Being Happier and In Turn Healthier

The year is coming to a close and it is that time again when we are thinking about New Year's resolutions and how to make changes. Most people will stick to their plans for about a week, maybe two at most. One of the reasons for this is because they make dramatic changes. It really starts with small changes in your everyday life. These small changes include having a plan. This plan needs to be simple, otherwise you will be less likely to stick with it. This plan is also intended not just for the next day but the next week. It is really important to plan ahead and you can even use a mobile application if necessary. It is just as important to be held accountable for working toward your goal. You could find a buddy that will help you stay on track and with whom you can check in. Lastly, make it enjoyable and not something that you have to drag yourself to do. This is intended to make you feel better all around which means that you don't have to be miserable while making the changes.

Creating a Great Home Office

Working from home can be great but it is way too easy to spiral downhill into less and less productiveness. The first thing that you should do is to set hours and stick with them. You will be able to track the hours that you are working as well as maximizing the time that you have. You will have less distraction and the starting point in work will not be a moving target brought on by distracting and falsely productive mobile applications. Ending the day is just as important so that your work does not bleed into your personal and family life. While working from that home office, it is also important to master different forms of communication services. In order to function efficiently as a telecommuter, you need to learn several of these mediums and how to use them practically. For example, there are times when a phone call would be a waste but an email would work perfectly. Lastly, it is important to take breaks and making sure there is a clear distinction.

Healthy Habits to Pick Up

Bad habits are numerous and good ones do not really stick as well as we would like them to. There are some really easy changes that you can make in your life that will dramatically improve your health and well being. The best part is that you do not even need a mobile application to keep track of. First of all, drink a glass of water before every meal. You will be getting more water that you need anyway and you will be less likely to eat past the point of hunger. You can also use your lunch to be active if you cannot find time in the mornings. I mean it does not take 30 minutes to eat. You could go for a walk or do some stretches. It will enable you to overcome the stress that builds up and you will be refreshed to get back to work. You could also eat a protein loaded snack to stave off the midmorning hunger that you might feel. Nuts are your best choice but you can also eat a protein bar. Lastly, make exercise fun and enjoyable. You could walk to a friend's house instead of walking on the treadmill. Ride your bike to a cafe, grab a snack, and ride back. Measuring miles and yards are not exactly fun so decide to do more engaging activities.

Be More Successful

We all strive our very best in every aspect of our lives. Sometimes though we get caught up in trying to keep up in the rat race or maybe just sitting on autopilot. One of the first things that you should do is consider your habits both good and bad. By consider, I mean that they should both be written down and no sugar coating allowed. Be honest with yourself. Then put an effort in towards increasing the good and decreasing the bad. By doing that, you will already have set your first several goals. Successful people have daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals and draw up a plan on how to get there and hold themselves accountable. There are many different mobile applications to help with this. They also read every day and are students of their profession. They don’t spend their time on activities that don't bring them closer to their goals. You should also try to make an effort to eat right an exercise. Regular exercise can help you with energy and getting more things done throughout the day.

Technology Killing Cheating

We would all like to think that the people that hold higher degrees such as doctors and lawyers got them all on their own and hard work. Not a smidget of cheating was involved. Unfortunately, you will be sorely disappointed. Back in the days before massive anti-plagiarism programs and databases, it was fairly easy to find someone to copy off of and then change a couple of the words and syntax to make it sound like you and viola, paper done in one day. These day, software development and even web development have come so far that the program will even tell you the percentage of words that are not your own. Professors can send your paper and have is cross referenced with everything ever written on whatever subject you are writing on. Even better, it will not let you copy off of your own work. One of the programs being Turnitin.com says that it not only catches cheaters but also prevents more of them. If only other cheating methods were that easy to clean up.

Get More Done Every Day

If you cannot help procrastinating, use the time to clean up your desk space. It will enable you to have a clearer mind if you do not have to look at the physical clutter. It might also be a great idea to clean up your cyberspace including emails and organize all the business applications development project pieces. Another great thing to do is to use every minute and get some small things accomplished while waiting for the meeting to start. You could also try getting a new laptop. How long have you had your old one? I bet you there is one that is a lot faster and you will stop wasting time for things to load. Either that, or you could upgrade your machine. I also try to work online using cloud services so that I can just pick up where I left off if I am on a different computer. What are your suggestions for getting more done?

