Get Your A

Simple, but powerful... Finally a practical use for Android GPS

2012-02-15T23:40:00.000-05:00

You are here. They are there. Connect the dots. No more, no less! An Android app that is free, easy, and has a mission. Show me the way!

The power of Android GPS - 8 ways to find where you are...

2012-02-12T19:52:00.003-05:00

People keep finding more and more ways to use my nifty Android program called "Is Here". This program will find your location using the GPS functionality of your phone without burning up all of your battery life. Here are 8 ways to use this cool new app:

Let your friends know where you're at
Have your kids check in so you are sure where that they are where they say they are
Capture the location of that new fishing hole that you stumbled on
Never lose your car again when you park your car at the airport
Keep track of cool places you go to by sending the location to your free Evernote account
Send your location to a friend that is coming to visit so that they can get directions to your house from Google Maps
Keep track of employees that are making service calls by having them check in from time to time
Communicate the location of a new job site that's address isn't mapped yet

How may other ways have you found to use this app. Leave your comments and share with others If you don't have "Is Here" on your Android phone, you can scan or click on the QR code below.

Android "Is Here" is here!

2012-02-01T17:59:00.003-05:00

For all of you Android users out there, and you know who you are, check out this new app if you can answer yes to one of the following questions:

Would you like to let someone know where you are when you are on the highway so that they won't worry?
Would you like to know for sure where your teenager is on Friday night when they check in with you?
Do you use Evernote and would you like to keep track of all of the neat places you go to during your travels?
Do you ever have the need to tell someone where you are, but don't know exactly where you are?

If you answered yes to one of these questions, then you need to try out "Is Here". This app is simple to use and harnesses the power of your phones GPS services to capture your location and send it to anyone you would like to share the information with. You can set up email preferences, or you can type in new email addresses every time you send a message. Its up to you. Quick and easy. Scan or click on the QR code below with your smart phone to be directed to the Android market or you can just navigate to the market and search for "Is Here GPS Locator" Happy travels!

We hit a milestone today!

2011-12-23T08:20:00.002-05:00

Today we had our 15,000th visitor! I wish we could figure out who that person was and we would give them a free copy of Book Me©... Since we can't, we will give all of our visitors a free copy of Book Me©. All you have to do is click on this link, and download it. Its free! It always has been free, but today, we are making it part of our celebration. So what are you waiting on? Download it, install it, and start loading your reservations. Have fun flying Southwest, our favorite airline. Thanks for stopping buy!

Tis the season!

2011-12-17T14:22:00.001-05:00

With the holidays upon us, I would just like to take a moment to wish you all a joyous and safe holiday season. If you are a current user of Book Me©, I hope it has made your air travel just a little more hassle free. Thanks for visiting my website and thanks for using my software. Cheers!

You must upgrade to version 4.2.0.1 now!

2011-11-22T20:57:00.001-05:00

I just published a new version of Book Me© that fixes a timing issue that had the potential to cause some attempts to get you an A to fail. I have inactivated old versions to ensure that everyone updates to the latest version. Old versions will no longer work. You must upgrade to version 4.2.0.1 now. If you have arrived here because the version you were using could not validate at sign on, upgrade by clicking here. Thank you all for continuing to use Book Me ©. Please post your comments about your experiences with Book Me © so that others can hear what you think.

Upgrade to Book Me 4.2.0 Today - New Features!

2011-11-05T22:28:00.002-04:00

Effective today, there is a new version of Book Me available for download. Version 4.2.0 gives you the ability to see what you have pending to book as well as the flights you have already booked in the past 45 days. In addition, I have fixed a couple of bugs that users have reported. It's free so what are you waiting for? Check it out and let me know what you think . Get your A on!

