Sebastien (Sebby) St-Laurent's Blog

David Hayden talks about "Practical .NET2 and C#2"

2006-03-03T09:23:00.000-08:00

David Hayden, a well known website developer and .NET blogger talks about his initial comments on Practical .NET2 and C#2!

Reading Practical .NET 2 and C#2 by Patrick Smacchia
Kudos to Patrick Smacchia on his new book, Practical .NET 2 and C#2.

I have read about 150 pages of the 800+ page book and the book rocks. The chapters I have read so far ( yeah, I don't always read the chapters in order ):

Chapter 1: Assembly, module, IL language
Chapter 4: The CLR ( Common Language Runtime )
Chapter 5: Processes, threads, and synchronization
Chapter 7: Reflection, late binding, attributes
Chapter 12: Inheritance, polymorphism and abstraction
Chapter 13: Generics
Chapter 15: Collections

are excellent and full of detail. The pages are packed, too:

No big glaring gaps of white space and fluff that you get from some books that try to meet a page minimum.

Code samples get right to the point as opposed to showing a lot of extraneous code.
All code is in C# which means you don't have to deal with duplicate examples in multiple languages.

I will give a full review in a few weeks, but so far the book is a real joy to read. Check it out for yourself.

Source: David Hayden ( Florida .NET Developer )

2006-02-20T21:01:00.000-08:00

Sahil Malik posted a first review of Practical .NET2 and C#2.

----

If you knew C# 2.0 already, what C# 2.0 book would you buy?

Wait a minute, if you already knew C# 2.0, why the heck would you bother to buy another C# 2.0 book? Because learning C# is probably 0.05% of what you need to know. The rest of the 99.5% is the framework.

I have been recently poring through a pretty fantastic book - Practical .NET 2.0 and C# 2.0 by Patrick Smacchia. I have to admit, if you are hard pressed on time like I am, and don't have the patience to read through 5 different books to learn what you need to, then keep this book at an arms length. I really like how the chapters are laid out in logical topics, which make it so much easier to find the specific information I am looking for.

What makes this book great, is that this book is so much more than just C# 2.0, it's really about the framework (wasn't it always about the framework?).

EasyRegex update and EasyBarcode released.

2006-02-14T00:31:00.000-08:00

I have released a minor update to EasyRegex. Turns out a little bug in my licensing code would cause some machines to report the beta license as being expired. Before installing the update, you will need to uninstall the previous version. The updated version can be downloaded from
http://www.paradoxalpress.com/Software_EasyRegex.aspx

I have also released EasyBarcode 1.0.0 today. A quick and easy little software to generate print-ready EAN/ISBN barcodes.

Generate EAN barcodes for both ISBN and ISBN-13 numbers
Built-in ISBN validation to ensure the numbers input are valid
Generates barcodes which also include the ISBN information and the optional price UPC-5 supplement
Exports barcodes to PDF files for easy inclusion in your layouts and projects

An EasyBarcode trial can be downloaded from:
http://www.paradoxalpress.com/Software_EasyBarcode.aspx

EasyRegex, the perfect tool for the avid .NET Regex developer

2006-02-11T20:55:00.000-08:00

Download EasyRegex 1.0.0 and use it free for the beta period.

Build libraries with your regular expressions. Take advantage of the built-in expression builder to quickly and easily put together expressions.
Build a test matrix for your expression by adding various text sources and run your expressions against your test matrix to find problems and regressions.
Do performance testing of your regular expressions. Test various expressions against each other and compare the performance difference between run-time regular expressions and pre-compiled expression in the .NET framework.
Take advantage of a new feature of the 2.0 .NET framework by taking your regular expression libraries and pre-compiling them into assemblies which can be used directly in your .NET projects.

Amazon Sales Rank Watcher Version 1.1 is now out...

2006-02-09T06:36:00.000-08:00

Managed to find some time to do some more work on my Amazon Sales Rank Watcher software. I want to thank everyone who tried the initial release and sent me some great feedback. The work on this version focused mostly on adressing bugs, implementing suggestions and solidifying the application. Here is the "what's new" for this version.

This version fixes most of the bugs which were reported with the first version. Such as the occational exception with the display of the rank graph.
Added a "Check for Updates" button
Added filtering capabilities on the Amazon search to restrict the search to a specific type of product.
Application now minimizes into the try and can display a pop-up when new ranking information is downloaded
Improved the overall graph display.

The latest version of Amazon Sales Rank Watcher can be downloaded from the Paradoxal Press website.

"Practical .NET2 and C#2" featured on The Code Project

2006-02-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

A new post is up on "The Code Project" in regards to "Practical .NET2 and C#2" containing general book information as well as various content extracts from the book... Check it out!
http://www.codeproject.com/books/understand_csharp_event.asp

2006-02-02T19:34:00.000-08:00

We have recieved our copies of "Practical .NET2 and C#2" last week and all orders on ParadoxalPress.com are now shipping!

In addition, to celebrate, all books on Paradoxal Press are now on sale at 10% off Amazon's price for the month of Feburary. This means $33.99 for "Practical .NET2 and C#2" and "The COMPLETE Effect and HLSL Guide" for $23.75.

We are also offering a complete Paradoxal Press bundle which includes "Practical .NET2 and C#2", "The COMPLETE Effect and HLSL Guide" and "The COMPLETE HLSL Reference" for only $51.50, which is 50% over the retail price.

And all orders to the continental USA ship for free.

That's it for my plug ;)

Flight Simulator 10 : 2.0, 3.0 Shader Hardware, do I need to upgrade?

2006-02-01T09:18:00.000-08:00

By now, i'm sure you have seen some of the latest screen shots for Flight Sim 10. If not, take a look at FS Insider. This has brought forth alot of questions in regards to hardware support and what type of shader hardware is required to take advantage of the new visual features. Of course, keep in mind that we are still working on the product and things may change but here is my current point of view.

Architecturally, our rendering architecture was designed to be flexible and take advantage of the current hardware setup. Our main shaders are essentially components (such as lighting, bumpmap,...) which are pieced together and pushed to the hardware. The features used and put together generally depend on the detail settings and the underlying hardware on the machine.
Functionally, 2.0 and 3.0 shaders are mostly the same. One of the main difference being from a performance point of view and also in terms of the maximum number of instructions that a shader may use.

Under most circumstances, our shaders fit well under 2.0 shaders but there are a few cases where we can exceed the maximal number of instructions and turn features off. These cases would benefit from 3.0 shader hardware, but they are rare.

Now, from a performance point of view, 3.0 hardware is generally more performant and will of course yield better graphical performance. But a consideration that is probably more important is that Flight Simulator is a memory hungry application. This is even more true now that we are increasing the texture resolution in the game. Even on a 256MB card, with the settings cranked up, we run out of memory on the video card. No worries, we are smart about it and implement level-of-detail schemes to ensure the optimal use of the video card memory.

In fact, our performance on video cards is generally more bound to bandwidth usage (to transfer textures and geometry) more than shader bound. This means that you may have a better performance benefit in Flight Sim from going to a video card with more video memory rather than a card which can do faster shader operations. This is a consideration to keep in mind if you prefer to texture detail over various visual effects.

Practical .NET2 and C#2 has arrived!

2006-01-25T22:34:00.000-08:00

Finally recieved my copies of Practical .NET2 and C#2 on Monday. Been busy shipping pre-orders and review copies.

The book still is shown as pre-order on most online retail sites. Our distributor has recieved the copies but the actual books have to percolate through the distribution channels.

In the meantime, orders made on ParadoxalPress.com will generally ship within 24 hours.

Amazon Sales Rank Watcher Bug

2006-01-25T22:29:00.000-08:00

For those of you who may have downloaded my Amazon Sales Rank Watcher. There is a bug which can cause an error to happen (and a big red X to show on the graph) when adding new titles. The bug is minor and is due to the way the first sales rank is added to the graph. I plan on releasing a new version within the next 1-2 weeks adding a few new features on the product.

Fixing graph bugs
Improve graph update performance
Add more intelligent filtering to the list of titles from amazon to only include book titles
Allow for the App to be resized (allowing for a bigger graph)
Allowing the app to be minimized into the icon tray so it can be left to gather sales rank info in the background

Thanks to everyone who has sent me some feedback, bug reports and comments!

Farewell Steve Lacey and good luck!

2006-01-25T22:27:00.000-08:00

Steve Lacey, my boss, mentor and the man at the core of Flight Simulator graphics is leaving the team to attempt his own long-due venture. Here is his post:

Well, the time has finally come for me to say adios to Microsoft and hit the startup road. This has nothing to do with Microsoft or the Flight Simulator team/product and everything to do with my insane desire to try something new.

In fact, this was probably one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make - Microsoft and in particular the Flight Simulator team is a wonderful and stimulating place to work and it is hard to walk away from eleven years of history.

