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I went home with my jugs of dish soap and jumbo box of Spring Mix pre-washed salad greens and spent several days pondering the mysterious pancake batter in a can. Is this a viable business plan? Are enough consumers able to overcome the inital gross-out factor and purchase this product? Certainly there have been many times when I craved pancakes but had neither the ingredients nor the desire to engage in the time-consuming process of making them. And the yen for pancakes rarely justified a trip to a restaurant. So what to do? The solution to this conundrum may, in fact, be contained within the scary golden-yellow can.

Before I made any investment, I conducted some research on the cleverly named Batter Blaster. I watched the 1960-style demonstration video, which got me to sing the jingle repeatedly: Make a better breakfast faster: Batter Blaster!. (I can’t decide if the jingle is cute or annoying — or both — but it’s certainly memorable. Well done.) I read the canned — (sorry) — testimonials. I was prepared to experiment.

Costco offers a package of three 18-ounce cans for $9.99, which seemed like a good deal until I realized that I had nothing to compare it to. One can produces enough pancakes for a breakfast for two hungry adults or for three moderately hungry adults. In this era of escalating food prices, $3.33 for the bulk material of a breakfast for two doesn’t seem too bad.

Batter Blaster is remarkably easy to administer. Heating the frying pan to medium-low eliminates the common problem of the inedible "first pancake." (To avoid any burning at all, I recommend a quick spray of PAM between each pancake frying.) In fact, if you’re hungry for just a single pancake — and no more — you can fry a shot of Batter Blaster, rinse off the nozzle, and return the can to the refrigerator. (For this reason, and because of its ease of use, the product appeals to empty-nesters as well as to non-cooks.) Waffle lovers can also spray Batter Blaster onto a waffle iron.

In the frying pan, the batter bubbles surprisingly well for a mixture that doesn’t include fresh whipped egg whites; while they aren’t the most ethereal pancakes I’ve ever had, they definitely qualify as fluffy.

The most important question is, of course, how do Batter Blaster pancakes taste? The answer, in my opinion, is: solidly mediocre. Mediocre, however, is better than disgusting, which is what I’d initially expected from pancakes out of a spray can. The batter comprises a few simple ingredients: wheat flour, sugar, dried egg products, soy powder, leavening agents — and something I’m not sure I want to know about called "propellant." The bland taste is probably explained by what’s missing from the list: flavorings (like vanilla or almond extract) and spices. To be fair, I should mention that it’s the pancakes made from the plain batter, without any added ingredients, that are mediocre. Bisquick pancakes, or even pancakes made from scratch that contain no flavoring or spices, are also mediocre. The way to make them not mediocre is to add something to them.

For the purpose of livening up the batter, recipes are available at the Batter Blaster web site. Following the recipes, however, requires squirting the batter into a bowl and mixing in other ingredients. This defeats the whole point of Batter Blaster, which is ease of use and avoiding the whole mixing-batter-in-a-bowl procedure.

Here’s a tip I discovered after some trial-and-error: mix only the additive ingredients in a bowl and add a small amount of the mixture to the pancake while it’s frying. For instance, I mixed a cup of chopped pitted cherries with chopped walnuts and almonds, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg. To each pancake, I scattered a spoonful of this mixture while the pancake was frying. The result was a plateful of uniquely flavorful pancakes. To skip any mixing process entirely, scatter a handful of rinsed-and-dried blueberries and/or sliced bananas into each frying pancake.

Hopefully in the future, if Batter Blaster is succesful, proprietor Sean O’Connor will add new lines of flavored batters, such as cinnamon-apple, spiced pumpkin, blueberry, lemon-ricotta, strawberry-banana, chocolate-peanut butter, savory herbs (for brunch or dinner crepes), and so on. (O’Connor has already tested strawberry and blueberry, as well as a sprayable brownie mix.)

I’ve been enjoying pancakes on weekend mornings, despite annoying myself with the catchy . . . better breakfast faster . . . jingle. I returned to Costco for another set of Batter Blaster cans. The refrigerator case was half full, which bodes well for the company — and for the future of easy pancake-making across America.

