Time Warner Cable Brings out the Wideband Internet

I remember that before I went to college, I had no idea that high-speed Internet was even a thing that existed. For me, dial-up was just fine (if kind of slow) and the Internet was where I went to check e-mail occasionally. However, once my friends and I ended up in college, downloading music and playing video games together online became a very regular thing. These days, I feel like I take for granted just how fast everything I want online can be at my fingertips.

The thing is, that doesn't seem likely to change anytime soon, especially given Time Warner Cable's recent announcement of Wideband Internet. Wideband Internet is their new high-speed plan which uses DOCSIS 3.0 technology to provide incredibly fast Internet. While it is currently only available in NYC, the 50 Mbps download speed and 5 Mbps upload speed are certainly something to keep in mind for the future of high-speed. It almost seems comically fast. What can one man do with so many megabytes? I'm now imagining the Enterprise, with Scotty shouting that he's giving the Internet connection "all she's got, Captain".

The thought of using speeds like that to do multiple bandwidth-hogging activities (playing games, streaming video, etc) makes a geek like me excited for the possibilities. It's hard to believe that something like that could be available at my home some day. And if you're in New York, then you're already in luck.

To read more about Time Warner Cable's Wideband Internet technology, visit Time Warner Cable.

Decoding Bundled Services

I have always been a big fan of puzzles. Not the lame kind where you put together a picture of a fruit basket at your Aunt Betty's house because she doesn't have a color TV, but the kind of brain teasers that get you thinking or guessing. Except for Rubik's Cubes. I have always been bad at those, probably because I am not a super smart Rubik's Cube solving robot. But can't a man dream?

Even though many of us enjoy giving our minds a work out, I'm sure that like me, you don't appreciate it when ordering home services feels like a brain teaser. Knowing what you want and what you can afford isn't exactly easy to figure out, given the myriad of options available. What makes this even harder is that providers are often promoting bundles of high-speed Internet, TV or phone for one monthly price, but it's not always apparent if this is a good deal or not. Many providers advertise bundles as a way of saving money on your bills, but is that how it often works?

Fortunately, the answer is "yes".

WhiteFence 101: Did You Know?

Have you ever heard of the elevator pitch? Wikipedia defines the elevator pitch as "an overview of an idea for a product, service, or project. The name reflects the fact that an elevator pitch should be possible to deliver in the time span of an elevator ride, meaning in a maximum of 30 seconds and in 130 words or fewer."

Recently, I've found myself giving elevator pitches about WhiteFence, particularly at South By Southwest, where tons of people are curious about who you work for and what you do. I think if I was giving a quick run-down of what WhiteFence is and what it offers, I would say that it is a free service that allows movers or shoppers to find and order the best deals on their home services or utilities.

In reality, there's a lot more to the WhiteFence experience than what can be summed up in 130 words or less. In the spirit of those old school The More You Know segments, here are some interesting "did you know" facts about WhiteFence.

6 Ways to Take a Green Spring Break

For many students and parents around the country, this week (or next, depending on where you live) is that lovely part of the year known as Spring Break. It's the time when people pack themselves in mini-vans or airplanes and go crash on beaches far and wide, all in anticipation of summer, which lies just around the corner. Or if you're a teacher like my wife, sleeping in and hanging out with friends. Either way, sign me up for one of those next year!

While Spring Break and vacations in general are often highlights of the year for those of us who need a reprieve from the real world, traveling can be an activity that turns ridiculously wasteful in terms of the environment. From the way we recycle, eat and relax, there are plenty of ways to make our down time more eco-friendly. Here are 6 ways to be green on Spring Break.

What to Watch for When Choosing a TV Plan

I've said it before, and I'll continue to say it as long as I'm alive or before I'm cryogenically frozen for the future — TV is great. When I say TV, I mean both the actual physical box and the service that it provides. I'm sure there is a very official definition of it somewhere, but I can't be bothered by the ten seconds it takes to Google things when I am in a writing frenzy. Instead, I'll come up with my own definition. Ahem...

TV - noun. A box from which magical visual goodness flows, illuminating all in its bright and bathing glow.

I didn't mean for that to rhyme, but it's all good. Anyway, I spend a great deal of time (more than I'd care to admit) watching TV, and for TV watchers like me, it's important to consider the right kind of service when choosing what to have in your home. Here are some things to consider when choosing a TV plan.

Win a Sony HDTV at the WhiteFence and TheSportsGeeks Twitter Tailgate!

It’s that time of year again, when offices across the country start buzzing with wild predictions, grown men spend their lunch money on elaborate brackets and productivity falls through the floor. It’s March Madness! In honor of the big tournament getting underway, WhiteFence is joining forces with The Sports Geeks to co-host a Twitter tailgate and giveaway.

“How does it work?” I can hear you asking. It’s simple! Today, from 4:00pm to 5:00pm EST, The Sports Geeks will be asking questions about the tournament and WhiteFence on Twitter. If you answer select questions correctly and include the hashtag #WFMadness to your tweet, you could win some sweet prizes.

