Computer and Web Articles

1. http://tinyurl.com/39vg78 - Seven very, very common grammatical mistakes. If your job requires you to regularly communicate via email, letters, Facebook, etc., I suggest you take at least a cursory glance at this post.
2. www.pachube.com – Straight from the site summary description at the top of Pachube’s homepage, Pachube allows you to “store, share & discover realtime sensor, energy and environment data from objects, devices & buildings around the world. Pachube is a convenient, secure & scalable platform that helps you connect to & build the ‘internet of things’.”
3. http://tinyurl.com/y9qn4l3 - This blog post offers ten suggestions for decluttering your digital life, from clearing out your email contacts list to cleaning up your hard drive.
4. www.couchsurfing.org – A website dedicated to lowering the financial cost of exploration and giving more people the chance to become travelers. How does couchsurfing.com accomplish these hefty goals? By building and nurturing a “worldwide network for making connections between travelers and the local communities they visit.” You so very much *want* to call this a website for people looking to mooch free accommodations . . . but as you look around you’ll find there is so, so much more depth to this non-profit than initially meets the eye.
5. http://tinyurl.com/yejxqha - If you’re looking for a chuckle, visit this link. You’ll find a great list of actual statements made by … children. Things like “I like those lines on your face,” “When I die I want to live with Jesus in his apartment,” and “Boy, your house smells funny. You should buy some air fresheners.”

Yes, yes, people debate the usefulness of social media. Yes, I know that many people struggle to see the point of Twitter. I’m really not interested in discussing any of that right now.

I would simply like to thank Twitter for introducing me to what has to be one of the most gripping, impactful, influential, can’t-stop-thinking-about-it-weeks-later articles I’ve ever read.

After growing up in the traffic Bay Area, after living in Denver and dealing with the constant life-force drain that is I-70 skier traffic, and after living in Summit County where I’ve witnessed and (unfortunately) experienced harrowing winter driving situations first-hand, I’ve found myself wishing this article could somehow be made mandatory reading for all people allowed to drive motor vehicles.

There is no lengthy bulleted list of dry facts here. There is no preaching about what one should and should not do while driving. There is only an amazingly well-written, critically-acclaimed, 2009 National Magazine Award Finalist story that I wish people would read. It’s not a quick read, so if you’re open to giving it a chance, set aside at least ten or so minutes. I would love for you to have a look and then share your thoughts with me.  And others.

Though it can take a good deal of manual effort to sort the dregs from the cream while online, I find myself constantly, infinitely thankful that the internet has allowed for far-reaching dissemination of valuable information such as that which I found in the Dead Man Driving article—which you can find here: http://tinyurl.com/yaw5eak.

1. http://tinyurl.com/y8by576 - Very, very funny video that provides you with the step-by-step secrete recipe for reporting news stories. Love it.
2. http://tinyurl.com/yf35ztl - What if your company has done nothing? No website? No social media? Is it too late to catch up?
3. http://tinyurl.com/yzx3sqv - Blog post: “Find a Way to Unplug from Technology, or, How to Escape the Cubicle in Your Pocket.”
4. http://tinyurl.com/akcq35 - Can you prevent competitors from seeing your Adword ads?
5. http://tinyurl.com/4blkz6 - Points to consider when buying a digital camera.

1. http://tinyurl.com/y9v9cuh - Very, very neat post comparing past to present by juxtapositioning 25 nostalgic photos with 25 present-day photos.
2. http://tinyurl.com/ybhfane - This Intel energy monitor will tell you the cost of running your appliances. (Well, it will… just as soon as it goes from prototype to purchasable product.)
3. http://tinyurl.com/ornxcd - The seven deadly sins of blogging.
4. http://tinyurl.com/yavqwdf - The Getting Started Guide to Google Analytics. Everything from signing up to installing to learning how to read your reports.
5. www.boingboing.net – This is just a really cool, kick-a** site you should visit every now and then. It offers a constant stream of information that’s funny, informative, witty, thought-provoking, unusual, fascinating, and entertaining.

1. http://tinyurl.com/yf6rm4x - A great quick and to-the-point blog post by Gretchen Rubin offering eighteen suggestions on some of “the little things” you can do to boost happiness in your workspace and office.
2. www.GreenGoose.com – “Sustainable living made simple” through the use of . . . a Bicycle Commute Savings Kit and bike sensor?  Yep.  You see, when you ride your bike around this spring and summer, you’re saving money. GreenGoose keeps track of that money and then gives you the option take your savings and make one-time or auto transfers from your checking account to an interest bearing savings account. Not for everyone, but definitely a unique and noble concept.
3. http://tinyurl.com/ykm2yef - Courtesy of the Huffington Post, here we have an extremely amusing article called “Retracting the Ridiculous,” which gives us 12 hilarious newspaper corrections. “Due to incorrect information, Mr. XYZ was incorrectly listed as being fined for prostitution in Wednesday’s paper. The charge should have been failure to stop at a railroad crossing.”
4. http://tinyurl.com/yf66mdt - Focused on your website’s SEO? You might find this article, which lists ten tools for tracking inbound links, to be quite useful.
5. http://tinyurl.com/ydlnygw - Here is the million dollar question: should you (or your company) be on Twitter? This blog post, written by the ever-so-witty redheaded Denver copywriter Erika Napoletano, offers a fun read while answering the question in the redhead’s typical straight-forward, this-is-how-it-is style.

