Win a One Year Subscription to iparent.tv - Giveaway!

What is iparent.tv?

If your kids are awake, they’re probably on a smartphone, in front of a smart tv, downloading apps, or posting to social networks - and most likely you have no idea what they’re doing.

• 80% of parents have no idea how to monitor their kid’s online activities 
• 74% of parents say they do not have the time or energy to keep up with their children online
• 62% of parents don't think their teens can get into serious trouble online

If any of those describe you, then iparent.tv might be just what you need to help keep your kids safe.  Set to launch in June 2014, iparent.tv will be a subscription-based site for parents that will include hundreds of videos, reviews, and  how-tos that are current, cutting-edge, and trending, keeping subscribers ahead of the tech curve  - and ahead of their own kids, or at least right along with their kids in understanding technology and what's going on online.  It will be the largest site on the net helping parents understand tech, what's safe, what’s not, and what's age-appropriate.  You'll get articles, news, and information on what’s new in the world of tech and how it affects your family.  There will be ratings, rankings on which platforms are safe for kids, and age ranges so you know if a site is safe for your children.

You'll get articles, videos, reviews, tips, tools and expert advice on EVERYTHING like…

• Popular Apps
• Social Network Sites
• Major Websites
• Top Devices ... and more.

Learn more about iparent.tv and the people behind it:

)
My kids are all grown up, but I certainly could have used something like this, even though I like to believe that I'm more tech savvy than some other parents I know.  Currently iparent.tv is in pre-launch, raising funds through indiegogo and offering some really good perks for your contributions.  A regular one-year subscription will be $49, but you can contribute through indiegogo right now, and get that same membership for only $29.  Not only that, but you will have access to iparent.tv before the general public.  There are also some other options you'll want to check out, including a 2 years for the price of 1 subscription and a lifetime subscription.  Visit the iparent.tv fundraising page to get started.

Now for the Giveaway:  One reader will receive a one-year subscription to iparent.tv ($49 value)
To enter:  Leave a comment telling me what you think will be the best part about iparent.tv or something you're looking forward to learning more about through the site.
Additional entries: Tweet about this giveaway, share on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, or other social media; be sure to include a link back to this post and the hashtag #iparenttv (once per day per social media site)  Be sure to leave a comment for each tweet or share.

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents, and all entries must be received by 11:59pm Eastern time on Friday March 14, 2014.  Good luck!

Each household is only eligible to win One (1) Subscription to iparent.tv via blog reviews and giveaways. Only one entrant per mailing address per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Related articles

• iparent.tv Subscription Giveaway #iparenttv
• Know What Your Children Are Doing Online - iParent.tv One Year Subscription GIVEAWAY!

Review and Giveaway: Powerocks Magicstick

I got my Powerocks Magicstick last week and tried it out this weekend.  We had a power outage Saturday morning for several hours, and I was thinking it would be the perfect time to try the Magicstick.  By the time I needed to charge my phone, we had power again, so I didn't actually have a need to use it, but I used the Magicstick anyway just to see how it worked.  And it worked great.

It charges as fast as a standard wall charger in an electrical outlet, and it holds enough power to charge my Samsung Galaxy S4 once.  But that's enough.  Many smartphones can get up to 2 full charges.  If the power's out or you're out somewhere with no outlets, one of these could make all the difference!  My son really could have used one of these last week when his car wouldn't start and his phone battery just happened to be dead at the same time.  Thankfully he was in a McDonald's parking lot and not out in the middle of nowhere.

The Magicstick is the perfect size for any pocket, purse, or backpack. Never get stuck with a dead phone or other mobile device again!  The Magicstick can be used to charge not only your smartphone but other digital devices as well, such as Bluetooth headsets, cameras, GPS, e-readers, and more. Pressing the button on the end of the Magicstick lets you know exactly how much charge is available - blue for a full charge, green for a partial charge, and red to let you know it needs charged back up again.  Simply plug it into your phone's charger or any powered USB port to charge.  It comes with a USB cable and drawstring carry case and features a smooth, brushed aluminum finish available in a variety of colors.  I got a black one, and have a silver one to give away, but there are some really fun colors, too such as red, purple, pink, and green.

I plan to carry this handy little thing with me from now on, so I'll never have to worry about getting stuck with a dead phone.  Or a dead Kindle.  I don't think it can completely charge the Kindle, but I bet it could let me at least finish my chapter - and we all know how important that is.

