Category Archives: Random
My Favorite iPhone Apps
The iPhone is arguably one of the greatest inventions in the history of human civilization. Ok, that and Dr. Pepper.
In addition to all the valued features, functions, and overall “coolness” of the device is the smorgasbord of apps available (did you like how I threw the word smorgasbord in there?). Here are some of my favorite iPhone apps (in no particular order)…
- Shazam – This is the app that can hear a song and tell you the artist, album, etc. I don’t use this a ton but anytime I do, it never ceases to amaze me.
- The Weather Channel – This app is more detailed than the standard Weather app included with the iPhone. One of my favorite features is the ability to see a live radar. I use it a lot when I travel.
- Pandora – I plug this into my FM Transmitter when I travel and now I’ve got a customized radio station for the road. One of my favorite apps and websites.
- Flight Control – I’ll go through phases with this game where when I’m into it…I’m REALLY into it. Fun, addicting, and challenging game.
- ESPN ScoreCenter – I have to keep up with the scores and highlights of my beloved St. Louis Cardinals.
- TweetDeck – My choice for keeping up with Twitter. Connects to my Tweetdeck profile on my laptop and keeps it all in sync.
- Milog – There are several mileage tracker apps out there, but this is the particular one I use.
- Yelp – I use this to get restaurant recommendations when I travel. I like trying favorite local places, but I’d rather get someone’s feedback about a place first.
- RunKeeper – Everyday I try to walk or run, and I use this app to track it all. It then syncs all the info to their website that I can look up.
BONUS: My wife and I are currently addicted to a stupid little app called Stop It. The concept is simple, but it is an addictive game (you’ve been warned).
What are your favorite iPhone apps?
In Case You’re Bored This Weekend…
Every Friday I will be posting some links into this series affectionately known as “In Case You’re Bored This Weekend…”
I’m always coming across interesting articles and new websites, so I thought I would pass along some of my findings with you. I hope each week you’re able to find at least one or two of the links to be valuable to your life…Enjoy!
Websites:
- MapMyRun.com – I’ve started using this to track how far I run when I gallop through the neighborhood. Just plot your route on a Google map, and it will tell you how far you went.
- GlobalRichList.com – Ever wonder how your income compares with others? Punch in your salary and compare yourself with the rest of the entire world…you’ll be shocked at what you find.
- Swaptree.com - Almost like a digital swap meet…list books, DVDs, video games, etc that you have and that you want and find people to make trades with.
- Gyminee.com – Free website for tracking your workouts, weight loss, eating habits, etc. Clean, simple, easy to use..
- TripIt.com – Great for road warriors like myself…forward your email confirmations of flight reservations, hotels, car rentals, etc and TripIt will create one master itinerary for you. Sweetness…
- Snopes.com – Database of all kinds of urban legends with the background story and whether or not the legend is true.
Blog Posts/Articles:
- 2009 Best Values In Private Colleges – Interesting list from Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine about which private colleges offer the most bang for your buck.
- How To Repay Student Loans – Another good article from Kiplinger that addresses specific scenarios you may run into when repaying student loans.
- 50 Tricks To Get Things Done Faster, Better, and More Easily – One of the top posts from over at LifeHack.org.
- Dispelling Common College Personal Finance Myths – This is a great two-part series from Studenomics. Find Part 1 at LazyManAndMoney and find Part 2 on the Studenomics site.
- Roth IRA For Teenagers – Good post from FrugalDad about how students can become extremely wealthy by investing early in a Roth IRA.
- Congrats to my friend Joe Sangl who completed the Houston Marathon last weekend in under four hours! Read his blog for some great financial advice…
- Five Ways I’ve Failed Myself (And What I’m Going To Do About It) – A good post by MoneySmartLife about reflecting over the last 8 years in light of the Presidential transition.
- New Jersey Bill To Require Personal Finance 101 For High School Seniors – Generation X Finance provides some good commentary to this new bill passed in New Jersey. Also, read their post about How To File Your Taxes For Free.
Have a great weekend!
How To Screw Up A Job Interview…
I read a good article online recently called “5 Small Things That Annoy Interviewers” that I thought I would share.
Even if you don’t have a job interview next week, these are still good ideas to keep in the back of your mind.
