Google Translator Widget

Come One...Come All!!

Ok, so I was on Krapsody's blog the other day seeing what's up and looking around I saw this translator widget (if you're questioning what that is, take a gander over to your right, scroll down a bit-yep you got it, that is a Google Translator widget) and as you can see I had to have it. So I Googled it, found it, and then put it on my site. I like the mini version over the big daddy in your face one.

If you do not want or can't put this handy dandy little tool on your blog and/or website there is still the free online translation tool I talked about a while back so you can use that. I just think this tool is less labor intensive and a lot more versatile-just me though.

This is the freak that I am, I have been getting a kick out of clicking on the translator to see my blog in French, Spanish, etc... (probably going to skew my site stats-duh!) I had no idea I wrote so beautifully in those other languages-I am quite impressed with myself!

I am not sure how much it will be used but because I want everyone to be able to hang out on this blog I thought it was a nice addition to the page. As a side note, according to Lijit (check out the map icon also located on the right side) I did have some viewers from Calcutta-sorry no Bengali translation...bummer, Luxembourg-oh yeah we have French and German for you buddy, San Paulo-nice we have the Portuguese for you, Tripoli-dang no Arabic, and so on and so forth.

So we will please some but not all, but well that just sums up life doesn't it.

Alrighty then so on this tech toy I give it 5 out 5 Smart Gals (Oh yeah that's right top ranking-this is mostly because it kept me entertained for a good 20 minutes today)

Cost FREE....entertainment value PRICELESS!

A Trip Down The Rabbit Hole...

For those of who read my blog, I am sorry it's probably a little confusing, this blog for me has been a bit of a brain dump. I write what I want to write about and it is interesting to see who reads which posts. I have techie posts, girly posts, random posts, and even frustrated posts there are some people who read all of them, and then those that gravitate to what suits their particular tastes. I may one day split this into two blogs but we will see if and when that happens.

I initially embarked on The Get Smart Blog for research, to observe the intricacies of using blogging as a business tool. I have written articles, used video marketing, written a blog all for my mortgage business so I know how blogs add value in the real estate world, but I needed to see how it worked out in the less industry specific realm. I have had so much success using technology and the Internet in my business that I started a consulting company teaching others how to do it. I am an emotional person, as you saw in the Wrath post, but I am also a very analytical person and for me I have to have a passion for something before I will take it on, then I have to reason out how it can be done.

So I am always watching and taking mental notes, thinking about how I can use the information coming at me, it can be a little exhausting at times. I am like a sponge and I always want more. I have books, T.V's., and notepads in almost every room of my house. I carry a digital recorder with me (that is no longer compatible with my computer because I have Vista-ridiculous) everywhere I go so I don't forget a great idea. I am a research nut, actually I just love to learn and then I get excited about teaching what I know to others. So embarking on the consulting path, I realize now, was a natural progression for me and something I love doing. What I didn't expect to really take to was blogging, for me a blog was a tool to be used to give depth, and increased exposure for a business, I honestly didn't think I would like it.

It really hit me this last weekend, I needed a break from my computer and a little human (in person) interaction, so after my post on Saturday I spent the rest of the weekend out. The weather was great here, met up with some friends, had breakfast at a great little cafe I love, coffee at another great little place. Went to a quaint local book store picked up some books, I did bring my computer to the coffee shop on Monday, but other than that I was computer free. Like I said before I like to observe, so sitting having my coffee I watch people and their interaction with each other, taking my little mental notes. The realization I came to was that there is more of a sense of community on the Internet then in the "real" world. As I sat there I noticed people were interacting but only in their comfortable little groups not with strangers, for the most part at least-there were a few people that struck up conversations with strangers next to them.

I am not excluding myself here, because I was either reading, listening to my iPod, or so busy watching that I wasn't developing lasting relationships either. I of course wasn't the only one playing research scientist, I think most of us like to people watch, so while everyone there was out in the community we were all in our own little worlds. I was so in my own little world, that when a girl approached me to ask me if I knew that the guy who just left was sketching me, I realized I had been oblivious to someone sitting 10 feet away me watching and sketching me. I had to laugh which made the girl laugh and started us talking, so I did meet a few new people this weekend.

Crazy as this sounds after looking at all of my posts, I am a very private person, and blogging requires you to open up and let people get to know you as an individual not as a business, while you in turn get to know them. Sharing "personal" ideas and experiences freaks me out a little bit but what is even more astounding is how easy it is to get caught up in it. I wasn't expecting to meet people, enjoy interacting with other bloggers, or to actually look forward to that interaction - I am still a little surprised by it all. In the mortgage business my blog was geared towards customers, prospective clients, strategic business partners, and the general public but not on a personal level more as an informational supplement to other marketing pieces. So the nerd in me is enjoying the depth and breadth of what a blog can be and the little extrovert-I didn't know I had in me-is enjoying the aspect of just throwing it all out there for the world to see. Finally, the part I am most enjoying is the sense of community in blogging, and the people I have met and continue to meet here. I have had a great time contributing to this blogsphere.

I love surprises and this whole experience has been a beautiful surprise, and because I am a smart ass I have to make note here that only a woman could rage one day and throw out a mushy post like this the next! So I want to thank you all for reading this crazy blog and I look forward to our future interactions....

It's a Wrath Thing!

Today's sin boys and girls is Wrath, and I am writing about Wrath because I have a lot of it! I am not sure if it is the hormones starting to kick up or something else. I am angry because I have to write this post, I am angry because the website I have been working on for the last two months is still lacking, and I am angry because there are real morons in the world! Yeah I said it you heard it, there are some people out there that just piss me off!

I have a temper, it could be the Irish in me, could be the vertically challenged thing better known as little gals syndrome - I am 5’3 and 107 pounds soaking wet but I will kick your butt. You know Bruce Lee wasn’t a big guy either! Who knows why I have this wicked temper, but I have for as long as I can remember. I was one of those kids that actually liked horror movies. I am also a big sports fan especially physical sports, football, hockey, rugby, UFC, soccer if there is a little blood.

