The Personal Blog

Holy crap!

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 01:06:00 +0000

I forgot this even existed still. Just got the Blogaway app on my new Samsung Vibrant and wanted to test it out.

Bowling Results for 9\23\09

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:22:00 +0000

Before I get into how tonight went, I must say that this is the biggest league I've ever bowled in. It has 38 teams and bowls in a 40 lane house and the 50\50 pot brought in over $700, which means the winner brought home over $350.

With that put aside, I must say that I bowled pretty well tonight. I pulled the first ball, sending it through the nose and leaving a split. I quickly learned my mistake and finished out with a 245. The line didn't go anywhere even though I was expecting it to dry up fairly quickly by watching the other people on my pair.

The 2nd game was filled with single pins. I left 3 ten pins and 1 seven pin, and missed one of the ten pins. Again, the line didn't go anywhere. I put a bit more speed on the ball in the 2nd through 4th frame because i thought it was simply going to hook more. That didn't happen until the 3rd game.

The ball went a little high a few times, leaving some 4 pins and leaving a split in the 7th frame and scraping the 6 pin.

I ended up with a 695 series, giving me a 231.6 average for 3 games and working with a 216 book average. I was setting average in that league, so the 231.6 average will be my official average. It will not, however, be a USBC book average because a bowler must bowl 21 games in a league for it to become a book average.

Bowling Results for 9\17\09

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:54:00 +0000

I didn't do too bad the first two games, but fell off on the 3rd. I was using my Fired Up, which is supposed to give me a little more length down the lane before it starts to hook. It was hitting pretty good most of the time, but if I didn't have just the right roll on the ball, it would leave a single pin.

The first game was quite a test with many adjustments. I started playing straight down the 7 board and found the pocket quickly. I didn't have a good roll on the 2nd frame, leaving a washout. The other shots were either 10 pins, 7 pins, or a 10th frame fast 8.

The 2nd game started out quite nice. The line was perfect for me. I didn't move from the last game, so I was still playing straight down 7. The 5th frame was a complete screw-up on my part. I pulled the ball, it went high and left the 6-10. The two single pin misses back to back on the same lane were 10 pins. I didn't get out of the ball exactly how I wanted, so they fell off into the ditch. The last shot was yet another fast 8.

The 3rd game was a struggle all the way through. My ball started hooking very early, so I moved just a bit inside and played down 10. With this came very bad carry. I can recall a few shots that the 5-7-10 stood before something made two of the pins fall. I didn't really want to make an adjustment because the ball was hitting very nicely into the pocket, but just not catching everything. The 10th frame produced my only open in the game with a stubborn 10 pin.

Windows 7: What Vista Should Have Been

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 06:30:00 +0000

If you downloaded any of the betas from Microsoft, of it you're like me and are now running the RTM (Release To Market) version, you'll realize just how nice Windows 7 is. For those that don't know, let me fill you in.

Windows 7 has been highly anticipated since shortly after the release of Vista. A lot of people think that Microsoft jumped the gun on releasing an OS with they released Vista, and I'd have to agree. There are a lot of vulnerabilities, as well as some performance issues. Personally, on my Dell Inspiron 530 desktop, Windows 7 dances circles around Vista. But wait. Whenever I updated the OS on any other computer, like when I updated 95 to 98, 98 to XP and so on, I noticed a decrease in performance. Here, I'm getting an INCREASE? I'm for that any day of the week! I noticed a significant difference in opening programs, rendering videos, and performing daily tasks such as checking e-mail, loading pictures, surfing the web, and using instant messengers.

The stability of Windows 7 is also quite impressive. I can honestly say that since I've been running the OS, I have not once had it crash on me. Trust me, I've tried. The earlier betas had a hiccup once and again, but the RTM has ran flawlessly.

But all of Windows 7's glory isn't just under the hood. The interface has been changed slightly, while sticking close to it's Vista counterpart. The main difference is the task bar. No more waiting to have 51 Firefox windows open before it bunches them together in one nice, neat icon. Say you have multiple windows open, but you want to see each individually. All you have to do is hover your mouse over the icon on the task bar, and if you have Aero activated you will be able to highlight which window you want to see, then click it to bring it to the front. You can also pin programs to the taskbar like the "Quick Launch" bar did, only with 7, if you open a program that's pinned on the taskbar, it will not take up more room by adding another icon. This makes for a very slick, non-cluttered workspace.

There are so many different things that I can say about this OS, but I just don't have the time or the patience to sit here at this keyboard and tell you about every single one of them. If you wasn't able to take advantage of the Windows 7 beta test, you may have to wait until October 22nd to get your hands on it. If you know what you're looking for, you can find the RTM version on torrent sites around the net, then access the Windows 7 beta test site to get your product key. If you are unsure on how to install an OS, if you are not sure you have a legit copy, or if you just aren't sure what to do, I would just wait until October 22nd for the official release.

