Twitter is about reaching out to people, sharing, and communicating. There is a belief going around the twitterverse that the more followers you have, the more popular you are. Some say it's ego, some say it's a game, and some think absolutely nothing of it and use the service for what it really is...exactly what they choose to make of it.

The race to reach 1 million twitter followers between CNN and Ashton Kutcher has been generating a lot of buzz recently. After reading Should Twitter Remove Its Follower Count by MG Siegler over at Tech Crunch, an idea for twitter monetization came to mind.

What if twitter was to charge it's high follower count users as one way to monetize their service? Based on Wefollow data, most twitter users with extremely high follower counts (above 300 thousands) are either celebrities, successful entrepreneurs, news or technology companies and their affiliates.

What if twitter was to create a class for users or businesses with extremely high follower counts, set a threshold they think an average user will not reach (say 200 thousands) and charge based outreach (news, celebrity, promotions, etc), processing (relaying information to millions of people at a time) and bandwidth? Anyone below that threshold could then be considered as using the "free" version of the service.

As the twitter service grows and the demand for better performance increases, hardware, and data costs may also increase. In the end, it is all up to twitter. My belief here is that users or businesses engaging in mass communication ventures will see the service cost pay for itself and more, because of the vast depth of their audiences; along with the new and emerging trends in the social media realm.

Edit - 4/17/2009

How many twitter streams can an average or regular user follow? How many streams can one follow without being overwhelmed with "twitter spam"? If someone could prove this, should twitter set a service cap for following/followers ( more or less 5000/5000)?

Users wanting to go above that cap could pay for a "premium" service, while average and regular users can still beneficiate from the free service. In my opinion, this may push users to focus on quality rather than quantity.

Since Part 1 and Part 2 of my feud with AT&T a few weeks ago, I have received extraordinary support from their customer service and warranty departments. At this point in time, I am satisfied with the way my case has been handled.

Not only have I recieved 2 full months of service credited back to my account, but I was also given the option of picking from any new AT&T phone at no cost to me as a replacement for my forever damaged Samsung Blackjack, which had been replaced 4 times while under warranty.

I chose the Samsung Epix at first, an updated model of the Samsung Blackjack and Blackjack 2, but after 2 weeks of use, I retuned it...I just didn't like it. I ended up picking HTC Fuze as a replacment to the Epix. So far, I am happy with the Fuze. I still have 2 weeks to test it out and return it if I don't like it...say tuned...or not!

I'm really into health and fitness and I have been looking for new ways to spice up my workout routine for a while. Surprising your body with abrupt changes in fitness habits has a very positive effect in building strength, stamina, and is great for overall conditioning.

I went to Aiguilles rock Climbing Center to rock climb yesterday. It was my first time trying the sport. My friend Saadia (in the picture below) had climbing experience, but I needed a quick class in order to learn how tie climbing knots and how to belay. Belaying properly is very important because it is what controls and prevents your partner from a serious fall or a surprise missed step.

After 10 minutes of learning the basics of rock climbing, we jumped right into it and climbed for nearly 8 hours. Climbing walls was very fun, but bouldering was the definitely the highlight of this first time climbing experience. It demands strength, agility, and it's a recipe for an awesome total body workout...see how my spider sense just took over in :-D !

Overall I had a great time, and met some cool climbers while bouldering. I enjoyed it so much; I plan on signing up for a monthly membership and climb at least 2 or 3 times a month.

My paper mail usually gets stacked up until a point where I feel like going through it. Today was that day...I went through 3 months worth of it. Of course before shredding anything I made sure to read everything thoroughly. One of the letters was from CitiGroup Financial, whom I have a Platinum Select credit card with.

"As one of our best customers we want you to continue making Citi Platinum Select Card your card of choice now and in the future. So, we're ready to lower your APR to 5.99% for 6 months from the time you activate. Please visit http://specialoffers.citicards.com and enter the activation number provided in this letter before March 28, 2009." <-- Talk about timing!

I activated the change a few moments later. I don't use this card very much, but I don't mind the lower rate either...things come up! Paper mail may sometimes be troublesome, but you never know what you could be missing out on without checking it properly!

I don't count calories, but I do pay attention to the types of food I eat. My diet is pretty healthy, but like everyone else, I slip up once a while for the sweet and high calorie foods. My regular fitness schedule not only helps me compensate, but also maintain a happy middle and a good balance. Variety, portion control, and regular exercice keep me happy and healthy.

Some people may not always have an idea of how many calories they intake on a daily basis, which could easily result is weight gain regulated properly. The folks at WiseGeek have written the article What does 200 calories look like to give us an idea of how much calories we intake using images containing 200 calorie servings on the various types of foods we eat everyday.

Coming from a honda prelude, I got accustomed to the 3000 to 4000 miles regular oil services. About 3 weeks ago, I took my car for it's first oil service at Fields BMW...after 15 thousand miles; talk about low maintenance! For $79.99, the service included an oil and filter change, all fluid levels topped off, and an inspection.

