Bobby Maisnam -- Blog

Get a $20 gift card back after spending $200 on your MasterCard

Sun, 27 Nov 2011 09:02:24 -0500

Register online to get a $20 gift card back after spending $200 on your MasterCard this holiday season. Enroll online at: https://holiday.mastercard.com/holiday Instructions (from the website): 1. Enroll with your MasterCard. 2. Shop with your card online between November 15 and December 31, 2011. 3. After spending $200 online, you'll receive an email confirming your qualification and instructions on how to get your MasterCard gift card or other gifts. Limited time, limited quantity. Promotion Open to US Residents Only.

HP TouchPad 16GB for $99 and 32 GB for $149

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 08:11:13 -0500

HP is discontinuing the TouchPad and so it is selling off it's inventory for almost 80% off. The $499 TouchPad is now available for $99 and the $599 touchpad is now available for $149.

As of the time of this post (8:13 AM 8/21/2011), the following is the availability of the HP TouchPad:

16 GB HP TouchPad: available at BestBuy for $99 + $9 shipping + tax: http://tinyurl.com/43u28mo

32 GB HP TouchPad: available at HP Small Business for $149 + $0 shipping + tax: http://tinyurl.com/3stl5rc or http://tinyurl.com/3edf835

Useful note: Check out this slickdeals page for the most up to date availability info: http://tinyurl.com/3l6b9ml

Things to know before you buy:

HP is discontinuing the TouchPad but not WebOS. The units you buy will have warranty but cannot be returned.

The HP App Store is not too bad

In the future, people are expecting a port/fix which will allow users to install Android on the TouchPad

Happy Shopping and all the best!!! :)

Get up to 3000 Free AA Miles - AA Appraiser

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 17:29:59 -0500

Getting free airline miles is always a great idea. I follow the Points Guy blog and he posts interesting tips from time to time. One of them is the American Airlines (AA) Appraiser email promo. I tried it out and got 1,000 free AA miles. The Points Guy got 1,500 miles and many of the visitors to his blog said they got between 1,000 to 2,500 free AA miles. Try it out now: American Airlines (AA) Appraiser email promo

Thanks again, Points Guy!

$9 for 2 Fandango movie tickets - LivingSocial Fandango deal

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 16:00:24 -0500

6/20/2011: This deal is back! Check it out: http://livingsocial.com/deals/57725?ref=personalized-link-box-14146653&rpi=14146653 Original post (3/3/2011): $9 for 2 Fandango movie tickets - LivingSocial Fandango deal This is a really awesome Fandango deal from LivingSocial. Check it out: $9 for 2 Fandango movie tickets - LivingSocial Fandango deal Living Social was acquired recently by Amazon. I have seen 2 good deals from them so far - $20 Amazon gift card for $10 in January 2010 and this $9 for 2 Fandango tickets in March 2010. Here is a good news item from PC Mag on this particular deal if you would like to read further. Living Social sold 1.4M Amazon gift cards for a revenue for $14M. Note: This deal expires at 10 AM Eastern 3/5/2011

