Thought this was beautiful cookware at the Amazon 4-Star Store.
BTW, can’t believe Amazon is now getting into bricks and mortar too!
These enameled cast iron dutch oven pots are colorful and useful.
In a way, they are too good-looking to use.
Maybe just put them on the stovetop and let them look pretty.
There is always the microwave for the real food. 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Just wanted to share this quick business case scoring template.
In evaluating various business cases, individuals can score each based on the following:
– Business Justification
– Analysis of Alternatives
– Technical Alignment
– Feasibility of Implementation Strategy
– Funding/Resource Availability
The ratings are done with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest.
The scoring sheet calculate average, and identifies highest and lowest scores.
Then the individual scores can be summarized and used to rank the projects in your portfolio.
Based on overall funding, you can determine how many of the top-ranked projects are doable in the year, and then roll over the others for reevaluation along with new business cases next go around.
Capisce? 😉
(Credit Graphic: Andy Blumenthal)
I thought this was a funny Dilbert comic that a colleague had by their office.
News–My Brain Hurts.
It’s not only the 24/7/365 news cycle that make it often extremely repetitive and monotonous–where “breaking news” is the same news from 5 hours ago-sometimes even from 5 days ago. Ho hum, boring.
But it’s also the forced news, where there always has to be a story even when there isn’t one worth taking about. Every reporter has to earn their keep too. Oh no, not another cat rescue from a backyard tree!
Hey, in the end its ratings–that drives advertising, which of course pays the bills, so don’t hold your breath as to how long we can continue to talk about the 2016 election, the Kavanaugh hearings, the Mueller Investigation, and so on. It’s the news gifts that keep on giving and giving.
Sometimes, it’s about getting different angles on a story–however, more often it seems like just the same old, same old–how many ways can you say, he did it or he didn’t do it?
Then there is the fake news and alternative facts, where if there isn’t a story (or one that supports the sponsor’s world filter), then maybe–just maybe–we need to create one and get people unsettled or use it for social control (remember the “Echo Chamber”). And for sure, let’s not forget the power of a good conspiracy theory! People certainly are gullible, right?
This all reminds me of a famous saying by Lenin:
There are decades when nothing happens, and there are weeks when decades happen.
In some ways maybe it was better to just have the morning and nightly news without all the B.S. in between, because…there are decades when nothing consequential happens.
I guess we all just are waiting around for the weeks when decades happen, but when that sh*t hits the fan, who says there will even be any news to be had.
No wonder, Dilbert says his brain hurts–doesn’t yours? 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Thought this was a learning moment.
The halo and horn effects.
This has to do with generalizing about people, things, places, or events.
With the halo effect, if we like (are positive) about one or a few things about it, we may put a proverbial halo on it and and treat or rate everything about it as great.
Similarly, with the horn effect, if we dislike (are negative) about one or a few things about it, we may put a proverbial horn on it and treat or rate everything about it as horrible.
This means were not really being objective or balanced in our assessment.
Usually, it’s not all just good or bad, black or white–but good AND bad, black AND white.
And obviously, this can cause us to make bad decisions based on poor analysis and judgement.
Therefore, the importance of taking a step back, looking holistically at all the facts, and evaluating things for what they really are, rather than making snap calls to judgement–and poor ones at that! 😉
(Source Photo: here with attribution to darksouls1)
The Chinese government has the most brilliant as well as frightening use and control of social media.
I am not just talking about blocking Internet sites and free information flow.
They actually have mastered the use of social media for tracking and rewarding or punishing citizen behavior.
Their social credit system rates people’s behavior online for everything they do!
Similar to likes and dislikes, you are either labeled a “model citizen” sought after for jobs and good housing or you can be an “enemy of the state” treated as a social outcast who can’t even leave the country anymore.
Everything about you is now based on what you are rated (whether true or not)!
