| |
Home
TOWARD THE FOUNDERS' GOALS:
NEWS:
RESOURCES:
WEBLOGS:
GOOD DESIGN:
BOOKS:
WIRELESS:
BANDWIDTH:
QUALITY:
INVESTING:
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
| |
 |
Saturday, July 20, 2002 |
RELOCATION NOTICE - WE'RE MOVING!
This may not work, but assuming it does, you need to change your bookmarks, favorites and blogrolls. It is 11:50pm CDT on Saturday, July 20, 2002. If all goes well, this site will be relocated within the next few hours.
This weblog is leaving http://radio.weblogs.com/0100740/.
Look for it at: http://www.rodentregatta.com/
Thanks, Steve Pilgrim
11:51:31 PM 
|
|
WHEN THINGS OF INTEREST COME TO ME VIA DAYPOP
I always wonder where they originated. As I understand it, Daypop ranks the top 40 posts to weblogs based upon how often the posts are read or linked to or something. This implied that if something begins to run up the charts at Daypop, a bunch of weblogs are covering or repeating the item. Yet, I can't find where I missed this one in the weblogs I read today. It's no big deal. I continue to try to figure out how all these weblogs align with (and against) each other.
This was worth reading, though, and none of the weblogs I read today picked it up.
Poynter.org - The ABCs and XYZs of Weblogs [Daypop Top 40]
9:36:48 PM
|
|
A NIGHT AT THE BALLPARK
The Memphis Redbirds play the Tacoma Raniers in AAA baseball tonight at Autozone Park. We're taking the night to regroup with friends, family and the hot dogs.
9:30pm Update - A muggy night for baseball in Memphis. Redbirds won in 8th with a single by the DH with one man on, two outs and a full count.
4:10:22 PM
|
|
KEEP THEM COMING
It's great that the web lets you learn from the pro's in so many fields
Is it sharp or not? I've started posting images from my Nikon Coolpix 5700. I've now shot about 500 images. When everything goes well, the camera is awesome. It does take some getting used to the focus and manual settings, though. I'm still learning about the camera and probably will be for years. But, right out of the box you can see that it makes pretty darn nice and clear images. All of the images posted so far are unretouched images straight off of the camera. I think in the few hundred images I've posted so far you'll see a good range of different types of subjects. You'll also see that I used flash a lot (I bought a new Nikon SB-50DX flash that is pretty nice). [Scobleizer Radio Weblog]
10:05:22 AM
|
|
A REAL ESTATE OR HOUSING BUBBLE?
John Robb: "The gain in homes over the next decade will make your head spin." [Scripting News]
Andrew is liberal in some ways that I cannot begin to fathom, but in personal finance and money management, he's been rock solid for an awfully long time. Take a look at Andrew Tobias's notions. Here's an excerpt.
Andrew Tobias: I get The Van Eck-Tillman Real Estate And Bank Letter, billed as “Adrian Van Eck’s Confidential Letter On The One-Half of U.S. Wealth in Real Estate” ($90 a year, call 800-219-1333). From its June 6 letter:
From coast to coast, the American real estate bubble has been puffing up ever more dangerously in the past 30 days. My gosh, when I think about the several boom-and-bust cycles I have observed and reported on in the past 40 years, I wonder just how high this one can go and how much longer it can last before it begins to come apart. When it will end is still hidden from us mortals. But the fact that it will end and end badly cannot be in doubt or dispute.
8:58:25 AM
|
|
Will Rogers. "Ancient Rome declined because it had a Senate; now what's going to happen to us with both a Senate and a House?" [Quotes of the Day]
8:36:59 AM
|
|
WERE THEY IRATE BEFORE THE CALL?
Can this be right, "it took the computer company more than two years to track down and fix the problem?"
Wrong Phone Number Costs Gateway. PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) -- Computer giant Gateway Inc. has been hit with a $3.6 million jury verdict for a wrong number that flooded another company's toll-free telephone line with calls from thousands of angry Gateway customers. By The Associated Press. [New York Times: Technology]
8:31:27 AM
|
|
REFLECTION
My military ambition. Not so long ago -- in response to my throwaway remark that the German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn looks like a Panzer commander -- someone commented: [Jonathon Delacour]
8:22:59 AM
|
|
|
Friday, July 19, 2002 |
WE'VE SPENT THE LAST COUPLE OF DECADES
Where have all the leaders gone?
tearing down the command-and-control thinking that won two world wars and built a prosperous nation. In our zeal to rid ourselves of tyrants in leadership positions, we also ridded ourselves of many benevolent dictators who could build strong businesses.
