TechFriday: High priced Internet domains in 2015

| September 18, 2015

As someone who has sold a handful of domain names over the past 20 years, it is interesting to see what prices are being generated (my highest sale was $10,000). In 2015 there are a few less impressive high dollar dot-com transfers (overseas) … due to them being “two-letters” I assume… yet they still garnering […]

Three Ohio cities named Best Places to Live 2015 – @Money

| September 1, 2015

Three small Ohio cities made Money Magazine’s list of Best Places to Live in 2015. Having lived in neighboring communities to Mason (currently Liberty Township) and both Solon and Twinsburg, Ohio (previously Hudson), I agree that both areas are great places to live and raise a family. Commonalities are that they are growing upscale small […]

New Sperry Topsider insoles from TheInsoleStore.com

| July 4, 2015

Once in a while when commenting online about an item that I use, someone will ask me if I tried or would like to try their product. If the cost is reasonable, or no-charge, I’m usually happy to give it a try. A company called TheInsoleStore.com after reading one of my posts about Sperry Topsider boat and insoles asked if I […]

Crowdfunding with StartEngine.com and ElioMotors

| July 1, 2015

Investing in startups outside of a business where I have been hands-on management has never panned out successfully for me …  so I’m not sure why I think ElioMotors will be different? In other words, treat that last statement a warning and my skepticism beyond seeing a new car company as interesting and exciting IF […]

Will ElioMotors hit the price, efficiency and production targets?

| March 1, 2015

Really just love the above camera angle of the Elio … a new micro-car company making its public relation rounds and aggressively taking pre-orders. I’ve mentioned Elio previously and am anxious to see, drive and OWN the little commuter car. There are plenty of details to be concerned about since their targets are aggressive for […]

Vistaprint has one of the better television commercials

| February 17, 2015

Vistaprint produced a great television commercial that is currently running on a couple national cable channels. Perhaps I like it because it is “printing” or “entrepreneur” related, but the passing down of a small business does tug at my heart strings. (here’s an additional video on the making of the commercial).

The Intuit Turbotax fiasco for 2014 tax preparation software

| February 14, 2015

There was no love lost from customers of Intuit’s Turbo Tax software, and like many, I quickly looked to their competitors when I saw Intuit’s “money grab” in January 2015. Although the company responded with an apology and offered a $25 rebate to those who eventually figured out they needed to upgrade their Deluxe edition […]

Astroturf and manipulation — a Tedx talk by Sharyl Attkisson

| February 10, 2015

A journalist I really respect, Sharyl Attkisson, delivered a Tedx talk a couple days ago and discussed “Astroturf and manipulation of media messages” as it relates to the perversion of grassroots reporting and marketing. The concept of astroturfing is to deceptively use all forms of media and social networks in order to manipulate thoughts and […]

Pending Sale: Learn as you go when self-selling a home

| November 6, 2014

After attempting to sell my mother-in-law’s western New York home by using a realtor this summer, the family has decided to forgo the continued “professional” listing and instead do a FSBO listing … handing it off to yours truly. What are they thinking??? I’ve taken on the project and will “learn as I go” (advice […]

Whoops! The first iPhone6 in Perth, Australia

| September 19, 2014

Apple’s much anticipated iPhone6 went on sale today as folks in line finally get a chance to own a blemish and scratch free smartphone their own … and here’s what happened to Jack, the first to walk out of the Apple store in Perth, Australia with one.

Coming around to the idea of an Elio

| September 2, 2014

My wife is slowly coming around to the idea of an Elio as a commuter car. The PR swing they have been making around the country seems to have others showing interest too … but can they keep the quality up in order to sell it for $6800???

Worth it? Six months with Sodastream and Diet Coke

| July 13, 2014

In analyzing my Sodastream Christmas gift from the kids … after polishing off the original soda flavors … my 5 gallons of Diet Coke concentrate will last about 6 months. My wife Brenda unfortunately did not become a fan (lifetime Diet Pepsi addict) although I adjusted my daily refreshments choice to primarily the paintball carbonator […]

Kickstarter Heatworks project inches closer to shipping

| June 11, 2014

Investors and pre-order buyers are still in the “wait” mode for the innovated water heater from Heatworks … but the CEO Jerry Callahan does a great job of keeping his Kickstarter investors informed. That said, I’m looking forward to installing the Model 1 later this summer and will be updating the blog on how it […]

I missed this sneaky resized-same-price packaging

| May 17, 2014

I’m usually pretty good at noticing price verse packaging size when it comes to items we regularly purchase … but I missed this one until opening the package at home. My Old Spice Deodorant that once was in a standard package size of 3.25 oz is priced the same but now packaged with 8% less […]

Roll Global Wonderful Pistachios Get Crackin’ ad campaign

| March 1, 2014

I’m intrigued with marketing and advertising when it comes to what makes people tick. We see something and then decide to buy it. My education is not in marketing per se, but I know that I respond just as the advertising agency intended once in a while. Sometimes it is a newspaper or magazine ad […]

Joined a Kickstarter project called HeatWorks

| February 8, 2014

Monitoring Kickstarter projects is a great way to see just what entrepreneurs and inventors are coming up with … and to rejuvenate pride in American Exceptionalism. The other day I saw a guys talking about Mobile Personal Theatre headphones  called Glyph on the business channel CNBC which was pretty neat. I’ve micro funded a few […]

