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Not Used to Television

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We haven't had a television for around 5 years.  Tonight I was thinking about watching the Presidential debates and considered a few ways I could watch it (webcasting, etc.).  Once the debates were over I looked for some summaries online. Then it hit me. That 32 inch black thing mounted on the wall behind me in my hotel room was perfectly suited for watching the debates.  I'm so use to not turning on a TV that I overlooked the fact that there was one right behind me. … [Read more...] about Not Used to Television

Thoughts on the Bailout

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If the bailout doesn't happen, I will probably lose money.  However, I am still not in favor of the proposed bailout.  Why?  Because I would rather lose money over the next 3 or 4 years in order to keep my country strong over the next 10 to 50.  The last time we heard this much talk about the bad things that would happen if we did nothing, we went to war in Iraq. It now seems that the "bad stuff" that was suppose to happen if we didn't go to war was overrated and based on faulty information.  My guess is that this is happening again. It seems to me that the long term damage from a bailout is likely to be worse than the shorter term damage (if any) of not passing the bailout. But what do … [Read more...] about Thoughts on the Bailout

Books I’m Reading

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I just finished Never Eat Alone (a book on how to network with people) and would highly recommend it.  I'm also half way through Work the System by Sam Carpenter (a book in the style of The 4 Hour Work Week) and just starting Brain Rules by John Medina.  (These two books were given to me in hopes of a review, but they look pretty good so far.) Another book I recently read and recommend is Physics of the Impossible. … [Read more...] about Books I’m Reading

Travel Tip: Create a Checklist

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If you travel a lot, it can be helpful to create a checklist of items you need to take with you.  This lets you perform the decision making process once, instead of repeating it again each time you go on a trip.  Obviously you may need to tailor your plans to match a particular trip, but your list can help make sure you don't forget anything important and can help reduce the feeling of, "I'm forgetting something, but don't know what it is." … [Read more...] about Travel Tip: Create a Checklist

Gift Cards and Bankruptcy

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I've seen people talk about using gift cards as a way to save for large purchases.  Where I live this doesn't make sense because of the fees that chip away at the value, but some states like California don't have that limitation.  Regardless of where you live, gift cards become pretty much worthless if the company goes bankrupt as people who hold gift cards from Sharper Image and The Bombay Company are learning.  If you want to save money, the best place to keep it is in a bank. … [Read more...] about Gift Cards and Bankruptcy

Webinars? Input Please

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I am toying with the ideas of doing a series of webinars on some of the topics we talk about here at Productivity501.  The idea would be to bring in some experts for 30 to 45 minute live discussions on particular topics. What do you think?  Is this something that would interest you and if so what topics would you like to see covered?  (Also if you can recommend a particular webinar product, I'd love to hear what you have found works well for you.) … [Read more...] about Webinars? Input Please

Windows on a Mac

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If you use a Mac, but need to run windows programs you have two options.  Bootcamp (requires a reboot to change OS) and something like Fusion or Parallels (runs Windows in a box on top of OS X).  I've been using Fusion and am very happy with it, but I've found that XP performs much much better than Vista in this environment.  If you want to run Windows on top of OS X, I'd stick with XP for now. … [Read more...] about Windows on a Mac

Skype for Tech Support Calls

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When I call a tech support line, I usually use Skype.  This keeps my other lines free and gives me the greatest freedom to stay on hold if necessary. I don't have to worry about my cell phone battery going dead or tearing through hundreds of cell phone minutes that could be put to better use elsewhere.  With a reasonably comfortable headset, I can continue to do other work while waiting to speak with a support representative. … [Read more...] about Skype for Tech Support Calls

Destroying Magazines

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I find that magazines are much more useful once you recognize that it is ok to tear pages out of them.  Rip out the articles that you think look interesting and take them with you to read while waiting.  Once you finish reading an article you can throw it away.  An article that you read and toss is worth far more than one sitting on a shelf that you never have time to read. … [Read more...] about Destroying Magazines

Deep Decluttering

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One of the most effective methods of decluttering is to move everything out and then just put back what you need.  The next time you need to clean your office, the kitchen cabinets, or a closet, consider moving everything out as your first step.  Get a three large boxes.  One for stuff that goes back, one for stuff that gets thrown away and one for stuff that should go elsewhere.  Most people find it is easier to organize when the items have already been removed.  It helps keep you from leaving something that belongs elsewhere. … [Read more...] about Deep Decluttering

Fat People to Pay $25 Per Month

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Back in May I mentioned American Airline's new charge for checked luggage and asked if people would mind paying for their flight based on their weight.  In the comments many people thought this was discrimination against people with a "disability". Well Alabama is now going to charge fat people $25 per month for insurance unless they are working at shedding the extra pounds.  They have a pretty generous definition of who is fat enough to pay the fee--your BMI has to be over 35 (30 is usually considered obese). If you are 5'6" that means you are probably over 220 pounds.  They already charge $24 per month to smokers.  What would you think if your insurance gave you $25 for being at a healthy … [Read more...] about Fat People to Pay $25 Per Month

International Travel and Credit Cards

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If you are traveling out of the country, be sure to call your credit card company and have them place a note on your account regarding your trip.  If their computers suddently see a bunch of activity internationally it is likely to trigger the fraud alerts.  Letting them know ahead of time won't guarantee that it won't get cut off, but it can help.  In my experience American Express is less likely be cut off than Visa or Mastercard. … [Read more...] about International Travel and Credit Cards