Seriously though I can be very reactionary, I flare up easily so I have had to train myself to stop, breath, think, and then act. If you couldn't tell, I was a scuba instructor that is a mantra we taught divers to keep them from killing themselves, really I said it so often because I had to remind myself that I couldn’t hurt them-they were paying customers. My nickname was Dive Nazi because I was not so nice, especially to those that were just plain…well you can fill it in. Crazy thing is those people, my former students, still like me-well actually most of them were guys we know what gluttons they are....

I had to take a behavioral profile for a job 6 years ago and the first line in it said “Bridget is intolerant of people who seem ambiguous or think too slowly. She may lose interest in what others are saying if they ramble or don’t speak to the point. She should exhibit more patience…[yada, yada, yada].” I was sure they were going to fire me, amazingly my boss thought it was the perfect behavioral profile for the position – I should have known then she was going to turn out to be psychotic. The descriptors for my malady are controlling witch Dominant Influencer, I will first try to persuade you to see it my way and then I will make you. I really can’t understand why I am still single?

I do flare up quickly but I also burn out pretty quickly. On top of that if you can make me see how stupid I am being -without saying those words - that is if you want to keep both of your eyes in your head, and make me laugh I am quick to humor too. In my advancing years things do roll off a bit easier, I am either maturing or just getting lazier, getting pissed off takes a lot out of you!

OK so I feel better now that I got it all out, not so annoyed that I had to deal with slow people all day, and like I said last week I guess this carnival every Tuesday thing is turning out to be a good thing…I suppose. I could be feeling better, smiling even, because I just listened to Lilly Allen's songs Smile and Knock Em Out - terrible but she always puts a smile on my face!!

Don’t forget to check out the other Sin Sisters:

Ssgreylord

Huckdoll

Caffeine Court

Secrets of a Black Heart

CableGirl

Planning a Vacation?? - Journeypod.com

Summer is almost upon us and for some of you luckies out there that can mean Vacation Time!! I love travel, the more exotic, adventurous, and out of the way the better. In my “younger” days cheap was in that list also, not that I don’t look for a good deal now (I will always be a deal girl) but cheap can also means not the nicest and I’m not afraid to say it but I want some pamper in my vacation.

First let me tell you what spurred this post, I was watching Top Chef – yes this Smart Gal likes a realty show, I don’t like that many and I am not an Idol watcher sorry, but there are a couple out there that I DVR – anyway the winner of the challenge received a luxury trip by Journeypod. “What’s this” I asked myself. The word pod got me thinking Ipod aka tech, and we know how much I like that, and then the luxury piece -well any girl likes luxury. So I just had to check out this website. It is an interesting website with vacation destinations that span the globe, from Iceland to San Francisco and points in between, this site touts themselves as the insider on the life of luxury for the jetsetter.

A little snippet from their website:

Whether its luxury vacation ideas, luxury travel destinations, luxury hotel information, luxury holiday travel, journeyPod means luxury. We have the insider’s information about international nightlife, boutique hotels, luxury resorts, and luxury travel Europe. Scope out our nightlife reviews, celebrity travel gossip, and restaurant reviews. JourneyPod has the lowdown on what to eat, what to buy, where to be seen, and who you'll see when you get there. Whether its San Francisco bars, London nightclubs, or Miami restaurants, the latest celebrity gossip, or where to find your favorite celebrity chefs, journeyPod is the one destination guide that has the most up-to-date info on exotic travel, luxury holidays, luxury vacation, trendiest restaurants and luxury travel.

Let’s review what your GetSmartGal thought:

Not So Smart:

1. Events – They listed 8 events total in their main events page (not many) and they were wine/food and Hollywood events. I was hoping for more events, varying themes, with some exotic locales. Note: the podcast piece makes up for this page.
   
2. Hotel “deals” these aren’t deals they should just stick to the informational piece and leave the “deals” to the more established online players like Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, Priceline, etc..
   
3. Site is a little labor intensive and disconjointed, the podcasts take you to another web address making it difficult to get back. There is no directory or search box on the main site and the one on the podcast site is useless. The longer they do this, they started in 2006, and the more they put on this site the worse this will get.
   

Smart:

1. The podcast supplements; this for me makes this site, the topics vary from destination overviews to “insider” information, and then they sprinkle in the glitzy factor with the behind the scene interviews at events.


2. Dig deep in this site and you will find a lot more, they have specific city pages, a blog page, the podcast area, and some must be at events scattered throughout.
   

Overall this website it pretty interesting and has some great tidbits that will get the travel bug itchin! For me this would be a startin off point, then I would need to go somewhere else to set up the travel package, and then I would probably pick up a more in-depth travel guide for the trip. Not bad though I will definitely keep it in my Google reader and check back occasionally to see what’s up.

I give this site 3 out of 5 Smart Gals.

Why I Like Lijit.com

Lijit is a “personal” search engine it is a tool that allows people to see what you are up to in the big beautiful social Internet world! It covers social and group associations, all of your content, blog statistics, and your blog buddies.

So let’s break down what I like about each area:

Social & Group Associations - Lijit is a handy way of showing people where you are at and how they can find you. The widget is easy to create, you can put it anywhere, and it doesn’t take up much room.




My content – This portion really falls in line with the social & group associations, by clicking on the icons you can go see what I am digging, stumbling, favorite(ing), Twitting, etc. You can also use the search box to search through my blog posts. The thing that would make this a bit cooler would be if you could use the search box and it searched all my social sites as well as my blog for content. It would also be cool if they could add Ted.com I love that site and Qik.com so I have another reason to get a new phone (hint, hint).

