Best Money Tips: Ways Your Bicycle Could Help You Earn Extra Income

Today we found some awesome articles on ways your bicycle could help you earn extra income, nailing a job interview, and dealing with spousal debt.

Making some extra cash is always good. This article, which appeared in wisebread.com, offers a number of links that serve as a resource on how you can make money through your bike.

Are you prepared for severe weather and natural disasters?

I noticed recently we didn’t have a single radio in our house, so I ordered one of these for our home. There are many different styles, I liked this one because in addition to batteries it has a crank and a solar panel for alternative energy sources.

The effects of global warming is now being felt all over the world with really freaky weather being experienced by everyone. This is, of course, going to affect your productivity especially if the inclement weather is enough to disrupt work. This is short but informative article about how the writer tries to prepare for severe weather and natural disasters.

4 Do’s And 1 Don’t For Smarter Brand Naming

Sometimes good naming is more common sense than courage. Anheuser-Busch decided to spin off as an independent company the large commercial baking company (Campbell Taggart Inc.) it had acquired. Seeking a more expressive name, management selected one of their regional bread brands, redesigned it, and elevated it to the corporate name: Earthgrains Company.

So you’re thinking of a brand for a product, service or even website you want to create. Don’t just think of some name and plaster it on your product. Brand naming is more than just that. The four do’s and 1 don’t of brand naming is a must-read for budding businessmen.

5 Tips on Staying Productive While Travelling

Traveling for work can be a blessing—or a curse—depending on how you handle it. I have to drive a fair amount for my job, but many freelancers spend hours in airports, train stations, and bus terminals.

Traveling is a great opportunity but it can also be quite difficult especially if it begins to affect your productivity. This is much more of a problem with freelancers who may need to travel for work or travel because they need to be at some place regardless of whether they have deadlines to meet or not. These are really handy tips on how to be more productive even if you’re living in suitcase.

To slow down your February somewhat, here are some of the best content on the 9rules Network for the week of February 15-21.

Would You Like to Pay by Cash, Credit Card or Twitter?

I received an email this week about a new ebook on the rise of the app. I was interested, so I visited the website and found something I’d never seen before, a “Pay with a Tweet” option.

Click the option, and you get a pre-filled Tweet (which can be altered somewhat) that mentions the product along with a link so others can get in on the deal.

The “pay with a tweet” option is nothing new, but it is getting a lot of attention lately. If you’re trying to build a product or service through web marketing then this is a tactic you really should check out.

A Freelance Lesson From Jeremy Lin of the NY Knicks

Lin worked like crazy for years, waiting for this opportunity. When it finally came around, he was ready for it. Make sure you are putting 100% effort into your freelance business. Stay up to date on everything there is to know about your niche.

The Jeremy Lin craze looks like it’s not going to end anytime soon so might as well use Lin’s newfound fame to good use by using stories of Lin’s work ethic and background as a jump-off point for career lessons. I have to say that this article has succeeded in its objectives.

Facebook Timeline Lifestyle Apps Surge in Traffic

In January, Facebook announced the launch of 60 new timeline apps including Pinterest. At the time, Spotify was already seeing a benefit from having users share their playlists on Facebook – their membership rose to 1.4 million subscribers. Less than a month into the launch, the Facebook development team has reported dramatic gains in traffic and user engagement for lifestyle networks.

Pinterest’s growth is very explosive. It’s arguably one of the fastest growing lifestyle apps and for good reason. It’s a very addictive concept and fits nicely into Facebook. Other lifestyle apps are also growing fast and this article is an interesting read on that topic.

7 Out of 10 Children Use the Family Tablet

Nielsen surveyed tablet owners with kids under 12 and found that 7 out of 10 kids were allowed to use the tablet. This was a 9% increase over the previous quarter.

The majority of the kids, 77%, used the tablet to play games. 57% said their kids were using it for educational purposes (and we believe them, don’t we?)

Kids have a natural aptitude towards using touchscreen tablets and I agree, it’s a great learning tool. Expect to see kids get their own personal tablets when the prices for these costly gadgets go down.

Problem With Procrastination? Try This: Do Nothing.

In Roy Baumeister and John Tierney’s fascinating book, Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength, they suggest the “Nothing Alternative” to this problem. That is, if you want to get yourself to do something, make the alternative to that task to do nothing.

Anyone who has had to deal with an important task head-on knows that it is sometimes hard to just go and do the said task. Procrastination is a very real problem. The solution of not doing nothing for not doing nothing may actually work.

