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Saturday, May 09, 2009

Gathering and Dispersing Energy

Recently I've had the good fortune to work on a number of website projects for some of my favorite musicians and artists.

This has always been a significant focus of my work and pretty much my favorite thing to do. It also happens to be work that does not come along frequently or predictably enough, but perhaps that's in the nature of working as an artist with artists... there is always a bit of flux.

My favorite site of late is the one I recently completed for bassist and composer James Singleton at

I don't think that James actually knows it, but I've been a big fan of his for the better part of 30 years. It was somewhere in the late 70's (right about the time I first moved to the Bay Area from Arizona to study for my "first career" as something of a clergy person). Much of the force that drove me in my "second career" engineering, producing, and promoting musical projects (and the musical element of non-musical projects) was influenced by the kind of things I was hearing from this amazing collection of free-ranging musicians from New Orleans. At the time I was renewing the love of jazz with which I had inititally been infected by the crazy old trombone player (featured performer with Kay Kyser's band) who served as my high school band (and jazz band) teacher. Finding the music of Astral Project at this time served to return me to those musical roots I had drifted away from and prepared me for the wide ranging awakening to the various dynamic intricasies of modern jazz that I was pretty much completely ignorant of. At that point in time, all I knew was that this was something that grabbed me, took control of my awareness and let me go longing for more.

I pretty much feel the same way now.

When James called me during the period when we both were trying to find a way to survive in the semi-apocalyptic environment of post-Katrina New Orleans, I jumped at the chance to work on his website.

On the evening following the afternoon when we first met (in the tiny bar of Snug Harbor on Frenchmen Street) I shot video of a terrific small trio performance at d.b.a. (which I still have to relocate and edit... film at 11, as they say) and found myself emotionally bathing in the deep thumping bass lines juxtaposed to the pattering pound of James technique. James Singleton does not play the bass in a manner akin to that of anyone else I have ever seen or heard. James plays the whole instrument with his whole being. The result is a phenomenon that I have found it hard to explain until recently reading how James describes it himself as... "gathering and disbursing energy..."

There is really no better way to describe the experience (it would seem to be a shared experience between musicians and audience) than that phrase. Unfortunately, on this particular night at Snug, the energy being disbursed by James and the band was conflicting with the energy being disbursed by a couple of bully frat boys who had more interest in being loud mouthed assholes disbursing their own chaotic energy. When I was punched from behind by one of these cretins during a break in the set, I decided to call it a night and instead of spinning around and whacking the guy over the head with a pint glass, or stepping into the street and calling to the cop just down the sidewalk, I walked away, went home and wrote a poem about the experience. I can only attribute this atypical moment of sanity and creativity to the inspiration I received from that energy being gathered and disbursed so close to me in such a tiny space by James Singleton and friends.

Unfortunately, the inspiration of that evening didn't adequately break through to my consciousness in creating James' website. Rather quickly I discovered that I was completely without any kind of design ideas that I felt even came close to expressing what I felt needed to be expressed. What this led to was a complete creative stall and a long time in which James must have become convinced he was never going to see a website, at least not one created by me. The up side of this webber's block was that I spent large amounts of time listening to James' music over and over again, searching for a link into the material.

During all this time, James was ridiculously patient with me and when I finally got to working on the new designs he was helpful, attentive, understanding and gracious. In short, he was everything anyone ever wants in a client and more than one typically expects from a performer who one has followed from a distance over a long period of time.

For the time being, even though various circumstances prevent me from enjoying the humid night air of Frenchmen Street as the thumps, bumps, twitters and groans of James' music (and that of his various collaborators) wafts on the balmy breeze, I still have the opportunity to work on his site (this afternoon I just updated his schedule listings) and to drink in the music that I have come to know like a good friend.

I am grateful for the opportunity to explore it even a little bit. I also am grateful for James, his intelligence, his humor, his spirit, his music, and his friendship.


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Delaware Spider Control   Contact 1-480-319-4660

HOME |ET Info. | App. Guide | Contact Us | About Us | Return Policy
Home ET Repelling Info. ET Testimonials Proper Application Guide E-mail Us

Delaware Spider Control

About Delaware Spiders: There are a few spider types that can be found through out the state of Delaware. The most common spiders you can see are the Jumping Spider, Crab Spider, Fishing Spider, Orb Weaver Spider, Household Spider, Ground Spider, Wolf Spider, and the Daddy Longlegs Spider to name a few.

The Jumping Spider are the most common spiders found under stones and in debris. They stalk and pounce on their prey rather than use silk to snare it. They are capable of jumping short (.5 inch) distances, possess large eyes, and the most common species are brightly colored. They prefer to live in forests, shrubs, deserts, and mountains.

The Crab Spiders are medium crab-like spiders. They walk sideways and backwards to escape harm. Crab Spiders do not spin webs. They are experts in camouflage.

The Fishing Spiders are very large spiders. The Fishing Spider has excellent vision, and a highly developed sense of touch. When disturbed near the water, they may go below the surface, and can remain motionless for up to 45 minutes. It has the ability to catch small tadpoles and small fish.

The Orb Weave Spider is quite colorful or boldly patterned and are easy to see because they will often perch in their webs. These spiders are usually found resting head downward near the center of their large orb web. They weave during the night.

Another common spider found in Delaware is the Household Spider. These spiders constructs webs in corners and areas of little traffic such as basements. They like to hunt prey along window sills, walls or floors.

The Ground Spiders are most often found under rocks or logs where they build silken retreats and emerge only to hunt. Some species wander indoors when the weather turns cold. Ground spiders are harmless to humans.

Wolf Spider can be found throughout Delaware. They also are the largest spiders found in Delaware, are often mistaken as tarantulas. They may make a silk lined retreat in soil, under rocks or in other protected sites. Most are grey or brown and some are quite large including the giant wolf spider. Wolf Spiders are common household pest in the fall when they are looking for a warm place to overwinter. They are commonly found around doors, windows, house plants, basements, garages, and in almost all terrestrial habitats.

The last spider we would like to mention is the
Daddy Longlegs Spider. These spiders are usually found in dark corners of cellars, crawl spaces, and garages. They prefer warmer climates thus finding shelter in the warmth of our homes.

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Journal of Applied Remote Sensing • Open Access

Validation of shallow-water reflectance model for remote sensing of water depth and bottom type by radiative transfer simulation
Author(s): Ariyo Kanno; Yoji Tanaka; Masahiko Sekine

Paper Abstract

Lyzenga proposed a shallow-water reflectance model that describes the exponential relationship between the remote-sensing reflectance (R) and water depth [Appl. Opt.17, 379383 (1978)]. The model has been widely used in remote sensing of water depth to estimate the depth from R, and in remote sensing of bottom type to remove the effect of depth from R . Although it was derived from radiative transfer theory ignoring internal reflection at the water surface, no study has quantitatively validated it following the theory. In this study, we examine its accuracy under various conditions using Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations. Although internal reflection contributed significantly to R in some cases, the model, if fitted to (calibrated with) data covering the entire target depth range, described the relationship between R and depth reasonably accurately (R2 <0.9935 ). This was because the internally reflected component of R , as well as the other component, decreases exponentially with depth. However, because the sum of two exponentially decreasing functions is not strictly exponential, the model does not accurately estimate the depth using R when the calibration data did not cover the entire depth range of interest: the model significantly underestimated the depth when used for extrapolation.

Paper Details

Date Published: 26 August 2013
PDF: 11 pages
J. Appl. Remote Sens. 7(1) 073516 doi: 10.1117/1.JRS.7.073516
Published in: Journal of Applied Remote Sensing Volume 7, Issue 1
Show Author Affiliations
Ariyo Kanno, Yamaguchi Univ. (Japan)
Yoji Tanaka, Yokohama National Univ. (Japan)
Masahiko Sekine, Yokohama National Univ. (Japan)

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Journal of Electronic Imaging

Power wire signatures in passive infrared sensors
Author(s): James J. Shea
Format Member Price Non-Member Price
PDF $20.00 $25.00

Paper Abstract

Power cables present a persistent threat to helicopter pilots and have been responsible for a number of crashes in recent years. Active sensors are currently being developed to detect obstacles such as exposed power wires. However, the ability of passive sensors, such as forward-looking infrared (FLIR) systems currently employed on many rotary-wing aircraft, to detect such wires remains unclear. This study details observations, assumptions, and models that support the conclusion that wires are essentially reflective in nature, thus their signatures on passive thermal sensors depend principally on their surroundings. Because of this irregular nature and inconsistent appearance, predicting the performance of FLIRs in detecting wires is difficult and the utility of FLIRs as wire warning sensors is open to question.

Paper Details

Date Published: 1 April 1994
PDF: 10 pages
J. Electron. Imaging. 3(2) doi: 10.1117/12.172879
Published in: Journal of Electronic Imaging Volume 3, Issue 2
Show Author Affiliations
James J. Shea, Swales and Associates, Inc. (United States)

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Wednesday, April 9, 2008

syphilis- beware

Syphilis , contagious sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum (described by Fritz schaudinn and Erich Hoffmann in 1905). Although some medical historians believe that syphilis first appeared in Spain among sailors who had returned from the New World in 1493, others have concluded from archaeological evidence that syphilis probably originated in the Old World but may have been confused with leprosy. It was not widely recognized until an epidemic in Europe at the end of the 15th cent.

