Monica Whitty, a professor at Queen’s University in Belfast, is conducting research on the amount of control employees have over their work computers and if it varies by country. She’s trying to get 1,000 responses in time for a paper she wants to publish by the end of the year. It takes about 5 minutes, please fill out her online survey. Filling it out prompted me to start up a virus scan just for good measure.

The purpose of this study is to ascertain how individuals in different countries use their work computers and/or laptop computers. It also asks how they protect their work computers and/or laptops from security risks.

I’m looking for individuals 18 years or over and currently live and work (full time/part time or casually) in Australia, the Netherlands, Singapore, the UK, or USA, you are invited to fill out this survey. Only people who use a computer and/or laptop at work are invited to complete this survey (although you don’t need to use one regularly).

A summary of the results will be published from about November 2006 – December 2006 on my website.

$2,000 will get you the latest in Japanese massage chair technology. The Joba is fully equipped to simulate a leisurely ride on a well-behaved horse. Research at Panasonic, where the Joba is made, have shown that this mechanical saddle gently stimulates the glutes and lower torso and is great low impact exercise for those with bad knees (the greying of Japan has had a tremendous impact on the home health care industry).

One could image a bundle deal with a DVD featuring vistas of the Great Plains put to the music of Merl Haggard!

(Thanks to Terrie for the pointer)

I’m eating breakfast and the family is getting in the mood for a trip down to Monterey for New Year’s Eve. It helps to listen to the Monterey Bay Aquarium webcam with the sound turned on. If you plug it into your stereo and turn it up loud, you can hear the harbor seals.

See you in 2006! 

Another reason why you need a good night’s sleep before executing large block trades with other people’s money.

On Thursday morning, a trader at Mizuho Securities tried to sell
610,000 shares at ¥1 each of a job recruiting company called J-Com,
which was having its public debut on the exchange. It had actually intended to sell 1 share at ¥610,000.

Even worse, the Tokyo Stock Exchange doesn’t let you cancel a trade once it’s in the system. Imagine the horror as this guy watches the market pounce on his mistake. By the end of the day, Mizuho lost $27 million and I’m pretty sure the poor guy who made the mistake is delivering pension checks on his bicycle to little old ladies in Hokkaido.

Oops.