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June 30, 2005
"Is Wharton Evil?"
Ha, this is too hard to resist picking on Wharton:
For decades, Whartonites had gathered on Thursday afternoons (there are no Friday classes) for a prolonged on-campus happy hour "Pub" attended and staffed by MBAs; in February, however, an MBA imbibed so much that he passed out and had to be hospitalized. The ensuing investigation by the school's risk management department yielded some sobering findings — namely, that Pub managers were paying themselves $31.25 an hour. "In the era of Dick Grasso, the one lesson we should all learn is that executives should not set their own compensation," Dean Jain drily opined in the Wharton Journal.
We had the some type of thing (the Thursday happy hour staffed by MBAs, not the students passing out) and I can assure you that all I ever made is $60 - in tips - for a volleyball club trip and two free light beers.
Posted by sam at 06:20 PM
June 29, 2005
Manhattan Murder Myster (1993)
We Netflixed Manhattan Murder Mystery with Woody Allen and Diane Keaton today. It was hilarious! It's about a New York couple who suspects their older neighbor has killed his wife. No more details...
Posted by sam at 03:05 PM
Flying to California on Sunday
We have sold our couch, television, dining table, coffee table, microwave and bed. All I have left to go is my snowboard (my precious). For the next four days we will be living a spartan, zen-like existance. Though I think the heat is making both of us delirious, so we will have trouble amusing ourselves.
Moving by UPS is something I hope never to repeat.
Posted by sam at 12:03 PM
June 23, 2005
Supernanny
Things we have learned from watching Supernanny...
- Do not punish children by sending them to the bedroom. If they have a fun room with lots of toys this is hardly a punishment. In any case, you're sending a confusing message: is the bedroom a place to sleep or a site of punishment? Use a "naughty corner" or a "naughty room" like a guest bedroom. When you let them out, squat to their level and make them apologize.
- Sit down to their level and give eye contact when disciplining. Make sure they understand why they're being disciplined.
- Do not allow naps longer than 1.5 hours - they'll never fall asleep at night.
- When they sulk - probably when finally leaving the naughty corner - ignore it and be very positive.
- Keep a very strict schedule. Kids should eat, play, nap, etc. at the same times every day.
Posted by sam at 07:40 AM
June 19, 2005
San Antonio wins game five
Why in the world would anybody ever leave Robert Horry open at the three-point line with five seconds left?
Posted by sam at 11:22 PM
June 17, 2005
Belated happy birthday to myself
Top four things I wanted for my birthday - which was yesterday btw - but did not receive:
- World peace
- A job
- A house
- A car
Eight things I did receive, that just about made up for it:
- A kitchen torch
- Cash money
- Amazon gift certificate
- Breakfast in bed
- An ice cream cake from Purity
- Some very nice cards
- Two dinners out courtesy of Jason/Feli and Will/Nancy
- Gift card to Dos Coyotes, with enough to buy myself and Meagan lunch, as Meagan was nice enough to point out
Thanks for all the cards and phone calls! It really was a wonderful birthday.
Posted by sam at 09:54 AM
June 16, 2005
Five (six) things I learned in business school
From Fred Wilson: The Five Things I Learned In Business School. I tried this exercise with my parents a few months ago. His is more finance-heavy, maybe it's a Wharton vs. Cornell thing. Note the first is the same for both of us. Here's my updated list:
- Finance: the time value of money. Everybody knows a dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow but before b-school I never really
understandunderstood (clearly spelling/grammar is not one of them) the underpinings and the scale of the concept. - Management: incentives are everything, or... people generally do exactly that for which they will be rewarded.
- Strategy: industry structures are not formed by God, but rather by real people making active decisions. Why does Dell make $3b per year while many of their suppliers struggle to survive? It's not just luck.
- Accounting: "postcard from Bolivia" - my professor says not to write off a receivable till you receive a "postcard from Bolivia." He still receives real postcards from students visiting Bolivia.
- Econ: opportunity costs matter - always acknowledge and quantify them.
- Marketing: marketing is not just advertising. When you buy an Apple product, it comes in beautiful packaging and is a pleasure to open. Marketing encompasses product definition and every customer interaction.
Posted by sam at 08:57 PM
June 14, 2005
Fair-Mart: the fair trade alternative retailer
A free idea for someone with more money than I right now...
A big-box retailer, like Wal-Mart/Kmart/Target/etc. except that all products are sourced solely through "fair trade" practices, however you might define that. I understand that niche retailers like Global Exchange have a similar goal but they primarily focus on gifts, not the necessities many of us shop for at Target or Wal-Mart.
If there was a place to buy such necessities without the guilt of suporting child labor, polluting third-world countries and supporting human rights violations, I belive many in core blue-state cities would welcome the opportunity.
Prices would be higher, but that's a feature not a bug. Paying high prices is how customers would know that they're doing the right thing. It would help them to feel good about themselves.
I think the time is right for a retailer like this. Kmart/Sears is a historical relic and Wal-Mart is coming under increasing fire in the mainstream press. Maybe my perspective is tainted from living in Ithaca and the SF area, but I don't think the target demo even shops at Wal-Mart right now. The only real competition is Target.
Build a cool brand like Anthropologie or Restoration Hardware. Think of it as the Whole Foods of retail (thanks Baldzilla).
Posted by sam at 09:01 PM
June 13, 2005
Sam's real estate comment of the day
Courtesy of wsj.com, the juxtaposition of the day:
Posted by sam at 01:17 PM
Monkeys with money
From the NYT: Monkey Business. Training capuchin monkeys to use money [from the big picture]:
It took several months of rudimentary repetition to teach the monkeys that these tokens were valuable as a means of exchange for a treat and would be similarly valuable the next day. Having gained that understanding, a capuchin would then be presented with 12 tokens on a tray and have to decide how many to surrender for, say, Jell-O cubes versus grapes. This first step allowed each capuchin to reveal its preferences and to grasp the concept of budgeting.
Posted by sam at 06:44 AM
June 12, 2005
St. Lucia photos
16 of our favorite photos from St. Lucia are up.
Posted by sam at 05:58 PM
We're back from St. Lucia
The night before our 5:30 am flight out from Ithaca this little critter was flying laps around our bedroom. We managed to finagle him into our sun (snow) deck and let the landlord deal with it while we lied on the beach.
Posted by sam at 03:27 PM
June 02, 2005
"You cannot short a house"
Who knew that you could short housing?
Posted by sam at 09:11 PM
More on Deep Throat
The story of how Deep Throat and Bob Woodward communicated is pretty interesting. From schneier:
We would need a preplanned notification system -- a change in the environment that no one else would notice or attach any meaning to. I didn't know what he was talking about.
If you keep the drapes in your apartment closed, open them and that could signal me, he said. I could check each day or have them checked, and if they were open we could meet that night at a designated place. I liked to let the light in at times, I explained.
We needed another signal, he said, indicating that he could check my apartment regularly. He never explained how he could do this.
Posted by sam at 09:06 PM
The Ithaca Festival
The Ithaca Festival
Originally uploaded by smooth.
The Ithaca Festival or just another day on State Street?
As soon as the baby is born we'll be joining BARF: Baby Anarchist Revolutionary Front.
Posted by sam at 08:34 PM
June 01, 2005
We're having a boy!!!!
Posted by sam at 04:10 PM