Current Mood: Cool

I’ve installed the new ZenCart, so now it’s onto customizing it and coming up with a logo. And, might as well send the Googlebot in the proper direction now, too. So:

The new site is happening at: Cozy Homewares! Here, robots, heerrre… *makes puppy-calling-type kissing noises*

I must say, I’ve gotta love CSS. The first time I set up one of these, it took hours to find all the things I needed to change to get the looks I wanted. But with CSS, it was easy to get the effect on the new site, without redoing all that work! It just took porting over my other CSS file. Sweet!!

Of course, there’s still a lot to customize: At the time of this posting, the big feature is ZenCart’s “manual.” I’ve never read it, but if it’s anything like their online docs, it’s total Greek…and anyway, that’s not something I’M selling, so off it’ll go, by tonight.

Since it’s Friday night, there’s no real point in emailing the wholesalers now. I’ll hit ‘em on Monday, ignoring my normal superstition against doing business on that day (people are usually in a bad mood on Mondays, so it’s often better to wait for a Tuesday). I’m too antsy to get going to wait for Tues. this time! Especially since if I can get some stock in here ASAP, I can start sellin’ it for this Christmas season!

I didn’t get my business papers back today, but the county’s pretty fast, so if they don’t come tomorrow I’ll have ‘em Monday. Then it’ll be time to get the new bank acc’t and the new merchant acc’t.

The state of MI, on the other hand, is molasses incarnate. It’ll take them probably 6 weeks to set me up with a new sales tax license number! So I’ll use one of my other ones for now. No biggie.

Current Mood: Meh

Things are progressing on Merchant Site #3. The biz reg has been sent (I should have my official, embossed papers in return mail today or tomorrow), and the ZenCart is ready for me to pull the trigger.

And, that reminded me…I needed an SSL Cert for this baby, and to renew the one for Merch. Site #2.

An SSL Cert, if you don’t already know, is what makes that little lock appear on a secure site. It makes the encryption work. It also serves an identification function, which is one of the reasons browsers put out warnings when things don’t match up.

Now here’s the bit with these things: You can get ‘em for $15, $49, or even–hold onto your seats!–$800 and up!

So, when I opened Merch. Site #1, I educated myself on the difference. For anyone who wants to know, here it is in a nutshell:

The SUPER CHEAP jobbies are “chained” certificates. This is Greek for that it could have gone through several resellers, all vouching for the prior reseller’s reputation. So, all it takes is one weak link in the chain, and you end up with junk. Those are a bit too iffy for me.

The CHEAP ones ($49) are just fine for any sane purpose, as far as I can tell. You get a “root level” cert, that is, one that has NOT gone through a gauntlet of resellers. So, you only have to trust the one company. For $49 it’s got very minimal identity authentication. It has to go with the site you’re trying to run it on and that’s about it. Oh, they claim to authenticate the buyer. LOLOL that consists of a short phone call to the buyer! BUT, the real point of an SSL certif is to get that sensitive data to encrypt, get the lock showing, and basically keep customers from running away screaming–NOT to show that [my real name] is really me, or that I’m on Dun & Bradstreet (which I’m not), or any of that.

So, in short, the $49 one is just fine. And, that’s what I get.

The LUDICROUSLY EXPENSIVE VERISIGN ONES are a ripoff from all I can tell. The only difference between these things and the $49ers, is that they put the buyer through a bunch of hash to prove their identity. The important part–the encryption function–is no different! What Verisign and their ilk do is make the buyer fax in a bunch of paperwork, take about 5 days to *really* verify it, and then fork up the darn cert. Oh, and the merchant gets to display that fancy Secured by Verisign seal instead of the kind of cheap-looking “Secured by RapidSSL” one that I have. Woopee.

But, some people think that they should overspend when they’re a business, and a lot of big companies have that same insanity, so there’s a lot of Verisign seals to be seen out there.

There’s actually a FREE way to get an SSL certif! It’s called a “self-signed” certificate. What that basically means is simple: You can generate your own certificate! Most decent server management software has this capability, although shared-hosting users may be outta luck unless they can get their host to generate one for ‘em. But before you run to get a free one:

With the self-signed ones, there is no ID authentication at all. It’s basically saying, “It’s secure, cuz I said so.” It DOES really enable the same 128-bit encryption that all the others do. But, it makes the browser kick out multiple warnings: “This is an unknown certificate issuing authority” (or words to that effect) being chief among them. And if you don’t use it on the domain it’s made for, it, like all others, will also trigger warnings based on that mismatch.

