I’ve never been the most logical person. Luckily most of my risks have worked out, at least through optimistic perspectives. Over the next month I fully expect (at least hope) that I will take drastic steps forward towards life progression. Moving out, returning to the  ”real” workforce (no offense Blockbuster and the 12 hours a week you toss my way), and beginning to accumulate collective wealth.

Several opportunities have presented themselves in the last week or so… some large, some small, but I’d like to think that the odds are at least one will work out. While I’d obviously prefer the large ones to be successful, the minor victories keep troop morale above sea level. We arn’t drowning yet. I can tread water for a long time.

Or at least a couple more months.

I’m not an economist. I took one economy class with a great professor named Mookerjee at Penn State but I’d be lying if I said his lectures weren’t like a warm blanket lulling me to the dream market. One thing that most people know about economics is that there are two key features: supply and demand. When supply is high, demand tends to slip. When demand is high, the supply often times struggles to keep up. It’s about creating that balance of consumer urgency but still having the inventory to meet purchasing demands.

The same science could be said for social networking. I can post my thoughts, as I am now, on my own personal web space. It will automatically also post onto my Facebook wall using my subscribed RSS feed. I can also advertise it using my Twitter account, messaging my friends (on Google Chat, AIM, Facebook Chat, ICQ, MSN Messenger, Yahoo, or Skype just to name a few) or a mass text message from my smart phone.

My point is, with so many ways to be connected, is the supply flooding the market? I suppose it depends on the product. Myself, while I am confident in who I am and what I can offer, I hold no realistic feelings that my thoughts are desired to be heard, let alone DEMANDED by very many people. (Although you are reading this right now…) Celebrity Twitter users are now commonplace and the novelty may has worn off, it’s reported that Twitter’s user growth seems to have plateaued. Defying all, however, Facebook has continued it’s mind-blowing growth.

The latest trend Foursquare, which allows people to check-in at locations using the GPS on their cell phones, may be over before it even reached its full potential with rumors swirling that Facebook could be working on a “check-in” system of their own.

How far away are we from a push of the button on your phone letting all your friends know your location, mood, and thoughts instantly? And then the next day, the big innovation will be that they take away the hassle of pressing the button.

Dusted off an old design classic for the blog and brought it back. If you hadn’t seen it before, it’s new to you.

Decided for the frequency I update my twitter and check-in with foursquare, why not make it all a central hub on this domain that I’m paying for? In addition, I’ll be looking to create a better online portfolio. I already updated my resume. Take a peek.

Let’s not waste time talking about how I never update you webpage, we know it’s true. I will follow Dean’s recent post and toss together a quick bulleted list of a life update:

- Working at Blockbuster now, really enjoy it. Easy to do, fun to be at. Minimum wage pay and only a dozen hours a week though. I’m definitely in the red on monthly income. Ate through all my savings from the six months of Verizon Wireless cash I had. Think I’ll be able to survive another two or three months without some increased income.
- Illogically, plan on moving out within the next month. Once the room I’d be moving into is completed being renovated I will go in. Luckily, rent is low, and it’d be closer to my current job and friends so less gas money will help balance the cost. A minimal amount, but still, a good opportunity I have to take advantage of.
- Been reading more in the past month then I had the previous few years. A couple autobiographies (Howie Mandel, Andre Agassi), Dexter by Design, and just finishing up Accidental Billionaires about the founding of Facebook. Pretty good. Not sure where to go from here. We’ll see what falls into my lap.
- Most days are spent waking up, looking for jobs on the laptop, soon realizing there’s nothing there, and then playing video games / eating junk / drinking mountain dew for the rest of the day. I’d say that it’s getting old, but, it’s not. It’s really, really not.
- I want to create. I want to write. I want to film. But my head is full of half ideas that are never as good out of my head as they are in it. Maybe eventually we’ll finally make that 3rd episode of UpSTATE or I’ll write a story longer then four pages.

That’s it for me. It’s late. My life has taken a strange schedule. I sleep from 2am-10am, eat lunch at 11AMish, lounge around most of the day, if I work I have a small snack but eat dinner after 11PM when I get home. My whole life is shifted. Going to be strange if I get a 9-5 job and I’ll have to go to bed before midnight. Blech. Not an old man yet.

Been refocusing my life on the “arts” the last few weeks. A lot more music and even got a library card. Only book I’ve read so far is Dexter By Design, and merely because I like the television show, but it still counts. Next book is Howie Mandel’s memoirs. It fascinated me because of his life with OCD and my own (albeit minor) experiences with it as well. Less then hundred pages in, but pretty good thus far.

Was reading Dean’s site and he talked about how his books sparked memories for him. While I haven’t read nearly the volume of literature that the English Major has (let’s just say he’s read so much he should be promoted to Colonel by now, *da dum CHING*)… I’d say I have the same feeling about music. Songs, artists all spark memories from my past. Some of the songs really don’t have any specific memory but it never fails to make me think of a particular person.

