Sorry for the short hiatus, but we just got back from a week-long trip to Disney World. I’m sure that we’ll be posting more about the trip once we get settled back into the “real world”.
October 16, 2006
October 5, 2006
Audio interview, Controversy, $3 Mil
PayPerPost, which does blog advertising, just announced that is received $3 million of outside capital funding. That has renewed the talk about the controversy about is paying for a post an ethical thing to do. TalkCrunch did a full phone interview about this that you can listen to on the web.
I have to say, that when I first heard about PayPerPost I thought it was crazy. I didn’t know why anyone would want to do it, why anyone would lower themselves to write a blog and get paid for it. But, here I am, happily searching for blog opportunities that fit for me.
That’s really the key thing – blog opportunities that fit for me. I’m not going to write about a frat-boy videos. That’s not me and so it would be lowering me to do that. It wouldn’t be ethical for me to write about that. But I am going to write about Internet phone service and digital cameras – I would do that anyway because those are things I use or am thinking about using.
More than just what you write about, you can also be ethical in how your write. Do I write about an Internet phone service company and say how great they are when I really don’t know. No. But if it’s a PayPerPost about a website about Internet phone service, then I look at the site (really search around and read), and share what I find.
The last big controversial issue is whether or not to disclose when a post is generating revenue. I think it really could be done – as long as companies are ready to get real and unbiased reviews from the bloggers.
P.S. PayPerPost want bloggers to share their true views about this… and they are paying for bloggers like me to share my thoughts. That’s how it works.
Working Through The Pantry
It’s time. It’s time to stop buying more pasta and work through the crazy shapes of noodles we already have in our pantry. Canned soup bought and forgotten. Cake mixes. Tapioca pudding. It’s amazing how much is in our little pantry closet. Our food bill has gone down so much now that we are buying mostly just perishable staples like milk, cheese, and eggs. It’s been great for our Visa bill, too.
Disney, Here We Come!
Very shortly our family will be making our big trip to Walt Disney World in Florida. There will actually be 4 households all meeting up there. We are all very excited… though right now we are mostly focused on packing and getting everything settled before we leave our homes. Personally, I am thrilled that it worked out that we’ll be staying what was my first choice in hotel locations: Coronado Springs, a Disney Resort on property. Coronado had a great pool, playground, and an exercise gym (a bonus since I joined a gym early this summer and would really miss going over our trip). I’m a little worried that we’ll end up farther away from the main pool than we want, but the walking will be good too. The pictures we’ve seem online look beautiful. OK, I could go on and on….Interestingly, this will be our second Florida Holidays vacation. Our first was exactly 15 years ago for our honeymoon.
If you haven’t been but are thinking about it, the first thing to do is to visit Disney’s website and order the free DVD. (BTW – The cd-rom that comes with it is new and it seems to be still being developed. Your version might have more on it than ours did, so do check it out. It has great potential.) Then, while you wait for the DVD to arrive, search around the website to see videos of the resorts, get prices, etc.
If you decide to go, have fun and let us know how your trip was!
Advil every 5-6 hours
Ohhhhh deeeeeear. I have a tooth ache. It needed a filling about a week and a half ago and the trauma of getting the filling has left the root very upset. The technical name is Pulpitis. Basically the root is inflamed with now where to go. Advil every 5-6 hours has been my friend while we’ve waited to see if the Pulpitis would go away on its own. It hasn’t. I go in tomorrow to see what can be done. In the meantime, I’m over due for Advil. Tooth aches are the pits.
New Wine Retailer on Web – Clean Site Design
There is a new wine retailer on the web. JJ Buckley Fine Wines is out of California. The site is very well done, very easy to navigate, and very clean. Actually it’s almost too clean! I wish I could see the actual bottles of wine that are being offered. Many wines have good descriptions which are helpful, though. You can sort by the basic color or class (red, white, sweet/dessert, sparkling/Champagne), where the wine is from, wine varietal, and cost. The cost ranges are from under $25 to over $200 with many brackets in between, so the wide range of prices is nice. 
~200 pieces of trash
Yesterday as I walked home from taking our child to school, I decided it had been too many days since I had picked up trash. At least a week or more. About half way in the 1 mile trip, I figured I had about 50 pieces of trash already. I decided to count and see if I would get another 50 before I got home. Well, I got 50, then 100, then exactly 150. That plus the 50 or so that I didn’t count meant that there were over 200 pieces of trash between home and the school (I didn’t pick up everything). Some were large, some were small, but the full bag weighed in at between 3.5 and 4 pounds.