Now in China the government has added a snitching tool/app where people are encouraged through a points system that offers rewards like store discounts, coupons for coffee, taxis, and music streaming, in order to get them to report covertly on their neighbors–are their fellow citizens fighting, is there mental illness, are people cheating on their taxes, etc.
You’re being surveilled not just by the grid system, where every 300 households are watched and checked-in on by a “grid manager,” but you are subject to daily intrusion by anyone that wants to report on you.
Communication to “Big Brother” is way overvalued, while privacy and respect of the people are no longer important values or concerns.
Instead of a Security Operations Center to monitor and command response to life-threatening catastrophes and emergencies, now there is a “Social Governance Integrated Command Center” to display video and biometric surveillance from throughout the country as well as to show what are the “moods” and which “issues” are trending.
Talking about having a finger on the pulse of what’s going on…
I say this is all brilliant and malign, because social media which can be a tool for connecting people and for the free flow of information and progress is instead used for near ultimate control and enslavement of the masses–both their minds and their behaviors.
People should not be treated as servants of the state and subjected to ever-encroaching social media surveillance and control that is not carefully balanced directly to absolutely necessary national security.
Rather the state and its levers of people’s supreme power should be subject to the wants and needs of its people who must freely decide on their collective futures and maintaining human rights.
Totalitarianism by police state, imprisonment, torture and “re-education” is now unfortunately facilitated by social media monitoring, and credits system where truly you are watched by Big Brother in the flesh and in the bytes. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
As CNN (and other news outlets) continue to go after the President of the United States with a vehemence, and three of its journalists had to resign, I thought it was important to remember that while there may be much news these days that is ugly and fake, there are still many things in life that are still beautiful and real like these gorgeous flowers.
While we look to the media for honest and fair news reporting to educate and inform us all, it continues to be more than disappointing that they not only seem to take sides, but as one of their own producers admitted, they are looking out for their own ratings more than for the benefit of the American and global news consumer.
Political biases, chasing after ratings, alternative facts, fake news…what are people across the political and viewpoint spectrum to do to get to the truth? 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So I was in the Apple store recently and made a purchase to upgrade some technology.
Afterwards, I got an email asking:
“How was your experience with Beverly?
When I opened this my wife saw this and was like, “What the heck is that?!”
We should be surveying the work performance and not the experience with the person.
I can’t imagine that super smart Apple didn’t see this sort of double entendre about sweet Beverly.
All Apple needed to do was add in the word(s) at the top, shopping and/or at Apple, as in “How was your shopping experience with Beverly at Apple? (rather than burying it in the subtext later)”
But then their customer satisfaction survey maybe wouldn’t get as much attention.
Sexualizing the customer experience shouldn’t be part of marketing, unless maybe your purposely visiting a shady part of town for unscrupulous reasons.
Anyway, I did respond that Beverly was a definite 5!
Thank you for the wonderful technology Apple and for the experience with Beverly–it was great! 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Absolutely fascinating article in the Washington Post.
China is working on a plan to use big data to score people on their social behavior.
Every interaction you make in life either increments or decrements your social score.
You social score determines how trustworthy you are.
The social score would vacuum up data from the “courts, police, banking, tax, and employment records.”
People in service professions like teacher, doctors, and business could be scored for their professionalism.
Doing positive social actions like caring for the elderly earn you added points and doing negative social actions like DUI or running a red light subtracts points from your score.
As the score includes more and more data feeds over time, you could eventually be scored for doing your homework, chores in the home, how you treat your wife and children, the community service you do, how hard you perform at work, how you treat people socially and on dates, whether you are fair in your business dealings and treat others well, whether you do your religious duties, and so on.
People can get rated for just about everything they do.
And these rating get aggregated into your social score.
The score is immediately available to everyone and so they know how good or bad you are on the scale of 1 to a 1,000.
If you think people are stressed out now, can you imagine having to worry about everything you do and how you will be rated for it and how it can affect your score and your future.
