Everyone knows how important it is to constantly back up your data. For whatever reasons, people still fail to do so, and when their computers start blowing smoke through their holes, it’s already too late.

Working in the design world, file backup is probably the single most important maintenence rule. You ALWAYS want to keep backups of your files, documents, photos, videos, music, and so forth. If you’re running a Windows machine, you should be taking note with extra care as Windows machines are more prone to viruses (and other infections).

External Hard Drive are extremely cheap these days! There’s no reason why you shouldn’t invest in something that can save you hundreds of hours, depression, and tears. Do the right thing and get into the habit of backing up often. There are tons of solutions available out there that will automate this process for you on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis – your choice.

Side note: If you’re one of those people that has a million different files and folders scattered on your desktop and around the computer, you need to learn a big lesson. Organizing your files will not only make your backup-process much easier, but you will feel less cluttered when everything is easily accessible.

Windows Backup sofware, Click here!
Mac Backup software, Click here!

If these solutions are not suitable for you, a simple Google search (or a Bing.com search) will help you out.

I wake up in a hotel room with my family, somewhere down south, or the west. Had breakfast, spent time with the family, and then I just took off wandering somewhere. Naturally, I find myself all alone. I don’t know where I am, or where to go to ask someone for directions. Then, I was hit with a sudden urge to run. I don’t know why, or where I was supposed to run, but I did, and so I did.

It felt good, as usual, but this time was something special. I wasn’t getting tired, and I felt like I wasn’t running fast enough. The adrenaline was just about ready to explode out of my body if I didn’t do something cater it. I closed my eyes, let out a loud roar to exert the energy, and not a second later my eyes began to tear exuberantly. At first, it didn’t hit me that I was running next to a train going full speed up north. I felt excited, but the fear that was rushing through me trumped it 10 times over.

What seemed like an hour but was really a minute or less, came to an abrubt end when I realized people were expecting me somewhere. A mix of emotions started to pour out of me at a rate that exceeded that of Niagara Falls. I walked back the apparent miles that I ran, slowly, sometimes taking a quick run to verify that what just happened was real. I wasn’t sure. Confused of what was happening. I made it to that somewhere, said nothing of what happened and stayed silent for what was left of the day, trying my best to suppress that Niagara Falls. Continue reading for more….

In a little under 20 hours from the time this post was published, your chance to get your hands on this amazing app bundle will be up. First thing’s first, click the link below to view the MacHeist page with ALL the information.

View the MacHeist Bundle information, and buy it!

Yes, I have purchased this myself and strongly believe that it’s steal, not the mention that 25% of every sale’s proceeds goes to a charity of your choice. Whether you’re a designer, blogger, an online show host, or an advocate of all things cool, in this package you will find something that greatly impresses you.

For $39, it’s probably the best investment I have ever made! Well, what are you waiting for? Check it out already!

A little over a week ago, I got my hands on one of those Iron Gyms. This thing has literally been all over TV media for the longest time, and a couple of my friends have already tried it – and love it! I figured it was about time I tried a cheap solution to get back in shape since getting a gym membership is not an option. So far so good.

The Iron Gym can help you with pullups (duh), pushups, dips, situps, and however else you can get creative (I claim no responsibility for giving you any ideas!). Every time I walk in and out of my room, or just walk by, I do a few pullups and maybe some leg raises to help out the extra belly junk. It’s a pretty good visual queue that gets increases your overall activity around the house.

Right now, it’s too early to see results, but I definitely feel the progress. I’ve been eating a lot healthier, paying attention to what and when I eat. Also, drinking a lot more water and avoiding random meals and midnight snacks has been a top priority.

Eat out has been something I’ve been doing way too much. At times, it’s inevitable because of my day-to-day schedule, but I’ve been learning to manage pretty well. I can see a little smile coming from the corner of my wallet, and it’s getting bigger. Now I just have to keep this up for a good month, and it’s all smooth sailing from there. Wish me luck!

Throughout the past few months, Netbooks have been on the rise. There are more companies manufacturing Netbooks than one could have imagined a year ago from today. Acer, Asus, HP, MSI and Dell are all contributing to the game, each releasing various configurations of their machines. I own a 15.4″ MacBook Pro that can outperform these machines combined, yet I still find myself craving for one.

What is it that makes Netbooks so attractive?

1. Price. With the current economic state, people are afraid to spend money. They are not as lenient with their wallets as they may have been before the “crisis,” so, machines that easily run below $300 are quickly considered.
2. Portability. It’s a great feeling to be able to carry stuff with you wherever you go, especially when it’s something as useful as a computer. It’s light, looks good, and does the job. Screen real-estate may not be there, but people don’t seem to mind giving it up for on-the-go productivity (which is another issue on its own). Most of the time, we only need our computers to perform basic (but important) functions, and Netbooks often do a great job at it.

