Shared RSS items « R Scott Jones

Shared RSS items

Here are some articles or posts that I’ve found interesting and wanted to share:

Google Readertag:google.com,2005:reader/user/13883462192874806793/state/com.google/broadcastScott's shared items in Google ReaderCLPvoJqc05YCScott2008-11-15T17:06:38Ztag:google.com,2005:reader/item/de4124e9d500bef2Twenty percent off coupon for The Container Store2008-11-15T12:15:44Z2008-11-15T12:15:44Z<img src="http://unclutterer.com/wp-content/uploads/081115-oprah.jpg" align="right">If you watch the Oprah Winfrey show or follow <a rel="nofollow" href="http://twitter.com/UncluttererTips">UncluttererTips</a> on Twitter, then this information is old news to you. However, with the holidays on the horizon, I wanted to make sure that all of our readers knew how to get a 20 percent discount at <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.containerstore.com">The Container Store</a>. Oprah has once again teamed up with Peter Walsh to help Americans clean up their messy homes. This time, as part of the effort, The Container Store is helping out, too. To get the 20 percent discount you can <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/20081029_tows_messyhouse/21">print the coupon</a> to use in the store, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/20081029_tows_messyhouse/21">enter the code</a> to use online, or <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/20081029_tows_messyhouse/21">print a barcode</a> and give its numerical information to a phone representative. The coupon and codes expire on November 19 — just four days from now — so you’ll have to act quickly if you want to take advantage of this offer! Image courtesy of the Oprah Winfrey show <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/pRWy1BRMOXNej4b8GtwVDCMBq34/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/pRWy1BRMOXNej4b8GtwVDCMBq34/i" border="0" ismap></a><div> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?a=ijrhgeaE"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?d=41" border="0"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?a=WoAiRXAW"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?d=43" border="0"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?a=sjRGwUHN"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?i=sjRGwUHN" border="0"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?a=7NEo8oEf"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?i=7NEo8oEf" border="0"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?a=h0kv57lL"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?i=h0kv57lL" border="0"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?a=JgPs2Odj"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?d=52" border="0"></a> </div> <a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/ZzE50r2KioCzwEj_-8gyPdZbHPI/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/ZzE50r2KioCzwEj_-8gyPdZbHPI/i" border="0" ismap></a>(author unknown)tag:google.com,2005:reader/feed/http://feeds.feedburner.com/unclutterer-without-a-year-agoUnclutterer without "A Year Ago" poststag:google.com,2005:reader/item/f4ddc471ac4aeebcHow to Burn Any Video File to a Playable Video DVD2008-11-11T00:11:41Z2008-11-11T00:11:41Z<img src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/11/free-dvd-creator-startup_01.png" width="243" height="235" align="right" hspace="4" vspace="2">With your BitTorrent addiction in full swing, you've filled hard drives with media but can't seem to figure out how to burn any of the videos you downloaded to a DVD. Sound familiar? It's a common problem, and there was a time that it didn't have many simple (or free) solutions. Luckily that's no longer the case, and today we're taking a look at two dead simple solutions for burning virtually any video to a DVD you can pop into your DVD player and enjoy. <h3 style="font-size:120%;margin-top:20px">DVD Flick</h3> <img src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/11/dvd-flick.png" width="600" height="270" align="center">First and foremost, there's <a href="http://www.dvdflick.net/">DVD Flick</a>, a free, open-source application that supports over 45 different file formats, includes subtitle support, and makes creating a DVD from most common (and even uncommon) video files a breeze. I detailed <a href="http://lifehacker.com/software/dvds/hack-attack-burn-almost-any-video-file-to-a-playable-dvd-232322.php">how to burn almost any video file to a playable DVD with DVD Flick</a> almost two years ago now, but the app is better than ever. Since I last wrote it up, DVD Flick has added support for creating custom menu screens and has pushed out a load of bug fixes. <h3 style="font-size:120%;margin-top:20px">Free DVD Creator</h3> <img src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/11/free-dvd-converter.png" width="600" height="351" align="center">If DVD Flick isn't your thing, then check out <a href="http://www.minidvdsoft.com/dvdcreator/">Free DVD Creator</a>. It's not open source like DVD Flick (we do love our <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FOSS">FOSS</a>), but it's still free, and it offers most of the same features as DVD Flick. <img src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/11/create-dvd-menu.png" width="494" height="432" align="center">Also like DVD Flick, the Free DVD Creator wizard is dead simple to use. First select the movies you want to burn and arrange them in the order you'd like them to playback and appear on the DVD menu. On the next screen, you can completely customize your DVD menu screen. Once you've made it that far, just start burning. Free DVD Creator (like DVD Flick) will handle all of the file conversions necessary, then write the DVD-ready video to a DVD complete with your custom menu. <img src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/11/dvd-video-burner.png" width="401" height="232" align="center">If you have trouble with the one step convert-and-burn (when I tested it, Free DVD Creator created the DVD but didn't immediately burn), just re-open Free DVD Creator and this time select Video DVD Burner instead of Create Video DVD. Then just point the Burner at the VIDEO_TS folder that Free DVD Creator made the first time around (by default it's located at <code>C:\DVDTemp\</code> and hit Burn. That worked for me without a hitch. <hr> Got a favorite tool for burning your various videos to DVD? Whether we mentioned it above or not, let's hear more about your tool-of-choice in the comments. <div><a href="http://www.minidvdsoft.com/dvdcreator/">Free DVD Creator</a> [via <a href="http://www.nirmaltv.com/2008/11/07/convert-avi-divx-wmv-mov-mp4-mpeg-to-dvd/">Life Rocks 2.0</a>]</div>Adam Pashtag:google.com,2005:reader/feed/http://lifehacker.com/tag/Top/index.xmlLifehacker: Toptag:google.com,2005:reader/item/1a00089d859fdf31The Best Way to Tether Your iPhone to Your Laptop (for Free)2008-11-14T00:30:00Z2008-11-14T00:30:00Z<img src="http://www.lifehacker.com/assets/resources/2007/11/iphone-tether-head.png" style="display:block">Although <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5078665/att+approved-iphone+to+laptop-tethering-coming-soon">AT&T will eventually offer an iPhone tethering plan</a> so that you can use your iPhone's data plan on your laptop (yay!), there's one major catch: They're also <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5084452/att-iphone-tethering-will-cost-you">planning to charge your an extra /month</a> to do it (boo!). That may be worth it if you plan on doing a lot of tethering (and still use under 5GB of data transfer), but if you just need occasional internet access on your laptop and don't feel like ponying up 0 a year to do it, you've got other options. We've looked at several other <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5049729/iphone-modem-tethers-jailbroken-iphones">iPhone</a> <a href="http://lifehacker.com/398961/get-your-computer-online-using-your-iphones-data-connection">tethering</a> <a href="http://lifehacker.com/software/feature/use-your-iphones-internet-connection-on-your-laptop-327066.php">methods</a> in the past, but the app we're going to use today—called <a href="http://www.junefabrics.com/iphone/index.php">PdaNet</a>—stands head-and-shoulders above the competition both in ease-of-use and functionality. NOTE: As soon as AT&T begins to sell the wireless tethering service, they may or may not start cracking down on unofficial tethering. For my part, I have tethered a few times (just to test, I promise!) and have never seen an extra charge on my bill. On the other hand, I doubt my meager usage attracted much attention. Either way, proceed at your own risk. UPDATE: It appears that the latest version of PdaNet for the iPhone has a trial period, after which it remains free for HTTP use (i.e., most web browsing), but costs for a full license that will handle all the rest of your traffic. If you don't plan to do much more than regular web browsing, you probably won't notice much of a difference. Either way, a one-time fee of is still better than /month. <h3 style="font-size:120%;margin-top:20px">What You'll Need</h3> To get started, you need just a few things. Most importantly, you'll need a jailbroken iPhone (2G or 3G) with a data plan. If you've haven't already jailbroken your iPhone, grab a copy of the <a href="http://blog.iphone-dev.org/post/42931306/pwnagetool-2-0-1">PwnageTool</a> or <a href="http://www.winpwn.com/index.php/Main_Page">WinPwn</a> and follow the simple jailbreaking wizards. (If you want a little hand-holding, we've got a guide for PwnageTool <a href="http://lifehacker.com/398906/jailbreak-iphone-20-with-pwnagetool">here</a> and one for WinPwn <a href="http://lifehacker.com/399198/jailbreak-iphone-20-on-windows-with-winpwn">here</a>.) All jailbroken? Good. Now assuming you've got a laptop, let's get this party started. <h3 style="font-size:120%;margin-top:20px">Install PdaNet</h3> <img src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/11/cydia-pdanet.jpg" width="320" height="461">Fire up your jailbroken iPhone and launch the Cydia application from your homescreen. Tap the search tab, then do a quick search for PdaNet. Once you find it, tap the Install button on the top right of the screen (mine says Modify because it's already installed on my iPhone). Follow the install dialog and you're done. <h3 style="font-size:120%;margin-top:20px">Create an Ad-Hoc Network</h3> This is the most complex sounding part of the setup, but it's actually very simple. Your laptop is capable of creating an ad-hoc wireless network that allows data to pass between it and the device that connects to it. In this case, we're going to create an ad-hoc network between your laptop and your iPhone so that your laptop can use your iPhone's data connection. Simple enough, right? Setting up the ad-hoc network varies depending on what operating system you're using. On OS X, it's a breeze: <img src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/11/create-network.png" width="253" height="248">Just click on Create Network... on your Airport drop-down. <img src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/11/name-and-password-protect.png" width="427" height="383">Give your ad-hoc network a name and set up a password if you like. That's all there is to it. It's a little more complicated if you're on a Windows laptop, so here's <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/networking/setup/adhoc.mspx">how to set up an ad-hoc network in XP</a> and <a href="http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-us/help/293c504f-b944-4d5d-835c-f080129bd5dc1033.mspx">here's how to do it in Vista</a>. <h3 style="font-size:120%;margin-top:20px">Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Tethering</h3> <img src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/11/choose-wifi.jpg" width="320" height="271">Once you've set up your ad-hoc network, tethering your iPhone to your laptop is a breeze. Just open your iPhone Settings, tap Wi-Fi, and select your newly created network. <img src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/11/pdanet.jpg" width="320" height="480">Then head back to your home screen, launch PdaNet, and flip the WiFi Router switch at the bottom of the screen. <h3 style="font-size:120%;margin-top:20px">What Else Do You Need to Know?