Fight Quest is a short series on martial arts on the Discovery Channel (found in Canada on Discovery HD as well). Two hosts, Doug and Jimmy have training in different forms of martial arts, but are sent to train against masters of different martial arts all over the world. After only 5 days of training, they are sent to spar with their most skilled fighters to test what they learned. Of the episodes I’ve seen they’ve done Kali, Krav Maga, Wushu and a few others. I haven’t seen the Karate episode mentioned at the last part of the clip, but it looks good. As usual, the guys take a beating.
The episodes have aired for a while now, but I found the full episode list online and realized I haven’t seen many of them.
This article from MSN Careers shows answers given to top hiring managers that are amusing, shocking and sad all at the same time.
Why did you leave your last job?
“I have a problem with authority.” – Carrie Rocha, chief operating officer, HousingLink
Tell us about a problem you had with a co-worker and how you resolved it
“The resolution was we were both fired.” – Jason Shindler, CEO, Curvine Web Solutions
What kind of computer software have you used?
“Computers? Are those the black boxes that sit on the floor next to the desks? My boss has one of those. He uses it. I don’t have one. He just gives me my schedule and I follow it.” – Greg Szymanski, director of human resources, Geonerco Management Inc.
What are your hobbies and interests?
“[He said] ‘Well, as you can see, I’m a young, virile man and I’m single — if you ladies know what I’m saying.’ Then he looked at one of the fair-haired board members and said, ‘I particularly like blondes.’” – Petri R.J. Darby, president, darbyDarnit Public Relations
Why should we hire you?
“I would be a great asset to the events team because I party all the time.” – Bill McGowan, founder, Clarity Media Group
Do you have any questions?
“Cross-dressing isn’t a problem is it?” – Barry Maher, Barry Maher & Associates
“If you were a fruit, what fruit would you be?” – Megan Garnett, Articulate Leadership Team, Articulate Communications Inc.
“What do you want me to do if I cannot walk to work if it’s raining? Can you pick me up?” – Christine Pechstein, career coach
“I was a chamber of commerce executive once hiring a secretary. [The candidate asked] ‘What does a chamber of commerce do?’” – Mary Kurek, Mary Kurek Inc. Visibility Consulting
“Can we wrap this up fairly quickly? I have someplace I have to go.” – Bruce Campbell, vice president of marketing, Clare Computer Solutions
“What is your company’s policy on Monday absences?” – Campbell
“If this doesn’t work out can I call you to go out sometime?” – Christine Bolzan, founder of Graduate Career Coaching
“How big do the bonuses really get once you make associate? I hear it’s some serious cash.” – Bolzan
“[The candidate asked,] ‘Can my dad call you to talk about the job and the training program? He is really upset I’m not going to medical school and wants someone to explain the Wall Street path to him.’ The dad did call. Then that dad’s friends called and I ended up doing a conference call with a group of concerned parents … long story.” – Bolzan
“If I get an offer, how long do I have before I have to take the drug test?” – Bolzan
“When you do background checks on candidates, do things like public drunkenness arrests come up?” – Bolzan
“Can I get a tour of the breast pumping room? I heard you have a great one here and while I don’t plan on having children for at least 10 or 12 years, I will definitely breast-feed and would want to use that room.”- Bolzan
“So, how much do they pay you for doing these interviews?” – Jodi R.R. Smith, Mannersmith Etiquette Consulting
Why are you leaving your current job?
“Because I (expletive) my pants every time I enter the building.” – Abbe Mortimore, human resources manager, True Textiles Inc.
“I was fired from my last job because they were forcing me to attend anger management classes.” – Smith
Why are you looking for a job?
“Cigarettes are getting more expensive, so I need another job.” – Pechstein
“My parents told me I need to get a job so that is why I’m here.” – McGowan
Why do you want to work for us?
“Just for the benefits.” – Jennifer Juergens, JJ Communications
“My old boss didn’t like me, so one day, I just left and never came back. And here I am!” – Matt Cowall, communications manager, Appia Communications
“I saw the job posted on Twitter and thought, why not?” – Rebecca Gertsmark Oren, communications director at The Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity
What are your assets? (as in strengths)
“Well, I do own a bike.” – Pam Venné, principal, The Venné Group
What are your weaknesses?
“I get angry easily and I went to jail for domestic violence. But I won’t get mad at you.” – Pechstein
“I had a job candidate tell me that she often oversleeps and has trouble getting out of bed in the morning.” – Linda Yaffe,certified executive coach
“I am an alcoholic and do not deserve this job.” – Deb Bailey, owner, Power Women Magazine & Radio Show
“I’m really not a big learner. You know … some people love learning and are always picking up new things, but that’s just not me. I’d much rather work at a place where the job is pretty stagnant and doesn’t change a lot.” – Michaele Charles, Voice Communications
When have you demonstrated leadership skills?
“Well my best example would be in the world of online video gaming. I pretty much run the show; it takes a lot to do that.” - Rachel Croce
Is there anything else I should know about you?
“You should probably know I mud wrestle on the weekends.” – Venné
When can you start?
