Angie's Top Threes

20 Web and/or Android apps to manage ADHD for yourself and/or your spouse

2013-08-31T18:49:00.000-07:00

My husband and I have been together for over 17 years. He has the biggest heart you've ever seen, is very fun to be around and has a great sense of humor. He also has ADHD. Not just ADD - he's hyper. I can be having a conversation with him and he gets up and walks away. He gets crazy nuts. I admit that I, too, have ADHD tendencies like forgetting where things are, paperwork missing, etc. How do you manage family, church and ministry and two full-time jobs when you and your spouse can't pay attention or stay focused?

One way that we have coped with this is through organization. I have found that when we are more organized, my husband is more at ease and his attention span is greater. I feel calmer and able to accomplish more. Things like losing paper, forgotten appointments, cars that get lost in parking ramps, lost car keys, and overdrawn checking accounts put a strain on the ADHD brain. Strain on the brain = strain in your marriage. Just call these tools.. marriage savers.

1) Text Later (Android)
"I better text him tomorrow to remember to make a doctors appointment." Of course, then I forget.. managing my life and his is impossible. Either that, or I'm undiagnosed. Whatever. Either way, when I am thinking about reminding him, this app just allows me to pick up my Android and schedule a text to go to my husband at an opportune time, say, the same hour that the doctors office opens.

2) Google Calendar (Web and Android)
Many of us are familiar with Google Calendar. I have customized my husbands calendar to automatically and accept invitations that come from me. At opportune times, the meeting reminder goes off and instantly sends him an SMS message to remind him of what he is supposed to do. Before he commits to anything, he knows that he can merely pull up the calendar on his phone and he will be able to see his schedule for the day.

3) Evernote or Springpad (Android, Web)
I am addicted to Evernote and Springpad. I can't choose between the two, as they both have their equal benefits. Evernote is used more for note-taking capabilities. I share notes that I take at church services with my husband here, along with notes that I would take at the doctors office, or notes that involve our son.

Springpad I use to collect items and build bulletin boards. For example, shopping for a costume for my husband for vacation bible school involved me finding a few different costumes on Amazon.com and "springing" them onto a bulletin board that was shared with him. He was then able to look at each costume and determine the one he wanted. Springpad is also excellent for sharing recipes, task lists, grocery lists, etc.

4) Joint Checking for Android OR EEBA
My husband and I haven't gotten to this point yet. We have two separate checking accounts, but it's immensely helpful to keep track of expenses and who is doing what. Mint, another wonderful budget application that can be installed on your android, does this well; however, I need to see what he is spending NOW, not when it goes through and overdraws the checking account.

5) Tags on things so you can find your keys (Android)
SticknFind or Button-Trackr. My, my. The minutes that I have wasted by desperately looking around for my keys.. my phone.. my work keys.. the list goes on. My husband is the same with his wallet. These are the productivity hacks that make my heart swell with love :)

6) Boomerang for Gmail (Android, Web)
Ever send an email and not received a response? Forget to follow up? I send mass amounts of email each day, as I am part of the leadership team at my church and an administrator at a large university. This app will boomerang that email right back atcha if there is not a response. No need to keep that task sitting inside your head.. mind like water.

7) Food Planner (Android) or Pepperplate (web only)
Share the responsibility of meal planning with your spouse. No more guess work in what is going to be for dinner that night.

8) COL Reminder (Android)
This app has been a lifesaver for me. I grab my husbands' phone, write a reminder to call someone at a certain time, and wallah! He is reminded to call that person at a reasonable time. This app has been around for quite some time and is a classic.

9) Attention Exercise (Android)
Android App that is based on recommendations from Edward M. Hallowell, MD's book Delivered from Distraction: Getting the most out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder. Has daily exercises that helps you improve your focus.

10) Routinely (Android)
Routines allow us to form good habits; and good habits allow us to achieve our goals. By setting habits, we can focus on improving our health or any other area in our life. Routinely allows you to track a set of habits and be reminded to walk, drink your water, etc.

11) Park Me Right Car Locator (Android)
I have lost my car in a parking ramp more times that I can keep track of. I forget too easily where I am parked, especially at some of these larger hospitals that we have here in Minnesota. Just save the car's location with your camera phone, and you will won't forget where you are!

