Hacker Speak

I sat down to write my weekly humor column, but I just could not remember what I wanted to write about. This seems to be an increasingly more common affliction, ever since I turned 40. For instance, like most people over 40, I often can’t remember my age.

In fact, I am quite certain I am not yet 40. How do I know? Well, I can’t remember turning 40, for starters.

But memory loss is nothing new for me. It began when I was born. Try as I might, I just cannot remember being born. This strikes me as strange. Birth is arguably the most momentous and triumphant event in a person’s life. It is the reason I am alive. It is my coming out party. Birth is a tremendous opportunity for personal growth and a fairly important prerequisite for developing proper social etiquette.

People even celebrate the anniversary of my birth every year by converging on my house or throwing heart-attack-inducing Surprise!! parties. But strangely, none of the birthday celebrations have helped me remember my birth. Even stranger is that people who could have no memory of my birth, such as my wife and younger brothers, keep celebrating it.

Perhaps memory loss is the result of trauma. We block out from our memory traumatic events. Like birth, for instance. Imagine being squeezed through a steel toilet paper tube with mucus and blood and other assorted ooey gooey stuff, with something resembling an alien tentacle protruding from where your bellybutton is supposed to be.

Sure, birth was my highest moment of triumph, but I am in no hurry to repeat it. I prefer to retire while I am still at the top of your game.

Little Sister had a more traumatic birth than many, and we posted her child birth story with pictures at: http://www.thehappyguy.com/birth-story.html . Fortunately, she did not retire at the top of her game, as she continues to improve.

I have never been able to remember names either. Perhaps that is because meeting people is also traumatic. I say that in jest, because that is what I am supposed to do in a humor column, but many people find it very traumatic to meet new people, which is one of the reasons I recommend them to The Fine Art of Small Talk:
http://www.thehappyguy.com/book-review-small-talk.html

I, on the other hand, find it traumatic to meet old people. One reason I work from home, sitting in front of a computer screen, might be to avoid too many stand-up receptions trying to remember the names of strangers I’m supposed to know. I just can’t remember their names.

It’s not totally true. I can often remember names, I just can’t seem to attach them to faces, which I hear is a common problem. Like many people, my brain-glue was recalled for factory defects. I should have opened that recall notice when it arrived.

One game you can play to help attach names to faces is pin-the-name-on-the-donkey. This works great for people with defective brain-glue, because it uses ins instead of glue. I suggest you do this in your mind, not in the actual reception room. Many people object to having things pinned to their faces, and a few might even object to being called donkeys. Most importantly, you could be in violation of local safety ordinances, especially if you use a stapler.

Another common strategy many people use to remember names is to repeat the person’s name several times. However, I think that sounds a bit silly.

“And who are you?”

“It’s Trina.”

“Hi Trina, how are you?”

“Just great. How are the kids?”

“Trina, the kids are doing very well. How are yours?”

“I don’t have kids.”

“I see, Trina.”

“After meeting every month at this function for the past decade, I thought you would remember that I have no kids. By the way, why do you keep repeating my name?”

Perhaps meeting people is less traumatic than being born. At least I do remember meeting people, and not always waking up in a cold sweat. And I do remember their names. And I do remember their faces. And I even remember a few of their birthdays. But try as I might, I don’t remember any of them being born.

Now, what was I going to write about this week? I just can’t remember.

About the Author

David Leonhardt is a humor columnist:
http://www.TheHappyGuy.com/positive-thinking-free-ezine.html
Read more humor and funny stories:
http://www.thehappyguy.com/humor-articles.html
Read quotes on happiness:
http://www.thehappyguy.com/definition-of-happiness.html
Read more on aging gracefully
http://www.thehappyguy.com/aging-gracefully.html

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So, you have finally decided that you are going to ride the Podcasting wave and launch your own Podcast. Let me congratulate you because you have taken a decision that will allow you to use the latest technological advancement. There are number of Podcasters airing their shows these days.

Many more are coming up every day to join them. But this fact should not stop you from beginning Podcasting. You should have no fear of competition in your mind because the potential of Podcasting is immense and there is still lot more to be done.

Podcasting has become so easy today that you need not be a genius or a hard core techie to start Podcasting. With any body entering this field, many of the Podcasts available are nothing but plain junk. Do not be afraid of the competition. Just try to produce quality that will keep you stand tall among the quantity produced by the crowd. However, in the process you will be able to create a crowd of fanatic subscribers, who will provide a new dimension to your Podcast.