The most prevalent mode of transmission is by sexual contact; infection by other means is possible, but its occurrence depends upon an open wound or lesion to permit invasion of the organisms. A person with syphilitic sores has an increased chance of contracting AIDS an infected partner. An infected mother can transmit the disease to her fetus; 25% of such pregnancies end in stillbirth or death of the infant, and another 40% to 70% will result in a baby with congenital syphilis, which, if untreated, can progress to late-stage syphilis and cause serious damage to the brain and other organs.

The development of syphilis occurs in four stages. The primary stage is the appearance of a painless chancre at the site of infection (often internal) about 10 days to 3 months after contact. There are no other symptoms, and the chancre disappears with or without treatment.

The secondary stage usually begins 3 to 6 weeks after the chancre with a rash over all or part of the body. Active bacteria are present in the sores of the rash. Headache, fever, fatigue, sore throat, patchy hair loss, and enlarged lymph nodes may be present. The signs of the secondary stage will disappear with or without treatment, but may reappear over the next 1 to 2 years.

Untreated syphilis then goes into a noncontagious latent period. Some people will have no more symptoms, but about one third will progress to tertiary syphilis, with widespread damage to the heart, brain, eyes, nervous system, bones, and joints. Late syphilis can result in mental illness, blindness, severe damage to the heart and aorta, and death.

Neurosyphilis, infection of the nervous system, frequently occurs in the early stages in untreated patients. There may be no symptoms, mild headache, or severe consequences such as seizures and stroke. Its treatment and course are complicated by concomitant HIV infection.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Diagnosis is made by symptoms, blood tests (required by many states before issuing marriage licenses), and microscopic identification of the bacterium. Until the advent of penicillin in the 1940s, treatment for syphilis was with mercury, arsenic, and bismuth. Penicillin is the antibiotic of choice for all stages of syphilis treatment, but penicillin-resistant organisms have complicated treatment of the disease. Even late-stage syphilis can be cured, but damage that has already occurred cannot be reversed. Despite available treatment, the incidence of syphilis in the United States was on the rise until 1990. Since then it has declined sharply, from 20 to just 2.6 cases per 100,000 people from 1990 to 1998. Federal health experts have attributed the decline to prevention efforts, including those intended to curtail the spread of AIDS.

Champions League Wednesday: Nightmare At Old Trafford And Camp Nou?Real Madrid dropping points isn’t helping Barcelona one bit; it puts them under dur

Football enthusiasts happily stayed awake last night for two heart stopping see-saw encounters which sailed Chelsea and Liverpool into semis. With that backdrop, there is a fear that tonight, an early Barcelona goal and Manchester United not conceding for 30 minutes will make the rest of night predictable, academic and just for keeps.

Sir Alex’s team doesn’t really play the defensive game, and should not too – since it would stress out their injury prone defenders. Last year this time, it was an injury hit backline which cost them a Champions League finals berth, and they would be twice shy. The weekend draw means, there is no comfort atop English Premiership League with another big game coming up against Arsenal.

United will play a game of possession and knowing the tough days ahead (and that Chelsea have easier of the domestic games), will prioritize not increasing visits to the hospital ward. Trailing by two goals, Roma will get the returning Totti to lead and attack from the start.

The United midfield would need to work overtime to ensure the Italian midfielders don’t get enough time on the ball to create any rhythm. If Roma don’t score by halftime, the rest of the match will be yet another academic exercise

Real Madrid dropping points isn’t helping Barcelona one bit; it puts them under duress to win their next La Liga game in hope of catching up with leaders. Mentally, Barcelona seems to have abandoned the league and hence the scenario doesn’t suit them. Versus Getafe on Sunday, looking at it positively, they hit the post thrice, rested Samuel Eto’o mid game, didn’t concede a goal and in fact apart from one open chance towards the end, Getafe hardly troubled Victor Valdes.

I reckon they would have beaten Getafe otherwise, but once it became clear they are in a must win scenario, we saw a more cautious Barcelona - lacking ideas in unlocking a defense, players unable to run into good positions and instead thinking too hard on what next to do.

Coach Frank Rijkaard’s pre-match briefing backs this view when he openly asked supporters to rally behind the club and not go over the top after every result.

Having no reprieve from the media barrage, Rijkaard’s men will again play with the same approach – ensure they don’t concede, look out for a 1-0 scoreline and get to the semifinals (that itself will be enough to proclaim Barcelona did better this year than last).

Strange is the burden of legacy and expectations you carry - Roma is being hailed as having a successful season, Barcelona and Chelsea coaches, despite achieving similar success are called for a sack.

- Barcelona to stuff out Schalke and play a 1-0 win. Their defenders to be stretched, young guns Bojan and Iniesta to rock.

- Manchester United to win 1-0 on a night where not much drama is expected.

Newcastle Consider Metzelder Move

The Magpies' boss, Kevin Keegan, is planning to overhaul the club's struggling squad and has pinpointed the German international as player to bolster his defence.

Metzelder joined Madrid last summer from Borussia Dortmund before Schuster arrived and has struggled to hold down a place at the Bernabéu this season.

As well as various injuries, the 27-year-old has found himself behind Pepe and FabiO Cannavaro in the pecking order for a place in the centre of defence.

Keegan has recognised that his back four needs work and will be backed by club owner Mike Ashley, who wants the manager to bring back the glory days to St. James' Park.

While Metzelder is back in training, Newcastle will not make their approach official until it is clear whether or not he will appear at Euro 2008 for the German national team.


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015a - Sleepy Time

SpongeBob has a strange dream, where he is driving a hot rod and he has his driver's license. However, Mrs. Puff appears and rips and tears up SpongeBob's license, and he is then propelled out of his own dream.

He appears as a small, glowing version of himself in the outside world, where he sees himself sleeping. SpongeBob realizes that he has no dream to go to, until he sees Gary's dream cloud. He jumps in, frightening Gary.

In his dream, Gary has a humanoid body and can speak English, and resides in a huge library. Gary tells SpongeBob some limericks before SpongeBob goes out of Gary's dream cloud and into Patrick's. Patrick's dream is completely empty, except for a kiddy ride that he is riding on. SpongeBob explains to him that in a dream, he can do whatever he wants, which he demonstrates by changing size and creating a million copies of himself. Patrick says he's already satisfied, and SpongeBob goes out of Patrick's dream cloud. The ride then stops and Patrick takes out a quarter but drops it in a sewer grid.

Next, he goes to Squidward's dream, where Squidward is playing clarinet for a king in a theater. SpongeBob distracts the king by telling him a limerick that Gary recited in his dream, and Squidward stops, and the king growls at him for not playing. After this happens several times, Squidward becomes so angry that he snaps his clarinet, but SpongeBob saves him by turning into a clarinet. It produces no sound, and SpongeBob just sings horribly, which surprisingly everybody applauds at.

SpongeBob goes into Sandy's dream, where they are skydiving, and have to land on a painted target. SpongeBob asks if it's safe, and Sandy says "Yeah, as long as you have a parachute". SpongeBob misunderstands her, and while trying to explain to him, Sandy fails to open her own parachute in time and lands in a truck filled with manure. SpongeBob falls out of Sandy's dream and says to himself "All right, that's it. No more messing with people's dreams."

However, he then goes to what he thinks is Mr. Krabs' dream, but actually is Pearl's dream, where she is having a tea party with her stuffed animals in a very childish and girlish setting.

After realizing this, he immediately goes to Mr. Krabs' dream, where he's fishing for money. Mr. Krabs instructs SpongeBob to pull out his money net from his back pocket, which turns out to be Mr. Krabs's wallet. SpongeBob and Mr. Krabs manage to catch "Moby Dollar", but it escapes and Mr. Krabs shoots SpongeBob out of the dream in a cannon-like device.

He is launched directly into Plankton's dream. Plankton, in his dream, is a giant monster and can shoot lasers from his eye, and is destroying the city. SpongeBob pokes him with a pin and Plankton deflates, is squashed by the angry townsfolk, and wakes up.

SpongeBob then goes back to his own dream cloud, where the angry faces of everyone who's dreams he entered appear around him. When he wakes up, everyone is in his house complaining that he's messed up their dreams. Patrick then appears and asks "Does anyone have a quarter?" then everybody looks at Patrick in a strange way.

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Category: cycling

Review: Every Second Counts – Lance Armstrong

Despite believing that Lance Armstrong was a drug using cheat, I really enjoyed his first book “It’s not about the bike“. It was a well written, compelling story. Lance is a wonderful example for everyone, not just – cyclists or cancer patients, regardless of whether he’s using performance enhancing substances or not.

“It’s Not About The Bike” was not near enough to dissuade me that Lance’s actions on Stage 18 of TDF 2004 were anything but the actions of a bully forcing a smaller man to keep his mouth shut and not speak out against drugs in cycling. Even after the stage Lance said:

I was protecting the interests of the peloton. The other riders were very grateful.

