Yald - Patrick Grote's Technology Notes - Personal

Have American morals changed for the worse

Patrick Grote — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:06:05 -0400

Before you continue reading, stop, watch this video:

What did you think? Were you shocked that people weren't running to help? No one chased the hit and run driver? No one simply comforted the victim?

How far could you go out to play when you were a kid

Patrick Grote — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 00:45:41 -0400

Growing up we were constantly moving around. It wasn't until high school that we stayed in one city more than a year. My dad was working to gain more experience to open his own business, so we moved to where the more challenging projects and opportunities existed.

This had many benefits, one of the largest being exploring the new territory. I'd set out on my bike on Saturday morning and not return until mid-afternoon. Remember, this is pre-cell phone days.

How to make spaghetti squash low carb

Patrick Grote — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 14:33:49 -0400

This is more a personal reminder for myself, but this is how you cook spaghetti squash. Spaghetti squash is an excellent replacement for pasta on a low carb diet. Now, it's not the perfect replacement. It still has a slight earthy taste, and it it's cooked improperly it can be too mushy. Still, it's a great addition as a side dish.

When you search for how to cook spaghetti squash you're going to come across a number of websites that describe the process. The best resource I found was on YouTube.

Here is the video:

Graduation poem card for my niece

Patrick Grote — Sun, 10 Jun 2007 13:13:11 -0400

It seems like a year ago my niece was the gullible, bouncy two year old in our lives. A couple of weeks ago she graduated from high school, which is sobering. She's about to enter the world of adults, dreams, failures and legacies. Excitement isn't the word I feel for her, as she is a special woman. Woman. Wow.

Anyway, I hacked this poem out to put in her graduation card.

LOOK FORWARD

Appreciate your high school memories, your loves, your hates and your adventures, but Look Forward.

The seemingly unplanned rolling of life has tried to capsize you already. Learn from the up waves, but enjoy the down waves while you Look Forward.

Wired's optical illusion - the most complete

Patrick Grote — Sun, 27 May 2007 14:43:09 -0400

Optical illusions are fun to look at it, but sometimes they are true head scratchers. When I came across this optical illusion in Wired I was blown away.

It's funny how your brain makes your eyes see different things.

How to find performance appraisal software

Paid Opportunity — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 23:10:38 -0500

It's the beginning of the year, which means it's Performance Appraisal time in the business world. Performance appraisals are a chance for the company to evaluate and report on the performance of the associates.

As a manager, it's tough sometimes to organize and maintain a grasp of the process. Luckily, the folks at ManagerAssistant.com have developed software to make things easier for you.

The software walks you through the process and ensures that everything is handled. The unique thing about this software is that it allows you to track associate incidents. Sometimes things happen, negative and positive, throughout the year that you should note for year end reviews.

Why is Dubai the fastest growing country in the world

Paid Opportunity — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 22:10:47 -0500

Dubai is an amazing story of economic growth. The country is expanding through natural growth and an increase in tourism. Check out the picture of the skyline and you'll see construction everywhere.

They have done a remarkable job of creating artificial islands, and they have made sure that 94% of their economy comes from something other than oil.

Remarkably, the amount of real estate that can be bought is skyrocketing due to these efforts. For instance, dubia city offers many places where people can choose to buy, build and live.

How to learn about search engine optimization

Paid Opportunity — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 17:53:24 -0500

Where can you turn for solid Search Engine Optimization Information? You can look through Google, but this site is fantastic. First, you need to know what search engine optimization is all about. It's the process of making your website more search engine friendly, while keeping your visitors happy. Second, the site linked above is a one stop shop for learning about what you need to know.

The eTRAFFICJAMS site is laid out nicely with useful graphics and fantastic headers. It walks you through the process companies use when they help you out.

One of the more useful features of the site is chart that compares the various services offered to you. Yes, this is helpful, but it wouldn't be as helpful without the pricing guide they offer. The pricing guide is tied to which service you choose, but it is customized for what you want.

The real value of the site is the case studies. They are in PDF format and show you the work that the company provided for the client. What I really liked about the case study was the focus on results. The customer comments are included, but you can verify the results on your own. Interestingly, it looks like the focus is on customers rather than traffic. This is something that other companies don't do.

If you're interested in learning more about how search engine optimization can help your business, this site is worth your time.

This post sponsored by eTRAFFICJAMS.

How to choose business performance management software

Paid Opportunity — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 17:31:03 -0500

Business Performance Management Software is a type of software you might not be interested in, but it's something you need to know about.

The goal of the software is to help maximize your business performance. It's easy to say that, but business performance management software takes a holistic approach to managing this process. Yes, there are multiple phases, but there are two that are critical:

1) Data collection: You need to develop processes to collect data about how your business runs. This includes everything from financial to support to delivery.

What makes a poker site worth your time

Paid Opportunity — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 15:30:46 -0500

Poker sites are a dime a dozen around the internet. How can you tell when one poker site is better than another? Well, you look at the site and see what it has to offer. Poker Junkie is one of those sites where you can tell the difference.

When you load the site you're going to notice the speed in which it loads. Bam. It's done. Some other sites are heavy on graphics or animations, but not this poker site.

Now, let me point out three things that stand out:

1) Poker articles: One the side you'll see a link to poker articles. When you click it you're going to notice that the articles are laid out logically, with small graphics to indicate the soure. This is a great idea that allows you to quickly scan what you're interested in.

2) Poker room reviews: Again, on the left side is reviews. When you click on the link you'll be able to read what real people think about the internet poker rooms.

3) Poker dictionary: Woot. Sometimes, even though you play poker, you might not understand some of the lingo. For instance, I had no idea FULL BUY applied to minimum number of chips.

Poker sites come and go, but Poker Junkie is here to stay. If you play poker recreationally, it's a great place to stop and learn more about the game you love.