We replaced them with pop-psychology management thinking that, while often sound in theory, is difficult to put into practice. Poorly practiced these fads or leadership-by-bestseller concepts lead to some horrible failures. Drucker, Deming, Juran and others had it right. In far too many places, we simply missed it or we allowed endless government intrusion to sap the optimism of our business leaders! Lately, we value style over substance.
The talent myth. I couldn't help being reminded of the steady deterioration in corporate and political leadership over the last twenty years while reading The Talent Myth, Malcolm [Jonathon Delacour]
10:45:02 PM
|
|
DOES YOUR BUSINESS HAVE A SURVIVAL STRATEGY?
Does your management team know how to develop one?
"There is nothing in sight that will provide an impetus for a spike in growth,'' writes economist William Dunkelberg in his midyear scan of the small business horizon. Call this the desert island economy. As you do all you can to survive, each day brings renewed hope of recovery. Are you going to let the media's mood determine your business success? # [John Henry on Business]
10:29:33 PM
|
|
SPECIALIZATION
Niche market sparks an unlikely franchise - charged up with unusual power. Call it the mother of all narrow-retailing concepts. It's one-stop battery shopping, with batteries for everything from automobiles, RVs and lawnmowers to electric razors, remote controls, camping lanterns, smoke detectors and backup power systems for hospitals and other institutions. That's a unique a gimmick. What's yours? # [John Henry on Business]
10:21:28 PM
|
|
AN OPEN LETTER TO INVESTORS
BROOMFIELD, Colo., July 19, 2002 - The following statement can be attributed to James Q. Crowe, chief executive officer of Level 3 Communications, Inc.(Nasdaq:LVLT):
Read the statement. It clarifies this.
4:50:13 PM
|
|
THIS SEEMS LIKE A VERY SENSIBLE APPROACH
for evaluating knowledge management tools as they might be applied in small organizations. We also do some small business consulting and advisory work and our clients want a tool, but often lack the disciplines to use them well. Terry says this, "But Radio is still a lot closer to reaching the mythical Zero Contribution Barrier that I believe is critical to any long-term KM success."
Radio vs. Traction -- A Personal View. Jim McGee asked, so I thought I'd try to find an answer. [Blunt Force Trauma]
3:21:49 PM
|
|
A DECENT SUMMARY OF AN EARNINGS CONFERENCE CALL
Although "backed by Warren Buffett" seems a bit of overstatement
Level 3 Posts Smaller Second - Quarter Loss. PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Level 3 Communications Inc. (LVLT.O), the high-speed communications company backed by investor Warren Buffett, on Thursday posted a smaller-than-expected second-quarter loss but warned it saw mixed signals for a rebound in sales. By Reuters. [New York Times: Technology]
9:34:23 AM
|
|
John Ruskin. "In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: They must be fit for it: They must not do too much of it: And they must have a sense of success in it." [Motivational Quotes of the Day]
8:23:46 AM
|
|
|
Thursday, July 18, 2002 |
I SUPPOSE THIS IS ALL VERY IMPORTANT
I just don't recall covering this in any of our 29 lessons.
No tables for Lycos. Lycos Europe will be moving to a new design that validates as XHTML 1.0 Transitional and uses CSS for layout.... [Buzz]
4:45:15 PM
|
|
IF DESIGN DID NOT MATTER...
airlines wouldn't spend so much painting airplanes. Politicians wouldn't spend so much on banners, handbills and signs. Companies wouldn't spend so much on corporate identity packages. Imagine the cost of changing a logo or color at a place like Federal Express.
I'm confident that part of what draws me into a weblog or web site is the design. I know good design when I see it, but I surely do wish I could create it!
Why to build your own template. During a spell of blogsurfing yesterday, I repeatedly ran across links to Paul Andrews’s blog. The other end of one such link spurred me to do what Jonathon Delacour calls “fossicking around” in the blog archives. Only then did I... [Caveat Lector]
4:39:18 PM
|
|
MORE RESOURCES FROM MERYL
Free XHTML and CSS Courses. Yes, Virginia, there are still good stuf available for *free* on the 'net. Latest is the Westciv Self-paced Course on HTML 4.0 and XHTML for CSS. Sounds like they'll be [meryl's notes]
3:57:09 PM
|
|
A DIFFERENT APPROACH TO BLOGROLLING
Linkless. I just dropped the [Links] section on the navigation bar for this site. I went in to drop BurningBird and looked over the list and realized how out of date it was. Too much work to keep it up to date so now I am just gonna let Google do the work, with the addition of the "related sites" link under [misc]. [BitWorking]
6:19:29 AM
|
|
CANON APPEARS TO HAVE FARED WELL HERE
TIPA awards 2002-2003. TIPA (Technical Image Press Association) has announced the results for 'Best Photo Products in Europe' from the European Photo & Imaging Awards 2002-2003. Best Digital Prosumer camera went to the Olympus... [Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)]
6:06:30 AM
|
|
CLEVER ADS ALONE WON'T 'SWITCH' THE CRITICAL MASSES
Apple needs the Unix switchers and a software switching incentive for Windows users
In Midst of a PC Slump, Apple Still Aims for Growth. A prosperous future for Apple depends on persuading legions of personal computer users to switch from Microsoft Windows to Apple's Macintosh technology. By Steve Lohr. [New York Times: Technology]
5:58:57 AM
|
|
|
Wednesday, July 17, 2002 |
STORIES LIKE THIS ONE
strike some kind of vigilante justice nerve somewhere within me. Prosecution seems too good for one who would do this sort of stuff. Anyone with children must know the sickening feeling Rob mentions.