Round 2 of Tornadoes in Memphis This Year

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 06:40:00 +0000

July 30th was turning out to be just another day. Me and my mom went out and got some O'Charleys for dinner and brought it back for all of us to eat at home. I was getting my cajun chicken pasta out of the sack when I noticed the television in the back. It showed a severe thunderstorm warning for Crittenden County, which is just across the river. I went about my way, helping get the rest of the food out and ready to eat. I went to the fridge to grab a drink and peeked at the television again. This time, it was a tornado warning. So I grabbed my food, ran upstairs and fired up the television and computer to track it.

The storms got closer and closer as the skies got darker and darker. I'm sitting here thinking to myself, "It's going to die out before it gets here. Nothing's going to happen in the city." Then, I saw a tornado warning pop up directly over me, and for a good part of Bartlett, which is just northeast of here. The rains came and we lost satellite signal for our televisions, but we still had the internet. I tracked the storm as it moved directly over us, but it never dropped a funnel. That is, until it got closer to the Wolfchase Galleria area. For those of you that don't know about this area, it is the main place to go in Memphis to shop. It has the city's largest mall, as well as a TON of stores all around it on both sides of I-40. We watched the storm as it moved over the area, and when we got our television signal back, the damage reports started coming in.

The first reports were making it sound like the shopping area was a warzone with buildings destroyed and leveled. As it turns out, the main area of concern was around the Kohls on Germantown Parkway at I-40. The corner of the building has broken off, almost exactly like what happened to the Sears store at the Hickory Ridge Mall a while back. It also overturned a tractor trailer truck in the parking lot and shattered windows in cars and nearby businesses.

Another tornado, pictured above, dropped in Olive Branch, Mississippi causing quite a bit more damage. There were no homes completely leveled, but in one sub-division, the entire 2nd story of a home was ripped off. It was quite a bit more powerful and was on the ground for a longer amount of time than the one that hit inside the Memphis area.

The official ratings of these two storms were quickly determined by the National Weather Service here in Memphis. The one that struck the Wolfcreek shopping area here in town was rated an EF-1, while the Olive Branch tornado was rated an EF-2. Luckily, nobody was hurt or killed during the storm. However, there was one reported injury during cleanup in the Rock Creek Pkwy. area when a man fell 20 ft. We were very lucky, this time.

Apple + AT&T = EPIC FAIL?

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:39:00 +0000

Until now, I have never, ever had a problem with either AT&T or Apple, but now I have a big one. I was finally able to get my Mom to get an iPhone. After my Dad saw it, he loved it and decided to get one too, the same day. So all 3 of us have iPhones and are very happy. At least, that's what it's supposed to be.

After having the phone for only about a week, the speaker on my Mom's iPhone went out on her. She couldn't hear any audio out of the bottom speaker, including when it was supposed to ring. Me and my Dad brought the phone up to the AT&T store to see if we could get some assistance there, but they informed us that we need to go to the Apple Store, which was about a 30 minute drive away in Germantown. They told us that they work on an appointment system, but if we let them know we need to swap the phones, then it wouldn't be a problem and would only be about a 10 to 15 minute process. We grabbed some lunch and made our way to Germantown to the Apple Store at Saddle Creek.

We arrive to a store buzzing with people at both the main counter and the Genius Bar. We spoke with a young lady at the main counter in the front of the store, explained our situation, and she told us that we would need an appointment. She did, however, tell us that we could be placed in "stand-by" in case someone didn't show up for their appointment. We asked about how long it would take to be waited on, and she informed us it would be somewhere around an hour. We agreed to be put on the stand-by list, and began our wait. Over an hour passed, and we were still patiently waiting. The genius at the Genius Bar did a quick roll call, and called out the next people in line. Everyone was there, including the 3 stand-by's in front of us. Me and my Dad both agreed that we couldn't stay and wait, and decided to leave. My Dad is a diabetic and can't just sit around and wait with no food or anything to drink.

On the way home, I called AT&T once again, and asked them if we couldn't just go into the store and swap the phones out instead of going through the whole Apple Store process, but they told me that the only way to swap the phones in the store is if my Mom upgraded her iPhone to a different model, which would be another $100. Of course, she's not going to do that, so we decide to make an appointment at the Apple Store.

We visit the Apple website and navigate to the Saddle Creek retail site, where appointments can be made. We input our information, and get to the screen where we are supposed to choose our appointment time. Instead, we see a screen that says that all reservations are booked, and to try again later.