The Powerocks Magicstick sells for $49.99, but use promo code Powerblog20 and get 20% off.  Be sure to check out the rest of the Powerocks products for all your charging needs, too!  Shipping is always free.

Giveaway -  if you'd like to win your own Powerocks Magicstick, leave me a comment letting me a know a time when you really could have used one of these. Contest is open to U.S. Residents, and entries must be received by 11:59pm Eastern time on January 3, 2014.  Winner will be contacted by email, so make sure I have your email address.  Good luck!

Disclosure: I received two Powerocks Magicstick chargers, one for review and one to give away.  All opinions are mine.

Related articles

• Check Out the Powerocks Magicstick

Check Out the Powerocks Magicstick

I'm looking forward to trying the Magicstick 2800mAh rechargeable battery from Powerocks!  What is it?  A handy, portable charger that can charge your phone or other digital devices anywhere, even when there are no electrical outlets in sight.  Imagine never having to worry about being out of touch because of a dead battery again...

They're sending me one to try and one to give away, so look for a review and giveaway coming soon.  In the meantime, if you're as interested in these little things as I am, be sure to check out the Powerocks site.  Perhaps you know some people who could use one of these?

I'm Loving This Samsung GALAXY S 4!

I've been using my U.S Cellular Samsung GALAXY S 4 for several months now, and I still don't know everything this phone is capable of.  I mean - does anybody understand and use all the capabilities of their smartphone?  I have an excuse though because this is the smartest phone I've ever had!  As I said before, I've just fairly recently started using a phone for anything other than making and taking phone calls.  And, yes, the Samsung GALAXY S 4 does make phone calls, and since I'm with U.S. Cellular and all my incoming calls and all calls between U.S. Cellular phones - meaning calls to and from my kids - and all calls on weekends and on evenings after 7pm are FREE, at least half of my calls don't count against our monthly minutes.  Those spam calls are irritating, but at least none of them count against my minutes!  And then I just block the stupid calls anyway.

What's nice about having this Samsung GALAXY S 4 is that it's much more than just a phone.  It seems most phones are nowadays.  I remember saying ages ago - back before there was such a thing as a smartphone, or at least way before I'd ever heard of such a thing - that phones should be able to do multiple things.  Of course I was just thinking of using them to take pictures and play music as well as make phone calls, so we wouldn't have to carry around a phone and a camera and an MP3 player.  It never even entered my mind all the things these phones would be able to do.

One of my favorite parts is still the camera.  The Samsung GALAXY S 4 has a 13MP camera, so it takes some really good pictures.  It also has a front-facing webcam, making it great for making video calls with Skype.  Yes, I have plenty of minutes with my U.S. Cellular plan, but video calls are especially great when talking to a 2-year-old grandson.  It's also easier to get him to smile and hold still for pictures when he can see himself on the screen. The front-facing camera also makes it possible to put yourself into the photo or video, like I did in this post.

I use the Auto Backup feature of the Google+ app so that all my pics are uploaded and stored in a private album.  That way I never have to worry about losing any of the pictures I take.  The phone also came with Dropbox, so I set that up and automatically backup my photos to that too.  (I might just be a tad obsessive)  Both options make it incredibly easy to share and use all my photos.  I especially like that Google+ makes the photos available to use in my blog posts - and combines some of them into fun animations, too.  At least I think they're fun.  Of course, it's very simple to share to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or just share directly with a friend or family member right from the phone.

The hardest part, for me, is actually remembering to take the phone out and take the pictures, or videos.  This Samsung GALAXY S 4 takes great HD videos.  My problem is that I'm usually too busy enjoying whatever is going on and only think to get my phone out when it's about too late.  I suppose I'll get better at that.

On the bright side, I haven't turned into one of those people who just can't leave their phones alone.  Ever.  While my phone does make it easier to share Better Moments with family and friends and to stay connected with the important people in my life, when we're apart, it's very important to be present and share those moments with those special people when we're together - without letting technology constantly get in the way.  If you've ever seen teenagers sit side by side not speaking a word but with their thumbs/fingers going a mile a minute texting each other, you know what I mean.