Read the rest after the jump…

Times are tough. Just last month alone, over 650,000 jobs vanished into nothingness. Right now, more people are thinking about going back to college than ever before. Granted, not everyone can afford doing so, but gaining a competitive edge in one form or another is important. Several months ago, I wrote an article called “Top 5 Reasons to Finish College” and it has recently been getting a lot of attention. Here are some of the things you should be keeping in mind:

1. Competitive Edge: If you lost your job and you can afford another degree, do it. Gaining the extra qualifications will give you the edge over most people with single/standard degrees. If a degree program is not an option, consider going for certifications in your field. Being a versatile job candidate will help you stand out from the bunch. Why hire multiple talents if one can do it all?
2. Career path change: It’s a known fact that most college graduates are not happy with their jobs. This could serve as a great opportunity to go back to college if you’re looking for a change. It is probably a good idea to figure out what you want to go for as soon as possible. There’s no way to say when the world’s situation will be on the rise again, but stay prepared. Continue for the rest…

Hello there Neeks, this is the first of what could be a new tradition for SOMM, a CrossOver Debate. When Lasha asked me to write a column about “why the iphone sucks as a business machine” due to my devotion of the greatest little business machine in the Blackberry, I gladly accepted the challenge. For those that don’t know me, my name is Frank and I am the Chief Creative Director/Editorial Director of Sliceofmymind.com. Lasha is a great friend of mine and my “to go guy” for anything Apple and I’m his techie for anything Windows related. With the formalities behind us, let’s get straight to the topic at hand.

You can call me a tech savvy person or geek for short given that I can’t keep away from anything technological, but when Apple first announced the iPhone I wasn’t floored like the majority of geeks. I’ve always been a lover of Research in Motion’s (RIM) Blackberry and the iPhone wasn’t going to create any voids in that relationship. I knew the iPhone was going to be killer device, but when I heard some of my friends calling the iPhone a BB killer, I quickly shouted foul. The BlackBerry as a business device is leagues ahead of the iPhone. There are many reasons why the iPhone can’t tackle the Blackberry as a business phone, but I’m going to give you my top five reasons….

This month has been pretty great so far – filled with tons of things happening!

Something I haven’t talked about is my new internship. Back in December, I started working with GiftGenius.com, a rapidly growing online gift guide for all occasions, recipients, and more. Now, you may be thinking that an internship generally doesn’t require much, but it’s quite the opposite with this one. My job is to directly work with the Art Director, developing new designs, ideas, feature and interface enhancements, and so forth. So far, it has been an amazing experience, and we are currently in the process of revamping the entire website!

About 2 weeks ago, I started uploading some videos to my Vimeo account (finally!). There isn’t much there at the moment, but I’ve got  a lot of ideas planned out for videos. The design show that I promised a couple of posts ago is still in progress and steadily coming along. Technical limitations are slowly becoming less of a problem, so that’s definitely good news! Stay tuned for more on that!

Yesterday, I replaced my MacBook Pro’s battery since it wouldn’t hold a proper charge. Several days ago, I started reading my new Javascript and PHP & MySQL books. A part of my 2009 resolution list is to become a better developer, and more well-rounded.

One thing I haven’t been doing as much as I’d like to, is design. It is such a huge part of my life, and the level of passion I have for it is huge! I just have to toughen up, prioritize what needs to be done, and insist on doing them as soon as possible. Quick Tip: Keep your work environment clean. Have as much open space and light as possible. It helps.

I didn’t forget about the One Fused Life resdesign preview. Expect that very soon!

Here’s a household item that could possibly change your life forever. Are you lazy to leave your house? Well, if you answered yes to that, this is the perfect (or not) product for you.

Once you manage to get this “treadmill” into your living room, consider yourself free of any whiney voices telling you to get off your behind and exercise a little. At a hefty $5,000, I doubt many people will be able to take advantage of it. For that price, you can get a (lifetime) memebership at a gym, plus a heck of a lot more fun than a table with a low-powered treadmill attatched to it. I’m a fan of Steelcase’s products but this is just…silly. What do you think?

First off, I would like to wish everyone an excellent New Year! 2008 was filled with many changes and transitions in my life. By the looks of it, 2009 will be no different. There will be many things going on throughout the year, beginning with this month. Here’s a short list of what’s to come:

• One Fused Life Redesign: This blog has been around for nearly a year. It went from 0 to an average of 4,000 unique hits a month, thanks to the few Photoshop tutorials that I posted. After 2 months of planning, I believe I have the perfect recipe for a successful redesign, along with a re-focused direction for the blog. I will post a preview of the design, soon.
• Online Video Show: I have been juggling this idea for the longest while, and now is the time to make it happen. This show will mostly be about Design, Technology, and the Internet. There is always so much happening with all these subjects, and I will do my best to bring you the best of it all. I hope to make the show as insightful and useful as possible.
• Green Tips and News: If you look at the “Green & Environment” category archives, you will find that I have posted quite a few articles related to being green, environmentally efficient, and so forth. This month and so on, I plan to write a series of “going green” articles, as well as reports on the latest environmental happenings. In today’s world, being efficient is not only good for the Earth, but for your pocket as well.

I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to all of my viewers that have supported me. This coming year is going to be filled with many new experiences, and I would love to share it all with you. Thank you!