1) Earthquakes suck.

2) I need new profile pics for http://twitter.com/theericbailey and http://facebook.com/theericbailey sometime soon.

3) I should really consider blogging. More regularly, I mean.

I love the office environment. I love working in it, I enjoyed being educated in it, and it was always my career aspiration. I even really like the film Office Space.

If I had to boil down my advice for a new member of the cubicle farm, it would be in three words: Flexibility, Priority, Diligence.

This is a really short entry. Hm. Perhaps my next subject will demand a bit longer blogging session, but this feels somehow appropriate today.

Happy productivity, everyone!

I haven’t participated in a good flame war in ages, but I remember the internet before Facebook. I remember the days when I was a blogger but nobody knew it was called “blogging” yet. I say this not to brag, but only to chuckle at the knowledge that some things never change; one of these things, I believe, is ignorant people using the internet as a forum for their inane commentaries.

Yet, this time, after someone left an expletive-laden comment on something I had written elsewhere, I obliged and posted a scathing response elsewhere.

I work in an industry that, among many avenues, includes programming for teambuilding activities — from teamwork-oriented initiative activities to group sessions on a ropes course. Often, teambuilding is performed with school groups; whether middle school or high school, even collegiate students or cheerleading squads, these particular groups tend to be more popular, more frequent, then corporate teambuilding groups from area businesses.

This led me to wonder: Is “teamwork” a childish concept best known in our early-age concepts of sharing and being nice? Would “collaboration” be the relevant corporate equivalent? Is there still an appropriate space within professional context for discussion around being a “team player”? Are there really some, more than others, factors that contribute to effective teamwork in a business setting?

He was one of my favorites.  Read the story here.

On a lighter note: Don’t you just love a good joke?

Oh boy. Now here’s a topic that could lead to tons of discussion on varying branches. The question is this: Is technology helping humanity reach its apex or downfall?

Science fiction is arguably mostly an attempt to answer this question, with both sides being represents, popular examples of the latter would include the Matrix, Terminator, and I Robot series of stories. On the one hand, technological has offered solutions to efficiency problems in the workforce, food production in the fields, and even healing for diseases. On the other hand, human beings are arguably now more isolated than ever despite believing themselves to be more connected, efficiency is included in the calculations of how easily we can obliterate each other, and gadget tech geekiness has lent itself to easier addiction, obsession, and the resultant socially crippling defects.

On the spectrum between benefit to humanity and consequence to humanity, where do you believe technology lies?

People make a lot of stupid decisions, and their use of Facebook would be no exception. I believe my all-time favorite example on failbook.com was when a girl posted a lengthy status update concerning her hatred of her new job and her boss; not only did she post during business hours, but she had forgotten that her supervisor was a Facebook friend of hers. He was quick to point this out when he eventually responded, along with a brilliantly scathing response that culminated in his telling her to not bother showing up the next day.

Like many other items, Facebook is a tool, and can be used to great benefit or to great consequence. Knowing how to use Facebook in a professional manner can enhance one’s profile, but must be done carefully lest reputations or entire careers be ruined.

How do you use Facebook for business purposes?

On a topic (teamwork) that is loosely connected to the previous entry, I am one of those people that has enjoyed playing sports through my life. In my case, especially basketball. I have fond memories of league play, the streetball scene, and just shooting hoops in the driveway to clear my head after a rough day.

Even in my imagination, my fantasy life, basketball still plays a role. After all, have not all athletes at some point dreamed of hitting the buzzer-beating, last-second shot to win the championship? Even as we age, we likely still recognize that that would feel pretty awesome.

As I look back at it more, though, I find myself wishing I could have played alongside the true greats. I doubt I could have held my own, but after a great day of church-court play, you rethink these things. Even in other sports, I wonder, questions like: Could I catch a pass thrown by an NFL quarterback in a real game? Heck, even in other industries, in a general sense I wonder how I would fit into the corporate culture at the Pixar office, for example.

In the National Basketball Association, there have been some historic teams, from the Showtime Lakers (how great would it have been to get one of Magic’s zipper passes behind the lane and convert for a reverse lay-up?) to the Bad Boys Pistons and many others. My pick for team I wish I could have played for was the great Celtics squads of the mid-980′s, which boasted arguably the greatest frontcourt trio of all time.

If you could go back and play as a part of any great team, which would you choose to be a part of?

The organization I work for has a policy for family-member co-workers that basically says there is nothing wrong with family members working together as long as one is not a supervisor over the other. I imagine the intent is to reduce potential tension, perhaps a possible hostile working environment?

That may be a simplistic introduction to a complex idea; as with any thought regarding human interaction, the complexity is in the case-by-case nature of our differences. For instance, I imagine many out there would be just fine working alongside their spouse, yet for many others I can see that being a terrifying thought.

I tried to outline the disadvantages in this piece, and was reminded of the plight of two friends of mine, married, who worked together for a year. They said it was rough/weird spending literally nearly 24/7 together. They adjusted, of course, and are no longer in the same working situation, but it was interesting.

What do you think?

Could you work in the same office as your spouse (and if you’re not married, just consider it anyway)? Why or why not?

There is a very interesting conundrum going on in the world of literary semantics when cutting-edge (or, at least, ten years ago and running edginess) content technology meets the old-guard standards of beat writers and hagged journalism. Are bloggers journalists? Can you trust an independent contractor freelancer for your news as much as the media networks and wire agencies? What defines journalism nowadays? In a world of instant access, where do the new lines of ethics and journalistic integitry lie?

I tried to sort through some of the issues, but I think I am just as confused as ever. Nonetheless, read my attempt here: Why bloggers aren’t professional journalists.