Does Using Google Make Us Stupid?
March 12, 2011
by Bill Lentini
On my desk I have a dictionary and a thesaurus. Our offices at GAI (www.gunwel.com) are a big open space where we all sit facing each other and often times I’ll say “someone give me a word for…” (as I’m too lazy to open the thesaurus) and instead of someone just giving me a word or phrase you hear …tap, tap, tap of the keys as they google for a word or phrase. The internet is changing our brains. Neurologists and psychologists have discovered that our brains process Internet pages differently than they do printed pages. That can affect how much we learn when we read – and even alter our brains themselves.
The human brain “rewires” itself depending on how it is used, an ability neurologists refer to as “plasticity.” Apparently spending one hour per day on the internet for just one week alters our neural pathways. The neural rewiring could have unfortunate consequences. For the past five centuries, reading books has helped train human brains to concentrate intently over extended periods of time, an ability that has helped our species produces ideas and inventions. If we abandon books in favor of the Internet, our ability to maintain focus and think up new ideas might diminish. Here are other consequences of Internet use and what we can do about them…
Interruption System: When we read online, words are not the only information coming at us. There usually eye-catching advertisements alongside the text and hyperlinks in the text in case we wish to jump to different Web pages on related topics. We might have our e-mail program open and a Facebook feed, too, alerting us each time a new message arrives. Even when a printed book is transferred to an electronic device connected to the Internet, it turns into something very much like a Web site, with links and other digital enhancements. These distractions don’t just slow our reading, they also make it less likely that we will understand and retain new knowledge. What to do: When you wish to give your full attention to online or eReader text, close your e-mail program, your Facebook page and other competing information feeds on the screen. Also, use software settings that minimize interruptions.
Less is read: The Internet puts more information than ever at our fingertips – yet evidence suggests that it actually leads us to read and rely upon a smaller set of information resources, encouraging uncreative group thinking. The trouble is that the Internet does not just provide information. It also subtly evaluates it for us. Search engines typically sort their results in order of popularity, and few if us scan past the first page of results. What to do: So scan beyond the first page of results when you use a search engine to explore a topic of interest. This at least gives you a chance to learn more than what almost everyone else interested in the topic already knows. When an Internet search for a piece of information leads you to a compelling article, book or Web site, jot down its name, then explore it more fully when you have more time.
Less Social Intelligence: The Internet is no longer confined to our desktops. E-readers, smartphones and even vehicle dashboards increasingly allow us to bring the online world wherever we go – a trend that will accelerate in the years ahead. The danger of digital distractions while driving already is well publicized. Less discussed is the potential danger that such portable distractions pose while we’re just sitting around with friends or loved ones. The distractions created by the use of mobile Internet devices make it less likely that we will fully grasp the psychological states of other people’s moods, the less able we are to show appropriate empathy, weakening the bonds that hold together human communities, families and friendships. What to do: Turn off digital devices when you spend time with others…nuff said.
And for my part in writing this blog the only hyperlinks that I’m going to put in here are those to my website. I don’t want you to be distracted! Gunwel Tax & Bookkeeping Service is very tuned into the social networking aspect of business, yet when you are our client and we are meeting with your or working on your tax returns or books…we are fully concentrating on you. We are 100% present. We love what we do and our clients love our results. We’d love to hear your thoughts on what the Internet has done to your brain…Give us a call at 212-979-6830 or stop by for a visit. See you soon!
http://gunwel.wordpress.com/2011/03/12/does-using-google-make-us-stupid/
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Why a Donald Trump Presidency will Trump All
Why a Donald Trump Presidency will Trump All
Alan Dunn | Apr. 11, 2011, 1:28 AM
When it comes to choosing political parties I have been Democrat since the time I was allowed to vote. My family has different party affiliations and the people in my life choose one party over the other for reasons of their own. Ultimately no one forced me to become a Democrat, it just happened.
