The Next Window

Apple has been working over their iPod product line, just in time for Christmas.

From the iPod Shuffle, using flash memory to provide 512MB or 1GB of storage for your music, to the iPod Nano, available in black or white and 2GB or 4GB models with flash memory, to the showpiece – the new iPod.

The new iPod is available in 30 GB and 60 GB models. The new 60 GB size is not the really neat thing, though. Both of these new micro-hard-drive-based models have color LCD screens capable of showing pictures and video. That’s right.

The new iPod is sometimes called the iPod Video and other times the iPod Photo — both to distinguish it from the earlier iPod. Officially, the name is just iPod. Check it out! –>

I’m releasing my pick for Dream Toy of the Month for December a little early, since I know people are busy shopping this weekend.

It is the iPod Nano!

The iPod Nano is available in 2GB and 4GB sizes in white or black.

Read much more about my iPod Nano Dream Toy at TerryStockdale.com.

Computers are not toasters. They need preparation and installation of anti-virus programs, a firewall program, and an anti-spyware program — before you ever connect to the Internet!

Prepare ahead of time. Be ready for your own new computer. Be ready to help a friend set up their first computer for safe Internet use.

I use and recommend CounterSpy for your anti-spyware needs and
Mailwasher Pro to handle the inevitable spam.
Both have free trial versions!

Read Computer For Christmas for guidance and recommendations on free and commercial programs that can protect you.

The temptation is there. I think I’ll have to get the Mr. & Mrs. Smith DVD, of course, the Serenity DVD. The other science fiction / fantasy ones will have to go on the “maybe someday” list. Here’s the schedule of the coming releases that interest me:

November 29, 2005    Mr. & Mrs. Smith

December 6, 2005     Fantastic Four

December 6, 2005     Star Wars – Clone Wars, Vol. 2

December 13, 2005    Sin City – Recut & Extended Version

December 20, 2005    Serenity

December 20, 2005    Battlestar Galactica – Season 2

Here’s a more complete schedule of upcoming DVD Releases.

As I was wondering what the Dream Toy for November should be, I remembered what I looked forward to at the beginning of November. Of course, that was the release of the Star Wars Episode III “Revenge of the Sith” DVDs. As much as I wanted the WideScreen edition on the November 1st release date, that just wasn’t a good-enough “toy.”

My Dream Toy of the Month for November is the
Star Wars Build Your Own Light Saber Kit.

Hasbro has a real winner with this one — it’s a kit of over 20 parts, with multiple interchangeable portions, so you can build the light saber that the Force requires.

Read more about the November Dream Toy of the Month in my Dream Toy section at www.TerryStockdale.com.

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous the last few days.

The last couple weeks, we dipped to highs in the 50’s to low 60’s and lows in the low 40’s each morning. The warmup each day was nice, no clouds, sunny and cool. No air conditioning. No heating. Just nice crisp weather.

Indian Summer has now arrived in Baton Rouge — the Summer-like weather that shows up after the first really cold snap. We’re back to lows in the low 60’s and highs in the low 80’s. Yes, the air conditioning is back on again. We managed to avoid it for a few days, but the temps got too high.

We’re still without any significant rainfall since Hurricane Rita (September 24th). Every one is watering their grass, trees and the area around their houses’ slabs. Even a little bit of rainfall would be welcome…

Today, Google added the long-awaited Adsense referral program for web site publishers to refer other web site publishers to Google’s Adsense program — and get a referral fee as a result.

After the new Adsense affiliate earns $100 (and is, then, at the level for his first payment!), the new Adsense affiliate gets paid his earnings. Plus, the referring publisher gets paid $100! Google’s other new referral program is a $1 referral for new Firefox users.

Here are two referral links, which come in a number of different sizes and formats, such as:

The referring web site publisher, who referred via his Google-Firefox referral link, will be paid $1 after a brand new Firefox user downloads Firefox using the Firefox referral bar, installs it, and runs it the first time.

The rotten eggs exist. We all know it and we hope we never meet them. Unfortunately, now, some of the rotten eggs of society are showing up with a new title — “hurricane refugee.”