Reasons to fly on Southwest Airlines

2011-10-24T19:41:00.000-04:00

I have to admit, I am a Southwest warrior. I fly Southwest every chance I get even though I could choose from many other airlines. Why am I loyal to Southwest? That's easy! They get it! First of all, they are not in your pocket every time they get a chance. You pay for your ticket and then if you have to change, they don't charge you a fee. Depending on the type of ticket you buy, you might not get your money back, but you can apply your fare to a future flight. My travel plans change from time to time, and because they allow me to make changes, I always look at Southwest first. Second on my list is that they don't stick it to you when you have bags to check. Makes sense to me. When you travel, what difference does it make if the bag you take with you ends up under the plane rather than up above your seat? I'm guessing not much. Why jack your customer around by advertising a good price only to smack them with a few more bucks to bring their bags along? A smart traveler won't stand for this type of shenanigans for very long. With Southwest, there are no sneak attacks. Finally, I fly Southwest because the make flying fun. They make jokes and they always find a way to make you smile. Its bad enough to have to spend your travel time jammed into a sardine can, yet alone have to spend it with a bunch of fuddy duddy's. If you fly Southwest, check your bags, but don't check your sense of humor. You'll need it. So what are you waiting on? Book your next trip on Southwest and Get Your A on!

RIP Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T21:31:00.007-04:00

Today there is a hole in the world of technology. Steve Jobs left this world yesterday for a better place. He also left this world a better place. As I drove to work this morning, while stopped at a traffic light at a busy intersection, I thought how he had probably had an impact on every person in my line of site in some way shape or form. What would our world be like today if he had never been born? I can assure you that it would be vastly different than it is today. May your family find comfort in knowing you are now heaven's chief visionary and free from pain. RIP Steve Jobs!

Free Bags! Free A's!

2011-09-30T22:45:00.002-04:00

If you are reading this, chances are you are looking for a way to enhance your odds of getting an 'A' seat assignment on a future Southwest flight. We've all heard about how your bags fly free on Southwest, so why not get an 'A' for free on Southwest too.

While you are here downloading your free app, please check out the advertisements that are displayed in the sidebars of all of my pages. Hopefully, they are items that you are interested in. If they are, then follow their links. This helps improve the visibility of my product while helping the advertisers that support my efforts. Everybody wins!

Click the tab above for "About Book Me 4.1.0" and you will learn all you need to know about this nifty little tool that will enhance your chances of getting an 'A'. You can download it from the links on that page, or by clicking on "Get Your A" logo above. While there are no guarantees that you will get an 'A', you will be right there at the front of the line when the magic hour comes for booking your flight... Well, you won't be there, but Book Me will be. Your feedback is appreciated. Cheers my friends.

Book Me 4.1.0 is here!

2011-09-11T19:32:00.002-04:00

Today I published an upgrade to Book Me that will allow for loading multiple flights to Book automatically. In the past, unless you were available to click on the message box acknowledging that Book Me had booked your flight, Book Me would sit in limbo waiting on you and would not do any other work. This meant that if you had other confirmation numbers that needed booked, they would not get tendered in a timely manner, or maybe, not at all. Now, there is an acknowledgement screen that will pop up when Book Me has done its job. That screen will stay visible, but will not restrict Book Me from working on other flights for you. Althought the acknowledgement screen will only reflect the most recent booking, once a flight is booked, it will be available to print on Southwest.com when it is most convenient for you. If you have 3 flights set up, Book Me will book each if the 3 flights in sequence and uptdate the acknowledgment each time to show only the latest booking. This was an addition that was requested by one of my valued users. I hope this does the trick for you. Keep Booking! Please download the new version, 4.1.0, today by clicking on the Get Your A logo below...

cea_ser

Download the latest version of Book Me now!

2011-08-02T22:08:00.005-04:00

We have recently updated Book Me to correct an issue that reared its ugly head over the past few weeks. An error message was being generated by Book Me when there actually was no error. While you may have thought Book Me was unable to book your flight, you probably found that when you logged onto the Southwest site that you actually had an "A". We apologize for the inconvenience. Please download the new version, 4.0, today by clicking on the Get Your A logo below...

