As Mike has pointed out, Cadbury Schweppes is running a promotion where EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THE UNITED STATES gets a free Dr. Pepper ... if (and this is a big "if") Guns n' Roses comes out with the long-delayed "Chinese Democracy" album in 2008.
What's next, everybody gets a free Mountain Dew if 3D Realms releases Duke Nukem Forever this year?
Hilarious. Great marketing idea. I'm not sure if even the prospect of a delicious Dr. Pepper can get vaporware like the GNR album to ever see the light of day.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
One of my fun things to do is to get a group of experts and simply watch them work. This is how I would describe Mathew Crawford and his testwriting team for the ongoing 2008 iTest Tournament of Champions, an event we host every spring which takes the top 64 math students in the United States and pits them against one another in an elimination-style tournament...until one National Champion remains.
Mathew's team is pretty much on fire with the incredible questions they've created for this competition. It's difficult creating challenging, meaningful questions for the top 1% of 1% of the nation's high school math students, but they've managed to take it to another level.
I bring up the iTest because it is somewhat related to a new project I am starting, effective immediately: a website that takes in various inputs (e.g. GPA, SAT score, etc., etc.), with the college that you're trying to get into, and gives you the probability of getting into that school within the next admissions cycle (based on your inputs as well as previous admissions information for that school).
Yep, it's time for another side project. I am particularly excited about the business strategy behind how we're going to monetize this project. There are only two websites in the world (that I could find) that attempt to give you a probability of getting in somewhere, and they both lack user-friendliness as well as validity in the mathematical approach they bring.
Stay tuned...more info to come shortly. This little project will run concurrently to everything else going on in my life right now.
One other thing...I was pleasantly surprised to see Fall Out Boy's explosive cover of "Beat It" which features a ripping guitar solo by John Mayer on iTunes yesterday. Download immediately.
Mathew's team is pretty much on fire with the incredible questions they've created for this competition. It's difficult creating challenging, meaningful questions for the top 1% of 1% of the nation's high school math students, but they've managed to take it to another level.
I bring up the iTest because it is somewhat related to a new project I am starting, effective immediately: a website that takes in various inputs (e.g. GPA, SAT score, etc., etc.), with the college that you're trying to get into, and gives you the probability of getting into that school within the next admissions cycle (based on your inputs as well as previous admissions information for that school).
Yep, it's time for another side project. I am particularly excited about the business strategy behind how we're going to monetize this project. There are only two websites in the world (that I could find) that attempt to give you a probability of getting in somewhere, and they both lack user-friendliness as well as validity in the mathematical approach they bring.
Stay tuned...more info to come shortly. This little project will run concurrently to everything else going on in my life right now.
One other thing...I was pleasantly surprised to see Fall Out Boy's explosive cover of "Beat It" which features a ripping guitar solo by John Mayer on iTunes yesterday. Download immediately.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
This is Round 1, Question 2 from the 2008 iTest Tournament of Champions. Round 1 was last week, Round 2 is this week, and we have another Round each week until the nation's 64 best high school math students have produced a single National Champion.
I like this problem because of the clever solution (available in the Round 1 Solutions Guide, available for free download on the iTest homepage) and algebra problems like this were some of my more favorite ones back then.
Now, I struggle to do problems I used to be able to do in a breeze. Although, I will say that being part of the iTest allows me to keep up on math in a way I'd never, ever be able to do without it.
American Idol tonight. I really am getting to the point where I like several of the contestants so much that I plan ahead to watch the show. I haven't done that since 24, and then before that, the X-Files...
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Ran across an interesting blog about Generation Y and the workplace.
As I've mentioned before, I was born in 1980 and thus fall squarely at the end of the Gen-X range and at the very beginning of the Gen-Y era (so I'm a member of both, or neither, depending on the day). Thus, I will use the term "young workers" to refer to members of Gen-Y as well as young Gen-Xers such as myself. Some key points:
1) Technology creates choice. BlackBerrys, laptops, Basecamp, text messages - if all of these things aren't impacting the way human resources departments approach retaining top talent and creating conditions of high productivity for the workforce, what is the technology's value?
These inventions should have an immediate and profound impact on where, when, and how employees work. We know that these things have blurred the lines between "work" and "home" like never before. Why is it, then, that some employers still expect an 8-5, Monday through Friday workweek to still have meaning?
