Driving out west to get photographs of the American Bald Eagles on Pines Blvd near Route 27 yesterday, I saw this old car passing me. Man, what a beauty!Just the wheels along were things of beauty.

Eventually I made it out to where the Eagles are, and captured this image. In the days/weeks ahead I hope to get better images.

My back is injured again, to the point where I am actually taking muscle relaxers. I’m not a pill guy, but the trip to the chiropractor didn’t help. So, if I start sounding even weirder than normal, you understand why.

Peace out people.
SCG

I was one of the first at my company to use a PDA – Personal Data Assistant. I used the Palm Visor. Through the years I owned and used several different types of PDAs, from various PALMs to even Windows Mobile PDAs from Dell. I could hook the PDA to my computer and sync my email, contacts and Outlook calendar. That way when at a meeting across campus I would have that information available, although it would be perhaps an hour or so outdated.

Then old timers eyes came into play, and I couldn’t comfortable read the tiny PDA screens while walking across campus, unless I put on my reading glasses. I hated that. Eventually, I gave up my PDAs.

Now, with Apple’s IPOD Touch, I have the best PDA ever. The screen is larger and about 40,000 times brighter! No problem reading. The key for me though is Wi-Fi. 75% of the 120 acre campus has wireless coverage. Usually I only need to walk 100 yards to get into range, and once connected, my Outlook calendar, contacts, notes and email are automatically synced.

My biggest complaint was the lack of MS Word and Excel files, but that has been solved. Granted, I can’t write a novel on the IPOD Touch, but I can read one!!! As well as my excel files and other documents.

The best part of the IPOD Touch experience is sitting in big boring meetings. I used to just fall asleep until the sound of my forehead smacking into the table top woke me up. Now, I can check and respond to emails or surf the web while in meetings.

And of course, if I wanted to, I could watch movies and listen to music as well as play games on it. And there are hundreds and hundreds of “apps”, that is, IPOD software, available for downloads, many free, Everything from a diet program to GPS.

But from a purely business productivity point of view, the IPOD Touch is the best PDA I’ve ever had, hands down.

SCG

Some Cranky Guy did some yard work Saturday so will be suffering with back pain for about three to five weeks, which means he will be residing in Cranky Town. Those of you who aren’t fond of my more cranky posts might want to take a holiday until March.

Today I am cranky about numerous things, but especially people who apply for jobs that they are not even remotely qualified for. Yes, my office is hiring again. I don’t mind the under qualified trying to reach higher. In fact, I admire that. It is the people who are overqualified but with a totally different area of expertise, who shouldn’t even be thinking of this position.

For instance, let’s say the job I have open is Assistant Boat Captain of a large commercial fishing boat. The minimum requirements would be some sort of boat license, experience supervising boat crew and five years actually working on a ship. Plus, knowledge of boats and fishing.
If you were a nuclear scientist who has never stepped foot on a boat in your entire life, but instead have worked in a nuclear laboratory the last 12 years in the middle of Kansas, why would you apply for the Assistant Boat Captain job on a commercial fishing boat??? I mean, you are a very qualified individual in your field. But you’ve never seen the ocean!

Why do people send in resumes for these positions like this?  It isn’t like their experience is even remotely related! If they were an officer on a Coast Guard boat, well, that still isn’t qualified but at least boats are involved!!!

This is what 50% of the resumes are that I am receiving. And the advertisement was written very clearly. The minimum requirements were clearly stated.

Some of them don’t even change their objective.  They list “Obtain scientific position working in a nuclear laboratory”!  They don’t even say they want to be an Assistant Boat Captain on a commercial fishing boat!!!

What’s with that?

Worse, some of them are just plain pushy! They email three copies of their resumes, and then they show up at the door demanding to be interviewed on the spot. Do they somehow feel that by being an “aggressive go-getter” that we are going to ignore the fact that they can’t tell a boat from a donkey?????

Now, the other 50% I won’t complain about. They are people trying to get a job in a very bad job market. Continuing with our analogy, they may not have worked on a boat, but maybe in a fish cleaning factory. (Is there such a thing?). In other words, they have some experience that is at least remotely related to the industry. Or maybe they own a 16 foot boat and they fish in the Everglades. Still far from the minimum requirements but again, not like being a nuclear physicist!

So far I’ve received over 250 resumes. Clearly half these weird vastly qualified individuals, but who are qualified in a field that is 180 degrees opposite of what the position calls for.  I just don’t understand it. And not understanding drives me batty.

But I guess I should give these people some slack. It ain’t easy being unemployed. Of course, some of these people aren’t; they are still working in Kansas at the nuclear energy lab……

Still, I guess they are sending resumes out to every job out there for a reason. I should be more tolerant.

It just baffles me, and I dislike being baffled.

Peace out people.

SCG

Or so I’ve heard. Every day every news organization is selling the end of the world. As the sun rises each day, all the reporters go out into the world seeking unemployed people, homeless people, businesses closing and they compete to find a new angle on the end of the world.  The Miami Herald had an article about the dramatic increase in crime, caused by the economic collapse. As if crime in South Florida could get any worse. I saw another story somewhere about children without health insurance, senior citizens having to break their pills in half to make them last longer, and used car salesmen having to turn to Avon to keep the lights on.

I wonder how many of these people were in the same situation before the economy hit a tree?

Folks, let’s take a look at the unemployment rate since 1948.

The gray areas are recessions. The blue line is the unemployment rate. Anybody remember the 1980′s??? I do! Unemployment was about 11%! And does anyone remember the mid 70′s? I do, I was in college then. Unemployment was higher then too.

During the Great Depression, unemployment rose to 23.6%.

Today we are heading to 8% and it is likely we will hit 9% in the summer. But we are a long, long way from 23.6%.

But the stink of fear and panic is everywhere!

Everyone I know is cutting back, saving money, preparing for the Next Great Depression. Even we are. Despite me getting a 7% raise eight months ago, my wife getting a raise, and neither one of us losing our jobs yet, we are cutting back big time. I would like to say we did this because we realized we were living beyond our means and finally came to our senses. But the reality is it is the fear that permeates the air these days that is driving us to be responsible citizens.

Hmmm….maybe this depression fear isn’t so bad after all? What if all of us decided to live responsible lives?  Work hard, save money, don’t buy things we don’t need. What a unique and interesting concept.

Maybe there is a silver lining to this economic correction?

Peace out people.
SCG