If you were to ask different people a question – any question really – you would likely get different answers. Why? The answers would be based on, at a minimum, the knowledge and philosophy of that person. As no two people are quite the same, this would apply to their thinking and response to your questions.

Continuing this logic, if you were to ask one person a single question, you would expect only one answer. Right? One, not 27. The multitude of answers to one particular question, how to live, is the premise of the book aptly titled, How to Live by Derek Sivers.

Sivers is a serial entrepreneur, author and musician whom many people know as the creator of CD Baby. I have been following him and his blog for years, where he shares his opinions on business, tech and life, especially as he has lived in many countries around the world. When How to Live came out, I was intrigued by the topic and picked up a copy from his Web site as he self-published and self-distributed the book.

With a subtitle of “27 conflicting answers and one weird conclusion” the book lives up to it, with thorough, well thought-out answers that range in extremes from “do nothing” to “make change” to everything in between. As I read through the answers, I had many takeaways from the book.

It’s good to see things from multiple points of views – This is something that I have recollections of, where I saw all sides of an issue and was able to work a situation to my advantage. On the flip side, there were times I didn’t see an issue from all sides and it came back to bite me or worse yet be an opportunity that slipped away.

The impact of change is relative – When I moved from Boston to Chicago, a friend opined I must have great courage to up and move as I did. I chuckled and responded that it wasn’t courage as much as a desire for a change of scenery, something both my wife and I sought out in our quest to the US Midwest. As I read through the answers in this book, I thought of this and even did a rough measurement of what the impact of might actually be of the answers.

Seek advice but make it your own – I recall a certain comedian/actor known for promoting a certain brand of pudding snacks once saying that when you give someone advice it is now theirs, and what they do with it is up to them and not on you the giver. In all of the answers in How to Live it provides a plethora of suggestions for what you can do, though likely you wouldn’t follow each to the letter.

How to Live is a short (~120 pages), quick and enjoyable read, and one that will get you thinking. Thinking not only of options of how to live your life, but the effort and thought process that went into writing such a book. It’s a good book for anyone to read from teens to well-beyond-teens. As I share all books, I am leaving this at Stateview Commons, the co-working space I currently work from. Perhaps one of my fellow co-workers will find it as interesting as well.

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

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Recently a friend moved to Appleton, Wisconsin, the city where I live. Like me he is in the tech industry, so I started forwarding him links to Web sites and other resources in the community to help him get acclimated in his new community. I also logged them and am sharing this list here to a greater audience.

By no means do I believe this is the be-all, end-all of what is out there and going on in Willem Dafoe’s hometown – if I left something out, please leave a comment to this post. I have organized these into community and the tech industry, and they are in no particular order. Though many of these outlets have a social media presence, here I have listed the traditional ways of how to reach them, highlighting their Web sites, email lists and RSS feeds.

Community Resources

All Things Appleton – In the last year or so this site came onto the scene and is dedicated to the finer details of the inner workings of city government you can’t find elsewhere. It is frequently updated and has an email list and RSS feed.

Appleton Post Crescent – The local newspaper is among most all major papers in Wisconsin that are owned by Gannett and fall under the USA Today banner. Where the changes in the newspaper industry are evident in its publications, it does encompass most of what is going on. They offer email lists and RSS feeds, and much content is available without paying for a subscription.

Appleton Magazine – This is a monthly lifestyle magazine covering the greater Fox Valley and features people, dining and entertainment. Much of the content is available on their Web site and it has an RSS feed, and you can pick it up the paper version in stores and restaurants or subscribe by mail for a nominal cost.

GB News Network – GB stands for Green Bay, which is a short 30-minute drive north from Appleton. This is a news and events site for the Green Bay area. You can also subscribe to their weekly email for the latest information leading into the weekend.

Appleton Public Library – The city’s one and only library is in the midst of a metamorphosis, where the current building will be expanded and reimagined, and in the interim the library will be temporarily in a former Best Buy store. Their email list is a great way to keep up with the comings and goings over the next few years and beyond.

Go Valley Kids – As a parent of young kids this Web site is a go-to resource for family-friendly activities in the area. Their Web site lists current activities and events, but what I find the best is their robust archive of evergreen places both indoors and outdoors, especially for those times when you can’t think of what to do with the kiddos. Subscribe to their email newsletter for the latest news and events plus they have recently launched a podcast.

Fox Cities Magazine – It’s nice that there’s more than one monthly lifestyle magazine in the area, and this is another. You can read entertainment and activities listings on their Web site, though their RSS feed is infrequently published to You can also pick up the paper version at restaurants and stores or subscribe by mail for a low cost.

Appleton Downtown, Inc. – The business association for the downtown/College Avenue area, their site offers events and business profiles for that area. In addition to their Web site they offer an email newsletter and RSS feed.

Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce – This is the largest Chamber in the area and features events plus business listings (hint: restaurants are a business!) in the area.

Appleton Historical Society – If you want to dive deeper into the history of the city, this is a place to visit. What looks like an old house has a wealth of displays and photos of the city over the years and hosts events on various aspects of that history.

History Museum at the Castle – Formerly a Masonic temple (thus the name “castle”), the museum has a mix of historic displays of the area as well as traveling exhibits. A must-see is the permanent exhibit on Harry Houdini, who lived in Appleton in his younger years, and tells the secrets of many of his magic tricks.

TGVG – The Greater Valley Guide – This printed publication and Web site is primarily focused around sports activities but also includes a variety of other kid-related events and things to do around the area. They offer separate RSS feeds for their blog and events.

The Wheeler Report – This is a Web site that aggregates news stories from across the state of Wisconsin and is centered on state and local government. They used to have an email newsletter but stopped it for some reason, but this is a site to bookmark and visit daily.

Mile of Music – As the photo above mentions to singing, it’s likely referring to the beginning of August for this week-long music festival. Artists from around the country and the world converge on Appleton for this music festival which some compare to the SXSW music festival in Austin, Texas. They offer a mobile app during the festival to set your entertainment schedule.

Flag Lowering Orders – A little outside from the others here... but if you have seen a flag at half-staff around Dairyland and wondered why, subscribe to the email and text alerts and be in the know. Alerts cover all orders that pertain to the state, including from the federal level. This is useful as Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers seems to issue an order almost weekly if not more often.

Tech Industry Resources

Insight on Business Magazine – This is a monthly business magazine that covers all business in Northeast Wisconsin. You can subscribe to its print version, read online and subscribe to their email newsletter.

IOM – A sibling publication of Insight on Business, it focuses on – you guessed it – manufacturing in the area. As well, you can subscribe to its print version, read online and subscribe to their email newsletter.

BizTimes – Out of Milwaukee, a state-wide business magazine that also covers news from the Appleton area. They offer a paid subscription to their paid version, free email newsletters and a subscription to their Web site.

New North – This is an economic development organization focused on Northeast Wisconsin. They offer an email newsletter and have a wealth of resources on their Web site, including a section targeting people to move to the area.

NEW Digital Alliance – This organization focuses on the technology sector in the area. They offer a monthly email newsletter and listing of tech-centered events in the area.

Women In Technology Wisconsin Inc. – Started locally, WIT now has chapters statewide and offers live and virtual events throughout the state and has an email list. Though the organization started to foster the community of women in the tech sector, men are also welcome at their quality events.

Meetups in NEW – Here you can find local tech events on the global event listing platform.

WisBusiness – There is a wealth of business news and information on this statewide site, featuring an email list, podcasts and an RSS feed.

Greater Green Bay Chamber – The Green Bay area has a vibrant tech sector, and the Chamber there offers a number of events there, especially at their own co-working incubator, UrbanHub.

Start In Northeast Wisconsin – Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, WEDC, is the state’s economic development agency and this section of their site lists some events in the area. They also offer an RSS feed.

Fox Cities Founders – This is a group consisting of tech founders in the Fox Valley. You must be either referred or apply to be in it.

Editors Note: Modified on 4/7/2022 to add Fox Cities Founders - thanks for letting me know Andrew!

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

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Consistency. Some say it is a sign of complacency, where whatever you do is merely repetition and there’s no change or innovation. I like to think consistency is more of a mindset than whatever it is you are executing upon. To this, I have a now defunct Chinese restaurant to thank.

When I last lived in the Boston area I was in the city of Waltham. It was a city of many faces – its past was industrial manufacturing, among other things the birthplace of the microwave oven, and now the home to universities and high-tech firms along Route 128. That transformation is not complete, as the neighborhood I lived in then was still in transition. I was just off of Moody Street, known as the city’s “restaurant row” as it was zoned for locally owned businesses and the home of some great non-chain restaurants.

Among those restaurants was Hong Kong, a take-out Chinese restaurants just around the corner from home off Moody Street. For myself and my newlywed wife, two working professionals, we frequented ordered from there. As one would expect from a local establishment, we got to know the manager and she always recognized us when we phoned in our ordered and picked it up. Sometimes an order was placed for just one of us, often times both, and we’d also order when entertaining friends. No matter the size of the order, no matter the time, the friendly voice of the manager told us the order would be ready in 10 minutes. Always 10, consistently.

For my wife and I, it was almost comical that any order would take the same amount of time no matter the quantity of food. We were only 10 minutes from a fresh, hot and delicious meal.

New Year, Same Consistency

Soon after moving to the Boston area many years before I learned of the “tradition” of ordering Chinese takeout for New Year’s Eve. The concept was then and likely still is now so popular that you had to place your order days in advance of December 31 to ensure you could get it that night. One New Year’s Eve my wife and I decided to stay in and watch Dick Clark and the ball drop in Times Square, and followed tradition and placed an order days in advance at Hong Kong.

