Tim Matheson Blog - Productive Tips and More

Microsoft has a great article on how to conserve your laptops battery supply using hibernate features available in “most” windows installations. I really think this is an overlooked feature available to Microsoft customers. Read the full article

1. Open Power Options in Control Panel. (Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Power Options.)
2. Click the Hibernate tab, select the Enable hibernate support check box, and then click Apply.
3. If the Hibernate tab is unavailable, your computer does not support this feature.

www.orb.com is a FREE piece of software that allows you to stream your desktop computers content to various web enabled devices such as cell phones, laptops, pdas and even other desktop computers remotely. I especially like the feature which allows you to stream video to your smartphone. While buffering can become excessive at times, the stream makes up for it in quality and the ability to encode virtually any media file you through at it avi, mpeg, mpeg4, mov, wmv etc. Orb is a must have for an on-the-go lifestyle. Get it FREE here

If you own a car you should also own an auto accident kit. An auto accident kit can mean the difference between getting you much deserved settlement and getting screwed by an insurance company. For the most part accident kits are easy to put together and you may already have some of the items around your home or office. I have put together a list of items you should have on hand in the invent of an accident.

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Entering your debit card pin number is a great security feature to prevent fraud. However it is not even required by most stores. This is useful and troubling at the same time. I have been in situations where someone is right behind me and I don’t want to enter it in front of them. The solution is simple choose the “credit” option when prompted by the magstripe terminal. When you’re using credit no pin is required and this will work at any self serve or swipe it yourself payment terminal. For other places where the merchant swipes the card simply answer credit when they ask “debit or credit?” and you wont need your pin number. This method also comes in handy when sending the kids out for some milk or any situation where they ask for a pin just say “run it as credit”.

If you are a gambler and frequent the local casinos or take an occasional trip to Las Vegas you may be missing out on the big pay out. (more…)

First off I would just like to appologize to my readers for my lack of fresh posts. I have been working on multiple projects. With that said here is a new tip for all you MSN messenger fans.

I have yet to try this method. It just sort of came to me the other day so i decided to write it down.

My cellphone has an email address and no I will not post it. But it looks something like this XXXXXXXXXX@email.uscc.net where the X represents the number. Now there are several different email domains for different providers and I have drummed up a list of them and provide it at the bottom of this post.

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Skype has turned out to be a pretty useful tool. With more and more uses becoming evident with each day. A friend of mine Nick Saramandich recently showed me how to easily check your cellular voice mail using skype. The advantage to this method as opposed to traditional methods is the comfort factor. Listening to your messages with skype allows you to relax in your favorite chair, sofa etc. and thoroughly absorb the real content contained within the messages. The latter method just leaves your ear ringing and sweaty and leaves much to be desired on the comfort side of things.

Effective Tuesday, September 26, 2006 TSA Is Adjusting The Ban On Liquids, Aerosols And Gels according to the TSA Website. The new restrictions will allow some items which were previously banned. TSA states that by allowing some items to board planes they can focus on real threats. There are detailed videos of people placing items into plastic bags and even include music lol.

From the TSA Website

1. Travelers may now carry through security checkpoints travel-size toiletries (3 ounces or less) that fit comfortably in ONE, QUART-SIZE, clear plastic, zip-top bag.
2. After clearing security, travelers can now bring beverages and other items purchased in the secure boarding area on-board aircraft.

If you ask me this is sort of a waste of time because you could just as easily buy these items when you land with less restrictions. The TSA has been very clear in reference to the guidelines of this and are available in full on the TSA website.

It started as a hi-tech relaxation technique for burnt-out executives. Now everyone from schoolchildren to sports stars are discovering the seemingly miraculous benefits of Heartmath. Jerome Burne investigates

I recently came across this article on alleviating stress.

A cure for stress? [via Independent Online Edition]

[TAGS] Stress, Relaxation, Cure for stress, Alleviating Stress[/TAGS]

Forecastfox Enhanced is an excellent addition to the Firefox browser. This little extension will display your local weather forecast continuously in your browser’s status bar.

