Archive for September, 2008
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
I have a bad memory when it comes to the days the garbage people pick up the recycling. I thought they were coming to get it this morning. In actuality, they are coming next Tuesday.
Of course, this had to happen the one time I decided to put a whole heck of a lot of cardboard out for pickup. I mean, I put out about twelve flattened cardboard boxes…big ones too. When I realized no one was coming to get the cardboard, I decided to make a very special trip to the local transfer station.
A transfer station is basically a station where they transfer things. That was my attempt at humor. Our local station is quite beautiful, so beautiful in fact, I decided to take a few photos.
Transfer Station Cardboard Trailers
Transfer Station Recycling Bins
Sure, it might seem strange to take photos of the transfer station, but if I don’t do it, who is going to?
I must say, our local transfer station is one of the more organized ones I have ever been to. There is a place for used motor oil, old tires, cardboard, metal, recyclables, appliances, furniture…well, you get the picture. All I did was drop off some cardboard and recyclables, but now I see the potential for a whole lot more.
Mad peace to you.
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Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
Jay G writes for a wide selection of websites on various topics. He is a veteran of the internet and has come to be respected in his many areas of expertise. This article was written on behalf of AutoLeeg, a popular car classifieds website.
Buying a Used Car Online
There are a couple of major benefits to buying a used car online. You do not have to spend hours going from one dealership to another. Even better, you will not have to deal with overly pushy salespeople attempting to sell you more than you can logically afford. You can always look through your local newspaper’s online automotive classified website.
Tip #1 – Before Buying a Used Auto
Before buying a used car online, learn everything you can about what it should and could include. Learn about both standard and optional automotive equipment and the fair market value for the used car. Also, consider your budget. Knowing how much you have available before you start looking will help narrow down your choices. You will also be less tempted by an unaffordable auto.
Examine exactly why you want to buy a used car. The way you will use it can have a big impact on what type of auto you purchase. If you need an automotive for family outings or carpooling, a 2-seater sports car will not work.
Tip #2 – Questions to Ask Auto Seller
Ask the seller the following questions before buying an automotive online:
* Why are they selling the car? Beware if their reason seems unreasonable.
* Do you have service records? Having the service records will let you know what required services have and have not been completed. This will help you determine possible costs after you have purchased the auto.
* Is the title in the seller’s name? It can be difficult and time consuming to get the title changed from a previous owner. Another possibility is that you or the seller may be unable to locate the previous owner
* Are there any liens attached?
* Can I have an independent mechanic physically inspect the used car?
* Can I test drive the used car before buying it?
Tip #3 – Pictures of the Used Auto
Whenever possible, check out the used car in person. Otherwise, ask for pictures of the vehicle from every angle possible (inside and out), including the engine. Although not a sure-fire way to verify if the seller is being completely honest, this can help you to avoid some surprises. Even with pictures, you still need to be careful. Read over the original description of the used car and verify that it matches the one in the photo.
Tip #4 – CarFax Automotive Report
Ask the seller for the vehicle identification number, which you will need to run a CarFax report. This is a necessary step to protect you from fraud. A CarFax report will show you most major completed repairs and whether the car has been involved in an accident. If the report shows the vehicle has been in a bad accident, but the seller says the car is in tip-top shape, consider buying a different vehicle.
Tip #5 – Automotive Pricing
Before shelling out money or agreeing to a sales price, visit the Kelly Blue Book or Edmunds website to find the fair market value of the auto. Do this after you have seen pictures of the car so that you can be accurate about the car’s condition. Keep in mind that the sales price listed online probably does not include sales tax, registration, financing fees, or licensing and title fees.
Tip #6 – Where to Buy a Used Auto
You have several options regarding where to buy a used car online. Try looking through online automotive classified ads or on dealer websites. Another possibility is visiting online auto auction sites. Whichever way you choose, always follow the previously provided tips before making a purchase.
For many reasons, buying a car online can be much trickier than buying one in person. This is especially true when you decide to buy a non-local car, as you normally will not be able to see the car in person before you get it. Following the tips above can do away with many of the pitfalls.
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Tuesday, September 30th, 2008
It has been a busy day. I have been working at the computer for hours, but found time to squeeze in a trip to the transfer station (next post) and time to mow the lawn. I wasn’t planning on mowing the lawn, I kind of just found myself sitting on the lawnmower riding around.
I found a great new way to make working at the computer a little better. I now listen to Sirius through the computer. Since we have a subscription for Sirius in one of the cars, we get online listening included.
I like listening to the 80s channel -”Classic Rewind, ‘70S & ‘80S Classic Rock.” I also like drinking beer when I work. It makes things just a bit better. I have to admit, there is something to be said for listening to 80s music. It never disappoints. What’s even nicer, is when I talk to someone of my generation about 80s music, we both appreciate what we are talking about. The beer doesn’t help me write blog posts though.
