Monday, April 30, 2012

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Saturday, April 28, 2012

What The Facebook Generation is Not Buying

From Dead Tree Edition and 24/7 Wall Street:
1. Email

In 2010, at the launch of Facebook’s then-new messaging service, Mark Zuckerberg predicted the decline of electronic mail, stating that “Email is too slow … email is too formal.” Time is proving Zuckerberg right. From December 2009 to December 2010, time spent using email by the 12- to 17-years-old age group dropped a tremendous 59%. In comparison, time spent using email by people 55 to 64-years-old has increased 22%, and it has increased 28 among those 65 years and older. 


 2. Beer
Light beer has become to the current generation of youth what regular beer was just a few decades ago. In 1990, more Budweiser was sold than the top three light beers combined. Twenty years later, Budweiser has taken a backseat to Bud Light, which sold as much as the top four regular beers combined. The country has taken a major generational shift in favor of light beers, which now account for four of the five most popular beers sold domestically. As reported by St. Louis Today, Budweiser believes four out of 10 people in their mid-20s have never tried regular beer. In 1988, that rate was just 1.5 out of ten. Beer Marketer’s Insights editor Eric Shepard said when asked about young drinkers turning to light beer, “The heaviest beer drinkers are young males and that’s where the market had been going over the last decade or so.”


3. Newspapers
While readership rates for print newspapers are falling across the board, the country’s younger generation has abandoned the medium the most. As of 2010, only 7% of 18- to 24-year-olds reported having read a print newspaper the day before, according to the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. This is the first time that figure has reached single digits. This age group also has among the highest rates of people reportedly receiving news through social networking sites or Twitter.


4. Cars
As recently as 1998, 64.4% of potential drivers ages 19 and younger had drivers licenses, according to the Federal Highway Administration. As of 2008, that amount had dropped to 46.3%. Additionally, 46% of drivers aged 18 to 24 report that they would choose Internet access over owning a car, according to research firm Gartner. People are also waiting longer to get their licenses. According to the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute, in 1983 one-third of all licensed drivers in U.S. were under 30. Today, only 22% of drivers are under 30. Companies such as General Motors (NYSE: GM) have reached out to more youth-oriented advertising companies, such as MTV Scratch, to address this widening gap in their sales.


5. Landline phones
Landline phones are losing popularity among Generation Y, who are becoming increasingly content with only having wireless phones. According to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics, 51.3% of Americans aged 25 to 29 lived in households with only wireless phones in the first six months of 2010. This is the first time the number of adults in wireless-only households has been greater than the number of adults in landline households for any age group. When looking at all ages combined, less than one-quarter of adults lived in households with only wireless phones.


 6. Cigarettes
Smoking rates among young people have historically exceeded those of the general population. Now that group is dropping the habit quicker than anyone. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the share of people 18 to 24 years of age who were current cigarette smokers decreased by 17.6% from 2005 to 2010 — the largest decrease among any age group. The share among 45- to 64-year-olds dropped only 3.6%. The amount of Americans 65 and older who smoke actually increased 10.5%.


7. Desktop computers
Millennials are the only generational group to be more likely to own a laptop computer than a desktop. According to data from Pew Research Center, 70% own a laptop, while 57% own a desktop. By contrast, 64% of those aged 57-65 own a desktop, while only 43% own a laptop. Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner, states in LAPTOP Magazine that those in Generation Y simply “are not buying PCs as their first, or necessarily main, device.”


8. Television
Adults aged 18 to 24 watch less traditional television than any other age group in the country, according to Nielsen’s most recent Cross Platform Report. That group, on average, watches just under 24 hours per week. The national average is approximately 32.5 hours. One of the leading reasons for this difference is Generation Y’s relationship with the Internet. According to a report published in April 2010 by electronics review/research company Retrevo, 23% of those under 25 watch “most” of their television online, compared to 8% for everyone.

Click here for a link to the video.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Stupidity


Click here for a link to the video.

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Hospital Bloopers


HOSPITAL CHART BLOOPERS (Actual writings from hospital charts)

  1. The patient refused autopsy.   (If these don't make you laugh, you should have accepted the autopsy)
  2. The patient has no previous history of suicides.
  3. Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.
  4. She has no rigors or shaking chills, but her husband states she was very hot in bed last night.
  5. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.
  6. On the second day the knee was better and on the third day it disappeared
  7. The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.
  8. The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.
  9. Discharge status: Alive but without permission.
  10. Healthy appearing decrepit 66-year old male, mentally alert but forgetful.
  11. Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.
  12. She is numb from her toes down.
  13. While in ER, she was examined, x-rated and sent home.
  14. The skin was moist and dry.
  15. Occasional, constant infrequent headaches.
  16. Patient was alert and unresponsive.
  17. Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid.
  18. She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life, until she got a divorce.
  19. I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy.
  20. Both breasts are equal and reactive to light and accommodation.
  21. Examination of genitalia reveals that he is circus sized.
  22. The lab test indicated abnormal lover function.
  23. Skin: somewhat pale but present.
  24. The pelvic exam will be done later on the floor.
  25. Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Laws of Nature


1. Law of  Mechanical Repair - After  your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and  you'll have to pee.                
 
2.  Law of  Gravity -  Any tool,  nut, bolt, screw, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.  
 
3.  Law of  Probability -  The  probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of  your act. 
 
4.  Law of  Random Numbers - If you  dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal and someone always  answers. 
 
