I wear sneakers pretty much every day, always had. For as long as I remember wearing sneakers, I have been wearing Nikes. I think because Michael Jordan was my favorite basketball player and he had deals with Nike for the Air Jordan - so I always want Nikes, even to this day.

On my Israel trip, I think my current Nike's broke in probably one of the worst spots. The inner back heal. Here is a picture:

Now, this wouldn't be that bad, but in this case, a hard piece of plastic is coming out from that rip and rubbing against my back heel whenever I walk.

I finally got around to buying new ones via Live Search's Cashback thing on FootLocker.com but I figured I would blog it and see if I can get a refund or a free pair of sneakers from Nike. I will follow up this post with an email to Nike with a link to this post. Who knows, I have received free things from blogging in the past - especially for defective items.

Posted at 3:06 PM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (7)

I would be surprised if you never felt this way about a package. Today, I am expecting to receive the Sony HDR-XR200V but I checked the UPS status and it is made out to be delivered to the wrong suite #. I am upset, because I made it clear to the sales person, make sure the label says "RustyBrick and Suite 305. So the label only says my name on it and it says Suite 30. There is no Suite 30 in the building.

So I decided to go to extremes after the RustyBrickers said I am not crazy for wanting to post a sign in the elevator. Maybe they said that cause I am their boss and they don't feel comfortable calling me crazy. But my office building only has to elevators and I know the UPS guy will use it. I also know that people post notices in the elevator about missing stuff or job postings, so why not?

The picture above is a copy of the sign I posted in both elevators.

Clearly, I am hoping the logo catches the guy's attention and he reads on.

Admit it, you also get excited when you are expecting a cool gadget via UPS and you would go to extremes like me to make sure you get it as soon as possible. Admit it! :)

Note: I called UPS and they said they cannot notify the driver or make a change to the address. The driver does know my name, but who knows if he is sick today and their is a substitute?

Posted at 9:46 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (4)

As many of you know, I am expecting my first child soon, in about three-months. And with that comes a lot of shopping and preparing for the new child. Cribs, car seats, gliders, toys, safety devices and the list goes on and on.

My big purchase will likely be a video camera. My wife wants me to get one and I have always wanted a real video camera. I do weekly videos on search topics and I currently use my built in iSight, so the quality is not great. I did invest in a USB mic because sound quality is something people aren't willing to put up with. But video quality, on the web, is still something people don't expect much from. That will change, YouTube now allows you to watch videos in higher quality and my iSight won't do that. I know people don't care to look at me in high definition. But when I take videos of my new kid, I am sure family will want to get the best quality as possible.

In any event, I am a bit iffy on which video camera to get. I 100% want a camera that is HD quality. I 100% want a camera that is plug and play with iMovie. Outside of that, I hear there are many things you should look for in a camera, but do I need it. Those features include image stabilizer, good in low light, hard drive based, and some other things.

So if I want the best possible HD hard drive camera for personal use, I believe my best bet is the Sony HDR-SR12. It does pretty much everything I want and works incredibly well with iMovie, as far as I can tell from all the reviews I have read.

The big draw back is the price tag at being about $1,200 - but doing some quick searches, I think I can get it for in the $900 range. But $900 is still a lot of money. Last year, I would have likely purchased it already. But we are in a recession, if you haven't noticed and I am much more careful with what I do buy and what I don't buy.

The question is, do I go for this camera or get a cheap one instead? I know I will use it for both family purposes and business purposes, very often (at least once a week). I know it won't just sit in the closet and collect dust. But do I need to get the top of the line model? Is the price worth it? Should I go cheaper?

Really looking for advice here...

Posted at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Category: Computers , Shopping | Comments (6)

After years, possibly 10 years, of not owning a pair of boots, I finally caved and bought a pair. Sears was having a good deal (I think good deal) on the Everlas Chukka Boot in Black. So for $28, after tax and shipping, I ordered a pair. It was 50% cause of clearance and then an additional 25% for some other reason.

Why do I need boots? Well, we have been having bad weather specially on the weekends. Now - when it snows and I need to walk a half a mile to synagogue in dress shoes - let me just say, it is not fun. It is more like skies in a suit, then anything else.

So I ordered the black color, so it blends in well with the suits I wear at synagogue.

It has been a ten year stretch without boots. I really don't need them during the weekday snow storms. My sneakers are fine to walk in the snow with. Why has it taken me so long?

(1) I so hate shopping, so hate it.

(2) I feel it is a waste to spend money on something I'll use a few times a year.

(3) I am stubborn

(4) Maybe my past dress shoes had a better grip? My current ones are like ice skates.

So when my brother got these in the mail at the office, I asked him how much they cost. He told me the deal and I purchased myself one of these puppies.

Let it snow!

Posted at 1:43 PM | Permalink | Category: Shopping , Weather | Comments (3)

I dislike waiting in long lines, I am sure most people do. I even hate it more when I am the one who caused a long line.

I had to go to the post office this morning to mail out the RustyBrick holiday gifts. I told them I need X number of stamps for these envelops. I assumed they would print them out and give them to me to put on the envelopes. But no, they said they need to process each one individually.

