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The Definitive Guide to Covering Your Ass

Doing the kind of work I do, I’m often asked questions like “Do you know if the changes to suchandsuch.com were pushed to the live site?” or “Did Timmy get those edits done?”. Hell, even in my own house: “Did [mother-in-law] give [son] a bath?”. Questions to which, most of the time, I [...]

6 Simple Ways to be a Nicer Person

Written by Brett Kelly

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I consider myself to be pretty easy-going most of the time. I tend to get along well with people and I find it pretty easy to talk to most folks that I come in contact with.
As to why I’m a nice guy, that you can attribute to my parents. My father was a [...]

When There’s No Toilet Paper: Avoiding a Descent into Savagery

Written by Brett Kelly

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A word of warning: This post is about going to the bathroom. Some of the more intimate details of the activity are discussed in detail. Despite my attempt to veil some of the more colorful aspects of using the can, this post really is a bit gross. Continue at your own risk, [...]

Ask the Readers: How do you Handle Time-Based Reminders?

Written by Brett Kelly

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Throughout the many iterations of my personal GTD system (from all-digital to purely analog to a hybrid of the two), the handling reminders has been the one component that’s been the most prone to drastic change and restructuring. There are several ways one might deal with this problem, with each one’s success depending heavily [...]

Google Maps Hack – Include the Journey Home

Written by Brett Kelly

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Being the total and complete Google fanboy that I am, Google Maps is where I typically turn for all of my mappy needs. I realize there are tons of other options, but Google’s directions are pretty consistently accurate – plus the application is just easy and fun to use.

Turn Your Daily Drive From Madness to Manageable

Written by Brett Kelly

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Living in southern California, traffic is as common and everyday as the sunrise. Assuming normal “work” hours (9-5, so to speak), just about any freeway in the land will be packed to the gills with cars during rush hour (which is a funny name, if you think about it – nobody is actually rushing [...]

How to Backup All of Your Data for Pennies per Month

Written by Brett Kelly

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Every so often when I’m out running errands on the weekends, I’ll catch a radio talk show dealing with technology (users call in with questions, etc.). I swear I can’t get through an hour of this show without the subject of data backup coming up at least once (or perhaps the entire hour will [...]

How to Make Sure Nobody Gets Your PIN

Written by Brett Kelly

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A couple days ago, I was buying some groceries at a nearby supermarket. As I gently slid my bank card through the terminal at the register, I was prompted to enter my PIN. It’s something I do so often that I rarely consider the potential security risks. What if somebody were to [...]

14 Numbers Your Cell Phone Can’t Live Without

Written by Brett Kelly

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Not so long ago, cell phones were reserved for society’s wealthy and privileged. Yes, carrying around that small suitcase only for the pleasure of spending $.50/minute to call your stock broker or nail salon – that’s what separated the haves from the have-nots.
Thankfully, those days have ended. Everybody and their freakin’ mother has [...]

How to Easily Track How Much Your Gift Cards are Worth

Written by Brett Kelly

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A few months before my son was born (about 2 years ago), my wife had her first baby shower. She received a plethora of gifts from family and friends – baby clothes, diapers, you name it. I went and picked her up and brought all of the crap home so we could sift [...]

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