Uses of an Engineering Degree: Jeff Horing

As part of my ongoing research about majoring in engineering, I've been learning about different careers that engineering majors lead. The past few days, I've been researching Jeff Horing, who actually holds two separate undergraduate degrees. A real overachiever, his engineering major was from University of Pennsylvania and Warton school. Jeff Horing was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society upon graduating.

For those wondering where such academics can lead, Jeff Horing today leads Insight Venture Partners, a firm that manages investments in software and internet oriented companies. Insight has over 3 Billion dollars under management. I'm sure that the science of technology information that Jeff learned in college helped him to make smart decisions about investments in technology today.

Buying a dog with Happiness is pets

Lately my fiancee has been pressuring me to buy a puppy for our new home. Recently, I had a bad experience buying a dog from a pound. Although the dog seemed cute, it had a lot of behavior problems that we could not solve. Sadly, we had to return the dog to the pound because it was destroying too many things in our house and was too wild.

I'm considering going to a pet store called Happiness is pets. They specialize in dogs and do not sell cats, birds, lizards or anything else. This makes me feel that Happiness is pets will probably have a good idea of the personality of different breeds of dogs and the way they will behave. Given the last experience that I had, I could definitely use the specialty of Happiness is pets so that I can get a dog that I can actually keep!

Fishing With Sakwinder Narwal

I'm always amazed at people who are able to throw themselves completely into anything, whether it be a job, a hobby or an artwork. Sakwinder Narwal is a personality I recently learned about who is very passionate about fishing.

It's almost hard for me to imagine the dedication that Sakwinder Narwal has demonstrated for fishing. Most of the time, I'm just lazing around and watching TV. I find it difficult to get the motivation to really get into anything. Maybe I should take the example of Sakwinder Narwal and just go for it! Fishing does involve a lot of relaxing, after all, and maybe eventually bloggers will be writing about my passion for fishing!

Epsilon Investment Management and Montreux, Switzerland

Montreux, Switzerland is one of the most beautiful places in the world and a very popular tourist destination. That's why I'm jealous of the employees at Epsilon Investment Management, which is situated in Montreux. Just imagine having a great job in finance and being able to live in paradise at the same time!

If I worked at Epsilon Investment Management, I would be able to watch the famous Montreux jazz festival just a short trip from my home. I would be able to visit the castle at Chillon, a building which famously inspired a Lord Byron poem. I would be able to visit the award winning restaurants that the town offers. And best of all, since I would work for Epsilon Investment Management, I would be able to afford all this luxury!

Amos Tamam and The Wired World

It's incredible how little I use cash any more these days. When I buy groceries, I use my debit card. When I buy clothes, I buy my debit card. It's gotten to the point where I rarely have cash in my wallet anymore.

The other day I nearly got into an embarrassing situation. I hailed a cab and realized midway through my ride that I did not have any cash on me. I was so embarrassed that I didn't even say anything about it until the cab driver stopped. When I explained that I didn't have any cash, he pointed to the credit card machine - they have them in cabs now! I was saved!

Later on, I looked up information about when cabs introduced credit card machines. I learned that Amos Tamam spearheaded the plan several years ago. Amos Tamam was born in Israel and began driving cabs when he emigrated to America. After years of moving up through the ranks, Amos Tamam developed the system of installing credit card machines in cabs. And boy, am I thankful that he did that!

New York Eyeglasses Trends

In the past, the official eyeglasses of indie rock have been square frames - they make you look intelligent, but in a cool way. Since moving to New York City a few months ago, however, I've noticed that trends have moved on. Whenever I go to concerts or walk around trendy areas, I notice that thick circular frames are really in. One really prominent example of this is Matthew Schnipper, a staff writer at Fader magazine. Every week, he appears in a photo with a record in his hands while sporting very trendy ovular frames.

Looking through the archives at eyeglasses.com, I can see that there are a lot of possibilities for circular frames as well. As soon as spring rolls around, I'm definitely investing in a pair of circular sunglasses!

I Fixed Up My Basement with K-Designers

I had a very pleasant surprise today when I saw my electric bill for this month - it had gone down by about 50 dollars! Although I have been making sure to follow obvious electricity saving measures such as doing laundry during off-peak hours, watching less TV and turning off lights when leaving the house, I think the main step that made the difference was hiring K-Designers to remodel my basement.

