June 4, 2008
KidZui is a web browser designed for kids ages 3-12. The best part of this Internet for kids is that it is now free to everyone, effective today. This browser will have access to over 600,000 kid-friendly websites, including pictures and videos, all reviewed by “trained parents and teachers”. I have downloaded the browser and it is user friendly. I now have something I can allow my kids (ages 9 & 7) to browse the Internet knowing they will not come across inappropriate content. I mean my daughter (9) already uses the Internet to do research for her reports and I am constantly looking over her shoulder on her searches to see if there are any inappropriate results. At last I can have peace of mind while she does research for her reports. I hardly ever allow my son (7) to do searches on-line. He only usually plays video games on-line. But soon he will have his own reports to do as well and now I have a safe browser he can use.
The best part of KidZui as a parent is that I also can create an account, that allows me to see what my children are searching for and looking at on-line. I can also become a member for a small fee ($4.95/month or $49.95) that will enhance my emails and on-line reports, plus gives me the ability to add or remove websites, videos and pictures. Not sure if that is something I would like, but parents have that option. This membership also enhances the children’s experience as well, allowing them to personalize their KidZui experience. You can read the Press Release for more information.
June 3, 2008
Time Warner is testing Internet metering in Beaumont, TX. What is Internet metering, you may ask? Well they are testing capping the amount of data users are allowed to upload & download on a monthly basis. Apparently there will be several tiers, from a base of $29.95/month at a download rate of 768 kilobits per second (kbps) and a cap of 5-gigabits (GBs) per month to a $59.95/monthly service at a 15-GBps rate with a cap of 40-GB’s per month, the former being a fairly slow service with the ladder being a very fast service. But here is the catch, once a user passes the cap per month; they will be charged $1/GB. Sound familiar? Similar to how cells phones use to do with minute usage. How many of us had a huge cell phone monthly bill because we passed the allotted minutes used that month.
But it is difficult to make that correlation, because 1GB sounds like a lot of data. Let me put it to you this way. Streaming video on-line is becoming the norm now-a-days with Apple TV and the new Netflix Roku box, to name a few. But a typical movie downloaded, takes about 6-MG’s of data. So in the base tier, you couldn’t download a movie on-line without going over your cap of 5-GB’s. And this does not include the web pages you surf on-line, emails you send & receive, bills you pay on-line, etc. Can you see how easily a user can surpass the cap and start getting charged $1/GB, on top of the monthly fee of $29.95 (for lowest tier). Downloading video on-line is the future of the Internet and it appears Time Warner is preparing themselves to reap the benefits of that demand. Who knows when others will follow suite with this metered Internet. Only time will tell.
June 3, 2008
As a proud parent of two healthy and active kids, I like treating them with their favorite treat…..ice cream. But I know they are full of fat and sugar, and not good for them. But I have found a great alternative called Skinny Cow. I have to admit, I have a weakness for Carnation Ice Cream Sandwiches myself, but the Skinny Cow sandwiches are also great and not bad in calories (140) with only 4 grams of fat. But the Skinny Dippers bars have only 80 calories and 3 grams of fat. The best part is that my kids don’t even notice the difference. They chow down on them like all the other ice creams, plus they are healthy. I recommend Skinny Cow products for any adult with a sweet tooth, check out all of their products, which include their nutritional information.
June 2, 2008
Has anyone seen this Genesis from Hyundai? The 2009 Genesis is due to hit the market in July. According to Consumer Reports, it will be a strong competitor to the Mercedes E-Class, Infiniti M, and Lexus GS. Could that be possible? This is a Hyundai isn’t it? I recall when Hyundai first came out, actually, my ex-wife & I owned one. The big sales pitch was the “no-hassle” deals on their prices back then. But they sure have come a long way. The Genesis’ main competitors will be the Lexus GS, Chrysler 300 and Cadillac CTS, but several thousand dollars cheaper. From all the photos, the car looks very sharp. There will be three powetrains: 3.3 Liter V6 (est. base price: $30k), 3.8 Liter V6 (est. base price: $33k) & the 4.6 Liter V8 (est. base price: $38k). They are supposed to process estimated 268 horsepower, 280 horsepower and a powerful 368 horsepower, respectfully. They will all have Luxury features similar to the luxury sedans. Amazing how far Hyundai has come and this Luxury Sedan will surely make some heads turn while driving on the streets.
June 1, 2008
Last night CBS aired the first ever prime time Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fight from the Elite Extreme Combat league on a major network. I saw it, but the quality of fights were not of a high level. Kimbo Splice was the main attraction of the night, with it being his fourth professional fight.
