Have More Confidence

You confidence and perceived authority are not something to be taken lightly. Fortunately, there are several things that you can do to increase your perceived feelings of power and confidence. The way you arrange your body can have an effect on your mood and confidence. Before a meeting or a video conference, find a private place and stand with arms and legs stretched out so that you take up as much room as possible. It will decrease your stress hormones. You might also want to listen to music with bass because studies have found that it can be empowering. When you are in front of someone, make sure that you sit up straight. Lastly, you need to dress the part. This means that it matters what you associate the clothes with. If you associate a suit and tie with power, wearing them will have an impact on how you feel. But if you think "suits" are phonies, then wearing one is exactly the wrong thing to do.

Work and Life Balance

Dorothy has never said that there is no place like work. I know we all want to succeed in work and in life but most people think that they can just work their lives away and somehow the other part will just fall into place. News flash, you cannot just work in web development and never go home and expect everything to be alright in your personal life. Your personal life and family are the foundation so there are a couple ideas that you can look into to improve it. One of the best things that you can do is to turn off your phone and mobile applications when you get home. It will help focus your attention on being at home and your family. After you turn off the phone, make sure all other gadgets are also off including the TV. It is important to be really engaged and listen to your family. Every night you come home, make sure you have a family dinner. This family ritual is a time for each of you to regroup and catch up.

Chilling Out at the Office

I get it, work can be really stressful. There could be a lot on your plate in the way of projects whether it be web development or doing tons of experiments on the same protein that is rather elusive. There are ways to make life a bit better, aside from changing careers, of course. In that case though, you might need to reconsider a lot of things. A great way to learn to relax at the office is to be able to set the tone for the day. Instead of reading all the news on your way to work, read a great book that is hard to put down or listen to some music that will leave you jamming. While at work, use your breaks to get some fresh air and not to check on your social media sites. Even if the weather is bad, take a walk inside the building, you will be much happier for it. Lastly, be realistic about what you can accomplish in a day, week or month and work towards those goals. It is fine to be ambitious but keep those feet on the ground.

Food for Office Work

First for the basics, pasta and sugary drinks will give you some energy for a bit but then you will crash. If you go with something more fatty, it will give you sustained energy but your stomach will be working harder. When you are hungry, it is already too late to decide what you will be eating for lunch. Make sure that you decide well before lunch what you are going to eat in several hours. You should also graze throughout the day and make it easier to have some healthier snacks around. Place some nuts and raisins on the desk while you are working on your software development project instead of the candy bars. These better habits are cultivated over time but in the long run they will definitely pay off.

Technology and Chores

Chores. Sometimes they can be therapeutic but other times, it is just another hassle that is getting in the way. Enter technology. If you really hate cleaning, there are plenty of really cool gadgets that can help in that regard. There is the Roomba that can clean your floors. Dyson has also been making a vacuum that can clean your floors but it is planned for release in 2015. Throw away the Windex, because the ECOVACS Winbot does for windows what the Roomba does for floors. This robot can navigate the windows and leave them spotless and shiny. There are platforms that are useful for pairing people who have the money (but no time) for their daily workload, with errand-runners who have the time to take on miscellaneous chores for a few extra bucks. Finally software development is heading down the right direction.

A Great Tomorrow

With global warming, the rise of technology, and lack of human interaction, it is no wonder why people like wallow in the notion that we are doomed and the end is near. What if we listen to a different perspective that is told and turn our attention away from the train wreck that we love to watch. Progress in artificial intelligence, robotics, infinite computing, cloud computing, ubiquitous broadband networks, digital manufacturing, nanotechnology, synthetic biology, and many other revolutionary fields will enable us to make greater gains in the next two decades than we've made in the previous 200 years. We will soon have the ability to meet and exceed the basic needs of every man, woman, and child on the planet. Abundance for all is actually within our grasp. You might be thinking wait a minute, what? Are all those Miss America speeches about ending world hunger really for naught? During the past century, child mortality decreased by 90 percent, and maternal mortality by 99 percent, while the average human lifespan increased by 100 percent. Food is cheaper and more plentiful than ever before. Groceries cost 13 times less today than in 1870.) Poverty has declined more the in the past 50 years than in the previous 500. Just some things to mull over.

Unified Communication

I bet you have heard this phrase thrown around but do you really understand what it means? it describes a technology that enables messages and data to be delivered to a point as quickly as possible in real time. Features can allow for one number to be assigned to a person’s mobile device, home office or other locations, and have calls follow the person or push/pull between devices without having to disconnect and then reconnect the call. Another feature, known as voicemail-to-email, allows voice messages to reach managers or employees when they’re away from the office or working remotely by sending an audio file of the voicemail to the recipient’s email. The recipient can then listen the voice via email without having to dial into voicemail. One of the best features about this technology is that it is able to integrate many different communication services to get the message to the person in the fastest time possible. It is important to businesses because it will save you a lot of time and improve productivity.