In an article on Tuesday, November 1st, Associated Press (AP) reported that a New Orleans evacuee was killed in Houston. The article goes on to say that an 18-year-old pickup owner apparently stabbed the 38 year old evacuee, when the evacuee tried to carjack the 18-year-old’s pickup at knifepoint.

The rest of the article talked about the tragic strangling death of a friend of mine, Betty Blair of Pasadena, Texas. Betty was a caring person who was helping evacuees personally, in addition to assisting through her church. Betty was the widow of Bobby R. “Bob” Blair, a former co-worker, a former boss and a friend.

Continue reading “They’re not all bad…”

Back in June, I wrote the makers of M&M’s to see where I could find more Dark Chocolate M&M’s.

Here’s their response, excluding the info on where to find them in Baton Rouge (They’re mine, you hear, ALL MINE!):

Masterfoods USA is excited about our promotional partnership with
Lucasfilm and STAR WARS as the exclusive confectionery snack sponsor of
the sixth and final movie; Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith.

The promotion is dubbed, “The Star Wars M-Pire”, and for the first time,
M&M’S CHOCOLATE CANDIES were made available in dark chocolate beginning in
April 2005.

M&M’S DARK CHOCOLATE CANDIES have been shipped to warehouses nationally.
They are only available for a limited time and are selling very quickly.
The stores in your area that are listed below have recently reported that
they carry this product. However, MASTERFOODS USA does not guarantee that
it will be in stock at any given time.
…
This product will again be produced in limited quantities for a limited
time when the movie is released on DVD this fall.

So, let’s all pay attention:

You do not want Stars Wars Dark Chocolate M&M’s.
  [I give a subtle Jedi wave to affect your mind]

You will set the Dark Chocolate M&M’s down.
   [I give another Jedi wave]

You will leave them for me —
   BWAAA-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAHHHH!

Well, if you really must know — Target has them. In fact, the Target I visited had them 1/2 price in the Halloween candy section — big oops!

Original article posted to www.TheNextWindow.com

<a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=914&amp;entry_id=170" title="http://terryscomputertips.com?u909697" onmouseover="window.status='http://terryscomputertips.com?u909697';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">Powweb</a> offers web hosting with PHP, perl, MySQL, CMS systems, forum systems, image galleries, blogs and more — with a software installation wizard for many software packages. Of course, they also offer email services, including POP3, SMTP and webmail — all servicing your hosting package. Each Powweb hosting account can handle subdomains (there's even a wizard for setting them up) and up to different 7 domains. <br />
<br />
The biggie's are space and throughput — and Powweb supplies both. With your <a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=914&amp;entry_id=170" title="http://terryscomputertips.com?u909697" onmouseover="window.status='http://terryscomputertips.com?u909697';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">Powweb web hosting account</a>, you get 5 GB space for your files and up to 10 GB <b>per day</b> of throughput. Combine that with software packages (via the installation wizard) like Wordpress and b2Evolution (blogging); phpBB (forums); Gallery, Gallery 2, and Coppermine (photo galleries); AgoraCart and osCommerce (shopping carts); and more, and you have a winning package. <br />
<br />
Of course, if you want an alternative to those or if you want to install your own version or with your selected configuration options, you can also install many of your own PHP- and perl-based software packages. For example, my blog runs Serendipity, which I downloaded, unpacked, uploaded and ran the "install screen."<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=914&amp;entry_id=170" title="http://terryscomputertips.com?u909697" onmouseover="window.status='http://terryscomputertips.com?u909697';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">Powweb's great, current special</a> is <i>"buy 1 year, get 2 months free; buy 2 years, get 6 months free!"</i>. Powweb's official price is $93.24/year.<br />
<br />
So, <a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=914&amp;entry_id=170" title="http://terryscomputertips.com?u909697" onmouseover="window.status='http://terryscomputertips.com?u909697';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">buy 1 year's web hosting</a>, and get 2 extra months — only $93.24, or<br />
<a href="http://www.thenextwindow.com/exit.php?url_id=914&amp;entry_id=170" title="http://terryscomputertips.com?u909697" onmouseover="window.status='http://terryscomputertips.com?u909697';return true;" onmouseout="window.status='';return true;">buy 2 years' web hosting</a> and get 6 extra months for $186.48 (averaging $6.22/month).