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Tips Links and Tidbits Newsletter |
| Tuesday 9th January 2007 |
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OpenOffice patches ’highly critical’ flaw All but newest version of software suite has flaw that could allow introduction of malicious code. More |
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Here is something cool that you can do with the Opera browser. In the address bar, rather than typing Google.Com and doing a search, you can simply type in “g" and your search criteria. So to find out what the weather will be in LA, you would just type in “g LA weather" and you’ll get a Google page with all the links. Very nice... So I got curious and I went into both FireFox and IE 7. I typed stuff into the address bar with those and... FireFox went right to a page with information about my search. I didn’t need a “g" in front of my search criteria. IE 7 went directly to a Google page displaying the results of my search -- it also did not need a “g". I suppose you’d need to be careful with FireFox if you have children because if they accidentally typo a word in the address bar, they could be looking immidiately at some pretty raunchy stuff. Anyway, I didn’t know the browsers had gotten this easy to use. Old habits die hard and so I’ve been typing in “google.com" every time and then doing my search. I don’t use bookmarks because I use so many different computers. I’m used to just doing a search each time I want to get to a certain site. Anyone else have any good browser tips? Scott |
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2007: IT predictions for the year ahead As we gaze toward the vista of 2007, we find our email inbox inundated with IT predictions for the New Year from analysts, vendors and consultants. From those predictions and our own prognostications we present our forecast for the top IT stories in the year ahead: More |
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Internet Explorer ’unsafe’ for 284 days in 2006 Even if you patched your browser every time there was an update... More |
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The Insider’s Guide to Windows Vista Windows Vista is here at last. We’ve performed extensive, hands-on analysis of Vista and sorted out the claims to help you decide whether, or more realistically when, to make the move--and to show you what you can expect when you do. More |
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PDF threat worse than originally thought Cybercrooks could create hostile links that offer full access to a victim’s hard disk drive, experts warn. More |
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4G coming in three years? Trials for high-speed fourth generation networks are already underway in countries such as Japan and Korea. More |
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Firefox use nearly doubles in ’06; Safari gains Propelled by the release of its Version 2.0 in October, the free Firefox Web browser saw almost a 50% increase in use during 2006, according to one Web measurement firm. More |
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The early returns from Gartner’s 2007 CIO survey are starting to come in for the year, and the order of business priorities is as follows: 1.) Improve business processes 2.) Reduce operating costs 3.) Attract and grow customer base 4.) Support competitive advantage 5.) Improve enterprise competitiveness 6.) Grow revenue 7.) Improve information intelligence 8.) Deploy business capabilities 9.) Improve bottom line profitability 10.) Security and data protection |
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A fascinating read on the necessity for balance between high level security and keeping your customers... here |
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Electroconvulsive Therapy Causes Permanent Amnesia And Cognitive Deficits, Prominent Researcher Admits More |
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Press release on video documentary exposing psychiatry as a fraud More (I have some copies of this available. If you’d like a copy for yourself or a friend, just drop me a line.) |
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DMAE - to Sharpen Your Mind and Lengthen Your Life By Jon Herring In ETR #1911, I told you about my 86-year-old neighbor Tom. He’s living proof that exercise keeps your mind sharp - even into old age. But there’s a brain-boosting supplement that does even more than that. It could also increase your lifespan. I’m talking about DMAE, a compound found in sardines and anchovies (which may explain why fish is known as “brain food"). Your brain makes this compound in small amounts - and doctors are using it successfully in supplement form to improve memory, boost cognitive function... even fight Alzheimer’s. DMAE works by speeding the production of acetylcholine, a crucial neurotransmitter responsible for carrying messages between brain cells. The result is better recall and memory, sharper focus, and a longer attention span. One study showed that DMAE stabilizes cell membranes, naturally inhibiting the changes that cause aging. And in a study with mice, scientists found DMAE actually increased their lifespans by 36 percent. You can easily find this supplement online or at your local health food store. The typical recommended dose is 100 mg to 150 mg (taken with food to improve absorption), although you can safely go up to 300 mg if you need it. Start with a smaller dose to see how it affects you. |
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Finnish Soap Opera Lets Viewers Pick the Plot A new television show that debuted over the Christmas holiday season is turning Finnish viewers into soap opera scriptwriters--through the power of text messaging. More |
