Milt Reynolds: Thinking Out Loud

Bikin' It 5 miles! On a bicycle! Now, before you discount that out of hand as measley and mediocre (as many of you certainly could do with deserved impugnity), please consider extenutating circumstances. 1. I Don't Like to Exercise. Many of you speak of the "rush" of exercise, the "glow" of health and vigor, "getting past the wall" and other terms of which I cannot fathom. Right now I'm feeling bushed, hot, sweaty and thirsty. Those words all imply loss and pain, am I not right? My body is crying out for retribution in the form of water, rest and my recliner, right? So, despite the potential for injury and distress to my body, I completed a five-mile bicycle ride today. 2. It was Five, Full Miles. I have a digital speedometer, odometer and distance meter. It was five miles, uphill most of both ways, against the wind most of both ways. 3. The Sun was Shining. Potential for heat exhaustion and eye injury was massive, or at le...

HTML/CSS Publisher? HTML/CSS Publisher? I'm a geek. I'm not certifiable, I don't make money at it, I couldn't hack into my mother's Facebook page no matter how many FBI agents were after me. But I am a geek , at least in spirit. I know this because I just finished a week-long project that could have probably been accomplished by a non-geek in about 2.5 hours. Why did it take me so long? Because I didn't use Microsoft Publisher. I didn't use Microsoft Word. I didn't even use OpenOffice. I used HTML and CSS . In hopes that I connect heart-to-heart with other wanna-be geeks , here's my story: Project Goal: Create a 72-page, pocket-sized field book, with formatted pages that include graphics. Easy, right? Fire up any standard word processing or desktop publisher, spend an hour and a half entering content, and perhaps another half hour to format and tweak page sizes and sections, another 30 minutes to print and staple together, and t...

The Healthy Wonders of Water I've always known how important water is for health. This article explains eight practical, essential effects of drinking water. The very first self-help response to any problem, physical or emotional, should be: "I need a tall glass of cold water!" Here are the highlights, but you can read the entire article here: The Healthy Wonders of Water . Stay Slimmer With Water Trying to lose weight? Water revs up metabolism and helps you feel full. Replace calorie-laden beverages with water, and drink a glass before meals to help you feel fuller. Drinking more water also helps amp up metabolism - especially if your glass is icy cold. Your body must work to warm the water up, burning a few extra calories in the process. Water Boosts Your Energy If you’re feeling drained and depleted, get a pick-me-up with water . Dehydration makes you feel fatigued. Water helps the blood transport oxygen and other essential nutrients to your cells. If you’...

Racial Discrimination Here are the facts: Identical resumes were submitted in Chicago and Boston during 2001 and 2002. Half were tagged with "white-sounding" names and half with "black-sounding" names . Eighteen names were used for the resumes. Nine were "white-sounding" : Emily Anne Jill Allison Laurie Sarah Meredith Carrie Kristen Nine were "black-sounding" : Aisha Keish Tamika Lakisha Tanisha Latoya Kenya Latonya Ebony Two names received the most call backs for interviews , 26%: Kristen Carrie Two names received the least call backs for interviews , 6%: Keish Aisha The resumes were identical. The top five names for call back interviews: Kristen Carrie Meredith Sarah Laurie The bottom five names for call back interviews: Tanisha Lakisha Tamika Keish Aisha The resumes were identical. The highest "white-sounding" call back name: Kristen, 13% The highest "bl...

Procrastination Trent Hamm has written a review of Brian Tracy's book Eat That Frog! Here is a quick description of the important points about procrastination that Trent draws out of the book: The 80/20 Rule Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian economist, observed in 1906 that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population . Curiously, he also calculated that 20% of the pea pods in his garden contained 80% of the peas. He surveyed the economies of other countries and found a similar income and wealth distribution in each. A business-management consultant, Joseph M. Juran, developed the observations of Pareto into a principle of economics, the Pareto Principle. Businesses commonly cite a rule of thumb: "80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients" . The Pareto Principle is also known as the "Champagne Glass Effect" , with the wider mouth of the glass holding 80% of the champagne, although it's only the top 20% of the height of the gla...

What are your strengths? Ask a colleague. Good article about how to answer one of the toughest interview questions: What are your strengths? Author Toni Bowers suggests preparing for this question before the interview by asking some friends or coworkers: What are my strengths? What unique quality do I bring? At the interview, wait for the inevitable question (Wait for it...wait for it...) and then shock the interviewer by saying: Instead of depending upon my own view of myself, I decided to quiz my coworkers! Sounds like a great idea! Read the entire article here: www.techrepublic.com Image courtesy of Adrian van Leen

Newsletter versus News Journalism What are the signs that a local newspaper has crossed the line from newsletter cheerleading to news journalism? A newsletter announces events and spotlights milestones. A newsletter reminds readers of rules and recommendations. A newsletter quells rumors and quiets fears. I enjoy the Hermiston Herald, partly because it functions as a city newsletter. I like my town, I've lived in this area for a total of about fourteen years, and I like to support local business and events. But the Hermiston Herald has crossed the line. It has become a news journal. It's asking questions. I like questions. Recent editorials have asked questions about our city council, water issues and civil suits against the city. These questions are strong evidence of a newspaper becoming more than a newsletter. With that change, our newspaper becomes an even stronger supporter of our community. Our local newspaper, if acting out of the ethic of journalism, is...