Archive of Tricks & Places


John M Peckham III


Jack Peckham ( ) is the Executive Director of the Real Estate CyberSpace Society, based in Boston, MA.

TRICK#1: SEE WHAT THEY MEAN ON THE WEB!
TRICK#2: NAME A STAR!
GREAT PLACE #1: GET AERIAL PHOTOS OF YOUR BACKYARD!
GREAT PLACE #2: CENSUS DATA AT YOUR BECK AND CALL!

TRICK#1: SEE WHAT THEY MEAN ON THE WEB!
http://www.voycabulary.com/
Here's a neat look into the future of information sharing. This unique site makes the words on any web page into links so you can look them up with just a click!

Let's say you are viewing a web page with complicated words (WebMD or LawSource, for example), or perhaps reading a page sprinkled with foreign words. Simply run the page at this great place. Then just click on the mystery words. Shazam--- any word on your selected page is now linked to a dictionary, thesaurus or other reference resource!

Impress the kids. One click and you're a genius!

TRICK#2: NAME A STAR!
http://www.starregistry.com/
Why not give an actual star your name or name one after your sweetheart or your top sales agent? Great trick that will be remembered for eons!

These folks at the International Star Registry have been naming stars since 1979 and for a modest contribution they'll throw in a gift package that includes a 12" x 16" parchment certificate with the name of your choice, dedication date, and telescopic coordinates of the star. "That's not enough', you say. They'll also include an informative booklet with charts of the constellations plus a larger, more detailed chart with the star you name encircled in red.

These folks copyright the star you name with its telescopic coordinates in the book, "Your Place in the Cosmos". Now your grandchildren will be able to identify the star name in the directory and, using a telescope, locate the actual star in the sky! Many years from now they'll say, "There goes Grandpa!"

Maybe this is what you get for the person who has everything!

Granted this is a commercial site but the photography and vistas are breathtaking in their composition and artistry. These aerial photos are well indexed so it's a snap to find out if the area that interests you available.

Who knows you might end up with an aerial of your backyard hanging proudly in your den!

GREAT PLACE #2: CENSUS DATA AT YOUR BECK AND CALL!
http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet
Enter an address at this great place and -- Shazam -- up comes the most recent census data with charts, graphs, maps -- the works!

Now that the folks at the Census Bureau have their most recent data in order, you can bring up tons of helpful data including Ancestry, Citizenship, Disability, Educational Attainment, Income, Industry, Language Spoken at Home, Marital Status, Migration, Occupation, Place of Birth, Place of Work, Poverty, Rent, School Enrollment, Tenure, Units in Structure, and much much more.

Very useful information and it's free. Use it you paid for it!

Real Estate CyberTips are provided with compliments of the Real Estate Cyberspace Society.