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So if you want to keep track of me, you can follow me on Twitter!

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Got Bored - It's time to blog again!

Laugh of the Day

Wake Up Earth!

It's been a few weeks since I last blogged, but an event occured this morning that woke me from my slumber.

A 4.3 earthquake hit Morgan Hill, CA along the Calaveras County Fault and I felt the rumble 30 miles away at work in Mountain View, CA.

Earthquakes in California aren't anything exciting, and to be honest, I think they are pretty "fun". But lately I have been hearing that a much larger earthquake is "due" to strike.

I am going to look for sources to back up this statement, but I have to get back to work now.

Hopefully the BIG ONE, doesnt hit before I get back on here.

Here is a compilation of several videos from the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake:

Lepre-con?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Feelin irie-ish?

As St.. Patrick's Day approaches, this is for those of us of the Irish persuasion and those who wish they were . . .

On vacation in Rome, a young man noticed a marble column in St. Peter's with a golden telephone on it. As a young priest passed by, he asked who the telephone was for. The priest told him it was a direct line to Heaven, and if he would like to call,it would be a thousand dollars. He was amazed, but declined the offer.

Throughout Italy, he kept seeing the same golden telephone on a marble column. At each, he asked about it and the answer was always the same: a direct line to Heaven and he could call for a thousand dollars.

Then he finished his tour in Ireland and decided to attend Mass at a local village church. When he walked in the door he noticed the golden telephone. Underneath it there was a sign stating:

"DIRECT LINE TO HEAVEN . . . 25 cents."

"Father," he said, "I have been all over Italy and in all the cathedrals I visited, I've seen telephones exactly like this one. But the price is always a thousand dollars.

Why is it that this one is only 25 cents?"

The priest smiled and said, "Son, ye're in Ireland now. Tis a local call..."

Dwayne Wade - What a game?!

D. Wade: 48 PTS - 6 REB - 12 AST

Three of his 48 points happened to be this game-winning hangning jumpshot after an amazing steal!

This is why I love basketball.

Live Coverage of Missing NFL PLayers

Here is the live coverage of the missing NFL players:



One of four boaters who went missing off the Florida coast Saturday has been found, according to the Coast Guard. Three others, including two NFL players, are still missing. An overturned vessel was discovered today with former University of South Florida football player Nick Schuyler clinging to it, according to Coast Guard Petty Officer James Harless.

****UPDATE****

March 17, 2009 - http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/11514337

Happy Birthday Me et al.

