Here are a few websites and programs with free tools that you may find useful

Get A Tape From Your Calculator using Moffsoft FreeCalc

This tool is much like the calculator in Windows, minus more advanced features. It creates a tape of your calculations. You can print the tape out or save it . There are other features you’ll like in the calculator as well.  You can see what’s stored in the memory in one quick glance. www.moffsoft.com/freecalc.htm

Fast and Effective Large File Sharing from We Transfer

Music, photos and videos files can be too large to email directly. This tool helps you send large files without affecting the quality of the file.  Select up to 2 gigabytes of files you want to transfer. Specify the recipient’s e-mail address and an optional message. Then click Transfer. The files will be uploaded to the site’s secure server. Your recipient can then download the files anytime. www.wetransfer.com/

Photo Resizing made simple with Image Resizer

Often we need different image sizes. You might have to shrink the photo or make it bigger. With Image Resizer you can resize photos in  groups.  You just have to right-click a photo or group of photos. Then, select Resize Pictures. You will get a screen with some preset image sizes. Click the Advanced button to enter a custom image size. http://imageresizer.codeplex.com/

The Jackson Group has real estate apps & tools available online!

HomeQuest to search for Real Estate using a Map Browser

With this program, you to search the active listings in the Portland Metro area using a map browser.  It allows you to browse the neighborhoods you’re interested in through the eyes of a Google map.  Our clients can save favorites, request showings and see when an active listing has a price reduction or goes pending.

www.theJacksonFiles.com Click SEARCH LISTINGS at the top right-hand column of this page.

Market Analyzer to Stay on top of your Home Value in the Marketplace

This program helps you answer the question that many people are wondering in this market- “what is my home worth today?”  This program uses the same data that we review when determining market value– it pulls the most current active, pending and sold listing in your area and compares them to your homes size, age and condition.  This program can also send you updates as your home value changes.

Click here: http://www.homeinsight.com/Widget/default.asp?2RCQPEBA37BV

The Aji Network is a business education company that teaches students how to become knowledge-based and strategic business people so that they develop superior competitive advantage.  Ron and I are both graduates of their Business Professional’s Course and are currently members of the LEIP Program, an acronym for leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation and power!  These are just some of the capacities we seek to learn to build our careers.

Ron Macklin and Becky Jackson at The Aji Network Conference

At this annual meeting of The Aji Network, students from all classes and the online program called “Aji Space” came together to ‘celebrate’ and practice their learning.  Senior students like Ron and myself led sessions on topics relevant to building significant careers in business by learning superior strategic knowledge to enable top 1% performance.  This year’s conference theme was “Strategy and Strategic Planning.”  Today’s highly competitive and rapidly changing global marketplace requires that we as business people stay engaged in continual learning as all professionals do.  Ron and I find that contributing as session leaders is an added dimension to our learning.

The association I have with other ambitious business people at The Aji Network – people who are seeking competitive knowledge – helps me continually improve the services The Jackson Group offers to clients so that we can help them succeed with their property objectives in spite of a challenging marketplace. Without new strategic knowledge we cannot expect to help our clients compete effectively and cope successfully with the enormous challenges in the real estate business – difficult financing,  enormous competition, over supply of housing and limited demand.   With a commitment to learning and improving, we develop and innovate our services so that we maintain a standard of care for our clients that helps us all meet our objectives.  That’s why I commit the time and expense to study.

Sounds like a New Year’s wish list, doesn’t it?  These were the themes of last night’s lecture at The Newmark Theater on Neuroplasticity:  The Amazing Adaptability of the Brain.

The lecture, presented by Dr. Michael Merzenish of the University of California at San Francisco, was the opening talk as part of the 10th year of the OHSU Brain Awareness Lecture Series and I attended along with 20 or so fellow members of my Pilates studio, Transformations!

What is neuroplasticity and why are a crowd of Pilates enthusiasts learning about it, you ask?

The talk was about how the brain is a learning machine and that, at all ages, we can develop new abilities and improve, and in our own way make meaningful changes in our physical and mental acuities.  Well, this is good news, and all of us ‘movement’ types appreciated the encouragement that our physical efforts will improve our overall well being and personal performance.  So we are recommitted for the lifetime workouts!

But it goes beyond the physical movement program and also requires the commitment to a lifetime schedule for new learning.  This is the catch!  Practice and exercises – and beyond the crossword puzzle of the day, sorry to say.  We must learn constantly, practice new things, especially those subjects and skills that genuinely interest us and stretch our brains into new areas.  Sheesh!  I guess that reading list, language class and business course are all staying part of my plan for 2009 – along with PIlates!

Part of what makes Portland wonderful is a group of Pilates partners finding and appreciating together a memorable lecture from two of our city’s best institutions.  If you’re interested in the rest of the series check here.

Portland is a great place to live!

Becky

But, Sunday morning I awoke to swirling snowflakes that continued all day and evening. I loved it! Gene and I stayed cozy with a fire in the fireplace, a stew on the stove and books and, yes, some football, and just a lovely quiet day at home.

Today, I would have stayed home again, working this time, but I had a call to show a condo listing in The Meriwether.  So off I went, braving the icy streets slowly and carefully, but it was not actually a problem. And to be out and about in the snow is really still fun. Since walking is always better than driving in the snow, when I got to South Waterfront I arrived early enough to take a stroll on the waterfront path. Very cold and a bit of bitter wind, but the stillness of the river and the trace of remaining snow gave it a special winter quality. A new group of herons were present at the north end of The Meriwether. It was a special sight.

The showing went well, but that was the end of real estate field work today. I’m glad I had the opportunity to get out, show a home and see the emerging new family of herons.

Let it snow some more!

Becky