Now you can get gps directions anywhere from your cellphone. Google Mobile Maps is the latest tool from Google featuring the familiar Google Maps interface in the palm of your hand. To use Google Mobile Maps point your mobile phones web browser to http://www.google.com/gmm and download the free software. Then you only pay for the data transfer fee from your provider. You can usually get a plan to lower the cost of data transmission. For full instructions and an online tour visit http://www.google.com/gmm

[TAGS]Google, Google Mobile Maps, Google Mobile Phone, Google Cellphone, Google Maps, Travel Tips[/TAGS]

As some of the readers know I also work full time as a cellular agent for U.S. Cellular. Every day or two someone comes to me and say’s I would like to buy a cell phone to have in my car in case of an emergency. They also tell me that they don’t want to pay $40 a month to have this added bit of comfort when on the road.

Many people don’t know that the FCC regulates cell phones and has mandated that all cell phones regardless of current service status will be allowed to dial 911. You also have the option to bill your call to a credit card the next time your out of gas or similar.

Now before you go out and get yourself a 911 phone let me give you some insight on the limitations of dialing 911 from a disconnected cell phone. If you do not have a signal you may encounter complications when placing your call. Also be sure to state your location (as best you can) to ensure the dispatcher knows where to send assistance. When you call 911 from a disconnected cell phone no CID (or Caller Identification Data) is sent as with landline 911 calls. Another tip is to keep a good charge on the phone and have it powered off in the glove box. In addition you may also want to purchase a battery boost. This will give you an emergency reserve battery supply incase you are stranded for a prolonged period of time. The battery boost or cell boost are relatively cheap and can be purchased at most Radio Shack stores.

Has anyone been to the airport lately? Well I am here to tell you it’s not what it used to be. As many of you may know airport security has stepped it up a notch after the events of 9/11/01. This has caused some delay in many peoples lives as they are frisked, scanned and even questioned at the security gate. That’s why I created “6 waysto make airport security painless”.

The idea behind this method is be prepared for the security check and things will move in a more timely fashion. This is not an article on how to avoid being the lucky flyer number 23 who is submitted to a full body cavity search. It is however an article featuring 6 ways for you to optimize your luggage. Doing so will ensure that if and when you do get stopped the delay will be minimized.

1. Make a list of everything you are going to take with you on your trip. Once you have this list it is time to start minimizing. Less is more and that logic can be directly applied to this situation. Try to exclude items you may be able to obtain at your point of destination. This will make les luggage for you to carry and also less luggage for them to search.

2. Once you have your list in order and you have removed the kitchen sink from it :) it is time to categorize your belongings. I personally use the three tier method for this part. The three tier method is a priority based categorization method. The first tier is the highest priority items. These items include crucial necessities such as plane tickets, cell phone, laptop, pda, tom tom, jewelry, maps, important documents, invitations and other highly important items. The second tier is depreciated from the first tier and includes medium priority items such as clothing, hygiene products, and gifts ect. . Then there is the third tier depreciated from the second tier the third tier is the easiest to fill. At this point anything that didn’t fit in the first and second tiers will no belong to the third tier.

3. Check as many bags as possible. You will want to try and check as many bag’s as possible. This is something that may make many people nervous based on previous experiences with lost or stolen luggage, however this will make it easier on you at the security gate. The fewer bags you have the less they will have to search “right there” and the faster you move through the gate and on to your flight. (Hint check the second and third tier bag’s to ensure your important belongings are not victims of the infamous lost luggage scenario)

4. The day of your flight schedule yourself one hour earlier than your flight departure. The airport recommended two hours for security but trust me you should not need more than one unless you are at an international airport and have to go through customs.

5. Purchase your tickets as far in advance as possible. This will not only lower the cost of the flight and get you a better seat but also will lower your chances of being selected for a random search. Evidently passengers who purchase tickets 60 days or more in advance are less likely to be subjected to a search.

6. Have proper identification available and ready to go. Make sure you have some sort of dmv issued valid photo id handy. You never know when someone may want you to identify you. Not having your id can cause a major dilemma if you have to return home to retrieve it. So be prepared and have all your identification documents on your person (or in your carry on).

Finding a clean public restroom is not always easy. Sometimes we use questional restroom facilities out of sheer desperation. Not anymore, The Bathroom Diaries features a list of public restroom’s and also a user’s experience at that location. So next time you plan a trip dont use just any restroom you can find build your self a guide to the top toilets in America using The Bathroom Diaries website.

Personally I dread using a public restroom almost every time. I have found a neat resource for finding a decent place to do your business on the road or at home. Next time you travel dont forget to check out this site.