Beating Up People IS Exercise

When I was 17 my football coach wanted me to gain weight. He put me on a 3,000+ calorie diet. I lost 5 pounds.

I used to pretty much eat whatever I wanted. I heard about the "metabolism slow-down" that men hit around 30, but didn't think it would happen to ME. At 36, however, I am finding that I am definitely fighting the Battle of the Bulge.

I don't believe in dieting, and I already eat healthy (Ed: Mitch, it's not the food you eat, it's the beer you drink). The solution was obviously to exercise more. (Ed: Mitch would give up oxygen before giving up his beer).

I exercise on occasion, but I found out that although I did the Stairmaster and free weights, I wasn't getting a great workout. I just can't get very motivated when working out by myself, so I was doing little more than going through the motions and breaking a sweat. What I needed, I decided, was a structured way to work out with others.

I thought about different possibilities. Personal trainer? No, that seems like renting someone to work out with you. There is rowing ("crew") close to my house, but the hours weren't convenient, plus it is a seasonal activity. I don't speak Spanish so can't do adult soccer. Then it hit me: martial arts.

I had taken Tae Kwon Do for a while back in my early 20s, but dropped it due to work and personal obligations. Maybe after a decade it was time to pick it back up. The one problem is that TKD requires a LOT of flexibility and kicking compared to other martial arts. Should I pick another technique that would be gentler to my aging body? But I was doing this for exercise and TKD - which is more a sport than a martial art - provides more of a work-out than techniques which focus on self defense, such as Aikido. Besides, since I took it before, I should be able to quickly pick up the techniques again.

The first week of classes my legs were so sore I could hardly move them when I got up in the morning. The second week my joints ached as they got used to being pulled and strained more than they were used to. A month into it I find that I am getting a great workout three times a week and my flexibility is visibly improving.

The one problem is that although I was once a blue belt (half way in the belt system to the coveted black), I had to start over. But I don't even get a white belt, which is the lowest rank in most schools, but a "no belt". Talk about incentive to improve and move up the ranks.

I Think Northern Alliance is Going to Kick Our...

Have you heard about the blogger fundraising competition? Called Friends of Iraq Blogger Challenge, it is a contest between various blogging teams to raise money for goods that help the Iraqi people (building materials, school books, medical supplies, you name it). More info at Truth Laid Bear, who is one of two Bears in the challenge - the other being our glorious Bear Flag League.

As of this writing, the BFL is being clobbered by Northern Alliance (Hugh Hewitt probably made their largest donation - he can afford it), but I'm hoping that our ranking comes up as more members of the BFL catch up on their email and join. Here are the rankings as of this posting:

Northern Alliance of Blogs - $7355.00
Buzzmachine - $625.00
TTLB EcoTeam - $525.00
Castle Argghhh! Fighting Fusileers for Freedom! - $ 440.00
Bear Flag League - $271.00

And remember, you don't have to be a BFL blogger to join our team and donate a small amount (cough -JimCarsonJustProcrastinatingRorschach - cough) to put us higher in the rankings.

Those of you without blogs will get the chance to donate starting December 1, your only issue will be to decide which team to donate for.

And if you don't want to participate in this contest, please donate to another worthy cause this holiday season.

Eavesdropping on the Cockpit Isn't Always a Good Thing

One of the unique things about United airlines is that they allow passengers to listen in on the cockpit radio through the plane's audio system, allowing people to hear the conversation between air traffic controllers and their pilots, as well as any other planes that are on the same frequency.

While maybe not a big deal to people who fly for leisure, for most of us this is the only time we hear actual air traffic controllers (not counting the ones on TV who whined that they were fired by Reagan in '81).

I usually find listening in a good form of entertainment. On my trip over Thanksgiving, I made the following observations:

o The movie Pushing Tin wasn't great, but Thorton and Cusack must have watched real controllers in action since they had their rhythm down cold. It's not just the jargon they use, but how they say it, the speed they say it, and the inflection they say it. All of the controllers seem to talk in the same way.

o Despite the similarity in rhythm, a few controllers seem to have their own signature "sign-off" as they pass a plane off to another controller. One guy out of Ft. Worth control passed planes off with a SEE YA! A few others had a standard greeting whenever a new plane was passed into their control.

o Part of the entertainment value of listening in is to figure out graphically in your head where everyone is by altitude and position. In addition, for us novices, it was intriguing to figure out the jargon.

Pilot: Anyone seen Charlie?

I wondered why he would ask about another pilot or controller, but a few moments into the conversation I figured out he was asking about "chop".

