Microsoft hosting Tech Tuesday Chat on Twitter #win7tech plus a cool giveaway!

Microsoft hosting Tech Tuesday Chat on Twitter #win7tech plus a cool giveaway!

Some of you might not be aware that Microsoft makes its own hardware.  We aim to fix that in tomorrow’s #win7tech chat by talking about all the latest and greatest hardware created by the Microsoft Hardware Team. Some of it is really beautiful like the Touch Mouse Artist Edition and some of it is made to be more secure than a maximum security prison. Whatever you penchant, there is something out there to delight your fancy.

This week @msfthardware will be joining us from the Microsoft Hardware Team.

To participate:

To prepare for the chat, you might want to check out the following links:

–   Microsoft Hardware Blog for new product releases and cool tips and tricks.

–   Microsoft Hardware shop for cool mice, keyboards, cameras and more.

–   Windows Experience Blog featuring all the latest posts on cool Microsoft Hardware.

–   And, our Facebook page where we routinely feature cool hardware from our friends here at the Microsoft Hardware Team.

Not to mention, we are giving away some great prizes. You’ll be asked to answer 3 questions during the hour to be eligible to win and they will be sent from @windows with Q1, Q2, and Q3 proceeding the tweet.

Note we will only be talking about the outlined topic each week and we will not be answering questions outside those topics. Questions for this week may include: When did Microsoft start making hardware? What’s the best Microsoft webcam? Where can I go to ask questions about Microsoft Hardware?

* No purchase necessary.  Open to legal US Residents 18+. Ends 4PM EST 9/6/11. Details and T &Cs will be shared at the start of the chat from @windowsblog

I’m part of the windows champions crew…. considering I’ve been using windows since the days of 3.1.1 its not hard to imagine I’m slightly more then a fan. I’m also a tech lover, so having community chats like this just goes to show you how much microsoft is caring enough to engage.

Now for the giveaway part… It wouldn’t be me not to show off something cool… How about one of the new Microsoft Hardware Explorer Touch Mouse [amazon] (seems pretty cool to me).

How to win it… Contest ends 4:00pm EST. September 6th, 2011.
Tell us your favorite microsoft product (could be hardware or software) is and please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email).

You get 1 extra entry for tweeting about this contest (you can do this once). Must contain the following information:  @windowsblog @msfthardware @dadarocks – http://dad.tc/nmFrK4 and you must also comment with the link to your twitter message.

Example: Check out #win7tech by @windowsblog & enter to win a Explorer Touch Mouse from @dadarocks & @msfthardware – http://dad.tc/nmFrK4

You get 1 extra entry for following us on twitter – twitter.com/dadarocks

You get 1 extra entry for following @msfthardware on twitter –twitter.com/msfthardware

You get 1 extra entry for becoming a FAN on facebook –facebook.com/DaDaRocks you must comment that you’re a fan

You get 1 extra entry for becoming their FAN on facebook –facebook.com/windows you must comment that you’re a fan

You will have 24 hours to reply before we pick another winner!

Disclaimer: Microsoft Hardware provided the prize for this raffle

TeleNav takes me to Sesame Place – Family 4 Pack of Tickets Giveaway

TeleNav takes me to Sesame Place – Family 4 Pack of Tickets Giveaway

Knowing is half the battle and knowing where you’re going is well much more… my family really loves heading to Sesame Place and we’ve done the print out directions route before and this trip I wanted to put the TeleNav AT&T navigator to the test.

The app got us there in a little under an hour and forty minutes, it automatically re-routed around some delays in New Jersey, which actually helped get us there before the rain came.

I spoke the command Sesame Place within seconds up popped the address, created directions and we were on our way.  The day was a blast – it was part of their Christmas in July event – which is why you’ll see some Santa hats on the characters.  You’ll also clearly see how much of a fool I’ll make of myself in front of hundreds of strangers and a few other bloggers… so I thought why not share this totally embarrassing video of me trying to bring a smile to my kids face while daddy dances by the stage.

As you can read in my past Sesame Place posts – its a great amusement park for families with young children to tweens.  I think the teenagers would get bored.  There are enough rides that any child from 3-11 will easily have fun much beyond that age the rides might get a little “young” for them.

Half the park is water rides which I would say is great for the 5-11 and most of the dry rides are great for that general 3-9 range.  The admission prices arent terrible as there is usually a deal to be found at McDonald’s and they’re currently running the special of buying a 2012 season pass get the rest of 2011 for free.

Plenty of great times coming up with visits from Max and Ruby, The Dirty Sock Funtime band, and the holidays of celebrations like The Counts Halloween Spooktacular and a very furry Christmas.