“Freshman” by The Verve Pipe was my first “song” I ever had with a girl. 7th Grade with Courtney Ross and we danced to it being played by some awful student band cover. Regardless of this one occurrence and we never really listened to the song again together, it stuck. It’s a strange song to dance to, even a stranger song for it to be a couple’s song but hey, we were merely 7th graders.

After that, pretty much just artists in general remind me of my timeline with girlfriends or crushes on girls I’ve had. All-American Rejects (Highschool), Switchfoot (Freshman year of college), The Clarks, Hellogoodbye (Next two years of college), The Format (Post-Graduation) … I still listen to all these bands but when they come on unexpectedly or surprisingly my mind immediately is thrown into the past and they are the initial thought I have. Luckily I don’t have any negative past events that prevent me from listening to music I regularly enjoy. Closest I have to that is any song from Dirty Dancing makes me remember the endless hours (an exaggerated three years straight if memory serves me) that my sisters watched that movie. Nobody puts baby in the corner but when that movie comes on I hope somebody puts the television through the window.

So as I’ve brought music back into my life (both new and old) it’s been refreshing going down memory lane. I encourage others to do the same. Listen to some songs you haven’t in a few years and see what memories they bring up. The soundtrack of your life.

Let’s just keep piling on Tiger Woods. A news report from Wisconsin has a middle school band blaming Tiger Woods for only 80% of their students being able to afford a trip to Disney World. Their “top” fundraising/auction item was an autographed picture of Mr. Woods. Expected to raise $1,500, it only made $300. They’re saying his recent indiscretions caused the price to plummet.

I don’t blame Woods, I blame the school and the children for an awful fundraising strategy. Never put that many eggs in one basket, especially when it’s simply an autographed picture. Autographed pictures are like collecting baseball cards, there’s no real value in them except for reselling. They should’ve sold hoagies or candy bars, which is a proven fundraising tactic.

Now if they had a picture of Tiger Woods and one of his mistresses then those pictures could’ve sold to the highest bidding tabloid and then the band would be taking stretch Hummers to Disney World. Think out of the box kids.

Look, Facebook, I appreciate what you’re trying to do but everytime I login I don’t want to be reminded about my old 10th grade friend whom I haven’t spoken with since pre-9/11. Sure, you started innocent with “Reconnect” or “Write on his Wall” but now all you’re saying is “Talk to Him” … listen, I don’t need your suggestions. I’ll speak to whomever I want to speak with. You want to make friends, you talk to him. He’s a good guy but we have nothing in common anymore. Really I’m only still friends with him because I know if I un-friended him you’d show me to him as a suggestion to add as a friend, and that’ll be an awkward friend request.

You keep doing your job of showing me pictures of people I don’t talk to and I’ll keep pretending we’re still friends with the 300 connections I have instead of the six people I actually speak to. We’re both liars. Don’t act like you’re better then me.

I was reluctant at first. Didn’t understand, didn’t have a need, but since I decided to jump in with both feet I’ve been hooked. Talking, of course, about Twitter.

Most people who haven’t taken the time to look at the service see it as the negative stereotype of self-important nobodies that update with useless information about what they ate for lunch and their disdain for the weather. While those types of things do exist, the entire process is far more revolutionary.

Imagine being alone in your car and seeing something of interest, to you. A car wreck, an interesting looking animal, a UFO. You may make a mental note to tell friend/family member X later that day, but as time passes so does your memory. If you had someway to immediately share with everyone you know quickly and easily, would you hesitate?

Don’t get me wrong, Twitter isn’t inventing the wheel. There are several dozen ways to get messages out to people. Text messages, Facebook status, your own blog, etc. What makes Twitter so appealing is in its simplicity. There arn’t other things to do on Twitter, it’s just that. A way to find out what your friends are doing, and let them know what you are doing.

There are several other side benefits that I enjoy:

* A catalog of my past, history, and creative thoughts. If I think of a writing sample, or an opinion I can quickly tweet it and have it saved indefinitely. Like having a personal assistant following me around taking notes on whatever I want to say.
* News and updates. Much like how RSS feeds allow news sources to pull in from several different other websites, Twitter allows companies, products, news sources to consolidate and simplify the topics of today in less then 140 characters. A quick scroll and you have  a general idea of whats been happening today.
* Cut out the middle man. As much as I love public relations and marketing, celebrities can now bypass all of those filters and have direct access to their fans and followers. Wouldn’t you like to have a celebrity you really like respond directly to you by name (or by twitter alias)?

While it still is in its infancy, Twitter is one of the great innovations of the ’00s. It’s changed the way the world works and people communicate. I’d put it as the biggest thing since text messaging.

