BrainFuel » Questions

What Makes a Blog a Blog?

Don Fitzsimmons — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 05:04:14 +0000

I have been trying to figure what technically makes a blog a blog and I hoped the BrainFuel faithful would help me out. So far I have these attributes as the minimum requirements to be considered a blog:

A list of posts sorted from newest to oldest
Permalinks for stories
Syndication (RSS/Atom)
Comments

So here’s the question: does a blog have to have all of these attributes to be classified as a blog? What am I missing?

Question: Toll Free Phone Numbers and Paid Ads

Chris Tingom — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:14:03 +0000

So yesterday Tom and I had a discussion and asked each other these two questions. The surprising thing is we had the exact opposite answer. What about you?

Question: When you are calling a local company that has both a local phone number and a toll-free number, which one do you typically call?

Question: When you search on the web, and you see a sponsored link for a company and a natural search optimized link in the results, which one do you click on?

Finish the sentence…

Chris Tingom — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:06:20 +0000

“Wishing there was…”

Does Experience Matter?

Chris Tingom — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 02:01:53 +0000

While waiting for my haircut, I read an article in Time magazine which asks the question “how much experience is necessary?”

They’re talking about Obama, naturally. He has the least experience but apparently the most public support (I know that’s hugely debatable but he’s winning in the media at least).

The print edition of the article has a nifty graphic which shows all of the U.S. Presidents with a breakdown of the “experience” they had. Then the article breaks off and asks the question which I am asking you to answer.

Would you prefer a doctor who has practiced medicine for 30 years or just 10? (Assume the experience is post-education)

One Thing You Did This Year?

Chris Tingom — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 15:31:28 +0000

A year is always full of decisions and changes. What is one change you made in your business, or life, that dramatically improved results?

Should Your Business Have Set Office Hours?

Chris Tingom — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:17:42 +0000

It’s obvious that some companies should have set office hours. Any time you have frequent foot traffic at a business, it just makes sense. But what about at service companies, or small businesses where only a handful of employees work?

At our company, we don’t have a set rule, but just a suggestion that you be at the office between 10 am and 3 pm. That’s a comfortable range of hours that generally assures everyone is working during the same hours every day.

But how do you feel about this? What do you do where you work?

Do set office hours force people to be more productive? Often I change my mind about this and would like to open it for discussion.

Kicked Out

Chris Tingom — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 16:45:39 +0000

Have you ever been kicked out of a business establishment, or a golf course, or anything? One time I was playing golf with a foursome and the other people were so slow that the golf course asked us to leave. How about you? Ever been asked to leave/kicked out?

Who is your favorite actor or actress?

Chris Tingom — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 22:23:02 +0000

Who is your favorite actor or actress? If you can’t name just one, feel free to leave a few names.

Legendary

Chris Tingom — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 22:42:40 +0000

What does somebody need to do to be a legend? People often speak of “legends” in a specific field or moment in time. I’m curious about this. Is there a way to get onto a fast track program?

Finish the sentence…

Chris Tingom — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 16:13:05 +0000

When I arrive at the office in the morning, everyone else is usually _____.

How did you make money as a kid?

Chris Tingom — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 16:14:06 +0000

When I was a kid, we would do lemonade stands, but not too often. Mowing lawns, selling stuff with the Boy Scouts, were the ways I made money.

How about you?

With so many animals, why do we eat so much chicken?

Chris Tingom — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 04:19:52 +0000

I’m curious about something. Why do we eat so much chicken? The other birds must have formed a marketing committee. That’s all I can think of as a reason

Look at all of the amazing birds that must be out there waiting to be eaten. Imagine how delicious they must taste! Think about it, the flamingo probably tastes like a million dollars and we will never know. I bet it tastes a lot like Bald Eagle or Spotted Owl.

Imagine if a smart person were to go looking for the best tasting poultry on earth, and bring it to America and breed them in large quantities. That would be so cool!

P.S. I realize we do also eat a lot of turkey, but why limit the selection to just a handful?

Are you working on your business, rather than in it?

Chris Tingom — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 07:39:23 +0000

Question: What percentage of your time do you spend working on your business, rather than in it? We’ve all heard the proverbial phrase that you should be working on your business rather than just in it. Because if you are working for your company, all you’ve done is create a job.

As a bonus question, what percentage of you time do you spend working on your own projects (for example, creating your own product)?

Do you believe in UFOs?

Chris Tingom — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 04:16:45 +0000

Do you believe in alien life / UFOs?

Is the economy good or bad?

Chris Tingom — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 23:45:28 +0000

I personally think the economy is pretty good. Business is good, we have too much of it in fact, but I talk with a lot of other people who say the opposite. It appears that 7 in 10 Americans think the economy is ‘getting worse.’

What do you think?

What are some of your favorite blogs?

Chris Tingom — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:06:01 +0000

What blogs do you read first every day (or web sites)? Post a few links!

Are Wikipedia Entries Credible?

Chris Tingom — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 10:45:56 +0000

I’ve spoken with several people recently who discounted heavily the trustworthiness of any Wikipedia entry. Citing the fact that anybody can edit articles.

