Norad is done with their preparations for tracking Santa this year too and like last year this time too they will be tracking Santa’s movement on Christmas Eve.

However, the interesting thing this year is the presence of Twitter. This year, you’ll be able to track Santa using Twitter, via the @noradsanta account. 

Below is a video from last year….NORAD tracking Santa around the world!

Via

After having conversed with a lot of friends, i can say that these 4 rules apply to all and must be kept in mind always. These rules can certainly help one sail the rough waters during recession.

Recession

1.) Always have an alternate skill handy: This is one of the most useful tip i can give you. If you have a hobby, try developing it and giving it a professional edge. What is also important is the fact that you should be able to monetize it if need or time comes. Ideally, this skill is something you should always be able to bet upon, if god forbid, need arises. 

2.) Out of Sight is Out of Mind: Never ever get out of sight from your Professional Network. In this current age of information technology, one thing that you can always bet upon is your Network. Your alternate skill clubbed with your Network, should be able to help you get out of the Recession smoothly. If you dont have a good professional network, start developing one. Attend the Open Coffee Club or other meetups like the Barcamp in your city and network with like minded people. 

3.) In the age of recession, cash flow positive wins: This rule applies to all from startups to big companies to even individuals. If you happen to be investing only in stocks and mutual funds, this is the time to learn; do keep a particular percentage of cash in bank. This cash should help you get the liquidity if such a situation comes. Ideally this liquidity should be around 5-6 months of your take home salary. 

4.) Never ever delay with your Insurance renewals: Do not wait till the last date to get your health, life, medical or car insurance renewed. Sometimes a slight delay can lead to a lifelong trouble.

Do you have any other rules to share? Do comment and i shall update the same in the post.

Also Read: Starting with Self Development

10 tips to help you increase your Kid’s confidence

Keeping your COOL helps you heal faster

Ways to get more out of your Life

Google has released SketchUp 7. Official Google Blog says 

SketchUp is software you can use to build 3D models of anything: your house, killer robots, furniture, trees, abstract art — anything. Architects and engineers use it to design buildings and other structures. Woodworkers use it to plan their projects. And lots of people use it to figure out where to put their furniture. SketchUp is easy to learn, it comes in free and Proversions, and it’s more fun than a houseful of clowns. Oh, and you can use it to build models for Google Earth, too.

So whats new in SketchUp 7?

1.) Its easier to get started with SketchUp 7.
2.) Sharing and collaborating with others is easier in SketchUp 7.
3.) SketchUp 7 adds more powerful features for Pro Users.

The below embedded video explains the concept of Dynamic Objects in SketchUp 7. Dynamic components have intelligent behaviors built in. This video shows some of the possibilities available to you.

Also read: [How-To] Embed Video and Pictures within an existing Video

Understanding Keyloggers

This post describes an interesting process of tracking your Stolen laptop using a free software called Adeona.

Track your Stolen Laptop

All you need to do to get regular updates about the Laptop when it is connected to the internet are the following steps

1.) Install Adeona.

2.) Save the .ost file you get while installing the software.

3.) Run the recovery tool which comes alongwith the installation of Adeona. 

4.) Provide important information like the .ost file, password etc and you can get the details about the last Ips your laptop was connected with..the access point etc.

Check out the detailed post on Technofriends about Stolen laptop recovery here.

Also read: Understanding Keyloggers

Creating Powerful Presentations with Nancy Duarte

Understanding HTTP Response Codes

Self-Development is the science and art of taking personal responsibility for one’s own learning and development through a process of assessment, reflection, and taking action. 

Self Development starts when an individual starts to access, believe and challenge self. To begin with you can start with some interesting ways to help you get more from life and then start accessing your achievement, believing in the fact that you can still gain more and take action to achieve that. 