7 Tips to Help Improve Your Child’s Handwriting

There’s a reason why so many preschool projects involve rice, beads, beans, and shells. Working with these tiny objects builds your child’s fine motor skills and develops hand muscles necessary in handwriting. Look for ways your child can develop fine motor skills at home. Opportunities abound, from misting the plants to finger painting.

My son has to face the challenge of having bad handwriting when he was starting out in school. We actually did some of the tips here and it really worked. Parents with preschool-aged children, take these tips to heart.

Why I’m Not Yet Sold on Jeremy Lin

In the last 15 years, point guards have made careers by abusing the Lakers and this season is no different. The current Lakers roster is not constructed to bottle up slashing point guards. I’ll join the “Linsanity” after Lin goes up against Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, and Tony Parker and lights them up.

Anyone who’s been following the NBA has likely been bitten by “Linsanity”. The New York Knicks’ Jeremy Lin has captured everyone’s attention. But here’s one guy who’s not buying the hype and he tells us the reasons why.

Financial Tricks to Master for a Happier Life

Many high earners will tell you that they aren’t happy with their income. This is because they are already used to the amount of money that they are making. Everything is all relative. In order to feel happy, make improvements. And it doesn’t even have to be related to making money, either.

Money is not the root of happiness, people will tell you that. But for many people, it is the source of unhappiness. Here are some really useful financial tricks that will make you a happier person.

80 Games Every Family Should Play

Bop It, and its successors, are popular, noisy handheld toys which encourage hand-eye coordination and are a lot of fun to play. They can be played solo or in various ‘pass it’ modes allowing two or more people to join in. The concept — to correctly follow spoken or sound effect instructions by pulling, twisting or otherwise manipulating the “Bop It” — sounds simple but can be surprisingly fiendish.

I gave my son a Bop It for Christmas and he absolutely loves it. This is a great training for hand-eye coordination and also teaches children how to correctly listen to instructions. All of the other games listed in the article are also very educational and/or fun, and it also encourages playing as a whole family, which is a big plus.

Firefox 10 Released

Mozilla has released Firefox 10, the latest iteration of its popular open-source Web browser for Windows, Mac, and Linux machines. Mozilla is committed to release a new version of the browser every 6 weeks.

What is new in version 10 is how Firefox handles extensions upon auto-updating to the new browser version. Firefox 10 for Android will have multitouch gesture support to the mobile browser.

Mozilla is really fully committed to their fast track release schedule for Firefox. It has recently released version 10 of the popular Mozilla Firefox browser. Time to update your browser if you’re using Firefox. Dear Mozilla, for the next version, could you please add an auto update feature? It will really help users.

8 Beers That Best Describe the Most Popular Social Networks

Today we raise a glass to Libatious, a social network for beer drinkers that launched today from its headquarters in Brooklyn, NY.  The site has a database of beers and breweries from all over the world for users to explore, bookmark and rate – an intriguing blend of Pinterest and Yelp.

In the real world, beer and social media go together like soda and pop rocks.  Just for fun, here’s a sampling of eight beers to pair with eight different social networks, inspired by the beers found on tap at Libatious.

Here’s a cool take on two things people love to do – visit their favorite social network service and drink beer. It’s a mashup of sorts, but the good and entertaining kind.

Flannel Design Wall Tutorial

I’m still “moving in” and getting settled in my new sewing area (as well as the rest of the house, if the truth is told), and of course, I want a design wall of some sort. There is not a lot of room or empty wall space, but there is one wall that will do (ignoring the electrical socket and pass through right in the middle of it that I would never use anyway).

Decorating your home is a very involved project but one that is very fulfilling especially if you really transform your domicile into something really beautiful. Home projects are nothing to sneeze at so this article on decorating a wall is a great insight into what such a project entails not just in the technical aspects of it but the practical hands-on experience of doing the project.

The Artist’s Drug of Choice

Art is a curative. Art is strengthening. Art is what taught me that I am an artist. Art is what keeps me healthy. If I’m not getting my fix, everything else will suffer. I need it.

I know I’ve featured Jessica Doyle’s blog last week, but her recent blog post on the artist’s struggle with personal demons is quite compelling and strikes a chord with any person who has to go through the same things in the pursuit of true creativity. Doyle’s positive take on art as a form of positive addiction is a great affirmation of what art can do to artist and not just the people who see the final work.

Starting a Freelance Business in 2012: Planning Ahead

If money isn’t an issue, you don’t really have a problem. Bust most of us need some sort of an income to pay our mortgage, put gas in our cars, and buy groceries. And as a new freelancer, steady income probably isn’t going to happen right away. Build up your savings with enough money to keep you afloat for at least 6 to 8 months.