All of this occurred on Saturday, July 11th. We tried that Sunday and that Monday, and the message still appeared when we tried to make an appointment. My mother called AT&T's main customer support line and spoke with an Apple Technical Support associate. They told her that it was no problem to swap the phones through the mail, and it would take 2 to 3 days. She agreed, and began the process of giving the information to get things started. We gave the service agent the serial number of the phone, and was then informed that there was a $29 service fee to swap the phones out. Basically, we have to pay them to swap a broken phone we've had for a week. Then, the associate told us that there was going to have to be a hold placed on a credit or debit card for the amount of the phone until the broken phone arrives at their hub. My Mom said that it wasn't a problem to hold $100, but the associate corrected us, saying that the hold was going to have to be for the full price of the phone, which is $499. My Mom declined immediately, saying that if for some reason the phone didn't arrive, her $100 phone would end up costing $600, and she will never pay that much for a phone. So we went back to the Apple website to check for an appointment, and they STILL didn't have any available appointments. We even tried calling the Apple store to set an appointment, but were informed that they do not take appointments over the phone.

The next day, we go to the AT&T store for one last try. We meet the associate that sold us the phone in the first place, who is a very nice person and was as helpful as he could be. We explain the situation, but he, too, says that there is nothing that the store itself can do with the phone unless she wants to turn it in on another brand phone. My Mom had to trade in her iPhone that she wanted so badly for another phone that she's not nearly as happy with, all because of a vicious catch 22 caused by Apple and AT&T.

The reason for this post is to ask the question, why? Why is it so hard to just swap a defective iPhone? Why do I have to drive 30 minutes one way to service a phone when the nearest AT&T store is right here in Bartlett? And most importantly, what can we do now? My Mom still wants her iPhone, but can't get it because of some insanely stupid agreement between Apple and AT&T. If they aren't careful, we'll take our 3 phone family plan elsewhere, iPhone or no iPhone.

Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton = EPIC FAIL!

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 07:48:00 +0000

Well ladies and gentlemen, I've come to this. I never really see myself as a political person, but come on. If you live in the city of Memphis, you've been watching this whole fiasco with Mayor Willie Herenton. I thought during the last election that the city would wise up and kick this self-centered ass out of the mayor's seat, but so it not the case. I just don't get how the people of Memphis can keep electing someone that has done nothing but take money from the poor and make the rich richer. I mean come on people, this is the guy that said that one of the main reasons that he ran for the mayor's seat this past election is because he didn't like the other candidates, and didn't want them to have the seat.

Herenton sent a letter on March 19, 2008 stating that he was resigning his position as of July 31, 2008. No reason was given in the letter, other than he "heard another call" and is "duty bound to respond." As it turns out, he was talking about the vacant Memphis City Schools superintandant position, a position he has held before. Time progressed and the story changed. Herenton now is saying that he will only resign if he wins the superintendant position, but if he loses, he will remain the mayor of Memphis. That's Willie Herenton looking out for Willie Herenton. But it gets better. He later retracts his bid for the position, stating that the MEDIA had compromised his intent for the position. When asked about the letter of resignation that he sent on the 19th of March, he said that he never said he was resigning. Really? Read the actual report here and tell me if that's the case.

One big thing that the city has to improve on is the amount of crime that happens here. Now, I know that Memphis is a dangerous city, and it will take a lot of time to clean it up, if it ever happens. But when you are in power in a city that is listed as one of the most violent cities in America, what would you do to help the crime situation? Would you CUT the police budget? He sure wanted to. How much sense does that make? NONE. Herenton supporters ate it up.

During the strong storm that came through on June 12th, otherwise known as Hurricane Priscilla, almost 150,000 Memphis Light Gas and Water customers were without power, trees went down, and homes were destroyed. Where was the mayor? Yea, I don't know either. Neither does ANYONE. When WREG News Channel 3's Mike Matthews spoke with Herenton's spokeswoman, she said that he was "In the hardest hit areas of the city." When Matthews asked where that was, she said that she would get back to him on that. She never did. As of the writing of this blog, we still have no clue where he was.

But we know where he is now. He's busy trying to take Steve Cohen's position in congress. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? This guy doesn't even care enough about the city of Memphis to come out, address his citizens and comfort uneasy nerves in their time of need not only once, but TWICE. (The first time referring to his disappearance to Little Rock after another strong storm, Hurricane Elvis, caused widespread destructive damage throughout the city.) Now, you're telling me that he wants to help run the entire state? Yea, right. If he does get to the point where there will be an election between himself and Cohen, I really hope that the citizens of Tennessee do their research on Herenton before making their decision.

Now I've been called a racist by a few people because of how I feel about this man. Race is never, EVER an issue when it comes to me. If there were a white mayor in his position doing the same things, I'd be writing the exact same message with a different picture at the top. I am in no way against having a black man as the mayor of my city.

So what are your thoughts about this whole thing? I want your opinion. Respond with a comment below and let everyone know just how you feel, or post your thoughts on Twitter with the hash-tag #Herenton.