</h3> PdaNet stands out among its competition because—unlike the other methods we've seen—once you're rolling with PdaNet, every application on your computer has full access to the internet. Most other methods set up a SOCKS proxy, so only applications supporting that proxy will work. PdaNet runs in the background, so you can leave the application running and do other multi-tasking on your phone if you need to. The one thing you need to be particularly aware of when using PdaNet is your battery. While running, PdaNet will suck the energy from your battery with the vigor of an aggressive teenage makeout session. Even with my phone plugged in and charging, I still see a net battery drain overall. So plug in your iPhone while you're tethering or your phone will die quickly. Other than that, PdaNet works like a charm. I called this method the easiest setup, and although the steps may look fairly involved, once you learn to set up the ad-hoc network on your laptop, it takes under a minute to get your tether on. Whether you've been using PdaNet or another tethering method, let's hear more about your experience in the comments.Adam Pashtag:google.com,2005:reader/feed/http://lifehacker.com/tag/Top/index.xmlLifehacker: Toptag:google.com,2005:reader/item/647d9199199f7f41Making products so valuable that no one wants to throw them away2008-11-07T08:00:00Z2008-11-07T08:00:00Z<a href="http://noimpactman.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/11/06/old_shoes.jpg"><img height="267" width="400" border="0" src="http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/images/2008/11/06/old_shoes.jpg" title="Old_shoes" alt="Old_shoes"></a> Part of why it is hard for business to really embrace deep-green environmental practice is that making profit has always been associated with high material and energy throughput. If they make products that are meant to last, they sell less, and their profits go down. Reduced material throughput, for them, means reduced income--even if it means saving the planet. Here's another thing. Part of how companies create value for their products is through story. Lots of times that story is about status. You'll be cooler and have more friends if you buy this. They wait a while and then trump that with a story about how that now old product is no longer cool, so you should buy the next. What I mean here is that the material throughput that so many companies think they require is partly produced by the manipulation of story--throw the old thing out, buy the next thing, people will like you better. But what if companies could manipulate story in such a way that it produced long-term customer loyalty and a repair- and service-based profit paradigm that did not require material and energy throughput. What if they used to story to make you want to keep hold of their product and, instead of throwing it out, pay to get it repaired? Let's imagine, for example, a pair of shoes that was made to last 20 years. Suppose, as a pair of shoes is manufactured, every worker throws a card in the shoe with their name, their picture, a short biography and a url to a webcam of their work station so you could watch them and a chat address so you could talk to them. All of a sudden, your shoes are not some anonymous item that came from nowhere and will go to nowhere, but a wonderful piece of craft made by Steve, who has three kids, and Joan, who is working her way through college. The story you get is not one of status but one of connection. Suddenly, you become part of the web of life. You bought the shoes, Joan gets to go to class. You don't want to throw the shoes away, and besides, when the soles where out, you get to send them back to Steve for fixing. You even enjoy paying to have them fixed because Steve tells you how much he loves his job. I'm sure it's not the most practical idea, but you get my drift right? In this scenario, the company makes a profit not through material throughput but by developing a long-term relationship with customers. These are the ways business needs to start thinking. Disposable products are a thing of the past.<div> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?a=xJ1VN"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?i=xJ1VN" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?a=3n84n"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?i=3n84n" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?a=87yon"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?i=87yon" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?a=FBYAn"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?i=FBYAn" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?a=qwnJN"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?i=qwnJN" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?a=1ICjN"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?i=1ICjN" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?a=NwqhN"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?i=NwqhN" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?a=pZAhN"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?i=pZAhN" border="0"></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/NoImpactMan/~4/445231913" height="1" width="1">Colin Beavan aka No Impact Mantag:google.com,2005:reader/feed/http://feeds.feedburner.com/NoImpactManNo Impact Mantag:google.com,2005:reader/item/f8d6daaa2d86ee90iPhone App for taking FAIL on the Go2008-11-12T08:59:46Z2008-11-12T08:59:46Z<div> Hi Failers! If you have an iPhone, you can download our latest app to read all our sites on the go! This simple and easy to use app lets you pick any of our 8 sites to view. It even lets you save pictures to your iPhone so you can turn them into a wallpaper or send them to a friend! Best of all, it’s free. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=292750948&mt=8">Click to download the free I Can Has Cheezburger? app via iTunes</a> This is just the first version. In future versions, we’ll let you submit pictures from your iPhone, create pictures on the phone and add many more features. We’ll also be creating an open API for anyone to build an application on our platform. Pictures: <a href="http://failblog.org/2008/11/12/iphone-app-for-taking-fail-on-the-go/picture-3/" title="iphone-app"><img src="http://failblog.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/picture-3.png?w=100&h=150" width="100" height="150" alt=""></a> <a href="http://failblog.org/2008/11/12/iphone-app-for-taking-fail-on-the-go/picture-4/" title="iphone-app-menu"><img src="http://failblog.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/picture-4.png?w=100&h=150" width="100" height="150" alt=""></a> <a href="http://failblog.org/2008/11/12/iphone-app-for-taking-fail-on-the-go/picture-5/" title="iphone-app-lol"><img src="http://failblog.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/picture-5.png?w=100&h=150" width="100" height="150" alt=""></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/failblog.wordpress.com/8505/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/failblog.wordpress.com/8505/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/failblog.wordpress.com/8505/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/failblog.wordpress.com/8505/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/failblog.wordpress.com/8505/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/failblog.wordpress.com/8505/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/failblog.wordpress.com/8505/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/failblog.wordpress.com/8505/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/failblog.wordpress.com/8505/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/failblog.wordpress.com/8505/"></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=failblog.org&blog=2441444&post=8505&subd=failblog&ref=&feed=1"></div><div> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/failblog?a=4hQJD9nn"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/failblog?d=41" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/failblog?a=ogcglfo4"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/failblog?i=ogcglfo4" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/failblog?a=QOOwwDsU"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/failblog?i=QOOwwDsU" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/failblog?a=LlmQ3sBg"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/failblog?d=52" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/failblog?a=dYAxmzTT"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/failblog?i=dYAxmzTT" border="0"></a> </div><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/failblog/~4/cAnJSqBcw44" height="1" width="1">Donkephanttag:google.com,2005:reader/feed/http://feeds.feedburner.com/failblogFAIL Blog: Pictures and Videos of Owned, Pwnd and Fail Momentstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/7939d73dcd1b2f71Apple may turn to carbon fiber for lighter MacBook Air2008-11-11T19:00:00Z2008-11-11T19:00:00ZApple enthusiastically claimed ownership to the world's thinnest notebook earlier this year with the introduction of the MacBook Air, but is rumored to be unsatisfied with the system's weight, which it now hopes to drop below 3 pounds.<div style="clear:both"><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//www.appleinsider.com/appleinsider.rss&itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.appleinsider.com%2Farticles%2F08%2F11%2F11%2Fapple_may_turn_to_carbon_fiber_for_lighter_macbook_air.html&itemDate=2008-11-11%2014%3A00%3A00&itemTitle=Apple%20may%20turn%20to%20carbon%20fiber%20for%20lighter%20MacBook%20Air"><img border="0" src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//www.appleinsider.com/appleinsider.rss&itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.appleinsider.com%2Farticles%2F08%2F11%2F11%2Fapple_may_turn_to_carbon_fiber_for_lighter_macbook_air.html&itemDate=2008-11-11%2014%3A00%3A00&itemTitle=Apple%20may%20turn%20to%20carbon%20fiber%20for%20lighter%20MacBook%20Air"></a></div>(author unknown)tag:google.com,2005:reader/feed/http://www.appleinsider.com/appleinsider.rssAppleInsidertag:google.com,2005:reader/item/a457dc81c3052411Amazon’s new uncluttered packaging program2008-11-10T14:30:33Z2008-11-10T14:30:33ZAmazon has introduced a new program called <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200285450">Frustration-Free Packaging</a>. The program aims to reduce the amount of packaging that is sent to you and make the process of opening your merchandise frustration free. An example of a toy sent via the new packaging is pictured below: <img src="http://unclutterer.com/wp-content/uploads/amazon-packaging.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="224"> This new way of shipping products is very convenient. The amount of packaging that is reduced depends on the product, but judging from some of the items I’ve struggled to open up in the past, the Frustration-Free Packaging will surely be welcome. My first question upon hearing about this new packaging program was, “So what does Amazon do with the packaging?” Upon reading the helpful <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=200285450">Q&A page</a>, I was surprised to find out that Amazon is working directly with manufacturers to package their products in the new packaging right off of the assembly line. I hope this new packaging program will catch on with other retailers. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/ubo08firPJSODSTYQGcMC0eXMmY/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/ubo08firPJSODSTYQGcMC0eXMmY/i" border="0" ismap></a><div> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?a=T3hJV4hN"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?d=41" border="0"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?a=q9ibR5Mt"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?d=43" border="0"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?a=2cB0wWz8"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?i=2cB0wWz8" border="0"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?a=LTPTn9gh"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?i=LTPTn9gh" border="0"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?a=LlHNOY9N"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?i=LlHNOY9N" border="0"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?a=LPvxoiVO"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?d=52" border="0"></a> </div> <a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/pQh0tGoXwzZuO91Vy-caoTjawAA/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/pQh0tGoXwzZuO91Vy-caoTjawAA/i" border="0" ismap></a>(author unknown)tag:google.com,2005:reader/feed/http://feeds.feedburner.com/unclutterer-without-a-year-agoUnclutterer without "A Year Ago" poststag:google.com,2005:reader/item/4458d5a596ffa1c7Google can now OCR all PDFs2008-11-08T12:15:25Z2008-11-08T12:15:25ZWhen you scan a document, your computer interprets this data as an image. You can see the words on the screen, but your computer doesn’t. As far as your computer is concerned, the letters could be birds or your child or a boat. When you put this scan up on a website, search engines haven’t been able to index any of the content of your documents because it didn’t recognize the text as text … until now. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/picture-of-thousand-words.html">Google</a> has a new system that scans Acrobat PDFs on the web for words using Optical Character Recognition (OCR). Similar to its process for using OCR to detect words in PDFs that have already been OCR processed, the new system will do the same for scanned documents posted online that haven’t yet undergone OCR. <img src="http://unclutterer.com/wp-content/uploads/081105-pdfocr.jpg"> If you have scanned PDFs and are interested in having them converted into text, you can upload the images to your website and take advantage of this service. Simply follow the instructions for how to use Google OCR from the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.labnol.org/software/convert-scanned-pdf-images-to-text-with-google-ocr/5158/">Digital Inspiration</a> website: Create a folder in your website (say abc.com/pdf) and upload all the PDF images to that folder. Now create a public web page that links to all the PDF files. Wait for the Google bots to spider your stuff. Once done, type the query “site:abc.com/pdf filetype:pdf” [into Google] to see the PDF documents as HTML. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://lifehacker.com/5072186/let-google-convert-your-scanned-pdfs-to-text">Lifehacker</a> recommends using “<a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/">Google’s Webmaster Tools</a> to reign in what gets scanned and indexed on your site, although you should assume anything you put online can be found by those looking for it.” This is a really terrific way to get rid of paper clutter in your work space and in your home since you can now see the words in your scanned documents. <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/b9A38FMbmXvPYeqTwdQGPFE0S5k/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/b9A38FMbmXvPYeqTwdQGPFE0S5k/i" border="0" ismap></a><div> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?a=4sq68kYc"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?d=41" border="0"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?a=dcZdK4f9"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?d=43" border="0"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?a=NVWZL5fi"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?i=NVWZL5fi" border="0"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?a=Tie0b2d2"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?i=Tie0b2d2" border="0"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?a=vrMSW4Pf"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?i=vrMSW4Pf" border="0"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?a=CxLbsUoT"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/unclutterer?d=52" border="0"></a> </div>(author unknown)tag:google.com,2005:reader/feed/http://feeds.feedburner.com/unclutterer-without-a-year-agoUnclutterer without "A Year Ago" poststag:google.com,2005:reader/item/b434e1b56785a918Postage Fail2008-11-07T15:01:35Z2008-11-07T15:01:35Z<div> <img title="fail-owned-coin-stamp-letter-postage-fail" src="http://failblog.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/fail-owned-coin-stamp-letter-postage-fail.jpg" alt="fail owned pwned pictures"> Mail experiment by Ilya S. <a href="http://www.monkeyfaq.com/mail/index.html" rel="nofollow">Read the full story here</a>. Submitted by Reyna C <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/failblog.wordpress.com/7849/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/failblog.wordpress.com/7849/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/failblog.wordpress.com/7849/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/failblog.wordpress.com/7849/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/failblog.wordpress.com/7849/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/failblog.wordpress.com/7849/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/failblog.wordpress.com/7849/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/failblog.wordpress.com/7849/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/failblog.wordpress.com/7849/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/failblog.wordpress.com/7849/"></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=failblog.org&blog=2441444&post=7849&subd=failblog&ref=&feed=1"></div><div> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/failblog?a=lJ7UWVuf"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/failblog?d=41" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/failblog?a=A7usXaB3"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/failblog?i=A7usXaB3" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/failblog?a=khyuUZB7"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/failblog?i=khyuUZB7" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/failblog?a=spxAKbD1"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/failblog?d=52" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/failblog?a=CHR6yybJ"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/failblog?i=CHR6yybJ" border="0"></a> </div><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/failblog/~4/oGR5-fS4rro" height="1" width="1">failblogtag:google.com,2005:reader/feed/http://feeds.feedburner.com/failblogFAIL Blog: Pictures and Videos of Owned, Pwnd and Fail Momentstag:google.com,2005:reader/item/b18d747a5d7a9ea7How to Photograph a Conference - 10 Tips2008-11-05T14:06:44Z2008-11-05T14:06:44Z<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tris/2754095216/in/set-72157606657629831/"><img src="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/conference-photography.jpg" width="250" height="374" alt="conference-photography.jpg" style="float:left;margin-right:10px;margin-left:10px"></a>How do you photograph a conference? Today <a href="http://www.trishussey.com/">Tris Hussey</a> shares some great tips on the topic. There are two things that are pretty common at almost every conference I attend: laptops and cameras. However the quality of pictures captured and posted from a given conference vary wildly. Very wildly. To help you out I’ve compiled my top 10 tips for better conference pictures (and a few other words of wisdom too). <h3>1. Bring extra batteries, memory cards, your cables, and chargers</h3> As simple as this may seem, I know lots of people who get half way through the day and find themselves begging-borrowing for extra batteries—especially before a party. So bring at least one set of extras. If you have a DSLR, chances are you can’t just swing by the local corner store and snag one, so don’t forget your charger (or better invest in a spare battery). Memory cards are a toss up. I don’t know too many “regular” folks who fill up a card during a conference, much less a single day, but it doesn’t hurt to have extras. As for cables, pretty much every conference I go to I’m loaning out my USB cable or card reader (I carry SD and CF readers). Why? People just leave the cables at home. I carry spare batteries for my camera and speed light, plus chargers, plus cables in my gear bag. These never leave my bag so I know they are always there. My spare memory card is on my camera strap so again it’s right there. <h3>2. Get out of auto mode.</h3> One of the best pieces of advice I got about using my point-n-shoot was to get out of auto mode and into P or program mode. Why? Because you have more control. You can adjust the flash (on, off, sometimes even intensity), white balance, ISO, even sometimes the aperture and shutter speed. In auto mode your pictures will almost always have that vacation snap shot look. Bright flash, broad focus, grainy. Unless you have a DSLR (or really want to play with settings on a point-n-shoot) switching to aperture (A) or shutter (S) priority mode isn’t really worth it. For most point and shoots P isn’t scary and you can probably tweak the settings with a jump to menu. <h3>3. Be unobtrusive. Casual shots are better.</h3> “Be the wall.” When I have a conference photography gig (therefore not there to attend the conference, but to just take pictures) my goal is not to be noticed or seen. I want to record how people look in rapt attention or naturally smiling or just being there at a conference. I don’t want people to pose for me. Why? Because 90% of the time people love the informal shots of themselves more than when they pose. They are natural, relaxed, and real. All good. Those pictures tell a story. This does not mean be a stalker or paparazzi. It just means don’t get in people’s faces. Watch the scene and capture it as it unfolds. Catching a moment is about being there, not making it. <h3><img src="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/conference-photography-3.