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5 Better Alternatives To Watching TV

The Practical Nerd — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 04:51:48 +0000

You just got home from a long day at work, and you feel fried. Your brain is running on fumes, and your body just wants to collapse on the couch. You want mindless entertainment, and fortunately, you’ve got hundreds of channels to choose from. You sit down, and from about 6:00pm until 11:00pm, the TV is on. Sound healthy to you?

I hear people at the office talk about Bachelor Pad and other pieces of garbage like that. I hear them spend 10 minutes talking about Twilight and what the celebrities are up to. In my mind, all I can think is this question: “Isn’t there something better we can do with our time?” I’m a self-admitted TV addict, but my TV watching has tapered off in recent years. And with the average cable bill running $75-$100 a month, I think it’s time we staged a revolution. Too often, we have let networks tell us what to talk about, what to buy, what to eat, and how to live. I say we turn off the TVs and start doing something. Here are some great alternatives that will make your life more fulfilling and, let’s be honest, healthier:

Have a conversation

Let’s start with the easiest one of the bunch. If you live with somebody else, and you spend your evenings watching TV, try hitting the “power” button and turning to that person. Then start talking. “How’s life been lately?” is a great starter. Since you live with that person, your relationship with him or her is obviously very important to you. Talk about anything: your hopes, your dreams, what you like, what you don’t like, etc. Yes, guys, even you. You don’t have to get all weepy or touchy-feely. If you need to, grab a beer so that you feel a little manlier. If the other person is up for it, go have a cigar. Just start talking and see what happens. That bonding time is important.

Yoga/Pushups/Situps/Gym/Running/Walking/Get Off Your Lazy Butt

I’m not a big advocate of the gym, but to each his own – whatever gets you off the couch. Do it for fun, and for your health. If you want to, track what you’re doing to show some accomplishment. The beauty of this, as an adult, is that you don’t have to necessarily answer to anybody. Set your own goals. If your goal is to run a mile within six weeks, go for it. Anything is better than nothing. And with cool apps on just about any smartphone that will track your progress for you and share it if you want, there’s really no reason not to try it out. The added benefits will include pretty much any benefit that you get from doing exercise. You know the drill: better sleep, better sex, more energy, lose weight, yada yada yada. Pick one benefit that you like and use that for the reason why you do it. Just do it.

Expand that brain of yours

The biggest problem with the education of today’s youth is that it makes education something that is miserable. From about grade 3 to college, classes are generally designed to make you sit, listen, and say what the teacher wants you to say. Education is seen as a challenge, which is fine – to a point. Now that you are an adult, many of you will sit and say, “I would never go back to school! I don’t miss THAT!” I know I say that all the time. But let’s use our brain power in a different way. For example, while putzing around online, listen to or watch a brilliant talk on TED.com. Some of my favorites include the critique of the current educational system, chef Jamie Oliver talking about how lousy our food is, and author Malcolm Gladwell talking about ketchup and happiness. TED is a great spot for educational, thought-provoking, and very entertaining presentations and speeches.

Other ways to expand your brain can be reading some great blogs (like this one). Your brain is not a static thing: it is a living organism that adapts and changes. If you don’t give it a workout occasionally, it starts to regress. Take some time to properly exercise it. If you think you are getting a brain workout at work, ask yourself this: how many of those 8 hours a day are spent daydreaming? Chatting with coworkers? Complaining about work? Eating? Surfing the Web? In boring meetings? Yeah, your brain isn’t tired yet. You’re just out of shape.

Don’t want to learn? Here’s a quick exercise to help you out: get out a sheet of paper or open a document on your computer. Write or type 5 of your favorite things. Even the laziest of interests can morph into educational pursuits. Video games? Google around or grab a book on the history of video game development, or what goes into the design and making of a video game. You can learn about how marketing campaigns are developed or how technology has advanced over the years. Television or movies? Bone up on your history of Hollywood. There are fascinating stories about old movie studios and how movies have evolved over time as well. Food? Great! Look up cooking techniques and recipes. Get started in cooking and you’ll get even healthier!

Start a side business

“More work!” you say. Well, the problem with most jobs is that they’re work. This is your chance to start something that you think is fun. Something you are passionate about. Something that gets you excited. For me, it’s the chance to be a writer and work from home. For you, it could be to develop that awesome idea you’ve had, or to work with animals, or who knows? Start Googling around. Maybe your interest lends itself to freelance work, like photography or web design. There are dozens of different ways you can do it.

“I don’t have any money/time to start a business!” Call it a “project”, then. It’s something you can spend an hour or two every night poking at. It might turn into something amazing. As for money, if it’s a service business, you can start it with remarkably little: often just a computer and an internet connection. For example, I gave my writing business a reboot and just started sending out some emails. Within a matter of about two weeks, I now have 10-12 leads, 3-4 paying clients, and I’ve booked nearly $2,000 in work this month. All it took was sending out some emails, which I did for free. Starting a business is a rewarding experience, even through failure.

And if you need startup capital to put together your business, start running the numbers: if the average monthly cable bill is $75, how many months without cable would you need to go to get that money? Six months is $450, which is plenty of money to get a small business up and running. Spend that six months planning, and you could be well on your way to something pretty cool.

Read a book, or twelve

Grab some friends and start a book club, or join an online book club like the ones at GoodReads. Go to the library. Trade books with PaperbackSwap. Grab a Kindle and start getting ebooks. You can read about whatever you want, whenever you want. It’s your life now, not some teacher’s. Put together your own reading list.

These are just a few. What are your favorite non-TV activities?

Replace Your Address Book With Google Contacts

The Practical Nerd — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 19:25:13 +0000

(pictured: a protective snapshot of my Contacts list)

When I was but a lad, my mom had this address book that we used to hold all the contact information of our family and friends. It was, I’m sure, a very slick, clean address book at one point. But, years of people moving, dying, and otherwise caused this book to become a scribbly mess. Do you have an address book like this? Then it’s time to replace it.

Google Contacts is yet another Google service that I patronize, but it may be the most useful of any that I have. Sure, my Gmail is my main command center for all contact with personal and business folk, and Google Reader supplies so much of my ongoing education and fun reading. But Google Contacts is how I keep track of the people in my life, and for a few very good reasons.

