Things That Interest Me

Scott Thompson -- What Happens Now!

David Brensilber — Fri, 04 May 2012 19:06:48 GMT

Now that it is public that Scott Thompson lied on his resume and in his SEC filings, it will only be a matter of time before he leaves Yahoo!. The key question is when and how. I believe that he will no longer be CEO by the time the market opens on Monday morning. Yahoo! and its business can not afford this situation to continue to fester. The longer it takes the more Yahoo! becomes the butt of jokes. I feel that the Board of Directors will only allow this to continue for so long (especially with the ongoing proxy contest). I assume that Scott is looking for some way to stay on or some way to leave in a positive manner.

I also believe that he will resign with some form of exit package. I assume that he violated Yahoo!'s code of ethics which would be grounds for termination. But it is always easier to pay someone to go away then to risk a lawsuit.

So my bet is he will resign by Monday. The key question to me is how much is his exit package (possibly vesting of options and salary).

Traveler Tip of the Week

David Brensilber — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:10:23 GMT

Through my traveling, I have joined several frequent flyer clubs. Recently, I have been flying more and more through Delta. With this increase in traffic, I have seen certain benefits that I did not appreciate. Having your first bag free is a great option if you are traveling on pleasure but typically business travelers use the carry-on luggage. So not the best benefit for me.

The best benefit was the being able to board the plane first. Lately, I have seen passengers fill the overhead compartments early in the boarding process. If you board later, more likely than not you will have to gate check your carry-on bag.

I only wish I flew enough for the free club membership.

March 12th -- A day not to send email

David Brensilber — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 01:07:10 GMT

From my friends at Worldata, they tell me that March 12th is the worst business day to send email all month. What that means is that they expect that any emails that you send out on that day will result in less opens, click thru's and conversions than any other business of the month.

Something to think about especially since March 12th is a Monday which tends to be one of the better performing days.

The only reason I can think of is that March 12th is the close anniversary to the earthquake that hit Japan last year.

I guess we will see what happens.

Pet Peeve of the Day -- Meetings Starting Late

David Brensilber — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:05:17 GMT

In our current corporate world, it has become common for meetings to start and late (typically within 10 minutes from the appointed time). I have asked many people about the etiquette of this. The consensus is that people who show up for meeting later than the appointed time are behaving rudely and unprofessionally. In effect, they are saying that their time is more important than yours. I could not agree more with these opinions.

Some people may argue that if they are only a few minutes late what is the harm. Other than making people wait for you, many people have other meetings and appointments scheduled after your meeting. If you are late in starting a meeting then you will likely be late in ending that meeting. So by being late to one meeting you may be forcing a participant in that meeting to be late to another meeting. In effect your rudeness may be causing someone else to be rude.

In the business world, I have heard people to say if you can not manage your own calendar then you should not manage anyone. I have always interpreted that if you are unable to figure out the simple things like showing up on time for a meeting, how could someone in their good conscience, assign you additional responsibilities?

Travel Frustration of the Week

David Brensilber — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:43:36 GMT

Earlier this week, I flew from New York to Las Vegas. In the middle of the boarding process, the flight attendants made announcement that the overhead compartments were filled and that anyone with a roll-on carry-on suitcase need to check their bag at the gate. I was frustrated for a couple of reasons.

First, why do airlines run out of overhead space so frequently? Is it because they now charge people to check bags?

Second, after the flight attendant made the announcement, several travelers continued to bring their roll-on bags onto the plane. Did these people not listen to the announcement or did they think that they would find space that no one saw.

What happened was people would bring their bags on and delay people from finding their seats. When they found no overhead space, they then had to make their way back to the front of the plane with their bags. This caused even more delays. Our departure was delayed as a result of this. I do not know whether these people were arrogant or just did not listen. Either way frustrates me. Why do people think that rules and laws of physics do not apply to them?

Also, they kept 200 people waiting because they felt that they could stow their bags in a space that was overcrowded to beforehand. You could see how road rage starts on planes.

