I love photos! I really think digital photography is one of the greatest inventions – EVER! Especially since having children, I take a ton of pictures, often daily, definitely weekly. I have actually been referred to as the paparzzi on several occasions, and am quite proud of it! There are some people who never leave home without their blackberries – I never leave the house without my camera. Just this past week my camera broke on me, although it quite possibly may have had a little help from the little people in my house who resist paparazzi. This is tragic, especially with an upcoming vacation being planned. And with how expensive cameras are to fix, and how much the prices have come down over the years, it makes more sense to buy a new one, than have it fixed. But how do I pick a camera from the abundance of choices out there?
Enter CNET. It’s been a great source to help me make choices in my electronic purchases over the years, before I buy. From cell phones, to laptops, to GPSs and MP3 players (yes I have used this site for all of the above), it’s a great place to read reviews on all the products available. The feature that I love the most is that they have 2 ratings, a professional or “Editor’s” rating as well as the “User“ rating, which is the average rating by regular people who have bought the item and have submitted a review. It’s great to get both sides of the review, people who actually know what they are talking about, and a review from people like the rest of us, just everyday people buying the product.
There are many sites out there that give useful reviews, but for me, this Jem is the one I turn to first. Now it’s time to get back to reviewing my new camera purchase. And if the paparazzi visits your neighborhood, be sure to flash your best smile!
Have a great week!
“Saffron is the dried threadlike stigma of the violet-colored crocus plant. Its high cost is due to the fact that the crocus only blooms for two weeks each autumn, each bloom has only three stigmas, and it takes about 225,000 stigmas to yield one pound.”
[Little-Known Facts About Well-Known Stuff • David Hoffman • 2006]
—» Get The Book @ Amazon.com
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“In 2007, paper and paperboard products accounted for about 83 million tons (or 33 percent) of all materials in the municipal waste stream. In that same year, we recycled more than half (55 percent or 45 million tons) of all the paper that Americans used.”
[U.S. Environmental Protection Agency • www.epa.gov]
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- Image via CrunchBase
Welcome to Evernote, part deux. Missed the first post? No worries, I’ll tell you about it. Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ron Toledo, Marketing Manager at Evernote and he had wonderful things to say about it. This week, an old OTR friend – Jim Deitzel – is weighing in and sharing his two cents. He’s been using Evernote for almost a month now (is that right, Jim?) and he likes it! Check out what he has to say below.
Do you like it, too? …or have some other application you like better? Leave a comment to lemme know…
- Jim Deitzel, Sr. E-Marketing Manager at Rubbermaid & Evernote Fan
[Deb] What’s a typical day like for you?
[Deitzel, Jim] I start early. I’m usually in the office by 7:00am. I always start by checking all the new Twitter followers, responding to DMs, looking for @replies. I then move on to emails. After emails I check my to-do list to review outstanding items.
[Deb] What tools do you use to keep yourself organized and on track?
[Deitzel, Jim] There are three main tools I use to keep myself organized. (1) In Outlook I have lots of rules setup to manage emails. I have rules for newsletters, tweets, facebook notifications, ecommerce orders, etc. Using rules helps keep my inbox clean. I also tag my emails with different levels of follow-up flags. This helps me identify emails that require action. (2) I use Evernote to manage my to-do list. I have a master to-do list that lists all the project or tasks that I won’t be immediately attending to. If a project requires notes I will create a unique note for that specific project to document all the details. (3) I use physical file folders to manage projects. All my folders are labeled (using a Dymo labeler). I have two piles for folders. One for active items and one for ‘on hold’ items. I sort these folders by priority. Also, the closer the folder is to me, the higher priority.
[Deb] You just recently started using Evernote. Do you use it just for business or for personal stuff, too?
[Deitzel, Jim] I use Evernote for both business and personal. I have a folder for each. The great thing about Evernote is the ability to access my notes from any computer. I often create notes for personal lunch errands which I access from my work computer just before lunch. Having an online notes system is really great. Another online sharing tool I use is Xmarks. This is a bookmark tool where I can share bookmarks between different computers. I use it just like Evernote. A main folder for work bookmarks and a folder for personal bookmarks. I actually have this installed on 4 different computers.
[Deb] How does it compare to other applications you’ve used in the past?
[Deitzel, Jim] I really like Evernote. I had been using the Yahoo Notes widget for a few years but it stopped working. I received a recommendation via Twitter to try Evernote. Evernote is so much more robust. It’s a full blown application. You can upload files, tags notes, search, use standard word processing text formatting, and more. I probably haven’t even tapped into 25% of the possible uses. I had a conversation with Ronald from Evernote the other day. There is so much you can do with it. Text within a digital photo is even searchable using Evernote. Below are some of the ideas Ronald provided in regards to how to use their tool.
Here are a few ideas for how Evernote is useful as an organization tool.
- We have mobile versions which make it easy to capture whatever you are working on easily.
- Simplify your move or redesign. Take a snapshot of the layout of your room before you move. Call up the image in Evernote to remember how to put it back together.
- To do lists are always in sync across all the platforms and available whenever you need them. You can even add check boxes and mark tasks complete in some mobile clients (iPhone).
- Scan or take a picture of those loose papers lying around.
- Create a digital shoebox and get rid of the post it notes. Once in Evernote, the text is searchable including handwriting so you can find what you need later easily.
- Take a picture of a paint can, tag it with room so you have an archive of the color you used. Take a picture of the contents of Rubbermaid :-) containers labels and tag them accordingly to create a digital archive.
- Take pictures of the labels of containers to have a inventory of closets, sheds, etc.
- Create an archive of collections (DVD’s, CD’s, Books).
