Instead of writing some blog on an individual topic involving personal, technological or social change, I thought it would be nice to do a round-up of stuff I saw over the weekend that addresses how people are moving forward (or in one case backward) in these tumultuous times.

First, the job search. I was turned onto this by Josh Levs at CNN. Laura Rowley, who does the Money And Happiness blog, did an article on how creative people are presenting themselves to potential employers. The ways people break through the sea of other candidates is inspired.

A candidate applying for a casino job, walked in and started dealing cards and pretending to talk to imaginary customers, demonstrating her card / people skills. The same for a prospective teacher, who brought a box of props, and started teaching a class during the interview.

One candidate researched a company, and found they were having problems with a particular technology the company used. Along with his resume, he sent a letter detailing how to solve that problem.

Here's a funny one. Someone who applied to a company sent his resume and an empty coffee cup by FedEx. As you probably know, when you sign for a shipment it's instantly recorded in your online account. When the applicant saw that it had been signed for, he immediately called the prospective employer and asked if he'd like to have a meeting over a cup of coffee.

Did these people get a job? Don't know, the blog didn't say. But, If you're looking to be noticed in the job search, creativity certainly improves your chances.

It's summer. Time for some ice cream! It's so American. What treat do they have in other countries when it's hot out? Well, in Italy, they eat gelato.

Gelato can be described as the creamy treat that fits between ice cream and yogurt. It's sweet, but lower in fat than ice cream. Gelato is sold on most every street corner in Italian towns. Gelato shops have been making inroads in the US. But instead of shop owners going out and buying gelato from a supplier, many new  shop owners are making their own. And where do these people learn the art of gelato? Italy of course. The Gelato University in Balogna teaches the art of making gelato to students from all over the world. A growing number of students are from the US.

Last year the university had 6000 students, many for different reasons. A job loss, a second act after retirement, a new career. They've decided to try to scoop out a living making gelato for the US market. Elizabeth McCleary of Sacramento, California was interviewed by ABC News. She's pursuing gelato production after spending 20 years in the advertising business. "I wanted a change and I wanted to do something that's going to benefit me in the future rather than working for somebody else," McCleary said.

It's not cheap. Gelato University costs around $880 for a one week immersion course. The equipment cost up to $70,000. But for many people, the lure of a new business making delicious gelato is worth the time and cost.

And finally, I'm going to end on a downer. Fiverr. In all honesty, I have mixed feelings about this. For $5, people will do all sorts of tasks, business, creative, silly, most anything legal, for $5. Did I say $5? For the cost of a foot long Subway sandwich, you can have professional work done. Yes, I went through all the web and graphic services I could get for a ridiculously low price. What a deal!

Plenty of the work is done by people overseas, where $5 goes a little further, but any person who has access to a computer and internet, $5 is not much further.  News stories done about Fiverr.com, have reported many of the professionals doing this work are here in the US, charging less than minimum wage, ($5) are just people who can't find work elsewhere.

What I hope is that eventually, services like Fiverr will not exist. I would hate to see professional people with great skills in a race to the bottom, just so they can make a living.