Saturday, January 31, 2009

Omaha Steaks Private Reserve Review

So if you are a steak lover but can't find the good stuff locally your probably considering the mail order option like Omaha Steaks. Even normal Omaha Steaks aren't good enough for me so when they came out with their Private Reserve line of steaks my ears perked up. Of course I was skeptical but after my only local butcher shop selling USDA Prime closed I was jonesing for a good steak. I ordered 4 Private Reserve Ribeye steaks and 4 Private Reserve top sirloin steaks. It took about a week to receive which was a bit longer than I had expected. Looking at the Private Reserve steaks I could see the difference in the marbleing vs what I get locally, I wanted to frame it as art. I froze most of it but left a ribeye and top sirloin in the refridgerator. Two days later I go to get my Private Reserve steaks and i'm disappointed to find blood or juice all over my meat drawer, both the ribeye and top sirloin plastic had leaked all over my refridgerator. That aside I cooked the steaks on my grill and i'm pleased to report these are deffinetly great steaks. I don't know if i'd bother buyint top sirloin Private Reserve but the ribeye was awesome. Tender, flavorful and had that melt in your mouth effect of high quality beef. I've not tried the Omaha Steaks Private Reserve filet mignon porterhouse or T-Bone but the Ribeye is deffinetly worth the extra money you'll pay for home delivery of Omaha Steaks Private Reserve steaks.

California Unemployment Phone Number

Many California residents have been hard hit by the wild fires, as well as the downturn in the economy. Luckily, there is help available to those who are unemployed and need a bit of support. If you have been trying to find the California unemployment contact & phone number, you may have been sent on a wild goose chase, as there is a lot of inaccurate information out there. Despite all the inaccurate information available, there is a California unemployment contact & phone number for you to use when you need help.

If you speak English, the number you will want to call is: 1-800-300-5616

If you speak Spanish, the number you want to call is: 1-800-326-8937

If you speak Chinese, the number you want to call is: 1-800-547-3506

If you speak Vietnamese, the number you want to call is: 1-800-547-2058

If you are deaf, the number you want to call is: 1-800-815-9387

As you can see, there are many different numbers that you can use to get more information about California unemployment. You will find that these numbers are functional during normal business hours, but that you can get general information via a recording 24 hours a day.

The Unemployment Insurance Program, also known as UI, has been in existence for more than 65 years. This program is designed to provide weekly unemployment insurance payments to workers who are out of a job, provided that they are out of a job through no fault of their own. Many people are out of work because of the economy and the wild fires, making this coverage necessary. Eligibility for the program is dependent upon the applicant being able to work and also being willing to accept a suitable job based on their specific set of skills. This contact information can be just the lifeline that is needed during hard times. If you have questions about your situation give the California unemployment phone number a call today for help.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Aplus.Net Review My Domain Name Provider

For about five years i've been a customer of Aplus.Net most as a registrar and holder of my domains. I have over 300 domains registered with Aplus.Net. While I like Aplus.Net alot for some things, for other things i'll choose another company like GoDaddy. I think the key to finding a good hosting or domain registrar is finding out what they do well and what they do ok then play to their strengths. Aplus.Net also does various forms of web hosting. They do monthly Linux and Windows hosting as well as Virtual Private Servers and dedicated web hosting. Aplus as a web host is in par as good as any of the other good hosting providers out there. Again I refernce Godaddy as I found a better price there but feel that Aplus.Net is just as good a hosting provider so just see which place you can strike a better deal at. What I do use Aplus.Net mostly for is registring domains. I like the easy search interface when i'm entering domains as ideas. The ordering is also easy as I have a credit card on file at Aplus.Net and when i'm not near my credit card I find it convenient to be able to snatch up a domain when I have a good idea. Godaddy always seems to want my card to be entered or to use paypal and I find that most inconvenient. Both Aplus.Net and Godaddy have great domain management interfaces making managing 300+ domains very easy. I find that generally when I register a domain with Aplus.Net I can begin using it within a couple hours. There have been times however when i've changed nameservers and they didn't update and I get to get with Aplus.Net support to resolve the issue. I've also had times when i've tried to register a domain, Aplus.Net says its available but after a day or so i'm told it wasn't. This is a case when I use Godaddy. If a name is going to be competetive use Godaddy as they seem to be faster or have a higher priority in terms of getting domains registered fast. If however your registering a domain not likley to be snatched up quick then Aplus.Net will do just fine. So this is my review of Aplus.Net i'd have to say i'm generally happy to write a good review of this web hosting provider but do know that there are a few instances where using someone else like Godaddy might be a better option.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

