Coldplay

TWILF

2009-11-16T09:53:00.001-08:00

So, erm, what is a TWILF? And why did a cartoon on Al Gore's Current TV refer to Sarah Palin as a TWILF?

Well, OK, the first thing is that of course Al Gore didn't refer to Sarah Palin as a TWILF. It was the show's writers who did: Al Gore is the big media garbanzo, not a lowly script writer on a show nobody watches on a mionor TV channel.

But what is a TWILF? Well, it's an adaptation of MILF: which, as attentive adolescent males everywhere know means Mother I'd Like to Fuck. No, not one's own mother: rather the yummy mummies, the taned and tonned ladies who have pushed out the heir and a spare and are now spending their days keeping fit for their hubbies. And getting bored mindless in the process if the plots of various porn movies are to be believed.

But TWILF? Well, the current fad is for Twitter and Sarah Palin does indeed have a Twitter account. Thus we make the substitution and we get Twitterer I'd Like to Fuck. Which is all very well if you've a desire to be gutted and skinned like a moose perhaps.

We might also point out that Sarah Palin is a grandmother and could thus be described as a GILF: something which might slightly upset some young men but just hold on 30 years: you'll find that taste comes to us all after enough time.

Britney on Tour

2009-07-18T10:19:00.000-07:00

If you're fascinated by seeing a dancer dancing while miming, then you might want to check out Britney Spears' Circus tour.

Or if you're not exactly fascinated by that then you mght want to take that list of tour dates as where you don't want to be on certain nights.

You pays your money and you takes your choice of course: I think I'm correct in stating that I've only ever heard one Britney Spears song which was quite enough for me. But your view may differ, indeed, that's what makes the world go around.

Poker and the online world

2009-03-25T10:51:00.000-07:00

OK, yes, we know that certain repressive parts of the world insit that we not be allowed to spend our own money as we would wish. They deprive us of the opportunity to play poker and other games online as we would like to.....at least, as we would possibly like to.

However, this doesn´t mean that it´s impossible. But to find out where are the best places to do so we need to find a guide, someone or some site that can tell us what are the available options. Fortunately, there is a site that does just this.

Reviews of the various sites, the games that are played there, what the site is like, ease of use and so on. But even more than that they also have the bonus codes for various sites. How much money you can get in free bets to start out with and so on. For example, have a look here for PokerStars Marketing Code, here for Poker Stars Bonus Code, and here for PokerStars Bonus.

Yes, there might be politicians and other interfering busybodies trying to stop you from doing what you want but there are also other people trying to make it easier and cheaper for you to do so. Thank oodness.

Marketing by mobile

2009-03-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

It's a pretty safe bet that if human beings find a new method of communicating then they're going to use that new method to communicate. After all, we are unique amongst animals that we have language and thus the ability to make these complex communications.

What is also a pretty safe bet is that as and when these new methods arise then someone, somewhere, is going to work out how to use these new methods to market things.

Which is exactly what has happened about cell phones, there is now mobile marketing. You didn't think that a technology as disruptive as a cell phone was going to exist without mobile advertising, did you?

Now there are good ways and bad ways of doing this of course and one of the good ways is through mobile coupons. A way of finding, binding to you, those consumers who are most interested in your products.

Well worth clicking through to see what they are able to do for you.

This is interesting

2009-01-24T09:54:00.000-08:00

I've been looking around for suppliers of all sorts of dentistry equipment. Things like veneers, dental veneers and all the other sorts of things associated with cosmetic dentistry. Why is really rather too long a story to explain right now.

But in my searches I came across the company that is the major supplier of these, with a huge network both of trained dentists and places where you can actually get the treatments (just click through any of the links to see their site). What amused me was that years ago I had some dealings with that company.

For, years ago I was in fact in the business myself, along with some associates in California. And one of the things we did was take their equipment and specialty and provide it to dentists in the former Soviet Union. It's nice to see that they're still thriving, still expanding: as indeed the dental clinic we set up on Almaty, the capital of Kasakhstan is still thriving.

Nopthing very important, I agree, just a small tale of how business can loop around on itself over the years.

The Phone 007

2009-01-22T09:28:00.000-08:00

I really do like this little gadget here, the Phone 007. It's just the sort of sneaky recording device that appeals to me.

To start with it looks very much like an ordinary phone. You plug it in and put it on your desk. Great, you've got a phone. But it automatically (or at least, can be set up to automatically) record each and every conversation on that phone. It also has another microphone whereby it records every conversation in the room where it is. So you can track both what is said in your absence and also keep a record of what is said to you on the phone.

But even better than this the Phone 007 is web enabled. You can listen to what is happening over the web, remotely.

No, I think this is a great little gadget. All I have to do now is work out who I want to entrap first.

Those international flights

2009-01-22T09:19:00.000-08:00

Yes, yes, we know, we're not supposed to be taking those long haul international flights these days. They boil Bangladesh you know. However, if you're either stuck down in Australia or want to get to Australia there's not really all that much you can do about getting there without flying.

And if you're going to be flying there then you do indeed want to get around at the cheapest possible prices. Which is why I think Travel.com.au is such an interesting site. Of course, it allows you to search for flights, for international flights. They can also deal with insurance, hotels and so on for you. But the part of the site that I think is most interesting is that for international flights.

Because, of course, if you're going to be going to Australia, that's the most expensive part of your trip, isn't it? Getting to hte other side of the world is going to be expensive so it does indeed pay to try and make it as cheap, or at least as least expensive, as you can.

Getting your signs made

2009-01-22T09:05:00.000-08:00

We all need to get signs made at one time or another. It might be a regular occurence, in a business say, where you want to be able to tell people of a new offer, or of a change in the program. Or it might just be the occasional thing, one of those "Welcome Home Daddy" banners perhaps. Or indeed any of the possible variations of all and everything inbetween.

My own desire was to get some decals made. I'm working for a political party and we've already got people who work on posters and the like. But I wanted to be able to use those decals as a way of identifying people at specific events that we organised. Things like, well, if we had a couple of hundred people at a meeting (yes, small numbers, it's not like we're Obama or anything and we're certainly not running for President) then it's surprising how magnified the event can seem when those couple of hundred are leaving. And they're all wearing something on their lapel. Or take a bumper sticker and put it on their car.

The great thing is that if you go to FASTSIGNS you can see quite how cheap and easy it can be to employ these tactics. There's nothing like leverage of your existing customer base to get things working for you.

Of course they can also do other things for you, I'm just talking about what I've found to be worthwhile.

Finding driver software.

2009-01-16T08:46:00.000-08:00

I recently made the mistake of purchasing a PC which had Windows Vista on it. I know, I know, silly mistake. I should have insisted upon having XP, for at least everyone has the drivers for that OS, right?

