smays.com

The people that work

The people that work at our company still know how to have fun and the people that run the place encourage it. Lucky us. More photos...

The mop goes here!

In 1987, Jeff Salzman co-authored a little book entitled: Real World 101: How to Find a Job, Get Ahead, Do It Now, and Love It! A year or two later, Salzman spoke to a small group of our company managers and told what I think might be the best management story I ever heard.

It's the story of a Tastee Freeze, the man who cleaned it and his boss. To insure the Tastee Freeze was cleaned properly, the manager made a list of all the necessary cleaning products and tools; drew up a little chart showing where everything in the supply closet went (color coded); and made a numbered list of the proper order for cleaning the Tastee Freeze. He couldn't understand why the cleaning guy had trouble following his carefully thought out plan.

One day a new manager showed up at the Tastee Freeze and asked the cleaning guy what he did at the Tastee Freeze. The cleaning guy showed him the precisely organized supply closet; the list of approved mops and buckets; and the printed list of steps for cleaning the Tastee Freeze.

The new manager immediately tore up the lists and told the cleaning guy, "Look, I just want the cleanest Tastee Freeze in town. I don't care how you do it or what supplies you use. If you run into a snag, let me know and I'll try to help."

I must confess that I was too often the first type of manager during the 25 years I "managed" others. All I really wanted was a clean Tastee Freeze but it was so much fun to pick out the mops and make the lists. Alas.

The wire service of tomorrow?

The Associated Press has unveiled more details of the forthcoming shift to eAP, the Electronic Associated Press, a new initiative to make AP a more interactive network of multimedia content. [CyberJournalist]

Shhhh.

I've never been a fan of Dick Vitale but I did enjoy David Sprague's interview with the flamboyant Mr. V.

Playing at work.

Last year some of the folks at work really did it up right for Halloween. I guess I'll be pretty surprised if tomorrow's effort can live up. I'm just thankful I work at a company that's willing to let employees have a little fun. Lots don't.

The other victims

On Wednesday of this week, John Clayton Smith was executed by lethal injection for the 1997 deaths of Brandie Kearns and Wayne Hoewing in northeast Missouri. Following the execution, family member of Smith's victims spoke at a news conference at the prison in Potosi, Missouri. The first woman to talk is Bridie Brooks, the sister of Brandi Kearns, the woman murdered on July 5th, 1997, for which John Clayton Smith was executed. Later in the news conference Scott Hoewing, the oldest son of Wayne Hoewing, also murdered that night, and his sister Amy Hoewing Bringer. The news conference audio runs about 15 minutes.

I'm just asking.

One of the women at work had a baby last night. I'm told by those that spoke with her that "she only had to push four times." Later today I learned that the woman that manages the fitness where I work out also had a baby last night. When I asked about the delivery, I was told "she only had to push four times." So I'm wondering...is this the same phenomenon that makes everyone tell the trooper "I only had two beers"?

Limited play list, abundance of commercials and cookie-cutter deejays.

My friend Ben sent forwarded this story from MSNBC News: "With Apples Internet downloading service, iTunes, now available for PC users, and Napster back up and running, there is a library of music available out in cyberspace, that has nothing to do with AM or FM or what you hear while channel surfing in your car. With a virtual jukebox of music at your fingertips why would anyone tune in to their local radio station, where a limited play list, abundance of commercials and cookie-cutter deejays flood the airwaves."

Another wedding picture. Barb,

Another wedding picture. Barb, her brothers and sisters, the Coach and me.

God is on our side.

400 pages into Neal Stephenson's Quicksilver I found this little nugget: "When the men with the swords come, run away! Especially if they've got Bibles, too."

October 28, 1978

, was a Saturday. Barb and I got married in her parents' living room just before kick-off of the Missouri Tiger game. There was probably less than a dozen of us in the room since we limited the attendees to immediate family only. Reverend Paul Harlan rode his bike in honor of the beautiful fall day. The ceremony couldn't have taken more than 15 minutes. The "reception" was held on the Miltenberger patio and featured Igloo coolers full of beer. Late in the afternoon, everyone when home to get into Halloween costumes for the big party. I persuaded Barb that sending out engraved invitations was a cheesy plea for a gift. Our Halloween Party invitation did double duty. It was a great wedding...a great party...and every day of the past 25 years with Barb has been great.

