BERT VERDONCK, lifehacker & networking coach » Fun

Upside Down?

bertverdonck — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 16:00:28 +0000

If the world were upside down, what would it look like? Ever wondered what would happen if you start to write “upside down”?

“˙˙˙uǝǝɹɔs ǝɥʇ pǝuɹnʇ ɹo pɐǝɥ ɹnoʎ uo ƃuıpuɐʇs ɹǝɥʇıǝ ǝɹɐ noʎ ‘sıɥʇ pɐǝɹ uɐɔ noʎ ɟı”

Isn’t that great? I like it!

Now, how did I do it? Well, there is a Genius Shortcut for writing upside down. Typeupsidedown.com

Typeupsidedown.com is an easy website with 2 textboxes. You fill out the first one with your message. Simultaneously it will create your text upside down in the second box. Now you can easily copy and paste the upside down text to other applications and have fun with it!

What can you use it for? Fun! Ok, I admit, I haven’t found a serious application for it yet. I use it to update my LinkedIn-status, Twitter or on Facebook. I even put it in my LinkedIn Profile and I sure some people will want to know more about it

Have fun too, always,

Bert

Your life as a movie

bertverdonck — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 09:36:50 +0000

What’s happening in your life? Are you sharing your important moments with the world? Is it too hard to make a movie about your own life?

Well, there is a Genius Shortcut to create a movie about yourself in no time! How? Just simply go to Pummelvision.com.

What is it? Pummelvision flashes your life before your eyes using photos from Facebook, Flickr, or Tumblr. Of course you need to have an account and some pictures on one of these platforms.

How does it work? Well, in 3 little steps, you’ll create your movie!

Decide where Pummelvision can grab photos for you : Facebook, Flickr or Tumblr. Authorize your account.
Decide where Pummelvision can blast the video to : Vimeo or YouTube. Authorize your account.
If you want to be notified, type your mail address in the box. Click on the “Make My Video” -button.

That’s it!

Here are a couple of examples of Pummelvision: Justin Ouellette and Jacco Van Giessen. Enjoy and share!

Play More!

bertverdonck — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 15:46:09 +0000

We should play more! Most kids are after one thing only and that is to play whenever they can! As adults we have lost this attitude. Most of us rarely play at work, at home or at all! I am not saying you should gamble or go to casinos, but having more fun with the things you do is my advice!

I even came up with an acronym for it: PAMAP : Play As Much As Possible!

Yes, indeed, we should find ways of “playing” in whatever we do. This way we will have more fun and… be more productive at the same time!

Now ask yourself, when was the last time you had fun at work?

Exactly, most of us can’t even remember and those who do, are just recalling one of the teambuilding events or some “after work” activities. These don’t even count!

So, I asked myself what is keeping me from having fun at work? Nothing really! Some partners I work with, call me even the Funmaker! It is not that I am making fun of others, but I contribute to creating a more relaxed and fun atmosphere. You see, I am convinced that work and play go hand in hand. By creating a “lighter” environment, I see the improvements of the results and the happiness of our team. We are spending so much time at our work together, why can’t this be a happy time?

I am not talking about ways to offend others or to reduce their productivity, but to stimulate them to laugh more. We all know the consequences of these chemical reactions creating more endorphins. So, what can you do to have more fun (at work)?

Here are some examples of what others did and it is up to you to take the next step!

Enjoy!

The Internet knows…

bertverdonck — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:41:29 +0000

What does the Internet know about you?

Great question. Some people just post anything online. Some might regret it later, others not at all. But what is out there about you? I found an interesting website called Personas. It visually represents just how much the internet knows about you in an arty way. How does it work? Just type in your name. Personas will analyze the text of the Google results, breaking your web presence down into various keywords or categories. These include everything from “online” to “books” to “social,” and each one has a color, so each person’s name results in a unique band of colors. Here is mine (click to see full version):

Of course, if more people have the same name as you (I know at least 3 do!), the results can become a bit blurry (No clue why “military” is in mine). Nevertheless, it is a very colorful overview of who you are on the Internet. On top of that, it shows how smart the web becomes and how far software can go to digitally track you.

So, what’s in it for me? What’s truly me : online, social, professional, media, management, education, news, sports, books, legal… What not? military, genealogy, fashion…

Give Personas a try yourself and see what the web comes up with

Sandwich Tool

bertverdonck — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 05:23:05 +0000

Ever wondered what’s happening on the other side of the world?

