Smooth Connections

Taking this Challenge Day-by-Day

Day 1 - I'm staying strong. It is just habit to sit down at my PC without thinking and pull up the Internet. Caught myself twice just doing that without thinking, but no actual usage. Not too bad so far.

Day 2 - Same issue, I just sit down out of habit. Today I wanted to check the weather but went to the TV instead. Not my ideal choice as I don't know what channel weather is on! It took me sometime and a little frustration, but I found it. Got home from work and the same thing happened. I sat down and then got right back up - remembering I can't use the Internet. I have to admit I was a little upset with the challenge as there was nothing on TV and I was bored. I got over it though.

Day 3 - I'm starting to get antsy, as I have not been online for almost 3 days. I am unable to look at some websites that I frequent as I have them blocked through our work network. Such as sites like Facebook and other entertainment or sports related websites. Plus I want, well need, to do some last minute online shopping for Christmas and I don't have time during my work day to do that. Based on the fact that I have ordered these sites to be blocked from our network for obvious employee reasons, I have turned into my own worst enemy. :(

Day 4 - I'm getting weak. I am a competitive person by nature and take this as a challenge. I always want to win and assumed that I could possibly be the only one that made it a full week. I wanted that victory but it is with a heavy heart that I am informing you that today I went online, thus ending my streak at 3.5 days.

Based on this little experiment I discovered just how reliant I am on the Internet for many things I do. I read newspapers online, I shop online, I keep up with my sports teams online and I use social networks online. I felt like I was cut off from civilization.

Thankfully I am back and this "nightmare" is over! The challenge made me realize how much I used the Internet and how much time I spend online. I would have never guessed it was as much as it turned out.

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Xstream Impresses Microsoft Employees

I asked my brother and sister-in-law from who were visiting from Washington last week what they thought of the speed and capacity of my MidcoNet Xstream Internet service.

My brother works for Microsoft so I thought it would be a good gauge for how good the service is. He was impressed.

We had a total of five iPhones and one iPad operating seamlessly, all at the same time. He was impressed with the quality of the speed and capacity of Xstream. In the past when they came to visit, my Wi-Fi really slowed down with all the devices operating on it. His feedback was very positive.

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An Xstream Cross Trainer

I am an Xstream Cross Trainer. I am passionate about staying fit and being healthy. I constantly look for new ways to shock my system with new workouts to get me to the next level. I was a high level competitive athlete in my younger days and this helps to fuel those fires. It also keeps me sane with an extremely stressful job.

I turn to the Internet to look for new ways to train. From weight lifting to swimming to running to cross training. I recently ran a military style 10K complete with mud, obstacles and treacherous terrain. I did a lot of research online to devise a workout regimen to train for this race.

During training I developed a sciatic nerve problem in my lower back and left leg. It hampered my training substantially, and I was concerned about having to pull out of the race. I turned to the Internet to look at ways to heal and work on the issue. I found ways to strengthen the area, stretch the affected area and take pressure off of it. Long story short, I was able to run the race. It was a brutal event and much tougher than I anticipated, but it would have been impossible with the injury.

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5 Sites that Free Up Time

1. Blackridgebank.com – saves me time with bill pay online. I haven’t written a check to pay a bill in years.

2. Usbank.com – saves me time with being able to manage my credit card online at any time, day or night.

3. Paulfrederick.com – makes my life easier because I am able to shop for dress clothes online and not have to take time out of my schedule.

4. Sba.gov – is obviously a work website. It has forms, procedures, research, programs and all kinds of things I need for my job.

5. Ffhlbdm.com – is another work website. This site has interest rate information, research, historical information and data that allows me to properly price our loan and deposit products….boooorrrrrringgg.

I love online applications. I do everything possible online. It takes me half the time, and I can do it on my schedule. Plus, I don’t have to deal with some moron on the phone. I just have to deal with the moron sitting in my chair.

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The Hustle & Bustle of The Internet

The picture above is of the North Dakota State Capital, the major landmark in Bismarck.

Excuse the bug stains on my window, but I took the photo from my vehicle. Maybe they add character. I would compare MidcoNet Xstream Wideband to our state capital building based on two things.

1. It’s reliable.
Midco is very rarely down and when they are, they do whatever they can to get you back up and running. North Dakota is a reliable state and the capital building is an identifiable monument to represent that trait.

2. It’s a busy place.
There is a ton of activity in that building and there is a ton of activity on the Internet—sometimes in the same home or wireless network. MidcoNet Xstream Wideband provides the capacity to handle many tasks at the same time while maintaining the aforementioned reliability.

The hustle and bustle of the capital building can be likened to the hustle and bustle of the Internet.