Blog Statistics - I like this feature most of all. I am a visual person and I have control issues like clear cut organization with cool graphics, Lijit has that and more. The site shows you page views, top posts, searches, and where readers came from. The where is the coolest because it not only looks at where on the Internet you are coming from but where in the world. It breaks it all down with summaries, charts, graphs, and pictures – yes I am a nerd and proud of it!




Blog Buddies - I haven’t really availed myself of this feature, it includes your blogroll, any blogs you want to watch (Google reader does this for me), blogs in MyBlogLog communities (easier to pick thru than MyBlogLog), and other Lijit users (I don’t have any Lijit buddies).

Search Engine - I hadn’t checked this feature out much until I wrote this post but it is kinda cool if you know what you’re doing with it. You can put in search terms and it will first search my blogs and then you can also search the web (web portion powered by the Google gods). I know that a couple of people have used it because my stats told me so! Whoever you are I hope you found what you were looking for, thanks for not trying to look up porn!

Support – Initially I wasn’t too happy with their support because I couldn’t figure out how to get to them quickly (it’s that instant gratification control thing I have). Then one day I got frustrated because I couldn’t figure out how to get Lijit to recognize MyBlogLog and Flickr, in my frustration I blasted a b*#^chy twit/tweet, whatever. It said something like, “Lijit is p#@^*ing me off and the worst part of it is that it’s probably my fault” well within minutes Tara from Lijit Twitters me. So sweetly too; “I saw your twitter can I help you?” Once I got over my shock and Big Brother conspiracy moment I got her to help me, and I apologized for slamming them on Twitter (my mother told me my mouth would get me in trouble one day)!

Walking the Talk – So it turns out that Lijit is using Twitter to get in touch with their members and for customer support. That is pretty cool…I like it! I am not sure how long they’ll keep that up, have you seen what people put on that site (well duh you just saw what I brilliantly put on there)? But it is pretty sweet that they are out there in the thick of things.

So be careful what you say on Twitter - they are watching….

Qik.com - Live Streaming Video from your Phone

Qik.com, Qik enables you to stream live video directly from your cell phone

Another cool toy I can't use because I am a Verizon Girl!! It is becoming an AT&T/iPhone world...I am not a big conspiracy theorist but if I were I would definitely smell something here...

Now, I am not a 100% sure which carriers have which phone models-you will have to check that out on your own, so if it turns out that Verizon has one of these phones, hooray! I have a Crack I mean Blackberry without the camera because Verizon can't get in the game doesn't have that model. In any case Blackberry and iPhone don't look to be compatible at this time. Some of these Nokia models are cheap though, I would spend the dough just to have the cool factor...live streaming video from anywhere that is too much! (for those of you who aren't sure what this is-no stupid questions here-it means that what you record on your phone can now be seen live on the Internet)

Here are the specs for this service from their website:

Just point your cell phone and stream video live to your your friends on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, etc. OR use your cell phone like a camcorder and stream hours and hours of video without worrying about storage on your cell phone.

Since Qik is new to this they say that they are constantly adding support for new phones - which would be nice since none of the phones are Blackberry or iPhone! Currently, they support video streaming on Nokia S60 phones: N71, N73, N75, N76, N77, N80, N82, N91, N92, N93i, N95, E50, E51, E61i, E65, E70m E90 Communicator, 3250, 5500, 5700 Xpress Music, 6110 Navigator, 6120 Classic, 6121 Classic, and 6290. You also need a Data Plan and it is advisable to have an Unlimited Data Plan from your service provider as video streaming can consume considerable amount of bandwidth.

This company is in their alpha release so registration is only through invitations. If you are interested, you can go to Qik.com and enter your phone number. They send you an SMS with a link to verify your request. Once you click the link from the SMS and confirm your request they will evaluate your request and get back to you.

Now there are no more excuses for you UFO people not to have better proof, instead of those messed up blurry pictures, now you can stream your encounter live on the Internet. This is going to change everything!

Seven Deadly Sins...Avarice/Greed

It is that time again… Terrible Tuesday with The Seven Deadly Sin Carnival! For the love of Joseph I cannot believe I have seven weeks of this (that is my sloth talking and I am sure that the love of Joseph thing is blasphemy so I am off to a good start here). I picked Avarice this week, partly because I forgot what it meant, so I thought it might not apply to me, hence an easy post. Wrong! Avarice boys and girls is another word for GREED, that little green devil that makes you ravenous for the Qwan.

Honestly Greed and Gluttony are synonymous, but those crazy Christians like to keep you on your toes, so they throw the same thing in under a different name. No actually I think Gluttony is more sustenance based and Greed is more monetary…we all know the Scrooge story don’t we? So how am I Greedy…I guess if I am going to dig deep here I am probably greedy for things. I have a lot of things, closets, a garage, an extra bedroom full of things. I am a bit of a pack rat I think, I am told I could cloth a developing country and the shoe thing (well we just won’t get into that).


In my defense I do try to offset my greed with helping others, I want nice things but in return for that I work hard and I give back. I’ve been told that I do not charge enough for my services, if you ask anyone who’s worked with me they will tell you I am more interested in getting the job done right then how much I am going to make from it. Don’t get me wrong, like I said I want nice things, so I am no Saint here but I get real joy out of helping someone else.


Now that I threw in that little side note to make myself look better -next posts are definitely pride & vanity, I should look around and give some of this stuff away. Take the less is more road, there are so many people out there that could benefit from the stuff I take for granted. Besides a natural disaster could hit here tomorrow and all of this stuff would mean nothing! That was that cute little angel on my left shoulder, that trampy little devil on my right shoulder is saying, “if you get rid of some of this stuff (Ebay) you could get that alkaline water thing you want!!“ It is a constant struggle really, to find that healthy balance of giving and receiving.


