Blogson Deathknyte of Bad Catholicism is contemplating a relationship issue:

Once you are in love with someone it makes you.... blind, to their faults. Or, perhaps, you just don't want to see those faults.

Personally, I believe that a good relationships involves overlooking a LOT of faults. What matters is overlooking the little ones, and being wide awake on the important stuff.

For me, the short list is:

Fidelity - I'm the only one in her bed.
Trustworthiness - Even tiny promises like "I'll be home by 8" are consistently kept.
Financial Responsibilty - Habitually spends less than she earns.

Pretty much everything else is negotiable after that. I can put up with clothes on the floor or dried toothpaste in the sink.

Then there's the "nice to have" stuff, like intelligence, sense of humor, taste in music, etc. which comes in varying degrees, and I'll just enjoy whatever supply is there to enjoy.

Anyway... figure out what's on your short list, and don't compromise on it. If she's got any deal-breakers, you're better off without her.

All the frosting in the world won't make you happy if there's no cake underneath.

Posted by: Harvey at 07:06 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Every once in a while, I take a chance on a piece of spam. I got this one recently:

Here's a musical tribute to the courageous men and women of the American Military: http://www.allrightrecords.com/id88.html.

Ok, the topic intrigued me, and their weren't any typos or grammatical errors, so what the heck.

Turns out to be the first non-country patriotic song I've ever heard. Pleasant, catchy, upbeat, cheerful, and full of genuine admiration for those who serve. Musically, the clean, simple melody reminds me a little of Barenaked Ladies, except that it doesn't suck.

Anyway, Dick Eastman is mostly a songwriter by trade, but he picks up a guitar and sings, too, for this one.

MP3 is free to download and the site encourages you to burn and share. Go check it out.

Here's the first verse, so you can get a feel for the theme:

As JohnnyÂ’s marching off to war
All these talking heads keep score
ThinkinÂ’ they know so much more than he does
While they pretend to play hardball
JohnnyÂ’s watched his brothers fall
This ainÂ’t no game to him at all, red white & blue
Are more than colors in the distant view
A flag that stands for freedom proud and true
Is counting on you

Posted by: Harvey at 06:56 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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RSM of When the Smoke Clears pointed me to The Music Genome Project.

It's sorta like Yahoo's LaunchCast, in that the more you rate the songs, the more likely their next selection will be to your liking.

However, unlike LaunchCast, MGP actually WORKS with Firefox.

Which is a BIG plus for me.

Anyway, go there, enter the name of your favorite artist, and it'll branch out from there.

Word of caution: you ARE limited on how many songs you can skip per hour, so try to limit skipping to songs that actually suck, and just turn the volume down a bit on the ones that are only so-so.

UPDATE 7:15 AM: I got an e-mail from MGP's founder Tim Westergren. Obviously a form letter, but still, it's the thought that counts:

Posted by: Harvey at 06:21 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 And you can't select individual songs -- it will play them eventually, but that's just weird. It is however, quite neat.

Posted by: Ogre at February 07, 2006 06:54 AM (/k+l4)

2 I've been using it since reading this a few hours ago, and it's pretty cool! Thanks for the link...

Posted by: pam at February 07, 2006 04:44 PM (l6NIn)

3 I will give it a try and see if I likes it.

Posted by: Deathknyte at February 07, 2006 06:20 PM (xE4NM)

4 After I signed in, and stuck in my choice of artists, disable pop up blocker, I was rewarded with ... Error Sorry, we do not support Netscape on the Windows platform. Error Code 25 - 0 For the record, I'm XP SP2 runnin' FireFox 1.5.0.1. What am I doin' wrong Harvey? I'm lookin' for things... things to make my ship go.

Posted by: RedNeck at February 07, 2006 07:34 PM (tSJ8V)

5 "ping!" (since trackbacks seem to be down again...)

Posted by: Susie at February 08, 2006 05:54 AM (a0oF7)

6 Try http://www.last.fm/ - free - very cool. hln

Posted by: hln at February 10, 2006 03:53 PM (MNL0s)

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Interestingly, Dove and their Campaign for Real Beauty are doing something about it.

