Free Stuff for your 'Puter

Windows Secrets sends out a weekly email which I get. Perhaps you should get it too. Here's an excerpt from the one that I got this week:

Nine must-have freeware apps rise to the top

The "best freeware" lists published by Web sites and magazines frequently trumpet dozens of programs, but the results reflect the subjective opinions of just one or two testers. To find the best of the best, I compared roundups of "great" freeware conducted recently by several reputable publications to find the programs that were top-rated by at least three of the reviews. Read more »

Friday Not-Funnies

Friday morning may not be the time you want to be thinking about your work life, but if you want a job on Monday, then read over this list swiped from the Dumb Little Man Blog:

7 Foolish Excuses You Need to Stop Using

Posted: 24 Apr 2008 11:47 AM CDT

Written on 4/24/2008 by Alan Johnson, author of The Online Business Handbook.

Does it seem that somebody else is always responsible for your failures? Are you ever at fault? Well, guess what. Foolish excuses, pointing fingers and living in denial are temporary band-aids that will eventually come undone and cause you nothing but heartache. If you are one of the people living in denial, stop pretending to be above failure. Take a one week excursion into reality and see how quickly your brain and conscience clear of stress and guilt.

If you choose to make the trip, here are 7 of the most dangerous excuses you need to stop using. NOW!

1. I'm Way Too Busy; the Family Will Understand!
   My friend, your family needs you and not only your paycheck! Fast forward 20 years and think about this for a second - do you really think that your children will ever say, "I'm glad mom/dad got that raise 10 years ago instead of watching me at football practice or helping me with my homework." Of course not!
   
   
2. I Would be More Successful if My Job Weren't as Boring.
   It's not your employer's fault now, is it? Did anyone force you to make that choice? Of course not! Assume responsibility and don't be afraid to take action if you are convinced that you can change things for the better.
   


3. My Team Is Holding Me Back.
   Then why not do something about it? Why not help them become better at what they're doing so that all of you can reap the rewards later on? You do realize that constantly being on the lookout for excuses isn't going to cut it, do you?
   


4. My Boss Makes Bad Decisions.
   Yes, but he/she has the right to make any decisions he sees fit since, in the end, it's his or her money or reputation on the line. If you want things to change, start being your own boss, nobody is stopping you.
   


5. I Don't Have Time to Stay in Shape.
   But will you have time to spend in the hospital? If that is not the case then I would recommend taking at least a few minutes each day moving your body, strenuously. Investing time now prevents years of misery later in life!
   


6. Cigarettes Are Bad for Me, But I Have a Stressful Life.
   And what, are cigarettes all of a sudden the cure? This is a foolish excuse and nothing more, it's all in your mind. If you want to give up smoking, you can give up smoking, stressful lifestyle or not.
   


7. Taking Risks Would Have Been Foolish.
   Guess what: if you are serious about being successful, taking calculated risks every now and then is simply a must. Yes, there are foolish risks which should be avoided but, in the end, you simply have to take your share of calculated risks at a certain point.

Living in denial is not an option and rest assured knowing that hiding behind foolish excuses will get you nowhere. Are you about to let something like that happen or are you ready to take action?

Best wishes,

Alan Johnson

Old Fashioned Games

B-12

It's a Hit!

If you know what I'm talking about, Click here and play to your hearts content!

Political Endorsements

I don't use this blog to discuss my personal politics. But there is some interesting political stuff out there right now.

I heard Former Mayor Graham Richard in a commercial for Obama. It appears that his successor is a Clinton supporter due to his appearances with her and Bill.

Do endorsements matter to you? I think it makes more of an impact on how I feel about the endorser, not how I feel about the candidate.

Also I came across this in my email today:

Taking The Political Temperature Of Search Engine Employees
StraightUpSearch
Amy Booth digs into the political sentiments of search engine employees, culling data from the Federal Election Commission (via Chicagotribune.com) to see which Presidential candidate drummed up the most fiscal support.

