Kenneth P Woodruff

Freedom Fighters in Afghanistan

2008-12-04T13:04:00.001-06:00

You must use the Force

2008-11-25T09:58:00.001-06:00

Gamer Card

2008-11-24T21:21:00.001-06:00

They finally made it easy to put this thing on your website. Here's my latest gamercard equipped with the latest Wii'd up Avatar. If you look close, you'll notice that I'm totally rocking a monocle. That's so I can see you with my other eye whilst blasting you with my sniping eye.

Put your gamertag here too.

Me and My Girlie

2008-11-24T10:30:00.002-06:00

Hollie took Clayre and I for a photo shoot in the front yard. We're having fun, and Clayre is quite a Ham! She's getting used to having her picture taken.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno - Pornstar ID

2008-11-23T13:12:00.001-06:00

Make Your Own ID!

Jingle Bell Run

2008-11-17T17:44:00.002-06:00

I signed up today for the 2008 Jingle Bell Run around Sundance Square December 6th. Hoping to improve my time from the Speedway 5k Anna and I ran a few weeks ago.

Life Is Good when you're Emily

2008-11-17T09:48:00.000-06:00

She's sporting her new duds that Aunt Hollie and I sent up with Grandma and Chief. Won't be long, and she'll have a baby sister to play with (and boss around!).

All I want for my birthday...

2008-11-04T08:31:00.000-06:00

Is a new president! Preferably one that is not a crusty old dude who lets his penis choose his running mate.

I'm totally going to fight a velociraptor

2008-10-30T13:35:00.000-05:00

74%

This quiz was provided by - Wholesale Clothing

Styx Sushi

2008-10-21T12:34:00.000-05:00

Good stuff.

Sarah Palin on Reading....

2008-10-18T13:25:00.001-05:00

Reading Is Fundamental: "I have a vast variety of sources..."

Clayre Playing with Putty

2008-10-14T17:56:00.000-05:00

Happy 1 Month Clayre!

2008-10-13T08:49:00.000-05:00

My how fast you've grown! How was your first month? We love you so much, and I'm sorry daddy has to go back to work today. Be good for mom and nana.

Brew Day

2008-10-11T12:51:00.000-05:00

This is my last weekend before returning to work/the real world. Decided I would spend this afternoon making a batch of Bock. This is my first lager, and I'm pretty excited about it. I picked p a temprature controller for the fridge so it is all ready to rock and roll. This batch should be ready by Christmas.

Cool sign

2008-10-11T00:27:00.000-05:00

this is at the new homebrewery store I found. It's about 10 mins closer than the other one I go to. It is in the back of an old school hardware store. Their selection is a bit unique and they don't stock White Labs yeast, but their prices are great and their people are really cool.

Just in case you missed it

2008-10-07T12:38:00.001-05:00

We had a baby!

She has her own webpage.

And all of her pictures are online.

She's getting bigger!

2008-10-02T20:57:00.000-05:00

Our baby girl is growing fast. She's quite a delight.

Baby Clayre!

2008-09-13T10:42:00.000-05:00

Human Race Update

2008-09-11T09:05:00.003-05:00

One last comment. The official results are in, I finished 27,345th with a time of 66'11". No word yet on how many people actually ran the race. I'm not sure if they know...

Still waiting on Clayre's arrival

2008-09-07T12:45:00.002-05:00

Last night we watched the Arkansas Razorbacks come from behind to beat University of Louisiana-Monroe. They took the lead with less than 2 minutes to go.

Clayre is pretty content to hang out in her warm womb. We're hoping that she'll make an appearance sometime this week. I'll get a message and some photos posted as soon as he gets here!

The Human Race

2008-08-31T14:59:00.002-05:00

Just finished my entry in the Nike+ Human Race. Pretty cool running against 1,000,000+ people world wide. I didn't do quite as well as I wanted, but with results coming in, I'm only a few minutes slower than the USA average pace. I'm pretty pleased with that considering my lack of race experience. Plus it was in the 90's with a head index in the 100's. Now I have my sights set on a half marathon. That's just a little over twice as far as I ran today. I think I'm going to have to find a flatter course to run.

MLM == Pyramid Scheme

2008-08-27T13:41:00.003-05:00

Had a great conversation today with a close friend of mine. I helped him reassess one of his investments, and hopefully save him a lot of money, time and heartache. The names have been changed to protect the innocent (guilty?).

