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<channel>
	<title>Shiny Bits of Life<title></title>
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	<link>http://pmerrill.com</link>
	<description>PAUL MERRILL</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Thu, 09 Sep 2010 08:01:39 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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  <title>Shiny Bits of Life</title>
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		<item>
		<title>Be nice</title>
		<link>http://pmerrill.com/2010/09/be-nice/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=be-nice</link>
		<comments>http://pmerrill.com/2010/09/be-nice/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Sep 2010 08:01:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Paul</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nice]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pmerrill.com/?p=3154</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve been meditating on this particular topic for several weeks. It&#8217;s something you already know. But I&#8217;m saying this to remind you &#8211; and me &#8211; to do it. It is so much easier to serve someone who is nice to you. I find myself jumping to fulfill the requests of those who are nice [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://pmerrill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/be-nice1.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3158" title="be-nice" src="http://pmerrill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/be-nice1.jpg" alt="" width="320" height="166" /></a>I&#8217;ve been meditating on this particular topic for several weeks. It&#8217;s something you already know. But I&#8217;m saying this to remind you &#8211; and me &#8211; to do it.</p>
<p>It is <em><strong>so</strong></em> much easier to serve someone who is nice to you. I find myself jumping to fulfill the requests of those who are nice much faster than those who are demanding and, well, not as nice.</p>
<p>Nice can be a tepid word (like &#8211; so mild it can be yucky). But I&#8217;m referring to the basic positive aspect of being nice.</p>
<p>So let&#8217;s be nice to each other. We&#8217;ll help each other <em><strong>want</strong></em> to serve each other more.</p>
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		<title>A new look</title>
		<link>http://pmerrill.com/2010/09/a-new-look/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=a-new-look</link>
		<comments>http://pmerrill.com/2010/09/a-new-look/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 Sep 2010 01:53:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Paul</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[blogging]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pmerrill.com/?p=3171</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I changed themes for my website again. This time I went with a real pro theme (though I am not a WordPress pro!): Genesis. So pardon the dust, while I get everything worked out. (At the moment, it&#8217;s pretty boring. That&#8217;s one of the things I hope to fix!) If you notice anything that is [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://pmerrill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/new-look-2010.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3172" title="new-look-2010" src="http://pmerrill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/new-look-2010.jpg" alt="" width="359" height="123" /></a>I changed themes for my website again. This time I went with a real pro theme (though I am not a WordPress pro!): <a href="http://www.chrisbrogan.com/genesis" target="_blank">Genesis</a>.</p>
<p>So pardon the dust, while I get everything worked out. (At the moment, it&#8217;s pretty boring. That&#8217;s one of the things I hope to fix!)</p>
<p>If you notice anything that is broken, send me a message via a comment on this post. Thanks!</p>
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		<title>Cultural differences</title>
		<link>http://pmerrill.com/2010/09/cultural-differences/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=cultural-differences</link>
		<comments>http://pmerrill.com/2010/09/cultural-differences/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Sep 2010 08:02:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Paul</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[boh tea]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pmerrill.com/?p=3118</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear friends recently left us to return to Malaysia. They gave us some Boh Lemon Myrtle tea as a parting gift. It&#8217;s nice &#8211; not a flavor (or flavour) you will easily find on the shelves of your local supermarket in North America or Europe. So first, myrtle is a tree, I think. That might [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://pmerrill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/boh-tea.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3119" title="boh-tea" src="http://pmerrill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/boh-tea.jpg" alt="" width="217" height="231" /></a>Dear friends recently left us to return to Malaysia. They gave us some <a href="http://boh.com.my/" target="_blank">Boh</a> Lemon Myrtle tea as a parting gift.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s nice &#8211; not a flavor (or flavour) you will easily find on the shelves of your local supermarket in North America or Europe.</p>
<p>So first, myrtle is a tree, I think. That might hurt their marketing efforts, should they try to launch in the States. Second, we rarely put single quote marks around the title of any product.</p>
