TECH: What is “LINKEDIN” and why should I care?

Saturday, June 10, 2006

http://www.linkedin.com
(a social networking site for professionals)

The inet is expanding everything so fast that it's hard to keep up on everything. LinkedIn is a site (free! sort of!) in the social networking genre. Like MySpace is for kiddies of all ages, this purports to be a "networking" site for professionals.

It's networking … sort of. It's free … sort of.

It allows you to join up and put up a profile. That profile used to be visible only to "members". Since it's a free site, membership is kind of misleading. Now you can make your profile visible to the world. Mine is at:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/reinkef

Once you have joined, giving a "name", email address, and promise that they can never be held liable for anything, you can then invite people to join and be part of your "network". Sort of like MultiLevelMarketing but it's free. (They try and monetize it by getting you to pay to send lots of emails to strangers.) By judicious choice of your name, you can get your email address into it and people can find and contact you. Or put it in your short description.

I have written some suggestions about LinkedIn in the past on my blog.

So, now, you are all signed up, and you find out from various ways that I'm there. You can propose to me that because "we know and trust each other" (yeah right!) that we can do the LinkedIn version of the Vulcan Mind Meld.  We can become "LinkedIn" "blood brothers", which allows you to look at my contact list and me to look at yours. You can then send a note to my contacts, which if I "bless", gets passed along.

That's what a LinkedIn user means by "look thru my contacts and see if there is someone that can help you". The implication is that they will forward your messages along.
You can search LinkedIn for say "AT&T" and, if someone who worked there or works there is registered with LinkedIn and put that in their employment history, it tells you all nine grazillion. If the person is within four hops of you (four degrees of separation), it will show you their description and you can seek a connect via "passing notes" over LinkedIn. If they are not, you can pay to send them an email if they allow it. It used to be FIVE hops but they tightened it down. It used to be unlimited communications but they tightened it down. There's no guarantee that the note will be passed along. There's no guarantee that it will move quickly (in fact it often dies of old age. There's no guarantees about anything in life so you roll the LinkedIn dice.

So that is LinkedIn. I think the jury is still out on it. I am not sure that it is as valuable as they would  like everyone to believe. There are on it what I call "scalp hunters", who are running around making connections to have big numbers. They have no intention of carrying on an ONGOING conversation. They are the one night stand of LinkedIn. Do whatever they have to. Get you to do the Vulcan Mind Meld thing. Slam, bamm, thank you mam, and off they go. Never to be heard from again. I have been doing LinkedIn for two years now, and it is "different". It is FANTASTIC for identifying targets. As a networking resource, it's "useful".

So if we did the LinkedIn Vulcan Mind Meld, you could peruse my contacts for people that might be useful to chat with. That's what I often suggest to people. Because I don't know which one might be useful to you.

FAIWWYPFI FWIW IMHO YMMV

Hope this helps.
FjohnR
Yet Another Big Turkey

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Posted by reinkefj

TURKEY: Jack the cat chases black bear up tree

Friday, June 9, 2006

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060609/ap_on_fe_st/cat_scares_bear;_ylt=AsAXykSUlgd9JbTaW7C_ipLtiBIF;_ylu=X3oDMTA0cDJlYmhvBHNlYwM-

***Begin Quote***

Jack the cat chases black bear up tree

WEST MILFORD, N.J. – A black bear picked the wrong New Jersey yard for a jaunt earlier this week, running into a territorial tabby who ran the furry beast up a tree — twice.

Jack, a 15-pound orange-and-white cat, keeps a close vigil on his property, chasing small animals when he can, but his owners and neighbors say his latest escapade was surprising.

***End Quote***

Would that I had the pluck of Jack the cat. We all should take the lesson of this particular pair of the Intelligent Designer's creatures. You are what you think! Think you're a giant, you are. Think you're weak, you are. Bluster, like a poker bluff, is good until called.