The elite and most popular league is Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), with World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) a close second. Tonight WEC will air a live fight on Versus network. It will be highlighted by a Championship fight between Featherweight (145-lbs) Champion Urijah Faber (20-1) against former UFC Lightweight (155-lbs) Champion Jens Pulver (22-8-1). This will be a heck of a fight, matching probably two of the best fighters in that weight class from all MMA leagues. This fight alone will top any of the CBS’ Elite Extreme Combat fights last night. Plus there will be a Bantamweight (133-lbs) Championship fight between Champion Miguel Angel Torres (33-1) against Yoshiro Maeda (22-4-2). Torres is a stud, although I really haven’t seen Maeda fight, this should be a good fight to watch.
UFC is known to match up quality fights in order to win a bigger fan base. The problem is that UFC almost always shows these fights on Pay-Per-View at about $50 a pop. They do have The Ultimate Fighter on Spike TV, that has gained the most exposure, and the last episode is a live telecast of the two last fighters trying to become The Ultimate Fighter. WEC is taking a different approach of showing their fights live on Versus. It is a cable channel on a higher tier then basic cable, but at least they are not charging by fight. Although UFC is probably the most popular league for the elite MMA fighters, WEC is catching up in a hurry. Tonight’s fights will show exactly how good the fighters are in this league.
June 1, 2008
As I get up there in age, I’ve noticed that living healthy becomes a bigger priority in my life. I recall being able to eat anything I wanted and still maintained my weight with little effort. My metabolism was high and I was very active with all sorts of sports. Now I find little time to exercise and need to focus more on looking for ways to live a healthy life. I came across a website forum with a wealth of healthy tidbits and information. There are all sorts of topics from comparing fruit to fruit juice (which is healthier & why), how metabolism works, the wonders of garlic, protein shakes, explaining Carbohydrates, Fiber, etc. The forum also includes some recipes and what I enjoyed the most are the inspirational messages. These quotes and such are so true and hit home, at least for me. If anyone is trying to live a healthier life, I recommend this website forum.
May 30, 2008
Ever since I got divorced and have custody of my children on the weekends, I cook a lot more often. Although I consider myself a fairly decent cook, being that I worked as a cook at a restaurant for several years while going through college. But never knew how took cook healthy dishes. Until I found this great website full of heathly recipes and tips. It is called EatingWell.com. It has recipes in several categories such as “Serves Two”, “Cooking for Kids” and “Healthy in a Hurry”, just to name a few. There are videos titled “Healthy in a Minute”, giving you healthy tips. Other sections are titled “Diet”, “Eat & Drink”, “News & Views” and even a shopping area to purchase cookbooks and other products, as well as coupons to help while your shopping at the market. There is a wealth of information that anyone can use. My favorite dish is the Blackened Salmon Sandwich.
Here is a picture, boy am I getting hungry just looking at it: 
May 30, 2008
I would like to ask business owners (large or small), how they go about asking/polling their customers/clients to know how your service &/or product is performing? Many companies mail surveys asking customers to mail them back, which can be a hassle. Plus it can be expensive to your business as well, with the printed surveys and postage. I came across a fairly cost efficient method for polling your clients. It is called MonkeySurvey.com. It is web-based and your able to alter the templates to fit your business. Clients can easily maneuver through the web-based survey/poll. You then log into the website and download the responses and use them to better improve your service/product. There are three pricing plans that fit all businesses, large or small. If you’re interested, here is a link to their pricing plans, click here.
May 29, 2008
Most people don’t have a clue what crimes occur near their homes. Maybe because they are too busy or don’t even care to know. I maybe both, but I came across a cool site that lists all crimes that have occurred in all major cities of the U.S. It is called SpotCrime.com. It claims to be “the most comprehensive online source of crime information.” Apparently it gathers all the information from police records and news reports. It then places icons where they occurred on Google maps. Some major cities are very frightening to see all the crimes. You can hardly see the map with all the crime icons all over the place. One thing to keep in mind however, is that these are crimes that have already occurred, not crimes that are happening at the moment. So it may be useful for people who are moving into and want to see the crimes that have happened in that area. But it is still nice to see what spots near your home are crime-infested and to stay away from. Check it out.
May 29, 2008
As we’re in the mist of a very difficult economic year (trying to avoid the R word), inflation is affecting us all. Not only in gas for our automobiles, but energy cost overall are increasing. I just had a discussion with family members about trying to control the ever increasing home utility costs. I then came across this great website called WhiteFence.com. It allows you to bundle all/most home utilities, including home phone, cellular phone, TV services, internet and utilities. You can do it from home or phone, by calling in. There are links that allow you to compare bundles, if you are moving, or if you are simply trying to lower your expenses. Great site! If anyone would like to check it out, click WhiteFence.
0 Comments 