Silly Haters

Yikes. I just don't understand the haters out there.

I think it was yesterday.

I got a comment on one of my YouTube videos.

I had been playin' around with YouTube and vlogging a while back. I'm sure some of my vids were better than others. They were low quality, sure. I didn't look my best, sure. But, mostly, I was just having fun and chronicling our lives on my other blog. I was talking about my weight loss.

So, the comment I received on one of my videos of myself talking about something about my weight loss goals(I was too embarrassed to go back and watch it again), said this:

"One pound a week? You suck. And do something with your eyebrows."

Uhhhh...I'm pretty sure I mentioned that I knew my eyebrows needed grooming. But thanks.

And, honestly, I WISH I'd been losing at one pound per week since whenever I made that video. I'd probably be close to my goal. That's a great, doable, reasonable goal that will get a person somewhere.

But...

"You suck."

?????

I'm pretty sure I even fixed the person's grammar in my translation. I don't believe they used any capitalization or proper punctuation in their slam. Let me assure you that I do NOT suck. How RUDE!

I deleted it right away. I didn't block the person. It made me feel bad. Not super bad, just a little bit irked. And I have a pretty decent amount of self-knowledge and self esteem. Ok, I put myself out there, but sheesh. And it made me feel a little bad for that person who had nothing to do but watch random low quality videos and come up with nasty comments and actually POST them to someone's videos. What's next? Are they going to go to my pictures posted online and tell me my kid is ugly? (He so is NOT.) Is this a generational thing? Do I just not get it because I'm too old? Is this what the kids are doin' these days?

Ok, honestly, I might go through the first few steps. Watch random, low quality videos. Come up with my own slams on the contents. But I would not POST those slams.

When I really think about it, it's so silly. This person did not even critique me for the low quality of the video or the contents, which was probably some boring, mundane facts about my life and weight loss. They critiqued my totally reasonable goal of 1 lb a week and my ungroomed eyebrows. How ridiculous! And yet, it made me feel bad. Bad enough to write paragraph after paragraph about it here.

Bad enough to post that person's youtube account and ask you all to go write slams on HER videos.

Just kidding. I won't do that. It's just not me.

I'm not a hater. I'm sure you're not either.

I hope you all have a good day! Even you, silly haters.

~t

Pingo!

We all know the global community is getting smaller and smaller. The internet is, of course, a big part of that. But, sometimes you just want to make a good old fashioned phone call to your international friends. Luckily, that is getting more and more finanically reasonable thanks to services like Pingo's international calling cards online.

Just for signing up with Pingo, you can get up to 4 free hours of international calls. Approximately 90% of Pingo's customers return to use their services again, so you know they're doing something right.

Kevin has some friends in Australia that we can call much more reasonably with Pingo's Australia calling card rates. Deals like that can make all the difference. Check it out!



~t

Lasershield

I don't believe in letting fear rule my life. However, having the added peace of mind that a Security System can bring does have a lot of benefits. I am pretty accustomed to them in the workplace, but this one is a nice model for the home.

The Lasershield is portable, easy to install, and can expand in order to connect multiple systems. It's a wireless unit that provies 24/7 monitoring perfect for a small office, home, or apartment. The unit is wireless, pet friendly, and also has a keychain alarm. Not only that, it's readily available at the following stores: Comp USA, Home Depot, Costco, Kmart, Montgomery Ward, and Sears. Now those are some benefits. If you're in the market for some added security, I'd definitely check it out.

~t

More phones, more phones, more phones

I tend to do those triple phrase titles. I don't know why I like them so much.

So, I was just waxing poetic about the Motorola Razrs that are so popular, and then I found this: Motorola Z3. I think I may be in love. Honestly. I am not even really a geek. I mean, I am a little, but not really to the naked eye, and I'm definitely not one of those who needs to have the latest and coolest technology, but...Oh.My.God. It is just so cool looking. And it's got a camera and games and all that jazz, of course. I think it even makes phone calls! Ha-it probably makes a martini. Ok. The real scoop is: Yes, it makes phone calls. No, it doesn't make martinis.




So many phones, so little time. Also check out the Motorola KRZR K1. Motorola has got it going on.

Wirefly Announces Top 10 Phones of 2006

I have been somewhat slow to warm up to cell phones. I think everyone should really be forced to take an etiquette class before they allowed to purchase one. However, they do seem to be an extremely pervasive part of our culture these days and certainly have their merits when used in a conscientious way.