<p>For those of you who are into Facebook, as of an update to this post, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/BohTea" target="_blank">Boh Tea</a> is liked by 17,019 people.</p>
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		<title>On how it&#8217;s not perfect</title>
		<link>http://pmerrill.com/2010/09/on-how-its-not-perfect/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=on-how-its-not-perfect</link>
		<comments>http://pmerrill.com/2010/09/on-how-its-not-perfect/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Sep 2010 12:32:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Paul</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[300 Words a Day]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pmerrill.com/?p=3151</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I wrote on that today over at 300 Words a Day.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://pmerrill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/300-mirror.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3152" title="300-mirror" src="http://pmerrill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/300-mirror.jpg" alt="" width="188" height="100" /></a>I wrote on that today over at <a href="http://300wordsaday.com/2010/09/03/its-not-perfect/" target="_blank">300 Words a Day</a>.</p>
<p><a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share_save" href="http://www.addtoany.com/share_save"><img src="http://pmerrill.com/wp-content/plugins/add-to-any/share_save_171_16.png" width="171" height="16" alt="Share/Bookmark"/></a> </p>]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Apple admits mistake</title>
		<link>http://pmerrill.com/2010/09/apple-admits-mistake/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=apple-admits-mistake</link>
		<comments>http://pmerrill.com/2010/09/apple-admits-mistake/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Sep 2010 08:01:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Paul</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ipod shuffle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new ipod shuffle]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pmerrill.com/?p=3142</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The new iPod Shuffle was released on September 1st. It might look familiar&#8230; it is nearly identical to the model two generations back. (In the photos, the next-to-latest is on top and the newest is on the bottom.) You see, the gum-stick model was not easy to use. The controls were tiny &#8211; tucked onto [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://pmerrill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/apple-mistake.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3143" title="apple-mistake" src="http://pmerrill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/apple-mistake.jpg" alt="" width="208" height="296" /></a>The new iPod Shuffle was released on September 1st. It might look familiar&#8230; it is nearly identical to the model two generations back. (In the photos, the next-to-latest is on top and the newest is on the bottom.)</p>
<p>You see, the gum-stick model was not easy to use. The controls were tiny &#8211; tucked onto the headphone cord. Not a good idea. So Apple went back to the model that <em>did</em> (and does) work well.</p>
<p>I haven&#8217;t seen a public apology&#8230; yet.</p>
<p><em>Top photo is from Wikipedia and bottom photo is from Apple.</em></p>
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		<item>
		<title>Go digital</title>
		<link>http://pmerrill.com/2010/09/go-digital/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=go-digital</link>
		<comments>http://pmerrill.com/2010/09/go-digital/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:09:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Paul</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[collecting]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pmerrill.com/?p=3102</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Recently I went on about how great it is to go analog &#8211; by writing or receiving a letter. Today I&#8217;ll backpedal. I think you should not save everything. Simply take a digital photo and then throw whatever away (or give it to your local charity shop). You will save yourself the hassle of throwing [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://pmerrill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/go-digital.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3104" title="go-digital" src="http://pmerrill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/go-digital.jpg" alt="" width="310" height="301" /></a>Recently I went on about how great it is to go analog &#8211; by writing or receiving a letter. Today I&#8217;ll backpedal. I think you should not save everything. Simply take a digital photo and then throw whatever away (or give it to your local charity shop). You will save yourself the hassle of throwing it away later.</p>
<p>At one time in my life, I may have saved this little moving tag. It&#8217;s a remnant of an era that passed several year ago. I may have put it in an envelope for looking at on a rainy day. (It rarely rains in Denver, though.)</p>
<p>And those analog letters you receive? Recycle them. If you really like them, save a few &#8211; but not all. (If your dad lives in a different town and never writes &#8211; and you finally get a real letter from him &#8211; by all means, save it! Just strive for balance.)</p>
<p>If you liked this post, you&#8217;ll like <a href="http://pmerrill.com/2010/04/not-going-to-buy-it/" target="_blank">this other post</a>.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Striving for balance</title>
		<link>http://pmerrill.com/2010/09/striving-for-balance/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=striving-for-balance</link>
