Human Slingshot

This look like a lot of fun. I wonder how fast she is flying through the air.

The Bathtub Test

It doesn't hurt to take a hard look at yourself from time to time, and this should help get you started. During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the director what the criterion was which defined whether or not a patient should be institutionalized.

"Well," said the Director, "we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub."

"Oh,! I understand," said the visitor. "A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup."

"No." said the Director, "A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?"

Source: Unkown

Elderly Visit to the Doctor

Doctor Bloomfield, who was known for miraculous cures for arthritis, had a waiting room full of people when a little old lady, completely bent over in half, shuffled in slowly, leaning on her cane.

When her turn came, she went into the doctor's office, and, amazingly, emerged within 5 minutes walking completely erect with her head held high.

A woman in the waiting room who had seen all this walked up to the little old lady and said, "It's a miracle! You walked in bent in half and now you're walking erect. What did that doctor do?"

"Gave me a longer cane."

Source: Unknown

New Supermarket Marketing

"The new supermarket near our house has an automatic water mister to keep produce fresh. Just before it goes on, you hear the sound of thunder and the smell of fresh rain.

When you approach the milk cases, you hear cows mooing and witness the scent of fresh hay.

When you approach the egg case, you hear hens cluck and cackle and the air is filled with the pleasing aroma of bacon and eggs frying.

The veggie department features the sound of a gentle breeze and the smell of fresh buttered corn.

I don't buy toilet paper there any more."

Source: unknown

A Good Sneeze

During the winter months and allergy seasons, it's not uncommon to hear everyone's sniffles and sneezes. As gross and unpleasant as it is to hear, I have to admit I love the feeling of a good sneeze. It's liberating. It makes you feel alive. Now, let me clarify. I like dry sneezes. The ones that aren't messy. You know the kind you have when you look up at a light?

I just have to believe someone could come up with some type of advertisement or marketing campaign that brings out the humor of sneezing, if they haven't already. Surely I'm not the only person who enjoys a good sneeze.

Have you ever had an embarrassing sneezing moment?

Mourning on MySpace

More and more people (especially teens), are using MySpace to mourn the death of loved ones. Although a person may die, their page will remain, unless a family member asks that it come down. It's interesting to read about the ways people use networking sites to express their emotions during time of a loss.

It's also interesting to compare things people might say on the internet with what they might say at a visitation. Nonetheless, I suppose it's good for people to have a way to mourn. I also checked out Mem.com and Legacy.com which allow people to memorialize loved ones online.

Side note: I wonder what will happen to all of my sites, blogs, emails, etc... when I die. Should I make a list of all the sites and passwords and put them in a safety deposit box somewhere? I guess we have to consider this when it comes to writing wills. I wonder if there are any past or current disputes over an estate settlement when it comes to a web site. Maybe domain registration sites should consider adding a beneficiary option.

You Don't Need a Title to be a Leader

If you ever felt like you weren't getting the credit you deserve, this book might help you see yourself a little better. I know a lot of people who feel like they have to have a title to be important but

Mark Sanborn in You Don't Need a Title to Be a Leader does a great job of helping you understand the importance of everything that you do at work.

This is book is a quick read and makes you feel better about yourself and the things you do behind the scenes when no one else is looking.

Insider's Guide to SEO

If you are looking for a little help on search engine optimization, you might want to check out Insider's Guide To SEO: How To Get Your Website To The Top Of The Search Engines by Andreas Ramos and Stephanie Cota. It is ideal for beginners.

What I really liked about the book is how they compared SEO to social networking. It helps you easily understand the importance of linking to certain sites.

As you can probably tell, Pet Peeving needs to work on SEO a little.

QBQ & Flipping the Switch

John G. Miller is the author of both QBQ! The Question Behind the Question and Flipping the Switch. Both of these books are simple books on the subject of leadership. The gist of both of these books boil down to the idea of personal responsibility/accountability.

They are simple reads that everyone in our company is required to read. When I read through these two books, the biggest issue that he addresses in my mind and in my own words - "Stop whining!" If there's something going on in your company, home, relationships, etc... that you don't like, then do something about it by asking the right questions.

I also had the opportunity to listen to Mr. Miller speak. He is a very good motivational speaker. If you have the opportunity to hear him, do it.

