BillstronBlog

Techbargains has what appears to be a great deal: free iPod Mini for first time Citibank checking account customers with $2500 deposit and using the free online bill payment of 2 bills for 12 months. You can only apply online. I am going to do it. Check it out here.

This is not new news, but most people probably don’t know about it. BMW has a series of commercials they publish (here) on the internets. The commercials are generally directed by famous directors. This was brought to my attention a few months ago by a friend, and a recent issue of Car and Driver reminded me of it. Guy Ritchie directed one of the commercials last year. It prominentily features his wife, but the BMW 5 series is the real star of the show. The Star (the name of the film) is without a doubt worth watching. The driving is absolutely exhilarating. It definitely makes me want to go burn the tires off of the Super Wagon. Better still, it is funny. Download it here. It is worth the wait!

This is the beginning of a new series on Billstron. In the series, I will outline cool computer technology you should use. I am on the computer a lot, and I am a big dork. So you should listen to me.

The first program I recommend is Firefox. Firefox is a FREE web browser that is far superior to IE. I can hear all you curmudgeons now, “I use IE, I have always used IE, it works just fine for me.” Well let me tell you… IE SUCKS! (That is all the negativity I will display today. Sorry for the outburst.)

Firefox is faster and safer than IE. I don’t know who measures speed of a browser, but whoever they are, they say Firefox is faster. On a much more important note, Firefox is much safer. New vulnerabilities are found in IE almost daily. True, a few have been found in Firefox, but way fewer. Personally, I have noticed a major decrease in spyware since using Firefox. That is enough for me.

Also, Firefox is just better. It has a built in pop-up blocker. You can customize it with extensions. Extensions are small programs developed by 3rd parties that add to the browser’s functionality. (I will soon be outlining some of my favorite extensions. Until then, just believe me, they are cool.) My favorite thing about Firefox is Tabbed Browsing, though. Often when I’m surfing, I like to open a new link while leaving the original link open. In IE your only option is to open the link in a new window. If you do this often, your Windows task bar and desktop gets cluttered with instances of IE. When this happens it becomes difficult to find a page, or other program, you are looking for. With Firefox, this problem is eradicated. You can open links in new tabs. A tab is another window inside the original browser window. The window is shown by a small tab at the top of the browser screen. This allows you to have a whole bunch of links open without cluttering Windows. Tabbed browsing ROCKS! Once you do it, you won’t go back to IE. The shortcut is to hold down the Control key while clicking on the link. Simple!

Summary: It’s better than IE, and it’s free. Try it out! Take back the web here! You won’t regret it.

I remembered this video on New Year’s night when some friends showed a DVD of Triumph’s antics. If you have never heard of Triumph, it is a fairly regular skit on Conan O’Brien. It is basically a dog hand puppet named Triumph, and Triumph goes around interviewing people. This particular episode has Triumph in Spin Alley after one of the Presidential Debates. This is ball busting funny. It is a 15mB download, but it is well worth the wait. Check it out here.

About a year ago, it was the Treo 600. This time it is the Sony Playstation Portable. I am, just like with the Treo 600, in gadget lust. I think I have pretty good gadgetal emotions, though. I don’t fall head-over-heals very often. The Treo 600 is clearly an awesome gadget, and I am sure the PSP will be the biggest gadget hit of the year.

You may ask, “What the hell is it?” (You can’t tell from the kooky Japanese cartoon?) Basically, it is a mobile gaming platform with the power of the PS2 (WOW!) In addition to that, it plays mp3’s and videos AND has 802.11b wireless networking (can you say, BAD ASS?) That must cost a fortune? Nope! It should be about 200 bones (WTF!). Add those specs with Sony’s ability to coax gaming software companies into producing awesome games, and you get gadget lust.

It was released in Japan in mid December. It should be released here in mid March. The guys from Engadget bought a Japanese import, and they pretty much love it. Check out their review here.

Do you have gadget lust? If so, tell me about it.

I brewed a killer Imperial Stout on Dec 8. Here is the recipe:

Grain (steep at 150 f for 20 min.):

1lb 80L Crystal

.5lb Black Patent

.5lb Roasted Barley

Malt:

3lb Dark Dry Extract

2lb Light Dry Extract

4lb Telford Shamrock Stout Kit

Hops:

2.5oz Perle (60min)

1.25oz Kent Goling (15min)

1.5oz Cascade (5min)

Yeast:

WYEAST 1084 Irish Ale Yeast

Priming:

.75cup Priming Sugar

Data:

OG 1.071

FG 1.026

I transferred to secondary on Dec 14, bottled on Dec 17, and drank my first on Dec 30.

I learned an important lesson about brewing with this beer, too. Tasting like motor oil when transferred to secondary is not necessarily a bad thing. That is what this beer tasted like when I transferred. I thought the finished product would be terrible. I have had beers that tasted like that before, and I’m not a big fan. Thankfully, I was very wrong. The finished product is black gold. Don’t plan on doing anything after you drink one though, they are strong like the Gubernator.

Stay tuned for 4B British Pale Ale.

As you can see, Aunt Cathy is another one of 4B’s satisfied customer.

Does any pop star actually sing at concerts? I just witnessed the most pitiful excuse for live entertainment ever on TV - the Orange Bowl Half Time Show. Kelly Clarkson and Ashlee Simpson were clearly singing out of sync with their lip-sync track. You could hear the track playing in the background. HOW PITIFUL!!! It sounded like the crowd in the stands even booed at the end of the show. Good for them! Would anyone like a couple scoops of Milli Vanilli?

Great game though. Go Trojans!

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Sent from my Treo

I love the start of a new year. It always feels like I’m getting a second chance. A second chance on what, I don’t really know. Regardless, it’s a good feeling, and it probably comes from the ready to be broken resolutions. Among my resolutions this year is one related to the Billstron Blog. This year, the Billstron Blog will become an even better source for your Billstron news. I am going to update it more often with information related to technology, humor, home brewing, politics, and anything else I feel like. So check back often. Billstron is only getting better.

Happy New Year!

P.S. Don’t forget to eat corned beaf and black eyed peas tonight. We all need some good luck.

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Sent from my Treo