Serge the Concierge

A 'Mommy Mixer'...Networking for Moms and their Prospective Sitters

After paying for her way through college with babysitting jobs, Mary Sullivan Cooper worked in marketing and event planning in Texas and thought there should be a better way than classifieds for Moms to meet prospective Babysitters and find the right fit.
She founded Mommy Mixer four years ago in Austin as a Networking Event/ Social Mixer. The service allows college students in search of babysitting gigs to meet future employers, the Moms.

Moms pay $100 for the first event they attend and $75 per mixer afterwards.

Mommy Mixer does not charge the sitters but asks them to submit a resume beforehand. Each event is limited to 20 to 30 mothers. The service does not set the hourly rate nor does it takes a percentage of it as a fee. Background checks are the responsibility of the parties. 

Since most of the hires are well rounded candidates they also help the mothers with other tasks such as planning birthday parties and small errands.

The service has expanded from its Austin base mainly in the South plus Washington DC, Chicago, Denver, Boulder, St Louis and Seattle.

At this time Mommy Mixer is not present in any of the major cities of the Northeastern US.

Brilliant idea!

Discovered through Springwise

Related stories: Expecting, Hire a Baby Planner!

Being Charged for Things you Did Not Buy via Mqube (Cell Phone Scams?)

When we get a bill that run a few pages long, we tend to check the main numbers and not the details unless there is a big change from month to month.

It happened to me with my Cell Phone bill until I noticed a suspicious charge last month for something we did not order.
The new invoice that I just received included the same charge so I reviewed 10 months worth  of undue charges. It is always the same amount $10. Multiply this by 10 and someone has been making around $100 off my back.

I called at&t (my wireless provider), and they credited me for 3 months of undue charges. I still had to call Mqube now part of Verisign to ask them to stop any future billing and find out the origin of the $10 charge.
They did not know offhand but told me they would find out.

So a word of advice, when you get your cell phone bill, scan it for suspicious charges.

It could save you enough money for a good meal out.

Other mobile stories: Listen to the radio o your Cell with Mundu Radio and Cell phone becomes your Travel Guide in France

Is 'Scarcity' the answer for 'Too many things, Too little time'

I wrote earlier today about month long summer vacations in the Pyrenees.

When thinking back about these times, I understand that my parents made things happen because choices where made.
They realized that not everything could be done and/or afforded and decided accordingly.

We now tend to want money and time, rest and the pursuit of myriad projects.

Leo Babauta highlights that very well in Master your Information.

I especially liked Number 20 "Tell people your boundaries" as he puts it "you should learn to take control of your time and your life, and set the expectations of others by telling them, up front, that you cannot be available all the time."

Being constantly connected and available is a recipe for disaster unless there is a real emergency going on.

A prospective client recently could not fathom why I gave the hours and days when I was available.

It seemed odd to me that a professional who set boundaries as to his availability could not understand that I too had a schedule and time constraints of my own and other people to serve and besides that like every sane person needed time to eat and rest.

Related story on limits and choice: Too much to choose from

Loosing my Connection....Is it like being without running water?

In the past 2O hours, for whatever reason, my internet connection has kept dropping out on me.

I started things that could not be finished or saved.

Granted sometimes things come out better on the second draft.

What do we do when processing our credit card purchase takes more than 20 seconds?

How long are we ready to wait for an answer to our e-mail or phone call?

Having our (instant) communications interrupted has become like being without running water.

When it happens should we look at it as an opportunity for a walk in the park, catching up on our sleep, reading a good book?

Do we let frustration and impatience take over instead?

Do you take these hiccups in stride? Share your experience with being 'disconnected'.

Related blurbs: Doing better by being less accessible plus How a power outage in San Francisco silenced us

Anxious to get the News Real Early...New York Times delivers by 5:30 AM

Are you one of these people anxious to have read 3 newspapers by 7:00 AM.
Well according to an insert I got in today's copy, the New York Times gets it home delivered to you by 5:30 AM (weekdays only, sorry).
I will pass. No rolling out of bed to chase the delivery person if they are late, like showing up at 6:00, for me.
I am happy to get my copy at the civilized hour of 7:30 and get a little extra sleep.

On a more prosaic note, the paper also launched today  Paper Cuts, a blog on books  which starts its life with a look at the 'Digested Read' of the new Harry Potter book by the Guardian where John Crace Condensed Deathly Hallows in about one page (British cover here).

Also on Uber Productivity: On 'Productivity Porn': Marc Andreessen and 'A Year to Live'.

Job Idea Number 4: Bath Master (Bath Sommelier)

While writing Ice Cream any Flavor (except Foie Gras), I stumbled upon a job I never heard of before.
Some call it Bath Sommelier others Bath Master or Bath Butler.

The Fairmont Hotel in Chicago where I discovered the Bath Sommelier function offers a Serenity Bath which they describe this way:
"Let the Fairmont Bath Sommelier invigorate your soul with an amazing, luxurious bath treatment.  Sink into your tub as aromatic fragrances surround you, tantalizing your senses, bringing you to a renewed state of relaxation".

The New York Times covered the subject in Room Service, Draw me a Bath featuring Rachel Lang at Hotel Gansevoort in New York delivering Champagne while you relax in your bubbly bath.

The Tynavon Bed and Breakfast in Toronto also gives you this option:
"For extra pampering and the ultimate in relaxation, guests can partake in Tynavon’s unique bath sommelier service. A fabulous bath will be drawn with your choice of fragrant aromatherapy oils, milk or mud baths, and music. Flowers, candles, plush towels and robes will be provided, along with your choice of wine, tea and/or sparkling water."

Since Summer 2005, The Sydney Hilton has added the 'Spa Like Experience' to their menu:
"Imagine a spa experience mixed-to-order right in the comfort of your own room. Well, imagine no longer - guests at Hilton Sydney can now enjoy the ultimate in-room indulgence with the hotel's luxury Bath Master experience."

From my search, I gather that being a Bath Sommelier-Master-Butler is akin to being a mixologist-mix master for the bathroom suite.

Where you learn the trade is another question? Is it like becoming a good bartender, a blend of knowing your classics with some improvisation to jazz it up?

Also in the Job Series: Number 2, Webinar Master of Ceremonies and Number 3, Master Tea Taster

Pay Attention, Close your Laptop and Open your Ears (at Conferences and Events)!

An e-mail from Gillian Carson telling me and other attendees of the Future of Online Advertising conference (June 7 and 8 in New York City) that the event will be Wi-Fi ready reminded me of my preference for pen and paper to take notes.
As a matter of etiquette, I find it rude towards the speaker to be paying attention to her/him only in passing between checking e-mail, websites and whatever else you feel like being distracted by.
I noticed a lot of that happening while I was at South by Southwest.

If you find the session or speaker boring you can always step out and wait for next topic.
My suggestion is, at such events, close your laptop and open your ears.
It is perfectly fine to use your toy during breaks.
It might be better though to interact with other humans and make new connections.

Worth reading on the topic of Laptops, Attention Deficit Disorder and Speakers: Boon or Curse? (Ben Buchanan), Is anyone listening? WiFi and the new ADD (Jeffrey Veen), Notebooks for Conferences (Felipe Gaucho) and Conference Dynamics (Heather Green).

I previously wrote about Twitter, Blackberries and the Age of Constant Interruptions

Break out of your Shell....On my Radar...CoWorking...

Since having the pleasure to meet Tara Hunt at South by Southwest, I have taken a closer look at her current projects.
One of them is her involvement in CoWorking.

I asked Tara for a clarification on the subject and this is her definition "Coworking is about both sharing space and collaboration -- whichever you need that day. :)"

Part of it is sharing resources (office equipment and so on) and space but maybe as important as the financial advantages is the social aspect.

The human interaction, the ability to put your ideas to the test and gain from the talent pool surrounding you allows you to focus on your strengths and 'outsource' some tasks you are not very good at to others located a desk away.

Tara Hunt is one of the residents at Citizen Space in San Francisco. In the US, similar facilities exist in New York (116 West Houston), Portland (Cube Space), Denver (The Hive)and Philadelphia (Independents Hall), to name a few.

At this stage, I am personally more looking at Coworking in the collaborative sense, graphic design would be the first thing I would think of.

We also might need an office or a desk for a short time while we travel. As Tim Ferriss says Coffee Shops have their limits. Sometimes we need peace and quiet. Since he travels a lot, Tim recently  signed up for the American Express Business Platinum Card which offers a number of perks including access to office space in some 400 cities around the world.

More on Collaboration: Southern Europe offers more than Sun

Is this nice wine, a Brunello di Montalcino you just bought a Fake, find out with CertiLogo

You just bought a premium wine that does not live up to your expectations. Could it be a fake?

A top Tuscan producer, Ciacci Piccolomini d' Aragona, considers that their Brunello di Montalcino (label shown here) is one of the most counterfeited wines has come up with a solution.

Called CertiLogo (or Digital DNA as they call the service) it allows wine stores and customers to verify the code displayed on each bottle by sending a text message using their mobile phone.

Besides the reassurance, through the service customers can also gather more information on this beautiful wine and the producer gets an opportunity to know more about his clients.

And I believed that fakes were only the province of Art, expensive bags and fragrances.

I first read about CertiLogo in a piece on mobile internet surfing by Ian Limbach in today's Financial Times.

Recent wine stories: On the West Coast of South Africa and An accidental discovery, a rich Portuguese wine

'Tumpang'...Pooling resources to get good deals...in Malaysia

Innovation in online services is not limited to Europe or the US.
A little service that could named Tumpang ,the word means 'pooling' in Malay (the company is based in Malaysia), allows people to pool resources to get better deals.

It is part of a phenomenon now called by some 'crowd clout'.

Besides giving buyers a chance to save by pooling resources when purchasing a product or service in larger quantities, it also offers companies with overstock on certain products to offer it on Tumpang.

The service just launched this month, April 2007.

Got caught in the 'Tumpang' web on Springwise.

Other it's a big world out there stories: Southern Europe offers more than Sun

Southern Europe offers more than sun. Manage your projects with Goplan

My previous story was about neglecting Portuguese wines.

This country from southern Europe also happens to be the home of people such as Fred Oliveira of Webreakstuff who brings us Goplan, an online collaboration and project management service.

Maybe being located in more laid back settings helps come up with better tools and a clear view?

Here in the US we tend to forget that it's a big world out there.

Also in Portugal: No pain, no paint, SIT Design

Spring up and Map your Motorcycle Trek with 'Sunday Morning Rides'

I must acknowledge that I have not taken a motorcycle ride in ages.
My worst memory, you could even have called it 'Scary Movie' was a late evening ride in the Montagne Noire near St Pons in Southern France.
The road was narrow and we got caught in a violent storm and could barely see ahead of us except when lightning showed us the way.
In any case, I don't think that any navigation systems existed at the time.
Fast forward to 2007 and help is on the way with Sunday Morning Rides.

This community site allows riders to plan their outings, discover new ones and also share their suggested trips with others.
To start check the List by Regions. They are still adding to it since Sunday Morning Rides launched only earlier this month.

I wish them bonne chance on their venture.

Thanks to Webware for bringing Sunday Morning Rides to my attention.

