pre’posterous by Leanne

From Leanne:

I am SO glad to have found this article. Why is it that our government refuses to tell us the real truth? Look around and you KNOW that a 8.1% unemployment rate just cannot be a truthful assessment of what is really happening!

Please, click through and read this entire article! But here is an excerpt that should get your blood boiling!

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"Nevertheless, an honest man would count anyone who would like to work as unemployed. The U.S. Government compiles data on these uncounted unemployed Americans, but does not mention it in news releases. It can be found in Table A-12 on the Department of Labor's website where it shows an unemployment rate of 16% for Feb. 2009.[2] It explains why these unemployed Americans are not included in their official unemployment rate:

"Marginally attached workers are persons who currently are neither working nor looking for work but indicate that they want and are available for a job and have looked for work sometime in the recent past. Discouraged workers, a subset of the marginally attached, have given a job-market related reason for not looking currently for a job. Persons employed part time for economic reasons are those who want and are available for full-time work but have had to settle for a part-time schedule."

"In typical government doublespeak, it notes they are not "looking for work" but want work and "have looked for work in the recent past." As a result, these people who want to work are not counted as unemployed. This 16% figure does not include a few million Americans who excluded by the survey parameters for these reasons..."

"These games allow the U.S. Government to report a current unemployment rate of just 8.1%, even though its own data of unemployed Americans who want to work indicates an unemployment rate of around 20%. This should concern all Americans because the unemployed burden society by collecting welfare or resorting to crime. A recent surge in Social Security Disability claims indicates another path the desperate unemployed are seeking."

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As a self-employed person, working from home on the Net, I am fairly certain that I still fall *somewhere* in these "uncounted" unemployed persons. I do want to make a comment on this:

GET YOUR OWN BUSINESS GOING. You CAN do this.

IMHO, this is the only safeguard you've got. My current work status has been hit with several deadly blows, by clients who've either severely cut back, or literally have gone fact up. But I have managed to keep work coming in, although at a *much* lowered rate. NO bennies, peeps, but the rent is paid.

I do not rely on governmental things anymore, and in fact, have not since the recession of 2000-2001... in which I was part of the IT bubble burst. Just keep on working, folks. But don't factor in, any "bennies" that the government so kindly "gives you." And above all, I try to live a life of gratitude.... although many days, anything you do or believe, is at an hour-by-hour pace.

This is so cool. The Internet is our modern version of Cavewoman (man) 101... writing all the knowledge known to the human race on the wall. And THIS will be awesome!

VERBATiM from the article:
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The count down has begun for the launch of the World Digital Library which is expected to grant users free access to multilingual material.

The website, to be launched on April 21 at UNESCO's Paris headquarters, will offer rare books, maps, manuscripts, films and photographs from libraries and archives from around the globe.

Users will be able to access the material in seven languages - Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

Some 32 partner institutions from Brazil, Britain, China, Egypt, France, Japan, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the US helped UNESCO with the project which was developed by the world's biggest library, the US Library of Congress, AFP reported.

The World Digital Library was first proposed to UNESCO in 2005 by the Librarian of Congress, James Billington.

The World Digital Library will be available at www.worlddigitallibrary.org.

I've followed news on the Conficker Virus for quite awhile now. And tomorrow, April Fool's Day, is the date set for this thing to 'detonate.' Although, as this article points out, the creators are keeping low profile. The nerve-wrangling thing, to me, is that there seems to be very little knowledge about what will happen. The EXTREME nerve-wracking thing is that the virus has embedded itself into huge numbers of computers, worldwide. This is not an attack from out on the Net, tomorrow. The attack was silent and insidious over the past months. None of us really know if OUR computer harbors this thing.

Advice "out there" is quite frustrating, too. But you should do this today, March 31st, just so you know you've done what you can. EZ stuff if you keep your PC "house" in order:

1. Make sure you are updated with Windows update.
2. Make sure you have an excellent anti-virus software (go to www.Avast.com and get it NOW... best I've ever used, 15 years online)
3. Make sure the anti-virus is completely updated!!!!

Talk with you tomorrow... we can hope ;-)

Leanne

Leanne Boyd Says:

March 30th, 2009, 4:15 am

What a great article! When I made the choice to continue my education and finish my BA in 1995, little did I know what would happen by 1997 and again deciding to go forward with the master’s and PhD. Both were online universities, Nova Southeastern and Capella. One of the first things you are introduced to, of course, is the ‘isolation’ factor. And it holds true with online work. It never made a lot of personal sense to me. I had one child still at home in those years, which pretty much fills any ‘empty space’ in communications. However, it was 1996 and the instigation of online school that led me into online workplace. I began to freelance online. Worldwide. And except for a brief consulting job with Sprint in Kansas City (I am a Denver native, now transplanted in Arizona), I never held an inhouse/corporate job ever again. And even the Sprint thing ended up being a 98% telecommuted position.

