Thank God for marriage!

Do you think marriage is a gas? Got thoughts? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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Although I moved from the Windy City many years ago, I am a Chicagoan. I watched baseball games at Comiskey Park before it got “Old.” I watched the ’85 Bears shuffle their way passed the New England Patriots to put an exclamation point on one of the most exciting seasons in NFL history. I know the Empire carpet jingle. And I have eaten so many Chicago hot dogs that I have sport peppers running through my veins.

It is only fitting that this fall I am returning home to run one of the best marathons in the world, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

Let the countdown begin!

Got thoughts on running the 2012 Bank of America Chicago Marathon? Are you registered? Share your comments below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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Since we had milanesas in the freezer I figured the turnip fries would be the perfect compliment. I grabbed a few spices, some parm, a bit of olive oil, and went to work.

Before you begin you’re going to need a few things. Get ‘em and proceed to the good part.

A Few Things
3-4 pounds of turnips
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon seasoned salt

The Good Part
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil and lightly grease.

2. Peel the turnips, cut them into fry-sized sticks. Place ‘em into a large bowl, and toss with the vegetable oil to coat.

3. In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese, paprika, onion powder, garlic salt, and seasoned salt.

4. Combine the seasoning with the turnips in the large bowl, put a lid on it, and give the bowl a good shake until the slices are evenly covered.

5. Dump the turnip fries onto the prepared baking sheet.

6. Bake for about 20 minutes (until the outside of the fries are crispy and the inside is tender) and serve.

From the Chef
These things were a disaster. I mean they were horrible. Seriously, these things never got crunchy. I tried baking them for an extra 15 minutes. Nothing. I tried bribing them. Nothing. I even tried frying a small batch in vegetable oil. That, too, was a colossal failure. To make matters worse, because I was trying to salvage the turnip fries I neglected the milanesas which ended up harder than plywood. Hands down this meal made my Top 5 worst culinary achievements. If you make these, I hope you have better luck than I did.

Cooking Deets
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Cost: < $3
Difficulty: Easy
Taste: ★☆☆☆☆

If you give this turnip fries recipe a try and it works would you let me know your secret? Leave a comment and/or photo below or just send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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I love the race. I ran it back in 2005 and finished in 1:38:33. Back then I was in shape and wore shoes. This time around I’m a few pounds heavier and running barefoot.

If I had to run the Indy Mini today, I’d say that my feet were not ready. Nope, the balls of my feet were rubbed pretty raw the other day after a short 5 miler. My fault. It was 37F and raining. Wet feet + fast pace + hard surface =

Seriously, they’re not as bad as the time I ran pushing a screaming baby, but future occurrences could be problematic as I train for the 2012 OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon and later the 2012 ING NYC Marathon. Thankfully I have 90+ days to go. So, I’ll just need to be more careful and less stubborn.

Whatever, wish me luck. I’m gonna need it. And if you’re interested in following along I’ve started sharing post-run feet photos in my Barefoot Chronicles. WARNING: Some of the photos are and will be gross.

Got thoughts on running the 2012 OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon barefoot? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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Needless to say, I got fat. It didn’t really hit me until I stepped on the scale and saw 2-0-0. Enough! I set goals. Got back into running. Dropped habits. And relied on an iPhone app named  Lose It! to keep my eating habits sensible.

Setting goals didn’t require an app, just a mindset and my existing support network of friends and family (thanks guys!) Running was a major part of my goal set, but didn’t require an app (or even shoes). The habit dropping sucked, but I was able to do it more easily because of this guy, not an app. What gave me the hardest time was the eating.

When I ran 50+ miles I was burning, on average, 1,000 calories a day. The average male eats 2,500 calories a day. To keep up with my exercise and maintain my weight I had to eat at least 3,500 calories. Unfortunately, as my running declined, my eating habits did not. I tried to control them, but I had no idea what foods had what calories and didn’t have a way to keep track of how many calories I was taking in. Enter the Lose It! app.

So How’s it Work?

Setup
Download the app (iPhone | Android) open it up and create a loseit.com account. Next, set up your program. Enter your weight, your target weight, your gender, height, birthday, and select how many pounds you want to lose per week (up to 2/week). Once entered, Lose It! will give you a target date and daily calorie budget (BTW, if you burn 1,000 calories and eat 1,500 your daily total is 500.)

Log Your Diet and Exercise
The rest is up to you. Each day you need to record what you eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack. Record your workouts. If you’re moving Lose It! probably has the activity (yes, including that). If you’re inputing your meals and Lose It! doesn’t have that Chez Food restaurant item on the list, you can add it to the app. If you’re cooking, you can add the ingredients as a recipe. Both will be saved for later usage. To make things even easier, if you tend to always eat coffee and rice krispies for breakfast the app let’s you choose a previous meal instead of forcing you to enter it all over again.

Badges
Earlier in the year Lose It! started gamifying their app. Basically you get badges for accomplishments like exercising 3 times a week, logging in every day for a week, or losing weight. Honestly, these didn’t do anything for me, but I know many people who thrive on badges as a motivator.

Motivators
Speaking of, Lose It! has a Motivators feature that may give you the extra motivation you need to achieve your weight loss goal. From sharing your progress with others via Facebook and Twitter to e-mailing you diet reports to sending you reminders so you don’t forget to log your program details.

Final Thoughts

Could I have lost 18 pounds without the Lose It app? Yes. But the app made it much easier to stay on task and on target. No matter where I went I always had my food and exercise log with me, and a bug in my ear telling me that I should probably put that sleeve of fig newtons down. Do I recommend the app? Absolutely. Not only because it has solid app and web interfaces, but because it is F-R-E-E! Will you absolutely lose weight? No. This app is just a resource. The real work is up to you. You make the decisions on what foods to eat and whether or not you’re going to exercise. Use the app to keep you focused and on task, use your body and mind to do the rest.

Got thoughts on Lose It? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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I’m happy to be running in the ING NYC Marathon. I am. Truly, being able to run in the race is a dream come true, but it is only part of my joy. The other part comes from the opportunity to raise money for the GO FAR (GO OUT FOR A RUN®) organization; a 10-week comprehensive fitness program initiated to help combat childhood obesity.

Over the next 286 days I’ll be ringing the donation bell in hopes of raising $2,000 to support GO FAR; to buy kids shoes and to raise awareness for childhood obesity. Fitting since I’ll be running the 26.2 mile course without shoes. There’s just one thing. I need your assistance.

Whaddya say? Can you help me out? Can you help the children out? All you have to do is click that big fat orange DONATE button, follow the simple instructions at Crowdrise (the official ING NYC Marathon charity site) and help reach our goal of $2,000 by the Nov 4, 2012 deadline.

And if you’re interested in joining the GOFAR @ NYC Marathon team visit the team page at Crowdrise, scroll down to the Team section, and click join team.

Seriously, there’s nothing in it for me. Just click the orange button and help the cause.

Gracias,

Chris

Got thoughts on the @INGNYCMarathon? Have questions about donating? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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My hard work paid off. First, I began placing in my age group at 5Ks. Then 10Ks. After a while I began placing in the overalls. Third, second, and eventually, and only once I might add, I won a 5K.

Now, years later, I am slowly gaining my competitive fervor. This time around, something has changed a bit. I run each race to win, but not against others. I race to PR.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPFMzskXZvY

I train with this mentality. I train to best my personal record. Come race day I want to destroy my slower self. Does that mean I don’t want to win? Hell no. I want to finish ahead of as many others as I can. But that won’t always be the case.

And, if you ask Reese Bobby about his famous one liner he’ll tell ya that it:

Doesn’t make any sense at all, you can be second, third, fourth…hell you can even be fifth.

And you will. Or at least I will. And I’m OK with that because the most important thing for me to remember is that I am my most difficult competitor. Everyone else is just a spectator.

Should you race to Win or PR? Share your thoughts below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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To download the Internet:

1. Go to the Internet
2. Right click
3. Select “Save As”
4. Choose your destination folder
5. Press return

Are you going to download the Internet? Leave your comments below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0FiCxZKuv8

These are the final minutes of Dr. King’s last speech, “I have been to the mountaintop.” It was given on April 3, 1968 at Mason Temple in Memphis, TN, the night before he was assassinated.

We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

Listen to Dr. King’s “I have been to the mountaintop“ speech in its entirety, and download the PDF.

Got thoughts? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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I opened the oven to find the heating element burning down like a fuse. We all stood and stared for a while as it melted and broke apart. To avoid this year’s Darwin Award I unplugged the oven and moved the party to the toaster oven.

Come Monday I swung by the local parts store, got the $40 replacement, and returned home to install it. Within five minutes I was cooking again.

To replace an oven heating element you’re going to new a 1/4″ socket screwdriver, a new heating element, and a beer. With beer in hand, open your oven and write down the model number for your oven. You’re going to need this to purchase your heating element. If you don’t have an appliance parts store in the area, just search the Internet for the part.

Unplug the oven. This should be a no brainer (and it should already be unplugged), but you have been drinking. You may also want to take this opportunity to clean the floor.

With the oven unplugged, unscrew the back panel of your oven. Mine had five screws. Who knows how many yours has. Just unscrew ‘em and remove the back panel.

Disconnect the wires from the heating element.

Open your oven, unscrew the old heating element, and gently pull it out of the oven.

Install the new heating element by inserting into the holes in the back of the inside of the oven and screwing it down tight.

Drink some beer.

Connect the wires to the new heating element. They should just slip right on.

Put the back panel back on, screw it down, then plug in your oven. Move your oven back to where it’s supposed to be and turn it on. If it doesn’t look like the image below you are a moron.

If you installed your new heating element correctly drink more beer and celebrate the fact that you know how to replace an oven heating element because you just saved yourself $100 in labor costs.

Got thoughts on how to replace an oven heating element? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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Very touching Mr. Rickman. Very touching.

Got thoughts on how much Alan Rickman <3 Harry Potter? Leave your comments below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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Photo taken by my brother many years ago during the Operation Handshake Air Show at Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base just south of Kansas City, Missouri.

Got thoughts? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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Where do I fit in?

