I’m just documenting a few notes here that will hopefully be of benefit to someone.

No Page Numbers!
It probably comes as no surprise to my readers that I am goal oriented. I set goals and carefully track my progress. Reading is no exception. When I’m reading a printed book and I start a new chapter, I will flip forward to see what page the next chapter starts on and then mentally calculate how many pages I have left in the current chapter as I read and turn pages. I used the eReader ebook reader on Palm handhelds for many years and I loved that it always showed the page number I was on and I could easily access the starting page for the next chapter. eReader would recalculate the page numbers if I changed fonts or font size.

This is one of those things that bugs me about the Kindle 2. It does show your progress through the book at the bottom and it shows little dots on the progress bar where the chapter breaks are. Instead of page numbers though, it displays something called Locations. For example, in the book I’m reading now, it has a total of 4945 of these locations. The page I’m on now is displaying Locations 3505-12 (this means Locations 3505 to 3512; I don’t know why it feels it has to truncate the second number). If I push the 5-way controller to the right I can see that the first page for the next chapter displays “Locations 3600-3604″; I don’t know why it doesn’t display this as “Locations 3600-12″ to be consistent). Then I press the back button to go back to where I was. So, in my head I have to subtract 3505 from 3600 to get that I have 95 locations to read. I don’t know exactly what a location is and the number displayed per screen, or page, isn’t consistent. I find this very frustrating.

A Few Features I Would REALLY Like to See:

• AutoScroll: I don’t know it this is possible or practical with the Kindles’ electronic paper technology, but it would be nice to have the text scroll. With this feature, a reader wouldn’t have to press the Next Pagebutton, but the words would just automatically scroll up the screen. This is another of the features from eReader on the Palm and Pocket PC that I really like.
• Rapid Serial Visual Presentation: This feature would add Zap Reader like speed reading functionality to the Kindle. Once again, it may not be possible with the electronic paper technology.
• Menu Wrapping: The Kindle 2 doesn’t have wrapping menus. This means, for example, that if I’m on the Home menu and want to go to the Experimental option that I have to push the 5-way button down 4 times. If it had wrapping menus, I could just push it up 3 times. For many longer menus, this is rather frustrating.
• A General Notepad: Although I can write notes on the Kindle and they are labeled with the location in the book I was reading when I made the notes, there is no way to just write notes. For example, as I read, I get a lot of ideas of things to add to my Task list, or general notes for myself that aren’t about the book I’m reading (even though the book may have inspired the thought or idea). I guess I could create my own little custom book with some custom headings and add notes there, but it seems a little clumsy when I really just want a basic notepad.
• MP3 Tools: I understand that the MP3 player is an experimental feature, but it’s incredibly basic. I know that Amazon wasn’t trying to create an iPod killer with the device, but I think they could greatly increase adoption by improving the MP3 player. Right now you can’t see the titles of MP3 files or your progress through them. This makes it useless for MP3 audio books. It’s probably similar to using an iPod Shuffle. It’s probably only useful for some music that you like to listen to as background music while you read.

It’s Great for Reading on Planes!
I did have a few plane trips in the last couple weeks. I will admit that the Kindle is an absolutely wonderful way to read when you are scrunched up in an airplane seat. You don’t need to move your whole arm to turn a page, it very small and light so it’s a pleasure to hold and fits well in the seat back pocket. I was just surprised that no one asked me about it, even my seat mates. On the down-side, however, you probably can’t read on it during take off and landing, even though the device is only turned on when you turn a page. Hopefully this will change as airlines get more comfortable with electronic devices and the electronic paper becomes more popular.

Kindle Usability
If you don’t regularly Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox articles, you may not be aware of two articles he wrote recently: Kindle 2 Usability Review and Kindle Content Design. These are well worth reading.

I’ve been intrigued by the Amazon Kindle 2 for quite some time, but I just couldn’t quite bring myself to shell out the $359 to buy one. Saturday evening, one of my friends posted on her FaceBook status that she was enjoying her new Kindle. This caused me to take another look at the device.

I watched the videos at Amazon again and also discovered some blogs that focus on the Kindle. I knew that the Kindle had wireless access for downloading books and other content, but I didn’t know that it had a browser built into it that would allow the user to check email, weather, go to Wikipedia, and do a lot of other things online.