It’s difficult to interpret this statement and his “zip your lips” message to Simeoni in a positive light, in any other way but “don’t speak pubically about drugs”.

After reading “It’s Not About The Bike” I had a strong admiration for Lance and the way he got through his cancer ordeal, and his cycling performances were phenomenal, drugs or no drugs.

What about “Every Second Counts“?

Well the first thing I’ll say is that I picked this up at about 1am on a work night as some light reading before I went to sleep. I turned off my bedside lamp at 5.30am hoping that I’d survive the day on 3 hours sleep after reading all 250 pages straight through. Bonus point to Sally Jenkins – what a fantastic writer! If you are a world-famous athlete wanting to tell your story with a ghost writer, there’s no one better.

The story takes us from his preparation for his second Tour de France victory in 2000 all the way to his fourth consecutive victory in 2003. As a cyclist and sports fan I really enjoyed his description of training and the races themselves. The other part of the story is human – dealing with the events of September 11th 2001, dealing with children, his cancer foundation, the annoyance of dealing with shameful French bureaucracy.

He did mention Stage 18 ’04, giving his side of the story in a few words. Although I’m not convinced by his explanation and I still think it showed the character traits of a bully, I must admit that the book did originally influenced me back to believing he was a clean rider. I can’t pinpoint exactly why. I think it was a combination of the way he talked about the drugs tests and their effect on his life. The book is very personal at times and after reading it I feel I know how the guy thinks. I may not like him, but I have massive respect.

To summarise: this is an excellent book – 9/10. It’s better than his first, and better than most sports autobiographies you’ll find. I recommend that everyone read this book, you might find it inspiring, or simply a captivating page-turner.

Update 2012: In response to some abusive comments left here and recently updates in the Lance story, I’ll clarify my thoughts on Lance cheating. I believe that there’s now no doubt that Armstrong not only cheated, but he probably has masterminded one of the greatest sporting frauds in known history. He has been stripped of all 7 Tour titles – but not his ill-gained prize money.

Armstrong tested positive for corticosteroids in the 1999 TDF and the UCI let him off with a back dated script, even though it was against the rules (it should have been a 2 year ban). USADA now has confirmation from Swiss anti-doping laboratory director Martial Saugy that Armstrong tested positve for EPO at the 2001 Tour of Switzerland (Armstrong should have received a ban of 10 years for this). Saugy also confirmed meeting with Armstrong and Bruyneel to discuss those 2001 positive tests. The UCI also confirmed that Armstrong donated $100,000 and another $25,000 to the UCI at the time of those positive tests. And allegedly, USADA recently re-tested some of Lance’s old urine samples with new tests and they have come back as positive.
I’ll leave the last word to Matt Seaton:

What is astounding and disturbing is that one man – a dominant personality as well as a dominant athlete – was able to enforce his will, isolate, bully and silence his doubters and critics, and win the world’s top cycling event year after year and make people believe in him, despite there being, apparently, dozens of witnesses to its utter phoniness. Too many people had too much invested in the Lance Armstrong story, and the power of persuasion followed the money.

The moral of the story is that if a cyclist looks too good to be true, then he probably is. But if a cyclist looks too good to be true and has an entourage of lawyers, press flaks, doctors and bodyguards, then he definitely is.

Sports + Geek = Results Microformat?

Blondie had an idea about posting rugby results that got me thinking about applying Microformats to sports results . She was talking about posting the results in a format like this:

  • Home Team (score)
  • Visiting Team (score)
  • Date
  • Location
  • Was this a league match or special event/tournament
  • If so, what league/territory/division
  • Notables
  • If there are photos, what’s the website
  • Other information

This kind of thing looks ideal for Microformats if you don’t want to go down the database route. I jumped on the Microformats IRC channel to find out if such a beast already exists, here’s what the guys had to say.

[23:02] * Now talking in #microformats
<sportcrazy> hi y’all
<sportcrazy> I am looking for a MF for describing sports results
<sportcrazy> do you have such a thing?
<bewest> like a news update?
<bewest> or is that like an event?
<sportcrazy> it’s an event I guess
<bewest> that’s kind of like the results of an event
<sportcrazy> an event result
<kingryan> box scores?
<sportcrazy> e.g. sport=rugby homeTeam=x awayTeam=Y homeScore=45 awayScore=22 etc
<kingryan> well, you could start by making them hCalendar events
<bewest> yeah, but that’s only the last bit of it, right?
<ntoll> hmmm…. what about ordered results (e.g. sprinting)? Use event mf within a result mf?
<bewest> the most important thing is where and when it took place, correct?
<sportcrazy> I was thinking about that
<sportcrazy> and diving etc
<bewest> that part is easy
<bewest> ordered list
<sportcrazy> the most important thing… that’s debatable
<ntoll> sportcrazy, the important thing is to re-use what is already there and only extend when needed after looking at how other ppl have marked this sort of thing up
<bewest> I suggest you start experimenting with the who what when where of a sporting event
<sportcrazy> sure
<bewest> and then try adding on top of that with scores and stuff
<bewest> perhaps with XOXO
<bewest> with some small pieces to describe the game, resulting scores and other information
<sportcrazy> XOXO?
<ntoll> so so… my first thought was to use hCalander for when, hCard for where
<ntoll> sportcrazy, marking up lists
<sportcrazy> k, thanks for your help guys, I’ll go explore what’s available
<tantek> hCard is good for marking up hCalendar locations: link

Sounds interesting – I’m going sign up to their mailing list and have a look into creating a suitable Microformat, I think it’s needed at this point. It’d have to be fairly flexible to support the many various results types. Anyone else out there working on similar ideas?

Tour de France 2007 route and Happy MLK day America

France and America in same headline shocker!

Happy Martin Luther King (Jnr) Day to any Americans reading this! I’m disappointed to see that the Big G didn’t change their logo

Tour de France 2007 route mapOn to cycling – exciting news – the route of this year’s TDF has been released! “Running from Saturday July 7th to Sunday July 29th 2007, the 94th Tour de France will be made up of a prologue and 20 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,550 kilometres.”
We already knew that this year’s Tour is starting in dear old Blighty and now we have the details. The 8km prologue (a short time trial) will be around the streets of London starting in Whitehall. It will pass pass the Houses of Parliament en route to finishing on The Mall. The next stage also starts in London with a 200km trip to Canterbury.

On to France , the Tour will have a series of long flat stages before it enters the Alps and the major test starts. The riders will have a brief respite along the southern coastline before hitting the Pyrenees. Read more on the official TDF website.

Journalist breaks tradition, uses logic in criticism of cyclists

Adrian Fitch highlights a refreshingly intelligent article which criticises the urban cyclist for actual wrongs, unlike the steaming pile of manure from Erin Baker last year. It’s great to see a journalist putting even a modicum of thought into an anti-cycling rant.

Brian Hennigan had a wonderful rant against what he described as antisocial cyclist s in Tuesdayâ€™s Edinburgh Evening News.

He targeted:

  • Pavement cycling: â€œIf you donâ€™t have stabilisers on, the road is the only place we should find you whizzing alongâ€.
  • Running red lights: â€œApart from anything else, your invisibility to other road-users might just be proven in a way you did not envisageâ€.
  • Those who cycle where it is prohibited: â€œone day someone is going to get fed-up with your selfish behaviour and you will be amazed how far you can travel without a bicycle when someone jams a stick in your rear-wheelâ€.
  • Stealth ninja cyclists: â€œCycling without lights at night is not some environmentally courageous way of showing how you and the owls are as one; itâ€™s a way of being on a bicycle that says: â€œI donâ€™t care about anyone else other than myselfâ€.
  • And of course, helmets: â€œAnyone who thinks pedalling au naturale is fine deserves whatever non-indicating delivery van might lie in their futureâ€.

It is a decently written rant. I’d agree with Brian on almost every point excepting the helmets issue. I think it’s not a simple argument, and I so believe it’s up to people to decide for themselves whether wearing Â£25 worth of potentially life-saving plastic is really that much bother. For me, there’s no question 🙂

Treacherous roads, trails and beaches of Mayo

Disclaimer: this post may contain excuses, whining and blatant advertising, along with some of the most beautiful scenery in western Europe.
Nephin mountains in the west of Ireland

So I took quite a few pictures down in Mayo over the Christmas but I’ve been slow to update and tidy up my flickr account to a point where I’m not ashamed to link to it! Here are three photo sets you might find interesting.

Around the mountain, through the forest and down the rocky road

The 23rd of December was looking like a decent day in the midst of a stormy late December, so it seemed like a good idea for Dad and I to take out the mountain bike s for a spin. I bought him a Giant Boulder back in August, like every good son should, and he’s become an addict, beating me in mileage since August quite easily, like every good dad should.

A 12 mile trail around the bottom of Nephin Beg. A tough trail on hardpack forest roads with some serious climbs and a couple of crazy descents. I was hanging on for dear life on the second last, hitting upward of 32mph and realised that the trail surface was completely washed away by storms. Great fun, and as much work as a 30 mile road trip, easy.

My dad beats me

Earie morning along the ShannonFiguratively speaking of course. Never should have bought him that bike.

