Optimize Your Web

Most of you have heard of Pandora and Last.fm I hope.  I am here to tell you how to get the most out of them as you can.  What’s better than hearing the music that they play?  Hearing whatever song you want, when you want.  Now make sure you read the legal notice of this program (it’s made in Denmark), but The Last Ripper can rip the mp3 streams from Last.FM.  Now it currently stores each song in a folder organized by Artist then Album and then all songs in that album are renamed in there.

Sounds great right?  Well it is, but of course there can be improvements.  I for one, would like to be able to change how it stores the song (I would want one big directory with just the artistname-songname.mp3) but that may be something implemented down the road.  Basically, once you input your username and password for TheLastRipper, it connects and you’re off to search for an artist/song/album that you like and it records anything that comes up (unless you have it recorded before, and then it skips it).

Regardless, Last.FM (and hence TheLastRipper) and Pandora can be a great source of music, even if you don’t want to rip the songs.  For me, I like how Pandora groups together music when you search for something.  The only thing for those that want to record the streams is that there is not an easy to use Pandora stream ripper available.  If anyone has heard of anything, please let us know, as I am sure we are all interested.

I stumbled upon a pretty decent invoicing service.  It’s called Curdbee.  It allows you to customize what your invoices look like, track them with Paypal, and have all of your contacts easily accessible.  What’s the catch?  Well the only downfall that I have seen so far is that it puts a small advertisement for Curdbee in the invoice.

Only thing I do not understand is where they are going to make their money from.  There’s no ads on their site, and it doesn’t seem to be selling actual ads in the invoices.  If anyone can shed some light, that would be great.  Otherwise, for small businesses, or indivduals that need a clean and easy way to track online billing, give it a go.

Wanting to take one of the many certificates that Microsoft offers?  Want to do it and get a second chance to take it for free if you don’t pass it?  Now is the time to quickly get that done.

Microsoft’s Second Chance will allow you to do so.  But just make sure you register before you purchase the exam.  They will give you a voucher number that will allow you to “cash in” your free second chance.  Here is what Microsoft has to say:

In the real world, you might need more than one chance at certification. With Second Shot, if you do not pass a Microsoft Certification exam on your first try, we’ll let you retake the exam for free.

As an additional incentive to work toward a Microsoft Certification, from October 15, 2008, to December 31, 2008, if you pass a Microsoft Certification exam on your first try, you get a 25 percent discount on a different exam.

Follow these three easy steps:

*WARNING*
Make sure you register BEFORE you purchase the exam, or else this offer will not be valid.
*WARNING*

Hopefully you will not need it, but it’s good insurance, and a good way to get a free “practice test”.

Many people know about Ebay and want to make big bucks by buying those, “How to Make Money in Ebay” books. One of the drawbacks of Ebay is that it’s known by everyone. Therein lies the problem that if someone finds a “deal” so will someone else. And after the bidding wars finish, you are normally left with prices that are the same as buying it off of reseller site such as Bestbuy once you add in shipping.

Another notable problem is the ability to rip someone off with wording and shipping costs. Many people may only charge a small amount for the item, but list the shipping for an outrageous amount, actually costing more than if you bought it local or through a retail store online. Wording can also get people into trouble. Some people will sell information to a good deal on <insert item here> and some people think they are selling the actual item. With these problems, that’s why I suggest Craigslist.org

Craigslist.org is free to use, buyer or seller. It was offered a buyout, but Craig (the owner) who has a very small office in California (San Fransisco, I believe), did not budge because he believes in it staying free. Another benefit is that everything and anything is listed on Craigslist, such as dating, and services. There are local versions of each site for your nearest large city, so give it a try.

One thing I must note is that Ebay does have quick payment and has checks in place to fight against fraud listings and buyers/sellers.

Lastly, I must just ask that you give craigslist.org a try and see how you like it. And if you do, feel free to give it a little donation for staying free for everyone and remaining what the internet should be about.

People want free stuff. I do, my friends do, and I’m sure you do. One site that aims to do this is FreePay.com. Don’t be too skeptical because I myself actually took advantage of their offers and won not only an iPod Shuffle, an iPod 30GB Photo, but a Nikon Digital Camera, and an Xbox.

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So I was reminiscing about being bored during class/work and remembered what I did to pass the time.  Play games!  So with that being said, I started to create a list of good game sites so you can easily find them without having to remember them all.  Also, a plus is that they are very trustworthy sites which do not have malicious code or spyware on them.  Enjoy! (continue reading…)

Many times we go to a website and go to order something to see that promotion code or coupon code box staring us in the face.  Telling us there’s someway we could be saving money on this purchase.  Well there are a few sites that have good deals, coupons, FREE stuff, as well as Cash Back for your purchases. Here are some of the sites and their benefits:

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