Since it has been nine months since my last blog post I’ve decided to get started again and try to be a little bit more consistent (Amber just said, “What you are REALLY writing something for your blog?”.  Yes, yes I am.

Over the last year I have learned a lot reading Michael Hyatt’s (http://michaelhyatt.com/) blog.  He is the Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing and covers leadership, social media, productivity, and faith in his writings.  His honesty and experience combine to deliver content that I am constantly trying to implement in my life.

In one of his June posts Michael said, “I blog is in order to clarify my thinking and archive my best ideas. In short, I blog for me. (But you are welcome to read along!)”.

Seems like a great reasons to blog (besides all of the other benefits he mentions) and one I want to adopt over the next nine months.  If all my blog ever does is help me clarify my thoughts and archive some good ideas then I will be happy  (OK, it would be nice to get to sit court side at a Nuggets game or meet Troy Tulowitzki because of what I write but one thing at a time).

I was recently introduced to Apture by a few people I follow on twitter (don’t remember who or I would give them credit) but had not taken any time to explore what it could do.  What follows is the start of my Apture exploration in real time.

The idea behind Apture is to allow for the creation of a content rich web page where video, wikis, documents, and pictures can all be tied together without the viewer ever having to go anywhere else (wondering if this will just lead to annoying pop-ups).  Let’s test out some of Apture’s features…

My wife Amber has a ton of great ideas, thoughts, and recipes that she writes about on her blog if you haven’t ever checked it out: www.amberthayes.com (if you hover over the icon at the start of the link you should see a snipit from her blog)

The past two days I attended a conference downtown (Defrag 2009) all based around how to utilize technology to solve problems.  One of the people I met there, Joshua Baer, has a start up that is seeking to help us tame the massive stream of e-mail we receive.  If you want to learn more about Josh or his company check out his  twitter stream (hover over person icon to left of link).

The company I work for is in the process of learning to engage our customers through video.  Amazingly enough this was filmed in a living room with only a green blanket as backdrop: watch the video here 24HourFlex (you know what to do).

If you want to go in Rockies Season Tickets with Amber and I next you will probably want to look at our seating options at Coors Field (hover over icon).  Seriously, if you are interested in season tickets let us know!

I could keep going but I think you (and I) get the point of Apture.  Anyone else as excited as I am about what if offers and did I mention it is absolutely free?  The ability to easily link to external content bringing a richer experience to your viewers is very cool.  Have you used Apture ?

While I still believe in personal hygiene and will always eat cute animals (if we weren’t supposed to eat them they wouldn’t be made of meat) I have learned about two great products from Hippies.  One product I have been using for a couple of years and the other one I just bough today (thanks to a recommendation from Leo Babauta, author of the Zen Habits blog) and am excited to test out.

The first product is Lafe’s Organic Deodorant (amazon link) and I have been using it for a couple of years now.  You may be skeptical thinking an organic deodorant can’t work (I know I was before I tried it) but this one certainly does.  Between jogging, ultimate frisbee, backpacking, and speaking in front of groups I have put Lafes natural deodorant to the test and it does work as well as any other deodorant I have ever used.  To me the biggest benefits of using Lafes is that the deodorant lasts forever (easily will last a few years saving me more money for Starbucks), doesn’t leave streaks on anything, and is better for you than traditional deodorant.  Lafes deodorant contains mostly antibacterial fighting minerals and natural oils that prevent odor and are free of any parabens, propylene glycol, synthetic preservatives, artificial fragrances, or petroleum-based chemicals if you have to avoid any of them.

The new product I just bought today is Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap (amazon link) and the reason I bought it is because of Leo’s claim that was all he takes with him for bathing, washing his clothes, and even brushing his teeth (read his Minimalist Travel blog post here).  I purchased the Peppermint flavor at the recommendation of the employee at Whole Foods and will report more once I have actually tried it.

There is always something you can learn from other people, especially those who are very different than yourself.  What have you learned or started doing based upon someone outside your normal groups of friends or peers?

The world of iPhone Apps is now slightly more complete as Starbucks launched not one but TWO cool applications today (ya, take that Duncan Donuts).  While many might say the release is long over due I appreciate Starbucks taking their time to get the application right the first time (lesson learned the hard way by Chipotle, who has a great iPhone App as well).  Before launching the Starbucks App for the first time I paused and admired the simple green logo staring back at me from page 7 of my iPhone (will be moved forward) wondering if it would live up to my expectations.