Other Travel Planning & Map Efforts I mentioned: Week-end outings: Use Google Maps to find Wineries and   What's Up has the news literally popping up all over the world map

Touch Screens replace Waiters at uWink near LA

What do you get when Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari and Chuck E Cheese, decides to marry Technology and Eateries. You get uWink, a bistro without waiters. Touch screens replace them. The food still gets delivered by humans. What in restaurant parlance is called a food runner.
They must have known that most people like me associate Chuck E Cheese with high noise level so they are quick to reassure us on that point. uWink will be lively without cacophony.
Their 'pilot' location opened in October of 2006 at the Westfield Promenade in Woodland Hills (California).
You can browse the internet from your seat, play video games with guests at other tables or preview movie trailers.

One of the rooms can accommodate larger groups for quiz shows and  even business presentations.

The menu goes from finger foods to salads, sandwiches and also regular main dishes.
I noticed a few interesting items such as a southwestern caesar, a Vietnamese shrimp salad, a barbecue tofu sandwich, a purple haze pizza (Jimi Hendrix is everywhere these days) and a Korean Skirt Steak.

How they all taste, I cannot tell since I only read about it.
If you already visited the place let me know.
The wine selection if limited is decent and fairly priced.

Interesting concept, one thing I suggest they do though is improve the sluggish 'performance' of their website.

In January, they hosted a party for the new season of '24'.

I scooped uWink on Springwise.

Also on restaurants: Dancing on tables in Restaurants plus Cyrus versus French Laundry and Noise Annoys, loud restaurants   

Created a Job Board in Minutes with 'Job Coin'

I have been toying with the Idea of adding a Job Board to 'Serge the Concierge' for a month or so but failed to act upon it.
Reading about Job Coin today, one of the services that allow you to create such a Job Board and add it to your Site, I decided to give it a shot.
It took me only minutes to go through the whole process and then add it to 'Serge the Concierge' under the headline of guess what 'Job Board'.
In order to create your Board, you need first to create an account/ profile. You also need a PayPal account.
I settled for a minimum of $15 per Job offered. Job Coin keeps one third of the amount, you get the rest.

My readership, you,  is a rich mix, worldly and might be just the kind of talent some companies want to hire.
Let's see what happens.

I first read about Job Coin on Webware.

Other Tryouts related posts: Start me up...Best and Worst

Movies and Magic: The Living Room Theaters...In Pictures

Remember when going to the movies was something special.

The Living Room Theaters in Portland (Oregon) is recapturing some of that magic by marrying the comfort of your living room and the most recent movie viewing technology with a cafe-restaurant right on site.
This way you can relax and enjoy the film without running around.

I wrote about the place a short while ago and of the creators of this wonderful space, Thea Robinson, was kind enough to send me a few snapshots of what they have to offer.
Here they are!
 
How about a cocktail?

Some Food Maybe?

Or having a Zen moment, are you a Lounge Lizard?                                                                                                                                                                                  

You might event want to see Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul or Shopping de Nuit (taking place in Glasgow contrary to what its semi-French title might imply).

For more details check my original Living Room Theaters piece: Living Room Theaters, A Movie, A Glass of Wine

Boston Taxis go Green with PlanetTran

I often lament how, at least in my corner of New Jersey, most of the Taxis you find are beat up or untidy or both.
They would not stand a chance in most European cities.
Well, Boston delivers the goods with an Eco-Friendly service named PlanetTran.

Besides using recent vehicles, their whole fleet is made of hybrids.

Their fleet is available in the US at airports in Boston , Providence and Manchester for the East Coast plus San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco (service started a week ago) on the West Coast.

The kind of company and goods I would be proud to advertise.

Play 'Another Green World' for Me!

Another 'Tree Hugger' transportation piece I wrote: Teaching Evolution, EV  Rental Cars,  Hybrids Only

Discovered 'PlanetTran' on Springwise

Eating Out this Week-End, Check Restaurant Reviews on BooRah...Then write your own?

They just took the wraps off BooRah!
As you can tell from the name It features Boos and Hurrahs!
These good, bad and otherwise reviews, opinions and ratings cover (according to them) 75.000 restaurants in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.
Reviews are culled from professionals, bloggers and fellow diners.
You can search a review by restaurant name, location, type of cuisine. A more detailed search can be done if your focus is on the ambiance, the view  or an award winning wine list.

BooRah also showcases on a rotating basis the 5 most reviewed restaurants and 5 recent openings in one of the 3 cities they cover.
Still looking for a Valentine Day Spot, Check these in San Francisco.

We are moving to the era of the almost instant review as Sharp Bites by Allen Salkin in last Sunday's New York Times 'Style' stated.
Of those featured in the article I been in contact with only two, Danyelle Freeman better known as Restaurant Girl and Adam Roberts, The Amateur Gourmet.

Someone could be sitting in a restaurant right now documenting (possibly with matching pictures) bathroom laissez faire, mice and other unwelcome dinner companions or plain bad food.

Let's not be negative, they could also be enthused.

So restaurateurs, be prepared!

On a closing note, I will be in Austin (March 10 to 13) for South By Southwest Interactive so if you have suggestions on good places for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner, I am open to suggestions.

For more on restaurants: Should I stay or should I go...to that restaurant and Restaurants, Wine and Wikis, plus Dancing on tables in restaurants to conclude

'Conversation Agent' and 'Judy's Book' make us a News Item

It feels a little bit like for example a waiter going out and being served for a change.
Well thanks to Conversation Agent and Judy's Book for deeming us newsworthy.

Conversation Agent is the baby of a good friend, Valeria Maltoni of Philadelphia.
We met through our involvement with Fast Company's Readers Network, Company of Friends. She is originally from Italy so our shared European background might explain why we get along well.
She is even better at connecting people than connecting dots. I discovered at the Mavericks at Work book party that she is a vegetarian.
She features us in Our Product is a Relationship...

Judy's Book, a company based in Seattle offers consumers ratings on local businesses and other shopping tools.
In Cluttered memory and Active Mind (by Matt Johnson), they made us as suggested read for their staff alongside bigger players such as Guy Kawasaki and Lifehacker, giving our ego a boost.

I wanted to thank both Conversation Agent and Judy's Book for their kind words. Pay them a visit.

Also in the Department of Self Congratulation:  96 Tears? No 500 Posts!

With the Right Pack (not the 'Rat Pack')...Fly Lite...2 Ways

I have to recognize that I have not been airlines best customer recently so yesterday I asked for practical advice from a friend who is a very frequent flyer.
I plan on attending the South by Southwest Interactive Conference in Austin in March and needed a quick update on flying from Newark Airport these days.
It was mostly about boarding and check in time on a certain airline. The conversation then moved to luggage and bags. I had not thought that much about  it until then.
So this morning I was pleased to find out about a new service that should be especially useful for frequent business travelers.
Named Fly Lite, their claim to fame is to be "the world's only remote wardrobe manager" and that their service means "no packing, no luggage, no lines, no laundry".

How? first you need to register for the service. They then send you an empty luggage. You fill it with all the clothing you might need on various trips. Once done, call them and they will pick it up, make a list of the items and set up a virtual closet for you.
Before each trip, log on your virtual closet, check all the items that you need to have.
They will make sure it is packed and cleaned and ironed and delivered to the hotel at your destination. Before you leave, arrange for pickup.
No need to wait in line, nothing to drag along, hopefully nothing forgotten and no unpredictable weather (they do not offer any service to cover that yet).
Check the Demo to see their ICloset in action.

Qualified Frequent Flyers, those with 100.000 miles under their belt and taking 20 trips or more a year, can currently request a 3 months Free Trial.
I believe that for now the service is only available in the US.

Will they let me put Fly Lite to the test for my trip to Texas in March? I will let you know.

Cannot afford or do not need a service as extensive as Fly Lite, having the right luggage or bags can be a time and money saver. FlyLite (UK) offers lightweight luggage solutions. Their motto is "A weight off your mind before you travel". You can also order various very handy scales from them so you know where you stand before leaving for the airport (or the train).
Their website shares very useful information on baggage allowance, weight and dimension and the excess charges you will incur if not careful.

Hope this helps for future trips.

I first read about the Fly Lite service on Springwise.

Also on the topic of air travel and luggages: Silver Jet aims to be the first Carbon Neutral transatlantic airline and  Headed for the Airport...Stop stressing  about parking and lost luggages

Silverjet aims to be the first Carbon Neutral Transatlantic Airline

All-Business Class airline Silverjet  just started offering transatlantic flights between London Lutton Airport in the UK and Newark Liberty (New York) in the US.

Besides the quality of its service, Silverjet also wants to distinguish itself by being the first Carbon Neutral Transatlantic Airline. They will do so in partnership with the Carbon Neutral Company.

My source for this story was Up, up and away and CO2 Neutral on Springwise.

In the FT, Ludovic Hunter-Tilney's column Pop: On the road to planetary meltdown echoes the same themes, highlighting the high energy costs of the Rolling Stones recent tour.

Related topics: Grove Mill, a carbon neutral winery and Trains, planes and a carbon neutral Christmas , Air travel away from the crowds last.

Matchmaking: Tenant Market matches Landlords and Tenants

A newcomer from Austin (Texas), Tenant Market plays matchmaker between Landlords and Tenants.

Landlords list their rental property which could be as little as a room for rent and as much as a house and indicate location of property (Zip Code), number of bedrooms, bathrooms, rental price and date of availability. They also state if they are owner, property manager or just sublet and what credit worthiness they expect from tenants.

One the Tenants side, start with area of rental search (from 0.5 mile to 100 miles from a Zip Code), then length of lease from month to month to 2 years. Add to that you preferred Move In Date, the type of housing and its size (bedrooms and bathrooms) and your price range.
Amongst the desired amenities, mention cats and/or dogs, on site laundry, parking or garage situation and more.
All you have to do after that is enter your name, e-mail address, employment status, credit worthiness and you are done.
I would suggest that you use the message box to give a few more details to the landlord.
Keep it concise or you will have to do a rewrite.
After all this is done sit back and wait if landlords have properties matching your search, they will contact you and this is up to you to follow up.

The whole process takes only a few minutes.

There is no cost for Renters.

Check detailed Landlords Price List with plan starting at $29.95.

All in all a well designed service that removes the middleman.

We first read about Tenant Market on Webware.

Other Moving and Real Estate stories we wrote:  My Apartment Map and Relocating from the West Coast to the East and Looking for a Sabbatical Home

Entertaining Customers or 'Work is Theater'...Good Experiences

If 'work is theater', my role is that of the guy with an accent or to be more precise The French Guy.
I bring that je ne sais quoi or what you would call the European touch.
Mind you it is not all acting. I think I bring different qualities and experiences to the table because when I came to the US, I was already in my 30's.
I really get bothered by companies that focus too much time on mechanics of their business and numbers and/or worry about looking good in front of top management and start acting in a childish manner.
By doing that, they show fear for their position, get uptight and make people on their team stressed.
It kind of ruins the joy of work and the experience you should provide.

As a consequence, they get their eyes off the ball on the one thing that matters: the customers' experience.

Browsing through a book from 1999 The Experience Economy: Work Is Theatre & Every Business a Stage brought these thoughts to my mind.

Call it Tuesday morning musings!

