My East Ky

So I went to the Floyd County Times website today and noticed a new “peel away” advertisement in the top right hand corner for Inter Mountain Cable. Being as I always like to stretch my dollar I figured I would browse there site to see what they have to offer. I was shocked at their prices for DSL service as well as prices for their cable and VOIP services. The cheapest available DSL service they offer is 256k/256k with a price of $24.95 a month, that’s hardly considered broadband in my book. Their top of the line DSL package is 6mb/1mb for a low $229.95 a month! That is unreal; do they actually have people subscribing to this package? If so they are complete suckers.

The TV packages they offer are just ridiculous add $10 a month if you want TV in more than 1 room with digital service and oh you want DVR service to? Add another $9.95. Plus lets say you want to use that new High definition LCD you just got add another $8.95 for 18 High Def channels. Ha what a joke. I’m not even going to go into their VOIP services. But I will dive into their “Triple Play Bundles”. The lowest package they have costs $99.93 a month and will get you High Speed Internet access and the blazing connection speed of 256k/256k (lol) with 75 minutes of nationwide calling and basic analog cable.  The top of line mack daddy “triple play service ” offered will set you back a mere $151.93 and for that you will get Unlimited calling, calling features? I guess caller ID and call waiting, Internet access with a connection speed of 3MB/256k, and Digital Tv with over 150 channels ( no High def or DVR service included).

They are several other packages available via their website and all are just as ridiculous as these. Does Inter Mountain Cable have a monopoly in the areas they service? I really can’t see anyone paying these prices. It sure makes me feel a lot better about paying AT&T $47.95 a month for a 6MB/512k naked DSL Connection.

Last year my poor Pomeranian (Max) was terribly infested with fleas by the end of August. A daily bath was necessary to try and relieve him of the agony. You could see the despair in is face as he constantly dug away at the fleas biting him. I went so far as to shave him to the skin. We were completely infested within a week or so. By that time you could not lay in the floor without getting bite by a flea. To try and get rid of them I tried just about every Harts product available @ Wal-mart, flea dips, flea shampoo, flea and tick collars. I also set off multiple bombs to try and relieve the infestation in the house.  I have always heard people have got good results from Frontline Plus and by this point Max and I was going to try anything, So I stopped by Rudolph’s Office and picked up a month supply and rushed home to apply to Max.

After another quick bath and a drying I applied it via the instructions and hoped it worked. Unfortunately it did not even make a dent. Poor Max seemed never to get any relief. We eventually got rid of the infestation by doing a daily bath, multiple “bombs”, and hand grooming the dog. But I believe the cold weather that came in helped a lot eventually killing the remaining fleas and eggs. I was completely disappointed by Frontline Plus. It seemed to not even make a dent with the fleas.

Fast forward to this spring I have already begun thinking about the upcoming season and how Max and I were not going to repeat last year. This time I gave Advantix a try, applying it monthly starting in May. All I can say is wow what a difference not a single flea or tick was found my dog Max. It was so great to go the entire summer without having those issues. I will probably keep applying Advantix up until December then start reapplying about the same time I did this year May. I do think getting head starts on the problem definitely help keep the issue at bay. If you do any research on Frontline or Advantix you will see that the reviews of each product vary, some report Frontline Plus does an excellent job as others report Advantix gets the jobs done. I believe you just have to do a trial and error thing to see what fits your pet best. Also be careful with these products as you can overdose you dog or cat if you’re not careful.

If you have been toying with the idea of setting up your own website, blog, or whatever now is the perfect time to get a great deal on web hosting. Lunarpages Webhosting is having a fall sale with basic hosting plans starting @ $4.95 a month!. A 12 or 24 month must be purchased to obtain these prices but @ only $59.40 a year it’s a great deal. Lunarpages is the host of Myeastky.com and a couple other websites I run and I could not be anymore satisfied. Lunarpages also includes a ton of extras when you sign up with them free domain, free setup, and free software,

full registered versions of Parallels Workstation 2.2 for Windows & Linux, WinSettings and Photo TurboBackup by FileStream, Logo Creator Entertainment and Sports Editions, 60 days free at RatePoint, 15 DNS level Gafana spam, virus protection, and email management accounts, $100 LinkWorth free advertising credits and $20 in Bidvertiser clicks, DeepTrawl website error checker, plus 3 months of VisitorVille web stats!