80s music seems to be a little deeper than the music of today. It isn’t necessarily deeper in a thoughtful way, it just seems that the artists of yester-year weren’t in it for the money as much as artists are today. It seems like they were more into their music because it was a way of life for them. Just my opinion, of course.
Seriously, find me one song that comes close to “Mr. Roboto” by the band, “Styx.” If you are wondering what I am talking about, just say the following very quielty to yourself…”Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto.”
I remember sitting on the school bus in 3rd grade listening to “Eye of the Tiger” by “Survivor.” Now, that’s a classic. Mr. Roboto and Eye of the Tiger are two of my more memorable songs of the 80s, followed closely by “You Might Think” by “The Cars.” I remember watching The Cars on Friday Night Videos with my brother. One time, we tried to stay up all night. It didn’t work. We thought that Friday Night Videos would help pass the time, but I was asleep less than a half-hour after the end of the show.
Ok, that’s it. Good bye.
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Monday, September 29th, 2008
Well, Saturday came and went. I don’t feel any older, I don’t look any older, but I am older.
Over the past few years, small things have changed. I have noticed my back aching a little more than it did when I was a kid. Also, the recovery time for just about everything takes longer now. Oh well, I just work harder and harder to fight the battle.
To celebrate Saturday, Laura bought me a new Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker. She got me a nice ice cream recipe book from Williams-Sonoma too. She also got me a gift card for the Red Lion Inn, in Stockbridge, MA and another one for the Spring House Hotel out on Block Island. I thought that was very nice. Have I ever told you that I want to live on Block Island? Talk about relaxation.
Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker
Williams-Sonoma Ice Cream Recipe Book
So, back to the ice cream maker. I guess she didn’t hear me when I told her I wanted to keep fit and trim for the rest of my life. She knows I have an ice cream weakness. Don’t send me to the grocery store alone…you know what I’ll come back with. Being the age I am and not having a belly is a miracle. I would like to keep it that way.
Well that got thrown out the door. I went out last night and got the ingredients for my first batch of homemade ice cream. I wanted to make the black cherry ice cream recipe, but black black cherries are out of season. Instead, I made the strawberry ice cream.
Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe
It was pretty easy. I just followed the recipe and did what I had to do with the ingredients. Unlike the beer recipes, this uses actual fresh ingredients. There are no pre-made mixures. This machine allows you to get as creative as you want.
Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream
This is the ice cream after mixing it in the ice cream machine and before putting it in the freezer. I have to stick it there for a few hours and then I can enjoy my first batch of homemade ice cream.
I vow not to get fat.
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Friday, September 26th, 2008
I am talking about copyright infringement on your website here.
Say, one morning you wake up to find that someone has copy and pasted your homepage (among other pages) text onto their homepage. I am sure you would get rather peeved at the sight of that. I mean, it’s not a trivial matter here. Website copy costs good money. There are keywords you have to think about and research and many, many more variables that led you to place that copy on your web page. For someone to just steal it like that is very frustrating, to say the least.
So, what can you do to deal with the situation? Well, according to Wikipedia, there are a few things you need to do:
1. Establish ownership
2. Establish actual copying
3. Establish misappropriation
These are the items you need to get squared away before anything else. Again, I am just getting these things from Wikipedia.
There is something out there called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that kind of governs the whole online copyright issue. It was signed into law on October 28, 1998 and extends the reach of copyright to protect online assets as well.
With this new online protection, it makes handing the issue over to your attorney much easier and less expensive. They have something concrete to work with, and since we all know how attorneys get paid by the hour, that matters.
Once your attorney has the information they he/she needs, they can go ahead and send a notification claiming infringement to the website hosting provider of the website that copied your work. According to the attorney I work with, the hosting provider usually takes the site down rather quickly upon receiving a letter like this. I would think they don’t really want to get in the middle of this kind of thing.
The owner of the website can always go ahead and set up shop with a different hosting provider, but that shows a certain amount of audacity on their part and I would think you could go after someone like this personally. In my opinion, it is much easier to change the copy on their website than to fight you in court.
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Friday, September 26th, 2008
I think I would like to start this post off by making something clear. I would like to let you know that there was a time in my life when I had a half ounce of coolness. Sure, everyone I have known throughout my life might disagree with that statement, but I know, in my heart, that I used to be wicked cool. By the way, the word “wicked” is not used by me very often, or at all. I merely used it this time to place emphasis on how cool I actually once was.