What have I worked on in that time? Well in summary, back in January 1995 I joined some friends at a small 3D graphics startup in London, UK. One month later we were acquired by Microsoft and shortly joined the fledgling DirectX (then Games SDK) team. Our product, Reality Lab, became the basis for Direct3D and shipped in June 1996 as the key feature for DirectX 2. After that I worked on DirectX 3, VRML, IE4, DirectX 5 in Windows Multimedia and then moved onto Chrome (who remembers that?) and DirectX 6.

In 1997 we relocated to Redmond.

In 1998 it was time for something different, and I led feature teams on Flight Simulator 2000, Combat Flight Simulator 2, Flight Simulator 2004 and FSX, found time along the way to run the development team at a new studio, work on a bunch of Xbox stuff, build a game engine and scriping engine/language completely from scratch and general get my fingers into a lot of incredibly interesting pies.

And now it’s time for something completely different.
For the Flight Simulator fans in the audience, let me tell you that the product is in a great place. It’ll ship on time and look astounding - I’ve made sure of that!

Anyhow, stay subscribed - my blogging will continue (does it ever stop?) and in fact I will continue to post about Flight Simulator as long as my value-add is still relevant (and the team puts up with me :-)
Although I can claim to be the first Flight Simulator Team blogger, I’m really happy that Mike, Jason, Adrian, Hal, Susan and others are now on board, and delivering a really compelling and insightful look into the world under the hood of Flight Simulator. The conversation rocks. Long may it continue.

That being said, no worries as most of the major graphical featuers for FSX are already in place and we have been preparing for his departure. By the way, I do promise to start posting more often on the graphical features of FSX.

Amazon Sales Rank Watcher (Take 2)

2006-01-16T05:41:00.000-08:00

For those who had difficulties installing the app, there was a dependancy problem I had not noticed and was addressed. More details and screenshots can be found at: http://www.paradoxalpress.com/Software.aspx

The cat is out of the box (or the plane is our of the hanger)

2006-01-14T09:45:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late with the news but at CES, the next version of Microsoft Flight Simulator was announced.This is good news for everyone and as a developer on the project, this means that the "gag order" has been somewhat lifted.
I am a graphics engineer on the project under Steve Lacey and I take care of various graphical improvements on the project. For now, I will leave you dangling but I plan over the next few weeks to take a deeper look into some of the new features I have helped develop.

Author/Self-Pub Amazon Sales Rank Tool

2006-01-14T09:39:00.000-08:00

I have written a little took to track and chart the sales rank of various products on Amazon.com. It is kind of handy to keep track and chart the sales oaf your titles or your competing titles. More details and screenshots can be found at: http://www.paradoxalpress.com/Software.aspx

"Practical .NET2 and C#2" is out to the presses.

2005-12-20T19:21:00.000-08:00

After a few months of crazy work, "Practical .NET2 and C#2" was finally sent to the printer yesterday. Meaning that the book should start appearing on store shelves in the first weeks of 2006 :)

Paradoxal Press announces “Practical .NET2 and C#2” (ISBN 0-9766132-2-0), a complete manual to taking advantage of C#2 and the Microsoft .NET2 Framewo

2005-12-17T13:38:00.000-08:00

REDMOND, WA – Paradoxal Press (http://www.paradoxalpress.com/) is proud to announce the first title of its 2006 lineup. “Practical .NET2 and C#2” (ISBN 0-9766132-2-0) is a complete manual to the new features offered by the Microsoft .NET 2 Framework. This book was conceived from real world experience. The author takes the point of view of the developer that needs to be productive. Concepts are illustrated with a multitude of relevant and directly usable examples. When appropriate, features of Visual Studio 2005 and other .NET development tools are explained.

With numerous references to standard programming principles, students as well as beginners will feel at ease. Seasoned developers will be glad to know that advanced features will also be discussed such as CLR internals, closures, transactional programming and .NET design patterns. The reader experienced with .NET 1 will take advantage of more than 400 pages solely dedicated to the new features of .NET2.

The author of “Practical .NET2 and C#2”, Patrick Smacchia, is a .NET MVP involved in software development for over 15 years. After graduating in mathematics and computer science from the ENSEEIHT school, he has worked on software in a variety of fields including stock exchange at Société Générale, airline ticket reservation system at Amadeus as well as a satellite base station at Alcatel. He's currently a software consultant and trainer on .NET technologies as well as the author of the freeware NDepend which provides numerous metrics and caveats on any compiled .NET application. Patrick Smacchia is also the author of the French bestselling titles “Pratique de .NET et C#” and “Pratique de .NET 2.0 et de C# 2.0”.

“Practical .NET2 and C#2” (ISBN 0-9766132-2-0) is a 896-page perfect bound book with a suggested retail price of $59.95 USD. It will be released on January 15th 2006 and will be on sale online at most online retailers and directly from www.ParadoxalPress.com.

For more information about “Practical .NET2 and C#2”, to see sample chapters and to download code samples from the book, please visit http://www.PracticalDOT.net

For more information about Paradoxal Press, please visit http://www.paradoxalpress.com/

Gmail's Take on spam!

2005-12-10T16:52:00.000-08:00

Hmm. Delicacy or annoying emails? Looks like Gmail can't really tell the difference. Ginger Spam Salad? Who would have thought!

WWFSMD?

2005-11-18T20:29:00.000-08:00

What Would the Flying Spaghetti monster do? Have you yet been touched? Somewhat of a spoof, somewhat of an alternative to "intelligent design". You judge for yourself... WWFSMD

Free "The COMPLETE HLSL Reference" Link...

2005-11-16T06:22:00.000-08:00

Oops. Forgot to post a link in the previous post... Here it is.. http://www.paradoxalpress.com/books_hlslref.aspx

Free PDF Version of "The COMPLETE HLSL Reference" is up for grabs!

2005-11-15T12:54:00.000-08:00

Paradoxal Press has just released a free PDF version of their "The COMPLETE HLSL Reference". The spiral hardbound copy can still be purchased but you can now also print your own copy for free :) Here are some details...

The COMPLETE HLSL Reference is a small format (3”x6”) spiral-bound booklet intended to be a complete quick reference for assembly and HLSL shader developers. The reference includes a complete overview of all vertex and pixel shader assembly instructions, up to shader model 3.0, complete with parameter description and performance considerations. In addition, the booklet also includes a complete overview of all the HLSL intrinsic functions complete with a description of their functionality, parameter information and performance considerations.

Practical .NET2 and C#2

2005-11-06T18:42:00.000-08:00

Finally the time has come. Paradoxal Press is anouncing it's new title, "Practical .NET2 and C#2". This one, I did not author but translated it from french in collaboration with the author, Pratick Smacchia. Current scheduled release date is mid-Janurary...

Here are some details...

The author has placed himself from the point of view of the developerwhich must both be quickly productive and anticipate changes withouthaving to question their acquired skills. More than half this book isdedicated to the new features introduced by version 2.0 of .NET.

• The .NET platform: CLR, CIL language, Common Type System, assembly,metadata, JIT compilation, GC, AppDomain, MSBuild, deployment(ClickOnce, MSI), localization, process, thread, synchronization,asynchronous call, security, CAS, attribute, reflection,interoperability with P/Invoke and COM.

• The C#2 language (and a detailed comparison with C++): Typing,class, structure, object, interface, inheritance, polymorphism,abstraction, genericity, pointers and unsafe code, delegate, events,exception, nullable type, anonymous method, iterator.

• The .NET Framework: Collection, trace, debugging, I/O, socket, file,Windows Forms 2, GDI+, ADO.NET 2, transaction, XML, .NET Remoting,ASP.NET 2, web services.

With several reminders to fundamental notiontions, students as well asbeginners will feel at ease. The experienced developer will easily beable to take advantage of the subtle features offered by .NET 2.0 suchas generics, unified transactional model, masgénéricité, le modèleunifié transactionnel, master pages or ClickOnce deployment.Download the 647 code examples at www.PracticalDOT.Net.

You can also get more details from the Paradoal Press website.

What's Up?

2005-10-28T20:19:00.000-07:00

So what is going on in my world?

Well first of all, sorry for all the "deals/coupons" posts. With lack of other content, I thought it would be interesting but I definetly went a little overboard. Hehe...

In the book world, things have been going well. "The COMPLETE Effect and HLSL Guide" is still selling decently. Hopefuly sales will keep picking up as the word spreads out. Also, I have just recieved the proof for ShaderX4 which I will go over this weekend. Seems like the projet is about 2 weeks behind schedule but the book should be out before Christmas.

I am also working on a new book project, will not go into details just yet. But it is a second edition of a french programming title which I am transalating. This book covers .NET 2.0 and should almost 1000 pages. The release is planned for January and I should be able to post more details in the next few weeks.