2) Some people will take advantage of the freedom created by this new technology. People using the phone while in the bathroom are one thing. Young workers using their BlackBerry to send out a couple of messages late on Friday night, copied to key management, to give the appearance of having done a full day's work are entirely another.
More than ever before, discerning executives within modern companies will have to understand this technology well enough to weed out "pretend workers," those Generation Y folks whose sense of entitlement overshadows any ability to actually contribute on a consistent, regular basis.
3) All of this Gen-Y talk, and all of this discussion of how "old folks" and "young folks" can work together in the modern workplace, reinforces my belief that human resources remains the most important function within the modern business.
It goes way beyond simply identifying great people. You've got to keep morale high, and keep everyone aligned, which creates the foundation for high productivity.
Even further, you've got to be just as willing to perform "R&D" within human resources as you would be within product development. The aforementioned blog has a great reference to software developer 37Signals' new workplace experiments, which include going to a 4-day workweek (Fridays off) and giving employees a no-limit credit card to use to pursue hobbies or outside passions. After all, if you can't trust your employees, then what are they doing as your employees?
4) I do think one very under-discussed topic is a need to lock Generation Y employees up using explicit, fixed-term employment contracts rather than "at-will employment" agreements.
Remember that this generation grew up in front of the TV and has all the ADD to match. I believe this generation also has "employment ADD" and a tendency to buy into the widespread notion that employees need to move around every few years or so. As a result, employers need to respond, and the best way to respond is by using fixed-term employment agreements which incentivize retention through a certain period of time, with perhaps a mutual option to continue the arrangement after that time is up.
This would be using the best practices of sports contracts, entertainment contracts, and other fixed-term deals like those and bringing them into the traditional workforce. It makes a whole lot of sense, when you understand the underlying psychology at work.
These types of contracts, of course, would only work in tandem with other best practices that keep morale high, productivity high, and turnover low. They obviously wouldn't work by themselves to mask existing HR problems within an organization.
And it goes without saying that true business leaders will avoid the problems other employers will face simply because they're able to stay pro-active toward the HR needs of their employees.
Shifting the discussion from business to sports, tomorrow is one of the biggest days of the year with the unveiling of the 64 teams making the NCAA Tournament (really 65 with the play-in game, but whatever). ESPN has Vandy as a 6-seed, which I think would be criminal if it actually goes down like that. Vandy has a 3-seed-level RPI and I would hope they get seeded no higher than a #4...
Speaking of workplace productivity, get ready for it to drop dramatically beginning on Thursday. Will check back after these 64 teams are reduced to 16 by next Sunday!
As I've mentioned before, I was born in 1980 and thus fall squarely at the end of the Gen-X range and at the very beginning of the Gen-Y era (so I'm a member of both, or neither, depending on the day). Thus, I will use the term "young workers" to refer to members of Gen-Y as well as young Gen-Xers such as myself. Some key points:
1) Technology creates choice. BlackBerrys, laptops, Basecamp, text messages - if all of these things aren't impacting the way human resources departments approach retaining top talent and creating conditions of high productivity for the workforce, what is the technology's value?
These inventions should have an immediate and profound impact on where, when, and how employees work. We know that these things have blurred the lines between "work" and "home" like never before. Why is it, then, that some employers still expect an 8-5, Monday through Friday workweek to still have meaning?
2) Some people will take advantage of the freedom created by this new technology. People using the phone while in the bathroom are one thing. Young workers using their BlackBerry to send out a couple of messages late on Friday night, copied to key management, to give the appearance of having done a full day's work are entirely another.
More than ever before, discerning executives within modern companies will have to understand this technology well enough to weed out "pretend workers," those Generation Y folks whose sense of entitlement overshadows any ability to actually contribute on a consistent, regular basis.
3) All of this Gen-Y talk, and all of this discussion of how "old folks" and "young folks" can work together in the modern workplace, reinforces my belief that human resources remains the most important function within the modern business.
It goes way beyond simply identifying great people. You've got to keep morale high, and keep everyone aligned, which creates the foundation for high productivity.
Even further, you've got to be just as willing to perform "R&D" within human resources as you would be within product development. The aforementioned blog has a great reference to software developer 37Signals' new workplace experiments, which include going to a 4-day workweek (Fridays off) and giving employees a no-limit credit card to use to pursue hobbies or outside passions. After all, if you can't trust your employees, then what are they doing as your employees?
