Writing - Blog Milestone

I did not write and publish as many posts this month as I did last month. Last month I published 216 posts and this month I will publish about 170. My total number of posts since I started stands at over 620 though, and that's awesome. Though I published fewer posts this month, I have had a few more views though. Which means that I am getting more views per post than last month. So things are growing and progressing. I still love writing and publishing all the posts I do. I find that I still have plenty to write about.

Just a personal note. I did manage to write over 62,000 words this month which puts me just over 2000 words per day. this is not as good as last month or the month before, but it was the last month of school, which kept me quite busy.

Thanks to all of you who come by and check things out. May you be blessed.

What do you think?

Self Improvement - Focus

I have found that what you focus on grows. If you focus on what is bad and wrong, then it grows bigger and your life will suck. If you focus on what is good and right, then it grows and your life will be pretty good. So much of what we think is good or bad in our lives is just a matter of perception. Maybe you hate your job, but I bet someone out there would like it (especially if they are unemployed). Maybe you have financial problems, but I bet there is someone who is worse off and you should be thankful for what you do have. Maybe you are in a relationship you don't like, but I bet there is someone in a worse relationship. If all you focus on is what is wrong or bad, then that is all you will see. Change what you focus on and you change what you see. Now things will not improve overnight, but they will improve. Maybe you need to move on? If things are truly bad, maybe you need to focus on a new job, or a new relationship? Maybe you just need the courage to make some changes?

What do you think?

The Future - The Digital Age

In the digital age people and ideas will be more important than things, services, or brands. Why? Because it is people who create things, services, or brands, and ideas drive production and growth. Maybe this explains why Google has invested in the companies it has recently purchased? Google is (in my opinion) the preeminent digital age corporation. Out of all the organizations on this planet, it is probably the best at functioning in the digital age. It has baffled most of us because the companies it buys and sells don't seem to be related to it's core business (advertising and search). If you look at the people and ideas behind the purchases, then they start to make more sense. I think Google has no real idea what the future will be like, but it knows that if it has the people on board who can thrive in it, it will not matter that much what the future will. Not only that, but it might get lucky and actually employ the people who will create the future. What about Apple? It just bought "Beats". Was it for the products, or the services, or the brands? Maybe it was for the people and the ideas in the company? I am not sure on this one, but as time moves on we will see what the intent was.

What do you think?

Chromebook - Desktop

The desktop computer market is slowly dying, but there are still plenty of desktops being sold (100 million worldwide). A couple of manufacturers have jumped into this market with desktop versions of chromebooks. LG has an all in one version (like an iMac) that is selling for about $150. Asus has a box version (like a Mac Mini) that is selling for $179. I don't think the market will be huge for these models, but they will be good for one thing, making the competition lower their prices. I like that there are options in all catagories now. You can buy a high end Chromebook (Pixel), a mid range Chromebook (anything with an i3 chip), a low end laptop (all the other laptops), and now desktops as well. This shows that Chrome OS is growing and expanding which is good new for al of us who use it. The Chromebook market is growing and expanding and that is good news.

What do you think?

For more:
http://www.thestreet.com/story/12727636/1/is-google-crazy-for-selling-a-desktop-pc-at-350-definitely-not.html?puc=ScribdTech&cm_ven=SCRIBDTECH

News - Daily Summary

World: It was a quiet day in Ukraine with no new major developments. The new president elect vows to avenge the helicopter that was shot down yesterday. In Syria a U.S. citizen is confirmed to have carried out a deadly suicide bombing attack. No major developments across the Middle East or Latin America today. There were also no new major developments across Asia today.

U.S.: Stocks close out the month at new highs for the DOW and S&P 500. The NASDAQ was a bit lower today. It looks like the lower than expected consumer sentiment and spending was not enough to lead the markets lower. Gold was lower as was oil. There is a bit of a shake up at the White House. The press secretary is stepping down as is the currently embattled Veterans Administration chief. Besides the usual litany of crimes and tragedies, there were no other major developments in the U.S. today.

It was another day in the calm before the storm.

What do you think?

Creativity - Make Time

One of the biggest excuses for not being creative is: " I don't have the time". I think that this excuse is just not true. I have found that I have time to do everything I want to do. So I just need to make being creative (or doing something creative) be something I truly want to do. How do you do that? Just decide! Make a decision to be creative and then go and do it. Also, make being creative one of the first things you do everyday. Wake up a few minutes early and get busy being creative. Or, make being creative the first thing you do when you get home from work. Another thing to do is schedule time being creative into your day. One last option is to make being creative the last thing you do before you turn in at night 9this is not the best option since you will be tired and not at your best). Hey, how about doing all of them! Now that is creative!

What do you think?

Personal Improvement - Little Things Matter

Here is a great quote I read today:

"If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right." - Naval Adm. William H. McRaven

We sometimes just ignore the little things or we don't care about them.This is a huge mistake. If we pay attention to the little things and focus on doing them well, then it will be much easier to get the big things done right. I have also noticed that most big things are just a bunch of little things strung together. Get the little things done right and the rest will take care of itself. 

What do you think? 

For more:

http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/05/10-life-lessons-william-mcraven/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+68131+%28Farnam+Street%29

The Economy - Consumer Confidence and Spending

Consumer confidence fell more than expected for May. Consumer spending is also down a bit for May. Add this to the revision of the GDP and we have a negative trend beginning to appear. Will this be just a temporary anomaly, or is it the start of a longer trend? Hopefully it's just an anomaly because we are in no position for a longer negative trend. Lets see what the numbers will be like next month.

What do you think?

For more:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-30/consumer-sentiment-in-u-s-fell-more-than-forecast-in-may-1-.html

And:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101717727

Original Music By Walter Ruggieri

Observations - Drought

California and parts of the South and West of the United states are experiencing a severe drought. While a good rain is one of the solutions to the problem another might be to invest in desalination plants. This is not something new. Israel invested in desalination plants years ago and is now reaping the benefits. Currently 35% of the water Israel uses in coming from 4 desalination plants. A fifth plant is scheduled to come online later this year. By 2050 Israel expects to get as much as 70% of it's water from desalination plants. As a result Israel is claiming to be "water independent". As the population in arid areas grows desalination plants would be great investment to help make those areas "water independent". What if we were to invest in desalination plants? There would be an increase in good paying jobs and there would be an increase in available water. This seems like an ideal solution, so why has it not been done yet? Oh yeah, the politicians need to make happen. 

What do you think?

For more:

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/israel-solves-water-woes-desalination-23923342