Anyway, I digress, sorry about that. So, I was building this computer for my daughter. It was a laptop, so the build was pretty easy. When, my wife mentioned to me that she really needed a new watch. She’s pretty down to earth, so she wasn’t asking for a rolex or anything. She just needed something kind of cool to wear. And, she wanted a larger format that would be feminine, yet masculine at the same time. Yeah, I know, that sounds odd, but what could I do other than try to find that perfect gift so I could get back to my computer building!

After a bit of research, I found a titanium watch at this website that seemed to fit the bill. It was a killer price, and I figured I would get some brownie points for sure. So, I sucked it up, put in the order, and crossed my fingers. The retailer shipped it right away, and thankfully she loved it.

Of course, the good will goes a long way. The laptop kit is also complete, and my daughter is surfing the Nick Jr website looking for the next cool dora the explorer game. Nothing was that cool when I was a kid!

Everyone likes free stuff. Did you know that free stuff is searched over ten thousand times a day! There’s a website out there now that specializes in auctioning “free stuff”. It’s really a lot like a bartering system except they do have a medium of exchange which are in the form of credits instead of money. The website is Listia and they way it works is that you get credits when you give away stuff. Later, you can use those credits to bid on “free stuff” that you want. It’s a very interesting concept. We’re spending a couple of hours today looking for things that we consider new ideas and this came across our computer screen. I certainly know I have some “free stuff” that I would like to get out of my house. With the two kids, I have more stuff than I know what to do with…  so this appears to be a great way to help organize my new year! Currently, they’re giving away 300 credits for just signing up and you may be interested in the Texas Insturments laptop that’s up for auction.

So, I convinced him to set some more intermediate goals for just this year. Now, he wants to throw a 100 MPH fast ball. For starters, I don’t want him to overthrow so we control that by making sure he knows to stop throwing when his arm feels at all tired but most kids get bored of throwing before their arms get tired!

So, what we’ve done is set up a target in his yard. It’s a net that we’ve painted a basic strike zone. We made it oversized to catch the stray balls as well. We used a Halloween scare crow for a batter and the thing that keeps his attention the most is the radar gun we’ve set up behind the net. His friends come over and they practice. For now, it’s all about getting the ball across the plate and in the strike zone. The radar gun keeps their interest because of course they all want to throw fast. Again, I don’t want them over throwing which is why I’ve set up the zone. If they focus on accuracy more than speed, they can incrementally improve their speed with control… and, of course, speed means nothing without control.

I guess the point is that technology is everywhere and can help us monitor goals. We still use the computer to track his progress!!!

If you’re looking for a sound machine or a white noise machine, the linked site is worth a look. Be careful because not all models are compatible with the US. They state clearly on the description so make sure you click “more info”. Some of the models let you preview the sounds right on the website. There are rain forests, ocean sounds and other steady sounds that will help give you stability and block out random noises.

I feel like it’s hard enough to sleep so I give myself every advantage I can find; I like cooler temperatures, comfortable sheets, a very dark room and a sound machine!

I think I got a deal in California when I purchased my cable, TV and Internet all from Comcast. I didn’t have a year contract or anything, but I certainly would have considered it if they offered up a free laptop! Wouldn’t you? I mean, that’s a killer deal.

If you are in the market for broadband, then I suppose one possible thing to consider to moving to Europe. I’d say England would be best, because their Internet is in English like ours. I’m kidding, of course.

Check out all of your options when you get your next contract for Internet connectivity. Now that dial-up is finally behind us, we can move on to bigger and better things. Who would have know though that the bigger and better things could include a free laptop. I just hope the deals for broadband keep getting better. Maybe we can get a BMW when we buy HBO for a year. Or, maybe not.

I was getting ready to launch another blog and I was trying to figure out where the best place was to host it, and I came across a cool site that reviews tons of web hosting providers.

Their review appear to be pretty objective, so I would recommend taking a quick peak. To make things really easy on you, they group the various hosts into logical categories. As an example, those of you with big websites can go right to the dedicated server section.

In addition to reviews, they also do a great job of giving awards to the best of the best. I believe they have used many of the hosts themselves and as such seem to have a real inside scoop on the pros and cons of all the options.

When you stop to think about it, there are tons of place you could host your site, and doing the proper research would take a long time. I started down the research path and then got lucky and happened upon the site when I was trying to find vps hosting for my new blog. I was fine with their research findings and it ended up saving me a lot of leg work!

Back to my original point, everyone has a computer, and almost everyone nowadays has a website. It goes without saying that there are many hosting providers around the world and that they all offer difference services and different prices, and some are frankly better than others. Look before you leap on your next site and make sure you pick a solid host.

There is nothing worse than a poor quality host because they can ruin the experience for your visitors!

One category they offer products in is Travel Essentials. That could be perfect for you to explore all of the products you will need for your next Road Trip. You could spend tons of time searching the web on your own, but I’m sure this site will save you some time.

So, wether you are looking for Travel gift for your friends and family, or for yourself, check it out. By the way, it’s not just travel they offer, of course. You can also review their other product categories like Personal Audio and Video products.

We did find a helpful website for planning a place to stay in Moscow. Check out Moscow Hotels. We think its a pretty good planning tool. We did find it interesting that we’re limited to 90 days of travel in the city. Otherwise, registration is required. It’s not really applicable to us since we don’t have 90 days.

Anyway, right now we’re in the planning phases and, to be honest, it’s for research on a travel website but we thought it would be interesting to incorporate some of our technical websites. Moscow is a world class city and we’re curious to see what their preferences are for cell phone, computers and personal devices!

We appreciate your input!