Grab Bag

Supreme Court Rapes the Free World. Again.

Usually, I won’t make political comments, because I’m just not interested. I figure it’s all going to be awful, and I don’t buy into the illusion that chatting it up will make it better. But in this case, they’ve walked into territory we’ve claimed as our own, so here goes: Image via Wikipedia The latest move... [Read more of this review]

The Power of Negative Thinking

I tend to solve problems like Sherlock Holmes. Negatively. By removing things. By denying and rejecting things. As Sherlock said he did, I eliminate all the impossibilities and am left, for whatever it may cost, with the truth. But sometimes, when you’ve eliminated all the impossibilities, there’s nothing left. The problem is simply impossible.... [Read more of this review]

Simple Green Productivity

How many nights have you gone to bed and left the computer running. Not because you were downloading some file – how long does that take anymore, in an era of broadband? But because you had a number of things open and needed to pick up where you left off? Image via Wikipedia Actually, the original way that most of us tech types did it was... [Read more of this review]

ROW Spotlight: Kiva – You Can Microlend

Have you heard about Kiva? Kiva is a free web site that lets you provide micro-loans (in amounts of $25) to impoverished entrepreneurs needing investment to make their businesses thrive. The entire loan amount goes to the entrepreneur and is facilitated through Kiva’s partnership with local micro-lending organziations in each country. The micro-lending... [Read more of this review]

What’s Wrong With Discounts?

I’m not a believer in discounts, unless they are part of a marketing campaign. Half-hazard discounts, because someone asks for one, force you to work harder for less pay to justify your normal price. If you’re willing to do that, just make it your normal price. I think more people respect that. Image by jdruschke via Flickr Up Front... [Read more of this review]

No Mortgage for Freelancers?

All week on your local NPR or public radio station  “The Take Away” is running talk about how freelancers are treated unreasonably (I’d say prejudicially) for mortgage loan applications vs. job holders. Got an offer letter or a couple of pay stubs from a job? You’re on the fast track for refinance or a new mortgage. Freelancer?... [Read more of this review]

Action Items: The Joys of Slicing Cheese

Image via Wikipedia A colleague and I are constructing a new type of organization, and at times at the outset I felt overwhelmed and a bit paralyzed. It comes with having an enormous vault of ideas, and a need for speed, while needing also to quickly put up an infrastructure (in this case a marketing infrastructure) that is woven piece into piece.... [Read more of this review]

Starting a Business Blog That Doesn’t Suck

“I’m a landscaper or plumber – how do I start a business blog? Who would want to read it?” Exactly. Or maybe. I hear that a lot. It’s a reasonable question. “And if I write it, and I don’t know what I’m doing, won’t it suck.” Probably not. It could, if you don’t keep an open mind. But... [Read more of this review]

Prices: To List or Not to List?

Personally, I rarely publish prices for services, because I think it encourages price shopping, and creates a climate where I can’t add value, and so I can’t compete. With pure price shopping, I’m competing even with unscrupulous and dishonest service providers and even with incompetent ones. I don’t want to make only what they... [Read more of this review]

The 2-minute Resignation Letter

Here it is, time to write another resignation letter for a family member. This is sort of my area, so naturally I reach for the most tiny, most dull, most trivial versions there are. Yes, I’d like to say, “you people are tards who are running your own business into the ground by rewarding mediocrity and using some of the dumbest attempts... [Read more of this review]

Blog vs. Debt

One of the things I like seeing about this economy is the spirit of resistance and, often enough, of triumph that is coming in response. You can see it in the blogosphere. There’s a lot of bullshit out there, about how it’s going to be ‘over’ in a few months. I don’t think so. We’re never going back, folks. It doesn’t... [Read more of this review]

Business Phone – Under $20 – Sim Ready – No Contract

I’ve reviewed this phone before, and now it’s available even cheaper still ($19.95) as New Egg deal: Motorola F3 Unlocked GSM Bar Phone with Speaker Phone – OEM No contract required Motorola F3 Unlocked GSM Bar Phone with Speaker Phone – OEM Speaker phone Extra-Large character fo… up to 300... [Read more of this review]

A Song of Strength

Some of you aren’t notably artsy, and would prefer I keep most of the posts confined to the propositional, I know. And I think the philosophy of work is cool, too. But, well, what can I tell you – not being able to cut off the other parts of my life is exactly the reason I don’t feel particularly comfortable in corporate life. I like... [Read more of this review]

Theme Video Update

Update: The video link on our designated theme video [original article] broke, due to the mysteries of YouTube. It’s restored now. var addthis_pub = ''; var addthis_language = 'en';var addthis_options = 'email, favorites, digg, delicious, myspace, google, facebook, reddit, live, more'; Twitter This Usuario: Password:  Read More →

Freedom Wears a Watchcap

What is home-worker fashion? One of the things I’m curious about, for those of you who work from home all or part of the time is: what do you wear for working? Pajamas? Overalls? Tuxedo? A speedo? Image via Wikipedia One of the wonderful things about working from home is that you can eat what and how you want. No more bowls of office candy... [Read more of this review]

Sell more than you save

Rule of Work: If you must choose, sell more rather than save more. Both are good, but it’s a matter of priorities. As I contemplate “quitting the day job” (OK, so I’m not quitting – the project is at completion and I’ve finished – but I’m referring to not replacing it with another one), I am automatically... [Read more of this review]

The Unseen Light

You know, the agonizing thing about knowing you can build a business, knowing you have the courage, the intelligence, the talent, is not having the right idea. Don’t get me wrong, I have a business, and it’s the right idea, and it has been, for where I was, where I am, and for a while yet where I’m going. It’s the right idea... [Read more of this review]

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