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Losing It Misplacing a small gadget while away from home is easy. Often, getting it back is not. Read today’s tip to learn how you can make sure that not all is lost when things are lost. More |
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An excerpt from a book report of interest on know-how characteristics of great leaders More |
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Europe’s largest dinosaur found in Spain More |
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"A man has to have goals - for a day, for a lifetime - and that was mine, to have people say, ’There goes Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who ever lived.’" - Ted Williams Kicking Off the New Year With ETR: Wealth AND Happiness in 2007, Part 1 By Michael Masterson This week, while trying to write two New Year’s resolution articles for ETR - one on wealth and one on happiness - I found myself using new words to say the same old things. I brought up my problem with JG, a close friend and former partner with whom I’ve enjoyed a 30-year conversation about life and how to live it. The subject matter of my articles was good and useful - but most ETR readers have heard it all before. Although JG pointed out that the articles would be helpful despite the fact that they repeated ideas I’ve been discussing for years, I still wanted to write something new. I just didn’t know what “new" was. "Here’s my take," said JG. “You’ve been working on two articles. One is about creating wealth. The other is about achieving happiness. Have you ever considered writing about the relationship between wealth and happiness? How to become rich and happy too? "For most people, happiness seems like something that will come automatically once wealth is achieved. But you know that isn’t true. So you’ve been writing about wealth and happiness separately. You’ve been explaining what you know about making money and developing businesses and accumulating objects of wealth as if the pursuit of those things is not directly related to happiness. But the truth is, they are linked." He was right. I had never attempted to write about how to achieve wealth and happiness simultaneously. But that is certainly something any ETR reader - whether a beginning or advanced wealth builder - would be interested in. JG reminded me that I run dozens of multimillion-dollar businesses and make plenty of money. Better yet, I enjoy doing it. Plus, I’m lucky to have a full life outside of business too. "But," he said. “I want you to consider one thing. You have several hundred thousand readers. Each is a unique person with unique qualities. You were born in the year of the Tiger, and it seems to me from observing you that you are a natural tiger. What is good for the tiger is not good for the horse or the pig or the snake. "So you should write not only about the relationship between wealth and happiness, but also about how each individual must discover his own nature and find his own balance. "What I mean by that is, instead of writing about achieving wealth or achieving happiness, consider writing about achieving the feeling of wealth. When people think about being wealthy, what they are really thinking about is the feeling of having those things they think money will buy them." JG is particularly qualified to give such advice. When he was my business partner (and was earning a giant income and running a multimillion-dollar company), he was also a martial arts practitioner and a student of Chinese philosophy. One day, he came to me and said that he was going to leave the business world and spend his time teaching the Chinese internal systems and practicing them in his own life. Instead of being shocked that JG would walk away from a huge business and giant income and opt for a life of simplicity instead, I was proud of him and eager to see where his path led him. He in turn was happy for me to pursue my own path. In the nearly 20 years since then, he’s taught me a lot about enjoying my life by balancing my natural “tiger" capacity for bigness with what I now know is an equally natural need for peace, happiness, and relaxation. So this year, in addition to talking about how you can become wealthier and happier in 2007, I’m going to add a third, more “advanced" component to my New Year’s resolution articles for ETR: how to feel wealthier. Today, let’s begin by talking about how you can be wealthier this year. As I said in Automatic Wealth, you don’t have to be a genius to become wealthy. Acquiring a high net worth is possible for anyone who is willing to put in the time and follow a few simple rules. Here they are: 1. Wake up earlier. Lots of people object to this rule. They tell me they are “night" people, and then give me 63 reasons why they do better work after the sun goes down. I understand how they feel. For many years, I felt the same way - and, to be truthful, I still managed to make a decent living. But when I was in my early 30s, I read a study that said successful entrepreneurs get to work, on average, about an hour earlier than the people who work for them. That was enough for me. I started getting to work earlier and discovered that it worked better for me. Don’t knock it. Try it. 2. Spend that extra hour on your most important wealth-building objective. Ask yourself every morning: “What is the single most important thing I can do right now to increase my wealth before the end of the year?" Identify what that task is and start working on it immediately. Take no phone calls. Answer no e-mails. Don’t even turn on the radio. You want to treat this hour like it is sacred ... because, from a productivity perspective, it is. 3. Educate yourself. Spend at least a half-hour a day learning about wealth or practicing a wealth-building habit. If you aren’t sure what to read or practice, take a look at our website to see the various materials/programs that ETR has to offer. 