SaraInWasteland

Chat slang is OK when used in moderation. However, some people go way overboard with it and that irritates me. (Maybe it only irritates me because I am a grammar nut, who knows?) I use good grammar regardless of the method of communication. I do not use chat slang even in IM and text conversations. I put in full words and use proper punctuation. I think a lot of it, like clouds421 said, is aesthetics though. This is especially true when people use sticky caps and ASCII characters, or little symbols (such as the heart symbol, etc.). However, that's no excuse for it. I'm typing and/or texting to people because I want to talk to them, and I certainly want them to be able to read what I'm saying without straining. I can tolerate chat slang being used every once in a while but I myself do not use it, and it annoys me when it's used in excess. The only chat slang term I use is "LOL" or "LMAO" and that's just because I think it would look a little weird to type or text out "laugh out loud" or "laughing my *bottom* off" when the acronym will do just fine.

Atreyu.

The most important thing to remember when trying to learn how to sing is that it will not happen overnight. I have been singing since I was five (almost fifteen years), and there is no such thing as perfection for the human voice. You can't expect to sound like the next Mariah Carey or Brian McKnight after just a couple of weeks. I've been doing it for almost fifteen years and my voice is still far from perfect. Also, no one's voice is 100% all the time. We all have our off days and don't let that discourage you. There have been days where I tried for hours to get a line or a note to come out just right and it wouldn't happen. A few days later, it did. Perseverance is probably the number one thing you have to have to become a good singer. As long as you can talk, you can sing I believe, but you need to have the willingness to practice enough. Remember, practice makes perfect - well, almost perfect!

I used to use Yahoo! Briefcase a lot. I haven't used it in quite a while but I still think it's an asset for those who don't want to back up a lot of things, or for those who use Yahoo! a lot anyway. (I used to be very huge on Yahoo! Now I only use the messenger.) It does give them a bit of an advantage because most other e-mail sites don't offer something like that. I'm sure it's not one of the most forefront services from Yahoo! but it is a handy service to be sure.

So here's the update - I got rid of the Tracfone, and while I did not get the iPhone, I did get an AT&T GoPhone. I still want the iPhone, but it can wait until I can afford to shell out three hundred bucks at once. So far, I am satisfied with the phone I got. It suits my needs but doesn't tie me to a contract, while at the same time I can buy the feature plans that make it like having a contract phone. I buy the unlimited talk & text plan, and then I buy 100 megabytes of data, and it suits me pretty well. I like this phone so much more than I liked my other prepaid phone. I don't have to worry about "topping off" on minutes because it's unlimited, and I don't have to worry about how much my texting habit is costing me. (On a Tracfone, it uses 1/3 of a unit, and on a NET10 phone it uses 1/2 a unit. It adds up.) I am a big texter so that was one of the main reasons I got the AT&T GoPhone. They offered a phone with a slide-out keyboard (the LG Neon, perfect for texting) and the feature plan that offers unlimited texts (which includes multimedia messages). There are some complaints about the GoPhone but so far I'm very satisfied so I'd recommend it to anyone who's looking for a good prepaid phone.

So here's the update - I got rid of the Tracfone, and while I did not get the iPhone, I did get an AT&T GoPhone. So far, I am satisfied. It suits my needs but doesn't tie me to a contract, while at the same time I can buy the feature plans that make it like having a contract phone. I buy the unlimited talk & text plan, and then I buy 100 megabytes of data, and it suits me pretty well. I like this phone so much more than I liked my other prepaid phone. I don't have to worry about "topping off" on minutes because it's unlimited, and I don't have to worry about how much my texting habit is costing me. (On a Tracfone, it uses 1/3 of a unit, and on a NET10

I got a few e-mails this month, and it said that the past-due balance was due by December 21st. That would mean that I have until January 21st to get things straight, right? I do have things backed up though so getting the pages back, even if they're deleted, won't be a big problem. I don't want to lose my URL though so even if I have to create a new account, I can still use the same URL, right? Thanks for all the great answers everyone!

I got very busy with work, studying, etc. over the past few months, and neglected Xisto for a while. Therefore, my Xisto account got suspended because I hadn't earned enough to pay for my web hosting. I'm not complaining about that because it's my fault for not keeping up, but I'm just wondering if when I do earn enough to pay it off, will my website still be intact or will I have to start over from scratch? Thanks in advance.

