I am user, that’s all; not a giant corporation, not a millionaire that can afford fiber optic network speeds, and certainly not a web hosting company. I don’t really need those speeds. Really, I don’t.

What’s one more headshot to the average person? I can come in first on some maps, last on others. I can beat those heroic raid bosses after a nerf or two. I would say I am perfectly average. I’m not terrible, and I am better than your average player, will always hover around the 60th percentile and occasionally dip into the elusive 90th percent.

So why do I need blazing fast speeds? Because it makes me feel like I am at the top!

I am the kind of person that comes up with excuses for myself. I used to pound my fist in anger and curse the bloody lag for dying and ruining my kill streak. Now, with 100Mbps down and 15Mbps up, I have the fastest Internet in the state! How can I rightfully slam my fist in anger, cursing latency, when I darn well know it is my own fault?

Not only does Midcontinent make me feel like a total bad apple by being able to say and sometimes even brag that I have the fastest Internet speeds around, but it also helps me improve my reaction speed and awareness when gaming. It forces me to man up and say, “Deal with it! You got owned, now learn from it and get better.” No more lag time to blame. 

That’s the “IT” factor to me. I want to have the best of everything because I grew up wanting this stuff, and now that I have it, it makes me feel on top of the world. It’s an honest answer for my simple life. It also keeps me humble. I lost a match because of my own lack of preparation and attentiveness. It forces me to learn from my mistakes…and at the same time lets me watch all the movies I want while playing these games!

Wait, what if these movies are slowing me down? Could they be inducing lag-like conditions?

Nah...not with 100/15 Mbps. Oh-boy, got a match coming up.
 

Oh, thank you TV gods, for bringing me an amazing fall lineup this year. I know in the past I have complained and griped about the quality of television shows and how you refuse to put what I want on the air. I didn’t think you would actually listen to me. I have so many series to DVR this fall that I don’t know where to start.

I mean, first you gave me that insanely suspenseful cliffhanger in Supernatural last year...I mean, we finally get to see what Purgatory is like? I have never been so excited to see something that has been defined as so horribly boring and miserable, “a place or state of temporary suffering or misery.”

 Then you leave me with Dexter (my favorite show ever), and that crazy ending? I don’t even know what to say, but I have watched the season preview about seven times already...but I guess it wouldn’t be worth it if there was no suspense huh? Oh yeah, how could they end the season of Walking Dead like that? Are you crazy, a normal person can’t wait this long to find out what’s inside that building! You’re killing me over here....

And you can’t tell anyone this, but thanks for renewing Vampire Diaries. I swear to you, TV god, if you equate this with Twilight I’m not going be a happy camper. The show has nothing in common...except well, vampires...and drama...and werewolves...and a love triangle...but at least the vampires don’t sparkle! There! 

Enough about that, what else have we got this fall? I guess last, but not least, thanks for Arrow. I LOVE comics. Yes, I think by now you know I am a gamer and a nerd. But guess what? Deal with it. I can’t wait to see how Arrow unfolds. Maybe it will be a little bit darker since it revolves around his origin of being stranded surviving on an island for five years. But who knows (besides you)?

Last but not least, thank you for Midcontinent. I work an absurd schedule and hate missing all these shows, but it has to be done. Thank you for their DVR, their On Demand and their wideband so that I can watch these shows anywhere and anytime. I used to hate setting up the VCR and not knowing if the dang thing was going to work at the right time or chew up the VHS. No more worries. Now I get to do what I need to do, come home, relax, and watch last night’s shows!

Oh, and if you do any mid-season breaks, I’m done talking to you. I think the WORLD agrees with me that there’s no need for that. STOP IT!
 

Living in Minot for the past eight years has been cumbersome to say the least. The biggest waterpark is attached to a hotel and consists of two waterslides, so trying to find something fun to do in the summer is...well, exhausting.

We have many local fantasy football teams and drafts going around, and thanks to Midcontinent, I have a billion and one avenues to research, strategize and attempt to win. This would play to my advantage, you know--if I liked watching other people play sports. In the summer, I’d rather be out there in the heat or running around a theme park and socializing with my friends. But, since we don’t have many options in that department, I have to fall back on the next best thing: VIDEO GAMES!

