Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Difference Between Winner/Loser: Tony Robbins (VIDEO)

Difference Between Winner/Loser: Tony Robbins (VIDEO)

Hit man picked hitmanforhire.net to promote services

Hit man picked hitmanforhire.net to promote services

RT @stephencaver So Pinterest is for chicks? This is the message I'm getting.

So Pinterest is for chicks? This is the message I'm getting.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

China’s Billionaire Congress Makes Capitol Hill Look Poor

China’s Billionaire Congress Makes Capitol Hill Look Poor

Facebook denies accessing users' text messages

Facebook denies accessing users' text messages
"Facebook is being accused of snooping on its users' text messages, but the social network says the accusations are inaccurate and misleading. 

The company is among a wide-ranging group of Web entities, including Flickr and YouTube, that are using smartphone apps to access text message data and other personal information, according to a Sunday Times report (behind a paywall). The newspaper said Facebook "admitted" to reading users' text messages during a test of its own messaging service. The report also says information such as user location, contacts list, and browser history are often accessed and sometimes transmitted to third-party companies, including advertisers."

DuckDuckGo: An introduction to the anonymous search engine

DuckDuckGo: An introduction to the anonymous search engine
"For those of you who take your privacy seriously, there’s a competitor boasting its streamlined interface, and brick-and-mortar search results. Were talking, of course, about DuckDuckGo. Some say this search engine offers a kickback to Google’s heyday, but one thing’s clear: it’s captivating the attention of early tech adopters and students of all stripes.
DuckDuckGo’s primary selling point is the comfort that users can feel while searching: your identity remains entirely anonymous. As the service’s privacy policy states, “there is no way to tie your searches together.”
In an effort to educate Internet users about privacy, DuckDuckGo’s founder, Gabriel Weinberg, has been known to create educational and informative sites, including DontTrack.us, which informs users about the potential dangers of searching with Google. In addition to advertisers and other parties building profiles about you, in order to serve targeted ads (or further damage your credit report), there’s a potentially more-serious threat to your privacy: The US government."

Florida man who braves bombs to document atrocities in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains (VIDEO)

Florida man who braves bombs to document atrocities in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains (VIDEO)

Busiest Train EVER! (IMAGE)

Penn Judge: Muslims Allowed to Attack People for Insulting Mohammad


Penn Judge: Muslims Allowed to Attack People for Insulting Mohammad

"Jonathon Turley, a law professor at George Washington University, reports on a disturbing case in which a state judge in Pennsylvania threw out an assault case involving a Muslim attacking an atheist for insulting the Prophet Muhammad.
Judge Mark Martin, an Iraq war veteran and a convert to Islam, threw the case out in what appears to be an invocation of Sharia law."

Here's The REAL Reason Gasoline Prices Have Been Surging In The US

Here's The REAL Reason Gasoline Prices Have Been Surging In The US

"Given where we are in the year, prices are unusually high. And if trends hold, then the national average will be well over the $4 freakout point sometime this summer.
But whenever the discussion turns to gas and oil, logic tends to die, and people start coming up with all kinds of bizarre explanations for what's going on -- explanations such as the Bernanke's money printing, Obama's domestic energy policy, Obama's foreign policy, speculators, price gougers, and so on.
So we thought it would be a good time to just clear up some misconceptions, and explain what's really driving the price.
Of course, you can't start a discussion about gasoline without talking about oil. So let's begin there."

Saturday, February 25, 2012

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.” Lao Tzu

At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.” Lao Tzu

Friday, February 24, 2012

'Kickstarter Expects To Provide More Funding To The Arts Than NEA'

'Kickstarter Expects To Provide More Funding To The Arts Than NEA'

NEW YORK — Kickstarter is having an amazing year, even by the standards of other white hot Web startup companies, and more is yet to come.
One of the company’s three co-founders, Yancey Strickler, said that Kickstarter is on track to distribue over $150 million dollars to its users’ projects in 2012, or more than entire fiscal year 2012 budget for the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA), which was $146 million.
“It is probable Kickstarter will distribute more money this year than the NEA,” said Stricker in an exclusive phone interview with TPM. “We view that number and our relationship to it in both a good and bad way.”
As Strickler explained, the milestone is “good” in the sense that it means that Kickstarter may now reach a point where it will funnel as much money to the arts as the federal agency primarily responsible for supporting them, effectively doubling the amount of art that can get funded in the country.

