Written by inoveryourhead

People will tell you that there are all kinds of yardsticks to measure progress.

What they don’t say is that most of them are worthless.

Money, career, fame…whatever. That’s all fine and good, but the bottom line is that there is one thing– just one– that really matters.

Being fucking awesome.

You can be broke and be awesome. You can be in a wheelchair and be awesome. You can be homeless and be awesome. You can even be dead and be awesome.

You want a purpose to your life? I got one for ya.

From this day forth, your purpose is to be the most fucking awesome person you can imagine being.

Quick story: in my early 20s I used to hang out with piercers and tattoo artists a lot. It was the 90s, and a bunch of us were getting crazy parts of their bodies pierced.

One day I walked up to my piercer friend, Azl, who was pretty much covered with tattoos. Incidentally, he’s now an amazing poker player with a huge backpiece of a king of diamonds (with an axe in his head). Epic.

Anyway, I walk up to him one day in the studio and I ask: “What is it like to look down at your arms and know that all these tattoos are yours– that this is what your arms look like?”

Pausing for a moment for dramatic effect, he answered: “Julien, It is fucking awesome,” and smiled widely.

That’s pretty much it right there.

What kind of friends do you want to have?

What kind of job do you want?

What kind of life do you want to have?

The answer to all of these is simple: you want friends, work, and everything else to be awesome. The more your life is awesome, the better everything is, and the happier you are, whoo!

Seriously, being awesome should be a fucking religion.

There are three– count ‘em, three– standards for awesome. Here they are, in no particular order of bigness.

1. Yourself

I was thinking about this yesterday while I was taking a break from exploringthis town in Malaysia where I am right now. I sat down and “counted my blessings” or whatever. Here’s some of what I came up with.

• I have an amazing, supportive girlfriend who also happens to be gorgeous.
• I have great friends– the same people I’ve known for close to 20 years, and I meet great new people all the time.
• I co-wrote a bestselling book and am working on another.
• Etc.

If you put this in the context of my 24 year old self, who worked in a call centre, finished at 2am and walked home in the snow, was pretty heavily in debt, and ate nothing but bread and hummus (not kidding), then you realize that pretty much anyone can become more awesome. This means you.

But wait, there’s more! What’s great about the world of awesome is that it’s totally subjective. You don’t have to care about the ways I do it, and I don’t have to like yours. The main judge is yourself, and whether you like yourself more than you did yesterday or last year.

If you do, congratulations! You are becoming, or already are, awesome. But here’s the clincher.

This is only true if you are honest with yourself.

There are a lot of people (people in public relations, or something) who claim that maybe their job is awesome. Or maybe guys that make a lot of money and think that they can be in on this love-fest too. Wrong.

Doing something prestigious does not equal being awesome. In other words, awesome does not look the same close-up as it does from far away. Which brings us to the next point.

2. Your friends/peers

Who are the people that you care about, and that you work with? For me, that’s people like my family, my close friends, my girlfriend, and people I respect in this industry we call the internet.

People who know you are a great judge of whether or not you are awesome, and also, how to become more awesome. But again, only the people who are willing to tell you the truth.

Yesterday, for example, I got a Facebook message from my friend Jason telling me that Snooki, of Jersey Shore fame, is now a New York Times bestselling author. The kind of person that does this is the kind of person you should be counting on; ie, people that keep you grounded.

So one of the litmus tests for whether you are awesome is the people around you who don’t believe the hype. Hey, speaking of hype, could you tweet out this post right now? Click the button below.

Your peers, btw, can see things you definitely can’t, or won’t. You’re too used to yourself– this is why you think you’re handsome and that your beer belly “doesn’t look that bad.” (Neither of which have anything to do with being awesome, but you get my point.) Other people will always see you better than you can see yourself.

Do you have people around you that you can count on? Then I suggest you go ask them. Find the most awesome people you know and ask them how.

Optionally, ask Twitter. Seriously. A first impression is often just as good as someone who’s known you your whole life (speaking of which, don’t ask your mom).

If you speak to a bunch of people, and they all think you’re great, super!You might be awesome. But, then again, it’s possible that you actually have another problem. See below.

3. Your world

Ok, so first of all, your world is as big as you want it to be, so it’s not important what you choose here, with one condition.

If you are already awesome to everyone in your world, then your world needs to get bigger.

