For the digital scrapbook lovers, I came across a new program called Morpheus Photo-Morpher.  Using a point system you can morph images together and basically do with it what you please.  None of my images looked that great so taking their professional way of doing things, I published the example templates just so you can get an idea of exactly what this particular program does.

It’s pretty easy to use, and there are step by step directions included for the first-timers.¬† I figured this could be a good resource for digital scrap bookers because there are so many things that you can accomplish and it’ll really make your scrap booking images come to life.¬†¬† I found a digital scrapbook site the other day that was completely flash based, and using this program you can save the morphed image in many different formats – including flash.¬† So yea, if you already know how to do these things in flash this particular program may not spark your interest.¬† But for those of us without that savvy flash ability, this is definitely the route to take.

You aren’t limited to morphing personal images together, by any means.¬† I was thinking of it in regards to template creation for future clients.¬† You can take the images you’ve created and add some funky morphing effects to them so if you want something to morph from say gray to blue and then add some funky text effects without having to boot Animation Shop (for example) then this may be the easy route for you.¬† With the Animation Shop method you have to manually make each frame change.¬† With this program you can morph a certain section to do whatever you please, and that’s just nifty to me heh.

Memorial Bracelets was the first firm to begin selling engraved bracelets on the web to raise funds for families of September 11th victims and heroes of terrorism. They’re now offering this special bracelet just for the troops and their safe return home from the war in Iraq. If you’re someone who supports your troops, even if you don’t support the War, then this is something you may be interested in. It’s called the “Until They All Come Home” bracelet, and if you’re interested you can head over to the Until They All Come Home Bracelet Order Page. They’re available in small, medium, large and extra large sizes and they range from $12.99 to $18.99 in price depending on the material and type of engraving you choose. Two dollars from each bracelet sold are donated to a charity that supports the families of fallen and wounded U.S. Soldiers.

Press Release:

Novi, MI September 29, 2007 — In an earlier era, tying a ribbon around the old oak tree — as the lyrics of a 1970s pop-tune suggested — was a way to remember U.S. troops off at war. But a Michigan man has another idea. He’d like to see people demonstrate their support for our troops at war in Iraq by wearing a bracelet around their wrists engraved with “Until They All Come Home”, and he has begun offering the bracelets on a Web site in hopes of achieving that goal.

The site, www.untiltheyallcomehomebracelet.com offers colored aluminum, stainless steel or leather bracelets which are engraved, “Until They All Come Home, Operation Iraqi Freedom” or “Until They All Come Home” and the name of an active-duty soldier of the wearer’s choosing. The bracelets are personalized with the date ordered or with a “worn since” date to indicate the wearer’s dedication to the completion of U.S. troops’ mission in Iraq and their safe return home. Bracelets are also engraved with the wearer’s initials, making it uniquely their own.

“So, even if you are against the war and believe that we should withdrawal immediately, you can wear an Until They All Come Home bracelet to let the troops know that you want us to do it in a way that best protects their security.,” said Rob Tacy, the sites’s founder. “If you want us to continue fighting the war to show the terrorist that we will not back down and provide security for the Iraqi people, you can wear an Until They All Come Home bracelet to show our soldiers that you support their efforts until their mission is complete.,” Tacy added.

Until They All Come Home Bracelets‚Ñ¢ are available at www.untiltheyallcomehomebracelets.com in small, medium, large and extra large sizes and range in price from $12.99 – $18.99, depending on the material and type of engraving chosen. Two dollars from each bracelet sold will be donated to a charity that supports the families of fallen and wounded U.S. soldiers.

Catherine Knight Linsley of Tallahassee, FL has worn two of the bracelets since May 1. “I have two soldiers in Iraq that I have ‘adopted,’ and I wanted something to show everyone that the soldiers there are thought about, prayed for and wished a quick and safe return home,” said Linsley. “My guys do not know about the bracelets yet, but my plan is to wear them 24/7 until they come home, just like I did with my older Vietnam War bracelets.”

Linsely is among many bracelet owners who have posted their stories about their bracelets on the site’s blog page. To read other stories from people who wear Memorial Bracelets, visit their blog at http://memorialbracelet.blogspot.com/.