From the main screen you have the following options: my Starbucks, Stores, Drinks, Coffees, and Food:

The my Starbucks page allows you to view your favorites under each category as well as your friend’s favorites if they have shared them with you.  You can send your favorites via blue tooth to an iPhone nearby or via e-mail.

In the past I have used yelp or google maps to find nearby Starbucks but the Stores page does this more efficiently now in google maps AND it allows you view store hours, get directions, invite a friend (very cool), and even lists amenities at the location including wifi and oven warmed food.  In list view you can even quickly scan for stores around you that are currently open.

Know someone who orders an “Iced half-calf quad venti 4 pump vanilla 2 pump almond non-fat light ice latte”?  Well, the Drinks page is designed with them mind.  You can customize any drink you like and save, share, and ultimately enjoy it once ordered.  The customization process was very smooth and presented almost every option I could think of including “upside down”, “double cupped” and “Extra Hot”.  Once you have created something tasty you can even see the nutrition information (if you really want to).

The Coffee page provides short explanations of each Starbucks roast as well as suggested food pairings and pictures from where the coffee is actually grown.  This page is a great resource if you need to pick out coffee but have no idea what you are looking for or if you know you like one certain blend and want to try something similar.

The Food page contains pictures of everything served at Starbucks as well nutrition information and coffee pairing ideas.  I am getting hungry even though it is past 10:00 PM right now just looking all the pastry goodness!

Overall I really like what Starbucks has done with their first cut at the iPhone App.  The other one released today is for managing your Starbucks cards including the ability to pay directly from your iPhone (scanning a bar code from it), but this functionality is only available at about 30 stores nationwide.

http://www.rocktographyphoto.com/photos/659225964_RV2VX-S.jpg

Future updates that would be really cool:

• The ability to collect drink orders from your friends (like Duncan Donuts)
• Creating a way to track every Starbucks store you have visited and display those stores on a map
• Ability to share your favorite drink on twitter or facebook so someone could look up what you like and bring you one (even if you don’t explicitly send it to them)
• Integration of www.mystarbucksidea.com allowing users to submit and view ideas

Have you tried the new Starbucks iPhone App and if so what are your thoughts?

If you use FireFox on a regular basis you have probably run into the problem where a website will not display or work properly unless you view it with Internet Explorer.  Once the cursing has subsided you probably reluctantly open up IE and resign yourself to using “the browser that shall not be named”.  There is a solution to this problem, the IE Tabs Add-On.

After installation, IE tabs allows you display a page in FireFox with the Internet Explorer rendering engine.  I have tested it out on three or four sites I frequent (designed for IE) and they have worked/displayed perfectly.  You can even specify which sites you want to launch in the IE rendering mode.  IE Tabs is also useful for developers as you can see what your page/blog will look like in IE and FireFox without opening up another browser.

Xmarks is a plug in I wrote about a while ago (see Xmarks post here) and offers a great way to synchronize your bookmarks across multiple computers.

Are there any FireFox plugins/add ons you have found useful?

All of the media coverage the past month about the $8k tax benefit to buying a home now combined with a great blog post by Alexander Kjerulf, author of the Chief Happiness Officer blog, reminded me of an interesting lesson I’ve learned; there is great freedom in having a small mortgage/rent payment.

Amber and I have lived in a 2 bedroom condo for the past 5 years and have often thought about “moving up” and buying a larger home.  At one point, two years into living at the condo, we even put an offer in on a beautiful place but ended up losing (man I hate losing) to another couple.  The unwritten rule for our generation seems to be you must buy a home somewhere around your mid 20s.  Even though we did not initially start out with the goal of keeping our mortgage expense low we have been blessed by doing so and value the freedom it has provided.

Here are four advantages to keeping a small mortgage or monthly rent:

1) Freedom in your finances.  Once you buy a home a strange things happens; you are stuck with a mortgage payment for the next 30 years.  The largest fixed expense in you budget’s is probably related to where we live.  By keeping your mortgage/rent low you free up money that can be used for a wide variety of activities and purposes.  You have more money to give away, to invest, to travel, to serve and to provide flexibility for whatever stage of life you are in.

2) Freedom in your time.  Homes take a lot of time to maintain.  If you don’t have the time commitment of mowing, landscaping, painting, and repairing you can serve more, pursue other interests (like photography), and travel more.  Weekends can be spent with friends, family, and on mini-vacations instead of weeding and mowing.

