While the global economic focus is on the US and our impending downturn, I wanted to see how my scarce readers were doing individually? How is this "recession" impacting you? Are you spending less? Monitoring your accounts more regularly?

I personally don't pay too much attention to it right now as I can't control it. I have a good job, a solid economic footing and finally got rid of my gas-guzzling SUV. Overall, things are fairly status quo. I do know that there are a lot of folks not in that same situation and was curious how it was impacting them.

There are the standard ways to belt-tighten in this go-round of economic madness but this time the overriding factors do cause more concern than normal. For instance, gas is extremely pricey, the technology tax we each face is dear each month (cell phones, cable, etc.), the dollar should be called a peso and even rice is at an all time high. Where do you begin to cut in order to make up some ground?

Just curious.

BTW, Happy April Fool's Day.

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:48:00 +0000

No tired pranks here or malicious misinformation. Just good wishes and may you be loved enough for someone to want to prank you. :)

Is work really that hard?

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 17:42:00 +0000

I often run into situations where if a person had put just a little effort into solving a problem, it would've been fixed instead of languishing unsolved. Every day though I hear colleagues say, "I'm too busy to deal with that" or "I would if I had the time". What is so difficult with work anyway?

What do you find difficult about work? Why?

What have you done lately to think about fixing that problem?

Did you follow through on your suppositions?

I'm willing to bet that even though you may be a terrible organizer (like me), or a distracted info junkie (like me), you can still make a lot of stuff happen in a short amount of time and boost your personal productivity.

Rare times indeed

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:17:00 +0000

The NCAA tourney results from this past weekend got me thinking. How often do the best companies deliver the goods when it really counts? For those of you that missed it, all four No. 1 seeds made it to the Final Four for the first time in the 30 year history of the tournament. This is quite a testament to all the other teams that rose up, played beyond their talent, skill, etc. and knocked them off along the way.

Just because your company is a No. 1 seed doesn't give you a pass all the way to the promised land. You still need to wake up every morning, stay focused, work extremely hard and also get a little bit lucky (yes, I'm referring to you Kansas!) to stay No. 1.

Many companies have forgotten this recently and have paid the price for it. Big name brands like Motorola, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, and even Google lost their focus and grit and are now paying the price by being nipped at the heels by underdogs.

Can this be said about your company? Are you currently in a market leader spot and untested? What would happen if you were tested by an upstart that had drive, determination and "good enough" talent? Could your team deliver the goods?

Linked In Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:04:00 +0000

If you're like me, you have a drive to know a lot of people through networking. I personally try to hit 1-2 industry / social events per week to get to know peers in my region. My favorite tool for online networking is Linked In. I've been amazed to see who I'm one degree away from.

I wanted to give all of you Linked In novices a couple of tips to get the most out of your experience and leverage it to build your contact base.

1) Set up a complete profile - The more items in your profile, the more accessible you will be to people searching for "X". Whether it is school, past employers, technologies, groups, etc. their AI will help to pair you up with people you used to know.

2) Load your contacts - Dumping your contacts into LI will allow the application to do a lot of the heavy lifting for you. You'll be surprised at who you already know.

3) Write personal invitation letters - The people you want to link in with may not remember you so a personal note with the invitation goes a long way. It also helps to have a photo in your profile.

4) Write personalized thank you letters! - This little bit of civility goes a long way the next time you ask for recommendations, introductions, etc. You'd thank someone for their time and say "Nice to meet you!" if you met them at a reception wouldn't you?

5) Write recommendations for others - The first rule of networking is never ask your contacts for something first. Do something nice for them and recommend them! This a very powerful tool for staying top of mind, relevant and to build a very positive online brand.

6) Pass along introductions - If someone asks you to introduce them to a contact, first read their profile and if you feel comfortable, pass them along to who they asked. Good things come back to those who help!

7) Join Groups - This was a puzzler for me when I first joined but a simple solution was to just click on the Group logo and you can ask to be a member. Only join Groups that you feel you can contribute content to but it is a great way to meet people with similar interests.

8) Don't be afraid to ask - Business people of all levels use LI and the only way to link with them is to ask. See Rules #3 & #4 above when dealing with execs but you never know unless you ask. They will be getting something out of your contacts as well.

9) Politely decline when you don't want to connect - Bad karma travels fast in the online space and you can get blackballed pretty quickly if you're just not a nice person.

10) Answer Questions - This is a great way to build your online reputation and get to know people on LI. Answer a lot of questions and you'll get a ton of invitations by like-minded individuals with huge amounts of contacts for your network.

Best of luck all and if you want to Link In with me, check the link on the right. Happy networking!

Daily stressors?

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 18:53:00 +0000

How do you deal with daily stressors? What tricks do you use to calm yourself back down?

Here are a few ways that I try:

1> Go for a walk about around the building.
2> Shut the lights and take a mini-snooze.
3> Walk to my car and blare the radio for 10 minutes.
4> Coffee break. The ritual of stirring my Splenda laced beverage calms me regardless of caffeine.
5> Hit the gym. If I have a longer break in my schedule and I can get away, a 20 minute circuit workout will cause me to relax.
6> Minesweeper. An oldie but a goodie to phase out for a bit.
7> Read the bbc.co.uk. Always a good humanitarian story or two to make you realize there are other sad saps out there.
8> Cube chat. Find a work friend and vent for a bit about something other than what you're stressing about.
9> Daydream about starting a business and striking it rich. While coming back to Earth sucks, it's a nice diversion.
10> Lastly, switch gears. Start a different project and put the current one on hold.

The Coffee Wars: Coke vs. Pepsi Redux?