Historically, gaming competitions have been reserved for the “big” companies to host and come with some hefty entry fees, usually resulting in a small pot for the winner and runner ups. Well, times have changed, and Midcontinent is helping make summer more exciting by allowing us “casuals” to have our own summertime competitions! With the ultra-fast upload/download speeds, you can host your own Modern Warfare events, Gears of War battles, World of Warcraft battlegrounds....ANYTHING!

I like to invite a bunch of people over for some gaming/movie sessions (thankfully my wife is such a good cook), where we can all enjoy some tournaments, mini beef wellingtons, chips and homemade salsa! I have Wi-Fi running throughout my whole house, so you can either hookup in the basement and take turns playing darts and pool when you’re not up to game or you can hang upstairs with the surround sound and gaming rooms!

Now, I know many people like fantasy football because you can win that “pot” and be on top, but I get my competitive kick with a more laid back, hanging with friends and just goofing-around atmosphere. I have seen some crazy things in fantasy football (people not getting invited back due to hoarding players) and some fights can break out for stealing picks. I tend to steer away from that drama. Instead, come over, play a game, and yell a ‘lil if you get sniped. But there’s no money on the line, and no need to get crazy. At the end of the day, everyone either falls asleep full or goes home happy.

If you’ve never considered hosting a league like this, then maybe now is the time. With Midcontinent’s trio package, you don’t just get high-speed Internet, you get EVERYTHING. Fast upload speeds (check), fast download speeds (check), On Demand (check), Wi-Fi modem (check), 5,000 movie channels (check)...well, you get the point. And all for a price that is lower than it’s ever been.

If you live in a town like me with little to do outdoors and you don’t like the rowdiness of some testosterone-fueled drafts, I highly suggest looking into some competitive gaming. I know I love it!

I love MOVIES! From my recent blog posts, I’m sure you can tell how much I love them. I watch movies when I am playing video games; I watch them when I am in bed at night; I watch them while reading books; and I watch movies on one screen while watching videos on another. I LOVE MOVIES! So, now I’m going to tell you about some of the movies I love most and where to find them.

Everyone remembers the big hits, but what about the biggest blunders? Does anyone remember the movie “A Thousand Words?” As of right now, that is the lowest rated movie of all time, achieving a whopping 0% on the review site Rotten Tomatoes.

I doubt you want to hear about horrible movies though and are looking for a list of amazing movies to watch, ones you haven’t thought of in a while. You can find these movies almost anywhere, ranging from Midcontinent On Demand, HBO GO and MAX Go, Netflix, and other online avenues.

First, you’ve got the blockbusters – the in-your-face, advertised-on-TV-all-day-long movies. I’ll start with some blockbusters that recently came out and are definitely worth viewing:

1. “The Amazing Spider-Man”: A grittier, back to basics (webs coming from his inventions on his wrists), snarky portrayal of Spider-Man.
2. “The Dark Knight Rises”: From now on this will just be called - the good Batman.
3.  “Ted”: What has Seth McFarlane made that isn’t funny? “Family Guy” being cancelled three separate times does not count.
4.  “Iron Man 1 & 2”: Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Tony Stark is spot on. 
5. “The Avenger’s”: So good!
6. “The Hulk”: Ed Norton, not that other guy.

The following movies are a few more favorites, and you can catch them on Netflix, On Demand either through Midcontinent, MAX GO or HBO GO:

1. “All the X-Men movies”: More specifically “The New Class.” I just love comics so I will watch anything related to comics.
2. “Aliens 1 &2”: One singular alien terrorizing a jail WITH NO WEAPONS.
3.  “Attack the Block”: A British comedy about a crew of people defending their city against aliens. Hmm, I wonder where the idea for Ben Stiller’s new movie, “The Watch,” came from?
4. “Batteries Not Included”: An original movie with little alien robots that steal the show.
5. “Grandma’s Boy”: This movie is absolutely hilarious!
6. “The Human Centipede II”: This one is just about two kids playing with centipedes...really interesting (I’M KIDDING!).

There are so many movies out there, and I constantly scan my on-screen TV Guide looking for new things to record and watch. Even with so many avenues for free movies, I still find myself buying things from On Demand. There’s just so much out there.