Under George W. Bush the Republican Party reminded me of exactly why I choose to be Democrat yet the Obama presidency has left me to wonder why I choose any party at all.
Politics may be very well about choosing a side and making sure the stars line up to have your side collectively come to a decision but when it comes to getting things done we need someone who has experience on the street, after all how worse can things get?
When the Yankees are down 3-1 in the 9th inning you can bet a designated hitter may be called up. Well, we are down 16 Trillion dollars so don’t you think it’s time to vote someone in office who has a hit home run or two?
Donald Trump may not be the best candidate for president however do we need another politician in charge or someone who is actually aware of the financial mess America is in and has a personal interest in making the country whole again?
Some of the most successful political and global leaders in the world have all come from men and women with entrepreneurial backgrounds yet in America we hardly ever ask questions about a political candidate’s actual experience and vote based on how they make you smile, what party they are affiliated with and more unrelated factors to the actual ability of the person to do the job.
"American no longer needs a figurehead – we need a designated hitter"
The only way to getting people more interested in politics is to bring somebody in we all want to be. There is not a single person in America who would not want to be a part of the Trump lifestyle and that alone will get people talking politics again.
The housing market is essentially gone in many areas of America, we are a bankrupt nation and the government was actually even talking about shutting down. Personal consumer bills like car insurance, gasoline, property tax and food all continue to escalate however unemployment is still at the highest levels in decades.
This is not the American Dream
So many people are having their own personal crisis they simply can’t get mad about the country’s financial mess. Sadly the reaction among many seems to be a common “of course we are in a mess” feeling but everybody goes on with their day since somewhere, someone will just create new credit for the government and life will go on as normal again. If only life was that easy for citizens and small business.
What is the Plan? Continued “prosperity” created by adding to a national debt? This bubble has already busted - The country needs to change.
Donald Trump is well known to everyone. He has had many public failures but every time rebounded with the glory we all wish we had. His successes are so well known that the Trump family name is not just a name but a brand of power, luxury and dreams.
If America, Inc. was part of the Trump family we certainly would not be as broke as we are today.
At the end of the day Donald Trump may be republican but he is also an undeniable leader, a respected businessman, a financial wizard and a global brand.
This time around it’s a wise decision to bet on the man, not on the party.
On the other hand, if Mr. Trump decides not to run I wouldn’t blame him either.
After all, who really wants to be in charge of this mess?
http://www.businessinsider.com/why-a-donald-trump-presidency-will-trump-all-2011-4
Alan Dunn | Apr. 11, 2011, 1:28 AM
When it comes to choosing political parties I have been Democrat since the time I was allowed to vote. My family has different party affiliations and the people in my life choose one party over the other for reasons of their own. Ultimately no one forced me to become a Democrat, it just happened.
Under George W. Bush the Republican Party reminded me of exactly why I choose to be Democrat yet the Obama presidency has left me to wonder why I choose any party at all.
Politics may be very well about choosing a side and making sure the stars line up to have your side collectively come to a decision but when it comes to getting things done we need someone who has experience on the street, after all how worse can things get?
When the Yankees are down 3-1 in the 9th inning you can bet a designated hitter may be called up. Well, we are down 16 Trillion dollars so don’t you think it’s time to vote someone in office who has a hit home run or two?
Donald Trump may not be the best candidate for president however do we need another politician in charge or someone who is actually aware of the financial mess America is in and has a personal interest in making the country whole again?
Some of the most successful political and global leaders in the world have all come from men and women with entrepreneurial backgrounds yet in America we hardly ever ask questions about a political candidate’s actual experience and vote based on how they make you smile, what party they are affiliated with and more unrelated factors to the actual ability of the person to do the job.
"American no longer needs a figurehead – we need a designated hitter"
The only way to getting people more interested in politics is to bring somebody in we all want to be. There is not a single person in America who would not want to be a part of the Trump lifestyle and that alone will get people talking politics again.
