Monday, May 12, 2008

Watch It!

panerai watches has an entire collection of classy watches available on their website. They have dress, sport, diamond, and "complication" watches for men and women, and browsing their styles is conveniently organized by either the watch collection or the watch style you're interested in.

I wasn't sure what complication watches were at first, but with just one click I found an array of beautiful watch faces with many miniature dials to keep track of seconds, days, and possibly the barometric pressure in Tokyo.

Once on this specific page of a kind of watch I'm interested in, I am easily able to refine the displayed watches even further by strap material, features, case material, case shape, and price range.

The host site, ViaLuxe, offers a number of different brands, but the Panerai site specifically has a surprising number of features for a buyers guide. There is an expandable history of the brand, discussing the 19th century founder, Giovanni Panerai, his vision, and the current work of the company.

There is also a newsreel with information on the new watches that will soon be added to the collection, for those who can't wait. And lastly, down at the bottom of the page, there is a link to a forum devoted exclusively to panerai watch enthusiasts.

While all of these watches themselves are pretty blatantly out of the price range of a recent college graduate and soon-to-be newlywed, the aesthetic of the site is so pleasing that I can't help but tool around and look at all the beautiful watches I can only dream of owning. I normally eschew watches in favor of bracelets, but these are prettier than most any bracelet I've had the pleasure of encountering in real life, and what with having a job pretty soon, I'm sure I'll need to keep track of time much more than when I was a barefoot liberal arts undergrad.

In case you are far, far wealthier than myself, the host site does offer a convenient and easy dealer locator. Enjoy!

*This is a sponsored post*

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Happy and Hopeful

I'm engaged! Yay! Congratulations to me!

The only thing that's stressing me out right now is that my dear fiance doesn't want a honeymoon because he says it's too much hassle and stress. I tried to tell him it would be less stress, a chance to relax, and that was the whole point, but he thought it would be too much work to set it all up. So, just at the right time I find out that there is a CheaperThanHotels site for New Zealand!

New Zealand is the perfect romantic destination, small and isolated, but civilized, with plenty of arts and entertainment, all the allure of exploring a new country, but the security of exploring a new country that speaks English! Whether you'd like to check out Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown or all four, CheaperThanHotels has a solution for you.

I'm really excited, because it will be so easy I might even be able to persuade my stubborn fiance that a honeymoon could be a great, convient, and inexpensive vacation. 5 star accomodations begin at just NZD$75.00 (that's 59.1436 USD as of right now)

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Quick Update

So Associated Content sent me my payments for the past seven months today. I'm not sure why it took so long, but it totaled $1.75. Not much, but it's for only two articles, and it's in addition to the initial payments of $4 or $5 per article. It's also not bad considering that I haven't logged in for months.

Also, I am five points away from a cashout at Global Test Market survey site. It took seven months, but it's a $50 cashout and it's pretty fun and easy. If you're feeling grateful, leave a comment or send me a quick email (retrogradesonnet [at] gmail .com) so I can send you a referral invitation.

Yay!

Saturday, February 2, 2008

Play and Profit

Mac Poker Online is a site which gives information to Mac users on where the best online poker sites are which run software compatible with Macintosh computers. The site is well put-together and features a blog on its main page, although it doesn't seem to have been updated recently.

The site is aesthetically pleasing, and is especially well-geared towards a card-playing mindset. It has information on specific sites like Full Tilt Poker and Poker Stars as well as some special deals they've worked out.

I don't have a Mac, but if I did I'd be sure to use this site to comparison shop for online poker venues. I also found some links that would be very helpful for any poker player, Mac or PC, online or in real life, such as the Poker Rule Guide. The site is available in nine languages right now, so just about anyone could get something out of it!

All in all Mac Poker Online is a great niche site with some interesting and useful information for general audiences too!

* This is a sponsored post *

Monday, January 7, 2008

Grilling Out

The holidays are over, and the only big purchases that we'll be making anytime soon are summer-related, since winter is taken care of. One I have a house and a yard, I'd love to have a weber grill to have cookouts on.

The link will take you to a whole series of weber grills, including a compact, indoor one, which might be appearing sooner in my future. They are all top-of-the-line, and appear on a site called Wize where various products are rated by consumers.

