Terry Howard

Brevard County Set to Charge Fire Rescue Fees

2008-09-11T20:02:00.002-04:00

More fallout from the bonehead move to increase the homestead exemption in Florida. Brevard will now be sending out bills when you have to call fire and rescue services. Me, personally, I fully plan to put that invoice in an envelope addressed to Governor Charlie Crist should a mishap befall me that requires I employ the services of my local fire and rescue. He's the one that should be paying for his mistakes, not us.

I Own Frankenbits

2008-09-10T17:28:00.002-04:00

By sheer will and authority I own Frankenbits. It doesn't matter if it makes sense or not, or if you are familiar with Frankenbits, the fact remains, I own it. Sure, I may be going out on a limb, claiming to be master of all that is Frankenbits, but I feel confident in my standing in the Frankenbits community. I have put a lot of thought into this thing we call Frankenbits, and have come to the realization that I wish to own Frankenbits. Ergo, I shall lay claim to my Frankenbits crown and rule all that is Frankenbits with a stern yet open fist.

Frankenbits

It Only Rains in New Orleans... Apparently

2008-09-02T22:19:00.002-04:00

Gustav rains a bit on New Orleans and the Republican National Convention stops and Google begins offering special services around it. Tropical Storm Fay sits on top of Central Florida for a week, causing major flooding and damage (the St. Johns was still rising as late as this afternoon) and nobody says boo. No national stories on FEMA arriving to the area, no statements from the President as to whether he will show up or not. Hell, our own Governor douchebag made a statement that he was going to have Florida rescue workers on hand to help out the poor Orleanians should they need it. The whole sports world was on edge as to whether or not the Saints will be able to open week 1 at their home field.

You know... Screw New Orleans. The only reason they are page 1 is because they are piss poor planners and cry federal assistance whenever a storm comes their way. Here in Florida every summer we stock up on supplies and we pay attention to the weather. We board windows when things look bad and we go buy generators. Rivers start to rise? We fill sand bags and protect our homes. I guess I should be happier that we don't make news because we aren't a bunch of lazy crybabies who can't figure out that living between the ocean, a damned lake, and a river delta is a bad idea... but it just irks me.

On top of that we have another storm heading right to the same area which will definitely cause more flooding, more damage. Will the nation stop their day and wonder if the residents of the Florida east coast are going to make it okay? Probably not. I guess we aren't the bastion of culture that the French Quarter is. What with all the urinating in the streets and stuff.

Happy Independence Day Weekend!

2008-07-06T10:40:00.001-04:00

Attention Metrosexuals

2008-06-23T21:55:00.003-04:00

This is still a foofy girly shower puff scrub... You are still a pansy... That is all... You may go back to drinking your appletinis now...

Blaming Yourself is Healthy

2008-06-15T13:19:00.001-04:00

My wife and I were checking out Dave Ramsey's Complete Money Makeover and it discusses some interesting numbers on how many people are in debt at considerable levels, how many have horrible spending habits and money ideas and how many do not have any kind of emergency savings to deal with simple things like air conditioners breaking down, much less being laid off.

The letters to the editor page of a local newspaper I receive had several people commenting on how terrible it is that the government is letting so many people go into foreclosure, not have enough money to pay basic utilities, or be able to survive lay offs. It was pretty interesting to see how so many people blame the government for not doing things it shouldn't. The government is not our financial nanny, and nor should we ever be so foolhardy as to ever grant them that level of power over our lives.

The real problem is that people buy that which they can't afford and end up paying for one dinner for months, or continue to pay for cars years after they no longer own them. We live beyond our means, we don't save, we collectively make horrible decisions with our money. Anyone who says they can't make ends meet I would bet still has cable (probably beyond basic), makes payments on a car, or pays half of their income in minimum payments to credit cards or other lines of credit. The thing is, employers are not going to set wages based on what allows people to support a family... AND their bad money choices.

People are being foreclosed on of late only partly because of things like unregulated sales of debt and lending options that prey on consumers. Consumers still made the bad choices, even when people all around them were screaming, ARMs will destroy you! Yet, we make bad decisions, we receive our lumps and then look away from the mirror to lay blame.

