As major corporations continue to shed jobs, many folks have found themselves unemployed and feeling powerless. For most people, their identity and self-worth were intricately linked together with their careers. And once the job is removed from the picture, they are utterly lost. Interestingly enough, many have found Allison Maslan’s brand new book Blast Off! helpful in getting one’s own personal and professional life back on track. Maslan is a renowned life/business strategist that wants to help inspire others to take charge of their lives during these troubled times. In her book Blast Off! Maslan shares her secrets of success and provides her readers the tools needed to reach their own life goals. I find this book very timely and inspirational and I look forward to applying her techniques to my own future endeavors.
The new book was released on January 19th and is currently available on Amazon as well as Barnes and Noble, Borders and other fine bookstores across the nation. It normally retails for $24 but Amazon has it on sale right now so be sure to add it to your shopping cart today! Don’t let the state of the economy get you down. Empower yourself and make your dreams a reality.
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Tony’s Pizza. All opinions are 100% mine.
I recently received some coupons from Tony’s Pizza for me to try their new Crispy Crust style frozen pizzas. Since pizzas and our household go together hand in hand, I had no problem going out to the local grocery store to seek these out. I was pleasantly surprised to find that these pizzas were priced around $1.50 at our supermarket but you have to take into account that these are “individual sizes” and not one of those super-sized pizzas. But even so, I thought it was a pretty good deal.
I brought home three varieties of the Crispy Crust style pizzas – the Supreme, Pepperoni and cheese. It took around 12 to 15 minutes to heat up in the oven and yes indeed the crust was crispy and not spongy like some other brands. My kids were the official taste testers on this occasion and the pepperoni was the unanimous pick of the three. They thought the supreme had “too many vegetables” on it and they felt the cheese was too plain. From what I tried, I thought the Supreme was the tastiest of the bunch but had to agree with them about the Cheese pizza being too bland.
Anyway, I have FIVE extra Tony’s Pizza coupons that I’d like to giveaway to one lucky RetroBlog reader. Each coupon is good for one free Tony’s Crispy Crust Brand Pizza. All you have to do is post a comment here to let me know you’re interested in the Tony’s Pizza drawing. You can get an EXTRA entry in the drawing by following me on Twitter but be sure to post here to let me know that you did so. I’ll gather all the entries and draw a winner at random on February 10th, 2010. And while you’re at it, why not enter for a chance to win a $500 Tech Prize Pack from Tony’s Pizza. The contest is currently being held on several different blogs. Here’s more info on the tech prize along with links to all the participating blogs. good luck!
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Coldwell Banker. All opinions are 100% mine.
I recently had a chat with a younger colleague of mine who has been house hunting for the last few weeks. He’s a first time home buyer and wants to take advantage of the 2010 Homebuyer Tax Credits that are being offered as part of stimulus package the Obama administration put into place last year. The deadline is fast approaching so my friend is scrambling to find just the right place. Apparently, as long as you have a contract by April 30th and close on the house by June 30th, it’ll qualify you for a tax credit of up to $8,000. It’s definitely a great time to buy especially with the low interest rates and the decline in home prices. According to news reports, the tax credit has successfully fueled a surge in existing home sales the last few months which is a good sign for our economy. I wasn’t aware of this but during our conversation, my colleague mentioned that there’s even a tax credit for existing homeowners seeking to “move up”. It applies to homeowners that have lived in their current home for 5 of the past 8 years and are in the process of purchasing another home. This particular tax credit can go up to $6,500 and the same deadlines apply as the first time home buyers tax credit. Income limits to qualify have increased to $125,000 for singles and $225,000 for married couples. I’ve been in my current house for approximately six years so I’d would qualify for the new tax credits except for the fact that I’m not ready to move on up to a bigger home just yet. There’s no indication that these incentives will be around next year so be sure to take advantage of them while you still can.
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Eye-Fi. All opinions are 100% mine.
Like most people, I’ve amassed a number of digital cameras over the years. I still have an old Sony digicam that has been with me for what seems like forever. Even though it’s a bit outdated, it’s small and easy to carry around while on the go. And I also have a newer Kodak super zoom which takes great photos but is a bit bulkier and not as convenient to lug around everywhere. And then my 12 year old son has his own digital camera which he’s constantly using to capture candid photos of the family. He seems to have a knack for capturing the weirdest expressions on my face for some odd reason. go figure.