Please note, the views expressed in this image are those of the Internet and not of this author. I’m just a guy who’s gonna get a lot of flack for posting it. Got thoughts on Twitter, Facebook, and Path? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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Have you ever typed a comment on Facebook then immediately after you’ve submitted it noticed a misspelling, a grammar mishap, or perhaps decided it probably wasn’t a good idea to call your ex-girlfriend a string of expletives? Well, if you can catch the mistake within 10 seconds you can edit your comment. Here’s how…

Step 1: Hover your mouse over the comment until the blue X appears then click the X.

Step 2: Once clicked the comment will become editable.

Step 3: Press Enter to submit the comment again.

Should you continue to make mistakes just repeat steps 1-3 until you sober up.

Got thoughts on how to edit Facebook comments? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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To sweeten the deal JustHost offers a bunch of other features including free domains for life, free setup, unlimited space and transfers, secure servers, 24/7 support, and a 30-day money back guarantee. With all this stuff how could anyone go wrong with choosing JustHost’s top-notch customer service and 99% uptime promise? I’ll tell you how.

Tech Support
About a year ago, my buddy transferred his site from GoDaddy to JustHost because GoDaddy sucked, and JustHost was running a special for around $4/mo. After the free domain transfer and setup he quickly discovered that JustHost seriously [expletive] his [expletive] up. And, after files were lost and he threatened to leave them, JustHost threw some money at the problem which seemed to appease my buddy. Nine months later, his site abruptly stopped working.

He immediately got on the phone with JustHost’s tech support. The first rep he spoke with gave him something to try, but it didn’t work so the rep put my buddy on hold and then the phone went dead. The next guy put my buddy on hold almost immediately after answering the phone and never returned. The third rep pushed the blame on my buddy telling him there was no way that JustHost could have caused the issue. Again, more dial tone. The fourth person said the opposite, but didn’t know what the issue was. Hurray! Ownership of the problem. He transferred my buddy to another guy who hung up in the middle of being asked a question. FFFFFFFFUUUUUUU! I get it. Things happen. But a company that specializes in customer service does not give someone the run around, blame them, or hang up on them. As my buddy put it,

JustHost failed in every way imaginable that day.

Uptime
When I first looked into getting a host for my blog my brother suggested JustHost. He hadn’t had any real issues in the few months he’d been with them. Thankfully, I ignored his advice and went with iPage which led to Hostmonster which led to Hostgator.  So, my brother started experiencing regular intermittent downtime. How regular? Six times a day. How intermittent? Every hour or so. How much downtime? Between 15 and 90 minutes.

Now, I’m not an MIT grad, but I can say that if you take the mean of 15 and 90 (52.5) and multiple that by the number of times the site went down (6) you get 315. Divide that by 60 and my brother’s site was down for ~5.25 hours. That means JustHost was down 21% of the time. If you didn’t draw your own conclusion I’ll go ahead and do it for you, my brother ditched JustHost.

Final Thoughts
JustHost Sucks. Not because two people I know had bad experiences, but because thousands of people are saying JustHost sucks at the two things the company prides themselves on. Come on JustHost. People pay money for your service to work, not for 79% uptime and Peggy-esque customer service. Is it really too much to ask to get what you advertise? Apparently it is.

There are plenty of other web hosting companies that offer shared hosting without the issues. I’m currently using Hostgator. Is it perfect? No. On a high volume day it’ll take a few moments for some pages to load. I get this. I don’t like it, but I get it. It’s what I expect from being on a shared server. It’s when I pay for webhost that is continually down, provides little to no customer support, and shows almost no concern for getting things back in order that I get a bit perturbed. Trust me, if (when) Hostgator goes south, so will my opinion of the service.

Do you have thoughts on JustHost, iPage, Hostmonster, Hostgator, Bluehost, or any other webhosting service share ‘em below or send me in an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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Interested, she ordered the $97 kit, set up a website, and waited for the money to roll in. Before long, Feeney was earning an incredible $6,795/month, and doing interviews with NBC and CNBC. Tell me more!

The Home Wealth Formula was created by Michelle Starr (of the TradeMichelles internet marketing group ) and it is quickly growing in popularity. The program is geared towards those who are new to the Internet, and is marketed as an easy solution to make big bucks from home.

Now for the bad news: Home Wealth Formula is an Internet scam.

The Bait
Take a look at the CNBC web article (it was taken down on 1/12/12) featuring Feeney. Notice anything about the URL? The article is hosted at CNBC-financing.be. .be is the Internet country code top-level domain for Belgium. CNBC.com is hosted in the U.S.

Now open up CNBC.com in a separate browser window and compare the two sites. The real CNBC.com uses a small and appropriately sized font. CNBC.be uses a font so big, my nearly blind mother would reduce the text size in order to read it.

If you actually do read the article you’ll see a very questionable Home Wealth Formula URL (id12941281workathome.php) linked six times by the article’s author. Seriously, no one links to a site six times in the same article, especially a respected journalist like

BTW, I’m pretty sure she didn’t write the article, but you can e-mail her and ask if you’d like.

And then there’s the NBC 10 news piece with Ms. Feeney working from home, playing with her kids at the park, and enjoying her newfound wealth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe7bc7IpImA

While I can’t tell you if this video is an actual news piece, I can tell you that it’s been posted to YouTube a number of times by a number of different users. The above video has been viewed over a million times, is private, and does not allow commenting. < — flag alert!

Perhaps the biggest waviest flag is something you probably wouldn’t recognize unless you viewed the article in two different cities. Have a look. Head back to the article (it was taken down on 1/12/12). Move your cursor to any area outside of the article, RIGHT CLICK, and select VIEW PAGE SOURCE. Next, hit CMD+F (Mac) or CTRL+F (PC) and search for “Feeney.” You’ll be taken to a paragraph starting with “Patricia Feeney of” and then a bit of code:

Basically, the code changes Ms. Feeney’s hometown in the article and in the title depending on where the article is being read. For poops and giggles, travel to a neighboring town and open the article. Ms. Feeney lives everywhere!

The Scam
If you click one of the six links and make it to the actual Home Wealth Formula home page the site will start you off with…

…then promise

And then “securely” take your money.

How the Internet Scam Spreads
An Internet scam travels the world in seconds. I came across the faux CNBC article when a friend shared it via Twitter. Since this person isn’t one to fall for such things I inquired and got a

What is that? I never posted that link!

Someone had hacked his account and began sending out Tweets promoting the service. Well, if you aren’t so lucky, happen to read the article, and click the link to the home page, you’ll be taken to a form asking for your name and e-mail prior to being taken to the main webpage. This form will save your information, spoof your e-mail address, and blast tens of thousands of people with a message from you promoting the scam. Not as cool as hacking your Twitter or Facebook account, but it works just the same.

Protect Yourself
Do some legwork. If you happen to come across a similar website promoting a similar program and you’re not sure if they’re legit I recommend you visit Snopes or the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and search for the company to see if they have any complaints. At the very least Google the company and add the keywords “scam” or “complaints.” And if after all that you still want to give someone your money feel free to click the DONATE button to the right. I’ll take whatever you’re willing to give.

Got thoughts on how to spot an Internet scam, Home Wealth Formula, or other Internet “get rich quick” scams? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com. And if you know someone who might just fall for these kind of scams, I suggest you share this post with them.

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When I showed my niece this text from Santa she immediately reacted…

…with a bribe. We should all thank my niece for saving Christmas.

Got thoughts on Pulling the Santa Card? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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After 3 long years of losing the lottery, I’m finally getting a chance to run the ING NYC Marathon on November 4, 2012. I couldn’t be more stoked. Even more, this will be my first barefoot marathon.

Running the @INGNYCMarathon also provides me with an opportunity to raise money for the GO FAR (GO OUT FOR A RUN®) organization; a 10-week comprehensive fitness program initiated to help combat childhood obesity. If you’re feeling generous just click the big DONATE button and help me reach my goal of $2,000 by the Nov 4, 2012 deadline.

And if you’re in the area, please feel free to give me a shout out when I pass you by.

Got thoughts on the ING NYC Marathon? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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This past Christmas, my wife and I took our toddler son, @bebeJosito, to meet up with family. By the end of the trip I felt like the fattest of Alberts competing in some Japanese reality show where I’m being repeatedly punched in the junk by cast iron boxing gloves mounted on spring-loaded meerkats.

To give you a taste of what I went through here’s a brief description of one fraction of one morning out of seven mornings that I firmly believe were spawned from the depths of Nicholas Cage hell.

6:32 AM. Jose wakes up, pops his head, and mutters, “Mama?” To which my wife replies,”I’m right here.” He then turns to me and says,”Dada.” And I cordially reply, “Yeah, bud?” The little fella giggles, waddles his butt, then lays his head back down with a mischievous grin whispering “Night night” into his pillow. Once we recognize his decision and return our eyes to the closed position, my son pops his head back up and continues to call out for “mama” and “papa.” Over and again, six or seven times, until eventually my wife and I give in to the fact that sleep time is over. A mere 8 minutes into our morning and the Magic 8 ball concurs, today is most likely going to be a long, roshambo kind of day.

6:40 AM. My wife stays with Jose and I jump in the shower since I’m in no shape to run as I’m still feeling the 12 meals worth of meet-and-greet food from the night before. Not long after I turn up the water I hear my son repeatedly saying “no” to my wife’s suggestion for pato pato (to him this means bath, to the rest of the Spanish speaking world it means duck). He shakes and wiggles his way out of her arms, but not before she manages to peel off his pajamas, pee-soaked diaper included. I’m then handed a reluctant and very vocal toddler. Soap, shampoo, kick to the face, rinse, punch to the eye, repeat, and he’s back with mom. Now, just 13 minutes in, I finish my business, get dressed, and tap my wife’s hand for my turn in the ring.

6:53 AM. By now my nieces are awake and eager to play. Me, I just want coffee. Jose and I head upstairs. “Neow. Neow.” He sees Egon, my sister’s black and white cat. “Neow.” My son cries out again with a “puppy with two peters” smile on his face. He proceeds to pet Egon gently, then less gently, then flat out grabs a chunk of the old cat’s back. Egon opts not to turn the other cheek and “Neow” turns to full on tears followed by cries for “Mama” (who is still getting ready). Jose waves his hand in front of everyone and is given healing kisses in return. “Neow.” He’s back to petting Egon. My day is only 22 minutes old and I’m ready to call it a night.