Too many girls develop low self-esteem from hang-ups about looks and, consequently, fail to reach their full potential in later life. So, we've created the Dove Self-Esteem Fund as an agent of change to educate and inspire girls on a wider definition of beauty

Here's some more stuff from the site:

Feature Interactive Article
Owning Your Own Smile
Sometimes, you can spend so much time trying to look good and trying to fit in, you forget to feed your inner self. Find out how to flip the script!

Feature Quiz
How Do You Really Feel About Yourself?
Do you have your life 'on track'? Do you need a little push in that direction?

So, if you're a woman with body image issues (which, according to ArmyWifeToddlerMom, is pretty much EVERY woman), go see Dove.

Especially if you've got a daughter to worry about.

Posted by: Harvey at 07:03 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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Think you're alone?

Can't find anyone who understands that all the "you're so pretty" in the world won't drown out the "you're so FAT!" demon that's always shrieking inside your head?

Blogdaughter Tammi of Tammi's World understands.

Go visit.

Her e-mail is in her sidebar under BIO STUFF if you want to talk about it, but aren't ready to leave a public comment.

Posted by: Harvey at 08:08 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Graumagus of Frizzen Sparks has risen from the dead and is back posting. His first offering is a rant about "potty parity" and the sleazy lawyer behind it all.

Which made me think of the best way for women to avoid pesky restroom lines:

* Stadium Gal - Discreet external catheter and leg-mounted storage bag.

But what if you want to pee in the woods without worrying about squatting in poison ivy? Or what if that public toilet seat is just too disgusting to sit on? Well, you just pee standing up:

* TravelMate - Handy, portable, washable, re-usable plastic tubular device which can be used for directing the urine stream. For a mere $5, you can be writing your name in the snow in no time.

* The Whiz - Same concept, fancier design. Sold by an Australian company for $20 AUD. Or - for $25 AUD - you can have the "Whiz Plus" with the "high tech plasma coating that repels all liquid so it always remains dry".

* Freshette - An "anatomically designed funnel with 6" retractable extension tube". Washable, reusable - $23.

* Magic Cone - Disposable cardboard funnel. Don't miss the Not Safe For Work animated instructional video, $17 bucks for 30 (three 10-packs).

* P-mate - Disposable, cardboard, square-cone-like device from a UK company. 5 for £2.50

* Whizzy - Pportable, foldable, disposable heavy-paper trough that lets you stand away from the toilet. About a buck a piece.

* My SweetPee - Another trough. Comes in paper (disposable - 10 for $12) or plastic (re-usable - $15).

Don't want to bother with a portable device?

* Manual labial adjustment, hip-aiming, constant pressure, and practice - It's a physical skill, and lots of women have mastered it. You can, too. Here's a NSFW picture of the process in action.

No more excuses ladies. It's time you took a stand.

Posted by: Harvey at 05:27 PM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
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1 Lessee.... ummmm.... Well, no. No "peeing standing up" for me, thanks. I grew up in Wyoming -- whole lotta nothing in Wyo. (rest stop wise...) I have my technique down. I do however know that with a willing partner (that has a y chromosome) it is still possible to write your name in the snow. Just sayin'.

Posted by: Richmond at January 26, 2006 05:41 PM (e8QFP)

2 Wow. I just don't know what to say.

Posted by: Sarah at January 26, 2006 07:26 PM (+nTRJ)

3 You did a whole lot of research for us gals... but I do wonder what kind of google search hits you are going to get for this post. ;-)

Posted by: vw bug at January 26, 2006 07:40 PM (k+jIa)

4 hmmm...interesting....not likely to use any of it, but I appreciate the effort you put into it.

Posted by: ktreva at January 26, 2006 08:24 PM (e8b4J)

5 Good job researching, Harvey. How many dirty sites did you have to peruse in order to get info on these devices? Don't tell me you just skipped them...

