Greenwood Raves!

Survey Savvy... Select Demographics Only

2011-09-18T18:00:00.000-07:00

SurveySavvy. These guys are linked to by all three of the sites named in my previous reviews, but the rewards for becoming a panelist are either non-existant, or fall to demographics that I am not a member of.

Read more after the break

The Good:

SurveySavvy sends out tons of invitations
Easy to use interface
BBB Accredited site, as you can see on their signup page

The Bad:

I have been accepted to Exactly ZERO surveys offered through their services, but have made a few bucks on the links sent to me from other panels that bring me to their site.

If you would like to give them a shot, the image above is linked... Just remember, I'm only one guy, so I can't be the only one to make any kind of profit on these things. Share your experiences and comments down there in the comment box. :)

Thanks for Reading

Another good supplement to your income... Cashback Research

2011-09-16T21:47:00.000-07:00

Today, I have a survey site that's a little different... I've done maybe 2 surveys for them, and have made $7.00 (though they require $20.00 to cash out). I get an offer in my inbox just about every 2-3 days. With this taken into consideration, It's a great source for other survey sites, as it provides links to a few I have reviewed here, and a ton that I haven't had time for. Read more after the jump!

The Good:

Surveys are short
Surveys pay an average of $2-$4 so far.
Links to other paid survey sites (Thought this means they probably get points for referring you)

The Bad:

Boring interface
Medium-High Payout Amount
Less frequent offers than many others

Overall Rating: 4/10

With the site being smaller, and not offering you referral options, you will miss out on some of the extra income that can be made that way. Overall, I would recommend this site as a supplement to the other sites that you are already a member of, but not as your main source.

Thanks for reading!
~Dom

Do you Remember when...

2011-09-10T23:33:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of Nairaland.com

Do you remember "The Wizard of Oz"? How the whole story was based on finding the courage, the compassion, and the right idea to make things all right in the end? I do. I remember the tin man, who was left out so long, without anyone to help him take care of himself. After a while in these conditions, he loses his ability to move. Maybe this was a metaphor for losing the Will to change, and move on with life. Maybe the cowardly Lion was a visualization of the way that no one ever seems to reach their potential, being afraid to reach for anything... Then again, maybe not.

I do remember the wizard, hiding behind magic tricks, and technological advantages, scaring everyone with the big brother principle, yet inspiring them, and giving them something to believe in. In this way, America is like our lost group of tag-alongs, searching for the way back home. Each of us may want something unique, and each of us may find that we already have it later on, but we need someone to show us that it is there. Here's where politics come in.

America, once the thriving industrial center of the world. We once had more disposable income that most other countries. It was once shameful to accept anything that wasn't covered in sweat when it entered your palm. Now...

Now things are different.

We are currently in a decade where things don't look up. The market has crashed. The government has lowered its own credit limit. There are a record number of people without jobs, living on unemployment through one fruitless job search after another. This, like in all drama, is where the hero shows up.

Our Hero enters the stage like a lightning bolt. He starts out as a community organizer, quickly moving to state senator, U.S.A. Senator, and then comes on stage with a speech about Hope, and about change. He starts his campaign, rallying everyone behind him with hopes and promises. Ending the war, bringing the troops home, creating jobs to end the financial drought.

Remember near the end of the movie, when Toto pulls away the curtain to reveal the old man, stammering at his sudden vulnerability, and suddenly seeming so much less likely to be able to cash in on his promises? Well, the time has come. After this term, being mostly over at this point, we should see now that none of these hopes and changes have been the kind we need. Trusting the candidate without experience, we gave this man his presidency without making him take the time to let the weight of responsibility really sink in, and learn the difference between what America WANTS and what she NEEDS.

With re-election right around the corner, the President has a lot of explaining to do, or better yet, more promises to KEEP. These aren't things he'll be able to read off of the teleprompter. These aren't apologies for the American peace of mind. These won't be accomplished by hiding behind a wall of curtains. In case anyone was wondering what we deserve to have made up to us, here's a short list of examples.