The obvious drawback of having so many cameras around the house is trying to keep track of all the different USB cables. As most of you know, camera manufacturers require specialized USB connectors for their own brand of cameras. So unfortunately you can’t just use a “universal” USB cable for all the different devices. Why can’t these companies keep things simple and agree to a standard USB connector? I don’t know the reason behind all the different connectors but what I DO know is that I always end up misplacing these cables at some point.
Having to keep around all these tangly cables just to upload photos to the computer is a big hassle. And like most folks, I tend to put off inconvenient tasks like this and I eventually end up with a massive amount of photos stored on a SD card that I have to sort through and organize which compounds the whole ordeal even more.
That’s why I love the new Eye-Fi wireless SD card. It works just like a normal SD card that you’d place in a camera but it also features built-in Wi-Fi capabilities that allows for it to automatically upload photos off the card and onto your computer. Once you configure the settings with the included software and USB card reader, the Eye-Fi card will transfer all your photos and organize them into date-based folders. You can also set up Eye-Fi to upload to your favorite social networking sites like Flickr and Facebook.
It’s simple, fast and easy. Plus, there’s no longer the need to search through desk drawers and closets for those elusive USB cables. The new Eye-Fi card is definitely a must-have for any digicam user. Just think how easy it’ll be to update Facebook now with something like Eye-Fi in your camera!
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Heineken. All opinions are 100% mine.
When out bar-hopping with the guys it’s sometimes tough keeping alcohol consumption within reasonable limits. Who wants to be the “Debbie Downer” of the group while everyone’s in celebratory mode, right? No one wants to ruin anyone’s buzz but we need to realize that if we care about our friends, we need to take some responsibility here. We all know what can happen when excessive drinking is mixed with driving. But how do you bring up this sensitive issue during the evening’s conversation? Well, why not with an iPhone app? Heineken has come up with a fun little iPhone application called the Breathalyzer. Just start up the app and then get your friend to blow into the iPhone. The app will then characterize the person in question with one of seven profiles including “The Crier”, “The Sleeper”, “The Groper” and “The Stumbler”. Of course, it’s not a REAL breathalyzer but it’s definitely an effective conversation starter and helps remind everyone to provide transporation for those in no-condition to drive home.
You can Download the Heineken Breathalyzer iPhone app for free at the iTunes store. And to learn more, head on over to the The Heineken Know The Signs website. I think it’s great that Heineken is making an effort to be a more social responsible beer brand and the added humor in the app helps the message go down a bit easier.
I’m so glad I didn’t purchase one of those Flip HD video cameras over the holidays. I was really itching to get one of those little pocket sized cameras but none of ‘em were waterproof. The Kodak ZX1 was “water-resistant” but I wanted one that I could take along to the pool and stuff. Well, Kodak announced today that they’ll be releasing a brand new HD WATERPROOF video camera called PlaySport in March 2010. The Playsport looks to be an updated version of their popular Zi8 camera but can be taken down to 10 feet (3 m) under water. Kodak also claims that the camera is built to withstand some minor drops to the ground which is definitely a plus for me since I’m a bit on the clumsy side. The PlaySport records at full 1080p and also can take 5 MP still photos. The press release doesn’t really state what format the camera records in but if it’s like the previous kodak models, I believe its .MOV which is a bit of a bummer since MOV files don’t work with windows media player (without installing some additional codecs).
Anyway, unless Flip Video (or another competitor) comes out with their own pocket-sized waterproof video camera, this Kodak model is definitely the one to get. (more…)
There are some neat memorabilia up for auction to support the City of Hope cancer center. A good number of Universal Music artists are involved with this charity auction including Elton John, Bon Jovi and The Fray.
There’s an autographed Elton John DVD with a letter of authenticity from Universal Music. A stratocaster guitar pickguard signed by all four members of Bon Jovi. The Bon Jovi item also includes a letter of authenticity. And then there’s a neat little toy piano signed by members of the Fray. The ebay auctions end at 6 pm PST on Monday (December 21st). So far the Bon Jovi pickguard seems to be the most popular of the three. Be sure to check out these ebay auctions and get your bids in before the Dec 21st deadline.
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Yamaha. All opinions are 100% mine.
