Swope Design Graphic & Web Design Personal Blog

Domain Registration & Web Site Listing Scams

mike@swopedesign.com — 2007-06-30T17:35:49-05:00

Domain Listing Service Corporation (DLSCorp.net): This second unethical letter looks like an official billing (much like that from Domain Registry of America), and simply says to make payment to them for a web site address listing, domain name submission to search engines.

An Inconvenient Truth & Companion Web Site

mike@swopedesign.com — 2007-04-15T12:04:03-05:00

We have wanted to watch this film since its release, but I admit that we were afraid to watch it, afraid of what we might learn, afraid that our planet is changing at an alarming rate and few people are doing anything about it, or even seem to care.

eBay's Fraud Protection Worth What You Pay for It: NOTHING!

mike@swopedesign.com — 2007-02-27T21:18:28-06:00

At this time, we also discovered the front brakes worked, but the pads were completely gone (the tin warning clips had been removed from the front pads to eliminate that warning sound that brakes are bad), the AC did not work, the cooling fans did not work (were not hooked up), the fuse block under the hood was gutted so that relays for the cooling fans and other parts were missing and any replacement would not be held in place because the contacts were missing, the electric window motors did not work, the dash was broken, the odometer did not work, the radio did not work, there was no CD changer, and the PR wheel was severely bent on the inside bead.

Furnace Not Working? Check These Things for a Quick, Cheap Fix!

mike@swopedesign.com — 2007-02-13T22:10:13-06:00

Of course, it is a good idea to have your heating and cooling system checked every year or two, and to replace filters every 3 months to keep your system operating at its peak performance.

Spider-Man 3 Looks Very Exciting!

mike@swopedesign.com — 2007-02-07T16:31:45-06:00

The Spider-Man films have been very successful due to the strength of the characters and stories, which are lifted from the original comic book source(s).

Wal*Mart Has Its Uses for Designers & Freelancers & Their Customers

mike@swopedesign.com — 2007-02-04T11:19:29-06:00

I mean, if you're developing the service, do it right from the start and assume that the computers and operating systems are going to change each year, since they do, and offer a solution that won't need updated each year, too!

Request a Review for Your Book, Macintosh Software, Macintosh Hardware, Apple iPod Accessory or Web Site

mike@swopedesign.com — 2006-12-28T16:56:17-06:00

Looking forward to 2007, and to make it as productive as possible, I have created a form on this site so that publishers/manufacturers can request reviews of their books, software, hardware, iPod accessories and web sites.

Online Handwriting Analysis - Entertaining and Insightful

mike@swopedesign.com — 2006-11-28T08:11:26-06:00

You need only write "I truly need a new pen" on a sheet of paper, then answer a short sequence of questions about the characteristics of the sample.

The Mysterious Art of Employment Interviews

mike@swopedesign.com — 2006-09-10T10:41:23-05:00

As interviewees, we need to illuminate the target (dart board) by asking a few questions and then assessing how close we've come to the target.

FREE Books: <em>OR</em> and/or <em>Passed through the Hands</em>

mike@swopedesign.com — 2006-04-08T19:24:43-05:00

I've recently found a few dozen copies of OR and Passed through the Hands, two of my chapbooks of poetry and short fiction from 1990 and 1991 (respectively).

FREE Software Available to Inventory Your Home/Office for Insurance Purposes

mike@swopedesign.com — 2006-02-26T12:22:10-06:00

KnowYourStuff.org, managed by the Insurance Information Institute, helps people like you and me inventory and calculate the valuable possessions in our home or office, to be used for any purpose, especially insurance purposes from theft or loss.

Building Business Confidence, Sales & Success

mike@swopedesign.com — 2006-02-25T20:11:45-06:00

I explain that if we had sold her the starter, we would have put it in a dozen times but still only charge her once because it would then have been our responsibility to make sure the part is correct for her car. Since she provided the starter, she's responsible for making sure she has the right part, not our technicians.

Hosting Web Images and Single-Page Web Pages

mike@swopedesign.com — 2006-02-25T17:24:35-06:00

On the other hand, I suggested this wasn't financially viable, since web hosting offers 5MB of space (often more) for just a few dollars a month, and a single page shouldn't be more than 100K, or 1 MB if a lot of photos are in the page for this kind of page, so this would result in nearly no income.

Express, Don't Impress (Shorter, Simpler is Better)

mike@swopedesign.com — 2006-02-08T22:57:22-06:00

It is always a satisfying read to find out what's coming up in the industry, what to watch for and anticipate, etc. In Tire Busienss, Dan Marinucci writes a regular column to help shop owners and managers improve and grow their businesses through integrity, salesmanship, customer service and effective management of all aspects of the business.

Another Notch in My Dokken Collection

mike@swopedesign.com — 2006-01-27T22:13:22-06:00

Intact, too, are the themes that inspired the earlier tunes: dark/light contrasts, the things that go on at night, failed love.

Rights & Copyrights

mike@swopedesign.com — 2006-01-22T09:11:55-06:00

Copyright laws have been created to protect everyone's rights for their unique creation, whether book, story, article, review, song, painting, software, design of all sorts, and etc. And, quite frankly, I want my favorite artists, authors, software developers and publishers to continue creating the material I enjoy and use, so I can continue to enjoy and use their new material.

New 80's Music In the Post

mike@swopedesign.com — 2006-01-21T19:18:50-06:00

Among the CDs that I've received in the post are Dokken: Yesterday & Today, Berlin: Pleasure Victim, Cinderella: Long Cold Winter and Giuffria: Silk + Steel.

Rediscovering Cinderella, Too

mike@swopedesign.com — 2006-01-18T23:11:39-06:00

Unlike tunes from the likes of AC/DC (for whom I've never been much of a fan), Cinderella's songs are Jungian, reaching into our collective psyche and expressing themes as valid today as they were in the 80's.

Give iHome iPod Alarm Clock A Look!

mike@swopedesign.com — 2006-01-14T22:20:16-06:00

Then I found the perfect solution to listen to my iPod while I worked at my Small Home Office (corner, really), since I hadn't had much luck with FM Transmitters with my iPod in my vehicles and don't care for headphones.

How I Won an iPod to My Dismay (and everyone else's, too!)

mike@swopedesign.com — 2006-01-14T22:10:23-06:00

He would have given me the iPod anyway if he had won it, I think, since he's not into Apple or Macs or computers at all.

Giuffria - Remember Them?

mike@swopedesign.com — 2006-01-14T19:57:40-06:00

Seems that band's CDs are long out of print, so they're kinda pricey at $20-$30 a pop. They only released 2 CDs (self-titled Giuffria and Silk & Steel), but I recall at least two of their songs, both power ballads.

1980's Heavy Metal Memories Revisited

mike@swopedesign.com — 2006-01-14T19:50:30-06:00

YourMusic.com's selection is narrow, but at $5.99/CD with free shipping, that deal can't be beat, even on eBay!

New Web Design Software: RapidWeaver 3.2

mike@swopedesign.com — 2006-01-14T19:44:47-06:00

Built on a template system, templates that can be selected or copied and altered to create new ones, RapidWeaver makes general web publishing and maintenance as simple as it has ever been.