No, I don't plan to retire anytime soon. Like most companies, IBM had [changed its retirement plans]. Those lucky enough to be on the old plan could retire after 30 years of service to IBM, and get 12 percent of their last five year's salary as an annual pension the rest of their lives. If you averaged $100K per year the last five years, then you could retire on $60K per year. Many IBMers in Tucson took their pension and moved to Mexico, and lived like kings!
To qualify for the old plan, you had to be a certain age, have a minimum number of years service working for IBM, or be an executive of Italian-American descent. I missed it by a few months, so I am on the new plan instead. This involves employer contribution matches to a 401(k) plan and reflects the trend from working for a single company all your life, tochanging careers or companies every 5 to 10 years.Many of my colleagues on the old plan had announced early last year their plans to retire by the end of 2008, but then changed their minds after the economic downturn.
For both personal and professional reasons, I plan to travel less in 2009,so that will give me more time to reconnect with friends and family, especially my friends over at[Tucson Fun and Adventures], the premiere singles activities club in Southern Arizona; the [Tucson Laughter Club], recognized as one of the oldest laughter clubs in the United States; and the Tucson Film Society at the[Loft Cinema].
I made that lifestyle change back in 2003, joining [Performance at McMahon's] fitnesstraining facility, and have been lifting weights there, several times per week, ever since.
 | This is my personal trainer Christine. Our gym had their annual Elite Performer athletic contest running August to November last year, and I came in fifth place. If you are looking fora personal trainer in the Tucson area to jump-start your own fitness goals, call Christine at 907-4510. |
Normally, I considerNew Years Resolutions for starting new things, changing bad behaviors, or revisiting things I have long forgotten, not really intended for continuing to do the same as the year before. However, if it makes you happy, I resolve to continue my exercise regime of lifting weightsthree times a week, and will try to do more [cardio] as well.
I don't talk with Chuck personally about his posts, so I can only guess that he is underthe same blackout period rules, which typically commences the day following the end of the fiscal quarter and ends after the issuance of a news release disclosing the quarterly financial results.
That said, Chuck is an avid reader, and often recommends books he likes. For example,based on his recommendation, I read Tim Harford's [The Undercover Economist] and found it an excellent choice.In the book Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand renounces religion, socialism and a variety of other ills facing societyin 1950s America. Since [93 percent] of scientists and engineers are Atheist,Agnostic or other form of non-believer, I suspect most readers of the Storage blogosphere areat least somewhat familiar with Ayn Rand's works. Personally, I prefer the works of fellow atheist authors[Douglas Adams], [Sir Isaac Asimov], [Richard Dawkins], and [George Orwell].
Chuck mentions he saw Stephen Moore's article ['Atlas Shrugged': From Fiction to Fact in 52 Years in the Wall Street Journal, which considers this tometo be the second most influential book, second only to the Bible. No doubt many of the bailoutplans proposed today sound similar to the government acts covered in the novel. One warningrings true for me:
When profits and wealth and creativity are denigrated in society, they start to disappear -- leaving everyone the poorer.
However, I suspect his postmight also be partly motivated by Josh Bernoff's report [Time To Rethink Your Corporate Blogging Ideas] from Forrester Research. I've read the full report, andit has some interesting results.Only 16 percent of those surveyed who use company blogssay they trust them. The situation improves slightly if you look at people who are activein the blogosphere.Among those who read blogs regularly, only 24 percent trust company blogs. And only 39 percent of bloggers, who actually write their own blogs, trust company blogs. This ranks lower than every other form of content Forrester asked about, includingbroadcast and print media, direct mail, and email from companies.
This would mean company blogs are justslightly more trustworthy than self-proclaimed UFO alien abductees, tabloidsat the grocery store checkout lane, and perhaps politicians like Vice President Dick Cheneyor former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.Josh insists that this report is not meant as a plea for existing corporate bloggers to give up blogging, but rather to be more thoughtful on how and why they blog.
Perhaps Chuck is suggesting that bloggers are like the creative types in Atlas Shrugged who felt under-appreciated, and that perhaps all IT Storage bloggers should go on strike?