I feel that there is no comparison between productivity when on one’s own, compared to the cubicle mess. Need a drink? Lose 15 minutes. Bathroom trip? Lose 15 minutes. And my commute in KC was over 45 minutes each way. I can guarantee you, those bits of time when spent WORKING, are of course more productive. And being able to string the lines of thought and creativity together into a real stream of productivity… priceless.

What did my time with Sprint teach me? Or the corporate jobs prior to that, back in Denver? The primary reason that many companies will not entertain the thought of telecommuting is that it puts a dead stop to micromanagement. And since most of mid range managers are king of micromanagement, telecommuting erases those jobs. Or forces the company to put those jobs into different, more productive categories. And since corporate, like government, or education… move quite slow… none of this is easily do-able.

One very good kickback from all this economic crisis is that I see things changing in attitude toward the virtual workplace. We all have better things to spend money on, than sheer gasoline to move folks around the highway parking lot in rush hour. Eeesh. It gives me heeby jeebies just remembering that!

I LOVE working at home!

One observation, however. I have recently, since becoming a twitterer, started thinking about finding local tweeps, and starting a group of like-minds. And that could be anything. For me, designers or artists… or just FOLKS who, by way of being a Tweep, are online, and at least partially Geek. hehe. I am LeanneBoyd on Twitter.

Again, thanks for this great article. I will review this on my blog!

Observations from Leanne:

All of this HAD to be said. We all need to quit prancing around the edges of what is going on in our world... NOT just artists but every soul on the planet. I am not surprised to read this, coming from a creative, however. I have always felt that those of us with the creative edge are a bit - to a LOT - closer to the heart of things. We see the invisible along with the invisible. We more deeply understand thoughts, feelings, and emotion, while much of the world seems inured to the things swirling around them.

Amy Wilson states, "The recession isn't 'all in our heads;' it's not a matter of just cheering up and thinking optimistically and it will all go away." Listen up folks, it is NOT going away. At least for a period of time, what we are experiencing is "The Way We Are," and not "The Way We Were." (1973 Streisand flick)

This article is absolutely packed with good advice. It's somewhat dismal, but agonizingly realistic. Amy goes on, "What's happening in the world right now is scary. And like the saying goes: if you're not scared, you're not paying attention." Here is THE place to start: "Admit that things are bad – really, really bad. The only way we're going to ever overcome what the hell is going on is if we take a moment and really acknowledge what's happening. You can't really understand the problem if you keep telling yourself that it's over or it's not as bad as absolutely everyone around you is assuring you it is."

Can you control your situation? It is MY belief that there are things you can control. You can control, somewhat to mostly, your reaction to things. You can choose to remain calm, which is the only setting that will allow you to think and to plan. Amy Wilson states, "Know that you are not in control. We have no idea what is going to happen in the next few years. Really. I feel pretty confident in saying that the art world is going to look quite different in about five years than it does right now..." I agree, the creative world will look different, but only in keeping with what the rest of the world will look like. Again, you CAN control your thought patterns, and your reactions to the whirling chaos.

Amy's next statement mirrors my own, in my experience in teaching art online. Any parent will agree... any thinking human being will echo these thoughts... The next generations have inherited ALL of the history of humankind. "The one thing I feel pretty good about predicting is that when the smoke all clears, who is going to be in control of it is that new generation that I've been so worried about giving bad advice to. They're the ones who are going to solve all the problems dumped on them, because they have to – they have no choice."

If we can keep enough perspective, if we can take our collective knowledge and really BE a support to our young people... we have a chance.

Amy gives solid thought and advice in her concluding points:

1. "I have no idea what the future holds, and I just really needed to say that. (Nobody else knows, either, and run away from those who say they do.)"

2. "We're all pretty terrified. Some people are terrified-optimistic and others terrified-pessimistic, but overall we share the same base emotion."

3. "It's going to be ok, because it has to be ok. There is no other choice."

Yes, our choices are very limited.

Wake up call! No use in kicking dead dogs. We must nurture the puppies.

