Social media has been a big thing for quite some time. Since the election of Donald Trump as President of the USA last year it is now even more so since the POTUS fancies himself something of a tweet master and has made his daily tweets must-read nuggets. Whether you love Trump or not, to keep abreast of the daily news cycles you need to see what POTUS is saying, who he is attacking and whatever else he is saying. Then - if you are clever - you can develop a score sheet to log his misstatements (lies) or mistakes and even get a glimpse or his personal viewing habits. I doubt he sees the irony in creating his own fake news while blasting the admittedly left-leaning mainstream press by mistakenly thinking a story on a Fox News pundit's show was a real time news story.
Until Donald Trump discovered how much he could stir up with his daily tweets,i was lucky to read a tweet every couple of weeks. Suddenly, though, I was checking Twitter several times a day to see what nuggets of entertainment POTUS was bestowing on us. Suddenly it was governance in 140 characters. Welcome to the brave new world.
My first brush with social media was through MySpace. Myspace was a bastion of musical information and any regular reader of mineknows how much influence music has on my life. and then along came Facebook and for a short time it was a MySpace vs Facebook battle. That battle was driven by young people and in a very short time MySpace went the way of Beta tapes. And some enterprising folks were creating sites for employers to advertise for and seek/hire employees. Google "job sites" and get over 500,000 results in just over a second. And Linkedln is now almost a substantial networking site for people.I receive 5-10 mhits daily from Linkedln and I have never really used the site. Many folks I know, however, are avid Linkedln users and it can be a decent job reference/seeking site.
To keep up with my musical hobby I ran a music forum called Rock-talk.us for a number of years in partnership with a fellow who was very active in the music and radio business in Phoenix, Arizona starting back in the sixties. Through that forum I met and corresponded with pop stars from several British Invasion bands and several studio musicians from that same area. It was great fun and I made a few good friends, including a songwriter responsible for several multi-million sellers of the sixties. I learned how songs were snuck past censors - including a popular pop anthem that was actually an ode to the Kama Sutra. Who woulda thunk - LOL.
I am an active Facebook participant so that is social media I clearly embrace. Facebook allows me to keep in touch with my five nieces in California as well as a batch of folks I knew in high school.Facebook is also a showcase of sorts for the political dysfunction we are experiencing as the left and right wing flamethrowers populate and often dominate news feeds unless you have learned the value of "unfollow". And apparently it is a hacker paradise of sorts as almost daily some one on my friends list sends out an "I have been hacked' message.
A interesting byproduct of social media is what is commonly called branding. Everyone and perhaps every thing has a brand these days. One never knows when that life-changing score will come along. Gotta protect your personal brand. Ahem.
Social media is the way of the world and it will no doubt continue to evolve and change over time A whole new generation of entrepreneurs is looking to make their mark and become the next Mark Zuckerberg. It is guaranteed to be an "E" Ticket ride.
Be sure to check in on Ramana, Pravin and Maria to see what they think.
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Friday, February 17, 2017
Consumerism LBC 02/17/2017
Today's topic - consumerism - was offered by Ramana. According to Wikipedia, consumerism is a social and economic order and ideology that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts. Sounds like a definition offered by the Marketing gods.
We are assaulted daily by people/companies trying to separate us from our money. Better ingredients, better pizza; he went to Jareds; the beer that made Milwaukee famous; the champagne of bottled beers. All of these marketing phrases are designed to help convince us to purchase a particular product. Spend, spend, spend.
One thing often lost in the crazy world of consumerism is the cost in terms of resource use/misuse, labor abuses and the like. Everyone likes to get the best deal, the best price. So what if a 12-year old child earns a whopping 50 cents an hour making the product. Who really cares about Nike worker abuse as long as they get those Air Jordans on the shelf. And no, Nike is not being any worse than many others in the clothing industry.