October 2, 2006
Capturing any VGA image via USB
Have you ever needed to capture images from our VGA enabled computer or device? If so then you really need to check out the VGA2USB capture device. The really cool thing about the product, besides it compact size is that you can capture the images from any VGA device. If you read the VGA2USB Technical Specifications you’ll notice that it captures the VGA output not only from Mac OSX, Windows and Unix computers but also medical devices, PDAs, lab equipment, really anything that puts out a VGA signal.
Because it is capturing a lot of data it does require a USB2 connection, but that is basically a standard connection these days. It supports capture video from 640 x 480 all the way up to 2048 x 1536. Obviously the higher the resolution the slower the frame rate of capture. The unit ships with all of the connectors, splitters and changers needed to hook the unit up to any device. So if you need an external device to capture VGA signals and looking for a compact solution then check out the VGA2USB product from Epiphan Systems.
Zen
There appears to be a really cool consumer product from Spotwave Wireless called ZEN. When released (supposedly later this year), this product will be a relatively lost cost/easy installation product for the home. The MSRP is going to be $399. The nice thing about this product (assuming it lives up to the hype) is that it does not require external installation and it uses less power.
Here is some the marketing about the product:
ZEN is the only network-protecting, intelligent coverage system available for the consumer market. It uses patented technology from Spotwave’s commercial-grade products to constantly monitor indoor signal strength – preventing oscillation (radio network feedback) and interference while ensuring the best signal possible for users. While “dumb” boosters and traditional repeater products can create interference that reduces user performance and can degrade network capacity, ZEN’s intelligent power management actually preserves – and can even enhance the performance of PCS networks. It also emits very low power to cell phones and other wireless devices, extending your battery life while it improves your signal…
- Out-of-box solution – simple to install
- Sleek design blends into any decor
- Supports 1900 Mhz band (PCS)
- Enhances both voice and data coverage (CDMA, GSM, EVDO, UMTS)
- Works with most wireless carriers
- Patented network-protecting technology
Trivia, who knew?
Trivia can be such fun. While surfing today I ran across a really neat blog with some fantastic trivia. For example did you know that in the 1600’s there was a lady named Charlotte de Berry who became a pirate. Or how about the fact that the “chariot, or horse-drawn cart, was invented in Mesopotamia c.2000 B.C.”
One of the great things about the site is that it covers a really wide range of topics, and it often goes into detail about the topics. Unlike some other sites which only list brief facts, the Aviva Trivia Blog really dives in on some topics and gives you a lot more. So if you are really into trivia and I have some friends who defiantly are, then you must take a look at the Aviva Trivia Blog daily for the some really interesting trivia. 
Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down, and the Jury is still out
Just a quick review of the new TV shows this season. After two episodes here are my quick picks. A thumbs up for Studio 60 (NBC) – Aaron Sorkin enough said. Thumbs down for Smith (CBS). I tried to like it I really did, but still it is a now go. And while Shark (CBS) has been good so far, we’ll have to see what the jury says after a couple more episodes. Now back to your regularly scheduled program.
Home Improvement Wish List
If all our money wasn’t now at the banks of Disney World or our auto repair shops, then we’d probably have new carpets by now. We really need them. Really! The 2 adults, 2 kids, 2 cats, and 13 years have taken their toll. Other home improvement wishes would include new couches and comfortable chairs for the living room and family room. A deck with a screen to keep out the bugs would be great too. But then we’d need nice deck chairs and a table… and maybe a new grill. Someday… 
Travel Tip – Resealable Mesh or Plastic Bags
If packing suitcases for anything longer than a 4-day trip:
pack outfits or clothes of one type in mesh bags or use Zip-locks or simlar resealable bags.
For kids, pack whole outfits in a bag (top, bottom, underclothes/diaper, socks, accessories). Depending on the size of the bag and the season (summer clothes are smaller), you may be able to fit 2, 3, or more outfits rolled up separately in a bag. Remember, plastic bags can be a suffocation hazzard! Mesh bags are safer for kids.
For adults, if you use plastic bags (cheaper and easier to see contents, though not as cool) you’ll need at least 1-gallon sized bags, but 2-gallon bags can be even more useful. Pack all your undershirts in one. All your socks in another. Etc.
Later when you are searching for things, you can pull out a bag, get what you need, and put it back in the suitcase without having to reorganize everything.
September 28, 2006
PayPerPost takes over the Today Show
In a move right out of the Guerilla Marketing handbook, PayPerPost.com scores some awesome TV cover on the Today show.
