Any of you TechCrunch readers are as tired as I am for having to read about Quora every other post. I love Quora, but talking about Quora and talking about content on Quora are two completely different things.

It got up to 71 degrees in Birmingham over the weekend. 71. In January.

The Donald thinks you’re doing a good job. You’re not fired.

I’ve been slowly working my way through Seth Godin’s Linchpin over the last four weeks. As will all of Seth’s books, it’s worth every penny. (Buy it with that Amazon coupon we all bought on Living Social last week.)

An excerpt:

A linchpin is an unassuming piece of hardware, something you can buy for 69 cents at your local hardware store. It’s not glamorous, but it’s essential. It holds the wheel onto the wagon, the thingy onto the widget.

Every single organization has at least one linchpin; some have dozens or even thousands. The linchpin is the essential element, the person who holds part of the operation together. Without the linchpin the thing falls apart.

Who’s your linchpin?

For me (a new guy at a company) a linchpin is anyone that will answer any question I have in a short, simple answer that is both easy to remember and easy to apply.

Yesterday I asked a colleague to review a document containing a request for a proposal from a potential customer. I wanted his thoughts regarding certain aspects, and to what extent we could meet the potential customer’s needs.

Later that afternoon I get an email. He’s reviewed the document and has suggested next steps.

Wait, what?

This was no two page, bullet-pointed, simpleton document. This was a monster PDF containing crucial bits of information about a long-term agreement.

My colleague had no problems tackling the monster doc because he’s well-versed in the language of proposal requests, he’s intelligent, and he’s hard working. He’s seen a hundred documents like this and knows exactly how to break it down in order to analyze it in a manner that is both efficient and thorough. He’s a linchpin.

Linchpins need to be thanked. Why? Because if you don’t thank them, another company will.

[photo via 30fps - love that man]

Kevin McAllister is not happy about his downtime.

In 2010, Daxko’s uptime was 99.96%. This means that our systems for our users of Daxko Opperations, Daxko Accounting, and Daxko Connect were only offline for 0.04% of the entire year.

By comparison, Amazon Web Services’ uptime was 99.95%. Amazon… AMAZON. 0.01% is 10 additional minutes of downtime.

Make no mistake, hundreds of factors go into high availability. However, downtime is just like any other problem or pothole in business… it’s essentially unavoidable. All companies face the same challenges and can plan according to their size and scope.

Ten minutes is a long time when you’re ordering a book or tracking a package that is set to deliver in time for someone’s birthday.

Ten minutes is a long time. I can’t sit still for two minutes.

Daxko was prepared for growth, traffic, and (perhaps most importantly) the unexpected in 2010. At the end of the day the companies who do just a little bit better are the ones who position themselves to be the best. 10 minutes.

Amazon, y’all. Amazon.

The following interaction from The Incredibles crossed my mind while reading this article yesterday. Read into it or deduct whatever you will.

Helen: “Everyone’s special, Dash.”
Dash: “Which is another way of saying no one is.”

My first post on the Daxko Nation blog went live yesterday: What If You Could Wear Anything You Wanted to Work? (Ok, maybe not anything.)

The Daxko blog is choc full of free content on job interviewing, technology, and of course, culture. I’m hoping to average 2-3 times per month and will link on my Twitter feed when a post goes up.

Growing up, the thought of drinking never seemed appealing to me. I didn’t have alcohol until I was 22, and even then I rarely had more than three drinks of any kind over the course of a year.

When I moved to Seattle I worked for a company where the average age on an employee was 28. We weren’t paid as competitively as we should have been, though to make up for it, mild mannered happy hours on the company’s dime were a regular event. It was through these happy hours that I finally forced myself to move past the Bud Light.

People always say that “beer is an acquired taste”. It’s so, so true. Beer is a taste that, in all honesty, is at first unbearable. Then one day something clicks. You not only like it, you love it. You begin to notice even the most subtle differences between to seemingly identical beers. The fact that Seattle is one of America’s beer hubs only fueled the newfound love.

In May I decided to keep track of the beers I tried. Below is the list containing those beers. By my estimation, 174 overall between May and December.

I’m sure there are multiple errors on this list (both in grammar and in noting the correct brewer and/or beer name). Feel free to recommend corrections by commenting on the post.

*Denotes personal favorites.
+Denotes disgusting beer.