UPDATE: As of 11:30AM on June 25,2009, Willie Herenton publicly announced that he will resign his position beginning on July 10th, 2009 to pursue local interests, and to run for the 9th Congressional District.

ANOTHER UPDATE: After a topsy turvey ordeal, Willie Herenton finally resigned effective July 30th, 2009. He pushed his retirement date back so that he could take care of a few issues before he left office.

Personal Video Shot During And After Tornadic Thunderstorm!

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:10:00 +0000

The first video was shot during the derecho, then immediately after it. It wasn't until after the storm until I realized that there was an EF-1 tornado just two blocks away. The second video is damage footage shot the day after.

Tornado Rips Through My Neighborhood!

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:08:00 +0000

On Friday, June 12th 2009, a massive thunderstorm came through the Mid-South bringing 70 to 80 MPH winds, and in a couple of areas, brief tornadoes. One of the areas that was hit is exactly two blocks away from me. A confirmed EF-1 tornado with winds around 105 MPH touched down in my neighborhood, with an EF-2 tornado dropped in Olive Branch, Mississippi. The video to the left is a story done by FOX13 News and Scott Madaus on the storm damage between here and Olive Branch, MS. I was the first person interviewed in the video.

PBA Experience League: Shark pattern

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:04:00 +0000

So I only had one week experience on this pattern, but it was enough for me to make quite a few conclusions.

First of all, I'm a down-and-in bowler, and this pattern being as long as it is, proved to be a challenge. I'm certainly not used to bowling on a pattern that requires the ball to be THIS aggressive. I viewed the videos on SportBowling.com, I read all the opinions and reviews on how the pros play the shot, but I just couldn't get anything to surface with me.

When I WAS able to get the ball to the pocket, it carried fairly well. Spares were not a problem on this pattern because I'm used to shooting directly at most spares anyway. This pattern really does force you to play deep inside the lane. It also makes you bring in your break point to a position that most would find extremely uncomfortable. When most people play this pattern they complain about too much oil, but it's just the fact that this pattern is 44 feet long, 4 feet longer than a standard house shot.

I rarely use my Pro Release anymore, but I have been using it on these pro conditions due to the volume of oil and where I've been playing, but there was no position on this thing I could position it to make the ball turn left. I had good rotation on the ball, but it just never grabbed like I wanted it to. I'm hoping to fix this problem with new equipment, but it'll have to wait until I'm able to afford it. I don't have fancy shmancy sponsors or anything. (But if you're interested, please feel free to message me!)

In conclusion, I really can't say much for this pattern because I only bowled on it once during it's 3 week run in our PBA Experience league, but it's definitely not a shot for the heavy duty down-and-in players like myself. At least, with the type of equipment that I have. If you have an aggressive ball, such as a Storm Virtual Gravity, then by all means give it a shot. If you have only pearl or severely outdated equipment, then a good set of abralon pads will be your best friend.

My First Story for The Examiner!

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 06:20:00 +0000

I finished up my first story for The Examiner. You can check it out by clicking here. The story is about how Memphians can use two of my favorite, and most popular social networking websites and services, Ustream.tv and Twitter. Hope you enjoy!

PBA Experience League: Viper Pattern

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Fri, 08 May 2009 06:54:00 +0000

So tonight was the beginning of the PBA Experience Sport League over at Bartlett Lanes. I have heard quite a bit about the league and tried to keep up with it, but completely forgot when it started, until my friend Tommy told me that it started tonight. I wasn't planning on bowling in it, until I got there. There was no way I could sit there and watch as everyone else got to bowl. We selected our lanes and got ready to roll. Luckily, I had a couple people I knew bowling on my pair. We started practice, and threw two strikes right off the bat. I smiled so big, I just knew that I had a good shot. As it went on, I started noticing that there's NO room for error on this pattern.

Take a look at the picture to the left. It shows the Viper oil pattern graphically. Basically, the striped area in the middle is where there is less oil, and the outside has more. This means, if you pulled the ball, it either went brooklyn (to the opposite side of the head pin) or it missed the head pin completely. It also meant that if you threw the ball outside a little, it would slide and not make it to the pocket. This means, Dustin gets to work on his accuracy.

The first game started out as good as it could. A turkey (3 strikes in a row) to start the first 3 frames, but it would soon prove to be quite a struggle to do it again. I threw my Hammer Black Widow Pearl, which I had drilled pretty strong. I'm sure glad I had that ball re-drilled because I definately needed it. I finished up the first game with a 203, which isn't bad at all in a sport bowling league. The other two games went downhill after the shot started to go away. My problem is that I didn't have the equipment to play the line that I wanted. If I moved over to the left a little and tried to play more of the lane, the ball would lose most of it's power before it even got close to the pin deck. Either that, or I couldn't get the ball through the middle of the lane enough and it would hook past the head pin. This pattern really keeps you on your toes.

