Race to 100

We all make life goals big and small: start a business, win a professional sporting event, make a million dollars, eat an extra-large Gecko pizza all by yourself. One that I've had for a long time is very simple. Do 100 push-ups in a row; no breaks, no stopping. I figured if I could do that I would be in pretty good shape, or at least relatively strong. I always wanted to do this before kids came along. With John Cannon's impending arrival, now is my last chance! To meet this goal I am doing previous day's amount plus 1. Yesterday was 27 and today will be 28.

There is still time for you to get in on the fun. Just check out the schedule below and keep up. Is it silly and nerdy? Hell yes it is. However comma, it is kind of fun. Every night, before we eat, I get down on the ground and do them. Kristina counts. John Cannon kicks. I push. Good lessons learned by all.

Race to 100 Schedule

Siebel eScript Now() Function

There is no "Now()" function in Siebel eScript but you can write your own to return the current date/time off the server. Here's how it goes:

function Now(){
var dtNow = new Date();
var sNow = ( dtNow.getMonth()+1) + "/" + dtNow.getDate() + "/" + dtNow.getFullYear() + " "
+ dtNow.getHours() + ":" + dtNow.getMinutes() + ":" + dtNow.getSeconds();
return(sNow)
}

Note

1. You should use SetFormattedFieldValue() if you are planning to use this on a business component field.
2. This function returns server time. You may need to make adjustments based on local time for the user.
   

Tips for Choosing a Home Inspector

<I forget where I found this but it made sense and I used the questions... for the most part>
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The home inspection industry is plagued by incompetent inspectors. Most states do not require licensing. (Texas does) Anyone can call themselves a home inspector. Therefore, it is important to screen and qualify an inspector before hiring him. It is well worth the effort to find a seasoned professional. The following questions can assist you.

1. Is the inspector experienced?
2. Is the inspector knowledgeable?
3. Who referred you to the inspector?
4. Which inspector will the inspection company send?
5. Is the inspector covered by errors and omissions insurance and general liability insurance?
6. How long does the inspection take?
7. How much does the inspection cost?
8. What type of report do you get and when do you get it?
9. Is the inspector affiliated with any organizations?


Is the inspector experienced?

A full-time inspector who performs 250 or more inspections per year and has many years experience is most desirable.


Is the inspector knowledgeable?

An inspector must have full working knowledge of every system in a home. Most inspectors had formal training in just one trade. To become inspectors they had to cross-train in all the other relevant trades. The more knowledgeable inspectors started with a degree in a field such as engineering or architecture that provides a broad background in general construction or they were trained to operate as a general contractor. These are good bases to build from. One does not acquire this kind of knowledge by taking a few courses or reading a book. A good rule of thumb is to look for fifteen years of combined formal training and on-the-job experience in related fields.


Who referred you to the inspector?

The best referral is from someone you personally know and trust who was satisfied with the inspector's performance. Although many real-estate professionals refer quality home inspectors there is a possible conflict of interest with this type of referral. If you were not reliably referred to the inspector then ask for references from past clients, preferably from several years past.


Which inspector will the inspection company send?

When dealing with an inspection company the reputations of both the company and the inspector who is assigned to your home are important. Request that an experienced inspector be assigned rather than a new one.


Is the inspector covered by errors and omissions insurance and general liability insurance?

It is to your advantage that your inspector has this coverage. Do not be afraid to ask for a copy of the policies.


How long does the inspection take?

Ask how long the inspection will take and how many other inspections will be performed on the same day as yours. If the inspection takes less than 2 hours find another inspector. Performing a thorough inspection is very tiring, so arrange to be the first or second one of the day.


How much does the inspection cost?

This is one area where you do not want to nickel and dime. A well-established, full-time professional inspector is going to be at the high end of the spectrum. Several hundred dollars is a small price to pay to get the best protection you can for perhaps the biggest purchase of your life.


What type of report do you get and when do you get it?

You may want to ask this question since there are several answers. An inspection should include a signed report that describes what was inspected and the condition of each inspected item. Some inspectors use a checklist type of form with stock responses. Other inspectors simply provide a written description of the conditions found. A modern alternative to these are computer-generated reports. The best of these are generated by advanced home inspection software systems and include comments specific to each home.

An important question to ask is, "When do I get the report?" The checklist type and the handwritten type are usually delivered to you on-site. Computer-generated reports are also available on-site from a few inspectors who bring a portable computer to the job. Otherwise, the inspector mails the report . You may want to know up front how long you can expect to wait for it.


Is the inspector affiliated with any organizations?