And yes, I believed the silly stories about how all the drivers were already included in the operating system itself. So I plug the new box in, have a look around and start to play with it. You know, as you do with a new Windows, what are the new games they've got for me to play, that sort of thing. And of course, they don't have the nvidia drivers I need for the graphics card. Sigh. I also tried to get the HP printer/scanner/fax thing to work and no, it will only work as a basic printer for the lack of the proper HP drivers. Sigh again.

This went on for months actually, I just couldn't care enough about the machine to try and work out what to do. Screaming at Microsoft and refusing ever to buy any of their products ever again was about all I could think of.

Until, until....well, click through any of those links to see how I solved the problem. Great site and most useful.

Get your tickets Here!

2009-01-15T10:42:00.000-08:00

If you're thinking about buying tickets, going to see a show, going to see the game, what you obviously need to know is where you're going to get those very tickets. And in these modern days of the web and the internet obviously you're not going to go and queue at the actual venue to get them, are you? No.

So, what you want is a guide to where you can indeed get those tickets you want online. Allow me to hlep. For TD Banknorth Garden tickets just click through that link right there. For Philips Arena tickets, try that link. And if you're in the market for Pepsi Center tickets you'll want to try that one.

This is all a great deal easier than it used to be, it has to be said. I once spent 8 hours in line for some Rolling Stone tickets....and even though I waited that long I didn't actually get them, they sold out before my turn came. Glory be for the internet, eh?

So when can we use this?

2009-01-06T10:20:00.000-08:00

Just as with any new technology, GPS tracking poses certain little moral and ethical problems. Sure, there's none at all when GPS tracking is being used by a fleet manager to monitor his trucks and drivers. We all see the benefits there.

But what about keeping an eye on where the teenager goes? Parents might think that GPS tracking is a great idea there, but what about the teenager? Isn't having a car one of the rites of passage? That first taste of the freedom it is to be an adult? And if the adults are peeking over your shoulders all the time, where's the freedom gone?

But I have to admit that there is one area that really quite scares me. GPS tracking is an eswsential part of any road pricing scheme. You've got to be able to know where the car is, when, and who is driving, in order that you can charge them for the use of the road.

Now as an economic type I can see that road pricing is the only way to ration that scarce resource. But I'm really really uncomfortable, as a civil libertarian, with the idea that the government is going to be tracking the movement of every auto in the country all the time.

So what's your line? Where is the use of the technology, the benefits of it, over ridden by the costs to other values?

Looking for light fixtures?

2009-01-06T06:41:00.000-08:00

Here's some advice if you're looking for light fixtures. Actually, this is good advice if you're looking to buy pretty much anything online.

OK, first up there are the search engines, Yes, they'll find you just about anything. However, it's not really all that structured: and it's very difficult indeed to compare offers from hte different possible suppliers.

Comparison engines are better at comparing the diferent suppliers: but it's usually true that the only ones in the engine are those who have paid to be there. Which is why we'd really like to have a combination of both techniques which is exactly what ShopWiki does.

Yes, you get all of the different competing offers, not just those who have paid to be there. But you also get to compare them easily. You can also drill down: for example, start with light fittings. Then you can refine by moving down to wall fixtures, ceiling lights or hanging lamps.

If you're out and about and looking to buy online this is a system it's well worth you having a look at.

Going to a trade show?

2009-01-06T06:32:00.000-08:00

Next time you go to a trade show, have a look at the trade show exhibits. It's worth having a look around, seriously. A decent trade show exhibit will be one that actually gets potential buyers to step up and ask for the information, give their contact numbers, you know, become a target for your sales efforts.

You don't have to spend a fortune on one, of course (unlike some of these quite gorgeous trade fair exhibits) you just need to have the appropriate display of what it is that you do. It's fine for a small cmpany to have a small one, a large company to have a large one. That's not the point. It's that the potential customer should be able to get a decent idea of what it is that you do, how you do it....and of course, get the impression at least that you do it extremely well.

That's why a trade show exhibit is a crucial part of your marketing mix. It's your opportunity to stamp into the minds of your potential customers who you are what what you do.

GPs tracking

2008-12-29T10:24:00.000-08:00

As with every new technology we've yet to work out the socially acceptable uses of GPS tracking. It's just like, say, cell phones. Sure, they're great to use but it's taken a decade since they became common for us to work out when it is or is not acceptable to use them. My local bar for example very much frowns on people using them inside. You want to take a call, go outside.

Very much the same thing will happen with GPS tracking: we haven't done it yet because the technology and the questions it throws up are all too new for us. Obviously it's great that truck owners can keep an eye on their fleet. That Fed Ex knows where drivers are. We can also see that GPS tracking can be used to keep track of the teenager's car. But that last one, we're not sure yet whether it's going to become entirely socially acceptable.

I'd say that it might, that it simply becomes commonplace, as normal as aiding the teenager in learning to drive. But it might not.

But where will the boundaries be? Will GPS tracking become common amongst people who think their parter is cheating on them? I'm sure that some people will try it, it's just that I'm wondering whether they will be thought to be odd or normal?

One thing I am sure of. Asthe technology matures it will be possible to do it to people, not just vehicles. And that won't become socially acceptable.

Drug addiction and treatment.

2008-12-24T10:18:00.000-08:00

Now I have to admit, I'm out at the unfashionable end of the arguments over drugs and booze. I take the historically impeccable but now thought rather odd, classically liberal, line that what a consenting adult wishes to ingest is the personal and private business of that consenting adult.

However, I'm sometimes then accused of being uncaring about those who are, say, desirous of drug treatment or alcohol rehab. How could I condemn those who are addicted, who want and need treatment to become not addicted, for they are not in fact consenting adults and are in the grips of a serious disease.

My answer here is that of course I'm not against drug rehab or addiction treatment. Indeed, I'm all in favour of it. I'd love to see an extension of the help that is given in fact (and click though any of those links if you want more information on what is available). It's just that many people who do drugs and drink booze don't need or want such treatment. My ambition is that drugs, as with booze, become legal and are then taxed to pay for the treatments that that smaller number who desire them.

It's a bit more complex than "drugs are bad, M'Kay?" but then so is the real world a bit more complex than that.

Those keyless locks

2008-12-24T09:43:00.001-08:00

This is one of the bright new ideas that's come up in recent years, a keyless lock. Well, actually, there have beena number of different technologies used over the years to try and give us a keyless lock. Like, for example, the one that uses a plastic card to open the lock. But that isn't when you really think about it, a keyless lock at all. All we've done is replace the metal key and tumblers with a digital key and digital tumblers.

Now the technology has taken the next step and we really do have a keyless lock. You need nothing at all to open it but just yourself, extremely useful for those like me who continually forget keys (whether of metal or cards!).

What happens is that you record your fingerprint and it becomes your fingerprint placed upon the sensor that opens the lock.

It's the sort of thing which is undoubtedly going to become much more common....although I do wonder just a touch about whether this is going to lead to a spate of thieves cutting off fingers?

