I love being able to tweak the pictures I take in Paint Shop Pro, or one of my other photo editing programs, but those programs don’t always do exactly what I need. Other people may not even have access to those programs, and may not realize that you can find sites online to help you give neat photo effects to any photograph. Photofiddle.com is just such a site, enabling you to upload any photograph and apply an art style to the photo. The site has over 50 different styles to choose from, including: Abstract Pop art Oil painting Water color Sketch Collage Film...

A few months ago, I replaced my aging IBM laptop with a brand new Toshiba model. Having done a fair share of complaining about Vista after using it on another PC, I actually attempted to buy a laptop without Vista – I thought it was THAT bad! After realizing that a custom build laptop would cost me twice as many clams, I gave it up and gave into Vista. I have to admit, I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I haven’t had any of the compatibility issues that I’ve heard others reporting, and if anything, Vista and the way it works to organize...

Tell me about your web host… If you asked 100 people about web hosting, would your host’s name be mentioned? If they were rated on a scale of 1 to 100, where would your host fall in that web hosting rating? Does your host offer you extra services for free, like shopping cards, message boards, and fun PHP installs? Are they available for support 24/7, or does it take days to get help? Has the company that you’re hosting your blogs and websites with won any web hosting awards? Years ago, when I first got online and bought a domain, I hosted...

Geeks are among the busiest people I know. When we’re not blogging, or working a 10-12 hour day fixing problems other people create, or playing World of Warcraft, you may find us at Comic-Con, or dissing the CGI work done in the latest summer blockbuster in an online forum. We’re BUSY people! Most geeks I know can’t find time to do anything…well, non geeky. Call it a matter of priorities, but when time is a hot commodity, who wants to spend it driving around town to get things done? That’s where ServeMeHere comes in handy...

It’s almost that time of year for me…time to order new checks! We rarely use checks, so I only order a small box each time, but they’re still a necessary evil. Several of the small businesses I frequent around town don’t accept debit or credit cards, and I rarely carry cash. The school always wants payment in the form of a check for field trips and other things, and the piano teacher always wants cash or a check as well. We’ve been ordering checks through our credit union, which is convenient, since they deduct the payment...

Promotional items are always a fun way to promote your business. My sister recently gave us some Devil Rays (St. Petersburg baseball team) SWAG she scored from a business contact, and we’ve been enjoying our loot. Last night I grabbed a plastic beer mug out of the freezer (the kind with water inside) and noticed that it had the Devil Rays logo on one side, and the logo of a local tire company on the other. My son has been using his Devil Rays baseball mitt at his baseball team practices. My husband wears his free Devil Rays hat when he mows the...

A long time ago, in a far away land (well, far away from Florida, anyway!) a boy geek named Jerry was in love with a girl geek named Katie. The couple met as students at the University of Illinois, and it was true love from day one. Jerry heard about the “Will You Marry Me” contest that 1-800-Flowers.com was running and thought it would be the perfect way to ask the big question. Jerry created a special Valentine’s video for his geeky sweetie, and he won! Not only did he get the girl, but the happy couple will be enjoying a wedding and...

I’m a voracious reader, and thanks to a few blog reviews I’ve done lately, I’ve been gifted with Amazon gift certificates. In exchange for reading a new book, I get a copy of said new book, and $20 to spend on whatever I want at Amazon.com – how can you beat that? The neat thing about Amazon is that it isn’t just books. Where else on the web can you buy books, clothes, toys, linens, or electronics? A department store website perhaps, but you’ll find a limited selection, as compared to the thousands and thousands of items...

Ah, the power of the internet. For you outdoor enthusiasts, when the weather isn’t nice enough to play outside, you can use the internet to plan for your next hiking of camping trip. Locate a campground online, or map out a new hiking trail. Shop for a sleeping bag, or even hiking boots! With a few clicks of the mouse you’ll find a huge variety of hiking books and hunting boots that you’d normally have to visit 3 or 4 stores to see. Instead of just picking your favorite pair of shoes from the few pairs offered at your local sporting...

Speaking of Christmas spending – if you’ve been whipping out your credit card without thinking about how you’re going to pay for it all, January might be a rude awakening for you. A lot of people go into debt each Christmas, and those people will need to know about credit card relief when the new year arrives. If you need advice on managing your debt, TheCreditExchange.com can offer you information on a variety of debt consolidation services and programs. The site isn’t a debt management company, but they do offer debt referral...