Gmail for Blackberry

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 10:10:46 -0500

To download Gmail for Blackberry, use the following options: 1. Official Method Go to http://m.google.com/mail/ and select the "Install Now" link at the top Note: This is the recommended method because Google determines the appropriate version for your blackberry or other mobile device. 2. Alternate Download Location (Google Mail V 2.0.7 for Blackberry 9650 - 438.6 KB) Download from here Important Note: This is a download specific for Blackberry Bold 9650. But you can check if it works for your Blackberry model. This installs Google Mail v2.0.7. Other Notes: This download link is helpful if you are not able to access the official Gmail Mobile download link (for example: http://m.google.com/mail/ is blocked by your service provider). This is actually a drawback for Google and they should provide alternate download links for downloading Gmail for Mobile. 3. Alternate Download Location (Google Mail V 2.0.6 Generic - 256.4 KB) Download from here Important Note: This is a generic version and installed on my Blackberry Bold 9650 but did not work. But you can check if it works for your mobile device. Older Versions: Older Gmail Mobile versions are available below (courtesy of WAP Review) Google Mail V 1.5.0 - 156 KB: JAD, JAR Google Mail V 1.1.0 - 138 KB: JAD, JAR Google Mail V 1.0.0 - 113 KB: JAD, JAR If you are interested in knowing how I was able to get an offline copy of the installation file (refer to #2 above), read on. It took me a couple of days but I finally figured it out. 1. Switch your browser user agent to your mobile device's user agent The main problem was that if you try to access http://m.google.com/mail/ from your laptop/desktop browser, it does not show you the Gmail Mobile download link. So, you need to change the user agent for your browser so that Google thinks that you are coming to the website from your mobile device. 1.1 Find the user agent for your mobile device You can find uthe ser agent string for your mobile device by going to http://ip.maisnam.com/ on your mobile device. Look for the part which says: "You are currently using:". Using that, I was able to determine that the user agent string for my Blackberry Bold 9650 is: BlackBerry9650/5.0.0.1006 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105 1.2 Change the user agent on your browser The next part is to make Google think that you are coming to the website from your mobile device by changing your browser user agent. If you are using Firefox, you can use the User Agent Switcher add-on. Once you have installed the add-on, create a new user agent using the user agent string obtained from step 1.1. 2. Download the .jad file After switching to the correct user agent for your mobile device, go again to http://m.google.com/mail/ and click the "Install Now" link at the top. This will download a mail.jad file to your computer. 3. Download the .cod files Now, open the downloaded mail.jad file with a text editor (I usually open it first in Wordpad, save it and then open it again in Notepad). The mail.jad file will look like this. Look for the .cod files (6 in the mail.jad file I downloaded) and download them. In my example, the cod file URLs are: http://m.google.com/mail/download/binaries/L1/2.0.6/BlackBerry-47/GoogleMail.cod?dc=gorganic&session=3831091937&ver=2.0.6 http://m.google.com/mail/download/binaries/L1/2.0.6/BlackBerry-47/GoogleMail-1.cod?dc=gorganic&session=3831091937&ver=2.0.6 http://m.google.com/mail/download/binaries/L1/2.0.6/BlackBerry-47/GoogleMail-2.cod?dc=gorganic&session=3831091937&ver=2.0.6 http://m.google.com/mail/download/binaries/L1/2.0.6/BlackBerry-47/GoogleMail-3.cod?dc=gorganic&session=3831091937&ver=2.0.6 http://m.google.com/mail/download/binaries/L1/2.0.6/BlackBerry-47/GoogleMail-4.cod?dc=gorganic&session=3831091937&ver=2.0.6 http://m.google.com/mail/download/binaries/L1/2.0.6/BlackBerry-47/GoogleMail-5.cod?dc=gorganic&session=3831091937&ver=2.0.6 4. Edit the mail.jad file Once you download the .cod files, update the cod file URLs to point to your local copy. The updated mail.jad file will look like this. 5. Upload all the files to your web server and access the .jad file from your mobile device Next, upload the 6 .cod files and the updated .jad file to your webserver and access the .jad file from your mobile device. If you are using Blackberry Bold 9650, you can download the mail.jad file I created. This is a download specific for Blackberry Bold 9650. But you can check if it works for your Blackberry model. If you do not have access to a webserver, I believe you can create an .alx file and load it using Blackberry Desktop. That process is outlined here: http://www.kleinfelter.com/node/147. Helpful Links: http://wapreview.mobi/?p=2578 http://www.kleinfelter.com/node/147 http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google%20Mobile/thread?tid=1f2b84444c174ab9&hl=en