It’s 2012 and two New Years have passed (the western and the Chinese New Year), time to take stock of your life and probably start a freelance business. You can’t have enough money, right?

Steamed Dumplings

I love making dumplings (jiao zi/??). Not only are they delicious, they are fun to make, especially the wrapping part. You can gather your friends and loved ones to wrap the dumplings together for some special bonding time. These dumplings are steamed using the traditional dim sum style bamboo steamer, but if you don’t have one you can just steam them on a plate. During Chinese New Year, dumplings are a symbol of prosperity and wealth as they resemble ingots or little money purses.

January 23 was the Chinese New Year, you can start off the Year of Dragon by preparing some scrumptious Steamed Dumplings. It’s not as hard as it looks once you begin making it and you’ll get definite nods of approval from family and friends when you serve the dumplings and tell them you made them by yourself.

Unwind With The Ritual Of Tea

Why not slow down, unwind and digest your day by sipping tea peacefully with two teaspoons of mindfulness.  Allow each mouthful to dissolve your worries, each swallow to deepen your breath and each pause before the next sip, to relax your body.  Tea has the power to do that.

It’s no joke, sipping a hot cup of tea can really relax you. It’s assurance in a cup. When you’re feeling stressed or out of sorts, a hot cup of your favorite tea can sort you out.

“Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion” – Film Announced

According to the official blog, plans for a film adaptation of the original ?Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion? TV anime series are underway.

At a recent press conference, producers Yukawa Atsushi and Yoshitaka Kawaguchi described the idea as a dream right before a display that read, “project has been launched,” was shown.

Code Geass has been a hit ever since it was released. I’m pretty sure that this film is going to be equally huge and will be lapped up by the hordes of Code Geass fans.

The Highs and Lows (of making art)

I’ve always been aware that part of my purpose in creating art is to explore the control of chaos. Sometimes I think it’s a microcosm of my life. I hate not having control, and I hate being surprised. I like to make changes in my life, not be subjected to the shock of them.

Making art, just like any kind of creative process, can be very complex. Shaylamaddox describes her own creative process in her wonderfully written blog post.

Launch of Apple iPhone 4S In China Spoilt By Eggs

Apple store in Beijing, China, stopped the sale of the new iPhone 4s due to scalpers. This action prompted an irate customer to throw eggs at the glass windows, and leaving others disappointed after waiting for a number of hours.

I understand that Apple’s iPhone is the most popular smartphone on the planet, able to inspire acts of utter stupidity. Just take this incident for example. What I want to know though is how this irate customer got hold of eggs. Did he bring the eggs with him adhering to the scout motto of always being prepared – anticipating the need for something icky to throw at stores? Or is he an egg vendor who happened who just happened to be bringing his stock of eggs while lining up for an iPhone 4s?

Ensuring the success of any online presence only means one thing, making sure that marketing the web site is effective enough to drive traffic. For this purpose effective search engine optimization strategies are needed to ensure that you create traffic and have the capability to increase it over time. Despite many different kinds of marketing strategies, SEO strategies geared towards keywords are still some of the most successful tactics you can use for your success. Here are some tips you can do to ensure that your web site remains visible in search engines.

Content and Link Building

You’ve often heard it said that content is king – and up to now that is still true. Content drives traffic to your site and it is also content that provides you with the means to improve your search engine rankings. It is also content that will allow you to build links that will, in turn, also improve your rankings. Your content is the vehicle for you to provide your targeted keywords naturally and legally.

Internal links

One of the most common mistakes made when managing a site is providing enough internal links. Linking each page in your web site to other internal pages that naturally fit in terms of relevance is also important and a great tactic for improving search rankings. It also provides a better navigational benefit for visitors to your web site.

Social media

We cannot overemphasize the value of social media and social networking in providing a good vehicle on which to mount your SEO marketing strategies. We all know how effective viral content is in disseminating itself and providing a good content and keyword vehicle. This is one of the things you should aim for because it propagates naturally and spreads fast within social networks.

Because of its specific format, Quora provided an opportunity unlike Twitter, Facebook, or other social media outlets for fans to engage with Super 8.

I must admit I have never tried out Quora. So far plain old Google and Wikipedia does the job for me. It might be time though to get an account and check it out if I want to keep up with trends.

Since It Can’t All Be About Books

A good example of throwing in a personal post now and then.

