I was greeted with an invitation to install the new Facebook Toolbar (Firefox only). I must say, this is exactly what I needed. I wrote earlier about how to eliminate distractions and this is, ironically, a great way to do it. You don’t spend countless times during the day logging in to see if there is something new worth looking at (which means less time mindlessly browsing). In theory, that is…
The “Holdays” (Christmas) are right around the corner and I always struggle to think up some things I absolutely “need.” Throughout the year situations will come up where you think to yourself “man, I wish I had one of those ________ right now.” I do it all the time. Of course, I’ll forget each and every one of those situations when birthdays and Christmases approach. That won’t happen this time. For my own entertainment here are the five gifts I’d love to get.
Apparently YouTube was listed as Time’s Top Invention of 2006. As Nathan so simply explained, YouTube is hardly an invention. In fact, a lot of what we
Since Thanksgiving break is over I figured now would be an appropriate time to talk about being productive (thanks, Glenn). Personally, I just spent a week watching movies, finishing seasons 2 and 3 of Lost, skiing, and napping. Unfortunately there are three weeks of school left before I can remain in this state of laziness.
It’s nearly Thanksgiving and I’ve realized that perhaps I’m thankful for a bit more than my chair, monitors and slippers. Perhaps life is a tad more than the physical objects we own. In fact, take away any and all possessions you have: what’s left?
Do you ever wonder what it is you’re remembered for? What is the one thing people keep in mind after they first meet you? What do your close friends say about you? Any idea what your acquaintances from work and school really thought about you? I wonder about this stuff all the time.
This week is one of vacation for some of us in the states. I have the entire week off to rest, relax, and think about what it is I’m thankful for. Naturally, I wanted to share some of the things I’ve been thankful for this year; without the following I wouldn’t be who I am nor where I am today.
I enjoy reading, it truly expands my knowledge base and introduces me to so many great new ideas. In turn, I enjoy sharing them and talking with others about them. But recently I’ve struggled to find time to read. As mentioned before, I manage my time pretty closely; I fill every hour of my schedule. Unfortunately, work and school take up nearly all of my time lately. When can I find time to read?
How dare they! It’s true though. We all know the blogosphere is not just used to talk about our cats and day at the mall. Blogs are great ways to communicate. Executives can publish one post and have the entire world up-to-date, companies can talk to its current and potential customers, people can share their ideas and stories with friends and strangers alike. Blogs are powerful and extremely functional–people are catching on.
So, why can’t some bloggers make money? A lot of people are full-time bloggers (they may prefer to be called journalists, or writers though). Sure, we can drop a few ad links on your website and make a few bucks a day. Does that really compliment what we’re doing? Hardly. Just like television commercials ineffectiveness: they don’t compliment the medium nor the content. Relevance is important and a few sites have found a way to solve that problem for bloggers.
I’ll only venture forward by stating this post is sponsored by ReviewMe. I agreed to see what this crazy idea could offer me. A few dollars to talk about a website and review it? Don’t I do that anyway? Yes. Should I get paid for it? Why not? Sure, my wisdom and commentary are invaluable but I’m willing to negotiate a price…
Oh, you’re convinced I’m not trustworthy anymore, right? I get paid so I’m no longer impartial? I understand you can’t help but be skeptical as to what I say but that’s nonsense. For starters, ReviewMe doesn’t allow advertisers to mandate positive reviews. In other words, it’s the author’s discretion as to which way their review will lean. Mike likens sites like ReviewMe to PR firms. I think this is a pretty accurate analogy. As I said, I’m the kind of guy who is going to look at sites and give my honest opinion either way. ReviewMe simply facilitates the exchange between advertisers willing to be judged and the bloggers willing to talk about products and services. I hope it can attract the services of some interesting new sites. Obviously, I wouldn’t talk about irrelevant material here so there’s truly no impact on the reader.
So, with that said I’d recommend ReviewMe to anyone. The site’s interface is straight-forward and easy to manage. I had no problem signing up and getting my first review started. Will it be effective in generating honest ‘buzz’ and advertising? I have no way to tell but I do realize that money introduces a new level of motivation. There’s no doubt this will have an interest effect on blogs everywhere.
Since everyone who reads this will likely be finding happiness at a gym now I think it’s only fair I prepare another etiquette guide for those of us new to athletic clubs, locker rooms, and gyms in general.
Without further ado, the following should be observed whilst working out at the gym:
Style and fashion do not leave their hats at the door. As soon as you walk into the gym you haven’t left society. Dress appropriately. Ladies, this means your red tank top should be matching your red and white shoes and red scrunchies. This is common sense, I know, but I feel like I should explain it. You’re here to impress people and first impressions are never spoken.
In fact, there’s rarely anything spoken. You may say hello to the lady at the front desk. You might even nod to the guy who walks in at the same time as you every day. But, other than that, keep the chit-chat to a minimum. To avoid conversations make sure to always bring reading material or a portable music player. If you feel the need to interact with people around you simply make eye-contact frequently; especially with those of the (attractive) opposite sex. I’m sure you’ll be fulfilling some sort of need by doing this.
If you’re a guy you may not be able to use bright reds and pinks to attract women to you. That’s fine, you’re not a flower, you’re a man. Men lift big weights. So, grunt loudly and make obnoxious sounds when you lift. The benefits are threefold: it helps you lift the weight, it draws attention to you, and it stretches your vocal muscles. If you’re not making loud noises you know you’re not doing it right. If you don’t sound like you’re struggling you’re going to make the people around you feel inadequate. Don’t give the impression that being macho comes easy; it’s hard work.
If you want to help out people the last thing you do is clean up after yourself. You want to help the economy right? By leaving your mess for others you’re creating jobs. Personally, I keep two or three people employed on any given day. So, make sure you leave your sweat on the equipment at the gym. Even if nobody gets to wiping it down you’re helping the next person. They’ll waste less energy warming up that seat. It’s simple physics.
Once you hit the locker room its time to let everything out. Guys, if you’re over 35 years old you don’t need a towel around your waist, they’re optional. In fact, take a towel and simply throw it over your shoulder in protest. Fellas, if you’re younger than 25 you need to wear a bathing suit, even into the showers. You don’t know what politician and/or priest might be in there, right? Ladies, I don’t know what it’s like in there but I can only imagine.
We all know that running water can be pretty loud, especially when more than one shower is running. With that said, If you wish to hold a conversation with the person next to you then you’re going to need to speak up. Way up. In fact, everyone in the locker-rooms should be able to hear about what you’re doing this weekend, how obnoxious your kids are, and how much you hate George W. Bush. Naturally, the shower is the best and most appropriate time to converse with a friend of the same-sex. Nothing says rapport like scrubbing yourself during dialogue.
These are just some of the fundamental tips. Having read this you should have no trouble at the gym now. Any other suggestions? Leave them in the comments…