Eau Claire Wisconsin Real Estate

I originally posted this in my Eau Claire Wisconsin Real Estate Blog.

I saw this article just now and thought I just had to share it. Sorry I lied just a little bit, there isn't a green computer. But they are doing some pretty amazing things here and honestly does it even make sense that computers and components have to be made of plastic? I think quite a few things could be greened up so to speak if we just start thinking out of the box. Anyways this stuff is wacky...

(sorry you have to go to the site to see I dont steal pictures)

 Computer Products Made of Wood for Sale in Japan
Stephen Kamizuru (Blog) - October 20, 2008 1:44 PM

 For the person who has everything

From the category of “what were they thinking” Marubeni Infotec Corp. is marketing a computer mouse called the Play Mouse that is made of natural wood. This optical mouse was jointly developed with Yamaguchi Kogei, a Fukui Prefecture company specializing in wooden products.

Measuring 53 x 88 x 27mm, the mouse is available in two types of wood maple and walnut.  The mouse has a smooth immaculately sanded finish and both mouse buttons are made of wood as well. It is being sold for 9,800 Yen ($96 USD) and is the ultimate melding of nature and technology.

If wood computer mice were not enough they are also selling wood flash drives in the shape of animals. The animals available are the dog, the hippopotamus, the elephant, the swan, and the pig. Available in two types of wood walnut and maple the flash drives have a capacity of 1 gigabyte and will connect to your PC using a USB cable. The USB drives are 90 x 18 x 60 mm in size and will cost 7,980 Yen ($78 USD).

When products such as these are announced it makes you wonder what the thought process was that went in to them. Who the target market is, who are they competing with, who would value a wooden hippo flash drive that can only hold a gigabyte and cost four times as much as competitor products? My guess is these products could be targeted to the extremely eco conscious, people with too much money, or the small segment of the planet who just want electronics made of wood.

If you would like to work with an agent who is leading the way call 715-894-1001 today or send me an email.

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Eau Claire Wisconsin Real Estate

I originally posted this in my Eau Claire Wisconsin Real Estate Blog.

Recent studies have shown that these machines can be manipulated in a variety of methods that not only leave the voter with no knowledge that something malicious was done, the data itself can be further manipulated. Basically this means that without someone physically counting each ballot there simply is no assurance that the data is even correct! Like I said before since many states do not require a paper trail it is impossible to know whether or not the data is correct or not.

Here is a recent article on the subject. 

Well what can be done about it? Probably nothing for this election. The powers at be have decided we should not be privy to this information, as if whether or not the upcoming is fraudulent or not is insignificant! E-Voting is supposed to have “security, privacy, integrity, and accountability. Of course, our current e-Voting systems promise these things, but then hide the where-and-how inside an information black box.”

Well here are some ideas on what can be done:

E-voting Alternatives that are Actually Secure
Tom Corelis (Blog) - October 24, 2008 10:08 PM

Up-and-coming alternatives to fickle touch-screen voting systems, combining low- and high-tech

It’s been a while since I’ve written about e-voting here on DailyTech. Given that the 2008 presidential election is coming up – or is already in progress in some states – it certainly seems like a good time to sit down for a little refresher, doesn’t it?

Accusations of foul play are already flying. As expected, fallout from the U.S. government’s sordid love affair with these newfangled e-voting machines surfaced earlier this week, this time in the early-bird State of West Virginia: voters say the machines are switching their votes, and officials are both sadly and predictably discounting their claims.

There are other stories, of course, but I’m not here to talk about them.

Instead, let’s talk a little bit about the future: namely, the fact there are a number of very smart people officially on the job for proposing a better, more secure presidential election in 2012.

An article in The Economist points out three different proposals for how an e-Voting system might be carried out, each one very different from the others but simultaneously identical in its emphasis on the four things important in any good election: security, privacy, integrity, and accountability.

Of course, our current e-Voting systems promise these things, but then hide the where-and-how inside an information black box. The proposals I am about to describe are backed by vetted techniques in encryption and security science, and do not make use of exotic or closed-source technologies.

The first proposal, currently under development by UK University of Newcastle upon Tyne computer scientist Dr. Peter Ryan, involves a two-part ballot that is torn in half when the voter is finished: the half with the names is kept, and the half with the votes is handed in. The candidates’ names is written in a randomized order, and each possible order is represented equally among all the ballots distributed; the votes, on the other hand, are read with an optical scanner and include a barcode, or some other form of computer-readable identification, with information pointing to the ballot’s original order. This technique has the advantage in that the ballot cannot be read by humans beings who might be inclined to manipulate its results.