I was suprised to see the scores by some of the more skilled players that I've met during my life. Some of these guys knew me back when I was just a little kid running around Big Daddy's in the Poplar Plaza. It really shocked me to notice that I had beaten a lot of them. Not only that, but I had only missed making the 16 man bracket final by only 20 pins.

The league will go on for 15 weeks, with each sport pattern being put down for 3 weeks. If you want to see what the pros go through every single week, I'd suggest going up to Bartlett Lanes on Thursday night. Tonight was the first week, and I never actually found out what time practice starts, but it's either 6:30 or 6:45. I'll definately be up there every week, at least watching. Feel free to stop by and say hi!

Radar Images from Middle Tennessee Tornado Outbreak

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:04:00 +0000

I have been watching my radar all day, and I have to say that I've never seen so many tornado warnings issued at one time. As soon as I think there couldn't be any more, up popped at least two more.

As I got in a little closer, you can tell that there was a strong area of rotation around Murfreesboro, TN.

Elite Wrestling Entertainment

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 09:35:00 +0000

So, for those of you who don't know, I have been filming wrestling matches in Ripley, Tennessee for an organization called Elite Wrestling Entertainment, and I must say that it's pretty fun. Being right in the action, getting as close as I can get without being part of the match is pretty darn cool. One of my friends told me about it, and told me that he was asked to be the commissioner for a while. He asked me to go, and since then, I've only missed one week, and will miss my 2nd next week when I go to Baton Rouge for a bowling tournament.

These guys put themselves through quite a bit, and I didn't realize how much until I got to see it live. I've been a fan of WWE for quite a while, but have never gotten to see a live event. After being a part of this organization, I'm DYING to go to one now. Most people think that it's just a bunch of sweaty men feeling on each other, but it's entertainment. It's high risk, high flying, hard hitting entertainment. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go to www.elitewrestlingentertainment.com and take a look at my videos.

Another good point of this organization is the fact that I've had plenty of practice in website building and video editing. I put together the site myself, and I shoot and edit my own video. They've given me a great chance to show off my skills how I want. And as icing on the cake, I've gotten so many compliments from wrestlers, as well as fans, on the work that I've done. I've searched the internet, and have found that no other wrestling organization in the Mid-South does what we do. We are the only wrestling organization in the Mid-South to record every match, and make them available on the internet in their full length. I'm pretty proud of that if I do say so myself.

So basically, what I'm trying to say here is that I really enjoy my "not" job at EWE. If I had the ability to one day, I wouldn't mind doing this sort of thing for the WWE one of these days. Hey, you never know, right?

Ustream.tv Broadcast App Released!!

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:41:00 +0000

FINALLY!!!! I've been trying to find out when Ustream was going going to put out a broadcast app, and my answer came when I checked the website today. I don't know exactly how long it's been out, but it's really awesome! I'm going to be using my Ustream.tv live box to the right a LOT more often now! I'm sorry to say, but this could possibly be a Qik killer. Keep an eye on the site for times when I just might be broadcasting LIVE via my iPhone!

I Take A Body Slam

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 21:42:00 +0000

Yea, you read the headline right. I took a body slam last Saturday night in Ripley, TN after EWE. And the best part, I have it on video. Enjoy.

The iPhone App Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 06:30:00 +0000

So I've had my iPhone for a while now, and I'm learning nifty things about it every day. There are a lot of things you can do with this little wonder device. I've put together a list of my most used apps, most of which are completely FREE.

1. MySpace - Yea yea, I'm kinda addicted to MySpace, and this app lets me check and compose mail, view my friends, read bulletins, and even upload pictures directly to my mobile pictures folder! A lot of the pics I have on there that I took recently made their way on to MySpace that way.

2. The Weather Channel - All of you know how much I LOVE to keep up with the weather. Well, this app displays current conditions, gives you a forecast either in hours, 48 hour or 7 day increments, alerts you to severe weather or special weather statements, and even has a radar that works with Google Maps. It's the #1 weather program for the iPhone, and completely free.

3. Shazam - Have you ever heard a good song on the radio or over a loudspeaker and wondered to yourself who it was or what the name of it was? Well pull out your iPhone and fire this app up, let it listen to the song, and it'll tell you artist, title, a bio on the artist, where to buy it, and YouTube videos related to the song. How friggin awesome is that??

4. Brightkite - If you like to let people know where you are or what you're doing, this is perfect for you. Just start the app, and you have 3 choices. You can check in to your current location, sending a message through the Brightkite service and your Twitter account. You can check in and post a photo, either one in your library, or you can take one on the fly. And you can check in and post a little note telling everyone just what they're looking at. I use this app everywhere I go.

