A nice website I saw today was one for 552 Productions. The site was nice and clean, and since they are in the field of video production DC, they have some nice media on their homepage show casing their talents. A lot of their work is done for non-profit organizations, but they also work for private companies / citizens as well. If you need any work done in that area check out their blog or about us pages. The only critique I have is that a blog should have regular posts if it's going to be heavily show cased on the home page.
The design of the Metropolis Chair is definitely closely related to the Miles Chair. Graceful curves and clean lines blend in a chair that borders on artsy.
The Miles Chair is a wood workers nightmare or dream. The bent birch slats must have been nerve wracking to create, but the piece really is quite stunning. Another simple steel frame completes the piece.
Another awesome chair from Solv Studios, the Carbon Fiber Chair is wafer thin. A simple stainless steel base completes the design. The light weight design of the carbon fiber put every other minimal style piece I've ever reviewed to shame.
Here's a good site with a list of credit cards for bad credit. If you have bad credit, and would like a credit card, head over to Bad Credit Offers for a list of the top ten credit card companies that will approve high risk applications. Oh yeah, the site had quite a bit of information, so take your time and read up on avoiding bad credit decisions. Enjoy.
I just found a really cool widget that shows the approximate location of my site visitors. on the lower right you'll see a small world map that will show a red blip every time someone enters the futon blog. Check it out, and if you want one for your site visit FeedJit.
When I woke up this morning, the temperature on the thermometer read two degrees below zero. Obviously I don't live in Florida. :)
So anyway, this morning I made some coffee and went to sit down near one of the windows to sit in the sun when I was hit by a cold draft. Now, I'm blogging well away from the windows at my computer, and I got thinking about window blinds or shades that could help insulate around the windows in the winter. I was thinking something along the lines of the half inch cellular shades that I found on the Just Blinds website. The prices looked fairly reasonable and the selection was, to me, quite varied. Just Blinds had cellular shades in three thicknesses and like twelve colors per model. So they should fit just about any space.
If cellular shades aren't your thing, Just Blinds also carries Roman Shades, Wooden Shades, Shutters, Pleated Shades & More. If you're not trying to save heat this season there are all sorts of different shade styles for you and your space. Check out the selection and let me know what you think.
The Solv chair looks quite comfy. Low and loungy, it's definitely made for deep relaxation. The molded seat is well complimented by the simple hoop base.
As an aikidoka, I found an immediate connection with the Sedona Method. The founders, Lester Levenson and Hale Dwoskin, promote the Sedona Method as a path towards creating a new earth through simple, powerful, and easy-to-learn techniques that shows you how to uncover your natural ability to surrender – or let go. But wait, how do you get anywhere if you let go? That all depends on what you let go of, ego is one good thing to surrender. Pain is another. The Sedona Method, much like some aikido practice emphasizes this, and they can teach you how to be aware of the things that we all hold onto. Those types of hang ups usually impair our progress in life.
The Sedona Method has seminars and classes on a regular basis. You get hands on teaching with people that have made an active change in their behavior and who want to help spread a better way.
Have you ever wanted to share pictures with friends or family, but they were too big for an email? If so, you should visit TurboUpload, Your File Host. TurboUpload is a great site where you can upload your files and friends and family can download them, saving your email bandwidth. Now you don't have to worry about file sizes quite so much. Check it out and share your life with your family through TurboUpload. Also, in my line of work, I have quite a few manufactures who send me large image files. These files can eat up tons of bandwidth, and with a program like this, we can both save on our usage.
I was blown away by the ingenuity of the Vector Lounge Chair. The use of materials that are not generally used in furniture is very refreshing. The rims that serve as arm rests on this chair can be fitted with your favorite mountain bike tires or with inner-tubes only. They can also be fitted with a simple pad. This chair is suitable for outdoor use. Very Cool
When I worked for a well known furniture retailer in Massachusetts, the owners were always discouraging their employees from advancing in their lives. Whether that advancement included activities within the company or not, it was usually looked down upon. For instance, the company was owned by two people, one of them came from a wealthy family out of Missouri and the other was from a working class family from Montana. The working class guy wanted to take some Management Courses to get some formal training, and the wealthy gentleman made him feel like an idiot for the thought. Even though, we call him Mr. Wealth, has a masters degree and went to school for years, he still had to discourage anyone else from ahead.
For that reason, I have decided to actively pursue knowledge relevant to my field. Mr. Wealth isn't the only guy that should be allowed to get ahead in the world.
If you like retro style furnishings you should visit Retro Showrooms. While I'm not sure if the furniture is authentic retro or reproduction it definitely looks the part. From radios to dinettes they maight just have what you're looking for.
In a world of identity theft, companies like Life Lock are finding the market wide open for their services. Even with fears of credit and identity theft taking on larger than life proportions for some, it looks as though LifeLock.com is still giving a little back in order to get new customers. Here's the details for the new promotion that LifeLock is offering to new customers. Right now they are giving a thirty day free trial, after which an annual fee of only ninety-nine dollars will apply for your first year of service.
Their site looks alright, it's no frills and to the point. The only thing I would suggest is maybe giving consumers tips on the site on how to avoid behavior that can put you more at risk for identity theft. You know, like telling consumers what to look for in a website when shopping, or what types of information are safe to even enter on a form or volunteer. Other than that minor gripe, the service looks solid and the site was average.
Wanna see the New York Skyline without having to go to NYC? How about under a home cooked meal? Well, if you're in the mood for a little NYC in your daily dining, without the hassle of actually going to New York, the NYC skyline plates may be just what you're looking for.
In my attempt to make the futon blog more accessible, I've just added a link to my most popular posts. I think it will make browsing through the blog a little easier. I've noticed quite a few blogs doing this and I think it's a nice addition. We'll see if anyone uses it.
Being in the furniture business as well a fantastic blogger (I wish) I like to see whats on the market every now and again. Today I found some really interesting Oak Beds for sale across the "pond" in the UK. I was particularly fond of one platform bed called the Headlam. If you look at my site, and I hope you have, you'll probably have noticed a lot of minimally styled platform beds, with a few mission style platform beds. Wheat I really liked about the Headlam is the fact that it has a panel style head board, with your choice of a low profile foot board, or a panel style foot board. The natural oak looked quite stunning, I enjoy seeing wood furniture in a more natural state, and the Headlam bed didn't disappoint.
They also carried some interesting Faux Leather Beds, which you also don't see every day.
This month I will be giving away a full size Chinese Poem futon cover valued at $116. What do you need to do to win? Just comment in this tread, and wait till March 12th for me to announce the winner. I'll be using a random integer generator to pick the winner.
BTW, winners must reside within the Continental US for free shipping. Everyone else, don't comment unless you want to pay for shipping.
I think when I found www.gowfb.com I got web site envy, their eCommerce furniture store has everything. The selection is huge. I just couldn't get over the variety of bedroom furniture specifically platform beds; in fact it gave me inspiration to add more to my collection. For instance, www.gowfb.com carries children's furniture, living-room, dining room, contemporary, and patio furniture. The site navigation is fairly extensive, but when your site is so immense that can happen. They also have a convenient list of locations, if there's one in your area it won't be hard to get directions. Check it out, you may be able to find some interesting furnishings and a few deals.
For those of you who have visited my retail site you may have noticed that a few things have changed over the past few days. For the better I hope. Well, I've added a couple new furniture categories, like rugs and the Zzz Chest. The home page is now new and improved for easy navigation and product visibility. So, what do you think? Leave a comment to share your opinion.
Ok, I know my video was fairly humorous, but the site I put it together for is quite the opposite. Be Oyster Aware is a great source of information about Gulf oysters and what you get from eating them. Be Oyster Aware also educates everyone about the risks of eating raw foods as well who is more at risk from them. Check it out and be, well, oyster Aware. :)
These Blue Print Plates are so cool. I love the idea, combined with the shape of the plates, it's just so right on! You have to see these, they are great. The plates themselves retail between $7 and $32 per plate depending on the size.
The other day I broke the pin on my wrist watch, which normally wouldn't be a big deal. But today was different, the bracket that holds the band in place also broke and I can get a matching replacement part. So, in my quest to find a new wrist watch I found a nice site that carries Seiko Watch company. One watch that really caught my eye was the Seiko SPC015 Men's Coutura Advanced Alarm Chronograph Timer Black Dial. It looked really sharp and, if I could afford it, I would definitely buy it.
I just wanted to let all my readers know that my ad contest was a success. This is my first contest and it lasted about 12 hours before people realized what I was offering and how to get it. I'd like to congratulate Crumblepie and MeetHere for grabbing the top two ad spots on the right for free. Their ads will remain on the site till March 26th.
Mitch’s Furniture & Bedding Liquidation is a local furniture store in Phoenix Arizona that seems to carry a little bit of everything. With furniture for the whole house, dining, bedding, upholstery, futons, kids furniture, & more. Their site design was quite busy, with a huge selection to see, they've dubbed them selves furniture Phoenix. What's really nice is the total area Mitch’s Furniture & Bedding Liquidation covers, with delivery options well noted. Check it out.
The Ravenwood Zzz Chest is another Las Vegas find that we just added to the site. Bead board combines with innovation in the Zzz Chest to bring a stylish functional piece. Each Zzz Chest comes with a specially designed innerspring futon mattress.
I just entered a Spring Break contest sponsored by Ocean Potion and their Xtreme tanning & sun careproducts. The Xtreme tanning formulas are PABA-free, cruelty free and many are fragrance free and hypo allergenic. Ocean Potion cares about your skin too, with products designed to nourish, and keep your skin looking its best, longer.
I was quite impressed by the variety of Xtreme tanning products that Ocean Potion offers, as well as the fun they are having to promote their goods. If you've already visited the links above, you must know that they made a really funny commercial with Chuck Woolery. In the commercial, you'll see just how well the Xtreme sun block made by Ocean Potion really works. I bet the sun burned guy wished he had some Ocean Potion Xtreme sun block on before he fell asleep in the sun. See for yourself what I'm talking about.
As you can see, my video (the one above) is a brief animation showing what could happen to you if you don't use your Ocean Potion Xtreme tanning product when you head to the beach. Plus, I've entered it in the Spring Break Contest and I could be in the running for $5000! So, head over to the Spring Break Contest and vote for me. I sure would appreciate it.
So, if you want to either block the sun, or enhance your tan, Ocean Potion has a sun product for you and your skin.
I plan on giving away two 125 x 125 ad spots for a month on the futon blog. There are a couple conditions before anyone enters the contest.
1. No adult or gambling sites 2. You provide the link and image 3. If I visit the link and it is deemed inappropriate the spot will be declined. 4. Only one spot per person. 5. Here's a link to sign up.
So, in order to enter the contest, just make a comment on this thread. The first two commenters who provide a 125 x 125 image, link, and a comment on this thread will get one month of advertising for free.
Evidently it's never too early for retailers to start planning for Black Friday Sales. Not that theres anything wrong with planning ahead, but I sure was surprised when found bfads, the official web site for the2008 Black Friday Sales Ads.
So, what's all that mean?
Here's how it works.
Retailers like Ace, Amazon, KB Toys, Target, Pacsun, Walmart, & more place ads in preparation for Black Friday, the biggest day for sales in the US. Wat's really nice about the site is the layout, in my opinion at least. They show all the stores logos, they have the latest news for the upcoming shopping season (deal info), and they allow you to contact them in case you want to place an ad listing for this season. I find the idea of getting the all the Black Friday deals from home great. Next year I won't be fighting the masses for Christmas presents.
The Milan Zzz Chest is one of the fantastic new additions to Goodnight Moon Futon. I personally favor the Milan over the Savannah or the Ravenwood due to it's modern look. Also, each Zzz Chest includes a specially designed innerspring futon mattress. You have to check out these Zzz Chest models, they'll blow you away.
As an aikidoka (guy that studies aikido), I like to think that I'm in fairly good shape and as such I like to stay on top of new trends in staying fit. So, in my travels on the information super highway I found a site called www.ShrinkYourself.com that discusses diets and eating habits. Shrinkyourself.com talks a lot about emotional eating, and how people who can lose weight often give in to depression / low self esteem and eat to feel happy. At first I thought this was a crock, but the more I read the more it made sense. I think even I fall into the emotional eating category from time to time, luckily my metabolism is still high enough to keep pace, but as I get older I may want to keep an eye on things. So, check out the site if you want to take a look at your eating habits, or don't if you don't. :)
I just finished rearranging the items on the Futon Blog to my liking. I felt the layout before was cluttered and didn't flow very well, but I must say that the new layout is cleaner and flows better.
But, it's not just about me, feel free to leave a comment about your thoughts.
The past twelve months have brought drastic changes in the way quite a few states handle health insurance. For instance, Massachusetts, California, and Georgia health insurance laws have all undergone overhauls to attempt to save tax payers money. At least that's what the politicians are saying, but anyway, now everyone has to have health insurance by law. If you don't the state revokes your right to claim yourself on your taxes. Now more than ever the need for sites like Kaiser Quotes has peaked. At Kaiser Quotes you can shop for insurance, compare plans / rates, and find out information on the insurance available in your area.
Here's another speed link post, if you don't know what that means you should leave immediately. :)
Pan-Dan is a very cool blog where you can fins all sorts of posts. Random stylish items for the house & home are abundant, as well as the humorous & bizar. The only gripe I have is the unmodified blogger template, but oh well.
Vocino, fun techno-babble and random, quirky stuff. The author, Travis, is finally posting again after a 1-2 month hiatus when he stated that he hated blogging (some days, when I'm really brain dead, I can respect that). But luckily he's back :).
Lastly, Derek Semmler made the list once again. Derek recently threw a contest and I was one of the winners, of a very tight tank top :D . Maybe I'll try to squeeze into it and share an image.
Clocks Blog is an interesting blog dedicated to all things, well, clock related. If you didn't guess that you probably weren't paying attention. There's actually quite a lot of information on the blog, such as the evolution of clocks, different clock styles, as well as what goes into making clocks. The layout of the blog is nice, and their posting history is rich. Actually, seeing this blog reminds me of the grandfather clock that my nana and papa used to own. Maybe http://www.clocksblog.com will bring back some memories for you.
Last year my aunt Nadeen moved back north, from Miami Beach to Just outside New York City. And even though the real estate market in the rest of the country seems to be in a bit of a slump Manhattan real estate still seems to be booming. Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate is one company that specializes in upscale NYC and Long Island real estate. Their site was awesome, definitely leading with their best foot forward there. Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate is show casing some really high end spaces on their homepage, but they also have some properties that are a bit more reasonable, for Manhattan and NYC anyhow. :)
Back to my story, Nadeen found an awesome space through a mutual friend, just outside the City. She's enjoying her first winter in fifteen years and having a great time in the NYC area.
Noelle and I actually went out to Northampton last night, we stopped into the Dirty Truth (a great bar downtown) and had a nice dinner. On the way home we heard that song "Sara" from the 80's and I was convinced it was created by singer / song writer Richard Marx. Noelle though it was performed by Fleetwood Mac or Jefferson Starship. So, we need your help, who sang "Sara"?
As of this time, I feel fairly fortunate not to have gone through any financial crisis. Don't get me wrong, things have been tight from time to time, but luckily I have not been through any situation where I have had to contact a Debt Management company to keep my head above water. I think a lot of my ability to stay out of debt has involved my wife Noelle. She is definitely the better half of our partnership when it comes to money. The main strategy has involved avoiding reckless spending, and paying for things as you go.
For instance, I used to work with a guy named Rob, who used to refinance just to buy toys (snow mobiles, guns, etc) instead of investing it back into his home. This strategy was definitely a poor one, buying wasteful items and going further into debt. Luckily, Noelle and I have been able to avoid this pitfall, mostly thanks to her. :)
I think a contemporary house can look really nice, but do birds also need such stylish abodes? I have to admit that the contemporary bird houses and feeders to look unique, but those crazy German's (at least I think the site was German) went a little too far with this one. Anyway, this post turned into a bit of a rant again.
When I in middle school my friend Adam had a really cool Cubs baseball cap, it was almost flannel with the small Cub Logo on the side. Well, just the other day I tried to to find another one and that's when I found CubWorld.com, a site that carries official Chicago Cubs merchandise. The site was nice, had tons of selection, was easy to navigate, but they didn't have the hat I remember. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about, there's always that one thing from the past that nothing else measures up to, right? But, what did I expect after fifteen years?
Anyway, check it out if you're into the Cubs or other MLB memorabilia.
I don't eat too many walnuts, or even nuts with their shells intact, but if I did I would invest in one of these Nutcrackers. The Nutcracker has a solid stainless steel base, domed top in black rubber and non-slip rubber bottom to protect against scratched table tops. But the real genius of this nutcracker is the ribbed metal fitting on the underside of the dome that ensures that only a light tap is needed to split the shell.
I've always been interested in traveling abroad, to somewhere other than Europe, Like Australia or the islands in the Pacific. But do you know how long a flight to Australia or Japan is? You're in the air for like twenty four hours. Not that it would be too bad I guess, but that's a very long time in a coach seat. Even so, I've heard really great things about Australia and would like to see it for myself. I would love to go to some of the crazy restaurants in Sydney, and even go out to Ayers Rock in the desert. Well, maybe I don't want to see the poisonous creatures.
The Forest Cups designers have taken inspiration from the Scandinavian forests and designed a stylized pattern of trees and branches in black lines on a white background. All of the cups are identical, but appear to be different members of the same family, depending on how you look at them. Packaged in sets of four.
I just found a cool site that sells old school bicycles. You know the ones I'm referring to, bikes that have one speed, are made out of metal (no carbon fiber), and have no shocks. The kind of bike that you used to see back in the day. Well, Cruiser Style.com is helping old school bicycles make a come back with their pink beach cruiser.
I don't really see many of these bikes in the Northeast yet, but Noelle went to Amsterdam last year and they were in abundance. When she told me about the bicycle culture in Amsterdam, I thought it sounded awesome. Here's how it went. Usually two people would ride one bike, the guy would peddle while his girl sat side saddle behind him and held on with a hug. As the pair would try to get moving, the boy friend would sit on the seat and start peddling and his girly would run along side for a few steps and then jump on. I thought it sounded wicked cool, and if I were over there Noelle and I would have definitely been renting a bike to try it out. So, if you want an old school bike to ride with you girl, check out the liks above and have some fun.
The Light House Heater is another great find for your home. It's a great source of light as well as functional in that it can keep your tea warm or maybe your fondue. Oh yeah, if you couldn't figure out why it's called the Light House Heater, you should search google for Light House Images.
One thing a lot of people over look when they think about furnishing their new space is moving to it. For instance, my mother in law, Bev, is about to move into the apartment that Noelle and I own. She and Noelle have spent a tremendous amount to time and energy getting the apartment ready, but the moving side of the whole process is taking a back seat to everything. And, it's not as though we have a small amount to move, there a lot of stuff. So, I've been looking into a truck rental so we can take care of the move in one shot. That's when I found MovingOrbit.com, they can hook you up with truck rentals, movers, and give you a free quote. It may be a little less stressful if we have some additional help on this one.
Normally the two words in the title don't go very well together, but the Fingerprint Potholder may just be the exception. The Fingerprint potholder is manufactured in heat-resistant silicone, has good friction properties and gives a sure grip on everything from pots and pans to hot oven dishes. Quite an interesting find for your home.
This winter has been quite cold in the Northeast and I don't know about you, but I'm really feeling it as far as my heating costs go this year. Consequently, I've been thinking about supplementing my forced hot air, oil heat with one of those propane convection heaters. From what I've read they're supposed to be quite economical and clean, economics being quite important. I've always wanted one of those radiant heat stoves in my space, and this might just be the year for it.
Who ever designed the Lady Lamp must have been traumatized or fantasized by "Christmas Story". The lamp itself is very reminisent of the stockinged lamp the Ralphy's father won. Well, it's slightly more on the risqué side though.
