Civilization is the progress toward a society of privacy. The savage's whole existence is public, ruled by the laws of his tribe. Civilization is the process of setting man free from men.
Ayn Rand

Only do business at work. If you must do personal business be prudent. Don't write anything you wouldn't want inadvertantly passed on to others at work. Mark personal files as private. Your employer may have a policy keeping your emails and calls private, but it would be smart to assume everything you do at work is fair game for your superiors to monitor.

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.
Douglas Adams

On the other hand your employer most likely knows what you are up to. According to a 2001 survey by the American Management Association, nearly 80 percent of employers engage in electronic monitoring of employees' work-related communications and activities -- including monitoring employees' e-mail or Internet usage, videotaping the worksite, or recording employee telephone calls.

Is this an invasion of your privacy? The short answer is no. Most cases have held up an employers right to monitor you. Read more about the law here. And check back with us later in the week to learn about how to protect yourself.

The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.
Lucille Ball

Comedian George Carlin has his list of tips on how to stay young - here's a sampling:

• Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.
• Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. " An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.
• Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
• Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

High tech boots spray painted witcha names
T-shirts airbrushed that read the same
Ludacris "Growing Pains"

Maybe sneakers aren't your thing. How about M&M's with your own message and color, custom handbags for the ladies, or create your own t-shirts or buy somebody's design.

Not that you can afford things, be unique by jumping on this bandwagon.

"Too bad you can't buy a voodoo globe so that you could make the earth spin real fast and freak everybody out."
Jack Handey

Learn why losing jobs to India and China may not be the end of the US. See the big picture of now. If you think outsouring, offshoring, and open sourcing are interesting; you are a dork and this is a book for you.

Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash.
George S. Patton

• US Government (federal)
• Municipal (local government)
• Corporate

Would those of you in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And the rest of you, if you'll just rattle your jewelry.
John Lennon

SeatGuru's got you covered!

Lights out Guerilla radio
Rage Against the Machine

At this point you are in good standing if you are involved with podcasting. If by 2010 12.3 million households will be doing it, you should get on this now. Basically you download shows, playlists, stories, or any content from the net onto your mp3 player. Some sites to get you started:

• audioblogs
• ipodder
• podcastalley
• podcastnet

"A bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking."
Jerry Seinfeld

Here are a few simple rules on wine etiquette:

1. Determine the proper temperature- as a rule of thumb white should be chilled and red served at room temperature
2. Time the uncorking- just like your boys, wine needs to breathe
3. Decant the wine- in addition to looking rather sophisticated and a bit ostentatious; it helps clear out impurities
4. Pour the wine- duh, but there are subtleties that will distinguish an amateur from a wine connoisseur
5. Use the right glass- although enjoyable, drinking out of the bottle in front of others is not recommended

My soul is in the sky.
— William Shakespeare, 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' Act V. Scene I.

"We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back from whence we came."
John F. Kennedy

Know the lingo:

• Port- the left side of the boat when looking toward the front or "forward"; port has the same number of letters as the word left
• starboard- the right side of the boat, unless you are looking toward the back or "aft" then it becomes the left side of the boat, simple right...
• bow- the front
• stern- the back
• boom- a large metal pole that the main sail is attached to, unlike the
• mast, the boom is horizontal. You should duck when somebody yells, "coming about" because it means the boom is about to swing across the boat and is liable to knock you out and off the boat.

People care about their boats more than their children, to respect this try to wear non-marking shoes like Sperry topsiders.

Remember that big sail, or the "main sheet", acts like a wing and not a parachute. It may help to brush up on Bernoulli's principle and aerodynamics a bit. However, the small sail in front, or "jib", does work more like a parachute, simply scooping the wind.

If you choose to ignore this advice, then you better read up on how to talk like a pirate, everybody on boats speaks in this manner...

Here's the skinny on all the forks and knives, etc:

• It all starts with the dinner plate - dead center, 1 inch from the edge of the table
• forks on the left side
• knives on the right side...
• followed by the spoons (also on the right)
• desert fork and/or spoon above the plate facing opposite directions
• Wine/water glasses go to the right of the plate

On one hand you have the direct approach -- according to University of Minnesota psychologist Randall Gordon, Ph.D., if you're going to kiss up to your manager directly above you, then it's better to agree with his or her opinion and do favors. If your bold and want to kiss up to someone a few levels above you, compliments are your best bet.

Or, you can take the high road and be more genuine. According to USA Today, you can do the following as an alternative to overt ass-kissing:

• Make your boss look good
• Be a resource
• Ask intelligent questions
• Seek advice and feedback
• Be nice to everyone in the office

Hey Mister D.J. put a record on I wanna dance with my baby...
Madonna

After you find some song names that look promising, you can listen through iTunes, LimeWire, or BitTorrent (pick your poison).

