Saturday Night Classic Music Video

Yes, I played this on the radio:

Fort Wayne Site of the Day-Trolley Tour

September 22nd is the date for the annual Fort Wayne Museum of Art Trolley Tour.

Every day leading up to the event, I am featuring an organization associated with this years tour.

Get details by going here, and to visit today's site click on pic.

GPSing it

I used to not worry about GPS.

I would carry a phone book in my car for the map and address features so if I ever needed to get "unlost", I could.

Then last year when I got my first smartphone, I started playing with some of the apps and recently have been using the Google Navigation when I travel out of town.

Others are doing it too according to this report from Mediapost:

Smartphone Leads You On

According to a new U.S. study of mobile map usage by comScore, 48 million mobile users accessed maps on their mobile device during the three month average period ending May 2011, an increase of 39% from the previous year, driven in large part by the increase in smartphone adoption. The study found that map usage via mobile applications was the primary access point for smartphone owners as the map app audience doubled in size over the past year.

A comparative look at map usage among fixed-Internet users (i.e. accessing from a home or work computer) found that map visitation saw a slight decline in total audience in May 2011 versus the previous year, dipping 2%, while still maintaining a substantially larger audience of 93.8 million visitors.

Map Category Audience for Mobile and Fixed Internet Access (May 2011 vs. May 2010)
	Total Audience (000)
	May-2010	May-2011	% Change
Fixed Internet Map Access	95,579	93,817	-2%
All Mobile Map Access	34,675	48,099	39%
Source: comScore, July 2011

Mark Donovan, comScore senior vice president of mobile, says "The strong growth in mobile map usage and flattening of desktop map usage is indicative of broader behavioral shifts being wrought by smartphones... For years, consumers have been able to check directions on their desktop computers prior to leaving their home or office, now smartphones allow people to skip this step and access maps on the go, as they need them, showing off one of the most powerful capabilities of mobile - just-in-time-information."

The number of smartphone map users (which accounted for 4 out of every 5 mobile map users) reached 38.2 million in May, an increase of 75% from the previous year and outpacing the total smartphone audience growth of 57%. Applications represented the primary access point for approximately two-thirds of smartphone map users, while browser map access was about half as popular as apps and grew at half the rate.

Smartphone Browser and Application Usage for Map Access (3 Month Avg. Ending May 2011 vs. 3 Month Avg. Ending May 2010; Total U.S. Age 13+)
	Total Audience (000)
	May-2010	May-2011	% Change
Total Smartphone	21,873	38,208	75%
Accessed Maps via Application	13,036	25,815	98%
Accessed Maps via Mobile Browser	9,187	13,712	49%
Source: comScore MobiLens, July 2011

Among all mobile users (smartphone and feature phone) who accessed maps on their mobile devices, 88.9% did so from a car or other vehicle, with 16.9% doing so while walking, running or biking, and 13.6% while using public transit. The most utilized types of maps were graphical maps with turn-by-turn directions.

Mobile Map Usage by Mode of Travel and Type of Map (3 Month Avg. Ending May 2011; Total U.S. Mobile Audience Age 13+: Smartphone and Feature Phone)
Travel Or Map	% of Mobile Users Accessing Maps
Driving or riding in a car or other vehicle	88.9%
Walking or running or biking	16.9%
Using public transit	13.6%
Type of Map or Directions Accessed (Multiple OK)
Graphical map with turn by turn directions	64.0%
Graphical map without turn by turn directions	48.3%
Turn by turn directions without graphical map	46.0%
Source: comScore MobiLens, July 2011

For more information from comScore please visit here.

Fort Wayne Site of the Day-Trolley Tour

September 22nd is the date for the annual Fort Wayne Museum of Art Trolley Tour.

Every day leading up to the event, I am featuring an organization associated with this years tour.

Get details by going here, and to visit today's site click on pic.

4 Months Until Christmas

Hard to believe, but it's true.

Here's a few shots from my families past Christmases:






The first shot is my son Josh and I doing Karaoke at home.