21st Amendment Brewery Hell Or High Watermelon Wheat Beer+
Abita Brewing Co. Turbodog
Alameda Klickitat Pale Ale
Alaskan Winter Ale
Anchor Steam Ale
Anchor Steam Summer Ale
Arrogant Bastard Ale
Avery duganA IPA (Cask – Centenial Hops)
Avery duganA IPA (Cask – Chinook Hops)
Ayinger Hefeweizen
Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen
Bass Pale Ale
Bayern Pilsner
Bear Republic Brewery Racer 5 IPA*
Bell’s Brewery Pale Ale
Big Sky Brewing Company Scotch Ale
Big Sky Brewing Company Trout Slayer Pale Ale
Bitburger Pils*
Black Star Brewing Going To The Sun IPA
Black Star Double Hopped Golden Lager
Blackfoot Organic Pale Ale
Boddingtons Pub Ale
Boulevard Single-Wide IPA
Boundary Bay IPA*
Boundary Bay Scotch
Bridgeport Brewing Ebenezer Ale
Bridgeport Brewing Hop Harvest
Bridgeport Brewing IPA
Bud Light
Budweiser
Carlsberg Pilsner
Coors Banquet
Coors Light
Deschutes Big Rig Bitter
Deschutes Black Butte Porter
Deschutes Hop In The Dark Cascadian Dark Ale
Deschutes Inversion IPA*
Deschutes Jubilation Winter Ale
Deschutes Twilight Ale
Diamond Knot Ho Ho
Diamond Knot IPA*
Dick’s IPA*
Dixie Beer
Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA*
Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale
Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron
Dogfish Head Raison D’être
Elysian Brewing Company Bifrost Winter Ale
Elysian Brewing Company Jasminel IPA
Elysian Brewing Company Men’s Room Red Ale*
Elysian Brewing Company The Immortal IPA*
Emerald City Dottie Lager
Erdinger Double Wisse
Firestone Double Barrel Ale
Franziskaner Weissbier
Full Sail Brewing Session Lager
Full Sail IPA
Full Sail Pale Ale
Full Sail Wreck The Halls IPA
Georgetown Brewing Company Lucille IPA
Georgetown Brewing Company Manny’s Pale Ale*
Georgetown Brewing Company Roger’s Pilsner
Good People Brewing Company Snake Handler Double IPA
Goose Island Beer Company 312 Urban Wheat Ale
Great Northern Brewing Co. Big Fog ESB
Great Northern Brewing Co. Buckin’ Horse Pilsner
Great Northern Brewing Co. Fred’s Black Lager
Great Northern Brewing Co. Wheatfish Wheat Lager
Great Northern Brewing Co. Wild Huckleberry Wheat
Great Northern Huckleberry Wheat
Green Lakes Organic Amber Ale*
Grolsch Lager
Guinness
Hacker-Pschorr Alt Munich Dunkel
Hacker-Pschorr Weisse
Hale’s O’Brien’s Harvest Ale
Hale’s Supergoose Double IPA*
High 5 Hefeweizen
Hofbrau Hefeweizen
Howell Brewing Back Row Baptist IPA*
Kettle House Cold Smoke Scotch Ale
Kokanee
Kona Brewing Company Longboard Larger
Kona Brewing Company Pale Ale
Lagunitas Brewing Company IPA*
Lazy Boy Brewing IPA*
Lazy Boy Brewing Mistletoe Bliss
Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company Reb Ale
Leavenworth Oktoberfest
Leinenkugels Hefeweizen
Mac & Jack’s Brewery African Amber*
Mac & Jack’s Brewery Serengeti Wheat*
Mac & Jack’s Brewery Two Tun IPA
Maisel’s Weisse
Maisels Weisse Dunkel*
Maritime Pacific Brewing Company Imperial IPA*
Maritime Pacific Brewing Company Old Seattle Lager*
Maritime Pacific Brewing Company Pilsner
Maritime Pacific Brewing Company Red Amber
Miller Light
Modelo Especial
Montana Breweries Highlander Premium
Nectar Ales Red Nectar
New Belgium Brewing Fat Tire
New Belgium Brewing IPA
Ninkasi Brewing Company Believer Double Red Ale
Ninkasi Brewing Company Oatis Oatmeal Stout
Ninkasi Brewing Company Radiant Ale
Ninkasi Brewing Company Sleigh’r Dark Doüble Alt Ale
Ninkasi Brewing Company Spring Reign Ale
Ninkasi Brewing Company Total Crystal Ale
Ninkasi Brewing Company Total Domination IPA*
Ninkasi Brewing Company Tricerahops IPA*
Odin Brewing Company Kolsch
Odin Brewing Company Pilsner
Odin Brewing Company Smoky Bacon Ale+
Okanagan Spring Pale Ale
Pabst Blue Ribbon
Pacifico
Pack-String Porter
Paulaner Oktoberfest*
Pike Brewing Company Double IPA
Pilsner Urquell
Pinkus Organic Hefe-Weizen
Pyramid Breweries Hefeweizen
Rainier*
Red Stripe Lager
Redhook ESB
Reissdorf Kölsch
Rogue Brewery Portland State IPA*
Rogue Brewery White Frog Ale
Rogue Brewery Captain Sig’s Deadliest Ale
Rogue Brewery Dead Guy Ale
Rogue Brewery Double Mocha Porter
Rogue Brewery Hazelnut Brown Nectar
Rogue Brewery Honey Orange Wheat
Rogue Brewery XS Imperial Red
Rogue Brewery Dry Hop Red Ale
Rogue Brewery Mom Heffe*
Sam Adams Lager
Sam Adams Light
Sam Adams Summer Ale
Schneider Weisse
Schooner Exact Brewing Company 3 Grid IPA
Scuttlebutt Brewing Company Black Pilsner
Scuttlebutt Brewing Company Tripel 7 Belgian*
Shmaltz Brewing Company Coney Island Lager*
Sierra Nevada Brewers Reserve
Sierra Nevada Brown Ale
Sierra Nevada Harvest
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Sierra Nevada Summertime Ale
Spaten Lager*
Spaten Oktoberfest*
Spaten Optimator*
Spaten Pils*
Stella Artois
Stone Brewing Company Arrogant Bastard Ale
Sweetwater Brewing Company IPA
Tamarack Brewing Company Yard Sale Ale
Tecate
Tommyknocker Pick Axe Pale Ale*
Trumer Pils
Two Beers Brewing Co. Fresh Hop IPA
Two Beers Brewing Co. Persnickety Pale Ale
Urban Brewery Honey Lager
Urban Brewery Hopworks IPA
Veltins Pilsner*
Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier
Wernesgrüner Pils
Widmer Brothers Drifter Pale Ale
Yaletown Brewing Co. Brick and Beam IPA
Yaletown Brewing Co. UFG Pilsner

