Another Major Solar Flare Hits Earth

Big sunspot AR1429 has unleashed another major flare--an X5-class eruption on March 7th at 00:28 UT. As a result of the blast, a radiation storm is underway and a CME will likely hit Earth's magnetic field in a day or so. Geomagnetic storms are already in progress at high latitudes due to earlier eruptions from the active sunspot. Last night, auroras were spotted over several northern-tier US states including Michigan and Wisconsin.

Check http://spaceweather.com for updates and images.

SPACE WEATHER ALERTS: Would you like a call when geomagnetic storms are in progress? Space weather alerts are available from http://spaceweathertext.com (text) and http://spaceweatherphone.com (voice).

Oscar Goes Social

A social media project tracked Twitter sentiment before, during and after the Academy Awards to see how the public perceived the Oscars. But businesses can also benefit by using their methodology to tune out social media "noise" and identifying key issues that frame everything from customer segments to marketing strategies.

This year's Oscars provided the usual array of upsets and surprises. However, a social media project sponsored by IBM, The University of Southern California Annenberg Innovation Lab and the Los Angeles Times tracked Twitter sentiment before, during and after the Academy Awards and found that, in many instances, the pubic didn't see eye-to-eye with the way Academy members voted.

Although George Clooney went home empty handed for his performance in the "The Descendants," he earned "The People's Oscar," based on positive-to-negative sentiment from Twitter. For best picture, "The Help" ranked highest for positive sentiment, followed by "Midnight in Paris." For best actor, Brad Pitt ("Moneyball") ranked highest for positive sentiment, followed by Jean Dujardin ("The Artist"). Twitter sentiment also revealed disappointment that "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" wasn't nominated.

The analytics technology-which has been previously been used for the Super Bowl, World Series and in the retailing industry-relies on semantic and linguistic analysis to identify positive, negative and neutral sentiments, distinguish irony, and even apply machine learning' to determine which tweets are merely background noise and those that make an impact. The software offers insights that aren't possible with traditional media. USC researchers and students worked with IBM to develop the analytics capabilities.

Rod Smith, IBM Fellow and vice president of Emerging Internet Technologies, says that the project has value far beyond the Oscars or NFL. Fields as diverse as retail and journalism can benefit by tuning out social media "noise" and identifying key issues that frame everything from customer segments to marketing strategies. "It represents a real paradigm shift in how businesses understand, interact with and uncover actionable insights," he says.

Understanding customer sentiment is increasingly critical, whether it involves a movie studio shaping a marketing campaign for a film or a retailer understanding how the public views a product or its brand, says Jonathan Taplin, director of USC's Annenberg Innovation Lab. What's more, the task is growing more difficult as the signal-to-noise ratio for social media feeds rises. IDC predicts that a 29-fold increase in data volume will take place over the next decade. "Businesses that don't engage in the social media conversation are operating at a distinct disadvantage," Taplin concludes.

by Samuel Greengard / Baseline

10 Ways to Work With People You Hate

You know who we're talking about -- that one coworker who just gets under your skin. Working alongside someone you can't stand can undermine your own effectiveness, but uncomfortable relationships are part of life.

"There are always other people - be they relatives, fellow commuters, neighbors, or coworkers - who we are at risk of tangling with," said Robert Sutton, a professor of management science and engineering at Stanford University and author of Good Boss, Bad Boss and The No Asshole Rule, to the Harvard Business Review.

Worst Bosses Ever author Daniel Goleman, co-director of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations at Rutgers University, says you can manage these folks by focusing less on their actions and controlling your own behavior. Relaxation exercises, he told HBR, "enhance your ability to handle stress, which means the annoying person isn't that annoying anymore."


10 Ways to Work With People You Hate

1-Keep it to Yourself.
Emotions are contagious. Venting about a coworker can bring everyone down.

2-Avoid Gossip.
Complaining about a coworker could give you a reputation for being unprofessional or difficult.

3-Ask if You're the Problem.
Consider what it is that gets under your skin. Jealousy? Are you just very different?

4-Focus on Behavior.
If someone has traits you can't stand, focus on their actions instead. It can help you fend off irritation.

5-Count Thine Enemies.
If there's someone you hate at every job, maybe it's not them; it's you.

6-Exposure Therapy.
Working on a project with someone you hate can help you develop empathy and understand them.

7-Bright Lines.
If someone acts immorally or goes on the offensive, staying away is wise.

8-Speak Up.
If nothing else works, proceed cautiously and try giving feedback; stay open to negative feedback about yourself, too.

