From http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2007/10/18/22-things-you-can-do-daily-to-improve-your-life/:
There is no such thing as instant improvement in life. Instead, you can only grow yourself. And as you know in agriculture, growth can only happen little by little over time. Bare eyes won't be able to see the growth of a tree daily, but over the years it will grow to a big tree.
Well, instead of modding that favorite pair of binoculars and slapping on two halves of a DualShock, just buy this cheap looking controller. It even gives you some extra buttons in the center, though what they are for we have no clue. After playing Call Of Duty with this thing for about a week you'll be ready for the wonderful world of hand cramping and arthritis that is sure to follow.
Designers Kukil Han, Daehyun Kim, Bojoong Kim and Jihwan Yun came up with this really neat design that they call the Bike Guide Concept. Basically, visitors and tourists can rent out one of the bicycles to a pre-selected destination that the bus will take them to. 
Similarly, you grow yourself little by little everyday. The things that you do daily may seem small and insignificant, but overtime people will be surprised to learn how much you have growth in life.
Therefore, to improve your life, the focus should be on the small things you do daily. The key word here is daily. If you do not have the persistence to do these small things consistently, you won't be able to see the results over the long term.
So here I'd like to share 22 things you can do daily to improve your life. Of course, you may not be able to do them all at once. Just start with the ones that benefit you most. Or, if you have done many of them, consider doing the ones that you haven't done yet.
Here they are:
- Be observant of what is going on around you. Open your eyes and ears. This way a lot of fresh ideas will come to you.
- Take notes of every idea that comes to your mind. Never let any idea goes uncaptured.
- Try to learn something from the people you meet. Find something you can learn in their words, their attitude, or even their mistakes.
- Bring a book or magazine wherever you go. This way you can use any gap time for reading.
- Allocate a minimum of 30 minutes to read a book.
- Meditate. It improves your clarity which in turn improves your effectiveness.
- Take time to reflect on your day. What have you done right? What have you done wrong? What can you do to improve yourself?
- Drink water a lot.
- Exercise.
- Read a collection of quotes. I like to use Random Quotations.
- Choose a quote of the day to ponder and apply. Preferably, it should come from your personal list of quotes which contains the quotes that resonate most with you.
- Take notes of every expense you make. This is an effective way to keep your finance under control.
- Do something for the first time. Either find something new you have never done before, or find a new way to do something (e.g. taking a different route to work). This is to increase your mental capacity.
- Effectively read online articles.
- Use timer to help you actually do what you need to do. Actually doing is the key to productivity.
- Learn to use a tool, either to improve your skill with a familiar tool or to learn a new tool. A good start is to learn the keyboard shortcuts of the software you usually use.
- Take time to review your life purpose and goals, preferably before doing the main activities of the day.
- Rise early.
- Listen to educational or motivational audio program when you are doing activities which do not need full concentration. Examples of such activities are exercising, driving, and queuing.
- Be grateful for your day. Being grateful helps you develop a positive attitude toward life.
- Read a random article from Wikipedia to expose you to new things you may never know before.
- Have fun. Having fun helps you be passionate about life.
"All of your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them." - ºoº Walt Disney ºoº
Misc. Gadgets I like...
From Technabob Blog:
Very interesting items. I would like them all pretty please.
Except maybe the PS3 controller - I don't have one of those - yet.
Posted: 11 Aug 2011 05:22 AM PDT
Cases will make your iPad only so comfortable, if you have use the device for hours a day, let's say on a plane or at home. This is where the ePillow comes in. It's going to make resting your iPad on your lap quite easier.
The ePillow provides a special resting place for your iPad, ensuring that it won't tip over. It kind of reminds me of those pillows that included a trays to allow people to use their laptops for long periods of time. The main difference is that the iPad is quite lighter. Anyway, maybe it will make your iPad easier to use for your kids.
The ePillow sells for $29.95(USD) on the Veyl Products website, and it's available in either brown or black. Or you could just stick your iPad on a normal pillow or cushion – like many of us already do – and be done with it!
Posted: 11 Aug 2011 05:26 AM PDT
A new company has developed an app that effectively turns your smartphone into a waiter, barista, basically anyone who takes your orders and processes your stuff. The company is called Pago Mobile, and their app is called Pago, which means "payment" in Spanish.
Pago Mobile works with establishments – coffee shops, restaurants, dry cleaners, you name it – to integrate the app into their point of sale system. So when you fire up Pago, you'll see a list of shops. You can then browse their offerings, order and pay even if you're not actually in the store, and without waiting for someone to notice that you've had your hand raised for 15 minutes, desperate for food, or that you've gone hoarse trying to get the bartender's attention at the club.
Here's an interview that TechCrunch did with Pago Mobile founder and CEO Leo Rocco. Skip to 4:10 if you want to see a demo of the app:
Check out Pago's website for more info and for download links to the iPhone, Android and Blackberry apps. A Windows 7 version is coming soon. As of now, Pago only has ties with establishments in Mountain View, California and Las Vegas – prime spots to attract attention and investors. Frankly I'm surprised it's taken this long for something like this to be invented, but on the other hand it can't be easy to earn the support of hundreds, if not thousands of businesses. Overall I think Pago's a really neat app and will make customer's lives easier. The question is, what will happen when everyone is using Pago?