Wayfaring

I really like maps. I could spend the entire day on Google Earth or in an atlas. Maps interest me because they get my imagination going. There are tons of places on a map that I would love to go and actually see what it looks like in person.

That's why I like Wayfaring.com. It is a community map, using Google's map technology. It allows people to create their own maps and leave notes about places on the map. It helps you pick up on some extra details about places, you would otherwise never know about.

Whether you are mapping a trip or all the houses of your friends, it's a fun tool to play with.

Good to Great

I finally got around to reading Good to Great, by Jim Collins. I really like the ideas that were presented in this book. They were all based on concrete evidence of observing the data on several companies.

There were two things among many that stood out to me in this book.

1. If a company is going to go from good to great, they have to identify the one thing they can become the best at in the world.
   
   
2. If you are going to get on "the bus" with a company, you get on board because of the others who are on the bus, not because of where the bus is going. That's because the bus may change directions. Make sure you are on board with the right people.
   

Don't Make Me Think

I recently finished up Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug. Krug has conducted usability tests for companies such as Apple, AOL, and Barnes & Nobles. The book uses screen shots and examples of existing web sites to help you understand the pit falls of laying out a web site.

This book is a great resource for anyone who is involved with a web site. It's a simple read with a lot of good ideas...a very common sense approach.

Hapland

If, as a child (or an adult for that matter), enjoyed the game Mouse Trap, you may like the Hapland Series. It's a series of challenging puzzles that takes a lot of timing and planning. You could spend hours, days, even weeks, trying to figure out these puzzles, but they are a blast if you like figuring things out.

Tuesdays Traveler

If you're planning a trip or vacation soon, you may want to check out Tuesdays Traveler. It a great little site that will help you get started with your planning. The site offers people the ability to submit a review about various destinations. You won't be hit with any kind of marketing that disguises the truth. It's real people, leaving real reviews.

If while visiting this site you decide on a destination, it even offers tools to get started on booking flights, hotels, and cars. You can even catch up on recent travel news.

Nation Master

A few times at work, people have challenged us with trivia questions. But sometimes when people share their answer, a debate begins on who is actually right. Well, I was told about NationMaster.com and hopefully it will help out with those debates on world statistics.

Made to Stick

I just finished up the book Made to Stick. It's a very well done book on marketing and advertising. The book itself practices exactly what it preaches.

It also has a very eye-catching cover. The duct tape on the cover is raised and textured to give the effect of real duct tape. The whole time I was reading it, I kept trying to peel it off. Man, did it annoy the fire out of me. I finally had to take the cover off until I finished the book.

But, I was sitting in the Barnes Nobles coffee shop one day and notice a gentleman from across the store looking at the book. He too, was also trying to scratch the tape off of the book, but failed. I laughed quietly and thought..."good luck!"

If you are in marketing or advertising read this book.

Richard Branson and Global Warming

I was checking out ole DEBTective's blog about global warming and ran across this little contest that Richard Branson is holding. He going to give 25 million dollars to whoever can convert green house gases into ice.



Well. here's an idea. Maybe, I'll give 25 million dollars to the person who brings back a rock from the sun. I suppose if I had a lot of money I could also offer prizes for nearly impossible tasks. Anyways, I guess I better pull out my chemistry set and start working if I am going to win!

Global Warming

Global warming is ridiculous. If your own weatherman can't even predict the forecast accurately, then why should I believe all the predictions about global warming? I am all about being a good conservationist and protecting the environment, but some people just need to relax. That's my opinion and it's based on information from both sides of the table. What's your's?



Recently, I've been listening to the Phil Valentine show on my way home from work. I really like some of the ways he is addressing the issue. Some of the theories may be stretching it a little, but it's still good food for thought.

Pet Peeving is back!

Recently I downloaded Performancing for Firefox to make posting to my blog a lot easier. It's a very handy little tool if you don't know about it.



I also bought this domain and there isn't any reason I shouldn't use it. Initially, all of my posts were related to some type of Pet Peeve. Many of them may continue to be related to peeves, but it may not be. If that's a peeve of yours - sorry!



Anything I post about from this point forward, may not be a peeve of mine but it may be a peeve of someone.