Ton O' Stuff

My Transmission Blew Up

2011-05-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

So my transmission just blew up on my car two days ago. It was Friday after work and I was in rush hour like everyone else, and all of sudden my Honda Civic packed wouldn't accelerate past 1st gear. I noticed this when the traffic finally started going again. The engine just revved up and there was no shifting forward. DAMN! I had all these plans for the weekend and very little cash to get through - I ended up spending all my extra money on a tow-truck!

Even worse than that, when I got my car into the shop they told me the transmission was wrecked and that it was going to cost me just under $900 dollars to fix it. I don't have any extra money to spend on car repairs (or anything else for that matter).

I couldn't talk my parents or my brother into lending me the money (first time) so I had to get a loan with some lousy loan shark with a massive interest rate. I mean I did find a company that is online based and fast, but the rates are basically like a payday loan company. They are giving me 3 months to pay them back which is good I suppose - I actually found the this company doing a Google search for 10000 dollar installment loans. Some company called Lazerloan.com was the one that was #1, yet they don't actually give the loans out. They're just a go-between or middle-man deal from what I can tell.

Anyway, I will my piece of crap car back on the road this Tuesday (s0 they tell me). After taxes I'm looking at paying $943.89 as per the estimate on parts and labor. What I drag. And how do you sell a car with ruined transmission? I should just sell it and get something else, or maybe it will work fine for many years to come.

So just crying on your shoulder - money, money, money.......it's a drag.

Getting Installment Loans

2011-05-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

Here are few new blogs that are now covering installment loans - this article is all about understanding what an installment loan is exactly, and what to watch out for.
Here are the blogs I'm talking about;

1.Installment loan blog ONE
2.Installment loan blog TWO

I'm still looking for more loan blogs that are covering installment loans, and I will grow this list as time goes on - thanks for coming by.

Having Trouble Getting a Loan

2011-02-12T08:52:00.001-08:00

Are you having some serious trouble getting a loan? This is nothing new these days, and it looks like it's not going to be anything new for a few years to come, unless the corps start creating allot of good jobs, or the banks just decide to start lending consumers money again.

Here are some perfect examples of real borrowers who need to get some kind of consolidation happening in a hurry;

These three above are in the State of New York and range between 80K, 15K, and 40K.

These 4 above are in NY as well - loans for 30K,3K,25K, and 5k.

These loans are all consolidation as well - these folks are asking for 90k,60k,50k, and 20K.

These are for consolidation due to credit card debt mostly - 45K,15K,70K,10K.

Bizarre to me how many people are so badly overdrawn and messed up with their personal finances. I suppose that high personal debt is an epidemic our American society now.

Need a Payday Loan in Edmonton

2010-11-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

Had a comment on another blog from a borrower in Edmonton who is looking for a payday loan. Actually, that is not usually a problem, and there are very few sites, forums, or blogs online that go into great detail on borrowing and lending Canada. Bucks for Canucks is about the closest site I can find that deals with Canadian lending.

It's not that this company is actually lends money, but at least it's a start. We need a place online to talk about loans in Canada. Especially the larger population areas such as Toronto and British Columbia, and Quebec.

There are many sites online that are in regard to financing and lending, and now there is a new place to go in Canada.

Losing in Chicago - Over $2000 Bucks

2010-09-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

Don't know if you have ever read this little story about some young guys driving to Joliet in hopes of winning big on the craps tables.

If you have never been to the Windy City before, I have a funny story to tell you.

We drove through Bloomington and Champaign on our way there, and we stopped to see some friends in both places. We invited them to come with us and do some gambling at the Casino, but they declined.

After we left our buddies, we had some car trouble near Odell when my fan belt decided to retire. Of course we were very disappointed to have our trip go off the rails like that, and we can all relate with car trouble right, but regardless, we were really excited to be out on the road and away from work.

I should point out, that this short story is a cautionary one, and hopefully others can learn from our mistakes - not that most people ever really change their behaviour because of someone else's mistakes.

It was a bad start to a trip we had been talking about taking for over six months. Between Lorne and I, we had a total of three thousand dollars when we cashed our paychecks in Dongola, and by the time we finished paying for the fan belt, labor, our bar tab, food, and hotel, we were down to just over two thousand dollars.

When we finally arrived at the Casino we weren't exactly as excited as we had anticipated we would be when we were dreaming up the trip in the first place.

Both of us needed to freshen up before we went to the Casino, so we just grabbed our keys for the room and went upstairs to crash. We needed a shower and a chance to clean up before we hit the tables.

It seemed that whenever I got lucky and got dealt two face cards, the dealer would get blackjack. Whenever I split two hands, sometimes 3 or 4 hands, the dealer would get blackjack, 21, or 20 - I thought my bad luck had no boundaries. I thought the dealer's good luck had no boundaries She would smirk when she beat me, and she would frown when I beat her!!

By the end of the day Lorne and I had lost ALL of our money gambling, and Lorne had even gone to the ATM and withdrew another five hundred dollars, leaving us feeling like real losers. Talk about your instant deflation of self-esteem.

We went back to our hotel room, drank a bottle of Vodka, silently watched television, and rarely spoke - except to remind ourselves that we had no gas in the tank of the car.

We finally fell asleep at around four in the morning and when we woke up we were hung over, and broke.

We sat in the car for a minute while Mark scrummaged around looking for a cigarette and a lighter.

It was obviously the only recourse we had left at this point, so we looked in a nearby phone booth directory to find out where all the payday loan shops were in Aurora. We found one that was on our way back south, and looked it up on the map. One that was more well known. Preferably we needed a lender that advertised five hundred dollar loans in just minutes.

So we headed down the highway running on fumes. We were in pretty pathetic shape at the time - you know - young and stupid.

We ended up getting completely lost for awhile, but eventually found a town, and the street that the payday loan shops were on.

When we went to work the next Monday all of our buddies asked us how we did up North in the Casino. We told the truth, which made us the butt of the jokes for the entire week. The whole experience was humiliating and left me feeling like a total fool. Furthermore, we were really broke.

Well there you go - two young punks losing all their money in a hurry.

If you have never spent over $3000 on a wild weekend before, then hang on for a tale of two morons. After we left our buddies, we had some car trouble near Odell when my fan belt broke down. This was a major bummer for sure and put a small damper on our mood, cars never seem to break down at the right time do they, but regardless, can't let a simple mechanical breakdown ruin a perfectly wonderful day.

I should point out, that our subject matter today is not exactly "sharp", if you know what I mean, and wouldn't it be great if other kids who think gambling is fun will reconsider - not that it's really all that big of a deal.

And this is how it was - two young bucks waiting it out in Odell and begrudgingly in a position to lose some of gambling money before we had a chance to gamble. It was not exactly what we had planned for when we were cooking up our trip plans. Between Lorne and I, before we left home we had $3000 dollars in Dongola, when the fat lady was singing and we had paid the car repair shop the fan belt, labor, our bar tab, food, and hotel, we were down to just over $2000 dollars.

When we finally arrived at the Casino we were no longer quite as thrilled as we had envisioned we would be when we were dreaming up the trip from the outset. Furthermore, we were very tired from driving, and we were not very happy about the reality that we had already spent up to one thousand dollars.

We both had to clean ourselves up before we even considered heading to the Casino, so we got our room card(s) and went to lay down for awhile.

Whenever I was lucky enough to get two good cards and got dealt two face cards, the dealer stuck it lucky. If I ever to the risk of splitting my cards, sometimes 3 or 4 hands, the dealer fluked out, 21, or 20. I was totally bemused by the my dealer's good cards She would giggle to herself when she squeezed me out, and appeared to be distraught when I beat her! To add insult to injury, the other players at the table were doing pretty good. There was no question about it - this dealer wanted to see me in tears before the night was over!

By the end of the day Lorne and I had somehow been stupid enough to waste all of our money, and Lorne had made the strategic error of withdrawing yet another 500 dollars, leaving us breathless. It was pathetic to watch us both trying to shrug the whole thing off like it was nothing to worry about, the truth was we were feeling very sheepish about it.If there is ever a time to feel like a goof ball, this is it. We went back to our hotel room, and didn't say a single word to each other - with the exception of the odd fart or burb. I gladly fell asleep close to four and when we woke up we were hung over, and broke.

All that was on my mind was how to get some petrol in the tank so we could put this whole ordeal behind us and get home. Reluctantly, we had to press forward with this idea, so we looked in a nearby phone booth directory to find out where all the mini loan stores were in Rockford. We found an outlet that was close by. We needed a company that claimed to provide $500 loans in just minutes.

We then drove out of the Casino parking lot on our way stopping to share a Mcdonalds Egg McMuffin with our last two dollars.

We were scared that we would run out of gas, praying we would have enough fuel to get us to the loan shop and praying we would have enough fuel to get us to a gas station after we grabbed our $500. We looked silly as silly can get - you know - young and stupid.

We got lost because we were in a daze, but that was OK - we did get ourselves in an area where the paycheck loan companies were on.

After we got home, and in the morning of our first day back at work all of our buddies asked us how we did up North in the Casino. We told the truth, which made us the butt of the jokes for the entire week. What bad joke it was. Furthermore, and as well, I was flat broke for a month.

We try to avoid even reminding ourselves of the complete fiasco, and on top of this, we had to pay a huge APR on the money we borrowed.

Why Do These PDL Companies Flourish in Austin Texas

2010-09-20T10:26:00.001-07:00

I was born and raised in Austin Texas, and I'm grossed out by all of the young and middle aged people crawling to these predatory lending offices downtown. It's really a sad affair when you think about - really!

I have seen so many consumers loose their shirts these days when they use cash advance companies and their loaded APR lending. It seems that no matter what we do, there are always going to be people that are in serious financial turmoil because of something they have done themselves, or something they wish they had never done.

