random links

still recovering from the Michigan loss....so here are some links...

10 secrets of networking.....by Keith Farazzi [inc magazine]

sick CEO's.....as an investor, what's your move? [freakanomics blog]

10 reasons you aren't rich....[thestreet.com]

why bank online?  hm....free atms, higher interest rate, no lines.......once you've decided to move online, here's how to choose the right ebank (i use and love Schwab) [dumb little man]

wrapping up my olympic coverage:

who is the world's fastest runner?  (hint, it may not be Bolt) [freakanomics blog]

google...helping people win gold medals.  [tech crunch]

Ohio State - its ok to lose the BCS title game.. That, and more college football lessons from the Olympics [college football news]

Go Small/Shifty/Speedy Blue?

For year (sorry, decades) Michigan football has been defined by "3 yards and a cloud of dust".  Yost played by it.  Bo played by it. And Lloyd Carr played by it. 

Michigan football didn't win by style points.  Everybody knew Michigan's offensive playbook.....run off the right tackle.  Run off the left tackle.  If you get daring, short pass to a big bodied possession receiver.

With Lloyd Carr's retirement, and the hiring of offensive whiz kid Rich Rodriguez signaled a rapid departure.  In one fell swoop, Michigan lost its entire offensive starting unit from last year. 

Out
Gone are the 6'6 inch QBs with the cannon arms.  Gone are the massive 300+ lb offensive lineman.  And gone is the little bulldozer at Running Back (Mike Hart), who fought hard for every yard that he churned out.

In

- former UFC fighter Mike Brawis' ridiculously effective and efficient training routine.  Resulting in six-packs on the OL.  
- 2 way battle for QB between a redshirt freshman transfer (from Georgia Tech) and a former walk-on.
- running back by committee approach including 2 shifty and ridiculously fast true freshman
- 7 different people expected to get the ball from the wide out spot.  Almost all of them will see time at the slot.

So, Michigan was traditionally known as Big Blue.  Since we are no longer Big....does this mean that we're Shifty Blue?  Or, Small Blue (small, as in the new coaching staffs obsession with tiny players)?

My favorite is Speedy Blue.  Will it catch on?

Holy Shit...a new Band of Brothers

So I wrote about how Showtime might be overtaking HBO....but I may have spoken too soon....

HBO is currently in production for a follow-up to the original Band of Brothers.  It will focus on the Pacific theatre of World War 2, and is based on 2 books written by Marines that found in the Pacific.

Here's the kicker....according to wikipedia, The Pacific will be 10 parts (like BoB) and has a reported $200 million budget.  ridiculous.....ridiculously amazing

Is Showtime > HBO?

Oz, Six Feet Under, Sopranos, Deadwood, Band of Brothers, Sex and the City.........all giants in HBO's history that I tried to watch....

now, all they have is Generation Kill (a lame attempt to channel Band of Brothers into Iraq) and Entourage (still fantastic, but sick of the half-seasons).

I recently switched from a Marriott to a Westin hotel.  The Westin, shockingly enough, doesn't offer HBO.  They offer Showtime.

After fuming about the lack of HBO, I finally started watching Showtime, and I'm blown away by the quality of their original programs.

Dexter is creepy...creepy enough to get prime time syndication (edited) on CBS.
Weeds is fun....fun enough to rack up Emmys....and fun enough to employ Kevin Nealon. 
Bullshit is um interesting.....too libretarian for me, but I still enjoy it.

I know that I'm working with a ridiculously small sample here (3 hit shows vs. the HBO list above), but with HBO's major hits on the decline (both Entourage and Curb slated to end in the next few seasons), is this a changing of the guard in the Premier category?

