The sites I have been building are for lead generation purposes, and functionally operate very similarly to each other. Since I have become very comfortable working with a certain set of tools, I thought I would document what I like to do.

Hosting
This can really determine if building your wordpress site is gratifying, or a nightmare. For ease of use, MediaTemple’s Grid Service Shared server space has been great. Their control panel is the most intuitive I have ever seen. (Which isn’t saying much since most hosting control panels are a complete nightmare). Their stability lately has been lacking, but they have always been responsive and the quality of the support is very good.

I just recently obtained a VPS on SliceHost that has been pretty cool too. Their control panel is…. well, there isn’t one. But this is a good thing- You just get your favorite Linux distro on a VPS “slice” with your specified resources and bandwidth allocation. So far the uptime has been perfect, the speed of service is incredible, and pricing is competitive for a VPS.

Themes
I have spent a lot of time in Wordpress’ theme extension directory. The thing is, the filter/search capabilities are terrible, and the variety of professional looking themes are slim. There is a huge lacking for more page-based (rather than blog based) sites. The good news is, they are free.

If you are willing to shell out a small amount ($10 to $40) I recommend Themeforest. Search for contributions by a guy named Kriesi for the best quality, best document, best looking themes around. I have now purchased three of his themes, and they never disappoint. They are well suited for blog purposes, business site purposes, or for portfolio work.

Plugins
Now that you have a nice looking working theme on your new hosting provider, its time to pimp out your site. Here are a few of my essentials:

BackupWordpress If your site is mission-critical, its best to have a backup. This plugin can backup your site files, your database, or both on a pre-determined schedule. I pair this with a simple bash script running on the server to move the backed up files to a more secure directory, and I sleep easy. Why wouldn’t everyone use this?

SEO Title Tags The default title tag in Wordpress is very limiting if you are engaged in making your site more search engine friendly. This plugin simply adds an additional field to your post and page editors, giving you the ability to craft the perfect title tag for your page.

Exec-PHP The lead-generation sites I have created require that I interface with the Salesforce.com Soap API using PHP. This handy plugin saved me when I thought I was sunk- It simply allows you to execute PHP in a page or a post. Once again, a simple concept that extends the capability of your Wordpress site exponentially.

Conclusion
That’s the overview. Using those tools you can have a great looking, robust, full-featured site up and running in about a day.

In late November of 2008, I visited an Endocrinologist for the first time. I had a family history of hypothyroid, and I was experiencing some symptoms such as fatigue. The doctor drew some blood, determined that I was hypothyroid, and gave me a prescription for Levothroxin. This is a generic version of Synthroid, a popular medication that has a long history of helping people (including my mom and sisters.)

At the beginning of February 2009, I got a headache. The first doctor I saw told me it was a sinus headache and suggested I take pseudophed. I had never gone to the doctor for “a really bad headache” but I learned something important that didn’t make sense until weeks later. If you have a headache, don’t go to the urgent care clinic or ER. They think you are trying to score drugs, and will try to dismiss you as quickly as possible. Hopefully you have a doctor with which you have a relationship so they will take you seriously. On my second visit, the urgent care doc told me “Well, other medication won’t help. Just keep taking Ibuprofen”. That wasn’t true, narcotic pain relievers were a life saver that my real doctor gave me later provided me with a few hours of relief. Just a tip if you ever find yourself in that situation. I was confused that I wasn’t getting help- it never occurred to me until later that they thought I was a junkie.

As the weeks went on and the doctor visits continued, I received several migraine injections such as Toradol and D.H.E. Toradol took the headache to about 50%, DHE got rid of it for a full day! Then it would come back. By mid February, I had logged about 4 urgent care visits, 10 family doctor visits, 3 ER visits including a cat-scan. I had no answers. They suggested I take an anti-seizure medication called Topamax that is known to control frequent migraines. The medication began working rather well. I only had a dull pain, but I had the dull pain all the time. Still, I was ready to go back to work, and I had an appointment to see a neurologist in a few weeks. The Topamax had plenty of side effects though- I couldn’t think clearly, I couldn’t process more than one voice at a time, I couldn’t speak quickly, and I was really anti social.

I was headed to work for the first time in weeks, and I stopped in for a Chiropractor appointment. I had begun to see a chiropractor when the headache started (I was trying everything!) I had considered canceling that visit, but I went. The “doctor” gave me an adjustment and then used a hammer-like tool to supposedly align the vertebrate in my neck. Even though chiropractors go through enough education to call themselves “doctors”, they apparently don’t go through enough to learn that migraine patients have a particular nerve condition that should be carefully handled. The occipital nerve that connects to the upper vertebrate is swollen. When this is irritated further (like if you apply a hammer directly to it) you trigger what is called a “complex migraine”. This is basically a stroke, without the long term brain damage.

Within a few moments my vision was nearly completely gone. A few moments after that (and after a very lucky car ride home) my speech was slurred, my memory was failing, along with my ability to sit or stand upright. I began to blackout and Amber called the ambulance. The medics arrived and asked what medication I was taking. When I showed them my Imitrex (anti-migraine pill) they pushed me to know WHAT ELSE I had taken. Apparently I looked like a junkie to them too. I am pretty sure I am the first person in a long time to have a legitimate medical condition. I guess the town is full of junkies.

At the hospital, I had an MRI, a spinal tap, and a bunch of other tests. Finally they gave the DHE injection. Some unpleasant side effects aside, my vision and full consciousness returned. I went home late that night. The doctor that administered the spinal tap (or more officially, lumbar puncture) did it incorrectly. So, I got to stay in bed for another week. Anytime I sat up, I had what is referred to as a posture headache. This is similar to when you sit up to quickly-

Shortly after this experience, I went to have my blood redrawn as a follow up with the Endocrinology. I was told he would look at my blood work and let me know if there was a problem. I never heard from him. I later requested my records- it turns out that my thyroid was now higher than it should be- outside of the normal range.

I few weeks later I went to see the neurologist. He explained that the chiropractor didn’t know what he was doing. He kept me on the anti-seizure meds, and added some naproxen (Aleve) and Midrin (tylenol 3?) to the cocktail. I kept taking these for months. The dull pain was ever present.

Then, out of the blue one weekend, I forgot to take my thyroid meds. The ever-present dull pain? Gone.

I made an appointment to see a new doctor- one that wouldn’t have any pride in an earlier diagnosis (or lack thereof). I told him my experience, and he instructed me to stop taking the thyroid pill. A few weeks later, I stopped taking the anti seizure pill. I was cured- Cured in the fact that I stopped taking the pill that was giving me the headache. I never went back to address my thyroid issues. I deal with some fatigue occasionally, but at this point that is fine with me.

I had probably seen 20+ doctors between the ERs and clinics. They had all asked me what I was taking, I always told them about the thyroid. I googled it in suspicion. Nothing came up linking migraines to Levothroxin. After I knew there was a link, I searched in more earnest to make sense of it. Finally I came across some research by Dr. Marcelo E. Bigal, M.D., Ph.D*. It was pretty similar to my experience. I contacted him, and he told me that most likely the thyroid doc had put me on too high a dose, and should have ramped me up more slowly.

In summary, here is what I learned:
I am grateful for my health.
I can understand why people with persistent health problems can become depressed.
I have great friends and neighbors that were all willing to help in any way needed.
Chiropractors are quacks- Also, since its not real medicine, you can’t sue them for malpractice.
If you have a headache, people think you are a junkie.
There is a link between thyroid and migraine, but it is not very well researched.

(*Bigal, Marcelo E., Sheftell, Fred D., Rapoport, Alan M., Tepper, Stewart J. “The Woman With the Never Ending Headaches.” from: Purdy, R. Allan, MD, FRCPC; Rapoport, Alan, MD; Sheftell, Fred, MD; Tepper, Stewart, MD. “Advanced Therapy of Headache,” Second Edition. B.C. Decker. 2004. )

Darling Kaysville Home

Details

Asking Price:

$170,000

MLS:

930301

Sq. Feet:

1635

Lot Size:

.2 acre

Bedrooms:

3

Bathrooms:

2

# of Floors:

3

Garage Size:

1 car carport

Year Built:

1970

Click on thumbnails to view larger image (9 total images).

All information is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed.

1) Forced Reciprocity: If you are my friend, I have to be your friend? Why? Real life isn’t like this. I might be very interested in my friend’s life, and he might not care what I am doing. It’s actually one reason I like twitter ( @soysaucesam). I can listen to the people I want, and the people that want to listen to me can do so.

2) Family Conflict: It went through my family, and I have since been a part of 2 more conversations about Facebook-induced family conflict. Siblings must be friends, parents must oversee the conversations their 16+ year old children are having, someone saw a post from someone else and told another person that made the first person mad because the first person wasn’t supposed to see it even if the first person was being rude to the other person because its true that’s really how they acted but the point is they didn’t have to go telling them about it.

Families on Facebook is like a never-ending road trip in a too-small station wagon. All the hassle with absolutely no benefit in the end.

3) Worlds Colliding: Its a term from Seinfeld, when George’s girlfriend started hanging out with his friend. Relationship George will kill Independent George!

This wasn’t an issue on Facebook until about a year ago. That’s when relatives a generations or two older than me got accounts. Now I try to be a person of integrity without secrets, but I am friends with a lot of people with different lifestyles than mine. I pride myself on that fact. Do I really want my Aunt to hear what I am saying to my high school friends? Or people from Church groups hearing comments from my pothead friends? Do I want my pre-teen neighbor to whom I gave guitar lessons hearing jokes from my coworkers?

Smaller kids didn’t understand, so mostly I blame old people. You didn’t kill Facebook, but you didn’t really respect the natural social circles, and that hurt it. If you saw me out at a restaurant with a group of friends, you would probably say hello and move on. You wouldn’t pull up a seat and ask if anyone ordered mozzarella sticks yet. But that’s what you did with Facebook. See why that’s weird?

OK, that’s about it.

Yorn just released “The Break Up”.  It is a duets album featuring Scarlett Johansson.  Wait, she can sing?  I didn’t know either.  She does a good job, too.

I can’t help but compare it to She & Him (Grungy songwriter teams up with hollywood starlette…) but they are pretty different.  First, Yorn’s and Johansson’s voices work better together.  The album is less stylized than She & Him, but I think its better produced.  There are a lot of layers in each song that carry over from one song to the next, making it a really nice complete experience.

So I recommend it.  And you know, my opinion means everything. So go buy it.

Here is a video from the first single of the album, Relator.

Standard Optical Bountiful

is by far the worst customer service experience I have had in a long time.  If you are looking for an

eye doctor in bountiful, utah

let me suggest you go anywhere but here. There are plenty of places for a good

eye exam in Bountiful

but in my opinion the Standard Optical Bountiful is a poor choice.

First, it took 3 tries and 3 visits to the Bountiful Standard Optical to get my prescription right.  I first visited the store after my complex migraine that had altered my vision (and consciousness) for several hours.  My eyes didn’t feel as clear as they had been, so I thought I should go in for an eye exam in Bountiful, and I chose Standard Optical.  The Bountiful optometrist for Standard Optical reduced my prescription, and he even had a solution to my persistent migraine-  Apparently Bountiful eye doctor eats fresh fruit and exercises regularly and never has headaches.  Thanks doc.  I am sure that’s all I need.  Somehow that slipped by the 15 real doctors I had seen in the previous two weeks.

So finally the contact prescription is right, and I order some contacts (another trip into the Bountiful Standard Optical store…. grrr…).  A carton with 8 boxes arrives, and I start wearing them.  2 months later, I realize that half of the unopened boxes of contacts are the wrong prescription.  So I call back.  “Only the manager of Standard Optical Bountiful Jill can do returns, and she is out for the next 4 days”.  I called another Standard Optical to talk to their manager, and he ordered the correct contact lenses for me.

Another week passes, and it turns out: 1) they waited until Jill was back in to place the order, they just lied and told me they were on order before that, and 2) that Jill ordered the wrong contacts for me.  Different than my original order, but still wrong.

So I call again, and again, the all-powerful manager is out. I told the young man at Standard Optical Bountiful that I wanted a refund, and he said only the manager of the bountiful eye exam retailer can do that.  The next day Jill calls me and tells me that the distribution company shipped the wrong contacts.  (Later I found out that wasn’t true- she admitted to another person that she had made the mistake)

I told here I wanted a refund.  She said that was against their policy.  I told her that her answer was against MY policy.  We went back and forth like this for a while.  Finally I get her bosses names and call the main corporate number, where I hit another gate keeper.  Apparently Jill’s boss Janine does not have a phone number.  The head of customer service is Andrea, she doesn’t have a phone either.  This helpful gatekeeper says all she can do is send an email to them and tell them about the issue. (”But how will they call me back if neither of them have phones?”)

So more time passes and finally Andrea calls me back.  “No Refunds”.  She was willing to send me ADDITIONAL contacts for free, but that didn’t seem right to me.  I wanted my money back.  But alas, there was a policy.  And since we all know that policies are like gold, there was nothing she could do.

Now I get to talk to Janine.  She tows the party line and won’t budge on refunds.  But she tells me “You have given us enough tries, if the order that was shipped to you today isn’t right, then that’s it.”

“That’s what?” I ask, “If it is wrong I get a refund?”  (see? maybe there is a hole in the policy)

“No, with me involved I can guarantee that the order will be correct”

“I doubt that.”

“I can understand your doubt” she says.

But still, no refund offered.  In fact, she tells me that their no refund policy ensures they give great customer service.  “We want to be sure we get it right, so we never issue refunds.  That way we are certain the customer is satisfied”

“I am only going to be satisfied with a refund.  In fact, I think that policy has nothing to do with customer service, and everything to do with hanging on to every dollar you can.  So by your own definition, that policy has failed you.”

So I decided to return all the contacts I have, including those that are arriving later this week.  I will be sending them with signature confirmation.  Then I will be attaching that to my Visa Charge Dispute form, and submitting that to Visa.  Of course, the last step in this plan is to submit a review on local business review boards, and create a blog post that is so SEO friendly that whenever anyone searches for Standard Optical in Bountiful, or bountiful eye exam, or bountiful eye doctor, I will be sure to come up.

The preceding constitutes my opinion.

I am always amazed at how poorly the government uses technology.  This is a great example:

1.  The test is online, unsupervised, but “closed book”.
2.  The test must be completed on a Windows machine running Internet Explorer.  They specifically state that the do not support other browsers or operating systems.
3.  Even though the test consisted of 35 multiple-choice questions, my score will be mailed (as in USPS) to me in 7 days.

Imagine if I was sitting in a business meeting, and I proposed this solution.  I would be ridiculed.  Only Internet Explorer?  Who uses IE?  Mail the results?  Why would we introduce a manual process when the data is already on our servers?  We are going to trust it to be closed book?  Why don’t we design a test where it doesn’t matter?

Unfortunately in the Utah State Government these questions either aren’t asked, or considered to be a poor use of resources to make a change. (Why would we bother with “alternative browsers”?  Doesn’t everyone use IE like us?)  It’s the same reason I need to pay an additional service fee to pay my car registration online.  They honestly perceive it to be more expensive than paying people to manually open envelopes and process checks.

Of course its completely logical in the end.  What is there motivation to do a better job?  Since decisions are based on departmental resources rather than market demand, they cater to the solution that requires the least amount of effort on their part.  And that’s what we are left with.

I tried to make this point a few months ago, but he does a better job. Our politics are becoming so polarized- not because of inherent differences of morals or judgment, but because we are breeding a kind of extreme political environment. Rudy points to 3 reasons for this: Labels, Lifestyle, and Listening.

The fear of being labeled a “flip flopper” limits our ability to change our minds. Changing our minds is healthy- its part of growing and learning more about the world.

Our lifestyle generates an environment where we get information in bite sized chunks rather than in meaningful dialogue. Even in the media, a “debate” is usually so riddled with standard platform catch phrases, little can be learned about the “other side”.

Finally, we don’t listen to contrary opinions. As Rudy points out, conservatives listen to conservative broadcasts, and liberals listen to liberal broadcasts. I think its natural as humans to do so- We like to be validated in our thinking rather than challenged, and this is a great way to do so. But if that’s all we take in, it comes at a cost.

I have taken conservative talk show hosts to task in the past, and my opinion on that has become even more strong. Conservative political entertainers such as Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck do not help their audiences “listen” to the issues. They aid in the unhealthy polarization. Liberal media voices are the same- Micheal Moore or Amy Goodman of Democracy Now don’t promote an environment of listening, of collaboration, or of middle ground.  When we only listen to one side (and when that side is paid to incite anger and hatred for ratings) we don’t learn anything.  Just as little could be learned about world politics by only paying attention to a single nation dictator’s propaganda, little can be learned about reality be listening to only one view.

At this point, there are two options.  The polarization will become so strong that it tears the nation apart, or the polarization becomes so strong that enough people stop listening to either side.  The latter would be a great big convergence of independents right smack in the middle.  I hope its the latter.

Another great feature is the Jars-  just like a jar at the grocery checkout counter, everyone can pitch in a little to help a big cause.  Right now we just have one jar, for a little 4 year old girl named Maryn.  Check it out here and donate today.  You know you want to…

It was amazing.

I downloaded some Langhorne Slim music last week- they have a really good sound, but I am not completely sold.  One thing for sure is the band did a really good job.  Truly an authentic performance.

Then Josh Ritter came out. This is the second time I have seen him and the band perform.  Last time was with 3000 casual listeners at the Gallivan Center, This time was with about 150 die hard fans at the Urban Lounge.  The place is a dump, but the sound was good, and I was about 10 feet away.

The show was incredible- probably the best concert I have been to in years.

Here is a grainy pic I took from my vantage point.

Amber and the kids decided to make a “Backyard Water Park” out of PVC pipe and sprinkler heads. D designed it, and Amber glued it up for them. Judging by the pics, I think they enjoyed it.

The set included some great songs from Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins, a few from the new one Acid Tongue,  a couple new ones,  and a great solo acoustic version of the Rilo Kiley tune Silver Lining. She did great, her band did great.

