Apparently, Yahoo! Finance picked up my steak story from the Wall Street Journal. Now you can read the article in more than one location. haha
I’m currently a subscriber of AT&T DSL. But because they made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, I’ve now subscribed to Comcast High Speed Internet (HSI). Since I have both pipes currently coming into my house, I figured I’d give them a whirl and see who’s faster, and whether or not cable is really 10 times faster as they claim. I’ll give you the results and let you be the judge.
Here’s the results from my AT&T DSL speed test at speedtest.net:
And here’s the results from Comcast:
I got similar outcomes from Speakeasy (no fancy graphics here):
AT&T DSL:
Download: 5170 kbps
Upload: 657 kbps
Comcast:
Download: 15875 kbps
Upload: 4451 kbps
That looks pretty fast to me. It’s hard to tell to what extent Comcast’s results are affected by their supposedly “secret sauce” Powerboost technology rather than simply better overall speeds, but it’s hard to argue the results. Say goodbye, DSL.
What in the world could possibly be worth $900 an hour in the middle of this great recession? Apparently certain attorneys are still worth that much. Chrysler’s legal bill was $12.7 million in the first month.
According to that article:
[Corinne] Ball, the lead bankruptcy attorney, averaged 15-hour workdays every day during the month, including weekends. That amounted to a bill for $401,310 for her services at $900 per hour.
Frankly, I don’t envy the hours she worked. Working backwards from the figures given, I calculate she worked 445.9 hours during that month. As it indicates, that’s works out to 15 hour days every single day of the month. I get pretty exhausted from just working 50 or 60 hours in a 5-day week, much less working 7 days a week. Ouch!
But I’ve gotta admit she made a pretty penny for her time. I wouldn’t even make $400k over the course of a few years, much less in the course of a month. Even my bill rate as a consultant doesn’t touch her astronomical fees. Sheesh!
In my last post from Proverbs, I totally had the urge to use “integrity” as an adjective, e.g., Yet another good reminder to be [integrity adj.] in everything. Alas, it doesn’t appear that such a form exists. In fact, according to Merriam-Webster Online there isn’t an adjective or verb form of the word in modern English.
Not that we can derive a direct causation, or even a correlation, but I wonder if the extinction of words such as these is in any way related tothe actions of a certain governor, or financier who clearly lack the quality.
That’s not to say that there aren’t other ways of expressing the concept in English, after all, we have words like virtuous, good, innocent, meritorious, deserving, worthy, correct, dutiful, moral, right, righteous, well-intentioned, creditable, laudable, commendable, praiseworthy, excellent, admirable, sterling, pure, noble, exemplary, matchless, peerless, saintly, angelic, seraphic, godlike, etc.
But it does seem odd to me that the actual forms for this word have seemingly gone extinct. Thus, I propose that we resurrect the archaic adjective form: “Integrous” and it’s adverbial counterpart “Integrously.”
Now, we can all have “another good reminder to be integrous in everything,” and to always act integrously.
Uh-oh. Only a few days in, and I’m already slacking. I’ve been doing the reading; I’ve just been remiss in not posting about it.
Proverbs 15
Verse 3:
The eyes of the LORD are everywhere,
keeping watch on the wicked and the good.
Yet another good reminder to do everything with integrity.
Verse 22:
Plans fail for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.
I think this is especially relevant when embarking on a new venture, whether it’s business, a relationship, or an idea, seeking wise counsel is a skill I learned early on from my parents. My dad was particularly instrumental in instilling this value in me with his admonition to always be “information interviewing” people. (How’s that for a sentence with “in” in it?) I was telling Charlene the other night that I laud her for seeking wise counsel as she seeks to enter the world of wedding makeup. I’ve seen too many people who have ample resources at their disposal and never take advantage of them–for whatever reason.
I have countless friends who needed help or advice on something, requested access to resources I had, and never availed themselves of those resources. It leaves me shaking my head. This is definitely a verse to keep in mind. Many advisers are a boon to one’s plans. Without them, they’re doomed to fail.
Proverbs 16
Verse 2:
All a man’s ways seem innocent to him,
but motives are weighed by the LORD.
