Trick #1: People Detective Extradordinaire - On the Deep Web!

Have you ever done a people search on conventional search engines where you ended up feeling short changed? Maybe it's because you missed the good stuff you will find with a deep or "invisible" web search.

This great place searches that deep web with its huge repository of underlying content, such as documents in online databases that general-purpose web crawlers don't reach. This invisible web content is estimated to contain 500 times that of the surface web, yet has remained mostly untapped due to the limitations of traditional search engines.

This specialized search tool is designed to reach the higher-quality information including personal profiles, public records and other people-related documents that are stored in databases that are invisible to conventional search engines.

Find out what they know about you. And yes -- it's on the house.

Trick #2: Switch Tasks With Ease

We're sure you know the old "Alt + Tab" trick to switch between tasks while computing. It's a handy tool but is kind of like flying blind. Here's a mini-program that gives you advanced task management functions that pick up where the Windows Alt+Tab switcher leaves off.

This neat tool gives you a visual presentation of where you are while also enhancing your experience by displaying a thumbnail preview of the application that you are about to switch to. It also has a helpful management capability that allows you to quickly close or minimize applications and their groups.

And to make it even better this one trick pony is yours for the asking.

Great Place #1: See The World Your Way With Virtual Earth

Google got out in front with its stellar mapping programs but the competition is heating up with Microsoft's Virtual Earth. In addition to traditional mapping technology, this great place offers aerials, hybrid combinations (a combination of aerial and mapping), birds eye views (in a high resolution from a low altitude and at various angles, allowing property "fly-overs"), 3-D building views and, in beta, street level videos.

What's neat about this is the promise that, with Google and Microsoft competing in the mapping world, the beneficiaries will be those of us to whom there is great value and future promise in these programs.

Let the competition continue!

Great Place #2: Energy Savings from Uncle Sam

Your home sits there using energy day and night. Energy keeps you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It provides you with light, hot water, and runs all of your appliances and home electronics.

Here's a great place where you can learn how to use the energy in your home more efficiently. The savings potential is enormous and all of the tips and tricks you'll ever need are right here in one place.

Use this information wisely. You paid for this site -- complements of your tax dollars and Uncle Sam.

Published: March 25, 2008

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

John M. "Jack" Peckham is the Executive Director of REcyber.com (the Real Estate CyberSpace Society). In that capacity he oversees the development and delivery of the latest up to the minute Real Estate Cyberspace tools, strategies, networking structures and services that the Society provides its members to leverage their effectiveness, visibility, professionalism and earnings. As host of Real Estate CyberSpace Radio, he provides over 40 hours of programming to help listeners integrate the power of the Internet into their daily business lives. He is the author of several real estate books published by Prentice Hall and Harcourt Brace Jovanovich including his latest Master Guide to Income Property Brokerage from Wiley Publishing. A columnist for the Boston Herald for nine years, his syndicated columns have appeared in over 100 papers nationwide. Jack loves to sell real estate has been involved directly in the sale of over one billion dollars in Real Estate. Today he sells in his jeans and fuzzy slippers as a one-man shop and has closed over $40,000,000 in sales on the Internet recently in 20% of his working time. The balance he spends directing the affairs of the 10,000 member Real Estate CyberSpace Society. The Society awards the RECS (Real Estate CyberSpace Specialist) Designation to members based on the current criteria. He served as Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee for the National Association of Realtors (NAR), is a Past President of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors and has been honored as the Massachusetts State Realtor of the Year. You can reach Jack at or by calling 617-523-4441.