Conversation with CloseFriend1 on 8/27/2008 10:01:53 AM:
(10:01:55 AM) kennethpwoodruff: dude
(10:01:57 AM) kennethpwoodruff: really?
(10:02:02 AM) kennethpwoodruff: who hooked you into this?
(10:02:48 AM) CloseFriend1: i have 2 neighbors that are already doing it
(10:02:53 AM) CloseFriend1: and making money
(10:03:25 AM) kennethpwoodruff: that still doesn't make it "not a pyramid scheme"
(10:03:50 AM) CloseFriend1: no doubt
(10:04:07 AM) CloseFriend1: it's just better than any one of them that I have seen before
(10:04:13 AM) kennethpwoodruff: you're going to have to make $23K / year just to break even
(10:04:29 AM) CloseFriend1: how do you figure?
(10:04:40 AM) kennethpwoodruff: There are cost of being ACN Rep. About 499 USD to begin, about 149 yearly - annual fee, monthly fees about six bucks and administrative fee of $1. It is about 230 USD yearly. At 1% commission, total billing would have to be over $23,000 or about $1940/mo. That's about 40 average customers. And this is to break even!
(10:05:41 AM) kennethpwoodruff: did you do your research before you signed up?
(10:05:52 AM) kennethpwoodruff: also, how much have you paid so far?
(10:07:15 AM) CloseFriend1: yeah...i looked at it a good bit.... the comp structure is actually very good. it builds up quickly and you aren't counting any of the bonus structure...
(10:07:41 AM) CloseFriend1: the 499 is pending.... i have 10 days to fully backout
(10:07:50 AM) kennethpwoodruff: ok
(10:07:54 AM) kennethpwoodruff: here's some stuff for you to read
(10:07:56 AM) kennethpwoodruff: http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Crimes/Delivered/ACN/ACN%20MLM.htm
(10:08:01 AM) kennethpwoodruff: http://www.arystoteles.pl/nmf/acn-scam.php
(10:08:14 AM) kennethpwoodruff: http://www.ideamarketers.com/?ACN_Review_Scam_or_Not&articleid=377906
(10:08:58 AM) kennethpwoodruff: http://www.mlmwatchdog.com/Report_ACN.html
(10:10:05 AM) kennethpwoodruff: http://bizop.ca/blog2/due-diligence/is_acn_a_pyrami.html
(10:10:24 AM) kennethpwoodruff: how much cash have your neighbors pulled in?
(10:10:51 AM) CloseFriend1: guy across the street has made $2k in less than a month.
(10:11:02 AM) kennethpwoodruff: how many of his friends did he have to signup?
(10:11:14 AM) kennethpwoodruff: is that the california guy?
(10:12:10 AM) CloseFriend1: no. Ted is a tech professional like us. You get 2 people started (plus yourself).
(10:12:30 AM) CloseFriend1: not sure how many he has underneath him right now
(10:12:46 AM) kennethpwoodruff: you need to find out
(10:12:54 AM) CloseFriend1: I went to the meeting last night...the structure made sense
(10:13:38 AM) kennethpwoodruff: so are you going to try to sell the product? or just get people to sign up?
(10:15:55 AM) CloseFriend1: ok...so I ordered the video phone, which comes free (with $107 setup). If the thing works, then I will try to get others to get the phone service so we can talk to each other and use the thing
(10:16:18 AM) kennethpwoodruff: dude
(10:16:20 AM) kennethpwoodruff: really?
(10:16:20 AM) CloseFriend1: pretty low risk...if it blows up
(10:16:33 AM) CloseFriend1: you are out what...600 total?
(10:16:34 AM) kennethpwoodruff: Skype is free
(10:16:49 AM) CloseFriend1: if it works...could mean good money
(10:16:53 AM) kennethpwoodruff: I video chatted with Zach yesterday for an hour and half, and he's in India
(10:17:13 AM) kennethpwoodruff: no need for special hardware
(10:17:23 AM) kennethpwoodruff: or being tied down to a location
(10:17:35 AM) CloseFriend1: you had to have a web cam though right?
(10:17:36 AM) kennethpwoodruff: gonna make your parents get one at home and the lake house?
(10:17:44 AM) kennethpwoodruff: web cam cost $40
(10:17:52 AM) kennethpwoodruff: Hollie's laptop has one built in
(10:18:56 AM) kennethpwoodruff: do you have to commit for a certain period of time?
(10:19:00 AM) CloseFriend1: well...Amway sucks and yet I still know people who made a ton doing it...and this isn't selling $20 tubes of toothpaste
(10:19:31 AM) kennethpwoodruff: just giving you my opinion while you still have time to back out
(10:19:38 AM) CloseFriend1: sure...i appreciate it
(10:19:48 AM) CloseFriend1: i'm trying to be objective as well and not get lost in the numbers
(10:20:01 AM) kennethpwoodruff: personally, I would take that $700 and use it for online poker tournament entry fees. Think you stand to make a lot more that way
