Justin McClung's Personal Blog

Atheism in America

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:06:00 -0600

Here is a link to a fantastic story by Julian Baggini on Slate.com. It really details the struggles atheists in our country go through. Now don’t get me wrong I am not saying you should feel sorry for me or my family, we can take care of ourselves. If you don’t want to read 4 pages then just skip to the end and read the final paragraph.. it really does say it all.

Click here for the “In God We Must” story.

Can you do it?

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:13:00 -0600

This is a fantastic video explaining how simple it is to stay healthy. Even if you are in a high risk category it is simple to do. That said I still don’t do it… but I am going to start tonight! Thank you Dr Mike Evans.

Cheesecake Factory.. Customer Service Success!

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:06:04 -0600

It’s time to talk about good customer service. While on my trip to CES in Las Vegas this week we ate at The Cheesecake Factory. And even though they stole my idea of a hamburger coupled with macaroni and cheese they did a good job with what could have been a customer service fail. The table placed the orders and all seemed fine. We then got our meals and instead of my order I got a something completely different.. definitely not macaroni and cheese.

Unfortunately most companies these days would have put in the correct order and called it a day. The manager did what should be expected but is rarely done anymore. He quickly came over to the table and apologized. I know it sounds silly and simple but you just don’t receive this type of reaction these days. He also gave us a free piece of cheesecake for our trouble which wasn’t expected but appreciated.

More companies should work harder to go back to the old days where people take responsibility for their mistakes and make sure the customer is happy. It is so easy to do the right thing, we all need to work harder at it. Most people work harder to get out of confrontation when it is usually nowhere near as bad as they think is. Attaboy Cheesecake Factory!

CES Day 1 - Non Technical Review

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:54:45 -0600

I will post more technical review on products as I dig in as the week goes. Here is a quick update on some non technical items that I saw today.

Here is my next Audi.

Here was a cute little robot that could balance itself even when completely still. Very impressive.

China, The Future Is Now...

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 10:43:51 -0600

This video tells us all we need to know about why the United States is going to be relegated to playing backup quarterback in the future. Now I am not an expert in construction or unions (which I am not a fan) but.. Building a 30 story building in the United States would take months if not years. The costs for a project like this would probably be 100x the amount as well. And with the exception of a few projects there is no way work would go 24 hours a day.

China built this in 15 days… 15 days! I know it is modular but that is ingenious not cheap. It’s called efficiency and speed. I don’t think all buildings should be built this way but there are plenty of projects where modular design makes a whole lot of sense. That’s not what this is about anyway. This is about work ethic, having a goal, getting your entire country on track etc.

Now the question is… will we continue to plod down the road until we are a past super power or will we learn from them and start innovating again?

My Unwanted Xmas Present

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:34:00 -0600

Every year I tell Mandee and the boys that I don’t want them to waste the money on a present for me. Sometimes they listen and sometimes they don’t. This year I made the comment once again but of course they didn’t listen.

If you know me you know I am a bit of a coffee snob. I use a french press at home and have decided that is as good as it gets.. period. So when I opened my present and it was a drip coffee maker I wasn’t overwhelmed with joy. You never want to take a present back when you get it from immediate family but Mandee knew by the look on my face that is exactly what was going to happen. After much deliberation we decided to replace it with a Keurig since it was so diverse in the drinks it can make and Mandee is always wanting to try new tea, hot chocolate and even sometimes coffee.

I went into it very skeptical but I am happy to admit that I was wrong. Don’t get me wrong it isn’t as good as a cup of coffee from a french press but it’s pretty close. Even better there is no cleanup. With the press it is a pain to get everything clean.

So the lesson here is… sometimes it is good that the family doesn’t listen.

Jerry Sandusky & Penn State... Disgusting

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:48:23 -0600

Normally I don’t care about college politics and power. In this case I can’t stop thinking about the Jerry Sandusky situation and Penn State. By this time we all know the details about how Sandusky molested young boys and how Penn State and Joe Paterno knew about it but did nothing.. other than allowing him to retire a hero etc.

I think the higher ups at Penn State will eventually get what is coming to them along with Sandusky. Now the debate is should Paterno continue to coach. Today he decided to retire at the end of the year and in his words “with dignity”… What? He knew that his friend and long time co-worker was molesting a 10 year old boy on the Penn State campus. He did the legal minimum by telling the powers that be at Penn State about the incident. Why is he allowed finish the season “with dignity”? I will say it again. He knew what was going on and he didn’t call the police. At most colleges the football coach doesn’t have that much power. Penn State isnt’ most colleges. Joe Paterno is a god at Penn State. He is also responsible for setting an example for the kids he coaches. In my opinion he is morally bankrupt for what he allowed to happen to other children because he didn’t do the right thing.

We all make mistakes but this is one that he should pay for. He should be fired right now and kicked off campus. He should not continue to be revered based on what he did. He should be made an example of what he he didn’t do.

Middle Men - Good Movie!

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 09:54:06 -0600

If you want to learn a little about how commerce on the Internet (and every other medium) really takes off you should watch Middle Men. You guessed it, the porn industry pushes innovation that others then copy. This movie isn’t overly dirty but just enough to keep your attention.

Just be happy!

