Android Apps - World Clock

I got this when I was following international football games and wanted to know when games that were being played in local time would be played in my time zone. Primarily so I would be able to watch them on Peer-to-Peer websites.

The other use I have for this is to be able to check on the accuracy of the time on my android device. It is set to get the time from the network that it is connected to, but many a time I have noticed that the time is inaccurate  I'm not sure where this app gets it's timings from, but I have noticed that it can be slightly different to my android settings, so I presume that this app is actually reporting the accurate time.

You can load up several different time zones into this app so that you can keep track of a lot of different countries or cities at any one time. Not a world-beater in terms of clever all-singing all-dancing apps, but nice and simple, and most importantly, does what it says on the tin.

Wigs for Sale

Wigs have been part of our culture for centuries and have had varying uses and roles over that time. There have been formal wigs for men such like those used in the legal profession, and Wigs for Women, largely dictated by fashion. A few hundred years ago, they were worn prolifically in polite society by both men and women, and the last time that wigs were really popular as a fashionable item, was probably in the 1960's; it was quite normal at this time for women to have at least one, if not a selection of wigs. As has already been intimated, wigs are not only for fashion purposes. Over the ages there have been Wigs for Sale for ceremonial purposes and of course to hide baldness. Lately it is less common to see men wearing wigs simply to hide baldness as head-shaving is a more common way of coping with early hair-loss. However hair-loss Wigs for Women are still a viable market because women don't really have the option of shaving their heads. Wigs through the ages have been made from a variety of materials including wool, synthetic fibers and animal hair, but the very best are usually made from human hair. The modern market is mostly aimed at women and includes hair extensions and hair pieces as well as full wigs. Hair extensions are particularly popular right now, and many young women would be likely to have a range of extensions and hair pieces to enhance their natural hair for those special occasions. Additionally, wigs are used extensively for cancer sufferers to help them conceal the effects of hair-loss caused by radio-therapy treatment. All of this goes to show that the humble wig is here to stay, and it has remained in our culture for centuries with every intention of staying. The best wigs are available on a website I found the other day, you can check it out here.

1300 posts

I just noticed that I am now up to 1300 posts on this blog. I have other blogs, but this is the one that gets most regularly updated. I guess over that time, I have learned a bit about communicating through the written word.
As a blogger, there are several different criteria that need to be met. Some sponsored posts only require a couple of sentences, so the skill required there is to try and make a point in a short post, and try somehow to fit that into the general character of your blog. Where posts requirements are more demanding (and remuneration is hopefully higher), it is often necessary to write several hundred words or maybe three paragraphs. The challenge with the longer post is to try and keep it relevant and interesting without straying off the point. If you are planning to host sponsored posts on your blog, you will also need to create a lot of non-sponsored posts, so that your blog is not just one long advert.
Regular posting is a must - if not every day, then at least several times a week, even if there is no sponsored 'work' to do. Over the years, it is difficult to fit everything to one theme unless you choose a really open theme like 'innovation' so that you can blog about any new products or ideas, or 'news' so that there is a steady stream of content that you can latch onto. My themes vary, I tend to pick up on mini-topics to write about, and I tend to blog on several different themes including personal stuff which has two advantages - it's personal so you are an 'authority' on it - and there is usually something to write about.
I am not as 'theme-oriented' as I should be - which is why I have started other blogs that have more of a niche - but to be fair, I always regard Munny4Hunny as my 'home' blog. My latest mini-topic has been Android Apps - this type of theme can be good because there are thousand of Apps you can write about, and it is a topic that may appeal to a number of casual visitors. I am also hoping that by use of keywords and tags, that I may even be able to attract search engine traffic.
Traffic generation is the 'Holy Grail' of bloggers, and the best advice I can give is that you immerse yourself in your blog - interact with other bloggers through comments and track-backs - write good useful content, and the traffic will come...