Laptop for taking Notes

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Unclutter posted an article about using a laptop to take notes at college.  I tend to disagree.  It is hard to beat a pen and paper for taking notes.  One thing that is commonly overlooked is how different tools exercise your mind.  When you work on the computer it uses substantially different parts of your brain than when you write with pen and paper. (I don't know what happens if you use a typewriter.)  Since so much research and writing papers is done on the computer, taking notes by hand allow you to interact with the content in as many different parts of the brain as possible.  What do you think?  Is a laptop an effective way to take notes in a classroom? … [Read more...] about Laptop for taking Notes

EVDO Card for Productivity

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I am posting this note from the road.  My wife is driving and I'm busy answering emails and arranging work with collegues from my laptop.  The thing that makes this possible is a Sprint EVDO card. From a productivity standpoint, it is well worth the $60 per month.  It more than pays for itself if I'm able to squeeze in an extra 30 minutes of work each month. … [Read more...] about EVDO Card for Productivity

Skype Now Sends Caller ID

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Several months ago I tried using Skype and it wouldn't allow you to display your Skype-In number as the caller id to people you were calling.  This was frustrating and I even sent a letter to the CEO of Skype about it. However, as Hayden Tompkins pointed out, this now works--I just hadn't checked it since it was fixed.  You may have to manually enable it, but logging into your account and going into the Caller ID preferences.  This is a great improvement because many people will just ignore calls that say UNKNOWN or from strange looking numbers. … [Read more...] about Skype Now Sends Caller ID

Cell Phones and Sleep

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Some experiments seems to suggest that using a cell phone before going to bed can make it more difficult to fall asleep.  It seems that the radio waves can mess with the mind and excite it.  The effect is fairly subtle and is about equivalent to drinking half a cup of coffee, but still something to consider if you are having trouble going to sleep. … [Read more...] about Cell Phones and Sleep

Trained Smelling Bees

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Scientists are training bees to smell certain diseases.  The bees are then used to recognize whether or not someone has a particular disease by smelling their breath. This is a far cry from the little hand held scanner StarTrek predicted we'd have, but it demonstrates a valuable lesson.  Don't get so caught up in looking for high tech solutions that you overlook simple, but very effective low tech opportunities. … [Read more...] about Trained Smelling Bees

A few useful links

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Unclutterer has some photos of a wall mounted laptop desk from Ikea.  It looks like it would be useful in homes where you are short on space. GetRichSlowly examines some of the changes people are making due to high gas prices and considers getting a scooter. LIfeClever looks at some tools to help you focus on a single window in OS X. … [Read more...] about A few useful links

Take a Nap for Memory

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Studies suggest that your memories are solidified while you sleep.  Your brain does a lot of work during your rest--almost like it is busy filing and making sense of everything you've discovered while you were awake.  When you've learned a new concept or information that you want to retain, consider taking a nap or reviewing it right before going to bed.  This will give your brain the best chance to assimilate the new information. … [Read more...] about Take a Nap for Memory

Pre-Charged Batteries

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Duracell sent me a few of their new pre-charged batteries to try out.  The idea is that people don't purchase rechargable batteries because they need to use them right away.  In the past you couldn't pre-charge Ni-Cad rechargeable batteries because they would lose their charge while sitting on the shelf.  The new pre-charged batteries seem to overcome this problem which also means you can charge up the batteries and not use it for awhile without losing power.  I'm still testing them out to write up a better review of their performance.  Duracell seems light on stats for the batteries with most of their efforts going into marketing based on humor, however the product seems good and will … [Read more...] about Pre-Charged Batteries

Mobile Me Email Down for a week.

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My .mac (now Mobile Me) email has be non functional since last Friday.  I can't believe a company with the resources of Apple can't get an email server fixed in 4 to 6 hours much less a whole week.  Walt Mosberg says the other services aren't very reliable either.  I had been told that they were storing all incoming emails in a queue, but when I asked them if they could print out my emails and fax them to me (I know that is insane, but they weren't offering me anything useful and being down for a whole week is even more crazy than faxing emails) I found out that their servers are simply rejecting incoming connections so after four days they will be returned as undeliverable.  At this point, … [Read more...] about Mobile Me Email Down for a week.

Contests

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We have number of contests going on right now. The Belkin Concealed Powerstrip Giveaway, the Bento Software Giveaway, and the Fruitfultime Software Giveaway are all still open for entries. Each contest has a different way to enter so be sure to check them all out. If you have any suggestions for future, prizes, please leave them on this post. … [Read more...] about Contests

Password Chart

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Password Chart is an interesting method to generate secure passwords. You give it a "master" password which is used to generate a chart that maps single letters to one or more letters.  You then just type in the name of the service you need a password for, and it will turn that into a password. Be sure to checkout our 10 Tips for Creating Secure Passwords. … [Read more...] about Password Chart

Prius vs. BMW

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Some time ago, I wrote about how we are very bad at making cost vs. benefit decisions and illustrated it with the cost benefit of hybrid vehicles and later with the total energy consumption of hybrids. If you enjoyed those discussions, you might be interested in real test between a BMW and a Prius conducted by the London Times. … [Read more...] about Prius vs. BMW