The place was packed, and for the first half of the show everyone was nice and quite.  But as usual, the free-ness of the concert attracted an audience that cared more about their beer and conversation than what was happening on stage.  It wasn’t too bad except for this girl next to us.  She kept laughing and laughing at everything her friends said.  Not an “I’m in public” quiet chuckle, but a boisterous cackle that made me want duct tape her mouth shut.

“BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA  THATS SOOOO TRUE!!!!”

ugh.

I can’t wait until Jenny Lewis comes back to town for a paid show.  I will be there.

FREE outlines a new economy where companies offer their products and services for free.  Certainly its not entirely new-  this is what broadcast TV and radio have done for years.  But recently technology has allowed this concept to happen in a better form and in a bigger way.  Google has done this wonderfully for years, along with open source software.  With this book, everyone that made decisions about offering things for free now have robust defense of their decision making process.  Anderson outlines where this economy came from, and what the driving forces are that have enabled it to happen.

I highly recommend it.

In the spirit of things being free, you can get digital versions of the book for free.

Google Books
Audio Book
Scribd

Now if only I can find a way to make money by giving things away for free, just like all the examples in his book.  The concept has consumed my thoughts lately.

Last night, after weeks of consideration, I decided to cancel my Facebook account. It was nothing against the Facebook company. I think they provide a pretty cool platform, a great advertising medium, and an overall interesting experience. I left Facebook because of the people. It’s full of them.

I know, its a social site, so its supposed to be full of people. But lately I couldn’t help but notice a negativity surrounding most of the interactions I witnessed on Facebook that pushed me in this direction. Here are two examples:

1. A friend of mine was visiting Chicago for the first time, so he posted how much he liked the city. Positive, upbeat, innocuous? I guess not. I commented with a simple joke saying he should be sure to check out “Gino’s Pizza, but not Gino’s Original Pizza or Original Gino’s Pizza”. The problem is, then I was emailed all the other comments to his simple post. From the dissagreeable “Yuck! That place smells like sewer!” to the snide, “Let’s see how much you like it in the Winter.”

Such negative responses to a simple comment about liking a city. Should he lay into them? Compare Chicago to much smellier cities like New York? Of course not. The snarky comments just float by on a wave of idiocy.

2. Just recently someone posted their opinion of something President Obama was doing. Everyone knows I like a healthy debate- however, this person didn’t offer why he was wrong, much less any solutions. Just that they thought he was wrong. Negativity again.

Of course the negative vibe is what the Facebook culture is all about, so several of his friends jumped on this band wagon, shooting their best one-liners out, including “What else do you expect from Hussein? He always acts this way” and “If he is going to Socialize the country, he has to act fast”.

Huh? Hussein? Socialist? Name calling? I really didn’t know much about the issue they were discussing (although by the comments I am guessing they didn’t either) so I would have liked to have heard an actual argument from their side. But Name Calling?

“I am sorry Senator. We cannot pass your bill for several reasons. The committee has determined that you are A) a dummy-head, and B) a doo-doo face. It has also been determined that for several years prior to your Lasik surgery, you were, in fact, a four-eyes. You see that this leaves us with little option.”

“That is a fair conclusion. I appreciate the time of the committee.”

Its like seeing Rush Limbaugh posting on my wall. No thanks.

Whether or not you agree with his politics, I think you can be fairly certain that he is doing what he feels is best, and show him some respect. Don’t spare the debate, but spare the name calling.

3. I just got really bored with the rest. I don’t mean to offend anyone, but it seemed like people used it as a forum to either brag or complain about their lives. Those are the kinds of things you should be able to share with your friends openly, as part of building a relationship. But I think that should be shared with real friends. Not Facebook friends.

So, goodbye Facebook.

July 9 Bon Iver | Jenny Lewis
July 16 The Black Keys | Human Highway
July 23 M. Ward | Land of Talk
July 30 Sonic Youth | Awesome Color
August 6 Q-Tip | B.o.B
August 13 Toots and the Maytals | N.A.S.A.
August 20 Iron & Wine | Okkervil River
August 27 Robert Randolph & the Family Band | Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears

Check them all out here.

A few months ago, I was talking to my lovely wife in aticipation of the upcoming shows.  As you can see from the transcription (from memory) that follows, she pretty much digs the shows as much as I do.

Me: I can’t wait to find out who is playing this year at the Twilight Concert Series
Wife (while editing photos or something): Hmmm.
Me: Last year was awesome.  I loved the Josh Ritter show.  But maybe it will be cool again this year.
Wife: Yeah.
Me: Ooh! M.Ward has a new album out, I bet he will be touring.  I wonder if they will get him to come.
Wife: Hmm…
Me: Oh!  And Jenny Lewis!  Wouldn’t that be awesome!  That would be so cool if they got Jenny Lewis AND M. Ward.  But that would be asking too much.
Wife: Do you like this shot?
Me: Yeah, I like it.  They usually put two similar acts on the same night so I wonder if..
Wife: But if you chose between this shot and this…. one.  Which one should I give them.
Me: The first one.  So maybe they would be booked together.  M.Ward produced Jenny Lewis’ first solo album, so they do work together- maybe they are even touring together.
Wife: Yeah.
Me: I’m going to go get some ice cream.
Wife: Hmm.

Well, the lineup has not been announced yet.  But, we do know a few things.  Including two pieces of information I was very excited to learn.  According to artist’s websites:

July 9:  Jenny Lewis and Bon Iver
July 23:  M. Ward

Am I excited?  Uh, yeah.

Also rumored to be coming are the Black Keys, but I wasn’t able to confirm a date on that one.
I think its going to be a good year for the Twilight Concert Series.  In the meantime, I am going to practice my drunk guy deflection moves (it mostly involves elbows), and pick out which crappy blanket to take for the lawn.

1. The term “Toxic Assets”. If they are toxic, they are not assets- they are liabilities. If they were assets, they would not be toxic. Its that simple.

2. Advertising that uses the terms Stimulus, Bailout, etc. Yeah, we get it. You are trying to be timely and relevant. But its tired. The fake Honda Stimulus newscast commercial isn’t a stimulus at all. Its just a commercial for some cars. The Sizzler bailout isn’t a bailout, they are just selling some cheap steak and crappy salad. Thats it. At this point it is no longer creative, its a lazy copout, just like anyone that used Got ____? after the milk guys used it.

OK, thats it. I am glad I got that out.

But this comes at a great cost.  The goal of these commentators is not to bring people together, it is to create divisions. I think it is unfortunate that their voices have grown so loud in our media.

I recently went to an Arlo Guthrie concert and he mentioned running into people over the years that had different political views from his own.  As an active opponent to Vietnam years ago, running into veterans could be an awkward event.  But then he said something profound.  He said that when it came to people that cared and those that didn’t, he had a lot more in common with those that cared about an issue than those that didn’t- even if he didn’t agree with them.

So if two politicians are on opposite sides of the aisle, why can’t they give each other that level of respect?  They are both fighting for the same cause.  Even if they might not agree with the methods.

If two commentators both really do care about and issue, why can’t they hear each other out?  (Of course that would make for very boring radio, and I guess that might be the heart of the matter).

In the end, I feel it is a shame that so many of the people that really do care seem to attack each other when they have so much in common.  Why not show each other the common respect that they are both trying to make the world better, argue about the methods where they matter, and move on with making a difference.

So last thursday I began to enter the largest migraine of my life.  I lost my vision right away.  Before long, I couldn’t remember my daughter’s name, I coudn’t complete a simple sentence to ask my wife to call the doctor (she figured it out anyway).   By the time the ambulance arrived I could hardly speak at all, and certainly with no clarity whatsover.  For the next few hours I couldn’t make out faces, I couldn’t understand what was going on…. It was very much like I was having a stroke.  Needless to say it was a scary time for me. (and my grandma).

At one point in the middle of the haze, my dad was talking with my brother about a new CD he had, and the song on it called “Halleluja”  (yeah, the one from Shrek, etc)  Adam said “Oh yeah.  You know that song, Sam?”  In a kind, brotherly, patronizing sort of way.  From my haze I explained to them that it was written by Leonard Cohen and that it was originally from the seventies.  It was my only coherent thought for hours before or hours later–they were amazed.

What they didn’t know was that I was really frustrated. I was trying to tell Adam and my Dad that while Cohen wrote it, Jeff Buckly has a very popular cover, though my favorite version is by Rufus Wainwright.  But the words were all stuck in.

Besides a funny story, that song is incredible.  I feel it is one of the most perfect pieces of music, like Handel’s Messiah.

“Ive heard it said there was a chord that David played and it pleased the Lord but you dont really care for music do ya”

My favorite thing about it is that when I was first learning it, the chords were baked right into the words, in the second line:

“It goes like this the fourth the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift.  The baffled king composing halleluja”

See?  the IV, the V, the vi, then back to the IV.  Right in the words.  (OK, I just put that in for Adam, or maybe my Mom if she reads this)

A new appreciation for Leonard Cohen every year.  Here is a cheezy version for you to enjoy of the man himself.

I have been dealing with a few different departments this week, and none of them have any idea what is going on in the other departments.  Here is an example:

Everyone knows I love my CNG Civic.  Remember when you were paying $4/gallon for fuel?  Mine peaked at $0.88.  Anyway…

So for years certain agencies have been trying to increase the adoption of clean air vehicles (extremely low emissions, no foreign oil-  its a good thing).  The Division of Air Quality passed a tax incentive for CNG vehicles, which helps get them on the road.  Governor Huntsman publicly supports the measure and even converted his personal vehicle.  Then the Public Service Commission comes along and basically mandates that the rate that Questar is charging is not enough, they want it doubled.  What is more they want it to be tied to market rates, so that $4 gas last year?  I would have been paying $3.50.   Hardly worth the inconvenience that comes along with a CNG vehicle.

Questar isn’t requesting this rate hike (they have actually requested it be removed), no applicable party has requested it as far as I can tell.  If this gets implemented, what will happen to the thousands of CNG vehicles on the road?  Most will be sold to out of state buyers.  Most will be replaced with polluting gasoline cars.  So why is the Utah PSC doing this?  Why are they UNDOING everything that other agencies have built?  The State has paid $2500-3000 in tax credits for each CNG vehicle on the road today.  What a waste if those don’t stick around-  it would have been better to never pay them in the first place.

Example #2.  In trying to get the tax credit for my vehicle, I visited the Division of Air Quality offices.  I was told in order to certify, I needed a statement from Honda certifying that my vehicle ran on natural gas.  I also needed a copy of my registration.  I showed them that the registration (created by the Utah DMV) listed my car as “Natural Gas Powered”.  I was told this wasn’t good enough.  So the Division of Air Quality doesn’t trust the Dept of Motor Vehicles.

One more example:  On January 1, my fuel went up 8 cents per gallon to pay for a road tax.  When the law passed the legislature, the tradeoff was that CNG vehicles would now be allowed to obtain a “clean energy” license plate free of charge.  This allows you to use the HOV lane solo, and park at the downtown SLC meters free of charge.   When I went to get my plate, I was told that UDOT was not allowing any more to be issued until they could monitor current traffic levels.  So now UDOT and the DMV are making up their own rules, regardless of what the legislature decided.

So to sum up, relating to my car,
The PSC undermines the DAQ, and the Legislature
The DAQ undermines the DMV
The DMV and UDOT undermine the DAQ and the Legislature

Is it any wonder that the state government is slow, wasteful, and difficult to navigate?

I don’t imagine that Utah is unique in this case, or that any other buerocracy has it figured out. I just know that Utah State Government sucks.

Jakob Dylan (frontman for the Wallflowers, as if you didn’t know that)  recently released his first solo effort called Seeing Things.  Want to hear what I think of it?  Its great.

The songwriting is incredible.  There is real substance behind they lyrics, similar to his Wallflower days.   This is especially apparent in the simple arrangements of each song.  About 80% of the album is little more than Jakob and his guitar.  A lot of performers couldn’t sustain a good performance without the additional layers of instrumentation, but he pulls it off brilliantly.

It is an extremely mellow album.  This works for some people (me) and not for others (Amber).  If you were going to take it on a road trip, it wouldn’t be the first thing you popped in when everyone is talking and excited as you roll out of town.  This would be for driving through Nebraska when all you see is corn and everyone is asleep or gazing out the window.

I wouldn’t expect it to be a commercial success.  Mostly because, as I said once long ago,  “Commercial radio sucks”.  I think it represents an important chapter in his career, and I am excited to see what is next.

For some reason Sony won’t let you embed the youtube video. (Why post it on youtube and then disable this feature?  Hmm.. I wonder why the record labels and their protectionist agendas are struggling… that is a post for another day)

But you should click over and watch it here.

But a few weeks ago, I came across She & Him.  The Him is M. Ward, one of my favorite mod-folk songwriters.  The she is Zooey Deschanel, the actress and singer that acted and sung on Elf.  I loved her voice when I heard it on Elf, and wished she had an album.  So now she does.

Zooey’s performance on She & Him Volume 1 retains all of it’s character.  The ability to make something look (or sound) effortless is alwas a sign of great talent.  Zooey pulls this off beter than anyone.  At times her voice can sound raw and untrained, but not in a bad way. In a very genuine way.  The songwriting is classic M. Ward throughout the album (with the exception of a couple well chosen covers) and they compliment each other very well.

I do find a couple of faults.  While I like M. Ward’s voice on his solo work, I didn’t like his vocal contributions on this album.  The contrast of their voices was startling, and not in a good way.  If they were to switch rolls and have Zooey sing backup to an M. Ward lead, that might work, but the other way around doesn’t.

Beyond that my only complaints were that a few of the songs weren’t in Zooey’s ideal range.  She pulls off the higher notes just fine, but you lose out on the richness of her lower range.  The prolific use of a lap steal guitar is great, but gets tiresome over the course of this whole album.

Overall, I think it is worth some money, but maybe you pick and choose your favorites rather than getting the whole album.  I can’t wait to see a second effort by these two- (Is there a Volume II in the works?) I have a feeling it would be even better than the first.

Here is a little video:

But it really hasn’t taken hold.  So what do we do?  Lower our margins?  Ship our manufacturing oversees to lower prices and try to cater to the antiquated brick-and-mortar crowd?  Expand our product line to more clothing?

Or, do we continue to do our core business really well, and try to increase the community around it?  Ammon thinks we should do home parties.  But is selling our soul worth the few extra bucks?

So last week I heard this on NPR.  The host Robert Siegel was interviewing GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, and asked him what he thought about Washington being involved in his business.  Here is his response:

 ”I’ve never quite been in this situation before of getting a massive pay cut, no bonus, no longer allowed to stay in decent hotels, no corporate airplane. I have to stand in line at the Northwest counter,” Lutz says. “I’ve never quite experienced this before. I’ll let you know a year from now what it’s like.”

You can listen to the interview here

I certainly feel bad for him.  Don’t you?

By the way, the next day the same reporter interviewed the CEO of Ford.  By comparison, he was a compassionate, understanding, humble, clear-headed executive.  While certainly an over-simplification, is it any wonder GM is hurting and Ford has been able to get by?

“This is our chance to really over-deliver.  We should be able to exceed expectations”

I thought it was a pretty safe statement.  Someone in the room disagreed.

“Uhhh… I take issue with that.  I don’t know if we want to set that precedent.”

“Adding value?” I asked.

“Giving them something other than what they are expecting.”

I sat there with my mouth open for a moment in shock.  See, this person ALWAYS disagrees with me and everyone else.  They usually don’t have a valid point, so you just humor them for a moment and then move on.  But this was the stupidest thing they have ever decided to be disagreeable about.  I had to respond, so I just said.

“I think we should always exceed expectations.  So what do you think we can do….” and I went on with the meeting.

Now that I have had some time to think about it, I think I am going to propose we add some new elements to our mission statement.  Something like “Meeting, but not exceeding, your expectations” or “Serving with mediocraty every day.”

But bailing out the big auto makers?  Why? Because they refused to retool YEARS ago like Honda, Toyota and Nissan?  Because the killed the electric car.  And mostly, because if they can’t survive, then someone better can.

Even Seth Godin agrees with me.  But his justification is better, as usual.

If you work in the IT field, you are bound to get some dumb questions from time to time.  I know I probably ask them to Adam all the time.  If you find yourself answering “just google it”, or “I googled it, and here is the answer” you might be able to solve all of your problems with this:

http://letmegooglethatforyou.com

Just type in your search string, copy the link, and send it over to the individual with the question.  It gives them a step-by-step tutorial on how to use Google!  Genius.

Here is the one I received from a coworker after he sat in a meeting with me and my smelly clothes.  But it can work with anything.

You see, someone in our house (her name starts with an ‘A’ and ends with ‘mber’) was trying out a recipe using roast beef.  It involved boiling the meat for about an hour, with a certain amount of water in the pan.  The water boiled out pretty quick, and the family was downstairs.  They didn’t realize anything was wrong until the smoke alarms went off.

So the stove is a little yellow, the pan is ruined, and so was dinner.   Open the windows and doors and get the smoke out, not a big deal, right?  Wrong.

You see when meat burns, it carries the protien with it and sticks to everything.  Walls, Ceiling, Carpet, Couches, Clothes, Cabinets…. everything.  We fired up some big fans and had changed the air our a few times, but as soon as the fans were turned off, the stench came back.  Suprisingly, it smells just like old, rancid, cigarette smoke.  The house stinks even after 4 days.  Its like living in a really crappy motel.

So we called one of those Disaster Recovery services.  He said it happens all the time, suggested we call the insurance company and file a claim.  “I think my deductible is $1,000″ I told him.  “You will want to file a claim” he repeated.

After these sorts of events, they bring in a crew and clean everything in our house.  Every wall, every picture frame, every miniature snow globe, they send all our clothes and bedding to the cleaners, they take our couches and mattresses to their warehouse to clean them… everything.  The total estimate?  $7,000 – $10,000.  We filed a claim.

Luckily my deductible is only $500, so we just have to chalk it up to “one of those things”.  Just thought I would pass along my new wisdom.  Go ahead and burn your cookies, your bread, your cereal, whatever-  but don’t burn the roast beef.

Picture your average boy-band, add 15 years (making them all about 40) and there you have it.  We were on the floor, row 41, which was just ok.  Then out of the blue they popped up on a little circular stage about 10 feet away.  It was great to see them that close up, so you could clearly make out the wrinkles on their faces.  You could also drink in the uncomfortable wardrobe they were sporting.  I think their costume director required them all to wear at least two items covered in sequins at all times.  For some it was a hat, for others, a belt or shoes.  As long as it sparkled, they were good to go.

