Most of us know of online auction sites like eBay – but have you heard of penny auctions like DealDash? The difference can be a real bargain – like an iPad for $11.09!

Here’s how it works:

• Starting from zero, an item is listed with a timer.
• You bid on an item, and the price goes up one penny, and the timer resets.

Get the idea? Now, as long as people bid, the clock resets, and the auction never ends. Eventually, people get bored, or use up their bids (in this auction, you pay to make each bid), and the clock runs out, and someone wins.

It’s a different take on the online auction, and in addition, DealDash has a few unique wrinkles that makes it a popular site (1.5 million users):

• If you lose out, you can still buy an identical item using a Buy It Now button. A good deal (obviously not as good as the auction), but it means you don’t need to go away empty handled. And as an incentive, you get your bids refunded, so you can bid on another item.
• BidBuddy is their system for automated bidding, allowing you to continue bidding even when you can’t be at the computer – ideal for auctions that go on for awhile.
• NoJumper auctions are auctions that ‘lock out’ new bidders after the price reaches $5 – only the people that bid before then are allowed bid further. This way, coming in at the last moment to bid is impossible – only people in for the long haul get to bid.

With options like this, the site is well worth a look if you’re living in the U.S. and interested in a bargain – so check out BidDash today.

How old do you want to be?

Here’s a simple test: If you know what a juicer is good for, I’m guessing you’ve added a year or two to your lifespan with just that knowledge. People who are into juicing and blending raw ingredients are taking care of their health in many ways. By being proactive, they are avoiding some of the common causes of poor health.

For instance, when you juice, you are taking in the live essence of the fruit or vegetable, rather than a squeezed and stored version. Enzymes break down in time, so the closer you can get it from the ground the better. And unless you live close to a farm, juicing fresh grocery produce is as good as it gets.

Of course, you may not be into juicing – blending may be your thing. Or air purification, especially if a family member is into smoking, or you live in an area with bad smells or high pollen counts.

Case in point: Wandering through an online site like this to find your juicer, you may notice a dehydrator, or air purifier, or a really powerful blender. All these appliances can contribute to better health, but all together, you can improve your health a great deal:

• Dehydrators allow you to take raw food and preserve it. Not only does it give you things like fruit ‘jerky’, but it provides natural snacks you can use to ‘crowd out’ the junk your kids may want right now for snacking.
• Blenders can do some fancy things. I thought a $50 blender was enough, until I wanted to blend ice cubes for a summer smoothie. Now I know better, and the missus wants a REAL ‘ice crusher’ blender…
• Air filters are vital for some people with allergies, but frankly anyone wanting better air should look into these things. Pet dander, outside pollen, and smoke are just a few of the things these products clean up.
• Juicers, as I’ve already mentioned, take the goodness of the fruit/vegetable and put it into drinkable form. I’ve tried a few juices in my day, and having a machine you can use to mix and match in your own home is ideal for some really fine drinks (I’ve found beet juice surprisingly nice when added to more ‘normal’ juices like carrot).

I’m not saying a dehydrator or juicer will make you live to 120 – but thinking about health and how to improve it is a great start. Grab something to make the healthy choices easier to follow, and get started – because it’s never too early to aim for 120!

What do Donald Faison and Tattoo removal have in common?

OK, that isn’t an easy one, unless you were watching Attack of the Show last week, in which Donald Faison (Scrubs, The Exes) admitted he was getting an old tattoo finally removed.

And in a move that will instantly show my age, I immediately thought ‘told you so’.

The fact is, tattoos are a real commitment. Change your hair color, eye color (with contacts), even your skin color with bronzers, and you can reverse it if you wish (that’s bronzers, not tanning, by the way; I remember a few uber-tanners from the 80′s that probably look like leather bags now, but that’s another story). But tattoo yourself, and you’ve made a statement you’re living with the rest of your life, unless you decide to get it removed.

I couldn’t put this point across any better than a site I saw online, which is about laser tattoo removal in San Antonio The site starts with a picture montage: a girl in evening dress with a large tattoo on her back, a “tramp stamp” that looks dated, and a guy trying to get ready for the office with a large arm tattoo showing past the cuff.

And as Donald showed, sometimes it just doesn’t fit anymore. He didn’t admit what it was on the show (it was the Superman shield), but his explanation was that the tattoo was OK for an 18-year, but 20 years later it just doesn’t work (unless you’re Superman, I suppose). And that’s another reason for tattoo removal – a ‘lark’ in your youth can really close doors. While a “girl with the dragon tattoo” look may be fun if you’re a super computer hacker, most of us have rather mediocre jobs – and for most of those jobs, seeing a tattoo is really jarring. Plus, as far as I know, you can discriminate in job hiring based on tattoos (unless perhaps if they are of a religious or other protected nature), so how many jobs might you have lost out on because of that ink?

It’s everyone’s choice to tattoo (drunken binges with friend notwithstanding). Fortunately, you can get it removed too – so at least it doesn’t HAVE to be permanent…