Sick individual. Furious. That's how I feel right now. A man kidnaps a five year old girl and kills her. The police had better find him before the general public does, otherwise there may not be much of him left to prosecute. Sickening, just sickening. [Rob Fahrni, at the core.]
9:48:50 PM
|
|
IN THE EARLY 1980'S
I worked with some AT&T products that were thought of as the 'first' convergence of the phone and personal computer. They were, of course, built on Unix. I was impressed at the serious power that was obvious in Unix as contrasted to whatever version of DOS we had at the time.
Now, I see Apple. They have found Unix and Unix has found them. I really want them to be successful. I'm a Windows user. I will probably remain a Windows user for the next 24-36 months. Sometimes, when I see stuff like this, I wonder if we've really advanced much at all beyond DOS.
Diamond Icons, Leopard-Skin Frames: Dressing Up Windows XP. SkinStudio XP, a Windows XP version of the WindowBlinds program made by the Stardock Corporation, can change the look of dialog boxes, windows and other visual features of the operating system. By J.d. Biersdorfer. [New York Times: Technology]
9:41:12 PM
|
|
WE MAY NOT BE WOWED BY THE DELIVERY, BUT THE WORDS RESONATE
He's done it again only better!
Greenspan Coins a New Phrase. The man who gave us "irrational exuberance" is back, with a phrase that sums up the late 1990's even better than that one did. "Infectious greed." By Floyd Norris. [New York Times: Business]
9:32:18 PM
|
|
WHILE THERE IS EXCELLENT POLITICAL PUNDITRY
Keep an eye on the comments to this post; things might get interesting
as someone attempts to gain notoriety!
in these links, I have to admit that part of my fascination with some of the high-traffic bloggers has to do with their site designs. You see, I'm trying to inch closer to the renaming of this weblog and its move to a new domain. Ideas seem to flood in when reading all of these non-techie weblogs.
IS IT POSSIBLE FOR LIBERALISM TO BE RIGHT EVEN IF KATIE COURIC ISN'T? Mickey Kaus dares to ask the question, as he notes that Ann Coulter was right about the "airhead" issue. Plus, Jack Shafer zeroes in on hypocritical crony capitalism by The New York Times.
I have to say, I find the "airhead" controversy even less enlightening than the "trifecta" controversy. But hey, I'm on vacation, so this stuff seems less important to me than usual.
The Times story is likely to have legs, though, and illustrates why it's going to be harder than many pundits think for the left to pillory Bush and the Republicans for financial chicanery -- the left sold its financial soul long ago. They're down to trading puts and calls on it now.
UPDATE: If you're less bored with the "trifecta" story than I am (like, you know, if you're not on vacation) Brendan Nyhan has an update over at SpinSanity.Com. I have to say, I find the Al Gore trifecta story the funniest part of this whole long-running affair. [InstaPundit]
9:21:48 PM
|
|
COULD A STORY BE MORE WRONG?
This story is so wrong. First, the headline makes one think Level 3 is either considering the adoption of or re-evaluating its existing stock option plan. The second sentence is correct. Level 3 has had (from its beginnings) an "outperform" stock option plan in which options have been expensed at the time of the award.
The latest press release simply clarifies the proxy. The bottom line involves connecting a few dots. Level 3 recently sold $500 million worth of convertible bonds to three institutions. The cash was earmarked for general corporate purposes including the acquisitions of assets while the telecom industry is going through consolidation. What better time to make sure you are able to retain the talent and know-how that is needed to ramp up the network with new customers and increased traffic!
The best way to use the mainstream press is with the Internet. Let a story headline direct you to a company's press release or announcement. Facts from the horses mouth are better than Associated Press news feeds.
