Blog being combined

I've decided to combine my blogs in a single location. Please see the new blog at MidwestGuru.com

Farmer's Market

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Fell into Deep Sleep Right Before Waking

Sleep statistics for 28 - 29 May (Sat).

Went to bed / woke up: 12:21 AM / 7:50 AM
Total time: 7h 28m

Analysis made by Sleep Cycle.

My sleep graph for the entire night:

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Chris Weible

http://www.midwestguru.com

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Why Zuckerberg doesn't have Asperger's. Inspired by #twig

There has been several recent comments stating that Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook might have Asperger's Syndrome.  Speaking as someone with Asperger's, and the parent of someone with Asperger's, I can be sure that Zuckerberg does not have Asperger's.

The reason people think Zuckerberg has Asperger's is because he demonstrates some of the main symptoms. Mainly because he doesn't think the way most people do, and he doesn't seem to understand that other people don't think the way he does. In an Aspie (someone with Asperger's) this often leads to them unintentionally causing discomfort and harm to other people.

However, there is a big difference.  If you confront someone with Asperger's about how they've hurt someone else unintentionally, they will immediately show remorse. My 14 yo, aspie son is often reduced to tears when he finds out he's hurt someone unintentionally. Zuckerberg on the other hand, not only shows no remorse, but refuses to acknowledge that he's done any damage. 

I propose that Zuckerberg does not have Asperger's, but is instead mildly psychopathic and delusional. I have no proof of this, but he seems to have a complete disconnect with reality that will probably destroy Facebook in the next few years. We are already starting to see it start to fray at the edges as people realize that Zuckerberg has no intention of protecting our privacy or allowing us to protect it while using his service. 

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Now Shipping...Quarter Share by Nathan Lowell

This is one of my all time favorite books.

Shipping News …

via Trader's Diary by Nate on 5/13/10

No, not the book by Annie Proulx — Quarter Share.

Amazon now lists it in stock and Ridan reports they have recieved their initial shipments. I’m waiting for my boxes to show up here in the next day or so and you can order a signed copy of your own right now!

Pretty cool, I think.

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I find stitcher and it's ilk to be less than useful.

While stitcher and it's ilk are intriguing products, I don't really find them that useful. I listen to a lot of podcasts and to have any chance of keeping up, I have to listen to them sped up. Stitcher doesn't have a double speed option or anything similar. You have to stream the audio at normal speed. At this rate I'd never catch up.

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Consumer debt is not your friend

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Consumer debt is not your friend

Here's a simple MBA lesson: borrow money to buy things that go up in value. Borrow money if it improves your productivity and makes you more money. Leverage multiplies the power of your business because with leverage, every dollar you make in profit is multiplied.

That's very different from the consumer version of this lesson: borrow money to buy things that go down in value. This is wrongheaded, short-term and irrational.

A few decades ago, mass marketers had a problem: American consumers had bought all they could buy. It was hard to grow because dispensable income was spoken for. The only way to grow was to steal market share, and that's difficult. Enter consumer debt.

Why fight for a bigger piece of pie when you can make the whole pie bigger, the marketers think. Charge it, they say. Put it on your card. Pay now, why not, it's like it's free, because you don't have to repay it until later. Why buy a Honda for cash when you can buy a Lexus with credit?

One argument is income shifting: you're going to make a lot of money later, so borrow now so you can have a nicer car, etc. Then, when money is worth less to you, you can pay it back. This idea is actually reasonably new--fifty years or so--and it's not borne out by what actually happens. Debt creates stress, stress creates behaviors that don't lead to happiness...

The other argument is that it's been around so long, it's like a trusted friend. Debt seems like fun for a long time, until it's not. And everyone does it. We've been sold very hard on acquisition = happiness, and consumer debt is the engine that permits this. Until it doesn't.

The thing is, debt has become a marketed product in and of itself. It's not a free service or a convenience, it's a massive industry. And that industry works with all the other players in the system to grow, because (at least for now) when they grow, other marketers benefit as well. As soon as you get into serious consumer debt, you work for them, not for you.

It's simple: when the utility of what you want (however you measure it)
is less than the cost of the debt, don't buy it.

Go read Dave Ramsey's post: The truth about debt.

Dave has spent his career teaching people a lesson that many marketers are afraid of: debt is expensive, it compounds, it punishes you. Stuff now is rarely better than stuff later, because stuff now costs you forever if you go into debt to purchase it. He's persistent and persuasive.

