thank you, i'll be here all week

I've been working on this theory that there are just a handful of small actions which, if observed, can reveal volumes about a person's inability to be a leader. In other words, bad leaders have "tells." If you're fortunate enough to spot one of these tells early enough, you can take action and save your group or your business or your community -- or you can simply get far enough away to save your own sanity.

One of the tells goes like this: When a very serious question or issue is placed before the supposed leader, he or she attempts to make a joke. This is often played off as "having a sense of humor even in tough times." But the truth is that it's a tactic to distract people and avoid having to give a straight answer.

Here's a real-world example, from President Bush's press conference on Thursday:

Q: Thank you, Mr. President. I'd like to ask you about the Petraeus report, which as you say, will be in September, and report on the progress. Doesn't setting up the September date give the enemy exactly what you've said you don't want them to have, which is a date to focus on, and doesn't it guarantee a bloody August? And while I have you, sir, the phrase you just used, "a different configuration in Iraq" that you'd like to see, is that a plan B?

THE PRESIDENT: Actually I would call that a plan recommended by Baker-Hamilton, so that would be a plan BH.

The transcript doesn't say it, but if you'd watched the conference on TV, you'd have noticed the complete lack of even a courtesy laugh from the crowd. The President continues speaking, but then catches himself -- and, as if on stage at a comedy club, asks the crowd, "You didn't like it?"

Not really.

And while it's a bit late -- and granted, a bit overplayed -- to be looking for Bush's tells at this point, it's not a bad time to start looking at what the various 2008 candidates are giving away about themselves. For instance, there's that certain candidate who decided that the best response to a question about taking action against Iran was to sing "Bomb Iran" to the tune of the Beach Boys' "Barbara Ann".

War, ain't it hi-larious?

going green

Energy saving light bulbs are great for the environment and all, but what's with wrapping them in a gigantic plastic blister pack that's not even recyclable?

a horn has become bare when i dropped it

Sure, "lost in translation" instructional text is old news. But damn, it's funny -- especially when you come across a "trouble shooting q&a" for a wooden tissue box that you just received from Japan.

That's right, it's just a box, made out of wood, with a hole in it for your Kleenex. (Direct all inquiries about why the original box that Kleenex comes in is no good to the Wife, please.) Nonetheless, there is a troubleshooting guide for this box. And it contains some of my favorite lines ever written in the English language:

Q: I have changed color when I touched it in the water.

A: I am not limited to the painting and attach all products to water, and please do not hang it on fire.

That's actually pretty good advice.

Q: I want to let strength of a combination part be more solid.

A: I have enough strength, but it is trouble... In addition, on that occasion I do not bear one slice of responsibility about a change of color and deformity, the damage that occurred in us.

mr. amit went to washington and then he came back and was incommunicado for weeks

It's true. I went to Washington D.C., and gave my two presentations at the Nonprofit Technology Conference (which wins the award for conference with the most descriptive title), and I even flew in a day early to help out at the conference's "Day of Service" which entailed a fun day of teaching residents at the country's largest homeless shelter how to refurbish computers, and then stayed several days after to complain about the precipitous drop in temperature while eating at a bunch of great D.C. restaurants with M and K (who are making their first appearance on this blog I believe, congratulations.)

And it's true that I have come back from D.C. and have not said anything about how after coming back I left my job at TechSoup and have started to contract for several startup firms and have been doing so for slightly more than half a week now and have been doing so out of my home office and, despite having to get used to the somewhat sudden switch in environment and pace, have been increasingly enjoying the improvement in my quality of life.