The healthcare reform law that was supposed to reduce the healthcare premiums, but has done the opposite. Even for the people that initially supported it.
Allowing a leak of information stating that we were spying on the UN Secretary General. It is becoming increasingly apparent that virtually nobody in the Obama administration or in Hillary Clinton's State Department has much of a clue about foreign policy.
Two year wage freeze on the federal worker salaries. No details needed here. That's about two million mistakes in one shot.
Allowing the TSA access to your personal..."information", usually in the form of photographs with a magic camera that can see through your clothes, and DOESN'T erase the pics like it was supposed to. (Yes, a few hundred of those have leaked as well.)
The Dream Act... In short, the legislation would permit young people to become U.S. residents after spending two years in college or the military. It would apply to immigrants who were under 16 when they arrived in the U.S., have been in the country at least five years and have a diploma from a U.S. high school or the equivalent. Already no jobs, but hey, we can use a few million more people riding the unemployment wagon. Why not?
Most Americans are tired of wasting hundreds of billions of dollars and precious American lives trying to "help" in the middle east. But instead of ending our occupation, and bringing our men and women home, he's actually made things worse, and further escalated the war.
The Bailout... Not saying anything else, so that the blog remains family friendly.

Yes, we voted for change, Yes, we bought the story from the charismatic wizard on the stage... but now that the curtain is off to the side, and the truth is standing there before us, I personally, have been greatly disappointed. The only change that I now desire is change in leadership. Let's all just hope that we don't follow our traditional penchant for sending another idiot in his place.

For the record: I have no personal issues with our president, but he has made decisions that have demonstrated his leadership ability, or lack thereof. Next time, put a businessman in the whitehouse, and tell him that this is to keep his "company" from going further into the red. If it is even possible at this point, I would like to see some kind of profit in the future. Be careful though, make sure this guy puts it in writing that all of his proposals aren't outsourced.

25 Drive In

2011-09-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

My husband and I stumbled across this theater about 2 years ago. We fell in love with it immediately! Our little girl will now ask us what movie we are going to see every Saturday night.

I have come to realize that not many people know that there is a drive in Movie Theater in Greenwood SC. So I decided to make this my first Rave.

There are now two screens at the 25 Drive In. They added the second one over the summer this year. Both screens play the newest and latest movies. For example this weekend they had Cars2, The Smurfs, Apollo 18 and the new Spy Kids 4 playing.

During the summer months it is $7 for adults and $5 for children and then there are times like right now where their prices are $5 per person or $20 for the car load. They also do specials for big movies such as Harry Potter and Twilight, like having a midnight showing on Thursday night for $10 a person with a free popcorn and drink.

The first movie starts at 9pm (Or once it gets dark), but you want to come early for dinner. They have lots to choose from like hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos and cheese, baked potatoes with ranch dressing, fries and so much more, and they are reasonably priced. The money that they make from their food sales goes to help keep the theater up and running. They also do souvenir cups so when you but the first drink it is $4, however after that all sodas are $1 and tea is free and if you bring your cup back on the next visit again sodas are $1 and tea is free. The popcorn is only carnival size but it’s also only $.99.

They also have it set up that if you would like to bring your own food in they charge you an $8 fee. This again goes to assist in the upkeep of the theater and aids them in getting the newest movies to show.

There is a playground for the children to play on before each movie starts. They have it set up that you can sit at tables in from of the restaurant or you can relax in your car, bring chairs, blankets or whatever you need to relax and enjoy the show.

The owners are two of the nicest people you will ever meet. They are friendly and welcoming. Always willing to stop and chat with anyone and they are always smiling.

This is a wonderful way to spend an evening on a date or as a family or even with a group of friends.

So, I encourage everyone to go out and check out the 25 Drive In!

Visit their web-page and FaceBook fan page below for movies listings, prices and directions to: 3109 Hwy 25 South Greenwood, SC 29646

www.25drivein.com/

www.facebook.com/#!/pages/25-Drive-In-Auto-Theatre/104110615697

Another iPhone Prototype Lost in a Bar... (Updated)

2011-09-04T11:04:00.000-07:00

Leaked iPhone 5 Prototype image from etidbits.com

(UPDATE) on the original post HERE.

Ok, so apparently a few of you liked my first post... Well, put on your seat belts, folks. This is starting to get interresting.