That $359 price tag had been the biggest thing holding me back, and although the browser is limited, it was the tipping point that pushed me into making the purchase. I’ll be using this for business activities so the price is tax deductable; that essentially brings the price down to around $269. If I buy 10 books this year for $9.99 (or less) that would have been around $20 (or more) then I’ll have spent $100 less than normal; that brings the price down to around $169. At this price point, it’s becoming more palatable to me. I also have an unlimited wireless Internet plan for my Verizon Samsung SCH-i760 Windows Mobile phone. I use it mostly to check email, weather, flight status, research on wikipedia, and stuff like that. I looked at the megabyte usage on my bill and realized that I’m not using a great deal as long as I’m not downloading programs or large graphics to my phone. If I can drop my ~$50/month unlimited data plan on my phone and just use the $1.99/Mb plan when I really do need to access something online via my phone, I can probably divert the funds I would have spent there to pay for the remainder of Kindle in about 4 months or less. After that, the Kindle will actually be profitable for me in that I will be spending less ongoing.

There is a 30-day window in which I can return the Kindle. I’m certainly going to put it through its paces over the next few weeks. Here are my thoughts so far:

What I Don’t Like So Far

• I wish the background was closer to white. It’s kind of a light gray mixed with beige sort of background and I would like to have more of a contrast.
• I was hoping that since I have several options for font size, I wouldn’t need my now-that-I’m-over-40 reading glasses. I probably wouldn’t outside in sunlight, but inside I still need them. That’s not a down side of the device, just a commentary on how my current eyesight interacts with it.
• The devices seems just a little slower than I would expect on page turns. This may be due more to the current state of digital ink technology than the Kindle itself.
• The browser needs quite a bit of improvement. I may post another post later on my ideas for it. Currently it’s at least as good as Internet Explorer Mobile on a Windows Mobile device though, so it it’s still quite usable. Amazon says this is an experimental feature though and I expect it will improve over time.
• The 5-way controller seems a little weak to me. It may be much stronger than I think, but it just doesn’t have a good feel to it. We’ll see how it does over time.
• I wish it had a backlight for night-time reading. Amazon recommends a book light like one might use with a printed book, but I think a backlight just makes more sense.

What I Like So Far

• I didn’t like the way it looked in the pictures. Many reviewers said that it looked better in real life and it just wasn’t photogenic. I can attest to this fact. It really is a nice looking device when you hold it in your hand.
• It has a good feel to it. It’s not ultra-light, but it isn’t heavy by any means. It has a good solid feel in your hands. The metal back may contribute to this as well. When I saw it in pictures, I didn’t like the placement of the buttons. In actual usage they are exactly where they need to be though.
• The antialiasing of the fonts is really good and it appears much like a regular printed page. Since printed media is usually 300 dots-per-inch resolution and the 3-1/2″ x 4-3/4″ and 600×800 screen means it’s only at about 170 dots-per-inch I’m really surprised.
• Being able to browse the Amazon Kindle store, purchase, and download a book in less than a minute is really nice. By the way, my first book is Making it All Work by David Allen.
• I’ve been reading eBooks for probably 9 years now (my first real eBook reading experience was on my Palm IIIx) and I can certainly say that the Kindle is the best experience I’ve had so far.
• I’ve done a lot of reading in bed on Palm and Windows mobile devices. I find that the Kindle is much easier to hold while laying down. With mobile devices, my hand would frequently get cramps or my arm would frequently tired from the way that I had to hold the device. That doesn’t seem to be a problem with the Kindle so far.
• I really like having the built-in dictionary and Wikipedia access. Being able to instantly access other information and resources is very helpful when reading, but I don’t enjoy reading longer works when I’m sitting at my computer with a full browser and web access.
• I’ve only experimented with the text-to-speech, but I think it’s going to be a valuable feature. The technology isn’t perfect and still sounds mechanical, but it’s not bad and I’m sure it will improve over time as well. With many of these things I keep having to remind myself of this fact in light that i’m an early adopter. A few months ago when I was working with a personal coach in a Brian Tracy program I had the audio CDs and a manual with the text. I found that it was helpful for me to read along with someone else instead of just reading on my own. The mechanical voice will help add this capability to much of my reading now.