You do this by getting out of the little pond and doing new things, or having a positive influence on people outside of your sphere. You ever notice how people who volunteer (if they’re not self-righteous) tend to be fucking awesome?

I’m pretty sure there’s actually a relationship between how many people you help outside of your sphere and how awesome people inside your sphere think you are. Makes sense right?

My friend Nicole, for example, just told me about a dude she knows who helps children get out of the sex industry in Thailand. How awesome is that guy. And here’s what’s particularly cool about it: if you wanted, you could be him.

Seriously, it’s that easy. You can just decide to become more awesome, whichever way you want, and then look it up on the internet to figure out how. The knowledge automagically makes your world bigger, which makes you more awesome. Then you just go ahead and do that thing, which is easy because you just figured out how. Whoo!

Anyway, what was my point with this? Oh yes. Being awesome is now your new religion. Welcome to the Cult of Awesome. It’s very exclusive, but there are lots of perks.

Your job is now to look out to the wide world, and take a look at what impresses you, at what you find absolutely great, and then find ways to become more like that.

We need more awesome people in this world, and I would like you to be one of them.

Written by Jason Fitzpatrick

First we took a look at the five most popular newreader apps for iOS. Now we’re back to balance things out with a peek at the five most popular newsreaders for the Android.

Earlier this week we asked you to share your favorite Android newsreader. We tallied up the nominations, and now we’re back to share the five most popular readers.

Google Reader (Free)

Google Reader, the long awaited official app from Google, took its sweet time getting to the Market. None the less, despite being on the Market for less than two months it’s one of the most popular RSS apps. It syncs seamlessly with multiple accounts and gives you access to the full subscription features like starring, marking as read, sharing, and more. Google Reader also includes some neat navigational features like the ability to use your phone’s volume rocker switch as a next and previous key for your RSS feeds. [Google Reader on AppBrain]

FeedR ($1.99)

Many RSS tools piggyback on Google Reader. FeedR supports synchronization with Google Reader if you’re a fan but also supports plain old feed importing if you like to manually manage your feed and keep Google out of the loop. You can search and preview your feeds, read offline with images thanks to local caching, easily switch between the mobile and full view for articles, and more. FeedR’s design places emphasis on transparency; the UI stays out of your way which frees up valuable screen space for reading. [FeedR on AppBrain]

Pulse (Free)

Pulse was a popular contender in our iOS newsreader Hive Five thanks to its sleek layout and photo-centric swipe based reading style. The interface translates surprisingly well to Android phones. Pulse is the most social of the newsreaders in this roundup and includes the ability to stream your Facebook feed right along side your news feeds as well as share stories via Facebook, Twitter, , and email. You can start fresh with Pulse or import all your feeds from Google Reader. [Pulse on AppBrain]

NewsRob (Basic: Free/Pro: $6.84)

NewsRob syncs your Google Reader account to your Android phone for real-time and offline reading. NewsRob includes system wide notifications of new content, caching to the SD card for smoother reading, and the ability to mark as read, favorite, and edit feed categories. Upgrading to the premium version removes the ads and enables article sharing and article notation. [NewsRob on AppBrain]

gReader (Basic: Free, Pro: $5.47)

Long before Google released and official read app, gReader was filling the niche. gReader sports two-way synchronization with Google Reader, offline reading, direct editing of your feed and folder settings from gReader, support for local caching and saving media from your feeds to your phone, offline reading, system notifications, and easy sharing via email, Twitter, Facebook, and more. The premium version removes the ads, and activates additional features like themes and widgets. [gRreader on AppBrain]

Bonus:Every Saturday night

Written by Jeremy M. Zoss

We all know that the rift between video games and reality is a large one, despite our best efforts to claim otherwise. But the differences are quite obvious once we look at how mechanically, video games are totally, foolishly outlandish. Like, maybe they were conceived by a kid with a severe case of the silly-brains.

So, we present to you a fairly in-depth study of big ways video games differ from reality. Some are physics-based, while others exemplify how we should avoid practical application of video game techniques at all costs. I present to you now our list of ten things that happen in video games, but don’t cut it in real life. Enjoy!

