TechBlazer

Watch the video below and read the message that scrolls along the bottom of the screen. The message reads: “Attention Comcast Customers June 24th we will move ION from channel 12 to channel 178. ION will be available with digital starter – upgrade to digital starter for no additional monthly charge. Call 1-800 Comcast for more information.”

That exact same message scrolled across the screen day and night for at least a week prior to June 24th.

The message clearly states that you can “upgrade to digital starter for no additional monthly charge”. However, when I called Comcast to take advantage of the this offer I was told that I would be charged an additional $52.70 per month.

The Comcast rep said that the offer only applied to customers with a basic package, and since I have a limited basic package I would incur an additional $52.70 monthly charge.

I told the rep that the ad did not contain those restrictions and that it clearly stated that I could “upgrade to digital starter for no additional monthly charge”.

The rep put me on hold for several minutes. When he came back he said basically the same thing as earlier. I once again told him that the ad did not contain any restrictions and it clearly stated that I could “upgrade to digital starter for no additional monthly charge”. He put me on hold again and came back with the same statement again.

After the third or forth time he came back with a different answer. He said he wanted to meet my expectations, and he was willing to work with me to meet my expectations. He said he was now authorized to make me a special offer: digital starter at $14.99 for two months, then $52.70 a month thereafter. Then with the sound of triumph in his voice he said “How does that sound?”

What? I told him it was not even close to my expectations and with confused surprise in his voice he said, “Oh really, how so?” I couldn’t believe he was serious, but he was.

I told him that my expectation was to get an upgrade to digital starter for no additional monthly charge, not to fall for some “bait and switch” scam that would cost $52.70 a month.

He assured me that it was not a “bait and switch” scam.

Really? Not a “bait and switch” scam? Comcast “bait’s” me with an advertisement to upgrade to digital starter for no additional monthly charge. Then, when I call in to take advantage of that offer, you try “switch” me to a different offer, one that would cost me an additional $52.70 a month. How is that not a “bait and switch” scam. With a confused voice he said, “Uh, I don’t know, but I’m sure it’s not”.

After several more minutes of going around and around in circles and getting nowhere, I ended the call.

Atari started the home video game, quickly becoming the fastest growing company in American history. In the last six months of 1982, however, it all fell apart even faster than it started. Here’s why:

For many people portable electronics are an indispensable part of their life and the link to the world around them. The battery is the lifeblood of portable devices–and without batteries, our favorite devices are useless. For this reason, and because they aren’t that cheap to replace–you should always try to extend the battery life of your favorite equipment. If you’ve never imagined that you could do this–then you may be surprised to learn that some of your habits may actually be killing your batteries. By taking the following easy steps you will add hours, days, weeks and sometimes years to the life of your electronics.

1. Allow your battery to fully die once a month, or don’t charge it until you get a low battery warning on its screen. Cycling your battery this way will help keep the cells fresher longer.
2. Avoid overheating your laptop. Don’t set your laptop on a pillow, your couch, or your bed while it is running, as the cushions will prevent proper ventilation and your computer’s interior temperature will rise dramatically. This will shorten the life of the battery very quickly.
3. Don’t leave your valuable electronics exposed to high levels of heat. This includes the inside of your car on a summer’s day. Try to use your cell phone or iPod after it has sat in your sweltering car all day, and you may discover that it will no longer hold more than a 10-minute charge.
4. Similar to heat, extreme cold (anything below 40 degrees) can also shorten the life of your batteries. If you forget your device in your car in the dead of winter, allow it to come to room temperature before turning it back on.
5. If you have older devices that you just don’t use as often, but don’t want to get rid of, use them at least once a month. If the device is left unused, over a period of time, the battery will become stagnant and need to be replaced.

[via eHow]

• Another Monday morning. Going to need a lot of coffee today. #
• RT @JasonCalacanis: Happy National Napping Day. http://www.mahalo.com/Napping_Day #
• I wish Gmail and Google Apps email would add a “Send and Apply Label” button. @GoogleAtWork @google #
• Did you watch Woz dance last night? Me neither, but you can still vote for him here: http://bit.ly/aVugI. #votewoz #
• Enjoying lunch outside on the patio and free wifi at Sweet Peppers Deli. #
• Time to go home and do some yard work while the weather is nice. #
• Got some yard work done and took the dog for a short walk. #
• Having problems with the Android WeatherBug app all day. It can’t find my location. Reinstall did not help. #
• http://twitpic.com/1zt4z – WeatherBug Android app share test. #
• WeatherBug app is working now. Somehow “Use wireless networks” under “Settings” was unchecked. Very handy app; glad it’s working now. #
• RT @GoogleAtWork: last call for webinar: mixing in-house + hosted services, cost tradeoffs, security. 9am PST today. free. http://ow.ly/MJp #
• RT @TheGrok: 3-Steps for Writing (and testing) Great Headlines http://tinyurl.com/ahs5bb #
• RT @BirthdayDirect: Now in stock: Rock Star Guitar birthday party supplies: http://bit.ly/lxm6x. #
• #randomfactaboutme I love Cheez-It snack crackers. #
• RT @google Yes, it’s true: Google Voice is coming http://bit.ly/oIj55 #
• RT @waff48: BREAKING: Astronauts are evacuating the Int’l Space Station due to space debris. Stay tuned to WAFF 48 News at Noon for updates. #
• RT @waff48: UPDATE: Danger has passed at ISS; astronauts leave Soyuz after short evacuation: http://twurl.nl/p05h4r #
• Going to get some meds. I’ve had this 24 hour cold over a month now. #
• Got Tyler some new strings for his guitar at Alabama Music; left mine there for some minor adjustments. #
• My first 12 of 12 photo set: http://bit.ly/7EgT5. #12of12 #
• Wow – RT @zr_i AOL’s gain is Google’s loss http://tinyurl.com/cnpb29 #
• Happy Friday the 13th. #
• Waiting for the upgrade to Google Voice. GrandCentral tells me: “Your account is not yet ready to be upgraded. Please check back shortly. ” #
• 938 will be the next new area code for North Alabama: http://bit.ly/V79h. #
• RT @google: How will you celebrate Pi day tomorrow? http://bit.ly/1apuZK #
• Nice cold rainy afternoon. Perfect weather for listening to the No Idle Frets podcast (http://bit.ly/dyH8) and drinking some coffee. #
• The ShopSavvy app on my G1 just saved me over $40. #
• RT @podcacher Happy Pi Day everyone! #
• RT @podcacher Happy Pi Day everyone!!! #
• Time to catch up on a few episodes of Chuck and Heros thanks to @hulu. #
• RT @dannysullivan: RT @kevinrose created a user powered twitter directory http://wefollow.com – click upper right icon to add yourself #
• No pie on pi day, ice cream and cookies instead. #
• Finally caught up on Chuck and Heros, for now. #
• Odd. The battery on my G1 had a full charge and died after less than 6 hours on stand by. I hope this was a one-time thing. #

