Online Travel Review Web Sites and Blogs

For the full article, click here.

On the Web, Much Advice, and Some Even Rings True

By JOE SHARKEY

Which brings me to a subject that has drawn a lot of attention recently: online travel review Web sites and blogs. Given the surly, half-baked reporting on many Internet blogs, which travel blogs can you trust?

Last month, I wrote a column listing some of my favorites, which in turn generated lots of reader replies pointing out some I had overlooked. Here are a few you may want to check out: TravelPod.com (which includes videos and podcasts); womenstravelclub.com; OffbeatTravel.com; airlinemeals.net; and HoboTraveler.com.

I am sure I will shortly be hearing about others, vetted by readers who have no ax to grind and no motive other than wanting to share information within what they (and, increasingly, I) recognize as a virtual community ? citizen journalists interested in copious, reliable, sometimes provocative travel information, and in knowing where it is coming from.

I have mentioned this one before, but I always consult David Rowell’s weekly Travel Insider newsletter at Thetravelinsider.info/blogs/ti/. This week, the newsletter has a priceless item about a Las Vegas hotel that has begun adding a $3-a-day "energy charge" to defray electricity costs.

I also sometimes consult TripAdvisor.com, owned by Expedia and which claims to contain "three million travel reviews from real travelers around the world" ? one of whom recently posted this one-line critique of a hotel in Alabama: "This place is just plain scuzzy."

But one of my favorite sites is IgoUgo.com, which is owned by Sabre, the reservations giant that also owns Expedia’s competitor Travelocity. IgoUgo says it has 350,000 members, thousands of whom regularly post detailed journals (with photos) during their worldwide travels. Each member, whether registered under a real name or a nom de Web, fills out a personal profile that can be accessed when you are reading a journal.

How to take great digital portraits

How to take great digital portraits

by Scott D. Feldstein

Need a headshot for your web site? A good photo of the little one for your holiday cards? A portrait of Grams for your self-produced family history movie? Taking good pictures of people can be hard, but don?t despair. An average digital camera can take great portraits if you keep a few simple guidelines in mind. These steps should prove doable for non-professionals everywhere; no special equipment is required and the features discussed are widely available on most point-and-shoot cameras. Who knows, if you follow along carefully you may never have to pay for those expensive school pictures of your kids again.

Go here for step by step instructions with diagrams and examples: http://www.lifehacker.com/software/photography/how-to-take-great-digital-portraits-159432.php

How to Safely Get Rid of an Old Computer

How to Safely Get Rid of an Old Computer

1. Check your local phone book - there are recycling facilities in several cities. Websites such as those listed below may also have valuable information. These organizations donate computers or computer parts to educational institutions. There are similar websites all over the Internet.
2. Attempt to sell your computer on eBay or Craigslist.org. You might be surprised to discover that someone out there will actually pay for your old bucket of bits.
3. Ask around to see if any of your friends are looking for an older computer. Some tech-savvy people use extra computers for print servers or e-mail stations.
4. Give it to your parents or grandparents and teach them how to use email and surf the web. Old, slow computers work well at these basic tasks.
5. Donate it to a local school or charity. A database of charities looking for old computers is available at Share the Technology (link provided below).
6. Consider donating it to the nonprofit Computer Recycling Center (also listed below). They accept all computers, network equipment, and telephones (whether they are working or not). In addition, they will provide you with a receipt of your donation for a tax deduction.
7. Turn your old computer over to the manufacturer when you buy a new one. Companies such as Dell and HP will now recycle your old computer for free when you buy a new one from them.
8. Pay for a profit recycling firm to have your PC taken off your hands and recycled responsibly.
9. Put a sign on your computer saying "Free old computer - good for parts or case," and leave it out front on a dry afternoon, or offer it on Freecycle.org.
10. Keep the old computer around as a backup.
11. If you are disposing of a number of similarly cased computers, you might consider being creative and using them as oversize building blocks. The plastic or metal cases can be connected with Superglue and they can be painted in a bright manner. You can build a small decorative wall, or perhaps a playhouse for the kids in your own backyard.

Read entire article for more tips: http://wiki.ehow.com/Safely-Get-Rid-of-an-Old-Computer

1-800-411-SAVE

This appears to be even better than the free411 TOTD from December.

From: Lockergnome:

Call 1-800-411-SAVE.

It’s free. Go ahead, try calling it right now. Ask them for a number you already know about. Don’t worry, you won’t be charged for the call. In fact, you’ll be given several options once the number has been located. You can listen to the number, repeat the number (ad infinitum), have the street address read aloud, get the number sent to your mobile device via text message, or leave feedback for this new free 411 service. Better yet, hang up the phone once you’ve gone through the options - then call the number back at some point in the future (from the same phone). This time, the automated agent will ask you if you’d like to repeat the information attained from your most recent call. One word: AMAZING. No, I take that back. One word: FREE. You can look at the Web site if you want to, but it’s not going to have the same impact as an actual call will. Add the number to your address book so that you don’t forget it when you’re away from your desk. Stop calling 411 directly, people. It just doesn’t make any sense with a service like this. 1-800-411-7283!

Baby Cages

http://www.babycage.net/babycage.php