So it’s my last week here at TDP, let the countdown begin. When I arrived at the office today I noticed a smell that was not me (this time). Sort of a rotten egg smell, the kind that smells like eggs area rotting.

About ten minutes ago, our IT manager came up to tell us that there is a “situation” in the battery room and if the fire alarm were to go off, we need to get the hell out of the building ASAP. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

Now you might be thinking, a battery can destroy a building. Yes and no. A single battery is very harmless. But we are in one of the largest server facilities on the west coast. We have a cluster of about 2000 car batteries located in one room. That’s a lot of acid.

So if you see that a building burned to the ground and your internet service is suddenly very slow, that was my building.

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UPDATE: They evacuated and then shut down the building at 11:15 am and we were sent home. Here is a slideshow of the time between evac and leaving. Enjoy the show and the song.

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This weekend is Memorial Day weekend and I wanted to point out two movies you might “enjoy”. These movies will get you thinking about this war we are currently involved in. Please take the time to put these in your netflix queue or you can watch online.

No End in Sight
“The first film of its kind to chronicle the reasons behind Iraq’s descent into guerilla war, warlord rule, criminality and anarchy, NO END IN SIGHT is a jaw-dropping, insider’s tale of wholesale incompetence, recklessness and venality. Based on over 200 hours of footage, the film provides a candid retelling of the events following the fall of Baghdad in 2003…”

Alive Day
“In a war that has left more than 25,000 wounded, ALIVE DAY MEMORIES: HOME FROM IRAQ looks at a new generation of veterans. Executive Producer James Gandolfini interviews ten Soldiers and Marines who reveal their feelings on their future…”

For all you out there who push 50+ hours a week, please take a state mandated 15 min break and read this article from Fortune magazine. I will now tease you with a few pull quotes:

“Consider that for most industries, the U.S. can’t hope to be the low-cost producer in a global economy. With innovation now our main competitive strength, creativity is crucial for anyone who wants to move up.”

“But it’s really, really hard, if not impossible, for the human brain to come up with fresh new ideas when its owner is overworked, overtired, and stressed out.”

“On the organizational level, what you get is, everyone is so focused on running flat-out to meet current goals that the whole company is unable to step back and think.”

Put this article in your bookmarks and read it on the plane or during your next vacation.

I have decided to leave my position at The Design People, Inc. I will be freelancing as well as job hunting.

I also just got back from my first “Free Weekend” in Vegas. Toby, Jung, and I were chilling for a few days. I had a few great sessions at the craps table, vow (once again) to never play cash poker games, and finished 5th and 1st in two poker tournaments.

Here’s the original Peanut Butter Jelly Time link:
http://audiomuffin.com/ohno/

Here is Eva’s interpretation of the same song:

So I have made some suggestions for you about your free $600, you may be asking me what am I doing with my $600. I will be replacing my eyeglasses. Yes, that is a $600 task when you get quality frames, quality lenses (with extras), and don’t have vision insurance.

The Lenses
I have a really messed up set of eyes. Doctors have referred to them as “shaped as a football”. Translation, strong prescription equals thick lenses. This hampered my ability to look cool as I was wearing “coke-bottles” on my face and a sturdy frame to support them. However, modern science (vs. old science I guess) has created the Hi Index and Polycarbonate lens which allows for thinner and lighter glasses; at a price.

If you are not a glasses wearer, you may not appreciate the “feature” that is Anti-Reflection Coating. Imagine seeing a reflection (in the lenses) of you blinking. Every look through a window and see your shape in a ghostly shape – no anti-reflection coating on that window. On the plus side, sometimes you can see behind you when danger is approaching.

The third and final fun feature on my new glasses will be Transitions III coating. This will turn my eye wear from glasses to shades in a matter of seconds.

The Frames
This is where you can go from expensive glasses to over-priced glasses. Sure the cheap plastic frame will get you through the days and nights with no regrets. But when you are looking for design, well, then you are talking about cash. I won’t go into why things that are well designed cost more than things that are not, I’ll save that for another post. So here are some frames I have been looking at:

http://oakley.com/pd/5183/17181
http://oakley.com/pd/5613/18813
http://oakley.com/pd/5185/17187

I’ll look at more frames when I visit my eye care professional. No, it’s not a Lens Crafters.

So a lot of us are getting $600 of “free” money from our good uncle Sam. It’s an attempt to stimulate the economy. But how can we spend this mini-fortune in a responsbile manner that truly stmiluates the economy of these United States of America? Here are my suggestions:

• Eat Locals – If you are eating out, go to Joe’s Pizza instead of Pizza Hut. When you buy from small shops, you are paying for employees and taxes and other things you use in your area. When you buy from Pizza Hut, you are giving your money to YUM Brands and paying for lawyers, multi-national marketing campaigns and new ways to make sure no one in the store actually makes a living wage. Same thing goes for grocers. If you have a Jons or something in your hood, try shopping there. Also consider buying your veggies from a farmers market rather than Pavilions.
• Service Me – Consider spending your green-backs on services rather than products. I know we all want the new iPhone, but don’t use your free money for that, instead, hire a gardener to come to the house once a week. Or have the plumber come out and fix that which is broken. Get your car detailed (or tuned up), buy a new suit and have it tailored, get something custom made (cloths, art, etc). Use your money to stay at a nice hotel and eat really good food. The point is this, don’t spend your free cash at Wal-mart (or Best Buy), spend it at Mama’s Massage and Nails.

Free money is great, but the point of this check is to stimulate the economy. The best way to do that is to spend it with small companies who hire employees and pay taxes. Giving $600 to MegaCorp isn’t going to stimulate anything except a stockholder.