I do regularly check Facebook on my phone (of course), play Words with Friends, check Gas Buddy to find the best gas prices, and check the Weather app so I know whether I need a sweatshirt when I go walking in the mornings.  For the record, that has not been an issue recently; it has been hot.  And Google Maps.  I would literally be lost without Maps!  I am severely directionally challenged.  Of course, there was the time my treacherous phone took me through Chicago instead of around, but I survived.  And I made it home.

There are many things this phone does that I have not even begun to figure out yet,  I really should read that manual!  The Samsung GALAXY S 4 can even be used to change the channels on your television.  I really need to set that up, just to mess with my husband.  It will be funny at least once.  There's also the ability to control things on the phone just by hovering over it or by a wave of your hand.  How cool is that?  I really must figure that out, too.  Overall, this is definitely the coolest phone I have ever had, and I'm really enjoying it.  If you have your own Samsung GALAXY S 4, I'd love to hear what feature(s) you like the best or which apps you just can't live without.  And if you don't have one yet, be sure to check out the Samsung GALAXY S 4 from U.S. Cellular.  I think you're really gonna love this phone.

Disclosure: I am being compensated for my participation in the U.S. Cellular Better Moments Blogger Brigade as well as receiving a new phone.  My experiences with and opinions of U.S. Cellular are 100% mine.

Related articles

• Have Questions About Kids and Cell Phones?

Paper or Digital?

English: A Picture of a eBook
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This question comes up quite often in the context of library services.  There are people who honestly question the relevance of an actual bricks and mortar library building with shelves full of books.  Aren't we moving toward digital copies and ebooks?

Of course, there are plenty of people, me included, who think that digital publishing is OK, but there is nothing like having a real, actual book in your hands. Maybe someday in the future, when this generation that has practically been born with a smart phone, tablet or iPad in their hands grows up, digital copies will be so prevalent that people will wonder why anybody ever bothered to take up so much shelf space with those old paper books.  Until then, I think there's still a place for real physical copies of books and magazines - alongside the digital copies.

The fun with the world of digital publishing is that the articles and stories and newsletters can be so much more than just words on a page.  They can include multimedia and hyperlinks for more information, allow for easy social media bookmarking and sharing, and so much more.  Not to mention that it's all so easy to take along anywhere - much easier than taking a pile of books or magazines.  Those of us who love to read understand the need to always have something with us that we can read - should we have a quiet moment.  Digital copies make it possible to always have not one book or magazine, but many.

That is a definite positive - not quite enough to convince me to switch completely to digital books, but a good reason to have at least a few ebooks of my own.  I could be more easily convinced to move to digital copies of magazines, though.  I like the extra interactivity and information that can be available - videos, links, songs, soundclips, etc. -  not to mention saving myself from those piles and piles of magazines that always seem to build up around here.  I think it would be easier to find the things I'm interested in with the digital copies and easier to share and save those things.  It seems like the possibilities are endless with magazines.  With books I just want to sit down and read them, no need for all those bells and whistles.

How about you - paper or digital?  Does it matter if we're talking about books or magazines?  Do you think there will come a time when all books and magazines only come in a digital format?

Related articles

• Digital Text Vs. Printed Text: Will Print Become Extinct?
• The Reading Brain in The Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens

Vipre Antivirus

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of GFI for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I've been using Vipre Antivirus on my computer for a while now.  It was really easy to download and install right from their website.  Here's a screenshot from my computer while I was installing it:

There was a lot of helpful information as Vipre installed, and then it did a quick scan of my computer while i was installing.  I don't guess it found anything, because it said something like, "you rock." when it got done, and then I got to start using the software.

Along with installation comes the option to join ThreatNet, a worldwide network of thousands of VIPRE Antivirus, and VIPRE Internet Security users sharing and identifying potentially dangerous program files (both through manual submissions and automatically), resulting in the blocking of new malware almost as quickly as it is released into the wild.  Unknown risks can be automatically sent as soon as they are detected, allowing VIPRE to add them to definition updates and protect users from new malware.  I joined because I want to do everything in my power to stop viruses and malware before they cause problems.  Since I have no idea how or why they work, this at least is something I can do.

One of the things I like best about Vipre is the ability to schedule regular scans of my computer.  If I have to remember to scan every week - or however often I want my computer scanned - I probably won't do it, because I'm going to be busy using my computer for other things - and I usually remember about as soon as I shut the computer down for the night.  By scheduling it to scan automatically, I don't have to think about it again, but I know my computer is being checked for all the bad stuff.  Vipre is supposed to work without using a lot of system resources, so it's possible to scan the computer while also using it for other things.  I still like to set it up to scan overnight, at a time when I'm not using the computer, and I like that there's a box to check to shutdown computer after scan - so, just because I'm scanning at bedtime, that doesn't mean my computer has to run all night.

