RANT: Went 14 for 14 in last week’s fantasy league

Saturday, December 15, 2007

*** begin quote ***

Sure, I can’t be in Vegas and go 14-0 on a teaser card. Wish it was skill! I think the pay tables only go to 14. http://www.sportsbook.com/info/comparative-odds.php#teaser I’d be getting 150-1. So my 10$ bet would be 1500. And, all my lesser ones would have won as well. I usually played 100$ with 4,6,8,10,12! More on the lower ones and less on the higher. Argh! And, I’m still behind Frenchy.

*** end quote ***

I usually bet 50 on four, 40 on six, 30 on eight, 20 on ten, and 10 on twelve!

That would have returned 150+240+450+1000+500=2340

Argh!

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Posted by reinkefj

LINKEDIN: LinkedIn is dysfunctional

Saturday, December 15, 2007

*** begin quote ***

Please note: You are now required to enter an email address to send invitations from this page because several recipients of your invitations indicated they don’t know you. This safeguard is in place to prevent users from receiving unwanted invitations from people they don’t know. Customer Service can remove the restriction at anytime once you indicate that you understand this policy.

*** end quote ***

I don’t know what they are talking about. I don’t invite ever since Linkedin instituted their dumb “5 I don’t knows and your suspended”. I only accept invites.

The funnier think is that I am not, nor have I ever been, what they hate … an “open” networker.

?

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Posted by reinkefj

LINKEDIN: in LinkedIn you need to connect to a few “mega connectors” to be “findable”

Saturday, December 15, 2007

FROM AN EMAIL EXCHANGE WITH A LINKEDIN CONTACT

>and LinkedIn stays on my personal e-mail which is second priority. I’m cleaning e-mail today .

Well, just as long as you remember, that one’s first duty, the 2008 Prime Directive, is to find your “next” job! Too many times, as you’ve probably heard me blog, I hear my turkeys tell me that “they were too busy with work to … …”. With unfortunate results. Both in family life and earning power.

>I agree with your blog comments. I think one interesting question is how “linked” are we through affiliations.

I think that “affiliations” can lead to “linking”.

> I would not hesitate to recommend you or introduce you, based upon my view of your work on XXXXXXXXXX and your writings I’ve seen.

Thanks for the kind words. If one can’t be “good”, be “persistent”? :-)

>I wouldn’t offer the same to someone just because they XXXXXXXXXXX.

No, but I bet you might be inclined to take a Lucht-style networking meeting with them. See that is the theory of the “granfalloon” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granfalloon where one can parlay an “imaginary connection” into a chance to create a weak link. Which then, over time, you can build to a strong one. I used that extensively first in my career, and later in selling.

>interesting that in at least four – I was linked to these people through you – two or three separations.

Well, in LinkedIn you need to connect to a few “paul revere” types or some of the “mega connectors” to be “findable”

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Posted by reinkefj

LINKEDIN: “canned invites” should just be automatically ignores

Friday, December 14, 2007

EMAIL ABOUT USING LINKEDIN’S IDKs

>Re: “Running out of invitations…”
>Posted by: “Mario P. Lopez”
>Thu Dec 6, 2007 7:41 pm (PST)
>Should we give the IDK “prize” to canned invitations, forget about it
>(and maybe avoid potential problems) and mind our own networking business?

While I am always up for a good “tar’n’feathering”, I’d suggest that “canned invites” should just be automatically ignores. I’d suggest that IDKing them might “freeze” a newbie who might not know any better. Since it will take a lot of work to determine exactly what is on the other end of the invite, and even more work if it is a newbie, I vote to just archive it.

I do, however, support identifying the spammers who should know better (i.e., the Blue Chip) and collectively determining to punish them for their annoying behavior.

When everyone was citing the Blue Chip spam, I thought that would be a good use of IDK.

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Posted by reinkefj

LINKEDIN: Found some one who dropped me. And, I’ve asked why!

Friday, December 14, 2007

Found some one who dropped me. And, I’ve asked why!

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Posted by reinkefj

JOBSEARCH: Your resume, your ssn, and birthday are the keys to identity theft

Friday, December 14, 2007

FROM AN EMAIL WITH A TURKEY

>the recruiter has asked me to provide my SS#, birthday, and references

As an infosec sme, red flags should be going off.

Your resume, your ssn, and birthday are the keys to identity theft.

Also, as the big fat old turkey hisself, it’s my personal policy, and one I urge on others — no references until we are at the offer stage. You need to protect your refs from burn out. And, burning them by over use makes you look like a “loser” to people who’s enthusiasm you need.

Like a swimmer going down for the third time, some seekers seek to rush the process to get to the finish line. You should have a process that you are following — all the job search books have variations of it — like a formalize kabuki dance — to prevent you from appearing over eager. That’ll cut the offer. “Hungry? Maybe we can get a bargain!”

