Browsing the Web Just Got Easier

Hey there, Parker here with a quick update: Mozilla Firefox is taking over the web world!  Well, on their way to world domination.  And for good reason - check out PC World's article on the success of Firefox 4.

Best,
Parker

Lights, Camera, Action - Critique!

Hey there, Parker here.  Let’s talk television and film.

I was watching Law & Order yesterday when it occurred to me that I've been watching this show (and spinoffs) for more than half of my life.  Briscoe was my favorite Sr. detective.  Jr. detectives Logan, Curtis and Green shined with Briscoe in the lead. Lt. Van Buren took no prisoners.

My favorite cast of Law & Order

Ben Stone, Jack McCoy and Michael Cutter all made excellent executive DA's but Adam Schiff was the best DA in the show's history.  No one came close to Assistant DA's Clair and Abbie, except perhaps Paul.

I talk in terms of characters and not actors.  This is because I enjoy when actors play their parts so well they became the character.  The talent of a tv show’s writers appear when actors are true to their craft - acting.

Some tv actors are brilliantly gifted like Vincent D'onofrio, Jerry Orbach, Sam Waterson, Jesse Martin, S. Epatha Merkerson, etc.  Some major motion film actors are equally talented.

"It's Hard Out There for a Pimp" deserved that Oscar

Taraji P. Henson is one of my favorite ladies in the business.  Before The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, she brought Shug to life in Hustle & Flow.  Shug had me sweating, feeling bloated and accepting that was all the good this world would give as she sang into the microphone in that makeshift studio.  Taraji took a backseat while Shug performed on-screen.  Yvette was as real a person could be in Baby Boy because of Henson's talent.

Good acting.

And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.

Maximus Decimus Meridius was commander of the armies of the north, general of the felix legions and loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelies.  You shared his pain upon kneeling at the foot of his murdered son and wife.  You held your breath when his hand waved upon the wheat in the field and saw his family in death.  Then long after the credits rolled, almost as long as it took for the Academy Awards to announce the nominees, you paired Gladiator with Russell Crowe.

Very good acting.

Stanley Tucci can wear anything and look good!

Meryl Streep is the greatest actress ever.  As famous as she is, her talent is such that Julia Child was as lovable on-screen has her dishes were delicious to watch.  Miranda Priestly was the quintessential b!tch whose wardrobe, shoes and purses caused me to drool.  Even Mary Fisher, entitled as she was, had me on her side as she whipped those kids into shape and reclaimed her life.  Meryl Streep plays her role so well that you do not see Streep, only the character during the movie.

Great acting.

beauty. song bird. can't act.

Everyone mentioned above are the cream of the crop in show business.

On the flip side, there are famous people who star in movies who cannot overcome their name.  Let's play a game, I name the movie and star, you name the character:

• Lindsay Lohan in Georgia Rule
• Beyonce in Dream Girls
• Beyonce in Cadillac Records (hint: she portrayed a famous living person)
• Madonna in Swept Away
• J-Lo in Maid in Manhattan
• J-Lo in The Wedding Planner
• J-Lo in any movie she's made
• Brad Pitt in any movie after 1995 with the exception of Fight Club

Remember "The Parent Trap"?

You see where I'm going.  Their names are too big for the big screen.  No matter how hard she tries, you only see Beyonce, not Dina or Etta James.  You recall Madonna, not Amber, rolling around on the beach.  Marisa, Mary, Charlie, Gertrude, Ricki, Slim or Sharon might as well have all been named "J-Lo" because that's who you saw.  Linsday was Rachel but she didn't have a chance in hell of escaping her fame while filming Georgia Rule despite the fact that she can really act.

Even Brad Pitt, who is very talented, was Brad Pitt in all of his post-1995 movies except as Tyler Durden in Fight Club.

best.  movie.  ever.

You take the good; you take the bad when it comes to movies and television.  But you stick with what you love.  For me, that is Law & Order for nearly 20 years.  The characters are real, the actors are great and the storylines are riveting.

Well folks, that's my cue to take five.

Best,
Parker

Go Ahead, Give It A Try - Social Media Tool: Posterous

Hey there, Parker here. I'm back online and trying out a few new social media tools.

First, let me say that it's been a while since my last update.  I tell others to go offline and see the real world every once in a while, so for the last month I followed my own advice.

