Places I Would Not Want To Be During An Earthquake.

Since two minor earthquakes have rattled Los Angeles so far this week, it's made me think more about earthquake safety and preparedness. It's also reminded me of all the places I would not want to be during a major earthquake. I put together my list of top 10 places I would not want to be in an earthquake:

10. The little-bitty bathroom stall at work - Guaranteed concussion from hitting my head on the walls of this small space.

9. The tattoo shop - This could leave a permanent reminder of the big quake.

8. At the dentist - Dental work and earthquakes don't mix.

7. At The Aquarium Of The Pacific - I don't know how strong that glass really is.

6. The Lamps Plus store - A place that sells nothing but lighting fixtures is no place to be during an earthquake.

5. Walking on or standing under a glass stair case - They have these in some Apple Stores and as much as I love being in the Apple Store, I would not want to be on or under the glass stair case.

4. Costco - At first I thought Costco would be the ideal place to be after a natural disaster because of all the supplies you would have at my disposal, but a place with high shelves full of heavy items is not where I want to be if the ground is shaking.

3. In the shower - Besides slipping and falling, there's the problem of not being clothed which could be potentially embarrassing.

2. Elevator - Aside from the fear of being trapped in a small enclosed space for an unknown amount of time, I always contemplate what would happen if you had to go to the bathroom.

1. The BART Transbay Tube - Riding the train through an underwater tube during a major earthquake? No thanks.

I'm curious, what is the top places you would not want to be during an earthquake?

UPDATE: Poll Results 5/20/09 - 5/27/09

What natural hazard are you scared of most?
00% Earthquake
20% Volcanic eruption
00% Flood
00% Tsunami
00% Blizzard
00% Drought
00% Tornado
20% Hurricane
00% Fire
20% Disease Epidemic
20% Supernova
00% Other
20% Meh

Is Facebook A Place For Tweets?

It was brought to my attention that Facebook friends might not appreciate you allowing Twitter to update your Facebook status if you are a heavy tweeter. This news concerned me because I would never want to annoy my friends and be thought of as a post whore.

I'm not sure if I'm really a heavy tweeter, but on average I update my status about 18 times a day, not including any extra links or photos I may post on Facebook. My thought were, I like being able to update my status in one place instead or two (or three if you count Brightkite). I don't say anything on Twitter that I wouldn't also say on Facebook, and if I do, I delete that post on Facebook. Also, I figured if a Facebook friend didn't like what I had to say or how much I post, they have the option to hide my updates from their news feed. I posed a question on Facebook to get my friends' opponions on this matter and only got one response saying he didn't mind, so maybe all my friends have blocked my updates. LOL! Anyway, Facebook is trying their hardest to be like Twitter, so isn't it fitting to link your updates between the two sites?

One drawback could be seeing the same updates if you're friends with someone on Twitter and Facebook and they link their updates. I have a handful of friends that fall into this catagory. An easy solution I use to get around this is creating group lists in Facebook that exclude anyone whose updates I already see on Twitter. With some quick and easy tweaks in Facebook, I can't understand why anyone would have to be irritated because of a friend's quantity or quality of updates. Besides, I have plenty of friends who update their Facebook status as much as I do that don't even use Twitter.

So I'm curious, how do you feel about Facebook/Twitter linking? Does it bother you if someone posts a lot whether from Facebook or Twitter?

UPDATE: Poll Results 5/3/09 - 5/10/09

Do you allow Twitter to update your Facebook status?
30% Yes
38% No
15% It's annoying
15% Meh

Is The Workplace A Place For Friends?

I am a very social person and love making new friends. I highly value my friendships and want friends who return the sediment. After becoming a mom, my social activities reduced greatly making it harder to hang out with old friends or meet new cool people. The easiest solution seemed to be making friends with coworkers since that's where I spend the majority of my time these days. But, is the workplace the best place to be making friends? Are coworkers trustworthy enough to be considered friends when you're working in a competitive environment? Or, should work and personal relationships be kept separate?

Personally, I tend to get too comfortable around my coworkers and I say things I probably shouldn't. I think I'm talking to people who are my friends but who actually might be just looking out for their own best interest.

I'm curious, have you ever run into a scenario where workmate friendships turned ugly? Would you recommend making friends at work? Are you friends with coworkers and is it same as the friendships who have outside the company?

UPDATE: Poll Result 4/30/09 - 5/7/09

Do you make friends with coworkers?
28% Close friends
72% Acquaintances
00% No
00% Meh

Why Talk When You Can Text?

Over the past couple of years, I have found myself communicating more through SMS and email and spending less time talking on the phone. Less than 5 years ago, I was struggling to keep from going over my minutes, yet now, I have the lowest amount of minutes possible on my AT&T plan and forking out the extra money for more SMS messages. The only people I still call on a regular basis are my parents.

Reasons for my distaste in talking on the phone include:

1. When someone calls me, the conversation takes place during the best possible time for the caller; however, it may not be the best time for me. I work, I have a toddler, I have my own stuff going on so how can I give the person on the other end of the line the courtesy of all my attention when I'm on the phone if it's not the best time for me?

2. I hate small talk. I like to cut out the extra motions and get right down to business. SMS and email allow me to get right to the point without the small talk.

3. Talking on the phone takes too much time. Sometimes I don't answer the phone because I just don't want to carry on a lengthy conversation at the time. I can check an email or a text message when I have a few seconds to spare and respond back quickly. More often than not, it is quicker to get ahold of me sending a SMS or email rather than calling me.

I say: If someone calls me, they don't really know me very well. I'm curious, what ways to you prefer to communicate? Is the old fashioned phone call dead?

UPDATE: Poll Results 4/18/09 - 4/25/09

How do you prefer to communicate?
16% Phone call
33% Text message
00% Email
16% Face to face
16% Social networking site
16% Meh

(I realized I should have added "Instant message" as a choice in the poll. If that would have been your choice or any other communication tool, please leave it in the comments. Thanks!)

Social Networking Or Social Notworking?

Recently, there has been lot of coverage about a study by the University of Melbourne that states the casual usage of sites like Twitter and Facebook increases productivity at work. The study shows that short breaks allow the mind to rest and thus increase the total concentrate on the days' assignments. While this study makes me feel better about all the times my boss has caught me online, I'm curious what has happened to old fashioned water cooler talk at work?

Would we rather spend our escape from the daily grind catching up on tweets or playing a quick round of Mob Wars instead of having a little face to face conversation with the people we spend 8 hours a day with?

Personally, I enjoy chatting it up with coworkers, but in the age of the iPod, it's hard to find anyone who isn't pumping music into their ear at a ridiculous volume and virtually unable to hear the phone on their desk ring much less engage in idle conversation. Therefor, I get my mental break online as do a lot of employees who have a computer and Internet access. This raises another question: What will become of our social skills? Do we lose the ability to strike up conversation without being in front of a screen? Are we more or less social when our main form of communication with our friends is Facebook?

One factor may be more people these days are keeping their personal and business lives separate and not thinking of the workplace as a setting for making new friends. As I do, more people are eating their lunches at their desks and avoiding the break room in order to do personal browsing. While all this social networking may be good for productivity, is it the best thing for us?

UPDATE: Poll Results 4/6/09 - 4/13/09

Do you feel social networking makes you more productive at work?
55% Yes, it helps
11% No, it interferes with work
33% My job restricts sites
00% Meh

How does social networking affect our ability to communicate in real life?
11% Has no effect
22% People are more social
22% People are less social
44% Meh