Thor's Hammer

Armored Car dumps cash - unrelated motorists pick up & keep - not robbery

nospam@example.com (admin) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:33:31 -0700

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=893&sid=2799043

Motorist stealing armored car cash

HYATTSTOWN, Md. - Coins and bills spilled from an armored truck on northbound Interstate 270 Friday morning, and passersby stopped and scooped them up. Maryland State Police are investigating how the cash came out of the truck...Police have asked motorists to return the cash they picked up. The police also stated that there was no indication of Robbery.

Unfortunately, we have lost the sense of right and wrong. The Police were correct when they said it was not a robbery, however it was THEFT. Dictionary.com (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/theft) defines theft as:

the act of stealing; the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods or property of another; larceny.

The motorists that picked up the money from the Armored car and kept it for themselves are common thieves.

Theaters with Tweet Seats!

nospam@example.com (admin) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 06:50:51 -0700

From USA Today (Kara Rose) http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-12-01/theater-tweet-seats/51552010/1

A growing number of theaters and performing groups across the country are setting aside "tweet seats," in-house seats for patrons to live-tweet during performances, including the Carolina Ballet in Raleigh, N.C., and the Dayton Opera in Dayton, Ohio.

Rick Dildine, the executive director for Shakespeare Festival St. Louis — an outdoor theater festival that began using tweet seats two years ago — said tweet seats have "become a national trend."

Recently, we passed another car where the driver had a cell phone in his left hand, his right hand was on the top of the steering wheel - holding another phone on which he was texting or tweeting using only his thumb. He was doing this while driving at 65 mph on a major freeway! We attend theater, the movies, a sporting event, etc. to be a part of the event. To lose focus on the actual event because we are texting or tweeting is counterproductive and lessens the experience. Back in October of 2009 - I blogged ( in fun ) about places not to text. Based on the above, the list just gets longer...

Inappropriate times to Text - For fun
I just twittered about a Police officer texting while riding a Segway and realized that I was too critical. People have just not learned where it is appropriate to text. So as an aid to society, I am compiling a list of inappropriate times not to text others. Everyone is aware of the consequences of texting while driving a car (train or plane). I will highlight some of the often overlooked items:

1) While sitting on the toilet - do you need a picture or do I have to explain this one?
2) while landing the lunar module - duh, no cell towers!
3) while being intimate with your significant other! I bet you want a picture - it is hard enough to get the correct symbols for emotional content. Heaven forbid you get the wrong combination and your partner finds out - Warning! Will Robinson Warning! (exception 1 - if your partner is texting also, it is OK; exception 2 - if you are texting each other, it is not OK)
4) while running a chainsaw - too difficult with work gloves.
5) while water skiing - it detracts from your attempts to look good.
6) while eating any sticky foods - the damnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn keys might get stuck.
7) while skydiving - the force of the wind might slam the device into your face.
while playing Rugby - results in too many knock ons.
9) while at a Rugby party - you never want to miss any part of a Rugby party. Besides God gave you two hands, both equally equipped to hold a pint.
10) while in Church - unless you are texting God. (Please if you have God's address, please advise via text; also, it is perfectly acceptable to respond to any text message at anytime from God)
11) while scoring a TD on Monday Night Football - Yes T.O. that means you (However, if you can tweet "I Scored", consider how it will give the NFL commissioner something to do!)
12) while hang gliding - you may drop it on the head of a native who thinks that it is a gift from God. Thereby declaring all communication forever forward must be by texting. We have too little conversation as it is - SHUT THE DAMN THINGS OFF!!!!!!

If you have any other inappropriate times to text, please respond to this with a comment, THANKS!

Copyright 2009 & 2012 - Jim Lindell

Crony Capitalism - Bill Moyers

nospam@example.com (admin) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:25:44 -0700

Interesting Video - Who really controls our government?

Encore Broadcast: On Crony Capitalism from BillMoyers.com on Vimeo.

Top Tech Trends of 2011 - GPLUS

nospam@example.com (admin) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 19:46:05 -0800

How Mobile Payments are Becoming the New Credit Card

nospam@example.com (admin) — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 19:37:17 -0800

Print Industry Tailspin

nospam@example.com (admin) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 08:31:01 -0800

In March of 2011, I wrote about the decline of the newspaper industry. The following chart (from The Atlantic Mobile) shows the historic collapse: This is a picture that only a downhill skier can love! On second thought - not a downhill skier but a base jumper!

Cost of Living is Higher than the CPI

nospam@example.com (admin) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 08:08:02 -0800

From the American Institute of Economic Research:

In the shorter and intermediate terms, when people are faced with a higher price for an item, they simply buy less of it. Eventually, they may substitute cheaper goods. These effects are fairly small, but can add up over time.

