Gabby

If you read my first articles at BUYandHOLD, you know I come from a fishing family. Some of you may cringe at this fact, but when we catch fish, we eat them. If they aren’t large enough, we throw them back. And, we catch our limits and no more. In other words, my family is a throwback to hunter/gatherers, but we abide by modern laws. Hence, I’m filled with analogies that originate from the fishing culture.

So, when I talk about “lures,” I mean those artificial objects attached to the end of fishing lines meant to attract and catch fish. If the fish likes the lure and if that fish is hungry, you might have a meal on your hands. This is why the $600 “stimulus” package seems like a lure to me. It may seem like something fishy to the Senate as well. As I write this article, the Senate remains undecided on how to word their bill in response to President Bush’s plan.

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You probably made New Year resolutions, because — if nothing else — you’re superstitious. But, those resolutions don’t happen telepathically. You’ve got to make an effort to meet those goals at least halfway to fulfill them at least fifty percent. But the Webmaster has special problems, as this job requires long hours and a ton of frustrations. Those hours are filled with stressful clients, server emergencies, and browser incompatibilities. What do Webmasters do to stay healthy, both physically and mentally?

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If you followed the previous two articles, you know that I recently attempted to diversify my portfolio with a real estate investment. I’m in the fortunate position to have a decent down payment, one that will reduce house payments to the size of my apartment rent, so it’s time to move on. However, it appears that I picked the wrong door at the game show. I’ve been told that my story is one “for the books,” because everything that could go wrong went wrong.

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The following list is filled with tools and resources that will help any real estate agent achieve their SEO goals. You can choose to learn from blogs, tutorials, or forums, and we’ve also pointed you to specific blog entries and forum threads that will get you started. You can study search engines to learn what they require from you, and you can choose among some professionals to help you refine your Web site or to take over completely. The choice is yours.

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In the previous article I wondered if anyone could trust advertising agencies, let alone a realtor, a broker, a moneylender, or anyone else involved with the real estate business. So, I decided to try out the real estate scene, since I had accrued some money for a down payment. Amazingly, I found a town home within the past seven days that seems to be a good investment. But, I’ve also discovered that buying a home isn’t a joyous or rational experience when an egoistic broker is involved.

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Not every proprietary program can drive a person crazy, right? Some, like Norton Ghost, are superb tools for anyone to use. But, the fact that these tools are proprietary can drive open source fanatics up a wall. It’s not the price of the software that makes the real difference (although it’s a reason to migrate from one software to another for many people); it’s the idea that proprietary software comes with boundaries that keeps the user experience confined to…well, being the user. That’s enough to drive any developer crazy.

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If you’re interested in games for a Linux platform, then you know that game probably is open source, free from cost in most cases, and free to modify. The latter attribute is why Linux games are so popular…a developer can take a great game and make it even better, share it with the world, and become a hero. So, why waste your time and money on proprietary games when so many great Linux games are available?

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It seems a few folks at Advertising Age were burned by the ongoing subprime market fiasco. Or, perhaps the articles produced by Bob Garfield and by Alice Z. Cuneo were a ruse to bring attention to an ad campaign recently produced by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). This campaign consists of two separate ads, where prospective homebuyers were encouraged to “invest” in a home. Garfield and Cuneo didn’t like the ads. In fact, Garfield doesn’t like the idea of adding real estate to a diverse portfolio. Why?

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