Toastmasters Table Topic Ideas for Impromptu Speaking - A Long Story

Instead of having just a handful of table topic speakers, why not involve your whole club? Try having a group story where everyone takes part in the story by contributing a line or a paragraph to the story. Start at one end of the room and progress to the other end.

You can choose to have this timed, or not. Either way, it’s a great opportunity for everyone to practice speaker, including those members who are always too shy to go for the conventional table topics sessions.

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The Increasingly Connected World - The Power of Mobile Technology

I’m going to make a prediction - just like how the mobile phone has penetrated our lives, the laptop is going to do so as well.

Make no mistake about it - all the signs are there - people are going to get connected. With mobile broadband getting cheaper as well, and free wireless hotspots popping up all over the place, you’re going to see people opening up their laptops everywhere you go.

With this trend, gone will be the days where people walk aimlessly around the place, or sit around watching life go by. People are going to start doing work anywhere and everywhere they go. If you thought that life got busier; if you thought that the line between work-life and leisure-time got fuzzy; then you will need to adapt quickly, because all that is only going to get even more pronounced. Heck, even this post is typed out while I’m on my commute back home, and I’m not the only one of the bus using a laptop.

New social networks like Facebook will emerge, only that they’ll incorporate a strong use of mobile technology - finding out where you are, and where your friends are. With everyone “on the grid” all the time, you’ll start to see people with increasingly powerful smart phones as well, and a spike in location-based services.

How cool would it be to have your friends (all pre-approved, of course) able to tell your current location? You’d be able to discover who’s in the area. Parents will also be wanting to use this service to keep track of their children. Give their children a mobile phone, and they’ll never be out of touch - every parent would want to do so.

Miss someone? Wish someone was by yourside? With mobile wireless broadband, it’s so easy to talk to another person over the Internet through your laptop. You can even make a video call, or hold a video conference, and not just converse, but be able to see the opposite parties as well. Just how far away can you be, if you can open up your laptop, and instantly be connected with your loved ones, seeing them just like how you would in person.

Technology Trends:
1. Cheaper, even free mobile broadband so you’ll always be connected.
2. Proliferation of cheaper, and better performance laptops and smart phones.
3. Increasing lifespan of batteries. Think of day-long laptop battery life, so that chargers need not be carried around anymore.

I believe it will take as fast as 8-10 years to see all this well-established and in place, and it would be something that I’d look forward to seeing.

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Toastmasters Table Topic Ideas for Impromptu Speaking - Years of Our Lives

One Table Topic Idea could be to bring little pieces of paper with certain year numbers on them. The idea is to get the Table Topics speaker to come out, pick a year and talk about something that happened in the year, or something that they were doing during that year.

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Toastmaster Table Topic Ideas for Impromptu Speaking - Aunt Agony

Instead of the Table Topics Master coming up with the table topics, instead open it up to the floor to come up with an “Dear Aunt Agony” question to pose to the table topics speaker. The speaker’s table topic speech will then be to give their advice.

Alternatively the Table Topics Master can set the questions, or take real ones clipped from the advice columns in magazines.

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Change Fat Wallets To Super Thin and Slim Wallets / Wallet Alternatives

Do you have a fat wallet overflowing with stuff that you wish you just trim down? If you have watched the episode of Seinfeld where George Costanza goes on about his wallet problems, you know what I mean.

A fat wallet gives you back problems by pressing on your nerves (literally!) when you sit on your fat wallet all day. Don’t think so? Well think about all the time you spend sitting on your fat wallet when you are driving, are in meetings, having lunch, commuting on the bus or train, etc. That’s a problem.

On top of that, it’s AWFUL LOOKING. It gives you that big bulge that’s just ugly.

But well guess what, you can trim down your wallet easily. You just need to know how. Here’re some easy ways to have a thin wallet again.

A great big fat thick wallet. Urgh.

Get Rid of Junk

If you’re like me, then your wallet is filled with unnecessary things. Get rid of them! Here are some examples of things that you really shouldn’t be keeping in your wallet:

1. Photographs - You might keep photographs of your loved ones in your wallet, but honestly, is keeping those photographs in your wallet the best place these days? I have all my photographs in my phone, and it’s much more accessible!
2. Receipts - Yes, you need to keep receipts, but no, you don’t have to keep them in your wallet forever. If you get a receipt that day, process it that day. Record down the amount and keep it at home and out of your wallet.
3. Namecards - You shouldn’t be keeping your own namecards in your wallet, because it’s a etiquette faux pas. Keep them in a separate business card holder. And for the namecards you get from people that you meet, take them out and keep them at home at the end of the day. If it’s someone that you foresee that you might contact, then store their contacts in your phone - it makes it more convenient for you to contact them that way too.

