Better Business Bureau for Charities

Hardly a day goes by without a call or direct mail piece from a charitable organization wanting money. All sound like worthy causes, but how can you really know if your money is being put to good use? The answer is to check out the Better Business Bureau, which has a list of charities and a variety of information that you can use to determine if you’d like to support the cause. Not only can you learn more about the organization, its services and history, but you can see what percentage of monies are used towards the cause, and whether or not it meets the BBB’s Standards of Charity Accountability. The BBB offers a resource library with information on make the most of your charity giving and if you’ve had a problem with a charity you can file a complaint.


To learn more, visit the Better Business Bureau’s Charity information.

Avoid Registration to Read Online Materials with BegMeNot

Have you ever been sent a link to an article only to discover that you have register to read it? At BugMeNot you can access shared logins for thousands of web sites so that you can read the materials without divulging your personal information. The most popular sites include the NY Times, NY Post, Washington Post, and Youtube.

There are two ways to use BugMeNot. The first is:

1) When you get to a site requiring a registration, open another tab or browser and visit www.bugmenot.com

2) Copy and paste the URL of site you want to access into the URL box on the BugMeNot website.

3) Use one of the usernames and passwords provided to access the page you want to read.

The second option is the use the BugMeNot bookmarklet.

1) Drag the bookmarklet found on the BugMeNot FAQ page to your toolbar.

2) When you visit a site requiring a log in, click on the bookmarklet for login information.

BugMeNot is only for websites that offer free materials. Don’t try it on sites that require a fee.

Visit BugMeNot to learn more.

Text Appointments to Google Calendar

When it comes to managing my life, particularly if I’m way from my computer, if I can skip or speed up a step I’m more likely to stay on top of things. Google Calendar allows me to quickly add events through my phone through SMS.  I simply scroll to Google in my contact list and choose the option to send an SMS, type my appointment and hit send. Google texts back that the appointment was received. I also use it to send my self to-dos and notes that I don’t want to forget.

To set up the mobile option with Google Calendar:

1. Visit your Google Calendar online.
2. Click on the “Settings” option.
3. Click on “Mobile Set up”
4. Check to see if your Carrier is supported.
5. Enter your country and phone number, and then click “Send Verification Code”
6. You’ll receive a message back with a verification number. Enter that number in the “Verification Code” field on in the mobile settings on your calendar. (If you don’t receive the code, you can request it again through the Mobile Set up in the Settings.)
7. Click “Finish Set-up”.

To send a text of a new appointment:

1. Add Google Calendar’s SMS number to your contacts 48368
2. Send a text to the SMS number. Enter the appointment, date and time for example “Dinner 3/4 8pm” or “Soccer Saturday 10am”
3. Google Calendar will text back that it received the appointment.

Appointments I made through Text (SMS)

You can also have Google Calendar text your appointments to you. To receive the next item on your appointment schedule text “next” (without the quotes) to 48368.  Text “day” to get the day’s appointments or “nday” to get tomorrow’s schedule.

Learn a Foreign Language Online for Free!

At the BBC website you can get audio and video courses to learn a foreign language including French, German, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Chinese and Russian.  You can even learn Gaelic! (See other language options at the bottom of the page).

Audios can be downloaded to mp3 players for learning on the go. Or watch a video online.

Various levels are offered including Beginner, Post-Beginner, Intermediate, and Quick Fix for those about to travel and need a quick update.

To start learning a new language or to learn more, visit the BBC’s Language Resource

What are the odds? BookofOdds.com will tell you.

Ever wonder what the odds are that you’ll get struck by lightening or win the lottery? BookofOdds.com can let you know. According to the site:

“For over three years we have been building what we believe is the missing dictionary, one filled not with words, but with numbers – the odds of everyday life. It contains hundreds of thousands of Odds Statements, from the odds of being the only one to survive a plane crash, to the odds of having a heart attack, to the odds of having ever eaten cold pizza for breakfast.”

Simply visit the site and type in your odds inquiry to receive a list of possibilities. The site also provides a variety of articles with interesting statistics and other number related items.

Visit BookofOdds.com to test it out.