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• Overcome self-consciousness. The way your voice sounds to you — i.e., how it sounds literally through your own head — is very different from how it sounds through a microphone or recording. This is because mics and recordings are not "accurate"; they boost some frequencies and eliminate others. Many people hate the sound of their own voice on a recording and become very self-conscious of it. Laporte advises novice media professionals to stop worrying about what their voice sounds like, and similarly, if they’re videocasting, to stop worrying about their hair, their clothes, their physique, and so on. His secret? Remember that your function is to "serve the audience." The audience isn’t there to judge your voice, your hair, your age, your looks; they’re listening, giving you their time, because they’re interested in what you have to say. When you understand this, it becomes much easier to stop worrying about what you look or sound like and instead to focus on serving your audience with the enthusiasm and knowledge you have for the subject. (I later remarked to Laporte that "serving the audience" sounds like a Buddhist approach to audio programming; he replied that he tries to live his life this way. Perhaps he could write a how-to book titled Zen and the Art of Podcasting: East meets Web?)
• Be genuine. Along the same lines as overcoming self-consciousness, Laporte warned against developing a fake persona to hide your true self. He described the talking heads you see and hear in the media, with their gel-sculpted hair and veneered teeth and "early-morning disc jockey voice." (You know the sound: think of "Duffman" from The Simpsons, or any cheesy radio commercial for a dubious get-rich-quick scheme.) Laporte said that he’d relied on such a fake voice when he first started in radio because he was so nervous. Eventually, though, he realized that being himself — and focusing on serving the audience — garnered much better results, including a bigger, more dedicated audience, and more personal enjoyment. People want to connect with a real human being, not a superficial facsimile of one.
• Speak extemporaneously. Of course, you want to plan, research, and prepare a bulleted list of points and topics for the show — but once you’re live, don’t read. Reading is considered "radio death." The exception to this rule, Laporte mentioned, is acting; a good actor can read from prepared text and make it sound improvisational. (In fact, Laporte recommends taking improv classes and has done so himself; improv helps you learn how to listen, which makes you a better commuicator and, again, better able to serve the audience.) But the vast majority of radio personalities use a combination of solid preparation before the show and spontaneity during it. In fact, Laporte said, some of the best talk show hosts are on in the middle of the night, when very few listeners call in (and often the ones who do can be a bit nuts), because they can "B.S. for hours" and sound comfortable and natural.
• Avoid verbal crutches. Verbal tics like you know, sort of and like, if used often, distract your audience from what you’re trying to communicate. Of the ubiquitous um, Laporte theorized that speakers rely on this vocalized pause to fill silent time in between thoughts — because, in our culture, when one person stops talking, someone else will take the temporary silence as an invitation to start. "Saying ummm . . . is a way of holding the floor so that no one else jumps in and starts speaking." Toastmasters — (find a local club near you) — helps many speakers reduce or eliminate their filler words. In addition, Lifehacker advises practicing public speaking to overcome nervousness, and the referenced Mother Tongue Annoyances article recommends reviewing video recordings of yourself speaking (the Reddit comments for this article contains a collection of excellent tips).
• Invest in a good microphone. Experienced in both video (television) and audio (radio, podcasts), Laporte says he prefers audio. The connection to the audience is more intimate, and — especially if a listener is hearing the program via earphones — the communication travels directly from the host’s voice to the listener’s brain, without the distancing effect of a video screen. To this end, it helps not only to develop a professional sounding voice, but to enhance that voice with the best recording equipment. Each make and model of microphone is unique, with its own set of specs and sound. Mics can run between a couple hundred bucks on the low end to several thousand dollars. (Laporte describes the podcasting equipment he uses in detail, including photos.) Try out different mics to find one that flatters your natural voice. Women and others with a high-pitched voice would benefit from using a mic with warmer tones to reduce any shrillness (although Laporte joked that Gilbert Gottfried has made a lucrative career out of his "annoying" voice). If you have a call-in show, don’t worry too much about the quality of the incoming calls, even if it’s featured guests who are calling in for interviews and discussions. As long as the host sounds good, the show will sound professional.

Following his talk about podcasting, the audience had a chance to see Laporte’s media skills in action, as he joined co-host Megan Morrone for a live-from-MacWorld recording of Jumping Monkeys, a show about parenting in the digital age. You can also catch the live MacWorld edition of TWiT and post comments to the Leoville Town Square discussion forum.

