Overseas Calls with Yahoo! Messenger

Are you like most people and use MSN because it's on your machine and everyone uses it anyway?

Well, after this article you may want to consider Yahoo!'s Messenger. Why? Because it has long been more than just an Instant Messenger.

Yahoo! Voice
One of the least know big features of Yahoo! Messenger is Yahoo! Voice which consists of their Phone In/Phone Out service.

Phone In
Using this service you can have you very own phone number (at this time US, UK, and France). With the number you get your own personal phone number.

Phone Out
Make calls from Yahoo! Messenger to your friends' regular or mobile phones worldwide for as low as 1¢ a minute.

Another aspect of making voice calls via the computer is that most users are physically tied to their computers' location. This need not be the case. There are several options for this including special Yahoo! Cordless phones available for around US$40.

Usage is simple.

1. Plug in the device to a USB port on your computer
2. Plug in the power cord of the device
3. Install the drivers that came with the device
4. Open and log into your Yahoo! Messenger account
   

That's it!

You are now connected to your Yahoo! Voice account and can make and receive phone calls to and from any phone in the world from anywhere in your house.

It's that simple... Call me!

Demotivation

Now it's 1:12am and can't seem to sleep all because I'm preoccupied about all my incomplete work assignments. The blog is entitled "20 Day Work Month" do we actually work only 20 days per month, shouldn't we add all the stress time after hours and get paid for it. Oh.. and don't forget the weekends that I'm forced to work and have to hear boss man tell me it's not a job consider it an adventure. Well boss Man didn't you realise I'm not the adventurous type from the bogus Psychometric test that you gave to me.

And from all your studies ... wait.... I forgot you made a lot more sense before you started that post graduate programme..well let me simplify my problem I hate adventures and would work a bit more efficient if only I can actually only work that 20 day per month as I signed up for and how the hell do you expect to finish all my assignments when you assign projects giving research time but no "blasted" time to prepare the final report before giving another assignment.

Boss you know what else making me a non-performer by your standards?It is your inability to, find a suitable person to delegate your power of authority. How could you choose the most unstable person in the office to distribute work projects.. I'm beginning to wonder if your thesis is on "how to create an unstable workforce" Boss you're doing a great job with your experiment cause I'm about to blow.

How can I save my sanity? Let me think.....OK great a visit to the "quack" and I'll suddenly have some communicable disease, I'll see you in seven days....

In which I shall take back control of my life and be my own motivator, for I need to go bact to that place and time that I enjoyed my work and that in it self would be inspiration to go on .

Inventors and Risks

The title of this blog is '20 Day Work Month'. The goal is to encourage readers to see the world of work from a different perspective in order to achieve their own successes.

Today I shall talk a bit about the inventors of Google - Larry Page and Sergey Brin.

The story goes that Google has its beginnings as a research project by Page who was joined by Brin whilst they were students attending Stanford University studying for their Ph.Ds.

After attracting a modest US$1.1 million investment, Google was started in a garage in 1998 one year after the domain name 'google.com' was registered.

For those who don't already know, the word 'google' is a misspelling of the word 'googol' which is represents the number 10¹⁰⁰.

Stop! Did you see what the lesson to be learned here?

It's a lesson that these two young men were willing to take Risk. Yes. They were willing to create a product and then risk it all by devoting their life and work towards their goal.

How has this paid off?

Sure, one can easily say they are amongst the richest people in the world - they indeed are! However, they are also rich because they:

1. Identified and opportunity
2. Created a product
3. Had the business savvy to get the required financial backing for their product

Take back the clock almost 20 years prior. Around the start of the 1980's there was another young man working in a garage on an operating system called MS-DOS... Do you know his name?

Kiss Kiss

Does kissing up to the boss really get you anywhere?

How many companies have you worked in? That should just about equal the number of people you have clearly seen 'Kissing up to their bosses' in the hope of getting a promotion or being retained in the event of firings.

Maybe it is the economic downturn? Maybe it is human nature? Maybe it is the lingering effects of El Nino? Or Global Warming? Whatever the reason - it seems there are more and more butt kissing employees every day.

So, the question is - does this work?

From what I have seen I would say yes it does! These butt kissers are still employed with the companies I know them to be at.

Yes! I return or see them in passing and they proudly announce they are still there.

As if this is a good thing!

20 years... same company... same level of employment... The business world has changed on them and they are not even aware of it.