So you tell me is it ok to have more than some, not as much as others, but more than you truly need? What is true greed, how do you quantify it? According to Wikipedia the accumulation of possessions that denies others legitimate needs is greed. That is rather ambiguous, how should I know if I am denying someone else, I am no Scrooge but I am no Gandhi either. In my work I help others but I am rewarded for that so does that count?


I think it is all a matter of perspective, I look at Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, both ridiculously wealthy men and both incredible givers. Warren lives frugally while Bill lives “a bit” more lavishly, but are they Greedy men? I would say maybe a little here and a little there but overall (disclaimer here I don’t know them personally so if one turns out to be a serial killer there was no way I could have known) I think they are good people who have done a great deal for others. In the end if someone can say that about me I will know I did alright.


And I will not try and take all those shoes with me when I go, I will let them go to those who need them most – excluding a pair of Manolo Blahniks. I mean I have to wear something and those are the only ones that will go with the outfit!

Don't forget to check out the other carnival members: (I am sure there are more these are the ones I know of)

Huckdoll
Caffeine Court
Secrets of a Black Heart
CableGirl

Voice Cloud-Turns Voicemails into Text

I seem to be saying this a lot these days….but I was out there checking out the blogs and I found this cool new service called Voice Cloud. I saw this post on an activerain real estate blog by Roberta Murphy which she contributes to Pat Kitano and I have no idea where he found it so hopefully that is the end of that list. In any case I was intrigued by Roberta’s blog title which was “Cool New Tech:Voice Cloud.” The blog post was short and to the point (which I love but do not do myself) and stated here is a new FREE service that will transcribe your voicemails into text emails.

How cool is that? Now when someone leaves you a message you get an email with the mp3 file, an email of the text transcription of the message, and you can also get a text message of the transcription. Wow…that was a mouthful!! You can choose one, a combination of, or all of the distribution methods listed above. This service is still in beta testing (probably won’t stay free for long) can be used on mobile or land-line services, works with most major carriers, and is done in real-time. For myself the mp3 of the message came right away, the email transcription comes about 4 to 6 minutes later as does the text transcription.

This new company on the block started in 2007 is headquartered right down the road in the same county as me and did I say it’s FREE!! The website says currently there is unlimited voice/transcription storage and retrieval (we’ll see about that), 24/7 customer service and support. They also have “a specifically designed interface for the iPhone.” (I am so tired of the iPhone getting all of the super cool interfaces) What happen to the Crack Blackberry being the cool toy to have? I may need to switch to AT&T especially if they are the only ones to get the new Blackberry this summer-it’s a conspiracy I tell you!!

So check it out and tell me what you think of this service….so far I think I’s pretty nifty.

Revolution Money Exchange.....Paying $25 to $500 to get your Business

Have you heard of this site called Revolution Money Exchange?

Well I was making the blog rounds (the sum of my life these days) and I got sucked into signing up for this new money exchange site. It sounded interesting...as anything free does, and I decided to jump in and check it out. So read on to find out about it...

Launched in 2007, based in St. Petersburg, FL., aparently it is trying to place itself as a viable alternative to money processing companies like PayPal and OboPay. The biggest advantage is the no fee money transfer feature if both parties are Money Exchange members. Also you can link it to a bank account to transfer money back and forth. If you have ever had to wire money to someone you know how expensive and time consuming that can be.


Money Exchange assures customers that it fully insures its funds. According to the site the accounts are issued by First Bank & Trust, Brookings, SD, Member FDIC and part of the Fishback Financial Corporation. It also lists series B venture capital funding from Citi, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, Revolution LL to further the validity and staying power of this very young pony.


Addressing security issues all MoneyExchange transaction information is transmitted with a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) connection - like all financial institutions. In addition they request a personal identification number (PIN) before authorizing any transfer of money, thus ensuring an extra layer of security. Finally, the whole process is secured via a multi-factor authentication process and limit the amount you can transfer daily as well.


The list of free services includes:


FREE to register for an account
FREE to add money from your bank account
FREE to send money
FREE to receive money
FREE to request money
FREE to electronically transfer money to your bank account


A transaction fee applies for check withdrawals ($2.50 per check), check stop payments ($20 per check), paper statements ($5 per statement), ACH returns ($35 per returned ACH), and overdrafts ($35 per overdraft).


Some drawbacks to the Money Exchange service are its limits. It has a daily limit of $1000 USD and a monthly cap of $2500 USD right now. At this time, money cannot be sent or received internationally. You must be a U.S. resident to register for MoneyExchange. In addition, your MoneyExchange account can only be linked to a U.S. bank account. Money Exchange is cutting out the worldwide web compenant by not addressing foreign clients for many freelancers, borrowers and sellers. Hmmm...something to look into.


Money Exchange offers a solution for sellers to place an item for sale on their own website, eliminating the fees associated with PayPal, eBay and other auction sites. If Revolution Money Exchange were to increase its transfer limit to a more substantial amount than $2500, I think they could be a viable contender against these other sites as well as possibly motivate banks to start implementing easier and cheaper money transfer procedures. Wouldn't that be nice.

I Got Your Back M Night Shyamalan

Ok so I was out there making the rounds the other day and I went to Tim Fox’s blog, he is hysterical you have to check out his blog, he comes up with the best stuff and I always leave there with a smile on my face. So anyway, he had this M Night Shyamalan post, comparing M Night’s movie collection to being in a steadily deteriorating relationship.

His take on M Night’s movie portfolio is as follows:

“Sixth Sense which was a classic [Unbreakable was good], Signs was ok, The Village was garbage, and Lady in the Water was one of the worst movies ever.” He isn’t optimistic about The Happening and that's putting it mildly!

