Happy April 1

Gift Ideas

It's hard to think of the perfect gift a week before someone's birthday.

Usually I see something at a random time and say hey that would be perfect for so-and-so.

But now I don't stop there.  I make a note on a sticky, in my phone, etc. and then transfer it to a master list in Google Docs.  Actually now I just put it strait into Google Docs using my phone's web browser.

When it comes time for the gift purchase, ta-dah, no brain racking.  And no settling for less.  Had the perfect idea and it came to fruition.

No Steam Room or Sauna

Assuming your not worried about the damaging affects of super high humidity in your bathroom, you can really get a spa experience at home using the good ol' shower.

To get an experience like a steam room or wet sauna, you have to keep the water really hot and stay in the shower for a really long time.  When you feel your mind working hard on a random abstract to distract you from the fact that your thinking you might pass out--you've succeeded.  (If your water heater runs out before you get to this point you'll have to wait to try during your next hotel stay.)

Then throw the water to cool for a bit.  Turn it off.  Dry off.  Get a glass of water. .... Enjoy feeling extremely relaaaaxed.....

Why not a hot bath?  Bath doesn't stay hot.  Air isn't hot.  And I don't fit...knees have no where to go...

Dreams Come True

In college I paid $200 for a Motorola Razor (w/ contract I'm sure).  At the time I had a Mac laptop and the razor was able to sync my contacts with my Mac....VIA BLUETOOTH!  WOW!

At that time I thought to myself, hey instead of all this syncing a device to a PC, why not have it all out on the Net?  Why do I have to worry about how it's formatted on my phone and how it will look when I import to the next proprietary device?  And now everything is in the cloud and you just access it.  It's my dream come true.

My gmail is my gmail on my PC and on my Android...love it.  No dumb app that imports emails.  NO.  Gmail w/ most major features everywhere, all the time.

It's all beyond my dreams now.  Google Maps on my phone...what?!  And I can see that my best friend is exactly 154 miles south of me as of this very second?  This kind of tech is so convenient that when my wife had to go without her Nexus for one day, she was immediately lost getting to the doctor.  I don't blame her.  Without my Android, I don't know where am I, when I am, or where I'm going!

These conveniences are amazing, just be careful of dependencies.  I had to use flash cards for months to bring my math skills back to par (important for my job) because I've been using a calculator since I left elementary school!  If your planning to get your arithmatic up to speed, try this:

In Gmail, go to Mail Settings, then Labs and enable Mail Goggles.  This add-on was created to help you not drunk-mail people by making you solve math problems before your message would send.  Set it to prompt you each day of the week at all hours and it will hit you whenever you start a new session of mailing.  It will annoy the hell out of you for the first week or two, but once your math speeds up, it will become automatic.  Change the math difficulty (In General settings area of Gmail) to keep up the challenge!

P.S.  If you're not using Gmail, I recommend signing up even if you're not willing to change your address.  You can simply setup Gmail to grab and manage your mail from whatever alias and service you currently use. (Setup POP3 in 'Accounts and Import').

When Nature Calls

When faced with the sharing of a restroom--like roommates or at a small office--you'll want a plan to minimize the evidence of doing business.

Sometimes this means timing.  Don't go drop the bomb when you know the boss is just about to go to lunch (that's when he likes to use it).

Sometimes it means using an alternate restroom if available.

But here's a good plan B:  Use awesome bathroom spray.

Call me sensitive, but I find most sprays are a respiratory irritant.  I swear I choke on it!  And really I think all they do is add flowers to crap.  That math equals flowery crap; crap nonetheless.

Instead there are sprays you use to treat the toilet water before you go.  (I also just spray it in the air.)  This may not be a technological break through, but all I know is that it beats anything I've ever used before:
Poo-Pourri and specifically the Royal Flush, as this is the one I use very frequently (I just have one of those systems).

Plan to give these as budget Christmas gifts since the names of the sprays will get a rise out of relatives and the price doesn't break the bank.

The Game

One of the first things my mentor taught me.