If you have a bad score, say goodbye to opportunities for education, employment, loans, friends, and marriage prospects.
Imagine people held hostage by others threatening to give you a bad score because they don’t like you, are racist, or for blackmail.
What about society abusing this power to get you to not only follow positive social norms, but to enforce on you certain political leanings, religious followings, or policy endorsements.
Social scores could end up meaning the ultimate in social control.
Personal scores can manipulate your behavior by being rewarding or punitive and rehabilitative to whatever end the scoring authorities dictate.
Moreover, hackers or the people who control the big data machinery could destroy your life in a matter of milliseconds.
So this is what it comes down to: You are your score!
Play along and do what you are told to do…you are the Borg and you will follow.
Conform or you are dead by number!
Transparency is everywhere.
Pluses and minuses every day.
What is my score today?
Today, I am desirable and successful, and tomorrow, I am disregarded and a loser.
Please don’t kill my score.
Please don’t destroy me.
Please, I will be socially good.
Please, I will not resist. 😉
(Source Graphic: Andy Blumenthal)
So I took this photo of a handout being distributed at a major local university here in Washington, DC.
Sort of ironic for this sign that says:
“Big Government Sucks”
…to be handed out in the capital of the United States of America!
It would make sense that this negative notion of big government is connected to the low approval ratings of Congress (17%) and government services (64.4) provided.
People are seeing and sensing that big government is bad government when it is:
– Dictatorial, corrupt, and discriminatory.
– Mired in fraud, waste, abuse, and coverups.
– Self-serving for the politicians that are elected to serve the people.
– When it is bureaucratic and ineffective.
– When it is confused and without vision or plan for the country.
– When it’s indecisive, makes bad decisions, or can’t successfully execute short- and long-term on it’s mission.
– When it is lacking in basic values of democracy, freedom, and human rights for all.
At the same time, big government can be great government, when it is a beacon of light for its citizens and for the nations of the earth.
– When it protects us from dictators, demagogues, terrorists, weapons of mass destruction, criminals, and all sorts of disasters.
– When it holds strong and cutting-edge the economy, prosperity, innovation, education, and competitive advantage of the nation.
– When it safeguards and keeps sustainable the environment for future generations.
– When it preserves and fortifies freedom, human rights, social equity, equality, and justice.
– When it looks after the needy and less fortunate.
– When it lead the world in exploration, discovery, partnerships, and ultimately doing good for the people, the planet, and our future.
Big government sucks when it goes wrong and then they start handing out these sad signs on our nation’s premier college campuses.
This is a big problem to turnaround?
But with smart, committed, and moral leadership it can be done! 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
So I am a little concerned with this election.
As the promises are made…
As glass ceilings are broken for gender and outsiders…
As the endorsements are coming in…
As legacies are made and lost…
Everybody seems to be drinking a lot of Kool-Aid.
Somehow, the (social) media doesn’t seem as discerning as it should or could be.
Maybe it’s more about brands, what outrageous, who’s insulted, ratings and advertising dollars.
Many (or almost all unless they have personal skin in the game) seem resigned to just vote for the candidate they deem least worst.
Accountability for actions and words–scripted and blurted out–don’t seem to be taken with the seriousness they deserve.
Just say or do whatever it takes…shake hands, kiss babies, promise more of everything for everybody.
Wash it all away with the insincerity of the moment for the prize of the ultimate power grab awaits.
The new leader of the free world will be sitting in the Oval Office in just a little more than half a year.
Kool-Aid is filling our screens, our newspapers, our conversations, and our minds.
What’s real and what’s bullsh*t about what we’re being fed?
Transparency, ha…feeding time is almost over.
But where’s the real vetting, critical thinking, and values informing the process?
It’s not about what to think, but how to think!
Bellies are almost full…the herd is almost ready to vote.
The new King of the Jungle is almost ready to take their place at the head of it all.
Four years, maybe eight years…
How will the wild world be then? 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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