tom's perspective

Cut the Cable - Part 2

2015-04-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

It has been around 5 years since I've last posted and incidentally my last post was on our ability to cut the cable/satellite and successfully move to over the air TV. So I thought it would be about time to pass along some updates.

We are still using going strong with the over the air TV. We did recently replace our old channel master to a new one. We also had to move our antenna to a different location on our house because we had our roof replaced, but that is about it. There have been some mighty improvements in the ability for those looking to cut the cable, so I thought I would share some of what I've learned during the process.

As I mentioned in my TV Switch post, one of our biggest requirements to making the cut was to find a way to keep the ability to have a DVR to record our local TV programming. So we purchased a Channel Master DVR that worked very well for us.The DVR wasn't without it's problems, but overall we were very happy with it.

So let's move on to today shall we? So a few months ago we purchased Channel Master's new DVR+. I had been following the release of this new DVR with anticipation because by the time it would be released it would coincide with our necessity for needing a new DVR. So I watched the launch, read several reviews and decided to take the plunge.

There are a few things that you should be aware of if you are going to buy this product. First thing first, you will need to buy a portable hard drive. It does not have a built in hard drive to record your shows. It has 16g built in, but that is mostly for apps and the OS. So the base unit itself runs about $250. They have a 1TB version of the DVR+ for $400, but portable hard drives are cheap and I would recommend just buying one separately. That move alone will save you close to $100. Here is one that we purchased for $50 (I believe it is listed around $60 at the time of this post).

You will also need to find a way to connect your DVR+ to the internet. It has a built in LAN on the back, but if you require wifi, then you will need to purchase a separate USB wifi adapter. Channel Master has one for $40, but you can get one cheaper on Amazon.

Here is my pro/con list for the Channel Master DVR+:

Pros:

No monthly fee, or contract.
Excellent TV guide/menu.
It is very thin and small (takes very little space).
Doesn't consume much power and in return doesn't produce much heat.
Only requires one antenna input and can still record two shows at once.
HDMI out.
It has access to YouTube, Pandora and VUDU apps.

Cons:

Having to connect a portable hard drive. It would be nice to have it all be included in one unit.
The remote is very thin. Some might see this as a positive, but I hate how the remote feels and I hate that it requires small watch batteries instead of AA's.
The price.
Doesn't have Netflix and Amazon Instant Video (as of this post).
You need to purchase a separate wifi USB adapter for internet access.

It is also important to note that you will need an antenna. And this will greatly depend on your area. There are many to chose from. I would recommend an outdoor antenna if you can. It will increase your ability to have a stronger signal and access to the greatest amount of available channels.

There are more reasons than ever to cut the cable. One of the biggest reasons could be the recently announced Sling TV. It is still in its infancy right now, but the potential is huge. It could be the first big step to offer a strong alternative to cable and satellite. Right now they are offering a $20 a month subscription and the list of channels they offer range from ESPN, Disney, AMC to CNN. They don't have everything yet, but this is a major step in the right direction.

Also HBO has recently announced that it will be offering HBO NOW, which will be a subscription service ($15 a month) to access their content online through certain devices (Primarily iOS devices).

Playstation has also announced a cloud based TV service called Playstation VUE. This alternative could be very promising, but it is currently only available in Philadelphia, Chicago and New York City.

The TV switch

2010-12-26T18:52:00.000-08:00

Our family is dropping Satellite TV this month. We have been with DirecTV for close to five years now. We were with Dish Network for a little while before that. Overall we have been happy with the service from DirecTV. I do have some obvious complaints, but generally I was happy.

Well, this month we are finally making the big move to HD. We got rid of our old box TV and entertainment center and purchased a 42" flat screen TV. We found a fantastic deal, so we pulled the trigger. We also bought a wireless blu-ray player as well.

In order to make the HD change complete we needed HD programming. We talked about upgrading our DirecTV receiver to an HD DVR, but that would increase our monthly payment and cost us some additional money upfront as well. Both of us agreed that we both wanted a DVR. This is something that both of us love to have. Believe me, having a DVR is awesome, if you don't have one, I strongly encourage one.

We don't watch much TV and our time is usually very limited, so having the convenience of a DVR that allows us to watch something at our convenience is wonderful. So we made an assessment of what channels we watched and how much we watched. Over 80% of the programs we watched were on local programming. This was telling.

So I began to look at our different options. Upgrade? Switch to cable? Back to Dish? All of them have programming packages that are expensive and we are only interested in a very small amount of channels. Money was also a big factor as well. We did consider switching to Comcast, but I simply won't commit on a promotional deal for a few months or a year. I want a payment that won't increase by 50% after a year. This tactic might work on some, but not me.