Keeping Fit

It is important to keep your mind in tip top shape. Other than those mobile applications that claim to improve your psychological well being, there are many other ways to help with keeping that mind young. First of all, exercise has shown to improve the health of your brain. One of the best parts is that it is never too late to start. It can even be as much as a walk three times a week and you will be able to see improvement. Secondly, what you put in your body matters. Foods rich in omega threes have shown to help with brain function. In addition to the omega three, it is important to eat B12 and folic acid, both of which lower homocysteine. You might also want to reduce stress levels. This might sound obvious and something that we would like to do but completely out of reach. Most people do not realize just how much stress affects us and we try to just live with it. Meditating would be a great option and it only takes a couple minutes a day but the rewards will last a lifetime.

Be Likeable: Life Will Thank You

No one wants to be the Scrooge of the work place but sometimes circumstances can leave you in that position where you are just plain bitter. If it is the job or your boss, think about moving on. Most of the time we do not realize that people do not like us because of the way we are so we respond to that attitude. Change your attitude first and then your peers might do the same. Consider it trailblazing in your name. You can even come up with a mobile application for it. Empathy is one of the best life skills to have. It means that you do not necessarily has to agree with the other person but be aware of their situation and put yourself in their shoes. This requires a listening ear, find it and quick. Also, be reliable and cultivate that reputation for consistency. This will win many battles for you. If you cannot fulfill part of the responsibilities, let the client know because an unavoidable hiccup is forgivable; blatant misjudgment or deception is not. Lastly, have integrity and do the right thing when no one else is watching, stand up for what you believe in and have the courage to speak up. This does not come overnight but working on it will get you one step closer each day.

Work Life Balance...Or Something Like it

We work in constantly-on type of world. You better be able to answer those emails and internet fax as well as juggle several business application development projects. It seems like there is no time for you. There are several tricks that might help in that department. You can workout at work. Just grab a change of clothes and a jumprope or your bodyweight will suffice. If you are worried about what people in the office will say, just tell them to look up the benefits of exercise in the workplace. If you live and die by your calender and watch, remember to schedule some "me" time so that in the end you are more productive and work harder in the time when you are actually supposed to be working. Lastly, get up early. If you would rather sleep, just hit the snooze button but there are some benefits to starting the day just the way you want to, namely spending time on yourself first thing in the morning before the hectic-ness of the day hits you.

Tattoos for Passwords

On Tuesday, Motorola Mobility released a video showing off its latest smartphone accessory. Not quite a tattoo, in the permanent sense, the item is actually an adhesive bandage equipped with near-field communication technology. According to a post on the company's blog, the average person takes 2.3 seconds to unlock his or her phone. This happens usually 39 times a day. Developers at Motorola apparently believe people find this so tedious and exhausting that they’re willing to wear a sticker that lets them simply tap their phone to their wrist to unlock and access it. The digital tattoos are about the size of a coin and should last five days before they need to be replaced. According to VivaLnk, the company that makes the adhesives, each one can withstand showers and intense workouts without detaching or losing functionality. A pack of 10 replacements can be purchased online for $10. Personally I think we can save ourselves some cash and spend those 2.3 seconds unlocking our phone services.

Car or Bike?

For some, its is not really a choice because the commute is much longer. But what if you could take your bike? I mean it would save you a lot of money on gas (don't get me started on gas prices) and you will be able to get some exercise. There is a key holder called Keymoment. The wall-mounted keyholder has two hooks, one for your bike key, one for your car key. If you grab the bike key, you’re out the door and on your way. If you grab the car key, the machine drops the bike key on the floor, forcing you to stoop down and pick it up. At that point, you have both keys in your hand–effectively giving you a second chance to weigh your options. This type of technology innovation and software development is using inconvenience to call attention to the bigger question at hand. Of course it enables the user to circumvent the mechanism because we do not want to be biking in the rain and sometimes it is just not convenient to take the bike instead of the car.

Retail Shopping

It is going to look a lot different in the coming years. First of all, we can technically live right from our homes without every leaving because anything and everything we need can be ordered online. For those of us who cannot bare the thought of ordering clothes online without trying them on first, there is even news for you. Think of this experience for a second:

Your body is scanned and the data file is private. It's your exact body on that exact day. You put on your VR goggles, and appear in a virtual store. Zero time to get there.You enter YOUR personal clothing store. Everything in this store is your exact size. Everything fits. The store has every designer and every design on the planet. Your friend, who you called a few minutes ago, joins you via their VR headset, and he or she sees everything you see. The experience is social and fun. You voice what you're looking for. You can ask an AI advisor (online and listening) for help. Presto, a fashion show materializes before your very eyes. Every model walking down the runway looks like you and is wearing a different combination of clothing. When you see an outfit you like, you just point and instantly, your virtual self is wearing it. No frustration of getting undressed or dressed. Mirrors all around allow you to see your virtual self from every angle. As you move in real life, your virtual reflection the mirror moves in exact sync. It feels and looks just like you are looking at yourself in the mirror.

