Work harder than you feel like, don't take the last cup of coffee without making a new pot, and learn how to change the bottle in the water cooler. If you do these three things, you'll do fine.

When I was a kid in the 70s and 80s, it was common for teachers to bemoan the "death of writing" and talk about how no one wrote letters anymore, and with TV, phones, etc. we were becoming an oral culture with no connection to the written word.

Ditto on the burst mode. The secret to great photography is to burn a lot of film, and the burst mode increases the odds that you'll get at least one picture where everyone has their eyes open and a non-stupid look on their face.

You should start buying just one or two kinds of socks so you can stop sorting your socks into pairs every time you do laundry.

A few years ago, I left a pot of lentil soup on high, then went to the movies. (I know, stupid, right?) When I got home, the entire house was filled with dark, acrid smoke, and man, did it stink. After much research, this is what I did to get the stench out:

Now the [desktopography.net] site is down. :(

On the flip side, I just got an email from Tivo touting the new feature of Amazon's Unbox video sales and rental program that allows you to send movies directly to your Tivo. I haven't messed with it yet, but it looks pretty awesome.

Ask people questions about what they're interested in, listen to what they have to say, and respond thoughtfully. That will help a lot.

Obviously, some communication methods are more effective than others when you're trying to reach different people. I prefer email, but I work with people who respond best to IM, phone, or what have you. There one guy that if you want an answer now, you literally have to go stand outside his cubicle.

As if Apple hasn't been trying to penetrate the professional user space since 1983. Professional users want a tool, not a fashion accessory or lifestyle augmentation. Oh, and an open platform and reliable, extensible hardware.

A brilliant implementation. It'll be interesting to see how it grows.

Yeah, Gizmodo reads like press release after press release. Back in the day there was actual content. I stopped reading months ago. Reading this post was a fortunate accident.

Annedore's Fine Chocolates in Kansas City are the best I've had. They don't ship in the summer, but this time of year, they will.

My problem with Febreze is that it stinks. There's this stuff I get from my local hardware store called "Smells BeGone" that does the same "pull the smells out of the air" trick, but without the nasty chemical smell. Now if you had some intel on how to make THAT stuff at home...

Table saw.

My family did a "make it yourself" Christmas, which would have probably saved me a ton of money if I hadn't mangled my finger and had to go to the emergency room. Oops.

Here's a brilliant way to winterize your car.

Oh, and it's not exactly DIY, but if you're shopping online, a "magnetic tool rack" is exactly the same as a "magnetic knife rack", but about a third the price.

When I was a bachelor, I had a magnetic knife rack, and loved it. Then I got married, and all my friends had kids, and my wife got nervous about having the knives out in the open like that.

Katana, so you mean you want free data service on a mobile phone? Do you pay for DSL or Cable at home and does that bother you?