Got thoughts on traveling with a toddler? Got a story to share? Leave a comment below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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…with snow

Got thoughts on my new year’s post? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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I didn’t run every day this past year, but I did get my health in order. My running is up, weight is down, and chewing is out. For 2012 I’d like to ride that momentum and start something new. If you’re game I suggest you run an #Anywhere5k with me.

The premise is simple. Instead of enduring the hassles of organized road races (registration fees, waking up at the butt crack of dawn, and getting lost on your way to the start line) I propose you just roll out of bed and run an #Anywhere5k from wherever you are.

The rules are simple:

1. Run a 5k anywhere you’d like.
2. Post your time and location (city, state, and/or country) on Twitter.
3. Add the hashtag #Anywhere5k. *If you run other distances swap out 5k with 10k, 13one, or 26two.
4. (optional) Add a photo or details of your run.

21:18 in NC #Anywhere5k

— y2kemo (@y2kemo) December 31, 2011

What are you waiting on? Become an active member of the Anywhere5k Facebook page, follow @Anywhere5k on Twitter, and let’s all GOFAR in 2012!

Got thoughts on the Anywhere5K? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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If you loved Super 8, then you’ll love what J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg have in store for Summer 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozp_34k3QqI

Got thoughts on the new Super 8 movie? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com. BTW, if you’re interested in making a Super 8 video just download the app!

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For their latest UnTextMe spot, two dudes from UNCG baked a cake theme, sprinkled it with holiday cheer, and iced it with t-e-x-t. Is it as delicious as it sounds? You be the judge.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR9gEHLskmM

Leave your review of the video below then head over to the dude’s YouTube page to learn more about this and other vids they’ve made.

Got thoughts? Feel free to share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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When WordPress 3.3 was released there were some issues with plugins bleeding into my dashboard. I searched for answers in the forums and got the usual “Deactivate your plugins, your theme, your blog, etc.” Not helpful. Then I came across the Hotfix plugin.

This little gem provides fixes for specific WordPress bugs so users don’t have to wait for the next WordPress core release. Will it fix every bug? No. Fixes are specific to your version of WordPress. So if you update and don’t notice anything different it may be that your version of WordPress has no fixes or that the specific fix you’re needing wasn’t included. Relax. Just keep the plugin activated and updated. You never know when you might need it.

The only thing I don’t like is the lack of dashboard support for a list of current fixes. Until the developers include this feature, you can see what’s being fixed on the plugin’s “Other Notes” page.

If you’re still interested head over to the plugin directory and download the Hotfix plugin.

Got thoughts? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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If you need to go somewhere in a hurry, head over to Ticket-O-Matic, fill out the form, and print off your First Class ticket. You’ll be airborne in no time.

It’s also a great way to give the gift of flight to a friend or loved one. *wink*

Got thoughts? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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Merry Christmas and Happy Christmahanakwanzika!

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Ever since I was little I’ve drawn on my walls. Thanks to IdeaPaint I’m able to continue that practice as a grown up @work by buying into their philosophy.

When you’re confined to the space of a typical whiteboard, your ideas are destined to be small. IdeaPaint turns virtually anything you can paint into a high-performance dry-erase surface, giving you the space you need to collaborate, interact and fully explore your creativity. No matter where you use it, big ideas follow.

Installation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE5w7dZCeXY

Step 1: Prep
Open your IdeaPaint kit and use the tape to prep your surface edges and corners. Prime the surface and let it dry. When it is, sand it down and make it as smooth as possible. Do not skimp on this step. If you do, you might as well just give me the money you’re thinking of spending on IdeaPaint.

Step 2: Mix
Mixing the paint is as easy as pouring “this” can into “that” can and stirring. Pretty ingenious really.

Step 3: Paint
If you haven’t yet figured out that you need to open a window, now’s a good time to do so. The fumes are about to get really strong and you will probably pass out if you don’t ventilate your painting environment. With windows open and fans on go ahead and paint your surface from one side to the other about 3′ at time.

Step 4: Wait
Once applied it takes about a week for IdeaPaint to cure so hang the provided “Wet Paint” sign, grab some snacks, pull up a chair, and watch the IdeaPaint dry.

Step 5: Write
Grab an EXPO and get to drawing or innovating or whatever it is you want to do.

Download instructions PRO | CRE-8

My take

I used IdeaPaint CRE-8 on a 14′ x 8′ wall in my office at work. Well, I didn’t. It was installed by a state-contracted painter who didn’t spend enough time sanding the wall down after priming. As a result of his carelessness, I’ve got rough spots that don’t take too kindly to being erased.

Despite this fact, IdeaPaint is pretty awesome. I’ve been using it for over a year and it works as advertised. Is it worth the $500 pricetag? Absolutely. Well, as long as it’s done right. And if it is done right and you maintain it as instructured, you’ll get a 10-year or lifetime warranty that guarantees the paint won’t crack, peel, stain, yellow or fade.

Seriously, if you’re still on the fence I recommend you get down and order yourself some IdeaPaint. It’s totally worth it.

Got thoughts on IdeaPaint? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com. For more information follow IdeaPaint, check them out on Facebook, or have a look at their blog.

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(Left to Right: Osama Skywalker, Kim Jong Yoda, Obi-Wan Hussein)

Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.

Got thoughts on my latest Photoshopped ridiculousness? Leave your comments, images, and videos below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

This is a post from y2kemo

Over the years I’ve done plenty of searches like you probably did to get here, and I’ve tried out hundreds of recommended plugins. Very few have stuck around. In fact, my list of active plugins is a mere 31. Do I use all of them all of the time? No. But I’ve grown fond of some over the years.

While the below plugins aren’t my top WordPress plugins of the year, they certainly make my short list of honorable mentions. So whether you’re just getting started, or you’ve been around for a while you should take a look before you get on with your life.

jQuery lazy load plugin by Andrew Ng [link] Lazy Load is a jQuery plugin that delays images from loading in long web pages in order to speed up the loading of your page. Basically, all of the images outside of the viewport (visible part of a page) aren’t loaded until the user scrolls to them (which is opposite of image preloading).

Using Lazy Load on long pages containing many large images makes the page load faster, and the browser will be in ready state after loading visible images. In some cases it can also help to reduce server load.

Revision Control by Dion Hulse [link] Revision Control is a plugin which gives you more control over post/page revision functionality. It allows  you to set a site-global setting (Settings -> Revisions) for pages/posts to enable/disable/limit the number of revisions which are saved for the page/post. Even more granular, you can change this setting on a per-page/post basis from the Revisions Meta box.

I got this plugin because my revisions were getting out of control. So I used it to delete specific revisions via the Revisions post metabox. As a result of reducing the number of revisions, I’ve been able to significantly cut down database overhead.

Google Analyticator by Ronald Heft [link] Google Analyticator adds the Google Analytics code snippet to your blog eliminating the need for you to edit your template.  It also includes several widgets for displaying Analytics data in the admin dashboard on your blog, and for visitors on your posts and pages.

More stuff it does: Supports standard Google Analytics tracking via the latest async tracking methods; Includes an admin dashboard widget that displays a graph of the last 30 days of various info; Includes a widget that can be used to display visitor stat information on the front-end; Supports outbound link tracking of all links on the page; Supports download link tracking; Supports event tracking with outbound links/downloads; Support site speed tracking; Allows hiding of Admin; and Supports localization for the settings page.

Some people like Yoast’s Google Analytics for WordPress, but I’m more than satisfied with Analyticator.

Search Everything by  Dan Cameron of Sprout Venture [link] Search Everything increases the ability of the default WordPress Search by giving you the ability to search every page, every tag, every custom taxonomy, every category, every comment, every draft, every excerpt, every attachment, and every custom field. It literally does search everything.

The plugin gives you the ability to exclude posts and categories from searches, can be limited to approved comments, is limited to non-password protected pages, and will highlight search terms within results if you so choose.

Advertising Manager by Scott Switzer. When it was supported (before it got dumped off on OpenX) Ad Manager was the bomb. Now, I’m just praying it stays compatible with future versions of WordPress (so far so good with 3.3). If you’d like to try it out download the plugin and then follow these installation instructions (thanks @UdegbunamChuks!)

Once installed Ad Manager will let you put ads in posts/pages via shortcodes and includes a widget to make putting it on widget-supported sidebars, footers, etc. much easier. If you have ads, this plugin is the bomb!

Partial Protect with Passwords by Cambridge New Media Services [link] This plugin is no longer supported, but you might be able to get help over at Your Members Forums or on Rob Cooper’s blog post about the plugin. You can also try Password Content ShortCode [link] by ZetRider which works about the same. Basically it allows you to password protect content within a post or page wherever you use the plugin’s shortcode. Click the image below for an example.

Final Thoughts

While you will undoubtedly benefit from every one of my top 10 WordPress plugins, it wouldn’t hurt to give these honorable mentions a go. I wouldn’t have ‘em if I didn’ t use ‘em, and I wouldn’t use ‘em if they didn’t meet a need.

Got thoughts on my honorable mentions for top WordPress plugins? Feel free to share your thoughts below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

This is a post from y2kemo

If you’re wondering how you can misplace your sanity and create a sleigh for your baby jogger in order to fill it with a kid you’ve dressed a dog so you can dress up as the Grinch and run a 5K then let me enlighten you. You’re going to need a few hours, a craft person (should you not be), and about $20 in supplies.

To begin, you could take the time to draw up plans so your project will go more smoothly, but you’ll probably just end up abandoning those plans and getting drunk. I recommend you just wing it like I did. Seriously, it’s not that hard. Get an model sleigh, and then buy supplies to match that example.

To build my sleigh I put my son in the baby jogger and the two of us strolled through the aisles of Hobby Lobby looking for supplies based on the ornamental sleigh pictured to the right.

Supplies
Baby jogger (BOB Revolution SE)
3 sheets of 24×30 inch, 1/4″ thick red foam board
1 wooden dowel, 3/8″ x 36″
2 wooden dowels, 1/2″ x 36″
1 package of 3/8″ acorn dowel caps
1 package of 1/2″ dowel caps
1 roll of red duct tape
1 roll of gold duct tape
Gold paint
Quick-dry adhesive, removable glue, razor, self healing cutting mat, scissors, ruler, pencil, and measuring tape*

*Already owned

Directions

With parts in hand, meet up with your crafty friend and start working.