Our next trip was the day after Boxing DSt. Stephen’s Day – we had a long road trip planned, from the River Shannon on the borders of Leinster back into Mayo. Our planned route was around 47 miles with a potential bonus 20 miles if we were still up for it at that point.

Dad was again on his Giant Boulder MTB, but this time he swapped out his knobbly tyre’d wheels with a second set of spare wheels which have faster gearing and Deore hubs incidentally… courtesy of his favourite (and only) son. I was on my lovely Surly Cross Check .

He beat me, because as you’ll notice in the 2nd picture of the set, he’s cleverly wearing the under-helmet head warmer that I bought him, but I decided I’d be stylish and omit mine. It was a fairly mild day and if it did get colder I’d notice and put mine on too.

Five hours and one excruciating headache later I was reaching into my pannier for my new Thermos flask (thanks Dad!) of tea, and hoping that would help with the brain freeze.

In the end we got to Claremorris just fine, despite going half-way around a large hill, turning back because it looked to be getting steeper, and having our detour take us up over the hilltop – D’OH!

Following in the Footsteps of the Four Famous Flannerys

The interesting thing about the route we followed in the road trip to Charlestown is that it’s almost identical to the route that John Mulligan took on foot. John who?

John Mulligan , a close friend of my family’s, has released a new book called ” Following in the Footsteps of the Four Famous Flannerys ” (Amazon UK 8.69) This book details the journey of the four more than 150 years ago, and John’s retracing of their route in modern day.

John and my father have walked the same route as the famous Flannerys. Dad and I were cycling the final stretch of the journey that he had yet to complete.

All of the royalties and profits from the sale of this book are being donated to the Aurelia Trust a non-profit Irish NGO that works to improve the lives of abandoned and at-risk children in Eastern Europe.

West Mayo, next stop New York

Celtic cross in Belmullet, Co. MayoWhen I said “some of the most beautiful scenery in western Europe” I meant it – west Mayo is a fantastically beautiful place. Of course I’m not claiming to have captured that scenery in these pictures, but I’ve tried. These are pictures from walk on the beach in Belmullet on the west coast of Ireland on Stephen’s Day.

Blatant advertising

Yes, as if that wasn’t enough already – here’s the book information again!

Books on Amazon UK

Four Flannerys website


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No matter how bad life gets, help is always there

So we’ve made it to Newcastle West in Limerick. That’s 5 out of 14 done now. I’m still spinning the legs – although in too heavy a gear according to the cycling coach with us!

We had a relatively late start at 11am this morning, there were a huge number of students cycling from Tralee to join us in Killarney, and come with us back to Tralee for the first half of our day. The spin was nice and steady, a couple of “shlanty bits” as John calls them (hills in my book) but nothing too bad, and we were in Tralee around 1pm.

donal-walshThe reception we got in Tralee was simply massive. I think it’s Jim’s home town, but probably more influentially, it’s where Donal Walsh lived.

I didn’t know Donal’s story when we started out this morning – I only knew that he was a teenager from Tralee who had died of cancer and clearly had a big influence on a lot of people. Chatting to a local man coming into Tralee, I learned more about why Donal was such a huge influence around his local town, around Ireland, and even around the world.

Donal was fighting cancer from the age of 12 until he died at 16. He had learned to walk again in 6 weeks at the age of 12 when he lost his leg below the knee. He came back to become the fitness coach of the football team he had previously played with. Later, he had half a lung removed, and took up cycling to improve his lung capacity following that operation. He kept fighting for his life, and wrote about his anger at teenage suicide while he was battling to get as much out of living life as humanly possible.

 A few months left, he said. There it was; I was given a timeline on the rest of my life. No choice, no say, no matter. It was given to me as easy as dinner.

I couldn’t believe it, that all I had was 16 years here, and soon I began to pay attention to every detail that was going on in this town.

I realised that I was fighting for my life for the third time in four years and this time I have no hope. Yet still I hear of young people committing suicide and I’m sorry but it makes me feel nothing but anger.

I feel angry that these people choose to take their lives, to ruin their families and to leave behind a mess that no one can clean up.

Yet I am here with no choice, trying as best I can to prepare my family and friends for what’s about to come and leave as little a mess as possible.

I know that most of these people could be going through financial despair and have other problems in life, but I am at the depths of despair and, believe me, there is a long way to go before you get to where I am.

For these people, no matter how bad life gets, there are no reasons bad enough to make them do this; if they slept on it or looked for help they could find a solution, and they need to think of the consequences of what they are about to do.

So please, as a 16-year-old who has no say in his death sentence, who has no choice in the pain he is about to cause and who would take any chance at even a few more months on this planet, appreciate what you have, know that there are always other options and help is always there.

Donal wanted to do so much:

Doxorubicin, cisplatin and methotrexate were my chemotherapies. They were my best friends and my worst enemies. They would save my life and nearly kill me but I was doing it. I wanted to live, to play for Munster, to travel the world, to raise children and die when I’m 100, not 12.

Donal died at the age of 16, and every single person in Tralee, attended his funeral.

After Tralee, the long slow climbs toward Newcastle West didn’t feel quite so hard.

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Thursday, December 26, 2013

December 2, 2013

Pure excitement.

December 1, 2013

The annual family girls' Christmas baking day!

November 30, 2013

Lunch time with cousins!

November 29, 2013

It was a truly joy-filled, fun day as a family picking out and decorating our Christmas tree.

November 28, 2013

November 27, 2013

Making sweet potato black bean burritos, a favorite meal at our house.

November 26, 2013

She looks way too happy and proud to be standing on top of the coffee table....

November 25, 2013

Sometimes you just need to indulge in a freshly-baked chocolate chip cookie!

November 24, 2013

Coffee date with Grammie!

November 23, 2013

Making sweet, slow progress in the basement. :)

November 22, 2013

Quality time with Shawnna and Mya!

November 21, 2013

They crack me up.

November 20, 2013

Thankful for friends in my life who share what God is doing in their lives and the inspiration and revelation those conversations often bring me. This verse ended up on my chalkboard after one of those conversations last week.

November 19, 2013

Thankful for these types of lights when our power was out yesterday.
And very thankful for electricity in general.

November 18, 2013

Had a great time at my first clothing swap with my mom and sisters!

November 17, 2013

Alena-Daddy reading time in the living room fort. :)

Monday, December 23, 2013

November 16, 2013

There were so many great, fun leaves-playing pictures today, but this one far surpassed them all.

November 15, 2013

All smiles after eating a cake pop that Grammie treated her to. :)

November 14, 2013

Yet another big test in the books.... onto the next thing!

November 13, 2013

November 12, 2013

Is this really my baby?

November 11, 2013

Some Google Hangout chatting with a special little girl that we miss.

November 10, 2013

Sister cuddles!

November 9, 2013

Our annual family Christmas party before these two wonderful people headed to Florida for the winter was a great start to the holiday season!

Sunday, December 1, 2013

November 8, 2013

Long-overdue playdate for these girls. And their moms got to catch up a bit too!
Thanks for the picture, Kate. :)

November 7, 2013

I guess sometimes I trust her too much....

November 6, 2013

Loving my new purse courtesy of Better Way Imports. Love the cause even more.

November 5, 2013

This. Paid for. By a generous stranger in the car in front of me. Made my day!

November 4, 2013

Alena loved her dance class and Miss Sarah, and we loved watching a bit of what she's been learning for the last 6 weeks!

November 3, 2013

Sister shenanigans.

November 2, 2013

Movie and popcorn night with Daddy!

November 1, 2013

It's always interesting to see what she will decide to dress up with.

October 31, 2013

With our little elephant and bee!

October 30, 2013

October 29, 2013

Glad our gesture was appreciated. Didn't sell our house though- ha!

October 28, 2013

There will come a day when I will not approve of a boy playing in Alena's bed.
But for now, these two are great buddies. :)


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TRX In Action - Do You Have What It Takes?