9-DOs:

Do Manage your own reaction first.

Do Practice emotional detachment - don't let it bother you.

Do Spend time trying to get to know and understand your coworker.

10-DON'Ts:

Don't Assume that it is all about the other person - you likely play some part.

Don't Commiserate with others who could be influenced by your negativity or may judge you instead.

Don't Give feedback unless you can focus on work and avoid personal conflict.

By Jennifer Lawinski / Baseline

How To Hire on a Whim

Work ethic, Humility, Integrity and Maturity are the qualities you want to find in an employee. Check out this book Hire On a WHIM by Garrett Miller on Amazon, Publication Date: August 23, 2010

DESCRIPTION

What are the four non-negotiable, non-teachable qualities that you must hire? Can you be sure, really sure, that the person you are about to hire is the one?

We've all experienced that feeling of buyer's remorse when what we thought we "needed" isn't as fabulous as we thought it would be. Many managers have a similar feeling, "hire's remorse," after they extend an offer to a prospective employee and get that small but unmistakable twinge in the gut.

Hiring for a new position doesn't have to be this way. Hire on a WHIM breaks down the essentials, not of whom to hire, but what to hire. What makes these four qualities essential is that no matter how great a manager you are, these are attributes you can't teach. As one expert put it, "These essentials are part of a candidate's DNA; they either have them, or they don't."

So, before you make that job offer, be sure your future employee has what it takes to be hired on a WHIM.

"Managers, at every level must hire the right qualities in order to field the best team. WHIM will help managers succeed in this area." Ed Breen, CEO, TYCO

"With over twenty-two years of management experience at the district, regional and national level, I have been directly involved with recruiting and hiring of hundreds candidates. The successful hires all come down to the four key facets Garrett addresses."
Russ Gasdia, VP of Sales and Marketing, Purdue Pharmaceuticals

"Very simple, yet WHIM can have a profound positive effect on your hiring decisions. Garrett's approach addresses the non-teachable and non-negotiable personality traits that are essential for making great hires." Larry Smith, VP of Global Supply Chain, Becton Dickinson

"If you want to be an amazing recruiter then read WHIM. Garrett and Dr. Thrasher's ideas are so clear, concise and easy to understand. No matter what success I'm having as a recruiter, this book will make me better." Chuck Sutton, Head of Recruiting, E&J Gallo and Sons

Alcatraz on Fox

Alcatraz Airs Mondays at 9 p.m., Fox

It’s almost impossible not to like any dramatic concept conceived around Alcatraz, the famous and shuttered prison-turned-tourist-attraction that sits on its own little island, from what seems a stone’s throw from one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

The J.J. Abrams-produced Fox drama revolves around the concept that when the infamous prison Alcatraz closed, all the remaining prisoners were not shipped to other prisons, they mysteriously vanished. 302 prisoners and guards went poof into the night.

And now they're back. And they haven’t aged. And they’re picking up where they left off in the doing-bad-things department. Now, a San Francisco cop, Det. Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones), has stumbled on a murder committed by the first prisoner to surface. She's aided in her search by “Alcatraz expert and comic book enthusiast” Dr. Diego “Doc” Soto (Jorge Garcia).

Those two get more information than they really know what to do with once they interfere with and then essentially get absorbed by government agent Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill) and his less evil-seeming partner, Lucy (Parminder Nagra). Yeah, we know the real story, Hauser says reluctantly. But the hows and whys will come slowly.

(review content partially lifted from Hollywood Reporter-thanks y'all!)

I will be watching. BTW JJ Abrams has started shooting the next Star Trek already. I wonder if Captain Kirk will have an iPhone...

10 Business Phrases That Must Die Now

You've heard them all so many times that they hardly register anymore. Whether in a conference room or a casual conversation, phrases that once sounded clever have been reduced to clichés. Some of them actually are rooted in real business concepts. Others are fluff that somehow became part of the corporate lexicon. Either way, like that annoying song that stays stuck in your head, they must be ignored, erased, or replaced.

1. Outside the Box.
This worn phrase reportedly originated with a "connect the dots" puzzle popular at the Walt Disney Company.

2. Low-Hanging Fruit.
How many office workers today have even seen a real, live fruit tree?

3. Synergy
Stems from the Greek word, synergia, meaning "working together." What's Greek for "goodbye?"

4. Loop Me In
Evolved from the phrase, "in the loop," but people who actually are don't say it.

5. Best of Breed.
Works at dog shows. At work, not so much.

6. Incentivize.
Proves that some nouns should stay nouns.

7. Mission-Critical.
Appropriate for high-stakes missions, but probably overkill in your job.

8. Brings to the Table.
If you're planning a company dinner, you can keep this one.

9. Value-Add.
In economics, difference between sales price and production cost; in common usage, oversold.

And finally...