Now, Twitter just needs to figure out how they can make money from it.

Been sitting here 45 minutes trying to think of something to write about. Wrote about three different half posts, nothing came out like I enjoyed.

So, just wanted to record my efforts.

Maybe tomorrow.

I have recently found myself in the good fortune of having the excessive funds required to purchase a new cell phone. Nothing was particularly wrong with my old one it was just the thrill of having something new. A new piece of technology to sink my nerd teeth into. I decided on getting the new, and heavily hyped, Motorola DROID. Now despite the commercials indicating its arrival as the impending apocalypse raining from the sky, it was nothing but rejoicing for me. I now had everything I could ever need in my pocket.

Not sure what’d you’d call it but I have the desire to remain “connected” always. Whether its through text messages or instant messanger the thought of someone out there attempting to reach me and not having a way is concerning. Therefore, my first purchase with my first full time job paycheck was a laptop. No longer did I require to sit at a desk all day worried I might miss something if I wander away. Now I can sit on the couch instead.

But with my new DROID I have all the social networking capabilities in my hand wherever I go. Got a poke? Right back atcha. Tweet tweet my way? Twat’d right back. There are several dozen ways to reach out to me and for me to return the favor. To emphasize the point, this entire post is being written from my phone itself. Sure the laptop is right in front of me and I type much faster on there but you’re missing the point. You see these conspiracy nut movies about people trying to get “off the grid”… I’m trying to market the grid to pay more attention.

There are several directions I could go next: why the desire for attention? Is too much exposure devalue the product (e.g. me)? Does technologic advancements designed to keep us connected really just distance us as a community? All great questions which will make excellent future posts but I think I learned one thing today and that is less is more… and also I need to practice my text typing.

The new, shiny and other favorable adjective CaseyFenton.Net is here for your viewing pleasure. Around seventy old posts have been purged but archives of the past year remain. New posts will continue to be created with no promises of content, readability or purpose.

Everybody stay tuned. And by everybody, I mean Dean Baldwin.

Some of the new features you can see are a scrolling “feature” box above the normal posts which highlights the most recent posts are some that you may find particularly interesting. In addition, you can see archives and quick links to the right as always but now you can click and drag them to rearrange as you wish. Any real benefit? Probably not. Friggin’ cool as hell though? Yeah, it is.

As always, comments are welcome in any median you find comfortable.

The huge deal today is the gutsy questionable ridiculous call of going for it on 4th and 2 from their own 28-yard-line in last night’s Monday Night Football game against the Colts.

Now, the most important thing is if they were successful in making the conversion, there’d be less then a sparkler of the firework display the risk is getting today. This type of decision doesn’t play the odds. It’s the equivalent of hitting on a blackjack 19, because you want to win back your money now rather then later.

The networks are loving to be able to question the prodigal coach after he’s been defiant in answering media questions his entire career. This will probably linger for the next week or so and, hopefully, if he makes another questionable call and fails will cause a mutiny in the media about whether he has “lost his touch.”

The decision is the equivalent of a paper cut on the season but the blood is in the water and the media sharks are circling.

Right around the time my beloved Buffalo Bills fumbled away another shoulda-been victory, it was clear, this season is lost. It’s reached a point where even if we won it would be counter-productive because it would only hurt us in draft positioning come April where we can actually improve our team. Four of our top six defensive players (my own estimates) are injured, and our supposedly unstoppable no huddle offense has had no life. The only media attention we get refers to a countdown of when Terrell Owens will light the stadium on fire.

Which is why it is now time for my, sadly it seems annual, choosing of the “girlfriend” team to cheer for to finish out the season. I need a team to relate to, a team I can cheer for and still get something back in return. Let’s run down the candidates and what I’m looking for in a team.

No Frontrunners. It’s easy to jump on a bandwagon after it’s filled with riches, good food, and hot girls… and hay. Forget the metaphor. I’m a guy who roots for underdogs, I’m not going to jump on a squad when the team is already surging and high five the guys who have been with the team from the beginning. They deserve the extra space and recognition for sticking with the squad before the good times got rolling. That takes out all the undefeateds (Vikings, Giants, Broncos, Saints, Colts)

No Hope. The Bills have been awfully disappointing this year, but thankfully they still arn’t the worst team in the league. Why would I start caring about another team that would only break my heart more every Sunday? Yeah, doesn’t make sense. Get the winless or near-winless squads out (Titans, Chiefs, Bucs, Rams, Raiders, Browns, Lions, Panthers)

The Hate Runs Too Deep. Some teams I’ve just been so ingrained into despising that I’m emotionally incapable of feeling joy when a person wearing their logo or color combination does something positively. I can’t help it. If I won the lottery and the check had a Dolphins logo on it, I’d… well… I’d still take the money but I’d frown a little bit. In addition, the local frenzy for the Steelers is way too much for me to handle. I do not want to be just another black and gold face in the crowd. Also gone are the Cowboys because of two Super Bowls and Patriots because of this entire millennium thus far.

