Real Estate

Bathroom Tile Grout Alternative

When one is laying tile on a bathroom floor, experts will always tell consumers to fill the spaces between the tiles with grout so that the seal is secure and does not allow moisture to seep into the floor. If moisture seeps between the tiles, it opens up the possibility of mold growing under the floor. It is important to put something between the tiles to create a seal, however there are alternatives to using grout. It’s just a matter of deciding what works best for the consumer, taking expense, aesthetics, and efficiency into account. All of these options can be done by taking a “do it yourself” approach instead of hiring professionals if the consumer wishes.

The first alternative is grouting with sand. It is cement based and is most commonly used for intermediate tile and stone. Buy a package of sanded grout from Ace Hardware Outlet for $6 per 7-pound package. It is a commonly absorbent product and must be sealed to protect the product from stains and dirt. It is very simple to apply and a great option for those unfamiliar with the process. Since the price is so affordable, it makes it much easier to pay the right amount and fix mistakes.

Another alternative is an epoxy-based one. The advantage of using this type is that it is resistant to stains and mildew. While this can be applied by oneself, it is quite difficult as there are several components in the mix that need to be combined and mixed just prior to application. After mixing, there is only a small window of time to apply the epoxy-based grout to the area. If this is your first time applying this type, it is suggested to hire an experienced contractor to do the job. However, if one is interested in taking on the project, this guy can be found at The Home Depot for $31 a pack.

These options are great alternatives to using standard grout materials. Both options are affordable and will keep any bathroom safe from stains, mold, grime, and fungus that could build up on the floor. Consumers looking to upgrade their bathroom should look for alternatives to grout to save money and time during their upgrades. These alternatives will give consumers the same benefits of traditional grout without having to spend time outlining each individual tile on their own. Once finished, the consumer will be pleasantly surprised with its results!

Shopping Product Reviews

Viral marketing for Digg, Reddit and other big web populations

Viral marketing has become the holy grail of the modern internet. Almost everyone who has products or services to sell is looking for some magical piece of content that will make their website fly to the top of Google even when it gets removed for too many clicks from DIGG and REDDIT.

The truth is that Viral Marketing is like the actor who becomes and succeeds overnight. . . after twenty years in the industry and a few thousand hours of acting classes. When you look back, it’s obvious that little was left to chance.

The heart of a good viral marketing campaign for a product or service is the product or service that has the following properties:

  • It’s purchasable.
  • Meets customer expectations, even if it’s not what they expected.
  • It’s easy to find, even when a customer doesn’t have as much information.
  • It is something for which there are no substitutes.

A good example of this type of product is the IPHONE. Those of us who saw that product saw it, wanted to buy it, knew who was selling it, and were able to have it in a matter of hours, or days at most. If your product doesn’t meet these requirements, think twice before you try to launch a viral marketing campaign on any big site. Creating mass demand for a disappointing product is rarely helpful.

Once you have a winning product or service. . .

The key to marketing a product using what amounts to “word of mouth” on the Internet has to do with tailoring your product or service to one of the many communities that live on the Internet. You need to identify exactly who uses your product or service, where they connect online, and what interests them most.

Sites like “Web Marketing Today” provide good demographics for various populations and websites. You can find the demographics of most large web populations by Googling the name of any website followed by the word “demographics.”

Once you know who you’re talking to, where to find them, and what you want to sell them. . . you are in a position to generate viral content that will drive them to your site.

For example, DIGG demographics indicate that its population is 94% male, ages 20-35, and earns over $75,000 a year. This is not the best goal for geriatric medical services or home insurance. This could be a very good target for movie content, DVD content, video game content, and information about new devices. This population is literate, somewhat preoccupied with sex, often willing to watch videos online, and frequently purchases products or services online. They are often politically active and politically liberal. If you review your most popular articles from the last year, Apple, Google, and Microsoft products are mentioned in 10 or more of the top 50 articles. Most of the rest focus on politics, DIGG itself, Scientology, and celebrities ages 10-35.

To get your product or service to the top of this site, it might be a good idea to incorporate technology, politics, gender, and/or religion into your offering.

The REDDIT population, by contrast, may be on average slightly younger, somewhat more politically active and politically liberal, and may have a slightly lower income. Both populations like to see themselves as “influential” and “cutting edge,” but chafe if they think their “social channel” is being used for overt marketing.

And now the content

For a quick sale of a product or service, video content is most effective. Directing people to a YouTube video where they can learn more about your offer works better than directing them to your corporate website. For one thing, you can control YouTube comments. On the other hand, more people will watch a good video for longer than they will read a great article. Production values ​​are important. . .