Number 2 is actually from a few years ago when my wife created a bit of confusion with her winter daises that turned blue in the cold!

The next two are from our annual snowflake contest, and the last shot is from my Aunt & Uncle in Maine who create dozens of live wreaths that they send to friends and family in December.

Fort Wayne Site of the Day

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What Have You Learned?

There have been a lot of milestone moments in my life the past couple of years.

When I turned 50 about 3 weeks after my son Josh turned 25, I reflected on all that had happened in my life since I was his age and my enthusiasm for the next 25 years grew.

Also in my family, we've had the weddings of 3 of our kids, the birth of my first grandson, and a second grandchild is due next year.

I walked away from my radio marketing career after 8 years with the same stations to join a website development firm that specializes in internet-centered marketing. And it was this last event that really got me thinking about how much I have learned in the past 2 months since I joined Cirrus ABS about the workings of the web.

My marketing background skills are transferable to the web world, and I've built on my personal knowledge base.

My parenting skills have continued to grow as my kids are now becoming parents and young adults.

I could share a list of what exactly I have learned in the past couple of years, but my challenge to you is to reflect on your own life anc come up with your own list.

It begins with the question: What Have I Learned?

Fort Wayne Site of the Day

The next BIG event in Fort Wayne. Click on Pic

VideoTime: Free Stylin'

An amazing video:

Fort Wayne Site of the Day

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30 TV Multitasking Tips

I could live without a television.

Oh, sure there are a few shows I still watch regularly, but more often I am not just staring at the tube.

I am often doing stuff on my laptop at the same time.

Here's a few ideas on how to juggle a busy life and still catch your favs from DLM:

30 Ways to Make TV Watching More Productive

Posted: 19 Aug 2011 03:21 PM PDT

Do you ever hear yourself saying "I just don't have time" yet find yourself plopped in front of the TV for the better part of every evening?

As our to-do lists grow so does our stress and anxiety over getting everything done. While we can't add any more time to our day (unfortunately) we can use the time we do have in a more productive manner. Let's face it watching TV isn't that interactive or demanding. Below are 30 simple little ways to make the most of your TV watching time.

Things you can do while watching TV:

• Fold laundry - Plop the basket beside you and fold while you watch.


• Iron - Drag the ironing board and iron out into the living room and turn that mundane task into something that's a little more bearable.


• Give or get a massage - Lay on the couch or get on the floor with your significant other and give a back rub or foot massage. At each commercial break switch it up just to keep it fair.


• Stretch - Get down on the floor and stretch your legs, your back, and your arms. You'll feel great and if you're an avid TV watcher I'm pretty confident your flexibility will improve in a matter of a few weeks.


• Write out a meal plan for the week - Brainstorm some meal ideas for the coming week. You can take it a step further and create a list of go-to meals or meals you can make ahead and freeze.


• Brainstorm for a new business, a holiday, or activities to do with the kids - Don't filter ideas just write them down as they come to mind. Sometimes the best ideas come to us when we're not focused on finding the best ideas.


• Write out your Birthday cards or Christmas cards - Don't wait until the last minute to get your cards done. For most of us it takes quite a bit of time, so doing even a few each evening can lighten the load.


• Put pictures in a picture album - I'm sure I'm not the only one with a tub full of pictures that I don't know what to do with. Grab the tub of photos and start putting them in photo albums. If you want to sort them first, use a few nights of TV watching to do just that.
  

Things you can do during commercials:

• Pack the dishwasher - It doesn't take long and even if there is a pile you can do it over multiple breaks. Don't have a dishwasher? No problem. Break one: Fill the sink with warm soapy water and let the dishes soak. Break two (maybe three): Wash the dishes. After that dry them and put them away. Done.


• 10 sit-ups 10 push-ups 10 squats - TV watching is a sedentary sport. Get on the ground and get active during the commercials. It doesn't have to be much just move.