They get so far behind on their bills due to a job loss, bad spending and lack of saving habits, medical bills, divorce - you name it. Sometimes they are just completely ignorant to what budgeting means and how important it is. I wish that these people would all get their act together and stop using these payday loan companies once and for all.

I know I am likely dreaming, because the State and Federal Governing bodies have no intention of every putting an end to the abuse that is being administered by these scummy lenders upon the poor and "under-wealthy" citizens in Austin. Perhaps there will be day when the education standards will increase, and our youth finally learns how important it is to stay financially solvent when they are growing up.

I know that I sound like the two old men in the balcony on the Muppets, and I sound like the old fart who doesn't like the way things are in the new world - but let's face it. It's really a mess when borrowers are borrowing money at APR rates climbing above 500% - when will this stupidity ever end?

Where are the parents that should be explaining to their kids how interest rates work, and what APR stands for? Why do young people these days spend so much more money than they make on a monthly basis? Why do the lawmakers in Washington and in Texas insist on creating a lending environment that takes full advantage of these poor, defenseless borrowers, that don't seem to have any clue in the world.

The good news is that I'm not the only one complaining about these loan sharks. There are many other people that have had enough of these lenders - they're blogging about it now, and they're talking about it. Maybe there will be a day when everyone figures it out, and collectively we put an end to predatory lending in our Cities, Towns, and neighborhoods.

I have listed some other bloggers blogs that are fighting back with some basic information on the subject. Really glad to see they are talking about my hometown as well. They're articles are here;

Of course I know that there is no way that these companies are going to close up shop and disappear overnight. Hopefully it will just be like smoking - slowly over time consumers will wake up and begin fighting back against evil corporations and politicians who are "on the take". It will take many decades before this special brand of abuse is no longer tolerated throughout the Western World.

I would be very happy if the reckoning STARTS in my home town of Austin!!

Kubota Law Tractor Reviews

2009-12-10T15:56:00.000-08:00

Kubota have had the compact range of equipment sewn up for years now with many a new kid on the block trying to steal a march.

There are a number of products that maybe, just maybe, are gaining traction but for me Kubota are still the number one.

I purchased the three cylinder, diesel Kubota B7001 compact second hand and I have to say, just like the ones we hired in, it does everything it says on the tin.

I have just rotovated an area of ground that has been used as a infill for a while so it had it's fair share of stone, brick, some plastic and wood yet the Kubota handled it with ease.

Not only did it rotovate in low third gear without power loss but it managed to deal with a very steep incline (as seen in the picture), although I did have to use the four wheel drive and differential lock to keep good traction.

Whilst the tractor unit itself is no where near new - I bought it from a local dealer but it has been imported from China - it is excellent condition and (touch wood) has several good years life left in it.

On the back I have an Agric ALJ35 98cm wide rotovator which makes easy work of the firm soil and chops it up finely.

A little note of interest if you are planning to hire in a tractor/rotovator combination to prepare a new lawn, clean up a vegetable patch or prepare some newly levelled top soil.

Use low first gear to chop up the ground. This will help to create a workable top to start with. After you have prepared the top surface, changed to third low gear. The extra speed will allow the unit to act like a leveller-grading machine.

Kubota 1100s
Kubota 4030s
Kubota 500 Rtvs
Kubota Accessories
Kubota B2320 Tractors
Kubota B2710s
Kubota B4672a Backhoes
Kubota B6000es
Kubota B7000 Tractors
Kubota B7510 Hsds
Kubota B8200s
Kubota Bh90s
Kubota Bx Cabs
Kubota Bx1800s
Kubota Bx2230 Tractors
Kubota Bx2660 Tractors
Kubota D722s
Kubota Diesel Generators
Kubota Engines
Kubota Front Ptos
Kubota G2460s
Kubota Generators
Kubota L225s
Kubota L245dt Tractors
Kubota L2850s
Kubota L3130s
Kubota L3940 Tractors
Kubota L4400s
Kubota Lawn Mowers
Kubota Light Brackets
Kubota M5700s
Kubota Mini Excavators
Kubota Radiators
Kubota Rtv Heaters
Kubota Seat Armrests
Kubota Super Udts
Kubota T1880s
Kubota Tractor Parts
Kubota M Series Tractors
Kubota V2203 Diesel Engines
Kubota Zd331s
Used Kubota Lawn Mowers
Used Kubota Tractors

Cheap Used Beltone Hearing Aids

2009-11-23T09:54:00.000-08:00

Cheap Beltone hearing aids are not easy to come by these days. You want to make sure that you have a quality hearing aid that won't fall apart on you, are simply stop working. Beltone makes hearing aids for the hearing impaired but they don't make them for cheap - they make high quality aids, but you have to pay for them.

Pricing out Beltone aids I found out quickly that they were only cheap is you bought a used set. Here is some info on the different Beltone aids available on the market today. Whether you buy cheap hearing aids or used hearing aids, I would suggest that you pay a little more in the way of price for the expecation of durability and quality.

Shell Style Hearing Aids by Beltone

Beltone is renown for their high-quality inner circuitry technology, and multi-user designs. You can have your hearing aids invisible so you don't have the aids hanging off your ear(s) making your appearence very natural. These are pricey of course, but if you have the money, it's worth looking at them for purchase.

Beltone InVisa Hearing Aids

The invisa is a completely-in-the-canal hearing aid instrument which is invisible to others. It's called a "hidden hearing aid".

Beltone Petite Plus Hearing Aids

This is a petite hearing aid that is visible but not much at all. High end digital circuitry - custom-made high-performance aids.

Beltone Opera Plus Hearing Aids

Very much like the Petite Plus aids but for a lesser dollar. The circuitry is a little bit different too, and this is very popular with people who have smaller ear canals. Perfect for children, and small women.

Beltone Optima Hearing Aids

These Optima aids are the more normal type which is certainly visible to others, but the price point is much less, and they are very rugged. These are ideal for blocking out background noise as well because of the high-end filtering technology.

One!Mia Beltone Hearing Aids

The One!Mia is a fairly new aids technology that has just a small tube visible entering your ear canal and a very discreet behind-the-ear type aid.

The Edge Beltone Aid

The edge is virtually invisible but is designed for the hard of hearing who have high end, upper end frequency hearing loss. Designed for people who want the normal hearing (natural hearing) for the low end sound, and some amplification of the high end sound.

The Marq Beltone Model

The Marq aids are a VERY popular model for people who are very self concious of their appearence, and have very poor hearing. These are similar in design to the One!Mia aids, but the tube is much thinner and less visible to passers-by. Once again, using high end circuitry and durable materials.

Belone's Touch Model Hearing Aid

The Touch hearing aid is extremely brilliant in design, because of it's ability to use the natural ear canal as part of the solution. The Touch aids use the "anatomy of your ear to provide a more natural sound quality and amplification. These are becoming one of Beltone's most popular hearing aids.

More On Beltone Hearing Aids (used, cheap, inexpensive)

The Beltone web site isn't useful for anything more that research, and not the place to buy their hearing aids. To buy Beltone hearing aids you have to buy from an approved dealer, or store.

Beltone has more than 1300 locations in the United States of America and an exceptional reputation in the hearing aid business. The company has a program called Belcare whereby they provide support for ongoing needs of customers who have purchased a Beltone hearing aid. Beltone hearing ptofessionals are trained to carry out a lifestyle assessment called Personalized Hearing Health Assessment (PHHA) on their customers.

This program helps determine which hearing aid is right for individual hearing needs. Beltone hearing aids are available in 4 categories: basic, quality, advantage and premier. The three-channel Edge model is the least expensive. Beltone's mid-range model is the six-channel Mira. Beltone's state-of-the-art hearing aid is the twelve-channel Oria which has many advanced features. They are renown for their advanced circuitry.

Used Kubota Tractors

2009-11-20T12:19:00.000-08:00

So my latest little passion is the Kubota Tractors you see every time there is some excavating job going on. These machines are beautiful and we were turned on to them when we had our back yard landscaped. Below is some info on these really cool tractors from Kubota.

More Power than Ever Before
Kubota’s higher horsepower M-Series tractors feature added power, more torque and an electronic common rail fuel system for more power, less noise and reduced emissions. The M100X and M110X are powered by a Kubota V3800 engine while on the larger side of the series, the M126X and the M135X feature a new V6108 four-cylinder, high torque engine with a large displacement of 6.1 liters (374 cubic inches). At 118 PTO horsepower, the M135X muscles its way into the larger 110-120 horsepower group of agriculture tractors. The 16F/16R Intelli-Shift transmission features an eight-speed dual-range powershift for 16 gears in forward and reverse, hydraulic shuttle and wet main clutch are standard.

Designed for Optimal Performance
Sleek new design elements add aesthetics and functionality. The new rounded hood and grill design improve operator’s range of vision while the quieter cab keeps interior sound levels down to approximately 72 dBA on M126/135X models and about 73 dBA on the M100X/M110X models. The exhaust pipe exits the hood at the bottom to increase visibility of the front right wheel; it is also tethered to the cab post to restrict vibrations and increase durability.

Other standard design elements includes wide-front tread that provides an overall 70-74 inch tread spacing, making straddling wide windrows in baler applications easier. A float link has been added to the three-point hitch, which provides lateral floatation for the use of wide implements. To provide for a smooth, comfortable ride on the M135X, especially when equipped with a loader, Kubota offers optional front axle hydraulic suspension with a toggle switch to turn the system on-and-off. These features, combined with the standard radial tires on each M-Series model, provide excellent traction and a quiet ride.

Higher Horsepower M-Series Works Smarter, Not Harder
Enhancements on the Kubota M-Series deluxe mid-sized tractors help operators work more efficiently. A new dash-instrumentation includes a central command LCD panel that displays engine information, fuel used per hour, travel direction and gear selection. The Kubota - Electronic Management System (K-EMS) is a new, innovative electronic engine control system. K-EMS includes a computerized governor control dial that maintains engine revolutions per minute (RPM) to the operator’s selection, while two memory settings can be set for low- and high-frequently used speeds.