I think my favorite part of the show was when they said “It’s been 15 years Salt Lake CITY!!!!!” (girls scream) “We got some catching up to DOOOOO!” (girls scream some more).  Then they did some song I didn’t recognize and had a little slideshow playing with a tribute to people that have died in the past 15 years.  I am not sure how many of these people they actually knew– did Tu Pac and Bigee really hang with NKOTB?  Frank Sinatra was up there too, and I know they didn’t roll with him.

Then they had some family photos, which was fine I suppose.  Of course, the crowd was chearing for the celebs, and then some dude’s mom pops up on the screen, so there was sort of an awkward “huh?” throughout the crowd.  The whole thing was so contrived, I cannot figure out who put this in the show.  Was this some sort of mechanism to make this show not about nostalgia, but make it about the present?  If so, good luck to them.  It was all about nostalgia.

Finally, the crowd.  It broke down into three divisions:

1:  The people who were in awe at the hilarity of the whole event (I am in this group)

2:  Women, age 20-35 who were big fans the first time around, and

3:  The nine-year-old daughters of group 2.  Group 2 was trying to pass the torch, and it seemed to be going pretty well.  I wonder if the appeal will wane when they realize these dudes are the same age (or older) than their dad.

Clearly a great time was had by all.

Of course you needed to put something in the Email box on the forms, but now you didn’t trust them with your real address, so you either put in your dedicated Spam address, or a fake address.  (whoever is juan@pedro.com, my sincerest apologies.  You must get a lot of spam because of me)

Then came the bright dawn when reputable companies added the little check box at the bottom of the page, allowing you to opt-in to their marketing messages.  Sure, most had the box checked by default, but at least they gave you the option, right?  Slowly, I began to let my guard down, especially with large, established companies.

Well tonight I was ordering pizza (I like to cook, but not when Amber isn’t home, especially after a work day).  I came across this little beauty on the Pizza Hut website:

I read the first part, unchecked the box, and hit submit.  The page popped an error up “You must agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy before continuing”.  What?  Oh I see, opting into their marketing communication and agreeing to the T&C were the same box.   Well Pizza Hut.  Thanks for giving me the choice.  I can just picture the marketing team in their meeting on Monday “We had 100% opt-in rate on the website this week!  People must really value the way we communicate with them.  We are awesome!”

Pizza Hut is missing the boat on this one.  They might as well have it written on the page “If you order from us, we fully intend to Spam you.”

Well, either way I really enjoyed my Papa Johns pizza tonight.  It really is better pizza anyway.

So anytime I go 6-8 weeks without posting, it usually means my job sucks.  And it has.  I think I am coming out of the dip now, but we will see.

I spent most of this week in New York for a Search Marketing convention.  It was very informative, and got me really excited about some things.  The trip was too long, but it was nice to have down time to see the sites.  I have been to NY 4 times in the past 12 months, and have barely seen anything.  This trip changed that.

The highlight of the trip was monday night as I ventured solo into a jazz club on Broadway and 53rd for a show featuring Les Paul.  Yes, that Les Paul.  He is still alive, and playing very well.   He is 93 years old, and can be seen here on the far right of the stage.  The other guitar player on the left is his son Lou, at a spry 71 years old.

I was nervous being so far out of my comfort zone, but I am glad I went.  Since I was alone, and don’t drink, and in a strange city, I had a lot to feel odd about.  I didn’t realize until looking at this pic how I probably stood out because I had a full head of hair, unlike most of the audience.

Besides the convention and client visits, I was also able to finally go walk around Central Park.  As I walked up to Wolman Rink, the skating rink featured on “Serendipty”, I happened to have Nick Drake’s Black Dog on my headphones, which is the song playing during the ice rink portions of the movie.  How is that for serendipity?

The final highlight was a trip to Rockefeller Center to do the NBC Studio tour.  I usually don’t like to do these kinds of touristy things, but the chance of going to Studio 8H was too great, so I ponied up the cash.  We also saw Conan’s studio, and the nightly news desk that our friend Brian Williams calls home.  No celeb sightings, not even Liz Lemon or Jack Donnegy.

The worst part of the trip was coming home.  Not because I wanted to stay there, but because the rest of my team at work decided not to keep working on our projects while I was out, but instead wait for my return.  So, all the deadlines were missed and my clients were sufficiently upset by the time I got back to make it feel just like home.  Way to go, guys.  Way to go.

My hatred of junk mail goes way back to my high school years.  At the time, my school district was illegaly selling our names to the military recruiting offices.  It was a pretty long battle, but once I presented the Davis County School District team of attourneys a citiation of the Utah State Legal code showing them what they were doing was wrong, they agreed to modify their behavior.  It was a pretty big victory for me.

Now on to recent years.  Young Chevrolet in Layton, Utah sends out mail like its going out of style. Due to a past episode with them, I dont like it.  In fact, I really can’t stand them at all.  The general manager Kelly Moss refuses to take my calls, I have never been able to get past his assistant.  (Maybe Kelly Moss isn’t real- like the wizard of ozz…)

Anyway, there are a couple movements going on right now to pass national “Do Not Mail” legislation.  This would create a do not mail list similar to the Do Not Call list.  Here is why you should sign the petition:

1.  (For everyone but Ammon) Direct mail adds tons of waste to landfills every day.  It is a huge environmental waste
2.  The mailbox is currently the only medium we don’t have control over.  If I could apply a spam filter, I would.  Why should we be forced to take this trash someone else decided to send us?

If you would like to sign on, check out this site:

http://www.donotmail.org/

It only takes a minute to sign up.

I also found another good site that eliminates your name from lots of mailing lists all at once.  Some require you send a letter to the company, others can be opted out of in 1 click.

http://www.proquo.com

Its a good service.

So save the environment, reduce your trash, eliminate an annoyance, and get control of your mailbox.

It comes from the old “Tortoise and the Hare” story.  For anyone that has blocked out their childhood, it goes like this:  A rabbit and a turtle decide to have a race.  The rabbit runs really fast, but gets distracted or tired or something.  Meanwhile the slow turtle keeps on trekkin’, really slowly, until he reaches the finish line first.

Here is the problem with that.  The rabbit is a moron, and the turtle was lucky.

If you are as unfocused in a task (or your life as a whole) as the rabbit was, you probably will lose.  So that’s a good lesson.  My big problem is that it portrays slowness as a virtue.  There is nothing virtuous about being deliberately slow.  If I can have turtle-like focus and rabbit speed, then I will surely win.  Fast isn’t necessarily bad, just like slow isn’t necessarily good.

Your competitors won’t mess up just because you are moving slow.  If the turtle was racing against a slightly larger, quicker turtle, he would have lost.  (Assuming good focus is a quality found in all turtles.)

So how about we change it to “Focused and steady wins the race”.   Or, “Go as fast as you can, but stay focused”. Or, “Pick competitors that are morons.”

Since branding as a concept is hard to define, its even harder to explain what you are looking for with your branding efforts.  Most marketing departments overcome this limitation by taking the easy way out.  They create a “Style Guide” that defines all the definable elements.  The logo must be 250 px wide, it must use the color #6c6c6c.  The title font must be 25 pt….

The truth is, if I have a negative opinion about a company, I dont care what the font is.  If I like a company, I still don’t care.  Consistency is important, but policing design elements is a lazy excuse for branding.

How about a style guide that says:

“The key brand attributes are adrenaline and excitement.  Each photo must exhibit these qualities.”

or

“You must have at least one sarcastic remark on each page of the website”

or

“The brand must be involved in some sort of self mockery each quarter”

or

“All design textures and backgrounds should be original- preferrably something from a vintage store”

Now that starts telling me something about the brand.  I can start building something that communicates what you want me to communicate.   Here is the exercise I just made up.  Try talking about your brand as if you went on a date with it last night.  If someone asked you how your date went, you wouldn’t say “well, her shirt was light fuscia and there was 1.5 cm between the bottom of her pants and top of her shoes”

You would say, “She was funny and really cool.  She has great taste in music and likes to try new things.”

If customers can’t answer that way about your brand, something is wrong.  More likely, something is missing.

So the rest of the trip was also a blast.  We climbed through lava tubes (lava formed caves), hiked up behind a waterfall to a place we dubbed “never never land”, waded across a river,  snorkled in tidepools, swam in a lava-heated hotspring, shopped at farmers markets, did more snorkeling, saw the LDS temple in Kona, bought an Ukelele, hiked to a Green sand beach, went to a Black sand beach and saw some sea turtles…

It was a great trip and an awesome island to visit.  I would love to go back.

Our flight home sucked.  Thanks to Orbitz.com, we were not notified of the change in our itinerary, so we showed up to the airport an hour late.  Instead of flying direct from Honolulu, we had to be routed through LA.  All in all, we only got home 3 hours later than expected, but thats a long 3 hours when it goes overnight.  I know I am not using Orbitz again.

Day 3 was really cool.  We went to a white sandy beach to try out our snorkeling skills.  Amber has the good pics, but here is my sorry cell phone shot:

I guess I didn’t know what to expect from snorkeling, but this was 10 times better than anything I had imagined.  The water was crystal clear, and the small coral reef had an impressive number of tropical fish.  It was amazing to float right there between them, close enough to reach out and grab one.  I didn’t, amber wouldnt let me.  But I wanted to.

After lunch we wen’t to another area, Namapo’opo’o or something.  (Seriously, all the name look the same to me).  We rented a kayak from a drunk local and headed across the bay.  The guy told us where to stop to see some spinner dolphins, and he was certainly right. We stopped there and saw about 40 dophins (in packs of 10) cresting in the ocean, jumping up and flipping down.  At one point we were less than 10 feet away from them.  All the other poor tourists that were stuck on large pontoon boats or rented from sober guys were 50 feet away.

We continued across the bay to a monument setup for Captain Cook.  We landed our boats there and did some more snorkeling.  While I was blown away by the reef we went to that morning, this one was much cooler than that.  The coral was incredible, and there must have been 50 variety of fish.  Every imaginable type.  At some points, the reef dropped into a basin that was probably 50 feet deep-  As you float across the top it feels like you are flying.  It was incredible.

We paddled back to our drunk friend and dropped off the boats.  After picking up some groceries, we headed back to the condo for a somewhat early night. I also discovered that my lovely wife was not very good about sunscreening my back.  Most of it was OK, but I do have a couple bright red patches.  Oh well.

We decided to circle The Big Island today. Leaving from Kona, we headed up to Honokaa. We enjoyed the view, then ate at this great little local dive called Tex Drive In. They have basic burger fare (with a twist, my burger had pineapple) but they specialize in “Malasadas”, a portuguese donut. Since I am a fan of donuts, I ate two.

We continued heading around the island and stopped at ‘Ed’s Bakery’. We met Ed himself and showed us to his selection of handmade jams. Guava, coconut, starfruit, lime- and free samples were encouraged. It was great stuff and a great place.

We headed over to Pakaka falls, a massive waterfall that was very impressive. More impressive was the jungle we walked through to get to the lookout. Giant bamboo towers and dozens of other plants and trees I have never seen before today.

Racing the daylight away, we headed to a lookout where Lava is flowing down the side of the mountain and colliding with the ocean. When the magma (I learnes that word in 5th grade science class) hit the water, the result was a fiery explosion and a pillar of steam billowing a mile high.

On our way out we spoke to a couple vendors peddaling their wares. They were all interesting hippies, but my favorite was Jose- a 50-something islander who makes his living by selling photos he takes of the lava flows from his motor boat. He gets pretty close- “oh man, I’ve been burned a few times man.” And his photos were a bargain- $10 for 3. Amber couldn’t resist.

Now we are on the road headed to an observatory. I guess we will follow up on that topic tomorrow.

The connection was run by a tiny airline who’s only employees making more than minimum wage was the pilot. The staff was terrible. The flight was an hour late for no apparent reason whatsoever. We finally arrived at the Kona airport, which is basically an assortment of tiki huts with a baggage claim. Pretty cool.

We got to the resort, chatted with Shonn and Crystal for a bit and crashed early.

My only dissapointment was the crowd.   Since it was a free concert, half of the people were just there to hang out rather than see the show.  When Josh would do a ballad, it was hard to hear him just because so many people were talking.  He was gracious and said it was a good crowd, but it wasn’t.  I was really hoping to hear”Snow is Gone”, and he didn’t do it.  My theory is that it would have been the encore, had the crowd applauded for more than 2 minutes. The sad thing is that he said it was his first time to SLC.  I hope it doesn’t stop him from coming back.

There is a line in “Snow is Gone” that says “I’m singing for the love of it…” You tell how true that is. He was grinning from ear to ear the entire show. He was clearly having a great time, which makes it hard not to enjoy yourself.

It was still a great performance and a great night.  Here is a video from a recent appearance on Letterman.

And another one from a concert in Dublin.

I really don’t like the idea of filling up time just to fill up time.  I would much prefer if the assignment was “Then we will have you explain your topic…  Please don’t take more than 30 minutes.”  Sometimes you just don’t need much time to communicate your message.  I shouldn’t waste everyone’s time pretending I do.

I think this holds true for all communication.  Don’t send an email if you don’t have anything important to say.  Don’t raise a concern in a meeting if it isn’t a valid concern.  Don’t hit “Reply to All” on a mass email and ask the sender a question that no one else cares about, or to simply say thanks.

All this does is create noise.  It makes my valid emails harder to find, and the real concerns harder to validate.  If you are commonly generating noise, you are crying wolf.  When you have a real comment, a real question, a real concern, you will most likely be ignored.

One example-  A friend of mine just forwarded me an email he received from someone asking about an overdue payment he was waiting for.  The reply was simply:

Hold on

and then his signature line.  Did this accomplish anything?  He already was “holding on” (he had been for the past 6 months).  And after he sent the email, that is essentially what he was doing until his question was answered.  So what did this do?  It was just noise. (Sure, it validated that his email was received, but if he cared about that I’m sure he would have turned the delivery notification on.)

Brevity can include the amount of time you talk, the length of the email or blog post.  It can also include all the communication you withhold for lack of a clear purpose.

I don’t see anything wrong with ending the meeting early, or remaining silent when you don’t have an opinion.  Your message will be more powerful when you have one.

Historic “Blockbuster” Store Offers Glimpse Of How Movies Were Rented In The Past

So then the old driver looks at me, and flips me off.

I had the only normal reaction when someone that could be your grandma (or grandpa?) flips you off.  I started laughing pretty hard.  They saw me laugh and they decided to double down and give me the two-fisted flip off.  That just made me laugh harder.  My window was down so I very politely yelled, “What are you, like 110 years old?”

They didn’t like that much, so they gave me an even bigger flip off-  two hands, going up and down.

I am going to try to remember that for when I am that old.  If I can’t work and can hardly drive, I can at least do my part for society by making people laugh on their way in to work.

Dwell Magazine
Moleskine Notebooks
Bolthouse Farms Juice
Herman Miller Eames Lounge Chair
Fender Guitars

The thing is, I not only like these things, I am extremely loyal to the brand.  (Except Herman Miller, I can’t afford it)

A lot of people feel that way about their car, their Mac, their dog, their clothes….  Something happes when a customer stops merely using your product, but makes it part of their identity.  Its Branding x100.

Kevin Roberts of Saatchi & Saatchi released a book on the topic called “Lovemarks“.   The only problem is that in true advertising agency fashion, they didn’t really talk about how brands achieved Lovemark status.  Just that they had it.  I have been looking at this for a while now in my own life, trying to figure out what it is that makes me feel that way, and what I can do to replicate that for a brand I am responsible for.

So, what are your favorite things?  Why are they your favorites?  Do you get a sense of personal identity from them?

I didn’t take any ‘before’ pictures, so let me describe it for you:  It sucked.

Now on to the new basement.

The couch (and pillows) are from Ikea.  It was pretty cheap, and it folds out into a full-size bed.  The wall that has the window is covered with Cork tiles.  The wall behind the couch is a textured wallpaper.  There is a close up of those below.

Here is the other side of that wall. The color looks weird.  Its tan, not salmon.

The TV looks small, but it is actually a 103″.  Ok, its a 32, but it still looks really small in this pic.
Below the TV is a giant toy cabinet. (Doors also from Ikea).  This was the whole idea behind this room.  When the kids are done playing, we bring out a small bulldozer and shovel it all in to the cabinet.  A place for everything…  The other side of the cabinet pokes into our utility room, so I put some desk tops on it and made it a massive workbench.

The utility room also contains our equipment rack.  All of the electronics are stored in the other room, and controlled via a remote control repeater system (see that little black box on top of the TV?)

This is the opposite end, which is for amber’s desk, books, and cds.  I dont have much more to say about this.

Here is a closeup of the cork we used on one wall.  I like it, so you should too.  At least pretend like you do.

A lot of people ask if we are going to use it to pin stuff up, and the answer is no.  Its just decorative.

The wall behind the couch has a textured, paintable wallpaper on it.  It really added a cool dimension to the room, and it was a nice short cut from fixing all the drywall that tore when we pulled the panelling off.

So here is what I learned from the project:

1.  Amber is a lot more detail oriented than me (thats a good thing)
2.  I should take “before” pictures
3.  Mudding drywall isn’t so bad, it just takes a long time
4.  Amber keeps her camera, batteries, memory card, and USB cable all in separate places.  So writing this post took about an hour instead of 10 minutes.

Back to the advice.  They have the following printed on all of their bottles:

Shake Well
Settling is Natural
Perishable.

That is my life philosophy right there.  The problem is, the longer the settling has occurred, the harder it is to shake up.  I would really love to shake up my career right now, but settling has certainly occurred.  I fear if I don’t shake it up soon I might perish.

If I were to get a tattoo, I think that this would be a good one.

As for the last line, Keep Refrigerated-  I don’t know how inspirational that is.   But if I had the tattoo then I could show it to my wife when she complains that our house is too cold.

“Sorry honey.  Gotta stay cool.”

