Improve Your Life: Backpack, Highrise and Bradtastic!

I use both Backpack and Highrise… I wouldn’t offer them if I didn’t agree with them. I could actively promote Basecamp as well, but I don’t personally use it. I know it works for a lot of businesses and helps them to be more productive; but I don’t (yet, at least) use its power and I want to personally be able to take a little bit of time to walk people through the services, my reasoning for the tools and how I personally use ‘em.

If you’re wondering “Why the hell would I need these services?!” please just ask me. Strike up a conversation; send me an email, find me on instant messenger, whisper me at Rejaw. If you’re just wondering why you should use my links, well… it could save you some, it’ll be a better use of time, it’ll make your experience better… and it’s an easy way to say “thanks” for showing you a huge game-changing time-saver. I’ll likely make less than a few dollars from it, it won’t cost you anything extra, either.

These tools have changed my life; these services change and improve businesses everyday, 37signals makes products that increase productivity and cost costs dramatically. On top of that, their stuff is fun!

How much time and money are you willing to spend to make your life dramatically better? How much is that worth to you? What if it doesn’t take that much time or cost that much money? Let me show you what I know—you can always change your mind.

Though I May Understand

I setup and give people download links quite-frequently. People benefit from listening to me; I’ll let them talk about it, because enough of them like to talk about it, and I’m good with that. Recently I posted links to a crapload of free HD videos on iTunes, valued at $2.99—some people downloaded the videos, others decided to “wait.” Those videos didn’t stay free, and some lost out.

Me? I have thousands of dollars of free stuff, and thousands more saved because I was at the right place at the right time. Emotion isn’t always a positive.

I’m annoyed when people get emotional during logical/reasonable debates of information and opinion… like… politics. It’s that year. Four years of relative silence and then an election year… right after Olympics, BOOM! The political waves and shitstorm arrives; shitstorms are particularly unpleasant because of the stench and aftermath, and people are lazy about cleaning up the mess. It is as one envisions it… it’s gross.

Things are different now; change is good and bad, more importantly, it “is” and it’s necessary. People are using the Internet in new, cool ways and it’s just a matter of time until the Internet is as open and easy as electricity. Heck, in the future, the Internet will be easier to “have” than mass-wattage. It’s going to change our way of life, and change the world.

How to prepare.

• Make a Gmail account, register with all of Google’s services. Google will be (is) its own nation one day.
• Create an account (like these) at Twitter. And Tumblr. If you have ‘em, good job. Add me, why don’tcha?
• Create an account at Pownce and Ping.fm, then make accounts at all relevant listed “others.” Own your handle/s. Here’s my Pownce’n'list.
• Order a pizza and sushi. I like tobbiko and tekka maki. Heck, order me some, too, how ’bout it?!
• Make your life and business lightweight and agile. Use the Internet. Contact me about it.

I help my friends get things like HighriseHQ and BackpackIT because both have helped me and many, many (nigh-countless… seriously, it’d take a while for me calculate sum, and we’re talkin’ more than fingers’n'toes) friends and fellows. My enemies probably benefit from this stuff, too. If your enemies are bright, sophisticated or ninja-like (are you? If you are, they are), they use this stuff, too.

The world is changing fast. URLs are the “Main Street” office addresses, social networking is the new business card. Fighting this is silly—especially when it’s not hard to take advantage of thechanges and come out on top. I’m helping people make life better; when my competition figures out exactly how (beyond the freebies), I’ll be steps-ahead again.

Good luck.

Brad’s been where, done-what?

Life gets hectic… every four years we have an Olympic Games and an election. The world looks at America, probably thinking, “what an insane-crazy shit-pile of mediocrity!” Ouch, right?

I’ve been following the political whirlwind; it’s hard to look away with the mass-marketing and fireworks—it’s definitely the new football. I try to stay atop local news, and I’ve taken a deep interest into military history, technology and the present overseas conflicts. On the home front, I’m concerned about education, the housing market, the economy (holistically) and our American system of justice, punishment and correction. There isn’t much correction… that’s how shit is.

Life mostly sucks much of the time; but sometimes, great stuff happens—great enough to forget about and let-go the daily crap we go through. Suicide is a sin to some, inconvenient for others; the funniest, saddest “excuse” I’d heard some time ago: “I’m too lazy to kill myself right now. Maybe later… I mean life really sucks, and that’s why I’m bored and have nothing to do.”

I try not to let it get to me. I jump on XBOX LIVE; recently downloaded Geometry Wars 2 and Castle Crashers, got Soul Calibur 4 and thanks to Andrew, the Arcade Stick as well. I picked up a red controller and Ninja Gaiden II—I’m loving Itagaki’s futuristic-semi-historical ninja blood-storm. More on that. I also wrote about my NGII gaming at my Gamespot-blogospace. If you’re at Gamespot, drop a friend invite there!

I’ve posted a lot of cool images and eye-candy at my Tumblr; it’s so quick-n-easy, I think you should check it out! I have DISQUS commenting there as well; if you see something that you like, l’emme know, yea? Perhaps we can discourse!

I’ve been writing a lot; thinking about whether or not to release more of it online, and if I’m going to do that, where I’m going to put it… the kind of complication I’d like to have more of. I have a ton of new inkwork; you’ll make me happy if you ask to see it when we’re hanging out, if you like it, perhaps I’ll fall in love. This new work means a lot to me—I’m not sure I want to image it online! Perhaps I’ll make a special Gallery for my Moleskine Inkbook.

My iPhone has been incredibly stable. I’ve posted a few screenshots at bradtastic.tumblr.com and going there means that you can see which applications are some of my favorites! I might post at Bradtastic.com again soon… life must continue, momentum helps.