"It is the greatest mathematical discovery of all time."
Albert Einstein

Einstein stumbled across the rule of 72 -- to figure out how long it takes your investment to double, divide the interest rate by 72. So if your savings account has a 4% interest rate, it will take 72/4 = 18 years to double.

All sounds useful, but the point is start saving now and get time on your side (maybe with a Roth IRA as we suggested in March).

The world is divided into people who do things and people who get the credit
Dwight Morrow

While the exact calculation is proprietary information here is a general breakdown to guide you in improving your score:
Payment history- 35%
Outstanding debt- 30%
How long you've had credit- 15%
Number of inquiries for your report- 10%
Types of credit you currently have- 10%

Other tips include keeping open old accounts, paying your bills on time, and reducing your balance. Focus on each of these things and your score will eventually get you one of these black beauties.

Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods.
Aristotle

Friendster was one of the first social networking sites, where people discovered that connecting up online can make you feel popular. Eventually, Google came along with Orkut, but they were a little more exclusive with their invites. With TheFaceBook there is a good chance you'll know someone in common, since people are associated by university. Lately, MySpace has been getting popular -- enough to get its own Wikipedia article! With over 12 million profiles online, you're bound to find something in common with someone.

After five of the six tried to sneak the tab onto their expense reports at Barclays, they were fired and mocked the world over.
Gordon T. Anderson, CNN

Sometimes after putting in ridiculous hours, we actually believe we deserve those outrageous dinners. While expense accounts are a great corporate perk that we should all utilize, it would be wise to exercise more caution than these guys. $63,000 is quite a dinner, especially for six people!

As a general rule, only expense things you would feel comfortable explaining to your CEO or client. If you think your boss would be suspicious of a bottle of 1947 Château Pétrus for $17,500, pay for it out of your own pocket and keep your job.

However when the sky is the limit (i.e. your CEO is doing the expensing), allow me to recommend the following list of the world's 50 top restaurants.

Where do we keep all our chainsaws, Mom?
Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes

You don't need a special day to be nice to your parents. They got you to where you are today. Nothing makes you look more polished than showing appreciation where it is due.

Fathers send their sons to college either because they went to college or because they didn't.
L. L. Henderson

No wonder the US News & World Report creates a report that ranks their list of best colleges by value...

"May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house."
George Carlin

They don't call it the Golden State for nothing. California has half of the top ten ZIPs in on Forbes Most Expensive Zip Codes 2005. Cali also represents nearly two-thirds of the top 25. To get the most out of a real estate investment try to catch a market on the rise. California home prices grew nearly 100% between 1999 and 2000.

Check out the benefits of investing in real estate.

"Remember that as a teenager you are at the last stage of your life when you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you."
Fran Lebowitz

Fear not -- cell phone jammers are here to save the day! Since cellphones need two frequencies to operate (one to talk and one to listen), cellphone jammers simply transmit a signal on one of the same frequencies as a cellphone. If the power level is right, the signals collide and cancel each other out. High-powered units can create a cell-phone free zone of as large as a football field. Units used by law enforcement can shut down service for a 1-5 mile radius.

There are even rumors that some hotel chains use cellphone jammers to encourage you to use their expensive in-house phone system. However this, in addition to ANY type of cellphone jamming is illegal! In the meantime, just keep your phone on vibrate and encourage others to do the same.

I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving -- we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it -- but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.

If you are interested Google Labs has lots of cool tools it's working on like a picture organizer to help you keep track of all those great memories at your old place and a desktop search to keep you from losing any important relocation information on your computer.

To help you afford that new pad, get some Google stock. The price has more than doubled in less than a year.

I believe that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty.
John D. Rockefeller

Get involved with Socially Responsible Investing (SRI). SRI takes a 3 pronged approach to changing the world for the better. Funds and stocks are screened for those aligned with the investor's values. Also, practicing shareholder advocacy; if you own the company, why not be a benevolent ruler. Finally, community investment, or taking an active role in investing to aid development.

Yes, you should get warm fuzzies from doing this, but don't just give it away. Historically SRI funds have outperformed than the market. All about the bennies.

I have discovered that all of man's unhappiness derives from only one source, not being able to sit quietly in a room
- Blaise Pascal

"It's just, when you buy furniture, you tell yourself, that's it. That's the last sofa I'm gonna need. Whatever else happens, I've got that sofa problem handled."
Tyler Durden

And if you happen to be moving yourself, then you can post your own classifieds for free! It sure is a lot more convenient than garage sales and thrift stores!

"According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy."
Jerry Seinfeld

All around the world, people use their native currencies to buy and sell goods and services. Sites like XE.net provide up-to-date exchange rates which keep you informed and facilitate global commerce.

