I had no idea how tied down I used to be until Midcontinent set me free. That sounds like a little bit of a stretch, so allow me to explain. Before I got the 100 Mbps download speed of Midcontinent Xstream® Wideband with my home bundle, I had no idea how tied down I was.

When I wanted to watch a movie, I was in my chair or on the couch in the family room. When I wanted to listen to my radio, I was in the garage or listening to my tiny little clock radio in the basement. Either way, I had to choose my background noise based on what room I was in.

Now with my upgraded speeds, my laptop and I are free to do what I want, where I want. I can grab my laptop and pop on a movie with HBO GO® or MAX GO® in any room of the house. I popped on a standup comedy special to watch while I was getting my pickup cleaned and checked out for the fall. And, my wife was online looking for our niece’s birthday present while listening to her favorite online radio station on her laptop while the boys watched TV.

I’m not done yet. When hunting season was about to start, I was out in the garage cleaning my rifle and shotgun while I watched the vice presidential debate live online. I got to see the debate completely unfiltered and make my own opinions. I didn’t even bring a drop of oil into the family room—much less spill any--all while my wife was uploading pictures of the kids to her Facebook page and catching up on her DVR’d shows.

If you’re looking over the broadband speeds and you think to yourself that you’ll never use more than 15 Mbps, believe me, the difference is not only noticeable, it is life changing.

Even PC Magazine couldn’t believe the speed of our Internet out here. Imagine an Internet with no lag, no limits, and the only thing holding you back being the speed of your own computer.

It’s here, right now—but only with Midcontinent Communications.
 

Sometimes I just miss the warm glow of the old CRT Monitor…

The other day I was feeling a little nostalgic, and to be honest, I got all the apples picked and I’m all caught up on my honey-do list. So, I took a little break and fired up my old desktop computer. It was screaming fast back in its day—when gas was around a buck and a half a gallon and no one knew what came after a gigabyte—but it’s been about 7 months since I last started it, and that was to finally migrate all of my emails to my laptop.

As you can imagine, there were around 90 Microsoft updates, and a whole bunch of Java and Adobe updates, and just about any other software I was using, including my browser (let’s just say it kind of rhymes with Godzilla Flyer Box). It asked me very politely to update my browser. I thought sure, whatever, and clicked on it. Then, in my tired state, it asked me if it was ok to turn off some background stuff to make the update work. One of the things it turned off was the .net framework that makes Microsoft connect to the Internet!

Frustrated, I made some more poor decisions after that, and soon, I had nothing. I went to work, trying to come up with a solution to my moments of tired inattention, and I had no idea how to fix it. Soon, I had an idea. Maybe Midcontinent had someone else run into this? I know this isn’t their problem, it’s mine, but maybe they’ve seen it before.

So, I called customer service, waited less than a minute, and I wish I had written this man’s name down—but a very pleasant young man answered the phone. I told him what I did, and I told him there was nothing wrong with my Internet, but I couldn’t get to it with my old computer because I made a stupid move. He said he realized there was no problem on his end, but in fact he had walked someone through a very similar problem a month or so ago when the update first came out. We reset my Internet connection and within a couple of minutes he walked me through a couple of very simple steps that got the old desktop connected and working again. I know it wasn’t his job and it wasn’t Midcontinent’s fault that I set my computer wrong, but he said that he was just helping me get the most of my Midcontinent services and thanked me for calling him.

He had every right to tell me that I should just call my computer store or Microsoft help. But, he took the time necessary to help me make sure I was not just happy with my services, but actually able to use and enjoy them to their fullest. People make the difference for Midcontinent, and Midcontinent’s people make the difference for me.
 

For the past few years, my best friend and I have been involved in a friendly competition...we spend hours looking through pumpkin patches trying to find the perfect pumpkin for the ultimate jack-o’-lantern.