Ok, we've touched base on rugs, now you need a good vacuum
For those of you who didn't read the last couple posts, I just blogged about antique rugs. But, now that you know about nice rugs, you should probably invest in a good vacuum to take care of it. Now, Noelle and I have a great dane, and for years we never had any rugs in the house. Since our dog is huge, we used one of my shop vacs on the hardwood floors. Last year we got a small area rug, and the shop vac is terrible on it, so we've started to think about investing in a nice vacuum, like a Dyson vacuum from 1AwsomeVac.com. They have a great selection by the way.
But we're also taking our time. When I was single I probably would have just bought a vacuum based on it's color, but now I know theres more to than that. I guess we'll be using the shop vac for a little while longer. :(
After trying and failing with the comment program that blogger provides, I decided to try Intense Debate on my blog. Intense Debate give bloggers more control over their comments. Also, commenter's are given reputation, so bad seeds that spam will be shown for what they really are. Bloggers also get statistics on the comments on their blogs. Keep an eye out for the new comment system soon.
If you've been on the site lately you probably noticed that I recently added a collection of area rugs. While the rugs I have on the site are nice, I must say that an antique rugs is a step above. Like the rugs I found at Nazmiyal Antique Rugs. The patterns are usually more intricate and most often antique rugs are made by hand. Which, in my opinion is very pleasing to the eye. Consequently,antique Persian carpets are usually more expensive, but they can be worth the extra cost.
This Tea Set by UNstudio really pushes the boundries of art and functional piece. Here's how the designer describes the piece.
"The piazza is conceived as a landscaped tray, with vessels for tea, coffee, milk and sugar, nestling in its hollows. The ovals of the four components are formally seen as continuous surfaces that transform from handle to spout. The receptacles are luxuriously made of silver and the presentation platter is composed of an under-layer of dark orange plastic and a top layer of polished silver in which the reflections of the vessels undulate across the surface."
I personally don't think pieces like that are meant to be used. Well, other than as a display anyhow.
The title says it all, this chest by FolkForm is really quite beautiful in an abstract way. Stockholm-based Folkform is a design studio owned and run by industrial designers Chandra Ahlsell and Anna Holmquist. They work on their own independent projects as well as with clients such as Nola, Stockholm Parking and the Interactive Institute.
I recently found the eBay of telescopes. Well, I'm sure you could find telescopes on eBay, but Astro Mart is actually dedicated to all things astronomy related. If you visit their classifieds you can find a telescopes for sale, well many actually. Astro Mart also has a forum, reviews and a calendar of events like mirror making classes as well as astronomy expos. I've always been interested in astronomy but with my aikido I feel I've never had the time to partake. Plus, it's cold outside in Massachusetts this time of year.
This Bead Clock has to be one of the most unique items I've ever blogged about. Each bead in the necklace is 5 minutes. The whole necklace is one solar day. The orange and red ones represent the whole hours. As the wheel turns, one bead falls off and drops down the string every 5 minutes. To tell the time you count the beads from either the silver bead (midnight) or the golden bead (noon) to the last bead that fell off the wheel. This is such a cool object, it truly blurs the line between art and furniture.
Things to do in Minneapolis with a Cracked Windshield
Now, this would probably be better if I could tie this post in with Andy Garcia. Oh, I just did. :) For those of you who don't get the joke it's a pun on "Things to do in Denver when your dead". Great movie, check it out sometime.
Anyway, Rapidglass.com provides Minneapolis windshield replacement at reasonable prices. They come out to your location and take care of everything. Rapidglass.com has some really positive customer testimonials and some nice promotions as well. I've actually seen one of them in other markets around the country, it involves steaks the windshield replacement. Not sure why, but the two tend to go hand in hand.
I really enjoy seeing functional pieces of art like the Tree Shelves. The play on the design was great, in my opinion. Green shelves in varying tones complement the trunk on wall. Another quality find.
The Blush radiator is made of cast iron and painted with a coating which changes color according to temperature. When cold it is blue, but blushes with red when above 30°C. Very Cool :)
I don't know what my obsession is, but I just found another online source for Personal Loans. It seems like there are more websites today that offer Car Loans with a Personal Loan option available as well. Complete Loan Source is one site that has a variety of offers for consumers, even for people with bad credit. Whether you're after a car loan, debt consolidation, or payday loan, they can help you on the right path.
I know it's snowed quite a bit in the Northeast this year. So this post is for everyone who doesn't get to see a snow fall very often. I do think it looks a whole lot nicer when you don't have to go shovel afterwards though.
I think that most guys don't really think about skin care, at least while they're single. Well, most wont admit it anyway. However, when I got married I learned there was a bit more to Skin care than just a bar of soap. For instance, I recently found a site that is all about skin care called Skin Health Today. They touch base on quite a few topics that involve caring for your skin, and they even have a radio show with industry leader, Celeste Hilling. Tune in to World Talk Radio live each Thursday at 12:00p, starting February 14th. Playable versions and downloadable Podcasts of each show are available through the World Talk archives 24 hours after it air. Each week will cover a new topic. I thought the site was quite informative, so feel free to check it out.
Retro design combined with adjustable height hydralics make these bar stools functional as well as good looking. May be used at a bar table or dinette table. Extends from 22 to 33 inches high. Made of chrome and fiberglass. Perfect with the Gelato Bar Table!
Have you ever gone to your doctors office and really looked at the wall full of files that is usually behind every receptionist? If you have, imagine what would happen if all those records were suddenly destroyed in a fire or a flood. I don't know about you but I have thirty years of medical records that would be gone if my doctors office doesn't use a service like the one provided by VirMedice. At VirMedice, they help small to medium size medical offices make the transition from paper to electronic. With a service like that, records can be found faster and they can be backed up off site just in case anything were to happen.
Today we're taking a look at bar tables and we thought we should add some stools to the mix. Here are some great stools with great lines.
Like a salsa dancer, the Viva bar stool adds instant movement and swing to any room. This curvaceous bar stool works great at an upscale bar, or in your own home. For maximum comfort, adjust the height of the chair from 29" to 39" with the hydraulic pump. Leatherette finish with polished chrome base, pole, and accents. Available in Black and Chocolate Brown.
Retro design combined with adjustable height hydraulics make this bar table functional as well as good looking. Extends from 31 to 40 inches high.Made of chrome and plastic. This is one of the new items I'm excited to add to the site from Las Vegas.
Noelle and I have been playing around with the idea of purchasing a new TV, ours is really old and the sound is starting to get a bit funky. So we started looking at flat screen tv's and then we had a bit of a brainstorm, what about a projector? At first we didn't think this was the right choice, but then we thought "what's flatter than our wall and takes up less space?". Not a flat screen tv. In our search we found a site called Presentation Mart. They have a great selection of projectors for home or business as well as the DLP bulbs for when you need to replace yours. So, it's a one stop shop. Check it out.
Fifties style, futuristic flair! Kidney shaped tempered glass bar top has ample room for drinks or décor. Two glass shelves provide extra storage space. Polished chrome legs and base.
The Malvern combines storage and style in one unique package. The base provides a little extra lift to expose those hard to reach spots under the bed. I think it kind of looks a bit like a dump truck, but that's just me.
As an apprentice level blacksmith, I really enjoy searching through anything related to the metal industry. And while I stumbled onto the Petro wire and Steel website by accident, I still had to take a look. Now, while Petro wire and steel does something completely different from what your average blacksmith focuses on, they still provide a valuable service in metal work.
While I was blacksmithing I was approaching metal working as more of an artistic angle, rather than a functional one. My pieces had some intricate curves and graceful tapers. Petro, on the other hand, focuses more on the functional side of metal work. Petro specializes in perforated metal and provides custom solutions where no two projects are exactly alike, which is another way of saying they won't hesitate to offer custom fabrication on all their products; this includes custom woven or welded wire cloth, custom expanded metal, custom perforated metal, custom fabricated bar grading and fiberglass grading. Truly the other side of the industry with a bit of a twist.
Today I took the first step towards setting up my blog on an external server. I purchased the domain, set up my hosting plan and now I'm off posting again. So feel free to keep visiting here, but don't be surprised when things switch over to the new site. :)
Now, I know that the title was a bit cliche', but if you live in Australia or are planning a move there, you may want to check out a great site I just found for Aussie Jobs. The site had tons of job categories, so there's definitely something for everyone. There are also some great features on the site as well, like Salary Calculators and information on training courses.
I wanted to share a story with you, about a very sleazy business tactic my former employer (from this point referred to as MFE) did many years ago. Now, the city where MFE owned and operated his business was fairly small. There was only one other furniture company at the time, Hamlin's Furniture, and they were in the process of going out of business. As a part of their going out of business, Hamlin's was throwing a going out of business sale and put flyers / signs all over the city and the surrounding towns as well. Well, even though MFE had won in his conquest to put Hamlin's out of business (he admitted to tipping off the authorities to some less than legal practices on Hamlin's part) it still wasn't enough.
To make a long story short, MFE sent one of our less than honorable coworkers out for two days straight removing signs. So, as you can see, for MFE enough may never be enough. What do you think, feel free to share.
I know what you're thinking right now, "what is he doing a post about the transformers for?" Well, this time you're wrong, unless you were thinking about the steps involved in shipping transformers from China. :) So, heres how shipping works, a company like Goodnight Moon Futon orders a widget from a factory in China, who then produces the widget and loads it on a container. The container is then loaded on a tractor trailer, which then goes to a port and the container is then loaded on a cargo ship and brought to the US.
And that's it right? Not exactly. At this point a freight broker arranges the logistics between the owner of the widget and the freight company. That's it, but it is still a huge part of the shipping company. And it's a highly in demand portion at that. There are actually schools that will train people to become a freight broker, something that was totally unknown to me. One such school is Freight Broker Training School.