GoDaddy Review My Web Hosting Provider

I've been a web publisher since 2002 and during this time i've been my own web host, as well as used web hosting from Aplus.Net and GoDaddy.Com as well as 1&1 Internet. Each web hosting provider offers much the same the registration of domains and web hosting services. One of my favorites is GoDaddy and also coincidently the one that gets ripped often for bad service etc. I've not found this in fact GoDaddy has been the most responsive web host i've worked with. I find that GoDaddy offers excellent value in their cheap linux or windows web hosting at about $4 per month if you pay for a year in advance. About a year ago I got my own VPS or Virtual Private Server from Godaddy and i've been very pleased. Using the VPS allowed me to stop hosting my websites from an old server in my house and move all my content to my Godaddy VPS. At first I worried about downtime but in the year i've been with them i've only had the server need rebooting twice and my revenue stream has been very consistant. Of course Godaddy also does a great job with domain registration and domain transfer services making them one of the most popular domain registration and web hosting solutions on the net. So if you are looking for a reliable and inexpensive web host ignore the complainers and give GoDaddy a try.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Golden Retrievers On Dogs 101

The other night my wife and I were watching Dogs 101 which is a great show on Animal Planet I believe. They profile three dog breeds and provide very useful information about each breed. This particular episode featured the Golden Retriever which has always been in my mind the perfect dog. I was very surprised to learn that the Golden Retriever is the third most likley to bite vs all other breed of dogs. I always viewed the Golden Retriever as the perfect dog and thought their only downside was that they have high rates of cancer. This confirms that Golden Retriever training and socialization is critical for every owner to work on with their best friend. Every dog needs training but if you own a Golden Retriever you should be mindful of their surprising reputation as a breed of dog known to bite. By training your Golden Retriever you'll be doing a service to yourself, your society and your best friend.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

How Do You Know Your Air Exchanger Is Working?

Friday we dipped into the house fund and had an air exhanger installed. We built our house in 1999 right before the new building codes in Minnesota kicked in requiring an air exchange among many other things. These requirements would add about $10,000 to the cost of a new home in Minnesota. Over the years we never noticed the lack of an air exchanger until we had our house resided in 2006. Being that Sela Minnesota had to follow the new codes they wrapped our house with Tyvek house wrap. This sealed the house up well but almost too well trapping the indoor air in the house. So now we are installing an air exchanger to get fresh air in and bad indoor air out. So how do you know it's working? That's a good question. The only thing I noticed is that I seem to sleep better, not sure if that's the fresh air or just that I know an air exchanger is now in the house so it's keeping good air in that the house wrap sealed in.

AOL PPOE DSL Router Configuration

If you have AOL DSL you might have figured out that configuring a router to work with AOL DSL is not as easy as it should be. Even if you have a router that supports PPOE and you've selected that your AOL DSL still may not work. That is because the configuration of the router to wor with AOL is tricky and you need much more information than the router tells you. But I just got this to work on my DSL router so i'll tell you exactly what you need to configure.
1: Set your WAN port or B port to ADSL and choose the PPOE option.
2: Enter the master AOL screenname as the userid. Note you must enter is with @aol.com after the username like this screenname@aol.com (This trips up alot of folks because when logging on using the AOL software you just enter a screen name without the @aol.com)
3: Enter your AOL password and this will allow your internet router to logon to the AOL PPOE on your behalf.
4: Save the configuration and reboot the router and see if you can get on the internet.
5: If it still does not work look for an option on your router to set the MTU and MRU setting. Most routers use 1500 for this but AOL PPOE uses 1450 lowering this setting on your router to 1450 may cause your router to begin working with AOL PPOE DSL.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Evaluating Video Rental Options In Today's Economy

