CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-14 02:02:16 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

And yet another step.  Perhaps not quite momentum, but once again, not inertia either.

2013-05-14 01:58:17 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

This won't necessarily change the world, but it's not quite inertia either.

Quite frankly, I'm more concerned about the fact that this article refers to statements made by Walmart's "Ethical Sourcing Officer."

2013-05-14 01:49:38 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

This is cool.  He carried himself with a lot of class through some difficult times, in a difficult city.  

2013-05-14 01:37:05 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Ironic.  I just learned - quite by accident - that one of the only TV dramas that I have actually watched during the past 25 years has been cancelled.  It never fails - every time I open my heart, someone like ABC comes along and crushes it.

Although I only recently started watching it - ironically, also quite by accident - I thought Body of Proof was extremely well-done.  Medical mayhem, docs, cops, murder, romance and politics, but the characters all had depth.  Plus, you can't not love anything filmed in Philadelphia :)  So, while Donald Trump continues to build an empire by firing people, we'll never know the truth about Megan Hunt's father?  That's just wrong.

2013-05-14 00:08:08 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

"The Department of Justice secretly collected months of phone data from top newswire service, the Associated Press, and then informed them after the fact."

"Via the … um … Associated Press."

I forget what it's called, but aren't journalists afforded privacy protection above and beyond the privacy rights of other citizens?

2013-05-13 23:48:37 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

This is an interesting piece about the B2B salesperson's worst nightmare - the dreaded "non-decision."  The author identifies some of the stress factors that paralyze corporate buyers, but not necessarily how to overcome them.  I'm reasonably certain that "features and benefits" don't even make the top ten.  I have my own ideas, but I'd love to hear the thoughts of some of G+'s world-class sales and marketing experts: +Gary S. Hart +Theresa Delgado +Dawn Abraham ?

2013-05-12 03:06:32 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

Happy Mother's Day!

From the most interesting man in the world.....and the guy in the picture below :)  Mothers, have a wonderful day.

2013-05-12 02:36:52 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

From a touching essay written by Joshunda Sanders, who is writing "The Beautiful Darkness: A Handbook for Orphans." 

I Wish My Mother Would Call

"My childhood was not perfect, and neither was my relationship with my mother. But I am her child. I finally accept everything that means. Marguerite is my mother, and on this Mother’s Day, I only wish we had more time."

2013-05-11 23:15:12 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Math can be tricky.

2013-05-11 22:48:58 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Interactive robots to tell you if your breath stinks.  Which pocket do they go in?

2013-05-11 22:40:37 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 2 +1s)

Innovators everywhere: Beware the incumbents.  A proposed law in North Carolina would block automakers (translation: Tesla) from selling cars directly to consumers.  Supporters (translation: auto dealers) favor the law because it (don't laugh) protects consumers.

Other states are also selling legislation to the highest bidder  in various stages of pursuing similar legislation.

2013-05-10 17:35:37 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Boobs? Brayola wants you to snap a pic of your bra for the world’s viewing and judging enjoyment - http://tcrn.ch/179BhhR

2013-05-09 22:51:11 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

We can spend the rest of eternity writing new banking regulations, but the most effective reform is about "skin in the game."  Those who willingly risk the fortunes of millions of others have to share that risk.

"During America’s savings-and-loans (S&L) crisis in the 1980s more than 800 bankers were jailed."

More recently, the financial crisis that triggered a global meltdown has, to date, yielded one criminal conviction of a senior banker.

2013-05-09 21:51:30 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Fiat currency: When the value you assign to the $20 bill in your pocket is based solely on your faith in the assumption that the next person to hold it agrees with you.

2013-05-03 17:31:55 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Companionship is good medicine.

The first of 78 million baby boomers turned 65 last year. According to one estimate, 78% of Medicare spending is for seniors with five or more chronic conditions. Most of these conditions can't be cured, but they need to be managed. Often, the only option, which is also the most costly, is hospitalization. But hospitals aren't designed to manage long-term care.