  • About Karyn

About Karyn

Experience With Compassion Karyn  Palgut brings to Colorado Springs' west side community over 20 years of knowledge and expertise in the health and fitness industry.  She is a Certified Personal Trainer (AAAI/ISMA) and TRX Trainer with a B.S. in Physical Education: Sports Management from Florida State University.  She is also a two-time Olympian and former resident athlete at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Karyn went to FSU in 1981 on a volleyball scholarship after earning All-State honors in high school in volleyball, basketball, and softball.  She would prove she could do that at the highest level during her collegiate career becoming one of the Seminoles’ all-time greats earning an unprecedented 3 letters in 3 sports at the Div. I Level. Karyn’s amazing athletic skills continued after her FSU career when she began competing on the Women's Team Handball Team.  The team represented the United States in two Olympic Games and finished seventh in Seoul, Korea in 1988 and sixth in Barcelona, Spain in 1992.  Karyn’s most recent accomplishment was being inducted into the FSU Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2010. Of course, Karyn's athletic success did not come without its bumps and bruises.  She even experienced some major injuries with career ending implications.  Thanks to the superb medical staff at FSU and the OTC, she was able to overcome 2 shoulder surgeries and a total knee reconstruction, allowing her to return to full competition with no limitations, which she maintains to this day. Over the years, she has dedicated her life to taking her physical and mental abilities to the highest levels.  She has been most fortunate to be trained by some of the best trainers and coaches in the world.  She incorporates what she has learned with her personal experience into her SportFiTraining Programs. In addition to training adults, Karyn has had the privilege of training young athletes.  She has coached volleyball at both the collegiate (Colorado College) and high school (Cheyenne Mountain High School) levels.  She has trained young athletes to excel in sports such as volleyball, basketball, hockey, team handball, and tennis to name a few. She has adult programs that cater to people who want to improve their overall health and fitness, or anyone working on their golf or tennis game or other individualized sport.  She is passionate about educating and promoting a heart-healthy and attitude-happy community in Colorado Springs. Read More
  • General Fitness
  • TRX Suspension Training
  • Individual Performance Training
  • Team Performance Training
  • Injury/Road To Recovery


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Browsing Matt Elam

NFL Injuries – Baltimore Ravens & Philadelphia Eagles Lose Matt Elam & Travis Long for the Season

Posted on 4 Aug, 2015, by in NFL

Training camp time is also when NFL teams start losing players left and right to season ending injuries. Two notable ones after the weekend are Matt Elam, the safety from the Baltimore Ravens, and Travis Long, the linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles. More


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Had to raise the bar against Vettel: Hamilton

File Photo : Lewis Hamilton
IANS|24-Dec-2017 18:47

London, Dec 24 : Four-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton said the 2017 season was a key year for him and he worked hard to raise the bar against arch-rival and Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel.

The 32-year-old Hamilton, who races for Mercedes-Amg -- finished the 2017 Formula One season at the top with 363 points ahead of four-time world championship holder Vettel -- who ended the year with 317 marks.

"My whole mindset was there's a four-time world champion we're competing against," he was quoted as saying by Sky Sports on Saturday.

"There's no one else in my view or in my mirrors, it's just him and it's going to take everything to extract everything from the car weekend in, weekend out.

Read Also : "What's The ONE Change Formula 1 Needs In 2018?"

"If I don't he will and also he's going to be consistent because he's a four-time world champion so I've got to be even better and try to raise the bar every time," Hamilton added.

Hamilton who holds the record for highest pole positions (72) -- said he was assured from the beginning of doing well in the 2017 season.

"I would say I was more assured of myself this year. I think that comes from a lot of different things. Getting older. Confidence in your work ethic, relationships with the guys you're working with," the 2,610 career points holder said.

"We had a bullet-proof plan and structure of how we were doing things, a new resurfaced positive energy in the team that hadn't been there for a while. Plus we were fighting another team so we were super encouraged to go that extra distance," Hamilton added.


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Ukraine Large National Flag 5 X 3FT

SKU: 915635 Categories: ,
This Flag is Really Huge!
Lightweight Polyester Flags Will Fly with the Softest Breeze.
Printed on Both Sides with Long Lasting, Sharp and Vivid Color.
Made from normal polyester-nylon type material.
The flag can be seen from both sides, but is not two flags sewn back to back.
Fit Both Indoor and Outdoor Use.
The flag is made to hang on a flag pole or wall.
It has 2 brass grommets on one end for attatching to your flag pole.
The flag is great for a gift or personal use.
Size:91 X 153cm / 35.826 X 60.236inch

Package insludes:
1 x Ukrainian Flag


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‘Cultural Lessons’ planned to combat racism missing the point

Football’s governing bodies are considering giving foreign players cultural English lessons to help eradicate racism from football. It’s difficult to see how such measures would have any such effect.

Despite global efforts to eradicate racism from football it is still prevalent now more than ever. The Premier League has seen numerous examples popping up this season with recent incidents at Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland, Swansea City and Manchester City.

Suggesting that foreign players take cultural lessons to learn about England and the English game will not solve the problem and could further distance foreign players from a solution which can be accepted.

The underlying fundamental problem with racism in English football seems to lay with certain groups of fans and the way they are brought up to watch and be involved around football.

There is still a large element of fathers taking their sons to watch football matches and there is still a huge hooligan element to English football which is where many racism problems originate.

Prejudice can therefore be engrained onto younger supporters from a very early age which will naturally be damaging because 60% of the players in the Premier League are not British born and raised.

Suggesting that foreign players coming into the English game learn about English culture is insulting. It is not the fault of foreign players that they are racially abused and getting them to understand fans and England is counter productive.

The only way that this sort of method would work with the English game is to attack the sets of supporters responsible and try to educate them over the cultural backgrounds that many players are coming to the Premier League from.

The current method which is being proposed will simply stop foreign players from using certain words around the English game in a similar way that Luis Suarez called Patrice Evra a racial term last season which is accepted in parts of Uruguay where Suarez comes from.

It won’t actually do anything to eradicate it from the game, it’s side stepping the problem and will simply cause players to think outside the box in terms of the language they use when talking back to a player.

A much better way to tackle this problem is to educate fans filled with prejudice and hatred from a very early age and impose bans which stop any racist fans from watching football. If they are not in any ground across England or the UK then there won’t be any in-play incidents.

Do Manchester United need Theo Walcott?
Patrice Evra: Fergie Could 'Sack Everyone' if we Lose the League

  1. Talkoftheterrace.net 11 December, 2012
  2. John Anthony 12 December, 2012
  3. Sage 16 December, 2012


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Owners defend whip ban jockey

Updated: October 12, 2011

The owners of Orthodox Lad have spoken out in favour of jockey Kieren Fox, who was suspended for 15 days at Salisbury on Monday.

Fox is understood to have hit the horse eleven times, when winning the Bathwick Tyres Salisbury Handicap by a short head. Under the highly controversial new whip rules that were only introduced on the day(Monday), a jockey is only allowed use the whip a maximum of seven times during an entire race. The maximum amount of times the rider can hit his mount inside the last furlong is five(Fox used whip seven times).

Steve Nunn, spokesman for Orthodox Lad’s owners, SN Racing II, defended the jockey on ATR saying:

“We love our horses and don’t want to hurt them in any way. Kieren gets on well with the horse and we know he is an out and out galloper, he doesn’t have many gears and needs a bit of help.

“I spoke to the guys after the race and they said he (Orthodox Lad) was bouncing after the race.

I’m completely happy with how it was handled. I feel for Kieren. Kieren is not an aggressive rider. He would accept he would get banned, but this is too harsh.

“What it comes to is that there is a chance that the horse might not have won yesterday and that affects little men like me.

I thought it was a great ride. That horse now has one win under our belt. From a breeding point of view, that makes a big difference to us.

Nominated for 2011 Realex Web Awards

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April 1, 2010

Horrid Henry's Joke Book

Warning: Too Rude For Parents!

April Fool's Day was spent sharing jokes from the newly released Horrid Henry's Joke Book written by Francesca Simon. Who can resist knock knock jokes? "Mummy's Curse Jokes" and "Scary Sitter Jokes" keep you screaming for more. The unexpected "Underpants Jokes" and "Jokes Much Too Rude to tell Mom" brings out the British humor the Horrid Henry series always carries with it.

One of my favorites: What is brown and sticky? A brown stick.

A laugh out loud for all ages!

1 comment:


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Friday, December 4, 2009

Practice and Polish to Get Hired

Guest post from Kathryn Lorenzen, Principal/Career Development Coach with AfterSchool Career Workshops (Much of what I write about, I learned from Kathryn.)

If you’re a soon-to-graduate senior, I don’t mean to scare you, but…the unemployment rate among young college graduates is the highest in the overall population (as high as 18% in some areas), the highest it’s been since the government started counting in 1948. And because so many firms are deferring hires of entry-level talent, a high percentage of graduates are not finding jobs in their chosen fields.

What that means is that you must be as competitive as you can possibly be in order to get hired. You must be smart in your research, how you organize yourself, how you network and communicate, how you interview, and how you build your support system.

The most successful job-seekers, those who get an offer for the job they want, have practiced and drilled and mastered the basic, building-block skills. They have crafted their own personal marketing statements, they can introduce themselves and initiate effective networking conversations, they can tailor a resume and cover letter for target companies, they can present themselves professionally in an interview, and they know how to negotiate an offer. Hiring managers look not only for competence, but also for polished communication and confidence.

These are skills that can be practiced in classrooms and workshops, and with mentors, counselors, and peers. There is no substitute for practice! The most important things to practice include: what you say about yourself; how you describe what you’re looking for; how you ask others to help you; what you say in dialogue with an interviewer; and how you follow up after the interview.

Here is some good news. There’s a whole new way for you to prepare to compete effectively for the job you want. Lisa Correu and I have created AfterSchool Career Workshops, which kick off next week. Each workshop is a self-contained, one-day session which covers all the bases and equips you to leave with a game plan and all the tactics you need to make it happen. We’ve had lots of terrific support in putting this together, including our logo design courtesy of Springboard Creative (thanks, Kevin!), and we’ve poured our collective experience as recruiters and hiring managers into giving you intensive coaching and guidance.

