Yesterday we lost Robert Craig “Evel” Knievel. For anyone like myself who grew up in the 1970’s, you knew all about the great American daredevil known for jumping buses and cars on his motorcycle, not to mention his attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon. Though he retired in the early 1980’s, he remained a pop culture icon with instant name recognition.

Evel was unique. His name alone – he was “Evel” but not “evil!” He was patriotic in his stars and stripes jumpsuit without being overtly patriotic. He was being himself, yet had a huge following in the US and around the world. But foremost – he tried. Kids didn’t care he didn’t make it completely across the Snake River Canyon. The fact he did it alone was cool, and that’s why kids wanted his wind-up motorcycle and car toys.

When I first heard about his passing, like many others I talked to yesterday I had a loud sigh. Then in the usual fashion of my brain swirling random thoughts came to mind, such as how popular would he be today with the Internet? But the point is moot – the Internet was still being developed and tested when he was out there doing his jumps. He was a man of his time, and our fondness for him also includes those days.

Evel’s own Web site is a well-done tribute to all that he was, and John Wall has a fitting tribute to him using his artistic talents. Now I’ll go see how much his wind-up cycles are on eBay.

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Have you ever wondered about working in real estate? Or would you simply like to learn more about the industry and how you could profit from it? Then there’s no time like the present to get an education from American Real Estate Academy in Waltham, Mass., who is one of my clients.

The Academy, or AREA for short, has been educating real estate professionals for over 35 years. They offer the courses to become a real estate salesperson, broker, mortgage lender, property appraiser and home inspector, as well as continuing education courses to maintain your salesperson and broker licenses. Thousands over the years have taken courses from AREA all across Massachusetts and New England and have enjoyed a successful real estate career.

Many people also take courses from AREA to learn more about the real estate industry, and use this knowledge for the purchase of their own home or to become a real estate investor.

Check out their Web site for more information and to register for their courses. AREA also offers a complete line of books, software, audio and accessories to compliment your real estate education.

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Virtual Hosting has compiled a list of 100 blog posts on the topic of domain names and domaining. They have organized them under the category of Parking, Buying and Selling, Value and Appraisal, For Beginners, Questionable Practices, Making Money, Management, Search Engines and Traffic and Miscellaneous. I am proud to have 2 posts on the list - Know Who Manages Your Domain Name (#74) and Who Should Own a Domain Name? (#96).

I am still going through the list, but the people represented are the leaders in this area. The list also shows the breadth and depth of aspects and issues with regards to domain names. I recommend this list to fellow entrepreneurs as well as those in the domain name business.

Updated 9/5/2017 - Changed links to their new site at HTML.com

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This is from The Hot Iron, a journal on business and technology by Mike Maddaloni.

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Announcements • Blogging • Domain Names • Strategize • (3) Comments • Permalink

If there is a man on your gift list in the Chicago area, there’s no better gift than a visit to The 316 Club. I have written about them before as I am a member of this men’s spa in the Loop next to the Chicago Board of Trade.

As the “oasis with premium grooming services” for men, you can get a blade shave – even your head for bald guys like me – or a haircut, massage, etc. – check out their menu of services for complete details. They feature a bar with fine scotches, a pool table, WiFi and you can even get a shoe shine. Gift cards are available both at the Club or online, so you can treat someone to a single visit or a membership for a year of services.

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Regular readers of The Hot Iron know well my gripe with mobile phones locked to particular service providers, and them not allowing unlocked phones on their network. The one exception in the US has been T-Mobile, whom I have used for over a year after switching from Verizon Wireless. Though there were other issues I had with Verizon prompting me to leave them, it looks like one of them may be starting to go away.

This week Verizon Wireless announced at some point in 2008 they would start allowing unlocked phones on their network. However, only certain phones would be allowed “only if the devices have passed tests, which their manufacturers will pay for, in a Verizon lab” – a direct quote from another article on MSNBC.com.

Currently Verizon Wireless and all other mobile providers, including T-Mobile, sell phones that work only on their network. These phones generally come with a lower price than buying them direct from the manufacturer as the providers will subsidize their cost, not to mention control the software on the phones. Where your phone number is portable from one provider to another, your physical phone is not. With T-Mobile, you can buy a phone from just about anyone, and then you place the SIM chip they provide you in the phone and voila – it works. Hmmm, I never heard anything about a T-Mobile lab.

My gut tells me the Verizon Wireless spokesperson and all their executives were clenching their teeth when they made this announcement. This will force them, and all other providers who open their eyes to this, to provide quality service to their customers and not just rely on locking them into service with contracts or hardware. I hope this change for them is one step forward, and not accompanied with 2 steps back.

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