Due to the warnings, no customer in their right mind is going to trust a self-signed certif, which is what’s wrong with those–and what keeps the “certifying authorities” (SSL cert sellers) in business. But there may be some noncommercial applications for those. Self-signeds are also good as “practice” installations, which comes in handy when figuring out a new installation interface.

As for what one of these certificate files looks like, all the components are made of what appears to be gibberish. Like someone randomly pounded on a keyboard with their fists until they generated about 200 characters of junk!!

Yet, out of that “junk,” browser software can pick out all kinds of stuff–the site it’s issued to, when it expires, who issued it…and whatever info is needed to make the encryption happen.

So the tech is pretty cool, despite the fact that it costs money to get a certificate that browser software actually recognizes.

Current Mood: Surprised

When I got back from vacation recently, I found out that I had been sent a couple of free samples of something called Freeze It! This is a new pain-relieving gel which, unlike many older types of topical analgesics, does not have a heating action. Apparently they think this is something really special, given the name and the ice-blue coloring of the gel.

Since I’d been off the computer, I didn’t have any aches to test it on for a while. But today, my wrist was a bit sore, so I gave the sample a test instead of going for my normal standby.

Immediately upon opening the packet, I was hit with a POWERFUL(!!!) menthol scent! WOW! I’m sure it could have been smelled across the room! The packets say that it’s a “vanishing” scent, and it has toned down a tad since I put it on. But I’d give it at least an hour to disappear if I was going out somewhere…

As for the “freeze” part…it has left a lasting coldness, although a “freeze” would be a bit of an exaggeration. I’m finding this effect to be very noticable–I’m used to creams that heat up, not get cold. This chilling effect seems to be from some sort of reaction between the ingredients and the air: My wrist rest (where some rubbed off) has become colder, too.

When it comes to the bottom line–does it stop the pain?–I will say I am pleasantly surprised. It has indeed calmed the soreness in my wrist! Sure beats the alternative of staying off the computer…

gotta play it again!

While there is indeed a song called that, and it does occasionally drive me crazy, the “song” in this case is the song of the merchant side.

Some people have an addiction to buying domains. Some, to putting up sites. I’ve gotten an addiction to putting up MERCHANT sites! In fact, I’ve just registered a new domain, for a new merchant site.

While the timing is a bit on the suxor side…too close to Christmas to get enough ads in after I’ve made all the contacts I’ll need to in order to get the latest round of stock in–I’m quite confident that this will be a winner within a full cycle. There’s some serious competition for some of the items, but I’m sure that I’ll be able to get a fat enough piece of the pie, based on my prior experiences. Not only that, the product area looks quite profitable, so I should be able to advertise the tar out of it

Some may wonder why I’ve gotten addicted to the merchant side. I used to argue against it, preferring affiliate-side promotion hands-down! What made me change my mind? A few things went into the decision, but, to make a very long story short:

IF retail product cost = $50.
Affiliate commission = $5.
MERCHANT profit = $35!

With that, and the control factor, I have seen the fnords!! I just wish I’d opened merchant sites years ago. I used to talk about being a merchant and opening an aff program at CJ, but got lulled into just being an affiliate because it’s so easy. But now I cringe when I see the 10% commish, knowing that it’d (generally) be at least 40% if I’d been the one to ship the thing!

I did do one thing different this time: I picked a non-niche domain. Ultra-niche sites never did match my personality; they’re far too limiting and it’s never long before I think of something else I’d like to sell. So this new domain has room for lots of product lines. While they’ll still be fairly related (unlike a true mall), it’s not a single-line kind of name like my other merchant sites. I suppose it could be called a semi-niche…

So what’s the name? I’ll have it up in my link list soon. But I just registered it, and it’s still going to 404sville at the mo. So I’ll refrain from announcing it just yet. No point in getting a #1 in Google under “404!”