12) White Noise (Android)
Ever had the experience where it's too quiet to study? When I was in graduate school, I couldn't possibly begin to study if it was too quiet.. I loved the sounds of coffee shops, background noise, or just nature. I also enjoy sleeping with a fan on because I love the whirl that it makes. I remember when I worked in a computer laboratory, I would nearly pass out at my desk from the constant hum of the computers around me. Install this app on your phone, put your headphones on.. you can listen to the sounds of a storm, nature, or even a casino. Never thought of slots being relaxing, but ok!

13) Pocket (Android or Web)
I run into articles while browsing the web that I would love to read later. I don't want to bookmark everything I see because I keep my bookmarks for those sites I visit often. Pocket allows you to bookmark articles or sites that you want to read later, and then you can pull them up on your cell phone on the go or read your saved articles on the web. The site also allows for sharing articles via email, Twitter, Facebook or Buffer. Pocket also has a chrome extension and other features that will keep you happy.

14) Smart Voice Recorder (Android)
For those with ADHD, paying attention in class can be a feat. This app allows for you to record the lecture and refer back to it later. In addition, it works great if you want to educate someone on the fact that they snore :)

15) TripIt (Android and Web)
When you travel, you need to be organized. When is your flight? Where do you rent a car? What is the address of the hotel you are staying at? TripIt will organize all of your information in one nicely laid-out webpage and will also keep the information on your Android. Simply forward your reservations and confirmations for the trip to plans@tripit.com and you will have an instant itinerary.

16) Dropbox (Android and Web)
Dropbox installs on every computer, iPhone and Android you have. When a change is made on a document, Dropbox will keep everything in sync across multiple devices. I use this for music, ebooks, documents for work, etc. It's truly invaluable.

17) SchematicMind Free Mind Map (Android)
Have ideas on the go? Don't bother with pen and paper, the paper gets lost! Instead, put them in a mind map that is fun and easy to use. Mind Maps have always been a favorite brainstorming technique of mine.

18) Stopwatch and Timer (Android)
My husband has a better time focusing when he knows he only needs to do it for a set amount of time. Setting the timer for 10 minutes for reading time with the incentive of getting a break after that will keep him motivated. Timers have helped me, too, with completing boring tasks that require a large amount of brain power. If I get through this last chapter... I can take a break and have a Frappe :)

19) Screen Dimmer (Android)
Do you lay in bed with your phone at night? The glare of using your phone in the dark can actually hurt your eyes. This app will allow you to use your phone in a "night mode" that dims the the screen, eliminating the glare and pain to your eyes. Why does this help ADHD? People with ADHD sometimes have a difficult time with winding down before bed; playing on your phone with the bright light actually keeps you awake. Taking away the bright light is calming and prepares you for bed.

20) Sign-Up Genius (Web)
We use sign-up genius for church now faithfully. This has been chosen as our tool of choice because we are able to manage multiple areas of church functioning seamlessly. Let's say we have meals, childcare, preaching, etc. Someone has to be responsible for these every other Sunday. So, we have people sign up, and then we have a schedule put together. I can then print the schedule and hand out a paper copy; in addition, the people who are signed up will receive an email 2 days before their scheduled shift to remind them of their upcoming duties. I am also able to print out a list of everything and every role so I can make sure people are not overlapping.

2 New Social Feed Aggregators

2012-10-24T06:25:00.002-07:00

While I love social networking, I can't stand going to Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram.. I don't have time for all of these sites!

I have been shopping around for a new aggregator site. I want to see all of my feeds in one site. For a while, I used HelloTXT, which has recently shut down.

Here are the ones that I found for you to check out today instead of working away at a paycheck (ha ha):

1. Alternion.com

2. Kulisha.com

I am really digging Alternion.com because it brings Pinterest with your Facebook, with your Twitter, your LinkedIn... the list goes on. They are only in BETA, however they are really, really good.