So I stood there, watching one person put stamps on my billion envelops and at the same time, watching one teller help the rest of the people who came in. I am sure those people all game me the evil eye, but what can I do? I didn't want to use UPS, I wanted to ship them out standard cheap mail.

Sorry to all those who have had to wait in a line.

Posted at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (1)

About 30 minutes before Shabbos started this Friday, I heard a knock on the door. I answered the door to see a young guy and woman in Verizon FiOS shirts. They asked me if I want to switch to FiOS. I said yes.

Remember when I had the dilemma of FiOS vs Optimum when moving to my new house? Then, the only FiOS service available was Internet. TV was not available and Verizon told me that they were not able to switch my phone number. So my decision was to go with super Internet speeds of FiOS Internet, also went with Optimum for TV and Vonage for phone.

So when Verizon came to my door, my first question, after knowing that they know can do TV was.... Can you switch my phone number? They plugged it into the system and said yes. So I said, switch me over. I have no patience for sales calls but door-to-door salesmen, heck - I was sold. In fact, I was planning on calling Verizon to do the switch anyway. Them coming to my door and signing me up, well - possibly saved me time and cost.

Any downsides to the switch? I may miss the Game Channel, which I rarely watch anyway - but I do enjoy when I do watch. With Vonage, my phone was not listed and I was also able to take my phone with me, not that I ever did that. Also, Vonage sent me voicemails via email (not that the voicemails are for me) and maybe Verizon does that also. I did have a FiOS outage in the past, which caused my Internet to go out for about 24 hours. I do have backups. I hear CableVision (Optimum) has better support. But also, with Verizon, I will have a real landline, not a VOIP line, so when the power goes out, I should have phone (yes, I do have a cell phone anyway).

One cool feature Verizon FiOS TV has is the media manager. A DVR that is basically a network DVR. One DVR for all your TVs. So I ordered that. Now, if I am watching something downstairs and my wife kicks me out, I can pause it, and watch it upstairs.

My Internet should be untouched, which is nice. I rather not mess with that, if possible.

In any event, I made the switch and I am excited for the install date.

Posted at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Category: Computers , Homey , Shopping | Comments (5)

Yesterday, I spent about four hours with Home Depot trying to get a patio set.

I first went to the one closer to my home. I arrived and asked the service desk how I can order a patio set. She said, write down the SKUs and bring them to the register. So I went to the patio set on display, and wrote down the SKU written on the label. I then go over to the register and try to order it. The sku is invalid. So they try to get someone to help me. It turns out, that after trying for several minutes, the SKU written on the table was wrong. But when I ask the Home Depot associate to give me the SKU for the coordinating umbrella, he was unable to help.

So this associate tries to get someone else to help. After about five minutes, he gives up and goes back to his register. I then sit there waiting for a garden agent to come and help me. They call the agents several times, but after waiting about 20 minutes, no one comes. So I go on the service line and wait there for 15 minutes and as the line doesn't move, I give up. I find someone one the side and ask him for help. He says, you need a garden agent. At that point, I say, I had enough, Im going home to get all the SKUs from the web site.

I go home, I get all the SKUs together and then call the web site number to see if I can order it online with free shipping. I can buy the patio set online and get free shipping but the umbrella does not qualify for free shipping. I ask, even if I get both, the umbrella doesn't ship for free. He said no. I then ask him if he can find out if they have them in stock. He says sure and then comes back on the phone to tell me, he doesn't know if they have them in stock. I give up and decide to call the local stores.

One store gives me the answer quickly, telling me the umbrella is out of stock but the patio set is there. I then wait on hold for the other store, maybe about 10 - 15 minutes, to find out they have it in stock, both of them. So I drive to the other Home Depot and go to the register to order them.

I give her a SKU and she gets all confused. She said she needs the box. I said, I don't have the box, but I am suppose to give you the SKU so you can get it from me. She then gets someone to help me, who runs around the store for 10 minutes looking for the box. He is then told by a garden rep that the patio set is outside somewhere and he has to get it. 30 minutes later, I see my patio set roll up to me.

I then pay, almost paying double because the register person ringed it up twice. Then they say, I will need help getting it into my car. Guess who they send? A man who looked to be over 60 years old. I help him get it into the car, but he is struggling so I decide to lift it basically by myself.

Then off I go home, to set up the new patio set.

I open the box to find that the top of the table is cracked. Ugh!

I call Home Depot, they ask me to bring it all back. I tell them it is too big, can I just bring the top tile. They said okay! I was delighted and when I went back to exchange it, the manager there remembered me and said I can swap out the broken top with the top on the display unit. Now that saved me another 45 minutes, so I was happy.

Four hours at Home Depot or on the phone with them and I secured a patio set. Four hours!

Posted at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (3)

As you know, I was thinking about getting a new hard drive to house my raw search recap videos. So I swung by Best Buy and bought a Western Digital My Passport Essential 320GB External USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive in the Intense Blue color. Why? cause it was on sale and I had a $150 Best Buy gift card.