This is going past of shopping with mobile applications and things like social media. Do you think that it will catch on and if so, how soon?

Your Moods

Your outlook on life can be changed simply by your posture. You know how you can spot a very confident or shy person just by reading their body language. Well the reverse is true as well. If you try to stand taller and take up more room even when doing a video conference, you will see a change in the attitude towards your surroundings. The same is also true for people that drive large cars, they seem to have more confidence on the road and might be a bit more brash than others. Another factor that affects your moods and outlook is the weather. Everyone loves a sunny day but it can impair your judgement. Nothing can go wrong on those sunny days, right? Well, as it turns out, there are other colors on the spectrum that do freaky things to your brain: Being exposed to green can apparently make you more creative. So much for being in control of your moods despite your surrounding. There needs to be a way to take advantage of these little quirks.

Customized Computing

Does it sometimes seems like the computing these days knows a little too much about you? Is it really possible that we can all be reduced down to an algorithm? That is a rather disturbing thought. The other day when I picked up my phone, it seemed like that my day was planned to the minute. Even the news is very much customized. Your phone is constantly gathering what the app developing ones call signals. These could be your commuting habits, which the phone can glean from its internal GPS, often within a few feet. Your phone could also gather your meetings, your future trips, your friends and family, your favorite sports team, the type of news you usually read and even things like your heart rate. Things really get interesting when the apps that gather these signals start to be predictive. When that happens, your phone can start anticipating your needs, interests and habits and give you relevant information, apps and even coupons and ads.

Love Without Smartphones

Technology, as a whole, has ruined traditional romantic progression. In today's world, we hold our phone more than we hold hands. In the Mad Men era, we would have to learn about one another through an actual conversation rather than getting a scouting report from their Twitter bio prior to your night out because describing it as a "date" these days would aggrandize the situation. Above all, people would have more of a connection with one another instead of being connected with the entire world. Dinner dates wouldn't be interrupted by nagging phone service and business app notifications and people would actually get to enjoy the company of those in front of them instead of those who are merely virtually present.After a few minutes of thumb scrolling I can find out a lot about a person. Just think about the type of effort that love in the relatively medieval times required. The hand cramping letters that took hours on end to complete because they wanted to get every word written is a testament enough; nowadays people have simplified emotions to 140 characters.

The Internet and the Pope

It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, doesn't it? The Internet presents a platform for communication, Pope Francis wrote, letting people of different faiths and backgrounds interact. The pope is using the message to promote open conversation about things like faith. Pope Francis also added that while there are positives on the Internet, it can also ultimately serve to isolate users from friends and family.Even though we have application such as internet phone services, it can still serve to tear us apart because communication is much too easy so we can act on our impulses. On the other hand, it can connect people that are in different countries. Talking using video conferencing programs has different dynamics than talking face to face and many experts are saying that the younger generation is losing the ability to communicate with other people besides on the internet and behind a screen. These are too sides of the same coin and we have been here before when other new technology such as the telephone came out. Where do you think that we are headed?

Secure Your Phones

Your smartphone is probably a much more tempting target for cybercriminals than your desktop computer, and unless you take proper precautions, it's easier to hack as well. Think of it this way: Your computer might have sensitive work documents, banking information or personal records, but there are only a few ways people can access those files — in person, via a network or over the Internet. Your smartphone is almost always on, connected to the Internet, logged into your email and social media and other mobile applications, and likely has at least a username stored for your bank account. Your smartphone contains as much sensitive information as your wallet does — more, if you count the contact information for your family and friends. A smartphone is a whole different beast. Hackers do not represent the only mobile threat, either. Leaving your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality activated when you don't need to do so represents a considerable privacy risk.

Unplug for a Day

Just the other day was National Unplugging Day. Would you be able to completely go off the grid for 24 hours? Many people would probably go into shock and experience anxiety symptoms because it is hard to just let go of your internet phone services and constantly being in contact with people. I realize that the demands of the business world is that you have to be available 24/7. There are time when we need to unplug though. Participants are encouraged to put away their phones, tablets, laptops and other Internet-connected doodads from sunset Friday to sundown Saturday for a digital sabbath. The time might instead be used for quiet reflection, communing with nature, reconnecting with family or friends, focusing on a project and even getting a rare, uninterrupted night's sleep. How awesome would that be?! Just let the important people know that you are going off the grid before you do. They might report you missing otherwise.