After researching all the TV providers I kept asking myself one question. Why can't they offer an "al a carte" option? That way we could pick just a few channels that we actually enjoy and drop the rest that we never watch. Why do I need 200+ channels? I'm never going to watch 90% them. If there was a TV provider that offered this, I would immediately jump on it. Why has no one done this?

After much thought and research we finally made a decision. We are dropping satellite altogether and going with the local "over the air" HD programming. There are several reasons we decided to do this.

We don't watch that much TV and most of what we watch is local programming anyway.
It saves us A LOT of money each month.
We get the HD programming we want.
Netflix. We can watch a lot of shows that we miss via streaming/DVD on Netflix.

This left me with one problem, what about the DVR? By going with "over the air" programming I believed that we would lose the possibility to record the shows. So I began to search out my options. Here is what I learned so far:

DVR possibilities for "over the air" or antenna programming:

A media PC/MAC - (This option can be customizable, but there are several requirements)

TV inputs. This can be integrated with the right setup, or you can purchase a separate TV tuner card.
Windows Media Center. This software comes with some of the newer Windows OS. Like Vista and Windows 7 for example. This software allows a nice DVR option.
A large hard drive. Especially if you are going to record HD programming.
A wireless remote that works with your PC. This is usually included with a media desktop.
I'm not familiar with Mac, but I have been told that if you get the right Media setup, it offers a DVR option as well.

Tivo

Tivo offers their units for "over the air" programming. They even have dual inputs so you can record one show while you watch another.

Pros:
Very user friendly
Good reputation
Options for internet apps, like Netflix, pandora, etc.
Cons:
Required monthly payment of $13
Cost of the unit. Anywhere from $200-500
Their units are not wireless, but you can purchase the wireless adapter for $80-100

Channel Master CM-7000PAL DVR

This unit was difficult to find, but it was certainly worth the wait.

Pros:
No subscription fee.
Dual TV inputs.
HDMI out.
Cons:
Cost of unit. Starts around $350.

Needless to say, that we went with the channel master DVR. No subscription fees absolutely sold me. The unit will pay for itself within a year or two. I have been very impressed with the ease of the setup, picture quality, remote, tv guide, and the HDMI output. One thing I should mention is that it looks like the unit only allows 1080i output rather than 1080p. This option will only matter to the real HD geeks. No one will actually see or notice the difference.

One thing that I should mention in regards to going with "over the air" programming is an antenna. There are many options that you should consider when purchasing one. Your location being the first thing to look at. Here is a free website that can recommend an antenna that will best suit your needs based on your location. I opted with an external antenna that I placed on my existing satellite post, which increases my signal strength.

I also purchased a Samsung Blu-Ray player for around $140. I originally wanted a PS3 for my blu-ray options, but a PS3 is a bit overkill and it is much more expensive than what I needed one for. I had two needs for my blu-ray player: 1) Netflix. 2) Wireless internet connection. Some players out there don't have wifi built in. So watch for that. This player had both for a great price. I would definitely recommend Netflix to people. If you have an internet connection that can handle the streaming, I would recommend it.

So far I haven't experienced too many regrets. I really enjoy watching football in HD. Wow. What a difference. I won't lie that I do miss ESPN and Comedy Central. But the selection of TV shows constantly increase on Netflix, so...I don't think I have too much to worry about.

Errors of Man

2010-12-05T17:49:00.000-08:00

What you are about to read is real. I'm serious. Cause if I made this up, you would be like, "Can't you come up with something better Tom? I mean really."

I found a note card the other day, it had a list of six items on it and the title was, Errors of Man. This particular list literally blew me away when I first read it. I understand that most of you may have some of these same items on your own list, but some won’t.

This list, written by Unknown, I believe deserves to be heard. I also think that we should try to understand the author as well. But if you feel a spontaneous nose bleed coming on, or lightheadedness, stop reading immediately.

1. Raised in Church

Which church? (The fact that I found this note in Utah County puts the odds at over 80% chance that he was raised a Mormon.) Would he have listed this as his number one if he was raised in a different religion? Maybe, but I doubt it. What if his dad was a General Authority or Bishop who was always gone to meetings, and then came home just to bring the obedience hammer down?

My guess is that he just wanted to sin without guilt. That seems to be the most common reason for people who resent being raised in a church.

1. Raised by a postal worker

Now this particular choice can lead to a common misconception, or stereotype. Did his father or mother take out work frustrations on him? Did they have guns?

Wait, now I’m falling into the stereotype. Pardon me.

Alright, I do believe most postal workers aren’t bad parents. Most are certainly unstable and many are jerks, but necessarily bad parents. That seems like a stretch. So without knowing this guys background, I am going to make some unfair assumptions. I believe that if his postal parent just would have taken out frustrations on the customers, like all the other postal workers do, his childhood would have been much less stressful.