$4 for a Movie Ticket to AMC Theatres (Up to $12 Value) - Groupon AMC deal

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 07:17:23 -0500

This is a really awesome Groupon AMC deal. Check it out: $4 for a Movie Ticket to AMC Theatres (Up to $12 Value) Note: This deal expires at 11:59 midnight Central time 1/24/2011

Austin Food Tour - Austin Eats Food Tours

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 17:13:30 -0500

If you are visiting Austin, Texas, definitely check out Austin Eats Food Tours - www.austineatsfoodtours.com

"Austin is home to the University of Texas, the State Capital, hundreds of live musicians, celebrities, athletes & even a few hippies. ... We invite you to join us for one of our three walking tours, each approximately 3-3.5 hours in length and sampling 7-10 local eateries. We'll indulge in the tastiest local eats from BBQs, to burgers to bakeries and share a little Austin lore along the way"

Logo courtesy: Austin Eats Food Tours

Crazy DC Capital Beltway Traffic

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 20:00:52 -0500

Traffic was crazy today on the I-495 (Capital Beltway) inner loop. The commute was double that on regular days (which is bad already)! The increased traffic is probably because of people leaving one day early for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend this Thursday (November 25, 2010). The Google Maps screenshot below was taken at 7:56 PM and traffic was still crazy at that time! No wonder this route is ranked the 3rd worst traffic bottleneck in the US with 243K cars daily! From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_495_%28Capital_Beltway%29

"Two intersections on the Capital Beltway are ranked in the top 20 on a study of the "worst bottlenecks in the nation." They are the I-495 at I-270 interchange in Montgomery County, Maryland, ranked third overall, which receives 243,425 cars daily, and the I-495 at I-95 interchange in Prince George's County, Maryland, ranked 11th, with 185,125 cars"

GoDaddy Web Hosting Renewal - best rates with 3 year renewals

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 20:59:47 -0500

I just figured out by chance that GoDaddy Web Hosting Renewal rates are best with 3-year renewals and not with 4 or 5-year renewals. This is a bit weird because I would expect the rates to go down with longer renewals. From the list below, you can see that the $4.99 per month Economy web hosting plan drops to $2.99 per month with a 3 year renewal, but only drops to $3.74 per month with a 5 year renewal. Go figure!! Note: for current GoDaddy coupons, visit: www.retailmenot.com/view/godaddy.com Original: $4.99 plan (Economy plan) Coupon: gda1132bp (25% off $60) 2 year renewal Base rate: $119.76 ($4.99 per month) - Coupon: -$29.94 (25% off) Final rate: =$89.82 ($3.74 per month) 3 year renewal Base rate: $143.64 ($3.99 per month) - Coupon: -$35.91 (25% off) Final rate: =$107.73 ($2.99 per month) (BEST RATE) 4 year renewal Base rate: $239.52 ($4.99 per month) - Coupon: -$59.88 (25% off) Final rate: =$179.64 ($3.74 per month) 5 year renewal Base rate: $299.40 ($4.99 per month) - Coupon: -$74.85 (25% off) Final rate: =$224.55 ($3.74 per month)

=rand(99,200)

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:00:27 -0500

=rand(99,200) is an interesting command. If you type this in Word 2003 and press Enter, you get 233 pages (99 paragraphs with 200 sentences per paragraph) of "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." !!! More info: - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_quick_brown_fox_jumps_over_the_lazy_dog - http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070905095230AAB3Bks - Sample output MS Word file

Fortune - $10 per year, and TIME magazine - $15 per year

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 17:56:47 -0500

I just received a Fortune magazine subscription offer by mail and could not believe it. I was getting offered a 1 year subscription of Fortune magazine for $10! I checked online and the lowest price was $30 per year on Amazon. The only catch appears to be that you need to pay the subscription upfront and not forget to cancel the automatic renewal before your subscription expires. 1. Fortune magazine - $10 per year (20 issues). Recommended deal: $20 for 3 years (60 issues) http://www.fortune.com/subscribe/ or https://subs.timeinc.net/FO/fo_dm0110.jhtml?experience_id=255667&source_id=7&_requestid=434298 2. TIME magazine - $15 per year (57 issues). Recommended deal: $25 for 2 years (114 issues) https://subs.timeinc.net/TD/td_monthsenior0309.jhtml More info: http://www.dealigg.com/story-Time-Warner-Magazine-Subscription-Sale-Fortune-20-Issues-10-Time-57-Issues-15-More-2 Enjoy!!! :)