To get to the top of any social website, create the content, ask employees, friends, relatives, and others to sign up for accounts, then post the content, and then submit them to the site to “vote” on the content you’ve posted. . . You should also encourage people to post comments about the product or service along with the upvote. The more honest the comment, the better. A post warning people that “big thumbs and an IPHONE don’t mix,” or one that mentions “you have to be an AT&T customer” to use the phone is the kind of bad news that sells well on these sites. Always remember that your goal is “awareness” not “sales”.

Finally, don’t be too afraid of controversy. Social networking sites are places where conversations are lively or angry from time to time. Flame wars break out regularly. For every guy who loves the IPHONE, there is someone else who can’t figure out what all the fuss is about.

Michael Moore probably sent O’Reilly flowers to thank him for hating Fahrenheit 9/11 so much. That kind of national public attention is something that simply cannot be bought. More people are hearing about Scientology as Anonymous attacks it day after day, and more people are hearing about McCain as liberals attack him. Controversy, attacks and flame wars are part of the “information process” that increases awareness of the product or service. Make sure the first twenty posts on your topic are somewhat favorable and you’ll find that most people never read more than that.

Good viral marketing is an ongoing process

Successful products and services appear again and again from new angles. A story about how “The New Indiana Jones is a Rotten Movie” tells a lot of people that the new movie is coming out. A story about “Harrison Ford’s New Abs” tells people that Harrison Ford is in the movie. As you create viral marketing campaigns, plan to have several related stories that you post over time. A successful viral marketing campaign has many compromises.

Sports

Canada

This year I will celebrate Canada Day in the Maritimes. Air Canada had a wonderful Mother’s Day seat sale and I couldn’t resist!

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, is known as the birthplace of Canada. From September 1 to 9, 1864, meetings were held to discuss the possibility of Confederation. Originally, the only ones to participate were Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. These three hoped to have more political and economic independence from England, as well as military power considering the American Civil War.

Newfoundland and the province of Canada, which consisted of Ontario and Quebec at the time, also wanted to be involved in the talks the Maritime provinces were planning, and therefore joined.

A big problem occurred when a circus was in Charlottetown during the same days as the conference. This attracted a lot of attention, filled the quarters, and limited Warf’s staff. As a result, many delegates had to remain on the ship that brought them or be transported ashore by rowboat.

Talks that began with a handful of delegates led to Confederation three years later, in 1867.

I think it will be fun to attend some of the historical tours and plays that will tell the story of our nation. PEI has apparently developed its tourist attractions with this in mind.

Throughout my school days, we would sing “O Canada” and “God Save the Queen” every morning, followed by the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer. We were taught to stand as straight as soldiers without moving with our arms straight at our sides and our eyes looking straight ahead. We sing with bursts of pride and gratitude. The same was true at community gatherings, ceremonial services, and sporting events.

I am sad today when the national anthem is conspicuously absent from our meetings. Sometimes I realize that I am one of the few who is actually singing the words. I see athletes who are chewing gum, gawking and crowds that start moving and cheering before we get to the last line! That’s sad!

This year, Canada Day is on a Sunday, so unless you work shifts, you’ll have plenty of time to honor our country.

You plan to do? Will you stand up in front of your family and proudly sing the entire song while “putting your guard up”? Will you hang a Canadian flag on your property? Will you read a book about the Confederacy or do an Internet search to learn about the people who built our country?

Canada Day is much more than a vacation from work. It is an opportunity to recognize that we live in one of the best countries in the world where every day is full of peace, freedom and blessings.

As a country we are still young, but we can be proud of the way we have grown and matured.

Happy birthday Canada. This year you turn 151 years old and I will be in your birthplace!

Relationship

Fun yet simple creative toys that you and your kids can make

Do you have the rainy day blues? Cabin fever? Stuck in a rut, or just looking for affordable outlets for your little ones, toddlers, and maybe older siblings? Would you like some ideas to produce unique and inexpensive toys and entertainment for your progeny? Ideas for new, different, and creative toys can come from just about every corner of the house. You may just need a healthy “how to” push in the right direction. Try these ideas for recycling common household items to get started.

soda bottle trucks

As the rain hit the black sands of the Pacific Coast fishing village where I was vacationing, I noticed that the downpour never stopped the kids. What I also noticed was his cleverly crafted toy trucks made from water or soda bottles. Each child ran through rivers of water pulling a truck loaded with sand. Turning the plastic bottle into a truck was childishly simple. Four bottle caps served as wheels. Two axles were fashioned from two pieces of coat hanger wire three and a half inches long. The wires were passed up the sides of the bottle and through a plastic bottle cap on each side. The ends of the wire were bent to hold the wheels on the bottle caps. A portion of the other side of the bottle was cut away to create a loading bay. The rope was tied around the neck of the bottle. Load the cargo bay with sand, rocks, marbles, small figures, screws, nuts and bolts, you name it, and the truck was ready to go.

