Problem: You're boarding an airplane, dashing onto a bus, or hiking off the grid and your cell battery conks out or your iPod runs out of juice. Solution: Reach for your Solio – a cool new portable solar-powered charger that can collect the energy of the sun and transfer it directly into your hand-held devices.

Compatible with major brands of mobile phones, PDAs, digital cameras, and music and game players, the Solio has three photovoltaic strips that fan out like a flower to expand surface area when soaking up the sun. When folded up, the charger fits in the palm of your hand.

Granted, achieving balance on any ephemeral level is largely the emergent property, or effect, of getting one’s life sorted out. And sometimes getting your life sorted out is getting your desk in order. Let’s face it. Oftentimes sitting down to meditate is just escapism. While it’s certainly important to have some quiet time and stillness in life, productivity and organization are also virtues. For some inspiration and solid advice, lay your eyes upon this brilliant Flickr photoset, Getting Things Done With Index Cards 2.0.