Repairing your credit

2008-12-19T09:30:00.000-08:00

One of the things we all need to know is how to manage credit repair. OK, well, maybe not all of us, there might be a few lucky souls who get through the next couple of years without needing credit repair help but I don't think it's likely to be me or you.

Even in the good times it's easy enough to get carried away with the spending....when the bad times arrive of course we don't have the income we thought we would have and the debt burden can become crushing. But it's still not necessary to despair!

There are things you can do to help yourself deal with these problems. The first and most obvious is to make sure that any spare cash you do have is used to pay down the highest interest rate debt first. That means that when you've managed to pay off that one debt then you've got more to pay off others...

But of course there's much more to it all than just that so I would suggest that you have a look at what a credit repair company can do to help you. Just click through the link to get there.

Rural houses and the mail

2008-12-19T07:50:00.000-08:00

As regular readers will know we've been sorting out a house down here for some time now. We've got most of one side of it done, my new office is just being completed as I write and then we've got one more bit to go before we're done.

But one of the things about being out here in the sticks is that we don't get a mail delivery to the house. Of course. So we need to find ourselves a mail box (or is it mailbox?).

Now, where should I go to try and find one of those? Out where we are there isn't going to be a store that sells them, that's for sure. Aha! onto the Web and look for mailboxes. And what do you think I've found? Yes, a site dedicated to all the different sorts of mail boxes I could possibly desire. And all at the best prices and ready for fast delivery.

If I could just say thanks to Sir Tim Berners Leee here for making this possible?

Auto Insurance

2008-12-15T05:21:00.000-08:00

OK, so we all know that we've got to have auto insurance before we go out driving on hte roads, right? Even if we're in a State that says you don't in fact have to have it there's no point in trying to be stupid about it and driving without at least third party insurance. But whre is it that you can go find out about California auto insurance quotes? Where can you get a look at a standard California auto insurance policy?

Well, actually, if you click through those links you'll find a great deal more information on both of those things. Plus qwhat the standard California auto insurance coverage is.

Well worth doing in fact for those are the three things you really need....well, if you're looking to buy auto insurance in California of course. That's pretty much the starting point of it all. But assume that you are. Then you want to know what are the general and specific terms of coverage, what's going to be in hte policy and then where you can get quotes for such insurance.

All of which is available through those links.

Getting out of debt

2008-12-13T07:10:00.000-08:00

This is something that a lot of us are going to have to pay atention to in the coming months, how we might be able to pay off our dets, how we might be able to cut the amount we owe.

So why not have a look at Freedom debt relief?

Freedom debt relief specialises in debt renegotiation. This is where you point out to your creditors that you simply cannot pay back all that is owed. On the basis that getting something is better than getting the nothing they would get in a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, they're often then willing to negotiate a deal with you.

However, and this is the reason you need Freedom debt relief, they are most unlikely to be willing to deal with you directly. You have to work through an intermediary like Freedom debt relief.

Depending upon your specific situation you might be able to cut the amount you owe by as much as 50%. Why not check them out?

Entrepreneurship

2008-12-09T10:01:00.000-08:00

There's always a certain confusion about exactly what is entrepreneurship and what is an entrepreneur.

To an economist the answer is easy enough, even if the answer has only recently been arrived at. There used to be thought to be only three factors of production. Land, labour and capital. These would in some mysterious manner organise themselves so as to be efficient in their production.

The way we now think of it is that there is a fourth factor of production. That's the entrepreneur. The dreamer, thinker, risk taker, who roganises the other three and thus makes them more efficient....if he's to be successful and he'll be unsuccessful if he makes them less productive.

Now if you want to know more about all of these things, in detail rather than the rather broad brush approach I've used, might I suggest you click through any of the links, to learn more about how to be a young entrepreneur and young entrepreneurship in general as well?

To catch a falling knife

2008-12-07T09:46:00.000-08:00

It's been said that trying to call the bottom of a financial market is to try catching a falling knife. Terribly impressive if you can do it but highly likely to cause great damage.

However, there are times when we might want to try doing this: like now. Are we at the beginning of a recession? In which case financial assets are absurdly cheap. Or are we at the beginning of a depression, in which case they might be about the right price? No one really knows as yet....however, there is something we do know about how we should approach investing if and when we think the time is right.

We should be using a online broker to do our stock trading. The thing that usually kills the efforts of the individual investor is not lack of knowledge: the professionals don't often pay for themselves. No, rather, what really kills is the costs of moving in and out of a position. That's what online trading allows you to cut, the costs of doing that, of buying and or selling a specific stock or bond.

So, remember, when you decide you do want to try catching that falling knife, do it online.

Honda Accord

2008-11-20T07:03:00.000-08:00

Okay, so we know that there's a new Honda Accord out there. There must be. For it is 2008 so there's almost certainly going to be a 2008 Honda Accord, yes?

But how do we find out about it it? Sure, we could simply wait until the local newspaper does a review of it but that's pretty hit and miss. Or we could go down to hte Honda dealer but that's not really known as a source of unbiased information now, is it?

What we'd really like is a site full of Honda Accord reviews. So that we know we're getting both unbiased views and also a lot of them. You know, on the basis that having more peoples' opinions is a better thing than having only a few.

Excellent, well, we're in luck then, for there is a site devoted to 2008 Honda Accord reviews. If you want to know more about the car then that's where I recommend you go.

GPS Tracking

2008-11-19T09:21:00.001-08:00

This is an interesting question I think, what would be acceptable and unacceptable uses of GPS tracking?

OK, we can all agree that having your car tracked if it gets stolen is a great use of the technology. The only person inconvenienced would be the thief who took it. No one's really going to be bothered about the use of GPS tracking here. Similarly, a trucking company using it on all their trucks isn't going to worry anyone.

But then there's other things what might be a little more fraught. What would teenagers think if their parents had GPS tracking on their car? Yes, I know, everyone wants to know where their children are and what they're up to....but most teenagers are rather more keen on their not knowing.

Then there's things that might really worry some people. What if, for example, the government put GPS tracking on every car. So that they knew where everyone was all the time? That's probably not a power we want them to have, is it?

So, where do you draw the line? What's an acceptable use and what isn't?

Get Your Tickets Here!

2008-11-16T09:18:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's that season upon us again. The time when we all want to go off and see the great holiday season shows. What would Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, be, without the long lived tradition of going to see such shows? It all started with the British tradition of pantomime of course, but it;s been taken a great deal further in our own dear land.

Well, here's some advice. There's one really good place where you can get the tickets to these spectaculars, these extravaganzas. For example, here's where to get your Radio City Music Hall tickets. Here for your Citi Field tickets. And here for your Ringling Brothers Circus tickets.

An easy site to use, great choices of times and dates and of course some of the lowest available prices. What more could you ask for: time to start booking the seats for you and the kids already, isn't it?

