Tiger had a dramatic come from behind win yesterday, taking the US Open championship in a playoff. It took all of his skill and focus to overcome intense knee pain to win his greatest championship to date. This championship, which helps solidify the legend and brings him closer to surpassing Jack Nicklaus’ record 18 major wins, was inspirational. As fans, we tend to remember the championships that were won while overcoming adversity and obstacles. There’s Kerri Strug’s 1996 vault on an injured ankle to capture team gold, Michael Jordan leading the Bulls to a NBA Championship on Father’s day the year his father died, and Lance Armstrong’s seven consecutive Tour de France championships as a cancer survivor.
Inspirational victories give us hope and create new dreams. They help us find inner strength to overcome the challenges we face and inspire us to revisit past passions. Tiger’s victory yesterday has undoubtedly inspired thousands back to the golf course in search of the perfect round. At 3LUXE we’ve been tracking an increase in traffic to our Best Of golf reviews. This culminated yesterday with record visits to recently updated club reviews. The most popular reviews may be surprising, Best Of Irons followed closely by Best Of Drivers. My guess is we’ll see an uptake in traffic to Best Of Putters as the season progresses.
Congratulations Tiger and best of luck to everyone pursuing the perfect game.
On my way into work this morning I saw that gas prices surpassed $4.00 a gallon. In addition to changing the driving and purchasing habits of individuals, high fuel prices are causing more businesses to rethink the traditional work week, driving change for the better. An article in the Pioneer Press explains how several Twin City businesses are looking at ways to help employees deal with the increasing cost of the commute. Among the changes, more telecommuting and 4-day work weeks. As someone who used to spend between one and two hours a day commuting, these are welcome changes, regardless of gas prices.
So what are more positive changes that we will see as a result of high gas prices? Over the next week, the 3LUXE Best Of The Days will feature “Best Ofs” that can help you live life to the fullest while promoting a “greener” lifestyle that benefits us all.
The most obvious changes are directly related to fuel prices and how we get where we’re going. Hybrid and electric cars are continuously improving, but with consumers looking for more alternatives, auto companies are finally getting serious about making fuel efficient cars and trucks. But more fun than the advances in cars, is the surge in scooter sales. This is a fun alternative for motoring around town and according to MSNBCsales are up around 25%.
In addition to fuel saving vehicles, there are many other things we can do that not only help us save fuel, but allow us to get more out of life. As I mentioned above, there is more telecommuting taking place, and let’s face it who wouldn’t like to take some of their life back from the drudgery of a commute. The accelerating trend in the home office is fueling sales for home office furniture, the most basic need, a desk.
Summer vacations are also changing this year as more families look to parks and recreation areas that allow them to enjoy their own “backyard”. Many of us here at 3LUXE enjoy the outdoors and know that when you’re “roughing it”, it’s a good idea to have the best. 3LUXE recently updated our “Best Of” camping categories, including tents and sleeping bags for Summer 2008.
Another thing we’ve witnessed at 3LUXE is that many of the items that have been reserved for recreation, are finding their way back into our everyday lives. The easiest to spot is the bike. Here in the US many bikes are purchased solely for recreation and exercise, but you’re seeing more of us tune them up and ride into work. I doubt many would argue that a bike ride in the morning isn’t more relaxing than being stuck in a car.
Next time your at the gas pump grumbling about prices, take a moment to think about how you can change your habits to get more out of life. Maybe you’ll even try skateboarding into work (as someone who’s done it, I would stick to biking)?
Although 2008 is the 100th Anniversary of Father’s Day in the United States, the National Retail Federation is forecasting that Father’s Day spending will be down approximately 4% compared to last year. With record high food and fuel prices that is completely understandable. But then I hear that “Fathers generally get passed over a lot for Father’s Day” onThe Wall Street Journal This Morning, and I became slightly concerned for America’s Dads. Since historically people complain that Dad is difficult to shop for, 3LUXE has published the 2008 Father’s Day Gift Guide, to help alleviate common challenges in finding the right gift for Dad.
Although Dads are “difficult” to buy for, we found publishing our 2008 gift guide to be straight forward. A few reasons why:
Several “Dads” contribute to 3LUXE.
Dads rarely buy gifts for themselves.
Dads are just old “boys”, and boys like their toys.
To help our users find the right gift for Dad, 3LUXE has divided our guide into categories based on interests, including a Classic Gift Guide that has appeal to all Dads. In addition to the classic guide we’ve created a Guide to Gadgets that includes gear that will keep dad happy at home and on the road. Golf Gifts are always popular for Father’s Day and our guide includes a couple of the year’s best clubs that are sure to help Dad’s game. Since Father’s Day is celebrated at the beginning of summer, we’ve included two guides that allow Dad to enjoy his gifts this summer and for years to come; The Grilling and Outdoor gift guides.