10. Gunshot Wounds Don’t Just Fade Away

Example: Call of Duty: Black Ops

Video games are separated from real life by a very wide margin, especially in war-themed video games (contrary to how they market themselves). 99% of us will never be shot in real life, yet 99% of us will be shot in a video game. Shot in real life: big time ouch — hospitals, morgues, rehab, yeesh. Shot in video game: 3 seconds behind cover and you’re good to go. So in case anyone gets inspired to participate in a massive-scale land war because of a video game, please do some more research.

9. Tilting Your Guitar Won’t Make You Rock Harder

Example: Guitar Hero

From this video, it is easy to see that tilting your guitar back toward you in short, caustic jerks does not, in fact, make you rock harder in real life. In the game, sure, maybe you’ll earn a few extra points and some lights will flash and you’ll be the talk of the fake underground venue — but in real life, you look like a total dweeb.

8. Rocket Jumping Will Literally Kill You Instantly

Example: Team Fortress

If you ever happen to be in a dicey situation, and in dire need of escape, please don’t take that rocket launcher resting on your shoulder, point it at the ground, bend you knees, and shoot. Pulling that trigger as you spring your self off the ground will literally be the last fucking thing you ever do. I guarantee it.

7. You Can’t Carry 15 Guns And Still Walk Like A Normal Human Being

Example: Most FPS

Video game characters can be encumbered by dozens of weapons without losing a single ounce of litheness. James Bond could still fly down a hallway in GoldenEye 64 with a bevy of weapons in hand, cycling through them at will. But in real life, you’d have to be a ‘roid guzzling gym rat to move with any sort of grace. And either way you’d look like an idiot.

6. Life Doesn’t Let You Skip Through Boring Conversations

Example: Mass Effect

But hot damn we wish it did. Have you ever sat in on a long, dry conference call or been roped conversation with one of those door-to-door magazine salesmen? It seems to happen to me all the time — and I wish nothing more for whatever force that is driving my life to smash the A button and get me the hell through it. But it never happens, damn it.

5. Going In Water Doesn’t Instantly Kill You

Example: Red Dead Redemption

While it is true that being in water can kill you, video games have it all wrong. Going waist-deep into a large body of water will not kill you instantly. Even if it is tremendously cold, or tremendously hot, you probably still have a good minute or so before you start to expire. In games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Assassin’s Creed, our near-invulnerable heroes just can’t handle a little h2o, but for some reason, all those bullets flying into them only make them stumble briefly.

4. Double Jumping Doesn’t Really Work

Example: Super Smash Bros.

The developers of games like Super Smash Bros, Crash Bandicoot, and Dragon Buster(old school) thought it would be a good idea to add an extra jump at the end of a regular jump to make a double jump. That concept is tantamount to “Oh, I have a beer in one hand, the remote in the other. How am I going to scratch my nether-regions? Oh that’s right, I’ll just use my other, third hand.” Doesn’t work that way — science will drag you quickly, and awkwardly, to the ground.

3. Hiding In Shadows Doesn’t Render You Invisible

Example: Splinter Cell Series

We’ve all played a stealth game, heard an enemy go “There he is!” and dove for the shadows to evade their wrath. In most games, that tactic works well, keeping us safe and allowing for normalcy to return after moments. But in real life, hiding in the shadows only makes you creepy.

2. Eating Food Off The Ground Doesn’t Make You Healthier(Thanks, The Onion!)

Example: Most 1980s and 1990s games

In many video games, it is customary to gather food supplies from the floor and put them in your mouth for restored health. In real life, that is how people get serious diarrhea, or worse. I suppose if you are hard-up for some grub, ground-food will suffice. But any regular shmoe should never eat food off the ground. Even if it is a giant, tasty-looking carrot.

1. If You Collect Coins, You’re Either A Nerd, Or You’re Homeless

Example: Super Mario Series

For some reason, game developers have had a long love affair with coin collection. Numerous games have rewarded players for capturing large quantities of coins, oftentimes with no explanation of the coinage whatsoever. But we all know that there are only two types of people in real life that collect coins: total nerds, and the homeless. The only real difference is whether you keep them in display cases or a paper cup.

Bonus: Shanghai 1990 vs 2010

As the death toll from devastating flooding in Brazil continues to rise, a single picture drives home the sense of loss.