I have run a couple scans while I was using my computer for other things, and I really did not notice that it slowed my computer down.  I love that, because I've had other antivirus programs that pretty much made it impossible to do anything else while a scan was running - which is why I just started setting it up to scan when I was in bed.

Of course there's also the Active Protection which looks for and catches things in real time, which I think is the most important part of any anti-virus program.  If you're like me, you spend a lot of time online, interacting on facebook and other social media sites.  While there are a lot of positives, there are always risks that clicking the wrong link can invite a virus onto your computer.  I try to be really careful and don't click questionable links, but you can never be too careful, and it's so very important to have a program that is looking out for you. Vipre also comes with free US-based technical support.  You know what that means - when you call with a problem, you'll be able to understand what they're trying to tell you!

Be sure to check out Vipre for yourself.  You can find out all about the features and what it can do for you on the vipreantivirus.com website and http://www.facebook.com/GFIVIPREAntivirus.

Are Your Computers Protected?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Norton Small Business by Symantec for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

If you've ever had a computer crash because of a virus, you know how important anti-virus software is.  And if you haven't - consider yourself very, very lucky, and get some anti-virus software on your computer immediately!  Or sooner.  We've had to start over several times because a stupid computer virus wiped out everything.  Why do these people do this, anyway?

As annoying as it can be for an individual like me, imagine how devastating a computer virus could be for a small business.  We lost personal files and some pictures. Most businesses nowadays rely heavily on technology to keep track of everything, from employee hours to customer orders.  A computer virus could wipe all that out, resulting in unhappy employees, unhappy customers, and many frustrated hours trying to recover everything.  That's why it's a really good idea for small businesses to get Norton Small Business by Symantec to protect themselves from the latest online threats.  There are several different products to choose from to get the right protection for the right cost.

We've used several different Norton products on our personal computers and always been very happy with them.  I think the viruses got us when we were running something else - all anti-virus programs are not created equal.   There are a couple new Norton options - Norton 360 and Norton Internet Security 2012 that just launched this past September.  It's definitely worth checking out to see which products will best keep you safe on the Internet.

You can also get 30% off Norton Small Business Products now so it's a really good time to buy and get all the office computers protected.  Or all your home computers, I suppose.  The small business products are for 5-10 computers, and we have about that many computers in our house!  How about you?  How could Norton products help you?  Which product do you think would be best for your needs?  I like the Norton 360 because it does everything - anti-virus, automatic back-up and access to your backups from any computer,  keeps your computer running at top speed, and lets you do your banking and online business worry-free.  Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Collaborize Classroom a Free Online Learning Platform

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Collaborize Classroom. All opinions are 100% mine.

I've just been checking out Collaborize Classroom.  This looks like a really great tool for teachers.  It's a FREE online learning platform that allows teachers to extend their classroom discussions to a structured and private online community.  It's designed to complement and extend regular classroom instruction and to help teachers accomplish more with less.  Teachers can continue valuable discussions, facilitate online learning groups, encourage the sharing of resources, and provide students with a safe space to engage in collaborative learning.

Some of the key features include:

• Attachments - teachers can attach photos, videos, PDFs, and Microsoft Office documents, eliminating the need for classroom handouts and saving on printing and paper costs.
• Messaging - teachers and students can easily communicate with each other.
• Participation Reports - teachers can track each student's activity on the site.
• Privacy - sites are password protected and can only be accessed by teacher and students (or those invited to join the site) and No classroom data or information can be viewed online without a password and special access to the teacher's site.
• Teacher Resources - free resources and lessons plans to help teachers get started using Collaborize Classroom.
• and it's FREE - and easy to get started.  Teachers can create a site in a matter of minutes.  All that's needed is an email address.

The video explains it all really well:

"some need more time to formulate their responses" - that's me. You know I love teachers, and I believe in giving them as many tools as possible.  I also know that everyone learns differently, and using an online learning platform like Collaborize Classroom may be just the thing to reach those kids who aren't quite getting it in the classroom and take others to even higher levels of learning.  If you're a teacher, be sure to check it out.  If you have kids in school, share this with their teachers.