Time to Check Your Resume -- Yale Coach Resigns Following a Lie in His Resume

David Brensilber — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 19:11:26 GMT

Tom Williams resigned today following a serious of questions about his claim to have applied for a Rhodes Scholarship back in the 1990's. The lesson from this is a lie on a resume can catch up to years later so you need to make sure that you limit your embellishments on your resume.

His Resignation was first reported on the Yale site ( http://www.yalebulldogs.com/sports/m-footbl/2011-12/releases/20111221jw4e0m)

Yale Accepts Coach Williams’ Resignation

New Haven, Conn.—Yale University today accepted the resignation of head football coach Tom Williams. Williams' resignation is effective December 31, said Director of Athletics Tom Beckett.

"I wish to clear the record," Williams said in offering his resignation. "On the Rhodes Scholarship issue, I was encouraged to apply by the Stanford Fellowship office, which identified me 'as the kind of student who demonstrates the intellect, energy and commitment that the Rhodes selection committees seek in their applicants.' I considered the opportunity, sought advice and was encouraged to apply by faculty members and my coach Bill Walsh, but I did not apply."

"During the spring of my senior year, I was given an opportunity to attend a try-out camp with the San Francisco 49ers, and I participated in that three-day event. I did not sign a free agent contract with the 49ers or participate in their summer training camp for signed players."

"I am extremely proud of my academic, athletic and coaching career. If there was confusion created, I take full responsibility. The timing of this inquiry has been difficult for everyone. At this point I believe it is in the best interest of my student-athletes and Yale University that I step down."

In accepting Williams' resignation, Beckett said, "Coach Williams has been a dedicated teacher and coach at Yale, and his students have benefited greatly from his leadership and passion for the game of football."

Beckett said the University would immediately begin a search for Williams' successor.

Faithless is he Who Quits When the Road Darkens

David Brensilber — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:15:23 GMT

West Village Pizza Crawl Photos -- Pizza Roma

David Brensilber — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 18:01:34 GMT

West Village Pizza Crawl Photos -- Spunto

David Brensilber — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:59:51 GMT

West Village Pizza Crawl Photos -- Bleecker Street Pizza

David Brensilber — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:56:34 GMT

West Village Pizza Crawl Photos -- Numero 28

David Brensilber — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:55:44 GMT

West Village Pizza Crawl -- Keste Pizza & Vino

David Brensilber — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:54:46 GMT

West Village Best Pizza Photos -- John's Pizzeria

David Brensilber — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:53:13 GMT

West Village Pizza Crawl

David Brensilber — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 17:44:16 GMT

In continuing our tradition of exploring the "best of" foods. This time around we did a pizza crawl in the West Village from Bleecker Street (starting at 7th Avenue) down to Carmine Street and 7th Avenue. Our crawl consisted of 6 pizzerias on these streets. Our first observation was the amazement that in a third of a mile, there were 6 pizzerias. According to the my own scientific analysis of the responses of our 10 participants, our ranking of the best pizzerias are as follows:

John's Pizzeria (278 Bleecker Street) www.johnsbrickerovenpizza.com -- This pizzeria may be the best in NYC. The thin crust was delicious. The ambiance added to the experience. The only downside are that they do not sell any slices, just whole pies, and they only accept cash. A must visit site.
Keste Pizza & Vino (271 Bleecker Street) www.kestepizzeria.com -- Another margherita pizza that was cooked in a brick oven. Small pizza as you will see in my next post but well worth it. The pizza just melted in our mouth. The fresh basil made this pizza
Numero 28 (28 Carmine Street) www.numero28.com -- My favorite but I was outvoted by the others in my group. What tipped the scales for me was the love that the chef put into making the pizza pie. You have to give points to the love of the pizza chef. Once again the pizza was cooked in a brick oven. The pizza was so good that even New Yorkers were in a good mood.
Bleecker Street Pizza (69 7th Avenue South) www.bleeckerstreetpizzeria.com -- The sign in the window said they sold the best pizza in NYC. I feel lied to. The pizza was adequate at best. The crust was tough. The sauce was so so.
Spunto (65 Carmine Street) www.spuntothincrust.com -- Bar Pizza was very good but palled in comparison to our tasting. I usually like the really tin crust but nothing very special.
Pizza Roma (259 Bleecker Street) www.pizza-roma.it -- The worst pizza in the crawl. I hate to even consider it as a NYC pizza. Pizza Roma was worse than Mall Sushi.