“When working in a field, the new electronic “Work-Kruise” control, part of the K-EMS system, monitors the engine to maintain a constant speed,” said Williams. “In hilly terrain the “Work-Kruise” ties together with the Field Auto-Mode to optimize field travel speeds – the operator does not have to constantly maintain the throttle, which helps increase field productivity.”

A big part of it was the operator who was running the machine. It was really cool how he moved the machine around and worked the dirt.

I Wish Solar Water Heating Wasn't So expensive

2009-11-18T09:17:00.000-08:00

I really wish the heating my water supply with solar energy was cheaper. It's so damn expensive to do it and I really want to save some money on our monthly bills.

Pop Jerry Music

2009-05-11T18:23:00.001-07:00

Launch of new pop group I like ;-) - the band is called Pop Jerry and that link will get you to their site.

Only one song so far and it's called King Kong Kinda Dude (on Youtube) you can use their blog to see new tunes.

Great stuff so far...

Need a Cell Phone Signal Booster

2009-02-02T11:23:00.000-08:00

I'm looking for a cell phone signal booster because I'm getting really sick of dropping calls and missing calls. If anybody has any suggestions on the best booster kits on the market please leave a comment and point me in the right direction.

Thanks

Robert Gibbs 1st Press Conference with Washington Press Corp.

2009-01-22T11:10:00.000-08:00

First press conference with Robert Gibbs as press secretary for the Obama administration

Did well As he talked about Obama "LIVING ABOVE THE COMPANY STORE"

Pay Per Click Campaign Management Company

2009-01-17T13:28:00.000-08:00

Mark here Karen;

First of all I like the idea of using this for a posting board when our email is on the fritz. Is there a way to make these posts private?

Quick note to us - look into outsourcing our pay per click campaign management with Bonavista Web.

See article I found today on PPC management companies Betty. Please read this through and let me know what you think of these rates.

Bonavista Web
PPC Management Services
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
T2J ON9
PPC Management Rates in USD
403 648 3516

Mark: looks good and I signed us up for a trial period. Just called them at 403 648 3516 (Calgary) Tell you how the campaign goes in a couple of weeks OK. I'll leave a note here.
-K

Flying to Beijing - Shopping for Knock-Offs

2008-11-22T08:51:00.001-08:00

Found an good article all about one shopper’s experience in the Chinese street markets like the Pearl Market and the Silk Market in Beijing, and the street markets in Shanghai.

This shopper tells of the atmosphere and the haggling process in the Chinese knock-off markets. You can almost image yourself there as he and his wife shop for knock-off purses, golf equipment, Swiss watch replicas, etc.

Pathetic Republican Scumbags

2008-05-09T21:26:00.001-07:00

Nice try you pathetic republican scumbags………..

Popular Japanese Mini Trucks

2008-01-15T09:50:00.001-08:00

These Japanese made mini trucks are more popular every year. As long as oil stays up at around 100 dollars a barrel, the Mini vehicle is going to jump every year.

Best Web Site for Atv Loans

2008-01-07T05:36:00.001-08:00

Found this snippet string on ATV loans. I high-lighted the snippets written by different blogs. Nothing seems to make sense really. They got one thing right though. The best web site for ATV loans is the one they referenced.

Spring is already on the minds of consumers and the need for ATVs is goning to be apon business owners and recreational ATV sportests alike. Only problem is some will be looking for an ATV loan to get their new wheels.

Got a laugh from this post I found on ATV loans. I was more interested in the bit about using a secured line of credit for a bad credit ATV loan. If people can’t manage to get their monthly bills sorted out now, they might not want to buy an ATV.

“Trying to find financing for something simple like an ATV loan can be a funny experience. As folks look to buy a new ATV (all terrain vehicle) they may be looking for a line of credit from their local bank, or perhaps an online ATV loan that is secured or not secured. Either way they’re looking at providing some kind of collateral.”

The banks these days are really tightening up their grip on lending, so it’s a tough call for any kind of ATV loan. Including eLoan these days.

There are some sites online that provide ATV loans, but not many. Most ask for your left nut for collateral!

I notice they mention Eloan in there too. With Eloan you’ll need a secured loan. Sorry.

Don't Get Pregnant

2008-01-05T14:08:00.001-08:00

The truth is that some people simply ought not to make babies some people never, others, or just not right now. When my listeners, or Mary, recognize that truth.

As my husband and I approach our second anniversary, we feel we're not emotionally, financially and relationship ready for a child. Therefore we put aside are selfish yearnings for a child and are simply not getting pregnant. Our I think one of the stupidest things parents due to their children is to happen before they are ready, because they simply cannot meet the children's needs.

Just imagine if everyone had to be his ready to have children as they are struck car. The lack of poverty-stricken, abused and neglected children would lessen. In what is more important? Driving a car or raising a child?
When talking with a female caller who didn't bother to marry to make a family with a loving, available father.

Blog themes getting better...

2008-01-03T22:37:00.001-08:00

I’ve been noticing some really cool Wordpress themes coming out these days.

Here is really cool theme used on the Oz Blog Network that I really like. I wish I had started my blog on Wordpress.

Joined The Oz Blog Network

2007-12-21T13:37:00.001-08:00

So I joined the Oz Blog Network the other day for the free autoblogging and rewriting aspects. Very cool, and it actually works as advertised.

Check it out…

Advertising Free Blogs at Ozblogs.net

2007-12-19T10:52:00.001-08:00

There is a free blog service that easy to use with no advertising over at OZ Blogs Net. Blogger and Wordpress, but I want a free blog service that allows my advertising on it.

Usually when you use a free blog service you have their advertising on it, and I wanted to find one that let me make the money from the traffic, but was free to use.

So far so good with OZblogs.net

L-Max Leapster by Leapfrog

2007-12-03T14:28:00.001-08:00

No question that Leapster learning products are a big hit around the world during Christmas (2007). The L-max Leapster is made by Leapfrog and sells for around 75 dollars (usd).

You can check these out for your younger children. Now Leapfrog has released the Clicksmart My First Computer toy, which is also a learning product.

Watstat Site Like Wikipedia

2007-12-02T16:32:00.001-08:00

You can see there are allot of other webmasters who are trying to build their own Wiki sites these days. My favorite Wiki platform is DokuWiki, and there are others using exactly the same software as Wikipedia.

A good example is this site, called Watstat. They use the Wikipedia software platform for their site. Interesting to me anyway.

I think Watstat is supposed to mean “What’s That?” Hmmm…

Getting Air Hockey Table Early

2007-11-13T13:09:00.001-08:00

We couldn’t wait for Christmas, we went and bought an air hockey e table before the Xmas rush. It’s a Sportscraft model.

Air Hockey Table Deals

2007-11-13T13:04:00.001-08:00

Well we went a priced out some Halex air hockey table at the mall today. We’re going start looking online as well. There are some decent prices on air hockey tables online…..we thinks@!

Best Place to Buy Good Cheap Hearing Aids

2007-11-13T12:47:00.001-08:00

Here is a good site for cheap hearing aids. They have the top ten hearing aids lsited and also the best comparison shopping for hearing aids.

WARNING! 3 Day Toontown Trial Download Addiction Worse Than Crack

2007-11-03T12:20:00.001-07:00

The 3 day Toontown Trial Download is like an addiction worse than crack (so I read today)

The kids download the 3 day Toontown trial download last week and it was allot of fun. The kids loved it and so did I. Quite addictive I must say. I now have the kids begging me to subscribe to Disney on a monthly basis.

You can download the 3 day trial for Toontown here. Be careful though. Once the kids get hooked your going to be “on the hook” for a monthly payment if they get it their way. I’ll sign up for a month or two until the kids get bored with it.

Watch out for those nasty “computer screen eyes”, all blurry and bloodshot.

Online Shops Getting Ready For Christmas 2007

2007-10-22T14:50:00.001-07:00

The web marketers of the world are getting ready rake in the bucks over the holiday season of 2007. Looks like ANOTHER record year for merchants who have successfully moved into the ecommerce flood stream.

Shopping web sites are going crazy these days with traffic. Even with the vast amount of new and savvy competition out on the web, solo webmasters and corporations alike, are making more money selling and advertising products online.

Many millions of dollars every year are spent on the web, with online shopping sites and ecommerce stores. However, like most merchants (offline or online), you have to find a better deal by looking further down the street (or down your favorite browser). Also, in our new digital age of online super stores it can be hard to discover where the best deals are hiding. So what should you look for in a shopping site?

First of all, think about what you want when walking up and down the electronic aisles. Are you looking for electronic goods? Possibly the best online deals for books? Or maybe you aren’t sure what you want and are cruising the internet shopping stores for the items that jump out at you.

Just knowing what you want to get out of your time spent shopping online will save you money and time- two things we all love to have but never have enough of. The best advice you can get is SHOP AROUND and find the most reputable site you can find.

Free HyperVRE Templates

2007-10-11T13:47:00.001-07:00

Found this post on Kenny’s site (Money Traffic). He’s always been a big fan Zulit (Terry Zulit).

Story below:

See this free HyperVRE templates page. Clean, crisp template with only a handful of sites using it so far. These free templates are a critical step when using the free HyperVRE site builder.

Most users of this site will be well aware of HyperVRE, what it’s used for, and how to use it. If you have never see this software in action it’s worth downloading for a free test run. I’ll gaurantee you’ve never built a web site this fast.

The Terry Zulit blog has a screenshot of Adsense earnings to show his HyperVRE empire in action. This action would be called making money.

Have fun and prosper!!!!!!!!!!

