Your Life-at-a-Glance Longterm Goal Planner

At a company where I used to work, the owner furnished the staff with business cards. On the back of each of those cards, he had printed a grid that could be used for sketching ideas. I liked the practical spirit of those cards so much that, later, I decided to use some type of grid for my own APS business cards. I originally wanted a coordinate system, but settled on something that most people don’t have…a long range date-keeper. What I needed was a truly perpetual calendar, a Life-at-a-Glance™, if you will. With this design, the grid can also be used for sketching. Yet, the versatility of a long term planner, one that goes beyond the convenience of a weekly or monthly planner, comes in handy every now and then. (By the way, notice how I use the TM and © symbols liberally? That’s all you have to do with any visual expression, to indicate that you intend to keep it protected. It’s free. So, why not use it?)

Okay, here it is, your Life-at-a-Glance™ (the back of my business card). Use it as an important date planner, or tracker. The first letter of each month is printed down the sides of the grid, and the days of a month are printed across the top and bottom. When you use it left-to-right, you see the whole year. Each little dot inside the grid falls on the same day of the week for that year (Thursdays for 2007).

Also, if you use the calendar vertically down, it reads an entire year per column. In this case, the numbers printed across refer to the last digit of the year (2001, 2002…2011, 2012…2030, and 2031).

Incidentally, any given date (like Septemeber 1st) falls on the next day of the week, each following year. Just add two days [after the February] for any leap year.

Anyway, this is just something I can share. Use it however you like, but use it wisely. It prints nicely on bigger sheets of paper. I’d suggest pasting it to the top of a landscape letter-size sheet, and adding your own customized legend. It’s well suited for a legal-size sheet. And, I’m sure poster-size would look pretty cool, too. Don't forget to click on it, for a larger image.

Use Your Digital Camera as a Desktop Scanner

The MikeSpike™ lets you mount your camera to any microphone stand. It works better than a tripod. When you use the MikeSpike together with a mike stand, it allows you to do things that you just can’t do with a regular tripod. The MikeSpike allows your camera to extend directly over the subject. In fact, with the MikeSpike, you can use your digital camera as a portable scanner. This is perfect when you’re on the go, and you need to make good color copies of important documents. You can also take high-quality pictures of maps, store them in memory, and leave your road atlas at home. Or, use the MikeSpike in special situations on a full-sized boom stand, for unprecedented photography. With the MikeSpike, you’ll never need a tripod again.

The MikeSpike works great for photos and video. Its durable lightweight construction, unique design, and comfortable feel makes photography fun. With the MikeSpike alone, you can take your camera to the beach, and just stick it in the sand. Now, YOU can be part of the memorable shots. Bring it on a camping trip, to the park, or anywhere else you would normally take pictures of friends and family. The ergonomic grip even lets you take better shots by hand. You’ll like the MikeSpike so much, you may never take it off your favorite camera.

To get your own MikeSpike, call (916) 283-IDEA, or send $10 to:

The Affordable Patent Service
Box 551
Fair Oaks, CA 95628

$10 includes shipping and tax.
For check or money order, add $2.95 for processing.

[US Patent Pending]