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Saturday, September 14, 2013

Treasure Found in Phoenix by Scottsdale Student

For those who were participating in the College Times Treasure Hunt, it's over!  The $1000 certificate was found yesterday, near Hunt's Pyramid at Papago Park in Phoenix, by a 20 year old Scottsdale Community College student.  Clues for the Treasure Hunt were printed in each edition of College Times, but you could sign up to receive clues early by text.  Before the treasure was found, seven clues were released by text, plus a bonus clue was available by visiting the College Times 'street team' at ASU.  I think you could also get bonus clues by following College Times on Twitter and Facebook, but I didn't do that.  Perhaps I should have.  My family was searching by Tempe Town Lake since the clues referred to 'water northwest of ASU'.  We weren't even close!

While the chance of finding the $1000 loot was slim to none, we had a great time looking.  It's fun the whole family can enjoy and good exercise too.  It's also a great excuse to get out of the house, go places you normally wouldn't go and see parts of the Valley you may not otherwise see.  While at Tempe Town Lake searching for the 'treasure', my family ended up pedal boating on Tempe Town Lake as the sun went down.  After that, we walked down Mill Avenue and found a great little Turkish grill where we ate dinner.  Our college-aged daughters probably wouldn't normally want to hang out on Mill Avenue with my husband and I.  But they made an exception in this case, and we all enjoyed ourselves!

Times Media regularly has similar treasure hunts in the Valley.  Interestingly, I just found this old post on a 2007 Times Treasure Hunt where the treasure certificate was found in basically the same place - under a rock at Hunt's Pyramid.  Except back then, the prize was $3000 instead of $1000.

Posted by Shannon Hubbard, AZ Realtor & Computer Guru on September 14, 2013 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Monday, September 09, 2013

The House of the Future?

Parade recently had an article listing ten technological advances to home appliances that could be in our houses by 2025.  From biometric vitamin dispensing faucets to a food disposal that dispenses compost pellets, some of these futuristic appliances are pretty cool while others seem a little creepy.  Personally, I don't think I want a computerized medicine cabinet dispensing medications to me.  But I could definitely get used to a washing machine that washes, dries and stores my clothes for me, and then irons them when I'm ready to wear them.  And I can't wait to have a 3D printer in my house!

I hate going to the grocery store, so I love the idea of shopping on a smartphone and having it delivered.  I'm honestly a little surprised that grocery stores aren't already using the internet more effectively.  Most grocery stores have those 'rewards' cards you sign up for to get discounts.  They scan your card every time you shop, thus tracking everything you buy.  So they know exactly what you buy and how often you buy it, and they have your contact information.  I wonder why they don't periodically email me a reminder shopping list of stuff they think I'm out of?  I get emails telling me when I need to buy a new toner cartridge for my printer (although they're usually wrong!).  Grocery stores could email you a 'proposed' grocery list, then let you login to edit it and schedule delivery.  They could use a smart app that 'learns' your habits and refines your preferences each time you shop.  That way, you could quickly and easily re-stock on all the items, brands and quantities you normally buy without having to go to the store.  But then people might not make all those impulse purchases, buying stuff they don't need just because it looks good.  Perhaps that's why grocery stores don't do this!

Posted by Shannon Hubbard, AZ Realtor & Computer Guru on September 9, 2013 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack