Sunday, October 12, 2008

The Dash

I was sent this poem in an e-mail, and was would like to share this poem with all of you. I found this poem to be inspirational, motivational, and perfect for self-reflection. Enjoy!

The Dash
copyright 1996 Linda Ellis



I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
from the beginning...to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth
and spoke of the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
that she spent alive on earth...
and now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;
the cars....the house...the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard...
are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
that can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
to consider what's true and real,
and always try to understand
the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we've never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
and more often wear a smile...
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read
with your life's actions to rehash...
would you be proud of the things they
say about how you spend your dash?

Friday, August 22, 2008

Time Management

I just finished watching the Randy Pausch Time Management Lecture, and what a great lecture it is. For those who may not know, Randy passed away July 25, 2008 after a battle with Pancreatic cancer. Randy gave this lecture earlier this year, knowing his time was limited, and therefore has instant credibility of knowing how to manage time.

If you enjoy the Time Management video, you may also enjoy Randy's Last Lecture video.

Enjoy!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Pheasant hunting in Minnesota

According to an article published in the St. Cloud Times, last year was the best year for pheasant hunting in Minnesota since 1964! I wish I would have taken more time to go pheasant hunting last year. According to the article, 655,000 rooster were shot in 2007. Does this mean 2008 will not be as productive?

You can read the full article here - it's a quick read.

Gas Saving Tips

Concerned about high gas prices? No, don't join the "put Exxon out of business" campaign, I think Exxon appreciates all the free publicity from chain-mail. Instead, read this money saving article by lifehacker. You may be surprised to know that according to the article, using your air conditioner makes little if any difference on your fuel efficiency! I also found the online gas trackers like GasBuddy.com, and GasPriceWatch.com interesting.

Just encase you feel you're beings squeezed at the pump, I included a reader's comment from the lifehacker article belo. See, we don't have it so bad.
  • hah! $4 a gallon?! it cost me 116.9p (£1.17) a litre! that's £5.31 / gallon which works out at $10.39 a gallon!! You guys over the pond have it easy!!
    grrr!


Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Where would you go?

I saw this question asked asked on another blog by Paul Kedrosky, and I thought, "I wonder how my friends would answer"? So here's the question asked on Paul's site.

A question for people to ponder: Say you were 22-years-old, unattached, and recently graduated and looking for your first job. You want to be part of something big and dynamic, a truly dynamic economy where you're going to be able to rise up with it.

The U.S. has long been that place, and maybe you think it no longer is -- or maybe you do. Whatever. Where in the world -- visas aside -- would you go?

How about you? Where would you go, from San Francisco to Sao Paulo, from Singapore to Shanghai, from Sydney to Slovenia to Saskatoon. The world is changing rapidly, and the "right" answer from 1998 isn't likely the right answer in 2008.

DNA Testing

Here is an interesting article from the New York Times about government oversight for DNA testing. What do you think? Should the government regulate DNA testing?

Monday, July 7, 2008

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Naps

You will enjoy reading this interesting study on napping, published by the Boston Globe. According to the study, napping is good for our mind and body, and feeling sleepy mid-afternoon is normal. You can read the complete article at http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/naps/ Now, I just need to sell my boss on the benefits of an afternoon nap. Oh wait, I am the boss; I hereby mandate all employees take a 45 minute nap every afternoon from this day forward!

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Twitter

After resisting for as long as I could, I finally broke down and registered for a twitter account, and I'm hooked! For those who may not know, Twitter is a mini-blog/social networking site that allows you to post your status with 140 characters or less. Twitter asks a simple question, "What are you doing?", and your responses are logged. The neat feature Twitter offers is the ability to follow others. While the thought of "following" others is somewhat stalker like, the advantage is you see what others are doing as soon as they submit their post. Although many people on twitter post exactly what they are doing right now (i.e eating ice cream), I find the most interesting posts are those that are informational (i.e. Barack Obama just clinched the Democratic Nomination).

If the concept of Twitter does not sound interesting to you, I encourage you to try it before making your decision final. Just head over to www.twitter.com and register for a free account. You can then follow me, troythetechguy to get a feel for how Twitter works. By the way, here is a little jargon you'll want to know. When you post an update on twitter, it's called a tweet!

Monday, April 14, 2008

XP copy Tip

I know I discuss Linux a lot, and that's because Linux rocks! However, from time to time we may have to use Windows. Here is a quick tip when copying in Windows XP.

http://www.online-tech-tips.com/cool-websites/windows-no-to-all/

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

How The Internet Works

While searching for a video on youtube.com to help me understand a networking concept for one of my classes, I came across this neat video by the History Channel explaining how the internet works. You can watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0WGGa2gIws

Sunday, February 24, 2008

How to use Photoshop

I found this neat video on how to touch up photos using Photoshop. CAUTION: This video is not for those with low self-esteem.

Enjoy!

Click here to watch the video

Sunday, January 20, 2008

The worlds cheapest car

With close to $3.00 per gallon gas, this car could give American car manufactures a run for their money! According to the short article on Crunch Gear, this car cost s $2,500, and gets a energy efficient 50MPG! Click here for the full story.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Linux Distributions

Are you new to Linux and don't know what distribution to start with? Have you used Linux for awhile and are ready to try a different distribution? The following link will take you to a web site that will help you select a Linux distribution that is right for you. I personally took the test, and found the results to be accurate to my wants and needs for a Linux distribution. Not sure what a Linux distribution is? Click here for an explanation.

Click here to take the test.