Pictures to follow

NYC Marathon Statistics

David Brensilber — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 02:17:43 GMT

Congrats to all of the NYC Marathon finishers. I have always been fascinated by size and complexity of the NYC Marathon. Over 47,000 runners participate in the race that takes place over 26.3 miles in the 5 boroughs of New York City. The 26.2-mile distance of the ING New York City Marathon this weekend is not the only impressive number surrounding the event.

Some interesting statistics about the race are:

Dunkin Donuts serves to the runners 563 pounds of coffee in approximately 45,000 cups.
Poland Springs 93,600 eight-ounce bottles of water at the race start as well as 62,370 gallons of water along the course and bottles in the recovery bags at the finish.
The Department of Sanitation collects 114.29 tons of litter, 6.34 tons of paper and 3 tons of metal, glass and plastic after the marathon.
The department deploys 173 uniformed sanitation workers as well as 20 supervisors to operate 39 collection trucks, 441 mechanical brooms, seven dump trucks, 21 push brooms and back pack blowers among others to clean up the refuse from the race.
The New York Road Runners (NYRR), which organizes the NYC Marathon, has estimated that this year’s race will generate at least $350 million this year in revenue for New York City.
Last year, each of the marathon participants spent nearly $1,800, on average, during their visit to New York City, according to an economic analysis provided by AECOM.
At least 2 million and upwards of 2.5 million spectators will line the course and cheer the marathon participants.
10,000 volunteers will assist the NYRR during the NYC Marathon.
At the Staten Island Start Village, there are

33,000 Bagels
42,000 PowerBars
40,000 Garbage Bags
16,000 pounds of clothing are discarded by the runners and donated to charity

2,328 portable toilets line the course
52,000 PowerBars are distributed at mile 18
132 bands that play during NYC Marathon
72 UPS trucks transport the runner baggage from Staten Island to Central Park
Brightroom Photography, the official NYC Marathon photographer, takes 50,000 photos of the runners

I found most of these stats in By the Numbers: 2011 NYC Marathon written by Matthew Wisner (http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2011/11/04/by-numbers-2011-nyc-marathon/#ixzz1cyo7Ya00)

Tech Job Site Dice Reports Shortage Of .NET Developers

David Brensilber — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:33:43 GMT

According to Dice’s October report (a link to it is below), there is one particular tech talent now in short supply across the U.S.: Microsoft’s .NET. Job postings requiring .NET are up more than 25% year-over-year, the company says – faster growth than the total job postings on all of Dice.com.

Why the shortage? Part of the gap between supply and demand is that technology workers are concerned that if they specialize in .NET application development they will not be able to easily branch out to other platforms. Another worry? The money gap. Tech professionals who regularly develop for .NET earn about $83,000 a year, as compared to more than $91,000 for those specializing in Java.

More than 10 years into .NET, it’s safe to say tech professionals will not be pigeonholed. Likewise, demand is there – one of the most frequent refrains we hear from clients is distress in trying to find .NET talent and they have posted more than 10,000 positions requesting .NET experience. That job count is up more than 25 percent as compared to last year, faster growth than total jobs posted on Dice. If demand continues to outstrip supply, wages will adjust.

Another way to look at the .NET shortage conundrum is that it’s a relatively straight

forward framework to learn. Hiring managers and recruiters consistently chase mid-career

talent.