Movies are a great escape, and any of the above recommendations (except for the last one) will provide some entertainment and fill a chunk of your day.

So as I’m sure you’re aware we have had the North Dakota State Fair up here, and I’m sure you’re thinking about how great of a hotspot that can be and are eagerly awaiting my review of it right? NEVAR!

Instead, you shall here about my house! The hottest spot to play Diablo 3, Torchlight, and Fallout New Vegas, because that is what I have been doing all summer! After all, why would I go out in this scorching heat to sweat, wander aimlessly or be swarmed by people I don’t know? When instead, I could be inside a nice climate-controlled house with a refreshing Mountain Dew, watching some movies on my secondary monitor, while killing monsters and farming some phat loots.

In all honesty, Diablo 3 could have been much better. The constant rubber banding issues are driving me insane. The only saving grace is the fact that I know exactly how fast MidcoNet Xstream® Wideband is so right from the start I knew it was a server-side fault.

What I mean by rubber banding is, say a boss throws out a big ball of death, well, as a player you want to avoid said big ball of death...or you die. So you run 10 yards out of its path when GUESS WHAT?!? You just got pulled back directly into the ball of death to die and are now punching your keyboard into pieces. This is rubber banding and quite commonly is the result of a bad Internet connection. This had many players scratching their heads trying to troubleshoot, changing their router settings and trying anything possible to improve their latency. I would have normally done the same had I not know how great my Internet service actually is.

What I did instead was play the game, fueled with anger and hatred towards rubber banding, and took my deaths in stride. Come to find out, Blizzard, the company that makes Diablo 3, actually announced a server issue on their end that was causing the rubber banding. It’s the little things in life you don’t think about, like the hours I saved not troubleshooting, that make you really appreciate a good Internet service.

Unfortunately, the rubber banding has not been completely fixed, so there are still many unhappy Blizzard customers at the moment, but nothing is going to stop me from having fun at MY hotspot! I have a plethora of games to choose from, an arsenal of movies and a fridge stocked with soda! So when you think you can only find a good hotspot by spending money and scouring the city life, think again. You may just happen to have one right in front of you!

I enjoy movies, tons and tons of movies. There is something about escaping to a different world for hours at a time that really relaxes me. Sometimes, I watch movies and I wish they were longer, and by longer I mean hours upon hours longer. Like sit down for eight hours to watch a movie longer. That’s why I stopped watching live TV. The commercials snap you out of the show you’re in, and there is only one episode at a time. I can’t enjoy it like I can with movies.

That’s why I watch everything online. It’s truly fantastic to lie in bed and just be lazy watching an entire season of “Breaking Bad” on Netflix without a single commercial or break. It’s nice being able to watch an entire season or two of “Deadwood” on HBO Go without interruption.

I watch seasons at a time online for the escape. The advantages are clear, and the disadvantages are non-existent. Well, there is one downside. To watch shows online, via HBO Go or Netflix, you usually have to wait until that show is either cancelled or into its fourth season and hope Netflix cuts a deal for it. Yes, there are other avenues to watch online, but Hulu isn’t very good without a Hulu+ subscription and even then it’s not that great. So you take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have...watching online!

I know cheesy reference, but hey, this is about television right? Can you imagine someday down the road, your kids are watching “House” online laughing at your cheesy medical dramas? I think this is where TV is heading. In the next few years, I hope it is 100% online and On Demand. That would truly be a dream come true for me.

What about you? Do you enjoy watching TV online?

So, my task for this week is to write about a season FINALE without giving away spoilers. Hmm…how can I do this?

My favorite season finale by far was “Supernatural.” I think it ended amazingly while letting everyone know that YES there will be another season. It’s quite disappointing that a long running show like this has the possibility of being scrapped without a possible ending, so I can only hope they do it right. The show from start to finish has been awesome!

My host hated season finale of all time has to be “LOST.” ARE YOU KIDDING ME LOST? I watched all those seasons of mindless dribble for nothing? This one is really hard not to spoil, so I will leave it at that...but man do I hate that show.

I am dying for a new season of the following shows:

• Walking Dead”
• “Dexter”
• “True Blood”
• “Breaking Bad”
• “Grimm”

I wish I could just wait ‘til all of those shows finished up and just chain watch them like the biggest most unrelated movie ever made.