Lifehacker has an interesting post on this today and the post lists down 4 strategies as

1.) Make it easy to get new information in.
Watching a TED talk or PopTech talk each day (7-23 minutes in length) is a great way to get started. Learning about what’s happening “out in the world” will better prepare you to engage with people in conversation, get to know what’s important to them, and be someone they trust for years to come. Complement your “world news” diet with these inspiring talks.

2.) Reach out and meet the people you can learn from in your community.
Want to meet someone? Reach out, call or write them a letter and ask for the introduction. Whenever I read a book, hear someone speaking on the radio, or am told about someone doing something incredible, I look them up, and invite them to meet over coffee. So what that not every person says yes…it works and I’ve met some amazing people!

3.) Pick up the phone and write a card to reach out and touch someone!
When I taught high school from 1995-2000, I called five students a day…every day. I talked with them—as well as their parents—sharing my enthusiasm for my “product,” and “sold” them on returning the next day engaged, prepared and ready to participate. Today, I send a minimum of one note card a day sharing my gratitude or acknowledgment for things people are doing. Who can you call or write today?

4.) Spend time sharing with a “listener.”
Share your goals, roles, plans and challenges with someone who will listen, accept and help you create new solutions for implementing your ideas. Sometimes just hearing yourself talk will inspire you to action!

The other interesting ways i personally use are

1.) Maintain a learning log which you can always go back to. It helps you analyze and track your learning progress.

2.) Try to write a personal vision and mission statement. It helps you stay focussed on your goals and needs.

3.) Become involved with Professional Organizations or Networking events. This will help you meet new people with like minded ideas. It also helps you get more ideas and learn from their experiences.

4.) Find a mentor who can provide you with support, advice, and assistance in your career direction. Mentors are great help and they can help you get their faster because of their experience and capabilities; therefore choose one with care.

5.) Read professional blogs and magazines of your subject. They help you stay connected with the latest developments.

What are the ways you follow to track and grow with your Self Development? Do share in the comments.

Also read: Ways to get more out of your Life

Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

A group of Stanford University researchers specializing in artificial intelligence have developed software that makes such a switch relatively simple. The researchers, computer science graduate students Ashutosh Saxena and Siddharth Batra, and Assistant Professor Andrew Ng, see interesting potential for the technology they call ZunaVision.

ZunaVision is a technology that allows users to seamlessly and photorealistically “embed” pictures, logos, videos and advertisements within their videos.

Check out the video below which shows ZunaVision in action.

Also read: Understanding Keyloggers

Giveaway of the Day - Edraw Max

Self confidence is the key to success. It not only helps you explore the world and achieve more but also helps one make more friends and gain more control over one’s life. With this in mind, its important that we help our kids get more confident right from their childhood, as low levels of confidence and self esteem in the children can lead to distress and lower levels of self control during teenage and adult life.

Confident children learn and grow fast.

This post will introduce you to 10 tips which can certainly help you increase your kid’s self confidence and esteem.

1.) Get Involved: This is one of the basic ways to start with. What this means is that as a parent you should get involved with your kids activities. Help him or her with his school homework or other chores. Attend the parent teacher meetings, sport activities, get involved with art, play or whatever other things you can. This will not only help you understand your kid better, it will also help your kid get more closer to you.

2.) Show your affection: You need to show your affection to the kid. This can either be in the form of talking to them, and making them know that you care. Its important that you create a warm and friendly environment in your family. Such an environment will help your kid grow and flourish better.

3.) Give them clear and simple tasks: You can start off by giving your kid a simple task like watering the plants. Whatever task you give, ensure that its simple and the instructions to do the task are clear. This helps the kid get a sense of achievement and also teaches him or her the importance of daily tasks. 

4.) Get a Pet: As a kid usually one is always a receptor. Get a pet at your home, this will help him or her learn to show respect and care for the animals. It also gives him or her an opportunity to come out of the receptor role. 

5.) Always praise their efforts and make them feel special: Its important that the sense of achievement stays with the kid. This helps one by keeping the motivation level up. Even if the kids don’t understand the fact that they are being praised, the good vibes from your words and the facial expression will make them feel good.

