Attention all snowboard and ski bums!!!

I know this is totally unrelated to Real Estate and technology, but I like skiing and I like Warren Miller films...

Attention all snowboard and ski bums!!!

Warren Miller's new film, Playground, presented in High Definition is coming to the Bay Area in November.

Here is the schedule:

November 1st: Nob Hill Masonic Center, San Francisco, 8pm

November 2nd: Fort Mason-Cowell Theater, San Francisco, 6:30 & 9:30pm

November 3rd: Spangenberg Theatre, Palo Alto, 8pm

November 3rd: Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, 8pm

November 4th: Montgomery Theater, San Jose, 4pm & 7pm

November 7th & 8th: Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, 6pm & 9pm

November 9th: Castro Theatre, San Francisco, 8pm

November 10th: Foothill College - Smithwick Theatre, Los Altos, 8pm

November 11th: Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center, Livermore, 4pm and 7pm

November 14th: Campbell Heritage Theatre, Campbell, 8pm

November 15th: Wheeler Auditorium, Berkeley, 8pm

November 16th: Marin Center, San Rafael, 8pm

November 17th: Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa, 8pm

November 18th: Performing Arts Center, San Mateo, 7pm

November 20th & 21st: Rio Theatre, Santa Cruz, 8pm

FREE LIFT TICKET TO HEAVENLY

Everyone attending PLAYGROUND will receive a voucher to Heavenly good for one (1) free mid-week (Monday-Friday) lift ticket valid from Opening Day of the 2007/2008 season through 1.18.08. Not valid 11.23.07 through 11.27.07 and 12.17.07 through 1.1.08. Not valid with any other discounted offer. No cash value. No refunds.

$25 OFF YOUR NEXT REI PURCHASE OF $100 OR MORE

Everyone attending PLAYGROUND will receive a voucher good for $25 off your next pre-tax purchase of $100 or more at REI. Coupon (or coupon code) must be presented at time of purchase. Offer valid at REI.com, REI-OUTLET.com, 800.426.4840 and REI stores. Offer not valid at REI Adventures or REI Outdoor School. Offer not valid on special orders, package discounts, prior purchases, REI gift cards, gift boxes, memberships, shop services, rentals. Offer is limited to stock on hand, is nontransferable and is not redeemable for cash. Offer may not be combined with any other discount or offer. Limit one coupon per customer.

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT

REI and theater box offices. Tickets also available at Ticketmaster except for Walnut Creek tickets available at tickets.com, Cowell Theater tickets available at FortMason.org and Livermore tickets available at Livermoreperformingarts.org or 925.447.2787.

Discounted Tickets: Buy 12 or more tickets and get $1 off every ticket plus Warren Miller DVDs and SWAG. The more tickets you buy, the more stuff you get. CALL NOW: 800.523.7117

More information can be found at http://www.warrenmiller.com/

Internet Searches for Local Businesses Continue to Rise

Internet Searches for Local Businesses Continue to Rise

Did you know that the number of Internet searches done by consumers looking for local services is on the rise? A Kelsey Group Report showed that in 2005 more than half of all Internet users use search engines to find information about local businesses! Despite this, online advertising by small businesses that rely on local consumer spending is virtually non-existent.

If you’re in the same boat, you might think that there’s just no point to having a Web presence. But if you consider the number of people in your community that have Internet access (almost all of them?) and over half of them are looking for local services online, the truth is that you can’t afford to not have a strong local Internet presence.

Local Internet marketing requires actively seeking to be specifically listed in the local results of the major search engines. This is because when somebody searches for “real estate agent in [your town]”, the search engines attempt to pull from their local databases. If you aren’t indexed in that local database, then you won’t appear in the results.

In addition to getting listed for local search terms that include your town or state name, you can also geographically target your paid advertising. This way, even if somebody searches for just “real estate agent” without including your town name, your ad will show up if the search query is coming from a geographic area that you specify.

Sound like a lot of extra work that you just don’t have the time for? That’s where OrangeSoda steps in. They specialize in local Internet marketing for small and medium-sized businesses. They’ll handle all aspects of your Internet advertising if you want them to.

OrangeSoda has a solid track record of reducing spending and increasing revenue for hundreds of companies. This allows you to focus on doing what you do best: running your business. Furthermore, their pricing is designed for smaller businesses with smaller budgets. OrangeSoda has marketing packages to fit any sized business and any sized budget.

If you want to discuss what OrangeSoda can do for your internet presence or simply have any questions about local search please let me know.

Click for more information on local search advertising and optimization solutions from OrangeSoda.

Here is a great 3 minute video explaining OrangeSoda features and benefits.

Free Electronic Waste Collection Event

When: October 13, 2007 9am to 4pm

Where: Irvington High School Parking Lot (Near the corner of Grimmer Blvd. and Blacow Rd in Fremont) 41800 Blacow Rd, Fremont CA 94538

Beneficiary: Irvington High School Girls Tennis Team

Accepted Items:
Computer Monitors
Keyboards
Computers
Computer Mice
Tape Drives
Laptops
Cables
Zip Drives
Television
Cords
Telephones
Cell Phones
Printers
Radios
Hard Drives
PC Printers
Power Supplies
DVD/VCR Players
Stereo Components
PC Boards
Lab Equipment

Windows Vista users miss the Image Resizer

The Image Resizer for Windows XP doesn't work with Windows Vista! That is a big bummer man! The best feature in my opinion of Image Resizer was the ability to right-click a picture file and choose Edit Image for a lightning quick resize. Don't fret, because VSO Software has released a free program called VSO Image Resizer which works great with Vista, and Windows XP as well.

Just added Blogrush

Just added my blog to BlogRush, a free syndication network. Can always use more traffic, especially for free!

Blackberry Trade Up Program

Did you know Research in Motion, makers of the Blackberry handhelds, are giving you money for your old smartphone? So if you want to move from your beat up old Treo 650, you can go to http://blackberry.tradeups.com to see how much green they will give you.

Windows Home Server

Sorry for the long delay between posts...went on vacation and now I'm trying to scramble to catch up.

Have you heard about Windows Home Server yet? What it is...

Windows Home Server is a part of hardware and software solution that enables families with multiple PCs to easily connect their digital experiences, providing a reliable and familiar way to organize, access, and automatically protect treasured digital images, music, video, and personal documents. From all account the cost appears it will be in the $150-$200 range once it is released in October to the general public.

Why is it better than just buying a NAS device...

Windows Home Server provides unprecedented simplicity for home users and it was designed to solve problems for households with multiple PCs.

More than just storage, Windows Home Server uniquely provides pre-defined shared folders, such as "Music" or "Photos" making it easier to organize and find your files. Windows Home Server also features simple storage extensibility, and built-in search capabilities.

New internal or external hard drives can be easily added to a Windows Home Server device. The amount of available storage grows based on the size of the hard disk. You no longer have to worry about D:, E:, F:, G:, H:, etc. drives as you add more hard drives. New hard drives can be of any size.

Also, in a Windows Home Server device with two or more hard drives, you can elect to duplicate folders. This prevents you from losing any photos, music, or other files stored in a folder that has "duplication" enabled, if a hard drive fails.

In addition, as a development platform, Windows Home Server offers partners great opportunities for innovation to address the needs of the digital home. This means that a wide range of applications and tools that integrate with and take advantage of Windows Home Server will be available.

Here is a great article which explains the product in depth if you have an hour or so to kill. Click here.