Monday, February 25, 2008
Jumpstart your day by building mood lifters into your morning
11:47AM Sarah Stokely | A bad start to the day can set the tone for your whole day – so The Simple Dollar suggests building a morning routine which starts each day on a positive note. Writer Trent says: “My average morning starts off with a shower, a small and energetic
breakfast, some logic puzzles, and then, eventually, a period of time
with my kids.”Here are some of his suggestions for creating a positive mood for yourself in the morning:
*A breakfast of fruit or oatmeal Something healthy, natural, and full of energy to start your day.
*A shower Start off things by taking a long, soaking
shower, cleaning you off, revitalizing you, and getting you ready to go
for the day.*Meditation or prayer Early morning might be the best
time to get in touch with your spiritual side, especially if it’s
something that brings positive value to your life.
*A brief taste of your favorite hobby Read a book chapter or play a quick game to start things off.
I’d add one other suggestion – a burst of enjoyable outdoor activity. A mild walk or something a bit more energetic to get your heartrate up for a few minutes. Exposure to some sunlight gets you a dose of Vitamin D and can help lift your mood. I love going for a morning walk in the park near my house because lots of people walk their dogs there and I get to watch them playing. It always puts a smile on my face.Got any suggestions for the best way to start your day on the right foot? Please share in comments.
Investing in Yourself: Feel Good [The Simple Dollar] More » 
Star Trek
11:39AM Sarah Stokely | It’s hard to imagine any Star Trek fans that wouldn’t already have the whole collection on DVD, but just in case you don’t – US TV station CBS is making every episode of the original series available through streaming video. You can also catch classics like Twilight Zone and MacGyver. Nerdy! [via Get Rich Slowly] More » 
Share MP3s with your Facebook friends using DoubleTwist
11:08AM Sarah Stokely | The other day we told you about the new DRM-stripping application DoubleTwist – which operates in a similar way to ripping and burning a CD. Now the Wired How-to Wiki folk have put together a guide on how to share MP3s with your Facebook friends using DoubleTwist.It uses the new Facebook app Twist me!The wiki points out two things worth noting:
The DoubleTwist application requires the .NET v2 framework to run, so you may need to run an update before installing it.
DoubleTwist also forces you to create an online account, which
means your activity is traceable should DoubleTwist ever get
subpoenaed.
Share MP3s with your Facebook Friends using DoubleTwist [Wired How-to Wiki] More » 
GMail Chat adds “invisible” mode
10:47AM Sarah Stokely | Gmail Chat has finally added the ability to mask your presence – the one feature which to my IM-phobic mind makes instant messaging bearable. The Google Operating System has written up the new feature, which allows you to set your status to “Invisible”. This has obvious productivity benefits – you can check and see if your contacts are online, but won’t be bothered by anyone trying to contact you.Note, however, that if you use other flavours of Google Talk (ie the gadget or desktop app) you won’t be able to change your status to invisible because they don’t support the new feature yet – it’s been applied to Gmail Chat first. It’s also only available for the new version of GMail (supported in IE7 and Firefox 2).
Earlier today we showed you how to set your Google Talk status to “idle”, but if you don’t to be pinged with “Are you there?” enquiries, the “Invisible” setting may be the way to go.
Invisible Mode in Gmail Chat [Google Operating System]
More » Tips and tricks for using the Melbourne public transport system
9:55AM Sarah Stokely | A poster to the melbournemaniac Livejournal community has written a very cool guide with tips and tricks for using the Melbourne public transport system.
Some of the highlights:
*Validate (or purchase) your 2-hour tram ticket just after the hour, as it rounds up and you’ll get nearly three hours of travel out of it (ie a 2.10 pm ticket will be valid until 5pm)*if you validate a 10×2 hour ticket twice in the same day it lasts until 3am
the following day – effectively it becomes a daily ticket. This makes the 10 x 2 ticket better value than buying the similarly priced 5 x daily tickets.*If you have a weekly or monthly ticket that is _just_ zone 1 or 2, on a weekend it will be both – great value if you’re travelling across town to the footie on the weekend.*If you validate a 2 hour ticket (also applies to 10×2 hourlies) after
6pm it lasts until 3am. Don’t buy a daily if you’re going to be out all
night, use a two hourly and validate post 6pm – another reason why a 10×2 hour ticket is better value than buying 5 daily tickets.
The guide also has a number of tips on how to avoid/sweet talk tram inspectors – but it’s also worth nothing that there’s a big crackdown on fare evaders at the moment, so trying to save money by skipping the tram fare probably isn’t worth it!So that’s Melbourne. People from other cities – care to share your public transport tips? If I get enough of them I’ll do a roundup of the best tips for each town/city.Public Transport Tips [Melbourne Maniacs] More » 
What Tools Do You Use in Your Mobile Office?
9:00AM Tamar Weinberg | With the increasing amount of online services available for your perusal, many workers are going mobile more and more—or they’re at least taking the opportunity to travel while not feeling too detached from work life. The Computerworld Blog suggests Lifehacker favourites to create your mobile office, including Flickr for photo storage, Skype for phone calls, Zoho for office software, and I Want Sandy as your to do list. What are the indispensable tools for you when you travel and still need to be connected? Share your favourite webapps in the comments. How to Work from the Beach [ComputerWorld Blogs] More »
Substitutes for Baking Ingredients
8:00AM Tamar Weinberg | Cooking in the cold winter and out of a core ingredient for a dish? Substitute what you’ve got in your fridge and cupboard with what the recipe requires. Here is an example as suggested by weblog Gothamist: 1 teaspoon baking powder = 1/4 teaspoon baking soda + ½ teaspoon cream of tartar You might not come out with the real thing, but you’ll certainly come close to it without the extra trek to the grocery store. Can you think of any other recipe substitutions? Share your favourites in the comments. Baking Substitutions [Gothamist] More »Build a Metal Detector on the Cheap
7:00AM Tamar Weinberg | DIYer RazorG illustrates how to make a cheap metal detector using an old AM radio, tape, and a calculator. Tune your AM radio with the volume on maximum onto the high end of the frequency but not directly on a broadcast station. Once you can hear the static from the AM radio, position the radio and the calculator (turned on) close together until you hear a loud tone. Then, tape the units together securely. You now have a working metal detector which you can experiment with by putting it near silverware or other piece of metal. This works, RazorG says, because the loud tone that comes from the radio is the calculator’s electronic circuit board which produces a radio frequency signal. The radio waves from the calculator bounce off the spoon and are heard on the radio’s speakers. Turn a Calculator into a Metal Detector [MetaCafe] More »