While waiting, I hung out in the lounge where gourmet food, snacks, and refreshments were available. I sipped on some sweet tea, browsed the web, and spoke to a few car enthusiasts. I was later informed by the concierge that my car was ready, and was getting a courtesy wash...something I did not expect, and did not mind at all.

Upon leaving, I was informed that Fields BMW offers free courtesy car washes every saturday between 8am and 3pm. They welcome bmw owners to drop off their vehicles to the concierge for a free wash and enjoy some food and drinks in their very spacious lounge/showroom...very courteous if you ask me.

I made it a point to go there at least twice a month for a free wash, especially when I can use the wait time to catch up on some work instead of washing it myself as I have been doing in the past. I took the liberty of snapping a few shots from the showroom last week during my last visit...Enjoy!

2009 M3 Sedan - V8 - ///M A letter that flexes its muscles!

Dealing with AT&T's customer service can be a full time job. After all the issues I dealt with last week (previous post), I received an email on Sunday indicating that my bill for the month of February was available for viewing. 

I knew I had $160.80 of credit, which the amount of the new bill was going to be deducted from, but I decided to check anyway. To my surprise, my credit balance was only $21.89, with a payment due of $138. Through their mistakes, AT&T found away to revoke the credit they previously issued me, and bill me for more money.

Desperate for an explanation, I rushed to the nearest AT&T corporate store early Sunday morning and reiterated my case once more. First, I was told that billing issues couldn't be handled in the corporate store, and that I had to call the 800 number (not again!).

Second, the reps from the corporate store refused to replace my sim card (for the 4th time as suggested by device support last week) because they were positive it was not the issue. They claim having had customers who reported similar issues to mine, and it was certainly a network related issue. (Really!?)

Third, after hearing that I've had my phone replaced 4 times, the reps at the corporate store informed me of AT&T's policy of an automatic phone upgrade to a different model phone of equal or greater value, if and only if, a customer were to receive at least 3 defective phones from warranty...A point the warranty department clearly forgot to mention!

I contacted customer care Monday night and finally got through to someone who was willing to help fix all the issues on my account. The rep found nearly $200 of overcharges and mistakes from previous agents and credited everything back to my account with no questions asked, and nothing but apologies for my having had dealt with other people's mistakes.

I was then transferred to the warranty department and also dealt with the warranty mistake regarding the 4 phones I previously received. The young woman I was patched through to was well trained, courteous, helpful, and very interactive. A little interaction goes a long way for customers, and I was very satisfied with that. This is by far the best customer care call I've had since being with AT&T. Miranda, you are awesome, and YOU ROCK!

After thoroughly reviewing my account, Miranda issued me an automatic upgrade for the new Samsung Epix. The Epix is the latest upgraded version of the Blackjack (my old phone) and the BlackJack II. Some features of the Epix include a larger screen size, a touch screen, a stylus, built in GPS, an optical mouse, and Wi-Fi.

This phone retails for $449 with no contract or $199 with a 2 year commitment. I received this phone free of charge and without having to sign a 2 year agreement due to my redundant issues with AT&T. In the end, it all worked out. I ended up with a brand new phone with full warranty and about $200 credited back to my account for the billing troubles (nearly 2 full months of cell phone service).

Now, let's hope my network account issues have been fixed...hopefully for good!

I signed up with AT&T in November of 2007. This is quite possibly the worst decision I have made in all my years of opting for cell phone service. Due to the multitude of issues that have occurred with my phone and service plan, my sim card has been replaced 3 times so far, my phone was replaced 4 times.

My data plan has been constantly giving me issues for the past 6 months. Everything was fine for the first 6 months, but since then, I have been unable to use the internet, receive email, and send or receive picture messages on demand; but AT&T has no issues when it comes to billing me for the service every month.

I spent many hours in person at the local device support location, countless hours on the phone with their customer service, data support, device support, and warranty departments, yet here I am today, (even after 2.5 hours on the phone this evening) still victim to their high incompetence in servicing my issues.

Tonight, I also found out that my original PDA data plan was cancelled 3 months ago (by mistake apparently) and that I was placed on a pay per use plan. Luckily, because my phone has been breaking almost everyday, my data usage went down enough for me not to see a noticeable difference in my monthly bill. I immediately opened a case, and must wait 10 days for AT&T to reinstate my original PDA plan (which they no longer offer by the way)!

After 2 hours on the phone and 3 customer reps this evening, I couldn't take it anymore. The next rep I was transferred to should have checked the notes on the account, but she made me reiterate my case, so I let her have it with my words. Since all calls are recorded "for training purposes", I am hoping someone hears it one day and does something about the poor quality of service some of us have had to deal with. 

For one, I argued that I was being charged in full for services I was only getting 50% of for the past 6 month. Second, within the one year warranty period since I purchased the device, it had to be replaced 4 times under warranty for being defective. I am now being told that my phone is out of warranty and that I need to purchase a new one...even though my phone was replaced for the 4th time just 90 days ago, in November 2007 (what a rip off)!

In the midst of the conversation, I threatened to go legal and bring in a lawyer because I felt like I had a case. I guess when you start talking legal, AT&T starts paying attention...The rep was quick to issue a refund on my account for $160.80 (a little over 5 months worth of data service).