6.  Variation  Law -  If you  change lines (or traffic  lanes), the one you were in will always  move faster than the one you are in now (works every time).  
 
7.  Law of  the Bath - When  the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings. 
 
8.  Law of  Close Encounters -  The  probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you  are with someone you don't want to be seen with. 
 
9.  Law of  the Result -  When you  try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.  
 
10.  Law of  Biomechanics - The  severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach.  
 
11..  Law of  the Theater & Hockey Arena - At any  event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle, always arrive  last. They are the ones who will leave their seats several times to go for  food, beer, or the toilet and who leave early before the end of the performance or the game is over. The folks in the aisle seats come early,  never move once, have long gangly legs or big bellies and stay to the  bitter end of the performance. The aisle people also are very surly folk.  
 
12.  The  Coffee Law - As soon  as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do  something which will last until the coffee is cold. 
 
13.  Murphy's  Law of Lockers - If  there are only 2 people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers.  
 
14.  Law of  Physical Surfaces -  The  chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor, are  directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet or rug.  
 
15.  Law of  Logical Argument -  Anything  is possible if you don't know what you are talking about. 
 
16.  Brown's  Law of Physical Appearance -  If the  clothes fit, they're ugly.  
17.  Oliver's  Law of Public Speaking -  A closed  mouth gathers no feet.  
18.   Wilson's  Law of Commercial Marketing Strategy -  As soon  as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it.    
19.  Doctors'  Law -  If you  don't feel well, make an appointment to go to the doctor, by the time you  get there you'll feel better.. But don't make an appointment, and you'll  stay sick.  
     

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Monday, April 23, 2012

Something For a Bobcat Fan


Click here for a link to the video.

A Chance For Redemption?


David Paterson to become Verso’s new President and CEO

April 22nd, 2012 | Posted in Misc. | 2 comments »
Verso Paper Corp‘s President and Chief Executive Officer Michael A. Jackson is retiring.
David J. Paterson, formerly of AbitibiBowater, has been elected by Verso’s board of directors to replace Jackson.
Scott Kleinman, Verso’s Chairman of the Board, said, “we are pleased and honored that Dave Paterson will become Verso’s new CEO. Dave brings to Verso a wealth of experience garnered during his many years of service as an executive with AbitibiBowater Inc., Bowater Incorporated, and Georgia-Pacific Corporation. Dave is an outstanding leader, a respected and knowledgeable businessman, and absolutely the right person to lead Verso in the next phase of its business life.”
Dave Paterson added, “I am pleased to be appointed as CEO and am excited about the opportunities ahead for Verso. Verso has a strategic focus, exceptional people, and a nimble management approach that should bode well for the future. I am truly excited to be joining the Verso team.”
Paterson, age 57, served as President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of AbitibiBowater Inc. (now doing business as Resolute Forest Products), a leading global producer of newsprint, coated and specialty papers, market pulp and wood products, from 2007 to 2011. He was Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bowater Incorporated during 2007 and President and Chief Executive Officer of Bowater Incorporated from 2006 to 2007. From 1987 to 2006, Mr. Paterson worked in various executive and sales and marketing positions for Georgia-Pacific Corporation, a leading global manufacturer of tissue, packaging, paper, building products and related chemicals, including most recently as Executive Vice President of the Building Products division from 2003 to 2006, Executive Vice President of the Pulp and Paperboard division from 2001 to 2003, President of the Paper and Bleached Board division in 2001, and Senior Vice President of the Communication Papers division from 2000 to 2001.
Verso is based in Memphis, Tennessee and produces coated papers, including coated groundwood and coated freesheet, and specialty products. Verso’s paper products are used primarily in media and marketing applications, including magazines, catalogs and commercial printing applications such as high-end advertising brochures, annual reports and direct-mail advertising.
Source: Verso

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Friday, April 20, 2012

Quotes

From the Simple Dollar  Blog site:

If you’re pretty happy doing what you’re doing, is it really work?
“Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else.” – J. M. Barrie
I find that I can enjoy almost any task if I can slip into a focused zone while doing it. I think I enjoy the accomplishment.
Good things typically don’t happen while you’re sitting around waiting for them to happen. You have to pave the way for good things, and that’s often hard work.
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”– Thomas Edison
Everything successful I’ve built in my life has involved a lot of thankless work before success ever came along.
Try something hard rather than something easy if you want to improve.
“Attempt the impossible in order to improve your work.” – Bette Davis
I feel this every time I work on a novel or something else that really pushes me.
I’d rather be known for actually doing something than for taking credit for things I didn’t do.
“My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition.” – Indira Gandhi
Eventually, the person that can actually walk the walk comes out on top of the person who can talk the talk. I’ve seen it happen over and over and over again.
The only time I plan to stop being productive in my life is when I’m physically or mentally unable to produce anything.
“Better to wear out than to rust out.” – Bishop Cumberland
Work is too much fun.
Most of the things most of us do are failures.
“When I was young I observed that nine out of ten things I did were failures, so I did ten times more work.” – George Bernard Shaw
Often, though, all we’re shown are the successes, not the hard work behind them.
The clock is my single worst work interruptor. It seems like almost every time I get into a work flow, it’s interrupted by some appointment.
“I owe my success to the fact that I never had a clock in my workroom.” – Thomas Edison
I always do my best work when time really doesn’t matter that much.






Thursday, April 19, 2012

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Monday, April 16, 2012

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Friday, April 13, 2012

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Monday, April 9, 2012

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Friday, April 6, 2012

Monday, April 2, 2012