10. Elevator Pitch.
Unless you literally need to explain an idea during an elevator ride, but the stairs are healthier anyway.

By Dennis McCafferty.

Think Like a Rich Person

The ultimate anti-rich thinker was George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life, who wanted to be wealthy but set himself up to be poor. He let others dictate his path instead of taking control of his destiny. He had great vision, but never used it to make his own fortune. He wanted to build skyscrapers, but ended up plugging holes in financial dikes.

Here are some tips on thinking rich.

1-Middle class people wait for their ship to come in; rich people build their own ship. Fortune smiles upon those who create their own opportunities. Adapt an action mentality, not a lottery one.

2-Success comes from working for fulfillment, not survival. Those who excel do so because they love work, as opposed to just earning a paycheck. Donald Trump and other players have a passion for the deal.

3-Money isn't about education. It's about knowledge. Target training and advanced degrees for the end result of maximizing your value in the market.

4-Hard work doesn't equate to money. Leverage does. Tap your greatest strengths and pinpoint how to make them more salable.

5-Referrals create millionaires. Use success with one relationship to create 10 others just like it. Encourage a referral system to deliver opportunity upon opportunity.

6-Money is a tool that must constantly be re-used. Money is infinite. Accomplishing a financial milestone should immediately be followed by a re-investment plan to make more.

7-Logic, not emotion, guides wise investment decisions. Use panic-inspired market sell-offs to invest in companies and industry segments that likely are down only for the moment.

8-Rich people are better at keeping their money than the working class. They study and seek advice on protecting earnings from taxes. They know, for example, that a Roth IRA beats out a traditional one in the long run.

9-Appreciate the value of invisible wealth. Cars, clothes and status objects do not define wealth or success. Assets, strength of portfolio do.

10-We live in a culture of spectacle and instant gratification. Anything wort having takes time so start thinking long term instead of short term.

Delta Airlines changes bag policy for soldiers after 2 post outrage on youtube over $2,800 in fees. Like I said, we need more trains. And more youtube.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Quiz: What Kind of Tech User Are You? (Pew Internet)

Is Facebook your window to your social world? Is your mobile device the last thing you put aside before shutting the light out at night? Or does the deluge of digital information leave you flat and the ring of your cell phone leave you cranky? Take the quiz to find out where you fit in the typology of technology users.

http://pewinternet.org/Participate/What-Kind-of-Tech-User-Are-You.aspx

I was found to be a Digital Collaborator.

"If you are a Digital Collaborator, you use information technology to work with and share your creations with others. You are enthusiastic about how ICTs help you connect with others and confident in your ability to manage digital devices and information. For you, the digital commons can be a camp, a lab, or a theater group – places to gather with others to develop something new."

Check out John Sutter's article on CNN (and his blog with the podcast). He discusses getting internet fatigue.

My 2 cents.

I surmise that those who are "tired" of social networking are probably folks who went into it full blast and joined every possible network, while accepting every single invitation. After a while, they found themselves with tons of memberships and absolutely no time to participate.

I recommend identifying 3 to 5 top favorite social networks, and sticking to them. Once to three times a week, is an acceptable rate of updating your various profiles. Perhaps you can sign up with a single tool, to update your multiple networks.

The idea is to join a social network that will benefit you, or to use the social networks you have joined, in a way that will be effective and impact your life.

Those individuals who have experienced this alleged internet fatigue will most likely not push for social media initiatives in business. However, the same principle applies in business. It's all about picking the most impactful social media channel, and utilizing it effectively.

Red Light, Greenline: Does Texting Kill?

Newsflash: Survey says 26 percent admit to texting while driving. The highest number of offenders are in Tennessee, with 42 percent of people saying they text behind the wheel, while Arizona drivers came in lowest at 18.8 percent.

A Boston Transit trolley operator from the Green Line company was sending a text message to his girl-friend when he rear-ended a trolley last night in a crash that injured dozens of passengers.

Now, at least 16 states are considering legislation that would outlaw or restrict the practice. Still, Iowa and North and South Dakota all rejected state legislation that proposed text messaging bans earlier this year.

Is Texting Causing Car Accidents, or are You being an unsafe driver?

$$$ to whoever comes up with effective voice text messaging. Really.