TURKEY: I AM a big fat turkey … … but I am teachable!

Saturday, May 27, 2006

http://www.escapefromcubiclenation.com/get_a_life_blog/2006/05/how_do_you_intr.html

***Begin Quote***

The most important outcome of introducing yourself as an entrepreneur first is that you will start to believe it yourself. There is power in language. A Buddhist friend once told me that the words that you say form a force field of attraction around you. So don't be shy. Next time someone asks you what you do for a living, don't chicken out – position yourself as an entrepreneur! If you want to practice, introduce yourself here.

***End Quote***

OK!

I AM a big fat turkey. Moonlighting as a blogging technology executive.

Seriously!

OK, here's my real introduction.

I'm really a businessman's technologist, or a technologist's businessman, as the need arises, specializing in translating between the two communities. I unlock hidden values by using Business Process Reengineering and IT Architecture. In my spare time, I play sometimes with technology but sometimes with out. I write about my experiences, and learn from the responses of others on the road of life.

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Posted by reinkefj

LIBERTY: Federal Long Distance tax ends … … but look at inflation as a tax!

Saturday, May 27, 2006

http://www.averyjparker.com/2006/05/26/federal-long-distance-tax-ends/

***Begin Quote***

Federal Long Distance tax ends….

I think at one point I’ve said that once taxes are put in place they tend NEVER to go away. Well, I must admit I’m wrong. 108 years ago in an effort to help finance the Spanish American War, long distance telephone taxes went into place. The tax will no longer be in effect as of July 31, 2006. Supposedly, we will be able to file for a refund of our last three years worth of long-distance taxes for land/cell phones in the 2006 tax returns. I stand corrected… once taxes are put in place they ALMOST Never go away (and if it’s for a specific purpose, it may hang around long after that purpose is completed.)

***End Quote***

True. This tax final went away. Probably because people were tying the tax and the purpose together. It was making the gummamint look stupid.

Let's look at the biggest tax scam. It's not the Social Security "Insurance" ponzi scheme. Nor is it the Federal Income Tax. Nor is it the Alternative Minimum Tax. Nor is it the National Debt that they keep recapping higher and higer as needed. Now those are all big taxes. Between them, I'd estimate that more than half of your annual earnings are stolen by the gummamint.

No, the bigest scam is inflation.

Don't let the gummamint distract you by talking about price inflation. Get down to basics. What is a "dollar"? That's right, it is just a piece of paper with funny printing that people with give you stuff in exchange for them.

The biggest hidden tax is the inflation caused by the gummmint's printing press!

It is a tax on your savings. It's a tax on anything you accumulate. It's hidden.

It's corrosive. It has turned us from a nation of savers to a nation of debtors. Why save? You can pay back later with "dollars" that are worth less.

Let's assume you have a hundred dollars, inflation is 5%, and candy bars are a dollar each. You could buy a hundred candy bars. Next year, the gummamint inflates the currency 5%. Prices rise because there are now more dollars chasing fewer goods. The candy bar makes raise candy prices 5% just to stay even. That hundred dollars now will only buy only 95 candy bars. Where did those five extra candy bars go? You, right into the gummamint. It's the effect of owning the printing press.

Try it yourself. Play monopoly. And every time you pass go, inflate the money supply 5%. The bank has $15,140 in cash in standard editions of Monopoly. Give yourself an extra $757 everytime you pass go. That's an one orange $500 bill, two beige $100 bills, one green $50 bills, one pink $5 bills, and two white $1 bills. Watch what happens. I bet you'll win. Think the other players will catch on? You'll probably hear the exclamation "That's not fair!" followed by an appropriate punishment for ruining the game by counterfeiting.

So why is it different when the gummamint does it to you in real life?

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Posted by reinkefj

WRITING: a de Bono challenge – Take five random words in a sequence and then construct a story using the words in the same sequence.