While out and about with all the rest of the holiday shoppers, finding gifts for family and friends, I stopped by a local audio/video store to find a higher quality HDMI cable for my TV. While browsing in the store I saw that they had the new Yamaha PDX-60 which allows you to dock an iPod wirelessly to the speaker system. The iPod is perfect while on the go but a docking speaker system is a must when you want to enjoy the tunes at the house. And when you’ve got a music blog like I do, there’s always an endless supply of new music to listen to. Since I review new releases specifically for the blog, I constantly rely on my iPod to get my listening-time in. I listen to a good portion of the music I need to review out on my daily jogs. But during the winter months, I find myself indoors a lot more so a new docking station like the PDX-60 would definitely come in handy. I had a chance to play around with a display unit that was hooked up and ready for customers to test out at the store. I had my iPod nano with me so docked it to the wireless base and tried it out. The unit was in the middle of a busy showroom so I couldn’t really blast the music through the speakers like I wanted but I did get to move to one end of the store with my iPod to see if the signal degraded. As far as I could tell, the yAired wireless technology worked perfectly from one end of the store to the other. Granted the retail store wasn’t one of those mega-sized warehouse outlets but it proved to me that it’ll be fine for the average household. I love the idea of having the iPod within reach while having the speakers positioned optimally for the room. It’s so convenient to to able to repeat or skip a track right on the spot without having to walk across the room to do so like you would with a regular speaker docking station.
Still looking for some stocking stuffers? Well how about the latest releases from Bon Jovi and ChickenFoot?
Bon Jovi’s album “The Circle” can be had for just $9.99 only at Amazon between 9am and 12pm PST on Thursday December 17th. This is the special combo that includes the “When We Were Beautiful” documentary on DVD. You can get it using this special link here: http://bit.ly/BonJCdDvD
And as for ChickenFoot, if you haven’t already picked this up, it’s definitely a must! The album is probably one of my favorite rock albums of the year. It’s simply phenomenal. It’ll be on sale for $7.99 at Amazon between 3pm and 6pm PST on Thursday as well. You can check it out here: http://bit.ly/ChFoot
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Eye-Fi. All opinions are 100% mine.
Like many households nowadays, we’ve got several digital cameras in our possession. I still have my trusty old Sony point and shoot that has been with me for years. Even though it’s a bit outdated, it’s small and convenient to use on the go. And I also have a newer Kodak super zoom which takes great photos but is a bit bulkier and not as convenient to lug around everywhere. And then my 12 year old son has his own digital camera which he’s using constantly to capture candid photos of the family, in and around the house. He seems to have a knack for capturing the weirdest expressions on my face for some odd reason. go figure.
The downside of owning multiple cameras is keeping track of all the different USB cables. As most of you know, camera manufacturers just LOVE to make things difficult for us consumers by creating proprietary USB connectors for all their cameras. Why not make it simple and agree to a standard USB connector? I’m not sure what drives these companies to create all these different connectors but what I DO know is that I always end up misplacing these cables at some point.
Having to connect and disconnect specialized cables just to upload photos to the computer gets to be a hassle. And like most folks, I tend to put off inconvenient tasks like this and I eventually end up with a massive amount of photos stored on a SD card that I have to sort through and organize which compounds the whole problem even more.
That’s why I love the new Eye-Fi wireless SD card. It works just like a normal SD card that you’d place in a camera but it also has built-in Wi-Fi capabilities that allows for it to automatically upload photos off the card and onto your computer. Once you configure the settings with the included software and USB card reader, the Eye-Fi card will transfer all your photos and organize them into date-based folders. You can also set up Eye-Fi to upload to your favorite online sharing sites like Flickr and Facebook.
It’s simple, fast and easy. Plus, there’s no longer the need to search through desk drawers and closets for that elusive USB cable. The new Eye-Fi card is definitely a must-have for any digicam user. Just think how easy it’ll be to update Facebook now with something like Eye-Fi in your camera!
When out bar-hopping with the guys it’s sometimes tough keeping alcohol consumption within reasonable limits. Who wants to be the “Debbie Downer” of the group while everyone’s in celebratory mode, right? No one wants to ruin anyone’s buzz but we need to realize that if we care about our friends, we need to take some responsibility here. We all know what can happen when excessive drinking is mixed with driving. But how do you bring up this sensitive issue during the evening’s conversation? Well, why not with an iPhone app? Heineken has come up with a fun little iPhone application called the Breathalyzer. Just start up the app and then get your friend to blow into the iPhone. The app will then characterize the person in question with one of seven profiles including “The Crier”, “The Sleeper”, “The Groper” and “The Stumbler”. Of course, it’s not a REAL breathalyzer but it’s definitely an effective conversation starter and helps remind everyone to provide transporation for those in no-condition to drive home.