I'm not perfect when it comes to money, by no means. But I'd like to think I've turned the corner from laying blame on others to holding myself responsible for my decisions. It might feel like a hard thing to do, but once you do it, it's liberating to think that the blame lies on someone who you have 100% control over. Think about that!

Great PPC Job at Full Sail

2008-06-07T15:02:00.002-04:00

We're looking to add another paid search specialist to our marketing team at Full Sail. The ideal candidate would be someone with a year or 2 of direct hands on experience with managing PPC accounts in Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing and MSN AdCenter. You would be working with a team of other talented search marketers in a very creative and fun environment but with an emphasis put on delivering results.

Full Sail is an incredible place to work and if you have some basic experience with PPC or even just have dipped your toe in the water and have a real desire to jump head long into this growing area of marketing, send us your resume!

Orlando Shooting Suspects

2008-06-04T08:37:00.005-04:00

Be on the look out for the late Bob Marley and Grammy winning artist John Legend!

More Lame Biz Stock

2008-04-10T00:04:00.005-04:00

"Lamar, despite being blind from birth, tried his best to fit in with the guys at work by pretending (and often a little too over zealously) to enjoy the occasional communal workplace porn viewings."

Lame Biz stock

2008-04-03T12:54:00.003-04:00

"You see, these glasses allow me to see right through Janice's blouse here..."

Full Sail University

2008-03-25T23:19:00.003-04:00

Full Sail is now officially a university, Full Sail University, and well deservedly so. I've had the extreme pleasure of being employed by this dynamic company for nearly 10 months now and I'm truly excited to see be a part of this milestone. I did have one comment, though, to those odd individuals with axes to grind with Full Sail University.

Full Sail's default rate, an education industry measure of the percentage of students who can't pay their student loans used to analyze the earning potential of graduates, the current satisfaction rates, and the percentage of graduates who are currently employed in their respective industries are all publicly available (and incidentally exceptionally favorable) metrics. I'd suggest anyone with said dull axes and potential students review them. Nothing like cold hard facts and figures to put sour grapes in perspective.

Trailer for Sale

2008-03-02T12:49:00.003-05:00

My sister-in-law is selling their flatbed trailer. If you are looking for a hauling trailer in Rapid City, SD, you're in luck!

Colleges on University Blvd? WTF?!?!

2008-02-19T08:58:00.003-05:00

This relates to my employer, Full Sail, in the spirit of disclosure, but it applies to people who complain about UCF expansion as well. This quote says it all:

"They need to consider the impact on the community, especially an area that was never designed or intended to support a sprawling campus," said Anna Telleria, a resident who was against the school's expansion.

Oh, you mean that area along University Blvd that has neighborhoods called things like University Commons, University Place, etc... Seeing as how both schools, Full Sail and UCF, have been around since at least the 70's and those homes were mostly cow fields around that time... Yeah, an area that was never designed for growing campuses (or is it campi)... sure.

But maybe those residents are right, it would be far more ideal to have large employers with a customer base that also supports hundreds of local businesses leave the area. Then the University Blvd area could descend into a gang infested poverty stricken cess pool. That would be wonderful for your property values!

Hillary, The Problem is YOU!

2008-02-10T23:00:00.001-05:00

Hillary Clinton released her campaign manager after Obama swept the weekend's primaries. Hillary, the problem isn't your campaign manager, it's YOU. You represent the same old lousy shady politics that people complain about all the time. When you get up to speak you come across like an angry shrew who is raising her voice to chastise all us bad children.

You make grand impossible promises like universal healthcare that you know isn't feasible. When the plan fails we know you'll just blame the people with the wisdom to block it, claiming you tried to give us free healthcare but the green meanies stopped you once again. It's just your little way to not have to live up to your campaign promises.

But the biggest problem is you don't inspire. Not one bit. You do nothing but complain about Bush (what's the point, he's gone) and go on angry grating tirades that make me dive for the remote. Obama on the other hand makes people want to listen. People make musical art out of his speeches. He uses words like hope and change and he sounds like he believes in it.