That being said, there were a few things that weren't so fun to listen in on:

o The pilot of my plane literally took a wrong turn at the airport. He and the ground controller went back and forth several times about where he was supposed to go for take-off, but he still missed his turn. He had to taxi all the way to the end of the airport and turn around, and then taxi back and do a u-turn in the middle of the runway. This didn't exactly increase my confidence in his ability to fly.

o I got real nervous as we were flying into Denver, where we were connecting. Denver is one of United's hubs, so there are a lot of United planes coming in, and some genius in operations gave two planes coming in at the same time a flight number that differed by a single digit. I got to hear a conversation that went something like this:

Pilot: United 247 contacting control
Controller: Gooday United 247. Note that United 347 is also on the same frequency.
...Later
Controller: United 247 change speed to 220.
Another Pilot: United 347?
Controller: That was United 247.
Pilot: Speed 220. United 247.
...Later
Controller: United 247 change to approach on frequency xxx.
(garbled radio)
Pilot: United 347 just took my frequency!
Another Pilot: United 347 is still here.
Pilot: Frequency xxx, United 247.

o Another time it didn't take a similar number to screw up a pilot. I was listening to a controller talking to three planes when another pilot rang on, but never got a response from the controller, and there was suddenly some confusion.

Controller: Flights 247, 384 Heavy, 7763 clear your radios. Who is this?
Another Pilot: Flight zzz checking in.
Controller: YOU ARE ON THE WRONG FREQUENCY! Dial into xxx.x!
Another Pilot: xxx.x, Flight zzz

Note that these events were all pilot errors, so I have to give credit to the air traffic controllers, who have an incredibly stressful job.

So while flight control might be interesting to listen to, small errors like these are inevitable in the system we have, so maybe listening to the radio might be the way to go.

Happy Thanksgiving

As much as the Mrs. would like to keep posting on the Ukrainian situation (which is looking favorable at this time), it is time for us to take care of family commitments, so there will be no blogging until next week.

Everyone have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Message From a Ukrainian Protestor Mobblogger

In case you haven't seen it - CNN seems to have buried it - there are massive protests going on in Ukraine to dispute the recent election.

Armed with Blackberries, the crowd is sending messages to each other and the world. One of the protestors is a former Colorado congressman who is there. Mrs. Director got the following email this morning:

I'm a former member of the US Congress -- a Uke from Colorado. Things are calm this morning. The police cleared the streets around 2:00am., but another crowd is slowly gathering now. People are blarring their car horns throughout Kyiv and still sporting orange streamers, flags, etc. I leave for home tomorrow and will try to report back to everyone I've met through email in the past few days. I have a blackberry and have been emailing reports as I see things. These seem to be getting passed around to lots of people in the US -- like you. Thanks for the kind note. Perhaps we'll meet up one day. Bob

The power of the internet at work.

More info on Bob's Ukrainian background here.


Update: Bob's liveblogging is now being carried on the virtual front page of the Denver Post. Instapundit also has some interesting links.

Update: Bush has requested that Ukraine not certify the election

It's That Time of Year

The leaves are changing. It's a bit cold in the air. Thoughts are turning to loved ones far away, Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas shopping. All this means that it's time for the 2005 planning cycle and financial forecast.

There is something perverse about how the biggest business rush of the year coincides at the time that people are a little more focused on family (or if you are more cynical, you could say it coincides with the biggest consumer rush of the year). And in 15 years of business at multiple companies I have found that the process is always the same.

As Thanksgiving bears down on companies, panicked messages will go out to create the first draft of the '05 plan before people start leaving for Thanksgiving vacation. That deadline will be missed and conference calls will be held with people who are on the road with their families. People will call in from the back studies of their parents or grandparents house.

The first week of December the first draft will be completed. Multiple meetings will be held where debates and arguments will rage. Analysts and product specialists with detailed information on the market will be told by executives with no segment experience that their forecasts are wrong and will finally just give them the number the forecasts should hit. A rush will be on to get the final results completed by mid-December, when people start trickling out of the office for their Christmas break. A few people will send last minute revisions and updates from the road. At least one person on the last conference call before completion will dial in from a ski resort. By the time New Years comes along a thick document will be produced that has the company's roadmap for the next 12 months. A secretary who has been with the company for decades will be asked to come in New Years eve to print and distribute the final drafts.

And by the time Groundhog Day comes along all that work will be tossed out the window and forgotten as the assumptions that were made for the next 12 months will have already been proven wrong.

How to Say No and Keep the Account

This is definitely not me:

In my dealings with customers I am honest about what they can and can't get, although I use more diplomatic methods than Just Say No:

o The Japanese Sigh - You do a sharp intake of breath from the corners of your mouth and exhale, saying "That would be very difficult..." In Japan, this means "No #$%&ing way." Most people outside of Japan also get the hint.

o Lie to Tell The Truth - This requires you to tell one lie so you can tell the customer the truth without pissing him off. For example, I had two customers come in with urgent design requests at the same time. I had to give the design team to the more important customer, so the other customer had to cool their heels for a week. I wasn't going to lie and say their design would be ready in a week, and I didn't want to tell them that they got bumped for another customer. So I made up an Asian holiday, Buddha's Harvest Moon Festival, ("It's sort of like their Thanksgiving"), and said the design team was out for a week visiting their ancestral homes. Being culturally attuned, the customer moved his request out a week. Everyone was happy.

