An MRI scan revealed that Kobe Bryant has a torn Altruistic Ligament in his shoulder, which is linked to selfishness. His coach Phil Jackson and others have long suspected this based on his shot selection, defense, interactions, and tendency to hog desserts after games. Bryant acknowledged the tear but said it is a personal issue and does not affect the team. A young Chicago Bulls team lost to the Celtics in overtime after leading late in the fourth quarter. During a timeout in overtime, Celtics player Kevin Garnett screamed in rookie coach Vinnie Del Negro's face, causing Del Negro to wet his pants due to a severe sweat gland condition in his groin area. The Bulls were

1. Tom
Robinson
tom.robinson.abc@gmail.com
|
415-­‐425-­‐0198
Writing Samples: Article for NerdWallet (page 1)
Frugal Your Food. Save Money, Maybe World
Wishing you could have traveled more this summer? Want to be debt free by the holidays? Just
looking to streamline your budget and have more money for fun? Open your fridge.
By now you should have a budget. Don’t have one? You should know better, but don’t fret,
making one is easy. Now take a look at that number you have next to ‘Food’. What if you could
cut that number down by a third? You won’t have to downshift to Ramen, PBJs, and millet.
Don’t worry; you don’t have to become an urban-hippy-dumpster-diver either. All you have to do
is be slightly smarter with your food.
Only Get What You Need
I know, that seems pretty obvious, but it actually is the most important step. Remember those
times you saw that 5lb sack of potatoes at the store? Remember how cheap it was, and how it
seemed dumb not to buy it? Remember that time you actually finished them all? Me neither.
Well, not that last part anyway. The point is 30-50% of all food gets thrown away. We are all
consistently overestimating what we need at the store and buying too much food, even this guy.
It’s easy to get on track though:
• Make a list before you shop. Plan your meals for the week, and be honest about it.
Usually hit happy hour on Thursdays and don’t feel like cooking? Plan for takeout that
night, or have leftovers waiting for you.
• Stick to your list. Coupons and sales are nice, but only if you needed the items already.
It’s very easy to be wowed by deals and leave with an extra grocery bag. Is it really
saving money if you spend $25 you didn’t plan on spending?
• Be smart with your list, and consolidate your menus for the week. Want salmon for
dinner tonight? Buy a little extra and plan for fish tacos tomorrow instead of starting over
with a new main dish.
• Also, I never shop for groceries when I’m hungry. Everything looks good. It’s a problem.
Use What You Buy
Now that you have your food, you need to make sure you eat it. I love to cook, but don’t have
the time to do it every night. I usually go big one night, cook a ton, and then work on the
leftovers for a day or two. The problem is sometimes leftovers get lost in the refrigerator shuffle
and are forgotten. You can fix this by stocking your food like they do at the store.
Anyplace that sells food uses F.I.F.O. (First In, First Out). This means storing the most
perishable food front and center, and the less time sensitive items in back. Keep the leftovers

2. Tom
Robinson
tom.robinson.abc@gmail.com
|
415-­‐425-­‐0198
Writing Samples: Article for NerdWallet (page 2)
and older fruits and veggies where you’ll see them, remember them, and use them; you don’t
need to see your mustard to remember you have it.
There are also plenty of ways to extend the life of the food you have. Older fruit and veggies can
be used for stock, juice, or smoothies. Shredded cheese can be frozen. You can even coat your
eggs in mineral oil so that they keep longer.
When you do have waste, treat it as knowledge. Keep a food waste diary. You’ll be able to see
what you are buying too much of. This will help you create better shopping lists and streamline
your budget even more.
Save a Little Bit of The World
So we won’t pretend that you buying one less pack of cookies a month will reinvigorate the polar
bear population, but reducing food waste is important. When you start looking at the big
numbers, the millions of tons of waste numbers, food scraps are a large part. In fact, only paper
generates more waste. Also, food in a landfill rots fast and turns into methane. If you read to the
end of that last link, you’ll see, as far as greenhouse gasses go, that methane is 21 times worse
than carbon dioxide. The 300lbs of food each person throws out each year does a chunk of
damage. So cutting down food waste, and budgeting a little bit, can be a big deal. Also, it is
always good to have an iron clad plan in place before you take on the cookie aisle.