Have fun wasting time away :)

Top threes for 9/14/2012

2012-09-14T08:58:00.001-07:00

Here are the top three amazing web-apps that I found this week:

1. Jumpshare Let me just say "wow" about Jumpshare. How many times have you tried to share a file with someone and lo and behold they do not have the proper software to view the file? This is especially prevalent nowadays with many people viewing their email on smartphones. Jumpshare can natively view 150 filetypes - that's right, 150. No registration required. I think that is pure genius. So let's say, for example, you send your powerpoint slides over to your client, pre-presentation. By just sending an email with a powerpoint attached, you run the risk of your client not having Microsoft Office installed on their computers. With Jumpshare, you merely share the link and they can view your powerpoint slides within their browser. Even slicker, you can then share the file on social sharing sites. Neat!

2. Branch I don't know much about Branch, but I'm so intrigued by what it is that I thought I would share it. I did request an invite. Since my area of interest has always been online collaboration and learning, Branch got my attention because of the user interface design of conversations. These conversations can then be "branched", to avoid getting off topic. I'm curious what happens next - once I receive an invite, I will be able to write about it then. Check out their video though: http://branch.com/, to see if this is something you may be interested in.

3. OpenCulture - Open Culture is repository of free online educational materials. Free movies, textbooks, language lessons, courses.. you name it, something is here for you. I am always interested in expanding my skill set; if you want a free way to do this online without cost, this website is a must-see.

The top three "show yourself off" pages

2012-08-24T12:10:00.004-07:00

I know it's been a long, long time since I posted anything. After reading an article about keeping a closer eye on your online life, I ran into these things called "personal landing pages".

Personal landing pages are where you generally have a photo of yourself, a biography, and a collection of links for people to find you elsewhere on the 'net. Most people list their Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn Accounts, along with their blogs.

The top 3? See below, along with examples that I put together to show you how the service works.

1. Hi, I'm
2. About.me
3. Flavors.me

In terms of aesthetics, Hi, I'm and Flavors.Me are winners. About.me is still aesthetically pleasing; however, I also found it easier to use than Flavors.Me.

Top Sites for New Year's Resolutions

2011-12-28T10:26:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's 9 days after New Year's already.. Did your resolutions go down the toilet like mine did last year?

Yeah. Mine too. I swore I would quit smoking once and for all this year; but, I never did. I'm going to give it another good hearty Minnesotan try this year though!

Let's discuss webapps. What online web applications and web sites can we use to manage our New Year's Resolutions? Here is a list for you to play around with:

Track Your GoalsJoe's Goals

Goal for It

43Things

StickK

Don't Break the Chain
HabitForge

Learning Goals

Ted Talks

This HUGE List of Learning Sites

Edit Wikipedia
Google Reader (to streamline your blog reading)

Learn how to Code

World's Largest Flashcard Library

Learn a new Language

Organizing Goals
Dropbox (Get rid of paper, make it Electronic) Diigo (Organize your Bookmarks) Remember The Milk (Get your Tasks Online Already!)
Google Calendar (Your calendar should be online, too!)Moment Garden (Get the babybook online!)
Google Music (upload your music, so it's online) Springpad (Put the household information online, into a household notebook) Picasa (Organize those pictures); if you need editing first, try PicknikPatchlife (Keeps track of your entire life online, like an online diary Warranty Elephant (to keep your warranty information)
Springpad
Evernote

Health Goals

Fitocracy (Fitness Goals)
Goodreads (Reading Goals)
Daily Plate (Eating Goals)
Illuum (Track Your Happiness)

Social Goals
Urbanspoon (Trying new Restaurants)

Meetup (Meet new people.. in real life)
HootSuite (Quit checking your FB, Twitter, Etc.. do it all at once!)
About.Me (Have a personal webpage that redirects people to your blog, facebook, etc.)

Financial Goals
Mint (Your Financial Goals)
Keep a checkbook online manually
Buxfer

Career Goals
Upgrade your resume
Make a LinkedIn profile
Make an online portfolio

Not comprehensive, but I hope that this list encourages you to use the technology that is out there to meet your goals. Happy 2012!

Top three sites to begin your job search

2011-10-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

Jobs. The news is plastered with the desperate state of our economy. If you are like me and graduating soon with a mountain of student loan debt, you are facing an economy that has little to offer you.

Web tools are here to help. Here are three web tools that can help you with that job search.