Our first sessions will take place next week, on December 9 and December 12 in Kansas City, MO. If you’d like to be our guest as we bring this training to the market, we’d like to give you an opportunity to attend free! (We will be charging $125+ after January 1st.) In return, we’ll ask you to provide us some video feedback on the content during the final half hour.

If you’re interested in attending free (this is a one-time-only opportunity), visit our website and email us through the Contact Us button before Monday, December 7. While you’re there, be sure to read the list of everything you’ll learn, check out our blog (tips galore), and help yourself to the free downloads.

Let’s get new graduates hired!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Show, Don't Tell

I review a lot of student portfolios. Right up front, I ask students what they want to do for a living.

"I want to be in advertising."

And then I don't see a single ad.

"I want to be a magazine designer."

And I see nothing but logos and posters.

If you want to be in advertising, your portfolio better be full of concepts. If you want to be a magazine designer, you need to show editorial work. Etc., etc., etc.

I'm not going to take your word for it that you can create ads, write taglines, design logos, animate videos or anything else. You have to show me.

Don't have the kind of work in your portfolio you would like to do? Simple. Create it.

Your portfolio doesn't have to be full of graded student projects. It doesn't matter if it was for class or not. I just want proof you can do the work. And do it well.

Show me that, and you might get the job.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Don't Derail Your Job Search With This Mistake

There's one consistent mistake I see that completely derails a person's job search. And I'm seeing it more and more.

I don't know if people get frustrated, embarrassed or just lose their desire, but I'm seeing way too many job seekers drop out of sight. As important as networking is in any job search, disappearing (for even a little while) will ensure that your chances of getting a job will come to a screeching halt.

I know quite a few people looking for work (happens when you write a career blog). However, if I hear of a job opening, maybe a quarter of those people will come to mind. I have no idea if the rest are still looking (I assume they are) because I haven't heard from them in months. Which means they may miss out on a great opportunity.

Keep yourself visible. Go to industry events. Volunteer. Post regularly on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Let people know you are out there. If you disappear, you effectively end your chances of finding out about available jobs. Because, if you are counting solely on job boards, you are, to put it bluntly, screwed.

I've mentioned before that finding a job is your full-time job. So set aside a part of everyday to follow up with a set number of people. Don't be afraid to let them know you are actively seeking employment. And remember, at the end of every conversation, ask "Do you know anyone else I should be talking to?"

How will people know you are looking for a job if you don't tell them?

Writer's Note: Funny I should write about disappearing after having disappeared from this blog for the past six weeks. Sorry about that. Anything you want me to write about? Just post a comment with a question and I'll be sure to cover it, or get back to you.

Friday, September 11, 2009

And You Are... ?

Last night I attended a great Art+Copy Club event.

My favorite part of those events is the networking (and, no, not for the beer). I love talking to old friends and meeting new people. In fact, I'm the guy who goes around the room and tries to talk to everyone.

It's not uncommon for people to come up to me at these events. What throws me is when we're a minute or two into conversation and the person makes a comment that makes me realize we've met before. I then spend the next few minutes trying to remember where.

Sometimes it's someone who's heard me speak. Or someone who's portfolio I've reviewed. Or someone I talked to at the last event.

When you approach someone at an event like this, reintroduce yourself and remind them how you met ("You reviewed my portfolio last spring."). Usually that reminder will do the trick and they'll remember you. It's rare that I just don't remember someone.

That little memory trigger will keep them engaged in your conversation instead of trying to remember where you met before.

It also allows them to introduce you to other people. The whole point of networking.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

The Best Pay for an Intern Isn't Always Cash

When looking for a job, connections are more valuable than money.

And the best way to make those connections is through an internship. Even if you've already graduated.

Many of the best internships don't pay a dime. They pay in connections, opportunities and experience. And during a job search, those are far more valuable than cash.

Look at small agencies, especially one-, two-, or three-person shops. They might not be able to pay you. But they can give you better opportunities and are more likely to assist you in your search.

At a large agency, you're just another intern. At a small shop, you can become an important part of the team.

How do you find a post-graduate internship? Approach the owner at a small shop. Volunteer to go in and help with anything. Tell them you don't need money, you just want the experience of working with them. Who knows? Someone who isn't considering an intern may take you on.

Sound simple? Not really. Here's the catch: it has to be someone you have a relationship with. A small shop isn't likely to take on someone they don't know.

So, do what you can to develop strong relationships. I have several recent grads doing that with me right now. When my current intern lands a job, I'll look to bring in one of them.

How I (like other small shops) pay interns: access to my connections, a strong referral, feedback on resume and portfolio, use of my studio and its equipment, as well as active assistance from me in the job search.

And that's worth quite a bit.

(Side note: Normally I don't advise working for free. But in unusual times you have to do whatever is going to help you out in the long run.)

Friday, August 14, 2009

Prepare for the Rebound

When I graduated from college, desktop computers had just entered ad agencies – which meant fewer people were needed to do the same work. It took me months to find my first job.

What you’re experiencing is unmatched.

However, the rebound is on its way. It might not happen next week or next month, but it is coming. You need to be prepared in order to land a job.

Build your skills // If you don’t have interactive skills, stop reading right now and sign up for interactive training (that includes you writers). You can register at your local community college. Many have two-day or one-week intensive courses. Just make sure it gives you a good foundation. And then dive in and learn, learn, learn. The people who are going to get hired have an understanding of interactive. If you don’t have that knowledge, you will likely end up in the “no” pile when companies are reviewing resumes. Print isn't dead, but it has all the people it needs. It’s simple. Want a job? Know interactive.

Create a team // My intern Mike is putting together a team of creatives to do pro bono work for an acquaintance. It shows initiative. It shows leadership. It shows well on his resume. He and the rest of the group are sharpening their creative skills and proving their ability to work as part of a team. Plus, they’ll get a nice portfolio piece out of it.

Be fearless // Introduce yourself to people. Follow up. Ask people if they know of openings. What’s the worst thing that can happen? They don’t respond. Big deal. Move on to the next person. If you don’t try, you don’t stand a chance.

The rebound is coming. Are you prepared?

Have a question? Post a comment and I’ll be happy to respond.

Friday, July 10, 2009

There Are Jobs Out There

Seriously. There are jobs out there.

Last night I heard about two job openings at an AAF-KC after hours event. The day before I heard about two others.

However, these openings are not widely known. Many hiring companies now keep openings to themselves. They don't want to be inundated with resumes and phone calls. And, with the load of talent out there, companies are being very picky about who they talk to, let alone hire.

Depressing? A little. But now that you know, you can work it to your advantage.
  • As I mentioned in my last post, keep in touch with people. What may look like lucky timing is usually consistent follow-up.
  • Attend industry events. It's the best place to meet people who can tell you about job openings. But, you have to do this over time. You can't expect to pick up job leads your first time there. People share leads with people they know. You have to attend consistently.
  • Follow agencies or people you've met on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn. You'll learn when they land clients, which means they may be hiring. They may even post job openings.
  • Be sure to update anyone who provides you with a lead. Let them know if the lead turned into something or even if nothing happened. They are more likely to help you again. If I give you a lead and you don't let me know how it worked out, I'm very unlikely to provide you another.
It isn't easy. But remember, these rules apply to everyone. And now you've got a leg up on the competition. Because you know there are jobs out there – and how to root them out.

Friday, June 26, 2009

The KEY to developing your network.

Stay in touch.

Swear to God, it's that simple.

Just because you've met someone doesn't mean they are part of your network. You have to develop a relationship with them.

Drop them an e-mail once in a while. Or make a quick phone call. But always have a reason for contacting them. And, this is key, the reason should be about them. Not you. A relationship is a two-way street. It can't just be about what they can do for you. They have to get something out of it as well.

An example: Anyone who knows anything about me knows I moved into a new studio recently. I've written about it on Twitter, Facebook, etc. This is the perfect opening for a conversation.

In fact, here's an e-mail I received:

How's the studio? I know, not a catchy line, but you start to run out of ideas after awhile. How's everything going? Has the transition been smooth? If you need help with anything, let me know. Mike.

I've known Mike awhile now. He's kept in regular contact with me. And it's always relationship-building. Never "Do you know where I can get a job?"

He asked questions. That encourages dialogue. Dialogue builds relationships. He also volunteered to help me out. And, he kept it short. He did everything right.

I called Mike that day and offered him an internship at Springboard Creative. Not because he asked for one (he didn't). But because, after all this time, I felt I knew him well. As part of that internship, I'll be helping him find a job.

And it was all because he kept in contact.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Don't Facebook Yourself Out of a Job

"I'm trying to keep this on the down low, but ..."

So started a post from one of my Facebook connections. He thought of it as a private conversation between him and a friend. Unfortunately, he broadcast it to everyone connected to either of them.

Never, ever, ever, and I mean ever post something on Facebook, MySpace, etc. that you don't want everyone to know. Especially prospective employers.

I've written on the career dangers of this before. Just about anyone who is in a hiring position (within our industry anyway) is on Facebook and all the other social network sites. And they will check your page out. Do you feel comfortable with what they'll read or see?

Visit your own page with the mindset of a potential employer. Would you hire you based on your page?

