To say that the past few weeks have been hectic for me would be an understatement. Much like the fabled Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, I have recently found my life flipped: turned upside down. However, like that very same prince I have managed to stay upbeat and energetic during this time of lost stability and uncertainly, optimistic that the changes ahead of me will be for the better.

One week before Thanksgiving I got a call at 5PM in the office and the caller ID told me it was HR. As a former recruiter I didn’t need clairvoyance to know what the topic of this conversation would be. Together with my latest boss (my 4th in ~18 months), I was informed that Outsell’s marketing strategy for 2012 did not include a role for me. My first reaction was one of shock: I had already achieved all the goals set for me in 2012, the social properties had finally gained critical mass after a year of careful and persistent management, and sales were up despite a skeleton crew in marketing & sales. I had successfully implemented a content marketing strategy this year, increasing unbranded search engine referrals to our web store by 96% in just 6 months. Under my guidance and coaching, a nucleus of analysts were strengthening the overall brand by effectively leveraging social media tools at their disposal (and expressing their expertise outside of a paywall). I was delivering big results with a marketing budget that consisted of nothing more than my salary, but this strong ROI didn’t seem to be factored into the planning for 2012.

While the economist inside of me struggled to comprehend this, the rationalist took the mental reigns instead and kept me steady. I refused to be upset for two reasons:

1. I had just been relieved of the burden of having to wrap my head around any such decisions further. “We” had just became “they,” and I was now back in full control of my life.

2. I knew I was delivering results, and giving solid data-driven strategic advice. This confusing and abrupt end had validated what I had long suspected: I was neither being appreciated nor listened to. I was now free to find someone who would do both!

I have always been one who shines most in times of turmoil. My family can tell you that when crisis hits I become eerily optimistic and will pick up slack where needed while others struggle to cope. Perhaps it’s the adrenaline rush that can only come when one’s livelihood is on the line. Perhaps it’s seeing the silver lining in the rubble of a recently shattered life, finding serene confidence in knowing that you can rebuild an improved version.

Fortunately I was able to come across a couple small projects almost immediately and had Gilbane Boston 2011 these past 3 days (where I ran the twitter feed, shot some video to produce, and networked/learned from many of the best & brightest in the Content realm). I hadn’t been out of work for more than a day and I was already working on some projects that truly excited me, an aspect of my life that has been sincerely missed. It’s hard for me to think of the past few weeks and not break out grinning. Things are going to be better than ever. I’m not there yet, but there isn’t anything that can get in my way now.

My resumé

The most brilliant minds are those that view societal issues in multiple contexts at once. It was because of the breadth of Freidrich Hayek’s knowledge of history, philosophy, economics, and insight into human nature that he promoted economic systems that functioned more like a biological organism as opposed to a machine consisting of parts. In this video he also displays rare (for an economist) on-camera charisma, gracefully addressing concerns while intelligently dissecting the issues faced by Britain in the 1980′s. In review of current world events, one would be hard pressed to ignore the insight and wisdom he displays in this interview.

It is time to stop hoping and to start acting. Your true power as a citizen is in your votes. Inform yourself beyond the superficial and wield this right as the responsibility and privilege that it is.

Rather than give my 2 cents I’d rather share what has been making me think and reflect upon the current state of the world. At the moment it seems chock full of people ready to rebel and change things, but who seem more focused on revenge, or breaking the status quo, over replacing it with something better. Lots of anger but a severe lack of focus and, in some cases, morality. Some of the titles on the videos don’t do their content justice.

Study: Chimps Go to War Over Territory

“Invariably, some will take this as evidence that the roots of aggression run very deep,” he says, and therefore conclude that war is our evolutionary destiny. “Even if that were true,” says Mitani, “we {^generally} operate by a moral code that chimps don’t have.”

I don’t think that war and violence is our genetic destiny as much as a survival mechanism for times of (Biological) economic stress. In modern ages, the emotional states that trigger these behaviors can be artificially produced with false flags, propaganda, and a shadowy villain. Throughout history the mob has been a term of disparagement. The right combination of population density, heat, alcohol, and economic stress and people become gas cans ready to explode upon the first offense. Chimps are the second smartest animal on the planet, and one of our closest genetic relatives. This cyclical pattern of social upheaval and instinct to look out for one’s self, even at the cost of cannibalizing our neighbors, is ugly but seems to be a conditioned survival mechanism. When we are afraid for future of our current social status we lash out. What seems a mystery outburst of violence to us in chimps, might be as simple as “that group of chimps strongly disagreed with them in theological matters,” or “that group of chimps simply had better bananas.” Our genetic legacies do not need to control our collective fates, we overcome a majority of our natural instincts every day without even realizing our struggles against nature. Not looking at violence as a solution to a current problem should be the easiest one should ever have to struggle against. As riots are often a prelude to great social changes, I wish all of England on both sides the best of luck (and hope a non-violent solution is found).