#1. HelloThere

SayHelloThere.com

When you are applying for positions, it is important that you make yourself stand. What can you offer the organization that no one else can? Personalization is everything. The site HelloThere allows you to make a webpage for an employer that is customized to the position that you are applying. This site even allows you to upload images and videos. After you send the potential employer your page, you can then find out when they read it to ease your anxieties a bit. Pretty cool, huh :)

#2. JobStart101

JobStart101.org

If you don't have a fancy career center to go to, or have not been in the job market for a long time, consider taking the free online course at JobStart101.org. Sponsored by Business Roundtable and the HR Policy Association, this course will teach you about building your "brand", developing a strong online presence, handing your emotions of the job search and driving your career. This site even provides a free workbook.

#3 Indeed.com

Indeed.com

Indeed, there is Indeed.com. Instead of checking out websites daily, Indeed will aggregate what they find around the internet that matches your specifications. You can search for positions based on type, location, and it even allows you to filter by salary.

Good luck on your job search !

Angie

Top Threes for 9/22/2011

2011-09-22T12:07:00.000-07:00

As always, I'm terrible at keeping up with this blog. Before I hit the vacation time, I thought I would give a good post. I will be back on Tuesday, October 3rd. Top three's of today:

#1- Facebook Timeline
Facebook has made some major profile changes over the past few days. At f8, Mark Zuckerberg announced the new Facebook Timeline, which will give you a new way to "express who you are". Cool change, but Facebook users seem disgruntled with the changes that have been made thus far, so their acceptance of the new timeline might be an obstacle for Facebook to overcome. The changes aren't that bad, however, because everyone is still using it! As many as 500 million people have been on Facebook in a single day.

#2 - Baby Monitor Evoz Old-fashioned baby monitors are for old fuddy-duddies.. introducing Evoz, the baby monitor that uses your iOS phone, iPhone or iPad as the receiver. You will receive a text or email when your baby cries, and the app will monitor the baby's "stats" and compare it with other babies to see how colicky they are, etc.

#3 - 3 better ways to obtain better gas mileage with your smartphone Makeuseof.com is a blog that any techie/productivity junkie should subscribe to. Finding ways to get better gas mileage in our vehicles is always on our minds lately, but especially mine since I will be trekking to North Carolina in a Ford Expedition that gets around 18 miles to the gallon on the highway. These are all Android (sorry, iPhone users).

8/24/2011 Top Threes

2011-08-24T10:49:00.001-07:00

I know. It's been a year. Almost. What can I say?

I have achieved much during that time frame, but unfortunately this blog's upkeep has not been on that achievement list. I have moved up north. I have worked full-time while caretaking the house, the family, kids, etc.

And then one day.. someone commented on my blog. Nearly a year later.

It came to me that yes, this blog can be ultimately useful. I'm still in love with the latest web-apps and gadgets. I have heard critics of the web world claim that there are too many new services that duplicate one another. While that might be so, I find that each new service offers something greater and learns from the other service that is out there. In addition to web applications, however, I would like to expand on this a bit and just say it's the "Top Threes". Three of anything.

So top three "items" today:

1) The Future is Now: Connected Appliances

Really? A wi-fi scale? Toast that prints the weather forecast on it? Mirrors with internet access?

I am utterly FASCINATED (yes, I mean that in capital letters) with how homes and family lives can be organized using technology. Amazing!

2) Lystee.com

Collaboration + Lists. Yes, I love social list-making. Although Lystee isn't the first one to take a stab at social list-making (see List.ly and Listgeek), the interface is much more retro and offers text-to-speech options, making it accessible to the blind (or the geeks out there that prefer to listen to a woman speak to them than reading).

3) Visual.ly

Visual.ly is stunning. I guess I don't know what to say... and yes, this website really took my breath away. A nerd like me loves infographics.. and this is a directory of hundreds of these nice visuals. Information beautiful..

Like the furry side of finance:

by Mint.com via

3 Sites of the Day October 19th

2010-10-19T12:54:00.001-07:00

So, it's time to be real here, blogosphere.

I'm a full-time employee going to graduate school half-time with two children, church commitments and a whole host of friends cause I'm really *that* awesome (sarcasm intended). I'm trying to get rid of Lymes, had pnuemonia already since school started, and watching my husband pass a kidney stone.