The housing market is essentially gone in many areas of America, we are a bankrupt nation and the government was actually even talking about shutting down. Personal consumer bills like car insurance, gasoline, property tax and food all continue to escalate however unemployment is still at the highest levels in decades.
This is not the American Dream
So many people are having their own personal crisis they simply can’t get mad about the country’s financial mess. Sadly the reaction among many seems to be a common “of course we are in a mess” feeling but everybody goes on with their day since somewhere, someone will just create new credit for the government and life will go on as normal again. If only life was that easy for citizens and small business.
What is the Plan? Continued “prosperity” created by adding to a national debt? This bubble has already busted - The country needs to change.
Donald Trump is well known to everyone. He has had many public failures but every time rebounded with the glory we all wish we had. His successes are so well known that the Trump family name is not just a name but a brand of power, luxury and dreams.
If America, Inc. was part of the Trump family we certainly would not be as broke as we are today.
At the end of the day Donald Trump may be republican but he is also an undeniable leader, a respected businessman, a financial wizard and a global brand.
This time around it’s a wise decision to bet on the man, not on the party.
On the other hand, if Mr. Trump decides not to run I wouldn’t blame him either.
After all, who really wants to be in charge of this mess?
http://www.businessinsider.com/why-a-donald-trump-presidency-will-trump-all-2011-4
Sorry, Fools, There's No Way Japan Will Default On Its Debt
Sorry, Fools, There's No Way Japan Will Default On Its Debt
Dean Baker, CEPR | Mar. 18, 2011, 7:15 AM
Dean Baker's title for this post is "Everyone Should Read Floyd Norris".
Floyd Norris has a good piece about how overconfidence in the ability to deal with risks led to both the financial crisis and the crisis with Japan's nuclear power plant. The piece makes the essential point that seems to have escaped great economic thinkers here, that there is no way Japan can default on its debt.
Even though Japan's debt is more than twice its GDP (about three times the size of the U.S. debt), there is no risk of default since its debt is in its own currency. In this way Japan is like the United States and the United Kingdom, and unlike Greece and Ireland.
In the worst case scenario, Japan or the United States would print lots of money and see inflation. Given that Japan has been flirting with deflation for almost two decades this doesn't seem like a plausible scenario, but in any case it is not the story of Greece being held at the mercy of the bond vigilantes who will not buy its debt.
The people who hold up Greece's crisis as a possible scenario for Japan and the United States deserve our contempt if they are deliberately misleading their audience or our empathy if their mistake lacks from their problems with understanding basic economics. However their arguments do not deserve serious consideration by people involved in policy debates.
http://www.businessinsider.com/everyone-should-read-floyd-norris-2011-3
Dean Baker, CEPR | Mar. 18, 2011, 7:15 AM
Dean Baker's title for this post is "Everyone Should Read Floyd Norris".
Floyd Norris has a good piece about how overconfidence in the ability to deal with risks led to both the financial crisis and the crisis with Japan's nuclear power plant. The piece makes the essential point that seems to have escaped great economic thinkers here, that there is no way Japan can default on its debt.
Even though Japan's debt is more than twice its GDP (about three times the size of the U.S. debt), there is no risk of default since its debt is in its own currency. In this way Japan is like the United States and the United Kingdom, and unlike Greece and Ireland.
In the worst case scenario, Japan or the United States would print lots of money and see inflation. Given that Japan has been flirting with deflation for almost two decades this doesn't seem like a plausible scenario, but in any case it is not the story of Greece being held at the mercy of the bond vigilantes who will not buy its debt.
The people who hold up Greece's crisis as a possible scenario for Japan and the United States deserve our contempt if they are deliberately misleading their audience or our empathy if their mistake lacks from their problems with understanding basic economics. However their arguments do not deserve serious consideration by people involved in policy debates.
http://www.businessinsider.com/everyone-should-read-floyd-norris-2011-3
Sunday, April 3, 2011
COMING CHANGES IN OUR LIVES
COMING CHANGES IN OUR LIVES
Whether these changes are good or bad depends in part upon how we adapt to them but, ready or not, here they come!