Since i've started noticing the effects of the recession we're in i've been eyeing every dollar going out with a very critical eye. Entertainment tends to be one of those areas that consumers scrutinize with a harsh eye. Myself, i've pared pack on premium channels and i've started re-evaluating how I use other services like renting videos at the store and using online video rental services like Netflix. So in the direction of saving money on video rentals i've decided to examine my current spending and possibly make some changes in how much I spend and on which video rental company I spend my money with. I found a great review of BlockBuster Video that caused me to re-examine my use of Netflix. Blockbuster gives additional options I do not have with Netflix. Two glaring additions would become available to me if I switch to Blockbuster. One is that I can rent both games and DVD movies, with Netflix I only get movies. Additionally with Blockbuster I would have the option of driving to the store to exchange for a new film if I want, where Netflix makes me wait without that option. Regardless of what I decide, I think the entertainment area is a great part of the budget to begin examining which companies get your hard earned dollars during these tough economic times.

The Perfect Gifts For Those Who Need Nothing

If your like me you have people to shop for but lack that perfect gift idea. The problem is that in today's world, people can find and pay for many of the things they want, things that in the past might have been gifts from others. I found the perfect site to help with those hard to buy for persons. It's called IMSI Shop and offers unique items from watches, clocks, belt buckles to mousepads. What makes IMSI Shop the perfect solution to the hard to find gift? Personalization. At IMSI Shop they feature things like personalized mouse pads and custom wall clocks that a person would never think to obtain for themselves. Even if you aren't into personalization, the items found at IMSI Shop are just plain cool, your sure to find a design that will work for that hard to buy for gift recipient. One additional feature of IMSI Shop that I like is the ability to use Paypal to complete my purchases. I trust Paypal and it give me the ability to pay via cash, check or a credit card on file.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Ohio House Rental And Assistance

If you live in Ohio and need to look into Ohio House Rental there is much to know about the Ohio rental market and Ohio rental laws. There are many places to look for houses to rent in Ohio such as the Ohio Craigslist rental page and other similar rental websites. Additionally you'll want to know about Ohio rental assistance and your renters rights in Ohio. Put forward your best efforts and keep your credit as clean as possible to ensure you can rent the Ohio house of your dreams at the best monthly rate.

HOPE For Home Owners Mortgage Assistance

The government today unveiled additional mortgage assistance for homeowners The HOPE for Home owners program will refinance mortgages for borrowers who are having difficulty making their payments, but can afford a new loan insured by HUD's Federal Housing Administration (FHA). This program is authorized by Economic and Housing Recovery Act of 2008. The home owners have got the fixed payment so that will have their first and last payment as the same. This programs funds many those who qualify the mentioned criteria such as:

• The home is the primary one and do not have second homes.
• The existing mortgage must have originated on or before January 1 2008.
• Should have paid atleast 6 payments.
• As of March 31, their existing mortgage bills must be more than 30% of their gross income.
• They must be certified that they did not indulge or convicted in any of the criminal or debt cases in the past 10 years.

HOPE also gives loans to home owners on the basis ofthe new mortgage will be no more than 90 percent of the new appraised value including any financed Upfront Mortgage Insurance Premium and the existing mortgage must accept the proceedings of HOPE.

Illinois House Rentals

If you are a renter in Illinois you might find this site about Illinois House Rental useful. Topics covered include renting in Illinoins, rent assistance and information about rent deposits and how they are used in the state of Illinois. With so many foreclosures the rental market in Illinois have become quite competetive so the more informed you are the more successful you will be in finding a house to rent in Illinois.

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

North Carolina Unemployment Website Crashes

How bad is the economy? So bad that in North Carolina the web servers are overwhelmed and crashed this week due to so many unemployment claims. North Carolina Unemployment set records in the number of claims applied for and paid.

The problems with North Carolina's unemployment systems and websites are likley not unique. Expect to read more about other states experiencing computer outages when they are flooded for unemployment claims and questions in 2009.

