Anyone who speaks French will know that Baton Rouge (or le baton rouge) roughly translates to “the red stick”. Baton Rouge got its name in 1699 when a French explorer was exploring the Mississippi and saw a reddish cypress pole that marked the boundary between two different Native American Tribes.

Baton Rouge has come a long way since then. It’s now the capital city of Louisiana, a major port city on the coast of one of the longest rivers in the world, and has a strong economy which has it ranked as one of the “Best Places for Young Adults”.

High Expectations in Baton Rouge

As the state capitol with the tallest capitol building in the U.S., Baton Rouge residents have sky-scraping expectations for its local service professionals.

And, they very well should.

When searching for a roofer, plumber, or auto mechanic, you deserve the best service available. But, you don’t have time to waste searching online and talking to sham companies on the phone just so that they can tell you they can’t do your job or don’t service your area.

Now there’s Seva Call. Watch this video to see how Seva Call can connect you with the best service professionals in Baton Rouge.

Find the Right Professionals

Next time you’re in trouble, go online or give us a call. Tell us the problem – leaky roof, leaky pipes, leaky exhaust – and we will find the top-rated professional to do the job at your utmost convenience. Whether you need the job done in the next few hours or the next few days, we guarantee we can put you on the phone with a professional in minutes.

It’s fast, easy, convenient, and completely free. No more paying to read customer reviews, no subscription fees, and no reason for companies to hike up prices!

Written by Dallea Caldwell

Here’s when today’s new/now/next obsessed culture gets a little insane: when tech-heads go gaga over launches that haven’t even happened yet or stop traffic over so-called disruptive technologies few people even know about. It’s like placing bets on who will win the playoffs during the NFL off-season, before the draft.

Still, since what we know of the universe is only 10% information and 100% speculation, what’s so wrong about getting all worked up with perspiration from an exercise in anticipation?

Here are 5 early-stage, cool startups that seem to push the definition of what’s possible and seem mind-blowingly and/or world-changingly cool.

What it is: HelpAround, a crowdsourcing tool for people suffering from Diabetes

Launch Date: June 2013

Founders: Yishai Knobel and Shlomi Aflalo

Status: Currently raising

Why it’s cool: Online data collection has literally reached a point where Target knows more about my boyfriend than I do. And, it’s a shame that more research goes into your shopping preferences than finding a cure for leukemia or solving the debt crisis. But, HelpAround co-founder Shlomi Aflalo is using ad-targeting technology for good.

The location-based app data-mines the web to find fellow sufferers and caregivers nearby to form an instant support network for people with chronic conditions. The biggest pay-off is a potential reduction in emergency room visits and other hassles associated with meeting routine urgent care needs.

What it is: Outbox, your snail-mail… digitized

Launch Date: February 2013

Founders: Evan Baehr,  Jason Seriff, and Will Davis

Status: Oversubscribed series A (July 2013)

Why it’s cool: As a member of the Seva Call team where online search meets offline connects, I really dig Outbox’s seamless union of real and virtual reality. Three times weekly, Outbox takes your snail-mail, which you normally lose or improperly discard anyway, and scans it to become view-able and organized via your iOS device. Never lose an invite, bill, or payment stub again

Vetted staff people upload your mail to your profile and then shred documents automatically- leaving scammers fewer opportunities to find personally identifiable information strewn thoughtlessly in the trash. Users can even request original copies of the mail they want in-hand, such as concert tickets or fancy ribbon-tied wedding invitations with adorable save-the-date refrigerator magnets included. Folks outside Austin and San Francisco, however, will have to settle for the old basket storage method while Outbox gradually takes over the world.

What it is: CamFind, an image-based online search engine

Founders: Dominik Mazur and Bradford Folkens

Launch Date: April 2013

Status: Currently raising

Why it’s cool: They say a picture says a thousand words, but with CamFind, a picture is worth a million search engine results as well. Snap a pic of any object via an iOS device, and search the image to gain information about the object, (eg: definitions, related images, and even price comparisons).

