Self Reviews

Posted by T.W. Hanson - Mar 25th, 2008 at 18:03

goals

Twice each year, I find it useful evaluate my professional life. The introspective few hours spent looking at past performance and setting goals for the future can be more useful than reviews from your peers. You know what you have done well and poorly and where you really stand to improve. Give it a try sometime in the next few months, and try to achieve your goals. It could save you from the axe in the current economic environment.

Here is a small sample of what I will be working on:

Networking: Having just moved from the East to the Midwest, I have much work to do to meet new people. I intend to become more involved in the community through recreation, volunteer work and even faith based activities.

Smiling More: Although I am proud of my general stoicism, I know it can come across as depressing at times. I have gotten much better at this, but there is room for improvement.

Increasing Efficiency: By concentrating more between the hours of 7 and 6, I hope to cut back on the late nights and weekends in the office. This may just result in more work. We will see.

The Budget Theater

Posted by Tad Johnson - Mar 24th, 2008 at 20:03

Even with all the media alternatives, I still enjoy the good old fashioned movie theatre. There’s something comforting about the sticky floors, the warm popcorn, and the giant screen. The problem is, tickets have gotten expensive.

movie-tickets-popcorn.jpgGone are the days when you and a date could view a movie and get snacks for under $20. (At that price, you could buy the DVD!) Fortunately, there’s an easy alternative : the budget theatre.

Here in Milwaukee, the budget theatre costs a whopping $2 for a ticket ($1 on Tuesdays) and plays second-run movies–usually just before they’re released on DVDs.

Is it worth waiting a month to see that new movie? I sure think so. Since I’m a regular budget-theater-goer, I’ve more or less adjusted my internal movie release clock (after all, they’re all new movies until you see them!)

Saving a few bucks on a movie ticket isn’t going to make you a millionaire alone, but it’s just another example where a little patience can save you a bundle in the long run.

New from Amazon : Subscribe & Save Subscription

Posted by Tad Johnson - Mar 21st, 2008 at 7:03

Everyone’s favorite book music movie everything store (Amazon) has a pretty great deal on groceries : subscribe to your favorite items and they’ll deliver them automatically on a set schedule and give you 15% off and free shipping. Not bad for a vicenarian on a budget!

amazon subscribe

There’s my first (and only) subscription. I eat a lot of Clif Bars, and they are kind of expensive in the store (usually ~$1.15/each). Between the bulk discount and the 15% subscription discount, I’m getting them for $0.85 a piece! Plus, they’ll magically arrive at my door every two months. Thanks, Jeff Bezos!

First Time Charitable Giving

Posted by T.W. Hanson - Mar 20th, 2008 at 21:03

charity

Out from under the guidance of parents and maintaining a steady source of income, many people give their first autonomous charitable financial gift as a vicenarian. Done in the right way, this is healthy for all parties involved. There are clear and tangible benefits to the organization receiving the gift and intangible gains for the giver. Benjamin Franklin framed what he believed to be the noblest question, “What good may I do in the world?”

I have learned a few things from my previous gifts.

  • Find a cause about which you feel passionately. Focusing giving on a subject where you have a real interest increases the impact of your donation. Spreading funds widely has no moral flaws, but if it causes you to lose interest and stop giving, it isn’t good.
  • Don’t choose a cause for social status. You can worry about that when your last name is Kennedy or when you marry into a family that came over on the Mayflower.
  • Spread your gift out throughout the year. This protects you from unforeseen events that may put you in difficult financial shape. You also get the excitement of giving on a monthly or quarterly basis as opposed to once a year.
  • Don’t give beyond your means. There are seemingly an infinite number of worthy causes all of which would benefit from your charity. However, taxing yourself into a state of misery is ill advised. Use your budget to compute what you believe to be a reasonable amount and stick to it.

Giving should not be a chore. Your gifts should dovetail with your interests, making them a natural extension of your life.

How To : safely use your work laptop at home

Posted by Tad Johnson - Mar 19th, 2008 at 18:03

My employer gives me (and the rest of the IT department) a laptop for work. This decision was made in the hopes that it would make travel easier (we can bring all our work with us) and allow us to work from home. I have my reservations on both claims, but it is what it is.

laptop.jpg

One of the sticky questions that develops when you give your employees mobile computers is how to differentiate work from personal use. The official policy, as you might guess, is that our work laptops are to be used exclusively for work related tasks. As you might imagine, this is rarely the case.

I occasionally use my work laptop for personal use at home, and I know more than a few people who use it exclusively as their only computer. This may seem like a great way to save money and reduce the electronic clutter in your life, but there are some very troubling implications.

For example, what if your company is involved in a lawsuit and they need to scan your hard drive as evidence? Do you want them finding photos of Fluffy mixed in with your TPS reports? What if you’re using your laptop (at home) for activities that run afoul of your company policies? Can they distinguish between the times you’re online at work versus the times you’re at home?

Fortunately, a few new technologies may save the day :

  • Use web apps. Keep your personal data in “the cloud” as much as possible. Use Gmail, Google Docs, Hulu, and any other web apps you like to ensure that your personal data stays off your hard drive.
  • Use an alternate browser. Keep your work links, history, and cache separate from your personal stuff by using a totally separate browser. (Such as Firefox).
  • Boot Linux. Most of the popular Linux distributions offer Live CDs that allow you to boot into Linux and use all the standard apps without touching your hard drive. These work surprisingly well, though you will experience a slight performance hit compared to a regular OS installed on your hard drive.
  • Boot Linux from a USB key. As a more advanced offshoot of above, some Linux distributions (including my favorite, Ubuntu) allow you to install and boot from a USB key. This is an ideal solution, since it offers good performance and it saves all your data. [Believe it or not, I’m using such a scheme right now!]

As a vicenarian, you hopefully haven’t been forced to deal with a company lawsuit. Just because you haven’t been bit doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be cautious. If you’re using your employer’s laptop for personal use, please be safe and make smart choices.

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