PRODUCTIVITY: Keep a medical log book

Friday, May 25, 2007

In dealing with Frau Reinke’s medical problems, I wish I had kept a log book of all that went on. A school child’s “marble” book would have been all that was necessary to capture the information, events, dates, places, docs, and “stuff” that would be invaluable in retrospect.

Argh!

A moleskin pocket book and the discipline to keep annotating it would be a great asset.

You could use it as a source to transcribe into a “blog like” file. It’d be useful to keep all the experts honest and one’s own thoughts straight.

May it could be a private blog? Surely the technology is there for it.

Wish I have done it.

Maybe you can learn form my mistake?

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RANT:Stupidity ruins a good idea and no feedback loop

Friday, May 25, 2007

Walgreens has a neat idea, that we didn’t have at our last gooferment approved drug pusher (what do you call a drug store?), called “auto mated refills”.

(The only car involved is when one of us drives to get them. And, since they are for my mate Frau Reinke I guess they are sort of aptly named.)

So Walgreens automated refills identifies the RXes (The gooferment permitted forms with the approvals of the gooferment agent called doctor Argh!) that she uses regularly. And each month, refills it.

Great.

BUT!

Since we didn’t give them the RXes on the same day, they (all 13) renew on different days. Further, over time, new medicines were added, dosages changed, and some medicines stopped. It’s messy. But I have captured all that info for her in a one page document with all the current RXes, dosages, and who/when changed it. (For our own sanity.)

There is NO way to align Walgreens with reality and NO way to have them all renew on the same day.

Argh!

It’s annoying enough to have gooferment rules about paperwork and approvals. Add in the annoyance of the gooferment’s financing agents (What do you call medical insurance companies?). Add in the annoyance of complying with the gooferment’s tax diktats about FSAs.

But the crowning annoyance is that Walgreens has no feedback loop. No way for the patient to put information and suggestions back into them to get them to improve their service.

So a good idea (i.e., automated refills) has some stupidity built in (i.e., different renewal dates) (i.e., no way to correct the data they have on file) but the ranting comes in when there is no feedback loop.

Argh! Argh!

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FUN: has to be a pony in here

Thursday, May 24, 2007

http://www.acthompson.net/pony.htm

*** begin quote ***

“There has to be a pony in here somewhere!”

*** end quote ***

There are many references to this “pony” or that “pony” on the web. Even on some prestigious sites. But, no one has the honest to repeat the whole story.

The original has an absurdly honest ring to it.

We know know parent would do such a thing. We know that children always see things with “pristine glasses”. We know know child no matter how naive would NOT think of playing in that, nor that there was a good surprise under all of it.

But this is a this a parable, a legend, a fable, a … a … morality play in a few sentences.

If we always see the glass as half-full, then we’ll be better off.

Will we?

So is it “I’ll believe it when I see it” or “I’ll see it when I believe it”?

IBIWISI or ISIWIBI

An new shorthand for a meme?


YAHOO ANSWER: Free Advertising For My Purse Party Buiness

Thursday, May 24, 2007

*** begin quote ***

Free Advertising For My Purse Party Buiness???

I’m looking for free or very cheap ways to advertise my purse party business. I’m looking for local and nationwide ideas! Any suggestions would be great!

*** end quote ***

Well for under a fifty bucks, some sweat, and a few months calendar time, imho, you can get “known”. I’d suggest a blog as the underlying engine for your biz advertising.

(1) Check for an available domain name you like (www dot party purse business dot com), but don’t buy it yet.

(2) Get a free wordpress blog at www.wordpress.com. Sign up as PartyPurseBisuiness blog. Or whatever domain name you decide on.

(3) Buy the domain name feature from wordpress for $15 — it includes the registration of the domain name. (How’s that for cheap)

(4) You now have a web site and a domain name. Use the blog part to put fresh content on your blog. Put something meaningful there daily.

(5) Use the static pages part to put picture or stories or prices or events out on your “site”.

(6) Sign up for the free Gmail for Domains and get email via your domain. You can be party.purse at pursepartybusiness dot com.

(7) Sign up (free) at the various blog directories.