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="conference-photography-3.jpg"> </h3> <h3>4. Pay attention to the background</h3> Trees and light posts sprouting out of people’s heads are mistakes you don’t need to make. Before you click, just take a quick look at the background. Is there something strange coming from the person? Something that might be embarrassing or distracting? Yeah, stop and recompose. <h3>5. Try not to use the flash</h3> Taking pics at a conference isn’t easy. Most of the time the lighting sucks and most folks just turn on the flash to make the shot come out. That’s not always the best idea. A flash can take away the texture and depth of your pic, but turning it off won’t that make my pics be blurry and dark? Maybe. Since you’re in P mode, you should be able to bump up the ISO. you’re probably going to have to go with 800 or higher to get the shutter speed fast enough to reduce blur. Try moving closer, using the light around you, and bracing yourself a bit. Natural light often looks awesome and can make a shot a keeper <h3>6. Pay attention to the lighting</h3> Obviously this is tied to #5, while you’re trying not to use the flash don’t forget to pay attention to the lighting around you. Is there a lot of sun coming in from a window behind the person? Is the light bright in one area and dark in another? All of these things make for tough shots, but what you should do is try to make the best of it. Backlit shots of people and scenes have a special quality and using the light-dark areas give you a range of styles to shoot. For the dark areas (especially parties) I scout places I can brace myself so I don’t have to turn on the flash. Sometimes though you just have to turn on the flash, when you do turn it down a couple notches if you can and try to diffuse it (a piece of tape or paper napkin over the flash is an old photographer’s trick). <h3>7. Set the white balance</h3> Another benefit of being in P mode is being able to set the white balance on your pictures. Frankly, I leave mine on auto most of the time, but edit when I bring my files in as RAW images, but … if you’re paying attention to the lighting setting the WB to sun or flash or florescent will make the pictures look a heck of a lot better. Essentially you’re telling the camera’s sensor what the colour temperature “white” is. The end result is that the colours you see are true to life. <h3>8. More is better</h3> I’m often asked “wow how did you get that shot!?!”. I have a simple answer: luck and taking lots of shots. Really. One of the best pieces of advice I was given when I got a DSLR was to shoot at least three pictures per shot. Why? Because people blink, glance away, etc. By shooting more and shooting rapidly you significantly increase the chances you’ll get “the shot”. I know that shooting lots of shots is harder with a point and shoot but trying is good. Related to this I’m also asked how many pictures I discard from a given batch. Generally 1/2-1/3 and sometimes more. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tris/2897579786/in/set-72157607534316057/"><img src="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/confernece-photography.jpg" width="500" height="332" alt="confernece-photography.jpg"></a> <h3>9. Zoom less, walk more</h3> They say that zoom lenses have made photographers lazy. I don’t know about that, but if you move around, get closer, bend, twist (it’s only your body, come on) you often find you get a better shot. Personally I shoot with an 85 mm f/1.8 prime lens. That is, no zoom. If I want more of something in the frame, I have to move closer. And in moving, sometimes I notice something else that makes the picture better. I’m not saying don’t zoom at all, I have a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens especially for conferences (it has great low-light performance) to be able to zoom in on speakers when I can’t get closer, but as you zoom you also increase the amount of light needed or longer shutter as well, increasing the chance of blur. <h3>10. Have fun</h3> Even when I’m getting paid to shoot I try to keep it fun. I try to find funny shots or also take the artistic pics that I like as well. Make the time. When you start feeling like you’re obligated to take pics instead of having fun—unless you’re getting paid of course—it’s time to put the camera down and enjoy yourself. <h3>Bonus 11. It isn’t the camera or the lens, it’s the photographer that counts.</h3> Yes, I have professional level gear and I’ve spent money to be able to have gear that lets me take the kinds of pictures I like, but you know my point-n-shoot isn’t gathering dust. I still use it. And if you look at my pre-Sept 2007 pictures (essentially when you don’t see D80 as the camera), those were taken with a point and shoot. You can have thousands of dollars worth of gear and not be able to take a good shot to save your life (contrary to what Aston Kutcher might like you to believe). You can also use a cheap, plastic toy camera and do some amazing things. Cameras are tools. Just tools. Don’t think that just because the guy next to you has a lens bigger than a small child, than his shots will be better than yours. Just shoot, have fun, and always keep experimenting. Tris Hussey is a photographer and writer based in Vancouver, BC. He writes about tech, social media, and photography at <a href="http://www.trishussey.com/">www.trishussey.com</a> and his photography portfolio can be found at p<a href="http://photos.trishussey.com/">hotos.trishussey.com</a> <a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/l39R58DGBTgE35U5-JJ9-VD4TE8/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/l39R58DGBTgE35U5-JJ9-VD4TE8/i" border="0" ismap></a><div> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/DigitalPhotographySchool?a=W09YJwXq"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/DigitalPhotographySchool?i=W09YJwXq" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/DigitalPhotographySchool?a=PvP0XDbH"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/DigitalPhotographySchool?i=PvP0XDbH" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/DigitalPhotographySchool?a=mPtjHmgO"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/DigitalPhotographySchool?i=mPtjHmgO" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/DigitalPhotographySchool?a=eKWOIkiZ"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/DigitalPhotographySchool?i=eKWOIkiZ" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/DigitalPhotographySchool?a=Mn5AMVV0"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/DigitalPhotographySchool?i=Mn5AMVV0" border="0"></a> </div><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DigitalPhotographySchool/~4/i0b4hxuGPuk" height="1" width="1">Darrentag:google.com,2005:reader/feed/http://feeds.feedburner.com/DigitalPhotographySchoolDigital Photography Schooltag:google.com,2005:reader/item/26a26c2a9df57d80New for Pro: Remember The Milk now available on the App Store2008-11-05T23:28:49Z2008-11-05T23:28:49Z<blockquote>Shared by Scott Finally!</blockquote> To say that we were excited when Apple made it possible to start developing native apps earlier this year would be a massive understatement (we're big iPhone fans!). There was no question that we'd be developing an app for the iPhone and iPod touch... the only question was, "how big?" :)Building an app that simply gave access to your RTM tasks online wasn't enough (after all, the <a href="http://www.rememberthemilk.com/services/iphone/web/">web-based iPhone version</a> does that already :) The app needed to give you the power of all of RTM's functionality in your pocket (Smart Lists, tagging, search, etc), take advantage of the device's features (like knowing your location), and of course the whole thing needed to work offline too (it's no good carrying RTM around with you if you can't manage your tasks as soon as you're out of phone or Wi-Fi range!).We set about re-creating pretty much all of RTM on the iPhone, but that was a big (ahem) task! We recruited a <a href="http://blog.rememberthemilk.com/2008/03/we-grew.html">new team member</a> to help us (we didn't mention it at the time, but Ab's a Mac developer... we're sneaky like that). You know you've been staring at your iPhone just a tad too long when you reach out to tap an icon on your iMac screen, so we're happy to announce that we're finally done!The app is now available as a <a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=293561396&mt=8">free download on the App Store</a> for RTM <a href="http://www.rememberthemilk.com/upgrade/">Pro users</a>. Want to know what the app does? Read on to learn more!<h2>Features and more features</h2><img src="http://blog.rememberthemilk.com/img/iphone/ss_today.jpg" style="float:left;margin-right:25px;margin-bottom:10px;margin-top:10px" height="331" width="263">Stay in sync.Everything that you create in the app on your iPhone or iPod touch syncs back to RTM (and likewise everything from RTM syncs to your iPhone). That's tasks, notes, lists, Smart Lists, tags, locations... the whole lot! You can even use the entire app offline without an Internet connection, then sync up later when you're back online -- perfect for subway rides. Auto sync makes it easy to stay up-to-date.See things your way.Organize efficiently by list, <a href="http://www.rememberthemilk.com/help/answers/smartlists/">Smart List</a>, tag, or location and prioritize your tasks. Not sure what's next? See at a glance how many tasks are due today, tomorrow, and this week. Don't like the ordering? Choose to sort by priority, due date, or task name for each list.If you have enough time left over after organizing your tasks to actually do them, you can review completed ones with a fast switch between incomplete and complete tasks.<div style="clear:both"></div><img src="http://blog.rememberthemilk.com/img/iphone/ss_addtask.jpg" style="float:right;margin-left:25px;margin-bottom:10px" height="331" width="263">Manage your tasks.The most important bit, right? Add and edit tasks with a few taps. All the fields you've come to know and love are supported (task name, list, priority, due date/time, repeat, time estimate, tags, location, and URL) and you can even customize the fields shown. So if you're big on tagging, you can set that field to always display when adding tasks. There's flexible options for setting due dates and times, too; choose from days in the upcoming week, a full date/time picker, or enter your own in any of the <a href="http://www.rememberthemilk.com/help/answers/basics/dateformat.rtm">supported formats</a>.Get stuff done.Swipe a task in your list to complete it, and get that sweet feeling of accomplishment every time. Need to complete or postpone multiple tasks? Just tap 'Edit' to perform actions on several tasks at once. And because two ways of doing something is never enough, you can also complete, postpone, or delete while editing a single task.<div style="clear:both"></div><img src="http://blog.rememberthemilk.com/img/iphone/ss_note.jpg" style="float:left;margin-right:25px;margin-bottom:10px" height="331" width="263">Add tasks the Smart way.Save time with add by context: tasks added to your today list will be due today, while tasks added to <a href="http://www.rememberthemilk.com/help/answers/smartlists/">Smart Lists</a> inherit their criteria. If your Smart List happens to show all your high priority tasks that are due today and located at the office, any tasks added to this Smart List will automatically inherit all these properties.Note it.Need to store additional info about a task? Write a note for quick reference. You can manage your existing notes too, and easily edit or delete them.Email addresses and links in your notes conveniently auto-link to Mail and Safari. Phone numbers in notes also auto-link for handy one-touch calling (iPhone only feature). When your call is finished, RTM will re-open where you left off so you can keep on managing those tasks.<div style="clear:both"></div><img src="http://blog.rememberthemilk.com/img/iphone/ss_nearby.jpg" style="float:right;margin-left:25px;margin-bottom:10px" height="331" width="263">See tasks located nearby.Ever since we launched the <a href="http://blog.rememberthemilk.com/2006/09/put-your-tasks-on-map.html">Locations feature</a> in our web app back in September 2006, we've been hoping for an opportunity to do this next feature. With the iPhone and iPod touch being able to find your location, we thought it would be pretty awesome if we could show you tasks located nearby.So that's exactly what the Nearby feature does! See your nearby tasks due today, this week, or any time, and plan the best way to get things done. Manage your locations.Queueing at the supermarket? Take the chance to add your current location to the app. You can also add by address, and rename and delete locations. Remember that if you locate your tasks in the app (e.g., "pick up the milk" at the supermarket), you can <a href="http://blog.rememberthemilk.com/2006/09/put-your-tasks-on-map.html">view them on a map</a> in the web app.