Mac or PC

I started a new job today and one of the questions is whether I want them to buy me a Mac or PC. I'm mostly a Mac user but just about everything I will be doing could be done on either platform. Of course, I can run Windows XP on an Intel Mac, so I could do both there. I am still not sure which I will get, but it's either a Dell laptop or a Mac laptop. I'll check the prices and see if the Mac is really as price competitive now as they claim.

Conflict-free diamonds

Diamonds are a girl's best friend, as the saying goes and as my wife likes to remind me around this time of year when our anniversary is coming up. A conflict-free diamond is one which is guaranteed to come from socially and environmentally responsible sources and have no connection to violence, human rights abuses, or environmentally unfriendly activity. And you thought diamonds were just crushed coal. Brilliant Earth, a San Francisco company offers Canadian diamonds which are conflict-free. They sell over the phone and online and offer all kinds of beautiful products, including engagement and wedding rings, as well as loose diamonds. You can also learn about their socially and environmentally responsible business practices. And keep a look out for the December movie with Leonardo DiCaprio which highlights human rights issues in the diamond industry. You can learn more about blood diamonds and some of the bad stuff associated with the diamond industry. Brilliant Earth gives 5% of their profits to African communities hurt by the diamond trade.

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New job tomorrow

Tomorrow morning is my first day at my new job. It will be an adjustment going back to a 9-5 schedule, or at least something close to that. I think the first day should be pretty low-key, but I hope to get some things done this week and have my work set out for the rest of the month so I can be productive. I want to have a work blog, but I have a feeling that the technology systems there may not be ready for that. We'll see.

Check out the Riskmaster

There can't be too many catchy songs about entrepreneurs, but The Riskmaster by Tim Draper is one. It's actually pretty good -- it may not make the top 40 and you probably won't be buying the CD at Tower Records (woops, I think they went out of business), but it's listenable. Check out the lyrics and listen at TheRiskmaster. Available for download.

Raiders blow it again

I'm still not a Raider fan, but I felt bad watching them fall apart in the second half today. Interceptions, a blocked punt, a fumble -- you name it, they found a way to give the game away. The absolute worst was the lateral pass which Lamont Jordan swatted down and then watched as a 49er picked it up and strolled into the end zone. 49ers win 34-20.

Badder Adder

Don't you wish someone else would do the tedious work involved in keeping people up to date with changes to your MySpace account? Computers are supposed to make your life easier, aren't they. Well, Badder Adder isn't a Scottish punk band, it's a MySpace friend adder which automates many of the tasks involved in keeping your MySpace page up to date. It's designed for bands and promoters and anyone else who needs to send out frequent updates, add friends and send invitations from their MySpace account. BadderAdder does all that for you on as many MySpace accounts as you like.

With Badder Adder you can add friends based on zip codes, so if you are a band and have a show coming up, you can easily select and notify your friends in the area. Badder Adder has instructional videos which show you how to do the various things it can do -- add friends, post bulletins, and send comments. They've also got an FAQ page which lists many of the common tasks that people want to do with Badder Adder and how to do them.

Badder Adder is $47, much less than competing products and considering it works on multiple accounts, it's a bargain. Try it out free for 30 days.

Yankees lose

I was so sure the Tigers had no chance against the Yankees that I didn't even watch the first two games at all. I was sure the Yankees would sweep them. Like many other people, I was wrong. I'm not a Yankee fan, and I don't like the idea of buying the best players, and this does show that having a team of all-stars isn't always the best team. I'm still rooting for the A's, a team anyone could support.

ACCSelect.com

Interested in ACC Sports? They have the best men's basketball in the country as well as excellent football, soccer, lacrosse, baseball, field hockey, and more. On ACCSelect.com you can watch live webcasts of ACC games. Try it out with the 15 day free pass.

Soccer

I have been taking photos at my sons' soccer games for about 5 years now. At the end of the season I put the best ones on a DVD as part of a slide show/video and I also post them online each week. It takes some work but I have learned quite a bit by doing this. I haven't tried to make any money in the process though.

Last week, the older brother of one of the players on one of my sons' teams videotaped the game. He edited it down to about 35 minutes and gave out copies on DVD. He did a great job. He was back this week and will be doing the rest of the games but will be charging a small fee for the DVD. It made me wonder if I might be missing out on an opportunity, but generally I feel guilty about trying to get money out of soccer parents. But this season I think I may create some kind of team collage or life poster and offer that for a few dollars.

HostingZoom Clustered cPanel Failover Hosting Technology

I have had several headaches related to my web host over the past month. My site was down for 3 days with no communication from the host. It cost me time and money. No fun. Hosting Zoom has what sounds like a great solution for problems with downtime. They offer a redundant and reliable system which will switch you to another server in the event of a server failure. I wish my host did that! They switched me to a 404 page! This page explains how HostingZoom's system works.

This is a good deal. Their plans start at $7.95 a month for 5 GB of disk space and up to 20 sites.