Well, that’s all for now. I’ve probably missed some things I wanted to say, but I’ll try to catch those in a future post.

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been working with the Getting Things Done methodologies for over six years now. Wow!

When I was first started studying these methodologies I became very active on several of the Getting Things Done online forums and even started one of the popular discussion groups. I met a lot of wonderful people in those groups and I’ve stayed in touch with some of them over the years even though I’m no longer very active in those groups. One of those friends is Augusto Pinaud.

In November August emailed me and asked me if I would like to partipate in an an interview for his @Context Podcast. I thought it would be wonderful to actually talk with Augusto after emailing him for 6 years, so I agreed.

So, in mid-December I had a wonderful conversation with Augusto and his podcast partner Tara Robinson. They recorded it and it is now available–Episode Nine: Ricky Spears. So, if you’ve been wondering about my productivity system, how I work now, or my history with Getting Things Done, listen to the podcast. I had a wonderfully fun time talking with them and I hope you have just as much fun listening. If you have any questions, feel free to post a comment below!

Most of my readers know that I’m very active in my local Toastmasters group. We’re trying to get the word out about an upcoming workshop that is open to the public, so I’m posting it here in case anyone is interested. If you have questions, feel free to ask me. I hope some of you can make it and I look forward to seeing you there. Spaces are limited, so if you’re interested you will want to register soon! Here are the details:

Who: YOU!
What: A public speaking workshop, “Speaking as a Critical Skill for Your Job.” Presented by the Chair City Toastmasters.
When: Noon - 1:00pm Mondays (February 2, 9, 23, and March 2)
Where: Thomasville Public Library, 14 Randolph St. in Thomasville
Cost: $20

This program will enhance your ability to:

• Present with Confidence
• Speak with Authority
• Respond with Poise and Impact
• Relate to your audience and Build Trust
• Improve your Interpersonal Skills

To register or for more information contact: Sharon Hill at 336-687-7324 or SeaNnc1044@aol.com

My wife and I have celebrated the past 20 Christmases together. In all those years, we’ve always decorated with an artificial Christmas tree. It takes several hours to set up our tree and get it looking like a real tree, even before we hang the first ornament on it. This year I wanted to save some time by just buying a live Christmas tree.

My wife realized quickly that this thing is thirsty! It’s quite a hassle to fill a bottle with water, move the presents, crawl under the tree, fill up the reservoir, go to the kitchen to refill the bottle, add more water to the reservoir, and then rearrange the presents like they were before we started. Ok, it’s a 2-minute task total, but do that once-a-day every-day for a month and you’ve just spent an hour watering the Christmas tree and moving packages around. I knew there had to be a better way.

As I thought about the problem, I realized that a siphon was the solution to my problem. However, I knew that a bucket of water and a hose under the Christmas tree was just a little too redneck for my wife. So, I had to come up with some way to disguise it.

This afternoon I made a trip to the local hardware store, came home and built my Hidden Christmas Tree Watering System. It works great and didn’t take long at all to put together. It took much longer to write the Instructable, but I’m glad I had that experience. I may write more in the future now that I know how their system works.

Anyway, I would appreciate it if you would check it out and let me know what you think in the comments below or on the Instructables site. I have another question too, would you prefer that I put projects like this on Instructables or just post the pictures and instructions here on my blog. I’m trying to figure out the advantages and disadvantages of each way.

Update (11/13/2008): A couple hours after I posted this Instructable, I received the following email from the Instructables Robot saying it had been chosen as a “Feature”. Cool! Thanks, Instructables!

Your Instructable “Make a Hidden Christmas Tree Watering System” was just featured by one of our editors!

Look for it on the Instructables homepage within the next 30 minutes. Being featured means we think you are awesome.  Keep up the great work!

-Eric

Update (11/15/2008): I just noticed that Lifehacker has picked this up and posted a link to it. There is lot’s of good conversation there. Thanks everyone!

I first met Steve Pavlina probably back in 2003 on the DavidCo discussion boards where many of us gathered to help each other understand and implement David Allen’s Getting Things Done methodologies. I was especially intrigued by some Personal Productivity articles he shared on his Dexterity Software web site. When he started his own Personal Development blog back in 2004, I became a regular reader and I’ve read most of the 700+ articles he has written. I don’t always agree with Steve, but I do believe he does a great job at making people think about things in new ways–as Steve would probably say, “That resonates very strongly with me.”

