Right up there with the Cursor Kite this guy has made a Google Earth marker just about big enough to be seen from space!
I’ll bet this was a fun project and got a few strange looks from people.
Via Make
Sometimes the comments are better than the original article.
Last week Mike Schaffner left this fantastic comment on my article Why Blog? He brings up several great points and I wanted to give it more attention than it might get just as a comment. Thanks Mike!
– Begin comment by Mike Schaffner:
Blogging can also be a useful tool in your job search as a way of establishing your “brand” and differentiating yourself.
During my job search I’ve gotten to know Kent Blumberg. Kent is a dynamic manufacturing and process industry operation exec also conducting a job search campaign. As part of his marketing plan Kent uses a weblog or “blog” ( Kent Blumberg ) to discuss timely issues in Leadership, Strategy and Performance.
Because of my desire to stay current with the issues facing IT and never having been shy about voicing my opinion I’ve taken my lead from Kent’s example and have started my own blog ( Mike Schaffner ) . In it I discuss “Management of Information Technology for Strategic Alignment with the Business” plus other related topics that come to mind.
When I started to think about it, blogs offer a number of advantages in a job search. They don’t replace any of the standard techniques but they can complement them.
** It is yet another form of networking
Through blogging and linking and contacting other people you have the opportunity to expand your network in way you could not have done otherwise
** It helps to “refresh” your name with your network
One of the rules of networking is to keep your name in front of your contacts so they don’t forget about you. RSS feeds and email subscriptions make this easier and can give your contacts useful information without the overt pressure of you asking for a job lead
** It is a great form of viral advertising
Blogs can help to give you a web presence and get your name out to the whole world. Many prospective employers will google you before the interview (as you should google them). Blogging will build your search engine presence. One master of blogging says that “blog” stands for “Better Listings On Google.” In my experience, that is certainly true.
** It is a great form of “push” marketing
It is a promotional strategy to create a demand complementing the “pull” marketing of your advertising i.e. resume
** It keeps you in the game
When we start a job search we leave our professional world behind and concentrate on networking, resumes, networking, interviews and networking. In today’s world, a few months away from a subject is an eternity. By writing about current topics in your field you “stay in the game”
** It demonstrates comfort with and a mastery of current technology
It shows that you “get” current technology which is especially important for more senior job seekers. Blogs can help counter the perception older folks don’t understand the use of technology
** It shows a maturity and depth of experience
Blogs give you the opportunity to showcase your expertise and thinking in more detail than a resume. This can be especially useful for younger job seekers by countering the perception they lack “depth”
** It helps to answer the third question
Hiring manager basically have 3 questions: (1) Can this person do the job? (2) Will this person do the job? and (3) Will this person “fit” with our culture? A resume goes a long way toward answering the first 2 questions but provides no insight to the all important third question, a blog does.
** Its fun
Blogs offer the opportunity to discuss issues with others and what can be more fun than a good healthy debate?
Blogs are relatively inexpensive. You can get one going for about $50 to $150 per year depending on what you want to do. The hardest part is the commitment to make 3 to 5 postings of roughly 300 words each week. Fortunately this should only take a few hours and depending on the blog host you choose you can prepare your posts in advance and schedule them to post whenever you want. Writing well is tough, and the discipline of saying something meaningful in 500 words or less is even tougher. Blogging builds writing muscles.
It is too early for me to personally comment on results but I’m optimistic. However, Kent who has been at this much longer than I have reports “It can be a great source of interview questions. In my last three interviews, my blog came up (positively) in each, and generated questions that allowed me to expand on my approach to the world.” and “One of the interviewers had googled me, and then read my blog and my comments on others’ blogs. About half her questions were related to those links. Since I blog about areas that I believe are my strengths, it gave me a great chance to reinforce what makes me different.”
– End comment by Mike Schaffner
If you made it through all that (easily the longest comment I’ve ever had posted here) and like what Mike has to say, check out his blog. He talks a lot about communication, management and all sorts of other business and IT related topics.
Well, if you follow my blog at all you’ve probably noticed a bit of a lull in posting and, while I don’t spend a whole lot of time talking about myself here I figured I’d take a moment to share why things have been slow lately.
The truth is things haven’t been slow lately. Blogging has been slow, but not other things in my life. Last week was my last week working as a DBA at Plymouth State University. It’s been fun there, but next Monday I start my new gig working for SunGard Higher Education as a Senior Technical Consultant-Oracle Remote Database Administrator.
In addition to being a higher level position with more potential for growth this position also gives me the opportunity to telecommute from my home in Concord, NH! Expect to hear more about telecommuting and adjusting to the change soon, but suffice it to say I’m fairly excited to go from a 45 minute commute to a 45 second commute.
So after wrapping up my first book I took this week off to get back on track with my second book, a goal which was going well up until an incident happened yesterday with a glass of water and my only Mac keyboard. For the record, don’t try to blow-dry your keyboard.
So I’m back on line with a brand new keyboard and busy as hell writing and getting my home office set up. If you’ll bear with me just a bit longer I’ve got some great articles coming including a hands-on review of the USB Missile Launcher (yes I have one and I’m not afraid to use it.)
Jon
Fill rocks glass with
Add
Another great classic rocks drink.
So how well does profiling work for airport security? Donald Burleson tells of a recent run-in with one of the TSA’s under qualified personnel:
I had just passed through the metal detector and the agent stopped me asking about the bulge in my crotch.
The conversation went something like this:
“What dat in yo’ pants?”
“Um, that would be my penis”
Upon reflection, she may have been talking about my wallet, but the damage was already done. The TSA agent made me pass through the metal detector THREE TIMES until the alarm sounded, and I knew that were going to inspect my manhood. But it’s not just sexy men who are targeted.
And he’s right. It’s not just sexy men like Donald who are unnecessarily hassled by these sadistic morons. My sister Carla reports from recent experience on the ineffective profiling methods employed by airport security:
By security logic, clearly if you’re a scruffy, thuggish, ruffian-looking guy, you’re going to get your clean-cut looking girlfriend to carry all your Bad Things.
Of course, having now observed this, I recommend that actual scruffy, thuggish, ruffians carry their own Bad Things so innocent girlfriends of innocent scruffy guys can be left alone.
Could it be this easy to defeat the profiling methods of the TSA? Sure. Talk to anyone who travels often. They’ll tell you how to avoid being screened.
I’m not sure what the solution is here, but we simply must do better.