Don't forget the milk... Evernote to the rescue!

2011-04-19T21:35:00.003-04:00

I've seen lots of posts on how to best use Evernote, but here is one that will make you more productive, save you gas, and keep you out of trouble with your spouse. Who wouldn't want those things? Here is what you need to do. First, create a new notebook in your Evernote account and call it @Shopping. Then select the share button and share your newly created notebook with your spouse. Now you will need to add a new note to your @Shopping notebook and call it Grocery List. Insert a checkbox and enter an item next to the checkbox that you need to get at the grocery. As you think of other items add more checkboxes with the additional items next to them. Have your spouse do the same as he or she thinks of items that you need from the grocery the next time you are there. Finally, when you actually go to the grocery, access Evernote using your smart phone. I personally have the Droid 2 and use the Evernote for Android app. Pull up your Grocery List note, and begin picking off the things that are on your list. As you put them in your cart, just check them off. You will get everything that you listed as well as the things that your spouse listed. Above all, you won't forget the milk.

There you have it. I told you it was simple. Now add a couple of other shopping lists as notes to your @Shopping notebook, and you'll always be prepared when you are our an about. If it happens to be your spouse that is out and about, they can access the appropriate list from the shared folder and pick up a few things as well. When Evernote syncs both of you will be able to see what the other has picked up at the store because all of the items that were purchased will have their checkbox checked.

If you don't have Evernote, download it now and get started. --- > Evernote Download

For Beginners Only - Simple Use of Evernote

2011-04-10T21:57:00.001-04:00

A quick Google search on the keyword Evernote will return thousands of ideas on how to use this powerful software. They are all great ideas and if you are not careful you can quickly lose your way. Start simple. Setup the following 3 folders:

@Inbox
@Reference
@Journal

Use @Inbox as your default folder. Everything you capture should drop into the default folder first. After you review what is in @Inbox, move it to the @Reference folder. This will be where you will store everything that you might need in the future. Evernote has a powerful search tool that will allow you to find things quickly in your @Reference folder.

Finally, in your @Journal folder create one note and label it Journal. Inside of your one note, space down a couple of rows and enter the current days date. This is where you are going to keep all of your notes for the day. At the end of the day, you are going to insert a horizontal line above the current date. Evernote has a shortcut to enter the horizontal line, CTRL H. The next day you will put the new date above the horizontal line and capture your notes for the day in the white space below the date. Each day you should repeat this process. What you will end up with will be a running journal of all of your daily notes with the most recent day at the top. It is a great tool to go back and write monthly reports from or to use for a review of what work you have been focusing on. Your journal will look something like this:

04/03/11
Need to finish monthly report by tomorrow. John called and left a message. Need to call him back. Sales volume was up today. Sold 8000 widgets. Tony Robbins is scheduled to do a webinar on Wednesday. Need to find a way to use GTD process to be more productive.
_________________________________________________________________
04/02/11
Random notes go here. Had a big problem with the operating system today. Should contact Google corp to get technical assistance. More random notes. More random notes.
__________________________________________________________________
04/10/11
Had meeting this AM with Bill Gates to review the problems with Vista 64 bit operating system. Received call from Travel agent informing me that I need to schedule flight to Seattle by the end of week.

Start simple. You will find that before you know it, you will begin to add things to your process. What are you waiting on. Download Evernote here and get started.

