Life & Tech

Here are some useful phone services for a start-up business: a free unified messaging, email to fax, and a personal/business toll-free number.

1. Free voicemail and fax mailbox: www.k7.net You get a voicemail box with 206 area code. When someone leaves a message or send you a fax, it will be forwarded to your email. It’s free, however, if there’s no activity for 30 days (no one calling), it will be deactivated. Great if you need a fax number to receive fax.

2. If you want ability to send a fax using your email, check out a low-cost service at www.faxaway.com ($1/month and 11¢/minute) to send fax in the U.S. No set up fee plus all incoming faxes are free.

3. For about $24 per year, you can get a personal toll-free number (888, 877, 866) offered by www.kall8.com. You can route the toll free number to your home or cell phone. The rate is $2/month and 6.9¢/minute.

This is what IBM Research thinks will emerge as major technology trends during the next 3-5 years. (See articles on CNET news article):

1. Silicon Manufacturing– Moore’s Law will prevail for at least 10 more years (chips performance doubles every 18 months)
2. Sensors — e.g. RFID, Wireless, GPS and others
3. Application Processors — Application-specific accelerator chips
4. Everyone is a programmer — Ad hoc applications via better tools
5. Services 2.0 — It’s about service

Look to this day,
For it is life,
The very life of life.
In its brief course lie all
The realities and verities of existence,
The bliss of growth,
The splendor of action,
The glory of power —

For yesterday is but a dream,
And tomorrow is only a vision.
But today, well lived,
Makes every yesterday a dream
of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

Look well, therefore, to this day.

Sanskrit Proverb

If you have accidentally erased your CF card (or other memory medias), this software can help recover deleted or damaged images. It is a good idea to install PhotoRescue on your Mac or PC, you don’t have to pay until you need to use the software.

by Oren Harari

You cannot slay the dragon everyday. Some days the dragon wins. - Colin Powell

A Leadership Primer from Colin Powell

• Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off.
• You don’t know what you can get away with until you try.
• Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

Now you can pay via your mobile phone. This is a similar service to Textpayme. Use it for paying your share of dinner, movie, collecting fees, send money to family, etc. This is great when you don’t have any cash with you.

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By Andrew Hill with Coach John Wooden

Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming. - John Wooden, Head Basketball Coach, UCLA
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By Cheryl Costello-Forshey

The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read
Beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow tree.
Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown,
For the world was intent on dragging me down.
And if that weren’t enough to ruin my day,
A young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play.
He stood right before me with his head tilted down
And said with great excitement, “Look what I found!”

In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight,
With its petals all worn - not enough rain, or too little light.
Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play,
I faked a small smile and then shifted away.
But instead of retreating he sat next to my side
And placed the flower to his nose
And declared with overacted surprise,
“It sure smells pretty and it’s beautiful, too.
That’s why I picked it; here, it’s for you.”

The weed before me was dying or dead.
Not vibrant of colors: orange, yellow or red.
But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave.
So I reached for the flower, and replied, “Just what I need.”

But instead of him placing the flower in my hand,
He held it mid-air without reason or plan.
It was then that I noticed for the very first time
That weed-toting boy could not see: he was blind.
I heard my voice quiver; tears shone in the sun
As I thanked him for picking the very best one.

You’re welcome,” he smiled, and then ran off to play,
Unaware of the impact he’d had on my day.
I sat there and wondered how he managed to see
A self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree.
How did he know of my self-indulged plight?
Perhaps from his heart, he’d been blessed with true sight.

Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see
The problem was not with the world; the problem was me.
And for all of those times I myself had been blind,
I vowed to see the beauty in life,
And appreciate every second that’s mine.
And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose
And breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose
And smiled as I watched that young boy,
Another weed in his hand,
About to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.

- by Cheryl Costello-Forshey

by Mitch Albom

The tension of opposites: “Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn’t. You take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never take anything for granted…”

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Yahoo! Voice - Internet Phone Calls and Numbers:

• Phone Out: For pc-to-phone calling 2¢ or less per minute, call anywhere in the U.S.
• Phone In: For phone-to-pc, it’s about $29/year (a little cheaper than Skype)

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finance.google.com

A strong competitor to Yahoo Finance. The page is well-designed with relevant information. The daily stock chart has a notation indicating ‘event’ that was happening during the day (i.e. how it may impact the rise and fall of the stock price). You can drag on the chart to go forward/backward.

By Phil Keoghan

Life is a gift, but unfortunately it comes with an expiration date…
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Have you ever shared a good book with other people? How about with a total stranger? Bookcrossing project takes this to the next level, where you leave a good book for a stranger, for example, on a park bench, on the train, etc. By definition:

bookcrossing n. the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise.

If you want to find out what happened to the book after you have left it, you should register the book at www.bookcrossing.com, write down the BCID on the front cover directing the reader to post an update at www.bookcrossing.com. (Just a thought, can you do this with a dollar bill?)

ptech.wsj.com

Excellent weekly column in the Wall Street Journal about computers, software, and other personal technology. You don’t need to be a WSJ subscriber to read the column and the archives. Here are some samples:

• How to Protect Yourself From Vandals, Viruses If You Use Windows
• What PC to Buy If You Are Planning On a Vista Upgrade
• MacBook Pro Offers Promising Start to Era of Intel-Powered Apple

Instead of paying $0.75-$1 to phone company to use their 411, try the following toll-free. They are sponsored by a short ad, you have to listen to about 10-15 seconds. Over time can save you a bundle:

• 1-800-FREE-411 (1-800-373-3411
• 1-800-411-METRO (1-800-411-6387)