Intellichlor

The trading name: intellichlor has been devised to indicate an intelligent chlorine generating device for pools. Chlorine generators can create Chlorine from Sodium Chloride (common table salt). The Pentair Intellichlor system is intelligent because it has diagnostic and data recording capabilities. There are systems suitable for both 'in-ground' and 'over-ground' pools. The automatic nature of the system means that the user can load the unit up with low-cost Sodium Chloride and leave it to manage the pool water. An automated system negates the need for measuring out the correct doses of Chlorine solution.

Magnetic name badges

Creating the right impression is an important part of image-building in a modern business. This can be done by taking a 'full-on' approach with a company uniform, or more subtly with something like clip-on or magnetic name badges, or a combination of both.

Name badges serve several purposes, not only do they indicate that here is an individual that works for the company, but it gives firstly the individuals' name which is good for customer recognition, and secondly it will often give a job title which will help to indicate the employees' particular area of expertise, level of experience or seniority.

Custom umbrellas

At work, we have been scratching our heads for some really good gifts - we were supposed to have something ready for Christmas, but somehow the agenda slipped... I found these really cool custom umbrellas from www.goimprints.com this week and will be recommending these for 'special clients' next year. Usually our branded gifts are quite small and relatively cheap, but we do often get something in a bit better for the clients that we want to impress the most.

Android Apps - Clean Master

I just downloaded this today, so have not had very much experience with it. I ran it once and it cleaned a small amount (about 65MB) off the 'phone. It also downloaded very quickly, and at 4.5MB has certainly proved a worthwhile download. I find the in-phone application management difficult because you have to dig it out of the settings menu - I have a feeling that this will be easier to use when it comes to clearing the cache for apps that I have used, and for uninstalling apps that I no longer need.

I can't vouch for this as yet, but it occurred to me how invaluable 'Ccleaner' is for my PC, so I figured that I should look for something similar for my 'phone - the 'Clean Master' app (like all the others I use) is free, and has a very high satisfaction rating from users, so I expect that this is one app that I will definitely be keeping and using routinely.

Gibson Les Paul

I am no guitarist, I have 'dabbled' with both guitar and bass and can squeeze a noise out of them, but honestly don't see myself as being competent on the instrument at all. However I have a great interest in musicians and their instruments and am firmly of the belief that the Gibson Les Paul is surely the king of guitars.
Yes there are other classics, rock instruments that are the standard classics that every professional will have used, but the Les Paul for me is the one that turns my head. I admit that one reason is that it looks great, but I also love it for the tone. When I see a guitarist with a Les Paul I expect so much more..
Some guitars 'shout', the output is frequently over-driven and distorted to get the right sound, the Les Paul 'sings' with a pure clear voice. When you hear George Benson play, you are entranced by the way he uses the Les Paul almost as another singer, he even performs 'duets' with his own guitar.
When George Harrison wrote 'my guitar gently weeps', surely he was thinking about a Les Paul?? You might have guessed... but I just LOVE this guitar, I'll probably never have one, but if I ever went looking for a guitar, I would want a Les Paul even though to be brutally honest, I don't think I could do it justice...

WP 'brute force attacks'

If you have a Wordpress site, then try to login to the admin page and see if you get this error:

'Wordpress administrator area access disabled temporarily due to widespread brute force attacks'.

If so, first off, this is a result of a hack attempt - your site remains intact for now, but this will stop you updating or (probably more to the point,) deleting unwanted comments and track-backs. This is definitely NOT a Wordpress Admin warning, it is a hack, but don't worry loads of us have been hacked..... I did a quick search and found a fix very quickly right here:

http://wordpress.stackexchange.com/questions/95540/wordpress-administrator-area-access-disabled-temporarily-due-to-widespread-brute

Note that you will need FTP access or file management to edit your HTACCESS file and that you need to copy all of the following:

 ~ "^wp-login.php"> 
Order deny,allow 
Deny from all 

Allow from x.x.x.x 

..into the text of the file, the file may look like this (after the edit):

# BEGIN WordPress

Order deny,allow
Deny from all

Allow from 99.999.99.999

RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]

# END WordPress

Just change the 99.999.99.999 to your IP address, and if you don't know it , click the folowing link to find out:

http://whatismyipaddress.com/

I know little about WP, but this fix worked for me.. I am also guesing that you could 'allow' further IP addresses by adding them line by line. 'Allow from 88.888.88.888' etc...

