... and no place to haunt. Ok, so Halloween is still a little ways off, even for the most optimistic of children and other dress-up artists, and there is more than sufficient time to plan accordingly for all of your various costumes and designs and such. But certainly looking around a little and getting an idea of what is out there and what is available will not hurt any, right? After all, you could stumble upon some rather intriguing couples costumes, and all manner of costumes endorsed by Leg Avenue (for obvious reasons)... the likes of which I would stand a snowball's chance in a fusion reactor of getting Better Half into. Such is life, I suppose...

--- This post sponsored by InCostume.com. ---

For those of you with a little more entrepreneurial spirit than I happen to possess, opening a new business is always an option for future career plans. A random, whimsical idea I have had in the past is opening a winery... if I had all manner of money to buy the land, grapes, equipment, and staff necessary to do so... Anywise, one of the more entertaining aspects of such a profession is that you could then design your own bottle label - and there are some creative ones out there. Unsurprisingly, there are companies that can help you with the Digital Printing, as long as we are talking about large-quantity, business-related orders - Label World, at least, is not intended for "boutique" labels for things like weddings and the like.

--- This post sponsored by Label World. ---

One interesting aspect of the past few months for me is that I have been hopping online from a variety of locations, on a variety of computers, with a variety of log-in permissions. I almost always had my thumb drive with me, but sometimes, the access I had to a specific computer would not allow me to plug anything into its USB port. Basically, if I did not have the domain name and file space I have available on it, more often than not I would be stranded without the files I was hoping to work on. Not being a business traveller, but acting like one for the past few months, I can certainly understand how having portable files (or not) can either make or break your productivity-on-the-go.

Thankfully, for those of you who do not want to be troubled with finding and purchasing your own web domain, a company called "IDrive - Online Backup" offers something of a solution. For absolutely no cost to you (read "free"), you can have your own 2 GB of storage space on the internet, featuring an interface that is not terribly unlike the Windows Explorer you are already familiar with, optional continuous internal backup for your data, synchronization with whatever hardware you happen to be using at the time, the ability to store 30 sequential versions of files without overwriting them, and, the best of all, the capability to log in from any web-capable computer and access your files. And, for those concerned about such things (like, say, me), transfers are encrypted using 128-bit SSL, and stored files are encrypted with 256-bit AES - more or less unbreakable, last I heard.

And, as a last little nudge, PCWorld recently named iDrive one of its "101 Best Freebies"... Not too shabby, if you ask me.

--- This post sponsored by iDrive. ---

If there is one thing to be said about web host choices on the internet, it is that there are a whole bloody lot of them, ranging from Geocities (which, amazingly enough, is still kicking around), to a variety of companies specializing in handling the high-bandwidth, high-storage-capacity requirements of the mega-industries out there. Unfortunately for the average users out there like myself, in our particular market, there are all manner of choices, featuring all types of options, and coming in all shapes, flavors, and prices.

The good news? Companies like Web Hosting Choice specialize in categorizing, ranking, describing, quantifying, and prioritizing web host companies for our ease and understanding. You can break out your options based on specific features you are looking for in your hosting company (Unix versus Windows, SQL, FrontPage support, providing a dedicated IP to your webpage, SSL encryption, Perl, Merchant capabilities, and other useful details), or how much you are willing to pay per month/year/period, or how many webmail addresses you want, or how often a serving company experiences downtime (which can be a considerable element in your decision process, even today), or really whatever else floats your proverbial boat.

Does Web Hosting Choice have a comprehensive listing of every hosting company under the sun? Not quite yet. But they let you submit hosts to try and expand their database, and improve the experience for future users. Not a bad company, all things considered.

--- This post sponsored by Web Hosting Choice. ---

So I cannot say as though this particular program would be greatly useful to me at the moment, but something tells me that future employment will probably use something similar. Anywise, a company called Atlantic Global specializes in producing Project Management Software for small, medium, and large businesses across the world.

What, exactly, is "Project Management Software"? Basically, companies do not go out and attack the world without some manner of plan in mind... or at least not often, and not successful companies. Instead, they come up with "projects", or whatever their chosen names for them are, strategize those, get people to work on them, schedule meetings and work periods, track resources, optimize employee schedules, monitor expected completion dates and actual delivery dates, and do all the rest of those good things associated with making something go from perception to paper to prototype to production. Well, to put it simply, "Project Management Software" helps you with all of those steps, working with you from the ground up, and providing you snapshots of your general situation and status along the way, whenever you want. I do not think the program will throw you a party when you complete your project, but something tells me that you will be able to handle that yourselves, especially with all of the time this thing is supposed to be able to save for you.

