PROOF THAT I'M STILL IN 3RD GRADE

So I'm working on this web page list of events. Each one has dates, a title, place, contact information and the like. I get down to one and the contact's name is Barbara Long. Her email is something like blong@whateverheremailaddresswas.com. And I can't help but think...


BLONGGGGG!!!! Bwahahahahahaha!!!!

Yep, you just THINK I've grown up.


Technorati Tags: funny email

PERFORMANCING ISN'T A WORD

My good friend Jeremy asked me how I liked using Performancing for blog posts, since he'd tried it a while ago and found it a tad lacking. I can tell you now that I do like it, but that's a qualified positive review. Let's see if I can lay it all out there for you:

Pros

• Save as Note Feature - save your content to an offline "note" that's easily accessible within the Performancing extension. I have no clue how this works or where it saves everything, but it seems to work quite well.
• Auto Tags - Post tags to Technorati and Del.icio.us automatically with your post. Also has a nice "bookmarks" window to post pages to your del.icio.us account, which I'm using for my posts now. You can find them at del.icio.us/stoplookingswan.
  
• Auto Ping - send your post to Ping-O-Matic, PingoAT, or a custom server
• Categories - if you're using WordPress or Movable Type, those are there for you.

Cons

• There's a small communication problem between Performancing and Blogger's ATOM API. More accurately, there's a problem with Blogger holding up their end of the bargain. There is a workaround, but it requires you to go back and add titles to your posts, and you can't view titles of your previous posts in "History". No biggie for me, and they say they're going to fix it as soon as Blogger gets their butts in gear.
• There might be just too many features here for the "casual blogger." If you just want a simple post method, I'd say use BlogThis. Interestingly enough, BlogThis has no problems posting titles to Blogger - probably because they don't allow as many features as Performancing.
• The online help for Performancing isn't incredible in my opinion - it's done in a blog format, and I'd prefer something more cohesive. It's searchable, and I found the posted workaround for my Blogger problem, but I think it could be better.

I'll let you know more about it as I get more familiar with the extension, but I can say now it's got TONS of potential. Performancing's slogan is "helping bloggers succeed", and I can say they're doing that.

Technorati Tags: performancing blogging blogger

YOUR BOSS IS A HUMAN

It's hard to admit, isn't it?  Your work situation could be fantastic, but let's face it - your direct supervisor is your most immediate connection to "The Man", and nobody likes "The Man."  Your boss is the only one that is available to hear your official corporate gripes.  Your boss ultimately evaluates your performance and has a direct influence on how much you get paid.  Most of the negative things you feel about your job are most likely not your boss' fault, but they have teh unfortunate position of being the only operator on the telephone line, as it were.

I've started a new job recently, and to date I've heard two questions from bosses that I've never heard before.  Questions that powerfully affected me and my view on my job.

1. "What factors or things are getting in the way of you being successful at your job?"
2. A sincerely asked "How are you doing?"

Amazing.  Bosses that assume I'm so phenomenal that if there's anything keeping me from doing a phenomenal job, it must be external to me.  Whether it's a corporate morass of red tape or I'm just having an off day, the assumption is that I'm an incredible worker, and can achieve some kind of GTD Nirvana.

Which brings me to my question for you, dear reader.  What would happen if you asked these questions of YOUR boss?  What would happen if you started caring about the performance of someone not below, but above you?  How much power could we give our employer, our company, and even ourselves if we asked these questions of those that supervise us?  Try it out on your boss - at very least, they'll find it refreshing.  More likely, you'll find that the more you're concerned with the performance of others, the better your performance will appear to be, because you'll be better aligned with the goals your boss wants to reach - the goals your boss will be evaluating you by.

We're all human in this world, and walking into a cubicle doesn't change that.  No matter how quickly we fall into buzzword-speak, we need to get real with the fact that we all face the same kinds of problems.  We also all have the same ultimate solution, but that's a different post.


Technorati Tags: boss work GTD

THE ESSENTIALS LIST

Yes, it really is essential. I'm just starting out with Performancing, but it looks pretty fun. And DevBoi is incredible - works offline!
Essential List on Firefox Extensions for Webmaster - lifehack.org

NEW FUNNY

Found my latest favorite joke. Ironically, it came when I was feeling particularly scatterbrained...
On attention and lightbulbs | 43 Folders:

Q: How many people with ADD does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: HEY! Let’s ride bikes!!!"

BED, BATH AND BODY WORKS BEYOND

They see me. I'm convinced they see me and the smell of metaphorical fresh meat wafts to their salesperson noses. They call their store "Bath and Body Works." They wear a simple green apron. And yet, I fear them.

You know, you'd think this store was made for women, but I think differently. This is a bridge, a tollway for the male of the species to reach the heart of the female of the species. It's like this: you're on your little "suggestion" trip with your gal. She directs you to the Works, because she already knows that you're a guy, and you need the help. She takes you around the aisles, a vertically ribboned color montage, where the world is archived completely by scent. Round and round the fragrance wheel you go, and then she STOPS. Some little coo of delight comes from her lips and she reaches for some product of a purpose unknown to you. A dab here, a spray there, a spritz into the air that she just walks into. She says it's perfect, turns, and looks at you.

"This fragrance is called 'Moonlight Path.'"

Moonlight Path, Moonlight Path. Lunar Dirt, Celestial Loam, La Luna del Terra Firma - your job is to remember some combination off the night's celestial body and mud and you're golden. You'll come back at some time, be met by the Aproned One, and you'll utter that password to traverse the gap to your lady's heart: "Moonlight Path."

Here's how I know this store was made for guys. You've made it to The Smell, and they have it in every iteration known to man. Were it legal, they'd grind it into a powder that could be inhaled into your nose so you'd never have to smell another thing but That Scent.

You pick 3 random concoctions, take them to the counter, find out there's a discount if you get 4, head back to The Scent and grab something else too, pay more than you had ever planned for, and walk out with a pre-wrapped (typo: warped) offering for the lady of your dreams. You'll never run out of ways to do this, because they'll always crank out a new moisturizer, skin cream, body wash, bath bar, and on and on and on. Rinse. Lather. Repeat.

Yeah, I went that route this Christmas. Yeah, it worked.

I AM THE TECHNORATI, YOU WANT TO TOUCH MY BODY...

(Can ya'll tell I'm at my in-laws where they have plentiful and free high-speed wireless internet access, and not at my house where there is plentiful and free crappy slow-drip dialup?)

I took the advice of one Rajesh Setty (via Lifehacker) and finally registered my blog on Technorati. You'll notice the new bug and features at the left. I also noticed through this lovely service that the wonderful Lisa at stopahead took the chance to give me some unsolicited pub last year, and while it's late, I thought I'd return the favor.

So take a moment and go claim your blog on Technorati. You might be surprised who's been reading you!