Reunions

I went to a high school reunion over the weekend and it got me thinking about reunions of past colleagues and ultimately the concept of work anniversaries. I realize it can be costly and tedious to celebrate milestones, but what more important thing does a company have than its people? Fortunately, I work at a company that celebrates its employees and generally does a great job of recognizing at least the major milestones (5, 10, 25 years, etc). It’s just crazy to me that more companies aren’t on top of this recognition game.

Til Next Time,

Michael

Macbook Hacks

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For those of you who know me, you know that I’m a big fan of anything productivity-centric.  Could be a byproduct of my (sometimes) procrastinatory nature, whereby I need to find ways to do things as quickly and efficiently as possible so that I can achieve a superior result with a comfortable amount of pressure being “under the gun”.  Could also be that I really respect the Tim Ferrises (Sidebar – what is the right way to pluralize someone’s name that ends in an ‘s’?  You’d think I know since my name ends in an ‘s’ – but you’d be wrong) of the world.

Either way, I found a great article on Macbook hacks that has already started changing my life.  Being relatively new to the Macbook game (only a couple years strong), I’ve already learned/loved much of the quick keys it offers, whether it’s CMD+SHIFT+4 for a screen shot utility, or CMD+~ to switch between windows in the existing application.

So, without further adieu, I present 18 Mac Hacks That Will Change Your Life.

Til Next Time,

Michael

Evolution of the Employee

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I found this great graphic on LinkedIn today and wanted to share it.  After doing some homework, I triangulated the image back to originating in an article on Forbes by Jacob Morgan from earlier this month.  It’s a really great graphic and speaks to what-I-feel-is a revolutionary millennial approach to the employment arena.  I fully support the “work anytime, work anywhere, use any device” philosophy because that’s effectively what I do right now.  I’m fortunate to work on a team that supports flexibility so long as you are getting your job done.  I use my own laptop (because I am a newfound Macbook lover) and condone/support many of the other elements of the graphic.  Quite a pleasant overview!  Hope you enjoy it.

Til Next Time,

Michael

Suit Buttons

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As many of you know, I’m a sucker for fashion and business dress.  Hence, when I stumbled upon one of my favorite new boutique startup clothiers’ quick note on when to button (or unbutton) suits, I just had to share.  Fortunately, I think I generally abide by these rules, although I may unbutton suit jackets a bit too often (mostly to get some airflow).  Either way – it’s always nice to get a reminder to “look the part”!

Suits: To Button Or Not To Button

Til Next Time,

Michael

Quote of the Day: Mark Cuban

Found a great article that had a few gems from Mark Cuban the other day and wanted to share what I felt was his best quote…

“Work like there is someone working 24 hours a day to take it away from you.”

What I love about this quote is that it demands us to be proactive, throw away any complacency, and act with a sense of urgency.  I think a lot of times we get comfortable in our roles or companies, and we get stuck in the cycle of pressing the “easy button” too often.  In reality, if we all elevated our “game”, and worked like someone was gunning for us at all times, not only would all of our companies soar much higher – we’d all get more enjoyment and accomplishment out of work.  I understand there are many external factors to consider (i.e. if you have children, physical limitations, or other constraints), but do think we all probably have a bit to learn from someone as dedicated and driven as Mark Cuban.  Well said, sir!

Til Next Time,

Michael

Never Forget

Today marks the 13th anniversary of the horrific events of 9/11/01.  This day always serves as a much-needed reminder for those of us in America to honor and respect the service men and women (and first responders or members of public service outlets such as police, paramedics, and firefighters) that we depend on for safety, strength, and a sense of security.

To all those who lost life or have loved ones who lost life on that day, please know that they will never be forgotten.  And we thank them for fighting to keep liberty and justice for all.

Til Next Time,

Michael

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The Case For: Data Science

For all of the (mildly, jokingly) unflattering things I’ve ever said about data science, I really do respect it and think they people that pursue that as their trade are supremely intelligent.  Which is why, when I caught this article on Tech Crunch today, I figured I had to share it and weigh in.

Marking the difference between queries and algorithms is, in my opinion, the most poignant piece of the article.  Put simply, a query is a “one-way” function that will return exactly one result.  Algorithms, alternately, mold to the data set which is fed to it.  They have the capacity to “learn” or adapt to different sets of data.  Hence – they are much more powerful than queries (short nod of apologies to all my friends who live for SQL code).  I know a lot of people that think anything can be solved with a query.  And – in their defense – this is the type of education that permeates a lot of traditional information science degree programs (especially abroad).  But if we’ve learned anything in recent history, it’s that we are far from traditional in this new age of technology.

So that would be my challenge to everyone (including myself at times) that bangs on data scientists.  First off, we have to arrive at a mutual understanding of what it really means.  Then, we really need to start embracing it.  Because one day soon, the guy or gal that can master data science will rule the world.

Til Next Time,

Michael

Charity – The Next Social Experiment?

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For those of you who know me on other social outlets, you’ll know that I participated a couple weeks back in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.  I likewise made a donation to ALS research through the national ALS organization as well as a personal charitable cause dedicated to a couple friends who are battling the disease every day.

In the interest of fair disclosure, I did not donate because I felt compelled or obligated to out of fulfillment of the “social obligation” presented by “being challenged”.  I did not donate because I think ALS is the “worst” disease imaginable or because I think it’s responsible for the most amount of deaths annually in this country.  I didn’t even donate because I think it’s a cause that is wildly under publicized.  To be honest?  I’m not quite sure why I donated.  I do know that I do not donate nearly as much as I probably should from a relative percentage of disposable income standpoint.  I do not do nearly as much reflection as I should in terms of what causes I am an adamant supporter of (though I promise there are causes to which I donate with a regular frequency – so it’s not like I’m a completely heartless or passionless person!).

It all raises an interesting socioeconomic debate or forum though…  What has the social age and new ways to add gamification to something as age-old as donating to charity really done for the total charity landscape?

I found a great infographic related to recent social (and/or specific, targeted event-based) campaigns and the amount of money they’ve raised versus, conversely, the number of deaths annually.  This of course doesn’t take into account a number of factors (how much money has been spent historically on research, how “close” we may be to cures or remedies, etc), but does present a fascinating side-by-side for a couple major diseases.

What do you think?  Have the Susan G Komen foundation and other similar social/event-based pushes helped or hurt the overall cause?  While they undoubtedly have probably raised overall donations – are they taking away from a fair distribution across other diseases that aren’t “marketed” (awful term when talking about this – but I fear it may be the “new norm”) as well?

Til Next Time,

Michael

Happy Labor Day

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To me, this day is a great time to take a step back and consider the social and economic achievements of the American worker.  I still firmly believe in the American Dream and am doing everything I can to make sure we are enabling all of our fellow Americans the opportunity to participate and prosper.  I would challenge you to do the same.  And if we all work together – through enough ingenuity and innovation – America will continue to prosper and lead the world into whatever tomorrow may bring!

Happy Labor Day!

Til Next Time,

Michael