I'm a computer and video gamer from waaaay back. I remember when Pong came out. I owned a Fairchild Channel 1 video game system. That came out just before the Atari 2600 for you video game buffs. I played games on my TRS-80 model 1 computer in 1979. From adventure games and first person shooters to strategy and massively multiplayer online games, I've been there and done that. Computer and video games have a way... Continue Reading

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of traveling to London to speak at Andrew Reynold's Entrepreneur Bootcamp 2009. For the past few years, Andrew has put on an annual event that has dwarfed other marketing events in both size and scope. This year sought to outdo them all with a massive two-day event at the London O2 Arena. Continue Reading

What do people see when they look at you? Initially, they see your physical appearance. However, I believe our bodies are really a small part of who we really are. Man is a three-part being. We are body, soul and spirit. The body is just a casing (or an earthsuit as John Eldredge likes to say) to give our real selves something to walk around in during our brief stay on this planet. And yet... Continue Reading

By now, you know that I am the creator of the world's most-talked about iPhone application, iFart Mobile. Although most people know me these days as the best selling author of "Twitter Power - How To Dominate Your Market One Tweet At A Time" and a successful internet entrepreneur, my staff and I eagerly jumped into iPhone development as soon as the app store launched. If you have been following me on Twitter, you are... Continue Reading

There's a rumor going around. It's growing. It's dangerous. And I think I may have encouraged it. People are starting to believe that Twitter is a sales tool. They see the site as a valuable resource that allows them to broadcast their sales messages and land new deals. Continue Reading

The people behind Twitter were incredibly lucky. They weren't lucky because they had a great idea. They weren't even lucky that no one else had thought of their idea before them. They were lucky that the system took just two weeks to build. My staff and I get together for regular brainstorming sessions. We toss out ideas left, right and center. By the time we walk out of that room, we've got a white board... Continue Reading

With Twitter becoming such a powerful force on the social media scene, there are those who get it and those who don't get it. There's a certain number of the "don't get it" crowd who will invariably take an outright aggressive posture and make a statement like this... "Twitter is a waste of time. Who cares what you had for breakfast?" Many on Twitter will hem and haw about the content of the question, almost... Continue Reading

I do not use my Gmail.com account for business. It is my personal account that I use to correspond with friends, family and close business associates. But I DO use the account and have a number of messages that I have saved for one reason or another. Around 2 pm MDT I went to check my Gmail account and was SHOCKED to see that my inbox was EMPTY! I thought, "surely this must be a... Continue Reading

When I went to my first Internet marketing conference I had a huge surprise. It wasn't the amount of information that I picked up sitting in the audience. And it wasn't the fascinating conversations I had sitting in the restaurants and the hotel bar in the evening. It was the fact that people knew me. Continue Reading

Online publishers wear all sort of different hats. They have to be marketers and managers. They have to be programmers and designers. They have to be buyers and sellers. And they often have to be dog-walkers, soccer coaches, family cooks and 9-5 day workers too. But perhaps the biggest challenge is that they have to be content creators as well. That's a very specialized job and because it's at the heart of what makes a... Continue Reading

I'm currently vacation in Dillon, CO with my family, staying at a friend's vacation home. I walked outside and it was such a gorgeous day that I decided to do a spontaneous live show! So from the Rocky Mountains, you can check out the replay now. Watch for special appearance from Socrates the Philosopher Dawg. :-) Continue Reading

A few weeks ago when iFart was at the height of its popularity, I was contacted by Rob Walker. Rob writes the Consumed article for the New York Times Magazine, published every Sunday. He thought that the success of iFart was an interesting barometer of American pop culture and asked if I would do an interview. Of course, I was delighted to provide whatever information he wanted. The article was just published in today's edition! Continue Reading

I'm getting ready to bust loose with a four-letter word. You aren't going to like it. It might make you cringe. Too bad. It needs to be said. "Debt" There I said it. Do you feel relieved or does the word stress you out? Continue Reading

I got an email from someone the other day asking me which "gurus" they should listen to. There are SO many people teaching how to make money online. How DO you know who to trust? Here's a checklist for you to help you determine the answer to this question: Continue Reading

Did you ever walk into one of those old mom-and-pop hardware stores, the sort of place where piles of dusty boxes filled with metal things are stacked from floor to ceiling and nothing's got a label on it? You walk up to the counter, explain what you're trying to do and the store owner nods, starts bringing down boxes and in no time at all finds exactly the widget you were looking for. Those people... Continue Reading

We had a great time in Glenwood Springs. From taking a Segway tour of the area and a day at the world's largest hot springs pool to downtime for rest & relaxation and a trip to a rain-covered Snowmass, my family and I enjoyed our brief vacation. I may put up some video once I get the chance. But I've had a lot of people curious about how the return train ride went on Amtrak... Continue Reading

Social Media is all the buzz right now. It started with MySpace, continued with YouTube and has brought about Facebook, Twitter and a host of other sites promising the help people interact in new ways. These sites have become very popular and two were purchased for a tidy sum. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp purchased MySpace for $580 million and Google bought YouTube for for $1.65 BILLION. I'm sure the boys from Facebook and Twitter have... Continue Reading