Ok, so normally I would just laugh at his blog (it was funny), make a comment, and move on. The problem is that Signs came on the teli the other night and I had just read his post. You see I liked Signs and I liked The Village and I know people will think I am mad but I liked Lady in the Water also. There I said it I like them all, the dirty secret is Lady in the Water. I actually didn’t like it the first time I saw it, because it wasn’t what I expected, but I watched it again and I liked it. Could I watch it a hundred times like say Troy....with Brad Pitt’s soft porn shots- OMG where did that come from get back on topic, no but that doesn’t mean it was horrid. Honestly Unbreakable was my least favorite because Bruce’s character was just so damn pathetic! Not that Bruce wasn’t a little depressing in Six Sense but in Unbreakable it was the same guy just worse and so annoying – you find out you are unbreakable – buck up already!!

I thought Signs was great, it’s an overdone theme yes, but a few parts made me jump, a few parts made me smile, and I have been able to watch it more than once (true test of a good movie). The ending was predictable but how many endings aren’t, we can’t expect Six Sense every time? I think that is the real reason folks were disappointed with subsequent films, it’s because we don’t like it when people deviate from what we expect. Shyamalan does Hitchcock horror really well, but does that mean that he can’t do anything else? Stephen King gets that also, he should do one thing, and one thing only right? Nope! One of my favorite King books is “The Eyes of the Dragon” a dark Arthurian type fairytale about two boys (Lady in the Water also fairytale based theme) that has absolutely no gore and a lesson to be learned.

You know for all that Stephen King has done he has had his share of duds, bad reviews, stumbling points, and well it takes a few broken yokes to make an omelet doesn’t it? If I had stopped checking out his work after his poor reviews I would have missed out on some good stuff. I think that M Night Shyamalan has a lot of creativity and a uniques perspective on things. In expressing what’s bottled in that expansive imagination he is allowed to take some unexpected turns.

I for one am looking forward to The Happening I hope that I do not have to eat my words after this I have faith in M Night’s abilities as a story teller. I am a little nervous about Mark Wahlberg but his brother was awesome in Six Sense so why not… who knows he may surprise us? God I hope so …oops that was meant to stay in my head.

So Tim I turned your funny dating post into a movie review…sorry I just have to express myself it’s a sickness!!

WujWuj...No More Crappy Gifts

Party Time!! I don’t know about you but for almost all party occasions my friends and I use evite.com. Evite is easy to use, easy to manage the guest list, it’s cutesy-which of course is important, and it can be monitored from anywhere. So when planning a get together most of the time I go to that site to do it, but I was out there surfing the web again…I have no life, and I found a new site that I think is super cool!!

WujWuj.com is evite with group gifting (evite+egift)….how killer is that! WujWuj according to the website stands for With Upmost Joy – like it. You sign up, which is free, create your event, add your attendees, and you can then select a gift or gifts for everyone to contribute to. So if you have a graduation, special birthday, or anniversary, anything that you want to get some people in on a good gift for-now you can do it online. Hence the tag line... No More Crappy Gifts, you know you want to say that some times, but that would be rude. So now this website can say it for you.

My family is everywhere, California, Florida, Hawaii, Washington, Colorado, Maryland, the list goes on. Trying to get everyone coordinated to go in on a gift is difficult, who’s contributing, who collects, who purchases, who delivers the gift it is always such a pain to figure out. So this website looks great, you pick the gift it is included in the invitation, your invitees (is that a word?) go to the “event” page contribute to the gift, and WujWuj purchases it and sends it to the address listed.

I love the virtual world!!

So that’s today’s get smart tip, I would love to hear your feedback about the site….

Chris Abani on Ted

What an amazing man!!

Imprisoned three times by the Nigerian government, Chris Abani turned his experience into poems that Harold Pinter called "the most naked, harrowing expression of prison life and political torture... In this deeply personal talk, novelist and poet Chris Abani searches for the heart of Africa through poetry and narrative -- including his own story of artistic and political awakening, which began with an inventive teacher who taught him the forbidden history of his own people. How, he asks, can we reconcile stories of terror, war and corruption with one's enduring sense of pure wonder?

The Forgotten Dialect Of The Heart

How astonishing it is that language can almost mean,and frightening that it does not quite. Love, we say,God, we say, Rome and Michiko, we write, and the wordsget it all wrong. We say bread and it means accordingto which nation. French has no word for home,and we have no word for strict pleasure. A peoplein northern India is dying out because their ancienttongue has no words for endearment. I dream of lostvocabularies that might express some of whatwe no longer can. Maybe the Etruscan texts wouldfinally explain why the couples on their tombsare smiling. And maybe not. When the thousandsof mysterious Sumerian tablets were translated,they seemed to be business records. But what if theyare poems or psalms? My joy is the same as twelveEthiopian goats standing silent in the morning light.O Lord, thou art slabs of salt and ingots of copper,as grand as ripe barley lithe under the wind's labor.Her breasts are six white oxen loaded with boltsof long-fibered Egyptian cotton. My love is a hundredpitchers of honey. Shiploads of thuya are whatmy body wants to say to your body. Giraffes are thisdesire in the dark. Perhaps the spiral Minoan scriptis not laguage but a map. What we feel most hasno name but amber, archers, cinnamon, horses, and birds. -Jack Gilbert

Ode To The Drum

Gazelle, I killed you for your skin's exquisite touch, for how easy it is to be nailed to a board weathered raw as white butcher paper. Last night I heard my daughter praying for the meat here at my feet. You know it wasn't anger that made me stop my heart till the hammer fell. Weeks ago, I broke you as a woman once shattered me into a song beneath her weight, before you slouched into that grassy hush. But now I'm tightening lashes, shaping hide as if around a ribcage, stretched like five bowstrings. Ghosts cannot slip back inside the body's drum. You've been seasoned by wind, dusk & sunlight. Pressure can make everything whole again, brass nails tacked into the ebony wood your face has been carved five times. I have to drive trouble from the valley. Trouble in the hills. Trouble on the river too. There's no kola nut, palm wine, fish, salt, or calabash. Kadoom. Kadoom. Kadoom. Ka- doooom. Kadoom. Now I have beaten a song back into you, rise & walk away like a panther. -Yusef Komunyakaa

Daily Motion Video Widget

I was checking out a site the other day and they had this great video widget, always looking for the next best widget I clicked on it. The “videowall” that is what they call it was from Daily Motion, France’s provider of online video content from both user-generated and media partnership sources. Basically this site is a much much smaller version of Youtube, like Youtubes 2nd cousin, but the cool thing about it is no company stamp and the video wall.