What it is: Casetext, a Wikipedia for expert explanations of legislation around the world

Launch Date: TBA

Founder: Jake Heller

Status: Currently raising

Why it’s cool: An informed public is essential to a healthy democracy — and, it’s also essential to any unhealthy and near-death authoritarian regime. So score one for the  ‘merican way when the free market births a database that crowdsources legal experts for simple explanations of laws all over the world. Plus, with the money law-firms will save when they no longer have to build multi-million dollar legal databases, it may bring legal costs down enough that you can post bail… hypothetically speaking, of course.

What it is: uBiome, big data fact-finder for bodily flora

Launch Date: November 2012

Founders: Jessica Richman and Zachary Apte

Status: Currently raising

Why it’s cool: Although not an app or website, this is the greatest venture since the Human Genome Project, and it raised $200,000 on IndieGoGo. Plus, we can’t think of a nerdier path to self-discovery than paying $89 to have a scientist tell us all about ourselves. [By “we” I don’t mean Seva Call, you and I, or the royal we. I mean “we” meaning the multitude of bacterial life inhabiting my body and helping me digest food, fight disease, and (according to new research) have this shining personality.]

Participants use the uBiome kit to send samples of bacteria from their nostril, mouth, ear, and even certain unmentionables to the laboratory. In return, participants get information about their bacterial population and how to best take care of a body with a bacterial profile just like theirs. Plus, they get to use their bodies to advance science without the risk of having their brains pickling away in some creepy laboratory jar.

It’s an exciting new year, and I have no words to express my excitement and optimism over the kind of tomorrow which is already in the making. Fortunately, Arthur O’Shaughnessy has expressive words enough for all of us:

“With wonderful deathless ditties, we build up the world’s great cities, and out of a fabulous story we fashion an empire’s glory….A wondrous thing of our dreaming– unearthly, impossible seeming. The soldier, the king, and the peasant are working together in one till our dream shall become their present, and their work in the world be done.”

– Arthur O’Shaughnessy

That guy you mercilessly turned down back in grade school just showed up at your door with a dozen yellow roses and a limousine, saying he’s been waiting for this day his whole life. He remembers that fateful promise like it was yesterday. He asked you out to see The Matrix Reloaded, and you said “Sure! When heck freezes over.” And now, well… you’ve seen Chicago lately. So, he rented out the old theater for a private viewing and has come to pick you up. Yes, you have a husband and family, but you– you… promised.

When the expectations you’ve built your life on shatter, the pressure can bring you to the breaking point. The same goes for your home and, more specifically, the pipes in your home. Extreme cold can freeze over your water pipes, causing them to burst.

Freezing and Bursting Pipes

Pipes burst when heat transference causes water to freeze and expand. The temperatures under which that is likely to happen vary based on factors such as wind speed and home insulation, but it becomes a possibility at as high as 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Unfortunately, if the impact of the polar vortex was something you’d never predict, then it’s probably something you hadn’t prepared your home for. This unpreparedness increases winter related plumbing hazards.

Fortunately, preventing burst pipes- even in the coldest of weather- is simply a matter of addressing insulation and heating problems, and maybe making small changes to your routine during times of extremely low temperatures.

Mediating Risk Factors

Walls, insulation, and foundations all work as a buffer against the cold air and wind threatening the pipes in a home. Cracked, punctured, or missing walls, as well as inadequate wall and pipe insulation increase the efficiency of heat-loss and the likelihood that water inside a pipe will freeze.

To protect water pipes, homeowners should…

– Fit pipes with insulation sleeves. These can be as much as 1 to 2 inches thick.

– Seal cracks and fill holes in outward facing walls and foundations using caulk

– Consider rerouting water pipes through the home’s interior where there is less cold air exposure – away from attics and other low-temperature zones.

No amount of insulation can entirely eradicate all degrees of heat-loss from a pipe itself. In the absence of a heat source to combat long-enduring chill, pipes are bound to freeze eventually.

To warm pipes, rather than merely conserve some heat, homeowners should…

– If an extended extreme chill is expected during a vacation absence, program the thermostat to bring the home to room temperature at least once daily or include doing so on the to-do list of a trusted home-sitter.

– Open kitchen and bathroom cabinets to prevent them from insulating pipes against indoor heating. And. consider using a plug-in night-light for the bathroom to avoid banging legs against cabinet doors.

