I love Hulu. Yeah, I know, I’ve said it alot. I don’t bother with cable, I get all my content online. It’s a good place to be (and is cheaper than paying cable and Internet bills, IMHO).
Google Labs is always coming out with something cool and new (if ONLY they had the same stuff for my google apps paid account!) and now my favorite video site has a “labs” offering too.
So if you want to go check it out, you can play around in Hulu’s Lab too!
You have heard the old query… “If you had 24 hours to live, how would you spend them?” And I’m sure that thinking about this semi-regularly is probably a good idea. At the very least, it’s humbling.
Sure, I’d like to say that I’d go skydiving or something that I’ve always wanted to try. The fact is, I wouldn’t.
When you are a parent, it seems like a luxury to even CONSIDER doing anything for yourself for 24 hours… much less to actually DO it — even if those were the LAST 24 hours you had.
Heck, I’d be running around trying [...] Continue Reading…
Being a remote professional often involves travel and work in… ahem… unusual locations. You may find yourself working on the road, in your car, at a library or coffee shop, onsite with a client, or anywhere in between. Desktops are great, but they will tie you to a single work spot. They are usually stable and cheaper than the portable alternatives. That is, until recently.
If you are a power-user and you need to multi-task, keep a slew of windows open, and often push the limits of both your CPU and your RAM, your mobile options won’t be low cost.
If, [...] Continue Reading…
Well, spam has finally moved from my computer to my cell phone. I’m hating this crap! I get probably a dozen calls a week from various numbers all over the USA with an automated voice telling me that this is my second and final notice that the warranty on my car is about to expire.
If only this really WAS the final notice, it wouldn’t be a problem. The problem is… It never is the final anything.
They are also using my toll-free number, which transfers to my cell when I’m out of the office, so I get the joy of [...] Continue Reading…
I’ve been through a slew of iPhone cases in my quest for the perfect one. SLEWS of them. I love my iphone, ask anyone who knows me… but, trying to keep it safe and in excellent working order isn’t always easy when you take it everywhere. (Heck, I even listen to music on mine in the bathroom while taking a shower — so I needed a moisture-resistant, shock proof, tough case for it.)
Yesterday, the ideal case finally arrived. I got mine on eBay, but it’s available on Amazon too. I got myself an Otterbox Defender Semi-rugged Case for my [...] Continue Reading…
I know, I know, I’m always complaining about these things…
But I got a referral to a dermatologist recently. Not a big deal, just a little bump that needed to be checked out. I traveled two hours to get there because the referral was made before my recent move North. Not a huge deal, but not much fun early on a Friday morning.
It also decided to snow that morning. After 70+ degree temps, it decided to snow. So be it.
My iPhone mapping program apparently didn’t have the most recent maps and sent me to BFE instead of to the new [...] Continue Reading…
Ok, anyone who knows me knows that I love a bargain. I love treasure shopping. I love the “hunt” for cool stuff. I also adore Goodwill and other thrift shops. (I would have been a pirate a few hundred years ago. Not for the stealing part, but for the finding of the loot.)
For years, I’ve said that you can find ANYTHING you want at Goodwill if you look hard enough and are patient enough.
Now I knew there were some exceptions to that rule, but only the obvious ones. I’ve wanted a platinum or 18K diamond ring for awhile now [...] Continue Reading…
This last week was an interesting one for people in Kentucky. The weather took an twist and I must say I actually enjoyed the whole experience. I know many people were without basic services, and my opinion may be slanted by the fact that I didn’t lose electric or water. I only had a short stint without the Internet.
I spent the time visiting, cooking, relaxing and generally enjoying my little weather-induced mini-vacation. The weekend brought temperatures in the 50s and 60s and all the ice and snow that was frosting my world is gone. The weatherman says we may [...] Continue Reading…
Ok, my new printer is a nice one. It’s an all-in-one and does everything but serve my lunch. It is a wonder of modern technology… so why do I hate it?
I have determined that there are some areas where I am exceedingly simple.
I discovered recently that printing is one of those areas.
I don’t want any more wiz-bang in my technology than I can properly appreciate — and not a whit less, either.
I love the networking/wireless feature. That’s way cool! But other than that…
I think that the rub here is paying all that extra money for the fancy printer and [...] Continue Reading…
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a rant. So, if you want kindness or technical assistance this is not the post for you (use the search box to find a less angsty post on the topic of your choice.)
If you like a good rant… you are in luck!