Here's what courses at Freight Broker Training School will teach you:
How to set up your brokerage Broker/Agent role Working from home as an Agent for a Broker or Carrier Perspectives of moving freight Drivers view of cargo movement Brokers view of working with Shippers & Carriers Phone skills Basic sales skills Market your Services Calculate rates Negotiate rates with Shippers and Carriers Book freight - how to find it - how to move it Find out what parts of the country are "freight-hot" and where it is not How to properly fill out load sheets Post loads Find trucks Dispatch Load-matching and Internet Tools & Load Boards: How to use these effectively Numerous ways to find freight Finance your Accounts Receivable for cash flow Free or discounted software and valuable services to get you started & keep you moving forward Employment options/Assistance Handle claims Daily accounting: billing/payables/receivables/ledger Collections procedures Keep your brokerage solvent Develop credibility with honesty, integrity, and service (did I mention service!) And of course, set up and manage your office As part of this course-work, you will leave here with tools and a business plan Much more!
Check out your options in this growing field today.
I my quest to find new and exciting products, I recently checked out some great Shoji Screens. Shoji screens are great, they can be used for both decorative and functional purposes. Plus, shoji screens usually look great as well.
Like most people, I use a company that takes care to all the investment options involved in setting up my IRA. There are actually quiet a few companies that specialize in investment management, like Northern Trust. Northern Trust offers quite a few investment options: Mutual Funds, Brokerage Services, Wealth Advisory Services, etc. Their site was very well done and finding investment options was rather easy. So, if you're at a point where you want to start planning for your future, Northern Trust has ample information to get you started on that path.
I was looking online at electronics the other day, I would like to find a great deal on a new flat screen monitor, when I found a site that carries new and refurbished electronics. Performance Data Resources has the following goals:
"Our mission is to provide our refurbished AS/400, iSeries and i5 customers with a reliable source for diverse, hard to find, new and refurbished midrange hardware and to assist with issues ranging from simple device address & cabling problems to complex system tuning & troubleshooting assistance.
Our technical staff of eServer certified, trained, and knowledgeable professionals, with more than 30 years of IT Technical Support, Data Center Management, local and wide area networking experience, offer a wide variety of services and solutions to meet your ever changing business requirements"
The options that Performance Data Resources can offer are many, both new and used machines in a different configurations. Their site was easy to use, so finding what you need is quite easy. The only thing I think I can add to their site is a pricing option on the refurbished servers. I don't like calling in anywhere for prices when I'm shopping onlne.
Last week I entered a contest at Derek Semmlers blog and for once it paid off. I won one of the small white tank tops, which may be a bit small. But hey, I actually won for once.
I used to work for a guy who's main theory in his pricing practices involved 3's, 6's and 9's. He bestowed this gem on me one day when I was updating some of the pricing on the website that I used to run. Now, I thought he smoked way too much pot that morning or something or maybe that he was just pulling my leg. Here's how he figured it, if something should be selling for $425 he'd bump it up to $439 because of the 3. The system worked for other prices as well, like $450 would be bumped to $469 and $480 would bump up to $499. Sorry, I digress, what do you all think, was he a bit crazy or is the theory sound? Let me know.
Every time I visit a major city (Las Vegas, New York, Boston, etc) I always feel like I'm only seeing a fraction of what there is to see. I'm almost positive that's the case. I go and see all the touristy stuff, you know what I'm talking about, the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the John Hancock building. It's almost as though tourists go to see the venues that real residents don't. I don't really think theres anything wrong with that approach, but I think I may have just discovered a new way.
Usually my best rips to an area have involved visiting family. They know the best restaurants, short cuts, and hidden spots that usually aren't in the travel guide books. But what if you're traveling somewhere you don't have any relatives? Well, on the New York sightseeing tours I just found, you get to hook up (totally PG) with a real New York City family to see the sights that they do. Now you have another choice instead of being packed into a tour bus with 50 strangers going to a preset list of locations. Check out the link, it has all the information you may have questions about and is easy to use.
I remember a furniture store commercial from when I was younger in which the owner of the store floated around in the air on one of these hand shaped chairs. He was an old guy, and I think has since passed on, but if he was around today he would definitely used the Mitt chair instead. The Mitt is available in many colors and has the option to be equipped with a vibrating massage.
With all the Valentines day festivities finished, I got to thinking about the time Noelle and I went to Boston six years ago. Now, there are lots of things to do in Boston and lots of great places find even more activities you may not already be aware of, but on this occasion Noelle and I went to an invitation only wine tasting. To put things in perspective, at the time Noelle and I were still involved in the restaurant business (she more than I) and we were invited to one of the premiere wine tastings in the North East. At the tasting there was food, wine (naturally), and lots of shmoosing. Wine reps were plying their wares and we were partaking. It was great. The setting was perfect, the food was fantastic (imported cheeses, ripe fruit, carving stations, desserts, you get the drift) and their was even live music. Again it was a great trip.
Now on my recent trip to Las Vegas I wish I had as good a time. I did get to go to a very nice, catered party for everyone at the futon expo, but there was no comparison between the two venues. When you travel for work, the fun usually goes right out the window.
Form and function blend beautifully in our new Metro series of floor lamps. Dual light sources combine with shelves for ultimate usability. Features four hardwood shelves. Perfect for corner reading areas. Tower lights take two 60-watt utility bulbs; Reading lights take one 25-watt candelabra bulb.
When I was making the arrangements for my recent trip to Las Vegas, I found a site called Travel Hero. Travel Hero specializes in discount hotel reservations and car rental services for your vacation or business trip. When I stayed in Las Vegas, the prices to stay right on the strip were, in my opinion, really high. Now I'm not sure how Travel Hero got these rates, but to stay in hotels like the MGM Grand or the Stratosphere was considerably less than what I could find. IF you're traveling in the future, I highly recommend you check them out.
The Serpentine Lamps feature spinning shades of colorful translucent vinyl with a 3-D serpentine effect. The lamps take a 60-75 watt bulb; the shade spins faster with a higher wattage bulb. The Serpentine lamp is available in several colors, and two base finishes. This lamp combines class is psychedelics, so enjoy it.
As the webmaster at Goodnight Moon there are times when the new development and website maintenance can become a little overwhelming. Especially at times when I have a lot of new products to add, like when I got back from the futon expo last week. At times like that I wish I had thought to subcontract out some of the work to a company like that does web hosting colocation. With over 23 years of experience innovating, integrating and operating technology solutions, Momentum knows how to help your clients improve processes, reduce costs, generate revenue, and stream line your operation. Momentum has worked for Sprint, Aviva, Xerox, Allstate, and Telus, just to name a few. If Momentum can give assistance to large companies like those, just think about what they can do for you and your small business.
Here's a small list of the services that Momentum offers. Momentum can take care of managed backup, remote monitoring, server management, and managed hosting. Just about anything your business could need on the back end, Momentum can do.
Today I redesigned the side bar on the futon blog. It used to be a single column, but as you can see, it's now a double column. So, what do you think? Is it ok or not your cup of tea?
For those of you who may feel a but rusty in the computer department from time to time, I want to introduce you to a company named Resource Bridge. Resource Bridge offers Web based training tools and courses that will allow you to learn from home. With the online learning tools at Resource Bridge you can learn new skills such as:
• implement in-house product or service training • introduce new policies or procedures • interact with simulations of new equipment • simulate and interact with new computer applications • execute and score tests • orient new hires • and much more!
The process is easy, all you'll need is an internet connection and a web browser. In fact quite a few employers use online training to bring their employees up to speed in different areas. The program allows employers to check up on progress, and provides a forum for questions and answers. All in all its a great program that can save on the costs of tuition and be taught on site instead of on campus.
I've just added a new feature to the blog which allows recent comments to be displayed on the side bar of the futon blog. I will still be moderating comments, so don't try to sneak any adult links and gambling stuff on the blog. So, if you want a link for a while, try it out.
I used to work in the restaurant business, way back before getting into furniture, and starting up a new restaurant can be a daunting task. Staffing, decorating, purveying, are just a few of the things a start up needs, making new Restaurants and Business Loans go hand in hand. One site I saw that specializes in business loans was ARF - Advanced Restaurant Finance. Their experience lending to restaurateurs makes them an invaluable resource to a new business. The terms and rates look pretty standard and given that they know what it takes to start a new restaurant, they are a great choice for anyone looking towards that avenue.
As some of you may know, I did a blog post earlier in the week about an eBay seller who decided to fight back against eBay's new feedback policy. Class-it was a small eBay seller, who posted an auction with a list ways the a laptop could get stolen and how eBay wouldn't protect him as a seller. That's the back story, now here's the update.
I just went over to Class-it's blog and guess what a chat window popped up and I chatted with Terry (Class-it) about the whole issue. It turns out that eBay locked up the Class-it account, including emails, feedback, etc and is now snooping around the blog making accusations viral marketing. I must say that the response to Terry's auction has been huge, and it looks like most of it was support.
So check out the blog and tell Terry how you feel about eBays policies or the auction.
With Valentines day right around the corner, if you don't have a gift for your loved ones, you may be out of luck. Well, that is unless you're buying a piece of custom womens or custom mens jewelry. At You Design We Create, you (obviously) make a custom piece of jewelry for your loved one. I think the process is really unique and will differentiate your gift form all the other, cookie cutter jewelry that looks exactly the same. Take the braclets at the top of the post for instance. They are one of a kind and went to the winners of the 2007 US Poker Championship.
Here's how it works: you, the customer, come up with a meaningful design for yourself or the intended recipient. The design is then forwarded to YouCreateWeDesign.com and they work up a few quotes for you. Your custom piece can be made from a variety of materials, and at varying price points (just because it's custom doesn't mean it'll cost an arm and a leg). Once the details are set the piece is made and you have a one of a kind piece of jewelry for your loved one. If you don't already have a Valentines day gift, you can order your custom piece today and tomorrow you can tell your sweety that it's in the mail. :) Good luck with that one anyway. :D
As my rant of the day I wanted to touch base on the fact that I spent over two hours snow blowing my drive way today. Now, I don't normally get annoyed at having to take care of the snow removal at home, we have a lawn tractor with a snow blower attachment. Usually the snow is thrown twenty feet or more into the air and I whip through the driveway in about twenty minutes.
Today was very different. The eight inches of snow the fell in Western Massachusetts was nice and light before it got rained on for five hours in the early morning. Thus, my whole snow removal process this morning took four times longer than normal.