Microsoft employees spent more than $212,000 on contributions to Presidential candidates last year, with the bulk of those donations going to Hillary Clinton. With over $201,000, Google workers spent slightly less, but the bulk of their contributions went to Barack Obama's campaign. Meanwhile, Yahoos gave just about $50,000 to the candidates overall, with over half of those funds headed toward Obama.

"And although Microsoft, Google and Yahoo are fierce competitors online, their employees seem to have come to a consensus on John McCain," Booth says. "He comes in third in contributions for all three." - Read the whole story...

A Love Story

Recently I was saving pictures for the Picture Blog and discovered a theme among some of the unrelated photos I found. That's why I decided to post them here.

It's a visual story of love, which begins when we are born.

Later we learn to bond with others, even a pet, then we discover the opposite sex isn't all yucky!

What begins as young love can continue to grow as love as we are committed to love and each other.

Enjoy:

Another Milestone

Before I turn off the computer, I wanted to share a reflection or two, because today, April 21st is another milestone in my life.

On April 21, 2003, I started working at Travis Broadcasting on Lower Huntington Road in Fort Wayne, Indiana. 5 years ago today.

I was one of a half-dozen that started that day, working for Karen and Bob Travis and their group of 6 radio stations.

We had 1250am, WGL, Fort Wayne's oldest radio station, and it was a news/talk/sports station.

Don Imus, followed by Dave Macy, Jim Rome, and others filled the airwaves.

Z-94.1, WCKZ was Classic Hits, playing Madonna, Aerosmith, Michael Jackson, and all the tunes from the 80's that were Hits. Doc West and Leslie Stone did mornings, and eventually the station moved from Classic Hits to Classic Rock.

Hits 96, WNHT, was a Top 40 station, and we also had X-102 at 102.3 and 102.9 as Ft. Wayne's Alternative.

Rounding out the bunch was WYLT , a Light Rock station at 103.9,

To see the current line up click here and then click on each station logo to go to their websites.

Out of the 6 sales people hired that day, only 2 of us lasted at least a year or more. Heather Smith stayed with us for a couple years I believe and left, returned and left again. Only one other person besides some of our air staff has been there as long as myself, and that is Rob Livergood, who started about a month before me.

Along with Doc & Leslie, we also have Jason Lee and JJ Fabini who have been there longer than me. There's a couple others that were there, let go when times were tough and brought back. Rod Tanner who does mornings on WGL, B.J. Steele, who is on WNHT and WGL, and Bonnie, our crazy Canadian receptionist.

Those that are gone are too many to list tonight, but the friendships continue with several that are no longer in the building.

Changes will continue to occur on Lower Huntington Road, although not much has changed in nearly two years when we brought back ROCK 104, sold off 102.3 and 94.1 and made the River an AM/FM combo for WGL at 1250am & 102.9fm.

Except for my 8 years at Crawford Broadcasting's WMUZ in Detroit, this is the longest I've stayed at one place in 30 years since starting in radio full time.

Thanks to the listeners that I met when I used to work on the air, the advertisers that have supported the many stations I've been a part of, and the co-workers that are scattered across town and across the country.

Now let's see what the next 5 years will be like!

Monday Morning Driving

Just because it's foggy this morning in the Summit City, you still shouldn't drive like this guy:

Can you be found on the web

Posting a blog, or having a website is the first step. Getting found on the WWW is the next.

Today I found The Search Engine List, which has links to lots of Search Engines you may have never heard of.

On the left side of the screen is a drop down menu. Check out the different Search Engines, do a search for yourself, and see if you show up.

Several sites are powered by Google, or Yahoo, so make sure you have submitted your sites to those engines.

Other sites on this page allow you to submit your site. If you have the time, do it!

Computer Reprieve Day

Yesterday was my computer reprieve day, thus no posts to this or the the blogs I manage.
I'll make up for it today on this rainy Sunday which includes a trip to the Firefly, and then off to the office for a headstart on the workweek.

There will be updates on Collective Wisdom, The Not-So-Secret-Writings of ScLoHo, and The Picture Blog too.

Oh yeah, the above picture of me is from the Firefly Website, taken a few years ago while working and drinking coffee.