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Vacation tips for web workers and freelancers

Sitting on the beach and sipping an umbrella drink doesn’t sound like the kind of task that requires an instruction manual, but it’s hard for web workers know when work ends and vacation begins. How can you switch off without appearing to slack off? Read more »

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My recent cross-country train trip was a lot of fun. I got to see family and some old friends, and came back relaxed, which is hard to do when flying these days. Here are some suggestions for a good vacation. Read more »

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Running a business is stressful, not just occasionally, but every day. There are so many balls to keep in the air at any given point, and at times like these, when holidays have passed and you’re trying to resume the rhythm of a routine, it’s a […] Read more »

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I admit that I may be painting myself as a bit of an odd duck here, but I’m the type of person who purposely avoids taking transit during peak hours, going grocery shopping when most others do, hitting the gym during busy times and just generally […] Read more »

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The last week of the year is a great time to get organized. Chances are good that many of your coworkers and/or clients have the week off, so it should be a fairly quiet week for most of us. We could spend that extra time goofing […] Read more »

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As we move into another holiday season, I’m already noticing an increase in my stress levels. During the holidays, we all face additional expectations on our time. We still have our regular work to do, but we also have holiday shopping, additional expenses, extra cooking, family […] Read more »

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Holiday season is just around the corner. Some of us will stay home, some will go away. Some will work every day that’s not a public holiday, or on which our presence is not required elsewhere by friends and family. Others will take days, if not […] Read more »

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Freelancers can be stubborn about taking vacations. We know that money usually doesn’t come in when we go on a holiday, so we skip vacations and relax during off hours. But we all need vacations or else we’ll head straight for Burnout City, a place no […] Read more »

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For the past four days, as far as my social network, email and IM contacts were concerned, I disappeared completely. No, I didn’t unplug all my devices or sit in the dark with my power cut off, or even have to exert any willpower. I simply took a trip, up beyond the range of my cell phone carrier’s data network, to northern Ontario’s cottage country. The cottage my family visits there is not only beyond cell phone range, it also has no cable, no satellite and no local dial-up service available. What better setting for getting some web work done than at a remote location surrounded by nature and devoid of any Internet access? Read more »

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There are some great things about being self-employed and working from my home via the web. One of them is that I can give myself permission to take time off whenever I need it. The flip side of that freedom is that because I am self-employed […] Read more »

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I have a singletasking tip for you, and it’s an important one: Work like you’re on vacation. Before you type up the smart-aleck response, “You mean don’t work at all?” let me explain. I mean work like you’re taking a working vacation. If you’re a full-time […] Read more »

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I wish school would go year-round — then summer would be easier to handle. Alas, the kids have almost three months off, and it means finding a way to balance fun and relaxation with working.  Parents everywhere face the summer dilemma every year, so try these […] Read more »

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As a new writer here, let me give you the File → Get Info on me. For my day job, I own a computer repair business here in Lawrence, Kansas. Drawing on my support background, I focus on practical technology from the user perspective; If I […] Read more »

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Most of today’s digital cameras can do more than just capture basic snapshots. But few — if any — can do what Casio’s EX-FS10 can: Shoot continuous images in high-speed burst mode and record slow-motion videos. The EX-FS10 is slim, even by compact camera standards: It […] Read more »

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Palms and crystal clear water. White powder and blue skies. Camels and rippling sand dunes. Whatever your idea of a perfect vacation, if you’re not on a permanent salary, your dream getaway can all too easily stay that way: a dream. If you don’t get paid leave, taking a holiday involves a number of issues. But if you can get over these hurdles, you’ll be on track to check out and kick back… Read more »

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Public radio program This American Life expanded its second-annual live theater simulcast to a full episode broadcast to more than 400 theaters nationwide last week. While the radio program itself will be aired May 1, the Fathom Events-produced evening was so popular that even out-of-the-loop nerds […] Read more »

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I love Spring Break… when there’s a trip involved. Alas, I haven’t taken a real vacation since Spring Break 2002. Sure, my family took a road trip from Dallas to San Antonio and Austin last year, but that was no vacation between the drive and a volleyball tournament (the real reason for the trip). If you’re one of the lucky ones taking a vacation, here are some tips for packing.

This year, one kid has driver’s ed classes for the week, another takes a test and some have a few appointments. So this Spring Break gives us an opportunity to catch up and do things that we don’t want to do during the school year. But that doesn’t mean the thought of the younger two staying home all week doesn’t stress me out. The 5-year-old and 10-year-old argue, then come growling or crying into Mom’s office.

So what can you do to manage kids during Spring Break if you stay home? Read more »

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I called one of my friends earlier this week and asked her if we could have lunch on Sunday. I was surprised that she said she couldn’t make it, since she had to work. “What kind of evil forces are making you do this?” I asked […] Read more »

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In a surprise announcement today CBS is buying CNET in a deal expected to close in Q3 of this year.  CNET is the giant tech news empire that also includes ZDNET so I’ll bet buddy Matt Miller is wondering what this will mean to his blog.  […] Read more »

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[qi:_earth2tech] IBM, the granddaddy of computing, uses 5 billion kilowatt hours to power its data center operations each year. But over the next three years, Big Blue is attempting to double its compute capability without budging the needle on its power consumption. And while it’s already […] Read more »

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Gone are the days when we were in school and got two or more weeks off at holiday time to celebrate and recuperate. Some companies shut down for an entire week or more around Christmas — and their employees probably feel pretty lucky. If you’re a […] Read more »

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Euan Semple writes at The Obvious that the Christmas season could be a good time to get your workplace to try out social software because of the surplus of time people have: One of the most common reasons given for not becoming engaged online is time. […] Read more »

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GlobalGiving, an internet-based charity clearinghouse founded by two former World Bank executives, is running a crowd-sourced contest to promote their many global development projects. Appealing to young filmmakers, GlobalGiving made available raw photos and video footage from projects from all over the world. The contest seeks […] Read more »

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If you don’t want to wait until June for the iPhone, CallWave gives you the ability (sort of) to have visual voicemail now. CallWave essentially replaces the standard voicemail service your cell carrier uses, in order to provide added functionality. Among the added functions is a […] Read more »

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Bluetooth-enabled CDMA phones might be key to the success of “personal area network” technology in the United States. Though many have called Bluetooth a disaster, in reality the near-distance networking technology is more of a slow starter. “Since CDMA is a large factor in the US, […] Read more »