Thoughts on Tempur-Pedics

In my many years in the furniture business I've run into the gigantor known as Tempur-pedic many a time. In my own first hand opinion as well as customer accounts there are a few pros and cons that go along with the Tempur style mattress.

The Pros:
One of my favorite policies enforced by the Tempurpedic Mattress company was the price control. I loved the fact that retailers weren't allowed to cut each others throats over a couple dollars (ie. no one was allowed to advertise under the suggested retail). Any retailer caught doing so was in jepardy of losing their contract with Tempur-Pedic, a fact my old employer used when he called to rat on other retailers who were having sales.

So, no matter where you look, from sites like Bragada Mattress (a very nice site with some great incentives to do business with) to any mega store you should find the mattress listed at the same price. But, as I just said, retailers are allowed to give other incentives to make the sale so stay sharp.

Comfort was also another things I've heard good feed back on. Quite a few people really like their Tempurpedic mattress, though there are always exceptions to the rule.


The Cons:

The one complaint I've heard about Tempur-Pedic Mattresses is that they have a tendency to offgas. This is really not unheard of in the high density foam mattress world, foam is made from chemicals. And, this is one situation I have run into personally, but, I'm also of the opinion that the mattress will offgas fast. After that you're in the clear, so air out the mattress first or you may regret it.

Badger Village Blacksmithing

As you can see from the image above, Steve Hackbarth of Badger Village Blacksmithing is incredibly talented. The leaf above is actually one piece of a larger project involving six different leaf arrangements on a railing. Steve has been working at the forge for 25 years and offers complete custom design services, creating unique heirloom quality artistic metal work. If you're interested in his portfolio, visit Badger Village for more info.

How many of you are fit? In credit that is...

So, today I caught myself thinking about my financial security in uncertain times and how I could gauge my financial standing. That's when I visited a site called BillsIQ, and took an interactive survey that gauged my financial security based on how I answered the questionnaire. Don't worry, you won't have to provide any personal information (social security number, name, address, etc.) to participate, but, you do have answer honestly while you participate. False answers about Credit card debt, mortgage, budgets, retirement funds, and overall financial planing may make you feel good when you get a great score, but won't help you make any decisions when it comes to your financial future.

The Verdict:

After taking the test at BillsIQ I was given a score of eighty-six percent, which isn't too bad. I felt pretty good after taking it and was reassured in what I am actively doing now to secure my future. By taking actions like investing, paying off my credit cards every month, thinking about life insurance, and having a small nest egg stored away for times when cash flow is tight. So, head over and take the test to see how financially fit you are. You might be surprised!

-Enjoy

Matera Bed

The Matera Bed with built in storage looks, well, amazing. The six full-extension drawers open by pulling from underneath, and each drawer in the Collection has self / soft-closing vacuum glides that refuse to slam shut. Solid ash bed slats were increased in number from the traditional 15 to a more stable 20, rendering a box spring unnecessary. Quite a bed!

-Enjoy

Has your computer got you down?

If it has, then you might need a little computer technical support from the pros over at FastTeks. Their highly trained staff provide professional, service at great rates in the comfort and convenience of your location. You won't need to travel for this fix and with todays gas prices that can be a blessing.

Check them out.

Metal Tree Bed

After Noelle turned me on to the metal work of Shawn Lovell, I knew I had to share it with the rest of you. The tree bed above is fantastic. Having been involved in blacksmithing, I can see the time and effort that went into this amazing piece. Check out the whole portfolio at the above link.

-Enjoy

Stem Cell Innovations 2.0

I wanted to follow up on a Stem Cell post I did last week. By this time almost everyone has heard the the debate about stem cell research and how this research is undertaken. The fact that stem cell research is usually accompanied by a loss of life is one of this revolutionary technologies prominent detractors. When I read a post over at
CNNmoney.com I was definitely impressed. The C'elle system is a great program that allows any woman to preserve their own stem cells for potential use against many diseases that may occur in the future. Along with cord blood banking, With C’elle’s non-invasive collection process, cells are processed and cryo-preserved (stored at a very low temperature) for potential cellular therapies that may be used in the future. These self-renewing cells one day may even be used for sports medicine or cosmeceutical treatments, such as anti-aging therapies. C'elle is dedicated to finding more solutions to preserve stem cells in a noncontroversial way.