Wikileaks, government transparency, applying the Bill of Rights to the internet, hacktivism, and Intellectual Property versus reality are all really important issues that the status quo would prefer you not get involved in.

The Massachusetts Pirate Party is groundbreaking for the United States, when in March of this year they became the first recognized “Pirate” party in the United States. This should come of no surprise, since the Boston area has been a hotbed of centerist politics (probably because it’s nation leading proportion of young adults) despite it’s long reputation of being a sure-fire blue state. Anyone who has been following the eroding definition of digital rights the past few years will recognize that our government is clearly inept in the modern world (as are their “experts“), yet both major parties continuously demand more control and and exercise free reign to do as they please. It’s a slippery slope when we continuously have asterisks on various amendments in the Bill of Rights because some bureaucrat thinks that totalitarianism makes his job easier and thus you more safe.

They Don't Actually Dress Like Pirates (unfortunately)

Basically, the Pirate stance is that these lazy totalitarians should be thwarted, by flipping the table and having the Government work transparently (to ensure they are actually working for us) while protecting individual privacy, as well as preventing copyright litigation from infringing upon the natural evolution of culture. Winklevosses need not apply. If you read Techdirt regularly, you will likely agree with most of the Pirate platform.

Pirate Party on Facebook, Follow Them On Twitter

Folks in the Boston area have the opportunity to meet and hear the platform and ideology first hand from my friends at the Pirate Party. They’ll be in attendance at ArtBeat this weekend (Saturday July 16), engaging folks in conversation and making them think about these important yet whitewashed cultural issues at a great local cultural event. Below is a video I found showing highlights from last year’s ArtBeat.

Somerville ArtBeat 2010 Compilation

Get your geek on

“	Conspicuous Conservation: Hey Baby, Is That a Prius You”re Driving? – Freakonomics » http://ow.ly/5yQKj
	tallbonez July 7, 2011

“	RT @ad_chickadee: Way creepy! Social “X-ray” glasses tell you what’s really on people’s minds http://ow.ly/5zJu3
	tallbonez July 8, 2011

“	Jonathan Drori: The beautiful tricks of flowers | Video on TED.com http://ow.ly/5xVl6
	tallbonez July 6, 2011

“	RT @libertyideals: Would You Give Up The Internet For 1 Million Dollars? #libertarian http://bit.ly/pTZvhI
	tallbonez July 8, 2011

"Tomb of the Otters" Filled With Stone Age Human Bones Thousands of human bones have been found inside a Stone Age tomb on a northern Scottish island, archaeologists say. The 5,000-year-old burial site, on South Ronaldsay (map) in the Orkney Islands, was accidentally uncovered after a homeowner had leveled a mound in his yard to improve his ocean view.

An ocean divide The tiny, isolated islands of the Pacific are in crisis; battling weak government, corruption and faltering economies. The Pacific Islands can appear like an idyllic palm-fringed paradise. But many of these tiny and isolated countries are struggling to survive, facing weak governance, unemployment and faltering economies. They also face a health crisis – obesity.

“	RT @freakonomics: Scientific literacy doesn’t increase concern of climate change, decreases instead http://ow.ly/5wWLb #rabblerabblerabble
	tallbonez July 5, 2011

“	Body’s Own Marijuana Chemicals Trigger Love of Fat | Fat & Food Cravings | LiveScience http://ow.ly/5xee1
	tallbonez July 5, 2011

“	Vain Monkey Steals Cam to Take These Adorable Self-Portraits http://ow.ly/5xqic via @BrianneVillano
	tallbonez July 5, 2011

“	FYI: What is the Hottest Pepper in the World? | Popular Science http://ow.ly/5zbso
	tallbonez July 7, 2011

“	Polar Bears are actually a “young” hybrid species (of extinct parents): Today’s P.B. Started Out Brown and Irish http://ow.ly/5AcP7
	tallbonez July 8, 2011