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I was on a cruise ship during the BCS Championship Game. I couldn’t watch. Literally.

The satellite feed wasn’t working, so 30 Auburn and Oregon fans all gathered round a computer (paying $0.75 per minute) to watch a bootlegged feed which froze every 30 seconds. It was like being handed a grainy photograph of an event with no explanation whatsoever about what happened before, after, or even when it happened.

I’m sure many of you didn’t mind my absence. Lord knows your Twitter feeds were a lot less full.

People always ask me who I cheer for when it comes to college football. Southern Miss is the obvious answer. Referring my following of the Golden Eagles as an “obsession” would be a major understatement. But in the state of Alabama, you are Alabama or you are Auburn. I grew up Auburn and followed them with a passion greater than many who actually attended the university. I joke that if I was married to Southern Miss, Auburn would be “the other woman”.

So, to Auburn, War Eagle! What an incredibly memorable year.

Now… let’s be honest and admit that next year you’ll be lucky to go 9-3. (luv u Newton & Fairley)

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We’re back from a cruise, and I’m sick! Woo-hoo, Monday!

I’m as sad as Kanye that I’m neglecting you.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m at one of the happiest points in my life.

Back in Alabama.
Closer to friends and family.
Working for a company I’ve been in love with for 18 months.

…and all of those things have pulled me away from blogging. It’s a good, bad thing to happen because, you know, things are pretty good.

That said, you’ll see more activity around here soon. Daxko (my new employer) fully supports an online presence (such as a blog or Twitter account) and I’m excited about discussing more serious topics in a detailed and jovial manner.

Until then, I’m as sad as Kanye that I’m neglecting you.

And now, I’m off on a cruise for a week.

The thing is, despite the thousands of SKUs hitting the floor, we can’t remember the last time a game changer was announced at CES. Everything here is derivative, and anything important enough to the world gets its own launch event—Google and Apple and Microsoft all know this. So do we.

By the time you read this, I, like many of you, will have devoured Chick-fil-A’s latest piece of awesomeness: the spicy chicken biscuit.

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Are we all back at work yet? I hope so. I started my new job two weeks ago. It’s tough being on cloud nine while everybody around just wants to go home and enjoy Christmas. Now… we’re back at work, and I can continue to be giddy.