Kenny

Way Too Drunk To Walk

2007-09-23T16:56:00.001-07:00

Found this video on Drunkation.com. Try, try again. This drunk man is having a really tough time getting up and getting on his way.

You can see the video here…

Read This Plumbing Disaster Story

2007-09-22T22:04:00.001-07:00

This guy screws up bad installing his water softener system. Sounds like a real cluster for sure.

So we replaced all the carpet in our basement suite last month. Looked great and we even re-painted the room. Just in time for my parent’s visit 2 weeks later. I looked at the job with great pride knowing I did it all myself.

All good until I decided I should replace our old water softener system with a brand new water softener system. Our water softener is an ancient old system that was leaking and had chemical damage through the core.

I disconnected the hoses, turned off the water, and got ready to take it apart and chuck it out. All fine. I took great attention to cleaning up all the lines, hoses, connections etc. After I had it all installed I filled it with softener salt, and turned on the taps.

I let my wife know that is was all going fine, and she thanked me with great affection. We went out shopping and went to Canadian Tire for some more household improvement “stuff”. When I went walking past the hard-ware aisle, and passed by some water hoses. I gasped, and ran back to my wife in the gardening section.

We got home as soon as we could. I ran downstairs and the damage was done. There was water everywhere. The spare room was COMPLETELY flooded and the new carpet was under water. The water softener was bone dry and the floor was soaked. What a huge MESS!!!

Took two weeks to dry everything, but the carpet is pretty well ruined. Lesson learned and a price of an education.

Is Toppik Hair Treatment a Scam

2007-09-17T20:27:00.001-07:00

There seems to be dozens of new hair loss scams on the market every year. Online and offline. There has been allot of buzz about Toppik hair loss treatments, and if they really work or not. Zulit.com has been the looking into this, and this the post on the question of Toppik Hair Loss Scams.

Cheap Tactical Fighting Knives

2007-09-16T16:27:00.001-07:00

City folk from all walks of life are turning in droves to the latest high tech survival knife designs. Compact and easily concealed, ergonomically shaped, offering a simple one-hand flick to instantly reveal a potentially lethal blade, the new breed of pocket knives deliver lethal potentials to whomever ends up on the wrong side of the handle.

Brands And Prices
Most of the major brands produce designs in the tactical pocket knife segment, producing annual sales of over $1 billion. Entry knives in this segment can cost $20 whereas some brands are priced at $140 or more. Major manufacturers and their online or bricks-and-mortar distributors include Leatherman, Case, Cold Steel, Buck, Benchmade, Masters Of Defense and others.

Legal Issues - Virtually Unregulated
State and city laws remain uneven, so the expanding market for tactical pocket knives will continue to be de facto unregulated. Individual cities like Atlanta have a 2 inch blade legal limit, but that hasn't prevented "legally permitted" tactical knives to become the weapon-of-choices in well publicized homicide investigations.

When Does A Tactical Knife Become An Outlawed Weapon Like Switchblades?
Like knife designs, supporting laws are complex and define restrictions yet offer opportunities for designers to enter "loophole" areas. A ¾ ounce tactical knife requires the tiniest of "manual" movement in order to release its 1 ½ inch perforated blade. A switchblade, even while opening slower than the legal unregulated tactical knives, is narrowly defined in earlier 1950's law as a weapon requiring a trigger-button design element. Push the button and the blade springs to open positions, hence the name switchblade.

Design And Use Origins - Tactical Pocket Knives
No mistaking that the origins of 21st century pocket tactical knives lies in the combat armaments design tradition. Key attributes? Light weight, ease of concealment, blade length with optional serrated edge or perforated finish in order to convey maximum damage.

One Hand Operation
While law enforcement officials view any knife as a crime-in-waiting, people hiking, swimming, boating, making temporary in-field repairs to gear all appreciate ease-of-use. One hand operation for opening and closing allows quick-fix jobs to be completed safely. And, yes, self defense may require that once-in-a-lifetime response need where you're being attacked and you can only use one hand to locate and then engage your tactical knife against some bad guy.

Tactical Pocket Knives - Weight And Length
Ergonomic handle plus blade typically measure 4 inches or less while weighing in at around 6 ounces or less. Blades are offered in steel, light weight titanium, straight edge or serrated edge. There are even plastic assisted opening knives that are easy to conceal, yet offer cutting performance equal to the job of cutting meat or even light wood.

Until either broad based umbrella Federal laws come into effect, tactical pocket knives will have virtually open running room to design and sell all sorts of knock-off miniaturized combat knives parading as in-the-pocket tool and self defense "aids".

Compare performance, different sizes and major brands of combat knives, tactical pocket knives for the outdoor or survival needs you anticipate.

Tactical Fighting Knives @ http://www.wise4living.com/olknives/tactical.htm

Informative Piece On Thinning Hair Solutions

2007-09-15T12:16:00.001-07:00

This is a very informative piece on hair loss and thinning hair prevention. Worth the read for sure.

Article

Hair loss and male-pattern baldness is an affliction suffered by thousands of men, and can be a real source of insecurity and embarrassment for those not ready to lose their hair or shave their head. Even worse, and more devastating are the younger cases where the hair loss process begins long before a man even reaches his thirtieth birthday. So what are your options if you are one of these men, uncontrollably losing your hair before your time?

Well, you can do what many others do – shave your head for the sake of uniformity. Lots of men look great with a shaved head – it just fits their personality and style, and they seem comfortable that way. For those unwilling to give up on their hair, there are hairpieces or plugs, neither of which have been perfected to the point of being undetectable, and both having a societal stigma as being somewhat tacky and undesirable.

The other option, of course, is to try one of the hair loss products that several reputable manufacturers now offer, both in prescription and nonprescription form. While there is still no “magic pill” that can unflinchingly promise every man (and woman) who takes it will re-grow their hair, there are some very promising and effective hair loss products and treatments currently on the market and also in development.

Propecia, Rogaine (Monoxadil), Avacor and Proxiphen are just a few of the top prescription and nonprescription hair loss products on the market today, and they’ve all had varying degrees of success in re-growing their client’s hair. Since the demand for hair loss products is so great, there have been many non-prescription hair loss alternatives recently introduced in an effort to offer men (and women) a more economical and convenient alternative to re-grow hair and prevent further hair loss.

There are also several vitamins that have been specially formulated both for thinning hair and to promote the speedy growth of healthy, shiny hair. Vitamins for thinning hair and faster hair growth and re-growth are usually a varying combination of several key amino acids, biotin, vitamins B6 and E, and zinc. Many who take vitamins of this nature do report thicker, more lustrous and healthy hair, but if your goal is to actually re-grow hair and not just thicken thinning hair, then you would probably want to consider a more serious hair loss supplement or treatment that specifically targets balding and hair loss.

Here's a little tip to help stimulate hair growth – massage the scalp. This is an age-old hairstylist tip to help stimulate the hair follicles, unclog any blocked oil glands in the scalp, and help promote a healthy scalp and new, healthy hair growth. Plus, it’s relaxing and it feels good, so it’s not such a chore!

Hair loss supplements can range from pricey to reasonable, tested and untested, and clinically proven vs. not clinically proven. You have to use good judgment and do a little homework on the internet, or by reading consumer reviews, testimonials and surveys to see what really should work best for your situation. Some even offer money back guarantees or some sort or money back for unused portions.

Now, let’s talk about being proactive in preventing future hair loss. Many times, the underlying cause for premature hair loss and male pattern balding is hereditary, but it can also be brought on by a hormonal imbalance of the male or female hormones, known as androgens and estrogens. Correcting a hormonal imbalance many times can stop hair loss. This example can be seen in women who notice hair loss shortly after they’ve had a baby. The cause for this is a drop in hormones that kept much more hair on the head than normal during pregnancy because the levels of this hormone are unusually high at this time.

Some medications can also cause or aggravate hair loss. Typically these medications are blood thinners, gout medication, chemotherapy medications for cancer, too much vitamin A, birth control pills and antidepressants. Avoid tight or “pulling” hairstyles like high or tight ponytails and cornrows, and also stay away from harsh chemical treatments such as perms and other potentially volatile, damaging hair treatments.

Typical hair loss treatments, prescription and nonprescription, usually take about six months before you can tell they are working, so patience is a must. There is no overnight fix to hair loss unfortunately. As long as you are comfortable with your chosen hair loss remedy, and have planned a preventative and maintenance course of action, that’s really all that matters.

Please comment on this article and let us know if you found it helpful at all.

Visit Herbal Hair Loss Remedies for more information on how you can naturally regrow hair and keep your existing hair. Danna Schneider is the webmaster of Herbal-Therapeutics Effective Herbal Remedies.

OJ Simpson Gets Silii Dork Award

2007-09-14T23:11:00.001-07:00

Pretty pathetic if you ask me, and this post is spot on. This guy is way off balance, and if he really had a soul he stay out of sight in honor of the families who lost Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown.

OJ Simpson surely needs a Silii Dork Award, and here it is. I agree that his ego is way out of control as usual.

How To Choose Rifle Scopes Online

2007-09-13T14:12:00.001-07:00

How To Choose Rifle Scopes Online

The task of choosing a new rifle scope isn't the easiest thing in the whole world. Over the last few years there have been so many new scopes released to the market it can make choosing a new one very, very tough. Each new scope claims to be superior to all other scopes in terms of precision and accuracy. On top of that a good rifle scope doesn't come cheap - many of them are several hundred dollars. Just remember a high price tag does not always equal a high quality scope. There are some simple tips you can follow to avoid being taken for a ride when buying your new scope.

Advertising – Bushnell Elite 4200 6 24x50 30mm Rifle Scope

Always be on the lookout for slick advertising when it comes to making a purchase. That glossy cover photo on the magazine says nothing about the actual product itself. Always read the fine print in the sales material before making any decision. Watch for accurate comparisons when you're reading any scope reviews or scope tests. Just like you can’t compare an apple with an orange and get an accurate comparison you definitely can’t compare a 32mm objective lens scope with a 50mm variable power scope and get an accurate idea of whether one is necessarily better than the other. Look for scopes that are comparably reviewed based on price, objective size, intended use and power range - these are critical factors.

