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Have you considered working from home?  If so, I thought I would share some rules over the next few weeks from the Real Simple Magazine article The 5 Rules of Working From Home by Amanda Armstrong.

Rule #3 – Schedule Your Day

“Create a structured routine, “which will help your mind and body adapt to a new working environment,” says Alan Hedge, Ph.D, director of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory at Cornell University. Concentration can falter in as little as 20 minutes, so Hedge recommends what he calls the 20-20-20 rule: Work for 20 minutes, break for 20 seconds, then while breaking, look 20 feet away to reset your focus and attention span.

If you tend to stay up late or sleep in, you can help synchronize your body clock so you’re alert during working hours by stepping outside for 15 to 20 minutes each day. According to experts, sunlight helps stimulate the pineal gland, which produces melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle.”

Are you tired of delays when going through airport security?  If so, I will be sharing 7 tips on how to get through airport security faster over the next few weeks from the MSNBC.com article How to get through airport security faster by JD Rinne.

Tip #7 – It’s showtime

“Once you’ve presented your ID and boarding pass, get moving. Find the shortest line—look especially for lines toward your left because studies show that Americans are more likely to turn right than left when entering a building, so lines on the left will tend to be shorter. Grab two bins.

The TSA is asking travelers to put shoes directly on the X-ray belt, so do that first. Pull out your quart-size bag of liquids and small electronics (like an iPhone) and lay them on top of your jacket. In the second bin, put your laptop (or, if you’ve got just got one bag or purse, use this bin for that). After successfully passing through the metal detector (because we know you will), grab your shoes and slip them on, then snag your other belongings and slip them back in your bag. Look around quickly for anything that may have come loose, and then exit the security area to keep the line moving.”

Have you considered working from home?  If so, I thought I would share some rules over the next few weeks from the Real Simple Magazine article The 5 Rules of Working From Home by Amanda Armstrong.

Rule #2 – Set Up an Ideal Office Layout

“The most crucial factor in creating a work-friendly environment is an ergonomic and streamlined space. When you sit down at your desk facing your computer, you should:

• Angle your pelvis so that it’s slightly open, at 100 to 110 degrees.
• Bend your elbows at 90 to 110 degrees, so that your hands rest comfortably on the desktop and your upper arms are in line with your torso.
• Place your feet flat on the floor.
• Position your head above your hips and look straight ahead, without craning or straining your neck.
• Have no more than a fist’s space between the back of your knees and the seat of your chair.
• Keep your wrists straight when using the keyboard or the mouse.”

Are you tired of delays when going through airport security?  If so, I will be sharing 7 tips on how to get through airport security faster over the next few weeks from the MSNBC.com article How to get through airport security faster by JD Rinne.

Tip #6 – Keep an eye peeled for new security programs

“Fifty airports (including Boston, Chicago, and Seattle) have security lines split among Expert, Casual, and Family travelers. Look for the signs and hit the line that’s right for you—we suggest Expert now that you’ve read our tips. Also, remember that 18 airports and five airlines are currently participating in the Paperless Boarding Pass pilot program. If the program covers your flight, you can go straight to the security checkpoint and use your cell phone as a boarding pass.”

Do you remember the days of getting a boarding pass in the mail from your airline or travel agent?  If you currently download and print your boarding pass online, then I am here to tell you that is so 2009.   Mobile Boarding Passes are in the now my friend.

Here is an update on the trend according to the Mobile Crunch post Mobile Boarding Passes Take Off With 1200% Usage Increase In 2009 by Greg Kumparak…

“Alright, lets pat the pockets and run through the mental checklist one last time before security: Passport? Check, front pocket. Headphones? Definitely in your backpack. Boarding pass? Uh oh. Where’d that boarding pass go?

Oh, that’s right! It’s on your phone – because you, like a rapidly increasing number of other people, opted to have it sent straight to your handset. Security scans the barcode right off of your handset’s display, and you’re on your way with one less thing to lose.

Trinity Mobile, one of the leading companies behind the mobile ticketing push, is today announcing a 1200% year-over-year increase with their mobile boarding pass offerings.