It is backed-up

First, let’s start with the “backed-up” part of that. If we had ever had a house fire growing up (and I thank God we never did), that address book would have been lost forever, and we would have been stuck calling around and asking for everybody’s addresses and phone numbers and, well, you get the idea. Having an online service manage your address book makes it impervious to natural disasters. This includes storing contacts on your mobile phones (if you’ll see in the next sections): think about that the next time you are invited to a Facebook group called, “HEY I LOST MY PHONE PLEASE SEND ME UR NUMBER AGAIN THX!!!!!!!!!”

It is independent

What do I mean by that? Most mobile phone services come with some form of online backup solution. For example, my Blackberry Curve can sync up with an online Blackberry account to hang on to all my contacts. But what happens when I switch phones? And more importantly, what happens if I switch phones because something happened to my Blackberry? Let’s say I drop my phone in the toilet and it doesn’t work anymore. Now I want to upgrade to a Droid phone. How big of a pain in the butt will it be to access my contact list from my Blackberry account and get it on to my Droid phone?

Google Contacts comes with a fantastic feature called “Google Sync”, where you can sync your phone with your Google Contacts. I have it installed on my Blackberry, and I can bring up anyone’s name and address through my phone’s address book. This is handy when filling out applications where you need references. Plus, if I get a new phone, I just fire up Google Sync on that phone and all my contacts will be imported to it. And if I make any changes in my Google Contacts list or on my phone’s address book, it all gets synced up together. It’s a beautiful thing, and it makes it painless to manage.

It is searchable

You remember the old address books, right? They had these tabs on the side that said “AB”, “CD”, all the way to “WXYZ” because apparently nobody knew that many people with last names with those letters. You had to find your way to their last name, then find it among the mess of addresses, and it might be at the end now because they moved. Ugh. Just like anything Google, Contacts is searchable. Just click the search box and start typing. It won’t even let you finish typing before it starts giving you results. Quick. Simple.

I’m sure there are other reasons, but these are some of my favorites. Do you use Google Contacts? Do you manage your address book with a different service? Share in the comments!

Throw a DIY Wedding Without Being Cheap

The Practical Nerd — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 19:29:49 +0000

When my fiance and I got engaged, we knew that the wedding was going to be a giant undertaking. We both have very large families and very small pocketbooks. Fortunately, we were able to balance her desire for a big, elegant wedding and my desire to save a lot of money by going the DIY route in a lot of areas. Here are a few:

The planning

First, ditch the wedding planner. We use a combination of a beastly binder, Evernote, and The Knot for our planning purposes. Amanda keeps important documents in her binder, I keep important documents in Evernote, and The Knot provides a very useful checklist to keep us on schedule throughout the planning process. The binder also keeps the guest list handy, as well as any brochures or things that vendors provide us with. We carry a small notebook with us when out visiting vendors and the hall to grab any extra notes. Yes, doing it without a wedding planner is a little more work, but it can save you a bundle!

Decorations

This is a very common one that couples use to save a little scratch. Buy some tulle fabric on Amazon and some cheap Christmas lights (you can get them in any color!). Take some time to visit the hall and take some measurements. Plan it accordingly, and make sure you have help. Do it the night before the wedding with your bridesmaids and groomsmen. If enough people help, you will be able to knock it out rather quickly. The same goes for the centerpieces.

Plus, ditch the favors. Nobody cares about them. The little bells and goofy trinkets with your name on them? Nobody will remember that stuff. We found some great placeholders that we can put people’s names on that hold candy. People appreciate candy much more!

The Invitations

Still fairly common – print your own invitations. I discovered a great kit at Target that matched our color scheme and was very elegant and simple. We bought an extra ink cartridge and went to work. This is one of the more involved projects, but with a little teamwork, can save a ton. We bought a box of 50 invitations for around $30 apiece. That’s a huge savings!

Music

There’s a big debate online about the music – hire a DJ or do it yourself? We went to a wedding a little over a year ago that ran their own music. I’ve been to two of these weddings, and both times, nobody noticed a difference. The only difference, if done well, is there’s no obnoxious DJ. Here are a few tips to book your own music without sacrificing quality:

Rent some good sound equipment from a local music store. Make sure you let them know you are going to run music from your laptop. Also, make sure you get a microphone for speeches.
In that same vein, run the music from your laptop, not your iPod. This allows you a little more control over the lineups.
Have a backup plan. Whether it’s another laptop or an iPod (in extreme situations), you never know when your hard drive is going to fail. We plan on having everything on my laptop, my Sansa Clip Plus, and on CDs.
Put together playlists. You don’t want to just run music on random all night. Have specific playlists for certain times of the night (dinner, cake cutting, early part of the night, garter toss, etc.).
Ask for request ahead of time. Part of the fun of wedding music is that people can input their favorite songs. In our invitations, we ask that everybody who has requests email them to me by a few weeks before the wedding so that we can put together the playlists.
Hire a friend to DJ. You don’t need somebody to man it all night. With the playlists, it will run itself. But still, you’ll want somebody there to switch playlists, or move ahead a song if nobody’s dancing. And if you are the bride or the groom, you don’t want to have to pay attention to that. Have a friend that you trust keep an eye on it, and throw them a few bucks for the trouble.

Photo booth

This is a fun idea that I just had today. I’m in talks with my photographer to piece together a place for people to take fun pictures throughout the reception. Photo booths cost upwards of $750 for a couple hours in my area. We’re going to hang a sheet, set up a DSLR camera with a remote and tripod (thanks to a friend), rent some flash equipment, and let people take their own goofy pictures. We’ll leave a sheet for people to sign their email addresses and we can send them a link to the gallery once it’s loaded into Picasa. It’ll be great, and won’t cost a whole lot either! Photo booths are a fun trend in weddings right now.

Photography (to a point)

If you know a friend that takes great pictures, you may consider hiring them to do the photos. However, you will want to make sure this person will be on the ball (my future brother-in-law hired a friend to do his pictures, and it took almost a year to get their copies!). We are hiring a photographer, but we negotiated the price down by requesting that we just get a DVD with all the pictures on it after he’s done touching them up. Then we can order photo books for much cheaper through many different sites. It’ll save a few hundred bucks.

