Category Archives: Of Interest

On December 14th, after watching several videos on youtube about the protests against the Dakota Pipline, I was very upset. Our government doesn’t seem to understand that you can’t just destroy the land around you and expect human civilization to survive in the long run. Environmental destruction is a slippery slope. It starts out little by little and then you destroy more and more until you have serious problems that creep up on you.

The immediate facts are that:
Native Americans protested the DAPL pipeline.
Native Americans claimed that all pipelines leak, and that it is just a matter of time.
Historical records show that pipelines leak frequently, but that major spills don’t necessarily happen often.
I saw people being abused by cruel police officers at protests with pepper spray, physical violence, arresting people who were not committing crimes, and other abuses.

So, I decided to say a prayer for ten minutes. I prayed that all of the native peoples of the Dakotas would be protected from evil of any sort — internal or external. The very next day there was a huge breakage in a different pipeline, also in North Dakota. That pipeline which was built in 1980 leaked 180,000 gallons into a small stream. Two days later, I saw that Native Americans were negotiating with the Army Corp of Engineers. They were actually being listened to in a positive way!

I don’t know if this major leak was a good thing that will raise consciousness or a bad thing. But, I believe that all pipelines must be taken down as they are too dangerous and destructive to the environment. I don’t know if my prayer caused things to happen or not, but what I saw was a dramatic change of events immediately after my prayer!

We need to end environmentally unsound practices otherwise this planet will not be safe for any of us to live in!

I am a weird person. I pay my psychic big bucks to talk to the spirit of my departed guru and a few other sources of quality spiritual information. But, sometimes I ask my guru business questions. As you know, I am very interested in social media dn invest a lot of time into it. To do well on Facebook I use relevant and high quality photos for each post. I pick the most popular materials and promote them using Facebook’s paid promotion features. I do a lot to make sure my Facebook does well and we get between 3000 and 8000 clicks per month which is unheard of for a business as small as mine.

But, I do mystical things to promote my social media as well. I learned that hanging out at certain cafes, bars, jazz clubs, symphony hall, as well as Facebook headquarters does miracles for my social media. I can multiply my clicks by up to four fold simply by spending time at Facebook headquarters in Menlo park for a few hours.

The problem is that security won’t let me in, or should I say, hasn’t let me in yet. I talked the problem over with my psychic and guru. The suggestion was to put a photo of Facebook headquarters under my pillow. I am not good at photography, but found a great photo online. So, maybe I can get that printed out and nail it to my wall, and put another one under my pillow. I wonder what the results will be. I guess I’ll find out soon.

The moral of the story is that the photo of Facebook headquarters contains the AURA of the place which carries a certain energetic charge that might be helpful. Let’s hope for the best here. In the mean time I’m keeping a photo of Facebook on my computer screen that is visible while I’m working. I have a very wide screen. Maybe that will help. We’ll find out in a day or two. What a great feng-shui experiment!

How to Protect Sensitive Data When Outsourcing

Outsourcing becomes a viable option if a company is to remain competitive, retain its profits and keep its dynamism. It allows a business to subcontract parts of its services or offerings to specialized professionals. Outsourcing offers many benefits to include: cost-cutting leading to money savings, increased efficiency and even reduction in labor costs.

But, outsourcing has its drawbacks, too not least of which is sensitive data that might be compromised when you decide to subcontract parts of your company’s functions outside of your organization. In fact, IBM estimates that a data breach can actually cost an American company $3.5 m. Protecting data that is available to workers when outsourcing is a great challenge that many owners and managers seriously have to think about.

Protect Data Internally
Before even subcontracting work, it is imperative to take a closer look at your own data protection and security. Investigate possible loopholes and address these concerns accordingly. Data should be grouped as general or that which can be shared among workers and sensitive or restricted, accessible only to people with credentials and privileges. There should be security software in place that can monitor how data is accessed to avoid identity theft and information leakages. Log records can also be generated periodically to ensure that only authorized persons access classified data.

Scout for an Outsourcing Vendor
Once this is sorted and a solid data protection is in place, it is time to look for an outsourcing vendor. You can do this by formulating a terms of reference outlining objectives, expected output, expertise needed, budget and monitoring instruments.

Check Candidates
As soon as you receive proposals for the work you intend to outsource, pay special attention to how bidders or applicants propose to handle data protection. You might want to include an NDA clause. It is also possible to second your own employee to work with your subcontractor to ensure that data privileges are not abused. He/she will serve as a counterbalance mechanism.

If a vendor has its pool of employees, it is highly recommended to grant data access privileges to 1-2 persons only. Check if the provider has technology or software in place that handles the flow and process of data. Things like having a dedicated server, IPs and LANs are helpful in data protection. Other additional controls include video control systems for employees, security badges and limited access to data rooms.