1. The Post Office. Get ready to imagine a world without the post office. They are so deeply in financial trouble that there is probably no way to sustain it long term. Email, Fed Ex, and UPS have just about wiped out the minimum revenue needed to keep the post office alive. Most of your mail every day is junk mail and bills.
2. The Check. Britain is already laying the groundwork to do away with checks by 2018. It costs the financial system billions of dollars a year to process checks. Plastic cards and online transactions will lead to the eventual demise of the check. This plays right into the death of the post office. If you never paid your bills by mail and never received them by mail, the post office would absolutely go out of business.
3. The Newspaper. The younger generation simply doesn't read the newspaper. They certainly don't subscribe to a daily delivered print edition. That may go the way of the milkman and the laundry man. As for reading the paper online, get ready to pay for it. The rise in mobile Internet devices and e-readers has caused all the newspaper and magazine publishers to form an alliance. They have met with Apple, Amazon, and the major cell phone companies to develop a model for paid subscription services.
4. The Book. You say you will never give up the physical book that you hold in your hand and turn the lit eral pages. I said the same thing about downloading music from iTunes. I wanted my hard copy CD. But I quickly changed my mind when I discovered that I could get albums for half the price without ever leaving home to get the latest music. The same thing will happen with books. You can browse a bookstore online and even read a preview chapter before you buy. And the price is less than half that of a real book. and think of the convenience once you start flicking your fingers on the screen instead of the book, you find that you are lost in the story, can't wait to see what happens next, and you forget that you're holding a gadget instead of a book.
5. The Land Line Telephone. Unless you have a large family and make a lot of local calls, you don't need it anymore. Most people keep it simply because they've always had it. But you are paying double charges for that extra service. All the cell phone companies will let you call customers using the same cell provider for no charge against your minutes.
6. Music. This is one of the saddest parts of the change story. The music industry is dying a slow death. Not just because of illegal downloading. It's the lack of innovative new music being given a chance to get to the people who like to hear it. Greed and corruption is the problem. The record labels and the radio conglomerates simply self-destruction. Over 40% of th e music purchased today is "catalog items," meaning traditional music that the public is familiar with. Older established artists. This is also true on the live concert circuit. To explore this fascinating and disturbing topic further, check out the book Appetite for Self-Destruction by Steve Knopper and the video documentary "Before the Music Dies."
7. Television. Revenues to the networks are down dramatically. Not just because of the economy. People are watching TV and movies streamed from their computers. And they're playing games and doing lots of other things that take up the time that used to be spent watching TV. Prime time shows have degenerated to lower than the lowest common denominator. Cable rates are skyrocketing and commercials run about every 4 minutes and 30 seconds. I say good riddance to most of it It's time for the cable companies to be put out of our misery. Let the people choose what they want to watch online and through Netflix.
8. The "Things" That You Own. Many of the very possessions that we used to own are still in our lives, but we may not actually own them in the future. They may si mply reside in "the cloud." Today your computer has a hard drive and you store your pictures, music, movies, and documents. Your software is on a CD or DVD, and you can always re-install it if need be. But all of that is changing. Apple, Microsoft, and Google are all finishing up their latest "cloud services." That means that when you turn on a computer, the Internet will be built into the operating system.
So, Windows, Google, and the Mac OS will be tied straight into the Internet. If you click an icon, it will open something in the Internet cloud. If you save something, it will be saved to the cloud. And you may pay a monthly subscription fee to the cloud provider. In this virtual world, you can access your music or your books, or your whatever from any laptop or handheld device. That's the good news. But, will you actually own any of this "stuff" or will it all be able to disappear at any moment in a big "poof"? Will most of the things in our lives be disposable and whimsical? It makes you want to run to the closet and pull out that photo album, grab a book from the shelf, or open up a CD case and pull out the insert.