Saturday, May 27, 2006

http://www.edwdebono.com/debono/msg17v.htm

***Begin Quote***

MESSAGE FOR WEEK BEGINNING 24th April 2006

Create a Story

Take five random words in a sequence and then construct a story using the words in the same sequence. You are not permitted to say, for example, that you looked at a mail ordedr [sic] catalogue and ordered five objects (the random words) from the catalogue. Each word must be fully used in its own right. The final story should not be more than 250 words long.
Edward de Bono
20th April 2006  

***End Quote***

But where does one get five random words?

Wikopedia?

"List of rivers of Albania", Shimmerzine, "Anal glands", "Klokotnica is a village in southern Bulgaria", "Corfe is a village and parish in Somerset, England"

===

As I peruse a list of the rivers in Albania preparing some day to be a Jeopardy champion, I see a fellow traveler carrying a copy of Shimmerzine. It is the anal gland of publishing that leaves a phantom scent as it plops down in your mailbox. As the bus pulls into town, I can read the sign "Клокотница"! That's Bulgarian for Klokotnica for you tourists. My pilgrimage from Corfe England to the Saint Forty Martyrs church is now over. As is this assignment.  

===

84 words.

===

What did I learn? Debono is one wierd dude. ;-)  Who has a problem with typos!

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Posted by reinkefj

WRITING: The meaning of the words “grok”, “requiron”, and “procept”

Saturday, May 27, 2006

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grok

***Begin Quote***

"Grok means to understand so thoroughly that the observer becomes a part of the observed—to merge, blend, intermarry, lose identity in group experience. It means almost everything that we mean by religion, philosophy, and science—and it means as little to us (because we are from Earth) as color means to a blind man."
***End Quote***

The only other fellow I know who creates his own vocabluary is Edward De Bono.

http://www.edwdebono.com/debono/msg15d.htm

***Begin Quote***

 REQUIRON

In one of my books I introduce the new word 'requiron'.

This indicates: "something that is needed".

"The requiron here is a way of increasing self-esteem in youngsters".

An alternative is the word 'procept'. A procept is a concept that does not yet exist but needs ot exist.

As an exercise spell outr [sic] a specific requiron in the fields of education and another in the field of health.

Edward de Bono nmt
20th December 2004
***End Quote***

I'm fascinated that some onecan make an elemental change in the language and in people's thinking. That really makes on a member in the exclusive club of "giants upon whose sholders we stand".

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Posted by reinkefj

TECH: Blue Frog’s legacy? Users are fed up and ready to fight. Just give’m a target!

Friday, May 26, 2006

From the Ashes of Blue Frog

May 26, 2006
From the Ashes of Blue Frog
the LOOSE wire blog
technology: usage and abusage. By WSJ columnist Jeremy Wagstaff 

***Begin Quote***

The Blue Frog may be no more,  but the vigilantes are. Seems that despite the death of Blue Security in the face of a spammer’s wrath, the service has built an appetite for fighting back.
***End Quote***

Jeremy posits some interesting questions:

***Begin Quote***

Actually I thought the link Blue Frog used wasn’t unsubscribe (which is usually fake, since if it wasn’t would then pull the spammer back within the law) but the purchase link. 

***End Quote***

I THOUGHT that the Blue Forg team was doing analysis to find the beneficiary of the spam. AND then that beneficiary was petitioned to give relief.

I would not want to bear the wrath of the inet public should say a major company be found benefitting by spam. I'm thinking of the spammers that offer an XYZ gift card for signing up.

***Begin Quote***

Any member who is on the spammer’s list (developed by the logical subtraction from their original list by their new cleaned list) will now be vulnerable to the kind of mass email attack that Blue Frog’s destroyer launched.
***End Quote***

I'd suggest that deliberately letting the spammers "collect" salted email addresses could be a strategy. If for example, an ISP, Google GMail, and or Yahoo "allow" all email addresses thru. Spammers would get no feedback about bad addresses. They would lose a good way to cut their problem down to size.

