Life in (near) Philly...

Cult Movies from the 80's!

2008-04-23T18:08:00.002-04:00

Cult films - who doesn't love them? I'm going to give an affiliated site some link love tonight - do me a favor and visit 80'sCultMovieSource.com and take the poll on the homepage...

As if movies of the 80's aren't cool enough...the fact that these flicks have a unique subculture devoted to them makes the idea even more extraordinary. Obviously not all 80's films qualify...but my favorties are defintiely 'This is Spinal Tap' and 'Caddyshack'...

Cult Films and Movies of the 80's

2008-04-17T20:29:00.006-04:00

I've been on an cult films kick lately. Specifically, 80's films which are classified as cult classic movies have been intriguing me. Gremlins was on tv about two weeks ago which reminded me how awesome (yet horrible) some of these movies can be! The plots tend to be 'out there', and the special effects are even more outrageous when compared to modern technology.

Don't get me wrong - I love cult films. I think some of the best cult movies are cult movies of the 80's.

Caddyshack is another one of the 80's films that did sub-par at the box offices and somehow still ended up being popular. Ty Webb, Spackler, the gopher and all the shenanigans at the Bushwood country club are all the ingredients of a classic. Great stuff.

This is Spinal Tap and Fast Times at Ridgemont High are next on my list of must-see movies.

Now That's Customer Service!

2008-04-14T19:45:00.002-04:00

So last week I bought a box of Pop Secret Buttered Popcorn only to find that there was no butter on it. Wtf!? So I went online to General Mills' website and found the appropriate form to write a complaint about a product. I explained the issue and provided my contact information.

I expected to get a half-assed response with some lame excuse for why my popcorn didn't have butter. To my surprise, only three or four days later I received a letter in the mail from General Mills with two coupons for free popcorn wherever Pop Secret is sold.

Sweet.

Difference of Opinion

2008-04-08T19:20:00.003-04:00

So I was heading home tonight, following a Ford Explorer on a somewhat narrow road. I was beginning to get nervous because the driver was hugging the edge of the road to the point where the tires were hanging partially off the edge. At first I was sure something was wrong and that he was going to run off the road...but he seemed to hug the turns and keep it just on the brink of tipping. I noticed this behavior in the first place due to the large space between the center yellow lines and the left side of the car -this looked kind of awkward since I could see straight in front of him as if he wasn't even there.

It was at that point I drove past a tractor trailer (my windows and sunroof were open) and felt the air pressure change which startled me a bit. I tend to drive close to the center line...so the truck effected my car differently than the explorer.

I guess everyone has their own way of doing things, each with their own pros and cons...it is especially eye opening when noticing these differences in a situation where it is least expected. Who knew the evening commute could be so philosophical?

Hello Again!

2008-04-05T15:51:00.002-04:00

Well, Hello!

I apologize for going almost a whole week with no posts, but I have been abnormally busy. Things see to be calming down for the moment so hopefully I'll have a little more time going forward...

I was thinking back to elementary school (maybe fourth or fifth grade?) when I was given a writing assignment for English class. We were required to type up the paper, but only after handing in a series of hand written drafts to the teacher. After perfecting the drafts we had to type it up and print the final paper...that was one of the last times I have ever started a paper with a hand written copy. I suppose those were still the early years, relatively speaking, of affordable personal computers considering it was sometime in the early 1990's. We've come a long way, huh?

LA Police Gear

2008-03-30T19:57:00.002-04:00

Are you a police officer? Are you aspiring to be an officer of the law? If you answered yes to either of those questions, you will definitely need tactical gear relating to your line of duty. LAPoliceGear.com has a great selection of specialized items - everything from footwear to backpacks to flashlights can be found by following the link above. For a limited time they are even offering a free shipping/free gift promotion! Worth a look…

Brought to you by www.lapolicegear.com

Ad Blockers

2008-03-25T22:53:00.004-04:00

I had a brief discussion earlier tonight about Ad Blocker software. Ad Blocker Pro is probably the most popular product on the market to block online advertisements. Most people see banner ads as a huge nuisance...however what these people don't realize is that at least some sort of website monatization is necessary to keep free content available on the Internet.