[via TechCrunch]
Posted: 11 Aug 2011 05:30 AM PDT
Smart watches are the way of the future, and the design studio Blue Sky have come up with the touchscreen I'm Watch, that syncs with your smartphone via Bluetooth. It works with iPhones and Android devices. Status updates are directly fed into one of the screens of the watch.
The watch allows users to write text messages, email, tweet, check up on Facebook status updates, etc. You can even make and receive phone calls, thanks to the built-in speaker. The watch has a square 240 pixel face that measures 1.5″. The watch has 4GB of storage and 64MB of RAM.
It comes in two flavors, the I'm Color series in red, yellow, blue green, pink, black and white which will sell for €249 (~$354 USD), while the slightly more ridiculous I'm Jewel series comes in gold, pink gold, white gold, titanium, or encrusted with diamonds for €600 to €15,000 (~$853 to $21,325 USD). The I'm Watch is currently available for pre-order on their website.
[via TechCrunch via designboom]
Posted: 11 Aug 2011 05:00 AM PDT
Finding the normal PS3 controller a little too rigid for your liking? Maybe you want something that has a bit of a bend to it. Something that combines the bending properties of binoculars with Sony's controller.
Well, instead of modding that favorite pair of binoculars and slapping on two halves of a DualShock, just buy this cheap looking controller. It even gives you some extra buttons in the center, though what they are for we have no clue. After playing Call Of Duty with this thing for about a week you'll be ready for the wonderful world of hand cramping and arthritis that is sure to follow.
I looked around and I'm not sure where you would buy it (at your own risk), however you can get it wholesale here for $21.00 (USD) if you buy 1-5 controllers, or here for about $13, or lower in quantity.
"All of your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them." - ºoº Walt Disney ºoº
Bike Guide Concept
From Technabob Blog:
I.WANT! Then I would go biking in a group and not worry about getting hit by a car.
I love to ride bikes just worried about the whole people not paying attention and killing me concept.
Paranoid much - YES!
Posted: 11 Aug 2011 04:40 AM PDT
All the cars lining up the streets don't make for a very pretty sight. The recent wave of erratic weather has also convinced me to start living a greener and more eco-friendly life, but you can't really take your bike or electric car with you while you're traveling – or can you?
Designers Kukil Han, Daehyun Kim, Bojoong Kim and Jihwan Yun came up with this really neat design that they call the Bike Guide Concept. Basically, visitors and tourists can rent out one of the bicycles to a pre-selected destination that the bus will take them to.Once dropped off, you can bike away in the woods or in the trail that you've chosen before going back to the designated bus stop to go back home. Each bike would be equipped with an advanced navigation system to make sure that you don't get lost along the way.
Not only is it a unique and totally new way to discover a new city or place, but it's also eco-friendly because of the bike factor, and the single vehicle to transport riders. Make the bike guide bus a hybrid or electric car and the whole concept could be executed with no emissions.
[via Yanko Design]
"All of your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them." - ºoº Walt Disney ºoº
TRON Clothing
From Technobob blog:
I should have just fwded the whole thing - everything is so cool.
I love Disney and hello TRON is Disney - Love this cool mod of clothing.
Posted: 10 Aug 2011 08:49 AM PDT
This TRON costume is everything that I ever hoped and dreamed for in any TRON movie and yet, so much more. Beautiful scantily clad women with luminescent clothing. Yes, more of this in TRON please!
Etsy seller ArtificeClothing offers up all kinds of sexy clothing, but it is the TRON inspired pieces like the one shown above that catch your eye. This sexy geek-wear glows when it gets about 10 minutes of bright light exposure. They recommend charging them for an hour under bright light and they are then good for about 12 hours.
This item is listed for $105.00 CAD ($109.73 USD), but don't expect to get the whole get-up for that price. That money just buys you the underbust corset. You'll have to complete this outfit by buying all of the pieces.
[via Etsy]
"All of your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them." - ºoº Walt Disney ºoº
Okami
From Technabob Blog:
OMG I saw this post and instantly knew my baby girl would fall in love. lol
Just.like.me.
<Squee>
Posted: 10 Aug 2011 08:50 PM PDT
We've featured our share of cool video game costumes over the years, but cosplay for pets is a little less common. That doesn't mean that it's can't be just as awesome as human cosplay, like this animal costume inspired by Ōkami.
The guys over at Practical Evil dressed up Dante the Samoyed as the game's canine protagonist. Not only does he have the fiery shield and white wings, but he even has the facial markings of the game's dog (applied with dog-safe food coloring, of course.)
If you'd like to dress up your own pooch in the same Amaterasu get-up as Dante, head on over to Practical Evil for full details. Note that it probably won't look quite as good if your pup is a chihuahua or pekingese.
"All of your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them." - ºoº Walt Disney ºoº
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