“Exactly how sweet are these prizes?” Pretty sweet, that’s how sweet. We’ll be giving away a $100 Best Buy gift card every ten minutes and one lucky participant will be walking home with 40" Sony HDTV*. Okay, so they won’t actually be walking home with it since this is a virtual tailgate, but you get the picture.

It’s going to be awesome and we hope to see you and all of your friends participating (even Craig from accounting). Here are the details:

Date: Wednesday, March 17^th

Time: 4:00-5:00pm EST/1:00-2:00pm PST

Hosts: The Sports Geeks & WhiteFence

Hashtag: #WFMadness

*Winner will be furnished with a Best Buy gift card equal to the value of Sony KDL40EX400 40" BRAVIA 1800p HDTV, valued at $700.

Is Your Dog Eco-Friendly?

Did you know that owning a dog is not Eco-friendly? Let me start off by saying that I'm not only a dog owner, I love to spoil her rotten. And while I do my best to be environmentally friendly by recycling, buying organic food, mulching my yard clippings, etc., I had no idea that my little bundle of cuteness was keeping me from my fullest green potential.

So putting my furry friend up for adoption was completely out of the question but I also couldn't fathom ignoring my responsibility to our planet. Well fret not because I found some cool tips that all dog owners can follow to make our lovable dogs more green.

• Dog Food - Buying from a local dog food maker cuts down on the gasoline and carbon emissions it would otherwise take to ship your dog food to your local store. Also talk to your vet about making your own dog food.

• Dog Poop Bag - Make sure to always pick up after your pooch by using a biodegradable pet waste pick up bag.

• Dog Toys - Get your pet toys that are made of natural, organic or recycled materials.

• Flea Protection - Instead of using a flea control product with chemicals, make your own natural remedy or by natural products from sites like EarthAnimal.

5 Things to Know About Losing an Hour of Sleep

As you are no doubt well aware by this point in the afternoon, Daylight Saving Time has brought its destruction to our sleeping patterns over the weekend, rending them unrecognizable. While the idea of jumping forward in time is neat to us sci-fi geeks that love time travel, it's no fun to wake up at a time that feels like an hour earlier to our bodies. I've been in Austin all weekend for South By Southwest Interactive, and I've seen some sleepy and tired people wandering the halls of the Convention Center. Note to SXSW planners: parties plus DST do not equal happy convention goers.

However, even if you're bitter about never getting that sixty minutes of sleep back from Sunday morning, there are some actual benefits to DST that go beyond putting that daylight away to use for later. Here are 5 things to know about losing an hour of sleep...

Saving Money on the Mortgage

The original title of this blog post was going to be about making "biweekly" or "bimonthly" mortgage payments, but since there seems to be confusion about which term is correct, I thought I'd go for something a bit simpler. Moving right along...

Paying the mortgage every month is always a stressful time around our household. Mainly because we are always trying to figure out whether we have enough money to put more down on the principle, so we can gradually shave off some of that lovely interest. However, a great money saving blog called The Simple Dollar offers a different solution that I took a liking to.

Blast From the Past: How the Internet Was Supposed to Fail

The great thing about media is that you don't always need a DeLorean (or Christopher Lloyd) to take a quick jaunt across time and space to a simpler, less cluttered era in the online universe. With the advent of the tubes that make up these great and exciting Internets, we can instantly go back and look at things that were said in the past, and promptly laugh at the foolish less informed prophets of yesteryear.

Take this recent article from Newsweek that's been making its way around the blogosphere in the last couple of weeks. The article in question is titled The Internet? Bah!, and happens to be a writer's take on why the Internet will fail. Did I mention that this was written in 1995? It sure was.

It really is interesting to take a look at what folks believed the status of the Internet was going to be in the future, and how some people seemed to discount that thought. Some of the more memorable sections:

"Baloney. Do our computer pundits lack all common sense? The truth in no online database will replace your daily newspaper, no CD-ROM can take the place of a competent teacher and no computer network will change the way government works."

"How about electronic publishing? Try reading a book on disc. At best, it's an unpleasant chore: the myopic glow of a clunky computer replaces the friendly pages of a book. And you can't tote that laptop to the beach. Yet Nicholas Negroponte, director of the MIT Media Lab, predicts that we'll soon buy books and newspapers straight over the Intenet. Uh, sure."

That second one makes me laugh. He goes on to talk about how social interaction online is limited, which is the biggest disconnect of the Internet. It's hard not to read that and think about the success of online social networks and how they are revolutionizing the way people communicate, spread information and even make purchases online.

So, how does this bit of time travel make you feel? Amused? Queasy? I honestly can't believe where the Internet has come in the last 5 or 6 years, let alone since 1995. What things can you do on the Web that still surprise you, even in 2010? What are some things you hope for in the future? Tell us in the comments!

Source - Three Word Chant and Newsweek