Also, with all this "deal" posting and my dealing with www.RewardLadder.com, I thought of a cool little project to work on. Quite often, I am looking for deals and have to search several sites. Although you can use a RSS aggregator to improve on this, I though a specialized tool would be in order. DealPlucker, which I decided to name it, essentially will aggregate deals from several sources while gathering additional deal information from the vendor site and offering special features such as searches and price compare. It is still in the works, and am about 50% to a workable version. So I will hopefuly have something in the next month or so.

As for things at home, my wife is still somewhat playing "doctor hot potato". We did managed to get an appt with a good bariatric doctor. He is doing some tests and in his oppinion, the Botox procedure done earlier was done in the wrong area to start with and wants to retry this procedure. Obviously, we would prefer a "final" solution. But if she can at least get some relief for a few months, possibly while they do more tests. At least things are moving again now.

Misc Deals/Coupons

2005-10-18T06:14:00.000-07:00

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Best Buy Deals

2005-10-18T06:13:00.000-07:00

Save up to $330 on PC packages after rebates Save up to $330 on PC packages after rebates Save up to $150 on Toshiba notebooks after rebate Save up to $150 on Toshiba notebooks after rebate 10% off digital camcorders, plus free shipping 10% off digital camcorders, plus free shipping 10% off digital cameras, plus free shipping 10% off digital cameras, plus free shipping2 free DVDs w/DVD recorder or portable DVD player 2 free DVDs w/DVD recorder or portable DVD player BestBuy.com has a great selection of Apple iPods BestBuy.com has a great selection of Apple iPods

Toshiba Deals

2005-10-18T06:12:00.000-07:00

Get a Toshiba M30X-S191ST notebook PC for only $729 after $100 mail-in rebate and $50 instant rebate. Offer available 10.01.05 to 12.31.05.

Up to 15% off select Toshiba Tablet PCs. Offer available 10.01.05 to 10.31.05.

Free Toshiba MultiMedia Center audio-USB hub when you buy a Qosmio G25 AV PC. Offer available 10.01.05 to 12.31.05.

$200 Instant Rebate on Portege S100 notebooks. Offer available 10.01.05 - 12.31.05.

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Up to 20% off select customizable notebooks at ToshibaDirect.com. Offer available 10.01.05 - 12.31.05.

New Dell Coupons

2005-10-18T06:11:00.000-07:00

Limited time offer beginning 10/18/05 6:00am CST through 10/22/05 5:59am CST or after 5000 redemptions (whichever occurs first) ONLINE ONLY: Save 35% off DELL - Ultrasharp 2001FP 20.1-inch Flat panel LDD Monitor sku # 320-1578; DELL - UltraSharp 1704FPT 17-inch Flat Panel LCD Monitor sku # 320-3952; Ultrasharp 2005FPW 20.1-inch Flat panel LCD Monitor sku # 320-4111 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! (Coupon Code DH1XPJ$M5H7CWR)

Limited time offer beginning 10/18/05 6:00am CST through 10/22/05 5:59am CST or after 4000 redemptions (whichever occurs first) ONLINE ONLY: Save 30% off select Dell monitors: 30% off 1905FP sku # 320-4113 and e193FP sku # 320-4087 Flat Panel Monitors (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Coupon Code $0JGK?37WQSBWS

Limited time offer beginning 10/18/05 8:00am CST through 10/19/05 5:59am CST or after 1965 redemptions (whichever occurs first) ONLINE ONLY: Save 30% off Canon ZR200 Digital Camcorder sku # A0442117 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Coupon Code 5T?L6743MXXWB1

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Whole Lot of new Dell coupons

2005-10-12T21:54:00.000-07:00

One Price Inspiron Sale – Free Upgrades on Select Inspiron’s Evalue Codes 1111- i1200z5, 1111- i6000U5, 1111- i6000U6, 1111- i9300U5(Instant savings offer is combinable with free 3-5 day online shipping offer available on system orders over $849). These special configurations are not combinable with other mail-in rebates, percent off or instant dollars off promotions. Expires after 5000 redemptions or on 10/28/05

Limited time offer beginning 10/13/05 8:00am CST through 10/20/05 5:59am CST or after 3,000 redemptions (whichever occurs first) ONLINE ONLY: Save $100 off Select Inspiron 1200 Evalue code i1200s1. This offer is also stackable with Mail-in -Rebates Evalue Code: 111-i1200s0 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) Offer may be combined with select other offers. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Coupon code expires after first 3,000 uses, or earlier if offer is terminated earlier. Offers subject to change. Prices, specifications, availability and terms of offer may change without notice. Taxes, fees, shipping, handling and any applicable restocking charges are extra, May be combined with other select offers or discountsCoupon Code D43HKZSR395V25

Limited time offer beginning 10/13/05 8:00am CST through 10/20/05 5:59am CST or after 4,000 redemptions (whichever occurs first) ONLINE ONLY: Save 30% off Select Inspiron $1499+ (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) Offer may be combined with select other offers. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Coupon code expires after first 4,000 uses, or earlier if offer is terminated earlier. Offers subject to change. Prices, specifications, availability and terms of offer may change without notice. Taxes, fees, shipping, handling and any applicable restocking charges are extra, May be combined with other select offers or discountsCoupon Code 7RC$H$G3HS?101

Limited time offer beginning 10/13/05 8:00am CST through 10/20/05 5:59am CST or after 5,000 redemptions (whichever occurs first) ONLINE ONLY: Save 25% off Select Inspiron $999+ (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) Offer may be combined with select other offers. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Coupon code expires after first 5,000 uses, or earlier if offer is terminated earlier. Offers subject to change. Prices, specifications, availability and terms of offer may change without notice. Taxes, fees, shipping, handling and any applicable restocking charges are extra, May be combined with other select offers or discountsCoupon Code KBM$G8P671H4B8

10/13/05 8:00am CST through 10/19/05 5:59am CST or after 4000 redemptions (whichever occurs first) ONLINE ONLY: Save 15% on SELECT Dimension™ desktop purchases over $999 or more + free 17” flat panel on select systems (before tax ,shipping & handling)! May not be combinable with Deals of the Week, mail in rebates, dollars off, percentages off, or select other promotions. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Coupon code expires after first 4000 uses, or earlier if offer is terminated earlier.Coupon Code 33LZT4Q1B3W108

Limited time offer beginning 10/13/05 8:00am CST through 10/25/05 5:59am CST or after 1000 redemptions (whichever occurs first) ONLINE ONLY: Save 20% off new Dell Axim X51 and X51v (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Offer may be combined with select other offers. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Coupon code expires after first 1000 uses, or earlier if offer is terminated earlier. Offers subject to change. Please verify eligibility in the cart before completing your purchase. (Excluded items receive the following notice “The following coupons have been entered but require additional information or do not meet eligibility requirements”.) Eligible items reflect the discount.Coupon Code 4732ZBLX88ZT1?

Limited time offer beginning 10/13/05 8:00am CST through 10/20/05 5:59am CST or after 10,000 redemptions (whichever occurs first) ONLINE ONLY: Save $20 off orders >$150 <$1000 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Offer may be combined with select other offers. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Coupon code expires after first 10,000 uses, or earlier if offer is terminated earlier. Offers subject to change. Please verify eligibility in the cart before completing your purchase. (Excluded items receive the following notice “The following coupons have been entered but require additional information or do not meet eligibility requirements”.) Eligible items reflect the discount.Coupon Code FVTQ0LS4CPMX9P

Limited time offer beginning 10/13/05 8:00am CST through 10/20/05 5:59am CST or after 10,000 redemptions (whichever occurs first) ONLINE ONLY: Save $35 off orders >$300 <$1000 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Offer may be combined with select other offers. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Coupon code expires after first 10,000 uses, or earlier if offer is terminated earlier. Offers subject to change. Please verify eligibility in the cart before completing your purchase. (Excluded items receive the following notice “The following coupons have been entered but require additional information or do not meet eligibility requirements”.) Eligible items reflect the discount.Coupon Code TTH0?HZ0HDNHB8

Limited time offer beginning 10/13/05 8:00am CST through 10/20/05 5:59am CST or after 10,000 redemptions (whichever occurs first) ONLINE ONLY: Save $60 off orders > $500 <$1000 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Offer may be combined with select other offers. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Coupon code expires after first 10,000 uses, or earlier if offer is terminated earlier. Offers subject to change. Please verify eligibility in the cart before completing your purchase. (Excluded items receive the following notice “The following coupons have been entered but require additional information or do not meet eligibility requirements”.) Eligible items reflect the discount.Coupon Code B5SM90M526JSBK

Limited time offer beginning 10/13/05 8:00am CST through 10/20/05 5:59am CST or after 4,000 redemptions (whichever occurs first) ONLINE ONLY: Save 25% off Select Flash Memory (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Offer may be combined with select other offers. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Coupon code expires after first 4,000 uses, or earlier if offer is terminated earlier. Offers subject to change. Please verify eligibility in the cart before completing your purchase. (Excluded items receive the following notice “The following coupons have been entered but require additional information or do not meet eligibility requirements”.) Eligible items reflect the discount.Coupon Code CVMKVJVQSJP492

