Many of us attempt to measure our happiness based on the duration of certain favorable experiences in our lives.  The longer a favorable experience lasts, the happier we think we’ll be.  But the truth is, life is simply a string of small, independent moments that are always changing.  Thus, a few minutes well spent here and there can make a big difference in what we get out of life in the long-term.

Here are 30 things you can do in 30 minutes or less that will have a positive emotional effect on you and those closest to you.  And yes, I realize some of these suggestions may lead to activities and projects that will likely take longer than 30 minutes to complete; but they still take far less than 30 minutes to start.  So go ahead and do the hardest part, use the next 30 minutes to START, and then pick up where you left off tomorrow.

1. Learn something new by starting a free course at one of the hundreds of online self-education resources bookmarked here: 12 Dozen Places To Educate Yourself Online For Free.
2. Watch one of the thousands of educational videos streaming at TED.com, Academic Earth, or Khan Academy.
3. Read an online book list and find a new book to grab next time you’re at the library.  Here’s another list.  And another.  And another.  And another.  Or find a good read on Amazon’s Best Sellers List.
4. Start reading a classic book online for free at Project Gutenberg, The Online Books Page, Gizmo’s Free Books Online, or the E-books Directory.
5. Take a 30 minute break and work on something that’s meaningful to you.  Engage yourself in a meaningful personal project, or pull the trigger on (more…)

The web is a powerful resource that can easily help you learn new skills.  You just have to know where to look.  Sure, you can use Google, Yahoo, or Bing to search for sites where you can learn new skills, but I figured I’d save you some time.

Here are the top 40 sites I have personally used over the last few years when I want to learn something new.