o I'll Get Back To You On That - And then don't. Yeah, it's an old trick, and only works in certain circumstances (mainly existing customers who have high switching costs). Is this better or worse than setting unrealistic expectations? Your call.

o What the President/CEO/Chairman Really Meant Was... - This is cleaning up after a higher-up pulled what the vendor did in the Dilbert strip. You can't go in and say "no" after the CEO promised it, so it is a delicate dance of re-interpreting the execu-speak that had been uttered by the upper echelon. It usually works, maybe because customers also have CEOs who do the exact same thing to them.

o Roll the #@$* Downhill - This goes something along the lines of "Look, my factory is ready to go and we have no problems. The problem is that the lead-times of your raw materials are pushing out the schedule." This basically just shifts the blame on someone else further down the supply chain while you scramble to get your factory up and running. This tactic is particularly useful if your customer doesn't know the real leadtimes of his raw materials.

The bottom line is that I give my customers the truth on when they'll get their product and what they can get - I just might lie as to the reason why.

Sears-Mart? K-Sears? K-Smart?

Wow, this was a surprise: Kmart Buying Sears

I am witnessing the slow breakup of retail companies from my youth: Woolworth, Montgomery Ward, and now Sears.

It's not unlike watching movies stars you grew up with start dying away.

Program Management Blind Spots

My company provides manufacturing outsource services in the tech industry (don't worry, the work we outsource always comes from another Asian factory). My job is two fold. First, I market and close the sale. Once the sale is closed, my job is to act as the interface between the factory and customer to get the product ramped to production.

Essentially I become an internal program manager, working with the customer program manager to hit production dates, volume ramps, quality levels, and pricing. And one thing I am finding about the program managers I work with is that they are their own worst enemy. There seems to be a common set of blind spots - it must be a part of the job description:

Wanting it All - Program management famously has the Iron Triangle of three tradeoffs of which you can pick two: quality, cost, and cycle-time.

For example, if you want a very fast turn and low cost, quality is going to suffer. If you want high quality and fast cycle-time, you are going to have to pay for it.

Program Managers know these tradeoffs, but they don't want to pick which one they give up until forced to do so - they plan for impossible cycle-times with perfect quality and rock bottom prices. They end up going into the programs with a false set of assumptions and end up being disappointed - and usually get mad at vendors like me. My attempts to point out the problems at the beginning of the program go unheeded

"Uh, Joe, I don't think that cycle time is realistic. We may have to plan for expedite fees to the materials provider."

"Mitch, don't worry, it won't be a problem."

Famous last words.

NIH, or Not Invented Here - Part of the services we provide is design, and I have a design team that is second to none. They have designed dozens of products in this particular category and know the engineering, as well as the art, of designing these products correctly and robustly.

My guys can turn a design in a week. What I am finding is that the customer program managers want to double check everything we do, even if they have absolutely no experience in this technology. So I have guys who never built anything in this segment second guessing my guys who have been doing it for years.

The end result is design cycles that should take a week taking a month - then they have the nerve to complain that my cycle time takes to long.

No Ego Control - Sort of related to NIH, I have program managers - or their underlings - interject themselves in areas where they have no business, seemingly trying to show how smart they are. They just end up creating more work that delays the schedule:

Mitch: Okay, so we are going to ground the die using conductive epoxy.
Customer Underling: What about silver migration?
Mitch: That hasn't been a problem with epoxies in the last half decade
Program Mgr: Well, Mitch, maybe Chris has something there. Maybe we should hold off until we get some data and information from the epoxy vendor.
Mitch: Joe, this is NOT a problem. We have been using this epoxy in mass production for several years and have never had silver migration problems.
Program Mgr: Well, I want to hold off until I see the data

So I get the data - and guess what? No problem. Cost to the program - three days wasted. The issue here is trusting your vendor on areas they know rather than underlings who can snipe all sorts of irrelevant points into an engineering discussion.

Somehow, in the end, the programs get completed and a product is created. Usually in the glow of product success the bad experiences are forgotten and the lessons never learned. Then we get geared up for the next program where the same problems crop up again.

Let's Party Like it's 1985

You can tell what year was the best in a man's life: he wears the clothes from that year for the rest of his life.

- Jerry Seinfeld

Maybe one of the reasons that I have not noticeably aged is that the wardrobe I wear today is pretty much the same I was wearing in 1985: polo shirt (with polo logo on the chest), khaki pants, and loafers (I did upgrade the loafers to wingtips). The one difference is that I haven't put on a pair of argyle socks in 20 years.