Win a Literati e-Reader

I'd love to win this Literati e-Reader that Deb is giving away on her blog Just a Mom's Take on Things. 
I haven't had the chance to try out any e-Readers at all, but I really like the idea of being able to have an entire library of books in one small device.  I'm not sure I'll ever be able to give up real books completely, but one of these would be so handy and fun to have.

I love reading.  If I don't have at least one book going, I just feel lost. When I win this, I can always have a whole 'stack' of books waiting to be read.

If you've been wanting, thinking about getting, or lusting after a new e-Reader, check out Deb's review and enter the giveaway.  A brand-new Literati e-Reader could be yours!  (hopefully not - hopefully it will be mine!!!)

Giveaway ends 1/5/2011

Related articles

• eBook Readers That Work With Library eBooks (librarianbrain.wordpress.com)

Learn More About High-Tech Careers

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of ATETV.org. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you have a student thinking about college but not quite sure what to major in or what kind of job opportunities will be waiting after college?  I know we could have used some guidance last year when Cory was trying to figure out what he wanted to do with himself after high school.  He's a smart young man who got good grades throughout high school, and he could probably do anything he wanted to do.  Unfortunately, he didn't have much guidance through his school, and as his parents, we didn't really know what to do to help him.

It may not have made a difference, but I wish I'd known about ATETV. It's a free web-based video series that highlights the vast array of high-tech careers available in the fields of Math, Science, Engineering and Technology.  It's a great way for students and parents to find out about Advanced Technological Education (ATE) - the community and 4-year college programs available, and high-tech careers available.  There are many videos available that showcase all kinds of different aspects of technology and real job opportunities in a vast array of emerging, high-tech fields such as underwater robotics, laser technology, aviation mechanics, wind-farming and high-tech agriculture.

These free videos were produced with a grant from the National Science Foundation to attract young people into the Science, Engineering, Math and Technology fields.  The United States Labor Department says that the demand for technical based educated employees in the United States will be far greater in the future than the numbers of students being trained today.  Meaning, students who train for these high tech jobs today will be pretty much guaranteed jobs in the future.   If you've got a student struggling to decide what he wants to be when he grows up, I'd strongly suggest checking out this site.  Who knows - the perfect future career may just be highlighted in one of these videos, and ATETV can connect your student with the right training program.

ATETV.org is sponsored by the National Science Foundation and is completely free.

In and Out

It figures.  Today, when I actually get to be home and have lots to do on the computer, my wireless connection won't behave.  It keeps dropping and re-connecting and dropping and re-connecting.  I don't know why it does this every once in a while, but it makes it hard to do anything.  Web pages won't load, or they take forever.  It's getting very frustrating.

I may have to give in and reboot my computer if it doesn't improve.  I have no idea why it helps, but sometimes it does.  And, if that doesn't help, I'll have to run down and re-boot the router and maybe even the modem.  It's just frustrating because I want it to work, without a bunch of rigmarole.  Then I can get straight to writing posts, checking credit reports, paying bills, and all the rest that needs done.

So Many Cookbooks

I got all my cookbooks moved back into the dining room and shelved today. I moved them to a different shelving unit and went through them as I pulled them out of the boxes, hoping to get rid of a few. I love my cookbooks. It's really hard to let go of any of them, but I did manage to fill a box with some that I've never used and probably never will. I had about 5 microwave cookbooks, and I've never actually cooked anything in the microwave. Microwaves are for heating frozen vegetables and leftovers, right? So I boxed up all but 1 of those books. Yep, I had to hold onto 1, even though I'll probably never use it, but just in case. I got rid of a few others, too.

I need some more time to go through all the cooking magazines I have, though - Taste of Home, Vegetarian Times, Food and Family - so many magazines with so many great-looking recipes in them. But, do I really need all the magazines? Couldn't I just tear out the recipes I'd like to try and toss the rest? Except that takes time. It would probably be easier to just toss them all and get all my recipes from the internet, but I'm going to have to ease myself into that. When I get tired of going through all the magazines, maybe. I mean, I know you can find recipes for anything you want on the Internet, instantly compare term life insurance quotes, find the best route for your trip, watch TV shows, and all kinds of other things, but there's just something more real about having an actual recipe in a cookbook, with pictures.

