Saturday, October 14, 2006

Qumana not working so well

I've been using the free blog editor Qumana because it worked well with my Blogger account. Lately though it just hangs up and never finishes posting my entries. I have to force quit and I lose my work. Bummer. It's happened on two different computers and I haven't upgrade either the software or the computer, so maybe something changed with Blogger. It sure is frustrating though.

Another loss in soccer

Our team lost again, 6-1, this morning. That makes us 0-7 on the season. The boys played pretty hard but the other team had too much speed and several bigger players who could put the ball in the net from way outside the goal box. The field was a little wet, and several goals came when our goalie couldn't hold onto the ball and an opposing player kicked it in after it got loose. Three weeks to go in the season now and although it would be nice to win one, it may not happen. It makes it tough to keep going out there each week, but a few breaks here and there and we can win one of these games.

Need a website fast?

If you are a small business and need a nice looking web presence, websitesin48hours.com can set you up and having you running in no time (48 hours actually). They have several plans to choose from, starting at $99.99 and with each one, your custom built site will be up and available in 48 hours. You can include e-commerce features like a shopping cart and choose from multiple web templates to design your site -- up to 2000 templates on the Platinum plan. The Platinum plan comes with 8 web pages, 350 megabytes of hosting, and a free domain name for $19.99 per month plus a $999.99 start up fee. So if you are in need of a business site and you want to get started right away, have a look at what websitesin48hours.com can offer you.

Having problems again

Something must be wrong with my hosting service again. My weblog entries seem to be having trouble although I can see them fine. Something's not right and it's a pain in the neck.

Yummy Tumi Computer Case

I haul my fancy laptop around in a slightly padded backpack. I don't think it impresses anyone, but it has done the job okay. Think how nice it would be to carry your equipment in style with a top of the line Tumi laptop case on wheels. It's made of ballistic nylon fabric and uses inline skate wheels, so you know it's going to last longer than a Peter Jackson movie. Check out Tumi at Luggage Online.


Soccer and rain

No news on the soccer site, but it looks like the games may be cancelled due to rain. It's not raining now but it did rain overnight and they almost always cancel games when the fields are wet. We'll see.

Friday, October 13, 2006

Healthy Comparison shopping

In the United States, just trying to get healthcare can be a pain in the neck -- expensive and filled with roadblocks on the way to getting the treatment you need. Vimo - Comparison Shopping for Health is a unique site which can help consumers with healthcare in an interesting way. It offers comparison shopping for healthcare -- things like visits to the doctor or dentist, surgical procedures, health insurance, health savings accounts and more. You can compare what it would cost to have the same surgery at different hospitals in the U.S. Who wouldn't like to have that information? Healthcare can be very expensive, so any information that can help you reduce costs and get the treatment you need is a good thing. You can even rate your own doctor and get a nice looking free t-shirt. I'm going to do that -- I like my doctor and he deserves a good rating.


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Got an invention?

These days just about everybody has a good idea or two which just needs some backing to turn into a real product. Protecting your idea is an important part of the process -- just think about Apple licensing the look and feel of the MacOS to their friends at Microsoft to understand the value of protecting your work and investment. Invent-Tech: Invention Patent Help for Inventors is a unique approach to working with inventors. Invent-Tech’s proprietary invention licensing approach is so unique, innovative and effective, that they have recently applied for utility patent protection themselves. Using this proven new methodology, Invent-Tech, in association with their patent attorneys and licensing subsidiary, has secured more than 100 licensing agreements for individual inventors from manufacturers and marketing companies. It's only available from Invent-Tech, and this method represents a tremendous shift in the status quo throughout the entire invention development industry. Check it out.


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Getting things done

I listened to the Merlin Mann discussions with David Allen about procrastination and GTD this morning. Interesting stuff with a nice pace. David Allen sure knows his stuff and Merlin Mann does a good job as an interviewer.

Waiting for more info about the GTD app forthcoming from the Omni Group.

Increase your HGH

HGH has been in the news quite a bit lately since it became popular among professional baseball players as an alternative to performance enhancing drugs which could be detected by testing. HGH is pretty expensive and you can't get it legally, but Sytropin HGH is actually a legal supplement which can improve the body's ability to produce natural human growth hormone. It comes with a 90 day guarantee and doesn't require a prescription. You may not grow new hair or get really muscular, but it could improve your overall well-being.


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Thursday, October 12, 2006

Red iPod nano

That red iPod nano looks nice. I didn't catch the Oprah intro though and I guess this guy Bono has some clout if he can make stuff like this happen.


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Like to play with dolls?

Virtual Dolls are great -- you can design your own, pick out clothes and accessories, and use them in chat rooms or in doll competitions. Dress Up Games and Dollmakers are the name of the game at The Doll Palace, an online meeting place for all things related to virtual dolls and avatars. They've got tools for making your custom dolls like the Hippie Dollmaker, the Mermaid doll maker, and the Emo Dolls and Avatars Maker. Each tool is browser-based and uses an easy to use drag and drop interface. Pick a body, then add props, costumes, hair styles, gloves, hats, tools and more. In no time you will have a custom virtual doll ready to represent you in online chats, on MySpace or to participate in various contests. Right now, with Halloween just around the corner, you can create a Halloween doll and enter the Halloween Pumpkin Contest. The Doll Palace is a fun site where you can get creative quickly and easily. Everything is easy to use, but if you get stuck, visit the chat room and ask for some help. The site is very popular, with more than 2 million doll people signed up and lots of activity. More than 25 million dolls have been made! If they could vote, they could swing the California election for governor.