To address this, we have revised the Everyday Price Index to allow for constantly adjusting weights. Weights are simply the proportion of your total expenditure that you spend on each good or service you purchase each month. Dynamic weights allow for day-to-day changes in consumer behavior related to price changes.

This weighting results in a 2011 average annual inflation rate of 8 percent as measured by the Everyday Price Index, compared to a mere 3.1 percent from the CPI. (The unweighted EPI inflation rate for 2011 was 7.2 percent, as reported in the last issue of the Economic Bulletin.)

The Economy is like a Garage Door Spring wound too tight!

nospam@example.com (admin) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 12:35:04 -0800

Have you ever dealt with a garage door spring? They can be very dangerous. In fact here is a disclaimer from one website regarding the installation of the garage door spring.

CAUTION! Replacing garage door torsion springs is dangerous because the springs are under tension. If you do not use the right tools and follow safe procedures, you could lose hands, limbs or even your life. You could also damage property. We want your business, but not at the expense of your well being. Doing the job right is your responsibility. If you have any doubts about your ability to safely change your springs, we recommend you hire a professional to repair your garage door. Safety First! Then work.

Government debt continues to grow. Consumer debt is returning to pre-recession levels. Globally, governments are stimulating the economy - not from surplus but through new debt. The amount of leverage continues to increase. In essence, we have one massive garage door spring that is wound waaaaaay tooooooo tight. When the garage door spring goes beyond a certain level, it breaks! The same analogy holds true to our economic future. I also like the bit about hiring professionals to repair the garage door spring - do we have the right professionals working on our economic problems? I hope so. If not, we could get a really bad economic installation that is dangerous!

© 2012 - Jim Lindell - Thorsten Consulting Group, Inc.

Trucking and Shipping Volumes down in January 2012

nospam@example.com (admin) — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:50:32 -0800

ATA Truck Tonnage Retreated 4% in January

February 28, 2012 12:00 PM
Sean McNally 703-838-1995

ARLINGTON, VA — The American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted (SA) For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index fell 4.0% in January after surging 6.4% in December 2011. The latest contraction put the SA index at 119.4 (2000=100), down from December’s record level of 124.4. ATA Truck Tonnage Release

January Container Volume Down 3.9 Percent
Imports declined 5.5 percent, exports dropped 8.2 percent

Container trade volume at the Port of Long Beach dropped 3.9 percent overall in January compared to the same period a year ago. Imports were down 5.5 percent, and exports dipped 8.2 percent.

Port terminals handled 456,424 twenty-foot equivalent container units last month, compared to 474,960 TEUs in January 2011.
Port of Long Beach Volume Down

Consumer Credit - We didn't deleverage

nospam@example.com (admin) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 06:33:57 -0800

At the end of 2008, our economy fell off the cliff. Debt levels were too high, housing prices were overvalued and the economy had just begun to unwind. The most recent G-19 release on Consumer Credit shows that we have returned to the same debt level that we were at in 2008. It does not bode well for the financial health of the consumer. Our solutions to the economic malaise does not reside in more debt - but reduced debt.

G-19 Consumer Debt - Dec 2011 - Thorsten Consulting Group

Wastebook 2011

nospam@example.com (admin) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 09:49:04 -0800

Wastebook 2011

Public commentary on Audit firms

nospam@example.com (admin) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 06:10:42 -0800

From:Financial Scandal Fans Never Had It So Good: Jonathan Weil. Bloomberg http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-10/financial-scandal-fans-never-had-it-so-good-commentary-by-jonathan-weil.html

So many large companies have blown up after getting the all-clear from a Big Four accounting firm that many people regard auditor opinion letters as a joke. The client pays the auditor, after all. (Gee, no conflict there!) Regulators for decades have tried figuring out ways to dance around this fundamental flaw in the industry’s business model, by passing all sorts of rules requiring that auditors be “independent,” as foolish as that notion might seem at times. New waves of accounting scandals keep coming anyway.

Yet the next logical step -- stripping the accounting profession of its golden goose by making outside audits voluntary for public companies rather than mandatory -- always has seemed like a horrible idea, because it practically would be an invitation for more frauds. Nor is there much appetite to have third parties, such as national governments, pay for companies’ audits. The results probably wouldn’t be any better.

The public views an audit differently than the CPA profession. Increased occurrences of fraud after receiving clean audit opinions will strengthen the case for more scrutiny or revision of auditing practices.

Business is Like Fishing - Hook Removal and Creativity

nospam@example.com (admin) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 07:04:18 -0700

Once you have been fortunate enough to catch a fish the next step is to remove the hook (and hopefully release the fish.) Sometimes removing the hook is a very simple process and takes no time at all. Other times the hook may be deep in the mouth of the fish. It may be necessary to use a hook remover as pictured above or a similar tool such as a pliers. There are times when the hook is so embedded that you may use other creative techniques. 1) depending on the fish size and the size of the lure, you may just cut the line and leave a small lure inside the fish. 2) You may push the lure out through the gills and then cut the line. This may cause the least amount of tension and damage on the fish.

