Milo Sees If Items Are Stocked

Do you need to see if an item is in stock at the store down the street? Instead of calling your local store, asking the clerk if a item is on the shelf and then waiting five minutes to hear it’s available, use Milo.

Milo is a new web service that connects you with local retailers to give up to the minute inventory on the products you need. The term “brick and mortar” is often used to describe ordering your purchase online and then picking it up at a local store. Milo fills this void by connecting many popular genres of products such as electronics, clothing, and cooking and bringing them together in once place so you can see if its in stock. In the insurance world, Insurance.com brings together many of the top auto insurance companies so you can choose and purchase the best policy for you. Milo does the same when it comes to consumer goods.

After reviewing the website, everything that I looked at in my area didn’t seem to be in stock. However after looking at other states, I did see items were in stock. Thus, this indicates that Milo’s network is still growing and the accuracy depends on the location.

http://milo.com/

Thanks again to Mike Kimmel for find.

Where’s Your Twicsy At?

Have you used Twitpic yet? If not, now you have the opportunity to search through the thousands of images users are uploading to their Twitter accounts by using Twicsy. The best part of the website is the fact that you can now see all the images uploaded in the last hour. Above is an example of just the bizarre cornucopia of images that end up on Twitter via Twitpic. Now Twicsy gathers all those images in once place.

http://twicsy.com/


Thanks to Mike Kimmel for the find.

Stronger, Shorter, Faster URLs

How often do you have to send a long website address (URL) to a friend, such as a Google Map or a book you want to buy on Amazon? For example, here is the URL for a Malcolm Gladwell book I am contemplating purchasing, http://www.amazon.com/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell/dp/0316017922/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1248667532&sr=8-1. Here is the same URL using Bit.ly, http://bit.ly/vqI3p.

In the past we’ve suggested using TinyURL, which does a great job shortening a long URL and spitting out an address a one quarter of its size. Now another service called Bit.ly is taking the shortening of URLs by storm because it’s stable and has stronger reporting than it’s competitors. Bit.ly has built in multiple layers of redundancy so that the addresses can always resolve to their final landing page.

Furthermoe bit.ly has superior analytics. The service tracks clicks, total clicks, referrers and locations across month of data. Finally, It’s been reported that Twitter recently also moved to bit.ly as its shortening URL provider of choice.

So why not give it a try? Have you ever used a shorterning URL service? http://bit.ly/

Monitor Your Sites Up Time

Last year Leading Hands introduced you to a web application where you can manually verify if your site is down; Down For Everyone Or Is It Just Me identifies if the connection is just bad on your end or bad for the rest of the world. Now a service called “Hows The” takes this concept to the next level by monitoring your site and sending you automated emails or text messages when it’s down.

I’ve tried “How’s The” out for a over a week now and the service has alerted me a few times across the multiple websites that I personally manage. This free is a perfect tool for small to large business owners who are curious how often their website is really down. Think about that moment your customer is ready to make a big purchase and your domain is down; you just lost a sale and you didn’t even know it. Why stay in the dark and think everything is just Jim Dandy?

Use “How’s The” and regularly monitor your website’s up time.
http://howsthe.com

Must Text & Drive? Try This.

We here at Leading Hands do not condone texting while driving, however if you must text, try this combination. First purchase a Bluetooth headset and second get Dial2do.

A low end model Bluetooth headset can cost you as little as $40 and high end model can cost as much as $150. Dial2Do is a free service that will translate your voice to text. The program does a rather accurate job translating your voice; it also does a great job reading back your email too.

Before you get pulled over because you’ve got your head down texting, try the alternative and keep your head up and your voice forward by using this combination. This suggestion will keep you hands-free for your steering wheel and looking straight. I think the question we need to answer is, “What constitutes failure to control your vehicle?” Will this headset plus voice translation service still cause an accident while driving? Is anything other than driving your car a distraction?

Learn more about Dial2Do

White Pages By Request Only

If you don’t believe the Internet impacts your life, then the fact that the “Real” White Pages are now by request only may convince you. Just the other day we received our Yellow Pages but too my surprise, the White Pages were nowhere to be found. AT&T has decided to not deliver the White Pages to every door. If you want the White Pages, they still are free, however you need to request delivery.

At first I was a bit taken back, but then I asked myself, “When was the last time I actually looked up someone’s number in the White Pages?” I always use the directory in my phone or look someone up online if I don’t have their phone number. Then I started thinking about a generation that doesn’t even call each other to chat; they just text or email each other. This event is due to the high volume of online searching and the decline of telephone use. Texting has replaced voice calls significantly.

Are you shocked that White Pages as we know are gone or are you happy you don’t have to lug that phone book down to the recycle bins? Will you order your print version?

http://www.whitepages.com/

Poll: Why Aren’t You Using Twitter?

Twitter has been around for over two years now and every local news network has an account. It seems everywhere you turn, there seems to be a conversation about “Tweeting”. If you are not on Twitter yet, what are you waiting for? If you did open a Twitter account and it now lays dormant, why aren’t you using it? Twitter is transcending the communication medium. Please answer the following poll, we are going to broach this subject in the upcoming weeks.

Thanks for voting!

Connect Safely Features Parenting Tips

I recently stumbled upon Connect Safely, it’s another good source of parenting tips to keep your child safe online. The site has great articles like tips to prevent sexting. What is “Sexting”? The site says, “It usually refers to teens sharing nude photos via cellphone, but it’s happening on other devices and the Web too. The practice can have serious legal and psychological consequences.” It further contains social web tips for parents and teens.

Take two minutes and bone-up on the latest tactics from this website to keep your child safe online.

http://www.connectsafely.org/

Are We Living in The Jetson Age?

Recently NBC tried bringing back the classic Dave Hasselhoff TV show Knight Rider with a new cast, but ultimately it got canceled. The show had action sequences that reminded me of Fox’s 24; the acting by Justin Bruening as the new Michael and Val Kilmer as the voice of KITT was less than spectacular. The directors also transformed KITT from a Trans Am into a Mustang, but these changes wasn’t the dilemma with the show.

The new show simply got canceled because the vehicle’s technology isn’t as fascinating now as it was then. The technology inside the newest KITT seemed almost common because it’s practically inside most the latest models. Vehicles on the road don’t have artificial intelligence, lasers or holographic skins, but our cars have GPS navigation, video monitors, advanced security systems, internet connections, built-in communication, alternative fuel options, extensive computer systems and ultimately do talk.

Are we finally living in the age of the Jetson’s?

Switch to Digital TV is Looming

The big digital TV switch was set last month, but moments before the deadline the government was inundated with requests for converter box coupons. The big switch to digital is now set for June 12, 2009. If you in need of a coupon, you still have time, but the moments are slipping away.

http://www.dtvanswers.com/