For those that are looking to advertise their blog or website to increase traffic and brand recognition, they just might soon realize that internet advertising almost always costs an arm and a leg.  Not everyone has a huge budget for facebook, google adwords, or other banner advertising services.  Thankfully, there is a brand new free ad banner exchange called Miloads.  I gave it a shot a few months back, and it has generated some really decent traffic.  All you have to do is sign up, and then embed the tiny bit of code in your blog’s sidebar widget.  That’s it!  If you look at our lower right hand column, you’ll see the layout we chose (there are a variety of shapes, sizes, and customization options).  Having used facebook and google advertising in the past, I can honestly say it’s very similar.  You can customize your banner designs and ad content text just like the others.

It takes no more than two minutes to get everything up and running.  When you log in to the Miloads website you can view each of your ad campaigns, track your traffic, and see which ads are getting clicked on the most.  Anyone else who runs miloads on their website will be advertising for other users on the Miloads network, so your ads will appear all over the internet, instantly.  With over 2 million unique ad impressions already, Miloads is definitely an ad banner exchange that will get your ads viewed, and clicked on.  Our website has already had close to 1150 clicks and over 176,00 impressions, in just 2 months.  I’m very impressed thus far.  The statistics will continue to increase and improve as time goes on, as more and more users sign up; and the ad banner network’s reach will expand even further.  There’s no cost, so you have nothing to lose. Try out Miloads today, and see what it can do for your website.

The Good

Plasma TV’s have come down so much in price over the last few years, if you haven’t made the switch over to widescreen or HD yet, now is the time.  The Samsung 51″ PN51D450 Plasma TV is not a full 1080p set, but you might be fooled into thinking it was.  The actual resolution is 1360 x 768, so you’re really only losing 300 or so pixels in height as compared to the 1080 model (which costs about $150-200 more).  I decided that instead of a 42″ for around $450-500 this 51″ was way more television for the money, at the price I paid.  I couldn’t be happier with this plasma TV.  It seems just as crisp and sharp, with vivid colors as the 42″ model.  There doesn’t seem to be any loss of quality do to the increased size. Even DVD’s playing via the component cable hookup on my old 480p dvd player look amazing.  Once I pick up a blu-ray player or PS3 that will upconvert them to 1080, they should look even better.  The digital tuner in this TV, and in all Samsung televisions is incredibly strong.  I don’t even Read the rest of this entry »

Ah, Mondays.  Waking up in the morning is not on the top of everyone’s “favorite things to do” list.  Fortunately, there are some really creative product designers out there making alarm clocks and the act of rising and shining “fun” again.  Take a look at these top 10 coolest alarm clock designs and let us know what your favorites are in the comments section below! By now we all probably have seen those certain projector digital clock radio alarms with the projection features, where the time gets projected onto the wall or the ceiling.  Some of these alarm clocks move off the night stand, roll around your floor and raise ruckus so that you have to get up to turn them off.  Another one actually flies!  Here are 10 of the most fun, creatively designed, and feature rich alarm clocks on the web. Usefulness is debatable on some of these alarm clocks, but overall they all have at least good novelty use.  They are all pretty cheap, as well – so they’re also definitely a great gift idea for the techie geek in your life.

1. Gun Target Alarm Clock

It’s cool because you have to shoot the target in order to turn it off.  Will you be able to do this from across the room, half asleep?  I don’t know.  It might not get you out of bed that easily, if you’re within shooting range.

Read the rest of this entry »

Working in the creative field, we are hooked on our technology.  We need it, we use it, we breathe it.  Digital media runs in our blood, so it’s important that we’re always connected.  We like to show people things on our phones, and be able to work on the go without lugging a laptop or finding a wifi hotspot.  Regarding prepaid phone plans, in general – they’re known to usually be crap, right?  Smartphones and data plans are almost always going to cost about $70-100 per month, right?  Wrong.  Not anymore – now you can get the new LG Optimus V smartphone with Android 2.2 Froyo on it, on a major network (Sprint), for just $25 a month.  No contract, and no hassles.  Did I mention the $25/month include unlimited text messaging, MMS, and internet data?  It’s pretty wild.  This phone is going to be a game changer, for many that are paying more and getting less with their current network providers. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re like me, and you’re the type that’s particular about the mouse you’re using, then check out the Logitech G9x.  I spend a lot of time each day on a computer, so the pointing device I use makes a huge difference in my faily workflow.  I enjoy my Wacom tablet as well, but I only whip it out when I’m doing some major photo retouching or if my wrist starts to bother me.  The G9x mouse was designed with gamers in mind.  Even still, graphic designers, photographers, video producers, and anyone else spending a lot of hours on the computer will love this mouse for their daily design and editing tasks.  Whether on a Mac or a PC you will love it.  It’s the updated version of the ever popular Logitech G9. Read the rest of this entry »