The BlogLily Summer Reading Program

The boomerang is the perfect symbol for what happens when you become an enthusiastic reader. You read that book and your first reaction is almost always to tell someone else about it. And before you know it, they’re telling you about the book they just read that you’ll like too. That’s about the path of a boomerang, isn’t it?

Since I could read and all the way through highschool I went regularly to the library, to lend books and to study. I must say I miss it, the public library here is very sterile and uninviting. Good libraries are a dying species.

Optimal Taco Ingredient Stacking

The unexpected bonus is that the melted cheese forms a laminating layer over the brittle corn shell, increasing its shatter resistance by an order of magnitude. The result: a hard taco that not only holds onto its ingredients, but also is easier to eat because it doesn’t explode in your hand.

I am amazed at Dave’s dedication to get the best way to stack a taco. Never mind my addiction to MSG in the flavor. I get so frustrated with the shells breaking that I just use a soft tortilla which doesn’t taste the same. Dave’s post is a fine example on why I love weblogs, not even in a food magazine you’ll come across such a handy and detailed tip.

Our Kindle Fire impressions and why Amazon is destined to dominate

Much like the original Kindle was designed expressly for reading books, the Kindle Fire is designed expressly to consume other types of media (and a few books too, if that’s what you’re into). Much like the Kindle leveraged Amazon’s extensive e-book catalog to sell books, the Kindle Fire is for those who want a simple device that will let them purchase and enjoy colorful things like magazines, music, video, websites, and some games and apps as well, all of which are sold by Amazon. If you want to read a book or document, you can do that too, much like you can try to browse the Web on the original Kindle. It’s not necessarily designed for reading books, but Amazon is generous with its services.

How to Troubleshoot a Hackintosh

Troubleshooting a hackintosh generally involves a lot of trial and error, many surprises, and plenty of frustration. This guide seeks to take away a little of that frustration by helping you 1) deal with some common issues, 2) figure out issues not discussed here, 3) find people to help you out when you’re stuck.

The Hackintosh is that magical hybrid of geekiness and practicality. It’s enjoying the Apple environment on a budget. But a Hackintosh does not have the stability of the genuine Mac environment, which makes it a bitch to troubleshoot sometimes. This is a great guide for troubleshooting one.

Nerf’s new Vortex blasters: who needs darts when you’re shooting discs?

Remember when Nerf blasters were simple, toy-like affairs? Times have changed, and now we have heavy, belt-fed, battery-chugging monstrosities that appeal to cubicle warriors as much as to children. Our house has a long history of Nerf wars using each new generation of guns, so when I heard that Nerf was releasing an entirely new line of blasters with discs instead of darts, I was both excited and a little hesitant. Would it really be fun to shoot my children and pets with tiny frisbee-style projectiles?

The Nerf guns are one of the hottest toys around not just because kids love them, but also (and probably, more importantly) the dads love them more. You can now add the Nerf Vortex blasters to your growing Nerf gun collection.

The cute ‘n’ kooky world of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Japan’s newest pop idol

“I’m interested in exaggerating things,” explains Kyary. “I’ll be trying on wigs and I’ll get interested in seeing what it would look like if I just put them all on at once. Or rather than just having one teddy bear, why not have me completely immersed in hundreds of them?”

Pop culture travels at hyperspeeds in Japan. And a pop star like Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is a perfect example of how differently stars are look and are packaged in Japan – that is, except for Lady Gaga, who fits perfectly in Japanese pop culture.

Recipe Finder Home Page

Recipe Finder, the newest recipe search engine in town officially launched last month. The recipe search engine boasts of around 1.7 million recipes and 700,000 images. The recipes in its database are indexed from hundreds of the most respected recipe web sites that one can find today. For the avid cook, the vast amount of recipes presents a lot of potential, as even with the current number, the guys at Recipe Finder continue to strive to expand their collection. Indexation of recipe web sites are done on a continuous basis, making sure that the recipes are updated and that new recipes are added to the database.

The designers of the recipe search engine did an excellent job in choosing the color scheme, fonts, and other aspects of the design. The home page, as you can see above, is quite easy on the eyes. With the thumbnails of several recipes displayed immediately below the search bar, one cannot help but be enticed to explore more and get cooking!

Searching for recipes on Recipe Finder is as easy as searching for whatever topic on Google, or any other search engine. The search bar is visible to even those with vision problems. The big advantage that I see is the Advanced Search option, which allows users to specify parameters such as calorie count, cook time, number of servings, and the option to include or exclude ingredients. This ability to tweak your search depending on the parameters can make or break one’s reputation during a cooking emergency, as you can easily imagine!

