When I discovered that 3 bus routes are within reasonable walking distance from my home, I began to explore the transit system further. If you’re using Firefox, you can just type “BCT” in the address bar and it will take you straight to the Broward County Transit homepage. Here you can download a map of the entire transit system and find maps and schedules for all routes. The maps and timetables are also available as printer-friendly PDFs. You can even find the maps and timetables for the community buses run by various municipalities in Broward County.

Use Google Transit and Google Street View

Google recently introduced Google Transit. It started with a handful of metro areas, and the list is growing. You enter a starting point and a destination. But unlike driving directions, you have to input either a departure time or a desired arrival time. Another tip: you can enter the time in 24-hour format. Instead of typing “7:00pm” you can simply enter “1900.”

After you click on “Get Directions” you get a page that looks a lot like the driving directions you are accustomed to seeing. You also get:

• How far you’ll need to walk to and from the bus stop
• Which buses to take
• How much money you save vs. driving
• The total time it will take to make your trip
• Alternate routes (if available)

You can also go to Google Maps to get driving directions. In addition to driving directions, Google Maps will tell you if public transit options are available for your trip.

Most of Broward County is covered by Google Street View. Google Transit and Google Street View can be used together to help you plan your trip. If you are going to an unfamiliar destination, this will ease your mind. The resolution of the images is good enough to see if there is a bus stop.

Buying the Right Bus Pass

For casual users of BCT, the 10 Ride Pass is the best value. As of July 2008, regular fare is $1.25, but a 10 Ride Pass is $10. You save $2.50. There are no transfers issued between BCT buses, so you’ll pay full fare or get ticked for another ride on your 10 Ride Pass when changing buses.

The All Day Pass is only $3. You can purchase these on the bus. Just tell the bus driver you want an All Day Pass. If you are taking 2 buses to get to your destination, you will need 2 buses to get back. Full fare, that trip is $5. On the 10 Ride Pass, that’s 4 rides, or $4. Are you a math genius? Neither am I, but we can both see why this makes sense.

I used an All Day Pass one day to run some errands. I rode 6 buses and brought my bike. Yes, you can get around South Florida quite easily without a car! This was also on a Sunday when the buses don’t run as frequently.

Other Bus Passes

31 Day Adult Pass – $40

7-Day Pass – $11

College Student Pass – $20

All Day Reduced Pass – $2 (seniors, youth, disabled, Medicare)

31 Day Reduced Pass – $20 (seniors, youth, disabled, Medicare)

These prices are current as of July 2008. Some bus passes will go up in price in October 2008. All bus fares will get an increase in October 2009. Click here for more information.

More Tips

The buses are pretty good about running on schedule. If the bus is running ahead of schedule, it will make an extended stop at one of the time points along the route. However, plan to arrive at your bus stop 5-10 minutes before the time posted on the schedule. Based on my observations, the clock used by BCT is most likely synchronized to the atomic clock servers operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Your computer and your cell phone are synchronized to this clock too.

If your destination is in Miami-Dade County, Google Transit seamlessly integrates the two systems. Google Transit is not yet integrated with Tri-Rail, Metro Rail, or Metro Mover.

All the buses are equipped with bike racks. Most accommodate 2 bikes while some of the newer buses have a different design that can carry 3 bikes. If the bike rack is full, you’re generally out of luck. Sometimes, a bike-riding passenger will opt to get off and ride a little further or inform the bus driver that his/her stop is just a few blocks away. In this case, the bus driver may let you bring your bike on board. When the bike rack is free, you must move your bike to the rack.

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I don’t even remember how I found this site. I was sure to Stumble it, so others can waste time online just like me!

To offset that time wasted, you can become more productive in another area of your life. Why not use the PocketMod to get more organized and stay on top of things? Any product with a calendar and to-do list built in will surely make your life so much easier.

Basically, you fold and cut a sheet of letter size paper to make a handy booklet you can customize and keep in your pocket.

The Flash player application allows you to make your own Pocket Mod booklet. There are several useful pages that you can drag and drop like to do lists, calendars, conversion tables, and tipping calculators.

A savvy graphic designer can surely reverse engineer this and create totally custom booklets this way.

Renee and Elliott are tech-savvy, but they recognize when low-tech still gets the job done.

Email

Email is often vilified as the enemy of effective time management. We get caught up in the immediacy of it and feel compelled to answer it right away. We got it right away. Why not answer it right away? It doesn’t have to be that way. Some people think of email as a substitute for a telephone call. Others think of it as a business letter.

