Youtube Download
I love the holidays! I get to re-connect or meet for the first time with my ‘nerd herd’ friends and family that hook me up with new technology! This thanksgiving I discovered Tube TV. Read More…
Posted under Tips and Tidbits, Videos, Web Tricks
This post was written by Ken on December 1, 2008
What marks success? I’m not talking about who’s the fastest or makes the most money. I mean, if you look at the real successes over history, both good and bad, what is the common denominator. As an entrepreneur I’m constantly studying what makes someone or something successful. It’s probably one of the most important things I do on a daily basis and for some reason I stumbled across the answer the other day on my Facebook page and didn’t know it, until now.
Take a moment for yourself and think back on the who, what, when, where and how’s that have made the largest, most significant impact in your life. I would bet the gas in my truck (not as valuable as it was 2 months ago, but still) that I know it’s root.
Here’s the answer: Read More…
Posted under Can I Quote You?, Tips and Tidbits, Videos, Whacky Stories & Thoughts
This post was written by Ken on November 22, 2008
Stratowbowl Rim
Last year I discovered or re-discovered the Stratobowl via the Stratobowl rim trail. I had forgot how big of a deal this place was back in its day. I followed Hwy 16w South of Rapid City and while listening to my SmartAlec, I stopped at the suggested trailhead just past the gas station on the right. It’s about 2 miles past Bear Country USA. I got out and walked the gravel trail or fire access road for an easy rolling 1 mile to the lookout over the giant sinkhole. I forgot how huge it was and how far down it goes. The amazing story of how stratosphere history was made here is told in giant concrete tablets (8 ft.) that stick out of the ground near the lookout. It was easy to picture giant helium filled balloons launching into the sky…14 miles to set the record back in the 1930’s and 50’s. I spent probably about 45 minutes just looking around and then I took a different route as I returned to the highway.
Charles, my dog
I walked the rim and took in many, many more different lookouts along the way. It was great because I brought along Charles, my dog, and he couldn’t get enough of exploring the wild and wooly forest. I take all my friends there now and it’s become a favorite local spot for me and my growing circle of adventurers. Follow this link to check out the SmartAlec map and use it to get an idea of it’s location and even get directions. Have fun!
Posted under Off the Beaten Path, Tips and Tidbits
This post was written by Ken on October 9, 2008
Wow, I look around my desk and I see hard drives, usb drives, 5 flash drives, disk readers, recorders and all the cables that connect them to my computer. What is all this stuff for you might ask? Well, I’m a creative junky that likes to make stuff and save stuff…maybe I’m part digital pack-rat too.
If you are like me in the slightest, you have a little addiction to staying ahead of the curve and staying informed, then you should take advantage of a few major tools on the web. I admit that I am about as new to using most of them as a freshman just coming into college but I actually think they can be extremely useful for business and personal interest.
iGoogle
my igoogle
If you want to stay informed and organized you should consider getting a ‘igoogle’ account. If you don’t already know it, Google is the largest search engine in the world, DUH! They specialize in keeping tabs on the web and they want to share everything with us. An igoogle account is such a great tool for me for watching trends and staying informed on someone or something in any part of the world. One of my favorite uses of ‘igoogle’ is the home page. You can create your own style and only use the ‘gadgets’(widgets or little tools that do things like tell you the weather or show you the top stories on MSNBC) that you prefer. There’s tons of them. I personally watch for the weather, news, quotes, calendar,
Another favorite of mine is “Alerts”. This google product allows you to be alerted anytime Google finds what you are looking for on a website. This can include a mention of your website, blog or maybe a key subject matter. I use it to keep updated when hotlinks are made to my website, but more importantly I use it to be made aware when hotlinks are made to my business competition’s website. (example: link:www.smartalecgpstours.com) It helps me stay ahead of the curve and be alerted when the ‘word of mouth’ buzz is building for me or against me. How awesome is that! Read up on Alerts…they are well worth it.
Finally.. of course is using the ‘RSS Reader’. It was only a short time ago that the idea of an RSS feed was a little scary but I’ve discovered the advantage. It’s another type of an ‘alerts’ that make you aware of new stuff added to a specific web page or blog. If you want to understand RSS feeds more, check out this great blog of a friend of mine. He’s a teacher and it will help you understand. Use the RSS feed on the upper right hand side of this blog to get updates from this blog sent to your e-mail or maybe your brand spankin new ‘igoogle’ account. I’m sure I’ll shoot to the top of your favorite blog list soon!
Get connected to the web and use tools like iGoogle. It’s a huge resource and can be a great way to stay informed without all the extra junk that comes with CNN’s home page. Get connected to the world…but only what you want, when you want it.
Nothing Adventured, Nothing Gained
Posted under Tips and Tidbits, Web Tricks
This post was written by admin on September 15, 2008