(8) Submit to the search engines

(9) Use the search engines to “find” yourself which improves your site in the search engines eyes. :-) [That’s circular reasoning! By telling the search engine to look for me and finding it, it makes me more find-able by regular people.]

So you’ll have a professional website with up to date content for cheap.

Yell if you want help with it. And, let us know how you make out.

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UPDATE 30 May 2007 @ 14:35 edst This answer was selected as “best”. Happy dance time.


LIBERTY: I support the troops … bring them home now!

Thursday, May 24, 2007

http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul388.html

Patriotism
by Ron Paul
Before the U.S. House of Representatives, May 22, 2007

 

***Begin Quote***

It is conveniently ignored that the only authentic way to best support the troops is to keep them out of dangerous undeclared no-win wars that are politically inspired. Sending troops off to war for reasons that are not truly related to national security and, for that matter, may even damage our security, is hardly a way to patriotically support the troops.

***End Quote***

I agree 100%. Sound recall! (It’s a bugle call in the old cavalry movies.) Out troops should spike anything to heavy to move, and take the first thing heading home (i.e., plane, train, bike) or shank’s mare.

No excuses, no apologies, no plan to plan the plan.

Now!!!

p.s., And, I still think every politician should attend the funeral of every GI in their “district”! Maybe then it would sink in that this is NOT some kid’s game with the objective to fill your pockets and be popular. No, it’s deadly serious.


TECH WEBSITE: WORDPRESSDOTCOM allows domain redirection

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

http://www.reinkefaceslife.com/

I’ve always had the domain registered and forwarding to the blog. Now the redirection should be “invisible”. We’ll see?

So for example, a blog post would have looked like:

https://reinkefj.wordpress.com/2007/05/18/writing-advertising-effectiveness/

Now, it will look like:

https://reinkefaceslife.com/2007/05/18/writing-advertising-effectiveness/

Like a real blog. (added cost $10) Worth it? Who knows.

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ALUMNI: Creating class alumni groups on yahoo

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Creating class alumni groups on yahoo

  • Name (steer clear of trademark, copyright, and such)
  • Logo
  • Build a FAQ
  • Have key text files ready:
    *Challenge
    *YouMadeItIn
    *Monthly
    *Departing
    *Rejected
    *Banned
  • Webpage and domain name
  • Source of invitations list
  • Ask people to sub and unsub without your involvement.

Create the group. Send the Invites. And prep for either a big flop or a lifetime of angst.


TECH SERVICE: SKYPE conference call feature

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Last night, for the first time, I participated in a Skype conference call. (Hey, I told you I was an ITSJ and didn’t like people!)

It was sweet.

It was the Big Turkey, the Big Canary, and Big Red. (Yeah, I know too many bigs. That’s why it was a call. All those egos couldn’t fit in the same room together!) Any way, this post is about the technical details of the conference call.

It was a snap to setup. I initiated it at 8PM promptly. (WOF just ended and I got the final puzzle with no extra letters. n33t!) I just taped conference call, and the two names were online, a few clicks and it was up and running.

The local client software has nice mic icon that I could click on as a “cough button”. Also, the client would highlight who was speaking, neat feature.

(For enterprise use, for “secret” info, I’m not sure that eavesdropping is impossible. Maybe NSA is analyzing the hidden messages in why two of the three have given up golf. A terrorist could just order a bread delivery. Spy craft is a well-know art. Changing a web page’s theme could be a signal.)

We chatted for thirty minutes, and I thought I heard one network hiccup.

For free!

We connected Chicago, Long Island, and Kendall Park for 30 minutes at no cost.

I didn’t try any of the other features. Mostly, cause I don’t know what they are.

I am definitely a raving fan. And give this a BIG thumbs up. (yeah, I know too many bigs.)

My best moment was when Frau, who was subjected to my half of the conversation, rolling her eyes most of the time, actually smiled and chuckled at my “Put lipstick on that pig, and pucker up” line. (I think “Big Pig” is available as a moniker. Pigs are pretty smart. And closely related to humans. Some humans are described as pigs.) I’m elevating that to the level of the Mass Mutual ad jingle: “Never kissed a frog. Didn’t have too!”.