Of course, if I could have a flat panel screen mounted into a cabinet door in my kitchen so I could bring up the recipes I wanted to use, I might be more inclined to toss the cookbooks...

Related articles by Zemanta

• Too Much Stuff (alwaysbcmom.com)

One Remote to Control Them All

Remember the days when you actually had to get up and change the channel on the television? Well, not any more. Now you just point your handy remote control in the general direction of the television, and change channels to your heart's content, without moving off the couch. Unless, of course, you need a different remote - the one for the stereo or the DVD player or the VCR. Then, unless you planned ahead and had all those remotes within arm's reach, you have to get up, find the right remote, and then figure out how to make it do what you want it to do. Sound familiar?

We have a lot of remotes in our house. I'll be the first to admit that I don't always know which remote I want for what thing, and when I do get my hands on the right remote, I don't always know which button to push. Luckily for me I have teenagers in the house, and they usually seem to be able to figure it out.

For people who don't have teenagers to figure out how to use all the remotes, or just for people who want to simplify things and get all those remotes off the coffee table, there's the new Yamaha neoHD. It's a really nifty system that allows you to control everything with one very simple remote. When I say everything, I mean everything - TV, DVD player, BluRay, iPod, gaming system, Internet radio, and more. The remote is very basic and easy to use, allowing the user to make selections via the clean and simple on-screen interface. Basically, decide what you want to do - Watch, Play, Listen - and then choose your desired source. You don't have to figure out what channel the TV has to be on so you can watch a movie on the DVD player or what to set the stereo on so you can see the picture and hear the movie, too.

Complete control with one remote! It sounds great. I really love the idea. What I don't love right now is the price tag - because I'm cheap. Unfortunately I missed the chance to enter to win one, because I wasn't paying attention. I do plan to find NeoHD on facebook so I can keep track of what's happening in the world of Yamaha NeoHD from now on.

What do you think? How badly could you use one of these?

Weirdness

I took that stupid Twilight book off my MP3 player today and put a real vampire book on it. Then I noticed that no matter where I looked, on the player itself or on the micro SD card, I couldn't find the book I'm listening to now. I was afraid that I had somehow accidentally deleted it, too. Nope, when I unplugged the player from the computer and looked at the player itself, my book was still there. Which is good, since I'm listening to it.

Tonight I hooked the player up again and added some music, and still can't find that book. It's still there. It still plays, but the computer can't see it. There's another book on there that I've already listened to and would delete, except it's invisible, too. Really, this makes no sense.

Cory Can Convert His Own Movies

After converting 5 of Cory's movies so he can put them on his Zune, I figured out how to get the program onto his computer - even though he missed the Giveaway of the Day. So, I downloaded the program and converted a movie using the program on Cory's computer. Now, on my computer, if the movie is 2 hours long, it takes 2 hours to convert it to MP4, but on Cory's computer it is a lot faster. The first one took about 45 minutes for a movie that was a little over 2 hours long.

Needless to say (but saying it anyway) - movies will be converted on Cory's computer from now on. They're his movies for his Zune anyway, so why should I have to spend so much time doing it?

This software is going to be very useful. You know how many of the movies you buy now come with a digital copy? Well, when we bought The Dark Knight, Jeffrey bought the 2-disc version with the digital copy. And Cory couldn't get it to work with his Zune. Somebody explain why a Microsoft music player cannot play the Microsoft .wmv files. Anyway, we basically spent extra money to get a digital version of a movie that no-one can use, or that is only playable on the computer and not on the portable device we bought it for. Now we'll just create our own digital copies.

Looking at the Sky on Friday - 2

For more info on this fun meme, click the image.

I’m not going to have much time to visit everyone today, but I will try to get around tonight. For today, I am going shopping with Beth. I can’t believe I said yes – I don’t really like shopping, and Fridays are usually really busy, but she called from work yesterday and asked me if I wanted to go shopping, and since we don’t get to see each other or do anything together very often, I said yes.

And then this morning, I spent too much time trying to figure out how to get pictures off my cell phone to my computer via Bluetooth – instead of just popping the card out or connecting the phone with the cable. So, now I really need to get ready! Where does the time go? The good news is that I figured it out, and I can send pictures to my computer from my phone. How cool is that?

Here’s one of those pictures from my phone. I took this from the car when Jeffrey and I were coming home Sunday.

