Recently, I was reading Chris Pirillo’s blog about making your own comic strips on Bitstrips.com. I saw the comics he made and thought that they were pretty fun, and I decided to give it a try myself.

Well today Bitstrips launched version 1.1, their beta version, opening up their site to the public. I made an account, and the fun began. I first created my avatar which took a little while, but I was able to create a funny avatar which looked somewhat like me. Then I created a couple characters, and made a strip.

You can also create your own series, either give comics laughs or groans, add friends, comment on comics, and even favorite them. Try it out… see if you like it.

On Sunday, the technician from AT&T came to install U-Verse in our home. He got there around 9 a.m and finished around 3:30. He first began his installation by rewiring many aspects of our house. From the basement he accessed the splitter to which he made modifications to fit AT&T’s proper wiring.

After he finished this, he installed the new Gateway modem to our computer which is connected to downstairs, and controls everything in the house from internet, to t.v, to the phones. Finally, he installed all three digital boxes to each t.v, and the special bigger DVR box to our t.v in the basement. Everything was installed smoothly, and set up and ready to go!

My first impression when I turned on the t.v was “Wow! what great quality!” The picture is really stunning, and when on HD channels, the picture is just phenomenal. The channels changed instantly, I can see what programs are on other channels and watch that channel in a small box at the bottom while still on another main channel. The guide is great, there is a complete video store with new releases, and all kinds of movies that you can buy right on your tv. Did I mention that the t.vs are connected to the internet through the gateway modem and you can even play yahoo games on your t.v! After that I got onto my computer, and really noticed no difference with the internet. Everything seemed as fast as Optimum, and even at some times seemed more responsive, and quicker. Overall I am very happy with AT&T U-Verse, and I think that if AT&T is made available in your area you should take a look at it because they really have a great service to offer.

Just thought i’d take some time today to talk about a little hobby of mine. Its not really so much of a hobby as just something I do when I get the chance. I collect and enter codes on MyCokeRewards.com. This may seem a little foolish and some of you may think “oh those are stupid because you can never really win anything”. This is not the case at all.

Many prizes on MyCokeRewards range from coupons, and magazine subscriptions to digital cameras, iPod dock stations, earphones, tvs, and even a Nintendo Wii! I know your probably thinking again “these prizes probably take forever to save up for!”. Well not necessarily true, although they do take a lot of points to redeem, the points add up quickly if you enter codes often.

I like to collect codes from various places such as basketball games, off my own drinks, from fridge packs of cans, and a lot from school. I don’t really use it to get things I need or really want or must have, but more of a way to get something really cool for free every once and a while. So if you drink a lot of coke, or are in places where a lot of coke caps can be found, I suggest you sign up for MyCokeRewards and start entering codes and winning some cool stuff!

Check it out at www.mycokerewards.com

Recently we bought an HDTV for our family room. Since we bought the tv we called cablevision to switch io (interactive optimum) so we could receive HD service that came along with the io package. Since we use optimum for internet and would be using it for tv service, we figured to switch to phone service as well to get a cheaper rate with all 3 services. This would mean switching our phone service from AT&T to optimum. So we called optimum and set up a date for installation.

Yesterday, as I got home I found my mom talking to the man from AT&T in our living room. After talking about the service for a few minutes we decided that it was worth it and it would be significantly cheaper, and the rates wouldn’t increase after the first year.

Here is what we have to look forward to:

3  free cable boxes at no additional charge a month (optimum would’ve charged $8              extra a month for each)

Free dvr included with one of the boxes.

Free router to hook up wireless internet in your house.

High-speed internet with non-fluctuating speeds at peak hours.

Unlimited phone calls both local and long distance.

Hundreds of channels including HD, and an interactive guide and movie selection.

Finally, AT&T just started installing their fiber optics in our town, and it is only available to certain areas. It was just made available to our street which is why the AT&T representative came to our house. They use a different kind of wiring that allows the internet speed to be consistent 24/7. I am interested to see how it will compare to optimum, and am excited to have HD set up for our tv, and DVR to record my favorite shows. Tell me what you think about AT&T getting involved in the tv and internet market.

