March28|2011: The top three ways to sour a great vacation are usually bed bugs, bed bugs and lost luggage. While all may be frustrating, GoGoBot crowd-sources the power of the traveling hordes to your advantage to help you plan the perfect vacation. They boast an internal network of real life travelers and integrate with your Facebook and Twitter accounts to get reviews and recommendations from people you know. Checkit March23|2011: Now that it's spring, time to shovel the last of the snow and map/motivate your jogging ambition. Rather than tune to your favorite station, consider job.fm - a great resource to power through snowflakes especially with that 5k on the horizon! Checkit March15|2011: After years of independent family research, we finally realized it's time to construct our family tree, roots and all, which lead us to Proust. Using their simple questions makes it easy to learn more about your loved ones and what makes your family’s story unique. Checkit March08|2011: The Dealmap is a service that combines all of your favorite daily deal sites with your phone’s GPS capabilities to offer you the best savings in your immediate surroundings. While the web-based version of the service is fantastic, the true utility of Dealmap comes with using their mobile app, available for iPhone and Android. Your current location allows you to see what’s being offered nearby in map format, with results from Groupon, LivingSocial, Restaurant.com and more. Checkit March04|2011: With Internet piracy at an all time high, we’ve always wondered: how do they balance their busy downloading schedules with all those high seas antics? Then we discovered Todo.ly. It’s the preferred to-do list for 9 out of 10 pirates, and for landlovers like us, the most easily managed to-do list we've ever used. Checkit February28|2011: Looking for a reason to finally consume that bucket of popcorn that's been calling your name in the pantry? Then its time to fulfill that craving with the help of MUBI, an online film archive spanning every genre and time period. Checkit February22|2011: Time to fall in love again! No, not because you see 75 percent off the Valentine's Day candy amidst the St.Patty's day sparkle hats but rather with a culinary resource. Can you smell the love yet? Try tasting it with cheese on top. Checkit February18|2011: Although Copernicus is primarily remembered for his contributions to heliocentric cosmology, it turns out he was mostly famous in his own time for throwing great parties with delicious wine. Were he alive today, Copernicus would've been floored by InVino. They specialize in a whole world of quality wines that would normally break the bank, selling bottles at discounts of up to 80%. Think of it as a Groupon for top notch vino. Checkit February15|2011: Candy coma from Valentine's Day? Next year consider naming a cockroach after someone you adore by making a donation to the Bronx Zoo... Roaches are forever! Checkit February10|2011:: I know all of you are greatly anticipating the time when phones are the size of our watches, but what's even more exciting is now there is an app that pretty much turns your Android or iPhone into a walkie talkie. Can you feel the love Dick Tracie?! Try bringing out your inner detective with TiKL for Android and HeyTell for the iPhone. Both apps won't drain your SMS plan or voice minutes. Checkit February09|2011: We spend weekends just like everybody doing laundry and catching up on episodes of the Bachelor. Wouldn't it be nice to travel and experience culture in an art form? The Google Art Project allows enthusiasts to tour the greatest art museums in the world (in amazing detail) right at our fingertips. Checkit February08|2011: While shopping for a fake beard and top hat combo for our annual Presidents' Day slumber party, we realized that the pressure to find the best price in a sea of retailers was actually making the process a little stressful. Our founding fathers never would have wanted this for us! We started avoiding buyer's remorse by using Boo.ly, a browser plug-in that allows you to view and compare prices with a single click. Checkit February01|2011: As a child, your mother made sure that you never accepted candy or gifts from strangers. Good call, Mom. But what if you were the stranger, and you could use the power of gifts for good instead of evil? Make someone's day brighter with Gift A Stranger, which makes it easy to send some lucky person a gift of your choosing. Checkit January30|2011: When we tried to organize our Annual Indoor Fireworks Party with a group of friends via text message, the results were nothing short of disastrous. Silver lining? Waiting for the arson charges to be dropped has given us plenty of time to improve our texting efficiency. We found the solution in GroupMe, a free service that allows you to effortlessly group text with the people in your life. Checkit January25|2011: Ever since things didn't quite work out with our last personal assistant (we specifically stated that our coffee was to be served at 98 degrees!), we've found that our daily tasks are piling up very quickly. Our savior has come in the form of Fancy Hands, a service that offers to complete the items on your to do list for you. Checkit January24|2011: It may be hard to believe, but there was once a time when daily deal sites didn’t rule the world. Entire social calendars now can (and often do) revolve around local deal offerings. That’s why we like Sign Post, which takes a social networking approach