About Memorialbracelets.com
With the launch in October of 2001 of www.memorialbraclets.com], the idea of wearing a bracelet to support a cause was revitalized. The site was created to raise funds for September 11 heroes and victims of terrorism. Since its inception, Memorial Bracelets has donated over $60,000 to charities supporting these families and to those of Vietnam POWs and MIAs, and U.S. soldiers wounded or fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In response to customer requests, Memorial Bracelets also offers bracelets for U.S. soldiers who were listed as POW, MIA and KIA in the Vietnam War and for military personnel lost during the Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Visitors to the site may also create a personally engraved bracelet with a message of their choice, such as the name of an active-duty soldier or that of a lost friend or relative. Many of these bracelets are created as personal, meaningful gifts.

Show your support, order one today.

I like to look into more information on things, mainly because I consider my brain to be one big information sponge. While in search of information on financial security, I came across a bonding company that specializes in everything from getting a mortgage broker bond to even a Cigarette Tax Bond. As a smoker I kind of found myself reading more into this subject, and I then find out that there’s more than I really knew about them. Sure, brand and flavor are important to me (spoken as a true addict, right?) but the finances behind it kind of interest me as well.

The Cigarette Tax Bond is broken down pretty easily. This was taken directly from jwsuretybonds.com:

Description: Cigarette Tax Bonds are required to guarantee taxes are paid from a seller of tobacco to the government requiring the bond.

Current Market: Any type of financial guarantee surety bond is looked at with a close eye. Many larger bonding companies are still willing to write Cigarette Tax Bonds, but may be more conservative than they would be with a more traditional surety risk. Our agency is appointed with several bonding companies that write this particular class of business more freely than the rest of the industry.

Special Programs: Cigarette Tax Bonds are not required by many. The relatively small amount of requests does not allow for any bulk specialty programs.

I knew that having to pay taxes on cigarettes were a requirement state to state but I was unaware of everything that goes on behind it. I just recently found out that states are using the cigarette tax to put towards health care – something I completely agree with considering my tax dollars (on anything) up to this point have really only been lining the pockets of those who implement these taxes.

There are a few different options on the site that you can look through if you’re interested in a Security Bond for your company. The site is filled with step-by-step break downs of what each bond means and there’s also an application process as well if you decide to go through this specific branch.

I’ve been watching a lot of TV lately, mainly because I’ve been in the bedroom on the laptop thanks to my back acting up, and company in the house. While flipping through channels last night I came across Reba and figured “Okay, why not?” By the next commercial break I was climbing out of bed to get myself a drink and I saw the preview for a new series called Gossip Girl on The CW. I heard something about a blog, so being a blogger I was interested from the get go. I did some searching around the Internet to find out what the show was really about though, I came across the IMDB listing for it.

Welcome to New York’s Upper East side where the wealthy and connected mingle at benefits and try to deal with their always dramatic love lives, not to mention picking colleges. Blair Waldorf is the so-called toast of adolescence in her world; she and her friends, Kati Farkas and Isabel Coates, go to a prep school and fancy parties with their rich parents. Blair is envied by her adversaries because she is thought to have the perfect life, not just because of her gorgeous boyfriend, Nate Archibald, but because she’s also planning on getting into her dream college,Yale. With everyone worried about college(or procrastinating on worrying, which everyone seems to be doing), and senior year dragging along, her seemingly perfect life is interrupted by her ex-best friend, the beautiful Serena van der Woodsen, coming back into town after getting kicked out of boarding school. Serena comes back into her life, and into the eyes of Blair’s boy friend. When everything Blair knows starts to fall apart, everyone will realize that her life is far from perfect. Will life in the the Upper East Side redeem itself of what it’s really supposed to be? Or will the false facade reveal that the rich have the same problems as the not so rich (Jenny and Dan Humphrey), if not more. And just maybe Jenny and Dan are all the more happy with their simple, not so expectant lives.That was a plot summary submitted by an IMDB user, but it got the point across either way.

The series is narrated by “Gossip Girl” which is the voice of Kristen Bell, she runs a website where she blogs about her fellow Upper East Siders, stirring the pot and feeding potential rivalries in this supposed exclusive and vicious circle of “friends”. It premiers on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 on the CW if you’re interested.

I was going to paste in the special widget that the site offers, but it’s messing up the entire site. So just head to the site I linked above, you can see the previews there.

