Archive for the “Recommendations” category
Matt • 17th Jan 2010 • Recommendations
Well here we are, a couple weeks into a new year and what’s the main thing on your mind? Well if you’re nerdy like me you’re wanting your computer to be in tip-top shape. You are nerdy, aren’t you?
Anyway, here’s a great link that I found recently when my Macbook Pro started running a little sluggishly. I followed most of the advice on the link and it definitely sped things up for me. And I added a gigabyte of memory at Christmas (thanks mom and dad) and this was another inexpensive and simple way to get more out of my aging laptop (whose battery will be the next to fix, I think).
Hope this helps… and if you don’t have a Mac, I’ve got a link for you, too.
Matt • 21st Dec 2009 • Decisions, Life Lessons, Recommendations
There’s a blog that I recently started reading called Get Rich Slowly. It’s a personal finance blog that has articles about sensible ways to manage money better and to live a good financial life. The whole point of the blog is that virtually anyone can get rich slowly by making good decisions daily. The author makes sure to note that “being happy is more important than being rich” and so this is a guy that’s worth listening to.
I was reading some of his “best of” blog posts today and wanted to share one with you that struck a chord with me. The article is called The Power of Yes: A Simple Way To Get More Out Of Life. His advice for living a better life is simple: start saying ‘yes.’ Not everyone needs this tidbit, but for many people this is precisely what is holding them back. I know that it is something that I deal with daily and I’m happy to say that I began to learn this lesson earlier this year when I was in Zambia. I was living with people who were constantly asking me to do things, many of which made me quite uncomfortable (not because they were bad things but because I get uncomfortable easily.. I had two options: block or yield. I decided very early on to yield as much as possible and this was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
This might seem a little ‘motivational-speaker-ish’ but have a look at that article if you’d like. It’s a good one.
Matt • 17th Dec 2009 • Africa, Recommendations, Zambikes
If you’re looking for a non-traditional gift for someone you love… Please consider the following two options.
Donate a bicycle to a medical worker/pastor/person in need in Zambia. Zambikes / Acirfa is the company I worked with this year and I can vouch for the good use they put donations to. Just click on this image, and make a donation in someone you love’s honor.
Eden Reforestation Projects is an organization that is reducing poverty around the world through environmental stewardship. They are doing incredible work in Ethiopia, Madagascar, Sudan, and Haiti and you can help them plant trees with your donation. They even have a great looking stocking stuffer that you can print out and give to the person/people you are donating in honor of. Please make use of this opportunity.
Matt • 16th Dec 2009 • Recommendations
Everyone who “surfs the net” (when will that metaphor go away?) has a routine of how they do it… some people first check email, facebook and twitter are next, then they hit up the blog circuit to catch up on everyone’s deepest darkest thoughts. Others have eBay auctions that get checked first and foremost, and still others log into AOL and live in that world. I’d like to talk about how people read blogs though, and possibly help some of you who might not be utilizing technology to its fullest.
There are two basic styles of blog reading. The oldschool and simple way is to save each blog as a bookmark and visit each individually to check and see if there has been any activity since you last checked. I did this for a long time. This is not bad. (more…)
Matt • 9th Aug 2009 • Recommendations
Your Sunday recommendation this week is a band called Monsters of Folk. The band is comprised of 4 well-respected musicians, Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James and singer/songwriter M.Ward. Their album is set to be released September 22nd, but three songs are available for download now on iTunes.
Do yourself the favor and have a listen and download the tracks. Be sure to listen to all three… they’re all pretty different and all SO good.
Matt • 12th Jun 2009 • Recommendations
Back in June 2008 the Polaroid Company officially stopped production of their instant polaroid films of all types in order to join the 21st century and move their company toward digital photography. This announcement was met, of course, with groans from those of us who love taking polaroid pictures, and people like me stockpiled this film that would soon be extinct.
Enter The Impossible Project. This is a company that has acquired Polaroid’s old machinery and is devoted to updating the old technology and creating a new film for old cameras. This is SUCH good news and I look forward to years and years of oldschool photography with this film, thanks to The Impossible Project.
If by any chance you don’t own a polaroid camera, I would recommend you pick one up and begin the quest for your inner self through the use of ye olde technology.
Matt • 10th Jun 2009 • Africa, Recommendations
Here’s an article that was recently published in an Azusa Pacific alumni magazine.
Zambikes APU Article
Enjoy.
Matt • 30th Apr 2009 • Life Lessons, Recommendations
And I don’t care who knows it!
Tell your mom you love her, and not just bcause Mother’s Day is coming… Because you actually do.