There are many local, state, and national organizations that an inspector can join as well as many franchises that an inspector can purchase. However, membership in any organization does not guarantee a quality inspector. In the end, the individual inspector's experience and knowledge will determine the quality of the inspection.

My Hero

This is my hero Makoto Nagano. He is a ninja warrior from Japan. A fisherman, he trains daily to keep his strength and be the greatest ninja warrior ever. Some day I want to be just like him. As an alternative, if I could learn a few phrases of Japanese and eat more sushi, I'd probably be ok.

529 Plans By State

Best File Sharing Web Site

My friend "E," has a pulse on the absolute best of 'Net around. I haven't figured out how he manages to stay on top of such an always changing environment, but he just does. I've been to BestSharing, ShareIt, etc. but they are all cheesey and slow. Plus if you want to email the file to someone, the URL is 5 miles long and they recipient has to jump through hoops.



No longer, try www.senduit.com This web site literally has 2 pages. One page for the uploads (the home page) and a second page for downloads. The url is super short. Drawbacks? I could only see one: 100 MB file limit. So what, right? Split the file and be happy.



Here's a screenshot of the upload:



Here's the download URL:

And here's actual download:

Notice how simple it all is. You can see their business model based on Ad Impressions.



Way to go senduit.com and great find E.

Aggregating Your Gmail Accounts

Let's say that you have several domains and that you were smart enough to use Google Apps for Your Domain (GAFYD). Invariably, you end up with at least one account for each domain. What a hassel, right? Well, when you use email from GAFYD, you are essentially using gmail. With that in mind, you can easily aggregate all your accounts into one. You can still store the mail at each account and you will be able to send as, and more importantly reply as, each account. Let's review how it's done.

First you want to set up your "Send Mail As" Setting in the Account from which you want to do all the checking. This is from Google Help: http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=22370

How do I use a different From address to send mail?

If you'd like your outgoing Gmail messages to display another one of your email addresses in the 'From:' field (instead of your Gmail address), just follow these easy steps:

1. Log in to your Gmail account.
2. Click Settings along the top of any page, and then select the Accounts tab.
3. Click Add another email address in the Send mail as section.
4. Enter your full name in the Name field, and the email address you'd like to send messages from in the Email address field.

   *Keep in mind that each time someone replies to a message you send using a custom 'From:' address, the reply will be delivered to the 'From:' address rather than your Gmail address. If you'd like replies to be delivered to another account, you'll need to enter a 'reply-to' address. Just click Specify a different reply-to address to enter this information.

5. Click Next Step >> and then click Send Verification to complete the process. Gmail will send a verification message to your other email address to confirm that you'd like to add it to your Gmail account. You'll need to click the link in that message, or enter the confirmation code in the Accounts section of your Gmail account, to complete the process. Once you've verified that you'd like to add the address to your account, you can start sending messages using your custom 'From:' address.

NEXT, you'll want to set up a filter. This is a piece that Google doesn't tell you about. Since you are going to leave the email in your other accounts, you will want to be able to easily identify and delete email from those account that is in your main Gmail (aggregate) account. That way, you don't fill up your main gmail account.

Here's the Google Help instructions on setting up a filter. Read after for my recommendations. The orginal help is at: http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=6579

How do I set up filters?

Gmail's filters allow you to manage the flow of incoming messages. Using filters, you can automatically label, archive, delete, star, or forward your mail, based on any combination of keywords, sender, recipients, and more.

To create a filter:

1. Click Create a filter (next to the Search the Web button at the top of any Gmail page).
2. Enter your filter criteria in the appropriate field(s).
3. Click Test Search to see which messages currently in your account match your filter terms. You can update your criteria and run another test search, or click Next Step.
4. Select one or more actions from the list. These actions will be applied to messages matching your filter criteria in the order in which the actions are listed -- for example, you could choose to Forward matching messages to a specific email address, then Delete the messages.
5. If you'd like to apply this filter to messages already in your account, select the Also apply filter to x conversations below checkbox.
6. Click Create Filter.

To edit or delete existing filters:

1. Click Settings (at the top-right of any Gmail page).
2. Click Filters.
3. Find the filter you'd like to change and click its edit link, or click delete to remove the filter.
4. If you're editing the filter, enter the updated criteria for the filter in the appropriate fields, and click Next Step.
5. Update any actions and click Update Filter.

MY RECOMMENDATION is that the Filter criteria is on the "To:" you should set that to one of the addresses in your "send mail as." Then, as the action, apply a label. The Label can be the email address as well. Keep it simple.

Consider doing the same with your POP Accounts. As a last little tip, if you want to aggregate your Yahoo and Hotmail accounts, simply set them to be checked via POP!

Enjoy