It all started innocently enough. It was the year 2000. I carved a very simple jack-o-lantern and gave it to his son (I really didn’t know he already had one that his dad had made but he liked mine better). The next year, my friend carved a quite elaborate jack-o’-lantern and brought it over, so then I had to carve a slightly more elaborate set of jack o lanterns for both of his sons—the 3-year-old and the newborn. And the tradition was born!

Each year, his jacks get drastically more complicated and his pumpkin display at his home gets more and more elaborate. All because his kid liked the first jack-o-lantern from me more than his and he never got over it. So now, every year he must outdo me on pumpkin carving and design. It’s a guy thing.

Enter MidcoNet Xstream® Wideband. While my friend fights his slow DSL connection, I can rocket through pumpkin carving contest winners, YouTube pumpkin carving videos and thousands of pictures of pumpkin carving, decorating and layout ideas. Then, I can even set up my DVR to record the “punkin chuckin” competitions to watch while I layout my ideas on paper (yes, my ideas are getting elaborate enough to require at least 2 nights of drawing out placement ideas, then studying them for visibility and curb appeal).

This year, I’ll take the pickup over to the “Pumpkin Ranch” where I will stalk my future selections. My best friend now has 5 children—so 7 pumpkins for them, and 18 more for me. The oldest, now 14, will get the gross one. The 11-year-old gets the one picking its nose. The 9-year-old gets the scary one. The 6-year-old gets the silly one and the 3-year-old gets the re-creation of the original one that started it all. Faces in pencil first--then in marker--power tools in the chargers, and we are ready for carving! Which I’ll have to start soon.
 

I have to admit—I really haven’t been watching that much TV. If you’ve been following my posts, you know that I set a very ambitious summer goal of getting my home ready for winter. I have been working all summer long to get my home insulated, ventilated and remodeled for winter. My home theater is about 3-4 weeks behind schedule and with early-to-bed school nights for the kids, that moves the noisy construction solely to the weekends, delaying the project even further.

But even with that, football season is here and I sat down to watch the big Sunday night game to see the Steelers whoop up on the Broncos. Well…that wasn’t going so well for this Steelers fan, so I flipped around only to see more commercials during my game--that includes all the new shows’ promos which are running non-stop.

CBS really wants me to get back into watching NCIS and Hawaii 5-0. ABC wants to get me to watch a whole lot of new stuff. FOX is pushing Idol, Glee and Animation. Then there’s NBC’s Go On. Not for me, thanks. The Voice is kind of fun, though!

Then over to basic cable. Chumley is buying stupid stuff and getting into trouble, and the Ice Road Truckers are at it again. Mythbusters are blowing up newer and bigger things. And, Honey Boo Boo is out there…somewhere.

I know that with all of the TV out there, I’m really glad I have my Midcontinent cable giving me the most options for my money. For example, I get to use all of my Midcontinent services to escape the “reality” of reality TV and go back to the comfort of Cheers and MASH on ME TV, as well as watch some great videos on YouTube, and did I mention the never ending phone calls from my buddy? He’s a Broncos fan, and he calls to remind me that the Steelers lost on opening night to the “greatest quarterback that ever blah blah blah.”

Enough of this! Is Beverly Hillbillies on somewhere?
 

Is it possible to be a fan, but not a fanatic? I love watching football. Very few things are more incredible to watch than a running back breaking through or a perfect “Hail Mary” pass on 4th and 15 with 11 seconds to go. But, I also have a very busy life. I’m behind on the honey-do list, I’m trying to finish my home theater project, I still have a very needy lawn, and I have to keep two little boys’ toys fixed. As much as I enjoy watching football, rarely do I have the time to sit down and just watch it.

Then let’s throw in the fact that I live in Vikings territory. The radio plays Vikings games, the Vikings are always on TV and even though the Pittsburgh Steelers are a “national team,” it’s still rarer to see them on TV around here than say Kansas City or Denver. That’s where my MidcoNet Xstream® Wideband comes in awfully handy. I can listen live to the Steelers games for a few bucks online, or I can follow it nearly play-by-play for free at NFL.com, ESPN.com, or FoxSports.com.

