Check Out the Best From This Week's Open Thread

This is the part of the week where I share the website I've been working on Is there any way to broadcast like tv channels do, within your home, to your tv? Moto X or G2? I was curious about using .psd files as frameworks and then converting those into functioning websites. So I bought a chromecast, got it all setup and such. I played a few videos through the web browser but is that it? Am I missing something earthshaking about this thing? I know this is a heated topic, but I recently adopted a female dog (est. 2 years old) & I'm debating having her spayed. Does anyone know how to see all the tags on an article? I just cannot figure it out. I need to organize about 5K songs. Know any good programs to cut this time at least in half. I've lived in this house which we built for 3.25 years. It has hard-wired smoke alarms that also have 9-volt batteries. My mild rant is the need for batteries AT ALL in these devices.

NiftySplit Creates a Dedicated, Single Tab Chrome Window

Chrome: When you're dealing with a lot of tabs, it can be tough to stay focused on just one. NiftySplit is a unique Chrome extension with a clever idea to keep you in line. Once you install the extension, you'll see a NiftySplit option in your right click menu whenever you click a link. Once you open that link in a NiftySplit window, Chrome will automatically fill your screen with two browser windows, each taking up half of your real estate. The one on the right is your NiftySplit window, and the one on the left is your main window. Clicking any link in the lefthand browser will open it in the NiftySplit window's single usable tab. The concept is a little confusing to grasp at first, but I really like it. On certain pages, I'll often find myself opening multiple links in new tabs, only to never actually get around to reading them. With this extension, I can use one window to find content, and the second one to consume it distraction-free. You can still open links in separate tabs by right clicking, but this extension adds just enough friction that it can help you stay focused.

Keep Kids Entertained in the Back Seat with a Shoe Organizer

If you're heading out for a long road trip, it's important to keep the kids mollified in the backseat, and an over the door shoe organizer is perfect for holding toys, games, and snacks. Admittedly, car entertainment these days can be boiled down to handing your kid an iPad, but this trick is still great for snacks, DVDs, and any other odds and ends that backseat passengers might need. All you have to do is hang it over the back of a front seat, fill it with goodies, and enjoy a few hours of silence. For some more clever uses for these organizers, click through the source link.

Download this Snowball Debt Calculator and Plan to Get Out of Debt

If you're struggling with paying down credit cards or loans, the "Snowball Method" gives you a way to pay down each debt, then roll what you would have paid into payments for next account once each is paid off. It's a fast and predictable way to get out of debt, and this downloadable calculator makes it easy. The calculator comes in in the form of a downloadable Microsoft Excel template that you can add to Excel 2003 or later. Once you've opened it up, enter each of your credit cards, loans, or other debts into each row, along with their outstanding balances, interest rates, and how much you can afford to put to each debt every month (at least the minimum payment). Then select whether you want to pay the highest interest first or the highest balance first, and the calculator will tell you how much to put where. You'll even get a graph that shows you how long it'll take to get out of debt completely. The best thing about the snowball method is that you can tweak it to fit the way you want to pay down your debts. If you prefer the mathematically sound method and pay in order of interest (this is the method most people prefer, because you wind up paying less in interest over time) or you prefer the psychologically sound and pay in order of balance (you wind up paying more over time, but some people report feeling more accomplished and motivated this way), the spreadsheet works either way. It'll also show you how much extra you'll save (or pay) depending on the method you choose. Hit the link below to download it.

Re-Train Your Brain to Overcome "Microwave Mentality"