Limited time offer beginning 10/13/05 6:00am CST through 10/18/05 5:59am CST or after 5,000 redemptions (whichever occurs first) ONLINE ONLY: Save 35% off DELL - Ultrasharp 2005FPW 20.1-inch Flat panel LCD Monitor sku # 320-4111, or 35% off DELL - UltraSharp 2405FPW 24-inch wide aspect Flat Panel LCD Monitor sku # 320-4221 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Offer may be combined with select other offers. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Coupon code expires after first 5,000 uses, or earlier if offer is terminated earlier. Offers subject to change. Please verify eligibility in the cart before completing your purchase. (Excluded items receive the following notice “The following coupons have been entered but require additional information or do not meet eligibility requirements”.) Eligible items reflect the discount.Coupon Code WFQ9X9GW1VT?2R

Limited time offer beginning 10/13/05 6:00am CST through 10/18/05 5:59am CST or after 4,000 redemptions (whichever occurs first) ONLINE ONLY: Save 30% off DELL - UltraSharp 1905FP 19-inch Flat Panel LCD Monitor sku # 320-4113 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Offer may be combined with select other offers. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Coupon code expires after first 4,000 uses, or earlier if offer is terminated earlier. Offers subject to change. Please verify eligibility in the cart before completing your purchase. (Excluded items receive the following notice “The following coupons have been entered but require additional information or do not meet eligibility requirements”.) Eligible items reflect the discount.Coupon Code T2JTKL6CKRH34W

Limited time offer beginning 10/13/05 8:00am CST through 10/14/05 5:59am CST or after 1680 redemptions (whichever occurs first) ONLINE ONLY: Save 25% off Kodak EasyShare Z740 and Printer Dock Series 3 Digital Photo Solution SKU # A0459292 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Offer may be combined with select other offers. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Coupon code expires after first 1680 uses, or earlier if offer is terminated earlier. Offers subject to change. Please verify eligibility in the cart before completing your purchase. (Excluded items receive the following notice “The following coupons have been entered but require additional information or do not meet eligibility requirements”.) Eligible items reflect the discount.Coupon Code M21VPRDBXTZ19M

Limited time offer beginning 10/13/05 8:00am CST through 10/14/05 5:59am CST or after 5700 redemptions (whichever occurs first) ONLINE ONLY: Save 25% off Kodak EasyShare C340 Zoom Digital Camera sku #A0486256 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Offer may be combined with select other offers. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Coupon code expires after first 5700 uses, or earlier if offer is terminated earlier. Offers subject to change. Please verify eligibility in the cart before completing your purchase. (Excluded items receive the following notice “The following coupons have been entered but require additional information or do not meet eligibility requirements”.) Eligible items reflect the discount.Coupon Code M0DNC?NR?T?3MN

Limited time offer beginning 10/13/05 8:00am CST through 10/14/05 5:59am CST or after 3775 redemptions (whichever occurs first) ONLINE ONLY: Save 20% off Kodak EasyShare Z700 Zoom Digital Camera sku # A0459244 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Offer may be combined with select other offers. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Coupon code expires after first 3775 uses, or earlier if offer is terminated earlier. Offers subject to change. Please verify eligibility in the cart before completing your purchase. (Excluded items receive the following notice “The following coupons have been entered but require additional information or do not meet eligibility requirements”.) Eligible items reflect the discount.Coupon Code B7LC?27R9KNS2H

Limited time offer beginning 10/13/05 8:00am CST through 10/14/05 5:59am CST or after 2015 redemptions (whichever occurs first) ONLINE ONLY: Save 20% off Kodak EasyShare C310 Digital Camera and Printer Dock Series 3 Digital Photo Solution sku # A0512043 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Offer may be combined with select other offers. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Coupon code expires after first 2015 uses, or earlier if offer is terminated earlier. Offers subject to change. Please verify eligibility in the cart before completing your purchase. (Excluded items receive the following notice “The following coupons have been entered but require additional information or do not meet eligibility requirements”.) Eligible items reflect the discount.Coupon Code 71LW?V8QCPJM1W

Limited time offer beginning 10/13/05 8:00am CST through 10/14/05 5:59am CST or after 2755 redemptions (whichever occurs first) ONLINE ONLY: Save 40% off Kodak EasyShare CX7430 Zoom Digital Camera with Camera Dock 6000 sku #A0512669 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Offer may be combined with select other offers. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Coupon code expires after first 2755 uses, or earlier if offer is terminated earlier. Offers subject to change. Please verify eligibility in the cart before completing your purchase. (Excluded items receive the following notice “The following coupons have been entered but require additional information or do not meet eligibility requirements”.) Eligible items reflect the discount.Coupon Code G?Z9650TRLL618

Hot Deals 10/07

2005-10-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

(Sony) Save up to $300 on VAIO Desktop and Display bundles at the Official Sony Store - ends 11/1/05 (Expires 10/13/2005)
Sony has $100 instant savings on our 20GB Walkman® digital music player and up to $100 off select digital cameras, such as the popular T7 model. We've also extended our popular promotion for up to $300 savings on select VAIO® Desktop and Display bundles to November 1. Please note: new end dates for Free Shipping on all TVs is now 10/31/05 and VAIO RA940 Desktop Memory Upgrade is now 10/13/05.

Save up to 70% on Contact Lenses (Expires 12/31/2005)
Manufacturer Rebates

ACUVUE 1-Day - 12 boxes - Save $40 or Save $70 on 24 boxes!
ACUVUE Advance - 8 boxes - Save $40
ACUVUE - 8 boxes - Save $40
ACUVUE 2 - 8 boxes - Save $40
ACUVUE 2 Colors - 8 boxes - Save $40
ACUVUE Toric - 2 boxes - Save $60
ACUVUE Bifocal - 4 boxes - Save $60

Coupon Codes
General $5 off Coupon Code on orders of at least 50$ Enter CJDCL5 in the "Special Comments or Instructions" box during order checkout.

(MacMall.com) The Macintosh Superstore (Expires 11/16/2005)
Get an iPod nano or up to $150 cash back with purchase of any PowerBook or Power Mac!* A great offer ends 11/06

(A1 Wireless) LG VX9800 (Expires 10/31/2005)
Verizon Wireless customers rejoice! Verizon now offers the amazing LG 9800 with next generation EV-DO download technology with near-broadband speed for on-demand TV through VCAST. The LG 9800 has Bluetooth, a stereo MP3 player, a 1.3 Megapixel camera that takes gorgeous still photos or quality video clips, an expansion memory slot, advanced voice dialing, a huge color screen, and a hidden QWERTY keyboard. What an entertainment machine! Oh, and we forgot to mention the business card reader!

(BagSelect.com) 10% off Bags at BagSelect.com. Coupon Code: 9VZ8T (Expires 10/31/2005)

(BitsandPieces.com) Take 10% Off Your Order of $40 or More at bitsandpieces.com. Enter code at check out: sep10 (Expires 10/15/2005)
Bits And Pieces has been supplying millions of adults and kids alike with unique jigsaw puzzles, brain teaser puzzles and gift ideas through our mail order catalog since 1983. 10% off $40 or more Sep10, 15% off $55 or more Sep15

Hot Deals 10/06

2005-10-06T06:38:00.000-07:00

Save up to $100 @ FastFloors.com! Use Coupon Code: ZLS564201! (Expires 10/31/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Get 1% OFF (up to $100) on Flooring Purchases. Coupon Code: ZLS564201. This offer does not apply to accessories.

(Luggage Online) Take $40 Off orders over $375, plus FREE Shipping! Enter special code 'OCTFTY' at checkout. Excludes Tumi and Briggs & Riley. Expires 11-15-05 (Expires 11/15/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Take $10 Off orders over $99 (Coupon OCTTEN)
Take $20 Off orders over $199Plus Free Shipping! (Coupon OCTTWY)
Take $30 Off orders over $275Plus Free Shipping! (Coupon OCTTHR)
Take $40 Off orders over $375Plus Free Shipping! (Coupon OCTFTY)
All expire 11/15/2005 and exclude TUMI and Briggs & Riley
Save at Overstock.com! (Expires 10/31/2005 12:00:00 AM)

Save 10% off order over $75. Only at Overstock.com!

