CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-22 21:45:52 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

An erotic novel about Michele Bachmann? I could get on board to read that. She's just the right amount of crazy for me to believe it could be a true story.

2013-05-22 18:03:54 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

Would you ride a subway car with only single people?

Prague subway operator Ropid...would like to introduce ‘singles cars’ so that commuters riding the trains in the Czech capitol can not only get to work, but also get hit on. Although, I presume these will be voluntary, so I suppose if you are boarding a ‘singles car,’ you know what you’re getting yourself into, right?

Interesting idea, although I have a feeling these would just end up being full of dudes.

2013-05-21 03:57:12 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 6 +1s)

#ArrestedDevelopment  is back this Sunday, and I've got the day off on Monday? Well, I know what show I'll be watching the entirety of in those two days...

2013-05-21 02:55:58 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

What's Trending in College News?

This weekend, I took it upon myself to resurrect an old domain name and host a free service for those of you interested in college news. MyUdaily scours dozens of college blogs and news sites, gathering data on what articles and topics are trending.

I'll admit, I made this mostly for fun so I could play around with some text analysis libraries and social APIs, but if anyone finds it useful, let me know. Right now, the planned features coming soon are:
- Social Login to allow custom news delivery based on the topics you read most
- Sentiment analysis to tell you whether articles are more positive or negative, and hopefully offer opposing viewpoints on similar topics
- Better topical analysis based on correlated words and phrases instead of just single words
- More college news sources and blogs (let me know if you'd... more »

2013-05-19 15:54:31 (1 comments, 3 reshares, 6 +1s)

The Education Disconnect

When people wonder why the US is lagging behind in math and science, it doesn't take long to figure out why.

I have enormous respect for teachers - my mother is one - but the value proposition just doesn't add up. I love teaching people, and I'm good at math and science, but would I live like a pauper to work in a system that doesn't value my ability?

Hell no.

We have to find, entice, and reward good teachers if we want the next generation to succeed. All comedy aside, this is a serious problem, so I'd love to hear your input, especially if you are a teacher. Why do you do it? What challenges do you face from a financial standpoint?

2013-05-18 18:14:10 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

This is just straight up evil:

Malbolge was so difficult to understand when it arrived that it took two years for the first Malbolge program to appear. The first Malbolge program was not written by a human being, it was generated by a beam search algorithm designed by Andrew Cooke and implemented in Lisp.

2013-05-17 03:33:10 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

The Shout Out Louds in Chicago.

2013-05-16 18:47:59 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 0 +1s)

Arrested Development is coming soon, and I'm super-pumped. Just 10 more days!
#arresteddevelopment  

2013-05-16 17:22:38 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 3 +1s)

Marijuana Proven to Stop Crohn's Disease in New Study

Whether you smoke it or not, it's becoming more clear that marijuana does have some positive medical uses:

Smoking pot caused a “complete remission” of Crohn’s disease compared to placebo in half the patients who lit up for eight weeks, according to clinical trial data to be published the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

What do you think? Is this a good reason to make the drug more available, or not? #Crohns   #marijuana  

2013-05-16 01:07:43 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Our new intern at +Uloop just moved up to Chicago. Looking forward to working with Shawn Binder and showing him around the city a little bit!

2013-05-14 18:55:58 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Is Scratch & Sniff the Next Big Thing for Apple Tablets?

#Apple  was recently granted a patent that will allow it's touchscreens to distinguish between a scratch and a tap. While this only covers half of the "scratch & sniff" equation, I can imagine a whole new world of fart apps benefiting from this feature.

2013-05-13 17:39:27 (4 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Pricing Your Small Business to Death

I've been watching a bit of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (the UK version because the US version is too dramatic), and one of the most common problems he addresses is the discount model for small businesses.

When you're small, you can't scale like big companies. There's no way a small, local lunch place can undercut McDonald's prices. McDonalds can work with massive suppliers, move a ton of product, and invest in expensive equipment. You probably can't.

Sell Your Small Business without Discounting it to Death

If you're in a small businesses, you usually can't compete with the big guys on price. That said, price is far from the only consideration that comes across your customers' minds. For example, you could make a great small business on any one (or more) of the... more »

2013-05-13 15:50:36 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

The Millennial Trains Project

Imagine hopping on board a train in San Francisco and spending 10 days with some of the country's most innovative, pioneering young thinkers riding across the country together with the goal of making something amazing. It's pretty enticing, right?

That's the idea behind +Patrick Dowd's Millennial Trains Project. Check out more from my interview with Patrick in the article.

2013-05-13 15:28:16 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 1 +1s)

Always wear the proper protection!

2013-05-13 14:45:49 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

#5G coming to a Samsung near you.