I have my roots in media. One of my most enjoyable, challenging and rewarding professional stints was as a reporter and later as a managing editor of a small newspaper. I ponder that time of my life fondly now (in my dotage) and wonder at the amount of energy I had to [...] Continue Reading…
Every year, every January 1st, I have this great hope that the upcoming year will be a bright and beautiful one. For years, I’ve been less than pleased with the results. This year, I’m already happy with the new year.
Well, that may be a bit misleading since my life started getting REALLY good (for no particular, identifiable reason) about the middle of last month. Decembers usually suck for me. It’s a fact. But this one was lovely.
I’m not sure what it was. I’m not sure what was different. Maybe it’s that I worked to eliminate stress. Maybe it’s that [...] Continue Reading…
I’ve been remiss in my blogging duties this month. (That always happens after a grueling round of “every day blogging” in November.) So, it’s probably a good time to be tagged with a blog meme, right? I just got tagged by Kris Rowlands over on Fresh Focus.
Guess that’s ONE way to get my butt more productive, eh, Kris?
So here we go with the dirt on me…
1. I’m a bit of a conspiracy theorist. I can’t help it. It’s in my genes. Today, my eldest son told me that the reason he’s a weirdo is because I made it impossible [...] Continue Reading…
With the economy being what it is, we are all budgeting a bit more carefully. Saving money and eliminating waste have become matters of fiscal need for many small business owners.
Making more money isn’t necessarily as important as making the right amount of money and saving whenever possible. Buying in bulk may no longer be the best way to save. Eliminating the need may pay bigger dividends. Elimination of debt in your business is as important as eliminating it in your personal life during “lean” economic times.
Scale back if you must, but don’t go into debt for your business. [...] Continue Reading…
Google Apps is a “software as service” option for small (and large) businesses. My favorite feature is a paid version of Gmail. It’s worth the $50 per year I’m spending to use it. (I don’t really use the other features, except for the calendar.)
You may wonder, especially during these interesting economic times, why I would want to pay for something that I could get for free…
Simple. Because you can’t brand typical Gmail. Sure, you can “sort of” brand it by placing your business name before the @gmail part and you can set it up to “send on behalf of” [...] Continue Reading…
The last two weeks have been amazing.
*Shhhh!* (Just saying it may jinx my luck, so I’ll whisper the rest…)
I’ve not even taken the time to blog because I’ve been so busy and so bubbly and I didn’t want the good stuff to end. (Yeah, sometimes I really AM that superstitious.)
Eliminated the Storage Unit
I’ve made so much progress since the first of December, that I’ve been amazed. During the first week, my youngest son came down and spent four days with me, helping me to clean out my storage unit (there are only three items left — and those will [...] Continue Reading…
iTalk Recorder - by Griffin Technology
A mobile writer’s best friend. I’ve fleshed out plot sequences, brainstormed settings and traced historical information for my characters using this app while driving down the road. Maybe not recommended, but alot better than trying to write down that amazing idea that always seems to occur when I have my hands at 10 and 2 (or 9 and 3 if you are younger). This app has a great big easy-to hit record and stop button. You can name the file later (if you are driving) and transcribe it at a later date or [...] Continue Reading…
Today is the end of November 2008. I have managed (with this post) to log a blog every single day of the month, as I committed with my participation in NaBlPoMo. Even when I was under the weather for several of these 30 days, I managed to blog a little. Yea, me!
But, I didn’t do as well toward my commitment for NaNoWriMo. Despite my several thousand words this month, I didn’t come near the 50,000 I had hoped to log. (Epic Failure!) Alex didn’t get hers logged either — but pressuring her to write was taking all the fun [...] Continue Reading…
While recovering from a case of the creeping-crud, I’ve spent many hours over at the apps store catching up on what’s new and cool. I’m not BEING very productive lately, so I’m researching productivity (and other) apps. (Hey, at least I’m accomplishing something!)
In particular, I was looking for:
a better way to handle my to-do lists
a way to maintain standard packing lists
a quick-launching notes program
a running diary for those “when did I do that?” queries
a grocery shopping list-maker
a way to do my @ lists (loosely based on GTD philosophy — VERY loosely)
I found one of the most incredible database programs [...] Continue Reading…
I’m loving Hulu. If you haven’t discovered it yet, go there now. If you have finished with the Thanksgiving meal and need a little kick-back time (and you aren’t a sports fan), Hulu will come to your rescue.
I’ve registered so I can keep the cool stuff I find in my queue — and so I get automatic update emails when a TV show I’m following has a new episode, but you can view without registration.
Right now (since I don’t watch TV) this is where I watch: Bones, Chuck, Lipstick Jungle, Terminator, The Starter Wife, Heroes, Burn Notice, Crusoe, Valentine, [...] Continue Reading…