In 2008, Trinity Mobile saw 50,000 users opt-in to receive mobile boarding passes rather than the more traditional options. In 2009, this number shot up to 600,000. That’s still a drop in the bucket compared to the number of people flying with ol’ fashion boarding passes each and every day – but considering that that growth is almost entirely driven by users picking the option when its offered to them (without any real marketing push by Trinity or the airlines they’ve partnered with), it’s pretty impressive.

Jupiter Research backs up the fact that the trend is skyrocketing; according to their 2010 Mobile Ticketing report, over 2 billion mobile boarding passes will be sent out in 2010, with that number expected to blast up to 15 billion by 2014.

Anecdotally, I can honestly say I’ve also noticed a massive uptick in mobile boarding pass usage. As someone who travels somewhat frequently, I’ve seen at least a handful of people going that route on each trip I’ve taken over the past few months – especially on flights in Europe. I’ve yet to be offered a chance to do it myself – but given that I’m the type of person who clutches on to their boarding pass like it’s ice water in Hell, I’d jump on it on a heartbeat.”

*** Thanks Lorie for the post suggestion!

If you are a huge TiVo fan like I am, you will be happy to hear that TiVo is launching a new unit with new software next month.

According to the USA Today story TiVo shows off upgraded DVR, TiVo Premiere by David Lieberman…

“March 2, 2010 – NEW YORK — TiVo launched a campaign Tuesday to reassert itself as a leader in entertainment convergence: It unveiled its first totally redesigned digital video recorder since 1999.

The new unit, TiVo Premiere, makes it easy to find entertainment from conventional TV and the Web. When users search for a show, the on-screen guide displays options from both realms.

“The DVR was only the warm-up,” CEO Tom Rogers says. “This is the next big thing. One box for everything you want to do.”

The units will begin to ship in April. They’ll work with cable systems and Verizon’s FiOS, but not with AT&T’s U-verse or DirecTV and Dish Network’s satellite services.

TiVo (TIVO) needs something new: Its subscriptions dropped to 2.7 million in October — the lowest they’ve been since 2004 — as consumers flocked to lower-priced cable and satellite company DVRs.

TiVo’s service costs from $12.95 a month to $299 for three years.

The new Premiere will cost $300 for a model with a 320-gigabyte hard drive, capable of storing 45 hours of high-definition TV shows. Another model, the Premiere XL, will cost $500 and comes with a 1-terabyte hard drive, which can handle 150 hours of HD programming.

TiVo says that its DVRs offer a lot more services than cable DVRs do — and the Premiere DVRs can take the place of a cable box. The new units have a slot for a smart card that the cable operator must provide so the DVR can receive programming.

Unlike cable boxes, the DVRs can’t access cable-provided video on demand programming. Premiere owners can, however, use their Web connections to order VOD movies from providers including Amazon, Blockbuster and Netflix.

Most major TV networks don’t allow convergence devices to access shows on sites such as Hulu.com. “They will in the not-too-distant future, but they don’t yet,” Rogers says.

To accommodate Web video, TiVo used a software platform — Adobe Flash, widely used on the Internet — in the redesigned DVRs.

Rogers says he’ll invite software developers to write applications for the new units. To help with text and other communications, TiVo plans to sell a remote control that includes a keyboard.

A button on the remote control will zip through a 30-second ad in one second. Sophisticated users also can program the remote to jump past the ad.”"

Are you tired of delays when going through airport security?  If so, I will be sharing 7 tips on how to get through airport security faster over the next few weeks from the MSNBC.com article How to get through airport security faster by JD Rinne.

Tip #5 – Buy a TSA-approved laptop bag

“The TSA allows laptops to go through the X-ray in checkpoint-friendly laptop bags, like a simple $20 Skooba Skin, or bags from Mobile Edge. The most common and cheapest is a laptop sleeve. Consumer Reports recommends a few here. Laptops are also among the most-forgotten items at security, so label yours with a business card or ID tag.”

Have you considered working from home?  If so, I thought I would share some rules over the next few weeks from the Real Simple Magazine article The 5 Rules of Working From Home by Amanda Armstrong.