to online deal hunting, allowing you and other community members to post, rate and recommend bargains. Checkit January19|2011: Need music to make it through the day? Avoid being tuneless by using Mougg, a service that provides access to your music from anywhere through the power of cloud computing. Simply upload your favorite tunes and the first gigabyte of space is free (about 250 songs). Lightning fast upload, streaming speeds, and the ability to make playlists are perks - it's like a music super hero for your ears. (Android phones are supported for now, with an iPhone app coming soon) Checkit January17|2011: In the strange and awkward early days of the Internet, most people were too paranoid to even use their real names on the web. Today, some people update their Facebook status before they even leave the house in the morning. The change in people’s openness with personal information is revolutionary, and more than a little surprising. Openbook presents an interesting way to remind you that your online information is more public than you think by exposing you where it hurts most: your Facebook account. Openbook allows you to search through the status updates of unwitting Facebook users to prove that your information is more easily available to anyone on the web than you ever thought it was. The site is built on the Facebook API, so any information Openbook can find is available to anyone on the Internet. Checkit January14|2011: Interested in creating and publishing your own super hero? Start a trend with Comic Master, a free online comic creation tool that is compatible with almost all browsers. Checkit January12|2011: These days it seems like the only time a new book gets a ton of attention is when it’s penned by a Jersey Shore cast member, which can obscure excellent new releases focused on subjects other than poufs, tanscaping, and fist pumps. For hand-selected book recommendations, try Any New Books?, a free way to stay informed about new releases in the genres that interest you. Checkit January07|2011: The United States alone discards more than two million tons of electronics a year. That’s a lot of music players, and it doesn’t even begin to address the old laptops, cell phones, and random cords spilling out of our junk drawers and threatening to take over our homes and offices. eBay is trying to help solve this problem with their Instant Sale program, a new way to sell electronics for cash or recycle them for free through their extensive network of electronics resellers. Checkit January05|2011: Some New Year's resolutions are less "maximize lung capacity to run an ironman" and more "watch an Ironman marathon for maximum Robert Downey Jr.," and there's nothing wrong with that. Somewhere in between, there's learning as self-improvement, a noble resolution worth pursuing. Lifelong students will love Einztein, a “social learning network” that allows users to go back to college (virtually) with free courses and coursework offered by hundreds of universities and institutions, from Stanford and MIT to the British Museum. Checkit January05|2011: Who is the most effective philanthropist? Barron's Top 25 most effective givers provided by Good Magazine. Checkit January04|2011: Any New Year's resolutions? Does one of them include eating healthier food? If so, test this iPhone app that uses a built-in barcode scanner to identify bad ingredients and other important info like grading food and drink on an "A to F" scale. Product comparison and healthier product substitutes join the ranks for additional support on the band wagon as options. Android phone users, check out FatSecret Calorie Counter, http://www.fatsecret.com/connected/android Checkit January03|2011: Saying "thank you" has been an important part of common decency ever since it was popularized by actors during their Oscar acceptance speeches. And even though phone calls, emails or carrier pigeons are the conventional ways to send a message, sending a note through the mail is still the best way to express your gratitude. To keep your good manners up to snuff, try ThankThank Notes, a service that can turn your typed messages into handwritten thank you notes. Checkit January01|2011: Chances are you received a holiday bonus (here’s hoping it was a big one). Assuming you have a little left over, it makes sense to invest it. But where? Enter Plantly, a new service that creates a diversified investment plan based on information you supply. Checkit December31|2010: Happy New Year Everyone! It’s pouring rain, you just want to get home, and there isn’t a cab in sight. Oh, and it’s the worst night of the year to find a taxi (aka “New Year’s Eve”). Instead of brawling with your fellow commuters, cosider Flagdown, a mobile app that allows you to call for a cab with the push of a button. Checkit December10|2010: While it would never happen to you, some people wait until the last minute to do their holiday shopping. For a gift that’ll make ‘em think, try Just The Right Book, a customized book of the month service that finds the right titles, based on your recipient’s tastes and interests. Checkit December07|2010: There’s nothing wrong with having a consistent style of dress. Try keeping your wardrobe fresh by signing up for ShopLikeKings, an online retailer offering a sale-a-day on men’s apparel. Checkit November08|10: Fashion can be an intimidating business, what with all the cattiness and expensive barriers to entry. Enter Garmz, a new service that allows everybody to become a fashion