Madison is an amazing city with a lot of great things going on. Go out and do some of them - you'll appreciate where you live all the more for it.
On that note, no rules Thursday or Friday this week. I'll be covering the Wisconsin Film Festival for the rest of the week for Dane101. See you again next week.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tip #167: If a woman invites you to watch a video, it's likely she isn't planning to watch the video
If you've been on a date or two with a woman, and she invites you to get together to watch a video at one of your houses, this is probably girl code for making out. While there are exceptions, they are few and far between.
In a highly unscientific survey, Anthony and I asked everyone we ran into over the course of a day if "watching a video" meant making out, and every woman we asked said "yes." Or "duh" or something like that because we were foolish enough not to know.
Men, on the other hand, were much less certain. Some were as confident as "probably," while many didn't make it above "maybe."
Straight men: if a woman you've dated a bit invites you over to watch a video, she probably intends more than watching a video.
Straight women: if you invite a guy over to "watch a video," don't be surprised if he expects to actually watch a video. Yes, we are that dumb.
Non-straight folks: please clue me (and the readers) in on what the rules are for you.
In a highly unscientific survey, Anthony and I asked everyone we ran into over the course of a day if "watching a video" meant making out, and every woman we asked said "yes." Or "duh" or something like that because we were foolish enough not to know.
Men, on the other hand, were much less certain. Some were as confident as "probably," while many didn't make it above "maybe."
Straight men: if a woman you've dated a bit invites you over to watch a video, she probably intends more than watching a video.
Straight women: if you invite a guy over to "watch a video," don't be surprised if he expects to actually watch a video. Yes, we are that dumb.
Non-straight folks: please clue me (and the readers) in on what the rules are for you.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Tip #166: You don't have to answer the phone
This seems obvious but clearly isn't. Just because it rings doesn't mean you have to answer the phone.
There are plenty of good reasons to answer it and plenty of times you'll have to, even if you're already talking to someone. The point of this isn't "don't answer the phone when you're talking to someone, that's rude." It may be in some cases, but I'm talking about something slightly different. The key is that you should make a decision whether to answer it so that you're making a choice to do so.
There are plenty of good reasons to answer it and plenty of times you'll have to, even if you're already talking to someone. The point of this isn't "don't answer the phone when you're talking to someone, that's rude." It may be in some cases, but I'm talking about something slightly different. The key is that you should make a decision whether to answer it so that you're making a choice to do so.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Tip #165: Get an extra hotel key
When you check into most hotels nowadays, they give you a magnetic card to get into your room. If you ask, they'll give you a second one free of charge. Get one, and keep them in different pockets.
+ If you lose one, you'll have a spare.
+ If one gets demagnetized, you'll have a spare. That's why you should keep them in different pockets - the magnetic trauma is less likely to affect both that way.
+ You can give one to someone else who needs to get into your room.
None of these would be a big hassle, but it's so easy to get an extra one that you may as well do so.
+ If you lose one, you'll have a spare.
+ If one gets demagnetized, you'll have a spare. That's why you should keep them in different pockets - the magnetic trauma is less likely to affect both that way.
+ You can give one to someone else who needs to get into your room.
None of these would be a big hassle, but it's so easy to get an extra one that you may as well do so.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Tip #164: Keep all your warranty documentation in one place
Find a drawer or a folder or something and stick it all in there. If you can't find the documentation, there isn't much point to getting a warranty in the first place.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Tip #163: Don't speed in town
If you're driving from Cleveland to Madison at the speed limit, it'll take you eight and a half hours. If you drive in the mid seventies, you can shave an hour and a half off of that. It's arguably worth it.
If you're driving around in a small city like Madison, speeding isn't going to make much of a difference. Odds are you'll hit a traffic light and end up getting there no sooner than you would have anyway. The best you're likely to do is to squeeze through a light you otherwise would have hit and get there one cycle sooner -- 30 to 60 seconds.
The cost benefit analysis doesn't favor speeding. You run the risk of getting a ticket, you increase the odds you'll get in an accident (especially if the roads are wet), and if you do get in an accident the odds are higher you'll be considered at fault.
If you're driving around in a small city like Madison, speeding isn't going to make much of a difference. Odds are you'll hit a traffic light and end up getting there no sooner than you would have anyway. The best you're likely to do is to squeeze through a light you otherwise would have hit and get there one cycle sooner -- 30 to 60 seconds.
The cost benefit analysis doesn't favor speeding. You run the risk of getting a ticket, you increase the odds you'll get in an accident (especially if the roads are wet), and if you do get in an accident the odds are higher you'll be considered at fault.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Tip #162: Don't take a smartphone near a microphone
If you're going to talk in a mic, leave your smart phone at your seat. The radios in smart phones are pretty talky and can cause noisy interference with mics.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Tip #161: Park next to nice cars
If you have the choice between parking next to a nice car or a junker, park next to the nice one.