It costs money to operate a website - even this blog. Let's go with a more obvious example - http://www.espn.com/ receives thousands upon thousands of visitors daily which means it needs servers which can handle all of the traffic. It also needs to constantly update tons of information such as scores and stats - ESPN needs to pay the bills somehow. Since it is a popular site it can charge more than most sites for advertising which allows it to operate and eventually profit.

If every Internet user used an ad blocker, advertisers would instantly pull all ads since no one would be seeing them...and many sites would no longer be earning money. They could A. find another form of advertising to use or B. force visitors to pay to view content. It is fairly obvious that option B won't work for most sites - even the Wall Street Journal had to open a portion of paid services to the public due to declines in paying members.

My point? Online banners ads are necessary - with better technology these ads are becoming more targeted and relevant to viewers so there are less 'nuisance' ads. I don't think online ads are going anywhere anytime soon, but ad blocker software does pose a threat if it gains popularity.

Professional Business Thank You Cards

2008-03-25T12:36:00.001-04:00

Need professional Business Thank You Cards? Card Direct is a solid choice for a few reasons.

When purchasing something personalized it is important to have a lot of options – with this site you will not feel like there is anything you can’t do in terms of personalization. Everything from the verse, font style, font color and font size is customizable…even on the envelopes! Check out the product page of the image in this post to get an idea of how easy it is to use this site! The other reason I like this site so much is the design and intuitive structure. Some sites which sell customizable goods create a confusing environment for the consumer, Card Direct found a good balance between simplicity and functionality. For example, once you select a style for your card all of the customization options are presented on one page so it is easy to tweak the cards as much as necessary without ever leaving the page.

Another one of the features I love about this site, which really speaks to this company’s technical know-how, is the ‘quick zoom’ feature. When viewing all of the available card styles a user can simply place his or her cursor over an image to instantly view a larger copy of that image. Convenience like this makes a site much more enjoyable to visit and shop. The more a customer has to click to get to the end product the more likely they are to abandon the process, so this is great!

Once again – if you happen to be looking for business Thank You Cards, check out this site!

Pictures Taken At The Right Time

2008-03-24T17:42:00.003-04:00

The name says it all. I love sharing things that make me laugh - and there are some classic pictures on this list. Take a few minutes to check it out here.

My favorites:
#17
#27
#34
#38
#47

There is nothing like enjoying someone else's misery...especially when it is captured in an uncanny snapshot. I definitely suggest visiting this site and taking a look, I guarantee you'll find at least one picture that makes you laugh.

Label Printing

2008-03-24T14:50:00.002-04:00

You can learn a lot about a company by their mission statement. Taken directly from http://www.labelworldusa.com/ , the example below is a very strong mission statement in my opinion.

"Our mission is to help customers like you win in the market place by providing high quality, value added services and solutions to meet your product branding, identification, tracking and security needs. Our intent is to be the premier supplier of pressure sensitive labels and labeling solutions in the Northeast."

After reading that I already feel more confident that this company knows what they are doing and is going to take my business as seriously as any other business. Label World even has in-house design services for customers who can't provide creative assets themselves.

If you are in need of a high volume (and I’m not talking about 20 custom wine labels for your wedding…) Custom Label, Label World sounds like a great option. Check it out!

Brought to you by www.labelworldusa.com

Hillary Clinton Sniper Fire Lies

2008-03-23T20:44:00.004-04:00

Well it seems that Hillary Clinton has stooped to an all-time
low. This is a newer story so more information has been constantly emerging, however it seems like the base facts of the story are fairly clear.

Hillary Clinton claimed to have been under sniper fire while landing in Bosnia. Check out the video I linked to above, it shows footage of her group being welcomed after landing safely. The problem? Keep watching to see her recent comments about the 'threat'...she clearly states that they were told something to the effect of 'run to the cars' and that there was no welcome party waiting for them. From what I can see she was clearly greeted by a welcome party and there was absolutely no urgency.

Either Hillary Clinton lied about this supposed sniper fire or she is completely insane. Like I said above - more and more information has been surfacing as time goes by so I wouldn't be suprised to hear a statement from her party to explain her comments. Many are calling this the end of Hillary's bid for the White House. I feel like she will come up with some sort of explanation in time to save herself, however this could be a huge blow to her campaign.