Advanced Search

These are times of social sharing, and it seems that most every online enterprise needs to the social aspect into consideration. Recipe Finder does not fail in this respect. It has the mandatory buttons for Facebook, Twitter, and (newcomer) Google+. What makes things even more interesting are the Facebook comments that one can make for each recipe. You can easily see how much more fun it would be to use such a recipe site together with your friends.

And if you need some tools to plan your meals, Recipe Finder has you covered as well. With its menu and calendar features, you simply need to log in using your Facebook account, and you can create extensive menus and place them in your calendar.

If you are in need of inspiration and information, you can also visit Recipe Finder’s blog. In the blog, you can read about holidays and what dishes are normally served during those holidays. You can also discover fun food holidays, which always give a good reason to celebrate (not that you need one!).

To sum it up, there are three things one can say about this new recipe search engine. One, it offers the largest collection of recipes you can find in one place. Two, it makes searching for recipes simple. Three, it gives you the inspiration that you need to be a success in the kitchen. What more can you ask for?

21 Personal Finance Lessons From Harry Potter

Fred and George love playing pranks. By the end of the Harry Potter series, the twins are no longer just selling their products around school, but they’ve launched their own extremely successful business, Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, based on that love.

How Harry Potter Could Influence Ecommerce

By selling D2C (direct to consumer) and removing DRM in favor of watermarking, JK Rowling and company are breaking new ground in online selling. Whether other brands follow suit is yet to be seen, but it appears the consumer and Rowling will both be winners as a result of this move.

Movie Review: Green Lantern

Green Lantern is a bit of a mixed bag when it comes right down to it.
At its core, the movie’s moral, much like the comic, is essentially to overcome fear.

I heard only bad things about the Green Lantern, it’s nice to read a review by someone with extensive comic books knowledge. Based on his review I’ll wait for the DVD release, I have been spoiled too much by X-Men: First Class.

Starting a Niche Blog

Leave comments on other niche blogs and link back to your blog when appropriate. Why is this important? Networking is good for freelancers—you never know when you will impress someone and they pass your information along to a potential client. And aren’t you more likely to to get a lead from someone you have something in common with?

Some good advice here if you want to start blogging or getting more serious about it.

Chunking and what to write right now

Rather than fret and worry about the thousands and thousands of words I have left to write, I’m going to try and split things into more manageable, less daunting chunks. Let’s call it chunking.

This is good practice for more than writing only. When coding a website I tend to split the work in categories and tackle them one by one, it can be tempting to jump between Photoshop and back end coding instead of focusing on one at a time.

With summer in full swing in the northern hemisphere I noticed a general slow down of new entries on the 9rules feed and all around the web. Summer, the low season of internet. As long as new content keeps coming, even in lower rate it’s always better than no content at all.

It shows that while women make up 66% of e-book “power buyers,” in 2009, they were just 49% of e-book customers. The “power buyers,” meanwhile, make up about 18% of the total people buying e-books today but buy a stunning 61% of all e-books purchased.

It’s fascinating how since the release of the Kindle, e-books have become mainstream. I do feel sad about bookshops that have/may have to close due to less sales. Where I live the best CD shop, meaning they had a lot of niche and hard to find music, have closed their doors since iPod and iTunes. The few LP shops have also gone out of business. Even though I own a Kindle I take proud in my bookcase and will continue to buy hard copy,

Why you should enter writing competitions and submit your work to magazines

Scribbling alone in your room is all good and well, but it’s important to pop your head round the door every now and again and say hello to the rest of the writing world.

It might also me good to cultivate a thick skin. On the other hand, just publishing your writing on a weblog and allowing comments will do that.

Fear of death

– she’s alive, and we can’t focus on anything but being alive, because there simply isn’t anything else.

A reminder in an era where we barely take a minute to slow down from working, buying and stressing mostly.

Movie Review: J.J. Abrams’ Super 8

Abram’s Super 8 pays homage most to Spielberg’s 1980?s classics in its last act. Here it is most emotionally gripping and brings into the morality of humanity and our appreciation of life, much like Spielberg did with his classic E.T.

I read from others that Super 8 is this era “The Goonies”. I can’t wait to see it, it will be out in August here in the Netherlands. I always loved movies like “The Goonies”, “Stand By Me” and “The Sandlot”.

Money Doesn’t A Geek Make

These days, almost every tech related issue seems to have the question “How much would it cost to solve this problem?”. That’s a far cry from the original “Where can I find the best hack to make this work?” that I used to have.