Other musings on Work:  Telecommuting or Running Business from Home

Haute Travel by Neiman Marcus: $29,000 buys you a Vintage Napa Honeymoon

For those of you who have not yet decided what to do with their year end bonus, CouTour Travel by Neiman Marcus offers what i would call Haut Voyage not Haute Couture.
If you select A Vintage Honeymoon in Napa, your base is The Aerie sitting atop a mountain at some 2000 feet above water.
From there you will be flown by helicopter to your preferred wineries, Caymus, Far Niente and others. You can also enjoy more down to earth pleasures such as a visit to St. Helena Farmers' Market and a Picnic Lunch.
To top it all you will get guidance on selecting wines for your cellar. A $500 gift certificate will help you get started.
All this for a modest $29,673 per week in 2007 (good through September 2007) according to CouTour site.
CouTour Travel offers many other themes including to England's Cotswolds and a look at Peruvian Inca Treasures.

All you have to do now is choose...and write the check.

Related Stories: What a $11 million spending spree could do for your wine cellar and From rock star to gentleman farmer

A Portrait without the Pose...Valentine's Day Gift Ideas

Keeping the element of surprise is often difficult regarding gifts.
I have a suggestion today. You might have been thinking of having a portrait of your better half painted for Valentine's Day or a Birthday.
Well, I discovered French digital painter and illustrator Cali Rezo. All you have to do is send her a few photos of the subject of the portrait. She then gets to work on her digital canvas and produces these amazing paintings, no sitting sessions involved.
Once her work is finished, she will send you a digital file that you can use to print yourself or let a printing shop do it for you.
Check her details on how to order portraits.

Her work is not limited to portraits. She also illustrated books and magazines and worked on advertising campaigns.

Cali Rezo also sings for pleasure and designs her own covers as the 'Forever' which I chose to illustrate this piece.

So surprise someone with a work of art, a one of a kind.

Other Valentine's Day Ideas: Frou Frou, Romance her with Cupcakes and For your Eyes Only

Do It Well rather than Do It Fast...The good work according to Jason Fried

You can go back to The Hare and the Turtle by La Fontaine, look at ants or as Jason Fried does, ask what the right way is: A spoon or a jackhammer?
We often tend to want things done fast and cheap and it does not work that way.
Patience and a sense of perspective might not be American virtues.
I do my work steadily and keep weaving and I try not do not get distracted by the background noise.

A day of musings I guess...blame it on my cold...

With Wine Press...Squeeze the Data not the Grapes...Get the Best Wine Picks

Unless you have a Wine Cellar with a 1000 bottles, if you are new to the wine world, you might feel intimidated by the selection your local wine emporium offers. A solution, visit The Wine Press.
You can search for wines by type of grape, style, origin, color, price, ratings, price, vintage and also make sure it pairs well with your food selection.
It might sound complicated so check what came up when I selected France for the Country of Origin and Blue Cheese for the Food. The wines suggested were all Banyuls as you will see.

The Wine Press will definitely be a treat for wine geeks and data aficionados.

Want to know more about the wines of Banyuls and Collioure and the beautiful region where they grow (right by the Mediterranean), the Celliers des Templiers gives you an inside look.

Related Stories: A Ride on the Little Yellow Train and Witches and Wizards, Halloween and Wine

'Why customers don't care about executive meetings' David Lebovitz words of wisdoms

Funny things happened on the way to Sugar High Fridays. I started on Becks and Posh with Sam's Chocolate Raspberry Tart and landed in Paris with pastry chef David Lebovitz.

Besides giving us a wonderful Chocolate Idiot Cake recipe.
He tells us why businesses fail.
Executives spend too much time in meetings, not enough time with customers. They get paid too much while those on the frontline, delivering the goods are underpaid and under appreciated.

The best thing for me to do at this point is quote David: "I was once a consultant for a corporation that owned several prominent restaurants. It took me about 5 minutes to figure out that one of their major problems was that there were a lot of high-paid executives sitting in meetings upstairs, while there were a lot of low-paid people downstairs, in the kitchen, putting the food on the plate. And let's face it: Customers don't care about executive meetings, they care about the food. And that's basically it. When I mentioned this discrepancy to the high-paid executives (who hired me to tell them things like that...right?) we had another round of meetings, discussing things for hours and hours, until I told them I couldn't sit through any more meetings since I had work to do in the kitchen. (Stupid me! What was I thinking? Those meetings were totally cush. Why slave over a hot stove? Maybe those executives weren't so wrong after all...)"

Do check his Chocolate Idiot Cake recipe though and the full piece and the other wonderful entries for Sugar High Friday.

Both Sam and David used ScharffenBerger chocolate for their recipe.

Related topics: Chocolate and Wine: Debunking the Myths

Living Room Theaters: A Movie, A Glass of Wine and a Bite...All in one place

After a long day at work, the last thing you want to deal with is having to do uber planning in order to catch a movie.

If you like Independent Movies and Foreign Ones (you know the type with Subtitles) and want to be able to enjoy the film while sipping a glass of wine with a salad, a sandwich or some pastries, there is a place besides your own home .

The Living Room Theaters in Portland (Oregon) opened its doors just last month. It offers 6 small screening rooms with capacity of 40 and 60 people each and comfy seating.
Since they are all digital, movie makers can premiere their movie at the Living Room Theaters with ease.
Their restaurant and bar offers light fare and a number of wines by the glass as well as espresso and pastries.
If you want to enjoy a light meal and a glass of wine while watching your movie, order 30 minutes prior to show time.
You can also book their space for corporate or networking events.

Best of luck to Living Room Theaters.

I found out about them on Springwise.

Related Post: Based on Movies and Music you Like Liveplasma

Cyrus vs French Laundry: Jackie and Ben Excellent Napa/Sonoma Vacation...And their New Book

Over the years I have established connections with quite a few good men and women from the windy city, Chicago.
Amongst them are  the talented team of Jackie Huba and Ben McConnell. They bring enlightenment to marketing.
I wanted to congratulate them on their new book 'Citizen Marketers, When People are the Message'.

Has 'Power to the People' (John Lennon) already being used for a commercial or how long before it does?

To illustrate their point, Ben suggested Competing against the Best, a story Jackie wrote about two restaurants in California Wine Country. One is the rock star, The French Laundry (Napa). The other is the challenger, Cyrus located in Healdsburg (Sonoma).

Cyrus stands the comparison by using great ingredients and offering great service. They menu is more flexible than Thomas Keller is.
They dazzle you by rolling a caviar and champagne cart to your table. It definitely adds some sparks to your evening.
Using a portable phone to let the Chef (and the customers) know that a VIP table has arrived from the dining room floor ads a theatrical touch to the experience. Cyrus recently was awarded two stars by the Michelin guide (Dinner: up to $300 per person).

In The Epicure in Winter, Carolyne Zinko of the San Francisco Chronicle tells us how a winter package called the Epicurean Indulgence offered at the Healdsburg Inn on the Plaza puts puts dinner at Cyrus within your reach.   

Related Posts: Run Jazz Run, Half Marathon from Napa to Sonoma and Saint Benoit, French Yogurts from Sonoma County

No Wheat Today (or tomorrow)...Gluten Free Cooking Blogs

In my restaurant years I met a number of customers with celiac disease.
I also recently started buying gluten free and whole grain (not whole wheat) pasta on a doctor's recommendation.
As they say it is not how much you eat, it is how well.

With my renewed interest in the gluten free food topic, I have to mention Food Blog Spotlight: Gluten Free by Elise of Simply Recipes.

My favorite amongst her picks is Something in Season by Brendan of Davis, California whose wife is affected by celiac. Being a sensitive guy, he got to work and whips up a number of 'mean' recipes sans gluten.

He just contributed a Cupcake Entry to the January 2007 edition of The Cupcake Challenge anchored this month by Vanilla Garlic.

To your health!

Related posts: Thanksgiving Help, Gluten and Dairy Free and All Cupcakes, All the Time

'Gradefix' Dealing with (Parents) Homework Anxiety

It might not be the Miracle Solution for Homework but Gradefix offers a practical one to students.
The service was designed by college students from Utah who had decent grades but wanted to get better ones.

Their thinking was to find a way to sort out what to do first, to prioritize.
They launched mid 2006.
The service offers 2 options: a Free one with a ceiling of 10 Tasks selected or $5 a month with unlimited tasks.
You need to first set a profile.
They ask you to provide the name of the school as part of the registration.
You send select classes and move on to the Task Manager where you pick the class and the tasks related to it (homework, reading, quiz study, exam study) that you want to schedule. You then choose a due date, give it a description and estimate the time it will take to complete.
You repeat the process for each assignment at hand and voila 'Gradefix' sets up your schedule.

It will not do your homework for you though!

I will test it with my high schooler and will give a progress report in a few weeks.

As far as I can tell, the service is well designed, straightforward and you do not need to be a geek to use it.

So give Gradefix a chance!

Thanks to Webware for bringing it to my attention.

Related post: Is Middle School Graduation turning into a Fashion Show

'StubHub'...Events Tickets without the Scalpers

Getting event tickets for clients of my concierge business is not one of my main activities but it does happen. I do not deal with scalpers so I was happy to find out about StubHub while reading the Financial Times.
The company's tagline says it all: 'Where Fans buy and sell tickets'. They offer tickets for Sports Events, Concerts and Theater Shows.
Also covered is the Speaking Tour and Convention area which I recently mentioned in my piece on Confabb,a guide to conferences.
E Bay is said to be in talks to purchase the company.

File it under 'useful tools'!

'Wesabe', Sharing your money story with 'strangers'

Money is a often a touchy subject unless you want to flaunt it.
Would you feel comfortable sharing your money story, farts and all, online with total strangers.
This is what Wesabe offers. After putting your money habits on display, you also highlight some objectives and as Wesabe is a community site people who share the same trials and/or aspirations offer support and suggestions.
I guess sometimes it is easier to turn to total strangers for ideas and solutions. They might be less judgmental than others who are closer to you and more honest.

The company was founded in December 2005 and is based in Berkeley, California.

If you are not ready to join Wesabe, you can always read Wheaties for your Wallet where they share practical tips. 

Take a look!

I stumbled upon Wesabe while ready Jeffrey Veen.

Personally i made No New Year's Resolutions, well sort of!

Looking for a Sabbatical Home, this is the place to go

Over the past few weeks, I read a couple of interesting articles on House Sitting including Sitting In Style by Belinda Archer in the Financial Times (requires subscription but you can use their 15 day trial).

I went looking for more info on the topic and found Sabbatical Homes which caters more to the Academic community.

The service is based in Manhattan Beach, California and defines itself as "a home exchange, house for rent, house swap, apartment for rent, off-campus housing and vacation home rental directory dedicated to academics worldwide".

They do accept non academics as well.

There is a set up fee of $25 (academics) and $45 (non-academics) to submit a house listing. The listing is good for 14 months. For home wanted, the cost is $0 (academics) and $10 (non-academics).

Read their Frequently Asked Questions for more details.

Back in May 2005, I wrote Want to take a longer vacation, try Digsville which offers similar services to a broader audience.

Wow! My Lingo Internet Phone Plan: For $25 Unlimited Calls to 21 Countries

I have been a Lingo (Internet Phone Service) user for over 2 years now. I chose their service originally because they offered a plan with unlimited calls to Western Europe besides the US and Canada.
Well, I just discovered while checking my monthly bill a couple of days ago that my plan (now called Chatter Box) also includes Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and Australia, New Zealand (could be useful if I worked with Rachel of Cre8d Design on improving my blog design), Singapore and South Korea.

