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January 2, 2008

New Year ... New Job?

Seems like this time of year a lot of people contemplate their life, their career, etc. It's this whole New Year resolution thing. I'm constantly evaluating things, so this arbitrary date on the calendar doesn't mean a whole lot to me, although the completion of another orbit around the sun does seem quite thrilling.

Maybe that's why the Astronaut Candidate positions that NASA has posted caught my eye. The pay range is $59,000 to $140,000 - I presume the higher end is for those with pilot experience. A couple of things to note in the posting - 1) Training lasts approximately two years. 2) Frequent travel may be required. I'm guessing that some of that travel may involve great distances.

Posted by Mike at 8:00 AM | Comments (0)

June 18, 2007

What Kind of Accent Do You Have??

I'm not sure why, but when I was younger I tried to avoid sounding Southern. I was born and raised in Stone Mountain, GA which you might think would lead me toward the stylings of Rhett Butler, although he was from Charleston and should also not to be confused with the former Atlanta Brave Brett Butler. It would seem that I've succeeded in having a neutral accent, at least according to this test.

What American accent do you have? (Best version so far) Midland ("Midland" is not necessarily the same thing as "Midwest") The default, lowest-common-denominator American accent that newscasters try to imitate. Since it's a neutral accent, just because you have a Midland accent doesn't mean you're from the Midland.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

Posted by Mike at 7:48 AM | Comments (1)

May 17, 2007

Too Much Beer + Too Much Free Time

Yields this video. Check it out when you have 2 minutes to kill.

Posted by Mike at 11:55 AM | Comments (0)

May 15, 2007

Angus is Ok!

The lump on Angus's nose turned out to just be a cyst caused by some sort of trauma to the nose. He had it removed 6 days ago and I just got the results of the biopsy this morning.

Posted by Mike at 2:25 PM | Comments (0)

January 28, 2007

There must be an Alabama joke in here somewhere...

Go get a map and follow this logic:

Gay's odyssey began Sunday, when he escaped from a prison transport van in South Carolina during a bathroom break. He was being taken from Georgetown, Texas to face felony theft charges in Alabama. Police think his motive was to visit his dying mother in Tennessee -- and he almost made it.

None of this would have happened if the driver had not been from Alabama. The whole way back on the freeway he must have been seeing signs that said "See Rock City" and instead of taking the fugitive straight to the jail in Alabama, they kept going to South Carolina. Really - how else would you end up in South Carolina traveling from Texas to Alabama?? That's just messed up.

Read for yourself -> Fugitive Accused Of Stealing Singer's Bus Nabbed

Posted by Mike at 6:13 AM

December 11, 2006

The Dumbest Show on Television

I've had a tough time figuring out what the dumbest show on television is. I'm waiting for Monday NIght Football to come on (Bears vs Rams), and I found a strong candidate. Deal or No Deal is certainly in the top 5 of the dumbest. I'm sure it gets phenomenal ratings, though.

The whole thing is an expected value problem. Right now, there are 4 briefcases left, the highest of which is $500,000. Expected value of this problem is a little over $125,000 (the other 3 are small dollar amounts). The offer is $119,000. I'd probably stop there. Too bad we won't know what happens 'cause I'm gonna go watch football now ('cause that's what men do).

Posted by Mike at 8:25 PM

December 9, 2006

Know What You Stand For

Representative Lynn Westmoreland from my home state of Georgia was interviewed by Steven Colbert. Colbert asks him about his sponsoring a bill requiring the dispaly of the 10 commandments in the US Capitol. He then asks Westmoreland to name the 10 commandments. This video shows the result. Note to self - know what you stand for before someone calls you on it.

Posted by Mike at 8:00 AM

December 7, 2006

Bias in the Media

Bias seems quite apparent within the media. You see a liberal NY Times and a conservative Wall Street Journal. There has been argument over the past decade that the media is far more lenient towards Democrats than Republicans. Freakonomics co-author Steven Levitt recently pointed us to some academic research that studies bias in the media. This has had me paying more attention to the words and images used by various news organizations to describe situations, and I found an interesting one today. Here is a quote from an article about a US House election in Florida (emphasis mine):

She came to national attention six years ago when, as Florida's secretary of state, she presided over the 2000 presidential election recount that gave George W. Bush the presidency.