The importance of the element lithium to the battery industry and its limited supply/availability raises important issues for the electric car industry. Can the limited availabilitybe dealt with peacefully? Wars have been fought ovdr limited availability before. Japam went to war in WWII because of limited oil resources.
Who knows what the future may hold.
The consumerism pendulum swings the other way as it drives the economies of the various nations in the world. Economic growth is on the mind of every leader of every country. One can only hope we effectively manage the appropriate resources to ensure an adequate supply.
I confess that I am subject to the same attacks of rampant consumerism as are most of us. Fortunately for me I am not in a position financially to take advantage of them often so the earth's resources are safe from me!
That is my quick shack-take on this weeks topic. So what do my blogging cohorts have to say on the matter? Check them out
Ramana Pravin Maria
We are assaulted daily by people/companies trying to separate us from our money. Better ingredients, better pizza; he went to Jareds; the beer that made Milwaukee famous; the champagne of bottled beers. All of these marketing phrases are designed to help convince us to purchase a particular product. Spend, spend, spend.
One thing often lost in the crazy world of consumerism is the cost in terms of resource use/misuse, labor abuses and the like. Everyone likes to get the best deal, the best price. So what if a 12-year old child earns a whopping 50 cents an hour making the product. Who really cares about Nike worker abuse as long as they get those Air Jordans on the shelf. And no, Nike is not being any worse than many others in the clothing industry.
The importance of the element lithium to the battery industry and its limited supply/availability raises important issues for the electric car industry. Can the limited availabilitybe dealt with peacefully? Wars have been fought ovdr limited availability before. Japam went to war in WWII because of limited oil resources.
Who knows what the future may hold.
The consumerism pendulum swings the other way as it drives the economies of the various nations in the world. Economic growth is on the mind of every leader of every country. One can only hope we effectively manage the appropriate resources to ensure an adequate supply.
I confess that I am subject to the same attacks of rampant consumerism as are most of us. Fortunately for me I am not in a position financially to take advantage of them often so the earth's resources are safe from me!
That is my quick shack-take on this weeks topic. So what do my blogging cohorts have to say on the matter? Check them out
Ramana Pravin Maria
Friday, February 10, 2017
Impatience LBC Post 2/10/2017
Today's topic comes to us from Pravin. The first example of impatience that springs to mind is the impatience of a child waiting for Christmas. Each day - as the big day draws nearer - kids are consumed with eagerness and anticipation. It can be a joy to watch as the child's parents become impatient awaiting the child's reaction to Christmas day. Who hasn't experienced impatience while stuck in heavy traffic, while waiting in a long line or waiting for the big game or concert to begin?
Yes - time management - or lack thereof - can cause impatience. Impatience can cause us to make rash decisions with serious consequences. But being overly patient can be a huge waste of time so it seems we need to learn to manage impatience. Busines training - especially management training - usually includes specific sections on time management to assist in this endeavor. I think there should also be training guides for relationships - and being patient while the relationship develops.
I confess to always being impatient when it came to relationships - being shy, I pretty much always expected them go fail but I also wanted them to progress rapidly. Hmmm - hurry up and end the pain? LOL
Back in my college days, I switched majors from Physical Education to Political Science I had a falling out with the head football coach that was severe enough that he guaranteed I'd never get a coaching job and he had the juice to make that threat stick. I had taken a few political science classes - and though my history major pal Tony swore Political Science was an oxymoron -they let me transfer a lot of PE classes to the Political Science undergrad requirements. There was one particular professor - a Dr.Hudson -who was not enamored of jocks in his classes, had run afoul of the same coach as had I because he refused to cut football players any slack. As the quarter drew to an end, Dr Hudson and I had jousted verbally the entire 10 weeks, and as he passed out the final exam he boldly and loudly stated he guaranteed I would not do well on said final. I freely admit I was something of a smart ass and I laughed in his face. After the exam, I knew I had aced it. I busted my butt preparing and it paid off. It was impossible to measure the impatience I felt waiting for those finals to be graded and the quarter grades to be posted. Two days later I appeared at Dr Hudson's office door to be met with his snarling face and he threw my blue book at me. I had aced the test and the class. I earned an A on both. I simply stuck out my hand to shake his, wished him well and walked off. I am sure celebratory beers were quaffed that afternoon.