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:02:00 +0000

As a coffee aficionado, I've watched with keen interest the battle between Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts over the last number of years. The competitive pressures that they have placed on each other has been great for consumers but not so great for stockholders of SBUX. That being said, I'm torn as to where to put my allegiance.

It seems as if I'm being forced to choose a side as a customer. SBUX has always been perceived as the high-brow, espresso pouring, intellectual big brother to DD's middle-class, approachable, large-regular coffees. However, with the advent of latte's and other pseudo barista-like drinks, DD encroached upon SBUX's turf with the subtlety of a bull in a china shop.

Now, I grew up in New England and it was almost viewed as heretical to select SBUX for your morning coffee. It was and is part of the culture of the region. Legions of commuters, both train, car and boat, make Dunkies their first stop of every day. I was one of them for a very long time and still think fondly of my hot cups back then. Then I began to travel the US, and confound it, I couldn't find DD on my morning commute to a customer site or remote office. There weren't 75 different stops that I could feasibly make depending on the lines. I had to resort to *GASP* Starbucks.

And you know, it was good! Real good! I couldn't believe that somebody other than Dunkies could make coffee taste so good. I was hooked. Well, try finding a Starbucks in New England 7 years ago. You would've had better luck finding a Bostonian who pronounced his R's. I went through withdrawals and couldn't wait to go on my next business trip to find a venti cup of Verona or Gold Coast. I struggled through my morning rituals until the boys and girls from Seattle finally made a big push into the Northeast and started taking up some real estate.

Fast forward to the present and I'm being forced again to make a similar choice. I still love my morning coffee (although I drink the Starbucks at work) and I still prefer my Komodo Dragon over a regular from DD's but if I want to take my son for a donut, I feel like I have made a conscious decision to "dumb myself down" and go to Dunkies.

The brand wars between the two java giants are taking the wrong approach in my opinion. Coke vs. Pepsi was one of the great brand wars of all time and made consumers decide on choice. The brand recognition for both was extremely high and you could argue that both benefitted greatly from the publicity. Why take the choice to an intelligence or sophistication place? Can't I have a high degree of culture and still enjoy a hazelnut coffee and jelly donut now and then? Can't I enjoy a venti cup of bold coffee without being viewed as a stuck up snob?

Consumers shouldn't be made to feel embarrassed about the coffee choice they make. They should only be made to feel welcome and satisfied with the hot, steamy cup of caffeinated goodness in front of them.

Where do you go for your java in the morning? Why?

Is that my Face????Book?

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:25:00 +0000

After a security breach opened up personal photos on Facebook, it has left many users questioning the security of online social networking sites. About a month ago, I posted an entry called Social Copycats where I talked about users stealing online profiles. Perhaps this could be a burgeoning form of identity theft.

First I'll steal their professional identities by aping their online profiles and then I'll find additional personal info on Facebook and MySpace. Then, I'll truly become them! There can only be one Derek Tomlinson! (Kudos to the Highlander movie series)

Seriously though, what's next? Are we going to have a bunch of Zeligs stalking around trying to imitate people as their form of making a living? How do you combat this and still stay socially relevant in today's world?

It's almost anti-semantic web to reduce our footprints in the netherspace but we need to have more stringent controls over social information that we are posting out on the web just like we have for our financial information. Currently, it's "Poster Beware" similar to our well-known caveat emptor in commercial situations. I'd like to see one of the big social networking sites come out with more advanced security controls and lead the way in this initiative. Any thoughts?

Tough summer job market

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:30:00 +0000

For those of my readers that have teenagers, it could be a tight summer market for jobs. According to MSNBC, the economy is really stretching small business owners for labor costs and additional headcount to handle the summer rush. Waiting until the summer to search is not an option and the motto, "the sooner, the better" is very cogent advice.

That being said, there is always another option: start your own business. For teens who have an enterprising streak, starting their own business is perfect preparation for their budding professional lives. Prospective employers will no doubt be impressed with the entrepreneurship, management, sales and marketing skills that go hand-in-hand with a new business.

During high school, myself and two friends had a window-washing business and I can say it was the most profitable and best experience I had during summer work times. I learned a ton, had a great time, managed myself essentially and had a great story to tell during interviews.

If you are further looking to separate yourself from the herd later on during interview sessions at your college, start your own business and make your mark now. Perhaps it will be you that is interviewing for open positions at your company.

How DO you focus today and tomorrow? 5 Options for coping

noreply@blogger.com (Derek Tomlinson) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:20:00 +0000

Well today kicks off the largest productivity drain in American business. More eyeballs will be off of work today than all the collective Solitaire games played combined in a year. The NCAA tourney. I'm in a pool (of my creation) but that's it as I do have a lot of things to get done. However, I know that a large majority of people in my company and others will be tuned in elsewhere.

How do you get your teams to focus today?

What else can be done to keep people away from ESPN every 10 minutes?

I propose a few solutions for nervous business owners:

1) An offsite in the Yukon territory. Not only will your people be disconnected from the games, they'll also be far enough away from civilization that the need to watch college basketball will be far outweighed by the desire for indoor plumbing.

2) All day Firedrills. While not effective to keep people productive, it does reduce the drain on network resources for the executives who want to keep an eye on the streaming video of the games.

3) Unplug the power. Invite your team to "Work like we used to!" and force them to huddle around windows and the emergency lighting to review mimeograph copies of ledger entries.

4) Draconian Network Shutdown. Only allow your employees to send outgoing email, access the internet site http://www.greenpeace.org/, and shut off all telephony. This will enhance productivity and only slightly enrage the resources you hold dear.

5) Lastly, just give in. Face it. Your people are going to find a way to watch the games, manage their brackets, go on extended liquid lunches and completely ignore work for the next two days. As Agent Smith in the Matrix said, "That, is the sound of inevitability."