4. Develop wealth-building partners. Nothing will make your wealth-building journey faster and easier than having good people to support you. When I think back on my career, it is obvious to me that 80 percent of the success I had was due to picking great mentors, partners, and superstar employees. That’s what you need to do this year. Improve your list of partners. Who do you have? Who would you like to have? (See ETR #1626, #1873, and #1035 for strategies on how to develop a support network.) 5. Increase your income. Income is not the most important aspect of wealth building, but it shouldn’t be ignored. Figure out how you can increase your income this year, and then do whatever is necessary to achieve that increase. 6. Increase your equity in a business and/or real estate. Equity is the key to wealth. Figure out how much equity you acquired last year, and find some way to get more equity in 2007. (As Justin Ford pointed out on Tuesday, the golden rule for real estate investing is to find quality properties that you can buy at or below market prices. And there should be some very good real estate bargains opening up later in the year.) 7. Save more. What did you sock away last year? How can you do better than that this year? There are only two ways to save more: by increasing your income (which you intend to do, right?) and by decreasing your spending (which is always a good idea). If you make a commitment to follow these seven steps, your net worth will be larger - probably significantly larger - 12 months from now. It will take some discipline, but ETR will be in your e-mail box every morning with encouragement, tips, and practical advice to help you achieve this goal - and all your goals - for the year. From the http://www.earlytorise.com newsletter [Early to Rise Copyright ETR, LLC, 2007] If you’d like to subscribe to Early to Rise or suggest it to a friend, please visit: here |
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Spotted on the Net: “If it doesn’t work, they can’t eat you." If you haven’t already seen the following (which has been making the rounds on the Internet), enjoy this article from Bob Parsons, the founder of Go Daddy Web hosting and a bunch of other businesses... Here are the 16 rules I try to live by: 1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone. I believe that not much happens of any significance when we’re in our comfort zone. I hear people say, “But I’m concerned about security." My response to that is simple: “Security is for cadavers." 2. Never give up. Almost nothing works the first time it’s attempted. Just because what you’re doing does not seem to be working, doesn’t mean it won’t work. It just means that it might not work the way you’re doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn’t have an opportunity. 3. When you’re ready to quit, you’re closer than you think. There’s an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like this: “The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed." 4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be. Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of “undefined consequences." My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, “Well, Robert, if it doesn’t work, they can’t eat you." 5. Focus on what you want to have happen. Remember that old saying, “As you think, so shall you be." 6. Take things a day at a time. No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don’t look too far into the future and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time. 7. Always be moving forward. Never stop investing. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages. 8. Be quick to decide. Remember what General George S. Patton said: “A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow." 9. Measure everything of significance. I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched improves. 10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate. If you want to uncover problems you don’t know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven’t examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be there. 11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you’re doing. When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place. 12. Never let anybody push you around. In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you’re doing as anyone else, provided that what you’re doing is legal. 13. Never expect life to be fair. Life isn’t fair. You make your own breaks. You’ll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare). 14. Solve your own problems. You’ll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you’ll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of Sony, said it best: “You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others." There’s also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this: “A wise man keeps his own counsel." 15. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are. 16. There’s always a reason to smile. Find it. After all, you’re really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: “We’re not here for a long time; we’re here for a good time." [Ed. Note: The above article is included here with the permission of Bob Parsons. Copyright © 2004-2006 by Bob Parsons. All rights reserved.] |
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