It takes discipline to forego pleasure now to avoid a lifetime of pain and fees. Many people, especially when confronted with a blizzard of debt marketing, can't resist.

Resist. Smart people work at keeping their monthly consumer debt burden to zero. Borrow only for things that go...

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Chris Weible

http://www.midwestguru.com

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New #RedPanda book.

Just got my new Red Panda book The Mind Master. Moved it to the top if mount TBR immediately.

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Chris Weible
http://www.midwestguru.com

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iPhone v Android

Why is there such a huge fight over whether iPhone or Android is better? Don't they both have their place?

 

People get into a big argument over which is better iPhone or Android. iPhone has a close system. It's clean, safe, and Apple has tight control of the application approval process. No Malware gets in. None.  Period. It's incredibly intuitive to use. It's not very adaptable and you can't tinker with it.

 

The Android is an open system. It's slick, adaptable, can do many things that the iPhone can't do. There's no one controlling what apps you can put on the system. You can tinker to your hearts content. Malware has already gotten in. Due to its adaptability, it's not as intuitive as it could be.

 

Both phones have their places. Ether phone could be considered state of the art in cell phone technology. And each is pushing the other to improve. Which is better is dependant on a lot of things. When choosing one, you must consider what you need the phone to do, what you would like the phone to do, and what you think of the carrier that offers the phone.

 

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Alergies

I never used to have allergies. It's only been the last 10 years that they've been bothering me. That being said, this year is really bad. I'm having a horrible time trying to breath through my nose and I'm getting massive headaches. I count myself lucky, however, that I can still effectively treat my allergies with over the counter meds. My father's allergies are so bad that he's on prescription meds at greater than the recommended dosage. At the rate mine are getting worse. I'll be just like my father when I get to his age.

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Sleep eludes me

Sleep statistics for 14 - 15 Apr (Thu).

Went to bed / woke up: 11:22 PM / 6:00 AM
Total time: 6h 37m

Analysis made by Sleep Cycle.

My sleep graph for the entire night:

Sent from my iPhone

Chris Weible

http://www.midwestguru.com

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Doggy Bone Is A USB Hub

This could be very interesting.

Doggy Bone Is A USB Hub

via Yanko Design by Radhika Seth on 4/13/10

The SMART • E is a smart USB Extender that saves you the embarrassment of pulling out the wrong plug out of the hub. Imagine losing out precious data or function just coz you pulled the wrong plug! How lame!

The practical dog-bone shape diversifies the sockets to the four ends and keeps the wires under control. Hopefully this won’t stay a concept for too long.

Designer: Emma Design Company

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Warm enough at last

The weather is finally warm enough to start walking to work. It's 2.2 miles from home to work and I'm averaging about 3 mi/hr. This means it's taking me about 45 min to get to work. The hope is that as I get in better shape I'll be able to walk faster and eventually jog. I'm still too heavy for jogging though as I'm at 325 lbs.



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Location:University Ave,Walnut,United States

Weight status update

I had a bad week there but I'm back on track and losing weight again.


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Location:University Ave,Walnut,United States

Pain

It's amazing that we forget what it's like to be in pain when everything is ok.

Right now the joint between my pelvis and tail bone is inflamed. To say it hurts is like saying a laser is bright. It sounds right, but when you're in the middle of it it's a gross understatement.

I'm on some strong meds and hope to return to work$ tomorrow. If needed, I do have some sick time I can take it.


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Sleep can be elusive

Sometimes sleep can be elusive. And sometimes it's not as elusive as we think. This night I thought I was tossing and turning all night. The chart, though, indicates that I went soundly to sleep after a few hours. Still not the level of sleep I wanted but better than tossing all night.



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Location:West Des Moines,United States

A bad dinner

Not bad as in tasts bad. But bad as in bad for me. But it's cheep an I can work it off tomorrow. I feel it's not so much what I eat as how much.


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Location:Vista Dr,West Des Moines,United States

Weight progress

Well, I'm still losing weight. But not as fast as I'd like. I need to exercise more than just on weekend with my son.


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Trouble Sleeping

I hate being sick. Even though I'm almost completely over the cold I've had, I still am having trouble sleeping. I wish I was able to just sleep.


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Location:West Des Moines,United States