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Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Oobooy. My attention has been drawn to a rather interesting advertising proposal. I'm not even sure where to start with this.

The advertising space is not a billboard, not a TV or radio ad, but one guy's arm.

That's right. An arm.

For a mere $10,000 (US) you can tattoo your logo or slogan into history. Or at least a guy's arm. Who is this guy anyway? I mean I could probably understand buying tattoo space on Roger Federer's arm because you see it all the time on the major tennis championships. Or Tiger Woods, as long as he wears short sleeves. Or perhaps even Dave Grohl. But you know what? I don't think any of them would do it.

Why?

Because it's weird.

Imagine waking up with "Eat at Joe's" plastered across your forearm.

Or Intel. You could take a bad trip and think the aliens finally got to you.

How about an ad for Haemorrhoid cream? That could put funny ideas into your head. Like suggestive selling. Would you like fries with that? It's just a short jump away.

The most frightening thing is the "Buy It Now Price" (for the whole arm). A pinch at $100,000.00 US.

Honestly, it would take more than $100,000.00 to get rid of the shame and embarrassment of walking down the street with "National Herpes Foundation" tattooed on any visible part of my body.

So here's the deal. For 10 grand you only get a 2" x 4" space on an arm. And then you have to renew your contract or he gets the tattoo removed.

I know for a fact that you can buy a number of TV spots during the Australian Open for about $200,000.00 Even if you just bought half that you would surely reach more people than one guy who professes to walk around a lot.

And for the man himself, it's free PR. Hey, maybe I should charge 10 grand for advertising space.

Would you like haemorrhoids with that?

Check out the listing here.



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I will come right out and say it. I am fantastic at choosing the horse that is most likely going to lose. Or the one that gets scratched just before the starting gate. Actually, that's not true, at the Melbourne Cup (I think it was 1997 - correct me if I'm wrong here!) I decided to bet on "Rogan Josh" because of my inate knowledge of horses and intricate system for choosing the winning nag. Okay, that's nonsense, I chose it because I like curry. But that's not really that weird. I mean some people choose numbers, or jockey colours, or they choose by trainer or sometimes by the jockey. That reminds me, I actually saw Damien Oliver at the 6th at Elsternwick Golf Course. He was riding a motorbike (not a horse!) and he asked my partner and I if I had seen his mobile phone as he had lost it. We hadn't, but two days later he came second in the Melbourne Cup. I should have been paying attention. If I had given a thought to online betting I would found out just how easy it is. Betfair makes it easy and convenient to bet on the horse racing whenever you get the inspiration. It's quick and easy to join and you can put a bet on straight away. You can see today's races at a glance, and because you can see the next race coming up, you'll never have to miss a race. All of which would have been handy for me in this instance. Instead, I just watched the race on TV and went "dang" for the missed opportunity. So there you go folks, learn from my mistakes.

Thursday, January 24, 2008




Oh yes. It will be mine.

I entered the local Dick Smith outlet armed with $130 cash and a few simple questions. Today was the day. I would get the High Definition set top box and open up a new world of extra golf (EXTRA GOLF!!! Haahahaha! Hee hee!) tournaments and movies on the new TenHD channel. It was all so simple.

Or so I thought. The sales girl walked into view and asked if I was being served.

Me: Hi, I'd like to buy a Bush High Definition set top box.

Sales Girl: Nup. Sold out.

Me: Okay, do you know where I can get one?

Sales Girl: Nup. They're all sold out. You can't get them anywhere.

Me: Anywhere?

Sales Girl: (sarcastically) If you want to spend $399 then you might get one.

Me: Hmm. What about the website then? Can you get one there?

Sales Girl: Nup.

(doesn't this girl know any more words?)

Me: No?

Sales Girl: Nup.

Me: (slowly) Could you check it for me?

Sales Girl: (grunts and logs onto the website on the screen in front of her) There. Nup. You can't get it on the website either.

Me: Really? That's weird.

Sales Girl: Yep. It's a web only offer.

Me: Hang on, doesn't that mean I actually can get it from the website?

Sales Girl: (confused) Oh. Yeah.

(snakes alive! She's worked something out!)

Me: (exasperated) Fine. And can you use a High Definition set top box with a normal TV?

Sales Girl: Nup, you need a brand new TV.

Me: That's weird, I've read that you can use it with a normal TV.

Sales Girl: Nup. (Computer says no)

Me: Thanks. (walks out, with sales girl glaring in my direction)

I decided to stop wasting my time at the front desk and called Dick Smith technical support.

Me: Hi, I'm going to buy a Bush HD set top box from the website. Can you please tell me if it can connect to a normal TV?

Tech Support Guy: Yes, no problem.

Me: Do I need a special cable?

Tech Support Guy: The yellow, white and red one will do. You probably already have one.

Me: Yes, I think I do. So that's it? I can get the the HD channels?

Tech Support Guy: Yes, they won't be in full HD because of your TV set but you'll get all the new channels.

Me: (stunned silence - that's it?) Okay thanks.


Why? Why did that girl insist on working in customer service? She could be just as happy as a parking inspector.

"I'm sorry, I was just dropping off some dry cleaning. Can't you give me a break this time?"

"Nup."





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Wednesday, January 23, 2008





I was very sad to hear this morning that Heath Ledger was found dead this afternoon (US time) in a Manhattan apartment. A great Australian actor and a huge loss. RIP Heath.




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Tuesday, January 22, 2008















Coffee. It's everywhere. Wafting from the booth at the train station. Steaming out of cafes and restaurants. It's easy to imagine yourself as one of those cartoon characters following the trail of coffee smells with your arms outstretched and eyes half closed. And so it comes that I am reviewing a site that reviews shopping offers on all things coffee. Coffee Reviews is for lovers of coffee and online shopping hounds like myself. The aim of the site is to gather the best "Coffee of the Month Club" offers together in one place so you can check out the offers and see if they are for you.

If you are a fan of Boca Java coffee or Gevalia Coffee, you might be following your nose to the site. The Boca Java offers include 4 bags of coffee and an itunes card for $13.90 (does not include shipping and handling), buy 2 bags and get 2 bags free for $12.00 (not including shipping & handling), free self-stirring mugs and cookies with a purchase of 4 bags of Boca Java, a one-pot coffee maker and a free "time" mug (complete with clock!).

Note: If you make a purchase you are actually joining a "Coffee of the Month Club" which means that after paying for the offer + shipping and handling you will be sent 2 bags of coffee every 4 weeks until you say "stop".

The site claims you are able to quit on the same day you ordered if you are just interested in the initial free offer. Please read the offers carefully because some customers have commented on the high shipping charge of some items - it's important to always check these details before committing to buy.

There are opportunities to leave comments on the site to share your experiences so theoretically the more reviews and comments, the more informative the site will become. I'll be interested to see how it goes in the future.



Important Note: This has been a paid review. This does not mean I am paid to have an opinion that pleases others. My review contains my own observations about the subject matter - both positive and negative. The review may contain criticism, suggestions and comments of my own choosing. See disclosure policy for more details.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Hi everyone, so sorry I haven't posted for some time, I have been overwhelmed, inundated and just plain busy. All this while on holidays!! Now I'm going away again so if I don't post for a while don't be too surprised! I hope everyone had a brilliant Christmas and New Year (I did!!) and I will of course be back to show off my new gadgets and gizmos and all the trials and tribulations of online shopping....


BTW, has anyone had a problem with their Google Page Rank? Mine went from a 4 to a 3 without so much as a warning!?!?!?! Grrrr!!!



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