(10:20:20 AM) kennethpwoodruff: (10:18:56 AM) kennethpwoodruff: do you have to commit for a certain period of time?
(10:20:33 AM) CloseFriend1: sorry...was typing another message
(10:21:01 AM) CloseFriend1: it's the same ol' deal...you can do as little or a much as you want as a seller....
(10:21:24 AM) CloseFriend1: if you buy the product, the video phone is 2 years to get it for free like any cell phone
(10:21:44 AM) CloseFriend1: or $199 to cancel early....same ol' shit
(10:21:53 AM) kennethpwoodruff: what's the monthly rate?
(10:22:00 AM) CloseFriend1: 29 bucks
(10:22:03 AM) kennethpwoodruff: dude
(10:22:08 AM) kennethpwoodruff: I think you need to make a spreadsheet
(10:22:19 AM) kennethpwoodruff: I'm losing track of how much this is costing you
(10:22:59 AM) kennethpwoodruff: 696 for 2 years of phone service
(10:23:04 AM) kennethpwoodruff: 107 setup fee
(10:23:08 AM) kennethpwoodruff: 499 startup
(10:23:33 AM) kennethpwoodruff: 149 / year
(10:23:45 AM) kennethpwoodruff: monthly fees?
(10:24:21 AM) CloseFriend1: get 2 people going...and get 200 back....one more per person...get 600 back....so 4 people later....800 already back in your pocket just in the bonus.
(10:25:10 AM) CloseFriend1: 6 people....another grand
(10:25:40 AM) CloseFriend1: there is no doubt that this is the same old Multi Level Marketing structure....
(10:26:03 AM) CloseFriend1: i'm as skeptical as anyone....but like I said...minimal risk just to see how it pans out
(10:26:54 AM) kennethpwoodruff: so
(10:27:02 AM) kennethpwoodruff: 6 people = 1600 correct?
(10:27:09 AM) CloseFriend1: 1800
(10:27:27 AM) kennethpwoodruff: ahh
(10:27:30 AM) kennethpwoodruff: got it
(10:27:30 AM) CloseFriend1: you don't even have to know them
(10:27:35 AM) kennethpwoodruff: so
(10:27:57 AM) kennethpwoodruff: 1800 - 1451 initial investment = 349
(10:31:10 AM) kennethpwoodruff: so how many people do you have to sign up each month to make this worth it?
(10:31:26 AM) CloseFriend1: you should go tomorrow and just see what it sounds like....that way I have another set of ears in there to help filter the bullshit
(10:32:58 AM) CloseFriend1: no monthly quota....if you get 7 layers into it....you start pulling 10% off of each persons monthly fees.....before the 7 it goes up incrementally for each layer you get to
(10:33:31 AM) kennethpwoodruff: I already know what it sounds like
(10:33:35 AM) kennethpwoodruff: it's going to sound like roses
(10:33:41 AM) kennethpwoodruff: and that we're all going to be millionaires
(10:33:54 AM) kennethpwoodruff: Just please promise me you wont push it at church
(10:34:07 AM) kennethpwoodruff: I want to be able to drink beer with you in heaven
(10:34:13 AM) CloseFriend1: :-)
(10:37:53 AM) kennethpwoodruff: BTW, I'm quitting Accenture
(10:37:58 AM) kennethpwoodruff: I'm going to play softball full time
(10:38:07 AM) CloseFriend1: professionally? awesome...
(10:38:19 AM) kennethpwoodruff: other than being home and stuff, that's what I miss most about being on the road
(10:38:58 AM) kennethpwoodruff: played SS and batted 3rd, I freaking love softball. Especially in the C league
(10:39:05 AM) kennethpwoodruff: we put up 14 in the 1st
(10:39:26 AM) CloseFriend1: wow...
(10:39:40 AM) kennethpwoodruff: missed a homer over the monster by 5 feet
(10:39:56 AM) CloseFriend1: i hate that net
(10:40:05 AM) CloseFriend1: and the pole
(10:40:07 AM) kennethpwoodruff: I didn't deserve to have it go out
(10:40:11 AM) CloseFriend1: i've been robbed a few times out there
(10:40:17 AM) kennethpwoodruff: I put a really bad swing on it
(10:41:45 AM) CloseFriend1: happens
(10:41:52 AM) CloseFriend1: i'm ready to try out my new bat tonight
(10:53:14 AM) kennethpwoodruff: if you only read one of the articles I sent, read this one: http://www.crimes-of-persuasion.com/Crimes/Delivered/ACN/ACN%20MLM.htm
(10:53:22 AM) kennethpwoodruff: does a good job of explaining the pyramid
(10:58:04 AM) CloseFriend1: i understand....there wasn't ever a doubt about the structure....
(10:59:04 AM) CloseFriend1: i'm just trying to decide if there is actual money here or not...
(11:00:06 AM) CloseFriend1: did you look at the Trump video?
(11:00:17 AM) kennethpwoodruff: I don't trust Trump as far as I can throw him
(11:00:26 AM) kennethpwoodruff: and he's a big guy
(11:00:52 AM) CloseFriend1: sure is...
(11:02:45 AM) CloseFriend1: so....get out quickly is what you think?
(11:03:03 AM) CloseFriend1: i keep going back and forth