If you're looking for results in your business or personal life and feeling frustrated that it's taking too long, perhaps you need to drop the microwave mentality. Remember: anything that's worth something takes time. I recall one day standing by my microwave and thinking to myself, “Man, this sure is taking a long time!” As soon as those words entered my mind, I realized that I had been conditioned by instant-gratification ideology. I was no longer patient. I wanted instant results—results so quickly that I considered the microwave as taking too much time. This was an eye-opener for me. To be honest with ourselves, how many times have we wanted to be the exception to every rule? I want to lose weight, but I don’t want to stop eating dessert, candy bars, and fried foods. I want to lose weight, but I don’t want to exercise. I want to lose weight, but I want it now without any work put into it. I want to build a business, but I don’t want to start from the foundation. I want a successful business, but I don’t want to spend time and money to make it happen. I want to build a business, but I want it now without any work put into it. So, what can we do to change this mentality? Re-Train Your Brain In today’s society, when everything is running at lightning speed, it's easy for us to pick up this mentality and begin to get frustrated at the time it actually takes to become successful. “Anything worth doing is worth doing right,” is a Hunter S. Thompson quote that my grandmother used to say to me. There's truth in that statement. So how can we train our brains to understand this concept and keep from being frustrated? To begin with, realize that everything needs to be built on a strong, lasting foundation. A house being built is not finished overnight. The builders will begin with a foundation. In order to have anything of lasting value it must be started on a strong footing. The groundwork may take time, yet it's essential for quality to be prevalent. This is true in our lives as well. Break Down Your Goals If you're struggling with goals, whether they be professional or personal, you need to look at the finished product. After seeing the finished product in your mind, begin to break your goal down into segments. Often times, our frustration stems from looking at the big picture and feeling immobilized. If you begin to break down the goal into smaller sections, you will find yourself moving along at a constant rate. You will no longer sense the frustration of not having finished your goal. You will begin to see each step of your accomplishment along the way. Celebrate the smaller victories, as you pace yourself for the remaining work. If you desire to lose 50 pounds, set mini goals along the way and celebrate your constant successes. When we see the forward motion of our performances, we begin to have patience for the results. Write Out Your Goals This is a practice used by the most successful people in the world today. When you write them down, remember to break them into small do-able sections. Each day do at least one thing to push you toward fulfillment of your goal. By incorporating this type of mentality you will begin to experience inner satisfaction from the triumphs you achieve. Jack Canfield, the co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul, writes his goals on index cards and reads them in the morning and evening each day. What a great habit! Before beginning to set a goal, do research on someone who has done this and see the amount of time and effort that it requires. You'll be able to gauge your activities against another person’s success. This will encourage you and keep you motivated toward completion. I realize how simple it is to want instant gratification. We live in a fast-paced world and we desire fast-paced results, but the microwave mentality doesn’t work on anything of value in our lives. We need to realign our thinking. Pursue your goals and dreams with a desire for quality, regardless of the time and effort it takes. Remember, the only thing a microwave is really good for is to heat up leftovers!

Feed your Garden Now for Great Spring Planting Soil

Around here, the harvest season is on and most people are pulling up their gardens, but there's one thing you should do now to prep for next year: Give your soil a little "garden food" so it's full of nutrients when you start planting next year. Grab a plastic bag; all you need are some fallen leaves. Most people finish with their gardens in the late summer and fall and forget about them until next April or May. Our friends over at Old World Garden Farms explain that a little organic material over those plant beds in the fall will do wonders come spring. Plus, some of the best "garden food" in the world is easy to find everywhere, for free, right now: We take leaves and shred them up with our lawnmower – and then spread a 2” layer on top of each raised planting row. You can either dig it into your soil with a pitchfork – or let it decompose on top and turn it under next spring before planting. This latter method also helps to provide your soil with protection from the winter winds and erosion. If you are not blessed with trees on your property – take a drive around and find neighborhoods that are – it usually won’t take long to find them. Many times, the hard work is done for you – with the homeowners already raking leaves to their curb or even bagging them up curbside for pickup. A simple asking of the homeowner can usually net you more than you can handle. They also note that if you compost, a layer on your planting beds in the fall will make sure the soil is rich come spring, and if you're really serious, consider planting a cover crop to loosen the soil, minimize erosion, and keep weeds from growing. The super-serious can do all three of these things, but if you have a small plot in your backyard, some discarded leaves or compost may be more than enough to ensure a great growing season next year.

Chirp Sends Photos and Links Between Devices Using Sound

Android/iOS: Despite modern advancements in file transfer technology, transmitting pictures or links between two devices is still a pain sometimes. Chirp makes it as easy as listening to a two-second sound clip. Chirp allows users to send pictures, notes, and links to each other without having to designate an email address, pair via Bluetooth, or anything else. It simply generates a short audio clip that any device nearby can pick up if it has the app open. While it's not good for secure transfers per se, it's handy if you want to send files to multiple people at once.