1. Put the foam board up against the side of the baby jogger white side out, and mark where your sleigh needs to begin (back) and end (front).

2. Lay your foam board on a flat surface and draw the sleigh pattern. When you’re satisfied with how it looks, put it back up against the jogger to make sure that everything looks good.

3. Cut the foam board with a razor. Be sure to put something underneath (like a self healing cutting mat) so you don’t destroy your dining room table. You’ll probably need to retrace the cut one or two times so that the two parts come apart without any pulling (seriously, don’t rip the pieces apart).

4. Repeat the drawing/cutting process for the other side.

5. Using your gold duct tape pull out a piece that is long enough to run the length of your sleigh’s side, then cut a slit at the end in the middle and pull the strip down to the roll. Once you have you’ve reached the roll then cut, not the other way around. This is where a second person really comes in handy because once duct tape sticks to itself it tends to stay that way.

6. Place the halved strip of duct tape along the front side of the foam board. This will keep the ugly slits you’re about to make from showing up.

7. Turn the foam board over and begin to fold the duct tape over the foam board.

8. Using a pair of scissors, cut slits into the tape wherever there is a curve. This will allow you to shape the tape around each curve.

9. Repeat the trim-taping process for the other piece of foam board.

10. Your sleigh frame will rest on the front of the baby jogger so you’re going to need to cut out a piece for the front. Place the two sides in between the tire and the jogger frame as tightly as you can. Measure the distance between the two sides by the front tire.

11. Now, measure the third piece of foam board and cut it to fit. Take it back to the jogger, measure the placement of the cut out (where the foam board will rest on the baby jogger frame), then cut the rectangular piece out. Use gold tape to trim the top, and red tape to trim the bottom.

12. Lay the front piece in between the two sides at an angle. Run a pencil along the inside of the two sides to mark where you will glue the front piece. Cut a piece of red tape to fill the white space between the gold trim and the pencil mark.

13. Cut a 1/4″ runner for both sides. You will use this to hold the front piece in place. Glue the two pieces to the sleigh sides.

14. One side at a time, glue the front piece to the inside of the sleigh frame, then tape it down with red tape.

Now you need to determine where your wooden dowels will go. To ensure stability I used three. One will go on the back of the sleigh. Be sure it’s low enough that your child won’t lay against it, and high enough to zip tie it to something. The second will go in the middle, under the seat of the jogger. I ran mine along a bar so I could zip tie the sleigh to the frame. The third dowel will go along side the front piece of foam board and across the top of the frame.

15. Cut the dowels the width of the sleigh frame and be sure to compensate for the 1/4″ width of each of the sides and the depth of the dowel caps (which varies depending on the width of the dowel).

16. Using a punch down tool (or a pencil), create a hole that is large enough for the dowel. Don’t worry, the dowel caps will cover any minor blemishes. Run your dowels through, add the caps, and make sure everything fits snuggly.

17. Paint the dowel caps gold and let them dry.

18. Run the front and back dowels through the sleigh and glue the caps on. Since you’re going to make the sleigh frame removable, you won’t add the middle dowel just yet.

19. Take the middle dowel and glue one cap on one of the sides of the dowel. For the other side use your removable glue. This will allow the cap to stay on when you need it to, but will allow you to remove it as necessary.

20. Now that your sleigh frame is all done, just slide it over the top of your baby jogger, throw on your Grinch costume, strap your antlered child into the sleigh, and GO FAR!

That’s all it took. No plans. Just a couple of hours, a couple of people, and $20. If you give it a try, leave a comment below with a picture or two, and let me know how it turned out.

Got thoughts? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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I came across this the other morning while looking at my WordPress statistics.  A little digging (i.e. a two second google search) and it turns out “unknown search terms” is privacy related. According to WordPress.com’s support page:

Some search engines don’t reveal search terms for privacy reasons. That’s why we don’t always know which search terms were used by visitors who arrived at your site from a search engine. When we don’t know the search terms, we show them as “Unknown search terms”.

So I guess when you ask for privacy, sometimes you actually get privacy. There’s comfort in that I suppose.

So if you were wondering what unknown search terms were, now you know. Got thoughts? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

This is a post from y2kemo

Two years ago I braved sub-freezing temperatures, and ran the race dressed as a present. This year, I wanted to run in the cold as a cold-hearted character—the Grinch. In order to do so I was gonna need a sled, an antler, and a costume.

Obviously, the Grinch costume was the most important component, and that’s where I started. I looked online and found one for $80. Too expensive. I also found a guy who made his own latex mask. Too hard. Then I remembered a local costume shop. I stopped by and as luck would have it, the guy had one. I reserved the costume and moved to part two: the sled.

In my head I knew what I wanted to create. So instead of drawing up plans I threw bebeJosito in his baby jogger, and the two of us strolled through the aisles of Hobby Lobby looking for supplies. Not long after entering the store I came across an ornamental sleigh and used it as a model.

Fifteen minutes later I had everything I needed: three sheets of 24×30 inch sheets of 1/4″ red foam board, one 3/8″ x 36″ wooden dowel, two 1/2″ x 36″ wooden dowels, 1 package of 3/8″ acorn dowel caps, 1 package of 1/2″ dowel caps, a roll of red duct tape, and a roll of gold duct tape.

With parts in hand, all I had to do was create the sleigh. For this I left bebeJosito with his mom (thanks honey!), and hit up my crafty friend, Lynn. First the sides, then the front, and finally the stabilizers.  To make things pretty we (and by “we” I mean Lynn) ran the gold duct tape along the edges of the foamboard. Two hours later, only finishing touches remained. Lynn offered to take care of ‘em, and bring the sleigh to the race the following week. Time for part three: the antler.

bebeJosito wears antlers, once

In the book, the Grinch grabs a stick and fastens it to his dog as an antler. In real life, fastening a stick to a child’s head and keeping it there is nearly impossible. With this factoid understood I searched Target and Wal-Mart for alternative antlers before purchasing a headband that bebeJosito refused to wear (for longer than a photo opp). Whatever, I’d see how he felt on race day. For now, I had a wooden antler and a headband alternative. My project was complete.

On race day, I met up with Lynn and secured the sleigh to the BOB with zip ties. Thirty minutes later I was in my costume and my son was buckled in the sleigh sans antler. With my wife, sister, brother-in-law, and niece in the lead we made our way to the start line. A quick countdown and we were off.

It didn’t take long before I hit my first bump, literally. About a tenth of a mile in I went off road to make my way around a pack of kids and the foam board at the rear of the sleigh (the only part not zip-tied down) dropped down onto the baby jogger’s axle. Instead of stopping I reached down and made a quick adjustment (which I had to repeat every 1/4 mile).

By mile one the Grinch mask was making it very difficult to breathe. So difficult that I took it off for the time being. Finally able to breathe, I finished the downhill, turned the corner and proceeded up a long gradual incline. Jose pointed out a dog, “woofed twice,” and we continued on a straightaway. Down a short hill, up another, across an intersection, up another hill, quick turn to the left, and finally back to the right. With a tenth of a mile to go I slowed down enough to put my mask and Santa hat back on <– for the photos.

bebeJosito and I crossed the finish line at 23:36 (7:33 pace). At the award ceremony afterwards I won the $50 prize for Best Costume, finished 5th in my age group, and 30th overall. Not bad for a Grinch.

Click a photo to enlarge

Got thoughts? Run barefoot? Share your thoughts below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com. If you want to know more about putting the sleigh together stay tuned.

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If you’re a podcaster looking to cut down the production time, and you have an iOS device, then follow these steps to getting your podcasts recorded and out the door with little effort.

1. Record your podcast in Garage Band

Garage Band ($4.99 | universal | iTunes). Share your Garage Band project as a podcast. Or create a radio-style show entirely in Garage Band. Record and edit a voiceover, add sound effects and jingles, and record interviews. You can even use built-in audio enhancement to sound like a professional radio host.

When you’re done recording, tap the Export Song button  and select Mail.

2. Email your podcast to Dropbox

Dropbox (free | universal | iTunes). Until Dropbox supports this natively, you’ll need to set up an account with a service like AirDropper or SendToDropbox. Since I use the latter I’ll explain how to get it set up.

Go to SendToDropbox, Click Connect to Dropbox, Click Allow, Add the email address to your contact list, and use it to export your podcast from Garage Band to Dropbox.

3. Use GoodReader…

GoodReader ($4.99 | iPhone | iPad). For this step you’ll need to make sure that Dropbox is configured in GoodReader. To do this tap Web Downloads –> Connect to Servers –> configure Dropbox.

Once you’ve configured the connection, open up the Dropbox folder with your podcast (with SendToDropbox the file will be in the Attachment folder by default) and save the podcast file in the GoodReader app .

4. to transfer your podcast to Libsyn

Libsyn (hosting plans start at $5/mos). You’ll need to set up an FTP Server connection for Libsyn. To do this tap Web Downloads –> Connect to Servers –> configure FTP Server.

Once you’ve got the Libsyn connection configured, find the podcast, and upload it to Libsyn. (For more on their podcast hosting service visit their website and/or follow @Libsyn on Twitter).

5. Edit your XML with Textastic

Textastic Code Editor. ($9.99 | iPad only | iTunes) Textastic is a fast and versatile text editor with powerful support for syntax highlighting. Use it to connect to your Libsyn FTP server so you can update the XML file for your podcast.

FYI, this is the only step that is iPad only. There’s a free universal app that has been growing in popularity called Codeanywhere. Though I’m not familiar enough with it to recommend it you’re going to need a similar app if you wanted to go iPhone or iPod touch only with your podcasting.

Done

That’s it. You’re done. I know. I know. That seems like a lot of work. Initially, it is. But once the apps and services are configured iOS podcasting is snap.

Did you give this a try? Have a better approach to podcasting from an iOS device? Share your comments below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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Over the years I’ve done plenty of similar searches and tried out tons of plugins. Very few have stuck around. In fact, my list of active plugins is a mere 31. Do I use all of them all of the time? No. But the ones below get plenty of mileage.