Better and better.

Google has released a handy new definition tool. Just put "define:" in front of the search term and see what happens.

Asshole:
1. insulting terms of address for people who are stupid or irritating or ridiculous
2. excretory opening at the end of the alimentary canal

The Cleanest Tastee Freeze in Town.

I don't have time to relate this story now but don't want to forget it. I'm not sure about the origins but this is how I remember Jeff Salzman telling the story at a Learfield managers retreat in Colrorado 10 or 15 years ago. [to be continued]

Mom is not gonna be happy about this

From childhood friend Buddy Shively on recent visit to Kennett: "The first time we drove by your old house we saw some very strange looking construction - boxes on poles in the back yard. The next time we drove by there were about 12 - 15 birds in the street. At first we thought they were small chickens they looked more like chickens that pigeons but later deduced they must have been pigeons and must reside in those strange looking constructions in the back yard."

Google IPO?

Plans are still in the early stages for the (Google) IPO, which could value the company at more than $15 billion. Story at News.com.

Or a butterfly.

Writer Shelley Jackson is doing a "mortal art" project in which 2,095 people will each tattoo one word of a 2,095-word story somewhere on their person. So far, 650 people have signed up via e-mail, and she's soliciting 1,445 more on her website. [Boing Boing]

25 Years.

On October 28, Barb and I will have been married 25 years. Zowie. Probably should note that here but how?

We'll listen when we're through talking.

I share Dan Gillmor's opinion that "Bloggers tend to be listeners, not just talkers. And companies that listen -- really listen -- have an enormous advantage in a Cluetraining world." No question that working on our company websites and those we've helped develop for clients, has made me a much better listener.

A way to collect stuff and comment on it.

That's how Evan Williams described blogging in a really good article/interview at C|Net's News.com.

The whole "do not be evil" thing, and sort of a democratic approach to how information should be distributed and available for us. We're all about giving anyone a voice, and Google's all about finding out what's important on the Web by what people link to and what people say.

Read.

Janet Evanovich's latest Stephanie Plum novel, To the Nines.

Is life worth living without fried foods?

I haven't had a french fry or ham and eggs since August. In fact, I haven't had any fried foods. My doc was concerned about my cholesterol level and had me try the DASH diet to bring it down. My "bad" cholesterol was 150 and he wants it under 100. Two months of fruits and veggies has brought it down to 130. So, no pills for now. I'm vain enough that this might be easier if I was trying to lose weight but I'm 160 pounds. I might actually kill someone for a Sonic chilli-cheese dog.

Not on the radio.

But on Jonathan Colton's website. "Millionaire Girlfriend" ("I'll watch TV as my man-servant flosses me") and "Christmas Is Interesting" ("...like a stick in your eye") [By way of Evhead]

Imagine

Imagine there's no countries,
It isnt hard to do,
Nothing to kill or die for,
No religion too,
Imagine all the people
living life in peace...

Live blogging from the courtroom.

Kerry Sipe, online news coordinator for The Virginian-Pilot is using wireless technology to file minute-by-minute Weblog updates on court proceedings in the trial of John Allen Muhammad (DC sniper). Something no other reporter in no other medium is doing because cameras are not allowed in the courtroom.

Web-based video ads to dominate.

A recent Yankee Group report says the 30-second TV ad will soon lose top billing as our most valuable marketing vehicle and be replaced by Web-based video advertising. More at CyberJournalist...

Where am I? What happened?

Rush Limbaugh Leaves Rehab, Says He's Now Liberal Amusing little piece from Tom von Alten.

What he said

David Weinberger on Kill Bill:

Tarantino's love of movies is infectious. But what he loves about them isn't their literary capabilities, the way they can show us people and events changing each other, and the rest of that important yada. No, QT loves their syntax, their rhetoric. And that's what Kill Bill is great at: a samurai sword being re-holstered, a nod that launches an attack. It's like a "That's Entertainment" that shows not the greatest tap dance sequences in the history of movies but the greatest gestures.

Back to work.

Two weeks vacation was just what I needed. I'm feeling much better.