5. Twitteriffic - Ok, I'll admit it. I'm addicted to twitter. And as soon as I got my iPhone, I found this app and put it on there within the first half hour of owning it. This is more than just a twitter client though. Like Brightkite, it allows you to send your current location and\or a pic to all your fellow twitterers, or you can just send a simple tweet. A must have if you're involved with twitter at all.

6. Trapster - So I just got this app a couple days ago, and it's kinda neat. It will show you where recent police speed traps have been set up, as well as where all the traffic cameras are located throughout the city. Really nifty if you're going out of town and aren't familiar with all the "hot spots". Ha!

All those apps can be found in the App store free of charge. Now I have to make a confession. My iPhone is jailbroken. I wanted to see what all the hype was about, and there's a lot to hype about it. There's a TON of stuff you can do with the apps you find in Cydia, which is like the app store for everything Apple doesn't want you to have. The top two programs I use regularly as of right now are Qik and Winterboard. A lot of you have already seen a couple of videos I've done with Qik, and you understand exactly what it does. I open the app on my iPhone, I push the red record button and it streams to my Qik page instantly, and records it for me automatically! It also locates me and puts me on the Google Map to the side so you know exactly where I am when the good stuff happens. As for Winterboard, it basically allows you to put themes and custom elements to your iPhone. You can change sounds, your wallpaper, or you can totally revamp your iPhone with a whole new look and feel.

Now with every other article that shows something to do with jailbroken iPhones and reviews and whatnot, I have to include a disclaimer. If you don't know what you're doing when you find out how to jailbreak your phone, simply don't do it. While the risk of significant damage is pretty low, there's still a chance something can go wrong, so leave the hacking to the pros.

So that's what I've been doing with my iPhone. Got any cool things you do with yours? Let me know! Comment on this post and let everyone know how you enjoy your little Apple wonder.

Taking A Look Back At Circuit City

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 08:41:00 +0000

Now I know I'm a bit late with this, but I wanted to touch on the subject anyway. As we are all well aware, Circuit City is no more. The company announced that they were closing on January 16th, 2009. All I can do is sit back in awe. Now numbers-wise, Circuit City was falling faster and faster, trying to pull itself back up from a stumbling economy. But coming from someone that worked in the store, it just comes as a shock to me. I knew all the people. The good, honest, hard working people that I worked with in the Wolfchase store for a year and a half. Now to some, that's not a long time, but this is retail. People come and go in retail like crazy, mainly because people can't handle the sales atmosphere and the repetitiveness that comes along with the job.

In my year and a half, I learned a lot. I learned that people in this world can indeed be honest and aren't always in the mood to try to get something for nothing. I also learned there are quite a few cold-hearted people that just want everything for free. I did everything that I possibly could to help the customer. Some say I'm a strange salesperson. I'm not a pushy, uptight, "buy this right now or else" kind of person. I treated my customers like I wanted to be treated if I came into the store. That meant not shoving Firedog computer services down the throat of an IT technician. I feel that's also what made me successful while I was there. People are people, not numbers. A lot of companies would get a lot farther if they would understand that and start treating us as human beings instead of dollar signs.

Another point is that although it was a retail sales job, everyone knew how to have fun at work. If it was a good movie playing on the big monitor or some music on that newest sound display in the corner, everyone had fun for the most part. I have to say that the music they played in the media department got on my nerves after the 135th time hearing it, but other than that, it helped the time go by pretty fast.

My point here is that from an individual store standpoint, I enjoyed my work. And even though it was a while back since I worked there, I still remember every bit. I remember waking up and being at work at 9:30 for the morning meetings and to put out tags that were changed overnight, going to that dinosaur or a computer and looking up prices and making sales in the DPS, doing those God-awful cycle counts and open box items, and everyones favorite Saturday night ritual of putting out tags for the ad on Sunday that took almost an hour. And I will never forget how much of a pain it was putting the security alarms on all of the digital cameras, not just at one store, but at Wolfchase AND Winchester. And then the introduction of Firedog. Everyone was so pumped up for that it was unreal. I remember when we took the entire monitor row out to make room for the tech bench. It was a welcome change, especially considering I used to do all installations on this little corner of a counter behind customer service. I used to look at Circuit City and say "This place is gonna be here forever, I swear." It's going to be a surreal feeling to go down to the Wolfcreek shopping center and look at that big maroon point coming out of the side of that strip mall with nothing on it. It was weird when that location was still on Covington Pike where Gossett Kia is now. You can still see where the big square half was sticking out of the building.

But all the memories are what we all have to get us through. If anyone that worked at Circuit City location 0871 in Memphis, Tennessee has any pictures or video, shoot me a message. Before I end this, take a look at a blast from the past.