1. Hack a Day – Hack a Day serves up fresh hacks (short tutorials) every day from around the web and one in-depth ‘How-To hack’ guide each week.
2. eHow – eHow is an online community dedicated to providing visitors the ability to research, share, and discuss solutions and tips for completing day-to-day tasks and projects.
3. Wired How-To Wiki – Collaborate with Wired editors and help them build their extensive library of projects, hacks, tricks and tips.  Browse through hundreds how-to articles and then add to them, or start a new one.
4. MAKE Magazine – Brings the do-it-yourself (DIY) mindset to all of the technology in your life.  MAKE is loaded with cool DIY projects that help you make the most of the technology you already own.
5. 50 Things Everyone Should Know How To Do – While not totally comprehensive, here is a list of 50 things everyone should know how to do.  It’s a great starting point to learn new skills.
6. wikiHow – A user based collaboration to build and share the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual.
7. Lifehacker – An award-winning daily blog that features tips, shortcuts, and downloads that help you get things done smarter and more efficiently.
8. 100+ Google Tricks That Will Save You Time – Today, knowing how to use Google effectively is a vital skill.  This list links out to enough Google related resources to make you an elite Google hacker.
9. Instructables – Similar to MAKE, Instructables is a web-based documentation platform where passionate people share what they do and how they do it, and learn from and collaborate with others as the tackle new projects and learn new skills.
10. Merriam-Webster Online – In this digital age, your ability to communicate with written English is paramount skill.  And M-W.com is the perfect resource to improve your English now.
11. Lumosity – Learn to improve your memory by playing a series of fun and educational brain training games.
12. 100 Skills Every Man Should Know – Another compilation article with instructions to help you learn new skills.  This one says it’s geared for men, but I think most of these skills are applicable to women as well.
13. 5min Life Videopedia – Lot’s of great tutorials and DIY videos.
14. HowStuffWorks – Knowledge is power.  While this site isn’t exactly geared to help you learn new skills, it contains so much useful information that you’re bound to learn a skill or two while you browse.
15. StumbleUpon – A collective set of recommendations from thousands of hours of searching by web users who share your interests.  It’s basically a recommendation engine.  Users add to this engine by providing their personal recommendations on what sites are worth your time.  If you select topics and tags of interest like ‘Self-Improvement‘ and ‘DIY,’ you’ll be learning new skills in no time.
16. Work.com – An extensive directory of how-to guides for beginning entrepreneurs.
17. Howcast – Hosts professional how-to videos as well as how-to wiki tutorials.  Howcast combines user ideas with the expertise of professional studio video to deliver what is nothing short of amazing, informative content.
18. VideoJug – The video content on this site covers a variety of topics including informative ‘How To’ and ‘Ask The Expert’ films that guide you step-by-step through everything and anything in life.
19. MakeUseOf – A booming daily blog that features cool websites, computer tips, and downloads that make you more productive.  Lot’s of insightful tips and tricks to learn.
20. WonderHowTo – This site is focused on one clear organizing principle: aggregating and linking to truly great, free how-to videos from which you can learn new skills.
21. SuTree – Another useful aggregator of how-to videos from all around the web.
22. Zen Habits – The ultimate productivity and self-improvement blog.  Zen Habits is about finding simplicity in the daily chaos of our lives.  It’s about clearing the clutter so we can focus on what’s important, create something amazing, and find happiness.  Lot’s of learning material here.
23. Academic Earth – Online degrees and video courses from leading universities.
24. About.com Videos – Another solid collection of how-to video tutorials.
25. PCWorld How-To – Lot’s of useful tutorials and guides related to fixing and modifying computers and other electronic gadgets.
26. Spreeder – This site is focused on teaching you one new skill:  speed reading.  And it does a great job of doing so.
27. Woopid – Watch free technology training videos.  Get help and answer your computer and gadget questions with thousands of video tutorials for PCs, Macs, and various software applications.
28. DIY Network – A go-to destination for rip-up, knock-out home improvement projects.  The site offers expert answers the most sought-after questions regarding creative projects for DIY enthusiasts.
29. Scitable – A free science library and personal learning tool that currently concentrates on genetics, the study of evolution, variation, and the rich complexity of living organisms.  The site also expects to expand into other topics of learning and education.
30. All Recipes – A complete guide to recipes and cooking tips.  If you’d like to learn to be a better cook, this site is for you.
31. 43 Folders – This site is more about inspiring you to follow-through with your goals than it is about learning new skills.  But I think following-through with your goals is a skill.  Most people never quite get there.
32. Dumb Little Man – Another awesome productivity and self-improvement blog hosting lots of useful information.
33. iTunes U – Hundreds of universities — including Stanford, Yale and MIT — distribute lectures, slide shows, PDFs, films, exhibit tours and audio books through iTunes U.  The Science section alone contains content on topics including agriculture, astronomy, biology, chemistry, physics, ecology and geography.
34. American Sign Language Browser – Teach yourself sign language online.
35. BBC Languages – Teach yourself a new spoken language online.
36. Delicious Popular DIY – Lots of popular DIY articles bookmarked by users from all over the web.
37. Khan Academy – Over 1200 videos lessons covering everything from basic arithmetic and algebra to differential equations, physics, chemistry, biology and finance.  Lot’s of educational material to help you learn new skills.
38. The Happiness Project – Learn the skills necessary to create happiness in your life.
39. How To Do Things – Another solid collection of how-to tutorials.
40. ShowMeDo – A peer-produced video-tutorials and screencasts site for free and open-source software.  The large majority are free to watch and download.

Also, check out these books for more ideas on pertinent life skills:

• 3,684 Things You Should Have Learned but Probably Didn’t
• The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge
• The Experts’ Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do

Photo by: vramak

You don’t always have to work hard to be productive.  Productivity can simply be the side effect of doing the right things.

So here’s a list of 29 semi-productive things I do online when my mind is set on avoiding ‘real work.’