And another one for good measure:

If you enjoy skies as much as I do, be sure to check out Looking at the Sky on Friday.

Earn More Money with Dragon

The following is a guest post by Brett Bumeter of Softduit Media. He explains how using Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 can help bloggers earn more money. Then I'll tell you how to Get Dragon Naturally Speaking using Discount code DNSMBG.

First watch this video demonstration:


Then read what Brett has to say about making money on your blog with Dragon Naturally Seaking 10:

Press Release:

This is an excerpt from a white paper discussing how bloggers can earn more money through several different monetization and freelance writing services. It shows that bloggers that utilize Dragon Naturally Speaking can earn more money through these various services and how fast these extra earnings will pay for the software itself.
Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 Blogger Break Even Analysis with Average PayPerPost Earnings

Basically, Dragon NaturallySpeaking can help you type so much faster, that you can earn a lot more money per hour.
In this article I'm going to walk you through another scenario focusing on how much extra you could earn if you wrote for PayPerPost.com and you had a single average blog. Now at PayPerPost.com, the amount of money that you earn for your writing is not paid on a per word basis.
PayPerPost.com offers up opportunities, they call them opportunities, but you can also think of them as piecework or a job, and these "opportunities" typically have a minimum word count. The minimum word count is typically 200 words for your average article. In general the average article at PayPerPost on a high earning blog pays about $8.3. Sometimes they pay a little less, and sometimes they pay a little bit more, and a few go to extremes on the positive side.
Now if you are paid $8.3 to write a 200 word article, then that breaks down to about 4.2 cents per word. That is about 6 times more than what you can make at textbroker.com. I mentioned that only for comparison purposes, because PayPerPost.com limits you to writing three articles per blog per day.
That means that you cannot write at PayPerPost all day long for your single blog. (If you have additional blogs, you might be able to write additional articles on those other blogs.)
Tip! – You can write your three articles at PayPerPost, write some additional articles without any sponsors in between those articles (as is required), and then write some articles at PayU2Blog, and when the work is exhausted there, you can write some articles at TextBroker.com! The trick is working for the company that pays you the most first, then moving on to the next highest margin provider, over and over again.
You will see in the case studies with Adsense that writing MORE articles is actually good for building traffic to your blog!
But if we assume, just to have a comparison to our textbroker.com example, if we assume that you could type articles at PayPerPost for fifty minutes straight, earning 4.2 cents per word, and you could type 35 words per minute, you could earn $72.88 dollars per hour at PayPerPost. Now obviously, you cannot take 9 articles on a single blog in a single day, but this does point to the rate at which you can earn things with the work that is available. That $72.88 would be the earnings you could make from about 8.8 Opportunities at $8.3 per Opportunity.
So bear with me again with this example. :-)
So what can faster typing skills do to help you earn more money at PayPerPost?
Well if you could type at 150 words per minute with Dragon NaturallySpeaking, and you currently type at 35 words per minute, then you could earn about $239 per hour more! (Dragon only costs between $99 and $199 remember!)
Reminder - This would assume that you could type articles nonstop at a hundred and fifty words per minute for fifty minutes. For most of us, that doesn't mean a whole lot.
But to put this in better perspective, if you earned $72.88 from writing about nine articles, and those articles were each 200 words long, then you would have written a total of 1800 words.
• 1800 words can be typed and 50 minutes at 35 words per minute
• 1800 words can be typed in 12 minutes at 150 words per minute
Dragon NaturallySpeaking can essentially save you 38 minutes when you write nine articles.
Now with those additional thirty-eight minutes, you can spend more time:
• promoting your blog,
• networking with people,
• researching other projects,
• taking on other work from other networks
• build up a new blog to command $8.3 per article!
• Go write some articles for PayU2Blog
• Go write some articles for TextBroker
• Go write some articles to bring in more traffic and earn more money through Adsense!
You can pocket your $72.88 from twelve minutes worth of work. You can then spend the rest of that hour, working to ensure that the blog you publish those on performs very well. But the point is this, Dragon NaturallySpeaking can save you so much time, that it will pay for itself very quickly.
Your average part-time blogger will easily pay for Dragon NaturallySpeaking with the additional profits that they would earn from using Dragon NaturallySpeaking in less than 1 hour worth of blogging through PayPerPost alone. :-)
Plus just think of all of the time, that you would now have to make yourself and your site even more successful!