On June 3, 1998 I left to serve an LDS mission to Guatemala for 2 years.  I am not sure why this date haunts me.  I think it is because birthdays all blend together, but this date is still completely clear in my mind.  My life was very well defined, I had a clear plan of action for the next 24 months, and I even thought I had a pretty good idea of what my life would look like after that.

Well, it didn’t work out the way I had planned.  I went on the mission, but it was different than I had expected.  An life afterwards has been something I never would have imagined.  So as I review who I am today vs. the Sam from 10 years ago, here are some things that come to mind:

• Being a parent is worth the sacrifice.  I thought I was on my way to fame and fortune in the music business, but being home all the time with my kids is better.
• While I am well into my adulthood, I still look up to my brother.  I want to be his equal, but can’t ever seem to be as cool as him.
• Now that I am a parent, I think I finally understand how much my parents love me.
• I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.
• While most of my ‘plans’ didn’t work out, I still wish I had the clarity I had back then.

“I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now”
Bob Dylan, My Back Pages

So this is my big grievance lately.  Passwords (and password requirements) have gotten out of control.  I am pretty sure the requirements didn’t come because they were addressing an actual security threat, but because IT security guys each want to outdo each other.

There are certain areas where robust security is needed.  My bank, for example, can put me through a retina scan if they see it necessary.  They are trying to protect my assets.  But what about people that aren’t protecting anything? At least not anything important.

I recently signed up for an account a del.icio.us.  I don’t really care about the social bookmarking aspect, I just wanted all my bookmarks in the same place.  During the registration process, it asked me for a password.  I entered the normal 6 character password I have used for the majority of things since I was 14.  It rejected it because it didn’t have a number.

These are my bookmarks.  If I have a weak password, and Mr. Hacker comes along and changes all of my bookmarks, so what.  My credit card isn’t tied to the account, my address isn’t tied to the account, nothing.  Of course the real question, is why would anyone care to hack my bookmarks account?

But now I need a new password just for this site.  The result is that either I always forget the password, and it must be emailed to me, or I write it down on the first page of my notebook called “Passwords”.   My university alumni career services site requires at least 1 number, 1 capital letter, and 1 special character.  Just so I can look at job postings.

I recently did a project for a financial services company, tracking their online advertising and the approvals it generated.  The project required the company to supply me a list of bank card approvals each day.  The list was nothing more than a list of random generated ID’s, and a code designating Yes, No, or Pending.

The individual couldn’t email me the file due to firewall restrictions.  They couldn’t post it to an FTP site for the same reason.  The IT department told them to encrypt the file, put it on a CD, and mail it to me.  Great idea!  Only it makes the data completely meaningless by the time it is received.  We devised a work around- they would log into a Gmail account, and create a message attaching the file.  They wouldn’t send it (that wouldn’t work) they just saved it as a draft on the account.  Then we would go log in to the same account each day, find the draft, and download the file.

I have heard it say that information is like water. It will find a way to get where it wants to go, no matter what roadblocks you put in the way.  Building a bigger wall is not the answer.  Two questions should be asked when devising a new security system:

1.  Does anyone want access to the information that shouldn’t have access to it?

2.  If they do gain access, what can they do with the information?  What is the worst case scenario?

Form follows function.  If it doesn’t need to be robust, don’t make it robust.

My mom’s favorite color is:  Purple
My mom’s favorite food is:  Rice
My mom makes her favorite food by: cooking it on the stove with water
My mom is 17 feet tall
My mom weighs 500 pounds
If I could get my mom anything, I would get her: purple flowers

Clearly Dylan knows his mom very well.  Now if only she could loose those last few hundred pounds…

First, they have two #1 priorities.  Seems a little odd, but we can overlook it.  After all, if you ask my 4-year-old son what his favorite color is, he rattles off 5 colors: “Blue, green, black, red, and yellow.  Yellow is the only girl color I like.”

But what really got me is the grammar.  “America & Safety Is”.  It’s like saying “Apples and Oranges is my favorite fruit.”

Oh well.   I can’t blame them if grammar aren’t their top concerns.

1.  Print out the entire cell phone bill.  They want to know how long I talked to my Mom when I called her last Thursday.  With the call logs, its about 12 pages.  (On the old system, I could just attach a PDF that I could export from AT&T)
2.  Go to Website A and fill out the actual report.  Print report.

3.  Go to Website B and fill out the fax cover sheet using specific information from the report printed in step 2.  Print cover sheet.

4.  Fax all the pages (now 14 pages I have printed) to Arizona.

5.  The fax gets sent in email form to my supervisor who sits exactly 5 feet away from me.

6.  Once it gets approved, someone in Arizona may or may not pay me that week.  Its pretty much up to them.

The whole process takes me about 15 minutes to complete, plus some time for people to approve it.

I am sure you are wondering, What do you suggest, Sam?  How could they improve this?   Well I do have an opinion on the matter.

• They pay my phone every month.  How about they have some pre-approved scheduled payments that I don’t have to submit at all?
• For the one-off expenses like travel, I would love the option to fax OR attach an image of my receipts.  The fax is handy if the receipts aren’t already in digital form.
• Why aren’t the fax cover sheet system and the expense report system the same system?  I am double entering a bunch of stuff, and potentially causing errors.

This isn’t merely a rant about a silly system I deal with at work.

One of the greatest benefits of technology should be convenience.  Yet so many technological systems do not simplify our lives, but actually make it more complex.  Any time data points can be converged to offer a single point of entry, our lives will be more convenient.

I believe this is why so many web tools are so useful.  GMail allows me to consolidate disparate email addresses into one location.  Once it is setup, setting up a new PC or a new blackberry is a snap.  Google Reader does the same for my blog reading.  And my Google home page wraps all of those into one view, along with other reference material.  Google is one company with many examples, but lots of other companies get it as well.

Simplification.  This is where real value can be created.

As a Davis County resident, I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Front Runner service. Now that I have seen the prices I am sorely disappointed.

I heard one of the UTA public relations folks comment that I need to take into account my car payment, my insurance, etc. into the price. There are two flaws with that:

1- I still need a car to get to the train station.

2- If I am not making payments on my car, which I am not, then even the price of insurance and maintenance along with gas doesn’t come to half the price of a monthly pass.

One more area of confusion for me is this: If I ride from Farmington, I would pay $6/day. Working an average of 20 days per month, that comes to $120. So why would someone pay $145 for a monthly pass?

Rather than providing a valuable public service, the UTA has done nothing but waste money on the new train.

Hopefully enough people are not good enough at math to see what a poor value the train is. At least that will make my drive a bit quicker.

While this break doesn’t make me like my job, it does remind me why I am doing it. Right now I am sitting on the side of “castle park” watching Dylan play.

I think I will keep looking for my true calling in life, but in the meantime, my kids will help me to keep going in each morning.

Ten Years Ago

A simpler time. I was getting ready to go to the MTC and then el mision in Guatemala. But that was still 2 months away. Right then at least, I was really living.

I worked as the department lead of Department 19 at the Bountiful TJ Maxx. Department 19 was the Lingerie department. This gave me ample time to study the details of ladies intimate apparel, and taught me more than I could learn in a lifetime about the topic.

I was also dating this one girl. We were “in love”. We were so “in love” that our “love” lasted a good 6 months after I left to G-town. Yes, true devotion at its finest.

I drove a gold 1965 Corvair like this one, except, more gold. When I think about all the ladies I could have gotten with this ride, I am not sure why I wasted my time with one girl.

Also, since Adam will probably mention it if I don’t, I had really long hair. Not long “hanging down”, more long “poofing out”. It was big hair.

5 things on my To Do list

• put up molding in basement
• paint basement
• pull up carpet in basement
• finish cabinet in basement
• hang TV in basement

5 snacks I love

• Cheeze-its
• Cheese Bread
• Cheese Sticks
• Cheese Puffs
• Cheese

5 foods I love

• Donuts
• Ice Cream
• Cookies
• Pie
• Donuts

What would I do if I were suddenly a billionaire?

Quit my job. Keep the same house I have now, but build a big room on the back to put all my money in. I would get it in gold coins so I could swim around in it like Scrooge McDuck. I would also start speaking with a scottish accent to make the whole thing more believable.

I would also buy a ‘62 Corvette.

5 places I have lived

• Richton Park, Ill
• Utah
• Guatemala
• The Moon
• Mayberry (but that might have been a dream)

Favorite Quote(s)

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past. ”
F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby

“As if you could kill time without injuring eternity. ”
H. D. Thoreau
Walden

And now for the fun part.

I get to tag other people. so let’s hear from Laura, Cami, and Joanna.

Myth:  This effects everyone with a TV.
Fact:  This change only effects those using over-the-air (OTA) antennas.  Cable and Satellite users need not worry.

Myth:  I will need to buy an HD TV.
Fact:  If you need to use this as an excuse to convince your spouse to let you buy a new TV, then go ahead and use this.  The fact is, with the purchase of a small converter box you can continue to use your old TV.

Myth: Digital TV = HDTV
Fact: All HD is digital, but not all digital is HD.  You can carry standard definition pictures on a digital signal as well.  A good example of this is Seinfeld reruns.   They will still show those after February 2009, even though they were not created in HD.

Myth: The FCC is an evil organization that is causing millions of hardworking Americans to buy new TVs.  (I saw this one on a comment to a New York Times article.)
Fact:  Duh.  The FCC is doing their job.  They are certainly making a lot of money selling off the old analog spectrum, but I don’t see the problem with that.  Our government has mandated them to regulate the spectrum, and that is what they are doing.

As for the cost, anyone that is using an antenna, has an older TV, and does not want to buy a new one can buy a converter box for $60-$70.  As an additional benefit to those people, the government will give you a coupon for $40 towards one of those boxes.  So, the max out of pocket is about $30.  In case you need it, here is the link for that.

All in all, not that big of a deal.

In a radical change of pace, we have booked two vacations in the past two days. Normally I wouldn’t post about them until after the fact, but I am pretty excited so I am writing about them now. Deal with it.

So the first one is happening in 2 weeks. We are going to stay in a little, tiny cabin outside of Moab. I think the kids will enjoy it a lot. We are going to explore the parks, and find some Ghost Towns.

The second one is not until July. My future brother-in-law’s family has a time-share in Hawaii. We have never been, but we only have to pay for airfare and food, so it will be great.

So today it occurred to me. Aren’t these both vacations that the Brady Bunch took? I think I will plan a trip to the Grand Canyon for August so we can knock them all out in one summer. If we go, I will be sure to bring some extra flashlights so I can sneak some hot dogs and beans to that poor Native American boy. Although, we won’t have an Alice that we can leave at camp all day cooking, so maybe we will just have to buy an extra hamburger for him.

So here is the view from my office window: (click to enlarge)

Here are the highlights:

1.  This is the back of a billboard.  The best part of my week is watching the billboard guys replace the poster.  They always have safety harnesses on, but they never connect them to anything.  If anything, they are more likely to fall when their disconnected harness gets stuck on something.

2.  This is the City Building.  Its a nice building to look at.  Whenever I have a problem at work, I lean back in my chair and my eyes fall on the statue on the top of the building. The other day I drove by that building, saw the statue, and got really frustrated.  Its like Pavlov’s dogs, but with a statue.

3.  This is the Burger King.  I ate there about 12 years ago when it was Hardee’s.  I got food poisoning.

4.  This is an odd building.  I think it has apartments, but no one is sure.  There are garages, and sometimes about 10 cars come out of it.  I think there was a flood there last week.  Rumor has it there is a girl that sun bathes out on this roof in the summer.  We will see. (And no Ammon, I will not post a picture of that for you.)

5.  This is where the city bums pee in the morning.

6.  These are fancy-pants new condos.

7.  This is where the bums congregate in the morning to drink their coffee from BK.  Sometimes this is before #5, sometimes after.

8.  This is the number 8.

9.  This truck (behind the tree) belongs to someone that comes out of the blue building from #4.  I call him Alvin Gee because he looks just like my coworker Alan Gee.  I am pretty sure they are brothers, but Alan won’t admit it.  He probably doesn’t want us to know that he has been in the mystery building and knows whats inside.  Plus, the sun bathing girl might be his sister-in-law.

10.  This is a reflection of me holding up my phone for the picture.

Look at this girl? Its pretty clear why I am completely smitten.  Every day when I get home, she squeals with glee, puts her hands on my cheeks, then rests her head on mine.  Now I understand why little girls have their dads wrapped around their fingers.  Anyone that makes me feel like that can have anything they want.

After I explained the situation, she tried to give me the Simplexity customer service number.  After I told her I had been down that route, she said,
“How much was the rebate?”

“$100″

“Would it be OK if I just put a $100 credit on your account?”

“That would be great”

“Ok, its done.  Now you can toss that rebate stuff in the garbage.”

And toss I did.

Wow.  AT&T impressed me today.  I have never had an experience like that with a provider.

Good job.  The value of THAT brand just went up for me.

So what if you buy a company that has a damaged brand?  What if you damage a brand by buying it?

I hate rebates.  Usually I forget to write a period in the correct spot on the rebate form, so it gets rejected.  I try not to buy anything that I wouldn’t buy even if I didn’t get the rebate back.  When I bought my blackberry a few months ago, this was the offer:

Upfront Cost: $150
Initial Rebate: $50 (from AT&T)
Rebate after being on the data plan for 6 months: $100 (From wirefly, aka InPhonic, Inc)

I got the initial rebate, but just now submitted for the $100, according to the rebate rules.  Well, in the meantime InPhonic decided to file Chapter 11, and a company called Simplexity bought their brand.

Is the new company honoring the rebate?  No.
Is the old company honoring it?  No.
Is AT&T honoring it? No. (though I dont blame them)

So, as frustrating as that all is, thats not the point.  The point is, what did Simplexity buy?   If they thought they bought a loyal customer base, they are wrong.  No one cares.  If they only bought a popular website, that might not be a bad thing, but they should have rebranded it immediately: “Wirefly is now Someothercompanyname.com!”

So now Wirefly is still up and running.  Looks like the company I bought my phone from, but its not.  They are offering rebates, which may or may not be valid in 6 months.

I hope when they bought the site, that they took into account the ill will that an estimated $1.6 Million in unpaid rebates has on customers.  I’m out $100, but it burns me more than that.  They lost a satisfied customer, and gained a vocal opponent.

One other note:  Simplexity did send an email with a $100 coupon code to try and satisfy burned customers.  I ordered a $99 bluetooth headset- an order that was somehow “lost”.  I called the call center (located in India) 4 times, and each time they told me they were having “system difficulty” and could not find the order.   Now my coupon code doesn’t work, my order isn’t going to ship, and I am back where I started-  actually I am worse.  Now Wirefly has promised me a $100 rebate I wont be receiving, and a $99 headset I wont be receiving.  Good job, guys.

Allen talks a lot about one of the challenges we all face.  The work of managing our lives has become very ambiguous.  If I was a cave man, its pretty clear what I need to do:

1. Sharpen Stick
2. Kill Animal
3. Eat it

Now, it isn’t so clear.  My survival is so detached from the actual activities I perform.

1. Go to school
2. Get a job
3. Go to work to get paid
4. Go to grocery store to buy food
5. Apply for a mortgage to buy a house with a kitchen to cook the food
6. Buy a house
7. Eat it

The charm of GTD is that you break all your daily ambiguous work into clear tasks.  It is amazingly simple, yet extremely effective.

For example, I might have something on my to-do list like:

• Build demo dashboard for new client.

That task is big, mysterious, and completely ambiguous.  Looking at that task I don’t know if it will take me an hour or a week.  I am not excited to do it, so I will usually put it off.
In reality, what it should read is something more like:

• Evaluate client’s current reporting
• Evaluate client’s data sources
• Obtain client creative elements
• Meet with client to establish needs and expectations
• Define list of required KPIs
• Create dashboard style sheet
• Build first iteration of dashboard
• Collect Feedback
• Build final iteration of dashboard

Now I have a clear path to take.  The mystery is gone.

Seth Godin recently wrote something along the same lines dealing with our career goals:

“I guess the trick is to make the long term items even more urgent than today’s emergencies. Break them into steps and give them deadlines. Measure your people on what they did today in support of where you need to be next month.”

 Everyone deals with ambiguity.  Its up to us to provide the clarity and direction.

One thing I have noticed lately is that there is always a solution available.

As an example, if I live in Utah, and I want to grow and Orange tree, I can find a miniature container style tree. It would be hard to locate that 20 years ago, and would certainly be more expensive if I could. If I have a particular interest, no matter how narrow, I can find information on the topic. If I have a furnishing need in my new basement, I can eventually find the perfect item, and eventually even find a good price. If I have a particular interest in a car, I can find it, even if it is across the county. Not instant gratification, but persistent gratification.

The choice is incredible, and it is also very empowering.

So if there is always a product/answer/solution available, how about the perfect job?

It seems I should be able to find a way to support myself and my family in the way that is ideal for me and my lifestyle. Perhaps contract work/freelance, perhaps a traditional job with non-traditional hours, perhaps working remotely. In nearly every aspect of my life my need to compromise has gone down. I can get what I want, when I want it as long as I pay the price.

So why have I compromised in my career?

Or is it my ability to get what I want when I want it that has given me an unrealistic expectation for my career?

Well, the day after we talked about it, Amber started demolition. 6 months later, we are now ready to paint. So here is what we have done:

1. We pulled all the paneling down, exposing the unfinished, damaged drywall
2. We built a toy cabinet into the wall, measuring 3′ deep, 3′ high, and about 15′ long. The cabinet juts into the unfinished part of the basement, but it can be utilized really well as a nice workbench.
3. We repaired all the drywall. That sentence is only 5 words, but represents about 5 months of the project. We did the mudding, the taping, and a lot of skim coating to repair the rips and tears in the drywall.
4. We installed two interior doors, and a new exterior door.
5. We learned how to work together: I do the labor, Amber inspects. Actually Amber did a lot of the work, too.

here is what we have left:

1. Priming
2. Hang crown molding and base boards
3. Hang our cool textured wallpaper
4. paint
5. Hang our cool cork tiles on one wall
6. Hang the tv
7. Have the carpet installed

I can’t wait for it to be done. It is going to add a ton of usable space to the house, and clear the toys out of Dylan’s room.

