Mother’s Got A Dot Com

Kaushal Sheth designs templates for Wordpress. He recently had to do some research into webhosting, because his host had a blackout, and all his sites were down. Since his web hosting company didn’t have a backup network, the blackout caused major stress, and thus the quest for a new host.

After chatting with his tech friends and doing a lot of research of his own (browsing top 10 lists, reading reviews), he came up with this list:
1. Host Monster
2. Host Gator
3. Yahoo Host

He went with Host Monster as the best web hosting company he could find, and so far has been very happy with the price, the features offered and the knowledgeable tech support. It’s not been down, either…

I guess that most people, unless they’ve experienced hiccups with their host, will be happy with the one they’ve got. I’ve been with BlueHost since I went DotCom, and they haven’t let me down yet. The research I did was perfunctory - it was a bit like: close your eyes and point… so I guess I’ve been lucky. I don’t know, for example, if they’ve got a backup system.
I’m still interested in web hosting alternatives though, it’s a subject I know very little about, and I’m only using a fraction of the features offered by my host.

Although the post is informative enough, I could have wished for a few more pointers on the criteria he based his research on… There is a short description of each hosting company, but a little more info would have been appreciated.

Oh - should you want to have a look at the site - have a browse of the templates on offer. There are downloadable templates for Blogger and Wordpress, and they are clean, crisp and good looking, all of them!

I haven’t, and I don’t know when (if ever) it’ll be readily available in Norway either. I’ve tried googling, and it seems you can import them and perform some kind of hack to get them functional over here, but as I don’t know a hack from a wooly hat, I’ll just have to wait, along with the rest of the non-tech hordes of this un-iPhonized part of the world…

I’m sure I could learn what to do on Planet iPhones, if I really wanted to. The forums are full of relevant and not-so-relevant info on the iPhone, and I could probably learn all about its many features well in time for the (eventual) launch in Norway.
You can download media,from the site, iphone mods and iphone wallpapers. Actually, I’d be hard put to choose my favourite iphone wallpaper - there are hundreds to choose from.
There are scores of accessories as well, from car chargers and screen protectors to headphones, cases and car holders.

Whatever you need for your iPhone (now or in the future!), whatever you need to know about its many features, you’ll find it or find out about it here. There’s an all new live chat service in the forums as well, and the site is, of course, viewable on your iPhone in a special iPhone format…

Why I’m thinking about getting one? Well, I’ve tried getting onto the Internet via my normal cell, and it’s usually quite a long-winded and tedious experience, if at all possible. I’m hoping to be able to access my blogs away from home, without having to drag a laptop around.
The possibilities for music and video, as well as the telephone, wil come as a welcome bonus… I think I might even be able to operate the thing, given an instruction manual, a few hours’ concentration and iPhone Planet!

- I created my own online store… It took all of 10 minutes. (You can do it in 5, but you need to stock it up, too!)

It’s free, there are hundreds of items from many categories to sell, and whether you want to specialize in kids’ clothes, jewelry or books, or have a bit of a mishmash, the site is easy to use. Why choose, by the way? You can have up to 20 stores to your name! There are several templates to choose from, or you can customize one to suit your tastes.

I haven’t looked too much at commissions on “my” items yet, but you can get up to 10% on items sold. Some items pay per click, as well. You don’t package or bill or send anything, by the way.

What else? Oh, yes - Come and have a look at mine!
Did I say it’s a free service? Give it a whirl, and see what your online store at Zlio.com could look like…

A while before Christmas, Hubby and I managed a trip alone to Paris. We enjoyed it so much that one of the first things Hubby said to the kids when we got home, was: “We must all go there some time”…

Although I agree with all my heart, I sometimes wonder if he’s had kids for as long as I have. “When are we going to Paris?” “Have you booked yet?” “Will it be this spring?” “I’m sure we’ll never go” - it goes on and on!

No one knows this (I’ve got 18 years of experience, you see…), but I’ve started to plan for it. I’ve found a nice litte hotel in a quiet little street on the Left Bank, and I’m now in the process of planning for things to see. 2 people can be impulsive, for 7 people (we’ll leave Miracle Boy at home), a little more planning is in order.

At Isango!, I’ve found lots of useful info about all the tourist attractions, and their offers of various Tours in Paris are very comprehensive. They offer tours with various themes - Paris By Night, Versailles and Monet’s garden, the dreaded Disneyland (probably unavoidable…), a perfume making workshop(!), various sight-seeing tours of the main attractions and monuments (saves a LOT of walking!), and all the shows at the Lido, Moulin Rouge and Paradis Latin, of course.

We’ll be skipping the shows, I think - #5 Brat is 5 years old, and we’ll have to plan the trip around her attention span and staying power - while catering for the teens as well. Wine tasting won’t be in the cards either… What we will do, is to take everybody on a Dinner Cruise on the Seine. The sight of Paris from the river, all bathed in lights, is something they’ll all enjoy, especially if combined with a nice meal on board! I might be able to get a “Da Vinci Code” tour in as well - I know the older kids would love that as much as I would…

For booking tours and attractions in advance, Isango! is certainly a place worth checking out, and not just for Paris. They have trivia and pertinent information, as well as activities offers for scores of popular destinations.

In some unforseeable future, there will be a studio for me in our new barn. A room all to myself, where I can lose myself to all the crafts I’ve put on hold for quite a while, since there just isn’t room in our house. Ok, there is room, but I hate having to clear everything away all the time - when you can do an hour there and two hours here, you need your stuff to be available then and there…

Silk painting, sewing, felting, mosaics - My head is bursting with ideas, and I can’t wait to get started.