(Dell Home Coupons) Computer Promotions at Dell Home Systems (Expires 10/13/2005 12:00:00 AM)

ONLINE ONLY Save 20% off Inspiron $999+ (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) oupon Code C6$06RV0FR8441
ONLINE ONLY Save 25% off Inspiron $1499+ (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) Coupon Code 2H63RN83$CCST8
ONLINE ONLY Save $100 off Inspiron 1200 evalue code 1111-i1200s1 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) Coupon Code FKP?5K580L7$4T
Save 20% on SELECT Dimension™ desktop purchases $899 or more (before tax and shipping)!Coupon Code: $M32FDLVPF9T37
ONLINE ONLY Save $20 off orders >$150 <$1000 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Coupon Code HXZ3VQ484VLJVJ
ONLINE ONLY Save $35 off orders >$300 <$1000 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Coupon Code RR$V1661CVL315
ONLINE ONLY Save $60 off orders > $500 <$1000 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Coupon Code 82JMMHN1GRWXLZ
ONLINE ONLY Save 22% off DELL - UltraSharp 2405FPW 24-inch wide aspect Flat Panel LCD Monitor sku# 320-4221 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Coupon Code CMGNHZJTD46N1K
ONLINE ONLY Save 14% off select Dell flat panel monitors: 14% off DELL - UltraSharp 1905FP 19-inch Flat Panel LCD Monitor sku# 320-4113 or 14% off DELL - Ultrasharp 2001FP 20.1-inch Flat panel LDD Monitor sku# 320-1578 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Coupon Code G?6ZLF$P37SL9N
ONLINE ONLY Save 25% off Select Flash Memory (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Coupon Code N?X9P9X1G05L1R
ONLINE ONLY Save 20% off Select Casio, Kodak, Konica Minolta and Olympus Digital Cameras (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Coupon Code 5RDV1PPJ$QWFS$
ONLINE ONLY Save 15% off Select Canon, Sony and Konica-Minolta Digital Cameras, Select JVC and Samsung camcorders (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Coupon Code ?1KGQ5CXW60JFQ
ONLINE ONLY Save 30% off Select Fuji Digital Cameras and Select Panasonic and Canon Camcorders (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Coupon Code LX507223PMFKFP
ONLINE ONLY Save 20% off Canon EOS 20D DIGITAL CAMERA WITH 18-55MM F 3.5-5.6 lens sku # A0399222 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Coupon Code N3$XRZQ9H27Q46
ONLINE ONLY Save 20% off Canon A520 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Coupon Code RHQ3FB6DN67CB2
ONLINE ONLY Save 20% off Canon SD300 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Coupon Code 1BG$D$N782L5LT
ONLINE ONLY Save 20% off Canon SD500 (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site! Coupon Code CXSTR8$H?NZ8BG

New Hot Deals for 10/04

2005-10-05T06:51:00.000-07:00

Computer Promotions at Dell Home Systems (Expires 10/6/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Dell coupons not valid on XPS M170 & Inspiron 1200 notebooks. May be combined with select other offers. Only one Dell coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Coupon code expires after first 4000 uses, or earlier if offer is terminated earlier. 25% off $1,499+ - Dell Coupon V8VL9$7NSHWJ1T 20% off $999+ - Dell Coupon ST9L?4FM91D11S
$20 off $150 - Dell Coupon JWZGBH?8TR3H2S $35 off $300 - Dell Coupon ?1SPNT69CV0TTT $60 off $500 - Dell Coupon ZX99STV3H$7TSB You can combine any 1 of the above online coupons with any one of the below Dell coupons. Dollar off coupons (above) are valid on purchases of less then $1,000. Hurry these are limited use and will expire soon.

(Buy.com( Buy 2 get 1 Free on DVDs (Expires 10/10/2005 12:00:00 AM)

Limited Too 20% Off Coupon (Expires 10/16/2005 12:00:00 AM)

(Lillian Vernon) Recieve $10 off orders of $60 or more! Enter 655850100 at checkout. Expires Oct. 31st. (Expires 10/31/2005 12:00:00 AM)

(A1Wireless) Motorola V330 (Expires 10/10/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Motorola V330 Camera/Video PhoneBONUS FREE Bluetooth Headset BONUS Free 2 Day Shipping $169.99 Phone Value $50 Rebate from T-Mobile - $120 Bonus Mail-In Rebate - FREE! after rebates

Special Offer at PetSmart.com (Expires 11/1/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Receive 15% off your order

www.TheHopeMosaic.com, Take 2

2005-10-01T16:36:00.000-07:00

Just a quick reminder post in regards to The Hope Mosaic. I have launched this site in an effort to raise money for the hurricane victims but so far, although a fair number of visits. No donations!

Remember the importance of helping the victims, if you were in their shoes you would appreciate such help from the outside. This being said, I understand that not everyone has the financial means of helping but you can still help by spreading the word. Tell your friends, family, ...

Help us make Internet history!

Hot Deals for 10/01

2005-10-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

(BUY.Com) $15 OFF $200 Coupon in our Computer, Software, Home Networking, Digital Camera and Electronic Stores! New Customers Only! Exp 10-31! (Expires 10/30/2005)

(Zales.com) Take $30 Off All Mother's Jewelry $199 Or More. Valid October 1-31, 2005. (Expires 10/31/2005)

(A1Wireless) LG F9100 (Expires 10/31/2005)
The LG F9100 is no ordinary candy bar phone for the techno-enthusiast. The large color screen and phone keypad slide open to reveal a full backlit QWERTY keyboard. Use it like a mini-laptop to text message faster than ever, and browse the web with ease using the 5-way scroll. This compact package also features high-speed data, multi-media messaging and voice commands. If your on-the-go life needs text and instant messaging, drop that laptop and lighten up with the LG F9100!

Save 15% on orders over $100 at Bare Necessities. Save on designer and name brand bras, panties, men's underwear and more! Offer expires 11-15-05. (Expires 11/15/2005 12:00:00 AM)

Up to 20% off select customizable notebooks at ToshibaDirect.com. Offer available 6.13 - 10.31. (Expires 10/31/2005 12:00:00 AM)

Get a Toshiba M30X-S181 notebook PC for only $699 after $100 mail-in rebate. Offer available 8.12-10.31. (Expires 10/31/2005 12:00:00 AM)

Click Here to Save on Select Dell Products! (Expires 10/4/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Limited time offer beginning 10/3/05 6:00am CST through 10/6/05 5:59am CST or after 1500 redemptions (whichever occurs first)
ONLINE ONLY Save 10% off Netgear WGR614 54Mbps firewall wireless router sku# A0099307 + $20 mfg MIR (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site!
Offer may be combined with select other offers. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Coupon code expires after first 1500 uses, or earlier if offer is terminated earlier. Offers subject to change. Please verify eligibility in the cart before completing your purchase. (Excluded items receive the following notice "The following coupons have been entered but require additional information or do not meet eligibility requirements".) Eligible items reflect the discount.
Coupon Code: W$1JB5M?9J?D00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Limited time offer beginning 9/30/05 5:00pm CST through 10/4/05 5:59am CST or after 2000 redemptions (whichever occurs first)
ONLINE ONLY Save 25% off Select Flash Memory! (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site!
Offer may be combined with select other offers. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Coupon code expires after first 2000 uses, or earlier if offer is terminated earlier. Offers subject to change. Please verify eligibility in the cart before completing your purchase. (Excluded items receive the following notice "The following coupons have been entered but require additional information or do not meet eligibility requirements".) Eligible items reflect the discount.
Coupon Code: XL8RCX1VQ?$XMW

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Limited time offer beginning 9/30/05 5:00pm CST through 10/3/05 5:59am CST
ONLINE ONLY Save 25% on select Dell DJ's (20GB and 30GB)! (before tax, fees and shipping & handling) purchased from the Dell Home Electronics and Accessories site!
Offer may be combined with select other offers. Only one coupon may be applied per cart at checkout. Coupon code expires on October 3rd 2005, or earlier if offer is terminated earlier. Offers subject to change. Please verify eligibility in the cart before completing your purchase. (Excluded items receive the following notice "The following coupons have been entered but require additional information or do not meet eligibility requirements".) Eligible items reflect the discount.
Coupon Code: W14SH8K9BL4KDV

$15 off Orders of $75 or more at PETCO.com! (Expires 10/31/2005 12:00:00 AM)

www.TheHopeMosaic.com to help hurricane victims

2005-09-25T20:39:00.000-07:00

Since hurricane Katrina hit, I wanted to find a way to help the victims of the hurricane. Although giving money myself would help, I wanted to find a more global way to contribute. Browsing the web I found "The Million Dollar Homepage" and this is where the idea struck me.

Today, I have launched http://www.TheHopeMosaic.com in an effort to raise funds for victims of the hurricane in a new, groundbreaking and innovative way. The Hope Mosaic is a 1000x1000 image broken down into 8x8 mosaic tiles. To participate, each donation of 20$ will buy you one tile on the mosaic. We will put in the tiles you purchased the image of your choice as well as link it to the URL of your liking.

Whether you want to use it to promote your own website, spread a message of hope or simply help out with the relief effort. The Hope Mosaic will set internet history by bringing help in a collective way. Our goal is to fill the mosaic which would allow me (and Paradoxal Press) to contribute over $300,000 to the relief and rebuilding efforts.