3. Tom
Robinson
tom.robinson.abc@gmail.com
|
415-­‐425-­‐0198
Writing Samples: Levi’s Product Copy
Thermal-Lined Zip-Front Hooded Sweatshirt
Product Description
Your favorite soft hoodie−−except warmer.
Overview
• Regular fit
• Quilted Thermal lining
• Drawstring hood
• Full-zip front
• 60% Cotton, 40% Polyester – Imported
Microfiber Travel Cargo Pants
Product Description
Don’t pack any pants for your next trip−−just wear these out the door. They’ll take care of
themselves, and last longer on the road than you will.
Overview
• Dirt and water-resistant Microfiber finish
• Wrinkle-free, moisture-wicking material
• Hidden passport pocket
• Bulge-free button flap cargo pockets
• 98% cotton, 2% Microfiber fabric
Fit & Sizing
• Regular fit
• Hangs on hip
• Tapered leg

4. Tom
Robinson
tom.robinson.abc@gmail.com
|
415-­‐425-­‐0198
Writing Samples: Sports on a Stick article 1
MRI Proves Kobe Bryant is Selfish
A scan performed at L.A. County Hospital yesterday revealed what Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable
called a "clean and full tear" of Bryant's Altruistic Ligament. The ligament, located in the left
shoulder, develops in most people between the ages of five and nine. Damage to the ligament
has been linked to selfishness, megalomania and ball hogging. The causes of Bryant's tear is
unknown but league insiders are not surprised by the news.
"Frankly, the team's suspected this for a long time," said coach Phil Jackson. "It's evident in his
shot selection, his help defense, his interaction with teammates and the media. He even takes
extra desserts in the clubhouse. There's just enough cupcakes at the post-game buffet for
everyone to have one each. Everyone knows this. After the Golden State game he took
seven. Seven. It's gotten out of hand."
Bryant released a statement through his agent that confirmed the scan's results. In it, Bryant
referred to the tear is "a personal issue," and said he "[doesn't] see how it affects the team".
There was no MRI taken of Bryant's Monogamal Ligament, also suspected to be damaged.

5. Tom
Robinson
tom.robinson.abc@gmail.com
|
415-­‐425-­‐0198
Writing Samples: Sports on a Stick article 2
Rookie Coach Del Negro Wets Pants in OT Loss
With seven seconds to play a young Chicago Bulls team had a three-point lead over the
defending champion Boston Celtics. Kevin Garnett then swished an off-balance three-point shot
to send the game into overtime. The always-intense Garnett turned to the Bulls bench and
screamed in the face of rookie coach Vinnie Del Negro. It was then that a dark stain suddenly
appeared on Del Negro's pants. The Bulls were routed 17-2 in the overtime period as Del Negro
struggled to get the team to huddle during timeouts. Several players were seen holding towels
over their noses.
Del Negro did not speak to the press after the game, but Bulls GM John Paxson did address the
incident. According to Paxson, Del Negro suffers from a 'severe glandular sweat condition,
localized in the groin area.' It is a condition the team was aware of when Del Negro was hired.
Garnett regretted the incident and said he would not have yelled at Del Negro had he known
what the result would be. He also said that the laughing Celtics team could smell 'it' from their
bench. When told of Del Negro's condition, Garnett replied, "Well if that's doctor talk for pissing
your pants, then yeah, that's exactly what happened."

6. Tom
Robinson
tom.robinson.abc@gmail.com
|
415-­‐425-­‐0198
Writing Samples: SEO Article for NerdWallet (page 1)
How Much Should You Depend on SEO?
So you’re creating a website, or fixing one, or wondering if you should fix one. This means you
need to address SEO. A website is something that you want to be seen, and something you
want to be seen by a lot of people; SEO is the primary marketing tool for making that happen.
How people use SEO is constantly changing, and some even say the process itself is dying. It’s
important to know what SEO is, what its limits are, and where it’s headed.
What is SEO?
Search Engine Optimization is tailoring your website to get a higher ranking by search engines.
One method is using on-page SEO. This encompasses URL Optimization, internal link
architecture, and SEO Copywriting. However, many consider these methods to be less effective
than off-site SEO. Off-site SEO consists of anchor text and inbound links.
As with most marketing tools, there are ways to use them in a respected, foundation building
manner, ways to use them in more duplicitous and conniving ways, and even ways that will get
your site banned. Good and bad methods are classified as either white hat SEO (named for the
good guys in cowboy movies) or black hat SEO (the bad cowboys). White hat methods are
those approved by search engines. Black hat methods are those that are not and are deceptive.
An example of black hat SEO is plastering the red background of your website with keywords
that are written in the same color of red—invisible to the naked eye, visible to, and quantified by,
search engine spiders.
Search engines weigh all these methods differently when they assign page rankings. It’s
important to know how the search engines rank these methods, how effective your methods are,
and whether or not you are a good cowboy or a bad one. Here’s a chart that lays it out.
What SEO Can’t Do For You
I recently had a gig with a major software analytics company. I worked with a woman who was
spearheading a refresh of their website. She told me that for years the company was happy with
its website because it was happy with its page view numbers. She dug a little deeper and found
that over 90% of their viewers spent less than a minute on their site and viewed less than two
pages. They were getting the traffic they wanted, but were doing nothing with it. An established,
international company was generating almost no new business from their website. This
discovery led to a complete revamp of architecture, design, and content, as well as several 80-
hour workweeks.