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 09:40:27 -0500

Here is a great short video about being happy from the man.. Gary Vay-ner-chuk!

Great Story About Christopher Hitchens

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 23:36:19 -0500

Great Story About Christopher Hitchens

Great Company Creed

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 18:13:14 -0500

“I will never stop learning. I won’t just work on things that are assigned to me. I know there’s no such thing as a status quo. I will build our business sustainably through passionate and loyal customers. I will never pass up an opportunity to help out a colleague, and I’ll remember the days before I knew everything. I am more motivated by impact than money, and I know that Open Source is one of the most powerful ideas of our generation. I will communicate as much as possible, because it’s the oxygen of a distributed company. I am in a marathon, not a sprint, and no matter how far away the goal is, the only way to get there is by putting one foot in front of another every day. Given time, there is no problem that’s insurmountable.”

From Gina Trapani of Smarterware.org

Fantastic Idea!

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 21:52:47 -0500

Blake's Final Update

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 20:29:16 -0500

Blake had his final checkup on Monday and it couldn’t have gone better. He was given clearance to go back to work and most importantly for him.. start driving again. Mandee went riding around with him later that day and it was like riding a bike. He still has to work on his strength to get ready for tennis next spring but he is pretty much back to normal.

Now that he is through his rehab I want to send out some thanks to those who helped during the entire situation. All the grandparents, brothers, sisters and friends who did and would do anything to help Blake out. I also want to thank Blake’s friends who came over and just spent time with him when he couldn’t do much but watch tv. Hunter, Matt, Drew, Hayden, Nick, Nate, Brenda and Rylie are the ones I remember. (sorry if I missed anyone) I want to thank Mandee for keeping it together when she could have easily broke down and made herself sick. Blake deserves a huge thank you for being mature past his years and taking on this situation as a challenge and staying positive. The entire thing could have been much harder on everyone but he made it as easy as possible.

Mostly I want to thank Bryce who really went out of his way to help Blake and us whenever we needed. He did everything asked of him and more. He never once gave us any attitude or did anything other than want to help. Alot of kids in that situation wouldn’t have handled it the same.

Mandee and I are both very thankful for all of our friends and family but most of all we are thankful to have two very kind, thoughtful, respectful and most importantly caring children. Thank you Blake and Bryce, we love you!

Standing Desks.. All the Rage!

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 22:11:46 -0500

For those that know me they know I am a big fan of standing desks. Here is another great story about them with some information on where to get one so you don’t have to have one built like I did… enjoy!

Being A Desk Jockey Makes You Sick. Design, To The Rescue

Blake's Recovery Update

Tue, 23 Aug 2011 18:03:15 -0500

Yesterday was a good day. Blake was able to hit some tennis balls against the wall while Bryce and I played a quick set. It was good to see Blake out there and if you didn’t know what he went through you would have had no idea by his performance. He looked like the Blake of old. I am confident once the Dr. gives him a complete clean bill of health he will be back to 100% soon. Once that happens we will start working on getting him and Bryce back in playing shape for their senior year.

Khan Academy, tell your kids.

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 10:26:56 -0500

While watching some recent TED videos I ran across the Khan Academy. Initially I was a little disappointed Ricardo Montalban didn’t walk onstage but I got over it pretty quick. Here is the TED Talk explaining what the Khan Academy is.

Super.. Fun Movie

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 09:50:39 -0500

Anytime you mix Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page & Kevin Bacon a movie has to be good. It is a good independent film and definitely has that feeling. The beatings are nice and gruesome with a comedic air about them. I would recommend it to those who are looking for a fun movie with no thinking needed.

Boys First Tattoo

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:32:43 -0500

Well our normal guy (Chris Garcia, Club Tattoo) was on vacation so we decided to try a new shop. After checking out yelp.com we went with Atomic City Tattoo. We all got our tattoos from Johnny Vegas and they are all solid. Since the boys are 17 I made sure they got something they wouldn’t regret. We all agreed as long as they were family oriented there would be no regret. Here are some pics.

Blake’s tattoo is an audio sine wave of his voice saying Mom, Dad & Bryce.

Bryce’s tattoo is two squares, the outer square signifies Mandee & Me, the inner square signifies Blake and himself.

Mandee’s tattoo is a heartbeat EKG with the word family in the middle.

My tattoo is very simple, 18 vertical lines signifying how many years Mandee & I have been married with two horizontal lines (red & blue) on the first vertical line signifying the year the boys were born. This one will be an ever grown tattoo.

Great Idea.

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 19:12:36 -0500

When you run across a great idea you should share it. Pizza is one of the two or three food groups in our house so needless to say we eat quite a bit of pizza. Now that is it clear that I am a pizza expert I wanted to share something.

Not only does the Great Value brand from Wal-Mart taste good their packaging is the best by far. They make it so easy to just peel the top right off the plastic wrapping so your cheese and pepperoni don’t get messed up.

Horrible Bosses... Great Movie

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 23:02:29 -0500

This was a great movie tonight. Jason Bateman and Jason Sudeikis are always fantastic but Charlie Day from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia fame was the best. If you haven’t watched It’s Always Sunny you are missing one of the best shows on tv.

Jennifer Aniston was a very believable sexually abusive boss as well. Overall I recommend it highly.