Want to see what you should be paid? Here's a quick and easy way to determine what your peers' salary level is - not only in your hometown but in hundreds of cities around the country. Salary.com is a neat place that not only calculates salary information for hundreds of work specialties, but also will compare your cost of living changes associated with a move to a distant city. With this comparison you can easily see what your net gain or loss in purchasing power will be in connection with any job related move.

Neat tool - and it's free!

Convert Your Text To Speech

Here's a hint of the future! AT&T has designed a quality Text-to-Speech Engine that they claim to be the most realistic, human-sounding synthetic speech system today.

At Naturalvoices.att.com you simply type in your text (up to 30 words) in the conversion box, select your choice of voices, click "go" and - shazam- a clear very human voice repeats your typed message!

You can also type your message in any of several languages and hear it in the native tongue of that country. You can have some fun with this in connection with any of the many web based translation programs!

Great free peek at the future of communications!

Here's the quote you need

Need a quote for a speech or a term paper - or to just look super smart? Here's a huge searchable source, Worldofquotes.com.

You can browse this database of over fourteen thousand quotes organized in over six hundred categories. Or look for a specific author or famous person. You can choose from over four thousand authors. Or you can search the database by author, topic, or specific quote.

Among the thousands of quotes these folks cite Ben Franklin: "Ere you consult your fancy, consult your purse." This great place fits the bill - it's free!

Squash the telemarketers

Now you can do something about the pests who call you at mealtime - and it will only take you about 5 minutes on-line at Donotcall.gov!

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, has established and manages the National Do Not Call Registry. By registering your phone number or numbers (including your cell phone if you wish) you will begin to receive fewer telemarketing calls on a phased in schedule explained at the site.

Try it. You paid for it -- your tax dollars at work make this free!

Published: August 4, 2003

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.