My paperless office setup

I am working at being 100% paperless in my home office. If you remember this post about my zero inbox, you may have already guessed I enjoy zero visual noise. I'm not obsessive about this (am I Beck?), but I am always trying to find ways to make things easier to find and visually cleaner.

It all started with a blog post from Lifehacker.com and has evolved into a really easy and effective system for scanning, filing, and keeping my paperless office.

Step one: Get yourself this scanner: It's the ScanSnap S300 from Fujitsu. 

Not another one, THIS exact model. It does everything it says and it has scanned thousands of pages for me with basically no problems.

Step 2. Get yourself another Gmail address. Call it something like [yourname] backups@gmail.com.

Step 3. Download Thunderbird or use Outlook and connect it to your current Gmail account, NOT your new one. Enable IMAP.

Step 4. Get a shredder.

Here is the process when you have paperwork that needs to be filed:

- Open notepad and grab your pile of paperwork.

- Enter the name of each document and any details you would like to be able to search for in the future.
- Each day, week or month grab all your papers to be filed and scan every single document into one huge file, don't worry about the size - I've done over 100 pages on one document. Now, you may be thinking that you should scan every document separately - but there's really no reason to. If you need to access that Verizon bill in 3 months, who cares if it's scanned right behind your 2009 tax notice or your car payment?

- Select Scan To Email. - Email the file to your new GMail backup account and paste the text from the notepad into the body of the email.

-Shred the documents.

- I have a filter set up in GMail to automatically delete any messages sent from my main account to my backups account. Otherwise all your backup files will be jamming up your main GMail account.

The benefits of using GMail are obvious, the search feature is well... google, there is more than 5 gig of free storage with every account, and it's accessible from anywhere you have an Internet connection.

Like this setup or have ideas you want to share? Leave me some comment love.

How do you keep track of your personal finances?

For the last 15 months or so, I've been using the fantastic and FREE Mint.com service to track our personal finances, budgets, and most recently our 401(k)s, auto loans, mortgages, and even our home's value.

I am a data lover and previously kept a detailed spreadsheet that had 20-30 entries that I had to manually update whenever we got a bank statement, credit card statement, etc.

Here is what mint.com does for you: You link your bank accounts, credit cards, retirement accounts, real estate, etc in your account and every night mint downloads the transactions and categorizes them. In the beginning, you need to identify the correct category for each entry, but after that - mint begins to recognize where you spend and automatically assigns the category (and does a great job of it too.) You get access to detailed spending and savings reports, graphs, charts and net worth figures updated to the minute.

One of the ways mint makes money is over in their "Ways To Save" tab. Here, they analyze your account and offer you better programs based on your current situation. For example, right now I have an offer for a zero percent credit card from Discover and a Virgin Atlantic "Black" American Express card with a $200 sign up bonus.

We have been using the great budgeting feature for our grocery bills. Our new years resolution was to reduce extra spending here and since mint downloads all of our transactions (we use debit for almost all purchases), we can see immediately where we are in spending vs budget.

Concerned about privacy? Check out their privacy policy here. It's rock solid.

Give Mint.com a try, you'll love it.

Five Rules For Life: My Five

A few days ago, I posted Gina Trapani's Five Rules For Life after reading it on her new blog.

Jon Andre's new blog is a huge hit and it's "premise is simple - people from all walks share what they believe are the most important rules to follow for a happy, successful, and fulfilling life. At one time or another we have all said "if I only knew then what I know now..."; now is your chance to share. What are your "Five Rules For Life"?"

After seeing my post, Jon invited me to contribute my Five Rules which are here.

1. Take things lightly.
I try not to get bogged down in how terrible something is or how great something is either. It really helps me to see things much clearer and as a result as I get older, I know this to be a fact and wish someone taught it to me a long time ago.

2. Laugh a lot.
People naturally mirror others who they respect and enjoy being around. I use my sense of humor to get the juices flowing in meetings or just because it feels really great to laugh with someone! Not only does it drop their defenses, it increases happy hormones that they unknowingly associate with YOU.