Stone Cold.

Robert Parker's new Jesse Stone novel (Stone Cold) made me want to drink martinis and read the dialogue out loud.

"This outing finds the laconic, troubled cop tackling three problems: to capture the pair of serial killers who are murdering random victims in small-town Paradise, Mass., where Stone is chief of police; to bring to justice the three high-school students who gang-raped a younger schoolmate; and to come to terms with his love of both alcohol and his ex-wife, Jenn." [Publishers Weekly]

Kill Bill

With all his success (critical and box-office), Quentin Tarantino's latest movie still has that indy, no-big-studio-is-gonna-tell-me-what-do-do feel. I loved it. Uma Thurman is perfect. If you didn't like Pulp Fiction ("Hey, this thing is all backwards!") you won't like Kill Bill.

I think I'm #5 and #7.

Seven types of bloggers.

How things are

A couple of months ago I posted some thoughts on the great Frank Capra movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). I'm sure Capra wanted to leave us hopeful and optimistic but I watched the movie again recently and realized I don't know any Jefferson Smiths... but there's no shortage of Senator Paines. This clip really sums it all up for me. Fill a crop duster with Sodium Pentothal, take a couple of passes over DC or any state capitol, and this is what you'd hear.

This American Life: The Movie

A deal between Warner Bros. and public radio's This American Life has started to bear fruit, with several of the show's stories destined for screenplay drafts in Hollywood and more in the pipeline.

Talking 'bout my g-g-g-generation.

From Tod Maffin's upcoming editorial in Strategy Magazine about the future of television advertising, broadcasters, and the cable companies:

"...we're at the end of the generation where people lock onto a station and keep with it for an evening. Today, our loyalty is to specific shows, not network or station brands. Nobody stays home to watch Fox TV; we watch Trading Spaces, then flip to This Hour Has 22 Minutes, then flip again. Digital television's on-screen TV Guides and PVRs just reinforce the behaviour. We tune in by show brand, not station brand. " [via Lockergnome]

If you like Jack Black

you'll enjoy School of Rock . If not, not. If you haven't seen the movie and plan to, sneak in a little tape recorder and get the prayer they say before the Big Performance...and be sure to stay for the closing credits.

Interesting take on Rush Limbaugh story

(Reality television: Rush Limbaugh revealed). Mark Whicker, writing for The Orange County Register, calls talk shows "a crack in the mirror of America. The reason that mudslinging works on the radio is simple: On the radio, Limbaugh is speaking to the dittoheads, the disciples who swallow everything. On TV, Limbaugh has to address the population as a whole." [MercuryNews.com]

Hubris.

I'll keep searching, but I haven't found a better (historical) site for a radio station than my own. It was my first site and obviously I didn't/don't know shit about website design. But the content (photos, audio) is so rich. If you know of a better (or good) one, please send it to me.

Movies.

Have I never mentioned Internet Movie Database? I have a link to the right but maybe you missed it. If you love movies and don't know about IMDB, this will change you life.

Spoiled.

When I first got XM Radio, my receiver (Pioneer DEH-4400) would show the name of the artist. It's stopped doing that and I really miss it. It's probably some dumb-ass user (me) mistake but I can't figure it out. Read the skimpy little manual cover-to-cover. Nothing. Took it back to the place I bought it but Bill and Ted could do nothing more than scratch their asses. No help at XMRadio.com. Is there no documentation for this feature of the hardware? If you have XM Radio...if you know somebody that has it... I need help. Let the word go forth.

Exotic.

My brother Blane is attending a conference on Batam, an island in Indonesia.

About 20km south of Singapore, Batam is one of the fastest growing parts of the Riau Islands and the easiest to reach from Singapore. Though in Indonesian waters, in recent years Batam has become popular with day trippers and weekend visitors, who flock to the island for its golf, duty free shopping, beaches and delicious seafood restaurants.

Until we get it right

A few weeks ago I mentioned reading John Burdett's Bangkok 8, a who-done-it set in that city and featuring a Buddhist detective who draws on past lives to help him solve the crime in this one. It reminded me of an essay on reincarnation I wrote 15 years ago. Most of what I wrote still seems right.