Distribute household chores fairly

Get control of chores once and for all - without becoming the household nag.

At Chorebuster.net you list the chores, rate them on degree of desirability/objectionableness, and the names of the people among whom chores are to be distributed.

Chorebuster.net then generates a weekly chart, with chores fairly distributed, that looks something like this:

You can have the chart emailed to you, and you can also print it out.

Since the software assigns the chores based on the parameters you feed it, little Johnny can't get mad at you when it's his turn to clean the toilet!

PSYCHOLOGICAL TIP: The key factor in getting kids to do their chores in not the system that you use, but in getting everyone committed to the system. One way to get such commitment is to involve all family members in deciding which chores need to be done, and in rating the chores in terms of desirability. When people are involved in the planning, they are more committed to the outcome.

Some parents pay kids to do chores. This is not a good idea. First of all, it leaves room for kids to refuse to do their tasks and forgo the money. Second, it undermines the idea that everyone in the family is expected to contribute the maintenance of your home.


Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

What's a blog?

If you are not quite sure what a blog is, and are too embarrassed to ask, this post is for you.

You may know that the word "blog" is a contraction of "web log," which was originally an online journal or diary. But did you know that "blog" was coined just a few years ago (by Peter Merholz) in 1999?

Blogs were originally online journals, but now many of them look like regular websites. But have 2 key features which differentiate them:

1. New content is added on a regular basis, with the most recent entry at the top.

2. Blogs are "syndicated." This means that you can subscribe to them and read their content without visiting the actual blog websites. Why would you want to do that? If you subscribe to several blogs, you can receive all their new content ("feeds") all at once, in a single web interface. You don't have to hop from blog to blog.

For this you'll need a blog aggregator or reader. The reader translates the syndication code (called RSS or Atom) into readable language.


Here's an example - a partial screen shot of my own Google Reader, which shows some of my blog subscriptions. The blogs are listed at the left, like folders in an email box.

There are 3 ways to view your blog subscriptions:

1. An online reader like Google Reader, Bloglines or Netvibes - set up an account and all the blogs you want to subscribe to. Access your blogs via your web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari) Or download the Sage extension for Firefox.

2. Microsoft Outlook and the Thunderbird email program, from Mozilla, the same group that created Firefox - Use the same interface as you do for email. Blogs are listed as folders.

3. Built-in functions and extensions in your browser - Internet Explorer and Safari have built-in readers. Each blog subscription is a bookmark on your toolbar. These are fine if you subscribe to just a couple of blogs, but if you have more than that, use a reader, where you can organize and view your feeds more efficiently.


Where to find feeds:

Through a blog reader: Google Reader, Bloglines and other RSS readers enable you to search for blogs by category or keyword.

Subscribe as you surf: Your favorite websites and blogs may offer feeds that you can sign up for right on the site's web page. Look for an icon like one of these:
Note: the above icons are not "live." But there is a live icon to subscribe to this blog, at the top right of this page.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

What's a dollar worth?

Everyone knows that a dollar doesn't buy what it used to -- or does it? The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics publishes a consumer price index (CPI) which is updated monthly. Check out their calculator that converts prices from yesteryear into today's dollars, adjusted for inflation.

For example, in 1981 a gallon of gas in the U.S. cost about $1.35. In today's dollars that's $3.05 - which is a few cents less than the current national averages reported by GasBuddy. Thus, it looks as if gas prices, in "real" dollars have not changed significantly.

However, when you compare from only a few years ago (e.g., 2002, when gas was $1.33) today's price, adjusted for inflation, should be only $1.52. You don't hear politicians and oil companies quoting that statistic.

Thus, the CPI is handy, but doesn't tell the whole story and it doesn't really explain price changes.

I wonder what movie popcorn "should" cost in today's dollars . . .


Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

750,000 free ebooks - July only

Just in time for your summer reading: The world Public library is holding its second annual ebook fair for the month of July, with free access to over 750,000 ebooks and audio books.

Here's an excerpt from the press release:

Readers are invited to search, browse and download eBooks at www.worldebookfair.com for one month starting Wednesday, July 4. Books for every taste and reading level are available in dozens of languages and formats.

Over 750,000 eBooks will be freely available at the second annual World eBook Fair. Leading providers of electronic books have provided free access to materials on nearly every topic. The World eBook Fair is a showcase for the range and importance of eBooks for enjoyment, education, research and literacy. ... [cont'd] ...

Over 100 separate eBook collections are available at one online address, www.worldebookfair.com. Collections cover a vast range, including fiction, historical documents, national literatures, children's literature, medicine and reference. In addition to English, eBooks appear in Hungarian, French, Japanese, Dutch, and many other languages.

No special eBook readers, software or devices are required to enjoy these eBooks. A Web browser and PDF viewer are all that is required.

... [cont'd] ...

These are all full text editions that are yours to download, read and keep. With 750,000 titles to select from, more eBooks are available than are found in 25 average public libraries.


===

The ebook fair ends Aug 4, so if you are interested in this opportunity, start browsing and downloading now, before you forget.


Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Link all your phone numbers to a single source

A couple of months ago I signed up for a free service called GrandCentral. They give you a phone number in your own area code, if available (USA only,) which controls all your calls and voicemails to all your various phone numbers - home, work, cell.

No need to give out all your various phone numbers. Just give your contacts your GrandCentral phone number. It will forward ringing and voicemail to any phone number that you choose - even several phones at once. For example, you can set your cell phone and home phone to ring at the same time - which is handy if you are expecting an important call. Or, you can set only one phone to ring, keeping your other lines silent.

Your GrandCentral phone number is permanent. Thus, if you change your home, work or cell phone number, there is no need to inform your contacts. They can continue to use your GrandCentral phone number, which you will simply forward to your new private number.

Forwarding calls to any and all of your phones is just one of many features. GrandCentral enables you to screen out selected callers or send them to a voicemail box for "spam" messages. You can also listen to voicemail as it's being recorded (rather than waiting till after it's recorded), check voicemail on the Web, and change from talking on a cell phone to a landline phone in the middle of a call without hanging up - useful when your cell reception starts to break up while talking.

Setting up your GrandCentral service takes a bit of effort, but if you want to have more control over your incoming phone calls and messages, it's worth a try.

GrandCentral was just acquired by Google. They are giving out phone numbers only by invitation at this point. I have 5 invites. If you're interested, write to me, and I'll get you started.


Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Mind-body connection at PPA

Just got back from the annual convention of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association. What great programs they had this year! The theme was The Mind-Body Connection. Two sessions on this theme were particularly interesting and enjoyable:

Dr. Sheldon Cohen, professor at Carnegie Mellon University summarized his research on who is most likely to catch a cold. He and his colleagues found that stress and and lack of friendships are more important factors than diet, exercise and other health practices. In other words, taking vitamins and supplements - and even an apple a day! - are not nearly as effective in preventing colds as nurturing friendships and learning to manage your stress. Here is a news article describing his research. And here's a link to a list of Dr. Cohen's publications.

Another session that impressed me was by Brother Bernard Seif, Ed.D. Dr. Seif is a Catholic monk, a licensed psychologist and a doctor of natural medicine and Chinese medicine. (And not surprisingly, his mp3 player is the "Creative Zen" brand....)

Dr. Seif practices complementary and alternative medicine with a scientific approach. Although it's not quite clear how certain attitudes and practices enhance one's ability to recover from serious illness, the research shows that the relationship between mind and body is definitely a major factor.

Check out these mainstream sources for articles, news and clinical trials:

• National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Medline Plus
  
• National Cancer Institute
  

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com