One medical practice is able to care for seniors, while achieving impressive results - primarily reductions in hospitalizations and the associated cost burden on the system - through a surprisingly simple model of care.

http://m.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/28/if-this-was-a-pill-youd-do-anything-to-get-it/

2013-05-02 17:59:38 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

A conclusion can be drawn from a set of facts.  Alternatively, a set of facts can be drawn from a conclusion.  Intelligence is the ability to recognize the difference.

2013-05-02 02:49:49 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

This is 29 seconds of flat-out awesome. 

"The clip shows a recent DDoS attack on VideoLAN, the software company responsible for the venerable VLC video player, as rendered by Logstalgia, an open source tool for visualizing web activity."

"...it’s clear that things aren't running normally. Instead of a steady flow of requests to all different pages on the server, we see a blazing, concentrated attack--around 200 new VLC download requests per second, according to the VideoLAN team."

2013-04-30 23:44:07 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

"Apple has a huge cash stockpile, but much of its money is overseas. Raising cash in the bond market helps Apple avoid the big tax bill that would hit if the company brought its cash back to the U.S., executives said last week."

This one is a no-brainer.  Borrow and pay interest rates of "next-to-nothing" % or use your own cash and pay 35% in tax.  Do the math.

2013-04-29 00:57:04 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

I've often referred to it as excessive regulation.  The author calls it corruption.  Semantics aside, the guy's point is spot on: Those who can innovate do.  Those who can't,  _pay to make it difficult for those who can._

2013-04-28 15:26:10 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Can anyone recommend a productivity app I can use to organize all of my to-do-list apps? It's on one of my to-do lists and I'd love to be able to check it off.

2013-04-27 23:56:29 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 4 +1s)

Only 7% of Americans understand the meaning of the word 'recovery,' and here's why:  

According to a report published this month by the Pew Research Center, between 2009 and 2011, America's household wealth increased by $5 trillion.  The wealthiest 7% - 8 million households - increased wealth by $5.6 trillion, while the wealth of the remaining 93% - 111 million households - actually decreased by $600 billion.  Again, for clarity: 8 million get $5.6 trillion; 111 million give away $600 billion.  

2013-04-27 03:14:01 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Great life lesson...

SON: "Daddy, may I ask you a question?"
DAD: "Yeah sure, what is it?"
SON: "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?"
SON: "I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?"
DAD: "If you must know, I make $100 an hour."
SON: "Oh! (With his head down).
SON: "Daddy, may I please borrow $50?" The father was furious.
DAD: "If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I work hard everyday for such this childish behavior."

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat... more »

2013-04-25 14:09:15 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Wow. Just....wow.
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/obamacare-exemption-lawmakers-aides-90610.html

2013-04-24 22:09:07 (7 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

'For only the fourth time in history, there will be a new $100 bill'.'

Fair enough.

'After a three-year delay due to slower-than-expected production, Americans will finally have an improved, high-tech $100 bill for their wallets, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday.'

We're still on he $100 bill, not the original iPad, right?

'What's so special about the new greenback? To start, the Fed says the the bill is a culmination of a decade-long research and design process.'

Seriously?  The decade being ten years, as in ten years ago? That would be the same ten years ago that, GWB was President,  the U.S.invaded Iraq, and Arnold Schwarzenegger was was the Governor of California.  Same 10 years?  How long did it take to do the whole bit-coin thing?  

Come to think of it, how long did ittake t... more »

2013-04-24 20:47:41 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

This is so smart.  

2013-04-24 13:47:25 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Hello from Ireland guys! My name is Roisin and I'm working for an app called Soundwave. The app allows you to draw a circle around anywhere in the world and instantly see what is being listened to in that area. It's a free, music-discovery app (more information can be found at www.getsoundwave.com). We're currently still testing so it's not available in the app stores but if you want to try it out you can message me or email me directly at roisin@soundwave.me and I'd be happy to give you the link, thanks :)

2013-04-24 00:28:57 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

If you don't already pay sales tax on items you buy from Amazon now, it's likely you will very soon.

If and when the proposed law passes, online retailers like Amazon will be required to collect and remit sales taxes on consumer purchases, regardless of where those consumers live.  Under current law, retailers are only required to collect and remit sales taxes of the state in which they're located (irrespective of the consumer's location).