After we've come to the point where there was ANOTHER lost iPhone, We've talked about the guy who allegedly found it having his house searched by police, and we've spoken on the fact that he allowed it. Since I'm probably not the only person who will find this interresting, the SFPD have now admitted that they have assisted Apple with the search of this poor guy's home, and claim that a police report was not created because APPlE REQUESTED that there not be one. Now, I know that I made the statement that the police assisting with a search doesn't mean that they did something illegal, but in this case, I may have to appologize. Read more after the jump.

The homeowner now states that the Apple security employees "may" have been impersonating police officers in order to gain entry to the home. This would make for a nice federal crime, punishable by fines and a year in prison. If the police participated in this, there's going to be a huge fallout from it. Why would they, you ask? Check this out.

"When they came to my house, they said they were SFPD," Calderón said. "I thought they were SFPD. That's why I let them in." He said he would not have permitted the search if he had been aware the two people conducting it were not actually police officers.

Now, if this wasn't bad enough, the Apple employees not only searched this guy's house while the police stood there and let them. They also had the gall to threaten an American Citizen and his family's immigration status (profiling much?), and when none of these things worked, they tried to buy him off for $300.

It doesn't really help the case that Apple's head security officer was a retired police officer, either. Now, I warn you this LinkedIn profile is no longer up (for obvious reasons) but...

Image courtesy of Digital Trends

Yep, and sadly, this one is one of ours, directly from the Citadel in Charleston SC.

Now, to make these things all add together, Here's what the police have finally admitted.

San Francisco Police Assist Apple Security with their Lost Property Investigation
11-096
Posted Date: 9/3/2011
After speaking with Apple representatives, we were given information which helped us determine what occurred. It was discovered that Apple employees called Mission Police station directly, wanting assistance in tracking down a lost item. Apple had tracked the lost item to a house located in the 500 block of Anderson Street. Because the address was in the Ingleside Police district Apple employees were referred to Officers in the Ingleside district. Four SFPD Officers accompanied Apple employees to the Anderson street home. The two Apple employees met with the resident and then went into the house to look for the lost item. The Apple employees did not find the lost item and left the house.
The Apple employees did not want to make an official report of the lost item.

Lt. Troy Dangerfield of the police department now says he won’t be investigating the incident in question until he has both sides of the story.

Personally, I say it may be a little late for that.
~Dom

To follow the story between my updates, please check out another story HERE or on the other links listed on my first article.

Another iPhone prototype lost in a bar...

2011-09-03T23:44:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of http://www.gadgetmedia.info

Another iPhone prototype lost in a bar... This is starting to look intentional. There are only a few things that can be happening.

Option A: Apple has been abusing their employees for so long that their Beta team has found religion in the bottom of an empty bottle.
Option B: Apple is experimenting to see if lightning really does hit twice in the marketing world. After all, which would you prefer? Paying for ad placement to get people to follow the story, or giving people like me something to write about. (Guilty of falling for this one, I guess. Sorry.)

Now, again we have an iPhone going missing in good ole San Francisco, this one in the Mission district. For those of you feeling a little Deja Vu, don't. This time is soooo much better. It all started when there was a "priceless" phone, lost in the bar frequented by yet another Apple employee. Of course, following this to the next step, Apple scrambles their security team, again searching for a needle in a haystack, lest another of their precious devices fall into the hands of Gizmodo, and be dismembered for the public's enjoyment. This time, however, Apple is refusing to comment on the event, or any upcoming model of the iPhone (though several unconfirmed reports list the release date in late September, or early October). Read more after the jump.

Ok, so back to the story. (Where was I?) We have a lost prototype sitting in a bar, the employee freaks out because this was proven to be a career death sentence, as seen everywhere last year. We have a security team scrambling through San Francisco to search for said device, and yet... we also have reports from the SFPD that there have been no police reports filed regarding the loss.

After a couple of days, Apple seems to have remembered that they can track these devices, and followed the lost device to a private residence in the Bernal Heights neighborhood. They then called the police to request an escort to the location (still no report), and (Without so much as a warrant) were granted permission to search the home for the missing device. Now, before the conspiracy buffs out there start screaming hymns of the flaming injustice, and corporate takeover of the world leadership; this search was legal because the homeowner consented to it.

