Here is a very good example of rondeau poetry.
We Wear the Mask by Paul Laurence Dunbar
We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
Why should the world be over-wise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!
Interesting
Frederick Herzberg did a study on employee motivation in the 1950s and 1960s. His conclusions are worth pointing out. He made an important distinction: there are things that motivate employees and there are things that de-motivate employees but they can (and usually are) different things. You can also say that the lack of motivational items don’t cause a person to be unmotivated. Conversely, the lack of de-motivating items does not cause motivation. They are separate ideas.
The things to Maximize (motivators):
Achievement
Recognition for Achievement
Work Itself
Responsibility
Growth
Advancement
The things to Minimize (de-motivators):
Company Policy
Administration
Supervision
Interpersonal Relationships
Working Conditions
Salary
Status
Security
The article appeared in the Harvard Business Review (“One More Time: How Do You Motivate Employees?“, January – February 1968). You can read an interesting take on these ideas here: http://www.consultpivotal.com/myths_dispelled.htm.
General
This week must be my web-assistance week.
Adam Groves was having a problem with CSS, layered DIVs, and IE. A deadly web combination. Anyway, I was able to offer some assistance that proved helpfull. His site looks awesome. You should check it out. And lets face it, I love cookies.
While looking around the web for an email address, I came across a problem with the administrative website for Nashville radio host Steve Gill. His site, the Gill Report, wasn’t protecting the administrative interface. Like at all. As in you just browse to it and you’re in (edit posts, send emails, manage email list, etc). It occurred to me that this might not be the desired functionally. I emailed Steve to let him know that he should probably fix it. I didn’t look really close, but it seems to be taken care of.
Need any help with your website? Let me know, this seems to be my week.
General, Technology