The 411 on Google
Monday, November 26, 2007
This is pretty cool.
Google will look up business phone numbers -- like 411 (but for free). Simply call in and speak your request. The number is 1-800-GOOG-411.
Of course, Google doesn’t stop at the basics. It will connect you to the number you request. Or, you can request more information be sent via text message. It will even send you a map showing the business' location.
www.google.com/goog411/index.html
Labels: biz, cool stuff, helpful, lifestyle, places, tech, video, web, web 2.0
posted by Michael Tavani @ 11:27 AM |
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Shift happens due to globalization
Thursday, October 04, 2007
These awesome facts on globalization were originally compiled by a high school teacher in Lilttleton, CO for a presentation that he was making to other teachers on teaching students for the 21st century. [via RW]
Want a sign that globalization is something we're not prepared for? The word "globalization" has a red squiggly line underneath it as I type this into Blogger, indicating it's misspelled. It's the only word on this page with one of those lines underneath it.
Read the back stories on the two videos (links above videos) before watching them.
Labels: cool stuff, helpful, lifestyle, lists, misc., places, trends, video, viral, web
posted by Michael Tavani @ 8:35 AM |
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Piss the stores off
Thursday, August 23, 2007
The Consumerist, the site where 'Shoppers Bite Back', posted an interesting and informative list of tips to save shoppers money while upsetting retailers and throwing stores off their game. [via FT]1. Buy Loss Leaders and Leave - Loss leaders are products that a company sells at or below cost to lure customers into the store. You can usually spot them in advertising circulars as products with disclaimers like "Limit 3 per customer". The last thing stores want is for you to waltz in, buy all the loss leaders (and nothing else) and leave. So that's exactly what you should do.
2. Use Credit and Pay it Off on Time - Sometimes stores will offer a "6 months, no interest, no payments" offer on big ticket items. These offers are not just to help you buy stuff; they are put in place to trick you into paying more for the item than if you had paid cash. The best thing to do is to take the cash you would have used to buy the item and put it in a high yield savings account. Then buy the item with credit and wait until 5.9 months later to pay it off. That way, you're using someone else's money for 6 months for free. One word of caution: pay the full balance off on time, or all your efforts will have been for naught.
3. Say No to the Extended Warranty - Stores play on the fact that electronics are a big investment, and try to scare you into buying an Extended Warranty. The Extended Warranty is basically just a trick to get you to pay way more for the item than you need to. If you're worried about not having an Extended Warranty, purchase your electronics with a credit card that offers Extended Warranty protection.
4. Activate Your Own Phone - Cell phone companies want you to sign a contract. It's their prime objective. To get around signing on the dotted line, buy a used phone, or an unlocked phone, and then call the cell phone company and activate it. No contract required.
5. Shop in the Store but Buy Online - Stores are just places where you can look at things you will later purchase for cheaper online. Look at your new laptop. Try it out. Ask questions. Then buy it online. Non-virtual stores hate when shoppers do that.
6. Buy 1 when the Deal is 2-for-$5 - "Two for" deals are bull. What they really mean is: "Please, for the love of G-d, buy this and get it out of the store." Buy as many as you decide you need, not as many as they tell you to.
7. Open a Store Credit Card then Cut it Up - The trick here is to strike when the iron is hot. If you need to buy a bunch of items at a department store, for instance, it may be worth it to sign up for that store's credit card just to get the members' discount on that one big bill. But once you've paid it off, cancel the card. No card means no interest and no fees (which is where those cards make their moolah).
8. Use Websites to Track 30-Day Price Guarantees - Stores have "30 day price guarantees" to make you think they have such low prices that they're not going to get any lower. That may well be true, but who knows, since after you buy something, you don't usually keep shopping for it. The answer: sign up to RSS feeds for websites that keep an eye on your desired purchase to see if the price does in fact drop during the guarantee period.
9. Buy Seasonal Items at Clearance Prices - Seasonal items are a big deal for retailers. They want you to buy their seasonal stuff at full price, when it's most profitable for them. But once the holiday is gone they need to make room for the next one. Take advantage of that, and buy now for next year.
10 Buy "Accessories" on eBay and Avoid Big Markups - Retailers will often discount a big ticket item only to charge ridiculous prices for "accessories" such as connectors, cables, controllers, leather lotion for your stupid coat you just bought, etc. They usually succeed to convince buyers to buy the little things, since if they gave you a good deal on a TV chances are they're going to give you a good deal on small ticket items, too. But it's often not the case. Buy this stuff on eBay or at least research what the little items really cost.
Labels: helpful, lifestyle, misc.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:13 AM |
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200 orgasms a year
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
I'll admit, I watch Oprah. Her show legitimately covers some solid topics that even the most manly of men can learn from, including this fact below from her frequent health guest, Dr. Oz. While you're at it, take Dr. Oz's health quiz.200 orgasms a year = 6 year age reduction
"If you have more than 200 orgasms a year, you can reduce your physiologic age by six years," Dr. Oz says. He bases the number on a study done at Duke University that surveyed people on the amount and quality of sex they had. "They looked at what happened to folks that are having a lot of intercourse over time, and the fact is, it correlated."
Zen-like experience
Among the benefits of having sex often, Dr. Oz says, is that it can prove that your body is functioning as it is supposed to. "But in addition, having sex with someone that you care for deeply is one of the ways we achieve that Zen experience that we all crave as human beings," he says. "It's really a spiritual event for folks when they're with someone they love and they can consummate it with sexual activity … seems to offer some survival benefit."
posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:04 PM |
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Gas saving tips
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Now that gas is over $3.00 per gallon nationwide, how high will it go? Will Americans spend $150 to fill up their SUVs? Here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth for every gallon.Fill up in the morning
Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline. Warm gasoline expands. Buying gasoline in the afternoon or evening, your 1 gallon is not exactly 1 gallon.
