PicoBusiness

From
here
. These appear to be from Cosmo, and thus, mostly targetted towards women, but they are still interesting, even if you’re on the receiving end.

1. To seem like a team player at work …
Put up a picture of your dog (or even a friend’s pup) in your workspace

2. To appear more powerful in the office hierarchy …
Wear a chic all-black outfit to work, and don’t smile as often as you’re inclined

3. To bond with the boss …
Offer to get her a hot cup of coffee — even if you’re not her assistant

4. To have “the talk” without making your partner flip out …
Take him to a restaurant that has soft feminine colors and furniture with few angular lines.

5. To make your crush fall for you on a dinner date …
Subtly touch the back of his hand as you’re reaching across the table for bread.

6. To seem more alluring when you meet a guy …
Talk about a beach vacation you took using sensual terms (e.g., “The sun felt so fabulously warm against my skin”)

7. To impress a guy’s parents the first time you meet them …
Casually praise someone whom you’re certain his mom or dad holds in high esteem,

8. To make a friend out of an acquaintance …
Start mirroring her behavioral tics, like touching your hair when she touches hers.

9. Your slob roomie to clean up after herself more often …
Spray a bit of liquid all-purpose cleaner in the air right before she enters the skanky spot in question

If you missed it the first time around, you can find Dr. Horrible at Hulu.

Best Quote:

The world’s a mess ,and I just… need to rule it.

After browsing through the Olympic TV listings, the only thing(s) I’m intrigued by are the men’s and women’s triathlons (8/17 10pm and 8/18 10pm).

Apparently my 5 year old daughter is a major predictor of new fashion trends.

Oh my, this is pretty good.

But does it violate Godwin’s Law?

Hmmm.

When businesses are truly made of people, rather than impersonal monoliths, these conversations will be a lot more real and a lot more likely to result in positive outcomes for all concerned.

I agree! We must replace the obelisks, statues and dolmens that run our businesses, and replace them with living, breathing human beings who can feel emotion, make plans and love children.

(Hat tip: Gaping Void)

Note: Yes, I read the whole thing. He seems to believe that human beings lose their souls when they go to work for corporations, which I find to be an unfortunately all-too-typical bigotry of the academic elite. And what’s more, it’s not like governments don’t have their share of soul-crushing systems-over-people, institutions-over-ethics mindsets. And they have all the high-end military hardware to boot!

An amusing article from the Register. A British economist says that economic growth and CO2 emissions are inextricably linked, and in order to reduce CO2 emissions, the economy will have to shrink.

Money Quotes:

Asked if this wasn’t, in the end, going to mean a fairly hair-shirt lifestyle for us Brits – no cars, no tumble dryers, fewer showers and iPods and so on – Bond said that “economic wealth isn’t the same as happiness or directly linked to quality of life … It’s about a quantity lifestyle – more and more stuff – versus quality”.

And

“The idea of a technological fix is one we should be cautious about,” he said. “So often there are unintended consequences or trade-offs. Look at the ‘paperless office’ – there’s now more paper, not less. Look at biofuels. I’d be wary of believing that a technology solution will arrive in time.

Yes, unintended consequences of technological change…. As if gutting the economy has no unintended consequences at all.

http://www.mcsweeneys.net/2008/7/30schmelling.html