Maybe I should just wait for them to be cancelled so Netflix can pick them up. Yeah, I’m talking to you Netflix, every time I see a show I like on your list my stomach turns because I’m afraid it got cancelled.

What was your favorite season finale so far this year?

On Demand? I remember that, isn’t it the feature where you call a phone number, select what movie you want to watch and see at what time it will play? Then you sit around and wait watching previews of movies you didn’t order and hope the channel kicks over in time for your movie? Then at five past the hour the channel finally switches over only for you to realize you missed a very integral part of the movie you were dying to see?

My mistake, what I just described was Pay Per View (PPV) circa 1991. On Demand is everything you wish PPV was, but now is fully realized. Those movies you were dying to see, but they only played at 4:00 and 8:30...well, now you can pick what movie you want to watch and watch it WHENEVER you want for 24 hours. Not only can you watch your movie anytime you want, but it’s instantaneous. No more waiting for channels to switch over only to catch your movie playing 5 minutes in, you start it when you want it.

Another really cool feature of On Demand is you don’t just get to watch movies currently out on new release status, you get to pick from a wide library of hits both new and old. While there is no real rhyme or reason as to which movies get catalogued (in my opinion that is), there is however hundreds to choose from. While you may not find the exact movie you’re looking for, you are sure to find something that catches your eye.

Dexter! True Blood! Game of Thrones! Weeds! What do all those awesome shows have to do with On Demand? Well, if you happen to subscribe to one of the movie packages, such as HBO, Showtime, Starz, etc., and for some odd reason you forgot to DVR them, you can watch them using On Demand. The best part is these shows are often released in 1080i HD. No more need to worry about missing your favorite shows or forgetting to add them to your DVR queue.

One thing I forget to mention so far – NO COMMERCIALS. If you play a movie or show with On Demand, minus the initial one to two minutes, there are zero commercials throughout the video. Trust me, once you watch something without commercials, you will never want to go back!

What about accessibility? What if your grandmother wants to watch her favorite
steamy movies on Cinemax After Dark (just kidding)? Well, the menu is so easy to navigate even she will be able to use it. Simply press the On Demand button on your remote and you are brought to a menu with a clear cut options. Choose from pay-to-watch movies, subscription-based packages, free-to-play videos, you name it I’m sure you can find it. It’s easy.

All in all, On Demand is simply amazing. Once you start using it you won’t be able to stop, and if the library keeps growing the way it is, why would you want to?

Well, little did I know the first Google hit would take me to a site with hilarious wrong number texts. Before I knew it, I was on page the bored feeling was gone. I love being so distracted by something funny that you forget how bored you were.

Happy: This is usually my gaming mood. From Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, to CoD MW3 (yes, same exact thing as MW2 but oh well), Wo, to Fable, SWTOR (Star Wars), and dead block, nothing passes time faster than gaming or reading a book or watching a movie. I love browsing random websites or watching Netflix. Point is, there are a lot of things to do using Midco’s services.

If you want to take advantage of Midco’s highspeed Internet you HAVE to do a little bit of everything. Why have such fast speeds just to play CoD? The bandwidth helps with high quality streaming, watching HD vids on YouTube, Netflix, etc. I remember back before Xstream I had to wait a second or two for Netflix to buffer enough to switch to HD...not anymore, not with the 100 Mbps down. Now, the second I queue up a movie it’s playing in HD.

So in short, if you have some cabin fever, get outside (by looking at pictures online), go to a concert (YouTube) or steal a car and watch as the city crumbles (Netflix). There is more than meets the eye for having high bandwidth, so enjoy it!

Forget the past. It’s time to push myself. After a recent run in with a wall (don’t try to fight them, you’ll always lose), I realized that I need to blow off steam in some better ways. So I think I am going to start hitting the gym.

Now, this isn’t a one week resolution type of deal. I want to get my body in peak shape before I leave the Air Force. I want to take advantage of all the resources available to me. The problem is I don’t know much about working out.
 