Discovering Frozen or Busted Pipes

An easy way to recognize a frozen pipe clogged with ice is slow or not running water. If caught early, there may still be a chance to prevent a leak. Take the following steps:

1. Use a hot blow-dryer to warm the pipe and melt the ice inside.

2. After melting the ice, check for moisture on pipe surface

3. Then…

– If no water leakage forms, let one or two faucets drip lightly until the area surrounding the pipe is warmer or more sustainable steps can be taken.

– If the outside of the pipe is wet then there is already a leak. Shut off the main water valve and contact a plumber.

And, whether you need home and pipe insulation or a leaky pipe fixed, Seva Call can help. To hear from a matching pro in minutes, just visit www.talklocal.com and enter your location, contact info, and a description of services need.

No stranger to extreme weather emergencies, the Seva Call team connected scores of people to snow removal professionals during 2011’s notorious East Coast storm, nicknamed Snowmaggedon, so they can surely help you too.

New Orleans, NOLA, Nawlins’. No matter the name, New Orleans will forever be home to one of the biggest, most notorious celebrations in the U.S. (and probably the world).

Mardi Gras!

Most of us know the common Mardi Gras tropes: The purple, yellow, and green beads thrown from balconies. The awesome jazz music played by buskers on the street. The Cajun food that fills the French Quarter streets with smells of cayenne pepper and green onion. The masquerades, the floats, the insane, non-stop party that goes a week straight.

But what are the finer fun facts of this frenzied fiesta?

– The first recorded Mardi Gras celebration was in 1699.

– In 1875, Mardi Gras was declared a legal state holiday.

– The organizations in charge of throwing the various balls, parades, and events are known as “krewes”.

– The Mystick Krewe of Comus is the oldest krewe still active.

– The famous colors of purple, gold, and green come from the Mardi Gras flag. Purple stands for justice, gold for power, and green for faith.

– Orleans Parish (Louisiana has parishes as opposed to counties) prohibits any commercial advertising on Mardi Gras Parades.

– Hurricane Katrina nearly cancelled the 2006 Mardi Gras celebration.

About that last one.

Seva Call knows how devastating natural disasters can be, and we do our best to help out those in need. If Mardi Gras is at stake, you best believe we’ll be there to ensure the party goes on. If a storm rolls through weeks before the festivities, go to www.talklocal.com and put in a service request for the best roofer, plumber, or car repair man (because no one wants a busted float) in Nawlins’.

You can watch this quick video to see just how Seva Call works.

Seva Call uses a unique algorithm that sifts through hundreds of small business professionals, weeds out the ones masquerading quality service, and puts you on the phone with professionals you can rely on. Our algorithm uses various consumer quality metrics such as online customer reviews, call traffic, and social media stats to ensure we find the best quality professionals for you.

Next time you’re in trouble, go online and put in the basics of your service request, your zip code, and your phone number, and Seva Call will handle the rest. All without compromising your privacy.

We’ll see you at the next Mardi Gras, New Orleans!

Many of you readers out there in the blog ether may have received an email from Seva Call, imploring you to use this awesome service. Or perhaps you even stumbled upon our website while searching for advice on toothaches, or malware, or that weird smell your car emits when it’s especially hot outside.

Either way, next thing you know, you’re getting a phone call from a 202 area code, with a friendly voice asking you if you need help in Waco, TX, or Bloomington, IN or Reno, NV. Naturally, you might then be inclined to say “I don’t need any help,” and promptly hang up the phone, assuming it’s just a telemarketer trying to sell you something.

Sometimes, however, a professional cannot be reached immediately. Busy schedules, missed phone calls, being out to lunch; these things happen. So instead of leaving you hanging, waiting for help, one of our friendly customer service representatives called you. We do this not to bother you, but to ensure that you get the help you need, when you need it. If we can’t help you right away, we’ll be sure to call you back when we can.

Let’s Clear the Air

– That website you found that led to all of this is not full of spam, malware, or viruses. The website is Seva Call’s homepage, where you can find help from professionals in over 50 service categories.