A flop of a Super Bowl and a few personal likes

| February 3, 2014

My apologies to Peyton Manning … probably the most complete football quarterback to ever play in the NFL … but you and your team stunk. The fine performance by the Seattle Seahawks aside, Super Bowl XLVIII was a dud of a game to watch. The festivities that now are part of the entire Super Bowl […]

Time Warner Cable: long term mistakes for short term gains

| February 1, 2014

The Wall Street Journal reported that customers are fleeing Time Warner Cable to the tune of 825,000 TV users in 2013. There is an increase in competition and a change in viewing habits as younger subscribers cut the cord choosing to watch over the air digital (free) TV or just Internet TV on-demand. What’s TWC’s […]

Tired of playing games with media subscriptions services

| January 31, 2014

It’s depressing to be back from a few days of sun (and rain), after a long drive from Florida yesterday, but also good to be home. It has been a morning clearing a few bills and accumulated mail off my desk and a light work day before Superbowl XLVIII weekend. One piece of mail, a […]

Adsense update with disappointing results

| January 22, 2014

This past weekend was “blog cleanup” as I am in the process of optimizing WordPress on my site and updating the plugin that manages Google’s Adsense — at one time I thought they were non-intrusive, but recently have become obnoxious. Unfortunately after tweaking the size and types of ads they seem even worse that before. […]

Pediatric Medicine: Buzzy for pain free shots

| October 11, 2013

When information on Buzzy came to my inbox, I had to forward the URL to my daughter just in case she wasn’t aware of it as won’t be long before she’ll be finished with her residency. She is currently in her third year at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus and will soon be joining or […]

Ads with antelope and night vision goggles

| December 23, 2012

A WSJ article highlighted the best and worst advertising for 2012, but didn't mention my current favorite – the Geico commercial featuring two antelope wearing night vision goggles. I just can help smiling and turning up the volume.

Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T Mobile: Comparing LTE markets

| September 21, 2012

While waiting for delivery of a new 4G LTE phone, it made sense to compare carriers who currently have markets offering these higher data rates (currently Verizon, AT&T and Sprint). For many in the U.S. and overseas who are locked into existing contracts or not near LTE metro areas, buying a 4G LTE phone will […]

Brush your teeth by chewing on Rolly

| July 17, 2012

Hmm … I kind of like this new Rolly product. I wonder if it will take off? Designed for those times when you’ve just had a meal but can’t sneak away to brush your teeth, the Rolly is a small rubber disc covered in 276 spiky bristles that promises to be as effective at cleaning […]

Recording Van Sessions: Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers

| April 5, 2012

Perhaps I’m not around musicians enough to appreciate their unique creativity when it comes to great ways to promote themselves … but Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers caught my attention with their recording sessions as they travel between gigs.  A couple of my son’s talented friends might want to give the “Van Sessions” idea a […]

Dieter Zetsche of Mercedes backdropped by Che Guevara, huh?

| January 11, 2012

Without getting too political, I question whether Mercedes-Benz Chairman of the Board of Management Dieter Zetsche was thinking clearly as he gave his presentation at CES in front of an enlarged photo of Che Guevara? “Some colleagues still think that car-sharing borders on communism," Dieter Zetsche said "but if that’s the case, viva la revolucion!" […]

Innovative toothbrush idea

| November 20, 2011

I guess this has been around since a patent application in 2007, but I haven’t noticed toothbrushes like this at my dentist office or in the drugstore. This redirecting water toothbrush looks like a pretty good idea for Cincinnati’s Proctor & Gamble or other toothpaste maker?

Yes it is an ad, but the Rube Goldberg Machine is impressive

| July 25, 2011

Since I didn’t finish a longer winded write up last night that I had planned for this morning, I’ll just include a rather impressive Mousetrap style advertising web video below; it took a lot of creativity and work. This is our Photography-themed Rube Goldberg Machine. We hope you all enjoy the clip! Watch our video […]

Nissan Computer vs Nissan Motor domain name struggle

| November 7, 2010

Perhaps I’ve been living in a cave or something … but just recently heard about the legal battle over the Nissan.com domain while talking with a client this week. He mentioned the story I’m sharing below after we talked about a minor frustration I was having over domain name – all ended well. I told […]

Sly as a Fox: Or is it just ‘genius’ in Apple’s case?

| June 7, 2010

FLASH VIDEO REMOVED While watching smartphones and connected portable devices (tablets and pads) continue to take center stage in the technology world, it is interesting to contemplate the marketing and “name recognition” angle.  I spotted a forum post sensing that Steve Jobs of Apple knew exactly what he was doing in releasing their new iPhone […]

Ferris Bueller DirecTV ad

| May 17, 2006

Twenty years after its debute, DirecTV has capitalized on the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off with a with a commercial sure to make a few of us grin. Who can forget Ben Stein as the dull … I mean dull … teacher taking attendance — “Bueller, Bueller …” Kudos to DirecTV’s ad agency for nabbing […]

Citroen dancing Transformer commercial

| May 4, 2006

This post is for Jason who commented that he enjoyed the Vee-Dub television ads that were posted in February (or was it the VW TDI ad?). If you like them you might like this one; besides being a creative ad, the 2006 Citroen C4 was voted 2006 World Car Design of the Year, at the […]

Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee

  1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
  2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
My Desultory Blog