I will admit, I do shop at Wal-Mart and I love the fact that they have low prices (I'm a waitress so as you can imagine, the lower the price is on something, the better). However, Wal-Mart has declined so much in respectability that it's not even funny. Why do you think Wal-Mart gets ripped on all the time as a bad place to shop, a "low-class" place, if you will? Because they have lowered their standards on just about everything. The quality of the things they sell has gone down, as well as the quality of service at the stores. Nine times out of then I will go to check out and the cashier will have that "I really don't want to be here right now" look on their face. I'm imagining that low wages have something to do with that, along with the fact that they will hire almost anyone who walks in. In one way, that's good because a lot of people need jobs - but in another way, it's bad, because then you end up with a lot of people who don't go above and beyond the job description, they only do as much as they have to in order to keep their job. Also, as stated before, if you ask where something is, good luck getting a clear answer. I'd rather just search for it myself these days than ask because I'll probably find it quicker that way. So sure, they have low prices and that I do love, but I would really love to see them go back to the way they used to be. True, courteous people working there and a place that made shopping a decent experience instead of a nightmare.

I shop at Wal-Mart a lot. Maybe that's because I'm a waitress and they have low prices though, haha. I've never really noticed a lack of quality in things that I buy there though. In fact, I've noticed that if I take care of the things I own (and I do), they last a lot longer. That goes for anything bought at any store though. I think Wal-Mart gets a bad picture painted about it because of the fact that they've become so huge and they've taken over so many towns. I must agree, it's sad when little stores have to go out of business because Wal-Mart moved into town. My local towns though still thrive with Wal-Marts in them. I think that's because while people will go to Wal-Mart for certain things (for me, I buy personal care items and clothes, and sometimes groceries there), but they will stick with the mom-and-pop stores for other things. I don't use the pharmacy at Wal-Mart, I use the locally-owned one here in my town. That's just an example based on me - others would be different, obviously. Wal-Mart definitely has some good points and definitely has some bad points, but I'm pretty sure they're here to stay. Although I am disappointed at the fact that they run local businesses out and will cheat their workers (which is why I personally wouldn't work at one unless I absolutely had to), I can honestly say that if it weren't for Wal-Mart, my wallet would be a lot worse off than it is.

I am not a huge fan of McDonald's, but sometimes when I get a hankering for fast food I will go there because there is no Burger King in my town. (I much prefer Burger King over McDonald's.) The food at McDonald's is mediocre at best. I have also noticed that when I do eat there, I often feel very sluggish but not quite satiated. I wonder why that happens, because it never happens at any other fast food place for me. In fact, the last time I went to McDonald's to eat, I didn't actually want anything to eat from there - I just wanted the "Brothers And Champions" DVD and it was cheaper if I got a value meal, haha. However, with all the hating I'm doing, I must say I do like the Quarter Pounder with cheese. Most of it though, like I said, is mediocre at best.

I don't have a NET10 phone, but I have a phone through their sister company, Tracfone. I haven't had any problems with them directly, but if you can avoid either of these companies, please do so. The cost for the minutes is a complete rip-off. You could spend eighty bucks a month and load minutes, or you could spend around that much and get a contract plan. I plan on getting myself an iPhone for Christmas, through AT&T of course, because I know it will be a better deal than what I have now. Sure, I'll pay like ninety dollars a month for it but I'll get so much more for my money that way. Tracfone rounds your minute usage up, and it gets a little annoying to lose so many minutes to simple texting. Of course there are ups to having a phone such as a Tracfone or NET10 phone, for example, the no contract deal - you control how much you talk and spend. But if you're like me, and you're big on texting, just go ahead and sign the next couple of years of your life away to a REAL cell phone company and get more for your money. I can't wait until I get my iPhone because I know shelling out ninety bucks a month to AT&T will be much more worth it than shelling out almost that much to Tracfone. If you're not big on texting, talking, or mobile web and just want a phone for emergencies, then a NET10 phone or Tracfone is probably better for you. However, if you want to talk, text, and access the web on the go without having to worry about how badly you're getting ripped off by a prepaid company that has had a lot of complaints against them anyway, just make the switch like I plan on doing.

I personally don't use PHP because I don't know it, although I hear that it's not that hard at all. I'm wanting to learn it and maybe sometime I will sit down and take the time to learn it and learn how to implement it on my site. I use just plain old HTML and CSS for my site. I know both so that just makes it easier on me, although I admit, there are some downsides to using only HTML. My site is static anyway, I don't really intend for it to be interactive, but if the day ever comes that I do want something more dynamic, I would definitely learn and start implementing PHP. I know a static site is very pre-modern but I think there are a lot of sites still on the web that still have that appeal. As long as it's not blinding you with bright colors and annoying GIFs, then it's all good, right? :PHowever, (X)HTML will never be obsolete, at least not the way I see it. HTML is the very basis of the web, the language that tells our browsers what to put up on our screens. Of course we'll always need it and like many others said, you can use all the advanced scripting and coding you want, you will always need HTML to help browsers render a site properly. Unless you want to take the long way around, that is.

I quit using Internet Explorer years ago when I discovered Firefox. I know everyone has their preferences - mine is Firefox. Basically, Internet Explorer takes up space on my computer and that's about it. I'm not sure why I haven't removed it yet. Either way, bundled or not, I don't use Internet Explorer.