Leao, a medium-sized brown mutt, lies next to the grave of her owner, Cristina Maria Cesario Santana, who died in the catastrophic landslides caused by heavy rain. This AFP/Getty picture was taken on Saturday, the second consecutive day that the dog refused to leave the woman’s grave at the cemetery in Teresopolis, near Rio de Janiero.

Brazilians are bracing for more rain, fearing more landslides after waves of muddy water swallowed towns in the country’s worst flood disaster on record.

At least 655 deaths were reported in a mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro state, northeast of the city of Rio.

Written by Kevin Purdy

Good things, and better prices, come to those who wait. Buy your furniture now, laptops in April, appliances in September, and make other better-timed purchases with our buying guide, and you’ll save a few bucks with off-season, inventory-moving prices.

We first did a Best Times to Buy chart in January 2010. Soon after that, we offered (almost) monthly updates and explications of what was on sale, and why. Our commenters, being the awesome people they are, continued offering more tips as we went along, and knocked down a few of our ideas. So we’ve fixed up our big chart, fine-tuned the individual months’ listings, and present for you here our Best Times to Buy Anything in 2011.

Click the image for a larger view.

Now, onto the what and why of each month. Much of this information is drawn from these sources, along with tips and validations from our commenters. We also leaned a little bit from Mark Di Vincenzo’s handy book, Buy Ketchup in May and Fly at Noon: A Guide to the Best Time to Buy This, Do That, and Go There.

First Quarter (Jan/Feb/March)

• Gas grills & air conditioners: They’re obviously off-season, but it’s not like “next year’s model” will be remarkably better or different.

January

• Bicycles & Sporting Goods: Not only is it prime off-season pricing, you’ve got the attention of salespeople who think they’re talking to someone who’s for real about their exercise.
• Furniture: It’s both a lull and a changeover for the showrooms, so find that dining room set and haggle.
• Digital frames: Hey, where’d all last month’s buyers go? Pick up the leftover stock on the cheap.
• Carpeting: Most people are focused on holidays, not renovations, and it’s before the big tax rebate buying season, according to Carpet SuperSite.

February

• Tools: The kinds with batteries and cords and lots of warnings, because their makers put on a big push.
• Chocolate (after Feb. 14): Because, well, you know.
• Digital cameras: The newest models are out, fresh from the trade shows, so anything left over goes cheap.

March

• Luggage: Halfway between buying seasons, stores eager to move.
• Frozen foods: Goofy, but it’s “National Frozen Food Month.” And you can buy and freeze.
• Winter coats & sports gear: Winter fun season is coming to an end. Where to find end-of-season goods? Try commenters’ suggestions.
• Boats: It’s the end of boat show season; you’ve got the upper hand.

Second Quarter (April/May/June)

• Televisions: Japanese manufacturers’ fiscal years end in March, so old inventory must go to make the cut.
• House (for availability):It’s a tricky thing, house buying, but if you do it early enough to see how the house survived winter, but not at the height of warm-weather open house season, a good deal can be found.
• Boots & winter wear: Nobody’s buying, except your think-ahead self.

April

• Cruises: Cruise lines are moving ships around the world this month; Book and travel short-notice this month; they’ll be happy to have passengers. (via BKIM).
• Car accessories & parts: Prime car-fixin’ season is coming up, so old inventory must go. Commenters point out best spots for online car parts.
• Laptops: Might be inventory, or some other reason, but laptops go cheap this time of year.
• Fabric: Craft stores are shifting from heavier winter fabrics to lighter spring stuff.
• Cookware: Graduations are around the corner, so get in on that going-away gift sale (and consider buying stainless).
• Vacuum cleaners: The new models arrive in June, so this here is clean-out time.
• Sneakers: Spring has sprung, charity races are plenty, and sneaker makers are targeting less serious runners.

May

• Patio furniture: New stuff hits the floor, old stuff needs to go. Also check your local garage sales.
• Party supplies: Whether or not you’re hosting a graduation party or early-spring picnic, stock up now for later.
• Cookware: Graduations, weddings, and cheaper goods at both the high and low price points.
• Vacuum cleaners: Just like last month, clearing out old models before June roll-outs.