2. Born on Abe Lincoln’s B-Day

Well, this choice seems completely obvious. Alright, this one really threw me for a loop. This is the moment that if you aren’t saying to yourself WTF then I suggest you find someone close to you, preferably with an IQ higher than your score of 58. Have them explain it to you.

3. Married Amber

Amber, huh? I don’t know this woman, but I know lots of woman who don’t treat their husbands right. I have to believe that this woman was selfish. Don’t you think? I mean, if she knew what this guy had gone through in his life so far, she would have bent over backwards to make his life more comfortable. I just can’t believe that a guy who was born on Abe Lincoln’s Birthday could have been at fault in this situation.

She probably even made him fold his underwear. Who folds underwear? Nobody sees it. It goes underneath all your clothes so who cares if it is a little wrinkled? If you want to keep the different colors together, fine, but don’t fold the stupid things. There’s a name for people who fold underwear. It’s called OCD. It's not freakin normal. Come on!

4. Sympathy note

This could be anything. Was this a note that he himself wrote? If so, it was probably full of embarrassing emotional crap. What if he actually wrote down that his heart was broken or something like that. Dude… That would make him look like a total pansy. Ugh. Or what if he clearly showed that he wasn’t really a man at all because he mentions that he cried while he wrote the note? Oh man. If he did, I hope he kept his receipts on his jeans so he could trade them in for some pink skirts that match his blouse.

5. Still born on Abe Lincoln’s B-Day

Amazing, isn’t it? Dude is so pissed about being born on Lincoln’s Birthday that he makes sure to mention it twice. What is up with this? Did he hate the guy? Did he hate the fact that Lincoln always stole his thunder on his own birthday? Did his friends give him a black top hat for a birthday present? For the record, I happen to like Abe. I think he is one of the finer US presidents. Why would this guy be so mad that Abe stole his birthday from him? Guess we will never know.

I think everyone should make a list like this, but if you actually consider doing something like this you should be a little more careful about your choices. So what did we learn from all this? Well, we learned that a person can experience regret from being raised in a church, being raised by a postal worker, marrying a selfish(?) woman, writing out your feelings and most importantly, sharing a birthday with Abe Lincoln. The only good thing this guy did on his list was to keeping his name off of the card.

But…I personally want to thank you, Anonymous, for making my day.

24 update

2010-05-10T16:30:00.000-07:00

It's getting to the end and I thought I would give my review before it is finished.

First, this is 24's last and final season and as a big time fan I'm sad to see it go. But this season has had to be the worst season of 24 so far. And I'm not the only one who thought that.

My list of things that killed 24:
1. Dana Walsh/Jenny
Without a doubt this character/story line was the worst move the writers of 24 have ever done. Seriously, wtf were they thinking?

2. Rene Walker
Bringing her back was a bold move because she ended last season on a bad note. I personally never liked her character. Then she comes into this season as a "damaged" Rene and now Jack has somehow developed feelings for her. What I did like about the return of Rene is she eventually gets killed and it sends Jack into another revenge filled killing spree. Now that is what I'm talking about!

3. NY - CTU
First they bring back Cloe. I don't hate Cloe, but her character is annoying and distracting. But the new Director of CTU (Bubba from Forest Gump) was an ok character, but once again he screwed up like all former CTU Directors and Cloe got to replace him as acting Director. The whole things was lame and predictable. I also had a hard time believing that the EMP only caused minor damage to the computers that only Cloe could fix. I have a hard enough time trying to believe half of the crap in 24 without making it too obvious.

4. Madam President
I didn't mind her too much last season, but this season I really hate her. Now that Charles Logan has returned (WTF were they thinking there?!) I can't decide who I hate as a President more.

Now I will say that I've made it this far through the season and I plan on seeing it all the through. The only saving grace is that Jack has once again gone rogue and has blood in his eyes. He even killed the unarmed Dana/Jenny. That one moment was AWESOME! It's not enough to save the season, but it got me cheer out loud! Oh man, it is so good to have Jack back. I just wish they could have done this early on in the show. If they would have there is no doubt that 24 wouldn't have been canceled.

So thanks 24 season 8 writers for destroying one of the only decent TV shows out there. After Jack Bauer kills everyone involved with the Russian's and Rene's death, you all should be next.

Brylee's Piano Recital Mar '10

2010-04-05T15:27:00.000-07:00

Again, she got a cash award. Awesome job Brylee! I'm very proud of you!

Our Valentines Day

2010-02-13T11:03:00.000-08:00

I've only been home from my mission for 9-10 months when I met a girl at a back to school party in the fall. About 3-4 months later she gave my brother a note with her phone number asking me to call her. I called her on Christmas Day, pretty dumb I know.