I’ve seen it in others; I’ve seen it in myself. We go around thinking that our motives are pure in the things that we do, only to find out later that we were engaged in true self-deception. It doesn’t matter what it is–it could be the pursuit of a relationship, pursuit of a job, pursuit of material “stuff”, even the embarkment on a missions trip, or entry into full-time ministry. It’s totally possible for us to engage in self-deception regarding the reasons we do the things we do. This is definitely a reason to pray the prayer of David in Psalms 139:
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Verse 3:
Commit to the LORD whatever you do,
and your plans will succeed.
As good as Proverbs 15:22 is in admonishing us to seek wise counsel, nothing can beat this verse. Often, it’s the process of committing plans to the LORD that drives us to wise counsel. Conversely, in the events where we seek that wise counsel without seeking God’s direction, those who are truly “wise” will always redirect us to seek that direction.
Verse 9:
In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps.
I’m beginning to see a pattern. Are you? ‘Nuff said.
Verse 25:
There is a way that seems right to a man,
but in the end it leads to death.
And again…
Verse 30:
He who winks with his eye is plotting perversity;
he who purses his lips is bent on evil.
An interesting proverb. I’m sure there must be something that underlies this one. I wonder if this would stand up in the court of law as evidence.
Verse 31:
Gray hair is a crown of splendor;
it is attained by a righteous life.
This one’s for you, mom and dad!
Proverbs 17
Verse 14:
Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;
so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.
Words for married people to live by.
Verse 28:
Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent,
and discerning if he holds his tongue.
I had heard this quote before, but never realized it was biblical. I thought it was attributed to someone like Ben Franklin, or even the fictional Sherlock Holmes.
For more information on what this is all about, read my post on Proverbs through October. Then join me on my journey through Proverbs, and leave a comment so I know you’re with me.
For more information on what this is all about, read my post on Proverbs through October. Then join me on my journey through Proverbs, and leave a comment so I know you’re with me.
I should’ve posted this earlier, but didn’t get around to it, especially with all the hullabaloo around yesterday’s news article. But here it is.
Verse 26:
He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress,
and for his children it will be a refuge.
I love this verse because it gives me something to aspire to as a father one day. When that will be, I have no idea. But in the meantime, I can certainly work on my fear of God, and developing that as a practice for my children.
Verse 28:
A large population is a king’s glory,
but without subjects a prince is ruined.
This reminds me of the management axiom that you can’t be a leader unless you have followers. In the short time I’ve been in the work world, I’ve come across way too many people who thought they were a leader, when the reality was that no one was following them. As this verse ♦: they were ruined.
Yesterday, I posted that there would be some exciting news coming out, and that it related directly to this blog.
Without further ado, I give you an article about Brian Wong and USDA Prime beef at Costco.
“How in the world!?!” you ask. Again, it all goes to this blog.
So here’s the story:
Read more…
For more information on what this is all about, read my post on Proverbs through October. Then join me on my journey through Proverbs, and leave a comment so I know you’re with me.
Verse 7:
One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;
another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.
Verse 11:
Dishonest money dwindles away,
but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.
Verse 24:
He who spares the rod hates his son,
but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.
Barring any craziness, or an unexpected turn of events, I’ve got some exciting news to share tomorrow.
For those rumor mongers among you, we’re not pregnant. But it’s something pretty exciting, and it directly relates to this blog. I’ll keep you posted.
For more information on what this is all about, read my post on Proverbs through October. Then join me on my journey through Proverbs, and leave a comment so I know you’re with me.
Verse 1:
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but he who hates correction is stupid.
I’m very direct myself, so I love the bluntness of this verse. No words minced, no ambivalence. Short and straight to the point. That’s my kind of verse.
Verse 9:
Better to be a nobody and yet have a servant
than pretend to be somebody and have no food.
It seems to me that it would be difficult to be a “nobody” with a servant in today’s society, but I guess it could happen. In either case, I’d definitely like to be in the former category.
Verse 16:
A fool shows his annoyance at once,
but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
Hmm…this hits close to home. I tend to get annoyed pretty quickly, and I show it. Just ask Charlene. Guess I’ll need to work on being a prudent man.
That’s all for today.