Noelle and I have been remodeling our apartment next door, and in our search for a kitchen backsplash we founds a site called Glass Tile Store. We were blown away by the selection, there were so many glass tile colors and sizes to choose from. I really, really liked the Pebble Boy Blue tiles; the complex design is made by hand and each artist can only make ten per day. Very cool.
The site itself was well designed too. Navigation was easy, and finding what you were interested in was a snap (I know, who uses the word snap in that way anymore?). Almost every product they carry is pictured and there is a free sample option, which is always nice. If glass tiles aren't your thing, they also have a nice selection of metal and glass tiles for your space as well.
All in all, browsing through the Glass Tile Store was a nice experience.
I just found a collection of chairs designed for gamers that integrate vibration and sounds. I think the idea behind the chair is a good one, but it's a little too far out of the box for my taste. I'd have to actually play video games before I got one of these. I think Noelle would lose all respect for me if I started plating video games and had to get one of these chairs.
Definitely for the single guy that lives with his parents. :)
I think we've all seen that commercial for lifelock haven't we? You know the one where the guy puts his social security number on a box truck and drives around New York. Well, I just checked out their site to see if this was a legit service or just smoke and mirrors. From what I could tell, and it can be hard from a website, the service seemed to be a valuable one. Lifelock removes your name from junk mail lists, sets alerts with credit bureaus, handles any lost wallet issues (cancelling cards), and most importantly if your identity does get stolen, Lifelock takes care of the legal expenses involved in setting things right.
I recently added a new advertising companies' product to the Futon Blog, and nows the chance to get in cheap. While I'm testing out their services, I'm selling ad space in the top banner and the corner peel away at only $2 per week. On average the Futon Blog has between 300 and 1500 visitor every day, so if you're wanting some cheap exposure, here's your chance. Click here for more details
I just checked out a few of the videos over on Youtube for the "Will You Marry Me?" contest sponsored by 1-800-FLOWERS. The Valentine's video I watched was by a guy named Jerry, who saw the contest as a great oportunity to pop the big question and ask his girl friend to marry him. They met as students at the University of Illinois at a campus party, and the rest was history. So I just wanted to wish Jerry good luck, both with his girl friend and the contest.
1-800-FLOWERS is also having a $10 off promotion in conjunction with the contest, so head over to youtube and vote for your favorite video. Hopefully Jerry will be there.
If you saw my post last week you know what I'm talking about, well blogging about that is. If you didn't here it goes, I finally finished adding a several rug collections to the site. So head on over and check out the selection so far, they look great. Hope you all enjoy it!
I don't think I know anyone who thinks it's a bad idea to have ample school funding. Ok, maybe I know a few grumpy people. Anyway, I found an interesting site called Schoolpop which focuses on school fundraising ideas, mainly through contributions that are made when you purchase merchandise off sponsoring click and mortar sites. I was extremely surprised by the number of stores that participate as well. Participating companies include HP, Sirius Internet Radio, iTunes, McAfee, Netflix, Amazon, Sears, and many more. The idea behind it makes sense for everyone, first you ask a well know retailer to give back a set amount of every sale that's generated by their site, which they can then claim as a tax deductible donation. The consumer gets a good feeling by shopping through the donation network, and they get what they want after the transaction is complete. The foundation then gets money for schools in need and the cycle goes on. Sounds pretty good to me.
So, if you're interested in making a difference for children in need, and at the same time get a little something for your self, visit the site. At least you'll feel a little better the next time you indulge yourself.
I just read a great post over at Affiliate Confession that really got me thinking about why bloggers do what they do. Some bloggers write only to make money, we've all heard about those guys that are making $25,000 to $50,000 per month off their blogs, and thats great for them. Really I mean it, others, like myself, use blogging as a creative resource.
But I'm ahead of myself. Last year I ran a warehouse and a website for a small furniture company. I did the whole nine to five (or six or seven) thing, made decent money, and just focused on doing my job well. Sounds pretty good right? Well, did I mention that I was (quite often) the only person working in a 15,000 square foot space with 14 foot, three level racking? How about the fact that I had to handle all the snow removal personally? Or that my boss, who leans very far to the left, thought his phones were tapped because he gave money to the democratic national committee (way to much paranoia there)? There's more, but I won't bore you.
So, after taking all the factors into account, paranoid bosses, working alone in a large space that wasn't up to OSHA regulations (lets just say it was definitely an accident waiting to happen), and never being able to get ahead in my work since I was the only person at the warehouse, I decided I needed a change of pace.
At that point my outlook changed and when Noelle's grandmother got sick and had to come live with us. I knew this was my opportunity to make a change in what I was doing for a living. So here I am, blogging, selling futons, and helping my wife through her terminally ill grandmothers decline. Sometimes the choice you make regarding the path you're walking in life needs to be about more than money.
Todays the last day of the twenty five percent off sale on all levolor blinds and shades at Blind Central Online. The selection of blinds on the site looked great, I really liked the cellular style shades. The cellular shades are available in so many colors too, but what draws me to cellular shades is their insulating properties. That might not be quite so important in more temperate climates, but in New England it's five degrees outside. Take that and drafty windows and a nice thick cellular shade sounds really good right now doesn't it?
Anyway back to the site. The layout and design look nice. The navigation of the site was fairly easy, no issues there. Blind Central Online has a nice collection of customer testimonials as well, which really helps when you're shopping online. The only thing I really didn't like was that some of the products required a call for a quote. That could just be a custom blind thing that I don't know about, but it's was the only problem that caught my eye.
Overall though the site was nice, as were the products.
Here is a copy of a petition against eBays new feedback policy, take a read and let me know where you stand on the issue. You can also sign the Petition if you're so inclined.
To eBay:
Many eBay sellers are very concerned regarding the new feedback system 2.0; as it is a buyer-favored system.
Some of the valid concerns of sellers are:
1. When a buyer leaves the detailed rating it clearly states "Rate the seller on the details of the transaction. Sellers will not see your detailed ratings below" This does not allow a seller to address any issues with the buyer, due to the anonymous nature of the process. It also encourages a buyer with a less than honorable motive (ie: non-paying bidders, etc.) to attempt to destroy a hard-working seller's reputation unfairly.
2. Buyers are asked to rate "Shipping and handling charges". Most sellers provide the costs up front in their ads, and so buyers are aware of this, prior to making a purchase. Also, the timing is very poor for this type of rating, due to the USPS rate increases scheduled for May 14; many buyers may not even be aware of this increase, and feel that the higher rates are going into the sellers profits.
3. Buyers are asked to rate "Shipping time". This is extremely unfair; as sellers will obviously be rated on the overall shipping time, and of course, much of this time frame is dependent on the shipping service utilized; and what shipping method the buyer chose. Many buyers elect to have an item shipped via a slower, inexpensive method, when given a choice at the checkout; and then will rate a seller unfavorably, even though the buyer themselves chose the slower method.
4. Buyers are also asked to rate Item description and communication; these may or may not be an issue, but will most likely be, for the buyers who do not read ads thoroughly and bid irresponsibly. There are also buyers that many sellers have experienced, who do not have valid email addresses, or simply do not respond to, or read, communications.
5. The new system also displays the item name and price paid clearly under the feedback they have left. This is a potential problem for both buyers and sellers; many buyers do not wish to have their purchases, and the amounts paid, made so obvious; and sellers feel this undercuts their sales also.
The whole focus with the new feedback system is definitely on the buyers bias; as it does allow any detailed rating for sellers to leave for buyers, which would be very helpful in making the eBay transaction more satisfying for all involved.
No buyer is forced to purchase on eBay, yet this system was obviously forced upon the entire community.
As a result, this is what is likely to occur:
1. Many sellers have stated they will not leave any feedback at all;
2. It will discourage new sellers, and therefore decrease competition; which is what the eBay market thrives upon
3. Smaller sellers will stop selling on eBay and sell online elsewhere.
4. Larger sellers will start/focus more business to their own online store, or sell elsewhere
We protest that eBay should reconsider the new feedback system 2.0 with the detailed ratings entirely, but if not possible, please make it an opt-in for a a seller to choose to participate in; or allow sellers to see the detailed ratings left by each buyer; this enables more communication and clears the way for potential improvement in the transaction for both buyer and seller. At the very least; change the "Shipping time" and "Shipping charges and handling"; to "Item shipped by seller as stated in ad", and perhaps "Care of packaging".
Please also consider allowing a 2-way detailed feedback rating, so a seller can rate the buyer on aspects that are also important in making a good transaction.
Please listen to the eBay sellers. There are many hard-working, honest and professional eBay businesses affected by this; and we are the backbone of eBay.
Are all payday loan websites the same? I thought so until I checked out Easy Online Payday Loan and read how their procedure works. So, here it is in a nut shell: all that is needed on your end is to fill out the online form at Easy Online Payday Loans and they take care of the rest. Then they work to find a lender who is willing to issue you a loan. As long as you fill out the form with the most up to date and relevant information Easy Online Payday Loan should be able to help you get your loan.
You're probably asking yourself if thats it, right? Well, not quite. There are a few requirements that you also need to meet in order to get approved.
Here they are, applicants must:
• Maintain a job or have an income from welfare or social security. (If employed, you must make at least $1000 per month or $800 if you receive income through a governmental program). • Be at least 18 years of age and a citizen of the United States. • Have an active savings or checking account with a direct deposit set up.
So, if you fall within the requirements above and need a little extra cash, Easy Online Payday Loan might be able to help you out.
In light of eBays recent decision to ban sellers from leaving negative feedback towards buyers, one seller has decided to fight back and bash eBay on their own site. EBay seller, class-it has added some additional information to the auction description, which you can find below or by visiting the auction directly. Enjoy!
DIFFERENT WAYS YOU CAN STEAL THIS LAPTOP OFF ME:
PAYPAL: Paypal is currently ebays preferred method of stealing high value electrical items off sellers. There are a number of various ways you can use to steal this laptop using paypal.
1: A Fake “Item Not Received” (I.N.R) Claim – All you simply have to do here is purchase my item using an unverified paypal account. Then when you receive the laptop, simply claim that you didn’t receive it at your registered (credit card) and paypal will give you all your money back !
