Amidst a tangled web

How to Track Your Blood Pressure in 3 Easy Steps

2013-05-07T17:13:29Z

I’ve had slightly elevated blood pressure since college that gradually moved to high blood pressure and then it reached full on crappy hypertension. In an effort to track and lower my blood pressure, I began checking it at home. I’ve optimized the process to 3 easy steps:

1) Take my blood pressure (hard to avoid )
2) Type ‘bp’ into the web browser
3) Fill out the form and hit submit.

I’ve found that making something as easy as possible can help break down the tendency to avoid certain tasks. Here’s how you can do the same thing.

Step 1: Take your blood pressure

I use the Omron HEM-711 but the brand or model you use doesn’t matter as long it’s accurate. Take a few deep breaths, make sure your arm is resting comfortably at heart level and think happy thoughts. The monitor will do the rest.

Step 2: Type ‘bp’ into your browser

This works thanks to a Shortmarks entry I created. You could use a bookmark to the form, but it’s faster to keep your hands on the keyboard. (I’m willing to race those who need convincing.)

Step 3: Fill out the form

You can copy the Google Form I use or create your own. To copy it, make sure you’re logged in to your Google Account, then go to File -> Make a copy… and give it a name. To edit the form, go to Form -> Edit form. The link to bookmark or add to Shortmarks can be found at Form -> Go to live form. Click on it, then bookmark that page.

The time and date is automatically recorded so try to fill it out right after you take your blood pressure. You also get a snazzy chart of your readings and it calculates your average blood pressure as compared with a normal reading, or 120/80.

Epistle App No Longer Syncing

2013-05-06T20:16:20Z

If you use the Android Epistle app to sync with Dropbox and it’s no longer working, read on. I searched online to find out what was up and discovered the beloved app has been discontinued. Interestingly, the author created a similar app called Draft that costs $2.49. I’m all for supporting developers and have done so many times, but Matteo Villa went about this the wrong way for his current users. I don’t know the details that led to his decision, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. I’m not the only one who felt that way based on the most recent reviews.

Epistle has been uninstalled and in my search for an alternate solution I found that the native Dropbox app has a built-in text editor. It’s spartan, but syncs text files and lets you edit them even when you’re offline (as long as you edited the file recently). It’s not great, but it works for me.

The Beauty and Power of Habits

2012-09-13T17:05:33Z

Ever since school started this year I’ve been dropping two of my boys off at school instead of one. This means my bag goes in the trunk instead of the back seat. Every day when I arrive at work I open the rear door, stare at the empty seat and wonder how I was robbed while driving. Then I smack my forehead and retrieve my bag from the trunk.

Each time this happens I’m reminded of how powerful our habits are. I’m usually thinking about something else as I get out of the car, allowing my habits to take over. This particular habit isn’t all that useful of course, but imagine if you automatically went for a run every morning, ate only healthy snacks or took out the trash without thinking about it.

Habits, good and bad, can be incredibly powerful once they’re in place. It’s been 2 weeks since school started and I’m still unthinkingly looking for my bag in the back seat.

Keyloggers and How They Work

2012-09-05T05:23:50Z

If you use a computer with a keylogger, your privacy is severely compromised. This screencast shows you two free keyloggers and how they work, as well as some tips on how to protect yourself.

I demo Hooker (careful searching for that phrase…) and pyKeylogger.

A Simple Way to See the Weather

2012-08-28T04:02:00Z

sWeather is a simple, free, portable utility that shows you the current weather in any number of locations you choose. Here’s a demo of how it works.

Easily Update Sysinternals and NirSoft Applications

2012-08-25T18:34:41Z

WSCC (Windows System Control Center) is a free, portable application that makes it a snap to update all of your Windows Sysinternals and NirSoft applications. I used to try to keep up with them manually, and failed miserably. With WSCC it’s as easy as clicking update.

Here’s the video.

Getting Started With Google’s Two-Factor Authentication

2012-08-17T06:01:46Z

Two-factor authentication is not new, but I recently started using it with my Google Account after reading about Mat Honan’s experience. So far it hasn’t been that bad. In this screencast I explain how it works and what all the different codes are used for.

It’s simple to use and keeps the bad guys out. Use it!

Free Local Backups For Your Gmail Account

2012-08-15T18:55:16Z

In this screencast I show you how to backup your Gmail account (or any email account) to your hard drive and have it update the backup automatically.

I also accidentally divulge my password…twice. Good times

Here’s some more info on Google’s 2-factor authentication.

How to Adjust Your Volume Using the Mouse in Windows

2012-08-09T08:21:23Z

One of the most popular screencasts I’ve made shows how to adjust your system volume with keyboard shortcuts. This time I’m going to show you how to adjust the volume with your mouse (and a little keyboard) using a utility named 3RVX (I’m not sure where the name came from). Here’s the download link.

The Best Windows Clipboard Manager

2012-08-07T06:55:08Z

When I was first introduced to the idea of clipboard managers, I tried a half dozen or more of them before deciding to use ClipX. Every time since then when I’ve heard of a new one, I’ve tried it out and returned to ClipX. The one major drawback is it hasn’t been updated since 2008 (I’m using the 64-bit beta version), but so far I haven’t needed any updates. I don’t know when I’ll move to Windows 8, but as long as ClipX keeps working, I don’t plan to switch.

Here’s a brief demo of how it works.