9. Privacy. If there ever was a concept that we can look back on nostalgically, it would be privacy. That's gone. It's been gone for a long time anyway. There are cameras on the street, in most of the buildings, and even built into your computer and cell phone. But you can be sure that 24/7 "They" know who you are and where you are, right down to the GPS coordinates, and the Google Street View. If you buy something, your habit is put into a zillion profiles, and your ads will change to reflect those habits. And "They" will try to get you to buy something else. Again and again. All we will have that can't be changed are memories.
Footnote: There will be more and more people out of work.....post office, newpaper, bank employees, many television professions, printers, music industry, etc, etc, etc.
Whether these changes are good or bad depends in part upon how we adapt to them but, ready or not, here they come!
1. The Post Office. Get ready to imagine a world without the post office. They are so deeply in financial trouble that there is probably no way to sustain it long term. Email, Fed Ex, and UPS have just about wiped out the minimum revenue needed to keep the post office alive. Most of your mail every day is junk mail and bills.
2. The Check. Britain is already laying the groundwork to do away with checks by 2018. It costs the financial system billions of dollars a year to process checks. Plastic cards and online transactions will lead to the eventual demise of the check. This plays right into the death of the post office. If you never paid your bills by mail and never received them by mail, the post office would absolutely go out of business.
3. The Newspaper. The younger generation simply doesn't read the newspaper. They certainly don't subscribe to a daily delivered print edition. That may go the way of the milkman and the laundry man. As for reading the paper online, get ready to pay for it. The rise in mobile Internet devices and e-readers has caused all the newspaper and magazine publishers to form an alliance. They have met with Apple, Amazon, and the major cell phone companies to develop a model for paid subscription services.
4. The Book. You say you will never give up the physical book that you hold in your hand and turn the lit eral pages. I said the same thing about downloading music from iTunes. I wanted my hard copy CD. But I quickly changed my mind when I discovered that I could get albums for half the price without ever leaving home to get the latest music. The same thing will happen with books. You can browse a bookstore online and even read a preview chapter before you buy. And the price is less than half that of a real book. and think of the convenience once you start flicking your fingers on the screen instead of the book, you find that you are lost in the story, can't wait to see what happens next, and you forget that you're holding a gadget instead of a book.
5. The Land Line Telephone. Unless you have a large family and make a lot of local calls, you don't need it anymore. Most people keep it simply because they've always had it. But you are paying double charges for that extra service. All the cell phone companies will let you call customers using the same cell provider for no charge against your minutes.
6. Music. This is one of the saddest parts of the change story. The music industry is dying a slow death. Not just because of illegal downloading. It's the lack of innovative new music being given a chance to get to the people who like to hear it. Greed and corruption is the problem. The record labels and the radio conglomerates simply self-destruction. Over 40% of th e music purchased today is "catalog items," meaning traditional music that the public is familiar with. Older established artists. This is also true on the live concert circuit. To explore this fascinating and disturbing topic further, check out the book Appetite for Self-Destruction by Steve Knopper and the video documentary "Before the Music Dies."
7. Television. Revenues to the networks are down dramatically. Not just because of the economy. People are watching TV and movies streamed from their computers. And they're playing games and doing lots of other things that take up the time that used to be spent watching TV. Prime time shows have degenerated to lower than the lowest common denominator. Cable rates are skyrocketing and commercials run about every 4 minutes and 30 seconds. I say good riddance to most of it It's time for the cable companies to be put out of our misery. Let the people choose what they want to watch online and through Netflix.
8. The "Things" That You Own. Many of the very possessions that we used to own are still in our lives, but we may not actually own them in the future. They may si mply reside in "the cloud." Today your computer has a hard drive and you store your pictures, music, movies, and documents. Your software is on a CD or DVD, and you can always re-install it if need be. But all of that is changing. Apple, Microsoft, and Google are all finishing up their latest "cloud services." That means that when you turn on a computer, the Internet will be built into the operating system.