6.) Understand their fears: As a human we do have some fears within us. The key to grow is by conquering those fears. Dont make fun of your kid’s fears. Understand his or her fears and work towards getting it conquered. Its also important that you let them come with a solution themselves. Be a good listener.

7.) Teach them how: You need to teach your toddler how to do things rather than telling or scolding them over small things. Scolding a kid has very negative impact and leads to distress and low self esteem.

8.) Dont demand perfection: As a parent, we tend to demand lot of perfection from our kids, be it in studies or in sports. We need to learn to live with imperfection in this imperfect world. Instead of demanding for perfection, try to set examples and be a role model for your kid. He or she will understand and will grow as a better human being.

9.) Criticism is essential if needed: Criticism is essential if you feel that your kid needs to learn a lesson. Just remember that you shouldn’t be overdoing it.

10.) Truthfulness: Be truthful to their queries and concerns. Explain to them in a way which is apt for their age and understanding. They will later respect you for this. 

Also read: Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

Ways to get more out of your Life

Yes, we read about Pomegranate earlier in the post about 4 Natural Super Foods. In this post, lets see how Pomegranate can help you fight from high blood pressure to cancer.

Pomegranates protects you from High Blood Pressure and Cancer

Pomegranates are known to have high amounts of antioxidants, anti-carcinogenics, anti-inflammatory and even antimicrobial properties. Lets see how Pomegranates help us stay fit.

High Blood Pressure: Ideal Blood pressure levels are known to be 80/120. When given to patients with high blood pressure, pomegranate juice is known to have dropped systolic numbers.

Prostate and Breast Cancer: Pomegranate juice and extract is known to trigger the death of both prostate and breast cancer cells which are cancerious in nature. Try drinking 2 glasses of Pomegranate juice or have 1 full pomegranate if you are one of those who suffers from Prostate or Breast Cancer.

Also read: Keeping your COOL helps you heal faster

Ways to get more out of your Life

Most of us just can’t resist the smell and taste of a freshly prepared pizza. Though, we all are aware of the  calories a slice of pizza feeds into us, we are actually not aware of the fact that we can reduce the number of calories we intake from a pizza by following just a few simple tricks.

Also read:  4 Natural SuperFoods worth eating

1.) Insist on thin crust pizzas instread of a thick crust.

2.) Add more veggies as part of the toppings, this helps you get more fibre for proper bowel movement and therefore better digestion. Some veggies to consider can be Onions, Mushrooms, Peppers. They are rich in fibre and low on calories.

3.) Its the colas or the pepsi’s of the world that usually win when it comes to a side drink with the pizza, try replacing this with a lemonade or an ice tea. This will help you cut down the calories and at the same time, give you a shot of vitamin C and also anti oxidants.

4.) The best of all strategies, try to cut down the portion size. A bigger portion size effectively means more calories which comes from the refined flour used in the pizza.

5.) If  you are preparing your pizza at home, try using whole wheat and tortillas for the base.

Also read: [How-To] Know if you need eye glasses

More health related posts

Blogosphere

Google Analytics Gets a Major Ugrade (AdSense, Custom Reports, API, Bubble Charts) : Google Analytics just got better. Starting today Google will start rolling out new features like Custom Reports, AdSense integration, few User Interface Tweaks etc..

How to accurately estimate and forecast in project management : This interesting post talks about the four essential elements to ensure the accuracy of estimates in any plan. Following the four essential elements ensures that the estimates for any project plan are accurate.

The Smart Way to Create a Sense of Urgency : Interesting post which talks about a way to create a sense of Urgency for your buyers making them buy your products sooner than later.

Go! Animate: Create animations with Ease: If you are one of those who doesnt possess a good technical knowledge of Softwares like Flash or is someone who struggles with his/her drawing talent, Go! Animate is the website to check.