I've been blogging since 2003. That seems like an eternity in Internet years! If you aren't blogging yet, you are missing out on a KEY component of your Internet business and online presence. The thing is, many people are totally and completely intimidated by the thought of blogging. You may even be reading this and thinking, "I'm too embarrassed to tell Joel that I don't even know what a blog is!" Don't sweat it. You... Continue Reading

I was helping my wife clean out the closet yesterday and I've got a feeling I didn't pick up a box correctly. Yesterday afternoon, my lower back began hurting... all the way down at the base of my spine. I tried heat. I tried ointment. I tried advil. I managed to sleep through the night without any trouble, but man am I hurting today! Continue Reading

In March of 2006 I attended Yanik Silver's Internet Marketing Underground seminar in Washinton, DC. It was a life-changing date with destiny, for it was there that I met my future JV Partner, Eric Holmlund. I was also impressed by the high caliber of people who attended this seminar. It seemed that there was an awful lot of success in the room filled with over 300 people. Two years later and Yanik does not disappoint... Continue Reading

I'm not a big fan of the major airlines. In fact I have written several entries that demonstrated poor customer service by United and American. However, I had a uniquely good experience on United a couple days ago and wanted to share it with you. I was traveling to Los Angeles with Joel Ownby and Tim Prince, en route to Yanik Silver's Internet Underground conference in Los Angeles. The three of us board the 737... Continue Reading

Be careful... If you don't add the right amount of each ingredient, you could ruin the entire meal. Easy now... If you mix those chemicals incorrectly, it could be explosive. Watch it... If the calculations aren't perfect, the shuttle may never make it off the launching pad. Many things in life demand precision. There are some absolutes that do not allow for the least bit of give. One wrong step and the greatest ideas can... Continue Reading

Just got a fun email from the Google AdSense team. They have printed up a batch of AdSense stickers and are offering them for free. All you need to do is send a self-addressed stamped envelope to them and they will drop a sticker or two in it for you. AdSense has been good to me, so I'll probably find a good place to put my sticker. Would it be sacrilege to deface my Macbook... Continue Reading

So I've got this great idea for a screenplay. The story goes like this... Due to severe beatings she had received as a child, a thirty-something year old woman develops a strange phobia and doesn't leave the bathroom for two years. I know, bizarre, yes? It gets more interesting. The woman spends the majority of her time on the toilet. Yes, on the toilet. In fact, she spends SO much time on the toilet that... Continue Reading

There's a fun game people like to play that goes like this. Take any sentence or phrase and add the words "in bed" as a suffix to make it funnier. For example, "John ate a steak... in bed" or "Jill picked out the latest hat to wear... in bed" It's especially fun with fortune cookies, where the game has become part of our pop culture. For example, "You have very good skills and exceptional talents... Continue Reading

I've just spent an incredible three days in Las Vegas at the Affiliate Summit. This gathering of nearly 3000 people was one of the largest concentrations of affiliate marketers in history. While I did enjoy some of the workshops, the greatest benefit was from networking with others in the industry. I finally got to meet famous bloggers such as Amit Mehta, John Chow, Andrew Wee and Zac Johnson, just to name a few. All these... Continue Reading

I'm in Las Vegas for Affiliate Summit and am looking forward to the a few days of networking and learning. And while I have nothing to say about the conference yet because it hasn't started yet, I do have an experience to share with you. As you know, I enjoy blogging about my customer service experiences... especially the bad experiences. Why do I do this? I place a very high value on customer service and... Continue Reading

Last week, I sat down in my office with several members of my team and we began doing a brain dump of all the great ideas for sites, services and products that we had. We filled my fairly-large whiteboard in no time at all. The fact of the matter is that we have more ideas than we have time or manpower to accomplish! But ideas are not exactly in short supply, are they? There are... Continue Reading

I consider myself a fortunate person. Every day, I sit in a beautiful office, surrounded by great people and look out of my window towards a fantastic view of the Rockies. I think it's a great thing. Not everyone agrees with me. I know that lots of people want something different. They want to work from home. Continue Reading

The Benson Sculpture Garden is one of Loveland's most unique attractions. Placed in a beautiful outdoor settings with trees, ponds and bridges, this garden contains over 110 original sculptures from a number of artists. On nice days (which are frequent), you will find people strolling through the park, walking their dog, holding hands or interacting with some of the more interesting pieces. Continue Reading

Before we left Oklahoma, we used to eat at Moe's, a tex-mex fast food joint. It was pretty good. I especially liked the way they trained their staff to yell out "Welcome to Moe's!' every time someone walked in the front door. It made for a friendly environment where they recognized every customer on every visit. As a sidebar, Moe's only played music featuring dead musicians in their restaurant. Interesting... But when we moved to... Continue Reading

