A more affordable One King’s Lane

February 13th, 2013 1 Comment

Taking a tour of my friend Jan’s new house the other day, I noticed she had a lot of lovely new furniture. She kept saying, “Thanks, Joss & Main” like I would know what that is. Finally I admitted I had no idea what she was talking about. So I said, “Please fill me in!”

Joss & Main is another members-only website that offers beautiful pieces at a major discount. The sale starts at a particular time and stays open for a week. So, if One King’s Lane is like the Gilt of interior decor, “The Joss” (ad they call it) is like RueLaLa. Basically, they offer more mainstream pieces with a lower price point. For example, rugs on One King’s Lane will start at $89, on Joss & Main you’ll find the same size for $39. I also love the themes and styles they come up with to organize their sales.

Here’s your invitation, start browsing!

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“This app is the closest thing to a perfect magazine.”

January 9th, 2013 No Comments

This quote is in reference to Zite: probably the smartest mobile app newsreader on the market. Do you have it on one of your devices? You should! It’s free.

See that little owl icon on my Playa del Carmen beach home screen? Doesn’t it just look like it’s saying, “Hello. There’s news here. Read me!” I love it!

Zite for First Time Users

When you open the app for the first time, you’ll choose what areas of interest you have and then you only see that news. It’s like if you were to open the newspaper and not have to throw out any of the sections. With 40,000 topics, you’ll also have your niche interests included in your stream (see part of my list above). The app goes a step further and aggregates content only from credible sources so you don’t have to deal with a bunch of junk. Wait! There’s more: the more you thumbs-up or thumbs-down an article, the smarter the app gets to filter in only content from sources you like.

The New Zite

Over the holiday, CEO Mark Johnson (@philosophygeek) and his team released the 2.0 version that features a more sleek design and even smarter technology. Here’s a list of what they’ve done from their website:

Zite now knows about 40,000 different topics –New topics allow you to drill even deeper into your interests and give Zite even more feedback about what you like and don’t like.
Facebook integration – now you can link Zite to your Facebook account to get topic suggestions based on your Facebook history.
Your Top Stories gives you more of what you love – we’ve expanded the number of articles in Your Top Stories and also brought in more articles from the topics you like.
Thumb articles up or down from a section –pull an article up to give it a thumbs-up or down to give it a thumbs-down.
The Explore Page – when you need inspiration check out Zite’s new explore page. Or, use the search function to dive into our catalog of over 40,000 topics.
Topic Tags on articles – many articles have suggested categories, which will help you to explore something that’s hot in the news, remind yourself of a topic you love, or introduce you to a new interest.

Headline news module (iPad only) – thanks to the technology we developed for CNN Trends, users can now browse the most important headline news directly from Your Top Stories.
Popular on Zite module (iPad only) – Zite users are pretty smart, so it’s interesting to see the stories that are most popular among them.

Zite on Your Desktop: CNN Trends

Pasting these new features reminds me that CNN, that bought Zite over a year ago, has integrated Zite technology onto their platform. The page is called CNN Trends. There you can see the 10 most popular news topics with a CNN article written about it AND nine of the other most read articles online. So, CNN is now featuring articles from Wall Street Journal, Fox News (can you believe it), BBC, Financial Times, USA Today, and thousands more. It doesn’t matter who published the article, if it’s in the top 9 most read, it will be featured on CNN Trends page next to the appropriate topic. Just like Zite, it’s a one stop shop for headline news on your desktop or laptop.

The technology of it all blows my mind. But knowing Mark personally, it would be hard for me to believe that anything is impossible online. He’s just one of those brilliant people who keeps pushing the boundaries farther. Can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!

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InstaChristmasGift

December 5th, 2012 No Comments

This is probably the most inventive, fun, and EASY gift idea I’ve come across in a long time!

StickyGram, a UK based company, is a service that allows you to create a sheet of nine square magnets using any of the photos you have taken on Instagram. It takes about 4 minutes to make and costs $15 a sheet. BRILLIANT. And so much fun to make.

The only one little complaint I have is that you can’t use your friends’ photos to make them personalized sheets. You can only use your own photos.

Use my code FRIENDFMRP and get $2 off your first order.

YOU MUST ORDER BY DECEMBER 9 TO GET YOUR STICKYGRAMS IN TIME FOR CHIRSTMAS.