 So Amber decided to open the discussion about us buying her out.  Her partner has been a good asset to have up to this point, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense for her to be involved anymore.  I am excited about the possibilities, here is why:

1.  MollyGear has a really clear brand.  I think this is because of the niche market we serve-  its easy to embody the values of a clear demographic into the brand when you are not trying to appeal to everyone.

2.  The product is something people want.  Adam and I created a business once that we thought was cool.  Turns out no one wanted the product.  This is different.

3.  I am motivated to grow a business.  I have the entrepreneurial bug again.  I could start something from scratch, but this already has great momentum.

So, we are in the planning phase.  Possible opportunities include expanding the current product lines, offering new product lines, outsourcing more manufacturing, and creating ancillary brand sites.  The future looks bright, and I think it will be a lot of fun.

I recently came across a time management system that seems to be the answer to all of my problems professionally.  Its called Getting Things Done by David Allen.  It has been around a while, so some of you may have run into it.  I am just learning the system, but here is the idea:

1.  You can’t keep everything in your head.  You need to get it out, written down, in a system that you trust.  This can be analog or digital.  The important thing is that your brain knows you will see the item again, so it doesn’t try to remember it.

2.  On any task, you need to answer 2 things:  What represents a successful outcome for this task, and What are the next steps?  Until you can answer those, your mind will keep working on the ambiguity of the task.

3.  Complicated jobs, constant distraction, and more inputs than we can handle are symptomatic of life today.  You can’t avoid it, you just have to learn how to handle it.

So there is a lot more, but that is the basic idea.  From what I have experienced, it works.  One of the first exercises is to put everything you are trying to remember to do on paper.  I did it and came up with a list of about 60 things.  The next night I slept better than I ever do, and I was able to think clearly about lots of things.

Once I have the system fully implemente, I will see how it goes.  I have a lot of confidence in it so far.

Last week we were at the local library. Amber was picking out some books in the kid’s section with Dylan, and I had found a few I was going to check out. I asked her to hold my books for me while I ran to the bathroom. She just laughed.

You see, for as long as I can remember, bookstores and libraries have made me need to go #2.

I wasn’t sure if this was just my own biological reaction due to some early conditioning, but I was pretty sure I was unique. Amber mentioned she has a friend that has the same “problem”. I decided to do a little checking.

Turns out this isn’t uncommon. No one knows for sure why it is, but many people have the reaction. Even Jerry Seinfeld¹ is reported to suffer from Bibliopooping (my name for the condition). Some people think it’s an association created while reading on the can, but I don’t do that. I never have. The only time I read in the bathroom is when I am in there pretending to be busy so I can get a couple moments of peace and quiet.

Another theory is that it’s due to all the squatting, bending, and stretching involved in looking for books. I don’t buy that either. Mine will hit me moments after walking in the door, before I bend down to get my first book.

I can’t help but wonder if there are other triggers like this. My 6-month old little girl has one- anytime we put her in white tights for church. She will go pretty regular all week long, then come Thursday she locks down, storing up for Sunday morning. Once the tights are on and we are sitting in church, she opens the flood gates. By stocking up, she ensures that she overflows her diaper. It also helps if the tights aren’t ours. (Sorry Laura).

So there you go. If you also suffer from this condition, you are not alone.

Additional Resources for Bibiopoopers:
Some Forum
Google Search

¹ Esquire September 1994

In this one, I wanted to try something using a solid field of color on the background. I mixed the blue then thinned it WAY down, but it still took 10 days before it was dry enough to paint over.

I think this one is more my style–modern and minimalist. I knew basically what I wanted before I started painting, and it came pretty close. I did the brown sticks all with a knife, along with the white snowflakes. Also the lighter blue band running from the top left to the bottom right is just a reflection from when I took the picture. I wish I had painted it that way, but I didn’t.

I think I am going to do some bigger versions of this same theme for the house. I like it. You don’t? I don’t care.

I have updated my portfolio to include photography.  I was able to capture a picture of the very elusive “Poodle Luva”

He is the one in the back.  Beware if you see this guy around your dog… if you know what I mean.  On a side note, the guy in the front recently told me that his dog is missing.   Hmm….

Back to the original Post:

A few weeks ago I decided I needed a hobby that didn’t involve a computer. I thought about my options, and decided to start painting. I have been thinking a lot about that for the past couple months, especially after Adam and I visited this place. (BTW, since that trip Adam has started buying art. I guess it made an impact on both of us.)

So while I have never considered myself to be artistic, I decided to jump into oil painting. I intentionally read as little as I could on the topic, as I really wanted to explore the world on my own.

So far I have completed two small works. While they are not masterpieces, I was successful in accomplishing what I set out to do.

Work #1: Mangia
My dog Mangia seemed like a good subject, since he is an Italian. Everyone knows good art comes from Italy.
On this one I wanted to learn how to mix colors, and handle the brush. I intentionally went for big, thick brush strokes because I like that look. I also knew I wouldn’t be able to do detail very well, so I didn’t try.

I hadn’t learned how to thin my paints yet, so the paint is on there really thick. That seems to be what made it so shiny.
I also had no idea how long this stuff takes to dry. I was surprised when the paint wasn’t dry the next morning, or the next week, or two weeks after I painted it. Its been about a month now, and it is pretty dry. I guess a book would have taught me that, but I wouldn’t have believed them anyway.

All in all, I feel I was successful. I was astounded how many shades I could get out of my meager 5 color collection of paint.

Criticism is welcome, as long as you tell me how amazing it is, and say nothing bad about it.

Crazy huh?

Merry Christmas! Love, The Anderson’s.

The apostrophe isnt needed. Its not possessive. Love what? the Anderson’s what? The Anderson’s Dog?

Anyway, the other day I seen this note, and thought it was funny. Its kindof an odd mistake, dont you think so?

BONUS: See if you can spot all 17 spelling and grammatical errors I included in this entry.

Amber says I need to stop bragging about the car, but I can’t.  I pay $0.63/gallon for fuel, its greener than a hybrid, and I am part of this inside community now.  (When you stop for gas, everyone chats and compares cars.)

So if anyone is thinking of taking the plunge, I highly recommend it.

While looking at these rolls, it seems that there are two basic mandates in customer service. It is your job to either: A) encourage the customer in doing what they want, or B) prevent the customer from doing what they want.

If I call American Express to sign up for a new card, the rep I speak to is a type A. When I call back 3 months later to cancel my card (due to some very goofy policies) , the person I speak to is certainly a type B. We may swap roles continually, such as the IT guy. While ordering a laptop for a new employee, he is a type A. When an existing employee requests a laptop upgrade, he must act as a type B, mostly because his boss, or the CFO is a type B.

When it is difficult to get something done, look for the person that can play the type A roll.

I had an experience recently that illustrates this point. In trying to order some supplies for our never-ending home remodel, I received half of what I expected for my money. In reviewing their website, it turned out that I did indeed get what I ordered, but it was obvious that they had an error in the way the product was priced. Though they were competitive on most products, on this particular price they were 4x the price of the competition.

I sent an email to “customerservice@” explaining the situation, and received a response from the returns department. She sent me a mostly canned response regarding how to order from the website correctly. She also suggested I call their sales department when I decide to order more of the supplies. Wrong answer.

We went back and forth for several rounds, where her final response was “You were charged correctly”, and told me about the 30% restocking fee. She still didn’t get it.

Finally I called the sales department, and asked them to verify the price on the materials I had purchased. Sure enough, instead of $52, the correct price was $13. Imagine that. So the helpful agent issued a refund for what I had been overcharged, and submitted a new order at the new price for the remaining materials I needed. Had I followed through with the original agent’s advice, I would have spent $212. Instead, I am spending $52.

The Returns department in this organization had a mandate opposite of what their name suggests. In reality, they are there to prevent anyone from returning anything. Since my intentions did not match hers, it was an uphill battle. The sales line wanted to sell me more wallpaper, and they were willing to do the 2 minutes of research to verify the correct price, to sell me what I wanted. Our intentions matched.

When customer service isn’t playing ball, I frequently ask that they escalate the call to their manager. Their manager usually has a different mandate. Many times, escalating the issue one level converts the situation from dealing with an A to dealing with a B.

In your organization, what can you do to be a type A most of the time? It might be a new process, might be a new policy, it might just be a new attitude. When you are the customer trying to get something done, look for the type A rather than arguing with the type B.

I have been listening to M. Ward a lot lately. There seems to be a bit of a neo-folk-indie-rock movement going on , and he is at the center of it all. I first heard him on the compilation album The Late Great Daniel Johnston (which is confusing since Daniel Johnston isn’t dead). Then he popped up again when I noticed he produced Jenny Lewis’ solo album.

My favorite of his albums is Transistor Radio, although I am still working my way through his catalog. You can grab some bite-sized clips right here.

I think its premature to expound on his artistic genius, but I do really enjoy his stuff. He is one of those artists that might not hook you right away, but on the 3rd listen or so it really starts to make sense. So check it out…. Now.

Really post office? Really? Even for you this is pretty bad.

Dear Santa,
I have been very good this year. I have been very nice to Baby. Need stuff. Cars in a little box or a big box. Hey, and firetruck magnets. Plastic animals with a beach. I want a crane with boxes. I will leave you some cookies.

From,
Dylan

I put money down on a CNG Honda Civic. Its a four-door, so that will be nice for getting the kids in and out. I will miss the space of an SUV, but I won’t mind the money we will be saving. Anyone that might be skeptical of a non-traditional fuel vehicle, let me break the savings down for you:

Pathfinder:
Monthly Payment: $180
Fuel: $150 (45 gallons, $3 per gallon, 900 mile range on average)
Total monthly operating cost: $330

CNG Civic:
Monthly Payment: $185
Monthly Payment (normalized) after State Tax Credit: $127
Fuel: $16.50 (22.5 gallons, $.73 per gallon, 900 mile range on average)
Total monthly operating cost: $143.50

Thanks a monthly savings of $186.50. I could buy and drive two of these for the price I was paying for the Pathfinder. There are some other benefits, like driving solo in the car pool lane, and parking free at SLC meters. Not to mention it is cleaner for the environment. (I added that in to get Ammon riled up.)

And to preemptively answer some common questions:

1. Several gas stations around offer CNG fillup. Including a new one in Bountiful. I can even drive it all the way to LA if I pay attention to where the pumps are. Home refueling is an option, but it isn’t very cost effective…. yet.

2. The tanks are armored, so they wont explode.

3. All other mechanics are the same, so I can still work on the car when needed.

Then Dylan yells out “I have to go POTTTTTYYYYYY!!!!”

Sometimes you don’t get much warning. We were near the Lowe’s I despise so much, so I thought we would use the facilities without buying anything. I know, it’s my vigilante form of justice at work.

So we head in there. Dylan is usually good aim, but for some reason he lost control. It was like an unmanned firehose. He got the seat, the walls, the floor… everything. When we both realized what had happened, he looked up at me quite concerned he would be scolded. While I hadn’t encouraged the behavior, I really couldn’t help but be overcome with a sense of fatherly pride for what had transpired. I decided to neither condemn nor approve the action, but instead told him to flush.

We washed our hands, went back to the car, and continued on our quest for shoes. Except, now I wasn’t so grumpy.

Chief among the changes instituted is a single solution to multiple problems:
1-  Traffic sucks, and is getting worse all the time.  It makes me irritable and wastes my time.
2-  I am easily distracted at  work, and have trouble focusing on one task when I am regularly interrupted.
3-  I feel I should be spending more time with the kids than I am.

The solution?  Amber (for moral support) and I now get up at 5 AM.  I know.  Its nuts.  We are usually both beat by 9:30, so we are getting our 8 hours pretty regular.  I beat traffic in, have about 3 hours of uninterrupted time to do some of my more critical work that requires concentration, and I get to leave work in the afternoon and beat traffic again, and spend extra time with the kids.   The traffic avoidance alone adds a whole hour to my day.

There is a downside.  8 to 11 pm used to be MY time, usually spent aimlessly surfing, watching pointless tv, or catching up on work from the office.  My time now mostly goes from work to family to bed.  I am trying to remedy that missing element, but for now, it has been worth the sacrifice.

So early to bed, early to rise.  We will see how long I can keep it up.

The state legislature passed a bill that allowed parents to receive a voucher for partial tuition toward a private school.  Well the people (and by people I mean teachers) had a fit over this, and decided to put it on the ballot to let the people (and by people I mean the teacher’s friends) decide.

Without going into painstaking detail about how much money will leave the public schools, or whether or not it will affect class sizes, I wanted to lay out why I am for it.

I believe in the free market.  It has worked in every industry to which it has been applied.  Every time a monopoly is broken up, or an industry is deregulated, three things happen:

1.  The former super power fights the change
2.  The quality of the product or service goes up
3.  The price of the product or service goes down

I would be interested if anyone can tell me of an instance when this has not been the net effect of the change.

I do not plan on putting my children in private school.  I do believe that this initiative will improve ALL schools, both public and private.  The education system in Utah has been behind the national average for several decades.  Its about time they had some accountability.  Since they don’t like government intervention (as in No child left behind) then how about private intervention?

The great thing is that parents will still have an option.  By not privatizing the whole education system, a free education will still be available to all.  People will just be able to choose.  And isn’t that one of the tenants of the USA?

All in all, its a debate I am pretty confident that I am on the losing side of.  What a shame.

While the original usage of the line doesn’t apply, the people’s desire to avoid progress brings a quote to mind.
“And so we beat on, boats against the current. Borne back ceaselessly into the past” F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

So this year I decided to dress up for halloween.  The morning of the big day, I woke up, took out my assortment of wigs and novelty clothing, and weighed my options.

My friend and Coworker Sean has a terrible drivers license photo.  Its really bad.  So I decided to dress up as that.  Below is an image to illustrate.  The real photo is on the left, my Halloween masterpiece is on the right.

1. She has a great 4 year old boy that is smart, polite, and reasonable (as much as a 4 year old can be).

2. She has an adorable daughter that is the sweetest thing around.

3. She has a highly successful husband that owes his power and wealth to her.

4. She has failed at about 5 home businesses. Yes, thats a good thing. She has learned a ton, and is experiencing fair success with the current endeavors.

5. She has created a beautiful, loving home for our family.

6. She has perfected her Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.

7. She accomplishes whatever she sets out to do.

Needless to say, I am totally in love with her. I learn more from her all the time and continue to be impressed. 27 isn’t old, Amber. And I can’t wait to see what you will do with the next 27. or 50. or 100.

Happy Birthday!

I understand that certain problems are unavoidable such as weather. Other problems can be improved, and should be. I am stuck in JFK right now. I usually hate the flight to New York because it is about an hour too long. This flight I didn’t mind so much. Why? A TV in the seat in front of me.

Why doesn’t every plane have this? It was the first time I have had the pleasure.

The problem is now the expectation is set. I will be boarding in a bit, and if there is a tv I will be able to watch The Office. If not, I am going to be upset. Upset about something I didn’t even know existed (or at least didn’t understand how great it was) just 48 hours ago.

So, to sum up this meaningless post: I hope there is a tv, airlines suck, when they have tv they suck less, and Wordpress works really well in the browser on my blackberry–which is also new to me.

A few weeks ago I was driving by an antique store downtown, and they had a 50s style highchair- chrome and vinyl, with a much smaller footprint than the modern versions. It wasn’t in very good shape and they were asking $80 for it, so I decided to check out eBay.

For $10 I got a great one. I recovered it with red vinyl (another $10) and added some more secure straps ($5). When I received it the chrome was cloudy and suffered from oxidation in a couple places, so I whipped out the Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound and went to town on it for about an hour and a half.

Now we have the coolest highchair in town.

On a related note, I have a highchair for sale. It is only a few years old, will hold a baby of any size. You just might need to add on to your kitchen in order to fit it in.

The highlight is the first track, called “Silver Lining”. Go over to their website to hear the whole track.

What I like about Kiley is their detachment from any predefined style. Indie rock at its best. Some songs sound like Fleetwood Mac, some like the latest pop supergroup. And the whole album is peppered with gospel style back-up singers.

So I like it, you might too.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about buying a few acres about an hour or so outside of town. I could build a nice house there, and work from home most days. I can’t think of anything wrong with that. Except, of course, for the fact that Amber would hate it.

I think there is some need for being buy critical services when you have kids. I like knowing that the fire department is 10 blocks away, and a hospital is 10 minutes away. That does provide some peace of mind, and I suppose that is the idea behind “community”.

But is there a place that has some services without giving up the idea of living so close to the earth? Maybe this is a common fantasy, the best of both worlds.

Either way, I think we are going to the canyon this weekend. Amber will be taking pictures, I will be doing some window shopping.

I believe opportunity is the second ingredient. Just like some ideas are better than others, some opportunities are better than others. Opportunity might involve knowing the right people, having the right resources (read: lots of money to burn), being in the right economic climate, or in the middle of a social movement at the right time. Opportunity may evolve out of foresight, but more likely it is dumb luck.

S o if you have a good idea and a good opportunity, whats left? Execution. In my opinion, this is where there is the most opportunity to fail. Good ideas and good opportunities can come to anyone- whether they are prepared for them or not. What sets successful people apart from everyone else is their ability to execute a plan.

In some environments, execution might make up for a lousy idea, or a lousy opportunity. I think professional salespeople are a great example of this- there might be no unique opportunity, and no new idea, but their ability to execute (ie, cold calling, prospecting, closing) can create success for that person.

So what am I doing to execute in the environment I am in? Am I focused on what I am doing, or am I simply looking for new ideas and opportunities?

I haven’t posted about new music for a while, so I thought I would do that. This isn’t new, but it’s new to me.

Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins created a hauntingly beautiful record last year called Rabbit Fur Coat. Jenny Lewis is the frontwoman to the indie rock group Rilo Kiley. She took a hiatus to do this project, and I am sure it is paying off dividends now that she is back with Rilo Kiley.

The music is a little gospel, a little activist, a little romantic, but all very well put together. It was produced by another one of my recent favorites (to be written about next week), the Portland folk artist M. Ward. Listening to the old Kiley recordings makes it clear that Jenny’s voice has matured a lot. The format lends itself to her newfound vocal discipline and expressive control. Here are the highlights:

1. A cover of the Traveling Wilbury’s Handle With Care – Ben Gibbard (Death Cab) guests on this one. Its a great recording that is more rock than some of the other tracks.