Out of a possible 100 points, the first weber grill listed got 99. The site also lets you compare products, filter them by price, and shows the best price available from various retailers. If you're in the market for a grill, indoor or outdoor, big or small, definitely check out weber grills!

*This is a sponsored post.*

Monday, December 24, 2007

Overwhelming Your Opponent

My SO has trained in martial arts, which means that every time I act silly or tickle him, and he wants to stop it, he does some crazy move beyond my comprehension and I end up stuck. He claims he's not that good, so I figure it would only take a few martial arts courses to move beyond his level, and feel more comfortable walking home at night too!

Captain Chris has just such a program. It's called Close Combat Training and he claims it goes beyond the realms or martial arts, street or reality fighting to give you something better, and more useful in real-life defense situations.

His website offers testimonials, live chat support, and an "unheard-of satisfaction guarantee" which is what I see as a pretty basic 30-day money back (less shipping charges) guarantee. I'm not sure it actually qualifies as unheard-of, but it is pretty good nonetheless.

They have empty pages for various articles on self-defense, martial arts, and close combat, as well as the makings of an affiliate program that isn't quite set-up yet. It looks like Captain Chris is in the beginning stages of setting up his website, but he has the important part: a product you can use.

One thing that worries me is that their terms and conditions page is not yet available to the public, but they do have a merchant policies page. Even so, I'd wait until they get their terms and conditions suitable for public consumption before buying the 12 dvd set.

Even if you don't think you're in the market for this, it's a pretty neat and informative site, so go check out the self-proclaimed world leader in self-defense today!

*This is a sponsored post*

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Cheerio!



While thinking about where I'd go on my European vacation, the idea of landing somewhere that spoke English seemed like a reasonable one. While many countries have English as part of their language, the United Kingdom also has many brilliant and wonderful attractions.
Their history goes back much farther than most Americans can count. And since the expansive Cheaper Than Hotels site is based in the UK, this is their forte!

Into movies? Here you can find the locations where Braveheart, Goldfinger, and Harry Potter were filmed, and many more!



In case your travels take you all around, Cheaper than hotels has sites for hotels in London, Manchester, and Birmingham.

Also, VisitBritain.com can help you plan where to go and how to get there.



*This is a sponsored post*

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Life Happens

So I'm looking at graduating in May, and the main thing that freaks me out that I've never dealt with before is getting myself life and health insurance.

Advantage Term Life Insurance has all sorts of information to help you with that. They sell life insurance, and have a neat insurance quoting service that is designed to give you tons of plan options.

They also do family plans or business life insurance with corporate insurance plans for employers.

I haven't made any decisions myself yet, but they're definitely a good resource to check out as you're gathering information.

*This is a sponsored post*

Friday, December 21, 2007

HubPages

I've found a new site similar to Triond and Associated Content. Triond has turned out to be kind of a bust overall, so I'm pretty much comparing this against Associated Content to see where I should focus my energies.

It's called HubPages.com and it works on what appears to be a pretty simple system, where you get a cut of advertising revenues gained from writing about things you know and like. For example, here's a page about making gingerbread houses!

The layout looks similar to Triond, but it may have a bigger network and pay better overall. We shall see!

The Best Shopping Destination

I recently decided that what I really wanted to do some day was go on a sightseeing/shopping trip somewhere exotic and spectacular. My SO pointed out to me that Madrid probably has the cheapest shopping available in a first world country. So that's next on my list of destinations, and when I go, I'll use the ever-ready CheaperThanHotels site. Though they're based in the UK, they have info on hotels or hostels all across Europe at great prices.

If you're seriously considering it, more info is available here on Madrid's tourist attractions, Spanish food (tapas), entertainment (bull fighting), and architecture, and in case you're interested in a longer, more extensive trip, attractions in Barcelona as well.

And remember, to compare a whole bunch of hotels in all genres at their best prices, be sure to check out CheaperThanHotels.co.uk.

*This is a sponsored post*

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Moola

I'm not sure if I've posted about Moola.com recently, but since I've been home and had a decent bandwidth, I've gotten more into it. Don't get me wrong, this site doesn't require a huge bandwidth, just a better one than the awful service I get at school.

Now, on break, I'm playing a lot, and have earned $0.32 repeatedly. If I played smarter I'm sure I could hold onto it too!

