Archive for the ‘work’ Category
China
I’m going to Shanghai in the Peoples Republic of China. For three weeks. I’m incredibly excited.
Filed under work : Comments (2) : Aug 7th, 2007
Health Care or Retirement?
I heard a chilling statement from a conservative guest on Joy Cardin’s radio program last week. (The guest was Dan Cunningham, vice president of government relations, Forward Janesville.) Listen below:
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Mr. Cunningham’s thesis is that we can’t offer universal health care to Wisconsin citizens or else they’ll have no incentive to work. To put it another way, the exorbitant cost of health care and the American system of employer-subsidised insurance is forcing people to continue full-time employment, and he thinks that’s great.
How morally corrupt have we become if we restrict access to a basic human need–health care–in order to force people to work? I would hope that enough of us gain some satisfaction in our jobs that we would continue to work in some capacity even if health care was removed from the equation.
Think for a moment about the other side of Mr. Cunningham’s position: denying access to health care is an appropriate punishment disincentive for those of us who are unable (or unwilling) to find adequate employment.
Such a position is truly chilling and it runs contrary to the themes that were established in 1776 and are under such forceful attack today.
Filed under Healthcare, culture, politics, work : Comments (0) : Jul 29th, 2007
Belt hack
This morning at work, my belt broke. It’s one of those lame reversible belts that people like me love, and evidently I’d reversed it one to many times. The buckle severed itself from the rest of the belt, making it pretty worthless.
In this situation, I could have made a quick dash to the mall to buy a replacement. But I was busy. And I’m resoucreful. So I hacked it:
Now you’re probably thinking “that looks terrible” and you’re right. But there are a few important considerations. First, this belt hack required all of one rubber band and about 60 seconds. Second, when I put the belt back on you could hardly tell it was broken. Check it out:
Not bad, I say.
[Epilogue: Don't worry, I'm not a total bum--I purchased a new belt after work today.]
Filed under hack, work : Comments (1) : Jul 23rd, 2007
Shift happens
I saw this video today. It’s a little too long and has some weird background music, but it raises some interesting points about the wild times in which we live. Worth a 5 min investment of your time.
Filed under culture, education, technology, work : Comments (0) : Jun 26th, 2007
Read this book : Wikinomics
I just finished reading a great book that I strongly recommend to anyone and everyone with even a passing interest in business, technology, the internet, or my generation : Wikinomics.
In just under 300 pages, the authors are able to summarize the radical shifts in the way business is conducted brought on by mass collaboration. It covers a wide breadth of topics, such as Wikipedia, the Human Genome Project, and Chinese motorcycle manufacturers who have used collaborative business models to dominate the Asian market.
The book is written in a very non-geeky way, even though much of the subject is technology-related. It’s approachable and well paced, and I give you an unconditional guarantee that you will find at least one interesting topic that challenges you to think.
Go! Read the book now!
Filed under culture, technology, work : Comments (0) : Jun 16th, 2007
Bucketworks : exercise club for your brain
I just got back from a great work event at a local Milwaukee business called bucketworks. For anyone in the area, I highly suggest that you check it out. I’d been there a few times before and had mixed feelings, but this time was much different. We did a team-building/values-describing/creativity-incubating set of activities with the bucketworks founder. It was the sort of stuff that we very rarely do at work, but the sort of stuff that I really enjoy.
I’m going to start hanging around the place more often to get inspired and motivated to make some of my entrepreneurial experiments grow. Check out their website (which, by the way, could use some modernization) and let me know what you think. And if you’re local, come check it out with me. I promise, it’s cool.
Filed under culture, sites i like, work : Comments (2) : Jun 13th, 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
Vacation
Monday marks the first day-off-from-work U.S. holiday since New Year’s. I, for one, am burnt out. I think that as a nation we have bad habit of workaholism.
This summer marks one year in the professional workplace. On the one hand, I can’t believe how quickly this year has flown by. Time is truly speeding up. On the other hand, I can’t believe that we’re all expected to work all year with so few breaks. I get 10 days vacation plus 11 holidays but this really doesn’t seem like enough. We should be looking towards our friends in Europe who get at least a month off of work every year.
Work, after all, is supposed to enable us to live our lives. By selling our time and efforts to an employer (or selling goods & services directly if you’re self-employed) we earn enough money to live. What worries me is how so many people reverse the roles and starting living for work. Your job should not define who you are, nor should it take too high a priority.
We all have a fixed time here on earth. I, for one, intend on living a rich life full of diverse experiences and relationships. And that means getting away from work once in awhile!
Filed under culture, work : Comments (0) : May 24th, 2007
NBC drops Imus
After his incredibly ignorant, hateful, inexcusable comments about the Rutgers basketball team, NBC has dropped “Imus in the Morning” from their broadcast schedule.
I am pleased with this decision. A man like that has no place on television in the 21st century. (I’m a little disappointed that it took a week to reach this decision, but I suppose that’s the speed at which business decisions are made.)
Good work, NBC.
Update: CBS just announced that the are firing Imus from his radio show. Turns out the broadcast media does have a spine.
Filed under culture, work : Comments (3) : Apr 12th, 2007
10 ways to boost your professional courtesy
I’ve been working in the IT industry for almost a year and I’ve started to notice the nuances between people I like to work with and people who make work a drag. The following list is 10 easy ways to improve your perception with your peers and display professional courtesy. (These should be universal to all professions, so don’t worry if you’re not an IT geek like me.)
- Accept or deny meeting invites and update the meeting organizer if your response changes. It’s incredibly frustrating to be waiting in a conference room wondering if the meeting participants will show up.
- Set your IM/SameTime status accurately. Many businesses use instant messaging for quick communication between employees. Take the time to set your status accurately, so people know if you’re at your computer or away. This is especially important if you’re sharing your screen on a projector to prevent messages from popping up on your screen.
- Write brief emails with meaningful subjects. I have yet to find a colleauge who suffers from too few emails. Do everyone a favor and keep them short. Use the subject line to succinctly describe the message for ease in later retrieval.
- Put down your laptop in meetings. This may be unique to IT organizations, but it is very unsettling to look around the table in a meeting and find everyone burried in their laptop.
- Avoid unnecessary meetings. If the outcome of the meeting could be reached through email or a brief phone call, don’t schedule the meeting. Unnecessary meetings lead to problem #4.
- When calling a meeting, provide an agenda. This goes along with #5. If you are organizing a meeting, it is your obligation to organize the meeting! Provide an agenda and drive discussion so you can finish the meeting on time. Don’t be afraid to set aside items that arise in the meeting but are not germane to the subject at hand.
- Think twice before forwarding or CC’ing mail. The only thing worse than an inbox full of unread emails is an inbox full of unread forwarded emails. Use restraint.
- Manage your stress & emotions. You are a professional. The workplace is not an appropriate setting to gossip about your co-workers or vent about some personal issues. Manage your stress and emotions so you can act like a professional while at work.
- Stay healthy. This follows from #8. You are the only person who can take care of your body. Don’t try to be a hero by staying late each night, coming in early each morning, and burning yourself out. As your body suffers, so does your mind and ultimately your performance at work.
- If you’re ill, stay home. Trust me, your co-workers do not want to share whatever strain of the flu or cold you happen to be carrying. If you are sick, stay home. HR gives you sick days for a reason!
So there you have it. 10 tips from a barely-out-of-college professional. Any that I missed? Please post a comment.
Filed under work : Comments (0) : Apr 5th, 2007
