Random thoughts and observations from a guy with a lot on his mind…
This company has received a lot of coverage on the Internet lately & I ended up giving it a try to see if it’s really worth it or not. Check out the video below (funny) and the details are below that.
I signed up for the $6 a month plan & will report back after I’ve had a chance to try the blades out. If these things are any good it’s going to be a big cost savings, especially if I can get other members of the household to sign up too.
I’ve used eBay for years (always buying/never sold anything) and have always had a lot of difficulty winning auctions. If you use eBay I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. I’ll be winning the auction for days and at the last-minute I’ll get outbid by a “sniper”.
Well I decided to pay that game last weekend and finally won a used camera I had wanted for a while now. It’s several years old but it’s a professional grade unit that I’m specifically interested in using for sports and time-lapse photography.
I won the auction by bidding my maximum amount 5-seconds before the auction ended. I had been outbid so many times before I was not sure if it even worked. A couple of seconds later I received confirmation that my last-minute bid won the auction.
Here are some tips for the casual eBay shopper that might help you win your next auction. It’s about buying camera gear but a lot of the tips apply to other items.
Happy bidding!
Just a quick update tonight. I finally picked up a new camera (Nikon D2X) and I’ll be using it for blog photos starting next week. I’m excited to get this long-awaited camera in my hands.
Look for a review in the near future!
Forget the lectures about cigar smoking, I don’t care (seriously I don’t care). I enjoy a good cigar and if you don’t like it, stay away from me when I’m smoking it! If you like to enjoy a cigar and don’t like being relegated to the porch or garage I have a place for you to try.
Owned by Corey Johnston the Indy Cigar Bar is located at 3357 East 86th Street, directly across the street form the main entrance of the Keystone Mall. It’s a perfect place to escape to when your wife/daughter (or both) decide they need some “mall time”.
Having heard my boss talk about “Corey’s” several times I knew I had to check it out. I’ve since been there several times and have fully enjoyed each visit. The thing that makes the Indy Cigar Bar different from other Cigar Stores is that this one serves hard alcohol (and beer).
This is not just any alcohol this is an incredible selection of bourbon and scotch that will pair well with your favorite smoke. On my last visit I enjoyed one of the best Bloody Mary’s I’ve had in a long time and saw a total stranger buy a war veteran a box of cigars to thank him for his service to our country (that was pretty cool).
The walk-in humidor has a hundred+ cigars to choose from so you’re sure to find something you’ll enjoy. If you get hungry The Indy Cigar Bar has several sandwiches to choose from. Each Wednesday you can get a King David hot dog for free when you buy a cigar. I have not had anything to eat there but it’s on my list to try on a future visit.
When you purchase a cigar from the Indy Cigar Bar, and yes you need to buy a cigar not bring your own, the helpful staff will clip, cut, punch it to your requirements and toast it to perfection for you to enjoy. The newly expanded seating area gives you plenty of options on where to sit down and enjoy your smoke (and drink if you choose to partake).
Next time you’re in the area and have an hour to kill, be sure to check out The Indy Cigar Bar. Be sure to tell Corey you heard about his place on IndyScan.com and try the Bloody Mary, it’s REALLY good!
The Indy Cigar Bar is open daily at 11am, closed Sundays
01/25/12 – [Updated a few things after publishing because I didn’t like the way it read…]
I’m a list maker. I find lists are the best way for me to get things out of my head and free that thinking energy up for more important things. To keep all of our family lists in sync we uses the Our Groceries application.
Our Groceries is a free “cloud” based tool that’s accessible via the web, and applications designed for Blackberry, iPhone and Android. It’s a simple list maker that keeps everyone updated in near real-time. The free version is ad-supported and has small ads at the top of the screen. You can purchase an ad free version for Android and Apple.
My family uses Our Groceries for our master grocery list as well as errands, gift ideas, and even dinner ideas. It’s also a great way to make a packing list for vacation. Creating a list is a one step process and once it’s created you can start populating it right away. One of the cool features is that Our Groceries remembers your list items even after you check them off. Enter an item once and it’s always available for quick entry in the future. This is great for grocery lists where you’re adding the same things every week.
The magic of Our Groceries is in the synchronization. Once all the users in your family are connected (a very simple process that’s done via email) every time you add an item it’s automatically synchronized to the other users lists. Cross something off and it crosses that item off on their list. This all occurs within about 10 seconds.
When our daughter says she needs something from the store, we tell her “add it to the list”. There have been times where I’ll be at the grocery store and my wife will remember that we need something. Se adds it to Our Groceries on her phone and it magically shows up on my phone just a few seconds later. I really can’t stress enough how cool this application is.
Other features of Our Groceries allow you to input your favorite recipes and with one click all the ingredients get added to the shopping list.. Using the web you can drag and drop items so they are in the proper order when you walk through the store. I always put all of the produce at the top and frozen items at the bottom. The next time that produce item is added it will automatically end up at the top of the list. If you want to get really fancy you can assign categories to items so they’re grouped together.
