Fort Worth flower delivery

Searching for what you want on the internet is simple enough, but I have noticed recently that adverts are being targetted on the locality of the person browsing - or at least on their perceived locality. For instance you may see an advert for Fort Worth flower delivery when you are browsing the internet from the comfort of your home in...Fort Worth.

The advert priovider uses the IP address of your computer to work out where you are located. It is not always right as these things are not always straightforward, however more often than not, they are fairly accurate.

I don't particularly mind this type of advertising although some people see it as a breach of their privacy. I don't think it is any different to advertising in a local magazine, and seeing as I make some money from adverts, I can't really object. I have found that even though I am unlikley click on a locally-targetted adverts, There is every chance that I will take notice of the company and will probably remember the advert if I actually did want a service that they were offering at a later point in time.

Cheap Web Hosting

I have mentioned on numerous occasions, the great web hosting package that I bought last year - it is an unlimited package allowing me to add as many domains as I want to the single-priced package. I wrote an article on my website called 'cheap web hosting' which looks at using different suppliers for hosting and domain registration. Since then I have purchased more domains, set up a few new sites and just recently ended my long-running expensive hosting package that I took out about four years ago.
I think it's true to say that once you take out your first hosting package, you are more than likely to stick with them. However, for my main (cassette to CD conversion) site, I have tried to get the best prices and tried not to be put off by the miserable prospect of trying to move hosts on a live site.
This last move however, was the smoothest simply because I now know what to expect. I now know that if I use a nameserver to redirect my site that the email will go with it, and if I use the IP address of the server, it will not....
With this in mind (and bearing in mind this is the most important of all the sites I have) I arranged to transfer the domain to 1and1 internet (the best price I have found for registering .co.uk domains) - this entails obtaining the 'IPSTAG' of your preferred domain registrar, and passing this on to your 'old' registrar.
Whilst I was waiting for the domain to be transferred, I copied all the files from the old site onto my super new unlimited hosting server, and added the domain on my 'CPANEL'. Then I went over to my 1and1 account dashboard and entered the nameserver of my hosting service against the domain I was expecting to transfer. Then I went back to my hosting CPANEL and opened accounts for all the email addresses I would be likely to need (three in all) - I then configured OUTLOOK to pick up mail for these email addresses.
Al that remained was for me to sit back and wait - I put up a note on the old site that over the next day or two, mail or web pages might go missing - and sure enough one test mail that I sent from the contact form on the site did not get through during this period. Nonetheless in about 24 hours or so, the site was showing on the new server (I made an adjustment to the copied web files so I would know when the transfer had taken place), and over the next 24 hours, the mail started to come across into the OUTLOOK accounts I had set up.
Now I have saved myself a lot of money in hosting and domain registration fees, although admittedly all my 'eggs' are in one 'basket' when it comes to hosting, domain registration is kept separate which makes a lot of sense when you control multiple domains. My whole online 'operation' is now completely streamlined (funny 'cos my expensive hosting service was called 'streamline'...), and I am happy that I am working as efficiently as possible with the money that I have available.
The learning curve with unlimited hosting is steep, but very rewarding when you realise just how much you can achieve with it - and I am thinking of maybe doing some tutorials for the tasks that I have done so far,to encourage others who are planning to go down the same route - believe me, if you plan to ever have more than one website on the go, then unlimited hosting is for you... to learn more about the services I use click the link to go to my web hosting and domain registration article.

Mantel Designs

Every house can benefit from coal, gas or coal-effect fires whether they are homes with contemporary design or traditional design themes running through the house. We have a coal-burning fire and a gas fire in our house and tend to favour the traditional designs - in fact one of the fire surrounds is an original cast-iron surround (although not actually 'original' for our house).

There are mantel designs for every style of home, and in many cases, the mantel can form the central focus of the room. Certainly when there is a fire in the fireplace, it is the first thing anyone notices when they come into the room.

Thumb supports

As I get older I find myself in need of more medical assistance just to get through the day! - I have a back support for driving, and ankle support for football, and am now looking at thumb supports, neck supports and elbow supports to assist my ailing limbs.

I was wondering what people did before such remedies were widely available, but then it occured to me that a lot of these ailments are caused by modern-day living. We get RSI from using computers, bad backs from driving and bad eyes from VDU screens. It's only when we get beyond our thirties that this degeneration starts to take place and we suddenly realise that we are not able to do the things we once did.

I have ventured out with back supports and ankle supports on many ocassions, I am quite sure by the time I am sixty I am going to have more padding than the average American Football player.

Tech Jobs

There are few enough jobs around nowadays, so getting yourself a new job or even that elusive first job can be a job in itself. Unless you are very lucky, a job is not likely to just land in your lap - the emphasis is on you to take steps to be in the right place at the right time.

Despite a general slow-down in the economy as a whole, there are still tech jobs manual jobs and other work out there if you can equip yourself to rise above the crowd in the job market. If you are one of those looking for work, the chances are you will get a job if you work harder at getting a job than others in the same field with the same qualifications.

Log Me In

I have been using 'LogMeIn.com' for a little while now, long enough for the free trial to have ceased and I am now running the free version.
LogMeIn is a service that allows remote access via the web between computers. I use two laptops at work and two desktops at home - they all have the software installed so I can access any of the four computers now from the web.
Although I have been downgraded to the free service, it still has all the features I need for simply checking my OUTLOOK inbox, or accessing the works database from home. The free version does not have file transfer capabilities, but I can always send files via email if I need to. I am sure there are other fuseful functions that are missing from the free version, but as far as I can tell, it does what it says it will, and allows remote access for no monthly fees...
I use 'Radmin' for the same thing at the moment, and that had an initial startup fee - however I can only ever use it on a single licence, LogMeIn Free allows me to add as many PC's as I want to my account, so I doubt whether I am ever going to need to use Radmin again (although it does have the missing 'file transfer' feature that LogMeIn Free does not have).
As far as free software goes, I am ranking this one up there with OpenOffice and AVG and all those other top free software titles that we tend to take for granted.

