Grab Bag Grad Next Step:

So your graduate is off on the next phase in life….

Step 1: PUSH ‘EM OUT THE DOOR AND OFF THEIR BEHINDS, or they may just play Wii on your couch until life slams into the back of their heads.

Step 2: Once they find affordable living, most likely with roommates, they will inevitably run across the deadbeat roomie who lags and never finds the time to pay their share of rent and utilities.

Step 3: Clue them into PayDivvy.com. This web-based application doesn’t just calculate how much your roommate owes because he snaked the bigger bedroom, it actually sets up automatic payments from all parties so there are no late fees, no lost bills, and no resulting, embarrassing shut-offs.

Roommate harmony, at last.

Now if it would only do the laundry and clean out the refrigerator…..

Grab Bag Free Fone:

A Gmail account is getting to be pretty common. What many don’t know is that you have a free, built-in phone right there in your Gmail home page on the internet.

You might think it’s not that useful, but I absolutely love it when:

1) I want to call long distance and want it FREE 🙂 (U.S. and Canada calls)

2) I’m at my computer and I’m too lazy to get up and get a phone.

3) I don’t want to use my cell phone minutes.

4) I don’t want to hold my cell next to my brain for any longer than I must (please hold your cell at least an inch from your ear… I use my speaker phone whenever I can to get it well away from my head).

As I said, you can make calls to any phone in the U.S. or Canada for free. You can also receive calls on your computer, which requires an additional set up. You can also make international calls quite cheaply.

If you have a mic and speakers built-in to your computer (most laptops do), you’re good to go. If not, a mic and headset or speakers are needed.

Click on the picture below to watch the video below and get started making free phone calls right from your computer.

This may be the best reason to have a Gmail account yet.

Grab Bag So Smart:

If you’ve ever tried finding a parking spot in any big city you know what a pain that can be. Most of the convenient open spots are owned by residents or businesses…. who are NOT using them 24/7. 

So here comes ANOTHER couple of smart kids from San Francisco (it’s gotta be the air… like sourdough bread) who developed a kind of “Craigslist for parking spots”, if you will. Actually, it’s even better than that. 

It’s basically parking spot prostitution: You have it. You sell it. You still have it. 

Chad Meyer and Omid Saadati figured, why not create a Smartphone-accessible web-hub where people who will pay for a good parking spot can match up with people who are willing to rent said parking spot, even just by the hour? Brilliant. 

ParkCirca.com is just that brainchild. Those that have parking spots register the location, available time slots and asking price on the site…

Those that need parking peruse the offerings in their target locale and a sale can be secured right on your phone. When the driver checks out of the spot, the funds are transferred, and ParkCirca gets a 25% cut. The site is just getting started, but the number of cities and spots registered is growing quickly. 

ParkCirca.com

Grab Bag Polly Want a Pill?:

The use and abuse of prescription medications is beyond rampant in the U.S.

Many, many million$ are spent in advertising, convincing us that our bladders are too small, our bellies are too fat, our cholesterol isn’t perfect, our erections are inadequate or we’re just too …… blah.

And our doctors are targeted by drug companies HEAVILY.… docs are their distribution system! 

Bryan Christie Artwork

So…next time you talk with your doctor about a medication, ask yourself these questions:

• Do I really need it? (Would I be fine without it?)
• Is it prescribed appropriately, or is it being prescribed for an off-label use?
• What are the side effects? (Both common and uncommon side effects)
• Is it addictive?
• Is it known to interact with any other drugs, supplements, or foods that I’m taking?
• Will this make a difference in my long-term health outcome?

Grab Bag White On:

So simple, so pretty……

Grab Bag Brain Game:

A skill-based solitaire game…..

LADY JANE SOLITAIRE

Grab Bag Funny Stuff:

Easily the most famous cat on the internet, Maru is a Scottish Fold…. who lives in Japan.

Here are some highlights of Maru’s best moments. What a feline.