Level 3 Looks at Stock - Option Plan. BROOMFIELD, Colo. (AP) -- Level 3 Communications Inc. wants to amend its stock-option plan to provide incentives for employees and owners. By The Associated Press. [New York Times: Technology]
8:48:15 AM
|
|
Alvin Toffler. "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." [Quotes of the Day]
(me thinks he never saw Radio templates, macros and HTML)
8:20:37 AM
|
|
|
Tuesday, July 16, 2002 |
MORE ON HTML
Fixing Your(tm) Web Site with Dr. HTML.  Fixing Yourtm Web Site with Dr. HTML
One of the goals of this site is to provide you with tools to help you fix your Web site.
It's not easy to take a Web site that's underperforming and make it better. There are aesthetic issues, marketing issues and, most importantly, technical issues. That's where Doctor HTML can come in to help. You can't fix the technical issues if you don't know what they are.
[Web Pages That Suck -- Examples of Bad Web Design]
10:46:15 PM
|
|
FIGHTING OFF THE SALES SLUMP
For many small businesses, the summer months mean a sales slowdown. New prospects become hard to locate, and current deals become: "I'll have to think it over" or "I'll get back to you in a week or two." How do you handle that? Here are a few pointers, which can help. [John Henry on Business]
10:42:27 PM
|
|
START DECORATING THE CAKE
at Fireland. You can get world reaction here. I don't know either of these people, but I've often wondered if Joshua Allen is related in any way to Dean Allen. (This is probably another of those all over the board posts, but both Joshua and Dean are terrific designers.) Anyhow, I wish Joshua and Alexis all the best.
3:38:55 PM
|
|
ANOTHER LOSS
So Long, and thanks for all the posts. What a marvelous party this has been, and what wonderful people I've met, but it's time, and past, for me to move on. This posting will be Burningbird's last. I wasn't sure how to close the weblog down. [Burningbird]
2:08:12 PM
|
|
IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME
Human nature often says, "make up some facts!"
It's funny how the subconscious fills in detail, even when no information is present. [Scripting News]
10:53:56 AM
|
|
WHICH APP TO USE?
Sticking my toe in the digital photography pool, I hear about three applications for photo editing:
Does anyone have advice on how to determine the right tool for the job? Is it logical to think that someone just starting in digital photography will find all they need in Photoshop Elements, and because it's from Adobe, the upgrade to Photoshop would be an easy transition?
Adobe Elements 2.0. Adobe has announced an new version of Elements. Version 2.0 adds a variety of new features and improvements including a Glossary of digital photography terms, Quick Fix dialog which can add immediate fixes in... [Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)]
8:26:18 AM
|
|
THERE'S AN ENTIRE SCIENCE DEVOTED TO WHAT LINKS LOOK LIKE?
Design details are numerous
Hyperlinks should be seen but not heard. With all the underlines disrupting the flow of the prose, reading link-rich hypertext can be difficult, akin to reading some [kottke.org]
8:03:17 AM
|
|
|
Monday, July 15, 2002 |
SUMMER IS CLEAN UP, PAINT UP, FIX UP SEASON
Another great-looking design by Stacy Tabb
SAMIZDATA HAS MOVED and has a new site designed by the lovely and talented Stacy Tabb of Sekimori. Visit it, admire it, and set your bookmark accordingly. [InstaPundit]
9:30:48 PM
|
|
THE RAT RACE
can be defined in a variety of ways. We define it as:
-
keeping up with the Jones's
-
materialism as a path to happiness
-
everyone knows we've got to get more
-
climbing the corporate ladder to say you did it
-
working all day and going home too tired to pursue your dreams
-
letting the liberal media tell you how things really are
There's more, but that gives you the essence. One of the corporate myths has to do with measurement, compensation and 'getting results.' Nine out of ten organizations don't have metrics that really cause the results they seek. In fact, those metrics cause results that have to then be 'fixed.' Steven and Joel capture those notions with these posts!
Measurement Dysfunction. "As a result, workers began doing just about anything to get customers off the phone" Boy, does that sound familiar. "If you're in a helpdesk or call center, for example, and you're measuring your people on the number of calls they're taking, that's what they're going to do - take calls. [16-Jan]
Today, Joel writes about the oft-seen but (mostly) un-planned-for effect that measurements can have upon individuals' and organizations' performance. We call it "getting just what you measure," and too often the measurements are the only thing looked at by mid-level management. This "metric of the month" leaves employees feeling powerless to really do what's best for the customer; when they do they get 'dinged' by their manager for making the weekly stats look bad. Beat that horse too often and he'll just give up on the customer entirely.
What? You don't want your customers given up on? The trick is to find the measurements that really encourage the behaviour you want... not just the ones that are easiest for "the system" to give you (like number of calls taken, or time per call). [Steven's Weblog]
| | | |