Evernote Encryption with AxCrypt

2011-03-27T16:19:00.002-04:00

If you haven't figured it out by now, I am a huge fan of Evernote. Capture everything from anyplace using a multitude of tools. Access your captured stuff from anywhere. The one thing I always think about when it comes to cloud storage is security. While I feel comfortable that Evernote does a great job in securing my data, there are some things that I want to ramp up the protection to the next level. Evernote allows for encryption of selected text in your notes, but it doesn't have a way to encrypt the entire contents of a folder or even a whole note. There have been many requests to Evernote to add this functionality to their software, but to date they have not made the enhancement. Until Evernote beefs up their encryption capabilities, I have found a way to bridge some of the gap. There is a free open source file encryption software for Windows called AxCrypt. Once you install the software, your can right click on any file you want to encrypt and select AxCrypt which has a couple of options to select from for encryption. Once you are done, you can send the file to Evernote, and it is completely secure. When you attempt to access the encrypted file from Evernote, you will be prompted for your passphrase. Enter it and viola! One example of a file that I use AxCrypt to protect is the PDF that has my tax return information in it. That is something that I do not want to leave to chance. With AxCrypt, I feel confident that my data is secure. I hope AxCrypt will give you more piece of mind when dropping your sensitive data into Evernote.

Evernote Premium is a great Gig for only 87¢ per day!

2011-01-28T23:19:00.013-05:00

The choice is yours to use a good product or use a great one. If you aren't currently using the premium version of Evernote, then you are missing out on some of the best perks this software has to offer. Let me give you 9 indisputable value adds that going premium will get you in just a few clicks of your mouse. Drum roll please...

No ads in the desktop and web versions
One business day response for your support requests
Priority treatment by Evernote's image recognition technology
Better security through SSL encryption
Go from 60MB to 1Gig of uploads per month
Allow sharing that includes reading and editing
Double the maximum document size to 50MB
Get premium support
Take off the handcuffs and upload any file type

There you have it. Only 87¢ per week and you can have the whole enchilada. Try it then buy it. cea_ser>

Code Junkies for the love of Evernote - Remember the Code!

2011-01-27T19:32:00.009-05:00

For those of you that are developer wannabes like me, Evernote is definitely for you. I have spent hours doing Google searches looking for code to help me do different tasks in programs that I have written. After awhile, one can get pretty savvy at finding snippets of code in the almost endless sea of resources on the Internet. My problem has always been finding those nuggets again later. Evernote has given me away to grab that code and save it for future use. Sometimes I will use the Evernote Clipper add-on for Firefox to grab the whole screen and capture it to Evernote. The clipper allows me to send the selection of code or even the the whole web page to the folder of my choice. I can also add tags to facilitate finding it in a search later. There is also Clipper add-on for Internet Explorer, although I seldom use IE. You can use can also just copy and paste the code you find into a new note. Then you can add any comments to add context to what you have captured. Sometimes when I am playing with code, I use a note in Evernote to paste and hold different attempts to make something work. I'll try something, copy and paste it, then use edit that code within the program without fear of loosing something that worked. This is just one more way to use Evernote. What's in your notebook? If you aren't using Evernote yet, get it here now.

Review your process! Simplicity is King...

2011-01-17T21:42:00.001-05:00

Over the past year I have become increasingly obsessed with using Evernote. There are literally hundreds of ways to use it. Easy capture of almost anything you want to remember and even easier access to that stored information from almost anywhere makes Evernote an incredibly powerful tool. Is over indulgence of a good thing a bad thing? It could be, unless the indulgence is managed. An occasional review of how I am using Evernote has proven useful in helping me fine tune the things that are working well for me, and to eliminate the things that don't work. One example of an area that I have found that needs continuous monitoring is the list of folders that I create. Creating folders on the fly leads to unintended complexity. A weekly review and consolidation helps to maintain simplicity. Fight to keep your file structure simple and it will pay off in spades. Start today. You'll be glad your did. If you haven't tried Evernote yet, get your free download today!

Evernote and GTD - The Power of Saved Context Searches

2011-01-10T21:41:00.009-05:00

If you are a follower of the GTD methodology, then you already know about grouping your next actions by context. For those who are not familiar with GTD, one of the basic concepts is that you establish your next actions based on where you can perform those next actions. Some examples of contexts are , at your computer, on the phone, at the office, at home, at the store, etc., etc. Determine the key "wheres" that you perform tasks and create your personal context list.