All in all, this kind of software seems as though it would be quite useful to managers, regardless of their business or product... After all, keeping up with what everyone is doing and keeping everyone on the same page tend to be rather useful.

--- This post sponsored by Atlantic Global. ---

You know, out in the gun blogging circuit, there are a whole lot of people with a whole lot of pictures of trade show displays on their weblogs these days... Something about some big conventions somewhere...

Oh.

Wait.

It is the guns I was supposed to be looking at... right? Well, you could have told me that sooner. Bright and shiny == distracting.

--- This post sponsored by The Godfrey Group Inc. ---

Over the years of living with myself and realizing just how destructive I tend to be on things, I have slowly (unfortunately, probably too slowly) come to the conclusion that spending a little extra for something of considerably better quality and durability is probably worth it. There are, of course, exceptions to that rule, as there are with any, and there are certainly times when affording the higher-quality/durability item is not an option, but sometimes it all works out relatively well.

The good news for klutzes like myself, and other people who tend to be a little rough on their equipment, is that there is a growing number of companies like Blackhawk that not only make "tactical" (whatever that word has developed to meaning) equipment for military members, but they also sell this higher-quality, more-durable gear to, well, anyone with the money. Thanks to places like Brigade Quartermasters, you can procure BlackHawk Tactical Equipment for relatively decent prices, and feel comfortable with a 100% 30-day satisfaction guarantee, on top of a 110% guarantee if they mess up your order... Well, suffice to say, if you are looking for "high speed", you may as well go with a reliable product and ordering option that is backed up by a keep-you-happy warranty.

--- This post sponsored by Brigade Quartermasters, though I would honestly write a positive post about them without the sponsorship, too... ---

So one of my friends is in the process of trying to set up a web-based forum for a company he eventually intends on launching and running.... something about physical fitness and gyms and all that crazy metal-lifting stuff - being the scrawny twig I am, I kind of zoned out on the specifics. The point I am trying to make, though, is that finding a company to go with for your hosting solutions online these days is a little complicated.

Why? There are a lot of web hosting companies. An absolutely amazing number of them, actually. The good news for people new to the market, or people like me who have not been shopping for a while, is that there are a few websites out there to help us out, such as WebHostingChoice.

Just the front page alone is useful, given that it lists what it considers to be the top ten web hosters out there, and provides specifics as to the price, setup fees, disk space, data transfer (bandwidth, for you technical types), the year the company was established, and their overall rating. However, on top of offering a reasonably comprehensive database of hosting providers, it also has a decent learning center, providing explanations of various scams newbies might trip over, just what bandwidth is, and some other details good to know when shopping.

Me, I am happy with my current hosting solution, but I am certainly not one to disdain free, comprehensive information, especially since it might make the search process a little easier.

And, no, "cornucopic" probably is not a real word...

--- This post sponsored by WebHostingChoice. ---

So I am still in the market for a new computer system, given that my old one will be about 6 years old by the time I get around to buying a new one. Granted, the hardware works just fine, but it simply cannot keep up with modern demands, and while I have upgraded it whenever I can, I have just about reached its capacity – maxed out the RAM slots, got he biggest video card the motherboard could support, and there is really not much to be done for the chip, since the moboard cannot support a dual-core. And, of course, hard drive technology has not changed radically in the past 6 years (at least not to my caring), but the fact is they might fail at some point, and while I make backups periodically, that would still suck.

Well, apart from your standard computer companies, you also have the option of going out and collecting your own parts from a variety of online stores, and building the box from the ground up yourself. Well, an enterprising company has found the middle ground, and started offering PC Kits. Now, I am not sure about their pricing, but for the cost, you get a completely un-assembled computer, which you put together by your very own lonesome (I suppose you could ask for help… might be more fun that way), and ostensibly save yourself some money that way. Plus, you get to learn a fair bit about the inner workings of your new toy, and just how everything fits together (you would be amazed how few people actually understand how computers work).

Me, I am still shopping, but will keep this site in mind. That is, assuming I trust myself to put together my own box.