What I hate is the box it comes in. The thing is wrapped in this hard clear plastic. You need a mini chain saw to cut it open and get the hard drive out. I have a sharp razor blade, which did the trick. But I had to be careful not to cut myself on the razor and even on this hard plastic. Here is a picture:

So, tell me, why do they come packaged like this? Just to annoy customers or for protection and style?

Posted at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Category: Computers , Shopping | Comments (3)

After a long day of standing at SphinnCon Israel on Tuesday, I was fairly tired that night. In any event, I knew I wanted to document the day and upload pictures on my extremely slow Internet connection in Israel. So when I woke up, I began my morning stuff, email, RSS, forum research. Then when I was done, I began blogging the conference at both the Search Engine Roundtable and Search Engine Land (Danny then told me, he would have blogged it at Search Engine Land).

I told my wife to go shopping while I blogged away the AM. She found a Michal Negrin store nearby and bought some jewelry. She then met me back at the hotel and I finished up my blog stories for the morning. A little after 1PM, we left to do more shopping in Geula. Yes, I am a great husband for going shopping even though it makes me ill to shop. I don't think we bought anything that day, I may be wrong - it is all turning into a fog right now for me. But we did stop at a tile place. My wife has been really wanting us to get a backsplash for ournew house but I have been trying to push off that decision.

In any event, she found two styles she liked here in Israel. Note, she hasn't been able to find anything in America yet - but she found two styles she liked in Israel. The one above, is one that I think we both like and will work well in our kitchen. Thing is, I guess it would have to be shipped from Israel and we would have to convert the measurements somehow - all doable. Not that we are going to do this anytime soon. The above backsplash looks a lot like Israeli stone, which is why we like it.

After the backsplash bit, we went back to the hotel and got ready for dinner with my brother and sister-in-law. Skipping some parts....

We go together to some restaurant that tells us they have no room for the four of us. My sister-in-law does her smooth talking and gets us in. We eat well. It turns out the waiter was a taxi driver that took my brother somewhere, so they chatted a bit about that. In any event, the food was good and the convo was good. Although, I prefer not to talk and be distracted when I have food in front of me ;-).

After that, I think the day was over - we had to rest up for the big day tomorrow. My nephew's bar mitzvah.

Posted at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Category: Blogging , Food , Shopping , Travels | Comments (1)

To continue my documentation of my Israel trip, I'll pick up from leaving beitar. So we take a taxi from Beitar to Jerusalem with my parents. I know I am getting a good deal on that taxi ride because my brother or sister-in-law speak the language and if you speak the language, you don't get ripped off.

The guy drops me off at the hotel, the bellhop takes our piles and piles of bags (99% of it not being mine). They initially tell us our room isn't available but then a minute later, they said it was now available. So instead of leaving our stuff with the bellhop, he brings it up to our room. I give him some US dollars, which is now not worth as much as it was a year or two ago in Israel. We put our stuff down, I lock my precious laptop in the safe and we head to Cup O Joe for drinks and free WiFi.

I order something to drink and my wife does as well. I then pull out my iPhone and I see I can connect to a network for free. I connect and download emails to my iPhone. A guy then comes over to me and asks me if I was using an iPhone (the first of many comments on my iPhone while traveling in Israel). Oh, forgot to mention, Israel's airport as some sweet fast Internet, downloaded email there as well. We continue to drink, while I mess around with email - knowing that WiFi is a security risk but willing to take the risk at that time.

After Cup O Joe we go to both Geula and Ben Yehuda street to do some "shopping." That is where I found the touch of Google in Jerusalem, by the way...

I quickly learn that not only do I hate shopping in American stores, I also hate shopping in Israeli stores. I get this tiring and sick feeling going into a store, hard to explain. Anyway, as my wife looks for stuff to buy, I try to pick up free Wifi spots in town. The most popular network I was able to find was Unwire Jerusalem.

We go into a few stores and my wife buys some stuff from one of them. Now this guy is a smooth talker. Everything 50% off. I like you, this costs X but Ill give it to you for Y. No tourism, need to make a sale... Etc. Etc. The whole time my wife is saying, what a great deal and I am thinking, we are getting ripped off. In any event, thinking like that while on vacation is not healthy, so we buy some things, which in hindsight, were probably good deals.

Then I finally convince my wife to head back to the hotel. As we begin to walk back, we bump into my parents who are going to lunch. So, being frugal, I latch on and score a free meal at a popular restaurant in town. Then we all walk back to our respective lodges.

At that point, I sign up for a week's worth of Internet at the hotel. The hotel speed is grossly over prices and incredibly slow. I do some email processing, some feeds, etc and then I think we go out to dinner, just the two of us, at a nice place.

Anyway, I learned that day - that shopping in Israel also makes me feel ill.

Posted at 1:18 PM | Permalink | Category: Family , Food , Shopping , Travels | Comments (7)

Is it rude to blog while in an in person meeting?

Anyway, I just invited like a 100 people to NotchUp, a new beta job site. The difference? Well, you get paid by companies who are interested in you. They pay you, just to interview you. No strings attached...

Want an invite? Comment below with your email, name, etc.

Posted at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (25)

Saturday night, my wife convinced me to drive her to a mall so she can return something and buy something else. After a bit of a struggle, I caved and drove her.

We enter the store and conveniently there are two large chairs to sit on. One of the seats was occupied by a man using his iPhone. I smiled, sat down, took out my iPhone and began replying to some emails, checking RSS and then even some YouTube videos.

The man left, after his wife made her purchase. I remained, waiting for my wife. I continued my iPhone usage, until this other man came and sat down in the open chair. He said hello, so of course I responded with a hello. But then he began making conversation. I responded kindly, but tried to make sure he noticed that I was on my iPhone. He didn't stop. I know where he was from, how often he goes shopping, recent parties he went to and a bit more. Then his wife came over and signaled she was done --- yippeee! He got up, said goodbye, and left.

Now, am I wrong here? It seemed like the previous guy got it right. When men are waiting for their wives as they shop, they do not need to converse. God invented iPhones for that reason. :)

Here is a poll on the topic, let me know your thoughts...

Posted at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping , iPhone | Comments (5)

Let me tell you something, Costco makes it so hard to buy from them.

I have a business account, where I signed up my brother and business partner to the account at Costco. My wife now wants access, so I tried to renew with her name as an additional card holder via mail. That didn't work.

So I had my wife go in and try to make the change of information to the account and that failed. So then I went in to Costco myself to add myself and my wife to the business account. That failed also.

Why?

They told me that Ronnie, the person on the account, has to write a letter giving me access to add additional card holders. I told them that I pay the bills and not Ronnie. In fact, I have the credit card on file with the account with me now and it has my name on it, not Ronnie. They wouldn't budge. They said they need a letter from Ronnie on company letterhead.

I argued a bit more but it didn't help.

So no Costco for me yet.

Update: Just called Costco's office and they added us. They asked for Ronnie's birthday, I told it to them. Now I will get the new cards in the mail within 7 days and we are set. Wonder why they didn't need company letterhead this time? :)

Posted at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (1)

Today is the day called "Black Friday."

It is the day after Thanksgiving. It is typically the busiest shopping day of the year. Where stores have great deals and people buy presents for the upcoming holidays.

I never went shopping on Black Friday. I don't think I ever will?

Why?

(1) I hate shopping, hate it!
(2) I work on Black Friday.
(3) Wake up at 3am to get to stores by 4am? Kidding me?
(4) Crazy lines, crazy customers, crazy traffic.
(5) Do they really have great deals? Deals you can't find at deal sites throughout the year? No tax? No shipping? Crazy coupons? Buy as an affiliate? etc.

So I don't shop on Black Friday. Do you? Am I wrong on the deals?

Posted at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (3)

Like clothing or buying stuff? Not me. But if you do...

Here is 30% off Ralph Lauren and Rugby Stores and RalphLauren.com between Tuesday, November 20 - Monday, December 10. Just enter promotional code HOL2007 at checkout when shopping online, or present this e-mail to receive your discount in stores.

Posted at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (1)

A gift to those who may want a Ralph Lauren coupon:

Posted at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (0)

Well, I have pre-ordered the Pleo.

No idea when it will come. I am in no rush. But when it gets here, I will be excited.

What the heck is a Pleo? Well, I blogged about it several times in the past. But in short...

Pleo is a robotic dinosaur, made for all ages, designed to emulate the appearance and behavior of a week-old baby Camarasaurus. It was designed by Caleb Chung, the co-creator of the Furby, and manufactured by Ugobe. Chung selected this species of dinosaur because its body shape, stocky head, and relatively large cranium made it ideal for concealing the sensors and motors needed for lifelike animation. According to Ugobe, each Pleo will "learn" from its experiences and environment through artificial intelligence and develop an individual personality.

Maybe we will code it to run after our programmers who have been slacking off. I hear it has an API. :-)

Posted at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Category: Just Interesting , RustyBrick , Shopping | Comments (6)

I have been doing some heavy duty purchasing this week.

Along with the heavy duty purchases come serial numbers and rebates.

Sometimes, finding those serial numbers can be a huge pain. It is even more of a pain when the box is missing the serial numbers and you need to find the number on the item you just purchased.

So yesterday, I get an oven and I probably spent 15 minutes in total looking for the serial number. No where to be found. I found the serial numbers on all the other appliances, but not on the oven.

I did some research, and I am told it is on the side of the inner part of the door. We will see, I still need to go back and verify that. I am 99% sure I looked there, but it is possible I missed it.

Why do they make those numbers so hard to find?

(1) Because you rarely need them.
(2) Because if you do need them, they will cost the manufacturer money (problems with it or rebates).
(3) Because if they were smack in the middle of the item, it would look bad.

Posted at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (0)

It has been a while since I posted a great deal. But this is a great deal. A bluetooth headset for $4.99.

How do you get this deal?

(1) Go to at Buy.com (yes my aff link)

(2) Use Google Checkout, you have to be a new Google Checkout user. So I signed up under my personal account, and did it that way.

(3) You get $10 off the $14.99 price. With no tax and free shipping, it comes out to $4.99.

I ordered one for my wife. The reviews are OK, but we will see. $5, can't go wrong.

Posted at 9:40 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (2)

I am a big fan of the Logitech VX revolutions mouse, as I said here and here.

