Websites, Services & Products that I like
Contents
Entertainment
- Facebook I use Facebook to stay in touch with friends
- Netflix Streaming video. DVDs by mail also available (we no longer do the mail order portion though).
- Amazon Prime Instant Video Streaming video. Free shipping also included within the US.
- Hulu Watch TV shows & movies online for free legally
- Pandora Free music streaming service that plays new & old music based on what you like
- National Geographic I get several e-newsletters and enjoy the pictures & articles
- slashdot News for nerds, stuff that matters
Online Games
- Defunct Tetris clone (hasn't been online in years actually)
- Java Settlers of Catan
- Winter Bells
- Gamesbyemail This site has clones of Risk and other games that you can play with friends over an extended period of time (think 1-2 weeks to complete a game)
- Loadrunner
Shopping
Stores
- Amazon Buy and read reviews on almost any product
- Monoprice Very reasonable prices on cables and other IT/AV supplies
- eBay Buy stuff cheaper (sometimes) and/or locate hard to find items
- DealExtreme Excellent prices and free shipping direct from Hong Kong for small gadgets and electronics
Comparison/Deal Sites
- Dealnews How to go broke saving money
- Salescircular Retail store specials aggregated & sorted in one place
- Google product search Price comparison shopping
Reshipping Services
These companies offer re-shipping so that you can order from stores that only ship within the 48 contiguous states. This service is typically much more affordable than standard freight forwarding options.
- Aloha Forwarding Used this service once and it was smooth. They support USPS and charge actual rates plus a handling fee.
- My American Shipper Haven't tried this service yet, but they will ship via USPS or DHL all over the world.
- My American Shopper Sister site to the one above, but they will actually place the orders for you. This is useful if you don't have a US based credit card for example.
Photography
- SmugMug Photo hosting with unlimited storage and downloadable original image files
- Quadro Frames Glass clip frames with no border
- Nations Photo Lab Large prints for a decent price (plus much more that I haven't tried yet including books, cards, etc)
iPhone Accessories
- LifeProof Waterproof iPhone cases.
- iStabilizer Tripod mount for iPhone (works with LifeProof case).
- GorillaPod Magnetic Flexible Tripod
iPhone Apps
- ProHDR
- Autostitch
- iMotionHD Free time lapse app.
Travel
Travel research often involves many varied sites, but here are a few that I use often and a couple that are unique enough to mention.
- Kayak Search aggregator, also has a way to view miles balances for multiple airlines in one place.
- Mobissimo Good for international deals.
- Expedia Tickets, Hotels, Cars, etc
- Yapta Flight price tracking, including alerts if you can get a refund due to price drops after tickets have been purchased
- Bing Travel Flexible fare search with farecast fare predictions
- Tripadvisor Hotel reviews and more
- Airtreks Affordable, multi-airline around the world tickets (I have never actually used them but it's fun to dream)
- Travelzoo Travel Deals
- BoardingaArea Good collection of travel articles from various blogs
- Upgrade:Travel Better Informative travel blog (seems to have gone dormant)
- Ask me about being an airline pilot or flying in general Very long and informative Q&A with an airline pilot
- Optiontown Low cost upgrades and other benefits on a few airlines
Real Estate
Financial
Services
- USAA Excellent checking/savings and other services.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Earn points, transfer to miles with multiple airlines or cash. No foreign transaction fees.
Reference Sites
- Clark Howard Financial advice, including podcasts.
- Bankrate Interest rate trending/comparison, helpful articles, calculators, etc
- Free Money Finance Blog tagline: Grow Your Net Worth
Prepaid Cellular Service
- Net10 Non Walmart branding of the StraighTalk service from Tracfone. Can get starter SIM cards on eBay for much less than StraightTalk SIMs.
While traveling in the mainland US I have tried several prepaid services including Net10, StraightTalk, SimpleMobile and AT&T GoPhone. My current favorite for both short and long term service in the US is Net10 at $45 for unlimited data, text and talk, although there are some reports of soft caps on the data at 2GB per month. This hasn't been a problem for me though so far. I'm also keeping an eye on this one, but coverage is limited so far:
- FreedomPOP Free 4G data service (at least 500MB per month), free voice services in the works too.
Products
Baby Gear
- Phil & Ted's Explorer Stroller Double stroller with travel bag.
- BebePod Plus Seat with tray & toy attachment.
- Kidco Hand Food Mill Handy for making your own baby foods, especially while traveling.
- Kidco PeaPod Tents (we have both lite and plus models, they have recently issued a recall though so may be hard to find until new models are released)
Kitchen Stuff
- VitaMix 5200 High end blender.
- Omega J8006 Juicer Juicer, also works very well for making sorbet from frozen fruit.
- Ice shaver Fast ice shaver for a relatively low price.
IT Resources
- Stream Nerd Blog by Ian Beyer which often covers streaming topics.
- Enhancing Security with Ernest Staats Repository of useful presentations and other information, including a page devoted to Church IT.
- LIFE AS A HEALTHCARE CIO
Gadgets
- USB Powered port mirroring switches with PoE Inline Power Pass-Thru Handy for network troubleshooting on the go.
- USB Powered Bluetooth Receiver with headphone output jack Can use this to wirelessly connect your iPhone to the car stereo via line in or even a tape adapter.