A Rock Climbing and writers tech life

Chongo is free. We wish we were free. He wants technology to enable others to make a better place so we are not constrained. We are all overworked by our own doing. We are trapped by our favorite devices, politics and routines that are willingly captured on public forums mostly in our minds to be the most popular. Wouldn't it be awesome if we could live outside of some of these fucked-up norms and work trends in effort to be accepted by ourselves and others? To help everybody be free? If we could change our daily routines like so many featured folks in this Ogilvy documentary series. I wish to find this freeness and we should all want some. Even if it's just for a moment.

(Insert zen sunrise) and be in the now.

Directed and produced by Janice Ahn, produced by Brian Murphy and Ritesh Batra, shot by Daniel Patterson, edited by Keith Davis.

How Clients are in real life situations with Vendors

This video short called The Vendor Client relationship - in real world situations is very painful to watch and all too familiar. Negotiating more for less is one of the things that is ruining our technology economy. Similar to the issues associated with outsourcing everything. Chipping down your vendor all the time is not the way to go. I've been in this situation where you have to explain to some Clients that you indeed can't always get what you want for the same price. Just because they either F'd up or want more service for whatever money they have in their ill conceived budget or crap they changed their mind half way through the meal and ordered a new entree for the price of one meal. Time is always your best defense in these situations along with some pre-budgeting or allocating hours for the unknown. Let them know that you'd love to do something but we've run out of time or will need to devote more time because of their cascading changes. Now what makes it worse is in our job market with hundreds of well qualified candidates selling themselves for the same job these days there is a potential and the risk of underselling. With glut of great talent, I fear there is a lot of under bidding happening, with the same sort of self deprecating mentality. This is the opposite problem post 911 where folks were totally overpaid and had zero experience. So for the duration its a once again a buyers market, not a sellers market, where people will be perceived as effective individuals even though their requests are so ballsy it's hard to imagine them being able to sleep at night, and forget about having them understand caveats or roadmap for their requests. That's when the client turns deaf too!

Stress Reducing Kit for the overworked

Please do not do this exercise on your home computer. We recommend doing this on your work PC or MAC. The harder the surface the better. You can also just draw a circle on nice brick or concrete wall but for something more forgiving plywood or a sheet-rock wall works just as well. The last thing helps in relieving stress besides the obvious self help is to crank some rock-n-roll really, really loud. If that does not work just punch a co-worker in the face. Preferably one nobody likes.

"Do You Wanna Get It" by The Jon Spencer Blues Explosions [mp3]
"Delay Your Pressure" by Young Widows [mp3]
"When You're Near Me I Have Difficulty" by XTC [mp3]

Best geek convo ever Sales vs Admin

You've been through this before. You know the admin has a million important things going on in their sphere. You just didn't know their ADHD was this bad. You know the Sales dude does not realize that everything he says is always taken so literally. Here is proof. I pissed myself.

Pot Vending Machine

Leave it to the California residence of LA to make life easier, as you can get your sticky bud through a Pot Vending Machine, no standing in lines or driving in a sketchy neighbordhood and handing your money to a complete "stranger". This is of course if you are comfortable having your picture taken upon every purchase. Vince Mehdizadeh, Owner of Herbal Nutrition Center (HNC) has mentioned that users can get their prescriptions 24 hours a day and enjoy access with slide card! Now that is some service. So if you suffer from a video game glitch or god forbid glaucoma life just got a little better. All card members can sample the product during regular business hours at centers around LA. This has been a public service annoucement.