Understanding the email habitsof the people you communicate with regularly will help tremendously. If you’re a crackberry addict, don’t get upset when your email isn’t responded to immediately. The person you are writing to may have a different mentality about email.

Instant Messenger

Renee and I do not use this often. We both feel it’s sensory overload. This is the means we choose to limit or abstain from. There’s an immediacy to it, but it’s also a huge distraction and time-sucker.

Others limit their telephone time or email time.

Telephone and Voice Mail

I use the telephone when I need real-time interaction when a face-to-face meeting is impractical. I reach for the phone when I want an immediate answer. I don’t always get it, but the possibility exists.

One must also pay attention to how a voice mail is crafted. You had a specific objective in mind when you made the call. Why do people fall apart and leave rambling voice mails? Speak clearly and be concise. Say your name, leave your number, state the purpose of your call, make any relevant disclosures about times you may be unavailable, state phone number once again, and a succinct pleasantry.

Text Messaging

Text messaging or SMS has exploded over the past few years. In 1998, I changed cell phone carriers for the first time. AT&T (which became Cingular, and it’s now AT&T again) offered text messaging. I could immediately see its potential. However, I grew frustrated as an isolated early-adopter. I used it sparingly until I met Renée.

One of my friends recently told me that it never occurred to him to send a text message until I sent him one for the first time. He thought it was just as good to make the phone call. Can you tell I hang out with people of all ages, from babies to the chronologically enhanced?

Some information is more effectively relayed via text message. A message that doesn’t require a reply would be a logical choice. It’s also great during downtime. Random “I love you,” messages to your significant other works wonders. You’ll never be bored at meetings and lectures again.

Meetings

Meetings incur costs in time and money. They are valuable for certain agendas, while others can be fulfilled by other means. If the agenda is important enough or if a high level of interaction is necessary, a face-to-face meeting is the best choice. Messages of high profundity also warrant a face-to-face meeting. It’s considered a low-blow to get dumped by a significant other via telephone, email or instant messenger. In one episode of Sex And The City, Carrie is upset that a man dumped her via Post-It™ Note.

Conclusion

That’s it? Far from it. There are entire books written on communication. This article covers the technological and logistical means. Each method described above warrants further discussion in future articles. Stay tuned.

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I’ve been online since 1992. If you count dialup BBSs, that pushes the provenance back another 6 years. I saw personal computing in an early and raw state. It’s a glorious time to be a computer user today.

The e-book has some basic concepts that I’ve digested before most MySpace users were born. However, I don’t mind reviewing stuff I already know. A fresh perspective can be gained, and I might learn of an easier way to explain it to others. It also preps my mind for the new information that’s coming my way.

Download it.

Special thanks to David Hobby at Strobist for calling this to my attention.

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~e

• Change the battery
• Press the reset button on the mouse and the receiver
• Move metal objects away from the receiver

I thought I was being punished by the Apple gods for using a Microsoft mouse and keyboard for my Mac. As a last-ditch effort, I shot a little compressed air at the little red light on the underside of the mouse. Voila! It worked! Now my mouse is fully functional again.

Your optical mouse needs some maintenance too. The wonky ball and roller mechanism is gone, but the laser lens needs to be clean and unobstructed for the mouse to work properly.

If you found this tip helpful, or if I saved you from buying a new mouse, please consider making a donation.

Our 2000 Mitsubishi Montero is in great shape. It has survived the thoughtlessness of South Florida drivers and held up well over the years. Renee’s only lament is the state of the plastic lenses over the headlights. You see them all the time. Your car’s headlights may even look like the one pictured here.

There is at least one commercial product available to remedy this. The last time I saw such a product, it was selling for $35. At the time, I did not have a need for it, but filed it away in my brain, as I am always looking to help people.

I’m not a cheapskate, but I don’t spend money without due consideration. Think about what you’d rather do with $35. It’s probably a lot more appealing than buying a bottle of some chemical you’ll use once, maybe twice tops.

In one of the Yahoo groups I subscribe to, someone asked about removing scratches from a CD. One suggestion was to use toothpaste. I had one of those a-ha moments. I promptly grabbed a tube of toothpaste and some paper towels. After just a few minutes, the headlight lenses were no longer opaque.

An organic or all-natural toothpaste probably doesn’t have the same caustic chemicals as one that is widely available and inexpensive. If it won’t erode your tooth enamel, irritate your gums, and isn’t harmful if swallowed, it probably won’t work on your headlights.