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

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.

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.

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.

The 10 Most Significant News Stories of 2008

2008 certainly kept the media busy. Between Obama, the war in Iraq, and the recession, there never seemed to be a dull moment. Here is a list of the 10 most significant news stores of 2008 (from the perspective of a United States citizen):

10. Illinois Governor Blagojevch Arrested for Attempting to Sell/Trade Obama's Vacant Senate Seat - The biggest political scandal of the year that initially gave Obama quite a bit of bad PR soon after he was elected. Governor Blagojevch attempted to trade or sell Obama's vacant senate, but wound up arrested on conspiracy charges instead.

9. Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes Die - One great comedian and an excellent musician / actor (South Park) unexpectedly died one day apart. Bernie Mac passed away from complications due to pneumonia while Isaac Hayes died from a recurrance of a previous stroke.

8. Russia Attacks Georgia - The Georgian/Russian conflict that eventually led to a brief war between the two countries.

7. Sarah Palin: First Woman to be Republican Candidate for Vice President - Although she was ridiculed constantly during her campaign run for Vice President, Sarah Palin achieved a big accomplishment in becoming the first female Vice President candidate for the conservative Republican Party.

6. Marriott Hotel Bombing: Islamabad - On September 20th a dump truck filled with explosives detonated in front of a Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, killing at least 54 and injuring at least 266.

5. Somali Pirates hijack Ships - Pirates??? Apparently so. Somali pirates invaded ships in order to steal money. The motive behind the crimes supposedly had to do with illegal fishing and dumping that was taking place in their waters.

4. Hilary Clinton: First Woman to Win a Presidential Primary - She might not have won, but there is no question that Hilary Clinton's race for Presidency has had a huge impact on women everywhere. She became the first woman to win a presidential primary.

3. Mumbai Terror Attack - The Mumbai attacks were a series of ten coordinated terrorist attacks that killed at least 173 people and injured 308 others.

2. United States in Recession - The economic recession that has left (and is still leaving) Americans in a crisis. Stocks are plummeting, unemployment rate is sky high, and numerous businesses are going bankrupt.

1. Barack Obama's Presidential Victory - In one of the most important elections in US history, America chose for the man promising change, Barack Obama. His victory is not only important because of the fact that he's the first African American President (although that is a big reason), but because of the situation that the United States has found themselves in at the time of the election

Top 10 Most Underrated Television Shows

Certain television shows such as The Simpsons, Lost, and 24 have received the recognition that they deserve. The fact that they are enormously entertaining have made them as popular as they are today. However, there are dozens of television shows that are just as good (some can argue even better), but for one reason or another never receive the fan base of the aforementioned tv shows. Here is a list of the top 10 most underrated television shows (must have aired in 2000 or later to qualify).


1. Supernatural - Anybody who has seen an episode of the brilliant Supernatural can vouch for the number 1 spot that it has received. Any fan of the horror/suspense genre must see this show. Two brothers's mother was murdered in front of their father by something "supernatural". This caused the father to take an interest in the supernatural, raising the boys as warriors to fight the unknown. When the brothers grow up, the father disappears on a routine supernatural hunt. The brothers go on a search for their missing father. This highly addictive show is not only entertaining, scary, and intelligent, but the character development is practically unrivaled amongst other shows that exist.


2. Robot Chicken - The show is starting to receive the recognition that it deserves after the popularity of the Star Wars episode, but I still think it is highly underrated. This 10 minute claymation show has brief clips (lasting anywhere from 2 seconds to 2 minutes) that pretty much mock everything possible. 90% of the time, the jokes work and the briefness of it all is perfect for the ADD generation. Sometimes you won't get the jokes (when it refers to a TV show/movie you haven't seen), but when it's on you'll laugh until it hurts.

3. Dexter - Dexter remains an underrated show because of its placement on Showtime. Had it been aired on HBO, the popularity of this show would grow tremendously. Dexter has one of the most unique plots that currently exists on television. Dexter is an employee of the Miami Metropolitan Police Department's crime lab. When you see him interact with other coworkers, he seems like your every day typical guy. Dexter is far from it however. He is a vigilante. When he is on the crime scene for a brutal murder he decides to extract his own brand of justice by solving the crime himself and killing the murderers. Dexter is original, addictive, and entertaining. You really will never see a show quite like this.

4. Morel Orel - Morel Orel's 3 year run unfortunately just ended on December 18th . Morel Orel is the second best Adult Swim original show behind Robot Chicken. Orel is a well-behaved Christian child who seeks to better himself and his community on a daily basis by following the teachings of the church. The humor aspect of this show lies among Orel's interpretation of each sermon. Example: a teaching stated that you must be loyal to your friends. Orel is introduced to a new "friend" who happens to be a bad kid. He ends up beating up other kids and destroying property because he was simply following the church teachings. The dad is also a great part of this show. Hes an alcoholic who is battling his own inner demons. Very sad to see this show go.

5. Jericho - There's a reason why CBS received a substantial amount of people protesting the cancellation of this show. The show focuses on residents of Jericho, Kansas in the aftermath of nuclear attacks. This is a highly entertaining show that always leaves you wondering "whats going to happen next". Similar in what makes Lost so entertaining, except not as frustrating.

6. Oz - Due to the popularity of the Sopranos and Six Feet Under, Oz was highly overlooked show that was actually just as good as the Sopranos and better than Six Feet Under. Oz takes a look at prison life in the maximum security prison known as Oswald. Oz refers to a unit within Oswald that is known for it's "leniency" compared to the other units. This show doesn't hold back in it's depiction of prison life which provides an authentic feel to the show that is rarely seen. Everything about it feels so real and you actually sympathize with half of the prisoners while hating the other half. It's hard to imagine a show like Oz ever existing again.

7. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Any fan of improvisational comedy should check out It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Boasting Danny Devito among it's lead actors, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia provides a humorous look at an extremely dysfunctional family.

8. Arrested Development - Here comes the boos. Not because it doesn't deserve to be on the list, but because it's ranked "8" instead of "1" or "2". Arrested Development is often looked at as the funniest show that ever existed on television, or one of them. In my opinion, this show is slightly overrated in that sense, but extremely underrated in terms of how unpopular this show was when it was aired. You need to have a certain sense of humor to appreciate this show. Those who fit the target audience, will no doubt be one of the many who are still pissed off to this day that this show was canceled.

9. MXC - MXC can only be described as stupidally brilliant. This show is an actual Japanese game show that is dubbed in English (although not accurately). MXC highlights the ridiculousness of some Japanese shows in an extremely amusing manner.

10. Everybody Hates Chris - Critics love it, viewers love it...so what's the problem? Not sure, but for one reason or another this show never received the fanbase that it deserved. A very funny show nonetheless.

Top 10 New Websites of 2008

Each year millions of new websites are created, but only a few actually succeed. The reason for their success usually is related to a variety of factors including: offering a unique(s) feature that can't be found elsewhere, providing interesting content, and having a good marketing strategy in place. These new websites, the best ones of 2008, have successfully broken through the clutter of other sites by offering unique and interesting content.

1. BreakingNews.com - The BreakingNews.com website does exactly as you would expect it to, provide the most up to date News stories from around the world. Because it provides feeds from various reliable Internet sources, it offers an unbiased approach to the News, which is something seldom seen on the web. BreakingNews.com offers "breaking news alerts" in a variety of categories, including "world", "US", "politics", "entertainment", "sports", "business & tech", "health & science", and "odds & animals". A unique feature about this website is that it allows you to sort your category preference simply by clicking on an up arrow or down arrow. If that's not enough, BreakingNews.com features a "water cooler" section that allows visitors to see which stories people are receiving the most attention.

2. findingDulcinea.com - Technically formed at the end of 2007, findingDulcinea.com was not released from Beta mode until early 2008 (therefore allowing it to qualify for the top 10 list). Boasting a creative tagline of "Librarian of the Internet", fidningDulcinea.com more than lives up to its claim. Whether you're looking for general information (on pretty much anything), a directory of websites, or top new stories, you will be able to find it on this website. My favorite part about findingDulcinea.com is how it encompasses all the best characteristics of the Internet. It is informative, human-generated, as well as additively entertaining. There is a "Web Guide" section which provides an extensive overview on a variety of topics (including links to reliable sources), "Beyond the Headlines" which offers a unique viewpoint of the top stories of the day (as well as links to the outside sources), and "Netcetera" which has offbeat, original content (i.e. notable figures birthdays, essential websites for New Years, etc.).

3. SpliceToday.com - Refreshing, entertaining, informative, and unique are all words that can be used to describe SpliceToday. SpliceToday.com produces unique stories about a variety of topics including sex, sports, politics, music, pop culture, and more. I've been a fan of this website since June and have been addicted ever since. Just read any of the articles on the website and you'll grasp what I'm referring to.

4. Yahoo! Buzz - If you're a social media nerd like myself, you were eagerly waiting for the launch of this website. Being that it is controlled by Yahoo, a high expectation level was set for this website. So far it has been meeting these expectations. While it offers a very similar approach as Digg and Propeller, I've seen a significantly less amount of spam than on Yahoo! Buzz which is a huge reason why it gets my vote. I can only see this website getting better over time.

5. AnswersTV - AnswersTV provides a concept that makes you wonder why no other website has thought of it. To put it simply, AnswersTV is a website that has a bunch of informational videos relating to a variety of topics (Magic, Travel, Health, Food, etc.). Think of these videos as a cross between "how to" videos and if Wikipedia converted it's pages into videos. The content that AnswersTV.com provides is unique, interesting, and most importantly, informative.


6. Who's Your Champion - Check out their "Wall of Champions" and you'll grasp what exactly Who's Your Champion is all about. From the typical (Chuck Norris, Arnold Schwarzenegger) to the wtfs?? (2 men creating a "Let's Put the Fork in the Garbage Disposal" dance, nerdy fat kids awkwardly singing), Who's Your Champion allows you to upload videos of pretty much anyone that makes you go "wow that person is a champ" while voting for other people's videos as well. This is such a refreshingly unique type of social media website that I can see sky rocketing in popularity in the near future.

7. AlcoholAbuse.com - Why does this make the list you might ask? Well, from what I've seen this new website has the most relevant information pertaining to alcohol abuse from symptoms, treatments, and general information. This website even includes an alcoholism test that allows you to assess whether you have a problem or not. This is such a prevalent problem that exists (we all know at least one person who suffers from this) that it makes this website very important, thus ranking on the top 10 list.

8. Smilebooks - The only product that makes the Top 10 list. Smilebooks allows you to create a digital photobook (a pretty kickass looking one if I might add) of pretty much anything that you want. Ranging from weddings, graduations, vacations, baby showers, etc. Smilebooks has a variety of different themes/categories to choose from.


9. JuicyCampus - Go to college? Have something juicy to say about somebody? Or maybe you just want to bash somebody, anonymously. Well you can with JuicyCampus.com. What surprises me the most about this website is that it doesn't require a user name or registration, but yet the spamming is kept under control. If you go to college, it's cool to see what is being said about your campus and the people who go there.

10. MakeupProducts.com - My last girlfriend was a fan of this website, and I can see why. Although this definitely is targeting women more than men, guys can still find it useful when searching for a gift for that special lady. This website includes hundreds of different makeup product reviews, tips and tricks, as well as industry news and overviews of different brands.