Genuine Curiosity

Author Dwayne Melancon is always on the lookout for new things to learn. An ecclectic collection of postings on personal productivity, travel, good books, gadgets, leadership & management, and many other things.

 

Yapta gets foxy

I've written about Yapta a couple of times in the past (see "Related items" following this post) and how it's useful for today's airfare climate. As a refresher, you use Yapta's browser add-on to track airfares by "tagging" (or "bookmarking") the exact flight itineraries that you want while searching on airline websites. Once a trip is tagged, all key flight information - including price, airline and travel dates - is automatically stored on the traveler's "My Trips" page at Yapta.com and users are subsequently notified via email when prices drop.

If prices drop after you've purchased the ticket, you are notified when you're eligible for a travel voucher or refund from their airline.

What's new?

In the past, Yapta only worked with Internet Explorer. Well, good news to you Firefox (Windows and Mac) users: Yapta released their Firefox plug-in today. It's free if you want to give it a shot. You can get more info or download the Yapta plug-in for Firefox.

Yapta can be used to tag flights on the following sites:

http://www.Alaskaair.com
http://www.aa.com
http://www.Continental.com
http://www.Delta.com
http://www.JetBlue.com
http://www.united.com
http://www.usairways.com

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Learning from the site of a Trucking Accident

What the heck does the title of this post mean? Well, I'm referring to the TruckingAccident.org Blog where I found a great resource for the road warrior in a post called "The Mobile Productivity Toolbox: 100 Resources to Keep You Productive When on the Move."

Some of the new finds (for me, anyway) from this list include:

  • #4: Mobivox: Get cheap Skype calls even when you're away from your computer and WiFi with Mobivox's service.
  • #7: ProjectStat.us: If you're traveling, you may not be able to field lots of calls and emails about progress on projects. Keep everyone out of your hair by letting them find out with ProjectStat.us. [Note: ProjectStat.us is awesome - and I love their logo]
  • #61: oh don't forget: Get reminders sent to you via SMS with this service. You don't even need an account to do it.

And, as the name of the post implies, there are 97 others. Go check it out!

Oh - and if you are a blogger, you might find some gems in another one of their articles: "Travel Blogging: 100 Resources To Help You Post on The Road."

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[Review] Fired Up or Burned Out

It's been a good year for good business books. I just finished Michael Stallard's Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team's Passion, Creativity, and Productivity, and liked it very much.

The concepts in this book are sound, but the reason I liked it so much is that it contains a lot of stories that help illustrate how the concepts work in real life. For example, one of the concepts discussed in this book is about how to establish and maintain "Connection" in the workplace.

Great coaching

Stallard goes on to tell the story of John Wooden, a basketball coach, and how Wooden fostered a sense of family and commitment within his basketball teams (it's a great story) and went on to become one of the great basketball coaches of the game. Wooden coached some truly great players like Bill Walton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar during their college years, and made quite an impact. For example, Abdul-Jabbar wrote of Coach Wooden:

"[He] had a profound influence on me as an athlete, but even greater influence on me as a human being. He is responsible, in part, for the person I am today."

The foundation of Wooden's philosophy was to bring together Values, Vision, and Voice and the impact was extremely powerful. He fostered Connection in everyone on the team - not just the stars, and believed in dealing with issues, challenges, fears and disagreements out in the open. I can't do the story justice here, but it's an inspiring example of connecting individuals into a powerful team.

Not-so-great coaching

Stallard follows this with the story of Howell Raines of the New York Times, who had a disastrous reign due to politics, favoritism, and inconsistent application of policies and values. He fostered Connection in the stars of the organization, but alienated everyone else.

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What's in your wallet?

Want a quick and easy way to keep track of what's in your wallet in case it gets lost or stolen?

I've scanned my credit cards, drivers license, etc. (front and back) into a PDF file that I have encrypted into a self-extracting ZIP file (with 256-bit AES encryption and a complex passphrase). I have this ZIP file stored electronically so that I can get to it anywhere in the world. That way, if I lose my wallet I can quickly get a list of what was in it, including the contact numbers on the back of the cards.

The ZIP file also contains a scan of my passport in case I lose it while traveling abroad.

I've added a recurring reminder in my calendar prompting me to update the scan from time to time.

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Freedom to choose

Today's Thanksgiving Day in the US, and I'm spending the day with my family. I'm thankful for many things, not the least of which is our freedom to make choices and take actions that help us become better people.

With that in mind, please enjoy these inspiring thoughts from the late Sybil F. Partridge, called "Just For Today"

"Just for today I will be happy. This assumes that what Abraham Lincoln said is true, that "most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." Happiness is from within; it is not a matter of externals.

Just for today I will try to adjust myself to what is, and not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my family, my business, and my luck as they come and fit myself to them.

Just for today I will take care of my body. I will exercise it, care for it, nourish it, not abuse it nor neglect it, so that it will be a perfect machine for my bidding.

Just for today I will try to strengthen my mind. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.

Just for today I will exercise my soul in three ways; I will do somebody a good turn and not get found out. I will do at least two things I don't want to do, as William James suggests, just for exercise.

Just for today I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, dress as becomingly as possible, talk low, act courteously, be liberal with praise, criticize not at all, nor find fault with anything and not try to regulate nor improve anyone.

Just for today I will try to live through this day only, not to tackle my whole life problem at once. I can do things for twelve hours that would appall me if I had to keep them up for a lifetime.

Just for today I will have a program. I will write down what I expect to do every hour. I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it. It will eliminate two pests, hurrying and indecision.

Just for today I will have a quiet half-hour all by myself and relax. In this half-hour sometimes I will think of God, so as to get a little more perspective into my life.

Just for today I will be unafraid, especially I will not be afraid to be happy, to enjoy what is beautiful, to love, and to believe that those I love, love me."

Every day, you can make a difference through the choices you make. Happy Thanksgiving!

Another note: If you want some more inspiration, check out the special Thanksgiving post at Joyful Jubilant Learning!

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