2004 October

Fake Rolex Watch… Rolex is not for all… Wholesale Rolex… Gift someone you love with a Rolex… what's up with the recent flood of Rolex spam? I can't be the only one who's getting this stuff, unless it's a conspiracy. I never wear a watch, because there's always someone within earshot who has one. “What time is it?” Simple question, easy answer. Or, I could just look at the digital time on my phone.

Read more on Watch out for Rolex…

No broadband in the hotel room – which is a blessing. I've walked into closets bigger than our gnome-sized accomodations. I wasn't expecting much, given the price we paid for our week-long package. Still, I could have done without the screaming girlfriend this morning. She found what appeared to be a boxelder bug crawling on the edge of our bathmat. I wasn't that put off, but she's not one for creepy crawly insects (even on Halloween). We're gonna drive all over “town” today. Admittedly, there's not much to see (sorry, but on a rainy day, I've gotta stick to the more exciting indoor activities – perhaps the Botanical Center?). Anything's better than being stuck in an airport.

Read more on Fogging the View…

Despite the torrential downpour, we're heading to Iowa in a few hours. My brother's wedding is on Saturday. Wicket and Pixie are staying with their maternal grandparents this week. According to the weather reports, Des Moines is gonna be pretty chilly. I see: Mostly Cloudy, AM Showers, Isolated Thunderstorms, Windy, and Mostly Sunny in the forecast. Barometric pressure is 30.20 in and rising – which is good. If it dips below 30, my eyes start popping out of their sockets. Visibility is 80 miles, and we're set for 82% humidity. Chance of fun? High. This is Ponzi's first time in the Midwest! My folks already love her, but she hasn't yet taken the “La Pizza House” test. Keep your fingers crossed. I'll be hitting the always-free I Spots across town to remain fed and connected, although we've already got comped broadband in our hotel room.

Read more on Land Between Two Rivers…

I'm not a very religious man, and I don't have an iPod, but I still think this (Audio Bible Player) is kinda cool. It's the King James Version, not the Catholic Guilt / You're Going to Hell Version that I grew up with. I've read parts of the Bible, but not all of it. I remember something about a flood with animals and people dying. Here's what struck me as funny, as I ventured into the Bible guy's blog: someone has issued a crack for his program. He noted that: (a) it's freeware; and (b) someone's cracking something that will tell him not to steal. Now, for those of you who worship your iPods, I'd suggest re-reading the “thou shalt not bow down before” commandment.

Read more on The B I B L E…

There's an awful lot of hoopla surrounding Marc Canter's recent announcement about bringing even more commercialization into the blogosphere. I'm thrilled to see that Lockergnome was thrown into the discussion, which tells me that I'm doing something right (or wrong, which is still right). Jason was probably the most prolific in his public response, although it didn't really attempt “solve” the problem. Robin nailed it (as usual). Wait – what problem? Let's see… at Gnomedex this year, when I asked the crowd if they'd like to make money from their online efforts, an overwhleming majority of them raised their hands. That's a problem without a solution, and is exactly where programs like Google AdSense and Blogads come into play. I've made great strides in the past year to give folks traffic boosts just for contributing regularly to LG. It's all about give and take, and right now, you've got a lot of great opinions out there which are not getting read – because they don't have the reach. But does that make the written or spoken perspective any less valid or valuable? Or, let me put it to you another way: if you could quit your full-time job tomorrow, would you?

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Like millions of Americans, I opt to avoid NBC during the airing of Saturday Night Live. It's easier to skip lousy segments when you pre-record it on your PVR. “Weekend Update” is still my favorite – but that's not why I felt the need to bring up SNL this morning. Ashlee Simpson – busted. Ouch. The worst I ever had was some old guy shattering an Edison cylinder into a billion pieces and then uttering an obscenity. At least Ashlee (and her band) are sure to make it onto the next SNL DVD. They don't call it “Saturday Night Live” for nothing, folks.

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Even when it's cold outside, frozen desserts are awesome. Lately, I've become addicted to the 50-calorie Fruit Stix (found at Whole Foods). The Pineapple one is best, IMHO. I'd just as soon enjoy a snack that has something my body can use – as opposed “food stuff” that sits on most store shelves. Vanilla yogurt isn't too bad, either – and a child size is unbelievably filling.

Read more on Just Desserts…

It's time for another Activision classic – Kaboom. How high can you score? All those simple action and adventure games of the '80s are sorely missed. Neave fills in the gap quite nicely with Space Invaders, Asteroids, Pac Man, Simon, and Tetris. Game over? No, it's just beginning.

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There's a brand new Samsung 712N sitting on someone's desktop tonight. It was time to send that ol' CRT to the closet – right on top of the ol' flatbed scanner. LCD is the only way to go – expecially when you spend most of your time sitting within Windows. Even gamers, though, should take a look at this sucker. Response time has been clocked at 12ms! I'm convincing the rest of the world to move from tubes to crystals. It's one of the best upgrades you could ever give yourself – or a loved one. Even my own monitors are jealous.

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I decided to explain a bit more about why I openly support Google AdSense (and not just because they helped sponsor Gnomedex). I can't be the only indpendent content publisher out there who believes it's better than sliced bread?! UPDATE: Marc may very well be onto something…

Read more on It Makes Cents to Me…

“Rediscover musical diversity: every 6-8 weeks Mixed Tape presents an exciting blend of exclusive MP3s by new, international artists as a free download compilation.” And the best part is: you don't need a Mercedes-Benz to enjoy them! It's a 92 MB download if you grab all of the tracks – worth trying if you're a music lover. 16 MP3s this time around. Maybe they'll help me get rid of the headache I've got going on right now (thanks to second-hand smoke).

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