--- This post sponsored by Easy As My PC Kits. ---

In case you have somehow failed to notice the decorations in every downtown, shopping center, and grocery store, or the music playing on just about every radio station, or the dropping temperatures (at least in most places in the Northern Hemisphere... those guys on the Southern one do strange things), or the odd little tree fields cropping up in every open parking lot, Christmas is more-or-less right around the corner. For people like me, this tends to be a slightly bad thing, since I invariably put off my Christmas shopping until the last possible minute (with this year being no different, unfortunately).

Thankfully, places like Overstock.com really do not care when you do your shipping, and, in fact, seem to be encouraging doing as much shopping as possible this month. For example, they are currently running an All I want for Christmas Giveaway. The short of it is that if you register, and if you win, you can choose from a variety of gifts (basically whatever Overstock.com offers) valued up to $1000, and the long of it is that if you register, and then invite five other friends to register, if you win, they win the same prize you do. And, of course, there is a grand prize - if you manage to beat the odds for that one, you get five gifts of your choosing (up to the resulting $5000 limit). Me, I could live with a nice new LCD HDTV... or one of those spiffy new DSLRs. But, hey, I am just saying.

Just be sure to do whatever shopping you are going to do sometime soon... Online shopping stores such as Overstock.com will be open until SkyNet eventually takes over the internet itself, but, eventually, USPS, UPS, and FedEx will get so overloaded with packages, gifts, and the like, that your present will stand a snowball's chance against a PPC of making it in time. Something tells me I should start taking that advice...

Far be it for me to be a tree-hugging nancy, spouting off nonsense and gibberish about the impending end of the world due to global warming, or whatever the new cause celebre may be. That said, when shiny new technologies show up that also, coincidentally, help out the environment, I certainly am not going to disparage it just for the general purpose of it. Furthermore, when that technology can potentially save me a fair bit of money, I might just adopt it myself. In fact, the odds are pretty good.

A few years back, I was in the market for replacing all of the various Christmas lights I had purchased over the years of college, and neither matched, nor really survived the repeated moves they were subjected to. Of course, this shopping enterprise was executed after the holiday season, so I was shopping whatever was left over, and whatever might be on sale (the more important aspect). Turns out most of the items remaining were LED holiday lights, and after a momentary degree of indecision, I figured, “What the heck,” and purchased them. Of course, being the quasi-nerd I am, I realized that LED bulbs not only have greater lifespans than their incandescent counterparts, but also consume a considerably lesser amount of energy over that time. So, considering that the package of lights did not cost much more than a package of incandescent lights, and considering it will last longer and use less energy (and thus money)... yeah, I like that situation.

So, yeah, call me a mercenary environmentalist. I can live with that.

--- This post sponsored by Holiday LEDs ---

Tomorrow, Better Half and I have a little apartment-work scheduled, one item of which will be hanging a curtain. Yeah, I know, it must look rather strange for me having been living in my current apartment for quite a few months now without something to block off my windows effectively, but that is not quite the case. See, my apartment came with pre-installed vertical blinds on all the windows and the patio door. Ugly, simple blinds, but they are free. The curtain to be hung tomorrow, however, is not going to go anywhere near a window - my apartment has a rather nice natural divide between its public living spaces (namely, the kitchen, living room, and dining area) and its private ones (bedroom, bathroom, closet, etc.), and there is only one doorless doorway (what are those called anywise?) between the two areas. There is not a single decorative bone in my body, but I figure a curtain (especially one I already have from my last apartment) hung over that openining with a hook to hold it open when I want to might be a nice touch. Or it might just be something to do. Either way.

Thankfully, those of us who know a grand total of diddly about interior decoration are occasionally smart enough to watch such educational shows as Extreme Makeover. Now, I do have some qualms with their use of the word "Makeover" - by the time the bulldozers are completed, the only thing they are "making over" is the lot left behind - but some of the ideas they provide are just nifty, and the things they do for the families on the show are past even "shiny". On a related note, it appears SelectBlinds provides all of the blinds for that particular show, and judging from their selection, this is no great surprise. If I ever have the need for purchasing my own window coverings again, I might just swing back by this place.

For the time being, though, I think Better Half is going to have her hands full with me and powertools...

