Please direct your questions, comments, subscription requests, and site submissions to geoff@kleinman.comIn This Months' Report:
***Best Fares
***A Really Busy June
***I-Shop Therefore, .com I am (Special Report)
***Windows 98
***Dr. Strange Browser or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love IE
***The New Section Stays
***What's on My Nightstand - The List by Steve Martini
***Spinning in My CD player - Flaming Red by Patty Griffin
***What I'm Watching - The Truman Show
Url's in this issue:
Shopping.com: http://www.shopping.com
Random House Direct: http://www.randomhouse.com/buybooks/signed.html
Yahoo's (Visa) Shopping Guide: http://shopguide.yahoo.com/
Excite's (Master Card) Shopping Channel: http://www.excite.com/shopping/
Best Fares: http://www.bestfares.com
Windows 98 Article: http://www.intel.com/home/club/win98.htm
Internet Explorer: http://www.microsoft.com/ie/download/
(Book, music and movie URLs are in their respective sections)
***A Busy June***
We're Pregnant (well, Heather is...)! Need I say more.... It's been a buzz of excitement on this end, preparing for the new addition to the Kleinman Family in December. So how's that for an excuse for missing June's issue? Well, never fear, I've put a lot of the content I was preparing for June into this edition (in addition to all my July stuff, so bear with me if this issue is a little on the long side :)***I-Shop: Therefore, .com I am (Special Report)***
The big story in this Report is Internet shopping. I've been shopping over the Internet a lot these past few months and have been finding everything from great deals to great frustrations....***I-Shop: Great Frustrations***
First, my great frustration: I shelled out the $69 bucks (refundable, thank god) to NetMarket to become a "NetMarket Member". What did this entitle me to? A ton of frustration. With 2 severely botched orders (one that after a month they aid that they wouldn't even be able to fill) and replies to e-mails like, "sorry, we can't help you", I learned the hard lesson - you'd better shop around, think long and hard if membership fees for shopping are really worth it, and make sure you can get your money back.(I don't have a link here to NetMarket, because I DO NOT recommend them.)
***I-Shop: Good Vibrations***
On the upside, with many of the Internet shopping sites trying to get people to shop at them, I've been able to find some great Net-deals and opportunities. Remember, I am not affiliated with these companies in any way and do not receive a penny from them or anyone else for this report.One example of some great deals I found was Shopping.com. With their Top 10 selling DVDs selling at a price much lower than my local store ($16.99 plus shipping), I couldn't resist. Also, in their Hot Deals section, I spotted "Horse Whisperer" in paperback for $3.20 (plus shipping) - real cheap compared to the $7.95 cover price.
Another great deal/cool find that I found was Random House Direct's signed book store. Books signed by your favorite authors and shipped free (you only have to pay cover price). What a great idea!
Shopping.com: http://www.shopping.com
Random House Direct: http://www.randomhouse.com/buybooks/signed.html***I-Shop: Great Expectations***
I hope that the Internet shops get it through their heads that people will hold them to a different standard than "real world" shops. Here's what I expect when I shop online:
- Value: the same or better (including shipping) price than if I ran down the street and bought it.
- A Quick Turnaround: there's nothing like waiting a month for something.
- Availability: I can't get something near me, but can over the Internet.
- Easy Gift-giving: If I have to mail a gift anyway, paying someone else to send it isn't such a big deal
- Support: answer my e-mail, let me easily check the status of my order, and, god forbid there's a problem, tell me about it and help find a solution.