My only one issue is that it is kinda smaller, since it is made for mobile computers.

My brother purchased the MX version, which is the full size and it rocks. So I have been waiting for a good deal, and today is that day.

DealNews has the deal:

newegg.com offers the Logitech MX Revolution Cordless Laser Mouse, model no. 931689-0403, for $79.99. This $40 mail-in rebate and coupon code "EMC517FLOGI" (for $5 off) cut it to $34.99. With free shipping, that's the lowest total price we've seen.

I purchased it from NewEgg.com just an hour ago. Not sure what I will do with this mouse now. :)

Posted at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Category: Computers , Shopping | Comments (0)

I have been having issues using my rewards from my credit card companies. Some of you know I have been having problems reaping the rewards or getting discounts on flights with my two cards.

My pimp mile guy emailed me an article from SmartMoney.com named The Rewards Programs With the Most Bang for Your Buck.

In short, they go through a handful of rewards cards including the two I have (AMEX and Citi Elite).

In our number crunching, Citibank's Thank You Network came out ahead, with the highest per-point values in three of the five categories, and fair values in the other two. If you tend to go for a certain kind of reward, says Bilker, check out how your credit-card program stacks up against the competition. Applying for a new card? Before you sign up, ask the issuer to send you a copy of its latest rewards catalog.

OK, so I picked the right one. The AMEX card seems to have a great airline program. However, "they're next to impossible to redeem." "Because the airlines are so full [with paying customers], they don't want to give away those reward seats," says Tom Parsons.

Last night I signed up with Regus program on my AMEX. I will be in Chicago this weekend and I want to have a place I can go to work with high-speed internet and quiet. Hopefully it will work.

Posted at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping , Travels | Comments (0)

I feel ripped off! I feel like AMEX is ripping me off again and I feel like the Citi Card I just got for the purpose of the companion fare for my flights is also ripping me off! Note this was based on my buddy's recommendation - big thanks! ;-)

I feel ripped off!

So I am booking some flights for my June journey, specifically for the SMX Seattle event and I got nothing! I am taking Tamar with me, to help with the coverage. This is the perfect opportunity for a companion ticket.

It mets all the criteria AMEX and Citi Card set forth. The tickets are $299 or more. They are domestic. I, the card holder, is flying. Etc.

I first call AMEX travel. I am redirected to the special companion fare booking team. I give them the preferred flights I want to go on. They first hang up on me after me holding for about 15 minutes (no worries, I did two blog entries in that time). I call back, then learn that that flight is blacked out for those times... The only possible alternative is for me to leave the next day at 9am and land at 5pm - what! miss a whole day! Not going to happen.

I call Citi Card travel. They are quick to respond, which is nice. But the flight to Seattle is not eligible since there is a flight with several top overs that is less than $299. Of course I asked, but I want a direct flight and there are no direct flights for less than $299. He said, you are right, but the requirements are for any flight, no matter stop overs. Good bye!

I tried everything I could think of.

So I feel ripped off!

I booked the two tickets on AMEX's web site for full fare.

I feel ripped off.

Posted at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Category: Shopping , Travels | Comments (9)

I hate shopping but some people don't. I am very happy with my selection of clothing in my closet, but some people aren't happy. In any event...

A family member, not going to mention names for privacy reasons, sent me a coupon that I can put on here. You can save 30% on orders at Polo.com with the code RL2007SP. It can be used on both full price and sale items. So go nuts!

Posted at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (0)

(1) I am a boss, I know, I really am - weird.
(2) I am a geek, or at least a geek wanna be.

What is a great present for me, especially since tomorrow is my birthday? A USB Missile Launcher!

Yea, I love geek stuff, and this is one of those things. And it would be great to shoot missiles at my workers, knowing that it won't hurt them. The only problem is that I am in my own office and the employees are in another office. So maybe, if I can operate this missile launcher remotely and shot them from my office, maybe that will work?

The USB Missile Launcher allows you to shoot foam missiles from the comfort of your desk. Cheesy co-workers are no longer safe from your assaults.

Tilt, rotate, and fire your USB Missile Launcher using only your keyboard. Included software features sound effects. Mute them for your stealth operations.

Ah, got to love it! Thank Judah for the link!

Posted at 5:26 PM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (10)

Last week it was Starbucks and now it is Dunkin Donuts giving out the free coffee.

Dunkin is running a promo today where they are giving away a free 16 oz ice coffee today, March 21st.

So make sure to get your coffee. My wife did already.

Posted at 9:27 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (1)

Do you like coffee? I don't. Do you like Starbucks? Well, I don't like coffee.

From starbucks.com.

Posted at 9:47 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (7)

Before I got married, I did not spend much on my credit card. But that has all changed. Being married now for about 10 months, I have decided to start earning "points" on my credit card. I currently use a Quicken CitiCard (which was at risk), so I added points to it shortly after I got married.

After getting married and moving to a new community, I met this guy who I have become friendly with. His name is actually Barry S. also, but we are not related... This guy is a mile and credit card rewards guru. He gave me tons of tips, all of which I could not remember. I finally convinced him to start a blog, which I am hosting for him. The name of the blog is The Miles Pimp, yea the domain http://www.milespimp.com/ was available, so I told him to snag it.

