Jessica KendrickMy grandfather had an ergonomic keyboard. It drove us all bonkers because it was twice as hard to type on.
These days, when it comes to peripherals for computers, a lot of attention is given to mobile keyboards and mice for tablets and laptops. But what if you are one of the remaining desktop computer users or use your laptop or tablet on a dock as your primary computer in your home or office? You will likely want a full-size mouse and keyboard to fill out your command center.
The Microsoft Sculpt Ergonomic Desktop is a fresh and comfortable setup that combines functionality, versatility, and style.
There are a number of popular productivity subscriptions many take advantage of, but for a limited time only, you'll be able to gain access to a bunch for just $60. Evernote, LastPass, Pocket, Wunderlist and the New York Times have teamed up to launch the Productivity Pack, a promotional bundle that includes subscriptions to each service at a discounted price.
I do not consider myself exactly on the edge of trendsetting, nor do I claim always to know what the next 'big thing' is, but Trivia Crack (TriviaCrack.com) has recently caught my attention.
I started playing the game a few months ago as it came to Windows Phone back in September. Sure, it is fun, but I thought it was just another game for Windows Phone. Then, all of a sudden a few weeks ago, I started getting requests from friends on Facebook to play the trivia game. I had no idea it was even on other platforms. Weeks later and friends of friends are telling me it is all the rage.
Curious about space exploration and the Final Frontier? If so, this week's Windows Phone myAppFree deal might be right up your alley. The Hubble Space Telescope is a Windows Phone app that delivers information on the space telescope, as well as a boat load of images the telescope has captured.
Normally the Windows Phone app runs $.99 but for the next twenty-four hours you can pick the Hubble Space Telescope app up for free through the myAppFree deal.
Portable storage is forever getting smaller and higher capacity, be that portable hard drives, SD or microSD cards or even USB thumb drives. At CES, Samsung was showcasing its latest development in the space, the T1 portable SSD drive. And in something no bigger – albeit a little thicker – than a business card, you can now get 1TB of SSD storage.
Razer is celebrating the numerous awards it received during CES 2015 last week with a special 24 hour sale. The event will cut the price of all of its peripherals and accessories by 50%, such as its Atrox Arcade Fighting Stick for the Xbox One. Its PC systems, including its 14-inch Razer Blade laptop, will be discounted by 30% during the sale.
Jessica KendrickSome of these are outdated, but... it's free.
I post a lot of freebies every week, and I know sometimes it can be hard to wade through which are still available, so each week I put together a list of samples and other freebies you can still request if you haven't already. Some of the best freebies disappear too quickly to make this list, but there are still some great ones available. Enjoy!
**shipping ranges from $0.49 to $14.99 for these offers.
If you come across a sample or freebie that is no longer available, please let me know so it can be taken off the list. I do my best to check each one before posting it here, but sometimes a sample appears to still be available when it isn't and sometimes they run out soon after I post!
It took me a long time to realize that what I thought of as “resolutions” could almost always be characterized as “habits.” Most often, when people want to make some kind of change in the New Year, they want to master some kind of habit. (If you want to know the Essential Seven of habits, look here.)
Since I started working on my habits for my book on habit change, Better Than Before, and since my resolutions-based happiness project, I’ve hit on many strategies to help myself stick to resolutions.
Here are just a few:
1. Be specific. Don’t resolve to “Make more friends” or “Strengthen friendships”; that’s too vague. To make more friends as part of my happiness project, I have several very concrete resolutions like: “Start a group,” “Remember birthdays,” “Say hello,” “Make plans,” “Show up,” and “No gossip.”
2. Write it down.
3. Review your resolution constantly. If your resolution is buzzing through your head, it’s easier to stick to it. I review my Resolutions Chart every night.
4. Hold yourself accountable. Tell other people about your resolution, join or form a like-minded group, score yourself on a chart (my method) — whatever works for you to make yourself feel accountable for success and failure.
5. Think big. Maybe you need a big change, a big adventure – a trip to a foreign place, a break-up, a move, a new job. Let yourself imagine anything, and plan from there.
6. Think small. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that only radical change can make a difference. Just keeping your fridge cleared out could give you a real boost. Look close to home for ways to improve and grow.
7. Ask for help. Why is this so hard? But every time I ask for help, I’m amazed at how much easier my task becomes.
If you have an especially tough time keeping resolutions, if you have a pattern of making and breaking them, try these strategies:
8. Consider making only pleasant resolutions. We can make our lives happier in many ways. If you’ve been trying the boot-camp approach with no success, try resolving to “Go to more movies,” “Entertain more often,” or whatever resolutions you’d find fun to keep. Often, having more fun in our lives makes it easier to do tough things. Seeing more movies might make it easier to keep going to the gym. Remember, we must have treats!