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Posted by reinkefj

LIBERTY: The hallmark of a bad idea is when you have to force people to do “it”!

Friday, June 9, 2006

http://www.blogger.com/feeds/28006963/posts/full/114981847688681322

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16759148&BRD=1091&PAG=461&dept_id=425716&rfi=6

Panel lists open space priorities
By: Audrey Levine, Staff Writer 06/08/2006

***Begin Quote***
Van Dyke Farm tops open space list

The 192-acre Van Dyke Farm on Davidson Mill Road tops the list of high-priority sites that the Open Space Advisory Committee wants to see preserved, according to Jane Snyder, the committee chairwoman.

***End Quote***

Ahh, it's that time of year again in the People's Republic of South Brunswick. Don't you just love when Mommy Government tells us what is good for us. You silly taxpayers are too stupid to figure out that "open space" is good for your property values. Unless it happens that your property is the "open space" that the Kommissars want!

Let's propose a mental experiment. The people, who think that open space is a great idea, pass around the hat. Let me be the first, I'll pledge a hundred bucks. Form a non-profit five oh whatever corporation and collect donations for open space in south brunswick. Let them sell "shares" of the "open space". Raffles, car washes, tootsie rolls, poppies, white canes, or whatever they can think of. Or just accept donations. With the voluntary donations, they can buy space and keep it undeveloped.

I can hear the lamentations now. "The public won't support it." (Like the local movie theater?) "They don't have the money. Times are tough." (Yeah, paying taxes is a drag!) "It won't happen fast enough to save the planet." (Yeah, like we are just buzzing along now.)

See the hallmark of a bad idea is when you have to force people to do "it"!

Doesn't matter what "it" is. If you have to use force to get your favorite political or social goal accomplished, then sorry it's a bad idea. I like the idea of open space as much as the next person, so let me go to my neighbor's house and steal some money form him so I can have "open space"! Sorry Joe. But you "need" open space more than a new set of tires, your daughter's braces, your son's football, your wife's new frock, food, clothing, whatever! Have to go now I see the police coming to throw me in the clink for stealing Joe's money.

So why is it different for "government" at any level — South Brunswick Township, Middlesex County, State of New Jersey, or the US Federal Government — to do the same thing? Suppose Joe doesn't prefer "open space" over other needs. You see taxes come FIRST. Off the top. Before Joe or John get to decide what is their most important need, Father State — the new  King must get his portion. (Half? Three quarters? They have to leave the serfs something!) When government at any level takes taxes from joe or john for their "own good" to do something they don't want, why do joe or john have to pay for it? Taxes are theft. The government is the only entity that can force someone to pay for services that they don't want.

Tin cup around accepting voluntary contributions peacefully is a great idea for "open space" or anything. Taking tax money from people to do "good" is evil violence.

In case you haven't guessed, I don't think that taxes should be used to "preserve open space", or any of the other myriad of "services", that government provides me. I prefer to order form the ala carte menu.

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Posted by reinkefj

TECH: “HAMACHI” a free VPN proxy … plus KAREN’S REPLICATOR … equals a backup! (via Japan?)

Friday, June 9, 2006

Ahh, isn't it entertaining. HAMACHI gives me connectivity to the OLDLAP sitting on my sofa at home from LUGGABLE sitting on my lap at the Jersy Shore on VWBBIE. And, I can run KAREN'S REPLICATOR to back up my creations yesterday from LUG to OLD. In a few seconds, that's all it took. Now did they really go via Japan? Hmmm.

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Posted by reinkefj

TURKEY: The Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham window … … aka the Johari window!

Thursday, June 8, 2006

… or as I "lurnt it in injineering skool" … the Joe and Harry window … aka the Johari window!

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

I was just exchanging emails with a networking colleague and the topic came up.

You know "johari window, tell me what you see" … followed by  "… huh? …"

SO I figured I'd just recap for my fellow turkeys:

The obvious, my blind self-delusion, your absurd hotspots, and that which neither of us knows!