Moola is a tournament style game where you are given $0.01 whenever you begin and you bet it against someone else playing one of three games. Whoever wins the game, gets both cents, and if you keep winning, you can double your money pretty darn fast.

What I'm interested by is their boosters, where you can complete offers and earn money to be or to cash out with, and where if you use their search engine, you can randomly win money too!

Moola is only in Beta right now, so you need an invitation, but I have 100, so comment or email me if you want one. (retrogradesonnet [at] gmail.com). Moola is having a booster special tonight, so hurry up!

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Losing Killed Time

More and more of my time has been filled with life and wonder recently, and less and less of it has been available to be killed. I think this is partly because my "killing time" projects have morphed into genuine activities of interest, such as creating jewelry and selling it on Etsy.com or playing games on Prizee because I genuinely enjoy the games.

And now, although I won't be having class for 7 weeks, I can't promise I'll be killing much time. I'm supposed to be writing the crowning acheivement, of my academic career, and when I'm not doing that, I'll probably still be doing something productive.

But I'll keep blogging. Perhaps the burying I'm doing now will be a more final burial than it was originally intended to be. Life shifts on us sometimes. I guess I'll go along with it.

Friday, November 30, 2007

Can of Worms

So I've been having a ball with Prizee, and as I went one day to idly browse their forums, I noticed that there are hundreds upon hundreds of these kinds of sites out there, all based in Europe!

These sites fall into one of two categories. You either play games to earn points towards money/prizes, or you play games to earn points towards codes to be able to play at yet another another of this kind of site somewhere else in the wide internet gaming world.

Some of these sites won't let you play unless you live in their country. I scratched these off my list. Some won't ship prizes to you unless you live nearby. These you can earn codes at pretty easily. Most aren't available in English. By comparison, Prizee is doing a pretty great job. The only one I've stuck with so far is Yacado.com

Their site isn't available in English, but it's pretty easy to figure out. It takes 9,900 points to earn one MaxPack, and so far I've earned an average of 214 points per day, in about five minutes each day. That means it'll take about a month and a half to earn enough for a maxpack, but from what I can tell from other sites, that's not bad.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Light of my Life

So I'm looking at graduating in May, getting my own apartment, and eventually my own house. Unfortunately, as I've begun my search, apartments very rarely come furnished, and I hardly have the big bucks to shell out on fancy schmancy designer furniture. One of the most important things to have in a room is good lighting. I learned this living in a dorm with 19' ceilings, few windows, and no lamps.

The place to go, the place I will go, is Farreys.com. Their fixtures actually cover a whole range of things, including:



You can shop by brand, use, or style, and they even have a closeout section for us broke college grads! If you're in the market for any kind of lighting, just check them out. The worst that will happen is you'll find something you like!

*This is a sponsored post*

Feeling Lost?

The GPS Insight website might have just what you need. They have a whole range of vehicle tracking devices for individuals and for companies looking to track labor efficiency and to find the best routes to deliver pizza, installer cable, or make any kind of house call. Their wireless system is run by AT&T, which has the largest wireless coverage in the United States.

The website is clean and well-put together, which should make it a breeze for even the smallest company to get their drivers organized. At a cost of between $1.50 and $2.00 a day, this service is essential for any company on a tight budget.



In addition to the fact that this hardware will save your business money overall on fuel, labor, and route efficiency, it's also a breeze to install as it plugs directly into your vehicle's diagnostics port.

The information you get is on
  • Speeding
  • Engine Diagnostic Fault codes/alerts
  • Begin/End of day report
  • Off-Hours Reports/Alerts
  • Landmark Reports
  • Detailed activity reports
  • Miles Per Gallon / Fuel Consumption
  • Stop reports with configurable idle stop times
  • Idle time report using engine diagnostic data
  • Service log with scheduled service alerts
  • Odometer, diagnostic fault codes, emissions
  • Compliance, and fuel usage/MPG from the engine's computer
  • Scheduled email reports/graphs, and automated alerts


And the company is more than willing to work with your individual business as they will customize their services to fit your needs.

They have a strong support system on the off chance that anything should go wrong, and they even run a company blog so you can keep up to date on every new innovation and development as quickly as possible. For example, their most recent post is about how they're trying to integrate map books with their system without violating copyright laws so that the map books people will be able to sell more, and their existing customers will be able to benefit, creating a win-win situation for all involved. It sounds thoughtful and genuine, and seeing the process of scanning and analyzing the maps is pretty awesome.

