Have you ever had a dream where you could fly or glide through the air? In my dream it’s almost effortless. You just point where you want to go and you zoom off in that direction. Flying through the air with the wind blowing past your face.

Sometimes dreams come true.

My wife and I were in Santa Barbara this week for a short vacation. We stayed in one of our favorite places, the Cheshire Cat Bed and Breakfast. This is a wonderful Victorian residence, designed around an Alice in Wonderland motif. It’s one block off of State street, and a great place to discover the city.

One of the packages they offered this year was a two hour Segway tour of Santa Barbara. We had booked our stay with a restaurant package including dinner at Downy’s and lunch at Louie’s Bistro (delicious mesquite broiled meatloaf), but the Segway tour sounded intriguing. On the second day of our stay we called up Segway of Santa Barbara and signed up for their 2 and a half hour Old Santa Barbara Tour.

We arrived to find a small business across the street from the Santa Barbara pier. they signed us up, provided helmets and took two Segways outside to start our tour and Segway lesson.

Bill was our tour guide and he took a few minutes to familiarize us with the Segway i2 personal transport. He showed us how to power it up with the wireless controller and how to step on the self balancing device. At first my wife and I were both a bit wobbly, but we soon caught on to the controls.

The Segway is very intuitive. You lean forward to go forward, you lean back to stop. You use the handle bars to turn. The built-in gyroscope keeps you magically upright and balanced.

Within minutes we were zipping around the parking lot and doing a quick slalom around some cones. We practiced entering driveways and going up and down hills. The Segway soon became almost second nature. This is one amazing machine.

Once we were able to do the test course with ease, Bill had us follow him as we set off for the city tour. We headed out on State Street and rode down the sidewalks with ease. Since the Segway is classified as a pedestrian instead of a vehicle, we could go almost anywhere on the unit that we could walk.

We were soon zipping past the train station and soon found ourselves under one of the largest trees in Santa Barbara. Bill was an amazing tour guide. He reminded me of a laid-back Indiana Jones. Someone who was incredibly knowledgeable of the history of Santa Barbara and always up for adventure.

And adventure we had… over the next 2 hours we saw more of Santa Barbara than we could have by any other means. We toured many of the downtown streets and drove through a couple of parks. We went down a dirt path to view a Koi pond alive with fish and turtles. We parked the units outside a downtown museum, and Bill gave us a locals-tour of the museum.

Bill had so much trivia and local knowledge it made the history of city come alive. From the early Spanish influence through the Chinese settlers, up to a modern multi-cultural city, Santa Barbara is fascinating.

As the tour wound down, we headed back to the pier at a quick 12 mph pace. The Segways maneuvered through the streets with ease and as we pulled up to the shop after two hours on the machines, we found they still had almost a full charge.

I was blown away by the Segway experience. I haven’t had so much fun in years and now I really would like to own one. With gas over $4.25 a gallon here in California, the electric powered Segway would be a great alternative for short trips around town.

Priced around $5000 and very reliable, this may be the future of urban transportation. It’s certainly the most fun you’ll have commuting!

Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of creating an electric car. One that you could plug in and drive to work or school. One that would let you bypass the high prices for gasoline (26 cents a gallon when I was a kid!). Over the years this dream has come closer to reality but with unfulfilled promises by manufacturers every decade or so.

It has always been a problem with batteries. The lead-acid units we have used for so many years in our cars, just don’t have the capacity to make an electric car feasible for most people. The range is too short and the weight of the batteries too high.

Technology has changed in the last few years and we are now seeing a wide variety of gasoline-electric hybrid cars on the market. These cars use a medium sized battery and a gasoline engine to provide power and charging capacity. Electric power is used at low speed and the gasoline engine comes in seamlessly at higher speeds. It is a marvel of modern technology that they actually work, given the complexity of the hybrid gasoline-electric power plant.