Not bad for the average $25 that I spend monthly on the service.

Check the Chatter Box page for more details.

If you decide to sign up, there is a $29.95 one time activation fee and a $9.95 shipping charge for the phone adapter.
The first month is free.
Once the service is up and running you can talk, talk, talk.

For full disclosure we participate in their affiliate program as we do with Netflix and Rhapsody because we like all 3 services.

Are you a practicing 'Zen Gardener'?

Amongst the new career path that some of us explore such as house managers, career coaches and other assistants like myself The Concierge, I found the Zen Gardener.

It seems mostly based on the idea of 'a Zen garden' as an oasis of tranquility as presented in books such as Zen in your garden by Jenny Hendy and 'Zen Gardening' (pictured here) by Sunniva Haarte. The basic elements of the Zen Garden (as highlighted in BBC Review of 'Zen Gardening') are 'water to create balance and tranquility', the simplicity of 'sand and gravel' brings serenity rather than excitement, plants offer 'harmony and profusion' in shape as well as in color.

The 'Journal of Japanese Gardening' offers many views on the topic and according to Tim Hansken "The first author to use the words “Zen” and “garden” in the same sentence was probably an American woman, Loraine Kuck, in her book “100 Gardens of Kyoto” published in...1935".

To conclude have you hired a Zen gardener lately, are Landscapers so yesterday.

You could also hire Patrick Blanc. We featured his amazing creations in Vertical Garden last week.

Discover 'The Freedom to Sleep around' with 'Escape' Camper Vans (in New Zealand)

You might not feel like dealing with setting up a Tent and all, especially if you are a boomer like me. Some of us remember (with nostalgia?) the painted vans of the late 60's/ early 70's.
If you want to take a trip down memory lane without hurting your back and plan to visit New Zealand, rent one of the colorful campers from Escape (like the 'Hendrix') pictured here (as displayed on the 'Escape' site). The Camper Vans include a Queen Size Bed (with Bedding) and Kitchen (with Cooking Utensils), check the Complete List of features.
It is perfect if you want to explore the natural riches of New Zealand.

They also just launched the service in Australia, starting with Sydney, Berth and Brisbane.

This is the kind of things I would like to find on Eons rather than what I saw as reported in Over 50.

I first read about 'Escape' on Springwise Top 10 Tourism and Travel Ideas for 2006.

You Got Mail...Sending it from the Post Office rates as a D

I do not use the Post Office often but today I had to mail something 'Priority' with Delivery Confirmation. I went to the main Post Office in my hometown of Montclair. The line was not long but moving at a snail pace. It seemed that the most mundane task would take forever and in between customers the agent left the window. It was around 5.25 pm by the time it was my turn. I was told my letter would not leave until tomorrow as the Priority and Express Mail were already processed. I mentioned that an item of the same type was picked up just a minute earlier.
I was informed that the cutoff time for these was 5:00 pm even though they were open until 7:00 pm.
To conclude I did not feel it was customer service that I experienced but rather dealing with functionaries. They looked utterly uninterested in what they were doing, not rude but looking bothered that they had to deal with the public.

Maybe we should let Starbucks run the front of the house at the USPS.

Fits right there with the 5 ways to tick off people that I wrote during Customer Service Week.

Shameless Self-Promotion Day: Give the Gift of Time with our Concierge Gift Certificates

Want to treat your better half, a friend, family member, client, colleague with a special present, give them the Gift of Time.

When I started New Jersey Concierges, my focus was on helping people be more productive. That is until I attended a presentation by Dan Pink in Philadelphia (at the invitation of my friend Valeria, the Conversation Agent) on the topics of 'A Whole New Mind'.
I came back from it thinking that people needed my services as much to Free Up Time to do nothing, read, take their dog to a yoga class or any other things that they might want to do for Fun.

They still need the concierge and errands services to keep their days productive but that is the other half of the equation.

That is why I suggest that people Give the Gift of Time with our Gift Certificates.

If you live in Northern New Jersey or know someone who does you can purchase them starting at $35 (one hour of service) and multiples of that amount. Just e-mail us your request.

If you live any other place, think about it and contact your local friendly concierge.

Either way, you will be loved for it.

That will be all for Shameless Self Promotion Day.

Do not Sweat, Locate Phones, Remotes, Keys, Animals with Loc8tor

The idea is simple, add Tags to all these items that keep being misplaced (phones, keys, remotes and whatever else).
With the hand held device you can locate misplaced things up to 600 meters away.
It can help you as well if your cat, dog or bird tend to leave the premises. In that case, set your hand held control to alert so it can let you know if they stray.
The name is Loc8tor.
The basic pack with Locate Function only includes hand held control and 2 tags. It can accommodate up to 24 tags and costs  $99.99.

The Loc8tor solutions can also be used by businesses to prevent theft and track inventory amongst other things.

In any case it could bring down your stress level.
Is it covered by your health insurance plan, I do not think so.

I discovered it on Springwise.

Trains, Planes and a 'Carbon Neutral' Christmas

You smell a trend when you read 2 articles covering the issue of air travel and the damage to the environment in 2 week-end papers.
Michelle Higgins in Buzzword of the year: Carbon Neutral (New York Times, Sunday, Travel Section)
relates how various Tour Operators and Online Travel Sites such as Expedia and Travelocity make it possible for travelers to buy 'carbon offsets'. Taking the guilt sting out of your trip will cost anywhere from $5 to $30. All depends on the length of your trip.

On a lighter note, in the FT Week-End, Harry Eyres offers us 12 Green Gifts for Christmas ideas including traveling by Rail using Rail Europe instead of flying.
Following his thread, I found attractive deals such as the Eurail Selectpass Drive which gives 3 days unlimited Rail Travel and 2 Days Car Rental within one country or between 3 bordering countries. For example you could start in France and then go to Italy and Spain if you like a marathon.
The cost would be $716.00 if you pick the package for 2 adults with 1st class train travel.
This product is available only for booking in North America according to their website.

When I was a kid in Brittany, my parents and brothers and sisters, all 9 of us, used to spend our month of summer vacation in the Pyrenees and travel there by train. This expedition or should I say adventure took us all the way from Brest to La Tour de Carol in about 20 hours.

We passed Agen (les pruneaux d"Agen) and Foix (la marchande de Foix qui vendait...).
Excuse my French but I remember the music of these words as they sounded coming from the locals aboard the train.

An invitation to travel, in the slow lane I guess.

A Vertical, not of Wines but A Vertical Garden

I always relish the peaceful moments I find in botanical gardens, daydreaming, resting or enjoying a good book.
When I build my dream house, I might have to hire Patrick Blanc to create a Vertical Garden.
Known as Le Mur Vegetal in French (a loose translation would be the Wall of Vegetation) it is inspired by the work Patrick Blanc did around the world as a scientist studying various natural environments.
The Vertical Garden can be built inside or outside whatever the climate and without soil. The plants chosen for it are designed to suit the local weather conditions.
In an interesting twist the Vertical Garden also provides Insulation and Sound Proofing to the building.

Amongst the projects I like most in Patrick Blanc's portfolio are The Vegetal Cave (La Roche Guyon) and Les Halles (in Avignon).

He even designed a 'Vegetal Dress' in collaboration with Jean-Paul Gaultier.

He also contributed to the decor of La Bastide restaurant in Los Angeles.

I want to thank Patrick Blanc for sharing with us a Picture of one of his recent projects in Paris for I Guzzini, an Italian lightning company.

I found out about his work on PingMag (Tokyo).

Does 'Traineo' want to be to 'Fitness' what 'Daily Plate' is doing for Calories?

I recently wrote about healthy food and keeping track of calories with the use of sites such as The Daily Plate. It seems that Traineo wants to do for Fitness Training what The Daily Plate does for food. Traineo adds a support component as it allows you to set up a group (echoing in some ways ideas found at Weight Watchers and others) that can help you stay on track.

One drawback is that Traineo's Homepage is a little slow to load.

I originally read about Traineo on TechCrunch. 

Over 50 and you will not find me Surfing the Net on EONS

After checking a Financial Times article on how Japanese site Mixi prepares for baby boomers (and is salivating at the idea of getting a slice of their purchasing power), I noticed a shorter piece Silver surfers get social by Richard Waters. It mentioned Eons, a new venture by Jeff Taylor (of Monster.com fame).
Well, I visited the site and felt underwhelmed. I did not relate to much of the headlines which to me were geared to people beyond the 50/55 age bracket.
Some of the contributions were to be kind lacking in quality and the spelling made my teeth cringe.

The experience overall made me think of a recent New York Times expose on the efforts being made to promote music through the AARP and the disconnect with some of its supposed target audience.

Amongst the things I was listening to this week: Howard Devoto and Jack DeJohnette-Bill Frisell not Tony Bennett (nothing wrong with Tony though).

To conclude, I would say that some of these marketers and entrepreneurs should do their schoolwork a little better.
I may be 50 and a bit but I am not new to the internet even if not hanging out on My Space.

Expecting...Hire a Baby Planner!

While reading about business trends on Springwise I stumbled upon Baby Planners (mum to be, no time free), a service that describes itself as "an all-embracing service for women expecting their first baby".

It was founded by Keely Paice, a former magazine editor who built the service after learning first hand with her first child. They use what they call a PEA system that evaluates Practical Imperatives, Emotional Expectations and Aesthetic Considerations.

The service is currently only available in the UK but I guess you should be able to set up some online consultation.

Baby Planners fits with my philosophy that professional services are not all about productivity but also about giving the gift of time as I outline when I offer our New Jersey Concierges gift certificates.

The 'Daily Plate', In Pictures and in Calories

We track our finances (or try to) through Quicken or Microsoft Money. A service named The Daily Plate (launched this year) help us track what we eat, our calorie intake and how many calories we burn through exercise. They also offer a database of food items that you can search to find out the calories, fat content, carbs and protein they contain. See what my search for ham and cheese sandwich came up with.
I will actually have a homemade  Croque Monsieur for lunch (french ham and asiago cheese if you wondered, 12 grain bread toasted, touch of butter).

Additionally The Daily Plate will make suggestions for healthy alternatives to what you currently eat.
The service is user friendly and currently free for basic use, registration is required.

On a lighter note Sam of Becks and Posh shows us today What the world Ate for a Week in a mosaic of Pictures, for your eyes only!?

Thanks to Lifehacker for bringing The Daily Plate to my attention.

Is your Dog a 'DOGA' practitioner...On Yoga for Dogs

While reading the piece on Alex James (Blur) that led me to write From Rock Star to Gentleman Farmer, I saw that he mentioned the existence of Yoga Classes for Dogs.
I was intrigued. All my dog gets is a visit to the groomer every so often. I personally find the idea of clothes for dogs a tad silly.
It seems that the all Yoga for Dogs thing was brought to the fore in (where was I) 2003 by the book DOGA  (Jennifer Brilliant and William Berloni) published by Chronicle Books.

The book suggests that attending the DOGA classes along with our DOGI ( a dog that practices yoga) will help us rediscover the importance of living in the present and learning to relax...

Will all dog owners become Zen masters?

On a closing note, I also found out that Doga in another incarnation is an Indian  comic strip Superhero.

