[Previous entry: "Good bye, bloggers! We hardly knew thee."] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Brian Regan and Slips of Speech"]

08/18/2007 Entry: "Melanie's MI-5"

Mel, don't forget to pick someone for next week!

MI5 - The Internet

1. If you can remember, what year it was that you 1st welcomed the world wide web into your home? If you can't remember, how about a close guess :-)

I'm thinking it was about 1996 or 1997. Susan remembers we had our first computer in the old trailer we rented when we first got married. I know that I bought the computer at Wal-Mart while I was looking there, so that would've been after '94. We bought our new house in '96, and I think we got on the 'net shortly thereafter. That machine was a Windows 3.11 box, and was a 25mhz machine. When we decided to go online, I bought a 75mhz Pentium "Overdrive" processor, some more RAM, and a 33.6 USR modem that was v34 AND K-flex capable! Nice! And, we started off with AOL.

2. How many hours a day in the average week do you spend in front of a computer at home, at work, how much of that requires an online connection?

Since I work for an ISP, I'm online eight hours a day. I could get nothing done without being online. My billing software isn't online, but the info I need to put into it comes from email and online databases, so I really need to be online. At home, I do a little web design on the side, so I'm probably in front of my machine for another 1/2 hour to hour at home. I'm trying to cut down on some of the side things I do in life, and I've been really cutting back on web design from home. I may just get out of that biz all together.

3. Do you read anyone else's blog regularly? List your favorites.

You'll see my blogroll over there on the left. I read those people every day. I'll be making some additions and subtractions soon. (See post below.)

4. If you've discovered the wonderful world of Podcasting list some of your favorites. Whether you have or haven't share your thoughts on the concept.

I'm familiar with podcasting. I have listened to one or two of Dave Ramsey's podcasts. Other than that, I don't subscribe. I don't have an MP3 player, and would rather not listen to computer speakers. If I've got time to listen to something, it will probably be in front of my hifi. Usually, when I'm listening to something, I'm working around the house listening to XM, or driving in my car, listening to XM. :-)

5. Click on your history window share with us 5 websites you've recently visited and what brought you there.

Yahoo Mail. Just checking in.
Village Soup. I was checking the local news.
Google Groups. I'm an occasional poster to the RMMP (recreation:music:makers:percussion) newsgroup. Since Google added newsgroups to their list of services, I've been using them instead of a regular news reader. The only thing I miss is the lack of ability to killfile.
DFO, or DrumForum.Org. This is the drum community I actively participate in. I check every day, and when possible, twice.
Another Think. Charlie's got this Christian blog that I read somewhat regularly. Not every day, but at least every week. He's one that I'll be adding to my blog roll on the left, there. I like his writings, and I like the readability and look of his site.