Unknown to the Today show staff the PPP team provided tee shirts and signs to the people waiting in line to be on the Today show. The signs were an awesome design that allowed the guests to write their own messages while still showing the PPP logo and name. I don’t know who came up with the idea, but it was a great way to build brand recognition, as well as get “free” airtime on a major TV network. The guys and girls behind PayPerPost continue to amaze me at the way they are tackling this entire marketplace. Way to guys, keep it up.
For some behind the scenes video be sure and check out the PPP blog at blog.payperpost.com 
New way to fight spam
We’ve begun to see a rise in spam getting past our filters both here at work as well as at home. This new spam is basically and embedded picture with nonsense text to fool the Bayes filters. A new way to beat this is currently be developed. If you are using SpamAssassin (the best open source solution in my opinion) then you need to check out the FuzzyOCR plugin. This plugin will use OCR technology to scan the image for text and will mark it is spam. Additionally it store this information so that in the future it will not need to expend the resources to rescan. It is also set to run last, and only if the message has not already been tagged as spam. It is working well in our test.
September 27, 2006
In Car Entertainment from the UK
We’re thinking about a new stereo system for one of our cars. It has no CD player at all, and the speakers rattle and grate. It’s surprisingly bad, actually. Most music listened to in that car is done via an iPod. But now that we are thinking about in car audio systems, a stereo with a CD player would be wonderful. We were just checking out new systems on a UK site: Dixons. Its in-car-entertainment site is completely on-line now. They have many brands to choose from: Panasonic, Sony, Pioneer, and more. If you want to buy from the UK or just check out what’s available, there is a lot to find here.
I love my gym
Three months ago I joined a gym. Never thought I would, but since having our second child I just haven’t been able to exercise. I used to love going to our community’s exercise room. It was small, had no classes, and there was zero available staff beyond the person at the sign-in desk, but it was already paid for as part of our community fees. But what I needed was childcare. I found that in a gym that opened near our house two years ago. I try to go three times a week. I should do more, but I am also walking our elementary schooler to school most days so I get more exercise during the week with that. And between the walking and exercise classes I do take, there just isn’t time for anything more. But, I love my gym. Even though I don’t weigh any less, I know that I am stronger, I sit straighter and taller, and I feel good about myself.
Funny Stuff – Zits, Sherman’s Lagoon – 11 books each!
OK. Two of my favorite comic strips each came out with their 11th book compilation of strips respectively. Weird coincidence, yes, but the frustrating thing is that I didn’t know about their first 10. Just saw the reviews of both books on the smartly-named SeriousComedySite.com. Read the reviews on the comedy site, but here’s a bit about each strip…
Zits is an amazing cartoon delving into the life of a teenager and his two middle age parents. The concepts are fresh, the writing is on point, and the drawing shows the imaginative genius of Jerry Scott and Jim Bergman. I am not trying to flatter anyone. I and my 4-year art degree are continually floored by the visual perspectives, the visual freedom, that is used to convey the storyline. The writer and parent in me also love how smart it is. Oh, and it makes me laugh.
Sherman’s Lagoon is also amazingly funny. The humor is less intellectual, but down right hilarious. Sherman the shark and his friends and family are a great group to watch each week. Jim Toomey must be having a great time.
So turn off Comedy Central and check out these strips in the Sunday paper, in the books, in the reviews. And laugh.
September 26, 2006
Killian’s, Oxford, Sierra Nevada
As I type, I am treating myself to a beer – yes, just one. I have alcohol very rarely, but the idea of it seemed to go well with the leftover chili I was having and the good TV show I was watching (Studio 60… more on that in another post, I’m sure!). I don’t like most beers. Killian’s Red is one that I do like. I also had a Baltimore-made beer, Oxford Raspberry (Oxford beers are now brewed by Clipper City), that a friend recommended. It was excellent. This one I’m enjoying now is also quite good: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. If you don’t usually like beer, but want to have a few you can enjoy, try these. But be responsible – even conservatively responsible. Only if of age. Just one at a time please. And try them at your own house where you don’t need to get in a car in order to get home.
September 24, 2006
Why Blog? To vent, preach, and make a buck now and then
One of the fun things about blogging, besides being able to vent when I need to and preach when I feel so called, is being paid now and then for writing a post. PayPerPost.com connects bloggers with companies that want to get word out about their website and what they have to offer. They want to advertise on blogs; we want to write blogs. PayPerPost brings it all together. PayPerPost even has their own blog where you can read fun profiles of other bloggers and link to individual websites. It’s worth checking out. 