For example, let's assume 8 character names, like A12345467@XYZ.com. That address space has (36)**8 possible combination. Let's further assume that a spammer sends via his botnet a spam to that address space. Assume that our spammer puts return addresses that he can check. That feedback allows him to reduce his target space. He'l get some confirmation from vacation type messages and the absence of a bounce. He can determine what are valid addresses in the @xyz.com space. If we deny him the feedback of bounces, then everytime he wants to spam, he has to cover the domain.

We lose the ability to know about bouncing emails, but … … if we use receipt, we'll knwo what doesn't get thru.

Just a thought! 

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Posted by reinkefj

MONEY: Social Security “Insurance” is welfare for rich white women at the expense of men, especially poor minority men!

Friday, May 26, 2006

FROM AN EMAIL CONVERSATION 

>I also think that my pension is a perk, just like any perk you've received over the years.

No, not a perk. It was part of the value equation that you accepted to give them your time. The problem with a government pension is that they are defrauding you. Or at least fooling you too into believing how good it is or will be.

Compare the difference between a pension and an IRA / 401k.

Your time is worth say a dollar. Now you can take the dollar put it in an IRA, or have Uncle Sam put it in your “government pension”. I’d argue you’d be better off if you COULD put that dollar in your own IRA.

Thirty years down the road, you have to go hat in hand to Mommy Government and apply for your pension. Who knows what the rules will be, the payouts, or anything? You're depending upon the American people's sense of "fair play" and the honesty of politicians to uphold the bargain made by their predecessors.

That money in your IRA is real savings. It's yours. You want it. Go take it! All of it.

The money in the Government Pension is just an IOU based on the willingness of future taxpayers to make good on what you’ve been promised.

And, if, like the social security ponzi scheme, you are unfortunate not to live long enough to collect, then who gets your “pension”? An IRA would go to your heirs. Your accumulated Social Security taxes (i.e., "insurance" premiums) and / or accrued  pension just goes into the common pot.

(There’s a reason why accountants joke that social security is welfare for rich white women at the expense of men, especially poor minority men!)

A corporate pension also represent real savings. The company usually has bought a bet with an insurance company to pay the pensioners off. Baring the insurance company and the company going belly up, you'll get your benefit.

Defined benefit plans are being abandoned by companies thru bankruptcy. The Government winds up holding the bag via the PGC. So, to a certain extent, there is little difference between the the bankrupted corporate pension, a government pension, and Social Security! Ask the pilots at Delta about pensions versus IRA / 401ks.

At one time, unions held their members' pension plan assets because no one trusted the companies. Federal prosecutions of the union pension trustees demonstrates the worth of that approach. 

So, I think you have to think very carefully about promises versus bank balances. You need to think about the time value of money, discounted cash flow, the value of annuities, and a "bird in my hand is worth two of your promises".

imho! 

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Posted by reinkefj

MONEY: The pension was a great benefit. Right!

Friday, May 26, 2006

One of the biggest awakenings I ever received was at ATT when I chatted with an actuary.

He disabused me of the notion that the ATT pension was a great benefit.

He pointed out that if they didn’t give me a pension and other benefits then they would have had to pay me more. At the time of the conversation, ATT put aside in the pension plan $8.43 per month per employee!

$8.43!!

They’d have had to pay a lot more in salary that that pittance. So, they weren’t doing me any BIG favor.

And, you wouldn’t want to guess how many people they fooled with the propaganda that the pension was an important benefit.

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Posted by reinkefj

TECH: Microsoft welshes on the promised usb drive

Friday, May 26, 2006

What a bunch of hooey.

First, I really don't need their usb drive. I was going to use it to put a bootable Linux on it. (I have a perverse sense of humor!) 

Second, my request was in less than an hour after it was made. (Thanks to an email alert from Google!) So the supply ran out excuse is a bunch of Baraba Striesand.

