The Presidential Phenomenon
July 3, 2008 by elaineb · Leave a Comment
Oh! It`s in her writing-Graphologist Dacia West
May 27, 2008 by elaineb · Leave a Comment
Can you hide anything these days? From Forensic Computer Scientist who can find the email you wrote three years ago, to lie detection test-I don`t care what you think, you can only beat them if you believe your own lies-, graphologists can do the same with handwriting analysis.
Widely used in France and through out Europe, applicants provide writing samples and from these, a decision is made on whether or not this person is qualified. Read more
Gratitude Friday
May 23, 2008 by elaineb · Leave a Comment
I love Fridays! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and I am packing my bags three weeks in advance! I am way to excited to even sleep for 8 hours. So much has transpired and many lessons learned. Read more
With Honors!
I am running a fever and most likely I have bronchitis. I have manage to sit up straight for 5 minutes to let you know my latest.
I have been nominated for a beauty contest. Gosh! I remember in 1999 I had gone out to Walmart one night after work As I stand in line to check out and this guy two people back swore up and down I looked just like Jennifer Lopez. My girl friend was uncomfortable and I seriously started questioning his sobriety. The guy in front of me struck up a conversation with me and that guy started saying “Wow! She is so pretty everyone wants to talk to her!”
Fearing this guy was more than drunk, we quickly checkout and went home. He actually followed us home but thankfully lost him. 3 days later, I saw him again at a party. Crickey! Please do not vote for me! Vote for the cute blonde at the bottom. Being beautiful is dangerous and I rather be known for my brains. 
Blogged.com has bestowed my blog the excellent score of 8.0! This is a great honor! I will take it!
UPDATE-I didn`t win! Woo hoo!!! That other cute girl won! I got 100 ec for entrecard… YEAH!!!
Lots of love,
Elaine (cough cough sniff)
Image Improvement-Mistress of your Domain Part 3
April 21, 2008 by elaineb · 3 Comments
Oh the joys of working for yourself! The long hours, the benefits, not to mention how horrible your boss can be. (Yes you are your worst boss!) All of these wonderful ingredients can amount to either a burn out or even worst, a rut.
When the job you love becomes a rut, the slow burn out can make you resent your customers and hate your job even more. Distractions to poor time management can really deteriorate your work ethics and dedication. If you lose the love, no amount of self esteem or benefits can ever recover your from the career disaster awaiting ahead.
So what to do be the mistress of your domain? Better yet, love your domain?
?Master your job before it masters you- This goes deeper than doing it well. This implies taking pride in your proficiency. Being mediocre will not get you a pay raise at work, neither it will working for yourself. Excelling at what you do, will not only allow you to be on demand, but allow you ask for whatever price you want. The masterful advancement of your work will in fact be appreciated! Pictured here is not a masterful progression but a much needed improvement.
- ?Know your pots on the stove-I am the first to admit that boredom can be a formidable enemy and so can distractions. Maintain “the pots” that matter on the stove and let got of the ones that don`t. Investing your time in more than your clients better be worth your time. Personal growth and research are always an awesome “pot” to have, manage it well and you will benefit from it.
- ?If you can`t juggle, hire a pro-Trying to do it all can be extremely counterproductive. Time crunches and piling work is not the environment that will breed productivity. Or learning for that matter. Either an assistant or an expert on what you need, can help you as you catch up with your work and learn what ever you need to learn at your own pace.
- All you need to learn in life you learn from SpongeBob-Well not really, but let me explain. One of my favorite episodes is Big Pink Loser (click on the link to watch). In this episode, Patrick wants to win an award and he thinks the only way to get one is by being like someone else. I have nothing against someone who sees someone else`s work and says, “I can do that!” But when your work is about what everyone else is doing, then you never have time to develop your niche because you are constantly looking over your shoulder. Be proud of your accomplishments and display them proudly in your bio. I enrolled and started college to be a nurse. I like mentioning that, because art students aren`t necessarily regarded as brainy. It`s okay to be aware of what the competition is doing, to become them is creepy.
- ?If you love it they will come-Thats`s right. Dedication and love shows through your work. Your attention to detail and care is always evident in your site. The same will happen with your customer care and your commitment to your work. Show the love, and they will come.