Flying Spaghetti Monster!

2008-03-21T00:15:00.001-04:00

The Flying Spaghetti Monster is quite a good topic of conversation. I first learned about pastafarians (followers of the great spaghetti monster) in an anthropology course.

Since high school I've lost more and more faith in organized religion. I won't go into specific details - I have great respect for those who practice religion and my intention is not to bring others' views and beliefs into question.

The idea behind the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) is mainly a argument against the teaching of intelligent design in schools in America. Basically the argument goes: You believe God helped create the universe, we believe that the FSM helped create the universe - we can't prove you wrong and you can't prove us wrong. Hard to refute that argument...both 'religions' have 'documentation', etc.

I'm not going to go into my personal beliefs...but you might be hearing more about the teachings of the FSM since it tends to bring up some valid points. Interesting food for thought.

Oysters...No, Really...

2008-03-21T00:01:00.000-04:00

Okay - What did the oyster say when it walked into the bar? Give up? It didn't say anything, It was too sick from eating a sketchy raw oyster!!!

Oh how I wish that was a funny joke - mostly for your sake, but partially for my own dignity. In either case there is actually a lesson to be learned here (which I learned from visiting the site linked below)...apparently there is this bacteria called Vibrio vulnificus which occurs naturally in unpolluted seawater. This normally would not be too much of a concern (unless you have an open wound in the ocean), but when consuming uncooked oysters it can pose a larger issue for people who are at risk. I happen to be at risk since I have a family history of diabetes…in turn I have to be super careful when eating these buggers - I actually had no idea about this before this evening. The link above provides a comprehensive list of risk factors to consider before eating uncooked oysters.

The only reason I took the chance to write about this (somewhat random) topic is because I know quite a few people who go to oyster bars and consume uncooked oyster. Lesson learned – just be careful about what you consume. Visit Beoysteraware.com for more information, it is a truly a great resource. The site has information about Vibrio vulnificus, treating the bacteria, risk factors and even has some great oyster recipes! If you are looking for information about oysters or the risks related to consuming oysters...this is your site! I'm pretty sure you won't fine a more comprehensive source for information on this topic. They chose a specialty and stuck to it, so you can be sure this site has some good info. Don't be scared...just be informed next time you decide to chow down on some Gulf oysters!

Who is Your Target?

2008-03-20T22:18:00.003-04:00

So I will admit that I tend to watch TruTV quite a bit. TruTV is the predecessor of CourtTV...except now instead of Judge Judy they play reruns of Cops over and over. It's awesome. Truly a guys dream.

I have one question - in the middle of the endless reruns of Cops...why are there a ton of commercials for female birth control? It's Cops...I can't imagine that there are more women watching than guys. I hope that TruTV did their due diligence with the marketing research. I haven't seen even one commercial for beer while watching this channel...something I'd consider an obvious choice. For TruTV's sake...I hope I'm missing something obvious...

Revisiting New Orleans

2008-03-20T19:44:00.002-04:00

Two or three years ago while I was still in college (imagine that!) I attended a workshop down in New Orleans – me and my friend stayed in the French Quarter for the weekend. It was a few months after Mardi Gras so I figured Bourbon Street wouldn't be too exciting. Boy was I wrong - New Orleans was still crazy, I guess it always is.

I remember hanging out on Bourbon Street having a beer when someone came by carrying a tall neon green plastic cup shaped like a hand grenade. My friend and I asked a few people and eventually hunted down the walk-up window where the drinks were being sold. New Orleans was the first time I’ve ever seen a street front walk-up drink stand…awesome! The ‘hand grenades’ were quite potent, I highly recommend you try one if you have the chance (its sort of a fruity concoction). We spent the whole night walking up and down Bourbon Street enjoying a few drinks, the company of the locals, and the weather! All the locals we met were extremely nice – the one shop owner even gave us a free T-Shirt since he was originally from Philly (which is where I’m from…if you missed that from the name of the blog)…I can’t say I’ve ever gotten a free T-Shirt in a tourist shop before. We had some great time that weekend – It might sound corny but “What happens in New Orleans Stays In New Orleans” was our motto for the trip!