1. Widget Logic by Alan Trewartha [link] This is my new favorite plugin as it gives every widget an extra control field called “Widget logic” that lets you control the pages and posts that the widget will appear on. The text field lets you use WP’s conditional tags, or any general PHP code. There is also an option to add a wordpress ‘widget_content’ filter which lets you tweak standard widgets to suit your theme without editing plugins and core code.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4f-Zp8iWps

2. WPtouch Pro by Dale Mugford & Duane Storey (BraveNewCode) [link] WPtouch Pro ($$) automatically transforms your WordPress blog into an iPhone/iPad application-style theme, complete with ajax loading articles and effects (when viewed from iPhone, iPod touch, Android, Palm Pre, Samsung touch and BlackBerry Storm/Torch mobile devices). The admin panel allows you to customize its appearance in order to deliver a fast, stylish, and user-friendly version of your site to mobile visitors (and without modifying any code or changing your regular desktop theme. For more check out WPtouch Pro Rocks! and watch BNC’s demo of version 2.0.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HezeKQyc8A8

3. W3 Total Cache by Frederick Townes [link] Make your site load faster with the most complete WordPress performance framework. Basically, W3 Total Cache improves the user experience of your site by improving your server performance, caching every aspect of your site, reducing the download times and providing transparent content delivery network (CDN) integration. The admin panel can be a little intimidating which is why I recommend following this guide.

4. WordPress SEO by Joost de Valk [link] WordPress SEO is used to improve your site’s SEO. While WordPress SEO plugin goes the extra mile to take care of all the technical optimization, it’s really intended to help you write better content (so the SEO works). The plugin forces you to choose a focus keyword when you’re writing your articles, and then makes sure you use that focus keyword everywhere. It’s more than just a writing tutor. WordPress SEO will let you configure meta robots settings, set the correct canonical link on each post and page, set breadcrumb appearance, clean up permalinks, generate XML sitemaps, enhance RSS feeds, edit robots.txt and .htaccess files, clean up your header, and more. So, whether you want to go with WordPress SEO 100% you need to at least try it. And when you do be sure to head over to Joost’s how-to article for configuration.

5. Jetpack by WordPress.com [link] Jetpack is basically a Swiss Army Plugin with features that include: WordPress.com Stats, a simple, concise stats plugin with no additional load on your server (previously provided by WordPress.com Stats); email subscriptions for your blog’s posts and your post’s comments; WP.me URL shortener; hovercard popups for your commenters via Gravatar; shortcodes to embed media from sites like YouTube, Digg, and Vimeo; a means to include mathematical expressions in posts; a recent tweets widget (previously provided by Wickett Twitter Widget); easy sharing of posts via email or social networks (previously provided by Sharedaddy); After the Deadline, an artificial intelligence based spell, style, and grammar checker (previously provided by the After the Deadline); and more in the works. It’s a sweet plugin that you’d be foolish not to install.

6. WordTwit Pro by Dale Mugford & Duane Storey (BraveNewCode) [link] WordTwit Pro ($$) lets you schedule and publish tweets about your posts to Twitter account/s automatically. Easily add or remove hashtags to your outgoing tweets with a click or choose from a pool of your most recent hashtags. Once published you can use the Tweet Log to reveal previously published and scheduled tweets. If need be, you can also use the plugin to retweet and re-schedule your tweets.

7. Sharebar by Monjurul Dolon [link] You know those floating social sharebars that appear on sites like Digg and Mashable? With Sharebar you can add your own dynamic and fully customizable floating vertical box to a blog post that contains links/buttons to popular social networking sites. If the page is resized below 1000px (default), the vertical bar disappears and a horizontal sharebar appears under the post title. The only downside to Sharebar is that it hasn’t been updated in a while and it can’t be minified. If you’re looking for a floating social bar with support check out CevherShare by WPUsta. It is identical to Sharebar. BTW, if you want to see Sharebar in action just look to the left.

8. Yet Another Related Posts Plugin by Mitcho [link] YARPP gives you a list of posts and/or pages related to the current entry, introducing the reader to other relevant content on your site. Key features include: An advanced and versatile algorithm that figures out the best posts to recommend;  a templating system that lets you configure how your posts are displayed; related posts in RSS feeds; disallowing certain tags or categories; and total control over posts and pages.

9. WP-DB Manager by Lester ‘GaMerZ’ Chan [link] Allows you to optimize, repair, backup, and restore your database as well as delete database backups, drop/empty tables, and run selected queries. Sure you could probably do this from your host’s control panel, but this is way easier. Besides the plugin also supports automatic scheduling of backing up, optimizing and repairing of database. Eat that control panel!

10. Smart Youtube by Vladimir Prelovac [link] Smart Youtube is a plugin that allows you to easily insert YouTube videos/playlists in your post, comments and in RSS feed. Most recently Prelovac added support for Vimeo, Metacafe, Liveleak, and Facebook videos (NICE!). Smart Youtube also supports high quality videos, works on the iPhone/iPad, produces xHTML valid code (unlike YouTube embed code), allows you to view videos in fullscreen, supports YouTube playlists (normal/HD) as well as the new Youtube IFRAME embed code.

Example: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00000000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DPKf7y1F-Q

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re just starting your WordPress-powered site or you’ve been at it for a while you will benefit from every one of my top 10 WordPress plugins. They’ve helped make blogging easier for me and the experience better for visitors (like you). Still not sold? Then I give you my “stick my head up a bull’s a$$” guarantee!

Got thoughts on my top 10 wordPress plugins? Feel free to share your thoughts below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com. So what didn’t make the list? Stay tuned for my list of Honorable Mentions: Best WordPress Plugins for 2011

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I’m actually quite surprised by how well the app was designed. And really impressed by its features: game center with real-time scoring and player stats, play-by-play updates, drive charts and a fantasy tracker to keep tabs on your fantasy team (from any team). I can only think of two things the app is lacking: Ditka and the Superbowl Shuffle.

So what can it do?

Want breaking news? Real-time stats for every drive? The latest press conferences and video features? In-game blogs and the ability to track your fantasy team? This is the app for you. Take, for example, the most recent 10-3 loss to Kansas City. If you fire up the app you can keep track of Matt Forte’s health, Lovie Smith’s take on signing a quarterback, and whether or not Denver intends to kick to Hester (please kick to Hester, please kick to Hester). And when you’re watching the Bears D stick it to Denver, use your iPhone/Android phone to follow the game’s every down with play-by-play updates, live scoring, and team stats. BTW, if you’re looking for a way to keep track of Tebow’s Tebows this app probably isn’t for you.

What exactly does the app do?

• News: Real-time breaking news, previews of upcoming matchups, and Larry’s in-game blog
• Video: Bears’ press conferences, features and analysis from each game
• Photos: Galleries from each game
• Stats: Real-time play-by-play, stats and scores, head-to-head stats of the matchup, player stats, drive-by-drive stats, box score, and out-of-town scores around the league
• Fantasy: Keep track of your fantasy players regardless of their team
• Standings: Division and conference standings
• Social media: Aggregated twitter of all of Bears official twitter feed, check in to the stadium on game-day, one-click tweet of all media items, one-click facebook posting of all media items
• Schedule: Schedule of upcoming games, and scores/stats of previous games from the season, ticket purchase for games
• Depth chart
• Injury report

How do I get the app?

• Text the word BEARS to 51288
• Search for the “Chicago Bears” in the Android Market or Apple App Store
• Scan the special QR code –>
• Just click on these links (Android | iPhone)

For more on da Bears follow @ChicagoBearsCom on Twitter for updates or visit www.chicagobears.com. If your app breaks or you can’t figure something out then follow @yinzcam for updates and/or feedback.

Got thoughts on the Chicago Bears app? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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In ’05, I crossed the finish line at 53:20 (7:47 pace) coming in 20 out of 186. The following year, after recovering from a calf injury, I finished 35 out of 254 in a time of 56:09. Five years later, sporting Vibram KomodoSports, a few extra pounds, and a bit of facial hair, I decided it was time to give the race another go.

Coming off the high (and training) of the Army Ten Miler and OBX Marathon I asked a buddy if he was interested in running Cedarock. He agreed, and we prepped with a 10K run through the woods near Lake Brandt the day after Thanksgiving. I’m not sure if it was the turkey or the trails, but by the end of our run I looked at my buddy and said,

Dude, I thought I was in shape, but these trails kicked me in the pants.

Needless to say, I wasn’t feeling too confident about the coming race. The good news, however, was that I was able to knock out the run in Vibrams (my longest trail run in my non-shoe shoes). And the even better news…my hip wasn’t giving me too much trouble.

The following week I made the drive out to Cedarock. Signed up, warmed up, hit the head, and hit the trails. The first 1/4 mile was on asphalt and the next 1/8 was through an open field. I like when trail runs start out like this because they allow you a short bit of time to get further up the chain in preparation for the dreaded single file line. The downside, you will expend a lot of energy getting jockeying for position. And I did.

A mile in and I was running at 8:30 pace. Half mile later I passed up the first water station in favor of passing a few more folks. Two miles in and my pace picked up to ~ 8:15. I fell, recovered, and was back at it. Vibrams were holding up well. I particularly enjoyed not having to navigate around creeks or mud pits. Unlike my shoe-wearing competitors, I just ran straight through ‘em.

Mile 4 was preceded by a rocky downhill leading to the waterfall water station. It was somewhat technical, but having Vibrams made maneuvering the rocks a lot easier. I grabbed a cup of water and was back at it just under 8 pace. Around the bend, up a hill, got passed by a 10-year-old, up another hill, through mile 5, followed a creek, spotted an elf, then crossed a bridge into mile 6. With one mile to go I did what I could to push myself. Up, down, up down, jump, stagger, down, around and finally up the last hill leading to the finish line at ~7:40.

When I popped out of the woods the race clock read 56:54. I had six seconds to get myself across the finish line. It took me 8 as is evident by the look on my face.

I crossed the finish line in 57:02 at 8:09 pace finishing 35 out of 228 total runners. Not bad. And, while I’m nowhere near the shape I was in 2005, I am creeping back in that direction. When I run this race next year I will break 57 and I’d like to point my finger towards the stands and say I’ll break 53. Godspeed!

Did you run the Rock? How’d you do? Leave a comment below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com. BTW, that 10-year-old finished in 56:11 (8:02 pace).

