What Are Your Personal Settings?

(Image courtesy of Mal)

It should come as no surprise to anyone that technology has moved in, and it’s here to stay. For most of us, we can’t make it through a single day without coming into contact with some tech gadget or another - many of us carry around at least two or three at a time!

Regardless of how careful we are with our own devices, whenever we share borrow a cell phone to make a call, or a laptop to take a glance at our Facebook wall, we’re bound to notice how other people treat their devices. One blogger from apartmenttherapy.com took a moment to reflect on the kinds of behaviors that irritate him the most when it comes to electronice devices. Read on to see what he has to say:

My very first computer was a desktop my family and I shared. It was a Dell from the era of the Dell Dude, complete with a 25 pound monitor and a loud and hot tower which held the keys to Minesweeper and the world wide web. It was also my first and my last shared computer, because as a tech lover, I picked up a few tech pet peeves.

It may seem strange, but we all have unique habits when it comes to how we consume technology. For instance, there's nothing I hate finding on a computer more than:

• A messy desktop with no filing system in place at all
• Illogical file naming — especially when it comes to hard to find files
• Leaving millions of tabs open on the browser
• Loud notifications from email or chat clients
• A gross keyboard covered in dirt or dust

Do you have a list of pet peeves when it comes to technology? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Shut Down For Some Shut Eye

(Image courtesy of Johan Larsson)

We know you’re all busy. With an endless list of things to do and places to be, technology like cell phones and iPads keep us connected to everyone at all times. During the day being connected can make our work and social engagements easier, but at night it can mean the difference between a goodnight’s sleep and no sleep at all.

Instead of sacrificing your sleep, why not separate yourself from your cell phone? One blogger did just that - at night she began putting her phone away in order to get the optimal level of sleep. In this blog from apartmenttherapy.com she takes a look back at the last four months to document how her routine has changed. Keep reading to find out what she discovered:

About four weeks ago, I declared that I was going to stop keeping my iPhone at my side overnight. I'm happy to stay that I've stuck with the plan, and the results have been positive across the board.

First, thanks to everyone who expressed support for the idea. Telling you about the plan and knowing I wanted to report back were key in getting me to stick to it.

These days, my lonely little phone spends nights on the TV room coffee table, or on a particular window sill in a well trafficked hallway of my house. On the few nights where I've gone on autopilot and brought the phone into my bedroom, I've tucked it into the top drawer of my dresser so I won't be tempted to waste time looking at social media feeds before sleeping or when I first wake up. I've used my laptop from bed at night once or twice more than I would have before, but never for as long as I'd use my phone (which I'd attribute to the device's size).

While I expected to notice the change the most at night, the morning has been the biggest improvement. Using a dedicated alarm clock has actually helped me get up earlier. I'm hitting snooze less often; the alarm has only one, pretty annoying sound. But really, it's the peacefulness of letting my mind ease into wakefulness, rather than checking to see who's shared an interesting photo of flowers or dogs, that makes me happiest about reshaping my habits.
What do you think? Would you be able to unglue the phone from your hand to help your sleep schedule? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Spring Recipes For Your Lunchbox

(Image courtesy of Plat)

With fall and winter comes hearty soup and warm meals, but now that the weather is getting warmer, it’s time to lighten up our menus a little bit. Steaming bowls of soup can be replaced with light salads and pasta dishes, and we couldn’t be more ready!

Fresh and bright flavors are what we’re looking for this Spring, and we think we’ve got just the thing to get your mouths watering! We love these simple and tasty recipes (courtesy of renters.apartments.com) that will help you to put a little bit of Spring into your lunchbox. Keep reading to learn more:

1. Strawberry Salad

You may be hard pressed to find juicy and ripe strawberries but if you visit a couple of stores you will find them (check Italian or Mexican markets)

What you need:

• Spinach leaves
• Box of strawberries – cut into quarters
• Red onion (diced or sliced)
• Goat cheese
• Orange
• Olive Oil
• Salt, pepper & herbes de Provence (or oregano)

Dice and mix the spinach with the berries, cheese and red onion.

To make the dressing squeeze the juice of ½ - 1 orange (depending on the size of the salad) into a mixing bowl. Add salt, pepper & spices. Slowly pour olive oil in while vigorously stirring to thicken.

Toss & serve!

2. Springy Pasta

What you need:

• Penne noodles
• Asparagus
• Sugar snap peas (trimmed)
• Cherry tomatoes
• Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper
• Dijon mustard
• Parmesan

Boil salted water and throw in the asparagus. Two minutes later add the sugar snap peas. Two minutes later again and drain and place into serving bowl.

Boil/cook penne for 8-10 minutes or until al dente. Drain and add to serving bowl with the veggies.

In a separate bowl pour in desired amount of balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper and a spoonful of Dijon mustard. Slowly pour olive oil in while stirring vigorously to emulsify.

Pour sauce over pasta, add the cherry tomatoes and Parmesan and enjoy!

3. Lemony Yogurt Cake

When it comes to baking, there’s no messing around so take this one from the masters at Southern Living for a delicious and oh-so-springy solution for your sweet tooth!

Do you have a favorite spring recipe? If so, share it with us!

Decorate Your Way To Success

(Image courtesy of jnyemb)

Depending on your career, you may need a space in your apartment where you can commit to doing work - a quiet space where there are no distractions what you can keep all your important documents. Though you may not always have a whole room to set aside, there are a number of ways to create a workspace that will fit your apartment and your needs.

Though at face value it may not seem important, how your decorate and organize this space will be integral in how well you are able to concentrate. Use these five tips from apartmenttherapy.com to make sure your home office is comfortable and inviting.