I use this example because the wording could be taken to mean that the Presidency was given to Bush, rather than meaning he was elected President. Remember that there were 49 other states voting in that election. Other examples I've heard a lot lately include talking about money being "distributed" to individuals rather than "earned by" them. Wealth is only distributed in the same sense that grades are... they can be quantified statistically, but that doesn't mean the individual at the higher end of the scale didn't earn it.

So keep your eyes peeled when reading or listening to the news. Try to separate the facts from the spin that is put on them. Decide for yourself how you think about issues rather than lettnig someone else dictate your feelings to you.

Read Full Story -> Dean seeks new election in Fla. race - Yahoo! News

Posted by Mike at 7:19 PM

December 4, 2006

Need Some Help Attaining a Big Goal???

For the thousands of you that view this site in a feed reader, let me encourage you to click through to this entry's page on my site to view this short, helpful video. It may just contain the information you need to achieve your next big goal!

Posted by Mike at 10:12 PM

August 28, 2006

Where Am I?

Yes, it's been 3 weeks since I graduated with my MBA from Georgia State University and I have not blogged since that fantastic day. The reality is, not much has changed. I'm working a few opportunities on a few different fronts but nothing earth shattering.

However today I got this great fortune with my beef and veggies. I usually pack a ham & turkey sandwich for lunch so I know that this was part of destiny. It reads: "Tomorrow your creative side will shine forth with exceptional ideas."

So with that in mind, I'm going to cut it short today. I don't want to waste any more energy on these non-exceptional ideas now that I know what tomorrow will bring!

Posted by Mike at 1:55 PM

July 5, 2006

Support for the War

Yeah yeah yeah, so it's July 5th and I'm a day late in posting this.

BUT - would you have supported the revolutionary war? Seriously - think about it. There were just a bunch of white guys sitting in a room crafting a letter to the king of England that basically told him to piss off. Would you have thought that was a good move?

My guess is probably not.

Posted by Mike at 7:45 AM

May 1, 2006

Mayday! Mayday!

Steve McCroskey: What the heck is that?
Johnny: Why, that's the Russian New Year. We can have a parade and serve hot hors d'oeuvres...

... from Airplane!

Posted by Mike at 2:10 PM

April 12, 2006

New Plus / Minus Grading at Georgia State University

For years (perhaps decades), professors at Georgia State University have requested the ability to give more meaningful grades than simply A B C D or F. According to this announcement, they have gotten their wish. Overall I think this may have a positive outcome in shaping the competitive nature of grades. Unfortunately, it appears students are getting the shaft by not having an A+ in the grade scale. An A will be a 4.0, an A- a 3.7. In all other ranges, there is a + to offset the -, but not in the A. What gives?

The other question I have is how will this affect recipients of the Hope Scholarship? I have long argued that the Hope scholarship has led to grade inflation at the high school and collegiate levels in Georgia. As I understand the requirements, a student must maintain a B average. My gut reaction is that there will be no impact. Professors will be afraid of giving a student a B- because that may be the one class that disqualifies the student from the scholarship. My hunch is that they want to differentiate between the solid A and the just skirting by A. Thus, there is no A+ to allow a student to offset his A-.

This new policy will go into effect starting the Fall Semester of 2006. If my life stays on its current path, I will earn my MBA in Finance on August 5 and will thus not gain first hand experience with the new system. To everyone who is left - good luck! If it's anything like the curriculum change in the MBA program, you're going to need it!

Posted by Mike at 9:51 PM

February 20, 2006

I'm Still Alive

Just a quick note to say that yes, I am here and am still alive. This week and next have midterm exams in them. Needless to say, that has been taking a considerable amount of time. Tonight was an internal/external analysis of Netflix, using Porter's 5 Forces & Value Chain frameworks, PEST analysis, resource & capabilities, rent generating potential, and a host of other tools. Next Tuesday night will be a financial analysis and loan structuring for what I think is a barber shop chain (but I'm not entirely sure).

In other news, I finished the Run The Reagan Half Marathon in 2 hours and 19 minutes (and 2 seconds for those of you keeping up with the minutiae). It was great fun and I feel really good about myself at this point. I'm not sure what the next event is, but I'm planning on a duathlon, triathlon, and a marathon this year. That may be a bit ambitious, but I should be graduating with my MBA in August, so I'll have to find something to fill in some of that spare time.

