Archive for the ‘work’ Category
Bike to work : an update
This week I really hit my stride with the whole bike commuter scene. Somewhat by necesity (my car was in the shop), I rode to work 3 days in a row. After experimenting with a few different routes, I’ve found the optimal balance between distance, traffic, hills, and road conditions (in my case, Wisconsin Ave and State Street). I also discovered realized that my office building has a bike rack on the same side of the building as the gym (& showers) so I can minimize the risk of bumping into anyone in my sweaty condition.
I had my first roadside flat today, but fortunately I had all the necessary equipment to fix it. Surprisingly, it only took about 10 minutes to get back on the bike with a new tube. (I guess I just earned my bike commuter street cred?)
The biking itself is getting easier and faster. I can now consistently make the commute in 30 minutes, which compares very favorably to driving by car. I’ve noticed that I’m eating about 1000 more calories on the days I ride, but I suppose this is in line with the energy I’m using.
Final verdict : bike commuting is easy! fun! inexpensive! green! You should try it too.
Filed under energy, environment, frugal, work : Comments (3) : Jul 17th, 2008
Bike to work #1 : success!
After many many months of hemming, hawing, and making up excuses for why I couldn’t, I brought my bike to work today and rode it home. (Since I left my car there, I’m really hoping it doesn’t rain tomorrow morning.)
Initial thoughts on bike commuting:
- It’s shorter (by distance) and only slightly longer (by time). Since I’m taking a more direct, as-the-crow-flies route (as opposed to the highway), i’m shaving off a couple miles from the commute. Plus, since I can use the bike/curb lane and generally don’t need to wait for traffic, I can maneuver much quicker.
- Office buildings need showers. I got pretty sweaty riding home. That’s fine if I have a shower to jump into, but at work I’ll need to use the gym’s shower facilities. My frustration is that the people who run our gym refuse to entertain the concept of bike commuters using only the showers for a reduced rate. (I’m not planning to pump iron while at the office.)
- Very pleasant way to start/end the day. Unlike car commuting, when I have to constantly be thinking about traffic and watching for bad drivers, bicycling is very relaxing. I’m still watching for bad drivers, but I found my mind much clearer. I think it has something to do with the exercise component.
- Total gasoline used : 0 gallons!
- You should try it! I used to think it was too far, too many busy roads, too this, too that. Unless you try it, you’ll never know if you like it.
Filed under Milwaukee, energy, environment, frugal, work : Comments (1) : Jun 24th, 2008
Why I Hate Windows
Today at work, I had a perfect example of why I loathe the Windows OS and wish that my employer would give us more OS choices :
There was once a debate about what was better: the Windows ecosystem where 10,000,000 developers wrote 100,000,000 software titles that would run on 100,000,000,000 different hardware configurations; or the Mac ecosystem where you have 1 source for hardware, 1 source for a rock solid OS, and only 1,000,000 software titles (that actually work, by the way).
I think I’m sold on my Mac.
(But Windows 7 is going to be great! And stable! And it will wash your dishes, walk your dog, and mow your lawn! Huzzah!)
Filed under technology, work : Comments (0) : Jun 4th, 2008
GTD Zen, rollabind edition [Updated!]
[Update!] I’ve updated the template below and packed it in a weekly set. I’m going to print off a few copies and sell them. Interested?
I’ve been dabbling in the GTD world for a long while, with mixed results. Given my interest in web2.0, you’d think I would be a power user of some online GTD apps like SimpleGTD. Not so. As useful as these things are, I find that they suffer from a major handicap : I’m not online 24 hours a day. (Until I get my iPhone2.0, but that’s another day).
Most users would simply compensate by keeping a paper copy with them at all times and syncing when online. This was simply too complex for me. Instead, I’ve been using good old fashioned paper & pen. Sadly, even this requires a bit of optimizing.
I wasn’t happy with notebooks, as I couldn’t add/remove pages. I didn’t want to carry a 3-ring binder, either. What to do? Rollabind!