---This post sponsored by SelectBlinds.com---

Well, what with all the advertisements, news coverage, debates, and all the rest, one cannot help but to know that the national Presidential election is coming up about this time next year. One of the things that always amused me about elections as a child, though, are the massive amounts of little signs put up by activists every year. Other than not really understanding their purpose (yes, I know their purpose is publicity, but do people really think a 18"x24" sign is going to change someone's mind?), I never really figured out where they came from. What can I say, my parents never took me to the sign store down the road...

Well, it turns out, through the marvels of the modern internet thingie, there do exist stores that sell yard signs... and bumper stickers, and real estate signs, and safety signs, and parking signs, and just about every other kind of sign you could be looking for.

Of course, with people like me, official-looking custom-made signs could be all manner of entertaining...

---This post sponsored by BuildASign.com---

So after reading all of the nonsensical laws coming out of Kalifornistan over the weekend, the first thought running through my mind was "I need a drink."

... Well, not really, especially considering how little I actually drink on a daily basis, but it does sound good. Either way, it brought to mind one of the reasons for which I have always been looking forward to eventually owning my own home – having my own bar. As it stands now, Better Half and I are in much the same condition as many other shortly-after-college-graduation individuals: renting an apartment. This is far from an ideal situation, from a variety of perspectives, but considering how often we move these days, and finances and all of that, it suffices for the time. But it does limit how much we can do to our abode, in terms of modifications and additions.

Thankfully, when the time comes around that I have a little more freedom with the application of my hammer and screwdriver (such as they are), there exist companies that carry a wide variety of bar sinks and other relevant items. Yeah, I know, it does seem somewhat incongruous for a self-professed minimal-drinker to have a bar, but I can have friends over every once in a while.

Hey, I do too have friends!

---This post sponsored by Faucet.com---

Towards the end of the month, the Wealth Expo will be held in New York City. This event, sponsored by MyWallSt.net: Your Financial Social Network, is an event primarily designed to help investors build their personal wealth. During its three days, it will offer chances to interact with a variety of individuals focused on similar goals as you (and possibly in possession of more diverse knowledge than you), sit in on panels dedicated to helping you maximize your capabilities, and discover new and interesting ways of taking your money and watching it grow. After flipping through the available workshops at this convention, I have to admit, the one being held by Cyclone Power Technologies, specifically on the "external combustion engine", definitely sounds the most interesting to me. I honestly have no idea how useful this concept would be to investors, but the name alone caught my attention, if only from the "what on Earth is that?" aspect.

For those concerned of such things, the schedules at the conference are not that stressful... on Friday, the 19th of October, it goes from 1300 to 1830 EDT, with a cocktail afterwards. Saturday, it runs from 0900 to 1830, again with a cocktail hour afterwards (hey, money and alcohol go together about as well as peanutbutter and jelly), and Sunday, it goes from 0900 to 1600 - sadly, with no cocktail hour. Certainly might be a wortwhile expenditure of time, for those of you in the area, and interested in making more money (and who is not, these days?).

Having lived on all three coasts of this country, I have gotten relatively used to showing up in a new town, and figuring out how to get around on my merry own. That said, there exist multiple companies and corporations out there that specialize in giving tourists and newcomers to cities rather thorough tours of them, and while it would be interesting to go back to my birthplace and take part in a few Charleston Tours, I actually have another town in mind for a random tour. That said, it would be quite interesting to head up to Boston and take a look at the old stomping grounds of one side of my family - after all, being Irish, a considerable portion of my family went through there on the way into the States, and, in fact, still lives there. Given that the tours this particular company offers range from the most basic of walk-throughs of the old Salem church, all the way up to whale-watching cruises, dinner cruises, and two-day rail tours, I am sure I could find something to suit my fancy. Of course, this would first require me to actually get up to Boston, and have the time to enjoy it, but that is a small thing. Who knows. If nothing else, the science museum up there is cool as hell, and from my one previous visit, I seem to recall one massive shopping complex.

I am actually going to manage to escape the People's Republic of Kalifornistan. It is probably not going to be any time soon, and it will probably be after much nuisance here, but it will happen, damn it. Of course, the question then becomes, "Where to live?" After living on both coasts of this fine country of ours, as well as a few places inbetween, I still think I can live with my original assessment from the last time I lived there, and proclaim that I would eventually like to return to Washington State. Yes, it is far from being ideal - it is on the Left Coast, after all, and has a tendency to pass all manner of odd and markedly liberal laws and restrictions. That said, it has the best climate I have ever come across, and some of the best views period. Yeah, Arizona/New Mexico were remarkably tempting as we were going cross-country, but we only explored the northern sections of both - maybe they could serve as useful places to spend the winter. Anywise, the fact of the matter is that I am eventually going to have to do some research on loans, mortages, and fixed mortgages... especially since I have no idea what the last one even is. Thankfully there is time for that, though much of it will be spent squirming slightly under the kind and beneficial rule of the people's democracy... such as it is.