I don’t do the fantasy football leagues or bet with my friends, but even if I’ve had a busy project weekend, I can guarantee I know the scores of all the games my co-workers care about—except the Bengals fan because really, he’s a Bengals fan and nobody with a brain cares what a Bengals fan thinks. (Just kidding—kind of).

I see all the big plays, and I can tell you how Big Ben got physically punished again this week. If there was a fantasy injury league, I’d never draft Roethlisberger. I mean, c’mon—the guy played the last two seasons with more broken bones in his own body than some teams had all year long. No complaining, no whining—just perseverance and toughness. The exact reasons I love watching football.

Okay, maybe I am a bit of a fanatic. I really love football. And with my Midco Theatre Suite, I can use my Internet connection to listen and keep up with the games even while I’m busy. And when the Steelers are on, I have the perfect picture and sound to sit down, relax and watch a full game.

Are you ready for some Football? If you have Internet and cable from Midcontinent, you are ready for anything!

 

When I left this part of the world for a few years to learn what the rest of the world was like, the one thing I really noticed was the lack of small town festivals and fairs. Here in the upper Midwest, if you can still muster enough people in one square mile to qualify for a road sign, you also qualify for a town festival.

Some festivals are more elaborate than others, with grande parades (yes, you know it’s special if they put an “e” on the end of “grand” on the town festival flyer), carnivals, inflatables, car shows, school reunions and a street dance, which is always the biggest event. It seems like the 125th anniversary streak is still going around here. This year Bellingham, Minnesota gets their turn. You can see the entire listing of events on their Facebook page .

In fact, most area festivals are finding ways to spread the word online. That’s where your MidcoNet Xstream® Wideband high-speed Internet can really come in handy. Log in to Facebook and search the small towns in your area, or fire up your favorite search engine and go for it. With a little searching you can find out that the Twin Brooks (SD) Threshing Show, Cornfest in Ortonville, Minnesota, the South Dakota State Fair in Huron, and the little Minnesota State Fair—the Lac Qui Parle County Fair in Madison, Minnesota – are spots for summer fun.

With a little time online, you’ll find a whole lot of fun things to do with your weekends this summer. In addition to all the fairs and festivals, there are dirt track car races and rodeos somewhere every weekend. For a great collection of places to go online to find events in my area, check out SDGlacialLakes.com or ExploreMinnesota.com, and know that you’ll always get your local search results faster when you stick with your local broadband provider—Midcontinent Communications!

The future of television. I’ve seen it, I live it and I love it! When I was a kid, there were three or four TV channels depending on how good of an antenna you had. Most everyone listened to the same radio station and read the same newspaper. You’d ask somebody about what they watched the night before and the odds were you both watched the same thing. Now, the odds of that are slim and getting slimmer every day.

All winter, when the snow was not falling and I was sitting inside, I dreamed of a great vacation. A chance to get away—see some new stuff, and maybe bring some stuff home that we’ll have to dust later. So, the planning began.

After days of searching vacation sites and watching specials on the Travel Channel, there was just one other online stop to make – the savings account balance. Yep, that nice winter without all that snow to move gave me a lot of time to plan a vacation, but very little overtime to fund it. No problem—new plan.

Instead of a big trip, my old friend DeWalt and I will be spending some quality time this summer. I went back to Midcontinent’s super-speed Internet and off to HGTV. A few home project ideas will make the summer fly by.

First off, a few inexpensive ideas to spiff up the kids’ rooms and get them involved so they don’t notice we’re not going anywhere. Then to the kitchen—my grandmother always said, “if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen”. I say, “Let’s put in a ceiling fan.” The bathroom is stuffy, so I’m also putting in an exhaust fan. The basement bathroom will get an exhaust fan as well, and then, another ceiling fan for the master bedroom. When this summer’s over, we’ll be more comfortable, the house will be more valuable, and if all goes well, we’ll save a few bucks to take a vacation next year.