7. Tom
Robinson
tom.robinson.abc@gmail.com
|
415-­‐425-­‐0198
Writing Samples: SEO Article for NerdWallet (page 2)
The point of this anecdote is that the phrase ‘content is king’ exists for a reason. Getting tons of
traffic is a good thing---but you have to do something with it. Viewers need to be engaged with
what they are reading or they will go someplace else. Having permutations of key phrases and
words for the spiders to find is important. Having so many that the reader is bored or confused,
not so much.
Is SEO Changing or Dying?
The claims of SEO’s death have been numerous and greatly exaggerated. Way back in 1997,
Richard Hoy opined that SEOs were “dead already and just don’t know it yet”. 15 years later,
you are reading an article asking if it will ever die. The newest killers of SEO are said to be
social media and Google’s Penguin. Some view Penguin to be a declaration of war against
SEO. Matt Cutts from Google says, to paraphrase, the war is against spam, not SEOs.
I don’t know where the war is, but I do know that Penguin means Google’s algorithms are
changing. I also know that different search engines have different best practices, and that those
best practices are constantly in flux. The largest part of Search Engine Optimization is keeping
up with what these best practices are, and how to turn them to your advantage. Just remember
to balance it with content that will put all that new traffic to use.

8. Tom
Robinson
tom.robinson.abc@gmail.com
|
415-­‐425-­‐0198
Writing Samples: Tibco Web Content (page 1)
Business Process Management
Business Processes are what define a company. The flexibility of those processes, and how
quickly they can adapt, determines a company’s success. The right Business Process
Management Technology will help you identify problems faster, and give you the
flexibility to implement the solutions sooner.
How You View Data Matters
Picture the inside of a hedge-maze with 15-foot walls. Now picture an aerial view of the same
maze drawn on paper. In one scenario an intelligent adult spends an hour getting their bearings.
In the other, a kindergartener solves the maze in under a minute. Both scenarios have the
same data; the difference is how it’s presented.
Tibco provides a completely Model-Driven Environment. Instead of poring over coding you are
visually recognizing patterns using:
• Data Modeling
• Organizational Modeling
• Process Modeling
• Process Pattern Modeling
• Pageflow Modeling
Faster recognition=Faster implementation of improvements and automation.
Flexibility Adds Speed
Tibco’s BPM is built with the needs of both business and IT in mind. With Model-Driven support,
the average business user won’t need the IT department to translate their ideas with custom
code. They can immediately integrate a manual end-to-end process, or an automated one. The
average business user will have enough control to work at the speed of their ideas.
Benefits
• Anticipate how small changes will affect the big picture by understanding the end-to-end
process with process visibility
• Enhance control over all forms of process automation using the blanket coverage of Inte

9. Tom
Robinson
tom.robinson.abc@gmail.com
|
415-­‐425-­‐0198
Writing Samples: Tibco Web Content (page 2)
• Enhance control over all forms of process automation using the blanket coverage of
Intelligent Business Platform
• Customize and integrate workspace clients with easy-to-use Ajax, gadget-based web
clients and mobile devices
• Increase business agility by quickly creating and deploying process based applications
and user interfaces
• Discover optimized, future processes in a Model-Driven Environment and seamlessly
integrate them into existing environments

10. Tom
Robinson
tom.robinson.abc@gmail.com
|
415-­‐425-­‐0198
Writing Samples: NileGuide Blog Entry
American Airlines to Charge Standby Passengers
Waiting at the airport for hours and hoping to make a stand-by flight, repeatedly, is something
every seasoned traveler has experienced. This will still be an option with American Airlines, but,
after today, they will charge you for the privilege.
American Airlines will begin charging passengers $50 to change their flight at the airport (for
tickets purchased today and after). The fee is being promoted as an operational improvement to
same day travel. Passengers will be able to confirm seats via self-service check-in machines in
addition to calling reservations or using the airport ticket counter, and, hypothetically, it will
improve boarding procedures.
Processing large groups of stand-by passengers on a case-by-case basis can be an operational
nightmare, causing delays in both boarding and departure. Situations where many passengers
are rolled over to flight after flight can be frustrating to both passengers and staff. However,
such circumstances and delays are a rarity, and it’s hard to view this fee as anything but
another revenue source for a hurting industry.
The $50 fee was originally instituted by American Airlines in 2005, but could be avoided by
remaining at the gate; this fee is actually the elimination of that courtesy. The fee won’t apply to
certain members of AAdvantage frequent-flier programs, first or business class, or those with
higher-priced coach tickets or military fares. Essentially this fee will affect those trying to travel
on the cheap.
Among domestic airlines, American is already at or near the top in fees for first and second
checked bags, ticket change, unaccompanied minors and in-flight food. Soon they will be one of
only four domestic airlines to charge for blankets and pillows. It remains to be seen if this stand-
by fee will become another trend in airline expenses, or a reason to consider other options for
cheap travel.