My first website was on Lycos I think? I remember I used a Javascript to hide the banner ads. I had a computer I built myself, even added custom led lights to it. Being a student back then I tried to do everything the cheapest way possible instead of just walking in a computer shop to buy a quick fix.

Yesterday I read a post on a weblog I follow on how the author just moved. He narrates in a fun way about the perils of moving. I could instantly identify with him just having moved myself. I ended up sending him a mail sharing my own experience. That’s what I like most about weblogs, the sharing and social contact.

A lot of time a tweet is just not enough. Lots of webloggers turn to Twitter telling themselves they have nothing good to write about on the weblog. Your faithful readers rather read two paragraphs of what you have to say instead of nothing at all. There is a lot of irrational pressure on producing posts of high standards. Weblog is free form writing, there is no rule you have to write a minimum of 500 words and have excellent grammar. As long as you put excitement and/or passion in what you have to say. A pro baseball player doesn’t hit home-runs all the time either.

My favorite music year: 1997

So while Puff Daddy made millions on Notorious B.I.G.’s death, I rocked out as some of emo’s most important albums were released: [...]

Slow Days

It rains. Starts slowly with a pitter, then a patter, then the sky breaks open, empties itself on us. We are too soaked to run so we walk. We skip, we hop, we dance around each other, we laugh, our voices like thunder.

How to Trick a Girl into Watching a Superhero Movie

If you’re anything like me, you’ve already begun thinking about how you can possibly trick convince the girl (or guy) in your life to see one all of these with you.

The Great Push

I’m talking about the process of figuring out how to use all my skills and interests in the manner that brings me personal satisfaction. What is it that I can ultimately become? That is a unique challenge, and I suspect it isn’t all that common.

How to Add Google +1 Button to Your Site

Google has just released the Google +1 button which webmasters can add to their site / blog and enable visitors to give a recommendation to Google and your friends about your site.

Twitter’s New Button Keeps Followers on Your Site

Twitter’s new “Follow” button allows fans to follow you without ever leaving your website. It’s one click (as long as they’re currently logged in to Twitter) and you’re done.

50 Things You Won’t Say On Your Death Bed

I always remind people who work too hard that no one on their dead bed ever said, “I wish I worked more”.

I’m proud of all those late night e-mails I sent out to co-workers proving I was still working
That cosmetic surgery was the best thing I ever did
How much money is in my bank account?
I’d rather be alone if you don’t mind

Amazon’s Book Publishing Plans Brings Hope to Independent Writers

Sources close to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos are indicating the company may be about to launch its own book publishing house. The news comes a week after the company announced that its retail bookselling division is now selling more Kindle Books than eBooks.

I don’t know if I should be happy about this or not. I have a Kindle, but I still like hardcopy books and competition on the publishing market. You know the story about how every major publishing house rejected J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter manuscript. It was only Bloomsbury who saw the great potential. My point is, Amazon can start publishing as long as they don’t aim to clear out competition.

Beginning Summer

But here I was at this conference and I was hearing people espouse my pet theories as fact. Many of them had had the resources to do actual studies or tests to back up these theories. And even whilst I learned from them … I mostly learned that I needed to trust myself more and I needed to really start acting on my ideas. It was definitely a confidence booster.

Well written personal weblogs that makes you recognize some things about yourself.

Today is my first day back in the daily routine. I sit at the same desk in a new place beside a window which looks out on the opposite apartment buildings. I live in the city now and there are people and neighbors everywhere. Lets see if the move and change of location will inspire me to write some posts on my own weblog.

If last week you posted something you’d like linked here, drop a comment and I’ll check it out. Without further ado, this week posts:

What Can You Buy for $1 These Days?

Back in 1930, the humble dollar could get you a decent table lamp, a quality bathrobe, or roughly six gallons of regular gas. But these days, it’s hard to find anything that costs $1 or less.

Why We’re So Bad at Predicting How Long a Task Should Take

First, we fail to consider our past experiences when planning. When planning, people perceive the specific task or activity that they need to complete as unique. That is, they tend to disregard the time that was needed to complete the same, or similar tasks or activities, in the past.

How I Hit The First Page Of Google For The Term Life Coach

Do you know what it was?
“Ask for help!”
The only way I can improve on that (and please avert your eyes if you’re easily offended) is to say:
“For fucks sake, ask for help and stop being so stubborn!”

11 Simple Rules of Excellent Houseguest Etiquette

Think you have what it takes to get invited back again and again? Perhaps you do — but only if you’re following these nonnegotiable rules of houseguest etiquette.