Does Showtime have the ability to carry the torch?

random links...

happy birthday James Bond.....[bbc online]

since its convention time, a hard look at Obama's seemingly offsetting economic views [ny times]

everybody knows who Michael phelps is....he's the reason the Michigan ranked #9 on the top Olympic schools in the US.  here's the full list [forbes]

why does WR#1 keep dropping the easy passes, but making the tough ones???  Oh, he's actually Braylon Edwards (Michigan WR 2001-2004).  hate the naming conventions in EA Sports' NCAA Football?  Check these guys out.  [arstechnica]

uncovering issues at Apple seems to be all the rage these days. here's Slates's report [slate]

need to keep unengaged consultants (from PwC) and economists busy?  tie Olympic performance to esoteric economic statistics and see how they did.  [slate]

Lost Cell Phone

Since I was pent up at my apartment recovering from having my wisdom teeth extracted (a ridiculously painful process), I spent a ton of time watching random crap on TV.  here's some of the crap that I watched:

- frazier reruns on lifetime - yes, lifetime....that station has some crazy commercials for ailments that most men don't know exist

- old school Michigan football on the Big Ten Network. I love the classics, but I seriously think the BTN is in trouble.  Their only commercials are the PSA ads from Big 10 schools!

so between Frazier and Michigan football, I finally ran out of soup, and was forced to venture from my house.  Of course, i somehow lost my cell phone in a cab...

Now I'm back in business with a new phone, but this ordeal got me thinking.  How do you maintain your contacts?  In the old days, people used to keep rolodexes on their desks.  What's the digital equivalent?  Is there an easy, free (or cheap), scalable solution that people use?

hit me back with your thoughts.....

Recovering from wisdom teeth extraction....

ahhhh....painful, swollen, drugged, tired, hungry, thirsty, nasty......all of the above.

my jaw is bloated like Stewie (on Family Guy), I haven't had a coherant thought in 3 days, I've lost 7 lbs on a liquid diet, and my blender isn't working, so I'm stuck drinking protein shakes without any fruit.....

any tips for getting through this?

assorted links

I'm going to be out of commission the next few days (recovering from getting my wisdom teeth out), so this list is going to be extra long!

 The roots and Gym Class heroes in Chicago!  Any interest??? [live nation]

don't fuck with the Soviet Union..esp if you are Polish [reuters]

I've already read 9 of the 30, looks like some long reading ahead....how many have you read? [marc and angel]

Big Brother isn't the federal government, its your ISP!  [slate magazine]

bored at work?  see what you'd look like as a long haired hippe!  [tech crunch]

I love lists, so here's 4 good ones:

  10 rules for investing from a Merrill Lynch legend [the big picture]

  8 essential skills they don't teach you in school [lifehack.org]

   7 powerful ways to get the most out of any situation [zenhabits]

   5 reasons to write down what you eat [dumb little man]


Finally, confirmation (no matter what some rigged poll says) that the Michigan winged helmet is in fact the best in the nation [espn on youtube]

Using a List to Be Better

for some reason, i've taken a liking to Earl Hickey, and his "My Name is Earl" show.  If you aren't familiar with the show's plot, here goes:

- Earl is a thief that lives his life by scamming people
- He wins the lottery (scratcher) and gets hit by a car literally seconds later...losses the winning lottery ticket
- while laying in a hospital, comes across Carson Daley, and hears Carson talking about karma
- Earl decides that he wants to right his wrongs, and creates a list of all the things that he's done bad in his lift.
- Each episode focuses on the wacky adventures to cross an item off his list.

So, take away the fun backstory, and this show is literally about a guy crossing off items his to-do list.  I use my to-do list to manage my random tasks throughout the day.  The typical day has about 10 random things, from updating my blog,scheduling doctor's appointments, and now, staying on track with graduate school applications.  I get tons of shit from my friends about this ("My Dad doesn't even do that!", "lame.....what a geek"), but it helps me get shit done!

Now you have 2 examples (yes, 1 is a ton more entertaining and interesting than the other) of using a list to get shit done.  If Earl can use his list to become a better person (and earn some good-karma points), and I can use mine to stay employed, stay healthy, and get into a top-tier grad school (hopefully), imagine what you can do with yours........


once you decide to make the plunge, here's are good links to check out.  Some are overboard, but they get give you the idea....


building a smarter to-do list [43 folders]

Executing your to-do list [zen habits]

random links

Paging Dave Robicheaux!  This is the plot from the "Tin Roof Blowdown" [bbc online]

we already have the CIA, FBI, and mossad...do we really need a TSA secret spy service?? [msnbc]

more fakery from the Opening Ceremony.  The way things are going, a month from now, we'll learn that the Olympics never actually happened....[irish times]