She agreed to go out with me and so we did. I wasn't looking for any type of relationship at that point so I didn't want her to think I was interested in anything more than just a friendship. During the date, I didn't open any doors for her, just tried to treat her like I would treat any "friend".

Well, the date went ok. We went to the Brick Oven and watched a movie after wards. So yes, I did, eventually hold hands with her towards the end of the date.

Our second date was on New Years Eve and soon after that we began to date exclusively. Things started going very fast, too fast in fact. But somehow I decided that this was something I wanted. I did want to be with her and only her from now on. So I decided to propose to her on Valentines day. One problem, she had to work that day. So I opted to do it the day before, Feb 13th. I invited her to my home and my whole family helped prepare the dinner. And towards the end of the dinner I did the whole, on one knee and asked her to marry me. I had a ring that my sister helped me pick out and everything. Very cheesy, I know. She said yes to my proposal and I still have a hard time actually understanding that she actually agreed to marry me? Weird.

Kristina, I love you very much. Thank you for making me the luckiest guy I know.

SuperBowl

2010-02-06T07:25:00.001-08:00

The New Orleans Saints vs. The Indianapolis Colts this Sunday. While I'm not terribly excited because I don't have a rooted interest in either, I am anxious to see the Colts go down. I would have liked to see my Atlanta Falcons go in, but while we had a good start to the season we lost in terrible fashion towards the end of the season.

Most people watch the Superbowl for the commercials. So yes, I will be watching the game and I will watch the ads with the hopes that some will be funny and entertaining.
Here is a few of the ads from last years SuperBowl:

Jack is Back

2009-12-09T12:38:00.000-08:00

Season 8 is upon us. Jack Bauer isn't done killing bad guys!
Dammit Cloe!

Amberly just turned one

2009-10-13T19:45:00.000-07:00

She is growing and getting into everything. She has made our lives a little more stressful, but much more enjoyable! She is healthy and very stubborn, like her Dad.

I love you Amberly. Congratulations on turning one!

Mason's many talents

2009-09-08T17:55:00.000-07:00

I wanted to make sure to give Mason his due. Mason had a great summer of Coach pitch baseball, Art/drawing class and swimming. He has just started 2nd Grade and so far he seems to be enjoying it.

Mason is the kind of boy that likes to help others when he can. He enjoys playing with his younger sister (and sometimes with his older sister too).

He is my best bud and we boys have to stick together. Oh and he loves transformers too, but who doesn't? He is a great kid. I love you Mason!

Brylee the Tennis Champ

2009-08-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

This is the second summer that my daughter Brylee has been in a Tennis League. Last year was her first year and she did struggle, but this year she has made some big improvements in her game. I was able to go out with her a few times and practice with her which turned out to be really fun!

Well she just recently had her Tennis Tournament, where her team had to play in a playoff against a bunch of other teams in the region. She was given a seed (number for her skill) so that she was set against other players around her skill level.

These girls had to play from 9am-1pm in the heat of the day and that made for a long day of tennis. She did loose most of her matches, but towards the end she was set to play her last match of the day. In her last match she was playing for 3rd or 4th place in her skill level. The girl she played against was older than Brylee, but her skill level was very comparable to Brylee's.

So from the start it went: 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, 2-2, 3-2 and so on. It was very close and very intense! I was literally jumping out of my seat at times and it took a lot for me to not start screaming and cheering when she got a point. In the end though, she lost a very close match, so she earned 4th place. Although she lost a very close match, she still got a trophy for 4th place which was awesome!

I was happy for her! She did lose, but she played so hard and kept it close. I am very proud of her and just glad I was there to see it. Nice job Brylee!

Post Photography

2009-07-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

I am going to shamelessly promote and give major props to my sister-in-law Cassi who is starting a Photography gig.

Here is her main website with sample pics and prices. http://www.post-photography.com/

Here is her Photography blog: http://poststudio.blogspot.com/

Just make sure you watch for my kids while you are looking through her gallery.

You made my kids look really cute, thanks for the awesome pictures Cassi!

Review of Transformers 2

2009-06-27T19:06:00.000-07:00

Pro's:
Awesome Special effects
The Transformers were awesome and looked amazing
There were awesome robot fights
Optimus Prime (freakin awesome)
SR-71 Blackbird (Jetfire)!
Megatron vs. Starscream
Megan Fox
Music was good

Con's:
Story was a bit lacking & predictable
Hot chick transformer?
Transformer afterlife?
Soundwave was just an extra
Sam's parents
humping dogs

3 out of 4 stars. It was definitely worth the money of admission.