Of course, they are also somewhat fun toys. The best of the best can be seen where Wirefly announces the Top 10 cell phones of 2006. This list was based on customer sales, so it really is a popularity list. What won? Hands down, Motorola Razr. These phones consistently top the list of most popular. Why? Well take a look:



I'm sure the technology is what it needs to be. I'm sure the features are there. What else? I imagine it's because they are just darn cool lookin'. Yep. The phone has become an extension of the person. (Was that a pun?) They're cool. Some say iconic. No wonder they're so popular.

No go ahead and get one, but please don't talk on it while a waiter is trying to take your order, you're in a traffic situation (I know, I know), or blab as loudly as you can in the airport. Just don't.

~t

Wirefly

Need a new phone? Looking to upgrade? We currently only have a pay-as-you go phone, but I'm always thinking of making the jump to a different phone with a real plan. However, it's pretty daunting to think of the best place to buy. Wirefly is the internet's largest authorized dealer for every U.S. cell phone company. Currently they have sale on verizon wireless phones.

What's great about Wirefly? In addition to Verizon, they also offer T-Mobile, Cingular, Sprint, Nextel, Alltel, U.S. Cellular, Amp'd, Disney Mobile and others. The have fabulous deals, a 100% satisfaction guarantee, free shipping (love that!), and resources to help you keep your wireless bill down. Hey, they even do have prepaid phone offers, in case you're not ready to have a big committment yet. They also have all the popular family plans. I am already dreading the day I need to start thinking about that!

~t

HP Photo Scavenger Hunt #3

Oh those crazy, awesome partners HP and PayPerPost are at it again. You know HP is well known for it's awesome electronics. Most recently, I've been talking a lot about their recent give away of 10 fabulous HP cameras. Did you know, they also have some Digital Photography Tips on their website? I'm always up for learning more about digital photography. (Of course, the best help for me right now would be that new HP camera!)

HP is sponsoring another scavenger hunt for PayPerPosties. This time, Posties are charged with finding 30 pieces of a picture collage that PayPerPost staffer Veronique took on a recent trip to Europe with her brand new HP camera, the HP M527. The pieces are distributed about the internet. The first person to assemble all the pieces can grab a $1000 opportunity. Yay, HP!

Without further ado, here's a piece:



This post is sponsored by HP. (Again, Yay HP!)

~t

HP Loves Posties and Posties Love HP

HP has some great tools for Digital Photography Review. Check out the following video where HP and PayPerPost go out on a PayPerPost Postie Patrol with Robyn Nykaza. It shows some of the completely cool and awesomely spontaneous things you can capture with HP products.



When I heard all the things Robin was going to have to find, I got a little bit stressed out for her. Timed things stress me out. I immediately thought, "HOW is she going to find someone in shorts on that bitterly cold day?" so I LOVED that Ted gave her that right off the bat. Love Ted. And then how everyone went along with her definitely made it more fun. I love how these things are challenges, but the team is rooting for you to win. HP is so cool for doing this.

I thought it was hilarious that Robin was slightly reluctant to put "I heart HP" on her forehead with a black sharpie, but didn't have any problem kissing that strange guy. I would have NO PROBLEM writing whatever, wherever if I were lucky enough to be offered this opportunity. That looked like the easy part. Would I participate in something like this for the completely rad HP gear? In a heartbeat! It might be harder to do a lot of that stuff in Olympia, but I imagine they'd give me an achievable goal.

I'd also love to see my husband (also a postie) do it! We could use that camera and printer so bad. We just got a new puppy! And my dear friend in Milwaukee who also has a Yorkie is NOT online, so I'd need to print the pics and send them to her (something I never do now, because I have no photo printer). Heck, if HP wanted to replace my husband's HP computer that needs a little work, that would be great too. Well, the $1000 would do that.

Ok, so again. Thanks HP for hangin' with PayPerPost. What a great partnership. You guys are cool.

This post was brought to you by HP.

Looking for a Digital Radio?

I know just enough about a lot of technological things to be dangerous. Digital radio is one of those things. Choosing a new digital radio can be an overwhelming experience, especially if you have no idea what you really need. This site talks about the different types available, power source, a list of features, warranty and budget. Once you read all that, they have suggestions on brands, top models, where to buy. There's also a handy price comparison. Very helpful and easy to navigate, too!