Anyway, I though I would post this in case there are others looking for a fix.

Burlap table runner

 
The very epitome of modern chic on top of tradition, you can see a great range of burlap table runner here - a must for both modern and traditional wedding receptions and celebrations.
Although being in themselves, relatively simple items, table runners and table cloths are available in many different guises to suit traditional and contemporary styles. It is their simplicity that makes the burlap runner a modern classic, varying in style of finish from rustic to chic. Burlap is traditionally made from the jute plant or sisal, and in the UK is usually called 'hessian'.

Android Apps - Easy Voice Recorder

Here's a simple little app that you can use to record conversations or make notes for yourself in a 'dictaphone' style. I downloaded Easy Voice Recorder when I wanted to make some audible notes to serve as a reminder. I was on the road at the time and didn't have a notebook handy..


I find the 'native' note-making facility on my Sony Ericsson Android to be less than intuitive and frankly a bit useless - the text notes you can make are limited in the amount of characters that you can use and are not displayed or retrieved in a logical way at all.

Consequently, I downloaded this little app that will make audio recordings for me to save and play back later. I can select the format and data rate to suit my requirements, but further options are available if you opt for the 'pro' version. However, like all my other apps, I am very happy with the free version - I find it does everything I want, and it didn't cost me a penny...

Outdoor fountains

If you're looking for a bit of elegance for your outdoor spaces this Spring, you could consider outdoor fountains in either classic or contemporary styles. Fountains come in a huge variety of styles, sizes and materials to suit any garden. The choice is so wide that once you start looking, you may find it difficult to decide which one you like the best.

Our garden is small and kind of traditional with a modern twist, so I would probably go for something similar in a water feature (although the illustration I have chosen for this post is large and classical). There is a great selection of small contemporary features that I could choose, and I think it would add nice detail and interest to our garden. The great thing is that it needn't cost the earth, although obviously the very large fountains are aimed at income brackets rather higher than my own!

Financial Year report 2012-2013

It's the end of the financial year, and I have finally caught up with my paperwork. True to expectations, this has been a disappointing year in terms of 'turnover'. Last year I turned over about £1500, this year was more like £1000. Last year I had outgoings of just £224, this year was almost £400. Actually, spending the money on stuff that I need for online work such as hardware and software is good use of earnings because I don't have to pay income tax on it. So it's not all bad especially as I have been able to use some of those earnings to refurbish my new office with work-related items.

March was one of my best months of the year with a total of £120, £100 of which was 'passive' income including a substantial affiliate payment and payment for contextual adverts over several sites.
So it's a 'profit' of just over £600 this year, but I have already bagged quite a few earning opportunities for April, so the new financial year should start with a bang.
I haven't done any cassette conversions for a few months, but am expecting one this week, added to that I have done some paid blogging work which should be profitable. There seems to be plenty of paid blogging opportunities around at the moment, so there is a chance to start pushing the new financial year in the right direction.

Platinum coins

In financially uncertain times platinum coins and other precious metals can be a great alternative to putting money in a bank. Interest rates are at an all-time low, so normal bank accounts are offering very poor returns for your hard-earned cash.

In fact giving a precious metal coin or ingot as a gift instead of money can be a great way to provide an investment as a gift for a youngster, Anyone receiving such a gift will be able to appreciate it as both a delightful thing to behold, and also a shrewd investment for the future.

Android Apps - Lexathon

So far I have posted about some of the really useful free Android apps that I have downloaded, this post is about a game that I am fast becoming addicted to.. To be fair, it doesn't take much for me to get addicted to a game, but this one really challenges my brain.

