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wall street journal

Is Too Much Technology Making Us Disconnected?
digital life

Is Too Much Technology Actually Making Us Disconnected?

This topic has been on the radar a lot lately, but an article recently published by The Wall Street Journal got me thinking.
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This topic has been on the radar a lot lately, but an article recently published by The Wall Street Journal got me thinking. It asserts that gadgets and new technology have become a narcissist's best friends. The writer explains her frustrations with people who ferociously multitask by emailing or answering their phone during meetings, or those who define themselves by their contacts list.

"To many people, it doesn't matter much who calls or what they want. What matters is that the call reflects our existence back upon us. They wanted us, and that is an emergency. Because we won't feel truly wanted again until the next email, text or call."

While her article is mainly about using technology to feed one's ego, her points are interesting. Foursquare, Twitter, Facebook, Loopt . . . all provide a medium for potential oversharing. Does having a mile-long contact list make us any more connected than we already are? Or does it actually isolate us from person-to-person interactions that seem to be sadly fewer and farther between?

McDonald's Rumored to Be Rolling Out a Dollar Breakfast Menu
Breakfast

Is McDonald's Launching a Dollar Breakfast Menu?

In this economy, even the savviest of fast food diners have a hard time stretching their dollar.
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In this economy, even the savviest of fast food diners have a hard time stretching their dollar. But if the rumors are true, value-seekers may soon find it a lot easier to fill up for a buck early in the day. According to the Chicago Tribune and the Wall Street Journal, McDonald's plans to reveal a nationwide breakfast dollar menu.

Based on internal documents obtained by the two publications, the McDonald's breakfast dollar menu will begin a national advertising run in January 2010. Although McDonald's has declined to comment, the burger giant tested a breakfast menu with $1 items in August in its Chicago stores, offering items such as a sausage McMuffin, breakfast burritos, and hash browns.

The chain, which is also rolling out the Mac Snack Wrap nationwide in January, will face some stiff competition.

Burger King recently added the quarter-pound Double Cheeseburger to its menu through March, and Dunkin' Donuts just rolled out a temporary $0.99 menu in Chicago. If two leading newspapers are publishing stories on it, the alleged menu can't be too far from the truth. What would you hope to see on a $1 breakfast bonanza?

Wall Street Journal Article Claims Jeans Are Appropriate Interview Attire
Interview

Do Jeans Get the Job?

I’ve mentioned before that jeans are generally a no-go in interviews, and most of you agreed.
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I’ve mentioned before that jeans are generally a no-go in interviews, and most of you agreed. But are the interview times a-changin’? The Wall Street Journal recently made the claim that jeans are becoming the new power attire for male world leaders and executives — and that this phenomenon also carries over to interview attire in some industries:

. . . in the tech world, dressy pants can be viewed with suspicion. "When someone shows up to an interview or meeting in anything other than jeans, it shows inexperience and a lack of confidence," says Andrew Dumont, vice president of marketing for text-messaging company Tatango.

OK, so maybe darker, well-tailored jeans, paired with a dressier top and shoes, may be appropriate in some interview situations. But the statement that anything BUT jeans doesn’t fly in the tech industry is shocking to me.

Does a comment like this make you rethink your approach to interview attire? Or do you think it's specific to just the tech industry?

Newest Trend: Vegetable Gardens at the Office
Eco

Among Small Businesses, Office Gardens Are Sprouting

A number of boutique companies have begun offering a vegetable garden as an added perk for their employees.
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A number of boutique companies have begun offering a vegetable garden as an added perk for their employees. A garden requires virtually no resources, yet it can bring in huge benefits for the company, such as an increase in office morale, a pronounced focus on worker health and wellness, and an edge over other competitors.

Minneapolis, MN-based branding agency Haberman invested $10,000 to set up a garden for its 30 employees. Said co-founder Fred Haberman: "It's creating that water-cooler effect. People have a greater excitement [about] working at Haberman."Company-sponsored gardens are also gastronomically, emotionally, and financially rewarding for staffers who participate. Twisted Limb Paperworks, a recycled paper products company with a 1,500-square-foot garden outside its Bloomington, IN, office, estimates employees have reaped $2,400 in produce this season.

I'm in love with this idea, and might have to lobby for my own company to consider a plot in the big city! What do you think of it? Do you know of any organizations that are experimenting with corporate gardens?

Denny's Targets Young Adults with Rockstar Menu, Allnighter Program
News

Denny's Strives to Hit the Late-Night Sweet Spot

2009 has been a rough year for casual dining, with many restaurant chains struggling to stay afloat.
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2009 has been a rough year for casual dining, with many restaurant chains struggling to stay afloat. The solution proposed at Denny's? Become friends with the cool kids. Denny's, a 24-hour eating establishment with a reputation as a family road trip pit stop, is attempting to transform itself into an all-night hotspot for young adults.