– That 202 area code is not a random number to disguise the location of the caller. The 202 area code is the phone number from our office, which is headquartered outside of Washington, DC.

– And that friendly voice is not trying to sell you anything. That friendly voice genuinely wants to help you find a dentist, mechanic, computer technician, or any other professional you may be looking for, without charging you a fee.

So, you might be asking yourself, what is Seva Call and how does it work? Find out below!

How Seva Call Works

Let’s use an example for this. Pretend that you actually were looking for an HVAC technician because your air conditioner was leaking, so you typed “air conditioner leaks water” into Google, and you were taken to this article, which then led you to this page.

You filled in the information because you were desperate for help, and then nothing happened. Except 2 minutes later, you start receiving phone calls from unrecognized numbers, asking if your AC was leaking. How do they know?!

“They” are real professionals, who received your service request through us. We took your message and sent it to reliable professionals in your area, who then decided to help you out.

That’s how Seva Call works. We find the right professional for you, so you can get the help you need, when you need it.

Hello there, Tulsa!

Once the “Oil Capital of the World”, Tulsa is now its own little Midwestern cultural hub. The city has world-renowned museums such as the Philbrook museum and the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art. It’s also got theatre. And Dance. And Ballet! Check out these awesome venues!

– Tulsa Symphony Orchestra

– Tulsa Opera

– Light Opera Oklahoma

– Tulsa Youth Symphony

– Heller Theatre

– Theatre Tulsa (Fun Fact: Theatre Tulsa is the oldest community theatre west of the Mississippi.)

The list goes on. Forever. Tulsa is basically awesome, and all of us at Seva Call want to add to that awesomeness.

What Can Seva Call Do For Tulsa?

Tulsa, as killer as your live performance scene is, no one wants to make a show out of searching for, say, a plumber or roofer. When looking for service professionals to fix up jobs that keep you from a night on the town, you want the process over as quick as possible. You want to save time and money, and now you can! See how with Seva Call.

When you’re in need of professional help, go over to www.talklocal.com, tell us some basic details about your service job, your location, and phone number, and then we’ll get right back to you in just 90 seconds. Our free service navigates through hundreds of local businesses and picks out the best for you. No more paying to surf through online customer reviews, no more explaining your situation over and over on the phone.

We will put you on the phone with up to 3 different companies so that you can personally speak to each before you make your decision. Of course, we will always protect your contact information from telemarketers and spammers.

It’s faster and easier than trying to get tickets to the Tulsa Ballet. So save a call, with Seva Call.

Written by Dallea Caldwell

What’s the most common treatment prescribed to children directly after dental surgery? Vicodin and Tylenol. Why so strong a prescription? Because practitioners don’t want late night phone calls from frightened parents with their crying children in pain. This according to an NPR talk I listened to last week. It’s a chilling example of the ways in which both doctors and patients may over-rely on prescription drugs to simply get rid of pain or discomfort, no matter how moderate or short-term.

So, should patients be given 100 days worth of Vicodin to get them through a recovery period expected to end in a matter of weeks? The FDA, DEA, and many in the medical profession say no. In fact, they point to a growing opiate addiction epidemic as evidence that pill culture is not only excessive, but that it has dire consequences.

– Nearly 15,000 Americans die from prescription pain medication overdoses every year.

– 12 million Americans reported non-medical use (i.e. abuse) of painkillers in 2010.

– Abuse of this class of drugs costs as much as $72.5 billion in annual healthcare costs.

The fact is that hydrocodone-based painkillers like Vicodin act like endorphins, binding to opiate receptors in the brain just like heroin and other illegal, psychoactive drugs — making the growth of prescription painkiller addiction especially alarming. In response, the FDA has submitted official recommendations for the federal government to reclassify Vicodin and other opiate painkillers from Schedule III to Schedule II. The FDA-recommended change would automatically lead to tighter restrictions on these dangerous, but vital, medications.

If the Federal Government passes the change into law, users of painkillers can expect the following changes or inconveniences:

– Prescription quantities will be further limited: a maximum of 90 days.

– Refills are strictly prohibited, but multiple prescriptions are allowed.

