Test Blog Entry Number 2
Can I fix the problem with the size of the images?
No I had to adjust it manually
File That One Under Dumb
So I’ve finished moving into my new desk at work. I was getting some things set up yesterday and I was trying to pull a group of hanging file folders out of the back of the bottom drawer of my desk.
The group of files was stuck and they were not going to move. So instead of investigating the source of the wedge, I decide “I’m going to muscle them out”. As I did the 4 inch section of files did eventually come loose. Unfortunately for me the potential energy I had stored in them as I wrenched them out of the drawer quickly became kinetic energy as the group of files rotated and the top of the folders smashed into my face. In particular, into my nose.
Had this been the end of the story it would not have been worth telling. So now, having been hit in the face, my first reaction was to lower my head and quickly pull the weapon (stack of folders) away from my face. Can you see where I’m going? Maybe this illustration will help:
That doesn’t help let me zoom in a little closer:
When I instantly lowered my head and simultaneously withdraw the weapon (ala Steve Erwin) one of the metal hooks caught the inside of my nose and tore through the edge of the nostril toward the peak of my nose making my nostril about 25% wider. OUCH!
Of course I thought I just hit myself in the face until the blood started pouring out of my nose. Luckily a co-worker, Judy B . . my angel of mercy, came running when she heard the string of profanities leave my cubical. She quickly got paper towels as I cupped the blood under my nose.
Thankfully there is a hospital across the street and after the bleeding slowed and it became apparent that stitches were in order, I drove myself to the ER where the nurse, Pam, and the doc gave me a hard time about losing a fight to a hanging folder.
Two hours and six stitches later I was back at work.
To be sure that I would not fear the need to file again, I jumped right back on that horse and filed another 10 documents. Yeah Me!
File that one under dumb!
Blockbuster Testing NEW Rental Pricing
So it’s raining here in Raleigh and the Princess suggested I head up to Blockbuster to rent a couple flicks. So I row my car through the rain and finally make it to the store.
By the way did everybody in Raleigh go the same Blockbuster at the same time?? Man that place was packed.
I picked up National Treasure 2 and Jumper . . . Reviews will follow later.
After waiting in line for what had to be 10 minutes, the uber chipper girl behind the counter says they are testing a new rental plan . . . .” All movies at now just $3.99 and that’s good till Tuesday, if you feel like you want to keep them longer it’s just 99 cents a day”
My response was . . . “you know that’s funny that sounds just like the pricing plan before Blockbuster very publically touted the end of late fees”
Did Blockbuster really think they are going to slip this reversal of their pricing as a “we are testing a new pricing plan”? Do they think Americans are that dumb? Why not come out and say we had to end the no lates fees policy because lazy people were renting movies and then giving them as gifts! Or they were getting taken to the cleaners whatever, , , but “we’re testing a new pricing plan”.?!?!?!?!?
I guess I’ll starting “testing” that other movie place down the block, or the red box by the front door of my grocery store . . . . . but I’ll tell you these will be the last movies I rent from Blockbuster . . . . hell I paid almost $9.00 for what has so far turned out to be one crappy movie (the other is TBD). For $20 I could have bought 4 previously viewed flicks from them. So while I won’t rent movies from them anymore . . . I might use them to buy the ones I like . . . . hey, 5 bucks a movie ain’t bad.
WordPress Under Siege
So . . . . right after Obama finishes his speech his millions of supporters all run to post their warm and fuzzies on WordPress and bring down the site:
If you wondered what the role of the new media is going to be during this election or what impact it’s going to have just check this out. This election is going to be very different than anything we have seen in the past!
CNN Manufactures Drama
Seriously, did you just see what I saw? CNN threw itself on the altar of Barrack Obama and artificially created drama before the polls closed in South Dakota. They had their team “scouring the Super Delegates” and every two or three minutes before 8 pm they announced that he was one delegate closer and posting a huge delegate countdown behind Wolf Blitzer.
There is only one problem . . . .he already had it . Fox News who was also “scouring the super delegates” clearly showed that he had already clinched the nomination.
But how do we know that it was intentional and not just the fact that Fox News has more effective staffers? Because CNN broke away from John McCain’s speech so that as the clock struck 9PM they could announce that Obama had clinched the nomination. Despite the fact that not a single vote or any results had been announced from South Dakota. Clearly they could have announced it before 9pm as it was not the voting delegates that pushed him over but instead the Super Delegates. So why would a respected news organization play to the script written by the candidate?
Hillary’s supportters have been very vocal about their perception that the media was favoring Obama and not providing equal coverage to their events, issues, and speeches.
But could they have been any more blatant then tonight when CNN manufactured the “suspense” as to “what moment” he was going to clinch the nomination. I think not.
AND ONE MORE THING: Why the hell would CNN cut away from John McCain’s speech to make this spectacle of themselves? Is this typical of the respect he is going to be shown in the months ahead. CNN supported Hillary’s campaign enough to not only show the entire speech but to continue to carry the live feed for an additional two minutes showing her hugging supporters and staffers dancing on stage while Tina Turner’s “Simply the Best” provided the not so subtle hint that perhaps they weren’t done. Two minutes of this while John McCain isn’t even given the opportunity to finish his speech.
