Bananas, Domain Names, and Hover's Awesome Customer Service

To celebrate their 30th birthday, Verisign is giving away $35,000 in an online contest and they teamed up with a few partners to make it happen. I'm a big fan of [winning] contests and the price on this one was right.
“To enter the contest, all you have to do is register a really great new .COM domain. The .COM domain you choose should be all the things that make for a “great” domain name – original, memorable, and keyword-rich (but, we don’t have to tell you that).”
I've already bought a few domains through Hover (because they’re the best in so many ways) but I had a personal project site unregistered that I thought could be the perfect entry.

Lately I’ve been trying to find people eating bananas in Google Maps and through hours of mouse clicks and some sheer luck, I compiled a list of all that I found.

The grand total? One person.

But this sounded like the perfect chance to throw my name in the hat for the contest and fingers crossed, I submitted http://www.peopleeatingbananasingooglemaps.com/. They said submissions had to be original and memorable and I thought my site hit those requirements nicely.

One day goes by and I open my email to reveal a pretty disappointing message. My entry was denied due to one reason or another and I was pretty bummed out. I did however get another email though that was a total surprise as well. Hover reached out and said that they were sending something in the mail to me because they felt bad I wasn’t in the contest.

That's a really nice gesture and just the thought made me feel better about things. They wouldn’t tell me what they were sending but it literally just arrived at my front door and I wanted to share it with you.


Amazon gift wrapped box? Off to a nice start...


The card read: "Hey Mike, really sorry that your awesome site peopleeatingbananasingooglemaps.com didn't qualify for the Verisign contest. Hopefully this will help you get more noticed by Google Maps. From: Your pals at Hover."


Just by coincidence, today's also my birthday and when I first opened the box and saw this lump, I thought, "oh no, it's clothes. " Who wants clothes for their birthday?! They want doodads and gizmos!


Suspicions confirmed. Clothes. But Hover wasn't wrong. This hoodie will clearly get me more noticed by Google Maps. I mean, it's bright yellow!

Turns out there's more...

This isn't your typical run-of-the-mill-bright-as-the-sun-yellow hoodie...


It's a banana hoodie! Wha?! I had no idea this was even a thing! I probably should keep this in my car in case I see a Google Maps car drive by!


Long story short, Hover has some of the best customer service around. I'm not just saying that because they sent me a banana hoodie though. I've had to contact them in the past and they're super easy to work with and very down to earth. If you're looking to register a new domain or even interested in transferring to something better, give Hover* a try, you won't be disappointed.

Thanks Hover for the banana hoodie and totally making my day! It's actually surprisingly comfortable too!

*Yeah my link above is an affiliate link. I get a small kickback ($2) in the form of store credit and it's only fair because I found them first. But trust me, you'll love 'em.

Items of Want 028 - Huckberry Edition

All of these items (at time of publishing) are available through Huckberry.com. If you sign up through this link, you'll get $10 of Huckberry credit for your first purchase and it's totally worth it. They're constantly rotating great brands and products and you're sure to find something you like. Also, their email newsletter is one of the best and worth checking out.

J.L. Lawson & Co. EDC Top


"Each top is manually machined from solid bar stock and a tungsten carbide ball is press fit for the tip. Spin times will vary with each spinner and surface but you shouldn't have a problem getting at least 6 minutes. If you're good you might get 10 minutes. J.L. Lawson' s record now is 10:14."

Burrough's Beard Oil


"The woodsy, earthy scent of this beard oil [from Prospector Co.] brings together the solitary notes of nature and craftsmanship. The smell of freshly chopped forest woods move into a dusty carpenter's workshop, leaving behind the deep leathered richness of a cobbler's apron. Its very hardy, masculine fragrance works well with the rugged scruff left behind after a lazy summer's week of no shaving to the full-grown winter's beard."

Marathon Navigator


"Equipped with the most capable quartz movements in Swiss timekeeping, each Marathon is carefully built to exacting specs to ensure survival in the harshest and most remote environments on the planet as though the very mission depended on it.

Now in its fourth generation of family-owned operation, Marathon Watches has been building watches for government and military issue since the early 1940s contracted by the US Marine Corps, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (Marathon is Canadian, after all), just to name a few."

Photo © Worn & Wound

Filson Original Briefcase

"FilsonÂ’s toughest, most dependable briefcase is appropriate for everyday use in the field. Inside is a wide carrying compartment, two full-length open pockets and sewn-on compartments for calculator, business cards, pencils and pens. Narrow pockets on both ends and full-length outer pockets on both sides. You won't find more durability in a fabric briefcase."

Rumpl Paria Blanket

"Rumpl incorporates decades of proven technologies developed for the outdoor industry into their products. The materials have been tested and proven in harsh environments, yet specifically selected for comfort and durability. We think the blanket you use everyday deserves the same attention to detail as a sleeping bag you might use 10 times a year. The end result is a premium and versatile blanket that can be used anywhere you go... or when you don't go anywhere."

— Check out past Items of Want —

Items of Want 027

Tom Bihn Horizontal Freudian Slip


"The Horizontal Freudian Slip (like its fraternal twin the Vertical Freudian Slip) is an insert that adds eleven extra pockets to your bag to help organize your files and accessories. One side of the Horizontal Freudian Slip features two pockets with an asymmetrical design, each capable of fitting up to a .5" thickness of files or papers. These pockets fit both A4 and U.S. Standard papers/file folders.
The other side of the Horizontal Freudian Slip has two zippered pockets. One pocket is 8" x 3.5" and the other is 5" x 4": both can fit a wide range of accessories, from pens to cables to power supplies. These pockets zip shut with #5 YKK coil zippers with plastic sliders, chosen for this application because they are less likely to scratch sensitive electronic gizmos. Below the zippered pockets are a series of open-top organizer pockets: one business card pocket, four pen pockets, one iPhone or cell phone sized pocket, and one larger pocket perfect for many power supplies."

[Acquired] Lezyne Steel Floor Drive Pump


"The Lezyne Steel Floor Drive is a high pressure floor pump with a machined steel barrel and piston, a varnished wood handle, and an aluminum base. It is equipped with ball/bladder adapters, and users can choose to utilize either its ABS Flip-Thread Chuck, or the new Dual Valve head. An extra long rubber hose with Composite Matrix connectors easily reach both Presta and Schrader valves. Its 2.5-inch oversized gauge is precise and very easy to read. The barrel is treated with a precise paint job to achieve a finish that is both durable and stylish."

Ten One Design Mountie


Mountie is designed to be a quick and easy way to attach your smartphone or tablet to your laptop. I'm a big fan of using a second display, even if it's my phone to watch Netflix or something while I'm working on the computer.

National Geographic Guide to National Parks of the United States


Consider it a checklist of sorts. "The National Geographic Guide to National Parks of the United States will prove indispensable on a summer drive through this great country. Packed with more color photographs (380) and detailed color maps (80) than any other parks guidebook on the market, this handy, practical guide, completely updated for the 2012 edition, offers comprehensive information on the crown jewels of the national park system-the 58 scenic national parks that conserve and protect the flora and fauna in some of our nation's last wilderness areas."

Kentucky Rifle Cap Gun


I had a similar one of these cap guns as a kid but I want this longer version one now that I'm an adult. Sure I've seen people use them in reenactments and stuff but truthfully, I really want to mount it on the wall. Maybe even use one of those deer leg mounts or something. I guess I see it as a call to arms of my childhood and a way to remember to always have fun.

— Check out past Items of Want —