2013-05-10 13:17:03 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Pretty much sums up every reason to hate flying. Mostly it's the other people.

2013-05-10 01:22:50 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 0 +1s)

Cold Call Tips

While most of my work for +Uloop revolves around content creation and building relationships with partners, I have decided to try some sales for a new content-based product we're offering. I started last week by finding leads (customers who had recently purchased similar products to the one we have), and sending them a cold email. A few responded, but generally the response was pretty low.

Next, my plan is to follow up with the ones who didn't respond via phone to find out:
1) If they got my email
2) If so, why didn't they consider our product
3) If not, what do they think about our product (followed by a quick pitch)

I've never done sales, but I'm a good public speaker, I enjoy talking to people, and although I'm a little fearful of rejection, I'm not paralyzed by it.

So, if you've done sales... more »

2013-05-09 14:36:57 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 7 +1s)

Some people need gun control for their own safety...Like this guy.

2013-05-08 14:57:58 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Are sports getting too watered down?

I played football in high school, so I'm all too familiar with "bear crawls." The exercise was used by our coaches as a punishment when someone missed practice, got in academic hot water, or stopped running before a drill was over. It was pretty common to get scraped knees and bloody hands, but these were a mark of hard work, and you sure as hell wouldn't go home complaining about it.

But it looks like times have changed in the 7 years since I was in school. Four track coaches in Indiana who made several players who skipped practice do bear crawls have had to leave their positions on the team because some of the students got "blisters on their hands."

I know that to those of you who didn't play a full-contact sport in high school, the sight of bloody hands probably grosses you out. The reality is... more »

2013-05-08 02:39:28 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Smile like you mean it

2013-05-08 02:24:12 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Good Teams Will Piss Each Other Off

The important part in building a startup isn't the team's ability to avoid conflict - it's how they handle it. Sometimes, compromising is okay, but other times, compromising sucks. Know when it's time to take a stand.

2013-05-06 18:57:08 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Congratulations, Knoxville. You're Average!

George Mason economics professor Tyler Cowen claims that Knoxville, TN is the most "perfectly average" city in the United States:

Writing on Marginal Revolution, he calls it "big enough to be something, but not a truly large metropolis." It has a Southern flavor but also manages to avoid some of the region's "more stereotypical features," and it's not located in New York, California, Texas, or any other coastal state.

Well, at least you guys will be known for something besides your football now.

2013-05-06 16:11:39 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

+Podio: A Great, Free CRM for Small Businesses

We just started using Podio at +Uloop to track and support our sales, and it's been awesome so far. It's a very versatile platform and since we're just a 5-man company, it's free.

2013-05-05 21:45:44 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Autentico Cinco de Mayo celebracion en #Chicago

2013-05-05 01:01:32 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

+Ryan Maynard is hiring. If you're a developer looking for contract or full-time work, hit this guy up. You'll thank me later.

2013-05-03 03:33:38 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 1 +1s)

You won't hate Gandhi...until you actually find out he was kind of a dick.

2013-05-02 14:09:49 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

When did you decide on your sexual preference?

While gay rights are heading in a better direction, there's still room for improvement, especially among those who honestly believe that sexual orientation is a choice. If you won't believe science, at least listen to reason.

http://calpoly.uloop.com/news/view.php/83330/when-did-you-decide-on-your-sexuality

2013-05-02 03:00:04 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

"Let's cut the conversation and get out for a bit
Because I feel it all fading and paling
And I'm begging to drag you down with me
To kick the last nail in" - The Cure, Fascination Street

2013-05-01 14:40:39 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

The weather gets warm and the shootings ramp up in Chicago.

2013-04-29 14:29:46 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

There are a lot of big technologies on the horizon, and they could change college life in a big way.

What single invention do you think will have the biggest impact on college students?

2013-04-26 23:51:42 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Coding and drinking tonight. Join my live music broadcast for some rockin' tunes to fuel your good times.

2013-04-26 14:36:34 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Country legend, George Jones has passed away at 81. Unsurprisingly, Fox got his age wrong. Always a leader in misinformation, no matter how trivial.

2013-04-25 12:49:35 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

New conjunctions and the evolution of language

I had a couple very smart, forward-thinking high school English teachers who taught me something that a lot of English teachers probably wouldn't: that language is fluid.

That's right, the "rules" you learn in school don't remain in place forever, and new words (or uses for them) are being developed all the time in the real world. With the massive increase in communication online, these evolutions are happening faster than ever, and they're easier to track than they were before.

The word "slash" when used as a conjunction is something that people in my generation will be very familiar with, but it may sound a bit foreign to anyone older. Here's an example:

I went to class slash caught up on Game of Thrones.