If handled properly, outsourcing can provide real benefits to the company without risking sensitive data that will be detrimental to the health of the business. After all, an outsourcing provider is there to sustain their business and by ensuring data protection, their reputation as reliable and trustworthy vendors can only benefit their enterprise making it a win-win situation for both parties.

I recently read on Harvard Business Review that robots are now becoming managers. All I can say, is that I hope they get paid well. After work, the robots hang out at a bar that specializes in “oil tasting.” No, not olive oil either. Just kidding about the oil tasting. The robots only use a highly refined type of synthetic “designer oil.”

Robot managers are better than humans in various ways.
1. You can’t have a personality conflict with a robot, unless you program it to have a difficult personality (which would be interesting.)
2. Robots can analyze large amounts of data to come up with good decisions that would be too vast for a human to compile.
3. Robots don’t mind working overtime just as long as they get their union mandated 15 minute oil break.
4. Robots don’t quit their job or have maternity leave so long as you hire a guy robot with a solid work ethic (and solid circuits.)
5. Robots don’t make intuitive decisions based on biases. Decision making would be more fair.
6. Many human managers are mediocre and fail to inspire their workers which leads to disengaged workers.

In my opinion, disengaged workers are the biggest problem that management has to deal with. The biggest part of the problem is that workers don’t feel appreciated or part of the team. Personality clashes or lack of compatibility are part of that. Having a robot doesn’t seem to solve this problem as a robot cannot stimulate that joy of working on a team with other humans.

I personally feel that robots should be used to assist managers at managing, but should not replace them completely. With more robot managers to help out, you might need less human managers. But, the main theme that I have seen in management is the ability to choose the right people, train them and bring out their best. A lot of bringing out someone’s best has to do with how often and how well you interact with them. A robot cannot interact with a human in a meaningful way unless you can program a personality into it (which might be a reality sooner than you think.)

It seems clear that a robot manager could decide purely based on numbers what to do, when to do it, and the most efficient way to do it. But, human concerns require a more intuitive touch that a robot would only be able to handle the numerical side of. So, yes, let’s use robots, but use them in proportion and use them the right way!

By the way, this blog entry was not written by a robot!

I am seeing so much news about the protests at Standing Rock these days. It seems that modern society has an endless thirst for fossil fuels, but has no understanding about the permanent damage we are doing to our planet. The Native Americans in the Dakotas do understand the damage and that is why they are protesting. But, to end our dependence on fossil fuels, there need to be affordable alternatives. Solar and wind are easy alternatives that could become a lot more widespread if people would spread them.

Since Native Americans have a philosophy of loving the earth and animals, it seems only reasonable that they dominate the solar energy field. They would believe in it the most strongly, and also serve as a good example to others. If the world seems people using solar energy and wind power in America, the rest of the world will gradually follow, even if it is more expensive.

If solar becomes mainstream, there will be more research into more efficient ways of building solar infrastructure and the price of the solar equipment will go down making it affordable. Another factor to consider is that solar energy is much more cost effective if the energy is used when and where it is produced.

Solar energy is much more easily produced in the American Southwest where it is sunny 95% of the time. However, the Germans have been successfully using solar energy for 30% of their winter energy needs when it is snowing, raining, or cloudy. If Germans can use solar in the winter, then anyone can use it successfully.

The other thing to remember is that there is terrible unemployment in Native American parts of the country. Having a solar industry where they live would give much needed jobs. So far the only successful industries in native areas have been casinos and jewelry. It would be nice to see people making money at doing something wholesome like alternative energy instead of gambling which is detremental to the human race.

A friend tried to introduce me to a woman. But, I learned that the woman wanted to control all of the money. I like to control money because I trust myself and feel I am reasonable at it as well. Also, I feel it is the man’s job to control the money, not the woman’s, but try explaining that to Chinese women who want to control everything!

If you marry a woman, you need to be on the same page about money. And if you run a business, you need to be sensible about handling money as well. Here are my pointers.

1. Don’t acquire debt.
Having debt is bad. Debt requires you to make monthly interest payments which can really zap your resources. Additionally, debt can become runaway debt which is very dangerous. Borrowing money for interest is forbidden in many religions and exactly for this reason as it can cause economic slavery. If you buy a building for your business, in that situation, you might need to borrow. But, try not to borrow a large percentage of the proceeds. Try to have a large portion of the equity to keep yourself stable.

2. Spend in moderation
Some people spend all of their money on nice cars, clothes, frivolities. I am not like this. have fun, travel, and maintain my health and comfort with acupuncture, massage and eating out, etc. However, I save money every month. I keep money in the bank, stocks, bonds, gold, etc. This is a great way to be stable in any economy. If business gets bad, I have money to fall back on for a very long time

3. Have liquid assets.
Every month, I save a little bit and add it to my nest egg. I keep a lot of money liquid instead of putting it all in a house because you never know when you need to take your money out. It makes more sense to buy a house after you have a few hundred thousand in liquid assets. But, others rarely manage their finances this way and they pay for it in the long run. If you lose your job, you still need to make house payments which is hard if you have no savings. So, have lots of liquid assets and be financially stable.
.
4. Diversify your savings
My recommendations for diversification includes buying: Stable stocks, gold, having cash, safe bonds, etc. Stocks should be in four or more industries, but I don’t think it is necessary to have stock in all fifteen industries othewise you’ll focus too much on the industry and not enough on which stocks actually make sense to buy.

