The experience has been a bit awkward. Not that it is bad, it is just different. In many ways, I find it easier to break the ice with a complete stranger I’ve just met then it is to break the ice with a woman whose profile is sitting right in front of me. There tends to be a lot of information on the profiles, which makes asking common ice breaker questions odd because I already know the answer after reading their profile.

For someone as particular as me about the woman that I date, match.com creates a peculiar situation. There is just too much information about the woman. I certainly don’t want to ask a woman a question that is already answered on her profile. Of course, the funny part about that is that a woman responded to one of my emails by asking me questions that are answered on my profile. Go figure

It’s always good to learn from someone else’s mistakes, so be sure to tune in to the show over the next couple of months to learn about my online-dating mistakes so that you don’t have to make them yourself!

There have been many other shows where we have covered relationships. Who could forget when Dean and I so succinctly pinned down what women really want in a relationship. And we can never forget the show where Dean and I talked with the man with the Arizona Tea can sized junk who couldn’t keep a woman! Sometimes being well endowed is not all it’s cracked up to be.

Seems like Dean and I love to talk about relationships. Now, with my single status and months of therapy to get over my last girlfriend, I’m ready to start dating again!

This week’s show is dedicated to the wonderful world of online dating. Dean and I are creating a profile for yours truly on match.com. For the first couple of weeks, I’m going to go on a date with whoever Dean picks out for me. Sounds scary, I know! But I have faith that Dean is not going to steer me in the wrong direction. Plus, I think Dean will push me to date outside my “comfort zone”. Who knows, I might end up with a tattooed biker chick!

Hopefully the women will have a good spirit about the radio show and come on the show as a guest to talk candidly about our date. Even if I end up being a horrible date, I’d love to have them on the show! This should be an enjoyable adventure. Catch the start of it on tomorrow’s show!

Well, you and the other blue light shoppers have been duped. Check out Sprawl3 to learn more.

Dean recently posted an article outlining the reality of selling an app on the App Store. From the trials of approval to actually going through selling Jack the Rabbit and its first week’s performance, Dean outlines the high points of creating something funny to actually having the balls to put it out there.

We do hope Jack the Rabbit is a smash hit. Check it out everywhere on the web:

Website: http://www.jacktherabbit.com
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jack-the-Rabbit/93723796696?ref=ts
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jack_the_rabbit

There is an interesting post, “So Your Customers Hate your Redesign? Should You Care?” that advocates listening a bit less to users when making design decisions. Check it out.
What do you think? Should Facebook cave again?  Or will its community abandon ship?

There is so much that we don’t understand about the brain and head trauma. Debra will be shedding some light on how we can educate ourselves and better understand what we can do if we ever end up a loved one with head trauma. Catch the show live on BlogTalkRadio.com, or join the thousands of people who listen to the archive on your iPod or computer!

Check them out at http://www.sprawl3.com/blog

I admit, I am attracted to all kinds of conflicting traits in women, but I am a guy and I have attraction ADD at times. But, I admit, I like the fact that my sig other is a woman. She is vulnerable, needs me to lift stuff and she likes it on bottom (LOL).

No seriously, there is a component to us that appreciated the biological fulfillment of the significant other. I am find it immensely attractive that my sig other is a great mom. I like that she is feminine, emotional and cannot bench more than me. In other words, I like that she is a woman.

Then again… I used to be attracted to women that tended to be on the lesbian team, too.  But that was when I was younger and a bit more aloof about relationships.  

Check out Parenting with Duct Tape for a good read.  Nice mommy blog.

~DK

Read More on Sprawl3.com

Sprawl3 offers some tips on how to avoid getting hosed by internet scam sites and ads that may appear on sites like Facebook and MySpace.  Check it out:

http://sprawl3.com/blog/2009/02/17/quick-update-internet-scams-and-how-to-avoid-them/

Intel is planning to spend 7 billion dollars over the next two years to build the world’s most advance nanotechnology manufacturing facilities right here in the USA!

Here Here! to Intel. Nice work on taking action. Intel is hedging bets on recovery and setting itself up to be the leader in capacity when the lid is lifted from our recession. 

Interestingly enough, there was a recent blog post about this very thing about how and why the private sector needs to get down and dirty on economic restoration.  Check it out.

Interesting read for sure.

http://sprawl3.com/blog/2009/02/12/end-of-the-windows-era-a-renaissance-of-os-choice/

“[I]f the private sector continues to perpetuate shrinking of its own customer base by cutting jobs and focusing on core products only. If we do this the recession will last longer than we all wish it to.  Sure, we might need to operate at loses, but consider it a path to ROI if you make the right investments. Imagine if the we were able to spare as little as 50% of the jobs lost to date. There were be much more confidence in our economy.