If you cannot contribute financially, PLEASE help us by spreading the word. Tell your friends, family, your co-workers or post a link on your website or blog. The quicker the word spreads, the quicker we can rebuild the affected cities!

Hot Deals for 09/23

2005-09-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

Super Media Store Deals (Expires 9/26/2005 12:00:00 AM)

10 pack Philips Lightscribe 8X DVD+R at $9.99 (Coupon: d3doff)
200 Pack Ritek White Inkjet Printable 4X DVD-R with Sleeves $49.99
"Supermediastore offer 25% off on Canon BCI-3e Compatible Ink Cartridge Combo for Canon 3000/6000 printer(2 of BK 1of C,M, and Y total 5 Cartridges)for $ 8.55" (Coupon: inkdeal313)
Supermediastore offer 25% off on Epson Compatible Ink Combo for Epson Stylus Color 740/760 Printer (4 Black S020189 & 2 Color S020191)for $ 7.695 (Coupon: inkdeal313)
Supermediastore offer 15% off on HP C4096A (HP 96A) Compatible Toner Cartridge for HP LaserJet Toner 2100 and 2200 Series for $25.5 (Coupon: toner15poff)
"SuperMediaStore offers 40% off on Sumdex (HDN-161GY) Slim Computer Brief Expandable, Gray for $35.64" (Coupon: bagdeal410)
SuperMediaStore offers 10% off on Apple iPod KO-M USB/1394 Y Cable for $9 (Coupon: macdeal707)
SuperMediaStore offers $5 off on Canon BP-617 Compatible Camcorder Battery For Canon Elura; ZR MiniDV for $20.5 (Coupon: batdeal503)
Apacer HT203 Ultra High Performance 512MB USB2.0 USB Flash Drive with Docking Station only for $47 shipped (Coupon: apacer15poff)

(PowWeb.com) Purchase the two year hosting plan and receive the next TWO YEARS FREE!! (Expires 10/31/2005 12:00:00 AM)
All customers from now until October 31, will receive two years free hosting when they purchase the two year plan. They will pay for the first two years, but will get the next 2 years at no cost!

Alienware kick-off-sale (Expires 10/3/2005 12:00:00 AM)

Area-51m 7700 is now $1,849 and includes a free computer bag/backpack with a configurator value of $89.00 (Regular price is now $1999 - with free bag, customer will receive $230 of savings, but it requires a $500 mail-in rebate to attain the savings)
Sentia is $899 (Regular price is now $1,049 - customer will save $150, but it requires a $400 mail-in rebate to attain the savings)

Hot Deals for 09/22

2005-09-22T07:46:00.000-07:00

(Amazon.com) Garmin StreetPilot 2620
Featuring pre-loaded, detailed maps of North America, this plug-and-play portable automotive GPS navigator lets you get started as soon as you take it out of the box, without having to deal with unlocking or uploading of data that the Garmin 2610 requires. The Streetpilot 2620's hard drive contains detailed maps of the entire United States plus some metropolitan areas of Canada, and features over five million points of interest, including lodging, restaurants, gas stations, and local attractions. You can also navigate to a specific address. Amazon price is $680. Best NexTag price is $729!

(TigerDirect.Com) FujiPlus FP-988D 19-Inch LCD (Expires 9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM)
FujiPlus FP-988D / 19-Inch / 1280 x 1024 / 12ms / Silver-Black / DVI / LCD Monitor with Speakers. Only $199.99 after $120 rebate! (Best NexTag price $335)

(JR.com) COBY TFDVD-7705 7-Inch Portable Tablet DVD Player (Expires 9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM)
7-inch Widescreen (16:9 Aspect Ratio) Color TFT Display / DVD - CD - CD-R/RW - MP3 - JPEG Playback Compatible. Only $149.88! (Best NexTag price $234)

CANON Optura 400 Digital Camcorder (Expires 9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM)
1.3 Megapixel (Tape) 2 Megapixel (SD Card) / 10x Optical Zoom / 200x Digital Zoom / Video and Still / Image Stabilizer / Windows Macintosh. $500 after MIR! (Best NexTag price $699)

Hot Deals on Storage at TigerDiret (Expires 9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Tiger Direct is running a sale on its hard disks, as low as $50 for a 160 GB Hard Disk!

(TigerDirect.Com) Infocus ScreenPlay 4805 750 Lumen HDTV Ready 2000:1 Contrast DLP Home Theater Projector (Expires 9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Infocus ScreenPlay 4805 750 Lumen HDTV Ready 2000:1 Contrast DLP Home Theater Projector $799.99 Price after $100 MIR

Hot deals for 09/17 and weekend sales!

2005-09-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

HomeClick.com (Expires 9/19/2005 12:00:00 AM)
HomeClick is going to be running a big sale this weekend starting today at 5:10 PM and running through Midnight PST on Sunday. we offer our customers 7% off on orders over $299.

Absolutely Everything for the Home at the Absolute Best Price (Expires 9/19/2005 12:00:00 AM)
AbsoluteHome is going to be running a big sale starting today (Friday) at 5:10 PM and running through Midnight PST on Sunday. We offer our customers 10% off on orders over $199.

Shop for Barbecues, Grills, Lighting, Pool Products, Outdoor Furniture & much more. We are your source for outdoor entertaining. (Expires 9/19/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Barbecues.com is going to be running a huge sale starting today (Friday) at 5:10 PM and running through Midnight PST on Sunday. Take advantage of increased conversions as we offer our customers 10% off on orders over $499.

Netgear WGR614 54Mbps 802.11g 4-Port Cable/DSL Wireless Router (Expires 9/26/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Netgear WGR614 54Mbps 802.11g 4-Port Cable/DSL Wireless Router $29 after $20 MIR!

Hot deals for 9/16

2005-09-16T11:12:00.000-07:00

SANDISK Secure Digital Ultra II 1GB Memory Card SDSDH102490 (Expires 9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Specifically engineered for high-resolution Digital Camera models / 1024MB is 1GB Sandisk-Ultra-II-SD is a digital-media card that writes at up to 9MB per second and reads at up to 10MB per second. This permits fast results, especially Burst mode pictures, when used with high Megapixel Digital-Camera models. Only $69.88 after $20 rebate!

IOGEAR Bluetooth Headset (Expires 9/19/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Freedom and Comfort. Enjoy true hands-free freedom with IOGEAR\'s Wireless Bluetooth Headset. This ultra-lightweight headset enables you to wirelessly place and receive calls on your Bluetooth cell phone, ending messy and potentially dangerous wire tangles. IOGEAR\'s Bluetooth Headset clearly transmits all your phone calls wirelessly to your phone via Bluetooth radio technology.

mach sped trio (Expires 10/17/2005 12:00:00 AM)
This incredibly small Mach Speed MP3 player is the perfect musical entertainment device to take with you everywhere you go! $27.99 (with 512 MB SD card) and $9.99 without.

Save $50 on orders of $500 or more! (Expires 10/14/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Save $50 on orders of $500 or more!

7% OFF ANY ORDER* FOR 72 HOURS COUPON! New Customers Only, 9/16 to 9/18 (Expires 9/19/2005 12:00:00 AM)
7% OFF ANY ORDER* FOR 72 HOURS COUPON! New Customers Only, 9/16 to 9/18

Samsung ML-1740 600X600 USB 17PPM Laser Printer (Expires 9/26/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Samsung ML-1740 600X600 USB 17PPM Laser Printer (REFURB) $64.99

FujiPlus FP-988D 19-Inch 1280x1024 (Expires 9/18/2005 12:00:00 AM)
FujiPlus FP-988D 19-Inch 1280x1024 12ms Silver-Black DVI LCD Monitor w/Speakers $249.99* after $70 MIR

Sony VAIO VGC-RB42G Intel Pentium 4 (Expires 11/1/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Cutting-Edge Sony Media Center! Intel Pentium 4 3GHz HT Technology CPU! 1GB DDR, 250GB SATA HDD, DVD Burner! The Sony VAIO VGC-RB42G Digital Studio Media Center was developed with your lifestyle in mind. Providing the multimedia muscle for your next-generation A/V demands, the VAIO VGC-RB42G gives you the power to edit high-definition camcorder video, master your own music recordings, and turn your home movies into high-quality DVDs. $799.99* (US) Price after $100 MIR,

Hot deals for 09/14

2005-09-14T10:03:00.000-07:00

FREE SHIPPING on $60 or more at ZIRH.com (Expires 9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM)
CUSTOMERS RECEIVE FREE SHIPPING FOR ORDERS OVER $60.Use CODE "60FREEUP" at checkout to receive FREE shipping.

(DiscountOfficeSupplies) Buy More - Save More! (Expires 9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM)
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Avon.com: Shop Avon.com for all your beauty essentials, plus Free Shipping with any $30 order, use code: LSSHIP (Expires 9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM)

(OfficeDepot) Save $20 on Bush Bookcases! Expires Sept. 17th. (Expires 9/17/2005 12:00:00 AM)
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(OfficeDepot) Super Savings on Brother Business Machines! Expires Sept. 17th. (Expires 9/17/2005 12:00:00 AM)
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(JR.com) ZENITH Z23LZ5R Z23LZ5R 23" LCD HDTV Monitor (Expires 9/19/2005 12:00:00 AM)
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(JR.com) BELKIN F8E477 Digital Camera Link for 3G Apple iPods (Expires 9/19/2005 12:00:00 AM)
A digital camera link for 3rd generation Apple iPods with dock connector / Transfers images from camera to iPod with the touch of a button! Only $24.88!

(JR.com)SANDISK 2GB Gaming Memory Stick PRO duo (Expires 9/19/2005 12:00:00 AM)
2GB Gaming Memory Stick Pro Duo / High speed transfer rate / MagicGate technology / Compatible with Sony PSP (pre-order) for $149.88

Hot deals for 09/13

2005-09-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

PNY Attache 1GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive (Expires 10/30/2005 12:00:00 AM)
PNY Attache 1GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive $49.99 Price after $20 MIR

Concord 5340z 5.1 Megapixels 3x Optical Zoom Digital Camera (Expires 10/31/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Concord 5340z 5.1 Megapixels 3x Optical Zoom Digital Camera $99.99* (US) $145.99* (CA) Price after $30 MIR

16x4x16x DVD+RW 12x4x16x DVD-RW 2.4x DVD+R DL 48x32x48x CD-RW Black DVD Burner with Software (Expires 10/17/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Samsung 16x4x16x DVD+RW 12x4x16x DVD-RW 2.4x DVD+R DL 48x32x48x CD-RW Black DVD Burner with Software $39.99

AirPlus DI-524 54Mbps 802.11g 4-Port Cable/DSL Wireless Router (Expires 10/17/2005 12:00:00 AM)
D-Link AirPlus DI-524 54Mbps 802.11g 4-Port Cable/DSL Wireless Router (Recertified) $21.99

Trendnet TEW-423PI 54Mbps 802.11g PCI Wireless Adapter (Expires 10/17/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Trendnet TEW-423PI 54Mbps 802.11g PCI Wireless Adapter $9.99 Price after $10 MIR

Special Offer at PetSmart.com (Expires 10/1/2005 12:00:00 AM)
15% off $75 at PETsMART.com

Hot Deals for 09/12

2005-09-12T06:45:00.000-07:00

Western Digital Caviar 160.0GB Internal Hard Drive
(Expires 10/24/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Western Digital Caviar 160.0GB Internal Hard Drive A champion performer sporting 160.0GB of storage, quiet 7200 rpm and Ultra ATA/100 interface. ($39.99 after MIR)

Caviar SE 300.0GB Internal Ultra ATA/100 Hard Drive - WD3000JBRTL
(Expires 10/24/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Western Digital Caviar SE 300.0GB Internal Ultra ATA/100 Hard Drive. With 300.0GB capacity, you can store large amounts of data, music, digital photo or video files, making this drive ideal for gaming, video editing and file servers. ($129.99 after MIR)

Motorola E815 (Expires 10/13/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Get ready for the next phase in multimedia mobile technology with the Motorola E815. This phone is loaded with premium features! Delivering wireless broadband connectivity via Evolution for Data Only (EvDO) technology and cutting-edge features that will change the way you hear and see the world. With Video on Demand capability, a 1.3 megapixel camera, MP3 player and brilliant color screen, you'll enjoy a superior mobile sensorial experience. And thanks to Bluetooth wireless technology, fast downloading, optional storage via a TransFlash Memory Expansion Slot, speaker independent name and digit dialing, and advanced messaging you've got an incomparable mobile package. Plus, with this exclusive online offer, the phone is FREE AFTER REBATES and is shipped with a FREE BLUETOOTH HEADSET when activating a new line of service from Verizon Wireless ! With a Bluetooth Headset, you will enjoy the convenience of clear, hands-free communication unencumbered by wires that get in the way or limit your movement. The headset is comfortable to wear and compact in size and is guaranteed to work with your Motorola E815.

10% off Amazon Book Prices at Buy.com! (Expires 10/30/2005 12:00:00 AM)
We are pleased to announce the launch of a nationwide campaign in all major markets promoting the guarantee that Buy.com’s book prices are 10% LOWER than Amazon.com.

What's up with that cat??

2005-09-09T20:51:00.000-07:00

When my mother died, we inherited her Persian cat which we renamed Chew. The cat is a sweetheart but had a bad tendency to pee all over the place. Although he still does it on occasion, it has improved significantly since he's been with us.

Today my wife decided to do some laundry. We tend to just pile the clothes on the floor of our closet. Well guess what, the cat had peed on the clothes. Not too surprising, although really frustrating. There is a kicker however...

My wife has taken the habit of emptying our pants pockets before putting them into the washer as we tend to forget papers in there and hate those lint balls. Well going through one my my pair of pants, guess what she pulled out of the pocket... A PILE OF KITTY POOP!

Now of course, the first question is why the hell! But more interestingly is how the Chew accomplish this feat in the first place! Sheesh...

Hot deals for 09/05/2005

2005-09-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

100 greeting cards for only $139! (Expires 9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Join The Card Club & Save over 50%, Plus Get FREE Postage!

All portable DVD players and recorders on sale (Expires 9/10/2005 12:00:00 AM)
All portable DVD players and recorders on sale at BestBuy

Save up to $250 on select notebook PCs (Expires 9/10/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Save up to $250 on select notebook PCs at best buy.

All TVs on sale and free shipping on TVs $499 & up (Expires 9/10/2005 12:00:00 AM)
All TVs on sale and free shipping on TVs $499 & up at BestBuy

Shutterfly - Save 15% on your order of professional-quality prints! New member special offer. (Expires 9/21/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Take advantage of our Fall Print Sale to drive more Active New Customers to Shutterfly. New members can take save 15% on prints through September 21st.

$200 instant rebate on Toshiba Portégé S100 notebooks. Offer available 6.13 - 9.30. (Expires 9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM)
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Get a Toshiba M30X-S181ST notebook PC for only $699 after $100 mail-in rebate. Offer available 8.12-10.2. (Expires 10/2/2005 12:00:00 AM)
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FREE 2-day shipping with your entire order when you buy any notebook PC. Offer available 8.19-9.9. (Expires 9/9/2005 12:00:00 AM)
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6 Months FREE hosting when you purchase with PowWeb!!! (Expires 9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM)
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Fuji FinePix E510 5.2 MegaPixel Digital CameraFREE BUDGET SHIPPING-$149.99 After Rebates (Expires 9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM)
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Luggage Online - Best Buys (Expires 9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM)
New Coupon Code Offers
TENAFF - 10% OFF
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$10 off Orders of $55 or more at PETCO.com! (Expires 9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Save $10 on supply orders of $55 or more at PETCO.com! Just select promotion code AFFREG during checkout.

Free Uniden Wireless Phone With New Service (Expires 10/31/2005 12:00:00 AM)
Effective immediately and lasting until October 31 we will be offering free Cordless Phones to all customers that sign up for Sunrocket service. This is a $100 value of two Uniden cordless handsets that work with our VOIP Service.

Hurricane Katrina

2005-09-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

Please join us in helping the victims of hurricane Katrina. Simply click the button below and donate a little money to the Red Cross to help out those who have been affected by this tragic event.

Hot Online Deals for 9/01/2005

2005-09-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

TigerDirect - AVerMedia AVerTV™ 007 FM Plus
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This deal is valid from 9/1/2005 12:00:00 AM to 9/12/2005 12:00:00 AM

TigerDirect - Premium Mid-Tower Case & Ultra's Unique X-Connect PS
Premium Mid-Tower Case & Ultra's Unique X-Connect PS ($99.99 - $50.00 = $49.99)
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This deal is valid from 9/1/2005 12:00:00 AM to 9/7/2005 12:00:00 AM

TigerDirect - Maxtor 250GB SATA Drive
Maxtor 250GB 7200RPM Serial ATA Hard Drive ($89.99)
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This deal is valid from 9/1/2005 12:00:00 AM to 9/15/2005 12:00:00 AM

TigerDirect - Free Optical Mouse
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This deal is valid from 9/1/2005 12:00:00 AM to 9/15/2005 12:00:00 AM

TigerDirect - Hard Disk Drive Clearance
The Barracuda 250GB hard disc drive delivers 7,200 RPM access speed and an Ultra ATA-100 interface for high-performance desktop applications. ($79.97)
Capacity for the big jobs. Performance to get 'em done. Introducing the latest WD hard drive. This 160GB drive includes an 8 MB buffer. ($99.97)
Western Digital's Caviar 250GB drives give you the optimum combination of speed and performance for today's demanding applications. ($99.97)

This deal is valid from 9/1/2005 12:00:00 AM to 9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM

Globat Hosting - Buy 1 Year Of Hosting - Get 1Year Free!
Buy 1 Year Of Hosting - Get 1Year Free! (with mail-in coupon)
This deal is valid from 9/1/2005 12:00:00 AM to 11/10/2005 12:00:00 AM

Register at Bidz.com and receive a $25 Gift Certificate!
When you register with Bidz.com, you'll receive a $25 Gift Certificate.
This deal is valid from 9/1/2005 12:00:00 AM to 11/30/2005 12:00:00 AM
You are out of ink! Click here for Great FREE SHIIPPING Offers on Inkjet Cartridges, Laser Toners & more.