1. Ignoring the walls... and the floor. The difference between a cubicle and a warm, inviting home office is all about what's on the walls. A fresh coat of bright paint and a few inspiring prints hung in frames on the walls can make all the difference. And don't skimp on the floors; consider bringing in a coordinating rug to warm things up.

2. Leaving cables undressed. We'll defer to the simple words of the fourth rule of Tech Club: Do not show your wires and cables. Keep cords hidden as much as possible, at all times. If you don't tackle the cable spaghetti behind the desk when you first set up your home office, be honest... you'll never get around to it.

3. Buying a good-looking but uncomfortable office chair. Life's too short to sit in an uncomfortable chair. If you're going to be spending signifigant time in your home office, choose function over form every time. There's 6 things you should look for in a perfect office chair: Adjustable height, a reclining seat back, armrests, a deep seat depth, proper wheels and adjustable lumbar support.

4. Not really thinking about lighting. Overhead flourescents? Good enough, right? Wrong. Spend some time thinking about the light in your office. Complement overhead lighting with a bright task lamp on the desk. And think twice about your lighting and window placement in relation to your monitor to avoid annoying glare. Giving your office lighting plan a second thought will save you from (sometimes literal) headaches down the road.

5. Choosing furniture and features without storage. Sure, that Parsons-desk-and-floating-shelves combo from the showroom looks great, but without cabinet doors and drawers to hide away your paperwork and gear, you'll be left with a mess on your hands. Plan on having at least one or two pieces with lots of hidden storage space.

High Tech Healthcare in Marin County

We all know that the Bay Area is one of the hottest spots in the country for technology and innovation. So it only makes sense that our healthcare moves forward accordingly.

Here at 33 North, we’re especially proud that our residents by and large live healthy, active lifestyles. If it’s been a while since you’ve been to a hospital, it may surprise you to know how advanced our area’s healthcare institutions really are.

Marin General Hospital is one of the premier community hospitals in our region, and they’ve been increasingly recognized for their clinical services in recent years—including recognition for chest pain, breast cancer, and other specialties.

Now, the hospital is branching out into robotics—specifically, a robot assisted surgery that uses a single incision and greatly reduces recovery time for the patient:

"It was so amazingly brief in terms of the stay in the hospital, a few hours," said one patient. "And basically the next day I was up and about. It goes through a small incision in your navel so there is virtually no visible scar. I'm feeling fantastic."

The da Vinci Si, the robotic surgical system, used to perform the operation is the latest model produced by Sunnyvale-based Intuitive Surgical Inc. Marin General purchased its first da Vinci robot in 2007 for $1.8 million. Last year, it upgraded to the new model, which cost slightly less: about $1.5 million. Among other advantages, the new machine makes it possible to do surgeries through a single incision at the navel.

Click here to read the full Marin Independent Journal article.

Visit Ring Mountain for an Early Spring Getaway

With the weather these days getting ever-so-slightly warmer, you might be thinking about an early getaway this spring. And with so many great attractions—nature in particular—in and around Marin County, your options can often seem overwhelming.

Out near Tiburon is one particularly beautiful locale ripe for a weekend trip: Ring Mountain Open Space Preserve.

Known for its stunning wildflowers and its panoramic views of San Francisco and the Bay Area, the early spring is perhaps the best time of year to visit Ring Mountain.

Pamela over at MarinMommies.com blogged about her family’s trip to Ring Mountain earlier this month—she provided some really helpful information and some really fun facts about this great local attraction:

This preserve on a hill above Tiburon and east Corte Madera was saved from development back in the 1990s, and is home to a number of rare plants like the Tiburon Mariposa Lilly, which is found nowhere else in the world. Large boulders and rocks are scattered throughout the hillside, giving it an otherworldly appearance. You'll even find remnants of Native American settlements here in the way of petroglyphs and a grinding rock.

Numerous trails criss-cross the 367-acre Ring Mountain Preserve. The Phyllis Ellman trail leads from Paradise Drive up to the top of the mountain; you can return to the Paradise Drive trailhead via the loop trail. Most families will want to head for the fire roads on top of Ring Mountain. They're largely smooth and flat (some sections are even paved) and are fine for sturdy jogging strollers, as well as mountain bikes.

Best of all, Ring Mountain is a short distance from almost anywhere in Marin County. It feels like it's a world away, though. From mid-March through April the whole hillside is often carpeted in flowers. I like to think that my photos are pretty good, but they really don't do the view justice—you have to go there and see it for yourself.

Click here to read more about Ring Mountain Open Space Preserve.

Host Trivia Nights in Marin County

It wasn’t too long ago that “geek” was considered a dirty word. But here in Marin, with a wealth of prestigious universities in the area and a hub for the tech industry, it’s not unusual—even accepted—to be a proud geek.

Trivia contests are also becoming a more popular weeknight outing for local brainiacs to show off their chops. But for those of you looking for a little something extra, you can now apply to be a quiz host—you can even get paid for it.

Geeks Who Drink is a fun, new organization that put together quiz nights all over the country—and they’re looking for highly dedicated, fun Quiz Master in the Marin/San Rafael area. Here’s some more information courtesy of their website:

What's in it for you: $50 a night plus a $25 bar tab for three hours of work. You host the quiz, you blog about it, you get paid. 

Performing experience is a plus. 

If you want to co-host with a friend, apply as a team.

If you're applying from a city that has a Geeks Who Drink quiz, or three, and you've never played before, do yourself a favor and play our quiz before you apply. It helps us take you a bit more seriously and you'll be able to see what you're getting yourself into and if it's something you want to get yourself into. For our quiz schedule click here.

Click here for more information on Geeks Who Drink!