The uses for Our Groceries are nearly endless. You don’t have to synchronize with other people, you can use the application by itself as well. Check it out and let us know what you think!
If you’re a Big Mac fan, this is for you… 50% off & 26,000+already purchased!
It’s all about the margins I guess… Hard to believe Ronald went to a discount site for its latest promotion. What’s next? 15 Dave’s Hot and Tasty’s from Wendy’s for $20? I’m not linking to the deal above, I just can’t do it…
From the New York Times – Banks to Make Customers Pay Debit Card Fee
I guess this is one way for the banks to make up their losses with the low interest rates. I’m sure none of us like this & there’s not a lot we can do about it! Maybe this will spark more interest in Credit Unions (until they start doing this too).
One way to possibly avoid these fees is to go back to a cash based society (until the banks start charging for cash). I’m pretty much a cash free consumer who normally has less than $20 in his pocket at any given time (except for vacation for some reason). I like the ability to track spending and budgets. I find myself spending cash and not remembering where it all went when its gone.
So far a lot of the major banks seem to have jumped on this fee band wagon. Only time will tell if this becomes the norm or if the expected consumer backlash has an impact.
Cincinnati’s Findlay Market is a diamond in the rough of the downtown Over the Rhine neighborhood and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1972. While the neighborhood has had its share of issues over the years it’s slowly rebuilding itself and its image.
Findlay Market is the oldest continuously operating farmers’ market in Ohio and its one of the best ones I have had the fortune of visiting. With specialty shops throughout the market you are sure to find just about any ingredient you are looking for. One of the neat things about Findlay Market is it’s mix of permanent storefronts and indoor stalls as well as it’s ever changing outdoor farmers marker and open air bazaar.
The Market’s patrons are as varied as the products for sale. All walk of life from rich to poor, and young to old are shopping at the market. It’s a great place to people watch as well as learn about other cultures. Everyone is there for the same purpose and it’s one of those times where people can gather, talk, and have fun.
Some of the specialty shops I like to visit at the market are:
Silverglade’s: Where a Deli employee works with you throughout your transaction and gives all the free samples you want.
J. E. Gibbs Cheese: This place has just about every kind of fresh sausage you might want like traditional brats and chicken sausage.
Busch’s Country Corner: This place gives a new meaning to “fresh” poultry. While it’s not still breathing it’s about as close as you can get and, according to their stall description, their meat is never frozen.
Taste of Belgium: This is where I had my first Liege Belgian Waffles that were so good I purchased a waffle maker (and the special pearl sugar) just so I could make them at home.
Markets like Findlay were once a lot more common than they are today. With the recent foodie revolution and the increased interest that people are taking in learning about their food it would be great to see something like this come to Indianapolis. The downtown City Market is trying to get there but I just don’t see it ever getting to a fraction of the size of Findlay.
If you’re ever in the downtown Cincinnati area and have a few hours to kill, I can’t recommend Findlay Market enough. Be sure to bring a cooler as you probably won’t be leaving empty handed.
I’ll be the first one to admit it… I don’t read for fun nearly as much as I should (or want to).
When Amazon launched the first Kindle in late 2007, I really didn’t take notice. By the time Generation 2 came out in early 2009 I knew I had to have one. I was traveling weekly for work and found myself with more downtime in the evening than I normally had when I was at home. Being limited to a book or magazine in my suitcase was not the preferred option as my preference for subject material changes quite frequently. It’s not unusual for me to have several books/magazines going at one time.
The clincher for me was the “Whispersync” technology that keeps all of your various reading material synchronized between devices. By devices I mean not only the Kindle but your PC, Blackberry, iPhone, iPad, Android and iPod Touch. This feature allows you to purchase and share kindle content among the various electronic devices you use every day. A prefect example of this in use was when my wife wanted to read a book on the Kindle. I was able to grab the laptop and continue reading my own book that I had been working on previously.
Whispersync is the feature that pushed me over the edge from “want to need” and convinced me to purchase a Kindle sight unseen. They were not available in the traditional brick and mortar stores until recently so I read enough positive reviews that I took the plunge.
The Kindle display uses Electronic Ink which is amazing. After spending all day working on a computer it’s actually refreshing to stare at the Kindle screen. It looks like ink on paper and works perfectly inside and out. There is a slight “flash” as the page refreshes as you turn the digital page. It’s noticeable at first but you end up not even noticing it after a while. The Kindle only uses power when it’s refreshing the screen or communicating wirelessly. When it’s “off” there’s actually pictures (screen savers) on the screen.
Speaking of communicating wirelessly, the Gen 2 version I own has a built in AT&T 3G data card in it. It’s free to use for the life of the device and allows for the wireless sync as well as some basic web browsing via the built in browser.
Battery life with the 3G radio disabled is measured in weeks (2-3), even with daily reading sessions of an hour or more. With the 3G turned on your battery life drops to 4-5 days.
The new Generation 3 devices have an even better display and a lower cost from the previous generations. I could go on and on about what a great device the Kindle is. It only does one thing but it does it very well.