The day has arrived! I don't think there has ever been such excitement over one of my product launches, and I am excited to say that the excitement really has nothing to do with me! Instead, this product is all about YOU, and the opportunity you now have to receive the Internet marketing education that can last a lifetime. The Secret Classroom It's not an ebook that overpromises and underdelivers. It's not a software tool... Continue Reading

You've heard this phrase a thousand times. "It's not what you know, it's WHO you know." Do you believe it? It's true! At the age of 17 I got a dream job at the local computer and video store... ... because I knew the owner. At the age of 20 I got a summer job at an advertising agency and learned a ton... ... because my mother worked there. At the age of 24 I... Continue Reading

Do REAL people make money online? Well, I consider myself real people! Let's face it, before I became known for my AdSense ebook, I was just another anonymous Internet entrepreneur. It's true! Now my success story may seem out of reach... ... but it's not. No way. If I can do it, ANYONE can do it. Trust me. I know myself and am still amazed that people consider me an Internet "celebrity." Continue Reading

If you aren't doing video.. ... do I really need to finish this statement? Ok, I will. If you aren't doing video, you are missing out on one of simplest and sure-fire opportunties to promote your website, business, yourself and your services. Missing out. Those who keep an eye on hot trends know that video is it! This is why I want to you to RUN, don't walk, to the site I am going to... Continue Reading

It was a communal moment. I was thirteen-years old, and I remember standing in line with all the others. We were eagerly waiting... anticipating... fully aware that we were about to experience something that would be groundbreaking and revolutionary. Oh yes, there was a great deal of buzz. And we knew it. It was just a matter of time before we would be able to take our seats in the theater... ... and enjoy seeing... Continue Reading

It's one thing to have consenting adults eat worms on a reality show. It's a totally different story when children are being exploited for entertainment. And that is exactly what is taking place with Kid Nation, CBS television's much-hyped reality show. Continue Reading

What do poker, real estate and product launches have in common? Find out in episode 3 of "The Next Internet Millionaire", now available online! Last week found Laura and Steve joining Carly and Debbie in the"sandbox." This week, all four sandboxed contestants will have an opportunity to get back in the game. Will they succeed or fail? Continue Reading

I did it. I bit the bullet and picked up an iPhone. I've been a faithful Treo 650 user for two years, but the buzz regarding Apple's new device won me over. So I ponied up $599 + shipping and tax to get one of these puppies in my hands, though I was unsure of what I would find once I actually got to try it out for myself. I may now render the verdict... Continue Reading

I'm not a negative person. Generally, I've got a smile on my face and a bounce in my step. But the moment I got off the plane in Miami for Affiliate Summit, I felt like I needed a shower. No offense intended to any of my subscribers or friends that live at the tip of Florida, but I found it to be just a notch below absolutely miserable. Continue Reading

I had the pleasure of enjoying the company of my brother and his family this past weekend. They live in suburban Chicago, so it was a treat for them to come to the mountains and enjoy a little slower pace for a few days. By the way, you'll want to watch for my bro. He is a brilliant CPA with some keen insights into money management. I foresee a website and a book in the... Continue Reading

Friday the 13th? This is your lucky day! I'm not superstitious, and I believe that this Friday the 13th is going to be a huge winner for you! Why? Because I've just had the opportunity to speak with Brad Fallon of Stomper fame, and he is doing something that is about to rock the Internet marketing world! (And it won't cost you a dime, so breath easy, ok?) Continue Reading

I was on the phone with Armand Morin last night, and I've been thinking about something he said ever since. We talked about the great ebooks that are out there... We talked about some of the cool software tools that are now available... And of course, we talked about AdSense. But here's what he said that stuck with me. Continue Reading

Everything has changed. I remember when I first discovered computers. I was in high school when Radio Shack came out with their TRS-80 Model I personal computer. I remember going to the store and staring at it... ogling it... feeling the power of its keyboard... Hey, I guess I just wasn't into girls yet. That time came along eventually as well. ;-) Oh, those were the days. Continue Reading

Vince Lombardi once said, "A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done." Take inventory of yourself... Are you where you want to be? If not, why not? Continue Reading

Last time I visited Arizona, I had the pleasure of visiting the Grand Canyon. Undoubtedly, one of the most moving experiences of my life, there is absolutely nothing on the face of the earth that compares to standing on the edge of the canyon face and looking down one mile into it's deep, deep enormity. It was an experience that actually moved me to tears. (Hey, when you spend the majority of your life on... Continue Reading

Important. Urgent. Critical. Essential. Crucial. There are so many words I can use to describe how imperative it is that you read today's email, and listen to what I have to say... REALLY listen, because this comes from the heart. Continue Reading

Pssssst... I've got a secret... For those who are pay close attention to my newsletter, you know that I am a STRONG believer in attending live events in order to take your business to the next level. STRONG believer... Many of you understand once you actually attend a live event. I see how networking with other successful people has changed many lives! And I want everyone to experience this for their business. So it's time... Continue Reading