With orders over $50, customers can receive these FREE gifts:
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This deal is valid from 9/1/2005 12:00:00 AM to 11/30/2005 12:00:00 AM

For a limited time, receive FREE SHIPPING on all purchases!
Misc Coupons...
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This deal is valid from 9/1/2005 12:00:00 AM to 11/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

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This deal is valid from 9/1/2005 12:00:00 AM to 9/30/2005 12:00:00 AM

ShaderX4 Progress.

2005-08-31T06:43:00.000-07:00

Things are winding down with the edit of ShaderX4. Articles have gone through the technical edit process and have been sent to the publisher. Content for the CD-Rom (source code and demos) have are being finalized and should be off to the Charles River in the next week.

Things have been progressing well and there should be a lot of really exciting content for everybody. If all goes well, the book should be released by its planned date (around November). It is a good time to pre-order to get a copy as soon as it is released.

Here is a link to the book on Amazon.

Introducing cash.RewardLadder.com

2005-08-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

Based on the feedback from our survey, many users wanted to either earn shopping sprees or have a simple point based catalog site. So we've consolidated both ideas into cash.RewardLadder.com. We don't have the gifts you want, how about some green? With cash.RewardLadder.com, you simply accumulate points for completing offers and signing up friends. Each point is worth $0.10 and once you have accumulated the minimum (1000 points or $100) you can simply redeem your points for some cold hard cash!

Sponsor of the Week 8/25/2005

2005-08-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

I first want to thank everybody who has supported me and my wife so far. I know these offers cost money and unless you have an interest, it is of little use. Because of this, I've decided to instate a "Sponsor of the week" program and include a set of google ads to my blog. Essentially, each week, I will post a little article (like the one bellow) and would invite you to read through it and take one minute to click a link in our google ads (if possibly related to the article). It is much easier and although contributes much less to help us is much easier for most our readers to accomplish. Thanks!

---

The Stigma of Mesothelioma

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer in which malignant (cancerous) cells are found in the sac lining the chest or abdomen. Exposure to airborne asbestos particles increases the risk of developing malignant mesothelioma.

The word Mesothelioma (like other cancer names) is derived from mesothelium, a membrane that covers and protects most internal organs of the body. Mesothelium is composed of two layers of cells, one layer surrounds the organ and the second layer forms a sac around it. Lubricating fluid is produced by the Mesothelium and is released between the layers which help moving organs to flow easily against adjacent structures. Organs such as the heart, lungs and stomach that expand and contract rely on this fluid.

Mesothelium is named differently depending on where it is located in the body. The mesothelial tissue covering the lungs and the chest cavity is the pleura. The tissue covering the organs in the abdominal cavity is the peritoneum. The tunica vaginalis testis covers the male internal reproductive organs and the tunica vaginalis testis surrounds the female reproductive organs. Most cases of Mesothelioma begin in the pleura or the peritoneum. When mesothelioma develops in the pleura (known as pleural mesothelioma), the delicate lining thickens and fluid may collect between the two layers of the pleura. The abdomen peritoneal mesothelioma causes thickening of the lining and a collection of fluid in the abdomen, called ascites. Symptoms are associated with the organs that may be affected by mesothelioma.Mesothelioma has a long latency period and it's important to determine who needs to be examined. This long silent period makes diagnosis difficult and symptoms may sometimes be mistaken for something else. Treatment options are often determined by the stage of mesothelioma of the patient.
Mesothelioma is serious and life-threatening. By the time cancer is diagnosed the patients survival time is usually short. Mesothelioma usually spreads throughout the peritonal or pleural cavity before diagnosis, and complete surgical removal is unlikely. Because of this, the average survival time is only 1 year. If the cancer is found early, approximately 50% of the patients survive 2 years and approximately 20% survive 5 years. Additionally, unlike with other tumors, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are not very effective.

My First Review...

2005-08-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

The first review for "The COMPLETE Effect and HLSL Guide" showed up on Amazon. Yay!

Of course, still have plenty of copies to sell but it is nice to get a first review, especially when it is a 5 star! Here is the review:
---
This book starts out by giving you a good history behind the shader language.

Pro:
- really good for references
- it lists every single variables/functions for the shader along with the description
- excellent information/reference on Intrinsic Functions
- it has a good list of vertex shader 3.0 assembly instructions

Con:
- need more samples? :)

Overall, I found this book is good to start learning HLSL. Besure that you've grabbed a concept of direct3d before reading this book. I also find out that after reading this book it's so much easy to read wolf's books.

Book Update.

2005-08-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I posted any updates in regards to my recently published book "The COMPLETE Effect and HLSL Guide". Although it has been close to one month, sales have been doing well. So far around 65 copies sold, which of course could be better but it is a good start.

I am on the verge of starting a second advertising wave and hopefully sales will pick up some. In the next week, I should be releasing a sample chapter spreading the word even more. If you purchased the book, please take a little time and leave a review on Amazon (or other sites). This may seem like little but will greatly help me spread the word.

RewardLadder developments...

2005-08-25T05:59:00.000-07:00

This has been a busy week with the launch of the RewardLadder network. Membership has started to slowly build up and hopefully we will start shipping gifts out soon.

Based on our survey, it seems that every one wants a Xbox 360, and thus we are developing an Xbox site. In addition, we have started working on a point based site. The Xbox 360 sit should be out in the next day or so and the Point based site in the next week or so.

We also are planning a drawing to celebrate our launch. So stay tuned for more details.

RewardLadder Clarifications...

2005-08-21T22:38:00.000-07:00

One question that has already been asked several times in regards to RewardLadder.

"Why would a new usr join when there might be older members at the top constantly earning prizes every month?"

Guess the one thing that wasn't made clear on RewardLadder is that a member can only get a single gift per account, meaning that once a member gets his gift he essentially "falls off the ladder", letting lower scoring members move up in their place.

Free Ipods... The lowdown and my idea...

2005-08-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

In my previous blog, I've posted extensively about my experience doing some of the free gift sites such as FreeIpods.com.

Although, I have received both an ipod and ipod shuffle for free, I have still to receive my PDA from PdaTech4Free.com. Now, the news is that the site is closing because they are not profitable. So this prompted me to try and understand why and take a look at their business model.

On all those sites, the idea is to complete a sponsor offer and to refer a certain number of people to the site in order to receive your free gift. So I decided to do some investigation to see why many of the home brew sites are closing down.

Taking a look at the sponsor offers on these sites, it seems that the the website gets an average of 20-30$ per completed offer. In the case of FreeIpods, you need 5 referrals, meaning that they earn about 150$ for each free gift completed. But even with a wholesale discount, they probably still are about 100$ short for each ipod they ship.

So how can they make money? All these sites run on the assumption that a good percentage of members joining will complete a few referrals but will not manage to get the five needed to get their gift. But recently, many people have formed groups, trading referrals and joining conga lines. Meaning that the ratio of users went up, reducing the overall profitability of most sites.

Being somewhat of a business man and liking the fun aspect of such sites, I've decided to create my own but changing the approach slightly so that I'm at least guaranteed to break even and maximize the number of free gifts given. Introducing RewardLadder (http://www.RewardLadder.com)

Right now, I'm starting with a free ipod site, but will expand to more free gifts as membership grows.

The concept of the site is similar to other. Sign up, complete offers and refer friends. But the difference lies in the fact that you earn points for every offer you (and your referrals) complete. At the end of each month will take revenue from our advertisers and send free gifts to members with the highest point number first.

This doesn't mean you need to complete multiple offer, simply that you and your down line must be active to get to the top of the pack. In other words, the more you contribute, the quicker you get your gift. In addition, since gifts are allocated based on advertiser revenue, we can maximize the number of gifts while staying profitable.

Welcome to my new blog.

2005-08-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

Allright, some of you may know me. Sebastien St-Laurent, a graphics programmer working for the Microsoft Game Studios and author of several books such as "Shaders for Game Programmers and Artists" and "The COMPLETE Effect and HLSL Guide".

I already had a blog on blogs.msdn.com but because my content is not fully technical, i've decided to move my blog to more neutral grounds and detach it mostly from Microsoft.

If you wish to check out my old posts, go to http://blogs.msdn.com/sebby1234/