While the money compensation does not solve my problems, I think it is a fair action on their part to compensate for the services I was not able to use. The last rep asked me to go to an AT&T store as soon as possible to get my sim card replaced (AGAIN) and go from there...obviously because her troubleshooting guide instructed her to. What a waste!

Another signature evening took place last night as I hosted some very dear friends of mine. For the 8 years that we've known each other, getting together with Rey, Rhiannon, and Wilson for an evening of fun, good music, good eats, and loads of laughs, was truly a blast from the past...This is one for the books!

Throughout the evening, tasty Martinis were served as we savored some wonderfully rolled sushi (by Anabela) accompanied with our signature flavored sake. For dessert, everyone enjoyed the chocolate fudge fondue served with an assortment for fresh fruits, pound cake, ice cream, and Petites Palmiers butterfly cookies.

Click for More Picures of the evening

I recently stopped at the Nike factory, Reebok, and Adidas outlets to get some basketball shoes for my weekend sports activities. I was disappointed to see the selection in all 3 stores was very limited to running shoes.

Finally, I stopped at the Converse outlet store and found a deal at $35 for any 2 pairs on the back wall. I grabbed 4 pairs of Dwayne Wade basketball sneakers, and paid $74.55 for all 4 ($17.50 a pair plus tax).

It doesn't get any better than that! Check out converse if you are looking for deals on kicks!

"FoodFeed is a food service that helps you share your eating habits with everyone, from anywhere."

You can sign up by creating a twitter account if you don't already have one, and follow @having on twitter. No password is required for this service!

Your foodfeed page has links to your twitter page, and your website if you have one (Pulls from twitter). This is perfect if you have a food blog!

To update your foodfeed, simply tweet or DM @having what you are eating, and voila! If you eat a lot, maybe you should DM rather than tweet :).

My foodfeed: http://gc_koupaki.foodfeed.us

Finding what to eat (in real time) just got easier, especially if you can't think of anything to have/make breakfast, lunch, or dinner! I know some of you are about to get really hungry!

I recently picked up a few decently priced decoration pieces to add onto the cozy atmosphere in our living room. We needed some extra seating in the living area, and the dining room still felt a little empty. (My Design Tag cloud)

For the dining room, we found a glass vase (Ikea code name: Bladet, at 25 1/2"), and added a mix of short light and tall dark bambo sticks, also from Ikea. It is every easy on the eyes, and works well with the decor.

For the living room, we went with 4 roxy storage ottomans from American Signature Furniture (3 in camel color, and 1 in stone color), and scattered them around the living and dining areas for easy access when needed.

My girlfriend cooked us a simple and light thai like dinner last night. Later in the evening, as the sweetness cravings intensified, I made a few large french crepes, and made an attempt at flambeeing some bananas, also known as banana foster. 

I used Appleton Jamaican Rum for the fireworks. The dish was served with two scoops of vanilla ice cream, one large folded crepe (4 ways), and the flambeed bananas spread all over. Look it's even decorated with a happy face. Enjoy!

Bela's home made Thai noodles dinner

Madine, 6 years old, is a young and talented soccer amateur from Algeria, and currently resides in France. They say he is the next Zinedine Zidane. If you play, have played soccer, or are a soccer fanatic, you are about to witness something trully amazing from this young man. Enjoy the video (The commentaries are in french).

Check out this video from Zidane and see for yourself!

A friend of mine had a birthday yesterday and decided to celebrate it at a place called Tavern on the lake with a group of friends. It is a casual, trendy, and sophisticated restaurant/lounge with a lake front patio, located in the MetroWest area, in Orlando FL.

The restaurant turns into a lounge/bar after 10PM, where young professionals gather for a night of fun and good times. I have plans on taking another trip out there for a taste of their cuisine, as well as the atmosphere and dinning experience...Be on the look out for a review post.

For the evening, I was accompanied by my girlfriend Anabela (to my left), and my close friend Jennifer (to my right). The night was long, fun and eventful.

Here at Mindcomet , we do everything in Mac. XServes, MacPros, PowerMacs, iMac, Minis, PowerBooks, MacBooks...we got it all. I like to think of myself as an undercover mac genius. I am not sure how or why, but if it's broken, I can usually fix it.

Not many people get see the insides of a Macintoch computer. As a matter of fact, a lot of people seem to surprised once they see a Mac laptop without the covers. What you see here is a Powerbook. MacBook Pros are very similar to this. The MacBook Air is next on my list of items to gut.

19 year old Even Reynolds, a teenager who lost his left hand in a traffic accident, recently received the latest bionic technology. Click here to read the full story.

I was always a fan the old Bionic Commando video game on The 8 bit Nintento System. As a kid, I sometimes imagined myself with a bionic arm and ran around the house pretending I was some type of super hero.

If you are a fan, you might like to know that Bionic Commando 2009 is coming out in May on PS3 and Xbox 360.

I went to pump gas on my way home from work today, and decided find out my actual cost of a gallon of premium fuel. Well as you can see, I am clearly being robbed here since I am paying more than advertised for less than a gallon.