Posted by: SeanS at January 26, 2006 08:53 PM (cEjQ0)

6 Nasty FREAK!

Posted by: Madfish Willie at January 26, 2006 09:37 PM (nVA0o)

7 Many many moons ago, the Pensacola airport thought they would put something called "She-inals" in the women's bathroom. We were to pee in a funnel... a disposable paper funnel inserted into the pee funnel for hygiene purposes if I recall. Probably like that Freshette. I was in my twenties at the time, more of a "hell Yeah! I'll try anything attitude", but when I read that in the paper I thought, "Yeah, I don't think so." I do not believe it was a success. I do believe the Pensacola airport has traditional toilets for women. We women do not like to stand to pee. That is for men. But... Richmond! LOL!!!

Posted by: Bou at January 26, 2006 10:44 PM (iHxT3)

8 I recall Piers Anthony mentioning something similar well before my blogging career started. He's over at Hipiers.com

Posted by: Andrew at January 27, 2006 12:47 AM (o+sy7)

9 I have to pee now.

Posted by: Ogre at January 27, 2006 06:12 AM (/k+l4)

10 Like Richmond I have my own technique for peeing while standing. I can even do it while drunk as that is when I learned to perfect it. Those lines at the Frat parties were really long so one learned to use the great outdoors to avoid the line.

Posted by: Machelle at January 27, 2006 06:32 AM (ZAyoW)

11 Yea... now I have mental images I didn't need. Thanks.

Posted by: Contagion at January 27, 2006 07:11 AM (Q5WxB)

12 Machelle - details? :-) SeanS - Having "standing up" in the Google search kept the top results amazingly clean and on-topic. VW - I'm actually hoping to be #1 for "pee standing up" with this one, someday :-)

Posted by: Harvey at January 27, 2006 09:56 AM (ubhj8)

13 The problem with women standing while peeing is that your exposing a whole lot of yourself while doing it, so you must be very familiar with the people your with because they are seeing a lot of you that they probably don't want to. It's almost the same stance as hoovering over public toliets.

Posted by: Machelle at January 27, 2006 12:26 PM (ZAyoW)

14 ohhhhhhhhh mannnnnnnnnnn good thing you didn't see my post on my new toilet seat.... gosh, you make me laugh. Cindy

Posted by: firstbrokenangel at February 02, 2006 02:55 PM (jHRvj)

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Blogdaughter Tammi of Tammi's World is mired in mental confusion:

I don't know what I'm fussin' about. Honestly. I'm just mad at me. If I knew why I'd forgive myself and tell me to get over it. That's the problem. I don't know why.

Here's my suggestion:

Pen, notebook, quiet place.

At the top of the sheet of paper, write the question you want the answer to. Perhaps in this case "Why does my life feel unbalanced?"

Then just start writing whatever falls out of your head for about 15 minutes or so. Doesn't have to make sense. Doesn't even have to be legible. It's for your eyes only, so feel free to write ANYTHING, since no one else will ever see it. Feel free to throw it away when you're done.

Your problem is that your mind is currently a clogged sink. There's a wad a greasy muck in your mental pipes, but you can't get at it because your head is full of the standing water of muddled thoughts.

Writing down the muddle is like bailing out the sink. With the murky water out of the way, you can start to work on clearing the clog.

Which you can do by getting a fresh sheet of paper and topping it with a more direct problem-solving question, like "How can I get [thing that would make your life feel more balanced]?"

Of course, if you're not much for writing, there's always prayer. Try this one:

"God, if I asked you why my life felt unbalanced, what would you say?"

Then sit quietly and listen. I suspect you'll get an answer within 5 minutes, as God (just like everyone else) tends to be prompt when giving advice to someone who asks for it willingly.

Hope that helps.

Posted by: Harvey at 04:43 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Or erotica, depending on the depth of your passion for coffee.