Today he posted about a really good rewards card from Citi Cards. It is named the Citi PremierPass® Card - Elite Level. This card it chock full of unbelievable awards, according to the Miles Pimp (love that name)...

• You get 15,000 points right after you make your first purchase
• Get a free ticket companion ticket for each "round-trip Coach Class excursion-fare ticket with your card for $299"
• Earn double points for every dollar spent at "supermarkets, drugstores, gas stations, commuter transportation and parking merchants"
• Earn 1 point for every dollar spent anywhere else
• 1 point for every mile you fly on any airline plus for anyone else who flies with a ticket you bought on that credit card
• No Blackout Dates
• and tons of other features and services

This card actually seems a heck of a lot better than my Platinum American Express Business Card. But for now, I have way too many points on the AMEX to switch over. I'll switch over to this just for my personal card.

I am so happy my friend started this blog, imo, it is worth subscribing to.

More details on the Citi card here and make sure to check out The Miles Pimp and say hello.

Posted at 3:07 PM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (2)

Diamond Vues points to a Binary Wedding Band from GreenKarat.com.

The ring in the picture reads "A Marriage of Values."

But you can have almost any message you want on your ring, well - in Binary.

I would wear one of these puppies, just like I would wear the anniversary reminding ring.

But honestly, I would prefer the binary ring, if I had to wear a ring. Which I do not.

Funny, because I just came back from the bank. The banker asked me if I was married. I said yes. He asked, you don't wear a ring? I said, correct.

Posted at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Category: Family , Just Interesting , Shopping | Comments (2)

I have been blabbering about how much I like my mouse.

Yesterday, I wrote about the battery life cycle of the VX and I was happy with it.

A month or so ago I wrote My New Mouse Rocks - The Logitech VX.

Some commented that it was a bit expensive, I of course agreed and told them to wait for a sale.

Well, Buy.com is having a sale today on the .

Only $34.95 after this $20 rebate.

Hawaii SEO, no more excuses!

Posted at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Category: Computers , Shopping | Comments (1)

I have been posting less deals, but I ran into this TV deal, for a sweet looking 32 inch HDTV that is only $499 after rebates, including shipping. The with this $150 rebate and free shipping, seems too good to be true.

Deal is, I couldnt find any reviews on it.

Anyone know of any reviews?

Posted at 12:53 PM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (3)

Dad, I know you are looking for a GPS unit. Garmin's are pretty good. This one is on sale now at Buy.com, I honestly do not know if it is a good deal...

It is named the .

Full details:

The reviews are all solid. It doesn't have bluetooth phone integration, which isn't great.

Posted at 9:17 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (1)

Buy.com has two free deals today on small bits of memory.

You can get a free SD Card and a free Flash Drive.

The flash drive is the . Here are the details:

The SD Card is Connect 3D 1GB Secure Digital Card - C3D 4203, I don't have a aff URL for it, but it is still a good deal - being free and all.

Posted at 9:12 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (1)

Wow, it has been a while since I last posted a good deal I found. I spotted a great deal, FREE, on a Kingston 512MB USB drive at buy.com. It cost $27, no shipping, but you get a $27 rebate back and it is free.

You know what they say, you can never have enough of these USB drive (well, I don't say it. So pick up your free when you can. :)

Posted at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (0)

The Wall Street Journal reviewed the DVR options. Go with a TiVO or opt for the DVR from the cable company.

After reading his review, I am confident over my decision to go with the HD DVR from Cable Vision, because they only have one flaw, the UI. But the flaws discussed in his article about the Comcast DVR, well, that is some bad stuff.

It is funny, because Buy.com is having a sale on . It is very expensive still, about $650 from Buy.com, not including the monthly fee from TiVO of about $20 per month. Heck, all I pay from Cable Vision is $9.95/month for the DVR service, the box was free.

So what to do? That depends on you.

The Wall Street Journal says;

But, for now, the choice is tough. The Comcast high-definition DVR is a cheaper, but flawed product and the TiVo Series3 is an excellent, but overpriced one.

One feature I wish I had was the ability to program recording via the Internet. But it is not worth $700 and $20 per month.

Supposedly my new TV, , is suppose to come today, I hope so. FedEX just changed the ETA to January 2nd, but it says it is on the truck for delivery -- who knows...

Posted at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (4)

I am told this is the last day that Google is offering the $20 Google Checkout instant savings on orders at . So here are some deals I spotted today, again you can vote if you want me to post deals or not at the bottom of this page, all links are through affiliate tracking URLs. I would have posted this earlier, but CJ wouldn't give me the content until now...

The does something, not sure what, but it is currently free.

I own the and spent over $700 for it, now it is $500! Only issues are the remote sucks (no universal remote support) and no HDMI support. But very cheap and be careful with the rebate!

My bedroom TV broke so today I splurged on a new TV, like the NIKO but supports HDMI. I got the for just under $600 with a $20 Google Checkout and a $150 rebate form. I am excited to get it!

Oh and if you are looking for earphones these seem to be a good deal, .