Car repair costs

2008-11-11T09:48:00.000-08:00

Now this is an excellent little idea for a site. Serioulsy very good indeed.

So, when something goes wrong with your car you don't know how much it is going to cost to repair it, do you? I certainly don't have a clue about such things. However, now there is a site that will tell you hte likely cost of your car repair. You tell them what make you have, what's wrong with it, and they give you free car repair estimates. So, when you go shopping to actually get them done you know what would be about the right price for you to be paying.

But that's not all. They'll also tell you where your local auto repair shops are, along with ratings and reviews for them.

Of course this works even better when it's a well known problem like brakes, pads replacement and so on.

I think this is a really great idea and I recommend that you try it out.

Wrestling Trophies

2008-11-10T07:45:00.000-08:00

This is one of those things that you never really think about until you actually have to. So, there's all sorts of sporting competitions going on all the time. Huge numbers of them in fact, at schools and colleges all over the country. And I'm sure that there are many more which aren't connected with any part of academia.

OK, so there's all these competitions...but where do they get he trophies from then? Like, say, the wrestling trophies? Until this thought popped into y head I'd never actually though about it. Now it has, I did think about it and off to Mr. Google. Yes, there is indeed a company that makes trophies for just about everything.

Like swimming trophies and cheerleading trophies and just about every other sport that you can imagine.

OK, no, I know that it's not very important. But I do love the way the modern world allows me to scratch these informational itches so easily.

Putting the Lights On

2008-09-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

OK, so we're fast appraoching the end of our adventure in trying to get this house here sorted out. And of course one of the last stages of that is putting the lights on. In both sense of the phrase.

Of course, we're going to be doing our shopping online. Who would trapise around all the stores when you can see açç the different light fixtures in just one place. And, of course, have a drink in your hand while you do so?

But being able to see all of them, instead of just the small selection available in a bricks and mortar store, does rather leave us with an embarrassment of riches.

Do we want chandeliers? Ceiling light fixtures? Or the more general home lighting?

Excuse me, I'm going to take my own advice and go get a drink while I ponder these choices.

Slainte!

Poker Referrals

2008-09-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

Aren't you so grateful to those loverly law makers who decided that because they thought that playing poker on the internet was a bad idea that you ought to be banned from doing so?

Yes, I thought so too....which is why I rather support those who carry on and enable you to play as you might wish.

I also support those who make it cheaper or better for you to entertain yourself in your own time. For example, by providing the Full Tilt referral code, or the PokerStars bonus code or, if you prefer, the PokerStars marketing code.

It's your time, your money, it's your life to live as you wish. If you want to spend it playing poker then by all means, as far as I'm concerned, you go right ahead....and those links there will make it that little bit cheaper for you to do so.

Gluten Free Foods

2008-08-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

I've got several friends who are gluten intolerant so I'm always interested to see when there's people making more foods availablefor them. I also like to have them around as well, like most of us do with our friends, and it's a right paid trying to cook for people who can't take gluten. You never know when a little flour from something else might just drift into whatever you're preparing.

So I've been looking around to see if we can't do better. Get some prepared foods which are indeed gluten free so that we can all eat from the same meal without that sort of worry.

Fortunately, I've found a site that does indeed do gluten free foods. This gluten free organic chili looks good for example. It's the right sort of price and combining that with say Nut Thin crackers makes a reasonable approximation to a taco, no? Or maybe serve it over thin rice noodles to approximate a Cincinnatti style chili?

This also looks fascinating, quinoia macaroons. I've heard of quinoia of course, just never actually had it. Excuse me while I get ordering, will you?

Web Hosting Reviews

2008-08-17T03:56:00.000-07:00

OK, so we all know that in this modern age we need to have a presence upon the intertubes in order for our business to thrive. But there's always that great question, just where on the web should we actually put our site, our connection with our customers both current and potential?

That's where web hosting reviews come in. It's a classic of economics that it's possible for people to be overwhelmed by information: to be offered so much choice that they have no idea which to pick. It's also a classic of a certain type of economics that in such situations intermediaries will arise to sort through and present that information. So it is with web hosting reviews: people who know more than you or I rate the various different providers and then provide us with that information.

Indeed, looking at the most valuable company on the web, Google, that's exactly what they are, intermediaries sorting through this torrent of information for us.

I think my favourite of the web hosting reviews sites is in fact the one you can click through the links to get to. Instead of only using the site builders' knowledge, they also allow webmaster reviews. So we've got not just the expert knowledge but also the wisdom of the crowds working for us.

If you're trying to work out where you should host your site it's well worth a look.

Modern Furniture

2008-08-14T06:42:00.000-07:00

As all you regular readers will know we've been sorting out this little house of ours and have managed to get to the stage where it's actually secure from the elements and worthy of living in. We've still got the old furniture but now the actual building expense is behind us, perhaps time to think about replacing it.

So I've been looking around and come across this site of modern furniture. While we've got an old house it has been entirely gutted and redone, meaning that contemporary furniture won't be out of place: far from it, with newly white walls and tiled floors, it should fit right in. In fact, there's a definite thought that Italian furniture, given the layout and style of the rooms, would be appropriate.

So excuse, me, having found this site I'm off to have a closer look at their designer furniture. I need to make sure that I can actually afford it all (it's very well priced, but you haven't seen the other half when she's in full buying frenzy) before I tell the wife about it.

Shopping for Video Games

2008-08-01T10:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, OK, we know there's a myriad of different computer games systems out there. We also know that there's any number of people willing to try and sell you one, or a game for one, online. That's great, but how do we find one central point to give us all the information we need to work out which one to buy? And at what price, who is going to give us the deal?

That's where ShopWiki comes in. Instead of putting at the top (like so many shopping guides do) those who pay for inclusion in the index, they spider out across the web and thus pick up all of the offers. So you're getting all of the information.

On top of that, and this is the cool bit, they also provide guides to each sector of the market. For examples, here's their video games guide. So to start with you've got a decent overview of all of the different available systems. You can then drill down into the sectors that most interest you. Say, Playstation 3 games, classic console games, or perhaps you're more interested in the Game Wave?

Each further sector gives you another guide and then further refinement under that. And then when you've found what you're looking for, you then get the shopping guide as to who is offering that at the best deal.

And excellent system and one you really do want to try if you're shopping online.

Education, Education, Education

2008-07-22T07:24:00.000-07:00

I think we're all pretty clear now that the way forward for each of us as an individual is through education? That to progress we need to get to college and stay there long enough to graduate?

Good, although that now brings us to hte problem of how to pay for it all. Fortunately, there's something that college usually does for us: graduating means that we earn more money in hte future. We can therefore borrow now and pay back the money out of those increased earnings in the future.

There's many different kinds of student loans. There's the Federal government ones, but those can be limited in hte amount you can borrow and also by the income of the rest of your family. Or there are private student loans.

