eBay Auctioneer

A few months ago I tried selling a pair of cleats and a pair of turf shoes on eBay. Both didn't sell and I still had to pay a few dollars to list them. To say that I was a little disgruntled with my experience would have been an understatement. I was totally turned off and didn't intend to use eBay to sell something ever again.

That was until 2 days ago. As a Michigan lacrosse player I was given a new pair of stylish lacrosse gloves every season. However, the lifespan for a pair of gloves is at least 2 years given normal conditions. So at the end of my senior season I had one pair of brand new gloves that I decided to list on eBay. Not even 10 minutes went by before I started receiving messages from potential buyers.

Now, 2 days into a 10 day bidding process, my listing has over 20 watchers, has received 10 bids (so far), and has bid up from $75 to $127.50. Jackpot.

I have learned an important lesson about eBay. eBay is not a marketplace for you to sell your useless junk (Hey! It's a bunch of useless junk!). Rather, if you have a product that is somewhat remarkable or unique, it is a tool that allows you to capture a significant portion of your customer's reservation price without having to incur additional costs. Translation: more cash in your pocket for something that is worth selling.

Now if I could only find more remarkable things to sell...

Update: During the time it took me to write this post, my listing bid up to $152.50.

My Ideal Desk

Anyone that knows me well knows that I am somewhat attached to my desk. Well, here's a video of the next generation of desks and computers - something that I must have immediately.

SketchUp Condo

I have 32 days left in Ann Arbor, 77 days left before I start at Google, and really only one thing to do - move. So in the spirit of all things Google (and having a lot of time to kill), I decided to use Google SketchUp to make a 3D model of my new place in San Francisco. Obviously it's not in full detail and I haven't filled it with furniture yet (seeing that I don't have any...), so it is just a bare-bones condo.

Click to view. (but beware, it's a large file)

The most amazing part of all this? Every single piece of software I used to create this was 100% free and relatively easy to use (at least for us echo-boomers).

New Level of Productivity

Yesterday I finally began using a web browsing utility that is absolutely amazing - greasemonkey. I never have been a big Firefox user since I always hit the 'home' key on my keyboard to access the internet. But, after reading a little bit about how much more flexible and secure Firefox is compared to IE7, I reprogrammed my keyboard to open Firefox instead of IE7 (and to open Quicken when I hit the calculator button).

After a few minutes customizing my browser look, feel, and functionality, I'll never be able to go back. With the added feature of greasemonkey and a few client-side scripts, browsing the internet and performing day-to-day tasks (i.e. Gmail, Google Reader, Facebook) have become 10x more efficient.

For instance, I started using a Gmail Macro script that allows me use many more hotkeys and one that allows me to preview conversations without having to open the actual email. I also started using a Facebook script that loads full-sized images into the corner of my screen without having to navigate through Facebook's clumsy photo-interface.

Too Offensive?

At what point does clothing become too offensive to wear? The other day I was given a t-shirt (and I won't say from who) that poked hard at a very serious matter.... okay, I'm horrible. Who in their right mind could wear a shirt with this design in public? I think that people are already too critical of what others are wearing without the political, social, and religious dimension. Moreover, I think that some shirts or articles of clothing could be considered borderline illegal - the concept of hate speech and how it applies to the 1st Amendment. Ick! I wouldn't want to be a part of that discussion.

Last week I was in Dallas at Six Flags over Texas with the rest of my lacrosse team. While we were there I witnessed an absolutely perfect example of totally inappropriate clothing (although unbelievably funny). It's a 35 year old mom .... super bitch? Nice.

Running with Scissors - Augusten Burroughs

Wow. This book is unbelievably messed up. The best way I can describe it - a homosexual Holden Caulfield meets Jerry Springer. This story - eh em - memoir, leads us through Augusten's extremely difficult childhood in explicit detail where he deals with his mother's mental instability, a 33 year old boyfriend (when he was 13 years old - and yes, his boyfriend), a lunatic psychologist who molests his patients, and an estranged father.

Augusten's writing style was captivating even though the content was disturbing. This was the first time I've ever read something that made me genuinely uncomfortable while reading it - the closest being when I read How to Make Love Like a Porn Star, but that was just because of the explicit pictures throughout the book.