'Lucky Oliver', A Photo Marketplace

Maybe you heard of Fotolia. Now comes along Lucky Oliver, the brainchild of Bryan Zmijewski and his team in California.
Want to share with the world some of your best shots, submit them. Looking for illustrations for your website, blog, holiday cards or calendars purchase them for as low as $1.00 a piece. You can start as low as 10 tokens for $10.00.

Being able to find pictures of Menhirs (shown here) in Carnac (Brittany), the French equivalent of Stonehenge could be what converted me.

Do not forget to pay frequent visits to Paris Daily Photo and similar sites in City Daily Photo.

See my previous post  Around the World in a Few Clicks on this topic.

How about a Bike Ride and Dejeuner sur l'herbe: Wedding Proposal #2

On my daily walk, not my daily bike ride like Byron at BikeHugger, I realized that one thing that I should have suggested in Wedding Proposal #1 was a Dejeuner sur l'herbe (a Picnic in the Park would do).
Announce it in French which shows your worldliness with a hint of a reference to the painting of the same name by Edouard Manet.

Get a picnic basket ready with a small bottle of bubbly and 2 champagne flutes.
The simple setting might make for a bigger surprise.

You could even ride one of these new yet classic looking bikes to your picnic place such as those brought to us by Jorg & Olif from Vancouver whose 'postcard' graces this piece.

Their offering follows the same path as Cykelmageren which I covered in Handmade Bikes recently.

I found out about Jorg & Olif on Cool Hunting.

Concierge Help Wanted! For a Wedding Proposal!

Yesterday I got one of these phone calls that got me thinking anew about my business. A reporter was asking me if in the range of concierge and errands services I provided, I ever happened to help set up a wedding proposal.
I had to admit I never did. As I told her, it does not mean I will not as every new job opportunity as a concierge has the potential to be unexpected.
So let me think of a few things I would focus on to make the proposal a success.
Let us start with not being ordinary.
Most people think of finding a 'romantic' restaurant but maybe it is overdone.
Would a jazz club or a cabaret or small play work if you can trick the singer or one of the actors to insert your wedding proposal in the script?
An hot air balloon ride would do unless the person is afraid of heights or plain scared of either marriage or their potential  partner (or all of the above).
Most important, forget about dropping the ring in your (soon to be) better half cocktail or in the middle of a puff pastry. The drama might come from a trip to the emergency room, not the most auspicious start.

As for the flowers, Roses by Design suggests scattering rose petals or even better to order roses bearing your message and deliver them throughout the day.

According to Our One Heart, a man used Halloween and Jack O' Lanterns for his proposal.

Back in June, I wrote in Up in the Air about Hot Air Balloon Rides over the Castles of the Loire Valley, could be an idea.

In any case if you have any ideas or suggestions, feel free to share them with your comments.

Will 'Wize' help us buy the Right product?

When shopping for such products as a new digital camera, a flat screen TV, or even more mundane things like a vacuum cleaner, office or computer products the sheer number of options might make it hard to choose. For my digital camera purchase back in July, I used CNET Reviews . For a wider range of products, Minneapolis based WIZE offers product rankings based on a combination of experts and users reviews. Besides the products I mentioned above it also looks at strollers, car seats, shavers, humidifiers, blenders and more.
I read about them earlier on Techcrunch but failed to mention them.
A short piece on their service on Lifehacker prompted me to correct my omission.
Check Wise and let me know what you think of it.

It could be used in combination with Frucall, a price comparison tool that I mentioned in '4 Digital Life services worth trying' back in October.

Thanksgiving Help...Gluten and Dairy Free Recipes (via Whole Foods)

Yesterday, I mentioned the Allergy Card for those of us eating out who need to share their food issues with the restaurants staff.
With Thanksgiving Day almost here, we all need recipes for home cooking that accommodate these special needs.
Check this  Extended List of Dairy Free and/or Gluten Free Recipes available thanks to Whole Foods.

As for me having had car troubles in the past couple of days, I have to visit the Motor Vehicles to register a new set of wheels and then pick up the car before they close for the rest of the week.

My posting will have to take a back seat to my driving issues.

Some Foods make you sick, Create an Allergy Card

Simple ideas are often the best. For those of us with allergies to food items such as nuts, gluten, dairy or seafood there is a need to communicate what can make us sick when we eat out. I know it first hand from my years spent working in restaurants.

Created by a resident of Winnipeg (Canada) who happens to be allergic to fish, AllergyCards.com allows you to create a Card describing your main allergy on the front and then detail it on the back.

For common allergies there are ready made 'text templates' available on the site.

So if you or a loved one are affected by food allergies, create your card, print it and give it to your server who can then relay the information to the chef.
This way nothing gets lost in translation.

I am not allergic to any food thanks god.

I found out about this useful service on Lifehacker.

Jet Girl, Shopping by Private Jet, In the Lap of Luxury

Chartering a private jet to go shopping for the day or the week-end in Miami, Milan or New York is now an option as I discovered in 'Great Shop Lift!' in the How to Spend It Magazine yesterday.
Some people make it worth their while and money by combining work and play.
The good part in that case is that it can also be treated as a business expense.
In the article, Judith Moreton of Skyjet tells us that more and more Europeans have been using the private jet option for a Holiday Shopping Expedition in New York.
With Skyjet you can save yourself time, money and headaches by purchasing a Skyjet Card starting with their 'low cost entry offer' of 25 hours for only $94,000 and then in increments of 25 hours more.
A similar service is offered by UK based Bookajet.

If this is beyond your means, maybe you can indulge in Silver Jet. We recently featured them in Air travel away from the crowds.

Silver Jet kind of strike a middle ground between your plain vanilla or budget airline and the rarefied air of private jets.

Headed for the Airport...Stop Stressing about Parking and Lost Luggages

Two things you want to avoid when flying are missing your flight because you spent time circling around the parking lot for a space and upon arrival not finding your luggage on the carousel.
Two services aim to help you with that.
To find out what your airport status, average security wait and best parking options visit About Airport Parking. Their home page shows the Main US Airports. Check a more detailed list for other facilities.
They currently provide information only on US airports.

According to many recent news articles, problems with handling or should I say mishandling of luggage by airlines keeps growing.
If you have an important meeting or leave for a vacation and do not want to be the emperor (or empress) with no clothes upon arrival, for a fee Luggage Forward can handle door to door pick up and delivery of your luggage as well as sports equipment such as skis, bicycles, surfboard, golf bag and also car seats and baby carriage for you parents with young children.

Their website states that they can accommodate same day booking and shipping. They are based in the US but also offer International Service.

A write up on About Airport Parking in Lifehacker got my attention as I intended to write about the other service. Luggage Forward shared their information with me.

I hope you can put all this to good use.

My last Air Travel Story was on Travel Away from the Crowds and the launch of Silverjet.

'Home Away'...A trove of Vacation Rentals...In the US and Abroad

Maybe you were thinking about a Winter Getaway or scouting for a Summer Rental, Home Away is there to help.
Home Away (based in Austin, Texas) was started in June 2006 and offers a wealth of vacation rentals (some 65.000 according to their site) both in the US and Abroad.

I put them to the test with a Search in the Carcassonne and Perpignan areas of Southern France. The process was quick and easy. Most 'rentals' feature a photo of the property, the rental price per week, number of bathrooms and bedrooms and how many people it can accommodate. It lists amenities such as pools. If you like a specific listing you can then see if it is available during the time period you are interested in. I like the idea of the maps being broken down by regions and then by specific areas within them. It narrows the search and makes it more user friendly.
The notes on each region are also useful for people who never visited the area.
I look forward to using their services in the future.

Thanks to Erik Schonfeld of Business 2.0 The Next Net for bringing Home Away to my attention.

On the same topic, I wrote in March 2006 My Andalucian Roots about Casitas-Select which offers vacation rentals in Southern Spain.

Bon Voyage!

'Confabb', your guide to Conferences and Seminars worldwide

I learned yesterday on TechCrunch that my friend Salim Ismail and a few others just launched Confabb. Their objective is to track and search speakers, conferences and seminars around the world.
It can be useful to those of us who want to learn new skills, discover new tools. It could be a time saver as well to writers, entrepreneurs and others who want to share their stories and with Confabb can find the best places to deliver their message.
You can also add your own event (if it fits) to the list.
At this time they track 16,650 events.
Put Confabb under 'New and Useful'.
So Salim, I wish you Bonne Chance.

Taming the Brain (Home) and Office Clutter, Number 2

A couple of days ago I wrote about Taming Clutter Online and with Simple Forms. Well today I noticed another service building on the concept of online Post It Notes. Named Stikkit (their tag is 'little yellow notes that think') its goal is to help you keep track of your appointments, to do lists, people and bookmarks as things happen. They even compare themselves to a virtual personal assistant. I am only a real life assistant as you know. Both can live side by side.
Stikkit is currently available for Free so give it a try and feel free to share your thoughts.

Air Travel away from the crowds

In January 2007, Silverjet will start flying from London Lutton to Newark Airport. The difference, their Boeing 767's will welcome only 100 passengers (versus 300 usually) which will allow you to board only 30 minutes prior to departure. They will offer flatbeds and freshly cooked food. Personalized touch includes being greeted by name and having your coat checked for you. Someone will make your bed for you when you are ready to lay down. For an extra fee you can also get chauffeur service which will pick you up and drop you off, carry your bags and help you with check in. If you drive to the airport valet parking will be available at the terminal.
Another nice touch on their website is their New York and London guides offering hotels, restaurants and shopping and sightseeing to match your flight experience.
The Silverjet basic introductory fare (Silver Saver) is 799.00 british pounds round trip for flights from January 25th to March 31 2007. At this time reservations are only taken for flights out of London.
So if money is no object why not travel comfortably.

Taming the Brain and Office Clutter: Online and with Simple Forms

It can be a challenge getting everyone in a family to agree on what's for dinner so planning ahead gets the sting out of it. Once everyone has taken the time to sit down and help draft the weekly menu, the shopping list must be done. For both of these, menu and shopping list Organized Home offers simple and practical forms that can be downloaded free of charge, just visit their Printable Gallery to see what's available.
Besides these forms, they also offer a lot of practical advice such as getting organized, cutting clutter and once a month cooking (and freeze it).
I wrote about Maya's Mom recently in On the Parent Track and they share practical advice for parents.
As for scheduling appointments, planning work and events and other calendar activities, I started using Backpack which allows you to do that in your browser, on any computer, anytime, anywhere.
The account with an Online Calendar starts at $5.00 a month.
I learned about Organized Home on Lifehacker.

Mo' Better: Chow over newcomer Yahoo! Food

After taking a look at the newly launched Yahoo!Food. I have to say that it does not get my adrenaline flowing.
I like Chow (now owned by CNET) much better. Why? Nicer design, better content, things to discover.
Yahoo!Food is nice and neat but could use some of the personality, the edge, the zaniness that Chow displays.
Hey! Yahoo!Food is the new kid on the block, I guess it can still learn new tricks.

Want a 'Dog Friendly Job' search 'Simply Hired'

In this age of segmentation, we can search for jobs with non strictly 'professional' needs in mind.
After reading about a recent update to the Simply Hired service on TechCrunch, I did a quick search on 'Dog Friendly' jobs using their service. It came up with odd matches such as Hot Dog stands positions and servers needed for The Lazy Dog Cafe. I also discovered the Animal Behavior College.
I did not see any 'bring your dog to work' position though.