If your circumstances change then there are also possibilities for student loan consolidation, where you bundle up all of your loans in to one. This can lower your monthly payments as when you do this you can extend the repayment terms.

All in all the offers and availability are such that no one needs to skip college simply because they can't afford it. Which is a good thing, opening up the opportunities of education for all leads to a fairer and richer society.

Bruce Germinsky

2008-07-21T04:51:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for New Jersey Shore real estate? Commercial, retail or high-end residential real state in New Jersey?

OK, if you are, might be a good idea for you to click through one of the links in this post to the Bruce Germinsky office, specialists in New Jersey Shore property.

They cover the area for professional and medical class A property, for ocean front luxury condos and waterfront homes, they're the experts in the area and marketplace.

It's worth remembering that when you go looking for property there's only three things that matter: location, location and location. So when you do go looking you want to make sure that you hook up with experts who know the area, know the locations.

And that's just what Bruce Germinsky has as their expertise: the experts in the New Jersey Shore real estate market.

Getting Life Insurance.

2008-05-22T07:45:00.000-07:00

If you've got dependents, wife, husband, children, whatever, one of the things you need to make sure about is that they'll be taken care of if something awful should happen to you. A disease or an accident taking you away permanently, for example.

We're talking of course about life insurance. At heart there are two types of this sort of insurance. There's with profits, which is a form of savings plan plus life insurance. Now if you've already got your savings sorted out, perhaps an occupational pension, or a decent 401(k) for example, then you really don't need this. What you do need is term life insurance.

Click through any of those links to see a great little site which will help you find the best deal you can for this product. There's more than 140 compaies in the comparison engine, so you can be assued that you'll be getting the insurance you need, the protection for your family that you want, at the best possible price.

Return of Premium Insurance

2008-05-15T08:38:00.000-07:00

Now this is clever idea, something called return of permium insurance. It's a way of dealing with the most common complaint about term life insurance: that sure, you get your insurance, but at the end of it that's all you've got. You've spent all that cash and it's gone.

The essential idea is that the end of the term of the life insurance, all the premiums you have paid are returned to you: and no, this isn't little fly by night companies, this is all from the giants of the industry. So if, during the term, you do pop your clogs, you get the insurance payout (or your heirs do rather) but you also get your money back.

Actually, the way to think of this is like a hybrid between pure term insurance and with profits life insurance. And the price is going to be somewhere between the two as well. It just depends what you want....all three give you life insurance, the last type, with profits, acts as a method of saving as well, and the return of premium type means that you get the insurance but you also get your money back (but with no interest: that's what actually pays for the insurance).

Credit Repair

2008-05-11T07:56:00.000-07:00

One thing that is vatially important in a modern economy is to keep your credit rating in good shape. So much of what you can do comes from whether you are able to borrow as and when you want or need to that if you do end up with problems here you really will need to pay attention of the various methods of bad credit repair.

One of the simplest and most obvious methods of credit repair is to actually borrow more money but to make sure that you do indeed pay it all back on time. But even that can be difficult if you don't know how or where to get that further loan. There are also other possibilities in negotiation with lenders, in consolidation of laons and so on, but the possibilities are so many, each with their own catch or trick, that you really rather need expert guidance.

Fortunately that sort of guidance is available through this credit repair service: if you think you need help on this it might be a good idea to click through the link and see what they have to offer.

List Marketing

2008-04-14T06:06:00.000-07:00

The most important thing that any business does is markets its goods and or services. Sadly, it really isn't true that if you invent a better mousetrap that the world will beat a path to your door.

You have to make them aware that you have indeed invented that better mousetrap.

The most effective way of doing this is to use a marketing list. Say, for example, your service will appeal to lawyers: and only lawyers. You thus will want to get in contact with list brokers and get a list of lawyers from them. No point in spending any money on advertising or trying to sell to anyone else, is there?

Or if your product is of wider appeal, you might want some consumer mailing lists.

Whichever it is that you need, worth clicking through any of those links to see what The List Company can do for you: they've got 300 million Americans and more than 14 million businesses on their databases.

UK Mortgages

2008-03-19T05:40:00.000-07:00

This is a time of turmoil in the financial markets, as we all know far too well. It's also a time when it's getting harder to get a good deal on a mortgage. As, again, all too many of us know.

But that just means that you need to do more research into mortgages to find the best deal, the one that best suits you. The UK mortgage market isn't as appealing as it was, many fixed interest deals are being withdrawn and so on, so where can you turn for details of the mortgage quotes that are available?

Fortunately those nice folks over at Motley Fool have a section addressing exactly this problem. Just what are the mortgage deals available at any one time? Click through any of the links to find out.

Relocation Services

2008-03-16T04:39:00.000-07:00

As someone who has moved around the world too many times (yes, I'm very bored of it now) I really do wish that when I was movoing I'd known about these relocation services experts. Reliance Relocation (for that is their name) seem to take care of everything for you: something that I would really love to have had done for me.

The deal with moving services, of course. Supplying the material to pack into, theycan do the actualy packing, they'll do the actual moving itself, of course, store what you need to be stored and so on. It's all so much easier when you've got professionals doing all of these things for you.

They even offer moving deals, coupons which you simply print off and present to the movers when they're at your place.

I'm not intending to move again any time soon, but if I do I'm going to be calling hese guys.

Those Ring Tones

2008-03-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

So, you've got yourself the cool new phone, the best pricing plan, and now, well, you've just gotta customise it, don't you? So how about a few free ring tones? Although I'm resolutely non-technical, even I know that you can set it up so that different incoming callers have different ring tones, meaning that more than one is these days pretty much a necessity.

Have a look over here, they've got country ringtones, and rock ringtones: actually, and pretty much every other musical style as well. Dave Matthews Band, Fall Out Boy, I mean, why not?

However, I think I'm goingfor somthing very different indeed. How about the Because I Got High ringtone? Rather suits my position in life, don't you think?

Online Bingo

2008-03-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

This looks interesting, a new (to me) site where you can play online bingo. I have a feeling that their business is probably surging at the moment as the idiot rules that stop you smoking in a bingo hall continue to bite at the trade out there in meatspace.

They play an awful lot of different bingo games in there as well, there's everything from constant games to big events where prizes climb up to as much as £5,000. And as those who understand the rules of bingo know (which must be just about everyone, isn't it?) that prize will be won by someone each and every time.

Yup, I'd say that if you like a little bit of a flutter, are into playing bingo, then PartyBingo looks like a decent place to do it.

New Information Source

2007-08-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

Hey, here's an interesting new source of information on Scottish Jobs. Well, more specifically, it's a site new to me with information on things like jobs in Edinburgh. It's quite specific and the best thing is that they seem to be detailing real Edinburgh jobs, not just lising a few agencies.