This technology isn’t new, but I think it’s pretty slick. Using small plastic discs and a special hole puncher, I now have the best of both worlds : a portable notebook that gracefully allows adding/removing pages. Splendid!
Not stopping there, I downloaded the D*I*Y Hipster PDA and David Seah’s compact calendar, remixed Benjamin Franklin’s measures of virtue, threw in a SWOT chart, and now have a custom GTD solution that works great.
Always one to share, here is a PDF of the pages I use. Feel free to remix and use as you see fit (credit goes to the above sources). If you’re interested in the rollabind system, I’m a proud owner of the special hole puncher and would gladly help you get started.
Filed under frugal, hack, work : Comments (2) : May 20th, 2008
5 tips for building a collaborative community
I wrote the article below for an internal blog at work. Once I wrote it, I realized that it was pretty much applicable anywhere so I thought I’d try to get a little more press. I’m also posting it over at thevicenarian.com.
Collaboration is all the rage in Corporate America this year. With a globally dispersed workforce, much of this collaboration is taking place online. Web sites, wikis, blogs, forums, and even full collaboration suites are emerging on the scene.
Are you looking to tap into this collaborative energy? Want to form an online presence for your global team? Here are 5 tips that will help grow your collaborative community.
1. Get Personal. The web is often criticized for being too impersonal–but it need not be so. Most (all?) online collaboration tools have the ability to include small photos (sometimes called avatars) for users. Encourage everyone on the tool to add their own photo. We’re visual, personal creatures by nature so let’s make it personal! For example, there’s my photo. Doesn’t that feel more personal?
2. Respond. If you are trying to start a collaboration community online, you have the burden to check for updates frequently and respond as much as possible. This is especially critical during the first days/weeks as users are testing it out. If a colleague is going to take the time to pose a question or comment, you need to respond in kind. Yes, this is a time investment. Yes, it will pay off.
3. Reward/Recognize. Participating in collaboration communities is not a mandatory task. It’s not critical to our day-to-day jobs. Yet it has the potential to yield great results in improved efficiency and outcomes for businesses. The early adopters who are willing to stick their necks out and participate should be recognized and rewarded. It doesn’t need to be elaborate, and it can be done entirely within the online community, but some sort of recognition is key. As an example of free, easy recognition, Flickr.com (a photo sharing site) allows users to give each other virtual awards for outstanding photos.
4. Set some goals. Users will be encouraged to participate if they know why they’re participating. Set some goals for your collaborative community, making sure they’re time based, measurable, and significant. As an easy example, you could set the goal to reduce team emails by 20% through the use of an online collaboration community.
5. Show progress. Once you’ve set some goals above, track them and communicate progress. We all love trackers and metrics, so this should be second nature. Give your collaboration partners a sense of accomplishment by charting the groups successes (and/or failures).
Don’t be discouraged if your first attempt at collaboration is not wildly successful. As we all become more comfortable and aware of the opportunities of online communities we will work our way up the capability ladder. These tips will help you start that climb.
Filed under culture, technology, work : Comments (1) : Apr 17th, 2008
Hot news : thevicenarian.com
Extra! Extra!
My blog empire is expanding. I have teamed up with a group of fellow vicenarians (aka 20-somethings) to write www.thevicenarian.com.
The goal of this site is to write about all the important financial/economic/investment/social topics that my demographic needs to know about but is rarely taught in school. The goal is to help my fellow vicenarians navigate this critical period in life : the first career-type job, the first big paycheck, the first time dealing with things like 401(k)’s, Roth IRAs, and health insurance (eek!).
Check it out! Even if you’re not in your 20’s, you might find it useful. And of course I love it when you ad comments.
In addition, you’ll notice a new box on the right side of this page. It’s a handy Feedburner widget that will give you the latest headlines from thevicenarian. How convenient.
Filed under economics, work : Comments (0) : Feb 3rd, 2008
Life in Packerland
I live and work in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It’s a lovely place.
Having grown up in Minnesota, I figured that one Midwest state would be more or less similar to another. Well, this isn’t always the case. Perfect example: The Packers.