Getting into a routine that maintains a steady pace, not only will it allow you to have a job you love, but a successful job you love and clients that love you back.
Love,
Elaine
Picture courtesy of Nick.com
Gratitude Friday on Saturday
April 12, 2008 by elaineb · 2 Comments
I enjoyed my Friday so much I totally forgot to do my post! The planets must have aligned as I made a few wishes last weekend and had it come true this Friday.
?I subscribe to the Daily Thoughts email at TUT.com which is an inspirational email sent to you Monday through Friday. I really had wished that I could receive an extra email during the weekend. Yesterday they sent two! Paulette calls me and says “How did you do it?” I said “I`m just good!” Thank you TUT! Thoughts do become things!
?I think I realized that after all the years I have been on the web, no one had written about me. I wished I had press and just didn`t specify. Within the past week I discovered at least 4 blog postings and was invited to do a radio interview. In my pajamas show interviewed me and I was so grateful! I learned a thing or two about myself! Thank you Amy!
? Barbara Curran has Finderskeepersjewelry.net and this week she was kind enough to send me a gorgeous bracelet. Barbara, you sweet little sister of the universe, I love you! Thank you!
? I really don`t have to tell you how fantastic Ruta Fox is, her sense of taste as well as her past experience as a writer for Vanity Fair, and building a multi million dollar company with the Ah! ring, she has become a friend and adviser. Ruta, thank you for the article! I love it!
? I love oriental food! Japanese and Chinese, I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and diner. This particular restaurant makes awesome shrimp balls. After consuming them, I found the fortune cookies. The first one said “Investigate new possibilities with friends. Now it`s the time!” The cookie tasted so good and the fortune in it was so positive, I opened the other two which said “Now is the time to set your sights high and go for it” and “Remember three months from now this date! Your lucky star is shining!” That was on April 10… We`ll see!
? Last but not least, after having quite a nervous week and being interviewed, Paulette and I listened to the interview together. She cried and said to me, “You are so wonderful! This is what is going to get you to Oprah.” I am highly critical of myself, my accent which was virtually invisible, and even my upbringing. For the first time in my life I saw me as others see me. Paulette who will never spare you the truth for the sake of your feelings, paid me the most wonderful complements and made me feel like it`s finally happening for me. Love you Paul! You had a hand in it!
Have a fabulous Saturday!
XOXO,
Elaine
No thank you!
I received an email invitation, about 3 days ago to cast for a particular show which I will not mention its name, but they SWAP parental units with another family. The theme this year is prissy girly moms and their daughters.
Thanks, but no thanks. I may be girly, even prissy in the lightest sense of the word. I think of myself more like Lois from Malcolm in the Middle. My favorite episode? Lois suspends Christmas. and What if they boys were girls? Her best phrase(which I use!): “I have had it!”
Yes I do have a girl, but I also have four boys whose latest fight involved the measuring of a very male body part and its consequent quantification compared (okay they compared each other!)
How do I keep girly? I go out without them and shop at the girliest, prissiest boutique I can find. I get my nails, hair and feet done with my 5 year old girl-she has had this done since she was three. I remember going with my mother to the salon and buying cute little dresses in expensive boutiques.
By the time I was 16, I used to get a hair cut every six weeks. Spoiled? Sadly yes. But not the unappreciative kind of spoiled. Appreciation had to be shown by doing chores. I made sure I always said thank you to my mother as we left the shop. Her face would light up like she just fed starving kids in Africa.
Appreciation! What an underrated concept! We all want it, but how often do we do this? I don`t need to be swapped to appreciate how awesome is my life. Thanks! But no thank you!!
On a Lighter Note
March 11, 2008 by elaineb · 4 Comments
Love Ace Ventura Dancing in his tutu.
Always dance like no one is watching!!
Mythbuster Monday
March 10, 2008 by elaineb · 6 Comments
There is nothing more annoying than getting weird chain letters. Early morning around 1 A.M. I got the email below with the picture shown to the left. I don`t have to tell you that picture is the ugliest thing I saw and made my heart jump so high, I though it would come out of my throat!