AJ of Random Firing of Neurons passed this link along to me, and I thought I should share:

The Coffee Fool

The prices are in line with what I pay at my local super-size grocery store (the one with half an aisle of nothing but bean dispensers), and shipping costs aren't too outrageous, either:

Our two US delivery choices are Standard (US Priority Mail) for a flat $3.85 (2-3 day delivery), or Overnight (DHL Next Day) for a flat $13.75 for any order up to 4lb. We know, sounds crazy, but we get a great shipping rate up to this weight because it's the typical size of our daily coffee orders to restaurants, offices, and those fellow Coffee Fools crazy enough to drink around a gallon of coffee a day.

If you're into decaf, that's also an option on some (but not all) of the varieties.

Posted by: Harvey at 12:45 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Tiffany of Blown Fuse is having a bank-related issue:

Isn't there a sort of "deadline" on how long a person has to cash a check? I've been wondering, because a $5 check I wrote almost five months ago just got cashed this week.

Technically it's considered "stale dated" after 6 months. However, each individual bank has its own policy on cashing stale-dated checks - usually "we won't cash it if the teller notices that it's over 6 months old".

However, tellers have no legal obligation to check the date on every check that comes in, and are not liable for cashing stale-dated checks.

Why is this so?

I quote a discussion of the Uniform Commercial Code:

Many of the "tweaks" found in the most recent version of the UCC are intended to accommodate the evolution of bank processes, specifically the fact that most checks paid by automated means do not get a sight inspection. They will be paid without regard to the date.

So, if a check is taking way too long to clear, your best bet is to contact the payee & say "cash my check, bitch!". Or - after six months - you can hope some dim bulb bank teller just *happens* to pick that day to notice the date on your check AND feels anal enough to refuse to cash it.

As for stop payment orders... my bank charged $20, and it was only good for 6 months - although the sorting machine WOULD catch the check during that time. After that, though it was back to praying for an observant teller.

Which is rather like using a leaky condom for birth control.

I wish there were happier options, but - realistically speaking - that's it, and they all suck.

Posted by: Harvey at 09:11 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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1 Tarnation! I wouldn't gripe about it if I had been collecting interest on that five bucks.

Posted by: Tiffany at November 21, 2005 04:12 PM (FdZYE)

2 In NY State banks are forced to honor checks for up to 362 days from it's issuance date. Creates havoc with balancing checkbooks! Thanks for the info.

Posted by: michele at November 22, 2005 12:06 PM (BN/Fu)

3 I got an insurance check from USAA that had a 90 days limit printed on it... what's with that?

Posted by: Madfish Willie at November 22, 2005 02:57 PM (KNARx)

4 MW - That's an effort to avoid the problem Tiffany had with her check. Since there's a legal notice on the front, the teller might actually spot that. With certain accounts (like County payroll), our bank had someone in bookkeeping check the dates on all the checks that came in and return the ones that were past the limit. However, with your typical customer's Winnie-the-Pooh checks, the date is just a number. But DO ask a senior teller if you have a concern about this, since specific policies can vary from bank to bank. Just don't ask the college chick with the hand-written nameplate by her window, because she's probably clueless, and if she's lazy, too, she might either guess or make something up.

Posted by: Harvey at November 22, 2005 03:35 PM (ubhj8)

5 I believe you've already posted about this too, but... what about a post-dated check?

Posted by: Madfish Willie at November 22, 2005 04:29 PM (KNARx)

6 Oh... my checks are just plain ol' checks... but I draw vicious snarling dogs on them....

Posted by: Madfish Willie at November 22, 2005 04:30 PM (KNARx)

7 Post-dated checks - Bank is not liable if they cash a post-dated check. NEVER write one of these unless you have COMPLETE faith that the holder of the check will not cash it prematurely. On the other hand, there's this quote from the link in the post: "However, if the customer notifies the bank of the postdating, the bank has to figure out how not to pay the item prior to the date on the notice it received" Sure, you can shift responsibility to the bank (probably involve a fee similar to a stop payment fee), but again, you're trusting a teller to notice the date. Very likely it'll get cashed by the teller and only returned after it gets to the bookkeeping department - a process full of delays & hassles. Avoid writing post-dated checks unless you ABSOLUTELY trust the payee not to cash it.

