If you are tired of feeling like you aren’t keeping up at work, or feeling like the people around you know more than you, I have a secret. Read something.

If you are not making an effort to learn something new every day of your life you are going to fall behind. Hell, I feel like I put a lot of effort into learning things and I feel like I am always one step behind.

There is nothing worse that being “behind” when it comes to knowledge, especially when it comes to your work. If your job is to do pay-per-click marketing, for example, you sure as hell better know the latest pay-per-click marketing news. And this means reading stuff.

I know reading might not be fun, but consider it an important part of your job. I promise you that if you are not keeping up with your industry you are going to look like a dumbass in front of your coworkers. I double dog promise your ass.

And beyond work, reading stuff will make you more interesting. In the adult word, knowing about stuff is cool. That doesn’t mean being a know it all – or worse yet, someone who makes shit up to be a know it all. Just knowing things to start conversations will get you places you can’t go by telling the same boring stories.

So read. Please read. With cream and sugar.

Posted by James at 08:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

[Thanks to Hugh and gapingvoid.com for saying something intelligent because I am not capable tonight]

Posted by James at 08:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you are one of the lucky people who have worked with Comcast to get cable or internet service, chances are you have been on hold with Comcast and you have even had to take time off of work to meet the cable guy at least once.

That sucks. You would think that Comcast could do better with how much they charge people for cable and internet…but I digress.

Take a look at this video and be happy this did not happen to you the last time the Comcast crew rolled up in your casa.

Posted by James at 08:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I ran across this quote from the movie "Boiler Room" and remebered how much it spoke to me when I was a 20 year-old stockbroker. This one makes me smile every time.

I read this article a while back, that said that Microsoft employs more millionaire secretary's that any other company in the world. They took stock options over Christmas bonuses. It was a good move. I remember there was this picture, of one of the groundskeepers next to his Ferrari. Blew my mind. you see shit like that, and it just plants seeds, makes you think its possible, even easy. And then you turn on the TV, and there's just more of it. The $87 Million lottery winner, that kid actor that just made 20 million off his last movie, that internet stock that shot through the roof, you could have made millions if you had just gotten in early, and that's exactly what I wanted to do: get in. I didn't want to be an innovator any more, i just wanted to make the quick and easy buck, i just wanted in. The Notorious BIG said it best: "Either you're slingin' crack-rock, or you've got a wicked jump-shot." Nobody wants to work for it anymore. There's no honor in taking that after school job at Mickey Dee's, honor's in the dollar, kid. So I went the white boy way of slinging crack-rock: I became a stock broker.

Ah, how times have changed...

Posted by James at 08:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Adrants posted about this ad today and it cracked my ass up. If you are easily offended, you will want to skip it.

Important Note – Kristi’s reaction to this ad – “Ew…that is gross…it is dirty”

You have been warned.

Posted by James at 08:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I had a wild day down in the old coalmines, but this cheered me up like crazy…

Kenya Song

Thanks to my sister – keeper of the best viral links. :)

Posted by James at 05:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yes, this is a “me too” post…but I am pretty tied up with work stuff and I figure I will just point you to bloggers with better content at this point. Sorry.

I was not sorry, however, to watch this video podcast of international blogger extrodinaiers Loic and Joi talking about online games (mostly World of Warcraft), video podcasts, blogging and being a big nerd.

This is worth the 50 minutes, at least to listen to as you do something else.

Much props to the video podcast…can’t wait to do my first.

Posted by James at 08:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Bloggers are a funny bunch, and it looks like there is help for blog addiction - Bloggers Anonymous is here to help.

I enjoy the The "Mock 10" Signs of Blog Addiction.

Posted by James at 07:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

With the departure of Robert Scoble and Bill Gates (kinda) in the same week, Hugh Macleod thinks Microsoft is on its way out…eventually…kinda like GM.

The post is worth a read.

So what do you think? Is MSFT on its way to the GM wasteland?

[Update: More from Hugh]

Posted by James at 08:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you haven’t noticed, I am a blog dork.

It seems there are a lot of us out there. Check this post on “thinking in blog.”

If you are a blog dork too, admit it to yourself and embrace it. Then find a way to get paid for it. :)

Also, make sure you read this post - I am not sure I could have written it any better (actually I know I couldn't)

Posted by James at 07:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is a bit of a management post, but I was in a management class today, so that’s what you get. I went to an interviewing class today for work and I thought I would share with you the favorite thing I learned.

When doing a job interview it is legally important to make sure the interviewee leaves feeling like they have had a fair shake. So when you get to the end of your interview questions ask this – Is there anything else I should know about you that is related to this position that we did not cover so far in this interview?

This question helps the interviewee feel like they have had a chance to share everything they think you need to know. Hopefully, after you ask this question and they have replied, they will leave the interview satisfied that they have discussed everything they wanted to.

Yeah, I know, not “call your mom” exciting, but a good thing to do.

Posted by James at 06:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I got some more Gumball 3000 pictures posted last night. Check ‘em out and go CRAZY.

Posted by James at 07:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Adrants lays a smack down on Coke’s less than enlightened position about the Mentos + Diet Coke = BIG AWESOME EXPLOSION phenomenon.

Check it (and forgive them for the unproofread post).

[Oh yeah - and don't forget to be FREAKED OUT by Genpets.]

Posted by James at 07:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The company I work for is pretty “pure” when it comes to things. We recently printed up some blog business cards and I was told that in future printings we should avoid having a cigar in the photo.

Playstation is nothing like my company. Check out the ads below and see what nastiness their agency is up to.

[Warning – Violence and nudity ahead!]

The Interesting
Carnivorous
Plain Old Weird
Sex and Violence

Posted by James at 07:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

In the last week I have increased the number of people I manage by 100% - from one person to two. Even with this remarkably small number of people to manage, I still find it to be a challenge. A good challenge, but a challenge none the less.

I was lucky enough to have my boss return from a trip and lay some management knowledge on my ass today. I appreciate all of it Mike.

To quote a wise young lady I know “communication=good.”

Make sure you are taking the most advantage of that equation. I know I am going to have to.

Posted by James at 06:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I think a lot of people feel like this for a good percentage of their lives. Trying to figure out what to do with your life is not an easy thing to do.

Trust me, I know. I have been a ski school flunky, camp counselor, pizza boy, government intern, stockbroker, insurance salesman, model scout, unemployed boozer, sandwich artist, customer service person and now online marketing guy. And those are the jobs I did get! I didn’t get jobs as a playground attendant, mortgage insurance salesman, worker at Target, cable ad space salesman, and Peace Corps volunteer in Bulgaria(got the job but did not go), just to name a few.

The one thing I have learned is that because of all of these jobs and situations, I have ended up in a place where I feel like I know what I am doing with my life – and it feels great.

So if you feel like you have no idea what you are doing with your life at this point, remember that what is happening to you right now is getting you to where you are going in life. You just don’t realize it yet.

Make sure you read this post from Scoble as well, good stuff.

[Thanks to the great Hugh MacLeod for letting bloggers like me use his images]

Posted by James at 08:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Take time to run through Seth Godin’s 56 Ways to Get Traffic to Your Blog.

Important stuff for all of my new corporate bloggers out there…

[Also notice that Seth actually turned on comment!]

Posted by James at 07:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I tried to explain this segment to my dad last night. Better to just show it...

Posted by James at 08:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)