This blog is not working for me. Not in it's format, anyway.

Remember: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, with the same results, and never changing.

But I still have so much to share with you!

So, I will be sharing 3 websites a day that are *kewlness*. That's it. Just 3, no special categories, etc. Just 3 sites for you to check out.

Take a deep breath... wait for it... ok here you go:

1. Fyesta

Do you know about Foursquare? Fyesta is just like this, except you check-in before you get there. What's the purpose: You can gather people together who follow you on this site to make plans! Kind of neat, somewhat stalkerish, might be fun. Remember to share with care!

2. Cookdinner

Meal-planning+Web2.0+recipes=amazing. A gathering of recipes with ratings, beautiful photos of delicious food, and the ability to indicate what days you are cooking on along with the servings and have a meal plan generated for you... it's like I'm in a dream. Except they included fish on the menu. Fish is not cool in my house.

I can hear the complaining now..

"You know I hate fish.. it smells in here.. I want to vomit... "

Anyways.

3. Inveni

Social recommendations for T.V. and movies. Find movies and T.V. shows based on a recommender algorithm or on your friends preferences. Imports data from other movie sites - flixster, rotten tomatoes, and IMDB. Doesn't import from MovieLens, which is a massive fail. Yet, worth exploring, and I will probably use this site more. When I have time.

Whenever that is.

Hope you are enjoying your week,

Angie

Top 3 Social Bookmarking Sites

2010-10-08T09:38:00.001-07:00

I have been sick... sick, sick, sick! I just got over a bout with bronchial pnuemonia; and, combined with other health issues I have, I've had a hard time getting over it. My apologies for the lack of posts, but if you noticed the lack of posts - that means you missed me!

Social Bookmarking is the way to store your bookmarks online and access them from any computer with an internet connection. That's the easiest definition I can think of. By clicking the link "social bookmarking" above, you can read the Wikipedia article that describes more about what it is, it's history, and learn about words like "folksonomy" and "tagging". For the general audience that this blog is written for, however, the definition above should work just fine!

So let's say, for example, that you like to bookmark sites when you are browsing the web. But, when you go to a friend's house, you no longer have access to those links. If you use social bookmarking, you can access those links from anywhere. Also, let's say you collect a group of links about gardening. You can "tag" these links with "gardening" and then send those links to a friend. Social bookmarking sites are also convenient for finding new websites on the internet.

The three sites that I am going to talk about today are Diigo, Delicious, and StumbleUpon. There are lists with over 125 social bookmarking sites published out there on the internet today; my research finds these the best.

1. Diigo

Diigo is a social bookmarking site that allows you to gather all sorts of information - not just bookmarks. For example, it allows you to highlight portions of web pages and attach sticky notes to specific parts of a web page. So, suppose I am collecting information about gardening [[as a side note: I hate gardening. I don't know why I'm using this as an example. My mother in law does the gardening at my house because I am ~truly~ that incompetent. I digress]], I can actually highlight and use sticky notes on specific areas of a web page for later research.To do this, there is a toolbar that is available that turns your browser into a research powerhouse - and this tool is available for Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Flock. There is even a minimalist tool that can be used with other browsers, such as Opera, Chrome, and Safari. In summary, the choices with this tool are endless.

The information and notes you can collect can then be shared with other Diigo users or even those who do not have a Diigo account. While I found it easy to share specific links with other people, I couldn't figure out how to share a whole collection of links / information to users who are outside Diigo, so this might be something to keep in mind.

Another highlight of Diigo is that they have ipad, iphone and Android applications that allow you to take your bookmarks on the go. For a mobile girl like myself, this is indispensable.

If you are a self-directed learner or a college student like myself, this is one tool you want to check out.

2. Delicious

Delicious is very popular - very, very popular. Although simpler than Diigo and seen as more of a "take your bookmarks with you" type of site, and is much simpler in it's use. Delicious allows you to save a webpage as a bookmark, "tag" it with the appropriate tags (it even suggests tags for you, if that webpage has been bookmarked before) and send the link to your friends, if you wish. Armed with extensions to your browsers (you literally only have to right click on a webpage with the firefox extension), Delicious is easy to learn and easy to use.

