Entrecard officially launched their sister site atokens yesterday in hope to capture a part of the micro transaction space.  atokens is a virtual currency site where you can send virtual currencies to other individuals for their services and goods.  Two of the main benefits of atokens in comparison to Entrecard is that you can cash out the new atokens virtual currency and transferring the currency to others do not incur taxes or transaction fees.

Overall I like the concept of virtual currency and micro payments.  There are currently two ways to earn tokens on the site.  You can either complete any one of those referral program offers or you can provide your skill sets to others through the App tab.  In many ways this reminds of of fiverr.  If this concept catches on, the main problem will be how do you categorize the service people are providing and make it easily searchable.  Is there going to be a rating/comment system that everyone has accustomed with?  These are questions that will need to be addressed.  For now, I like how Entrecard is trying to fulfill its end user needs.

I saw this article on telegraph.co.uk the other day that talks about the latest research indicating that swimming pools might not be as safe to swim in as people believe.

“the disinfectant used to keep pool water free from disease can also react with swimmers’ urine and hair to cause conditions including asthma and bladder cancer.

Kmart is currently offering $20 for purchase of Starcraft II from now until July 31st.  With Starcraft being a huge hit, be sure to check to local Kmart to see whether they have any more copy before you head over!

I just purchased a 125x by 125x button for this site.  I know it is easy to design buttons but I am one of those people that truly have no artistic talent.  What do people think and how do you usually get your button?

It pains me to see that OneManga will be officially shutdown starting sometime next week.  OnManga has been among my favorite sites to visit in the last year.  Here is the word directly from the OneManga forum:

“this is the last week of manga reading on One Manga (!!). Manga publishers have recently changed their stance on manga scanlations and made it clear that they no longer approve of it. We have decided to abide by their wishes, and remove all manga content (regardless of licensing status) from the site. The removal of content will happen gradually (so you can at least finish some of the outstanding reading you have), but we expect all content to be gone by early next week (RIP OM July ’10).”

I have been a reader for the past year and half and I really enjoyed the service they provided.  In reality it is probably one of the service in which I won’t mind paying a monthly subscription fee for as the interface are clean and the ads are not intrusive.  I guess all good things will come to an end.  RIP  OneManga and thanks for the good times.

Staples is offering FREE backpacks after Easy Rebate next week starting on Sunday 7/25.  Be sure to visit near by Staples early for the best choices!

Musuem day is September 25th this year.  If you are a frequent visitor of museums, be sure to check out the list to see whether there are any close to you on that day!

Baja Fresh is offering a 50% off coupon for their fresh burrito on July 22nd for becoming a Facebook fan.

Just received 50 Swagbucks for my birthday.  Much quicker than the 5~7 Swagbucks that I received recently through search.  In this case be sure to fill out your profile!

I have been debating on whether I should get a home security in the last couple months as the overall crime rate has picked up as the economy went down.  I leave my house from 8 in the morning and often times I don’t get home until 10 at night.  If you are looking to break into a house, my house would fit the perfect criteria.  Even know I know this, I haven’t been install a security system as a result of cost.  Usually the installation goes in the neighborhood of $100~$200 and the monthly cost will be between $30~$40.

While I was still debating on whether I should, an incident in my neighborhood essentially made the decision for me.  Personally I consider myself living in a very safe neighborhood but lately there has been a lot of noise around the area.  A month ago, a neighbor down the street from me has her home broken into while she was out.  When she came back home, she met the burglars face to face.  In an attempt to escape, the burglars beat up my neighbor before they drove away in their car.  Even though the burglars did get caught, it can’t shake away this feeling of unease.  I started paying attention to which household has a security sign in front of their house and to my surprise, 90% of houses in my neighborhood has home security.  I started research different pricing options and opinions regarding home security.  In the end, I went to Broadview security so I can have an ease of mind.

Do you have a home security and do you think it is worth it?