4) I do think one very under-discussed topic is a need to lock Generation Y employees up using explicit, fixed-term employment contracts rather than "at-will employment" agreements.
Remember that this generation grew up in front of the TV and has all the ADD to match. I believe this generation also has "employment ADD" and a tendency to buy into the widespread notion that employees need to move around every few years or so. As a result, employers need to respond, and the best way to respond is by using fixed-term employment agreements which incentivize retention through a certain period of time, with perhaps a mutual option to continue the arrangement after that time is up.
This would be using the best practices of sports contracts, entertainment contracts, and other fixed-term deals like those and bringing them into the traditional workforce. It makes a whole lot of sense, when you understand the underlying psychology at work.
These types of contracts, of course, would only work in tandem with other best practices that keep morale high, productivity high, and turnover low. They obviously wouldn't work by themselves to mask existing HR problems within an organization.
And it goes without saying that true business leaders will avoid the problems other employers will face simply because they're able to stay pro-active toward the HR needs of their employees.
Shifting the discussion from business to sports, tomorrow is one of the biggest days of the year with the unveiling of the 64 teams making the NCAA Tournament (really 65 with the play-in game, but whatever). ESPN has Vandy as a 6-seed, which I think would be criminal if it actually goes down like that. Vandy has a 3-seed-level RPI and I would hope they get seeded no higher than a #4...
Speaking of workplace productivity, get ready for it to drop dramatically beginning on Thursday. Will check back after these 64 teams are reduced to 16 by next Sunday!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
And predictably, the immediate performance after I posted that last bit about David Archuleta as the clear front-runner in American Idol, he botches the words of "We Can Work It Out" and creates a meandering, mediocre performance.
He'll be back in true form next week. Strange to see him vulnerable like this though.
He'll be back in true form next week. Strange to see him vulnerable like this though.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
For the past couple of seasons, I've watched American Idol as it's become the main show Lori and I both watch together.
As the show has evolved over the 7 seasons it's been on the air, the quality of the contestants has steadily increased. This makes sense since top finishers from almost all the seasons have had success to varying degrees well after their runs on the show concluded.
I measure the quality of the show's contestants by the skill of the worst contestant, and by that measure, this season is the best that I've ever seen on the show and probably the best it's ever been. The judged have even confirmed that at various points.
All this makes it all the more incredible that David Archuleta, the 17-year-old from Murray High School in Utah (an iTest school, by the way), is by far the best one of the bunch and quite possibly the most talented individual to ever appear on the show.
Obviously you're dealing with great performers, but it's incredible to see a guy who is just perfect on a stage. His rendition of "Imagine" a couple weeks ago was otherworldly, it was so well-thought-out and well-delivered.
The concept of a contestant on American Idol not even needing the show to be able to become a superstar is pretty strange, but it's definitely the truth for David. So far, the show has been worth watching for his performances alone.
2008 iTest Tournament of Champions (top 64 math students in the nation, participating in a head-to-head elimination tournament much like the actual men's basketball NCAA Tournament) begins on Monday...very exciting as well. Off to enjoy the rest of the weekend.
As the show has evolved over the 7 seasons it's been on the air, the quality of the contestants has steadily increased. This makes sense since top finishers from almost all the seasons have had success to varying degrees well after their runs on the show concluded.
I measure the quality of the show's contestants by the skill of the worst contestant, and by that measure, this season is the best that I've ever seen on the show and probably the best it's ever been. The judged have even confirmed that at various points.
All this makes it all the more incredible that David Archuleta, the 17-year-old from Murray High School in Utah (an iTest school, by the way), is by far the best one of the bunch and quite possibly the most talented individual to ever appear on the show.
Obviously you're dealing with great performers, but it's incredible to see a guy who is just perfect on a stage. His rendition of "Imagine" a couple weeks ago was otherworldly, it was so well-thought-out and well-delivered.
The concept of a contestant on American Idol not even needing the show to be able to become a superstar is pretty strange, but it's definitely the truth for David. So far, the show has been worth watching for his performances alone.
2008 iTest Tournament of Champions (top 64 math students in the nation, participating in a head-to-head elimination tournament much like the actual men's basketball NCAA Tournament) begins on Monday...very exciting as well. Off to enjoy the rest of the weekend.