---This post sponsored by BeatThatQuote.com---

Well, after spending an extra six hours in bed today after catching one hell of a viral bug, it is something of a mess at the moment. Of course, it is never looking particularly good - the sheets are hand-me-downs from my parents (the mattresses are, as well - hey, it was cheap!), and my bedspread is... well... a sleeping bag. It keeps me warm, sure, but it is lacking a certain degree of... well... class. The good news is that I still have all of our wedding-gift bedding in a box somewhere, so when Better Half and I can finally settle down together and not do this whole cross-country thing, we will be set.

The doubly good news is that there exist companies that specialize in bed linen, and rather good looking ones at that. Like I said, Better Half and I are already reasonably set in this regard, but considering the rather pleasant aesthetics offered by this particular company, it might be something worth looking into in the future. Of course, I would have to figure out the whole pound-to-dollar conversion details, but that is half the fun of shopping online these days, right?

---This post sponsored by Terry's Fabrics.---

Since my father was in the military, we tended to move around a fair bit during his time in service, and only a little less after he retired. The longest we ever spent in one place was about seven years (after his retirement, though), and the shortest was either two years, or six months (the latter hardly counts since I was born in the middle of a tour and then we moved six months afterwards). Regardless, one of the things that always came up whenever we moved was lodging - logical, after all. And the question was always rent, buy, or build?

My parents never really rented after I was born, and instead bought houses wherever we stayed. However, twice, they commissioned houses to be built. That decision, however, raises a whole raft of other questions. Floorplans, designs, materiels, locations, lots, etc. etc. However, one particular style and design that always caught my eye was that of Timber Frame. These houses always seem to either be designed, or built, or both, in Vermont for some reason... But, regardless, they are inherently cool.

There is something unique and inherently beautiful to each and every one of these houses... From the outside, I have to admit, they are not terribly impressive. But when you get inside of them (the angle from which houses generally should be viewed), they are absolutely gorgeous - exposed frame, trusses the size of railroad ties, bare wood everywhere you look... To say they put your standard wood-framed house to shame would be putting it mildly - the only thing that can even hope to compete is an honest-to-God log cabin. The really annoying part is that, every move, my parents always considered a timber frame house... and decided not to. Argh.

For me, though, it definitely falls under the "eventually" category... Might not build one myself, but the market of them is growing every year.

---This post sponsored by Vermont Timber Works.---

One of the things I do after being away from home for a while is go to one of the nearby sushi restaurants, and get myself a nice roll, some tempura if they have it, and all the wasabi I can get away with stealing. Kind of a welcome-home thing for myself... have to keep myself entertained, somehow. Well, I swung by one of the local establishments yesterday, after calling ahead, and waited in line to pick up my package. I was kind of just boredly standing there, until the woman in front of me took her wallet out of her purse.

I swear to God, this girl had no fewer than eight credit cards stashed in that thing. Me? I somehow manage to limp by on one of those accursed things. Now, I did not really take the time to compare credit cards before I decided on mine... It kind of came with my bank account, and even after looking back at the situation retrospectively, it is not a bad piece of plastic in comparison to the rest out there. But eight? Good fraking Lord. I mean, I suppose you can do the credit card balance transfer dance, and shift the charges from one card with rewards, to another card with lower interest rates, but still...

I kind of have to wonder if part of the reason the American economy is so up-and-down recently, and why the American dollar is not worth a great deal compared against other major currencies, might have something to do with the average American's complete and utter inability to keep themselves out of debt. I mean, yes, credit cards are an unavoidable, borderline-essential part of modern financial transactions... Shopping online is either a pain in the arse, or potentially and dangerously unsecure, without one, and God forbid if you try and do any manner of large transaction with checks, what with people bouncing those all over the place too. And then if you factor in how important credit cards are to a person's credit rating, and then it gets ugly-complicated.