Rule #1 – Figure Out if It’s Right for You

““Many of us would opt to work from home to save on child-care and commuting expenses, but it isn’t for everyone,” says Tory Johnson, author of Fired to Hired ($14, Berkley Trade, amazon.com). If you thrive on the camaraderie of watercooler chitchat or are tempted to rush off to a sale at the mall without a watchful eye to tether you down, you probably aren’t the best candidate.

If you do think it’s for you and you currently work in an office, find out if there is any established protocol, like having a certain title to warrant tele-commuting. Then put your request to your boss in writing; address your communication strategy and recommend a trial period for the arrangement.

If you’re going the freelance route, make sure you have enough business lined up before you leave your current job. To learn about the legal aspects of self-employment, visit nolo.com, a website for small businesses and consumers. To find out about health-care options by state, go to ehealthinsurance.com”

Are you tired of delays when going through airport security?  If so, I will be sharing 7 tips on how to get through airport security faster over the next few weeks from the MSNBC.com article How to get through airport security faster by JD Rinne.

Tip #4 – Use flight-ready toiletries

“Keep your travel bag stocked with “flight ready” items that don’t break the TSA’s liquid rules, such as solid perfume, and lip balm instead of lip gloss.”

Here is a cool trend that will likely save you time in the future when having to deposit checks.  On second thought, do people really use checks anymore?

According to the Associated Press story Deposit Checks Using Your Cell Phone Camera…

“In the near future, you might not even have to visit a bank or an ATM to deposit a check. You’ll simply snap a couple of photos of it with your cell phone.

Applications to do just that are already available for Apple’s iPhone and other gadgets from USAA, a company that provides insurance and banking mainly for military veterans. Chase, Bank of America and Citibank are among the banks planning to release similar applications this year.

Although the technology, known as remote-deposit capture, promises to save consumers time, it adds a new wrinkle to concerns about fraud and the privacy of financial data. But the banks and the technology companies helping them say they have largely overcome these concerns. And with new guidelines from federal regulators, more banks could start to feel comfortable putting the technology in consumer hands.

“Our customers are becoming more and more tech-savvy,” said Marylou Dowd, senior vice president for Citibank’s mobile banking division. “We’re trying to support those people on the go.”

Here’s how it works. When you take a picture of a check, a computer that receives the image looks for the amount, the check number and the digits on the bottom with information on the check writer’s account number and the bank’s routing number. A photo of the back of the check verifies that it’s been signed by the recipient.

A banking clearinghouse then routes the funds from the check writer’s account to that of the recipient. That also prevents the same check from being deposited multiple times.

Remote-deposit capture started as a way for big companies and financial institutions to process huge numbers of checks without having to ship them around the country.

Regulators were surprised when the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks caused delays in financial transactions. With air traffic grounded for several days, the bundles of checks that banks and other businesses needed to move around couldn’t get cleared.

So in 2003, Congress passed a law commonly known as Check 21. It allows anyone who receives a check to make a digital image of it rather than having to deliver it physically. The law has led many companies to install scanning machines that digitize thousands of checks at a time for deposit.

The same technology is present in ATM machines used by Bank of America and other institutions so customers can submit checks without a deposit slip.

But the technology has had to clear hurdles before making it onto cell phones.

Among other things, banks were concerned about hackers manipulating the process. Banks have tried to improve the security of the technology by making sure that the software used for remote deposit stores no check information on customer devices, said Bob Meara, an analyst at the market research firm Celent who tracks the industry. All information leaves a cell phone and is encrypted as it travels to the bank.

Anyone who has taken a photo with a cell phone can predict that banks will sometimes get photos that are blurry or otherwise unreadable. Generally, a bad image will bounce back within half a minute and customers will be asked to try again, said Jim McShea, chief revenue officer for J&B Software, a company that handles remote-deposit transactions for banks.

Without a good picture, the customer would have to go the old-fashioned route and bring or mail the check to the bank.

USAA has limited its remote-deposit app to customers who also qualify for its insurance — mostly former armed services members, said Jeff Dennes, the bank’s executive director for mobile services. But Dennes said more than 150,000 people have used the application, and the bank will probably end up lifting that restriction.

“The industry has kicked the tires,” McShea said. “They’ve gone through the due diligence and they want to get ahead of the next evolution in the technology.””

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