In actuality, the gallon cost me $2.07, and then some. Some people could be paying $2.08 for all I know. Of course 2 cents is nothing to the average person, but 2 cents taken away from millions of people everyday...someone is building their own bailout fund. How much are you paying?

I stumbled on a website that has some good tips on how use twitter for random things aside from tweeting. Some people may find this useful.

Some of the uses include tracking packages (Fedex, UPS, DHL, USPS), adding new events to your google calendar, translate tweets from international twitter users, create twitter polls and more.

Full article on Labnol.org, a blog about software tips and internet technology.

Jeune Afrique (Young Africa) is a weekly news magazine that covers the political, economic and cultural spheres of Africa (since 1960). They have recently published an article highlighting 100 people they believe will play a key role in Africa's development in 2009, and my father is one of them. I have the up most respect for this man.

My Father is listed under the "Leaders and Decision Makers" category, on page 2. Since the article is in french, I have taken the liberty to translate it in english.

" Pascal Koupaki
  Minister Of Development, Bénin

Most of his peers call him "Mr Rigor". Pascal Irenee Koupaki is the Minister of State, in charge of Foresight, Development and Evaluation of Public Action. This title makes him the number two man in Benin's Government, right behind the commander in chief, since May 2006. This goes to show the power entrusted in him by President Boni Yayi, whom previously appointed him to clean and restructure Benin's public finances, as the former Minister of Finances.

His measures to secure profits and limit expenses have raised the country's budget in deficit in 2005 back to a 1% surplus in 2 years. Under his supervision, the surplus increased by 3% in 2006, 5% in 2007, and should be nearing 7% to 8% by next year before reaching the 10% mark in 2010. "

New cars nowadays have expensive entertainment and navigation packages available as options at the time of order. These packages are pretty restrictive as far as what the user can do and customize without having the dealer involved.

I'm a "Do it yourself" type of guy, so it was only natural for me to mod the interior of my vehicle in order to enhance comfort, and driving experience. I knew what I wanted, so I did my homework prior to purchasing my car. The possibilities are endless with my setup.

Feel free to check out the very detailed carpc install project. I did this a while ago, but I never got around to blogging about it and share. As far as the User Interface (UI) goes, I am now using Flux Media's Centrafuse to power my system.

Centrafuse is a stylish and powerful UI which features GPS navigation, multi audio and video playlist management, phone and engine management controls, and more. Carbon Motors has also elected to use Centrafuse in their E7 Prototype Police Car.

Here is a glance at the finished product. I skinned Centrafuse to match the interior trim colors during the daytime and night time. The skins auto switch at 8AM for day, and 5:30PM at night.

I used to play basketball during my high school and college days. My best asset on the blacktop has always been my jumpshot. I am naturally righty, as a basketball player I am ambidextrous, but during play time, attacking to the left to create openings is my primary option.

Shooting a basketball is fun. The feeling of hanging high up in the air with a perfect and steady form, releasing the ball with a perfect rotation, following through the shot with the wrist, and hitting nothing but net is just priceless. Three point and free throws shots are my favorites shots to take.

Nowadays, basketball is part of my regular workout routine. My game style hasn't changed much from my school days. I'm no superstar, but I can play, and I love to shoot. I regularly play basketball and racquetball with a couple of friends on weekends at LA Fitness.

High energy and intensity are the keys to our awsome workouts, as well the key to my staying in shape, and maintaining a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Every so often, I go out to the neighborhood park to shoot a few hoops by myself to get loose, think, or clear my head. I guess Basketball is my anti drug...I love this game. What's yours?

I was cleaning my steering wheel the other day and hit the windshield wiper switch by mistake. The windshield was wet of course, and so was the floor and the wall in front of the car in the garage. Little did I know my car had James Bond like options...Real people squirters!

I couldn't quite figure out to reactivate the squirters again since it was a mistake, but after a few tries and a little water on the garage floor, I got it down in time for my friend to shoot a video of it with his iPhone. I am still unsure of the real purpose of those headlamp water squirters...but I could think of a few things to put them to good use!

This is one of my new favorite desserts to make at home. It is so tasty; I guarantee anyone will enjoy it (find the recipe at the end of the post).

The next day, while making our brunch, a simple omellete with golden buttered toasts, I reheat the left over toffee sauce, put it in a sauce dipping dish, and threw some strawberries on the side to dip in.

Get creative...cause either way, it's delicious!

Recipe (serves 2):

• 2 bananas
• double heavy cream
• brown sugar
• corn syrup (optional)
  
• water

For the toffee sauce: in a small saucepan, mix 5 tablespoons of water with 1/2 cup of brown sugar an bring to a boil. Stir until the sugar is fully dissolved, turn down the heat to medium high, and add 5 tablespoons of the double heavy cream (and 1 table to 2 tablespoons of corn syrup if you prefer it a bit thicker) and stir. Let it sit at medium low heat and stir every once in a while for about 5 to 15 minutes. Turn the heat to low to keep warm until the bananas are ready.