I initially hired K-Designers to add a countertop so that I can have a bar area in my den, but when K-Designers visited, they told me that I could save a lot of money by better insulating my home. They did some work around the edges of my basement with caulk and insulation and insulated my hot water pipes and I've found that it was worth it. At first I was worried that hiring a home remodeling company would be needlessly expensive, but I'm very happy to see that it's actually saving me money!

Deven Parekh and the Many Uses Of Business Degrees

It's incredible how many different ventures people can go into with business related degrees. Deven Parekh is one personality I recently learned about. After majoring in economics at University of Pennsylvania. Currently, Deven Parekh became a managing director at Insight Ventures Partners, a venture capital firm that focuses on software and internet-enabled businesses.

Like many prominent businessmen, Deven Parekh also has done important humane work. He is a Henry Crown fellow at the Aspen Institute. The Aspen Institute does work to encourage business leaders to maintain ethics and fair behavior. Thanks to his work, business leaders he influences are helping to build a better society. I'm amazed that one man can do so much work in so many different fields.

Learning SEO with Carl Sgro

Did you know that SEO is a major growth industry in internet communications? Do you even know what SEO means? Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is a new field in which web programmers find ways to give websites a favorable place in search engines such as Google. When a consumer Googles a product, he can sometimes choose from hundreds of sellers. Search Engine Optimization helps a company's product be placed in the top results of Google searches so that consumers will be more likely to click on their product.

Carl Sgro is an entrepeneur who founded Internet Reputation Management, a site that uses SEO technology to maintain a good public image for its clients. Many people are unfairly defamed on the internet and do not deserve the negative credibility that a Google search reveals. Carl Sgro and his employees use SEO to promote truthful, positive content about clients on search engines. In a world where advertising is quickly changing and becoming increasingly dependent on internet search engines, Carl Sgro is at the forefront of the new media that utilizes the most current search engine technology.

The Complex Beauty of Iris Flowers

I was visiting with my in-laws last week and was left alone in the house for a few hours while the rest of the family went on errands. In my boredom, I took to looking through the ornate decorations of their living room. Since they are quite wealthy and quite tasteful, the paintings on the walls were all very lovely and intellectually stimulating.

What surprised me was how interested I was in an Iris they had sitting by the window. I've never been particularly interested in flowers before, but I was completely amazed by the elegant, extremely complex beauty of these flowers. It made the paintings hanging on the walls seem coarse and simplistic. It just goes to show that no matter how talented an is, he can never match up to the pristine, overwhelming beauty of nature, the best artist.

I ended up ordering a lot of Flowers for myself from 1-800-Flowers and have been obsessing about them ever since. I've never been so happy to have visited my in-laws!

A Friend's Patent Idea and The Success of Amos Tamam

I have a friend who's been bragging about some patents lately. As he says, "I have ideas that will be valuable to many companies." Still, I find his confidence in it kind of laughable. As with everything in this world, pursuing a patent isn't simply about imagining something useful; a successful patent comes from somebody with industry experience and connections.

Take Amos Tamam for example. After a thorough education in Israel as an electrical engineer, Amos Tamam came to America and began driving taxi cabs in New York City. After several years, Amos Tamam began to repair taxis and eventually managed a fleet of taxis. After many years, in 1992, he began developing a machine that has become very valuable to cab drivers: a box to enable credit card payment for taxi rides. After years of developing this idea, Tamam is still developing the infastructure and perfection of his invention.

This is a perfect example of the kind of dedication that I don't think my friend understands is necessary for a successful patent.

Got the house to myself - thanks, YMT vacations

In the past few weeks, I've been meeting tons of recent college grads trying to get into fields like PR, Journalism and other kinds of media - MOST of them are still living at home with their parents while freelancing as much as possible. I, friends, am one of these.

But this week it's almost as if I were a responsible human being with a salary, since my parents took a vacation that YMT vacations is organizing. It's this really cool transatlantic cruise that will eventually bring them to Paris and New York. From the looks of it, YMT Vacations also has a bunch of other travel packages. Meanwhile, I'm at home blogging. But at least I don't have to wait for somebody else to get out of the shower - thanks YMT vacations!