And as a parting public service announcement, someone arrived at my site by googling "famous atlanta georgia rappers". I am not sure why they were reffered to my site (although now that I'm blogging it, I'm sure the traffic will increase tremendously). Anyway, as a public service, I thought I would re-route you to this site, which I think has some related contact information to aid you in your search based on the latest news reports.

Posted by Mike at 10:36 PM

January 10, 2006

A Homeless Problem of a Different Kind in India

You can form your own opinions.

In Delhi alone, officials say there are tens of thousands of cattle on the streets, despite a 1957 law allowing the government to seize strays. Wandering cattle cause traffic accidents, clog sewers with dung and even make people who drink their tainted milk sick. The problem is especially acute as more cars, created by the subcontinent's booming economy, ply jammed roadways.

Read More (registration req'd) -> WSJ.com - Overrun India Tries Microchips to Track Garbage-Eating Cows

Posted by Mike at 7:36 AM

January 4, 2006

Canada - What a Country!

The next thing you know, they'll be paying them to drink!

Seventeen homeless adults, all with long and chronic histories of alcohol abuse, were allowed up to 15 glasses of wine or sherry a day -- a glass an hour from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. -- in the Ottawa-based program, which started in 2002 and is continuing.

Read more -> Free booze makes homeless healthier: study - Yahoo! News

Posted by Mike at 9:29 AM

December 21, 2005

Judge Bans Learning

I am a lifelong learner - a sponge, if you will. I enjoy learning new things and debating the ins and outs with others. Being introduced to other view points creates a well rounded individual. We like for things to be cut and dry, black or white. But that is just not the way our world is.

There are safeguards in our constitution that protect us against the "tyranny of the majority" (deTocqueville). The idea was that majorities would often be relative - the 55/45 kind of split we see between Republicans and Democrats in the US. But on many issues, the majority is 85% or more. The "war on Christmas" banter that has been going on for the past several weeks is really insane since over 75% of Americans are Christian according to this survey performed by the census bureau (see tables 67-69). We have allowed a few to use our court systems and create a tyranny of the minority.

I understand that the government schools want to rewrite history so as to avoid any conflict. That is not learning - that is indoctrination. It is simple enough to say "Darwin's theory is the only scientific explanation for our creation. There are other explanations that have been proposed, mostly from religious sects. You will perhaps encounter them in 'social science' classes in high school and college, or through discussions with your parents or clergy." There. 3 sentences could solve this problem. I have a feeling that is so simple a solution that it will be ignored.

Read More -> Judge bans teaching intelligent design - Yahoo! News

Posted by Mike at 7:00 AM

December 13, 2005

It's Final Exam Week

It's final exam week for Fall Semester 2005. Boy am I glad this one is coming to a close. I have a final exam in my leadership class tonight. It should go fairly well - it's all essays. As long as I match up my leadership styles and terminology with a solid solution for the cases presented it will be ok. The one drawback to all of this is that our annual department lunch is today - so I won't be able to read through my notes at lunch time like normal.

Speaking of my office - today is my 6 year anniversary of working here. Amazing. I'm going to be drawing on those 6 years here, as well as many of the companies I've consulted for or worked for in the past, to do a 4 part series on organizational culture. Be on the lookout for that to drop on Fridays this coming January.

My International Finance class wrapped up yesterday with the submission of our team term project. We studied foreign exchange exposures and risk minimization techniques that are employed by UPS, as well as recommendations for areas for them to look for improvement. Not that they needed improvement. Based on analyst reports and their own public filings, they appeared to be doing a bang-up job with their overseas operations. But it was a fun assignment and a good way to apply all of the things we studied (currency/interest rate swaps, foreign exchange, futures, forwards, interest rate parity, purchasing power parity, etc).

Thursday night is my final exam in Valuation. I have a solid B going into the exam. I blame myself and the instructor equally. Had I worked more problems from the book and relied less on her teaching I would have an A in that class. Oh well - you live, you learn. I did learn quite a bit in there - I just don't feel like the way I handled her exams proved that. Maybe I'll blog more on her later (after my final grade is recorded).

Once this crap is out of the way, I can gear up for my favorite time of the year - Christmas! What's on your wish list this year?

