Alright, I'll bite.
Posted on January 31, 2005 at 01:08 AM
I have always pondered upon the legitimacy of websites like this. They offer "free" goods in the hopes that joe shmoe computer user will be gullible enough to handover their personal information in hopes that the prize they chase will someday materialize at their doorstep, all-the-while selling out friends and family in the process.
So what's the catch?
Allegedly there is no catch. The free"enter product name here".com craze all started with the iPod. Hence, the freeiPods.com website. Wired Magazine did an article about this back in August of 2004. It showed that marketing firms like Gratis Networks typically get $25-$90 for each person that is referred to one of their clients product sites. With 10 referrals required for a mac mini (you do the math) they make money in the end.
Quite a few people have tried this, allbeit with great skepticism, but were pleasantly surprised when an iPod showed up as promised. Yes Virginia, people who have done this have actually received this product with no ill effects. Well, besides the tendency to wear black turtlenecks, blue jeans, and white tennis shoes every time you go out in public. (Your results may vary, use as directed.)
Since it's release at macworld 2005, I have been in awe of the mac mini (duh, ya think?). A sleek, compact mac at a mere $500. Are you kidding, who wouldn't want one? It's even small enough to sneak into the house without my wife knowing (wait, she reads this blog. Damnit!).
So now I am asking you my friends, family, and new readers to possibly exploit your personal information and help me get a mac mini. (I'm not selling this very well am I?) I am an ardent pc aplogist and would like to own a mac if nothing else than to tear it apart with a spackler and document its guts on my blog. Once completely put back together (of course with a few parts still left over) I will pontificate to the world the pure joy of how superior the mac really is. (Not bloody likely, but if you help me out I will pretend to like it)
(Note: previous link is a divx avi. Translation: you need a divx codec and media player that supports avi files. Also, not suitable for those with an aversion to profanity.)
To all you mac zealots out there, there are good uses for a mac. I know I could play a few games on it.
And to make the deal even sweeter I will offer a gmail invite to those of you who help me out. Gotta love the quid pro quo action, eh?
Click here to get started.
Thank you for your support.
Posted by joeschmidt at 01:08 AM | Comments (0) | post to del.icio.us
The Beginning
Posted on January 28, 2005 at 04:33 AM
First, let me start out by saying that I'm not real big into New Year's resolutions. They may be great for some people, not me. If you need to lose weight, quit smoking, save money, kick the booze, or get a new job then great, start tomorrow. Just don't put it off until next January 1st. But for me this year was different. My resolution was to start a blog by my 30th birthday, which happens to be today. Now, I know what you're saying, "Wow, some New Year's resolution, start a blog. Great." It has been an interest of mine for some time now. I have had my domain name for almost a year now, but I never had anything of interest to put on it. (Some of you may be thinking that I STILL don't have anything of interest to post) Hey, some people build those tiny ships in a bottle, collect stamps, or construct gigantic balls of paint. I'm starting a blog.
And so it begins.
I first heard about blogs back in 2001. I was driving home from Des Moines one night listening to some show on NPR (Marketplace, All things Considered, I can't remember.) The host was interviewing Wil Wheaton and talking about his blog. (Name doesn't ring a bell? I'll give you some clues: Stand by Me, Star Trek The Next Generations's Wesley Crusher? There you go sparky, now you got it.) So I checked out his site, wilwheaton.net (or WWdN for those in the know). Cool, it's a guy who happens to be famous talking about his life, what he believes in, and things he's experienced. And people could interact with him by leaving comments in reference to his posts. I didn't get it.
Fast forward to 2003.
Blogs are becoming more popular. They quickly generating buzz around the internet. I find a few sites, read their posts, but still not really getting it.
Move ahead to May 2004.
My co-worker David Kadavy starts his blog. A side from being a talented, award winning graphic designer at RDG, we share a lot of the same interests. His blog talks about his life, graphic design, web design, technology, affluenza, etc... But after reading his blog and a few others for a couple of weeks, I slowly begin to get it. What is "IT" you ask? Let me explain.
Blogs are about communication, pure and simple. For some it can be therapeutic, a way to vent. For others, blogs are like a semi-private diary you share with the world. For me it's about transferring knowledge. I am not the smartest person in the world, nor have I experienced everything that life has to offer. But what I do have is my experiences and the knowledge I have gained from them. So by "blogging" about what we know maybe we can learn something from each other, and in the process gain some insight as to what it's like to be in someone else's shoes.
So that's it, nothing special. My first post is complete. I'm not sure what direction this blog will take. I work with technology so I'm sure there will be a few posts about that and other quirky things that pop-up here and there.
Let me apologize right now, I will ramble, (as this posts has already proven) but I will try to keep the length of my posts to a minimum, for both our sakes. Keeping it above the digital fold as they say(i.e. from having to scroll down past the bottom edge of the screen).
Please forgive the state of my web layout. I will be updating it over the next few weeks as time permits. Right now simple works for me.
One more thing, I would be remiss in not wishing my wife a happy birthday. Happy 31 my love. And also happy birthday to our niece who is 7 today. Three birthdays on the same day can be pretty hectic, but I have found that it is not wise to try to compete with a cute seven year old. They always win.
Posted by joeschmidt at 04:33 AM | Comments (5) | post to del.icio.us