Lexathon is a bit of a combination of the popular 'Nonagram' that you find in the back pages of newspapers and 'Boggle' the word game - You are given 9 letters, and you must  find as many words as possible that have at least four letters and contain the central letter of the puzzle. There is always at least one 9 letter word to find too. In this version of the game, each time you find a word, the duration of the game is extended.

Some nice features here are that you can see how many words are possible, and when your time runs out, the game shows you all the words that you could have included. On the downside, a lot of the words appear to be somewhat 'Americanized', but once you know that, you just have to play accordingly.... The range of possible words varies from just a handful to over a hundred, and my personal target is to get at least 50% every time I play (I probably achieve that goal about 90% of the time), and I have actually found all of the words at least once...

Marty Hanaka

Business World Personnel Focus:
marty hanaka - Experienced CEO in the retail industry and has held senior positions with companies such as Sears, Staples, The Sports Authority Inc., Golfsmith International Holdings and Trans World Entertainment Corp. Mr Hanaka is 63 and has 40 years experience with major retail groups in the US, many of these companies with a global presence both online and on the High Street.
Marty Hanaka has also given of his time to be Chairman of Southeast Region and Member of Board of Governors Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Inc. and is a graduate of Cornell University

Air compressor

We have found it fairly difficult to locate a supplier able to offer decent air compressor deals at work recently. It seems every time we decide on a supplier, stocks become unavailable and we end up with far longer lead times than is acceptable for our clients.
The solution has been to select a supplier with a wide range of compressors from different manufacturers, so that if our preferred model isn't available, we can readily get hold of an equivalent replacement in good time.

Android Apps - Lookout Mobile Security

Here's another of my favourite Android free apps, Lookout Security.
Everyone should understand that security is the first thing you need to install on a computer, not so many are clued up enough to ensure that their 'phone is equally secure.
With today's mobiles being little short of mobile computers, it stands to reason that the same level of security needs to be applied to a 'phone.

I love Lookout security, it scans all the other apps and downloads to ensure that there are no security issues, but that's not all it does... There are two more really neat features that come included even in the free version of Lookout:

1. Register your Android device on their website and they can tell you where your device is currently located - not only that, but you can trigger an audible alarm that you can use to locate your phone. You can also use it to amuse yourself and annoy your family friends and possibly your pets..

2. You can also back up your 'phone to the Lookout 'cloud' to ensure you can keep all your contacts and data intact should you lose the device itself.

Even if you don't follow my advice and get the Lookout app, make sure you do get adequate protection for your mobile devices to keep your private data safe.

North Face Jackets

Over the years my 'look' has moved from 'young fashionable' to 'Smart casual', taking in 'deliberately scruffy' along the way. Currently I find myself in the group of men approaching 50 that have to be careful what they wear so they don't appear too ridiculous.
My current look is probably somewhere between 'Utilitarian' and 'Expedition' with a wardrobe full of combat trousers and fleeces. In this Winter Wonderland that the UK is laughingly calling 'Spring', I believe that the most suitable outdoor wear will probably be north face jackets for men, coupled with gloves and a scarf.
I am holding onto an old jacket that I bought a couple of winters back, but when I am ready to declare that I have had my money's worth out of that particular item, I am pretty sure that North Face is going to be at the top of my shopping list.

Online Suppliers

Whatever industry you are involved in, the online supplier can offer so much more than a traditional warehouse or store. Online suppliers can carry larger stocks as they are based in one location rather than split over several premises, and they usually have a delivery service in place that can deliver with a few days if not next day.

Most online stores will specialize in a specific industry such as the Hospitality industry or Hotel Bar Supplies. This type of supplier will aim to be a genuine 'one-stop-shop' for a whole range of products related to the specific industry that they are servicing. In some cases you may find a regional supplier for Atlanta Hotel Supply although many suppliers will be happy to supply to the global market.

