Tomorrow morning at 8 am local time in many cities around the world will be likemind, where people gather for coffee and conversation. In Chicago, Bruno and I coordinate it, and it will be at the Gallery 37 Café in the Loop at 66 E. Randolph St.

This time, the coffee (or tea or whatever) is free, and so is some reading material, courtesy of Random House. They have sent a limited supply of advance copies of the book Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are by Rob Walker. They’ll be available for free on a first come, first served basis.

No RSVP is required but is always welcome, and you can by commenting to this post or at the likemind Chicago Facebook group. See you in the AM!

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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This coming Monday, May 12, 2008, postal rates increase in the US. For the most common postage value, the rate for a 1 ounce first class letter increases from 41 cents to 42 cents. I never understood why they don’t raise it by a nickel every several years rather than a penny every year, but I digress.

To avoid the catastrophe of post offices running out of 1 cent stamps to cover the increase, the US Postal Service last year introduced “forever” stamps. The premise is once you buy the stamp, it will always be valid for the 1 ounce first class letter rate. So if you bought a forever stamp at 41 cents today, you would not have to add additional postage when using it on Monday when the rate increases.

I laud the post office for introducing forever stamps, as there is surely a significant cost for printing and distributing the additional postage stamps. Not to mention you and I enduring huge lines at the post office to buy another penny stamp. Plus you get some small satisfaction of beating the system.

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Diversions • (2) Comments • Permalink

Not too long ago I heard Joffrey’s Coffee was offering samples for bloggers to try. As someone who is powered by coffee, I couldn’t resist to take them up on their offer.

Shortly after signing up on their Web site I received a sample pouch of Jamaican Me Crazy, a flavored coffee. For the sake of full disclosure, the darker and more robust the coffee is the better it is for me. A couple of my favorite coffees are Trader Joe’s Bay Blend and whatever is roasting when I am at Costco – seriously! I brewed the pouch of pre-ground coffee in my Cuisinart Grind and Brew with the thermal carafe.

My verdict – I liked it. Though a flavored coffee, it did not taste like there was syrup poured into regular coffee, as some flavored coffees taste to me. It was a mild blend, but had a good flavor. Plus there was no noticeable difference in my performance that day!

On Joffrey’s Web site they offer a huge variety of coffees, and I will eventually get through the extensive list. I like to keep milder coffees on hand for visitors, and I will look into their bolder and darker coffees as well.

Business • Diversions • (5) Comments • Permalink

To keep well-rounded, I try to read both business books and anything else. One book on my list was The Girl From Farris’s by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Set in Chicago in the early part of the last century, it is the story of a young woman who tries to go on the straight and narrow after a career as a prostitute, and the people who try to help and hinder her. My original intent on reading it was due to the references to Chicago’s Loop. And like anything about life, I found takeaways from the book.

My greatest takeaway is that you must follow your dreams, no matter how hard they are. The heroin of the book, Maggie (who’s real name is June), makes the decision to go on the straight and narrow, get a job and make a life for herself. She is lured back to her old ways and as well encounters people who try to help her but are more furthering their own causes. But Maggie persists, moving forward but not forgetting where she came from.

Another takeaway was that it’s a small world. Maggie repeatedly encounters people from her past throughout the story, under varying circumstances. And this was in the day of the manual typewriter! Keeping this is mind will help you in dealing with people you may never want to encounter again the next time you see them.

The Girl From Farris’s is short and enjoyable story, packed with plot twist throughout. If you’re looking for a book for a cross-country flight, allow me to recommend this one.

Book Take-Aways • Diversions • (0) Comments • Permalink