Honestly, I cannot come up with a single good reason to have that many credit cards... And while different strokes are, indeed, better for different folks, there are some things that people should just take better care of, and finances definitely qualify as one.

---This post sponsored by CardGuide.---

It is not often that I will delve into my personal life in any great depth on this weblog, but this seems like a good reason to do so. To get straight to the point, my maternal grandmother is currently suffering through the later stages of one of the many subsets of Alzheimer's, and is on a more-or-less steady decline that can only end in one outcome. Her memory regresses more and more as time goes on, to the point where she cannot even remember who her own daughter is, much less what year it is, or really where she is or why. Thankfully, the home my mother found for her was designed for caring for people like my grandmother, and she is as comfortable and as safe as she could be anywhere. My maternal grandfather, though he died before the ailment had the opportunity to progress very far in his system, also showed indications of having something at least approximating Alzheimer's. While both of my paternal grandparents died before any real indications of this disease were shown (though, they died over 20 years ago, so I am not sure we would have been able to identify them if they were there), and while the genetic ties of Alzheimer's have not yet been completely documented, much less proven, this situation does not give me a warm fuzzy... that is for certain.

Thankfully, there are those people in this world who are a lot smarter than I am, and are using that intelligence to track and solve the problem of Alzheimer's, and also make the lives of those people afflicted by it that much more comfortable and care-filled, and one such group is the Alzheimer's Association. So what can some schmuck like me, who barely graduated college, do for an organization like this? Well, since 1989, the Alzheimer's Association has been running a program called Memory Walk, wherein people who participate in the walk are supported by donations from thesmelves, from coworkers, from family, from friends, and those donations are then forwarded on to the Alzheimer's Association for the continuance of their overall mission. In the almost-twenty-years of its existence, the Memory Walk has raised over $225 million... and I can hardly see anything wrong with that.

However, one of the things necessary for this year's walk to be a success is people to volunteer to serve as a Team Captain. These Team Captains are understandably in charge of the teams they are responsible for forming for the Memory Walk, and the Alzheimer's Association has been kind enough to draw up a document explaining exactly what they need to do, and outlining ten primary tips or goals. However, it basically boils down to this: Register yourself, recruit at least nine friends, family members, or business associates, and through enthusiasm, excitement, public advertisements, and the like, raise at least $200 for the Alzheimer's Association. For those people with natural leadership capabilities, this would be a wonderful opportunity to practice them, and teaming up with people you know only serves to enhance the camaraderie inherent to the situation, as well as expands your capabilities to raise as much money as possible.

With more than five million Americans alone afflicted by Alzheimer's (and more on the way, what with everyone getting older by the minute), this can hardly be anything except a good cause... And, after all, just about all of us could use more exercise than we are currently getting.

So I admit it... I have become hooked on contact lenses. I was not so sure about them way back at the beginning... heck, I was not even sure I could stand poking myself in the eyes every day just to put them in and take them out. However, I got ahold of my Disposable Contact Lenses a few months ago, and have only given them up when absolutely necessary (or when I simply forgot to bring them) - or when I had to chuck them and replace them with a new set. Unfortunately, my eyes require toric lenses, which are not the cheapest things in the world. Thankfully, Sanders Contacts has a competitive price for them... and a $40 rebate when you purchase four boxes (which is what people normally do, since four boxes is sufficient to keep a person lensed for a year). Couple the decent price with an easy ordering system and free shipping, and Sanders Contacts seems a reasonable place for us blind people to procure our vision rectification devices (otherwise known as contact lenses).

---This post sponsored by Sanders Contacts---

As with probably everyone in my generation, I have had a cell phone for quite a while now. My first one was secured back in my freshman year of college, and I have since gone through both multiple phones and multiple companies. However, one thing I have never really taken advantage of with any of those phones is multimedia connectivity, such as downloading and viewing images and video, or listening to music, or whatnot. Offhand, it has always seemed too complicated, too slow, and too expensive. That said, there appear to be a few more companies these days that are trying to make this kind of thing a little easier.

One such company goes by the name of CellFish (do not ask me where the name came from), and is dedicated to making it easier for cell phone users to upload and download just about all forms of media from and to their phones. The company even gets your computer in the mix as well, letting you shoot files straight from it to your online account. In fact, the image below this paragraph was uploaded from my computer, using their "Digital Locker" (think of it as your online "My Documents"). The process was quite straightforward - simply select the file on your computer, name it appropriately, add a description, and write in a few tags, and then press the button, and away it goes. Once the file has been uploaded, anyone can view it in your "locker" (assuming you made it public), and then they can send it to their phones, either from the aforementioned "locker", or you can even do it by pressing the "Send to Phone" button in the corner of the image below. Go ahead. Give it a shot. You know you want to.