9. Consider giving up a resolution. If you keep making and breaking a resolution, consider whether you should relinquish it entirely. Put your energy toward changes that are both realistic and helpful. Don’t let an unfulfilled resolution to lose twenty pounds or to overhaul your overgrown yard block you from making other, smaller resolutions that might give you a big happiness boost.
10. Consider keeping your resolution every day. Weirdly, it’s often easier to do something every day (exercise, post to a blog, deal with the mail, do laundry) than every few days.
11. Set a deadline.
12. Don’t give up if something interferes with your deadline.
13. “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” Thank you, Voltaire. If you break your resolution today, try again tomorrow. Although some people assume that strong feelings of guilt or shame act as safeguards to help people stick to good habits, the opposite is true. People who feel less guilt and who show compassion toward themselves in the face of failure are better able to regain self-control, while people who feel deeply guilty and full of self-blame struggle more.
What else? What are some strategies you’ve discovered, to help you stick to your New Year’s resolutions?
If you want more information along these lines, pre-order Better Than Before. The entire book is about mastering habits and keeping resolutions. Guess what? It’s easier than you think–if you do it right.
I think a lot about habits, and lately I’ve been thinking a lot about habits related to holiday eating.
The holidays are supposed to be a festive time, but many people feel anxiety and regret around food and drink—the holiday season is so full of temptation.
I have to say, I enjoy the holidays much more, now that I’ve got a better grip on my habits, than I used to.
Here are some ways to apply the strategies of habit-change to this challenge:
1. Buy food in small containers. Studies show that people give themselves larger portions out of larger boxes, so I don’t buy that economy box of whatever. Buy the little box of gingerbread cookies, not the giant box.
2. Make tempting food inconvenient—put cookies in a hard-to-reach spot, set the freezer to a very cold temperature so it’s hard to spoon out ice cream, store goodies in hard-to-open containers. The Strategy of Inconvenience is simple, but crazily effective.
3. Wear snug-fitting clothes. That’s the Strategy of Monitoring. When we’re aware of what we’re doing, we behave better.
4. Dish food up in the kitchen, and don’t bring serving platters onto the table (except vegetables).
5. Pile your plate with everything you intend to eat, and don’t get seconds once that food is gone.
6. Skip the add-ons: tell the waiter that you don’t want the side of fries. When I do this, I sometimes feel like Sally from When Harry Met Sally as I quibble about how my food should be served, but oh well.
7. After dinner, to signal to yourself that “Eating’s over,” brush your teeth. I’d heard about this habit, so I decided to try it, but I was skeptical. I’ve been amazed by how effective tooth-brushing is. This is the Strategy of First Steps–because that tooth-brushing is the first step toward bedtime.
8. Don’t allow myself to get too hungry or too full. This is the Strategy of Foundation.
9. Realize that, with some things, you might not be able to have just one bite. I sure can’t. In the abstainer/moderator split, I’m a hard-core abstainer. It’s far easier for me to skip cookies and chocolate than it is to have a sensible portion. The Strategy of Abstaining is not a strategy that works for everyone, but for some people, it’s enormously helpful.
10. Never eat hors d’oeuvres. This kind of bright-line rule, which is an application of the Strategy of Clarity, is very helpful.
11. Don’t eat food I don’t like, just because it’s there. No one cares if I have a serving of asparagus or cranberry sauce.
12, Plan an exception. Planned exceptions are a great way to break a good habit in a way that feels limited, controlled, and positive.
13. Watch for loopholes! Some loopholes that are especially popular during the holidays include the “This doesn’t count” loophole, the “Concern for others” loophole, and the “fake self-actualization” loophole. Remember, we’re adults, and we can mindfully make exceptions to our good habits, but everything counts.
Although it may seem festive and carefree to indulge in lots of treats, in the end, we may feel guilty and overstuffed. Which doesn’t make the holiday happier.
It’s a Secret of Adulthood: By giving myself limits, I give myself freedom.
Intrigued? Pre-order my book Better Than Before, in which I reveal the secrets about how we can change our habits–really!
NOTE: Email subscribers, I apologize for the glitch in the emails that you’re getting. It’s such a pain, I know — I’m experiencing it, too. Some terrific tech minds are trying to diagnose and fix the problem, so please bear with me. I hope to get it fixed soon.
The Office Sway Preview has been expanded and is available try out for anyone with a Microsoft account. Sway is a new app from Microsoft that allows you to express your ideas in a brand new way across any all devices. The Sway Preview launched 10 weeks ago and has seen over 175,000 requests to join and over one million visitors. Microsoft has also announced a handful of new features available today within Sway.