For the Bananas: Place the bananas in the oven or conventional oven, and bake for about 20  to 25 minutes at 375 Degrees. When they turn fully black, get them out of the oven and cut in half. 

Serve immediately, and drizzle a generous amount of a toffee sauce all over the bananas. Serve with your favorite ice cream (I used coffee ice cream) and fruit combination...get creative! (Use a fork and knife to get the bananas out of the skin to eat. DO NOT EAT THE SKIN)

If you don't know what Twitter is, you should read about it. Feel free to check out WikiPedia for more details.

A lot of people are jumping on the band wagon to use twitter as a money making tool.

As Marshall Kirkpatrick from ReadWriteWeb.com puts it, Twitter may have found its new business model.

The last time I remember hearing of Law enforcement's new gadgets is when state troopers were seen rolling in suped up z28 Chevy Camaros and chased down speeders on the highway.

Carbon Motors Coporation is a homeland security company. As they put it, "Our singular focus is to provide first responders with a world-class, high-performance, cost-effective law enforcement vehicle that enables officers to work more efficiently and safely as they protect and serve our communities."

The E7 AKA The Machine, is the new up and coming generation of police vehicles. Designed with performance and safety in mind, the E7 can be ordered with integrated ballistic protection, and comes standard with radiation, chemical and biological threat detection. The engine runs on clean and efficient diesel fuel and pumps out 300 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque from the factory. 

The cabin has been ergonomically designed. The E7's instrument cluster will be running a custom version of Flux Media Inc's Centrafuse, a UI (user internface) application designed to assist officers with the use of "mission-critical law enforcement system controls and additional functionality such as navigation and e-mail" (Read the full article here).

Overall, I am very impressed with Carbon Motors' work on this project, as well as their choice in Flux Media's Centrafuse. I use this very same UI in my car. Not only is it highly customizable, it is powerful and reliable. 

This is like web 2.0 for Law Enforcement...only few years late, but coming to a PD near you.

Click here for High Resolution images or Click here to view more gallery photos

The year 2008 just left and 2009 is kickin' in in full force. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. Mine was really nice. I took almost 3 weeks off of work to clear my head, rest, relax, eat, workout, run around, out and about, and have myself some plain old me time...stress free.

Anyway, the first week back at work was good. I had a few things on my plate to jump into right off the bat. It was pretty exciting to be back and be productive again. There are some good things coming up this year at the office so I am happy to be back at work and positively tackle the rest of this year.

I wish everyone the best for 2009. Stay fafe and be easy! Remember, if it feels right...just do it!

This past Sunday I met up with a few friends I hadn't seen in a while. We hooked up downtown Orlando for some brunch, and then checked out the farmer's market around Lake Eola.

For brunch we went to Graffiti Junktion, (an american burger bar) a new spot that opened on that same day. Their motto is simple: Eat, drink, paint! Yes  paint...you are free to leave your artistic marks on their Graffiti walls! The bartenders are fun and entertaining, the atmosphere is very pleasant, the service is fast, and the staff is very courteous.  

Overall, I think we all had a good time at this new spot. We met one of the owners (really cool guy), and enjoyed some free bloody maries and screw drivers. For my brunch meal, I ordered the french toast sticks, topped with fresh fruits and maple syrup. (The zucchini fries appetizer is also a must!)

Later that afternoon we took a walk down the downtown back streets, checked out the farmer's market, and sampled varieties of foods and treats such has rum cake, cheese, and funnel cake...perfect weather for a Sunday Fun Day in Orlando.

Over the years, I learned that one shouldn't just buy because there are sales. I only buy the necessary when it's needed. I am a minimalist, so I guess that makes me somewhat of a less/non gullible consumer...and to me that's a good thing. Last Friday was Black Friday, and as always, the die hard consumers were out doing what they do best...looking for deals!

This year, my mindset was to stay home and try to make money from Black Friday rather than spend any (not like I ever do anyway). After a couple of hours of online research, I stumbled on a special "Black Friday Only" deal from the web on a 16 gigabyte Apple Ipod Touch. I found a niche, and I capitalized on it. I call that going back to the basics.

To get started, I ordered a few ipods and charged them to my credit card. Immediately after ordering, I made some simple html listings, used some images from google to showcase the product, and listed the items for sale on ebay.

In less than 4 hours, a couple had already sold. I sold some more over the weekend, and as of now, I have one left still for sale on ebay. After paying ebay seller fees and shipping costs, I profited 25% per sale (that's nearly $50 per ipod of profit) all without spending a dime out of my pocket, nor leaving my house...not bad for finding a deal :) !

The one thing I learned is that next year, I'm actually going to plan for this event, and seriously capitalize on it. It was effortless and highly profitable...and sort of came about on the fly.