Though they found nothing, and the resident turned down a no-questions-asked monetary gift for the return of the device, the the home's owner claims to have no knowledge of the missing iPhone.

Now, the strangest thing about this is that Apple claims that there is no prototype currently active, as all new models will be sent in a sealed box to the carrier, for reception testing in a lab. The only model of the iPhone that they claim to produce for non-commercial reasons is an iPhone developers model, which uses the same processor as the iPad 2. Though this feature is expected to appear in the next iPhone, there is nothing secret about it, according to 9to5Mac.

Do we have another upcoming media fiasco on the horizon, just waiting for a spark to drill the apple logo even farther into everyone's skull? Is it all just a publicity stunt? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

For a few other opinions on what's happening with this story, feel free to follow up with these sites:

CNET's Take on the missing iPhone 5

SFGate.com

GCN.com

CultofMac.com

Thanks for reading!

~Dom

Paid Surveys Made Simple: Vindale

2011-08-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

Vindale Research - The Quick and Clean
(Not a big fan of dirty today, sorry)

Vindale Research is an online company that takes an interesting approach to market research and online surveys. They advertise payouts of $5 - $75, a rate considerably higher than most competitors and state that customers will be evaluating products and services.

In reality, You may get there one day, but starting off, You'll be making between $0.10 (To complete the profile/demographic questions that most companies expect you to do for free) and $4.00 per survey ($3 is about the average for 20-30 minutes). The more you do, the more surveys you will get invitations to, and the higher they start paying. Lately, I've been getting offers for some that are upwards of $10, for about 30-45 minutes of "work".

Now, given that I'm a pretty common demographic (non-single, age 20-25 white guy, who rents a home), I don't qualify for about a quarter of the surveys I have attempted so far, But 60-75% Qualified/Offered Ratio is actually pretty good, given the experiences I've had so far.

Overall, I give this company a 7/10, due to several factors

The Good:

The user interface is incredibly simple
You get paid for your profile/demographic info, which you have to fill out to get survey invites anyway
Wide range of survey topics
Cash value of survey is displayed right on the screen BEFORE you start the survey.
Regular invites
Optional offers (about half are free) Can be accepted for more money, or to try out products/services

The Bad:

None that I can think of at this time, other than the fact that there is no guarantee of a daily survey as You've seen some of these sites give before.

Thanks for reading, and to try it out, click here:
Sign Up For Vindale

~Dom

So... The Electric Car Revolution has yet to appear... Here's why.

2011-08-26T18:08:00.000-07:00

Image: Wave Disc, PopSci.com Article, and Auto Rambler

Well, While we're not quite there yet (Though I would love to drive to work for $0.05 per day), the technology isn't considered to be viable yet. The few cars that have an all electric option are expensive; You'll pay more for the base model electric than you will for the tricked-out, all inclusive combustion-engine (Later called CE, because I'm lazy. Sorry.) twin. These new electrics don't have a range enough to satisfy most people, parking lots don't commonly offer outlets to plug into, and people haven't had time to adjust to the idea of a car that you can't carry an extra gas can in, or fill up again if you spend a little longer on the road than planned.

So, along the way, we have Hybrids, cars that use some gas, some electric. These guys have been a HUGE hit with all of us "Green" people, but they still run on what the public considers to be "untested technology", and they still carry a higher buy-in price than the standard CE counterparts. So, since this isn't quite working out, the think tanks have rolled out a new series of projects around the world. Welcome to the age of the Ultra-Efficiency Combustion engine, coming soon to a showroom near you.

Words to best sum up this movement can be read at Popsci.com (my inspiration for this little article):

The green thinkers among us need not fear this resurgence of hydrocarbon-burning engines; these innovations aren’t just drastically driving down the amount of carbon-based fuel our automobiles might someday burn in a given trip--they are crucial bridge technologies that will help get us to that all-electric, carbon free future as cleanly and efficiently as possible.

