Public Service Announcement: Don’t Be a Conehead!

Use your head while driving in construction, or become a conehead!

by in Lifestyle on Aug 2nd, 2013

Summer driving is in full effect and Yakezie Member Edward Antrobus and roadside flagger would like to share his safety tips across construction zones. 

What do flaggers do for fun in their free time? Trick question. We don’t have free time. In the summer, it isn’t uncommon to work 70 hours or more per week without even a weekend off. In an informal poll, it was revealed that 9 out of 10 people in my company use their off-time to catch up on missed sleep. What drives a person to work those kinds of hours? It certainly isn’t the money. I make less than $10/hour on most projects. The people who stay in traffic control do it to help people. We do it to keep you safe when on the road. But we need your help.  To keep you safe, you have to work with us. To keep you safe, you can’t be a cone-head.

What is a conehead? I’m not referring to the alien species from the Dan Akroyd movie. To a flagger, conehead is a play on the popular Gen X insult “bonehead.” It can also be taken to mean someone who isn’t paying attention and drives over a traffic cones, which is sometimes referred to as “wearing a cone.”

What does it take to not be a conehead in a road work zone? Read More

The Emotional Side Of Starting A Business

by in Lifestyle on Jul 29th, 2013

I don’t consider myself a serial entrepreneur, but over the past few years, I’ve tried starting a few websites as attempts to build side businesses apart from my personal finance blog. Most flamed out before opening up to real business, but instead of focusing on the problems of each business plan, I’d rather focus on the emotional side of starting a business.

Right now I am in the process of launching a new side business: a carnival submission service. I’m not the first person to offer this service, but I am very confident that the service I am offering is the best.

However, offering the best service is just a small part of the equation and I’m well aware of that. I have teamed up with another friend/blogger, David from Financial Nerd (he’s also a programming nerd) to make this a reality. We plan on blowing away the competition (other blogger friends, so hopefully it will be a friendly competition) by submitting to a much wider range of carnivals than what’s currently out there, offering more options, and doing it all at a fantastic price. Eventually, we plan on casting a wider net and targeting non-personal finance blogs, too.

Launching a business is scary, though. There are plenty of things that could go wrong, including technical issues. Everyone has experienced technical issues, whether with a presentation at work or with their blog being attacked. However, there are several things that scare me about this specific launch that has nothing to do with the service working (which it does, I’ve tested it plenty).

What Makes Me Worry About Launching Read More

How To Run An Online Business While Traveling Without A Laptop And Only A Phone

Using Just A Smartphone to Run A Location Independent Business

by in Lifestyle on Jul 22nd, 2013

If there’s one thing I hate, it’s having to lug too much stuff around on my travels. Ever since my pair of Air Jordan 6s got replaced with stinky old shoes after I checked in my luggage 23 years ago, I’ve never checked in another bag again! I saved up all summer for them $120 Jordans and I was devastated as a 13 year old kid.

It’s been a year since I officially retired from Corporate America and I finally took a grand 4 week trip to NYC, Switzerland, Mallorca, and Germany. I took several weeks here and there to Hawaii, Tahoe, and a cruise up the Gulf of Finland to St. Petersburg over the past 12 months, but I had never gone on trip for longer than 2.5 weeks since college 14 years ago.

The main reasons for this trip were the following: 1) I wanted to see family and friends in NYC I haven’t seen in over two years, 2) To test the extent of being able to run an online business from anywhere in the world for an extended period of time, 3) To see if I could run my business without a laptop, 4) To test the limits of how long I can last away until I start feeling overly homesick, and 5) To learn and explore!

I’ve written two posts about my trip already in “How Do People Comfortably Live On Less Than Six Figures In Expensive Cities Like New York?“, and “Do You Suffer From Apathy? (Swiss portion)” with a couple more posts to come this summer. For this post, I’d like to share with you my strategies and thoughts on running a business with just my iPhone while traveling for four weeks.

RUNNING AN ONLINE BUSINESS WITH JUST A PHONE Read More

How To Get Over The Online Blogging Hump

A List Of Common Complaints Bloggers Have About Other Bloggers

by in Lifestyle on Jul 15th, 2013

Burn out is inevitable. I’ve noticed those who lash out most online are the one’s who are the most tired. They don’t want to write more content to keep things going. They let the summer months of slower traffic get them down. They see other bloggers create products and call them a sell-out. It’s much easier to discredit others than work harder to create more progress of your own.

I love blogging because of the tight correlation with effort and reward compared to what happens at work. So many of us are addicted to blogging when we first start because we experience immediate feedback. When we see new comments from our post we get excited. When we see our Alexa ranking drop another 50,000 points we do a mental victory lap and keep on going. I firmly believe that anybody who sticks with blogging for at least six months will highly likely reach the one year mark and beyond.

So why do some hit a hump? One reason is that consistently producing content is difficult. We’ve got day jobs and families. But I suspect another big reason is because we see others who’ve started at the same time achieve way more success than us! Everything is not only relative in finance, it’s relative online as well.

THE COMMON COMPLAINTS ONLINE Read More

Collecting Coins As A Hobby Can Be Lucrative And Makes Investing Fun!