It getting close

2009-06-20T19:06:00.000-07:00

Linkin Park & Transformers...Ah, sweetness.
Linkin Park – “New Divide”

Here is a site that you can put your own picture to become your very own transformer. Uh, that pretty much is awesome! Just a few more days to go!!

GeoCaching

2009-05-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

My wife and I bought ourselves a Garmin 60csx GPS for our anniversary. I did my research and this unit gets outstanding reviews and is priced very reasonably. And Joe (my bro-in-law who is a big GeoCacher) also recommended this model to my wife. I did also buy a 2g micro card to add street maps so we can use it in our car for long trips as well.

GeoCaching is completely new to me so I'm trying to learn as I go. This GPS unit is really cool, but I haven't the slightest idea how to use the thing. The manual is very vague and doesn't help me very much. My wife has taken on trying to teach herself how to learn this thing. She has been able to load the GeoCaches from the site to the unit and we did go out and try to find some. There is a GeoCache about 3 blocks away from our house, so of course this was the first one we found as a family. It was an old ammo container that had a combination lock on it and in order to open it you must get the combination from the person who set the GeoCache and you get that info online from GeoCaching.com.

There are several types of GeoCaches. Some are very small or micro size, which mean all they have inside are a small piece of paper that you can sign your name on. Others are bigger and can even have small notebooks and miscellaneous items inside as well. The bigger ones are really fun for families because some have small toys or trinkets that you can take, but you must replace them with something you brought with you.

We found a muli-stage GeoCache yesterday that was incredibly fun! We had to find a historical plaque and answered some triva questions on the plaque, then used some math and found the Nav points to the final GeoCache. This GeoCache was about a 1.5 (fairly strenuous) mile hike up the mountains, but we did finally make it up there!

The view down on Utah County from where we were was awesome! The funnest part of GeoCaching was that we would have never found out about this place if we hadn't been searching for some hidden treasure as a family! My kids absolutely love it and I am looking forward to do more treasure hunting...err, I mean GeoCaching throughout the summer.

Brylee's Encore Performance

2009-05-11T17:03:00.000-07:00

I know that I am extremely late in posting this, but I have had multiple requests to get it online. So her it is...her Encore performance when she won her cash award!

Changes

2009-04-29T20:01:00.000-07:00

A lot of changes have been happening to me and my family recently. I have been doing some major home remodeling for 2-3 years now. The reason they have taken so long is because they are big projects, so of course I am a victim of money & time. But now I am about half way through my scheduled projects. I have finished 2 out of 3 bedrooms for the kids and almost finished with room number 3.

The biggest project that I began with is about 80% completed. All I have left is the bathroom and I think that will go much quicker than the other projects have gone.

There are also other changes that we as a family have been going through. One is a new arrival of Amberly and everyone adjusting to her, especially mom. She goes through cycles of being able to sleep, to not being able to sleep at all during the night. It makes for many tired days and tough nights, but she is worth it.

I don't necessarily like changes, I'm more of a comfort zone dude. I like certain things. I especially like the phrase, "If it ain't broke, then don't fix it." At times that seems to be my life motto. But it is good to mix things up on occasion and actually make changes in your life for the better.

For example, I have some really good friends that I know will be friends to my grave and then I have many friends that are a good support system, but not in my close net circle. I don't like to make very many friends because I do have really good friends and I like to think that my quota is full. So I'm hesitant on making new friends, but I'm trying to extend my circle a little.

There is one goal on the horizon that will change everything for me and I have been putting it off for a while now. This project will cost me a lot of time & money and will severely influence my personal space out of my comfort zone. I know the time is coming very close for me to finally just do it. I will keep you updated.

Looking up to people

2009-04-23T19:19:00.000-07:00

I have a few mentor's. I try to examine their lives and see how they handle certain situations and really see what makes them tick. Having examples in your life is good and bad. Because it is natural to look up to them and expect them to be as close to perfect as possible. So you ultimately set them up to eventually disappoint you sooner or later.

There is an one person that I have a great deal of respect and that I do in fact look up to (I'm not referring to Bo Jackson, but I did look up to him in my youth). But he has recently done and said some things that have knocked him off of the pedestal that I placed him on, thus came the disappointment. But who should I really blame? Him? Because he didn't live up to the unrealistic standards I placed before him? I don't think so, so I blame myself.

So now I try to categorize the attributes he had, that I longed to have for myself, and list the attributes, thus separating the attributes from the individual. I like this approach much better. I even have tried to regain some of the respect that I lost from this person, because of my unrealistic expectations. This approach feels much better.

Update of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

2009-04-05T10:23:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to keep up to date with the upcoming news on Transformers 2. They just recently released a list of the robots that will be in the movie.

And here is the most recent teaser trailer.

Autobots...Transform and Roll Out!!!