Check out more on http://blog.sprawl3.com

http://sprawl3.com/blog/2009/02/06/private-sector-stimulus-government-alone-should-not-be-the-solution/

Scams, Ads and Your Facebook Profile

Listen in on Jared and Dean as they discuss recent trends in scam ads on social networking sites, like Facebook, promising access to stimulus package money. Jared and Dean will dive deep into patterns of these type of ads, how to avoid getting duped and what to do about protecting your name and credit.

————–

Ben & Jerry’s has created “Yes Pecan!” ice cream flavor for Obama. 
   
  They then asked people to fill in the blank to the following:
 
 For George W.  we created “_________”. 
   
Here are some of their favorite responses:
 
  - Grape Depression
 
  - Abu Grape
 
  - Cluster Fudge
 
  - Nut’n Accomplished
 
  - Iraqi Road
 
  - Chock ‘n Awe
 
  - WireTapioca
 
  - Impeach Cobbler
 
  - Guantanmallow
 
  - imPeachmint 

  - Good Riddance You Lousy Motherfucker… Swirl   [my favorite]
 
  - Heck of a Job, Brownie!
 
  - Neocon Politan
 
  - RockyRoad to Fascism
 
  - The Reese’s-cession
 
  - Cookie D’oh!
 
  - The Housing Crunch
 
  - Nougalar Proliferation
 
  - Death by Chocolate… and Torture 
   
- Credit Crunch 
  
- Country Pumpkin
 
  - Chunky Monkey in Chief
 
  - George Bush Doesn’t Care About Dark Chocolate
 
  - WM Delicious
 
  - Chocolate Chimp
 
  - Bloody Sundae
 
  - Caramel Preemptive Stripe
 
  - I broke the law and am responsible for the deaths of thousands…with nuts 
 

In light of the latest scams and Wall Street abuse of government bailout funds, Jared and Dean discussed the concept of a code of ethics for corporations. Dean’s recent post on Ethical Relativity and Its Cost: Adopting a Corporate Code of Ethics on Sprawl3.com covered this subject in more detail.

Finally, the boys got onto the track of women going braless in “wife-beater” t-shirts and how it was a hard for the boys to concentrate when faced with such a situation. 

Download the podcasts and tune in on BlogTalkRadio.com for more of Jared and Dean

Later

Check out more on Sprawl3.

At first glance, this seems like a no brainer. You get more than double the team for the same price. Moreover, there are tax incentives for US companies to seek off shore solutions for labor. (I have some very negative views of such tax incentives, but that is another post.) 

I have been in the web industry for over 15 years and this issue has been a constant struggle for the IT community. Cheap labor and specialized skills sets in India, Eastern Block Europe and China have compelled bottom line centered managers to pursue outsourcing options to US based employees. As I moved in the the executive level I was faced with inheriting such decisions in my organizations.  In ten years, I have never (I repeat…never) had a successful cross continental team when the core product development was based out of the US.  Most web companies are small and require infinite flexibility and too often the trip over the pond and the time differences create huge barriers to progress.

The end result is that this cheap labor ends up taking at least twice as long and delivering lower quality. Unlike hardware and physical products, information products like websites seldom are developed with detailed specifications and robust supply chain discipline. The entire industry is more opportunistic than physical products.

Recently I endured, yet another, offshore developed, US based product for my current company. The specifications from the product manager had lots of holes in it, so the understanding by the Romanians also had holes in it. Moreover, the discovery process that is a great mechanism of perfecting an idea iteratively was all but eliminated because of late delivery of code, pages and the 24-48 hour feedback loop required because of the geographic restrictions. The project was not a success in any stretch. It took a full 100% longer than estimated, the quality is disconnected from the core foundation.

In total, the project cost more having overseas people developing the code and that does not factor in the opportunity costs caused by the late launch of the product. Still, my senior execs was me to “make this work.” I know in the end, it will not work as well as a team half the size based in the US.

This trend in IT has caused the industry more expense than needed. There are more off-shoring disaster stories than success stories. When your product is your company’s main source of revenue, keep the team building it close to the product development base.

Hopefully, marketeers and non-IT people open their eyes to when saving money cost you money. If you want to have a Romanian team, move the product development overseas, too.

~DK

Today’s news about the government boost for Citibank had me wondering if he rushed to Citibank to move his money back to Bank of America or maybe even back to Washington Mutual (which is now in the good hands of JP Morgan Chase). The bank ride continues to be interesting!