February 2014 - update about LogMeIn free service

Barcode Scanners

I had always thought of barcodes as being limited to large supermarkets and superstores, but the technology for producing and reading barcodes is becoming readily accessible for all types of businesses.

I recently discovered that Avery, the company that make label sheets for your PC printer, have a free printing program that can create labels with barcodes. Barcode scanners are now widely available as stand-alone instruments and also as 'apps' for your smartphone, there are even bluetooth barcode scanners available for those that work whilst on the move.

Barcodes are a quick and easy way to catalogue your stock, record stock movements and keep your records up to date, whether you are a small shop, an online trader or a major retailer.

FireFox 4

With FireFox 4 being available, I guess now is as good a time as any to talk about browsers and how well they perform.
Currently, my firm favourite is Google Chrome - it outstrips the other main players for speed, and I find the plug-ins easier to use - trying to access 'favourites' can be a bit tricky sometimes because they just disappear from time to time, but I do love the 'new tab' function which offers you all your most frequently opened URLs as thumbnails.
Internet Explorer is the last browser I will use, but sometimes due to compatibility issues with FF and Chrome, IE is the only one that functions.
I have just started using FF again because of compatibility issues with Chrome, but Chrome is too fast to ignore. My preferences:
#1: Chrome - 99% of pages work fine in Chrome and load a LOT quicker
#2: Firefox - If I get problems with Chrome, I will default to FF
#3: IE - when things are really, really desperate I start looking for IE

Digital Television Antennas

Of course, the advent of digital television and digital radio has created a new demand for digital television antennas. In fact, the part of the UK in which I live, lost all analogue/terrestial television signals quite a long time ago.
Like with 'conventional' aerials, there is the choice of indoor and outdoor. Your requirements will vary depending on how strong the signals are in your locality. We are fortunate in that indoor antennae seem perfectly adequate for our requirements. In fact I replaced our old aerial which was located in the loft, with a new indoor aerial in the same position, and just kept all the cabling in place. this has worked a treat for viewing digital TV.

1 and 1 Internet

I regularly use two domain registration services, I started with 'GoDaddy' and have found them to be excellent, but when I discovered that they don't really do '.co.uk' domains, I had to find an alternative.
I have to say I have been very pleased with 1 and 1 for domain registration - they offer a cheap and comprehensive service with easy-to-use front panel which allows you to change settings such as DNS. They are also helpful when it comes to getting support.
However. the reason I am most impressed with them is they are turning into my most active affiliate. The payouts are relatively small, but come in quite regularly - I even had two notifications today! The reason they are successful for me as an affiliate (I believe) is that I think they actually provide a decent service - and they really do offer competitive prices. So many other affiliates I try to promote are not really competitive price-wise. They offer big incentives, but you can't really put your heart and soul into promoting them because you can't in all honesty say they offer great value.
So hand on heart, especially for UK domains, if you are looking to buy a domain name or looking for a comprehensive hosting or email package, try 1 and 1 (they are not limited to UK domains by any means, but that is the reason I started using them in the first place).

Ada Lifts

Ada lifts are designed to help those with a disability when entering or exiting a public swimming pool. The ADA rules will apply to public and commercial premises in the USA. The owners/managers of these pools will need to ensure that their premises comply with the rulings introduced in the latter part of 2010.
The rulings differ slightly dependent on whether the premises is municipal or commercial, but will cover all premises from holiday centres to city and county swimming baths.

Spa Cover

If you have invested in a spa or hot-tub, you may need to think about replacing your spa cover if you have had it for a while, as a leaking cover can cause all sorts of problems the least of which is energy-wasting if it is not insulating properly.
Added to this is the worry of bacterial growth, or even legionnaires disease that can develop in such spaces. Enjoy a worry-free Spring and Summer in your hot-tub by ensuring that it is both energy-efficient and free of unwanted 'visitors'.

Car Insurance

We will soon be looking for Car Insurance as we are about to get a 'new' car. A friend has offered us a car for the cost of recent repairs - and it just so happens that the amount is very similar to the amount I made from online earnings this month. So you could say this month, I earned enough to buy a car!
My plan is to insure this car just for third party fire and theft so that we can build up some 'no-claims' bonus. My current car is a company car, so I don't have any insurance of my own. The down-side of the company car is that it costs me a lot in tax (a LOT!).
I wanted to buy a 'nice' car, and I had a list of desirable attributes that this car should have. Unfortunately, I then discovered that I would not be able to insure the 'car of my dreams' even though my dreams were relatively modest....
I think we could pick up this car fairly soon, and I am pretty excited about it (I don't even know what colour it is - though I do know the make , model and engine size and am fairly confident we can insure it quite cheaply)

Earnings March 2011

The end of the current financial year has provided a bit of a boom month for me in terms of online earnings. I have cleared £271 (approx £$450) this month, which I think is as much as I have ever earned in a single month from online sources. Earnings from converting cassettes and from paid postings both had a boost this month taking my years earnings to £1375.42 (approx $2290). This represents growth of £550 from last years effort (around 65%) which is not at all bad (assuming the growth can be repeated). Once again I aim to be amongst the first of the 'self-assessment' crowd to submit my earnings online, as I hate to have deadlines hanging over me.

I am already doing paid posts that will start off my earnings for the next financial year. I also need to reinvest some of my profits into 'stock' and by buying some new equipment for my home office. I am not too far off an Adsense payout either - if it had come in this month, I would have been particularly pleased - I will have to wait a month or so, but recently I have been getting a bit of an Adsense boost too.