There was an article today about a boy who was tracked down for a heart transplant using the GPS in his mother’s cell phone. Since it was a “matter of life or death,” the location information was released without a warrant.

Even though the outcome was positive, I’m not sure that I like the precedent. True, GPS technology is in phones to aid in location determination during emergencies. And, yeah, the paranoid could remove the batteries or simply not carry phones. I just don’t like the notion that I could be tracked without my permission.

(This post is part of the 100/100/100 challenge)

While driving home today, I noticed a sign walker on a street corner holding a cardboard ad for a CompUSA store-closing sale. “50-70% OFF!” the sign screamed, vibrant colors beckoning the masses towards the store. The man himself stood in bored contempt of the world; it would seem that enthusiasm was not part of the employment agreement.

I think there’s a lesson here. If you need to discount your merchandise 50-70% to move it, one of three things is true:

1. The stuff was severely overpriced to begin with
2. You shouldn’t have stocked the stuff in the first place
3. You’re selling oriental rugs

Priceless quotation from the oriental rug bit: “Probably 95 to 99 percent of all oriental rug liquidations are scams.” Sounds about right.

(This post is part of the 100/100/100 challenge — sort of. It includes 127 words, but if you apply a 70% discount, there are only 38! What a deal!)

When people look for reviews, they want honest evaluations — good or bad.

A site called The Funded carries straight-shooting reviews of VC firms. Some of the reviews are quite caustic, while others are downright glowing. Notably, they restrict site access so that only qualified reviewers (specifically, entrepreneurs) can write reviews. That helps to keep the review quality high and shill reviews rare.

I think that a similar service would be useful for employees finding employers. Maybe something like Vault.

(This post is part of the 100/100/100 challenge)

Conventional wisdom holds that those looking to cut body fat should eat less and exercise more. Only half of that is true, according to a new study. The investigators observed 661 adolescents and found that body fat percentage is negatively correlated with energy intake.

[Figure: Gross oversimplification of study concept: eat more to be skinny]

Physical activity, time watching television, and protein in diet? None were predictors for body fat once corrected for caloric input.

So what’s going on? Does this mean it’s time to stuff yourself with ice cream? Hardly. A restrictive diet leaves you too tired to exercise. High energy ‘throughput’ is the key to a lean body.

[via]

(This post is part of the 100/100/100 challenge)

Me: celebrating a quarter-century of existence!  And it just keeps getting better…

(This post is part of the 100/100/100 challenge)