I’m starting to get low on business cards, I’ve been handing them out like they were candy and unfortunately the company I used to go through decided to update their pricing, so I’ve been surfing the ‘net looking for a few new places. I came across GreatFX Business Cards, and they look rather promising. I already have a template created, and luckily they give me the option of uploading the template to their server and they print them from there. I think I’m going to go with a glossy card this time, the basic flat design that I was using before isn’t really saying much to me anymore. Yes, I know “Krissy, it’s just a card with info” but based on how I like to control every aspect of things, of course I’m going to make sure it’s an interesting looking card to hand out.

It’s kind of like the card my step-father gave me in regards to his tattoo place. One of the artists drew a design, they sent it in for their two-sided business cards and they glossed it over. Based on that alone (instead of the very dull boring one I got from my tattoo place) I found this other place a little more appealing. It sounds dumb, I’m sure, but a card is a card and unless there’s something unique about it, I don’t pay much attention to it.

This GreatFX place also does magnets too, I don’t know if I’d ever get into the magnets business. However, I’ve seen fridges that are LOADED with them because it’s easy access from the kitchen phone to search for your favorite eatery and find the number. I can get about $1,000 cards for $69, which really isn’t a bad price at all. I was paying about $80 through the previous company and if I wanted a glossed image that would probably cost me about $100, so saving $30 is always a good deal to me.

In order to bring in some business I keep them pinned up on pin-boards in almost every supermarket and store I visit that offers that kind of advertising to their customers. I can’t tell you how many clients I’ve had in the past that only found me because they walked past my card when they were on their way home from the store. So it’s an inexpensive way to bring in some decent business. I think one of the largest accounts I landed through business card advertising was in the $15k range. Most people don’t make that in a year, I did it in a month. Thank goodness for cheap advertising that’s visually appealing – right?

With decorating on my mind, I’ve been moving full speed ahead at building a bookmarks folder with house hold items that I know will be purchased after we get our house. When it comes to me, the only important rooms are kitchen and bedroom, but that’s typically where all of my time is being spent. I’ve been looking into dining room furniture because I do spend a lot of time cooking and based on the few places we’re interested in, counter space is limited. So extending the kitchen via dining room table is naturally the route that I want to take.

I’ve spent most of my time searching around GreatPricedFurniture.com, I like their site. I’ve come across them on a Google search more times than I can remember. Part of me wonders if they have an actual show-room anywhere because some of their products are GORGEOUS. If I had the kind of money to fill a big house with quality furniture for dramatic effects, the way most of their images are on the site, I’d be a happy, happy girl.

What do you feel about Online Lab Tests?

I’m looking around PrivateMDLabs.com and you can use the site for basically EVERYTHING. There’s the ability to get the proper supplies for STD testing, direct-to-consumer lab tests, HIV testing, Liver Testing, Drug Testing, Herpes Testing and even Anti-aging testing. I don’t know why but I found this to be a wee-bit strange. Mainly because I’ve never heard of anything like this before.

The benefit to all of this, naturally, is the ability to privately get yourself, a loved one or even a potential employee tested for something rather important but at the same time – is there ANYTHING that can’t be done from home anymore? Based on what I’ve read, it’s also a financial benefit as well. Approximately 35% of the US population is uninsured and going to an actual doctors office to get these tests can be rather expensive. Going through this particular company, or any private company I would imagine, is more than likely going to save you a bit of money in the end.

Test results no longer come in the mail, or via phone service. You’re now given your results over email. This is why one would consider going through a Private MD. I’ll be the first to tell you that doctors are over paid for their services, especially considering the nurses (in many cases) are the ones doing the real work (hospital wise). A doctor walking around randomly checking charts and giving recommendations for $250,000 a year is absolutely absurd in comparison to the $50,000 a nurse is making when they’re the ones helping to change the sheets, constantly check the machines and make sure the patients themselves are comfortable. I’d take a nurses position over an actual doctor any day, but this is a completely different post that could easily exceed 5,000 words if I ever went to write it up.

Moving right along…

I do respect anonymity and those interested in saving a dollar but seriously, the only real way (that I know of) to test your Liver is a stool sample, and that alone just grosses me out. The HIV/STD tests, I can understand those, especially the drug testing. But I would assume that it would be easier to see an actual doctor when it comes to things like cholesterol testing and blood-testing in general. I’m the kind of person who would leave that kind of thing up to the professionals (and yes, I mean the nurses) even though I’d be spending a bit more.

