But not everybody is paying attention.

The controversy went viral a week ago after a Rhode Island grocer tacked a note to one of his store shelves, telling customers he wouldn’t sell the cereal because he found out the brand used genetically engineered, non-organic ingredients. Photos of the note began popping up on Facebook pages and food blogs as some consumers claimed Kellogg’s was misrepresenting its cereal.

via Kashi cereal’s ‘natural’ claims stir anger on social media sites – USATODAY.com.

Portsmouth welcome sign (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ten years ago, nobody outside of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, would ever have seen or heard of this little sign. And, if somehow it did get picked up by the mainstream media, there would have been lead time before it spun out of control. And, in that time, the company could have come up with a mass media marketing campaign to spin the story away.

But today, we are all weird. And weird people are connected to each other. So, before Kellogg’s even knew this was a story, the damage was done.

They could have avoided it. It would have been simple. Any weird person knows how.

Do you?

Just Sayin’

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But, like so many things in life, many of us just accept it. That’s the way it is.

Except, that isn’t always the way it has to be.

…factors that can cause brain fog include lack of sleep and too much stress – two things that can easily go together.  When you’re stressed, you can’t sleep – making you stressed about not sleeping. It’s no wonder you feel like your brain is in a fog the next day.

via Brain fog: Ways to combat short term memory loss | Fox News.

The brain, it turns out, or at least our brain and the way it functions, is something we can do something about.

And here’s the kicker, it’s not very complicated.

Doing something about it is not complicated, that is. The brain, in fact, is very complicated. At least mine is.

Just Sayin’

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Or should I say flew?
Dang, this is gonna get confusing.

If you’re thinking this idea is just stupid. If you’re convinced it’ll never ‘take off’, remember that in 1872, after watching a demonstration of Alexander Bell’s telephone, President Rutherford B. Hayes said this:

It’s a great invention, but who would want to use it anyway?

 

New ideas are almost always met with ridicule and derision.

New ideas are not insanity. Insanity is expecting old ideas to give new results.

Just Sayin’

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It just opened up. We were looking for a place to go. We called. They said there was no line. So we went.

I was expecting a typical steakhouse. And they had everything a good, typical steakhouse has.

As we walked in, you good smell steaks grilling. Mmmmmm.

But then things begin to take a turn.

There was good, rockin’ country music playing.

And we were hardly in the door before three or four  servers greeted us. Big, hearty greetings. With big, friendly smiles.  All their T-shirts had “I <3 my job” printed on the back. Yeah, right.

A hostess placed nice, hot rolls on a plate while she invited us to pick our steaks out. From a case with hand-cut steaks on display. Then she escorted us to our booth and introduced our server. Our server was friendly, knowledgeable, and fast. She also wore a T-shirt with “I <3 my job” printed on the back. Yeah, right.

We were enjoying some peanuts while we waited for our meal when a party broke out. A dance party. The house sound system began playing Travis Tritt’s “The Girl’s Gone Wild” at full volume and every hostess and server lined up in the aisles and did a line dance to it. They all had T-shirts with “I <3 my job” printed on them. And it was clear that they all do love their job.

We went for the steaks. We’ll go back for the dance number. Well, not exactly. We’ll go back for the people who <3 their jobs.

Just sayin’

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I was sure I wanted a PC that worked like a tablet. So I bought a Dell Inspiron Duo. A tablet PC. Small. Portable. Touch screen. Seemed like a winner. But it wasn’t. Now don’t get me wrong. My Duo has performed exactly as Dell promised it would. I works like a netbook PC when I want a PC. And the screen rotates so that it becomes a tablet when I want a tablet.   The trouble is that it’s not a very good PC. And it’s not a very good tablet. It’s just a PC that can be like a tablet. So, eventually I realized that what I wanted was a tablet that could be like  a PC. And I have looked at all the tablets out there. And, whether you are a fan or not, there is the iPad and everything else. So,  I am now the proud owner of a New iPad.

Oh, and with my ZAGGfolio case, my new iPad has a keyboard. Just like a PC. Which, it turns out, is what I really wanted to begin with: a tablet that works like a PC.

Just Sayin’

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Better known as Fenway Park South

The playing field precisely duplicates the quirky dimensions of Fenway Park in Boston.

There is a ‘Green Monstah’ in left field.

The concessions serve ‘Fenway Franks’.

But not every detail is a duplicate or replicate.

Fenway Park South has a fantastic, unique Walk of Fame.

And, while Fenway South does sport a mechanical scoreboard, it is not a replica.

It’s the original. The one installed in Fenway Park in 1934. Fenway Park in Boston has a replica. It turns out the original scoreboard was rescued from storage in South Dakota, refurbished and installed within the left-field wall at Fenway South. Bangor Daily News

Which all goes to show, Walt was right, people can feel perfection.