This Father’s Day remember to thank Dad for all that he has done for you over the years, sometimes the best gift is a simple “thank you”.
Memorial Day weekend provided many great memories for me growing up. Many of these memories center around activities I continue to enjoy today. There were the picnics, the parks, the bike rides, the hikes, and even a classic car cruise. One thing I enjoy about Memorial Day… what it marks, the beginning of summer freedom.
After being snow bound most of the winter, summer is always welcome. Getting out to bike, play ball, enjoy the weather and of course grill.
According to The NPD Group, Grilling is Now a Year-Round Undertaking…
not for those of us in Minnesota. Even though I love everything about grilling; the process, the smell of bbq, the beer and most of all the food, I’m not ready to shovel out my grill during the winter. What makes grilling so enjoyable is being outdoors. Grilling outdoors has always been enjoyable, but it has never been more comfortable… With the introduction of the outdoor kitchen, families across the country are benefiting from better patio furniture, awesome outdoor fireplaces, great sounding music from improved outdoor speakers,
and grills that are easy to start and don’t leave you (or your food) smelling like lighter fluid. All of these improvements allow us to spend more time outside and more importantly, make it easier to slow down and spend more time with family and friends.
For me, Memorial Day weekend is really about spending time with family and friends. Remembering those who came before us, taking time to reflect on those that gave their life for our freedom and saying thanks to the brave individuals who continue to protect our country and freedom today.
I don’t know how the debate over Bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles will turn out. In addition to manufactures that use BPA to harden the plastic in their baby bottles, the FDA, EFSA (European Food Safety Authority), and Japanese National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology all believe there are no short or long term health risks associated with BPA in polycarbonate baby bottles (this makes me feel better since we used Avent bottles with our two boys). In 2007 the EFSA even increased the acceptable level of BPA in consumer products based on additional studies.
The government pushing for the discontinuation of Bisphenol A (BPA) is Canada. Canada agrees that BPA in Baby Bottles “is below levels that pose a risk”, however they feel the levels are close enough where effects could occur, and they want to reduce chances of further exposure. As a result it is Canada’s “intention to ban the importation, sale and advertising of polycarbonate baby bottles.”
I’ve used (and still do) polycarbonate water bottles (that contain BPA) for several years. I started drinking more water, less soda, and I wanted bottle that wouldn’t create the waste of “disposable” water bottles. I’m confident the net gain from the thousands of gallons of water consumed, outweighs the possible negative impact from BPA, and for the time being I will continue to use polycarbonate bottles.
But when it comes to my new baby girl, I’m more cautious. As new parents you have enough on your mind; the last thing keeping you up at night should be worrying if your baby bottles are safe. As a result, like Canada, 3LUXE has gone BPA Free with Baby Bottles. We went back to the beginning with our research of the baby bottle category, starting from scratch and immediately eliminated any options containing BPA. We have three new “Best Of” selections that are all BPA Free Bottles . Hopefully this will help you get a little more sleep at night.
If it’s not on your calendar, put it there now; Sunday, May 11 is Mother’s Day. It doesn’t get the same coverage as the more popular gift giving holiday’s like Christmas and Valentine’s Day, but when it comes to finding the right gift you want to make sure you get Mother’s Day right. To help 3LUXE users with their quest to find the perfect gift, we launched the 3LUXE 2008 Mother’s Day Gift Guide.
After all your mom has done for you over the years, you don’t want to wait until the last minute and miss out on the opportunity to say thank-you. And although the National Retail Federation believes consumers will scale back on the amount they spend compared to last year, we’ll still spend an estimated $138.63 – a little more than the standard card and flowers of yesteryear.
Recognizing there’s not a “one size fits all” gift for Moms, we’ve broken out our gift guide into four segments. In addition to the Traditional Gift Guide, we’ve added gifts perfect for “Techie” and “Foodie” moms. Finally we’ve created a Romantic Mother’s Day Guide.
The last one isn’t for “your” mom, but for the mother of your children. Several years ago (it might have been Katie’s first Mother’s Day) I screwed this one up, I’m not not going to let that happen again. Hopefully there is a new Dad out there who will see the Romantic Guide, awake from their stupor, avoid my mistake, and get a great gift for their wife.
Whatever you decide to do for “Mom” this year, be sure to include a heartfelt “Thank-you”. Nobody is more deserving.