3. Make a plan.
The greatest things in life are the hardest to get: It is nearly impossible to get something worth having unless you have made a plan to do it. Use measuring techniques along the way, and reward yourself when you are on track or have done it! This can range from losing weight to the mundane of meeting a budget you created.

4. Save for tomorrow.
See rule number 3, this HAS to be included in your life. I learned at a young age that when I got a raise or a bonus to put that away into retirement or long-term savings. It's amazing how this money isn't missed and how fast it grows (then it becomes addicting).

5. Learn from others mistakes/triumphs.
I have a large family and learned this little tidbit early on by watching my brothers and sisters. It carried on into friendship, love and business. Whenever something goes wrong or wright: Stop and ask yourself - What could I do in the future to insure that this never happens to me or always happens to me.

If you would like to contribute, you can email Jon at fiverulesforlife [at] gmail [dot] com

View from below the water. WATCH OUT FISHIE!

Facebook folks: direct link here

Rush Limbaugh and the facts

Rush Limbaugh said this on his national radio show February 13th, 2009:



Summary: Rush Limbaugh falsely claimed that Democrats "have reformatted the [economic recovery] bill -- they've made it a PDF file when they posted it. ... And, so, you can read every page, but you cannot keyword search it. It's not a text file as legislation normally is as posted on these public websites. They don't want anybody knowing what's in this." In fact, as Adobe Systems notes of PDFs: "You can run a search using either the Search window or the Find toolbar. In either case, Reader searches the PDF body text, layers, form fields, and digital signatures."

What an ass. Hey Rush! Type Ctrl+F or use the "Search" function in Adobe.

Totally good stuff. I love Todd.

I have no idea how I came across this stuff from Todd, but I was laughing so hard - I thought it would be fun to post here.

Back story: Todd and I were in the Bahamas together and shared a door that opened into each of our rooms. I left to go to meet Beck in Key West, and Todd's wife, Amy flew in the next day - so Todd ended up staying the in the same room.

Here is the email I got from him the next morning:

Subject: How My Saturday Went

8:00 AM - Amy wakes me up and tells me to turn off the alarm. Alarm I say, that must be coming from the room next door.
8:05 AM - That alarm is really bothering me.
8:10 AM - Is that alarm coming from Kaine's room? That bastard
8:12 AM - The alarm turns itself off. Thank God!!
8:21 AM - Oh great, the snooze is over. Could somebody turn that fucking alarm off!!! For the love of God.
8:30 AM - Chicago
8:31 AM - Thank heavens the alarms turns itself off every few minutes. Did I just say thank heavens. How long can this alarm actually go off for?
10:12 AM - I had no idea the beeping would actually last this long. Something has got to be done about this. "Amy, go get someone to turn off that damn alarm!"
10:13 AM - I'm walking the halls looking for a maid.
10:15 AM - I've found a maid and she thinks this is much funnier than I do.
10:16 AM - Plotting how I'll get back at Kaine for this.

PS - You left shorts here. The maid gave them to me. I considered bringing them back with me. But that was prior to the whole alarm thing.

Then I get a link to this video:



Then this video:



Lastly, this one:



So we reply:

Fly over water. This.is.damn.cool

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk, originally uploaded by -SPK.

This red-tailed hawk is a welcome visitor around our house. We enjoy watching him hunt and how all the other birds react when he's around.

Yesterday he must have been extremely hungry because he was trying to get the chickens next door. Hence the nick name Chicken Hawk :-)

Five Rules For Life

I've often noticed that when something drastic happens in one's life, whether it be for good or bad, change occurs. Maybe the drastic thing that's happening in your life now is the economy, a family issue, a job issue, a health issue, or something else. I'll challenge you to take these 5 rules and make them your mantra.

Take control, you'll feel a whole lot better and you'll have a much more positive outlook on things. The list, taken from this blog was written by Gina Trapani:


1.) "Be the change you want to see in the world."
Mahatma Gandhi's famous edict is especially relevant in the U.S. right now, as President Obama kicks off a new era of change. What change do you want to see? How are you living it every day?