		<comments>http://pmerrill.com/2010/09/striving-for-balance/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:02:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Paul</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pmerrill.com/?p=3068</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Today I&#8217;m guest posting over at Elizabeth&#8217;s Letters from a Small State. So you&#8217;ll need to go to see what I wrote about striving for balance&#8230; and see how this photo relates.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://pmerrill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/email-paste.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3137" title="email-paste" src="http://pmerrill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/email-paste.jpg" alt="" width="306" height="320" /></a>Today I&#8217;m guest posting over at Elizabeth&#8217;s <a href="http://blog.elizabethhoward.net/2010/08/31/striving-for-balance/" target="_blank">Letters from a Small State</a>. So you&#8217;ll need to go to see what I wrote about striving for balance&#8230; and see how this photo relates.</p>
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		<title>You must speak their language</title>
		<link>http://pmerrill.com/2010/08/you-must-speak-their-language/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=you-must-speak-their-language</link>
		<comments>http://pmerrill.com/2010/08/you-must-speak-their-language/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 Aug 2010 08:03:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Paul</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[communication]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[letters]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pmerrill.com/?p=3096</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[My Aunt Mary hadn&#8217;t heard from us in a while. She doesn&#8217;t do email. So I picked up a pen and applied it to paper. So she will receive a nice letter this week. Takeaway? Do something that communicates to people in a language they understand. They will be grateful. And it may well be [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://pmerrill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/dear-aunt-mary.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3097" title="dear-aunt-mary" src="http://pmerrill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/dear-aunt-mary.jpg" alt="" width="360" height="270" /></a>My Aunt Mary hadn&#8217;t heard from us in a while. She doesn&#8217;t do email. So I picked up a pen and applied it to paper. So she will receive a nice letter this week.</p>
<p><strong>Takeaway?</strong> Do something that communicates to people in a language they understand. They will be grateful. And it may well be a satisfying experience for you too!</p>
<p>(Besides, I like getting letters in the mail. So I was just passing that joy along. My brother <em>does</em> do email, but we still exchange letters. There is something about the hold-in-your-hands experience that can&#8217;t be beat.)</p>
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		<title>How to ride a bicycle</title>
		<link>http://pmerrill.com/2010/08/how-to-ride-a-bicycle/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=how-to-ride-a-bicycle</link>
		<comments>http://pmerrill.com/2010/08/how-to-ride-a-bicycle/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2010 08:01:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Paul</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pmerrill.com/?p=3092</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So here is how to ride a bicycle: If you do this (and you don&#8217;t already), you will be amazed at what a difference it makes! Notes: a) If you have a single-speed bike, this may not work very well. b) If you have multiple gears, use a lower (easier) gear to get the optimum [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>So here is how to ride a bicycle:</p>
<p><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="480" height="385" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="src" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4nnzx8buWrs?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="385" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4nnzx8buWrs?fs=1&amp;hl=en_US" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></p>
<p>If you do this (and you don&#8217;t already), you will be amazed at what a difference it makes!</p>
<p>Notes: a) If you have a single-speed bike, this may not work very well. b) If you have multiple gears, use a lower (easier) gear to get the optimum spinning speed.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Fun for your Friday, number 8</title>
		<link>http://pmerrill.com/2010/08/fun-for-your-friday-number-8/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=fun-for-your-friday-number-8</link>
		<comments>http://pmerrill.com/2010/08/fun-for-your-friday-number-8/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:05:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Paul</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fun]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fun friday]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://pmerrill.com/?p=3085</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When I saw these, I just cracked up.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://pmerrill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/jeans-daipers.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-full wp-image-3087" title="jeans-daipers" src="http://pmerrill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/jeans-daipers.jpg" alt="" width="320" height="364" /></a>When I saw these, I just cracked up.</p>
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