Cool Nike Football (Soccer) Ad

Happy 5th Birthday iTunes

April 28th, 2003 introduced the launch of iTunes, which at the time was only available for the Mac. In only five years, it has become the #1 distributor of music in the US.

Happy Birthday!

IBM=

IBM = International Business Machines

(Am I the only one that didn't realize what this stood for?)

Make More Relivant Google Searches

Make more relevant searches on Google, by going into the "advanced search" mode, and clicking on "Date," then picking a time frame that fits your search.

That along with many other things to filter by, will create a more relevant and useful search!

Numbers don't lie: Apple computers are becoming more relivant

Apple released their quarterly numbers today and showed a revenue of $7.51 billion compared to $5.26 billion a year ago.

This quarter sales:

• Macs 2,289,000 54% growth
• iPods 10,644,000 1% growth
• iPhones 1,703,000 (product wasn't available last year)

You can see by these numbers that there is a significant growth in Mac sales, which is at rate of 3.5 times those of PC industry.

People are catching on...

Read more here

How Much Will You Pay for Gas?

Paying over $100 at the pump is now a reality for some. How much will it take you before you change your habits?

The hype is on hybrid cars, and alternative transportation... That is great and all, but an even easier solution would be relocating much closer to your place of work!

Reebok + Zune= Failing Brands

It's April 18th, not April 1st...So, this can't be an April fools joke. Reebok and Zune have teamed up for a partnership on a limited edition pair of Allen Iverson Sneakers.

So, let me get this right, a less than admirable MP3 player, teams up with a sneaker company losing market share, for a shoe that is designed for a thug basketball player. Something doesn't seem right.

For $300 a customer will get a "customized" 8GB Zune etched with AI graphics, and loaded with special AI content, including Reebok commercials, playlist and interview footage with other Reebok athletes.

The worst part is that the shoes are horribly ugly. All that content is surely not a bonus, but just advertising...they should discount the products for this reason. According to the press release there will only be 60 of these special edition shoes will be created (thank goodness).

The Answer XI Zune sneakers; Photo:Reebok

Get Silly With Crayola

Remember when you were a kid and played with silly putty? Well now Crayola, the company famous for their crayons, is making it in adult sized silly putty proportions...5lb blocks! For those of you who are more adapt to purchasing the egg and case of silly putty, don't worry they have that available for purchase on their site too...just get ready to buy a collection of 100 eggs at once.

I really wanna get my hands on this stuff again!

Del-West (Airline Merger)

In the spirit of all this airline news, I thought I'd only be appropriate to pass on Delta, and Northwest's announcement of a merger.

The two companies will take on Delta's name, which is more recognizable in the marketplace.

I'm not sure if I can take anymore airline news this month.

Starbucks Reveals Loyalty Program Card

Last month Starbucks announced they would introduce a loyalty program in April. The program has now been launched and includes:

• Syrup and milk options for your beverage on the house
• Brewed coffee refills at no charge
• Complimentary tall beverage with whole bean purchase

What was most impressive was the level of customization allowed when ordering the loyalty card/gift card on the Starbucks Website.

Starbucks will introduce free wireless internet later this year in stores. When revealed, it will be required to have one of these "accounts" to use the free Wi Fi. In addition to the announced perks, the accounts now set up allow Starbucks to track customers purchases, and add new perks going forward!

Image above, is a rendering of the card I actually ordered that will be delivered to me!

Don't forget to lower your plan!

When you have a subscription-based service, it can be easy to forget about the fact that you're continually paying for each month, especially if your payment is automatic.

This is true of my Blockbuster account. I have for the last couple of years, paid every month, and many months not taking true advantage of the service. The last couple of months I've only rented one movie, and realized I was pouring money down the drain, so I decided to lower my plan.

This is a reminder to all you out there to LOWER YOUR PLAN. Whatever it is, be it a cell phone plan, workout membership, etc. Call the company, go online, just do what you need to do to pay less. In lowering my membership plan I will save $96 this year! How much will you save?