They boast at home that so many others have come and gone, and yet still due to their butt kissing prowess - they are still there though! All these people, these mere mortals who don't know how to play the game right that have left the company in that time - did not know how to 'Play the Game'!

Good luck to you Butt Kissers and Lickers! The world is beating to a different drum... but your head is too low kissing away to hear it!

:-)

9/80 and the 20 Day Work Month

So, you work an extra hour or so a day, and by the end of the 2nd week you get a day 'off'.

Well, it's not a day off really since you did indeed work the time already.

This concept of working your 40x2=80 hours work time in 9 days has caught on in certain industries.

Take the energy sector for example. Several companies are closed every other Friday.

Based on what I have been told by HR Managers, their employees are more productive and less adverse to even working extra time on normal workdays because they appreciate the fact that the company is interested in helping them receive a better work/life balance.

Hmmmm, I wonder if this concept can be taken a step further? Perhaps 8/80 is not too far off if I agree to forgo my lunch hour?

:-)

White Elephant to Power User

One of the first things you would notice when most users sit to use their computers is that the majority use only 10% of the ability of the applications.

For example, Microsoft Word - the most popular word processing software in the world.

Most people do not take the time to go beyond the basics of simple letter writing.

Today I shall outline 5 features you can use to improve your use of MS Word in particular, but remember, the same can be done with just about any software - just take a moment to learn a few new features.

Feature #1: Spell Checker
Simply turn on this feature to monitor the words as you type will save you time and possibly embarrassment at some point.

Feature #2: AutoCorrect
Word's AutoCorrect feature is designed to correct common typos as they happen. It also applies special formatting to text. You can use this to your advantage. You can assign abbreviations to frequently used names and phrases.

Feature #3: Printing Specific Pages
Save paper or ink. Print only the page or specific pages you want. Just use the Print selection feature in the Print dialog.

Feature #4: Mail Merge
Mail merge is one of the most convenient features in Word. Automatically inset unique variables such as First name, Last name, Addresses etc. as you print letters to be delivered to multiple recipients.

Feature #5: Using Word Comments
Collaborate with others or set reminders inserting comments in the document. Don't worry, these comments are not printed.

There you go!

Five easy to use tips that would help move you from hosting a White Elephant to being a Power User!

To Blackberry or Not Blackberry

Ok, the boss just announced in the meeting that the head office has approved his request for every one of his staff to be given a spanking new Blackberry Storm!

He is overjoyed!

You are depressed! Why? Because you instantly remember your friend Jean who now works 14 hour days and not 8 hours since she got her Blackberry a few months ago.

Jean constantly complains that her boss is now free to contact her at any hour - even in the middle of the night when he is on business trips and the time difference is of no consequence to him!

So, you are in a quandry. Torn between blurting out 'Hell no!' and saying with all the false joy you can muster... 'Oh! Cool!'

Just then the phone rings and your boss has to step out of the room for a few minutes. You take the opportunity to ask your co-workers what they think of the idea.

Debra thinks 'That new Blackberry model is so cool! I can finally ditch this retarded Nokia they gave me 4 years ago!'

Kevin is in his typical nonchalant mood - 'Whatever. I don't care, I won't be answering it after 4pm anyway.'

And so it went. At the end, half of the workers wanted it because of the 'Cool Effect', the other half either did not care or did not want it outright.

However, all were in agreement that if it meant being in touch with the boss or even each other on work related matters - they did not want it at all!

Just then Tom, the boss, returns. 'How we doing?' he asks with an expectant smile on his face.

'We don't want it.' I said.

'What? What is it you all do not want?'

'The Blackberry. We don't want the Storm, Curve or any model to be honest.'

'Oh, really? Well, Zoe it's not up to you or anyone else in here, except me of course, to dictate whether you get the Blackberry or not. And, since I am the boss, and I have decided upon it we are all getting them by the end of the week. You good with that?'

I looked around the room for moral support from those whom only moments before were so passionate about not getting the device. No support was forthcoming, only straight expressionless faces were seen, and none looking at me.

'Well I guess since you are the boss...', and my voice trailed off into silence.

'That's it then. Oh, and you all know that as managers you are expected to respond in a timely manner even when we contact you at night after you leave the office?'

I looked at Kevin quickly, and suddenly he was animated. As the union Shop Steward there was no way he would agree to this.