Just Sayin’

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Drain the old oil. Put in new oil. Get ‘em in and out on time.

Doesn’t seem complicated. And doesn’t seem to be much chance to exceed expectations.

Or is there?

I got the oil changed in Diana’s car the other day. I was pressed for time. Needed to squeeze the oil change in between errands. 

One of the errands was at the Sprint Store where I needed to check the details on my contract. (Long story, different post) There’s a Jiffy Lube right around the corner. I don’t usually go there, but they were convenient. And oil is oil, right? One place is good as another, right?

I pulled in and was greeted before I could roll down the window. The service writer showed me a menu. A MENU! With graphics. Three choices. Good. Better. Best. Clearly priced. Which one would I like? I chose good. He thanked me and opened the car door for me. Hm. I didn’t expect that.

He escorted me to the waiting room. Showed me where the complimentary coffee is located. And introduced to the very friendly cashier. Hm. I didn’t expect that.

The very friendly cashier struck up a conversation. About my Red Sox hat and shirt. Turns out she’s from Rhode Island. GO SOX! And, while we talked about the Sox, she showed me everything on my car they would check, suggested high mileage oil  (“We’ll help you keep it running till the wheels fall off”), and let me know exactly what it would cost and how long it would take. Hm. I didn’t expect that.

The car was finished exactly when she said it would be, and cost exactly what she said it would. Ok, I kinda expected that, but it was still nice.

And then a technician met me at the door and walked me out to my car. Then he opened the door for me and laid out a red carpet! Seriously. A Red Carpet!

Wow! That Jiffy Lube is great! I’m going back. You should, too.

They exceed your expectations. By doing lots of small, seemingly insignificant things. Maybe they’re on to something.

Just Sayin’

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Did you see this coming?

Encyclopedia Britannica is closing the book on its print edition. The move may be the single most powerful symbol to date of our rapidly changing media world, a world in which hard copies of books could become a quaint thing of the past.

Today, we clutch iPads and Kindles and Nooks, bragging about how they lighten our load and encourage us to read more. When we want to “look something up,” we’re far more likely to reach for our laptops than walk across the room to thumb through a reference book.

And that unquenchable desire for convenience makes for a world in which a set of the Encyclopedia Britannica — the oldest English-language encyclopedia in existence — no longer has a home.

via Encyclopedia Britannica goes 100% digital, ceasing print edition – latimes.com.

Remember when an encyclopedia was an investment in your children’s future. When 32 printed volumes contained an answer to almost any question. You just needed to invest a few minutes to find a dozen or so references which might be relevant.

Of course we saw it coming. From a decade away. What, search dusty old books when we can Google it on our computer and get thousands of relevant responses in less time than it takes to snap our fingers? And then our phones got Google. Or Bing if you’re in the anti-Google crowd.

The only real question is what took the publishers so long to see it coming? How many times did someone say that that ‘Google’ thing is silly? That no one would use that instead of beautifully bound 32-volume repository of knowledge and wisdom.

But they’re catching on. The Britannica is going digital. And it’s free. Free for 10 days. Then you’ll have to pay for it. Unless you want to keep using that silly ‘Google’ thing for free.

Kodak. Encyclopedia Britannica. There’s a theme here.

Then you better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone. For the times, they are a’changing. – Bob Dylan

Just Sayin’

Door Dublin 2 (Photo credit: Atelier Teee)

I recently got a new leader at work. We had a New Leader Transition meeting yesterday. As many of our team as could assembled in a room. We all shared our personal strengths from the Strengthfinders 2.0 survey. Including our new leader.

The he walked out the door. Leaving us alone to decide what questions we most wanted to ask. A scribe was designated so there would be anonymity. We were invited to put him on the spot.

When we were finished, we called him back into the room and he answered each question. Openly. Honestly. Respectfully.

Would you have had the courage to walk out the door?

Just Sayin’

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When my connecting flight in Charlotte took off, I was sitting in the Atrium in a nice, comfy rocking chair. Oblivious.

I carry two smartphones. A blackberry for work (not very smart as phones go). And my personal phone, a Galaxy S II (VERY smart as phones go). I got up to go the gate when both, note BOTH, phones said it was 10:45.
Both phones were wrong. It was 11:45. And my flight took off at 11:35.
I  thought my phones were smart. I trusted them. When I woke up in Nashville they had adjusted for Daylight Saving Time (no, saving is right, not savings).
Surely they would adjust for the time zone change when I arrived on Charlotte.
Alas, it was too much for them. Time zones. DST. GPS. Some guy named google following us around.
And, yes, in case you’re wondering, I do wear a watch.

Fortunately, the next flight to Tampa was now just over an hour away.  Because I had reset my smartphones and jumped an hour ahead in time.

It showed the correct time when I landed. But watches are dumb. I reset it to match the smart phones.

That settles it. I’m buying a sonic screwdriver.

Just sayin.