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Screw holiday songs. Teach your kids Santa’s Creed:

This is my rifle. There are many others like it, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me, my rifle is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy, who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will. Before God I swear this creed: my rifle and myself are defenders of my country, we are the masters of our enemy, we are the saviors of my life. So be it, until there is no enemy, but peace. Amen.

Got thoughts? Share ‘em below or send Santa an e-mail at nicholas.santa.claus@gmail.com And if you want your photo with Santa you’re gonna need to take a trip to Scottsdale, Arizona.

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After poking and prodding my mother (‘s memory) I got my hands on her secret recipe. And before she could remember my name I was out the door and back in my kitchen. Which is where you should be.

Before we begin you’re going to need a few things and a bit of hardware. Get ‘em and proceed to the good part.

A Few Things
1 cup Thick White Sauce (below)
2 cups ground or finely chopped cooked turkey
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 teaspoon parsley
1 egg
2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup fine bread crumbs (plain or seasoned)
Enough oil to fill your deep fryer up 3″ to 4″

For 1 cup of Thick White Sauce
1/4 cup butter (don’t you dare use margarine)
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup milk

*FYI, make sure you have these last few things b/c you’re gonna need ‘em for the secret sauce.

Bit of Hardware
Deep fryer
Sauce pan
Mixing spoons
Mixing bowls
Slotted spoon (that won’t melt)
Square or rectangular glass baking dish
Paper towels
Some other things I’m probably forgetting

The Good Part
1. When my mother made this, she would use her very ancient, but still in working order, Oster meat grinder. I do not own such a device, and I would have to go venture back out into the wild to borrow it so I’m just going to finely chop the turkey.
 

2. Set the turkey aside and proceed to making the white sauce. In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Whisk in flour, salt, and pepper. Cook over low heat and stir until the mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in milk.

3. Return to heat. Boil and stir for 1 minute.

4. Add the turkey to the sauce and stir. Then add minced onion and parsley to the sauce. Stir some more.
 

5. Take the mixture and put into a square or rectangular dish. Cover and chill for 2 to 3 hours. Overnight works too. After a few hours (or eight), remove the mixture from the fridge and move on to the part that will take you closer to awesomeness.

6.Get two bowls and a plate. One bowl is for the breadcrumbs and the other is for the egg and water mixture. Combine the egg and water and beat lightly.

7. Remove the turkey mixture from the fridge and shape it into 12 equal balls (or more if you choose to double or triple the batch).

8. Dip each ball into the egg mixture then roll it in the breadcrumbs. Set the egged and breaded ball on a plate and repeat the process until you have used all of the mixture. Personally, I put the balls back into the dish I used before and then placed them back into the fridge for another 2 hours to let the flavors mingle.

9. Pour 3″-4″ of oil into the deep fryer and heat to 365°. As you wait, heat your oven to 350°. When the oil is ready, carefully place the croquettes in the hot oil and fry until they are delicately browned; ~ 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove them from the fryer (being careful not to break the croquette’s crust) and place them on paper towels to drain (this is where I used the plate I had out before). After they’ve drained for a few minutes slide ‘em in the oven to keep ‘em warm until you’re ready to serve ‘em.
 

With the croquettes waiting in the oven it’s time to make the best part. For this I must give a shout out to my mom for sharing her secret recipe with the world. When you’re ready, gather the last few things then proceed to the best part.

The Best Part
Melt the butter over low heat and blend in the flour. Continue to cook over low heat until it is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat and add in the chicken broth. Return to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for one minute and continue to stir while it boils. Stir in seasonings. Count to 20. Bam! Velouté sauce is done. Now, just plop your croquettes on a plate and pour on the velouté sauce.

From the Chef
Honestly, this really is my favorite part of Thanksgiving. Sure family is nice, but when you bite into a velouté-covered turkey croquette there is simply nothing like it. Now go and start making these and be sure to invite me over because I love these things and I’ll eat 8 or 10 of them in one sitting. So make extra. Go! Now!

Cooking Deets
Prep Time: 20-25 minutes to prep turkey and white sauce; 15-20 minutes to prep croquettes; 5 hours chilling time
Cook Time: 15 to 20 minutes (based on 28 croquettes and velouté sauce)
Cost: $10-$20 (cost will increase if you don’t have leftover turkey)
Difficulty: Medium
Taste: ★★★★★

If you’ve got turkey left over give this croquette recipe a try and let me know how they turn out. Leave a comment and/or photo below, give some tweet love to @Batersmom, or just send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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Whether you are opposed to using Google AdSense, you want to use more than just AdSense, or you’ve been turned away for breaking the rules, you need to start looking at the top AdSense alternatives if you want to make money. First, get to know the lingo. Are you a publisher or an advertiser? Which is better, CPM or CPC? Do you need mobile ads or not? Once you can talk the talk it’s time for a bit of research.

When you google “Top AdSense Alternatives” you’ll likely get this and a thousand other posts suggesting the best of the rest when it comes to online advertising and AdSense. Whether you like or trust what you read, the most important thing for you to do is to research the companies and see their ads in action for yourself.

What is Online Advertising?

When research online advertising you’re going to come across several terms you’ll need to understand. I went ahead and dropped in the main ones. If you’re interested in more online ad lingo check out Ad Glossary or Wikipedia’s Online Advertising entry. If you already know this stuff, good on you. Go get a cookie.

Ad Network. An ad network (Google AdSense) connects advertisers (Nike) to website publishers (TechCrunch) who create content and want to host advertisements. Ad networks pay websites or software developers money for allowing ads to be shown when people visit a site or use a particular piece of software.

CPC (Cost Per Click). This is the amount of money an advertiser pays publishers for a single click on an ad that brings one visitor to the advertiser’s website. This is referred to as Pay Per Click (PPC) in which advertisers pay their publishers only when an ad is clicked. When choosing a PPC network you’ll need to know if the network uses Flat-rate PPC (fixed amount per click) or Bid-based PPC (cost per click varies depending on the outcome of an auction between advertisers).

CPM (Cost Per Mile). When advertisers pay for exposure of their message to a specific audience. “Per mille” means per thousand impressions, or loads of an advertisement. However, some impressions may not be counted, such as a reload or internal user action. While some ad networks will follow a strict CPM model, most will use a combination of different ad models to push to a publisher’s site. Also called CPI (Cost Per Impression).

CPV (Cost Per View). When advertisers pay publishers for each unique user view of an advertisement or website (usually used with pop-ups, pop-unders and interstitial ads).

CPA (Cost Per Action). Sometimes known as Pay Per Action or PPA, CPA is an online advertising pricing model where the publisher takes all the risk of running the ad, and the advertiser pays only for each specified action such as a purchase, a form submission, and so on that is linked to the advertisement. CPA is typically associated with affiliate marketing.

eCPM (Effective Cost Per Mile). Used to measure the effectiveness of a publisher’s inventory being sold on a CPA or CPC basis. The eCPM is very important because it tells the publisher how much money they would’ve made if they sold their advertising inventory on a CPM basis (instead of a CPA or CPC basis).

CTR (Clickthrough rate). A way of measuring the success of an online ad campaign. The clickthrough rate of an ad is defined as the number of clicks on an ad divided by the number of impressions, expressed as a percentage

Choosing an Ad Network

Put your new knowledge to work and get to choosing an ad network or networks that will work for your site, traffic, and niche. As a general rule, a site that provides informational content (e.g. Instructables) will probably do better with CPC networks while an entertainment website (e.g. lolcats) is going to have better luck with a CPM network. Done right, you can improve your eCPM by using a combination of these two methods (dare I say infotainment). 

If you run a site or blog that reviews products and/or services (e.g. App Advice) you’ll want to look into a CPA network (or perhaps affiliate marketing). And if you’re really smart you’ll run multiple ad networks at a time to figure out the perfect balance of what works versus what annoys your visitors. When you’re ready take a look at the top AdSense Alternatives.

Top Adsense Alternatives

1. AdBrite

AdBrite is currently one of the best alternatives to AdSense. They are the largest independent ad exchange reaching 300 million global unique visitors every month, including more than 150 million in the U.S.

They offer an entirely transparent marketplace, direct access to campaign data and analytics, and greater control over how you perform as an ad publisher. Text and graphical banners in a variety of sizes, full-page monsters, and inline text ads are available. Just create an ad zone, get the code, and you’re off. Should you run into issues or have questions about the service you can contact their very accessible and knowledgeable representatives.

Ad Type: CPC/PPC and CPM/CPI
Payout: $50 minimum; check only; up to 75% revenue share
WP Plugin: No

2. Clicksor

Clicksor is one of the most popular ad networks and an excellent alternative to AdSense. They offer ad formats including inline text ads, text banners, graphical banners, pop-unders, and interstitial ads (they load while the site loads).

Sure, Clicksor’s pop-up and pop-under ads are annoying to users, but the earnings are bit higher when compared to other ad networks. If you annoy your visitors, just abandon the pop-ups and unders before your visitors abandon your site. While I like Clicksor’s service, I had to bail because the ads were clashing with my mobile site plugin.

Ad Type: CPV, CPC/PPC, and CPM/CPI
Payout: $50 minimum; check or PayPal; Net 15; up to 85% revenue share
WP Plugin: Yes* [link] *must sign up first

3. Bidvertiser

BidVertiser pays you for every visitor that clicks on an ad, and extra revenue if the click turns into conversion. As an added perk BidVertiser attempts to optimize your earnings by letting advertisers bid on your ad space; only displaying the highest bidders. Over time you’ll see improvement in bidding, as both your visitors and their advertisers will be exposed to the opportunity of bidding against each other on your ad space.

While BidVertiser isn’t as robust as some of the others in this short list it’s a solid alternative. Their ad network is ideal for small publishers with limited traffic, and has the potential to be a good secondary source of ad revenue.

Ad Type: CPC/PPC and CPA
Payout: $10 minimum; check, wire or PayPal; revenue share based on advertiser bidding
WP Plugin: No

4. Chitika

Chitika lets you display ads on your website, blog, app or mobile site, using search-targeted, mobile, and local ads to best target your users. Chitika claims to be the only ad-network which knows when not to show an ad. Honestly I have no idea what that means because there’s always an ad.