I'm not a liberal by any stretch, but I'm not a Republican either. Just a guy pointing out the obvious. Your campaign manager is fine Hillary, it's your candidate that sucks.

Pimping Your Ignorance

2008-02-08T22:58:00.000-05:00

MSNBC's David Shuster expresses his negative opinion on Clinton using her daughter to call celebrities and super delegates on her behalf by using the phrase "pimping out" to describe the strategy. The result? Everyone goes apeshit.

I don't know if I agree with his opinion or not, but I do know that Shuster wasn't suggesting Chelsea was actually being used to exchange sex for votes. It's a figure of speech folks, and a pretty common one. Anyone who took issue with the statement merely on the basis of the phrase "pimping out" is a big fat idiot. Why don't you discuss the point he raises instead of incorrectly taking a figure of speech literally and then arguing against that.

Reporters Fail At Reporting

2008-01-23T20:30:00.000-05:00

Oh my god, sushi will poison us all with mercury!

oh wait... no, Marian Burros just sucks at reporting.

Took me exactly 0.06 seconds to generate 97 Google News results for "tuna mercury" which contained both sides of the story and gave me a more complete and balanced understanding of the story. It probably took Burros the better half of the winter to piece together that lopsided alarmist falsehood-fiesta.

Welcome to the global network reporters, where we all learn just how hard you fail at reporting the news!

Man Up America!

2008-01-20T20:22:00.000-05:00

Sitting here watching the Packers and Giants face off in a classic frigid playoff contest to see who will face the Patriots in the Super Bowl, when amid all this classic football manliness I am taken back by a commercial. This commercial touts Ryan Seacrest's hosting of the red carpet during the pregame festivities for the Super Bowl.

Waaaaaaah?!?!?! Hoooold on... When in sam hill did the Super Bowl, the end all be-all contest of skull cracking, QB sacking, TD celebrating American football, get a freaking "red carpet"? Who, I would like to know, let our pure celebration of raw sports adrenaline become associated with a fashion show parade of who-gives-a-rat's-ass-alebrities hosted be none other than Mr. Garbage Reality Contest Show TV himself? Who?!?!

We gotta draw the line man, this wussification of all that is holy to American culture must stop. First you crack down on endzone celebrations (I'm sorry, I thought this was a form of entertainment, and if you don't like it, don't get scored on!) and now this... a red carpet pregame hosted by Ryan Seacrest... Lame!

Nuttin' But Stringz

2008-01-13T07:36:00.000-05:00

Today's kids shows can be truly awesome. One show my daughter really loves is Noggin's Jack's Big Music Show. This morning I was introduced to an entirely new and jaw dropping duo of artists. My hat is tipped to these two young guys who show that hip hop is not about guns, money and tired melodies that are the same as every other rap recording of the day.

I give you, Nuttin' But Stringz:

Way to go Rach!

2008-01-09T14:57:00.000-05:00

My wife has been named "Pop Candy Reader of the Day", go check it out!

Geocaching Rocks!

2008-01-06T10:58:00.000-05:00

My wife was listening to the Philip's Phile on Friday and heard a caller who was discussing the recreational sport of "Geocaching". You can read all about it here on the official Geocaching site, but the gist of it is that you find caches on this website which provide latitude and longitude coordinates and maybe a hint on locating them. You then use a GPS device to make your way to the general area and then hunt around for your treasure. A cache always contains a log for you to sign and read who else made their way to the cache, as well as various prizes for you to take (though if you take, you must put something back in.)

To us it sounded like a great way to get out of the house and get some exercise, maybe explore some new places. When I checked the site there were dozens of caches within a couple miles of our house! Like 2,000 within 10 miles. We used my Blackberry 8830 and located a couple, one that we had to hike along the edge of the Indian River to find. Pretty cool stuff, I think we found a new weekend hobby!