Videowalls let you display a group of videos on your site with a slick interface. You can display up to 81 videos in a Videowall. You can create Videowalls from a user or group profile page by clicking the "Create a Videowall" button, located in the profile pane just beneath the user or group description.

The videowall has so many applications for blogs, social sites, websites, etc. you can use the wall to display marketing and advertising videos, company profiles, or just fun stuff. The wall is small like most widgets (but it can get rather large, up to 81 videos- wow) which means it can be displayed in a prominent location on your site, so people do not have search around to find your video content.

A couple of logistical points:

· MAXIMUM ALLOWED VIDEO DURATION: 20 minutes
· MAXIMUM ALLOWED FILE SIZE: 150MB
· ADVISED VIDEO SETTINGS:
o MP4 (H264), MOV, WMV, AVI formats (many are supported)
o 320x240, 640x480 or 1280x720 resolution
o 25 frames per second (framerate or fps)
If you want to upload videos longer than 20 minutes or in High Definition, become a motionmaker

What is a motionmaker you ask?

A MotionMaker is a creative user who does not have any limits to the length or file size of videos they can upload. The MotionMaker’s videos may be featured on the homepage, within channels, or elsewhere on the Dailymotion site.

In order to join the program, first register under the appropriate creative user category (filmmaker, reporter, musician, entertainer, or extreme) and accept the special terms and conditions. Once you have registered, label one of your videos as “creative content” on the video edit page. Your video will be transmitted to the Dailymotion team, which will review it for compliance with MotionMaker standards in order to validate your status.

So get out there and make some of those cool video walls and let me know how it goes. I am still building mine it should be up soon, check back.

Seven Deadly Sins.....Sloth

It is Terrible Tuesday again and I have another Seven Deadly Sin post to contribute to the carnival. I chose Gluttony last week and this week I am doing Sloth. I decided to participate in this carnival because it just sounded cool, but I have found in writing these posts that it is actually quite cathartic. I spent a year in Catholic prison (that is a Catholic high school) which I chose of my own accord because I wanted to learn something. I have to admit I learned a lot, but I also closed off to a lot, like some of the lessons in the Seven Deadly Sins. A sin for a Catholic (for the type of Catholic I was-don't want to offend anyone) is something to confess to your priest and then move on, I never looked at how these “sins” could impact personal growth, who knew I would get that lesson from a blog!!



Sloth is defined as spiritual and/or actual apathy or laziness. Sloth can also concern wasting due to lack of use or allowing entropy, expanding into almost any person, place, thing, skills, or intangible ideal that would require maintenance, refinement and/or support to continue to exist.

Sloth is a tricky one, because most people have a tendency to, at some point, want to slack off or shirk responsibilities. So when is a propensity to doing something actually considered a regularity or an overriding character flaw?


When I think of sloth I think of some slacker, with bad hygiene, living in a dump that spends their life just squeaking by. A slothful person is lazy, has no goals, no drive, no positive momentum, and really doesn’t contribute much to the whole scheme of things. But is it really that cut and dry?


Over the last 5 to 6 years work has gotten the majority of my attention, it has taken everything in me to remember that family, friends, and life outside of work is important. If there is apathy towards any portion of my life it is in my personal life, but that is perfectly acceptable right? Because I am a “successful” contributing member of society! I am single answerable to no one. I am a model to look up to in my work ethic and industry knowledge. I have a good portion of the material things that you are supposed to want to have, so I can’t possibly be slothful.


According to Tyler Durden (The beautiful chaos creator in Fight Club) “F*#k off with your sofa units and strine green stripe patterns, I say never be complete, I say stop being perfect, I say let... lets evolve, let the chips fall where they may.”


I tend to put all my efforts into one direction, while neglecting everything else. Entropy, a lack of pattern or organization, a tendency for all matter and energy in the universe to evolve toward a state of inert uniformity -this definition would contradict my model life and actually prove that I am very slothful. In almost every area of my life outside of work I am stagnant; I have pushed life to tomorrow or the day after. I neglect myself, my family, and friends so I can fulfill some crazy dream to be the best most successful girl on the planet.


So now another Tyler Durden quote, “a question of etiquette - as I pass, do I give you the ass or the crotch?” Ha ha…that one just makes me laugh the quote I really wanted to use is, “You have to know the answer to this question! If you died right now, how would you feel about your life?”


This is a question that I started asking myself after a kidney stone in 2006, after the mortgage meltdown in 2007, and have continued to ask myself over the last 5 months, I am a slow to act sometimes. This is a little scary because I can look back at major turning points, good and bad, in my life and they all started with that question. Even the road that lead me to my current situation was predicated by that query. So 5 months ago I looked at what we have now established as a very slothful existence, and decided I needed to make a change. If I died tomorrow I would feel that I had squandered, wasted, and misspent a good portion of the last 6 years (yes I know that all those words mean the same thing - I just thought I needed to say it three times).


I have made some major changes over the last 2 years / 3 months and I continue to push forward in my new less slothful life. It is truly hard though. It is so tantalizing to want to revert back to, an easy, work driven, uncomplicated, yet stressful existence. Life is messy, the more interaction you have with family, friends, and new people tends to bring overwhelming chaos to a rather dull but comfortable existence. I also hate cleaning my house so I need to make enough money to pay someone else to do it or I will still be slothful because my house won’t be clean. See the issues here….but I am striving to be more balanced and to be present in the lives of those around me.