For example: The Scunderi engine uses compressed air to increase the kinetic output of the fuel used (literally more "bang for your buck") by compressing some of the unused air in the main combustion cylinder into the tank, using the compressed air in the tank to push through one stroke. This air then cycles into the combustion cylinder on the upstroke, increasing the "push" from the fuel's ignition...etc. The cycle repeats, and computer models show up to a 50% increase in fuel economy over the standard CE model.

For the full story and all of the other amazing designs, check out THIS LINK.

As always, thanks for reading.
~Dom

Myrtle Beach Accommodation Review: Landmark Resort

2011-08-24T19:28:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of http://www.staymyrtlebeach.com/hotel/landmark_resort/

The short version:
Rooms:
Location:
Services Available:
Value for price:

Well, We've been here for the better part of the week today, so i think our time here has been sufficient to write a relatively satisfying review. I'll give you guys a heads up, and say that we got a smoking room (of course) so the view was pretty terrible (interior, lower rate. Now, this means that we were looking down on the glass over the indoor pool, pictured above, and the lobby roof... No ocean in sight. But since I know that this is partially due to a few bad habits, I will not be taking it into consideration for this review.

First off, Everything that delivers in the area, delivers to your room. You have no idea how convenient it is to come from flying a kite, and jumping over waves in the surf during storm swells from the upcoming hurricane, to jump into a cold pool, swim around for about half an hour, then make a call and order food, then chill out in the hot tub with your girlfriend for a good 15 minutes, head up to your room, change, and open the door to retrieve said food, eat, rinse, repeat. This service, at a multi-star resort with its own (basic) water park, and just barely above average pricing all wraps into an amazing package. The authentic Chinese delivery from China Chef was amazing, but the Pizza from "Hungry Howie's" was CRAP. We ordered bread-sticks, a large pizza, and a calzone, and almost got three sides of GREASE poisoning for free. The concept of a flavored crust was a great idea, and the bread-sticks were phenomenal, but the pizza itself was bland, and drenched in salty grease, as was the calzone (Mini-Reviews, because for some reason I felt like it).

Next up, the beach is less than 200 feet (this is the farthest, depending on the tides) from the outdoor pool and lazy river, and the shells here, as well as the crowds are plentiful. Whether you're looking for good surf to play in, shells to grab, or an open space to fly your stunt kite, this place's waterfront has it.

And Finally, the room. Our room was about mid-range, no deluxe sweet, but we got a full bath, mini kitchenette, two twin beds (Fred was with us), plasma TV, decent Wi-Fi, plenty of light, and a full balcony. The rooms are kept clean, there are no bugs (I say this because it's impressive to avoid insects near water) the mini fridge kicks arse, as you can fit food for a couple of days, 30 canned drinks, and a few other frozen goodies, and a couple of snacks in there.

(The only reason for the value for price deduction is the distance from the main strip, as it took over an hour of walking to get there, leaving sore feet all around by the time we got back to the hotel five hours later)

Myrtle Beach Food Review: Pier 14

2011-08-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of: http://photos.igougo.com/pictures-photos-p369820-Pier_14.html

Speed of Service:

Staff Interaction:

Drink Selection:

Wine Selection:

Food Originality:

Flavor:

Overall:

Today for lunch, Thea and I stopped by Pier 14, Myrtle Beach, SC (Yeah, Vacations in August rock, by the way.)

At first, things were a little slow, walk in (after telling Fred that it was alright to come in in a tank top, Since it was not yet 4:30pm), and see a "Please wait to be seated sign". This part is pretty standard, so no big deal. The issue comes up when we were still waiting on a seat in an almost empty restaurant seven or eight minutes later. Well, at this point, we had already walked about 5 miles to get there, so I was fine as long as I was sitting, so no big deal here either.

After someone noticed the three of us hanging out up front, we were given three menus, and told to pick a seat (Definitely new in the "Please wait to be seated" lineup). A few minutes after finding a table, the waiter comes around to ask about our drinks. We order, and they come out a few minutes later.

