In today's workplace climate, it's more important than ever to stay motivated and engaged. We certainly need to stay on task and on budget, but we also need to out-innovate our competition. Today on my workplace blog I asked employees what conferences, MeetUp groups, and events they regularly attend or particpate in to keep their creative juices flowing. Inspiration can come from anything, regardless of how closely it plugs into your professional life. Read more to see a few of the activities and events that I've been excited about lately...

So Romney made some comments about 47% of the country paying no income tax, and it has sparked a firestorm between the campaigns about what each political party stands for.

I think both sides are missing the boat. Read on for some thoughts...

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

--Steve Jobs, from his Stanford Commencement Speech, June 15th, 2005

Last week, my two year old Motorola Droid A855 bit the dust. I had paid something like $200 for the phone, and I was really hoping to get more time out of it. The phone I had before it was a first-generation iPhone that I bought second-hand from an acquaintance for $50. The only reason I got rid of it was because AT&T service was horrendous at my new apartment.

The Droid was a trooper until this past summer, when the touch screen started acting up on humid days. Within a few weeks, the on-screen keyboard was unusable, and I frequently had to power-cycle the phone to get it to come back to normal. I put up with the problem for about two months, until last weekend it got so bad that I finally threw up my hands and caved to buy a new phone.