Midspot

Technical insanity at its best!

Time to slim down for 2009

Nope, not talking about weight. (Although I could stand to loose a few pounds.) This time I’m talking about my online habits. I spend roughly 18 hours a day connected. I am not interested in spending any more time online so I need to optimize the time I do.

The first to go?

RSS feeds. I’m not tossing them completely but I am going to cut them in half. Right now I am at exactly 200 subscriptions. I figure this takes about an hour a day to go through. I want this down to half that so by January 1, I am dropping 100 feeds.

Next on the list?

Twitter. I already pruned that down to only a handful of people I follow and it’s already way more manageable.

Last on the list?

Email. That’s right, email. Although I can’t control who emails me other than whitelisting every sender, I can reduce the amount of time I spend going through it. That means rules and lots of them. I want to get down to dealing with only 100 new emails a day or less. Right now I average about 600-800 so that will be quite a change.

Let’s see if I can do it!

Zappos Blogs: CEO and COO Blog: Everything I Know About Business I Learned From Poker

EVALUATING MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Table selection is the most important decision you can make.

It’s okay to switch tables if you discover it’s too hard to win at your table.

If there are too many competitors some irrational or inexperienced, even if you’re the best it’s a lot harder to win.

MARKETING AND BRANDING

Act weak when strong, act strong when weak. Know when to bluff.

Your “brand” is important.

Help shape the stories that people are telling about you.

via Zappos Blogs: CEO and COO Blog: Everything I Know About Business I Learned From Poker.

ND Snow Log

December 8

It started to snow. The first snow of the season and the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses print. So romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!

December 9

We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the whole world? Moving here was the best idea I’ve ever had! Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life!

December 12

The sun has melted all our lovely snow. Such a disappointment! My neighbor tells me not to worry – we’ll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we’ll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I’ll never want to see snow again. I don’t think that’s possible. Bob is such a nice man. I’m glad he’s our neighbor.

December 14

Snow, lovely snow! 8 inches last night. The temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. I didn’t realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I’ll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish I wouldn’t huff and puff so.

December 15

20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4×4 Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife’s car and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that’s silly. We aren’t in Alaska , after all.

December 16

Ice storm this morning. Fell on my ass on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like hell. The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.

December 17

Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should’ve bought a wood stove, but won’t admit it to her. I hate it when she’s right. I can’t believe I’m freezing to death in my own living room.

December 20

Electricity is back on, but had another 14 inches of the damn stuff last night. More shoveling! Took all day. The damn snowplow came by twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they’re too busy playing hockey. I think they’re lying. Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they’re out. Might have
another shipment in March. I think they’re lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he’s lying.

December 22

Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white shit fell today, and it’s so cold, it probably won’t melt till August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to piss. By the time I got undressed, pissed and dressed again. I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter, but he says he’s too busy. I think the asshole is lying.

December 23

Only 2 inches of snow today. And it warmed up to 0. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What is she, nuts?!! Why didn’t she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did but I think she’s lying.

December 24

6 inches – Snow packed so hard by snowplow, I broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the son of a bitch who drives that snow plow, I’ll drag him through the snow by his balls and beat him to death with my broken shovel. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I’ve just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was too busy watching for the damn snowplow.

December 25

Merry f#%&ing Christmas! 20 more inches of the damn slop tonight – Snowed in the idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. I hate the snow! Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she’s a fricking idiot. If I have to watch “It’s A Wonderful Life” one more time, I’m going to stuff her into the microwave.

December 26

Still snowed in. Why the hell did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She’s really getting on my nerves.

December 27

Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze; plumber came after 14 hours of waiting for him, he only charged me $1,400 to replace all my pipes.

December 28

Warmed up to above -20. Still snowed in. The BITCH is driving me crazy!!!

December 29

10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That’s the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?

December 30

Roof caved in. I beat up the snow plow driver, and now he is suing me for a million dollars, not only for the beating I gave him, but also for trying to shove the broken snow shovel up his ass. The wife went home to her mother. Nine more inches predicted.

December 31

I set fire to what’s left of the house. No more shoveling.

January 8

Feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

I wish I knew who wrote this to give credit…

bisman-freecycle : Bismarck-Mandan ND Freecycle(TM)

Welcome to the Bismarck-Mandan, North Dakota Freecycle™ Network!

Our goal is to reduce waste by connecting people who are throwing away unwanted items with others seeking the same items (and have a little fun in the process). No item is too big or too small; but since this is a Freecycle list, ALL items must be 100% (that’s right, you got it) free.

Using Freecycle lies somewhere between the garage sale and the dump, and is much cooler than either. It harnesses the power of the Internet to eliminate the middleman and empower the individual. Unlike traditional charitable organizations that accept people’s castoffs and sell them for low prices in unappealing shops (or end up taking them to the dump anyway), Freecycle allows for personal contact between donor and recipient — each gets exactly what they want, and nobody is considered a ‘charity case.’ (Indeed, many members both give and receive items on a regular basis.) It’s a perfect consumer-friendly circle: no overhead, no intermediaries, no money changing hands, no waste and no catch, and everyone’s happy.

The Bismarck-Mandan Freecycle Network serves the greater Bismarck-Mandan area; people living in neighboring towns are also welcome. Keep in mind the transportation.

Check out The Freecycle Network for other cities and national Freecycle info!

Freecycle…one simple, brilliant idea that’s changing the world, one gift at a time.

via bisman-freecycle : Bismarck-Mandan ND Freecycle(TM).

The Internet’s 100 Oldest Dot-Com Domains – PC World

The Full List

All right, prurient interests addressed, ready to check out the full list of dot-com pioneers? Brace yourself, and dig in.

1. symbolics.com: March 15, 1985

2. bbn.com: April 24, 1985

3. think.com: May 24, 1985

4. mcc.com: July 11, 1985

5. dec.com: September 30, 1985

via The Internet’s 100 Oldest Dot-Com Domains – PC World.

Borrowing To Invest Vs. Saving To Invest | John Chow dot Com

This is a follow up to my post about bums not being richer than you. I want to give an example of how a leveraged investment not only make you more money, but is no more risky or cost any more than the standard “save and invest” method.

The Money Saver

The saver is someone we’re all familiar with. He likes to save a certain amount of money every month into investments so he will have a nice nest egg when he retires.

via Borrowing To Invest Vs. Saving To Invest | John Chow dot Com.

The Santa Bailout

Jeff Stevenson’s Technology Blog: Hitler and the CNC Guys

Jeff Stevenson’s Technology Blog: Hitler and the CNC Guys.

If you have any knowledge of JDE and Oracle, this is hilarious!

First Day Above Zero!

Well, today is the first day it has gotten above zero (although not by more than a degree or two) since Saturday. I don’t care. I’ll take it! Hopefully we will see twenties or even thirties yet this month!

Funny Storage