Category: Internet

Posted on by Caesar
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Facebook Marketplace

One of Facebook’s hidden gems is the Marketplace. It’s currently mobile-only, which means you only see it if you’re on the Android or iOS app [UPDATE: as of August 2017 it’s now available on the website too!] I prefer it to eBay because there’s no cost involved and no hoops to jump through in order to buy or sell, and it’s preferable to Gumtree because buyers use their own Facebook profiles, which makes the problem of dealing with complete strangers slightly better because, well… Facebook. Actually there are two kinds of Marketplace: the actual Marketplace feature, and private buy-and-sell groups […]

Posted on by Caesar
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A bargain every day

One of the more curious phenomena on the Internet bargain scene is the proliferation of “daily deal” Web sites. The premise is usually that each day a new item, or sometimes several items, is offered. These are usually significantly cheaper than their regular retail price and have limited availability. They offer a wide variety of products, ranging from clothes, electronics, perfumes, toys, sporting memorabilia and occasionally even mystery items – lucky-dip style. Many of the products are mass-produced goods sourced from low-cost countries, and I reckon that most of the “limited offer” items are end-of-life or overstocked items that wholesalers […]

Posted on by Caesar
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Going out of print

With the recent announcements from both Murdoch and Packer camps about charging for Web content, it looks as if print is finally conceding defeat to online media. I’m sure there are folks out there who count this as a triumph for the environment, but ironically, reading news on the Internet may not be as eco-friendly as they think; the environmental cost of making the computer plus the electricity required to run it probably far outweighs the impact of cutting down a few trees (which are renewable anyway). However, far be it for me – a geek – to harp on […]

Posted on by Caesar
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Going naked to save on phone costs

Australians suffers from Tall Poppy Syndrome – we love to back the underdog – and when it comes to the telecommunications market, they don’t come any taller than Telstra. A quick browse through the popular Whirlpool Forums will reveal the depth of hate over the vice-like monopoly grip that the company has over the Australian communications infrastructure. By most accounts, we’re paying more for our phone and internet services than should be. Once again, technology comes to the rescue! Most people think of the Internet as just simply a vast hard disk full of music, porn, movies, porn, useless information, […]

Posted on by Caesar
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Don’t miss a bargain ever again

You know how you always hear about how so-and-so got this great bargain on the airfare/movie/perfume/etc. that you’ve had your eye on? Well now you don’t have to be the last to know. There are a number of Web sites where people post bargains that they find, both online and offline. By checking them regularly, or even subscribing to them, you’ll never miss out again! Here’s a couple of the most popular ones that I use and recommend: OzBargain – http://www.ozbargain.com.au Buckscoop – http://www.buckscoop.com.au Both of these sites also have methods of helping you to get cashback deals on purchases […]

Posted on by Caesar
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Making the most out of AdSense

The ingenuity of people never ceases to amaze me. It might not seem like much, but I recently saw this in the AdSense block on my other blog:See what they did there? They used their URL to communicate a message. When you see it, it’s so obvious! I mean, when you own and have full control of your domain, why not create a redirect from the contrived URL to the page that you want visitors to arrive at? It’s brilliant! When you only have one headline, two brief lines of text and the URL to make an impact, every little […]

Posted on by Caesar
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Cheap gadgets galore

I don’t know what it was like in your family, but mine always harboured a deep seated mistrust for things made in China. Products originating from the land of the Great Wall were always deemed inferior and of low quality due to the country’s supposed lack of quality control. This may be true, but the undeniable fact is that so much stuff is Made in China now, and it’s cheap. The good news for you and me is that with the Internet and globalisation, it means we have direct access to the Chinese market. A great example is Deal Extreme. […]

Posted on by Caesar
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Buying books

A handy tip for thrifty bookworms who like to buy books at cheaper prices than in bookstores: use Booko. This fantastic Web site will do all the hard work for you of checking prices on all of the major retailers’ Websites, adding shipping costs, and even converting foreign currencies into Aussie Dollars! As an example, one of the most useful and prized books in my library is The Cook’s Companion, by Stephanie Alexander. This retails for around $100 in most bookstores and the cheapest I’ve ever seen is $89.95 at KMart or Big W, but Booko shows that at today’s […]