US-centric: No doubt you already have a go-to tool for tracking your packages across the country, but weblog Digital Inspiration highlights a quick and simple tip for getting up-to-the date tracking info straight from the source: just email the shipping company. For example, send a blank-subject email with tracking numbers in the body to track@fedex.com or totaltrack@ups.com, and a few seconds later, you’ll have a response with the latest status of your package. We’ve covered several tools for tracking your packages in the past, but this technique might come in particularly handy when you’ve got the tracking number in your inbox and you want a quick status update, particularly from a cell phone. Know the Current Location of your FedEx or UPS Shipments Via Email [Digital Inspiration]
US-centric: Health web site Diet.com’s Nutrition on the Go service provides nutritional values for food items on popular restaurant menus via a simple text message. To use it, just text the name of the restaurant and the menu item you’re looking for to DIET1 (34381)—for example, “mcdonalds southwest chicken salad.” Diet.com will text you back with the nutritional values of your item, namely calories, fat, carbs, and protein. Granted, most restaurants (fast food, at least) should have that information available, but if you want a quick look-up in the drive-through or you don’t want to be the one who makes employees blow the dust off the nutritional info, Nutrition on the Go seems like a service worth adding to your contacts. Nutrition on the Go – diet1 (34381) [via Computer World]
US-centric: Web site FreeShipping.org rounds up free shipping coupons to over 600 stores, helping you save cash on your next online purchase. Similar to previously mentioned Free Shipping On, FreeShipping.org appears to have a slightly broader reach and better navigation. The two sites also appear to showcase slightly different coupons for some sites, so both might be worth a look before you check out and pay for shipping. Alternately, if Amazon is your online retailer of choice, the Amazon Filler Item Finder is a must-bookmark site for getting to free shipping on your Amazon purchases. FreeShipping.org [via Gomestic]
US-centric: Hot on the heels of Windows Live Maps’ traffic-based directions, Google Maps unleashes its own traffic predictions. To use it, just click the Traffic button on the top of a map and then click the change link to switch between live traffic conditions and traffic predictions. The predictions are based on past traffic at those times, similar to Windows Live Maps, but the option to choose your travel time and get predictions based on when you’re heading out put Google Maps’ traffic predictions one up on Windows Live Maps. Google Maps [via Google Operating System]
Whether trying to win bidders on eBay or attract eyeballs on a tutorial or craft site, the best way to stand out is with an attractive, detail-showing picture. Photography tutorial site Photojojo offers a wealth of tips for your camera, your staging, and other things to keep in mind while trying to represent your goods. Two bits of advice many commerce-minded shooters should heed:For small items such as jewelry, you can use more interesting backgrounds. Gemmafactrix uses vintage books and industrial surfaces to show off her jewelry on Etsy, and it works great. Wood, paper, cloth and metal can all add a little something to your images. For tutorials and larger items like clothing, you’ll have to pull back to get everything in the shot. Make sure the rest of your studio/ apartment/ mobile command unit isn’t visible in the shot. Set up by a blank wall and use it as a backdrop.
Web marketer and migraine sufferer Scott Clark is tracking all the daily variables—food, environment, activity, and the like—that surround his attacks with a migraine diary, and he’s found text-to-speech services like Jott (original post) are the best hassle-free tool for the job. Not only will Jott (or ReQall or most similar systems) automatically record the date and time of the entries, but it’s always accessible by cell phone, and one can create a dedicated “inbox” for migraines to separate the diary from productivity-related uses. For anyone looking to track a diet, health issue, or other things that happen away from the desk, it’s worth looking into. Photo by robtxgal. Migraine Diary Creation using Jott [Site Creations]
US-centric: Coupons—they’re never around when you get that sudden urge to splurge on electronics. Not so with a 10-percent-off printable discount at Best Buy, which is posted as an image at a U.S. Postal Service “Mover’s Guide” site with an easily-anticipated URL. Tech blog CyberNet points out that the coupon can be found by slotting the appropriate month and year in, so this month’s coupon, for example, is: https://moversguide.usps.com/img/coupon/bestbuy/200804_clientarea.gif
US-centric: Compare mobile phone plans and find the perfect plan to fit your usage needs at web site BillShrink. Just enter some information about how you use your phone along with your current monthly bills, and BillShrink will offer you an alternative plan that could save you a tonne of cash. Currently BillShrink is focused on mobile plans only, but they appear to be working towards offering more comparisons for cable and internet bills in the future. BillShrink doesn’t take phone availability into account, so if you want an iPhone, for example, you’re stuck with AT&T (unless you unlock it). Let’s hear if BillShrink helped you find a better plan in the comments.
US-centric: Windows Live Maps has added a new feature called Clearflow, which suggests routes based on traffic conditions with the intention of getting you where you need to go quickly and with a minimum of traffic congestion. Rather than suggesting routes based solely on real-time data, Clearflow also factors in time of day, weather, and even things like nearby sporting events likely to cause congestion. I’ve been testing it on some local routes, and while I’m not sure if its suggestions are accurate, I can say that it does drastically change its suggestions when I tick the “Choose route based on traffic” option. The Clearflow feature is available in 72 cities starting today, so if you give it a try, let’s hear what kind of results you’re seeing in the comments. Live Search Maps [via NYT]
US-centric: Newly-launched travel site Delaycast is a perfect complement to the similarly statistical-minded Farecast, saving you time instead of money by providing estimates on how many minutes your flight will likely be delayed. Enter the airport you’re flying from and to, at what date and time range, and Delaycast analyses delay data from airlines and airports to give you the most likely scenario—the site owners state they’re “within 15 minutes 80-90% of the time,” and expect the predictions to get better over time. The chart above predicts a flight from New York’s JFK to San Diego International, 9-10 a.m. on April 18, and the “90%” column provides the confidence interval range for the prediction for the stat geeks among us. If nothing else, Delaycast helps you figure out just how much reading or battery power you’ll need once you’re stuck beyond security, waiting to lift off.