We move the Y axis by feedback. And the x axis by disclosure. Communication starts in Q1. The "fun" is in Q4!

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Posted by reinkefj

RANT: Hey Governor Corzine … … still wanna hear about state cars ? … … (continued) … …

Thursday, June 8, 2006

You don't? TOO BAD!

This morning 08 June 06 at 0750 edst on Route 1 thru Princeton … …

… … a car sg17898 … …

… down route 1 at a leisurely 65 (Your serf speed limit is 55)

… tailgating the poor peon in her way (it was a her)

She did eventually pull over to the right lane, using the signals that I am paying for, and slow down. I assume that she had to stop for donuts. Or maybe she could find her cell phone. OR, I know, she did want to arrive to early at work (Serfs never have that luxury.)

Any way I am sure that she was hurrying to get to I assume trenton to protect and serve me.

Arghhh!

P.S.: Dear reader, I don't write these every day. Just when I ARRIVE early for work, particularly agitated aggravated and have to wait for my employer workstation to get online.

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Posted by reinkefj

LIBERTY: Crusade To Dump Social Security Numbers Picks Up Steam

Wednesday, June 7, 2006

http://www.emailbattles.com/archive/battles/idtheft_aadigajjdf_j/

Crusade To Dump Social Security Numbers Picks Up Steam
Posted on 06/07/2006 @ 14:54:06
in Identity Theft. 

***Begin Quote***

Even before the disclosure of the active duty losses, Gartner VP Avivah Litan told the Committee on Veteran's Affairs that this ripoff demonstrates just how vulnerable some of the nation's most sensitive data is.

"This incident also shows that the Social Security number has become an extremely unreliable piece of information and cannot be trusted to be unique to an individual. Companies should not rely on Social Security numbers alone as proof of individual identity," Ms. Litan said. "As many as one-in-seven adult Social Security numbers in the U.S. may already have been compromised."

Nearly all the states have enacted laws restricting use of Social Security numbers, or are working on them. Universities have led the way (for once), purging the numbers from databases. Even the feds are entertaining a variety of approaches to restrict SSN use for identification… at least for Medicare. 

***End Quote***

OK, I agree, let's kill the ssn completely. The program was sold as "not for identification" so let's get back to that! 

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Posted by reinkefj

TURKEY: thinking about DIKW (Data-Information-Knowledge-Wisdom)

Wednesday, June 7, 2006

https://reinkefj.wordpress.com/2006/05/08/255/

Data is the elemental atom of the paradigm. As in chemistry, breaking data below this elemental level loses its meaning. For example, the data element "37" can be broken into "3" and "7" but it loses its meaning when you do so.

Information is data in context. "37" can be: "37 Langley" as an address. It can be "37.com" as a web address. It can be 37 cents change. 

Knowledge is actionable information. I can go to a place in Kendall Park. I can do searches at 37 dot com.

Wisdom is knowing the implications of knowledge. I'm wise enough not to try to sell Mercedes into the blue collar suburb of Kendall Park NJ. I understand the limitations of my knowledge. While I can't know what I don't know, I'm wise enough to test for boundary conditions so I don't fall off a cliff. The nuances of knowledge are important when to use it and when not to. Where does it take you in the short and long run.

IMHO YMMV FWIW 

1 Comment | JOBSEARCH | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

LIBERTY: Give “public servants” 401(k) plans!

Wednesday, June 7, 2006

http://www.boston.com/business/personalfinance/articles/2006/06/07/healey_to_propose_state_pension_overhaul/?rss_id=Boston.com+%2F+Business+%2F+Personal+Finance+-+Money+Management+-+Financial+Management+-+Boston.com

Healey to propose state pension overhaul
New hires would get 401(k)-style plans instead of traditional ones
By Ross Kerber, Globe Staff
June 7, 2006

***Begin Quote***

{Massachusetts} Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey today plans to propose a sweeping overhaul of the state's fragmented public pension system that would eliminate traditional pensions for most new public-sector workers and instead give them corporate-style saving accounts like 401(k) plans.

