Made To Order Clouds April 16, 2008
Posted by Michael in Uncategorized.trackback
I’m not really comfortable with the sky getting littered by cloud-advertising.
As kids, most of us spent time laying in the grass, watching clouds roll by and imagining the shapes we could see in the fluffy white masses.
Now, one company aims to indulge those flights of fancy by actually making “clouds” in the shapes of, well, anything, from the Atlanta Braves’ tomahawk to Mickey Mouse’s iconic head.
These clouds are actually a mixture of soap-based foams and lighter-than-air gases such as helium, something like what you’d get if you married helium balloons with the solutions that kids use to blow bubbles from plastic wands.
The company uses re-purposed artificial snow machines to generate the floating ads and messages, dubbed Flogos. The machines can pop one Flogo out every 15 seconds, flooding the air with foamy peace signs or whatever shape a client desires. Renting the machine for a day starts out at a cost of about $2,500.
If you were going to float some clouds, what would you choose?
I guess giant boob clouds would get me in trouble.
Is it a bird? A plane? No, it’s a Flogo! – LiveScience- msnbc.com
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Innocent Bystanders 
Can I get something in reddish-orange…delivered?
So is this an ad for a pretzel company?
that live blog feature is cool at AoS
unfortunately it’s only a discussion between Ace, Jack, Drew, and Gabe.
In other words, it’s a circle jerk.
Yeah, that is some pretty cool software. And free.
Unfortunately, it does not install on a hosted WordPress site. I already tried. Maybe WordPress will accommodate it if it gets popular.
what does it do?
It basically posts text messaging on a blog in real time, and provides polling functionality as well. The blog owner can moderate comments coming in from the Internet to avoid spam and jerks seeking to dominate the conversation.
The advantage of a hosted WordPress site is that it’s free, easy, and does not require personal maintenance.
The disadvantage is that WordPress is now running almost 3 million hosted blogs off of a common code base (about 12X what they had when we started). Meaning, they are (appropriately) extremely security conscious. So, for example, that’s why I can’t rip a YouTube video and upload it — it’s in .flv format and Flash is a security risk. WP will allow .mpeg videos,for example, and numerous other formats, but not .flv. With YouTube videos, I can only link to YouTube in a secure manner.
There’s something very, I don’t know, bittersweet perhaps, about seeing your child’s full name on a little card that goes into the graduation announcements.
Melancholy? Is that a better word?
Maybe.
It’s like seeing their ticket out of the house, no?
Out of the orbit of your protection.
I don’t know how to describe it, really. Except that it makes me feel both proud and very sad.
Daughter Michael got her first full-time job, btw. With a firm of marketing consultants (marketing was her major). She’s real excited about it. It was cute that she called he dumb old Dad for advice on how to handle the salary negotiation.
She did exactly what I told her to, and got an extra $3K.
I’m so proud of her.
🙂
The basic rules of salary negotiation:
They are almost certainly offering you the low end of a range that HR has approved for the position. The hiring manager has discretion within that range. He just wants the job filled as quickly as possible to make his own life easier.
So, if they offer you X, whatever that is, even if it’s more than you were hoping for, you DO NOT SAY YES. You say: “I was really looking for something around X+15%. However, I’m really excited about this position, it represents a great growth opportunity for me, and I would accept the job for X+10%. I really think my qualifications are right for this position.” (They already believe that, which is why they made an offer.)
The hiring manager will look sad and disappointed. This is just part of the game. In the ensuing coversation, if he counters with anything close to X+10%, go ahead and accept. He’s probably getting close to the top of his range.
Suppose he says, “No, the most I can offer is X.” Or X+2%.
DO NOT ACCEPT! Even if X is OK with you. You are being tested.
You say, “I really need to think about that in light of other opportunities I am pursuing. I can give you an answer by the close of business two days from now. Will that work for you?” The manager will almost certainly say OK. He doesn’t rally want to start over with the next best candidate. Then see if he calls back with a better offer “because I had to go back to HR to get it approved.” Worst case is that you capitulate in two days and take the job.
If the manager does not say OK to a two-day consideration period, and demands an immediate response to X, just turn down the job, however painful that may be. You do not want to work for that guy.
The foregoing rules work for new hires. They do not work for promotions.
a Michael-triple.
haven’t seen one of those in a while.
Dave, you hire people. I’m right about the negotiation, aren’t I?
The 10% rule is pretty reliable. If you get offered $30K, the manager is willing to pay $33K. If you get offered $80K, he’s willing to pay $88K. The incremental dollars are loose change in his budget, and not worth the effort of pursuing another candidate and leaving the position unfilled. Especially if he’s worried about looming budget cutbacks and headcount freezes, which is a worry for virtually every hiring manager in the current economic environment.
Oh yeah, cost of retention vs. cost of recruitment dude.
no-brainer.