Third, it an interesting piece of propaganda they're shoveling. "OEM operating system licenses live and die with each PC–they are not transferable." Oh really. And what defines a PC. The case? Where you stuck your tag. The COA? That comes as a book. I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV. But isn't this an assertion after the contract is made. And further, isn't their relationship with Mister Dell. Whoa re they to tell me what my agreement with Dell is. Now let me understand this if I build my own box, buy all the aprts including the OS, then I can put my OS where I want it when I want it. But, if I buy the box from DELL and say the other board dies, then you expect me to buy another copy of the OS?

Wrong. Linux for me. Very shortly.

The mystery for me is why we put up with this in the first place. 

===

From: Microsoft [mailto:procurement@email.microsoft.com]
Sent: Friday, May 26, 2006 1:22 PM
To: reinkefjSubject: The mystery of the missing USB drive
Thank you for your interest in the Mystery Solved Windows® licensing promotion. We've received your request for more information to help clarify Microsoft® Windows Desktop Licensing pre-loaded on the USB drive. Unfortunately, this Mystery Solved promotion was available in the U.S. only and while supplies last. Supply is depleted at this time, so we encourage you to please utilize the online alternative today. Simply download* the Windows Desktop Licensing reference files directly at:www.microsoft.com/mysterysolved/corp

o help simplify Windows Desktop Licensing, keep these points in mind: 
There are two legal ways to acquire a full Windows Desktop license: through your hardware vendor (OEM/System Builder) or Full Packaged Product.
 
Volume licensing covers Windows Desktop operating system upgrades only.
 
OEM operating system licenses live and die with each PC–they are not transferable.

Again, thank you for your interest in Mystery Solved and for helping us spread the word about proper Windows licensing.

Sincerely,
Microsoft Corporation
     
*Internet connect time charges may apply. Offer available through June 30, 2006.

© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.      

 

Leave a Comment » | Technology | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

WRITING: Squeeze out your “nuggets” in the wasted waiting time.

Friday, May 26, 2006

***Begin Quote***

I am trying o figure out where you find the time to post all these blogs?  
***End Quote***

My friend's question is an interesting one.

The answer is that I rip them off as quick hits. Or, I steal them from an email. Or, when I am collecting thoughts.

Some feel that a blog is a literary masterpiece. I'm just using it as a wastebasket for ideas. At the end of every week, I copy all the blog's posts into a text file on my LUGGABLE. It then is available for recycling as I need it.

Remember one of my regrets was to loose too many good ideas. This is one way of preventing that.

You want literature, but Steinbeck. You want stream of consciousness rambling, read my blog.

It's is relatively easy to catch stuff through out the day and them punch them in as time permits.  There is nothing saying that when you're sitting on an unstarted conference call listening to the same dumb music, that you can't take a mental vacation or bang out a few thoughts.

Oh, gotta go, the "leader" just arrived. Late as usual. Now onto the "inaction register". That's a project status document filled with  lame excuses of why people didn't do what they promised to do. :-) Another set of pet peeves!

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Posted by reinkefj

RANT: Manage things;Lead people!

Friday, May 26, 2006

In my way of thinking, you manage things (e.g., budgets; computers; networks; projects) but you have to lead people (i.e., people are more like a mules with a mind of its own).

Things lend themselves well to being "managed". There are no hard feelings when you cut a budget. You can be totally analytical and blunt with "things".

People need to be lead. My first exposure to "leadership" was the mythical telephone lineman litho that was "required" in every Bell lobby anywhere. He was joined by the equally mythical board operator running her station as the flood waters rose. They  were inspiring. You were part of something that was huge and that made a difference in people's lives.  I learned that if you motivate someone, in their own mind, they will drive themselves harder than you ever can with a club. By the same token, you can have all the whip and clubs you want over people and you can't make them do squat if they don't want to. That mule is just a metaphor. If you want to have something really screwed up, just order people to do something. In a perverse sense of humor, they will do EXACTLY what you instruct and may the Intelligent Designer help you when they do. 

Just a pet peeve. I want to be "lead" not "managed". 

Leave a Comment » | Ranting | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

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