Long story short: The story continues from here, with a small task, followed by a 5-10 minute wait. This is a little longer than usual, with less interaction from the staff, and slightly longer between refills than I would have expected with only 5 other occupied tables. The waiter was pleasant while taking orders, and while checking up on us. As for the actual food, it was amazing. The menu offers a large selection of seafood, some of which is caught semi-locally, and a good selection of burgers, sandwiches, and even a few pastas. What really impressed me, and was at the same time a huge disappointment, was that they had a vegetarian section in the menu...though it only held two options. The selection of beers is slim, but holds well to the standards, soft drinks are typical. What really shines about the drinks here is the variety of domestic (California) wines, and the imports that they chose for their stash. Australian red, anyone?

Either way, If you like seafood, or want a 8oz Cheeseburger, served on sourdough, with the option of Swiss American, or Provolone cheese... I would stop by. Maybe not for a dinner date, but definitely a casual lunch option.

Thanks for reading!

~Dom

If you want the HP TouchPad...

2011-08-21T19:05:00.000-07:00

Image courtesy of HP's TouchPad order page

We'll start this off on a positive note, and probably end in a few warnings. Recently, the HP TouchPad has been all the rage in the tablet PC rumor mill. It was reported to have outstanding specs, a very pleasing display, and a unique Operating System (WebOS). With these amazing things in mind...

YOU CAN NOW BUY ONE FOR EXTREMELY CHEAP:

$99.00 for the 16GB version
$149.00 for the 32GB version

Don't believe me? Check it out:

HP TouchPad Order Page

Now, with that being said:

The tablet's manufacturer is setting the market on fire with these things, BUT (Isn't there always a "butt" at the end of a good thing?) they are going to be discontinuing support for the device itself, as well as the WebOS platform, which means that tech support will be non-existent (Peggy?) and that the software will stop receiving updates. Now, for the real world people that couldn't write up a new home-brew version of the Android OS, and make it work with this:

The Tablet may work fine now, but you'll start to see things slow down eventually
All of the features you enjoy at the moment will stop working sooner or later. For Example:

No more updated Applications (Except 3rd party)
No room for growth of the OS
...Or any new and cool features that you would get on the Android OS, any of the Apple systems, or BlackBerry OS

Now, for those of you who love HP (Don't feel bad, I used to, until they stopped supporting driver updates on an older laptop) keep in mind that this is on the first attempt that they have made to branch out of the Desktop/Laptop/Netbook standard market. This being said, they should have learned through others' mistakes what happens when you release a product without enough testing and optimization. When a company releases a tablet for $499, and drops the price by 80% three weeks later without any attempt at sweetening the pot for their early adopters, this is going to hurt brand loyalty.

On the other hand, there are a few positives left in the world, as this means that tablet prices are going to drop. Even Apple will take the hit when another company sets the price range so low. Most android tablets cost about $149 now, with the better ones (Archos101, anyone? - More on that later) Costing in the $300.00 range. With apple's tablets showing up a couple hundred dollars more, this means that tablets that are not at the same level of luxury, but still considered competitive, apple is going to have to rely on their marketing and PR, which are both great, or lower prices to somewhere in the general range of the other higher end tablets.

Who knows what's coming up next? With all the options out there, a mistake like this could be very dangerous for the company's reputation, and it's loyal customer base.

For the full story, feel free to check out the archives at the link below (International Business Times Webpage):

International Business Times

Thanks for reading!
~Dom

Gimme Some Sugah: Only In Travelers Rest.....

2011-08-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

Gimme Some Sugah: Only In Travelers Rest.....

So here I am looking for other SC Blogs to check out, and look what I find, folks. All I could do was post the following comment:

You would be amazed how often this happens around my neck of the woods (Greenwood, SC). Yesterday on the way home from work, I actually had to merge into another lane for the guys trying to figure out how to shrink their bulldozer to fit under an overpass. It was a veritable symphony of road rage...

Third Review: InboxDollars

2011-08-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

My third review will be about InboxDollars, another of the good sites that I have found. On this site, like the pictures say, you get paid (small amounts) to read emails, which you receive about five times per day. You can also take surveys at an even $0.50 each, shop online for stuff you already buy and receive money back, complete offers (They have a whole section of free ones, that don’t require all of your personal info to work – I don’t trust them enough to do any of the trial offers yet, but we’ll see),

AND… Here’s the kicker…
You can actually participate in in-home product tests, shipped to you, so that you can write reviews on them, and participate in research discussions.