Shake the rattle and roll

Empty metal, cardboard, or plastic containers make great noisemakers for little ones. Round containers of cereals, dry or powdered, granulated, and some liquid products work well, especially if they have resealable lids. You can partially fill them with gravel, marbles, clean sand, seeds, dry beans, rice, etc. to create different sound effects. Be sure to super glue or permanently seal the assembly to prevent curious young children from opening and swallowing the contents. They are also washable, so they can be easily washed or cleaned. Your imagination is the only limit to what you can come up with.

Flying high

An all-time favorite toy for children and adults alike, kites have been around for over 4,000 years since their invention in China. Originally made of paper and bamboo, kite-making materials now range from the original paper and bamboo to nylon, cloth, plastics, and even metal sheets. Not strictly for kids, Benjamin Franklin flew a kite into scientific history. To the Greek scientist of the V century a. Archytas of Tarentum is credited with introducing kite flying to Europe. Here are some reference websites to get you up, up, and away:

• http://www.skratch-pad.com/kites/make.html Have you ever wanted to build a kite? Well, here is a simple kite that you can make yourself!

• http://www.ehow.com/how_1288_make-kite.html How to make a kite. While kites are cheap to buy, making one adds to the fun. You’ll feel especially proud when your diamond-shaped creation takes to the air.

• http://www.aloha.net/~bigwind/20kidskites.html Here are the complete, proven instructions for kids to make their own kites and fly them in 20 minutes.

• http://www.planemath.com/activities/flykite/kiteplans.html These are simpler kite plans to help you and your kids get started

• http://scsc.essortment.com/howtobuilda_rlrf.htm Kites are fun for young and old alike. You can build your own kite or help your kids build one by reading this article!

airport center

It’s not much of a jump from kites to airplanes. Inexpensive and easy to produce, flyable airplanes can be made from paper, plastic, or balsa wood, available at hobby stores, craft and construction supply stores, and hardware stores. Like kites, they are intriguing, a lot of fun, and easy to make. Flying them can be a bit trickier, but who cares? Time flies when you’re having fun! Try these websites for a quick launch:

• [http://www.cdli.ca/CITE/paper.htm] This page lists some of the best websites on how to make and fly paper airplanes.

• http://paperplane.org/ Ken Blackburn, a website to share what you know about paper planes. It holds the Guinness World Record for the longest time in the air for paper airplanes.

• http://www.exploratorium.edu/exploring/paper/airplanes.html The most amazing thing about a paper airplane is that all you need to make one is
a sheet of paper, nothing more.

• http://www.paperairplanes.co.uk/ Alex’s Paper Planes
Cobra Paper Airplane The Planes – This is an index listing all paper airplanes
currently on the site ranked for how easy it is to do

Here are some ideas for producing unique and inexpensive toys and entertainment for your little ones, toddlers, and their older siblings. Ideas for new, different, and modified versions of your creations will flow from virtually every corner of the house. Who knows, you might even develop something salable. Toy conglomerates are always looking for the next hot item.

Shopping Product Reviews

Anal dildos vibrate to enhance the anal experience

Anal dildos vibrate

In terms of size and price, the XXXCalibur is among the most affordable but powerful anal vibrators on the market today. Its long tapered shape and ten intense vibration speeds make it ideal for butts and other sensitive areas. It’s also safe to use, and comes in medium and large sizes. A single AAA battery powers it.

These anal dildos vibrate to enhance the anal experience find here, and they take traditional batteries. They are lightweight and flexible, and are made from silicone or other body-safe materials. The wand-style toy features an easy-grip T-base and a durable, flexible cord. This is an ideal choice for beginners, but make sure to use lube before using one.

While most anal toys offer a vibration-only function, there are also some that offer rotating movements. Rotating movements are more intense than vibrating ones, and they can relax anal muscles. Some anal toys come with both vibrating and rotating movements. The best anal toys provide both functions, and they’re priced accordingly. And remember, there are several other types of anal toys that can enhance your sensual experience.

Anal dildos vibrate to enhance the anal experience

Despite being affordable, the Temptation Mini is a great option for the first time user. While this vibrator can be cleaned with a sex toy cleaner, it should be kept for future use. The Lelo Loki Wave is another great option. It uses wave motion technology to produce powerful vibrations. If you are looking for a more sophisticated device, consider the Loki Wave.

Butt plugs are also known as anal or ass plugs. They’re a corm shaped device inserted into the rectum. They’re available in small, medium, and large sizes and are made to be worn before sex or for extended breaks during domination. And they’re great for couples play, too!

When choosing anal toys, keep the safety of your partner in mind. While latex is a popular material for anal toys, it is often a source of allergic reactions. Stainless steel is an excellent alternative. Another option for butt toys is boro-silicate glass, which is smooth, non-porous, and easy to clean.