It is now finally the time that I've seen since 1989 and entering the computing world from the Art world. Science and Art can be wonderful bedfellows. Da Vinci was ever clear about that. All the greatest writings of the world have reference to that. Poets have seen it. Scientists have searched cell to heaven to show the affinity of the two.

It is finally time - We must use both science and art, the technical and the creative heart of things - to cure a planet.

Note from Leanne:

I found this discussion extremely interesting. Reality check. This DOES take time! But these are real people talking about their real experiences, and their REAL businesses.

From the obvious points to the light-bulb-over-the-head moments, there is a lot of advice floating around out there for aspiring web designers.  Here are 5 pieces of advice you’ll get from anyone with experience:

Lots of to-the-point advice here! I especially liked the final point, about walking that extra mile:

"Go the extra mile! Experiment with new techniques and try things that would normally fall outside your comfort zone. Be available to your clients - this doesn’t mean you have to answer when they call you at 3am (unless your up anyway of course) but being approachable will make the relationship more successful. While you’re at it back up their site for them, clients will love you if you’re able to give them back lost material if/when something goes wrong. In short, do everything in your power to continue to grow as a designer and foster great relationships with clients - their recommendations are often the most direct route to your next project!"

~Leanne

I LOVE icons! The entire history of the icon as they pertain to our "new media" world, began for me with a Macintosh in 1989. The human brain is particularly receptive to icons... brief representations of human ideas.

Gee. Sounds like Twitter, right? Well this set of icons is TWITTER! Don't miss these guys... they are cute!

Not to mention, this clearly shows that the entire social media world boils down to... the birds. Twitter!

Don't forget to click the image to view the larger image. Oh, and please consider following this artist on Twitter... nudge him into some activity ;-)

Have a super day!
Leanne

Innovation. I happen to believe that every human being is born with a heap of creative spirit. As time goes on, this spirit shows itself in the ability to actually create. Some people call it a gift when they see it in a child. Yes, I agree, it is a gift. But I believe it has been given to everyone, not just a few. Somewhere along the way, usually very early, someone has accidentally or perhaps on purpose, damaged that gift when it's not evident in any particular child. This is a gift that needs to be nurtured. The "flame" in some kids might be suppressed by shyness, bad self image or some other quality. Without some care, it can be buried very deeply, never to manifest.

This article is one of the most frightening things I've read in a long time. For me, it "outshines" all the recent press on the economics of a globe, the chaos in our pocketbooks. In fact, this article stands as a prime example for why we have reached this state of turbulence. The world is in despair because we just have not paid enough attention to nurturing INNOVATION. To make this even more sad, more terrifying... deep creativity, innovation, is exactly what is needed to rise above the situation. Rather a twisted catch-22.

The article states that "The competitive edge of the United States economy has eroded sharply over the last decade." Nope, wrong. It has gone on much longer than that. I started back to University in 1995, and immediately found like-minded people who were concerned over this very issue, and how it had begun to affect our standing as the leading technical and information country on the globe. My career path led me into Education earlier than 1995... and there was a lot of discussion for years, about what the school system was and WAS NOT doing for our children. And all the while, statistics proved out, that every year led to lower and lower abilities in our kids.

With the Innovation Spirit dampened from an early age... by a failing school system and perhaps by parents who, themselves, were not in tune with their own creative nature... how on earth can we expect the stats to show any differently? How can we expect young people, taught and molded by any convention that was NOT "outside the box"? (Not in our budget, takes too much time, "standardized" this and that... we PUT them inside the box, and with no lid.)

Is anyone surprised by the showings in this article? If so, it is time to wake up. "The United States ranked sixth among 40 countries and regions, based on 16 indicators of innovation and competitiveness." In many discussions in my Master's program and then into the Doctorate, both in technology in Education, this topic has come up again and again. We're slipping... we are now "this far behind the pack." We questioned just when this would begin to show up in worldwide production, jobs, ability to carry forward with what we have all become so blind to... the ubiquitous "rights" of a very smart, creative people.

The answer is: NOW. It's been there, peeking out from behind the curtains. And the very activities that have led the world to a brink of despair made it so easy to sit back, relax, enjoy, and NOT look at what was going on. What a legacy to leave this next generation. Not only the problems created, but with a suffering level of INNOVATION-inspired solutions. And after years of being trained to be a "standardized" success... maybe these young people don't even have the brass nerve to stand up and challenge back. Fear is a great incapacitator.

We've all been lulled into believing we have some sort of birth right to the kingdom. A great house, a wonderful car, all the current toys. A high paying job with all the bennies. The salaries have escalated wildly along with the price of homes, cars, etc... so escalated, it's beyond belief.