Each day that you do an activity during the week, you get a point.  Your activities are things you want to do consistently but never seem to actually make happen.  Days that exclude the activity (e.g., no gym on the weekend), you mark out with an X.  You're playing for a total score equal to your list of activities multiplied by the number of days, less any X's.

You'd be surprised how earning points motivates you to do something you normally blow off on a day to day basis.

Example:

In the above example. the player received 9 out of a possible 26--about a 35%.  Yeah horrible score.

The idea is get your ratio higher each week.  See if you can get 50% of your pionts, then 75%, and so on.  If you're nailing an activity every day and every week.  Congrats you are forming a good habit!  If you master it, take it off the list and add something else that trips you up.

Need a little more motivation?  If you get 75%, give yourself a reward that you predefined.  100% gets you a big reward!

Need even more motivation???  Have friend or loved one play too and hold each other accountable!

And I just forfeited a point writing about points because it's now past my bed time.

FileHippo.com

Our systems at work are not yet compatible with the new 10.x versions of Acrobat Reader. But I had already upgraded...oops. How bad can it be? Try having every report used on a daily basis crash the browser. Brutal.

Every usual web search only gives me the new program...but I plan on going back to Acrobat 9 or older to fix the issue!

FileHippo.com to the rescue. Check out the Sidebar on the right at this page:

Download Adobe Reader 10.0.1 - FileHippo.com

All the old versions! I'm impressed. And grateful.

MusicShark brings GrooveShark music to Windows Phone 7

If you plan to organize your music library one of these days, remember two things.
    1) One of these days is none of these days
    2) Music is now fungible.  You want to hear Black Eyed Peas - The Time (dirty bit)?  Just click and you have the music video.  Want the same song or slightly different version? Go to GooveShark, search it, tag as a fav and it's now in your library.  Build the library, stream from your PC, mac, smartphone...  You mean I don't have to 'borrow' from BitTorrent anymore? That's right!  Clear the conscious and embrace the cloud.

I recommend the Nexus S but if you happen to have a new Windows phone, you're in luck:

MusicShark brings GrooveShark music to Windows Phone 7

Why Planning

Plan-- To intend.  Method to achieve.  Program to accomplish.

Going shopping?  Make a list.
Need to be at work early tomorrow?  Plan to go to bed early.

Even spontaneous actions seem to be executed with a plan.
Let's run after the seagulls gathered on the beach NOW!!  As you run you think about when you'll slow down.  They start to fly off in obvious fashion.  If you can find any beach wood you can chuck it for additional harassment. Is there any other way you can get any closer, cut them off, really outwit them?  No, they are birds, but it was fun to be foolish. ...at least I thought so last week...

-{Sunset right before the seagull chasing}-

There is a basic law out there about planning.  You've heard it a million times.  I won't even say it.
But here's the reality:  Without plans we are aimless.  Life just happens to us.  Most of us can plan to eat because there's a relatively immediate consequence if we don't.  If your somewhat disciplined, you'll do the laundry every week so that you have an unbroken supply of clean garb.

Now let's take it to the next level.  Those who plan and execute consistently enjoy accomplishments of every type.  Want results?  Make a plan.

How you plan and how you like to execute determine the kind of results you produce.  Everyone's MO is different.  But here's me...

I have a 10 year plan and a plan for the evening.  But I also have plans for HOW I'll do something because I take joy in having done something well.  I don't want my parsley to just grow, I want it to thrive.  When I purchase my next vehicle I plan to buy a year old, focus on safety and utility, and really find a 'deal'.  I learn a tax planning technique and it gets put in a document that goes in a folder that will be accessed at tax time.  I decide what features I need in a blu-ray player and document them for when I eventually upgrade to one.  How many plans do I have?  A lot.

With so much planning, how do you remember it all?  What if I forget the intention to wait for an oil change coupon?  How's an OCD-ish, detail freak, going to get anything done in the nonlinear reality of life?

That's where tech comes in.  No no no.  We don't fill up our day using tech (if you're still playing Mafia Wars please consider seeking help).  We use tech to track, remind, organize, archive, market, research, and measure.  Stay efficient.  Stay organized.  Stay tuned....for another post...