I’d talk about the food too…but I honestly have too many good things to say about it. Every meal we had was absolutely delicious. My point – go to New Orleans if you get the chance…the culture, people and food is unmatched. Need ideas for things to do in New Orleans? Check out the link.

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Made in the USA, unfortunately...

2008-03-20T19:33:00.003-04:00

I have to vent for a few minutes. I purchased a product online - a card shuffler. My buddies and I play poker once a week and we decided it would be a nice item to have. I spent twenty bucks and got a decent item...or so I thought. I noticed the batteries weren't included so I stopped at Wawa on the way home and bought a pack of AAA batteries like the box said. When I got home I opened the package to find out that the product actually takes AA batteries...I double checked and the box was incorrect.

I have never heard of a company who printed the incorrect product information on the box and allowed that product to be sold. I don't care what it is - it's unbelievable that a company doesn't care enough to fix the box. I'm thinking about returning the product for that reason alone. I almost wish it didn't say 'Made in the USA' on the box...

Break The Vault!

2008-03-20T18:42:00.004-04:00

Most people I know love trivia. Not many people I know participate in any sort of online contests. www.BreakTheVault.com combines the best of both worlds, and is surprisingly simple.

Each week (and sometimes during the week) a contest starts by releasing a clue. An example from the most recent contest reads: "Clue #3: Played piano and guitar, and some of his songs were published and performed at Schubert Hall." The current clue disappears when the next one is released (daily) so those who are diligent are rewarded with a better chance of winning. Anyone (who is registered) can guess as many times as they wish.

The best part? You win cash or a prize if you are the first to guess correctly - $200 bucks for trivia is a good day's work! The cash is deposited into a PayPal account so you don't even have to wait for a check. This is an awesome concept and it's simple to sign up and get started, which is rare these days. Surprisingly, the clues are challenging too so its quite fun. I wish I wasn't so bad at trivia...but maybe this is a chance to hone my skills. Enjoy!

Brought to you by www.BreakTheVault.com

Stuff White People Like

2008-03-20T18:36:00.001-04:00

I can’t resist – I read this blog the past few days and it is way to funny not to mention. Stuff White People Like is an absolutely hilarious blog about…you guessed it…stuff white people like. Based off of popular culture and personal experience the author has some very humorous observations and comments about what he or she feels white people like. At first glance it seems to be a racist idea, but I assure you it is all in good humor. Again, a lot of the writing is based loosely off real situations/experiences, but the author plays off of many stereotypes.

If you are mature enough to realize none of this is meant to be harmful…you will probably love this blog. Otherwise I would advise to stay away. There are a ton of different entries, each about something different that white people like. The writing is witty and always fresh – I highly suggest you check it out!

Here is a short list of ‘Stuff White People Like”:
-White people on the news
-St. Patrick’s Day
-Dinner Parties
-Asian Girls
-Coffee

Fantasy Sports Solutions

2008-03-20T12:36:00.004-04:00

The NFL season is long over, sadly. My fantasy football team didn’t do as well as I would’ve liked, but there is always next year. The rewards for winning a fantasy sports league can be huge – I know someone who won over $500 in a league last year…that’s insane. While fantasy football is fun, fantasy baseball takes things to a new level. With football you have 16 games to worry about and some playoff games depending on what type of rules the league uses – the MLB season has 162 games which makes the draft even more important so your team gets off to a great start.

Check out this fantasy baseball software [click image for larger view]. It is called Fantasy Sports Prophet’s Fantasy Baseball Software and it is one of the best tools out there, if not THE best tool to help you win your league. This has some cool features if you plan on managing a team this season. My problem always seems to be keeping track of players who aren’t big stars since there are so many names I haven’t heard of before…especially when trying to compensate for injuries mid-season. This product solves that problem - players can easily be researched and compared from any computer since it’s a web-based program (meaning you can access it from any computer, even at a draft party). Players are ranked using predictive modeling which was designed by PhD’s, and the draft assistance tool will make all the information needed to pick the right player readily available. That’s some serious firepower when heading into any fantasy draft.

This software won’t be worthless after the draft, either. Full season roster management with updated mid-season player projections will surely come in handy for those trade offers that seem a little one-sided. All stats, injury reports and major news updates are available within the software so it will act as a one-stop info location for making roster decisions. You will never have to fumble between 3 ESPN.com pages and your draft notes again!