Posted by: Harvey at November 22, 2005 09:01 PM (ubhj8)

8 I had a stale check cashed in November 2005 that I had written in November 2004. I had written the to my ex boyfriend, who I am assuming found it after six months and slid it through the same month thinking the bank would think I was a dingdong who didn't know what year it is. I suppose there is nothing I can do about it now... except use better judgment in the future about who I date!

Posted by: aimee at December 26, 2005 01:59 PM (ZBild)

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Blogdaughter Teresa of Technicalities is having issues with her bank:

I had taken some coins in to the bank to get them changed... They don't have a coin counter!!! UN-FRIGGIN-BELIEVABLE! She told me I'd have to put them into coin wrappers and bring them back!

Coin handling policies & equipment vary wildly from one financial institution to the next and there's no rhyme or reason to it.

So instead of wasting your time rolling coins, it's probably better to waste the time making phone calls to any nearby bank or credit union, and ask 2 questions:

1) do you have a coin counter?
2) is there a charge to use it if you're not a customer?

I'd bet it wouldn't take long to get "yes, no".

Posted by: Harvey at 08:17 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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AJ of Random Firing of Neurons just wrote the ultimate coffee-maker's guide, and I'm going to say right off - he's exactly right about the whole thing, top to bottom.

Best coffee I ever had in my life was that Kenya AA that got put through Pizza Pit's filthy 12-cup drip coffee-maker - because we followed the master-brewer's secret.

Less water.

Remove grounds.

Go. Read. Learn. Try it yourself. Report back.

Posted by: Harvey at 04:24 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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If you're in the market for a product with which you have no experience and you don't know who to turn to for advice, Google can help.

Just type "[product name] sucks" (WITH quotes) into Google and see what comes up.

There's ALWAYS something, but once you read the specific complaints, you can judge for yourself if they're legitimate.

Is it some moron who can't type whose REAL complaint is that he couldn't return the product to the store without a receipt?

Or maybe it's someone who ACTUALLY knows his stuff who gives a list specific flaws and failures in the product.

The biggest thing you'll want to look for, though, is a pattern. If the same problem keeps getting mentioned on one link after another, you'll probably want to avoid that product.

The good news, though, is that a lot of times you'll see people chiming in with alternatives for the product you're considering - something you may never even have heard of. You might want to look into one of those, instead.

Final hint: if your "sucks" search turns up a dedicated site at www.productnamesucks.com, you REALLY might want to think twice before using it.

Posted by: Harvey at 07:35 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Anathematized of Rivers of Blood points out this instructional video that shows a VERY slick t-shirt-folding technique.

The bad news - the video is in Japanese

The good news - it's a visual, so the words aren't important.

You'll probably need to watch it a couple times to get the hang of it, but it's kinda cool. And if you fold a lot of t-shirts, it might be a technique worth learning.

Posted by: Harvey at 07:40 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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... to never locking your keys in your car?

Only lock your door by using the key while you're outside the car.

The other secret is to carry a second set of keys with you.

Posted by: Harvey at 08:12 AM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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For those of you (and me) currently "between jobs", there's an excellent resource available.

Aunt Bonnie's Career Catapult

Her qualifications:

after 11+ years as a college career counselor, masters in counseling, and my own personal history of stumblings and foibles (iÂ’m old...thus the aunt bonnie part), I thought it would be a good idea to jump into conversations revolving around....anything career/vocation/life calling/job related.

So here's your chance to pick the brain of a real live career counselor who can actually answer those job-search related questions.

Plus she's already got numerous posts full of good advice.

I've got her blogrolled under my "Useful Tools" section. You might want to put her link somewhere handy, too.

Posted by: Harvey at 05:13 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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8-16 drops of household bleach will purify a gallon of drinking water.

First let water stand until particles settle. Filter the particles if necessary with layers of cloth, coffee filters, or fine paper towels. Pour the clear water into an uncontaminated container and add Regular Clorox Bleach per the below indicated ratio. Mix well. Wait 30 min. Water should have a slight bleach odor. If not, repeat dose. Wait 15 min. Sniff again.

Iodine works, too.