Well I had to debunk it! So I did my research. I am a God fearing Christian, so respect for the dead, I have. But the dead are dead and she started it. 
So, I went looking for sources and the ghost is actually from a movie! Click here to visit the debunking site. FYI- The number 13 is a lucky number!
I actually did this video to show how anyone can do this.
ghost from elaine biss on Vimeo.
Here is my gallery with the ghost!
My kitty likes the ghost!
My kids taking a ride with the ghost. I don`t remember her pitching in for gas!!!
Grandma, me and the ghost! My mom is going to be mad she`s not paying rent!
The actual email.
The young man in this photo went to a place called Sundarbans with his
friends and he asked his friends to take his photo on this spot. While
his friend took the photo, he screamed and fainted, 2 days later he died
in hospital. The doctors said he died from a heart attack.
When the photos where developed, in the last photo there was a woman
standing next to the young man, even though his friends said there was
no one with him when the photo was taken. Many people know of this rumor
and the last photo is the result of the blessings of technology.
Still, the photo is very mysterious and I am sure that when you see it
you will feel the same as me. Here is the photo! A Naval Officer sent it
to 13 people and he was promoted within 13 days.
A businessperson was sent this, he erased it, and with in 13 days he
lost everything.
A laborer received this and sent it to 13 people and within days he was
promoted and all his problems were solved. So send this to 13 people and
good things will come your way.
Copyrighted Dag Nab It!!
After exhausting the flying power of my broom stick- A phrase coined by Paul, “You can`t go flying around on your broom stick watching the web to see who is copying you!”- I am finally letting Sir Ol` Dirty A.K.A. My Lawyer, Michael Fiffik, handle my biz.
However, in the mean time I asked him a couple of questions about copyright infringement. Well more like 9 or 10 questions. Here is how it went…
Moi: So what is a copyright? What is copyright infringement?
Sir O.D.: A copyright is a property right in an original work of authorship that is fixed in any tangible medium of expression. Works of authorship include, but are not limited to literary works (including computer programs), musical works (including accompanying words), dramatic works, pantomimes and choreographic works, pictorial, graphic and sculptural works, motion pictures and other audiovisual works, architectural works and sound recordings.
Moi: 2.How many words in a row would have to be copied, in an article, in order to fall under copyright infringement?
Sir O.D.: I wouldn’t concentrate on the number of words. An infringement occurs when someone violates any of the exclusive rights of a copyright owner. Infringement takes the form of unauthorized copying or adaptation of a work or its public distribution, performance or display. For example, an acting troupe that publicly performs a dramatic work without permission infringes the copyright owner’s rights. Proving infringement requires the plaintiff to prove ownership of the copyright, the copying or other violation of the rights by the defendant, and that the defendant’s work bears a substantial similarity to the protected portion of the plaintiff’s works. The copying doesn’t have to be intentional. You can prevail even if the copying was by accident or unintentional.
Moi: How many elements in an illustration to be copyright infringement? E.G. Lamps, awnings, patterns etc.
Sir O.D.: Usually you have to prove infringement through “indirect” evidence. Direct evidence would mean that someone witnessed the actual act of copying (like burning a CD to sell commercially). Indirect evidence usually consists of two parts: access and substantial similarity. The plaintiff must show that the defendant had access to the copyrighted work. If the work had been widely disseminated, the defendant may sometimes be presumed to have had access even though he or she may deny any memory of it. In order to show similarity, the works need not be identical, but the similarities between them must be more than trivial. For example, a work may be substantially similar to another if its overall structure mirrors that of the first work, or if a portion of it is identical to the other work, even though only a portion is identical, not the entire work. So there’s no metric that you can use to determine infringement, like copying some % of the work automatically equals infringement.
Moi: What about color combinations, ideas and concepts? Do those fall under Patents? Are those hard to get?
Sir O.D.:Patents is a whole different subject. In short, they could be.
Moi: Is photoshopping -or drawing over - someone else`s work infringing on anyone? See picture.
Sir O.D.:I suppose it could be if the product of the activity is substantially similar to a protected work.
Moi: What is derivate works?
Sir O.D.: Like dirty pictures (haha).