The owner probably cares more about the car and takes better care of it and thus is less likely to hit your car on the way out, and it's more likely to be insured.
The owner probably cares more about the car and takes better care of it and thus is less likely to hit your car on the way out, and it's more likely to be insured.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Tip #160: Do your dishes before you leave town
In general you don't want a mess to be waiting for you when you get home. Not only are dirty dishes a mess, anything on then will really set, the might get moldy, and they might attract pests.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Do the right thing #3: Clear the snow off the roof of your car
When you're cleaning off your windshield, get the roof, too. Otherwise it will blow off when you get up to speed. If it hits the car behind you, the driver won't be able to see for a bit.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Tip #159: Assume anyone can read the messages on a mailing list
Your email with one other person may well be reasonably private. If you're explicitly emailing a small group of people, you're probably okay. But once you start sending messages to a larger mailing list, don't assume anything you say will remain private.
Consider the odds at least one of the following is true of someone you wouldn't want to see a given message:
+ She is on the list. You can't see everyone who's a member of many mailing lists.
+ She has a friend who is on the list who will forward the message.
+ There's a public archive of the list.
+ Someone is subscribed to the list with an email account that's subject to public record requests.
+ Someone who's on the list doesn't secure his account properly.
It's just too easy for something to get out there in a way you don't like. Play it safe and write as if anyone might read it.
Consider the odds at least one of the following is true of someone you wouldn't want to see a given message:
+ She is on the list. You can't see everyone who's a member of many mailing lists.
+ She has a friend who is on the list who will forward the message.
+ There's a public archive of the list.
+ Someone is subscribed to the list with an email account that's subject to public record requests.
+ Someone who's on the list doesn't secure his account properly.
It's just too easy for something to get out there in a way you don't like. Play it safe and write as if anyone might read it.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Tip #158: When someone says "How would you feel if...?" that isn't the question you should answer
When someone asks you how you would feel if he said or did something you just said or did, this is not a real question. If you answer it as if it were, you'll probably make him feel worse than he already does.
What he really means to say is "When you did that, it made me feel bad, and I'd like you to acknowledge my feelings." He's trying to get you to empathize by asking you how you'd feel. If you want to maintain a positive relationship, respond to what he meant rather than what he actually said.
What he really means to say is "When you did that, it made me feel bad, and I'd like you to acknowledge my feelings." He's trying to get you to empathize by asking you how you'd feel. If you want to maintain a positive relationship, respond to what he meant rather than what he actually said.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Rerun Tip#62: Don't use childish nicknames for people you don't like
I wasn't planning to recycle any old rules this week, but this one seemed apropos.
If you don't agree with someone, feel free to say so, but do it in an adult manner. Calling names isn't something mature people do.
I see this most often in politics. There's an office holder or candidate you think is terrible. It's easy to come up with cute names that make someone look silly, but there's a danger there. If you're talking to someone who has some degree of respect for the person you're making fun of, he could easily lose respect for you.
Name calling will never win someone over to your side. If you want to maintain any chance of convincing someone who is on the fence let along someone who actively supports the candidate you don't like, keep it respectful.
--
I'm going to add a little more to this than I wrote before.
Ask yourself a question: do you believe there's any chance that you could possibly convince someone who doesn't currently agree with you that you're right? Do you have a goal? What is that goal?
If your goal is to talk someone in to something, slinging names is likely to shut down discussion.
I've heard comments in the last week from republicans and democrats in Wisconsin who had a lot to agree on. Bob Lien, who agrees with a lot of what's in Governor Walker's budget and voted for him, thinks Walker is making a mistake taking on unions. State Senator Dale Schultz, a Republican, says "We are going to create a situation where we focus all our energy on wars with each other rather than building up Wisconsin".
Do these sound like idiots? Do these sound like people you can't reason with? These are smart men with meaningful, worthwhile opinions. They don't agree with you on everything. You might disagree more often than you agree. But that doesn't mean there isn't room for some common ground. Keep your dialog sufficiently respectful, and you might have the opportunity to find it.
If you don't agree with someone, feel free to say so, but do it in an adult manner. Calling names isn't something mature people do.
I see this most often in politics. There's an office holder or candidate you think is terrible. It's easy to come up with cute names that make someone look silly, but there's a danger there. If you're talking to someone who has some degree of respect for the person you're making fun of, he could easily lose respect for you.
Name calling will never win someone over to your side. If you want to maintain any chance of convincing someone who is on the fence let along someone who actively supports the candidate you don't like, keep it respectful.
--
I'm going to add a little more to this than I wrote before.
Ask yourself a question: do you believe there's any chance that you could possibly convince someone who doesn't currently agree with you that you're right? Do you have a goal? What is that goal?