Today's deal from the Microsoft Store as part of its 12 Days of Deals campaign is a special Fitbit Charge bundle in the US and a Surface Pro 3 price cut in Canada, but what about on Wednesday, December 17? Microsoft says that deal will be a free select game with the purchase of any 4GB Xbox 360 bundle, plus a second free game if you are one of the first to show up at a Microsoft Store location.
Enjoy a FREE one-day rental from Redbox - or two - today! You can text DBYRNE and HASHWORTH to 727272 to get a FREE rental at your local Kiosk. My code expires 12/22.
If you haven't used it before, you can try DVDONME if you're new to Redbox - and text SIGNUP to 727272 to sign up for Redbox Text Alerts too!
Thanks, Coupon Dad!
Books are the perfect gift for anyone on your list and Amazon has you covered with Amazon's 12 Days of Books – featuring both print books and Kindle editions for as much 89% off. Featured print books include fan favorite Humans of New York ($17.99, reg. $29.99) or Springsteen: Album by Album ($16.08, reg. $27.95) for the music lover in your life or Inside HBO's Game of Thrones: The Collector's Edition ($90, reg. $150)
Visit Amazon's 12 Days of Book Deals
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Jessica Kendrickyou know you need the tp
Right now on Amazon you can pick up Angel Soft Double Rolls Bath Tissue (48 pk.) for $20.89, which comes out to $0.44 per double-sized roll ($0.22 per single roll) when you order through Subscribe & Save! Here's how to grab yours:
Angel Soft Double Rolls Bath Tissue (48 ct.), $21.99
Save 5% with Subscribe & Save
$20.89 with FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $35
(Thanks, Passion for Savings!)
Adventure Time is a comedic animated fantasy show that seems perfect for videogame adaptations. Last year, fan-favorite developer WayForward created an Xbox 360 game called Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I Don't Know! Despite the company's track record with quality licensed games, Explore the Dungeon didn't set the world on fire.
This year, WayForward and publisher Little Orbit are back with another entry for Xbox 360, PC, and other platforms that improves on its predecessor in every conceivable way. In fact, Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom is the closest thing to a Zelda game that you can get on Xbox 360.
Adventure Time and Zelda fans, don't miss our latest Xbox developer interview with the game's producer, Ryan Rucinski of Little Orbit, complete with gameplay video!
Jessica KendrickThis is awesome. New decor I want to do!
As if the 12 Days of Book Deals were not enough (ask any child, there's no such thing as enough!) - now through Sunday (12/14) you can enjoy and extra 25% off any book that is sold and shipped by Amazon. Just use coupon code BOOKDEAL25 during checkout. This offer is valid on any book shipped by Amazon, including Lightning Deals and even the 12 Days of Book Deal specials!
Grab this new high value $2.50/1 Energizer Ultimate, Advanced, or Recharge Batteries printable coupon that you can combine with a rebate offer at Walmart to pick up 2 packs of Energizer Batteries for FREE! Here's the deal:
Energizer Ultimate Lithium Batteries, $6.97 ea.
Get a $10 Gift Card wyb 2 Specially Marked Energizer Batteries
$2.50/1 Energizer Ultimate, Advanced, or Recharge Batteries printable coupon
FREE (+ $1.06 money maker) wyb 2 after coupons and gift card!
Thanks, "Cents"able Momma!
It's hard to believe that the first week of December is already over. I haven't even finished my Thanksgiving leftovers, and yet it's time to take another look at five apps that have gotten our attention this week.
This time around, we have a mishmash of apps, some for fun and some for productivity.
If you're looking for an inexpensive phone this holiday, either as a gift for someone or to use yourself, Best Buy has a terrific price on the Microsoft Lumia 530. The T-Mobile variant of the Windows Phone smartphone is now going for just $35 at the big box retailer, a savings of 50 percent off of the phone's regular retail price.
You can combine coupons at Target this week to pick up two packs of Clorox To-Go Wipes for FREE! Here's how:
Clorox To-Go Wipes, $0.97 ea.
$1/2 Clorox Wipes Target printable
$1/2 Clorox Disinfecting Wipes printable coupon
As low as FREE wyb 2 after coupons!
Thanks, For The Mommas!
Twitter will soon be offering offering all users of its social network some new features and tools that will enable them to report abusive activity faster, along with a new page that shows which Twitter accounts a user has blocked.
Are you looking to get a little more Game of Thrones in your life between seasons? Well, there's some good news, as Telltale Games has announced that episode one of its Game of Thrones series, titled "Iron From Ice," is available on PC today, with Xbox One and 360 versions expected to hit the consoles' digital store tomorrow.
Microsoft has once again partnered up with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to launch the annual Santa Tracker website. The website enables those eagerly awaiting Santa's arrival to track the bringer of joy and presents as he travels across the world. This year the web team brings new games, an improved experience and better mobile support.
