Axiom @ Toast and Taste

By Andrea

Every now and then the Axiom Team likes to let loose, have some fun and take the show on the road! Last night we got the crew out of the office and over to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum for Toast & Taste in the Gardens.

It was an evening of luscious food from some of the top Twin Cities restaurants and sips of wine and beer from Minnesota and Wisconsin makers all set in the colorful and peaceful gardens of the Arboretum.

3 Toast and Tastes we are still talking about:

Birchwood Cafe: Chocolate Brownie! We loved the rich chocolate flavor in a perfect little bite to satisfy the chocolate craving.

Crave: Served up a mouth watering burger with Limousin beef, melted pepperjack cheese topped with BBQ pulled pork. Oh yea, a lot of meat and a lot of goodness!

Lift Bridge Brewing: Biscotti, a flavorful Belgian style ale, with just the right amount of bite.

Where will the Axiom team show up next....we'll just have to wait and see.

Garden Fling Takes Seattle By Storm

The following is a guest post from our own Shelly Gustafson, one of our gardening experts who recently attended a garden blog conference in Seattle.

This past weekend I had the immense pleasure to meet up in Seattle with a group of about 70 of the top garden bloggers from across North America (and a few from the UK!) at the annual Garden Bloggers Fling.

While "The Emerald City" has been having an interesting summer weather-wise, the sun decided to make an appearance just in time for our arrival.  However, it was back to the usual on Monday with a strong downpour taking over – but even that couldn’t lesson our enjoyment of the beautiful Bloedel Reserve.

The agenda centered on visiting Seattle’s most famous public gardens (and some private ones too).  Highlights included the breathtaking Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island, The Dunn Gardens and the amazing Miller Horticultural Library. We also hit up some of the best garden stores and garden centers in the area including Ravenna Gardens in the U-District and Dragonfly Farms on Bainbridge Island.

The private gardens were amazing in their diversity featuring everything from a gravel garden to an “Urban Hillbilly Chic” concept that featured an abundance of handmade garden art.

All in all, it was a fun trip and a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit Seattle’s best gardens with a group that was sure to appreciate their unique beauty.

Check out Shelly’s blog 29minutegardener.com  (Urban Gardener) for more details on the trip and check out our Facebook Page for Shelly’s Photos and see the post on how renowned photographer David Perry’s tips improved her photographs!

Wordless Wednesday: Social Media's Impact on Tourism & Travel

Hackers Are Still Out There, Act Accordingly

By Dave Sniadak

My six year old is pretty amazing. He can work his way around my new smart phone with ease, dial up Angry Birds without blinking and eye, and find a way to snap pictures of his baby sister with just a few swipes of the screen. But one thing I know he can't do is send an e-mail. That's why I was taken aback when I turned on the phone this morning to find that I had -- apparently -- sent more than 400 e-mails to all of my contacts saying that I was capable of helping them become "the lover they've always dreamed of," among other strange propositions.

I'm sure you've all received these e-mails. They're from trusted contacts, but usually have strange subject lines -- if a subject at all. The temptation is to open the e-mail since you know this person. When you open it, there's a short line or two -- almost always with horrific spelling and grammatical errors -- and a URL to some strange website you've never heard of.

The tell for me that I was hacked was that I had more than 100 returned messages. Upon scanning my 'sent' messages, I saw more than 60 mass e-mails . . . unsettling and unnerving, to say the least.

And while in 2011, I would hope that my contacts are all smart enough to know not to click on the link, here are some tips, with the help of Jon Chase of Switched.com, on what to do should you find yourself the unfortunate victim of hackers.

1. Don't panic. There are worse things that could happen to you, like purposefully sending lewd photos of yourself across social media sites (e.g. a certain former US Congressman).
2. Change your password immediately. Obviously, you're old password wasn't strong enough. Find a combination of letters, numbers and symbols that you can remember, and hackers can't figure out. You may need to check for malware, which Chase outlines nicely in his article.
3. Assess the damage. A lot of times your contacts will respond and ask if you're aware you've been spammed. Be sure to send these people a thank you response (and make sure you personalize it so they know it's you!) If it's from someone you haven't heard from in a while, it'll be nice to reconnect.
4. Don't let it happen to you again. "Despite the many ways an e-mail account is hacked, the one common element is that you, the owner, essentially allow it," Chase says in his article. Be vigilant in protecting your online profile. Hackers make a living out of stealing your information. Don't make it easy for them!

This certainly isn't new info, but it's a great reminder that it can happen to anyone at any time. I've taken my lumps and learned my lesson. Life goes on, and so will my e-mail account. I just wish I was better at helping my friends become the lover they've always wanted to be.

Could We Be Saying "Goodbye" to the Resume?

LinkedIn launched a new plug-in for company websites that will make everyone's life in the job search world a little easier. In addition to the +1, Like, and other buttons that every article seems to have now there will be an "Apply With LinkedIn" button as well. Simply view the job listing online, click the button, and voila! you have sent in all your professional info and applied for a job!

As a student going into my senior year of college, I think this will be a huge weight off my peers' shoulders. There are countless job search sites that allow you to submit cover letters and resumes, but for each site you need to first upload the documents. This LinkedIn plug-in will eliminate making dozens of separate resumes for each job. Not to say that it is no longer necessary to tailor each application to each specific position; it will just be much easier now.

Once you click the Apply With LinkedIn button your profile snapshot appears with the option to edit. You can then create your profile for the specific position before clicking the button. And what would LinkedIn be without help of connections -- that is the whole point of the site! Once you have applied for the job a screen pops up listing your connections at the company receiving your profile. This feature makes it simpler to request recommendations, which may make the difference between employment or continued searching.

The plug-in will make profiles easily searchable compared to present methods. Each application will be in the same format so sifting through applications for specific qualifications with a few clicks of a mouse. This is a great feature since there is a large possibility for users to go apply-crazy and submit applications to jobs of which they are not qualified.

Overall, I think this is a great addition to the social media world. It is another example of how our world is changing. The almighty resume could be, in the far future, on its way out.