Combine Multiple Club Cards into One

When I stumbled upon this site, it was a Why-Didn’t-I-Think-Of-That moment, so kudos to its creator. What this site does is simple: it allows you to combine all the club cards’ barcodes that you have into a single card that you can print out yourself. Check it out yourself, it’s idiot-proof! Here’s the website: justoneclubcard.com

The site currently has over 120 cards in their database that you can choose from, but even if your card isn’t listed, you can just use their “advanced” feature to try to create your own barcode using one of the 12 standard barcode symbol sets.

Get a Super-thin wallet, The Thinnest You Can Find!

When I bought my previous wallet, I thought it looked slim. As time went back, I realised that it wasn’t as slim as I thought it was. The problem was all that extra leather material made everything really thick - much thicker than it really needs to be. So finally I went around the Internet, looking around for nice wallet alternatives that I could use. Here are some that I found, and my opinion / review on these thin wallets.

1. All-Ett Wallets (Bi-fold, tri-fold, card case)

All-ett thin wallet (European, Spinnaker)

All-ett thin wallet (Original, Leather)

Comes in the conventional bi-fold and tri-fold forms, and is supposedly really thin. How it manages to be so thin lies in the fact that it uses Spinnaker cloth, and that your cards are stacked directly on top of each other with no separation between them.

Spinnaker is like nylon, but is strong, yet extremely thin and light-weight. It is typically used in making sailboat sails, so you know it won’t fray or crack, and it’s is water resistant and washable too. Vegans might appreciate this material as no animal products are used in its manufacture.

Pros: Super thin, very light. Can be put in front pocket (actually, it’s recommended that you keep this wallet in your front pocket)

Cons: You need around 3 cards in each card slot before your cards feel more snug and secure, otherwise cards can slide around. Also, there is a crinkly noise because of the spinnaker material (less apparent in the leather versions)

Price: $19.95 (Junior Spinnaker)

Website: All-Ett Wallet

2. Jimi Wallets

Jimi thin wallet

Billed as “The wallet for people who hate wallets”, the Jimi wallet is made out of translucent, 100% recycled plastic. It holds 5 cards, some cash and a few other items.

Pros: Funky design that’s great for outdoor use.

Cons: Looks a bit too kiddy for my liking, limited space for cash bills.

Price: $14.50

Website: Jimi Wallet

3. Slimmy Wallets

Slimmy thin leather wallet

The Slimmy wallet is an ultra slim wallet that is an excellent front pocket wallet for any occasion, eliminating the bulk and bulge of traditional bi and tri-folds. It is made from high-quality full-grain leather.

The Slimmy wallet comes in three versions — the Slimmy, the ViewSlimmy, and the SlimSlimmy. All feature an open, three-pocket design that holds the essentials — cash, credit cards, driver’s license, and receipts. My favorite is the Slimmy ($22; black, brown or tan). It’s simply the perfect front-pocket wallet. The ViewSlimmy ($26; black or tan) is identical to the original, but adds a window for displaying an ID. The SlimSlimmy ($33; black or brown) is even slimmer - you’ll need to triple-fold your cash.

Pros: Simple and sleek.

Cons: Bills need to be folded in half like how you would use a money clip, and triple-folded for the SlimSlimmy (worse for long receipts). But don’t put too many cards in, because it gets thick quick. Also, push cards down really well or else they MAY fall out.

Price: $23.95

Website: Slimmy Wallet

4. Beza Money Clamp

Beza Money Clamp

The Beza Money Clamp claims to be the only money clip in the world that works — whether you’re carrying 1 bill and 1 credit card or 25 bills and 12 cards. The owner got the idea from seeing people using those black paper binding clips as a money clip. Note that the Geneva is basically the Cash Clamp with a separate leather wallet for cards.

Pros: Sexxxxxy.

Cons: I’m just not comfortable with money clips, but if I were, this would be the money clip of my choice.

Website: Beza.biz

5. Money Band

Money Band

The Money-band claims to be the original rubber band wallet replacement. More versatile and slimmer than a money clip, it is on average 1/2 inch shorter in length than standard office rubber bands, and made from natural rubber (and because it’s natural rubber, it fatigues, which explains why it comes in a 5-band package.

Pros: Minimalist. You can’t get any smaller than this.

Cons: It’s just too minimalistic for me, there’s minimalist and then there’s bare.

Website: Money-band.com

6. Stretch Money Holder

Stretch Money Holder

The Stretch Money Holder is fairly unique - it uses dual band system where rigidness of the cards supports the money from crumpling, while the money acts as a shield to protect the cards.

Pros: Unique and minimalist. Not a lot of people would have seen or used this before.

Cons: I’m naturally biased against money clip or similar products because of the lack of privacy.

Website: StretchMoneyHolder.com

7. Storus Smart Money Clip

Storus Smart Money Clip

The Storus Smart Money is a innovative wallet replacement. The Clip Card channel securely holds a single card, or up to five cards, while the Clip tightly holds bills, receipts, and up to 5 additional cards.

Pros: One of the better money clips + card systems.

Cons: I’m naturally biased towards money clip or similar products.