Disgusting CNN , it’s pretty clear you’ve got your candidate.
Hannity The Democrat!
If you’ve had the chance to read any of my posts . . . you’ll know I’m a conservative and my reflex is to naturally support Republicans. Wait . . . don’t starting posting your response yet . . . I know simply being willing to declare yourself a Republican in this environment can be hazardous to your health and to your blog.
One of the things I despise about the press, many Democrats and an increasing number of some who call themselves conservatives is the willingness to engage in meaningless name calling and creation of issues where none exist. Unfortunately, Sean Hannity is beginning to sound an awful lot like the shrill nonsensical voices from the left as he continues to insinuate that Barrack Obama is somehow anti-American because he knew Jeremiah Wright and Wright associated with Louis Farrakhan.
Seriously . . . with everything going on in the country this is the issue you decide needs to be aired every single night? Get over it, you are beginning to sound like them . . . .whining until something which is not a issue is fabricated into an issue (read Trent Lott’s comments about Strom Thurman).
I want to hear real debate about how each candidate proposes increasing the supply of oil in the United States (the only real solution to the current high gas prices). I want to know how they will diplomatically engage China and India in the shaping of the world in the future. I want to know how they are going to rebuild New Orleans (which by the way was not George Bush’s fault). I want someone to propose meaningful immigration reform so county and state services are not consumed by non-citizens. We got issues and Jeremiah Wright is not one of them.
I hope to God that this is not what the campaign is going to devolve into. Sean your whining has been noted . . . . Move the Hell on To Something Else!
Spring Cleaning Your MySpace Page . . The Contest!
Please for the love of God update your Myspace page. It’s spring, update your lay out, your status update, your profile song, your pictures . . .anything.
Do you still have those photos of you at the Halloween Party on your myspace page? It’s time to update them. Your friends care about you, all except for Tom, they want to know what you are doing.
Let’s have a contest. Post a reply showing your original MySpace page and your updated one. Let’s see who can create the most improved MySpace page. Then send this blog to your friends and challenge them!
Kris
Message From Col Wessup
So I’ve had this idea for a while. To recreate famous scences from famous movies but do it with kid actors. So today I actually took a swing at having my son Wes recreate that famous speech by Jack Nicholson, as Col. Jessup, in A Few Good Men!
Here is the text from the original scene:
“Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Lieutenant Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know — that Santiago’s death, while tragic, probably saved lives; and my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives.”
Here’s Wes be sure to stay through the end I’ve included some other famous movie quotes and bloopers:
It was alot of fun and Wes loved seeing himself on the computer . . Because someone is bound to ask I created the video using Ulead Video Studio and shot the raw footage on a Sony Digital Handycam(DCR-SR40).
Kris
Chicken Little . . .Your Private Plane is Waiting
So I was clicking around WordPress.com looking for interesting articles and I came across this article on global warming . .
Click Here <== Link to Article
I felt compelled to respond and in doing so thought I’d share my thoughts with you, my favorite reader.
I posted this response to the article:
I think I heard a comedian say once, “I’m not a tree hugger . . .but I am an air breather”. I’m a conservative that believes the less crap we put in the atmosphere the better but I’m unwilling to hamstring our economy because a very vocal minority says we must take “immediate/drastic action to avert a looming catastrophe”.
Remember it is IMPOSSIBLE to prove that something doesn’t exist. I can no more disprove your assertion that burning fossil fuels has created a rise in average global temperatures than you can disprove the theory that any changes in average global temperature are part of the natural heating and cooling that the Earth has undergone for the last 4.5 billion years.
So if we are at a stalemate then we must look for some common ground, otherwise we are just going to continue talking past each other and NOTHING will get done.
BUT if we made the leap that maybe we are both partially right we might try to understand that the effect man has had is not as severe OR as disastrous that some on the left are claiming and MAYBE more gradual (but important) changes can be made to reduce the fractional impact we do have.
If the left continues the “Al Gore” chicken little routine they will cede the argument to the right.
YouTube.com and the Presidency . . . An Introduction
If you know me at all, you know that I love politics. I’m not sure if it was growing up in DC or not but I am constantly plugged into what is happening in the political environment. In fact, I’m probably a politics addict. I would rather watch Meet the Press on Sunday morning than go to church . . . I know that’s scary but it’s true. Thus far I’ve tried to insulate my readers from including too many political articles in my blog because I did not want to turn this into just another politico blog. That would be the fastest way to lose readers. But I had an idea that I wanted to share.
The recent YouTube debate with the Republican candidates for President got me thinking about the impact YouTube and Web 2.0 technologies may be having on the election itself.Acknowledging the power of the internet all of the major candidates are posting videos on the web trying to tap into the viral nature of “user contributed content”. In fact all of the candidates have Channels on YouTube where their videos are posted and available. An astute viewer can track and compare the number of views for each of the candidates and track them overtime.We’ll I’ve isolated those numbers and as of 11:30PM this evening, here are how many views their videos have received.