Since I have a part of my brain permanently implanted in the 80s, I was laughing out loud at when I heard "1985" from Bowling for Soup for the first time this weekend (it actually came out about a year ago, but I just heard it - maybe because they didn't actually play it on the 80s stations). Anyway, some of the lyrics really hit home for 80-philes like myself:

Where's the mini-skirt made of snake skin
And who's the other guy that's singing in Van Halen
When did reality become T.V.
What ever happen to sitcoms, game shows

On the radio was...
(chorus)
Bruce Springsteen, Madonna
Way before Nirvana
There was U2 and Blondie
And music still on MTV
Her two kids in high school
They tell her that she's uncool
Cuz she's still preoccupied
With 1985

She hates time - make it stop
When did Motley Crew become classic rock?
And when did Ozzy become an actor?
Please make this stop
Stop!
And bring back:

(chorus)

The only thing really missing from the song is Reagan and Johnny Carson.

How Are My Exes Aging?

Everyone who knows me says I don't age much. Other than a hairline that has receded at bit one way and a waistline that has expanding the other, I pretty much look the same as I did at 30, 25, 20 or even 18. Even people who don't know me but see pictures of me from five or even ten years ago say I look exactly the same today as I do in the pictures.

I wondered if this was just me, or if time was just being generous. We all know people from our youth, but if we still see them regularly, we don't notice how they age (I didn't notice how much my parents aged until I moved away from them). To get a real picture on how time is treating people, we need to look at people we don't keep up with to get an idea of how time is treating our peers.

So, I thought, what better way to judge our aging than to look up people we once dated? They were the same age when we dated all those years ago, and of course have aged the same amount. If I were to see a picture of them today I could make a judgment on how time is treating me in relation to some peers, although of the opposite sex.

So using the great powers of Google I tried to track down the Great Loves of My Life. The bottom line: from the ones I could find, either time is being very good to me or it isn't be very generous to my exes. Here is what I found:

My first Date - The first girl I ever took on a date had the last name Smith and she just won't be possible to track down with that common a last name. Memory will have to serve for her, which is probably best since that was 21 years ago (ouch!).

High School Romance - the great love of my highschool years is some sort of administrator at a University. She ran for a university office recently and had her picture published, which found its way to the internet. Time has not been good to her. She was one of the most beautiful girls I dated (besides Mrs. Director, of course) and nineteen years later she is looking...well, manly, actually. Austin Powers would have a field day ("It's a man, baby!").

College Romance - my college sweetheart was a little hard to track down, but I found her teaching Latin at a private school in Colorado. A picture in a school newsletter shows that as she gets closer to 40 that she needs to start applying more make-up than is standard in that granola state. Time or high altitude is not doing wonders for her.

Post Grad Romance - Not on the internet in any meaningful way, so a strike for her.

First Job Romance - She must be working too hard since her looks definitely aren't mellowing with age.

There were a few other minor girlfriends, summer romances and the like that I didn't look up, but the few I found had a constant datapoint: age is not treating my exes well. Since Mrs. Director is quite beautiful, I can only hypothesize that either time is being good to me, or not being with me ages women beyond their years.

I Really Thought the SOB Would Get Off

Wow, good news really must come in threes: Election of W, death of Arafat, and conviction of Scott Peterson. I don't know how much more good news I can take.

The way things were going I really thought the jury would pull another OJ and let him off. The prosecution seemed to fumble in the beginning, but regained their stride on the Amber tapes. Of course this thing will be appealed forever and if he does get the death penalty it isn't like California does a good job of cleaning out their death row. At least we know the SOB will at least rot in prison the rest of his life.

The weird part is that this happened almost two years ago. No one I have talked to thinks it has seemed this long.

I Would Never Even Put the Two in the Same Sentence

A strange article that somehow works: contrasting actor John Ritter to Arafat.

Science and Faith

No, this isn't about faith versus science, but rather the concept that science requires faith.

We all learned in elementary school that the scientific method requires making observations, coming up with a hypothesis that explains the observations, and then creating an experiment or taking more data that proves the hypothesis. This is what allowed Newton to come up with his formulas, Flemming to figure out that penicillium kills bacteria, and so on.

But what about sciences that can't be tested? In this case the hypothesis never advances and all you have is an article of faith.

Let's take archeology. For decades the theory has been that North America was populated from a migration over the Bering Straight about 13,000 years ago. This theory was based on all available data, but DNA evidence and other data has come out showing that North America was populated much sooner, perhaps with a migration from Europe as well as Asia.

Since the old hypothesis couldn't be tested, the scientific process never advanced, but the hypothesis nevertheless became widely accepted as "fact". The hypothesis was so accepted that most researchers stopped looking for data that contradicted it. It just happened to be wrong.

Lots of areas of science have hypotheses that can't ever be tested. You think the universe is made of superstrings? The math works, but it won't ever be proven. Magnetic monopoles? They also make sense mathematically, but despite years of searching no one has never found one. In each of these cases, although the hypothesis is unprovable one way or the other, there is an accepted "consensus" that is "accepted" by the scientific community, and it is this that gets advertised to the world as "fact" (in these examples superstrings=yes, monopoles=no).