Friend Shoots 300 at Imperial

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 04:06:00 +0000

Congrats to my friend Jason Connell on bowling his 300 game Thursday night! Here's a video I took of it.

Bowling, Websites, and Wrestling

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 20:28:00 +0000

So I haven't been able to get on here much lately, and I must say that a lot has been going on.

First, I have to let you know that on Monday, February 2nd 2009, I bowled my 4th 300 game and 2nd 800 series in the same night at Imperial Lanes here in Memphis. I had games of 300, 265 and 257 for an 822 series. I rolled the first game with my brothers Black Widow Bite, and switched over to my Storm Fired Up for the 2nd and 3rd as the lanes dried up. I have to say, I was throwing the ball very well and the lanes held up very nicely for me.

I've also been hard at work on the new Elite Wrestling Entertainment website (which can be found at www.elitewrestlingentertainment.com) and have gotten some good reviews on it so far. I've been recording the matches and uploading them to Google Videos, since YouTube will only allow me 10 minutes of record time. Go check out the website and let me know what you think!

Well that's about all I have right now. Check out the EWE website every Sunday for videos and recaps of all the action that happens every Saturday night in Ripley, TN.

New Site, Busy Times...

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 21:46:00 +0000

Just a little note to let you guys know I'm still alive over here. I've just been extremely busy with my other site I've been putting together for Elite Wrestling Entertainment. Check it out at http://elitewrestlingentertainment.blogspot.com and let me know what you think!

Special Segment: Bowlers' Attitude

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:52:00 +0000

It's happened to all of us bowlers. We get upset, we might get a little verbal, or we might even pitch a little fit. It happens from time to time when we don't meet our own expectations on the lanes. But how far is too far when it comes to your team game?
Take tonight for example. My teammate on Wednesday nights has quite the mouth on him, and I feel he let it get away from him, and it almost caused me to leave the team. I have a unique approach which causes me to stop a bit away from the foul line, and he felt that it was the cause for my misfortune in pin carry.

If he'd stop trying to see how far he can throw the damn ball over the approach, he'd f*****g carry more.

He said it more than once, and after the first time I told him that I knew what I was doing, but thanks for the feedback anyway (even though I was still ticked). It got to the point where he was badmouthing me to my other teammates, and it really got to me. It threw my game off so bad that I had the lowest series I've ever had in league play.
I'm seriously on the verge of turning in my notice to the league officers anyway because of the way the league is run, but that's a completely different story. I love bowling on Monday and Thursday nights, and I love bowling in pretty much any league out there, but I can safely say that Wednesday nights next year will be open, if I'm not bowling at another house.
Here is my point in all of this. Know the league you bowl in, and know what you're getting into before the year begins if possible. And have some common courtesy for your fellow bowlers. Offering constructive criticism from time to time is OK in my book, but don't let it get out of hand. If you or your team is having an off night, just keep your head in the game and don't let the score run you over. If you're not on the PBA tour, then bowling isn't your life. It's a game.

Ramblings for 10\27\2008

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 04:20:00 +0000

Well as you can see, I made a change to the layout slightly here on my blog, and I think it looks pretty nice. Everything is pretty much exactly how I want it now. Let me know what you guys think about it.

I started a podcast and vidcast earlier today, but had to stop because something of great importance came up. I'll be posting when the make-up show will go on here soon.

I haven't talked much about my bowling lately, and for good reason. I've been in quite a slump here lately and haven't quite figured out what is different than before. I've let my averages slip, but I'm slowly gaining ground again. I shot about average tonight, and we barely squeezed 3 games out of the set. One thing that I know will help me is new equipment. I'm a Storm guy all the way, and I know what I want. It's just a matter of getting the money to get it. I'm using a 4 year old Flash Force and a 2 year old Fired Up. Don't get me wrong, they were awesome when I first got them, but they've become worn over time and just don't hit like they used to, especially the Flash Force. I'm really looking forward to the day that I can get my new equipment and get back into contention again. Hopefully it'll be sooner than later.

I'm happy to say that our DirecTV system is working out great. We have yet to have a problem with anything, and the technical support agents have been absolutely wonderful. We found out that the HD DVR we have is the newest box they offer, and has a Media Share option built in, which basically turns it into a media extender. So, we can send movies, pictures and audio from our computers in different rooms over to the box to watch on our big screen. That's one nice feature right there. If anyone out there is trying to decide against Comcast or DirecTV, my personal opinion would be to ditch the cable and get the dish! I mean, we had the dish installed in the rain (the installer guy was awesome) and the sky was heavily overcast, and the installer told us that we might have about a 55 to 60% signal during storms like that. He ran a check on the signal, and we were at 88%. He looked at the screen and said "wow!" So did all of us. It's just a can't miss deal.

That about does it for my ramblings for today. If you have any comments for me, feel free to post them on here or shoot me a message on any IM or social site listed on the right side of the page. Pce!