Live in Seattle? Free Espresso at McDonalds!

McDonald's is promoting it's new McCafe drink by giving free small drinks to it's customers. There is two ways to get your free drink if you live in the Seattle area.

1. For the next four weeks on Fridays until 10:30am, McDonalds will be giving away small McCafe to its customers.
2. Additionally, if you go to their special Website, titled, "unsnobbycoffee.com," you are able to print out a coupon to use at anytime before April 17th.

McDonald's push to create demand in the coffee business is the only hope for those of you who want Starbucks to lower their prices.

Most innovative E-Commerce Website: Martin + Osa

The Martin + Osa Website has some of the most innovative ideas brought to life I've seen for a E-Commerce Website to date. When going into "Shop By Outfit," customers are presented with models not only in picture form, but also in video form. The models walk around, and interact. Try clicking into "Filter by Night" or "Weekend" or "Day" you'll actually see some of the models leave, and then come back based on your decisions!

The creators of this Website thought outside of the box! The site grabs your attention. It's fun and engaging, but at the same time practical and efficient for a consumer to click through, all very important factors for a site. If you've never heard of Martin + Osa, check it out. They are positioned in between Eddie Bauer and Gap.

(You'll need Flash to view the coolness, although is functional w/out Flash)

Steve Jobs Portrait

Speaking of Steve Jobs, check this out (click on it):

Design is "how" it works

Found this quote on the web from Steve Jobs, and I find myself aligning with this thought:

“Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it’s this veneer — that the designers are handed this box and told, ‘Make it look good!’ That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

Pizza.com domain name sells for $2.6 Million

The man who bought the domain name pizza.com in 1994 for $20, has hung onto it for the last fourteen years, continually paying the yearly fees to uphold it.

Recently after seeing vodka.com sell for $3M, he thought that there might be some interest in auctioning off the domain. He began auctioning it for $100, and it quickly jumped to, what would later be the final offer of $2.6M.

That is a pretty good profit if you ask me.

iTunes Store Top Music Retailer in the US!

Apple's iTunes Store has taken over the top spot in the US, beating out Wal-Mart as the top music retailer in the US. Over the last couple of years, Apple has surpassed Amazon, Target, and now Wal-Mart according to the data from the NPD Group.

Apple has sold over four billion songs with over 50 million customers.

It's kind of scary to think that before five years ago, the iTunes Store didn't even exist. Where will it be in five years from now?

Another One Bites the Dust...Two in one week

Can you believe it? Two airlines have shut down in one week. ATA Airlines, which has been in business for 35 years has gone into bankruptcy and shut down. This comes after Aloha earlier this week decided to close it's doors as well.

Leveling the Morgage Lending Industry

I don't trust Real Estate Agents, Mortgage Brokers, or Car Salesmen within their profession.

We now have Redfin, so we no longer have to deal with Real Estate Agents in the same manner as before! Unfortunately, the two other, up until this point still are much of a headache to me.

Zillow.com, which is well known for it's price estimates on houses has added a new feature to their site: Zillow Mortgage Marketplace. It allows you, the customer, to create a loan request anonymously to lenders. The confirmed lenders will then send you quotes. If you are happy with a particular lender and the offer, then you may contact the lender, but not before you review their profile, and ratings.

This is so great! Thank you Zillow for evening the playing field when it comes to mortgages! Anybody admitting that they understand mortgages very well, that is not within the real estate industry is flat out lying. They are just a complicated mess, and you can never really know for sure if you are getting a good deal unless you are able to compare, which is tough to do with the pressure you are put under by these lenders.

Get a Mac Campaign Continues

And the "Get a Mac" campaign continues... Two new ads released today, "Yoga," and "Breakthrough." These ads have been running for almost two years now. May will mark the campaign's two year anniversary.