With production comes the need to sell the stuff, and being a blogger, an e-shop comes to mind. For that, I’ll probably have to get hold of some ecommerce software, and Ashop Commerce seem to be a solution worth checking out.
They have a 10 day trial offer, and they can help with everything from domain registration and design to shopping cart software, a comprehensive support service and Web promotion tools.

The monthly fee is affordable, and it really looks as if they could help even a total dummy me to get a shop up and running. (They say anyone can do it!!!) All I would have to do then would be to fill up my virtual shelves with beautiful hand crafted items, and get my customers to fill up their virtual shopping cart to the hilt. Easy Peasy.

I could really use a spa holiday right now. A Norwegian winter, however mild, does that to my joints and muscles. I’d really love to just call a number, tell them what I want, and have a tailor-made holiday arranged for me a day or two later.

If you live in the UK, Dialaflight.com can arrange virtually anything for you. A spa, an exotic holiday, a city break or a flight to Australia - have a look at their website first, find out where you want to go, and then call them. I wonder if I can have a spa holiday in Australia?
Yes, you get to speak to a real person, and I must say I find that somewhat reassuring. Booking online is fine, but there is nothing like the personal touch to make you feel taken care of.
Well - I’m not going anywhere any time soon, but a girl can dream, no?

# 3 Brat is terribly affected by acne. It’s really bad, especially on his back, and his face is blotchy too. He is, naturally, very self-conscious about it, and we’ve tried several courses of treatment. The most effective so far has been artificial sunlight. There is, however, a practical problem: The treatment center is in town, he has to go 3 times a week, and he’s in school.

As an alternative to this, I’ve come across a chemical peel treatment that looks promising. One thing is that it’s highly beneficial on ageing skin (I might try it myself…), but if the effect on acne is half as good as they say, it would be worth a try.
It’s not a miracle treatment - the TCA peel cleans the skin deeply, which reduces risk of future acne outbreaks. This means it will take time and diligent use to reduce # 3 Brats’ problems, but he knows that from earlier attempts, and has learned to be patient.

Unlike some of the treatments we’ve tried, it’s not all that expensive either. Actually, the more I read about it, the more I think I’ll need to get a starter kit for myself too. I’ll never have time to groom myself to celebrity standard, but my skin has been sadly neglected as of… forever, and this quick, easy-to-use peeling treatment might just add a little glow to my winter-grey face, with a minimum of effort.

I just installed IZEARanks on this blog today. IZEARanks uses a javascript code to collect information and reports a rank that’s based on actual traffic to your site, and on influence. You can display page views and visitors, or you can choose to only display your Real Rank. You can also choose not to display it, and use your RealRank as a tool for yourself. For me, the widget isn’t working on my site, although it’s displaying perfectly well at IZEARanks.com. I’ve heard of others with the same troubles - maybe a good idea to sort that problem out, IZEA, if you want people to sign up!

At IZEARanks.com, you can compare blogs’ ranking trends, have a look at the top 100 blogs, and read up on IZEARank in the blog. Every week through February, there’s an award of $1000 for the # 1 blog, so get signed up! The next contest entry period ends on the 14th, so you can still be it for this week… (See the site for the official rules, don’t click below - that’s just a screenshot!).

IZEA is connected to Pay Per Post, but the Java code is different from the PPP code, so you apparently needn’t worry about being hit by Google.

Installing it is easy, and you can have the widget (hopefully!) and java code up on your blog in no time.

I like the idea of an alternative ranking system, and I really hope RealRank is here to stay, and that it will become a ranking system to be reckoned with. I don’t know the first thing about the runnings of ranking systems, spiders and ‘bots, but I still want to give a thumbs up to IZEA for introducing something new and hopefully viable. Just get those widgets in order!

It’s getting noticeably lighter here now - it doesn’t get dark until around 4.30pm, which is quite an improvement. It feels dark all day these days though - no sun, just dark, grey clouds…

Lighting is important in these conditions, but I’m so bad at it… I tend to go for spotlights where I need a lot of light, and kerosene lamps or candles for ambiance. I never get it right though. It’s either too dark or too bright. I’m sure an interior designer could teach me a thing or two.

It’s not that the choice in light fixtures is in any way limited. Quite the opposite! Take a look at the various lighting fixtures offered at Farreys.com, for example. The variety in styles and the number of top manufacturer brands is staggering. A particular favourite of mine is Minka Lavery. They make lamps with a modern expression as well as classical types of lighting, and they’re all equally beautiful. Maxim lighting also has a fun mixture of contemporary and traditional lamps - lovely!

Truth be told, I could use to rethink the lighting in most of my house, starting in the kitchen and living room. The hallway is far too dark as well. Whenever I look at lamps, I seem to bring home another spotlight though - I can never choose!

Did you think a heart-shaped box of chocolates for Valentine’s was outdated and old-fashioned?

Well, you may think again, right now! Fannie May Fine chocolates, see, they have this online store, where you can buy anything from dark chocolate candy to chocolate truffles, fudge, caramel pops… For Valentine’s Day, they make the most beautiful Romance Baskets with assorted treats, and of course, the classic heart-shaped box. Actually, there are several to choose from, and you can create your own assortment too.

I’m a woman, I’m not on a diet, and I’d absolutely love it if my dearest one came home with one of those. So there… Until the 14th, I’ll just hang around Fannie May’s site and drool… Did I mention you can buy the goodies online??