1. Check delicious popular tags like ‘useful,’ ‘tutorials,’ ‘tips,’ ‘howto,’ ‘advice,’ ‘entrepreneurship,’ etc. for interesting, educational articles to read.
2. Watch one of the thousands of educational videos streaming at TED.com, Academic Earth and Teacher Tube.
3. Read an online book list and find a new book to grab next time I’m at the library.  Here’s another list.  And another.  And another.
4. Read a classic book online for free at Project Gutenberg, Planet eBook, or the E-books Directory.
5. Research a new Do It Yourself project at DIY Network, Instructables, eHow, or WikiHow.
6. Add to, delete from, or just generally sort my ongoing to-do list at Remember The Milk.
7. Create a cool graphical mind map of some of my recent ideas at bubbl.us.
8. Email a close friend or family member I haven’t spoken to in awhile.
9. Share my favorite mp3s, photos, videos, etc. with friends and family using Dropbox.
10. Backup my recent photos, documents, and other important files online using Microsoft’s free 25 gig SkyDrive.
11. Use Wikipedia’s random article function to pick a random article to read.
12. Touch up on my math and science skills over a the Khan Academy, MIT OpenCourseWare, or LearningScience.org.
13. Send a paper greeting card directly to a friend or relative at enGreet.
14. Start learning a new language online for free at BBC Languages or Livemocha.
15. Watch one of the insightful 6 minute and 40 second presentations at Ignite Show.
16. Use Memorize Now to memorize a cool joke, or poem, or whatever.
17. Use Media Convert to convert video files I have on my computer into a format I can view on my iPhone or iPod later on.
18. Listen to an educational podcast over at Odeo or via iTunes on iTunes U.
19. Read one of the academic journals at the Directory of Open Access Journals.
20. Get a free college education online using this guide from Lifehacker (or read one of the other useful articles on Lifehacker).
21. Inspire and spark my creative mind by looking at a rolling slideshow of the highest rated photos on Flickr for the last 7 days.
22. Catch up on a short history lesson at HyperHistory or The Internet History Sourcebooks Project.  Or find out what happened today in history.
23. Take a fun, educational online quiz at Quizlet.
24. Play an educational online game at Lumosity, Sporcle, Games for the Brain, or Math Run.
25. Add a little gentle rain to my environment using RainyMood.com and then simply meditate and relax in my computer chair for 10 minutes.
26. Sell old stuff I no longer need on eBay and make a little extra cash.
27. Find a new musical artist to listen to based on music I like at Grooveshark, Pandora, last.fm, or Deezer.
28. Find out what’s happening in our world from quality international news sources like BBC News and Reuters.
29. Write a blog post like this one.

Oh, and ever since I bought my new (super sexy) Apple iPad, I’ve been enjoying all of these sites on the go and catching looks from almost everyone who passes me while I browse.

So what kind of semi-productive things do you do online in your off-time?  Please share them with us in the comments section below.

Photo by: Colorblind Picaso Party Casino

Regular note-taking is one of the most productive habits a person can practice.  The ability to take notes online and access them anytime, from any location is priceless.  Over the last few years, I have personally tested nearly 100 different ways to do this.  Some of these note-taking systems are worth mentioning, and some are worth forgetting.

Here are the systems worth mentioning… a list of 40 useful online note-taking techniques and web applications, categorized and listed in no particular order:

Casual Online Note-Taking

When your note-taking requirements call for speed and simplicity…

• Gmail Yourself a Note – I used to do this several times a day.  If you have a smartphone with email access, this is one of the quickest and most basic ways to create an online note on the fly.  I setup a special “to-do list” Gmail label (folder) for storing and processing all of my notes.
• Delicious-Tag a Note – Quite frequently we find articles online that remind us to do something, or inspire us to try something.  Tagging these articles with a “personal note” tag and entering an insightful comment in each bookmark’s “notes” area turns Delicious into a productive note-taking (and collaboration) tool.
• Tweet a Note via Twitter – Create yourself a separate, private twitter account with protected updates strictly for note-taking purposes.  Direct-message notes to this private note-taking account from any Twitter client (via web, iPhone, etc.).
• Use Dropbox to Sync a Note Across Multiple Computers – Dropbox is a web-based file hosting service that uses networked storage to enable users to store and share files across the Internet using file synchronization.  So imagine creating a note-taking or to-do list document that was synchronized across all of your computes (work, home, etc.)  Every time you modify the note on one computer, the changes are instantly accessible elsewhere on your other computers.
• Luminotes – This is one of my favorites.  It’s a simple and efficient personal wiki notebook.  The key feature of Luminotes is its ability to easily link one note or notebook to the next.  You can also attach small files to notes and share them with your friends.
• Notefish – If you’re doing a lot of online research, Notefish is for you.  It’s a web application that allows you to take notes from portions of web pages by copying and pasting content into one handy online note page.  You can then organize the notes by moving them around, changing their colors and breaking them down into categories and titled subsections.
• list.it – A pet project of MIT CSAIL researchers, list.it is a Firefox browser plug-in designed for simple, efficient online note-keeping.  Its key focus is on speed and simplicity.  If you register for their free sync service, your notes will be securely backed up online.  Also, if you install list.it on multiple computers, your notes will be mirrored to all of them.
• Yahoo! Notepad – If you already have a Yahoo! account, you can give Yahoo! Notepad a try with your current login credentials.  It’s a very basic, straightforward online note-taking application.  Yahoo! also provides a widget front-end for Yahoo! Notepad.  This widget allows you to add, edit, organize and delete contacts from your Yahoo! Notepad directly from the widget.
• 3tags – A simple online note manager that provides web users with a secure way to store and manage their personal information online.  Data security and user privacy are the key features.  In short, user data is encrypted before it is sent to and stored on 3tags’ servers.
• WebNotes – With WebNotes you can highlight text and stick customized notes onto any web page.  All highlights and notes are cataloged and organized in folders within your WebNotes account.  Pages you take notes on can be shared through email or via online links.
• TiddlyWiki – If you already run a web server and prefer to host your own note-taking service, TiddlyWiki is for you.  It’s a reusable non-linear personal web notebook that can be run locally or hosted on a web server.  It creates a single html file which has all the characteristics of a wiki, including all of the content, the functionality (editing, saving, tagging and searching).  My company used it as an online collaboration notebook for about 6 months during a product launch, and it worked well.
• Mojonote – A simple online interface for storing and managing your ideas, goals, recipes, contacts, memos, notes, schedules, wishlists, playlists, etc.  Mojonote has a pretty decent calendar and ‘to-do list’ reminder system.  It can send you reminders via text message or email.
• MyStickies – Great for online research, it allows you to place little yellow digital notes anywhere on any website.  MyStickies also offers a powerful interface to browse, search, sort, and edit your notes from any computer that has internet access.
• Diigo – Also great for online research, it’s basically a combination of MyStickies and Delicious.  Diigo combines online sticky notes, website highlighting, and social bookmarking in one convenient package.
• Fruitnotes – Allows you to create and organize notes online.  Fruitnotes’ key feature is it’s ability to accept voice notes by calling a specific phone number, though currently this feature is only available in the US and UK.  It also allows you to create a blog for sharing your notes and collaborating with other users.

Quick Online Notes for Public Sharing

When you need a quick, temporary online repository for notes and data that can be shared with others…

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A vast number of articles have been written on the topic of Google’s privacy policies.  I know because I’ve probably read most of them.  Many of these articles discuss the specifics how Google stores and secures their user’s personal information.  Sure, I like to know that my personal data is secure…  But have you ever actually compiled a detailed list of your personal information that Google does know?  I just did, and it’s slightly startling!

Here are 16 things Google knows about me and how they acquired the info:

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Do you want a MySpace page that is guaranteed to help you fit in with the majority?  Allow me enlighten you:

The more flashing graphics you have on your profile page, the better!  Add at least 100 digital photos, cropped in all different sizes, all over your homepage.  Organization is of no concern.  Have a loud rock or rap mp3 queued for auto-launch as soon as a visitor hits your page, and make sure the media player’s stop button is hidden amongst the clutter of random photos and flashing graphics.

Then, tile the background with a really bright, high contrast image… Or better yet, use a large, high contrast, fixed background image right in the center of your page.  No worries, your fellow MySpacer’s will be happy to scroll around your flashy fixed background image in order to read the insightful content squeezed into your two sentence “About Me” blurb.  Oh, and don’t concern yourself with populating that optional blog thingy with intelligent content.  Your MySpace friends just want you to mesmerize them upon a single glance, so continue to concentrate all your efforts on uploading more photos and animations.