R.I.P. album covers.....wihtout you, I would have never bought Nirvana's Nevermind [gigwise]

Right now, Blackberry > iPhone.  Here's how to keep it that way...[arstechnica]

More olympic questions.....why so few medals for India?  [marginal revolution]

random links

I want my startup to end up in google's empire...don't i?  [Slate Magazine]

what would you do if diagnosed with an incurable terminal illness?  probably not more than this guy.  [Putting Things Off]

Chicago isn't considered a very spiritual city (must be the Weiner Cirle).....these 5 cities are worth fighting for.  [Brave new traveler]

I'm not really pro-war, but this is pretty frickin cool.....[bbc online]

I want #16, 26, 35, 40, and 48.  Which championships would you want?  [espn page 2]

put down that book!  turn on the TV!  don't you realize that books are rotting your mind!!! [io9]

Insurance Companies believe in Michael Phelps....do you?

By now, everybody has heard the story of Michael Phelps, and how he's on pace to win an unprecedented 8 Olympic gold medals this year.  He's the main event at the Olympics, the golden-boy.  So I'm not going to rehash how incredible he's been (and yes, that is exactly what he is, incredible).

As I drove to work, Mike & Mike were discussing Phelps, and I learned something new.  Speedo, his primary sponsor and maker of his swimsuit, has a deal where if Phelps wins 7+ golds this year, he will earn an additional $1 million in bonus money.  But this isn't the first time that he's had this deal.

In the 2004 Athens Games, Speedo had the same deal with Phelps.  You win 7 golds, you take home a cool million.  That year, Speedo insured this deal, so that if Phelps won, Speedo would only have to pay $300k of the prize, leaving the remainder to the insurance company.  Of course, he went on to win 6 Gold medals, and didn't win the prize.

Fast forward to this year.  Speedo largely left the deal the same,  win 7, go home rich.  They shopped the deal around...and one-by-on....GEICO, Progressive, Allstate, Loyd's of London, etc.....all passed!  Now Speedo is on the hook for the entire $1 in the event that he shatters all 8 events.

so, if the bean counters and actuaries at the world's largest insurance companies believe in him....do you?

random links

A preview of President Obama's cabinet.  Fox News is ready to explode [link]

Is the downturn contained to only 2 sectors..[link] found via [abnormal returns]

This guy has earned his commission....portfolio turnover twice a day?  [link] found via [abnormal returns]

If you can train cops how to do their job, you can get a prison break [link] found via [fark]

Suffering from Tech-overload......see inside [link]

Even without Radiohead's score, Chuck Palahniuk's Choke is going to rock....[link]

Half Marathon Done!

I've written about running a ton in the past (click on the "Running" category link on your right), but I finally did it....I ran a half marathon.

My official time clocked in at 2 hours, 8 minutes, and 19 seconds.  Not a world record, city record, or course record by any means, but was still a significant accomplishment for myself......My average pace worked out to about 9:48 min/mile...

So, now that I'm done with the race, and my body has recovered, I thought that I'd share some lessons that I picked up along the way..

1) Registration is powerful - For years, I wanted to run a half marathon, but it didn't happen. I found excuses, told myself that I didn't have the dedictation, energy, or time, and allowed myeslf to fail.  Until I paid the $55 registration fee put the date in my planner.  All of a sudden, I found time, energy, and the will to train.

2) Find a plan - Ok, I'm registered, do I suddenly run 13.1 miles?  Of course not....since I had never run this far before, I decided to find a training plan online.  Find a plan, stick to it. 

Here are some links to get you started:

Hal Higdon - Official Coach of the Chicago Marathon
Runner's World Magazine

There are a million plans online, so find one that works with your schedule, and try to stick to it.  I used the Hal Higdon "novice" plan, and it gently brought me from running 3 miles to 10.

3) Listen to yourself - At first, I'd find ways to trick myself into believing that I was sore, so I couldn't work out.  Eventually, you need to find a way to differentiate between fake pain and actual pain.  Don't run if you are hurt....take time to rest.

4) Explore your city - Probably works better in the summertime, but I did the majority of my running in either Chicago or Tampa.  Unless weather forced me indoors, I preferred to run outside. 