These are just a few ways to save money on a wedding while keeping it fun and elegant. If any of these blow up in our faces in 3 months, I’ll let you know. What’s your favorite wedding-related tip? Share it in the comments for all of us!

9 Reasons Why Being a Nerd is Awesome

The Practical Nerd — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:42:49 +0000

Obviously, given the title of this blog, I’m a staunch defender of nerdity and all that nerdness has given the world. I want everyone to be a nerd, but if you think of the picture above as the only definition of nerd, than you are just not broadening your view far enough. This is my definition:

Nerd. n. Somebody who does thinks different from the mainstream (or the “Cooler People”).

Now I’m not referring to dressing different or getting tattoos or whatever “rebel” moves you’re thinking of. I’m talking about taking a different approach to life – one that you define. This is a life that is determined by the choices you make, not what some advertising agency wants you to think. It’s a life that is molded by your actions, not your purchases. Let’s dive in to why being a nerd is just flat-out awesome:

1. Nerds save more money.

There are Cooler People in this world that spend a couple hundred bucks on an iPod or a Zune with dozens of gigabytes’ worth of space on it for movies and music and games, load it up full of crap, and only use it to listen to the same 40 songs. I’m guilty of it at one point in my life. I’ve never been more liberated to have my Sansa Clip Plus, that holds plenty of music for me to listen to and only cost me $40.

Cooler People see a sale on HDTVs and run out and buy one, not realizing they could buy an off-brand online with free shipping (quality determined by the consumer reviews) and the same quality for hundreds of dollars less.

Cooler People go out to eat every night because it’s “fun”. Nerds cook delicious meals at home and save $20 a meal. And we love it.

2. Nerds make more money.

Cooler People graduate from college, go out to get a job, fail, go to graduate school, rack up more student loans, fight to get an entry-level job, work 40 hours a week, get 2 weeks of vacation a year, complain about their boss, struggle to pay their bills, hope they don’t get fired, and retire at 65.

Nerds look for ways to make more money and build their own business and lifestyle. We look for ways to leverage our skills into more income. Eventually, we build the business we want and have true happiness and a work/life balance that we are content with, all because we put the grunt work in at the beginning.

3. Nerds are healthier.

Remember that cooking thing I was talking about? Cooler People hate cooking. They look at it as a chore and they’re “just not good at cooking”. They buy heavily-processed food in packages with splashy colors and buzzwords like “organic”, “natural”, and “NO FAT!” Nerds buy produce and staples and they create meals that Cooler People would kill for. We feed our bodies with fuel that makes us feel better and live longer.

Cooler People spend $50/month to go to the gym 2-3 days a week. They have detailed workout plans and logs and use the elliptical machines with their iPods. Nerds park far from the doors in parking lots so they can walk more. Nerds take the steps once in a while. Nerds get out and play and get natural exercise. We have fun with our workouts.

4. Nerds can make new uses for stuff, lengthening shelf life.

Yesterday, I was in the pool with my family. My brothers and I had been swimming around, having fun. Then my oldest brother grabbed one of the inner tubes and threw it at me. This turned into a 3-man game of human ring toss. Cooler People would have laid around on the inner tube or went out and bought some cool floating game or basketball set. They would have bought and set up a big volleyball net. Nerds can find creative ways to breathe new life into stuff, like our computers, for example.

5. Nerds have cooler stuff because they create it for cheap.

Want a cool home theater where you can access your movie library from anywhere in the house? A Cooler Person might pay thousands to buy a specially-made system. A nerd throws a giant hard drive into an old computer and sets it up to stream to any computer or game console in the house for under $100. Cooler People buy Tivo subscriptions or expensive DVRs. Nerds can spend a few bucks and set up a DVR through their computers and record high-definition television over-the-air.

6. Nerds get good-looking women.

In October, I get to marry a hottie. Need I say more? (And you lady-nerds out there can get some good-looking dudes, too!)

7. Nerds are more relaxed.

Cooler People let the problems of their lives dictate how they spend their time. They react to things that happen to them. They panic. Nerds have a game plan. We have emergency funds for financial disasters instead of high-interest credit cards. We make to-do lists every week so that we know things are getting done. We prioritize the things that matter, so life is a joy instead of a complicated mess.

8. Nerds are respected.

People ridicule Microsoft, but Bill Gates is revered. The scientists that design the latest gadgets and gizmos are nerds. The animators that created Toy Story 3 (one of the finest pieces of filmmaking in the last 10 years) are nerds. The people that work hard and make the most of the opportunities given to them are nerds.

9. Nerds have changed.

There was a time when Louis Skulnick was the poster boy for nerds. The Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons was a classic nerd. But now, the nerd is something different. The nerd is a creator, not a consumer. The nerd grabs life by the horns and forces it to be what her or she wants it to be. Instead of being a Cooler Person and taking on massive amounts of debt to live a lifestyle that other people tell you to live, buck the trends and start learning how to really live life the way you truly want to live it. That’s when you unlock the awesomeness that is being a nerd.

12 Reasons I Switched From Windows XP to Ubuntu

The Practical Nerd — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 20:28:04 +0000

This is a favorite topic of mine because it’s just good ol’ fashioned nerdery at work. But, I truly believe there are some great practical reasons why Ubuntu Linux should be considered for the general public. I bought my laptop in 2007 which, at the time, ran Windows Vista. After about a year, Vista kicked me off my internet connection, and several days with “Windows Certified” computer techs did me no good. I reinstalled Vista, and it did it again a couple months later. At that point, I was open to suggestion, and I tried out the LiveCD version of Ubuntu (which was several versions ago). Ubuntu recognized my internet connection and ran beautifully. I immediately fell in love.

A few technical reasons caused me to switch off of Ubuntu early last year, and I got my hands on a copy of Windows XP, which has served me well. However, it was time for a change. Ubuntu 10.04 (codename: Lucid Lynx) was recently released, with some solid new features. I was able to install it like a Windows program and try it out, and I discovered all the little technical problems I used to have had disappeared. This is a solid operating system with great support, and I’m happy to show you why I took the plunge and installed Ubuntu on my laptop, replacing Windows XP.