I think the $20 Google Checkout stuff expires today, sorry for late notice, but jump over to and take advantage of it while it lasts. We know Google is paying the bill, around $20 million...

Posted at 9:09 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (0)

The first product I spotted on Buy.com was for a personal firewall, not sure how this thing works, all I know is that this one is not supported on Mac. If you run Window it works and it is free after rebates and Google Checkout. It is the and after this $20 rebate and $10 instant savings with Google Checkout, it is free.

The second product, I already purchased from Buy.com last week for $20. It is now only $12.99, so I wasted $7. You can get the after a $50 rebate and $20 Google Checkout instant savings.

Side note: I made 15 different purchases on Buy.com through Google Checkout yesterday. 10 of the same LCD monitors and 5 video cards. I made 15 different purchases to get the Google Checkout discount each time, saving me well over $300. Google Checkout is quick, so it only took about 10 minutes for everything.

Posted at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (0)

Woot.com's deal of the day is the iRobot Roomba Sage with Convenience Pack for only $139.99 plus $5 shipping. I bought the wet brother of the Roomba, Scooba 5900 off of Woot and I have been happy, check it out in action. My brother bought the Roomba for about $150 without the "convenience pack." I know he loves it.

Heck, my cute niece loves it too.

So get yours at Woot.com, it is only good while supplies last and it won't be there tomorrow.

Posted at 8:49 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (2)

Here is an other great deal at Buy.com today, the . After a $20 mail-in rebate form and a $10 Google checkout instant rebate the Kensington PilotMouse Optical Wireless is free.

I like free things, don't you?

Posted at 9:28 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (4)

I was checking out some of Buy.com's great deals today and spotted a .

My company is probably the perfect example of a paperless office. Everything we do here requires no paper on a day to day basis. Why? Because we have built our own internal systems to track, automate and electronically document our work, while in our work-flow.

But even though, I still have the need to make photocopies of some things. Such as legal documents, tax stuff and sometimes even product rebate forms. :) I currently use a scanner device that is hooked up to one of the PCs. I rarely use it because (1) it is a pain to use and (2) I rarely have a need for it.

I think I may buy this puppy because it is small and a self-contained copier and it is only $5 after the $20 Google Checkout discount.

My only worry is that is looks really cheap and there are no customer reviews on Buy.com. Amazon has two five star reviews, but only two reviews... But for $5, I guess it is worth a try. Heck, they make great cameras.

Posted at 9:20 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (0)

I have been eyeing this travel router from Linksys for a while now, I think this is the best price I have seen it at ever. Buy.com originally sells it for $89.97, and with a $50 mail-in-rebate and $20 off for using Google Checkout, the router costs you at the end of the day only $19.97.

Wife, hint hint, Chanukah... ;-) The looks like a nice present, if all the rebates are taken care of and if Google Checkout is used...

This specifically will come in handy for my trip to Israel, where my Treo's Verizon Wireless broadband connection won't work. But the hotel's internet better work.

Posted at 9:27 AM | Permalink | Category: Computers , Shopping | Comments (0)

Yesterday, I told you about a 2GB SD Card for $10. Today, Buy.com has a 1GB card for free, after rebates.

The is $50, take off an instant $20 for the Google Checkout bit and then use two rebates, one for $20 and the other for $10 and this 1GB SD card is free.

I think I may also buy this one, it is free.

Posted at 9:34 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (0)

If you missed out on Google's 2005 Holiday Gift you can get something very similar for $5 at Buy.com. The has a ton of mobile gadgets you may need on the go, i.e. search conferences, such as:

• Miny Mouse
• USB Hub
• USB extenders
• Headphones
• and other things I can't describe

With a Google checkout payment and this $25 mail-in rebate, the thing costs $5. That is a good deal.

Posted at 9:29 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (1)

I often track good deals at Buy.com and some other merchants, so I figured I share some with you, and at the same time use my aff ID (if that is cool). The first deal is a 1GB USB Flash drive for $0 after rebates and using Google Checkout. Buy.com and Google Checkout, is the best thing that happened to me...

Learn more about the .

The next one is a 2GB Kingston SD card, I actually bought this myself last night. For $10 after an instant $20 Google Checkout rebate (you must use Google Checkout when ordering) and then a mail in rebate of $26, it comes out to be $9.99 for a 2GB SD card. I think that is the best price I have seen on an SD card that size.

Learn more about the .

Please let me know if you want me to post more deals like this or not, here is a poll.

Posted at 7:09 AM | Permalink | Category: Computers , Polls , Shopping | Comments (1)

Is it weird that I want this new shirt named the T-Qualizer Shirt? Basically, it is a t-shirt that has these vertical bars that go up and down and change color to the music. There are YouTube videos of it in action to the music here.

ThinkGeek is selling them so they have to be for the uber geek.

Product Features:

• EL Lit Glowing Equalizer animates to ambient noise or music
• Battery Pack fits in small interior pocket inside shirt
• Each Equalizer bar reacts differently depending on sound frequency
• 4 AAA Batteries Required
• Battery pack is removable, shirt must be hand washed

Only $40!

Posted at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Category: Just Weird , Shopping | Comments (9)

Would you believe that I have never made an Amazon wish list before? Well, I haven't.

