I took a trip to New Orleans to attend the Mardi Gras festivities and because of a group of friends had been talking about making the trip , and I was ready to party. I left Seattle, WA. at 10:00 PM and I was in New Orleans the next morning at 9.30 AM. One of my buddies who books travel online all the time was even able to find some Expedia Promo codes that allowed him to book the hotel and flight and save additional dollars above their already low fares. I found where my Hotel was located and I was ready to see the Big Speak Easy, Nawleans as the locals call it. I wound up on the wrong side of town and I prayed that I would get out of there alive. Some of the people gave the appearance that they did not care if you were dead or alive. If I had taken a tour of the city I would never have been subjected to that kind of Fear.

If you take a tour of a city you can find out a lot of the history of the town and a lot of important people that were responsible for shaping the town into what it is today. I know New Orleans has a lot of repair to do at this time because of hurricane Katrina, but I think the great city will be back stronger than ever before. It’s French Creole culture are made up of some of the finest eating in the world.

I good story that at least lets us now how credit cards work and market themselves has to be American Express. Here is a card that spent years branding themselves as THE card for executives, the well to do and really a status symbol. Major executives were targeted as a major influence in bringing the elite status to AMEX. Presidents of large American companies like Samuel Foti, Alan Mulally, Donald Morel are the types of individuals that AMEX would love to have touting their corporate card in order to show that every type of business can benefit from the flexibility and wide acceptance AMEX has. When you presented this card you were something different. Then came the greed. All of sudden, Am Ex began to send out mass market mailers like all the other junk cards to get those whose credit was not so great, did not pay off the entire balance and really just played the game. What a branding marketing fiasco. Now we find this company giving away 300 gift cards to certain markets, to pay off their bill and go away….please.

How ironic, we know your ilk do not pay off their balance, so let us lend you money and when times get tough, well just pay you to pay off the balance. Are you kidding me? Now I will look at Am Ex a little different, having to second guess their motives. Now I hear small businesses are reeling as that market Am Ex got into is getting hammered and so now their credit has fallen. Talk about losing love from future clients. I do appreciate any company getting back into their core business, but this one is a little bitter to taste.

I am helping out a good friend in building a renewable energy business that is quickly moving forward. We have done a good job tracking the the tax credits for our customers along with putting together a solid renewable energy program for their homes. However, we have already ran into issues though in our computer network system, cost and not having an IT department. One very clever idea out there is renting software and using software as a service or SaaS. There is also a core foundation of being able to do an employee survey to help gain ideas around synergies within the company and what new ideas can we look for when taking this product to market.

I found that they have a great service with their visual studio team foundation server at fraction of the cost where project control programming for your project can be exposed on the web. With all the software that I can rent, I can get set up in minutes and get my money back if I think it has not worked out in 30 days.  What we need is the project server hosting software which will help us track our timekeeping, Gannt charts etc which will give us better control over our projects and their costs. We have huge commercial projects where we will need to keep tract of financial’s and keep everyone on the team on track. You can watch a great clip on how all this software helps you and your business. Another hot item  is a team foundation server workgroup, where again I can rent for a fraction of the price with no need to hire an IT employee nor worry about depreciation costs. We are just the right fit for this type of company and you may to.

As the economy has gotten worse vendors are looking at new ways to get consumers exited about their HD TV and through the advancement in 3D technology they are hoping to drive sales. While the LCD market is only expected to grow 17% this year which is down from 28% in 2008. The new advancements and the move to all digital broadcasts that started in June will likely get some customers looking at upgrading their current set. The newest T’s that were unveiled at the trade show are now starting to come to market just in time for football season and the Christmas and holiday shopping blitz.

All in all the CES show showcased a lot of new technology that has been in development and finally ready for the market. The work and logistical coordination that goes on at these shows is a technical feat on its own. From providing promotional calendars to consumers that participated in the trade show there are countless technicians in the background maintain the networks . As we enter into a new year and the economy looks to get back on track so that people will feel comfortable spending on these cool new gadgets let’s hope that we all have a great year and by this summer we will be watching the 3D premier of the latest Hollywood release.

I know that many of us struggle with creating and maintaining good advertising on our sites to keep them up and running. Many of us creating them have very little return on investment and most of the time it is because of very poor tracking and analysis. This company is very skilled in tracking information. With their tools tagged to your ad you will get the critical info of phone calls, clicks and emails generated by your ad. This type of info allows us to create better targeting all the while our competition will have no idea what is happening behind the scenes of the ad. Through some more advanced tools available for your calls center called predictive dialers you can automate some of your outbound calling in order to reach out to those customers that click through your ads. I read several testimonials on their site to show that regular businesses had no idea who was responding to their ads, now they know and perhaps more important they learn what does not work. Give them a try.

Ok gang, its time to take matters into our own hands begin backing up our computers or netbooks. It seems to me long ago, perhaps during the who MS 3.1 days, that backing up was always a priority and just became a routine habit. With everyone being connected to internet and storing all their photos and files within their netbook/laptop it makes sense to always have a backup. Some of the netbook accessories can even help protect your laptop if you drop it which can cause data loss. Now, i cant remember the last time I did a back up. I recall the days I would get out all those floppys and back up the computer just in case the computer crashed. What happened? Go to and you will find some alarming statistics along with a quick and cheap remedy. Many sites will allow you back up your computer for as little as $2.00 and it will only take 5 minutes to do.

