Welcome to Smuggle Me

I’ve recently almost become addicted to a website that is like a virtual stock market called Inkling Markets. I’ve been doing quite well with it and my initial $3000 has quickly turned into nearly $60,000. I’m even on this weeks top 10 traders. Granted this is all virtual, but it has me completely interested in the potential of futures for investment.

I must admit that my current investment strategy is quite conservative. However, I think I might need to expose myself to bigger rewards. I think futures has the potential to do that for me. Plus, there are a plethora of tools out there from places like Global Futures Exchange & Trading Co., Inc. They have such a wide variety of tools and information available for anyone to start looking into futures. Another interesting option is forex trading. I guess the real problem is just getting started. All of you interested can e-mail GlobalFutures@GlobalFutures.com if they have any questions about how they can get started with as little as $250.

Disclaimer: There is risk of loss trading Futures, options and forex
This post sponsored by Global Futures.

If you work in a business that uses technology (I think that pretty much includes everyone), then you probably have had a chance to run across a WebEx session with some vendor before. I know I have hundreds of times and I absolutely love the technology. It facilitates the software selection process so much. Not to mention the type of support and training you can get using WebEx. It’s perfect.

The only problem. WebEx is EXPENSIVE. TechCrunch recently reported that Cisco bought WebEx.

Lucky for us they also reported about the best competitors out there for WebEx. “Teamslide, DimDim (open source), 1videoconference (open source), Vyew, Live Meeting and SlideShare are all competitive with WebEx in one way or another, and all are better at cross platform collaboration.”

Competition is great for us the consumer. Free Open Source products are even better.

I recently came across a pretty interesting way to try and market something as common as a backgammon game. It’s a website trying to promote online backgammon. They are using what they call the “#1 Player at BackgammonMasters, Jean-Claude the animated tiger.” It’s really quite creative what they are doing. They have an animated video of Jean-Claude doing his thing. Here’s one of them:

It’s a pretty cool animation. The first part was really nice and I loved the sign that looked just like the sign that is so famous here in Las Vegas.

Jean-Claude is a really interesting character. He has a series of these videos of Jean-Claude explaining how to succeed at a variety of life’s endeavors. Jean-Claude is a tiger, humoristic, mafia type, dressed in 70’s clothes (bell-bottoms and cream-colored shoes, a button-up shirt with a dice print and a large dollar sign chain around his neck) sitting in his trailer in the used junk car lot he manages. I loved the bling around his neck.

I think there on to a pretty interesting concept that could be an interesting method of viral marketing. Especially since viewers win prizes for trivia questions after viewing, and are offered rewards for suggestion any script ideas used. Looks like even the common game of backgammon isn’t immune to viral internet marketing.

This post sponsored by Gammonish.

I recently came across a link somewhere in the depths of my internet reading that said there was a way for you to embed an IM chat on your blog. Since I live on both IM and my blog I decided it was a good fit. The link led me to a company called Meebo which I had actually already used for Jabber IM. Turns out I got completely distracted by everything else that Meebo does that I still haven’t found the IM embedded in the blog. So, that post will have to wait for later.

However, I can tell you that I think a central web location to log into almost every chat service in the world is a great product. Not to mention all these other interesting Meebo products. Not to mention their blog which I can quickly tell you is a great read for anyone interested in a technology startup like me.

I have to confess that I personally have been a huge slacker in proper use of a savings account. I’m an idiot for doing it, but I fall in the same boat as the most of you. It’s just so convenient for me to have my money in the same bank as my checking account. Who cares if I’m not earning crap for interest. Well, I think I’ve had about enough of that. Look at this offer from SavingsAccount.com

Compare high yield online savings accounts and find a new savings account or checking account and earn more interest today with SavingsAccounts.com

SavingsAccounts.com is a new site on the internet, but they have all the big name banks right there. It’s not like they are trying to have you sign up with Bank of Nigerian Scam Artist. These are big name banks. I’m an idiot for not switching my savings over earlier. The interest rates for online savings accounts really is a great deal and 6% is much better than the banks less than 1%. It’s nice to have a teller, but it’s nicer to have more money in my savings account.

This post sponsored by SavingsAccounts.com

Sometimes you come across articles that are just too amazing to believe. This is one of those concepts that just makes you stop and wonder about what they’ll think of next. I guess that’s what makes technology so great. Here’s the description from the article

A Pennsylvania entrepreneur has developed technology that gives you all the battery juice you need directly from the air.

A little bit of a misleading title, but the Business 2.0 article talks about someone who has found a way to transmit electricity using radio waves. UNBELIEVABLE!!

That really is something else. I can’t even imagine the various uses for that type of product. It kind of makes you wonder what’s flying through the air. WOW!!