Some of the changes:


I am strategically moving away from a job that I just exist in to a job I love


Taking time throughout the year to do things for myself and with my family and friends


Finding my purpose and passion and incorporating it in all that I do.


I can understand why sloth would be considered a sin, because it just seems like a travesty to squander life, and yet so easy to do. So check back in a year and let’s see if I have let the sloth monster gobble me back up or if I have continued on my “enlightened” path.



Don't forget to check out the other carnival members:



Huckdoll

Caffeine Court

Secrets of a Black Heart

CableGirl

Vertical Gardens by Patrick Blanc

The other day I got a comment from someone on my Activerain lender blog, of course when you get a comment you like to go check out what they are doing. He is an Eco Broker, for those of you who are new to that term, it means that he specializes in green real estate. Anyway, he had a great post about vertical gardens. I just thought it was the coolest thing! When I was ditching college backpacking through Europe I went to Monaco, you know to see where James Bond hung out, and the most intriguing thing besides the immense amount of wealth were the rooftop gardens. So many buildings had beautiful rootop sanctuariers, and I just thought it brought so much to that city. You have to check out this amazing vertical garden architecture. I would love to see this become the norm for our homes and communities!!

http://activerain.com/blogsview/499576/Vertical-Gardens-taking-green

http://www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com/

Now I don’t know anything about the logistics, types of plants, upkeep, maintenance issues, but I know that when I scrolled through the pictures on Patrick Blanc’s website I wanted to be there. I wanted to sit and have lunch in one of those buildings, I wanted be in my home and look at a beautiful garden wall. What could be more Zen or Fung Shui than that, really what could more uplifting than that!

The only potential problem I see is my lack of a green thumb, I can’t keep a cactus alive…but I am sure there is a way around that!!

Thanks Alex Mordas for doing a post about this!! http://activerain.com/alexmordas

25 Reasons I Owe My Mother

Another great email I had to share!! I wouldn't know much about this since I was such an angelic youth but I heard my mother & grandmother say these things to other kids. (If it was said to me it must have been by mistake there were a lot of kids growing up...easy to mix us up!)

It really was them I was just a conscientious instigator observer!!

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE .
'If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.'

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
'You better pray that will come out of the carpet.'

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL .
'If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!'

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.
' Because I said so, that's why.'

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC .
'If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me.'

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
'Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident.'

7. My mother taught me IRONY
'Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about.'

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
'Shut your mouth and eat your supper.'

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM .
'Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!'

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
'You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone.'

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
'This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.'

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
'If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!'

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE .
'I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.'

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
'Stop acting like your father!'

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
'There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do.'

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
'Just wait until we get home.'

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING .
'You are going to get it when you get home!'

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
'If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way.'

19. My mother taught me ESP.
'Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?'

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.
'When that lawn mower cuts off your foot, don't come running to me.'

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT .
'If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up.'

22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
'You're just like your father.'

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
'Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?'

24. My mother taught me WISDOM.
'When you get to be my age, you'll understand.'

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE
'One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you.'

Today’s Techie Dictator Post

There are two tools I want to talk about today for you dictators. That is “dictators” that like to dictate rather than write….I do not have tools for you tyrannical leaders out there, sorry!

The first cool tool is Jott a voice to text service that allows you to call an 800 number and turn your spoken wisdom into emails, text reminders, a to-do list, or Twitter, post a blog, text a group, the list goes on and on. This technological marvel is the brainchild of two guys with long complicated names headquartered in Seattle, WA. The team is made up of all guys…figures! I am not saying anything derogatory by that it just suits guys…they are a little on the do less get more side of life. Since its introduction in late 2006, Jott has made world class voice transcription accessible to anyone with a cell phone. This is a free service.

Just in case you are looking for this same capability but do not want to call in to a number there is Dragon Naturally Speaking by Nuance, it starts at $99. Here is a little snippet from their website:

With Dragon NaturallySpeaking Standard you can talk to your computer and watch words quickly appear in documents, e-mails, instant messages and even surf the web simply by speaking! It's amazingly accurate - up to 99% - and really easy to use. There's no script reading or "voice training" required, so you can get started dictating right away. Perfect for the whole family - busy parents, kids just learning to type, and even grandparents!

Sounds super fun….huh? Actually it isn’t half bad, setting up is a bit of a pain but once you get the hang of it the program it works rather well. I am sure this was developed by guys too, but I have no proof of that.

Finally, this is not a dictation tool but once you have your voice turned into text you can go to this site below and translate it into another language. Cool!
http://free-translation.imtranslator.net/

Hopefully these toys tools will help you take some of the clutter out of your day. And for all of you guys out there I was only kidding about the truth wise cracks. Let me know what you think of these sources, would love to hear the feedback.

Seven Deadly Sins

This big Internet/blog world is such an interesting place, each time I go exploring I run into something/someone new….I love it. Well a blog and blog-her I have found interesting is Huckdoll, met her on Cre8buzz and from there started checking out her blog posts. Last night she had a post on The Seven Deadly Sins, which is going to be an ongoing weekly commentary on how she fits into each sin. She apparently got the idea from the ladies at Caffeine Court and Secrets of a Black Heart. So I mosied on over to these blogs and of course I have now found two more blogs that I will be checking out on a regular basis – so many blogs so little time!! I also found this Seven Deadly Sins Carnival challenge intriguing. I have a hard time just throwing my personal life out there, but why not it could teach me something, and it just sounds like fun!! So I am starting with an easy one….can we say Chicken! (Love these chick pics...these are thanks to Mrs. Black Heart)

Gluttony denotes, not any desire of eating and drinking, but an inordinate desire... leaving the order of reason, wherein the good of moral virtue consists

So how am I gluttonous, well for those that know me they would say that this sin is the farthest from me. I embody many of the other seven deadlies, but my friends would say this one not so much….and this they would say because I am “a little thing.”