Many hybrids are currently using Sealed Nickel-Metal Hydride battery technology which is an improvement over lead-acid technology. Battery manufactures are now pointing to Lithium-ion technology (Like the new batteries used in laptops and digital cameras) as the next wave of power storage. There are many variations, but the main hurdle to mass production is overheating and fire (remember the laptop batteries that caught on fire).

One of the current battery technologies that is available that has overcome this problem is Lithium-phosphate batteries. These offer extended capacity without the danger of overheating. Once the Lithium-Ion technology is refined we’ll see even greater capacity.

With the advent of these newer batteries, inventors and entrepreneurs are scrambling to bring electric vehicles to market. I went online and found two companies that are coming out with vehicles that may actually live up to the promise.

The first is an electric motorcycle from Brammo Motorsports. The bike is called the Enertia Bike and is powered by multiple lithium-phosphate batteries mounted to a low weight aluminum frame. The bike has no transmission and is simply a computer controlled battery power supply and an electric motor. This simple setup results in low weight and a slim design.

The bike has a range of about 40 miles and a top speed of 50 miles per hour. A two hour charge time will have you back on the road. Given it’s limitations it is being marketed to urban inter-city commuters that don’t have to travel on freeways to work.

With a price tag of over $11,000, the market for this bike will be somewhat limited but there are some people that may want to be the first to actually own a plug and go motorcycle.

As battery technology improves, the range and speed of this motorcycle will increase, but for now it actually works and you can pre-order one today.

The second is one of the coolest cars I have ever seen. It’s a cross between My Favorite Martian’s Spaceship and a Cessna airplane. It’s called the Aptera and is based on a unique three wheel design with an all electric or hybrid power plant.

When production begins in late 2008, the unit will be powered by the latest battery technology. Currently the prototypes are powered by Lithium Phosphate batteries which give an all electric range of about 100 miles. The hybrid gas-electric model has a small gasoline engine to recharge the batteries and will provide fuel economy of over 200 miles per gallon.

Given its three wheel design and size, it is actually characterized as a three wheeled motorcycle. This puts it in a range of vehicles that don’t have to meet the stringent safety and environmental challenges of automobile manufacturers. This allows the company to actually produce a viable electric vehicle at a price point that most people can afford.

The company hasn’t scrimped on safety features though. They have included airbags and have crash tested the prototypes. The Aptera has fared very well in the tests.

This vehicle will be produced just for the California market right now and is designed as a super commuter car. With a target price of under $30,000 there will be a huge interest in the Aptera. The factory is in Carlsbad California and soon we will be seeing them on the road throughout Southern California.

I can’t wait to test drive one of these. The hybrid model would be wonderful for the long commutes that many of us have and being able to plug it in and go would fulfill a dream I’ve had for a long time. Aptera means wingless bird in Greek. Even without wings, this unit will fly off of the showroom floors!

Check out the pre-production video here.

In the meantime, this car makes a great wallpaper on my computer!

With gas prices topping four dollars a gallon here in the US many people are looking for solutions to an ever increasing fuel budget. Some people are selling their gas guzzling SUV’s and purchasing smaller fuel efficient cars. Others are cutting back on vacation trips and doing more things at home.

I thought I would put together a weekly chart to track my fuel expenses and see how much I was really spending. I drive a pretty fuel efficient vehicle, averaging about 30 mpg on the highway and the low 20’s around town. As I was putting the chart together I decided to track all of my common daily activities on one convenient chart. This included tracking…

1. Calories
2. Fat Grams
3. Meal Cost
4. Exercise Time
5. Trip Destination
6. Trip Mileage
7. Trip Cost

What I quickly realized was that the different items could easily offset each other. If I needed to take a long trip I could cut food costs. For smaller trips I could walk or bike instead of taking the car and save fuel costs.

I created the chart in Microsoft Word and started taking it with me on a daily basis. At the end of the day I would total up the items. Here was a startling finding. By tracking my expenses on this chart, I started to walk more, take my meals with me instead of eating out, and actually found myself saving money over my previous habits.

