JamesBurchill.com Undergoes a Refit

April 30, 2007 by James · Comment
Filed under: Uncategorized 

It seems lately I’ve been maintaining my website, updating my blog and then every once in a while I’d have to ’shoe-horn’ some page into my website and it’d start all over. So today I decided to install WordPress as my main website mojo.

I’ve used WordPress many times before and unless you’ve lived under a rock are are totally new to semantic personal publishing or blogging, you’d know that WP is one of the leaders (top 3 I think)

So, there you have it, JamesBurchill.com is merging the seperate blog into the site, new pages are beging added and you can expect more information and more frequency of updates. The look should change shortly too as I locate and upload the new design, until then enjoy the classic blue theme ;)

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Tired of Email Spam? Try a Disposable Address

April 20, 2007 by James · 2 Comments
Filed under: Internet Marketing, Rants and Raves 

Check out http://www.guerrillamail.com/

Guerrilla Mail provides you with disposable e-mail addresses which expires after 15 minutes. Until then, you can read and reply to e-mails that are sent to the temporary e-mail address within the given time frame.

It’s PERFECT for trial signups, and other times when you need a disposable account to register…

Enjoy!

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History of Friday the 13th

April 13, 2007 by James · Comment
Filed under: General 

Before the 19th century, though the number 13 was considered unlucky, and Friday was considered unlucky, there was no link between them. The first documented mention of a “Friday the 13th” is generally listed as occurring in the early 1900s.[1][2]However, documentation aside, many popular stories exist about the origin of the concept:

  • The Last Supper, with stories that Judas was the thirteenth guest, and that the Crucifixion of Jesus occurred Friday.
  • That the biblical Eve offered the fruit to Adam on a Friday, and that the slaying of Abel happened on a Friday (though the Bible does not identify the days of the week when these events occurred). [3]
  • That it started on Friday, October 13, 1307, the date that many Knights Templar were simultaneously arrested in France, by agents of King Philip IV.

However, historically, there is no true date that the Friday the 13th superstition can be linked to.

In the case of Greece, Tuesday, April 13, 1204 was the date that Constantinople was sacked by the crusaders of the fourth crusade. The first ever fall of the then richest Christian city, and the looting that followed, allegedly gave Tuesday 13 its bad meaning. Ironically enough, Constantinople fell for the second time in its history on Tuesday, May 29, 1453, to the Ottoman Turks, a date that puts an end to the Byzantine empire, and to Greek sovereignty for several centuries, and therefore reinforcing Tuesday as an unlucky day in the Greek world.

Many modern stories (including The Da Vinci Code) claim that when King Philip IV had many Templars simultaneously arrested on October 13, 1307, that started the legend of the unlucky Friday the 13th. However, closer examination shows that though the number 13 was indeed considered historically unlucky, the actual association of Friday and 13 seems to be an invention from the early 1900s.[4][5]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th

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V for Very Good Writing

April 12, 2007 by James · Comment
Filed under: Strategic Content 

Here is a snippet from the most excellent movie “V For Vendetta.” As a fan of both words - spoken and written, this opening introduction between Evey and V was both clever and entertaining. Here then for your enjoyment is some fanciful prose - try reading it out loud and all “Shakespearian,” you’ll feel the power in the prose :)

Evey: Who are you?

V: Who? Who is but the form following the function of what. And what I am is a man in a mask.

Evey: I can see that.

V: Of course you can. I’m not questioning your powers of observation, I’m merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is.

V: Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it’s my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.

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Entrepreneurship is Transforming America

April 9, 2007 by James · Comment
Filed under: Classical Marketing, Rants and Raves 

Did you know that according to the November 16, 2006 issue of Newsweek roughly 45 million Americans (that’s 30 percent of the labor force) run their own business? Just listen to this:

“Today roughly 45 million Americans, about 30 percent of the labor force, run their own business. Sometime during their careers, well over half of university graduates will start a business. Most Americans today work in firms that have entrepreneurial teams in charge. And most U.S. job growth and new technology comes from entrepreneurial companies… America is unique in the world, a nation rebuilding itself on the principle of entrepreneurial capitalism.”

Source: Newsweek 16 Nov 2006

The article went on to say that entrepreneurship is “America’s unmatched advantage” and an “indispensable component” of growth and prosperity. I recently read a similar statistic for Canada - although the numbers were smaller. About 16% are self employed and as many again are either part-time or will become self employed in the near future.

What an opportunity!

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