Contemporary Retirement Coaching Blog

The laptop of the future...

How cool is this?

Web Surf to Save Your Aging Brain

Good news if, like me, you're addicted to the Internet.  Web surfing is good for cognitive function! 

Researchers at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at the University of California, Los Angeles, have found that older adults who started browsing the Web experienced improved brain function after only a few days.  Find out more.

I do so much Internet surfing, I reckon I must be a genius by now! :-)

Did you know?

Fascinating 'food for thought' video on the progression of information technology:

Learn to cook Dim Sum via Twitter

Lisa Tse, of the Sweet Mandarin restaurant and cookery school here in city centre Manchester, is teaching people to cook Dim Sum via Twitter this Saturday (28^th Feb) at 10 am (UK time).  Follow @sweetmandarin for step-by-step instructions on the day and check out her website whilst you're about it.  Very entrepreneurial – love it!

(And if you have no idea what Twitter is, check out Getting Started With Twitter.)

Become a DJ!

Pretend you're a DJ at blip.fm... It's like downloading all your favourite tunes to an MP3 player and then being able to share them with the rest of the world...  You can keep track of who's listening to you and receive 'props' when someone likes your taste in music.

It's good fun but be prepared for some colourful language from some of the other DJ's... Check out the Contemporary Retirement playlist at http://blip.fm/RetirementCoach and don't forget to give me props if I've played something you like!

Getting started with Twitter

Barack Obama does it.  So do William Shatner, Richard Branson and John Cleese...  What am I talking about?  Twittering.  Tweeting.  Microblogging.  Posting details of their everyday lives online in 140-character bursts. 

Even the Dalai Lama was reported to have signed up for Twitter - until it emerged that it wasn't really him at all - just an imposter.  If you want to get in on the act, check out Top Tips for Tweeting

And follow http://twitter.com/AnnHarrison to get the latest updates from Contemporary Retirement...

Things you never knew you could do with a mobile or cell phone - Part 2

If your mobile or cell phone is stolen, you can disable it by following these instructions:

1.  First of all, obtain your phone's serial number by keying in: *#06#

2.  Write down the code that appears on screen and keep it somewhere safe

3.  If your phone is stolen, contact your service provider and give them this code.  They will then block your handset so that, even if the SIM card is changed, your phone will be useless.

You may not ever get your phone back but at least you'll know that no-one else will benefit from using it.

Things you never knew you could do with a mobile or cell phone - Part 1

Did you know that, in the event of an emergency, if you find yourself with no signal from your mobile or cell phone network, you can dial the Emergency Number for the EU member states - 112 - and your phone will search every network to find the emergency number for you.  And, interestingly, this number can be called even when the keypad is locked.  Try it...  (Apparently, this also works on GSM phones in North America where the GSM system redirects emergency calls to 911  and in Australia where emergency calls are redirected to 000.)

Bury me with my cell phone

Apparently, an increasing number of people (not surprisingly, those aged under 40 in particular) are being buried with their cell phone, Blackberry or iPod. 

There are a number of reasons for this. They include the fact that people have traditionally surrounded their departed loved ones with their treasured possessions.  In the case of a family member who was 'always on the phone' or never seen without being plugged into an iPod, relatives can gain comfort from knowing that those 'special' items will be buried with the deceased.

Some relatives put a cell phone in the coffin or casket of the deceased with the intention of calling their loved one later, because it helps them to feel that they're still connected to the departed.  One woman not only buried her husband with his cell phone and a fully-charged battery, she continues to pay the monthly phone bill so that she can make the occasional call to him and hear the calls go to his voicemail.

Strangely enough, however, what, to me, would be the most practical reason for taking a cell phone with you to the grave - just in case you wake up - doesn't appear to be an issue, as the fear of being buried alive isn't too prevalent nowadays.

There's bad news if you prefer to be cremated, however.  Cell phone batteries explode when heated, so cremation with a cell phone is a definite 'no-no'.  You can, however, put the cell phone in the urn with the ashes afterwards.  (Not much chance of getting a call from THAT phone then...)

Is mobile broadband worth it?

Despite my disappointing experiences with mobile broadband a couple of months ago, I still like the idea of being able to get online whilst I'm on the move and always suspected that my problems were due to the construction of the building I live in, rather than the service itself.  If you're thinking about getting mobile broadband yourself, here's a useful article listing the pros and cons which might help you to make up your mind.