I’m off tomorrow for a week long vacation, and due to the fact that it’s a trip to Europe, we’re leaving our cell phones, cell phone accessories, and the laptop at home. This is the first trip I’ve made in a LONG time without guaranteed internet access. I’m sure I’ll be able to find an internet cafe at some point to be able to check in…not with all of you necessarily, but with my kids, who aren’t coming along on the trip. I also left the number of the hotel, so that my kids can call us if they really feel...

I’m betting that the iPhone will be on of the big Christmas gifts this year. Safe bet, eh? I read an article in the paper today about a man who had an extra Wii, and he traded it to someone for a brand new iPhone – that’s definitely trading up! Even though the iPhone isn’t on my list, I’ve seen it, and it is impressive. I can see why 1 million iPhones had been sold not even 3 months after the release date. Once the price was cut, sales tripled…and Steve Jobs is well on his way to selling 10 million iPhones in 2008. With...

We’ve been hearing about GPS in personal vehicles for a few years now – more & more manufacturers are offering built in GPS as an option to car buyers, and you can also buy a GPS as your local electronics store and install it on your own. For me personally, I’ve got a good sense of direction. I pay attention to the direction I’m headed in, I look for landmarks, and I eyeball street signs. That probably explains why I get so easily disorientated when we’re out on the water. When you’re boating or enjoying a day...

With each year, my son gets more and more interested in video games. We gave the kids a Playstation 2 for Christmas last year, and while the girls do play on it, it’s my son who plays it the most. On his list for Santa this year, he asked for an Xbox, and I had to break the news to him that Santa isn’t going to bring him a second gaming platform. Santa IS going to bring him more games and gaming accessories though. Last year, shortly after we got the PS2, I bought myself a wireless controller so that I could play from the couch. A few months...

While I was stumbling last night, I came across a blog entry about Jeremy Schoemaker (aka Shoemoney) and a huge Adsense check he earned 2 years ago. How huge was it? How about $132,994.97? Nice payday, huh? I wondered how one guy made that much cash with advertising in a month, and the answer dropped into my lap this morning. Shoemoney is the guy behind NextPimp.com, a site devoted to supplying users with completely free ringtones. It’s quite the success too, with 3 million ringtones in the database, and half a million users of the site. I’ve...

Our neighbors have started putting up their holiday light displays, and some are pretty amazing. We’ve got one neighbor who is a little OCD about his lights, and everything is even, symmetrical, and laid out with a careful plan. We’ve got another neighbor who has 3 lit trees in his yard that are hooked up to music, and the lights on the trees go off and on and change color with the beat of the music. It’s pretty amazing! Our own light situation isn’t so great – in fact, out lights are painfully sad. They’ve fallen...

As you all know, I’ve been running a few contests here and there on my blogs. I’ve been buying prizes at the local big box chain in town, but I’m sure I’ve been over spending on things by not planning ahead. Buying at the last minute usually equals paying more money! I found a source online for discount MP3 players, as well as cell phone accessories and other discount electronics. I think you’ll definitely be seeing prizes in the future from this site. The more money I can save on prizes, the more prizes I can offer, and...

I hadn’t heard of US NationalTelecom (YIWA) until today, but I’ll bet we’ll be hearing about this new player in the VoIP market a lot more. They’ve got a long term goal / strategy of buying successful companies already generating revenue. They’ve decided not to go the start up route and fight for recognition and funding in an ever changing market. Why bother when you can simply snap up companies who would otherwise be your competition? They’ve already purchased Vitelity, and will absorb the founders into their business. DENVER,...

A family member recently left her job to work with a new branch office of a firm she’s quite familiar with, as they are an industry leader in her career. It was a good chance for her to make a smart move, and for more money, but the new branch office is so new, they don’t even have a branch office yet. She’s working from home this week, and spending time assisting her new boss on finding a location, picking out office furniture, and taking care of all of the things needed to open up a new business. One thing her new branch office doesn’t...

Ever since I got my new phone, I’ve been wondering why my home number, which I programmed into the phone manually, doesn’t show up on the caller ID. While I was adding a few more numbers to the phone tonight, I realized why. The new numbers I’ve been adding aren’t going in as SIM card contacts. Not a big deal, as long as I’m using this phone, but should I switch phones, I’ll lose those contacts. And on top of that, all of the contacts coming from my Outlook email that I access with the phone aren’t coming in as...