Advertising – Mid-Grade Rifle Scopes

A key item on any scope shopping list should be the warranty itself. Never assume that all warranties are created equal - this is so very far from the truth. Most scopes come with what's called a limited life warranty but make absolutely certain that you know exactly what is covered by this type of warranty in case something does go wrong (which eventually it will). Also check exactly how long the warranty is and whether or not you need to be the original scope owner in order to be covered by the scope warranty itself.

Advertising – Compare Rifle Scopes

It's also worth paying attention to the amount of internal adjustment that a scope can offer. Most people don't think about this until after the purchase and are then disappointed. Also look at the type of rifle you're going to fit the scope to. For example, if your rifle is particularly hard to mount, you may find yourself in a situation in which you don’t have nearly the amount of range that you thought you did. When you’re not able to mount the scope straight on, you lose a lot of range. Look for scopes that provide a wealth of adjustment, preferably at least 60 inches or more.

Advertising – Night Vision Rifle Scopes In The UK

Last but not least don't forget to seriously consider the actual assembly of the scope body itself. Bear in mind that your scope is most likely going to be subjected to rough treatment on a regular basis. Taking the time to take this into consideration now will serve you well and save you money later on.

If you want your rifle to be truly complete then look for tactical rifle scopes online for great deals. You can find more information on rifle scopes and discount rifle scopes @ ScopesGuide dot com.

Silii Dork Award For Chris Crocker

2007-09-12T15:38:00.001-07:00

Chris Crocker makes Yahoo! and now the Silii Dork awards. His last video to make a splash and even make it on the front page of Yahoo! was regarding the Britney Spears 2007 MTV performance disaster.

Watch this video with the sound off because it’s REALLY annoying. My prediction is he’ll make a hollywood career from his Internet video. One more hollywood production I won’t be watching. Probably see a reality show for Chris Tucker as well.

You will find that Chris spends allot of time praising his gay lifestyle, and defending himself against people dislike him. His need for attention is going to manifest attention. The question he’ll have to answer is if he really wants the kind of attention he’s been getting.

Leave Britney Spears Alone– By Chris Crocker

Thieves Taste Justice and It's Funny

2007-09-12T12:10:00.001-07:00

This is a fairly new one in the blogosphere. Just had to laugh myself to tears reading it.

This summer my wife and I went on holidays to Alaska. Took our brand new RV for a test run and all was well. About two weeks into the trip we got a call from our daughter with some bad news. Our house had been broken in to, and we had been robbed. Of course that put a damper on things for a few days, but the police were on it, and we knew our home insurance would cover the loss. The only thing we were sad about was my wife’s engagement ring, and my expensive antique wrist watch collection.

The engagement ring was priceless to us, and the watch collection would be impossible to replace. I asked my son to run down to the pawn shops and take a quick look around to see if he could spot some of my watches or his mom’s engagement ring under glass. He did this, being the good son that he is.

Two days later I got a surprise phone call from my daughter Julie saying that my son Matt had some surprising news. He had been cruising the pawn shops looking for our jewellery, when he actually spotted a young woman wearing an exotic engagement ring similar to his Mom’s (it’s a very special engagement ring, with an extremely setting, and band)

He saw her sitting in a car in front of a local pawn shop. He’s a pretty smooth operator, so he asked her for a light on his cigarette, and started chatting with her. As he was talking to her he took a good look at the ring to make sure he was certain it was my wife’s ring. As he was doing that he looked in the back seat and noticed a bag as well. He assumed the bag was likely to have other hot items in it.

Not knowing what to do he just kept the conversation very short, and thanked her for the light of his cigarette. Just as he was leaving, the girl in the car was waved into the pawn shop by a guy in the doorway. She got up and ran inside. My son, who was by now 40 feet down the sidewalk, doubled back to see if she remembered to lock her door. She didn’t.

Matt opened the car door, quickly opened the bag, and saw various items, and he recognized some of my antique watches in the bag. He especially noticed my display box, and now he knew that was his mother’s engagement ring on the girl’s finger. He grabbed the bag, and ducked away. Then it gets better.

Matt walked back to his car, and drove around the block. He parked again where he could see the car which now had the girl and guy sitting in it having an “animated discussion”. It was obvious that they were distressed about the missing bag of goodies from their back-seat. Eventually they drove away, and Matt followed them.

They drove about 7 miles to the other side of town, and Matt kept his distance. They pulled into a driveway, and got out of the car. They were still arguing loudly, as Matt watched on from down the road. By this time Matt had called a few of his friends to tell him about his adventure. They cooked up a scheme, whereby his friends would back their truck into the thieves driveway like they were just using their driveway to turn around. They would lightly bump into their car, and then be the good citizens and go to their door to let them know of the small fender bender. Sounds clever right.

Within minutes Matt’s three buddies showed up with their beat up pickup truck that one of them used for work. They backed the truck up into the driveway as planned, but they were a little too heavy on the gas pedal. They completely caved in the back-end of the small compact car. The impact made enough noise to bring the unfortunate thieves running out of the house. The guy came first, and the girl came after. The fella was losing it – swearing at the top of his lungs, and at one point said,

“This day couldn’t get any worse!!!!”

Matt’s friends continued to play along with the story, that they were just using their driveway to turn around in. They apologized and asked to trade information for insurance, but for some reason the thieves didn’t want anything to do with the police, or insurance companies.

As the guy thief became very angry, Matt’s friends began to get annoyed with his level of obnoxious noise. They grabbed him, forced him to the ground, took his wallet, his keys, and his cell phone. The girl came after the boys, one of them took her arm and twisted it behind her back. While they had her arm behind her back, they ripped off the engagement ring from her finger taking some skin with it in the process. By the time the boys were done with our unfortunate thieves, they with pretty banged up and upset. They ran back in their house while at the same time screaming out profanities, and threats of revenge.

The boys jumped in the truck, slammed it into reverse, and finished caving in their car a few more times. They drove off and met Matt and our daughter at her apartment. She took all of my watches, and my wife’s engagement ring (after removing the skin from it….yecchhh) and put it back in our house.

Matt, and his two friends went to the ball-game that night and had a great time re-living the exciting events. Laughter was abundant, but I was not happy to hear that they had even approached these unfortunate thieves. A simple license plate number and address would have sufficed.

Anyway, we got our stuff back, and couple of young thieves had a REALLY bad day.

Kenneth Johnson
Calgary, Alberta
Canada

P.S. – the police contacted us a couple of weeks later to let us know that they had no news regarding our stolen property. I told the police that we were not worried about it any longer, and we told the insurance company that our stuff was just cheap and replaceable. We have not recieved a check from them yet.

Siemens Hearing Aids Winner

2007-09-11T10:30:00.001-07:00

Had to get hearing aids for my grandmother a week ago (again). She’s really deaf now, but all the hearing aids she has tried have failed. They have nasty feed-back problems, or they’re just plain uncomfortable.

Last try she tested the Siemens hearing aids, and so far they have been the clear winner. Below is some basic information on Siemens hearing aids.

No two hearing impairments are the same. So a hearing solution can't be one-size-fits-all. Siemens manufactures one in every five of the world's hearing aids. Every aid is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and offers you more choices of function, feature and style.
The chart below shows the levels of Siemens state-of-the-art technology and the products available.

A Design For Every Lifestyle

Micro-CIC™
Completely-in-the-Canal
Fit deeply inside your ear canal.

ITC In-the-Canal
Small enough to fit almost entirely in your ear canal.

ITE In-the-Ear
Made to fit within the external ear.

BTE Behind-the-Ear
Fit snugly behind the ear and are attached to a custom earpierce.

Open Ear Solution
Ultra-thin tubing is virtually invisible.

Ultimate Digital Technology

CENTRA™ CENTRA Active™ New! CENTRA™ Life Dir* ACURIS™

ACURIS™ Life* ARTIS™ with e2e wireless™

Value Digital Technology

ARTIS™ 2 New! ARTIS™ ARTIS™ Life* CIELO™ 2 New! CIELO™ CIELO™ Life*

Basic Digital Technology

INTUIS™ PHOENIX™ PHOENIX™ One

Cosco Wholesale Club Is Branching Out

2007-08-09T08:34:00.001-07:00

First of all, I should state that this Cosco Wholesale Club information came from here. I found this to be an interesting story for sure. Such great success and wealth!

Cosco is now branching out into concept stores……read on.

Cosco Warehouse Club - Concept Stores

Cosco currently operates two other retail formats, a home furnishings concept known as "Cosco Home," and a strictly business operation known as "Cosco Business Center."

There are currently two Cosco Home locations (Washington State & Arizona, both in former HomeBase warehouse stores) with plans for a third on the west coast. Cosco membership is required, and hours of operation are identical to that of regular Cosco warehouses.

There are a handful of Business Centers, all of which offer delivery via a private fleet of trucks. Some locations have a retail selling floor open to Cosco members who wish to shop in person, while others are strictly delivery only.

Wedding Party Wanting Loans

2007-08-03T12:22:00.001-07:00

I had the most unusual email the other day. I had someone ask if we could point them in the direction of a site that gave loans for wedding dresses, in particular a loan for a bridesmaid dress order.

I told them that we didn’t find people loans for wedding dresses, and bridesmaid dresses – that we could help her with a car or motorhome, student loan, car loan, and/or motorcycle loan, but not wedding dresses.

I suggested they use Google and find what they needed there for wedding keywords.

Hmmmm…..what next?

Quick No-Fax Payday Loans

2007-08-03T10:23:00.001-07:00

Here is a little ditty of a piece on the difference between installment loans and Payday loans.