You can read the entire white paper at http://www.softduit.com/mavenmappersinformation/category/software/dragon-naturally-speaking/

Now, about those savings. I'm happy to tell you that Nuance has agreed to give our readers 25% off Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred, so you can get started earning more money with your blog. You have to click the graphic there on the right and enter coupon code DNSMSBG. The code will not work unless you click the image to order.

Win a Digital Photo Frame

Drew @ The BenSpark is running a contest this month. 1st prize is an Edge Tech Digital Photo Frame and a 1GB media card. 2nd prize is a USB watch and 3rd prize a 2GB SD card. The contest runs throughout the month of November and is brought to you by Drew and his friends at Edge Tech Corp.

Here's a video in which Drew shows exactly how the frame works:




Doesn't that look great? I have lots of photo albums - pictures from the time Jeffrey and I got married, right up until the time I got a digital camera. And then the albums stopped. All the pictures are on the computer, backed up to CD or DVD, but rarely ever printed out and displayed anywhere. A frame like this would be the perfect way to display those digital pictures. I'm pretty sure I'd choose the slideshow option 90% of the time, because there are a lot of pictures to display!

Anyway, visit Drew's blog to find out how you can win a digital photo frame. I know I'd love to win it!

I Need a New Tip

I'm just a little frustrated now. I ordered this very cool looking car charger from Buy.com. It came with 5 different tips you can change to charge different things like mobile phones and MP3 players. Reading through the list I thought it would charge my phone and Cory's phone, so I ordered it.

It came today, and there is no tip for my phone. So I went back and read the product page on Buy.com. Sure enough, it says it works for the Motorola ROKR - and then on the next line is the number E2. I didn't even think about the number. I just saw ROKR and thought it would work with my phone. No such luck - mine is a ROKR Z6m - totally different tip.

So, now I'm looking to see how much it will cost me to get a tip that will work. So far my best deal is $7.49 which includes shipping, and it looks like just getting a charger that will work with my phone and nothing else would cost more than the charger I already got plus the new tip. I do like the idea of this charger, because you can have just one charger and then get different tips depending on the devices you want to charge. They're sold out at Buy.com right now, but hopefully they'll get more, if anyone's interested. Just be sure to read the list carefully to be sure you're getting a tip that will work with your device, or visit the manufacture's website to see which tip you'd need.

Related articles by Zemanta

• New Phones

Bad Program!

Before she left for work yesterday, Beth said her computer was messed up. Some antivirus program had suddenly appeared and started scanning her machine, telling her that she had all kinds of infections. After she left, I had to go into her room to leave some of her laundry on the bed, and her computer was repeatedly restarting itself - blue screen, restart, blue screen, restart... - so I turned it off. The weird thing was that, as I turned it off, I momentarily saw her desktop and running programs. That's not normal.

Last night I remembered that I wanted to turn the computer back on and see how it acted. It booted up, and immediately this program (Antivirus XP 2008) started up and started scanning, saying she had multiple infections. So I started searching for this program online and found that it is definitely a problem. It installs itself without permission, scans your system, and tells you that you have a bunch of fake security risks that can only be removed if you purchase a license to this program that you didn't ask for in the first place. Real nice, huh? It also won't let you uninstall it in the usual way. The blue screen thing? Fake. If you attempt to scan your computer with a real program, this one doesn't like it and tries to trick you into thinking your computer is really messed up. OK, if you have this stupid thing on your computer, it is really messed up. It really needs to go away.

I downloaded the latest version of Spybot Search & Destroy and ran that. The bad program repeatedly tried the blue screen thing while it was scanning, but Ctrl-Alt-Delete pulled it out of it. Spybot found the Antivirus XP 2008 as well as a whole bunch of other stuff, removed most things, and had to restart to remove the rest. So I restarted, Spybot scanned again, the antivirus thing tried the blue screen a couple times, but by the time Spybot was done it didn't list Antivirus XP 2008 in the list of things found. It was past my bedtime by then, so I'm still not sure if it worked. I hope so, because some of the directions for removing the stupid program are just too complicated.

The whole thing just makes me mad. Seriously people - spend your time and energy on creating a good program that people will want to buy instead of on figuring out how to trick them into needing your program, and having to pay you for it. That's just plain mean.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Clean Sweep Your Computer with Anti-Malware Toolkit
• Spyware Adware Bastards