Well I’ve seen quite a few MacBook Air commercials now and I’ve read about it online at a few places, but I still seem skeptical of the whole idea. I can see how some people might want a very compact laptop, but not something as small, and as thin as this. I mean the MacBooks themselves are only 1.08″ thick and 5 lbs in weight while the MacBook air is .76″ thick and 3 lbs in weight. Isn’t 1.08″ and 5 lbs good enough? Who needs that extra .32″ of thinness and 2 less lbs of weight?

A lot of people need it, or want it I guess, because analysts say that the MacBook Air will make up 16% of all Mac sales by the end of this year. Although this is true, apple resellers say that there has been a smaller demand for the MacBook Air as opposed to original MacBooks. This is probably mainly due to price of the MacBook Air, the fact that it does not have a DVD/CD Drive, it has relatively lower power due to the available space inside, and it is very susceptible to damage.

Finally, I think that the MacBook Air is a great attempt from Apple to make a very slim and compact laptop, but for now I cannot see this as a cost effective and efficient machine to save only a small amount of size and weight. I think if you are looking for a solid and cost effective laptop you should stick with the original MacBooks which will offer you more speed, power, and a cd/dvd drive, at a significantly lower price.

What do you think?

Recently the first pair of XX3’s were released of the 23rd series of Air Jordans. Three different pairs of the XX3’s will be released starting with the blue special edition which will only be sold at a number of stores. These were released on the 25th for $230, and the next two will be released in February, nationwide for $185.

I was looking at the limited edition blue XX3s and they were going on ebay for $2,000! This seemed crazy, but for a limited edition of one of the most popular shoe lines out there, I can see how someone might pay this much for a pair.

This is probably the most anticipated release of the Jordan series because it is the 23rd edition, the same number as Jordan’s jersey number. It is thought that the shoe line might retire since it has hit number 23, but Michael will not tell if it is or isnt. Finally, I think that Air Jordans are one of the most successful shoe lines of an athlete if not the most successful, and are shoes that I can enjoy, and hope others can enjoy for a long time to come.

Just a few days ago I was playing my friend’s PSP and thinking hmm why isnt there a portable Xbox? I think Microsoft should make a hand held console for all of those who love Microsoft’s Xbox 360. Why not? Well Microsoft has clearly stated they are not interested in venturing into the hand held market, but how can they resist with their rival Sony Play station already conquering the hand held gaming market.

How this could help Microsoft. Well since Micrsoft had already hit gold with their stellar console the Xbox 360 why not make a portable one that would be just as successful. Not only would this encourage Xbox 360 users to buy the Xbox 180 shall we say, but users of the Xbox 180 will want to buy the Xbox 360.

Bottom line: The creation of a portable Xbox is quite inevitable with the other 2 major console owners already having very successful hand held console, and Microsoft doing well with the Xbox 360.

Tags: xbox 360, handheld xbox, psp, microsoft

As I went to check my e-mail today on Hotmail I saw an ad on MSN for a Dell Vostro. Starting at $439 I thought to myself is this for real? I know in the past there have been computers that cheap but most were not very good quality running on celerons with a mere 256 mb of RAM. Letting my curiosity get the best of me I clicked on the ad.

As I looked at the set up I couldn’t believe it. After a couple of upgrades, all for under $600 you get the following in this wallet saving desktop: a Core 2 Duo Processor, Windows XP home edition, 1 GB of Ram, a 160 GB hard drive, a 128 MB NVIDIA GeForce 8300 GS, and a Dell 17″ Flat Screen Display!!!!!

Now if your looking for a great computer, at an affordable cost, and you wanna stick with XP… the Dell Vostro is for you! I was listening to Chris talk to wirelesspacket the other day about having dedicated computers for certain tasks like how he has just a mac mini for his live stream. Well if you need a dedicated PC but you dont wanna spend around 1,000 just to have an important task run, you could definitely get a Dell Vostro and have that ability without breaking the bank.

Tags: pc, new, dell, computers