Longklaw.com

I’ve pretty much completely made the switch from eBay to Amazon.com for selling all the old games and DVD’s that I don’t want anymore. I mostly use the money to buy new games and DVD’s. I get more money than I would if I traded them in to GameStop or Sam Goody, I just have to wait before I get anything. When an item is sold, Amazon.com sends me an email with the name and address of the person that bought my item, how much I’m getting, and other useful information.

I’m at the point where Gmail is becoming my main email service. As most people with Gmail accounts probably know, they scan your email and deliver advertisements in the right side of your browser area based on what’s in that particular email. I like the way Gmail handles tracking numbers and street addresses. If Gmail sees a tracking number (UPS, USPS, FedEx, etc) in your email, it’ll give you a link that you can click on to track the package. It saves me the trouble of having to go to the individual websites and going through the steps to track packages that I’m expecting. If Gmail sees a street address in your email, it’ll usually give you a “Map this” link that allows you to map that address using Google Maps. So, if a friend sends me his address in an email, all I have to do is click on that link to see where he lives and possibly get directions.

I get the “Map this” links with the emails that come from Amazon.com telling me that my items have sold and where I need to ship them to. If I notice the links and I’m bored when I’m scanning the emails, sometimes I’ll click on the links just out of curiosity. No, I’m not going to stalk these people. I just think it’s interesting to look at satellite imagery of their neighborhoods and their houses. It may give me an idea of the kind of person I’m selling my stuff to…or maybe not. Oh well, it helps pass the time.