You could say that we’re all big “fans” of our Midcontinent cable and Internet this summer!

If you’ve ever read a blog post of mine before, you may have figured out that I like old TV shows and movies. One of my favorites was always the Beverly Hillbillies. I remember when I first watched the show, it was in black and white, and as the show progressed, it transferred to color. I remember my friends saying that Ellie May looked even better in color, but Granny and Miss Jane looked better in black and white. And that got me thinking—now that we’re transitioning to HDTV, will anyone look back at the old low-definition picture and wish for the good old days of analog?

I decided I must study and ponder upon this point. To the Midcontinent HD Box I go – for the test. The A-Team. First, the TV show. Standard definition. It looks good on my TV, but the source limitations are there. Colors are dull, sound is muffled. Now, the A-Team movie in its full HD. The colors are perfect, the sound is incredible, surround sound comes alive with the explosions—it’s a viewing experience.

So, after seeing the incredible beauty of 1080p in perfect surround sound, would you go back to 480i and standard two channel stereo sound? After driving a brand new Cadillac for a year, would you like to go back to the car you drove in high school or college? After sitting front row on the 50 yard line, would you talk about how you missed your nosebleed seats?

I don’t think so either. HDTV is here to stay, and I’m just glad I have Midcontinent Communications to bring it to me. I get the most HD for the money with an incredible channel list and more HD channels that I actually watch. If you’re watching standard definition TV on your HDTV, you’re really only getting half the picture (or less, to be technical). I encourage you to upgrade your bundle to HDTV with Midcontinent today!

Before I joined the Midco Xstream Team, I still had Midcontinent helping make my Internet faster. A friend of mine does IT at a company in another city. He was given a router that had a few paint blemishes by a sales rep. He tried it out and liked the throughput for the Internet in his location, (let’s just say a large US city that is not served by Midcontinent Communications) but after he rebuilt his network to 1GHZ, he sent it to me to try. It’s a solid unit. Never lost connection and things moved along fast enough—so I thought.

Then I got hooked up to MidcoNet Max high-speed Internet. This was still before I had Midcontinent’s new, fastest level of service, MidcoNet Xstream Wideband 3.0. My installer ran a few tests and told me something was holding me back—the router. We put in another one, and my eyes were opened. I went from 5MHZ to 20Megs with the plug of a cord. Then, I thought that was fast.

Once I joined the Xstream Team and moved to MidcoNet Xstream Wideband 3.0, my head started spinning. I can surf around on my Wii while my wife is on the laptop and my old desktop computers are plugging away at updates and nothing hangs, nothing lags and it just flies!
 

Have you ever looked at your on-screen TV guide and wondered exactly who makes out these schedules? I might be a little old, but I remember when MTV played music and HBO showed movies every night.

I like movies, mostly old movies, but occasionally, a new movie grabs my attention. Recently, I really wanted to see “The Green Lantern.” So here’s what happened. I fired up the TV and headed over to HBO—great, Bill Maher, but there on HBO2—“The Green Lantern.” Cool. But it started 20 minutes ago. Again, call me old fashioned, but I don’t want to see how a movie ends until I see how it begins.

Then it hit me—ON DEMAND! I leapt from my chair, raised my Midcontinent remote straight up in my fully extended arm and bellowed “BY THE POWER OF MIDCONTINENT—I HAVE THE POWER!!!!!!!!!!!

My wife, God bless her, is really tired of some of my more odd character tweaks, like this one. So after being reminded that the kids are asleep, and probably the neighbor kids, too, I pressed the mighty ON DEMAND button and set about my task.

Premium services, HBO, all movies, and there it is – “The Green Lantern.” About 20 minutes into the movie, my little boy comes walking into the living room telling me about a loud noise he heard in his dream. I paused the movie, calmed him down and after a quick re-tuck, it was back to movie time.

