I’ve been playing with Text Link Ads (aff) lately as a way to supplement AdSense revenue, so I thought I’d write about – and why I like it so much.If you don’t already know, TLA allows you to sell links on your site to advertisers on a monthly basis. The TLA site is effectively a marketplace for advertisers where they can search for relevant sites and buy links. Pricing is based on the popularity and subject of your site, and TLA takes 50%. Simple.But TLA is different from other link ad services because the links are ‘hard coded’ into the HTML of your site, rather than served by Javascript. This means advertisers also get a lasting link value from advertising on your site. If you have a good PageRank and a niche topic, you’ll probably get advertisers fighting for a spot on your site because not only do the get relevant visitors, but they also get get a search engine benefit from being linked to by a well ranked site.From what I’ve read, advertisers often renew their ads from month to month too – so while it may take a while to fill all your ad slots (and you can choose how many you want to sell), once you’ve got a few good advertisers you should find your site making money consistently.The down side to this is that you can’t use TLA if you’re only able to use static HTML on your site (i.e. no PHP/ASP/etc). But just about every decent web host allows some kind of server side coding these days, and TLA provides the code for just about every language as well as plugins for WordPress and other blogging engines.But the best thing about TLA is that it’s non-contextual, which means you can serve AdSense ads on the same page. You won’t have to remove other ads from your site if you just want to try it out for a few months. In fact, as the links just appear as a normal part of your site, people won’t even know they’re ads unless you choose to tell them. I like that level of control.My only real gripe with the system is that the help pages are currently a little limited, but to be honest, it’s so simple I’ve not really had to use it. If you’ve got a web site and think you deserve more revenue than you’re actually getting, I’d definitely recommend giving it a go. You’ve got nothing to lose.

It’s quite rare for YouTube videos to me laugh out loud but this one did:

If I had one of these, I’d probably get rid of my TV and just stare out of the window all day.

I decided not to go out and watch any fireworks displays this year – despite the temptation of constant explosions shaking my windows. Instead, I stayed in and watched the video of our little party last year…

A hundred quid up in smoke in a minute and a half. Worth every penny.

I’m generally quite a cautious person. So when I discovered my Powerbook battery was one of those in the current product recall, I did as suggested by Apple and removed the battery, and ran it off the power supply instead.

Big mistake. BIG mistake.

I often use my Powerbook while sitting on the bed, and this morning I was doing just that, when I went to put the kettle on. I closed the lid, putting the Powerbook to sleep and went to the kitchen.

I came back a couple of minutes later to discover smoke and sparks coming from the bed. It seems my Powerbook was jealous of all the other burning Macs and wanted to get in on the fun. Except this time it was the power cable that decided to burn:

Now, I admit this is a very small fire compared to what others have experienced, but it was enough to burn my bed. And I’m quite certain if I had left it and gone out, the whole bed (and probably the flat) would have gone up in flames.

Luckily, I quickly managed to switch it off at the mains and stop things getting any worse.

Anyway, I need the Powerbook in order to get any work done, so I immediately took the power supply back to the Apple Store in Regent Street.

I explained to one of the staff that my Powerbook was just over a year old and out of warranty, but as it had caught fire, I’d really quite like a replacement. The conversation went like this:

Apple Guy: Did you get extended Apple Cover?

Me: No

Apple Guy: In that case I can’t give you a replacement

Me: But it *caught fire*

Apple Guy: Nothing I can do.

Me: What if it had burnt my house down?

Apple Guy: Um. Sue Apple.

Yes, an Apple employee suggested I sue Apple. Admittedly this was a response to my “what if…” scenario, but I was still shocked. I’m fairly sure it’s not Apple company policy to suggest to customers they sue Apple.
I asked another staff member at the counter if I could get a replacement, and he again refused. At this point, I decided I’d just have to buy a new one or be left laptopless.

The more I think about this, the more annoyed I am. And worried. I’m not supposed to use my Powerbook on battery power, and I don’t feel particularly safe using it on mains power either. I’m a die-hard Apple fan, but I certainly won’t be buying any more Apple computers if this is the best level of service Apple can provide.

Update: 

It seems I’m not alone in having a burning Powerbook power supply. These Flickr photos show people with exactly the same problem. So why hasn’t there been a power supply recall too? Are Apple waiting for someone’s house to burn down?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ch/174843429/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/anthonygrimley/151852448/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/patrice/96719278/

Just experimenting with shozu.com

If there’s one thing that annoys the hell out of me, it’s junk mail. Especially the stuff that isn’t addressed to anyone, but just gets delivered in bulk by Royal Mail.

And the most annoying kind of junk mail? The stuff from charities that includes some kind of ‘freebie’ in it. Usually it’s just a plastic pen (how many of those end up in landfill?), but this week, those lovely people at Help The Aged sent me a tea bag.

Yup, a tea bag.

I briefly glanced at the bumf that came with it.. something about some woman in Africa having to walk miles to make a cup of tea. Basically, a guilt trip. “We’ve sent you something, you really should give us your money now”.

No. No! I will not give money to people that try to make me feel guilty. I’ll give money to the charities I think are good causes. I won’t give you money because you send me unsolicited junk that wants me to feel guilty goes straight in the bin. Well… maybe if you sent me free chocolate, I might…

You have to wonder how much money is spent on these campaigns and how much is simply thrown away without being read.

I didn’t drink the tea. I’m convinced it’s made with ground-up old people and smells of wee.

I’ve decided to move this blog to WordPress, as MT just doesn’t cut it any more.

I’ll probably be tweaking things – most noticeably the template – over the next few days, so don’t be surprised if I break things horribly.

I’m a relatively new Apple convert, having bought my very first Mac (a 12″ Powerbook) just a year ago. I now also have a 17″ Intel iMac, but I’m beginning to think maybe it’s time to trade the old Powerbook for something with a little more oomph!

I’ve been seriously considering white (gotta match the iMac!) 13″ MacBook or possibly a 15″ MacBook Pro, but I still have some reservations what with all the fuss over whining, mooing and staining.

So my question for MacBook and MacBook Pro owners – particularly those who have upgraded from PowerBooks – is this: Should I upgrade or should I wait?

Have you had any trouble with yours? How have you been treated by Apple Support?

I know there’s a lot of life in the old PowerBook yet (despite suffering minor dentage from being hurled across the room), but when I see that poor, lonely, beautiful MacBook sat there in the Apple Store, the urge to give it a loving home is almost unbearable…

According to this Google ad on my web site, Tesco are expanding their product range even faster than I realised:

Free delivery too! No wonder there’s so many terrorists about. Apparently.

I’d like to nominate this as the coolest gadget ever.

I want one. Now!

Please?