I'm unsure as to whether or not I'd recommend this book; it took me about a day to get over the psychological effect of his story (...creepy...). However, this was a #1 New York Times Bestseller and the writing wasn't bad. It also was made into a movie! So if you're up for a creepy book, read it.

Recommended.

The Google Story - David A. Vise

After reading John Battelle's The Search (and after hearing that Battelle's book was the better of the two), I figured that I should also read this book to hear another opinion on my future employer. Even though much of Google's story was covered in The Search, I still found many aspects of the Google start-up or its first few years that I had not known about before like:

• Google's interest in genomics
• The first hand story of Charlie Ayers and how he revolutionized corporate meals (and the story of why he left)
• The phenomenon of Burning Man and how many prominent followers it has

If I had to choose between Battelle's and Vise's books, I'd take Battelle's. The Google Story is a little less academic and really doesn't talk about the implications of Google with the future or society.

Indifferent.

Last Days in Dallas

After seven days, my time in Dallas has come to a close. Even though this trip was built around the business of doing well in the national tournament, for me it served more as a vacation. Here are a few photos that accurately summize my activities down here:

Retroactive Reviews

A few months ago I started writing extremely brief book reviews (more or less whether or not I'd recommend it) and posted them into the private portion of my website. To make life a little easier for me and to provide more information to all of you, I'm going to start retroactively posting book reviews for books that I've read in the past year or so - and then I'll just add as I read.

I also added a label navigation widget (underneath the Google Reader widget) so you can easily view all of the book reviews (and at some point in the next few weeks I'll address the alignment issues in Firefox).

The End of a Career

Four years. I've spent four full years preparing, practicing, promoting, and playing for Michigan Lacrosse. Today, it officially will come to a close. We have our last consolation game today against Colorado after playing one yesterday against Georgia and after losing in the first round to Northeastern on Tuesday. It's no surprise that this post season has been a big disappointment. Over the past 9 years, no Michigan team has ever lost in the first round. While I grieved when my personal season ended nearly a month ago with a torn rotator cuff, it was difficult for me to watch the 38 other guys go through the same emotional trials that I've experienced over the past four years.

Even though every freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior feels the pain of a loss, it is a totally different experience for the seniors; it is over. No longer does the promise of next season inspire me for an early morning run. No longer do my athletic dreams bear any hint of reality or any chance of coming true. While I always will be a part of this Michigan team, I am no longer a part of the Michigan team.

At least I got to dance in front of thousands of people in my underwear...

Boomsday - Christopher Buckley

A few days ago I jumped on a plane to Dallas with the rest of my lacrosse team for the national tournament. While in the airport, I stopped by a Border's to pick up a book that might help pass some of the time while I'm here. Without a recommendation, I bought Boomsday; a political satire by Christopher Buckley (also wrote Thank you for Smoking) about the impending crisis with social security and baby boomers.

It is hilarious. I love it (so far - halfway). When social security started, the ratio of workers-to-retirees was 15:1. So every 15 workers bore the tax burden of that 1 retiree. Due to the boomer swell and increased lifespan, after the boomers begin nesting on social security that ratio could become 2:1 - a much heavier tax burden. Boomsday shares the story of a young social security activist who offers a modest proposal calling for boomers to kill themselves (or as she calls it, voluntary transitioning) when they turn 70. As incentive, the government would forgo the death tax for all boomers that transitioned by the time they are 70. Moreover, if a boomer kills himself/herself before they are 65, the children would get even more tax breaks.

While this proposal is absolutely morally repugnant, I find it quite intriguing. Something needs to be done - I'm sick of funding the welfare state (and I've done it for only 4 years). Mom, Dad, how about it? The ultimate sacrifice for the future welfare of your children.....

I'm kidding. But seriously. Just think about it.

Highly Recommended.

If Harry Potter Ran GE - Tom Morris

I picked this book up while I was stuck at Detroit Metro waiting for a few Japanese lacrosse players to get in. I figured that since I love the Harry Potter series and since I am an investor in General Electric, this would be a perfect book for me. Unfortunately, the best part about this book was its catchy title.

