The Simple TechBlog » Web Services http://simpletechblog.com Tech Made Simple Fri, 22 Feb 2008 08:38:01 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 What’s In A Baby’s Name? http://simpletechblog.com/2007/09/16/whats-in-a-babys-name/ http://simpletechblog.com/2007/09/16/whats-in-a-babys-name/#comments Mon, 17 Sep 2007 02:16:30 +0000 Christopher Sisk http://simpletechblog.com/2007/09/16/whats-in-a-babys-name/ Name Voyager LogoSearching for a unique baby name? Curious just how popular your name really is?

The Baby Name Wizard site recently launched their Name Voyager, a javascript application that shows the popularity of a name from the 1800s to 2006. My name, Christopher, was on it’s way to #2 when I was born in 1979 (my parent’s were so on the cutting edge).

Name Voyager Screenshot

The Name Voyager and its creator were recently featured on NPR’s On Point with Tom Ashbrook. You can also check out the Social Security’s “Popular Baby Names” section for more on the historical popularity of names or TechBlog reader, Guy Davis’ excellent Google Maps mashup, Baby Name Map, that shows US popular names along with other countries.

How trendy were your parents?

]]> http://simpletechblog.com/2007/09/16/whats-in-a-babys-name/feed/ 2 Get Your Money Back When Prices Drop http://simpletechblog.com/2007/09/16/get-your-money-back-when-prices-drop/ http://simpletechblog.com/2007/09/16/get-your-money-back-when-prices-drop/#comments Mon, 17 Sep 2007 01:48:00 +0000 Christopher Sisk http://simpletechblog.com/2007/09/16/get-your-money-back-when-prices-drop/ I just recently mentioned PriceAmbush, a site that helps you find the lowest price while shopping online. But what happens when you buy something online and the price drops two days later? We’ve all been there. Well, new web service PriceProtectr.com is here to help.

PriceProtectr.com Logo

From the site:

There are lots of stores out there that offer price protection policies — when the price drops on an item you’ve purchased, they’ll refund you the difference. But there’s a catch… it’s up to you to watch prices. Price Protectr makes it simple to keep track of your purchases and get your money back. It’s free. It’s easy. It’s free and easy money. How often do you get that offer?

The service currently boasts 46 online retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Circuit City, Costco, Future Shop, Sears and Staples.

By taking the hassle out of searching for price drops, PriceProtectr makes it much easier to focus on what really matters… like that new shiny 16BG iPod Touch.

]]> http://simpletechblog.com/2007/09/16/get-your-money-back-when-prices-drop/feed/ 1 Shopping – PriceAmbush has you covered http://simpletechblog.com/2007/09/16/shopping-priceambush-has-you-covered/ http://simpletechblog.com/2007/09/16/shopping-priceambush-has-you-covered/#comments Mon, 17 Sep 2007 01:19:06 +0000 Christopher Sisk http://simpletechblog.com/2007/09/16/shopping-priceambush-has-you-covered/ PriceAmbush.com Logo
PriceAmbush.com is a new web service that lets you find products at the price you want. The service is very simple and very straight forward. You search for a product, set the price target you want and PriceAmbush emails you when that target is found.

What services do you use for a better shopping experience?

]]> http://simpletechblog.com/2007/09/16/shopping-priceambush-has-you-covered/feed/ 1 Sunday Security Tip – Shields UP!! http://simpletechblog.com/2007/06/02/sunday-security-tip-shields-up/ http://simpletechblog.com/2007/06/02/sunday-security-tip-shields-up/#comments Sun, 03 Jun 2007 05:41:06 +0000 Christopher Sisk http://simpletechblog.com/2007/06/02/sunday-security-tip-shields-up/ Shields UP passed screenShields UP!! is a free security tool provided by Gibson Research Corporation (GRC.com) that tests your computer for a large variety of vulnerabilities like windows messenger spam, browser headers and open ports. Shields UP!! was created by Steve Gibson (the co-host of Security Now! and creator of SpinRite, an amazing Hard Drive maintenance and repair tool) to poke and prod at your computer much like a real hacker or malicious code might, tell you where it was able to get in and how to fix it.

