1. The processor. Intel is late on their delivery of their ultra-low power 45nm laptop chips. Clearly, the MacBook Air is the exact computer that these types of chips belong in. So Apple and Intel spun it as going out of their way to do something special. That something special was jimmy-ing a 65nm chip onto a board that was made for a 45nm one. The 45 nm chips will be arriving by mid-year and will likely be put in rev 2 of the MacBook Air. They will use less power per CPU cycle and that five hour battery life could easily turn into six - and with the reduced power consumption, they might be able to crank the processor speed up to and beyond 2 Ghz or maybe even fit in some more wireless options.

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If you’re looking to do an impromptu Heath Ledger tribute this weekend, here is a list of his best film roles, all available at a Blockbuster or Netflix queue near you.

Brokeback Mountain
Not only the most famous role of his career, this is probably Ledger’s best by far. The movie is understated yet powerfully moving, and Ledger brings an amazing amount of depth and gravitas to his role as a closeted and conflicted cowboy. Ledger is the emotional anchor of the movie and manages to communicate an encyclopedia of emotion behind his steely grimace and cowboy hat. This movie truly shows us what we lost; the amount of talent and promise inherent in this role suggests the art Ledger could one day be capable of.

A Knight’s Tale
What looks on the outside like some sort of Disney-fied knights and middle ages movie, this movie was Ledger’s first real Hollywood star vehicle, and he acquits himself with old-Hollywood charisma. The Romeo And Juliet-style blending of a period piece with modern slang and music works better than it should.

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1. Decide What You Want. Some people get down thinking “I never get what I want,” but if you ask them what they want they can’t really articulate it. That’s usually because they haven’t put a lot of thought into it. Don’t worry, it happens to a lot of us. We’re just busy living life: going to work, going to school, buying the groceries, paying the bills, taking the dog to the vet, blah, blah, blah.

Get off that treadmill for one afternoon. Set aside 1-2 hours just for you! During that time, think about what you really want. Write down everything and then boil it down to your top 10, top 5, top 3, and number one thing that you want.

2. Reality Check. Goals should be realistic, but they need not be easy. So a goal to date Heidi Klum might not be realistic, but a goal to date a woman who has all the attributes and values you like would be more attainable. Maybe you long to go back in time or bring back a loved one who you’ve lost. That’s not realistic, but instead you could set upon a goal to live a life or find a person who embodies similar elements to what you had before. If your goal is to make $1 million dollars, break it down into shorter term goals that are doable. When you hit those short term milestones it will give you encouragement to continue on your journey. Lastly, remember that goals don’t have to be about getting things or people, they can also be about how you want to live your life on a daily basis. (more…)

1. Recognize it and sit with it.
The first thing you need to do when boredom surfaces is to become aware of it. How often do your actions mindlessly drift in the direction of pointless and non-productive activity (like reading and promoting the Paris Hilton/Nicole Richie article)? Instead of contributing to the problem, become part of the solution and sit in silence with your boredom. Instead of taking negligent action, take NO action. Eventually you will start acting again, but with greater consciousness…and that is a good thing!
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Cook at home often: If both the husband and wife work, this is likely to be very difficult. Start out with the habit of cooking at home once a week and slowly increase the frequency until you find a balance between saving money and getting stressed out.

Make your own coffee: Everyone seems to have heard of the latte factor. Even though the author may have overestimated the savings from skipping a latte at Starbucks, don’t underestimate the ding it puts in your pocket in the long run. You don’t have to entirely ban drinking coffee, but skip it as often as possible unless you make it at home.

Brown bag lunch at least a few days a week: Lunch times are great opportunities to network and make connections that could improve your career growth. So unless there is a common eating area for brown baggers, you may choose to limit brown bagging lunch to three days each week. Find a balance between saving some money and making the connection. In my case, I take my lunch with me 2-3 times a week and eat out the rest of the time. (more…)

1. Lyrics to Soul Coughing’s Song “Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago”

In the early and mid 90s, jazzy indy rockers Soul Coughing served up dadaesque, funky jams to New York City’s smoky clubs. They were darlings of the hip and ironic. In the critically lauded 1994 album Ruby Vroom, frontman (and now successful solo artist) Mike Doughty’s lyrics were often thoughtful and witty, if absurdist.

In a verse that now seems haunting and prophetic, Doughty begins “Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago” with the following lines:

A man
Drives a plane
Into the
Chrysler building …
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1. Start Saving Money Now, and Continue to Save Money Forever. One of my major problems before I discovered the world of personal finance is that I would pay everyone, but I would never pay myself. I had no problem sending the cable, car insurance and energy bills each month, but I always forgot to pay myself, i.e. save. Now I’ve opened a high-interest savings account, and plan on saving even more as my income continues to grow.

2. Stop and Think About Prospective Purchases for at Least 30 Seconds. I’m an impulse buyer, I always have been. This might be the “typical male shopper” shining through, but when I see something I want, I typically convince myself that I can afford to purchase it. This is especially easy when buying gifts for those I love. I’ve taken to thinking about purchases before I make them in the stores, or if online, I like to leave the website I am about to buy from and do some research to confirm the utility of the product or search for a better deal. (more…)

1. Become aware. The problem usually is that we don’t think about Resistance. We don’t understand it or even realize it’s there most of the time. We just think, “Oh, I better straighten out my desk … or get my to-do lists in order” or we get distracted by something on the web, or we feel that we have to check our email, or we’re just going to watch this one TV show, or any of a limitless amount of distractions.

Combat this by realizing that you are facing Resistance. Once you become aware of it, you can fight it, and beat it. It can be difficult to become more aware, but the key is to focus on it for a couple of days. Print out the words “Defeat Resistance” and put it somewhere visible as you work. That will help remind you to be aware of Resistance. Every time you do something that isn’t the most important thing you could be doing right now, be aware of what you’re doing.
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