Do you trust the Wikipedia and if not, what do you trust?

What’s the worst boss you ever had?

Chris Tingom — Fri, 25 May 2007 03:42:52 +0000

What’s the worst boss you’ve ever had?

Presidential Candidate Web Sites

Chris Tingom — Thu, 03 May 2007 21:23:12 +0000

What are some of the best things you have seen online this year as the 2008 presidential campaign gets underway? What are some of the unique things that some of the candidates are doing to be different?

What is the coolest car you have ever driven?

Chris Tingom — Wed, 02 May 2007 21:22:34 +0000

Today we were talking about cars and the coolest cars we have ever driven. What would be yours?

Comparisons between 9-11 and the Fuel Truck that Hit a Bridge in SF

Chris Tingom — Tue, 01 May 2007 17:15:56 +0000

I don’t know if anybody has picked up on this or not, but I’d like to make a passing observation about the loaded fuel truck that hit a bridge in the Bay Area, and the jets that crashed into the World Trade Center.

First, the specifications:

A fully loaded 767 holds 23,980 U.S. gallons of fuel. (source) (second source)

The tanker that crashed under a freeway overpass in the Bay Area had 8,600 gallons of fuel. (source)

Take away

Is this clear evidence that it’s possible to melt a building like the World Trade Center with fuel? I think it is.

Pictures

The single-vehicle crash occurred on the lower roadway when the tanker, loaded with 8,600 gallons of unleaded gasoline and heading from a refinery in Benicia to a gas station on Hegenberger Road in Oakland, hit a guardrail at 3:41 a.m.

Engineers said the green steel frame of the I-580 overpass and the bolts holding the frame together began to melt and bend in the intense heat — and that movement pulled the roadbed off its supports.

Also, from this SFGate article:

Firefighters immediately noticed the upper connector ramp was buckling and seven minutes after they arrived — at 4:02 a.m. — it collapsed, Price said. Now there were no more structures threatened, the firefighters’ approach shifted.

The truck hit at 3:41 a.m., which is consistent with the timeframe in which the WTC collapsed.

A lot of people have argued that it is impossible for the WTC to have collapsed and that the fuel wouldn’t have been hot enough. I’m not an engineer, and maybe these are two completely different scenarios, but you have to agree it’s interesting to think about.

Feel free to debate in the comments.

The CEO Position is Open

Chris Tingom — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 23:52:28 +0000

If you could be CEO of either Google or Microsoft, which would you run?

Personally, I’d probably say Microsoft simply because they currently have the most potential for growth, and it’s somewhat fun to be the underdog. Maybe being the underdog (at least in the Internet space) will allow part of Microsoft to innovate and take on Google.

Side question, if you could run any company out there, which one would you want to manage?

“There is no such thing as a free lunch”

Chris Tingom — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 04:57:16 +0000

True or false?

Have you ever spilled water on something valuable?

Chris Tingom — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 20:17:14 +0000

I haven’t, but I’ve come very close at times.

If your house is on fire, what do you carry out?

Chris Tingom — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 15:45:00 +0000

Here’s the scenario: Your house is on fire and you can only take out what you can carry in your arms. There is enough time to gather a few things and exit safely. What would you take?

How many times have you moved?

Chris Tingom — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 21:54:25 +0000

How many times have you moved to a new house/apartment in your life?

Reading the signs on the street

Chris Tingom — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 22:45:35 +0000

Here’s an interesting question. When you are driving somewhere, do you read all/most of the signs along the road or do you simply head to your destination?

I ask the question because I read all of the signs as I pass them, including billboards.

So what about you? Do you just head to your destination without reading any signs or do you read them?

Just curious.

Under promise, and over deliver

Chris Tingom — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 06:12:03 +0000

Describe a situation in which you under promised something, and were able to over deliver to a customer as a result.

Analog or Digital?

Chris Tingom — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 23:20:51 +0000

What kind of watch are you?

What’s Faster?

Chris Tingom — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 20:31:19 +0000

A dozen frightened piglets or three injured goats with blindfolds?

Past, Present, Future: Where do you stand?

Chris Tingom — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 23:56:04 +0000

Assign a % to each that you are focused on, on an average day. For example, I myself would say that I am focused 75% on the present, and 20% on the future, while only 5% on the past.

Where do you stand?

What would you do for $1,000,000 that you wouldn’t for $10,000?

Chris Tingom — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 22:23:50 +0000

Useless Account asks the question: What would you do for $1,000,000 that you wouldn’t for $10,000?

What is your Greatest Asset?

Chris Tingom — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 18:30:15 +0000

A lot of people would say time is their greatest asset. Is that true with you?

What is your greatest asset?

Is your email your to-do list?

Chris Tingom — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 18:00:12 +0000

Have you let your email become your to-do list? How much time do you spend in email per day? I’d say on average I send 30 – 60 emails a day. I often wonder if there is anybody reading them on the other end, though.

Best Service Experience?

Chris Tingom — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:14:15 +0000

Tell us about the best service experience you’ve ever had?