<div style="clear:both"></div><img src="http://blog.rememberthemilk.com/img/iphone/ss_search.jpg" style="float:left;margin-right:25px;margin-bottom:10px" height="331" width="263">Your own personal tasks search engine.Not only can you search for tasks by name, you can use any of the <a href="http://www.rememberthemilk.com/help/answers/search/advanced.rtm">advanced search operators</a> supported in the web app for more powerful searching. Want to find your high priority tasks due in the upcoming week and tagged with 'bananas'? No problem! Save your favourite searches as <a href="http://www.rememberthemilk.com/help/answers/smartlists/">Smart Lists</a> for quick access. (For anyone new to this feature, Smart Lists are very handy; they're similar to Smart Playlists in iTunes, but allow you to easily see tasks that match your desired criteria, rather than music!)Introducing locatedWithin.Thanks to the Nearby feature, the app also gets a special new search operator. Use "locatedWithin" in a search or Smart List to include tasks within a particular distance of your current location. For instance, you could find high priority tasks located within a mile (or kilometre, if you're metrically inclined).<div style="clear:both"></div><img src="http://blog.rememberthemilk.com/img/iphone/ss_language.jpg" style="float:right;margin-left:25px;margin-bottom:10px" height="331" width="263">Customize, then customize some more.Find yourself doing a lot of searching, or always checking what's nearby? Head over to the More screen and configure the icons for quick access to your fave features. You'll find even more options on the Settings screen.The little touches.The app remembers which screen you're accessing, so if you close the app, it will handily re-open at the same place. Want to type with a larger keyboard? Try landscape mode (just flip your phone to see it in action!).Available in every language the iPhone supports.We're launching the app today in English, French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Russian, and Polish (whew!) -- thanks to all the <a href="http://www.rememberthemilk.com/services/translate/">translators</a> who helped to make this possible!<div style="clear:both"></div><h2>Thanks to...</h2>A big thanks to the RTM users in the <a href="http://www.rememberthemilk.com/services/tester/">Pro Tester Program</a> who helped us to test the app, giving us lots of feedback and reporting bugs. (Unfortunately we could only invite 100 testers, as there's a limit on the number of devices that can be authorized for iPhone testing, but would have loved to invite many more!)<h2>Ready to use RTM on your iPhone or iPod touch?</h2>Got an iPhone or iPod touch? Sweet! Here's the link you'll need to launch iTunes and take you to the app page:<div><a href="http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=293561396&mt=8">Download on the App Store</a></div>Want to learn more, or have any questions about the app? Please check out our <a href="http://www.rememberthemilk.com/services/iphone/app/">Remember The Milk for iPhone and iPod touch mini-site</a>. We hope you like the app! :) (author unknown)Finally!Scotttag:google.com,2005:reader/user/13883462192874806793/source/com.google/linkRemember The Milk - Blogtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/e21e511d4dec1f1bA vote for broadband in the "white spaces"2008-11-04T22:46:00Z2008-11-04T22:55:05Z<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7ZYqYi4xigk/SRDSRH-Ua1I/AAAAAAAACEk/zQov4sj2zLI/s1600-h/ftagraphic.jpg"><img style="margin:0pt 0pt 10px 10px;float:right;width:144px;height:145px" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7ZYqYi4xigk/SRDSRH-Ua1I/AAAAAAAACEk/zQov4sj2zLI/s320/ftagraphic.jpg" alt="" border="0"></a>All eyes are on the presidential election today, but another important vote just took place at the Federal Communications Commission. By a vote of 5-0, the FCC formally agreed to open up the "<a href="http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/search/label/White%20Spaces">white spaces</a>" spectrum -- the unused airwaves between broadcast TV channels -- for wireless broadband service for the public. This is a clear victory for Internet users and anyone who wants good wireless communications. The FCC has been looking at this issue carefully for the last six years. Google has worked hard on this matter <a href="http://www.wirelessinnovationalliance.org/?gclid=CIO2uKLD25YCFQYcHgodIx7K2g">with other tech companies and public interest groups</a> because we think that this spectrum will help put better and faster Internet connections in the hands of the public. We also look forward to working with the FCC to finalize the method used to compute power levels of empty channels adjacent to TV channels (we have a number of <a title="public filings" href="http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_document=6520183501">public filings</a> before the commission in this area and it is a vital issue in urban areas). I've always thought that there are a lot of really incredible things that engineers and entrepreneurs can do with this spectrum. We will soon have "<a href="http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2008/05/larry-page-talks-about-googles-vision.html">Wi-Fi on steroids</a>," since these spectrum signals have much longer range than today's Wi-Fi technology and broadband access can be spread using fewer base stations resulting in better coverage at lower cost. And it is wonderful that the FCC has adopted the same successful unlicensed model used for Wi-Fi, which has resulted in a projected 1 billion Wi-Fi chips being produced this year. Now that the FCC has set the rules, I'm sure that we'll see similar growth in products to take advantage of this spectrum. As an engineer, I was also really gratified to see that the FCC decided to put science over politics. For years the broadcasting lobby and others have tried to spread fear and confusion about this technology, rather than allow the FCC's engineers to simply do their work. Finally, I want to applaud and thank FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, the other commissioners, and the FCC <a href="http://www.fcc.gov/oet/">Office of Engineering and Technology</a> for their leadership in advancing this important issue. And, thanks to the more than 20,000 of you who took a stand on this issue through our <a href="http://freetheairwaves.com/">Free the Airwaves</a> campaign, the FCC heard a clear message from consumers: these airwaves can bring wireless Internet to everyone everywhere. Posted by Larry Page, Co-Founder and President of Products<div> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/blogspot/MKuf?a=k3xTN"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/blogspot/MKuf?i=k3xTN" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/blogspot/MKuf?a=6Ockn"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/blogspot/MKuf?i=6Ockn" border="0"></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/MKuf/~4/442598784" height="1" width="1">A Googlertag:google.com,2005:reader/feed/http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/MKufThe Official Google Blogtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/fba8db635ea71143improovd yarnball2008-11-03T16:00:12Z2008-11-03T16:00:12Z<div> <img title="funny-pictures-improved-yarnball-has-a-prize-inside" src="http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/funny-pictures-improved-yarnball-has-a-prize-inside.jpg" alt="funny pictures of cats with captions"> improovd yarnball now wif prize insied picture: dunno source, via our <a href="http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com">lolcat builder</a>. lol caption: <a href="http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/pictures-by-xany/">xany</a><a></a> <a href="http://mine.icanhascheezburger.com/default.aspx?tiid=653127&recap=1#step2"> » Recaption This</a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gocomments/icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/101198/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/comments/icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/101198/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godelicious/icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/101198/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/delicious/icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/101198/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/gostumble/icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/101198/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/stumble/icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/101198/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/godigg/icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/101198/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/digg/icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/101198/"></a> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/goreddit/icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/101198/"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/reddit/icanhascheezburger.wordpress.com/101198/"></a> <img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=icanhascheezburger.com&blog=994826&post=101198&subd=icanhascheezburger&ref=&feed=1"></div> <a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/LtkI5ulbI8-KSGWMAa95m5Hsck8/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/LtkI5ulbI8-KSGWMAa95m5Hsck8/i" border="0" ismap></a><div> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/ICanHasCheezburger?a=wup7AHHy"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/ICanHasCheezburger?d=41" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/ICanHasCheezburger?a=xTW6hIFS"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/ICanHasCheezburger?d=131" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/ICanHasCheezburger?a=19hcQiNN"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/ICanHasCheezburger?d=52" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/ICanHasCheezburger?a=ZVz0S5So"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/ICanHasCheezburger?i=ZVz0S5So" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/ICanHasCheezburger?a=BYCvI2Vw"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/ICanHasCheezburger?d=133" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/ICanHasCheezburger?a=593b1u44"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/ICanHasCheezburger?i=593b1u44" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/ICanHasCheezburger?a=fjuoJ5YY"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/ICanHasCheezburger?d=134" border="0"></a> </div><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ICanHasCheezburger/~4/MC2aNoJiFwY" height="1" width="1">Cheezburger Networktag:google.com,2005:reader/feed/http://feeds.feedburner.com/ICanHasCheezburgerLolcats 'n' Funny Pictures of Cats - I Can Has Cheezburger?tag:google.com,2005:reader/item/358306793e76c147Netflix opens web movie streams to most Mac users2008-11-03T06:02:37Z2008-11-03T06:02:37Z<blockquote>Shared by Scott It's about friggin time. Very excited about this.</blockquote> Netflix has expanded the online component of its movie rental service to include any Intel Mac user who volunteers to join in a new public beta.<div style="clear:both"><a href="http://www.pheedo.com/click.