On the Parent Track with Maya's Mom

I pay frequent visits to Parenthacks, not so much for advice, rather to follow the conversation.
Along the same line comes Maya's Mom which combines other parents tips with suggestions of activities in your area or at home.
They guess your location vased on your IP address.
Maya's Mom also hosts Parent Groups such as Dads with Daughters and Parents with Pets which according to them work with existing Yahoo Groups.

To add to this topic let me also mention a New Jersey based site called Parental Wisdom,the creation of Tina Nocera who I have known for a number of years.

I guess today with this post and the previous on Book Exchanges, I am on the Parent Track.

BookMooch: Trade your Unwanted (Kids) Books for New Ones

Even though I knew about Online Independent music distributor Magnatune, I was not aware that his founder John Buckman also started BookMooch or 'New Life for Old Books' as they describe themselves.
There are not many books I bought that I would trade personally but I could see that as a useful tool for parents.
Our kids get older and grow out of things they used to like and some of them are voracious readers so it is a good way to update their reading list.
The process for BookMooch is pretty simple: Register as a member, then make a list of books you want to give away, then receive requests for some of these books from other members, mail them and get points that you can use to get books from others.

Another site working along the same lines is PaperBackSwap which as its name suggests is focused on Paperbacks.
The process is pretty much the same as for BookMooch except that you need to list a minimum of 9 books to get started. Read their How Does it Work page for more details.
I discovered PaperBackSwap on Lifehacker.

Illustration credit Andrice Arp

Customize your Messenger or Market Tote Bag with Timbuk2

Just realized today that I had not paid a visit to Bike Hugger in a while so I remedied to that right away. Good intuition as Byron led me to Timbuk2 and its Custom Bags.
I like the idea of being able to Build your Own Bag, be it a Market Tote, a Messenger or Laptop Bag . You can choose from a number of colors, fabrics, and options. It is an 8 steps process, clear and easy.
Who wants to carry the same boring bag than everyone else after all?
One thing I would suggest they add is the possibility that people personalize their bag with their own logo. It would appeal to small businesses, artists and the like.
I used their 'bachelor pad' messenger bag as an illustration.

An now get creative and travel in style or at least in color.

Ready for a Computerized Chiropractic Tune Up?

Yesterday while taking care of errands for a New Jersey Concierges client, I run into a Chiropractor I have known for a while who was demonstrating a new system which I would describe as a 'Computerized Chiropractic Tune Up'.
The system called ProAdjuster is said to be built using some techniques originally used by the Nasa to test the tiles on the Space Shuttle. The program is said to check the state of your spine and your pressure points and then recommends a treatment.
Pro Adjuster will not change you into a rocket ready to orbit around the earth.

Would you rather trust a pair of hands as I do? I will let you be the judge.

Stephen Barrett of Quackwatch offers Tips on Choosing a Chiropractor.

Opera 9 is music to my ears compared to slow mo Explorer 7

Today I keep walking on the software trail. After installing Internet Explorer 7 yesterday as I related in  Bad Links, etc... and being prompted to update this and that and check too many choice boxes and then being prompted to do the same for Windows Live Search, I was tired and annoyed that it took me so much time.

To stay honest, this morning I dowloaded and installed Opera 9 and it might have taken me a whole 5 minutes in comparison to Explorer 7 that factoring in Windows Live was more in the 30 minutes ball park.

It seems also that adding Windows Live Search functions to Outlook slows it down quite a bit.

My advice to Microsoft, in the future, let us install the basic functions first. We can worry about the add-ons later. This would speed the process.  My vote goes to Opera 9. Thank you.

'Shedding Stress': Busy Professionals reflect and come up with Solutions

While checking  How Magazine on design topics, I stumbled upon Shedding Stress. The piece looks in detail through real life stories at how stress can run down business professionals (and others of course) and how to deal with it in a healthy way.

A few of the points from the article that are important in my view:
-Choose your clients carefully
-Do not take more assignments than you can handle
-Take a break and breathe some fresh air
-There are only 24 hours in a day and we all need to eat (properly) and sleep (enough)
-Deal with sensitive issues first thing in the morning or it will drag you down.

All this helps us keep our sanity with smart rather than hard work.

Music as a Weapon to Deal with Lingering Guests

Ever had guests at a party who lack the social graces to know that it is time to go. After reading Strategic Guest Ejection by Helena Echlin on Chow, I thought of a few bits of music that might drive these lingering guests out the door.

I would start with New York priestess Diamanda Galas who can be pretty uncompromising.
Second place Captain Beefheart Making Love To A Vampire With A Monkey On My Knee who I like but is definitely not everyone cup of tea.
Explorer of the dark corners of life, Nick Cave The Six Strings That Drew Blood might be another one.
If they do not like African music, a little Juju music by King Sunny Ade Sunny Ti De Ariya might do.

To close the selection Neu! (german band from 70's) has a piledriver intro on an early song (their albums were reissued by Astralwerks).

Be prepared and hopefullly you will have the right 'medicine' to empty your space.

For more Positive Vibrations check My Rest and Recovery soundtrack.

4 'Digital Life' services worth trying

During my shortened visit to Digital Life in New York on Saturday, I noticed a few services worth trying in our everyday life.

-Frucall: While shopping, you see a product you like and wonder if you can get a better price online. Call Frucall 800 number, enter the product barcode and voila you get the price info.

-Concerned about poluting the environment and leaving sensitive information on your hard drive when you dispose of your old computer or printer, Hewlett Packard will pick it up and recycle it for you (for a fee). All you have to do is Schedule your Pickup online.

-Want to share your designs on T-Shirts, Mugs or even Custon Stamps and more without the complexity, Zazzle allows you to set up shop in no time. You earn from 10 to 17% of the sales price.
I like the fact that (as a seller) you do not have to spend a lot of time figuring out prices and also the color choices.

-Tired of tangled cords on your MP3, IPOD or Cell Phone here comes Cordgo. It is small enough to fit in your pocket or you can clip it on your belt or bag.

If you are looking for tips on how to organize your digital life, IBM offers ShortCuts, a weekly podcast with practical advice.

I ain't gonna ride the Montclair to New York bus no more

As you might have read last week, I paid a visit to Digital Life in New York on Saturday. Even though it was the 14, I had the bad luck to see a trip that usually takes 30 minutes last around 90 minutes. As I had to go back to New Jersey mid-afternoon, it cut short my exploration of the expo.
It is the second time that I take the bus to the city in a month and the same thing happens. On top of that the bus drivers from the local company are surly at best, like they do people a favor to take them along. For the return trip we had to wait 25 extra minutes for the bus to arrive. At no time did anyone from the bus company show up to inform us on the extent of the delay.
I usually take the train but it does not run on the week-end (on my line).
I have a hard time imagining how people who commute everyday with the bus deal with the stress of the delays and so on.

It echoes some of the topics I covered in 5 ways to tick off customers during Customer Service Week
To paraphrase Maggie's Farm Maggie's Farm by The Specials, I ain't gonna take the bus to New York no more.

From Washington DC with Love, the 'State of the Plate'

I mentioned recently Sydney's Top Restaurants and San Francisco Bargain Bites. Now Tom Sietsema of The Washington Post offers his 2006 State of the Plate.
I will not comment on his picks since I have not visited the nation's Capital in a while.

On my last trip there with my kids for an all around Smithsonian expedition, we had a good experience with an Ethiopian restaurant in the Adams Morgan neighborhood and a bad one with a more upscale restaurant in the city center.
Even though we asked prior to our arrival if it was kids friendly, we got the cold shoulder treatment when we walked in.
I have to add that on that evening, after 2 days of fine weather, we had to run from the adjacent parking to the restaurant in a downpour and were drenched.
We wanted to have a fine dining experience before hitting the road. The food and the wine list were very good, the servers' attitude really spoiled it for us.

When Creatives go Pecha Kucha and Talk...Face to Face

The sound of conversation or chit-chat can loosely be translated into Pecha Kucha in japanese.

We all network online but still need to practice our communication and interpersonal skills sometimes. With this idea, architects Mark Dytham and Astrid Klein launched Pecha Kucha nights in 2003 as a meeting place where creative types could share passions and projects with others.
Each of the speakers presents 20 slides in 20 seconds on the topics of their choice. Using visuals keeps it short and hopefully gets the conversation going.

Upcoming Events on October 18 take place in London, and Tokyo.

Makes me think of bringing some local creative minds together!

Today's Financial Times How to Spend It magazine introduced me to Pecha Kucha (no link available at this time unfortunately).

Should I stay or I should go... to that Restaurant...Check Healthinspections.com first

As recent food outbreaks and issues have proven, better safe than sorry.
A new website named Healthinspections.com aims to publicize the health inspection status of restaurants, food markets and other food facilities. They link to the databases of state and local health inspection services. Not all states and areas are covered. For example, my state of New Jersey is not in yet while New York (City and State) is included.
The site is the creation of Garrison Enterprises based in North Carolina.
I learned about this worthy service while reading New Website Singles Out Companies That Fail Health Inspections on Inc.com.

With 'The Checkout' The Washington Post wants to hear from you

With new columns and blogs such as The Checkout by Annys Shin, the Washington Post wants to start a conversation with its readers. The Checkout deals with consumer issues such as recent product recalls, health warnings, excessive charges and whatever else happens in the customer service sphere.
The Washington Post wants us to comment, offer corrections when necessary and contribute information. As opposed to other newspapers such as The San Francisco Chronicle and The New York Times who require people to register before posting comments, The Washington Post has adopted what I would call an open arms policy. Who needs another username and password after all?

Annys Shin first topics echo recent posts we had on 5 ways to tick off customers or Tired of ATM Fees and When your mechanic does not charge you amongst others.

Neat, Neat, Neat...Lipstic: View photos of Craigslist Listings

Add Lipstic to the list of new and useful online tools that combine photos or maps (or both) with listings.
Lipstic allows you to browse the offerings on Craigslist by only looking at the photos illustrating them.
To test it I started with their home page, then picked New Jersey, narrowed it to North Jersey, and picked Apts/ Housing for rent as the Category.
Above each photo, you can see the price. location and number of bedroom.
Click on one of the photos and a pop-up window gives you a more detailed listing.
All in all, fast, simple and practical. The only reservation I would make is that what appears to be different listings in the same town could be different pictures of the same place or item.

I discovered Lipstic on Monkey Bites.

With Rentometer, Take the temperature of Rental Market

A Nifty Tool called Rentometer puts Web Search and Google Maps to good use to give you an idea of Market prices for rental units in your area. If you are a tenant, you might want to find out if you pay a fair price where you are or maybe you are looking to move and want to get an idea of what the price range will be for your new digs.
It can be helpful to landlords as well to see what price the market will bear for their property.

I tried it in my Montclair Area. All you need to enter is street address, city and zip, current rent, type of apartment and number of units in the property. Be patient, it takes a couple minutes to come up with the results.

The left panel displays the Rentometer (from low to high) with a needle highlighting where you stand.
The right panel maps gives you properties of similar size in the area.

Rentometer could be used in conjunction with a rental locator search that I reviewed earlier in My Apartment Map.