For starters, I am going to get online and print out as many dietary guides as I can find to help better influence my shopping.  Lately, I have been eating salads and nothing but salads, not to lose weight or feel like a rabbit, but because I want to feel healthier and not so worn out every day. This new change has already made me able to cope with the daily stress of my job much better, but I am left with minimal physical energy. This is where the online guides come in. Who needs a nutrition trainer when you have Google?
 
Now that that’s done and I have some fuel to burn, I am going to learn how to properly cycle my muscle breakdown and buildup. What order I should be pushing my body in and how to do it properly? I don’t want to get one week in and tear myself up and quit. I want to start slow and build up over a short amount of time to a healthy fitness regime.
 
In the middle of all my fitness research, I also managed to use MidcoNet Xstream to research a new car for my wife.  She wanted something sporty, and I wanted something safe for her, with speed for me.  After comparing numerous vehicles and options, we have managed to order a new 2012 Subaru Impreza WRX STI with all the options. Navigation, heated seats, SPT exhaust, everything. I am pumped and can’t wait ‘til it arrives! I found the best deal for everything we both wanted using the Internet. With all the searches I do and reviews I read, I would have been frustrated and burned out if it took days for pages to load. 
 
Why didn’t I just go to a dealership and ask an expert? Try finding a dealership for either Subaru or Mitsubishi (Lancer EVO MR was my second choice) in the Minot area. The closet Subby dealership is in Mandan, so I had to do the research myself with Xstream.
 
So, to summarize, I am going to eat healthier and work out more all while driving my new car. Not because of some New Year’s resolution, but because I am sick of feeling like a sloth. I couldn’t find all the information I needed without Midco’s Internet service.

I don't know if I have ever told you, but I really enjoy budgets and financing. I want to eventually go to school for either a CPA or MBA. I haven't yet decided. To put my budgeting skills into perspective, I owned a 2004 Corvette Z06 ($40,000) and a 1990 Corvette ($15,000) at the same time at the age of 22 on an E-3 in the Air Force's salary.

From time to time, I will scout online resources to improve my budgeting tips and tricks. I recently found a new site called “90 Day Money Challenge.” Since most of these sites are pretty gimmicky, I searched it up and down for some useful resources.

As luck would have it, this website has numerous sections with financing tools for free. Some of these files are debt calculators, snowball payoff calculators and net-worth calcs.

I am really enjoying the snowball method of paying off debt and would suggest it to anyone trying to recover from bad decisions, or unexpected circumstances causing negative debt. I say negative debt because I believe college, home loans, etc., to be positive debts as compared to car loans and credit cards which are negative debt.

The snowball method is this:

Step 1:  Payoff your lowest debt first.
Step 2:  Take that debts recurring payment and add it to your current payment of the next highest recurring debt. For example, if I pay off an $80.00 per month car, I would then take that 80 bucks and add it to my payment for my credit card.  My CC payment was 200 dollars, now it is 280. Once the CC is paid off, add the total 280 to your next recurring debt.

It is a nice way to get out of debt quickly and efficiently.

I am using this method and going to continue to use this method for
2012 and into the future as I want to have $15,000 cash in 3 years.

I highly recommend that site to anyone looking for some quick financial tools and resources.

Hope this blog helps anyone looking to get out of debt and start saving money!

I just bought all new computer parts and am building a top end computer. Because of that, I'm writing from my phone for this post, so it might be a little bit short.

During this Sunday’s big game, I will be sleeping and playing computer games. I'm not that into watching sports, as I prefer to be part of the action by playing them.

If I did like watching sports, I will tell you what I would be excited for with the biggest football game of the season coming up.

First and foremost, before the season started, I'd be checking all the data preseason to build my fantasy football roster. Then I'd talk a lot of trash throughout the season.

Next, since we’ve fast forwarded to the week before the big game, I'd be looking up recipes and all kind of snacks and dishes to ask my wife to cook. She's amazing.

I’ll have to admit the best part of this Sunday’s festivities is YouTubing all those hilarious commercials (while we still can, DIE SOAP/PIPA, DIE).

Finally, after the game I’d be off to bed where I'd stream some movies to my plasma while falling asleep.

What’s your plan on game day?