Posted by Mike at 11:30 AM

December 11, 2005

Now Blogging -> Mike Brady

My buddy Mike Brady is blogging up on the FoxSports website. You should all go check him out. He is THE sports water cooler for all of you cubicle dwellers stuck in sports-impaired offices.

Posted by Mike at 8:38 PM

December 10, 2005

"We're Really Close to Finding a Cure for This"

So I'm watching Celebrity Poker Showdown (or at least it's on while I'm studying for my finals). Someone gets eliminated and is on the couch talking about the charity he was playing for and he says "the doctors at Stanford are really close to finding a cure for this disease." My question is - how do they know? What if they are no closer today than they were XX years ago when they started?

I guess the reasoning for making this claim is that someone may be more inclined to give to a cause if they think that their money is going to push it over the top and fund the cure. Why give to a cause that is a long way off when you can give afew bucks and maybe hear someone yell "we've found a cure!!"

Posted by Mike at 2:55 PM

December 9, 2005

Noodles on my Back?

Far too many of you arrive at my website by searching the phrase "noodles on my back". This is undoubtedly what you are looking for. I'm assuming that the search engines bring you here because of my china trip. While I did eat a lot of noodle dishes over there, I never had noodles on my back. Sorry to disappoint.

Posted by Mike at 2:00 PM

October 27, 2005

Attention Cubicle Dwellers

Scott Adams (the man behind Dilbert) has started blogging.

I will admit I was scared at first. There are famous personalities whose work I enjoy immensely, and then they open their mouth about topics they are less informed about and ruin it for me. So far, Scott seems to be as straight up about real life as his characters capture real life for us cube dwellers.

Posted by Mike at 7:00 AM

September 2, 2005

Check Your Credit Report for Free

Over the past nine months, Federal legislation has been ramping up across the country to require each of the big three credit reporting agencies (Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian) to each provide you a free credit report once a year. You can get yours at AnnualCreditReport.com.

Some tips:

• Have your financial information handy when you log on. They are going to ask you some financial questions about loan amounts, lenders, addresses, etc. in order to verify your identity.
  
• Don't order all three at once. They generally are getting the information from the same sources, so if you space out your requests and get Equifax now, TransUnion 4 months from now, and Experian 4 months from then, you'll have the equivalent of 3 free reports a year.
  
• Read carefully. Each of these companies also offer free credit reports, but end up signing you up for credit monitoring services after 30 days. Your free credit report may turn into a $10 a month service that you weren't in need of.
  
• Verify that you are going to the official credit report site. Heck, don't even trust the link I gave you above. There are no doubt going to be people trying to phish your information away via email and bogus websites; just like they're currently trying to do with banks, eBay, etc. When in doubt, go to the Federal Trade Commission's website and you will get the whole low-down on legitimate ways of receiving your credit report for free.
  

Posted by Mike at 1:11 PM

August 9, 2005

Public Wedding Proposals

Here is an interesting article on wedding proposals. My proposal to Tammy was pretty unconventional. We were looking at rings and she found one that she did not want to take off of her hand. I said if she didn't take it off her hand, I wouldn't be able to do the one knee thing and she was perfectly okay with that. Seven months later we were married.

I think the subtle marketing campaign the acquarium featured in the article is pretty good - stick the diver in there for free, and then give them some literature and such about the facilities they have there for hosting a wedding. And what about the guy charging $180 an hour for ideas on unique proposals - wish I'd thought of that.

Posted by Mike at 7:45 AM

August 1, 2005

Learning From Your Log Files

At the end of each month, I look through the server logs to see what people are googling when they come to my site, and what other sites are linking to me. This is sort of a check point to see if
a) My material is interesting to anyone other than me (it seems to be), and
b) Does my material reflect who I am, what I believe, etc.

Several searches catch my eye as being positive:
"Mike Schubert" or "Michael Schubert" - great. You found me. Welcome.
"ga restrictive neighborhood covenants" and "getting out of your restrictive covenant georgia" - good luck to you. I've blogged about what a PITA 2% of my neighbors are over these things.
"application architect" - that's me.
"publix deli" - the one near my office and gym has gotten better. I wonder if they read my blog.
"ga tech mba grades inflated" - To the best of my knowledge. Grade inflation is rampant across the country, though.