Looking at the listing they've got there right now there's a new coffee shop opening, drivers required, ducting fitters (I actually know what that one does!), waiting staff and nannies, even financial jobs. If that's the area of the country you're in it does look well worth a visit.

They don't just do jobs of course: I think the best description would be like a Scottish centric version of Craigs List: there's a whole series of different sections about Edinburgh, flat shares, cars for sale, dating, community, etc etc. Looks like a truly useful little place to keep an eye on.

This is a new scam!

2007-08-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

These are all over the place, as anyone with an in box knows, but I've not seen one in French before:

A votre aimable attention,
Nous avons l'aimable plaisir de vous annoncez que vous êtes lun des heureux gagnants de la Loterie informatique EURO MILLIONS LOTERIE .Une Loterie organisée par EURO MILLIONS LOTERIE ET LA SOCIETE GENERALE DE FINANCEMENT PAR LE CREDIT BAIL DE COTE D'IVOIRE ( SOGEFIBAIL BANK ) Une loterie portant sur les adresses électroniques d'internautes.
La valeur totale mise en jeu est de 70.000 000 Millions D'euros et votre Adresse email par laquelle vous recevez ce message a été tirée au sort par sélection informatique lors de notre premier Tirage annuel effectué la semaine dernière au siège de EURO MILLIONS LOTERIE sis a Londres.
Vous faites donc partie des Heureux Gagnants et votre gain est de 250 000 euros( Deux Cent Cinquante Mille euros )
Pour entrer en possession de votre lot, Veuillez adresser exclusivement à La Direction Generale de La SOGEFIBAIL un message comportant : Votre Nom, Prénoms, Adresse complète, Numéro de Téléphone ainsi que le Numero de code Secret auquel est rattachée votre adresse electronique ce Numero est le suivant : A04101981A Ce code qui est le seul élément qui permettra au Directeur Général de la SOGEFIBAIL de vous identifier afin de procéder au transfert de votre Gain . L'existence de ce code devra resté strictement confidentiel
CI DESSOUS L'ADRESSE DE LA SOGEFIBAIL BANK CHARGE DE TRANSFERER VOTRE GAIN
http://www.izf.net/IZF/Financement/CoteIvoire/SOGEFIBAIL.htm
SOGEFIBAIL BANK COTE D'IVOIRE
LIGNE DIRECTE DU DIRECTEUR GENERAL CHARGE DE VOTRE DOSSIER ET DU TRANSFERT DE VOTRE GAIN :
MR. PIERRE SIBY Tel : 225 04 06 41 03
E- mail privé : banque_sogefibail@dr.com
MESSAGE TRES IMPORTANT
Nous vous signalons qu'aucune somme ne doit être déduite de votre gain durant le processus de Transfert de Votre gain conformement aux accords ratifiées entre EURO MILLIONS et la SOCIETE GENERALE DE FINANCEMENT PAR LE CREDIT BAIL DE COTE D'IVOIRE ( SOGEFIBAIL BANK )
Ni la SOGEFIBAIL BANK n'est Autorisé a deduire une quelconque somme d'argent sur votre gain durant le transfert car votre gain doit etre Transféré dans son intégralité sur votre compte bancaire et vous devrez percevoir 100% de votre Gain
Quiconque Tentera d'outrager cette mesure sera poursuivit pour tentative de Détournement du gain et est passif de poursuites judiciaires et des Sanctions très sévères seront prisent à son encontre.Nous portons à votre connaissance que au moins 7% des lots attribués doivent servir à l'expansion de linternet dans un pays Africain et que dans trois mois une grande Tournée de vérification aura lieu . A lissue de cette tournée le projet le plus significatif recevra le prix spécial EURO MILLIONS POUR LA PROMOTION DE L'INTERNET EN AFRIQUE.
Recevez encore toutes nos félicitations.
Mme Clara Morgan
Chargé De Communication.
loterie_informatique@orangemail.es

Ceiling Fans

2007-06-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

As regular readers will know we just been working on this new (to us) house and as the builders have now left it's time for us to turn our attention to the subject of the interior, which brings us again to the subject of ceiling fans.

Living where we are sometihng like this is going to be essential in the summer months: it's still only june and it's 33 0C outside. But what type should we get?

I mean, seriously, there's so many different types: do we want casablanca ceiling fans? Or ellington fans? Or maybe monte carlo fans are better for us?

Fortunately, given that I'm the male part of this relationship I don't actually have to worry about all of this. I can just point the wife at Farreys.com and let her get on with it. They're even help her sort by style, if she's not worried about which manufacturer to choose.

So she does all of that and I just get on with earning the money to pay for them. Sounds fine to me actually.

Katie Holmes and the Media

2007-06-25T09:07:00.000-07:00

Good grief, even I'm getting bored making these posts about Katie Holmes.

There's a nice little site that has all sorts of news about the actress and Scientology kook, Katie Holmes.

Of course, there's a section on Katie Holmes and her marriage to Tom Cruise.

There's also a round up of news stories, photos and a video feed.

Yes, you can catch up with all the news on your favourite celebrity just by clicking through on of the links.

Elin and Tiger

2007-06-19T07:07:00.000-07:00

Elin Woods now has a baby girl, her and Tiger's first child.

Sam Alexis Woods.

Given her genetic background I have a feeling that in 20 years or so she's going to be breaking a lot of hearts.

Vacation Time!

2007-06-06T23:44:00.000-07:00

Have you worked out your summer vacation yet? Thought about an extra trip perhaps? If not, then you'll want to come over here and look at this great little site dealing with hotel bookings.

They're starting small and rolling out the site across other European cities, so as to make sure that they get all of the necessary information there in the right amount of detail. So at present they've got Amsterdam hotels and Barcelona hotels up and running, Rome hotels as well.

Have a look around the site. For example, the Hotel Veneto Rome. They give details of the address (of course!), how close parking is, the facilities available, including such modern essentials as WiFi, pricing, the ability to check on availability and so on. Everything you need to decide whether this is the hotel for you.

Interestingly, they've also got a section for previous customers of the hotel to comment on the service and ambiance. So you're actually getting public feedback, not just the glossy brochure talk.

Well worth checking out in advance of any European trip you might be taking.

Party Favors

2007-05-15T08:43:00.000-07:00

So, where do you go to get all those party favors you want to turn a mild and fun event into a great and exciting one? There are so many possible options for such things, from wanting stag night or bridal shower favors, to baby shower, bar mitzvah favours and even those for birthday parties.

That very possible large number of variations is of course what causes all the problems. No one bricks and mortar stall can be expected to stock them all ...they can only possible carry a small selection of each of the different offerings for each of the different occasions.

This is why the process of retailing party favors is one of the obvious businesses which should move online...as in fact it has done. For from just one location, without having to pay the inlfated rents for retail space, Allinonfunflavors.com can supply all of the different possible designs, for all of the possible different occasions, in every color and variation possible.

