February 10, 2012 at 1:10 pm by dan.mcgraw@chron.com (Dan X. McGraw)
By Carol Christian Houston Chronicle staff writer
This applicant’s over-the-top approach may have kept him from getting a summer job on Wall Street, but you have to give him some credit for trying.
Yahoo! Finance has a story about a New York University student’s application letter that has been drawing snickers from job-secure insiders.
Here’s part of what he wrote:
“I am unequivocally the most unflaggingly hard worker I know, and I love self-improvement. I have always felt that my time should be spent wisely, so I continuously challenge myself ….
“I decided to redouble my effort by placing out of two classes, taking two honors classes, and holding two part-time jobs. That semester I achieved a 3.93, and in the same time I managed to bench double my bodyweight and do 35 pull-ups.”
The applicant adds, “Egos can be a huge liability, and I try not to have one.”
The letter has made the rounds of more than a dozen investment banking and accounting firms, with one director offering to buy drinks for the first person to concisely summarize everything that’s wrong with it, Yahoo! Finance reported.
For a redacted copy of the entire letter, see Yahoo! Finance.
February 10, 2012 at 10:27 am by laura.haynes@chron.com (Laura Weisman)
Put a video camera on a hula hoop, then spin around and see what happens.
Personally I figured I wouldn’t be able to watch because I get super seasick, carsick, roller coaster sick. But not here. The Bad Astronomy blogger at Discovery.com had the same experience:
Even more amazing to me was that I didn’t get ill watching that video. I tend to get a seasick on a kid’s swing or when reading in a car, so the fact I was fine watching this is weird. But I have pretty good 3D spatial reasoning, and have a lot of practice swapping reference frames — trying to figure out when the Moon rises, what configuration planets are in, and how to point a telescope give you a lot of practice there — so maybe that helped. Beats me.
But I wonder what other weird change-of-frames would benefit from using this camera technique? That might make a fun series of videos.
I wonder that, too. What other things can you attach a camera to and get a cool video? Are there any out there?
Kid hates parents. Kid posts on Facebook saying so. Dad finds out. Dad records video. Dad empties magazine of .45 caliber hollow points into her laptop.
February 9, 2012 at 6:19 pm by chayden@sfgate.com (Christine Hayden)
What do Mitt Romney, Republican presidential candidate, and Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, have in common?
Zuckerberg recently “liked” a link to Romney’s website on Facebook when it was posted by Slate write Farhad Manjoo with the text “just try looking at the Romney logo without seeing the word MONEY” next to it.
These words were automatically stripped out when posted to more than 11 million people who subscribe to Zuckerberg’s Facebook feed, thereby exposing an interface glitch that personally affected the social network’s creator.
Many Facebook users responded, and much of the feedback assumed that Zuckerberg was endorsing Romney:
“Shouldn’t you be apolitical, Mark?”
“Zuckerberg must have been hacked, or he’s changing the spelling of his surname to Suckerberg.”
“Zuck, the wealthy should abstain from endorsements of anyone (especially another wealthy person) as president. It only harms you in the long run.”
This barrage of user criticism comes shortly after a major win for the site, Facebook’s recent IPO filing. This action could increase Zuckerberg’s worth by $5.6 billion.
This is not the first time that Zuckerberg has spoken out politically from his Facebook platform. With regards to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) the media mogul did not express his opinions with a mere “like”.
“The world today needs political leaders who are pro-internet,” Zuckerberg said. “We have been working with many of these folks for months on better alternatives to these current proposals.”
The post that contained this remark received over 500,000 likes.
February 9, 2012 at 10:18 am by nick.mathews@chron.com (Nick Mathews)
Will Ferrell did the starting lineup introductions for Wednesday night’s Bulls-Hornets game in New Orleans, and, as you would expect, it was hilarious.
On 80s night — why “Don’t Stop Believing” is blaring in the background — Ferrell insulted the Bulls and showed love for the home team.
For Chicago’s Carlos Boozer, Ferrell said, “He still lives with his mother.”
For New Orleans’ Emeka Okafor of the Hornets, Ferrell announced: “6-(foot)-10, from Connecticut, where he majored in econ but minored in loooooove, Emeka Okafor.”
Model Ioana Spangenberg uses corsets to make her look even thinner
A Romanian model who says she never diets has such a narrow midriff her figure resembles that of a Barbie Doll.
Thirty-year-old Ioana Spangenberg attributes her 32-20-32 measurements to genes, not counting calories. In fact, she laments that she can’t seem to put on the pounds, a complaint that probably won’t earn much sympathy from American women suffering through salads and low-fat everything.
It’s her tiny tummy, you see.
Sexy or not?
“No one seems to believe it, but every day I eat three big meals and I snack on chocolate and crisps all the time,” the 5-foot-7 model told the Sun. “I just have a small stomach. It’s a bit like having a natural gastric band — if I eat too much, I feel sick.”
Of course, having the waistline of a wasp has its benefits. She’s been able to achieve some success as an online model, enhancing her shape with corsets.
Even so, she says she would like to gain weight “so I don’t look so shocking.”
Let’s hope she can – because a thin waist is a terrible thing to mind.
February 8, 2012 at 4:25 pm by laura.haynes@chron.com (Laura Weisman)
(File)
Have you heard the one about the Louis Vuitton condom?
Actually there are at least a hundred jokes on Twitter. So far. About the alleged condom on sale by the high-end French fashion house. However, mes amis, it is not an LV product. Even if it is priced at $68.
According to the site incrediblethings.com, “It was designed by Irakli Kiziria, who is not affiliated with the company, with hopes to launch the product on World Aids Day to benefit amfAr (The Foundation for AIDS Research).”
February 8, 2012 at 3:52 pm by nick.mathews@chron.com (Nick Mathews)
Michael Vick and Tiger Woods are America’s most “disliked” athletes, according to Forbes.
Vick, the Eagles quarterback who spent time in jail over dog fighting charges, and Woods, the golf superstar still recovering from a scandal over his extramarital affairs, each had a “dislike” score of 60 percent.
The survey was conducted by Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research.
Forbes gave Vick the crown since Woods drew fewer “dislike a lot” responses.
Rounding out the top five were:
New York Jets receiver Plaxico Burress (56 percent) — served gun charges for shooting himself in the foot with an unlicensed handgun.
Detroit Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh (51 percent) — stomped a Green Bay Packers player in a Thanksgiving Day game this year.
NBA basketball player Kris Humphries — who had a short-lived marriage to Kim Kardashian.
LeBron James (NBA, 48 percent), Kobe Bryan (NBA, 45), Alex Rodriguez (MLB, 44) and Kurt Busch (NASCAR, 42) were 6-10.