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Sports on the Brain

Above is a picture with all my Internet-ready devices.....well almost all. Downstairs I am streaming a movie on Netflix as well.

So the head count is five.

PC
Laptop
iTouch
iPhone
Nintendo Wii

I first set up the movie on Netflix before coming upstairs with my laptop and then set up all my devices in my office. I decided to go with my favorite past time for my test, football. I am in three fantasy football leagues, and they are all web based so I decided to pull up all three leagues at the same time. On my PC is Real Time Sports, on my laptop is CBS Sportsline, on my iPhone is ESPN and on my iTouch is just NFL.com. Basically, I can follow all 3 of my fantasy teams without clicking from webpage to webpage if I want. I moved through each of the sites and checked out player news and transactions. The speed was a bit slower than when using a single device, but much faster than previous experiences with multiple devices going.

All in all, I felt the speed and performance was good. Since I am a single guy with a daughter, we normally don't have this many devices active at one time, but it is definitely a luxury for when family and friends are over.

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From Angry Birds to American Girl Dolls

The Internet enabled devices in my home help me with work. They also keep my daughter and I entertained.

Desktop: The desktop PC is primarily used by me. I use it for everything from work to downloading music to watching streaming sporting events to just surfing the net. My 11-year-old daughter uses it occasionally for listening to music or shopping on the American Girl website (wishful shopping).

Laptop: The laptop is mostly used by my daughter to check her email, look at her favorite sites and shop. I use the laptop while I am watching TV to check email, Facebook and fantasy football results.

iTouch: The iTouch is Wi-Fi ready and is used by my daughter to play games and listen to music. I occasionally play Angry Birds on it.

iPhone: My iPhone is Wi-Fi ready, and I use it for everything. It is mainly a work device used for email, contacts and calendars, but I use it to look things up on the Internet, play games, listen to music, check out cool apps and of course Facebook. I use my iPhone as my primary digital camera as well.

Wii: The Wii is our only gaming system and allows us to play games online against other people. We also stream Netflix through it which is really cool.

The first item on my wish list is a Wi-Fi ready TV. I would love to be able to stream Netflix and Pandora right from my TV and even surf the Internet. It would be awesome to watch my fantasy football results on the same TV I am watching the games.

My second wish list item would be an iPad. I think the tablets are the wave of the future for laptop devices and since I love my iPhone so much, I think an iPad would be just that much cooler. It could do everything my laptop can do in a much smaller package. Very cool.

How do you use your Internet-enabled devices? Share in the comments section below.

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Need for Speed

I was on vacation last week so I have not spent a ton of time on the new Internet service since installation. My initial impression is much improved speed. While my previous service was good, this is noticeably better. I’m having no issues with streaming video. Facebook and other apps load much quicker and switching between pages and opening links happens more quickly. The wait-times have been greatly improved even on my wireless devices as well, like my laptop, iPod touch and Wi-Fi on my smart phone.

From my initial impression of MidcoNet Xstream, the Ferrari Enzo is closest comparison. This car goes from 0 to 60 in 3.4 seconds. I realize that it does not have much capacity with only two seats, but my use of the Internet does not require a lot of capacity. I am looking for speed from page to page, app to app, link to link and download to download. The Ferrari can get me there quicker than anything else. It is sleek and cutting edge. These characteristics match my first impression of MidcoNet Xstream® Wideband.

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A Productivity Boost

Before high-speed Internet, I remember how logging on took forever. I wanted instant access, but instead I had to face wait time.

Even simple tasks like downloading emails were extremely frustrating. At times, I would go home and open emails over lunch. I would have to wait until after work to read them. Slow page speeds were also tough to deal with and frustrating. Do you remember having to wait images to “tile” in? Block by block they would load. I remember turning my head side to side as the image slowly appeared, trying to decipher the image before it fully loaded. I had to do something to keep me occupied.

I also hated losing my connection and attempting to reconnect. Just when a page was about to load, the connection would drop. Watching anything that was streaming or “buffering” was painful as well.

These roadblocks made me feel stressed, frustrated, impatient and angry. I am not a patient person by nature, because I am all about speed and efficiency. Dealing with lost connections and slow speeds went against every productive bone in my body. I wouldn’t have tantrums, but I could feel my neck and shoulders tighten up as the frustration mounted.

So far with MidcoNet Xstream® Wideband 3.0, my shoulders are loose, and like my name says, my connection is smooth.

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Come Back Soon!

Give me a task, and I’ll attempt to complete it online. Visit often to see how I use MidcoNet Xstream^® Wideband. Don’t make me put the smack down on you. I’m a MMA fan you know.

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