Interestingly, the legislation would reverse two previous Supreme Court decisions (Hess and Quill) that specifically prohibited Congress from regulating state sales taxes under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution (the same Commerce Clause that became one of the focal points in the debate over Obamacare).  Essentially, the Court determined that, in most cases, collection of state sales taxes was not considered InterstateC... more »

2013-04-23 02:56:52 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

"Every day is a bonus,"
Favorite line from tonight's Honor Flight documentary. If you know a veteran who is not physically able to travel, please tell them about Veterans Virtual Tours via +Virtual Photo Walks™ and +Veterans United. If the veteran CAN travel, tell them about free Honor Flights to Washington, DC. Honorflight.org

2013-04-23 01:41:52 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

"If we can't fix the economy, let's fix the way we measure it."

For those who were fearful about the national debt crisis, the '$17 trillion' phrase we throw around so casually on a daily basis, fear no more.  

There's an app for that.

Background: The relative size of a country's debt is most commonly measured as a ratio of its total economy, and the economy is measured using Gross Domestic Product (GDP).   As that ratio increases (i.e. debt as a percentage of GDP), concern among many fiscal conservatives increases proportionately.  

Not to worry though, guys, help is on the way.  Beginning in July - nope, sorry, the economy won't change - but the way we measure it will change.  For the first time, GDP will include certain intangible items, the largest of which is the cost of research and development.  Overall, wecan e... more »

2013-04-22 12:59:13 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

When breaking news is happening, turn to CNN. Then turn somewhere else to get the truth. Has news become a two-step verification system similar to the ones companies like Google use with passwords? I'm not singling out CNN here. There was no shortage of misinformation coming out of Boston last week. I just remember a time - not very long ago- when news outlets, journalists and reporters were responsible for verifying the facts they reported to the public. Now, too often, it seems to be the other way around.

2013-04-21 16:56:00 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

For anyone who believes that the "Ph" in Ph.D. stands for Philadelphia, or for those (like me) who have never quite been able to understand the connection between philosophy and math when someone becomes a Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics (i.e a Ph.D., often referred to simply as a Doctorate, thus ignoring the philosophy issue entirely), then you'll most likely find this essay to be enlightening.  It was written by G+'s
+Meg Tufano, whose writing happens to be, in technical terms, pretty damn good.  After you read it, although she is wicked smart, try not to tell her so, because she tends to blush and change the subject :)

There are three parts to the essay and I would encourage you to read them all because the best things in life always come in threes.

2013-04-21 15:30:42 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Lessons from Boston Bomb  http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?play=1&video=3000162500

2013-04-19 22:54:59 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

Almost Happy Hour on the East Coast. Cheers for the weekend!

2013-04-19 00:51:20 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

I was just confronted by a pop-up banner on the NY Times website: "You have read 5 of 10 free articles this month. Try unlimited access for just 99¢"

Is it terribly wrong that I'm suddenly feeling guilty? Because last month I'm pretty sure I read 7.

2013-04-19 00:34:32 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

FBI releases photos and video of suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings. More: http://nbcnews.to/11603sR

#Boston     #BostonMarathon   #BostonMarathon2013  

2013-02-24 15:21:19 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

When a self-driving car cuts you off, to whom do you address the obscenities?

2013-02-24 14:36:10 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

For those who haven't seen this...

The medical warning here is not significantly different than the standard disclaimer, typical precautions to be taken EVERY TIME you spend any meaningful amount of time staring directly at a small round spot in the center of a digital monitor:

'Use care when operating a car or dangerous machinery.'

That being said this is pretty cool...

2013-01-16 14:15:42 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 0 +1s)

Meet a few of Facebook's most influential thought leaders, instantly accessible via the new search feature:

2013-01-12 22:23:01 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Sometime on or about March 1st, the United States will hit the dreaded debt ceiling (which is defined as an event that officially occurs approximately two months after a fiscal cliff has been avoided at the 11th hour).

Effectively, we will only be able to pay 60% of our country's bills - which makes sense, given that the reason we keep hitting the debt ceiling is because we pay 40% of our national expenditures by borrowing.