As an added bonus, Chitika offers what are termed “Premium ads” which use “Click Prediction” technology to show select ads when there is a greater chance they will be clicked on. Combine Chitika’s search-oriented ads with a context ad like Clicksor and you’re sure to get some change (some actually say Chitika is the best PPC after AdSense). BTW, if you use WPtouch Pro for WordPress you can utilize Chitika’s mobile ads and make a few bucks that way.

Ad Type: CPM/CPI and CPA
Payout: $10 minimum; 10$ min for PayPal or $50 for checks; Net 30; up to 70% revenue share
WP Plugin: Yes [link]

5. Kontera

Kontera’s in-text brand-building, targeted ads are hyperlinked keywords and phrases that have been identified on a page as the most relevant to the page’s topic. When a visitor mouses over a link, a graphical, text, or related content ad is displayed via rich media, video advertising, or custom integrations.

Sure, in-line contextual ad networks that double-underline  keywords are annoying to some since the advertisement appears in a pop-up window, but they work. FYI, if you’re going to use Kontera you best have a content rich site.

Ad Type: PPC
Payout: $50 minimum; check, Domestic ACH, or PayPal; Net 15; revenue share unknown
WP Plugin: Yes [link]

6. Infolinks

Infolinks is a relative newcomer specializing in in-text ads. Like Kontera, Infolinks indexes your site’s page and uses jQuery to serve users in-text double links that when moused over display an ad. Once a visitor clicks an ad you earn revenue. Infolinks also has a feature called Tag Cloud which uses an algorithm to create a colorful and relevant cloud of keywords that appears on your page and operates identically to their standard in-text ads. And like Kontera, you better make sure you’ve got a content-rich site or Infolink’s in-text ads or tag clouds won’t work.

Like every other ad network, Infolinks claims to be the leader in the industry with the most relevant in-text advertising links and the highest revenue share guaranteed. I’m inclined to agree. These guys are definitely the atypical ad network and from the folks I know who’ve been using them they’re quite pleased with the payouts.

Ad Type: PPC
Payout: $50 minimum; bank wire, Domestic ACH ($400 min), PayPal ($50 min), or a refillable MasterCard; up to 70% revenue share
WP Plugin: Yes* [link] *must sign up first

Implementation

For ad networks with a WP plugin, implementation is fairly easy. But if they don’t or if you just want to do away with multiple plugins in favor of a single ad network manager I’d recommend checking out this short list of the best ones around. I’m using Advertising Manager which was created by Scott Switzer and turned over to OpenX who, tragically, bailed on supporting this killer plugin. Right, so using these AdSense alternatives is cake.

Sign up, grab the code, get to making money. Personally I’d go with AdBrite for my main ads, Chitika for mobile, and a dash of Infolinks in-text for good measure. What about you? What are your top AdSense alternatives?

Got thoughts on my top AdSense Alternatives? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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Update 11/29/2011: While the Cyber Monday sale is over I still recommend Hostgator. If that changes, I’ll be sure to let you know.

I’ve tried other web hosting services like iPage and Hostmonster, but none have been as solid as Hostgator. Which is why I’m promoting their huge Cyber Monday sale: 50% OFF on ALL hosting services. This includes shared hosting, reseller hosting, VPS hosting, Dedicated servers and Windows hosting. FYI, domain names not included.

Shared hosting: As low as $4.95 Now only: $2.48/month (pre-paid) <– this is how I currently roll

Reseller Hosting: As low as $24.95 Now Only: $12.48/month (pre-paid)

VPS Hosting: As low as $19.95 Now Only: $9.98/month (first month)

Dedicated Servers: As low as $174 Now Only $87/month (first month)

You do NOT need to insert a coupon code to receive the special. The correct coupon code will automatically be inserted on all orders placed on Cyber Monday which begins just after midnight, Sunday, November 27th, 2011 CST. The special offer will run until 11:59PM CST Monday, November 28th, 2011.

I wish I could take advantage of this deal but I’m paid up with them for 2 more years. Seriously, if you’re in need of a host you need to get on this deal ASAP! This deal will only run for 1 DAY!

Click to start hosting your site on Hostgator.

Got thoughts? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com. BTW, I am an affiliate, so if you click my link and place an order, I make change.

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There are many holidays but none as fattening and ironic as Thanksgiving. While the true origins are a little hazy, Americans (myself included) bask in our European ancestors’ slaughtering of Native Americans. And we do so by inviting friends and family to the table, cooking ridiculous amounts of food, and saying a prayer of thanks prior to our gluttonous feast. Here’s what I’m praying for:

7. My wife and son
6. My family, extended family, friends, pets, proper nouns, etc.
5. Cassette tapes
4. Feet
3. Jean Claude Van Damme
2. Cilantro
1. Yer mom

Happy Thanksgiving from me to you (unless you’re of Native American descent in which case I should probably offer an apology). And if you’ve got time check out the happiest of turkey movies, Thankskilling.

What are you your top 7 things to be thankful for in 2011? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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When it’s all said and done you’ll have access (in the U.S. only for now) to all of your music (up to 25,000 songs not counting iTunes purchases) streamed (downloaded) to all of your devices (5 computers with a max of 10 devices) at 256 kbps (unless your songs don’t match up with any in the iTunes catalog) for the most part. Yep, it’s that easy!

When you’re ready and you’ve decided not to dupe your libraries or use a free streaming app alternative, let’s get started with setting up all your devices to work with iTunes Match.

Set up iTunes Match on your PC/Mac

For this demo I set up iTunes Match on my PC, but it’s the same for Macs just make sure you have iTunes 10.5.1 or higher installed.

1. Open iTunes, click on iTunes Store, then click on iTunes Match.

2. Click the big blue button with the $24.99 pricetag to subscribe to the service, then enter your password. You get charged. You agree. Blah blah blah.

3. Click another blue button to add your computer.

4. The last step requires you wait forever and possibly restart the process more than once.

Step 1: Gathering information about your iTunes library. Apple scans all your songs in your library (~15 min).

Step 2: Matching your music to songs in the iTunes Store. Apple compares your library to the gazillion songs in their iTunes catalog. Anything that already exists in their catalog is immediately made available at 256Kbps (~2 hours).

Step 3: Uploading artwork and remaining songs takes any other music in your library. Apple attempts to upload anything it couldn’t match with their catalog of 20 million songs so it’ll be available to you from the iCloud in its original format (~41 hours. Restarted setup 3x)

After a long while iTunes Match will finish doing its thing and you’ll have access to your music from pretty much anywhere. Enjoy!

Set up iTunes Match on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Once your iTunes library is in the iCloud you can set up your iDevices.

1. Tap into Settings

2. Tap into Music and turn iTunes Match ON and confirm your selection. If you want to see all of your music turn Show All Music ON otherwise just leave it off.

3. Return to the Settings menu and tap into Store. You have a choice here. If you want to play your music outside of WiFi networks you’ll need to turn Use Cellular Data ON. WARNING! This could get costly seeing how iTunes Match downloads each song to play it. If you plan on listening to the same music over and again I would advise downloading your tunes over WiFi before hitting the road. See below for instructions.

You’re all set. Just open up the Music app to access your songs and playlists from your desktop computer.

Set up iTunes Match on your Apple TV

I don’t have one, but the guys over at iDownloadBlog made a pretty good video on how to enable iTunes Match on your Apple TV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqPbtjQwDq8

Problems & Troubleshooting

During and after the setup process I came across some things that you might find helpful.

Upload time. My music library had 19,000+ songs. iTunes Match and its catalog of 20 million songs was able to match 16,000 of mine. That means my computer had to upload 3,000 songs as is. Since my ISP’s upload speed is pathetic, my computer was uploading music for almost two days. #timewarnercableFail

Set up one library at a time. As I set up my main computer I wanted to get the others going. When I tried, iTunes flipped me the bird. And if you try you’ll see the image below. Just wait, and set up your other computers one at a time.

Some songs don’t upload. After my seemingly never-ending iCloud upload experience I was still missing 1,182 songs. To get things in order I had to decipher the iCloud status icons, sort my songs by those icons, and update iTunes Match (Store –> Update iTunes Match) three times. Once I did my list decreased to a manageable 49 songs. FYI, you can also add iCloud Status to the sort bar in iTunes (right click bar –> iCloud Status)

iTunes Match requires songs be at least 96 kbps. This was the problem with my remaining 49.  The fix is simple. Convert the problem song/s to an acceptable AAC version (right click –> Create AAC version) and add the new version/s to iCloud (right click –> Add to iCloud). Worked for me.

If this solution doesn’t work for you, check out Apple’s Understanding iCloud Status Icons support page to get your problem tunes to the cloud.

Playback data usage. Some argue that iTunes Match is a download service, NOT a streaming service. What that means is that when you play a song on your device the song must be downloaded before it can be played (which is what streaming is sort of, but playback will beging more quickly.) Regardless of download vs. streaming, if you listen to your music on a cellular network you will be burning $$.

Take, for example, Eye of the Tiger by Survivor. If the 3:48 song is recorded at a bitrate of 256 kbps it will be ~7MB. For the sake of argument let’s say you listened to 15 songs of similar length and size over your carrier’s cellular network. Over the course of 1 hour you would have to download 105MB (1/10 of a GB). Granted once a song is downloaded it is cached (temporarily saved) to your iDevice, but still. That’s about 20 hours of music on the 2GB data plan and twice that on the 4GB plan (provided you aren’t using any other data hogs via cellular networks like Skype or Netflix).

Taken to the extreme, if I were to attempt to listen to my entire 95GB library (forget the fact that my phone only holds 32GB) nonstop on my iPhone outside of a WiFi network it would take me 53.8 days and cost me almost $1000.

Album art is missing. If you’re as obsessive-compulsive about album art as I am then you’ll be pissed to know that iTunes Match screws this the eff up (even songs that are purchased from iTunes). Seriously, WTF? Some say that eventually iTunes Match will catch up and get things in order. I haven’t seen this happen yet. Others offer a quasi-solution, but it is ridiculously tedious and time-consuming. I’m hoping it’s just a bug. Like when you press play in portrait mode then toggle to landscape view (cover flow) and back to portrait you’ll get your album art back. Or when I download songs and album art disappear for those songs and appears for others. WTF?

iTunes Match error requires sign out/in. When I was converting files to AAC, iTunes threw an error telling me to sign out and back in. When I did iTunes Match acted as though it had never seen my computer before and I had to go through the whole setup process again. Thankfully, I didn’t have to upload the 3,000+ songs again. A minor nuisance, but a pain nonetheless.

