Matt’s Cuppa

Do we really have to pass laws for this? How ’bout we try educating people instead of limiting the FREEDOMS of the people who aren’t part of the problem? Just a thought… File sharers leak government secrets | Tech News on ZDNet

– Sent from my Palm Pre

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• Get Better Customer Service Support with a Little Reciprocity - Phone support - Lifehacker

  After being a cable rep for 5+ years, I can tell you that the psychology tricks out there are mostly just annoying. Seriously. A phone rep isn’t a different species. They read watch the same TV, surf the same internets, and -guess what???- read the same LH posts as you do. As dumb-as-a-brick as some reps are, the ones that no one talks about are the majority who do their job just fine and leave you hanging up feeling like you have one more phone call you can check off your todo list. And you know there’s a share of dumb-as-a-brick people doing your job, too, so be careful when you generalize. I say this because, honestly, reps can tell if you START the conversation ASSUMING they’re an IDIOT.

  Here are a few things that can help make a good call:
  Be polite.
  Know what you want before you call.
  Have your account info with you.
  Know you’ll have time for the ENTIRE call.
  Don’t use flattery.
  Don’t use threats.
  Ask what you’re options are.
  Be reasonable.

  If you’re moderately well-behaved and a rep says they can’t help you, it’s rarely because they don’t want to help. Most companies penalize reps for extra long calls. They don’t want to spend time arguing with you; they need to take the next call. At the very least, they want to satisfy you so you’ll get off their phone. Most likely, if a rep can’t help you, you’re asking for the wrong thing, or you’re asking something they can’t give you. Phrasing your request in a way that allows the rep to look for creative solutions among the things that they CAN do for you may get you somewhere.

  As for the trick in question, again, don’t flatter! If it’s not a real, sincere compliment, save your breath. Also, asking for a supervisor’s name is a sure way to dampen the conversation, no matter what the circumstance. And it’s not always the supervisor who needs to hear it. Instead, try asking how you can go about giving them a good recommendation for their work. You’ll be directed to the right place without arousing suspicion, angst, and irritation.

  tags: lh

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Popularity: 60% [?]

• Turn Gmail Into Your Ultimate GTD Inbox - Gmail - Lifehacker

  If you’re ready to go deeper into GTD, this is an excellent way to turn Gmail into GTDmail. I like the system, except I’m pretty invested in Evernote by now. There’s also a Gmail extension for GTD that’s been around for a while now. I found it was too involved for my use. If my Gmail inbox were the center of my day, then it might be different story.

  tags: lifehacker, gtd

  • If you love Gmail and you happen to be a disciple of the Getting Things Done philosophy, reader Chris Zimmerman details how he employs a couple of Gmail Labs features to transform Gmail into an impressive GTD inbox.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Popularity: 59% [?]

• From the Tips Box: Cheaper Pill-Popping, Dog Treats, and Free Food - From the tips box - Lifehacker

  We’ve been trying to give our dog more veggies to eat, especially since she doesn’t drink enough water. Carrot slices have replaced dog treats at the dog park, but I never thought of baby food!

  tags: dogs, treats

  • Dog rawhides are expensive, and if you’re like me, you worry about how safe they are. Why not cool down the pups with an inexpensive frozen treat that’ll keep them busy for a few minutes? Pop the tops on baby food, and stick them in the freezer. I suggest keeping to meat flavored ones, or apple, sweet potato, blueberry, or banana so as not to upset their digestive systems. As with any toy or treat, give only when supervised. This tip was recommended to me a couple years ago from a canine rehab center.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Popularity: 58% [?]

• How To Copy a DVD with VLC 1.0 :: the How-To Geek

  VLC 1.0 has gotten several cool new features, one of which is the ability to record what is playing in the screen. Here we will take a look at how easy it is to record a DVD or other video formats using VLC.

  tags: vlc, dvd

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Popularity: 57% [?]

• Green Tweets: 75+ Environmentalists to Follow on Twitter

  Twitter has a huge green community. There are green media, green companies, and green charities all active on the microblogging service, as well as a whole bunch of individual environmentalists and green bloggers.

  tags: Twitter, environment, green, socialmedia

• Emily Chang - eHub: Followformation

  A tool for twitter users who want to follow the top people in the areas of their interest.

  tags: followformation, twitter

• How to Recharge the Air Conditioner in a Car - wikiHow

  Do-it-yourself auto air conditioning recharging. We paid a pro to do this only two days ago. Wish I’d found this sooner!

  tags: wikihow, cars

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Popularity: 58% [?]

Popularity: 58% [?]

• Give Your Air Conditioner a Check Up - Air Conditioning - Lifehacker

  More LH love. This is going on my todo list.

  tags: conditioner, lifehacker

  • • Be sure the suction or cool line from the condenser to the compressor is insulated with snap-on urethane or other high R-value insulation.
    • Straighten all of the evaporator and condenser coil fins with a small pointed stick or a special plastic fin comb. Bent fins do not allow proper air distribution.
    • If the condenser is at ground level, be sure no vegetation or foreign material is restricting the air flow path. If possible, shade the condenser with trees or bushes, which will improve the cooling efficiency by elimination of direct sunshine.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Popularity: 58% [?]

Popularity: 58% [?]

• Cool Down a Scorching Car as Quickly as Possible - Heat Hacks - Lifehacker

  I love LH! Since our car now spends 8+ hrs a day sitting on superheated blacktop, this “heat hack” is like a, er, breath of fresh air(!!).

  tags: heat, cars

  • 1. Roll down the windows.
    2. Turn on the A/C on the fresh air setting, do not recirculate.
    3. Crank the fan up all the way and make sure the thermostat is on the coldest setting.
    4. Drive for a minute or two with the windows down, to force out the superheated air.
    5. Once the air in the car begins to feel cooler than the outside temperature, then switch from fresh air to recirculate.
    6. Adjust temperature using lower thermostat and fan settings.

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

Popularity: 59% [?]