Then, there are those entries that worry me.
"buford hwy hookers", "street hookers atlanta", "hookers of gainesville" (hopefully they mean gainesville, fl not gainesville, ga), "gainesville hookers", "hookers on metropolitan parkway atlanta". Ok - I'm not an authority on hookers. I can generally spot them when I see them, but I'm not going to advertise for them on my site. Go somewhere else.
"show free resumes to write for mba marketing manager position" - huh?
"don and mike fatality" - I don't have any friends named Don, and no one named Don is on my trip with me, so I don't think this is foreshadowing anything.

Oh well - I realize I just made matters worse by blogging about the ladies of the street above. But once your page is Googled, it's out there anyway, so one more post won't kill me. I'm glad that many hundreds of you out there find some value in my ranting.

What's on tap in August? Coverage of Mike's big adventure! More details to come, so stay tuned.

Posted by Mike at 7:15 AM

July 30, 2005

Uncanny Cycles of Life

Many things in life are cyclical. Sometimes, you just have to take a long enough view to see the cycle. And sometimes, cycles synchronize with one another. This phenomenon can been seen in female dormitories on college campuses. Or so they tell me.

I think I have found another one of those cycles that synchronizes - men's haircuts. All it takes is one guy to say "I gotta get my haircut tonight" and then the others start realizing that in fact they also need to get a haircut. Within a week or so, they will all have haircuts.

Yeah - I know, that's a pretty weak observation.

Posted by Mike at 10:32 AM

July 27, 2005

Not Everyone Can Be a Victim

These tv newsreaders are getting on my nerves. This morning's story? There was a home invasion over night. The owner of the home started shooting at the invaders. The "VICTIM" was taken to the hospital. Victim? No, the CRIMINAL was taken to the hospital after the victim shot him.

Who watches the tv news any more? We have it on while we're getting dressed just to know whether to take the umbrella. And they're even wrong about that. I'd love to see the marketing research to know who their customers are and exactly what it is they're wanting out of tv news.

Posted by Mike at 7:32 AM

July 25, 2005

Google-ize Your Name

You have no doubt seen people with their name or logo in a Google-like font. If you want to join the fun, check out this site. I couldn't resist.

Note that the site mentioned above may generate a different look every time. So if you don't like the way the first try went, just go back and hit submit again.

Posted by Mike at 7:00 AM

July 5, 2005

TV News Stinks

<soapbox>
If the television is the only place you get your news from, you are missing 99.9% of what is going on in your city. (Mike's note: Be sure to read example 2 if you want to skip our first example).

Example 1: We witnessed a horrible accident on I-985 just North of GA Hwy 20 (Buford). A vehicle crossed the median into oncoming traffic, narrowly missing us. The motorcyclist behind us could not stop and t-boned the other vehicle. Surprisingly and thankfully the motorcyclist was alive/concious when the ambulance left for the hospital. The driver of the vehicle was not so lucky. Did the TV news pick this up? Nope - they don't have pictures, so they don't show it. Major highway shut down, loss of life, etc. Didn't get mentioned at all. The other fatality of the day (also close to our house) did make it. Why? They had footage.

Example 2: This morning around 2a.m., the driver of an 18 wheeler filled with diesel fuel was struck in the face by an exploding bottle rocket. I have no idea how these people were able to aim one into the cab of the passing truck, but there is a lot of gun play in the area so I guess the perps got a lot of practice. Here's a quote from WSB tv's sister station WSB radio:

Police believe vandals were throwing chunks of concrete and fireworks at the truck, causing it to crash. Atlanta fire officials say as many as 50 people were found climbing on the wrecked truck when firefighters arrived.

"There were actually people jumping up and down or actually on top of this overturned tanker, just like you'd see in the movies," Jolene Butts-Freeman, with the Atlanta Fire Department tells WSB's Richard Sangster.

Did the tv news report that? Nope. They made it sound like some random act. But 50 people jumping up and down on this rig and not helping the badly injured driver seems like the real news here. As of last check, the driver was undergoing surgery to try to save his eye. And of course - the police have no idea who was involved. All these people out in the street and no one saw anything.