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endless "to-do" list
can’t seem to get it all done
procrastination

Procrastination: Why You Do It, What to Do About It
by Jane B. Burka and Lenora M. Yuen

Do It Now! Break the Procrastination Habit
by William J. Knaus

The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play
by Neil Fiore

The Procrastinator’s Handbook: Mastering the Art of Doing It Now
by Rita Emmett

The Tomorrow Trap
by Karen Peterson

time management tools
calendar is my bible
clock is my master

How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life
by Alan Lakein

Time Management: Proven Techniques for Making the Most of Your Valuable Time
by Marshall J. Cook

Learn to Manage Your Time
by Lucy MacDonald

Never Be Late Again: 7 Cures for the Punctually Challenged
by Diana Delonzor

One Thing at a Time: 100 Simple Ways to Live Clutter-Free Every Day
by Cindy Glovinsky

Julie Morgenstern
used to be messy, but now
organizing queen:

Organizing from the Inside Out:
The Foolproof System for Organizing Your Home, Your Office and Your Life

Organizing from the Inside Out Cards

Organizing from the Inside Out for Teenagers:
The Foolproof System for Organizing Your Room, Your Time, and Your Life

Time Management from the Inside Out:
The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule — and Your Life

Never Check E-Mail In the Morning:
And Other Unexpected Strategies for Making Your Work Life Work

Making Work Work audio CD:
New Strategies for Surviving and Thriving at the Office

haiku is three lines
five, seven, five syllables
harder than it looks

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And so, having said that, I sheepishly admit to admiring the recent Kaiser Permanent "Thrive" television commercial, which shows a montage of what modern society could look like in a utopian future:

• A man in a diner reads a newspaper with the headline "Remembering Obesity: A Look Back."
• A teenager in a museum of antiquities looks inquisitively at packs of cigarettes in display cases.
• A vending machine is filled with a variety of organic apples.
• A man pulls his car up to the drive-through window of a restaurant that serves neatly packaged "Mini-Size Me" fast food.
• An intimidating bouncer guards the velvet rope in front of a hot nightclub, above which the marquee displays "Yoga Nite."
• A young woman sits on the grand stairs of a large building, reading a book. Above the front entrance is a sign that says "Public Library," and above that is a neon sign that says "Open 24 Hours."
• An overhead view of bicyclists pans out to show a rush hour of nothing but bicycles on the freeway.
• The final scene is narrated with the slogan "Change — and the world changes with you."

One irony, of course, is that some people apparently feel that Kaiser has done the exact opposite of helping its customers "thrive." (In fairness, though, other Kaiser customers seem to have no problems — at least not yet.) Another irony is that the future may more likely look like this.

Still, though, good commercials generally do what they’re supposed to do: make me feel warm and fuzzy (or, more specifically, optimistic and connected) for thirty seconds.

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(Update on OngoBongo: At a more recent Meetup, founder Eric Swan explained that OngoBongo will be the music version of NetFlix, which rents out movies from its large inventory of DVDs. Lala, on the other hand, is more akin to PeerFlix, a peer-to-peer DVD sharing system. So perhaps Swan’s biggest problem — after he secures funding for the company, of course — will be one not of competition, but of perception.)

Is Prosper safe to use?

Apparently accustomed to this basic question, the CTO addressed our concerns. First he explained that no financial investment, except for typical savings accounts, are guaranteed. Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and so on are not guaranteed, and neither are personal loans to family or friends. True dat. Having said that, he continued, Prosper does have a number of standard financial "safety features" designed to make lenders feel more comfortable with sending their money out into the ether, hoping for a nice ROI.

First, all potential borrowers must submit their information for a credit check. This way, lenders can view profiles of borrowers that include their credit ratings on a scale of AA through E, plus HR (high risk) and NC (no credit), as well as their color-coded debt-to-income ratios (20% or under appears in green; over 20% appears in red). Nervous lenders can focus on borrowers with better credit and lower debt-to-income ratios (and consequently charge a lower interest rate), whereas high rollers can gamble on high-risk, high-debt borrowers for a chance at bigger returns.

Second, Prosper has developed relationships with the major credit reporting agencies, so that missed payments or defaults — as with any other relationship with a financial institution — are immediately reported. Third, borrowers have a better chance of receiving bids on their desired loans if they join a group of trusted users. If a borrower misses payments or defaults, the reputation of the entire group is at stake. Fourth, a certain number of missed payments triggers the involvement of the dreaded collection agency (lenders can choose from three reputable agencies to take over the case).

Who lends to whom?

A borrower can request a loan for up to $25,000. A la eBay, Lenders must bid on loan requests so that borrowers can compete for better interest rates. The entry point for a lender is very low: the minimum bid is $50. How is this possible? A borrower asking for, say, $5,000 can receive this amount in one lump sum from a single lender — or in $50 increments from 100 lenders, or $250 increments from 20 lenders, and so on, in a piecemeal approach.