How One Quarter Changed The Way I Look At Coins

by in Personal Finance on Jul 8th, 2013

As readers, Challengers, and Members of the Yakezie Network we LOVE personal finance, saving, and being smart with our money. We actually enjoy setting goals to pay down debt, build our retirement accounts, invest, and save on day to day expenses. We also know that being frugal is cool, and doesn’t mean we’re “cheap.” We know there is a difference!

One of my favorite things about money in general is coins. Say what? Yes, coins! You might think I’m crazy, but I’m going to share with you why money and investing is more fun with coins. And I hope my love of coins will rub off on you a little bit today because coins are really quite fascinating.

What’s So Exciting About Coins?

Most of you probably don’t know that I like to collect things. When I was a kid I started out collecting toys like Cabbage Patch Kids, legos, Barbies, and Troll dolls. As I got older, I grew into collecting quite a massive supply of U.S. and international stamps and coins.

How did it all start? Well one day when I was visiting my grandparent’s house many years ago, I was looking for board games in my dad’s old room. Digging around for game pieces and dice, I found a quarter in my dad’s old dresser drawer. It’s ribbed edges were gone! I’d never seen anything like that before and wondered if I’d just stumbled on a valuable treasure.

How One Quarter Sparked My Love Of Coins Read More

Motorbike Insurance: Smart Tips For Big Savings

Cost Reduction Tips For Motorcycle Coverage

by in Personal Finance on Jul 1st, 2013

Given that some of the larger insurance companies don’t offer policies for motorcycles, mopeds or scooters, finding a good quality and good value policy can seem a challenge. However, it’s still possible to save money on your bike insurance, and it’s worth putting the legwork in to make sure you get the right coverage.

Ultimately, how much you pay will depend on the insurer you choose, the level of perceived risk you represent to them, and the level of coverage you decide to take out. The pricing model is also at least partly dictated by the kind of customer an insurer wishes to attract.

Motorcycle Insurance Tips And Advice Read More

Is Blogging A Form Of Charity?

Blogging May Cure Any Guilt For Not Giving Enough

by in Lifestyle on Jul 1st, 2013

I’d like to think most of us want to give as much back to others as possible. The problem lies in our limited resources. If we don’t make a lot how can we give a lot? If we’re working like dogs at our jobs and have to raise a family where are we going to find the time either? Some companies offer volunteer programs but they are few and far between. They are also almost always scheduled during our precious personal time.

Being charitable is a very personal decision. There is no right amount of time or money to give, so don’t ever let anybody tell you otherwise. That said, I’ve often struggled with figuring out what is optimal due to the feelings of guilt. I could have very easily been born in an underdeveloped country with no way out. Yet here I am living in America with all the opportunity in the world. I’m not sure if others feel the same way, but if you do I’d love to hear your thoughts on why we just don’t work as hard as possible given how lucky we are.

BLOGGING AS A FORM OF CHARITY Read More

DirecTV Takes the DVR to The Next Level

by in Product Review on Jun 24th, 2013

Guest supporter.

Whether you are hoping to find a way to catch your favorite program when you can’t be home or you want to record that awesome game happening today so you can watch it again, DVR service is something many people want and need to have in their homes. A DVR, or digital video recorder, provides a simple, easy to use tool that makes it easy for users to record programming at virtually any time. And now, DirecTV is making it even easier for users to have access to this must-have device. You’ll never have to miss a show again.

What Is DVR?

A digital video recorder is a device that allows the user to record programming for later viewing. Depending on the type, these will record video into a digital format, such as to an SD card, USB flash drive, or disk drive. The latest devices are incredibly easy to use. Users simply access the DVR system through their television or computer (again, depending on the type and the location it is used in) and toggle through a set of programming options. Nearly all television shows available through programming are listed.

Once the individual finds a television show he or she is interested in, with a few clicks to set it up, the device will automatically begin to record that show at the set time. The process works similar to VCR setting, a common way to record television shows in the 80s and 90s. However, this is more advanced providing individuals with access to these shows virtually at any time the user wants to watch them. And, the quality is much better than older methods.

How Has DirecTV Made It Even Better?

Users who have DirecTV (and those who want better DVR service who switch to this provider) will find that they have an improved method to viewing programs later. The company now offers the ability for satellite subscribers to stream recorded content, not to just televisions, but also to PCs and to any iOS devices they have. This is all done over a WiFi connection. WiFi connections, which can be accessed both inside or out of the home, provide the user with the capability of record anywhere there is a WiFi connection.

Users with DirecTV now can stream this content virtually anywhere. Additionally, the company is working on the same type of service for Mac and Android devices later this year.

What does this mean to the average user? It means that users get to take their DVR content with them anywhere. They can connect to DVR’ed content in the car, at home, at work, or even in the middle of a busy mall. Now, there is always a way to watch the content you want to watch, as long as there is an Internet connection to allow for it.

This feature allows DirecTV users to have access to content faster, easier, and on-demand. The GenieGO, as the device is called, allows users to fast forward commercials. It allows for use of Sling technology and Hopper features, both of which enhance the experience of the DVR user.

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