After this News Story, Prices for Disabled "Guides" Should Skyrocket

Tara Palmeri reported in the New York Post that wealthy individuals wanting a pass to the head of the long lines at Disney World are hiring disabled people to pose as family members.

For the cost of $130 per hour, the disabled “guide” leads the family of up to six members, to the special entrance for disabled guests, giving them top priority in the attraction’s line.  Anyone who has been at Disney World during peak tourist season knows that this saves the family up to three hours of waiting time per attraction.

I bet this makes the VIP pass holders angry.  Holders of this type of speed pass pay up to $380 per hour for front-of-line service, but even they are secondary to the disabled guests and their families.  As an unnamed source in the article says, “Who wants a [VIP] speed pass when you can use your black-market handicapped guide to circumvent the lines all together?”

I hope since this black market practice has come to light, that the prices charged by the disabled guides have tripled.  Call it hazard pay for having to put up with the insufferable families who are benefiting from their disability.

Meanwhile, I'm guessing that Disney execs will lay low and remain mum about this practice and hope the media attention passes, even though they claim to be "looking into [the] reports."  CNN

Hm. I guess that in the self-proclaimed happiest place in the world, money can buy even greater happiness.

NewYorkPost

Is Yahoo's Purchase of Tumblr a Smart Buy?

Yahoo's recent purchase of Tumblr is an attempt to extend their brand to a younger audience but offers a significant challenge of generating revenue from a mature web site.

What did they get with their purchase?  According to PrivCo, Yahoo's Tumblr is currently comprised of a very eclectic mix:

• One of every six pages is porn.
• The most-visited Tumblr is dedicated to Minecraft.   Minecraft Update
• The second most-visited site is in Portuguese and specializes in animated GIFS.  Comoeumesintoquando
• The third most-visited site translates people's names into various languages spoken on science fiction shows.   Dedavus
• The fourth most-visited site offers cartoons in Korean.   OneNaBle
• The fifth most-visited site offers a view of the most depressing Craigslist apartments in NYC.   TheWorstRoom
• Professional media outlets and brands comprise three of the top 25 sites: Comedy Central, Clarin (an Argentine newspaper) and Angry Birds.
• Other very popular sites are "a blog juxtaposing handsome men and adorable kittens, Des Hommes et des Chatons; a blog shaming people who act like douchebags on other social media platforms, PublicShaming; and various collections of cartoons, Best Cartoons." (Businessweek)

The task of selling advertising to Tumblr's seemingly unrelated users is daunting but the numbers, even though they've flattened, are impressive; last month, 75.3 million people visited Tumblr blogs and it has 300 million active users.

At this point, Yahoo is stating its intent to leave Tumblr as-is.  We'll see.  A lack of revenue usually  compels a company to tweak a product or service beyond recognition.  I can't imagine that they'll hold off for long if they can't figure out how to advertise profitably to Tumblr's diverse base of users.

Businessweek

[Infographic] Coffee Types Matched to Drinker Types

The Multiple Personalities of Coffee infographic by Loku.

Considering the Late Spring Maybe This is the Best We Can Do

Pictureisunrelated

The Twenty Richest Musicians of All Time

According to Eric Harvey, the following artists comprise the top 10 of the twenty richest musicians of all time. 

It's important to note that they amassed their fortunes by making shrewd investments and by capitalizing upon their own brand.  Many have found success across multiple media platforms: recording, touring, television & film.

10.  Michael Jackson  $350 Million  (died in 2009)

9.  Jimmy Buffett  $400 Million

8.  Dolly Parton  $450 Million

7.  Jay-Z  $475 Million

6.  Mariah Carey  $500 Million

5.  Sean "Diddy" Combs  $550 Million

4.  Bing Crosby  $550 Million  (died in 1977)

3.  Bono  $600 Million

2.  Paul McCartney  $800 Million

1.  Andrew Lloyd Webber  $1.2 Billion


And the rest of the list?

11.  Garth Brooks  $325M
12.  Gene Autry  $320 M  (died in 1998)
13.  Mick Jagger  $305M
14.  Gene Simmons  $300M
15.  Beyoncé  $300M
16.  Elton John  $300M
17.  Ringo Starr  $300M
18.  Sting  $290M
19.  Dr. Dre  $250M
20.  50 Cent  $250M


PopDust

Seven Technological Innovations We Can Live Without

I keep telling my students that there is a lot of money to be made, utilizing technology and offering creative solutions to everyday problems.  ut here's some examples of things made by people who forgot the cardinal rule - develop your product for a known market that has the need and desire for your innovation.

Blank Keyboard

Keyboard with Built-In Plate

 

 

Keyboard Pants

 

Scratch N Sniff MP3 Players

 

The iPotty Chair

 

 

 

LCD Belt Buckle

 

Metal Detecting Sandals

 

 



Weirdest Gadgets

Keep Your Mouth Shut If You're Thinking About Saying These Things at Work

Beth Braccio Hering from CareerBuilder recommends that the six following statements unsaid at your workplace, no matter how strong the temptation is to say them.

1. "I can't take on any more work. I'm completely overwhelmed already."

Lisa Quast, author of "Your Career, Your Way" says, "A much better comment is, 'Let's look at my project list and see where we can work this in. It might mean moving something else out to a later date.'"

2. "Mark is an idiot."

Roy Cohen, author of "The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide" recommends, "Never throw your colleagues under the bus or talk about them behind their back, colleagues who trust and admire you will be your best support system to promote your reputation as desirable and valuable."

3. "That's not fair!"

Brad Karsh, author of "Manager 3.0: A Millennial's Guide to Rewriting the Rules of Management," advises, "it will never be fair in your career, so get over it."

4. "That's not how we did it at my old company."

Lisa Quast recommends that you "skip the comparisons and focus instead on articulating your ideas clearly and respectfully.  People who make this comment make others wonder why you didn't stay with the old company.

5. "I'll have it on your desk by 3 p.m." (when you know you won't)

Roy Cohen reminds you that "your boss and colleagues have deadlines, too. When you fail to deliver, it affects others. On those rare occasions when you can't fulfill a promise, have the decency to give a heads-up. Deadlines may be changeable or perhaps other workers can shift focus to help out."

6. "I'm bored."

Brad Karsh notes that "there's always something you could be doing. Take the initiative to tackle new projects; don't wait to be asked to do something. Be innovative and find new projects to work on to make your boss's life easier. Figure out what is keeping your boss up at night, and solve that problem."

MSNCareerBuilder