Now, for the standings…. (Drum roll please?)
The Good:

Easy to make money on, as shown by the $5 signup bonus (Yes, they really do add it to your account for registering)
Convenient balance display in the members’ area.
Regular offers, if you check back with them.
You can actually compete in and play some of the better internet games. (Thea is currently addicted to and playing in Bejeweled 2 Competitions).
All activities actually have a cash value assigned, so you know how much you will be making without any fancy conversions, or other miscellaneous BS.
They even have a toolbar you can download (I didn't, because I like my screen space) that keeps you up to date on offers, pays you to search the web through their yahoo-hybrid search engine. This thing will even notify you about new surveys and offers that are open to you.

The Bad:

You can’t withdraw any money until you hit $30.00
Not an attractive site (Still not quite as ugly as the Daily Survey Panel, but still…)
All in all, I wouldn’t call InboxDollars a bad site, as it allows for many, many, many (…etc.) ways to make money. For example… I’ve been a member for a week, payed them attention for about 1-1.5 hours per day, and have made… <<Checks the site>> about $28.50.

Here's the link, if you're interrested:
http://www.inboxdollars.com/?r=ref9812301

Thanks for Reading
~Dom

Coming soon to a Star Fort near you!

2011-08-20T15:43:00.000-07:00

So, I was checking out the local website (http://www.townofninetysixsc.com, which also gets credit for the image here) and I noticed something that I wanted to make a few quick comments about. On October 8, 2011 (from 6:50 to 8:20pm) they will be hosting their annual candlelight tour of Star Fort National Historic Site.

I can tell you from my experiences with this tour in the past that if you haven't been, you need to. Let me set the stage:

After a short drive with your family through the quaint little historic town of Ninety Six, you find yourself drawn to the torches to the left of the road, so you pull over, and park, wondering what could be going on at the historic site. You see a a line of people stretching out almost to where you parked, but notice that at the front of the line, there seem to be a couple of people that fell off of H.G. Wells' Time Machine a little early in the trip. There they stand in Revolutionary-Era attire, beckoning you forward.

You join the queue, and sooner than you can blink, realize that beyond the torchlight, there is nothing but a dull shimmer of a path in the moonlight, the fading light of the candles slowly receding into the woods... You are introduced to one of these lost time travelers, and informed that this is the person that will be leading you through the ordeal.

She tells you, "Along this path, you will learn the history of this place, of the town that you just rode through, and the men that fought and died for our freedom and independence." You turn to your family as she starts to turn away, advancing slowly into the encroaching darkness, the light of her candle picking out a strange silhouette off to the side of the path...

Well, maybe my version is a bit dramatized, but if you live in the area, I can promise you that this will be a night you enjoy, should you happen to be able to stop by, whether alone, with your family, or with a friend.

For all of the details, please see their page on the topic.
http://www.townofninetysixsc.com/2011/01/candlelight-tour-star-fort/

And, as always, thanks for reading.
~Dom

Second Review: MyView

2011-08-19T15:47:00.000-07:00

Here we have another good site. Below is the official description (by the site, and then you’ll find my on words. The image shown here is actually what my account balance is at, at the time of typing this up. The 18,850 Points you see there is roughly equivalent to $14.50. Now, this may not seem like much, but more on that later.

“MyView is a global community of expert individuals who express their open, honest, and valid opinions on a wide range of topics.
By experts, we mean folks just like you who are knowledgeable or passionate about almost any topic. Gaming. Business. Family. Movies. TV. Books. Technology. You name it.
It’s pretty simple. You tell us what you think about stuff like:
Never-before-seen movie trailers

New tools and solutions for IT Professionals

Cutting edge tools and solutions for IT pros

The latest fashion trends

New video games

Health topics

Business issues, large and small

And much, much more”

Now for my Observations: The site is really easy to use, and they limit the number of users that can sign up so that they can manage the number of surveys they have available for members. They reward daily activity with giving you the option to refer members (You’ll have to email me if you’d like to be referred, or post a comment here) as well as by giving them access to more surveys.