Births
1316 - Robert II of Scotland, (d. 1390)
1409 - John II of Alençon, Duke of Alençon and Count of Perche (d. 1476)
1459 - Pope Adrian VI (d. 1523)
1545 - Thomas Bodley, English diplomat and library founder (d. 1613)
1578 - George Sandys, English colonist and poet (d. 1644)
1705 - William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, Scottish judge and politician (d. 1793)
1760 - Camille Desmoulins, French journalist and politician (d. 1794)
1770 - Louis Gabriel Suchet, French Marshal (d. 1826)
1779 - Joel Roberts Poinsett, American statesman and botanist (d. 1851)
1793 - Sam Houston, President of the Republic of Texas (d. 1863)
1800 - Evgeny Baratynsky, Russian poet (d. 1844)
1810 - Pope Leo XIII (d. 1903)
1816 - Alexander H. Bullock, 26th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1882)
1820 - Multatuli, Dutch writer (d. 1887)
1824 - Bedřich Smetana, Czech composer (d. 1884)
1829 - Carl Schurz, German revolutionary and statesman (d. 1906)
1836 - Henry Billings Brown, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (d. 1913)
1842 - Carl Jacobsen, Danish brewer (d. 1914)
1843 - Princess Maria Clotilde of Savoy (d. 1911)
1849 - Robert Means Thompson, U.S. Naval Officer (d. 1930)
1859 - Sholom Aleichem, Russian novelist (d. 1916)
1860 - Susanna M. Salter, American politician (d. 1961)
1862 - Boris Borisovich Galitzine, Russian physicist (d. 1916)
1876 - Pope Pius XII (d. 1958)
1878 - William Kissam Vanderbilt II, member of the Vanderbilt family (d. 1944)
1886 - Willis O'Brien, American animator (d. 1962)
1900 - Kurt Weill, German composer (d. 1950)
1902 - Moe Berg, American baseball player and spy (d. 1972)
1904 - Dr. Seuss (Theodore Seuss Geisel), American author (d. 1991)
1908 - Fyodor Matveyevich Okhlopkov, Yakut-born Soviet sniper (d. 1968)
1908 - Walter Bruch, German engineer (d. 1990)
1909 - Mel Ott, American baseball player (d. 1958)
1912 - Henry Katzman, American composer and pianist (d. 2001)
1913 - Godfried Bomans, Dutch author and television personality (d. 1971)
1913 - Celedonio Romero, Spanish guitarist (d. 1996)
1913 - Mort Cooper, American baseball player (d. 1958)
1914 - Martin Ritt, American director (d. 1990)
1917 - Desi Arnaz, Cuban-born American actor and bandleader (d. 1986)
1917 - Jim Konstanty, American baseball player (d. 1976)
1917 - David Goodis, American writer (d. 1967)
1918 - Peter O'Sullevan, Irish horse racing commentator
1919 - Jennifer Jones, American actress
1919 - Tamara Toumanova, Russian ballerina and actress (d. 1996)
1922 - Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, American jazz tenor saxophonist (d. 1986)
1923 - Orrin Keepnews, American writer and critic
1923 - Robert H. Michel, American politician
1923 - Basil Hume, Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, England (d. 1999)
1926 - Murray Rothbard, American economist (d. 1995)
1927 - Roger Walkowiak, French cyclist and econimist
1928 - Father John Romanides, Greek priest and professor (d. 2001)
1930 - Emma Penella, Spanish actress (d. 2007)
1930 - John Cullum, American actor and singer
1931 - Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the Soviet Union and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
1931 - Tom Wolfe, American author
1935 - Al Waxman, Canadian actor (d. 2001)
1937 - Abdelaziz Bouteflika, President of Algeria
1938 - Ricardo Lagos, former President of Chile
1938 - Lawrence Payton, American singer and songwriter (The Four Tops) (d. 1997)
1940 - Tony Croatto, Italian-born composer (d. 2005)
1941 - David Satcher, 16th United States Surgeon General
1942 - Peter Guber, American film producer
1942 - John Irving, American author
1942 - Luc Plamondon, French Canadian lyricist
1942 - Lou Reed, American singer and guitarist
1942 - Kwang Jo Choi, the founder of Choi Kwang- do and is one of the twelve original Masters of Taekwon-Do.
1943 - Zygfryd Blaut, Polish footballer (d. 2005)
1943 - Claude Larose, French Canadian ice hockey player
1943 - Tony Meehan, English drummer (The Shadows) (d. 2005)
1943 - Peter Straub, American author
1944 - Uschi Glas, German actress
1947 - Harry Redknapp, English football manager
1948 - Larry Carlton, American guitarist
1948 - Rory Gallagher, Irish guitarist (d. 1995)
1948 - Jeff Kennett, Australian former politician
1949 - Alain Chamfort, French singer
1949 - Gates McFadden, American actress
1949 - J. P. R. Williams, Welsh Rugby Union player
1950 - Karen Carpenter, American singer and drummer (The Carpenters) (d. 1983)
1950 - Jeffrey Chodorow, American restaurateur and financier
1952 - Mark Evanier, American writer
1952 - Laraine Newman, American actress
1953 - Russ Feingold, American politician
1955 - Shoko Asahara, Japanese cult leader
1955 - Jay Osmond, American musician (The Osmonds)
1955 - Ken Salazar, American politician
1956 - Mark Evans, Australian bassist (AC/DC)
1956 - John Cowsill, American musician (The Cowsills)
1958 - Ian Woosnam, Welsh golfer
1958 - Peter Arnold, American architect
1958 - Kevin Curren, South African-born tennis player
1960 - Hector Calma, Filipino basketball player
1961 - Simone Young, Australian conductor
1962 - Jon Bon Jovi, American musician (Bon Jovi)
1962 - Al Del Greco, American football player
1962 - Morioka Hiroyuki, Japanese writer
1962 - Tom Nordlie, Norwegian football coach
1962 - Michael Salinger, American poet
1962 - Scott Sterling, American musician (Scott La Rock)
1962 - Raimo Summanen, Finnish ice hockey player and coach
1963 - Tuff Hedeman, American bull rider
1963 - Tanyu Kiryakov, Bulgarian pistol shooter
1964 - Megan Leigh, American porn star (d. 1990)
1964 - Mike Von Erich, American professional wrestler (d. 1987)
1965 - Ron Gant, American baseball player
1965 - Lembit Öpik, British politician
1968 - Daniel Craig, English actor
1971 - Amber Smith, American actress and model
1971 - Dave Gorman, English documentary comedian
1971 - Elizabeth Lackey, American actress
1972 - Richard Ruccolo, American actor
1973 - Trevor Sinclair, English footballer
1973 - Dejan Bodiroga, Serbian basketball player
1974 - Monika Niederstätter, Italian athlete
1974 - Hayley Lewis, Australian swimmer
1976 - Glenn Rubenstein, American writer and journalist
1977 - Chris Martin, English musician (Coldplay)
1977 - Dominique Canty, American basketball player
1977 - Heather McComb, American actress
1977 - Andrew Strauss, English cricket player
1977 - Jay Gibbons, American baseball player
1978 - Giannis Skopelitis, Greek footballer
1979 - Damien Duff, Irish footballer
1979 - Sergei Davydov, Belarusian figure skater
1979 - Amanda Ireton, Cast member of MTV's A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila
1979 - Nicky Weaver, English footballer
1980 - Édson Nobre, Angolan footballer
1980 - Lance Cade, American professional wrestler
1980 - Karl Dominik, China based foreign actor
1981 - Bryce Dallas Howard, American actress
1982 - Kevin Kurányi, German footballer
1982 - Henrik Lundqvist, Swedish ice hockey player
1982 - Ben Roethlisberger, American football player
1982 - Corey Webster, American football player
1983 - Glen Perkins, American baseball player
1983 - Jay McClement, Canadian ice hockey player
1984 - Elizabeth Jagger, English model and actress
1985 - Robert Iler, American actor
1985 - Reggie Bush, American football player
1985 - Luke Pritchard, British singer (The Kooks)
1988 - Keith Jack, British singer and actor
1988 - Matthew Mitcham, Australian diver
1988 - Nadine Samonte, Filipino actress

Thank you Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_2

Zeitgeist 2: Addendum

Zeitgeist: Addendum, by Peter Joseph 2008

Want to see Zeitgeist 1? Click here.

