Archive for the 'Cool Stuff' Category
Change Everything
It’s interesting that Christine’s latests posts on this blog have to do with change, because I’ve been thinking a lot lately that 2007 seems like a year of change for many people. Is it just me, or is everyone in the midst of or considering massive life changes? Maybe it’s that phenomenon that happens when you first become aware of a new word — suddenly you hear it everywhere.
I’ve recently moved to Roberts Creek on the Sunshine Coast, and left my “secure” large-corporation job for the adventure of working from my home office. And even though I’ve planned this for years, it surprised me how stressful even positive change can be. Combine all the new things your brain has to process (”Honey, where do these go?”, “Oh, we need a flashlight to take a walk after dark here…”), and you have one tired camper! It’s a good thing I’m fitting so much fresh air and beach time into my schedule.
If you’re thinking about making changes in your life, check out ChangeEverything.ca. It’s a community of people who are making changes in their lives and communities. You can read how others are doing, adopt the same challenges they’ve taken on, offer advice to others… Reading what others are doing can be inspiring, humbling, and eye-opening. Take for example the challenges faced in living plastic-free for a year.
ChangeEverything.ca is an arms-length initiative of VanCity Credit Union. It’s also a great example of the power of “Web 2.0” and social networking in action.
Promoting your passion via the Web
Sharkwater opened in theatres recently. Written and directed by Rob Stewart, Sharkwater is a film about sharks and one man’s passion. Through his film, Stewart manages to show that each and one of us has the tools required to make changes in the world. Others have commented that, following a screening and question period in Toronto, Stewart explained that large organizations are not needed to create change. Individuals can make changes simply by being passionate. He clearly demonstrated this by making his movie.
Carlton’s Big Ad
I don’t know about you, but I hate most commercials on TV. I don’t like them when I first see them and then by the time I see them for the upteenth time, I’m ready to scream. With the advent of YouTube there are gems creeping up now and then. The video below for Carlton just cracks me up. Why can’t we have more of this on TV?
Thanks to Karole for sending this my way.
Webtools to Stay Organized
Struggling to keep organized? We’ve discovered a couple of tools lately that have made our life much less chaotic.
Blinksale is a small company out of Texas made of talented designers and developers who have created a great invoicing tool. All you need to do to get started is go to their website and create your account. You can sign up for free to begin with, test it out and see if it’s for you. Blinksale allows you to keep track of your clients, invoices, past invoices, etc…
We used to create invoices in word format, turn them into pdfs and then email them. The process was tedious and difficult to keep track of. Now with Blinksale, invoicing is fun!
Keep track of your to-do list on the Web with Ta-da Lists. With the use of ta-da you can easily stay on top of things. Sharing your list also allows you to keep your colleagues and friends in the loop. Best of all, ta-da lists are free to use and loads of fun. Their video shows you how easy it is to use.
Have you come across a tool that has made your life easier? If so, do tell.
Searching gets cRANKy
If you’ve had a chance to read “The Long Tail”, by Chris Anderson you will know that niche markets are really hot right now. Every business idea has the potential to be a great success and reach your target audience. In the world of search engines a new site has done just that. cRANKy.com is designed specifically for users who are 50+ years old.
Beyond adjusting the search result to list pages that cRANKy thinks are more appropriate to this demographic, it also limits the number of results to just 4, uses a much larger font and places ads at the bottom of the page. This makes for a much less confusing search experience.
So if you’re over 50, or even if your not, give a try.
Light a candle to fight AIDS
‘Tis the season
Christmas is a time to help those in need. What better way to do this than by visiting the “Light to Unite” campaign. A visit to this website will support the fight against HIV/AIDS as part of Bristol-Myer Squibb’s commitment to donate $100,000 to the National Aids Fund to continue their vital work with those most impacted by the disease.