In Chicago, I explored the Lake Michigan Coast, figuring out where the coldest drinking fountains are (no question....the ones near the Recreation Drive tennis courts), the best way to avoid mosquitos (don't run at night), and where the coolest boats are (Montrose Harbour). 

In Tampa, I ran along Tampa Bay, following BayShore Ave.  The sightseeing wasn't as scenic as Chicago, but sometimes I'd see some cool boats or pelicans. 


5) Have Fun With It - Running a half marathon is tough work.  From an evolutionary standpoint, the human body isn't designed to run long distances (yes, i just made that up, but it works..sue me).  Most people don't wake up and decide to run 13.1 miles, so if you are going to do it....then might as well have fun with it.  Load up your ipod with some cool tunes and enjoy the day. 

or, if you are a geek like me, load up your ipod with some good audiobooks, and get some "reading" done during your training.  I listened to the following books during my training:

- Shantaram -
- Team of Rivals -
- Snuff - (by the writer of Fight Club)

and at the finish of the race, I'm halfway through The Tin Roof Blowdown.  so yes, you can multitask and get some reading done while running.

6) Enjoy it - On race day, realize that you have trained for 3 months for this day.  So, line up with your number, and soak in the feeling.   If you need to walk, walk.  Stop and get water and gatoraid.  Talk to your fellow runners.   When its over, grab a great celebratory meal (just not at Old Town's Flat Top Grill - link), and bask in the glory of your race.


Looking back, I probably made a ton of mistakes along the way, but I know that I'm in much better shape now that back in May when I started training. 

Last point....your time is just a number that you will beat the next time out.  That being said, what's the best race that you've run in?  My next half marathon will probably be in the Jan-March timeframe, so any suggestions???  I'm not locked into Chicago, and ideally, I'd like to travel for it...and see a new city in the process...

I heart Hart

Found via a message board on thewolverine.com

Little Mikey Hart, the leading rusher in Michigan football history, is the little engine that just keeps rumbling to success.  He did it in high school, he did it in college, and now, he's starting to do it in the NFL.

link

I loved him as a Wolverine because he never gave up on a play, always took and gave a beating, and just flat out gamed.  Ultra reliable (until the Citrus Bowl), he talked a huge game, but backed it up on the playing field.....Since taking the reins as #1 RB as a true freshman, he was the heart and soul of the program.....


Glad to see him doing great things for Tony Dunge in Indy.....
. 

Indians at the Olympics

Lost in all the Michael Phelps / Lebron James / Kobe Bryant hubub is that the fact that 2 Indians have won medals already at this year's Olympics....

The first was Indian national Abhinav Bindra, who won the Gold medal in the Men's 10m Air Rifle Shooting competition.  Considering that I've never shot a gun, and almost all the Indians I know haven't shot one, I don't really think of Indians as proficient marksmen, but I'm working with a small sample.  Maybe Bindra is a sign of the changing times in India, where young desis are growing up dreaming of winning Olympic glory in the Air Rifle.

The other was Indian American Raj Bhavsar, who won the Brozne as part of the American gynmanastics team.  According to ESPN, he replaced Paul Hamm at the last minute, and helped the team take a surprising Brozne in the artistic competition.

Congrats Raj and Abhivav!

Book Review - The Beach

 Its been awhile since I've done this, but I finally finished a book!

The book was Alex Garland's wonderful "The Beach".   The book has been described as some sort of "Lord of hte Flies" for Generation X, but I disagree.

Its about a backpacker who's searching for the ultimate holiday spot, a beach that hasn't been discovered by other tourists.  By random chance, he bunked next to a dying man named "Daffy Duck" in a Thai hostel.  The dying man told Richard (the traveller) about a Beach that was beautiful, untamed, and an absolute must see....he even drew a map for Richard.

Richard, being the backpacker that he is, decides to recruit some other people to join him.  They find the beach, and becoming a part of the official unofficial beach clan.  Run like a commune, with rules, orders, and jobs for everybody, Richard and his friends learn to the love the beach..until they discover its underbelly..........can't give away more about the plot without giving it away....