So, Windows, Google, and the Mac OS will be tied straight into the Internet. If you click an icon, it will open something in the Internet cloud. If you save something, it will be saved to the cloud. And you may pay a monthly subscription fee to the cloud provider. In this virtual world, you can access your music or your books, or your whatever from any laptop or handheld device. That's the good news. But, will you actually own any of this "stuff" or will it all be able to disappear at any moment in a big "poof"? Will most of the things in our lives be disposable and whimsical? It makes you want to run to the closet and pull out that photo album, grab a book from the shelf, or open up a CD case and pull out the insert.
9. Privacy. If there ever was a concept that we can look back on nostalgically, it would be privacy. That's gone. It's been gone for a long time anyway. There are cameras on the street, in most of the buildings, and even built into your computer and cell phone. But you can be sure that 24/7 "They" know who you are and where you are, right down to the GPS coordinates, and the Google Street View. If you buy something, your habit is put into a zillion profiles, and your ads will change to reflect those habits. And "They" will try to get you to buy something else. Again and again. All we will have that can't be changed are memories.
Footnote: There will be more and more people out of work.....post office, newpaper, bank employees, many television professions, printers, music industry, etc, etc, etc.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
How to Feng Shui Your Cubicle
How to Feng Shui Your Cubicle
By Meredith Simonds
Instructions
things you'll need:
Cleaner and cloths
Mirror
Plants
Something purple
Something black
1
Cleaning crews may come in, but aside from an empty wastebasket, it's usually hard to tell. Bring in your own cloths and cleaning solution--not only for this feng shui project, but also to use on a regular basis to get at the dirt most cleaning crews always seem to miss. Try a natural combination of water, vinegar and tea tree oil.
2
Start clearing and cleaning your cubicle from top to bottom. Empty cabinets and drawers of their contents to clean inside. Clear your desk of everything and wipe it down--keyboard, mouse and monitor included. Just pile everything onto the floor and under your desk until your storage spaces are clean.
3
Avoid the habitual inclination to put everything back where it was. Put some thought into where each item can best be utilized with the least effort on your part.
4
If there's anything in your cubicle that you do not need--old files left by the last employee, a hole punch that you never use, a pen holder that you hate--get rid of it. If it's not something you can simply return to the supply closet, ask your office manager or supervisor what should be done with it.
5
Dig into those files that have been building and bulging for months, maybe even years. Get rid of what you can and straighten the rest.
6
If possible, move your computer so that your back is not to the door, which is bad feng shui. Not only does it force you to work under the constant anticipation of someone surprising you from behind, but you're blocking good ch'i, the very energy that feng shui is intended to help you attract. If the logistics of your cubicle do not allow for you to face the door, hang a mirror on your cubicle wall beside your monitor, positioned in such a way that you can see when people come to your door. This mirror will also attract good ch'i into your cube.
7
If you do not already have a live plant in your cubicle, bring one from home. It will help circulate nourishing ch'i throughout the space. If possible, bring a couple of them and place them on either side of your door to attract good ch'i into your cube.
8
Work is a great place to enhance the wealth area of your life. To enhance the wealth area in your cubicle, place something purple in the far-left corner from the door.
9
Hang some pictures of landscapes on your cubicle walls. It not only creates the illusion of windows, through which ch'i flows, but also creates for you the kind of peaceful environment you need to feel at ease, which is the ultimate intention of feng shui. Bodies of water are especially helpful, as water is associated with the career area of your life. Hang this picture on the wall that your door is on, as this is the career area of your space.
Tips & Warnings
It's tempting to wallpaper cubicles with photographs, cartoons, calendars, clippings and posters. Keep it to a minimum, as it can start to look like one big chaotic mess which, ultimately, you'll start to feel inside.
