MetaFilter founder Matt Haughey reveals his secret to recording the MeFi podcast between two Macs with simple software sans expensive hardware. Matt says: I read a lot of podcast how-tos when I set out to do my own, and almost all of them are mired in technical details about microphone quality and USB vs. mixer board audio wankery. Most every tutorial about doing a podcast interview focuses way too much on studio-like sound quality achieved through your equipment instead of through software and a bit of clever thinking.
Matt’s trick is to record a Skype call on both ends separately, then combine the two audio tracks in Garageband to bypass any Skype sound quality problems. Genius! Hit the link to get the details. How to record a kickass podcast between two macs—and cheap! [A Whole Lotta Nothing]
With an overwhelming amount of information you read online everyday, how do you keep it all inside? Perhaps you need to really focus on what’s important. Trim down the fat. Ignore the unimportant parts. To keep what you’ve read in lasting memory, implement what you have learned—more than once. Allocate your most productive time to reading to give your full attention to learning what’s in print. Acknowledge visual cues, such as bold text, as they highlight the more important parts of the articles. Take notes on articles that you feel are most important, and then read, recite, and review all at the same time. If you need to refer to the material later, make sure to bookmark the page so that it’s easily accessible when you need it next. How do you absorb everything you’ve read online? Share your best tactics in the comments. 10 Tips to Retain More of What You Read Online [Vandelay Website Design]
Need to get your metabolism going? Personal trainer and blogger Lauren proposes that you can bolster your metabolism by eating enough (not too little, like most people who diet), eating more frequently (5-6 small meals a day), and adding more protein and fiber to your diet. Exercise should also be added to your daily regimen. Weight-training, building muscles, and doing more high-intensity cardiovascular exercise are critical. A 10 minute [intense]bike interval session would be much more beneficial than a slow 30 minutes session.
In general, it’s a good idea to do small physical activities that add up, such as making your bed, parking your car further away (so that you’ll have to walk home), and taking the stairs instead of the elevator. If you have any other tips that help shake the weight off and keep the fat burning, we’d love to hear them in the comments. Increase Your Metabolism: 11 Hot Tips to Get Your Furnace Burning [LaurensFitness]
Even though push-up training is often taught at an early age, many people just don’t get it right. The proper way to do a basic push up is to assume the prone position with your back absolutely straight. Your hands should be a little more than shoulder-width apart against the floor or on a mat. Once you’re in position, bend your elbows to lower your shoulders and upper body until you’re nearly touching the floor. Then, raise your elbows upwards until your body is in the initial position. If you’re doing push-ups regularly, be honest about it: keep your body in proper position (don’t raise your butt too high). If you’re new to push-ups, the repeated moves are initially painful, but with practice, you’ll be able to strengthen up your upper body muscles effectively. Basic Push-Up
Today is as good a day as any to put your friends and family first and to make their day. Need inspiration? Socyberty offers ten ideas, from giving movie tickets to someone who has been working quite hard lately to leaving a generous tip to your waiter. Be spontaneous and write a thank you note to someone who has had an impact on you or someone you care about. Lend a shoulder to a co-worker who has had a bad day and add some humour to the events to make them smile. Give a homeless person some food to eat. Read a story to a friend’s child. How do you give of yourself to those who live around you? Let’s hear your feel-good tips in the comments. 10 Ways to Make Someone Else’s Day [Socyberty]
If you live in a temporary residence and still feel the need to have an organisational system in place, use available cardboard boxes to build a storage system. WikiHow proposes that you seek out local stores for boxes, or you can order cardboard boxes online. Essentially, your system is composed of four long boxes (drawers) that will be placed in one large cubic box which serves as the compartment. After assembling the box structure, cut out a square at the end of each box so that you can easily see inside the compartments. Additionally, label the boxes for ease of locating your items. The article suggests that heavier items should be stored on the bottom shelves and smaller items should be placed in tennis ball canisters. This is a great inexpensive storage system that is particularly useful for transient residents and those who frequently relocate. Make a Cardboard Box Storage System [WikiHow]
US-centric: Find the cheapest rates for shipping items from point A to point B with web site ShipGooder. Enter the shipping origin and destination zip codes as well as the package weight. Within seconds, ShipGooder will provide you with rates for major shipping carriers, including DHL, FedEx, UPS, USPS, Canada Post, and others. The shipping rates are displayed on a nice looking form that displays next day shipping, 2-day shipping, three-day shipping, or ground shipping options, but if necessary, you can change your view to a courier rate table that displays the various rates per carrier. ShipGooder also features a map to show (roughly) the estimated commute of your package. The site is still in beta and has a few kinks, so if you run into a problem calculating shipping for a particular zip code, try to reverse the destination and origin—that should work instead. ShipGooder makes it quite easy to get the cheapest shipping rates without visiting each individual carrier’s website. ShipGooder