Since I’ve done that, the next week or so will be a bit busy. Now that I’ve got a Name, I’ll be off to the bank tomorrow to get the latest biz registration notarized and send that to the county, then I’ll have to send in to get another sales tax license, find a bunch of wholesalers, set up the next merchant account (they’re getting to know me at the merch. acc’t place LOL), get another bank account, etc.

Funny thing is, it’s all fun! Well most of it. Finding all the wholesale distributors for this stuff isn’t going to be too easy. And Providian’s going to love me a bit too much when I charge up the initial stocking.

But other than that, it’s fun and exciting! And I’m always looking forward to the next level: A place in some light-industrial building…only this time with MY name on the front door!

It’s already getting cold here in frigid Michigan. I just got back from FL, where it was running about 90 degrees, so the current MI temp of 52 is really barn-like! It’s horrific to think of the fact that it’ll go down to below-zero temps before the w*nter is over.

Some Frigiganders like to pretend that this is fine weather. Of course, that’s utter nonsense. The cold is already LOUSY and it’s not even winter yet! So obviously there are some tricks to surviving a winter in this place.

Sure, there are the mental ones, like remembering that there are actually places on Earth that are cursed with something called “permafrost” and that in such places, the ice reaches hundreds of feet high (glaciers), but what really works is attacking the problem at the root.

Space heaters work wonders when strategically placed. I like a nice, balmy, 80-degree environment, but heating the entire house to that nice temperature can get expensive. A space heater planted next to me, behind the desk, makes a nice little oasis of tolerability.

For the big areas, I once worked in a place that had an uber space heater like this baby: Propane Heater. If you try sitting in front of one of these, it’ll scorch your leg! But at the proper distance, it provides good heat. I will say, their attempts to heat a huge warehouse with just one of ‘em didn’t work. If you have a really massive space, get several. Here in MI, one heater is never enough!

Desatech, the site in the links, has several kinds of space heaters. Some of them are actually set up to look like fireplace logs. So if you want a fake fire, you no longer have to have the game given away by a lack of heat! There are also several traditional electric models, including wall heaters and infrared towers. And, of course, the uber blaster models that run on propane.

If you’re stuck in a frozen-tier state for another year, check ‘em out!

Current Mood: Erm…

By the spambots.

Oh, goodie! Now I can watch my Akismet thingie count how many have been automatically sent to the bit bucket! (/semi-sarcasm)

Current Mood: Meh

Geez! “Dull” is actually an understatement. No wonder I never went fast on those j*bs when I did them for empl*yment. They put me to sleep!

What reminded me how dull clerical stuff can be?

Every year, I send out postcards to old customers to let them know that the tulip season has begun. Needless to say, this entails some clerical work. I had to enter all the names/addresses into the label template, print that out, and then sticker the postcards with those labels and my return-address labels.

And, I actually fell asleep a few times before I was done with the last set of labels!

At least I didn’t hate inventory/counting. Because the next step for the beginning of a season is to count out all the packs. They’re 12-packs, because I make ‘em 12-packs. But there’s clerical in that part, too: They have to be labeled by type.

No wonder shipping has improved on my opinion-meter! I got rid of all the nasty parts of the shipping operation. My boxes are big enough that fitting the stuff in isn’t a hassle, nobody can tell me to speed up and pack 1/min (I won’t ever fire me!), and I make sure to buy the good tape so there’s no frustration with that part.

But the clerical stuff…I think that’s irredeemable for now. There’re machines that WILL do it, but I’d have to be sending mass-mailings out a lot more often to make that equipment worthwhile. I only send cards out once a year…

Current Mood: Playful

To be planting! Specifically, tulips.

Why tulips?

Because they’re a great investment in next spring, because they’re the most popular bulb plant, because they’re pretty foolproof…

And because I just got my load of bulbs in from Holland for GoodBulbs.com! So the bulb-selling season is here, as well as the planting season!

Current Mood: Really Sad & Angry

As an affiliate marketer, there is one thing that’s dreaded: Reversals. Waiting to see if an order will “stick” is like walking on light bulbs.

This effect is greatly lessened as a merchant, but occasionally, something happens that condenses all the pain into an exquisitely tortuous experience!

An order cancellation.