Maaloo Outdoor is a feature rich Windows Phone app designed for hiking, biking, skiing, and any other outdoor activity where you want to keep track with where you are, where you've been and where you want to go.
The app will record your tracks, map them out, navigate to points of interest and supports import/export to Dropbox or OneDrive accounts. Maaloo Outdoor is a clean looking app and integrates with you are here maps for offline use. Maaloo Outdoor hopes to join the ranks of other Windows Phone outdoor tracking/mapping apps such as Outdoor Navigation and makes a nice first impression. If you are in the market for an outdoor mapping app, it is definitely worth a look.
You might have noticed that we've been throwing some pretty sweet discounts your way the last few days or so. Well, we've got another little treat for anyone who places an order today. Whether it's a case for your HTC One M8 or a pack of screen protectors for your Nokia Lumia 920, you'll receive a Griffin USB car charger with your order—absolutely free. That is of course, while supplies last.
Whether you’re a planner or not, there’s one thing every writer will need as they prepare for NaNoWriMo: inspiration. We’ve challenged some of our favorite authors and the NaNo staff to inspire you by sharing what’s inspired them… and challenging you to prepare a specific jumpstart for your writing:
The Inspirer: Sabaa Tahir, author of An Ember In the Ashes
The Inspiration Sources:
The Jumpstart: Have your characters tell their most human truths. Perfect later.
Why This Will Inspire You: These creations made me see storytelling in a brand new way: focusing in on human stories, truth-telling, and working painstakingly on your writing.
Battlestar Galactica (2004)
Battlestar Galactica is a military/sci-fi television show that lasted for four seasons that I binge-watched in a couple of months. It was the first time I’d seen a show that so sleekly packaged adventure, science fiction, spirituality, character development, violence, war, and romance.
As a high-concept series with tight plotting, Battlestar Galactica helped me learn that genre-based creations can draw in broad audiences by focusing on and emphasizing the human story.
“The Drafting of One Art”, by Brett Candlish Millier (from The Writer’s Home Companion)
This book of essays is wonderful and I recommend it to any writer, no matter where you are in the journey. Specifically, though, Millier’s essay on my now-favorite poem, Elizabeth Bishop’s “One Art”, was my first true understanding of what it meant to revise something.
I read the essay in my teens and found myself coming back to it over and over, particularly while writing and revising An Ember in the Ashes (a multi-year process). Though the essay is a bit academic, it’s worth a slow, careful read in December for all the little nuggets about what it means to work on something until it’s as perfect as you can get it.
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
When I see something in a book that I want to remember, I upturn the bottom corner of the page so I can find it easily. About half the pages in this novel are turned up.
Though often classified as a science-fiction book, The Sparrow is a genre mash-up—my favorite kind of novel. It touches on questions of morality, faith, philosophy, family and humanity. The novel switches between two time periods, telling the tale of man’s first (and ill-fated) mission to a distant planet, as well as the story of one of the mission’s survivors, a Jesuit priest dealing with a crisis of faith, to say the least.
The characterization is incredible, the world-building top notch; I think any reader will learn a ton about both from this novel. But the main thing I learned from The Sparrow is that a writer’s power lies in truth. That truth can be beautiful, but it’s often harsh and ugly. Telling it means not pulling your punches when it comes to your characters. And as difficult as that can be to write, the effort is worth it.
Sabaa Tahir was born in London but grew up in California’s Mojave Desert at her family’s 18-room motel. After graduating from UCLA, Sabaa became an editor on the foreign desk at The Post. Three summers later, she came up with the concept for her debut novel, An Ember in the Ashes. Sabaa currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family. You can follow her on Twitter. Her debut novel, An Ember in the Ashes, is out from Razorbill/Penguin on April 28, 2015.
US electronics retailer Micro Center has started selling a 7-inch version of its Windbook Windows 8.1 tablet after launching 8-inch models earlier this year. More importantly, the new WinBook TW70CA17 model is on sale for just $59.99, which is the lowest price we have seen yet for a new Windows 8.1 tablet.
The holiday sales season continues! After the madness of Black Friday and the feel-good warmth of Small Business Saturday, it's time to gear up for the web version of it all: Cyber Monday. As the name would indicate, we're talking about sales meant for the internet and the internet only, so you're not going to have to leave the comfort of your home or office to get these deals. Just think… great savings, none of the crowds and chaos.
What follows are our hand-picked best deals for this year's Cyber Monday sales. We don't believe in recommending sub-par quality products, regardless of if they're a few bucks off on a random day or not. We're only pointing out sales on quality merchandise that we might consider buying if it weren't on sale. But they are on sale, so the deals are yours to take!