Afternoon sun coming in from the west can be oppressive. If you're affected by it in your cubicle, and you have a place to do so, hang a crystal ball to turn this negative ch'i into a rainbow of nourishing color
http://www.ehow.com/how_2205323_feng-shui-cubicle.html
==================================================================================
How to Feng Shui a Cubical
by Zari Ballard
1
Clear the clutter. First and foremost, look around your cubical for everything and anything irrelevant and toss it. This would include any old poems or pictures pinned to the partition wall, last month's post-it note reminders, the scribbled-on papers and torn envelopes in the desk tray, pens that do not work, old file folders you'll never use, all broken or forgotten knick-knacks, souvenir coffee cups, brochures you'll never look at, magazines from two months back, anything that has a phone number on it but no name, the bagel you'll never eat and the sweater you'll never wear on the stool you'll never sit on.
2
Create the "power" position. In an office, the perfect feng shui "power" position calls for the worker to be seated at a desk so that he or she faces the door or entrance opening. However, office cubicles are typically are so small that arranging furniture in this position is all but impossible. Sitting with your back to the door can create anxiety and cause the nagging feeling that someone or something may be "sneaking up" on you. If this is the case in your cubical, solve the problem by arranging a mirror somewhere in your space that allows you to view the reflection of the entrance behind you.
3
Decorate "feng shui" style. Now that you've eliminated the clutter in your cubicle and created your "power" position, add cubicle decorations for positive chi. To encourage positive chi, ensure that each and every decoration in your cubicle has harmonious meaning. Framed pictures of serene landscapes or similar artwork will soothe the soul. According to the nine life areas of the Feng Shui Ba-gua octagon, your Career Area is presented by where you sit at your desk or in your cubicle. From this starting point, your Wealth Area would be the far left corner of the top of your desk or workspace. Enhance your Wealth Area by adding even the smallest piece of ribbon or paper in the colors of purple, blue, green, or gold. If you have a beloved object or knick-knack that represents wealth to you, feel free to add it to this very important area.
4
Add green plants and soothing water. If you possibly can, add nine small green plants to your cubicle space. Situate plants so that they sprinkle positive chi throughout your workspace. The color of green is, of course, representative of wealth and will attract abundance and creativity into your cubicle. A soothing water fountain creates active, positive chi and encourages only abundance-building individuals and energy to enter through your cubicle opening.
http://www.ehow.com/how_4460626_feng-shui-cubical.html
By Meredith Simonds
Instructions
things you'll need:
Cleaner and cloths
Mirror
Plants
Something purple
Something black
1
Cleaning crews may come in, but aside from an empty wastebasket, it's usually hard to tell. Bring in your own cloths and cleaning solution--not only for this feng shui project, but also to use on a regular basis to get at the dirt most cleaning crews always seem to miss. Try a natural combination of water, vinegar and tea tree oil.
2
Start clearing and cleaning your cubicle from top to bottom. Empty cabinets and drawers of their contents to clean inside. Clear your desk of everything and wipe it down--keyboard, mouse and monitor included. Just pile everything onto the floor and under your desk until your storage spaces are clean.
3
Avoid the habitual inclination to put everything back where it was. Put some thought into where each item can best be utilized with the least effort on your part.
4
If there's anything in your cubicle that you do not need--old files left by the last employee, a hole punch that you never use, a pen holder that you hate--get rid of it. If it's not something you can simply return to the supply closet, ask your office manager or supervisor what should be done with it.
5
Dig into those files that have been building and bulging for months, maybe even years. Get rid of what you can and straighten the rest.
6
If possible, move your computer so that your back is not to the door, which is bad feng shui. Not only does it force you to work under the constant anticipation of someone surprising you from behind, but you're blocking good ch'i, the very energy that feng shui is intended to help you attract. If the logistics of your cubicle do not allow for you to face the door, hang a mirror on your cubicle wall beside your monitor, positioned in such a way that you can see when people come to your door. This mirror will also attract good ch'i into your cube.
