Four for Friday

(Link in blogroll)

Q1 - Work: If technology had not advanced to the point to where it is today (e.g. availability of the Internet, air transportation, telephones, satellites, etc.) what would you be doing for a living? Asked another way, you and everyone you know have been transported to the year 1841... what would you be doing for a living (note: you have no recollection of the fact that you were transported from the year 2008).

The realities of the world in 1841 would ensure that my job would be housekeeping/motherhood/etc. Yawn. Thank GOD for NOW, all meanings of that word intended!

Q2 - Thank You!: According to its Wikipedia entry, many people inaccurately assume the word "tip" to be an acronym for terms such as "to insure prompt service", "to insure proper service", "to improve performance", and "to insure promptness", when in reality it is derived from the English thieves' (which may be taken to mean "gambler") slang word "tip," meaning to pass from one to another unexpectedly. Do you tip the person who cuts your hair? If so, how do you determine how much to tip (do you base it on the total cost of the haircut, the outcome, a set amount each time, or something else entirely)?

I tip service people: hair, nails, massage, wait staff, etc. It's 15-20% depending on the outcome. [I do not tip at Starbucks.]

Q3 - Video Conferencing: Forty years ago, about the only way you could witness video conferencing in action was to tune in to an episode of The Jetsons and watch George Jetson and Jane (his wife) converse over their video phones. Today, over 80% of the Fortune 500 uses video conferencing on a daily basis, and consumers regularly use Skype, iChat, AOL IM and other programs to video conference. Earlier this week, the CEO of Cisco Systems, Inc. said his company is about a year away from launching a consumer/home version of a high-definition (HD) video conferencing system. Putting your concerns about system price and subscription plan cost aside for a moment, would you be inclined to use a home-based video conferencing system?

NOT. Interested. I've used it for a few meetings, and it sucks.

Q4 - Bailing Out: According to media reports, President-elect Obama favors asking Congress to approve as much as $50 billion to save U.S. automakers. If you were a member of Congress, would you vote in favor of a measure that would result in bailing out the U.S. auto industry?

I would make sure there were stipulations attached to the bailout: they have to start producing cars that people WANT TO BUY in the next 5 years or they have to pay the whole thing back. I like the idea of paying it back, regardless.