When Steve announced his upcoming book Personal Development for Smart People: The Conscious Pursuit of Personal Growth, I looked forward to reading it. I was thankful to be one of the few to get a pre-release copy to review here.

Let me begin by getting one small thing off my chest. When I first started reading it, it felt really slow and I couldn’t figure out why. Finally it occurred to me that the publisher had chosen a sans-serif typeface. Sans-serif is great for reading on the screen, but it really slows me down in long prose. I missed those little serifs on the letters to help pull my eye along. Maybe this was a conscious decision to force readers to slow down, I don’t know, but I didn’t care for it.

Steve says that in this book he set out to write a book on personal development that was unlike any other. He has spent many of his recent years searching for the “prime numbers” of personal development. He identifies these as Truth, Power, and Love. Steve spends the first half of the book explaining these four elements, including the combinations of Oneness, Authority, Courage, and Intelligence. In the second half of the book he provides chapters on how to apply these elements to the areas of Habits, Career, Money, Health, Relationships, and Spirituality.

The book is a very interesting read. It held my attention well and I enjoyed the stories he shared, even though I had read some of them on his blog before. Although I don’t agree with anyone about everything they believe (where would be the fun in that?), I do think that Steve has come a long ways towards providing some structure for understanding human growth. Although Steve applies his findings to personal development topics throughout the book, the overall concept is very much a philosophy.

I haven’t yet read any of the reviews by other readers (batch 1, batch 2, batch 3), but I think we’ll have to wait a few years to see if Steve’s philosophy holds water. The proof will be in how people apply the information presented here, and how they share those applications with other. Steve has done a good thing in getting bloggers on board with reading and reviewing his book–he definitely understands marketing. I look forward to reading how others have applied this information. Just as hundreds of people have created various systems and programs to help them apply David Allen’s Getting Things Done methodologies, it will be interesting to see if people begin creating systems and programs to help them apply the concepts of Truth, Love, and Power.

One thing I picked up quite readily is how well Christianity, as I understand and practice my relationship with Christ, identifies closely with the core concepts Steve lays out. I’ve been thinking a great deal in recent months about the personal growth movement, Christianity, how these two interrelate, and how to maximize people’s growth in Christ. I need to re-read the entire book in this particular light, but I’m optomistic that this will provide a good pattern for that.

That’s what Steve has provided in this book: a philosophical framework that can be applied to most any area of our lives. I know that much of this works becuase it’s the way I, and I believe lots of other successful people, naturally relate to the world around us. Regardless of whether or not this work becomes the foundation of future personal development, I think it is certainly worth reading–at least once, but probably a few more times to make sure the concepts are fully understood. As with all personal development books, the proof will be in the application. You can’t grow very much by only reading. You have to begin applying what he teaches.

If you’ve read Personal Development for Smart People: The Conscious Pursuit of Personal Growth, or have specific questions about it, contribute to the conversation in the comments!

With the current drop in our financial markets, I’ve been considering taking some money out of my IRA to invest in my business. Who am I kidding? I first asked my financial advisor about this about two years ago. She had indicated there was a significant tax hit, around 30%-40%, and I just really didn’t want to pay that.

I just read an article at the New York Times called “Betting Your Retirement on Your Start-Up.” In this article, a man has about 160,000 in his 401k, and wants to buy into a franchise with $30,000 franchise fee. He also needs start-up capital. He didn’t have any other acceptable sources for financing.

To sum up the article, here is what he did:

• He got advice from BeneTrends, Inc., a company that specializes in helping people with these types of transactions. Total cost about $5,000.
• He set up his business as a C Coprporation, a designation that allows a company to issue private shares of stock.
• He created a profit-sharing retirement plan within his corporation. This made it eligible to accept pretax retirement contributions.
• He rolled over about half of his retirement savings, roughly $80,000, from his 401(k) into the profit-sharing plan. The profit-sharing plan bought the franchise rights and also provided working capital for his business.

If you want to find out more, read the New York Times article. I’m posting this here just so I don’t lose this idea. I also thought some of my readers might be interested as well.

For a few years now I’ve had a crazy idea in the back of mind. I don’t know that it’s time to execute the idea yet, but I thought I’d post here and at least get some discussion going on the idea.