***End Quote***

Now why can't we do that here in New Jersey?

It would eliminate all sort so of abuses we hear of Like pension padding by overtime, multiple "jobs, and "sweetheart" final jobs that are used to pay benefits off.

It would also completely eliminate the concept of an unfunded liability.

Right now who knows how much future taxpayers are encumbered by the pension of their current "servants"?

I don't know any business that has a defined benefit plan and wouldn't like to kill it.

Wasn't that the reason that government workers got lucrative pension plans in the first place? To compete with private industry for good people.

The taxpayers don't get a pension. Do they? Why should the "public servants"?

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Posted by reinkefj

LIBERTY: “Statelets”, or microstates, sounds like a good idea to me.

Wednesday, June 7, 2006

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20060605/wl_csm/ostatelet

The coming of the micro-states
By Fred Weir
Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
Mon Jun 5, 4:00 AM ET

***Begin Quote***

MOSCOW – As goes Montenegro, so goes Kosovo, Transdniestria, and South Ossetia?

As Montenegro officially declared independence this weekend, accepting the world's welcome into the community of nations, a handful of obscure "statelets" are demanding the same opportunity to choose their own destinies.

In the latest example, Transdniestria, a Russian-speaking enclave that won de facto independence in the early 1990s, declared last week that it will hold a Montenegro-style referendum in September as part of its campaign for statehood.

Experts fear that many "frozen conflicts" around the world – in which a territory has gained de facto independence through war but failed to win international recognition – could reignite as ethnic minorities demand the same right to self-determination that many former Yugoslav territories have been offered by the international community.

Even more significant than Montenegro's rise to statehood would be the international community's acceptance of Kosovo's bid for independence. The province of Serbia was seized by NATO in 1999. Ongoing talks discussing that possibility are being watched with intense interest by rebel statelets. But as tiny, newly independent states such as East Timor find themselves mired in ethnic violence, international observers are wary of the implications of such a move.

"If Kosovo becomes independent, this precedent will cause further fragmentation of the global order and lead to the creation of more unviable little states," predicts Dmitri Suslov, an analyst with the independent Council on Foreign and Defense Policy in Moscow.

***End Quote***

Maybe I'm just an injineer, but what is the problem? What makes these little states "unviable"? It would seem that this is the way to end ethnic violence. We saw it on a large scale when the British left India, and Pakistan was a result.

We have had "diplomats" drawing lines in the sand. That is how we wound up with Iran and Iraq. The diplomat's motivation was to deliberately create "opponents" that would "balance" each other. I guess that comes under the theory that, if they are too busy shooting at each other, then they will be too busy to shoot at me. And, of course, someone has to sell them the guns and ammo. (Is that too cynical?)

In a libertarian America, we would allow people to organize themselves as they saw fit. We have no "dog in that fight".

When we were "liberating Iraq", which I opposed, I wondered to no one in general in my scratchings, that each town should have been organized, held elections, and treated as a political entity. No need for a giant centralized entity. Let them organize "organically". If you are a "one man; one vote" fanatic, then each "municipality" could elect one elector that would go to "Congress" with a list of verifiable names. That count would be the number of "votes" he could cast. I can see it now. "I'm Jack from Isjackistan (they always have funny names) and I cast my people's 10,239 votes for passage of the "Thanks Amerika; Now leave" bill! Wouldn't that be a stich. Each town "freed" could have sent a rep to their new Congress with their proxy. The mayor could call a new election if the people didn't like what the rep did. It could be a working in nothing flat. Or perhaps, it wasn't desirable because it couldn't produce the required results.

Any way, I don't see a problem with allow people the freedom to organize and conduct their affairs in any manner that they see fit.

IMHO

2 Comments | LIBERTY | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj

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