Pulmonary Embolism

A pulmonary embolism is when you get a blood clot or other blockage in one of the large veins leading to your lungs. Symptoms of a pulmonary embolism include difficulty breathing or pain in the chest while breathing. At times this type of embolism can be caused by pulmonary hypertension, or high blood pressure in the veins that lead to the lungs. If caught in time, a pulmonary embolism can be treated with heparin or other anticoagulants to dispel the clot.

When a doctor suspects a pulmonary embolism, he or she may suggest a pulmonary function test to ensure the lungs are functioning properly, ruling out pulmonary fibrosis or pulmonary edema as the cause of the shortness of breath. A better choice would be a CT pulmonary angiogram. The CT pulmonary angiogram takes of the lungs and the veins leading to the lungs, allowing doctors to see any blockage.

Pulmonary edema and pulmonary fibrosis can also be fatal. So the CT pulmonary angiogram is the fastest and least invasive way to determine whether the symptoms are a result of a pulmonary embolism, fluid in the lungs, called pulmonary edema, or scarring in the lungs, called pulmonary fibrosis. Doctors need to work quickly to determine the best treatment, preventing these conditions from becoming fatal.

Monday, January 05, 2009

Craigslist Selling Tips And Tricks

I use Craigslist lot, mostly for looking for tenants to rent my Coon Rapids House but also for buying and selling various random items. The more time I spend on Craigslist the more I realize just how much a business could increase their sales or find customers for their services on Craigslist. The thing about selling on Craigslist is that you must do it right, to succeed. Do it right and you'll gain new customers, increase sales and do it almost for free. Do it wrong and the Craigslist community will scorn you making your efforts wasted. I found a great site that helped me increase sales on Craigslist through many tips and tricks that I've employed and found to be helpful and successful. So if you do business and aren't using Craigslist check out these tips and tricks to increast your sales from Craigslist.

Saturday, January 03, 2009

Daisy Of Love Coming Spring 2009

VH1 is at it again, adding another show in the series started by Rock Of Love. This spring Daisy De La Hoya will have her own dating reality show on VH1 called Daisy Of Love. In a twist on previous seasons of Rock Of Love like season 2 that had Daisy in it, Daisy Of Love allowed fans on the internet to submit videos and then visitors to a Daisy Of Love website were able to vote on the contestants. It will be interesting to see if the submission and voting concept used in Daisy Of Love can indeed lead Daisy De La Hoya to true love.

How To Load A Stanley Staple Gun

Wondering how to load a Stanly staple gun or stapler? Loading a staple gun is very easy but if you don't use your Stanley staple gun often, you may forget how to load your Stanley staple gun. So for those who've forgot, here is how to load a Stanley staple gun. First use your thumb to release the slide.

There is a black spring loaded button on the bottom rear of the Staple gun. Release the button and pull the slide back. Next turn the Stanley Stape Gun upside down so you are looking into the channel where the stables are stored.

Put in your row of staples so the staples are upside down. The flat top of the staples should rest flat in the channel with the sharp point pointing up. Finally slide the slide closed and again use your thumb to lock the slide back in place. You've now successfully loaded a Stanley staple gun.

Thursday, January 01, 2009

Minnesota Vikings Playoff Tickets Still Available

With just three days to go until the Minnesota Vikings play the Philadelpha Eagles in the playoff game there are plenty of Minnesota Vikings Tickets available. I have been watching Ticketmaster and two days ago you could get tickets on the 30 yard line easily for $160 each. I've been hemming and hawing about whether to buy tickets with the recession and all but it looks like the playoff game may be blacked out. I checked Ticketmaster today and picked up two tickets in section 133 right on the 50 yard line. With great tickets like that still available I don't see how this playoff game will not be blacked out. Oddly Ticketmaster first produced two tickets on the 50 yard line in row 20. I got timed out calling a buddy to see if he wanted to go. I tried again and got 40 yard line tickets but searched again and got section 133 again just a few rows down. I picked up those Minnesota Vikings Tickets and am excited for a great Sunday of Minnesota Vikings Football.