BobBuskirk.com

This video has been going around the internet for a few weeks now and it is hilarious. I came upon it when one of my friends made a twitter post that said, “…Salesforce.com was on the right testicle”. I asked him what the hell he was talking about and he showed me the video. If you have ever worked in IT or tech support you will appreciate this video, enjoy!

If you enjoyed this post, buy me a beer

If you follow affiliate marketing, John Chow’s blog, or Shoemoney’s blog you have probably heard of the Top Affiliate Challenge. The Top Affiliate Challenge is an online reality show that takes 12 internet marketers, divides them into 3 teams, and then it is up to the teams to make money promoting real affiliate products. Each team is led by a guru, Jeremy “ShoeMoney” Schoemaker, John Chow, and Ken McArthur make up the 3 guru’s. There are some pretty interesting contestants like Jonathan Van Clute and Ian Fernando. After watching the first 2 episodes I am not really impressed at all, honestly it’s more of a joke.

Production
When I first starting watching the first episode I thought I was watching something from 1995, the intro is horrible and the graphics look so dated. Watching the first episode you can blatantly see where they cut scenes and it just looks so unprofessional. And it’s not like it happens once or even twice during the show it happens all the time! It’s so bad that in episode 2 John Chow is talking about his blog and they cut him off at the end! I’ve seen video bloggers put together better videos than this! Also the quality of the uploaded video is just horrible. I guess that is because they are using Google Video to host the videos. They should have used a service like BitGravity to serve high quality video.

The Host
Well at least they picked an attractive host, but besides that she really does not bring anything. You can really tell that she is just reading from a script, not much emotion or anything. And in some scenes in episode 2 you can see that she is reading from the script on the floor! When I saw that I just laughed. No wonder they have to cut the video so much.

The Content
Now this is actually the only good part of the show. Watching the teams devise ways to make money with affiliate marketing, although through the first 2 shows they really do not show you how they do it or really give you any insight. I do like the battles going on between the teams and how determined some of the contestants are. It is a good opportunity for them to learn and make money at the same time. I have talked to some of the contestants and they say the show is really a joke, but they are enjoying the experience.

Hopefully the next few episodes will be better, but I don’t expect much on the production side of things. Here are the first 2 episodes…

If you enjoyed this post, buy me a beer

As I said in my previous post things have been really busy lately at ThinkComputers. That means we have a ton of products in to review. While CPU coolers and motherboards are not that exciting we do get some cool things in to review. Here are 3 of the more interesting items we have received lately.

You have seen this in action already, the Flip Ultra. If you do not know what a Flip is, it is a small video camera that records right to its built-in hard drive and makes it very easy for you to transfer videos from the device to your computer via a USB connection. These have become very popular lately so I decided to e-mail Flip and get one to review. The Flip Ultra has a 2GB storage capacity, which is about an hour of video at 640 x 480 resolution. You can get a Flip Ultra for $149.99

Now this laptop is just sick, its Alienware’s latest notebook the m15x. This 15.4-inch laptop is one of the most powerful laptops money can buy. Powered by an Intel Core 2 Extreme and an Nvidia GeForce 8800M GTX it can play any game that is out right now. To all you people who are not into computers you will like Alienware’s AlienFX System lighting. The keyboard, touchpad, logos, etc all light up. Not only that you can customize what colors they are, all with the included software. There are 12 different colors to choose from and you can even have the lights change from color to color, definitely cool! The m15x starts at $1,499, but a totally tricked out system will go for over $5,000!

I know everyone has seen iPod speaker systems, but the Orb from mStation is actually pretty cool and sounds good too. It is a 2.1 system that has a dedicated subwoofer so you can actually get good bass out of it. The system also will connect to your computer so you can dock your iPod right from the Orb. The system sells for $129.95.

Stay tuned to see these products reviewed on ThinkComputers!

If you enjoyed this post, buy me a beer

Well as you may notice it has been a while since I have updated the blog. Believe me I’m not going to quit blogging, but I just needed a break. I hate it when I go through my bookmarks and see that sites have not updated in a while, so to my loyal readers I’m sorry for that. With everything in life you need to take a break once in a while and the past week I took a break from blogging, I still had a lot going on so taking blogging out of the picture really helped with a lot of other things.

ThinkComputers
I have been really working hard at ThinkComputers. Usually the summer time is the slow time for the site, but we have just as many products in as during Christmas time so it’s just as much work. It’s kind of a bummer since it is summer, but it’s by business and if I want it to grow I have to work hard at it. We have some really great reviews coming up too. We just posted a review of the Lenovo IdeaPad U110 11.1-inch laptop, make sure you check it out. It is the perfect laptop for a blogger or mobile user.

Personal Time
Since I took some time off from blogging it gave me extra time to myself. The biggest problem being a writer is burnout. I don’t want to get burnt out and not update all of my sites, so I decided it would be best to take blogging out of the mix and I think it worked out well. It was one less thing to worry about. It is nice just being able to relax and not think about all the things you have to do.

