Jacquelyn Lynn, Business Writer, Speaker

Cell phone pictures help protect kids and elderly

This isn't a business tip, but I thought it was worth sharing.

Recently someone wrote a letter to Dear Abby with this suggestion: Because most cell phones these days have a built-in camera, parents should snap a picture of their kids every morning. Make it part of the standard getting-ready-for-school routine. 

If something should happen to the child that day (if the child gets lost, is abducted, or is involved in an accident), the parent has an up-to-date image of what the child looks like and is wearing that can be quickly provided to law enforcement officials. It's not necessary to search through photographs taken at a different time under different circumstances that may not accurately reflect that child's appearance that day or to hope that you accurately remembered what your child was wearing.

The next morning, the picture can easily be deleted--or, if you prefer, stored to create a daily pictorial record of the child's life.

The same strategy can be applied to the elderly, in particular, those suffering dementia who might wander off from a caregiver.

Jacquelyn Lynn

 

 

 

Travel Tip: Pack a portable power strip with your computer

If you travel by air on business, you've probably spent more time than you want to think about working on your laptop in airports. But what happens when the airport is crowded, every electrical outlet is in use, and your battery runs out of juice?

A portable power strip can solve the problem by letting multiple users plug into the same outlet. The portable models are compact, easy to pack, and run about $20. They also come in handy in hotels, especially older ones with an insufficient number of power outlets. 

Glenn Beck Boycott: Cowardice, Censorship, and Completely Un-American

When I heard about the advertiser boycott of the Glenn Beck program on Fox News, my first reaction was that certainly no sensible company would cave in to that sort of blackmail. But surprise! A bunch of them, including Geico, Walmart, Best Buy, Men’s Wearhouse, Proctor & Gamble, Radio Shack, CVS, and Travelocity have demonstrated colossal cowardice and a willingness to support censorship.

For a great perspective on the situation, check out Glenn Beck Boycott: Censorship or Good Citizenship?by Carl M. Cannon. My prediction is that this exodus of advertisers and the resulting attention is going to increase the number of Glenn Beck viewers. And here’s a message for the advertisers who are allowing themselves to be intimidated by ColorofChange.org: Those of us who oppose censorship and support free speech express our opinions with our dollars in the marketplace. So the question is: who do you want to anger more?  

Jacquelyn Lynn

Garfield the Cat on Planning

I confess: The main reason I read the newspaper is for the comics. And while they are mostly entertaining, sometimes my cartoon “friends” deliver an important message.

 

Garfield did that today. He said: “I believe in planning ahead … becaaauuuuse … If you spend enough time planning, you never actually have to do anything.”

 

He’s right.

 

The problem is, if you never do anything, you never achieve anything.

 

Without a doubt, planning is important. But at some point, you have to take action. Don’t spend so much time planning that you never actually do anything.

 

Jacquelyn Lynn