The title might be a bit of an overstatement but I am mightily impressed by the guys from Altaeros from Massachusetts. For the windsurfers and kitesurfers amongst us we all know what a boost you get from flying your sail that much higher in the air. And the way Altaeros has delivered this is nothing short of amazing. What a beautiful and innovative way of delivering renewable energy. I am sure that a lot of wider impact assessments still have to be done before we can hail it as a perfect step forward but the signs are good.

Everybody in the world can be divided between stationery lovers and mere stationery users. I am guessing that the separation would fall quite closely along gender lines.

You may have noticed a theme in my recent reading: productivity, happiness, organisation… This Dymo label maker fits into all these categories. A couple of the productivity authors suggested it and I gave in (yes it was a hard sell) and have barely put it down since. Pretty good for £16.

Then Sher explains different types of Scanners such as the Double Agent, the Sybil and the High-Speed Indecisive. Of course being so intelligent and multi-talented, it’s unlikely that any one Scanner will fit neatly into one of the Scanner categories.

Though Sher’s approach to Scanners implies that they are in the minority, I think that many people are Scanners. This is a wonderful book, providing new insights, a sense of purpose and of liberation.

In fact, the book’s authors, Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez, call making a living ‘making a dying’. Yes that is a bit dramatic, but it is amazing how many hours can get eaten up during the working week without providing as much satisfaction as leisure time does.

The big plan is to maximise income and minimise spending, creating savings which will one day support a financially-independent you on interest alone. Sounds like the domain of trustafarians? After you read the book you will be convinced that it is possible. I’m waiting for another book to arrive, Getting a Life: Real Lives Transformed by Your Money or Your Life, with more stories of people who have achieved financial independence with financial integrity.

One tool I enjoyed in Your Money or Your Life is calculating the real amount you earn per hour by taking what you earn and then factoring in things like commuting, clothes needed for work only, unwinding time (which you wouldn’t need if you didn’t work) and even holidays / vacations. Then you can calculate any purchases in terms of the ‘hours of life energy’ it takes to pay for them.

While the authors are definitely environmentalists and support frugal living, they often repeat ‘no shame, no blame’ to leave the door open to people who prefer higher levels of consumption.

It’s worth reading this book even if you don’t follow it to the letter…like having a cash flow category for money lost in vending machines, and one for coins found on the ground. Having a new perspective on work, and how to not work, is always welcome.

Berries are wonderful and delicious and so are pies. Raspberry pie as the combination of the two is no exception to that but this new product called Raspberry Pi is unbelievable, inspiring and simply awesome. Forget the $100 computer which did not quite make it despite computer industry heavy weights being involved. This ‘naked’ computer costs only $25-35 and does it all. I love these guys. Shame though they could not spell pie.

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