The www.mobile17.com. website is awesome…you just upload your mp3 from your hard drive and choose when you want the song to start and how long it goes. Then you can have it text’d or picture message’d to your cell phone, where you can store it and apply it as a ringtone. It’s free if you want to wait in line; $1 to skip the line.

The Teenager’s Guide to the Real World explains the immutable facts of life that every successful adult learns in one way or another. Each chapter provides you with examples, stories and discussions that will help you to understand how to use these facts in your own life every day to become a successful adult yourself.

To my Dad on Father’s Day.“Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad.” As we honor our fathers this Father’s Day, I would like to say thanks to my dad for being an inspiration, and a perfect example of what I would like to be for my son. I know that I don’t get many chances during the year to express my thanks to you for being my dad, but this seems to be a perfect opportunity to do just that. I Love you Dad! and I owe you the world. Thanks for being my dad.

Analysis from IT security consulting firm Prolexic claims that AOL’s network hosts more zombie-infected PCs than any other in the world. Infected machines can be used by remote hackers to instigate distributed denial of service (DoS) attacks.

More reasons not to use AOL. As if you needed more.

Read more here.

I decided to do a bit of research today on just how much it would cost to run a computer for a year, given today’s electricity costs.

A computer draws 110 watts of power from household supply - that is 2.6 kilowatthours per day.

According to the EIA, the average cost of electricity is 8.7 cents per kWH - that comes out to:

22.62 cents per day
$1.58 per week
$6.33 per month
$75.96 per year!

Yes, apparently, turning off your computer for a year will save you enough money to pay for cable access + internet for a month.

via The Frugal Tech

DETERMINE YOUR GOALS.
Before you start anything, determine its goal. If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you ever get there? Set mini-goals and reward yourself for successes.

DECLUTTER YOUR DESK.
An uncluttered desktop erases unnecessary distractions and helps keep your mind on tasks that need immediate attention. Keep only the items on your desk that relate to your current projects.

DON’T RELY ON YOUR MEMORY.
You run the risk of letting tasks fall through the cracks. The best way to never forget an appointment, a deadline or a detail again, is to write everything down.

CONSOLIDATE SIMILAR ACTIVITIES.
Instead of starting and stopping at different levels of activity, you’ll save time by making all of your outgoing telephone calls together, taking care of all your errands at once, etc.

CLEAN OUT YOUR FILES.
Before you go through the expense of purchasing more file cabinets, folders, etc., take the time to purge all unnecessary paperwork and materials.

USE ONE CALENDAR.
The biggest mistake people make when using planning calendars is to keep more than one. Keep personal, professional and family items on one calendar. It will help to eliminate scheduling conflicts. Remember, ‘the man who wears two watches, never knows the correct time.’

REDUCE TELEPHONE TAG.
Plan telephone calls (whether to doctors, plumbers, clients, etc.) whenever possible. Have all necessary materials in front of you. Write key questions down in advance.

SET UP FILES FOR PROJECTS.
Don’t waste time searching for papers when you need them. Keep all paperwork that pertains to a certain project together in one large folder.

SET TIME LIMITS.
Say, ‘I’ve got only 5 minutes to talk.’ Outline your calls, Say, ‘I’d like to discuss these 2 possible solutions to problem A . . .’

MAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF.
Make at least one screened appointment with yourself each day. Screened time is quiet, uninterrupted time allowing you to concentrate on a project or catch up on your reading.

DELEGATE.
Realize that you can’t do everything. Delegate in the office and at home. To use an effective delegation system, you must train, entrust, follow-up and evaluate.

DON’T OVERSTUFF FILING CABINETS.
There’s nothing worse than having to file papers in a file cabinet that is overloaded! Leave enough room in file drawers so that you’re not using all your energy to get a piece of paper in or out.

DEVELOP FALSE DEADLINES.
If you have a deadline at the end of the month, record the deadline four days earlier. You’ll eliminate the last-minute rush to complete the project because you’ll have given yourself ample padding.

USE TIMERS AND ALARM CLOCKS.
Allocate time for your daily activities, from working on projects to doing household chores. Then set timers or alarm clocks to keep you on schedule.

MAKE GOOD USE OF SPACE.
Add shelving for reference books and manuals. Add space extenders in desk drawers. Buy full-suspension file cabinets. Use stacking bins.

SET TIME LIMITS.
If you have to work late, or during the weekend, set time limits for yourself Whether you work for two or four hours, stop working at the end of that time and enjoy the rest of
the evening or weekend.

ELIMINATE BRUSHFIRES.
Brush fires are almost always caused by disorganization. Eliminate the disorganization and you’ll eliminate the brush fires.

DETERMINE YOUR BEST TIME FOR TASKS.
Use your most productive time to do your most productive work. Alert in the morning? Afternoon? Tackle your most difficult, important work during the time of day when you’re at your best and you’re most likely to complete it.

USE MASTER LISTS AND TO DO LISTS.
Take control of your time. When used properly, these effective tools give you a specific idea of what you need to accomplish.

SET DEADLINES.
Setting a deadline forces you to work towards it. Set a definite date and time. Saying, ‘When I get a chance’ or ‘Sometime in the near future’ is insufficient.

via http://www.getorganizednow.com/

Learning how to say no can be hard, but it�s something that I feel can really help you be more productive, reduce stress and do a better job with the things you do say �yes� to. I�ve always been pretty good at saying no (hopefully at the right moments) and I�ve found that saying no to some things can actually help everyone involved.

Learning how (and when) to say no is something that takes practice, especially if you�re someone that is honestly interested in helping everyone you can, or one of one of the many who feels guilty every-time you turn down a request for help.

I think the bottom line here is that there are times when you simply have too much going on to stay productive. In order to keep moving towards your goals you need to know when to say no and when to push things off your plate. It can be hard, and you may feel badly about it, but in the end you�ll be happier, you�ll get more done and the people you live and work with will actually be better off for it as well.

To read the full article click here

With me being a connoisseur of fine root beer everywhere, this looks interesting to me. I don’t have the time or patience to follow these instructions. But if anyone does follow this, please let me know how it turned out.