Views on YouTube 12/17/2007
Democrats
Hillary Clinton 1,132,922
Barrack Obama 11,454,594
John Edwards 721,953
Republicans
Mike Huckabee 344,667
Rudy Guiliani 781,791
John McCain 541,783
Ron Paul 6,413,367
It’s very interesting to see the commanding leads of Obama and Paul . . how will their online popularity translate to political success . . . .we shall see. I’ll update these numbers weekly and provide an analysis of their growth in the coming weeks.
Kris
They Cannot Read Your Mind
Sometimes employees do things and you will be utterly amazed that anyone could do something so _______ (fill in the blank . . . .dumb, moronic, insensitive, career limiting, etc.) This can be especially hard on a manager when they manage experienced employees. If you supervise this group and one of these events occurs, your first thought might be -”Damnit . . . They Should Know Better”.
And while I may agree with you I think there is another system at play; our Personal Operating System or (POS). I firmly believe that we are all a collection of our experiences, our hopes, and our failures. This collection, that some people might call “baggage”, affects everything we see and hear. This collection influences our intrepretation of our environment, our view of the motivations of others, and any potential threat that may or may not exist. You’ve seen people like this . . . . “everyone is out for my job”.
If you have one of these moments you may need to upgrade the Personal Operating Systems of your staff. Unfortunately you cannot download the necessary patch or service pack. The key to successfully upgrading the POS of your staff is to share your own code and as objectively as possible share how the world looks through your eyes. This could be seen as determining the parameters (or expectations that you have) of your POS.
I’m not sure as a Manager I have ever had a discussion with my team about what my core expectations are. So I decided to write down as many of those as possible and I came to the conclusion that these were such a part of my being that I thought everyone thought this way and I probably hadn’t shared them in their entirety.
My Expectations
I expect that you are capable of everything I ask you to do. If you are not, you need to tell me; but before doing so ask yourself if I am expecting too much of you or you are expecting too little of yourself. Think of the requirements to be met . . .focus on the problem that needs to be overcome.
I expect that if you have a problem you will have considered the solution yourself first. In doing so, I expect that when presenting the problem to me, or any other manager, you will present your two best ideas for consideration with a particular recommendation. Think of the solution . . . . .
I expect that if your are on my team you will never say “That’s Not My Job!” Think of the opportunity that could be lost . . . .
I expect that if you know something, you will find an opportunity to share it. We operate in an environment with an abundance of work to be done, there is enough for everyone . . . . Think of the next guy (or gal)
I expect that if you need help you will ask for it. I also expect that if you see a teammate who needs help you will offer it. Think of yourself as a member of a team . . . .
I expect that each of you has an incredible future and as such will operate in a forthright manner toward you as I expect I may be working for one of you in the future. And I expect that you will be equally open and honest with your teammates and customers. Think about what you say and do . . .and how it will comeback to you.
In short my expectation is that you will Think
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By helping our staff “Think” like us, we will be upgrading their POS and have a direct affect on their work and ensure that the “Didn’t They Know Better” incidents are kept to a minimum.
– Kris
Journals Aren’t Just Diaries for Men
So my buddy Robert M from work shared a tip with me that he got at a leadership course he is taking. The instuctor said that all leaders should keep journals. The journal will help their development into being a better leader by allowing you to explore your challenges and accomplishments.
OK so I bit. I went out and bought one of those black and white composition books. You know . . . that one’s you had to buy if you were late shopping for school supplies and it was all they had left.
My first entry, started out with an awful introduction of myself, I guess, in the off chance that mine is the journal aliens find thousands of years from now. This is now my personal Voyager. But oddly enough the entries after the first one have become increasingly more theraputic and interesting . . .I think.
What started out as a Journal on leadership has become my own version of a “what happened today” memory aid and a place where I can muse without publishing . . . . .although I expect that it will allow me to develop more content for my blogs. Which should be good for both of us. 
As I wrote in that landmark first entry I often feel as though I’m getting little bits of ideas and views about that I’m supposed to do (you know when I grow up) but I lose them under the demands at work and when the next idea comes along. This journal has given me a place to put all of these pieces together and see where it takes me.
So do you have a journal or a diary, how do you use it, how frequently do you write in it and what has writing in it done for you?
/kk
Obligatory First Post
Ok, since it’s required to provide the first post really in an effort to see if I ever want to use this site again. I’ll create a news story and see if I like how it turns out. so far word press is pretty easy to use and the navigation and editing is very user friendly and I like to different styles or themes you can select.
If I do decide to keep using this site I’ll discuss some of the things that I love, like My Boys, Coins, Politics, the Web, and Entertainment stuff. I’ll try to keep it interesting and will post as often as I have something to say. I will borrow liberally from others, and most of the time will provide credit where credit is due.
So far I like what I see, I would have liked the ability to more easily embed pictures and video but can link to them just as easily. We’ll see if I post again . . . . .stay tuned.
/kk
Hi, My name is Kris Kovacs and welcome to KoFacts my blog about everyday leadership, management, technology, politics, scouting and other fun stuff. I have a diverse background in financial services and information technology so the topics I cover tend to be applicable to business and IT. Thanks for stopping by. Please subscribe to my blog or bookmark it and visit often.
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