Still have questions? Check out Macworld’s comprehension article on iTunes Match.

Final thoughts

Once iTunes Match was set up it ran like a charm. In spite of the fact that iTunes Match gobbles the data, it is 1 million times easier than trying to trick my computers into thinking they are the same and reaches more of my devices than streaming alternatives like Audiogalaxy.  Of course, after I have time to play with it (and see my data usage over the next few months) my opinion of the service may change. If it does, I’ll let you know. For now, I’m giving iTunes Match ★★★★☆

Are you using or considering iTunes Match? Got thoughts? Questions? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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When my buddy took to forming a band I took to listening more. And when I showed up at an evening jam session in the basement of his parents’ house I got hooked. Not on any of the above icons, but on The Hooligans—four dudes that knew how to rock out with their cock out <– not literally, I don’t think. Unfortunately, the band dissolved and I can no longer pay to hear my friend swear at the top of his lungs.

You think I’m kidding about the band’s sheer awesomeness? In 2002, The Hooligans were named one of Indy’s “Top 40 Local Bands” by Nuvo Magazine:

Originally dismissed as Ramones-drenched kids barely out of high school (which, to an extent, they are), the Hooligans are an excellent pop-punk band that’s gotten better and better the more they play. On their horizon: an album produced by The Slurs’ Jim Kuczkowski.

I know right? They rocked! Check ‘em out. Here’s a few songs from their album Wearing Out Our Welcome. (BTW, if you’re having trouble using the audio player just click the song title). The songs predate The Hooligan’s “big enough to destroy hotel rooms” punk status, but the tunes are excellent.

1234

Honors Club

Sexy Bitch

Seriously, if you like what you heard and agree with Nuvo, then follow @Gabbahey122475, @MikeyHamilton, and @Jonathan_Nagel. Badger them with tweets, and get them to get the band back together for one last show.

Have you heard The Hooligans? Seen ‘em live? Share your thoughts below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

This is a post from y2kemo

¹unless you pepper spray me in the face.
²or the Supreme Court rules against me.
³or I get a job with a big corporation.
⁴or Starbucks no longer serves me.
⁵or I begin to lose my Foursquare mayorships.
⁶or my diaper gets too full.

Got thoughts on the face of the Occupy movement? Why else would he leave the Occupy box? Feel free to occupy the comments below or occupy my inbox with an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

This is a post from y2kemo

When I got home I searched online, found a few recipes, rummaged through my pantry, and came up short on ingredients. Too lazy to go to the store, I said “Eff it!” and took a stab at my own fried green tomato recipe.

Before you begin you’re going to need a few things. Get ‘em and proceed to the good part.

A Few Things
A bunch of small, firm green tomatoes (or a few big ones)
2 eggs
Vegetable oil (enough to make a 1/2″ pond in your skillet)
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup cornmeal
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder

The Good Part
1. Cut each tomato into 1/2″ slices.
2. Put the tomato slices in a bowl, add a bit of salt and pepper, toss ‘em around until they’re nice and covered, and set ‘em aside.

3. Combine the cornmeal and paprika in a small bowl. In another bowl, beat yo eggs.

4. Cover the bottom of a heavy skillet with 1/2 inch of oil, then turn the stovetop on medium-high.

5. Coat the tomato slices in egg, then toss ‘em around in the cornmeal mixture.

6. Fry as many tomatoes as you can in your skillet. They’ll need to be nice and brown so give ‘em about 2 minutes on each side. As the tomatoes are frying go ahead sprinkle some cumin and garlic powder on ‘em.

7. Transfer your fried green tomatoes to a paper towel-lined platter. Cook any remaining maters.

From the Chef
Having never fried green tomatoes before I gotta say my first attempt was a huge and delicious success. The tomatoes were a little bitter with a hint of sweet (kind of like tomatillos). The cornmeal was a way better idea than flour, and the cumin complimented the green tomatoes’ flavor perfectly. When I make ‘em again I’m gonna put the cumin and garlic in the cornmeal mixture for a more even seasoning. As for the breading, even though I was pretty liberal with my cornmeal the maters still managed to shake some loose as they cooked. I guess I need to be even more liberal the next time.

Cooking Deets
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 4 minutes
Cost: < $4
Difficulty: Easy
Taste: ★★★★★

Give this fried green tomato recipe a try and let me know how they turn out. Leave a comment and/or photo below or just send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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I arrived, hit the head, then joined the rest of the marathoning cattle in Corral B. With 5 minutes to go some lady said a prayer. Amen. T-minus 3 and another gal sang the National Anthem. Hooah! Two to go. I turned on my Garmin 210 and waited for it to find a signal. 60 seconds. Searching. 30 seconds. COME ON! 15 seconds to go. FTLOG! 5…4…3… 2…finally you stupid piece of…BANG! The gun fired and I was off.

8 minutes and 25 seconds later my watch chimed to let me know that I had completed my first mile. A tenth of a mile later I passed the official Mile 1 marker. Wait, what?. Mile 2, same thing. Mile 3, same. I turned to a guy running alongside me and asked him if the miles were a little long. He and two others who heard me ask the question agreed. We were all running a longer race than planned.

Most of the course was on blacktop, though on occasion it went off road. Mile 10 took me down a rocky, hard-packed road (hence the decision for Vibrams over barefeet) and around 12 I was running through the Nags Head Woods trails.

Around Mile 18 my cortisoned hip started aching; like a needle being jabbed into my hip with every stride. Up to that point I had been running a steady 8:28 pace. But when my hip flared up that pace took a dive. By Mile 19 I was noticeably favoring my right leg, and my pace slowed to 9:30. By 22, just one mile before the bridge, I slowed to a wincing jog.

I looked down at my watch. At my current pace I was not going to hit my 3:50 goal. If I slowed any more I wouldn’t hit 3:56 (my PR). And if I walked I wouldn’t be able to keep it under 4 hours.

Not wanting to go above 4 hours I stopped at the medic station and lathered up with biofreeze hoping it would dull the pain. It did not. Same pain just mintier. I wasn’t about to stop. My legs felt way too strong. No, I just sucked it up and dealt with the pain the best I could. A couple minutes later I hit the bridge, gimped my way up the 4% grade at an 11:15 pace, and shuffled back down the other side to the final water station.

For the next mile and a half I stopped every quarter mile to stretch and massage my hip. Folks I had passed earlier were now passing me. Some words of encouragement. A few pats on the back. Just enough motivation to drag my gimpy self to the finish line in downtown Manteo. I arrived to the sound of my name being called over the loudspeaker and my wife and son waving me in.

Of all the races I’ve done the OBX Marathon is in my top 5. Not just because the weather was perfect, or because the scenery was straight out of a NatGeo special. No, the OBX is one of my favs because of the atmosphere. People (and pirates) cheering and ringing cowbells at almost every stretch of the race. From their porches and driveways, on the curb and sidewalks, and from their car, bikes, and skateboards, they cheered us on. Hats off to the OBX community! You made this marathon. I couldn’t think of a better race to end my two and a half year marathon drought. Sure I’m bummed about the hip, but I’m happy with the progress.

I want to buy one of the above photos, but I need your help.

Did you run the 2011 OBX Marathon? Feel free to share your thoughts below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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The other day I updated to iOS 5 and immediately noticed my Personal Hotspot menu had vanished. Since I was headed out of town soon I needed to figure out what the issue was and fix it. I looked high and low. Then it dawned on me what to do.

If you’re paying for the iPhone’s Personal Hotspot feature and saw this after updating to iOS 5 you should proceed to the next step. If not, you should probably go do something else.

Settings –> General –> Reset –> Reset Network Settings

The go to Settings –> General –> Network –> Personal Hotspot. Tap in, turn the feature on and off, then go back to the Settings menu.

Voila! Personal Hotspot is back!

Did this fix the Personal Hotspot for you? Feel free to share your thoughts below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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Also in that time I was able to log 472 miles; 156 miles less than my goal. So with two days to go before the big day I can’t help but wonder, “Am I ready?”

Of a possible 133 training days I ran 62 (47%), rested 55 (41%), was sick 4 (3%), and dealt with hip and tendon issues 12 days (9%). Sure, I’m bummed that I wasn’t able to complete the 628 miles of training as scheduled, but I’m glad I took the days I did because I’m feeling really strong and quite healthy.

In the past 20 weeks my long distance training pace has dropped from 9:15/mi to 8:39/mi. This improvement is gonna be a huge mental (and physical) boost of confidence as I attempt to best myself with a 3:50:00 finish time (I’m not just going out to finish). I’ve also lost 18 pounds, am no longer chewing, and I’m sporting a newly broken in pair of Vibram KomodoSports.

My last 15 runs via Garmin Forerunner 210

Am I ready? I’m ready for the air horn to sound and the race to begin. I’m ready to push myself through the last 10K. I’m ready to see my wife and son at the finish line. I’m ready to surprise myself. I’m ready to best myself. So, yes, I’m ready to run the OBX marathon.

Feel free to come out to the OBX marathon or cheer from the sidelines by leaving a comment below or sending me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com. Who knows, perhaps next year I can qualify for Boston. Of course I’d have to run a 3:20:00. Oy

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That four-letter word scares the living poop out me. It’s ruthlessly incorporated into lectures. Constantly filling my computer screen. And is almost always responsible for bad decision making.

For their latest unTextMe video, the UNCG Online multimedia team used the Interwebs’ hatred for particular fonts to create their latest short aimed at eradicating text and all it represents.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MllbdOHIaXY

After you change your diaper head over to the creator’s YouTube page to learn more about this and other vids they’ve made.

Got thoughts? Feel free to share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com.

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To put the ruling into perspective, since 1925 the BBFC has banned or heavily edited a mere 32 films. THIRTY TWO! So how did The Human Centipede 2 make the list?

If you really want to know you’ll need to type “agree” in the box below stating that you agree to read the filth flarn and filth behind the film, and that you will not hold me responsible for any vomiting, nightmares, or anything else that may result.

Got thoughts on the BBFC’s decision? On the movie? Share ‘em below or send me an e-mail at TiTy@y2kemo.com. BTW, I will delete ridiculous and inappropriate comments.

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