Along with the email notifications they send(One per day almost) they make sure you have plenty of ways to speak your mind.

OH! and did I mention that these guys are actually BBB accredited?
Click this super cool logo here for more info:

The only Negatives that I have noticed so far are:
The Payouts are all Gift cards, and it takes a while to build them up to the level that the non-store-specific Cards (Higher than specific stores/sites) due to the fact that they probably don’t get a kicker/incentive for the “like cash” rewards.

Here's the Quick Link:
http://portal.myview.com/portal/app?cmd=TextPage&_ppId=13
If you would like a referral to join the site, leave me a comment here.

Thanks for reading!
~Dom.

My First Review: Daily Survey Panel

2011-08-19T14:28:00.000-07:00

Ok... So let's get this started. My first review will be about the Daily Survey Panel.

And because my mother always told me that if "You don't have nothin' nice to say, then don't say nothin'!"

...we'll start off on a positive note.

THE GOOD!

Simple Surveys
Can complete about $5 worth every day in less than 2 hours
Average survey will only last 10-20 minutes (Normally towards the 10 minute end)
Can cash out via PayPal down to a $1 increment.

THE BAD!

The User Interface is simplistic and ugly
I hope you like green, because the whole site is done in different shades of it.

But otherwise, I have been a member of this site for a week, and have had no interruptions of my ability to take the surveys. (If you are screened out, you can retake them)

The Payout Sytem:

As previously mentioned, You can make pretty decentmoney for light work, as each survey you take is going to be worth about 100-200 points. At a rate of $1/200 points, this can actually add up pretty quickly. You can also opt for gift certificates (Amazon, Wal-Mart, Banana Republic, Applebee's...etc), but since the money on PayPal can be deposited to a linked Bank account, I wouldn't bother with them too much. Just stick to PayPal. It's fast, it's easy, it's secure.

Feel free to use the image above as a direct link to the site if you want to check it out, and write down your thoughts and experiences below. I always love seeing how other people are doing with this stuff. :)

If you would like to check this out, Here's the link to follow for easy signup:

http://dailysurveypanel.com/?r=USR1_HVJXdykMxzn9B_0zglq3tw

Thanks for Reading!

~Dom

Step One: “The Pledge”

2011-08-19T13:45:00.000-07:00

Every time someone searches for some amazing way to make a little extra money, the answer shows you something ordinary: a ton of hard work, a scam or some complex pyramid marketing scheme. They show you the benefits of their “Offer”. Perhaps they ask you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, through comments, reviews, tons of “As Advertised” labels. But, as with all things that seem too good to be true… it probably isn’t.

Over the past several weeks, I have found myself on my own journey, and am still walking the path and looking for the answer. However, since I have found a few ways to earn a few perks, and a little cash on the side, people have been asking how I’ve done so. If you haven’t figured it out by now, this will be the primary topic of this blog. Other things may come later, but for now, this is it (Sorry).
Since you’ve followed a link I left somewhere to find this site, I can assume a couple of things:

You’re looking for a way to make extra money.
You’re scared of getting scammed or blowing your money (If you had the money to invest in a hosted page and marketing program, you probably need to look elsewhere, because everything I’ll be showing is free.)
You think it’s not possible to do online, but you would like to be told otherwise.

Well, My answers to these concerns are simple:
You and me both. I have found some sites that I have actually made money on, but first, we’ll set some reasonable expectations.

I can personally guarantee that you won’t find anything here that will make you rich. Sucks, huh?
I can say with all honesty that I do not feel these will replace a full time job.
The process is not Quick and Easy (Also sucks) as you will be making about $1-$5/hr in most cases to fill out surveys.
This WILL provide chances to learn about new products, influence marketing decisions by major companies, and make a little spare income for things you want but can’t afford to buy otherwise.

Scams are everywhere. Let’s face it though, If you can afford to spend $50 to go to work for someone, you don’t need to be here anyway.
As previously, stated, you won’t get rich, but it is possible to bring in a little additional income and earn a few prizes that you can’t afford to buy the hard way.

Well, now that we got all of that our of the way, Welcome to my blog. I will be posting links here to sites I use, and will try to keep them as up to date as possible.

~Dom