~t

Get Organized: Online Calendar

My life is relatively uncomplicated at this point. I like to stay organized, but I don't have a pda or anything like that. I just don't need it. However, there is a free online calendar I just learned about that could help me keep my life organized and that of my family, too.



This calendar is fairly straightforward and easy to use, yet has a lot of functionality. (It even has different themes you can choose to customize the look of your calendar.) You can add holidays and events, and set up reminders for these.

I especially liked that you can share events with others by email. I just sent my husband a reminder about my birthday. (It's over a month away, but you can't be too sure.) I wanted to make sure the other person didn't have to be registered in order to receive the reminder, and he isn't. It seems to have sent just fine. I could see that sort of thing being very handy for keeping track of the kids' school activities, too. You can also have reminders delivered to your desktop or your cell phone. Nice!

~t

Custom Avatars and Ringtones

I'll admit it. I dig avatars. There's something about a cartoon representation of yourself that you can make any way you want that is really appealing. U-doo is a website that will allow you to customize your own avatar and ringtone. You can then download them to your mobile phone, email them to yourself and your friends, and publish them to your Myspace page. Cool. Check it out here.



~t

LifeSize Video Conferencing

Have you ever been a part of an audio or video conference call and had problems hearing and seeing what's happening? Talk about annoying--especially when your ability to do business depends on it. Thankfully, the space-age communication promises from sci-fi movies of our youth are starting to come to fruition.

Check out this Video Conferencing Equipment, that promises a superior conferencing experience. "LifeSize Room" is a "high definition video communications system that combines exceptional quality and user simplicity to make remote communications a productive, true-to-life experience".

It's called LifeSize because it comes with a wide angle zoom lens to take in a 70 degree field of view. They also have a high-definition conference phone (which can be used as a stand-alone) and software that enables users to share multimedia. How helpful!

~t

Bought for all your dudes yet?

Did I really just ask that question that way? Wow, I think my husband is rubbing off on me. Also, I should stop acting like these gifts are only for guys. It just feels like a guy thing to me. I guess I'm a girly girl that way, but I'm sure some women are also into telescopes, microscopes, spotting scopes, digital camera scopes & binoculars, rifle scopes, red dot sights, pocket monoculars, binoculars, rangefinders, radar guns, sunglasses, goggles, flashlights, etc. Whew, that was a mouthful!

Well, if you're searching for gifts like these, look no further than...



They have great gifts at a wide variety of price ranges and even have free shipping on orders over $29.95. Check it out!

~t

Rockstartup.com is HERE!

If you've been reading this blog, you know two things. 1. I blog for money at PayPerPost. (LOVE them.) 2. I just started my own domain which is a reality "show" based on my family's life. It was actually inspired by all the videos that PayPerPost has been paying me to make.

Brilliant PR business that PayPerPost is, they are doing a business reality tv show online. As a beloved PayPerPost Postie, I've known something like this was coming down the pike. As a beloved PayPerPost Postie, I know PayPerPost is very good at what they do and are always working to make things better. But honestly, with this new site they pretty much blew me outta the water.

The look of both the site and the episodes themselves is incredibly professional, and I just say, just darn cool. The episodes feature real-life situations in which CEO and Founder Ted Murphy and his crew are out and about doing whatever they can to get PayPerPost noticed. Ted is honestly one funny dude. I think he might have an acting background. He is certainly one gigantic ham (no fat jokes!). The rest of the staff has a lot magnetism and fun as well. They really are, as Kevin says in his tagline, "Putting it all out there."

And it's fun to watch. This is a brand new business in a whole new area of internet marketing. It's Ted's SIXTH in thirteen years. There's a lot of controversy surrounding what paid posting might do to the blogosphere. Who KNOWS what's going to happen, but it's fun to watch, so check it out!

Here's Episode 1:



Even though I gave that up on the blog, there's a LOT more to see at RockStartup.com, including Epidsode 2. So go there. Go on. Go.

~t

Sob, Sob, Sob...NEED Camera!

We love digital photography in our house. Word on the street is that payperpost Prez Ted Murphy has been gifted some 10 sweet cameras and photo printers from HP. We would loooooooooove to be gifted a set from Prez Ted. We have very compelling reasons, so read on...

Unfortunately, we have NEEDED a new digital camera since the day we bought the one we currently have. We LOVE taking pictures. Both personally and professionally. Kevin even used the camera every day for a year on his website to document his glorious bed head. Let me tell you, sharing a camera wasn't great, either. As you well know, I LOVE putting pictures on my blog. I LOVE sharing pictures with my friends and family. I just LOVE photos. They add so much!