Choosing the Right Topic

First of all, pick up a sheet of paper and a pen, and note down the subjects of your interest for starting your Podcast. Here are few tips on how to add more topics to this list. Think about the things that you do when you are free. Also think about the things on which most of your money is spent.

Note down the movies, music, TV shows, games, political parties, philosophies, books and religions that are interesting to you. You will see that your list is getting bigger and bigger. If a particular topic interests you, possibilities are that it will be of the interest to some other people also and they will listen to your show. After listing the topics, you can shortlist a few and then pinpoint a theme and topic for your Podcasts.

Visiting Pod cast Directories is Very Helpful

Alternatively, you may visit different Podcast directories. http://www.howtostartapodcast.com/ has a big list. This can be very helpful and give you some brain storming ideas. Visiting them will also let you know that how many people are interested in your potential Podcast. There may be a lot of competition in it or there may be no competition at all. However, you need not worry in either case. More competition is the indication of the fact that the number of potential listeners is more.

It is also advisable to download some shows of different Podcasts that you find really interesting. Analyze them carefully. Note down what attracted you and what are the drawbacks in the existing Podcasts. Try to imagine had you prepared the show how would have you improved it. When you have to compete with an already established show with loyal subscribers, it is better to start a complimentary show instead of directly competing with them.

Great computer and technology articles here:

Articles On Computers and Articles Needed

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With the wonderful sunny months approaching you can find loads of musical productions at the amazing west end Theatreland. The most eagerly anticipated theatre production to open is Sister Act, directed by the amazing Whoopi Goldberg. The musical show is based on the famed feature films and features a brand new cast and a whole host of new religious pop songs to sing along to. The musical production has already premiered to the theatre press and received incredible reviews. The very best coming from The Sun and The Evening Standard, both who published how well the musical had been put together and how excellent the sing-a-long songs were. This sounds like a huge hit and a production that you must see.

Another incredible musical to open this Summer up in London is another film adaptation, Priscilla, aka Priscilla Queen of the Desert. It stars Oz telly soap star Jason Donavan as the main role and sees Jason dress up in the funniest costumes ever seen on the West End. The sing-a-long songs again are catchy and upbeat. Sister Act the musical is a definite smash hit and one that is sure to capture the heart of Londoners and London tourists.

From time to time there are a few theatre shows that stand the test of time. One of the most popular musical shows is Phantom of the Opera. This theatre production draws in the crowds month after month and is one of the most popular theatre shows in Theatreland. The musical has been running for over 22 years. The musical production is based upon a French novel and was written by the acclaimed play writer Andrew Lloyd Webber. The musical is about a young female who’s dad dies all of a sudden and sends her an angel from heaven to look after her. The angel falls in love with the woman and the situation turn dangerous with the angel threatening the young girls childhood sweatheart. The half price ticket booths sell tickets for Les Miserables today.

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(December 11, 2005, Orange, NJ) On May 4, 2005, Yasmeen celebrated her 39th birthday! She’s now ready to share her challenges surrounding her childhood, adulthood, the aftermath of 9/11 as a Muslim woman, and passion to run a business, and relationships maintained throughout her life. This process for Yasmeen began as she embarks on composing her thoughts on raising her son alone after an eight-year marriage and the divorce. A bit of what you’ll read about from her memoirs is how an African-American, little girl, born and raised in Newark, New Jersey in 1966 made it while later ending up in Cary, North Carolina in 2001 to raise her now 16-year old son as a single parent. In addition to running and operating a home-based business, Yasmeen graduated from high school in 1984 and business school in 1985. She has plans to further her education towards a degree in psychology. She is a member of Coachville.com and International Coaching Federation (ICF). Yasmeen will embark on this journey with her family and friends. Yasmeen’s personal journals and friends will play a pivotal role in rekindling her memories of past and present events. Yasmeen’s goal is to have her manuscript typed, edited and ready for print by the end of 2006. After this huge task is completed, she plans to venture out to writing books geared towards women in entrepreneurship and other self-help books. Go to her website (http://www.thebrownstoneworkshop.bigstep.com) periodically to read up on how she’s progressing on her goals. The End

Present Contact Information: Yasmeen Abdur-Rahman Lifestyle Entrepreneur Coach Owner, The Brownstone Workshop 572 Nassau Street, 2nd Floor Orange, New Jersey 07050 Ph/fax: 973-673-5679 Mobile: 732-423-5177 Email: mailto:yasmeen033@aol.com Website: http://www.thebrownstoneworkshop.bigstep.com

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