Sounds interesting, imagine life saving technology that doesn't include the destruction of life as it's first step. Check out the C'elle Client Testimonial page for details. Now is the time to plan for the health of your children.

Ever want a 3D magazine?

In the past I would have said yes, but I don't have the skills to set one up I have no idea how to go about setting a site with cool pageflip animation. I just found a tool called 3D Issue Manager that puts the shoe on the other foot and cuts out the service you used to need from those expensive programmers. Here's how it works:

3D Issue Manager is a windows based software solution that allows you to convert your magazines into a searchable digital magazine in a matter of minutes.

You can add hotspots, video, audio, drop-down menus, blogs, keyword searching, website & email buttons, archiving printing functionality without any programming. Using our easy- to-use application you simply drag and drop the options you want. It couldn't be any easier. All you need to do is save your content as a PDF and the 3D Issue Manager software's automatic PDF to flash magazine conversion does the rest. The end result is also search engine optimized, so you should get lots of love from Google, Yahoo, MSN and the rest.

Other features of the 3D Issue Manager are as follows: automatic PDF Bookmarks to contents menus, you can add video & audio files, automtaic URL & email detection as well as zooming.

If you;re at all interested in learning more, head over to the 3D Issue 30 free trial to get a more in depth look into the software, testimonials and to watch a nice video tutorial.

-Emjoy

There's a new tower in London

While the name of this project designed by 6a Architects, the Hairywood Tower, may seem a bit perverse, it’s actually inspired by Les Vacances Des Monsieur Hulot by Jacques Tati. Tati built a tower for the movie so its heroine could be filmed looking out the bay window overlooking the beach. Thus the sense of separate yet intimate, like being 20 feet above the bustle of London streets, was translated in the design of the Hairywood Tower.

Precast Construction - I Like It!

Ok first let's talk about Precast Concrete. Precast Concrete is a great concept that is used in quite a few manners including vaults, manholes, pull boxes, Hand holes, pads, enclosures, Precast Concrete Septic Tanks, grease interceptors, sand-oil interceptors, clarifiers, holding tanks, dosing tanks, pump & lift stations, pit liners & many others.

So, now that you know about a few of the ways in which precast concrete can be used, you might want to know what precast concrete is. Precast concrete is a type of construction material made with concrete cast in a reusable mold or "form" which is then cured in a controlled environment, transported to the construction site and lifted into place. This type of construction method dates back to the ancient Romans. In contrast, standard concrete is poured into large forms and cured on site. Precast stone is distinguished from precast concrete by using a fine aggregate in the mixture so the final product approaches the appearance of naturally occurring rock or stone. Precasting gives gives the builders more control over the final dimensions and appearance.

Check out Jensen Precast for additional info.

What is Creative Review

I’d like to share a link with everyone for a site / magazine called Creative Review. If you haven’t been to the site yet, never heard of Creative Review, or aren’t completely daft (words in the title) you might have figured out by this point in the post that Creative review looks at things that are, well, creative. Out of the box design, arts, and how they relate to (well) everything.

Check it all out.

-Enjoy

Social Media Resources

In my time blogging I've searched far and wide for social media marketing, and I have to say that IZEA is one of the more prolific tools available to me at this time. IZEA offers quite a few services at this time, blog posts, blog sponsorships and even product sampling are among their war chest. In my time interacting and blogging with IZEA I've generated thousands of dollars in income and provided a valuable service to countless advertisers. Well, maybe not countless, two to three hundred at least ;).

Most of that comes in the form of blog posts and reviews, so it's a win win situation. I get great content for my blog and the various companies get a nice plug. I've yet to branch out into the sponsored blog or product sampling yet. Those steps seem a bit more involved for the time that I have available at this time. But, I imagine that they can be just as lucrative and rewarding.

Anyhow, if you're looking to take advantage of your blog or website, check out the offerings IZEA has today. They definitely make it worth your while.

-Enjoy

Resources

Eco Friendly Sofa

Lee Furniture is one of the coolest, eco conscious furniture manufacturers I've seen in a while. Lee apparently strives to make furniture with a minimal eco foot print using renewable, recycled, and sustainable materials in the construction process. What isn't hyped up on Lee's website is the fact that they are transported in big diesel powered trucks, adding a bit to the environmental footprint. But that's unavoidable these days.

If you're in Western Mass, you can find Lee Furniture at Essentials in Northampton.