I’ve been looking into other shared hosting plans. I know this may sound strange considering I run my own servers. But I’m looking for outside resources so I can get sites off the server that I don’t personally want taking up anymore room than they do. When I combine my four domains, I’m going through about 100gb of bandwidth a month and since most of them are on the same server, it’s just taking away from those who actually pay for the service. I’m very easy to please as far as requirements are concerned.

Unfortunately with my resources I’m limited to either large reseller accounts or standard hosting plans that offer up quite a bit of bandwidth. I refuse to go to anyone that offers a few terebytes to their customers because I think it’s wrong to offer more bandwidth than is actually set to the server, but I also understand that no one paying $10 a month for webhosting is going to use over 2tb of bandwidth on a monthly basis, either.

So I’ve been poking around concentric.com and their plans are a little pricey for my budget, but I can understand why they’re charging what they are. I would expect that 10GB of diskspace, and 100GB of bandwidth would be in the $67.95mo. range but at the same time. I know there’s got to be a resource out there for half the price with a reseller account. The $75 Google AdWords credit is great, but I also refuse to have anything to do with Google.

This is my preference though, if you’re looking for hosting then head over to concentric.com.

I’ve spoken about it before, and I’ll continue to speak about it until I’m blue in the face (or in this case, in the fingers). Drug addiction is a serious condition that isn’t to be taken lightly. I’ve lost friends and family to many addiction based diseases and wouldn’t want to wish that kind of pain on anyone, friend or foe. If you, or someone you know, has a drug related dependency or is going through alcohol addiction – get to a treatment center! There are many of them located all over the world and there’s no excuse for not helping someone in need. For those of you in the Malibu area, you could consider checking out Teen Rehab ECHO MALIBU. If you’re not in the area, Google is full of fine resources that can help everyone world-wide.

I came across Vontoo voice messaging. The basis of the system is to enable organizations to create, send, and even track voice messages to people who want to hear from them.

It’s a pretty basic break down – but an effective one for those who use the phone so often. You create your customized message and then send it to an individual or group list of recipients that have signed up for your service and from there you can track the messages to see if they were received live or recorded on voice mail. And, unlike a lot of the services I’ve seen, they understand the Do Not Call list, and respect your privacy in the process.

I read through their success stories and naturally the one that stuck out the most for me was the NYFD. They go on to explain how it’s hard to keep in touch with all of the retirees for Engine 67 and they’re in the process of organizing a reunion event. They note that there are a few guys that are hard to get in touch with and using this service voids them of having to make multiple long distance phone calls.

After reading this, I went on to think about how this particular company could help other businesses and I thought of my friends mom. She’s been an Avon saleswomen for lord knows how many years and her phone books are filled with both the current and past customers that she’s accumulated over the last 20 years. I may actually email her after I’m done writing this up, it could be pretty easy for her when it comes to calling them up in regards to new products and promotions. There’s an opt-in/opt-out function for anyone so if they don’t appreciate the calls they can easily have themselves removed from the list. I just wish it were that easy when dealing with other companies, I’m still getting phone calls about products that I turned down over a year ago. If it were as easy as pressing a button and saying “remove me now”, I probably wouldn’t avoid the phone.

For years now I’ve played backgammon, thanks to my grandmother. Recently I found the ability to play backgammon online that doesn’t require me logging into a website over-loaded with many multi-player games that slow servers down. This is why I’m a fan of Backgammon Masters, no surprise there though.

I’m a bit surprised though. Turns out they weren’t just going to settle for backgammon, perudo and poker – they’ve expanded. They added Blackjack to their list of games, which is pretty cool considering it’s a fairly easy game that doesn’t require a lot of skill. My apologies to the avid Blackjack player but seriously now, how hard is it to add? I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen with 17 saying “hit me”. I also can’t tell you how many wives I’ve seen actually HIT the husband because of a move like that.

Okay, so a quick break down of their new stuff:

The BackgammonMasters BlackJack game, offers a multiplayer table where up to five players are spaciously seated and playing at the same table simultaneously, with the option of participating in real-time chat. Besides the sophisticated graphics and avatar modes, the software includes a unique View Mode adding another dimension to the fast-paced game whereby players can sit in on an existing game and watch the action before joining in.

So if you’re interested in playing, maybe even playing against me in anything, head on over to BackgammonMasters.com, download the free software and go from there. There are multiple languages supported so you’re sure to know what’s going on without any major confusion either. Just don’t bust in excitement, eh? hah