It’s the most recent operating system to date

We’re talking about technology here, where dates matter. When you have a piece of technology and something else out there is better, you want it. There’s a lot of tech envy in the world, and people scramble to have the latest. That’s why you see people ditching their iPhones for newer iPhones. Here’s a point of comparison: Windows XP was released in 2001 – NINE years ago. In 2004, were you still using Windows 95? For the vast majority of you, probably not. And the only reason XP has been supported this long is because Vista bombed and Microsoft had to. XP is being phased out now that Windows 7 has scored major points for the company. The energy is just not being put towards XP anymore. It’s time to upgrade.

By contrast, Ubuntu is the latest Linux release to date, and by far their most mainstream release yet. It has support for lots of hardware right out of the box (it “just works”, as people say), and it continues to innovate, such as with their “Gwibber” social networking integration.

Less bloat

Are you on XP? Hit Ctrl-Alt-Del, then look at the “Processes” tab. How many “svchost.exe” lines are there? Windows is notorious for taxing a computer’s system into oblivion. I’ve heard wonderful things about how lightweight Windows 7 is, but Ubuntu is right up there with it. Ubuntu is loaded with lots of functionality, but moves quickly, even on older hardware. It doesn’t ship with all the crappy trial software that Windows does, and it doesn’t “gain weight” with age like Windows does. Spending less time uninstalling stuff when you get a new operating system is a good thing. Plus, your desktop is nice and clean – no default icons. I like that.

Ubuntu Software Center

I’ve said it before and I will say it again: the smartest thing Apple popularized was the App Store. Having an app store eliminates the intimidation and complications of installing software. When you install something on Windows, you hit “Next” about forty times, agree to license agreements, tell the program if you want a desktop icon or an entry in the Start menu, tell it where to install it, etc. On top of all of that, 75% of the programs you install require a system restart, so you need to save what you’re doing and reboot the whole stinking computer.

In Ubuntu, you find the program you want, and click “Install”. That’s it. No restarts or anything. The app installs and is organized for you automatically. If you want to use the command line to do so, you can (as some old schoolers prefer). But if you’re like me, you want it as simple as possible. Click “Install” and go get a glass of water. It’ll be ready by the time you get back.

Slick, not overbearing animation

This was a pleasant surprise for me. Ubuntu has always had some slick animation stuff, but nothing that I could enjoy on my basic laptop. My version of Vista was Basic, so I never got to experience the Aero Desktop animations. This version of Ubuntu, however, is able to use my hardware to add subtle window animations that I love. While Windows is the front-runner for operating system animations, I’d really rather limit the effort put into animation anyway. The Alt+Tab feature (to switch windows) will show you only the window you are switching to, to allow you to focus on which window you want. Switching desktops (see below) is done with a slick sliding of the windows on your current screen. For a guy on a limited laptop, these animations are a welcome change without being a total distraction.

Multiple desktop support out of the box

A default installation of Ubuntu includes four virtual desktops. Having virtual desktops is a nice way to organize your windows and keep things straight. For example, I like to keep my Gmail and HootSuite running while I’m on the computer. I’ve given each their own desktop, so if I want to check my email, all I need to do is switch to that desktop and there it is (there are notifiers available, but I prefer the control). You can have whatever you want running in your four desktops, which allows you to keep things open without cluttering up your taskbar, and keeping a clean focus on the windows you need to focus on!

FREE

Ubuntu is free. There is no trial version, no “Pro” version, no “Ultimate” version. It’s free. All of it. Windows is several hundred dollars, and Mac OS X computers are thousands of dollars. You can go right now and download Ubuntu. Not only that, you can install Ubuntu alongside Windows and try it out. It is installed and uninstalled just like any program on Windows – a great, risk-free way to try it out.

Mac-like simplicity without Mac-like prices

There are lots of ways to “skin” Windows XP, and a couple days ago, I re-skinned it to look like Windows 7. I actually hated it. I’m sure the Windows 7 performance is great, but I found the taskbar to be way too big and trying to do too much. By contrast, the Mac OS X layout is known for its simplicity, which draws itself to a lot of users. Ubuntu retains that simplistic approach – and it is very customizable if you want to tweak it out. Keeping the desktop clean means you can focus more on what you’re doing with the programs, not with their windows or taskbars.

No viruses

There are two reasons why Ubuntu has no viruses: #1. You need to enter your password any time you try to install something, protecting you from automatic installations of garbage. #2. It doesn’t have the market penetration to warrant the attention.

The second one is a biggie. Those using Linux make up about 3% of computer users. Mac users are 5%. That means Windows users are 92% – why do you think they are targeted more? Any operating system can be hacked, eventually. Windows has a reputation for viruses simply because all the jerks that release viruses do it on the operating system that affects the most consumers. That’s Windows.

Great support

The Ubuntu Forums are a great place to ask questions and see answers. While the internet has a (valid) reputation for being full of rude and obnoxious users, the Ubuntu Forums are generally people who understand newbies and help explain to them how to do something on Ubuntu that they don’t know how to do. Plus, you can search their forums without logging in and get answers pretty quickly. Google is an Ubuntu user’s friend when support is needed. Compare that to calling India to have a tech support guy tell you to try rebooting, and then tell you to reinstall the entire Windows operating system because he doesn’t know what else to do about it (happened to me!).

Breathes new life into old hardware

My options: buy a new Windows computer for $500. Buy a new Mac computer for $1000. Install Ubuntu to my perfectly-fine computer for $0. The numbers speak for themselves. Linux can handle plenty of older computers, and Ubuntu is a great choice for those computers that are only a few years old.

GNOME-Do

This is a program exclusively available to Linux users, Ubuntu in particular, and it is easily my new favorite. The first app launcher I used was Launchy for Windows, which was a little window I could bring up and launch programs from. Without Launchy, to open Chrome, I could either put an icon on my desktop or taskbar (which I didn’t want), or navigate through endless menus. With Launchy, I hit Alt+spacebar, type the letter “c”, and hit “enter”. Done and done. Using an app launcher cuts down on tons of time spent moving around the mouse to double-click and all that jazz.