I also began to eat better and exercise more which led to weight loss. It is funny how a simple chart actually helped me cut costs and get healthier in the process.

You can download the chart here and modify it quickly in Word to meet your needs. I’ve included a Word 2007 version and one for Word 97-2003. Try it for a week (or better yet a full month) and see where your money goes. See if you can cut your trips down and increase your exercise.

If you currently eat out a lot you may see substantial savings by taking meals with you. You won’t have to drive to lunch or dinner and you’ll probably eat cheaper and with less fat and calories than eating in a fast food joint or restaurant.

To really see how many calories you’ll save by not going to that restaurant pick up Eat This-Not That from the editor of Men’s Health magazine. You’ll be amazed (or dismayed) at how many calories are in that signature restaurant meal!

Eat This Not That: Thousands of Simple Food Swaps That Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds-or More! by David Zinczenko, Matt Goulding Read more about this book…

My wife was messing around the other day with a sample of a five minute flowchart that I had printed out. She moved it around on the desktop and tried it in different formations. She came to one conclusion… “You need to make this into a weekly calendar,” she said with a smile.

I thought to myself… a weekly calendar….hmmmm… what would I need on a weekly calendar that would fit on a business card? I tried some different things and I realized that I would need to keep this simple to be effective. I currently use Outlook as my calendar of choice, so I wrote down the things I use it for.

I make notes of …

1. Appointments
2. Things To Do / Next Actions
3. Phone Calls I Need To Make
4. E-Mails I Need to Send

While Outlook works well for appointments, it’s clumsy for the other three on the list. Those are usually delegated to my daily goal sheet that sits by my computer. But creating a card based calendar would give me additional flexibility. I could easily take it with me in my pocket or wallet and I could easily display the cards on my desk in a plastic holder. My wife was on to something here.

With her feedback, we came up with a simple 5 day business card based calendar. We added color for additional versatility, and made them two sided for maximum information.

The front side of the card shows the day at the top and has three columns for appointments and to-do items. The alternating color rows make it easy to segregate information at a glance

The back side of the card has a place for phone calls and e-mails. You can put the cards in a card holder on your desk for instant reference and as a constant memory jogger.

The cards come in five different daily colors and two weeks of cards are printed on one sheet for added value. Since they are provided in Microsoft Word templates, it is easy to add text in MS Word or just print them out and use a fine tipped Sharpie. Both Word 2007 and 97-2003 versions are included.

Instructions for use:

• Download the Five Minute Calendar Template for MS Word
• Open the templates and modify as necessary
• Print out on Avery business card stock (10 Card)
• Print the back of the cards on the back of the same sheet
• Break cards apart
• Fill in a appointments and to-do items
• Fill in phone calls and e-mail sections
• Arrange as necessary on your desk
• For portability stack cards in order and clip together with mini clip
• Transport easily in pocket or purse

Enjoy your calendar!

There is a dirty little secret that most people have. Hidden behind doors, and piled high in closets and garages is a stack of clutter. Clutter that sometimes defies description.

Dear readers, I hate clutter. I have a daily personal battle with it. It comes in the form of junk mail, impulse purchases, free gifts, and free samples. It creeps in when you least expect it and finds a place on any flat surface in your house. It loves the kitchen counter top and the kitchen table. Soon it multiplies and finds a way into the office, where it piles high waiting for action.

Unfortunately, if I let my guard down for just one day, clutter will get a foothold. When I have a busy week with many important projects, I can have a real battle on my hands. I call it “The Curse of Stuff,” and it really can take time and energy to overcome it.

I have had an experience over the last two weekends that have really taken this problem to a new level. It’s called “Other People’s Stuff,” and it came in the form of 50 years of clutter from my dad’s house. My dad passed away two years ago and his stuff was moved to my sister’s house. My sister is now in the process of moving to a smaller house with little storage space and something had to be done.