Unlike an installment loans, Payday loans can be had in short order. The fastest payday loan I ever saw was in 25 minutes. from the time the online form was filled out to the delivery of funds in to the borrowers bank account was 25 minutes.

Now that is one fast pay day loan folks. That particular cash advance company went bankrupt in 1998 and never returned. The faster you can get the lender his or her loan the better. The banks and companies that learn speed is of the essence will survive in the future.

People are also falling in to a bad debt predicament faster than ever before. The banks and financial institutions have given the borrower what they want (or think they want) and it has caused our countries families to fall in deep debt faster than ever before.

When you security and financial health are at risk it is not wise to look for a company that gives a pay day loan so fast. If you hesitate before borrowing a some pay day cash then you may think of a better way to come up with a short all in money.

Being the fastest pay day financing company in the west is not a badge of honor as some claim it is. These companies compare themselves to the other fast loan providers in their market and they can't claim much else. There is not alot of service with the different payday loan providers so they have to promise fast transfer of funds in order to nose ahead of them.

So Here is The Definitive Zulit Post on PTN

2007-07-24T20:30:00.001-07:00

This post by Terry Zulit is becoming the Internet’s best article as far as detail and information goes for Pro Travel Network.

Terry is an expert in the field of online marketing and this is his work for Pro Travel Network. You will enjoy this read for sure.

Brent (aka Terry) brings up some invaluable points in regards to getting setup as home-based travel agent. I like the part in particular where he gives you a link from his site to your Pro Travel Network site.

All Health Insurance Agencies Would Have You Believe

2007-07-22T21:13:00.001-07:00

Below is what all health insurance agencies would have you believe. They’re glorified middle-men of the health insurance industry, and if what they all said was true, then the ditty below would ring true.

It doesn’t.

Health insurance premiums are filed with, and regulated by your State’s Department of Insurance. Whether you buy from a local health insurance agency, or directly from the health insurance company, you'll pay the same monthly premium for the same plan.

This means that you get the advantages and convenience of purchasing your health insurance plan through pretty well any health insurance company and know that you're getting the best available deal.

By combining the knowledge of a neighborhood agent with the broad experience and comprehensive understanding of a leading online health insurance source, most health insurance companies are able to offer their customers the following benefits.

Best Prices. Health insurance rates are filed with and regulated by your state's Department of Insurance. Whether you buy from your local agent, or directly from the health insurance company, you'll pay the same monthly premium for the same plan.

Large Selection. Because most health insurance agencies offer plans from multiple insurance companies in your area, they can offer a broad selection of health insurance companies and plans, which allows you find the plan that best fits your needs. In fact, most health insurance companies can provide a quality online source of health insurance for individuals, families and small businesses.

Excellent Customer Care. The licensed health insurance agents and experienced representatives that staff most customer care centers will help you make the most of your money with professional, unbiased advice.

Fast Processing. Most health insurance companies offer the fastest way to apply for health insurance because many of the plans offered on their web sites can be submitted and signed electronically, eliminating the need to manually print and mail applications. This reduces average processing time significantly.

Review Hosting With Host Gator

2007-07-22T13:21:00.001-07:00

I’ve been using Host Gator (and moving old Startlogic and Website Source sites to them too) for all my hosting services.

Why:

1) Host Gator servers are faster.

2) Host Gator customer service is better.

3) Host Gator cron jobs are easier to setup.

4) Host Gator will let me run ANY kind of site I want. (do you understand).

5) Host Gator mysql databases are running smoother.

The list is getting larger too. Logging in is way faster too. Some of these hosting companies sites load like tractors!

I use Host Gator’s unlimited services, to save money multiple sites.

Another Basic Post on Becoming a Travel Agent

2007-07-22T10:45:00.001-07:00

Here is a little ditty all about becoming a travel agent. Will be posting lots on Pro Travel Network in the next few months.

Would you like to eat in quiet little restaurants along the river Thames, or walk down historic streets in Paris? Does travel to destinations like Hong Kong, Hawaii, London, Rome and Spain sound great to you? If that is a dream you have, becoming a travel agent is a super career choice for you.

Becoming a travel agent doesn't have to be expensive and time consuming. Thanks to Pro Travel Network, you can quickly become a travel agent from the privacy of your own home.

Use these invaluable Pro Travel Network resources to launch your career as a world class travel agent.

This educational and entertaining blog and forum will teach you all about the travel industry in general, and the details on beginning your satisfying career as a professional travel agent, all while saving you hours and hours of searching online for information that could be expensive and un-reliable.

Backed by Pro Travel Network, you can rely on the information provided, so becoming a travel agent, is actually allot of fun, and not allot of pain and expense. Our Pro Travel Network team is more than willing to foster your growth, and your rise to financial freedom, and logistical freedom (travel).

Pro Travel Network has a blog and forum now..

2007-07-19T11:28:00.001-07:00

Found this post about the launch of the Pro Travel Network blog and forum. hought you might want to know about this two-man team.

Well there is a Pro Travel Network Forum, and Pro Travel Network blog launching. Brent Truitt, and Anil Anil Ramcharitar are heading up the domain, @ www.ptnfreedom.com.

I’ve personally joined the Pro Travel Network ranks, and will be taking part in their online community. I’ve never been much for MLM businesses, but this is a good gig. Nothing like Amway! Look into it and you’ll see what I mean.

I recommend new-comers actually go to the PTN blog and use the phone number (Anil’s). Give him a call, and he’ll explain the whole PTN business –how it works, how you get paid, and how to join Pro Travel Network through him.

If you are smart, which I assume you are, cause you are reading my blog, you’ll join Anil and Brent, cause their team is going to make allot of money.

I signed up with these guys yesterday…

Love "The Secret"

2007-07-13T11:26:00.001-07:00

Although the secret just scratches the tip of the ice-burg, as far as quantam physics is concerned, it brings people that much closer to seeing the doors of perception.

I’ve watched it many times over, and it should be watched many times over to that you can let the concept sink in. “This stuff works!”

Here is a little story from the Secret Web Site:

Near the end of 2004, Mrs. Byrne was turned on to the secret - the secret unwritten laws and guidelines of the universe. Almost immediately her entire life was transformed, as she started to put into daily practice what she had discovered. It seemed to Rhonda that almost no-one knew the things that she had discovered, even though the concepts could be found in almost every religion and field of human endeavour throughout history. And in that moment her greatest wish, and mission, was to share this knowledge with the world.

Rhonda began to see that her entire life - everything she had ever done - had been silently and consistently gravitating her toward the ideal place. She had to make her dreams come true, and to live it large. She had gone from working as a producer at the Nine Network in Melbourne, Australia, to starting her own television production company, Prime Time Productions, in 1994. And after ten years of creating internationally successful shows such as 'The World's Greatest Commercials', 'Great Escapes', 'Marry Me', and 'Sensing Murder', Rhonda was ready for something new.

She wanted to take Prime Time Productions in a different direction; in a direction that fulfilled people rather than just entertained them. And on that spring day in 2004, when a small, old book called The Science of Getting Rich was put into her hands, and Rhonda's whole life suddenly pulled into spectacular focus, she knew exactly what her mission was to become. She was going to take this knowledge to the world. She was going to make a movie to carry joy to every corner of the Earth. And so the great journey that was The Secret began.

In early 2005, when The Secret was simply a name and a vision, Prime Time Productions was made up of Rhonda, Producer Paul Harrington, and Director Drew Heriot. Paul, who had worked with Rhonda at Prime Time Productions virtually since its beginning, and Drew, who had directed several projects for the company as well, became, with Rhonda, the foundation for The Secret team.

For eight weeks Rhonda intensively taught everything she had learned to Paul and Drew. In two short months she had studied the great leaders from the past, read hundreds of books, and amassed countless hours of research. Previous to what Rhonda had thought, she discovered there were people out there alive who were aware of this information. Actually, there were lots of them, and they were some of the world's greatest living scientists, philosophers, and authors. In every part of the world, different fragments of The Secret were being offered, to anyone that would listen. All that was needed was to pull all of the pieces together...

One of Rhonda's initial intentions for the creation of the show was that Prime Time Productions would use The Secret to make The Secret... that it would be an effortless, joyful journey as they attracted everything and everyone that was needed to fulfil the vision. And right when the company was ready to begin production, as if by magic, the perfect people to make The Secret began to appear.

Suddenly the office was filled with people, all working to complete the most ambitious project any of them had ever worked on. And without fail, every person required on the team, materialized exactly when they were needed: Glenda Bell, Production Manager extraordinaire, Marc Goldenfein, a talented young Producer and Director, genius editors Damien Corboy and Daniel Kerr, extraordinary graphic artists James Armstrong, Shamus Hoare, Andy Lewis, and Nic George, post production co-ordinator Emma Franz, the youthful and eager production assistants Skye Byrne and Leni Mex, and literally hundreds of others. And without exception, every single person was taught The Secret, and together worked in total joy as they worked for the joy of billions.

I great piece to be sure and this can help you transform your life forever.

Great Ideas for Traveling With Your Pets on an RV

2007-07-11T11:00:00.001-07:00

Found this great post on how to travel with your pet in your RV. We have traveled a fair amount with our dogs. Having them on the road with you has many challenges, and it’s good to be ORGANIZED.

Here is the list of ideas below:

Take a pet first aid kit and know what dosages of medication to give your pets.

Take your veterinarian's regular phone number and emergency phone numbers with you.

Get the phone number for a local veterinarian when you arrive at your destination.

Don't forget to take the brand of pet food your pet is used to and take a food and water travel bowl.

Take a walking leash.

Your pet's collar should include identification along with basic information such as your name, address and a cell phone number. You can even include an e-mail address.