NCAA Tournament

2009-03-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love the NCAA tourny. In my opinion, it is the best sporting event currently out there. Imagine how great college football would be if they had a playoff system, oh well, until then I'll just deal with games like this:
Watch CBS Videos Online

Brylee's Piano Perfomance

2009-03-14T09:56:00.000-07:00

She did it! With this performance she became one of the top performers of over 350 participants and to think, she entered as a last minute "wild card"! She will perform on March 19th and there she will be awarded her cash prize & award and then play her award winning number.
Congratulations Brylee!!!

A Proud Father

2009-03-09T21:48:00.000-07:00

My daughter Brylee is a smart, talented and beautiful girl. Who am I kidding...I'm her father so, yes, I am incredibly bias but that's ok with me. So I'm going to gloat for a minute.

I took Brylee to a piano competition last Saturday. I have heard her play the two songs she was to perform lots of times and she plays them very well! That Saturday, she was very nervous (I was too!). I think I held my breath through the first song! Anyway, the first song she performed was called, "Perpetual Motion" and that song is a very difficult song to play even for a practiced pianist, let alone a 10 year old cutie. She did have a few mistakes, but managed to play it very well, in my opinion. Then she played the second song called, "Malibu Mist". This song is much slower and not as difficult. Brylee aced this song and it sounded beautiful.

Well Brylee needed to score a 38 or higher to move on in the competition. She scored a 37. She was disappointed and I felt terrible for her, she did so well I thought!

Well her piano teacher called today and told us that after an additional review, the judges felt that Brylee should move on. She said that Brylee should have been given some leeway in the first song because of the difficulty. She then said that when Brylee played the second song, she did a phenomenal job and that she should play that song at the next stage in the piano playoff. Well Brylee was very excited to hear that she gets a second chance and we were very excited as well!

Well we are going on a mini vacation this week and her next performance is scheduled right in the middle of our vacation. But I told Brylee that I would be more than happy to take her to the performance if she really wanted to go. She said she did, so I will be leaving our family vacation so my daughter can wow the crowd at the piano playoff. And I'm happy to do it.

Needless to say, I'm probably like any other father, but I am so proud of Brylee. She has been accepted and excelled in the ALL(gifted/overachiever) program at school for 2 years now and wants to try again next year. She is extremely talented at piano and she has a good singing voice. She loves to swim and play sports, especially tennis (which I love!).

Ok, I'll stop now. Oh, did I already mention that I love her very, very much.

I love you Brylee and I am very proud of you.

All we need from you is $250 & $50 each month

2009-02-25T19:09:00.000-08:00

Ah, MLM's & Pyramids. These easy money making schemes are very fascinating to me. I've personally been to several MLM "meetings" and for the most part they all have the similar symptoms, the most prominent symptom is the initial requirement for money to either: subscribe/signup/membership/training etc...

This blog is going to be a brief summary of my research of the most recent MLM that I have been approached with. By the way it has been researched that Utah & the LDS religion are hot beds for these schemes. Here are just a few of the MLM's that I have encountered in the past:

Primerica Financial Services
Pre-Paid Legal
ACN
NuSkin
MaryKay Cosmetics

There are others, but I can't remember them all. No worries though, I'm going copy a list of noted MLMs/Pyramids in this blog (scroll to bottom).

I'm not going to bother explaining how MLM's or Pyramids work, what I am going to do is breakdown the most current MLM that I recently encountered and with any luck you can put the pieces together yourself.

It's called MMOGULS. This "company" is offering the first 100,000 subscribers an opportunity to make money off of Video Gamers. They explain in great detail about how much money the video game industry makes, especially in a recession. Eventually they show the comparisons of their new game that is the backbone for this MLM. The game is called Stargate Worlds. It is a MMORPG, just like the gameWorld of Warcraft. Stargate Worlds hasn't been released yet, but is scheduled to be released in May of '09.

They said that there will be 4 levels of monthly subscriptions available to the future gamers. Each member of MMOGULS (only 100,000) will get a cut of the monthly subscriptions. There will be 4 levels of monthly subscriptions: $15 Bronze, $30 Silver, $40 Gold, and $50 for the Platinum membership. The MMOGULS member only gets a cut depending on what the level of subscription the gamer chooses, excluding the $15 bronze membership of course.

Your future "income" is based on the number of gamers subscribed and the number of MMOGULS members under you and the MMOGULS members under them and so on. So its key you get signed up soon, cause you don't want to be one of the bottom feeders!

Well, all they need from you is $250 up front for a membership fee and then an additional $50 a month. This monthly fee includes your very own website for addition promotional and advertising activities (its just your user name attached to their site).

