Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Clues for the World For $1 Campaign

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past week you are well aware of the World for $1 campaign being hosted by LastMinuteTravel.com. For those of you sheltered folks I'll explain the promotion. Basically the World for $1 campaign allows you to book a trip ANYWHERE in the world with pretty much any hotel (including 5 star hotels) for just $1 /night. The catch (yes there is always a catch). Is that you have 15 minutes to do this and they do not tell you when these 15 minutes take place. From what I've gathered, people have been literally spending 10 hours a day on the website just so they be there when the 15 minute timer pops up.

For those of you who still don't get it..I'll walk you through the process of somebody who gets to book a trip for $1..

A person, let's call him "Joe", randomly stumbles upon LastMinuteTravel.com. After a few minutes a timer pops up that says 15:00 and continues to wind down by the second. Joe then has 15 minutes..and only 15 minutes.....to select a location, hotel, and then checkout. If he does this then he'll have a hotel of his choice for $1/night and Joe will be a very very happy guy.

Now onto the purpose of this post..the clues. When I say clues it could only mean one thing..that 15 minute time slot in which this campaign is taking place. How can you find clues? Well for those of you who are familiar with the Kevin & Janice World for $1 Adventure series, and have read the little video blurbs, the video is supposed to offer clues in relation to when this is taking place. Judging by the fact that each individual episode is averaging around 150,000 views and the one I just hyperlinked has about 60,000 views a lot of you have probably already seen this. From who I have talked to, nobody can narrow down a time period. I think though that I have figured it out to a certain extent. I can't give you an exact time, but I can save you a biiiiiiig chunk of time out of your day by giving you these clues.

Clue 1:


It's a little hard to see, but the clock says 6:02AM. This is the time when you see the dog run to the computer and book the trip. Kevin falls asleep at 11:52PM and you see the clock turn to 6:02AM and his dog runs to the computer and books the trip for him and Janice. This should be it right? The booked it at this time so it's running at 6:02..the end. Well, not exactly. There is no way that Kevin & Janice are at a packed Internet cafe at 6:00AM. Who also would wake up at 6:00AM for a freakin' anniversary striptease...I don't think that even Kevin & Janice would, but this clue is a start.

Clue 2/3:

These kind of go together a bit so I'm combining them..The Internet cafe. Now if you look at the whole episode (day 3) you can see that it is clearly daylight. May not sound like a big clue, but it is really the only time (besides the Monk episode) that is blatantly during the day. You might say "hey what about the striptease"? Well, you would THINK that a striptease is occurring at night, but whose to say that it wasn't in the morning. Speaking of the striptease, here comes clue #3, the couple makes it clear that they haven't exchanged anniversary gifts yet. Now if it was late at night, which is when you would THINK the striptease is taking place, the would have exchanged gifts already, but the fact that they haven't indicated that there is still a good portion of the day left.

Clue 4:



Judging by the fact that the words "Watch for the clues" are scattered throughout this episode indicates that you shouldn't completely ignore the Monk episode (although Kevin & Janice are nowhere to be found and the timer doesn't pop up). Take note in the beginning of the fact that a member of the convent is ringing a bell. This bell is an alarm waking up the other members signifying that it is early in the morning. He also rings the bell 9 times. 9am anyone???



Based on these 4 (or 3.5) clues what can be determined???

That the promotion is taking place in the morning...probably closer to the 6:00-9:00AM side. It also might vary on a daily basis for all I know, but I think you can determine from the clues I provided that if you want to spend all day on the website you'll be wasting your time. Stick with a 6:00AM-11:00AM slot to play it safe.


Now here comes the part where ask that we all work together on this. Has anybody else picked up additional clues?? Do you think that I'm completely wrong. Help :).


For those of you who still haven't viewed the video you can watch it here: http://www.lastminutetravel.com/Movies.aspx?mid=8&utm_source=blg&utm_medium=pv&utm_campaign=w4ad

They released the "Uncensored version" as well here:
http://www.lastminutetravel.com/Movies.aspx?mid=9&utm_source=blg&utm_medium=pv&utm_campaign=w4ad

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Five Greatest Deals/Bargains

In a down economy we're always looking for the biggest value for our dollar. These days, with most companies cutting costs, finding a great deal or bargain seems almost impossible. However there are still a few businesses that are offering some great deals. Here are five great deal/bargains that are currently happening:

1. LastMinuteTravel.com's World for $1 - Many people have been avoiding any sort of vacation because of how tight money is. LastMinuteTravel.com is offering an amazing deal where you can book ANY hotel (including 5 star hotels) for just $1/night (up to 7 nights). Can't really beat a deal like this. The only catch is that you can only book hotels at this price for 15 minutes/day and they don't tell you when exactly the deal is occurring (the video which is linked is supposed to provide you clues on this though). I booked a vacation two weeks ago, but I might book another one just because of this deal.

2. Target Clearance Sale - Target's already low prices have gotten even better with their 75% off clearance sale. The sale ranges from clothes to bedding to shoes and a whole lot more. Target prices that are normally $25 are now $6.25, $15 is now $5, etc. Very hard to find deals like these anywhere.