Cleaning!
Over the past few weeks my place has turned into a mess! I just had so much to do that the little free time that I did have I just felt like relaxing. Well because of that my place was a mess and when you are living in a mess it really hurts your motivation. So I took an entire day and cleaned my entire apartment. I even rearranged my office to give it a new feel, which should really help with my motivation. Stay tuned for a blog post about that.

If you are feeling crushed with work and are always stressed take one thing out of the mix. I really didn’t think that just not blogging for a week would help, but it really did.

If you enjoyed this post, buy me a beer

Time has listed their 50 best websites of 2008. Now reading through the lengthy list of sites will maybe give you an idea for a new site, but do these sites make money? Valleywag went through the list and found out how each site makes money online, very interesting. No surprise that Google Adsense is used by most, following that private ad sales, then Yahoo, then finally Microsoft, which only 1 of the 36 sites that actually are ad supported uses. Here is a short list, head on over the Valleywag for the full list.

• Ad-supported:36
• Google ads: 18
• Microsoft ads: 1
• Yahoo ads: 2
• In-house ad sales teams: 3
• Sell goods: 2
• Sell physical goods: 1
• GasBuddy — Google AdSense and a display ad.
• Howcast — Google Adsense.
• iliketotallyloveit.com — Google Adsense
• Omiru — affiliate accounts with vendors such as Amazon and Bluefly
• PsychCentral — Google Adsense.
• TripKick — ValueClick banner ads.
• Wikitravel — Google Adsense.
• Yahoo! Answers — Yahoo display and search results.
• Zeer — Google AdSense
• Afrigadget.com — run by volunteers.
• AskMen.com — Google search ads and Google AdSense.
• ConcreteLoop.com — Google AdSense
• Health.com — Display advertising, served by DoubleClick, sold by Health magazine.
• PopSugar — display ads, sold internally.
• ProFootballTalk — Sponsored by Sprint, Valueclick display ads.

If you enjoyed this post, buy me a beer

A while ago I talked about Twitter, if you still do not know what Twitter is make sure you check that post out. I got a Brightkite invite a while ago and while I did not really fully understand what it was I of course went to check it out. I really like how with Twitter I was able to let people know what I am doing when I am out, but unless they are from the area where I’m at they have no clue really where I am. That is where Brightkite comes in.

Getting Setup
Brightkite is all about where you are, that is why they call it the location-based social network. Once you create an account you can setup your profile with all your information. Make sure you put in your mobile number and your Twitter information (under sharing). Once you are all setup then you are ready to check in. Britekite is based on where you check in at. You do not have to be specific, for example you can put Pittsburgh, PA and it will just check you in at Pittsburgh. But if you want to be specific you can be too.

Mobile Use
Like I said I like to update my Twitter when I’m out, but I can do the same thing with Brightkite when I’m out through text (remember Brightkite will update your twitter status). To check in all I have to do is text @ “My Location”, example: @ Pittsburgh, PA. It is really that easy. Say you are at a restaurant, but do not know that address. Brightkite has a built in business search, so if I’m at Pho I can text: ? Pho Minh and it will list the top 5 closest businesses with that name and once I select one I can check in there. Once checked in at your location you can text: say “your message”, example: say at pho! You can also upload pictures to Brightkite, they will provide you with an e-mail address to send pictures to. When you send pictures the title of the e-mail will be the text in your tweet, like this one. If you click on the Brightkite link it will take you to a page with the picture and a Google map of the location that I sent the picture from, very cool!

Real Social Networking
Something really interesting happened when I went to the Penguins vs. Flyers game back on May 18th. Of course I was using Brightkite and I checked in a Mellon Arena. About 15 minutes after I checked in a got a text message back from Brightkite saying another user checked in at the same location and how I could chat with them. So I decided to say hi to the other user and we were chatting all through the game. It was very cool, that is real world social networking for you!

Other Features
For iPhone users Brightkite has an iPhone site at http://i.brightkite.com and I really like it, although I rarely use it, texting works fine for me. Just like on Twitter you have your stream with all of your friend’s updates, but also you have and Around Me stream that will list all of the updates from users that are around you, so it makes it easier to add them as friends. Also you can see all of the places that you have checked in at, Brightkite will even display them on a map, which is really cool.

Invites Anyone?
Brightkite is still in beta, but right now I have 5 invites so if you would like one please comment at the bottom of this post, make sure you include your e-mail since that is how I will send you the invite. If you are already a Brightkite member make sure you add me as a friend!

If you enjoyed this post, buy me a beer

It has been a while since I had my last Pho, and that experience was not authentic according to John Chow. He said you need to go to small place not a place in a Vegas hotel. I have been craving Pho, especially since the guys go each week. Now there are not many Pho places to choose from in Pittsburgh, but I had heard good things about Pho Minh so fellow ThinkComputers staff writer Colin and I headed down there for dinner.