Striking out, looking

A blog is measured by its productivity. Or, it’s measured by its quality. It’s measured by different things by different people in different situations, and those different factors lead to different differences. No one knows what a successful blog is, outside of “this blog makes me money, dawg.”

Water starts out with a few original works before moving into illustrations from the manga series I’ll. The illustrations from I’ll range from 2001 through 2004, though because Hiroyuki Asada was such a season artist (even at that point) there isn’t a noticeable quality difference.

A fine example on how a good review is done. Even though I know nothing about manga, I found myself fascinated while reading this.

4 Things I Learned as a Grocery Bag Boy

It actually wasn’t. Looking back on all the jobs I had, it was definitely one of my least favorite. However, this is the one job that had the greatest impact on my life. There are just some things you can’t learn working white collar jobs.

It’s always the things that are hard or we don’t like that teaches us stuff about life and molds us in the person we currently are.

Grow Your Own Fresh Air With 3 Indoor Plants

Researcher Kamal Meattle gives a fabulous talk on Ted TV. The topic “How to grow fresh air in your home”. His 15 years of research amazingly reveals that all you need is 3 common indoor plants.

I know there are plants that clean the air inside your home. But this easy broken down post makes it easier to pick a plant. I already own one not listed that makes oxygen. I especially like the plant that removes toxins, I will definitely get one.

How Do I Stop Procrastinating?

Procrastination is a human condition that Life Coaches, and even more shockingly, Productivity Coaches, suffer from.

Before reading this post I already said to myself, procrastination is unavoidable. I think if we didn’t procrastinate at all, we’d succumb to stress. A lot of people perform better under a looming deadline instead of working way ahead.

5 Reasons to Drink Coffee

My love of coffee was one of the primary motivators to apply for a job at Starbucks while in college; free, all-you-can drink coffee during my shift was enough stimulation for me to sign on as a barista for a few years.

I’m caffeine sensitive, so I drink everything decaf. That doesn’t take away the relaxing ritual of sitting in a nice cafe drinking a hot cappuccino or latte while reading, people watching or sharing a conversation.

Maybe I’m a simpleton but isn’t it possible that sometimes an author is just telling a story? After all, we’ve all told ghost stories or tall tales that had no symbolism or meaning other than trying to scare or entertain. Of course, maybe the fact a book requires searching for symbolism and nuances is what differentiates “literature” or “literary” fiction from just plain novels.

Back in highschool when I had to read about 15 books for each language class, I started wondering if authors really did mean all those symbolism. Did the fact that the protagonist painted his walls yellow mean that he was empathic, or did the protagonist painted his wall yellow because he likes yellow?

A Perpetual Cheer Up: Hyped Social Network Is About Sharing What Makes You Happy

The Happiest blog states that the social media site is “nurtured by love and coffee”—and if you’re a coffee enthusiast like me, you get it. As one of the initial Happiest blog posts explains, life is about small pleasures, like a great cup of coffee in the morning: “There’s something magical about a hot cuppa that just makes your day that bit happier.”

It’s what I live for and try to pass on. Enjoy the small things of everyday; the warmth from the first sunny spring day, a delicious sandwich, that fun TV show that always makes you laugh, etc. Life is about small things not only big ones.

Julia Donaldson on being a bestseller and push, push, pushing

Not many writers make their living solely from writing, but she is one. Julia very kindly answered six questions for Write for your Life on life after Grub Street.

Great insight into an author who managed to write so many books and be successful at it.

Do You Fall Into the Trap of Overthinking

When I find myself thinking in circles, I find an area of refuge, say, or I re-read one of my favorite works of children’s literature — my favorite emotional comfort food. Or, if it’s nighttime, I go to bed early.

Overthinking can stop you from doing lots of things you should be doing. Sometimes it’s good to just go with your guts or instincts, instead of thinking things over and over again.

Like you, a writer who shares your creations with the world, there are plenty of photographers and artists who do the same. Enjoy their work, and be sure to give them credit when they request it.

A key blogging rule is to always add an image related to your post. With all the online resources available, you don’t even need to own a camera. Just make sure you know the licenses and give credit where credit is due.

Facebook Addiction Disorder — The 6 Symptoms of F.A.D.

[...]Facebook obsessions are definitely present in today’s society and whether it is a disorder or not, something needs to be done to fix it

Facebook has become a huge procrastination tool for me, together with Twitter and Tumblr. The last two aren’t that bad as they are a good source of daily information. I imagine Facebook is even more of a distraction for teenagers whose social live is very complicated. Highschool drama continues after school via social networks.