When I went to Hong Kong to pick up our order at the appointed time, I was greeted with the usual warm welcome I was accustomed to from the owner. But the happy expression on her face quickly turned to concern as she told me that she did not have an order ready for me, though she remembers taking the order from me earlier in the week.

Grabbing a piece of paper, she retook my order and proceeded to the kitchen. What followed was a very spirited conversation in Chinese. I didn’t know if she and the cooks were yelling or what, but it was something reminiscent of my Italian heritage, just in another language. After a few minutes she came back to the front counter, smiling, and told me my order would be ready... in 10 minutes! On the busiest night of the year, and at the last minute no less. I took a walk around the block, came back for my order, and went home and told my wife the story as we dove into our delicious dinner.

Deconstructing Consistency

We often see consistency on the surface, however there is likely more as you dig deeper into it. Understanding your product or service, knowing yourself and a commitment to excellence are all part of what delivers consistency. Where the final output may be similar each time, under the hood there is a lot at play that is likely changing and adapting to ensure a consistent end result. Although the Hong Kong restaurant on Moody Street in Waltham, Massachusetts is long gone, its spirit lives on in my own commitment to delivering consistency, and adapting to ensure of it.

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

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For most people, where we are today is not where we were just a few years ago. For most, it is a state of mind, and a mind processing things we could have never anticipated. For some, they are physically in a different place, moving as a result of lockdowns and other personal reasons.

If I had a nickel for every time I heard – or said myself – that life is a journey, I would be on the beach right now and not gazing out at snow outside my window, but I digress. For as repetitive as it sounds, at least I need to keep hearing it, especially as a reminder when things are not going well or just outright suck.

In my mind, one of the best to say this is Adam J. Kurtz. He is the creative mind behind 1 Page At a Time and Things Are What You Make Them. Both are books to get you to think and the former is chock full of creative prompts. I am a big fan of AdamJK (for short), and when it was announced last year I pre-ordered his latest book, You Are Here *For Now.

You Are Here *For Now is a collection of short essays, quotes and art. Where at first glance it can be thought of as a self-help guide, I see it more of notes from a friend who is trying to help you go through the same crap as you are. As I have insightful family and friends that I am always taking away advice from, I have takeaways from this book too.

Pause – This is something this short-fused, 100% Italian-American needs to a lot more of. Maybe that pause is a deep breath or a walk along Lake Michigan (a favorite of mine when I lived in Chicago) or whatever works for you. A pause gives you time to think, get your heart rate down a little, and be more prepared for what you now have to deal with.

Hard But Not Impossible – Life is hard, sure, but not always impossible. In a world where waiting 30 seconds for food to heat in the microwave seems like an eternity, we need to adjust our thinking to better approach the hard work needed. The quotes and pictures in this book are a nice departure from simply a text narrative trying to motivate us.

It Won’t Last – Yes, Virginia, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and what we’re going through right now will come to an end. Granted what’s next could even be worse, or it could be better. We’ll never know until we get there.

You Are Here *For Now is a pocket-sized book and one where you can easily rip out the pages and hang them up or give them to others. As a fan of AdamJK’s work, it should come as no surprise that I recommend you to pick up a copy of this book. Because I pre-ordered the book, I got this “Find Your Way” stationary kit, pictured below. Click on the picture or this link to see the photo of the kit full-sized. I wish when I was in college I had an eraser that was inscribed with, “I literally don’t know what I am doing!”

As I give away all books I read, including this one, I have earmarked it for Matt, a long-time reader and commenter here at The Hot Iron. I will send it to him as soon as he contacts me and tells me the best address to send it to.

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

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Once again, my daughter is selling Girl Scout cookies. And once again, you my dear reader can have the unique opportunity to support her and the girls in her troop in their learning and developing in scouting, all the while enjoying these tasty cookies!

Whether you go down the traditional path with Thin Mints, Caramel deLites, Shortbreads, Peanut Butter Sandwiches and Peanut Butter Patties, or try the newer varieties including Caramel Chocolate Chip, Lemonades, Toast-Yays and Adventurefuls, you can’t go wrong! Some of these are even gluten free and vegan. All can be shipped directly to the comfort of your own home, wherever you are.

Even if you don’t want cookies but want to support her troop, you can buy “Cookie Shares” where boxes of cookies are donated to worthy causes.

To buy, simply click on the bug red button below:

If you don’t see the button or if the link doesn’t work, click here to Buy Girl Scout Cookies Now!

My daughter thanks you in advance for the dozens of boxes of cookies you will be buying! The proceeds of the sales that go to her Girl Scouts troop will help subsidize the activities and badges they are earning throughout the school year as well as Girl Scouts summer camps, which have all pretty much opened back up to normal.

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

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