In this stack of stuff were important papers, antiques and collectibles, old clothes, tools and supplies, and basically anything you would probably find in your own home. Unfortunately procrastination had reared it’s ugly head for many years with these items. My dad had put off dealing with it for years, and my sister never found the time to go through it.

The clutter basically got moved from place to place numerous times and got bigger and more unruly each time.

I set one rule this time… I’m not moving it again!

But here was the problem, neither my sister or I knew what to do with it. It was an overwhelming problem causing a huge amount of stress. We needed help and we needed it bad.

I started asking friends if they knew anybody that could help and one name came to the surface… it was an organization called Clutter Stop.

Clutter Stop is run by Sheila McCurdy, who is the author of a popular book on clutter control called The Floor Is Not An Option. I called Sheila and she made arrangements to look at the problem.

When she arrived, she opened the door to my sister’s garage and was faced with a floor to ceiling mess. She spent a few minutes assessing the situation and also looked at the three storage sheds of additional items. She immediately formulated a plan and set an appointment to tackle the problem in two weeks.

She ordered a dumpster and hired a crew. On that fateful Saturday, she arrived early with her sidekick Millie and four helpers. The door to the garage flew open and everything was taken out and sorted on the front lawn. The garage was thoroughly cleaned and important furniture was brought back in and set in rows.

Antiques and collectibles were brought in, sorted and displayed on top of the furniture for an appraiser to look at. Important papers and photographs were put in their own section. The rest of the items were sorted for a garage sale and if the item was not sellable it was thrown away.

Her crew was amazing and at the end of the day we filled the dumpster twice over and had a very organized garage. I can’t tell you how nice it was to have someone take charge and tackle a very overwhelming problem.

We have since hired an appraiser and had someone who works with estate sales sell the antiques and collectibles for us. My sister’s older children are coming next weekend to do a huge garage sale. While we still have a ways to go, Sheila’s commitment to tackling clutter got us over the hump.

I have ordered Sheila’s book and just looking at the reviews I know she’ll have some great tips to help me with my own house. If you find yourself facing the agony of clutter, be sure to log onto Clutter Stop for some very helpful resources!

I’ve had my Apple iPod Touch for a few months now and I’ve been very happy with the device. With Apple’s $20 software update, I can now read my e-mail, get a weather report, check the stock market, and view the latest you-tube video quickly and easily almost any place that has a wireless internet connection.

The problem for me has been that it Did Not Work at Starbucks. Unless I paid an exorbitant amount for their T-mobile wireless access, I was out of luck. This all changed a month ago as most of our local Starbucks are now offering 2 free hours of Wi-Fi service daily if you register your Starbucks card.

This free service now means that I can stop by for a coffee and check my e-mail and get a weather report while waiting in line. If I am meeting a group, the wide screen web browser on the iTouch is available to browse the internet and have the ability to e-mail other members of the team.

The iTouch allows me to take meeting notes quickly and easily and then e-mail them to myself for later printing at the office. This feature easily pays for the iTouch in convenience alone. One of the other cool features is the map widget which pulls up Google maps for directions and traffic information. The expanding touch interface allows me to zoom into the map quickly and easily. (You can read my reviews of all the new productivity applications here)

Starbucks has taken this relationship with Apple a step further and is offering an interface with the built-in iTunes application and the songs being played in the Starbucks store. If you like the song being played just touch the iTunes button on your iTouch and you’ll see the currently playing song listed automatically. You can easily purchase the song from the iTunes store and be able to take the song with you… cool!

I think Starbucks has hit a home run by offering free internet access. There are over 10 Starbucks in the area that I live and I’ll be a much more frequent guest now. Not only will my iTouch find a lot of use, but my laptop as well.

Registering your Starbucks card online only takes a minute and you’ll be up and running. And registering the card brings other free benefits too. Check out their new customer focused web site where you can let them know what you want in your in-store experience.