Go to Online backup is easier than you think”offers automated 24 hours a day back up service for your selected folders which means they will be backed immediately after your close the program. Pretty cool huh! As easy as closing the program! Further the data will be compressed and then encrypted before leaving the PC. That means your data that is stored is in the encrypted format. Very clever . Finally, if and very safe. So when you suffer a computer crash, you can get your data back almost immediately.

No one knows when their laptop may be stolen or when the next computer crash would be. I cant imagine losing the many documents that mean so much to me when I could have prevented in the first place. That is why companies like gearzap that carry an extensive line of tech-air cases and banana covers to help your protect your investment while you are at school or on the road. For those that are headed off to school this Fall you may want to get a cool new netbook bag that will help show your style and personality. Having one of these new bags can help you keep your netbook safe and easily identify your netbook in those crowded study halls on campus.

Seems that Americans have found that America has much to offer in the way of free recreation, that is our National Park system. I applaud the recent efforts of reducing or even having free day and multiple national parks this year. What a great way to spend time with our families! Dads have an opportunity to show their kids what being a man is all about and as a family unit how we can be good stewards of our land. If you can just convince your family that sleeping on the ground or even a wobbly air mattress. What I have found is yet a better appreciation for the land that we cherish and defend. Americans could use a little attention to land we have versus so many countries who can never match our natural resources. Perhaps we are all a little spoiled. Pick any national park, imprint in on your mind and think if it could ever be matched elsewhere. I challenge you to do so. Your tax dollar has hopefully been used well, to clear paths, make roads and hired outstanding rangers and guides. You should listen to the college degrees these guys have. You will be blown away. Take advantage of the free parks this year.

Even with the new economy, some things just do not change. Our home is still our castle and if you are married, you know just how much a wife wants to beautify her home. Friends and family still come by, there are still summer parties and in fact with people going out less, wives want to have their house ready to display. One idea that we wives should continue to strive for is having a very warm scent about our home. When you first walk into a home and the front door opens, you will immediately get a smell and invariably will make a judgment call. Do you smell the cat, the dog, the evening dinner? Why not make that first impression a warm scent from a candle such as candle within an apothecary jars? At www.jarstore.com, you find a multitude of candles to choose from, all in a decorative jar with pleasant colors a warm scents to make you house a home. With apothecary jars, you can choose the size of the a jar such as clear and frosted as well as the style of the lid. I for one love their honeysuckle and the fresh cut grass for the hot summer months. You can sell all the seasonal scents at their website, especially to get ready for the fall where they have several chosen just for that season. The website is very well designed and easy to get around. As you know, my biggest issue is always the customer service, where jarstore.com excels. You can click if you have a broken jar, need an update or Order info. Make your home a welcoming home by using scented candles this year.

Its been two years now and Michael Vick has  paid his for his crime. He was recently released from Leavenworth KS for doing time for the most famous football athlete crime that I can remember. Drugs, abuse, DUIs seem to run rampant but we quickly forget about them. However, abuse a dog and you might as well wear a Scarlet letter on your jersey for life. No matter the affair you may have on the road, or abuse but you had better keep your hands off the dogs. Of course, this was a most serious matter in that you gambling, mating perhaps and the burial of dead dogs on your property. That being said, we need to think of two issues here. The NFL commissioner now has the decision to make if Vick should be reinstated. Second, should we think about the mentality of football players, is this the norm? Obviously, he is not the most brilliant player known to man. How could you be so stupid as to think you could pull this off, look at the company he kept! It was only a matter of time. Then again, a narcissist would never care because they love themselves so much that what they do and how if affects others around them is of no consequence. But that is a matter for another day.

Should he be reinstated. I am going to say yes. He has done his time and now the Market forces are in play. Just like business, for football is a business, let the teams decide if they want him back and how much they want to pay. It is their decision if they want this type of guy to help their brand. What would Joe Montana think if Vick wore his beloved teams uniform? Oakland would never care, just think about their 1970′s team days. So that is next question. What team should take him?

I just love the way the French developed a plan to save two car companies from going under from a market that does not want to buy their car. Here is the plan. Give the taxpayer 1000 euros to buy a car if they turn in their car that is 10 years old. So imagine the simple frenchman thinking, what is wrong with my old car? Everything, now turn it in. But I like my old car it was built in France, I love it. Sorry, it is old. But why must I? You need a 1000euros that is why. Well perhaps, but still. Ok fine, you need to keep your countrymen employed. But they make a car I do not wish to buy. Too bad, buy it now. But they cost more to make here, let us use Romania instead. No, you will buy from the French who make a car you do not want and you need 1000 euros because of the current crisis in the world. But that was not my fault. Well yes it is, because you did not spend enough now turn in your car. Its all circles for these guys. I do commend though Peugot the maker of the economical Peugeot 107 and the upgraded Peugeot 308 who said they do not want any stimulus money and will shut down plants because that is how the market forces operate. They are family owned, well at least for now they are!

With the revitalization in the auto industry you can find a list a Peugeot Dealer online through Perrys.co.uk where they offere a simple solution to help you find and locate cars online. With a simple search interface they are helping to make your next car purchase online easy and simple. You can even start to look for info on the newly anticipated Peugeot 308 RCZ which is the new sporty edition from the famed French automakers that should make it a serious contender in the sports car arena. Competing against such autos as the Audi TT this new souped up car will offer consumers a great option with a price point to help those afford their new car. At Perrys they offer the ability to research and compare various auto makers and find dealers to help you find locations to test drive some of the hottest makes and models for 2010.

Peugeot 308 RCZ