Sorry for the sarcastic negativity… but, I just pray that this 90’s web design virus stays contained within the MySpace domain.  I understand MySpace uses sophisticated Web 2.0 technologies on the backend, but gosh, the front end is an open wound of bad taste.

I have compiled a list of 6 digitally traceable tracks we unconsciously leave behind as we trek through our daily routines.  I have also included a hypothetical example of how easy it can be to track someone down online by tracing their online affiliations and dabbling with the information that is found.

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1.  Find the Face Behind the Result – This is a neat trick you can use on a Google Image search to filter the search results so that they include only images of people.  How is this useful?  Well, it could come in handy if you are looking for images of the prominent people behind popular products, companies, or geographic locations.  You can perform this search by appending the code &imgtype=face to the end of the URL address after you perform a standard Google Image search.

• Examples (notice the differences in each URL):
  • Image Search for Google vs. Faces Behind Google Image Search
  • Image Search for Digg vs. Faces Behind Digg Image Search
  • Image Search for California vs. Faces Behind California Image Search
  • More info.

2.  Google + Social Media Sites = Quality Free Stuff – If you are on the hunt for free desktop wallpaper, stock images, WordPress templates or the like, using Google to search your favorite social media sites is your best bet.  The word “free” in any standard search query immediately attracts spam.  Why wade through potential spam in standard search results when numerous social media sites have an active community of users who have already ranked and reviewed the specific free items that interest you.  All you have to do is direct Google to search through each of these individual social media sites, and bingo… you find quality content ranked by hundreds of other people.

• Examples:
  • site:digg.com free “desktop wallpaper”
  • site:reddit.com free “wordpress templates”
  • site:del.icio.us free “stock images”
  • site:netscape.com free “ringtones”
  • site:stumbleupon.com free icons
  • More info.

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Here are the only 7 things Yahoo does better than Google:

1. Personal Finance – Yahoo Finance contains a great wealth of original content that easily rivals some of the biggest financial sites in the game (CNN Money, TheStreet.com, etc.).  The interface is equally intuitive and accessible to both new investors and longtime financial gurus.  Google Finance is coming along, but it isn’t quite up to par just yet.
2. Answers to Questions – Yahoo Answers allows users to ask questions or answer other user’s questions; A simple concept that works well for Yahoo.  Google has no such active service.  The closest competition on the web right now is Ask MetaFilter… also a great question/answer service.
3. Website Backlink Info – Most webmasters like to know exactly how many sites are linking to their various websites.  Yahoo makes this especially easy with their “linkdomain:” search operator.  It quickly provides a full list of incoming links to any given domain.  For some reason Google does not publicly disclose this backlink information, but instead provides a small sample of quality incoming links to a given domain via it’s “link:” search operator.  Google does provide Google Webmaster Tools that will give you backlink information for a specific domain once you sign up and prove to Google that you are the owner of the domain.
4. Image Hosting and Sharing – With its recent purchase of Flickr, Yahoo now rules the Web 2.0 photo sharing market.  Flickr is currently the king over all the other photo sharing sites out there.  Although, lets not forget that Google rules the Web 2.0 video sharing market with YouTube.
5. Local Search – If you are looking for businesses around your town or city, Yahoo Local is a step ahead of Google.  While Google can perform local searches in a variety of different ways through their standard search interface and Google Maps application, Yahoo Local is a more polished service that puts all local search capabilities on one convenient page.  Yahoo local is sort of like a digital Yellow/White Pages.
6. Entertainment Portal – From music to online games to sports, Yahoo provides a solid entertainment web portal capable of satisfying various entertainment and leisure user demographics.  For better or for worst, Google isn’t trying to be an entertainment portal, so it doesn’t even come close to competing with Yahoo in this regard.
7. Privacy Policy – Yahoo is arguably better with the privacy concerns of its users.  Certainly this point could be debated in favor of either company, but there seems to be more public controversy surrounding Google’s privacy policies.  Like most, I suck it up and use Google’s services anyway.  I do, however, have a Yahoo Mail account that I use to communicate with other bloggers concerning blog monetization strategies that may include Google’s Adwords service.  I figure, why let Google have access to that info too?