I found out about Rentometer on Lifehacker.

5 Ways to tick off Customers during Customer Service Week

I plead guilty, I did not know that we were celebrating National Customer Service Week until I read Hi, can I not help you? by David Lazarus in today's SF Chronicle.

So let me list 5 ways to Tick Off Customers:
-In Restaurants: Have a staffer talk diners heads off while their food is getting cold.
-In a Bank: Have a Rep in your local office tell a client that 'they can do it themselves online'
-In a Store: Have a Salesperson answer their cell phone while you are trying to get their attention.
-In Any Establishment dealing with the public: Give poor training, bad pay and no benefits to your new hires and throw them to the dogs.
-In Any Retail Establishment on a busy day: Have management confuse a flogging with a motivational speech and piss off the staff.

On a closing note check these Tips for a Successful Celebration of Customer Service Week.

Feel free to share with us your horror stories and the good ones as well.

Thanks to the Instigator Blog for helping us gel our thoughts on this topic with their Blog about 5 Things Week initiative.

Getting Things Done without Sweat: Simplicity

We all have been there wondering and even expressing frustration at why tasks at work or at home were not taken care of.

I have Simpler Work on my mind as my friend Bill Jensen would say.
Instead of giving assignments why not let people take ownership of specific tasks and projects and have them set their schedule. Everyone then knows who is responsible for something and when they will complete the project.

I can put it in 3 words Who? What? When?

Check the Simplicity Project at MIT. Read The Beauty of Simplicity by Linda Tischler (Fast Company)

Banking...When People become Data and Fee Generators, not Individual Customers

I just read Hola Bank! Me llamo Steve by fellow Montclair resident Steve Baker on Business Week Blogspotting. He attended a conference where Larry Rosenberg of Fair Isaac raised the point of how banks are really going to customize their offerings if they cannot even remember what language (English or Spanish) we use at the ATM.

My opinion is that for most banks we have become a Data Stream, not a Person, not an Individual Customer. At most financial institutions, if you request a loan it is computer driven. A growing source of revenue for banks and other financial services is Fees. I remember not so long ago when you could apply for a loan and talk with a person who had a say in the final decision. Has the customer been removed from customer service in banking? It is a retail business after all. This is why most of the time I use the ATM because it does not feel like it makes any difference if I deal with a Bank rep, except for the wait.

In my New Jersey Concierges business, I consider each client as someone with specific needs and offer a pernalized service that matches them.

Bahia, Brazil, How about Summer Vacations in December

Some of my favorite music comes from Brazil. I have never visited the country but plan to do so when I have a chance. So The Brazil Nuts piqued my interest with their Brazil centric site. Personally I would rather go to Bahia than Rio. They offer authentic experiences such as The Boa Morte ('Good Death') festival which brings together Catholic and Candomble influences, the African roots.

And what could be better than spending a cold December or January week under the brazilian sun?

The illustration for this post is the cover from the book 'Salvador de Bahia / 100 color photos'. This neighborhood is the 'Pelourinho', the old historic center.

'Hospital Food...Enough to Make you Sick' says The Observer

During my recent surgery, the thing that bothered me most was the chilly temperature.

In its September Edition, The Observer Food Monthly states 'Hospital food - it's enough to make you sick'.

Let me quote the opening lines of their piece: "Thick, salty soup with the texture of wallpaper paste; a pie crust, hiding a serving of mechanically recovered 'meat' and dry mash. Is this the best patients can hope for?".

Truth be told, their observations address the situation in the UK and I guess in Scotland since a similar article 'Confused, sick, starving … old' was published this month in The Sunday Herald.

Were you treated to a good, bad or worse meal while in the hospital?

My personal worse experience with food was during my (short) time in the army (as a conscript). They insisted in turning hairdressers into cooks and cooks into hairdressers. You can imagine the results.

 

Is your project 'Fundable': Spread the word and find out

While I was recently writing Oh! No, September 15 and Already a PTA Fundraiser, I could not remember the name of a company offering neat tools for such Fundraisers. How could I forget? The Name is Fundable. I wrote about it almost a year ago (October 13, 2005) in 'Fundable' offers new ways to raise Funds so that might be the reason it slipped my mind.
You could actually also use it to raise funds for your business or your movie or your band as Sellaband does on a larger scale as I illustrated last week in Music's Angel Investors. So if you want to simplify your fundraising, set a target, invite people to contribute and see if it flies.

Music's Angel Investors: Sellaband

Some of us have been lifelong music fans, had a career, made money along the way and still look for ways to channel our passion for music. New companies such as Sellaband, based in Holland and led by a former Sony Music executive give those of us with the financial means an opportunity to buy shares in a band's project. Besides the financial aspect, there can also be the satisfaction of helping a band or a project flourish.

Restaurants, Wine and Wikis (not Kiwis)

A couple of days apart, I found out about Wikis (you must have heard about Wikipedia) put to good use to offer information on Restaurants and Wine.

The first one, Savory actually offers two distinct sites, Savory New York close to us in New Jersey and on the West Coast, Savory San Francisco. You can search restaurants by neighborhoods, there is also a Featured Restaurant Showcase and Video and a short List of other recent Restaurant Videos.

The video feature is similar to some of the videos offered by Turn Here which we reviewed in Turn Here, Video Guides for Travelers in June.

The second wiki New York Corked offers an alphabetical list of New York restaurants with they corkage fees and policies complemented by ratings of the service and also the quality of the wine glasses offered.
One restaurant I would not bring wine to is DiFara's Pizza in Brooklyn. They do not charge a corkage fee for good reason, the only 'glassware' they offer is (ouch!) paper cups.

I found out about Savory on Becks & Posh. As for New York Corked I have to thank Alder of Vinography for pointing it to us.

New Jersey Life Magazine makes us one of its Best Picks for 2006

I wanted to give a big thank you to New Jersey Life magazine for choosing us as one of its Best Of : Top Picks for 2006 in their October issue.

Under Professional Help ( on page 43), they describe our concierge services New Jersey Concierges as the 'Best go-to-guys when you're stuck in traffic and throwing a dinner party in an hour'.

Well do not take their headline too literally, give us like 3 hours.

To read the rest of the entry, you will have to buy the magazine (available at Borders and Barnes and Noble).

Thank you again to Cheryl Olsten and her team at New Jersey Life.

When your mechanic does not charge you, you want to share the love

On Monday, I brought my car to my car repair and tire shop, McDonough Tire in my hometown of Montclair (New Jersey). The car had stalled on a couple of occasions so I did not want to be stuck on the highway or on one of my concierge runs. I brought the car around noon. It was ready for pickup at 2:15. Nothing major had to be done only some parts in need of cleaning. I went to pick my car around 2:45 pm and when I asked for the Bill, I was told I Owed Nothing. Can you remember ever being told that by your mechanic? Upon reflection, it was a very smart move, since I have used them repeatedly and with that gesture will recommend them to anyone in need of car repairs. Love is the killer App as Tim Sanders said.
Thank you McDonough!

Oh! No, September 15 and Already a PTA Fundraiser, Better Ways to Raise Money for Schools

The school year barely started and your kid already brings an envelope for a PTA Fundraiser. Since last year, I started thinking that there must be better ways to raise Funds than having to hit your friends, co-workers and the like with the latest 'sale'. Another thing that was on my mind was what percentage of the sales goes to the school PTA itself. Is the end result worth the effort or could there be a better way.
What actually got me going originally on this topic was the discovery of Artsonia. Based in Chicago they call themselves 'The largest Kids' Art Museum in the Word'. Teachers can Upload their Class Art Projects in a Gallery and also turn it in Gifts such as T-Shirts and Mugs. The School gets 15% of the Sales. Especially good if your relatives are scattered all over the country.
For T-Shirts, Mugs, Caps, Messenger Bags and more, some options are Cafepress, Spreadshirt.
For these all you need is signing up for a Store and Ready Made Designs that you upload and deciding what products you want to sell.

Recommended reads on the topic are:

-On-line Fundraising Best Practices: Two Words of Advice from GuideStar.org

-The Grassroots Fundraising Journal

-Also NetSquared whose tag is remixing the Web for Social Change.

Feel free to share with us any other companies or tools that might reduce PTA fundraising events by making them more effective.

The 'Remote Controlled Home'...The next house makeover trend

Where is the remote has become one of the most used phrases in many homes?  I still have to buy one of these one remote for all devices and there is not one day when one is not missing. Not counting the occasions when they are broken, the batteries are missing and the like.
Help might be on the way. According to Paul Taylor's Personal Technology Column in today's Financial Times Automation is coming home. He documents the remodeling he just did in his house and how using wireless technology he had a Control 4 Home Automation System installed. Companies such as Control 4 might make their systems the next home improvement craze for a simple reason, they are driving the costs down. What used to be reserved to the elite can now be started for about $2000.00.
As for myself, I would not mind starting with a Sonos System (about $1000.00, pictured here) to stream music from my Rhapsody account across my house. I could use one of these Logitech Harmony 1000 Universal Remote (available this Fall in the US and Europe for around $499.00. I would even settle for their Harmony 550 at a more modest $149.00.

The whole house makeover will have to wait.

Mobissimo Travel Search and Netvibes hooking up today

Starting today all 5 million users of Netvibes can add a Module for Mobissimo, one of my favorite travel search tools, right in their personal page, no need to do a lot of back and forth between a gadzillion sites. Netvibes aim is to combine all  of your online activities in one place so their philosophy blends nicely with the simplification brought to Online Travel Search by Mobissimo.
If you are in the mood for a change of scenery or need some plane tickets for a business trip, do it straight from your Netvibes homepage. Just pay a visit to the Netvibes Ecosystem and add the Mobissimo Travel Search module to your page.
For full disclosure, I have not yet put to full use all the features of Netvibes. I was made aware of this Neat Tool today by Beatrice Tarka, the CEO of Mobissimo due to previous posts such as 'Mobissimo'..Quick One Stop Airfare Search that  I wrote on their service.

I just wish they extended that functionality to individual websites and blogs as this one.

Tired of ATM Fees in the US or Abroad: Open a Simply Free Checking account with TD BankNorth

You might have read the New York Times' Frugal Traveler (Matt Gross) report on his 3 month trip around the world. Matt  detailed his expenses in The Budget of our Intrepid Traveler (registration required). One of his complains was that his bank, Bank of America charged him a Fee on all his ATM transactions. Wendy Perrin of Conde Nast Traveler followed this topic on The Perrin Post in Getting the Best Exchange Rate Abroad. Well, It just happened that we had to open an account for one of the kids and found a solution to the ongoing fees. A recent addition to our choice of banks here in the northeast US, TD Banknorth offers a no ATM Fee Policy either in the US or abroad. All you need is to open at least a 'Simply Free Checking' with a minimum amount of $25.00 and keep the balance at all times over a Penny.
To make sure I got the right information, I double checked it with a local VP of the bank, Diane Esty.
They do not seem to add hidden charges to purchases either.
I know which ATM card I need to carry on my next trip.

Sydney's Top Restaurants for 2007 As Picked by the Sidney Morning Herald

Simon Thomsen and Catherine Keenan, the restaurant reviewers for the 'Sydney Morning Herald' just released their Top Picks for 2007 yesterday. I thought this might be of use if you plan on traveling to Sydney, Australia. Nothing beats advice from the natives. Fins Restaurant, located in Byron Bay got my attention as their choice for Local Food, I was especially interested by their Degustation Menu offering food and wine pairing ($140.00 australian per person).
I found out about the Sydney Morning Herald selection while reading local (Sydney) blog Grab Your Fork.

