Archive of Tricks & Places


John M Peckham III


Jack Peckham ( ) is the Executive Director of the Real Estate CyberSpace Society, based in Boston, MA.

TRICK#1: LOCK OUT LAPTOP DATA THIEVES!
TRICK#2: DEFEASE WITH EASE!
GREAT PLACE #1: MEET THE EXPERTS WITHOUT LEAVING HOME!
GREAT PLACE #2: THE WORLD'S BIGGEST ANSWER LINE!

TRICK#1: LOCK OUT LAPTOP DATA THIEVES!
http://www.thelaptoplock.com/
If your laptop gets stolen, the least of your worries is the computer itself. That can be replaced. However, all of your personal and business data in the wrong hands can be devastating. This beta service allows you to protect that data in these perilous times.

Here's how it works: If your computer is stolen you simply log in to your account and mark the computer status as stolen. As soon as that machine connects to the Internet, the actions you have set up will execute and you can remotely encrypt or delete pre-selected files, display a message or execute custom instructions (such as sounding an alarm).

When the stolen computer connects to the internet, the connection information can also be traced and used to help recover the laptop. Even though this service is in beta the developers claim it is production grade software.

Another good way to stop the bad guys!

TRICK#2: DEFEASE WITH EASE!
http://www.defeasewithease.com/
Here's the situation: You have a very favorable offer on your investment property but find that, in order to payoff your loan, you will need to provide the lender with replacement collateral sufficient to pay off the debt and maintain the yield being experienced on the current obligation. They call this "defeasing "the loan.

This clever web based "Defeasance Calculator" will help you estimate the total cost to defease your loan. The total cost includes the cost to purchase the defeasance collateral (the government securities) and the transaction costs.

If some of these terms make your eyes glaze over, just visit this interesting site for all you will ever need to know about defeasance!

This is all without leaving their home or office! You can get your own complimentary pass at this great place.

We'll bet this is the first convention you ever attended in your fuzzy slippers!

GREAT PLACE #2: THE WORLD'S BIGGEST ANSWER LINE!
http://answers.yahoo.com/
A while back we mentioned Google Answers here. This was a service where you could ask any question you wished and get a pool of experts to research the question and send you the answer - for a pre agreed price.

Well, Google stopped offering this service and up popped an even better service where you can ask questions and get real answers from real people. The neat thing about this great place is that it's all about sharing — what you know and what you want to know.

This service is a valuable resource - it works - and, unlike the Google version there is no cost to get your answers at this great place.

Real Estate CyberTips are provided with compliments of the Real Estate Cyberspace Society.