2. Rise Up with Fists is reminiscent of Dylan’s Masters of War. Though it deals with different subject matter, it presents as important a message. This also presents one of the best collaborations between Lewis and the Twins, their respective acts melding seemlessly.

3. You Are What You Love is one of my personal favorites. It has a simple message, told with colorful lyrics. The song is in a major scale, but starts on the minor third chord that sets off the slightly dark tone of the song that compliments the story.

All in all a great album. Rilo Kiley is back together and touring with new album. I recommend checking out Lewis and Rilo Kiley.

Why do people go to the same chain restaurants over and over again? We were out with a couple this weekend, and they decided we should go to the Olive Garden. When Amber said I knew a lot of good lesser-known restaurants, they asked me to give them 5 to choose from. I ran down a list, then we went to Olive Garden.

So why is that? It seems to boil down to risk aversion. People want to go somewhere where they are guaranteed to have a decent time. Not great, but decent. Its the safer bet.

I was feeling pretty self-righteous about my habits of going to new places, when it occurred to me that I also have a habit that limit how adventurous I am. Even though I go to small, unique restaurants, I frequently order the same thing ever time. So how daring is that? So at Olive Garden I ordered something new. It was pretty good. Not great, but good.

I have also heard of people on vacation eating at the same restaurants they have at home. I think the fact that Applebees tastes the same in New York as it does in Salt Lake is considered a comfort, but to me its a shame. Wouldn’t it be better to go someplace that doesn’t taste like home?

So next time you are headed out, try something new. You might even find thebigfork.com handy for locating a good place.

At the advent of the concept, big box retailers provided unmatched selection and price. While this is still mostly true, in many areas smaller stores have caught up. The distribution channels are in place that give each Mom&Pop access to the same goods that bigger stores buy. You might pay a little more (but not much) and it might not be in stock today. But I think it’s worth it.

Since I am smack in the middle of building a bathroom, here are some local selections. My criteria is simple. They don’t have to be small and independent, though that’s preferable. They do have to be specialized in what they are selling.

Lighting: Lots of options here. We went with Duncan Lighting in Bountiful. Their selection is large, though not as contemporary as I’d like. We still found a light that worked great for us though. The only downside? They don’t have a website for me to link to. So try this search.

Plumbing Fixtures: Across the west, Standard Plumbing is the answer. They are dealers for everyone, and they are used to dealing with pros that know what they want. Limited hours (they close at 5) but they are probably worth burning a lunch break.

Tile: Tempted to go pick up the bland tan tile they have boxes of at Lowe’s? Why? So your house can look like everyone else’s?
Daltile is the industry leader in tile, and just about every flooring store carries their lines. They probably have the tan in stock too, but why not look at Daltiles vast selection and order what you really want? This is what we are going with (the 3×6 subway tile), and this is where we are getting it (cheaper than Home Depot, too!)

Other Stuff:
Our ceiling tiles are coming from this site. Also remember that most of the Ace Hardware stores around are independently owned franchises, so you can help out a local entrepreneur by shopping there for your odds and ends.

So good idea, Adam. I think I will make this a regular feature, exploring other local industries besides hardware.
Happy Building.

Four years ago I bought a fridge there. It was the first purchase I had made at Lowe’s. When they delivered the fridge, it was not the model I had picked out. After a 10 minute argument with the delivery guy, we ended up going to the store to find they had switched the tags. Honest mistake. They gave us the lower price on the nicer fridge, but charged us two delivery fees at $70 each. They were supposed to be refunded with a rebate. We never got that.

So I stopped shopping there. I bought a couple things now and then- everything cost less than a dollar ($0.28 in nails, that sort of thing) and I always paid with my credit card to ensure they didn’t make any money on it. Recently I decided my embargo was over after I had convinced 5 friends to not buy appliances there- I made my point.

The next purchase I made there was for a large ceiling light. I bought it for $190, installed it using the supplied hardware, and enjoyed it even though it had a red tint to the light.

Then after it had been installed for 3 months, it comes crashing down onto our kitchen floor. Thank goodness D and L weren’t under there at the time. It was badly broken, so I took I called the store. They told me to bring it in and they would give me a refund. Pleasantly surprised, I headed down to the store.

“We can only give you a store credit”

“I don’t want to buy anything else in your store”

“We can’t find your transaction. It is all we can do.”

An assistant manager even came up to “look up” my transaction. He couldn’t find it either. After 45 minutes I left, pissed. I called the manufacturer:

“We can send out a new light”

“I don’t want a new light. This one almost killed someone. I want my money back.”

“Thats against our policy. Our policy is to give you a new light”

“Well my policy is to get my money back when I buy crappy, dangerous products”

So I called the store back the next day when the senior manager was in. After a 5 minute runaround with the same problems, I told him I would handle it in Small Claims court. Finally he relented and had cash ready for me at the store.

When I went to pick up the cash, they wanted me to sign a release of liability. I told them I would not. Then I took the money and left Lowe’s for the last time.

I really hate Lowe’s. I will never go there again. I have been there twice, and both times had terrible experiences. Home Depot may have crowded aisles, but at least they take care of their customers.

1. Large Shopping Carts help people buy more.
2. Putting small racks of merchandise in the middle of aisles helps people buy more.
3. We are a “warehouse store” so we can leave pallets in the aisles or close some aisles whenever we want, even if it is the middle of a busy Saturday.

The problem is, these policies don’t work together. My 3-year-old loves the oversized race-car style shopping carts. But those don’t fit down the aisle when they have stuff everywhere. Even the main front walkway leading to the registers is cluttered with Clearance tables, book racks, or the latest deal on a tile saw (because everyone knows a $400 saw is the type of impulse purchase that belongs at the register).

I got so fed up with it once, I asked the manager or our local store to walk around with one of their giant carts and see what he thought of his crowded aisles. The next time I went in there, the aisles were clear! It lasted about 3 months, but now they are as crowded as ever.

I think there is also a mole in our house that is informing Home Depot of my buying habits. As soon as I go to buy, say… a screwdriver, that aisle is blocked off while they do some fork-lift work. No matter what it is I go to buy, usually that aisle is blocked. I suspect my wife may be the mole, but I can’t be certain. Either way, wouldn’t it be easier to sell their stuff if customers could get to their stuff? I guess they were busy finding more things to put in the aisles.

In the end, I think I agree with Seth Godin. They have the lowest prices, but at what cost? They are the biggest, but they could be the best, too. It would just require a little more investment. Its easy to be mediocre. Its hard to be great.

Our family car was an old tan station wagon. Since their were six in our family and the car only actually sat 5, my place as the youngest was in the “way back”. That is the cargo area behind the back seat. No seat (and consequently no seat belt) just me bouncing around with every bump. I think I even had to sit there when there were only 5 in the car, just so no one had to site right next to anyone else. In fact, I’m not sure I ever got a seat, no matter how few were in the car. Maybe I had an odor problem no one told me about. Wait, no… my sister told me about it all the time. That must have been it. Either way I somehow survived years bouncing around freely. Luckily we didn’t have any more kids, or someone might have had to ride Teen Wolf style.

Vacations were another story. We had an 8 passenger van, so we would all be buckled up, right? Nope. Out went one of the seats so my dad could install his homemade bed in the back. We spent 2 days each summer with all 4 kids bouncing around on the mattress on the trek up to Wisconsin. It had benefits, when we started to fight my mom wouldn’t scold us. She didn’t even turn around. She just blindly through a handful of Starburst candy back in our general area, which resulted in a massive flailing of arms and legs as we scrambled for the candy like we were part of the Oklahoma land grab. I am not sure how this didn’t start more fights than it calmed, but it worked either way.

One other nice feature about the van was the cruise control. To my Dad, this wasn’t just a simple convenience of not having to push the pedal down for 8 hours strait. To my Dad, cruise control gave he and my mother license to switch drivers without stopping. 65mph? No problem. “Just put your leg… good. Now you take the…. ok. Now I will just slide out… and… done. ” All while we were bouncing from one side of the car to the other on the giant foam mattress.

Keeping all this in mind, I recently saw some graffiti that got me thinking. I don’t know much about “street cred”, but if the program works anything like my airline miles, this guy needed to be docked some major cred points. Here is why:

1. The graffiti in question was in Salt Lake City. -1 point
2. It was in a hospital. -2 points
3. It was on a mens room toilet bowl tissue liner dispenser. -3 points
4. It was written in purple marker. Some graffiti dude was carrying a purple marker around waiting for the opportunity to tag random public restroom equipment. -10 points
5. It said, “MADE” followed by three random letters. I don’t remember what the letters were because they carried no significance to me. I am not sure all three were even real letters. -5 points

So, to recap, the guy carries a purple marker and tags a bathroom tissue dispenser in a hospital mens room, and he tags it with something that means nothing. What purpose does this serve? What compels someone to do such a thing? Is there anyone that can explain this to me?

Amber did a great job, popping the baby out in record time. Layla is absolutely perfect.

Dylan is a little less excited about the proposition. The whole thing has taken on a new level of reality for him, and he is having a hard time handling it. Hopefully once the baby is home, it will get easier as he gets used to things.

As for now, Mom and Baby are in the hospital, and I decided to come home so I could be with Dylan. I said it was to give him some normalcy, but the fact that I have only slept 3 hours in the last 40 hours has something to do with it.

The trick with marketing the MollyGear products is that the niche is so specific. I know this is supposed to be a marketers dream, but it presents some challenges. How can I (as the marketing consultant) make this product so infectious that it naturally travels through the target demographic? Here are my thoughts so far:

1. There will have to be some money spent up front to get the ball rolling. Thats one aspect of this fair- they are selling the bags, but more importantly is the exposure they are getting. Even if they only sell a dozen bags, several hundred girls will now be aware of them. But what is the critical mass required to make it propel itself?

2. We are supplying materials in an effort to increase the likelihood that girls will talk to their friends about MollyGear., including dog tag keychains inscribed with”Certified Molly Mormon – MollyGear.com” and bookmarks with clever messages.

Will this spur conversation? What can we do that will naturally send the MollyGear brand spiraling through the niche faster than this year’s flu virus?

I grew up thinking I could do anything I wanted to do. As time went on, road blocks started to appear. Some of them were real, and some in my head. Certainly the ones in my head added to my inability to overcome the real ones. I am reasonably proud of what I have become, and I do not intend to stop progressing. But here are a few things that I know I can’t do.

1. Fold fitted sheets You know, the ones with elastic? It doesn’t matter how hard I try, they always look like I just grumbled them up and tossed them in the closet. I am pretty sure I will never be able to fold them.

2. Wake up early every morning I try, and I am better than I used to be. But I still have to sleep in now and then. Although, sleeping in is now 7:30, so thats not too bad.

3. Appreciate Jazz With the exception of Big Band stuff and Dixie Land, I just don’t get it. Anything that ends in “Trio” or is in a genre described with the word “Fusion”. I have tried, but I don’t understand it.

4. Stop believing in Dylan Sure, I haven’t tried to do this one, but I know I can’t. The kid is amazing. When I watch him learn new things, I just see a big blob of potential. I have come to understand this as one of the biggest joys of being a father.

I suppose it is important for each to transcend their own limitations, and see themselves as their father would. What more motivation could one aspire to?

Yet it seems like people could be better at providing critiques. As I was thinking about this, the words of my favorite writing teacher in high school came back to me- Tact, Timing, and Balance. She insisted we strive for those three qualities as we give each other feedback. I think I try to do the same in my work, but I feel my clients usually don’t. Here is what it means to me:

1. Tact – This has a lot to do with the words you choose to use. For instance, using words like ‘this chart is mucked up’ when you could simply write ‘I believe this is incorrect’. What a difference.

Tact also stems to courtesy in the world of email. For instance, when I read a word in all capital letters, I yell those words in my head. Did you want to yell at me? If you did, please call me and yell at me so at least I can defend myself. If you didn’t mean to yell, then you shouldn’t type in all caps. DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM SAYING?

2. Timing – When is the proper time to ask for changes? Probably not 2 hours before you need to present the product. Probably not a day before you need to present the product. I consider myself to be pretty reasonable and accommodating, so I will try my best to meet your deadlines. But the tighter we are on time, the less quality your product will have. That should be understood.

3. Balance – This one is almost non-existent in the business world. Just because you are paying me to create a product for you, does not mean that kind words aren’t appreciated. I am always more willing to take criticism, when I understand you value what I have created for you. I believe balance means trying to find something you like, for each thing you don’t. If you can’t find anything you like, maybe someone else should be building your product, since obviously we have a different view of the situation.

As I write about these things, I realize I can do better at these as well. Hopefully as I communicate with more tact, timing, and balance, others will recognize my efforts and return the favor. I think the world would be a better place because of it.

I see something similar in the marketing efforts of startups and other small businesses. In a small business, it is difficult to balance getting the work, with doing the work. As soon as a couple new clients come along, marketing efforts fall by the wayside. Once the work is done, resources are wasted as the hunt for new clients continues.

Professional sales programs usually follow the convention of making a specific number of new contacts every day- filling the funnel. This ensures you always have enough work to do, and should get a healthy momentum going.

So maybe I need to blog everyday. Some of it might suck, but I should try it out for a while.

Wow.

This trip ended up costing me more than I had hoped, but it was worth every penny. This was a show for the history books. I could write a minute by minute log, but instead I will just give the highlights:

1. Allison Krauss is amazing, but I don’t think she was fully appreciated by the crowd. Sheryl Crow had her come out for a duet on Strong Enough, and I am not sure that was a good idea for Sheryl. It sounded ok, but I think everyone sounds bad when singing with Allison Krauss. It is just a matter of contrast.

2. Robert Randolph and the Family Band played later on. If these guys don’t get bigger and bigger, then something is wrong with the world. It was an incredible mini-set, with Robert Randolph smiling and dancing the whole way through. It was contagious. They are all extremely talented musicians.

3. John “I thought I was playing Blues” Mayer baffles me. Bill Murray did a great job of introducing him in such a manner that made an audience of skeptics want to give him a chance. Then he came out and blew it. Here is the thing- He has some decent blues licks. He can play, and no one doubts that. The problem is with his choice of songs. They were all songs he wrote (except for a single Ray Charles tune that was as far from blues as any RC tune could be) and none of them followed a conventional blues progression. I am not suggesting the blues cannot go outside of a standard 12-bar progression, but if you are trying to prove yourself, dont you think it might be good to be respected with the basics first before putting your own spin on things?

Another thing about Mayer. His lyrics make me sick. They are so internally focused. It is always about John. And the big life questions he seems to be exploring remind me of a 9th grade creative writing class. This really didn’t bother me on his first album, but you would think his material would have matured a bit by now. It didn’t appear that Clapton saw much in him, but I am not sure why Buddy Guy is hanging around with him. I guess he has a good agent or something.

4. BB King did a couple tunes. He acted like he was giving his own eulogy, but he played with the same power and passion that made him famous. Johnny Winter was about as old and weak, but did a great rendition of Dylan’s Highway 61.

5. Clapton’s set was great. Steve Winwood played with him, so it was almost a Blind Faith reunion concert. Speaking of Winwood, I had no idea he played guitar- really really well. Very good show.

6. Buddy Guy closed the show with his usual strength. What a classic entertainer. And as the concert was in Chicago, he had a sort of home-court advantage. Buddy hosted the all star jam at the end with Clapton, Hubert Sumlin, Johnny Winter, Doyle Bramhall II, Derek Trucks, Jimmy Vaughan, Robert Cray, and our buddy Mayer.

12 Hours after the show began we started heading for the parking lot. It was one for the history books and worth the money, the sore back and feet, and the awkward sunburn. Unforgettable.

The problem is that I keep feeling like a blissful period of organization is just around the corner, yet it never comes. How many times do I need to go buy bins to organize the stuff I don’t need? Its not that I hoard, either. For months now I have had more than enough garbage for the can each week, and I have taken 3 pickup loads to the dump. Yet stuff seems to be everywhere.

I want to get rid of all my stuff to live deliberately. To suck out the marrow of life and all that. So here are my goals. Same as they always are, but now they are enshrined in cyberspace:

1. A place for everything: Not only the stuff I have, but the stuff I want. If we are buying D a new toy, we better buy a bin, a shelf, a box, something….

2. Reduce clutter areas: I strongly believe a complete abolition on clutter areas would be counter productive. Everyone needs to have that one drawer in the kitchen, but I need to get rid of that one closet, that one room, that one shed, that one basement, etc. It needs to be specific, organized, and limited. Organized clutter. Sounds great.

3. Stop buying crap. Really.

4. Throw or give away what I don’t need, starting with the biggest stuff: With a baby coming, that giant highchair, stroller, walker, swing and car seat might have to stick around for another couple years, but not forever. And there is plenty of other stuff that can go now. Thanks for the memories.

I really believe that an organized environment leads to organized thoughts, which leads to productivity, which leads (for me) to happiness. It must me done. I am going out of my mind.

1. Ads that start with “Finally…” Finally, affordable health insurance. Finally, an activity the whole family can enjoy. Finally, a trip to the moon that doesn’t cost millions. I don’t agree with creating the impression that people have been waiting for your product or service simply by starting with the word finally. If I want your product, I will read your ad and then say to myself, “Finally. A solution to my problem” without you telling me.

2. Over-use of exclamation marks Read this letter!!! Its really important!!!! Really!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it isn’t just the consecutive exclamation marks, what about when they don’t even need to be there. Here is a recent subject line to a message I received at work:

Salt Lake Transition to AZ Domain!

Of course, the message was marked with “High Importance” besides the exclamation mark. Was this really something that needed to be shouted? Guess what, oh self-important IT guy: Not only was it not that important, it was probably the least important thing in my inbox. Hmm… reply to this ordinary email from a client paying us $90,000 for their current 4-week project, or read some meaningless procedural dribble from the network admin. Not important at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ( << sarcastic multi-explanation point use).

3. Using 4 in place of For If you are a sending a text message from a cell phone, sure- write “meet 4 lunch?”. But if you are sitting at a keyboard, take the time to write the extra two characters and make an actual word. Writing big white letters on the back of the car you are selling? Again, unless your rear window is only 2 feet wide, you can probably afford to write the actual word “for”. Otherwise you look like a 13-year-old girl writing a note in homeroom.