June

• Gym memberships: Nobody’s making resolutions, and it’s nice weather out. Get your haggle on.
• Tools (June 1-20): Father’s Day sales don’t require birth certificate proof, now, do they?
• Suits (June 1-20): Same as with tools: fathers need suits, but so might you, asJCMasterpiece tells it.
• Dishware: Like May, June is a wedding month, so dishes are cheaper, whether or not you’re registered.
• Off-season sports gear: If you support a team, now might be the time to show it, as college and pro gear for most sports is off-season.

Third Quarter (July/Aug/Sept)

• Big appliances:Showrooms are moving out last year’s models, making room for new stuff, and all the scratch-and-dent pieces that are totally operational are offered at deep discounts.

July

• “Older” computers: As in not just arriving. Intel and AMD and system makers start ramping up for new stuff now, discounting old stuff.
• Furniture: Stores make an inventory push, so if you like something, make an offer.
• Broadway tickets: It’s off-season for NYC tourism, so now’s the time to snag those half-off tickets. StubSearch.com’s CEO agrees.
• Grills (after July 4th): Wait for it, wait for it … now, grab that grill, while stores shift toward back-to-school and yard gear.

August

• Older computers: Same as July; newer stuff is on its way.
• Laptops: Big-box stores and direct retailers want everyone going back to school to tote a laptop.
• Outdoor toys & camping equipment: They take up lot of space, so as the season ends, stores want rid of them—at 65% off, even.
• Kids’ clothing: Don’t have kids? Buy gifts, or surprise a nephew/niece, maybe.
• Wine: Small-run, eclectic wines can be found early in the harvest, often cheaper.
• Linens & storage containers: For the college crowd, but we all occasionally need to tuck stuff away and cover a bed. Macy’s, for example, has deep sales.

September

• Cars: It’s the sweet spot between two years’ inventory. Watch a car you like on the lot, come in later to make an offer.
• Wines: As with August, but September is more of the traditional wine-buying season.
• Laptops: More back-to-school discounts.
• Holiday airfare: You’re about eight weeks out from Thanksgiving, so it’s a good time to buy those air tickets.
• Grills & lawn mowers: Stores are moving ’em on out and making room for colder-weather gear.

Fourth Quarter (Oct/Nov/Dec)

• Shrubs, bushes, bulbs, etc.: If you have a cellar or other area to store plants over the winter, you can jump in now and get these items, plus ever-plant-able bulbs, very cheaply.

October

• Jeans: Whatever jeans they couldn’t sell for back-to-school, it’s yours now, just cheaper.
• Cookware: Is October too early for holiday deals? Is cookware a gift? Manufacturers and retailers offer a resounding “yes.”
• Health insurance: You may not really have another time to buy it, if you’re employed full time. During open enrollment, look around and see what’s new in the offerings.
• Toys and games: Sales are often offered to kick-start the holiday season, but maybe you, too, enjoy a good video game or board game.

November

• Candy: Post-Halloween glut.
• Aluminum foil & plastic wrap: Weird, but true.
• Cookware: Early holiday sales make it just a bit cheaper.
• Wedding dresses (starting Nov. 15): As with next month, it’s a slow season, and just before cutesy Christmas engagements.
• HDTV & home theater gear: From now until after the Super Bowl, the gear is new and the prices are relatively good.

December

• Wedding dresses (and other wedding gear): Few are buying, but many to-be-marrieds are arriving after Christmas engagements. Move the price around to your liking. Commenter Chispea agrees.
• Tools: Winter home repairs are less appealing, but just as viable in most cases—and the tools are cheaper.
• Champagne and sparkling wine: Believe it or not, this is both the time it’s prevalent, and the time to buy it.
• HDTVs and home theater equipment: The deals are a bit better in January, but now is a good time to look before the big push in spring.
• Off-color cars: Fancy a purple, orange, gold, or other off-color ride? You can probably get it for a steal right now as a year-end write-off for the dealership.

What deals did we miss? Which off-season discounts have you been the most pleased to encounter? Share your savvy bits of buyer power in the comments.

Written by Ian Thackston

January 2011 is an awfully exciting month for Verizon Wireless employees and customers. At CES 2011, the company announced several 4G LTE phones including the Motorola Droid Bionic and the HTC Thunderbolt. Just a few days after the largest tech week of the year, Verizon Wireless announced details about the Apple iPhone 4. With many great choices, selecting the phone that works best for you can get awfully overwhelming. Fortunately, we’re back with yet another infographic with an in-depth look at three of our favorite upcoming Verizon Wireless smart phones.