Screen capture from video / movies / DVDs on Windows

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:23:03 -0500

Many of us have tried to print screen from a video and later found out that the video part is black. Programs like PowerDVD and SnagIT have a screen capture option. However, if you do not have access to a screen capture software, the following method works by changing some settings in Windows Media Player.

4. Don't use Overlay 1. Open your Window Media Player and click Options on the Tools menu. 2. On the Performance tab, click on the Advanced... button. 3. Uncheck Use overlays from DVD video, click OK and restart the player. Now you can capture images from any movies played in Windows Media Player using Print Screen (PrintScrn) key (or ALT + PrintScrn key). Once copied, the image can be pasted into Microsoft Paint (Start > All Programs > Accessories > Paint) or other image editor. If you have problems taking screenshots from a playing movie try to pause it first, then "print" the image.

These and other methods are described in detail in the following blog post from Amit Agarwal. Very useful post indeed. http://labnol.blogspot.com/2005/11/capture-still-images-from-windows.html

Brother MFC-7840W Wireless Laser Printer, and Amazon Amzn.com Short URLs

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:26:56 -0500

Brother MFC-7840W Wireless Laser Printer Bought a Brother MFC-7840W All-In-One Wireless Laser Printer from NewEgg today for $219, no tax, free shipping. I feel it is a pretty good deal. I have been looking around for an All-In-One printer for some time. This one has a laser printer, a copier, a scanner, a fax; and has both wireless and ethernet networking capabilities. Brother MFC-7840W - $219 on NewEgg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16828113303 Image Courtesy: www.brother-usa.com I had a basic HP inkjet printer but the ink always seemed to dry up before I could use the whole cartridge. And I have often felt the need to scan or print something at home. I don't think I will be using the fax option that much though. The printer is available for $249 at Amazon - http://amazon.com/dp/B0016ZQ566/. It has pretty good reviews there.

Amazon Amzn.com Short URLs Speaking about Amazon, I figured out a way to find the shortest possible Amazon URLs for a product. Of course, I can use tinyurl.com or bit.ly, but this is the shortest URL I could find using an official Amazon website. In the example above, the original link was: http://www.amazon.com/Brother-MFC-7840W-Multifunction-Wireless-Interfaces/dp/B0016ZQ566/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=office-products&qid=1265863094&sr=8-1 The standard shortened link is: http://amazon.com/dp/B0016ZQ566/ However, it can be made even shorter by using the amzn.com domain name. The trick is to append the product id (in this case - "B0016ZQ566") after "amzn.com/". http://amzn.com/B0016ZQ566/ More info about the amzn.com short URL service: - http://www.geek.com/articles/news/amazon-introduces-amzncom-short-url-service-20090511/ - http://www.conceptualist.com/2009/05/08/smart-branding-amazon-short-url-broadcasts-its-own-brand/

Gmail HTML version link

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:14:02 -0500

Click the link below if you wish to view the Basic HTML version of Gmail. This is useful when the regular Gmail version is having problems loading.

Gmail Basic HTML Version: https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=html

To go back to the regular version, you can:

Use the links at the bottom of your Gmail screeen, or
Log out and log back in, or
Use the following links to toggle between the different versions:

Snow Day

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 22:12:07 -0500

CNN iReport: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-401420 More photos: Picasa album Richmond had a snow day today (Saturday, Jan 30). The snowing started on Friday around midnight and has continued the whole day. We had between 8 to 14 inches of snow.