Hanukkah miracles do happen

Although I’m not religious, holiday traditions are important to our family. Last night as we were sitting at the dinner table with the candles burning brightly, we somehow got back on the topic of the missing iPod Touch.

Last February when I bought an iPhone, my younger son “adopted” my iPod Touch. It ended up having a hybrid of his content and mine. When he went to summer camp, it went along with him. No, he couldn’t use it regularly and he spent most of his time outdoors and without electronics. When he came home from camp after he got over the excitement of telling us about his last sleepless nights and the highlights of his summer, he became very upset. He came home without the iPod and, all his purchased music, games and mine.

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Menorah for iPhone/iPod Touch image courtesy of rustybrick.com.

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Tip of the Week - GigPark

GigPark is a social network where you can share referrals to and recommendations about local businesses and services in your area with people you know and trust.

Let’s say you lost your earring down the drain and you contacted a plumber who rescued it for you within minutes. He arrived on time, was polite, pleasant and fixed a faulty pipe in the process all for a reasonable price… and best of all, he didn’t have plumber butt. You’d refer him to your friends, right?

Well, GigPark lets you do just that online. Once you register (it’s quick and painless, I promise), you can add your recommendation to your profile and let everyone you’ve connected to, know. You can add the contact information and website address too.

So, let’s turn the tables a bit. What it you’re looking for a plumber in your area and you have no idea who to hire. You need someone in a hurry who you can trust. GigPark offers a couple options. First you can check to see if anyone in your network has recommended a plumber in your area. If so, you’ll be able see the contact information, reviews and number of reccomendations that plumber has received. If not, you can ask if someone has a recommendation and people in your network will let you know if they know of someone who can help.

Need more of an incentive?
From now through March 31, for every three new recommendations you make on GigPark, you’ll be entered in a draw to win an iPhone.

How do you find out about new businesses and services in your community?

Weekly Wish – a new cell phone (and so much more)

When it comes to the digital world, I’m pretty comfortable. Sometimes the computer keyboard feels like a natural extension of my body. I’ve been living online since 1995 and loving every minute, even in the days of dial-up (yawn!).

Okay, I have a confession to make. There’s one big exception. When it comes to mobile technology, I’m still a bit of a luddite. I don’t have a Blackberry but I know how to surf the web and tweet with one. I have a plain old utilitarian cell phone. And, guess what I use it for? That’s right, making phone calls. I barely even use text. If I do, it’s usually because one of my friends has sent me a text message and they know better than to expect a reply. Shh! Please don’t tell anyone!

I’d love a mobile device with all the bells and whistles but I’ve never paid more than $30 for a cell phone. I got my current one for free as part of a 36-month plan. It has another 13 months left and I don’t want to pay the penalty. Besides, the monthly charge is only $20!

Well, old habits die hard, but with the launch of the iPhone in Canada tomorrow and Samsung’s Instinct next month, I’m wishing to get in on all the fun. Both these devices have all kinds of great features and are much easier to carry around than my treasured MacBook. I’m having a great time chatting with @theinstinct on twitter too.

As much as I’ve been an Apple lover and owner for almost 20 years, with the lower data rate plan, The Instinct seems like more of a bargain but in all fairness, I want to see for myself by comparing it with the iPhone and decide which one offers the best value. (I’ve decided not to bore you with the details because they’ve been posted all over the ’Net and you can read about them elsewhere.)

Will you be lining up for the iPhone tomorrow? Waiting for the Instinct? Doing neither? Leave a comment and let us know what you think.