3) Freedom in your job.  Having the ability to work almost any job and still afford to live in your place gives you the opportunity to take risks and seize opportunities.  The latest layoff rumor or economic downturn does not affect you the way it would if your job was the only real means you have of affording your home.  Do you want to start your own company or work for a start up that can’t pay much for 6 months?  If you don’t need your current salary to live on you can jump on those chances.

4) Freedom from the accumulation of stuff.  Living in a smaller place forces you to routinely clean up and get rid of things you don’t need.  You also aren’t as tempted to buy new furniture or any other large items because there simply isn’t room.  The more stuff you have the more time and money you have to spend to maintain it.

We are thankful to have roof over our heads and for the freedom that small roof provides to pursue jobs, ministry, and the hobbies we love together.  If you are considering buying a home take a second to think about what portion of your income you want to dedicate to that expelnse.  I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback on this topic!

Jennifer Grey was a dancer turned movie star in the mid-to-late 80s with appearances in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Red Dawn, and most notably Dirty Dancing. Her fame lead her into circles that included Matthew Broderick, Johnny Depp (she was engaged to both), and George Stephanopoulos.

You might not know who Jennifer Grey is even if you have seen all of her movies, why? In the early 1990s she underwent rhinoplasty (a nose job), at the suggestion of well intentioned agents and others wanting to take her career to the next level. Jennifer probably received advise from “experts” saying, “We know you are beautiful Jennifer but if you want to really be a star you need to do something about your nose that is just a little larger than what it should be”. Then end result of the surgery was that Jennifer’s appearance fit into the movie star mold, no one could recognize her, and producers no longer wanted her for their movies. Seems like an incredible turn of events over something seemingly so insignificant since her acting and dancing ability were the same.

Jennifer’s story reminded me of a danger we all face on a daily basis; the danger of conforming to “the standard” to the point of losing our identity. This danger appears in how we approach families, spiritual beliefs, careers and the use of social media. Some people feel more pressure than others to conform but everyone can relate to the feeling that “I should be doing something more like person X or Y if I ever want to achieve my goals”. There is great value in learning from what successful people do but blindly copying another’s style or approach does not guarantee success (enter the Jennifer Grey story).

Think about the danger of conformity in the following four areas this week:

Families – Have you fallen into the trap that you have to imitate the activities or events another family does in order to brings yours together?

Spiritual Beliefs – Is your approach to having (or not having) a relationship with God just based on what you see others doing?

Careers – Are you working the same hours with the same attitude as your co-workers or friends?

Social Media – Is your use (or non-use) of Twitter or Facebook based upon your own personal style or just upon what you have heard other people say about how you should use them?

The following minute and a half is a 3 year old girl’s take on the Star Wars movies. It is hilarious! My favorite line is “and don’t talk back to Darth Vader or he will get ya”.  Sometimes we just need to laugh and this video will make you do just that if you have any ounce of geek in you or have seen Star Wars at least once.

If you have never watched The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson you should stop reading and go to his website on CBS and watch a few clips.  What makes him so funny is his use of non-verbal comedy combined with a conversational delivery that often leaves Amber and I dying with laughter.  He is not afraid to break the mold for late night comedy and his style is refreshing. I always like to see people who are creative and unique in their given field.  People like Craig encourage me to try and think outside-the-box.

Have you watched Craig’s show and do you like his style?

If you are going to be playing fantasy football this season (and winning it all like I will be) you are probably looking for ways to save time during your day to leave time for those tough decisions fantasy mangers must make.  One tool I love, that saves me time and that I just recently started using is www.xmarks.com.

Xmarks has many features but the one I use the most is its ability to synchronize bookmarks across multiple computers.  All you have to do is download their add-on (compatible with FireFox, IE, and Safari) on each computer you use (for me that’s a laptop, my work computer, and my home computer) and then create an Xmarks account.  Once you go through some general configuration options you will have all of links at the tip of your fingers no matter where you are working.  This has saved me on multiple occasions where I needed to access something I had only bookmarked once at home or at work.  One other great feature is that Xmarks backs up your bookmarks online so if all your computers get the swine flu you can just download them on the next computer.

Some other features that I haven’t used yet include:

• Password synchronization
• Sharing Links with friends and family
• The ability to see additional website info in Google searches

Oh ya, Xmarks is also free which is hard to beat.  If you use another tool you think is better do share with the rest of us!