Baron Cohen's 'Dictator' threatens 'consequences' if Oscar ban continues

Baron Cohen's 'Dictator' threatens 'consequences' if Oscar ban continues

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Slow Down: How to Break Free of 'Time Urgency'

Slow Down: How to Break Free of 'Time Urgency'

"You wouldn't want a car that has only one speed. That wouldn't make much sense. But neither does living like there's only one speed of life -- fifth gear. That's the way we're trained to operate, though -- at a nonstop warp factor 9, dictated by the racetrack habit of time urgency, an obsessive concern with time pressure. If you could change one thing in 2011 that could make your life massively better, opting out of chronic hurry-worry would be hard to top."

Monday, February 13, 2012

Very Funny Rockstar / Anti-Rockstar Ad (VIDEO)

Very Funny Rockstar / Anti-Rockstar Ad (VIDEO)

Lessons in Leadership: How Lincoln Became America's Greatest President

Lessons in Leadership: How Lincoln Became America's Greatest President
"It wasn't Abraham Lincoln's strengths but the self-discipline with which he used those strengths for the right purpose.

There is much we can learn by studying Abraham Lincoln's journey from being just another politician to becoming America's greatest president.  (Wikipedia provides a compilation of "Historical rankings of Presidents of the United States" which makes it clear that in the eyes of many experts, and the public, Lincoln has consistently held this status).  A key to this transformation was how Lincoln, whose birthday is today, developed the self-discipline to take one of his signature strengths—his mastery of language—and use it to serve the interests of the American people rather than his own."

Sunday, February 12, 2012

"Obsession is your way of knowing you will win before you even start the contest." - Dan Waldschmidt

"Obsession is your way of knowing you will win before you even start the contest." - Dan Waldschmidt

Greek demonstrator uses huge slingshot during clashes with riot police (IMAGE)

RT @SheaViccica5552 Remember: even pleasant thoughts of success are not relevant to making the shot.

RT @SheaViccica5552 Remember: even pleasant thoughts of success are not relevant to making the shot.

10 Lessons Jeremy Lin Can Teach Us Before We Go To Work Monday Morning (FORBES)

10 Lessons Jeremy Lin Can Teach Us Before We Go To Work Monday Morning
"
1. Believe in yourself when no one else does.Lin’s only the 3rd graduate from Harvard to make it to the NBA.  He’s also one of only a handful of Asian-Americans to make it. He was sent by the Knicks to play for their D-League team 3 weeks ago in Erie, PA.  He’d already been cut by two other NBA teams before joining the Knicks this year.  You’ve got to believe in yourself, even when no one else does.
2. Seize the opportunity when it comes up.Lin got to start for the Knicks because they had to start him.  They had too many injuries.  Baron Davis was gone.  The other point guards were out.  Carmello Anthony was injured.  Amare Stoudemire had to leave the team because of a family death.  Lin could have squandered the opportunity and we would have never have noticed.  But he made the most of it.  You never know when opportunities are going to arise in life.  Often, they’re when you least expect them.  Make the most of them. Don’t fritter them away.
3. Your family will always be there for you, so be there for them. It wasn’t until a few days ago that Lin got his contract guaranteed by the Knicks for the rest of the season.  Before that, he could have been cut at any time.  He had to sleep on his brother’s couch on the Lower East Side to get by.  His family always believed in him and picked him up when he could have gotten down on himself.  That made him continue to believe.  If you want your family to believe in you like that, you’ve got to be there for them too when they need it.
4. Find the system that works for your style.Lin isn’t Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant.  He’s not a pure scorer.  He’s a passer and distributor – who can also score very well.  It didn’t work for him in Golden State or Houston – where he was before landing at the Knicks.  But Mike D’Antoni’s system at the Knicks has been perfect for him to show off his strengths.  You’ve got to do your best to understand what your strengths are and then ensure that you’re in a system (a job or organization or industry) that is a good fit for those strengths.  Otherwise, people overlook the talents you bring to the table.
5. Don’t overlook talent that might exist around you today on your team. You probably manage people at your own company today.  Are you sure you don’t have a Jeremy Lin living among you now?  How do you know that “Mike” couldn’t do amazing things if you gave him a new project to run with?  How do you know “Sarah” isn’t the right person to take the open job in London that you’ve been talking over with your colleagues?  We put people around us in boxes.  He’s from Harvard.  He’s Asian-American.  Not sure he can play.  How many assumptions have you made about talent around you?  Don’t be like the General Managers in Golden State and Houston, and let talent slip through your fingers.
6. People will love you for being an original, not trying to be someone else. You’ve got to be you.  You can’t be some 2nd rate copy of Michael Jordan.  There will never be another Michael Jordan.  Just be Jeremy Lin — yourself.  Whatever that is.  That doesn’t mean you don’t work hard — it just means you find what you’re good at and do it.  Fans will love you for being you, just like they love Jeremy Lin.
7. Stay humble. If you one day are lucky enough to have newspapers want to put you on the cover in order to sell more, don’t let it get to your head.  It’s been remarkable watching how humble Lin remains through all this media frenzy.  It makes his teammates and fans love him that much more.
8. When you make others around you look good, they will love you forever. I didn’t know how good Tyson Chandler was, until I saw him playing with Jeremy Lin.  Lin has set Chandler up many times over the last week for easy dunks because he drew the defense and then passed the ball.  That’s partly why the Knicks are playing so well.  They are all working harder to share the ball with others.  And it’s beautiful to watch.  And when the media swarms Lin, he tells them how good his teammates are.  Do the same with your peers and reports.
9. Never forget about the importance of luck or fate in life. Some people believe in God, some in destiny, some in luck.  Whatever you believe in it, be grateful for it.
10. Work your butt off. Lin couldn’t have seized his opportunity if he hadn’t worked like crazy for years perfecting his skills.  There are no short cuts to hard work.  Success is a by product of that."