GNOME-Do is a step above Launchy. While Launchy also exists for Ubuntu, GNOME-Do comes with several useful plugins built-in to maximize its usefulness. I have the program synced with my Google account, which means I can hit Alt+spacebar and search my contacts for a phone number or address within seconds, or I can open a saved spreadsheet or document from Google Docs without ever having to open the main Google Docs page in my browser. The latter unifies the desktop and the webapp in a very useful way.

Ubuntu One

In my original post on backing up your stuff last year, I wrote about a great program called Syncplicity, which backs up 2GB worth of files for free. Now, Ubuntu has an online backup solution called Ubuntu One, which also lets you back up 2GB worth of stuff for free. In addition, the Ubuntu Music Store syncs up with Ubuntu One, so any music you buy from the store is automatically available in the cloud. I’m a fan of Ubuntu One simply because it is a necessary utility for most, and it’s built right in to the system.

I’m not here to discredit Windows or Apple’s operating systems. They are both very good and they appeal to very broad audiences. But for me, I think Ubuntu has a leg up on both of them for packing a simple, powerful, useful operating system into a free package for the average user. If you want to give Ubuntu a test run, visit their web page, which also includes instructions on installing Ubuntu as your main operating system, if you so desire (just remember to back up your important files first, or they will be lost forever!). Also, check out this very in-depth article on things you can do to maximize Ubuntu’s usefulness after you install it. Anybody else have any thoughts on Ubuntu? Ever tried it out or thought about it?

Four Things Missing From Hulu’s New Subscription Service

The Practical Nerd — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 02:01:08 +0000

The world waited with baited breath for Hulu to finally announce their subscription service. In case you missed it, Hulu confirmed that they will be offering full seasons of TV shows from NBC, Fox, and ABC at a price of $9.99 per month, including the ability to watch from your iPhone, iPad, and a number of set-top boxes.

As exciting as this news is, I can’t help but feel a little underwhelmed by it. I thought of four reasons why that is. Please keep in mind that I’m aware TV contracts are much more complicated than I’m making them out to be, and I know Hulu will probably be offering some of this stuff down the line. But here’s what’s keeping me from signing up:

Tiered pricing

The reason you hate cable TV is because you pay for a lot of crap you don’t watch. I know this can’t be avoided, but why not come up with a way to tier it per channel? Maybe I don’t watch anything on Fox, and I only want to subscribe to NBC and ABC? Why should I have to pay for Fox if I’m never going to watch it? Let’s give the people the ability to choose what stations they want. And in that same vein…

Open it up to cable offerings

Here’s one I’m oversimplifying, but it still is a valid argument: I’m not going to give up cable to have access to network TV shows for $9.99 a month. I want shows like Mythbusters, Man Caves, and awesome stuff from The Travel Channel. I want Phineas and Ferb (darn it!). Most good network TV shows are in syndication on regular TV. If I’m going to pay for TV, I want a broader offering.

XBox 360/PS3 Integration (for now)

Yeah, I know it’s coming, but two of the biggest platforms for this sort of thing are currently left out while they haggle over contracts or whatever it is. If I were Hulu, I would have waited to announce this service until they were nailed down.

The Killer Alternative to Netflix

Frankly, I don’t see why I would pay for Hulu right now. Netflix continues to broaden their offerings, including cable shows in HD, and I can watch it on my XBox 360, and get DVDs of stuff not streaming, for under $10/month. There’s no killer feature that makes me go “WHOA! I need to go out and get Hulu!”

Will it come? Sure – in time. But right now, I’m saving my money. What is your reaction to the big announcement?

The E-Readers Price War Has Begun: What’s The Best Reading Option?

The Practical Nerd — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 23:57:55 +0000

Reading was once a privilege only enjoyed by those well-off and those with patience. It wasn’t that long ago that books took forever to print and the world clamored for new books a couple times a year. Now, books are published and distributed in so many ways that it’s hard to even keep up. In Martin Luther’s day, The Bible was chained up in the library. I have a version of it on my Blackberry that I can search different translations with just a few buttons.

Technology has met books with the introduction of the e-reader. Amazon released one of the first mainstream e-readers in their Kindle, a device that employs “e-ink” technology, where the page treats your eyes like a piece of paper but you don’t have to turn pages. Reviews raved about this little device: you could download books from anywhere – especially with wi-fi hotspots – on the fly, and store hundreds of books on a little device like this. Ebooks generally run cheaper than regular books anyway, so it seemed like a slam dunk. Plus, the e-ink took less power to operate, so battery life could be over a week.

One problem: the price. Amazon’s Kindle was $259. Sony’s comparable e-reader was a whopping $349. Barnes and Noble released their Nook last November at a price of $259. This is a pretty high upfront price to pay, and you’d have to read a lot of books to make up the price of just buying books like normal. So the niche market has always been travelers and very heavy readers – people who need to lug around a lot of books and can store them in one little device instead. But all these e-readers are looking to crack into the full, mainstream reading market.

Then: The Price War Began

Two things happened that kicked off the price war. One, the iPad . As much as I hate this piece of hardware, it has a slick presentation that grabs eyes. One of the biggest features of the iPad has been iBooks, which is just a slicker version of an e-reader. Even though the iPad is at the ridiculous price of $499 (and jumps to an even-more-ridiculous $629 plus a monthly data plan to add 3G service like the Kindle/Nook offers for free), some people justify that price for a color e-reader. So that started taking market share from the other e-readers; why pay almost $300 for a device that reads books when you can pay $500 and get (in certain ways) more functionality?

The second was the brilliant move by Borders: bringing the Kobo eReader to the U.S. While this device lacks any internet connectivity, its price point of $150 finally started to look enticing to the mainstream. And with the announcement of bringing in the Aluratek Libre eReader for $120 , Borders looks like it is readying itself to start bringing in some serious market share.

Until earlier this week, when Barnes and Noble announced they were dropping their Nook to $199, and releasing a wi-fi only version of the device for $149. With access to a ton of free wi-fi hotspots in the country, all of a sudden, the Nook looks like the best option. Amazon, the same day, responded by dropping the Kindle to $189 . With wi-fi and 3G service, as well as a pending App Store , it looks like the one to beat.