“I need to check with my mom on that one.” – Bolzan
Use three adjectives to describe yourself
“I hate questions like this.” – Katrina Meistering
Tell of a time you made a mistake and how you dealt with it
“I stole some equipment from my old job, and I had to pay for its replacement.” – Meistering
Have you submitted your two weeks’ notice to your current employer?
“What is two weeks’ notice? I’ve never quit a job before, I’ve always been fired.” - Meistering
Random responses
“One guy [said] ‘it would probably be best’ if I didn’t run a background check on him. Of course, I did, and learned all about his long, sordid past of law-breaking. Our client actually offered him a job as a staff accountant, but quickly retracted the offer when I had to tell them all about his recent arrest for a meth lab in his basement.” – Charles
“[A] guy said he did not have a mailing address, as he was living in a gypsy camp at the airport.” – Sandra L. Flippo, SPHR
“I went into the lobby to pick up a candidate. As he stood up, his trousers fell to the floor! [He said] ‘Oh, my gosh — they told me I needed a suit for the interview. I’ve got no money — so I borrowed this thing. It’s too big!’” – Beth Ross, executive and career coach
“Wow — I’m not used to wearing dress shoes! My feet are killing me. Can I show you these bloody blisters?” – Bolzan
“May I have a cup of coffee? I think I may still be a little drunk from last night.” – Smith
(During a telephone call to schedule the interview) “Can we meet next month? I am currently incarcerated.” – Smith
“[A candidate] was asked whether he could advocate impartially on behalf of the various universities he would be representing since he had attended one of them. He responded, ‘Well, I don’t like to poop where I eat, but I thought my education sucked, so I certainly wouldn’t put that school above the others.’” – Darby
Porsche is known for some fantastic engineering. They invented synchros, which vastly improved the drivability of manual transmissions, now all cars have them. They’ve pushed the boundaries of flat-six engines, with naturally-aspirated engines producing over 400 horsepower. Since 2009, the majority of their cars have dual-clutch transmission and direct injection engines – technology that both increase performance AND increase fuel economy – usually a tradeoff and not a combination.
However, when introducing the PDK transmission, they choose a very unfortunately interface for the driver. They used steering-wheel mounted buttons, similar to their age-old tiptronic system introduced in the 90′s. Their competitors like Ferrari and Lamborghini use column mounted paddles instead – like F1 cars. By the way, Honda also has column mounted shifters – but on their cheapest car! The Honda Fit! Porsche’s button system is made worse by having the buttons push to shift up, and pull to shift down – counter to what the body naturally wants to do. While most drivers will get used to such system, it’s a surprising mistep from a company known for engineering and performance design.
With the launch of the 2010 Porsche Turbo, they have finally introduced paddle shifters. Right to shift up, left to shift down. However, it is an additional cost option on an already $150,000 car. *sigh*
Laptop Magazine completed their annual survey of laptop vendors and evaluated their technical support. For the last few years, Apple has won and this year was no different. No wonder so many people are “thinking different”. Here are the 2009 grades, more detail about the web vs. phone support is in the article.
The LCBO returned to highlighting some wines from each of their bimonthly releases. Below is a small selection from the entire release which can be viewed on their website:
Satellite Weather and Traffic Reports (I don’t think any of these systems work in Canada)
Pushbutton locking differentials
Turbocharging (woohoo!)
LED lights
Torque vectoring differentials
Direct Fuel Injection
Real power outlets
Folding hard tops
Hood scoops (wtf?)
Adaptive headlights
Regenerative Braking
I’m not sure about hood scoops, but the rest of the list is pretty cool. Recently I bought a new car, and it was nice to have features that my old car didn’t have, like adaptive lights, turbocharged direct-injection engine, heated seats and iPhone integration. Technology is wonderful.
Halfway through the life of a specific car model, the manufacturers will perform a mid-cycle refresh. Often called a “facelift” by the press, the basic car including powertrain and engines stay generally the same, but subtle changes are added to freshen up the image of the car, introduce some new features that would draw in new buyers, or keep leasers that have their cars being turned in.
The Acura crossovers have been really popular in my circle – it’s by far the most popular car owned by my friends. If you are in the market for one, try to get a great deal on the existing 2009 model, or wait and benefit from the upgrades in the 2010s.
For 2010, both the Acura RDX and MDX are getting a refresh. For the RDX (pictured above), it’s primarily just a facelift, with the front and rear fascia’s changing, with new vents, new light housings and adopting the “shield” grill that started permeating the line with the Acura TL. There will be an addition of a front-wheel drive model in the USA, but it’s undetermined if it will make it into Canada. If it does, this will be a fuel-friendly car since the car will be lighter and already had a direct-injection turbocharged engine.
The MDX (pictured below) also gets new front and rear fascias. It also gets and updated rear-view camera and navigation system. Also included is a radar-based cruise control system and the addition of a six-speed automatic transmission. It is the same transmission coming on the new ZDX and adds a gear which will improve fuel economy on highway driving. The final major change is the addition of an active damping system for the suspension. Adopting the same magnetic-fluid system found on Corvettes and Ferraris, this system will instantaneously adapt to changing road conditions and allow the user to control how comfortable or sporty the ride will be.
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