In addition to the basic things like images, CellFish also covers Free Ringtones, and even videos, should your phone be capable of supporting those, and its interface makes finding and downloading those files remarkably easy. The best part is that most of the images, video, and ring tones on the webpage is free, though, if you want the really good stuff, you are more than welcome to send them some cash and get a premium subscription. And for those aspiring film and video artistes, uploading your items is just as easy, since they let you do it directly from your computer through an easy-to-use interface, directly from a webpage using an equally easy system, or directly from your phone, using a very easy-to-remember email address.

With probably thousands of cell-phone-compatible images, videos, and Free Ringtones on this site already, and more being added by people like you and me every day, this webpage stands to make a sizeable impact on the community of people who use their phones for multimedia-related activities. For those of you with the phones, and the bandwidth, head on over and take a look... you might find something you like.

In light of how difficult it is to go shooting here in Kalifornistan, I have idly started considering trying to find a group of people to get a little paintball action going. Of course, Southern Kalifornistan is not exactly the most sparsely-populated area in the world, so finding a place to actually do this might be a little difficult... And the next question is, of course, paintball equipment. Odds are, should I ever find a painball field/facility, I will just rent from them - I hardly play often enough to make it worthwhile to purchase my own stuff. That said, Ultimate Paintball seems a rather decent paintball store, and one that gives free shipping, to boot. They carry an impressive array of guns, upgrades, cases, barrels, hoppers, vests, paintballs themselves, and other accessories/parts, and have some rather decently-priced get-you-in-the-game-quick packages, for those of us who would be starting from scratch.

Like I said, I am probably not going to start up my own paintball armory, instead preferring the real-bullet variety of weaponry... but there is nothing wrong with notating a few websites for the future.

---This post sponsored by Ultimate Paintball.---

If you were ever looking for a firm specializing in Search Engine Optimization, Apogee Search is probably a good starting point. Founded way back in 2001, the company has rapidly grown to be one of the 25 largest search engine marketing firms in the world... and we all know that getting your webpage's name out to the search engines is an important part of actually being found by them. And, if nothing else, they have a great Search Engine Marketing Glossary, for those new to the business.

Thankfully, walls of the city does not appear to be having too many problems getting into search engines these days, but a few of the hints hiding in the Apogee Search pages may prove to be quite useful in the future.

---This post sponsored by Apogee Search---

As a child, I used to play around with rubber stamps as much as possible… For some reason, they always fascinated me (Easily entertained? Me? Noooo!). Hell, I even had a starter set of stamps for Egyptian hieroglyphics, and another set that allowed me to “build” two-dimensional bridges, complete with girders, roads, suspension cables, and everything.

Now that I have grown a little older, they still are of interest to me, but I also understand that they serve a little more useful purposes as well (though, learning hieroglyphics – or at least getting a taste of them – certainly was interesting).

When it comes to those slightly-more-useful stamps, however, Rubber Stamp Champ seems to be an outstanding place to purchase them. Whether you are looking for your basic, run-of-the-mill rectangular stamp to use as a return-address-label-writer on all the bills you are having to send off, or whether you want to add a new level of class to your official documents with an honest-to-God embosser, this website has it all. With designs ranging from the basic rectangular and round self-inking stamps, to various pre-inked stamps, to the die plate date stamps you see so frequently at a library, to the old-fashioned, requires-the-use-of-an-ink-pad hand rubber stamps, I am relatively sure you will be able to find something meeting your stamping requirements… even devices to time-stamp shift cards, should your business have hourly employees. And when that time comes that your stamp is not stamping quite as well as it used to, they even sell ink and ink pads, in all of the colors of the rainbow, and for all of the equipment they sell. Finally, while I admit that I have not done a great deal of price-comparison when it comes to stamping equipment, their asking prices seem more than reasonable.

Being a child of the internet as I am, my use of snailmail has decreased steadily since I left home… But there is still something shiny about having your own return address stamp.