Snoozefest. If i’m going out of my way to announce loyalty for a team the remainder of this season, I want to make it worth my while. Boring games or ugly play isn’t something I’m going to enjoy watching. That’s why teams that are high in penalties (Ravens, Cardinals) or low yards per game offense (49ers, Jets, Redskins) won’t be making my list.

Still Loyal. Despite this process of choosing a temporary “new” team, I will always stay true to my Bills. That’s why I would want to avoid any conflict of interest by eliminating any potential opponents we would face. While you probably will crush us when we play, I will still be hoping for a miracle win against the Texans, Falcons, and Jaguars.

Fans Know Losing Before They Know Winning. Who will I be sitting next to on this metaphorical bandwagon we keep referring to? I’d prefer to have a team that’s faced some down times in their history, so we could properly relate on our struggles. A team that’s had recent success, specifically the playoffs in the last three years, has not known the pain I feel. I don’t want to hear the Eagles, Chargers, Seahawks or Bears complaining. They’ve had their chances. Call me when a 10 year old watching your last playoff game, is now graduating high school without seeing another one.

The Finalists… This brings us down to two teams that meet our credentials. The Cincinnati Bengals and the Green Bay Packers. Neither team was extremely hyped up this season, the Packers maybe slightly more, but both are performing well, the Bengals maybe slightly more.

Who wins the edge in star power? The Packers have Aaron Rodgers, who was the fantasy world’s most hyped up and coming QB this year and has so far done pretty well, but besides that who comes to mind? Ryan Grant is a strong running back but he isn’t getting recognized out of Wisconsin. Greg Jennings? Donald Driver? Poll half of America and they’ll tell you Sterling Sharpe is still starting.

The Bengals have the ORIGINAL USC Heartthrob Carson Palmer along with the best showman in the NFL, Chad Ochocinco. Their last three games were all decided by a field goal, all of them by less then a touchdown and all of them either won or lost in the last minute of the game. They’re a tipped fluke of a ball from being 5-0 and being eliminated instead of the Broncos in our first credential.

The Bengals are coming off a 4-11-1 season, and have gone 110-193-1 since 1990. They know how to lose and can definitely appreciate each drop of winning they get. With their close victories, it’s tough to tell if they’re “for real” in the media’s eyes yet but I’m there, I’m ready.

For the remainder of the 2009 season, LET’S GO BENGALS!

Anybody who has worked in a service industry has a story. Probably several. People who through the veil of anonymity they throw civil manners and courtesy out the window. Clearly we are all just varying levels of dependents in this situation: the consumer dependent upon the service and all the variables that come with it (quality, cost, reliability, etc.) and the employee dependent upon improving those variables in exchange for financial compensation to afford their own services for themselves and their families.

If people would look more in that perspective, a discourse of “This is the problem. What can you do?” could be done more efficiently and effectively. In my experience, there have been several times where the solution is often easy and quick but the conclusion is dragged out because of the consumer’s insistence to “tell their tale.”

Perhaps we should expand the term “customer service” to more then just that specific industry’s promised product. We also provide the no consequence venting venue for their lives. Is that customer truly shouting at the top of their lungs because of an extra two dollars on their most recent bill? Some, sure, but my guess is the majority have deeper issues in their lives and want to let it out. They want to do the socially unacceptable thing of shouting, swearing, getting angry and letting their emotions take over. If they allow this to boil over in their workplace, family, or friends then there would be a lingering effect which wouldn’t improve their situation and most likely negatively impact someone else.

The stranger on the other end of the line, the spokesman for this latest inconvenience in their lives, allows the perfect outlet. They will never meet, they will never share an awkward silence and with the simple press of a button the entire encounter is over. The power the consumer has in this situation is intoxicating then the rest of their day spirals out of control, it’d be against human nature to not take advantage of such a beneficial release with little or no risk.

From the employee standpoint, perhaps it is time that we don’t look at this angry customers in disdain but instead be glad we allowed them to let a little rage, little anger, little frustration out of their systems. If this allows them to be calm in another situation with a friend or family member, isn’t it better that we take it in the chin? We are patient, we are strong, and we are improving the lives of others even if in the most minuscule way.

Sometimes the smallest pebbles can make the largest ripples.

Saw this quote on Bill Simmons’ column on ESPN.com:

“Being a Bills fan is like sending your girlfriend off to be a roommate on ‘Real World.’ Before the season starts you have this foolish hope that she won’t let you down. However, in the depths of your being, you know that a few weeks from now, you will be sitting on your couch, watching your beloved fumble away her clothes, getting touchdown after touchdown scored on her.”