5. Safe diversification vs. risky diversification
Stock “experts” always want investors to diversify a little too much. It is good to have money in different industries, but there are other points to consider. If you are in 20 different industries in stocks that are all volatile, during the next crash you will lose everything. Some people like buying indexes as it is “safer,” but if your entire index crashes by 80% in the next depression, how safe are you really despite what all your upper middle class educated friends might claim? They are not financial experts despite their PhD. If they were financial experts, they would not be upper middle class, they would be wealthy and hanging around the country club instead of talking to you!

I put my investments in Banking, Food & Beverages, and general Medical manufacturing like Johnson & Johnson. These are stable industries that we always need. I consider the auto industry, transportation, and airlines to be very risky. But, just because you invest in banks doesn’t make you safe. Some banks like Wells Fargo are stable and have a good growth rate while Citibank might fold in the next decade or two.

6. Know your stock metrics
If you invest in stocks, there are several metrics you need to understand to take the guesswork out of the stocks.

Growth: How fast has the industry grown in the last 30 years?

Stability: How stable is your industry in a recession?

Profit margin & return on investment tell you how efficient the management is compared to other companies in the same industry.
P/E ratio is the most important metric as that tells you how much income you get for each dollar invested.

P/B: However, P/B ratio tells you how much the assets of the company are worth compared to the price of the stock which is a good metric as an indication of future growth potential according to the experts.

Equity: I also look at equity ratios as I consider companies that are too high in debt to be risky.

Earnings Stability: Last, companies that have irratic earnings don’t see safe. I look for companies whose income is stable and grows slowly over time.

7. Bonds should be safe
If you are an expert in junk bonds, good for you. But, for the rest of us, we need to be able to bank on our money. Safe bonds might include bonds for nations that are not too high in debt like Chile or Peru. Companies like Disney, Coca Cola, Wells Fargo, etc., are very stable and offer high rates on long term bonds. Wherever you invest, check the credit rating of the company or country. Also, get a few different bonds from different sources just in case one goes belly up.

8. Invest in your business
I believe in investing little by little in my business. I do not make sudden investments. I invest in good writers and pay them by the piece. I invest in programming little by little. I also buy a new computer from time to time. Advertising is a constant expense. When you invest little by little, you can get a better sense of what the investment is getting you rather than betting your life on something that might never happen. if you want to start a huge BPO, instead of investing in a huge office, learn the business from the ground up. Start in your living room and work your way up slowly. That is financially stable. You can get wiped out and lose your life savings if you try to grow too fast!

In the United States for example, the states that experience the most immigration have the best economies. States like California, Connecticut, New York, etc. have booming economies. States like Mississippi that have had the same people for the last few hundred years tend to have slower economies. There is a correlation between population movement and wealth. Part of the correlation is that wealth attracts new populations from other regions. The other part of the equation is that people who move tend to be more highly motivated and hence will work harder in most cases than local born people.

In California for example, the first generation Mexicans here will work under the worst conditions for minimal pay in the fields, kitchens, or painting houses for example. Their children are hard workers as well, but prefer cleaner work conditions. People in America who are fourth generation have a work ethic, but are more picky about what they do. But, in sluggish states where people have been in the same region for ten or more generations, sluggishness (and hospitality) seems to be a way of life for many.

Europe’s population seems to be stagnating as well. New ways of doing business are not always embraced. The language differences make international trade more complicated. And last, the national divide and the countries going in and out of unions also make Europe a tough place to get things done. In North America, you can get products from Mexico to Canada in hours by truck. The manufacturing and distribution is very efficient and companies are always using new techniques. We embrace new foods, new cultures and new ways of doing things in America while Europe seems to be stuck in tradition.

The immigrants in Europe offer a hope to boost the decaying population whose growth is negative. But, Europe doesn’t know how to handle immigration. They don’t embrace differences, they don’t accept others, foreigners live in ghettos, and it is harder to find work. If you accept immigrants without assimilating them it creates a polarized society.

The other problem with Europe is that they don’t pick their immigrants well. If you pick hardworking decent people from the Middle East and integrate them into society, you will end up with prosperity. Europe is not intelligent enough to be able to figure this out. Instead, they let in ruffians, terrorists and bums and wonder why their girls are getting raped, and why attacks are happening all over France and other areas. Europe picked the wrong people, segregated them, and then suffered the consequences. Do you think Europe will figure out that they need to pick the right people and be a little more accepting of them?