So where is the future of reading? So far, here are your options:

1. Buy an e-reader and use ebooks.

Pros: Extremely convenient – get a book in a matter of minutes, either through your computer or through your device. New releases available immediately. Low price for ebooks. Carry a ton of books without the weight.
Cons: Big upfront price for device. Quality of device varies from company to company.

2. Go to the library .

Pros: Free.
Cons: Can be a limited selection. You’re on a time limit, so you have to keep renewing the book. If you’re like me, you don’t like that added pressure sometimes.

3. Trade books on PaperbackSwap for cheap.

Pros: Own a book for $2-3. Big selection available.
Cons: Have to wrap and mail books to get credits. Receiving a book can take weeks. Quality of books can vary depending on sender. Few new releases available.

4. Buy new books at the bookstore.

Pros: New releases. That “new book” smell.
Cons: Sticker price.

5. Download free e-reader software on computers and smartphones and buy ebooks.

Pros: Software is free. Ebooks are cheap. Take your books anywhere on your phone.
Cons: Reading on smartphones can be hard on the eyes, reading on computer is less-than-comfortable for long periods of time.

6. Buy used books on Amazon.

Pros: Low price. Generally good quality. Excellent selection – pretty much any book you want. Free shipping on orders over $25.
Cons: Shipping charges if you just want one or two books. Have to wait for books to be shipped to you.

What’s the answer?

I don’t know yet. I think e-readers are getting very close to breaking through. If you show me an e-reader using the e-ink technology and works well (and looks slick enough) for under $100, I’m buying in. $150 is still just a little too pricey for me to buy (although I would take one as a gift!). What are your thoughts? With so many options for reading books, which one is the best for your situation and why?

Big Pile o’ Links: The Gold Edition

The Practical Nerd — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 17:05:10 +0000

There is just a crapload of good stuff in today’s Pile. Let’s dig in!

The (Practical) nerdy stuff

The Hassle-Free Guide to Ripping Your Blu-Ray Collection [Lifehacker] – I’m a huge fan of digitizing DVDs and storing them on a secure, backed-up hard drive. I’m actually in the process of doing this again. But I had no firm instructions on backing up Blu-Rays. Here you go. This one went into my Evernote, and it should go into yours, too!
Use Google Maps’ Starred Locations To Find Your Car [Lifehacker] – Most Blackberries, iPhones, Androids, and others have GPS capabilities now. This would work really well with my Blackberry Curve when parking in big, confusing parking lots. Slick idea!
Why You’re Hooked On Email, and 5 Ways To Stop [Dumb Little Man] – One of the most glorious days of my life was when I stopped getting pop-up notifications of my e-mails. That’s just one way to cut down on this time-suck.
How to Return Facebook’s Privacy Settings to What You Signed Up For [Lifehacker] – Facebook is getting very close to jumping the shark with me. How about you?
The Realities Of Dropping Cable [The Simple Dollar] – It just makes me happy to see other people doing the same.
The Set-It-and-Forget-It Guide to Never Missing Important Events [Lifehacker] – TV shows, movies, concerts, events, birthdays, money, cell phone minutes, job hunting… yeah, you need this.
Clean Up Your Photo Collection With Free Tools [Lifehacker] – Geez, a lot of Lifehacker articles, as usual! I’m also a big proponent of digitizing your photo collection (again, to a backed-up, secure hard drive). Make it easier and more awesome with this guide.

A ridiculously giant pile of money articles

A Cheapskate’s Advice on Affording Anything You Want [Lifehacker] – Personal finance takes thought. Not a whole lot of it, but some.
Think the iPad Will Save You Money on Magazines? Think Again! [Wise Bread] – I held my first iPad the other day. It’s very nice and very slick. But it’s a toy. An incredibly expensive toy. Those that think it will save you money are fooling themselves.
Three Passive Barriers I Use to Counter Consumerism [Get Rich Slowly] – A short video from Adam Baker demonstrates how to keep control of your spending mentally.
5 Ways To Save Money With Online Banks [Christian Personal Finance] – I’m a huge fan of my checking account with ING Direct, and this is a great list for those considering it.
My Checklist to Financial Freedom [Christian Personal Finance] – Again, personal finance is not complicated. It just takes time and a little thought.
Calling BS on 5% Rewards Advertising [Wise Bread] – This is a great, well-researched article that blows open the idea that you are getting 5% cash back on your credit card.
How Large Should Your Emergency Fund Really Be? [Christian Personal Finance] – It’s an interesting debate, and there are plenty of arguments. However, what’s most important is that you have one.
Looking The Wrong Way [The Simple Dollar] – An interesting view: we have a hard time fighting debt because we can’t actually see it or use it.
Debt Consolidation and The "Orbital of Stupid" [The Simple Dollar] – Here’s what debt consolidators say: “Give us your money and we’ll manage it for you. You don’t have to change a thing.” But smart people know that the only way you will beat debt is by changing up your lifestyle and socking money at it. Knock off the consolidation. It doesn’t work.

