Nissan Qashqai
The Nissan Qashqai is used as a skateboard by some giant.
Olberman Commentary on Rice
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appeared on Fox News Sunday Morning comparing the Iraq War to World War 2. Specifically she noted that President Roosevelt did not have to go back to Congress to get reauthorization to rebuild Europe after Hitler was overthrown. Sounds like she never heard of the Marshall Plan? Olberman picks this ripe tomato.
Countries That Begin With The Letter A
There are so many questions I have related to this video clip. First off, I did not know the “Family Feud” was still on air the new host was the guy who played Mr. Peterman on Seinfeld. That is a good thing. The bad thing is that contestants on Family Feud are not folks who just missed the cut on Jeopardy. They must be the bottom of the barrel in terms of game show contestant intelligence. At least Peterman seems like a much brighter host. The last guy from “Home Improvement” did not know that Alfredo is a sauce and not a pasta. But he can be excused for that.
There is a serious problem in the United States for so many folks to just not get Australia land of Steve Irwin, Crocodile Dundee and of course Yahoo Serious. But then to not even remember Afghanistan? Huh? Have we forgotten 9/11 and that whole war over there where we went to try and get Bin Laden?
Instead we get Asia as a country? and Amsterdam which Peterman correctly says is a city. Sad.
Top Gear: Reliant Rocket
Roger Hammond and James May team up with Rocket Scientist to put a rocket engine on a Renault.
It’s Just Like a Mini Mall
Some call this the worst commercial ever, but others like it. The rap is catchy and it could be worse. Come shop here Montgomery the Market is just like a… Mini Mall. I want to buy stock in this guy’s company.
Top Gear Goes Jerry Springer
The Top Gear guys love danger as Roger Hammond’s dragster crash can show. In this episode the guys visit the USA specifically Alabama for a social experiment. They decide to drive some typical American cars and paint some inflammatory words on their cars including “Hillary for President” (that is the most tame one) and see how the locals react. Not surprisingly they get some resistance, but what would you expect? Next up they will drive through Manchester with the words “Man U Sucks” and then drive through Baghdad with an “Infidels On Board” sign.
Yuki-taro autonomous snowplow robot
Snow is piling on in Upstate New York. Oswego county is getting pounded by feet of snow making snow removal a major issue. Snow totals look more like a basketball team lineup with Oswego getting 7′ 3″ of snow and Parish getting 6′9″.
In Syracuse the snow totals are not as bad, but I am tired of constantly shoveling my driveway. While I am at it I would like to make money from my efforts. Along comes the Yuki-taro autonomous snowplow robot which scoops up snow and leaves behind ice blocks that can be stored away and used for refrigeration during the summer.
The friendly-looking Yuki-taro measures 160 x 95 x 75 cm (63 x 37 x 30 in.) and weighs 400 kg (880 lbs). Armed with GPS and a pair of video cameras embedded in its eyes, the self-guided robot seeks out snow and gobbles it up into its large mouth. Yuki-taro’s insides consist of a system that compresses the snow into hard blocks measuring 60 x 30 x 15 cm (24 x 12 x 6 in.), which Yuki-taro expels from its rear end. The blocks can then be stacked and stored until summer, when they can be used as an alternative source of refrigeration or cooling.
I can’t wait to order one for next winter.
More People Working for Smaller Companies
Kodak recently announced that it would continue to layoff workers in Rochester as it nears its final phase of restructuring. The photography giant has been shedding its workforce for 23 years in Rochester as it tries to respond first to the threat from Japanese film maker Fuji, then to the digital revolution.
The “downsizing” of the 80s and 90s were bug companies had to layoff huge amounts of their workforce has spawned off many new small businesses. Rochester is a town that has several small businesses which resulted from former employees of the various large companies there.
Smallbusinesshub.com has a look at the Intuit Future of Small Business Report where it is predicted that the total number of small businesses will triple in the next 10 years.
Prior to the 1980’s, most people worked for a company for life and received retirement checks from their employer in retirement. From the 1980’s to today, most people work for a company for a “few years” and roll their 401k plans over. I suspect by 2017, most people will become more like free agent contractors who more often than not have a “client” than an “employer” and need to worry about their own retirement.
I have experienced this type of trend especially the last few years where I switched jobs just about once a year. One of my biggest fears came when I first started working at a large pharmaceutical company in New Jersey. I received a report with my estimated retirement date which scared me to death. I just could not imagine being in the same cubes for 40 years and then one day retiring with whatever variation of gold watch or cross pen that they would hand out…shudder.
26 Random Thoughts on Being an Entrepreneur
Gapingvoid has some very nice random thoughts on what it is like being an Entrepreneur.
One successful entrepreneur I know well has a wonderful quality, namely that he never, ever compares himself to other people. He just does his own thing, which actually serves him rather well. Just because his competitor has bought himself a bigger motor boat, doesn’t mean he feels the need have a bigger motor boat. This quality helps him to build his business the way he sees fit, not the way the motor boat people see fit.
More random thoughts on being an Entrepreneur at: http://www.gapingvoid.com/