I decided to spend my Saturday evening at home tonight, so I made a simple and tasty dinner for my girlfriend and myself to enjoy on a chilly, and cozy night, and enjoyed it with a few glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Feel free to try it because it's really easy (serves 4):

• 4 to 8 tomatoes (or 2 cans of diced tomatoes)
• 4 to 8 servings of fresh goat cheese
• 2 table spoons of olive oil
• cracked pepper (garnish)
• parsley (garnish)
  
• 2 to 4 cloves of garlic (or as much as you like)
  
• salt (to taste)
  
• black pepper (to taste)
  

Cut the tomatoes in large chunks, and put them in an oven safe cook pot. Drizzle the olive oil on top, add the salt, pepper, and garlic, mix it all up (adjust seasoning to taste) and put the tomatoes in the oven at 375 degrees for about 30 to 35 minutes.

Cook the pasta in salty water 10 minutes before the tomatoes are ready (you are free to use which ever pasta you prefer such as penne, linguine, bow ties etc).

When the pasta is ready, drain it and put it back in a moist cooking pan (a bit of butter can be used here) and pour the roasted tomatoes over the pasta with all the juices and gently stir.

Serve in your favorite pasta dish, and garnish with parsley, and cracked pepper, with a side of your favorite garlic bread, and sprinkle some goat cheese on top, and around the plate...and enjoy.

This past weekend was pretty relaxing for me. Besides the intense headaches from getting my pupils dialated at the eye doctor on Saturday morning, I mostly relaxed with my girlfriend, watched a lot of T.V, and enjoyed a ton of good home made food and treats. We spent the entire day on Sunday watching season 1 of Heroes. Good times!

We had a few friends over the house for dinner on saturday night, enjoyed some great sushi, courtesy of my girlfriend Anabela; and some delicious assortments of fresh fruits, pound cake, and ice cream with a home made chocolate syrup dip, courtesy of me.(Yay workout week!)

Oh man, it's been 21 days since my last post. My mind has not been into writing mode lately. I have been deep into some personal/secret projets during my off hours, and since I tend to disconnect myself from the world...I sometimes forget I have blog :)

A lot of ideas have been pooring down in my head lately, and I am still trying to figure out a way to actually slow down and process everything. I am working towards actually making something out of all these thoughts, which is what's been keeping me occupied and on the move. 

Anyways, I'm still around! As you can see, I am doing well, and I am healthy. The temperatures in Orlando right now are nearing the mid to high 60s daily with blue and sunny skies, while the evenings are quiet, slightly chilly, and cozy...can't ask for anything better this time of year!

From Wikipedia: A person's Golden or Grand Birthday, more commonly referred to as the "Star Birthday" occurs when they turn the age of their birthday.

Today is my golden birthday! I am thankful to God for the blessings and opportunities I have received so far in my life, and I am thankful for all my family and close friends, who have helped me become the person that I am today. A year like this only comes once in a lifetime and I intend to make the best of it; so look out world...I'm coming at your head on!

Here I am, sitting on a park bench on Washington Street a little while after I left the office. My day was interestingly busy today. I did not get to take my lunch break at work until 4pm. Things kept on coming my way so I was unable to make it to the gym as I usually do during lunch hour...but I got a lot of things done.

My friend was running late so I got my laptop out of the car and started to blog about my day. People walking by kept looking at me funny...black man with a hoody on top of a 50 cent beanie, sitting on a park bench in a middle of downtown around 6:30pm on a Tuesday evening, with a laptop on his lap, 2 feet away from a silver bmw...hmm, clearly something had to be wrong with that! Whatever people...give me a break!

Anyway...I went to Dexter's for some drinks with some friends, we then headed to Bento Cafe for a late night sushi dinner with a few sake shots in the mix, and enjoyed some good conversation. Good times!

This morning I attended an interesting mass service at my neighborhood church, Saints Peter & Paul, in Winter Park, FL. During today's gospel sermon, the preacher made a humorous allusion to religion and politics by telling a short story that gave everyone a good laugh. This is how the story goes...

After many years of service in the government, a senator (this is fictitious) passed away and headed for the afterlife. Upon arriving through the gates of the afterlife, a Saint welcomed him and said: "We don't see political figures like you here very often! Because of this, you will spend one day in Hell, and one day in Heaven, and decide for yourself where you wish to spend eternity."

The senator agreed and took the elevator down to Hell. When the doors opened, the scenery was just beautiful. It was nothing like what he had imagined. There was a golf course, and all of his senator pals from the previous life were there. The senator joined in on the fun, played a few holes of golf, enjoyed some laughs, good food, drinks, and music, and overall had a wonderful time; even the Devil came out to party.

When the day arrived to an end, the senator took the elevator from Hell back to the gates, and took the elevator up to Heaven. When he arrived in Heaven, things were peaceful and relaxing. Free of doing as he pleased, he sat on a floating cloud, listened to harp music, and watched the angels fly by all day. When the day finally came to an end, the senator went back to the gates of the afterlife and communicated his final decision to the Saint.

He said: "You know, Heaven is really nice, but I think I like it better down in Hell." The Saint then granted his wish and led him down to the elevator back down to Hell. The Senator was very excited to rejoin his comrades. When the doors opened, things were different. It was dark, red hot, and filled with suffering, sadness, and nothingness.

As the Devil welcomed him, the senator said: "Hey, wait a minute, what is going on here? This isn't how things were yesterday! It is hot as HELL! What happened?" The Devil responded: "Yesterday we were campaigning my friend...and today, we got your vote!"