Investment Banking Explained

Young Chuck moved to Texas and bought a donkey from a farmer for $100.

The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day.

The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry Chuck, but I have some bad news. The donkey died.'"

Chuck replied, "Well then, just give me my money back."

The farmer said," 'Can't do that. I went and spent it already."

Chuck said, "OK, then, just bring me the dead donkey."

The farmer asked, "What ya gonna do with a dead donkey?"

Chuck said, "I'm going to raffle him off."

The farmer said, "You can't raffle off a dead donkey!"

Chuck said, "Sure I can. Watch me. I just won't tell anybody he's dead."

A month later, the farmer met up with Chuck and asked, "What happened with that dead donkey?"

Chuck said, "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars apiece and made a profit of $898.00."

The farmer said, "Didn't anyone complain?"

Chuck said, "Just the guy who won. So I gave him his two dollars back."

Chuck now works for Morgan Stanley.

Twitter: A Multi-Dimensional Conversation

I watched a video on Ustream of @lizstrauss at #wordcamplv and she mentioned how multi-dimensional conversations take place online.

I thought it was interesting enough to write my first "meaningful" blog posting about it.

When you interact on twitter, there are several things that can happen (whether you like it or not):

A Tweet -A conversation between you and all of your followers
A @reply - A conversation between you and the person you reply to (Remember: all of your followers are listening too)
A Direct Message - A "private" conversation between you and a follower
ReTweet (RT) - A conversation about you or your content involving people that you might not know exist

Something that many people overlook is the immortality of content online. When you tweet something, it can live forever - even if you think it has been buried or deleted. There might be a conversation, years down the road, regarding something you tweeted or blogged about.

Twitter has handed you a megaphone and earplugs. Use them wisely.

---------------------------My Twitter Dream---------------------------

Alone, I walk into a crowded convention hall - people all around me are chatting amongst themselves, some in small circles. A few elite, like @chrisbrogan, @scobleizer, and @jowyang stand on podiums throughout the hall shouting into megaphones like high-tech, soap-boxing prophets. Thousands of people crowd around them nodding their heads at one another as if to say, "Yes, I agree, but needed to be told so."

To my right is @iJustine - spreading her iPhone bill across the crowd like the Blue Men Group toilet papering their audience. A bunch of lonely techies giggle like schoolgirls and shout compliments her way hoping to get some sort of @reply - although most of them seem happy enough just to be involved.

To my left stands @WholeFoods, tossing out recipe shwag. A pink @SocialVibe ball bounces in front of me and rests at my feet. "Lots of big and important things coming to www.SocialVibe.com this month," it says.

I kick it and accidentally hit @levarburton in the back. "OOh, a pink ball", he exclaims---obviously he's new here too.

Suddenly, a luminous cloud hovers over my head. I look up to find the @ShortyAwards whale bellowing out nominations. "@guykawasaki, you got a vote in the Shorty Awards Finals from @davidlwatts (and 47 others) in #business!", booms the whale.

"wtf?", I think to myself.

I make my way through the crowds of Tweeps passing business cards back and forth. I turn to my right and see @LisaBarone, @sugarrae, and @graywolf chatting. "Hi, what are you guys up to?", I ask.

They ignore me. I am dead to them.

I turn to my left and ask @NixTheNews, "Hey, how's it going?" Immediately he turns to me, laughs, and shouts "Congratulations, you are today's Top Tweeter".

"Cool", I think to myself.

Just then about 300 people turn to me and start yelling, "@AllenKelly you have been @Tweetbomb-ed!"

Little Yellow @Tweetbombs start to pour in from every direction. Even @iJustine turns her head to look at the commotion, but quickly turns back to her minions to hand out headshots.

Soon, random people start handing ME business cards, URLs to their blogs, coupon codes for @Zappos. I get DMs in sealed envelopes that read, "Thanks for the follow! Here's a gift - my free ebook!"

"Twitter is kind of cool", I think to myself.

"It sure is!", yells @NixTheNews.

Oops, I must have tweeted that aloud.

twitter

Bystander Effect B.S.

What is wrong with people?

I am pretty sure that I would realize the difference between a drunk homeless man passed out on the sidewalk and someone dying in a gutter. But, I guess the major difference is apathy. These people just don't care.

Heineken: Walk-In Fridge!

This is the funniest commercial I have seen in a while!

Does Spelling Really Count?

From Cambridge University:

Olny srmat poelpe can raed this. I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

I guess not.