I’m going to have to reverse ON MYSELF! Oh, that sucks! Suuuuccckkkkssss!!!

Affiliates may think that “at least the merchant knows the real reason.” But, NOT! I don’t know the real reason! He just said “[product] isn’t going to work for us.” Which is as good as the notorious “reversal reason: other” of affiliate networks.

Current Mood: Sad

Way back in about 2002, I bought this computer. It was an UBER game rig! With its 1GB RAM, Intel P4 processor, a badass video card, and RAID striping, it played everything with max settings and no lag. How easy it was to get used to having the first thing after installing a game (after finding the patch…there’s always a patch) to be turning up all the settings from the mediocre default choices game places put in.

But about 2 years ago, I started picking up rumblings, and by this year they were outright tremors. People were talking about having FOUR GBs of RAM, somehow the P4 started having “Celeron” added to its name, and already I’d had trouble finding a decent replacement video card because all the new comps use PCIe instead of AGP… But still I couldn’t bring myself to really think of this computer as the O-word (obsolete). After all, it’ll play Rome: Total War fine.

Then last week I got a new game. Medieval II: Total War.
I went and found the 1.1 patch, installed that, and just for kicks, I read the ReadMe. In the ReadMe it had the “min specs” 512GB RAM…I laughed because nothing will ever run on the min specs a game place provides! But hey, I’ve got a gig, so…

SO I read the “recommended specs” and it says, 1GB RAM, 2GHz processor, or something close to that. And I know I’m in trouble.

General Rule of Game Specs #1: You need twice the “recommended specs” or the gaming experience is gonna suck somehow… UH-OH… My specs only match their lowball recommendation!

So I start playing. Seems fine enough…resolution on high or max for everything…battles in the field work well…wait, what’s this? “Enemy Reinforcements Delayed” well that’s nothing new. I wonder what they’ll have it say under the heading this time?

“Reinforcements are delayed because the amount of units on the screen are all your system can handle at the settings you chose!” Blahblahblah!! Well!

But so what, I figured. If my settings mean the enemy can’t get all his force on there at once, GOOD! That’s strategic. For ME. Means I can mop them up in more manageable chunks, rather than getting pwned by some uberforce!

Then I got to a fortress seige battle. On the fort scenes, there is none of that “reinforcements delayed” stuff because the enemy is all in the fort! I barged in anyway since I had a superior force, and encountered the one thing that’s more horrifying than even the best units on the game:

LAG!

Bam! Slideshow time. Did it drop to 30FPS? (Frames per second) 10 FPS? 5? Oh, ha ha ha! No such luck! Try 2 frames PER MINUTE! A true slideshow. Torture!

Finally I realized that if I maneuvred the camera to be looking at something stationary, it’d speed up some because the 1000+ dudes wouldn’t have to be rendered. So I ended up spending the battle looking at stuff like the castle walls, and only checking the battle when I had to put another command in. Even so, it took about 3 hours to finish the battle, which I obstinately did because I didn’t want to lose all the effort I’d already put in.

But that definitely settled it. It’s time for this computer to retire, after 5 good years of service.

Sure–it’s still fine for doing productive stuff. But, my ancient eMachines with its 172MBs of RAM and integrated graphics is still pretty good for doing productive stuff, too! It’s GAMES that need the serious power. DreamWeaver (website editor) isn’t trying to show 1,000-2,000+ guys swording at each other at once while also displaying highly-rendered grass, bricks, buildings, etc. Medieval II is.

And, to me, a computer is a game deck FIRST and other stuff is secondary. One of the main points of doing the other stuff is so I can keep playing games!

So, my always-on desire for lots of sales is now jacked up a lot more. I won’t build a computer that’ll just play Medieval II on max but that’ll go obsolete 2 years from now, I’ll build one that’ll be an uber rig by current standards–so I don’t have to do it again for another 5 or 6 years!

Now the question is…will I be able to hold off until I save up the money, or will I break down and CHARGE IT? It’s very tempting to charge it and start the assembly NOW, but I know that the main retail season will hit in a couple of months–bringing me a decent flow of money. AND some really high-end hardware is rumored to be coming out in January, too. So I will try to be patient…and always have enough troops that I can auto-resolve those seiges…