Which brings me to my other rant of the evening. Dear city of Atlanta - simply renaming a street will not change the status of the street. "Metropolitan Parkway" is still a hangout for hookers and drug dealers just like when we called it "Stewart Avenue". This incident today took place on "Donnelly Hollowell Road" which is still just as violent as when we called it "Bankhead Highway". Do us a favor and fix the problems, don't just put up window dressing.

</soapbox>

Posted by Mike at 8:27 PM

June 29, 2005

Aliens, God, and Tom Cruise

Media is an interesting beast. Tom Cruise made this statement when asked if he believed in aliens - "Yes, of course. Are you really so arrogant as to believe we are alone in this universe?" Everyone now feels a new awakening to the possibilities because they do not want to be perceived as arrogant. He receives no criticism and the article I read didn't even mention his practice of Scientology.

However, if a member of a mainstream religion like a Baptist, Methodist, or Catholic said "Are you so arrogant as to believe you're the highest power in the universe?" he would be labeled a religious nut, extremist, or insane. So I guess it's perfectly normal to believe in all-powerful aliens named Xenu who deposited frozen aliens around Earth's volcanoes 75 million years ago, but having faith in an unseen hand greater than any of us is wacko. Hmmm.... Sounds like the inmates are running the asylum to me.

Tom - if you paid $360,000 to learn about Xenu, you were ripped off. You should ask for a refund.

Posted by Mike at 12:16 PM

June 2, 2005

Healthcare in America

I have finally figured out why people complain about the service and treatment they receive in hospital emergency rooms. We are to the point where people will feign illness in order to miss their court appearances. We've seen this several times with Michael Jackson during his trial. Most recently, Bobby Brown had an upset stomach when he was about to board a plane to his Mass. court appearance and felt it was necessary to go to the hospital.

Give me a break. These pansies are getting in the way of people who truly are sick and in need of emergency medical care. I recall one trip this year where Jackson was released w/in 45 minutes of his arrival. What kind of emergency could that have been and how did he get moved to the front of the line? I thought they were supposed to see people in order of priority. Maybe it was a slow morning, but with the likes of him and Bobby "trouble-finds-me" Brown, I don't see how that's possible any more.

Posted by Mike at 12:54 PM

May 30, 2005

Follow-up on Owens Corning Basement Finishing

Some people have been ending up at my site by googling "Owens Corning basement finishing system complaints". Note that at this point I do not have the system. It has been over two months since I filled out the online form requesting someone contact me. However, no one has called me.

It's time for us to finish our basement. Owens Corning did not make the cut. My advice to you is to continue researching the experiences of people who actually got a quote and had it installed. There is plenty of information out there.

Posted by Mike at 11:58 AM

May 27, 2005

State of Alert in Saudi

Saudi Arabia's King was admitted to the hospital today with some unknown illness. I wonder if he's experiencing temporary blindness?

Posted by Mike at 2:18 PM

Viagra Users Reporting Blindness?

I have so many one-liner comebacks, I'm not sure which is most appropriate. I think I've narrowed it down to two:

God is angry that you didn't leave the reproductive cycle like he asked you the first time.

My mother always said that could happen if I did that too much.

Posted by Mike at 1:15 PM

May 4, 2005

When is a Mistake not a Mistake?

When it's premeditated.

Sorry, darling. But if you bought the bus ticket several days in advance of running away, it's not a simple mistake. You faked your disappearance. You brought an entire town to a standstill. That speed trap on Peachtree Industrial didn't yield nearly the amount of revenue it would have had they not been out looking for you.

You owe us an explanation. Your fiance says it's a private, personal matter. That was the case before you became a national headline. You are now a public person.

I'm afraid that the next time someone goes missing - and that someone is in serious trouble, people will remember you and not be so giving of their time. And something bad will happen.

Posted by Mike at 6:25 AM

May 3, 2005

Restrictive Covenants

Why do people not understand that the covenants you are given when you purchase your home run with the land and represent a legally binding contract? I just don't get it. Citing case law to me regarding voluntary associations, etc. just don't cut it. You must do an apples to apples comparison in case law. The question is not whether an Architectural Control Committee can dictate the height, placement, composition, etc. of a fence, but rather whether that contract is enforceable. In Georgia, the courts have routinely upheld covenants.

So to my neighbors (who probably don't read these ramblings) - You entered into a contract when you purchased the home. If you are considering erecting or making a modification to any structure on your property, I would suggest you either obey the covernants or seek the advice of paid legal counsel (with the covenants in hand) prior to proceeding. Don't just take the word of your neighbors. They don't know.

