Talk about another bad business decision – from the Pioneer Planet’s Bloggers May Form Union: A loosely formed coalition of left-leaning bloggers is trying to form a labor union in hopes of helping them secure health insurance, conduct collective bargaining or even set professional standards. But wait, it gets better: “Blogging is very intense – physically, mentally,” she said. “You’re constantly scanning for news. You’re constantly trying to … mobilize your readers. I particularly enjoyed the first part of that quote – blogging is very intense physically. Physically? Insert your own Jay Leno joke about how fat we are becoming as a nation.
Continue ReadingThe 35W Collapse
I can’t begin to tell you the enormity of the 35W collapse up here in Minneapolis. That is the main artery through Minneapolis and that bridge is one that almost all Twin Cities’ residents have traveled across – probably within the last 6 months. I cannot count how many times I have been over it. All of our people are accounted for this morning. As strange as it sounds, things could have been worse if the bridge wasn’t under construction. Traffic was crawling along through the construction zone during rush hour so there weren’t the normal number of cars racing over the bridge. The latest information is that 9 people… Read More
Continue Reading2007 Fortune 500 List
This may be a topic that only interests me, but here is the link to the annual Fortune 500 list (h/t JustSell.com). You can sort the list on a myriad of criteria. I sorted the data by state and found that Minnesota came in with a respectable 20 F500 companies with an impressive 5 companies in the F100 (based on revenue): 21. UnitedHealth Group 33. Target 72. Best Buy 89. Travelers Cos. 97. 3M
Continue ReadingRecruiting Roadshow – Twin Cities’ Style
I wanted to just post a quick shout-out to Paul DeBettignies at MN Headhunter who organized one of the most impressive, impromptu conferences I have ever attended. Paul is a genuinely humble guy but he did yeoman’s duty as the driving force behind the conference. He has a post summarizing the event that you can read here. John Sumser has pictures here. 110+ people attended the event at Best Buy corporate headquarters yesterday and the feedback has been amazing. The discussions I had afterwards were all highly complimentary and those attendees were hoping for a continuation of the conference. That discussion has already started so I will pass on information… Read More
Continue ReadingWhat Not To Wear
As my wife will gladly attest, I am NO slave to fashion. In fact, if they made Garanimals for adults, I would buy them. So my interest was mildly piqued in CareerJournal.com’s What to Wear to the Office Where Suits Aren’t the Norm. Some fashion advice for us guys: Casual wardrobe essentials for men include casual and dress pants in khaki, navy, black, and perhaps a pair of relaxed-fit — but not too baggy — dark navy pressed jeans. Men should think creatively with shirts, with colors beyond white and blue, an assortment of styles in solids and stripes, and some turtlenecks. A couple of blazers in navy or tan… Read More
Continue ReadingHappy Independence Day!
From the JustSell.com guys: In July 1776, 2.5 million people lived in the newly independent United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2007, the nation’s population has grown to 302 million, and to celebrate Independence Day this year, the National Retail Federation reports that consumers will: enjoy a BBQ, cookout or picnic (61.1%) watch fireworks or attend another community celebration (42.5%) purchase patriotic merchandise (17.3%) travel or go on vacation (11.3%) attend a parade (9.7%) Have a Happy and Safe Fourth from all of us at Select Metrix!
Continue ReadingJuly Is _____ National Awareness Month
It has been a while since I last posted about important upcoming dates. I was looking through a promotional calendar and started chuckling at some of the titles I was reading. Instead of highlighting just one this month, I thought I would provide all of July’s honor: National Recreation and Parks Month Blueberries Month Cell Phone Courtesy Month Family Reunion Month Herbal & Prescription Awareness Month National Baked Beans Month National Culinary Arts Month National Grilling Month National Hot Dog Month National Make a Difference to Children Month National Purposeful Parenting Month Skyscraper Month Social Wellness Month Women’s Motorcycle Month Mental Illness Awareness Month
Continue ReadingWhere to Find Cheap Gas
We have a couple of approaches to purchasing gasoline within our company. If you are like me, you keep a close eye on the price of gas and attempt to purchase it before it spikes. If not, you are similar to the Hammer who fills up whenever and wherever he needs gas regardless of the price. I read an article on ManageSmarter.com that provided a link to software for your phone. The “Cheap Gas” widget is a free application from GetMobio. They provide an entire suite of applications designed to help cell phone users with a variety of tasks. The program has over 50 applications and the “Cheap Gas” widget… Read More
Continue ReadingCell Phone Tricks You May Not Know
I am catching up on old email newsletters and came across a very interesting read from Penny Freymiller at MinnesotaJobs.com regarding cell phones. I thought these were great tips: The Emergency Number worldwide is 112. Apparently even if you are out of your coverage area or your keypad is locked you can dial 112 and it will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you. Imagine your cell battery is very low, by pressing *3370# your cell will restart with reserve power and will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get recharged when you go to charge your cell phone the next time. If… Read More
Continue ReadingTV Shows Discussed At Work
This seemed like a good Friday topic from Working Wounded: List of the Week Look who’s talking €¦ What TV shows are most talked about at work. “American Idol,” 44 percent “Grey’s Anatomy,” 28 percent None, 21 percent “CSI,” 11 percent “House,” 9 percent From: Spherion I particularly enjoyed “None.”
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