There’s something to be said for monopolies. Obviously, they’re great when you own one but they have another advantage too. They make life easier. They don’t make life better. But they do make life easier. Just think how much time you’d save if you were to walk into a supermarket and find only one type of bread and one brand of laundry powder and one sort of breakfast cereal. The bread might taste like chalk... Continue Reading

If you read yesterday's entry, you'll see that we had a heck of a time getting home from Chicago to OKC. Our flight was cancelled and we ended up rescheduled for an 8:55pm departure. Of course, the flight didn't leave until closer to 9:30 pm. And then we sat parked outside the gate in OKC for 30 minutes waiting for the plane at the gate to leave. All told, it was twelve hours from door... Continue Reading

I am blogging from Chicago O'Hare International Airport, where I am my family are awaiting an 8:55 pm departure to Oklahoma City. We've been here since 1 pm and our first flight was cancelled. With bad weather in Chicago and OKC, I'm not sure we're going to make it home tonight at all. Such is life, right? So I thought I'd make the best use of my time and write for a bit. In particular... Continue Reading

Alright, we are now headlong into the holiday season, and I wonder... Would it be ok with you if I follow a rabbit trail today? I just want to get something off my chest. It may just end up being instructive, but right now I just need to... um... well... er... rant? Yes, that's it. I need to rant. So, if you aren't interested in my little hissy fit, go ahead and delete this email... Continue Reading

I'm blogging from my office PC... only I'm not in my office. I am, in fact, in the American Airlines Admirals Club at D/FW International Airport, awaiting my flight to Oklahoma City. With GoToMyPC, I can login to my office PC from any PC in the world. It's pretty cool stuff! And I must say, the Admirals Club is awfully nice. I'm on a one-time visit pass and am not sure it's worth the annual... Continue Reading

I am writing this entry from Heathrow Airport in London. I've been here with my family since August 30th and we're ready to be back on American soil. As of now, our flight is delayed and I'm afraid we'll be sitting for a few more hours. I've been unplugged for all but one hour while on vacation (holiday, as they call it here). It has been refreshing to get away from the computer. But, like... Continue Reading

Did you know that MySpace.com is one of the most popular sites on the internet with teenagers? And are you aware of the type of content that MySpace users are regularly accessing? If you are a parent, you might be SHOCKED to find out what your kids could be viewing! If you have teenagers that could be using MySpace, I want you to RUN, not walk, and download a copy of... "My Space 4 Parents... Continue Reading

As of this entry, 483 of the 500 words at 500 Words are taken. And due to the number of Link Sizzler sites popping up, I have created a blog to keep track of them. Link Sizzler Blog This thing has really taken on a life of its own... it's like watching a baby crawl, walk and run. :-) Continue Reading

Everyone has their pet peeves, present company included. Being Saturday, I had to go to the store for a couple different things. I needed to pick up a framed poster at Hobby Lobby and I took my son to Best Buy so he could spend a gift card. At Hobby Lobby, I approached the checkout lanes and found there was only one girl handling all the customers. I took my spot in line behind the... Continue Reading

The other nght, several Internet marketers departed from the conference room at the Hawthorn Suites in Orlando to enjoy each other's company away from the seminar setting. Destination? Universal Studios CityWalk... Continue Reading

Here's a copy of the news release that went out on PRWeb today. Edmond, OK (PRWEB) May 9, 2006 -- With Internet publishers looking for ways to monetize their sites, Google has become one of the most revered sites due to their contextual advertising program, Google AdSense. This text-based ad service is generating four, five, and six-figure incomes for many website owners. With this increased interest in this revolutionary revenue-generating program, site owners are looking... Continue Reading

Google AdSense is currently the reigning King of contextual advertising services. But the King always faces challengers to the throne. Kontera, Chitika and Intellitext have managed to absorb a small piece of Google's market, but they've barely made a dent thus far. So who can take on the 100 pound gorilla? Only another gorilla. Enter Yahoo! Continue Reading

I occassionally receive email that looks like this... "Dear Joel, I have purchased your ebook and applied your strategies to my web pages. It's been a week and I am not making any money. It just doesn't work" Welcome to our microwave society. We want our popcorn done in sixty seconds. And if we can get someone else to put it in the microwave and prepare it for us, all the better. So what is... Continue Reading

I can't tell you how many times people have walked up to me at Yanik Silver's Underground Seminar and said, "You're Joel Comm!" Usually, I get a dumbfounded look on my face, look down at my badge to confirm their suspicions, smile, and look back up them... saying, "why, yes I am!" It's an incredilby humbling experience, actually, because I'm the same guy that I was before anyone thought of me as the AdSense guru... Continue Reading

Arrived in Washington, DC today for Yanik Silver's Underground Seminar. I'll be writing about my experiences this weekend. I've already encountered many friends, some fans and some folks that I hadn't met before. But that's another story. There's something wonderful about coming to this city, especially for someone who isn't jaded by living inside the Beltway. Continue Reading