In an emergency, iodine in a medicine kit will purify water. Use 2 percent U.S.P.-strength iodine (read the label). Using a medicine dropper, add 20 drops per gallon to clear water and 40 drops per gallon to cloudy water. Mix completely by stirring or shaking in a clean container. Allow the water to stand at least 30 minutes before using. Iodine is an antiseptic and is poisonous, so use and store it safely.

Posted by: Harvey at 10:40 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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From the Successories newsletter:

2. Plan for the Unplanned.
DonÂ’t fill your entire day up with meetings and tasks. All it can take is one unscheduled phone call or a small emergency to throw off your entire day. Give yourself room every day to answer e-mails, make phone calls and to deal with unexpected tasks.

3. Tackle the Big Stuff First.
Our tendency is to put off the big or difficult tasks for later. But studies have shown that most of us are more alert and productive in the morning. And accomplishing the major assignments first will energize your afternoons.

4. Take the 10-Minute Challenge.
Is your desk filling up with papers? Put aside 10 minutes every other day—you may even want to set a timer—to go through and file, pass along or trash those piles of papers. A clutter-free desk can add some much needed calm and makes other tasks seem less frenzied.

5. Make big tasks small.
HereÂ’s another use for the timer: when you have a large task, break it up into 10- or 15-minute increments of work. Set the timer, and just do that amount of work. YouÂ’ll find that, like small amounts of exercise, small amounts of work make any task less intimidating.

6. Learn to negotiate your time.
Every project has a deadline, but if you need more time, ask for it. Communicate your needs with the project manager and work with them to get the time you need to complete the tasks at hand.

7. Lend a helping hand.
If you have some extra time, share it with a co-worker. Even if itÂ’s just to make copies or get them some coffee, that little helping hand can make all the difference.

8. Respect otherÂ’s time.
If you have a meeting scheduled for 10 am, be there at 10 am. If youÂ’re meeting is only suppose to last a half hour, do your best to stick to 30 minutes. DonÂ’t abuse other peopleÂ’s time, and hopefully theyÂ’ll respect yours as well.

9.Make work fun.
It may seem like there can’t possibly be time for fun, but that’s when you need it most. Take just five minutes a day to free your mind of work and just relax. Take a short walk, learn to juggle, share a joke of the day—you’ll return a little more refreshed.

10. Reward yourself (and others!).
Celebrate your accomplishments—big and small. Give yourself a snack break, take a short walk or literally pat yourself on the back. Also make sure you acknowledge other members of your team who work with you to get the job done.

Posted by: Harvey at 03:12 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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1 Per #10. Reward me. Me. It's always a good idea to reward me.

Posted by: tommy at August 17, 2005 03:19 PM (TWHR8)

2 The person that wrote this obviously did not work in a focking plant cause good intentions and plans are always thrown out the focking window at least once every 3 days.

Posted by: Machelle at August 17, 2005 03:39 PM (ZAyoW)

3 That's it! Juggling! ::forehead slap:: I just *knew* something was missing from my day! Now I can finally have the rewarding and fabulous career I always dreamed of..... Thanks Harvey!

Posted by: Richmond at August 17, 2005 03:57 PM (d7j8g)

4 Haha Richmond!

Posted by: Sissy at August 17, 2005 05:48 PM (uXS+O)

5 So... what's the fucking POINT of this post???

Posted by: Madfish Willie at August 17, 2005 06:17 PM (4Pa9g)

6 Pretty much the one on your knobby little head, Willie :-P

Posted by: Harvey at August 18, 2005 12:02 AM (ubhj8)

7 A "focking" plant? I guess the manufacture "focks" there, huh? But then plans get thrown out the "focking" window? I guess the "focking" plant has a lot of "focking" windows then, too?

Posted by: Ogre at August 18, 2005 06:14 AM (/k+l4)

8 Hey Ogre Fock You!

Posted by: Machelle at August 18, 2005 07:09 AM (ZAyoW)

9 ROFLMAO Machelle!!

Posted by: Sissy at August 18, 2005 08:26 AM (uXS+O)

10 Great, I just got fired for giving my self a snack break, taking a short walk and juggling. Guess I should have split those tasks up. Thanks Harvey... sheesh.