Although Hotel Supply Online may appear to be a fairly narrow market, when you look into the available product list, everything from bedding to electrical goods and paper towels is 'catered' for, and would actually be a good resource for a host of different types of businesses whether they are involved in hospitality or not. At one such site called 'Peachsuite', I counted 23 different products under the heading of coffee maker, I am sure there are specific coffee sites that don't even offer such a wide variety of coffee makers...

Android Apps - CamerAlert

I love my Android 'phone, and I especially love free Android apps... I'm not really an 'early adopter' because I don't have money to burn, but I am comfortable with new technology, and happy to wait for that technology to become affordable before I plunge in.
My current 'phone is a Sony Ericsson Xperia - it's not a very new model and is not upgradable to the latest version of Android, nonetheless I am really happy with the performance and features. I don't use vast amounts of apps, but I figured I could blog about some of the ones I use regularly as a way of returning the favour of free use of the apps.

CamerAlert

CamerAlert is the latest app that I have downloaded, I searched Android Market for 'speed camera', and this app came up at the top of the search results and had 5 out of 5 stars and great reviews. I duly downloaded and tried it out. I already have a Sat-Nav app that came ready-loaded on the 'phone, so I wondered how this would work in conjunction, thankfully it seamlessly works either as a standalone or in the background of the Sat-Nav software. If the Sat-Nav is on, the warnings come up on the Sat-Nav screen and there are audio alerts. The audio alerts can be a bit tedious, so when using as a stand-alone, I prefer to turn the volume right down.
As a stand-alone, there is a map on the screen that follows your route, and there are icons to identify the location of fixed and mobile cameras. If you register for the latest (paid) version., there is a feature for reporting new cameras that aren't identified by the database.

The stand-out feature for me, was that the software identified an 'average speed' monitored section of the motorway - when entering the zone, two speeds appeared on the screen, one being my current speed (which is normally there) and a second one indicating my average speed over the duration of the monitored section. This is a great feature as I have often wondered about how you are supposed to monitor your average speed.

You can get the latest database by paying £19.99, but for my purposes I don't think I would use it often enough to justify the expense. Even as just the free version, this app is very impressive, and if I was doing more driving, I think it would be £20 well spent to upgrade to the full version with the updated database.
Along with the other users who rated this app, it gets a firm 5 stars from me too.

Gift Boxes

This coming month is packed with birthdays for my family, and finding the perfect gift for each individual is not easy. The gift itself can say a lot about how you regard someone, but just as important is presentation or the packaging of the gift itself. There is a world of difference between dumping a gift on someone straight from the shop in a carrier bag (maybe with the price tag still on), and taking care to find the best way to 'present' the present ... Some gifts are best put into boxes before wrapping, while some gifts may be ideal for using specially designed gift boxes. Gifts such as toiletries or candy may be ideally suited to being wrapped in organza bags. I always keep a plentiful supply of small boxes around the house (usually in the loft) for presents, as having an awkward shaped gift in a box makes it a lot easier for wrapping with conventional gift wrap. The old adage 'it's the giving that counts' holds a lot of truth, especially as we become more discerning. True enough a small child really doesn't care too much about presentation, but as we get older we appreciate that someone has taken care in the presentation of the gift, even if the gift itself is not terribly exotic or expensive. We all understand the difference between getting a 'stock' gift such as socks for Christmas, and getting a thoughtful gift which may have cost the same as socks, but will have been bought with you in mind. Personally, I love it when someone gets me the 'right' wine as a gift - it shows that they have taken time to find out what I like. It's not like I have expensive tastes, I am happy with the bargain bottles, but I prefer red and I prefer it to be from South East Australia. So when I am presented with the 'right' gift, I am touched because I know that the giver has taken care to find out what I like. It doesn't take a lot to package a gift in a way that demonstrates thoughtfulness, and if you are looking for a great resource for gift packaging ideas, you can Check it out here. Let's face it, we all light up when we see an attractive gift - that first impression counts for something!