Ready to sign up yet? Sounds good right? Well here is what they didn't tell you that I learned prior to the meeting. First, the company that designed and created the game Stargate Worlds is a company called Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment or (CME). The guy who is the chairman of CME is the same guy who started the MLM company MMOGULS, his name is Gary Whiting. There isn't a lot of public info on Gary that seems credible, so I'll just stick with the credible info on him.

Gary's video game company CME started in 2006. Stargate Worlds is their first and biggest video game. There is an available beta version of the game. This game has been postponed several times. It was originally scheduled to release in Aug '08, but was postponed for undisclosed reasons. Then in November of 2008, CME haulted all paychecks to its employees and didn't informed the employees beforehand or after. Reportedly one of its many employees started a website that only contains a counter of how long CME's employees have gone without a paycheck. There is also a lengthy blog entry from Steve Williams, one of its many video game designers, talking about the problems with CME.

CME did release a short statement back in Dec of '08 concerning the lack of payments to it's employees by saying, "At Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, we have always been upfront with the media and our fans that we are a start-up," said Balentine. "Like many start ups, we face the same cash-flow issues that all pre-revenue companies face." While it is true that this company is relatively new, but short handing your employees months before the release of your biggest product is a quite concerning. And as of this blog entry, the counter was up to 104 days, that's well over 3 months!

So here is what the dudes at the MMOGULS meeting didn't tell anyone. That Gary Whiting (the guy who owns MMOGULS site and started the MLM "company") is the chairman of a video game company who hasn't paid it's employees for over 3 months! But yet this guy comes out to Utah, Arizona & Nevada to start a MLM business that is designed completely around a game that hasn't come out yet? And is being designed by a failing video game company? It is HIGHLY probable that the game may not be released at all...especially by CME. It is also very possible that Stargate Worlds will be purchased by another company and then be re-licensed and still be put out on the market. But it is also very possible that the game will be dumped all together and never see the light of day.

The video game rumor mill thinks that Gary is in serious trouble with the investors of CME and the IRS and owes close to $50 million. So what does he do? He creates a MLM and plans to use that money to pay off as many debts as he can, or maybe, to simply leave the country.

This MLM was one of the very worst I have ever seen. The corruption in this scheme wasn't difficult to find, but yet I saw many people gladly give them money anyway. Nowadays people are desperate to find ways to make some additional money, or just pay their current bills. It truly saddens & angers me to see A$$holes like Gary Whiting take advantage of the truly desperate in these tough times.