Once you have your contexts defined, then you can incorporate Evernote to manage them. I have a folder setup in Evernote called @Next Action. All of my next actions get filed in the @Next Action folder. Each item receives a tag based on the context of that action. I use 5 different context tags which are @computer, @phone, @home, @office, and @hot. I then have the following saved searches set up:

notebook:"@Next Action" tag:@computer
notebook:"@Next Action" tag:@phone
notebook:"@Next Action" tag:@home
notebook:"@Next Action" tag:@office
notebook:"@Next Action" tag:@hot

Now all I have to do when I am at my computer is click on my saved @computer context search and viola, all of my next actions that can be completed at my computer pop up. If I am at home, then I click on my saved @home context search and up comes the next actions that I can do when I am at home.

I have also set up a folder called @completed. When I complete a next action, I move it to the @completed folder. At the end of the month, I can just open up my @completed folder, and quickly review all of the tasks that I completed during the month. It is a very efficient way for me to pull together information for a monthly report. Its all right there in chronological order.

If you aren't already using using Evernote, you can download it for free at Evernote.com and get started capturing everything today. To learn about the GTD methodology, Save on Getting Things Done : The Art of Stress-Free Productivity at Booksamillion.com.

Be and Entrecard Rock Star - Just Click It!

2011-01-05T00:30:00.034-05:00

Not enough time to do all the things you need to do in a day? Let me help you find a few spare minutes. By using "Card Shark" you can facilitate quick dropping by loading 33 Entrecard member sites at a time. Click on the shark below to find out more and get started.

Download an audiobook for $7.49 and save 50% for your first 3 months. Choose from over 85,000 titles.

More ways to use Evernote

2011-01-01T11:58:00.002-05:00

With the closing of a decade and the ushering in of 2011, there is no better time than now to establish some personal goals for the coming year and the new decade. Take some time to reflect on your accomplishments over the past year and brainstorm what you want to achieve in the future. You can use Evernote to capture your random thoughts. This process can take place over several days. Evernote allows you to come back to your captured thoughts over and over again. You can tweak your ideas and formulate goals that you want to achieve in the future. Your goals can be both personal and professional. You can keep them simple, or you can make them as complex and detailed as you want. It is all up to you.

May I suggest that your finalized goals get added to a list that you keep in an Evernote folder. You can add check boxes to your list so that as you complete your goals, you can mark them off. We all like that feeling of euphoria that we get from that little check mark.

In order for me to keep track of everything that I am doing, I complete a weekly review every Friday. Part of my weekly review is to go through different lists that I have created in Evernote. I keep track of projects, next actions, things that I may want to do in the future, and personal and professional goals. All of these things are safely recorded in Evernote. As I look through my notes and lists each week, it allows me to reflect on my progress and creates a "subtle tension" within me to keep chipping away at my goals. The more that I am off track, the greater that tension. Anytime you establish a goal, keeping the goal in plain site allows you to see the gap between that goal and your current reality. That gap creates the tension required to keep you moving towards achieving that goal.

There is a lot to be said about writing your goals down. There is even more to be said about keeping those written goals in front of you for continual review. Try it. You will be pleasantly surprised at what you accomplish in the coming days, months, and even years. You will find that a routine weekly review will allow you to free your mind and life of all the clutter that accumulates. By getting things out of your head and into Evernote, you will feel more in control of your life. Evernote will set you free.

Happy New Year to all. May you be blessed with good health, good friends, and prosperity.

Cheers!

Free Evernote Download

Do you use StumbleUpon?