This is my first 12 of 12 photo set. I’ve been wanting to do this for some time, and this morning I decided to finally do it. Here is my 12 of 12 photo set:

These were all taken using my T-Mobile G1 Android phone. The first 11 were taken the SnapPhoto app and the last with the default G1 Camera app.

View my 12 of 12 photo set for March 2009 on Picasa Web.

A few weeks ago I started using Twitter. What is Twitter? Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users’ updates (known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. Basically, Twitter asks “What are you doing?”

Twitter is a fun way to connect with others and share thoughts and ideas. Check it out and follow me at http://twitter.com/timelam.

I like to work on cars. I am by no means a mechanic, but I really enjoy tinkering around under the hood. My Dad on the other hand is a master mechanic, now retired. He’s so good that he has actually diagnosed problems by listening to the engine over the phone.

No to long ago I had a 1989 Chevy S-10 Blazer. When first got it I spent a lot of time under the hood, tuning it up. I’m the type of person that likes to save a penny whenever I can. The junk yard is usually my first stop, but I always call around to get the best price. Nine times out of ten AutoZone has the best price for things I can’t get at the junk yard. Several times AutoZone’s new price was cheaper than the junk yard price. Plus their technicians are always knowledgeable, friendly, and ready to help.

Today I took a battery in to get tested. The tech looked it up in the computer and saw that it was still under warranty. He tested it and the machine showed that it was dead and said to recharge and test again. He said it was so low that it would probably need to be replaced. So he went ahead and replaced it. No problems, no hassles, and no worries. Other places would probably replace items under warranty too, but AutoZone has always been a hassle free experience. Great service like that is why I shop at AutoZone.

Visit AutoZone.com and find a store in your area today.

I recently ran into a problem with a wireless network card getting stuck while acquiring a network address. I would get constant messages like “Acquiring Network Address” or “Renewing Your IP Address”. But it would seem to get continually search for, but never acquire a network address or renew the IP address.

I did all the basic stuff like updating the wireless card driver, unplugging and plugging stuff back in, right clicking and selecting Repair in Windows XP and click Diagnose and Repair in Vista. But until I performed the steps below nothing worked.

Here’s the procedure that finally fixed it for me.

1. Unplug the cable/DSL modem.
2. Unplug the wireless router.
3. Wait 60 seconds, then plug in the modem.
4. When the modem is completely online, plug in the wireless router.
5. On the PC, open a command prompt.
   1. On Windows Vista, click the Windows Orb, type “cmd.exe”. When “cmd.exe” appears under Programs, right click it and select “Run as administrator”.
   2. On Windows XP, click Start, Run, type cmd, click Ok.
6. Once you have a command prompt, first type “ipconfig /flushdns”.
7. Next, type “ipconfig /release”.
8. Then, type “ipconfig /renew”.

Now I can connect to my secure wireless network with no problems. No more “Acquiring Network Address” or “Renewing Your IP Address” for me.

Your setup may differ, but the process should be similar. If you find any other solutions please post them in the comments below.

Productive! Magazine

Productive! magazine is a new digital magazine that covers all things GTD and the premier issue is jam-packed with good articles about productivity boosters, a David Allen interview, and great tips from organizational gurus like Leo Babauta of the Zen to Done blog.

Productive! Magazine [via Lifehacker]

The Electoral College consists of 538 popularly elected representatives who formally select the President and Vice President of the United States. In 2008, it will make this selection on December 15.

Rather than directly voting for the President and Vice President, United States citizens cast votes for electors. Electors are technically free to vote for anyone eligible to be President, but in practice pledge to vote for specific candidates and voters cast ballots for favored presidential and vice presidential candidates by voting for correspondingly pledged electors.

Each state has a number of electors equal to the number of its Senators and Representatives in the United States Congress. Additionally, Washington, D.C. is given a number of electors equal to the number held by the “least populous” state. U.S. territories are not represented in the Electoral College.

[via Wikipedia]

US Electoral College Map [via Wikipedia]

Electing a US President in Plain English [via Vimeo]

Electoral College from Schoolhouse Rock [via YouTube]

Live 2008 Election Results [via Google]

Additional
Where to Watch Election Results Online [via LifeHacker]
Election Day Freebies Roundup [via LifeHacker]