Monday, January 31, 2011

Thoughts Of A 2011 Squid Angel

My term as a Squid Angel began a couple of weeks ago and like so many other Squid Angels before me, I have kept a log and created a lense documenting my Thoughts Of A 2011 Squid Angel.

Being a Squid Angel has been alot different than I had imagined it to be. It has been interesting, but it has also been very, very time consuming and at times a bit disappointing. Find out why on my lens documenting my experience as a Squid Angel.

Friday, January 28, 2011

How To Make Your Squidoo Lens SEXY!

You know those boxes that you see in Squidoo lenses that make the lense really stand out?

There is often a border around the text and the text has some cool fount styles or colors? Seems like it would be alot of work to make it look so cool, right? Wrong! I found a FREE online tool that does it for you. I used it to create this post, simply by typing my text into a box and selecting from various style options.

The best part is that you can see how it will look right on the website. You can change your styles and see the result before you get the final code. This is a cool tool that I will be using to create all of my lenses in the future. Check out this CSS code generator for text.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Coming Soon: The Tankini Website

Today I stumbled upon a Godaddy Promotional Code offering .com domain names for only $1.49. All you have to do is use the promo code winter149 during the check out.

Since I already have hosting accounts at two hosts, Bravenet and Weebly, which offer hosting of up to 10 domain names at no extra charge, this means I can build the next website for only the cost of the domain name. With this GoDaddy Promo code, that means I can build an entire website, with a custom domain for the bargain price of $1.49!

For years, I have had a Squidoo Site dedicated to the Tankini which has generated some modest income and traffic. So, I have gone ahead and bought a tankini related domain name and will soon be building it up in time for the 2011 swimwear season.

I will make an announcement here when the new website is open to the public.

I Reached Squidoo Level 50

I just achieved level 50 today in my Squidoo profile! Quite an achievement. But I noticed two negative things:

* First, while every other major level comes with a new item, from a SquidAd to a Lens Boost, so far there is no new item deposited in my dashboard. :(

* Second, while up until now, I could achieve the next level with 1'000 points, I see that I need 4'000 points to achieve level 51. OUCH!

Anyway, this leveling thing is kind of fun, doncha think?

Thursday, January 20, 2011

The Dangers of Texting..caught on VIDEO!

We all know that it is dangerous to text while driving. But many, many people do it anyway. But we rarely get a chance to see WHY it is dangerous to text while doing something else that requires concentration, such as driving....or WALKING. Have a look at Cathy Cruz Marrero, a mall employee who is texting and walking in at Berkshire Mall:



Now according to reports Cathy Cruz Marrero works at Berkshire Mall, so she certainly should know that the fountain is there. However, while distracted she takes a bath in it. What is the next thing she does? What 90% of Americans do whenever they do something stupid. She SUES! Why is she sueing? Not because she fell into the fountain. But because a security guard released the video of her afternoon dip.

But this may not be the only reason. According to Fox News:

Assistant District Attorney Melissa J. Noyes says falling in a fountain wasn't Marrero's first mistake. The born again Christian currently owes $4,177 in restitution for charges she allegedly made to a co-worker's credit cards, Noyes told the Eagle.

"She is still on track to enter a guilty plea at some point down the road assuming she complies with all the conditions," Noyes said. "She's looking for house arrest instead of going to jail."

Marrero also has several theft cases and a hit-and-run charge on her record, the paper reported.
.

In another interview She says "It's funny, but you need to see the serious side of it," she said. "What if it was a senior citizen? Would it be funny then?"

Answer: Yes, it is funny to see someone bellyflop. That is why slapstick humor used to be so popular. Silly falls and dips like this still are popular. There TV shows based on humor such as "America's Funniest Home Videos". It is human nature to laugh at our own stupidity. Somewhat cruel human nature perhaps, but which one of us do not do it?

What is the lesson here? Obviously, texting requires more attention than you can imagine. And it is stupid to text while in motion. But the other lesson is that if you actually do something dumb like this just laugh at yourself and accept the fact that you are human and make mistakes. To get angry and sue just makes you look even stupider.

Would it be cruel to admit that I hope that this woman takes another bath?