If it is blogged, will it be read?

How is it that so many people write and publish on the web, and so many other people read their every commentary? Many people blog professionally. According to a 2009 Wall Street Journal article, over 452, 000 people show blogging as their primary source of income. How does one establish oneself as a professional blogger? Do you have to be easily accessible, or is it necessary to push it on a site like MySpace? Do the topics you write about have to be commonly interesting? Does your language have to be simple, say ninth grade reading level (U.S.)?

What about profundity? Do you have to strive to find original statements, or does stealing the best thoughts get you paid, like Shakespeare? Send me your thoughts, followers.

Reasons for Having a Serious Long Term Relationship

(For my single friends)

• Companionship
• Has ideas you do not and would not have
• Has relatives you can help
• Will help to clean the house, buy clothes, decorate, feed the cat
• Will cook things you would not
• Might help to bring you out of yourself
• Health insurance (maybe)
• Might help you to understand other people
• They will take you to new places
• Will be someone you can help and take care of
• Someone to bounce ideas off of
• Someone to touch and be touched by
• Might help you to keep grounded
• Someone to confirm what you already knew

Outliers exposes the 10,000 hours threshold

In this year's (2009) Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell talks about successful people who are more than just lucky. Regular folks like Bill Gates and the members of the The Beatles have put many hours into honing their particular talent and skills in optimum settings, at just the right time for them to rise to the top of their ouvre. This fairly self-evident observation is eye-opening in the amount of time stated to begin to be an expert, master, or champion. That amount of time is, more or less, 10,000 hours, or well over three solid years to master a skill. Yes, I think that is about the minimum one needs to master a skill such as playing the guitar or computer programming. Come to think of it, it's about the time it takes to get a bachelor's degree. Nevertheless, it's time to get practicing those skills in which one wants to become proficient, . . like writing (Wasn't this sentence awfully awkward?)

Please . . .don't waste my time

While trying to analyze a bureaucratic problem at work, today, it occurred to me the process in place was wasting my time, even if I was working, and technically, it was the company's time. What the process was asking of me had no purpose. At one time, perhaps, it did, but no longer, yet the process was still in place. After deciding, no, I was not going to participate in a purposeless process, it occurred to me how, as a non-believer in afterlife, I should place a very high value on my time because, let's face it, when you're out of time, there are no do-overs. Definitely don't participate in purposeless activities, unless they bring some sort of pleasure to someone. And definitely, do not become part of a mindless process at work or on my own time! Be it resolved.

Now I am examining the idea of continuing at this job at all.

H1N1 is Flu--Pay attention to cars and guns

Now that the H1N1 panic is subsiding, please remember to pay attention when you are driving and also, sell your guns. Your children don't need them unless people decide this is no longer a nation of laws.

Thanks at Thankgiving

The American holiday, Thanksgiving, is my favorite holiday. I like turkey, pumpkin pie, family gatherings, football, and multiple helpings of all of these, but personally, it is a time that reminds me to be grateful for everything that I have, no matter who is responsible for my having it. It is also a time for me feel a little sad for billions of people who have little hope of getting even a fraction of the wealth that I (temporarily) possess.
Farmers all over the world, but mostly, here in America, are responsible for raising all of the food I eat. I do not grow any food on my 1/8 of an acre in the Ohio city of Cincinnati. Many of these farmers are growing food and selling it for a profit, but not much of one. Some are subsidized by government programs and some are selling at such a little profit that they will soon have to give up farming because, as a business, it is not sustainable. Still, I am grateful to both groups.
My family and friends, especially my wife, daughter, father and oldest friend, Randy, give my life an immeasurable richness. Some of them come to my old house for Thanksgiving dinner, which I attempt to cook some of, in a tolerably edible way. We talk, laugh, set the table, light candles, watch football, cook, eat, clean, and sit for hours. It is all quite wonderfully exhausting. I am very fortunate and work very hard (along with my wife) for a large, 97 year old burnt orange brick, three story house where we gather for this annual event. It is plenty spacious enough, but were it not, the holiday dinner would still be as nice. For all of this, I am grateful to everyone involved, including myself and the various banks that occasionally loan money to me. That also means I am grateful to all the people who keep their money in those banks.
It is always in the back of my mind that billions of people live very primitive and, to most Americans, poverty stricken lives. They can afford very little, most do not own their houses, if houses they live in, and many do not get enough to eat, ever. This puts me in mind that American people can contribute some of their wealth to those in need. Many do just that. I am thankful to them for this.

Obama at UC Nippert Sunday night

For anyone undecided about which Presidential candidate to vote for, visit the University of Cincinnati, Sunday evening, 9pm to see Barack Obama, in person.