The downside of Delicious is that although it's tasty (ha ha), Delicious is not very easy on the eyes. Don't get me wrong - it's a fabulous tool and gained it's popularlity for a reason because of its' ease of use - but for me, I am addicted to the pretty websites. I know that design isn't everything, but if a user interface is boring to look at, it's no fun.

In time, you will soon learn what a fantatic I am for Android smartphones. This site does not have an "official" Android application, although there are applications built for Delicious on the Android Market. Instead, Delicious has decided to support Windows Mobile. Yeah...

Like Diigo, Delicious is a very cool tool to find new and interesting websites. They have a popular bookmark stream, where you can see who is bookmarking what on the internet. If I was teaching about social bookmarking, this is the site that I would start a newbie out on.

3. StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon is a social bookmarking site / recommender system built into one. When you sign up for the website, you are asked a question about what your interests are. Then, you are taken to a website, where you have the option to "like" it or not. You can also share the link on Facebook, Tweet the link, or send it via email. You can also add a site manually when you visit your StumbleUpon profile.

StumbleUpon is very fun, and great for finding new, interesting content. Be careful though - this site can be a time waster! Of course, there's a StumbleUpon Android application available in the Android Market, too.

I hope you enjoyed my post. I'll try to keep them coming as I continue getting better. If you are in Minnesota, enjoy the beautiful 80-degree weather we are going to be having this weekend :)

Angie

Top 3 sites to help you quit smoking

2010-09-16T12:23:00.001-07:00

I know, MIA for a while, huh? There's this thing called school that is getting into the way of my blogging. Bad-school-bad!!!

My little guy started school last week while my oldest "kid" started her senior year. It's amazing how quickly time has gone by from when I first held my now Kindergartner - and now he's 5 1/2 years old. Life is so precious!

I love this time of year - Fall is one of those seasons that brings back a slew of memories about starting high school, being in love for the first time, having my first cigarette....

Yes, I'm a smoker. I've been a smoker for a long, long time. At 29 years old, I've smoked for over half my life. Both of my in laws have quit smoking, after smoking for a long time. If THEY can do it, so can you! And myself, for that matter...

So today, in honor of all life's preciousness, I'm going to list three fabulous resources that are available online for quitting smoking:

1. Quitnet

Quitnet is the internet's largest quit smoking community on the internet. Resources, self-assessment tools, a quit calendar and all sorts of resources are available. This should be your first stop. I've been told that having a support group surrounding you when you are trying to break a habit is key to sticking with it!

2. Smokefree.gov for Women

"Women.Smokefree.gov provides free, accurate, evidence-based information and professional assistance to help support the immediate and long-term needs of women trying to quit smoking." At least that's what they require for a link back :) This site has a ton of resources that is focused on the female population of smokers, from free resources to a QuitTracker application for Facebook. Remember: if you post anything on Facebook, it's generally available to the world, so be careful!

3. QuitSmoking Online E-Course

Some people like the structure of actually taking a course, so if that's your thing - this is the way for you. This is a 10-week online course that is offered free to keep you on track to being smoke-free. Although I prefer a community, having a course to complete can keep you consistent.

If you are trying to quit smoking - good luck! I believe wholeheartedly that quitting smoking is one of the most difficult habits to break. I also believe that our world is becoming more smoke-free all the time; many workplaces (especially healthcare) are banning smoking from their campuses altogether.

With love,

Angie

Top 3 Sites for Learning How to Type

2010-08-31T12:27:00.000-07:00

Typing has always been a strong suit of mine. I currently type 105 wpm, with 0 errors. Increasing your typing speed has tremendous benefits - speeding up your productivity and holding more marketable skills are just a few! Many people no longer spend time actually writing in a notebook, and are using online alternatives instead. So, increasing your typing speed is a very strong skill to have.

1. Typing Test

TypingTest.com is a website that offers a free typing test, along with the ability to print out a certificate for $9.95 to prove your typing skills to a potential employer. The actual touch typing course is offered on a free trial basis, but the typing games on the site are actually free. You can then publish your results to Facebook (what site isn't linked to Facebook? Facebook is taking over our world - I'm convinced - and I will write about that more someday).