2.) DO something.
Theodore Roosevelt said, "The only people who never make a mistake are the people who never do anything." Get over your fear of failure and try. Failures are necessary stepping stones to success.

3.) "To thine own self be true."
For me, Shakespeare's famous line means that I should be able to look at myself in the mirror each day and feel good about what I see there, as well as anything that bears my name.


4.) Our lives are the stories we tell ourselves.
If you don't like your life, tell yourself a different story. There's a reason the notion of "positive thinking" gets bludgeoned to death in the self-help section
at any bookstore - the ability to consciously direct your thoughts to the good side of things is the ultimate mental black belt skill, and it makes a world of difference in your attitude and effect on others.

5.) Don't live by anyone else's rules.
Not even Gandhi's, Shakespeare's, Theodore Roosevelt's, or mine. Go make your own!

2 satellites crash 500 miles over the earth

Watch your head!

NASA is reporting that 2 old satellites crashed yesterday over Siberia. 500 miles over Siberia that is.

What I find amazing are these factoids:

- At the beginning of this year there were roughly 17,000 pieces of manmade debris orbiting Earth.
- There are people with the title "orbital debris expert".
- orbital debris is now the biggest threat to a space shuttle in flight, surpassing the dangers of liftoff and return to Earth.

So this begs the question: How the hell does a satellite orbit anyway? Basically once it is placed in motion at the right velocity - it falls towards the earth at the same rate the earth curves. So, it never comes back to earth - eva!

I love stuff like this.

Joseph Stiglitz: ‘This is worse than the Great Depression’

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The economy, job loss, the future

I'm feeling pressure about the economy and I'm not alone, either. These are the three top connections I have:

1. I own a small business. Our daycare has seen a drop in enrollment directly due to job loss of the parents.
2. I sell payroll to small businesses. Since the summer, start-up businesses are way down and existing business clients are expressing price concerns more than ever before.
3. Family members and good friends are really struggling with jobs and bills.

Let me clarify. The pressure I feel isn't fear, it's more like waiting for the impending arrival of a kick-ass thunderstorm. You see the lightning from one end of the horizon to the other and the thunder rolls constantly; and you just know: "This is going to be serious." It's cautiousness, concern, and curiosity.

What will it be like in 6 months? A year from now? How will the landscape be different?

Obama's trying to make a difference with a new TARP bill. I hope it has more impact than the last one where Citi bought naming rights to the Mets ballpark and BOA bought Merrill Lynch and fired people, or where basically every bank in the US came to Capitol Hill with their hand out and got cash. I ASK YOU THIS? Did that ever get to the street? Not that I saw. My clients are still struggling with cash-flow and the banks were tighter than ever.

The new stimulus package that's trying to be passed has some great parts, hybrid vehicles for the government, spending on infrastructure, rebates, and more. It won't be enough. I don't believe that the government can and will do enough to make a dent in the decrepit state of America's economy and job losses.

Click to enlarge this graphic from The Office of The Speaker:


If you think unemployment is out of control based on the above graph wait until you read this piece done by Mint.com. In addition to the "real" unemployment rates, in the 1930's unemployment didn't peak until 4 years after the market crashed. Ohhfa.

So, what's the actionable item here? Hell if I know. I do know that the only thing we have to fear is fear it self.

Maybe this is the forest fire our economy needs to clear out a lot of small problems today and avoid a future "greater depression". Maybe this will cause our government to close the trade deficit gap. Maybe businesses will stop outsourcing jobs to other countries and Americans will stop standing for it. Maybe housing will be more affordable again. Maybe people will respect money more. Maybe Americans will start to save money again. Maybe we won't just put it on credit cards and plan our spending better. Maybe.

The huge spider on the stairs

As I climbed the stairs today when I came home from work, I saw this toy spider and screamed because I knew the girls put it there just to scare me.

