12/24/2008

Gone Fishing...

I won't be posting for a couple of weeks - just wanted to let y'all know...

If you're a fantasy football fan - are are interested in a fantasy pool for the play-offs ... check out this blog.

Happy New Year and Holidays to all!
BG

12/19/2008

Scarcity Brings Clarity

We are living in crazy economic times. I have 5 good friends who have all been laid off recently - and these are ALL people who are very smart and valuable contributors to businesses. If I had my own company - I would hire all 5 people....It's crazy! Really, really nuts!

While there can't be much sugar coating on getting laid-off from your job, I genuinely believe that these 5 friends will all be OK in the long-run and perhaps the last few weeks will be "Fillet Mignon disguised as a Shit Sandwich." (I came up with that all by myself - feel free to use it)

A buzz phrase included in almost every mass message here at Google is that "Scarcity brings clarity." The concept that when times are tough - focus and true passion bubble up. You get rid of the waste - and re-focus on the core....
Clearly - I drink the Kool-aid of Googley-ness, but I think GENERALLY (and not specific to Google) - in times like this - most people actually do whatever they need to in order to pay the bills ... BUT... I think that smart and opportunistic people will look at times like this to re-evaluate career paths and goals, overall happiness priority list, etc...

In a conversation with a couple of buddies last week (one in which was laid off), he asked what "the next" business explosion will be from this economic debacle? Stemp and I agree that a career in "alternative energy" certainly is - as an industry - poised for significant growth. I honestly don't have a clue about what specific job functions are available in this market, but that was the first thing to pop into my mind when the question was posed.
My other buddies (JP) first response was "internet commerce." And I was shocked. I mean it's literally my core job focus - and so - I wasn't really sure how to react....

Yes - E-Commerce will grow substantially over the next 10 years - but - knowing what I know, it is more of a function of consumers being more comfortable with buying online and the established traditional retailers catching up from internet pure plays like Amazon, however, I don't see huge "job market growth" coming from E-Commerce .... BUT ... it's not how JP intended it ... and I thought it was interesting...

Basically, as people spend more time looking for jobs, they'll start trying to make money for themselves in the most easily accessible ways ... The Internet clearly represents an easy, accessible and scalable way to network and operate business. Whether people merely start selling things on eBay, start their own businesses (like Barb - who started her own organizational business), start writing blogs and putting ads on it, or even try and become professional poker players - the internet will play a huge role in small business generation in the coming months...

Curious to know what my blog readers think... What's the next industry to explode (in a good way)? What should people without jobs do in this environment?

12/17/2008

Houston's to Hillstone in NYC

Friends of mine know that Houston's is probably my favorite restaurant on the planet. I got made fun of in college because my favorite restaurant was a chain ... but ... Yes - that's how it's done when you grow up in South Florida...

Anyway - "The Malester" (my friend) shares my passion for Houston's - and sent me an Eater.com article this morning about Houston's changing it's name to Hillstone in New York City.

What the article fails to mention is the real reason for the name change - which I will share with you all... The REAL reason for the change is the NYC calorie law, where "Restaurants that have 15 outlets nationwide are now required by New York City to list calorie counts on their menus."

SO ... if there are only 2 Hillstones ... the restaurant doesn't have to share it's calorie count on the menu. The secret of really how bad (but how good) the food at Houston's in will remain a secret FOREVER...

12/09/2008

ZocDoc

I am pretty cynical when it comes to my consumer experiences within the medical profession. I get frustrated with the inflexibility of appointment times, the often cold experience with trying new doctors blindly (that these days automatically result in a slew of tests/additional appointments for no truly justified reason), and several other factors ... BUT ... Someone at work just told me of a very cool tool that I wanted to pass along.

I haven't used it yet - but played around quickly earlier today: ZocDoc seems to be an "OpenTable for Doctors and Dentists" ... (it's limited to NY only at this point - but that's how OpenTable started too...)

It offers available appointment times, the ability to filter by specialty and insurance accepted. It also offers reviews (overall, bedside manner, & wait time) - which I think could be really interesting if used at greater scale.

That's it -- just thought I'd share something I thought was pretty cool.

12/08/2008

Noddy, Noddy ... We likes to party...

...We don't cause trouble, we don't bother nobody...

Inspiration of this post comes from Kara G - a co-worker (and occasional blog reader)...

Kara is the QUEEN of the business meeting nod...which some may find pesky, but I do not. As someone who, um, isn't afraid to speak in public settings - it supplies a great source of confidence to the speaker (that you are not boring the heck out of everyone). On the flip side, it does also most likely prompts the speaker to talk for a little longer than planned (so if you're in a rush to conclude the meeting - cut the nodding)...

I'm sure there are those people who nod anytime their superior speaks - regardless of what they are saying - which I guess I could find annoying ... BUT ... as long as you don't discriminate your business meetings nods - I'm OK with it...

I recently had a meeting with some Japanese businessmen, and I was told before the meeting that the Japanese are notorious for incessant nodding while others speak - as they believe it's almost rude not to... Now - I won't go that far - I think it's a respectful gesture that what the speaker is saying resonates with the audience (or at least some people). So - the next time you are in a meeting - and you agree with what's being said -- give a nod or two, you may find it rewarded back to you some day...

12/01/2008

An Airplane Seat First

Amy and I used to book airplane seats next to each other, but recently have been trying to "beat the system" by booking the aisle and window in the same row/side. Out of the first five times we tried this - we had 100% success-rate of not having someone sit in the middle of us.

On the flight back from Florida this past Saturday, however, our plan was unsuccessful.
Normally, this really isn't a big deal. We just do what we normally would have done - and I (most likely) would sit in the middle and Amy would sit by the window (our preferred seat). We assume this because - let's face it - who wouldn't trade a middle seat for the aisle seat??

The answer to that question is ... A complete asshole. And to our unfortunate luck this one time - we encountered the BIGGEST asshole of them all on Saturday night in Seat 12D on Jetblue Flight 382. (Would LOVE to find this guys name to publish his ass-hole-ness to the public).

Here's what went down:
Amy: Excuse me sir - would you mind switching seats with my husband so we can sit next to each other - he's in the aisle.
Asshole in 12D: (pause) I'll take the Window
Amy: Excuse me?
Asshole in 12D: I said - I'll take the Window
Amy: Um - I didn't offer you the Window.... Are you saying that you won't switch with my husband?
Asshole in 12D: I'm saying I want the Window
Amy/I: So you're saying you'd rather the middle seat than the aisle?
Asshole: I'm saying I want the Window.
Amy (obviously beyond frustrated at this point): Well that's not gonna happen....

So - Yes - because we were all stubborn (and the asshole approached the conversation as a negotiation rather than like a normal person) - we flew the 2 hour and 20 minute flight with Amy seated at the Window, Asshole in the middle, and me in the aisle.
Amy and I tried talking over him for the first few minutes of the flight to annoy him - but - given my adverse feelings towards conflict in general, we decided to do what we normally would have done - and just watch TV the whole flight.

It was uncomfortable, annoying, and definitely a "first" that I don't want to experience again... This said, I don't think I would have done anything differently other than maybe phrasing/approaching the original request a little differently...

I still plan on booking the window and aisle for Amy and I moving forward - let's just hope that we don't fly the "asshole skies" rather than the "Friendly skies" again...