(11:03:07 AM) kennethpwoodruff: yes
(11:03:10 AM) kennethpwoodruff: cancel the phone
(11:03:14 AM) kennethpwoodruff: pay the $200 cancellation
(11:03:32 AM) kennethpwoodruff: and chalk it up as a learning experience
(11:06:07 AM) kennethpwoodruff: I think the biggest problem you should think about it is that if you sign up all your friends, especially the ones that can't afford it, you're going to lose a lot of friends
(11:06:20 AM) kennethpwoodruff: eventually the pyramid crumbles
(11:06:38 AM) kennethpwoodruff: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bent_pyramid
(11:07:00 AM) kennethpwoodruff: this is a more accurate depiction, a few people at the very top
(11:07:07 AM) kennethpwoodruff: making some money
(11:07:16 AM) kennethpwoodruff: and a shit ton at the bottom losing money
(11:07:38 AM) kennethpwoodruff: This company has been around a long time
(11:07:47 AM) CloseFriend1: 16 yrs
(11:07:56 AM) kennethpwoodruff: so it's about time for a new generation of suckers
(11:08:18 AM) kennethpwoodruff: but probably not enough to put you in the top position
(11:10:09 AM) CloseFriend1: no where near the top position...in DFW, this only started 6 weeks ago. looked like about 40 people in the room last night
(11:10:30 AM) CloseFriend1: but there have to be a ton of people above Todd who is starting the Dallas group
(11:11:03 AM) kennethpwoodruff: right, so look at that article, and it explains based on population how many people have to signup under you
(11:11:05 AM) CloseFriend1: but why would a smart business man like this guy (3 proven companies in the last 10 years) get into this?
(11:12:05 AM) kennethpwoodruff: well, he's the guy at the top in Dallas, he'll probably make some money, especially if he manages to signup 40 people who believe in it
(11:12:18 AM) kennethpwoodruff: the problem is that it usually doesn't make it down to the level you expect
(11:12:36 AM) CloseFriend1: i could see that happening
(11:12:41 AM) kennethpwoodruff: take any pyramid they show you and divide it by 4, and that's the absolute most you could possibly do
(11:13:07 AM) kennethpwoodruff: there is NO WAY everyone is going to signup the number of people they tell you
(11:14:46 AM) CloseFriend1: "send a dated Notice of Cancellation within 10 days" to blah, blah....Concord, NC.... i'm reading the terms....so, would that be just a piece of paper that I type up? I hereby cancel....yada, yada....?
(11:18:07 AM) kennethpwoodruff: sounds like it
(11:18:23 AM) kennethpwoodruff: just make sure you read the fine print
(11:18:28 AM) kennethpwoodruff: have you given anyone money yet?
(11:18:34 AM) kennethpwoodruff: put a stop payment on your check
(11:18:49 AM) CloseFriend1: it is all online
(11:19:47 AM) kennethpwoodruff: might be able to call your bank and work with them
(11:20:00 AM) kennethpwoodruff: if you paid by Amex, you have a good shot at getting them to stop it
(11:20:26 AM) kennethpwoodruff: just make sure they don't have the ability to withdraw directly from your account
(11:24:00 AM) CloseFriend1: looking through all of terms
(11:25:30 AM) kennethpwoodruff: I recently had to talk dad into returning a Time Share he bought in Fort lauderdale thinking he was going to be able to trade it for Hawaii
(11:25:44 AM) kennethpwoodruff: his waiting period was only 48 hours, and he laid out $18k
(11:25:55 AM) CloseFriend1: fuck
(11:26:08 AM) kennethpwoodruff: got out of it, and cancelled the check
(11:27:39 AM) CloseFriend1: good thing
(11:33:17 AM) kennethpwoodruff: also, when you send the letter, make sure you send it registered (or certified, whichever is cheaper) so that you get confirmation that they received it
(11:33:29 AM) kennethpwoodruff: otherwise, they can play the "we never got your letter" game
(11:33:40 AM) CloseFriend1: registered...with return receipt
(11:40:05 AM) CloseFriend1: i hate this
(11:42:52 AM) kennethpwoodruff: just for your edification, and I spent a LOT of time considering a couple of these in college. I think we spent over 100 hours debating some schemes that were not put together nearly this well. And these schemes were "Signup 10 People" and get put on a list to get a TV. Everytime 25 people signup and pay $75, the one on the top gets a TV. We watched about 10 people get TVs, while the list grew exponentially at first, and then suddenly stopped
(11:43:12 AM) kennethpwoodruff: we both came close to losing a lot of money, but ultimately decided not to