2. Typingweb.com

Typingweb.com is another site that I found to be particularly useful, especially because they have actual lessons that you can take, for all levels of typists. There are different levels of membership - free, gold and platinum - which may be useful if someone is serious about learning how to type quicker and more accurately. Like TypingTest.com, they also offer a certificate if you are a gold member to prove your skills, and there are typing games for gold and platinum members.

3. Goodtyping.com

Goodtyping.com stood out to me because of it's focus on being a free course - and who doesn't want to take a free class? Also, this site really focuses on the beginning typist. There are 27 guided lessons that show you the actual placement of your fingers on the keys. While you are typing, you can also increase the font size so it is easier for you to see.

As always, I hope you found this post helpful... feel free to comment with your thoughts.

Top 3 Humorous sites for your obnoxious side..

2010-08-27T13:00:00.000-07:00

It's a goofy Friday, so I thought today's posting would be the top 3 sites to find humor on the internet. Please keep in mind that these sites may contain humor that some will find offensive.

1. The Onion

The Onion is just pure hilarity, at it's finest. It's a news site that is purely satirical in nature, and a refreshing look at our everyday news with, at times, a sarcastic twist. They have been around since 1988, and it is also a print circulation that is available free in many major cities. Is it offensive? At times. Yet, it's a funny look at our world and how crazy our society has become. Must go-to for your daily lolz. (laughs)

2. Lolcats

Lolcats, or I Can Has Cheezburger? makes me laugh daily. I can't help but laugh at those cute little cats who do crazy things. I'm not a cat lover - I'm allergic to them - but there is something about seeing a cat slap a dog in the face..

see more Señor Gif

or Lady Gaga cat:

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

.. that totally blows my hair back. Call it immaturity if you will - but please hold that thought while I stop laughing and fix my mascara.

There, all better.

3. Don't Even Reply

No longer better... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha... .

Ok, I guess I have to reply to this even though I had to run to the bathroom after nearly peeing myself and explain to a faculty member that no, I'm not crying - it's tears of pure laughter from this site I just was told about called Don't Even Reply. This guy even has a book out. Basically, he replies to people on craigslist and kinda messes with them. As terrible as that is in practice, in art form its so funny that I can't hardly even write about it here.. Thanks Tony Lam for the suggestion :)

Top 3 Sites to Find People on the Internet (Internet Stalking 101)

2010-08-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know this is a sensitive topic for some of you because identity fraud is prevalent and the idea that someone can find out so much about a person on the internet is a little scary. But, if you have ever wanted to do some background digging on people for free, here are the top sites that I recommend:

1. Pipl.com

Pipl.com

Pipl.com is like the hands-down best people tracker there is down there, in my honest opinion. With the ability to search by name, email, phone number, username (a typical username that someone would use to register on a website, such as "cutegirl5", etc.) or business. The results that it brings up consists of addresses, social networking profiles (i.e. facebook, etc.), news, government documents, etc. I can't assure you will find everything about someone through this search engine, but it is the most comprehensive free resource for tracking people down on the internet. This is especially fruitful if the individual you are searching for has a non-normal name; searching for a "Michael Johnson" by name might prove impossible. Yet, if you have an email address or a popular user name, it will look for any websites that are registered with them. This is a first-stop for finding results.

2. 123 People

123 people

123people is another option for finding people on the internet. I have mixed feelings about this website; on the one hand, the search results are very thorough; on the other hand, they seem to have more "premium results" that require a purchase. Even so, if you are unable to locate results on the Pipl site, this should be your next stop. This site did manage to find all my social networking profiles, which was a huge plus.

3. ZabaSearch


Zabasearch

Zabasearch.com is like an address book on steroids. The results are very comprehensive, and link to other sites where you can "get the dirt" and "find out someone's email address". Many of the listings have a birthdate next to them, which helps you narrow down the results if you are aware of the approximate age of the person you are looking for. I have found zabasearch to be better than the whitepages, as it seems to find unlisted addresses.