Take a harness, tie out anchor and a leash or chain. Give your pet plenty of room to move, but be cautious of traffic and obstacles that they can get hung or caught on. We use portable exercise pens.

Take grooming tools, pet toys and treats.

Take extra cat litter and the cat box.

Take some plastic bags for pet clean up.

Take your pet's favorite bedding or crate.

Take some old towels just in case you need them.

First and foremost always keep in mind that an RV gets extremely hot and / or cold inside depending on the outside temperature. Always make sure there is some type of ventilation and / or heat and air available when pets are left in the RV.

Never leave your pets in an RV for long periods of time without somebody checking on them periodically. If you will be away from your pets and the RV for an extended period of time leave a key with someone you can trust to check on the pets and in case of an emergency.

Always have fresh water available for your pets. You never know the quality of the drinking water when you are traveling so it's a good idea to take a container of water from your home that your pets are accustomed to, or use bottled water.
Pets should always travel in a pet carrier or crate for their personal safety.

Get a current health certificate from your veterinarian before traveling.

Always take the pets medical records along with you.

Take a recent color photograph of your pets with you in the event that they should get lost.

Update all vaccinations before leaving on your trip.

Take a proof of rabies vaccination.

Take flea, tick, and heart worm medications.

Traveling can be stressful on pets especially if they are not used to it. When your pet is away from home and off of their regular schedule it can affect their health. Perform a daily health check on your pet. Look for anything out of the ordinary.
Stop often when you're traveling and allow your pets to exercise and to relieve themselves.

When making campground reservations be sure and ask about pets. Some campgrounds offer kennels and boarding for pets. If your travel plans include day trips or extended travel away from the campsite inquire about these services.

Source of checklist

Weird Video of Dogs Playing in an RV

To Be -- or not be -- a Home Based Travel Agent

2007-07-09T11:38:00.001-07:00

Well, I found this post over at my wife’s blog. (seems we learn more about each other by reading our blogs!) She is thinking about joining the Pro Travel Network, and becoming a home-based travel agent.

She is right though, the cost is less than the old-school travel agent training, and this way she can build a down-line as well. It will take some work for sure.

Her Post….shhhh!

Well, I’ve decided I want to become a travel agent. Been looking online for the training and what-have-you.

I’ve seen various sites offering training, and they all vary depending on what you want to do. I’m looking Pro Travel Network, because they allow me to get my training quickly with a couple of conference calls, and some online training.

They also have a multi-level marketing aspect to their services as well. I can work from home as well, and get all the perks that come with being a travel agent.

It costs $400 bucks to join, and a $100 dollar annual fee, but that is allot cheaper than taking some older style, formal travel agent training. I still get an IATA card too, and all the rights and benefits that travel agents get.

I can book flights, hotels, and cruises for myself, my family, friends, or who ever. I can make commissions on all travel I book for these folks. I also get three trips a year for under $200 for a week!

I’ll see if this looks good after some more investigation.

Rivers and Roads of Mexico

2007-07-08T12:52:00.001-07:00

A little bit on Mexico rivers and Roads

Apart from in some southern areas, Mexico’s rivers are mostly unnavigable. (“can’t get there from here”)

Throughout the colonial period, the road from Mexico City to Veracruz served as the umbilical cord between the New World and Spain: during the 16th century land links were also opened to the agriculturally rich Bajfo region north of Mexico City and on to the mining district of Zacatecas.

But when new mines were discovered in what is now southern Chihuahua, attempts to colonize New Mexico failed. It took more than a year to make the 2,600 km round trip from Zacatecas to New Mexico, and neither Spain, nor Mexico had the resources to integrate the great northern reaches which the conquis tadores had claimed as theirs.

When the time came, Anglo-Americans fought the Mexicans and took over what was then northern Mexico.

During the Diaz dictatorship, foreign capital poured in and helped finance the building of roads and railroads to the north and develop un-tapped natural resources.

It then became economically worthwhile for North American companies to begin hulk ore mining. Foreign capital also financed the exploration for oil. By the 1930’s, when the government expropriated the Mexican oil industry, a basic communications system was in place.

Travelling Down The Road In Mexico

Converting Blogs Into eBooks For Sale?

2007-06-22T22:58:00.001-07:00

Ever thought of earning money from your blog by participating in e-Commerce selling digital products? The product may be an e-Book (a PDF version of your blog for example) or digital versions of your songs or music, a movie (video), digital art, software, manuals or anything that you can download. If you have any intention of doing this, PayLoadz can help you. Signing up for an account to sell

[Read more here Dummies' Guide to Blogger]

Britain's Got Talent Highlight

2007-06-22T22:27:00.001-07:00

Britain’s got talent has an amazing talent. Even Simon is impressed.

The Peanut Butter Lawsuit

2007-06-17T23:45:00.001-07:00

This is a twisted, and sad case, that’s in the news these days. Some people have been getting quite sick from a particular brand of peanut butter. Lawsuits are pending apparently.

Story…

When Krystina Brugh fell ill in January, her parents thought it was the stomach flu. They fed her crackers and her favorite sandwich, peanut butter and marshmallow fluff, to give her strength. She didn't get better. Soon, the 11-year-old couldn't even keep down water, and her kidneys started to fail.

Krystina's parents believe they know the cause of her illness - salmonella-contaminated peanut butter - and on Thursday, they filed a federal lawsuit against food maker ConAgra Foods Inc. They are seeking unspecified damages.

"She's tired of the illness, she's also tired herself," said Krystina's mother, Christina. "She's not got the energy like she used to."

ConAgra recalled all its peanut butter in February after government investigators linked an outbreak of salmonella to the company's Peter Pan and Great Value brands. More than 600 people in 47 states reported becoming ill, and the company faces lawsuits in several states.

ConAgra spokes-woman Stephanie Childs said she couldn't comment on the Brughs' lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, because she hasn't seen it.

"Any consumer that may have been made ill or harmed by our product is of deep concern to us," she said. "We do take consumer safety and health very seriously. It's why we initiated the recall as quickly as we could."

Krystina had been eating Peter Pan peanut butter from a jar that had a product code starting with the number 2111, the lawsuit states. In February, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised people to avoid jars bearing that code due to the salmonella risk.

The warning came too late for Krystina, who has been on dialysis for five months, her parents said. Her illness has forced her parents to miss work, and medical costs are adding up. On Monday, she is set to receive a kidney from her father.

"I just set my bills aside right now because I'm more concerned about my daughter and her surgery," her mother said.

Christina and John Brugh Jr. say they want the government to do more to test food and make it safer.

ConAgra plans to reintroduce Peter Pan to store shelves in July and is having another company make it until factory renovations are complete, Childs said.

Company officials have said they can't be certain what caused the contamination. They believe moisture in the company's peanut butter plant likely helped salmonella bacteria grow. They say the salmonella likely came from raw peanuts.

[Via AP]

United States Against G8 Proposal Greenhouse Gas Emissions

2007-05-25T22:35:00.001-07:00

The United States is bieng accused getting cold feet regarding Greenhouse gas emission reform. They’ve been accused of trying to buck many of the measures by stalling and amending the draft proposals.

Story….

The US appears to have rejected draft proposals by Germany for G8 members to agree tough measures in greenhouse gas emissions, leaked documents have shown.

Wide-ranging US amendments to a draft communique prepared ahead of June's G8 in Germany summit cite a "fundamental opposition" to the proposals.

Germany wants all G8 members to agree timetables and targets for major cuts.

Greenpeace, who leaked the document, said it showed UK PM Tony Blair failed to persuade the US to alter its stance.

In the document, US officials make major changes to the communique.

In comments printed in red ink, the US negotiators express disappointment that earlier concerns have not been taken on board.

We have tried to 'tread lightly' but there is only so far we can go given our fundamental opposition to the German position

US comments on leaked communique

The changes strike out entire sentences and significantly reduce the certainty with which the statement addresses climate change.

"The US still has serious, fundamental concerns about this draft statement," a red-inked note reads.

"The treatment of climate change runs counter to our overall position and crosses 'multiple red lines' in terms of what we simply cannot agree to," it continues.

"We have tried to 'tread lightly' but there is only so far we can go given our fundamental opposition to the German position."

However, in Washington, senior US lawmakers have written to President Bush expressing their dismay at the administration's position, the AFP news agency reports.

US 'isolated'

Correspondents say the document hints at a looming struggle over the issue of climate change at the G8 summit, to be held on 6-8 June in Heiligendamm, Germany.

Chancellor Angela Merkel wants to use Germany's presidency of the G8 to secure a major climate change deal, including:

Agreement to slow the rise in average temperatures this century to 2C
A cut in global emissions by 50% below 1990 levels by 2050
A rise in energy efficiency in power and transport by 20 percent by 2020.

Greenpeace Director John Sauven described the US position as "criminal".

"The US administration is clearly ignoring the global scientific consensus as well the groundswell of concern about climate change in the United States," he said.

Mrs Merkel should make it clear the US was isolated on the issue among G8 members, he added.

Speaking on 24 May, British Prime Minister Tony Blair suggested the US - could be on the verge of altering its climate policy.

The US has not signed the 2001 Kyoto Protocol, which sets out targets for lowering emissions until 2012.

"I can't think that there's going to be many people running for presidential office next time round in the US who aren't going to have climate change in their programme," said Mr Blair.

"I think it is possible that we will see action - and at least the beginnings of that action at the G8 - I hope so. That's what I'm arguing for."

[Via BBC News]

Rosie Did Not Call American Troops Terrorists

2007-05-25T22:28:00.001-07:00

Contrary to the bullshit we’re hearing from so called experts on Rosie’s comments on the Iraq fatalities, she did not call American troops terrorists.

I admit that Rosie is not my favorite celeb, but she was just making a point about how the Iraq people must “view” Americans after 655,000 Iraq people have died since the conflict in 2003.