I'm in San Francisco, which is over 1000 miles from home. I'm attending Harlan Kilstein's Six-Figure Copywriting conference (which I am scheduled to speak at tomorrow and Sunday). The conference is taking place at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport Hotel. I had a serendipitous event take place around 10 am. Continue Reading

We awoke at 8 am so, preparing for our Thanksgiving journey to Chicago. You won't believe how smoothly that journey went. Continue Reading

I just got back from one of the the most educational and inspiring seminars of my entire life. My friend, Jeff Walker, suggested that I go to Armand Morin's Big Seminar in Los Angeles. On his advice, I registered just a couple weeks ago. It cost $2000, but I trust Jeff and took his advice. Words cannot describe the weekend I just experienced. Continue Reading

My family recently returned from a fall vacation to Eureka Springs. While it was unfortunately cut short by a death in the family, we still enjoyed a few days in a tranquil and beautiful setting. Continue Reading

Launching a new product can be both an exhilirating and terrifying experience. The thrill of launching out into the unknown is matched only by the trepidation in wondering if the launch will fail. However, it doesn't need to be this complicated. Continue Reading

One of my best friends in the whole world is Mark Jones. I met Mark and his wife Rebecca when attending Trtinity Bible Church in Richardson, Texas. Mark was the worship pastor and we just gravitated towards each other. He and his family are the definition of kind and trustworthy. I love him like a brother and would do absolutely anything for him. *Though he did NOT ask me to do this...) Continue Reading

When I first heard that Tim Burton was doing a version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I thought "Oh no. He's going to butcher it." Don't get me wrong. For the most part, I like Tim Burton's work. Yes, he is bizarre, and probably somewhat twisted. But I like his creative flair. I enjoy his unusual characters and camera angles. But I also have read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and thoroughly enjoyed Willy... Continue Reading

Tonight, I grudgingly sat through War of the Worlds. I went with Mary and another couple because we wanted to do something and all the other movies looked like garbage. The movie promised that I would be "on the edge of my seat". And I was. But that was only because I was slumped so far into my chair that my butt was hanging over the edge of the seat. With the exception of some... Continue Reading

I believe there are insidious forces at work in America to tear down the fabric of this great nation. I believe these forces primarily reside in the extreme leadership of the Democrat party and the mainstream media. I believe these forces are the ones responsible for swaying public opinion against our brave men and women fighting the war on terror. These people despise our President and the tremendous successes he has had in this war... Continue Reading

Sick and tired of going to web sites and seeing nothing but content? Don't you hate when you are looking for ads and an article gets in the way? Do you long for flashing banners that throw you into epileptic fits but are constantly distracted by news and weather on a web page? Finally, there is a solution! Google Content Blocker will fix your web browsing experience so that no more annoying content haunts your... Continue Reading

I've had the privilage of spending time with Brad Fallon this past week. For those who don't know Brad, he is an expert in search engine optimization. Essentially, it is the fine art (or is a science?) of learning how to get your web site in top placement on Google, Yahoo, MSN and other search engines. Brad is a true expert on the topic and I now can wholeheartedly endorse his 10-CD package, "Stomping the... Stomping the Search Engines" href="http://joelcomm.com/stomping_the_search_engines.html">Continue Reading

I believe abortion is genocide, a modern-day holocaust of Biblical proportions. Slowly but surely, people are coming around to recognize the obvious truth. However, what many people have not recognized is that more than one person is hurt by abortion. It is true that an innocent life is killed before it has a chance to truly live. But what about the woman who commits the act? What about the husband who either encourages or stands... Continue Reading

A few years back, I was into selling on ebay big time. Since I am collector of old computer games, I found a market for like-minded collectors on ebay, reselling some of my $1 floppy disk software for as much as $50. It was a sweet deal. But I also learned a little bit about how the collector's market works on ebay, and I began looking out for retail products that would eventually become collector's... Continue Reading

We are in the process of designing a new home which we intend to build this year. A few years ago, we bought two acres of land in our city. We have been holding on to it and think the time is ripe to place a home on the property. My father is an architect, so he is drawing the plans. Thanks Dad! But I thought it would be a fun thing to play with... Continue Reading

A friend passed this along to me recently. Hope you enjoy it... --------------- One sunny day in 2005, an old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue, where he'd been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the Secret Service agent standing guard and said, "I would like to go in and meet with President Kerry." The Secret Service agent replied, "Sir, Mr. Kerry is not President and doesn't reside here." The... Continue Reading

Way back in July 2004, Disney released America's Heart and Soul without any fanfare. I reported about the release of the movie and indicated that I was eager to see it. While the film received virtually no screen time, it is now available on DVD. I finally viewed the movie tonight and I am perplexed as to why Disney did not put some promotion muscle behind this brilliant and inspiring picture! America's Heart and Soul... Continue Reading

The Incredibles is Disney/Pixars' latest cash cow. Can these people do no wrong? Pixar has animated toys, bugs, monsters and fish. But one realm they had not covered to date was people. The wait is over. I took the kids to see The Incredibles yesterday and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. The Incredibles is a story of super heroes who have been exiled by the government and the people, due to ever-increasing litigation incurred as... Continue Reading