I ordered them off of eBay and they came today. I spent a half hour trying to figure out how to use them but I finally got the basic hang of it. I can't do anything really fancy yet, but I can pull my hair back into a ponytail or half-ponytail and they stay put and for the most part, look decent. My hair doesn't look as good as they make it look in the commercials and on the box, but with some practice I think I'll be able to do pretty well with them. I'm not much for trends, but I love Amy Winehouse's hair and wanted to create a similar look in my own hair. Has anyone else tried them? Did you like them?

It's actually very good to wash your hair with cold water, or at least rinse over it quickly with cold water at the end of your shower. Cold water helps smooth down the cuticle of the hair so it's not rough and it looks and feels smoother. I rinse my hair with cold water at the end of my shower. It definitely helps my thick, wavy/curly, sometimes wild, sometimes completely unmanageable hair.

I love reading random facts, so this was very entertaining. However, I must question the accuracy of number forty - I know quite a bit about dolphins and I've never heard of them sleeping with one eye open - it's possible though. They can, however, switch between the sides of their brains to enable them to go without sleep if need be. When they're using their left brain, their right brain is resting and vice versa. Either way, thanks for posting this!

I use a Logitech keyboard and a Logitech QuickCam webcam with a built-in microphone. I've had both for quite a while and they both still work great. Well, I do have a problem with my computer tending to blue screen when I use the webcam at times, but I think that problem is with my computer and not the device itself. Overall though, I don't mind Logitech and I'd recommend it to people.

Fanta Orange Soda and beer? Wow, I'm going to have to try that! It sounds kind of odd but since you say it's tasty, I'm willing to give it a try. (I'm willing to give anything with alcohol in it a try, haha.) My favorite alcoholic drink is Jack Daniels and Coke, although I usually use Diet Coke to cut the calories. I also love mixing cherry vodka in with Diet Coke and making a spiked Cherry Coke of sorts. I also enjoy drinking spirits straight, but I only do that if I'm in it for getting drunk as quickly as I can. If I'm just hanging out with friends and I want to prolong my sobriety, I stick with beer because it takes quite a few of those before I even start feeling it.

Ironically, I actually read about Facebook working on a lite version not long after I posted about MySpace having recently implemented a lite version. I don't think I'll become a big user of Facebook's lite version because I can load Facebook pretty quickly with my connection but I am sure it will come in handy for those who don't have high-speed connections.

I prefer Firefox over Internet Explorer any day. I have been using Firefox for years now and when I first switched to it, I was amazed at how much better it was than Internet Explorer. It had so many more features than Internet Explorer back then, and even though Internet Explorer has been catching up by adding tabbed browsing and such, it still doesn't even compare. I recommend Firefox to anyone who even brings the question of "What browser should I use?" up.

I use Facebook and for the most part, I like it. Sure, it has it's drawbacks (useless notifications, people who update their status every hour on the hour, etc.) but I like it a way more than I like MySpace. MySpace is full of a lot of drama and people with weird display names - on Facebook, things are nice, neat, professional, and you don't have to deal with people who are just in it for attention and not much else. I didn't use Facebook as much until I started adding more friends - in the beginning I logged on only every once in a while, and logged onto MySpace everyday. Now it's the other way around. I will only log onto MySpace every other day or so but I log onto Facebook just about everyday. It definitely gets an A+ in my book for ease of use and features. Speaking of Facebook, I was watching CNN the other day and they had a story called "The Twelve Most Annoying Types Of Facebookers." I found it rather amusing, and I've already proclaimed myself "The Lurker," haha. Here's a link if anyone wants to read the story: http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/

I use an HP All-In-One printer. I've had good luck with it so far, and I've had it since early this year. Granted, I don't really use it much at all. However, I do think it was a good buy. I only paid fifty dollars for it so comparing what I paid for it to how well it suits my needs, I'd say I got a good deal. Sure, there are printers out there that are a lot better, but I don't really need a higher-end printer for now. Either way, I've had printers that were much worse than my HP All-In-One so no complaints here.

Wow, that is pretty scary. I can only reiterate what Echo_of_thunder and Nameless_ said - hackers will stop at nothing if they're very intent on something. This only makes me more paranoid about technology than I already am. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but I have this strange paranoia that someone could be reading what I type on the computer or taking screenshots, haha. Now I have to worry about that on my phone? Luckily, I don't use my phone nearly as much as I use my computer!

I have O negative blood. At least I'm pretty sure I do - I should probably have it typed myself to be sure. I really should become a blood donor, since O negative can be given to anyone. The only thing that sucks is that we can only receive O negative blood, but luckily it's not a rare type. My Mom had a teacher in school that was on a registry at the local hospital because he had O negative blood and if they needed blood for someone, and enough time had passed since his last donation, they would call him and he would go there and give blood whenever they needed him to.