Phantom Vibrations

Isn't it somewhat embarrassing when you reach into your pocket for your phone because you felt it vibrating only to find that the phone is in your coat pocket? This emphasizes our relationship with our phones and phone services. About two thirds of people surveyed in recent studies have said that they have felt these vibrations. It is not a major problem, clearly, but it’s an intriguing phenomenon. Healthy people don’t often hallucinate. But lots of healthy people experience this particular hallucination. Twenty- and thirty-somethings who grew up with cellphones and have them ingrained in their daily lives probably experience the effect more than older people or technophobes. Experts think that these phantom vibrations are coming from the brain's tendency to fill in gaps to find patterns. You should also consider having your phone in a different pocket if they become too bothersome.

Several Hacks of iOS 8

If you are one of the people that decided to update to the new operating system on your 4S and are now pulling your hair out over how slow it is despite the amazing software development, you are free to keep reading just for fun till you get the new iPhone. You can peek behind the message conversations now and even mute a group message if one of the people is being too obnoxious. I hope that you all know by now that it is not about the number of megapixels that matter. It is about the software and maybe a little of the mobile applications that edit the picture. Another great thing about the update is the typing so that there is no more embarrassing autocorrect fails. You will see a suggesting which you can click on and it will put it in. It will also suggest word based on the person that are talking with. You can also see what apps use the most battery which can save you the utter helpless feeling when you are without a charger and running on 10% battery. You know we have all been there and a little too close to panic.

Mobile App Fraud

Fraud exists in many different forms, including through mobile applications. The businesses of mobile app developers get hurt is when their game is hacked by their players. When the virtual currency is targeted, one thinks of the lost revenue, but even bigger impact is on the competition between players within the game. One solution is to use a sophisticated app tracker service. Its open-source tracker SDK runs a more complex code in the app, which makes it harder to fake an install and requires a fraudster to simulate the whole app rather than manipulate HTTP API.Another approach implemented by Adjust.com is to monitor and report inconsistencies, such as installs that come, for example, from German devices that have Chinese timezone settings. There are also issues with fraudulent ads which you can counter with looking for references and recommendations for the advertisements.

Increase Impact, Reduce Effort

This is probably the real goal of all entrepreneurs. Finding that happy middle. It is not about working harder but working smarter. The first thing that you need to do is to tap into your natural talents and abilities and the rest is sure to follow. When you combine your talents with your skills, knowledge and experience, they serve as multipliers. This combination can mean the difference between being an average performer and a rock-star one, without even having to work harder. If you are not working to your full potential with the content management services, a lot more than just your productivity will suffer. Make sure to put your talents to work and use them as your job. It is also important to always assess how they are being used so that you can reach you full potential.

Smartphone Features in the Future

Smartphone technologies as well as mobile applications have come a long way and this is the direction that they are headed. First of all, phones went from very big to small and now they are getting larger again. Do you remember the Razor? These days many of the smartphones have an identity crisis and are somewhere between a screen that resembles a phone and a tablet, aka phablet. If you are like most of the population with a cell phone, you have experienced the anxiety that comes when your phone powers down because of a dead battery. Another solution for increasing your phone's the battery-life is Wysips, a product that turns your phone into a solar panel. Simply apply the thin layer of crystal on your watch, tablet, or smartphone to allow your device to convert sunlight into energy. Modular smartphones refer to phones constructed in a similar way to a puzzle. The phone consists of separate pieces that can selectively combined in order to create a smartphone as we know them today.

Rude Tech Behavior

People can be a rude bunch, make no mistake. Even something like internet phone services or emails can be used to end up looking like an idiot. First of all, I have come across people in public that are having very private conversations and most of us do not want to hear. Keep your laundry where it belongs. Also, isn't it a bummer when your supposed best friend posts pictures on their social network page of a party with all the closest friends having a frolicking good time which you only found out about through the post? Where was that invitation? For all the business professionals out there, there is a difference between the reply and reply all buttons. Please know it. Sometimes it is a good idea to hit the reply all but other times, it is just annoying and no one really wants to read your non-essential comments like "great" or "thanks". When you are using internet phones to telecommute, make sure that all the technology is functional before getting into serious conversations. It will save everyone involved a big headache.

Morning Routines

Before tackling all those emails and voicemails and internet faxes, there are a couple things that you should incorporate into your routine. Seven minutes of exercise. Yes you read the right, seven and not ten. There is even a mobile application for it. Another thing that you should do in the morning is make a list of the day of three things that if accomplished will make the day a total epic success. One of the most common mistakes people make at the office is not turning to-do lists into time-bound, effective project lists. For each of the big things on your list, block off the amount of time on your calendar that you estimate the task might take -- and then add 33% more time just to be sure. We have to remember that being efficient means being able to do more in less time. Not putting more hours in at the office. Lastly, halfway through the day, make sure that you revisit the goals that you set in the morning to ensure that you are staying on track. Here is to being productive and not spending too much time on cats on the internet.