Prosper has been up and running for about a month now, and already there are myriad borrowers and lenders doing business. I put in $200 just to see how it all works. I decided to forgo the fun but time-consuming process of browsing the list of potential borrowers and instead create a standing loan for the Prosper database to match my bids with loan-seekers who meet my comfort-zone requirements (B or better credit, debt-to-income ratio under 20%, belong to a group).

Already two borrowers have accepted my bids: one lady is starting a nifty small business; a guy is using the Prosper system to consolidate his credit card debt and pay it down at a lower rate. The latter borrower is an example of the most common reason borrowers request loans on Prosper; the system seems to have created a "sweet spot" of interest rates. For lenders, the returns are higher (and possibly safer) than many other types of investments; for borrowers, the rates are lower than those of most credit cards. I asked the CTO if Prosper could potentially supersede the credit card industry, and he responded, "That’s what we’re hoping!" Sweet.

Prosper also has potential to support low- or reasonable-rate microlending programs for poor neighborhoods, as well as investments in one’s own community. (In fact, a Google search for "microlending" garnered a sponsored listing for Prosper "people-to-people" lending — so Prosper marketers must be thinking of the potential for socially responsible investing.)

Issues and annoyances

Since the Prosper system is new — in fact, the first of its kind in the U.S. (although the first of its kind in the world may be Zopa, based in the U.K.) — it’s still working out the kinks. For example, the ability for lenders to turn off unsolicited messages from borrowers was only made available today, after many complaints about "Can I get a loan from you?" type spam. There’s no online loan calculator on the Prosper web site yet, which some Prosper employees admit was an oversight. (Update: At a more recent Meetup, Prosper’s community marketing directory told me that there is in fact a loan calculator, but she conceded that it should be accessible from a more prominent location on the site.) And it took a full seven days for my initial funds to be transferred from my bank account to Prosper — the long transfer time is another major complaint on Prosper’s lively discussion board. But overall, these are minor problems that will be addressed if Prosper stands the test of time. I believe it will.

Managing Prosper account data

Related to Prosper’s novelty is the fact that common financial management software applications like Quicken currently have no method to manage something like a Prosper account, with all of its associated data (balance of amounts borrowed, balance of amounts loaned, funds sitting in the Prosper system versus money loaned out, various interest rates on each loan, and so on). Just figuring out which type of account to use for Prosper raised some interesting questions about the nature of this financial service. Is it a loan? An investment? A series of loans and investments? An asset? A credit card account for borrowers using Prosper to consolidate their consumer debt?

The fact is, it can be any one — or a combination — of these things. Until the Prosper model is understood (and accepted) by Intuit, Microsoft and other financial management software developers, we hapless users have to create our own spreadsheets to manage our account data, or make awkward adjustments to existing account management systems. Because I’m only lending (and not borrowing) funds, I chose the "Brokerage" account in Quicken and used the generic "Transferred Cash In" to register my deposits into the Prosper system (I’ll use "Interest Income" to register the net earnings).

We are family

Perhaps what I like most about Prosper is its ability to humanize every member of a giant, scattered, diverse group of people — much like the internet itself. The borrower profiles are full of fun photos of people or their pet projects (like the vintage muscle car that one guy wants to fix up for $5,000), personal stories and compelling descriptions of hopes and dreams for the future. And in this age of record consumer debt — making some people too broke even to declare bankruptcy — Prosper’s straightforward interface and person-to-person lending system seems like a refreshing prospect.

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• About.com 1998-2006 archive of funny Super Bowl commercials.
• ESPN Page 2 list of Top Ten Best Commercials.
• AOL archive of current and classic Super Bowl commercials.
• CBS requests your vote on the greatest commercial.
• This year’s ads: high-def; online and multi-platformed.
• Heavy.com archive of 16 banned commercials (warning: site is resource-intensive).
• PutFile.com hosts another video archive.
• Uh oh.

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Then she showed me photos. Oh. I guess Pure Beauty is aiming to become the Williams-Sonoma of beauty and personal care products.

Fine, but where am I going to get my hair clips?

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In addition, business columnist Penelope Trunk suggests getting control over your email by separating your email from your "to-do" list; responding to email within 24 hours even if it means composing short, non-"amazing" messages; and sorting by sender to find out if you can compile a single response to the few people who have been sending you the most messages.

(Update: Farai Chideya defines a "happy inbox.")

You can help others manage their own overload by avoiding common email pet peeves — and whatever you do, do not email and text message while intoxicated!

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