Unfortunately this product is not free – however there is a special promo code, BMC200 which can be entered to receive $10 off. Any serious fantasy sports manager knows how much work it takes to research prior to a draft and during the season – this seems like a great option (especially if you will be joining more than one league) to make better decisions with less hassle. If you’re into fantasy baseball this is definitely worth a shot.

Borrowing Popularity

2008-03-18T21:51:00.005-04:00

I debated whether the title of this post cast a negative shadow before the writing actually started...but I think it encapsulates my point quite well. I recently found a link to the garfield minus garfield blog.

This blog is extremely popular with good reason - it is hilarious. The author realized that by removing the Garfield from the comic, his owner Jon appears completely out of his mind. It is worth a look.

Garfield is an insanely popular comic which still appears in papers and online (I see a different strip each day on my iGoogle page). This guy found a new way to look at an old comic...and due to the popularity of the original product, the new product saw huge success as well. Some people would call this 'riding the coat tails'...I call it smart and creative. Anyone can start from scratch...but someone remarkable can find a way to use another's popularity to their own advantage. Obviously copying material is unethical and won't go very far - adding your own twist is the key.

If you haven't look at the blog yet - do it! My personal favorite is the one referring to 'tickling the mailman'...you'll know when you come across it.

Bad Business

2008-03-17T19:17:00.006-04:00

So at this point we are all are fed up with the price of oil. It's rising daily and it isn't supposed to stop for quite some time...ugh.

As if that isn't bad enough, now Petro, the company who delivers my home heating oil, is trying to jerk me and my housemates around. We were running low so we called Petro who is the only service that we could find in our area.

Here's what we agreed to on the phone: They would come out and fill half of our tank (roughly 145 gallons) and sign a one-year contract which gives us 100 dollars off our first fill-up. This contract doesn't require automatic fill-up service and will be canceled if we move. Sweet, right?

Here's what has happened since: They came and filled our tank completely (290 gallons) and left a bill for the full amount, with no $100 discount. Here we go...

We have been playing phone tag with our 'account executive' who has misled us every step of the way. Just tonight an envelope came from Petro with our contract that they want us to sign...come on, seriously? Do people actually just bend over and take this kind of treatment? There is absolutely no way we are signing a contract that we didn't agree to from the start - especially since we already received improper service.

I have a better idea - instead of bad business, why not try to provide a clear understanding of what services you provide up front. If Petro only provides service with a one year automatic refill contract (which is what we learned when we finally escalated the case to corporate), then say that up front! If too many people shy away and use an alternative, maybe it is time to rethink your business model. Tricking people isn't going to gain their trust or long term business. What a scam!

Helpful Marketing Resources

2008-03-17T18:46:00.001-04:00

If you’ve been following my Blog for the past few weeks you surely know that I have developed quite a passion for Marketing…Interactive Marketing to be more specific. Since graduating and working in the field I have been learning an unbelievable amount (dare I say more than in college?). It’s a fast moving field which is constantly changing. The ‘best’ way to do something today could easily be the ‘worst’ way tomorrow – it keeps you on your toes, to say the least. Recently I got the chance to check out the site of another firm who specializes in SEM.

Apogee is one of many Search Engine Marketing solutions providers. I took a peek at their website and there are some good resources available to read about search engine marketing – these materials are definitely a strong vote of confidence to their knowledge about the marketplace.

The Apogee Search Blog has some great articles on very relevant topics that SEM’s (search engine marketers) are currently talking about. I particularly enjoyed their latest discussion on Google’s recent release of the new ‘Automatic Matching’ technology – well written and very insightful! I’m glad that they have the sense to present pros and cons of the situation instead of just complaining, which is the case with some other bloggers at the moment.

The other resource I have found extremely helpful on this site is the
Search Engine Marketing Glossary. Do you know what the following have in common? Link condom, PPC and CPM. Probably not…there are (at least) two similarities: 1. Most people reading them have no idea what they mean, and 2. They all appear in the glossary. I honestly had never heard of a Link condom...so even experienced interactive marketing employees can learn some new lingo! I wouldn’t spend the time writing about these resources if I didn’t find them helpful...so if you’re interested take a look!