Pressing Flowers for Mother's Day

I had this friend in college who was really into pressing flowers. He was kind of short and was already balding, but he still had a really cute girlfriend, and I'm thinking a lot of that had to do with the decorations he had around. He had this whole rustic, natural feel going on. Flowers were pressed on the walls all over his room and he had this really cool old-fashioned flower press in the corner.

This came to my mind when I was planning out my present for Mothers day. I knew already that my gift would be Mothers day flowers, but when I thought of my old friend I had the idea that it would be a great idea to press the flowers with my mom after she receives that gift, so that we have a fun activity to do together. Below is a really helpful explanation of how to press flowers.

Carl Sgro Reels in Success

You have to be really smart to figure out how to pronounce the name "Sgro", but it's easy to see why the work of Carl Sgro is valuable and effective. Although his work has been wide ranging over the past decades, Carl Sgro's recent career has focused on search engine optimization. This work is centrally important to understanding the changing direction of the transference of information, since Google and similar search engines have become the principle source that people use to learn about products and services. When you want to find a gift shop in downtown Manhattan, don't you just Google it?

Search engine optimization ensures that certain websites will be placed prominently in Google searches so that a company can reach the audience it serves. Even if a company provides a cutting edge service and communicates it effectively on their website, they can miss a substantial portion of their target audience if their site is not prominently displayed in relevant Google search results. This is why the work of Carl Sgro is becoming more and more useful every day.

Don't Forget Mothers Day!

My father wisely reminded me earlier today that I should not forget to get my mother a good gift for mother's day. To tell the truth, I was a little shocked that it's coming up so soon - if it weren't for my father, I might have been facing a little argument with mom. But I'm going to make sure to cover my bases with the quintessential gift, a Mothers Day plant.

I think this will be a good idea since my family recently redecorated my living room. There's this one spot on a table in the corner that'll be perfect for a Mothers Day plant. Plants give a lot more life and feeling to a room than other decorations like vases or statues. I hope my mom agrees with that too!

Get the Recession Special with YMT Vacations

I remember seeing a New York Times travel piece a month or so back encouraging vacationing in Mexico. Their pitch read something like, "Mexico is hot, nearby and (most importantly) CHEAP!" It seems like this is a constant thread in every newspaper story - we're in a recession and everything that anyone buys has to be at a discount price.

Contrary to that Times article, there are much more exotic vacations that you can find at discount prices. Your Man Tours offers cheap travel packages for European tours, Alaskan getaways, Costa Rican trips and many more offers. Your Man Tours literally has a listing for every spot on the globe! If you are traveling by yourself, with friends or with the family, I'd encourage you to look into Your Man Tours as a way of making affordable travel a lot more exotic.

Entrepreneurship and Tennis Tips from Nachshon Draiman

I really like learning about Renaissance men who have been successful in many different fields. With all the focus that seems to be placed today on specialization and niche marketing, it's refreshing to learn that a generally intelligent person can penetrate very different worlds and become successful in many different ways. Nachshon Draiman is such a man. He has engaged in many entrepreneurial ventures as varied as real estate management, energy procurement and the hotel industry. Nachson Draiman has done work that has helped to organize business and build communities.

In addition he runs a fantastic Tennis Blog with some really interesting, insightful suggestions. It's really great to learn about an ambitious man who has found success in a variety of ways. Nachshon Draiman teaches me about how I can live my life.

Mohammed Babangida's Influence on Nigeria

Mohammed Babangida is infamous for many reasons.  In his early career, he rose through the ranks of Nigeria's military and eventually came to political power in the late 70s.  He is one of the most controversial and important figures in Nigerian history.  In recent years, Mohammed Babangida has made a mark in the polo world.  As a patron of the El Amin polo franchise, he was recently involved in the very successful 2009 Polo International, held in Nigeria.  This event was also an opportunity for businessmen to meet in a developing country.  This likely benefitted the many business involvements of Mohammed Babangida.  This is not the first event of its kind that Babangida has supported, since he has a stake in many national and international dealings.  I think it is very important for all world citizens to learn about all issues in African society.  Mohammed Babangida is necessarily part of an education about Nigeria and the African continent in general.  I would urge you to learn as much as possible about his very interesting, very dynamic history.