2: A Fake “Item Significantly Not As Described” (S.N.A.D) This is a great way to steal items off sellers. Simply start a dispute after you get the laptop making up some lie about the item being damaged etc – You could use Photoshop to make up fake pictures of damage. Paypal will ask you to send the item back to me, but don’t bother – they never enforce that on buyers and after a short wait you will get all your money back and you will still have the laptop.
3: A fake “Unauthorised Use” Claim – This is a super way of stealing items on ebay and is widely used. Simply claim that someone hijacked your account (paypal & ebay) and that you didn’t order the laptop. Then in conjunction with a fake I.N.R claim you can simply steal the laptop and of course, get your money back.
4: A Stolen Credit card – Of course, ebay make no real attempt to vet any of its buyers, so hey, just register a new ebay account using fake ID information and link it to a paypal account set up with a stolen credit card – and hey presto – A free laptop.
W ESTERN UNIO N
Although officially banned on ebay, fake western union payments are the preferred way for Nigerian Scammers to steal high value electrical items. Simply email me (using pigeon English) telling me that you would like to buy this item using Western Union – Tell me that you would be happy to pay over the odds for the laptop and that it is a present for your mother in law. Then send me a fake western union payment notification and I send you the laptop – Perfect. This method of stealing items off sellers is very widely used on ebay and of course, as ebay do not properly verify buyers its easy to do. Make sure you use Pigeon English as I am really really stupid and it’s bound to fool me.
MUGGING
If you are a traditionalist like me you may prefer a good old mugging. Simply offer to meet me on some dodgy housing estate somewhere and have a load of you mates hiding behind a hedge with a few iron bars. Again, offer to pay me over the odds as there is nothing better than using a sellers greed to bait them into a scam. I would be grateful if you could avoid killing me as this will cause bad publicity for ebay which would be terrible.
GENUINE BUYERS
In the unlikely event that you are actually a genuine buyer then you really should be shopping in a real shop and not this scammers paradise. However this laptop does really exist and is really for sale. You can email me or skype me with suggestions on how we may actually transact this item to both our satisfaction – with both our safety in mind. Don’t even think of buying it using paypal. I’ve only listed it as accepted because ebay run a protection racket that means I have to accept it. If you do pay by paypal I will simply refund your payment and give you a nice new shiny NEG.
FEEDBACK BLACKMAIL
Of course you will no doubt be aware that from May onwards you will be able to blackmail sellers into giving you free P&P / discounts etc. You will be able to give them neg feedback and they will not be able to give you any.. I regret to advise you that because this rule does not come in until May this option of scamming me is not open to you yet.
AUCTION WRECKING
I would grateful if some sad failed traffic warden could report this auction for two reasons
1: Ebay will see this listing and will hopefully close my account, saving me a 180 days wait to do it myself.
2: You will save me listing fees, making this a free advert.
I just checked out Vat19, an online store that specializes in "Curiously Awesome" gifts. And they weren't kidding. Take, for instance, the French Butter Bell. It's a small jar shaped container with an upside down cup thats attached to the lid. Butter is placed in the cup, which is then placed in the base of the container, which then forms an air tight seal around the butter. Phew, that was a long explanation. And that was only one of their crazy sounding products, that seem to have a practical use (surprisingly).
The Nightfall Daybed has to be one of the coolest looking frames I've seen in a while. The curved, slatted back panel is really slick, and the cherry finish compliments to overall look quite nicely. Definitely one of the frames I'm excited to add to the site.
One of the many things I really appreciate about the internet is the easy access to information when you want it. For instance, I get a ton of credit card offers, mostly through the mail, and with so many fliers and notices around it's can be a pain to compare different credit cards. But, I just found another site called Your Credit Network that has available credit card offers from different credit card companies listed for you to compare. Personally I think this is a great option for anyone who's looking into new credit cards. The layout of the site is really nice, interest rates, apr's., reward programs, as well as annual fees are listed right on the home page. It really made comparing the features of the different cards easier.
I also like that Your Credit Network gives a small piece of advise when it comes to your credit cards and your spending. It's a simple piece of advise: don't spend more than you can afford. Sounds like an easy thing to remember, but a lot of credit card companies would rather have you spend and keep a balance so they can make money off you. It's refreshing to see a company involved in the credit card industry offering a small word of caution rather than just trying to sell, sell, sell.
I just started up a new advertising option on my futon blog to see how well it works. As a preliminary advertising option I've set the price at $2 per week with discounts available for long term bookings. So, if you're looking for a bargain for your advertising options, here's your chance to get some exposure cheap. Feel free to contact me for more details.
If you're planning on shopping any time soon, you may want to see if there are any coupons for what you're after. I just checked out a site called Webbyplanet that brings together over 5000 coupon options from retailers like Amazon.com, 1-800-Flowers, and Adobe to name a few. Here's one of the deals I found that I really liked, take $225 off all Dell Inspiron laptop purchases over $999. So, there are some pretty good savings if you know where to look. Check this one out.
The GAZE Relaxation Room blurs the line between structure and bedding. The Gaze has a sunbrella cover and a built in full size lounger. It may just be the best of both worlds. What do you think?
I know I've blogged about the great experiences I've had with Vista Print before, but now they're having some great promotions that will save you even more money. I'm not sure if the promotions they're offering have anything to do with Valentines Day (it's not that romantic), it's probably just a coincidence. Well, I hope it is at least. :)
Anyhow, everyone knows that you can get cheap, high quality business cards. But did you know that Vista Print also has rubber stamps, announcement services, address labels, as well as Cheap Checks? Vista Print is great. They have just about everything that a small business could ask for, at prices a small business can afford. But, if their regular prices aren't good enough for you Vista Print also runs sales as well. For instance, if you intend to order your Checks from Vista Print they have a promotional code for Cheap Checks: 'BlogFreeChecks08'. Just enter the code hen prompted to receive twenty five free checks at check out. That's pretty sweet.
I just checked out a site about anti aging products called NuSkin made by Chantal Pharmaceuticals. Quite a few of the pages on the site discus Dr. Chantal Burnison. Burnison developed an ingredient that makes skin younger and firmer called, Ethocyn. In interviews, Burnison also emphasizes the importance of thinking young, not just younger skin as a large part of feeling young. I thought this was a great message from a doctor who is working to reverse the aging process, the outlook on life is just as important as how you look. A little mind over matter goes a long way I guess.
Some of you may have noticed by now that I like futons. So, I set up a poll on the right hand side of my futon blog to see if any of my readers also like futons and, if so, how many they have in their homes. Feel free to add your answer to the poll, because I bet a few of you may have a futon in your home if you're coming to my futon blog.
When I saw a link with the keyword Remortgage, I thought it would be worth my time to check it out. Unfortunately the site, Money Magic is a UK based website that specializes in refinancing and such. Money Magic does appear to have a nice site, but what I really liked about the site were the news stories about the financial state, specifically relating to mortgage rates. For instance, I just read a new clip about the mortgage rates in England dropping to 5.25%, almost the same drop as the US market just had. Also interesting to me was a twenty five year mortgage, I had no idea mortgages were more short term in the UK so this story opened my eyes a bit.
This is definitely more or a personal post, not really about futons or furniture. I was just on the Radiohead website checking out all the random info they have on their site. Like the wall magnet page, where you click on a seemingly innocent word and get a totally unexpected phrase relating to society. I just wish they were touring the US, but it looks as though they're sticking to Europe this year.
Yes, you read that right, I did say organic. I'm happy to see organic and fair trade gifts from 1-880-Floowers for Valentines Day gifts this year. It's nice to be able to show your love this Valentines Day without exploiting someone else in the process. Take the Organic Sampler for instance, it is full of goodies which aren't chalk full of chemicals that people have a hard time pronouncing. It's like saying, happy Valentines Day without the carcinogens :).
I made a great discovery: Zenni Optical, that carries eight dollar glasses. The Zenni Optical $8 Rx Glasses are available in about twenty different styles. All you need to do is pick out the frame you like and enter your prescription. Well, you'll need your credit card as well. :)
I have mixed opinions about the Sofa Community. On one hand it has a lot of seating for a fairly large group, on the other hand it looks kind of like lawn chair placed next to one another. So I'm torn between the useful aspect and the lawn-chair look (my opinion) of this pseudo-sofa. Here's what the designer has to say about it.
"Project COMMUNITY SOFA is just about game, playing. Sofa makes community of people closer to each other. This project is about to hold friends, colleges, family together and let them to know more about them. We can change lounge places in work a bit, with places for communication and relax. System can be used as VIP places in the bars, restaurants and make meeting points. Invite other people to communicate with you, just connect your piece of furniture as you want and sit on it, play on it, try to talk without apprehension. SOFA Community - new way to play, to communicate."
While I don't do anything with television media, all my advertising is done through the internet. If I ever reach the point where I can expand to television advertisements, a company like Hawthorne Direct can help with the transition. Hawthorne Direct can take care of the entire process, with input from the advertiser. They can shoot and produce television ads, help with website optimization, radio spots, help with branding, produce DVD media, and more. Hawthorne Direct can take care to all your advertising needs, if you have the funding to make it happen.
My little sister Zoie found a great site yesterday that donates rice when site visitors play a game on their website. The premise of the game is simple, visitors are given a word to define and four definition choices. For each correct response rice will be donated to those in need. The rice is paid for by the advertisements shown at the bottom of the screen after each correct response.
My obsession continues. The online financing must go on!
I am still amazed at the number of companies offering personal loans online and other financing options through the internet. I guess I am still stuck in the idea that you have to go down to your local bank, but online personal loans seem abundant as ever. The terms are competitive with local institutions and the process can be handled completely online. To me that's a plus, now if I plan on expanding my operation or if I need additional funds I can handle thing from the comfort of my own home.
The last site I found was America Unsecured. They focus entirely in online personal or business loans. You can actually talk to a rep if you have questions, the terms seem pretty good, and they've been in business since the 90's. It may be slightly different than meeting your local banker to take care of everything, but I'm not sure that's a bad thing.