7
If you do not already have a live plant in your cubicle, bring one from home. It will help circulate nourishing ch'i throughout the space. If possible, bring a couple of them and place them on either side of your door to attract good ch'i into your cube.
8
Work is a great place to enhance the wealth area of your life. To enhance the wealth area in your cubicle, place something purple in the far-left corner from the door.
9
Hang some pictures of landscapes on your cubicle walls. It not only creates the illusion of windows, through which ch'i flows, but also creates for you the kind of peaceful environment you need to feel at ease, which is the ultimate intention of feng shui. Bodies of water are especially helpful, as water is associated with the career area of your life. Hang this picture on the wall that your door is on, as this is the career area of your space.
Tips & Warnings
It's tempting to wallpaper cubicles with photographs, cartoons, calendars, clippings and posters. Keep it to a minimum, as it can start to look like one big chaotic mess which, ultimately, you'll start to feel inside.
Afternoon sun coming in from the west can be oppressive. If you're affected by it in your cubicle, and you have a place to do so, hang a crystal ball to turn this negative ch'i into a rainbow of nourishing color
http://www.ehow.com/how_2205323_feng-shui-cubicle.html
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How to Feng Shui a Cubical
by Zari Ballard
1
Clear the clutter. First and foremost, look around your cubical for everything and anything irrelevant and toss it. This would include any old poems or pictures pinned to the partition wall, last month's post-it note reminders, the scribbled-on papers and torn envelopes in the desk tray, pens that do not work, old file folders you'll never use, all broken or forgotten knick-knacks, souvenir coffee cups, brochures you'll never look at, magazines from two months back, anything that has a phone number on it but no name, the bagel you'll never eat and the sweater you'll never wear on the stool you'll never sit on.
2
Create the "power" position. In an office, the perfect feng shui "power" position calls for the worker to be seated at a desk so that he or she faces the door or entrance opening. However, office cubicles are typically are so small that arranging furniture in this position is all but impossible. Sitting with your back to the door can create anxiety and cause the nagging feeling that someone or something may be "sneaking up" on you. If this is the case in your cubical, solve the problem by arranging a mirror somewhere in your space that allows you to view the reflection of the entrance behind you.
3
Decorate "feng shui" style. Now that you've eliminated the clutter in your cubicle and created your "power" position, add cubicle decorations for positive chi. To encourage positive chi, ensure that each and every decoration in your cubicle has harmonious meaning. Framed pictures of serene landscapes or similar artwork will soothe the soul. According to the nine life areas of the Feng Shui Ba-gua octagon, your Career Area is presented by where you sit at your desk or in your cubicle. From this starting point, your Wealth Area would be the far left corner of the top of your desk or workspace. Enhance your Wealth Area by adding even the smallest piece of ribbon or paper in the colors of purple, blue, green, or gold. If you have a beloved object or knick-knack that represents wealth to you, feel free to add it to this very important area.
4
Add green plants and soothing water. If you possibly can, add nine small green plants to your cubicle space. Situate plants so that they sprinkle positive chi throughout your workspace. The color of green is, of course, representative of wealth and will attract abundance and creativity into your cubicle. A soothing water fountain creates active, positive chi and encourages only abundance-building individuals and energy to enter through your cubicle opening.
http://www.ehow.com/how_4460626_feng-shui-cubical.html
Google's April Fool's Day Joke
Google's April Fool's Day Joke: Gmail Motion (VIDEO)
http://googledocs.blogspot.com/2011/04/coming-soon-google-docs-motion-beta.html
Top 5 Viral Pictures of 1911
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNm8ZCJ7Fx8&feature=player_embedded
http://googledocs.blogspot.com/2011/04/coming-soon-google-docs-motion-beta.html
Top 5 Viral Pictures of 1911
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNm8ZCJ7Fx8&feature=player_embedded
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