In business, we overuse terms such as "out of the box" thinking. However, we need to apply creativity to typical business solutions to find viable answers. Just as removing a hook by pushing it our through the gills, there may be business solutions that don't appear so obvious.

© 2011 Jim Lindell, Thorsten Consulting Group, Inc. - Thor's Hammer Blog

Practical Business Lessons from Fishing

nospam@example.com (admin) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 05:10:21 -0700

If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles.
Doug Larson

One of the best tools to teach principles to others is through the use of simple stories. Our greatest religious leaders have conveyed concepts of heaven, debt, forgiveness, etc. via everyday examples. This too, is the basis of this new blog category.

Why do people fish? Is it enjoyment? Is it for peace and solitude? Is it to make money? Is it to put food on the table? The insight as to why a person invests their time translates into the eventual outcome of the fishing trip. For example, someone that is interested in peace and solitude may care less if they catch any fish. Someone that needs to feed their family is much more determined to catch fish and indifferent to the "peace and solitude." The practical lesson is that a fisherman must know why they are fishing. A different reason for fishing will lead to a different approach and most likely a different level of success.

The same concept applies to all businesses. Why are you in business? Is it to feed your family? Is it to acquire wealth? Is it a way to invest your time? A business leader must have a vision for the business. This vision also impacts the effort, the investment and most likely the eventual success or failure of the business.

This concept also applies to an employee in the same manner. Why does an employee invest their time with a specific employer? Is it for wages? Is it for future advancement? Is it to obtain knowledge, etc? You can be sure that the employee's vision will translate into different levels of performance as well as different career paths.

Therefore our first lesson from fishing is "Have a worthwhile Vision!"

© 2011 Jim Lindell - Thorsten Consulting Group, Inc. - Thor's Hammer

We are Emotionally Dependent on Technology

nospam@example.com (admin) — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 05:01:06 -0700

The way that we interact with one another continues to evolve. We are also at the point that technology is so intertwined with our individual self that we have emotional problems when we are disconnected from the modern daily tools of cell phones, internet, e-mail, etc.

Consider the following from Intersperience's recent press release:

Intersperience research highlights people’s emotional dependency on technology

• 53% of Brits feel ‘upset’ when deprived of internet connection
• 40% of people surveyed feel ‘lonely’ when not able to go online
• Challenge of 24 hours without digital devices described as ‘nightmare’

London, UK, July 22 - A new study into the impact of online and digital technology on people’s lives in the UK found that more than half of the people surveyed felt ‘upset’ at the prospect of being deprived of an internet connection even for a short time.

The extent of people’s ‘digital dependency’ in their everyday lives was revealed by international consumer research specialist Intersperience in a new project entitled ‘Digital Selves.’The project, which surveyed a nationally representative sample of more than 1,000 individuals from age 18 to over 65s, questioned people about their 'digital lives' including their attitudes and use of the internet, smartphones and other connected devices.

The project also involved qualitative research, including challenging participants to get through one full day without using technology. Giving up technology was considered by some to be as hard as quitting smoking or drinking, while one survey participant described it as “like having my hand chopped off” and another called it “My biggest nightmare.”

A significant number of people ‘cheated’ by switching on the television or radio as they did not regard them as ‘technology.’ Others agreed to the challenge but turned their mobile phones to silent, regarding being completely disconnected even for one day as “inconceivable.”

Many participants found it extremely hard to resist the temptation to go online, especially those for whom online communication represents a large part of their social interaction. A total of 40% of people felt ‘lonely’ when not engaging in activities such as social networking, emails, texting or watching their favourite television channels.

Younger people, who tend to be heavier users of social media and text messaging, found giving up technology the most difficult while older people (over-40s) generally coped more easily when cut off from digital connections. Only a minority of those surveyed reacted positively to the prospect of being without an internet connection, with 23% saying they would feel “free.”

Paul Hudson, Chief Executive of Intersperience said: “ Online and digital technology is increasingly pervasive. Our ‘Digital Selves’ research shows how just dominant a role it now assumes, influencing our friendships, the way we communicate, the fabric of our family life, our work lives, our purchasing habits and our dealings with organisations.”

He added: “ We have gathered clear evidence that the UK has fully entered the Digital Age. The resulting stepchange in the way we engage with technology has occurred faster than many of us had anticipated. This has profound implications for society both from a personal and commercial perspective. We are about to embark on a new study looking exclusively at digital engagement in Under-18s which we expect to highlight even more radical developments in the behaviour and attitudes of children and teenagers.”