The word is out on Engy's Experiment.  Yes, my policy of not advertising the blog has been compromised.  I've decided to broaden my horizons a bit, as the blog's address has been cited in our annual Christmas letter which has gone out to 90 or so households around the US.  So, technically speaking, the "experimental" aspect of the blog has officially ended, to the tune of what I believe is 2-3 subscribers reading my site.

To answer the age old question, it would seem that "they will only come if you build it and its worthwhile."  However, I'm going to keep the site going, mostly for my own personal enjoyment.  If you are here as a result of reading our Christmas card, lemme know by leaving a comment!    Does this mean I have to change the name of the blog?

This brings up another question...is there any way to determine exactly how many readers are subscribed to a blog?  I've seen two indicators giving me some idea...for one, the Bloglines crawler that hits my site each day indicates I have 2 subscribers (one of which is me!)  In addition, my site tracks the aggregator activity of my posts, showing about 3 hits per post.  So, at least I know 2 people beside myself are subscribed.  Is there any other method you are aware of that tracks subscription counts?

This article is an interesting read that touches a little on the history of Microsoft's XBox console.  Its an excerpt from the book Smartbomb: The Quest for Art, Entertainment, and Big Bucks in the Videogame Revolution.  Definitely sounds like an interesting read. 

I found the motivational aspect of fear to be intriguing while reading this excerpt.  Wonder how often a new product comes around simply because a business is afraid they are "missing a piece of the pie."  Certainly this has played out in the MP3 player space...the IPod has spawned dozens of off brand competitors.  In fact, my Creative Zen Xtra was a MUCH better value compared to the IPod equivalent and has served me well this past year.

[via Joystiq]

Man, I thought my home network setup was pretty sophisticated, but this Canuck blows me away!

Don't you just love the advent of number portability?  It makes it so much more convenient to hop from one mobile phone provider to another!  Combine that with Amazon's great mobile phone offers and a one-year contract, and you've got the makings for some pretty slick deals.

Case in point...every year for the past 4 years, I've received a brand new mobile phone absolutely free.  In fact, I've often even been "paid" to pickup this brand new phone.  You see, the mobile phone market is so competitive that the players in the market are willing to heavily subsidize phone costs in exchange for a one year (or more) contract.  If you are willing to switch providers each year, you are basically guaranteed a free (often quite nice) phone every year, and you can still keep the same phone number.

I've just gone through my annual mobile phone procurement, and made out quite well, if I must say myself.  Last year, I got an amazing deal through Amazon, and was able to pickup an Audiovox SMT-5600 for free after rebate when signing up for a year contract with AT&T Wireless (now Cingular.)  Now, this phone absolutely ROCKS.  It's a Windows Mobile 2003 smart phone, which means, it basically does everything my old Pocket PC did, including Outlook synchronization, mp3/wma playback, MSN Messenger, etc.  Granted, I don't have a data plan, but still, this is a great phone, all in a compact form factor and a large screen.

Of course, when it came to Cingular's GSM network capabilities, I wasn't too impressed.  Service was decent, but from my condo was often pitiful.  I longed for the days of my prior T-Mobile service.  No worries...my contract with Cingular would be up soon enough.  It ended today

Needless to say, I planned on keeping my 5600 phone, but there was one problem.  It was locked for use with AT&T/Cingular service only.  Never to fear...the "internets" are here!  A simple Google search lead me to this rockin' site.  It worked BEAUTIFULLY!  In a matter of minutes, I had unlocked my phone for free!  Another site allowed me to get rid of all the nasty AT&T branding, setting me up for a seamless transfer over to T-Mobile. 

The last step was finding the best deal on a new T-Mobile phone.  Again, I went to Amazon and found this excellent offer, which will PAY ME $50 (after rebates) to pickup a Motorola RAZR V3 phone with a year contract.  I saw that these phones were going for over $200 on EBay, so I knew this was the offer to grab.  Got the phone today, popped my new T-Mobile SIM into the Audiovox, and I'm back with T-Mobile superior network.  Filled out the rebate cards, mailed them, and put my RAZR up for auction on Ebay.  In the end, I figure I'll make around $250 or more just for switching carriers.  Rock on!!

[UPDATE:]

The phone went for $186 and $12 shipping.  Not bad, eh?

Can hardly wait for the commute home tonight:

NIV...with the ribbon bookmark.  HAHA.  Check out this video clip.

My jaw dropped when I ran across this article that ran in the Chicago Tribune (subscription may be required) today.  Apparently, Willow Creek, one of the largest churches in the entire country, will be closed this Christmas day.  Wah?

Their "excuse" is that it is a time that should be spent together with family.  Hmmm.  Well, what better way to worship our Lord and Savior on the day we celebrate His birth than together with the Body of Christ in corporate worship?  Indeed, it is the Church that is truly our family for the Christian believer.  I am honestly surprised that Willow has made this decision.  Christmas is traditionally the only day that many families even attend church...why should we be closing the door on a day that is so important? 

Granted, as the husband (pastor's wife?) of a church staff member (my wife runs the Seedlings children's ministry program at First Free), it is a little annoying that she has to work on Christmas.  However, it only happens once every seven years.  And, last time I checked, we are celebrating what to me is one of the two most important moments in history - the birth of Christ.  Christmas is not all about opening presents, eating, and playing that new Xbox 360  

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving and found some time to relax with family and friends while reflecting on the blessings in your lives. 

For Thanksgiving this year, Roxanne and I decided to run the Edison Park Turkey Trot, a 5k race we ran a few years back.  It seemed like a great idea...that is, until the weather report was released.  Yep, it was indeed the coldest Thanksgiving in 50 years in Chicago, and we found ourselves spending Thanksgiving morning out in the 20 degree (0 with wind chill) weather.  It could have been raini...I mean snowing, so at least we had the sun on our side!

The race actually ended up being a lot of fun despite the cold, so we headed back to the car and drove home to get ready for dinner at the in-laws.  On the way back, I couldn't help but notice the car was pulling hard to the right, so I pulled over and found that, sure enough, one of the one-month old tires I had just put on the car was flat.  Let me tell you...changing a tire in weather that feels like 0 degrees is MUCH LESS ENJOYABLE than running in it.  I got the spare on, which, of course, was almost totally flat itself.  Finally got it filled up and we were on our way.

Despite the less-than perfect start to our Thanksgiving, I had to remind myself...if this is the only thing that I have to be upset about, I am pretty well blessed.  Indeed, God has blessed my family in so many ways I can't even begin to list them all here.  However,  I will note that the very fact that I am a United States citizen means that I have been given WAY MORE than I could ever hope for, let alone need.  This website is a great reminder of just how rich we are really are.  As an American, we are surrounded by wealth and often take for granted the lifestyle we live.  We must strive to remind ourselves that the lives we are experiencing are in no way normative on this planet.  In fact, it seems to me that many of the material "blessings" we have are so often curses in the end.

We received the official word yesterday...the Magenic "holiday" gift going to all employees this year will be the XBox 360!!  Not sure if we'll be receiving the core or premium package, but they did say we'd be getting a hard drive and additional controller.  Woohoo! 

Of course, the big question is when will we actually receive our shiny new boxes.  In case you haven't noticed, the 360 isn't exactly available through traditional retail channels.  Of course, if you are willing to put out some big bucks, you can find one on Ebay.  On average, they seem to be going for $800 or more!  I personally enjoyed this listing (check out the buy it now price!) 

In the meantime, I'll be keeping my eye on this excellent inventory tracking website to get some idea of when I may expect my 360 to arrive.  What games should I get?