I would love to see more blogs about the Eastern Ky and surrounding area. So what are you waiting for?

Press Release:

DIRECTV and TiVo to Launch New HD DIRECTV DVR with TiVo Service
Wednesday September 3, 7:00 am ET

EL SEGUNDO and ALVISO, Calif., Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — DIRECTV, Inc. (Nasdaq: DTV - News), the nation’s leading satellite television service provider, and TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq: TIVO - News), the creator of and a leader in television services for digital video recorders (DVR), announced today that they have extended their current agreement, which includes the development, marketing and distribution of a new HD DIRECTV DVR featuring the TiVo® service, as well as the extension of mutual intellectual property arrangements.

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Under the terms of the non-exclusive arrangement, DIRECTV and TiVo will work together to develop a version of the TiVo® service for DIRECTV’s broadband-enabled HD DVR platform. The product will support the latest TiVo and DIRECTV features and services, including TiVo’s Universal Swivel Search and TiVo KidZone. TiVo will develop the new HD DVR for an expected launch in the second half of 2009.

DIRECTV will continue to develop and offer its own portfolio of industry leading set top boxes as primary offerings to both new and existing customers. This new TiVo box will be offered as an alternative choice to those DIRECTV customers who would like to add TiVo to a full line up of DIRECTV services.

“We have had a very successful history with DIRECTV. Together we brought the TiVo experience to millions of DIRECTV customers and now we look forward to launching a next generation product that uses TiVo’s latest features to truly showcase DIRECTV’s broad selection of high-definition programming — all stitched together with the elegance of TiVo’s renowned user experience,” said Tom Rogers, TiVo’s CEO and president. “This agreement demonstrates our continued embrace of mass distribution opportunities in cooperation with major multichannel operators who recognize the value of giving their customers a choice of compelling user experiences.”

Like prior products developed by TiVo and DIRECTV, the new HD offering will be marketed and sold by DIRECTV nationally to its entire customer base as part of its growing portfolio of brand name video offerings. Specific consumer pricing and packaging will be announced in conjunction with DIRECTV’s launch of the product.

“As the industry’s content and technology leader, DIRECTV has a long-standing reputation for developing innovative, advanced products and services, including our highly successful series of DVRs and HD DVRs,” said Chase Carey, president and CEO, DIRECTV, Inc. “We will continue to work with TiVo and make this new product available to all new and existing DIRECTV customers who may want to add TiVo on top of our industry leading experience.”

DIRECTV and TiVo began their relationship in 2000 with the launch of the first DIRECTV DVR with TiVo service. In April 2006, the companies announced an extension of their commercial and advertising relationship and those commercial and advertising capabilities are further extended, and now include the new HD platform. DIRECTV and TiVo also recently deployed a software update to existing DIRECTV with TiVo boxes, which enables new features like DIRECTV’s Remote Booking.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

About DIRECTV, Inc.

DIRECTV, Inc. (NASDAQ: DTV - News), the nation’s leading satellite television service provider, presents the finest television experience available to more than 17.1 million customers in the United States and is leading the HD revolution with more than 130 HD channels — more quality HD channels than any other television provider. Each day, DIRECTV subscribers enjoy access to over 265 channels of 100% digital picture and sound, exclusive programming, industry-leading customer satisfaction (which has surpassed all national cable companies for eight years running) and superior technologies that include advanced DVR and HD-DVR services and the most state-of-the-art interactive sports packages available anywhere. For the most up-to-date information on DIRECTV, please visit directv.com.