Brought to you by www.apogee-search.com

The Buzz Effect

2008-03-17T08:00:00.003-04:00

Which is more effective: Creating buzz about a huge announcement that will be made on a specific date and time, or unexpectedly springing it at a random time?

At first I was thinking that creating a buzz would be most effective since it will get people talking about it and everyone will tune in to hear it…however after thinking it over a little I think I changed my mind.

In either case the ‘announcer’ must have enough reach that people are going to care about the announcement in the first place. If the ‘announcer’ fits that criterion…then I would predict that the faithful listeners would spread the news to other faithful listeners as well as anyone else who might be interested faster if it was a surprise. A planned announcement could come with the expectation that anyone who cares will be tuning in…so there is no need to spread the love afterwards.

Also, anything that relies on ‘buzz’ or hype stands the risk of being over hyped…a common problem for some movies these days. If the expectations are too high then it might be set up for failure before it even launches. Just some food for thought.

Credit Control: An Art or a Science?

2008-03-16T21:15:00.004-04:00

I know someone from college who has had credit issues since sophomore year when they opened their first credit card account. This is definitely not a good way to start your life after college, in heavy credit card debt. During college worrying about your credit score isn't on the top of the list of 'things to do'...but after school you have to start worrying about buying a car, house, etc, so it is extremely important.

Recently I've been doing some reading on how to be sure to have the best credit possible...which will in essence save me money down the line with lower interest rates on car loans and mortgages. It's pretty confusing stuff - apparently your score is penalized if you carry a balance on a credit card over a certain % of the credit limit...I always assumed it was ok to use as much of your available credit as possible, but obviously I didn't do my homework. I decided to check my equifax credit report and it turns out everything is in check at the moment.

There are many options for credit repair for those who have fallen into credit trouble. I came across this list of tips on how to manage credit while surfing this site ConsumerCreditDebt.org If you fall under the 'credit problems' umbrella this site is worth a look for their credit repair and debt management solutions. Even if you don't have credit issues there are some good pointers for keeping it where it should be.

Anyway...I still have a lot to figure out in way of my personal credit - I wish it wasn't so damn confusing. I'm currently shopping for a new credit card, I'm not pleased with my current one...so if anyone has any suggestions I'd be happy to hear them.

Brought to you by www.ConsumerCreditDebt.org

Join The Club

2008-03-15T14:30:00.004-04:00

Last night I visited some of my friends who are still in college - naturally we ended up at the local bar. This particular bar has a large selection of bottled beer and a few on tap that rotate like any other bar, so it is a great option if you are looking for something more than the usual American light beer.

A few years ago the bar started offering a 'beer list challenge' which anyone can attempt. There are a series of three lists (Bronze, Silver and Gold) which each consist of a checklist of a variety of different beers. The lists start off with common and less expensive beers and end with some more expensive stuff (some upwards of $12 per bottle). I don't know about other colleges, but when I went out with my buddies on a weekend we would split some pitches or whatever light beer was on tap - only during a meal or special occasion would people consider springing for a bottle of beer that was more expensive than a whole pitcher. Sometimes when we were watching a game at a bar on a weekday we'd enjoy something more 'classy', but even then I never went for the uber-expensive stuff.

The amazing thing is that the number of people who have completed at least one list is growing rapidly. Once a list is completed (they are regulated by the bar staff so someone can't cheat) a small name plate is riveted to the front rim of the bar near the cash register. When I left school there were probably about 25 name plates...last night I noticed that the number of those grew by at least another 25. Once completing the next list, a different color plaque is exchanged with the old one, which states the lists completed and the dates.

Each time a list is completed the bar knows exactly how much money was spent to obtain that little name plate on the bar. I would estimate that each list would generate over $100 without breaking a sweat. This bar found a way to sell different types of beer to college students who normally would rather spend 8 bucks on a pitcher of the cheap stuff. That's the type of thinking that makes money.

I considered starting a list my senior year figuring it would cool to come back to visit years later and see my name on the bar - but the first thing I did was figure out how much it would cost to get that nameplate, and it wasn't worth it in my opinion. I just couldn't justify spending that kind of money when I was in college and had minimum income. If I ever open a college bar - this is one of the first things I'm setting up once we open for business.