I have played dodgeball once when I was 13 years old...Let's face it, it not your usual weekend sport hobby (could be for some people),  but apparently, I am a lot better at it than I thought! I guess my soccer and basketball background have something to do with it.

 

My company (Mindcomet) participated in this year's Orlando's Corporate dodgeball tournament on August 15th 2008. We did pretty well, and had a load of fun. Out of 64 teams, we were just about in the top 12. Our team name is Balls of Destiny, and we wore pink high socks and pink headbands! Check out the video!

My pics on Picasa

Mindcomet's pics on Flickr

This past Friday, I invited and hosted my good friends Colleen and Brittany, which are also my coworkers, to join my girlfriend and I for a cool and cozy sushi dinner at my place.

Colleen brought a bottle of Chateau Ste Michelle, a 2007 Columbia Valley Riesling, and Brittany got us a delightful Fu-Ki Sake bottle, just perfect for the evening. 

My girlfriend, Anabela, amazed us with a full course sushi meal, and I handled dessert:

Drinks for the night: Watermelon Martinis, Apple Blueberry Martinis, and Apple flavored Sake.

Entree: Miso Soup, followed by a Hiashi crab salad, and Green Mussels.

Sushi Rolls: Naruto Maki, Extreme Roll, Dragon Roll, Volcano Roll, Smoke House Roll, Crunch Crab, Shrimp Tempura, Philadelphia Roll, Dancing Eel Roll, Fantasy Roll, and Bubba Roll. 

Dessert: French Crepes, stuffed with vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries, chocolate chips, home made whipped cream, with a drizzle of home made chocolate syrup on top.

Google's open source mobile platform, code name Android, has finally been released to the public, and was officially demonstrated last week on T-Mobile's first Android based handset device, the G1, also known as the HTC Dream, by HTC.

The Telegraph, Britain's number one newspaper website, has reviewed the G1 phone, compared it to Apple's iPhone, and compiled short review quotes from several of the best and well known technology critics on the internet such as TechCrunch, CNET, and Gizmodo.

I am a Mac user, I respect Apple, and I think that the iPhone is a cool and innovative device/gadget, but one of the thumbs down for me was complete absence of a full qwerty keyboard. I spend a lot of time on my phone responding to emails, texting, and researching the web so the ability to type quickly is very important to me...I like the feedback!

The price of the HTC Dream will be priced at $179, with a 2 year contract with T-Mobile (not bad). From the looks of it, it has everything I need: a large sliding screen (touch screen), and a full qwerty keyboard. On the  Software side, based on this Android Demo, the new mobile platform looks blazing fast on the G1, and is very promising.

Application wise, I am looking forward to ShopSavvy; a tool that turns the G1's camera into a barcode scanner, allowing the user to photograph the barcode from any product one may want to buy, then searches the internet to find the cheapest price out there for that particular item...pretty cool huh! You can check our more Android applications on the Android Market.

I must note that I do not plan on switching to T-mobile anytime soon, but I do hope that HTC is open minded enough to have an unlocked version of the G1 for the rest of mobile community to use...I won't mind paying a few extra dollars for an unlocked G1 warranted by the manufacturer...something Apple will probably never bother entertaining!

I'm out to change mine! I went to the art store a few weeks ago. I was looking for a piece for my home office…something that defined me, with inspiration and flair. I look at this everyday before going work, and everynight before going to sleep.

I've always been about my business. When it comes to this world, I'm a person with few words. I work hard, pay my dues, plan my moves, stay focused, keep a positive attitude, and repulse negative energies surrounding me. I am ruler of one world...my world.

First, let me say that when we lived with my parents, my brothers and I were never required to take our shoes off when entering the house.  Had it been enforced, I don't think I would have had any issues with it. The floors throughout the house were being cleaned daily regardless of the situation; so it made no difference in the matter.

About a week ago, I had a discussion with a friend of mine regarding the famous "Shoes-off Please" topic. Based on the research I have done on the subject, as well as my friend's opinion, it is my understanding that this is sensitive subject for a lot of people out there. From what I gathered, many are against removing their shoes when entering someone's home for various reasons.

Personally, I understand why some people maybe against it, but at the same time I was also raised to respect other people's way of life. We are all different in our own little ways, but overall, I think it is OK for one to look beyond personal preferences in order to make the hosts feel at ease about receiving you in their home. Of course, it also depends on the occasion. Events such as black tie or dressed to impress parties are examples of situations where one cannot be expected to remove shoe wear. In situations like these, I think it is up to the homeowner (or tenant) to understand the type of event to host in their private residence.

For me, this has simply become a way of life. What can I say, I like to keep things clean, simple, organized, and of course casual. I believe that my house is a reflection of me, and the way I do things in my daily life. With that in mind, I designed the entertainment area with a warm, trendy and cozy feel to it; and I think it works...without shoes :)

 For the past couple of months, I noticed my girlfriend handcrafting all sorts of small goods. Up until a few weeks ago, I had no idea what all of it was for. Soon enough, she explained to me that she had discovered ETSY, an online store where people buy and sell all things that are handmade. It sounded cool so I checked it out.