“	Fitbit users are unwittingly sharing details of their sex lives with the world – TNW Industry http://ow.ly/5vK0g
	tallbonez July 3, 2011

“	The PaleolithicDiet Infographic http://ow.ly/5A8Dm
	tallbonez July 8, 2011

“	For the good of all of us: CERN launches open source hardware effort http://ow.ly/5zV4h
	tallbonez July 8, 2011

powered by Storify

It was a busy week for hacking news

“	Read it- Bradley Manning”s Army of One – NYMag http://ow.ly/5xtOA
	tallbonez July 6, 2011

“	RT @libertyideals: Federal Wiretaps Nearly Doubled Last Year #libertarian http://onforb.es/imUMDE
	tallbonez July 4, 2011

“	False Flags are old favorites in the US – AnonOps: Are Hacker Attacks Government Ops To Push Internet Censorship Laws? http://ow.ly/5AfwB
	tallbonez July 8, 2011

“	Another “Pro” bites the dust: Anonymous Dumps Content of (Gov Contractor) IRC Federal to ThePirateBay http://ow.ly/5A5aQ
	tallbonez July 8, 2011

“	Great Insight on “hacktivism”: Census ‘hack’: who are LulzSec? – Telegraph http://ow.ly/5Acu7
	tallbonez July 8, 2011

“	Before a digital search… Know Your Rights! | Electronic Frontier Foundation http://ow.ly/5yliz
	tallbonez July 6, 2011

“	lots of hack news today! Campaign is now claiming it wasn’t hacked (bs): Obama’s campaign website | Washington Examiner http://ow.ly/5xgWr
	tallbonez July 5, 2011

“	China to deploy huge Big Brother surveillance network with Cisco http://ow.ly/5x4Ee
	tallbonez July 5, 2011

“	Anonymous Claims to Have Stolen Apple User Data – Gear News at IGN http://ow.ly/5xcTz
	tallbonez July 5, 2011

“	Connexion Email Account Dump Includes Military and Government Accounts http://ow.ly/5xdpV
	tallbonez July 5, 2011

“	RELEASE THE KRAKEN: Anonymous Posts Turkish Government Websites to ThePirateBay http://ow.ly/5z9ib
	tallbonez July 7, 2011

“	How Easy is Voting Fraus: Abhaxas Dumps Details of the Internal Florida Voting Database Online[‘[ http://ow.ly/5vGm1
	tallbonez July 3, 2011

powered by Storify

Highlighted Marketing Tech News

“	5 Reasons I am Smitten with Google+ | The Musings of Scott http://ow.ly/5yNCk #SocialMedia #SMN #google
	tallbonez July 7, 2011

“	Zuck’s big announcement: Facebook Reveals Video Chat Powered by Skype http://ow.ly/5y527 (meh)
	tallbonez July 6, 2011

“	RT @ad_chickadee: Way creepy! Social “X-ray” glasses tell you what’s really on people’s minds http://ow.ly/5zJu3
	tallbonez July 8, 2011

“	Get the Google+Tweet extension http://ow.ly/5AidX via @satisfeye
	tallbonez July 9, 2011

“	Add your Facebook stream to Google+ with this browser extension http://ow.ly/5A6fs
	tallbonez July 8, 2011

“	Bitcoin goes mobile on Android using QR codes to initiate transactions #coolness – Android Market http://ow.ly/5ymir #ruhrohFed
	tallbonez July 6, 2011

“	HootSuite hits 2 million users, doubles signups in seven months http://ow.ly/5wSpl
	tallbonez July 5, 2011

“	It’s time to take down those nude Keg Stand pictures – I Flunked My Social Media Background Check. Will You? http://ow.ly/5A92S
	tallbonez July 8, 2011

“	Apple iTunes revenues to push $13 Billion in 2013: Report – TNW Apple http://ow.ly/5wMoe
	tallbonez July 5, 2011

“	Roland Bunce: Next top model? | NMA.tv http://ow.ly/5xL5C
	tallbonez July 6, 2011

“	Dropbox updates license following IP controversy – TNW Apps http://ow.ly/5yz6l
	tallbonez July 7, 2011

“	eBay Buys Zong For $240 Million In Cash To Boost PayPal”s Mobile Payments Technology http://ow.ly/5z89y
	tallbonez July 7, 2011

“	Ehem Sony RT @rww: ReadWriteBiz: Your Support Site Parties Like It’s 1999 http://rww.to/pu1Bv1
	tallbonez July 8, 2011

