Resourceful: Useful Tech Resources for Everyday Living

I’ve been tagged by Marty of Technology, Marketing & Birds to share my Eight Random Facts.

Here are the rules for Eight Random Facts:

1. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

And here are the eight random facts:

1. As a child I was terrified of Sammy Terry, a local host of horror movies on late-night TV. (Shivers, I just clicked on the link to his site and I think I still am!)
2. I started riding motorcycles at the age of 5.
3. I was the first-ever female editor-in-chief of my high school’s newspaper.
4. I spent the summer before my senior year of high school studying and living with a wonderful family in Mexico as a participant in the IU Honors Program in Foreign Language.
5. I’m kind of a picky eater.
6. My parents recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Mom & Dad, you rock!
7. I recently joined eHarmony.com but I’m too scared to respond to any of my matches. (Sheeesh!)
8. I believe that everything in life comes down to three things; love, respect and responsibility. If you have those three things for yourself and for those around you, you can work through anything.

I’ll have to think of other bloggers to tag.

If you or someone you know will be flying the friendly skies this summer, make note of these cool travel tools:For those among us who need to know what the environment will be like on the plane, SeatGuru.com provides a detailed look at your scheduled flight’s seat configuration. Want to know if your assigned seat has more leg room or if the aircraft is equipped with video monitors? No problem, just locate the listing for your airline and the type of plane and you get a complete picture of what to expect.

And if you’re like me and can never find your flight number listed on those annoying monitors at the airport, keep up with your flight’s status with FlightStats.com. Register with the site to receive a text message on your cell phone if your flight is delayed. You can also get a notice when a flight departs or arrives at its destination.

Have fun with these tools and I wish you safe travels!

Today I was driving around town when my tummy decided some frozen custard from Ritter’s would be a good thing. Not knowing where to find the closest store, I whipped out my trusty cell phone and dialed up my new favorite resource: GOOG411. Within seconds I knew exactly which direction to head and shortly thereafter was enjoying a frosty treat.

This free service from the good folks at Google is a voice-activated phone directory available by dialing 1-800-GOOG-411. After dialing the number, the rest of the process is handled by voice prompts, making it ideal for use while driving. The automated system will ask the city, state, business name or category you wish to search. Next you’ll listen to a list of matching results, choose one and have Google dial the number for you.

The service is currently experimental, though I’ve had good results every time I’ve used it. Plus, it sure beats paying the 99 cents my cell provider charges for a call to 411. (Air time applies.) The next time you need an address or phone number, give GOOG411 a try!