Chris Mayr

I wanted to write this on the 12th because it would have been a better time to put this out there but my schedule got in the way so here we go a day late.

What was the best thing about Sept. 11th? The answer is of course, Sept. 12th. It meant that no matter what, you might grab a sucker punch but we aren't going down for the count. In fact, on the days that follow, I like others went to the blood bank to donate and gladly waited 2-3 hours to give blood. It was the first time I ever did and until recently when the blood bank close for renovations, was a regular event for me.

What did Sept. 11 teach us? It is about more than just ourselves. It is about our neighbors, our friends and even that angry guy in line in front of us at the grocery store. It is about giving with the only thing that you get in return is knowledge that you did something good for others.

Each year, I take on a charity that I am going to help

Whether it be in the form of direct donation (rarely) or more importantly, I give of my time and expertise in a unique medium that usually escapes most non-profits. This year, I have the opportunity to help the Special Olympics with an event called The Island Hop.

Do yourself a favor, click on the link.

If you are into travel, and who isn't, then check out the Island Hop. We have about 70 trips in thus far with a final goal of 100 trips to all corners of the globe. Even if you can't afford to bid, take a look at the videos and images and it will warm your hearts when those temperatures drop in the next few months.

If you aren't in the Orlando area, don't worry, you can bid on-line. You can find things from hotel stays in Orlando to a ride on the Goodyear Blimp to trips to places like Bali, South Africa and Paris.

Do an Active Rain greater good deed and forward this to your friends and/or fans on Facebook as well as folks here on Active Rain.

All Proceeds benefit the Special Olympics so it is a great charity to support.

The 4th of July is a Celebration but it is more than just a time to bar-b-que.

July 4th is roughly the mid point of the year. The exact mid point is actually on the 3rd.

It is time to look back on the first half of the year and guage your progress toward your goals.

Oh sure those resolutions went out the window. I know you meant well and really wanted to lose weight but then there was your friend Sheila's wedding and that stressful week at the office and then it snowed for 12 days straight.

The phones aren't really going to ring today are they?

How much business are you going to accomplish today, Really? Take an hour today and take stock on where you are. It is very easy to get caught up in the minutae of the day-to-day and lose sight on your target.

If you aren't where you wanted to be, Why not? What can you do to fix that?

Right the ship and keep sailing to a great second half of the year.

Did you ever want to add a map to your listing?  Sure it doesn't always matter, but what about when it does.  Take for instance, our home town of Orlando.  If you live on the East Side as I do, your center point is the University of Central Florida and seldom do you need to leave this side of town to do much of anything.  Yet if you want to go to Walt Disney World, it can be a 30-45 minute drive.  

Now that isn't a bad deal if the destination is Disney, but what if you are trying to figure out if the listing in question is close to your new job or not? What if you service an entire state or region?  Oh sure Rhode Island, you are still set, but what about places like Maine, Michigan, or Texas?  I think you see my point.  It sometimes is more important to show a map to your potential buyers that is more than just a city / zip combination.

How do I get the map in the description?

You can use multiple services, but personally, I am a big fan of Google.  So let's take a look at the code involved in creating the map above.  The map that I am illustrating is to Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas.

<img src="http://maps.google.com/maps/api/staticmap?center=Nassau,The+Bahamas&zoom=5&size=400x300&markers=color:0xff9900%7Clabel:X%7CAtlantis+Paradise+Island,Nassau,The+Bahamas&sensor=false" alt="" />

• <img src- This is standard HTML to reference an image
• http://maps.google.om/maps/api/staticmap? - This just tells us where to look for the completed image.  The rest is the fun part.
• center=Nassau,The+Bahamas - This can be an address, a landmark or a City/State combination.  You must substitute the "+" sign for spaces.
• zoom=5 - Zoom tells the map what range to show on the map.  The zoom ranges from 0 (zoomed out) to 18 (zoomed in).  The map above is at level 5 and a common street map is 10, but play with it until you find your desired detail.
• size=400x300 - This is the most explanatory.  The map in our example is 400 pixels wide x 300 pixels tall.  You have complete control of it.
• markers=color:0xff9900%7Clabel:X%7C - Here is how we stylize the marker that shows up.  The color of the marker is orange with a hexidecimal code of FF9900.  The one-letter label that shows is the letter "X".
• Atlantis+Paradise+Island,Nassau,The+Bahamas - We are now defining the location of the sensor.  Since Atlantis Paradise Island is a landmark in Nassau, we don't need the physical address, but it could be substituted.  Remember to use the "+" symbol for spaces.
• sensor=false - If you were designing this map for a mobile phone, you could make the sensor = "true" which would pull your current GPS position from your phone's GPS sensor and plot a course from your current location to the location in question.  Since we are loading this into a web site, we will make that sensor = "false"

And there you have it.  You now can add Google Mapping to your listing and add more content for your users.

That's right, the Magic Kingdom is adopting the use of QR Codes in daily life. Now you can use the Disney Photo Pass with a QR Code so that you can get pictures to your mobile phone. Most guests get their picture taken at least once in the park and are given a Photo Pass to try to retrieve and buy those photos. Disney doesn't want you leaving without a few keepsakes for your trouble.

So think of the Magic Kingdom as the proving ground and educational epicenter of the QR Code revolution.

For those of you in the math brained group, there are approximately 67.1 million visitors to US based Disney parks. That is roughly 183,000 people a day exposed to QR Codes and how they are used. How is that for getting something to catch on in a hurry.

Now somebody tell me again that people won't scan those things. Go ahead. I dare you. QR Codes are here for the time being. Embrace them or learn the phrase, "Do you want fries with that?".

SOURCE: Several articles about photo pass coming, this blog post is from somebody who did it: LINK

NOTE: Those QRs pictured won't scan as the original pic has been resized so many times that the graphic is weak. It is just there for entertainment purposes only.

Who is in the market for a $1.5m - $8m home? Walt Disney World Resort is banking that at least 400 families are. But these aren't your typical McMansions in a quiet contrived neighborhood. This is Walt Disney World. Does your HOA offer these ammenities?

• Move-in services
• Travel and private transportation
• Disney parks and special-event tickets
• Golf tee-times
• Dinner reservations
• Private VIP tours
• At-home dinners and parties
• Holiday home decorating
• Grocery shopping and errands
• Pre-arrival and post-departure home maintenance services

But what about the community pool? Remember, this is Disney. In addition to a community pool that really is its own resort, there is a Four Seasons resort so when your mother-in-law comes to visit, she doesn't have to stay with you.

But wait there's more - Disney is also throwing in annual passes and Free Parking for 5 years for up to 5 family members. That in and of itself is something like $20,000 worth of perks.

It was rumored Sea World is moving into real estate as well

Unfortunately with the market the way it is these days, Sea World was afraid that all of its homeowners would be underwater.

I even groaned when I wrote that.