Now I need Skype Video!

FWIW YMMV FAIWWYPFI


YAHOO ANSWER: starting college, advice

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

*** begin quote ***

I am starting college this fall, advice needed please?

*** end quote ***

(1) Plan to be “balanced”. Eat, exercise, and sleep in normal proportion. Mange your time well. Do the big things first and fill in with the less important.

(2) Keep a written record of every person you meet in your travels. Try to “connect” with as many as possible. They can become your “network of contacts” in the future.

(3) Be ruthless in your financial discipline. You can bury yourself in debt. Think Return on Investment. Seek to earn some money with your education as it progresses. It’ll help later on getting a “real job”.

(4) Pick your major, minor, and electives with your future employment in mind. Your while collar job will provide the big component of your earnings in the future. Choose wisely.

(5) Try to pick up a blue collar skill that will allow you to earn money if you’re laid off of your white collar job and have some time to spare. Never saw a “poor” plumber. Pick something you like and make it fun while putting some coins in the bank.

(6) Be alert to any internet based business that you can “do” in parallel to the all the above activities. Look for synergy between the activities such that you can recycle, reuse, or repurpose. Write a paper for your college course, offer it to a blog – publication – other outlet.

(7) Have fun, (but not too much); it’s the “best time” of your life. Live it to the fullest.

I’m green with envy and wish I could do it again with what I know now. :-) But life doesn’t work like that. I can state authoritatively that the “woulda, coulda, and shouldas” will KILL you later in life. Don’t miss anything.you would, should, or could try. Consistent with good judgment.

Let us know how you make out.

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Update: Voted “best”. Yeah! More menaingless points!!!


RANT: Why nothing since 9-11?

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

>I think the only reason we have not had a successful
>attack on us after 9-11 is
>because we are keeping them too busy over there.

That could be one possibility.

Would you consider another?

How about in the murky world of terrorism, they are getting exactly what they want. War and unrest. If you wanted to tumble the ruling elite say in Saudi Arabia, what better way then to get the Great Satan tromping around in a Fourth Generation Land War that it can’t “win”.

And, why would you stir up the American people any more. They might form a national resolve and really kick ass! Think Pearl Harbor. You don’t want to awaking the sleeping giant. As Japanese admiral Yammamoto advised. They could turn your “sacred land” into glass if you piss ’em off enough. Note, how carefully they tiptoe around Israel.

We’re an easily distracted people. The radicals have exactly what they want.

In exactly the degree that they want it.

Easy to kill Americans that get the locals riled up. We’re blundering around blowing up a local wedding for example. They’ve split our country down the middle with the stupid war. No, I’d say that they have Uncle Sam by the beard, are kicking our butt, and accomplishing their short and long term objectives.

Once the entire Muslim world is under one caliphate, then they will turn their attention to finishing the Crusades with Europe, and eventually the Great Satan.

We make the same mistakes when dealing with China and Korea. We don’t have a long-term perspective.

We need to MYOB. That, my friend, is not being a dove. We have our own set of problems to deal with. You deal with this disaster by “leaving the party”. We need foreign policy that follows President Washington’s directive. (He also decreed no torturing POWs!)

Did you ever consider why the old USSR had so little “foreign policy” problems, except for where they blundered in Afghanistan? They had a policy that if you crossed them, the KGB killed you, your family, and anyone who helped you. Government, non-government, guerilla. It didn’t matter. I think in my recollection one USSR ambassador was killed for political reasons and the KGB took out about 8o people they believed had a hand in it. Needless to say, no one messed with them. That’s not being a dove.

It’s called Letters of Marque and Reprisal.

If we thought that Osama was the problem, then we should have offered say 50B$ taxfree payable at your favorite Swiss bank for proof that he was dead. How long do you think he would have survived? Add a billion a week, until you get what you want. It’d still be cheaper that the 30T$, 600k+ Iraqui dead, and ~6k Americans.

American foreign policy is too blunt, too war-oriented, too inefficient and too ineffective.

That’s what Ron Paul was saying.