My Film Debut - The Testaments: Of One Fold and One Shepherd

Hi all -- I just was notified that you can purchase "The Testaments: Of One Fold and One Shepherd" through the LDS Catalog. It's only $4.50 for the DVD. Anyway, the reason I tell you about it is because it was my film debut (I was village person #61 in the film). I kind of laugh about it because I'm only in 1 scene but it was really cool to be in it and see the behind the scenes of filmmaking. My very good friend Tomas Kofod played the role of Christ in the film, and his wife, Ane Marie (one of my best friends in this whole wide world!) was also in it as an extra (and she designed some of the costumes as well).

Anyway, it's a great film, the people involved were very nice and hard working. I loved being involved plus it has a powerful message.

Apple / Mac - Brilliant Marketing

Can I just say that I LOVE the Apple / Mac vs. PC commercials. It's brilliant marketing -- probably not very expensive to produce, but very very creative. I look forward to the next commercial every time they come out. Good job to all of those involved in this terrific marketing!

Blogger and Digg

I have a question for you. Anyone who has used the new Blogger and Digg successfully. With the new templates and widgets in Blogger I have found it difficult to add Digg and Adsense at the end of each blog article -- rather than just at the bottom or top of the page. Have any of you used Blogger and Digg and do you have any suggestions on how to do this?

Divine Strake Cancelled in Utah

Yeah! The Divine Strake Bomb Test has been canceled in Utah. If you're not aware, the government was going to test a 700 ton bomb in the Nevada desert, similar to the atomic bombs they exploded in the 1970s. Utah citizens reacted strongly and petitioned the government opposing the test. Downwinders (those who have suffered and died of cancer because of the testing done in the 1970s) -- have strongly opposed new testing because of the potential risks.

I live in Utah and I've very grateful they won't complete the testing with all of the associated dangers of radioactive fallout.

12 Steps to Overcoming E-Mail Addiction

I saw on ABC World News with Charles Gibson the newest 12 step program to break the email addiction, designed by a lifecoach in Chicago. Quite funny, but I must admit I'm an addict.

You can sign up for the twelve steps and receive them one a day for twelve days -- via email. :-)

Marsha Egan, an email productivity expert and CEO of Egan Email Solutions, has these tips, courtesy of Reuters:

1. Admit that e-mail is managing you. Let go of your need to check e-mail every ten minutes.
2. Commit to keeping your inbox empty.
3. Create files where you can put inbox material that needs to be acted on.
4. Make broad headings for your filing system so that you have to spend less time looking for filed material.
5. Deal immediately with any e-mail that can be handled in two minutes or less; create a file for mails that take longer.
6. Set a target date to empty your in box. Don't spend more than an hour at a time doing it.
7. Turn off automatic send/receive.
8. Establish regular times to review your e-mail.
9. Involve others in conquering your addiction.
10. Reduce the amount of e-mail you receive.
11. Save time by using only one subject per e-mail; delete extra comments from forwarded e-mail, and make the subject line detailed.
12. Celebrate taking a new approach to e-mail

Looking for a Job?

If you are looking for a job, World Vital Records is going to be hiring soon. My brother, Paul Allen, just added some details about available jobs on his blog. I'm excited about this great company, and have good friends who work there. If you are interested read Paul's Blog for more information.

American Idol Blog

Hey all, I just started a new blog about writing and entertainment, and will be blogging through the season of American Idol. Check it out and be sure to leave comments about what you think too. It should be fun.

Mitt Romney - Running for President

Well, it's official -- Mitt Romney has entered the presidential race. Mitt announced yesterday in Michigan -- telling the crowd that his experience in taking on impossible challenges, his belief in God, freedom and the American people make him the best choice to take over the White House in 2008.

I believe Romney would be a great administrator -- he has a proven track record of taking struggling businesses and turning them around -- unlike most traditional politicians -- he has real-world experience. I'll be anxious to see how things go in the next few months as he gets more recognition.

