Getting Some Fun Back

When was the last time you had fun? Gaming applications do not really count. I get it, you are very busy growing your career and do the things that have to get done. You might do things that you enjoy and that are fun but never because they are fun to do. First of all, ask yourself what you would most want to do. Try daydreaming of a perfect day or evening and you can even think back to what was exciting to you in your childhood. I mean a day at the beach in the waves still sounds pretty awesome. Trying something new is definitely not a requirement but if you use some of your valuable fun time to try something you've never done before, you'll expand your horizons, activate newness-loving pleasure chemicals in your brain, and create very vivid memories. Make sure to thank the naysayers for sharing and then get on with what you were doing. You blocked out this time for pleasure, so there's nothing else for you to prioritize right now. The "should"s will still be there when you finish doing all those fun things.

Networking Tips

If just the idea of networking leaves a bad taste in your mouth, you are not alone. The first thing that people should remember is that is it not a collection of business cards that you are after, but rather relationships. When you approach a potential contact, have the mindset that it is a relationship because otherwise the other person will see right through you. Before you even start approaching people though, you need to have a clear idea of where you are headed. Write down your goals and how you are going to get there. There you are ready to connect your networking strategies with your goals. For each goal, write down three people that will help accelerate that goal and it could be a mentor, advisor, or even an investor that believes in your vision. Now the question becomes how to create that connection whether it is over video conferencing or in person. To be perfectly honest, it is rather simple. Ask insightful questions and be a good listener. Lastly, after you have made the connection, make sure to follow up on it.

The Private Cloud

When it comes to cloud services and cloud computing, the private cloud is storage where you know exactly where the data and documents are and who has access to it. The security is much greater with private cloud than public. This is the perfect option for the businesses and industries that have to go through a lot of regulations and handle sensitive information. One of the best things about private clouds is that they are specific to each business and can be customized throughout its deployment. This means that it will run efficiently and productively along with your business. There is also more control and reliability and this translates into more security and piece of mind. The disadvantages to the private cloud might be that it is too costly and requires IT expertise. As far as costs go, it might be a good idea to see the security that you are getting for the money and if it is worth it. The private cloud would require IT experts to deploy and maintain it so the business would need to have its own IT department. On the other hand, you can have it managed by a trusted third party.

Writing That Perfect Email

There is a site that will go through public data around the web about a certain person and then tell you how to best communicate with them and what communication services would be best to use. Apparently, the computer program can do it better than we can. Is this the beginning of the end the way that Ex Machina put it? It’s definitely creepy, perhaps useful, and almost certainly a look at how we’ll communicate in the future. So it seems that now was are on the brink of using technology to supplement our emotional intelligence. If technology is always used to enhance the good things about us, will it inherently also enhance the worst in us? What will happen if the good is always made better and there are less and less human errors? Sometimes it is those human errors that make us human and a place where we can connect with each other. A sort of common ground if you will. Messing up is universal and it crosses all type of boundaries. We get rid of that and the boundaries become more solid and more real.