Why? Because chances are, you will have another job interview at some point again in your life.
Here is the list…
- Showing Up Way Too Early – You’d rather be early than late, but show up no earlier than 10 minutes before your interview.
- Underdressing – Dress to impress. I once interviewed to be a server at Applebees wearing a suit. And I got hired. Not sure if the suit had anything to do with it…
- Dressing Like You’re In A Club – Remember you’re going to impress someone for a job, not for a night back at your place. (Can I say that?)
- Flirting With The Receptionist – Turn mac-daddy mode off for a few minutes gentlemen. Be friendly and kind, but stay professional.
- Asking Questions That Focus Solely On Salary & Benefits – This is a great way for an interviewer to turn you off in their mind.
Need more ideas? Pick up the all-time classic book Reality Check and read chapter 38 (How should I avoid screwing up a job interview?) and chapter 39 (What should I ask in a job interview?). Sorry for the shameless plug…please forgive me.
A Few Updates…
If you’re an active reader of this blog (that means both of you…hi mom), then you may have noticed it’s been several days since I last posted. Here are a few things I’ve been up to…
- Working my way towards vacation mode…our family leaves Thursday to go to sunny Orlando to enjoy Sea World and Busch Gardens for a few days. I’m slowly beginning to transition into mental shut down mode…
- Once we leave for vacation, I’m going to try and take the rest of the year off. That’s not easy for me to do because I love what I’m doing. But I’m looking forward to doing a lot of nothing and not feeling guilty about it.
- 2008 has been a phenomenal year both professionally and personally. It was about a year ago, I started this business as a speaker, and I’m blown away by the progress we’ve made. On the personal side, I welcomed my 2nd daughter, Emilee Beth, into the world in July. And thankfully I was in town for the arrival!
- My wife and I paid off our last debt this week. We started January 2007 with the goal of being debt free and almost two years to the day, we completed that goal. We paid off a little over $26,000, so I’m completely stoked! And Dave Ramsey is partially to blame…
- I can’t wait for the New Year. I truly love what I get to do and look forward to the events I’ll get to be a part of, the students I’ll meet, and the memories that will be created. I’ve got a lot of new ideas I’ve been working through that you will hear more about in the coming weeks.
That’s all for now. I just didn’t want you to think I forgot about you.
Peace out girl scout.
A Survey For Students…
I’ve got a new website project I’m working on that I want student feedback for. This new website will be designed to answer students’ questions about money and will hopefully help you to earn it, save it, and spend it!
So as we’re creating this site, I wanted to get some feedback from you on it. I created a simple 3 question survey that I’d like your feedback on. It will literally take you no more than a minute or two to complete and it is completely anonymous, because we want you to be totally honest with us. Sound good?
Here’s the link to the survey: http://www.polldaddy.com/s/29DA8CCC53208417/
Gracias.
Behind-The-Scenes Pics of the Obama Family on Election Day…
Regardless of how you feel about the election results or who you voted for, here is a unique look behind-the-scenes at the Obama family on election night as they watched the results unfold on television. Check it out here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/
New Projects I Need Your Help With…
I’m working on two new projects that I need help with from students. Here are the projects…
- We’re developing a new website for students that will involve a Q&A forum where students can ask questions about anything and everything. So what I need is as many questions as possible from students. Questions about college, parents, relationships, friends, money, the media, scholarships, careers, and just life in general. So if you’re a student and you’ve got questions, email them to me at grant@grantbaldwin.com.
- I’m working on a new book project that I would like some students to collaborate with me on and help write. You don’t have to be an outstanding writer or need to write a novel. All I’m looking for is 250-500 words from you that are genuine, honest, and real (this blog post is nearly 250 words…it’s not much). You can email me and I’ll give you more details regarding what you would write about. I need about 50 students for this project, so if you’re interested or you know of a student who may be, email me at grant@grantbaldwin.com.
Again, if you’re a student, you know of a student who may want to help with either of these projects, or you just want to throw your 2 cents out there, give me a shout at grant@grantbaldwin.com.
THANKS!
The Top 10 Posts of October…
In case you missed some, here is a list of the top 10 most viewed blog posts for the month of October. Enjoy…
