Monday Morning Rant

My thoughts have been a bit jumbled lately – I’m not sure if the heat is getting to me, or what – but I haven’t been able to focus on a single topic here. So, you’ll forgive me if I take a few moments to give you the latest on a number of issues.

First off: for those of you interested in the primary races here in Southern New Mexico, check out Heath Haussaman’s blog. He’s got a list of candidate Web sites here. Nothing local for Grant County, but it does have the sites for AG, Land Commissioner, Secretary of State and PRC.

Net Neutrality is making the rounds again, and I have to encourage you to visit the following sites, because this is going to impact the way you surf the ‘Net. First off, David Isenberg has a great blog where he dissects the telecoms B.S. The second site is SaveTheInternet.com, where you can “Ask a Ninja” about Net Neutrality and sign a petition in support of neutrality.

I’ve been using the ‘Net for a third of my lifetime, and losing neutrality is a scary prospect for me. It would allow my ISP to decide which content I’m allowed to access. That’s it in a nutshell: somebody else decides what you can or cannot see online. Do you use iTunes to download music? If they don’t pay your ISP fee, iTunes will run slow or maybe not at all. Do you have a preferred search engine? Not anymore – it’s going to be the one your ISP has partnered with. Planning to use the new X-Box 360 or the upcoming Playstation 3’s online features? You might have to make your choice of gaming console based on which manufacturer gave money to your service provider.

We’ve got two new additions to the blogroll, under the “Daily Reading” section. The first – Guy Kawasaki’s blog – caught my eye several weeks ago, and I forgot to link there at the time. He speaks with authority on a number of issues, mostly centered on business (marketing, consumer rights, management follies, etc). It’s an intriguing site.

The second is Escape from Cubicle Nation. I don’t remember how I found her site this weekend, but Pam Slim has a great blog on corporate culture in America. Her open letter to CEOs was classic, but her open letter to employees is even better:

1. Don’t pretend your job is secure. I know of no job in any industry today that is safe from market forces or lame managers. You read stories in the paper every day about well-established companies (some that are making huge profits) that are cutting back tens of thousands of employees to “stay competitive.” But you still act angry and surprised when you get pulled into your manager’s office with the HR rep and are told that your job is eliminated. We are all self-employed, and if you don’t get that fast, you are in for a rude awakening.

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2. Make a long-term life plan. You get so caught up with surviving each day that you have no idea what would make you happy down the road. But it is this long-term plan that is going to give focus and structure to decisions you make every day on your job, and guide decisions about the next step in your career.

Speaking of telecos, here’s today’s cartoon from Clay Bennett:

Finally, I went to the “Cut the Cheese Club” party on Saturday night, and then heard Rhythm Mystic play at the Twisted Vine and Captain Cactus at the Buffalo Bar. Today, when I get to work, I need to check on the smoking ordinance for the city. I was fine until I arrived at the Buff, but so many people were smoking that my asthma and allergies prevented me from really enjoying myself. When I woke up yesterday my sinuses were killing me. I doubt I’ll be going to the Buff again any time soon.

I’ll get you a news post tomorrow. Since I’m rambling, I encourage you to add your own thoughts in the comment section. Consider this an open thread.