2010-12-30T21:31:00.009-05:00

If you aren't using StumbleUpon, then you are missing out on a great tool that will expose you to new and exciting websites that you would never find on your own. StumbleUpon is very simple to use. Getting started is as easy as downloading the toolbar and selecting a topic or two from a list of things that you are interested in. By clicking on the "Stumble" button, you are taken to a sight that matches up to your chosen interests. If you find something that you really like, then you can give it a "thumbs up". If you don't like a sight, then you can give it a "thumbs down". StumbleUpon uses this information to customize the sights that it renders for you when you Stumble. The biggest negative of the program is that it is addictive like no other program that I have ever used. It is easy to get into "flow" and Stumble for hours. This is one vice that you will want to keep. Knowledge is power and you will learn lots while on your StumbleUpon journey. Don't forget to use Evernote to capture all of the cool websites you find so that you can go back to them later. The Evernote Clipper makes recording all of your "Stumbles" a piece of cake. What are you waiting for? Get StumbleUpon and Evernote now!

StumbleUpon Download

Evernote Download

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cea_ser

How I'm using GTD (Getting Things Done) during the holidays

2010-12-20T11:29:00.014-05:00

If you are not familiar with the GTD methodology, then I suggest you read David Allen's book "Getting Things Done". GTD is a simple, yet powerful method to de-clutter your mind and get control of your life. On the whiteboard in my office I have written 4 bullet points that I gleaned from my study of David's amazing process. They are as follows:

Pay attention to what has your attention
Decide outcomes desired and actions required
Free your psych with a trusted system
Share these ideas

These four simple instructions are what I try to live my life by. If I think about what is going on in my life right now, I am very tuned in to the upcoming holiday season. So if you were to ask me what has my attention, I would say getting ready for Christmas. That is what I am paying attention to.

Moving on to statement number two, I have determined that there are several outcomes that I would like to make happen. One that comes to mind is to purchase gifts for my spouse and children that they will enjoy and find useful. The actions required to make this happen are many. First, I need to get a list from each of them to see what their gift expectations are. Then I will need to make a list of the events that I know they will be involved in over the coming months. I must then try to determine if any of the gifts that they have listed can add value to any of the activities that I have identified. Their list may or may not contain anything that will fulfill the outcome that I desire. This will require me to go shopping at the mall armed with the knowledge that I have and hope that I stumble upon an acceptable gift for each of them.

My thought process will generate many ideas and actions. That is where the third instruction comes into play. During the holiday season it is very easy to get overwhelmed with everything that you need to get done. Having a trusted system that will hold all of your thoughts is imperative to keeping your sanity. I use Evernote to capture everything that I need to remember. That helps me keep my sanity and not lose track of the good ideas that I come up with. Evernote is my trusted system. It is free and I would suggest that if you try it, you will find that it will become your trusted system too.

The final instruction on my whiteboard is to share the GTD process with others. By sharing or talking about the process with others it allows me to reach a deeper understanding of the process and learn new ways to incorporate it into my day to day life.

I hope that I have sparked your interest to learn more about the GTD process. This is my Christmas present to each of you. I hope that one of your next actions will be to purchase "Getting Things Done" from and to download the free version of Evernote. Happy Holidays!

cea_ser

Evernote just got better...

2010-12-19T21:31:00.005-05:00

As if Evernote wasn't already and awesome company with a fantastic program, they just got better. They increased their monthly usage allowance for both free and premium users. If you have a free account, then you just got bumped to 60 MB's per month from 40. That's a whopping 50% increase. Premium users had their allowance increased by an amazing 100% as they went from 500 MB to 1 GB. If you are not already a user of this amazing program, what are you waiting for. Evernote is your brain on steroids. Capture everything. Get the free version now. There is no excuse not to sign up today. Get started today by clicking on the Evernote logo below. You'll be glad you did!

One Dime and One Penny Closer to a Million!

2010-12-10T23:11:00.004-05:00

How exciting! 6 cents in only 11 days... I am overwhelmed with the possibilities that await me although I am beginning to fear that all of this money may push me into a higher tax bracket. I am really hoping that President Obama gets his tax credits through without too much opposition. I'm okay with the credits going to wealthy Americans since at my current rate of wealth accumulation it will only be a few centuries before I'm pushed into the ranks of the rich. We truly live in the land of opportunity. Thanks Adsense!