Thomas Kuhn famously wrote about scientific faith, although he called it a "paradigm". Science has an accepted base of paradigms, or received beliefs, and it clings to those beliefs until forced into another set of beliefs, a process called a paradigm shift. This phrase is now part of the vernacular and used by marketing people like myself to explain customer beliefs instead of scientific beliefs, but the meaning and process are about the same.

The bottom line is that many fields of "science" are nothing more than an attempt to package as fact nothing more than speculation and conjecture. There is nothing wrong with this as long as it is presented as such, but it should be remembered that in many areas, the Truth will never really be known - meaning that the science has to be accepted on faith.

Happy Veterans Day

If you enjoy your freedom today, thank a soldier or veteran.

Meanwhile in the Director household, two working parents who DON'T get Veteran's Day off are trying to figure out what to do with Little Miss Director who DOES get Veteran's Day off. I don't know about you, but I certainly don't remember getting THAT many holidays when I was in school.

To E or Not to E?

Great, now Vitamin E is bad for you. "They" are saying to definitely NOT take large doses of it since it increases rates of death, and this is only after a few years after "they" touted the benefits of E as an antioxidant and a method to reduce stroke risk.

I think at this point that every single food, vitamin and mineral on the planet has a study on it that says it is good for you and a study that says it is bad for you. So these two studies cancel each other out and you should eat whatever the hell you want and not take any supplements.

Remember, if you don't drink, smoke or eat fattening foods you'll live to be 100. But it will seem like 200.

Less Than a Decade Left on Writing-Off My Tech Bust

As we approach the end of the year, thoughts are turning to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and end-of-year tax write-offs.

Taxpayers may write off $3,000 a year in capital losses that exceed capital gains. This means that if you lose $30,000 in stocks, you have 10 years to write off that money from your taxable income in $3,000 chunks, assuming you never have another capital gain later to offset it.

The tech bust in 2001 hit a lot of people, including myself. When the bust was over, I was still left holding some stocks (I did get out of some with gains thanks to Mrs. Director). Instead of selling off these losers all at once and having a huge writedown that would have to be carried over each year, I decided to hold and sell off in $3,000-loss increments each year. The money from selling them all off wouldn't be big enough to reinvest into something else, and as I sell off these stocks year after year, there is always the possibility they may come back a little.

This is my fourth year of selling off losses. Today it was some PMCS. I wonder when I bought this? (Keep in mind that it's a log scale)

At any rate, I am happy to report that I now have less than a decade to go now in selling these losers off. I just hope I have some gains some time in the future to write this off faster.

2008: Aunuld Vs. Bill Clinton

Seems to be there have been two discussions going on in the blogosphere:

o Republicans have been talking about amending the constitution to let Aunuld run, and even Aunuld said he would if he had the opportunity.

o Democrats have been talking about amending the constitution to let Clinton (Bill, not Hillary) run for a third term.

Seems to be we should have a bipartisan amendment which both lifts the native birth requirement as well as the two term restriction. Then it will be Aunuld vs. Clinton. Heck, I'd pay good money just to see that debate.

Carnival of the Capitalists Up

Incite has the Carnival of the Capitalists up. They have a VERY lengthy version this week with all sort of good articles, including my advice to a reader whether he should get an MBA. Go take a look.

Update: I have also added them as a link under Biz & Tech

Star Wars III Trailer Out

The trailer for Star Wars Episode III (or Episode VI, the way I've watched them) is out. It is playing before The Incredibles, but you can view it here, as well as a few other places if you do a Google search.

The first moments of the trailer are a rehash from the previous episodes before it gets into actual scenes from the movie. It is supposed to be dark and brooding, and it certainly looks that way. After all, it is about the "birth" of Darth Vader.

Thankfully there are no signs of JarJar. Release date is May 19.

An Early Look at Socialized Medicine

One of the benefits of the flu vaccine shortage - if there is one - is seeing how government controlled coverage of a rationed good works for health care.

Essentially we have the government making decisions for people instead of letting people make their own decisions - and allocating their own resources to back up those decisions. Take this case: a 62 year old man who is a store Santa and in contact with lots of children wants to get a flu shot - definitely a wise decision.

Sorry, he is less than 65 and under the government mandaded age cut-off. No shot for him.

This case does have a happy ending since a private nursing home is offering a left-over shot, but if this were the real deal, you can bet that a private alternative would be illegal, as it would have been under Hillary-care.

Weekend Quiz: How Ukrainian Are You?

I know, like me, that all of you out there wake up each morning burning with curiosity on how Ukrainian you are. Thankfully, we can put that question to rest with the How Ukrainian Are You Quiz:

WOO! You are Ukrainian to the max. You and I should
be friends. Way to be on the winning team.


Since I have no knowledge of having any ancestors from Ukraine, being married to one has definitely worn off. Note that you don't need a perfect score to get the coveted "to the max" rating.

Reader Advice: Do I Get an MBA?

I received an email today from a reader asking about whether he should pursue an MBA:

I have a few years experience in the semiconductor capital equipment industry, and have moved up the ladder on the engineering department up to the level of Program Manager. I'm interested in pursuing an MBA, but have second thoughts regarding whether it will payoff in this particular industry? I'm interested in moving into product management.

