Coupon Codes Made Easy
As a guy who makes a good number of online purchases, I’ve grown familiar with the concept of coupon codes. Like their physical equivalents, coupon codes can be applied while checking out of certain stores, allowing customers to benefit from reduced prices. Unfortunately, online coupons are similar to physical coupons in that you must know about them to exploit their benefits. Thankfully, I discovered a solution to that a few years ago, greatly increasing my ability to take advantage of these coupons. Meet RetailMeNot, a site that encourages users to share coupon codes with the world.
In the past, I was rarely able to partake in the coupon code mechanisms offered by retailers. RetailMeNot changed the game by introducing the possibility of searching for codes by simply providing a store name. It wasn’t long until I adopted it as part of my online shopping habits – I began searching for possible coupons before buying anything. It was a good system, and quite unexpectedly, it got even better… all because of a Firefox plugin. RetailMeNot introduced a Firefox plug-in that will automatically tell you whether the site you are looking at has available coupons.
Without having to visit the website manually, I could behave as I normally would, knowing I would be notified when necessary. This mechanism allowed me to save time and money, all without disturbing my regular browsing habits.
To be fair, I must point out that RetailMeNot does have a couple flaws. First, some users are finding that coupons sometimes don’t work, when used. To help mitigate this problem, RetailMeNot now includes a “chance of success” rating along with all coupons, fueled by user votes. That way, if a coupon starts to fail, the community is able to flag it, warning other users. The second flaw lies in the plugin specifically, but isn’t the fault of the makers. Instead, it seems certain companies have been successful in removing themselves from the plugin’s control. You can still search for coupons on the site, but RetailMeNot has been forced to block certain sites at the plugin level, preventing the automatic coupon lookup.
Despite the flaws mentioned, I highly recommend both the website and plugin, as they really enhance e-shopping as a whole. Also, if you’re a Google Chrome user, you’ll be happy to know that they have a Chrome extension as well.
Locating Old Versions of Software Packages
Ever wished you could go back to an old version of a particular application? Often times, as software companies release new versions, they remove the ability to download older versions. They may also choose to drop support for such versions, in the long run. Usually, upgrading software is a good idea: more bugs are fixed, new features are introduced, all of that fun stuff. In some cases, however, features are unexpectedly removed, or there are performance problems that result from the update. In these scenarios, I consider it valid to seek out older versions. Whenever I found myself in these situations in the past, I would search for websites that offered the old version. I didn’t always succeed, particularly because my freestyle approach depended on luck.
About a year ago, I discovered a site that solved the issue, most of the time. Meet FileHippo, a mammal so obsessed with software that it consistently stores away older versions, and keeps them available for download. Here’s the page for Firefox, as an example. The old versions are listed on the right side of the page.
Despite being able to see the old versions on the first page, don’t be deceived. There are actually many more available if you click the “view more” link. In fact, I can even go so far back that I can get Firefox 1.0, or any of the minor releases that followed it. As if that wasn’t enough, they also seem to store technical information, as well as the change logs for most old versions they keep.
Identifying a Font from an Image
Ever looked at a logo, and wondered what font the designer used? From an image alone, identifying the specific font can be difficult, particularly if it isn’t among those commonly seen on the web. Thankfully, a web service titled “WhatTheFont” facilitates this very scenario, while also allowing users to buy the font, once identified.
Below are screenshots revealing how to use the service, with the Google logo uploaded as an example.
As the above image illustrates, the service is pretty good at identifying characters, but it isn’t perfect. It asks the user to identify specific letters, eliminating the risk of false assumptions. Once the user validation step is done, the search results are shown.
Clicking on any of the search results will bring up a page dedicated to the font, where purchasing options are available. So, much like my previous post about reverse image lookups , this is an impressive website, both visually, and functionally. I recommend you try it out, especially if you’re into web development.
An Easier Way to Search for Domain Names
In the past, whenever I wanted to search for available domain names, I checked with individual domain registrars. While this worked, it really wasn’t optimal- every time I wanted to check another domain’s availability, I had to press Back in my browser, re-enter a domain, re-submit the request, and then I’d know. Most websites were set up like this, unfortunately. Furthermore, if I wanted to compare domain registration fees, I’d have to check multiple websites.
I’m happy to say that these inconveniences are now no longer an issue. The solution lies in a site called Instant Domain Search. The webpage aims to facilitate the process of searching for a domain, and to do so, it:
- searches automatically as you type
- lists different rates from leading registrars
- lists domains names that are for sale
Check it out:
Personally, I’m never going back to the old method.