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: OUT OUT DARNED TELEMARKETER!
TRICK#2: THE SHORTEN A LINK TRICK!
GREAT PLACE #1: ALWAYS FLY IN THE BEST SEAT!
GREAT PLACE #2: BRING THEM BACK HOME!

TRICK#1: OUT OUT DARNED TELEMARKETER!
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.11/start.html?pg=9
A while back we wrote about a gadget that zaps telemarketers (May 2002). Now some smart privacy defenders have come up with a simple way to accomplish the same thing without paying the 40-50 dollar cost to buy the zapping gadget that fools telemarketers autodialing equipment by emitting the ascending three-note special-information tone you hear before, Were sorry, the number you have reached has been disconnected.

The previously free secret workaround is to replicate this tone and simply record it into your answering device and is all laid out at this magic place. If you just want the tone without the explanation you can download it at: http://www.laser.com/dhouston/sit.wav

Now you can sit back and zap the telemarketers. And without the need to spend some serious bucks -- you'll have them in your pocket while you enjoy the silence!

TRICK#2: THE SHORTEN A LINK TRICK!
http://www.makeashorterlink.com/
Here's another neat trick! This web site provides a simple free service that solves a common problem.

When you locate a page on the web with an address that is too long to comfortably paste into an email or other document, you can use this free service to generate a shorter, simpler address that will take folks to the same Internet spot.

Be sure to check out an option allows you to set up the system so it skips a semi-annoying transition page, which shows the full URL when you follow the new shortened link. By selecting this option, web travelers will be sent transparently through to their destination without interruption.

These folks rate seats on all American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United, and US Airways flights and assign a seat desirability rating including such layout detail as pitch, width, laptop power outlets, reclineabilty, and location.

If you need some more unique flight information, check www.airlinemeals.net to see what you will be eating on the flight!

GREAT PLACE #2: BRING THEM BACK HOME!
http://www.REcyber.com/convention/new/booths/template.cfm?id=237
What do the Smithsonian Institution, US Congress, real estate agents, mortgage lenders, dating services and job banks have in common? They use this simple service to get visitors back to your Internet site with one click right from their own desktop!

These folks provide you with a set up that gives your visitors the power to place your company logo on their Windows Desktop, and Start Menu. Your visitors can then click on your logo at any time -- right from their Desktop -- and are automatically taken directly back to your site. And that's the power of this product it uses the visitors own Windows Desktop which is extremely valuable marketing real estate!

Not free as are many Internet services we review here but well worth the modest cost when weighed against the ability it gives you to keep bringing then back home!

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