brianshah.net

In case you are still wondering if e-mail is merely conversational or something that can be held against you, the State of Wisconsin’s states that e-mail can be used against an employee. Remember that the next time you send out something that could incriminate you in the future.

I think this is a good time to reiterate my view of whether or not e-mail is conversational. I always believed that it is not, simply because it is written. Most people use it as such, though, and don’t realize that it reflects your character. Writing a message quickly and sending it with a few typos shows carelessness. Taking the time to review your message and ensuring its clarity demonstrates consideration and competency.

I think that this is especially appropriate now because there are many college students that are entering the job market for their first times. I hope they recognize the importance of double-checking their written and electronic documents before sending them off to potential employers. A list of typos on a résumé or cover letter can make the difference between getting an interview. Even when you type up and e-mail your thank you letter after an interview (which is acceptable today), a poorly written note can cost you your position.

And since I’m on the subject of writing, I just want to point out that writing things clearly are more important today than ever, especially with all of the technical devices available today. Most consumers today will not tolerate poorly-written instruction manuals when they’ve paid hundreds of dollars for a device. And a 10-page manual is less desirable than a single-page quick-install sheet. When a boss tells you that he or she wants a single-page summary of a specific topic and you feel compelled to turn in a 10-page paper, expect to rewrite it. That’s the real world, dude.

http://enterprise.state.wi.us/home/email/email_Mgmt_Trnng.htm

I realized that my web site is back on the first page of Google’s web site. However, it is number three on the list, and the link leads to the second quarter 2001 blog page. Nonetheless, it’s back under a vanity search. Further investigation shows that Google has crawled much of my site, so I’ve added a Google search feature again. I’m still thinking about adding an RSS feed, but I haven’t had much time to learn about PHP or MySQL.

On the plus side, I’m still number one on Yahoo… and number three, and I have special mention on number four (from when I worked at the Wisconsin Department of Transportation).

I promised that my next guitar would have a fixed bridge. With that said, it’s interesting that the guitar I recently purchased has a genuine Floyd Rose floating bridge instead. “Skully” happens to be my second American-made Jackson guitar with a genuine Floyd Rose bridge. Features include two Seymour-Duncan humbucking pickups, neck-through-body design, airbrushed custom graphic (skulls), mother-of-pearl shark tooth and name inlays, ebony fretboard, 24 jumbo frets, and wood binding around the fretboard. But the difference is the body. Unlike the traditional Strat-style bodies I usually end up with, this radical departure is a “Kelly” body.

I purchased this guitar because there is some superficial damage to it on a couple of the corners and sides, which brought the price considerably down (especially for an American-made guitar of this caliber). Structurally, though, it’s in great shape. When I purchased it, it had heavier-gauge strings that were tuned pretty low. This required a full night of performing a full set-up and restringing the guitar with lighter-gauge strings. Thanks to Dan Erlewine’s book, “How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great!” I was able to successfully set up this great axe.

I also managed set up my Vester with heavier-gauge strings so I could drop the tuning to a drop-D down a whole step (to play those great Metallica “St. Anger” tunes). I just wish I would’ve known that I was going to buy the new Jackson when I restrung the Vester a couple of weeks before.

The following links open the pictures I’ve posted under My Hobbies – Guitar.

Barnes and Noble: “How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great!” by Dan Erlewine

A friend sent the following web site address. It’s interesting how we can justify bailing ourselves out of a foreign mess, but we can’t help our own states when necessary. As the site states, “$87 billion is more than all of the states’ current budget deficits, combined. $87 billion is more than twice the amount we’re spending on Homeland Security.” Please note that this was originally posted in 2003. If we knew then what we know now, would we have considered this expenditure justifiable?

Crunchweb: $87 billion

Sorry to link to another site with a link, but I just had to give Jason credit for this awesome site. I still prefer the explanation from “The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”

Jasonbock.net: The God FAQ

I took the following test and did alright. It was pretty pointless, but fun.

To take the test yourself, click on the picture above.

I have Microsoft Visio and Project at work. I realized that by having them at home, I could get more work done (assuming I actually want to, of course). So I started looking for a way to get these packages without spending an arm and a leg. I can’t purchase the academic versions because I’m not a student (and my karma won’t let me live with myself).

It turns out that Microsoft has a purchasing program for organizations that license with them. It’s called the Employee Purchase Program. If you have software at work that you could use on your home computer, then this is definitely worth a look. I’m not providing the web site because each organization has a unique program identifcation code. But I can tell you that the prices are much more reasonable than retail. I managed to purchase both Visio and Project 2003 for my home computer at prices almost comparable to the volume license costs at work.