Now I'm back and I'm checking out as many free apps and tools as I can.  I heard good things about Posterous so today's post will cover my experience and thoughts on this particular social media tool.  It allows you to update your social media platforms all at once using email.  I can see the potential.  Currently I write my blog > post the link to AOL Lifestream which in turns updates Facebook and Twitter.  Twitter feeds into LinkedIn, 4square and Tumblr.  It's a piecemeal process but it works for me.

Now I send an email to Posterous and it automatically updates my Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and Blogger.  I have more but you get the picture.

Multi-channel post with a single email - that is definitely a pro!  The low-level learning curve for using the tool and getting setup is a pro.  Another pro is it pulled all of my previous blogger post with a single click of a button.

The only con so far is it doesn't show rich link display on LinkedIn (picture, page title, and short description).  Another con is it only posts the hyper-linked blog title on Twitter.

But I can live with that (for now).  I'll test this out for the next week and if I can't find a really good theme that ties into my other social media profiles, I'll go back to the old way of updating my status - one site at a time.

Best,
Parker

Love What You Do...

And you'll never have to work a day in your life. Hey there, Parker here. That sentiment is spot on and I was recently reminded of that truth while reading Tacoma Perry's article "Turning Your Passion into Profit," My Fox 5 Atlanta (01/06/2011).

I get paid to do what I love – web production and content management. Second only to playing Monopoly and CIV 4, I consider my web career a fun way to spend my time.

I don’t need to be the boss to have job satisfaction. I don’t strive to manage teams of direct reports. My ambition is to be as efficient and talented a web manager as possible and to be a reliable, valuable individual contributor on a team.

Often deemed mundane tasks, I take comfort in the whole process.

• analyzing metrics
• create content in a wysiwyg editor
• editing content in a CMS template
• selecting the right image
• layout of copy and imagery
• reviewing and publishing

I measure my day in productivity, not hours, and providing valuable service to my clients and colleagues. The icing on the cake is that I am paid for doing what I love to do.

Years ago I wrote down a list of my strengths, weaknesses, areas of improvement, salary history and where I wanted to be in 5-10 years. It was my personal business plan for 'me' and that plan led me to where I am today. I continue to assess my skills, marketability and profitability using the SWOT and it serves to reinforce that I am on the right track and I'm happy with my chosen career.

I may not wake up clicking my heels and jumping for joy at the idea of sitting my car for my daily 1hr, 15 min commute (each way). But once I enter the building, I walk with high-heel confidence; I flash my genuine lip-glossed smile to all, then I turn on my pc knowing the fun has only just begun.

Loving what you do makes your day feel like this

The daily grind, the mundane task of doing what I have to do is not work at all, it is great way to spend my time. My answer to Ms. Perry’s first line of the article is “yes, what I do to live is what I love to do.”

Now, folks, take a moment to read the article and ask yourself  "is what you do to live what you love to do, too?"

Best,
Parker

Analyze This

Hey there, Parker here. Folks, I admit to being a numbers runner. No, not the street lottery that preceded Mega Millions and PowerBall. I run the numbers associated with data and metrics. I review site usage and analyze the numbers then translate those figures into easy-to-understand reports.

I also run numbers in my down time. That's right, even on the weekends I'm analyzing data, reviewing stats and translating those figures into easy-to-understand topics for discussion.

me, this morning

So imagine my reaction to hearing that a 12 year veteran QB with a 58.9% passing rate in 161 games is being benched for a QB with a career total 38 games, and has only played 2 regular season games in the last 2 years.

Yes, I'm a Redskins fan. Any given Sunday you'll see me at the tailgate yelling from the stands. Every other Sunday you'll find me at the sports bar yelling at the monitors. When I'm not there you'll hear me at home yelling at my TV.

I don't want to tell Shanahan how to do his job but I will suggest he review his decision to play Grossman over McNabb in the ONLY GAME WE REDSKINS CARE ABOUT EACH YEAR. We're playing the Cowboys in Dallas! Does football rivalry get any better (or worse) than this?

Hail Redskins!

Okay, maybe the Ohio State – Michigan football rivalry is as heated but I left Ohio State mid-90s and started following pro-football.

We opened our 2010 season with QB Donovan McNabb and whipped Dallas 13-7. As far as I was concerned the season was a success. That's all folks. Call it a year, grab your hat and don't forget to tip your waitress on the way out. The Redskins beat the Cowboys!