So what does Google do better than Yahoo?  Well, that’s easy… every conceivable task other than the 7 points listed above.  Of course, that’s just my opinion…  😉

The reader is basically changing contextual details of the content in a way that alters the direction of the content for other readers.  The reader/commenter must be aware of their core responsibility to maintain article relevance, focusing first on comprehending what IS written before getting excessively outspoken about has NOT yet been addressed.  It is human nature even in spoken conversation to interject with alternative theories before the speaker has a chance to rest the point.  As with spoken conversation, sometimes a reader doesn’t even attempt to relate to the writer’s point of view, but instead funnels the information through his/her own life experiences… thus completely missing the writer’s objective.

Certainly there are times when it is important for the reader to interject with alternative information, specifically if he/she feels that the writer is misrepresenting fact or deliberately ignoring crucial details in order to derive a false conclusion.  But it seems to me that quite often supplementary information in blog comments stray away from the writer’s key objective.  Before one introduces supplementary content into the work of another, two questions should be asked: Is this added content relevant to what is already written?  Is the content I am adding purposely excluded from the original article for a creditable reason?

I installed the Google Toolbar last month on one of my machines and didn’t realize that Google’s Web History was activated by default.  Angel and I had fun (or not) looking through some of the search queries I made over this month-long period.  I had a tough time explaining the motivation behind a few of them. 😉  Some were a little scary and others were downright hilarious, but one point became clear: If you’re not careful, Google will know every move you make on the web… the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Here are 7 Google searches that I made last month and wish I could take back:

1. Funny/Scary – filetype:txt “windows XP” +cdkey – No Mr. Gates, it’s not what it looks like.
2. Scary – My home address mapped out in several Google Maps driving direction queries.  Well, now they know where I live… lets hope Bill can’t afford to buy Google.
3. Funny – pamela anderson’s cup size – Honey, one of my coworkers must have typed that in when I wasn’t looking.
4. Funny – hemroid symptoms – Google now knows more about my ass than I’m comfortable with.
5. Scary – My full name – We all Google our own name right?  So what if they have my name and address now.
6. Funny – Kama Sutra – Yeah baby… I was just studying up for the big game!
7. Funny – -inurl:(htm|html|php) intitle:”index of” +”last modified” +”parent directory” +description +size +(mpg|wmv) “paris hilton” – Oh, I’m a big fan of her music, so I was just looking for her latest music video… I swear.

When was the last time you checked your Google Web History track record?

Here are a bunch of fun problems that can be quickly solved by utilizing some cool Google calculation tricks:

• Conversions:
  • What is the speed of light in miles per hour?
  • How many Mexican Pesos are in 300 U.S. dollars? 
  • How many megabytes in a terabyte?
  • What is the mass of planet Earth in pounds?
  • What is the mass of the Sun in pounds?
  • What is 75 degrees Fahrenheit in Celsius?
  • What is 12,345 converted to in binary?
  • What is the roman numeral representation of 1,197?
  • How many minutes are in a decade?
  • How many ounces are in 5 gallons?
• Calculations
  • What is 6 to the power of 25?
  • What is the square root of 123,456,789?
  • What is 1 and 1?
• Odd
  • What is the answer to life, the universe, and everything?

You can find more interesting Google calculations here and here.

Below you will find a list of the top five Google shortcuts and search operators that I feel save me the most time on a regular basis.  I list out each operator or shortcut, its purpose, and examples of its use.  The list is in reverse order, saving the best for last.

5.  define: – Provides short definitions for words, acronyms, or common phrases.  Google aggregates this info from other websites and links the definitions to their original source.  This operator can be extremely handy when you need the rough meaning of a word in an instant. 

• Examples:
  • define:rss – get the definition of the acronym RSS
  • define:aspiration – get the definition of aspiration

4.  address, city, state – A quick and dirty shortcut for mapping out a physical address using Google Maps.  Once the address is mapped out, Google Maps provides you with “to” and “from” shortcuts that can be used to create driving directions.  With all my recent business travel, this shortcut has saved hours of my life that would have otherwise been spent on MapQuest… which makes MapQuest obsolete.