Then, after the movie, I started to look around. What else is on Midcontinent’s On Demand service? There are cartoons, all the good shows on Discovery and History, and neat specials. There are literally thousands of hours of all kinds of programming for all ages – concerts and local real estate stuff.

Even if you don’t subscribe to all the movie channels like I do, if you’re not using ON DEMAND, you’re really missing out. So the next time you look at your channel guide and don’t see what you want, do what I do: point your remote to the ceiling, stand up and proudly shout, “BY THE POWER OF MIDCONTINENT, I HAVE THE POWER!!!” Just make sure you don’t have a light-sleeping three year old two doors down.

 

With sweat pouring down my forehead, I go to my laptop to fill out the brackets. In the round of 64, I start with the South. Kentucky, Duke, easy beans. Then SDSU—they have to have one or two more big upset in them somewhere. Indiana is my other Regional Semifinal South team. Why? Trivial Pursuit kicks in. They invented basketball; they can’t lose in the first two rounds.

Ok… onto the West. My toughest section of the bracket. I know less about these teams than any other. I shut my trivial brain down and listen to my gut—read the names aloud and hear which one sounds like a winner. Michigan State, New Mexico, Marquette and Missouri will make Regional semifinals here.

Then to the East. Gonzaga really impressed me the way they hung in against St. Mary’s. Picking them to win the entire East—knocking off Syracuse in a nail biter with a crowd standing on its feet the entire 4th quarter. Florida St. and Wisconsin are my other picks for the Regional semi-finals.

The Midwest is where things get tricky for me. I try not to think in this division either. It’s filled with upset potential. One locker room stomach bug and I’m choking down a burned steak that I paid for. North Carolina should move up to the regionals, along with Michigan, San Diego St. and St. Mary’s.

My Final Four includes Kentucky, Missouri, Gonzaga, and St. Mary’s. (That really was a fun game to watch. I want a repeat). Kentucky and St. Mary’s in the Championship and Kentucky wins the whole thing 95-89.

For the record, I like my steaks medium rare and my Midcontinent Internet cranked up to 100 Mbps—for unlimited ESPN 3 and ultimate brother-in-law bet winning.

 

Our bedtime ritual at the house hit a massive stumbling block last night. The battery in my son’s favorite toy went dead – right at bedtime. He was tired and told me “Daddy, you have to promise to fix my toy while I sleep.”

So, I got him to bed and moved his toy to the kitchen table. That way I wouldn’t lose any screws in the carpet, and I was right by the batteries. I got my screwdriver, the batteries, and then it hit me. There’s no TV in the kitchen. No TV means no ESPN. No ESPN means I will have less knowledge to help me put together the brackets to win the coveted March Madness office pool.

So I fired up my laptop—maybe I could get a few tidbits from ESPN online. I headed over to espn.go.com and there are the words that could possibly win me the whole works at the office.  “YOU HAVE ACCESS TO ESPN 3.” Really? I guess I’ve seen the ads for it, but I never really looked for it. I clicked on the video, and there’s the St. Mary’s/Gonzaga game.  LIVE!  Awesome picture, perfect sound, and right there on my laptop. And it was now in OVERTIME!It’s amazing.

Toy fixed, game over, I also explored what else I’ve been missing with ESPN 3. Replays of well over 100 games, exclusive live content and sports from around the world—including German Bundesliga. (It’s a soccer league – I had to watch part of a game because the name just looked cool). There’s baseball, tennis, European soccer and that’s only the beginning.

If you have MidcoNet Xstream Wideband, it’s really easy to start watching everything you’re missing on ESPN 3. Go to www.watchespn.com, follow that link, and you’ll be set. To be fair, I do offer one piece of advice. Open the “Replay” tab. That’s where you find the big list of stuff to watch.

Oh, and even though Gonzaga lost in overtime, they’ll be in my bracket. They’ve got lots of heart and they never quit – especially when they’re behind.