Archive for July, 2007

A few years ago I started development on an application I called “Market Madness”. Within the application you could track specific types of investments and see how much your stock gained or lost each day. The one thing lacking from it was market research. Without that, the application was worthless. I have been thinking of re-writing that application, but with all the online services available, I really don’t think there is any point.

I know this is slightly off topic for this blog, but since we are doing our bathroom renovation in the basement, I thought I would take a moment and say that I love vessel sinks. I especially like the DecoLav 1000T, but with three kids I don’t think we’ll be ending up with that one.

Anyway, enough talk about the basement. Have you checked out Stuffr, my latest project, lately?

I’m thinking of getting some blinds for my office. The room I am in is supposed to be the “formal dining room” in our house, but it’s been converted into my stay-at-home office. I can’t decide if I want aluminum blinds, vinyl blinds, or faux wood blinds in here. Whatever I decide, I need something, because the glare in the morning makes me want to put off work as long as I can, and that’s not a good thing.

Last week I decided I am going to be debt free (except the house and car) within two years. I am currently writing a small application that will help me keep track of all the payments I make each month, and increase them any time I have extra money to put into the payment.

We are almost there, it’s just going to take a little more discipline for the next couple years, that’s all. If you are trying to reduce your debt, start with a student loan consolidation. I can’t imagine where we would be, had my wife not been able to consolidate hers.

One of the benefits of working from home is that I don’t go through a lot of shoes. In fact, I have about three pairs of shoes, total. For the first time in a couple years, I will need a new pair soon. My kids, on the other hand, are a completely different story.

We used to buy them the cheap knock offs, because they were going through them so fast, but now that they are staying in the same size shoes for more than one season, we have started buying the name brands, like Air Jordan, so they learn now what a good shoe feels like.

I like them too, because they’re not too overpriced, and I love the retro look.

Now, if I didn’t have to work, we could play ball.

I mentioned in my last post that we went to the bookstore. The bookstore we go to is the Barnes and Noble in Rome, Georgia. It’s a bit of a drive, but we love that store because the atmosphere is awesome. There are never too many people there, and we can let the kids “be themselves” while we are there.

On our drive to B&N, we stopped at McDonalds and got the kids some dinner. I grabbed an order of McNuggets (I know, not too healthy) and started munching. As I bit into the fifth (out of ten) nugget, it tasted weird, I looked at the remaining nugget, and it was partially raw. I almost puked right there.

With technology today, you would think they could coordinate their fryers to properly cook the McNuggets so this kind of stuff doesn’t happen. Needless to say, now I have an upset stomach and I’m not sure if it’s because the meat was raw (and bad), or just the fact that I saw it in the first place.

I’ll be checking my Globe Life policy before I eat at a McDonalds again any time soon, that’s for sure.

I took the wife and kids to the bookstore tonight, looking for Delphi magazine as well as some other delphi books I have been meaning to pick up. They didn’t have a single thing I was looking for. I did purchase a book titled, “The Book of Useless Information” which is awesome thus far.

One thing about the trip, the police were out in force looking for someone… Maybe I should have gone to look at radar detectors just in case? I was lucky though, the other cars seemed to signal danger ahead long before I was “trapped”.

The Apple Phone Show is having a contest to win a free iPhone.

Announcing the Apple Phone Show iPhone Giveaway.

Would you like the opportunity to win an 8GB Apple iPhone?

It’s simple to enter. Just place a link to the ApplePhoneShow.com on your blog or web page. Then send us a registration email (to applephoneshow@gmail.com) with the URL and your contact info (name, address, phone and email.) The URL must be a primary page on your site, not a hidden page. The Apple Phone Show will be the sole judge of link acceptability.

We will randomly select one site from the list of submitted sites on August 30, 2007 and will contact the site owner. If the owner’s identity and contact information match what we receive in the registration email, that person wins the phone.

It certainly doesn’t hurt to enter.

 
There are an estimated 170,000 people in the United States and Europe who are in need of organs. Many of them face a very dark future and may die if they don’t receive the organs they so desperately need. Over 70,000 people in the United States alone are waiting for kidneys and deceased organ donations are not keeping pace with the demand.

There is a growing need for live donations, and Matching Donors is working to fulfill that need. Matching Donors helps match those willing to donate an organ with those who are so desperately waiting to receive one.

Living donors can safely donate a single kidney, part of their liver, a single lung lobe (out of the five they have), and portions of their pancreas, bone marrow and instestines.

Take a moment out of your day to visit Matching Donors and learn about live organ donation.

I know this isn’t really technology related, but…

I want a new truck. I’ve been driving this GMC Envoy for a few years now, and it will be paid off in just under 2 years. I am thinking of trading it in for a GMS Sierra, or a Chevy Silverado.

So any of you geek types drive either of these? If so, which do you recommend and why? And what do you think about putting a truck bed liner in the back to prevent wear and tear on the bed?

Let me know what you think, as I am itching to sit at the dealership for 6 hours and come home in a new truck.