Well worth clicking through one of those links and seeing what they can do for you.

Ecotourism in Hawaii

2007-05-15T04:17:00.000-07:00

This looks like an interesting development, the rise of ecotourism in Hawaii.

For decades people have been worrying about the impact of tourism upon Hawaii's ecosystem as ever more visitors arrive on the islands. With the current concerns over the environment of course there has been a reaction, with new developments making sure that they are not doing any damage, as some of the older ones used to.

As, for example, the hanalei bay resort which is built to the strictest standards to make sure that the impact upon the delicate environment is minimised.

Actually, well worth a look through to have a closer peek at what the hanalei bay resort offers as it realy looks rather decent, if not sumptuous. Just goes to show that concern for Gaia does not have to mean roughing it at all, just careful planning and attention to detail.

Vacation Times A' Comin'!

2007-05-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, indeed it is, vacation time is nearly upon us and like most people I've not mamaged to organize myself sufficiently to have actually booked something yet. Which is why I'm happy to have discovered this hotel reservations site this afternoon. It looks like I might actually be able to go somewhere this year then after all! Yes, yes, I know, the massed blogoshpere will be so excited at the prospect of my being able to wander off somewhere interesting finally.

But why is somewhere online that enables me to book a hotel room exciting in this manner? Surely there are plenty of places I can go to do that? Wll, yes there are indeed plenty of places to get the basic accomodation but none of them seem to have the great hotel discounts available through this site.

So it's a great deal more exciting than the usual rather boring offerings from Expedia and the like. In fact, doing some rough back of the envelope calculations I would be able to stay (well, if I could get that much vacation time) twice as long by using this site than the others I've looked at the prices are so much better.

Oh, and over and above the hotels they also do Motels and Resorts. It's a real cornucopia of deals and discounts, very much worth checking out. Hey, why not? Click through one of the links to see what I mean.

Taps4Less.com

2007-05-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

As we're now coming out of the end of the house rebuilding program I have of course been looking around for places where I can getthe acoutrements needed. You know, kitchens and bathrooms and stuff. The wife is insistent that I get some of these showers and I'm getting very partial to the idea of a shower cabinet along these lines.

In fact, the combination of the two would really be rather good. It's the one great thing I liked about being in the US, the ability to have a decent, high pressure shower, in a proper cubicle. Not the more traditional dribble of water shivering in the side of a bathtub of our own isles.

There's also an extreme temptation to get one of these hot tubs. We've just pulled down the old chicken sheds and have ended up with a very sunny corner of the garden with walls on two sides: line those with sandstone so as to retain the heat and we'll be away. Well, yes, once I've earned the money to pay for it, of course.

Now if you'll excuse me please, I have to make way for the wife on this internet access thing. She wants to have a right and proper drool over the site.

The London Advertising World

2007-05-02T06:02:00.000-07:00

It's generally agreed (well, certainly amongst those who work in the London Advertising World, although they might actually be correct as well) that the London Advertising community is in fact the world's most vibrant and creative.

While those in Continental Europe are hamstrung by not speaking the global language, those in the US need to be extremely brash in their sales messages (and suffer from the cultural problem of not actually being English) and with, well the Japanese seem to hire whichever film star has just made a few turkeys, there's really nowhere left to be the global centre of this creative industry.

All of which is fine as a piece of cultural snobbery even if it is actually true. The problem though is how do you navigate through the geography of such a creative industry?

The answer would seem to be in these modern times to go to a directory of the players in that market. Like, for example, the London Advertising Directory, your guide to the online sites of the major players.

The beauty of using their own sites to see what they're like is that of course, they will all have designed their own sites, so you not only get the information but also a sample of their wares.

Health Insurance

2007-04-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

One of the more boring (but extremely important) things about American life is to make sure that you are properly covered for health insurance. Some of the time it will be your employer who is responsible for this but often you'll have to, even if they are helping, take care of this yourself.

This means, unfortunately, getting to grips with the basics of the jargon of the industry to make sure that you pick the correct health insurance plan. You need to learn about things like co-pays (how much do you pay before the health insurance coverage starts to take care of the bills?), what is the actual monthly premium, what illnesses and conditions are covered and what are not and so on.

This can be something of a minefield, for it isn't necessarily true that the most affordable health insurance is the right one for you. It's not just the price paid, it's how much you get for that money handed over.

Click through any of the links above to get to a very good little primer on the basics that you need to know and guidance as to where to get more information if you should need it.

Why Get a Mosquito Ringtone?

2007-04-17T10:29:00.000-07:00

A lot of people may laugh at the thought of mosquito ringtones for your cellphone. There are a lot of free ringtones and free MP3 ringtones on the Internet, so why get a queer ringtone the sound of a buzzing mosquito in your phone?

There is actually a reason for this. Studies show that the human ears would lose their ability to recognize high frequency sounds as it ages. As one gets older, the inner ear and the eardrum are becoming less active and flexible. If this happens it can no longer recognize high frequency vibration sound. So if you were a teenager living with an adult or your grandparents, they probably won’t be disturbed with the high-pitched sounds of your mosquito ringtones.

So get the best usual free Cingular Ringtones or free Sprint Ringtones now and leave these buzzing sounds.

Refinancing a Mortgage

2007-03-22T03:24:00.001-07:00

Different states have different rules about these things so Florida Mortgages are different from California Mortgages for example.

However, it's always true that mortgage refinancing (sometimes known as mortgage refinance) can help you in your pursuit of your financial goals.

It could be that you can refinance upon better terms, thus cutting your monthly payments: this is really something for nothing. You might also want to extend the term of the loan. This will cut the monthly payment while making you pay it for longer. Or, you might simply want to take out some of the equity you have to spend on something else.

Worth looking into: I've just done it myself, using the money to buy a second home.

Disclosure Policy.

Fliptrack

2007-03-21T05:46:00.001-07:00

Now this is interesting, a new service called Fliptrack. It makes life aq lot easier and also solves one of the great legal problems we have in this new digital age.

The first thing is that it makes it easy to create a video. You take your photographs, of someone, or an event, and upload them into the Fliptrack system. Their tools then make it easy for you to create a slideshow of those photos, mimicking a video.

That's excellent, it's a lot easier than doing video editing, of course. Then you can share that still/video that you've created across the net. Also excellent.

But the part that's really important I think is that they've started to sort out the problems over digital rights to the music you might use on such a video.

Rather than using some piece of music and just hoping that no one will sue over it, they've gone out and got the digital rights to hundreds of pieces of music. I think this a huge advance and it's definitely worth checking out the Fliptrack system.

Just Say Hi!

2007-03-19T03:33:00.001-07:00

The dating game is simply something that seems made to measure for the web. It's one of those businesses (in the extended meaning of the word) which has been hugely held back in the past because of the transaction costs. It had to be based on print magazines and newspapers, and these are expensive to produce and distribute. That very cost also precluded adding photographs or anything but the most limited of details.