• Examples:
  • 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA, 94043 – Shortcut map of Google’s headquarters.
  • 701 First Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA, 94089 – Shortcut map of Yahoo’s headquarters.

3. site: – Used for concentrating a Google search on a single website or domain name.  There are so many websites out there with flawed search functionality or no search capability at all.  This operator is the solution for saving time when you need to find a certain piece of information on an unorganized website.

• Examples:
  • site:problogger.net make money – Search for articles containing “make money” on ProBlogger.
  • site:lifehacker.com google music search – Search for articles about “google music search” on Lifehacker.

2. filetype: – Filters a search result so that it only includes documents of a specific file format.  Say you are conducting research online and need to find whitepapers that are typically stored in PDF format, this simple Google operator is the answer… a true time saver for online research.

• Examples:
  • filetype:pdf blogging – Search for PDFs on blogging.
  • filetype:doc search engine optimization – Search for word processing documents on search engine optimization.

1. allinanchor: – Conducts a search based on keywords used strictly in the anchor text, or linking text, of third party sites that link to the web pages returned by the Google search.  In other words, this operator filters your search results in a way such that Google ignores the actual textual content of the web pages, but instead bases the search result relevance on the keywords other sites use to reference it.  This search operator can help you save large quantities of time when a normal textual based search query does not fetch the information you desire.  Sometimes you can get a better idea of the content located within a website by reading how the mass refers to that site’s content.

• Examples:
  • allinanchor:google hacks – Search for websites that other pages link to concerning the topic of Google hacks.
  • allinanchor:wordpress exploits – Search for websites that other pages link to concerning the topic of WordPress exploits.

There are several other useful Google shortcuts and advanced search operators not mentioned here, but these five are the true time savers I can’t live without.  PS: I’ve submitted this Top 5 list to the ProBlogger Top 5 Writing Project.

Since most terrestrial radio stations these days play the same forty songs in a continuous loop, finding new music you actually enjoy may seem like a daunting task. But never fear, because while terrestrial radio stations provide a lack of choice, creative minds across the Internet have set up online services specifically designed to assist their users in finding new music that they will enjoy. While each music service differs in design, the ultimate goal remains the same, matching the bands and artists you already like to other artists with a similar sound and message. Some of these services will even stream full songs to your computer speakers allowing you to instantly preview the different artists while you browse through the suggested options.

Though there are numerous online music services out there, I have listed the three services that I personally use on a regular basis. I believe the quality of service provided by each of these three websites is a step ahead of the competition. Each one will help you discover new music you are bound to enjoy by evaluating different artists based specifically to your tastes.

Last.fm – This is by far my favorite online music service. Last.fm provides one of the most mature social networking websites geared for connecting users to new music of all genres. Users can create and share personal radio stations or even stream full songs or album previews to their computers instantaneously. The site presents a few different methods for getting personalized artist recommendations, allowing casual users and power users alike to discover new tunes.

One method is to simply search on Last.fm for an artist that you like and then preview the suggested artists/songs that the search query returns right in your web browser. Another more advanced option involves downloading their Audioscrobbler plugin and the Last.fm music player, which together allow for a more fine tuned interaction with the Last.fm artist suggestion knowledgebase. The plugin can track all the Mp3s you listen to on your computer and then create custom radio stations based on your listening habits. The player can stream these custom radio stations to your computer, allowing you to indulge in the full songs of suggested artists. Last.fm rocks, so check it out!

Pandora – Pandora is strictly designed to provide users with a personalized streaming radio station. You type in the name of an artist you like and it will create a custom radio station tailored to the artist’s musical style. Pandora utilizes a pretty sophisticated music evaluation algorithm that informs it’s users on the specifics of each artist’s musical style and tempo. As you listen you can give feedback on the particular songs you like or dislike which Pandora will use to refine your future custom playlists.

This service does not provide the ability to choose certain recommended artists from a list. It simply streams a continuous set of full songs to your computer speakers and allows you to skip the ones you don’t like. Even with this limitation, Pandora has a massive artist database, so you are sure to find new artists that you will enjoy.

