School

Well, I'm back in the swing of things back here at school. I've enjoyed reading up as to what exactly can be done with a free Mac Mini, including this cool synthesizer setup... As for the iPod Shuffle, well, you only have to get three referrals, so even if you don't like it... it's not like it set you back.
I have a digital camera coming :), to replace the one I lost :( in Central Asia... Can't wait to get it.
I've set my family up to get VOIP (Voice over IP). If you want it, email me and let me "refer" you to their service ($19.95 a month for unlimited USA calling) and we'll both get a $25 bill credit!
As far as other stuff goes, I only have one big concern, and it's something you should be informed about... Phishing. Apparently the latest scam, you should read up and make sure you're not going to be a victim. The problem is, I'm now worried as to whether anything coming from my bank is a legit email. Even the phone is suspect now!
I, of course, was already a FireFox fan, not only for the tabbed browsing, but also because you can see what address you're REALLY at in the address bar, a coverup to which IE and FireFox, Safari, Opera, etc. are apparently vulnerable. Anyway, you can still play it safer with FireFox. Take any "threats" from your bank, eBay, Hotmail, or any other company you respect, with a grain of salt - are they really going to suspend your account? Doubtful! ... and forward that message (as attachment) to reportphishing@antiphishing.org or to whatever company's getting imitated. And always remember to look for the little SECURE logo ON YOUR BROWSER, not the webpage!
That's all for now.

Other (non-IE) browsers gain ground (on my site)

I have a little picture on the bottom of my home page that keeps some simple stats on who visits the site, what continent they come from, and what browser they're using. About a year ago, Microsoft's IE browser held almost a 100% footing. Now, non-Microsoft browsers have a 6.6% hold, which is partly a result of my switching to FireFox, the next generation (open-source, public license) browser. This browser gives you tabbed browsing, security, extensions, themes, and standards compatibility that Microsoft hasn't matched. There's something about everybody contributing to it that seems to work better than a few engineers. With 21 million downloads yesterday, and counting, FireFox seems to be spreading.

Life & Death

Well, I headed out on another whirlwind adventure, a 1-1/2 day trip to home and back from Wednesday evening through early Saturday morning. My grandpa passed away this past Sunday, so I flew out for the viewing, funeral, and to see the family. It was a stressful situation, planning travel two days in advance and notifying teachers, trying to register for classes at the last minute, returning books, and then actually flying in all hours of the night (both ways). Once there, it was nice to not be able to go to class, which let me relax a bit and sleep in.
However, I found out this morning that regardless of sleep, in-shape-ness depends on not being a month out of shape. After a month off for traveling over Christmas Break, no sleep on the red-eye flight from Portland to Boston, and the foolish decision to take a 2-mile treadmill jog w/o shoes on (!?, giving me blisters), I had a very poor meet. Anyway, all in a days' work.
The new Agannis Arena at BU is BeaUtiful; I went to a winning (3-2) hockey game vs. Providence tonight. It was hot. Quite the place. I hope to hit up Stars on Ice later this year.

Smart Money (2)

I mentioned here the ING account that I have, which earns 2.35% a year currently, but that brough up an add in the Google ads for a 3%-earning account, here with Emigrant Direct, which seems to be based out of NY. Now, you can't get $25 just for joining with them, as far as I know, but maybe someone will let me know if they have the same refer-a-friend program.

$5 off a textbook

Get $5 off a textbook on eBay's www.half.com
Use coupon code TEXT5 at checkout.
Maybe you'll buy a book from me :)

CraigsList

Another one of those great sites on the internet:
www.craigslist.com
CraistList has local classifieds, and everything's free except for job classifieds in LA and NYC, which apparently funds the entire operation. Get a bike, camera, or most anything on the CraigsList for your city.

The people of the Central Asia trip... I enjoyed these!

kim moreland...you brought hope
eric..you brought ambition
liz...you brought buoyancy
caroline...you brought comfort
brian myhre...you brought love
dave...you brought faith
brian patton...you brought zeal
crissy...you brought novelty
abbie...you brought strength
chris...you brought resilience
alicia...you brought tenacity
jessi...you brought poise
heather...you brought honesty
kim adams...you brought conviction
angelin...you brought encouragement
tiffany...you brought dedication

(thank you melanie...you brought joy and smiles :)

Smart Money

So I guess I may as well put up any great ideas I have...
I keep my savings in ING Direct, where I earn 2.35% interest instead of the measly 1/16 percent or whatever my other bank would give me (and then charge fees on top of that).

If you're interested, this bank does all its operations online, using Automated ClearingHouse (ACH) transactions from your typical checking account (any checking will work). Drop me an email asking how you can get an automatic $25 for signing up for a new account, after you check out their site.

Free Mac Toys

Alright, so I've never really been a big fan of Mac, in large part because they strike me as too expensive. However, if their products are finally cheap enough to be offered on these free offer things, I'm game to have a look. Here's what I've come up with:

• Free Mac Mini - a little mac, about the size of the optical drive it comes equipped with
  - That's 6.5" x 6.5" x 2" tall, if you're curious - this is a slick tech toy.
  
• Free iPod Shuffle - a little iPod the size of a USB flash disk
  - This weighs less than an ounce and hangs on a lanyard - another cool idea by Mac - seems Microsoft is having trouble copying them on the hardware stuff
  

How cool would it be if I actually got one of these things? I'd be a switcher :-/ :-)

Integrated

Nice, this little toy is neatly integrated into the webpage now. Enjoy watching my life unfold online (yeah right, I'm probably going to update this somewhat rarely).

First post

This is a test, first post on the blog.... bla bla blog I can't believe I signed up for this :)