Clean it up. Delete embarrassing photos (and remove tags from other people's photos). Remove unflattering comments. Rework you profile page. Start over if necessary. If they don't like what they see, this may be the only "contact" you have with them.

And making your page private will not solve your problems. There are easy ways around that.

Don't miss out on a great opportunity because you think your social pages are private. They're not.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Expand Your Network with One Simple Question

"Do you know anyone else I should be talking to?"

End every conversation you have with that one simple question.

The beauty of the question is that not only do you get a name or two to contact, you get a name to use when making contact.

"Hi. Kevin Fullerton said I should talk to you. I'm a writer ..."

People are much more likely to talk to you, and more importantly listen to you, when you've been sent to them by someone they know. They're also more likely to be helpful.

Even if they don't have a job opening, they may know someone who does. In any event, after thanking them for their time, ask:

"Do you know anyone else I should be talking to?"

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Do I Send My Portfolio to an Agency?

Kevin – Is a physical book something you bring to an interview, or is it something you send off to agency? I've noticed most agencies have a stack of books that were sent to them. And if you do send your book off, do you get it back or do you have multiple copies? – Hudson

Your book/portfolio will be viewed in two ways:
  • During an interview // After reviewing your resume, the agency will determine they want to meet you and view your portfolio at the same time. In fact, viewing and discussing your portfolio will be the majority of the interview. You will usually leave with your portfolio in hand. Occasionally the interviewer will ask you to leave it behind (especially if they want someone else to see it). Ask them when you can return to pick it up. A day or two is the longest they should hold it.
  • Pre-interview // An agency may ask you to send in your portfolio to determine if they want to interview you. They'll call in several portfolios at once so they can narrow down their interview pool. They should hold it no longer than a week. Again, ask them when you can return to pick it up.
Since you may have to leave your portfolio with an agency for a few days, it is best to have more than one copy of your portfolio. The last thing you want is to have someone call you in when you are sans portfolio.

Also, don't be afraid to ask if you can send it to them electronically instead (just be positive it works perfectly on any computer). This gives them what they need and doesn't leave you minus your portfolio. If fact, for interviews, carry a copy of your portfolio on a CD as a leave-behind.

Lastly, if they don't understand you can't be without your portfolio for more than a few days, run the other direction. You don't want to work there.

Any interviewers out there have other recommendations?

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

"Why Can't I Get a Job?"

I've been hearing that question a lot lately.

For each person, it's a different reason. Right now, it's mostly the economy. However, some people immediately take themselves out of the running by bone-headed moves.

So I posted the following question on Twitter and Facebook: "What mistakes do you see from recent grads during the search/interview process?"

Loads of people responded. Most of their responses fell under the following seven mistakes:
  • Don't know what they want to do // "I could do account service or creative." No. No you can't. If I'm hiring a writer, and it's between a writer and someone who could do whatever, who do you think I'm hiring?
  • Don't stand out // Boring resume? Generic cover letter? No interview for you. If you can't effectively market yourself, why would I hire you to market my client?
  • Irrelevant information // Unless one of my clients is HyVee, I don't care that you worked for HyVee. You only have about 20 seconds to capture my attention with your resume. Don't waste it on things I don't care about.
  • Mistakes // As my friend David so eloquently said "Proof. Proof. Proog. Oops."
  • Not prepared // "So annoying when students come in for an interview and don't know a flipping thing about my company." Why would you want to annoy the interviewer?
  • Following bad advice // This comes from a recruiter: "Following really bad advice from a parent or relative. Like asking for upper 30s for a first job in advertising." Make sure you're getting advice from people who know what they're talking about.
  • No follow up // "A thank you note afterwards is a nice touch. Hardly anyone does it anymore and it can really make you stand out." And when she says note, she mean handwritten.
I'm sure you've heard most, if not all, of these before. However, these are the common mistakes recent grads continue to make. Want to have a chance at getting that job? Make sure you don't do any of the above.

Good luck.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Hire Yourself

Nothing out there? No one returning your calls? No job in the foreseeable future?

Hire yourself.

"You must be on drugs. In this economy, and with my lack of experience, you want me to start a business?"

Well ... yes.

Many of the best companies started in crappy economic conditions (including loads of great, small companies). In fact, I believe conditions like these are great for starting your own business.

Here's the thing – maybe it works out, maybe it doesn't. But you'll learn, grow and gain valuable experience.

My most valuable learning experience happens to be my greatest failure. (I affectionately refer to it as "my bobsled ride to hell.") I was part of a start-up company that lasted only a year. We did everything wrong. And I learned more in that one year than all other years combined. It also set me up for the career I have now.

Several students/recent grads I know have started businesses. Check out Brendan's Love Sick Clothing, Chases' Wicked Threadz and Tosha's TYPOGRFX. Whether these businesses succeed or fail, the people will definitely succeed. Because they have that entrepreneurial mindset.

I'm not telling you to stop your job search. I'm telling you to take control of your career. The business may grow into something big, or become a nice side project once you are employed, or may be that glorious failure that propels you to something bigger.

Plus, it will give you the answer to the interview question "What have you been doing since graduation?"

And saying "I started my own business" is a great answer.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Your Full-Time Job Is Finding a Job

Congratulations on graduation and the start of your new full-time job – finding a job.

Your. Full. Time. Job.

Responsibilities include:
  • Researching possible employers // Find the firms who do what you want to do.
  • Targeting possible employers // Your cover letter, resume and all other communications should be specific to that employer. Don't just replace one name with another.
  • Constant networking // Keep yourself top-of-mind. You want people talking about you. And remember, for it to be true networking, you have to give back as much as you get.
  • Creating new portfolio pieces // Never stop improving your work. Always aim to knock the weakest piece out of your portfolio.
  • Keeping up with industry news // Know who's hiring, who's firing and who's the right fit for you.
  • Attending industry events // Best way to meet people. And make sure they know you.
  • Following up with contacts // See previous post for importance of this.
  • Finding a pro bono client // Gives you a professional reference, another piece for your portfolio and keeps your skills sharp.
  • Other duties as required // In other words, whatever it takes.
Hours: 9:00 to 5:00, minimum. Some evenings and weekends required.

Qualifications: tenacity, tenacity and, did I mention, tenacity.

Pay: your first professional job.

So, welcome to your new job. Let me know how it goes.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up

Large or small, your network of contacts is only as effective as the work you put into it.

Regular follow up is an important part of that.

Did someone give you a lead? Let them know how it turns out.

Did you meet someone at an industry event? Get their card and send them a quick e-mail telling them you enjoyed meeting them.

Did someone review your portfolio or resume for you? Let them know what changes you made on the basis of their advice.

You get the idea.

And it's not just about thanking them (which you should do). It's also about keeping yourself top-of-mind so they think of you when they hear of an opening.

Even now I regularly hear about job openings. If I haven't heard from someone in a while, I assume they found something and don't pass on their name. Or, if I've only had contact with them once or twice, I may not even think of them.

So follow up on a regular basis with your contacts. It can be a short e-mail, a quick phone call or a hand-written note (wow, that would stand out). It's all about developing an ongoing relationship.

People are more likely to help someone they know than some stranger off the street – which is what you'll be if you don't maintain contact.

Plus, you never know who may give you the lead or advice that helps you land that job.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Samples Can Help Land You the Job

Over 100 people applied for an entry-level job opening I had several years ago.

Each resume initially received about 20 seconds of my time before it was relegated to either the Yes pile or the No pile. The resumes in the Yes pile would be closely reviewed later to determine who would be brought in for an interview. Only about 15 resumes made it into that pile.

One resume was about to be placed in the No pile when I noticed an attached page. The attachment showed three samples of the designer's work. The work was impressive, so the resume went from its original position in the No pile to the Yes pile.

The resume was a No pile candidate because the candidate had no experience as a designer – no internship, no related clubs or activities, no freelance work, nothing. (I later learned it was because he had to work for his way through school. However, that's still no excuse.)

But, he was smart. He knew he didn't have the resume materials, so he sent samples of his work. That's all it took to move him from the No pile to the Yes pile.

Which lead to an interview.

And then the job.

Remember, the only point of the resume is to get you an interview. If you don't have the resume for that, then send a few samples of your work as well. When it comes down to it, we're more interested in the quality of your work than we are your experience.

It worked for one designer.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Hogblog: A Great Career Resource

Check out this great post from Sally Hogshead. If you are not following Sally, you should be.

2) Simple, brilliant ideas kick ass over fancy execution.

Go to her blog to check out the other 11.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Take the Long View on Your Job Search

Not that you don't already know this, but this economy officially blows ... and it's going to last awhile. Especially in our industry.

The hardest hit? You. (Or at least it feels that way.)

So, what should you do? Stay in school (or go back)? Find a job in another industry? Try even harder?