“	For the good of all of us: CERN launches open source hardware effort http://ow.ly/5zV4h
	tallbonez July 8, 2011

“	Using Gaming To Drive Desired Behavior: Privacy Policy As A Game | Techdirt http://ow.ly/5A065
	tallbonez July 8, 2011

powered by Storify

My best news finds of the week

“	Read it- Bradley Manning”s Army of One – NYMag http://ow.ly/5xtOA
	tallbonez July 5, 2011

“	RT @libertyideals: Would You Give Up The Internet For 1 Million Dollars? #libertarian http://bit.ly/pTZvhI
	tallbonez July 7, 2011

“	Philadelphia Saves $2 Million By Not Prosecuting Pot Smokers – The Consumerist http://ow.ly/5zYKC
	tallbonez July 8, 2011

“	TSA Agent Stuffs iPad Down Pants, Steals $50K in Electronics – http://on.mash.to/nPbdXU
	mashable July 8, 2011

“	Illegal Mexican migration to America has “sputtered to a trickle”. Why? Mexico has become a better place to live http://econ.st/qeYeK6
	TheEconomist July 8, 2011

“	» US government openly admits arming Mexican drug gangs with 30,000 firearms — but why? Infowars http://ow.ly/5A8IU
	tallbonez July 8, 2011

“	3/3: Marijuana Legalization Question Again Tops Obama Social Townhall | NORML Blog, Marijuana Law Reform http://ow.ly/5z1M1
	tallbonez July 7, 2011

“	The “War On Terror” Is A $6 Trillion Racket, Exceeding The Total Cost Of World War II http://ow.ly/5yWxV
	tallbonez July 7, 2011

“	F’D Up: Mercenaries now outnumber Police worldwide -Global private security industry booms – Al Jazeera English http://ow.ly/5yRcJ
	tallbonez July 7, 2011

“	lol: Hide Yo Kids, Hide Yo Wife via @kfritz http://ow.ly/5z76j
	tallbonez July 7, 2011

“	Bitcoin goes mobile on Android using QR codes to initiate transactions #coolness – Android Market http://ow.ly/5ymir #ruhrohFed
	tallbonez July 6, 2011

“	U.N. Changes Cost of Greening, estimate was off by a factor of 3: Going Green Will Cost $76 Trillion – FoxNews.com http://ow.ly/5y8uT
	tallbonez July 6, 2011

“	Biggest Keynesian Stimulus, Slowest Recovery | Cato @ Liberty http://ow.ly/5xhLX
	tallbonez July 5, 2011

“	Just stumbled upon this angle, excellent argument – Gaddafi gold-for-oil, dollar-doom plans behind Libya ‘mission’? http://ow.ly/5xtqg
	tallbonez July 5, 2011

“	Somali terrorism suspect secretly held by US – Americas – Al Jazeera English http://ow.ly/5xwhi
	tallbonez July 5, 2011

“	Tucson SWAT Team Cleared in Killing of Ex-Marine | StoptheDrugWar.org http://ow.ly/5zj7U
	tallbonez July 7, 2011

“	In Case of Revolution via @BrianneVillano http://ow.ly/5zMJG
	tallbonez July 8, 2011

“	US job growth loses momentun http://aje.me/qrTvjz
	AJEnglish July 8, 2011

powered by Storify

The title says it all so let’s skip the introductory paragraph that you were going to pass over anyways for the 5 reasons I think Google+ is a game changer in the social realm:

1. Pictures. This is a more picture oriented network than is currently popular. Link thumbnails are supersized and the background design is minimized, making colors and images seem more vibrant. Sharing pictures on + is easier yet just as featured as Facebook, and could easily replace the need for a flickr account. Viewing photo albums is much sleeker and faster. Scroll wheel browsing with millisecond load times = skimming full size pictures, not blurry 60×60 pixel thumbnails. That’s a feature I didn’t know I wanted until I had it. Let’s compare how the same link looks posted on my new “big 3″ of social media (sorry LinkedIn, but this was a long time coming).

+ gave me Nice Beefy Bitcoins. Notice the ability to edit a post without deleting…

Twitter: proving that the AOL chatrooms from 1995 live on in our hearts

The Classic Facebook Thumbnail Fail. Crap someone liked it already, guess I can’t repost to fix that typo.