If your goal is to talk someone in to something, slinging names is likely to shut down discussion.
I've heard comments in the last week from republicans and democrats in Wisconsin who had a lot to agree on. Bob Lien, who agrees with a lot of what's in Governor Walker's budget and voted for him, thinks Walker is making a mistake taking on unions. State Senator Dale Schultz, a Republican, says "We are going to create a situation where we focus all our energy on wars with each other rather than building up Wisconsin".
Do these sound like idiots? Do these sound like people you can't reason with? These are smart men with meaningful, worthwhile opinions. They don't agree with you on everything. You might disagree more often than you agree. But that doesn't mean there isn't room for some common ground. Keep your dialog sufficiently respectful, and you might have the opportunity to find it.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tip #157: Don't act like a hooligan toward people you disagree with politically
The last two weeks and change have been trying ones in Wisconsin's capitol. Our governor has put forth a "budget repair" bill that contains elements that I and many other Wisconsinites find distasteful and, today, has proposed a budget that strips funding from health care and from all levels of education. We are not happy.
Despite the tension and frustration, the non-stop protests at the Capitol that have gone on for over fifteen days straight have been peaceful. Fox news had to fake a report on violence in the Wisconsin protest. The palm trees are kind of a giveaway. I wrote plenty about this before.
I am disappointed that this didn't continue to be the case. Phil Ejercito captured video of a crowd heckling Senator Glenn Grothman and cornering him at the doors of the Capitol. Watching this was disappointing and upsetting. A dishonest part of me didn't want to post it on Dane101 because I was ashamed of what had happened and didn't want people to see. But hiding something doesn't mean it didn't happen, and I think it's better to confront this than it is to pretend it didn't happen.
To be clear, Senator Grothman wasn't harmed, and I couldn't hear any explicit threats. But if I were him, I would have been terrified by a crowd that big and that loud that clearly was very angry at me. All things considered, he handled it reasonably well. But that isn't what matters. What matters is that this sort of conduct gives ammunition to those who wish to paint this as a violent protest. When before they were forced to lie in order to portray what is happening in Madison the way they want, now they have this incident.
Normally in my blog I talk about how to be more successful at work, in relationships, or around the house. This rule is about not shooting your political movement in the foot, but I'll try to make it as simple as the rest of them.
Do not, ever, resort to the threat of violence, implied or otherwise, in an attempt to achieve political ends. It will not succeed in the long run, and it can do far more damage to your cause in minutes than you can build up good will in days, weeks, or months.
Despite the tension and frustration, the non-stop protests at the Capitol that have gone on for over fifteen days straight have been peaceful. Fox news had to fake a report on violence in the Wisconsin protest. The palm trees are kind of a giveaway. I wrote plenty about this before.
I am disappointed that this didn't continue to be the case. Phil Ejercito captured video of a crowd heckling Senator Glenn Grothman and cornering him at the doors of the Capitol. Watching this was disappointing and upsetting. A dishonest part of me didn't want to post it on Dane101 because I was ashamed of what had happened and didn't want people to see. But hiding something doesn't mean it didn't happen, and I think it's better to confront this than it is to pretend it didn't happen.
To be clear, Senator Grothman wasn't harmed, and I couldn't hear any explicit threats. But if I were him, I would have been terrified by a crowd that big and that loud that clearly was very angry at me. All things considered, he handled it reasonably well. But that isn't what matters. What matters is that this sort of conduct gives ammunition to those who wish to paint this as a violent protest. When before they were forced to lie in order to portray what is happening in Madison the way they want, now they have this incident.
Normally in my blog I talk about how to be more successful at work, in relationships, or around the house. This rule is about not shooting your political movement in the foot, but I'll try to make it as simple as the rest of them.
Do not, ever, resort to the threat of violence, implied or otherwise, in an attempt to achieve political ends. It will not succeed in the long run, and it can do far more damage to your cause in minutes than you can build up good will in days, weeks, or months.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Tip #156: Buy good luggage
Luggage is expensive, and good luggage is really expensive. If you think you'll travel a reasonable number of times in the rest of your life, bite the bullet and buy better stuff.
Luggage is one of the things where having a better thing really does make a difference. Higher quality luggage lasts longer because it's better made, and it's easier to use because it's better designed. Wheels roll more smoothly, handles extend more reliably, and it's more stable. A well designed bag will remain standing when left on its own and will tend to return to true if it hits a bump while rolling.
Luggage is one of the things where having a better thing really does make a difference. Higher quality luggage lasts longer because it's better made, and it's easier to use because it's better designed. Wheels roll more smoothly, handles extend more reliably, and it's more stable. A well designed bag will remain standing when left on its own and will tend to return to true if it hits a bump while rolling.
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