Let’s face it – this war sucks and the people that led us into it are incompetent and pathetic – not to mention they’re liars.

Admin

O'Donnell Quits The View Short of Contract

2007-05-25T22:17:00.001-07:00

Rosie O’Donnell quits the view short of her contract deadline for exit. Many speculate it’s due to the last few feuds she’s had. One with Hasselbeck and one with “The Donald”.

Story From AP…

Rosie O'Donnell has fought her last fight at "The View." ABC said Friday she asked for, and received, an early exit from her contract at the daytime chatfest following her angry confrontation with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck on Wednesday. She was due to leave in mid-June.

It ended a colorful eight-month tenure for O'Donnell that lifted the show's ratings but no doubt caused heartburn for show creator Barbara Walters. O'Donnell feuded with Donald Trump and frequently had snippy exchanges with the more conservative Hasselbeck.

O'Donnell said last month she would be leaving because she could not agree to a new contract with ABC executives.

"Rosie contributed to one of our most exciting and successful years at `The View,'" Walters said. "I am most appreciative. Our close and affectionate relationship will not change."

In a statement, O'Donnell said that "it's been an amazing year and I love all three women."

No one was feeling the love on Wednesday, when the argument with Hasselbeck began over O'Donnell's statement last week about the war: "655,000 Iraqi civilians have died. Who are the terrorists?"

Talk show critics accused O'Donnell of calling U.S. troops terrorists. She called Hasselbeck "cowardly" for not saying anything in response to the critics.

"Do not call me a coward, because No. 1, I sit here every single day, open my heart and tell people what I believe," Hasselbeck retorted, and their riveting exchange continued despite failed attempts by their co-hosts to cut to a commercial.

According to a New York Post report, O'Donnell's chief writer, Janette Barber, was allegedly led out of the building on Wednesday after she was caught drawing mustaches on photographs of Hasselbeck in "The View" studios. ABC executives didn't return repeated calls for questions on the incident Friday.

On Thursday O'Donnell had asked for a day off to celebrate her partner's birthday. "The View" aired a taped show on Friday.

On her Web site, O'Donnell posted a scrapbooklike video on Friday with pictures and news clippings of her tenure at "The View." Cyndi Lauper's "Sisters of Avalon" played in the background.

A day earlier, she posted messages on her Web site indicating she might not be back.

"When painting there is a point u must step away from the canvas as the work is done," she wrote. "Any more would take away."

[Source AP]

BORAT loves Pamela Anderson UNCENSORED

2007-05-25T15:43:00.001-07:00

http://www.ngtv.com An EXCLUSIVE and UNCENSORED celebration of naughty, naughty "Borat." This episode of NO GOOD TV original series "Up Close" hosted by Carrie Keagan shows everyone's favorite Kazakhstani journalist the way he was meant to be seen (body thong not included).

[Via YouTube]

Samsung Digital Camera - Digimax L85 8MPT

2007-05-24T18:54:00.001-07:00

Samsung Digimax L85

Samsung’s Digimax L85 digital camera (8 megapixels) is a super little machine, and in all respects does come through as advertised – except one.

The HDTV functionality leaves allot to be desired. I would never use this function anyway, so for our family it would make a sensible purchase/buy.

Review…..

The black-and-silver case of the Samsung Digimax L85 ($338 as of 6/15/06) feels solid. The camera is easy to grip, partly because Samsung made it a little larger than an average point-and-shoot to accommodate a 5X zoom lens--still, there's no room for an optical viewfinder on this 8.1-megapixel model. At 230,000 pixels, the L85's 2.5-inch LCD has a higher resolution than the screens of many competing cameras; the display looked extra sharp and was especially easy to view in bright light.

Samsung is claiming a first in the L85's ability to display high-definition-quality images on an HDTV over a digital HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) cable. In theory, this sounds like a great way to show off your vacation snaps to friends and family on your new big-screen HDTV. In our tests, however, we found that the feature isn't quite ready for prime time. Photos displayed on a plasma HDTV in the PC World Test Center were razor-sharp with splendid colors, but people looked too thin and regular shapes (like circles and squares) appeared distorted. The problem is that the camera's wide mode records images with an aspect ratio of 16:8, which the camera then stretches to the regular HDTV ratio of 16:9 for display. You'll need to spend an extra $70 for a docking cradle and HDMI cable to connect the camera to your HDTV. (The cradle also makes it easier to charge the battery and to hook the camera up to a PC or printer.)

You access the L85's wide mode via the mode dial atop the camera. This mode is equivalent to the camera's auto mode, except that the image resolution is set at a 16:8 ratio (with a maximum of 5 megapixels). Unfortunately, as a result you can't simultaneously use the manual settings or any of the 12 scene modes. Similarly, the camera shoots video at 640 by 480 pixels or 320 by 240 pixels; pictures from these modes display with even more distortion than images shot in the wide mode do.

When put through its paces in the PC World Test Center, the L85 produced particularly crisp photos, earning a high score for sharpness that was well above the average. The camera's scores for color fidelity and exposure accuracy were about average, while its score for distortion was below average. In less formal testing, we had difficulty getting sharp photos in low lighting conditions at the camera's maximum sensitivity setting of ISO 400.

Advanced photographers will find plenty of controls to tweak on the L85. In addition to using the aperture- and shutter-priority modes, you can change the aperture size and the shutter speed independently in the full manual mode. You can set exposure compensation in all three manual modes, and you can even use auto-exposure bracketing to take a sequence of three shots at different exposure levels.

The L85 can store just four of its highest-quality JPEG images in its 23MB internal memory, so buying a high-capacity SD Card is essential, especially considering that the camera can also record images as lossless TIFF files, which are many times larger than JPEGs. The lithium ion battery recharges from an adapter that plugs into the base of the camera. In our tests, we were able to take 390 shots on a single charge.

Video Review of Samsung Digimax L700 Digital Camera. Just in case you are interested in this model too. Shop around!

Nikon D100 Digital Camera Review

2007-05-24T18:24:00.001-07:00

Here is the manufacturer’s review of the Nikon D100 digital camera. We bought this one recently and it’s by far the best digital camera we’ve had to date. Pretty well all of Nikon’s overview on the D100 is accurate, and not much hype. A worthy by for sure.

Manufacturer Overview

As I say before each of my Nikon reviews, Nikon is one of the names that literally needs no introduction in the world of photography. Long a leader in the film world, they offer cameras for both the serious amateur and working professional. Their professional line contains cameras like the legendary F3, continuously produced for over 20 years now, and new "legends in the making" like the F5 and F100, renowned for their toughness and advanced features. In the digital world, Nikon has developed a commanding presence in the "prosumer" market with their Coolpix series. They broke new ground for usability and features with their Coolpix 900 several years back, building on that success with the 2 megapixel 950, followed by the 3 megapixel 990, which has now been upgraded to the 995 with a 4x zoom lens and improved flash configuration, and the five-megapixel Coolpix 5000. At the same time, they've broadened their line to include more purely consumer-oriented cameras like the Coolpix 775 and 885, and the new internal-swivel Coolpix 2500. The "Nikon Total Imaging System" also includes the hugely successful Super Coolscan 4000ED and Coolscan IV film scanners, which we've reviewed elsewhere. (Well, technically, only the 4000ED is "reviewed" as we write this, the Coolscan IV will be going up on the site soon.)

In early 1999, Nikon announced their first all-digital professional SLR, the D1. At the time, the specifications and price point (2.7 megapixels and a list price of $5850 for the body) rocked the pro camera world, and left many wondering whether Nikon could actually do it. They did. Not quite two years later, they raised the bar again with the D1x, a 5.47 megapixel camera at an even lower price point than the original D1. Now, they're bringing their digital SLR technology down from the pro market into a range accessible to well-heeled amateurs and the vast majority of professionals, with the D100. With a full 6.1 megapixel sensor and all the "Cameraness" of a true Nikon SLR, the most amazing aspect is its selling price of under $2,000 US! There's no question that this new price point for a Nikon digital SLR will revolutionize photography yet again, as literally thousands of Nikon shooters can now afford to enter the "no excuses" territory in the digital realm. Naturally, price by itself doesn't constitute a revolution - The camera itself has to meet the needs of photographers in the areas of resolution, color, image noise, tonality, and operating characteristics. After spending some time with a late-model "Initial Production" version of the D100 though, I can confidently say that it measures up in every category. Read on for all the details!

Pros

6.1-megapixel CCD delivering a maximum image resolution of 3,008 x 2,000 pixels.
SLR design with true, TTL optical viewfinder.
1.8-inch TFT color LCD monitor.
Interchangeable “F” mount lens design, accommodates a wide range of Nikkor lenses.
Manual and automatic focus modes, with adjustable AF area selection.
Program, Flexible Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, and Manual exposure modes.
Shutter speeds from 1/4,000 to 30 seconds, with a Bulb setting for longer exposures.
Depth of Field Preview mode.
TTL exposure metering with three modes.
Adjustable sensitivity from 200 to 1,600 ISO equivalents. (plus 3,200 and 6,400 as "ISO Boost" options)
User-selectable white balance with eight modes and manual adjustment.
Three Color modes, plus a color balance fine-tuning adjustment.
Hue, Tone, and Sharpness adjustments.
Built-in, pop-up flash with five operating modes.
External flash hot shoe.
Continuous Shooting, Auto Exposure Bracketing, and Self-Timer modes.
JPEG, uncompressed TIFF, and RAW file formats.
Image storage on CompactFlash Type I or II memory cards, or IBM Microdrive.
USB cable for connection to a computer.
Included CD-ROM loaded with Nikon View 5 software.
NTSC video cable for playback on a television set (PAL for European models).
Power from lithium-ion battery pack, optional AC adapter, or optional Nikon Multi-Function battery pack.
Optional remote control accessory.

Video Review of My Last Nikon Digital Camera…