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//www.appleinsider.com/appleinsider.rss&itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.appleinsider.com%2Farticles%2F08%2F11%2F02%2Fnetflix_opens_web_movie_streams_to_most_mac_users.html&itemDate=2008-11-02%2023%3A05%3A00&itemTitle=Netflix%20opens%20web%20movie%20streams%20to%20most%20Mac%20users"><img src="http://www.pheedo.com/img.phdo?feedUrl=http%3A//www.appleinsider.com/appleinsider.rss&itemLink=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.appleinsider.com%2Farticles%2F08%2F11%2F02%2Fnetflix_opens_web_movie_streams_to_most_mac_users.html&itemDate=2008-11-02%2023%3A05%3A00&itemTitle=Netflix%20opens%20web%20movie%20streams%20to%20most%20Mac%20users" border="0"></a></div> (author unknown)It's about friggin time. Very excited about this.Scotttag:google.com,2005:reader/user/13883462192874806793/source/com.google/linkAppleInsidertag:google.com,2005:reader/item/e8a709d356947579Announcing the Save ,000 in 30 Days Challenge2008-10-31T07:37:51Z2008-10-31T07:37:51ZYou’ll notice that I haven’t written a lot about frugality on this site. That’s because Americans suck at frugality. We spend more than we make. We’re terrible at deferring our immediate wants and investing for the long term. We go into debt. And we blame everyone but ourselves. Remember, fundamentally, there are two ways to have more money. You can earn more money or cut costs. If you’ve been reading this site for a long time, you’ll notice that I’d much rather focus on increasing your earning potential, whether through investments or entrepreneurship. I hate talking about frugality because, for most people in America, frugality is hopeless. That all changed a couple weeks ago. I read <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/10/07/economic.stress/">this article</a>, which explained that “As many as 80 percent of Americans are stressed about their personal finances and the economy.” I found that astonishing. Although people’s behaviors don’t change overnight, nearly everyone I’ve been talking to has been worrying about their money. Right now, people don’t care about proper asset allocation or understanding average stock market returns. The people I’ve talked to want to know how to save money right now. That’s why tomorrow, I’m launching the Save ,000 in 30 Days Challenge. How to save ,000 using the CEO Model Here’s how it works: Each day in November, I’ll post one suggestion to cut your spending. If you spend time each day working on the day’s post, the vast majority of you will save over ,000 each month. Even if you don’t, saving 0 is sure better than nothing. I’ll post tips for the first 15 days. For the last 15 days, I’ll turn to I Will Teach You To Be Rich readers to submit your best frugality tips. <center> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/M41_F5rViYw&hl=en&fs=1" allowScriptAccess="never" allowFullScreen="true" width="425" height="344" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></center> We’ll work through some of the tips from <a href="http://consumerist.com/5059687/reader-pays-off-14330-in-20-months-with-our-tips">this woman</a>, who paid off ,330 in 20 months. Like I wrote earlier, <a href="http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/i-dont-have-any-secrets-about-getting-rich">there are no secrets to getting rich</a>. You can sit here and read every tip and feel good about yourself. But only the people who spend time implementing will save any money. I promise: No stupid frugality tips As I mentioned, I hate frugality and all the frugality sites that waste my time focusing on saving money on frozen orange juice and rice cakes so I can save per week. ? I find that much money in my shoe every day. I’m not trying to save or even per week, because it’s not worth changing your behavior for that kind of money. Guys, we’re aiming to save ,000 in 30 days. That’s why this series will not include retarded suggestions like “Start a garden” or “Buy day-old food from bakeries.” I certainly won’t tell you to cut your rent or move to a cheaper place, because NOBODY WILL DO IT! Does anyone ever follow those stupid tips? No, but it sure makes other personal-finance authors feel good about themselves for coming up with a suggestion that theoretically, maybe, somehow could save money for the moron who would do it. Not here. Only join if you’re serious But I will ask you to cut back on some things – sometimes radically. For example, if you get your nails done or eat out every day, that’s gone this month. If you were planning to buy a big-screen TV, you can forget about it in November. You can pick it up next month, but I bet you’ll think twice once you save ,000. While it’s fun to read stuff like The Money Diaries because you get to laugh at other people’s spending, the 30 Day Challenge is different because it’s intimately personal. It means you have to look at your spending. This is a 30-Day Challenge. Everything should be able to be accomplished within 30 days, but you have to commit to doing it. In other words, I’ll make most of my advice completely practical and sustainable. Because Americans suck at stopping consumption, we’re all going to have just sack up and stop certain things – which will feel incredibly painful – this month. Some of my tips will simply involve you physically going to a place where you cannot spend money to save yourself from your own spending behavior. It won’t feel good. Have you sat in a library on a Saturday afternoon and read books? Probably not (unless you’re Asian). You will this month. Would you be willing to cancel your cable? Or pick one habit and drop it cold-turkey? Would you be willing to see how far you can push yourself to save money for 30 days? Earlier this month, I asked iwillteachyoutoberich readers how much time they’d be willing to spend saving ,000 in a month. <center><img src="http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/how-much-time-for-30-day-savings-challenge.png" alt="how-much-time-for-30-day-savings-challenge.png"></center> Good news: If you spend 1 hour per day on the Save ,000 in 30 Days Challenge, you’ll easily save hundreds, if not the entire ,000. Hopefully I will, too. That’s because I will be participating in the Challenge, and I’ll chronicle my savings along with everyone else. Now what? This starts tomorrow, Saturday, November 1st. Check back to <a href="http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com">http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com</a> every day for the newest tip. I’m also setting up an optional email list, where I’ll send a weekly digest of the tips, plus a few extra tips that I won’t release here (”Tips Too Hot For Blog!!!”). Basically, if you’re really interested in saving ,000, you may want to sign up for the list to get extra tips. If not, no prob — just check back here every day. <center></center> <center>* * *</center> Share this challenge with others: <a href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/announcing-the-save-1000-in-30-days-challenge">Submit to digg</a>. <center>* * *</center> Full list of tips Tip #1: <a href="http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/tip-1-pack-lunches-for-the-rest-of-the-week">Pack lunches for the rest of the week</a> Tip #2: <a href="http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/tip-2-turn-your-thermostat-down-3-degrees">Turn your thermostat down 3 degrees</a> Tip #3: <a href="http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/tip-3-sell-something-on-ebay-today">Sell something on eBay today</a> Tip #4: <a href="http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/tip-4-involve-your-friends-in-your-savings-challenge">Involve your friends in your savings challenge</a> Tip #5: <a href="http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/tip-5-optimize-your-cellphone-bill">Optimize your cellphone bill</a> Tip #6: <a href="http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/tip-6-use-gas-prices-to-become-your-own-hedge-fund">Use gas prices to become your own hedge fund</a> Tip #7: <a href="http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/tip-7-create-a-no-spending-day-once-a-week">Create a “No Spending” day once a week</a> Tip #8: <a href="http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/tip-8-implement-the-a-la-carte-method">Implement the A La Carte Method</a>Ramit Sethitag:google.com,2005:reader/feed/http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/feedI Will Teach You To Be Richtag:google.com,2005:reader/item/03956e84cdb9fb60120 Minutes2008-10-10T20:00:26Z2008-10-10T20:00:26ZA few days ago, Seth Godin posted a brilliant piece on his blog entitled <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/10/is-effort-a-myt.html/">Is Effort a Myth?</a> In it, Seth addresses the issue of luck: <blockquote>And that’s the key to the paradox of effort: While luck may be more appealing than effort, you don’t get to choose luck. Effort, on the other hand, is totally available, all the time.</blockquote> A while back, I wrote on a similar theme, arguing that luck happens to those who provide the most opportunities for luck to grow in their life, and pointing out <a href="http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2008/07/08/ten-tactics-for-improving-your-luck/">ten things anyone can do to improve their luck</a>. Seth takes a bit of a different route to a similar conclusion. He argues that the people who get lucky are the people that put forth the extra effort, and he offers a four step plan for making it happen for you: <blockquote>1. Delete 120 minutes a day of ’spare time’ from your life. This can include TV, reading the newspaper, commuting, wasting time in social networks and meetings. Up to you. 2. Spend the 120 minutes doing this instead: * Exercise for thirty minutes. * Read relevant non-fiction (trade magazines, journals, business books, blogs, etc.) * Send three thank you notes. * Learn new digital techniques (spreadsheet macros, Firefox shortcuts, productivity tools, graphic design, html coding) * Volunteer. * Blog for five minutes about something you learned. * Give a speech once a month about something you don’t currently know a lot about. 3. Spend at least one weekend day doing absolutely nothing but being with people you love. 4. Only spend money, for one year, on things you absolutely need to get by. Save the rest, relentlessly.</blockquote> All four points are valuable life lessons, but I wanted to focus in on the first two because the point there is near and dear to my heart. If you can devote two hours a day to improving yourself and doing something to change your situation, your life will improve. Period. All I have to do is roll back the clock two years to provide some proof of this. In October 2006, I was recovering from <a href="http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2006/11/08/the-road-to-financial-armageddon-8-meltdown/">our financial meltdown</a>, dreaming of a career as a writer and of owning our own home, but not really doing anything about it. I was twenty eight years old and I realized I was watching my life drift by. So I started The Simple Dollar, and I started devoting about three hours a day to it at first. It took me a few months to find my writing legs - many of my early posts sound quite a bit different than what you’d read from me today. But I kept hammering away at it. I worked on getting better at brainstorming and quickly transforming those ideas into something readable. I learned how blogging worked. I interacted with a lot of readers and potential readers and learned what they were out there seeking. Two years later, it’s changed my life. I’m now doing it. I’m writing full time, something I barely dreamed about two years ago. Now, I’m left thinking about the next big thing I want to tackle. Can I pencil off two hours a day and do something big like that again? I’ve had a lot of ideas floating through my mind as of late, but Seth’s post kicked me in the rear end and got me thinking. So, how can you do it, too? Finding 120 Minutes In Seth’s words: <blockquote>Delete 120 minutes a day of ’spare time’ from your life. This can include TV, reading the newspaper, commuting, wasting time in social networks and meetings. Up to you.