The other day, someone asked me for my Amazon wish list and I told her I don't have one.

So last night, I created one and linked to it from the about me page.

It is on the header line, it is the icon that looks like .

So there it is, My Amazon Wish List. Don't worry, I'll fill it up.

Posted at 7:25 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (5)

I am not a huge fan of wearing accessories, i.e. rings, watches, hair styles, designer cloths, sweat bands, etc. But one accessory I would wear is this high tech Anniversary Ring. Judah at Diamond Vues reports via Gizmodo that this ring heats up to 120 degrees fahrenheit for "10 seconds, every hour, on the hour, beginning 24 hours before" your anniversary date.

Not only is it stylish, but it is also extremely functional - making it a geek's dream ring.

Posted at 1:56 PM | Permalink | Category: Family , Shopping | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (1)

We were in Target today, in St. Louis and I thought I get my wife a Sukkot present (we normally don't give presents for Sukkot). I spotted these leopard skinned, furry and friendly slippers. So I made her buy them for herself.

Here they are:

Snazzy, don't ya think? :-)

Posted at 7:07 PM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (1)

When you order something online, they most likely ship it to you via UPS. Sometimes they ship it to you via USPS, the good old government postal service. Now, I have no problems with the service - really. I do have problems with their online tracking system.

Typically I will get the shipment before anything shows up on the track and confirm page at USPS.gov. If at best, I would get a notice that it has been shipped out the day it arrives at my office.

But today, we got a package, that was already marked as delivered, yesterday at 8am in the morning. Ahem, we got it today at 11am. It said, yesterday, that we got it yesterday at 8am.

I just don't understand that one. Maybe it was delivered to the local post office? Who knows...

Posted at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping , Web Development | Comments (31)

Some of you know how much I love going shopping at physical stores - or not! Today we went to the mall, while Yisha was in Banana Republic, I sat on my favorite bench outside of the store, and listened to the August 18th edition of the Daily Search Cast.

Nope, I did not pre-download it on my Treo. I streamed it directly from the MP3 file source. No choppiness at all, pure, sweet, uninterrupted, search news.

I just love technology.

Who knows, maybe I'll become a shopping maven. Hmmmm.... Maybe not...

Posted at 8:20 PM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (3)

Sticky, greasy, or grimy fingers messing up your nice new keyboard? Well, this new keyboard may be the answer for you. has the product for sale (yea that is my affiliate link). Basically, this product projects a keyboard on a flat surface, it then detects where your fingers are pressing on that keyboard. This way, you only muck up your desk or flat surface (disposal table cloth?).

I can't imagine this device working too well. I mean, it can't detect the pressure from your finger... How does it know if you are shifting your fingers from the t key to the r key, versus an actual press of those keys?

It makes all the noises a normal keyboard would make, when you tap. I assume it may get some time to get used to. Heck, if it was $50 I would buy it to test it out, but at its current price, I don't think I would go for it.

Pretty geeky if you ask me...

Posted at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Category: Computers , Shopping | Comments (1)

Yea, I thought we were almost done but then we came back to my in-laws this week, unplanned, and found more items that need to be brought back to New York or returned. So that means we need to dig out some more sometime over the next week or so.

I am just not sure how we are going to bring all this stuff back. But to be honest, I haven't even looked at the stuff here - so I'll let my wife worry about it for now.

Back to the daily grind tomorrow, normalcy.

Posted at 9:49 AM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (0)

After a long five hours of digging we have finally put most of everything away. This is what remains.

- Items to return placed in wife's car for whenever....hopefully I won't have to go to the store
- Items in a bedroom waiting to be put in closet
- Boxes by door, ready to be thrown in a dumpster

So, I figure within another 7 to 14 days, everything should be nicely put away.

Now, we need to go out and get a new dresser or two. We had some issues with the ones we brought over from a previous home. :)

Posted at 5:38 PM | Permalink | Category: Homey , Shopping | Comments (2)

Last night, my wife and I came how from work about the same time, and she asked me if I wanted to return some of the items we got from our gift registry to Crate & Barrel. I immediately said OK, but then I thought, um, is this just returning? I wanted to spend the time with Yisha but I didn't want to shop. Anyway, I went.

Part of the deal was that I can pick up food from a place I like to eat at, in that area. So we went there first, she drove from the restaurant while I ate the chicken. I ate it with my fingers and made a mess in the car, but the food was well worth it.

Anyway, we arrived at Crate & Barrel and walked in to return things. Took about 15 minutes or so to return everything, we got store credit. I personally do not like store credit, because that means there is a reason to go back to the store. Guess what? We decided to browse the store while we were there. We found a few things and then marched towards the register. On the way, my wife asked a lady for suggestions for something. She recommended we go to Ikea -- eeek!!!

We pay, pull out of the store and go to Ikea. Now, I don't know if you guys have ever been to an Ikea. If you go in, it will take you at least 30 minutes to get out. They force you to walk through almost every department, oh yea, they have shortcuts but ...

Anyway, I really hate shopping in stores. Thank god for the internet!

Posted at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Category: Shopping | Comments (4)