4 . Got Originality? Got Milk? was pretty creative.
“Got Kids?” “Got Sand?” “Got Junk?” “Got Moab?” are not. Companies that adopt a “Got” saying or name are using the guise of creativity, but actually are just blending in with the noise created by all marketing. Trying to be creative, they end up not being creative at all.

5. People that write checks at Target Why must they always be in line in front of me? Do they realize what that debit card their bank sent them that is sitting next to their checkbook is? Do they know how it works?

Sensing my frustration, they always make it worse too. Rather than writing out the date and payable to lines, they wait until their items are all scanned. Then they find the checkbook. Then they find their reading glasses. Then they say “It was 89….” “89.52″ The cashier replies. Then (and this one really gets me) they start by filling out the registry. The REGISTRY! Write out the check, tear it off, let the cashier finish the transaction. Fill out your registry after the transaction is complete. Fill it out in your car. Fill it out at home. Fill it out anytime. Next time I am in line in front of a check writer, I feel like swiping my debit card, then pulling out a laptop, dialing up with an aircard, logging on to my bank account, and saying “Sorry, I can’t leave until I make sure this cleared ok.”

I feel better now. That will do it for today.

1. American car manufacturers should be building cars with much better fuel efficiency. Sure, there is new legislation requiring car manufacturers to increase their fleet average MPG, but that doesn’t take effect for about 20 years, and even then puts the standard at 35 mpg. Big deal. It shouldn’t take an act of congress to force the companies to improve the efficiency of their cars. I don’t like to buy into conspiracies, but why would these companies ignore this demand from the marketplace? Could oil companies (and their record profits year after year) have something to do with it?

2. I am tired of seeing advertisements for cars touting an mpg rating that is embarrassing. Case in point, Mini Cooper recently had a billboard advertising how efficient their car was, bragging about a 30 mpg rating. 30 mpg for a car this is basically an oversized tuna can sitting on four pinewood derby wheels? I should be impressed with 30 mpg? The gross weight of the car is probably doubled when the driver sits in it, so I would expect 45 minimum. I think it is this sort of advertising that propels an extremely low standard.

3. I commute in a Honda Civic. I get 40 mpg consistently, and my car is 10 years old. I have an SUV for weekend trips to the hardware store or camping trips, but it gets very little use compared to the civic. My SUV gets 20 mpg.

When we were recently shopping for a new car, I thought I should trade the SUV in for a sedan. Afterall, the SUV is an evil, gas-guzzling, terrorist-supporting, ozone-depleting machine, right? So, I assumed if I was currently getting 20mpg, a sedan must be much better, since it doesn’t have any of the bad press.

According to the EPA’s website, the most fuel efficient full-size sedan last year go 21 mpg. Move down to a midsize and you get 25 mpg. We even explored mini-vans, because you never hear anything bad about those. Again, they were rated at 18-22 mpg.

A good point as to how the auto industry has failed the American people, is to look at how far we’ve come. The Ford Model T was introduced in1908. It is reported to have a rating of 13-21 mpg. Sure, it had a top speed of 45 mph, and it was rather uncomfortable. But it has been 100 years, and many cars don’t do any better now than they did then.

What if other areas of technology had moved this slowly? If the computer industry adopted this pace, you would be reading this blog right now on a really, really nice abacus. It would be rather safe, have really nice paint, and a super-comfortable chair to sit in while you use it, but it would still be an abacus.

So the final thoughts on my rant are these: Support car companies that are doing something to improve the energy crisis in the world. Do not buy in to artificially low standards as being “good enough”. And stop making comments about my SUV that I only drive a couple times a week, when your car probably doesn’t get much better mileage.

I feel better now.

Adeline
Savannah
Rielly Riley
Elise
Shayla
Ruby
Eliza
Kayla
Amelie (Ah-mah-lee)
Layla

What is your favorite? We want it to be unique (since Anderson is the last name) and not too trendy. We had decided on Layla until we saw that it was ranked in the top 100 names of 2006. But should that matter? I told Amber I wanted all Rock and Roll names, so it has that going for it. I think Elise is the only other R&R name we have on the list.

Good point Adam. Maybe the three of them should start a group together. If Scissorhands starts drumming, that would blow that one-armed Def Leopard guy out of the water.

Most of you know I am not much of a political activist, but when someone threatens my ability to use Pandora, well then I might get off my couch and do something. OK, so I am not going to actually get up, but I did write our senators about the issue, and I think most of you feel the same way I do. Except for Gerry. He only listens to “born to be wild” when he is on his motorcycle, so he doesn’t need a lot of variety that online radio provides.

Basically, they are raising the royalty net broadcasters have to pay. It will cripple the industry. There is a bill making its way through the house, and a comparable bill moving through the senate to protect the industry.

Take a minute and send Bennet and Hatch an email. You can do it all from your comfy office chair.

Here is the organization heading up the effort:

And a pretty good article about the financial impact the new rates would have:

I wrote the Senators a few weeks ago, and I even received a reply back from Hatch. He had “XOXOX” after his name, so I think he has a crush on me.

1. DB wanted a 50% margin (100% markup). Unless they went to a manufacturer overseas, this is hard to achieve while still pricing the product reasonably.
2. With what they pitched to DB, MollyGear was receiving approx 15% margin on the product. Not bad, but not great considering DB’s aggressive purchasing practices, along with scary terms and conditions that remove any risk from DB.
3. DB would not have been as true to the brand as it deserves. As my primary role, I have worked hard to create a brand that holds some value. This would certainly be diluted in the hands of the discount chain. Direct sales protect the brand.
4. Selling direct will give MollyGear a much larger margin, even when budgeting in a generous marketing budget.
5. Selling direct will allow MollyGear to be more nimble, changing their products as the market demands.
6. Selling direct will simplify the color/fabric controls, allowing them to introduce seasonal styles, or make changes to correspond with fashionable colors.
7. Amber will be a lot less stressed out.

All in all, I am glad it went this way. Now we have to find some great ways to market it. I plan on exploiting paid search advertising, as well as focusing on public events such as the upcoming Davis County Fair where thier target market will be out in droves.

My prediction? If the girls stick with it, DB will be knocking on the door in about 18 months. We will see.

When we are kids, there is quite a bit of free time to do whatever you want. There is also a lot of time used up in simply doing what you’re told. You must go to school, you must go to bed on time. You must go to church, etc.

As adults, we have certain obligations, but shouldn’t we be enjoying things most of the time? I am a husband and father, and that means I must provide for my family. I must offer them adequate food, clothing and shelter. But how I do it is completely up to me.

Some people find enjoyment from their daily work. Others immerse themselves in hobbies. I like all of it, but only when I am making progress. There is nothing more depressing than having a birthday or new year roll around, and feeling like nothing has changed.

I believe in making goals as a yardstick to measure progress. I don’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions. If you want to change, change today. Right now.

We cannot know if we are making progress if we don’t plot where we started. We will also not make it very far if we do not know which direction we are headed.

So, as Adam resolved to stop waiting, I resolve to make a plan and stick to it. I plan to make a plan. There, I did it already.

There are some that will fight any change, just because it is a change. I try to see each change for good and bad, and try to influence things for the better. Its also critical to point out that no one culture suits everyone the same way. Some people may thrive in an entrepreneurial environment, where others may languish and dream of a thick corporate structure.

One of the biggest reasons I took my current job was to escape a stifling culture for what amounted to be a giant breath of fresh air. It increased my happiness in all aspects of life, it increased my quality of life. I knew it couldn’t last forever, but I hoped it wouldn’t change too much.

When our company was aquired by a larger organization, I worried. Sure enough, things have changed dramatically in the space of only 3 months. Here is what I see as being the key triggers to this change:

1. The lack of trust in the new leadership We all trusted the former leadership immensely. But to the new HR department and the new CFO, we are just a liability line item on his balance sheet.
2. The lack of a leader we can respect Listening to the new upper management give a presentation to the workforce is like trying to swallow a pill the size of my fist.
3. New-found power and responsibility This has a great deal to do with the level of trust and respect in the organization. Each employee is much more focused on their personal results rather than the collective results of the company. Customer satisfaction has been sacrificed to finding the cheapest, easiest, most standardized way of operation.
4. Distanced Leadership The managing director of our office is out on sales trips about 75% of the time. He has rightly empowered the department managers to make decisions and execute their plans. Unfortunately these managers are heavily influenced by #3. They do not appear to be willing to take risks for the customer’s benefit.

That is about all for now. It is pretty clear that a great deal of the problems stem from leadership. Unfortunately the one leader in the office we all respect (the same who previously led our company) had been marginalized in his effectiveness. This is due to his new rigorous travel schedule, an inability to directly recognize his employees contributions, (or protect them from company mandated layoffs) and difficulty in overseeing the daily operations of the office.

On a final note, the company which acquired us already had a 100% annual turnover rate. Everyone at our company loved their jobs. They had the opportunity to learn from our culture and adopt it as their own. Unfortunately it appears theirs has taken over like a cancer.

It is encouraging to know a company can exist with such a cool environment. But it is depressing thinking I might never find it again.

The interesting thing is that the Google Adwords ads that showed up included two other candidates, Mitt Romney and John McCain. Since you asked, I like Mitt Romney, and I am pretty sure McCain is quickly running out of what little steam he had.

In the state of Utah where I reside, it is illegal to advertise on the keywords of your competitors. I think it is a stupid law, but it is the law nonetheless. Maybe presidential contenders aren’t considered competitors in the traditional sense of the word, but they should be. That is exactly what they are.

I decided to click on the ad and tell Mr Romney this. So I clicked on the page and it took me directly to the form for me to make a contribution to the Mitt Romney campaign. Does this make sense to anyone? I google a competitor, then click on his ad, and he thinks I will want to make a contribution? Here’s a couple ideas for the Romney camp:

1. If you are going to place ads triggered with keywords consisting of competitors names, put them in seperate ad groups that direct me to a page that lists the differences between you and the person I googled. What else would I want to know?
2. If you don’t want to do that, at least take me to a general info page, or the homepage. Taking me to the contribution page made it seem cheap and desperate. Like the political equivalent of the “Click on the picture of J-Lo to win a FREE XBOX! banner ad”

I guess the bottom line is that the Romney campaign should fire the person/firm doing their search ads. Although I am not sure much of this matters. I think the likelihood of any Republican being elected president is pretty poor. We have our current screw-up president to thank for that.

• People Cost Money
• People Generate Money
• We need to be sure that they generate more money than they cost.

Pretty simple equation, and it would be irresponsible of the financial watchdogs to ignore it. The problem is the effect it has on employees. Here is that viewpoint:

• Management is tracking how effective I am
• I need to be really efficient
• Meetings cost me productivity
• Technical difficulties cost me productivity
• Red Tape costs me productivity
• Inept coworkers cost me productivity
• Management sees my billable hours, but not all the garbage working against me.

I believe it causes an us-vs-them attitude. I resent all of those road blocks. I am not as happy at work as I used to be.

Snakin care of business
Snake. Rattle and Roll

We went on D’s first camping trip this weekend. He loved it. Hands down the most fun he has had in a long time.

Before leaving, Amber (always very cautious) asked me if we should be worried about rattlesnakes. I told here it wouldn’t be a problem, and basically dismissed her concern.

That afternoon after setting up camp, D and I went fishing. We were looking for a good spot, and attempted to cross a field when I almost stepped on a snake. It suprised me. Then it slithered away while making a rattle sound. That freaked me out. I was holding D’s hand and immediately lifted him up by his had and put him behind me while I took a GIANT step back.

We did a bit more fishing, then headed back to camp where D told his mom what we had seen. She was glad we were safe, but I think she was glad that her concern was well founded this time, too. I think I paid my price, even though the snake didn’t attack. For the rest of the trip, I got scared by many creatures including a humming bird (I thought it was attacking) a robin (swooped out of no where) a mischievous tree branch that poked me when I wasn’t expecting it, and my own dog.

So, yes. There are rattlesnakes in Ogden Canyon. Wear boots and keep and eye out.

There are some people that perform certain activities in the name of being “thrifty” that I find disgusting. It goes back to my previous posts regarding quality of life. Sometimes to maintain a good quality of life, you might need to spend a bit of money. More than you might be able to get by spending. Here are some things I don’t agree with, although I might be the minority in my community:

1. Wal-Mart Even if you look past the ethically questionable business practices and the terrible quality of merchandise they suck from manufacturers, I hate Wal-Mart. I hate the crowded shelves towering with merchandise. I hate how dirty the parking lots, store, employees and fellow customers are. I hate the mass consumerism it breeds due to low prices. It is a gluttony of “things”. In fact, when I see a McDonalds sign gleaming from inside a Wal-Mart, it seems right, it seems balanced. Supersize your meal while you supersize your wardrobe, your media collection, your toys, your credit card balance. In fact, the only thing you don’t supersize is your available storage. But hey, thats what the garage is for, right? Move the cars onto the street and head out for another trip to… ugh… I can’t even write it again.
2. Kids Eat Free Nights This is a popular promotion for many restaurant chains. The problem is who goes to these things. The laws of economics dictate that those that will be most likely to participate in such an offer, are those that have the most to gain. (read, those that have the most kids). This might be fine at the local all-you-can-eat, but Tony Roma’s offers this at our local establishment. What a great atmosphere this provides!
3. Fountain for Entertainment This is more of a local rant. The fountain at the local Gateway shopping center is not a water park. Maybe if you are shopping and your kid wants to run through the dancing fountain, sure. Let them have some fun. But there are people that pack up their kids donned in swim ware, slather on the SPF 30, and make a day of “playing in the fountain”. I thought it was odd. Then I realized the familiar odor that hung over the area. It was a potpouri of chlorine and suntan lotion just like a swimming pool. That when I was disgusted. It is a shopping mall. Within 20 minutes of the mall there are 2 major waterparks and dozens of community swimming pools. Shell out the $1.25 a kid.

That is all I have for now. The problem is, I am pretty sure it is the same group of people that regularly participates in all three activities. Does that make me intolerant rather than simply opinionated? Maybe.

Seeing as how I am a very compelling writer, my entry got me thinking about some things. Everyone knows of the basic necessities of life: food, clothing, and shelter. Everything else is there to make life better than simply surviving. But do we really embrace it as such?

1. Better Food: I have tried recently to expand my culinary experience. Does a 19 cent bowl of ramen noodles fill me up just as well as a $50 fillet? Almost. But the fillet turns a necessity into a luxury, and that makes it fun.
2. Better Shelter: While living in Guatemala, I saw people living in the most dire circumstances. I have a very comfortable, small but big enough home. Yet I am constantly fighting off urges for newer, bigger, and better. The problem with doubling my mortgage is that it will not improve my quality of life. Being burdened by a larger debt will only cause me more stress. As Henry David Thoreau wrote,
   “As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.”
3. Everything Else: What practical purpose do music, literature, art, cinema, and other artistic expressions fill in our lives? They serve no practical purpose at all. They do serve two purposes I can redily identify as improving quality of life:
   They serve to divert attention away from the necessities of life (or those proported to be such). and
   They serve to transcend the life we live. To express emotion, to communicate, to provide insight, to commisserate, to understand one another.

And with a mission like that, are they really unnecessary to life? Without them I could survive, but I am not sure I would want to.

I was always surprised by how much we charge for our services, but I think I am starting to figure out why. The companies we consult are interested in seeing all of all their data in a pretty dashboard. On paper that is simply aggregating all of their data sources in one location. That is how the service is sold, and it what we try to deliver.

The problem is that companies don’t always have the data they say they do.

“We would like to see a geographic representation of our marketing efforts, overlaid with our lead response” they say.

“No problem,” I reply, “do you have the data on your lead responses?”

“Some of it.”

“Ok. Do you have the data on the marketing efforts, or is that something that can be compiled?”

“No.”

“Ok. Let me see what I can do.”

The thing is, my magic pill only works if they have what is required to make it work. Bad data collection will be bad data reporting, even if we are the best data reporters in the world. So am I in a place to make recommendations related to their data collection? I like to think so. Am I in a position to compel them to take my advice? No. And they never do.

The executive reporting BI industry was created based on a simple disconnect between marketing and IT. It seems there might be a similar opportunity found in the disconnect between data collection and the business decisions the data needs to drive.

Ever since kindergarten, my superiors have focused on results. Whatever it was, the results were all that mattered: Turn in the assignment on time, achieve the next cub scout rank, get a good report card, go to college…

The trouble comes when you finish all that stuff. I graduated from college 4 years ago. The prospect of having nothing to work for other than an ambiguous ‘career’ drove me nuts. A year later I enrolled in graduate school. That occupied some time, but now I am back to nothing.

I certainly have goals- I want to be a good father and husband, I want to prepare for retirement, etc. But what is the result I am working toward in my life? What is the big finish line?

It’s How You Play the Game

I don’t believe I need to focus on a big result. I believe that my efforts should go to improving my quality of life. It seems like this would be an obvious area of motivation, but I don’t think it is. We are taught that things might be uncomfortable, but it will be worth it in the end. As an adult, I need to make things comfortable now. What else do I have to do?

I have been thinking about this for a while, and I have learned quite a bit about myself in the process

1. I can’t handle much stress: How does the US President or a corporate CEO sleep at night?
   
2. I embrace change: Learning new things always comes along with change of place, workplace, etc. I like learning new things.
3. I need to focus on small results rather than a big goal at the end: My work can be satisfying. Any work can be.
4. I need to create my own projects: It is simple to float through life just getting by. If I want to get out of debt, expand my career, or learn a new skill, it is up to me to do it.
5. Hope for the future makes the present more tolerable: There is nothing worse than thinking things won’t get better.

So there are my preliminary thoughts on the topic. I must get away from results and focus on the day to day.

Now they get to pay to have two cars painted, my new fence, and someone else’s lawn furniture. We were going to tear that fence down anyway. Now they get to pay for it instead of us.

see the original post here.