You can read the rest of the article here. 

I am all for technology. I love every bit of it but the current system is troubling at best. There is no reason to not leave a paper trail and one can only infer from this that the reason for not leaving a trail is because when someone manipulates the data they don't want to be caught! Why else?

If you would like to work with an agent who is leading the way call 715-894-1001 today or send me an email.

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Eau Claire Wisconsin Real Estate

I am sure most people dread the thought of having to clean their house. Not to mention the fact that homes are unnecessarily getting bigger and bigger. It certainly doesn't take a “rocket scientist” to figure out that it will inevitably take longer to clean larger houses. What if you could hire a robot maid?

Check this thing out! SCARY!!

 Robot Capable of Doing Chores Developed in Japan
Stephen Kamizuru (Blog) - October 27, 2008 10:19 AM

Will robots make humans more productive or lazier?

Toyota Motor Corp. and the University of Tokyo have jointly developed a prototype robot named “AR” capable of handling household chores according to The Mainichi Daily News. In a demonstration for reporters the robot was able to clean up rooms, put away dishes from a dining table and pickup shirts and put them in a washing machine. The robot was also capable of moving furniture in order to sweep under a table.

The robot is 155 cm tall, weighs 130 kg, and moves around on wheels. This particular robot’s strengths include the ability to distinguish different objects such as furniture and cleaning equipment. Past robots have traditionally had difficulty handling anything other than solid objects, but AR is able to recognize clothes by their creases and actually pick them up, repeating the action should it drop them.

The robot is also able to learn by analyzing past failures and alter its behavior patterns. The robot is equipped with two arms, five recognition cameras and laser sensors. AR's movements are slow and often clumsy, but future improvements are planned according to University of Tokyo Professor Masayuki Inaba who said, "The task now is to improve its efficiency and endurance."

According to Toyota and Tokyo University's Information and Robot Technology Research Initiative, the robot was developed to help ease the future labor shortage looming due to Japan's aging society and low birthrate. The developers said they will keep improving the robot and hope to start marketing it in around seven years.

Seriously this is just crazy. I cant imagine the amount of programming involved to tell a machine what a shirt is let alone how to pick up shirts and then wash them! It can set the table? Its hard to teach kids how to do that right!

It has long predicted that robots would live among us but I guess I never thought I would see it in my lifetime. Now it seems that it is almost a certainty.

If you would like to work with an agent who is leading the way call 715-894-1001 today or send me an email.

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Eau Claire Wisconsin Real Estate

Many of us who have embraced social networks and have incorporated them into our business models have been eye witnesses to their popularity. I dont know what percent of the US population is a part of them but I imagine that the numbers are staggering. Likewise the people using them know how popular they are but the people who dont can only guess as to what the rest of us are up to!

The reasons for the popularity are many. At first they were probably just a mere fad and it was argued that they would simply fade away but now not only are they here to stay, they are growing at exponential rates. Much of their success can be attributed to their ease of use as well as their freqeuent updates and easy adapation to other technologies such as phones. In fact their adapability is one reason that they are even being adopted by governments in our country.

Check this out!

The positive merits of social networking have been leveraged in a multitude of ways by consumers, businesses, and other organizations for some time. Now, in light of tightening budgets, a VP analyst at Gartner says it's time for government departments to move past previous failed endeavors and wake up and smell the social. Considering the explosive social networking growth revealed by a survey Nielsen just published, now may be a great time to begin transitioning some government operations to social media tools.

Neilsen's study (PDF link) focuses on the social networks that had the highest year-over-year growth in the US from September 2007 to 2008. The reigning champions among social networks are no surprise: MySpace tops out with 59 million users, Facebook has 39 million, and Classmates Online comes in third (no, seriously) with 17 million. Facebook's gaining, though, as its growth came in at 116 percent, while MySpace grew just one percent.

You can read the rest of the article here. 

I always joke about this but really it is true, if you are a real estate agent working in my area stay as far away from social networks as possible, I love all the extra business!

If you would like to work with an agent who is leading the way call 715-894-1001 today or send me an email.

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Eau Claire Wisconsin Real Estate

I originally posted this in my Eau Claire Wisconsin Real Estate Blog.

Check this out:

You can read the rest of the article here.