Note - this is not legal advice. You should consult an attorney in these types of legal questions.

Posted by Mike at 6:03 AM

March 20, 2005

Paging Mr Miyagi...

The GT Men's basketball team needs your healing powers in the locker room. It's half time. Please report immediately.

Posted by Mike at 7:43 PM

March 16, 2005

MBA or Book of the Week?

The debate is on over at 800CEORead.com over whether you need an MBA or just to read a few hundred books. My take on this is clear - you need both. A common argument is that experience trumps all. However, your past experiences can hinder your judgment as much as it can help it. The academic knowledge you gain will give you frameworks to parse your experience and apply all of your knowledge and talent to a particular situation. Do you need an MBA - of course not. But it certainly doesn't hurt. After you earn it, you need to keep reading and learning.

Those who say "I have an MBA and I wouldn't do it again" are probably experiencing 'Hindsight Bias' - a phenomenon whereby after learning something, it seems to become common knowledge and you can't believe you wasted time/energy/money on something so obvious.

With that said, I give you my book of the week - Leadership - by Rudy Giuliani. Giuliani talks not only about principles that have driven his leadership style, but also about how they have transformed and been implemented over the years. He accomplishes this through a down to earth, storytelling voice.

A further note of caution - I think there are too many people around letting these types of books run their lives. This is what worked for Giulani. Another style worked for Jack Welch. Yet another style worked for Lee Iacocca. While there are similiarities, there is no cookie-cutter approach.

Do not go to work thinking you are going to be Jack Welch. Only Jack Welch is Jack Welch. You have to have the right style, at the right time, for the right situation.

Posted by Mike at 7:00 AM

March 15, 2005

What an Irrational Day

So yesterday was March 14th. For those of you who represent dates in the format Month-Day-Year, it was 3.14 - PI day. According to the Wall Street Journal, schools across the country celebrated.

I don't recall it ever being a big deal when I was in school. I had geometry, trig, and calculus in high school with March 14th being a regular school day like any other. Some schools yesterday had pie eating contests, tried to determine the circumference of moon pies, and even held contests to see which student knew the most numbers to the right of the decimal place. One female student went 205 places to the right from memory. She says she'd memorized out 370 positions. Truly useless knowledge.

Posted by Mike at 6:59 AM

I'm Glad I Didn't go to Harvard

The latest controversy up north is over a service a sophomore has been allowed to start on campus, called Dormaid. According to the Harvard Crimson, this service should not be permitted because it creates "yet another differential between the haves and have-nots on campus" and is a threat "to student unity."

I thought that life up to the age of 18 was meant to prepare you for the inequalities of life. "Life isn't fair" is what my mom and dad used to always tell me. I guess the CEO shouldn't have a secretary, my neighbor should have to drive a VW or Honda, and all restaurants should be converted to McDonalds, Subway, or some similar lowest common denominator.

Personal rant of infuriation aside - This is the kind of entrepreneurial spirit I thought Harvard would be proud to exhibit. If the service takes off, perhaps this student will be able to hire many of his peers and give him real world business experience. The "have-nots" may be able to become partners, or at least employees, and become haves. It has got to beat flipping burgers in the campus dining facilities and provide more flexibility to fit studying (yeah, right) into a student's schedule.

Posted by Mike at 6:45 AM

March 11, 2005

A sad day in Atlanta

What exactly was going through this guy's mind?

Posted by Mike at 12:30 PM

March 7, 2005

The River is Dry

This weekend was spent cleaning up the yard. And I mean the whole weekend. I must've killed some brain cells while I was out there doing it, too. I felt really dumb and even today am having a hard time stringing together sentences with my usual eloquence.

Heck - this morning I missed my exit while driving to work. Haven't done that in the 5 years I've worked here.

Posted by Mike at 1:52 PM

February 28, 2005

Organizational Behavior

I'm still not sure whether I like this whole minimester approach to the MBA program. Seven weeks are good for some topics, but do not provide enough time to get to know professors and their style, and understand the areas and depth of their expertise.

This is finals week for my Corporate Finance I class and Cost Analysis class. I'm going to try to sell my cost analysis book. Looks like this is the book we'll be using in the Organizational Behavior class that starts after Spring break.