I came across this idea on Pinterest, pinned it on my Holiday Gift Guide board and it was an instant favorite. You can also find it on my MTM gift guide and GIVEAWAY for 2012.

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A Pinterest-like reminder list enhanced with discount alerts

August 22nd, 2012 No Comments

Clipix is a new website that allows you to “CLIP” things you want to remember to do or buy. When you see it, you’ll think, “that’s just like Pinterest” because it’s based on pictures and links. Or you can align it with ReadIt or Pocket. The purpose of this site is the same: keep track of things you want. However, they’ve added features you’ll love!

You can also collaborate with friends or family on a mutual project like vacations or Christmas lists. There is a mobile app that allows you to clip things from your browser and photo library as well. I use this the most.

What I like is that my Clipix is private, unlike my Pinterest boards that I hope you follow and find helpful. It’s become my personal to do list :)

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Get YourName@Outlook.com ASAP!!

August 13th, 2012 1 Comment

Guess who is throwing themselves back in the ring with Google ladies and gentlemen: Microsoft.

Microsoft completely converted Hotmail to Outlook and the service is said to be “bloody brilliant” according to Gizmodo. They say, “Microsoft has poured serious brainpower into making Outlook the most functional web client ever seen. So many functions.” Additionally it looks sleek and feels good to use. They recommend we all just try it. Screw the Hotmail stigma and forward your current account over to see if you like it. Setting up an account and transferring your email is quick and painless.

Do it fast so you get your real name!!!

For all the details on the functionality of Outlook.com, read Gizmodo’s article here.

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Design/Build/Renovate inspiration for your dream home

June 27th, 2012 No Comments

Recently I’ve been talking to several friends who have done renovations on their home or are in the middle of a custom build. ALL three found inspiration for their architecture and design from photos they found on Houzz.com.

Houzz is an inventory of thousands of Archtitecture, Design/Build, and Renovation firms and their beautiful photos of their work. You can browse by style and room, and save images you like to “Ideabooks” for review later. The website is cool, but the iPad app is addictive!

I’ve been following MiCaseEsSuCasa, ArchitectureBlog, HomeDesigning and DesignTraveler on tumblr for years because the interiors are just fun to look at. (I used to reblog my “dream home” all the time!) The House of The Day iPad app by The Wall Street Journal is also an enjoyable procrastination tool because the properties are amazing! But Houzz offers so much more in terms of comprehensive photos, info, and realistic concepts.

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My monthly cable bill might actually be worth the $$ soon….

July 18th, 2011 No Comments

Were you as excited as I was when you went to catch on the news on CNN.com this morning?

Today, CNN.com launched its new “video experience” that features “TV everywhere.” I believe this makes them the first cable channel to stream their live tv feed to any of your mobile devices. Apparently you can also make video playlists that will sync in all of your devices as well. Pretty cool!

So, if you pay for cable, you can sign up for TV everywhere for free! It comes built into the iPhone and iPad app already.

Can we please cross our fingers, or better yet, blog, tweet, scream from the rooftops, how much we love this so the other networks will follow in their footsteps?

Right now if you have cable, you do get a couple perks: ESPN streams some of their coverage so you can watch on your computer. Your HBO subscription pays for an iPad app that gives you EVERY SEASON of EVERY show on demand (you can’t even get that on tv). Hulu Plus, which is a separate subscription, is great for basic network tv (NBC and CBS). ABC’s app shows its most recent programs is free. But you can’t watch anything continuously live. Until today!

All I’m saying is that I would love to watch Damages live on my iPad. Is that too much to ask now that I pay for cable??

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Use this code for 25% off your entire purchase at GoDaddy

May 25th, 2011 1 Comment

I couldn’t help myself….GoDaddy’s boobilicious marketing campaign is so primitive. Hot girls with big boobs next to their logo. As the customer service guy pointed out to me on Monday, “it works.” Ugh. Men are not going to evolve in my lifetime.

I’ll tell you what works for me – 25% off my entire purchase.

As a valued customer they sent me a little flyer in the mail with the magic code. Since you’re my valued readers I’m going to pass it on to you!

Not sure how many of you are in the market for a new domain or hosting services. Maybe you’re interested in a shoppping cart for your latest DIY sales…

Whatever your needs, use this code:

SAVE25c

until July 31, 2011 to save 25%

Order online or by phone 1-866-463-2339 – if you’re like me, you need someone to hold your hand through the geek speak.

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