The reason I bring this up now is because the post you are about to read is about some grass seed that I bought today. Upon making the purchase and driving back to the house with the seed, I started thinking about how I was going to write about it. Then, out of nowhere, something occurred to me. I thought, “Gee, Jay, what in the world happened? I mean, at what point in my life did I stop doing all those fun things I used to do and turn into this thirty something year old guy who writes about grass seed…and thinks he’s the shiznit doing it?” Seriously.
Well, I guess I’m not about to stop writing about seemingly boring things just to appease my more exciting side. I think this actually might be my more exciting side now. That, my friends, is a sorry thought.
There. I think I put that to rest.
Now, for what you all have been waiting for…the actual grass seed post.
Do you remember the post I wrote over the Summer about “Overseeding The Lawn With Vigoro Contractors Blend?” I am sure you do. Then, I wrote another post about how green the grass around this lawn was. I am quite confident you remember that one.
Well, as it turns out, while the lawn looked superb throughout the Summer, it is starting to look a bit brown these days. I have noticed a lot of the same thing around town. I am blaming this brown on the new seed I put down. I am also blaming this brown on parts of the seed being warm weather seed, while we live in a cool weather climate. What I was going for when I put the seed down is to have that green lawn for most of the year…even through the cool times.
Also, I wasn’t in love with the grass that seed produced. It was lighter than what had existed and didn’t match all too well. This morning, I decided to fix the problem.
Since September is the best time to plant grass seed, I decided to run over to Home Depot and use some of these free gift cards I got from my credit card points. I have $250 worth and they are burning a hole in my pocket. I like to use them for frivolous things like this.
I did a little research this morning and decided on the Pennington Smart Seed premium grass seed mixture. Here is what they boast:
- Contains MYCO Advantageâ„¢ which requires up to 30% less water
- Grows well in sun and shade
- Produces a thick, finer bladed, dark green lawn
- The most versatile lawn in sunny to moderately shady areas
- Disease, insect and drought resistant
That was pretty much what I was looking for. The dark green is the plus.
Pennington Smart Seed
Grass seed in hand
Beyond all that I learned through my research this morning, I also learned something at the store. Grass seed is expensive. The stuff I bought over the Summer was half the price, but I read the good stuff always costs more. Oh well.
I was going to head out and spread the seed this afternoon, but the weather people are calling for a lot of rain. I don’t want to have nightmares about all the new grass seed washing away. I will see what they are calling for tomorrow and probably go out and spread it then.
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Friday, September 26th, 2008
I just wanted to let my fine and honorable readers know that I will be unavailable tonight from 9PM to about 11PM. I will be downstairs watching the first presidential debate of 2008.
Due to my unavailability, I will not be taking phone calls, unless they are of emergency in nature. Oh please, like anyone calls me. Haha.
Does anyone else care about politics like I do? I mean, I don’t like politics, I get frustrated as much as the next guy from the whole circus. I like the drama. I like watching each campaign’s strategy and how they try to outwit the other. I don’t know, it gets me all wound up and ready to fight.
Ok, bye.
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Thursday, September 25th, 2008
Jay G writes for a wide selection of websites on various topics. He is a veteran of the internet and has come to be respected in his many areas of expertise. This article was written on behalf of AutoLeeg, a popular used cars for sale website.
Buying And Selling Cars with Ease
Whether you are buying a car or selling one, you know how frustrating it can be. You need to find a buyer or a car quickly, but there are so many marketing options available. Which ones are the most effective? How can you be sure you are getting a good deal or selling your car for what it is truly worth?
Choosing the Right Car
For those who are buying cars, the first step in finding the right car is to decide the type of vehicle you want. You can spend hours scouring resources full of used cars for sale, but if you do not know what you want or need, you are going to struggle to find the right vehicle. First, make sure that you find a vehicle with enough space for your regular passengers. This does not just mean enough seats. Many of the vehicles with three rows of seats have very little legroom in the rear, so if you are transporting adults on a regular basis, your passengers will not fit, even though there is a seat for them.
Next, consider the amount of trunk or storage space you need. Will you be using the vehicle for vacations, or just for driving to and from work? Also, make sure you consider the gas mileage on the vehicle. With the ever increasing cost of gas, you need a vehicle that is as fuel efficient as possible.
Once you have an idea in mind as to the type of vehicle you want to buy, consider visiting an automotive dealership that has used cars for sale and test driving a few. This will give you a chance to check out the actual space inside the vehicle, get a feel for the engine, and see how comfortable the controls feel. Narrow down your search after visiting the dealership before you begin searching auto classifieds for a vehicle. However, be sure that you do not buy on this first visit. Car dealers can be pushy and make you feel like the deal they are offering is the best possible deal you will find, so you need to be tough to avoid this pressure. You will want to take time to search on your own for the truly best deal.