My undergrad was in EE (Electrical Engineering), followed by a couple of years working in electronic design. I then did an MS, also in EE...

I've spent 5 years in the semiconductor capital industry. My program management job is as an engineering manager. Managers also double as developers, so about 50% of my time goes to (engineering), and the other 50% into actual management activities.

Though I've remained within the engineering department, I've had the opportunity of interacting with customers to identify their needs and come up with ideas for new products. My impression is that I'd be more valuable to employers - and have a more fulfilling career- if I were to make a complete move into marketing, dealing with understanding what customers want/need, figuring out which products we can develop for them, preparing specs, coordinating their development and production.

What would you recommend I do?

My gut response: skip the MBA. My own experience within the tech industry is that an MBA doesn't open up many more job opportunities than if you didn't have one. Getting the MBA in this case will just take two years away from the industry (or limit your working hours if you do it part time), and in this case I think you have the pieces to get the job you want without the MBA.

Marketing managers like myself understand that the MBA gives you a good theoretical background and fills out your financial skills, but what we are really looking for in product managers are people who understand the technology, understand the trends within the market, know the competition, and can easily work with customers. An MBA does't give you any of these. I'll hire an engineer with these abilities in a heartbeat over some Rice MBA without any industry experience. It's a lot easier to teach an engineer the few financial things he needs to know than it is to teach some MBA an entire market.

Note that the opposite may be true for strategic marketing managers, where a theoretical background is needed and it sometimes is helpful NOT to know the market since it brings a fresh perspective.

So for the position you want, I think you have the experience and background needed, and an MBA won't buy you anything. What you need to do is leverage your current work experience and contacts into the job you want. Here's some suggestions:

Talk to Your Current Company's Marketing Director or VP - The best bet is to transfer into the job you want within your current company. There are two ways to go about this: talk to your current engineering manager or talk to the top marketing guy. Each case is different, but in most cases I would talk to the marketing guy first. Your own boss probably doesn't want to lose a resource and may end up being more of a hindrance than a help. It really depends on your situation, but either way it will require some delicate political maneuvering.

In addition, even if you don't swing a transfer, the marketing guy could become a good contact and mentor - and he may find something for you eventually.

DON'T go through your company's HR - it will just get back to your current manager (my hate of HR departments is well documented, so I am biased on this).

Talk to Your Competition - If I had a talented engineering manager from my main competitor walk into my office and ask for a product marketing job I'd give it to him immediately. You know your own company's strengths and weaknesses, and your new employer would send you in whenever your ex-company was in heated competition at a customer. The trade-off is losing your five years of tenure and contacts within your current organization, where you may want to stay. There are also cultural issues to going to a competitor. Within some industries it is no big deal to move back and forth between companies, while in others you find you will lose long-time friends if you go to a competitor. This is your call.

Talk to Your Headhunters - If you know what you are dealing with, headhunters can be helpful, but in your case only if you can find one that specializes in your segment. Go this route only after you have exhausted your own resources and contacts.

The bottom line is that I recommend you network yourself into your next position. Even customers could be a resource. But an MBA is not needed. Just keep in mind that it will take time, but if you were willing to spend 2-3 years on an MBA, be willing to spend 1-2 years networking to find the job you really want.

There are times when an MBA makes sense from a career perspective, but this isn't one of them.

Any different opinions or comments from other readers? Leave in the comment section.

Hand Across the Isle - Let's Raise the Minimum Wage

First, let me get something out of the way. I am not a fan of the minimum wage. Economists on both the left and right agree it destroys jobs, it passes higher costs to consumers, and the cost to businesses is higher than the actual wage itself due to the "loaded costs" of social security, Medicare, etc. There is also the philosophical issue of how much the government should meddle in the invisible hand of the free market.

But I'm a realist about it. It's with us and it's here to stay. And it is an issue that is near and dear to democrats and much of their base (some union wages are pegged to the min wage, so a raise in the min wage gives some higher paid union members a raise as well).

However, I think the min wage is an item Bush and the republicans need to address in the next congress for a variety of reasons:

o Twelve other states and DC have minimum wages higher than the federal minimum, making the federal law moot. In addition, Florida just passed a ballot measure for a higher minimum wage, as did Nevada, bringing the total to 14 states.

If the federal minimum were raised to the lowest state minimum, only two thirds of the states would be affected, so the impact to the economy would be minimal.

o The economy is doing generally well, growing at about 3.5%, and can handle the small additional drag it might put on the economy.

o It takes an arrow out of the quiver of the democrats, which is always a good thing. Both ballot measures in Nevada and Florida passed overwhelmingly - and these were states that voted Bush.

o It would be a good "non-foreign policy" issue for Bush to start off his new term in a bipartisan matter (which will last until the first judicial appointment)

o My favorite - it will piss off Big L Libertarians.