Well, first off, I don’t think you can call this a challenge.  You may think I sound cocky here, but don’t get me wrong, it’s not because it was easy, it’s because of how little time I actually spent off the Internet. 
I initially thought, well, this is going to be tough, cause everything I do is on the interwebs.  I then thought, well...since I’m going to a concert and will be out of town this will be cake, I’ll have two days easy already done by the time I get back.

Day One:
My wife and I drive to Fargo to see Five Finger Death Punch, I chose not to count the GPS as using the Internet.  Score one for me, four hours down.  We get to Fargo, check into our hotel and head to the concert.  Waiting for the first band to take the stage my phone vibrates while I am standing in the pit. It’s a new Facebook post.  I forgot to turn the internet off...oh well, I’ll read just this one and shut it. After getting pulled into a long conversation, the first band hits the stage, and I shut Facebook.

Second band hits the stage...Hatebreed, absolute mayhem. 

The third band is up and I am exhausted from the Hatebreed set.  All that Remains is playing, and I am excited since they are from Massachusetts, as am I. I am pretty far back now as we go to get drinks. I notice that All that Remains has a female member.  I think it’s awesome to see a chick rocking out in a band, but I am so far I can’t tell if it’s a girl or a dude with some long Pantene hair going on.  So, I pull out my phone and look them up on Google Images.  Sure enough I was right, it was a girl and she was tearing it up. 

Hmmm, not doing so well with this challenge...

Day Two:
The next day I am driving home and I manage to make it the whole way without using my phone.  We get home and I sit down, exhausted.

Lying there in bed, it’s 2 PM and I don’t have a thing in the world to do.  I can’t watch Netflix, because of this challenge. I don’t have cable. I can’t browse the web, so I read a book.  Three hours later, I drop the book and head to the computer room.  Not sure if I’ve given up or force of habit led me there.

As I sit down I realize what I did wrong and decide I don’t care anymore.  I need to watch some TV, because I need background noise to my books.

I lasted about 17 hours.

I did not realize how much I used the Internet.  Don’t get me wrong again, I knew I utilized it for TV and games, but I didn’t realize all the trivial little things I used it for.  From checking the weather, to downloading apps, to streaming XM radio on my phone, to checking if this dude is a chick or a dude with shiny hair...

All in all, I’d have to say the hardest part was the silence.

The waiting, for the silence to end, with only my own depressing thoughts rattling around in my head, was painful.  I am stuck here...for three more years and all I want is a little interwebs, funny pictures, some Netflix, something to pull my mind off into lala land.

The internet is my escape.  It’s not just a way of life, but a way out of life, into an imaginary world, where things can be whatever I want them to be.
 

Take a look at her review!

Before our house had 100 Mbps, my husband and I were forced to operate only two Internet-related devices at once. We could both play games on our respective computers; however, latency was a problem and irritated me beyond belief.

When my office declared they were downsizing and we had to all work from home, I was nervous because a home agent (as we are called) relies heavily on the Internet to function. Luckily, MidcoNet Xstream came to the rescue. Not only could I work from home, but (as long as I wasn't busy) I could play around on my laptop and download new books for my Nook. And my husband can play computer games without frustrating lag.

I can't imagine how I ever put up with the any other speed (or lack thereof). Now we can do anything, go anywhere and be Xstream! Thanks MidcoNet!

The one thing that has scaled as far as the Internet throughout time is a hard drive! Above is a picture of one of my external hard drives. Back in 1998, I bought my first 20 GB hard drive for $120. Today, I have a 1 TB and 2 TB external hard drive. Also, I have three 500 GB internal hard drives. If I paid today per gig, what I paid back then (6 bucks a gig) I’d be in the hole $27,000. That is just amazing to think about.

I think that comparison goes to show how much hard drives have progressed. Just like Internet went from dial-up to broadband and DSL, and then to fiber optics, hard drives went from large platters magnetically storing very little information (I still have a full sized 8 MB HD) to very small solid state drives storing mass amounts of information.

So thankfully, as the Internet grows exponentially faster (and cheaper) so do hard drives, because I really don’t like having to pay $27,000 to store information!

1. www.netflix.com
   I know, Netflix, obvious choice. But seriously, do you know how much gas costs? It’s stupid, and the time I save driving to and from the (now closed down) Hollywood Video more than pays for the subscription fee. Being able to watch movies without leaving my home is priceless.
    