"A report last year by the Rand Corporation concluded that the United States was in “no imminent danger” of losing its competitive advantage in science and technology." Again... my peers in University and I have discussed JUST THIS, for a decade at least. This is nothing new... but it is high time that we begin to see this in the Media. My question has been, for over 10 years... Is it too late?

I agree with this article when it states, "America’s lead in science and technology was 'eroding at a time when many other nations are gathering strength.'” Could this describe the US tendency for many years, for outsourcing to foreign countries. Oh yes. India, for example, provides high tech services for a much lower rate than services, stateside. And the quality of their work is, in many instances, higher than that provided here. Not across the board of course, but... many times. As a freelance on Elance.com, I saw this again and again. And, quite frankly, part of the reason I quit Elance was that it became much more difficult to compete... both by rate of pay as well as the high quality given at the much lower price. I had a high reputation on Elance and was consistently overbooked. However, there came the time when most of us began to HAVE to lower our prices, when it became "not doable."

"President Obama has often said that in the future, international prosperity will depend on the United States becoming an 'innovation economy.'" To me, it is more like RE-becoming such an economy. What if this huge bailout money was going to technology, education, training, and nurturing the creative spirit of young people? Instead, we are bailing out the biggest offenders of how NOT to use resources properly (and ethically).

Can we save this? Well, it took many years to get where we are, and it's my feeling it will take at least that many years to undo the damages. Much of the relief will reside in the hands of current young people. How dedicated are we to turning this around, applying methods to nurture creative thinking and the innovative spirit in our children? We are the ones who got "lulled" into our current state of affairs. Maybe the loss of job, home, car... will be the wakeup call. Can we get off the couch and save the day? We cannot rely totally or maybe even in big part, on the institutions who are being bailed out. This is much closer to home. This is a personal focus... to rescue the ones that are within our grasp. One community at a time.

by Leanne Boyd

Over the past year or so, social networks have changed my life at 1WebDiva.com. The things I envisioned in 1989 when I entered the computer world, and later in 2000-01 brought to pass by writing university courses and teaching at online university - have come to pass. And in a much larger way than I saw, back then.

One of the courses I wrote was for Art Institute Online - a sophomore level course for implementing one's art portfolio online. A big part of an artist's success, either online or brick-and-mortar is NETWORKING. How to create both a support group as well as your client group. Even in 2001, few of us could have foreseen our Web world today, with all of the social networks available for literally any interest.

This article has very sound advice overall. Using today's social networks can be a profoundly useful tool for networking. In fact, that is the very nature of the genre. Building this network then becomes a global scenario, with much-widened horizons.

Of the social sites mentioned, such as LinkedIn, MySpace, and Facebook... I personally think that Twitter should have been included. Twitter has been a main focus of mine for several months. I now have a very excellent group, increasing every day, of artists in every category from hands-on studio artists, to every description of digital art. The main item of importance to me is the creative mindthink that goes on... whatever you need, you can find it. And if not, just ASK. What a tremendous resource!

The beauty of the social networks is the 'real time' aspect, especially for Twitter. Conversation happens with very little lag, which means you can cast out a comment or a question, and have feedback come back in from your group almost immediately. Try THAT with Email!

I am in complete agreement with the author of this article. Pick your primary social platforms carefully. Keep it to just a few and really fine-hone your Internet presence for those sites. Keep it manageable because, I'm here to tell you, it can whack you over the head.

I would add to that, however... Do go to each site that is either important to you now, or you see that it will be essential in the future. And visit as many as you can... linking sites, video sites, images, shopping, etc. AND SNAG AN ACCOUNT. Claim your name NOW. For, within a short time, you may find that your name has been taken. Do it now. Choose an Avatar - your photo or your logo - and set up the basic account. This is the beginning of "your brand" online. You may not use many of the sites, now or ever. However, you've preserved your identity.

Taking this a bit farther, also go snag your name as a YourDomainName.com. Again, you might just park it for awhile with no Web site or Blog, but you HAVE it so that nobody else can swoop in and take it. The purpose both right now and for the future is to build your global identity. No matter your business, your name and visible logo/photo will begin to be recognized around the scope of all the social sites. Consider using the trademark symbol for any slogan you have, and never forget to place copyright statements on all of your pages online. The business element at most social sites is probably above average, ethically. But always take the steps to protect you and your business identity.

More information on branding, Web building, blogging, and art topics at my blog:
1WebDiva.com - http://www.1webdiva.com/blog