AND, my kids are so freakin' adorable, it's IMPERATIVE that I document their growing up years. Just look at them...

I bought our first digital camera right before Zane was born. That was a good move. But we didn't have a lot of money, so I got pretty much the bottom of the line. That camera more or less died within about a year. So, I bought a new one right before his 1st birthday (Feb 27, 2006). The new camera did not work at ALL when I first bought it. I had to limp by with the old camera for MY CHILD'S FIRST BIRTHDAY!!

As you can see, it worked out allright, but it was very stressful. We had to have some cake therapy.

I took the new camera back only to be humiliated at the store when it worked just fine. Now, by "just fine", I mean the camera's own version of "just fine". I think perhaps it is haunted. See, it has a mind of it's own. It spits on my attempts to take photos when I would like to catch a moment. It says, "No, I will take the picture when I am good and ready." The camera really has no artistic sense. It is usually good and ready about 45 seconds after the great shot moment has passed. This attitude is detrimental to taking photos of adorable children with stubborn attitudes.

We moved across the country this past year and don't have jobs yet. We're working on that, but new digital cameras of the caliber we need are not necessarily the most practical purchase at this point. Christmas is coming. We must capture the special moments at Christmas, no? Poor, unemployed artists need help, or we could miss important moments like this...

Now, if all this weren't enough to think we absomatutely NEED a new digital camera as a wonderful gift from my main catfeesh Ted, I will remind you that we just moved across the country. We have friends and family all over the place that NEED to see pictures of these kids. Do not deny them, I say. I'm not even daring to hope that the digital camera might have the capability to take movies. Oh, that would just put me over the edge of Heaven. I LOOOOOVE Video OPPS. Just love them. Love them, love them, love them!

I will add one final plea to the sad, desperate tale of my need for this glorious photo equipment. My husband, artistic, creative soul that he is, is also an extremely short tempered volatile redhead. (Ok, that might be a weeeee bit over the top, but go with me here.) He gets very ANGRY when the haunted camera defies him. It isn't pretty. A new camera could very well save our marriage.

Think about this. You could save a marriage.

This post is sponsored by HP.

~t

ps--If none of this stirred your heartstrings, would you believe that leprechauns stole our camera and we need a new one? We need a new one!!!! Allright? We really, really, really need it!

pps--OH, and I'm getting my own domain on Thursday. Need great pictures! Need 'em. Really.

Caspian: Megaglobe Idol

Caspian has wanted to be an actor and a singer for a few years now. He is 8 years old, loves to read, surf the net, play video games, listen to music, and play with his friends. Once he heard about Megaglobe, the amazing new international search engine available in 45 languages and able to sell ads in 50 currencies, he just had to rap about it.

Caspian spent a number of hours working on the song he wrote himself and practicing the lyrics before his offical taping of Mega, Mega, Mega, Mega Megaglobe. He just can't wait for the new launching of Megaglobe to make his internet search time more efficient.

Here, I'll let him tell you all about it...





~t

Search Engine Marketing Blog

I know a lot of people who read blogs are bloggers themselves. And my friends who are bloggers and read my blog (blog blog blog) are also interested in the marketing value of their blogs and how to increase their page rank and profitability.

There's a lot to learn about internet marketing, and I'm just starting this process myself. One good resource is this SEO Blog. According to the site, it has "All the latest news in Search Engine Marketing. Reporting on Paid Search (Pay Per Click or PPC Advertising), Natural Search (Search Engine Optimization or SEO), Pay Per Call, Affiliate Marketing and more."

There is a lot of up-to-date info on Google, MSN, Yahoo, and much more. Better yet, the focus in not on marketing techniques for the sake of marketing but on really building a quality customer base for your product, service, or information.



~t

Vonage Forums

We love technology around here. As you can see, I might as well have my computer attached at my fingertips. One technological advance that many people are jumping upon is VoIP, or Voice over Internet Protocol. Basically, it's having your phone service come through the internet, and many companies are offering great deals on this service.

As with any technology, there is a lot to learn before making a decision on whether or not it's right for your family and who would be best to provide the service. A great place to learn more is this Vonage forum. It's an incredibly informative site that includes over 90,000 articles from its members. There are also reviews and an entire section on Vonage in the news. It's a great place to go learn more.

~t