The .Net searches were primarily for those with 4 to 7 years of experience (46%) followed by 0 to 3 years of experience (27%) with a close third of 8 to 10 years of experience (21%)

The bottom line? Companies are looking for .NET talent and targeted talent featuring C#

and .NET will not get lost in the shuffle. But negotiate hard at the outset of a new job,

because that initial salary may set the base for the next three years.

Link to the Dice October Report: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/External.File?item=UGFyZW50SUQ9NDQxOTA1fENoaWxkSUQ9NDY0MTczfFR5cGU9MQ==&t=1

Job of the Day -- Radio Host

David Brensilber — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 22:37:32 GMT

Radio Host

-Host at least 10-15 hours of LIVE talk radio per week

-Work with producers and ENG to cultivate, secure and program show guests, topics and feature segments that will inform and inspire listeners

-Work with producers to encourage listener participation and maximize audience interest during broadcasts

-Work with producers to gather and broadcast most relevant, current and accurate information

-Provide audience with strong understanding of the company's brand, and its content

-Serve as primary voice/identity for anything pertaining to show

-Represent MSLR/MSLO as host in channel events and special remote broadcasts when needed

-Represent MSLR in company businesses when necessary, such as TV appearances, magazine stories, etc.

-Serve as substitute host for other MSLR shows when needed

-Appear on other SiriusXM channels/MSLR shows to share expertise, participate in contests/activities and promote upcoming segments as needed

-Work together with marketing/sales staffs at MSLO/SiriusXM to ensure broadcast of advertising integrations and LIVE reads as needed

-Provide regular -blog- and social media entries/images to further promote show, channel and content

-Attend, and participate in, regular staff editorial and show development meetings

-Participate in show and staff events/promotional functions, and attend company wide gatherings whenever possible

-A strong understanding of the company brand, and familiarity with its history and businesses is a plus

-A deep passion for, and a strong expertise in cooking, baking, gardening, entertaining, home keeping, or any other facet of brand, is a plus

Please apply here ... http://www.manhattanjobs.com/jobs/radio-host-new-york-ny-36766884-job.html

Don't Take that Potato Chip -- A Woman is Fired for Stealing a Bag of Potato Chips

David Brensilber — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:35:53 GMT

Walgreens fired an employee of 18 years for stealing a bag of potato chips. Walgreens claims that it has a zero tolerance policy of employee theft. The EEOC has sued Walgreens claiming that by doing so, Walgreens violated the American with Disabilities Act because the employee was a diabetic. The complete story is republished below but you can also find it here (http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/peninsula/2011/09/diabetic-cashier-sues-walgreens-south-city-firing-over-bag-chips)

I think that Walgreens' zero policy is especially rough when you consider the concept of lossage in the retail space has been around for such a long time. Then you take into account that this employee worked at your company for 18 years. Their policy has to include some form of extenuating circumstances.

On the other side of the coin, I can not condone employee theft because you could argue that a $1.39 is insignificant but what about a $30 self blood pressure machine or how about something for $200? It is hard to go down this path before you reach the slippy slope.

I think that the real problem here is that the Walgreens' corporate bureaucracy messed up by not including some basis in common decency. While zero tolerance sounds great in a policy, it rarely works in practice when dealing with people's lives.

Diabetic cashier sues Walgreens for South City firing over bag of chips

By: Ari Burack | 09/11/11 6:28 PM

Examiner Staff Writer

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Walgreen Co. in federal court in San Francisco on Thursday, accusing the company of violating a diabetic cashier’s civil rights under the Americans With Disabilities Act. (AP file photo)

A diabetic cashier was wrongly fired from her job at a South San Francisco Walgreens store after grabbing a bag of chips to stave off a hypoglycemic attack, federal authorities have alleged.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Walgreen Co. in federal court in San Francisco on Thursday, accusing the company of violating Josefina Hernandez’s civil rights under the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Hernandez was fired in September 2008 after opening a $1.39 bag of chips in order to stabilize her blood sugar, and paying for them after her shift, according to the EEOC.

“I almost always carry a piece of candy in my pocket for situations when I feel my blood sugar getting low, but I didn’t have anything on me this time,” Hernandez said in a statement. “I knew I needed to do something quickly.”