---

(12:47:03 PM) CloseFriend1: thanks
(12:47:25 PM) CloseFriend1: i needed that sanity check
(12:47:37 PM) kennethpwoodruff: glad I can help
(12:47:55 PM) kennethpwoodruff: don't feel bad, lots of smart people have fallen for these
(12:48:18 PM) CloseFriend1: no doubt... if you sat in there, you'd know why it was so appealing
(12:48:32 PM) CloseFriend1: good product...people that you know making money
(12:48:51 PM) kennethpwoodruff: I understand, I bet the guy talking is really slick
(12:49:03 PM) CloseFriend1: his suit must have cost 1 million dollars
(12:49:10 PM) CloseFriend1: his watch was 2 mil
(12:49:19 PM) kennethpwoodruff: and don't get me wrong, some people will make money, but not nearly as much as expected
(12:49:31 PM) CloseFriend1: i'm pissed looking back on how this went down
(12:50:09 PM) kennethpwoodruff: think you're going to be able to get your money back?
(12:50:42 PM) kennethpwoodruff: when your phone gets there, you can always refuse delivery
(12:52:11 PM) kennethpwoodruff: does wifey know about any of this
(12:52:37 PM) CloseFriend1: already cancelled everything
(12:52:43 PM) CloseFriend1: should only cost me 22 dollars
(12:52:52 PM) CloseFriend1: for the website setup that was nonrefundable
(12:53:14 PM) CloseFriend1: i just faxed in the cancellation, but i will probably mail a copy as well
(12:53:22 PM) kennethpwoodruff: probably a good idea
(12:53:26 PM) CloseFriend1: wifey knows....she was interested too
(12:53:53 PM) CloseFriend1: we'll stick with the webcam
(12:54:38 PM) kennethpwoodruff: :)
(12:54:51 PM) CloseFriend1: so forget all of this crap

Mustang for Sale

2008-08-26T16:28:00.002-05:00

Know anyone that wants a 2004 40th Anniversary Edition Ford Mustang Convertible? I decided to list Hollie's car in Autotrader this week. Hoping for the best, we're doing all we can to get ready for Clayre to be here.

Date Night

2008-08-25T10:58:00.002-05:00

Hollie and I went out Saturday night to celebrate the completion of phase one of my project at work. She picked out the Lonesome Dove Western Bistro in the Fort Worth Stock Yards. The food was really good, and we had a nice time. We've both been pretty tired lately, so we came home after dinner, and watched a movie on the couch. It was a great way to spend the weekend.

I'm back baby!

2008-08-19T10:02:00.002-05:00

Ankle injury be damned. I decided last night I was going to try something I haven't done since college, and threw down a 10k. My goal was 60 minutes, and I managed to best it by just over 3min. I'd like to get this time below 50 minutes by the end of August.