– Doctors may no longer call-in prescriptions, a signed physical prescription delivered is required.

Many states detail even more restrictions on Schedule II drugs. More details on state-based regulations here.

Is the FDA Making a Mistake?

Of course, there are many long-term pain sufferers for whom life would be unbearable without strong pain management medications. For those people, the FDA recommendation may feel like an attack. More than slight inconveniences, the new loops risk prolonging their suffering over long nights, weekends, or any time they may have difficulty accessing their medication for any reason. Patient advocates say that there are tools people in the medical profession can use to screen for opiate addiction signs and risk factors if they have the proper education; and, innocent pain sufferers should not be punished for the abuses of a few.

So… do you or anyone you know suffer from long-term pain or opiate addiction? What do you think? Is the FDA is making a mistake?

Written by Steven D’Adamo

It’s been a while since we’ve done one of these, so I decided to come back with a Halloween edition of “Oh Sh!t” moments. Halloween can be a fun-filled night of childish mischief, hilarious costumes, and chocolate overdose. However, every year, some people invariably take the mischief part a little too far, leaving the rest of us to clean up the mess come November 1st.

Here are some not-so-fun tricks you may be left dealing with the day after Halloween. And yes, Seva Call can help you out, even with these pranks.

Photo courtesy of SF Weekly: http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/toilet-paper-house-and-trees.jpg

Your Yard is Covered in Toilet Paper

Isn’t it such a nice surprise to wake up in the morning to a fresh snow softly blanketing the world outside your window? Wait, no, that’s not snow. Your entire yard is covered in toilet paper, and it could take you over an hour to clean up by yourself. Why not just connect with a professional cleaning service? TP disaster clean-up may not be specifically listed in their M.O., but we can help you find someone willing to take on the clean-up while you get ready for your day.

Someone Decided to go ‘Smashing Pumpkins’ On Your Decorations

And now your front porch has a nice coating of pumpkin innards, fake spider webs, and broken plastic ghosts scattered across it. At this point, it’s probably not worth salvaging the damaged decorations, so you might as well throw them out. Then contact a garbage removal service to pick them up for you.

Some Audacious Kids Pranked Your Car

You need to get into work, but a few layers of plastic wrap or duct tape are keep you out of your car! This prank is funny when it’s done to some hapless college kid at a party; not so much when the neighborhood ghouls just want to make your life a little harder. You could spend the time unwrapping your ‘present’, or you could just call a taxi to pick you up and take you to work.

Your Kid Needs a Good Teeth Cleaning

After ingesting three pounds of processed sugar, your kid probably already has about five cavities forming, not to mention their aching tummy. Well, don’t let them stay home from school for no reason. Take them to a dentist for a satisfying “I-told-you-so” cleaning. We can help you find one without an appointment.

I certainly hope you don’t have to deal with these moments, but in case you do, Seva Call is here for you. We’ll find the right professionals for you, even for your unconventional, post-Halloween needs.

Not too long ago, Oklahoma City and neighboring Moore was devastated by a terrible tornado. Unfortunately, this is neither the first nor last storm that will rack Oklahoma. Being dead center in Tornado Alley, Oklahoma City faces severe storms every spring and summer. Now Seva Call would like to do its best to help out.

Tornado Alley in Oklahoma City

Storms will cause trees to fall and damage houses and cars. Yards will be torn apart, windows broken, basements flooded, etc. When these damages occur, the first thing you’ll do (after making sure everyone is safe, of course) is go online and try to find a service professional to help clean up the mess. In fact, you’ll probably spend several hours online and on the phone trying to find the best companies in your area.

Seva Call will connect you with these companies in as little as 90 seconds. And for free, too! No more paying Angie to read customer reviews. We’ll do it for you. See how with this quick video.

Our innovative algorithm compares quality consumer metrics for hundreds of businesses in the area and will pick out the best ones for us to recommend to you. Once we’ve tracked down the best companies we will call you up and offer to put one of them directly on the phone with you. We will keep all of your contact information private and guarantee the businesses will be able to do your job at your utmost convenience.

Emergency situations demand emergency response, and Seva Call would like to join the Oklahoma City response team. What do you think, Oklahoma City?