What A Slacker!

Protect Your Kids on the Net

Add comment February 19th, 2010 11:37pm whataslacker

Viruses aren’t the only dangers on the internet these days. If you let your kids use the computer, you not only need to worry about what their seeing and what sites they are visiting, but also online predators and bullies. So what is a parent to do, especially when most parents can’t do much more than turn the PC on and check there email let alone follow along on facebook or Twitter?

That’s where Internet Safety Software like Spector Pro comes in handy. It can allow you to easily see every step your child takes out into the World Wide Web by taking snapshots of the sites the visit. It actually records their every move allowing you to sit back a watch a video preview of their PC activities.

If you have kids on the web you’ll want to check out Spector Pro and everything it can do to protect your children while on the net.

Deadly Fight with PC Virus

Add comment February 19th, 2010 11:08pm whataslacker

A little while back I wound up with a really nasty virus on my computer. I was not only afraid my new laptop would crash and burn on me, but also that my personal information and credit cards were all open to any hacker who wanted them.

My PC is protected by anti-virus software that is supposed to also watch out for spyware or malware so how in the world did my computer wind up getting infected?

I scoured the web searching high and low for help in removing this rather nasty bug from my system. Turned out it was a Trojan and I needed trojan horse remover to get rid of it. I had to take my computer off to the doctor to get it all better. The guy who worked on it told me about CyberDefender, wish I had known about them before hand. But as they say, “hindsight is 20/20”.

If you don’t have good protection on your PC, get some now.

Sponsored by CyberDefender.

Trek for Gold

Add comment February 19th, 2010 10:41pm whataslacker

Collecting gold coins is not only a fun hobby but a great investment too. You can share the fun of buying gold coins with the whole family.

Check out Goldline.com for some very interesting facts about gold coins as well as informative price quotes on the current value of your gold collection.

If only I had collected gold coins instead of Star Trek action figures my collection could actually be worth something now instead of just sitting in my storage locker taking up room and costing me money. Sadly I know more about Star Trek than I do about trading gold. Thank goodness for Goldline International and their very informative site. Now I will have some knowledge should I decide to change those Trek toys into gold, literally.

Sponsored by Goldline International

Thinking of Putting Our House on the Market

Add comment February 15th, 2010 09:04pm whataslacker

We have been thinking about selling our home and moving into a new single family home, but all the things involved with selling a house can be very intimidating. Just looking for a realtor is confusing and a bit scary. Everyone and their brother will be glad to give you pointers whether you want them or not.

So far one of the best pieces of advice we have been given is about interviewing Realtors. Finding the right Realtor will only be the beginning though.

Figuring out things like what the Closing Cost will be and who pays for what is more than confusing! Apparently here in Reading there is a 2.5% closing cost on both sides. That’s right 2.5% for the buyer and 2.5% for the seller. However, that is not the only local regulation we will have to deal with. We still have much more research to do, but there is some kind of city inspection involved too. That’s on top of having a Pest Inspector come through and make sure the house isn’t falling apart from termites or infested with some other nasty beasty.

Do we offer the buyers a New Home Warranty to help sell the house? Or just leave it up to them to buy it themselves? Will it help us sell the house or not?

As you can see I have a ton a questions and a ton of research ahead of me. Thank god for the internet and the wealth of information to be found on it.

Peeps Hit the Stores

Add comment February 14th, 2010 09:39pm whataslacker

While Valentine’s Day has hardly come and gone Easter is hitting the shelves of the stores already. Target had PEEPS on the shelves Saturday when I stopped in to pick up a few goodies. I love Peeps. I especially love the Peep Shows that the Washington Post has every year. I just wish they would open it up to more than DC and the surrounding areas. I reall, really want to enter. Guess I could make my own…and maybe even have my own contest too….hmmmm. That’s what I am going to.

Okay, everybody get to working on your Peeps dioramas contest information will be coming soon…for now get some ideas brewing in your heads. At least in my contest you won’t have to deliver anything but a photo of your diorama to me.

Here are some of my favorite dioramas from the 2009 Peep Show III.

Vacation Suggestion: San Diego, CA

Add comment February 14th, 2010 05:53pm whataslacker

Valentine’s Day is almost over but if you are in California you still have a few hours to go take a Valentines Day Cruise San Diego. San Diego is quite a beautiful city. If you have never been you really should go some time.

It is a very romantic town. I think it would be a great place for a wedding. Yes, San Diego Weddings could be very romantic indeed. You could combine your wedding and honeymoon into one sweet trip. Heck, you could even do a San Diego Cruise Wedding. Having a ceremony out on a boat off the coast of California, especially at sunset, what could be more romantic?

Perhaps Valentine’s Day just has me in a lovey, romantic mood and that’s why all the talk of weddings. You don’t have to be getting married to enjoy a cruise in San Diego. You could go whale watching or enjoy a dinner cruise along the coast of southern California. You could just go out and party on what my sister calls a booze cruise for some fun. She took one of the dinner/party cruises when she lived in San Diego with her husband who was in the Navy at the time. Our Aunt and Uncle went out to visit her while he was on his ship and they took one of the cruises and had so much fun that they still talk about it to this very day.

iammaiwhoami

Add comment February 14th, 2010 04:37pm whataslacker

Check out: iamamiwhoami

You can also find the link in my sidebar on all pages.