Health: Physical, Mental, Social. It’s all important

Anyone Can Spend Less for Food [Wise Bread] – I learned this on my own. Food, at its core, is not expensive. Processed food is what kills your budget.
How to Improve Your Social Life: 6 of my Favorite Timeless Tips [The Positivity Blog] – I’m a firm believer that everyone should actively work on their social lives. Continue working hard to be a better friend.
Newsflash: There Is No Magic Bullet [Dumb Little Man] – Easily my favorite post of the past couple of weeks. I struggle with this sometimes. It’s crucial to understand that any measure of success will take time and sacrifice. You’ll get there. So will I.
How to Reboot Your Sleep Cycle and Get The Rest You Deserve [Lifehacker] – I’ve been caught countless times in webs of insomnia. This is a great article to get you back on track if you do the same.
10 Essential Kitchen Items for The Healthy Cook [Cheap Healthy Good] – Cooking healthy, like personal finance, doesn’t take a whole lot.
Slow Down and Enjoy Relationships [Zen Habits] – Facebook, Twitter, texting, etc. It’s time we start savoring our relationships instead of passing them by en route to somewhere else.
6 Reasons Why People Don’t Change, and What to Do About That [The Positivity Blog] – You want to change, but “can’t”, right? Yes, you can. Try these.
Is The News Making You Sick? [Simple. Organized. Life] – I hate the news. I never watch it. Crime rates are down and the economy is on the mend. All you see on the news are tragedies, murders, kidnappings, and doom. Turn it off and get your news on your own. You’re better off.
The Cost of Negativity [The Simple Dollar] – You’re losing time and money by being a cranky old butt. Knock it off and find some solutions.
7 Must Read Life Lessons From Abraham Lincoln [Dumb Little Man] – Smart guy, that Abe.
Discipline Outdoes IQ in the Long Run [Lifehacker] – You think you just got a bad break? Get down to business and quit whining, and you can go places.
4 Ways to Spend Time With Kids When You Have No Time [Stepcase Lifehack] – Another great parenting article for struggling parents in the modern age.
11 Reasons Why You Aren’t Getting Results [Stepcase Lifehack] – Feel like you’re spinning your wheels in the mud? There might be a reason why.
What Is Manliness? [The Art of Manliness] – Hint: it’s not abs.
Finding The Fire: Nine Things I Do To Make Each Day Great [The Simple Dollar] – You have more control over your day than you realize.
Top 10 Ways To Upgrade Your Morning Routine [Lifehacker] – Are you getting up, limping along, sucking down coffee, and sitting at your computer? Get moving and jumpstart your day.
7 Harsh Truths That Will Improve Your Health [Dumb Little Man] – My favorite? “#1. Nobody is responsible for your health but you.”

That’s it! Enjoy – and feel free to share your favorites in the comments below!

Save Lots of $$$ By Buying Eyeglasses Online

The Practical Nerd — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 17:12:11 +0000

(Sorry for the blurry pictures.)

I’m a Disney World man. I love the parks. I love going and hitting up all the rides, basking in the sun, and generally getting lost in the Disney merriment, even if it is manufactured. But my least favorite part about visiting the parks is the transitions – moving from inside to outside and back again. There are lots of great rides that just happen to be indoors. So, any normal person will need to take off their sunglasses before heading in. But I’m a glasses wearer, so that always meant carrying an extra glasses case in my bulging pocket, pulling it out, opening it up, taking off my prescription sunglasses, taking out my regular glasses, folding up my sunglasses, putting them in the case, putting the case in my pocket, unfolding my regular glasses, and putting them on my face.

Can you see why this would get old?

A couple years ago, I tried contact lenses and absolutely loved them. I finally had the freedom to wear regular sunglasses, and just throw them on top of my head or clip them to my shirt collar if I needed to take them off for a second. It was beautiful… for about six months. I learned through an arduous process that my eyes can’t handle contact lenses, and I am doomed to an eternity of regular glasses – at least until I can afford laser eye surgery.

I went back to the eye doctor a couple months ago to get checked out and see if there was any way I could wear contacts. No go. We tried a different brand, and the same things happened. The night I came to terms with my misfortune, I started looking online at the possibility of buying a pair of glasses for cheap, and I discovered Zenni Optical.

Zenni Optical is an online purveyor of eyeglasses – there are plenty of other options, but I liked Zenni Optical for two big reasons:

If I considered it to be too much of a risk, I could buy an $8 pair of glasses to try out. Then I wouldn’t lose out so much if they didn’t work.
They have models called “Sunshade+”, with magnetic sunglasses to discreetly clip on to your regular glasses. More on that later.

After about an hour of browsing and measuring, I decided to try a Sunshade+ model. They were a little pricier on the site, but far less than your typical mall glasses shop. I dug into my file box, pulled out my old prescription, and entered in the numbers. Less than two weeks later, I had new glasses. Observe.

These glasses are completely frameless, which generally run about $200 or so in a glasses store. My total, with the clip-on shades and shipping, came to $37.85. Oh yeah. And here are a couple shots of the glasses wearing the shades:

The reason I chose the Sunshade+ model is because I can quickly clip the shades on to the glasses with one hand, and take them off and slip them into my pocket, or even a thin case. This allows me much quicker and easier transitions, and it was worth paying extra for it. This is going to come in handy when I’m honeymooning in Hawaii this October! Here are some tips to take advantage of sites like Zenni Optical without risking too much.

Get your prescription, and try to get your pupilliary distance (PD), too.

From what I’ve heard, eye doctors have no right to withhold your PD from you – they just don’t tend to write it on the prescription that you get. I awkwardly measured mine in a mirror, and settled on what turned out to be the average PD for most people. It worked great, and my glasses prescription is spot-on. You don’t need to understand the numbers, the form you fill out will be nice and clear.

Get to know your tape measure, or ruler.

Every little measurement about a pair of glasses on Zenni Optical is provided, and it’s important that you compare those measurements with your current glasses. I chose glasses that were a little bigger than my last pair. If these had frames, they’d probably look too big on my face. This is good information to know.

If you want to minimize risk, go with an $8 pair at Zenni Optical.

There are a lot of places to buy glasses online, but if you are looking to buy for the first time and aren’t very confident in the process, get an $8 pair to try out. Oh, and that price includes the lenses, too.

Get your glasses adjusted at the mall – for free.

You don’t need to tell anybody that you bought them online. I went to the mall for a haircut the other day and decided to drop in to a glasses shop, because my glasses were a little loose on my face. I kindly asked them if they wouldn’t mind just giving me a quick adjustment. They told me to have a seat and they took my glasses. This place actually went far above and beyond, and they took apart my glasses, added a few washers for a tighter fit, put them back together, and cleaned them for me. For free. No questions asked.

If you are considering clip-on sunglasses, go with the Sunshade+ models.

There are lots to choose from. You can buy clip-on sunglasses for any pair, but the Sunshade+ models at Zenni Optical have custom-built shades for each pair. They have tiny magnets in the bridge that allow you to connect them with one hand, quickly and easily. When wearing them, nobody can really tell that they are clipped to my glasses unless they look pretty closely.

Be prepared to wait a little bit, especially if you are outside the U.S.