We hope that this will help you find the device that best fits your daily needs. If you have any questions, feel free to ask below and we will try to answer them the best we can. If you like this, feel free to share this with friends and family. We even have a convenient share box off to the right. If you found an error or have suggestions for improvements, feel free to let us know.

Written by Ben Patterson

Can’t work your iPhone with your winter gloves on? Got a scratched DVD that’s skipping? Or how about a work PC that signs you out the moment you step away from your desk? The MacGyver-approved answer may be hiding in your junk drawer.

In this week’s episode of Upgrade Your Life, Yahoo! News’s Becky Worley delivers some simple, everyday solutions for what might appear to be daunting high-tech problems, starting with:

1. Touchscreen phones that won’t work when you have gloves on

The capacitive touch displays on the latest and greatest Android and iOS handsets are tops when it comes to tapping out messages with a light touch. Winter gloves, however, will block the electrical charge from your fingertips that capacitive screens use to register a tap — bad news if you’re trying to answer a call in a blizzard.

Becky’s solution: Cut a tiny slit in your wool gloves (assuming you don’t mind slicing up your winter wear) to allow a finger to pop out whenever you need to start tapping.

Don’t want to cut holes in your gloves? Try the Pogo Stylus, a pencil-sized metallic stick with a specially made tip that works with capacitive displays.

Related:

Pogo Stylus

2. Dirty cell phone cases

That case you bought for your smartphone looked pretty spiffy when you first slipped it on. After a few months, though, you’ll be in for a rude shock when you take the case off and look inside. Where did all that gunk come from? On second thought, don’t tell us.

Becky’s solution: If it’s a one-piece silicone case, just toss it in the dishwasher — done. Beware, though: Plastic cases with multiple, glued-on parts will come apart if you give them the dishwasher treatment.

3. Wet gadgets

News flash: Gadgets and water rarely mix. If you do manage to leave your cell phone, camera, or other battery-powered gear out in the rain — or worse, drop them in a toilet — the prognosis is usually pretty grim.

Becky’s solution: Before you give up hope, try dropping your soaked gear into a Tupperware container full of rice to draw out the moisture. (Check out more details on this method from Popular Mechanics.) Or, as a general preventative measure to keep moisture away, save some silica gel packs (you know, the ones you’ll find in boxes of new shoes or beef-jerky packages) and stuff them in your cell phone or camera case.

Related:

How to Save Your Wet Cellphone: Tech Clinic [Popular Mechanics]

8 Clever Uses for Silica Gel [Popular Mechanics]

4. Scratched DVDs and CDs

There’s nothing quite as annoying as a skipping music CD or a DVD that randomly jumps seconds or minutes ahead, without warning. In some cases, you might be dealing with a dirty laser in your CD or DVD deck; more often, however, the culprit is a scratched disc.

The good news is that it is possible to repair scratches in the polycarbonate plastic coating that protects the underlying layer of data on a DVD or CD, as long as the scratch isn’t too deep.

Becky’s solution: Polish the scratches with a little furniture cleaner, perhaps with a follow-up dose of car polish. Just be sure to start from the center of the disc and rub outward, in a straight line; whatever you do, don’t rub in circles.

Related:

How to Recover Scratched DVDs [eHow]

5. Work PCs that sign you out too quickly

Code-clearance NSA operatives performing top-secret data entry at secure terminals should probably skip this tip. For the rest of us, however, here’s an easy way to keep your paranoid PC from signing you out the moment you turn away from the screen.

Becky’s solution: Take off your watch (assuming you still have a watch, of course) and lay your mouse on top of its face; the ticking hands will fool the optics in your mouse into thinking it’s still in motion.

6. Not enough D batteries for your flashlight

The power’s out, and you’ve got your flashlight — minus one more D battery. D’oh!

Becky’s solution: If you’ve got a spare C battery floating around in your junk drawer, you’re in luck; just drop it into the D-cell slot and fill the remaining space with a stack of quarters. Sounds crazy, but Becky promises it’ll work. (Just make sure to pick up some more D batteries the next time you’re in the hardware store.)

Related:

Quick hack: The $1 C-to-D adapter [Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories]

Bonus: Before you put pics on Facebook, check the background

Bonus: Seems like I found a real pirate!