Sources for Used Cars
You can find the right car through a dealership, by shopping online, or through a private seller. The route you take depends on your preferences and the asking price of the vehicle. You can find cars for sale from private parties, in newspaper and magazine classifieds or by shopping online. Most people find that the Internet allows them to comparison shop and get a better price on the car they want to buy. Shopping online also helps buyers see a larger selection of autos, since they are limited to the inventory on hand when shopping at a dealership. Most dealerships also register with online classifieds, making the Internet the most convenient place to begin when buying a used car. There are many online automotive classifieds that are great tools to use when shopping for a used vehicle.
Financing Your Purchase
You can finance your purchase through a lender whether you purchase from a private party or a dealership. The best way to ensure that you get the car you really want is to get pre-approved for financing before you begin actively shopping. This will, of course, require that you have a car in mind so that you know the approximate amount of money that you need. Once you have chosen a vehicle and know the price, approach a lender and apply for a car loan. Once you are approved, you will be given a pre-approval notice that you can show a seller if you are ready to make a purchase. If other buyers who do not have pre-approval are interested in the vehicle, the seller will be more likely to choose you because you have the money ready to go.
How to Determine a Car’s Value
Whether you are buying or selling cars, you need a way to determine the value of the vehicle. You can use many tools to help you set determine the value of a particular vehicle. One way to do this is to look in automotive classifieds to see what the asking price of similar vehicles is. Of course, you have no way of knowing based on classifieds alone whether or not the price a particular seller is asking is too high, but this can give you a general feel for the current market.
One tool you will want to use when determining the value of a vehicle is Kelley Blue Book. This guide, which is available online, allows you to see the average listing or selling price of a vehicle that is the same make, model, year, and condition as the vehicle you are either buying or selling. Keep in mind that Kelley Blue Book is a national guide, so the fair price in your location may be slightly lower or higher than the Blue Book value. The bottom line about the value of a car is that it is worth what the buyers in the market are willing to pay. If you are selling a car and have it priced just below Blue Book value, yet no one is willing to pay that, you have the car priced too high for your market.
How to Advertise a Used Car for Sale
Sellers have basically three options to use to advertise their cars. The first is to place a sign in the window and drive the car around town or park it in a visible location. The second option is to advertise in paper classifieds, such as automotive publications or the local newspaper. This can be an effective way to sell a vehicle, but it can also be quite pricey. The third option is the use online classifieds.
Sellers can benefit greatly from using the Internet to help them sell their cars. Just as shopping online provides the buyer with more cars to choose from, selling online provides a wider customer base. There are many free and low cost automotive classifieds websites that advertise used cars for sale. This makes the marketing simple, as the owners of the classifieds sites will promote their sites and draw in the buyers. All the buyer has to do is set the price, submit the information, and then sit back and wait for the vehicle to sell.
Finalizing the Sale
Whether you are a buyer or a seller, finalizing the sale of a used car is basically the same. Once the buyer and seller have agreed to a selling price, the buyer will present the money, usually in the form of a check, to the seller. The seller will then sign the title over to the buyer. At this point, the vehicle is considered sold, and the buyer can drive away in his new vehicle.
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Thursday, September 25th, 2008
This is a follow up post to my “Sudden Drop In Google Ranking post.
This morning, I checked the ranking of the website in question. To my surprise, the site had again ranked number 4 in the Google Search Engine Results. This was most definitely good news. In fact, all key phrases now ranked on page one of the Google SERPs.
I can only hope this persists. So, what did we do? Here is a short list:
- Noticed the website had dropped in Google ranking.
- Took a unique phrase from the website homepage and searched Google using quotes, “like this.”
- Found a direct copy of the website and discovered it had been “Proxy Hijacked.”
- Found IP address of website that Proxy Hijacked our website and blocked it using the .htaccess file.
- Submitted a “Reconsideration Request” to Google.
After about a week and a half, our website had regained its ranking in Google.
I read a long article about Proxy Hijacking and it mentioned that Google had fixed the problem. If this was the case with my friend’s website, this certainly isn’t true. While I can not be totally sure Proxy Hijacking caused this case of Google ranking loss, the facts seem to lead down this path.
What is my advice to you? Check either Google or Copyscape once a month to see if someone has taken text or Proxy Hijacked your website.
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Thursday, September 25th, 2008
I was outside today taking some pictures of the White Chrysanthemums, when I noticed a butterfly on one of the flowers. I considered this a “photo op” because it really was.
My original post was about how woody the Chrysanthemums were all Summer and towards the latter part, they became green. Just about a week ago, the flowers popped. But ever since the butterfly appeared on the scene, the Chrysanthemums have taken a back seat.
Here, take a look…
Butter on White Chrysanthemum
Butter on White Chrysanthemum
White Chrysanthemum
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