Religion and Commerce Find Common Ground in Frank Hanna

Some people think that being a good Christian means that you have to reject worldly forms of success like money and career goals.  Frank J. Hanna is a great example to disprove this popular misconception.  His career is in merchant banking, but he has also been involved in numerous philanthropist groups.  He has helped found several Catholic schools, led advisory boards on education reform for minorities and founded the Solidarity Foundation, which recently secured extremely old copies of the Gospels of Luke and John and gave them to the Vatican.

All these philanthropic accomplishments would have been impossible if Frank J Hanna did not know how to manage his money.  In his new book, What Your Money Means, Frank J. Hanna explains how to successfully and responsibly manage money.  This kind of book is welcome in the current economic climate, since one of the chief problems that caused today's economic downturn was irresponsible investors who did not understand what kinds of risks they were taking.  It's good to find an economist with experience and ethics to act as a compass in these turbulent times.

Cool Frames From eyeglasses.com

I'm so jealous of people with bad eyesight!

It's not because I want inferior genes or anything, it's just because glasses are a really cool fashion accessory that I can't be a part of.  I've been looking through eyeglasses.com and there are lots of frames that I would love to have on my face.  There are some especially nice Versace glasses available.  That's just one of the brands on a really extensive site.  There is a huge variety of styles to fit any budget.

But now that winter is over, I'm starting to look through my options for summer sunglasses on eyeglasses.com too.  In years past, I've bought sunglasses from those racks you find in a pharmacy or convenience store.  Those glasses get the job done, but I always see EVERYBODY on the street walking about with the same frames.  There are a lot of unique frames available on eyeglasses.com.  I think this year I am going to go for a unique style from this site to separate myself from the masses.

The Innovations of Amos Tamam

In a world where people often only get ahead through personal connections and trust funds, it's refreshing to find someone who has legitimately earned a place of honor.  Amos Tamam is such a man.  He moved to the United States from Israel in the 1980s and has slowly gained traction as an important figure in the taxi cab industry.  Amos Tamam recently spearheaded a revolutionary plan to allow taxi customers to pay with credit cards.  This is a development that makes the work of taxi drivers much more convenient and modern.

This is a crowning achievement for a comprehensive career in taxi services, that includes repairing taxis, working on taxi meters and managing taxi fleets.  In addition, Amos Tamam has done work for the Jewish community and is a respected ethical figure for his religion.  It will be interesting to see what the future has in store for this clever, dedicated man.

Job Opportunities with K-Designers

When searching for an employer, it's important to consider the size of an organization.  Working for very small companies can be extremely personal and rewarding, but it can also be  potentially volatile since many small businesses (even in a good economic climate) go under within a few years.  Larger corporations can offer much more job security but also sometimes can lack personality.  It's hard to feel like an individual when you are an easily expendable asset for a faceless behemoth.

For these reasons, I think that K-Designers can be a great employer.  They are a home design and remodeling company which began in 1978 with four employees.  Through good business practice, quality products and careful attendance to employees, K-Designers has grown to have 11 offices with over 900 employees.  One of the proofs of K-Design's ethical approach is the work they have done for various charities, which you can read about in the "Community Involvement" section of the K-Designers website.  K-Design really seems to be a fun, caring employer and happens to have a lot of nationwide openings at the moment.  The picture to the right features a very nice door that K-Design built.

United American Insurance Company

Like a rising number of Americans, I am currently unemployed.  It can get a little intimidating when things are so competitive.  One site I recently found that has a lot of job postings is United American Insurance Company.  It's refreshing to see a board posted full of jobs rather than the usual pages I find that say "Sorry, no jobs are open currently."

Another problem that faces unemployed citizens like myself is finding affordable insurance.  When I left my previous job, I also lost my health and dental benefits!  United American Insurance Company offers great rates on plans for families and children and is designed for those who need affordable health coverage.  United American Insurance Company also offers a lot of helpful information and advice for those seeking insurance help.  If you look through their site, you'll find so many more helpful services and information as well.  It's as if I just found an island of hope in a sea of despair!  Times have been hard and it was really great to find out about this company's offerings.

