Capitalogix: Just for Fun

Just for Fun

August 08, 2010

If at First You Don't Succeed ... Put It On the Internet

This video made me laugh out loud.

It shows a "motivational" speaker attempting to break a piece of wood over his head.

There might be a deeper point worth capturing; but it is worth watching purely for the entertainment value.

via Tony Robbins.

Posted at 07:37 PM in Ideas, Just for Fun, Personal Development | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

July 19, 2010

Too True Video: It's the Dad Life

It may be a little after Father's Day; but it still seems like a good time for a video like this. Tongue in cheek, a little faux rap, and fun ... Watch Dad Life.

Hat tip to Ken Dennard.

Posted at 08:24 PM in Film, Just for Fun | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

July 11, 2010

Are You Happy?

A simple flow chart caught my eye this week.

There is a bit of truth in that; isn't there?

Posted at 09:53 PM in Art, Healthy Lifestyle, Ideas, Just for Fun, Personal Development | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

July 01, 2010

Ever wonder what Steve Jobs and Bill Gates talk about?

This made me smile.

For more of these, and to make your own, here is the link.

Posted at 01:57 PM in Business, Just for Fun | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

June 21, 2010

Should You Get the New [Insert Name of Gadget Here]?

Funny decision-tree flowchart. I'm sure my wife wishes I used it.

from scordit.

Posted at 06:30 PM in Gadgets, Just for Fun, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

June 20, 2010

A Father's Day Investment Guaranteed to Pay Dividends.

My kids are getting older. So Father's Day looks a little different than it used to.

But as I look back, there is an investment I made that paid-off in a big way, and I want to share it with you.

Like many parents, I wanted to teach my children that, to a large extent, they control what happens to them. One of the first ways I did that was to set up a "compensation system" for them to earn video games.

Some parents try to limit the amount of time their kids spend watching TV or playing video games. I tried something different. Instead, my kids earned their games by reading books. Here is a photo from way back then.

Paid With Play.

Here's how it worked. When they were younger, 10 books was enough to earn a small game. When they finished a book, it was their right, and my obligation, to take them to the bookstore for us to pick up the next book together. Likewise, when they finished the requisite number of books, it was their right, and my obligation, to take them to the computer store or game store for them to choose any game they wanted.

When they finished hundred books, they got a bonus of earning the next game system. That meant if they had a Nintendo, they could now also get a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.

How Can You Encourage a Jump to the Next Level?

There came a point when I wanted one of my sons to start reading grown-up books. He was comfortable reading a certain type of book, and didn't want to read the kind of books that I read. So, I created a bonus system that counted a particular book as three books. I didn't force him; I just let the easier path to a reward "whisper" in his ear what to read. Once he finished that, he never went back to teen fiction.

It Is a Great Way to Learn About Your Kids.

I also used the bookstore visits to get a sense of how the boys were doing. For example, I might say "I notice that you read five books in that series, maybe you'd like this book". Or, "That sure is a lot of science fiction; what was the last biography you read?" For the most part, though, I didn't care what they read. The key was to get them to want to choose certain books for their own reasons. Ultimately, their preference meant they were learning to love reading.

It Puts Them In Control of Their Destiny and Rewards.

My younger son likes competition. He also broke or misplaced many things. So, in order to earn back the Game Boy unit that he lost, I challenged him to read five books in five days. These weren't easy books either. It was designed to stretch him, and also to teach him that he could read a book a night. The bet was that he either finished all the books in the allocated time, or none of them counted towards games or Game Boys. On the other hand, if he read a book a night for two weeks, not only would he get to have his Game Boy back, the books would count towards a game too. It worked like a charm, and we were both happy.

So, Who Got the Better Bargain?

As they started to get into their teenage years, I needed to up the ante a little. So, 500 books meant they got a laptop of their choice. Both boys cashed in, and probably felt like they were taking advantage of their dad.

I got what I wanted, though; both my boys love reading, and know that they can accomplish anything they put their minds to … one step at a time.

That's an investment that will pay dividends for a long time.

Posted at 10:22 PM in Books, Healthy Lifestyle, Ideas, Just for Fun, Personal Development | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

June 11, 2010

Great Video Parody: BP Spills Coffee

Humor says a lot about the underlying truth of a situation.

Here is a video that pokes fun at BP's handling of the oil spill.

Here is an image about how to plug the leak, showing a sentiment popular with a segment of the population.

Yet, here is a cartoon that points out how tough it is to avoid a no-win situation.

Posted at 02:23 PM in Current Affairs, Just for Fun | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

May 31, 2010

A Fake Science Look at Oil Companies

BP said Saturday that its latest attempt to stop the gushing oil well in the Gulf of Mexico was unsuccessful, and the effort, known as a “top kill,” was being scrapped in favor of yet another maneuver to stem the flow spreading into the waters.

Sometimes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Posted at 02:01 AM in Business, Current Affairs, Just for Fun | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

May 27, 2010

Take a Look at the New $100 Bills

Officials from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the Federal Reserve Board and the United States Secret Service unveiled the new design for the $100 note. Complete with advanced technology to combat counterfeiting, the new design for the $100 note retains the traditional look of U.S. currency.

If you haven't seen one in person yet, here is what to expect.

Here is a link to an interactive graphic that lets you explore the features of the new note.

Here is a video from the new Currency Channel.

Posted at 06:53 PM in Art, Current Affairs, Just for Fun, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

May 09, 2010

Iron Man 2 is Good Mindless Fun

Have you seen it yet? It is certainly generating some "buzz" and box-office traffic.

My recommendation: let go of your expectations and simply enjoy the spectacle.

Even Freud has to agree, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar ... and sometimes, a movie is just a movie.

Iron Man 2 was a fun and action-packed movie that I'm glad I watched on a big screen.

Does It Live-Up to Its Hype?

Before its release, there were a number of very negative reviews and predictions that it would be "unwatchable". Nonetheless, audiences are watching and, according to Rotten Tomatoes, enjoying the movie.

I had fun seeing it with my son this weekend. It was good enough in virtually every way.

The story held together well enough that I didn't think much about the plot (not that there was much of a plot to think about).

The graphics didn't "wow" me, the way that Avatar's did; but they were good enough that I didn't think about them (even though many of the special effects had to have been computer-generated).

Here is a Trailer so you can see it for yourself.

Here are more videos.

Posted at 02:29 PM in Film, Just for Fun | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Capitalogix

Thoughts about the markets, automated trading algorithms, technical analysis, and lots of other stuff.