The plot was absolutely riveting....a bit slow to begin, but once you get a bit into it, you won't want to put it down.  The author leveraged all 5 senses when describing locations, actions, and intentions.....you can really close your eyes and picture the scene (cliche in a review, i konw, but i'm serious)..

the pace...again, a bit slow to begin, but picks up nicely.  really short chapters, I almost felt like I was reading a book by Chuck Palahniuk (the dude that wrote Fight Club), but witty enough to feel like something by Kurt Vonnegut (and so it goes).....

overall, I really loved the book, and would recommend it to anybody that likes adventure stories and traveling.  I haven't seen the movie yet (starring Leonardo DiCaprio), but I would add it to my netflix queue (provided that I start an account with them first)......

random links....

raising money for a poilitical campaign is easier with a cute little cartoon......link

frozen fish?  why am i getting flashbacks from elementary school?  washington post

since reading a book about it, I've been fascinated with Burma...here's an first news update to come out of Burma since 1988....bbc news

I love my moleskin, but need to start writing down my goals...here's why....get rich slowly
    - an example of writing down your goals and doing well.....Inc. Magazine

Africa, where computers go to die....bbc news

Microsoft thinks that Messenger is responsible for 1/2 of all global IM traffic???  I'm shocked!, also, we are really only 6 degrees away from Kevin Bacon.....daily galaxy, found via digg

random links

need a spreadsheet.....visit here

paging Jay Sherman!  America needs its favorite animated critic!  found via digg

most gyms are gross enough....here's how to be better about it  - link

we already knew that jazz listeners were misfits and loners....here's proof

too bad real currency isn't made of nicotine...maybe my Altria stock would finally appreciate.  read about the underground market in POW Camps

Salon.com's "Ask the Pilot"

As a regular traveler, I try to keep up in air-travel trends.  From frequent flier bonus schemes, to updated airline security standards, its in my best interest to keep on top of all this madness.

So lately, I've started reading salon.com's execellet "Ask the Pilot" weekly editorial.  The author, Patrick Smith, is a commercial pilot for a US carrier, and flies a ton more than I do.  So, I find his rants and raves mildly entertaining.....

I was catching up with my pilot reading, when I saw his article about TSA insanity (link).  As a regular traveler, I agree that the TSA has become way too large, way too bureaucratic, and way too gestapo-ish (is that even a word?).  I've read about travelers getting their laptops seized as they cross borders.....apparntly terrorists haven't learned of data encryption and proper backup procedures....

Since its summer storm season both in Tampa and Chicago, I've been doing my part to avoid ORD like the plague.  It isn't too bad on Monday morning, but its hell trying to get home on Thursday night.  But, luckily, there's another option...Midway.  Flying from Tampa to Midway means Southwest, and it means going through the Southwest terminal in Tampa. 

For some reason, the TSA agents at the Southwest terminal (and only at this terminal, i haven't had any problems at the AA terminal) hassle me weekly about my saline solution bottle.  Since its considered a medical supply (being for my contact lenses, which I use to see), it isn't required to be less than 3 oz, and isn't required to go into the 1 Quart Bag of Freedom.  I get asked, "why do you need so much solution" (because i use it daily), "why not buy little bottles" (they are expensive, and its unsanitary to transfer from the large to the small bottle), "why not just wear glasses when you travel" (um, are you seriously trying to tell me what I can wear and what I can't?  where are your qualifications to give medical advice?  I travel every week and I like wearing contacts...deal with it).....i know that I'm ranting, but I'm sick of inconsistent madness that I go through on a weekly basis.....

How do you guys deal with outlandish airport security?  Do you remeber to remove your belt, cell phone, laptop, liquids (both medical and non-medical), dvd player, xbox, and shoes...and place in seperate bins?

Links...and a potentially new format

Back in late March, I started this site for a few reasons:

1) share the random thoughts that I have running through my head
2) become more comfortable writing my thoughts, and hopefully becoming a better, more interesting writer in the process

5 months in, I'm starting to hit a wall.  As most of my readers have started to realize, my life just isn't all that interesting.  But, I firmly believe that there's a opportunity in every experience, so I'm not going to give up.  I'm slowly starting my business school applications, so I'm hoping that I can vent about the frustrations that are associated with that.

In the meantime, I know that I spend more time trolling the net for random links and random knowledge than the average user.  So, I'm going to start sharing some of my interesting finds.  I can't promise that I'll update this on a daily basis, but this site would be pretty useless if I didn't update it regularly. 