How do I get rewarded for playing along? Paige bolted up the stairs and yelled "Daddy! You sounded like a girl!"

You're NOT my friend anymore!

This is a phrase that my girls have yelled often at each other when they're angry about something the other one did.  I always get a kick out of it because in 30 seconds, they are playing together again like nothing ever happened.

In the case of Facebook, it's not this easy.  

Let me clarify:  I wanted to text a friend of mine and didn't have her number stored in my phone so I went to my Facebook address book to get it.  

Search for her first name.  "You have no friends named 'xxxx'".

Search for last name.  "You have no friends named 'xxxx'"

What the hell?  I know I'm not spelling her name wrong.  Then it hits me.  SHE UNFRIENDED ME!  Just to be sure I do a search for new friends and there she is.

Now, I don't know how to feel.  SHE UNFRIENDED *ME*!   It's at this point that I begin the 5 stages of grief.  

1.  Denial:  No way.  Facebook is down.  There's a problem with search.  

2.  Anger:  Bitch.  What did I do to her!?

3.  Bargaining:  I could just add her as a friend again and assume it was an accident.  I know, maybe she unfriended me for a whopper?

4.  Depression:  It's me.  I posted too many videos and pictures and she was tired of seeing my updates in her feed.

5.  Acceptance:  Well, it's ok.  I still have, like 100 other friends - who needs her as a friend anyway?

Here's the real question:  Why does this matter?  Why is it upsetting to me?  I have no idea.  Here's one thing I do know for sure.  Facebook friends and real life friends (with whom you really care about and do *real* things together) are definately not the same thing.

The lesson to be learned here?  I'll let you decide, becuase Joy is actually still friends with me and search really doesn't work for her name.

News blooper

Just watch... no setup necessary.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!

This the the terrible state I found my Sigma 150mm f/2.8 yesterday. I'm distraught.

It was in the backpack case still attached to the extender. I suspect one of the kids, but it really doesn't matter.

Terrible. This is what it looks like all together.

Any idea how much this will cost to fix? I'm headed to Dan's in Allentown today where I got this.

I think I'll take a look at this too.

Golden Eagle vs. Fox

Golden Eagle vs. Fox, originally uploaded by -SPK.

Who wins this battle?


This is a Reuters photo, seen here
http://www.spiegel.de/reise/fernweh/0,1518,grossbild-1414628-603221,00.html

Do business with local merchants

A few weeks ago our Kenmore vacuum head stopped working. Upon request from Becky, I spent a lot of time (15 seconds) assessing what could be wrong. After careful consideration I contacted Sears repair via their toll free number.

When the gentlemen answered, I would swear his office was right in the middle of a bus terminal and he had a familiar accent similar to those tech support guys whose names are always "Bob" and "Tom" but I digress. We scheduled an in-home visit that would cost $75.00 and if we chose to have the unit repaired - the $75 would go towards the bill. Done.

The day before the aforementioned in-home repair, we got a confirmation call but no one ever showed up. No one ever called again. Not even an email follow up to make sure I was satisfied or to take a survey. It's like Sears just didn't want to know anything else.

So, I turned to Google. "Vacuum repair Easton PA" and find this listing:

Hal's Small Appliance & Sweeper Shop
1706 Washington Blvd, Easton PA
(610) 515-9953

I call and ask if he repairs Kenmore and get the affirmative. "Just bring down the hose. You don't need to bring the whole unit." Hal offered.

The shop is totally old school adorned with toy trains, old lamps, used irons, repaired griddles and good old fashioned American and local spirit. Hal is wearing a blue pair of Dickies pants and a red plaid shirt tucked in.

After about 30 seconds, he has the problem diagnosed. "I'll have it fixed by tomorrow."

$10.60 later, our vacuum is working good as new. Thanks, Hal!

Uh uh uh uh uh

Uncle Joel is patting on Kaitlyn's back. This makes me think of the Charlie, you bit my finger video. You'll definitely laugh at this!

Trip to see Little Mermaid on Broadway