But talk about the real alchemy, “I’ve been in position for a year and I want a significant raise based on a) I am a recognized contributor, and b) several of my coworkers are documented slugs, and c) a barely weight carrying boog moved to another department.
I think this one is harder.
Good to know.
Incidentally, Slublog posted an interesting story about the Maine legislature. Scary stuff. I thought it was AoS-worthy, but Slu only posted it on his blog.
Does voter disenfranchisement concern you?
It should concern us all.
#15 — Yeah.
In my experience, it probably helps a little if my subordinates gripe to me about their salary. A little. But I have a pretty good idea of whether they are actually likely to leave, and how hard it would be to replace them. In recent years, three people have quit on me. Two came back, and the third one wanted to. My retention stats are off the chart. People like to work for me, and I know it. My real problem is not the gripers, but the quiet ones who are underpaid and don’t say anything. You have to look for the quiet performers and pay them.
Yes you do.
Government work makes that a little easier, since my (low) salary is set by the feds. Which is good, because I totally suck ass at negotiating and would probably walk out with a salary lower than the initial offer.
Incidentally, I get a $15k raise with my next promotion, which will be in the December/January timeframe. I am really looking forward to that.
(it’s really a $10k raise, but since I had to get the new pair of hearing aids this year, it’s a $15k raise in taxable income.)
what the fuck is that thing over there? —–>
Mrs. Peel is right – if you work for the gubmint you can throw all that negotiation stuff out the window. The job pays X. End of discussion. The plus side is you get nice bennies and damn near iron clad job security that’s virtually immune to any economic downturns.
The 10% rule is pretty reliable. If you get offered $30K, the manager is willing to pay $33K. If you get offered $80K, he’s willing to pay $88K.
Michael, was it Single Malt Night last night? How was it?
There’s a happy little cloud.
Michael, was it Single Malt Night last night? How was it?
How dare you question Michael’s cognition?? Don’t you know they have a place for his thingy in the Smithsonian?
He’s going to edit it and then act all innocent, you know.
So I might as well say it now:
Compos, I don’t know what I was talking about. There is nothing wrong with Michael’s comment. Not sure what you’re looking at, either.
Gosh, we must both have the sillies this morning!
When you paint happy clouds, you open yourself up to a whole new world of imagination. All it takes it a little brush, a little titanium white, very loose, very, very loose. Let it go.
I want to negotiate my salary requirements on Single Malt Night
IB Fun Fact:
That wasn’t really Bob Ross’s hair.
He’s going to edit it and then act all innocent, you know.
Huh?
He even changed it in LW’s comment. Sneaky.
Huh?
Riiiiigggghhht.
That wasn’t really Bob Ross’s hair.
you’re kidding? i had no idea. I like Bob Ross. Seemed like a nice guy.
Humphrey Bogart and Jimmy Stewart also wore wigs. I didnt know that until recently either.
OK career counselors, any advice on how to make the jump from Director to Vice President?
Would an MBA help or is that over-rated? Assume one’s bachelor’s is in Management already.
any advice on how to make the jump from Director to Vice President?
Do you really want the lot of us to offer suggestions on how to advance your career?
compos, what happened to your blog? I visited it last night for my twice yearly check to see if you finished the second part to that article and there are no posts there?
It was a flaky thing to do Patty Ann. I had a momentary lapse in reason, thinking I shouldn’t be putting such personal information out there for the world to see. Not that it would, just that it could. Then I figured since I wasn’t updating the thing anyway and didn’t figure anyone was visiting any longer, I might as well try to kill it. So I did my best to do just that. My apologies.
I will be at my current position a year next month. I’m going to ask for a $10K raise.
In the long run, it will save them money.
^ Yeah, but pulleeze just send me the ‘final’ copy of the rebellious colon post.
I’ve said it before and I’ll certainly say it again, that was the Funniest Thing I Ever Read on teh Intertubes.
I’m not really comfortable with the sky getting littered by cloud-advertising.
Yeah. No Shit!
That, and Laser Advertising, beamed onto the clouds or mountains.
That would Suck.
*sob
So I’m doomed to never hear about the rest of your sex life? You teased me with false promises of fulfillment then threw me in the ditch? j/k
You had some of the funniest stories on the internet, Compos; I’m sorry they’re gone.
No false promises. I’ll finish the “it burns when I pee” story.
And I’ll add on the last of the soccer story for Geezer.
Thanks.
Took a quick look at today’s flame war over at AoSHQ. Very, very sad. LW’s still got game, but the rest of the comments were pathetic.
I just put in my 2 pennies.
I just put in my 2 pennies.
More job seeking advice: be persistent, get noticed.
Here’s an option on getting rediculous amounts for your career field: look into the international market. As an American / European expat with any type of degree you are looking at a min. of a 50% increase in any base that is offered in your country of origin.
Just sayin’
-Speaking from experience