The Thoughts of W Christian
What could you be doing better?
Choosing your College Major
As my children approach college age, the question of college major has come up more than once around the dinner table. Whereas, as a professor years ago, I would tell my students to major in something they really liked, my advice is getting more pragmatic. Yes, major in something you like, but make major in […]
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Maryland’s 4 out of 500 is Not Good Enough
Something is very wrong in Maryland. Recently I was looking at the Fortune 500 list and was shocked to see that only 4 of the 500 biggest companies in America claim the Free State as home: Lockheed Martin (#59), Marriott (#219), Discovery Communications (#460), and Host Hotels (#477). Not only is it below average, but it is also significantly […]
Posted in economy, education, jobs, Maryland, politics | Comments Off on Maryland’s 4 out of 500 is Not Good Enough
My 2 cents on Minimum Wage
Since there’s been such a row over President Obama’s plan to increase minimum wages, let me offer my $0.02 regarding proposals to hike the federal minimum wage. My problem with POTUS’ minimum wage plan is not a “big business versus the little man” issue or that I think people should just accept that they live […]
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What’s your time really cost?
In the words of Charles Dickens, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, … it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us.” In these uncertain times, are you thinking about taking control of your destiny and […]
Posted in consulting, expenses, spreadsheets, startups | Comments Off on What’s your time really cost?
Agile Family Vacations
Summer is almost here and that means summer trips are at your doorstep. If family travel stresses you out, let me suggest the Agile Family Vacation for keeping your sanity while you travel. When we were young, our family pioneered agile family vacations. We’d set out in the morning with only a map, a stack of […]
Posted in agile, family, Summer | Comments Off on Agile Family Vacations
What I Love About the American Flag
Let me tell you what I really love about our Grand Old Flag. It’s almost June 14, which every American should know as Flag Day but probably doesn’t because we don’t get off of work and most schools are already closed for summer. As I reflect on the greatness of the Stars and Stripes, what I […]
Posted in America, random thoughts, Summer | Comments Off on What I Love About the American Flag
How to Eat Crabs
Summer is on its way! For those of you new to eating the not-so-delicacy that is Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs and those of you whose parents didn’t teach you properly, here are my tested instructions for how to eat crabs most efficiently. I don’t care what anybody says (even my wife), the Chesapeake Bay Blue Crab […]
Posted in efficiency, Food, Maryland, random thoughts, Summer | Comments Off on How to Eat Crabs
Why not offer customers what they actually need?
I recently switched mobile phone plans and it got me wondering if it isn’t time for providers to change plan features. My new provider was touting a plan with a few hundred minutes of calling, a few hundred texts, and 1GB of data and they were so proud of it. I wasn’t impressed; all the […]
Posted in consulting, customer focus, marketing, random thoughts | Comments Off on Why not offer customers what they actually need?
How many words does it take?
I never liked when my teachers would assign 1000-word essays or 3-page papers or any other kind of writing that had to have a certain length. As one who hated grading papers in graduate school as well as when I was a professor, I definitely appreciate the upper limit but even that should be a […]
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iPhone Reminders App
Despite my protests to the contrary, I do not have a great memory for one-time tasks. I like to think that I have so many grand thoughts going through my head that I simply cannot be bothered by such narrowly defined things. Fortunately, the iPhone was made with geniuses such as myself in mind. Enter […]
Posted in efficiency, IFamily, technology | Comments Off on iPhone Reminders App
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