Pho Minh is right on Penn Ave. in Bloomfield. It is not very big at all, walking into the place there are maybe 20 seats at most. We seated and our order taken right away. I ordered the normal Pho, but with added steak. Colin ordered Pho with beef and chicken (next time I will remember the names). Both our orders came out very quickly and steaming hot!

After the first taste I knew I would be coming back to Pho Minh. The Pho I had in Vegas did not even compare with Pho Minh. The broth was extremely tasty and not bland at all. Well I’ve only been to 2 Pho restaurants, but this one is my favorite so far.

I had never had tea before unbelievably. Colin said I should try it so I did. While being a little bland it was good and if it’s filled with caffeine I’m all for it! I brought the Flip Utra along with me to Pho Minh and Colin took this short video…

Colin and I plan to make this a weekly thing, maybe start a Dot Com Pho Pittsburgh? If anyone is interested in joining us be sure to contact me and I will let you know when we are going again.

If you enjoyed this post, buy me a beer

I have received many e-mails and comments wanting to know what my daily routine is like. The thing is because I’m my own boss my routine changes all the time and it can be different each day depending on what I’m doing. Although my Sunday’s usually are always the same. I use Sunday as sort of a catch up and relax day. It is always good to have at least one relax day a week. You can’t be working 7 days a week, you will eventually get burnt out.

Relaxing
I never set an alarm on Sundays, I just sleep in till whenever I feel like getting up. I usually try to catch up on my blog reading on Sunday too. I have about 20 blogs in my bookmarks that I enjoy to reading so I usually sit out on my deck, enjoy the weather (if it’s nice) and read blogs for a few hours. Sundays for me also means a nice big lunch. Since I have more time on Sunday’s I usually make a big lunch that takes a while to make. That way I can sit and enjoy eating, not rush through it.

Catching Up
As I said I do not do a lot of work on Sundays, but I do get some work done. A lot of the time I get behind on e-mails, so I use the weekend to get caught up on them. I also use Sunday to research blog topics and article topics for ThinkComputers. Another part of Sunday is spent doing little tweaks to my websites like adding new features or redesigning. As many of you know ThinkComputers usually posts 5 reviews a week so I prepare Monday’s review on Sunday night. So it is not a lot of work on Sunday, but it is nice to be able to be productive in a relaxed atmosphere.

I recently got a Flip Ultra to review on ThinkComputers so I decided to make a video of my outside “workstation” (old computer chair), and show you the view from my apartment. If you enjoyed the video please let me know and I will continue to make more of them.

If you enjoyed this post, buy me a beer

We all know John Chow has given some really cool things away like a LCD monitor and 10,000 Entrecard credits. Well this contest has to rank up there with some of his best. He has teamed up with Market Leverage to give away 4 great prizes all to one person! These prizes include a Flip video camera, $200 Market Leverage Amex card, iPod Nano, and a USB drive pen. All of the prizes combined equal out to over $500!

Entering is easy all you have to do is reply to the contest post on JohnChow.com, which will give you one entry into the contest. If you blog about the contest linking back to the contest post and Market Leverage you will get 5 entries into the contest. The contest runs until June 20th so get your entries in!

If you enjoyed this post, buy me a beer

As most of you know the hockey season is now over. The Penguins were not able to bring the Cup back to Pittsburgh, but even though they lost in the finals you have to commend them on such a great season. Don’t forget that only 2 seasons ago the Penguins finished the season in second to last place. Seeing this team grow over the past 3 years has been amazing. Also seeing the city get behind the team is great. All you ever hear around here is something about the Steelers, it was good to see the Penguins and the sport of hockey get some attention. I’m not a bitter fan, Detroit deserved to win. They played better and really wanted to win.

Going into the playoffs I was unsure of how the Penguins would do, although they did have some experience from last year, it was not a lot. After they knocked out Ottawa it was very exciting. When we defeated the Rangers to head on to the Eastern Conference Finals it was an unreal feeling. When we defeated them to head to the Stanley Cup Finals it gave me butterflies (I was at the final game of the Philadelphia series). It would be the first time we had gone to the finals in 16 years! It was very exciting and the city was a buzz! Another funny thing was that the last time the Penguins won the Cup there was a Bush in office, a Clinton was running for office, and the Jets won the Super Bowl. Of course Hillary is not running anymore, but at the time she was. It was a weird coincidence.

Although the Penguins did not win it gives us a lot to look forward to next season. Hopefully we will be able to keep many of our key players. Malkin, Fluery, Hossa, Malone, and Orpik all need contracts, and those are just a few. Hopefully Shero can find some way to keep them all!

This hockey season was filled with so many great moments and long nights of me watching the games then listening to the post-game show on the radio. Going to the games was also a lot of fun and the atmosphere inside the arena is amazing, especially during the playoff games. The tickets were expensive, but you cannot put a price on that kind of feeling. Thanks for a great season Penguins!

If you enjoyed this post, buy me a beer