30 December 2010

Mad Men - The Ads That Wouldn't Pass Muster...Today

After seeing these, and having a good laugh, I thought this was worth sharing with the rest of you just prior to New Years.

A select few:









The rest here. If these don't get you laughing, well then... there's nothing I can do for you.

Via Owni via The Agitator

10 December 2010

Virtual Assistants


Recently I needed to get some work done, but I didn't have the expertise nor the time to do this. Basically, I had to photoshop tens of pictures for distribution. Now this is not my trade. I CAN do this, but it would take me hours, that I wasn't willing to give up, sooooooo I hired a virtual assistant or VA.

I was a bit apprehensive because this could be one of those deals where you get some shoddy work back or you pay and the guy never does the job. Well, it didn't work out that way. I went to freelanceswitch.com and posted a job for hire. Within a couple of days I had several offers. Some offered samples of their work, some were very advanced, and some, it seemed were stay-at-home entrepreneurs. In the end I think I picked a guy looking to make a little extra scratch, in India! I thought that was pretty cool. I outsourced my work! hehehe

We talked about price, how much I was willing to pay and how he'd get paid. Once that was settled, it's been back and forth with getting these jobs done. You have to remember that you're the boss, and you have to communicate clearly about what you want. You have to be able to delegate tasks. This is good practice if you ever would like to become a leader or manager one day.

I'm not sure about becoming a manager. I like where I am and what I'm doing. My point of view has changed on the subject of VA's. I kind of like them. It's similar to hiring an accountant to do your taxes, but difference is, is that you may not know if he's doing a good job. You just have to review his work and hope the IRS doesn't get picky. With a VA, you work in a truly free-market. You negotiate price and pay what you both think the labor is worth. Truly, it was worth the money.

05 December 2010

The Government Tells You What You Can Eat Or Else


The classic big government statement: I know what's good for you. How dare you question that.
Here is another victimless crime.

Via Reason.tv:




I don't get it, do you? Perhaps there were good intentions when the FDA was started. Every path to hell is led with them. Thalidomide was a total fuck-up, but does that mean that they get to tell everyone what they can or can't eat? I saw a survivor man show where he ate raw [insert unusually nauseous animal/animal part]. I didn't see the FDA protecting him.

The point is, if I want to eat/smoke/inhale/inject/drink something, then why can't I? So long as I'm not harming or forcing it on others, then there really isn't any crime. Yes, if I decide to eat poison to kill myself then why is it a crime? Also, this swat/gestapo tactic of forced entry to stop someone from drinking unpasteurized milk is horseshit. Did they think the suspects had weapons and were going to go out in a blaze of glory? Sheesh!

The federal government should stay out of people's lives and get back to protecting the freedoms it was created to protect.

04 December 2010

TED Talk On The Oceans


This guy is inspiring! I've watched this video several times and every time I feel like I want to learn and work in the ocean.



He mentions that there are commercial grade precious metals down there. It's an economic incentive to go down there and mine those materials. Maybe if the price of precious metals keep going up, there'll be enough incentive to invest in the technology required to do the work. I know there are a few companies out there that have started, but you just don't see the rush to get going, yet.

Lovin' That Gold!


I woke up this morning, next to my baby daughter. Recently Mrs. Floridaegu has been placing her next to me in the morning so that I can help her out. That's fine with me. She deals with both children most of the day and if that means I have to give up a few hours of sleep so that she can get a few herself, well, that's fine by me.

So I pick up second daughter, put her in her bouncer and go make coffee. I take my vitamins and Omega-3 and carry her to my office. I go through the mundane stuff and I look over at the stock ticker and precious metals index and I notice that gold is currently $1414.50 and ounce! Silver is at $29.38 an ounce! These are not new highs, but they are highs for the week. This is good.

In my email I found a video blog entry by my broker, Peter Schiff:




Yeah, he's pushing precious metals. He's said over half his portfolio is in precious metals, and I've been moving mine in that direction. I agree that QE II is causing a lot of problems. This is basic economics. Inflation robs the poor by making everything more expensive, and the last thing to catch up are wages. The rich can afford to pay more, obviously, so it doesn't affect them as much.

When I see what direction my country's been going, and how it runs counter to good reasoning, I have a constant fear for my family. I'm ok if I can't retire. I get it. Retirement's not a right and it's only a recent concept. When I see the country run unconstitutionally, run counter to common sense, I have to do what I have to do to save my family. Today that means buying more gold and silver.