Big Oops with the New Apple iPhone

Well -- I love Apple, but they are not infallible. There was a big oops this past week. Millions of the new Apple iPhone had been shipped and had to be recalled. With all of the extra features on the phone -- something had been left off -- something important -- they left off the actual phone! Oops! The iPhone had not been delivered to customers yet, so it was good they caught it early -- but a few people had received the phone through contests and promotions. That's kind of embarrassing!

Google Loses Gmail

This past week an announcement was made that Google lost Gmail. What does that mean? Well, apparently Gmail is trademarked and owned by a German venture capitalist in 2001. Google has been trying since 2004 to negotiate and get access to the name but have not been successful.

But, it seems that in the U.S. we will still be able to use Gmail services -- the trademark was in Germany and Google will only be unable to use the Gmail name there. However, there are lawsuits pending in Switzerland, Norway and Monaco.

Richard Paul Evans - 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me

We arranged for Richard Paul Evans to come to UVSC yesterday and speak about his book "The 5 Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me." It was a great presentation and he also mentioned Bookwise.

Richard Paul Evans is best known for his writing of "The Christmas Box" and founding The Christmas Box House - a charity which helps abused children. But his 5 Lessons books is the highest seller financial book at Costco (outselling even Oprah picks) and is the Business Book of the Month for February.

Here are my notes from the lecture.

1. Decide to be wealthy!

Don't conform to the masses -- those who have little. If you're going to conform, find a millionaire and conform to what they are doing. Imagine what the world would be like if only the bad people had money. Money is not evil. There is much good that we can do if we have money. Think about the parable of the Good Samaritan -- he was only able to help because he had the means to pay for the care of the injured man. How many of us could do that?

The first step to having wealth -- is to deal with your own beliefs and feelings about money.

2. Take responsibility for your money.

Know your net worth -- there is a free financial calculator at TheFiveLessons.com where you can figure out your net worth. Know where your money is coming from. Know where your money is going. Know what your money is doing -- find ways to have your money work FOR you.)

3. Keep a portion of everything you earn.

"The Richest Man in Babylon" a book by George Clason taught this principle. Keep a minimum of 10-15% of everything you earn. Create a nest egg for yourself.

4. Win in the Margins.

The successful wealth builder finds additional ways to build their nest egg. You will find what you look for -- so look for ways to earn more money. Keep trying -- eventually you'll get it right. Carefully consider each expenditure -- "Do I really want it? What am I appeasing?" Use the phrase "Is that the best you can do?" -- save money on shopping and then any money you've saved add to your nest egg.

This is where Bookwise came up. It's another way to win in the margins -- another way you can add to your income.

"Freedom and Power are better than Momentary Pleasure"

5. Give back

That is the fun of having money -- being able to serve and change lives -- to help those who cannot help themselves -- to make a difference in the world.

Overture Removes Bid Tool

For those of you who know about internet marketing and SEO (search engine optimization) today we all received a huge blow. Overture removed their bid tool from their servers and rumor has it that it will not return. I use this utility all of the time for internet marketing. However, with the release of the new Yahoo Panama advertising model -- hopefully their new tools will be more efficient and more reliable.

It's very frustrating to find something that works well for you and then to have it gone without warning. I guess I'll have to be patient while they work the bugs out of the new system.

New Weight Loss Site

I just finished working on a new website -- Qi Weight Loss -- Qi is the Korean spelling for "chi" -- meaning good energy. The website outlines all of the different popular diets including Weight Watchers, South Beach, Atkins, the Zone, NutriSystem, and many more. You can research about weight loss and dieting. I hope you like it. It's the first draft, so please let me know if something isn't working properly.

Blog Finally Fixed

Hi all -- I've been sick for a month with bronchitis and pneumonia, and my blog went down right before Christmas -- so I didn't have time nor energy to figure out what the problem was. But I finally fixed it today and now I can start blogging again. Yeah!