How One Employee Can Poison Your Process
A real life story from our most recent visit to one of the most customer service oriented business on the planet, Disney World. Briefly, our 6-year old daughter is autistic. Among several of the challenges she faces due to her condition is that she is easily overwhelmed by the noise and confusion caused by your typical Disney attraction loading area. As a well thought out, and frankly, most generous solution to these sorts of issues, Disney has long offered what they call "guest assistance passes" to their special needs customers. In essence, if you stop by their guest relations desk ...
Saving Money Still Expensive
GM announced today that their coming hyper-efficient electric car, the Chevy Volt, will receive a 230 MPG rating for city driving. This is, of course, little more than a technical glitch as the vehicle is really an electric battery powered vehicle with a gas powered generator to help keep things charged while on longer runs. But it's an impressive number no matter how you look at it. [caption id="attachment_1134" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="I know! I'll go electric!"][/caption] GM is promising 40 miles on a single electric charge at least when the batteries are new. Then, the on-board generator kicks in to extend ...
Geotagging Your Photos
I am, and this hurts to admit, an old school photographer. I learned the craft of photography back when we had actual film in the cameras and needed to spend hours in pitch black rooms with less than pleasant chemicals to produce one or two decent photos from a days effort in the field. There was no Photoshop, Lightroom, or Aperture software to save the day when an exposure went wrong or the colors were not saturated. We got what we shot and did what we could with it in the wet darkroom. But I, like nearly everyone else, have embraced digital ...
Want or Need
With the near simultaneous releases of the Palm Pre and Apple iPhone 3GS, technology fans are frantically comparing specs to see which new phone makes the most sense for their needs. Factor in the strong and steady offerings from RIM and their Blackberry line-up and you can see just how fun, um, I mean, how difficult it will be for tech heads, um, users to choose their next business phone. There is absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying your technology. That they all play games or allow you to waste time surfing Facebook or Twitter while waiting for a flight ...
The End of Social Branding?
I recently listened to a podcast discussion involving Leo Laporte, Sarah Lane, and Gina Trapani that focused on, among other things, their combined frustration and general dismissal of the concept of building a social brand on the Internet. The old me would have perked up his ears and become sensitive to the fact that maybe social branding was on the way out. That being too obvious about building a reputation and an image online would become a downfall instead of a viable career tool. The new me took a deep breath and dared to think that maybe these rather popular Internet pundits ...
Lifestyle
Are You Embarrassed To Play Golf?
Golf is a luxury pass-time except for those lucky enough to have the skills to make it their...
Recharge Your Batteries
We’re all feeling the pressure of a fragile economy pushing down on our shoulders every...
Kids Stuff and the Recession
I don’t mean to make light in any way of the seriousness of this economic recession....
The Return of the Cigar
About a decade ago the humble cigar saw a popularity boom across the globe. Where the fad...
Change for the Better
Giving up something that had been a part of my morning routine for 30 years was not easy but...
Read More Articles From This CategoryTechnology
Passing on Blu-ray
Short and sweet today. I own a 37″ 720p flat-screen. I have an upscaling DVD player....
Have Apple and RIM Already Killed the Palm Pre?
It isn’t that the Palm Pre won’t have slick features and a fun new user interface...
The Social Media Country Club
I came across an article today that, removing the fluff and style, boiled down to stating that...
Know Your Enemy
As so many of us continue to live within this strangely transparent world of Web 2.0 and social...
Why Go It Alone?
About a year ago the Web was exploding with people using social media to build personal brands. ...
Read More Articles From This CategoryFinances
Is It Time To Renovate?
I was having a conversation the other day with someone whose opinion I greatly respect. She thinks that we should be seeing a new boom in the home renovation / do-it-yourself space in the coming months and that well positioned firms such as Lowe’s... [Read more of this article]
Leftover Night
In a recent article Wal-Mart reported increased sales in their food storage department. Obvious translation – more folks are trying to buy and cook in bulk and stretch their leftovers in an effort to save money. But are you actually eating your... [Read more of this article]
Recovery Will Come From Luxury
Don't fear the small luxuries I find that one of the greatest drains on my psyche in regards to the economic, um, adjustment, is how I’m second-guessing every single expenditure. Can I put off buying gas one more day? Do I need taco shells... [Read more of this article]
Where Will The Economy Recover First
I know, I’ve said it a dozen times before, but for new readers you need to know that I was born and raised in an American auto industry family. I grew up moving all around the Midwest but spent the bulk of my youth living in Detroit Michigan. ... [Read more of this article]
The Price of Luxury
Living in the sunny southern U.S., having a pair of sunglasses with you at all times, at least during the day, is a necessity. I know, what a wonderful problem to have, right? I’m blessed with 20/20 vision, so I’m able to change my sunglasses... [Read more of this article]
Read More Articles From This CategoryTwo Cents
Marketing versus Design
While I would never claim to be a graphic artist, I’ve done my fair share of design work over the years. Newspaper ads. Websites. Presentation boards. Coupons. Displays. Business Cards. Vehicle wraps. You name it and at one point or... [Read more of this article]
People and Video
Get your people in your videos. There is no simpler piece of advice I can give to new videographers than that. Every person that owns a video camera of some kind has been guilty of it. We get to an exciting location and we spend hours of recording... [Read more of this article]
My Top Ten Disney World Vacation Tips
There are dozens of books on this subject already. Most go into great detail giving you descriptions of every feature and every strategy for maximizing every moment of your stay at the Walt Disney World Resort or whatever the marketing department is... [Read more of this article]
Leaving Video Games Behind
I used to love video games. I still remember the magical Pong Christmas of 1974. Oh, do I wish I still had that system. I also clearly remember my first Atari 2600 in 1978. Boy, did I get good at fixing that controller. There was also the time my... [Read more of this article]
The Daytona 500
I’ve now lived in the southern United States for nearly 10 years. Long before moving here I was well aware of the southern U.S. population’s obsession with NASCAR. It’s a 36-event traveling circus focused primarily on watching 43... [Read more of this article]
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