We all know that exercise is very important to maintain health. However, it can be difficult to make time for exercise especially with the nature of our daily lifestyles. Office workers for example can sometimes spend hours at a desk sometimes in one position.

Below are a few resources that can assist with finding time for some form of exercise especially if your daily work prevents it:

• The business traveler: Working out on the Road
• Five ways to stay fit on business trips
• How to Find time to exercise at work
• 50 Easy Ways to Lose Weight While You’re at Work

It is truly amazing how much progress was occurred since the inception of Earth Day awareness. One particular initiative, green computing, helps to provide an awareness that we need to be environmentally responsible regarding our usage of computers and related resources. So how do we practice green computing?

Turn off the computer

Do you let your computer go idle or leave it on when you sleep? Turn it off and unplug it. Your computer will consume less power and generate less heat this way.

Use a laptop

If you have a laptop, make it a point to use it more often than your desktop. On the average, desktop computers use about 150 watts of power every time they are used. Compare that to the mere 25 watts that laptops consume.

Go paperless

Many times we print material that is not really needed. Do you really, really need to get that document printed? If it is not necessary for you to make printouts of that document, then do not do it.

Recycle your paper

Are you in the habit of throwing away sheets of paper that you have already used? If the other side is still blank, you can still reuse it as scratch paper. You can also let your paper pile up and then take it to your local recycling center.

Dispose of items the right way

Various items such as old CRT monitors, empty toner cartridges and even computer parts if not disposed of correctly can damage the environment. Most major cities have recycling centers that can handle proper disposal of these items and in some cases offer pickup services.

Based on my research of the series it took about three years of development which included one year of planning and research. High-definition and super high-speed cameras capable of shooting up to 8,000 frames per second were used to slow down various dramatic action sequences. Most notably gyroscopic stabilisation technology used to create steady shots from moving vehicles even while on rough terrain.

Below are a few amazing series highlights:

• A Cheetah hunts an Ostritch
• Flying Fish
• A Toad leaps away from its attacker

Watching this show truly makes us appreciate all living elements that comprise this World. I tip my hat to all those associated with developing such an amazing series.

Khoda from Reza Dolatabadi on Vimeo.

A SHORT LOVE STORY IN STOP MOTION from Carlos Lascano on Vimeo.

World War – 3D Animation @ University Of Hertfordshire 2008 from Digital Animation Herts Uni UK on Vimeo.

Undone from Hayley Morris on Vimeo.

Earth Hour 2010 was in my opinion a tremendous success. Now in its third year, at 8:30 pm local time for an hour this past Saturday, the entire world participated in turning off non-essential lights and appliances to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change.

Over 125 countries participated this year which according to reports is the largest Earth Hour to date. Even numerous world landmarks participated including:

• Eiffel Tower in France
• Times Square in New York City
• Sydney Opera House in Australia
• St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City

Technology has been able to solve many of our problems thereby making various aspects of life more efficient and simple. However, in some cases technology has created new problems especially to our environment. One such environmental issue is the depletion of the ozone due to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) widely used as coolants in refrigeration and air conditioners, as solvents in cleaners and for electronic circuit boards.

In order to guarantee our existence, initiatives like Earth Hour movement prove extremely important. If one of our primary instincts is to survive then we all need to do our part to raise an awareness of the need for climate change. Our future depends on it.

Reboot created a set of guidelines that they refer to as the Sabbath Manifesto. Built around the premise that we ought to work for six days and rest on the seventh day, the Sabbath Manifesto is a creative project designed to slow down lives in an increasingly hectic world.

Ten core principles comprise this manifesto with the first principle being to “Avoid Technology”. It is this principle which founded the idea behind the National Day of Unplugging. Essentially there would be no Facebook, no Blackberry, no iPhone, no Twitter and even blogging for 24 hours from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday sundown.

I spent a bit of time researching online to find feedback based on this initiative and as expected they were mixed. There were some who saw this initiative as a way to rejuvenate one’s mind and body while others seem to be a bit too connected to technology.

Apparently even Reboot had received their fair share of feedback questioning this initiative. Some of the feedback also included persons interpretations of the event which prompted the following statement that was posted on their website:

To some, “avoid technology” means not sending text messages. To others, it means not using a stove or riding in an elevator. To some, “be healthy” means running the next NYC marathon. For others, it means chewing each mouthful of food you eat real slow – 18 chews a bite.
You get the picture. Find the balance that works for you.

What are your thoughts on the National Day of Unplugging? Do you think you have the power to not answer that important email or even update your Facebook status? Or is this initiative a total waste of time and hinders progress in this fast-paced world? Maybe we need a monthly or even weekly National day of Unplugging? I’d love to get your feedback.

