Notes:

I listened to a podcast talking about people on benefits in England. Families don't want anyone to get a job in the the family because that will screw up their benefits. It turns out the secret is to pay a family, not an individual. Another secret is to start by telling the family that not only can they do it, but when they do it, they need to come along behind and help the next family do the same thing. That heps self esteem.

We were out of Sharpie pens for about six months at work. I have since horded them. Now I am embarrassed that I have nine varying Sharpie pens in my Dart Vader mug along side a few wooden pencils, a pare of sizers and a pen my father made made primarily of deer antler.

9 billion chickens in the U. S. each year. Wow. A chicken wing has 3 portions. The foldy bit we call a wing. The mini leg looking bit. Then there is the end "flapper" that is typically exported to Asian countries. I was salivating when I listened to this story on Dinner Party Download.

Our company is upgrading the Exchange (email) servers. This is a normal every day thing. It happens at every company that has an Exchange server eventually. Thing is, this morning's Dilbert has a joke about moving the Exchange servers. It is unbelievably convenient. They are watching I tell you.

I'm reading His Majesty's Dragon series. The lead dragon is complaining about dragons not being paid for their labors. He likens it to slavery. I cannot disagree in the abstract. However, when robots ask to be paid, I may find myself groping for the reset button.

The number of loans has fallen off a cliff. Employment numbers are improving. People are getting used to being broke. Banks don't want to get in trouble loaning to people who cannot afford it. Politicians are screaming to loan money to get the economy rolling again.

Some folks are worried about the Apple text book imitative. The deal is that Apple wants to provide a platform, consisting entirely of Apple products, that will lead students down a path of both learning and Apple loyalty. If you want to ride the train, you have to use Apple products. If you want to sell on that train, you have to talk to Apple. Sounds a bit Utopian to me, but it greatly pleases Apple investors.

Spent a good chunk of my day trying to deal with crazy spam messages. The auto whitelist that comes with our system was set to ignore the emails that the spam used. They are not stupid. They learn what to look for that businesses will want to let though and exploit these things.

Vlog idea: comparing phone to first rocket plane that broke the sound barrier.

Social Layers

• Taboo
• Law
• Rule
• Guideline
• Etiquette