Tread carefully.

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Posted by reinkefj

TECH SOFTWARE: TIMEASSIST is better than the egg timer I have on my desk

Friday, December 14, 2007

http://www.donationcoder.com/Forums/bb/index.php?topic=11163.msg87431#msg87431

Timer Assist

***Begin Quote***

I work at a hospital and have to chart the patient’s vitals every 15 minutes after surgery. This has to be done at 15 past the hour, 30 minutes past the hour 45 minutes past the hour and on the hour.

I need a timer that will sound a user chosen wav file (some sounds can be irritating to recouping patients so one that is tolerable has to be used) on the 15’s, display a user defined message that will only go away after acknowledgment and continue counting happily away without user intervention. That is it will alarm at the next 15 even if the message is not acknowledged.

Most timers will not auto continue after sounding.

***End Quote***

Donation ware — how can you go wrong?

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Posted by reinkefj

JOBSEARCH: will wind up with contracts for everyone any way

Friday, December 14, 2007

FROM AN EMAIL EXCHANGE ABOUT EMPLOYMENT CONTRACTS

*** begin quote ***

> I tried my best to get someone, anyone on list to support your suggestion to get an employment contract

Well if we become a nation of consultants, then we will wind up with contracts for everyone any way. Costs for both sides of the contract will probably go up. For example, companies can buy medical benefits cheaper than an individual can. Contractors will demand higher rates for the uncertainty of term lengths. Based on my experience, I had an annual rate that I wanted. SO if someone wanted less than my annual target say one month, I figured my down time was a month or two to get earning again. So a one month engagement was really calculated as a 3 month engagement. Therefore, my one month rate was three times the one twelfth the annual rate. So that’s going to happen whether folks want it to or not.

>It must be time for me to become self-employed.

It’s an illusion. You are already. See when you have a “job”, you are really a consultant with a restricted choice of what you can work on. And, you get less money than your “riskier” brethren. The funny part is I think being an employee is very risky. I guess it’s all in your pov.

*** end quote ***

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Posted by reinkefj

MONEY: Facing the old age home

Thursday, December 13, 2007

It’s a fact of life that the “old folks” who go into nursing homes run out of money and become wards of the state. It happened to a wealthy aunt decades ago, who took a “fortune” and wound up on the dole. (I was young and not privy to the exact numbers.) And, it’s happening to another aunt and I am privy to the numbers.

She worked her whole life at menial jobs. Saved her pennies and accumulated a nice nest egg. (Probably 5 times her annual salary!) Had social security and a tiny pension. And she’ll die on the dole. (I’m not planning on telling her because she just get upset.)

It’s NOT her fault.

That “social security insurance” theft didn’t provide her with “social insurance”. Proper insurance with MetLife, Prudential, or Allstate over fifty years would have given her a substantial annuity.

Argh!

Now I read about folks going into assisted living. I read about old folks living on cruise ships. I read about people going overseas for expensive medical procedures.I read about old folks in Japan needing robots.

Will old people become America’s new export? Will the American equivalent of the Eskimos putting old folks on ice flows going out to sea be sending our old folks to old age homes in Third World countries where they can get taken care of “humanely”?

Warped thought, but who is going to take care of an “old” America?

Is that a consequence of our love of abortion and our failure to cherish life?

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Posted by reinkefj

INTERESTING: Is there ever a “we”?

Thursday, December 13, 2007

FROM A LINKEDIN QUESTION

*** begin quote ***
Do you think we can drive new concepts, lifestyles, value systems… “Our Values – powered by IP – us / WE?”

Do you think we can drive new concepts, lifestyles, value systems… “Our Values – powered by IP – us / WE?” Can we come together and help the world through LinkedIn.com while at the same time help our own? Through groups of the smartest and brightest from around the world, can we create this next revolution online?

*** end quote ***

Implicit in the question is a collectivist concept. The “we”. Is there ever a “we”? Does there have to be a “we” to accomplish worthy goals? I answer a question with a question deliberately.

The “invisible hand” of Adam Smith’s “free market” has no “we” in it! (Like there is no eye in team?) It’s just a bunch of very greedy people each selfishly pursuing what they perceive as “best” as measure by their own self interest. Walk through WalMart and see what the “free market” produces for you.

In addition, that very greedy behavior is essentially cooperation. It’s accomplished by inducing one’s fellow man into giving you one or more “certificates of appreciation”. Satisfy another person’s needs and you get to satisfy yours.

The Mayflower colonists starved because of “collectivism” and thrived when they discovered “greed”.

I’d suggest that by chasing our own individual dreams vigorously, and unhampered by the collectivists (i.e., governments, communists, socialist, and “do gooders” of all ilks) then “good things” will appear as if by magic.

If one insists that there is a “we”, then I think those good things will be delayed.

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Posted by reinkefj

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