So, you all may or may not remember that Derrek Semmler is having a traffic contest for his blog. He also made a few banner ads for bloggers, here's one of them. So, if you want to help me win this contest, click on the banner below. Thanks.
When I setup my website I really went with what I knew in terms of setting up my site infrastructure. I went through the same ecommerce storefront idea and used the same shopping cart software. I should have looked around, because since I've gotten my business going, I've seen that there are a lot of options on the market for someone who either knows the tricks of the trade or can accept the help of someone who can help refine your business. I've since seen databased carts and flash media sites that really give the end user or customer a great experience. Take for example the services offered by Americommerce. Their website is spot on (any site that builds eCommerce stores should be), and gives the new entrepreneur so many options for their new store. Options like multiple store fronts off a central database, analytics, store front design, and order processing just to name a few. If you feel like a fish out of water when it comes to building your new site, check their info out.
So, before you jump on one cart / website plan, do your homework and make an educated choice.
As of next week, I will be adding a collection of modern lighting to Goodnight Moon Futon. The site will have a small collection of table, floor, and ceiling lamps available in a variety of finishes and colors. This is another one of the reasons that I trekked out to Vegas last month.
In the spirit of having fun blogging, referred to in my last rant, I've decided to dedicate a post to a RC Cars Tips and Tricks blog that I found the other day. While I don't partake in any remote controlled car business, the blog I found seems to have some pretty useful info for all you hardcore RC guys out there. For instance they have great tips on batteries, maintenance, and even some course suggestions.
One of my pet peeve's when it comes to futon mattresses has to do with the packaging in which they are shipped and packed. A lot of manufacturers will pack their futons in plastic bags that are way too thin. What I almost never see in the futon industry are Reclosable Bags, but I really don't know that that would make a whole lot of sense. Most futons are packed in a bag that is sealed on one end, but I think the idea does have merit.
A company that I thought had potential to provide plastic bags to my manufacturers is International Plastics. They manufacture plastic products in quite a few sizes and thicknesses, so the selection is large and the choices are many. I could see the need for a thicker mattress bag from their company being used by my manufacturers. There's nothing worse than shipping a futon to a customer and having something go through a flimsy bag. Well, maybe a couple things but that really sucks too.
I have noticed over the last few days of blogging and browsing that bloggers are obsessed with lists. Well, quite a few bloggers anyhow. Most of the lists are about money and how to make it. But, the other lists I see a lot are about blogging. How to start a blog, the direction your blog should go, niches, posting, etc. So, what's wrong with having a list?
For every list I see on one blog, I can find another list contradicting the advice on another or even the same list regurgitated. Not necessarily on the basic issues, how often to post, niche, etc. But as far as advertising and what makes a blog successful, well everyone has a differing opinion. What is success anyway? Lot's of readers? Lot's of Money? How about a creative outlet?
If you're looking for an answer from me, you won't find one. Or a list for that matter. Unless it's a list of all the repetitive lists that I see all over the web.
Just have fun with your blogging, that's what I'm doing. :)
In my travels to Vegas last month, I realized that taking the complimentary shuttle to and from the airport. There was a long wait in the cold and the shuttle wasn't too clean. So, the only other options are a taxi, or a car service, like the LaGuardia airport car service. The rates for either a taxi or car service are a bit higher than the free shuttle, but the service is much better. You get direct service to your destination, whether that's to the airport terminal or your hotel. What a taxi can't handle is a large group, while a car service usually has options ranging from a town car to a tour bus. So, in my opinion a car service is the way to go, at least if you can afford to spend a little more.
The Somi Bed is another great bed I found in Vegas. The thick legs and hefty platform around the mattress give the Somi a very substantial presence. In my opinion another great find for the website, but what do you think? Feel free to post your opinion in the poll below.
It seems like everyday we see programs on TV about the rise of troubled teens and the talk show host that can turn their lives around. Most of those shows do what they do for ratings, but there are some boarding schools for troubled teens teens that try to help troubled students for a reason other than publicity or ratings (which is nice).
The Fendster school in Arizona, uses positive reinforcement instead of bogus boot camps to help your troubled teen achieve academic success, grow in self-esteem, develop responsibility and accountability for their actions, earn a high school diploma, gain acceptance into an appropriate college, university, community college or junior college.
Here'a another futon mattress for those of you who want something eco friendly without the need to refinance your home to afford it. The Eco Rest futon mattress is made from the same eco friendly fibre foam as the Athens futon, but theres more of it. The Eco Rest has a ten inch fibre foam core wrapped in one inch of cotton batting to produce a futon mattress thats great for sitting and sleeping.
For a while Noelle and I studied bikram yoga, and I personally aways wanted to wear something the was flexible and non-constraining. There's nothing quite like being pulled on by clothes that aren't made for the positions most people move into during a normal yoga session. So when I found the really nice yoga clothing at Yoga Clothing dot Com I thought I'd share with my fellow Yogi some of the clothing on the site. Yoga Clothing carries tops and bottoms in a variety of styles and weights. Tanks and shorts for us bikram yogi and heavier weight stuff for everyone else. Their site looks very nice and easy to use as well. Check it out.
One thing that really bothers me in this electronic land of search engine optimization is when website with adult content knowingly stuff their website content with keywords related to other industries. For instance, I was searching futons and bedding in google, and I was quite far back in the search results, when the link I clicked on went to a site that was not a bedding site at. It was however an adult blog, that had posts that were about very mundane topics, but it was really a tool to peddle smut. That type of SEO really bothers me. If you are going to set up a site, stuffing keywords in the content and the meta tags that is totally unrelated is very unprofessional. I won't include a link to the blog in question because they would actually benefit from any link to their site from a page with a pagerank.
From time to time I like to post about non furniture related items, that are still stylish or fashionable. So my wife, Noelle, showed me a site she was looking at the other day selling designer handbags and I thought I would share the link with some of my lady readers. Well, I suppose a few of the guys may also be interested too :)
Anyway, Bolzano is quite popular in the European market right now, which means that they should soon be sweeping into the US (we alway have to copy the Europeans). The bags look nice, there are quite a few styles to choose from (materials, size, color), so they definitely have a bag for everyone. Being a typical guy, I think a bag is just a bag, but I was told by Noelle that I have a lot to learn. Choosing the right bag requires patience and a lot of options. So, ladies, check out the site and bring your credit card. :)
The Sylling bed from Ikea looks like one of the most uncomfortable guest beds I've seen yet. But, I guess you might not want your guests to be too comfortable, they might never leave. :)
Anyhow, I don't think I could ever pull out a cot that looks like I found it at an abandoned summer camp and put my house guests on it. It just doesn't look right.
A couple of my friends live up in the hills of Western Massachusetts and they've recently installed a dish for satellite internet. Neither the cable or phone companies in my neck of the woods think it's worth the investment to run lines for DSL, and for the last five years my friends have had to use unreliable dial up just to check their email. That's like taking your Pinto out for a drive on the information super highway. :) The prices aren't too bad either, starting at $50 a month, they're about five or six years behind the DSL prices.
So, if you're stuck out in the boonies, take a look at satellite internet, it'll make your browsing experience more enjoyable.
We finally have bunk beds in several styles and quite a few finishes. You can choose from traditional twin over twin, twin over full sofa, and twin over full platform bed. Our bunk bed collection ships anywhere in the lower 48 states for the price shown. These are just a few of the great products we found at the futon expo in Las Vegas
If you're in need of secure exchange hosting, then you should definitely check out Appriver. For $12.99 a month they provide unlimited email mailbox storage, Securetide spam and virus filters, as well as the ability to snyc up to mobile devices. SecureTide spam and virus filters protect inbound and outbound messages, eliminating up to 99% of unwanted email for every client. Security is not an option with AppRiver Exchange Hosting service. SecureTide™ utilizes more than 60 types of filtering techniques and 4 virus scanning engines.
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Is anyone else tired of hearing about the super bowl yet?
Maybe it's because I live in Massachusetts, but I for one am tired of hearing about the super bowl. Not that I payed a whole lot of attention anyway, but everyone is bummed that we didn't win. As if they were involved in the game. So, now that this is behinds us I'm ready to start adding new items to the site and sell some futons.
You read that right, once a week through the month of February IZEA Ranks is going to give away $1000 to the blog that ranks #1 in their ranking system. The IZEA Ranks site is great, you can check out the top one hundred blogs, add a new blog, and perform a rank search for your blog. I check out my rank and I'm up in the 1800's, I probably won't win a grand this year :(
One of the features that I really enjoyed playing with was the time line graph of blog rankings. It is set by default on the top blogs, but IZEA Ranks gives you the ability to customize the graph to view your rankings at various periods throughout your blogging history. For instance, my blog was at one point close to the 1000 threshold and after I had a bit of inactivity the Futon Blog dipped down around 2500. But some constant posting and a little nurturing brought my blog back up into the 1800's. Now I can see what works and what is a waist of time by comparing what I had been doing at the time by checking my rankings. Pretty cool.
So, now bloggers have another great tool to check their Blog Ranks, and maybe even win one thousand dollars. The contest itself is easy, everyone who is signed up with IZEA Ranks is entered. All bloggers have to worry about is posting on their blogs and increasing their rankings. If you're doing a good job, well, you may be surprised with some cold hard cash.
Recently I just changed my live chat logo, and I want your opinion on the change. I like the new logo, but I'm not sure what everyone else will think. So, at the bottom of this post you'll see a poll asking if you like the old logo or the new. Please let me know through your votes.
My sister in law, Bailey, just went back to school last night and it got me thinking about student loans. With the cost of attending college increasing at an exponential rate a lot of perspective college students have no where to turn except student loans. Now don't get me wrong, it's better to get your education and deal with the payments after, but I've heard horror stories about professionals (doctors, chiropractors) having to pay off student loans for the rest of their lives. Maybe that's what happens if you need twelve years of college.