With all that said.....here's my first attempt to share some random knowledge for the web!

for introverts (like me), learn how to diplomatically ignore extraverts....for extraverts, learn how to keep bothering introverts - via pickthebrain.com

i like tshirts...and I'm proud of my tshirt collection.  add to yours...$10 / each.....@ busted teas, found via bargainist

I would vote for a McCain / Harvey Dent ticket.....but I'd love an Obama / Lando ticket better.....what's your favorite?  - via film school rejects

want to see Fenway park?  Chicago O'Hare to Boston Logan for $173 round trip - via airfarewatchdog

a list of the greatest speeches in history...curiously, "This is Sparata" is missing - via the art of manliness

A potentially interesting read......a journalist's take on HBS

Over my morning breakfast, I came across this article (Back to School, Turning Crimson) in the Wall Street Journal.  Its a quick review of Broughton Philip Delves' Ahead of the Curve, an insider's perspective on the Harvard Business School. 

While there are numberous books written by HBS grads (their 900 large class makes this easier), this one is different becuase its actually written by a journalist that attended the school. 

I haven't read the book yet, but it may find a way onto my list......thought i'd pass it along.

Running Update

So last week, I wrote about my apparently inability to run 10 miles.  I'm happy to report an update...

After moving into my new place on Thursday, and spending Friday and Saturday getting settled in, I went for a post-move stress-free run on Sunday morning, and actually completed the full 10 (10.01 in total) miles!

Total Time - 1 hour, 23 minutes, and 58 second......an average of 8:23 min/mile pace.

I plugged this run into a race calculator (link), and it claims that I'll finish my upcoming half-marathon in under 2 hours!!!

Thanks to everybody that gave me support over the last week, or over the last 3 months...and helping push me towards this goal........

lifehacking.....

Lifehacking....

Computer enthusiasts effectionally wear the badge of "hacker" proudly.  Contrary to popular opinion, hacking is not breaking into other people's systems, setting off nuclear bombs, and crashing financial systems.  The hackers that I know use their knowledge to help find innovative, unique, or interesting ways to perform random tasks with technology.

From "overclocking" their processor to gain more speed, to "modding" their Tivo to hold a larger hard drive....hackers often find a way to gain productivity that was not possible under conventional methods.

An article in the Economist brought to be the popular blog Lifehacker (www.lifehacker.com) a few years ago.  The premise of lifehacker was simple, using the hacker ethics to work and life more productively.

My random visit to Lifehacker drove me into more research....reading David Allen's "Getting things done", to other sites like zenhabits, lifehack.org, and 43folders.com

As a result of my interest in lifehacking, I've become a slave to my "hipster pda"....a moleskin notebook and nice pen.  My friends have seen me writing in it, and I constantly write down to-dos and random notes to myself.

also, through lifehacking, I have become devoted to "better living through measurement".  I've started slowly, measuring my progress in jogging.  A few weeks ago, I widened my measurement net, and started measuring my caffeine consumption, with the ultimate goal of quitting caffine.  Once I get that under wraps, I plan on logging my food.....and hopefully finding peace with a healthier diet.

While I'm still not organized, and as my coworkers can attest, still incredibly unproductive...I'm making baby steps towards my personal and professional goals....and I thank lifehacking for lighting a fire under me. 

Some resources to getting started:

Online -
Lifehacker - my original foreay into this concept.  While it is more technology driven, there is occassionally a great article written there.

Lifehack.org - Doesn't provide specific systems for productivity, but I've come to rely on this site for interest quotes.

43folders.com - utterly devoted to David Allen's concept of "Getting Things Done".  newbies might find it to be a little too much, but, I like it.

Books -
"Getting Things Done" by David Allen
"The 4 Hour Work Week" by Timothy Ferris

Tools-
Moleskin notebook - i know its just a notebook...but I love mine, and I'm completely lost without it...

Parker pen - yes, its a $5 pen, but since I knew that I spent $5 on it, the pen is always next to my moleskin

Quicken (or MS Money) - the ultimate for data geeks.  I use it to track credit cards, investments, and plan for my financial future.

I know that this list is nowhere near exhaustive, so....what have you guys found helpful?  Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.