Even though Morris spent a substantial amount of time covering Harry Potter and his various relationships, Morris barely even mentioned General Electric and any situations that they have faced or will face; something that I was looking for in this book. Regardless, Morris did do a fine job of comparing the relationship of Harry Potter and Headmaster Albus Dumbledore to that between Alexander the Great and Aristotle - but, that argument could have been shortened to 100 pages.

The main focus of this book was the kind of leadership and ethical principles that Aristotle taught to Alexander.... not exactly the focus I was looking for. But, if you're looking for a general "leadership book", then this isn't a bad choice - especially if you're a Harry Potter fan. I will say that I absolutely loved the closing arguments made by Morris.

Real happiness is not a feeling, but a way of being and doing that's tied to a full and successful life.

Indifferent.

Moving West (Round 2)

After only a few weeks of searching, my housing hunt is over. I signed the lease yesterday along with my good friend Dan to a place that might be a little out of my price range - but hey, when in Rome. It has near perfect location for me (a soon to be car-less commuter hitching the Google Bus to work) and is situated in an area filled with walkable attractions.

The biggest selling point for me? It's one block away from Whole Foods and has a stove with an exhaust fan that is connected outside. It also has a chill rooftop which is (as the Michigan Lacrosse team might say) overflowing with preakness. Jackpot.

Difficult Night

The trouble with this world is that everybody in it is three drinks behind.
- American actor and cocktail lover Humphrey Bogart

Last night, on impulse and largely due to the influence of my peers, I had way too much to drink. While the evening started off with a few drinks to go with my dinner, I quickly transformed into the stereotypical college student and like any college student, I paid dearly today for my actions. For almost 24 hours, I had an absolutely vicious hangover. Can you believe some people can have hangovers that last 72 hours?

Worth the Wait

Over the past 7 years I've had what seems to be an un-ending list of policy disagreements with our current President. However, I am not entirely resentful of his time in office because none of this would have ever happened (and I hate taxes):

Back Home With Pictures

After two long weeks I am finally back in Ann Arbor. A great majority of the student population has moved out and the trees are in full bloom. I left wearing jeans and a coat and came back wearing shorts and flip-flops. The young ladies are no longer buried beneath layers of clothing and have sprawled out across Elbel field for my shameless pick-up pleasure. It is wonderful to be back home in Ann Arbor.

My Doctor was able to copy a few pictures for me from my surgery; unfortunately they aren't too interesting. I kinda hoped he'd snap a head shot of me while I was passed out with breathing tubes down my throat. Instead, here's a nice picture of one of the tears.

Since I no longer have school, lacrosse, work, or anything that is time sensitive, I'll probably just spend the next week or so enjoying the natural attractions of a college town like Ann Arbor.....

My last chance.

Childhood Folklore

I'm not really sure where this started, but I always remember hearing that if you dug a hole straight down, you'd end up in China. I never really thought about it analytically and I'm not really sure if that is just supposed to be an expression. Regardless, today I stumbled upon a Google Maps mashup which answered any doubts or questions. Looks like it's really the Indian Ocean.

http://map.talleye.com/bighole.php

(Click on a location once for a starting point, then click on your flag to dig the hole)

West Wing

It's over. It has been nearly six months since I purchased the entire series of the West Wing (7 seasons) and I have finally watched all 154 hour-long episodes. While I averaged ~.84 episodes per day, I occasionally went weeks without watching a single episode - this indicative of the 8-10 episode binges that I subjected myself to.

I don't typically watch too much TV. Over the past 4 years there has only been one show that I watch regularly - Entourage. The West Wing sparked my attention last spring when one of my housemates was watching the West Wing marathon on A&E. After watching a few episodes I knew that at the next chance I got, I would buy and watch the entire series.

The West Wing was an absolutely wonderful series. For the bright but ignorant, this show was a gateway that provided the arguments to hundreds of extremely important issues without too much bias (yes, there was some). As with any great story, I was sad to see it end.

I will say, this show has galvanized me politically and I look forward to the primaries (and no, I don't have a favorite candidate yet - I'm still developing my own opinion on the issues).