UPDATE: Linked to OTB's Traffic Jam (where my post title got cut off since it was too long).

A Great Way to Annoy Your Dem Friends Even More

Looks like I need to change my bumper sticker and yard sign. Another option available is WHOOP-ASS, which is rather clever.

In all seriousnous, I actually wouldn't do this since I'm a good sport. Besides, it's time to get back to other business besides politics and put this election behind us, although I think there are going to be a lot of people who will find that impossible. And we know who they are.

Even if He Doesn't Concede, He's Still a Loser

A people should know when they are defeated

- Gladiator

Let's face it, it's hard to lose, especially in something that one has invested so much emotional capital. But the numbers are on the wall and the fat lady is warming up.

The good news is that it looks like we have like a one-day draw-out instead of a month, and the Supreme Court is nowhere in sight. Plus Bush won the popular vote, so we can put THAT meme to rest.

The really good news is Daschle's defeat. If there was one man in the senate who annoyed me as much as Kennedy, it was him.

7:26 - Man, am I Hanging

Thanks to everyone for coming over last night. I think we had a good time - even the Kerry supporters. Sneakeasy already has an entry about the party. Am hurting a bit this morning, but would be hurting worse if Bush had lost.

FYI, you know you're hungover when you try to take a contact out of your eye, and you have no contact in your eye...

11:55

Everyone is gone. Bush has won. I am drunk and going to bed. Four more years!

11:12

Going to decaf and Baileys.

Kennedy is talking to Kerry. CONCEDE!!!

10:49

Rorschach here, A good time had by all, mucho thanks to DIRECTOR MITCH and MRS. DIRECTOR for the fun and libations. This is the only way to sweat out election night in my book. Arigatoo Gozaimausu MR. Director.

-R :][:b

10:27

Changed battries on the laptop. Surfer Dude is being indignant about losing, but really still a good sport.

Ken and Barbie were no-shows. We did get another person showing up. "Hot Mama" showed up. 20 years old, blonde, beautiful and single showed up. Of course a Bush voter.

10:17

I'm going to Gin and Tonic as we are running low on everything else.

They are talking "recount" in several states, but it won't help. Bush is our next pres!

10:06

Coors loses!!! ARRRRRRGGGGG! Okay, as long as Bush wins.

10:05

Kerry challenging OH. What a surprise!

10:00

Sneakeasy says Bush is over the top with Alaska.

9:53

New Mexico is going Bush!

9:47

Sneakeasy is saying it's Bush....is he right?!?!


Rorschach - It's Ohio!!!

Sneakeasy - A bunch of badgers put it over the top!!! I called it two hours ago.

Rorschach - What? I'm smoking a cigarette...

Surfer Dude - MORE money for Iraq!?! (he's a Kerry supporter)

9:41

We're out of rum AND apple pucker.

OH for Bush!?!?! If so, that's it!!!!!

9:30

I'm having a cigarette and I don't smoke. Time for more liquor.

Have they called it for Bush yet?

9:19

California for Kerry. Like, THAT's a surprise.

9:15

I can barely read the clock on the computer. Am surprised how close it seems to be. Are Americans really that stupid?

9:03

I should mention that polling is all over in the 48. Hawaii and Alaska soon.

8:57

It's nearly midnight on the East Coast and this thing isn't called yet. It's coming down to OH it seems.

Another Rumsfeld and coke is imminent.

8::49

We are now a all-republican party as Surfer Dude and Chick went home.

8:36

Tobacco is being broken out now. Surfer dude and Mrs. Director are now partaking in a bipartisan smoke.

8:30

Another Rumsfeld and coke. At this point Kerry could be elected and I wouldn't care.

8:23

OMG! Montana went Bush?!?! All 500,000 people?!?

8:16

Sideshow Bob and Santa Maria show up. They are WAY behind.

8:15

We are now trying to emulate the fighting styles of Rumsfeld.

8:10 PST

The Director has lost control. I am Rorschach. I am pitifully trying to catch up with the Director for imbibing. Luckily, the bi-partisan crowd remains upbeat. Sneakesy just came by to keep the post accurate. To his credit, he is still relatively sober. I had about 200 typos in this small post. Time for more rum...

-- R :][:

8:03

Sneakeasy says Bush 288, maybe 300 electoral votes.

8:01

Penn called for Kerry. I am not surprised and still think he can win without it.

So....three (four?) beers, two martinis and now Rum and Coke. I'm toast. Is Kerry yet?

7:53

Erection I mean election? Bush still leads in FL. It's going to be OH that is going to decide it.

Running out of Apple Pucker. Need to save for guests. Moving to Rumsfeld and Coke.

7:51

How many drinks have I had? Wife tries to cut me off while Rorschach tries to catch up.

7:25

Well, Mrs. Director isn't really a guest, but a co-host...

Little Mrs. Director also came home with Mrs. Director.

7:20 PM

DIrector Mitch forgot to mention that the Mrs. came home and has started with a glass of red. How appropriate!