Two good places to start your net shopping spree are: Yahoo's (Visa) Shopping Guide: http://shopguide.yahoo.com/ and Excite's (Master Card) Shopping Channel: http://www.excite.com/shopping/
***Best Fares***
What I find myself shopping for a lot these days online are really cheap air fares to go and visit family or take some time away (before the baby comes). Until recently, I've found romping around the net, fiddling with all the airlines' cyber fare web pages, to be about as much fun as balancing my checkbook. After finding Bestfares.com, I hardly break a sweat when looking for good deals. What a great idea to pull all the airfare bargains into one place!Best Fares: http://www.bestfares.com
***Windows 98***
Another contributor to June's missing edition was all the time I spent working on an article for work about Windows 98. Here's a definition of irony: I was writing this article about how great Windows 98 is, and then when I was doing the page design, it crashed, and kept crashing for 8 hours!!! Finally, I figured out what was wrong - I discovered a bug with Windows 98 (a corrupted Photoshop file on your desktop will toast your system, and you have to go in and delete it in DOS!). I'm still waiting for my lousy Windows 98 T-shirt from Microsoft (I won't hold my breath). If you're interested in checking out the article I wrote, please do and let me know what you think.Windows 98 Article: http://www.intel.com/home/club/win98.htm
***Dr. Strange Browser or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love IE***
So you can feel my pain, and you know I'm not Microsoft's #1 fan, but like that old Stanley Kubrick movie, I'm learning to love the inevitable: IE. It came with Windows 98 and it kicks Netscape's butt. In 1995 I declared a winner in the browser war, and now 3 years later I've finally switched to using it full time. All I can say is that Internet Explorer under Windows 98 is more stable than any browser before it, and at then end of the day, that's what's important to me. Also, it's hell on wheels. I know I'll get flack about this from those of you who love Netscape or dislike Microsoft, but all allegiances aside, IE stands for InEvitable.Internet Explorer: http://www.microsoft.com/ie/download/
***The New Section Stays***
Back in May, I introduced this new section with what's on my nightstand, spinning in my CD player and what I'm watching, and I got a lot of really positive responses (THANKS!). The one that meant the most to me was from a reader named Karen who writes, "I like your newsletter and look forward to receiving it. I am disabled with a chronic illness so I don't get out much. Your new section at the end of your newsletter makes me feel like I am still in touch with the real world, just a little bit. I vote for keeping it". For Karen: The New Section Stays!***What's on My Nightstand - The List by Steve Martini***
It's Summer, and The List is a good summer read - a book about a woman who writes a bestseller under a pen name and then hires a man to play the role. This light thriller is an enjoyable summer read. If you keep your expectations in check or are looking for an easy, light read, The List will give you a nice escape into a world of sex, lies and paperbacks.The List: http://www.mca.com/putnam/books/list_pb/book.html
The List (Screen Saver): http://www.mca.com/putnam/screen_saver/index.html***Spinning in My CD player - Flaming Red by Patty Griffin***
Let me just say that I LOVE this new CD by Patty Griffin. I saw her a year or so ago in concert (with Billy Mann and Jann Arden) and was captivated by her music. Her first CD, Living With Ghosts, was a great acoustic CD, and now Flaming Red picks up the same great lyrical quality with more behind it and a great beat. This is a great CD!Flaming Red Web Site: http://nw3.nai.net/~zigmont/
Patty Griffin Lyrics: http://www.geocities.com/Wellesley/3079/patty.html
Patty Griffin Tour Dates: http://www.spectra.net/~ducksoup/pattyg/pattyg.htm***What I'm Watching - The Truman Show ***
It's Summer movie time, and for the most part, full of many disappointments: liked, not loved X-Files; kept looking at my watch at Godzilla (or what I like to call God-did-I-really-pay-full-price-for-this-crap); smiled but didn't laugh at Six Days Seven Nights; and pondered Bullworth. The one movie that really impressed me was The Truman Show - with its heart of gold and a story that drew me in, it's my favorite summer flick, so far.The Truman Show: http://www.trumanshow.com/index2.html
Roger Ebert's Review: http://www.suntimes.com/output/ebert1/05show.htm
Rough Cut Review ($7.50!): http://www.roughcut.com/reviews/movies/vault/truman_show.html
Yahoo! Movies "Full Coverage": http://headlines.yahoo.com/Full_Coverage/Movies/the_truman_sho/i ndex.htmlCongratulations, you made it to the end of a very LONG Kleinman Report. Until next month...
Best Regards,
Geoff