TSA#1 – Help out a Stranger

Jan 1, 2013 by Ben

Welcome to the first of the Truly Simple Actions for a new year.  Here’s how this works.

I have created a list of 52 simple things to make you and the world around you better.  Each week, on Mondays, I will post one simple action that you need to take that week.

Each week + one thing = life better.

Simple huh?  That’s the idea.

TSA #1:  Help out a Stranger

This week’s TSA isn’t about you, but you will most definitely get the benefit from this.  This weeks simple action is to help out a stranger.  This week you must break out of your routine and think of someone else.  You can be creative in how you accomplish this, but know this going in:

The more you do for someone, the better you will feel.

If this sounds scary to you start off small.  Let that car merge in front of you on the freeway.  Let that person who only has a few items check out ahead of you at the store.  It’s these little things that simply make that persons day better.  That feeling travels forward.  Then if that starts being more comfortable, step it up a little.  Pay for someones coffee behind you in the drive through or buy someone a meal that needs it.  Donate to a good cause to help others.

A big part of these simple actions that I propose each week is seeing tangible benefits that are demonstrably real, and this is why I started with this one.  Helping out someone else gives you a HUGE smile on your face and a wonderful feeling inside.  It is such a great feeling that you will want to continue doing nice things for others to keep the feeling going.

It’s a wonderful addiction.

So that’s it.  Right now, get out a sticky note or piece of paper and right down on it: TSA #1:  Help out a Stranger

Put it somewhere you will see it often and get going.  Think about some fun and simple ways you can help others and do it.  If you’ve got some great ideas, please post them in the comments.

Happy new year everyone.  Let’s start off 2013 right and make this year simply awesome.

Ben…

TSA = Truly Simple Actions The goal of the TSA project is to improve your life and help make this world a better place, one simple action at a time.  Take time this week to do this one simple thing.

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Nov 18, 2012 by Ben

Fall is the best time of year because of of one simple reason.  Pumpkin.  Pumpkin pie, pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin everything, and it is wonderful.  I love pumpkin and I love pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and you will too.

Here is what you will need to make these awesome cookies

These are very easy to make, and here is how you do it.

In a mixing bowl throw in one cup of canned pumpkin

add 1/2 cup vegetable oil

add one egg

add 1 cup white sugar and mix all that together.

In a separate bowl we are going to add all the dry ingredients together.

Stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt.

Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well. (not pictured)

When its all mixed up add the 2 cups of chocolate chips and mix it up.

Spoon out the cookies onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350°F for approximately 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

They will come out like this in all its pumpkin glory and everyone will love them and thus love you for making them.  Plus it makes your whole house smell like pumpkin, which is never bad.

I doubled the recipe to use the entire can of pumpkin, which may or may not have been a good idea, but it sure did make a whole ton of cookies!  Luckily I just send them to work with my wife and all the people in her hospital love her for it.

If you are looking for a good desert to make this fall, this is always a good one to make.

Also if you want to try something AMAZING, try the Pumpkin Snickerdoodles.

Ben…

If you’ve got a good pumpkin recipe, please send it over.  I love pumpkin!!

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I want to build this

Sep 27, 2012 by Ben

How awesome is this?  Someday I would love a yard full of these to convert into a huge picnic party.  You can even buy it on Amazon, but I think I’ll just build it myself.

Ben…

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Cool bookcase with hidden drawer

Jun 8, 2011 by Ben

 

I love secret compartments.  Who doesn’t?  Hidden doors, secret passageways, secret compartments, they are all awesome and I think everyone should have them.  That is why I love this bookcase so much.

This amazing woodworker, Brian Grabski, has created a masterpiece in this bookcase.

The hidden drawer is accessed via a special combination of the draws being pulled out into specific locations and then a secret nob pops out of a knot of wood.  Turning it and pushing it back in reveals the secret.  How ScoobyDoo cool is that?

 

Watch the video below to see this thing in action.

 

I love woodworking and greatly admire the skill and talent that went into this piece.  I need more furniture with hidden drawers, thats all there is too it.

Ben…

Check out Brians website http://designedandmade.com/

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Stolen laptop? Track it down!

May 31, 2011 by Ben

If you have a laptop you must read this post.

There have been two wonderfully awesome stories recently of people who have had their laptops stolen, but have had them returned to them via the internet.

And its not just the kindness of strangers on the internet, but rather a really cool James Bond-ish type of cyber tracking where the owners of the laptops have tracked down the thieves, found out who they were via the laptops webcam and via screenshots, where they were and then used the power of the internet to reclaim their laptops.

First was the story was from a guy named Sean Power, a Canadian author and tech consultant.  His laptop was stolen and using a program called Prey, he was able to track the thief and his laptop to a bar in New York.  He was able to then watch the thief via webcam and screenshots of his laptop sign into his Skype account, Gmail, bank account etc.  He used this info to relay to the police and thanks to some very friendly folks on twitter the laptop was returned with minor damage.

The second story just ended a few minutes ago with the police retrieving the stolen laptop from the thief who was a cab driver.  The owner of the laptop, Joshua Kaufman, used another program called Hidden, to track the thief, identify who and where he was, and was able to determine that the guy drove a cab.  He even created a website just to post the pics of the guy using his laptop.  http://thisguyhasmymacbook.tumblr.com/ The police used this to have the thief pick them up in his cab!  They were able to retrieve the laptop and arrest him and thus another happy ending.

Moral of these stories, is that if you own a laptop you ABSOLUTELY SHOULD take a look and install one of these programs on it while you still have it.

A couple of options

Prey: Works on Mac, PC, Linux – Free, but also has Pro account for more options

Hidden: Mac Only – Pricing start at $15 per year

I was telling the first story to my brother in law the other day who then told me that his laptop was just stolen a few days earlier.   doh!

Do yourself a favor and check out those programs and install one on your laptop.  Besides getting your laptop back it is so much fun to be able to watch and track the thief in real time.

Ben…

P.S. I installed Prey on my Macbook pro right after following that first story on twitter.

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