That is my quick shack-take on this week' LBC topic.Please be sure to see what my cohorts had to say on their blogs. Ramana Pravin Maria
Yes - time management - or lack thereof - can cause impatience. Impatience can cause us to make rash decisions with serious consequences. But being overly patient can be a huge waste of time so it seems we need to learn to manage impatience. Busines training - especially management training - usually includes specific sections on time management to assist in this endeavor. I think there should also be training guides for relationships - and being patient while the relationship develops.
I confess to always being impatient when it came to relationships - being shy, I pretty much always expected them go fail but I also wanted them to progress rapidly. Hmmm - hurry up and end the pain? LOL
Back in my college days, I switched majors from Physical Education to Political Science I had a falling out with the head football coach that was severe enough that he guaranteed I'd never get a coaching job and he had the juice to make that threat stick. I had taken a few political science classes - and though my history major pal Tony swore Political Science was an oxymoron -they let me transfer a lot of PE classes to the Political Science undergrad requirements. There was one particular professor - a Dr.Hudson -who was not enamored of jocks in his classes, had run afoul of the same coach as had I because he refused to cut football players any slack. As the quarter drew to an end, Dr Hudson and I had jousted verbally the entire 10 weeks, and as he passed out the final exam he boldly and loudly stated he guaranteed I would not do well on said final. I freely admit I was something of a smart ass and I laughed in his face. After the exam, I knew I had aced it. I busted my butt preparing and it paid off. It was impossible to measure the impatience I felt waiting for those finals to be graded and the quarter grades to be posted. Two days later I appeared at Dr Hudson's office door to be met with his snarling face and he threw my blue book at me. I had aced the test and the class. I earned an A on both. I simply stuck out my hand to shake his, wished him well and walked off. I am sure celebratory beers were quaffed that afternoon.
That is my quick shack-take on this week' LBC topic.Please be sure to see what my cohorts had to say on their blogs. Ramana Pravin Maria
Monday, February 6, 2017
A nice break from all of the insanity!
Well - Super Bowl has come and gone. I had no dog in the hunt and that is a very good thing as I would have been a basket case regardless of which end of the score my team was on. But since I was unencumbered I was able to simply watch and enjoy the game. What a game it was.
Super Bowls are rarely super - they are usually a snooze fest. Not 51 - it was a real barn burner. It looked like the Atlanta Falcons were going to run away with the game. I realize my non-America readers may not understand the dynamics of the game of American football. Some even think rugby is a tougher game but let me assure you it is not.
With the exception of boxing and maybe MMA fighting no sport comes close to the concentrated violence of 300 pound athletes running into each other with reckless abandon. Take a look at the concussion issues that are now so regularly in the news.
Yesterdays game was an example of the best the game has to offer as Atlanta Falcons started fast and tried tom but their collective feet pn the throat of the Patriots. Tom Brady was harassed regularly and the Falcons were up 28-3. Then the wheels came off and the high-flying birds became wounded ducks. A run of 31-0 in just over a quarter cemented the legacy of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick as the best ever at their jobs. Patriots fans danced with glee while Falcons fans stared in stunned disbelief.
So now today it is back to the real world for all but fans of the Patriots. They have a big parade to look forward to and bragging rights until next season. The rest of us are back to worrying about the next bizarre tweet that may emerge from the White House. It is worth noting Trump is buddies with both Patriots owner Robert Kraft and QB Tom Brady so maybe in his deliriumTrump may be silent. OK - not bloody likely.