You need to do whatever is right for you – with one huge caveat. Continue your job search while you do whatever else you need to do. Just make sure you take the long view on your career.
  • Interview at places that don't currently have openings.
  • Get involved in local industry organizations and meet as many people as possible.
  • Regularly follow up with people you've met. Build relationships.
  • Continue to build/improve your portfolio.
  • Do creative work for non-profits that otherwise couldn't afford creative services.
  • Keep your skills sharp.
Think of this as setting yourself up for a job in three, six or 12 months. And if you get one earlier than that, bonus. Eventually, hiring will pick back up and you want to be top-of-mind when it starts. (I know the first three people I'm going after when I'm ready to add staff – one's in college and one graduated a year ago.)

The key is persistence. With this economy, unfortunately, you have to change your expectations. It's going to be a long, hard search process. Prepare yourself for that fact.

There is no better way to make a living than as a creative. After all these years, I still find myself thinking "I can't believe I get paid to do this."

And you will too. You just have to stick with it.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Your Instructor Isn't the Only One Grading Your Assignments

It's time to change the way you look at class assignments.

You're not doing them for the grade. Or your instructor. Or, worse yet, just to get them done.

You're doing them for your portfolio.

Because when it comes down to it, creative directors don't care about your grades, your instructor, or your school. They care about the content of your portfolio. Period.

And where do those portfolio pieces come from? Mostly from class assignments.

So when starting an assignment, think about how it will fit into your portfolio. Will it show creative growth? Or will it show boring repetition? Will it show new skills? Or that you only have a few tools at your disposal? Will it show the kind of work you are passionate about? Or simply show what you did?

Create work that shows your true capabilities. Go beyond the assignment and put more into it than required. And once you've received your grade, go back and make it even better. (Yes, improve it even after you've received your grade.)

Trust me, your instructors will appreciate it.

And, more importantly, creative directors will too.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Follow Your Connections to the End

Last year at the ADDY Awards, an art director named Matt introduced himself to me.

He then thanked me for helping him land his current job – three years ago.

It may seem odd that he received help from someone he had never met, but it's not unusual. Smart networking and consistent follow through include contacting many people you've never met. And you have to be persistent to continue the chain of connections until you reach your goal.

Matt was ready for a job change and our mutual friend Greg told him to contact me. I trust Greg's judgement so I talked to Matt on the phone and told him to send me his portfolio.

His work was outstanding and very specialized. I happened to know the perfect place for him. I sent him to a guy I didn't know at the time (but do now). Matt followed up with with that connection and got the job.

In the end, Matt landed his job by connecting with Greg, who connected him to me, who connected him to his current boss.

The sad thing is most people never follow through and make that second or third connection.

More often than not, someone will tell me they advised a friend to contact me and I'll never hear from that person. In fact, I'm usually surprised when I do.

Be smart. Follow each connection until the end.

You never know which connection is going to lead you to that elusive job. Just ask Matt.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Be Selfish. Volunteer.

I just wrapped up one of my favorite weekends of the year – ADDY judging weekend.

As judging chair, I was responsible for putting together our panel of judges. After a few months of searching and calling, we landed some of the top talent from around the nation.

This past weekend, they came to Kansas City for two days to judge 1,200 or so pieces.

In order to make judging weekend happen, we needed volunteers. About 25 or so.

Our volunteers included creative directors, art directors, writers, photographers, account managers and, yes, students. And they all worked together to make judging run smoothly.

What a great chance to get to know people in the industry (and for them to know you). How often do you get the chance to work on an equal level with a creative director? Or a well-connected writer? Or even a potential co-worker? (Remember, the best way to get in the door is through a current employee.)

Want to get hired? Be known. Want to be known? Get involved as an industry volunteer.

I know many volunteers who landed jobs based on connections made through organizations like Ad Club.

You just have to be selfish – by volunteering.

(And who knows? You may even get the chance to meet people whose work you admire. I did.)

Friday, January 9, 2009

Follow and Be Followed

Most job openings are never advertised. You just have to know about them ... or luck upon them.

Unfortunately, luck is an inconsistent (and unreliable) ally. So you need to become an information junkie. And the more information you have, the "luckier" you become.

Target the places you want to work. Yeah, yeah, you've heard this before. "Read their web site, Google them, blah, blah, blah ..." Yes, you need to do that, but everyone else is doing that too. You need inside information. How to find that?

Simple. Follow them. On Twitter. On LinkedIn. On Facebook.

You'll be amazed at the daily going-ons you learn through following people. Especially on Twitter. I've seen tweets that tell me about layoffs, job openings and job changes (which means their old job is open). The secret is to follow people who work there rather than the company itself. You'll get the real story that way.

Armed with that information, you can "luck in" to calling the hiring person just as they need someone. Amazing how timing can change their reaction to your call.

Get out there and follow, follow, follow.

By the way, to get you started: Kevin on Twitter, Kevin on LinkedIn.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Read "You Are The President Of Your Career"

Here's a great post by Chris Brogan about taking charge of your career.

Here's a sample:

"Understand that just doing what you've been doing won't really work for more than a handful of months, because everything around you is changing. If you don't change, you'll fall behind."

Then he gives a simple prescription.

Give it a read.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Print-Only is Dead

"I'm a print designer. I don't do interactive."

Sorry. Then you don't stand a chance of working here.

If you can only deliver print, your chances of getting the job drop – drastically. We're in a digital world. Our clients need digital solutions. And most of us older (over age 35) advertising folks are counting on you to help us deliver. If you can't, we move on to someone who can.

And in this incredibly tight market, you'll be left high and dry.

What to do? Upgrade your skills.

Learn programming, yes. But also make sure you have a good understanding of a variety of communication methods. How can you offer your clients the best solutions if you're not aware of the options available?

We all need to know digital communications. And for recent grads, it's simply the price of entry.

Print isn't dead. But print-only communicators are.

(By the way, my good friend Alistair Tutton lectured me for not being on Twitter. Now you can follow me here. Or, if you're LinkedIn, you can follow me here.)


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Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Seattle Businesses Being Prepared for Demolition of Alaskan Way Viaduct

The area under the Alaskan Way Viaduct in downtown Seattle
Being in long-range planning, I can appreciate this. According to KOMO New, the Washington State Department of Transportation has started meeting with business owners who will be impacted by the demolition of the Alaskan Way Viaduct in two years.

It will take about nine months to demolish the viaduct, which will start after the replacement tunnel for the highway opens up. So far, the giant drilling machine, nicknamed "Bertha," has drilled out more than 75% of the tunnel.

Some business owners are afraid that rent prices will jump with the improvements, driving out smaller businesses.

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About SRTC

SRTC is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for Spokane County. Urbanized areas with populations exceeding 50,000 people are required to have an MPO. SRTC was formed to address the county's transportation planning needs. It provides coordination in planning between the public, cities, small towns, the county, the state, transit providers, and tribes.

SRTC offers services including transportation monitoring, transportation modeling, census information analysis, travel demand forecasting, historical traffic count analysis, geographic information systems, and trip generation rates.


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Evaluation of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

What lesser-known symptoms of PTSD important for adjudicators?

Some of the (lesser known?) symptoms might include irritability, social anxiety (not wanting to go out in public, avoiding crowded places), self-medicating with alcohol / drugs, emotional withdrawal from friends/family, depression, etc. The symptoms of PTSD are quite similar to those of depression, and also nearly identical to those of POST-CONCUSSION SYNDROME / MILD TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY. For example, many of our returning soldiers have sustained both a concussion and are also suffering from PTSD: the symptoms are hard to tease out, though nearly everyone who has gone through a traumatic event - whether it is being injured yourself or seeing others in traumatic situations - will have some degree of PTSD. This does not preclude other existing conditions, such as post-concussion syndrome (fatigue, headache, irritability, inability to concentrate, nausea, scattered thoughts) or other psychological issues (social anxiety, mild depression). One of the hallmarks of PTSD is the "reliving" of the traumatic event, often with no control over obsessing over the details. Feeling as if you are in a heightened "fight or flight" constantly, feeling jumpy at loud noises, bright lights. There is literature on the differences / similarities between PTSD and post-concussion syndrome.

1 vote
Idea No. 186


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Friday, December 24, 2010

{Merry Merry}

We are getting ready to leave Santa his cookies and milk, and then get hopefully kids will be ready for bed soon because Santa doesn't like to be up too late (wink wink) !  Merry Christmas my bloggy friends!

Nana's Nuggets said...

Hi! stacy! love the (wink,wink)! comment. Merry Christmas!


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It’s funny how a card can come to be.   Yesterday I sat down at my craft table and I wasn’t really sure what I was going to make.  I looked around the table and saw a few bits and pieces from my crafting last week.  Last week I showed you a purse card with a Melon Mambo embossed flower.  I had also tried making one on Daffodil Delight cardstock but I didn’t really like it for the purse card.  I had also tried embossing a piece from the set A Fitting Occasion.  I used white embossing powder on Gumball Green (my new favorite color) but I put it aside because it just didn’t really go with my card.  So I started playing around with these two pieces and Voila!, my card was created. I also used the CUTE new scallop circle punch (#127811).

The Idea Book & Catalog is a great place to go for inspiration.  My original inspiration for the embossed green Modern Label piece came from a picture on page 100 of the catalog.  From there my creativity went forward!  Give it a try, look through the catalog and see where it leads you!
Thanks for stopping by!
Order Stampin’ Up! products, 24/7 at my online store!