Thursday 22 March 2012

Are computers harming your eyesight?

                                                                                              
 It seems likely, due to the dramatic increase in computer use
Computer Vision Syndrome
 in recent years, but the real reason is something your parents nagged you about.

  Complaints of eye fatigue and discomfort are common during long term computer use.  It even has a name - Computer Vision Syndrome – CVS. Symptoms include eyestrain, headaches, fatigue, dry eyes, and difficulty focusing.
  It would make sense that the computer is the cause, however extensive testing has not produced evidence that computer monitors themselves harm your eyes. It seems how we use them is the problem. Your parents were right when they said “don’t sit too close to the TV” or “don’t read in the dark.” It seems that CVS is caused by forcing your eyes to focus on the screen for long periods.  Since computer use is hard to avoid, we use glasses to solve the problem and glasses aren’t cheap.
 While most people have health plans that cover the cost of prescription eyewear, glasses can still be expensive. The cost of replacing a broken or lost a pair, or having spare glasses for convenience or fashion can run into hundreds of dollars.    
 Last year I found that I was suffering from CVS and needed a pair of prescription glasses.  At the time I thought they were a bit expensive, but didn’t realize there were other options for buying glasses. yhoti recently added GlassesUSA.com and I decided to compare prices. The same glasses were at least 60% cheaper – even with shipping. 
The Virtual Mirror allows you to
see how the frames look on you

Price is one thing but how easy is it to buy glasses online?   
At GlassesUSA it is very easy. They have built a website that leads you through the selection process step by step.
 Step 1 is finding the right Frame.
 They have hundreds of styles and choosing is fun. The Virtual Mirror allows you upload photo and “try them on”. You can email your favorites to friends and get their input.  
A Virtual Optician is also available help you choose the right look.
Once you choose your frame the next steps are easy - just enter your prescription lens RX and make the purchase.
 International shipping is fast and they have free shipping in the US.  They also have a 30 day return policy in case you have any issues. 
Other features of the site are:
- Easy access to customer service, weekly specials
- Pricing in Canadian or US currency
- Incentives for referring friends 
- A large selection of trendy sunglasses.


 It’s worth visiting the site just to try the virtual mirror, and on top of the big savings  you will get 10% Cash Rewards from yhoti.com.


Click to shop


For more info on why glasses are so expensive and how online glasses (at 70% off) compare, check out this episode of CBC's Marketplace. http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2012/framed/

Friday 9 March 2012

Collecting Cash is Easy


Coffee Grinder - Cooking.com
Plus 3% Cash Rewards

 Rick’s father shook his head. “It doesn’t make sense. You grind your own coffee, when the  store does it for free, and then you go pay someone to plow your driveway, instead of shoveling it yourself for nothing.” He had said this type of thing before and no matter how Rick answered it his father thought he was kind of dumb. Rick always imagined this grandfather laughing at his Dad for buying vegetables at the grocery store instead of growing a garden.
 It’s all in your perspective things change and not everyone looks at things the same way. Some people drive 20 minutes to save 5 cents on gas, or shop at 3 Grocery stores to get the best deal. Others couldn’t be bothered to take the time to save a few dollars.

When Frequent Flier points were first introduced in the early 1990’s it took a long time to catch on. Many people did not understand the benefits. Now over two-thirds of shoppers collect loyalty points of some type.   
 Cash Back sites like yhoti have a similar challenge. Shoppers don’t realize that they can easily get cash for doing what they are already doing – shopping online.

Frequent Flier points verses Cash Rewards how do they compare?
  
Solar powered calculators
Dino Direct - Plus 6% Cash
Rewards 

   It is tricky to get an exact value for points as there are many ways to collect and spend them. For this example I looked at regular shopping and using the points for a flight.  Most loyalty programs pay points in a range of 1 for every $20 to $50 spent depending on the purchase.  A round trip from Toronto to New York in May requires 1,400 points. Air Canada quotes this at $266 plus fees and taxes. If you collected your points at 1 for $20 spent you would have to spend $28,000 to get 1,400 points.
 If you spent $28,000 on yhoti with an average of 3% Cash Rewards you would get $840 in Cash. A difference of $574, but don’t forget - you can still collect the points using your credit card.
  So if you are a points collector why not consider collecting Cash with yhoti. Membership is free and you just need to log in before you shop online – that’s it.

Join yhoti to start earning Cash Rewards today.
Membership is free!


Monday 5 March 2012

yhoti - Notes from the Mall: yhoti Marketing team hits the F1 track

yhoti - Notes from the Mall: yhoti Marketing team hits the F1 track: I can’t differentiate between Nu Metal, Grindcore and Viking metal. So when my son asked for a ri...

yhoti Marketing team hits the F1 track

Straightaway Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve
I can’t differentiate between Nu Metal, Grindcore and Viking metal. So when my son asked for a ride downtown to watch a Heavy metal Battle of the Bands competition, I  knew  I wouldn’t fit in. I'm sure that my hair, clothes and age would have stood out as well.
 
  With a few hours to spend downtown Montreal I decided it would be a great day for a yhoti Marketing team outing. We are a small enthusiastic group so it is easy to pull these events together on short notice.
 It was a beautiful winter day – perfect for a run on the Formula 1 track; Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Parc Jean-Drapeau. The track is completely open to the public and a fun place to run or bike. Visiting race fans find it hard to believe they can actually drive on the track.


Few buildings are left from Expo

  The track is on îles Sainte-Hélène, an island that has been recycled a number of times. Most of the island is manmade.  In the 1960’s the city was digging the tunnels for the metro system and used the dirt to build up the island. This made a great site for the World’s Fair Expo 67. There are a few buildings left from this. In 1976 it was recycled again as rowing venue for the Olympics. The rowing basin is still used for rowing events and triathlons. In 1978 the F1 track was built and now the Casino inside the track attracts a lot of visitors to the island.

Biosphere designed by Buckminster Fuller

  
 We started at the Bio-sphere the former American Pavilion for Expo. Crossing the bridge to the island we saw the Hairpin turn was completely snowed in. We turned right and went down the back stretch – the fastest part of the race track. Running down the

Straightaway past pit lane we could hear a loud horns and bells. It took a minute to realize that it was the Boat Symphony in Old Montreal - a sure sign of spring.
 Each year the boats that dock in Montreal over the winter put on a concert. They tune their ships horns and bells and each plays a part. It isn’t the Montreal Symphony orchestra but it is a fun event.

(This video will give you an idea of what it's like. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85EytfQxsdc)
We finished the run and decided to cool down with a walk through the woods to the Lévis Tower. It looks older but was built in the 1930s.

Lévis Tower

Nearby there is a lookout with a view of the city. Below us we could see some snow buildings and realized it was the back of the snow village. Built for the first time this year it is based on a Finnish concept. It includes a hotel, restaurant, and ice tunnels connecting the buildings. We didn’t have time to check it out but this link has some nice nighttime photos of it.  
Back of the Snow Village

Not ready for swimming yet












   We were just looking for a fun run on the track but found there was a lot of things happening in the park. It was a nice break from a busy week.
  Oh, the tie-in to shopping on yhoti – my shoes were Asics GT 2150s bought for 40% off at Sport Chek - Plus 3% Cash Rewards.