Moi: Alright I can`t spell!
Sir O.D.: I think you’re referring to derivative works.
Moi: You mean inferring? Haha!!
Sir O.D.: Basing a new work on a preexisting work is a derivative work. A derivative work is defined as a work based upon one or more preexisting works, such as a translation, musical arrangement, dramatization, fictionalization, motion picture version, sound recording, art reproduction or other form in which a work may be recast, transformed or adapted. Such works borrow substantially from the preexisting work. The person wanting to do a derivative work still needs permission from the preexisting work owner to use the work. However, if the derivative work has sufficient originality, i.e. makes more than a trivial contribution to the preexisting work, then the derivative work itself can qualify for copyright protection but only in those elements contributed by the new author and only to the extent the preexisting work was used lawfully. There are also “compilations” which are works formed by the collection and assembling of preexisting materials or of data that are selected, coordinated or arranged in such a way that the resulting work as a whole constitutes an original work of authorship. A compilation is different from derivative work in that the preexisting works are not change in any way.
Moi: What is the punishment for copyright infringement?
Sir O.D.:The copyright owner can recover actual damages (what the owner has lost as a result of the infringement) and, in addition, owner may recover any profits of the infringer that are attributable to the infringement and are not taken into account when calculating actual damages. Alternatively, if there are no significant damages, the owner can claim statutory damages ranging from a minimum of $750 to as much as $30,000 for each work infringed. The maximum damages can be raised to $150,000 for willful infringement and a minimum of $200 if the infringement is innocent. The amount is at the discretion of the court. The court can also award attorneys fees and costs. There is also the possibility of criminal penalties for willful infringement for purposes of commercial advantage or private financial gain.
Moi: Once again in girly terms I can understand, Please explain to me the copyright law passed on 1978?
Sir O.D.:This is the most recent version of our copyright law, which was originally enacted in 1790. However, even the 1978 act has been amended several times.
Moi: What about The Digital Millennium Copyright Act?
Sir O.D.:Enacted in 1998, it addresses issue that have emerged in the digital age. 1) it restores copyright protection to foreign works that may have fallen into the public domain in the U.S. ; 2) it exempts foreign works from having to be registered in the U.S. in order to receive copyright protection in the states; 3) it prohibits the act of circumventing a technological measure preventing unauthorized access to a copyrighted work. It makes illegal making or selling such devices or programs.
Moi: Last but not least, is Tiffany Blue copyrighted? Gap Blue? Cadbury Lavender?
Sir O.D.: I’m not sure what this refers to.
Moi: Don`t you mean inferring? Just kidding! Wikipedia says they are, I tend to believe.But these are colors. Isn`t it counterproductive to copyright or trademark a color. Isn`t like saying ‘okay I am trademarking air, no one breathe!!’ And after the copyright/trademark is granted on something like that how do you enforce it?
Sir O.D.:I don’t think a color, by itself, would be considered an original work, thus it’s not subject to copyright. You might be able to trademark a name that is associated with a color, like “burnt umber”. You also would trademark a color as used in association with a product or service. For example, if you had a business name or logo that you sought to trademark, and the letters in the logo would be colored blue, the blue would be trademarked only as that color is used in association with that logo. It would not be possible to simply copyright or trademark a color by itself.
Moi: What about this? http://www.boingboing.net/2005/03/25/cadbury-trademarks-t.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiffany_Blue
Sir O.D.:Copyright protection arises under the common law so there’s no need for any type of registration with the US Copyright office for that type of protection. If you want to take advantage of the statutory protections and damages offered by the Copyright act, then you do have to register. If an owner has registered the work, the would generally provide notice as follows: 1) the word “copyright”, the symbol © or the abbreviation “copr.”, 2) the designation of the copyright owner, and 3) the year of first publication. You can use that guide to determine if any work has been registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.
Moi:Okay I think I get it, colors can be trademarked if a company identity is attached to it. Anyway, the girls and I have lovingly dubbed you Sir Ol` Dirty -like the rapper-, because you are nice to have by our side, not so nice to have on the opposite end. Well mostly me.
Sir O.D.: I’ll take that as a compliment!