Actually, where exactly is the other side of the world? Rigth! Zefrank has come up with the sandwich tool to give you the exact point on the other side of the world, using Google Maps.

Check it out for yourself:

Tired of Roomservice?

bertverdonck — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 11:15:06 +0000

Yes, a lot of travellers are using roomservice. Many of them are sometimes shocked by the overpriced and underdelivered meals they actually get. Now, it’s amazing what you can do in your hotelroom if you want to cook for yourself. British comedian George Egg demonstrates some hotel survival tips for cooking an impressive meal in your hotelroom.

It’s both funny and inspiring what you actually can achieve in your hotelroom! Enjoy your meal

Source : Learn to cook in your hotelroom

Nathan Flutebox Lee

bertverdonck — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:15:08 +0000

Sometimes I receive these great videos! After all it’s Friday, right?

Nathan “Flutebox” Lee is giving a performance at Google in London and hear this genius create unbelievable sounds! Oh, and let’s not forget Beardyman is in this movieclip too!

I know I’ve posted about the VocaPeople and Bauchklang before, but this is something completely different again! Enjoy it like I did

Thanks Sheri for sharing this video!

Have a great weekend,

Bert Verdonck
Lifehacker & Life Coach

Best Job in the World

bertverdonck — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:54:10 +0000

You probably heard about the dream assignment to swim, explore and relax on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef for while writing a blog to promote the area. Most people would probably call it the “Best Job in the World”. That’s exactly what the Tourism Department of Queensland state had in mind when they launched the campaign for it.

How’s this for a job description

After outbeating a staggering amount of nearly 35,000 applicants from around the world, Ben Southall, 34, of Petersfield won the job! It was announced today! Ben is an adventurous, crazy, energetic bungee jumping, ostrich-riding British charity worker was named the winner of this sublime contest.

Why don’t you apply next time? What better way to prepare then to follow his footsteps and read his blogs, view his podcasts, …

So, maybe I’ll know what you’ll be doing this summer

Enjoy every day,

Bert Verdonck
Lifehacker & Life Coach

Twitter Time

bertverdonck — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 18:29:02 +0000

Twitter is truly going global these days. If we look at the rate they are growing. Amazing! What’s happening?

Many startups, like StockTwits, are basing their entire company on Twitter’s infrastructure. StockTwits is an open, community-powered investment idea and information service. Just eavesdrop on what other traders and investors are talking about in real time.

Recently Twitter grew at an incredible rate. As the graph of comScore shows, Twitter increased 95 percent in the month of March from 9.8 million to 19.1 million.

You also probably heard of Ashton Kutcher’s stunt on getting 1 million followers on Twitter? If you want to follow him too, he’s now at 1.3 million followers By the way, mrs Kutcher (Demi Moore) is attracting people herself with 750K followers! Also a must read is Simon Dumenco’s article. He’s putting things in the right perspective.

What probably made the biggest difference is the appearance of Oprah (@Oprah) on Twitter (16th April). Read Heather Hopkins’ article on the Oprah Effect on Hitwise. Or is it coincidence that Twitter made it in the Top 40 most visited websites by Australians, according to Alan Long.

And then there is the Cisco Fatty or how to ruin a “Fatty Cisco Job” with 1 tweet. You must of heard of it by now, right?

Anyway, let’s share a great comic byNitrozac & Snaggy (Joyof Tech)

Oh, if you were still wondering where to find me, I am also on Twitter : http://twitter.com/bertverdonck

I know, I don’t have Ashton’s number of followers (yet), but fun in progress

Enjoy your weekend,

Bert Verdonck
Lifehacker & Life Coach

100 Most Iconic Videos

bertverdonck — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:26:47 +0000

Urlesque brings you the 100 Most Iconic Internet Videos.

An amazing list of the top 100 viral videos that inspired a lot of people or wasted time for a lot of others!

Anyway, if you are looking for great viral videos Urlesque is a great place to start from. Some of them I already posted about earlier on this blog and elsewhere.

What strikes me is that several videos in this top 100 Most Iconic Videos are from the pre-Internet era. Of course, when uploaded they took their own viral route…

And yes, I know you are curious, so I give you the shortcut to see who’s at nr. 1?

Enjoy every day,

Bert Verdonck
Lifehacker & Life Coach