The clever folks at NordicTrack offer a mid-level Elliptical that you can actually play games on while you burn some calories. If I was going to spend any time on an elliptical, the machine better have some other form of entertainment versus watching my heart ping out of control.

This elliptical has a bunch of Bells and Whistles including, the ability to play your Ipod through the built-in speaker, it has iFit technology which are little SD sticks that can help you with your workouts. Built in gaming with Tetris and Space Invaders, old school classics that you can play while losing weight.

I really do like the way this machine feels after two solid months of usage. The little mini-games help the time pass while I am struggling to burn off some calories. I have hooked up my stereo and I used my Slingbox to set up a laptop so I can watch TV and listen to the audio over the ellipticals speakers.

Not a bad way to shed some weight!

Ever want something for a really long time? Well I did, and it was the Slingbox by Sling Media. If you don’t know what it does, here is the quick version. It let’s you watch your home TV from anywhere.

Anyway, I saved up enough Best Buy gift cards to splurge on a Slingbox Solo and the Slingbox Turbo 1 Port and dammit I was good to go.

After messing with my Cable Box and re-arranging some wires (hardest part of the job for me) I was ready to connect the Slingbox to my network. Not so fast! I needed a quick firmware patch for my OLD router, right after I was connected and watching TV on my PC in HD, Go Me!

Granted, you do need a decent internet connection to get the most out of the Slingbox. Various optimizations exist to help you find the right quality for your connection. I particularly enjoyed how you can set the Slingbox to the top right of the screen letting you work in a really comfortable way.

If you’re a sports fan, no more blacked out games or watching a corny flashcast of the game…Watch the game in all of its glory, from any internet enabled PC.

You need a 50MB software download to install the viewer on each machine you want to access your Slingbox.

Bottom Line – It works! I tested it thoroughly while I was in Germany. In my hotel room I was able to watch a DVR of the Superbowl on my Vaio. I also use my laptop to watch TV when I eat dinner at my kitchen table. I thought I liked TV before!

Just getting back in the spirit after a very fun trip to Frankfurt Germany. Yes, I was allowed out of the country, getting back in was another story! The purpose of my visit to Germany revolved around ecommerce. I presented at a very small conference and spoke about websites and technology plans for 2008. Great fun indeed!

Just because this was a business meeting and required thinking caps, it did not prevent us from getting our international beer hats on as well. I enjoyed some of the best beer I have ever had – by the Quart!

I thought I knew what a good beer tasted like until I went to Germany. I now frown at the though of getting a good Pils at the local pub. I basically drink Guinness and darker beers anyway but I will never have a Budweiser in my house ever again.