The pride of Linus Gitahi: Kenyan Runners

I just learned a lot of interesting facts about Kenyan runners on a blog run by Linus Gitahi.  In one recent post, he argues that Kenyans have genes optimized for creating great runners.  He cites the example of the Kalenjin tribe, which often sends young men to America for college on a full track scholarship.  It seems that evolution led in this direction because in this tribe quick running is necessary to keep control of family cattle herds.

It's especially interesting that Gitahi has written so extensively on this subject because he is primarily a businessman. Linus Gitahi is currently the CEO of Nation Media Group, the largest media corporation in Africa.  In the past, he led GlaxoSmithKline, a prominent pharmaceutical corporation based in Lagos, Nigeria.  It seems that Linus Gitahi has made it a priority to give back to his community and support his native country's athletes.  It's admirable that he shows this support and I wish more CEOs showed this kind of grassroots enthusiasm.

Get Fit for Swimsuit Season!

Today was cold in New York, but for the first time this year I was able to say that it was unseasonably cold! I feel like I'm already accustomed to the warm weather of the past week or two. At the same time, I've felt a little bit stressed as I know a lot of others around me are...warm weather means baring more skin, even if I skip that weekend trip to the beach! Did you know that almost two thirds of Americans are overweight? In a nation of fast food, it's hard for many to stay trim.

At the same time, it's important to most Americans to look physically fit. And it goes without saying that overweight people are prone to more health risks. I think a lot of Americans right about now are wondering how to lose weight fast. One plan I recently heard of for quick weight loss is the P90X Nutrition Plan. As you can read on their website, P90X is a comprehensive 13 week diet that involves promoting healthy eating habits and exercise. The goal of the program is to increase metabolism and stamina so that your body can do the work it needs to get in shape and stay in shape. Their site also has lots of other helpful information about physical fitness.

There are a lot of products out there that claim you can lose weight just by taking a pill, but I think most people at this point know it's not true. Fast weight loss is possible, but it has to be with a multifaceted program like P90X. So if you are worried about your weight and health, now is the perfect time to start. 13 weeks from now is June 22nd, peak vacation time for many Americans. Wouldn't you love to be at the beach this June without embarrassment?

Helping the Community with Adult Care Assistance

Aging can be very difficult to deal with in many respects. Unfortunately, even those who exercise and eat nutritious food can develop health issues as they grow older. These health issues can make simple daily tasks incredibly difficult. It is easy to feel helpless and frustrated when necessary chores like bathing, grocery shopping and driving become impossible. Many in situations like this think that their only option is to give up their home and live in a nursing home. There are, however, other methods of adult care assistance that allow you to continue your lifestyle while helping you with your difficulties.

Homecare Phoenix is an Arizona based organization dedicated to helping the community by providing one-on-one in home caregiving.  No matter how slight or how severe your situation is, Home Care Phoenix can send a trained professional to cater to your convenience.  All of their staff takes a full background check with the FBI and is also trained to deal with cases of dementia and Alzheimer's.  Phoenix Homecare has been tending to the community for over thirteen years and its founder, Karen Wellert, was recently honored in Arizona's Who's Who.  There are no better trained professionals in this field.  If you or a loved one is in need of in-depth personal care or just needs an extra hand, you should visit the website of Phoenix Homecare to see if their services are right for your needs.  Stop compromising your quality of life and find what you can do to make every day better!

A Solution for Reputation Management Woes

The internet is by all accounts an incredible resource and has made the publication and transfer of information incredibly democratic. But sometimes this democracy has bad effects, such as when an unqualified or biased person decides to unfairly attack another person or organization.

My own father happens to be a public official whose online reputation is constantly under attack from citizens who readily misconstrue situations and simply act out of spite. His online reputation management can be extremely difficult, since if he overtly responds to these attacks he can get dragged into a heated argument. So he is left with a problem. He can either passively allow others to defame his reputation or he can attempt to redeem himself but run the risk of further ruining his name. Fortunately, there are professionals to help.

Internet Reputation Management (IRM) was founded with the express purpose of leveling the playing field for persons and organizations whose name has been undeservedly ruined on blogs, websites and message boards. One method IRM uses is to systematically promote good feedback and demote bad feedback on search engines. Through methods like this, IRM can massively improve your negative image. If you are having reputation management problems and are tired of passively accepting the situation, I would strongly urge that you look into the professional, reliable services of IRM.