---This post sponsored by Rubber Stamp Champ and ---

One of the great beauties to arise out of the advent of the modern internet is the ease with which information can be shared and transmitted among people from massively different backgrounds, locations, and expertises. Just about anyone can learn aabout just about anything he could ever want to, if he just knows where to look, or who to ask, and they can learn about it as fast as they can read, or as fast as it can download, whichever is slower. With the knowledge base of thousands of experts out there online, ignorance is slowly becoming a thing of the past, and that can only be a good thing.

When it comes to good sources of information online, in the cases of having to ask specific questions, however, forums are an absolutely outstanding place to start. With user bases of hundreds, if not thousands, you can probably find someone who knows what you want to learn. When it comes to such topics as Programming (in C/C++, Java, Python, Perl, and a variety of other langauges), webpage management and hosting, search engines, web coding, and a smorgasboard of other topics, DiscussWeb seems a perfect place to start your search. With over four hundred users and over five thousand posts, if the answer to your question is not already there, I am sure one of the many users either knows the answer, or can dig it up for you. And, if nothing else, it seems like a perfectly good place to hang out with some fellow IT's, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that.

So, get thee to reading, and, if you know something useful to the boards, definitely get thee to posting. Forums are only as good as their writers, and the more writers a place has, the more information can be freely exchanged among interested people, and that is a good thing to come of this day and age.

---This post sponsored by DiscussWeb.---

One of the few things I have always been looking forward to when I get older is the ability to purchase and use a powered wheelchair and not get any funny looks. Hell, I would even settle with a Segway (saw a reasonably old guy toodling around a farmer's market on one of those one day... kind of wierd, really). As it is now, if I tried to get away with using one of those... yeah, it would probably look a little peculiar. Of course, the odds are relatively good that if it comes time that I actually need one of those, I will really need it, which will be rather unfortunate. The other unfortunate aspect is that stairs will become an all-new problem - what with the lack of quadraped "wheel" chairs and all that good stuff. Thankfully, there exist companies these days that specialize in stairlifts, companies like Value Stairlifts out of Great Britain. Their webpage is remarkably easy to use, and presents all of the pertinent information regarding their six different models in a remarkably straightforward and easy to access manner. And, of course, stairlifts are not exactly something you can purchase right off the shelf, but the webpage already takes care of you from that direction as well, providing an easy-to-find contact form at the bottom of each page. Ideally, I should not need a product like this for quite some time, but if this webpage is still around if that time comes (and they are willing to contract overseas), I might just look them up.

---This post sponsored by Value Stairlifts.---

About this time next year, I figure I will be looking for a new computer. My old Sony is about five years behind the curve at the moment, and I have upgraded it as far as it can go, what with a new video card, more memory, a USB 2.0 PCI card, a PCI-slot fan, and ... well ... that is about it. Unfortunately, it is a midsize tower, so that is about all I can fit in it, even after taking out its original video card and phone modem. However, anyone who pays full price for just about anything online these days is not planning ahead, and not considering the options of online shopping coupons. Thankfully, there exist quite a few Dell coupons, HP deals, and even the occasional Tiger Direct coupon code, so hopefully my replacement costs will not be too terribly steep. If anyone has any good suggestions for companies to go with, however, feel free to drop me a note - of course, this could all change in the next twelve months. Either way, coupon codes should be useful in the future when replacing my worn out old box...

---This post sponsored by Coupon Chief---

One of the many ways to make money with your weblog is to develop a product line that people are interested in, and sell it to them. Unfortunately, most web hosters do not provide simple, easy-to-use methods by which weblog administrators can set up their own shopping carts and purcashing systems. Thankfully, companies exist which do specialize in those kinds of tools, one of which is Ashop Commerce. In addition to letting you set up an electronic shopping cart, the software allows you to manage inventory, design your own custom interface for your store, and even interface with Google Checkout itself. I honestly confess that my knowledge of ecommerce software is somewhat limited, however, judging from their list of features, as well as their thoughtfully-provided demo on their webpage, this is a sound, comprehensive suite for anyone interested in coming up with an online store. I mean, the software even can allow for direct integration with accounting software like QuickBooks and the like. That kind of forethought and thoughtfulness is certainly indicative of a company interested in serving their customers to the furthest extent possible. For reference, their prices start at about 40 bucks a month for 50 products, and work up to $190 a month for an unlimited number of products.

---This post sponsored by Ashop Commerce.---