Charles Krauthammer, writing for the Jewish World Review, has come out with an article that precisely nails down the problem with John Kerry and John Edwards. Highlights from Krauthammer's article... This is John Edwards on Monday at a rally in Newton, Iowa: "If we do the work that we can do in this country, the work that we will do when John Kerry is president, people like Christopher Reeve are going to walk, get up... Continue Reading

We checked out of Beaver Creek around noon today, leisurely packing and enjoying the remainder of our stay. Jenna wanted to try the bungee trampoline, so we let her bounce for a few minutes before we left the resort. I think the height intimidated her, but she had fun. The drive from Beaver Creek to Keystone was less than an hour, but we stopped in Frisco en route to get something to eat. We enjoyed... Continue Reading

One of the reasons we wanted to get out of Oklahoma and visit Colorado was because of the intolerable heat. Ninety degree days just don't agree with us. Wouldn't you know it... Boulder is having a heatwave! According to the temperature gauge in the minivan, it got up to 98 degrees today! Needless to say, we didn't feel much like hiking of being outside. However, since it is so beautiful here, it is hard to... Continue Reading

Several years ago, I remember going to the theatre with Mary to see a Martin Short film called Clifford. It took us about 15 minutes to walk out of the theatre and request a refund, something I had never done before or since. It was THAT bad. We just got done watching a movie that makes Clifford look like Shakespeare. Over the years, Christian film-makers have lagged behind secular filmmakers for lack of creative scripts... Continue Reading

Coming soon to a zoo near you? This from the Ananova news wire Visitors to a zoo in eastern India have been banned from laughing after a state politician said he found it offensive. It happened after members of a local 'Laughter Club' visited the Sanjay Gandhi Botanical Garden and Zoo in Patna. Laloo Prasad Yadav, the former chief minister of Bihar State and president of the ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal party, complained about the... Continue Reading

About three years ago, I came upon the soundtrack for Seussical the Musical at Amazon.com. Seussical is a Broadway production based on the works of the late Dr. Seuss. The story follows many favorite Seuss characters including The Cat in the Hat (the Narrator), Horton the Elephant, Mazie McBird, Gertrude McFuzz, a cast of Who's and many more favorites, in a family-friendly joyful walk down memory lane. My family and I have worn out the... Continue Reading

Roses are red, Violets are blue I hope you enjoy These links just for you John Kerry's waffles Wordsearch Puzzle Maker Parental Control Software (used in my home!) Inspiration for Moms Seussical the Musical (I am taking my kids to see this next week) Continue Reading

I saw The Passion of the Christ last night. I have to agree with something Glenn Beck said after viewing the film. It's unreviewable. Yet, there is so much to say. I hope you will endure my babbling to find something worthwhile in the words to come. By now, you have heard about this movie. I have been writing about it for nearly 9 months now as the opening day has drawn closer. One entry... Continue Reading

Michael Medved is not alone in speaking out against those who would attempt label The Passion of Christ as "anti-semitic". Rabbi Daniel Lapin, known on the national airwaves as "America's Rabbi", has written a thoughtful article taking his fellow Jews to task. Lapin states: Those Jewish organizations that have squandered both time and money futilely protesting Passion, ostensibly in order to prevent pogroms in Pittsburgh, can hardly be proud of their performance. They failed at... Continue Reading

I have been into computers since the TRS-80 Model I came out in the late seventies. I am not a programmer, but I can put a PC together from scratch, install an operating system and just about any software. I can tweak a machine under the hood and have been able to solve just about any problem I have encountered. To my family, friends and associates, I am the local computer guru. But even I... Continue Reading

In what may be a shocker to Hollywood, but I have predicted all along, Mel Gibson's The Passion of Christ is set to be a blockbuster. Here's the latest story from Variety magazine... 'Passion' poised for heavenly B.O. (Variety) The movie that couldn't find a distributor a year ago is now poised to become this year's first surprise hit. Though not a single television ad has aired for "The Passion of the Christ" two weeks... Continue Reading

Not be confused with my groundhog day rant a couple weeks back, this entry concerns itself with the title of the Bill Murray film from 1993. Caddyshack was funny. Ghostbusters was trendy. The Razor's Edge was dramatic. But Groundhog Day is Bill Murray's finest hour and comes in at #10 on my list of The 15 Best Movies Ever. Groundhog Day is the story of Phil Connors (Murray), a cynical weatherman who feels he is... Continue Reading

M. Night Shyamlan is a modern day Alfred Hitchcock. To date, he has made several films, including Unbreakable (with Bruce Willis) and Signs (with Mel Gibson). I thoroughly enjoyed both of these pictures, but it is his first film that has stayed with me as unforgettable. I am speaking of #12 in my series of The 15 Best Movies Ever, The Sixth Sense. In this film, Shyamalan proves he is the new master of suspense... Continue Reading