Then along came the web and internet personals were suddenly big business. Transaction costs had fallen to nearly zero. This is, from an economist's point of view, what has driven the success of places like Yahoo Personals. At minimal cost people could now search amongst all of the details available and thus have a much better chance of making a match.

Excellent of course, more people getting what they want. But success breeds competitors of course which is what has led to Just SayHi! , a competitor in the market for online personals.

The unique point here is that it is free, entirely and forever free. Not even a credit card is needed to search for whatever might take your fancy.

Well worth clicking through one of those links to have a look see at what it's all about.

Insurance

2007-03-18T07:27:00.001-07:00

One of the problems we all face is that we know we need to buy insurance, but we never really get around to it properly. In fact, most of us a grossly underinsured by any reasonable standard.

One reason for this is that going out and looking for it is a real pain. It takes time, you're subject to and endless series of sales pitches from glib characters and it is, in effect, all so damn boring.

Which is there the net can help out. Firstly, we can go looking for our necessary life insurance quotes without actually having to leave home. Much more convenient that. Secondly, we spared the salesmen, we just get the quote on our car insurance delivered to us. Thirdly, once we've got all of our household insurance quotes we can actually read them, find out what is really being offered and make a decision without any pressure.

Thank goodness Al Gore really did invent the internet (and Tim Berner's Lee the Web) so that we can in fact buy these essentials at our own pace and, blissfully, without having to deal with insurance salesmen.

Barca! Barca!

2007-02-28T09:53:00.001-08:00

If you've not been to Barcelona yet then you are missing one of the great cities of our time. The capital of Calalonia it has always been distinctly different from other areas of Spain (and the locals aren't quite sure whether they are part of Spain) and the language is also quite different (Bon Dia instead of Buenos Dias for example), as is the cooking and even the general outlook.

It had a huge boost in the early part of the last century when it was one of the foremost European cities for art, especially Gaudi, the architect. It is worth going there just to see some of his rather bizarre creations. But the whole city has a jump and a jive which is really rather different from anywhere else in Spain, and while it's different from anywhere else I've been on the Mediterranean I can only speak for what I've seen, not the totality.

But if you're going to go there then obviously you need to think about Barcelona hotels. My recommendation would be to click through that link to a site that specializes in offering the best the city has to offer. It's possible to stay up by the Gaudi Park, where some of his best buildings are located, or perhaps near the Olympic Park. My own suggestion might be to stay on Las Ramblas, the central street for the nighly passagiero, perhaps here, right on Las Ramblas.

Another might be, if hotels aren't quite your thing, to rent an apartment in Barcelona by the night. Many areas of the city are available.

But wherever you stay, do make sure to get to Barcelona at least once: it's one of the great cities of the world.

Britney Spears and Rehab

2007-02-25T09:03:00.001-08:00

There are suggestions that chcking into an expensive rehab place might not be the best option for Britney Spears. Unless you get down and dirty with the other addicts you don't learn the humility necessary, as Britney may find out later:

Britney Spears' pals hope she found solace at the luxury Promises rehabilitation clinic in Malibu but some experts question whether the spa-like center is the best place for the erratic pop star.

At Promises, Spears will be able to relax with the help of massages, walks on the lawn, horse riding, or she can simply sit and look at the ocean. At night there is a roaring fireplace. The center's Web site promises "uncommon luxury," and also private rooms - rare for what is billed as an intense rehab facility. Sounds more resort vacation than treatment hospital - and that's the problem, critics say.

Centers like Promises are designed to lure California's poshest clients. Indeed, its Web site claims it is popular with "celebrities" and "business executives."

"They say, 'We have 500 thread-count sheets.' It trivializes what we do," John Schwarzlose, head of the Betty Ford Clinic, told Newsweek.

"The best thing for you in rehab is to sit next to a guy from skid row and realize you're just as much an alcoholic as he is," he railed. "Learning humility is part of the recovery process."

My own opinion is rather different, that most rehab is in itself in fact a mistake. But that's another matter altogether.

Russian Women Are Different

2007-01-31T07:40:00.001-08:00

We're often told that Russian women are different from their more liberate western counterparts but this story really takes the biscuit:

A Murmansk gambler lost his wife in a poker game when he ran out of cash and laid his other half on the table, Ananova reports.

Unfortunately for Andrei Karpov, when winning opponent Sergey Brodov arrived to claim his prize, his wife Tatiana was "so angry" she opted for a divorce.

Well, OK, but what next?

She thundered: "It was humiliating and I was utterly ashamed. But as soon as my ex-husband did that I knew I had to leave him."

In a heartwarming twist which disproves once-and-for-all the old "lucky at cards, unlucky at love" proverb, Tatiana started a relationship with Brodov and subsequently married him.

She enthused: "Sergey was a very handsome, charming man and I am very happy with him, even if he did 'win' me in a poker game."

Yes, that's lovely, we're all very happy for you. But, umm, Tatya, what happens next time Sergey is lucky at cards?

Technorati tags: Russia, poker, Russian brides

Windows Live

2006-12-10T09:31:00.001-08:00

So does this windows live product actually work?

Technorati tags: windows live writer

Coldplay.

2005-06-12T02:06:00.000-07:00

Coldplay are the biggest selling band from the UK, more is the pity.

The singer, pianist and frontman is Chris Martin, married to Gwyneth Paltrow and father of the absurdly named Apple. What a name to give a child, eh?

The band has a new album out, X&Y, which is a reasonably pathetic title. What, you mean that they are the first people in all history to think that both male and female have a part to play in life? Have they never heard of Yin and Yang? How on earth do they think they got here themselves if there was not some form of co-operation between the two sexes?

Obviously macrobiotic diets cause a loss of intelligence.

The official Coldplay site is here, a fan site is here.

There is also a subset of the MTV site dedicated to Coldplay and something from Rolling Stone here.

Quite the best description of the band is here, at the Telegraph.

As a measure of the menace that Coldplay represents to the listening public consider a poignant letter published in The Daily Telegraph last week: "They ruined what my wife and I had hoped would be a convivial evening at a riverside pub," fumed Graham Vine, of Close Borden, Hampshire. "On arriving we wondered why so many customers were sitting outside on such a chilly, breezy evening. It didn't take long to find out why. Whoever had charge of the pub's sound system inflicted upon us one dismal dirge after another from the Coldplay album, one of the most depressing I have heard."

And this rather damning comment:

British rock hasn't found a new angle in years. Thriving at one end of the business are the dinosaur -rockers of the 1960s and '70s, while flourishing at the other are the made-for-television, boy-and-girl groups. Coldplay have quietly bagged the middle ground. They may be unoriginal, but at least they are an unoriginal version of Radiohead. Imagine, or, rather try not to, the unoriginal version of Busted.