I don’t think you have to be big to be gluttonous so let’s break it down:

1. Inordinate; lacking restraint or moderation; too great or too many; immoderate
2. Desire; to wish or long for; crave; covet

I can be ridiculous about certain things, I call it stubborn or head strong, but maybe it is just gluttonous. I love things that are not good for me and in some cases loved them so much they have sent me to the doctor. My weaknesses are: mangoes, crab, li hing moi seeds, lemons, salt & vinegar potato chips, dried apricots/plums, and exotic food.

South American mangoes make my lips swell (I could use it in place of Botox…oops leave that one for vanity) my skin reacts to the oil on the skin of the mango like most people react to poison ivy. I love mangoes, will never give them up, so I just eat them a bit more carefully now. I have gone to the doctor twice for shots to bring down the swelling.

Lemons, crab, li hing moi seeds, and salt and vinegar potato chips give me the worst stomachaches ever, like an alien has laid some pod creature in my stomach and it is trying to bust its way out. Again I love these things and I will not give them up, I will deal with the stomach. No boys over on this night...oops vanity again I am going to have a lot to say on that one.

Dried apricot & plums make my throat itch and swell, but I continue to try new varietals hoping that I will find one that does not irritate my throat. I wasn’t allergic to them when I was younger and I refuse to be so now, I have practically beaten this one! This one nearly sent me to the emergency room three times.

Finally exotic foods, little miss adventurous here will try anything once, this one has kept me on the bathroom floor a few nights (wait was that the alcohol or the food?) expelling things that somehow looked better coming up then going down. Now what does that say to you about my gluttony quotient?

It is said that those who are condemned of the sin of gluttony must eat rats, toads, & snakes in hell. I have already eaten snake and frog's legs they tasted like chicken how bad can the rat be?

Since I just remembered –incredible that I could put this one out of my head it has given me so many embarrassing stories and nicknames, alcohol must definitely be added in with the rest of these. I spent the better part of my late teens and early twenties between a “buzz” and a hangover, there was definitely some gluttony there.

So like I said before I really don’t think weight has anything to do with this sin, I am gluttonous because I have an inordinate desire for these items. I lack restraint in my craving for these foods and I definitely do not partake in moderation. Well the exotic foods thing, there I do not gorge or over consume I merely try. You know what -this one I think should be in the pure stupidity category. Maybe there should be eight sins!

No Limbs to No Limits....Wow (Nick Vujicic)

When life hands you "lemons" how many of us can honestly say we make lemonade?

I believe it is absolutely essential that we keep a sense of humor about life, live a passionate life, and that what you give out will come back to you. I believe a lot more, but blogs are supposed to be short, so we will stick with that for this one. Remembering just one of those in the face of adversity can be a daunting task, not to mention trying to incorporate all three on a daily basis. It always amazes me that when you are focused on something how it continues to grow and spring up into your path. So to keep reinforcing the positive I often try to find books, videos, movies, etc. to help me out.

I have been reading the Eckhart Tolle book A New Earth Awakening to Your Life's Purpose, mostly just to see what all the hype was about, but in reading it I have found that it reinforces some of the ideologies I already believe. Now I am not going to say I agree with everything one person says but I do see the positive messages in the book and I can now see why Oprah would feel it necessary to bring it out to the "world." It is a shame that though Oprah's intentions were good that this book is under so much negative scrutiny (not hurting in sales mind you) but possibly in credibility. It has been Oprah'd so now those who love Oprah will love it and those who are not so in love with her will dismiss it out of hand.

Back to the novel, so I am reading this book and doing my inner reflection like a good enlightended girl should, and of course I start getting some pretty inspiring emails. It is like that saying....where your focus goes energy grows. This video below was one such email. It is truly amazing what people can do in their lives with some prespective, passion, and a little inspiration.

I hope this inspires you as it did me




http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9026810297916989221

This was just a snippet of Nick's motivational speech, For more about Nick Vujicic go to www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/ and http://www.attitudeisaltitude.com/

This video was sent to me by Trish & Wendi at http://www.socalarbonne.com/.

Thanks so much Ladies!!

You Just Went Too Far Man!

I received this in an email and thought it was the best thing ever so I had to share...please enjoy!! (Warning may be too graphic for men to handle)

This is an ACTUAL letter from an Austin woman sent to Proctor and Gamble regarding their feminine products. She really gets rolling after the first paragraph. I about died laughing because it's very true - the words "Have a Happy Period" are really on the piece of paper that holds the wings together.

Dear Mr. Thatcher: I have been a loyal user of your maxi pads for over 20 years, and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the Leak Guard Core or Dri Weave absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts.

But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flex-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi-pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants.

Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? Ever suffered from the curse? I'm guessing you haven't. Well, my time of the month is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my husband likes to call an inbred hillbilly with knife skills. Isn't the human body amazing?

As Brand manager in the Feminine Hygiene Division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customers' monthly visits from Aunt Flo. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out of control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough time for most women. In fact, only last week my friend Jennifer fought the violent urge to shove her boyfriend's testicles into a George Forman Grill just because he told her he thought Grey's Anatomy was written by drunken chimps. Crazy!

The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants....which brings me to the reason for my letter.

Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: "Have a Happy Period."

Are you fu**in kidding me? What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness, actually smiling, laughing happiness is possible during a menstrual period? did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James?

FYI - unless you're some kind of sick S&M freak girl, there will never be anything happy about a day in which you jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Walgreen's armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory.

For the love of God, pull your head out, man! If you just have to slap a moronic message on a maxi-pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like Put Down the Hammer or Vehicular Manslaughter is Wrong, or are you just picking on us?

Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chose to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bull shy*t. and that's a promise I will keep Always.

Best, Wendi Aarons Austin,

TX PC Magazine's 2007 Editor's Choice for Best Webmail Award Winning Letter