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What will you be doing this Earth Day to show your appreciation for the environment? Need some ideas? Check out these Earth Day events in the DC area along with a few things you can do reduce, reuse, and recycle…and give back.
Events
- Earth Day on the National Mall
- Town of Indian Head Earth Day Festival
- Celebrate Earth Day/Junior Ranger Day – Greenbelt Park
Volunteer
- Volunteer with Audubon Naturalist Society
- Become an Earth Day Network Volunteer
- Earth Day Clean Up and Recycle Program
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
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Everyone has a wish list, right? Many days I am wishing for more sleep, and a clean house for more than 4 minutes, but there are certainly some tangible things on my list as well. This week’s “Jem” allows you to do just that ~ WISH! And share it with everyone!
The Things I Want is the prefect website for creating a wish list of any kind, for any reason, or quite frankly, no reason at all. It works in a similar way that a baby or bridal registry would, but the difference is, you are not restricted to one store, and it’s all conducted online. All you need to do is go to the site, The Things I Want, and download the application. Then you can add any item to your list, from any website. If it has a website, you can wish for it, and share it with anyone you choose. You can make your list private, even password protect it, or you can make it public for everyone to see. Hey, you never know if there’s a secret admirer out there that wants to give you little something special. You can also create multiple lists for multiple events, and sort them by date of occurance ~ how convenient!
Personally, I use it most for Christmas and birthday lists for my kids. How many times have family members asked what to get the kids? Not to sound ungrateful, but wouldn’t you much rather have something that will get used and not stay in a box or collect dust? If they ask, chances are they don’t have a clue and are looking for guidance, so why not make gift giving easy? Take the guess work out of shopping for gift givers, where they can even “reserve” the item anonymously. It’s a great site for bridal and baby registries too, and perfect for gift givers who shop online.
What’s on your Wish List? Check out The Things I Want and star wishing.
“Did you know that it takes 21 consecutive days to establish a new habit? That means you have to make a conscious effort every day not to do the same old thing.”
[Unclutter Your Home · Donna Smallin · Storey Publishing · 1999]
Get More Information
I recently heard someone one Twitter say that they really liked an application called Evernote. So, being the nosy person that I am, I decided to get more information about it. I thought Evernote was a way to track your tasks so that you could stay organized. I learned after talking with Ron Toledo, Evernote’s Marketing Manger, that I was wrong. Here’s my interview with Ron…
1. So, what’s Evernote all about?
- Ron Toledo, Marketing Manager at Evernote
Well, it’s not a reminder system like you thought it was. It’s like a digital shoebox that helps you to capture all those things that you want to hold on to for a later date. Think of it as a central repository for anything you’re working on (e.g, pictures, documents, notes, etc.). It’s an open system that’s customizable and tailored to each user. We have a powerful search engine that allows you to search by date, time, location, or just a simple keyword.
2. Why would someone use your application over another?
We make it really easy for you to put your stuff in Evernote. Rather than using bookmarks, you can use our web clipper and get a nice note instead of just text. It’s free (though there is a paid premium version for $5/month) and available across platforms (i.e., Mac and PC). There are a lot more things you can do with it, too.
3. Do you use Evernote?
I use it all day every day. I use it with my iPhone and my laptop. There’s a lot of freedom with it because I know that no matter where I am, I will always have access to my notes.
4. What do you like most about it?
I’d say I use the web clipper the most. It’s so easy, especially for people who are in front of their computers a lot. You can clip stuff to read or do later. Before I started using web clipper, I’d lose the things I wanted to get back to, but not any more.
5. So, you know I have to try it out now. Is there support for folks like me who might have questions?
Yes, there is. You can check out the Evernote blog or my own tips and tricks on how to get the most of out of it. You can also find us on Twitter at @evernote and Facebook. You really have to try it.
——————————————
So, I know what you’re thinking. Of course the Marketing Manager WILL have great things to say about their own product, right? Remember that someone who was raving about Evernote on Twitter? Well, I interviewed him and he’s none other than Jim Deitzel at Rubbermaid. Rubbermaid makes great organizing products and Jim and I have interviewed each other in the past. So, yeah, I trust my source! Stay tuned for my next post where Jim tells all….and don’t forget to leave a comment on how Evernote works for you. =)
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Happy Monday! Today’s “Jem” is something I use daily, without even thinking about it. It’s a time saver, helps me stay organized online, and you can try it out for free! Seriously, who doesn’t like that?
If you are anything like me, you spend a decent amount of time online. From banking, to shopping, to reading and writing blogs and just keeping up with what’s going on in the world, the information superhighway is a way of life. But the majority of the sites you visit, require you to create an account and establish a user name and password.
With dozens of websites in your possession, remembering all of those user names and passwords can become a challenge. Using the same password for every site is not a safe option, with the evil hackers of the world out there, and let’s keep it real, if you write it down somewhere you KNOW you are going to lose it!
Enter, Roboform! It’s a program you can download, that keeps all of your passwords on your desktop, and can automatically fill in the forms for you, with the click of a button. It auto saves information, can auto fill passwords to log in forms, generate passwords, and uses encryption to keep your information safe. As long as you remember your master password, you can access the information, on your computer. You can also keep all your information on a USB stick and when you pop it out, your information comes with you! Those of you on the go, you gotta love that!
There are limited features available to try for free, or for a one time price of $29.95, you can buy the license. In my unsolicited opinion, worth every penny and totally “Jem” worthy!!
Have a great week!
“According to the staffs at the Domino’s Pizza locations in (and around) Washington, DC, if there is a marked increase in the number of late night deliveries to the White House or the Pentagon, it usually signifies that a major news announcement of national importance will follow in 48-72 hours.”
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Little-Known Facts About Well-Known Stuff | David Hoffman | Barnes & Noble | 2006
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