2. www.newegg.com
   Think of an electronic part or device – iPod, PS3, motherboard, mouse, video game, whatever. Now look it up on Newegg. I bet you it’s cheaper and available online, thus saving both time and money! Win, Win.
    
3. www.fark.com
   Sadly, the news on this site is daily and true. From the most ridiculous things happening out there to some of the coolest and most praiseworthy people earning their 15 minutes of fame, this site has up-to-date news.
    
4. www.howstuffworks.com
   Once I wasn’t sure how files were extracted. Bored and pondering, I tried to figure it out on my own. After 20 minutes of wondering how ones and zeroes could possibly be compressed even smaller, I learned the real trick on that site.
   
   Here’s how it’s done. Say you have a book that says, “I can’t believe how fast Midco Xtream is”, seven times. In that book it has to be written out seven times. In an archive that whole sentence gains the value of 1. Every time you now want to say that sentence, you replace it with the number 1. Archives literally build their own dictionary and I found that amazing. Forget the library and the hours spent searching for the right book to scratch that odd itch, I have to know random things, so I go to www.howstuffworks.com.
    
5. www.gatecitybankonline.com
   Really?  I don’t think I need to provide a reason here. Consider my choices – spend 35 minutes ciphering through automated mazes on the phone to find out my account balance or transfer funds, or type my username and password and find out instantly? I keep a close watch on my account and all my funds and that site helps immensely. I really love online banking.

I find out about new online resources usually through Google. I just think of something, search for it up and lo and behold, someone created a new application or website that better handles what I am trying to get done. : )

I would have to say that the recently constructed bridge over Broadway in Minot is a great landmark to compare to Midcontinent Xstream Wideband. Despite it not being the size of the Statue of Liberty, it will eventually see most of this city’s newly arriving feet. It was built to help the city’s new arrivals get from the Minot International Airport to the other side of Broadway where a hotel awaits them.

Unlike most cities that have seen a downfall in the economy with sinking house prices, Minot has continued to grow. The bridge provides much needed accessibility (just like MidcoNet Xstream Wideband!), and as the city of Minot continues to grow, so to does Midcontinent’s services and speed.

Almost all of the new military members arriving to this city will gain entry through that airport. Many of them will not have a place to stay and more than likely crash at the airport across the busy street. Thanks to this new bridge they have easy access to a hotel. They don’t really need anymore stress after arriving to a new home in what feels like the middle of nowhere, do they? You could say that Xstream Wideband does the same thing. Where regular Internet was slow and inconvenient, MidcoNet Xstream opens things up to everybody!

All in all, this bridge is a nice site to look off of to see the busiest street in Minot and provides safety and convenience for people flying in. It may not be a big monument to normal cities, but the people of Minot definitely enjoy looking at it and off it. And just like the bridge connects our town, MidcoNet Xstream Wideband allows people to connect to anyone or anything in a way that is fast and convenient.
 

Think you’re dependent on your Internet-connected devices? See how my devices keep me entertained throughout the day.

Each morning, too early in the morning, my phone alarm goes off. Another day where work must be accomplished. I don’t want to go to work. It doesn’t have to be such a heavy burden now does it? Oh well, here I go. 

At work my mind starts to wander. Where does it go? Not having much of an imagination, I’m quickly bored. Out comes the first device of the day, my iPhone.

 

Time to pull out the cell and start browsing for apps! Oh I know, I’ll check the weather. I need to know if I am gonna get soaked riding my Harley home today after all. Weather’s looking good. Now I need a laugh. Let’s see those funny pictures Internet, show ‘em to me. Ugh, slow…Midco, how dare you get me used to 100 Mbps and then sit at home laughing while I’m at work browsing 3g. Oh well, this slow connection will have to suffice.

Uh oh, boss is coming, time to turn on the tunes via XM Radio on my phone and get busy.

 It’s the end of the day. Thank god! It’s finally time to go home and chillax.

I walk through my front door. I better not forget to visit my wife who’s still working in the next room.  

 

 
 
She’s most likely in there reading her Nook between calls, playing on her laptop, or listening to XM Radio on her phone. If you can’t tell, XM Radio is a necessity up here in North Dakota. We would go insane with the limited radio station variety up here otherwise.