From the moment the ticker tape fell on the bleachers amid a cloud of theatrical smoke and fog on that glorious day in September (I was there), the Redskins Nation was booking flights and getting hotels for the chance to repeat that win under the billion dollar domed stadium in Dallas.

Jerry Jones got the city of Arlington to okay a .5% sales tax, 2% hotel occupancy tax and 5% car rental tax increase to help with the cost of construction, and we are volunteering to help the city out during our visit.

this is what $1 billion looks like

McNabb has led the team to a 5-8 standing and 3rd place in the NFC East. Sure, we could do a little better on the 3rd down conversions (50/170) and McNabb himself could throw fewer interceptions (15) but at the end of the day our QB has played all 14 weeks of the season to-date giving us 14 touchdowns (team total 25) and 275 completetions.

The first and last time Grossman was on the field this season, he replaced McNabb in the last two minutes of the Lions game and fumbled. The Lions recovered for a touchdown. Grossman's completion rate is similar to McNabb's (57.1% to 58.3%) only because his season total is 7 attempts and 4 completions!

People, it doesn't take an analyst to see what's wrong with this decision. Rex Grossman played for Kyle Shanahan last year in Houston. He played 1 game. He had 9 attempts and 3 completions. History repeats itself.

the city of Philadelphia is laughing

Shanahan Sr and Jr have made a bad decision to bench McNabb and start Grossman for the next three games. It is a slap in the face to a league veteran QB and it is blatant disrespect to the Redskins Nation who have supported this franchise for decades. We pay good money to fill FedEx field and we don't mind paying for $8 beers, $5 water bottles, $7 hot dogs and $4 SwissMiss hot chocolate. However, we are a little tired of paying for talented players who are told to sit on the sidelines or cheer from home (cough, Haynesworth, cough).

I've analyzed this decision and the numbers do not add up. If we win in Dallas, we still lose on this one.

Best,

Parker

Hey Yahoo! 99.9% Uptime Isn’t Good Enough

For nearly an hour this morning I tried accessing my Yahoo! Mail account without success. I thought my iPhone, and then my laptop was the cause. But I was able to get into GMail easily. Hotmail was ready. AOL was as simple as tapping my mobile screen. Sadly, Yahoo failed.


A quick social search on Google and Twitter revealed it wasn't just me having issues accessing the website. The comments were pouring in by the tons about the problem. Perhaps this tweet said it best:





That's right folks, Yahoo, Inc. is laying off nearly 700 employees today from the US locations (Washington Post 12/14/2010). Two weeks before Christmas. Employees will be notified upon arriving at work and will be asked to leave the premises immediately (D: All Things Digital 12/13/2010).

happy holidays from Yahoo!

Please note: this comes just weeks after reports of Google planning 10% pay raises across the board in the new year (ComputerWorld 11/11/2010).


Look, I know business is just that - business. Nothing personal. And without knowing the details of the severance package, I really can't hold a grudge against the iconic company. But I can be ticked off that my Yahoo Mail was down!


What happened? Did you fire the guy who's in charge of the server when he walked into the door? Bad things can happen that way. Next time, wait until the end of the day and buy him flowers, give him chocolates, present a bottle of wine and a box for his belongings. Then send him a boat load of money and tell him bon voyage only after you've hired and trained his less experienced but cheaper replacement.


When the site finally loaded in my browser window, here's what they had on the homepage:

Were you trying to tell us something? C'mon people! Please say the editor was asleep at his desk when this was approved for today's news banner. 

its good to see you runningman

Layoffs happen. I volunteered for one last year at AOL. I loved working at AOL for six years and I still have immense respect for my former colleagues. Also, CEO Tim Armstrong DOES look like superman! AOL was upfront and communicated to their employees that layoffs were coming. They offered a pretty good package as incentive to voluntarily leave.  Or employees could take their chances on having a job in the New Year.  Good move, AOL.


Yahoo, what are the lessons learned today?  This, if you are a major public corporation and big time player in the online search, portal and global internet service business, 99.9% uptime isn’t good enough. Yahoo is now my text book example that the .1% chance of your services going offline could occur at the worse possible moment.


Or perhaps they themselves had too much egg nog at last night’s party?

was this posted before or after your announcement?

Best,
Parker