I’ve never been much of a football fan, so this is mostly new to me. What I’ve discovered is that Packers trivia is always an appropriate conversation topic. I’ve compensated for my lack of any real Packers knowledge by repeating this phrase “Brett Favre for President!” (it’s a real crowd pleaser).
Here’s another fun fact about living (and working) in Milwaukee: the guidelines for business casual change with the Packers schedule.
Here is a sample of the sort of business attire I see around the office on any given day.
Pretty standard business/casual stuff.
During the Packers season, and especially when they’re winning, the range of acceptable business attire expands a bit:
(Note: this photo wasn’t taken at work. But yes, I’ve seen this exact outfit.)
[Updated Jan-18-2008]
Actual conversation heard in the hallway at work:
Woman A: Excited about the game?
Woman B: I’m really looking forwarded to it!
A: Me too. Now all they have to do is win.
B: They will. That’s not even in question. [Delivered with perfectly flat intonation. It's really not in question.]
There you have it, folks. Packers fans are a different breed.
Filed under culture, work : Comments (2) : Jan 17th, 2008
What’s it like being an atheist?
Filed under culture, work : Comments (0) : Dec 19th, 2007
Holiday update
You may have noticed that I haven’t updated tadfad.com in a while. I’m a lot busier than usual right now and the ol’ blog-o-blog has fallen to the bottom of my priority stack. Here’s what I’m up to:
Quarter Close - I work for the IT department of a global company in an operations role. The end of each quarter, and especially the end of the year, is a very hectic time. Our sales, manufacturing, and finance organizations are working double time to close the quarter, so it’s imperative that the IT systems supporting them are available 24/7. Fortunately, we have a very good operations organization and our systems are performing [for the most part] as expected. Even so, it means long days for me.
Moving - On top of my obligations for work, I’m also moving apartments. Some might say that it was not the best idea to move in December, and they’re probably right. I’m about 80% done, with a few loose ends to tie up in the old place before the end of the month.
For those of you playing along at home, I’m still living in Milwaukee, and I’m still in the East Side neighborhood–just upgraded a bit to a nicer apartment with underground parking, nicer amenities, and a roommate.
Here’s to wishing all of you a happy, festive, and relaxing holiday season.
Filed under Uncategorized, work : Comments (2) : Dec 15th, 2007
The Importance of Expense Ratios
As a young investor, I know it’s important to make wise choices now so I can allow my retirements savings to grow to its maximum potential. Fortunately, I had a great investing mentor in my father and I’ve continued to educate myself in these matters. As I’ve written here before, I think we do a great disservice to young people everywhere by not teaching them the basic principles of banking, investing, and finance in high school. Especially as we drift away from publicly funded Social Security towards self-directed 401(k)s and IRAs, we need to empower everyone with the knowledge to make smart decisions.
One subtle detail in the world of mutual fund investing is the expense ratio. This little number (usually around 1%) can have a dramatic impact to your earnings over the course of a long term investment. Conceptually, the expense ratio is simple: the mutual fund company deducts the percentage from the fund assets each year to pay salaries, administrative, and overhead costs. This is fair and honest, as they are providing you a service and deserve to be paid. The problem is that many investors fail to recognize the impact of the expense ratio.
For example, consider an index fund that tries to mimic the S&P 500. I own one such fund from Fidelity that charges only 0.1% for expenses. Actively managed funds, and especially exotic funds with a narrow focus, sometimes charge upwards of 1.5%. This means that the fancy fund has to out-perform the S&P 500 by 1.4% every year just to break even with the index. Not an easy task.
And here is the rub: when comparing returns between two funds, the investor will often ignore the expense ratio. In the example above, you might find a fancy fund that beats the market by 1% every year. Great! Except it’s not. With a higher expense ratio, you’re actually worse off than if you held the boring, vanilla, S&P 500 index fund.
Here’s the bottom line: if you’re investing for the long haul, pay close attention to the expense ratio. It’s often a better choice to choose the low-cost, boring index over a high-cost fund.
Filed under economics, frugal, work : Comments (0) : Oct 11th, 2007