I don't have much experience with corporate GPS systems, but its stability and efficiency on the GPS locater side looks standard for the industry, and from what I can tell they've thought of all the necessary ins and outs of what a GPS tracking system should be, as well as adding in a lot of extra bells and whistles that you might not need, but if you have the right kind of business going, could also come in really handy.

For example, if you or your managers are always running around, say on a construction site, you might need to get your updates on your cell phone, which you can do with their handy texting ability. Updates can be sent to you wherever you are on what's going on right then with your worker who's picking up materials, or visiting the client. Is it too late to get brick instead of marble? Only if you use GPS Insight will you be able to know.



*This is a sponsored post*

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Fries, Toast and Kisses

None of these are quite the same anywhere else as they are in France. I would love to visit one day, especially now that I'm 21 -- I could tour all the wineries! I'd also love to see the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre... and with CheaperThanHotels I could stay starting at only 25 Euros a night!

When my parents went to Paris they took a romantic river cruise on the Seine, and I'd love to do the same! (Aren't I a great poet?) For the romance to really kick in though, you have to be staying somewhere decent. Thankfully, CheaperThanHotels has 4 star hotels starting at the same, only 25 Euros a night!

CheaperThanHotels has a huge, great selection that you can sort by any number of factors, so at least go check it out. I know I will when I plan my fantastic European vacation!

*This is a sponsored post*

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Ohh, making progress.

So I've eanred a good $30 or so from Blogsvertise now, which is fun and easy, but even more fun is what I've been doing at Prizee.com. I play games every day, and earn credits towards prizes! I haven't put in any money, and I have about $5.00 playing as a casual player. Sign up! Enjoy!

Prizee: Free Games and Presents!

Friday, August 31, 2007

Have Camera, Will Travel

One of my favorite things to do with my "killed time" is travel. Well, really fantasize about traveling. It's a boring sounding word, but riding a train through Ukraine on my way to Sevastopol while eating native berries that don't even have a name in English was one of my favorite experiences ever.

Since I've headed east already, next I'd love to go west, and down. Down under.

If you are headed to Australia, you can stay at the Darling Harbour Hotel in Sydney, or the Melbourne Hotel in, you guessed it, Melbourne!

Though it's a bit more expensive I'd reccomend Sydney. It's right on the water and there's tons to do! Although if you're going to take a 15 hour flight, why not hit all the hotspots?

Activities include historic King Street Wharf, Australian National Maritime Museum, free outdoor entertainment, the Harbourside Shopping Centre, and all sorts of dining options, from Vietnamese to Italian to Spanish tapas. Australia was once used by the British as a dumping ground for all sorts of debtors and unsavory types, and that has resulted in a culture full of interest and diversity, one well worth visiting.

If you do decide to go, check out CheaperThanHotels.com.au! And send me a postcard!

*This is a sponsored post*

All sorts of dining, aquaria, museums,

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Something for Everyone

Did you know that it is illegal to own or drive a car unless you are covered by auto insurance? Sometimes if you borrow a friend's car their policy will cover you temporarily, but not always.

Advantage Auto Quotes sells all types of car insurance, including commercial and business insurance, sports car coverage, classic car liability coverage, and teen driver insurance.

If you live anywhere outside of a major city, you've got to have a car, and to do that, you've got to have insurance! Advantage Auto Quotes can give you a free quote today!

*This is a sponsored post*

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Compilation

Here's a random assortment of things I've been killing my time with:

King.com is a free site with a lot of fun games. It's pretty well done (I especially like "Big Bang"), but you can't make any money unless you first deposit some, which goes against my money-earning principles, but maybe not yours.

Big Winner Cash Games is a similar site, however as soon as you make a deposit, you can withdraw the money, even if you haven't played any games! I haven't tried this yet, but they say they give you a 50% bonus on your first deposit, so if you put in $10, they give you $5, you withdraw the $10 you put in, and you have $5 complimentary to build and earn with!

I've been looking for other places with an even better setup (i.e., you can earn without having to put in money, like Prizee) so if you see any of those, let me know.