Starting a Business: Credit Card Processing

Add comment February 14th, 2010 03:10pm whataslacker

It might seem like one of the scariest parts of starting an online business can be figuring out credit card processing and how to implement that into your online shopping cart. Just the costs alone can be frightening, but it does not need to be that way.

Surprisingly online credit card processing is a very simple thing to set up and start using, while the hardest part may be in finding the right shopping cart that will work with your credit card processor and not force you into using the one they have teamed with. The processor they have chosen to partner with may not be the best fit for your company.

A lot of the people I know with online stores don’t always have a physical retail store, but that doesn’t stop them from selling in offline forums like craft shows or expos. Just because they are not doing business online doesn’t mean they have to become a cash only store when on the road. There are great options for wireless credit card processing that lets you take your store accounts with you wherever you go. For people just starting out wireless processing can be a bit expensive, but don’t think you can’t do it. There is always the DialPay or telephone option. And who doesn’t have access to a cell phone these days?

No matter what type of card processing you need, you should have no problem figuring it all out with a little research. Good luck with your new venture.

Shopping for Inexpensive Eyewear

Add comment February 14th, 2010 02:23pm whataslacker

I have often seen (and have even written about) the great prices oneyeglasses you can get from Zenni Optical, but until I recently read the article, “Cheap eyeglasses are a reality. Check out Eric’s review of Zenni Optical” over at Examiner.com I hadn’t really given buying my glasses from them more than a second thought. Now I have not only given them a second thought I have been spending time on their site shopping for both my daily eye wear and my next pair of sunglasses. I haven’t had a pair of sunglasses since my car accident over two years ago.

I do have to have a new eye exam, which will most likely be the most expensive part of getting new glasses since deciding to use Zenni Optical for my eyeglasses. So finally I will have a new pair of sunglasses in the correct prescription so I can not only protect my eyes from harmful UV rays this summer but I will be able to see while driving in all this winter sun glare on the roads.

So once I have my prescription (and my pupilary distance – you’ll need this to place your order with Zenni Optical), I will be getting my new eyeglasses & prescription sunglasses in a few short weeks. Yes that is longer than it would take me to get them through somewhere like Target Optical, but with Zenni Optical I will get my quality glasses a whole lot cheaper!

Comcast Cable Sucks Here’s Why - Part 7: FEARnet

Add comment February 13th, 2010 11:00am whataslacker

Well I have pretty much already beat this to death, but I feel it needs repeating. FEARnet is the only horror channel on comcast and quite frankly it is the worst one out there. Come on comcast give us something better please.

Oh, you can ask for channels but they never add them so why bother?

Additional reasons that FEARnet and Comcast suck can be found here:

• FEARnet on demand video sucks

• FEARnet Sucks Part II

Comcast Cable Sucks Here’s Why - Part 6: The Crappy Customer Service

Add comment February 13th, 2010 08:43am whataslacker

Well if you have been reading my blog for any amount of time you know I have an ongoing issue with Comcast Cable and their crappy service. This time it is their customer service. I have already pointed out their enormous cost before so let me just tell you how shocked I was by my bill once my triple play pricing special ran out. So I grabbed a phone and gave them a call. I was put on hold then disconnected. Okay, so I call back this time I get some one who says they are going to look into it for me. Again I am put on hold and the call is disconnected! At this point my frustration has turned to anger so I decide I am going to wait a few days and call back.

A couple of days go by and I try calling again. This time I get some one who seems eager to help and isn’t hanging up on me. He supposedly tries to  change my plans to reduce my costs, but every time he does his computer crashes. He reboots twice before telling me to call back again.

Well their ploy worked. I gave up trying and I continue to pay them way too much money all because I could not get any customer service.

Their commercials talk about how wonderful they are and how if they don’t fix something on the first call they’ll give you $20. Wonder if that guarantee works when you cannot get satisfaction from their call center?

Power of Copper

Add comment February 12th, 2010 11:43pm whataslacker

Way back when I was a kid in the 70s copper bracelets were all the rage. Fashion, like history, always seems to repeat itself. That is not always a bad thing. The good old copper bracelet is a good example of that. It seems like everyone is sporting a bangle or a cuff made of copper these days.

Besides being fashionable there are supposed health benefits to wearing a copper bracelet too. Not that it has miraculous healing powers or anything but it is thought to reduce pain and inflammation from arthritis by absorbing the copper through the skin.

Copper Bracelet Arthritis pain relief is not just another urban legend. Studies show that people can actual get more copper in there system via a bracelet than dietary supplements. Kind of cool isn’t it?

If you are looking for some very fashionable copper bracelets check out BillyTheTree.com, they have some really nice bracelets at great prices and with free shipping.

Why Go Without Health Insurance

Add comment February 12th, 2010 09:50pm whataslacker

I was just reading about how about half of the country’s uninsured people actually choose to be uninsured not because they can’t afford it but rather they just don’t feel they need health insurance. Can you believe that? Even if you are young and healthy you still need insurance for the simple fact that you never know what lies ahead for you.

California Tonik Health Insurance was designed to address that very demographic.

Having health insurance was always something that was drilled into me by my parents. I could never have imagined being without it even when I was in my 20s.

Sponsored by TonikCalifornia.org