With the onset of its Allnighter program last year, Denny's began its metamorphosis into a night-owl oasis, blasting rock and country from the hours of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. The company also started offering a Rockstar menu at night, hawking dishes like burritos designed by Good Charlotte and a country-fried steak combo created by Rascal Flatts.

The payoff has been meager with late night traffic increasing by only 5 percent. Still, the chain continues to promote its newly-minted image to college campuses, in hopes that schools will consider changing the names of existing locations to "Allnighter" and offer the restaurant's Rockstar menu. I haven't hit up a Denny's since my last road trip, but I'm curious to know if any of you have checked it out. Does the new late-night Denny's lounge seem to have an edge on the competition?

Photo by sun dazed

What Do You Know About Strip Clubs and the Recession?
Love and Sex

What Do You Know About Strip Clubs and the Recession?

Strip clubs have seen a hit to profits thanks to the recession.
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Strip clubs have seen a hit to profits thanks to the recession. Men still want to see naked women dance for them, but they have less money to spend on high-end perks like steak dinners and pricey cigars. The Wall Street Journal wrote a piece this week all about how the economy has impacted the live adult entertainment industry.

The strip club industry might be the last on your list of industries to bail out, but the hard times aren't so good for the women who strip — they're getting hired for less, and taking home less money in tips. Test your intuition and take this quiz to find out what you know about strip clubs.

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FDA: Packaged Foods' Health Claims Make Them Drugs
Health

FDA: Packaged Foods' Health Claims Make Them Drugs

Could the breakfast staple, Cheerios, be classified as a drug?
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Could the breakfast staple, Cheerios, be classified as a drug? That's what the Food and Drug Administration is claiming, based on the product's labeling that it's "clinically proven to help lower cholesterol." On May 5, the FDA sent a warning letter to General Mills, the maker of Cheerios, charging that the cereal's cholesterol-lowering health claims violate federal law. It stated:

Based on claims made on your product's label, we have determined that your Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease.

According to The Wall Street Journal, if General Mills wishes to keep the statements on the Cheerios box as is, the company has to file a new-drug application for the cereal. In a statement issued this morning, General Mills expressed that it will "look forward to discussing this with the FDA and to reaching a resolution."

While I agree that the FDA should be closely involved with health claims in consumer products, I can't help but wonder whether this is taking resources away from a larger problem in the FDA's hands: improving food safety in our country. Should packaged foods be able to make health claims, or does that render them drugs?

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France Taps 1,000 Americans to Hold Wine & Cheese Parties
Politics

France's Wine and Cheese Recovery Act

After embittered battles this year over Roquefort, beef, and Coca-Cola, France has decided it needs to show the rest of the world some love.
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After embittered battles this year over Roquefort, beef, and Coca-Cola, France has decided it needs to show the rest of the world some love. Concerned that outsiders perceive two of France's top exports, wine and cheese, to be unapproachable, the French government, with the help of local producers, has agreed to spend $2.1 million to sponsor cocktail parties in 19 different countries. While many events around the globe will take place in large convention centers, the program in the US will be different. In an effort to capitalize on the American trend of entertaining at home to save money, the stateside program will be a series of parties subsidized in private homes. On June 4, 1,000 Americans will hold wine and cheese parties, complements of the French Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

The American effort is being organized by House Party, a marketing company that arranges sponsored parties. Hopeful hosts simply apply online; if selected, they'll receive 15 percent discounts on select French wines, a free gift when they order online at specialized cheese websites, and a box of French-themed party gear. In return, hosts are required to throw a party, photograph and blog the event, and answer a survey about the products they tasted.

Considering many parties already revolve around wine and cheese, this seems like a solid idea. Do you think this effort will have an impact on French wine and cheese sales in the US? Are you planning to apply?

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Poll: Do You Buy Wine Online?
Wine

Do You Buy Wine Online?

Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, wine columnists and founders of Open That Bottle Night, recently assessed the world of online wine, only to find it came up short.
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Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher, wine columnists and founders of Open That Bottle Night, recently assessed the world of online wine, only to find it came up short.

"Some really fine stores out there haven't spruced up their sites since dirt was invented," they lamented. They did, however, manage to find a handful of wine sites that do online wine sales right.

I've purchased hard-to-locate bottles of wine online for a couple of special occasions, and never had a problem. Still, if I ordered wine online all the time, I'd be screwed on a couple of last-minute hostess gifts, and stuck with quite a hefty shipping bill. How about you?

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Poll: How Do You Make Reservations?
News

How Do You Make Reservations?

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal that reviewed online dining reservation applications prompted a discussion I had with PartySugar about the preferred method for booking reservations.
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A recent article in the Wall Street Journal that reviewed online dining reservation applications prompted a discussion I had with PartySugar about the preferred method for booking reservations. If possible, I'll score a reservation online; it's convenient and sites such as OpenTable offer incentive points for doing so. Party, however, always prefers to book over the phone; she believes it's easier to get a reservation that way. I'm curious to know: how do you book your dinner reservations?

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