Archive for June, 2007
Time Machine : one year ago
Taking a cue from the network television stations, I thought I’d pull up a gem from the archives and run it around for another go. I didn’t do much writing back in June 2006, but I did find this one that I think is still applicable:
IRA. 401(k). Pension. Mutual Fund. ETF. Health Insurance.
These and others are part of the vocabulary that is thrown at new hires as they try to plan for their future. The problem is for many young people, it’s all greek.
. . .
Hope you enjoy a little walk down memory lane. If it’s popular with you, dear reader, then maybe I’ll make it a regular event. If instead you are thinking to yourself “I know how to use the archives too, you dolt!” then I’ll ease off. As always, comments make me happy.
Filed under Uncategorized, culture, education, work : Comments (1) : Jun 11th, 2007
Roadtrip update
I’m sitting in lovely Pocatello, Idaho at the moment, enjoying some free WiFi from the 5th Street Bagelry. In the last two days, Dustin and I have driven 1600 miles and visited 3 national parks and 1 national monument. I have a few hundred photos that I need to upload to Flickr, but I’m going to wait until I’m back home to do so.
Driving through the mountains with a 4 cylinder engine was a challenge at times, but we made it through in one piece and without any major difficulties. In fact, it was pretty fun for the most part. (South Dakota was less fun.)
My head is clear, I’m happy, and I am inspired to spend more time hiking and exploring this huge country I live in. It’s amazing what a few days away from the internet and phones can do for you.
Check back soon for photos!
Update: Photos are on flickr
Filed under Uncategorized : Comments (1) : Jun 9th, 2007
Vacation/Road Trip
I am taking a desperately needed min-vacation this weekend to drive out west to Idaho with a friend. I’m really hoping that a few days removed from work, life, and (once we’re west of MN) society will help to clear my head. What I really need right now is a week in the woods, but I’ve failed to work that into my schedule thus far. (Maybe in the fall?)
Who was the genius that decided we were all supposed to work 40 hours a week, 50 weeks a year for most of our adult lives? Where’s the fun in that?
I need a job that requires no more than 9 months out of a year. That seems fair. Maybe professional baseball?
Filed under Uncategorized, culture : Comments (4) : Jun 5th, 2007
The shameless greed exposed
Here is a graph of tadfad earnings, by day, over the past year and a half. I use Google Adsense and have been very surprised by the amount of ad dollars I’ve pulled in. My first check came after a year of using Adsense, and I’m already half-way to my next payment.
Looking at the graph above, the real interesting story is the variability. Most days I earn $0, but I’ve earned as much as $5 in a day. The other good news is that the overall trend is up, albeit gradual and highly volatile.
Thank you, dear reader, for your continued support. I hope you find this interesting; I include it only in an effort to be more transparent about that shameless greed column on the right.
Update: tadfad’s legal department just informed me that Google’s terms of service forbids disclosing earnings statements from Adsense. I think I’m safe because that graph is pretty hard to read. So no one is allowed to download the image and dissect it with a fine tooth comb, okay?
Update 2: Here is a graph that’s a little easier to read, broken down by month.
Filed under Uncategorized : Comments (3) : Jun 4th, 2007
Thompson
The latest Republican to join the race for the White House is actor Fred Thompson. Frighteningly, he seems to be a favorite among the core republican base that rejects Giuliani as too liberal and McCain as too hapless. Here are some choice quotes from Mr. Thompson:
“This is a battle between the forces of civilization and the forces of evil and we’ve got to choose sides”
Gee, I’m glad that decades of foreign policy can be so easily summarized in a quotation. I choose civilization!
“Some people think that our planet is suffering from a fever. … NASA says the Martian South Pole’s ‘ice cap’ has been shrinking for three summers in a row. Maybe Mars got its fever from earth. If so, I guess Jupiter’s caught the same cold, because it’s warming up too, like Pluto. This has led some people, not necessarily scientists, to wonder if Mars and Jupiter, non-signatories to the Kyoto Treaty, are actually inhabited by alien SUV-driving industrialists who run their air conditioning at 60 degrees and refuse to recycle.”
Damn the earth-science experts with decades of experience and actual data. Fred Thompson and his folksy interpretations of climate data is so much more comforting. Plus, he’s on TV–he must be right!
I’m sorry, Mr. Thompson, but we need someone with a little more intellectual honesty and integrity than that. Empty rhetoric like the above have gotten us into our current dire situation–both in Iraq and in terms of climate change–and it’s time we move past.
For 2008 we desperately need someone to step forward who can act–and speak–like an adult. There are no free lunches and no easy answers. The world is not a simple dichotomy of right/wrong; black/white; civilization/evil. Until we have the courage and fortitude to grapple with the inherent ambiguity and nuances of life in the 21st century, we will continue to elect charlatans who peddle easy answers–and we will continue to suffer the consequences.
Filed under climate change, politics, war : Comments (1) : Jun 2nd, 2007
