Image via Wikipedia

Over the years I’ve acquired quite a few valuable technical skills. Many of them are as useful today as they were back when i learned them.

The art of de-gunking a computer mouse is not one of those skills, sadly, and has not held its value.

For my kids’ sake (in the event that they should ever find themselves trapped in the past and the only way to get back to the future is to perform an intricate series of mouse clicks and the darn thing just isn’t responding), below are detailed instructions courtesy of an old 1990s Macintosh Classic factory manual I found several months back.

It’s amazing that so much care went into describing such a mundane and now obsolete process. That’s part of what made Apple’s culture the way it is today.

What’s the most irrelevant technical skill you mastered? Sound off in the comments below.

All images are from my flickr, unless otherwise noted.

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No, really.

This week I felt the tugs of inspiration, but I’m sorry to say that I ate my muse—a breakfast consisting of simple berries.

I love fresh berries. I love their taste, their color, and their texture. They are one of life’s simple pleasures.

Want to participate in the challenge? Head on over to The Daily Post and follow the instructions below.

1. Each week, [they] provide a theme for creative inspiration. You take photographs based on your interpretation of the theme, and post them on your blog anytime before the following Friday when the next photo theme will be announced.

2. To make it easy for others to check out your photos, title your blog post “Weekly Photo Challenge: (theme of the week)” and be sure to use a “postaday2012″ or “postaweek2012″ tag.

3. Subscribe to The Daily Post so that you don’t miss out on weekly challenge announcements. Sign up via the email subscription link in the sidebar or RSS.

Now, take a picture that captures this week’s theme and post a link to it in the comments below.

All images are from my flickr, unless otherwise noted.

Sleek. Elegant. Sophisticated.

You could use those three words to describe the DODOcase for iPad 2, but then I’d be forced to call you a pretentious schmuck.

As soon as I got my iPad 2 I knew exactly which case I wanted for it—the DODOcase. I’d read the glowing reviews about it on blogs like Engadget and TUAW, but (more importantly) it fit my own personal criteria. I wanted an iPad case that would do the following:

1. Look great
2. Protect the front and back of my iPad
3. Not announce to the entire world that I have an iPad

I’m happy to report that the DODOcase succeeds on all counts.
For the uninitiated, the DODOcase looks like a large Moleskine notebook.

DODOcases are made using traditional bookbinding processes right here in the good old US of A. The do a fantastic job of telling their own story here.

For about six months I’ve been extremely satisfied with my DODOcase purchase. The other day, however, I noticed that the bamboo frame of the case had a large crack in one of the corners and was precariously close to falling off completely.

I wrote a quick note to customer service describing the issue and explaining my concern that the case hadn’t lasted longer. I also and attached the image below to my note.

One minute later, I had a response. That’s not a typo. That’s not an exaggeration. Let me say it again. One minute later, I had a response.

The email was from a real, live human being who apologized for the problem, thanked me for sending them the picture and provided full resolution in their first communication.

The customer service agent advised me that super glue might work, but also offered to send me a replacement. I chose the latter and three days later I had my new DODOcase.

DODOcase Bookplate

Ever since advent of overseas call centers fueled by large corporations’ rise in apathy over the care of the people who buy their products and services we have come to expect poor customer service. Sadly, a company that cares about those who pay its bills is the exception and not the norm.

DODOcase is that exception. They are the Nordstroms of iPad cases. They sell fine products at a premium, but not only are you getting an excellent product, more importantly, you know that they will stand by their products and treat you right.

I’ll warrant that my DODOcase gets at least as many stares as my iPad itself. Everyone compliments me on my handsome notebook and if when they get the chance to look inside they’re even more impressed.

Are you willing to pay more for a premium product or premium customer service? Have you found a company or product you like that offers both? Sound off in the comments below.

All images are from my flickr, unless otherwise noted.

Related articles

• DODOcase wins TUAW Best of 2011 award for iPad cases (tuaw.com)
• President Obama likes his iPad 2 wrapped up in a DODOcase (thenextweb.com)
• DODOcase Adds Monogramming, Auto Wake/Sleep Magnet To Their iPad 2 Cases (techcrunch.com)
• Customer Love: DODOcase (mailchimp.com)

Check out PopRocksCandy.com and see how many of the biggest web design mistakes it’s guilty of.

What’s the ugliest site you’ve seen lately? Sound off in the comments below.

All images via my flickr

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Image via Wikipedia

When I was a kid, something magical happened each Friday night. The whole family gathered around the TV to watch The Muppets until we laughed ourselves silly.

No skit has had more enduring appeal to me than a very special, Star Wars themed Pigs in Space.

Luke Skywalker, Artoo, Threepio, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, & more stared in spectacularly unforgettable sketch.

To my young, impressionable mind this was coolest thing that had ever happened in the history of the universe.

What was your favorite Muppet moment? Sound off in the comments below.