I have continued to try and detach myself from the homogeneous clutches of the big-box home improvement store, so I bought fancy-pants paint from a local retailer. I will never use Behr paint again. Ever. I had no idea how much better good paint can be. It makes the whole project a breeze. Here is why you should buy good paint:

1. It has less water (filler) and more good stuff. That makes it cover better
2. Since it covers better, I didn’t find myself slopping it on as much. So my work was cleaner- with zero drips
3. It also didn’t seep under the blue tape like the cheap stuff always did. better lines.

I am a believer. I am also sore since I decided to use a roller for the whole thing.

I will post some before/after pics once we get the new shutters and the door painted.

The next morning we found a section of our fence had been flattened by some kids fleeing the scene. The fence was wobbly in the center, so when they tried to climb the fence, they landed face first in D’s sandbox. Ouch. In the process they really messed up our fence. Turns out the toilet papering was just the tip of the iceberg. They had caused enough damage that the cops had been called, so we added our fence to the report.

It gets me wondering. I have looked at this kind of act from the perspective of the parents. Most likely they are good people, but must be dissapointed with their kids behavior. I wonder what I can do to raise my boy understand the limits.

I have been known to play pranks from time to time, including one just last week on a coworker, involving his car, and 42 cubic feet of shipping peanuts. As a semi-professional pranker, I find egging and TP just plain boring. No imagination from the kids these days. I blame the XBox.

So what are the limits? I believe it boils down to the destruction of property, or an undue amount of hardship. Plus, I think people are more accepting of a joke if its actually funny. Toilet paper? Come on.

So how do I teach Dylan respect for people AND the respect of a good joke? I guess that is the line I have to walk.

Clearly the house needs a lot, but we are planning on using this money for windows and adding a bathroom. I figure the bathroom alone (going from one to two) should add enough equity to justify the whole venture.

After considering moving, A and I decided we should make our place more livable, and stay here for a few more years. There is a lot of work ahead, but it should be nice when it is all done.

1. Slimtimer is great. At work they wanted us to start tracking our billable hours. My spreadsheets looked terrible, so I googled “time tracker web 2.0″ and I got this one. My whole company uses it now.

2. Pandora has been around for a while, I know. But I still love it with the kind of love you can only experience with free, legal music, that I can use at work. What could be better? I just hope the feds dont kill it.

3. Bubbles is a great concept that was anything but obvious to me at first. Keep all of your commonly used web apps stored tidily away in your task bar. It plays nicely with all of my other favorites, so it gets extra points. So it isn’t purely web based, but it makes the internet so much more fulfilling, I will look past that and include it in this list anyway.

4. Prosper is a peer-to-peer lending service (here is where any conservative investors, or mostly anyone over the age of 40 starts going pale and shaking their head.) As insecure as that might sound, you can’t judge till you visit the site. It has all the advantage and security of a regular bank, but you can profit from it instead of the bank. I love it. Why earn 2% in my savings account, when I can earn 17% on prosper?

5. thebigfork makes the list too. It might look like I am spamming my own blog, but I am not. I use the site frequently for the purpose it was designed for. You can look up a restaurant based on geography. I get a headache when visiting citysearch and trying to find a restaurant that way. What a pain. That’s just a digital yellow pages. This is better. Much better.

Ok. That will do it for now.

On the flip side, Santos Solteros is off of our servers now, officially ending our relationship with that product. We sold our interest a few months ago. It is a nice idea, but whoever can figure out how to make money with that one deserves every dime. I couldn’t figure it out.

Sometime after I finished Grad school, the bleak oblivion of the rest of my life set in. “What?” you ask, “Your an educated white male with every advantage in the world, married to the woman you love, and you don’t like what the future holds?”

I guess I am worried that every day will be like every day. What am I working toward? To pay off my 30 year mortgage? This is just symptomatic of my inability to live in the present. It has always been a problem. Lately, I am feeling it even more. What distinguishes this spring from last spring? Something, I hope.

I guess I need a hobby. But who has time for those, really?

Currently listening to: Pandora: Acoustic Singer/Songwriter

As one of the vocalists of the collaborative project Nouvelle Vague, I instantly fell in love with Camille’s simple gracefulness. With the discovery of her solo album Le Fil, we come to find out she is much more than a pretty voice.

A striking aspect of the album is the continuous B-flat that drones throughout the entire piece. The first time I caught onto this it was extremely agitating, but in time it began to make sense. As Camille explores many different styles and rhythms, the continuous tone ties them all together nicely. It provides a solid center from which many ideas may take launch.

I don’t speak French, so I cannot speak to the literary value of lyrics on this album. I can say that the placement of words was very well done, and the music flows quite naturally. It is easy to have an appreciation for the beauty of the French language after listening to this album.

A couple tracks to note:

Ta Douleur
This song has a great groove, but is almost ruined by the vox loop. In an effort to convey the contradication of a physical body causing pain and also being crass (by burping, etc) the simplicity of the song is almost lost. Luckily it is buried in the mix after the initial introduction and the enjoyment can continue.

Pour Que L’amour Me
One of the most beautiful ballads I have had the pleasure of hearing in a very long time. This track is reminiscent of an earlier class of French balladeers. Be careful when driving, though. The intense relaxation might be hazardous.

Au Port
Certainly the best song on the album. This song combines a great Caribbean rhythm with an intoxicating vocal performance. I want to shoot a major feature film, just so I can put this song on the opening shots. The energy is great.

Check out the whole album, each piece is carefully crafted. I know it is more interesting than what you currently have in your player.

My brother and illustrious business partner recently addressed certain problems we experienced with some clients. Or, as I like to refer to them, the “Customers from Hell”.

He discussed what lessons we learned from dealing with them. I am taking another course. While it is unfortunate that they demanded a refund of their deposit, and that we are frankly too busy to bother with the hassles of court, I can take comfort in the fact that this business will never make much (if any) money. Here are my reasons:

1. The site will be painfully slow to build. Unless by some miracle the new developers are on the same obscure AM frequency that these other two Clowns are on, the communication will be nebulous, unfounded, and darn right confusing. This will drag out site development, which will certainly be viewed as the developers fault. This will ultimately end in one or both of The Clowns pulling out, getting distracted, or maybe even forgetting they are even starting a company.
2. The business model is nothing more than charging for information that is available for free. Sure, this might work when there is some effort in compiling and delivering the free information, but that is not the case for The Clowns. They are packaging information that is available on the leading website in it’s space.
3. There is no differentiation. Oh wait! I remember, they wanted the site to look really “Alive”. I guess that is the distinguishing factor. Yeah, I am sure that is going to unseat a million dollar (that’s US Dollars for The Clowns) web giant.
4. Cash Cash Cash. As I said, the competition is a million dollar web company. Not only that, it was recently purchased by a little company known as Yahoo. Hmmm…. Do The Clowns really believe that by simply creating a website, people will visit? And pay? Are they aware it is no longer 1997? Is there any marketing budget? Any marketing plan? Any concept of how to market the site?
5. And my personal favorite, there are no Barriers to Entry. Any guy in his basement sitting in his underwear with an internet connection and half a semester of computer science study under his belt can start this business. Ok, that is partly our fault, since now anyone can download the entire database structure for free from a project Adam created on SourceForge. Be forewarned, underwear guy- We are told the site is only worth $300. Oh, and if you are interested in starting the business, review points 2-5 first.

So I suppose if it becomes a raging success, I will be as wrong about the business as I was about one of them being a nice guy. At least I never made that mistake about the other clown.

So we are taking over more ownership, and more control. We are moving into more of a Web 2.0 model of revenue coming from other sources, not directly from the users themselves. In essence, the users become the commodity we sell to others in the form of advertising, etc.

I am pretty excited about the whole thing. I think it could be rather successful if things roll around right. There is a need, we are filling it, but is there a market for us to get paid for doing so?

People say interesting things. They talk on the phone, in person, write emails, some even write (analog) letters and put them in the (analog) mail.

Over the past few years, Instant Messaging (IM) has taken hold as a viable option for business, social, and even romantic communication. And sometimes, cool things come out from those conversations. Maybe it is something funny, or something profound. Unfortunately, it is always going to be locked into your IM history somewhere on your computer.

Well I want to see what you have in your history, and I’ll show you mine if you show me yours. I’ll even go first.

So if we all have interesting snippets of conversations, lets put them in one big database and see what we come up with. Consider it a social experiment. Are we talking about the same things as everyone else using other media? Are the social norms consistent with speaking in person? What are the results of these differences?

Scurry on over to snipIM.com and post something good. Do it now. I’ll wait.

Thanks

The book goes into depth to give a background of David Neeleman. The rest of the story lies on the foundation of the personality, the drive, and the insight that this founder had. The book begins by discussing his introductions into the industry and his foray with Southwest Airlines.

The real magic happens when we get to see how Neeleman built his airline piece by piece, detail by detail, from the ground up. He seems insane at times, insightful at others. In the end, I gained a great deal of respect for him as a leader. A few things about him stand out to me:
1. He began as an “internal entrepreneur” building, and eventually selling, Morris Air.
2. He understood his industry with painstaking detail. He new exactly how the business would have to be run.
3. He had the uttermost conviction for his plan. He never seemed to falter in doing what he knew was the correct decision for his business.
4. He hired the best people for each position, given that they bought into the concept. He empowered each of these people to build their area of the business as their experience taught them was best.
5. The business became an extension of himself. He loved it and defended it as if he were defending himself.

The story of Jet Blue is really the story of David Neeleman and his very talented partners and employees. As a story of the people behind a very involved entrepreneurial venture, it is energizing. It makes me take a second look at what I want to do, and what I could be doing. All in all a great read for those that are curious about “the inside story.”

This CD was released almost a year ago, but I just recently came across it. It’s been in steady rotation in my CD changer ever since I put it in.

Nouvelle Vague is the French term for New Wave- just one of the styles that influences this very eclectic collection. The group features a variety of European and Brazilian female vocalists each offering their own unique performance style to the album.

While the album is consistent in its mood and feel, the roots to the songs couldn’t be more diverse. They are made up of 80’s New Wave, Punk, and other styles. Each performance extracts the underlying beauty to each song, which is not always so apparent in the original renditions.

Tracks to note are:

#10 – I Melt With You
This song is what led me to the entire album. It may be embarrassing, but I was in the Gap trying to find some pants on clearance that didn’t have a 29” or a 44” waist, and this came over the system. I didn’t even recognize the Modern English classic until I began spontaneously singing along to the chorus. This is still one of the best performances of the album, featuring the vocalist Silja. Sadly, this is her only performance on the album. News is she is working on a solo album though.

#3 – In A Manner of Speaking
This is an incredible song. Camille provides a very playful contribution to the album, and this track is no exception. I had listed to the entire album 5 or 6 times when this song suddenly popped out as being one of the most interesting tracks of the collection.

Can we get an encore?

What seemed to start off as a one-time project has expanded into a second album. Due out in spring, this second project will feature the same vocalists, and new covers by groups such as: Echo and the Bunny Men, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, New Idol, Billy Idol and (is it sacrilege?) U2.
I look forward to hearing if they can keep up what they started.

All in all I highly recommend the album. Especially for that “I don’t know what I want to listen to but I want something new” kind of mood.

What makes up competitive advantage where a start-up is concerned? What is a sufficient amount of advantage to carry an idea to realization without being tromped upon by competition? Can competitive advantage be comprised of several softer traits (such as the skills and contacts of group members) or is it something else? And how many start-ups really have a competitive advantage anyway?

Lately most of the start-up concepts I have considered seem to lack any competitive advantage. Some of the skills of group members certainly make entrance into the market quicker and more affordable than a competing interest, but that is hardly an insurmountable barrier to entry. Most of the great successes of late have focused on a few elements that provide competitive advantage:
1. Intellectual Property – Whether it is a new non-stick cookware surface coating or the algorithms Google operates upon, IP provides a non-immutable advantage for a period of time. It is a process that others can’t crack, or can’t copy if they do.
2. New Market Venture – Creating a hybrid of existing technology seems to be a common theme among many tech-based startups. While not as strong as IP, this does seem to provide advantage. Clearly the more advanced the technology is, the more protection this affords. To be successful, these ventures must be extremely forward looking and fill demand that is not explicitly present. A roll of the dice, or lots of market research. Hopefully one of the two will pay off.
3. Size Matters – Everyone wants to “start small”. The problem is, everyone can “start small”. The bigger the business, the bigger the force to be reckoned with. A larger size can occur as a result of business maturity or just plain guts. Either way, size provides advantages in volume and economies of scale that competition may not be able to duplicate.

So what can I do to infuse competitive advantage into my ideas? I don’t suppose that can be done. I imagine the idea must be and idea that exploits an advantage, or else I shouldn’t count it as an idea. So maybe I need to start with possible advantages, then try to find an idea buried somewhere in there.

Soft Advantages: (Not exclusive, but important)
Access to some venture funding
Understanding of business, especially startups
Advanced web programming capability
Audio/Web/Video/Print Production capability
Energy and Passion

Hard Advantages:
Professional Contacts

That’s it? I might know someone that might be able to help me out with an idea I might have later on? Well if that is the case I am going to be waiting around for some sort of competitive advantage for a very long time.

The only option is to create something that is new, that is better, and for which the demand is already proven. Make something better, in a way people can’t copy…

And so the thinking continues.

Other ideas last. They bounce around inside our heads for a few days or a few weeks. We all seem to be aligned in finding the best idea that can be started for the least amount of money.

We need to start some real planning right now. I have always heard of the importance of working with good people. Why not bring them all on board during the idea phase, rather than after one of us has created a plan of action?

I think it is time to assemble the team. 6-8 people. There are 4 I have in mind right now that are definite, and another couple possibilities. The first order of business will be to determine the business we will be engaged in.

The group can assemble a list of 20 ideas that are viable options. Then, as a group we can evaluate our collective resources to determine in what areas we have the biggest competitive advantage. Maybe there will be one BIG idea, or a couple smaller ideas. I don’t know what the organizational structure would be, but I don’t think that is important at this point.

It is time to get on the bus. It is pulling out of the station. Who wants to get on?

My initial reaction is how all three concepts are the direct opposite to the attitude of the startups surrounding the dotcom bubble. They partnered with anyone, created no real product, and spent all the money they got their hands on. Indeed, those companies that lasted through the trough and have continued to thrive have embodied the traits Mr. Graham speaks of.

Of course the ideas are nothing we haven’t heard before. “Start with Good People” is a recurring theme of the Jim Collins best seller, “Good to Great”. He discusses the idea of getting the right people ‘on the bus’ even if you aren’t sure where they are sitting, or even where the bus is headed. I have tried to adopt that idea in my prospecting of ventures. When I get behind an idea, everyone hears my pitch. I make a lot of progress that way, and it commits me to action. The risk is I may not pull the plug at the right time. When lots of people are committed, it seems to be difficult to heed warning signs that the project might not be all it is cracked up to be.

Throughout my time in business school, the “build something people want” idea seems constantly in debate. I had always heard that all I needed was to “build a better mousetrap”. Then the marketing people say that’s not enough. What about the 4 P’s? What about Positioning? Branding? CRM? I like the idea of going back to the basics of building something people want. But does that mean I need to do market research? Focus groups?

My favorite concept is “spend as little money as possible”. I think it is easy to confuse this with “spend no money” but they are not the same thing. I have spent the last several months evaluating ideas that work on a bootstrapping model. The idea reminds me a great deal of Guy Kawasaki’s “Art of the Start”. He describes using an old door as a conference room table rather than spending more money. Just my style.

I could use more good people, but I have a pretty good group. I have plenty of ideas, and I think we can make something people want. I know how to spend very little money, and can probably get my hands on what little money I would need.

So what am I waiting for?

I am completely content with my family life, with my spiritual life, and with my social life. Yet lately I can’t stop thinking about a radical change in one aspect- my career. These past 5 years or so have been a pretty wild roller coaster, yet in many ways I feel like I have returned to the starting point. Like there is a cue of people waiting for a turn in the car.

Sure, 5 years isn’t normally enough to earn professional accolades, but it does tell you a lot. If I can project into the future based on my current rate of progression, I am pretty bored with what I see 10 years from now. Or even 1 year from now.

I am also nearing completion of my educational goals. It is probably time I decide what I really want to be when I grow up. I don’t think it’s what I am doing now. It’s definitely not where I am doing it now.

Yet this experience has afforded me a few opportunities I never would have foreseen.

Entrepreneurship: I have an opportunity getting a job as an entrepreneur. As much as that sounds like a contradiction, it is really what I have been presented with. Security and opportunity for incredible growth? Seems like a dream. Even if the opportunity didn’t pan out, one of these ideas in my head is bound to. So am I convinced I should dive in head first?

Restaurants: I don’t know anything about running a restaurant. Yet lately, I can’t help but feel like I wish I did. But then again, is that just leading me back to entrepreneurship? Yes. It is.

If only I had the sort of conviction I would need to really make something great happen. If only I didn’t get distracted so easily. If only I knew what I really wanted out of a career. I wish I did.

I am completely content with my family life, with my spiritual life, and with my social life. Yet lately I can’t stop thinking about a radical change in one aspect- my career. These past 5 years or so have been a pretty wild roller coaster, yet in many ways I feel like I have returned to the starting point. Like there is a cue of people waiting for a turn in the car.

Sure, 5 years isn’t normally enough to earn professional accolades, but it does tell you a lot. If I can project into the future based on my current rate of progression, I am pretty bored with what I see 10 years from now. Or even 1 year from now.

I am also nearing completion of my educational goals. It is probably time I decide what I really want to be when I grow up. I don’t think it’s what I am doing now. It’s definitely not where I am doing it now.

Yet this experience has afforded me a few opportunities I never would have foreseen.

Entrepreneurship: I have an opportunity getting a job as an entrepreneur. As much as that sounds like a contradiction, it is really what I have been presented with. Security and opportunity for incredible growth? Seems like a dream. Even if the opportunity didn’t pan out, one of these ideas in my head is bound to. So am I convinced I should dive in head first?

Restaurants: I don’t know anything about running a restaurant. Yet lately, I can’t help but feel like I wish I did. But then again, is that just leading me back to entrepreneurship? Yes. It is.

If only I had the sort of conviction I would need to really make something great happen. If only I didn’t get distracted so easily. If only I knew what I really wanted out of a career. I wish I did.