Between now and March 1st, this issue will have to be resolved (loosely translated, resolved means kicking the proverbial can down the road for a pre-determined amount of time - i.e.long enough for the issue to become someone else's problem).  

So we should expect to see Congress spring into action sometime during the evening of February 28th.

It's my understanding that legislation has been introduced to make 2013 a... more »

2013-01-12 22:26:29 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

If you haven't seen this yet, it's worth a few minutes to watch...

2013-01-11 15:30:21 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

2012-12-23 23:58:37 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

'Excuse me.  We're not from these parts and my family and I were wondering if you'd be kind enough to direct us to the fiscal cliff.'

Budget talks between the President and Speaker Boehner have once again ended in a stalemate, with no clear resolution in sight.  

In other news, former Speaker Newt Gingrich (pictured below) has been spotted tooling around D.C. on a motorcycle this weekend, sporting the same Evel Knievel costume he reportedly wore to a fifth grade elementary school Halloween party.  Never one to shy away from heroics and always the consummate campaigner, it's been reported that Mr. Speaker plans to kick off his latest run for the 2016 Republican nomination in a huge way.  

According to sources, the Speaker will simultaneously ring in the New Year and avert the impending U.S. economic crisis, while attempting a stunt that hasnev... more »

2012-11-21 23:45:20 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

What I Am Thankful For

I am thankful that there are people in the world who do not know the feeling of no longer having a child in their lives; who do not know what it is like to have your soul sucked out of through the pores, the bounce in your step flattened like a squashed bug, to have your heart grow cold as the winds of the highest peaks, to lose your, well, your everything.

I am thankful for these insanely upbeat folk who know not what I know. Without their annoyingly optimistic prodding, I might not otherwise be here to type this. I am thankful for those who care, despite my annoyances, about me. The ones who told me "it'll get better"; the ones who still insist that that foolish notion is fact.

I long for the day when this season means as much to me as it once did, but, for now at least, I am thankful to be able to look forward to that day.more »

2012-11-06 14:08:34 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

"Give yourself permission to suck." The concept is as simple as it is profound.

2012-11-04 19:18:47 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Christina Aguilera, and the others who participated in this event rock, both literally and figuratively.  And what can you say about the hundreds of thousands of those whose names we will never know? It's been said that true character is what one does when no one is looking.  You're all just flat out awesome.

2012-11-01 15:32:25 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

It occurs to me that "thinking outside the box" may be faulty, almost by definition, because it presumes that the first step in the process is to contend with the existence of something almost physical in nature, which we  have granted varying degrees of power and control.  

What if there were no box?  I would submit that many of the most brilliant minds known to mankind were blissfully unaware of its existence.  

2012-10-31 21:50:06 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

As a result of Hurricane Sandy, Halloween in many areas on the East Coast has been postponed until next Wednesday, November 7th. Apparently even choices about the type of candy to hand out to five year-olds in pirate costumes are frought with peril in an election year :)

2012-10-30 19:06:54 (16 comments, 0 reshares, 5 +1s)

Is anyone else on the East Coast besides me on the way to the car to charge your cell phone?

2012-07-22 12:33:32 (2 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Are you often accused of witchcraft?  Thankfully, there's an app for that.  Published in Germany in 1486, this witchcraft flowchart endures as the most effective tool in protecting your good name.

2012-07-22 00:05:42 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Proof of Clout before Klout

This is mind-boggling - A graphical network depiction of knowledge and its influence.

Much like the Egyptian pyramids, Maslow's Hierarchy, even the USDA food pyramid, I have often theorized that as the world's body of knowledge expands, the truth becomes that much more narrowly-defined, focused, and within reach.

"Brendan Griffen created a giant network of people, using every profile on Wikipedia that had an "influenced by" or "influences" field. Each node represents a person and is sized by the number of links going in and is colored by genre.

It really is fascinating (to me at least) to start at one node and bounce along the connections to a distantly related someone else. People in philosophy influencing fantasy writers who influence comedians. It shows one thing above all: the evolution of... more »