Getting More Done

We all want to get more done in less time. Everyone is given 24 hours in a day and the trick it to be able to use it to your advantage to reach that goal of getting things done. Admit it, you have tried all those time management tools and mobile applications and found that it was abandoned within a week. You probably even chained yourself to the desk but the real secret here is to be able to understand just how your brain works. Since most of us are worried about our willpower, we don’t push ourselves to our maximum productive output: instead of “giving our all” for brief productivity sessions, we distribute our effort throughout the day, leading us back to busywork to fill our time. One of the best ways to approach the day is to work for 90 minutes and then take 15-20 minutes for a break. This combination matches best with the way that your brain works. It is also important to break down huge projects into smaller tasks. And just so everyone knows, there is no such thing as multitasking. The best way to fight the multitasking bit is to plan out your day the night before.

Cloud Computing in the Future

You already work in the cloud, too, if you use a smartphone, tablet or web browser. And you’re using the cloud if you’re tapping online services like Dropbox or Apple’s iCloud. Cloud computing, an airy term for real systems of cleverly networked computers, powers thousands of mobile games, workplace software programs and advanced research projects. These services harness global networks of millions of computers, renting and using huge amounts of computing power. An inside look at how technology is remaking an industry, lowering costs for some and handing even more influence to a handful of powerful companies. For the half-century that computers have been part of the workplace, companies have bought their own machines for corporate data centers. But that may be about to change. Industry analysts at IDC figure that if largely cloud-based things like mobile apps, big data, and social media are counted, over the next six years almost 90 percent of new spending on Internet and communications technologies, a $5 trillion global business, will be on cloud-based technology.

New iOS 8

Ok, so the last update to the operating system was a bit too much to get used to and this one is going to be much more user friendly. The email mobile application will much easier and more intuitive. The infamous autocorrect that has created a lot of laughs and embarrassment for some of us. The newest update to that is QuickType which will actually learn from the things that you type to suggest some of the things that you are more likely to type. If you're less into texting, you can send audio, video or photo messages right from iMessage. Taking a cue from Snapchat, these messages will self-destruct unless you say otherwise because they take up so much space on your iPhone. To be perfectly honest I am looking forward to the new iPhone with the larger screen and if the rumors are true, it will be coming out sooner than usual. Hopefully the music app and maps will be improved as well to make it more intuitive and so that there is less scrolling.

Functions of the Home Button

Pressing the home button once wakes the phone if it’s in locked mode. That’s sometimes easier than finding the Sleep switch on the top edge. It gives you a quick glance at your missed calls and texts — or the time and date.If, once the phone is awake, you press the Home button twice quickly, the current image fades away — to reveal the new iOS 7 app switcher screen. This feature is the key to the iPhone’s multitasking feature. But the real question here is are you really multitasking? Or just wasting time and not getting anything accomplished when you should be going through the app development project and the overload of emails that are continually piling up in your inbox In Settings → General → Accessibility, you can set up a triple-press of the Home button to turn one of several accessibility features on or off: Guided Access, VoiceOver, Invert Colors (white-on-black type, Zoom, Switch Control, and AssistiveTouch.

Texting...The New Evil

Today, in news that will make you feel bad about your existence: Texting and tinkering with mobile devices, not to mention perfecting that Candy Crush score or playing on some other mobile application, for extended periods of time could make you die sooner, the doctors of the world say. As The Telegraph reports, the hunchback pose that people adopt while staring down at their devices is known to increase the risk of an early death in the elderly. Chiropractors are concerned that younger people—who spend between one and two hours on their phones a day—could be shaving years off their lives. The United Chiropractic Association say that Gollum-like posture can be just as threatening a health risk as obesity, citing studies that bad posture in older people is linked with a disease called hyperkyphosis. Colloquially known as “dowager’s hump,” this condition is often associated with heart problems. Apparently older folk with even the slightest hump are 1.4 times more likely to die than those without.

The Web Turns 25

Do you remember the first time you logged on? What was it like? We have been connected for years and the past 25 have gone by really fast. It is just hard to imagine a world before application and software development took center stage. With such a date, it is hard not to think about where the internet is headed these days. Some people are actually speculating that it might come crashing down among all the hacking and legal disputes. Although that is not likely, it is an extreme to think about that could one day be true. About two fifths of the world's population uses the internet. It goes a long way to show you how hungry man has been for information, I think it is somehow ingrained in us. Could you imagine being alive during the earlier parts of recorded history, where what was recorded was carefully constructed and informed to the masses (when they were even informed). With all this information being available, it gives humans the freedom to think critically.