Shields UP!! Logo

GRC also offers many other free tools and software (available here) to test, track and fix your computer’s security. I highly recommend Steve’s tools and software as well as listening to Security Now! every Thurs. on the TWiT Netcast Network.

]]> http://simpletechblog.com/2007/06/02/sunday-security-tip-shields-up/feed/ 0 Get Free International Calls With Yak4Ever http://simpletechblog.com/2007/05/13/get-free-international-calls-with-yak4ever/ http://simpletechblog.com/2007/05/13/get-free-international-calls-with-yak4ever/#comments Mon, 14 May 2007 02:20:49 +0000 Christopher Sisk http://simpletechblog.com/2007/05/13/get-free-international-calls-with-yak4ever/ Yak4Ever LogoIn February, AllFreeCalls, a web service that allowed people to call overseas for free by exploiting a regulatory loophole, was shut down due to legal litigation. Today its back from the dead as Yak4Ever.

Like their previous incarnation, AllFreeCalls, all users have to do is call an access number in the U.S. and then forward on to an International number for free. The main difference now is, at registration, you’re asked to enter up to 10 phone numbers and assign each a numeric code (1-10). You then dial the access number and enter the code number you want to dial.

This change lowers the overall usability now, but the service can still be very useful for people who call the same international number regularly.

[AllFreeCalls Back From DeadPool, Free Calls Are Here Again - Via: TechCrunch]

]]> http://simpletechblog.com/2007/05/13/get-free-international-calls-with-yak4ever/feed/ 0 Virtual Room Planner http://simpletechblog.com/2007/05/10/virtual-room-planner/ http://simpletechblog.com/2007/05/10/virtual-room-planner/#comments Thu, 10 May 2007 11:00:11 +0000 Christopher Sisk http://simpletechblog.com/2007/05/10/virtual-room-planner/ Whenever I want to move my furniture around, I always try to draw out the layout I want on a scrap piece of paper. However, my dimensions are almost always off and my dresser/bookcase clubhouse never works out as planned. But today I found a great little tool that may make my clubhouse dreams come true. And best of all, its free.

Raymour & Flanigan Furniture have a nifty little flash Room Planner tool on their website. Just launch the Room Planner, input your room’s dimensions and start adding furniture. The furniture is from Raymour & Flanigan’s inventory, but you can easily get the dimensions on any piece of furniture by viewing its details.

Room Planner screen

(UPDATE: The Room Planner also has a separate “generic icons” tab to place and size furniture not tied to the product line up. Thanks Joel.)

]]> http://simpletechblog.com/2007/05/10/virtual-room-planner/feed/ 4 Find Cheap Gas in the US and Canada http://simpletechblog.com/2007/05/09/find-cheap-gas-in-the-us-and-canada/ http://simpletechblog.com/2007/05/09/find-cheap-gas-in-the-us-and-canada/#comments Thu, 10 May 2007 05:03:53 +0000 Christopher Sisk http://simpletechblog.com/2007/05/09/find-cheap-gas-in-the-us-and-canada/ GasBuddy.com LogoNext time you’re planning an out-of-town trip, save yourself the hassle of looking for the cheapest gas with GasBuddy. GasBuddy.com is a website that allows you to search for the lowest gas prices in your area. Narrow your search by State, County, then City and GasBuddy will tell you where you should stop on your way out of town.

GasBuddy.com can help you find cheap gas prices in your city. It is a network of more than 179+ gas price information web sites that helps you find low gasoline prices. All web sites are operated by GasBuddy and has the most comprehensive listings of gas prices anywhere.

If you already know where the cheapest gas is in your city, test Gasbuddy out to see if it gets the right answer, then post your findings in the comments.

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