Super Bowls are rarely super - they are usually a snooze fest. Not 51 - it was a real barn burner. It looked like the Atlanta Falcons were going to run away with the game. I realize my non-America readers may not understand the dynamics of the game of American football. Some even think rugby is a tougher game but let me assure you it is not.
With the exception of boxing and maybe MMA fighting no sport comes close to the concentrated violence of 300 pound athletes running into each other with reckless abandon. Take a look at the concussion issues that are now so regularly in the news.
Yesterdays game was an example of the best the game has to offer as Atlanta Falcons started fast and tried tom but their collective feet pn the throat of the Patriots. Tom Brady was harassed regularly and the Falcons were up 28-3. Then the wheels came off and the high-flying birds became wounded ducks. A run of 31-0 in just over a quarter cemented the legacy of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick as the best ever at their jobs. Patriots fans danced with glee while Falcons fans stared in stunned disbelief.
So now today it is back to the real world for all but fans of the Patriots. They have a big parade to look forward to and bragging rights until next season. The rest of us are back to worrying about the next bizarre tweet that may emerge from the White House. It is worth noting Trump is buddies with both Patriots owner Robert Kraft and QB Tom Brady so maybe in his deliriumTrump may be silent. OK - not bloody likely.
Thursday, February 2, 2017
The Supernatural LBC 02/03/2017
This week's topic was my suggestion. I thought it would be fun to explore what folks think.
Merriam Webster (online) says "supernatural: of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe; especially : of or relating to God or a god, demigod, spirit or devil."
I do not think it s possible to believe in God and not believe in the supernatural - or at lease portions of it. Exorcisms are performed to purge demons, angels are supposed to be real and so is satan. So for a believer to poo poo the existence of the supernatural is both illogical - though logic has little place in the belief in god IMHO - and somewhat hypocritical. Most religions contain some "supernatural" elements. Miracles performed by Jesus were supernatural in nature. Supernatural acts have been repoerted throughout recorded history. What you believe or do not believe is up to you and your faith or perhaps your lack of faith.
Psychics? I know of no real scientific evidence of their actual existence. As the popular illusionist Criss Angel has said - where were the 9/11 predictions (before the actual event). Smoke and mirrors, trickery and illusions. Entertainment of the highest order but not real.
Do you believe in ghosts? Hollywood certainly does. There are several ghost hunter TV shows and the horror film industry has always been robust. Everyone likes a good ghost movie but are they real? Well my late wife thought Patrick Swayze was.
There are also paranormal movie franchises purported to be fact based. Again - fact based is in the eye of the beholder I suppose. After all, we have entered the time of alternative facts. But there is no shortage of excellent paranormal movies - think The Shining, Poltergeist, The Amityville horror, All purported to be fact based.
It should be clear I look upon this topic as a fun topic. Some make take offense at taking religion lightly. Sorry about that but everything deserves a chuckle and a box of popcorn once in while.
Take a look at what my cohorts have to say. Ramana Pravin Maria
Merriam Webster (online) says "supernatural: of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe; especially : of or relating to God or a god, demigod, spirit or devil."
Psychics? I know of no real scientific evidence of their actual existence. As the popular illusionist Criss Angel has said - where were the 9/11 predictions (before the actual event). Smoke and mirrors, trickery and illusions. Entertainment of the highest order but not real.
Do you believe in ghosts? Hollywood certainly does. There are several ghost hunter TV shows and the horror film industry has always been robust. Everyone likes a good ghost movie but are they real? Well my late wife thought Patrick Swayze was.
There are also paranormal movie franchises purported to be fact based. Again - fact based is in the eye of the beholder I suppose. After all, we have entered the time of alternative facts. But there is no shortage of excellent paranormal movies - think The Shining, Poltergeist, The Amityville horror, All purported to be fact based.
It should be clear I look upon this topic as a fun topic. Some make take offense at taking religion lightly. Sorry about that but everything deserves a chuckle and a box of popcorn once in while.
Take a look at what my cohorts have to say. Ramana Pravin Maria
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