If you would like to work with an agent who is leading the way call 715-894-1001 today or send me an email.

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Eau Claire Wisconsin Real Estate

I originally posted this in my Eau Claire Wisconsin Real Estate Blog.

I bet you are wondering what the heck these two things have in common. Well I was sitting here today finishing up a few things for the week like I usually do on Sundays and while flipping through channels somehow ice skating was on. Well before I could hit the remote to find what I was looking for I was listening to the announcer. This is approximately what he said:

You couldn't find a better time to invest in real estate. It really is the perfect opportunity to make an investment, you just cant go wrong. Speaking of real estate that girl is running out of real estate right now., she nearly hit that wall!

I thought it was funny that on a program like this that they would be mentioning real estate. I don't know where the guy was getting his investment advice but he really was right on the money. There is no better time to invest in real estate. There is probably no better opportunity for investment either. Real estate can yield a huge return in just a few short years.

If you would like to work with an agent who is leading the way call 715-894-1001 today or send me a email.

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Search Eau Claire Wisconsin Open Houses

Search for Eau Claire Wisconsin open houses instantly!

Are you tired of only being able to find open houses in one spot like the paper?

What if you could find out about open houses ahead of time so you can plan your weekend better?

Well one way to solve the dilemma would be to just give me a call and I could set up an easy schedule for you so that you could be the most effective and efficient with your time.

Another way is to do it yourself using my website.

Find Eau Claire Wisconsin Open Houses now.

If you would like to work with an agent who is leading the way call 715-894-1001 today or send me a email.

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Eau Claire Wisconsin Realtor

Are you looking for an experienced Eau Claire Wisconsin Real Estate Agent and Realtor?

I believe the key to successfully marketing a home in the current market is a combination of tried and true techniques combined with modern technology.

The peak of the Internet craze was the mid 90's. For many it was dubbed just that, a craze. Well this craze has turned into the single most powerful advertising vehicle on the planet. Some estimates say that over 80% of potential home buyers start their search on the Internet. I would say this is probably a low estimate for the market I serve. Almost every single buyer I can think of started their searching on the Internet.

Thats why my marketing emphasis the importance of the Internet Just as you will find my message here I am reaching out to potential buyers for my listings. It serves a dual purpose. This is modern marketing. It is effective and simple. It just works.

Lets face it, in todays market you need to take advantage of every tool available. Working with an agent who is using these techniques is vital. I believe in technology so much that I use it every day to reach out to potential clients and demonstrate just how powerful it is.

If you would like to work with an agent who is leading the way call 715-894-1001 today or send me a email.

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Eau Claire Wisconsin Real Estate Agent and Realtor® Shane O'Gorman

Are you looking for an experienced Eau Claire Wisconsin Real Estate Agent?

I believe the key to successfully marketing a home in the current market is a combination of tried and true techniques combined with modern technology.

The peak of the Internet craze was the mid 90's. For many it was dubbed just that, a craze. Well this craze has turned into the single most powerful advertising vehicle on the planet. Some estimates say that over 80% of potential home buyers start their search on the Internet. I would say this is probably a low estimate for the market I serve. Almost every single buyer I can think of started their searching on the Internet.

Thats why my marketing emphasis the importance of the Internet Just as you will find my message here I am reaching out to potential buyers for my listings. It serves a dual purpose. This is modern marketing. It is effective and simple. It just works.

Lets face it, in todays market you need to take advantage of every tool available. Working with an agent who is using these techniques is vital. I believe in technology so much that I use it every day to reach out to potential clients and demonstrate just how powerful it is.

If you would like to work with an agent who is leading the way call 715-894-1001 today or send me a email.

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Read my Eau Claire Wisconsin Real Estate Blog!

Eau Claire Wisconsin Open House Search and find open houses today.

509 Lee Street Eau Claire Wisconsin 54701

$89,900

The house is priced to sell! I can show you comparable homes in the area. There simply is no better value.

2 Bedrooms

1 Bath

Great looking house in premiere location on East Hill. Everything on main floor has been updated and is in excellent condition. This is the perfect house to move into and just relax on the patio in the back. You have to see this. Every detail has been done for you. 2nd floor could be finished how you want it. Nice yard with lots of flowers. Excellent starter home! Updates per seller: Bathroom 3-01, Windows 3-03, Shingles 9-04, Furnace 10-04.

This house is move in ready and waiting for you.

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