Six ways to make the best out of conferences and seminars.

Going to that industry conference? Tired of listening to the same things over and over again? Well, conferences and seminars don’t have to be drudgery, if you are clear about what you want out of them. And, in many cases, you can actually learn a thing or two that will actually make your life better.

1. Decide what you want from the conference. Is it to get new information? Is it to find ways to do your job better? Or, is it to network and build contacts? Focus on how you can achieve your objectives. Prepare questions that you may have, or clarifications that you may need.
2. Don’t skip the key note address(es). This is usually where you get the 40,000-feet view of things. Most of the time, the speakers talk about new developments or innovations in field. And, if the speaker is really good, you might actually get out of there looking at things a bit differently.
3. Pick your sessions carefully. Don’t just focus on areas you are comfortable with. Challenge yourself and attend a session or two on topics that may not be directly relevant to what you do, but are interesting enough to attract your attention.
4. Ask questions. Challenge the speakers. If you have a piece of information that can help the discussion, speak up. Be a part of the discussion; don’t just be a spectator. If you can’t make it to a certain session because you were in another one, seek out the speakers and talk to them. Again, ask questions.
5. Meet other attendees. Talk to them. Remember, you all share a common interest – whether it is the industry you are in, or the interest to learn more. Many a times, fellow participants have some excellent insights on precisely the kinds of problems that you are having a tough time solving.
6. Relax and have fun. Remember, it’s your time away from work. Sure you’re there to learn and find ways to make your life better at work, but while you are there, enjoy yourself.

7 Online Services to Share Large Files

Many email providers (like Yahoo and Hotmail) and corporate email systems have a cap on the size of files you can attach to your email. This is done primarily to keep server space and bandwidth from being overused. In most cases, the size limitation varies from 5 to 10 megabytes.

So if you have a 25 MB PDF brochure you need to send to your colleague out of town, or send a 75 MB file of a 16X20 poster to your friend, how would you do it?

Well, you can always put the file in your server and have your friend download it. Or, you can put the file in a CD and Fedex it. Now the question is can you do it more easily?

And the answer is yes. Several online services, most with free versions, let you send large files quite easily. All you need to do is chose the file in your hard drive, put the email address of the recipient and send it. The service will then upload the file and email a link to the recipient.

Here are some online services that make sharing large files easy:

AllPeers (www.allpeers.com)
Transfers files to your buddies through a BitTorrent-based add-on to Firefox. Free Service.

MediaMax (www.mediamax.com)
Stores digital photos, movies, and other files on the Web. 25GB free; $5-$30/month for 100-1,000GB.

Myfabrik (www.myfabrik.com)
Sends links to shared files stored on the Web or a Maxtor Fusion hard drive. 1GB free; 49 cents/month for each additional GB.

Pando (www.pando.com)
E-mail attachments initiates BitTorrent-based P2P transfer backed by server. Free Service.

YouSendIt (www.yousendit.com)
Sends links to uploaded files good for 14 days; designed for business use. 100MB free; $5-$30/month for more.

Zapr (www.zapr.com)
Turns any file or folder on your PC into a shareable Web link. Free service.

Orb (www.orb.com)
Lets you share digital media (photos, videos) in your PC. Free Service.

Airplane Travel without the Engine Roar?

Need to travel on business a lot? If you fly most of the time, chances are you are sick and tired of the constant roaring of the aircraft engines. Have you done anything about it?

Noise canceling headphones are great accessories for this type of situations. Just imagine how nice it would be to fly without having to devote half you hearing power to engine noise.

Simply put, noise canceling headphones work in a pretty straight forward way. A microphone attached to the headphone records the ambient noise and the speakers on the headphones play a sound which has an exactly opposite wavelength than the outside sound. This way the two sounds cancel out and you have lots of quiet moments for yourself.

One thing you have to understand, though, is that none of the headphones of this type are 100% efficient. Since sound travels by air and through solid matter, you are bound to hear some sound that travels through the aircraft through your body to your ears. But still, the difference is almost surreal.

There are may types of noise canceling headphones available in the marketplace. A lot of people (including yours truly) seem to like the Bose Quiet Comfort model. It is a little expensive, but well worth the price when you are taking that long plane-ride home after a hectic day.

How does that sound? Or are you already canceling the noise?

iPods for Presentations

Think the iPods are for your listening pleasures only? Well, think again...

One fascinating way I put my video iPod to use is for presentations. Whether you are talking about Powerpoint presentations or a simple speech at a small (or large) gathering, Steve Job's creation can be a tremendous asset. Why haul your laptop when this little pocket device can do the trick? A few times, perhaps, that bulking up isn't necessarily all that good!

PowerPoint has a feature to save its slides in JPEG format. SLAM DUNK! Simply transfer those images as photos into your video iPod (I guess, the same thing applies to the Nano as well) and you are all set. Just plug your iPod to a projector and go through your "photos." Pretty convenient!

You'll lose the animations of PowerPoint, but I hardly use them anyways.

How about speeches? Same concept. You can just as easily use your iPod as your note card. Create your speaking points in PowerPoint and transfer them to your iPod (nano may not work well here because of its small screen) and there you have it... Your speech prompts are literally at your finger tips!

So what do you say? Time to put your iPod to a slightly different use?