In this case, "slash" could be replaced by... more »

2013-04-23 18:21:03 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Well that's one strategy for dealing with your state's mentally ill

The state of Nevada has apparently found a new way to deal with mentally ill patients: put them on a one-way bus to California. From the attached article:

The Sacramento Bee reported last month that more than 200 Nevada psychiatric patients were given bus tickets and sent to Los Angeles County after their release from hospitals.

Los Angeles’ inquiry follows the San Francisco city attorney office’s announcement Monday that it had launched a formal investigation into the allegations against Nevada’s facility.

The Bee was the first to bring the allegations of so-called "patient dumping" to light. The paper reported that at least 36 of 1,500 patients discharged by Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital in Las Vegas over the last five years had been sent to San Francisco onGreyh... more »

2013-04-23 03:47:10 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Want to know the answer to violence? Here's a hint: It's not gun control.

First off, don't call me pro-gun. Ever. I've never owned a gun, don't plan on getting one, and honestly, I don't think they're necessary for 95% of the people who do own one. I don't think that gun-owners should (or do) stop crime, and the idea of owning a deadly weapon so easy to use that a child could figure it out is absolutely frightening. I'm scared enough to have ammonia and bleach products in the same cabinet, much less a rocket-firing piece of death in my closet.

That said, I think we have to stop debating gun control.

When we talk about gun violence in this country, a lot of people get a mental image of innocent people being randomly shot in a crowded school, movie theater, or parking lot. While those images are horrible, and they always get a... more »

2013-04-22 13:54:20 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

"Give me all the bacon and eggs you have... Wait, wait. I worry what you just heard was 'Give me a lot of bacon and eggs.' What I said was 'Give me all the bacon and eggs you have.'" - #RonSwanson  

2013-04-22 02:38:02 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 2 +1s)

Things not to say after watching a ballet:

"Well, I don't know why it took four hours, but I can safely say that I'm aroused...That was the point, right?"

2013-04-19 13:54:31 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Colleges and mass transit closed in Boston today. Be careful, everybody!

#Boston   #bostonmarathon   #BostonBombing  

2013-04-18 23:00:05 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

It's not often that I get to include a picture of masturbating mannequins in a guest post. Thanks +Surviving College for featuring it this week!

2013-04-18 22:57:41 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Just got my mac keyboard and magic trackpad working with my laptop. Took a little cajoling to get the multi-finger features to work, but it is do-able.

2013-04-18 14:48:37 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

#Chicago  is under water today. I'm staying in my 6th floor apartment.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-chicago-flooding-20130418,0,5889145.story

2013-04-17 19:21:53 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Well, that's a creative way to defend yourself against child molestation charges...

In a legal strategy that seems dubious at best, a Texas first-grade teacher is claiming she can't have molested one of her students because she is racist and doesn't like touching black children.

2013-04-16 14:10:31 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Bad news for +Pilot Flying J this morning. Anybody in #Knoxville  know what might be going on? I'm guessing it's a tax situation since the IRS is involved.

2013-04-15 16:21:48 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

$500 Million renovation coming to Wrigley Field

2013-04-15 05:44:02 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

"Grow old along with me,
Whatever fate decrees.
We will see it through
For our love is true.
God bless our love..."

2013-04-15 03:42:21 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

This song gives me chills every time. Writing a song about a serial killer that actually means something isn't easy to do and it's creepy as hell.

2013-04-08 19:04:06 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

To be fair, she did punch him in the face...

Just kidding, there's no excuse for this. What a jackass.

2013-04-08 15:10:42 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 7 +1s)

Get a useless degree, move to an expensive city, and live beyond your means.

I'm sorry, but it's hard for me to empathize with people who put themselves in difficult situations and then complain when they struggle financially. If your dream is to become a writer, don't study English, move into one of the most expensive cities in the country, and then complain when you're broke all the time. Of course you are!

Don't get me wrong, I love to write. I've got a novel in the works, and I write at least a two or three blog posts every week. I love it, and I've even occasionally been paid for it. I try to improve my writing every day, and I read a lot.

The difference between me and writers like the one in this article is that I'm gainfully employed in an affordable city. Sure, I'm not rich either, but I'm definitely not in a desperates... more »

2013-04-08 14:47:49 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

It's just a matter of time before we'll be recording everything

A lot of people are concerned with #GoogleGlass  because it's essentially a hands-free camera and audio recording device. While it may initially be obvious that someone is wearing the device, how long will it be before the glasses are embedded into innocent looking RX eyewear or embedded into our bodies?

It's just a matter of time, and it doesn't look like much time either.

2013-04-07 04:41:48 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Free website design and development. Interested?

Just fill out this quick form, and one lucky aspiring entrepreneur will walk away with his own free website. I'm really looking forward to hearing your ideas!