</blockquote> What can you delete from your life? Don’t just blow off the question. Think about it for a minute. I know that the single biggest thing I could delete from my life is the time I spend browsing political blogs and websites. It’s almost an obsession for me at times, and I don’t get anything out of it except for more indignant and angry. If I really wanted to be politically involved, I could spend that time campaigning for the candidate that I want - or doing something to personally improve myself. Seth names several other options. Television is a big one for many people. I know one guy who finishes each day going out to the bars for two hours - and he doesn’t even get a drink. He just hangs out with the boys. I know another woman who spends at least three hours a day reading absolutely trashy romance novels. It’s often the people who waste that time that wonder how come others are successful and get promotions. Are they lucky? Or are they just committed to the details. Look around your life. Look for the things you can eliminate. If you can come up with two hours a day, you have a serious block of time to commit to success. Using 120 Minutes So what are you going to do with that time? Seth’s suggestions: <blockquote>* Exercise for thirty minutes. * Read relevant non-fiction (trade magazines, journals, business books, blogs, etc.) * Send three thank you notes. * Learn new digital techniques (spreadsheet macros, Firefox shortcuts, productivity tools, graphic design, html coding) * Volunteer. * Blog for five minutes about something you learned. * Give a speech once a month about something you don’t currently know a lot about.</blockquote> That’s a very good list of things, but they all assume an entrepreneurial goal. I suggest something a little bit different. <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kretyen/2628104710/" title="A boy dreams big dreams of what lies beyond by kretyen on Flickr!"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/2628104710_30d73d898e_m.jpg" style="float:right;margin:0px 0px 10px 10px" border="0" alt="A boy dreams big dreams of what lies beyond by kretyen on Flickr!"></a>What’s your dream? We all have one big thing we would like to change in our lives, or one big thing we’d like to accomplish. After some reflection, I’m starting to settle on my next goal, something I’d like to accomplish in 2009. I don’t want to talk about it yet, but I know what it involves. What could you do with those two hours a day to carry you closer to that goal? You want to improve your career? Spend two hours a day mastering basic skills related to what you do and absorbing more information. I have several friends in life sciences. One of them spends two hours every single day reading and re-reading the latest scientific papers that come out. He does this in the evening, after his lab work is done. Do you want to guess who’s slowly starting to seem like the expert on his field of research in his lab? Do you want to know who’s starting to make a name for himself at meetings? You want to improve some aspect of your life - perhaps you’d like to lose some weight? Start walking. Seriously. Walk for an hour. If you can cover a mile in twenty minutes, you can walk three miles. Get up a little earlier and do this before work instead of sitting there dead-eyed watching the Today Show and dreading work. When you get home, instead of flopping in front of the television, put on some walking shoes and a jacket and go for a very long stroll. You want to become a respected member of the community? Volunteer two hours a night. Offer to take tickets at high school athletic events. Go to city council meetings. Go to school board meetings. Leap at the chance to participate in things. Join a civic organization or two and get involved with them. You’ll start seeing people over and over again and eventually you’ll start to get to know a lot of them. Before long, you’ll see the rewards of that effort - when you go out in your town, tons of people will shout out hellos to you and when you need help, you’ll have tons of helping hands. If you can find that 120 minutes and you can use it every day to make a change, you can have that dream. The only difference between you and the person actually making it is the willingness to sacrifice that time each day. Is your dream worth giving up that hour of television? <a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/QgLVQOMRT52l7NWcdGRiKIne4fI/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/QgLVQOMRT52l7NWcdGRiKIne4fI/i" border="0" ismap></a><div> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/thesimpledollar?a=TCPi50Vt"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/thesimpledollar?d=41" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/thesimpledollar?a=3PUfwUY8"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/thesimpledollar?i=3PUfwUY8" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/thesimpledollar?a=zClZ51LV"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/thesimpledollar?i=zClZ51LV" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/thesimpledollar?a=zQqop84O"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/thesimpledollar?i=zQqop84O" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/thesimpledollar?a=Doxr7CCS"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/thesimpledollar?i=Doxr7CCS" border="0"></a> </div><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/thesimpledollar/~4/ZF7dQgV-_9I" height="1" width="1">Trenttag:google.com,2005:reader/feed/http://feeds.feedburner.com/thesimpledollarThe Simple Dollartag:google.com,2005:reader/item/2c327eac6d3b72cfDespite Confusion, Quicken Online IS Free2008-10-21T03:00:39Z2008-10-21T03:00:39Z<a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/offers/quickenonline.php?tag=errormsg">Quicken Online</a> recently ditched its monthly subscription fee to become a completely free service. Over the weekend, however, GRS readers reported seeing alarming messages about possible charges. I contacted the folks at Intuit to find out what was going on. Here’s their response: <blockquote>Due to regularly scheduled maintenance of the Quicken Online connections to several financial institutions, the former paid subscription screen was inadvertently inserted prompting some customers with messages around a free trial or paid subscription. This issue was fixed Monday and is no longer occurring. Quicken Online is now completely free, and we apologize for this confusion and assure any Quicken Online customer they will not be charged for access to their accounts as of October 13, 2008.</blockquote> I still haven’t set up my own Quicken Online account, but I intend to give it a spin soon. --- Related Articles at Get Rich Slowly:<ul><li><a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/01/08/an-introduction-to-quicken-online/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: An Introduction to Quicken Online">An Introduction to Quicken Online</a><li><a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2006/07/17/is-there-an-online-alternative-to-quicken/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: Is There an Online Alternative to Quicken?">Is There an Online Alternative to Quicken?</a><li><a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/03/27/ask-the-readers-how-do-you-manage-your-money/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: Ask the Readers: How Do You Manage Your Money?">Ask the Readers: How Do You Manage Your Money?</a><li><a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/03/29/would-you-make-a-ten-minute-phone-call-for-57/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: Would You Make a Ten-Minute Phone Call for ?">Would You Make a Ten-Minute Phone Call for ?</a><li><a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2006/12/07/financial-nirvana-its-the-little-things/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: Financial Nirvana: It’s the Little Things">Financial Nirvana: It’s the Little Things</a></li></li></li></li></li></ul> <a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/OKI6A4m2TChCVxyOEBde_QqLRkU/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/OKI6A4m2TChCVxyOEBde_QqLRkU/i" border="0" ismap></a><div> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/getrichslowly?a=P7Y8n58z"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/getrichslowly?d=41" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/getrichslowly?a=9gYD5fpg"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/getrichslowly?i=9gYD5fpg" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/getrichslowly?a=2vn8h6bN"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/getrichslowly?d=812" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/getrichslowly?a=SI8j5wj3"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/getrichslowly?i=SI8j5wj3" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/getrichslowly?a=tG14Vho7"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/getrichslowly?i=tG14Vho7" border="0"></a> </div><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/getrichslowly/~4/qEsBMhGz1w8" height="1" width="1">J.D.tag:google.com,2005:reader/feed/http://feeds.feedburner.com/getrichslowly/Get Rich Slowlytag:google.com,2005:reader/item/1888a41d9eb35068Cat and Girl on Halloween2008-11-01T00:00:25Z2008-11-01T00:00:25Z<a href="http://catandgirl.com/">Cat and Girl</a> is one of my favorite <a href="http://www.thewebcomiclist.com/">webcomics</a>. It’s cynical, postmodern, and smart. I admit that not everyone finds it amusing (Kris, for example), but I do. I particularly liked <a href="http://catandgirl.com/view.php?loc=670">yesterday’s strip</a>, and am grateful that artist Dorothy Gambrell has granted me permission to re-post it here: <div align="center"><a href="http://catandgirl.com/view.php?loc=670"><img src="http://www.getrichslowly.org/images/catandgirl670.jpg" width="500" height="363" alt="" title="Yes, I realize that not everyone will find this amusing. I do."></a></div> <a href="http://catandgirl.com/">Cat and Girl</a> often features commentary on <a href="http://catandgirl.com/view.php?loc=278">class</a>, <a href="http://catandgirl.com/view.php?loc=398">money</a>, and <a href="http://catandgirl.com/view.php?loc=447">consumerism</a>. Mostly it’s just delightfully strange. Have a safe and happy Halloween. --- Related Articles at Get Rich Slowly:<ul><li><a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/10/02/daily-roundup-money-myths-going-organic-and-diy-halloween-calendar/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: Daily Roundup: Money Myths, Going Organic, and DIY Halloween Calendar">Daily Roundup: Money Myths, Going Organic, and DIY Halloween Calendar</a><li><a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/03/14/cat-and-girl-on-wants-and-needs/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: Cat and Girl on Wants and Needs">Cat and Girl on Wants and Needs</a><li><a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2006/10/22/a-little-halloween-treat/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: A Little Halloween Treat">A Little Halloween Treat</a><li><a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2006/11/07/you-can-learn-a-lot-from-a-rich-girl/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: You Can Learn a Lot From a Rich Girl">You Can Learn a Lot From a Rich Girl</a><li><a href="http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/03/11/ask-the-readers-starting-an-online-store/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: Ask the Readers: Starting an Online Store?">Ask the Readers: Starting an Online Store?