Meh

Hah! Muppet content produced specifically for the web. Love it.

Muppets on the web

It's so cool to see the Muppets with web-specific content!

"What To Do When You're Fired," brought to you by the NY Times

They told us Gen Y'ers that we'd see a lot of change in our lifetimes, but thus far I haven't been impressed with it.

The New York Times thought it would be helpful to share tips about getting fired, just in case you need it [Bank X/Starbucks/U.S. Automotive/Airline/...] employee:

"If you find yourself being fired, the most important thing to remember (besides that it’s actually O.K. to cry) is that you’ll be in shock, and you won’t be thinking straight, so don’t feel the need to ask every question then and there.

You should make sure to leave the room knowing how to contact someone who can answer your questions later on, when you have a chance to calm down. Try not to become defensive or argumentative; if there are issues to be disputed, you can do that later."

Also, tips for those doing the firing (I hope this never comes in handy):

"The same general advice applies to those charged with doing the firings, namely, keep things short and calm. [...] "It's time for us to part company," is Ms. Flagg’s preferred phrasing."

• "Dear Valued Worker: You're Fired" (NYTimes.com, 24 July 2008)

I have no idea what to label this... so let's go for "Tips and Tricks."

In Case of Emergency

So, I went skydiving (tandem jump) on Saturday morning in Orange, Virginia. The experience was beautiful and thrilling, and I would highly recommend it to anyone, pointing out that the tandem jumpers there that I spoke with were all comforting and extremely experienced (one guy I talked to has nearly 8,000 jumps under his belt).

I never, ever would have done this if my colleague and friend Sharon Groves didn't pester me to hell on a busy workday. The stars aligned in her favor. But once I knew what I had gotten into, you better believe that I finally made a living will and thought about emergency contacts.

So, you've probably heard about ICE - In Case of Emergency. Store emergency contacts in your phone starting with ICE so that if you're in an accident, someone can alert your contact immediately by going through your phone. Apparently the concept is fairly well known, going by the comments to a LifeHacker post on the topic. I'm still skeptical, though.

To further complicate matters, what about if your cell phone is locked and requires a code to use? Many (if not all?) cell phones have a feature that allow you to make an emergency call (911) if the phone is locked with a code (in fact, you can call 911 from any working cell phone even if the phone is no longer enrolled with a service provider).

So, why not make it a requirement for all phones to have a designated emergency number to call that would be clearly accessible to anyone (particularly people who don't know about ICE) even if the phone is locked with a security code?

I'm going to talk to my congresswoman about this. In the meantime, make sure to include emergency contacts on your phone, and also on a card next to your ID or drivers license (that should also include allergies and medical history, if necessary)!

Moonwalking

Watch this!

Bicycles and Cars -- A Calamitous Coexistence?

Today, a 22-year old cyclist was killed by a garbage truck as she crossed a sidewalk just 5 blocks from my home, about an hour before I biked to work. I'm normally hard to phase and distract from work, but this definitely got my attention. (I had no idea before today that riding on sidewalks is so dangerous, but I tend to avoid doing it anyway; as an avid pedestrian, I loathe bikers on sidewalks and, in particular, the ones that don't warn you when they're about to pass from behind.)

And I spent last Friday night in the E.R. because Michael got hit by a car door that opened as he passed -- fortunately, he only needed some stitches on his hand (and lots of ice, elsewhere).

I tell lots of folks to join the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. They advocate for bike lanes, bike parking, trails and safety in general in the metropolitan D.C. area, and membership in the organization (only $35!) also gets you 10% off any purchase at most bike stores in the area. They also have lessons and materials on riding safety (that I should probably make more use of, apparently...).

So, do it. Join, and be safe out there...

• "Woman Killed by Garbage Truck in Dupont" (8 Jul 2008, DCist.com)
• "Cyclist, 22, Dies After Being Hit by Truck Near Dupont Circle" (8 Jul 2008, WashingtonPost.com)

(For fun, check out this happy place the DCist commentary led me to: MyBikeLane. Not certain I'll be contributing...)

California High Speed Rail

I want high speed rail, I do.

California High-Speed Trains: Visual Tour (YouTube)

• California High Speed Rail Authority
• 10-Minute Overview (YouTube)

Hillary's Goodbye (& Gender Equality)

I watched Hillary's speech on Saturday at the National Building Museum via CNN at my conference in Minneapolis. I normally get drawn into these speeches but from a purely political perspective; I want to hear what was not said more than what actually was said.

That being said, Hillary had my emotional attention from the moment she took the stage. It was the first time she truly spoke to me about the significance of her campaign with respect to gender equality in the United States. And her acknowledgment of the gay supporters of her campaign (see Associated Press video highlights of the speech below) -- not once, but twice -- managed to incite a surge of pride even in me, an Obama supporter.

We have a long way to go to attain gender equality, where men are equal to women and vice versa, in the United States (thinking of it merely as making women equal to men is insufficient, really -- think about paternity leave for fathers whose spouses are working, for example). But, as Hillary suggests, there are now 18 million little cracks in that glass ceiling.

• The full text of Hillary's June 7, 2008 speech at the National Building Museum.


• The full video of Hillary's June 7, 2008 speech at the National Building Museum

Highlights of Hillary's speech

Laughing Babies

These commercials play on CNBC a lot during my morning breakfast. They never fail to get me smiling, no matter how groggy I am, so I thought I'd share them. They're also interesting because they appear to be videos picked up from YouTube uploads from "everyday people." Has anyone else seen mainstream media advertisements that do this?

Also, in case you're wondering who does the voiceover, it's Stockard Channing (took me forever to place the voice...). Now, if only AIG would do better than a 30 on the Corporate Equality Index.

AIG Laughing Baby Ethan Commercial

AIG Laughing Baby Jack Commercial