Posted by Mike at 8:12 AM

February 1, 2005

Trackback Spamming

It was only a matter of time. First came comment spamming last summer. Now - trackback spamming. SixApart (makers of Movable Type) did a reasonable job of dealing with the comment spammers with the introduction of TypeKey. Let's see what they do to combat trackback spam.

Posted by Mike at 4:49 PM

January 30, 2005

The Un-Fun Side of the Atlanta Ice Storm

Following the freezing rain we had around sunset began the period of tree collapses. The snapping often sounds like a gunshot. You can the feel the frozen ground tremor as the once majestic structure crashes into it. Fortunately, we only have 1 pine tree left on the property (ravaged by pine beetle infestation a few years back). We do have a poplar that I worry about from time to time. It seems very healthy though.

It's painful for me to see my bermuda grass frozen over like this. I know it really isn't doing it any harm. I walked through it a couple of times tonight with the puppies (those poor guys are a whole other story). The only way I can describe it as it looks like peanut brittle (it was twilight when I walked through). Weird, wild stuff.

Posted by Mike at 1:58 AM

January 29, 2005

Ice Storm in Atlanta

There is nothing more enjoyable than sitting home during an ice storm and watching the fools on tv. Well, maybe the more enjoyable thing would be to sit home on a weekday and recuperate during an ice storm.

Things to watch for during the storm:
1) All the traffic reports. There is something about the sight of 18 wheelers getting stuck on spaghetti junction that really warms the heart on a cold day.

2) The interviews with people the day before who were about buying milk and bread. I'm assuming these people woke up this morning and had french toast to celebrate being iced in.

My favorite was with this one guy who was at the downtown Kroger. He said "I'm justing getting some beer and wine - you know, the necessities for the weekend."

3) The interviews of the people at the airport who woke up this morning, didn't bother to call their airline, drove through this mess, only to find their flight was cancelled.

Oh well - hopefully we won't lose power. The lights are flickering now.

Posted by Mike at 11:58 AM

January 6, 2005

Welcome To Atlanta

I guess you thought firing guns in the air during celebrations was something only done in the middle east. It happens quite frequently in Atlanta on New Year's Eve. A UGA student was hit while sitting in the Georgia Dome watching Miami vs Florida just before halftime.

Update - a second woman says she was hit by a stray round at the peach drop (about .3 of a mile from the Georgia Dome where the Peach Bowl game is played).

I guess the government schools failed to teach these people firing guns in the air about Newton's Law of Gravitation.

Posted by Mike at 7:00 AM

January 1, 2005

Merry New Year!

It's happy. In this country, we say Happy New Year!

Time to break out the dvd classic -> "Trading Places".

Posted by Mike at 12:45 AM

December 31, 2004

The Year in Review

2004 has been a landmark year.

• Turned 31. That doesn't sound impressive, but for those of you familiar with the nut cases that drive on GA 400, living another year is an impressive feat.


• Graduated from GSU after 13 years. Sure, there was a sabbatical in there, but the last 3 years at night were grueling. I'm glad it's over and am thankful my family supported me during this time.


• Started working on an MBA in Finance. The first semester went very well. This is the continuation of something very good.


• Lost 35 pounds. I'd still like to lose a few more. As tempting as it may be to make a new year resolution to do that - I'll abstain.


• Returned to the ski slopes. This place was a lot of fun and I'm going to make it a point to drag Tammy up there a few times in 2005.

I can only hope for an even better 2005.

Posted by Mike at 7:00 AM

December 30, 2004

A New Beginning

Out with the old. In with the new.

New for 2005:

• Site is now being hosted by a 3rd party provider. Believe it or not, both my site and Tammy's site can be hosted by professionals cheaper than in our house.
• Upgraded to Movable Type 3.14. This should help eliminate the comment spammer problem (or at least curtail it from the public's viewing).
• The resources application is nearing completion. It will be implemented in the "Research" section.
• All of the old entries have now been archived offline. I might load them up onto this new system. It just depends on how lazy I am in a couple of weeks in this regard.

There is still some housecleaning to do on the blog pages to make it look like the rest of the site. But all in all, this is a good move. Bring it on 2005.

Posted by Mike at 10:29 PM