Posted by: SeanS at August 19, 2005 05:32 PM (cEjQ0)

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[passed along to me from an old high school buddy]

#1:

A Cambridge-based paramedic has launched a national campaign with Vodafone to
encourage people to store emergency contact details in their mobile phones.

Bob Brotchie, a clinical team leader for the East Anglian Ambulance NHS Trust,
hatched the plan last year after struggling to get contact details from shocked
or injured patients.

By entering the acronym ICE – for In Case of Emergency – into the mobile’s
phone book, users can log the name and number of someone who should be
contacted in an emergency.

The idea follows research carried out by Vodafone that shows more than 75 per
cent of people carry no details of who they would like telephoned following a
serious accident.

Bob, 41, who has been a paramedic for 13 years, said: “I was reflecting on some
of the calls IÂ’ve attended at the roadside where I had to look through the
mobile phone contacts struggling for information on a shocked or injured
person.

“It’s difficult to know who to call. Someone might have “mum” in their phone
book but that doesnÂ’t mean theyÂ’d want them contacted in an emergency.

“Almost everyone carries a mobile phone now, and with ICE we’d know immediately
who to contact and what number to ring. The person may even know of their
medical history.”

The campaign was launched this week by Bob and Falklands war hero Simon Weston
in association with VodafoneÂ’s annual Life Savers Awards.

Vodafone spokesperson Ally Stevens said: “The Life Savers Awards already
demonstrate, through practical example, the important role a mobile phone can
play when minutes matter in an emergency.

“By adopting the ICE advice, your mobile will now also help the rescue services
quickly contact a friend or relative – which could be vital in a life or death
situation.”

The campaign is also asking people to think carefully about who will be their
ICE partner - with helpful advice on who to choose - particularly if that
person has to give consent for emergency medical treatment.

Bob hopes that all emergency services will promote ICE in their area as part of
a national awareness campaign to highlight the importance of carrying next of
kin details at all times.

He said the idea was for the benefit of loved ones as well as the patient.

“Research suggests people recover quicker from the psychological effects of
their loved one being hurt if they are involved at an earlier stage and they
can reach them quickly," he added.

He said he hoped mobile phone companies would now build the ICE contact into
future models, adding: "It's not a difficult thing to do. As many people say
they carry mobile phones in case of an emergency, it seems natural this
information should be kept there."

Snopes has more about this.

Plastic-laminate a card with four emergency contacts on one side and any
critical drug allergies on the other. Stick it in your wallet next to your
driver's license. The license and/or insurance card is all they want in the ER,
they won't dig through your wallet if they find those items 1st.

According to Snopes, you should get that wallet card finished first.

Posted by: Harvey at 09:58 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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Backing up important files just got easier.

I Hate My Cubicle! explains how to use your GMail account as an on-line hard-drive by downloading a 120k file.

I did it in about 10 minutes, and now saving my bookmarks is just a drag & drop process.

Posted by: Harvey at 10:25 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Blogging Tips Groupie Dustbunny 101 of Thoughts From the Perimeter said something in this post that caught my eye:

My time management skills suck, so there's still a lot I want to do, that I haven't gotten to yet, or that I started but didn't stick with, and plan to go back to

Which brings to mind the first time-management technique I ever learned, and that I still use:

1) Write down the 6 most important things you have to do today, in any order
2) Number them from 1 to 6, with #1 being the most important, and #6 being least.
3) Start with number 1 and work on it until it's either finished or you're stuck. Then move on down the list in a similar fashion.

That's it.

If you can't finish all of them, at least the most important items are out of the way, and you can start with a new list tomorrow.

Of course, you can always embellish the technique by breaking down each task into a list of smaller tasks, or adding estimated completion times so that you know whether you're on schedule, but you'd be surprised at how well even the basic format keeps you on track & moving along.

Give it a try.

Posted by: Harvey at 08:41 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 221 words, total size 1 kb.