With the Monsoon already underway in India . Here are some tips for safe driving during monsoon .

-  Allow for more travel time between destinations so keep that extra time buffer

-  Reduce speed. It takes far longer to slow down in the wet, also high speed may cause a severe condition of “Hydroplaning” (total loss of friction between the tyres and the road surface) maintain slower speed than you generally adopt.

-  Avoid excessive use of brakes, also check your brakes if the tyre have undergone through a submerge the wetness may temporarily render the brakes useless causing a “pedal travel”

-  Turn on your headlights in dark, gloomy conditions so that you are seen by others on the road BUT avoid using the High Beam in rains; these may blind the vehicles approaching from front as well during heavy down pour the light beam get reflected back to your eyes

-  Maintain three times the distance you usually would from other vehicles ahead of you. Never indulge in 'Bumper to Bumper' driving

-  Never drive beyond the limits of visibility. At night, wet roads turn dangerous. Glare of oncoming lights, amplified by rain on your windscreen and reflected off the wet road, can cause temporary loss of visibility.

-  Never drive through moving water if you cannot see the ground through it. The force and volume of the water may easily be more than the weight of your car.

-  When driving through a flood, go slowly. If it is deeper than the bottom of your doors, turn around.

-  Wet feet can slip off pedals, be cautious of your foot position.

-  Keep windscreen washer fluid topped up and on a long journey carry some extra in the boot too.

-  Avoid entering the water logged portions on road. If inevitable, follow the trails of the vehicle ahead.

-  Do not drive over fresh earth on the side of the road as it may give way and your vehicle may get stuck.

-  Keep the umbrella in the main compartment and not in the Boot.

Monsoon Check for your vehicles.

-  Check the condition of your 'Jack and Spanner', these will help you in distress.

-  Wipers:  Smooth functioning, conditioning of arms, and check rubber blades for cracks and replace as necessary.

-  Tyres: Minimum 2 mm depth of treads including the spare tyre, check pressure for all five tyres If your tyres are getting worn or 'bald', change them immediately, such tyres increase the chances of skidding and hydroplaning

-  Lights: Check for functioning of both high and low beam, also check brake lamps

-  Windows: All windows should shut perfectly without gaps

-  Brakes: see if the handbrake works properly, be alert for pedal travel

-  Corrosion: A common myth going is that you should wait for the monsoon to play havoc with your paint and then deal with it. No, get an anti-corrosion and paint job done beforehand - they'll weather the season

-  Doors: Ensure the rubber sealing on the doors is in perfect condition during rains.

If you love sky watching & astronomy, here is a great link that you must visit . It is Hubble Heritage Gallery of Images . This site has thousandsof images taken using Hubble telescope.

http://heritage.stsci.edu/gallery/gallery.html

I am sure you will enjoy.

I found a link that list few good tools that we can use in our daily life such as

Bubbl.us: A brainstorming tool that lets you put your ideas into bubbles and save your mindmap as an image.

Relenta: A tool that helps you manage your contacts, emails, documents, and other activities.

Slideshare: A tool that allows you to create and share slide shows online.

Toodledo: A Web based to-do-list to help you organize.

Mint: A very simple and easy to use finance tool for personal use and for managing your freelance finances.

eFax: Although you might think Fax is outdated, we are pretty sure most of your clients still use it, especially the corporate ones. Use this site to make your life easier when it comes to faxes.

Webnote: This tool allows you to quickly take notes using a Web browser. You can save the notes using any computer and visit the site later to retrieve notes. It’s useful when using public computers.

Box: Share files online with your clients and friends using this simple tool.

ReadBag: A bookmarking service that lets you save links that you can read later in your browser, email, phone, and even in an offline mode.

Stock.xchng: Free stock photography for your blog, site, or any other use that you might have for images.

YouSendIt: This tool allows you to send files and folder that are up to 2 GB without clogging your or your client’s inbox.

Wordfast: A translation tool that is compatible with any language supported by Word.

FaxZero: Lets you send free faxes to the United States and Canada.

Copyright: Find everything you need to know about US copyright.

RSS 2 PDF: Turn your RSS feeds into PDFs and read them even when you are offline.

CentralDesktop: Helps freelancers collaborate, communicate, and share files with clients and coworkers.

InstaCalc: A Web based calculator that includes spreadsheet capabilities, unit conversions, and programming commands.

Blinksale: Lets you send invoices online, recurring templates, and keep track of your invoices and purchases.

Skim: Helps you take notes directly on a PDF file as you read.

Icebrrg: Lets you easily build online embeddable forms.

ConceptShare: Allows you to invite clients to take a look at your design work and get real-time feedback while you work on the project.

GoToMeeting: Set up online meetings with clients and colleagues using this popular meeting tool

Wufoo: Another tool to help you build forms.

Escrow: Use this service to protect yourself and clients when the stakes are high.

XE: Most freelancers work with international clients, and a currency converter is a must to determine the payment. This tool takes care of giving you up-to-date information on currency rates.

ProjectStat.us: This tool allows your clients to view the status of a project using a token.

Creative Commons: This site provides free tools that lets freelancers easily mark their creative work with the freedoms they want it to carry.

ProofHQ: Lets you annotate a variety of document types - PDFs, PSDs, JPGs, Word, PowerPoint - and Webpages.

Proposal Kit: An online tool that helps freelancers with proposal and contract management.

SlimTimer: An online timer that helps you track time spent on a particular project and bill your clients accordingly.

Spot Runner: Use this Website if you are planning to build a TV advertising campaign.

Monkey On Your Back: Allows you to create a to-do-list that you want other people to do.

Some good tools are also posted by readers in comments section of http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/career/?p=888

Source : http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/career/?p=888

Interesting fact

2 Digit Prefix Are Actually Codes Using Which You Can Locate Where The SMSs Are Originated From. The First Alphabet Reveals The Operator Name And The Second Alphabet On The Code Reveals Area From Where The Message Has Been Originated. FOr Example In An SMS Received “AK-SBI” Then The 1st Alphabet ‘A’ Signifies That It Is Originated By Bharti Operator And The Second Alphabet ‘K’ Reveals That The Message Has Been Originated From Kolkata. Here Is The Complete List Of The Codes Assigned To Various Operators And Service Areas:

 Source: Floating Emails