Test tube burgers

Yes, you read that right. Scientists have been working on this for a while now and predict that the first "meat" made from a cow's stem cells should be ready by fall. It just seems creepy that as you bite into your juicy 4th of July burger, it came from skeletal muscle tissue created in a laboratory from stem cells that mimic meat. Visions of Soylent Green come into my head when reading about this. The money quote from the article is below.

"Both scientists said no companies in the existing meat industry have expressed interest."

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. You would have to be one of these next managers to know the one being described below.

MOTW: Telepathic Manager

This manager expects his/her staff to know what he/she is thinking without giving any indication of what is in his/her mind. Usually not a good communicator Telepathic Manager will occasionally give hints as to what he/she wants, but these are generally enigmatic clues with little direction. Staff members then attempt to divine what Telepathic Manager wants and act accordingly, usually with little success. When saddled with Telepathic Manager the recommendation is to buy a deck of tarot cards and become conversant with their use.

Weekend Haiku

All the time I pray to Buddha
I keep on
killing mosquitoes.

Issa (1763 - 1827)

Soul Sloshing

The video of Venus Hum's Soul Sloshing. Enjoy and happy Friday.

The single walk-on

A quirky article about the perils of walking on at a golf course as a single. I don't ball golf, but have shown up at many an out of town disc golf course alone to play a round or two. While disc golfers are essentially a brotherhood, you never quite know what you are going to get when you hook up with other golfers. Just like the article says, it can end up being a very good round or you may end up bailing early.

The online disinhibition effect

This is a term coined by John Suler of Rider University and the effect is explored in this short WSJ article. You are online, reading this blog post right now. Why is it that the internet can make us become embarrassingly honest in some cases? Read the article to find out one explanation.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. In a break from tradition, here is a manager actually worth something.

MOTW: Excellent Manager

Any manager who possesses none of the characteristics of any of the previous MOTWs and who genuinely believes in developing his/her people.

Weekend Haiku

That snail-
one long horn, one short,
what's on his mind?

Buson (1716 - 1783)

Jesus Came Down

The German rock band Lake performs Jesus Came Down live. Enjoy and happy Friday.

How much sleep does a child need?

According to this article in the WSJ they need a lot. The article states that children ages 5 to 12 need between 10 and 11 hours of sleep a night. This guideline comes from the National Sleep Foundation, a nonprofit sleep education group. The article can be summed up with one finding...on average our nation's kids are not getting enough sleep.

As parents we have learned to try and put our children to bed as early as possible because a) it takes them a while to get to sleep and b) no matter how late they go to sleep, they still wake up at the same early time, especially on weekends.

Atlas shrugged Part II - The Movie

It's official. Atlas Shrugged Part II has been greenlit and if all goes well production will begin in April. It is scheduled to be in theaters by October 2012.

"Who is John Galt?"

Citi charges its customers twice

In a desperate attempt to increase revenues...(just kidding). A Citi bill-pay app is the culprit behind some customers being charged twice the amount they should have been for the electronic bill paying service. Citi has traced the error to an iPad application and is remedying the mistake.

Happy Birthday Peter

Strange is your language and I have no decoder
Why don't you make your intentions clear
With eyes to the sun and your mouth to the soda
Saying, "Tell me the truth, you got nothing to fear"
Stop staring at me like a bird of prey
I'm all mixed up, I got nothing to say
I don't remember
I don't remember

I don't remember, I don't recall
I got no memory of anything at all.

From I Don't Remember by Peter Gabriel

Happy birthday Peter Gabriel. He turns 62 today and is one of the more impressive musical innovators around.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW,Manager of the Week. This next manager is too book-smart for his/her own good.

MOTW: Erudite Manager

Reads a minimum of four books a week. Seldom speaks but when he/she does it is to quote the latest book (obscure or not) that he/she has read. The connection to what is being discussed is often tenuous at best.

Weekend Haiku

Sound of a saw;
poor people,
winter midnight.

Buson (1716 - 1783)

Karma Police

Radiohead performs Karma Police live. Enjoy and happy Friday.

Why are we fat and wasteful?

The other day I stopped at a fast food restaurant for lunch. I am not going to name it because all of the familiar chains have the same issue. I wanted a sandwich and a small soda. When I ordered I noticed on the menu that this way of ordering was more expensive than ordering a “combo” meal. The combo is the exact same sandwich, French fries and a soda. I asked the person serving me if I could order the combo and they could keep the fries. This way I would be charged less than if I ordered the sandwich and soda separately. I was told no. This is not the first time this has happened to me, nor is it the only fast food restaurant where it has happened.

In essence I had some choices to make:

1. Order separately and avoid the fries (More expensive)

2. Order the combo and throw out the fries (Cheaper but wasteful, I cannot in good conscience throw out food like that)

3. Order the combo and eat the fries (Cheaper but the fries were what I wanted to avoid because they are fattening)

4. Order something else (Not what I wanted)

5. Eat healthier somewhere else (Probably more expensive, not as convenient and not what I wanted)

Sigh, if only they could keep their combo fries…

Phil gets schooled

This is Milton Friedman in fine form in 1979. What has changed? Nothing except that it is 30 years since he uttered these words.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. How does the old saying go? "Just because you are paranoid does not mean they are not out to get you." That is this next manager's personal motto.

MOTW: Paranoid Manager

Afraid of his/her own shadow, this manager rarely leaves his/her office and only does so when summoned by Senior Management. When the summons comes Paranoid Manager assumes the worst and already has half of his/her desk cleaned out by the time he/she hangs up the phone. Upon a chance encounter with Conspiracy Manager, Paranoid Manager usually implodes because of all the negative implications upon his/her corporate survivability a conversation with Conspiracy Manager will typically reveal.

Happy Birthday Bacardi

Happy birthday Bacardi. The company turns 150 today. It has a remarkable history and I have been fortunate to see and live parts of that story up close. You can see the highlights of that history here. You can also see my review of Tom Gjelten's book, Bacardi and the long fight for Cuba: A biography of a Cause here.

Weekend Haiku

A huge frog and I,
staring at each other,
neither of us moves.

Issa (1763 - 1827)

The Final Song

Here it is. A recording of The Final Song by The Juliana Theory from their album Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat. Enjoy and happy Friday.

Happy Groundhog Day

Happy Groundhog Day. Not that it matters much to us here in South Florida, but for you Northerners here is hoping Punxsutawney Phil doesn't see his shadow today.

Update: He saw his shadow.

Flying people above New York City

It's actually a promotional stunt for the upcoming movie Chronicle, but still pretty cool.