Car Salesmen as Optional... Left wondering after Test Driving a Honda Element

After the transmission of my  current Concierge Mobile failed, I started looking for a new set of wheels. I finally set my mind on the Honda Element, not for its good looks but for its practical elements such as washable floor, big cargo, folding seats and square back door.
I do have to pick up or dispose of furniture and other large items for clients of my New Jersey Concierges services on occasion and I thought the Honda Element would be very good for that. I also thought it would offer me a good amount of space to display my logos and business info, a moving billboard of sorts.
Before I went any further I checked Honda's Website for more details. It gave me all the information I needed. I would give it a great rating.
Next step was a test drive, which I did yesterday at a local Honda dealer.
The salesman helped us promptly. When we got to the vehicle though, the back seats were folded to the side and he did not know how to put them back in place.
I had to find out by myself. The ride was pleasant. The vehicle has more space than you would think from the outside, comfortable legroom. We asked about some of the instruments, the radio and CD player. The salesman knew very little about this vehicle. We were testing the 4 wheel drive automatic version. It had a sun roof above the back seat, we were told that it came with all the Elements the dealership got. Was it an option and at what cost, we did not get an answer.
Overall the experience was frustrating because the sales person did not know his product and was somehow useless.
So I ask the question, as in banks were the customer representative knows less than you do, should car salesmen go the way of the dinosaurs?
Why should we pay a commission to someone who did not add anything to our buying experience?

A 4 mile walk above the Rain Forest...Ariau Amazon Towers

Funny how sometimes stories just come to you. Having a conversation with a fellow Montclair resident, Jill Siegel, I discovered that she lived for a number of years in Brazil and upon her return to the USA turned her love of Brazil into a business. She brought to my attention the Ariau Amazon Towers which sound like a walk in the clouds to me, The facility is located 35 miles from Manaus and the individual towers are linked by wooden catwalks which allow visitors to admire the flor and fauna without arming it.
The picture of the location says more than a thousand words so I will stop there.
My only experience of Brazil is its music and meeting a few of its citizens.

Renting Web 2.0: Digital Pictures, Maps and More

Having just helped a (West Coast) client of my New Jersey Concierges service find an (East Coast) apartment, I felt like sharing a few lessons learned with potential landlords.
First of all if you are going to show your place, make sure it is clutter and mess free, clean the place, spruce it up, make the kitchen and bathroom look appealing.
It might sound like common sense but you would be surprised to know how many disasters I had to see.
On the technical side, in our Web 2.0 world, you should have a number of digital photos of the front and back of the house, parking and of course the apartment itself available. A simple floor plan and a Google Map of your location could come handy. It will smooth the process and save time for all parties.
If you want to do without the services of a Broker or a Realtor, start by listing your Rental on Craigslist. Doing so might also land your place on My Apartment Map a new service that I covered recently in Locate Apartments for rent in 12 Big US metros.
Another place where you can list your Rental is Edgeio.
All the suggestions I just made are Free or Low Cost unless your Kitchen, Carpet or Bathroom need a major makeover.
If you are more ambitious and tech savvy, you could even set up a Blog Page for your place including the photos, floor plan and Google Map that I mentioned earlier, all in one place. You could for example try VOX, the new (free) service from Six Apart.
All you have to share then is the page web address.
Most of the things I just shared apply to the USA.
I only know of one service called New York Habitat that besides New York offers apartments in London, Paris, Rome, Tokyo and the South of France.
If you know of useful services in other parts of the world feel free to share them with us.
We would be glad to include them in a follow up and credit you as the source.

Around the World in a Few Clicks with CityDailyPhoto

What started with Paris Daily Photo has now expanded to a network of a 100 cities so whether you are planning a trip to a place you never visited and want to get an inside look and inside scoops or just dream of a vacation, take a look. If you want to discover places at random shuffle with the City Daily Photo Globe ring which you can find on any of the Daily Photo Sites. Enjoy your exploration.

To illustrate this topic I chose a photo of a Uphill Road courtesy of Stefan who brings us Photos from Haninge, a small town in Sweden.

If you like to discover people and places Turn Here which I covered in June as Turn Here offers Video Guides is also worth a visit.

Let your spirit fly!

Yahoo's New Real Estate Site come up short on Rentals side in my New Jersey area

After reading that Yahoo Real Estate relaunched today, I decided to give it a Test Drive. As most of my New Jersey Concierges clients moving to the area are looking for rentals, I took the Rental Search for a spin. In my hometown of Montclair, I could only find a $1400.00 1BR apartment. In neighboring Verona, I came up empty. I hope they improve their listings or maybe they are only focused on the buyer's market. Time will tell.
In any case right now a mainstream player comes up looking like a smalltime one. Disappointing...

Farecast: Now offering much improved Airfare Search for 55 US cities

I was not impressed by my first look at Farecast (because their initial list of cities covered was so small) but after reading on TechCrunch that 'Farecast' expanded the number of cities you can search for airfares to 55, I decided to take a second look.
Since Newark (New Jersey), the nearest airport for me is one of them, it makes it easier to try.
I searched for a Newark (NJ) to Portland (Oregon) round trip fare (September 05-September 12), got a best fare (non stop) of $339.00, for more details here is the result. I like the 'Fare Prediction' and 'Fare History' functions.
Please note though that cities covered by 'Farecast' are all in the USA.
For foreign travel, I will still have to rely on Mobissimo or Cheap Flights.

Hey 'Netflix'! My nearest Shipping Facility is in New Jersey not California

On Saturday, I stopped by the Main Post Office (in my hometown of Montclair, New Jersey) to return a couple of movies to Netflix. I glanced at the envelope before dropping it in the Mailbox and it read 'Nearest Netflix Shipping Facility' P.O Box 25010, Santa Ana, CA 92799-5010' so I had to make a U-Turn and get a new envelope with the real nearest facility which is located in New Brunswick, NJ.
The reason I write about this is because it is not the first time it happens. I had return envelopes with California and I believe Louisiana addresses.
Do I rent too many movies or return them too fast for Netflix's good, just wondering?

Pure Contemporary: on Home, Architecture, Design

After noticing that they paid a visit to this site, I checked the work of online magazine Pure Contemporary. If you want to find innovative ideas  in architecture, design and home decorating read their blog, check their designers interviews. For example, on their blog page, I found out that Design Within Reach is opening its first outlet store nearby me, in Secaucus, New Jersey. Their My Home Design section offers an Interactive Room Planner where you can see what your room could look like without the heavy lifting and also a Home Decor Organizer where you can save all necessary details on what you used for your decorating/ painting project. In order to use these tools you need to register first.

My Appartment Map: Locate Apartments for Rent in 12 Big US Metros

Here is a tool that I could use right now for a couple of clients of my New Jersey Concierges services looking to relocate in New Jersey. MyApartmentMap matches Craigslist listings of Apartments for Rent with corresponding Google Maps. Too bad that this can be used only for some 12 big metropolitan areas right now such us Houston, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago to name a few. Seattle and Atlanta were recently added so they might not show many listings. You can search by price and number of bedrooms (options are: room for rent, studio and then 1BR to 4BR). In my area, The New York City metro shows a number of New Jersey rentals (using the 'go to suburb' function) but for example nothing in my hometown of Montclair.
Nevertheless a very neat tool, well thought and user friendly.
This is the brainchild of Ian Reardon who started it while looking for a place to rent in Boston, Massachusetts.
I originally read about the service on Monkey Bites.

TripHub provides Free Tools to plan your group travels

Filling a niche in the crowded online travel planning tools sphere, TripHub offers a simple way to share information and organize group travel such as family reunions, weddings, travel with friends and any other group outings. The service is launching today.
At first look the site seems well organized with a number of blog posts and travel news to document specific areas of interest, say beaches or Mexico for example.
After registering for the service, three main functions are available: you can create a home page for the trip you are planning, then let other people involved in this plan know about the page by e-mail and third discuss and share ideas with them.
You do not need to be a techie to use the service. Directions on how to use it are straightforward which I think most users will appreciate.
'TripHub' is based in Seattle and I first read about it on TechCrunch.

Learn French in the Mediterranean city of Montpellier

Want to brush up on your french and combine it with a stay in a Mediterranean city known for its history and cultural life? Studying at the Institut Linguistique Adenet in Montpellier offers a way to do both. The city can be explored easily thanks to its modern tramway pictured here.
You can take classes from 2 weeks to a month or more. The cost for a basic standard course is 220 euros per week. Courses start every Monday of the year. Special dates apply for beginners.
As for the accomodations, you can stay with a host family for a fee of 140 euros per week that includes private room and breakfast.
This option might be especially attractive to parents sending their high school kids during their vacations.
Besides studying you can make daytrips to Sete called by some the Venice of the Languedoc, the many wineries located nearby or the beaches.

Off the (Electric) Grid again yesterday...Reviewing Alternative Power Options..

Yesterday, my first thoughts after suffering the 4th power outage in less than a week was maybe it is time to think about backup power alternatives. First source could be 'solar power', considering that we are experiencing a warming weather trend.
What 'temporary' power sources could I use for basic things such as refrigerator, clothing iron, computer. There are battery based storage systems which can offer from 2 to 12 hours of power to a house and seem reasonably easy to install. The time during which they can operate can be extended in connection with a solar power source according to 'Tool Base'.
The 'Films Media Group' offers a number of digital on demand movies on 'Alternative power sources and renewable energy'. An 'On Demand' 30 day Free Trial is available. How Stuff Works offers a clear and detailed overview of the technology of solar cells, how to install it, prices and more.
Computer wise, I guess it is time for me to invest in a wireless laptop or PDA so the hiccups of the electric grid do not keep me off the blog grid.

Living with power outages: Tips and Tricks

Yesterday I experienced my second power outage in a week. The first one on Sunday lasted about an hour. This time the power did not return for about 4 hours. So no e-mail, no TV, no air conditioning and as it was dinner time, I had dinner on the porch.
This is when you are grateful that your stove is gas powered.
Is it time to consider adding solar panels or a generator to one's house.
The background music for my dinner was the sound of crickets.
A good outline on how to prepare for outages and what to do when they happen can be found on Lifeworks.
Besides shutting down My Space last week, it also affects our pets, especially fishes in home aquariums. Peteducation offers ways to prevent having your entire tank population wiped out.

What could be a better illustration for this topic than the Four Solaire (Solar Furnace) in Odeillo (Cerdagne, Pyrenees).

Some places such as Manchester in the UK do not mind (so far) the warming trend.

New Jersey Concierges is now our main Website, Montclair Concierges will be limited to a Welcome Page

In case some of you tried to visit our Montclair Concierges website recently and could not find it or where redirected to New Jersey Concierges, we apologize.
We decided to host all our websites with one service and the transfer for Montclair Concierges was not as smooth as planned.
So for right now, our Montclair Concierges site will be limited to a welcome page.
Please visit New Jersey Concierges for services, prices and other details.

Thank you

Serge Lescouarnec
Founder/Owner
Errands Express LLC
'We run Errands for You'