Now, Direct Student Loans seem like a good option for anyone needing funds for their college courses. The direct student loans are broken up into a few categories: Federal Loans, Private Loans, and Consolidation Loans. The three programs above have varying interest rates and terms of payment. The one that really struck my fancy was the consolidation loan. Loan consolidation is a practical repayment tool that enables you to combine all of your federal Direct student loans into a single loan. In addition to reducing your monthly payment up to 53%, federal Direct consolidation provides flexible repayment plans, interest rate reductions, and deferment and forbearance options. It doesn't make mush sense to spend all your income after college on loan payments. It's just not too practical, how could anyone live with that. So, if you're headed to college, or maybe about to get out, check out the options on the links above.
I am amazed the the number of businesses I see online today offering payday advance loans and cash advances. Some of the businesses seem a bit predatory in nature, taking advantage of those in need, while others really seem to be trying to help out someone in need. I haven't ever found the need to used such a service up to this point, but payday loans can serve a valuable purpose to someone in need. I have a feeling that there could be individuals who use the payday loan program to purchase things they shouldn't or to spend recklessly, but this type of program should be used in times of need. Payday loans can offer a small bump in order to get through rough times, removing the need to refinance or use a high interest credit card to cover your expenses.
The process usually seems very quick and painless, clients can apply and be approved online in a matter of minutes. Loan amounts can also very, depending on what each individual client may need to get by. What needs to be remembered is that the loan does need to be paid back, usually in a shorter time span. So, as long as you plan and budget you should be able to pay the loan back without going further into debt. So, should you find yourself in need, take a look at some of these programs, at least you'll have quite a few available.
The Bramo Bed is a great looking platform bed. It's fully upholstered frame lends a classic feel, while the metal legs provide a modern touch. The Bramo is available with or without it's prominent headboard allowing you to customize the bed to your space.
One of my favorite bloggers is holding a contest to see who can generate the most traffic to his entertainment blog, and I would really like to be in that contest. His blog covers many topics, from technology news and reviews to random tales focusing on amusing subject matter.
So, I would highly recommend his site to anyone up for some fun reading, or to see a light side to blogging. But, don't forget to come back to my site. :)
When I was in Las Vegas, I purchased quite a few calling cards to call home and return calls to customers. Most of them were quite a rip off, they had an expensive connection fee per call and they charged twelve to fifteen cents per minute. After I got home I took a look at some calling cards to see if there were any cards without connection fees. Well, I was surprised to see quite a few cards, with better rates than the ones I found in Vegas and no connection fees. Maybe the next time I travel I'll look into their services.
After I got home from the Expo, I had a few thoughts on some of the little details that I saw at the show. One of those details is the constant supply of sugar the exhibitors ply on the buyers. Every show room had an almost identical bowl of sugary treats, which in my opinion was a bit suspicious. It almost seems to me that the Las Vegas World Market Center might have provided these goodies in order to keep the buyers on the move. A little burst of energy every twenty minutes goes a long way, especially when you have twenty six floors and two pavilions to see.
A few things that I wasn't suspicious of were the amenities within the individual show rooms. Almost every vendor had a wide selection of beverages (soda, coffee, beer, and cocktails) and several food choices (sandwiches and salad mostly). I found this practice interesting, if a bit shady. Now a buyer didn't even have to stop for food, they could just eat on the go and keep browsing.
Even with my few critiques, I still had a productive time and found some great new items.
Most people who travel usually stay in a hotel, their used to the small room with little amenities, and early check out times. But I just found out about a company called Corporate Apartments that provides, you guessed it - corporate apartments, for individuals, individuals, corporations, news media, political candidates when I did some reading about the Democratic National Convention. The difference between a corporate apartment and a hotel is the goal, most hotels are just a place to stay while corporate apartments are usually a bit more long term and they try to provide you with a home away from home. Now, what I need to do is figure out how to furnish them, then they'd be nice and cozy. :)
The Zen Bed is another platform bed frame that I saw in Las Vegas this week. I have seen this style of bed quite a bit in the bedding industry over the last few years. What makes the Zen Bed different is that it is designed to hold a pair of tatami mats under your mattress, providing great support and ventilation at the same time. You'll see the Zen Bed on the website very soon.
When I was out in Las Vegas this past week, I couldn't believe the amount of businesses that provided payday loans. Being from Vermont, I had no idea such places even existed, so I decided to do a little investigating to see just what a payday loan is about. From what I've been able to gather, payday loans are small cash advances given to people who need a little extra cash from time to time to get the through periods when funds become short. The term of the loan is set before the cash advance is given and , if all goes as planned, the loan is paid back on the agreed upon date. There usually is a small service charge involved in the process, but that is to be expected.
What I didn't really like was the abundance of Pay Day Loan / Cash Advance Stores in the City Of Las Vegas. To me it was potentially taking advantage of people who got loans and then went to the casinos, wasting money on something they may not even have any control over.
So, in my opinion, Pay Day Loans have the potential to be a treasured resource for those in need, or an industry (as seen in Las Vegas) that could have a tendency to take advantage of a person who may have problems with gambling and such.
I just checked out Buzzfuse, a new resource for bloggers to get their work seen on the web. How does it work? When you write a new blog post you place a small snippet of Java Script in the blog post. The Java then enables Buzz Fuse to read your post and share it with their community. The viewers at Buzz Fuse can then view your work, and if they like it, they can vote for your content and get you a higher ranking. This is very similar to Stumble Upon, for everyone who's familiar with that service.
The Zzz Chest is a total re-invention of the murphy's bed, except you can take it with you when you move. Well, that's not all you can do with it. The Zzz Chest can be moved to any room in your house or apartment, any time you like. Also, the Zzz Chest is available in three distinct styles, each with several finishes. If that isn't enough, the Zzz Chest includes a mattress as part of each set.
The Zzz Chest is such a popular item that we've recently sold out, but we are taking orders on our container that's due to arrive in March.
A positive customer shopping experience is the key to running a successful business, whether it's a brick & mortar store or an eCommerce only website. But who can you determine what works for a website if you don't speak to your customers or have surveys they can fill out? Well, every website owner or manager has used Google Analytics to track the course of everyone who visits their sites, but you need a company like Bestmark to really get in depth data straight from the customer. Bestmark has a wide variety of survey options that can generate some very valuable information about your customers' shopping experience at you online store.
As you may have noticed, I really like it when two materials are brought together to make something unexpected. The designer Alexander Pelikan created this chair and table ensemble "to fuse crafted vernacular furniture and injection molded furniture". Well, I am impressed with the technique and the result.
After my trip to the futon expo I've seen ton's of sites that offer great services to future vacationers. We Need A Vacation has great features, like Martha's Vineyard vacation rentals and the ability to invite friends and family to accompany them on their vacations through easy-to-use tools that allow them to send the vacation information to anyone they want. And the list of packages is immense, they have all the popular destinations in Florida and Cape Cod. So definitely take a look at the site if you're planning a trip to either location, you may be able to find a great deal on your next vacation.
Have you ever wanted to walk around one of your pictures? If you answered yes you can take any photo you have and use Adobe Shockwave Player to take a virtual tour of a flat image. While it's not perfect, it is extremely cool.
Sorry for the non furniture related post, but this was too cool to pass up.
I just found a new site called ElectionQlips, a site where you can find all the best clips for this election season. Now, a lot of these clips can probably be found on youtube, but you'll have search through all of the chaff that comes up with every search. Election Qlips cuts out all the garbage and gets you to the info you really want.
Here's a press release from the site.
QlipMedia (http://www.qlipmedia.com) has just launched the public beta version of ElectionQlips (http://www.electionqlips.com), a new destination to discuss all that is Election 2008. Readers can share their comments with the community and leave comments on Presidential Election themed video posts using their recorded voice, free-hand drawing, and images to let everyone know what they think and how they feel about every point in the posted debates, ads, punditry and stump speeches.
As the nation’s attention increasingly focuses on the outcomes of the ongoing primary elections and the general election to follow this November, viewers of ElectionQlips can stayed tuned to all the exciting action, including voice and video comments of their fellow citizens. And anyone can bring their wit and wisdom to bear on the debate of the moment, commenting to their heart’s content with their own voice and images.
The blogosphere has always been about giving a voice to common ‘netizens’, while democratizing the dissemination of the news and opinion. But heretofore that voice has been confined to the two dimensional world of the written word. The broad appeal of video has added a third dimension, a layer of contextual relevancy just not possible with the written word alone. Blog commenting has been similarly constrained by the same technical barriers. ElectionQlips brings multimedia blogging full circle, giving blog commenters the ability to post live, multimedia comments right on the videos they’re viewing in their own voice, using their own doodles and images.
• 100+ million blogs in existence • 1.5 million blog posts per day • 1 blog with multimedia commenting capability
ElectionQlips users can take their election debate with them by sharing the link and embedding the player anywhere. On the video timeline, it’s easy to bring out all the facts with every detail of the debate through point-by-point analysis. The density of comments at every point let’s one see what’s hot and what’s not in every debate.
The goal of ElectionQlips is to make it possible for everyone to participate in any debate, discussion and controversy using their own voice. Commenting on blog posts is a common enough, ElectionQlips gives an edge over other contemporary election blogs, especially with respect to sharing your comments and opinions.
About QlipMedia: QlipMedia makes QlipBoard, a tool that combines videos and images with drawing, highlighting and adds your voice is the easiest way to talk about anything and turn any video into an instant discussion room. ElectionQlips is produced by QlipMedia, Inc. and designed by OuterJoin. For more information, visit www.qlipmedia.com
It's good to be home from the Futon Expo. Now here's a taste.
After feeling like a sardine in a tin can for twelve hours yesterday, it's really great to be back home at my office. I found some great products in Vegas, but being able to work here is really nice. Do I regret the trip? No, I was able to make some great contacts and finds excellent products for my website. Here's a taste of what I found.
Awesome convertible upholstery. The best part is that it's UPS-able.
Fantastic rugs that can be shipped anywhere in the lower 48 states.
Hi, my name is Matt Tuttle. I have been in the futon business for seven years and this is my blog about futons. I also review other types of furniture here as well.
I also have a blog dedicated to aikido which I have studied since 1998. Feel free to visit http://aikidomatt.blogspot.com
Thanks for visiting and feel free to comment about anything you see.