• Take out the garbage - Grab a garbage bag and go throughout the house emptying the smaller bins into it. Take the full bags outside to the garage or back door for garbage day.


• Do a quick reset of the room you're in - Commercial breaks aren't long but it's amazing how much you can get done. Pick up shoes, toys, books, magazines, dishes etc. and put them where they belong.


• Address a letter, stamp it and put it in your bag for tomorrow - Mailing letters is one task that seems to continually slip my mind. Use the commercial break to put your letter or bill payment in an envelope address it and put it in your bag so you can mail it tomorrow.


• Drink a glass of water - If you're like most people you're not drinking as much water as you should be each day. Get a tall glass add ice and fill it with cold water.


• Floss your teeth - This takes very little time and is something most of us don't do often enough. It's a little action that can be great for your health.


• Dust the furniture in the room you're in - Grab a microfiber cloth, an old sock or damp rag and run it over all flat surfaces in the room. Get under the keyboard and the DVD player. Get the top of the TV, picture frames and the backs of your chairs.


• Clean a bathroom - Fill the sink with warm soapy water, spray the tub and toilet, let it soak until the next commercial and it'll clean up super easy.


• Make a sandwich for tomorrow - The key to a smooth sailing morning is to start the night before. Make a sandwich or put together a salad, dole out some yogurt and grab a piece of fruit throw it in your bag for tomorrow and you're set to just head out the door!


• Bathroom break - Enough said ...


• Send a quick email - 2.5 to 3 minutes is usually long enough to get an email put together, if not you could get a good first draft started at least.


• Read a few pages of your book or a blog post - Hit the mute button grab your book or fire up your feed-reader.


• Write your to-do list - Give a bit of thought to what you'll do tomorrow. Think about errands that need to be run, calls that need returning, gifts to be bought and what to have for dinner.


• Choose clothes to wear tomorrow - Run to your room and decide what to wear tomorrow. Choose clothes that fit you well and that you feel great in.


• Let the dogs out - Most dogs will jump at the chance to get outside even it's only for a few minutes. Do it.


• Purge a drawer or filing cabinet - Choose a drawer that's close to where you're sitting and pull everything out of it. Toss or recycle what you don't absolutely need and put items you no longer use, need or like in a pile to donate. Put the remaining items back in an organized manner.


• Make your bed - Even if it's half an hour before bed go and make it. It's awesome getting into a bed that's made the sheets pulled tight, comforter straightened and the pillows fluffed up a bit. Heaven.


• Make a quick phone call - Call your mom, your sister, your brother or friend and make or confirm plans for tomorrow.


• Get changed into work out clothes - If you've settled in for a night of TV odds are you won't be too excited about the thought of exercise. During the first commercial break get changed into your work out gear so by the end of the show you're good to go for a bit of a work out.


• Get a healthy snack - Grab a piece of fruit, trail mix or yogurt. Make healthy choices, keep your snack size to something smaller than your fist to keep you from over-eating and eating mindlessly.


• Press mute and just sit in silence - There are very few moments during our day when we can truly sit back and enjoy the silence. Press mute and just enjoy how quiet and still everything is around you.

There are a lot of ways to be productive with very small bursts of time. Sure, you can Tivo your way passed the commercials but you may just be fast forwarding by a quick opportunity to get something done!

Choose one or two items on this list to do each evening and you just may be surprised at how many little extras you can get done.

Written on 9/26/2010 by Sherri Kruger. Sherri writes at Zen Family Habits, a blog celebrating all things family. Sherri also writes on personal development at Serene Journey, a blog dedicated to sharing simple tips to enjoy life. Republished on 8/20/2011.

Photo Credit: SFB579

Fort Wayne Site of the Day

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Relaxing

How you do it, depends on what you do when you're not relaxing.

From DLM:

3 Forms of Radical Relaxation

Posted: 25 Jul 2011 11:38 AM PDT

At the end of a long day, you probably want nothing more than to relax. You’ve spent hours writing emails, attending meetings, and commuting. Now it’s time to unwind and recharge for the next day’s battle.