How I Write

Lots of you have been asking me lately how I write and work from home while parenting three little kids and running a home. So for the next few weeks, I’m going to answer some of your questions. I’m not going to pretend that I have the definitive answer for everybody’s situation or business; I don’t. I only know what I do, and I’m happy to share some of it.

Looking forward to these tips. It’s always enlightening to see how others manage the same tasks you tackle everyday. While one is busy with family, other might have a full time job besides keeping a weblog. We all have our non-writing tasks keeping us from writing.

8 Reasons Why Twitter Can Boost Your Happiness.

2. Twitter distracts you if you’re feeling blue. Studies show that distraction is a powerful mood-altering device.

These eight reasons sounds about right to me. Twitter had often cheered me up and tweets made me laugh out loud. Also, always first with the latest breaking news.

Spaghetti alle Vongole

This has always been my favorite Italian pasta dish, but ordering it at a decent Italian restaurant will easily set back my wallet by S$20-30. Now, thanks to this recipe, I was thrilled that not only can I cook this at home at a fraction of the cost (with extra servings of clams), but the cooking method is also quite easy with just a few ingredients.

With summer right ahead, this is the perfect fancy and easy to make dinner for when you are having company over. Love the photos added to this post/recipe, it makes you want to make this dish right away.

Starting The Article Writing Process

It can be extremely frustrating and aggravating when the words that you are looking for just don’t seem to want to come. But you must learn to relax and let them come.

I have a procrastination routine involving TV shows rerun and reading other weblogs before I get into what I call the ‘zone’. Even when I know what I want to write about it takes time.

Writers Are The New Publishers

These small publishing outfits are likely to be the solution to the process problem, and I look forward to seeing how they solve the intricacies of editing, design, and ebook production in a low-margin, high-output context.

I’m all for small publishers, their books are craftsmanship, carefully designed and edited. A different experience than mass produced books.

Superheroes Can Be Jerks

When they’re not busy saving their city, the Earth, or the entire cosmos they’ve proven time and time again to be mean spirited, petty, and immature.

I never thought about it this way, but Tony Stark was a real ass in Iron Man 2. Nice entry to get you thinking about something completely out of the box.

Take stock and think ahead when you get extra time to write

Most writing is done in your brainbox, naturally. But there are plenty of external pressures that influence your work and it’s vital that they’re kept in check too.

The above quote is true, ideas come up when you are everywhere but behind your computer. I still make the mistake of not writing a small idea down thinking I will remember it. Not.

I wonder if it would be easier to write an entry, article or piece if I could just forget about grammar and spelling. Just write the whole thing without caring and then edit it or let an editor edit it.

For now though, I wanted to say that I’ve been reading a really fun book about creativity — it’s by Lynda Barry, the cartoonist, and it’s called What Is It. (Or is that what it is?) Because she is fun, she has invented a fun exercise for doing some image-based writing that I’ve really enjoyed.

RIP: Skribit

Skribit, which was founded in 2007, had the laudable goal of helping cure writer’s block. I support anyone who has that goal.

Skribit was a great idea, I even had an account to try it out. Personally I think an issue was that readers don’t have many ideas. If we as bloggers struggle already with what to write, readers have even less of an idea. They just know they want to read your writing.

5 Ways to Boost Your Retweets

[..] one of the most powerful aspects of promotion on Twitter is to get retweeted (or RT in Twitterspeak).

This article is for freelancers, but the tips apply to anyone who wants to boost their retweets.

A writer’s virtues: patience and persistence

First of all, writing is a craft. By that, I mean that you can always practice and improve. The idea that someone with no writing experience can one day start scribbling and produce a significant, credible piece of work is nonsense.

I don’t write a lot compared to most, but the little writing I do takes a lot of patience. Sometimes I play with the idea to write in my native language, but I wouldn’t have a large audience then.

Safe at work

There are people who do the jobs that I could never do, no matter how much I think I could do it, no matter how often I think I could really take a risk and push myself into the nether regions and do something hard and dangerous and edgy.

This is very true, I used to fantasize what it would be like to be a National Geographic photographer. It seems like a glamorous job, while it actually consist of sleeping in bare circumstances, dangerous animals and insects. Steve Irwin is a unforgettable example of how dangerous working in the wild can be.

A Simple Guide To Belly Breathing

It directs your energy and attention inwards. Helps get out of your head, even if its just for a moment and can settle and calm any anxious feelings.

We all deal with stress daily. It was my physiotherapist who taught me years ago to belly breath. Since then I have been told by many specialist that you need to make belly breathing a natural habit. It also helps when you are behind the computer and stuck with whatever you are doing.