Liveplasma (formerly Musicplasma) – Liveplasma doesn’t quite peak out at the level of technical sophistication held by the likes of Last.fm and Pandora. However, Liveplasma is a simple Flash based music recommendation site that is easy to use and fun to browse. The recommendations aren’t nearly as plentiful and you can’t instantly stream the suggested songs to your computer, but it’s still a pretty cool service. Simply put, clicking around on Liveplasma can be a blast.

All three of these online music services will connect you to a new and exciting set of tunes. I recommend giving each one of them a whirl. Have fun… and rock on!

Also check out the latest album charts:

• The Latest Top Album Charts
• Hot New Releases
• Movers and Shakers

“Of the subsequent four acceptable answers in situation X, which one is most likely not going to be the most practical option when the system users are not attempting Y?”

…That poor CISSP hopeful will be numb to life’s purpose, insensitive to his surroundings, and petrified of even the slightest thought of problem solving…  You could probably just ask for his wallet and wrist watch without any confrontation at all.

I took the CISSP exam yesterday, and it’s by far the toughest test I have ever taken.  I studied diligently for almost a month and I walked out of the testing center without the foggiest clue as to how well I performed.  Now I have to wait 2 damn weeks for the results!  A grown man may cry if I fail… and then it’s back to the library for another month.  Its hell…

Here’s an excerpt from a CISSP discussion board posting about the severity of the test.  This description is dead accurate:

ISC2 has done a tremendous job in keeping their questions fluid, relevant and updated. I could tell when I sat down and read the first five questions that this test was SERIOUS, and no amount of ANY practice test questions will save your ass on test day. The bottom line is experience, knowledge, know your theory 100%, and be prepared!

Is it true what everyone says, that you will finish that exam and beat yourself up until you know the results? ROGER THAT!! YES SIR, that’s an AFFIRMATIVE!! I’ve been through certification exams and taught for Microsoft, Novell, IBM, HP, Lucent, Proxim, the Department of Defense and the US Army, and all I can say is that you can tell when you sit down and read your first few questions, the CISSP is a “different breed of test.”

Some of you might think, “Well, how hard can it be, it’s all multiple choice right?” Just wait till you get in the exam, you’ll see what I’m talking about. Although I’m not a PhD or a test developer, it looked like each question was carefully worded to weed out the “certification mills,” brain dumpers, and anyone trying to fake their way through experience. That test WILL put you through your maximum cranial testing abilities! There are lots of, “All of the examples are true EXCEPT,” or “Which one of the following IS NOT.” It’s those little words EXCEPT and IS NOT that will throw you unless you read carefully and understand what you are reading. Let me say that again, READ-READ-READ carefully! One little word will trip the meaning of the question or the answer.

If I didn’t pass after sitting the exam, I knew exactly what it would take for me to pass it on round two: MORE READING! Practice test questions are good and necessary to give you a read on your strengths, weaknesses, timing and pacing through the exam. However, I can honestly say that if you don’t put the maximum effort into reading or getting a hold of as much study materials as you can for this test (reading, white papers, NIST documents, practice tests, audio MP3s, videos, whatever it takes), your chances of passing this test will diminish to almost no chance at all.

Oh, by the way, Angel hacked my PIN number last night… and she hacked your PIN number too.  It appears in the list below:

0000 0001 0002 0003 0004 0005 0006 0007 0008 0009

0010 0011 0012 0013 0014 0015 0016 0017 0018 0019

0020 0021 0022 0023 0024 0025 0026 0027 0028 0029

0030 0031 0032 0033 0034 0035 0036 0037 0038 0039

0040 0041 0042 0043 0044 0045 0046 0047 0048 0049

0050 0051 0052 0053 0054 0055 0056 0057 0058 0059

0060 0061 0062 0063 0064 0065 0066 0067 0068 0069

0070 0071 0072 0073 0074 0075 0076 0077 0078 0079

0080 0081 0082 0083 0084 0085 0086 0087 0088 0089

0090 0091 0092 0093 0094 0095 0096 0097 0098 0099

0100 0101 0102 0103 0104 0105 0106 0107 0108 0109

(more…)