Have a great weekend :)

Angie

Top 3 sites for coupon codes for online shopping

2010-08-18T08:32:00.000-07:00

I love, love, love shopping online.. maybe too much to my husband's chagrin. Yet, shopping online is resourceful - it's amazing how much money you can save by using promotional codes at the time of purchase. Many purchases online are much cheaper than going to the store, and if you live in a rural area they are an especially a great deal, considering the price of gas! After some research, I found the top 3 sites out there to find coupon codes to use for your online purchases.

1. Retailmenot.com

Retailmenot

Retailmenot.com, in my opinion, has the most extensive database of coupon codes available. In addition, it is very social in nature - you can document whether the code has worked for you, and by doing this, the codes that stop working will move themselves down to the bottom of the list. In a way, this site makes a game out of finding and sharing promotional codes - you can unlock additional tools and features if you participate. Next to the promotional code, you can see what percentage of people have been successful with that code. They have a newsletter that you can receive via email,too.

2. Gotodaily.com

Gotodaily

Gotodaily.com is another site for finding promotional codes, and is very close to retailmenot.com. The site has a discussion forum for promotional codes, has the ability to share whether the code worked for you or not so others can choose a promotional code that will work for them. Although the site is very similar to retailmenot.com, you may find promotional codes on this site that you didn't see on retailmenot.com, and vice versa. I also love the fact that you can search for just free shipping coupons - it's amazing how

3. CouponCowgirl.com

CouponCowgirl

Couponcowgirl.com is also a promotional code website. Much like the other sites that are mentioned here, it has a community feature and a large array of promotional codes. One nice difference between this site and the others is that coupon cowgirl has the ability to search by "percentage off" or "dollars off". Also, they have a calculator directly on their site for calculating the best deal, which is a very nice feature.

I hope these were helpful, and you are enjoying your Wednesday :)

Angie

Top 3 Task Management Websites

2010-08-16T11:51:00.000-07:00

Now that everyone is heading back to school and heaping more onto their plates, it's a great time to talk about ways we can leverage the internet to keep our task lists in order. Gone are the days of carrying a large Franklin Covey planner. I'm a graduate student with a full-time job and a family, so having a task list has proved invaluable to keeping me organized.With an Android mobile phone and constant access to the internet, I found that having a paper planner was cumbersome and inefficient.

There are multitudes of task list applications out there, both downloadable programs and ones you are able to use on the internet. This post will focus on those that you can use exclusively on the internet from any PC. As always, I have narrowed down these applications to the top 3 that I have found most useful.

1. Remember The Milk

Remember The Milk

Remember the Milk is one of the most powerful task management applications that are available for use on the internet. They have both "free" and "pro" user plans available, but the free option has a multitude of options that are easy to use. I would only consider purchasing a "pro" package for $25/year if a) the software is easy to use and we should always support good developers or b) you want to sync your list with your Blackberry, Smartphone, or Android mobile phone. Without a "pro" plan, you can still view your tasks on your mobile phone by visiting their mobile-optimized website, but it is more cumbersome to use than having them sync directly to your mobile.

Lists can be made based on category; for example, you can have a "work" list and a "home" list, with the ability to add notes and due dates within the task. You can also add tasks to your list in a variety of different ways - through an instant messaging client, Twitter, or by sending an email to yourself. Their "Getting Started Guide" will walk you through everything you need to get started.

2. Ta-da Lists

Ta-Da List

If Remember the Milk has too many bells and whistles for your liking, there is Ta-da List. Make a simple packing list, a simple to-do list, or a list of any kind and the items can be crossed off when you are finished with them. They were voted one of the hottest apps by U.S. Today and come from the reputable company who invented Basecamp, the online project management collaboration tool. The nicest part about this web-based task manager is that it's dead-simple and is a great gateway site for moving from pen and paper to an online format.

3. Zirr.us


Zirr.us

If you approach making a to-do list as sort of a braindump (much like the "mind like water" concept that David Allen is a proponent of in his book "Getting Things Done", now considered a classic in time management literature), then this site may be a wonderful solution for you. Although it lacks the syncing capabilities of Remember the Milk and the dead simplicity of Ta-Da List, Zirr.us is perfect for those of us who are more visually oriented. Tasks that have higher priorities are larger, and each can be tagged so you can view them in groups. They also have a getting started video for new users.

I hope you found this post helpful!

Angie

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