…and save your confirmation number and receipt! Zenni Optical has a base in California, so it took less than two weeks for my glasses to arrive. But I have heard of customers in other countries having to wait 8-10 weeks for them. If nothing else, brace for the worst, and you’ll be impressed at how quickly they arrive!

The Sunshade+ shades skew light – go darker.

If there is one thing I would change about my glasses, I would go back and get the shades tinted a little darker. I took the default tinting, which works fine, but I would have wanted them a little darker. Also – the shades come with a protective film over both sides of them. Take the time to peel those off before you try on the glasses.

Have fun with it!

Think about how much money you are saving! This is a great time to try out a different style, or even order a couple different pairs. Once you are confident in the process, you can afford to enjoy yourself with it a little bit!

For more info, visit Zenni Optical (NOT an affiliate link!).

Big Pile o’ Links: The “Little Mr. Sunshine” Edition

The Practical Nerd — Mon, 10 May 2010 15:36:43 +0000

Look at the cute li’l sunshine! Awwww….

As I type this, it’s Monday morning, and the beautiful sunlight is streaming through my tiny window. It’s the only taste of sunshine I’ll get today without sitting in a car driving to work at my windowless cubicle. I like to think of moments like this as motivation to keep plugging away at the business. It’ll get there…

Here are some of my favorite stuff from around the Web this past week:

Gettin’ crap done

Yes, the little-mentioned “GCD” techniques. I’m always about looking at different ways to approach my workweek.

8 Small Habits That Make My Daily Life Simpler, Easier, and More Effective [The Positivity Blog] – The beauty of tips like these is that they don’t require a complete overhaul of your life. I already took time this morning to declutter some stuff (#4), wrote down my goals for the week (#5), and I spent my Saturday morning doing my week’s worth of grocery shopping (#2). Boom.
on economy [mnmlist] – When you see the word “economy”, you immediately think of government spending. That’s the curse of being an American. Economy actually refers to how effectively you make the most of stuff – and it goes beyond money. Leo shares a few simple words that encourage economy in every part of your life.
9 Simple Tips for Getting Rid of a Bad Habit [The Positivity Blog] – Yup, another one from TPB. Destroy your bad habits by involving others, focusing on one at a time, and letting yourself feel a little bit of pain (news flash: pain is okay sometimes!).
The Hard Truths About Building Your Own Success [Dumb Little Man] – The beauty of following blogs is that, every once in a while, you’ll come across a great post that will totally hit home with your current situation. This one was mine.

Make your body happy, and make your mind happy

What’s life without happiness? Answer: a big ball of suck. Take care of your health and your happiness with these articles:

How to Be Kinder: 11 Fine Tips [The Positivity Blog] – TPB is just knocking it out of the park this week, folks. If you don’t think you need to be kinder, chances are you need to. Part of being happy is sharing in the joy of others. Life ain’t just about you, my friend. Follow these tips to be a more pleasant person to be around.
7 Superpowers You Act Like You Have But Don’t (And How That Messes You Up) [Dumb Little Man] – After re-reading this one, it may be my favorite of the week. Everybody pretends they have these, but you just don’t think about it. Mind control? Precognition? Time travel? I’m guilty of these. What a creative article!
Getting By Is Worse Than Failing [Location Independent Professionals] – I do a lot of guest posting at this particular blog, and it is geared towards entrepreneurs, but this is great advice for everybody. Taking those risks and falling down a few times is infinitely more beneficial to you than just “getting by”.
7 Life Changing Lessons Learned From Walt Disney [Dumb Little Man] – Want to ensure that I’m going to read your article? Put “Walt Disney” in the title. The guy had an incredible attitude about life and business.

Buying stuff and selling stuff

In other words, the art of personal finance:

Going Up? [The Simple Dollar] – Ah, the age-old argument of “good debt” versus “bad debt”. This is a great article that quickly summarizes the good and the bad (hint: pretty much anything on a credit card is bad debt, and a house isn’t always good debt, but it can be). This article also shows a startling difference between what you want and what you need.
8 Life Landmines That Will Blow Up Your Financial Plans [LiveCheap] – We all know disaster will strike us at some point. This article aims to make us aware of these moments, react to them, and proactively live life to prevent these things from happening (or lessening their blow).
10 Things You Should Never Pay For [LiveCheap] – It actually kind of scares me how many people pay for this stuff.
7 Ways My Clunker Is Smarter Than a Hybrid [Wise Bread] – News flash: hybrids are “better” cars because marketing campaigns are designed to convince you of that fact. Save your cash.
Fifteen Great Websites That Saved Me Money in 2010 [The Simple Dollar] – Some of these are obvious (Craigslist), but some not so much (Yard Sale Treasure Map). And I’m heading over to PaperbackSwap today to sign up.
ClickFiller Finds the Best Possible Amazon Filler to Net You Free Shipping [Lifehacker] – I am a huge fan of Amazon, and their free shipping for most orders over $25 is just the icing on the cake. If your order is close, use this tool to put it over the top.
Four Atypical Things to Do Before You Consider Buying a House [The Simple Dollar] – Figure out why you’re buying a house is a great tip. A better tip is to save like clockwork for two years to get you used to a mortgage. My favorite tip is to start fixing stuff – because you’ll have to.

“Feed me, Seymour!”

Little Shop of Horrors? Anyone?

10 Cheap Shortcuts to Making Cooking Oh-So-Much Easier [Cheap Healthy Good] – It amuses me that people think cooking is a lot of work.
How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love Seasonal Produce [Cheap Healthy Good] – Since I started buying from a CSA, I’m learning the value of buying seasonal. There are some great tips here.

Nerdy Stuff

Because that’s why this site exists:

8 Reasons To Use Google Chrome As Your Primary Browser [Dumb Little Man] – I wrote a while back about my painless switch from Firefox to Chrome, and I still stand by this browser as the one to beat.
Five Ways to Make Productive Use of Foursquare (and Not Be Annoying) [Lifehacker] – I know a handful of people that are using Foursquare. It’s an intriguing tool, but it’s too easy to be annoying with it.

There you go! Have any links you liked from this week? Share ‘em, or send them to me for next week’s Pile!