Ask any friend – they’ll claim to doing research before making a purchase. Nobody wants to make (or admit to making) an uninformed purchase. Some of us do research on everything from large investments like cars, to daily necessities like a bar of soap. The amount of time and effort we invest varies greatly by individual and can be influenced by a number of variables; cost, time, importance, etc. In a study from earlier this year, eMarketer found that 9 out 10 people, read reviews at least “some of the time” before making online purchases. Surprising to many, over 65% surveyed check a minimum of four reviews before making an online purchase. People are predominately (76%) looking to the web for a combination of user and expert reviews – all great news for 3LUXE.
What I find most interesting or surprising about online research are the misconceptions about the “rich”. Many imagine the rich to spend frivolously, going from store to store, adding shopping bags at each stop. These images are reinforced by the photos we see in grocery tabloids of famous stars doing just that, but the stereotype couldn’t be further from the truth. The majority of the rich accumulated their wealth by making wise investments and being smart about how they spend money – good habits don’t die.
MediaPost published an article last week covering a new study done by American Express and Harrison Group that illustrates how the rich comparison shop. Like the rest of America, they’re increasingly turning to the web for both research and purchases. The study defined “rich” as having $352,000 in discretionary annual income, approximately 12 million American households. This wealthy group holds 70% of U.S. assets and accounts for 50% of the consumption. With vast resources available, the wealthy go to the same place everybody does for comparison shopping, the net. 70% surveyed utilize the net to identify, price, compare and purchase fashion and home goods. Not only are the wealthy using the net for research, it has become the preferred destination for shopping, with 70% preferring the web over in-store purchases.
I often receive questions about the range of prices and breadth of categories reviewed on 3LUXE. Everything from BMX to Boeing and Strollers to Sedans, we find the best. We do this because we know it doesn’t matter if you’re dropping a few bucks on beer or breaking the bank on a new boat. What matters is doing the research right and finding the best product.
Our goal at 3LUXE is simple, to save time, your time. Instead of spending hours researching your purchases, let us do that for you. Spend your time enjoying what’s most important to you – whatever that may be.
Since launching 3LUXE I’ve been surprised by the popularity of our turntable selections . However, the popularity has nothing to do with nostalgia, but a desire to archive valuable record collections to a digital format. Two of the record players selected connect directly to a computer and convert classic records into portable MP3s that can be enjoyed anywhere.
Since it’s a rainy Saturday here in Saint Paul, I decided to get caught up on some reading. The latest WIRED magazine included Transfer Tickets: The Best and Worst in VHS-to-DVD Converters. The review included four devices that allow you to transfer VHS tapes to DVD. As someone who has a large collection of personal video on VHS this is a great find. My favorite is the solution from Pinnacle Systems, Dazzle DVD Recorder.
For under $50.00 this solution is perfect, allowing you to easily plug your VCR into your PC with a USB connection. It allows you to declutter – box up all your old VHS tapes and the VCR. And unlike standalone hardware solutions, it doesn’t add another video component into your entertainment system.
Pinnacle has a long history as a leader in video editing and continuously gets highly rated in reviews from both users and professionals. This device is no exception, it’s a simple device to move video collection from VHS to DVD. The Dazzle DVD Recorder keeps it simple – tape to DVD. One recommendation, before transferring your videos, check Pinnacle’s website to download the latest driver and software updates.
As an added bonus, Amazon has Dazzle DVD Recorder on sale for $44.99
with free shipping.
I apologize to anyone who was attempting to use 3LUXE early this morning. During routine server maintenance we had a “glitch” which caused us to go down. The issue has been resolved and we’re back up and running.
In addition to server maintenance we recoded many of our pages (including category and Best Of) this week. The result – 30% faster page load times, allowing you to find what you’re looking for even faster. Over the next few months we will continue to enhance 3LUXE, making it easier and faster to “Simply find the best of everything”.
If there is anything you would like to see on 3LUXE (categories or features), be sure to let us know, simply use our online form or email me directly (bill at 3LUXE dot com).
Last night Mother Nature threw us a curveball in Saint Paul hitting us with a wintry thunderstorm, complete with lightning, rain and snow. It made for a messy morning – I’m ready for spring.
When I booted my laptop this am I saw the 3LUXE “Best Of” the Day, the Mion Current, making me hopeful for spring. Mion makes awesome sandals. Admittedly they’re a favorite of mine, the perfect balance of comfort and toughness. Since Mion makes such an excellent sandal I couldn’t have been more surprised when I saw a report that Timberland will discontinue Mion and GOLite footwear this fall.
I hope this is a faulty report and I’ll be able to continue to enjoy Mion’s for summers to come. If it turns out to be true, I suggest we all stock up before they run out.