I have never been one to hit the stores the day after Thanksgiving. I have heard about the craziness, but never experienced it myself. It always made way more sense to wait until a more reasonable time to shop. I know there are some great deals for those willing to shop at 6 am, but I also know good deals can be found year 'round if you know where to look. For example, smart shoppers... Continue Reading

We had a casual morning, taking our time to get packed up and on our way. Packing is such a hassle and I do not look forward to "the big schlepp" each time we leave. I have streamlined the procedure a bit more with each stop, but we are also acquiring more souveniers along the way, so the van is getting more and more stuffed. We left our hotel around 12:30 pm and went to... Continue Reading

Today we visited The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. As a Jew, I have been wanting to see the museum for a long time. I knew it would be a "must see" if I ever made it to Washington. I'm not sure I can put my experience into words, and perhaps it is best that I don't even try. I don't want to minimize my visit into simple cliches. I'll sum up by saying this... Continue Reading

Once again, we got an early start and walked all over the place. We started by going to the Washington Monument, the tallest structure in D.C. It stands 555 feet high and is truly an awesome site. We took the elevator to the top and got to look out some very small windows in each direction. Of course, there are many others attempting to get a good view, so we didn't have much time to... Continue Reading

Woke up bright and early to begin our tour of the Nation's Capitol. We found a subway station just across the street from the hotel and were at The Mall in a few minutes. Bam, there we were, surrounded by the greatness that is Washington, D.C. The Washington Monument to my left; the Capitol Building to my right; and The Smithsonian beckoning to us from all directions! It was my first glimpse of the city... Continue Reading

Our time at the Conwell Inn has been great. The room is very nice and they have had some sort of breakfast downstairs every morning. When I took the dog out this morning, I was pleased to see a hot waffle iron and cups of batter. I surprised Mary and the kids with fresh waffles to get the day off on the right foot. Unfortunately, Mary hasn't felt good the past couple of days, so... Continue Reading

It was another walk in the footsteps of our Founding Fathers. The city of Philadelphia is where the Declaration of Independence was composed and signed. We can trace much of that which makes America great to the heart of this old city. We started the day by hopping a bus downtown. If I had known how crowded the bus would have been, I think we would have taken a cab. Anyhow, we arrived downtown and... Continue Reading

So long New Jersey. Hello Pennsylvania. For the second time on this journey, we are in Pennsylvania. The first time we passed through the west end on our way to Niagara Falls. This time we are stopping for four nights in Philadelphia. There is so much history here and we are going to attempt to squeeze as much in as possible. I had a very hard time finding a place to stay in the city... Continue Reading

We did not want to go through the trial of commuting into NYC again today, so we took it nice and easy. We opted for a leisurely lunch at the food court at the mall, the kids did their schoolwork and I had a little playtime on the computer. I haven't said much about Socrates in my blog, but he is having a great time "running with the pack". He's a good dog, except when... Continue Reading

We had a horrible night at the Quality Inn in Lyndhurst, NJ. It was supposed to be a non-smoking room, but the odor was there just the same. I went to the front desk and they gave me an ionizer to use in the room. We gave it a shot, but it didn't do the trick and the odor was giving Mary a headache. It was late and the kids were already falling asleep, so... Continue Reading

Day of rest. Laundry. Eating. Walking the dog. Packing for tomorrow. Leisurely time at Barnes and Noble. That was our day. Tomorrow we head for New York City! Continue Reading

I am so exhausted after today! We walked the "Freedom Trail" in Boston with our friends Ro and Kyle. Starting at the Bostom Common (the first public park in the U.S.) and ending up at the Bunker Hill monument, the Freedom Trail meandered, twisted and turned for over two miles through over a dozen historical sites that captured the essence of the struggle for our Nation's Independence. We started by driving to the mass transit... Continue Reading

We got to sleep in a bit this morning. After the kids did their schoolwork and I did some work, we went to lunch. Next stop was the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Museum and Library, south of the city. It is a beautiful building designed by I.M Pei. I was only two years old when President Kennedy was assasinated, so this was a great opportunity to learn more about this man that was much loved and... Continue Reading

Woke up this morning and decided that Bennington, Vermont would be a very nice place to live. The colors of the leaves are absolutely beautiful. I know it won't last long, and before you know it, the cold weather will come and the snow will fall. I don't care. The town has so much charm, history and beauty. After a quick breakfast in the room, we followed the usual ritual of packing the car and... Continue Reading

We left the Best Western in Niagara Falls this morning and I had a brief run-in with the general manager. When I looked at my itemized bill, I noticed that I was being charged $5.00 for each local call I made. He explained that local calls are free, but any call over 30 minutes was subject to a $5.00 charge and that this information was clearly printed in the hotel information. Well, I had called... Continue Reading

Finding a church to worship at while out of town is always a challenge. You just never know what you are going to get. As it turned out, I opened the yellow pages, placed a call to a church, asked a couple questions and decided that I had found a place. Redeemer Bible Church is a medium-sized church about five miles from the falls, just off the highway. The church placesa high emphasis on music... Continue Reading