3. Amazon.com Electronics - Looking for cheap electronics? Check out Amazon.com. They have over 6,000 products at 90% off. You can get a 6 foot HDMI cable for just $0.01 (normally $5) and a 4GB memory card with SD adapter for $2.50 (normally $70) among thousands of other deals.

4. Backcountryoutlet.com Clearance - Backcountryoutlet.com is offering a clearance sale of their products that is going for a minimum of 60% off. A very cool clothing line with a lot of great deals.

5. Cable Sales (40%) - Cable companies, in an effort to compete, are offering a sale of 40% (and in some cases close to 50%)...if you ask for it. It's an unofficial sale, but the cable company would rather keep your business than have you go elsewhere so give your cable provider a call and ask for a 40% discount. Chances are you'll get it.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Five Great Toys Under $30

Tell a four year old that you don't have enough money to buy them everything they want, and they'll probably say, "Let's go to that machine that gives you dollars whenever you want." The idea that money grows on trees has been replaced by a generation who believes the ATM machine just spits out free money on command. We know the truth, there's no such thing as free money. And in this economy, money is tighter than ever.

Budget wise moms and dads have found a number of great toys to satisfy the curiosity of their children ages 3-8. Toys that stimulate, educate, and bring tons of smiles, without breaking the bank.

Check out these birthday, holiday, or just "because" top toys for $30 and under.

1. Dittydoodle Works Lessons In the Lyrics System - This musically based learning aide, from the award-winning public television series Dittydoodle Works, has two DVDs with four fun, educational episodes along with a sing along CD, activity book and certificates to reward your child's progress. $24.95 (not available in stores)

2. Vtech Tote 'N Go Laptop Plus – Early learning will never take a back seat with this colorful laptop featuring 30 engaging activities that teach preschoolers important skills including letters, numbers, writing and counting. $21.99

3. Discovery Amazing Money Jar Bank – This high tech bank shows you exactly how much money you've saved with an LCD built into the lid that counts U.S. currency. Helps teach kids responsible saving.$14.95

4. Animal Scramble – Place the animal figures around a room and then take turns racing to find the one
that the handheld giraffe calls out
. In early levels, the giraffe calls out the first letter or full name of the animal to tag. Once kids master the names, the game adds in animal sounds, colors and characteristics. (Who says roar? Who is orange? Who has stripes?) These questions help kids learn to identify single objects in multiple ways. $30

5. Crayola Glow Station – Bring out the young artist in your child as they take over two dozen shapes and patterns to create their own phosphorescent worlds. $30

These top five products for kids prove that you don't have to spend a ton of money to have a ton of fun.

Monday, January 19, 2009

5 Websites That Offer Free Valuable Information

In a down economy, there is an increase in the demand for free, high quality information. The Internet has provided the opportunity for individuals to seek out relevant information related to pretty much anything. This can range from finding the perfect recipe, advice on how to enhance your business, where the nearest movie theater to you is located...virtually anything. What makes an informational-based website stand out from the clutter? Generally, a website that is "niche-based" and hones in enough on one topic to become an expert usually will stand out from the pack, but the websites that offer a lot of information related to multiple topics are the real diamond in the roughs. The list below represents five informational-based websites that stand out from the rest.


1. Wikipedia - This is the obvious #1. You can search for pretty much anything (that has some significance) on Wikipedia and find an entire page dedicated to it. The fact that anybody can edit an article makes it's credibility a little weak at times, but Wikipedia is great at weeding out the bs edits and ensuring that the content on the website is informative and accurate.

2. About.com - The great thing relating to About.com when compared to Wikipedia is the fact that the pages are written in a loose, casual manner instead of "Encyclopedia" type writing. The reason that this is an advantage is because while Wikipedia has extremely valuable information, the writing can be a little stale. About.com doesn't have this problem. The next time you are looking for information with an entertaining twist, check out About.com

3. findingDulcinea - Labeled as the "Librarian of the Internet", findingDulcinea.com seeks to find the best websites related to EVERY topic so you don't have to. Imagine not having to sift through the clutter and the spam on Google, Yahoo, and MSN when you run a search. When you explore topics and news on findingDulcinea, you are guaranteed that the websites being referenced are high quality, informative, and won't send spyware/viruses to your computer.

4. Mahalo - Whether it is news, sports, questions (and answers) you are looking for, you are sure to find it on Mahalo.com. Labeled as "human-powered" search, Mahalo (much like the other websites listed) provides a human-edited approach to a variety of different topics. Mahalo summarizes a particular article or topic and includes a list of other websites that have information relating to it.

5. YouTube - YouTube isn't only useful for finding 10 minute videos of people making jackasses out of themselves. Believe it or not, you can find a lot of valuable information on YouTube by just searching for it. YouTube contains a variety of tutorials related to pretty much anything (especially tech-related). I know with me personally, I always like to see a visual when I'm learning something new instead of just reading the instructions.