But here’s the thing. Most of what we call “relaxation” isn’t actually all that relaxing.

Take watching TV. The television gives you an illusion of relaxation. You get to plop down on the couch and lose yourself in other people’s drama. But the relaxation effect is only partial. Your mind still needs to process the rapid-fire images and sounds. Your nervous system still recoils during a tense moment of TV drama.

Surfing the web is the other leisure time trap. The freedom to surf from one site to the next can give you a momentary rush. But the more you get lost in email, Facebook, and Twitter, the more your brain and nervous system must remain “on.”

The big idea here is that it’s not just work that drains us. It’s also the way we “relax.”

What does actual relaxation look like? Consider three key practices of radical relaxation: movement, stillness, and breath.

1. Movement
   If you’re like me, you spend 98% of the workday sitting. All of this sitting leaves the body tired and tense. The muscles of the hips lock up, the legs get stiff, and the shoulder and neck muscles strain. If you want to dissolve this tension and relax, sitting is about the last thing you should do. You need to move.
   
   As long as you are moving, it doesn’t matter what you do. You might walk, run, ride your bike, dance, or do yoga. The goal is simply to get a fresh supply of blood and energy to all those areas of the body that tense up during the workday.


2. Stillness
   Once you move the body, practice experiencing stillness. This isn’t just about finding stillness in the body. It’s the practice of finding stillness in all areas of life. To be still is to experience a pause in the constant stream of thoughts. To be still is to give your nervous system a rare chance to let go.
   
   There’s no single way to experience stillness. You might find it in a 15-minute meditation practice. You might find it while lying on the ground outside, looking up at the stars. You might find it stopping at the half way point of a run or walk to check out the view. Or literally stopping to smell the flowers.
   
   The goal is to give yourself the rare experience of nothingness. No stimulation. No deadlines. No effort. No strain. By coming into stillness, you can begin to experience a truly radical form of relaxation.


3. Breathing
   Move, get still, then breathe.
   
   Breathing is to relaxation as wind is to the waves on the ocean. The calm breeze creates stillness. Chaotic gusts create storms, swells, and tidal waves. Likewise, calm, deep breaths create relaxation and stillness. Tight, choppy breaths create agitation, anger, and fear.
   
   So the most powerful way to relax is to bring your attention to the breath. Ask yourself throughout the day: what is the quality of my breath right now? Is it short and constricted? Or is it long, deep, and effortless?
   
   If you’re like most people, you will find that your post-work breath matches your inner state. If you feel tired or irritated, your breath will feel anything but deep and effortless.
   
   The good news is that since your breath matches your inner state, all you have to do to relax is change your breath. Simply bring your attention to your breath and consciously shift it. Extend each inhale and exhale, inhale deep into your belly, and allow yourself to relax.

The most difficult part of radical relaxation isn’t the actual practice of movement, stillness, or breathing. It’s breaking out of our habitual attachment to non-relaxing forms of “relaxation.”

So next time you come home from work and grab for the remote or reach for the laptop, catch yourself. If you really want to watch TV or surf the Internet, then make a conscious choice to do it.

But if you want to relax and recharge, consider shifting from digital distraction to radical relaxation. Instead of TV and the Internet, consider movement, stillness, and breathing.

I’m curious to hear what you think. What does your practice of radical relaxation look like?

Written on 7/25/2011 by Nate Klemp. Nate earned his PhD at Princeton and is a professor at Pepperdine University. He founded LifeBeyondLogic.com, a website dedicated to exploring philosophy as an art of living. You can follow him on Twitter @LifeBeyondLogic and on Facebook. Download a free copy of his new ebook, Finding Reality: Thoreau’s Lessons for Life in the Digital Age.

Photo Credit: Public

Fort Wayne Site of the Day

The Sunday newspaper used to be stuffed with classified ads for jobs. Not so much anymore.

This site is maintained by a good friend of mine in Fort Wayne that might be exactly what you are looking for in your career search.

Click on Pic.