Saturday, February 11, 2012

“The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps – we must step up the stairs.” Vance Hayner

“The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps – we must step up the stairs.” Vance Hayner

“If hard work is the key to success, most people would rather pick the lock.” Claude McDonald

“If hard work is the key to success, most people would rather pick the lock.” Claude McDonald

IDEA: Politicians Wear UNIFORMS Like NASCAR Drivers To Identify Their Backers/MASTERS

IDEA: Politicians Wear UNIFORMS Like NASCAR Drivers To Identify Their Backers/MASTERS (image)

25 Ways To Make Linkedin Work For You

25 Ways To Make Linkedin Work For You

"LinkedIn is a networker’s dream: an easy way to learn about, and reach out to, millions of businesspeople and thousands of employers. Yet many LinkedIn users don’t take advantage of the site’s features even though the vast majority are free.
Here are my top 25 recommendations for getting past “Well, I’ve got a login” and making the site really work for you, whether you’re job hunting, hiring, growing your entrepreneurial business, or just seeing and being seen in the online branding arena.
You’ll start by creating your LinkedIn profile and adding connections. Then you’ll use LinkedIn’s fancier features to do such things as reach out to friends of friends, join a Group or a LinkedIn Answers conversation, or enhance your profile with apps."

Jeremy Lin Is No Fluke

Jeremy Lin Is No Fluke

"The New York Knicks’ Jeremy Lin has scored at least 23 points in each of his last four games, including 38 on Friday night against the Lakers. He has also recorded at least seven assists in each game, and he has been efficient, shooting at least 53 percent from the field each time.
Just how common is something like this? I searched basketball-reference.com for other streaks that were in the same general ballpark: players who scored at least 20 points, had at least six assists and shot 50 percent over a period of four consecutive N.B.A. regular season games.
Since the 1985-86 season, 41 players have had such a streak in addition to Lin.
It is an extremely impressive list. All but seven of the players made at least one All-Star appearance in their careers, with about two-thirds of them selected to the All-Star team multiple times. The list includes nine Hall of Famers — and a number of other players who are sure to make it once they retire. The players on the list account for 17 of the last 28 M.V.P. awards."

Friday, February 10, 2012

Teen whines about parents on Facebook, dad shoots laptop

Teen whines about parents on Facebook, dad shoots laptop

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. "

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.” - Teddy Roosevelt

Why Egypt may not care about losing US aid

Why Egypt may not care about losing US aid

Thursday, February 9, 2012

What are you addicted to?

What are you addicted to?

"We’re not good at admitting the ugly, gritty side of under-performance that robs us of our true potential.
  1. We’re addicted to fear.
  2. We’re addicted to making excuses.
  3. We’re addicted to passive aggression.
  4. We’re addicted to selfishness.
  5. We’re addicted to listening to the crowd.
  6. We’re addicted to caring less.
  7. We’re addicted to taking the easy way out.

They’re socially acceptable addictions."

Monday, February 6, 2012

Don't let the silly little dramas of each day get you down. For you are here to do great things.

RT @ralphmarston Don't let the silly little dramas of each day get you down. For you are here to do great things.