I’ve worked with organizations that thought perfection was the perfect standard. It actually killed creativity, progress, and growth.
They were stuck in place and productivity stalled. Perfection is the enemy of great.
— Read on hbr-org.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/hbr.org/amp/2020/03/dont-let-perfection-be-the-enemy-of-productivity
TED Talk Subtitles and Transcript: What if we could “grow” clothes from microbes, furniture from living organisms and buildings with exteriors like tree bark? TED Fellow Suzanne Lee shares exciting developments from the field of biofabrication and shows how it could help us replace major sources of waste, like plastic and cement, with sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives.
— Read on www.ted.com/talks/suzanne_lee_why_biofabrication_is_the_next_industrial_revolution/transcript
Your privacy is compromised.
A new tracking admission from Google, one that hasn’t yet made headlines, should be a serious warning to Chrome’s 2.6 billion users. If you’re one of them, this nasty new surprise should be a genuine reason to quit.
Record numbers of workers are part of what’s been dubbed “The Big Quit” or “The Great Resignation,” as economies emerge from the pandemic. If a recent Microsoft survey is even close to the mark, 41% of the global workforce plan on saying goodbye to their employer and colleagues this year.
Many of the quitters are, and will be, people 50+. Some for greener pastures at other employers or ventures they’re starting; others for retirement.
The flurry of emailed farewells and virtual goodbye gatherings around the United States lately reflect worker confidence that the U.S. economy’s rebound is strong enough that they’re willing to take a risk and leave their jobs.
Demand for Workers Means Options for Some
Their timing is savvy considering how strong the demand is for workers.
Companies are fighting for talent, and that’s the definition of a good market for anyone looking to voluntarily change jobs. Generally speaking, household finances seem unusually supportive for funding a job search, too. Economists estimate Americans accumulated an excess of $2 trillion in savings during the pandemic, though they are quick to add that many are struggling.
Seasoned workers with retirement savings plans have done well lately since the markets have been strong and 401(k) contributions have remained relatively steady. Home values also rose sharply during the pandemic in many places, and older Americans tend to be homeowners.
“In a world where workers don’t have a lot of power, quitting is the one bargaining chip they have,” says Geoffrey Sanzenbacher, research economist at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. And, he added, many older workers “have something they’ve wanted to do for a while” — which could be starting a business, following a passion or retiring.
See More:
By: R. Michael Brown, Freelance Writer [Follow on Facebook: @RMichaelBrownLLC]
📸: Let Ideas Compete is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
After joining a bunch of Facebook cycling groups I started to receive ads for CyclingDiet. You may be getting them too because you are part of the Facebook groups or post about cycling.
As a former US Olympic Cycling Coach and professional freelance writer, I thought I would take a look at their plan and write a review to be helpful to other cyclists.
The bottom line, BUYER BEWARE!
According to their Facebook ads and their Facebook page [@cyclingdietforweightloss] they say, “Fun, easy, and safe way to lose weight! Find what will work for you with 60-sec quiz approved by cycling coaches and experts and get your personalized plan & diet!”
So I purchased the program to check it out and it cost $66… not including the international charges because the company is based in Lithuania (Didn’t know that when I registered).
In addition I paid an extra, $4.99, to get the “rush” evaluation on the quiz I took. They say the personal evaluation is done by cycling coaches and experts.
I signed up as a beginner to see what they were teaching new cyclists. When I received my plan it included some generic daily workouts for before and after stretching, calisthenics, and bicycle training. You could easily come up with these on your own via the web for free.
But when I got to the diet part, and you are led to believe with a name like CyclingDiet this is the robust part of their offering, all it had was a Cycling Recipe book in a PDF showing calorie amounts for the few dozen recipes they provided. No daily plan, no meals to sync with the daily cycling and off-day workouts, no technology to track your calories… Just two mentions above the recipe “book” that showed total daily calories you should stay within to maintain weight and total calories you should target to lose weight.
Honestly, you could buy a paperback weight loss cookbook for under $10 and get more information.
What they sent me is what their “cycling coaches and experts” came up with?
After working with Olympic cycling sports nutritionists and many nutritionists over the years on my own diet and my daughter’s because she has Type 1 Diabetes, the CyclingDiet isn’t a diet or diet plan by any stretch of the imagination.
The whole plan is basically – stay under 1,500 calories a day and you add it up on your own. Oh, and exercise a lot. Not worth $5 let alone $66.
If you’re used to MyFitnessPal, Fitbit, WeightWatchers, or the many other online programs, CyclingDiet looks like a bad joke.
Plus, when I attempted to get a refund after telling them the deficiencies in their product, they gave me some back and forth customer support static and said they would refund only half ($33) and it may take 2 weeks to process.
So just to check on them by doing a Google search, turns out the company for CyclingDiet, UAB Kilo Grupė, in the first few Google results, are about “unauthorized charges” and scam alerts.
Now I’m going to have to watch my PayPal and bank accounts to see what happens.
They buy a lot of online ads. They’re everywhere. I blocked them.
As you can imagine, I won’t recommend this product. Far from it.
In fact this is the best $33, hopefully, I’ve ever spent if it helps you not fall for this waste of your time and money.
If you need a diet, talk to your medical doctor or a licensed nutritionist. They work with you and legitimate online programs for you to evaluate, plan, and track your diet. That’s the safest and will get you the best results.
Happy cycling!
For more free reviews and stories go to BrownieBytes.net
By R. Michael Brown
Sound ON!
Congratulations for topping 8,000 members today in the #BrandStorytelling #LinkedIn Group I founded.
Brand Storytelling and Journalism in a hot topic now for public relations and marketing.
Join us! [LinkedIn Group: Brand Storytelling & Journalism]
BrandJournalism #CorporateCommunications #PublicRelations #marketing #MarketingCommunication
With iOS 14.5, Apple has introduced some new privacy features that will limit targeted advertising.
By Daphne Leprince-Ringuet
📸: Jimmy Benson
Ever been spammed with sportswear adverts after looking up gym membership fees, or been bombarded with tempting hotel discounts upon booking flights for your next getaway?
These sort of adverts, almost eerie in how relevant they are to users’ interests, are now a common part of our experience of using apps and the web. But with the new release of iOS 14.5, and with it a new feature called App Tracking Transparency (ATT), these ads might now become less of a common sight.
The Cupertino giant, in effect, is introducing some limitations to the data collection practices that constitute the bread-and-butter of creepy targeted advertising arising from our use of apps.
ATT was confirmed earlier this year, and it is a major blow to most modern-day online advertising strategies. The feature requires apps to get users’ permission before tracking their data across other companies’ apps or websites for advertising purposes.
In other words, if users decide to select “Ask app not to track,” then the app’s developers will not be allowed to collect data about users’ behavior outside of the services provided on their own platform.
If your #app or #website forces your #customers to become an IT analyst to get logged in, you have #failed. Do you realize what that does to your #brand?
For businesses new to digital marketing, these steps may feel huge to begin with, but once you get the hang of it, it will seem as natural as wearing a seatbelt in a car.
Now is the time, more than ever, to master your digital marketing strategy to get your business in front of more eyes. But strap yourself in for a journey rather than a two-stop trip—digital marketing is not a one-off effort, but rather an ongoing objective that needs daily monitoring.
When you empower under-performing toxic people because they are loyal to you, you erode the respect of your team, disempower your healthy high performers (who will leave) and undermined the mission.
Brownie Bytes 