About TiVo Inc

Founded in 1997, TiVo (NASDAQ: TIVO - News) pioneered a brand new category of products with the development of the first commercially available digital video recorder (DVR). Sold through leading consumer electronic retailers, TiVo has developed a brand which resonates boldly with consumers as providing a superior television experience. Through agreements with leading satellite and cable providers, TiVo also integrates its DVR service features into the set-top boxes of mass distributors. TiVo’s DVR functionality and ease of use, with such features as Season Pass® recordings, WishList® searches, and TiVo KidZone, have elevated its popularity among consumers and have created a whole new way for viewers to watch television. With a continued investment in its patented technologies, TiVo is revolutionizing the way consumers watch and access home entertainment. Rapidly becoming the focal point of the digital living room, TiVo’s DVR is at the center of experiencing new forms of content on the TV, such as broadband delivered video, music and photos. With innovative features such as TiVoToGo(TM) and online scheduling, TiVo is expanding the notion of consumers experiencing “TiVo, TV your way.®” The TiVo® service is also at the forefront of providing innovative marketing solutions for the television industry, including the Stop||Watch(TM) commercial and program rankings service, a unique platform for advertisers and media companies. The Company is based in Alviso, California.

TiVo, the TiVo logo, Season Pass, WishList, Swivel, Stop||Watch, TiVoToGo, and ‘TiVo, TV your way.’ are trademarks or registered trademarks of TiVo Inc. or its subsidiaries worldwide. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

This release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements relate to, among other things, the timing and nature of future development and distribution of DIRECTV DVRs with TiVo service, the future availability of interactive advertising capabilities and future negotiations between TiVo and DIRECTV on other product initiatives. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as, “believe,” “expect,” “may,” “will,” “intend,” “estimate,” “continue,” or similar expressions or the negative of those terms or expressions. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to vary materially from those expressed in or indicated by the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially include delays in development, competitive service offerings and lack of market acceptance, as well as the other potential factors described under “Risk Factors” in DIRECTV’s public reports and TiVo’s public reports, including each company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent current and quarterly reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Each of DIRECTV and TiVo cautions you not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect an analysis only and speak only as of the date hereof. Each of DIRECTV and TiVo disclaim any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Got to say I am looking forward to this. The DirecTV HD DVR is a fine working machine, but there is nothing that comes close to an original TiVo. One does have to wonder about a couple of things. Like what the inital price is going to be? I paid close to $300 to upgrade to the DirecTV HR 21-700. Also I hope DirecTV continues to release upgrades to their HR series of DVR’s. For example the media share is still in “beta”.

If you’re a digital camera freak like myself, (I literally have over a terabyte of pics on my hard drive) there is no better gift than a Photo Book. My sister gave one to our mother for Christmas last year and it’s still regularly looked at as it sits on her coffee table. I myself have made over 10 photo books. Most are of my little girl as she grows older. It’s so much easier than digging out the shoe box with hundreds of 4×6’s. They are a great way to show off your amateur eye. Being as some people call me cheap I usually only make and order a book when I can get a great deal. Right now you can get a free photo book from albelli (expires 9/9/08), you just have to pay the shipping charges. I tried albelli but I was never to finish because of an upload error. I tried probably 10 times but I always got an error on the last 2 pictures?? You do have to install software to make your photo book from albelli but it is made from Adobe so I have no trust issues there. The application is still in “beta” and there is obviously issue’s that still need to be addressed but it’s worth a shot.

One place that I have never had any issues from is shutterfly. Their photo books have always came out great. Plus there is no extra software to install and their processing and shipping is super fast. I placed an order on Sunday August 31st and it was delivered today September 5th. In my book that is superb service considering that I ordered a 20 page photo book with 50 free 4×6’s. The best deal I can find currently on shutterfly is a 15% off coupon with free shipping on photo books. Plus new members ger 50 free 4×6’s and collage poster. Just use coupon code: AF63-AG08 during checkout. Offer expires 9/9/08

Here is a picture I took recently and adjusted in Adobe Photoshop. My current digital camera is a Sony DSC-H2 Steady Shot