When you see gas trucks, don't fill up
If there is a gasoline truck bringing loads at the time when you have to buy gas do not fill up, because the gasoline is being stirred up when the gas is being delivered, which would result in getting some of the dirt that settles at the bottom.
Fill up when your tank's half full
Despite what you might think, fill up when your gas tank is half full (or half empty). The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying it's empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can think.
Here's to riding public transportation. [via ST]
posted by Michael Tavani @ 8:43 PM |
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600th post! Search for an abandoned patent
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
This is a pretty cool concept [via Kim Komando]:Thousands of patents abandoned each year
The U.S. Patent office receives hundreds of thousands of patent applications each year. They can either get approved or denied. But once they get approved, many expire and are never used.
Expired and abandoned patents are up for grabs
At patentmonkey.com, you can search for these unused patents in the U.S. Patent database. Tons of businesses and people are taking advantage of these patents to launch new businesses.
Labels: cool websites, helpful, law
posted by Michael Tavani @ 9:45 AM |
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Get LinkedIn
Friday, April 06, 2007
I've always heard of professional networking site LinkedIn, but never thought much of signing up - until today. I look at it as a My Space for young, creative business people. The online network includes more than 9 million professionals from around the world, representing 130 industries. For a young guy starting out in business, that's a pretty solid network. Read Guy Kawasaki's ten ways to use LinkedIn. Click here for a screenshot.
LinkedIn possible connections:
- Track other businesses/start-ups in your field of interest
- Re-connect with former colleagues or track down the pursuits of old friends
- Find potential clients, service providers, subject experts, and partners who come recommended
- Be found for business opportunities
- Search for jobs
- Discover inside connections that can help you land jobs and close deals
- Get introduced to other professionals through the people you know
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:13 PM |
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Bananas, the amazing fruit
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Bananas are tasty, healthy, mobile (easy to carry), cheap, and great for smoothies. But that's not all, a professor at CCNY (my pop's alma mater) for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas. He said the expression "going bananas" is from the effects of bananas on the brain. Read on:After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.
Boost of energy
Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.
Energy for a 90-minute workout
Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.
Improve medical condition/illnesses
But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet. Here's a list of just the best ones.
Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.
Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.
Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of high-potassium banana snack.
Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!
Banana vs. Apple
So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so
that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"
Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time.
One more: shoe shine
ant a quick shine on our shoes? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry cloth. Amazing fruit. [via ET]
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:34 PM |
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Thought of the day
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
For about 3-4 years now, I've been receiving daily Thoughts of the Day emails from a lady named Carol in Washington state. You can sign up for her daily email here. She's a kind, older lady and sends the Thoughts from her personal email account and even lets you know when she can't send one due to vacation. Usually the quotes are pretty solid, including today's:
My future starts when I wake up every morning.... Every day I find something creative to do with my life
Miles Davis
Labels: creative, helpful, quotes
posted by Michael Tavani @ 12:46 PM |
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Fight global warming
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Fight Global Warming is a collaborative effort between Environmental Defense, the Ad Council, and the Robertson Foundation. In their own words:
Global warming is the most serious environmental challenge of our time. It is more urgent and its dangers are more fundamental than most Americans realize. This campaign seeks to educate Americans about how quickly we must act, and give concrete steps that people can incorporate into their lives to fight global warming.
Read about the myths/facts, dangers, and science behind global warming and find out what you can do about it. Also, check out their powerful TV spot below.
Labels: commercials, green, helpful, video
posted by Michael Tavani @ 8:58 PM |
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Build your financial warchest
Monday, February 05, 2007
Young people are so busy accomplishing fun and rewarding things before their 30th birthday that they don't have the time (nonetheless the inclination) to think about investing their money. Hand-to-mouth is all too common in Generations X and Y. I have found for myself that the key to learning is keeping it simple. Here's an easy to follow guidebook by CNNMoney.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 11:30 PM |
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The importance of goals
Thursday, February 01, 2007
My boss at Major League Soccer taped this inspirational message onto my office wall when I started there. It's now hanging on my computer desk. It's pretty telling and a solid life lesson.
The Importance of Goals
A Harvard Business School study found: 83% of the population does not have any clearly defined goals.
14% have goals but not written down, meaning only 3% of the population has goals that are written down.
The study concluded that the 3% that did have written goals were earning an astounding 10 times that of the 83 percent group.
In addition, similar studies have shown that individuals with written goals also tend to have better health and happier marriages than those without goals.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:41 PM |
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Airlines losing luggage
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
[sent in via loyal reader RW]: Some interesting reads from Clark Howard. Of particular interest is the write-up on the airlines losing bags. Delta is losing up to 30% of bags, one of the highest percentages of any of the main carriers. Who does the best? AirTran, Jet Blue, and Southwest. Shocker.ASA is the worst by far, with a baggage loss increase of 30 percent from a year ago ... Of the mainline airlines, USAir, Delta and United are losing up to 30 percent more bags as well. The least likely to lose bags are AirTran, JetBlue, Southwest and Continental. So, try not to check that bag if you can help it.
posted by Michael Tavani @ 6:21 PM |
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Green isn't just about the environment anymore
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Check out this article about how doing environmenally friendly stuff can cut your taxes. Very interesting. Lower your taxes by thinking green. [via RW]
posted by Michael Tavani @ 10:46 PM |
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