7:20

What's going on with the election? I am cooking burgers and brat and making lots and lots of martinis.

Rorshach and the Mrs. are here. Rorschach is starting with a Sam, the Mrs. with a martini, which I am having another.

6:51

Hosting duties have taken over, so blogging is suffering as I run around making drinks and start the hot appetizers.

Blondie and Jay showed up. I am moving to martinis instead of Rum and coke. Sneakeasy is glued to the set keeping up with returns.

6:05

Surfer Dude and Chick show up.

5:54

Sneakeasy arrives and opens a Sam.

5:45

Fox is pointing out that exit polls and actual numbers on the east coast aren't matching - I think this may be the beginning of the end of exit polls.

5:41

Open another Sam Adams. Mmmmmmm......

5:40

Fox is being a wimp. They won't call MISSISSIPPI for Bush yet? Come on...

Election Party Liveblogging - 5:30

Linking to PoliBlog liveblogging.

Election Party Liveblogging - 5:20

Back yard bar, lots of liquor, internet, Fox News piped outside. Things are good.

Election Party Liveblogging - 5:15

Fox calls W.V. for W. Wuppy.

45 minutes until the party starts and I have a beer open.

Election Party Liveblogging - 4:45

I haven't even turned on the TV or checked the internet yet to see what is going on since I have been busy preparing for the party after putting in a (almost) full day of work.

Turns out I have WAY too much food and liquor for 11 people, so I invited two neighbors - who happen to be Kerry supporters. They are pretty low key about it as I hang out them a lot and didn't know how they voted until I invited them to the party five minutes ago.

So in addition to the original cast, we now have Surfer Dude and Surfer Chick, who are actually in the late 30s, despite the nicknames I gave them.

Dramatis Personae for my Election Party

Here's a preview of who is coming to tomorrow's Bush victory party. Since I'll be live blogging and adding any comments from the party goers, I've assigned everyone a nickname and, if appropriate, the shorthand I'll use for entering their comments. Here's who's coming and what they'll be having:

Director Mitch (DirM) - Lifelong conservative, Mitch was first seen at a Reagan rally in 1980 wearing white pants and topsiders without socks (hey, it was the style then!). Will be drinking: Sam Adams, followed by Rum and Coke.

Mrs. Director (MrsDir) - Another lifelong conservative and consummate commie hater. The Soviets ran her family out of Ukraine, with her grandparents escaping the KGB by only minutes. If you value your life, you won't say anything positive about collectivization in her presence. Will be drinking: Wine (and probably a martini or two)

Rorschach - Although he blogs about knives, he actually isn't from the South or play the banjo. Long-time friend of the Director and former Vice President of lots of tech start-ups that are no longer around. Will be drinking: Rum and Coke.

Mrs. Rorschach (MrsRor) - Lovely wife of Rorschach and the mother of twins. If you think you had a bad day at the office, let her tell you about hers. Will be drinking: Wine

Cal Blonde (Blondie) - Lifelong democrat who voted for Ahnuld in the last election and Bush in this election. Now that she is voting republican, she is worried that she is entering middle age. Will be drinking: Martinis

Jay Blonde (Jay) - Husband of Cal Blonde. One of the most anti-Kerry people I have run into in this election. Will be drinking: Whatever is available.

Sneakeasy (Sneak) - The only other Bear Flagger who is showing up, as everyone else in the group is going to the party in LA. Obviously will be coming over on his bike since he blogs about both cycling as well as politics. Will be drinking: ???

Sideshow Bob (Bob) - Bob is a big Republican and a big Catholic. And by big I mean he is at least 6' 6". Will be drinking: Wine

Santa Maria (Maria) - Lovely wife of Bob, is also a big Republican Catholic, but not as big as Bob (in size I mean). Will be drinking: Wine

Barbie Doll (Barbie) - Tall and blonde, Barbie just had a baby. Part of a split marriage with Ken (see below). Will be drinking: Soda, as she is still nursing.

Kerry Ken - The lone Kerry voter coming to the party, he got a ticket thanks to his is wife's republican vote. Will be drinking: Whatever he brings as Kerry voters are BYOB at this party.

Election Prediction

I have a customer who has asked me to quote on a design that can't be manufactured, so I will be spending all day Monday putting THAT fire out (just try telling a customer, nicely, that he has no @#)$% clue what he is doing, then showing him how it is supposed to be done, then giving him a quote on that).

Anywho, this means that my blogging will be probably light to non-existent until election day, when I will be busy becoming the host with the most.

Since this is probably the last entry until I start live-blogging election evening, here are my predictions. If I hit dead on, everyone owes me...something. I dunno, I'll figure out what:

Popular Vote:
Bush - 52%
Kerry - 47%

Electoral College
Bush by low double digits (how's that for predicting? I get to claim victory for anything between 10 and 15)

Surprise of the Evening
Bush carries Ohio (I consider Florida already a lock)