However, when traveling abroad, don't be a rookie and convert your money at the airport -- where they often offer poor exchanges in addition to extra fees. The best approach is to use your credit card for purchases abroad. The credit card networks are able to convert your money on the fly at the most favorable exchange rate. In addition, there is no fee for this on-the-fly conversion. If your hesitant to use your credit card, then you can get the same benefits by using an ATM to withdraw the native currency. You'll still get the most attractive exchange rate, while avoiding extra "conversion fees" (although you may still be subject to the $1.50 for not using your own bank's ATMs)

"If morality represents how we would like the world to work, then economics represents how it actually does work."

“Sleep not when others speak, sit not when others stand, speak not when you should hold your peace, walk not on while others stop.”
George Washington.

Every breath you take...
The Police

Bad breath is a big no-no, and there are many ways to prevent it. Halitosis, the technical term for bad breath, is caused by odor-producing bacteria that accumulate on the bits of food left in your mouth and produce sulfur compounds -- the same reason rotten eggs smell so bad.

So Scope may be the obvious answer, but any old mouthwash may actually make things worse because the alchol in mouthwash dries out your mouth (and some bacteria love that). Get one with an anti-septic and an ADA seal to be sure that the odor-causing bacteria are killed.

Then, be sure to brush for 2 minutes twice a day, including your tongue (where many of the bacteria thrive) -- and you've done pretty much everything you can.

The process of selecting a television can be daunting, so for today, let's just go over how they all work. There are the 4 main types of TV's today:

• CRT (traditional TV box)
• LCD
• Projection (including DLP)
• Plasma

It starts with someone sending around an email about going to get drinks for happy hour... pretty soon everyone's out at a nearby bar drinking it up. But as a rule of thumb, you should limit yourself to one glass if any managers are coming along.

If it really is just a bunch of peers, then party it up, but watch what you say -- you don't want to have rumors flying around about you the next day at work....

Vegas is for making memories, not money. Unless you and your MIT buddies concoct a genius plan to take Vegas for millions, you are going to lose money. However, you can slow the bleeding. Here are some tips on the odds:

know how odds work-the odds correspond to players familiar with the games strategy, if you suck and are unlucky, you could do much worse
know which games have good odds-according to the numbers the casino is always at an advantage. However blackjack, craps, and baccarat give the casino less than a 1% edge. This means if you play for an hour with $1500 you would only lose $12.
keno is crap-not to be confused with craps, but this game gives the house a 25% advantage. Don't play it if you want your money to last
slot jocks-expect to lose about 10% of your money, slots are programmed to return an average of 92%

Leaving bowties aside, there are a few ways to tie a standard tie:

• Windsor
• Half Windsor
• Four in Hand
• Pratt

To finish things off, make sure you remember the tie "dimple", and you'll be dressed for sucess.

Working can be stressful and time consuming. Just when you need to chill out and exercise the most, there is often very limited time to do it. Yoga can help you relax and get in a quick workout at the same time. The most difficult part is usually deciding to go for the first time. Here is a site to help you find a class and tips for your first time.

There is not any memory with less satisfaction than the memory of some temptation we resisted.
James Branch Cabell

Use the journey method to visualize lists by placing the objects along a familiar path.
All memory is based on elaborate enconding- the more vivid the association, the stronger the memory. Therefore, try to assign vivid images to mundane items.
Names can be critical in a business or social setting. When introduced repeat the name, ask how to spell it, and create an image or ryhme including the name and face in your head.

The blood is now running through my alcohol stream.
Homer Simpson

Here are a few of the best remedies:

• Burnt Toast- carbon, used to filter impurities, is the active ingredient here (finally a niche for my culinary skills)
  
• Eggs-cysteine helps to break up the toxins
  
• banans-replaces potassium and electrolytes
  
• water-fights dehydration
  
• fruitjuice-fructose provides energy
  
• painkillers-only without caffeine

Don't worry be happy
Bobby McFerrin

The Art of Happiness at Work. While not a radical departure from The Art of Happiness, this book is worth reading. It will keep you sane during those days when you wish you could get "It's 5 o'clock Somewhere" out of you head. The Dalai Lama practices what he preaches and can rarely be found without a smile on his face. However stressful your job can getsful thing in the world, but he is a spiritual leader who lost his country, so he's qualified to teach us all a few things.

In order to act on feedback you must first receive feedback. It helps to seek out feedback. Ask coworkers and managers for it. Show them you mean it by asking for feedback on specific issues. "How am I doing?" will only get you a one word answer. Show that you are a good recipient of feedback by listening, taking criticism well, and working on your weaknesses.

Be persistent, either you will eliminate all of their concerns and be on the fast track for promotion, or they will tire of answering your requests and make things up, which would be amusing.

With a Roth IRA you put after-tax money in now, and pay no taxes when you take it out. If you start investing at a young age you will benefit from the miracle of compound interest. Another reason to start now is that as soon as you start making more than $100K, you can't contribute. Don't let the man take your money.