</a></li></li></li></li></li></ul> <a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/DQL302BkMTKjt9IWwnds_5Lrg1g/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/DQL302BkMTKjt9IWwnds_5Lrg1g/i" border="0" ismap></a><div> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/getrichslowly?a=Bk0iOyrA"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/getrichslowly?d=41" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/getrichslowly?a=OSYHy7Et"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/getrichslowly?i=OSYHy7Et" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/getrichslowly?a=5M8NlGiW"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/getrichslowly?d=812" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/getrichslowly?a=rJ1UlUNk"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/getrichslowly?i=rJ1UlUNk" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/getrichslowly?a=0fuaLBxf"><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~f/getrichslowly?i=0fuaLBxf" border="0"></a> </div><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/getrichslowly/~4/Bl5_0W-0Pgg" height="1" width="1">J.D.tag:google.com,2005:reader/feed/http://feeds.feedburner.com/getrichslowly/Get Rich Slowlytag:google.com,2005:reader/item/2efb4f17e13c7345Five Best Travel Sites for Cheap Tickets2008-11-02T17:00:00Z2008-11-02T17:00:00Z<img src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/11/tickets.png" align="left" hspace="4" vspace="2" width="494" height="283" style="display:block"> <div style="float:right"></div> If you've got travel plans for the upcoming holiday season, the <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5073494/airlines-cutting-fares-on-holiday-travel">time to book your tickets is now</a>. The question is, where can you find tickets cheap enough to offset the extra you'll have to spend to check your bags and enjoy a snack on your six-hour flight. Earlier this week we asked you to <a href="http://lifehacker.com/5071440/best-travel-web-sites">share your favorite travel web site</a> for cheap tickets, and today we're back with the five most popular answers. Keep reading for a breakdown of the best travel sites on the block, then cast your ballot for the one you like best. Photo by <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/alex-s/528123772/">alex-s</a>. NOTE: In an completely unscientific test of each site's prices, I ran a search for a round trip ticket from Los Angeles to Omaha (my most frequent flight) departing on November 15th and returning on the 22nd. I'll end each site's description below with the result. <h3 style="font-size:120%;margin-top:20px">Kayak</h3> <img src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/11/kayak.png" width="494" height="275" align="center"><a href="http://www.kayak.com/">Kayak</a> is a travel search aggregator, scouring over 140 sites to bring you the cheapest fares it can find. The results are nicely sorted by price, and once the search is complete, you can tweak and filter the results to find the perfect ticket for your needs. Kayak supports email alerts, can search nearby airports, and the <a href="http://www.kayak.com/buzz">Buzz feature</a> is great if you're looking to take a spur-of-the-minute vacation on the cheap. Like most travel sites, Kayak also covers hotels, cruises, and rental cars. My Flight: 7. <h3 style="font-size:120%;margin-top:20px">Yapta</h3> <img src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/11/yapta.png" width="494" height="224" align="center"><a href="http://www.yapta.com/">Yapta</a>—aka Your Amazing Personal Travel Assistant—is an airline search engine with an emphasis on tracking airline prices before and after you purchase your tickets. Before your purchase, Yapta will track a flight and alert you when it falls below your desired price (a feature available on most of the sites featured here). After your purchase, Yapta will continue tracking the ticket price. If it drops, the site will send an alert if you're eligible for a refund or travel credit. If you're a big Yapta fan, you can even integrate it in your browser with the <a href="http://lifehacker.com/software/featured-firefox-extension/track-flight-prices-in-firefox-with-yapta-328353.php">previously mentioned Yapta Firefox extension</a> or <a href="http://lifehacker.com/software/featured-download/track-travel-price-changes-with-yapta-tagger-309484.php">Internet Explorer plug-in</a>. My Flight: 6.50. <h3 style="font-size:120%;margin-top:20px">Live Search Farecast</h3> <img src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/11/live-search-farecast.png" width="494" height="325" align="center"><a href="http://farecast.live.com/?">Live Search Farecast</a> is another airline ticket search aggregator similar to Kayak. Farecast sets itself apart by offering price predictions that suggest whether now is the right time to buy your ticket—or whether you should wait. It does this by tracking and analyzing fare histories. Earlier this year, Farecast was purchased by Microsoft, who slapped the Live Search moniker on the front end. My Flight: 6. <h3 style="font-size:120%;margin-top:20px">Priceline</h3> <img src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/11/priceline.png" width="494" height="242" align="center"><a href="http://www.priceline.com/">Priceline</a> has long been a favorite of bargain hunters and William Shatner fans alike. Priceline made its name with its <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_Your_Own_Price">Name Your Own Price</a> system, and while the Name Your Own Price option is still available, it's been significantly de-emphasized on the site. If you're looking to really low and you don't mind bidding blindly (when you name your price, you don't get to choose departure/arrival times or number of stops, for example), NYOP is a good way to go. Otherwise, Priceline's default search engine still has a lot to offer. My Flight: 6. <h3 style="font-size:120%;margin-top:20px">Sidestep</h3> <img src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/lifehacker/2008/11/sidestep.png" width="494" height="261" align="center"><a href="http://www.sidestep.com/">Sidestep</a> is yet another search aggregator that you may find oddly familiar if you're a Kayak user. That's because Sidestep was purchased by Kayak a year ago this December. In fact, from what I can tell, SideStep's search results are the same as what you can get from Kayak—it even sports the same Buzz feature—so it's really just a matter of choosing which one you like the look and feel of more. My Flight: 7. <hr> Now that you've seen the best, it's time to practice up for Tuesday's election and choose your favorite. <a href="http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/1065377/">Which Is the Best Travel Site for Finding Cheap Tickets?</a> ( <a href="http://www.polldaddy.com">surveys</a>) This week's honorable mention goes out to <a href="http://www.mobissimo.com/search_airfare.php">Mobissimo</a>. Whether or not your favorite made the short list, let's hear more about it in the comments.Adam Pashtag:google.com,2005:reader/feed/http://lifehacker.com/tag/Feature/index.xmlLifehacker: Featuretag:google.com,2005:reader/item/85c6c7bce4d53c37The problem with happiness2008-10-31T07:00:00Z2008-10-31T07:00:00Z<a href="http://noimpactman.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/10/30/children_playing.jpg"><img height="260" width="400" border="0" src="http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/images/2008/10/30/children_playing.jpg" title="Children_playing" alt="Children_playing"></a> Well, what I mean is that there is a problem with happiness as a measure of whether limited planetary resources should be used. I talk about this a lot, right? I talk a lot about how if we only choose to use the resources that actually make people happy and cut out the things that don't, we'll be on our way to saving our habitat (see <a href="http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2008/10/moving-beyond-b.html">here</a> and <a href="http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2008/09/livable-streets.html">here</a>, for example). I also say that if we design our systems and products carefully, we can both make them better for our habitat and for our happiness. This is important because we so often associate environmentalism with deprivation, which is a hard sell. But if we can find smart methods to associate abundant happiness or quality of life with environmentalism, then we're in a win/win situation. But again, the problem is, who decides what makes us happy? Who decides the meaning of high quality of life? What, in other words, is the metric? This is a big question. Too big for a blog post. But there is one man who came up with a metric that, at least in the case of city planning, seems to work. That man is Enrique Peñalosa, former mayor of Bogota, Columbia (read about him <a href="http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2008/02/to-escape-city.html">here</a> and <a href="http://www.pps.org/info/placemakingtools/placemakers/epenalosa">here</a> and watch a video about him <a href="http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/interview-with-enrique-penalosa-long/">here</a>). Putting into practice his emphasis on happiness, according to <a href="http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/interview-with-enrique-penalosa-long/">StreetFilms</a>:<blockquote>Peñalosa changed the way Bogota treated its non-driving citizens by restricting automobile use and instituting a bus rapid transit system which now carries a 1/2 million residents daily. Among other improvements: he widened and rebuilt sidewalks, created grand public spaces, and implemented over one hundred miles of bicycle paths.</blockquote>According to an article in <a href="http://www.enroutemag.com/e/february08/feature2_a.html">EnRoute</a>:<blockquote>"The shift in priorities had a psychological effect on the city. Polls found that optimism shot up. The murder rate fell by 40 percent. By the end of Peñalosa’s term, residents had voted to ban private cars from rush hour by 2015."</blockquote>But that still leaves us with the same question. What is the measurable metric by which Peñalosa or any other policy-maker can decide if true happiness is achieved? Well, here is one metric, told to me by a colleague at <a href="http://transalt.org/">Transportation Alternatives</a> today. It can be measured, it can be verified, and by most human standards, it could be used at least as a proxy for happiness. Peñalosa, when trying to figure out if his policies were working, at least as the story was told to me, measured one thing: The number of children playing in the streets. If that is not a measure of societal happiness, if that is not one worthwhile metric, I don't know what is.<div> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?a=qHLuM"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?i=qHLuM" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?a=EUJXm"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?i=EUJXm" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?a=p4otm"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?i=p4otm" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?a=tupVm"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?i=tupVm" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?a=zB9RM"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?i=zB9RM" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?a=bDYCM"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?i=bDYCM" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?a=cCcHM"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?i=cCcHM" border="0"></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?a=7Y5RM"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/NoImpactMan?i=7Y5RM" border="0"></a> </div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/NoImpactMan/~4/437753583" height="1" width="1">Colin Beavan aka No Impact Mantag:google.com,2005:reader/feed/http://feeds.feedburner.com/NoImpactManNo Impact Man

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