Hernandez had worked for Walgreens for nearly 18 years, had never been disciplined, and the company knew she was diabetic, the EEOC said.

“I worked for Walgreens with no problems for almost two decades, so I am very upset to lose my job over this,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez’ attorney William Tamayo noted the ADA requires employers to make reasonable accommodations to workers with disabilities.

“One wonders whether a long-term, experienced employee is worth less than a bag of chips to Walgreens,” Tamayo said.

A Walgreens spokesperson did not immediately respond to a call for comment.

The lawsuit is seeking monetary damages, including back pay and possible reinstatement of Hernandez’s job, and an injunction preventing Walgreens “from terminating the employment of an employee because of a disability.”

Job Tip of the Day -- E-commerce Marketing Director

David Brensilber — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 14:58:54 GMT

Summary:

Responsible for the customer experience on the company's website.

Will play an integral role in ensuring our customers interaction with the site, the brand and the product offering is a positive one.

Will oversee the planning process for the site including homepage and landing pages, develop and execute promotional offers, manage timing of seasonal campaigns, coordination of merchandise collections and support key branding campaigns and initiatives.

Responsibilities:

Planning and executing site marketing, planning and promotions including participation in all planning meetings, mapping out real estate in support of campaigns, overseeing creative brief process and coordination with merchandising for product in support of plans

Monitor and react to daily sales and conversion within the store

Utilizing web analytics to monitor overall homepage conversion, collection performance, promotional tracking, click-stream analysis, and other reporting needs as identified

Utilizing web analytics to assess value of store real estate, track performance and establish expectations of click through and conversion

Develop guidelines for maximizing most valuable store assets and work with merchandising and marketing on communicating objectives for key site placements

Manage third party marketing and merchandising partners; maximizing those products and services to garner the most positive customer experience

Act as a point of contact for Customer Service and help identify and address customer issues related to product data, promotional offers customer experience and partner with Director, Website Planning and Production on scheduling out improvements

Manage and help to professionally develop the Web Merchandising Coordinator

Oversee and support the Web Merchandising Coordinator function

Set up new products in our content management system after coordinating with merchandising/merchandising operations and ensuring that products are set up in backend systems

Maintenance changes to products including copy, image, messaging and pricing updates

Creation of shopping collections to support seasonal promotions, internet and email marketing initiatives and branding campaigns

Maintenance and remerchandising of shopping collections on a scheduled basis and by request

Creation of reports in support of homepage, features, and collections for distribution to web marketing, merchandising and marketing

Document homepage plans for weekly meetings; submit creative briefs for homepage banners as well as collection page banners as needed

Analyze and report on competitive sites’ storefronts, marketing efforts and customer communications

Stay on top of industry trends through attending conferences and research

Requirements:

Have a minimum of 7-10 years relevant web marketing work experience

At least 5 years of e-Commerce experience

Merchandising experience a plus

Possess a good understanding of online technologies including web analytics, online shopping behavior, processes and goals, as well as customer relationship management

Possess a Bachelor’s Degree

Click Here To Apply!

Job Tip of the Day -- Gaming Programmer

David Brensilber — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 18:12:07 GMT

The Mid-level Engine Programming role focuses on the creation, maintenance, and
modification of low-level engine systems. The ideal candidate works
cooperatively with engineers, designers, and artists to implement and polish
solutions from beginning to end. The Mid-level Engine Programmer must have the
ability to actively gather feedback from individuals and translate it into an
improved user experience. The ideal candidate has a solid background in OOP and
C/C++, a knowledge of general and 3D mathematics, current generation video game
technologies, and has the ability to write clear, maintainable code.

Click here to see more ...

http://seeker.dice.com/jobsearch/servlet/JobSearch?op=302&dockey=xml/8/a/8a46446206fd0b2511d4ffcc7e86b40a@endecaindex&source=19&FREE_TEXT=game+programmer&rating=99