designer (and to buy items from undiscovered designers). Checkit November03|10: Collecting gadgets is something of a cruel mistress: everything is fine until a newer, flashier version comes along and makes you feel completely inadequate. Instead of shedding tears all over your outdated gear, check out EcoSquid, a site that allows you to resell or recycle your used electronics for cash. Checkit October28|10: In days of yore, getting someone’s contact information was as easy as handing off a business card. Today, the task is not as simple. Enter Rainmaker, a program that uses your social networks to populate your Google contact list with vital information. Checkit October21|10: As you may have noticed the Internet is chock full with daily deal sites. This is a good thing. But keeping track of them can be a job unto itself. Consider Dealery, a new service that aggregates daily deals from numerous group buying and deal sites into central, easy to track place. Checkit October14|10: It goes without saying that YouTube has irrevocably altered the way we consume and create videos. But in some cases there’s almost too much there there. Enter YouTube Time Machine, a nifty little mash-up that allows you to view YouTube videos by year, endlessly indulging the deep need for nostalgia. Checkit September28|10: Recipes are fine when you know what you want to make. But some of us aren’t that decisive.To help cast a wider net, consider this website that uses your tastes and diet requirements to make personalized recipe recommendations. Checkit September22|10: Chances are you have at least three phone numbers (home, cell, office), which means you’re missing calls. To simplify the telephony experience try Google Voice, a new service that allows you to consolidate all of your numbers. Checkit September 17|10: Throwing away everyday household items means more items in the landfill. To help alleviate this issue, consider donating or accepting free times from people in your area. Checkit August 12|10: Traveling to exotic locales is great. But what about being able to brag about how wonderful the trip was to family and friends? Consider this website. Checkit February27|10: Looking to add a new member to your family? Give a deserving dog or cat a home by adopting through a shelter. Checkit February20|10: How do you fill the missing branches of your family tree, consider this. Checkit January05|10: Are you a frequent flyer who doesn't have time to keep track of the mileage rewards or card points, consider this. Checkit December31|09: Going green in 2010? Consider this site which locates recycling drop-off points within your area. Checkit December30|09: Interested in previewing a music album before you buy, consider this. Checkit December29|09: In the mood for a specific type of music, consider this. Checkit December22|09: Looking for a non-profit free service to reduce the amount of mail box catalog clutter and help the environment at the same time, consider this. Checkit November30|09: Looking for a good book on anything and everything, consider this. Checkit November12|09: How can you make a difference and protect an acre of rain forest? Consider this and forward to friends. Checkit November05|09: If you're traveling in an unfamiliar area and need to know what's near for lodging, dining, etc., consider this. Checkit November1|09: Looking for a way to decrease your online search results, consider this. Checkit October11|09: Are you a college student looking to earn extra cash, consider this. Checkit October05|09: Interested in finding designer fabrics for that creative Halloween costume, consider this. Checkit September20|09: Needing inspiration when going green, consider joining this community. Checkit September16|09: Contemporary/Impressionistic Artist of the month. Checkit September11|09: Need a spark of soda for your boring tap water, consider this. Checkit August6|09: Interested in streaming the latest music on your computer or phone, consider this. Checkit August4|09: Need a cool T-shirt to turn heads? Consider this. Checkit July20|09: This months creative blog targets entrepreneurs, consider this. Checkit July08|09: Do you have sweet tooth for the extraordinary, consider this. Checkit July5|09: Are you an artist looking to sell internationally, consider this. Checkit June30|09: Need to find resource articles for an upcoming project on anything and everything, consider this. Checkit June28|09: A natural, refreshing drink anyone? Consider this. Checkit June27|09: Need to learn a program before your interview next week, this site has expert video tutorials that will speed the process. Checkit June26|09: Working overtime and need some inspirational music, check and select Genre Station / Electronic / Trip Hop from this site. Checkit June25|09: Need good reading material this summer but don't want to spend the money, consider this. Checkit June24|09: For great stock photography at a reasonable price, consider this. Checkit June23|09: Are you an executive looking for a high-paying job in this economy, consider searching this site. Checkit June22|09: Need legal documentation for your business, consider this site. Checkit June21|09: In times like these, having someone to help manage and save money is crucial. Consider this numerically gifted professional for your accounting needs. Checkit June20|09: With all the social networking sites available to build identity and business contacts, consider connecting with this resource community. Checkit |  |
