Swan Lake?

Hey, readers.

Happy Friday!

Just something to make ya laugh.

According to spiegel.de, a German man used a live swan to attack and beat up a tourist.

The attacker, who was apparently drunk at the time, took offense at the other man's East German accent. He and a friend grabbed the swan by the neck and began to beat the tourist. The victim escaped with minor injuries.

The swan flew away and appeared to be unhurt.

Other than wondering WTF was that!


Photo courtesy:
i1.treklens.com/photos/2878/angry-swan5.jpg

In Memorium

For our Service Men and Women.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

— Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 - 1918)



Photo Courtesy:
www.peachmountain.com/5star/images_Others%5CR

Well, Blow Me Down!

Hey, folks.

Happy Friday!

Awhile back I wrote about how we, the people and the government, need to adopt or adapt new clean power generation ideas into our lives. I suggested that government buildings and lands could use available technology to help reduce our need on foreign oil for the production of electrical power. Wind farms, solar farms, etc.

An article in Metropolis Magazine shows a concept that follows this idea. A French design team has come up with prototype wind turbines that fit into existing electrical power towers. These turbines could produce sufficient energy to power between 1 and 20 homes, depending on wind speed.

This is the innovative thinking I was talking about. Utilizing existing sources (the towers) and adapting them to produce electricity. Minimal impact on the environment but with significant return to the populous.

Great idea!




Now, lets put it to work.


Photo Courtesy:
Metropolis Magazine

See Ma, I'm Lernin' !

Hey, folks.

As most of you know, I am a "freelance" graphic designer.
Meaning I am unemployed and looking for work.

So, I have a lot of time on my hands.

I try to utilize it in the most productive way by studying online and taking courses. And that's a good thing, considering how rapidly tech changes and new innovations are brought to the market.

So, I thought I would share some of my sources with my readers.

Of course there are the social networks, LinkedIn, Facebook,Twitter, etc. These sites may not at first seem like training tools. But conversations between your friends and posts by people can introduce you to new ideas and new sites to examine. Great way to keep up with what's hot in the world.

I'm a big fan of Digg and StumbleUpon for news and miscellaneous information. These are great resources for the stories that I pass on here on my blog. They stay tight and provide the reader with lots of sources for photos, news, and oddities of interest.

But right now the best pure training tool I'm using is O'Reilly Media (www.oreilly.com). A publishing company, O'Reilly makes FREE web seminars (www.oreilly.com/webcasts) available to it's readers. These are usually a one hour web broadcast on a particular subject. I've taken classes on geo-locating for your website, public speaking and how to engage your audience, and utilization of social media sites to optimize your companies exposure.
As you take these courses, O'Reilly Media begins to see your interests and then e-mails you when similar subjects come up for study. That way you get the latest and greatest ideas.

Of course, you can go to the website and find other subjects being taught that are outside your normal track. They also sell books and publications on these subjects and sometimes offer discounts if you took the related webinar.

And did I mention that these courses are FREE?

I love the price!


Image Courtesy:
www.toothpastefordinner.com/032007/the-comput

The Uniform Does NOT Make the Man!

Hey.

God Bless the American Soldier.

When called upon to do his duty, he will comply no matter the time, place, or clothing.

Spc. Zack Boyd, 19, was asleep when his base fell under attack. Slipping on body armor and his helmet, he manned his position to assist in repelling the attackers, even while wearing I Love NY boxers and a red t-shirt!

A soldier doing his duty.

Photo courtesy:
AP

Still Waiting.

Hey, guys.

What's up?

Still pounding the pavement, looking for work. I've had a couple of interviews in the past weeks so it looks like things might be turning around. Very good companies with a lot of potential.

But it's extraordinarily frustrating that these companies don't respond with your status in regard to employment. I understand that you( the company) have had a large amount of applicants. But I know that you didn't interview all of them. How hard is it to tell someone they didn't get the job?

It seems that courtesy has gone by the wayside in business today. I know that staff and personnel are doing more with less now. And I know that it would be impossible to respond to all the applicants ,though some companies do have an automated notice to tell you yes or no.

But if you call someone in for an interview, if you ask them to take the time to drive to your office, sit for questions and review, it seems to me that you should at least tell that person, sorry you don't fit what we were looking for.

I don't need a personal note. You don't have to call me and tell me the news. Just fire off a quick e-mail. Hell, it can be a form letter.

I don't care.

Just remember how you felt in your job search and show that person you interviewed the courtesy you would have appreciated back then.

It's just good manners and common courtesy.

Drive On!

Hey, readers.

How's tricks?

This is just a short blog.

More of a public service announcement, actually.

According to bbc.co.uk, hard drives purchased at computer fairs and online contained sensitive data such as bank records, personal medical information, and in one case, launch protocols for anti-ballistic missiles.

Your data lives on.

Standard cleaning methods or even some programs which overwrite data do NOT make the data unrecoverable. There are numerous mining and recovery programs available for use by all sorts of nefarious individuals.

I know we would all like to recover some of the cost of drive replacement.

Just remember, like Jacob Marley in A Christmas Carol, the ghosts of your past can return and make you pay.


Image courtesy:
www.pc-recovery.co.uk/images/hard-drive.jpg

Hi Kids, See What Daddy Can Do!

Hey, folks.

Happy Monday!

Well, it's gotta be the heat. At least I HOPE that's the reason. It's the only excuse why these silly stories keep coming out of Florida.

According to FoxNews Radio 970WFLA, a Florida corrections officer tazed two kids at the "Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day" tour. According to the officer, the parents and kids had given him permission to use the hand-held shock device.

Amazing!

I'm not sure who is the nut in this story.

Officer or parent.

Looks like a tie to me.


Photo courtesy:
970wfla.com

Flu Who?

Morning.

Ok, people. Let's get a grip.

Yes, there is a flu bug going around.
Yes, it's a new strain and it's been deadly.
And, yes, the media has gone totally ape-shit because not much else is going on.

But let's check ourselves and take a look at what's happening.

1. There are over 100 cases in the United States.
Flu bugs spread easily through contact or airborne transmission. People get the flu every year and some die, usually those with compromised immune systems or the elderly or the young. There has been 1 death in the U.S. so far and most cases of this flu have been mild and patients have recovered quickly.

2. This flu has been very deadly in Mexico.
So far over 100 people in Mexico have died from this bug. But Mexico has, in general, poorer nutrition levels and poorer access to health care. In such an environment, rampant flu transmission and drastic repercussions would be expected.

These are the facts.

We have dealt with the flu before. Pretty much every year.
We have numerous cases, they run their course, and we rebound, recover, and respond with a new flu vaccine for the following season.

Wash your hands, cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, and stay home if you get sick.
Common sense rules.

We have been here before.

This too shall pass.