1. http://tinyurl.com/q7v27r - What small business *wouldn’t* be interested in an effective (and cost-effective) method of promoting its website? This article, written by Matt McGee and posted on the Small Business Trends website, is entitled “If I were launching a new small biz web site today” and offers suggestions on what you can do to spread the word about your business’s site. Take a look; perhaps you’ll find a suggestion or two that you’d not considered before.
2. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/126449 - Simple, short, concise, printable list of Windows shortcuts for you to use.
3. http://tinyurl.com/yzbc7c7 - Create advanced, complex filters for your Gmail searches.
4. www.foratv.com - One of the web’s largest collections of “unmediated video drawn from live events, lectures, and debates going on all the time at the world’s top universities, think tanks, and conferences.” The featured video on the site’s homepage when I last visited was called “Civil Rights in the Age of Warrantless Surveillance.”
5. http://tinyurl.com/yhrdauh – In this blog post, online marketing strategist Samir Balwani discusses his thoughts on the debate of whether or not social media is overrated.

1. http://tinyurl.com/ycj66oc - Alright. Here’s a question for you. Yes, you. Tell me this: what is a web browser? If you have absolutely no clue how to answer that question, I hereby require that you to watch this simple, clear, short YouTube video. It’s not boring and it offers truly-useful information you really should know. Take a moment, watch the video. It’s good. Promise.
2. http://tinyurl.com/7yd2op - Seven reasons your social media marketing failed – and how to fix it.
3. www.pocketsmith.com – Pocketsmith is a “web-based calendar that forecasts your future cash position.” This online tool aims to help people become better budgeters and achieve their financial goals a their special calendar, tracking features, and cash forecasts. Sign up for a free plan (then, if you’d like, upgrade at any time to their $5/month Premium plan or $12/month Super plan).
4. http://tinyurl.com/2mznqy - Learn how to reduce the file size of your PowerPoint presentations.
5. www.cocodot.com - This is a lovely site/service created “for those who love design and take pride in the way they communicate.” (So no, the site was obviously not built for the customer service department of my phone company.) Cocodot offers beautifully designed online invitations and greetings. (We’re talking SUPER-beautiful here.) Unlike many of their competitors, Cocodot does *not* include advertisements in their eCards, announcements, wedding stationery, or invites. Instead, they charge yearly or per-use fees. Make sure to check out their site and their beautiful designs.

1. http://tinyurl.com/4wxfuv - A guide on how to keep your computers and gadgets plugged in and connected as you travel the world.
2. http://tinyurl.com/yb2fqrq - Not everything on the web has to be read. Here’s a really nice photo for you to look at. A photo of skyscrapers. Made out of staples.
3. www.fonolo.com – A free service that makes it “easier and less frustrating to call large companies” by allowing you to skip the pressing-lots-of-numbers-to-talk-to-someone requirements and those annoying, time-wasting mazes of voice prompts.
4. http://tinyurl.com/m423r - Now THIS is why the web is such a wonderful thing. I mean, before you had internet access, where could one go to find 15 photos of amazingly fat cats like the ones you’ll see when you visit this link??
5. http://tinyurl.com/moe32q - A blog post discussing ten ways you can become a great social media user. Too lazy to read the article? Here’s the quick summary: socialize, diversify, participate, contribute, be real, be consistent, be meaningful, get creative, monitor, and be relevant.

1. http://tinyurl.com/yf9z5lx - Fifteen internet annoyances–and how to fix them.
2. http://tinyurl.com/yedhe5l - A blog post written by Louis Gray discussing what social media is . . . and what social media is not.
3. http://sketch.odopod.com – A fun online sketching tool for all the artists out there.
4. http://tinyurl.com/yakcgnw – “The Copenhagen Wheel quickly transforms ordinary bicycles into hybrid e-bikes that allow you to capture the energy dissipated while cycling and braking and save it for when you need a bit of a boost. It also maps pollution levels, traffic congestion, and road conditions in real-time.” What a concept!
5. http://tinyurl.com/mm5k3n - Find yourself needing to shred personal or financially sensitive documents every once in a while, but can’t justify purchasing a shredder? How about a pair of lovely low-tech shredding scissors for your office?