Get Cash Back When Shopping Online

Did you know that you can earn cash back for many of your online purchases? Whenever I purchase something online, I always check 3 Cash Back sites (ebates, fatwallet, upromise) that pays me back 1-5% (sometimes 10%) of my total purchase. So the next time you buy something online, here is what you do (after signing up for an account on each of the sites).

1. Search for the online store on the Cash Back sites above to see if they offer cash back.
   


2. Of the sites, choose the one that gives the most % cash back (as it may differ).
   
   
3. Click on their special link that redirects to the participating store.

That's it. You just shop as you would normally and these Cash Back sites will automatically know how much you spent at the participating shopping site. In a few days, you will receive cash in your account. Then you can have them send you a check or transfer the amount to your bank account or even paypal it to you.

Right now, Ebates is having a referral promotion where if you sign up and make a qualifying purchase before May 31, 2008, we both get $10. Click here to take advantage of this offer.

My Favorite Steak Sandwich

This my friend is my favorite steak sandwich. What is it you might ask? Its a Steak Portebello Mushroom Sandwich w/ Provolone Cheese and Garlic Aioli on a Ciabatta Roll. You can find it the Nordstrom Cafe in the Stonestown Galleria Mall. I've been to other Nordstrom Cafe's in the Bay Area (ie. Valley Fair Mall and Standford Mall) but none of them seem to have this particular sandwich on their menu. Click on the image above to zoom in on the juicyness. *drool*

Free Google Phone Number

A while back I posted the ability to create disposable phone numbers in order to protect the privacy of your existing phone number. I found a similar service with many features by GrandCentral which was recently aquired by Google. There are many cool features, but I will touch upon a few.

1. Permanent Local Phone Number - There is a subtle but important difference between the Numbr and GrandCentral phone number. For the Numbr phone number, you have to dial an extension which does require a little more work for the user. Not only that, I think that users might be a little weary of dialing a phone number with an extension. Users are more used to dialing extensions when calling companies. So its a bit weird to call a craigslist person with an extension in my opinion.



2. Ring Multiple Phones - So you can add multiple phones to your one GrandCentral phone number. For example, when someone calls your GrandCentral number, your cell phone AND home phone can ring. Therefore, you can answer the call by either phone.



3. Listen to Voicemails Online - This is probably my most favorite feature. Voicemails are recorded and can be played online in your GrandCentral account. I wish Verizon Wireless had this feature. I would love to listen to my voicemails online instead of always having to dial and punch in my password. Not to mention wasting valuable peak time minutes just for listening to my voicemails. This can also help you to screen your calls. Sometimes, you just want people to leave you a voicemail especially from uknown callers. Recently, I just used my GrandCentral number to sell something on craiglist. Usually, in terms of fairness, its first come first serve. But I found it to be more beneficial for me to sell it to one person over another. For example, I sold my desk on craiglist today. I wanted to sell it to someone who had a truck or van because I didnt want to disemble the desk. If I answered my first phone call, then I would be obliged to sell it to that person. But I intentionally did not answer calls from my GrandCentral number and just let my voicemail inbox fill up. Then I just chose the person who had a van and "sounded" the most reliable.
   

Feel free to leave me a voicemail by clicking on the button below.

4/2/08 Update: Someone just told me that they could not immediately sign up for the service since they are in private beta. Looks like you can just "reserve" a number (whatever that means). I wouldnt be surprised if they ran out of local phone numbers to give out. It also says on the site that a current user would be able to invite others, but I dont see that option in my account. They might have temporarily removed that as well.

Remote control a PC anytime...anywhere

Sometimes, I need to troubleshoot my parents computer when something goes wrong. The best way to do that is to remotely control the computer. Im going to show you the most effective way to remote control another PC for free. Keep in mind that this method is only for circumstances in which you would like take total control and have instant access to the host computer whenever and wherever you want.

Requirements:

1. Both computers need to be connected to the Internet...duh.


2. DSL or higher internet connection

Instructions:

Host PC (computer you wish to control)

1. Sign up for a free no-ip.com account



2. Click Add under Hosts/Redirects.



3. Enter a hostname and choose any domain name. For example, mydadscomputer.no-ip.org.
   Choose something easy to remember as this will be part of your login.



4. Install the Dynamic Update Client.
   This software ensures that the host computer ip address is always current and updated for the mydadscomputer.no-ip.org host.



5. Install VNC (free edition). During install, choose the server version.
   Run VNC and in the options, specify a password.
   
6. Turn off Windows Firewall in the Control Panel.



7. That's it. Both the Dynamic Update Client and the VNC server should automatically run in the background from now on.

Controller PC

1. Install VNC (free edition). During install, choose the client only version.



2. Launch VNC.



3. Enter "mydadscomputer.no-ip.org" for the server name and the password that you set in step 5 above.

Voila! Now I can control my dads computer wherever and whenever I want with a click of a button. My dad doesnt even need to be at the computer when I take control as long as the computer is on.

Now you might ask, why not just use something like crossloop to remote control another persons computer. The big difference is that I wanted full control of the host computer without having to call my dad every time I wanted to do so. With crossloop and most other remote controlling software, there has to be physically someone sitting at the host computer.

Elmo Live

Time to stock up on this one for this Christmas. Let the hunting begin...

AT&T jacks up DSL price $5 per month

Looks like for California, they are raising the prices this month. For me, its Feb 15 (that's tomorrow!) Currently, Im paying $19.99 per month for DSL Express. So tomorrow they are raising it to $24.99.

So there are a couple of things you can do. Since you are going to pay $24.99 for DSL Express, you might as well upgrade now to DSL Pro for $24.99 and lock that price in for a year before they raise the price. Too bad they dont offer DSL Pro in my area :( But I found an even better deal that was mentioned in the forums. Go to the online ATT upgrade tool and it will offer you a yearly renewal of your current rate.

You can also try calling the retention department and see what they can offer you (1-877-722-3755). They offered me a credit for $10 per month for the next 6 months which was weak. But YMMV (Your mileage may vary). I just purchased the renewal using the online ATT upgrade tool and it looks like it worked. Good Luck!

Y! Live Webcam streaming

Yahoo came out with live webcam streaming and Im testing it out by streaming my webcam....

If Im online, click here to chat with me.

cornerstonetrinity.org launches!

My church has recently launched its new web site. There's not much there now, but we (web ministry group) plan to add lots of new content and exciting features throughout the year.

Disappearing Car Door

I need this installed on my car. More info.

Wishlistr

Wishlistr is a cool and easy way to create your wishlist. I love the simplicity, the design and the ajax goodness. Its a good way to keep track of what you want. Click on the MyWishlist button above to see mine. Feel free to buy me something ;)