Slowly I turned. Step by step. Inch by inch. Well, you don't have to remember the old joke to appreciate the awesome Niagara Falls. Once more, I say Awesome. That is the word that best describes this natural wonder. 600,000 gallons of water per second rapidly rushing from the upper Great Lakes into Lake Ontario. Standing at the top of the falls, you almost feel like you could be swept away with the rapids towards... Continue Reading

Mary and the kids needed to take some extra time for school today, so I dropped them off at the Cleveland Public Library. I then excitedly drove down the street to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I've always want to visit this place and was thrilled to have the opportunity. The architecture of the building was very cool with a wide open atrium and six levels of exhibits. I only had a couple... Continue Reading

After schlepping our stuff to the car, for what seemed to be the umpteenth time, we drove to the campus of the University of Illinois, my alma mater. Many things looked different, but much more looked exactly the same. I felt both relieved and sentimental as I walked "the quad". It was great to show the kids where I went to school, and I think they were impressed by the old buildings and the number... Continue Reading

Man, am I beat. It has been a LONG day, but quite enjoyable. The kids did a lot of their school work in the room this morning while I took a walk around the area. I am determined to continue exercising while we are on this trip lest I move up a waist size. We got going around noon and set course for St. Louis. I did not realize that the mountains/hills went this far... Continue Reading

Not really. But older than anyone else walking the face of the earth. Mrs. Kamato Hongo of Japan turned 116 yesterday. One hundred sixteen! Think about the changes she has seen in her lifetime! Read more here. Continue Reading

Ok, so now Al Qaida is taking credit for the blackouts on the East coast. The one paragraph that really stuck out to me was this... "The statement, which Al-Hayat obtained from the website of the International Islamic Media Center, didn't specify the way the alleged sabotage was carried out. The communiqué read: 'let the criminal Bush and his gang know that the punishment is the result of the action, the soldiers of God cut... Continue Reading

So, you are minding your own business, taking a walk. Everything appears to be just great until you get hit by a car. Your leg is injured, but you pick yourself up and walk miles to the nearest doctor's office. That's what you would do, right? And it wouldn't be an incredible story, except for one thing. You are a six-year old dog named Scooby. Read all about it Continue Reading

I decided to go check out the new Aspen Athletic Club that is opening just 1.5 miles away from our house. Mary and I have been talking about joining a club for a while, so I thought I'd stop be on my way to work. The actual club is still being built, but they have a temporary facility set up where they can sell memberships. I don't like long sales pitches and I had more... Continue Reading

Woke up around 8 am and went to breakfast at The Hole Thing, once again. Back to the room to load up the van and say goodbye to Red River. We stopped in Cimarron for one last look at the scenery before making the long trip back to Oklahoma. We did manage to make one more scenic stop along the way. Just outside Amarillo, TX is the Cadillac Ranch. We stopped many times along the... Continue Reading

What a busy day! Jenna and I started the day with a one-hour horseback ride. She rode Questa and I rode Buck. They took us 600 feet up the mountain on a sometimes precarious trail. It was a great deal of fun. Socrates got to meet one of the horses as well. He wanted to see them until he got up close. He must have been thinking, "That's the biggest dog I've ever seen!" Afterwards... Continue Reading

We got a late start this morning, but isn't that what vacationing is all about? Jenna is so excited about going horseback riding, so we walked to the stable and made a reservation for tomorrow at 10:30 am. She will be riding a black and white horse named Questa. Every time we passed the stable today, she pointed out Questa to all of us. Took a photo of Jenna out front of the lodge. For... Continue Reading

It is late on Saturday evening and we are preparing for a sem-spontaneous trip to Red River, New Mexico. It has been SO darned hot in Oklahoma City (it hit 109 degrees today!) that we need a break from it. So we'll be leaving first thing in the morning and will return next Sunday. It is approximately 8.5 hours driving time. Figure in 1.5 hours for rest stops, food, and walking the dog, should put... Continue Reading

Alright.. been at this web site thing since 1995... that's ancient in 'net years. Still, I struggle when asked to explain what I do. Typical conversation goes like this... "What do you do?" "I have an Internet business" "Oh, you build web sites. My cousin's sister's twice-removed great aunt wants to have a web site. Can you help?" "No, I don't build web sites. I have my OWN sites." "Oh. So, what do you do... Continue Reading

Well, I ended up losing 5 pounds last week. I think I hit my first plateau and I'm fine with that. Ended up pigging out on Chinese food over the weekend. I even had a friend egg-roll. Yum! I am back on track this week and hope I can ditch an additional 5 pounds. Thanks to those of you who have encouraged me with your comments. I am walking on the treadmill an hour a... Continue Reading

Went to see The Matrix Reloaded this evening. Following are some brief thoughts on the film. WARNING! There are spoilers here, so you many not want to read if you haven't seen it! . . . . . . . . . . Naturally, The Matrix Reloaded faced many challenges, not the least of which was being the sequel to The Matrix. With that said, the film was a disappointment on several levels. 1) The... Continue Reading