We're Connected!

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 03:26:00 +0000

Well the DirecTV system is hooked up. It took almost 2 hours to figure out where we could put the dish because of this huge oak tree in our front yard, but we found a temporary place for it until we get some limbs cut away to put it where we want it.

The system is pretty nice. The only thing that I wish I had in every room was the On Demand feature on every receiver, but maybe one day we can all have the same receiver. Nothing too big though. The guy that set up the service was VERY patient, and was determined to set up our system. He even called his supervisor out here to have another opinion on what he needed to do before giving up. Then set up the dish and ran a replacement line outside in the steady rain. He was basically freakin' awesome!

I also got a message back from Comcast asking for my phone number so he can look at the account. I really don't think there is any reason to do so, because I'm very satisfied with the quality of DirecTV and even if Comcast came out and did everything they need to do, we still wouldn't be as happy as we are with this service. Now all we need is for AT&T to provision our line and activate it and we'll be completely rid of Comcast.

So basically, here's the breakdown of DirecTV and AT&T compared to Comcast:

DIRECTV AND AT&T
Equipment: $15 (HD DVR, 3 standard receivers)
Choice Xtra Package: $50 (Over 200 channels including HD)
AT&T FastAccess DSL; $48 (6.0 MB\S)
Total: $113

COMCAST
Equipment and Basic Digital Programming: $92 (Around 150 channels, not all available due to inadequate cable, HD DVR that we didn't ask for)
Comcast High-Speed Internet: $53 (6.0 MB\S)
Total: $145

Now which would you choose? It's a no-brainer.

Comcast is Trying

noreply@blogger.com (Dustin Williams) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:05:00 +0000

So I checked my e-mail earlier tonight and found an e-mail from someone I didn't know. I opened it up, and here's what I found:

Hello Dustin,

I read on this URL (http://dustinwwilliams.blogspot.com/2008/10/upgrades-coming.html) that you are switching service providers from Comcast. I decided to send you a message because I wanted to ask the reason why you are disconnecting your service. If you could please let me know, I will greatly appreciate it.

If there is anything I can do to make you change your decision, please know that I am here to assist.

Best Regards,

Mark Casem
Comcast Corp.
National Customer Operations

So Comcast saw my blog post and wants me back. Well, I sent them an e-mail back with just a few reasons we changed to DirecTV and AT&T. Here's what I said:

Well, there are a few reasons that we have chosen to discontinue the service. The main one is your customer service reps. My grandfathers name is on our account, although he passed away back in 1983. You guys have known about it, but have told us not to worry about it and leave the bill the way it is to avoid unneeded work. We called and talked to someone about changing the account over into my parents name, and they told us that all we would need is a copy of the bill with his name on it and the account number because we didn't have a death certificate.

We had our services cut off, but immediately had them turned back on, only to have our digital box not reauthorize. I called and had it reset, but then the internet wouldn't work right. So, I called back, only to have a woman tell me that the services are set for complete cut off any day. I asked her again, all we had to have was the bill with my grandfathers name, the address and account number, and she told me yes.

So we disconnect our equipment and make the 30 minute drive to the closest Comcast facility inside a Kroger store only to have the woman, who was as nice as she could be, say that we HAD to have the certificate in order to change the name or anything. We are a very busy family and we didn't have time to stand in line for hours to pay $10 to get a death certificate for someone that died in 1983 to have services changed. So we left the Comcast facility, went directly to Circuit City and set up DirecTV service, then went to AT&T and set up DSL service.

This is only the beginning of our frustrations with Comcast. The cables outside of our house, which you guys put in, are old and need to be replaced to ensure that we're getting the best picture, as well as the digital channels that we pay for. We had a technician come to the house and he told us that the cables are fine, but they're not big enough to support some of the digital features that are on the digital cable converter box. Therefore, we don't get over half of the digital channels that we're supposed to be getting. We ask him what it would take to get the lines replaces, and he tells me that it would be somewhere around $35 an outlet to replace the cable that you guys ran for free. Why should we pay you guys to replace your own cable so we can pay you for service? It would cost us around $175 just to replace the cable alone.

Not to mention the bill itself. Where we were paying over $145 a month for only one digital HD DVR (that we did not have HD service with, nor did we ask for the box to begin with) and high speed internet, we are going to be paying a little over $100 for an HD DVR box with HD service, 3 additional basic receivers and a high-end channel package from DirecTV, as well as 6.0MB AT&T DSL. So there was no contest there.

I doubt very much that there is anything that anyone could do to make us go back to Comcast. We just can't afford to pay for services that we can't receive.

Dustin Williams
www.dustinwwilliams.blogspot.com

There's just not much they can do to win us back. They've screwed us one too many times, and now it's time to move on.