2. ONE RING TO RULE THEM ALL. Google’s various products already suck up more of my day than social networks. This is a tool that I see streamlining my ADHD schedule and work habits. It neatly ties up my Google existence in a sleek interface. Having already taken the leap of faith in allowing my personal and professional networks to blur at the edges, this will be handy collaboration, productivity, and socializing tool. I understand some people aren’t comfy with that, but eventually one realizes that it’s simply a more efficient way of processing the content fire hose.

another surprisingly fitting LOTR metaphor

3. Hangouts. To me, the potential looks incredible and I look forward to playing– dare I say working– with them. This might be the kind of feature that evolves video socializing beyond a random array of perverts in superhero masks. I see this working for social and professional chats (I’m sorry but I could never buy into Twitter chats, however a moderated crowd-sourced webinar sounds captivating) This would also be good for groups of friends that usually have 4 concurrent IM conversations with each other (the online water cooler with friends not at work). Conversations on twitter with more than two people end up being exchanges of sentence fragments. Facebook chat is also notoriously prone to failure. Regardless of the video conferencing features taking off, many of us were already using Google chat in addition to twitter and Facebook. Now we can be less 1999 about it.

4. Trust. Google has always been one of my most trusted brands. While privacy extremists across the globe have made Google public enemy number one (totalitarian dictatorships among them), I personally trust them with my information. In my interactions with them I trust them to respect my privacy just as much as I trust they will mine my data for Google gold. Perhaps as a digital native I am more aware of the concept that once you digitize something it is inherently not private, but just a degree of secure. Privacy, much like airport anti-terrorism, is just a security blanket to give people a sense of safety. Google has never done anything to scare me beyond eerily accurate advertising. Considering how much value Google gives me everyday, I suppose I could tolerate some scarily accurate advertisements (which I can opt out of with a browser extension).

5. Google already owns my soul. Gmail, Voice, Docs, Chrome, Gchat, and 12 years of heavy search engine browsing habits. I will soon be owning an Android phone. I can quit Google anytime I want to, I just don’t feel like it.

I have decided to be an open networker on Google Plus, add me to your stream and I will be sure to reciprocate! I will be posting my best finds of the day (instead of the usual best finds of the hour on my other feeds).

Privacy nuts are going to avoid this network like the plague, despite a simple privacy interface and innovative customization options. In the year 2011, dedicated governments have muscled their way into “private data” (while Facebook practices a scarily cozy relationship with the current regime). May I also point out that this year, on a daily basis, we have been reminded that dedicated citizens can pretty much get any digital data they want. We also read top secret government intel at our leisure now thanks to this same ideology. Meanwhile, Google has both the muscle to stand up against censorship (and government bullies), with a history of actually doing so. It blends Facebookesque social publishing capabilities (already delivering better in areas that have been stagnant for years), aiming for a more open social experience similar to that of Twitter. Furthermore, the more we use Google +, the more motivation Facebook and Twitter have to work on glitches that have irked users for years. Google struck hard with a unique yet familiar user experience, and unlike Wave and Buzz, this was one that just “clicked” for me. Unlike Twitter or Facebook, Google has a history of not only listening to end users but getting the features they demanded out as soon as possible. Social media networks’ customer service is both ironically and notoriously horrible; the market is ripe to be shaken up.

I have been waiting for this: a curated content experience without the gated community feel that Facebook has. I want an open network populated by the people I love, work with, know, once met, once made me laugh, would like to meet, like minded folks, sources of content, people I know I should know more about, as well as people that I felt I had no reason to not follow. I want to see both them and what they’re seeing, not just their prose and link credentials. I want it to be easy to manage these thousands of connections that are many times my Dunbar number. I want to be able to woo people’s attention from their streams with whatever media I find most compelling, and have that crucial first impression delivered the exact way I plan it. Google has plenty experience augmenting the capabilities of my fancy primate brainpower, and is a company with a solid history of delivering the best to it’s users. They have struck out a couple times, but I see the lessons of those failures reflected in the engineering of the + experience. I definitely feel that Google has a winning formula this time, with only minor fixes needed here and there as they launch. Looking back at the privacy flip out over Buzz’s launch from a year ago seems laughable now in context of the current state of information security.

It is a big if to be wondering if Google+ has ability to seduce adopters away from networks they joined in the first decade of conventional social networks. They’ve generated good hype with the painful “slow leak” launch (somewhere Steve jobs is blushing), and it has the features worthy of endorsement posts such as this. The only weakness I see is the timing: can they get enough ants in the ant farm to make it interesting for everyone?