PayPerPost

I didn't realize that PayPerPost allows you to post 3 times a day on each approved blog. I have two approved and have been only doing 3 total per day. Boy was that dumb. I should be able to increase my earnings by about 40% per day if I use both of them. That's 12 posts per day, but I should be able to do that.

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Stock Xchng free stock photos

The Stock XCHNG site is a great resource for free stock photography. Some of the shots have limitations on how they can be used, but I use this site all the time for personal projects -- videos, presentations, etc.

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Audi Cars

If you are interested in new luxury cars, Audi must be on your list. Audi have a cars of all types, from sports cars like the R8 to station wagons like the stylish A4 model. Audi cars are known for their high quality engineering under the hood and inside the passenger compartment. Bose sound is available in some models at no extra charge. You can even use the Audi Configurator to build your own model with the accessories you like. For those with extreme security needs, bullet proofing is also available. Audi cars are synonomous with quality and they are fun to drive. I've been in a couple of them and they are impressive machines. Even better, they last a long time.

 

Get savvy with PokerSavvy

PokerSavvy is a great site for anyone interested in Online Poker. They've got reviews of online poker rooms, bonus codes to save you money, links to online tournaments, and articles about poker. All in a very slick interface, easy to read and fast. Check out the Texas Hold Em Odds Chart. A great place to get started with your online poker playing.

New way for kids to write on the walls

The Drag Draw light emitting pen from Phillips looks like a great toy. You can use it to write on your walls without leaving a permanent image. I'm not sure how it displays or for how long, but it could be an interesting thing to have.

VGA Recorder Pro

It may look like a fancy toaster oven, but the VGA Recorder Pro is actually a device which allows you to record VGA, Video and Audio signals into an AVI file. It works with any VGA source, so it is useful for recording presentations and training sessions as well as for monitoring and surveillance applications. The device can be configured three ways -- as a desktop unit, a 4U rack mount chassis or as a portable laptop. Check out the VGA Recorder PRO Technical Specifications or some sample video output. The VGA Recorder Pro costs $8000 plus shipping and taxes. It supports a variety of resolutions, from 640 x 480 up to 2048 x 1536, with variable capture rates from 2 to 28 frames per second depending on frame size. Set up is simple -- just six steps.

 

free eBay selling tool

If you've ever sold anything on eBay, you know it can be a little confusing for the beginner, particularly when it comes to adding images and making your listing look good and stand out. List'd Express is a free online tool for eBay sellers which offers free Templates, free image hosting and will even schedule your listings when you want, also for free. This  eBay listing tool simplifies the process of getting your auctions going and making sure they look good. Just fill in a form, add your images, pick a template and you are ready to go. Check out these instructional videos to help you get started. List'd is a tool for the non-powerseller, someone who doesn't use eBay all the time, but still wants to get their stuff sold quickly.

No future as a lumberjack

My 77 year old neighbor and I cut down a 30 foot tall palm tree in my backyard yesterday. The tree had gotten too large and was pushing over the fence separating my yard from another neighbor's. Although the job only took about 2.5 hours, I am still feeling the pain 24 hours later. I haven't felt this sore since my first day on the job as an orange picker in Deland, Florida many years ago. I thought a chainsaw was a labor saving device, and it is, but operating one for that long is very draining, especially for someone whose normal tasks involve typing at a keyboard. I'm resting up for another day before cutting down a second tree. There are actually 4 trees that need to go, but 2 will have to wait until we figure out how to get rid of all the branches and stumps which are taking over my backyard.

KVM2USB

KVM2USB from Epiphian Systems is a portable frame grabber which works with Windows XP and Windows 2000 laptops. It's designed for system administrators and serves as an affordable device which replaces a "crash cart" for administering servers and other headless machines. Instead of hauling a PC, monitor, keyboard and mouse around on administrative site visits, you can use a laptop and the KVM2USB. You connect the VGA output of the headless device to your laptop. It also simulates the laptop's keyboard and mouse outputs. The USB 2.0 device requires no power, so with a charged up laptop, you are really mobile, with no need for all the other stuff you might be hauling around otherwise.

It will work with just about anything which has a VGA output, including Windows, Mac and Unix servers and computers, various medical devices, ATM machines and slot machines. With the KVM2USB and your laptop, you can get your work done quickly and easily without worrying about power connections or carrying lots of equipment with you. You can buy one directly from Epiphian for $399.95 plus shipping and tax. The product also includes the hardware and necessary cables. If you want to customize it, a software development kit is also available. Check out the KVM2USB Technical Specifications to learn more about the device.

Soccer Tabblo from Saturday

The match between the Terminators and the Revolution on Saturday, September 30th was a great one. The Revolution had a record of 4-0 and were in second place based on goals allowed. The Terminators were 1-2-1 but were coming off an 8-0 win and had played better than their record. The match was close, 2-2 at halftime after some exciting play and a goal on a corner kick by the Revolution. The Terminators countered with a long goal from near midfield. The Revolution scored early in the 3rd period and then held on to win 3-2. ... See my Tabblo>