Archive for February 9th, 2009
Google has just release a new app called Google Sync, a tool that syncs your Google Contacts and Calendar wirelessly to your iPhone, BlackBerry, Symbian, or Windows Mobile phone.
Kamal Meattle used three just three indoor plant species to increase oxygen, filter air, and boost general health at a a New Delhi business park. You can use them, too, in any indoor environment.
Meattle’s presentation at the TED 2009 conference details a large-scale success, using thousands of plants for hundreds of workers. In any living or working space, though, the three plants—Areca palm, Mother-in-law’s Tongue, and a “Money Plant”—can be used to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen, remove organic compounds, and generally filter and freshen the ambient air. A single person looks to need a minimum of 11 total plants, and certain climates with less sunlight could require a bit of hydroponic growing, but Meattle swears by the health, productivity, and atmosphere benefits. Check out the detailed slides from his TED talk:
Got your own plant combinations for better working or living air? Give up your greenery tricks in the comments.
The Consumerist blog lets the Bargaineering blogger step in and talk bank fee strategies—specifically, the three most common little-by-little drains on your cash, and how to avoid them.
Photo by Betsssssy.
The list of culprits is familiar: overdraft charges, minimum balance requirements, and non-network ATM fees. The solutions vary from maintaining an actual paper balance book (shocking!) to finding accounts that can waive ATM fees if you satisfy certain criteria, like direct deposits. But the root of what blogger Jim is suggesting is something we’ve covered before—the power of getting more by just asking.
What’s your own best tactic for fighting bank fees and charges? Which bank has given you the most fair and square deal? Tell us all in the comments.