 

 
Alright, I’ve said hi to the wife, fed the animals and cleaned up whatever random messes I see around. Now it’s time to play some games! I hop on into my computer room and launch whatever game I’m feeling at the time with a movie playing on my other screen and about 5 web pages open in the background to keep me amused.

 

I need constant distractions or my mind gets bored easily. Imagine having to be constantly watching, reading, playing, listening, to SOMETHING, at ALL times! Imagine how excruciatingly painful this would be on the slow Internet speeds provided just a few years ago. Thankfully Midco keeps the information rolling/streaming in at breakneck speeds so I’m not sitting there bored. 

YAY! My wife is finally off work. Luckily for me she is also a gamer. I don’t how I would justify all the movies I watch and games I play if she wasn’t right there beside me for most of it. I must have the coolest wife in the world! Unlike me however, she is extremely smart and amazingly good at anything art related. When she’s not busy playing games or hanging out with me, she likes to paint pictures, take some cool photographs and even writes her own unpublished (HINT, HINT) magazine. Coolest babe around.

Due to the rigorous work I do during the day and the injury I received in my neck, my computer chair, as soft and velvety as it is, can’t keep me free of pain. It’s time to move to the comfy recliner in the living room and stretch my back some. If only I had something to do or play in there…

 
Lucky for me I do! My XBOX or PS3. Slap in that DVD and let’s play!

It is time to hit the hay, but as usual, I can’t sleep. My mind races on. The only way I can fall asleep at night is with my laptop streaming Netflix movies right beside my bed. I feel terrible about this because it keeps my wife awake at night. I dim the brightness to a minimum and turn the volume down as much as I can.

 
I remember trying to fall asleep to movies streaming before I had this new MidcoNet Xstream Wideband 3.0, and it was impossible. Everyone I’m sure is happy with their 1080p Hi-Def content now a days. Well, Netflix also has this cool feature that reduces the quality on your movies so you never have to wait for it to buffer. The downside is the picture is barely watchable because the Internet is so slow. Thanks to the new Midco service I will never have to fall asleep to pixelated people dancing in my head again.

After a good night of sleep, let a new day begin!

Why don’t you tell me about the devices that keep you entertained during the day? Submit them in the comment section below.

With MidcoNet Xstream® Wideband 3.0 there is no more waiting. Webpages load instantaneously. Checking bank drafts are a breeze, and downloading updates are over before you know they’ve started. Netflix streaming is always in HD, no more watching the first five minutes of a show all pixilated waiting for buffering. 

Like listening to XM/Sirius radio? So do I, but now I do it without the inconsistencies of the audio play-rate due to the adaptive streaming. It plays at CD/DVD quality all the time, every time. I used to have the 30 Mbps service because I couldn't afford the high-speed version. Well, it looks like I have to make some new sacrifices elsewhere because I don't think I will ever be able to slow down. 

Imagine one day you woke up with superpowers, you were told you can use them only for one week, then you'll have to pay, beyond what you could afford, to keep them longer. Would you do what you can to keep them? I am sure going to try.
    
This is what the Xstream package is to me right now. It looks good on paper but could be so much more. 

Don't get me wrong that car is still sick and has impressive speeds. The problem though is it seems to have a little bit excess weight. The 100 Mbps service right now is only hitting speeds of 67 Mpbs on my end.

The 50 Mbps service, is a whole other story. The 50 Mbps service was achieving speeds of 49.75, which is very impressive. That service was squeezing every last bit out of its line and if I had to choose, right now I would go with that one.

However, in the days to come, when all the kinks get worked out, I believe the 100 Mbps service if modeled after the 50's connection speeds and efficiency will be the hands down champion among fast Internet speeds. It is unimaginable how fast things could download on the 100 Mbps service. It'd be hard to fully utilize all that bandwidth. 

I think the 100 Mbps will be like the 2011 ZR-1 Corvette when it has been ironed out. This car is like the 100 Mbps service, it is a first of its kind, a breed all its own. This model is the very first and only Corvette in 60 years to come from the factory with a supercharger. It's new, unique, fast, elegant, efficient, and extremely unnecessary. But who doesn't want one?