There are 1,011 persons who made this year’s list which is an increase from 793 persons on 2009′s list. The combined net worth of all billionaires listed this year is approximately US$3.56 Trillion.

While browsing this year’s list, I realized the following facts:

• The youngest billionaire is 25-year-old Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg from the United States
• The oldest billionaire is 99-year-old business entrepreneur Walter Haefner from Switzerland
• 403 billionaires are United States citizens with 396 of them having active current residence in the United States
• China has the second highest number of billionaires at 64

The technology industry has always had a presence on this yearly list. Most would normally expect to find well-known names such as Bill Gates, Michael Dell and Sergey Brin and Larry Page to be mentioned. However, I want to make mention of the following billionaires who made this year’s list and are heavily affiliated with technology:

• Yoshikazu Tanaka - Founder of the social networking site in Japan, Gree
• Robin Li – co-founder of China’s most popular search engine Baidu
• Jack Ma – founder of the the world’s largest online business-to-business trading platform Alibaba
• Shi Yuzhu – founder of Giant Interactive, one of China’s most successful online game companies

Achieving billionaire status is truly an achievement especially taking into consideration the world’s current state of economy in the last few years. Who do you think will be new to this list in 2011?

When most persons think of last night’s events, initial thoughts tend to normally surround the movie that won the most awards-The Hurt Locker, the best picture award-The Hurt Locker, the best actor award-Jeff Bridges, the best actress award-Sandra Bullock and also best movie director award-Kathryn Bigelow.

Many may not realize that two weeks ago persons associated with the movies nominated last night were already being recognized and awarded for their work  behind the scenes to make these movies successful.

These awards, named the Scientific and Technical Academy Awards, honor the men, women and companies who have contributed important discoveries and innovations to motion pictures. Normally occurring in a dinner format, this year thirteen certificates were awarded for five different accomplishments. Also, thirty-three plaques were awarded for ten different innovations with a focus this year particularly on 3D film technology.

After reviewing the list of winners and their work, I can really appreciate the time, effort and innovation involved in producing some of the year’s biggest films. One such winner, Dr. Richard Kirk, received an Award for the overall design and development of the Truelight real-time 3D look-up table hardware device. Those who loved Avatar may have to thank Dr. Kirk for helping to provide us with such a breathtaking experience.

Awards presentations like the Scientific and Technical Academy Awards not only assist  in recognizing film innovators but also reminds us how far film has advanced over the decades due to technology. A great reason to rethink illegal movie pirating.

Have a great week.

With the events that occurred this weekend, we’re reminded of how powerful a role technology can play when harnessed to its full potential. Within minutes of the earthquake the rest of the world was updated with images, real-time video and even live chat. Some of the highlights I noted were:

• Boston’s The Big Picture had a photo blog posting within hours (12:30pm EST approx.) with high resolution quality photos from damage in Chile.
• Mashable provided live video feeds on Hawaii Tsunami updates.
• http://hitsunami.info/‘s domain and hosting was created within hours of the earthquake (11:33:30 UTC) and provided real-time twitter feed updates and video streaming feeds on Hawaii Tsunami updates.

The way in which technology was incorporated with this weekend’s events is just an example of the positive side of technology usage. Overall, it is becoming more and more evident that technology is not  just a name but can even be seen as a movement. Information is now at the touch of a button or a dial and available quickly and in various formats.

As technology evolves we find ourselves becoming more interconnected which provides us with the ability to unleash the unthinkable. At the rate of current technological developments, imagine the nature of life in another few years. My hope is that we all can continue to come together as we did this past weekend to use technology for the greater good.

I met a guy in this club in a VIP section last year. To my surprise, he turned out to be a web designer/developer running his own company.

Was awesome to bump into someone of similar caliber that knew how to “party”!!

Before leaving to go another area, we exchanged cards, and I got the following from him:

-          Free vista-print business card from one of their popular card themes.

-          Link to his website on the card was actually a template-monster template

-          All links to “work we’ve done” on the site was other template monster templates…some still with Lorem Ipsum Text..

For those not aware, Template Monster is a popular website where one can purchase professionally designed web layouts. Also, Lorem Ipsum text is placeholder text used on a website for visual presentation purposes.

Obviously, the “professional” was and maybe still is running his business venture purely on deception and false advertising which is an ideal recipe for disaster. Additionally, his practices may be affecting other professionals who take pride in producing their own, original work.

This email really does remind us that it pays to be honest and morals-driven in business and even in our daily encounters or one may just end up getting caught.

Enjoy the week everyone.