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50 Free And Useful Websites To Be Thankful For

50 Free And Useful Websites To Be Thankful For
Do you ever wonder where we got our information before the Internet? Did we actually use calculators to convert a liter to a gallon or a dollar to a pound? If we wanted to view a map of Europe, did we really have to visit a library? I could go on and on — but the point is that today, the Internet is an amazing free resource for the information we seek. Below are 50 free and useful websites that are available to all of us in the blink of an eye: Personal Resource Instructables.com - For do-it-yourself projects, this site offers step by step instructions for a tremendous variety of tasks. Picnik.com - An easy to use online image editing site. Yelp.com - Find local businesses for whatever you are seeking. OpenTable.com - The easiest way to make a restaurant reservation online. SuperCook.com - Enter an ingredient currently in the kitchen - and this website will show recipes that use this ingredient. BabyDogNames.com* - A place to go for help when naming your new puppy. Travel Education

HOW TO: Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile's New Skills Section Sharlyn Lauby, SPHR, CPLP, is the HR Bartender, whose blog is a friendly place to discuss workplace issues. When not "bartending," Sharlyn is president of Internal Talent Management, which specializes in leadership training and human resources consulting. Keeping your social media profiles updated is a key component to your success. If you want potential opportunities to come your way via social media channels, then your profile has to be current. This is especially true if you are using social media as part of your strategy to get a new job. Since 2002, LinkedIn has been building the world’s largest professional network on the Internet. LinkedIn recently introduced a new section to user profiles, which helps you organize your skills and assets. When LinkedIn introduced this new section, the immediate thought would be that showcasing these areas on your profile would move you up in LinkedIn search queries — and it very well may do that. Think Like a Recruiter Don't Fake It Sharlyn Lauby

101 Conversation Starters People Love Below are 101 types of conversation starters to use on your first date, at a party, in business, with guys or girls, or on family and friends. The 101 great conversation openers are simple and effective. Do not be fooled. The most important point to remember when using any conversation starter is they aim to start the conversation. “Ice-breakers” break the ice; they don’t heat up the planet and make mother nature flourish. (Tweet this.) Conversation openers are not intended to make people laugh or get people to like you. What Makes a Great Conversation Starter? Watch this video for an amazing exercise you can do with me to create over 30 conversation starters that work for you The best conversation starters are situation-specific. ‘Ice-breakers’ break the ice; they don’t heat up the planet and make mother nature flourish. Here’s an exercise to help you develop excellent openers. Having done that, you already have 30 amazing conversation starters. “I’m [your first name].” Phew!

8 Abandoned Theme Parks Abroad “Open” for Exploration Call it exoticism: theme parks outside the US seem just a smidgen creepier than those we grew up visiting. Safety guidelines are questionable, attractions are a bit lees planned-out, and themes are chosen with a decidedly laissez-faire attitude. Although these factors might be a detriment to theme parks while they’re still in business, they certainly increase foreign parks’ appeal to urban explorers with an eye for the bizarre once they’ve been abandoned. Between South Korea’s affinity for anthropomorphic roller coasters, Japan’s misguided desire the please the Ruskies, and Berlin’s story of a carnival master turned Peruvian drug smuggler, exploring international abandoned parks is a big notch on any urban explorer’s camera strap. But take note! So if you do get caught snapping a photo before a leisurely roller skate ride, we recommend that you feign the inability to speak the mother tongue, smile really big, and don’t tell them NileGuide sent you! Image: Streetbeat85 /Flickr

Maslow Self Actualization - unlearn. "Self Actualization is the intrinsic growth of what is already in the organism, or more accurately, of what the organism is." Abraham Maslow Maslow studied healthy people, most psychologists study sick people. The characteristics listed here are the results of 20 years of study of people who had the "full use and exploitation of talents, capacities, potentialities, etc.." Self-actualization implies the attainment of the basic needs of physiological, safety/security, love/belongingness, and self-esteem. Maslow's Basic Principles: The normal personality is characterized by unity, integration, consistency, and coherence. Realistic Realistically oriented, SA persons have a more efficient perception of reality, they have comfortable relations with it. Acceptance Accept themselves, others and the natural world the way they are. Spontaneity, Simplicity, Naturalness Spontaneous in their inner life, thoughts and impulses, they are unhampered by convention. Problem Centering Peak experiences Creativity

7 steps to creativity - how to have ideas A guest post by Simon Townley of WriteMindset As a writer, having ideas is one of the most important parts of your craft. But often it seems like one of the most difficult and challenging parts of the whole process. How do you keep ideas flowing? How do you create a wealth of ideas to choose from? How do you make sure you get to the one killer idea that will make your advert, novel, article or blog post really stand out from the rest? Some people like to wait for inspiration to strike. Luckily, there is a formula for producing ideas on a consistent basis. But if you need to produce strong and creative ideas regularly as part of your writing career, then it pays to know the formula, and how to use it. First of all, what is an idea? “An idea is nothing more nor less than a new combination of old elements.” So how do you combine old elements into new? “The capacity to bring old elements into new combinations depends largely on the ability to see relationships.” How do you cultivate it?

What would happen if I drilled a tunnel through the center of th" Want to really get away from it all? The farthest you can travel from home (and still remain on Earth) is about 7,900 miles (12,700 kilometers) straight down, but you'll have to journey the long way round to get there: 12,450 miles (20,036 kilometers) over land and sea. Why not take a shortcut, straight down? You can get there in about 42 minutes -- that's short enough for a long lunch, assuming you can avoid Mole Men, prehistoric reptiles and underworld denizens en route. Of course, you'd be in for a rough ride. For sake of argument (and survival) let's pretend the Earth is a cold, uniform, inert ball of rock. At the Earth's surface, gravity pulls on us at 32 feet (9.8 meters) per second squared. You're still moving at a heck of a clip, though, so don't expect to stop there. Of course, reality has a tendency to intrude on even the best thought experiments.