As a graphic artist, Anabela has perfected a skill for making things by hand, and using her skills in Origami and Amigurumi (bear in picture above) to create unique pieces to add to her ETSY store, Beladonna Graphics, where everything is handmade with love.

If you like handmade stuff, feel free to follow her on Twitter and get daily updates for the recently added store items, or check the Beladonna blog, and show some support. If you read this and dug it, please pass it along to your friends.

Enjoy!

I usually refer to my Sunday as "Chillaxin' Sunday".  This is a day where I like to do nothing but house stuff such as relaxing, washing my car, catch up on personal items, play video games, and enjoy the my time at home before the work week starts...Obviously things did not exactly go as planned today...

The automatic window failed (out of nowhere) on the driver side door of my car Saturday afternoon while I was running some errands with my girlfriend. Something inside the window assembly broke and prevented the glass from rolling up or down properly. It was causing all sorts of clunking noises and rattles, as if the window was shattered, which you can believe was a bit scary being that I was not near home.

I woke early on Sunday to do some research on the web and found the possible culprit to be the windows regulator. From what I read, this is was a known and common issue on the BMW E46 body style car. The window regulator is mechanical set of components that controls the up and down sliding movements of the glass window.

I decided to investigate and see for myself, so I proceeded to the garage and took the entire door panel assembly out. One thing to note is that BMWs are well put together and are not easy to take apart. After removing all trims, screws, foam, moisture protection, door handle assembly, door air bag, and 3 speakers (in one door!!), I found the rear regulator supporting the rear of the window was completely broken...not sure was caused that, but from what I read it is pretty common.

After removing the rear rail, the front trail had an inaccessible and stripped bolt, which I needed to unscrew in order to remove the glass from the  regulator assembly. I went to my buddies house, and he helped me drill it out...lucky me!

After investigating the damage, I found another E46 owner on the web that ran into the same issue and came up with a possible fix depending on the damage. I decided to give it a shot and what do you know...it worked! Both Cylinders guiding the regulators up and down where worn and broken so the glass was being miss-guided anytime it was being rolled up or down. By adding heavy-duty zip ties at key points on the assembly, I was able to secure the cylinders back into place...seriously! I respect German Engineering, but this is a shame! I really hope BMW seriously addresses this issue.

My window is fully operational again, and it is as if nothing had ever happened. Of course that only took 8 hours to complete so you can guess what else I was able to get done today right...nothing!!!

Yes! I, and most African American men, have a natural habit of getting a haircut every week, or at least every 2 weeks. I believe this is both a culture and fashion trend...and here is why:

Among the African American community, it is natural for young and grown men to keep their hair in good shape with regular trims by a professional African American hairstylist in order to maintain a clean and sharp appearance. For Professional African American men, the standard is higher. It is a natural instinct to consistently maintain a sharp appearance.

Fashionable African American male Icons and celebrities are known to have mobile barbers follow them around at all times...no surprises why people like Jay-Z, Will smith, Jamie Foxx, or many others are always looking so sharp you would think their hairstyle was crafted by a robot using a laser blade...I mean dang, those guys' hairstyles are always on point!

The average number of visits to the barber for most black men is at a minimum of once every week or two. Some cultures may see this as excessive or unnecessary, and others just can't seem to be able to tell the difference. Could this be due to indifference, culture differences, or simply a lack of attention to detail? Who knows...

Clean lines, defined edges, and an immaculate beard or gotti trim are the characteristics of a perfectly crafted haircut, which most African American men seek in order to maintain a clean look at all times...and that’s just what I like.

The FitBit Tracker was unveiled yesterday on TechCrunch during the TC50 2008 Conference event.

The device itself is a 3D wireless wearable sensor that acts as a diet monitoring system. Its purpose is to track the wearer's food intake and activity levels based on daily activity.

The sensor is tiny, clips on virtually any piece of clothing, collects and records information, and transmits the data anytime the wearer passes by the wireless base station.

The readings are then uploaded to the fitbit website where all the data is processed, allowing the user to view detailed information regarding fitness activity levels and sleeping patterns. The website also allows the user to add various data about different foods eaten.

I don't know about you, but I am all about fitness, so I am definately getting me one of these. The kit is priced at only $99, and is available for preorder today. The FitBit Tracker will go on sale sometime in December or January...just in time for the holiday good eats!

I have been using Twitter for some time now. All my twittering is usually done via some twitter client on my Mac while I am stationary at home or at work. I’ve been looking for an efficient twitter client for my Samsung Blackjack v.1 smart phone (Windows Mobile 6) in order to get twitter updates while on the go. I stumbled on Tiny Twitter, which is built to run on Windows Mobile and Pocket PC smart phones, and most blackberries and other java enabled devices out there. It has built in support for TwitPic, and also supports user timeline follow, direct messages, updates, retweet, and uses your Internet connection, so no SMS every time someone updates.

The application is free, so try it! Just go to http://www.tinytwitter.com/m/ from your mobile phone's browser, download and install the .CAB file, an