My History in the Boy Scouts of America and Activity in the Merit Badge Program

I was very involved in the Boy Scouts of America program from 7th grade through 12th grade (12 to 18 years old). The path to Eagle Scout played a major role in shaping me and preparing me for my future.

One of the things I liked most about scouting was the merit badge program. I think there were 105 available merit badges at the time. I earned 25 merit badges in all including 11 that were required for Eagle. To illustrate the broad range of areas in which merit badges are available, my merit badge sash included badges for: Basketry; Model Design and Building; Firemanship; Rowing; First Aid; Camping; Fishing; Scholarship; Emergency Preparedness; Communications; and Citizenship in the Community, Nation, and World. I believe this broad scope of learning opportunities helped me to develop an interest in all sorts of learning and made me a very well-rounded person by the time I turned 18 years old.

How Does the Boy Scout Merit Badge Program Work?

There are seven ranks in Boy Scouts: Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, and Eagle. Although any scout may earn any merit badges he wants at any time, a certain number of merit badges are required for the Star, Life, and Eagle awards. This provides motivation to earn them.

Each merit badge has a set of requirements. The requirements for each badge vary greatly but are designed to allow the scout to develop and demonstrate at least a general working knowledge in the area. Merit badges are by no means an indication that the scout is an expert in the area, but rather that he has done enough research and application to have an understanding or working knowledge in the area. For a complete list of merit badges and requirements, visit MeritBadge.org.

Once a scout decides he wants to earn a badge in a particular area he would tell his Scoutmaster. The Scoutmaster would then help the scout find a qualified person to serve as a Merit Badge Counselor to help the scout with achieving the requirements for the award. While the scout would do much of the research and work on his own, he still had to meet with the counselor to demonstrate his knowledge and skill.

After the scout completed the requirements to the satisfaction of his counselor, the merit badge would be presented at a Court of Honor–a ceremony to honro scouting achievements. The scout would then add the badge to his merit badge sash–part of his uniform that showed off his accomplishments to his fellow scouts.

Merit Badges Get Replaced in Adult Life

After scouting, there really isn’t a close replacement for merit badges. Sure, we can: read books; take classes; attend seminars; join organizations; earn certifications, licenses, and degrees; and learn as we generally experience life. However, there is nothing for adults that comes close to the fun, excitement, and stress-free opportunity available in the Boy Scout merit badge program.

What I’d Like to See In An Adult Merit Badge Program

• Available Badges - While the Boy Scout program currently only offers 121 different merit badges, I think there could be an unlimited number of merit badges in an Adult program. Here are a few ideas just off the top of my head: Cooking, Barbecuing, Lawncare, Automotive Maintenance, Microsoft Word, Coin Collecting, Podcasting, GTD–Getting Things Done, Online Marketing, Travel, Guitar Playing, Dog Ownership, Astronomy, Local Politics, Cake Decorating, Blogging, Personal Finance, Child Rearing, etc…
• The Requirements - Just as in the Boy Scouts, the requirements shouldn’t be designed to make someone an expert, but rather to ensure that the learner has a good working knowledge in the area. I believe that almost anyone who is an expert in a particular area will likely be quite capable of writing requirements. There should be some sort of review process, possibly by other experts in the field, to insure that there is some consensus that the requirements meet the working-knowledge objective and are also written in a consistent manner and style. The requirements also need to be reviewed regularly to ensure that they keep up with current technologies and social trends.
• Counselors - Unless things have changed in the last 25 years, there are no set requirements for merit badge counselors. When I earned my Computers merit badge, my Algebra teacher was my counselor. When I earned my Leatherwork merit badge, a fellow scout with leatherworking knowledge was my counselor. For many of them, I simply presented my work and demonstrated my skill to one of my scout leaders. I think that in an Adult Merit Badge program, adults should be able to seek out a counselor they feel will be able to properly assist them and answer their questions.
• The Award - The adult merit badge counselor would indicate that a particular candidate had completed all the necessary requirements for a particular award. The learner would receive some sort of certificate or other token to indicate he or she had completed the requirements. Perhaps even an icon or logo that could be put on their own web site.

How Would an Adult Merit Badge Program Be Managed and Administered?