Website: Storus.com

8. Rogue Wallet

Rogue Front Pocket Wallet

The Rogue Front Pocket Wallet is a front pocket wallet with a curved design that opens up at the top (the portion with the curved edge) like a standard billfold wallet. A lined pocket, card slots and a clear window allow you to store cash, receipts and cards.

Pros: Unique design with a clear window for ID, acts like a standard bi-fold.

Cons: A little thicker than the other bi-folds like the Big Skinny or All-Ett.

Website: RogueWallet.com

9. WalletBe Front Pocket Wallet

WalletBe Front Pocket Wallet

The WalletBe Front Pocket Wallet comes in only black and holds up to 10 cards, and has an easy-access inner-ID window. An inner elastic pouch holds receipts, business cards, etc., with a handy elastic band to hold cash in place.

Pros: Clear window for ID, flip design allows for privacy

Cons: The bi-fold design does make it little thicker than the other wallets.

Website: WalletBe.com

10. Timbuk2 Card Wallet

Timbuk2 Triple Card Wallet

Rugged simplicity with just 3 card slots.

Pros: Simple and thin.

Cons: Sporty look doesn’t lend well to formal occasions.

Price: $12.42

Website: Timbuk2 Triple Card Wallet

11. Dopp Regatta 88 Series Front Getaway Pocket

Dopp Regatta 88 Series Front Getaway Pocket

Throw your ID, cash and your credit cards into this stylish and slim case.

Pros: Simple and thin, yet be organised with multiple compartments.

Cons: Need to fold bills in half.

Price: $20

Website: Dopp Regatta 88 Series Front Getaway Pocket

12. Coach Signature Stripe Card Case

Coach Signature Stripe Card Case

This luxury card wallet features 3 credit card pockets and an interior multi-function pocket with Coach’s signature jacquard fabric with leather trim.

Pros: Classy, thin, neat.

Cons: Need to fold bills in half.

Price: $78

Website: Coach.com

12. BigSkinny Thin Wallet

BigSkinny Thin Wallet

This wallet by BigSkinny claims to be the world’s slimmest wallet - but I doubt it beats the All-Ett.

Pros: A thin bi-fold and yet has multiple compartments so you can still be organised.

Cons: Ugly logo.

Price: $19.95

Website: Big Skinny

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Why Backing Up Your Information and Data is so Important

I just talked to a friend and found out that he survived a HDD crash. Luckily he got his data back, but we should always backup, especially since information/data is so critical to us. You don’t think so? Imagine if you lost all your photographs, all your contacts, all your documents, etc — that’s how important backing up your information/data is.

Here are 3 simple ways of backup, all of which can be bought from any computer store:

1. External HDD (Most common)

Pros: cheapest option, portable
Cons: Need to be committed to perform regular backups since it’s a manual process

2. Network Attached Storage (NAS)

Pros: Quite expensive (about USD $200)
Cons: Not portable, requires a power source

This one is probably the best, especially if you do synchronisation regularly. Can be as regularly as hourly backups.

3. Cheap Computer (Alternative to NAS)

On top of as a network backup, you can use it for simple tasks like web surfing or word processing, or as a server, etc. But power usage is higher than a NAS and the wear-and-tear is higher.

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Free ZenCart Templates / ZenCart Themes / Zen Cart Skins

If you’re thinking of creating an online ecommerce store, then you’ve probably seen the exorbitant prices that web design firms charge for creating a customised ecommerce shopping cart system.

Well, the good news is that there are really powerful open-source (read: free) software available that can do a good job. That’s right - not just cheap, but really free. ZenCart’s a great example of a free ecommerce store - it’s a customised branch of the popular osCommerce shopping cart software. There are thousands of successful live ZenCart stores, so it’s a proven, reliable shopping cart - one of the best you can get for that price!

The only trouble you have when you’re dealing with open-source software like ZenCart is the fact that the default template’s really ugly - functional no doubt, but it really shouldn’t be used for your live ecommerce store.

So you will need templates - nice looking templates that lend your ecommerce store some measure of credibility, so that your potential customers will actually become your customers. Now if you’re interested, TemplateMonster has some really nice templates. Problem is, the templates cost around USD $150.

The alternative is free ZenCart templates. However, they aren’t that common, and they’re pretty hard to find. I’ve been sourcing around for free ZenCart templates, and I’ve put all the templates that I found into a list of free ZenCart templates below. Enjoy!

Free ZenCart Templates

1. Apple Zen - Demo | Download
2. Cherry Zen - Demo | Download
3. Clean Business - Demo | Download
4. Red Passion - Demo | Download
5. Virtual Shop - Demo | Download
6. Mihluna - Demo | Download
7. Zencart Zen - Demo | Download
8. Pretty in Pink - Demo | Download
9. Acadame - Demo | Download
10. Atheme- Demo | Download
11. Clothing Shop - Demo | Download
12. Darkness - Demo | Download
13. Amplify - Demo | Download
14. Free Yellow, Free Red, Free Blue - Demo | Download

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