I Eat Pardoned Turkeys

2007-11-21T13:45:00.000-05:00

Pardoning turkeys is stupid. Turkeys are for eating. In fact, I think I would vote for a presidential candidate who vowed to eat the turkeys given to them for the length of their term. I also want a shirt that reads "I Eat Pardoned Turkeys".

Some Advertising Fundamentals

2007-11-16T23:04:00.000-05:00

A coworker wanting to learn more about some of the basics of paid search advertising asked me to explain a few terms, such as CPC, CPA, CPL, Conversion Rate, and ROI. I thought my response might be of help to others who wanted to know some of these things as well...

CPC = Cost-Per-Click
CPA = Cost-Per-Acquisition (we call this CPL, Cost-Per-Lead, for our purposes, in any case it's the cost per "conversion", but CPC is already taken!)

CPC is just the average paid for traffic, or clicks on your ad, irregardless of what they do after that
CPA/CPL is a measure of how much you had to pay before you get a lead or sale (on the average)

The conversion rate of your CPC gives you a CPL. So like say you are bidding $1.00 for a term. That term got clicked 100 times and it just happened to be $1.00 everytime (for arguments sake). The average CPC was $1, but your overall spend was $100. Let’s say 5 out of those 100 clicks bought something. You had a conversion rate of 5%, and your CPA was $100 (your overall spend) divided by 5 (your total orders), which gives you a CPA of $20. You literally had to pay $20 (averaged) to gain 5 orders.

Your ROI now is something you can only really determine in short order for immediate sales type conversions. Leads could in theory be quantified as an ROI but we’d have to take our average revenue generated by a successfully cultivated lead, divide that by the conversion rate of our leads (how many leads become customers) and get an average value for each lead. We could then use that as our “conversion value” in an ROI equation, which is:

ROI = net revenue / costs x 100%

So in our above example you have 5 orders (or leads), let’s say they were for $400 a piece (or for every 5 leads 1 will become a customer that nets $2000, making your average lead value $400) . Those 5 orders/leads brought in $2000. Now we spent $100 to earn that $2000, so our net revenue from the campaign was $1900 (gross – costs). Now take that net, divide it by the cost again, which gives you 19, which means your campaign was effective by a factor of 19, or more commonly represented as a percentage (x100%) which gives you an ROI of 1900%.

You could then take that number and use it for projections. Given all factors the same we might could expect that plugging in $2000 at a ROI of 1900% would yield $38,000 ($2000 x 1900%.)

Alton Brown's Fried Turkey

2007-11-15T20:06:00.000-05:00

This is the process by which I will be frying the turkey. I'm following Alton Brown's recipe, who is my favorite TV chef. He's by far the most knowledgeable cooking expert on TV and always explains the whys and hows of cooking.

Mmmmmm Fried Turkey

2007-11-07T21:27:00.000-05:00

Getting geared up for hosting our first Thanksgiving and looking to put together the perfect menu. We want to do the traditional Thanksgiving feast but give it a little something extra and unique. We'll be frying the turkey, which is not all that unique these days (but oh so tasty,) and stuffing and mashed potatoes will surely be in attendance. Just watched an Alton Brown Good Eats where he showed how to make a from scratch souped up version of the green bean casserole that looked fantastic.

I thought about doing some fishing the weekend before and seeing if I couldn't put some nice fish dishes on the table for something different and with a local flare. Anybody have some good interesting fish recipes or any other unique ideas for Thanksgiving?

The Most Evil Pumpkin

2007-11-01T21:51:00.000-04:00

What is more evil than Stewie, the conniving infant of the Griffin clan? The Stewie Pumpkin! This was the Full Sail Marketing Department's entry into this year's pumpkin carving contest at the staff Halloween party here at Full Sail. While he didn't win any awards, he was the largest entry and he did manage to disrupt the proceedings by blurting out classic offensive Stewie phrases via the iPod Shuffle hidden on his person. Eventually they figured out how to silence him, but not before he managed to get his voice into most of the footage shot early on. Great work guys, proud to be a member of the most creative marketing team around! See the Flickr set for Stewie.