Image via Wikipedia

In September of 1785 Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to his nephew, Peter Carr. Jefferson imparted sage guidance to the young Carr in the correspondence which can be of benefit to any who read it.

Below are seven of my favorite axioms from the Founding Father’s letter.

• “Encourage all your virtuous dispositions, and exercise them whenever an opportunity arises; being assured that they will gain strength by exercise, as a limb of the body does, and that exercise will make them habitual.”

• “There is no habit you will value so much as that of walking without fatigue.”

• “Rise at a fixed and an early hour, and go to bed at a fixed and early hour also…Sitting up late at night is injurious to the health, and not useful to the mind.”

• “A strong body makes the mind strong.”

• “Husband well your time, cherish your instructions, strive to make every body your friend…”

• “He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time”

• “If you ever find yourself environed with difficulties and perplexing circumstances, out of which you are at a loss how to extricate yourself, do what is right, and be assured that that will extricate you the best out of the worst situations.”

Jefferson’s counsel to his kinsman rings as true today as it did over two hundred years ago. I find them especially applicable now at the beginning of a new year when so many of us take the time to analyze our lives and strive for improvement.

Which of Jefferson’s tips would benefit you the most? Sound off in the comments below.

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I can’t begin to express how excited I am for the New Year! I love the feeling of optimism and encouragement that permeates the very air during this time.

While I enjoyed participating in last year’s WordPress Post a Week Challenge there definitely were times when I felt like I was running on empty.

However, you can’t argue with results. And for the first time ever, I managed to blog at least once a week for an entire year!

During 2011 I averaged a respectable 1.3 posts per week. Maybe one day I’ll graduate to the Post a Day Challenge, but for now the Post a Week Challenge is about all I have the bandwidth to do.

Here are a few of the highlights from last year:

• Being featured on MormonDaddyBlogs
• Having a post highlighted on the 9rules Noteworthy Content of the Week blog
• Having a post highlighted (again) on the 9rules Noteworthy Content of the Week blog
• But, nothing came close to being as cool as getting Freshly Pressed

That said, I’m extremely pleased with my blogging results for 2011 and look forward participating again in the Post a Week Challenge for 2012!

I’ve explained why I blog and thanked you for reading, so what I really want to know is this—Will you be blogging this year? How often will you be blogging in 2012? Sound off in the comments below.

All images are from my flickr, unless otherwise noted.

Related articles

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• Looking Back at Post a Day 2011 – How’d You Do? (karpediem92.wordpress.com)
• Posta Week 2011 Wrap Up (thedeezone.wordpress.com)

Image via Wikipedia

For as long as I can remember I’ve been setting, but not accomplishing New Year’s Resolutions. I spend the period between December 26^th and New Year’s analyzing all the ways I’ve let myself down (it’s like my own personal Festivus minus the aluminum pole and the feats of strength). Then I make a new, huge list of all the changes I want to make in the coming year.

Sure, I give it the “old college try”, but every year it always ends the same way. I do OK for a couple of months until discouragement, laziness, and the overwhelming nature of trying to change too much at one time derail me from my progress.

A couple of weeks back I included one of my favorite Stephen Covey quotes in a post.

 

 

“What one thing could you do in your personal and professional life that, if you did on a regular basis, would make a tremendous positive difference in your life?”

What strikes me the most is the singular nature of Dr. Covey’s question. “What one thing”, he asks. I’ve thought about this quite a bit and determined

So, this year I will be working on one resolution only. That’s it. Not one for each aspect or role in my life (family, spiritual, work, personal, etc). Just one. Period.

My goal is to exercise at least three times a week.

Image via FoxTrot by Bill Amend

I’m going to keep it simple and not overcomplicate things. It’s not that I’m totally out of shape. I just don’t like the shape I’m in—much too round for my liking.

If you haven’t said so before, what one thing could you do that would have the most impact on your life? Sound off in the comments below.

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• New Year’s Resolution Quotes (hello100blog.wordpress.com)

Image via Dr. Jaus’ flickr.

We realize you have so many, many choices when surfing the Internet and—gosh darn it!—we’re sure glad you gave us the chance.

On behalf of everyone here at slightly insightful (just me), we’d like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

As a follow up, I wanted to do something relating to Covey’s time management matrix as found in First Thing’s First.

In my research I stumbled across an excellent mindmap of the subject by Chance Brown. Conceptually, it’s spot on, but I wanted a cleaner version for myself.

Here’s what I came up with.

Click on image to view and/or download the full size version.

The quadrant is a fantastic tool for evaluating your daily activities and determining whether you’re making the best use of your time.

If you want to know more, ask Santa to slip a copy of First Thing’s First into your stocking

… but only if you’ve been nice this year.

In closing, I leave you with a question from Dr. Covey, himself.

“What one thing could you do in your personal and professional life that, if you did on a regular basis, would make a tremendous positive difference in your life?”

I’d love to read your answer’s in the comments below.

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