Category — Personal

I had promised that I would draft a memo with information on writing a letter of objection regarding Rep. Denny Rehberg’s recent “prank.” The only newspaper to cover this story has been The Hill, a congressional trade rag, and that story is appended at the end of this post.

Please email me your letters, with your first and last name, and a mailing address, so that I can forward these to newspapers and our congressional delegates.

Tips for writing letters:
[Read more →]

Friends don’t let friends kem.

A new typography term

(Via the Slog)

Breaking News: “House Majority Leader Tom DeLay indicted on one count of criminal conspiracy by Texas grand jury, according to Travis County clerk’s office.”

Pundits say that Republican rule says that if a congressional member is indicted, they then have to relinquish his or her leadership position. “He will have to step down until the case is resolved,” says Jeffery Tobin, CNN Legal Analyst. God has been working in mysterious ways the past month. For most, I say “Why?!” For this, three words: Thank you Jesus!

Watch CNN to stay posted, or visit CNN.com.

Once again, Windows is behind the mark with feature integration, etc. Seriously, if there’s a technology that is easy to implement into platform systems, RSS lives up to its (one of many) name: Real Simple Syndication. And of course, Apple is ahead of the game. And what software developer can tout developing and testing a platform system for two chipsets simultaneously? Apple. So by the time Apple starts making its Intel boxes (of course with a hardware key and motherbase such that OS X will run only on Apple boxes), Apple will have every right to taunt Microsoft for being behind the game.

Like generations of yore have touted: honest work gets the respect it deserves.

BusinessWeek online: Future Windows will include RSS support

As much as I used to bemoan the ever-growing global presence of Starbucks, I now willingly choose to pay more, as well as diverting my loyalty, to the corporate giant.

It all happened this morning at roughly quarter ’til 7 a.m. I had left my house to get into Anchorage on time, if not a little early, and still drove like I was late. (An aside: if you want to get away with speeds 15-20 mph over the limit, do it in the early morning on a Fathers’ Day Sunday).
So, I then pulled into a meter spot directly in front of my building around 6:35.
I said, “Good job, Josh! Go reward yourself with a liquid breakfast.”
I replied, “Ok self, sounds like a great idea.”
I walked my little tush over to the fancy new Starbucks in the Key Bank office building next to the Egan Center, and across from the Performing Arts Center. There were about four visitors already in line, and the guy I got behind was visibly perturbed (most likely by the old farts who cut in line). When he got to the till, he ordered his 20 oz. coffee and paid for that and a Sunday paper. Without the customer even opening his mouth to complain, the manager (I assumed he was, due to his black apron) put a coupon for a complimentary drink. The coffee wouldn’t be ready for another 90 seconds, but at this point the customer didn’t even care — Starbucks had just made his day.

Integrated Brand Promotion requires that marketers be cognizant of a customer or future customer’s past experience/history with the brand. Good guest service requires that the GSR be cognizant of all of the customer’s experience with your company and with those of affiliates, and supplementary companies. When a GSR does something extra, or unrequested, to make that customer’s experience better, that’s called “giving them the pickle.”
Starbucks gave this man the Proverbial Pickle, and me my deliciously consistent grande mocha.
Which is why after work today, I bought a Starbucks gift card for myself.

Hi to the folks who read this blog, or have it on a feed:

Soon (in the next couple weeks) I will be receiving my layouts for a summer issue of the ASMSU Exponent. What I need are suggestions for things in the features section that might be helpful to incoming freshmen/transfer students. An album review seems pointless right now, because, well, I don’t have any albums to review between now and then that will still be relevant then. Email any and all story ideas you might have to me. I’m going to do one on Thefacebook.com, but might need another couple.

UPDATE regarding my summer: I’m about to start my 7th consecutive day of work with Gray Line of Alaska / Holland America Tours. As I’ve explained to countless numbers of people who call us, we are different from Greyhound Lines. In fact, we don’t offer ground transportation like they do, we are purely a ground-based sightseeing company that is a division of Holland America, Inc. Now that I’m finished with my tangent, on with the story. By the time Friday, May 20, comes (my birthday, as I’ve recently discovered), I will have worked 11 days straight (from Monday to the following week’s Thursday), including four, ten-hour shifts. It’s fun though, as it is a change of pace, and I’m working for a company whose sole purpose is to make money, versus a non-profit organization.

Hope y’all that have a summer vacation are enjoying it. Come visit Alaska soon, if you don’t live here: I know of a company that could help you experience it better. ;-)

I hated this movie (well, hate is such a strong word), but you have to commend a state’s legislature that honors the production of an indie film that is really just a cult classic. Wouldn’t it have been great if in whatever state the Evil Dead trilogy was filmed, commended Sam Raimi/Bruce Campbell for their work? Ahhh, but that won’t ever happen because they didn’t bring worldwide attention and notoriety to a state’s natural resource/export:

“[14] WHEREAS, tater tots figure prominently in this film thus promoting Idaho’s [15] most famous export; …”

Maybe it’s time to give that movie another chance (hey, I did it with “Lost in Translation” which has become one of my favorite films). Or maybe not.

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 29 - Napoleon Dynamite, production

– Props go to Ryan Harne for spotting this in his blog. Yes, the 26th should be your day.

Hey y’all. That is if anyone actually reads this thing besides me. Have any of you just bought a mainstream album that you think is crap? Let me know (click the blog’s title, it’s a mailto: link), so I can give it what it has coming in a review for this coming week’s Exponent.

Seriously, everyone, I want to know what is the crappiest new mainstream album (within the last two weeks).

Apple Aims to Play on IPod Success With $99 Model

I read this article in today’s Bozeman Daily Comical, and boy was I upset at the sources they used. First, the “people on the street” that they interviewed for perspective on the new iPod shuffle were both professionals with careers that could support a purchase of an iPod, iPod mini, or iPod photo. So, of course they don’t see the value in switching to a lesser model. The shuffle was released to capture the demographic that can only afford a flash-based media player.

Second, they never mention the shuffle’s built-in, rechargeable, 12-hour battery life. So, when they start talking about the additional battery packs, it makes it seem as if the shuffle doesn’t have any batteries to begin with.

Third, they interview an executive with Rio Audio, a now competitor to the shuffle. He starts talking about how it’s like “batteries not included” with the iPod shuffle, and how “his” product comes with batteries and an armband, and so forth. “His” product doesn’t have a built-in rechargeable battery, so, “his” customers will be blowing hundreds of dollars on disposable batteries, that will only contribute to our planet’s detriment.

That’s all for now.