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Merlin Mann's GTD podcasts

Merlin Mann has the first two of his podcast series with Getting Things Done guru David Allen available on 43 folders. I'll be listening to those on the way to work tomorrow.


Swiss blogger with Guy Kawasaki podcast

The start-up and Innovationsszene blog visited Silicon Valley recently and interviewed Guy Kawasaki for his podcast. Guy is a recent blogger and is famous for his work at Apple and for his many books including the Art of the Start, and his speeches. He is a great speaker and has certainly mastered the art of conversation, plus he's the start-up guru as well as a great motivator as you will discover in the podcast. You'll also learn that Guy has been to Switzerland where he went skiing and made a deal. The podcast covers entrepreneurship, laying people off at Apple (not me), and some highlights of Guy's life, the Mac, and whether or not he would go back to work at Apple for Steve Jobs for a million dollars a year (only with a million dollar bonus). The podcast is about 12 minutes long. Check out Podcast: #7 with Guy Kawasaki. It's an interesting interview.






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HDR images

Backing Winds (not Breaking Winds), a blog about photography and some other stuff with great taste (same theme as this blog), has a detailed intro to making your own Professional HDR Image using Photoshop. It's a pretty cool technique. I need to try it when I have some time to go out with my tripod.

Find an activity partner

Are you one of those people who longs to hike the great outdoors or kayak down a river or climb a mountain or just play dominoes with some friends but doesn't have the friend or friends necessary to do it? Lifeknot may be just what you need. Visit their site, sign up, state your interests and preferences and you will be matched up with people who'd like to be doing the same stuff as you, but who need a buddy just like you do. It could be a great way to make some new friends and to get going with some activities you've always wanted to do but just haven't gotten around to doing for lack of a partner.



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Mets win

I was a Mets fan as a child. I lived in New Jersey and my family started rooting for the Mets when they became a team in 1962. Most of my childhood, the Yankees were terrible, but the Mets were worse, except in 1969 when they magically won the World Series.


I haven't really been a Mets fan since I left New Jersey years ago, but I'm glad to see them doing well again. Beating the Cardinals would be great, but playing the A's in the World Series would be the ultimate, although a long shot at this point for the A's.



Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Glenwood Springs Colorado

Glenwood Springs is in Colorado and they have a unique method of promoting their town as a tourist destination. Sure, you can go online and see photos and learn about what's going on in Glenwood Springs, but you can do that at their community weblog for Glenwood Springs residents and visitors. They've got a Flickr Photo feed and a pretty active blog going back to September 2005. You can contribute to the site in three ways -- add a comment, write an article or become an editor.

Glenwood Springs is a great place to visit anytime, but USA Today included the town among the top ten great places to visit in the fall. With lots of fall colors, it's a great place for photography, hiking or just hanging around. The town has an interesting history going back to 1879. With great places to stay like the Glenwood Canyon Resort, located in the Rocky mountains right on the Colorado River, Glenwood has lots to offer the visitor. Hiking, rafting, mountain biking, skiing, fishing and more are right there.


Check out the Roaring Fork Wiki for another perspective on this part of Colorado. You can learn more about the tourism possibilities in Glenwood Canyon and surrounding areas.




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A's lose again

I heard part of the A's - Tigers game on the radio and the A's were ahead for a little while, but their pitching didn't hold up and they ended up losing 8-5. Too many home runs for the Tigers. With the series going back to Detroit for 3 games, the A's will have to win 2 out of 3, which could be tough. I think I'd like my chances if I was Detroit at this point. What an amazing turnaround they have made after nosediving at the end of the regular season. I'm not sure what happened, but they are not the same team that ended the season losing three in a row to Kansas City.


Women's Marketing Virtual Summit

For women business owners, or even potential women business owners, the upcoming Women’s Marketing Telesummit 2006 from October 18th to 20th promises to be a great chance to learn effective but low-cost methods for marketing your business. The event will include live roundtable discussions with marketing and business experts who will help participants learn to use various marketing techniques like podcasting, direct mail and easy-to-produce information products to promote their business, how to price for profit, create multiple passive streams of income, and how to set up a high-impact, sales-generating business website at low cost.

The Women's Marketing Telesummit happens via teleconference so you won't have to travel to participate. A ticket costs $145 or 75 British pounds. Just call in, sit back and listen and learn. There is a long list of women in marketing and business ready to share their expertise and experiences with you. You'll also get access to a learning archive including audio recordings and written transcripts of the sessions, so you won't miss out on anything and you'll have material to go back to as needed. Satisfaction is guaranteed -- if you don't get one "breakthrough idea" from the telesummit, you can get a 100% refund. You can't beat that -- no risk. And sometimes just one great idea is all you need to really make a change in what you are doing and take off.



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