The Egg Author's Note: The Egg is also available in the following languages: The Egg By: Andy Weir You were on your way home when you died. It was a car accident. And that’s when you met me. “What… what happened?” “You died,” I said, matter-of-factly. “There was a… a truck and it was skidding…” “Yup,” I said. “I… I died?” “Yup. You looked around. “More or less,” I said. “Are you god?” “Yup,” I replied. “My kids… my wife,” you said. “What about them?” “Will they be all right?” “That’s what I like to see,” I said. You looked at me with fascination. “Don’t worry,” I said. “Oh,” you said. “Neither,” I said. “Ah,” you said. “All religions are right in their own way,” I said. You followed along as we strode through the void. “Nowhere in particular,” I said. “So what’s the point, then?” “Not so!” I stopped walking and took you by the shoulders. “You’ve been in a human for the last 48 years, so you haven’t stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness. “Oh lots. “Wait, what?” “Sure. “Just me?

Human World Human World The women of the Tiwi tribe in the South Pacific are married at birth. When Albert Einstein died, his final words died with him. St Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was not Irish. The lance ceased to be an official battle weapon in the British Army in 1927. St. Many sailors used to wear gold earrings so that they could afford a proper burial when they died. Some very Orthodox Jew refuse to speak Hebrew, believing it to be a language reserved only for the Prophets. A South African monkey was once awarded a medal and promoted to the rank of corporal during World War I. Born 4 January 1838, General Tom Thumb's growth slowed at the age of 6 months, at 5 years he was signed to the circus by P.T. Because they had no proper rubbish disposal system, the streets of ancient Mesopotamia became literally knee-deep in rubbish. The Toltecs, Seventh-century native Mexicans, went into battle with wooden swords so as not to kill their enemies. Pogonophobia is the fear of beards. John D.

Traveling Lightly Through Life | zen habits ‘A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.’ ~Lao Tzu Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Francine Jay of Miss Minimalist. I’m often asked what inspired me to become a minimalist. The answer: I fell in love with traveling lightly. After over-packing on a few trips—and suffering the misery of lugging around a heavy suitcase—I vowed never to check a bag again. The experience was exhilarating! I began to edit the contents of my home with the same fervor as I had my suitcase. Lighten your load Excess possessions are like excess luggage: they can tie us down, get in the way, and drain our sense of energy and adventure. Conversely, the less stuff we have to worry about, the more nimble we become—and the better able to embrace new opportunities and experiences. To regain our freedom, we simply need to lighten our loads. Start with a clean slate. Question every item. Set limits. Use modules. Think versatility. Digitize. Live on the edge. Lighten your step

wow Now just up a few steps. (They are on the left in the picture) Gets a little steeper here - so put your toes in the holes. A few more steps to go. Finally in sight, the Teahouse! Click here to Watch the Cliff Hanger PPS! Click here to Watch the Cliff Hanger PPS! Dhtml Menu Navigation by Vista-Buttons.com v5.7 Ab Exercise STOP! Don’t do another crunch ab exercise. You have alternatives Abs are the most sought after body part. Below are some ab exercises that I love to do. Take your time as you learn each ab exercise. What’s Your Favorite Ab Exercise? Plank Pose Start- Start in an upper push-up position. Go For It- Stay in this position as long as possible. Tips and Techniques- – Remember to breathe! – Pull your belly button into your spine. – If you feel this ab exercise in your lower back, lift your derriere up into the air a bit. – When you cannot hold on for another second, come down to all fours (hands and knees). – Plank Pose and Child’s Pose are two of many yoga poses that I use in my trainings. – This is my favorite ab exercise of all time. Leg Lowering Start- Begin by laying on your back. Go For It- Very slowly begin to lower your legs so that they are almost touching the ground. – Inhale as you lower your legs to the ground. – You should feel this ab exercise in your lower abs. Reverse Crunch Bicycle

Seven Speaking Tips That Beat “Pretend Your Audience Is Naked" Aggh. Everyone showed up clothed! Once upon a time, I suffered from glossophobia. This affliction touches billions. I conquered it by discovering what makes people smile, nod, and listen carefully, because nothing calms you down faster than an interested audience. This is what I've learned. Children plea for them at night, and adults crave them, too. They want to be respected. This principle also underlies another rule of effective speaking: Dress like your audience, but just a little bit better." {*style:<i>Don't try to impress them. </i>*} If you truly want to help your listeners--by informing or motivating them, or improving their lives--they will care and listen. This recalls a favorite tip: We mistrust people who won't look us in the eyes--even if our eyes are among over 200 sets in a room. If you look each person in the eye for a few seconds, you make each person feel important--a feeling that every person craves. For this reason, minimize visual aids. . .

The Complexity of the Creative Personality Researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi includes in his books and other writings descriptions of the diversity and multiple characteristics of creative people. In a post of hers, Juliet Bruce, Ph.D. notes that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced me-high chick-sent-me-high-ee) wrote, “If there is one word that makes creative people different from others, it is the word complexity. Instead of being an individual, they are a multitude.” “Like the color white that includes all colors, they tend to bring together the entire range of human possibilities within themselves. Creativity allows for paradox, light, shadow, inconsistency, even chaos – and creative people experience both extremes with equal intensity.” Here are a few qualities he lists, as Bruce summarizes: A great deal of physical energy alternating with a great need for quiet and rest.Highly sexual, yet often celibate, especially when working.Smart and naïve at the same time. Do you relate to any of these qualities?

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