The Rising Sun

February 28th, 2010

It is amazing when certain things pop into your brain.  The scene painted below is inspiration for our new day, every 24-hours.
“The sun rises on a new day.  The light sparkles oranges, yellows, pinks, and whites across the rippling, serene surface of the water.  It fills our hearts with the joy, inspiration, love, and energy [...]

Components of 21st Century Success

January 26th, 2010

As an Analyst, I am interested in identifying factors that influence variables such as performance and success.  A few years ago, I put together a basic mind map outlining some of the key components.  This was back in October 2007.   Please take a moment and review the original post, which is now 2.5 years old:

While [...]

Some Fun: Flying a Cessna

January 15th, 2010

I recently had the opportunity to fly a Cessna 172 for a group activity at work.  Boy was this so cool!
We left Red Baron Aviation and flew west, crossed the ridge and landed at Santa Ynez.  We then switched pilots (I flew to, Dean flew back) and flew back to SBA.  All I have to [...]

Designing a Cubicle to Remember

January 6th, 2010

Corporate life is rather glum when you think about it.  You spend most of your day inside four walls, usually containing a cube that is roughly 20 square feet (4X5).  You spend your time in this box staring at a computer, talking on the phone and/or writing on paper or your whiteboard.  While there are [...]

Making 2010 The Best Year Yet

January 1st, 2010

With 2010 just around the corner, I hope that everyone has taken a moment to ponder what they would like to see happen in 2010.   Whether it is reducing debt, to remodeling the house, to finding a new life partner, setting a few goals and looking toward 2010 with optimism is a strong approach.
What do [...]

What Have You Discovered Today?

December 22nd, 2009

This was a recent status on my Facebook page:
Day of discovery:
1) Sleep is important
2) You never know what you are going to end up with at the company gift exchange
3) Running in the cold is very motivating
4) Never venture downtown during the holidays unless driving a Sherman tank
5) Customers will tell you what you niche [...]

Indentifying Behavior in Numbers: A Chart

December 13th, 2009

Identifying human behavior across a society is the focus of many sociologists.  As an analyst, identifying human behavior through data is my interest.  Whether I am looking at sales data, cost per unit, economic forecasts, or even toilet usage charts, looking at data patterns can identify key changes in behavior.
Take a look at the chart [...]

How a Bear Can Define the Holidays

December 8th, 2009

As you all know, I am a huge fan of Starbucks, not because their coffee is great or their food is better than local places, but because Starbucks has become an American institution that defines the calendar year.
Take the holidays for instance.  Starbucks makes the following changes:
A) They decorate their stores with garland, lights, ornaments, [...]

Simple, Yet Powerful Email Subject Usage

December 2nd, 2009

With the endless amount of spam swirling around the internet, the subject line becomes one of the most important parts of the email.   Afterall, each email is competing with every other email for my attention.
There are keywords like viagra, prescriptions, free, trial, etc that are immediate turn-offs that get deleted.  But every now and then, [...]

How Smartphones Have Personalities

November 17th, 2009

Today, I stopped by my local Verizon Wireless store to check out the Motorola Droid.  I will tell you that it looks better on paper and in pictures than it does in real life.
I then looked at the Blackberry Storm2 for comparison.  While it looks really cool, it sings to a different tune that many [...]