Perhaps the reason nothing like this has been done before is because there is no system to manage and administer such a program. The Boy Scouts of America has a massive network of hundreds of thousands of volunteers to administer the program on a one-on-one level. While many people will serve in this capacity to prepare young people for their future, I’m doubtful that many adults would be likely to volunteer their time to make a similar program successful for other adults.

In this day of technology and the Internet, it might not be a huge task to create a web-based program through which it could be managed and administered. It could be a social networking type of site similar to LinkedIn, FaceBook, and MySpace. Each participant would have their own personal page to display their awards, locate others with similar interests, and to generally form community around their demonstrated skills and knowledge.

Talk with Me People!

So, what do you think? Do you think Merit Badges for Adults would be a good idea? What ideas do you have to execute the idea? How would you see something like this affecting your life? Let me know in the comments!

I’ve been wondering for quite some time if it was safe to use higher wattage Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) than the manufacturer’s specifications for Incandescent Light Bulbs. I searched for an answer to this question and couldn’t find one. I did discover the Ceiling Fan Questions and Answers blog by Hansen Wholesale though. Although there was some great information there, I still couldn’t find my answer. So I decided to email Greg Tillotson, the chief editor for Hansen Wholesale. Here is my email to Greg:

Greg,

I discovered your Ceiling Fan Questions and Answers blog while researching a particular question. I read your articles on ceiling fan efficiency, but still haven’t found an answer to my question, so I thought this might be a good question for your blog.

We have several ceiling fans in our home. If I remember correctly, they have all specified that we are to use 60-watt or less bulbs. This is both the 3-bulb and 4-bulb models of fans. I find that 60-watt bulbs In the bedrooms are fine. However, in my office I want more light than this provides. I just replaced the four 60-watt incandescent bulbs with four 23-watt compact fluorescent bulbs (equivalent light of four 100-watt incandescent bulbs). This is the kind of light I like in my office! My guess is that the manufacturers specify 60-watt bulbs or less because of the heat generated, but I don’t know that for certain. I’m wondering if my use of four 23-watt compact fluorescent bulbs will damage the fan or cause some other safety issue since they provide the equivalent light of four 100-watt incandescent bulbs. If so, must I stick with four 15-watt compact fluorescent bulbs (equivalent light output of 60-watt incandescent bulbs) or is there something else I can do to safely increase the amount of light in my office without installing new fixtures or stand-alone lamps.

Thank you for your time. I’m sure I can’t be the only person looking for an answer to this question. Great job on the blog too!

Within just a few minutes, I received the following response from Greg:

Great question…and yes, we should address this on our site.

Actually, the maximum wattage for the sockets is based on 2 things: the heat generated by the bulbs and the wattage they consume. The compact fluorescent bulbs will consume less wattage and burn cooler, so they are better in both aspects. You can certainly use the 23 watt bulbs. You could potentially use 60 watt CFLs if they made them.

Wow! I’m guessing that a 60-watt CFL would be like equivalent to a 240-watt incandescent. With four of them that would be like having nearly 1000-watts of incandescent light in my office! I could probably tan while I worked!

If you have questions about ceiling fans, I suggest you send Greg an email–and of course, check out their store too.

Although I’ve been a registered Twitter user for quite some time, I really didn’t use it much until this past week. Now that I’ve gotten started tweeting several times a day, I think I’ll keep it up.

My wife wasn’t able to join me on my trip to Seattle this week, so I decided to use Twitter to bridge the 2,000+ mile divide between us. I posted several pictures via TwitPic so she would feel more connected to me. I think incorporating pictures is a great way to give people a better feel for what you are doing right at that time–it’s the next best thing to being there.

I had read several articles about Twitter and many of them said that one really has to seriously use Twitter to develop an appreciation for it. I found that to be the case. I’m starting to find other uses besides just answering the question of, “What are you doing right now?” For example, I frequently get ideas for products and businesses–I’ve started posting some of those ideas on my Twitter page. I think I may use it to share inspirational quotes and other things as well.

I also used the Twitter Tools plugin for WordPress to have a digest of each day’s tweets posted here on my blog. I never received any comments on those posts, nor comments on whether or not those digests were appreciated or hated. I’ve decided to turn off that feature for now. If you really miss it, or really hated it, let me know in the comments.

If you would like to follow me, you can do so at http://twitter.com/rickyspears