Here is a list of MLM's & Pyramids that have been reported and analyzed online:
Acai Plus
Achievers Unlimited
ACN
Adcalls
Advantage Conferences
Advantage Neutraceuticals
Advocare
Agel
AIM
All-star Entrepreneur Amazon Herb
Ambit Energy
American Longevity Ameriplan USA Amerisciences
AMS
Amsoil
Amway / Alticore
American Petroleum Promotions
Amigo Health
Annasa
Apeus
Arbonne
Ascend Technol's
At Home America
Avalla - Nutrimetics
Avon
Beach Body
BeautiControl
Bel’Air
Better Universe
Beyond Freedom Seminars
bHIPGlobal
Big Planet (Nu Skin)
Biometrics
Bioperformance
BioPro
Bodywise
Bookwise Books
Brain Garden
Burn Lounge
Business in Motion
(BIM)
Cell Tech
Cell Wireless
Champion Communications
Citizenre
Cleur
Cognigen
Conklin
Creative Memories Cyberwize
DCHL -Digital Crown Holdings Ltd.
DSX
Dubli
Dynasty of Diamonds
E. Excel
Earth Essence
Easy Daily Cash Ebiz.com
Ecoquest
Eiro
Emerald Passport
Profit Masters
Empire Dreams
Empower Net
Eniva Gold Marketing Enliven
EnvisionCC
Epic Network
Escape International Essante
Essentially Yours Evolution Int'l
eXfuse
Extreme Research
EZ Wealth by Design First Financial
Security
First Fitness Int'l
Fuel Freedom
International
FFSI
For You
Forever Green
Forever Int'l
Forever Living
Formor Int'l
Forte Builder (New
Vision)
Fortune Hi-tech
Marketing
Free Life Int'l
Freedom Rocks
Fruda Vida Int'l
Fruitaigo
Fuller Brush
Fun Unlimited
Gano Excel
Gemcap
Genewize Life Sciences
GDI - Global Domain Int'l
Global Equity Marketing Global Equity Lending Global Health Trax
Global Resorts Network
Global Travel Trends
(PRT Travel)
GNLD
GoHFT
Gold Mine Int'l
Golden Neo-life Diamite
GoldQuest
Goldshield Elite
Good Life Int'l
Goyin
Herbalife
Heritage Health Products
Heritage Makers
Hsin Ten Enterprise USA
iBuzzPro
Ignite
Stream of Energy
Igonet
iLearning Global
Immunotec
Inner Light
Integris Global
Int'l Galleries, Inc. IGI)
Isagenix
ITV Ventures
Jewelry by Park Lane
Kaire
Kanosis
Karemore
Ky-Ani Sun
Leaving Prints
Legacy for Life
Lexxus
Liberty LeagueInt'l (LLI)
Life Force
Life Plus
LifeWave
Life without Debt Lifestyles USA
Lightyear Alliance
The Limu Company Livinity
Longevity Network Mannatech
Market America
Mary Kay Cosmetics Matol Botanical
Max GXL
Max International
Maxxis 2000
Melaleuca
ML International
Monarch Health
Sciences
Morinda (Tahitian
Noni Int’l)
Multi-pure
MXI - Xocai
My4Life
My7Diamonds
My Leisure Business
National Lending. Corp.
Native American
Nutritionals
Natural Air Products
Nature's Sunshine NeutroGenesis
Neways
New Quest Int'l New Vision USA
Nexx
NHT Global
Nikken
Noevir
Nouveau Cosmeceuticals
Nouveau Riche
University
NSA (Juice Plus) NuLegacy Rx card NuMed
Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. Nutrimetrics
Nutronix
Nuvante
Ohana Health Omegatrends
Omnitrition
Online Exchange
OnPoint Direct
Oxyfresh
Pampered Chef
Passport LLC Petromagic
Pharmanex (Nu Skin) PhotoMax (Nu Skin) Plexus Pink
PM International AG Power2Marketing
Power Mall
Premier Designs
(P2M) Prepaid Legal
Primerica Financial
Services
Prixdale Ventures
The Profit Masters Pureworks
Qing Mei
Quixtar
(Amway/Alticore)
Qwestnet
Reliv
The Right Solution
Royal Body Care
Scent-sations
Scentsy
sendoutcards.com
Sevea
Shaklee
Sibu
Silver Cache
Slender Now
Soteria / It Works
Marketing
Sportron
Spring Wellness
Stampin' Up!
Starlight Online
Stimulife
Success University Sunrider
Supralife
Sweet Living
Symmetry
Synergy Worldwide Tahitian Noni Juice
(Morinda)
Talk Fusion
Take Shape for Life
Team Everest
Team Life Changes
(Nutraburst)
Team National
Tianshi
TMII
Tomboy Tools
Tom Danley’s Tape of
the Month
Top Line Creations (TLC)
Traverus Travel
Trivani
Tupperware
Ubifone
UltraeStore
Unicity
Univera Life Sciences USANA Health Sciences
Vemma
Vibe Anti-aging
Visalus
Vision for Life
Vision Trave. Vitagenesis
Viva Life Science VMDirect (Helloworld)
Waiora
Watkins
Wealth Pools Int'l
WIN -Wellness
Int'l Network
World Financial Group
World Group Securities World LeadershipGroup/
World Lending Group World Marketing
Alliance (WMA) WorldVentures
Wynlife Healthcare, Inc.
Xango
Xocai
Xooma
Xzotto
Young Living
Essential Oils
Youngevity
Your Travel Biz
(YTB)
Zurvita

Computers

2009-02-17T18:54:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't consider myself a computer geek, but I do enjoy my PC...when it works, that is. Last weekend something happened to my computer, it is still being debated whether it was a virus, worm, another microsoft corruption, simple software conflict, etc... It didn't matter because it made my computer useless.

I do have a backup hard drive and I did backup my vital information on it. But through the mess of formating & re-installing windows somehow the windows software switched my default master hard drive with my backup drive, so it formatted my backup drive instead. So I lost everything.

Luckily my wife had backed up on a different source and she didn't lose anything. But I sure did.

I love computers, but when they go bad on me, it gets really ugly.

So now I'm hoping to go a solid week without any thing else breaking. Well, except maybe my confidence.

Stephanie Meyer

2009-02-11T18:55:00.000-08:00

I'm only blogging about her because I have read the Twilight books and finally got a copy of The Host on Audio book and now I am preparing myself to give it a listen.

First of all I am not a fan of her as an author or her books so far. I did find myself enjoying parts of the Twilight series, but they were few and far between.

I also saw Twilight the movie in theaters and thought it followed the book pretty well, but I just don't care for the story too much. It is obviously designed for the girl audience. I would give the movie 2 out of 4 stars. Average.

I also agree with Stephen King when he said, "Stephenie Meyer can't write worth a darn," he said. "She's not very good."

I wouldn't worry too much about Mrs. Meyer's feelings though. I definitely think she will probably make more money than Stephen King, in the end.