Everyone a blast at sesame street – I have some really fun pictures of us on the rollercoaster but I’m barred from showing them online for pain of death from my sister and wife (yup it was a family outing).  As I said we got there before the rain (thankfully) and really enjoyed the park.  We made it around the corner to a stop at Chick-fil-a (one of our favorites that isnt in New York) and we used TeleNav’s AT&T Navigator app to get us home.

How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. September 7, 2011.

You must comment telling us your favorite Sesame Street Character, please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email)

You get 1 extra entry for following us on twitter – twitter.com/dadarocks

You get 1 extra entry for following Sesame Place on twitter – twitter.com/SesamePlace

You get 1 extra entry for tweeting about this contest (you can do this daily). Must contain the following information:
@SesamePlace @dadarocks – http://dad.tc/puLtYO  and you must also comment with the link to your twitter message.

Example: I want to win @SesamePlace tickets from @dadarocks – http://dad.tc/puLtYO

You get 1 extra entry for becoming a FAN on facebook –facebook.com/DaDaRocks you must comment that you’re a fan

You get 1 extra entry for becoming a Fan on facebook of Sesame Place – facebook.com/SesamePlace you must comment that you’re a fan

You get 1 extra entry for subscribing to our Feedburner digest mailing (right side subscribe by email) – you must also comment that you’ve subscribed

You will have 24 hours to reply before we pick another winner!

Disclaimer: Sesame Place is providing these tickets for the raffle.

Thrill your grill with this amazing Omaha Steaks Giveaway!

Thrill your grill with this amazing Omaha Steaks Giveaway!

Sigh summer is quickly coming to an end and for some that means its almost time to pack up the grill – for others it means it nearly grill season (cause who wants to grill outside in 120 degree heat).  Having been a long time fan of Omaha Steaks its pretty impressive that you get such quality meats and shipped to you with enough dry ice to keep the food frozen.

This summer I’ve enjoyed Burgers and Hotdogs from Omaha Steaks as part of this review… The hamburgers were great texture and good flavor but the outstanding hot dogs are some of the best – its not like a hotdog but more of red-hot (a type of hotdog) in rochester.  My Son has been loving these as its much easier because of the size of the hotdog ti peel the skin off and still enjoy a good size hotdog.

This package is way way better then the sample package I was rocking but still a great way to kick off the fall grilling season!

http://www.omahasteaks.com/servlet/OnlineShopping?Dsp=14&PCR=0&PID=&IID=45768&ITMSUF=XE

Omaha Steaks Thrill the Grill package:

2 Filet Mignons

2 Top Sirloins

4 Chicken Breasts

4 Boneless Pork Chops

4 Omaha Steaks Burgers

4 Stuffed Baked Potatoes

FREE six-piece cutlery set

FREE cutting board

How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. September 7th, 2011.

  • Comment with the your favorite food you enjoyed making in these past summer months and please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email).
  • You get 1 extra entry for following @dadarocks on twitter – You must comment that you’re a follower.
  • You get 1 extra entry for following @OmahaSteaks on twitter – You must comment that you’re a follower.
  • You get 1 extra entry for tweeting about this contest (you can do this daily). Must contain the following information: @OmahaSteaks @dadarocks – http://dad.tc/quDzEl  and you must also comment with the link to your tweet.

Example: I hear @dadarocks loves @OmahaSteaks and I want to try it too – http://dad.tc/quDzEl #giveaway

  • You get 1 extra entry for becoming our FAN on facebook – www.facebook.com/dadarocks You must comment that you’re a fan.
  • You get 1 extra entry for becoming their FAN on facebook – http://www.facebook.com/OmahaSteaks (and leave a note saying that www.latenightparents.com sent you) You must comment that you’re a fan.

You will have 12 hours to reply before we pick another winner!
Disclaimer: Thanks to Omaha Steaks for providing the prize for this giveaway.

Fanboy and Chum Chum: Brain Freeze out on DVD – Giveaway

Fanboy and Chum Chum: Brain Freeze out on DVD – Giveaway

Fanboy and his trusty sidekick, Chum Chum, are celebrating their favorite treat, a cup of Frosty Freezy Freeze in Fanboy and Chum Chum: Brain Freeze [amazon]. This DVD honors the Frosty Freezy Freeze with seven full-tilt, hilarious adventures with a voice cast that includes Josh Duhamel and Jamie Kennedy. Watch as they fight the discontinuation of their favorite flavor, try to create the new Frosty Mart jingle, help a Viking and battle Man-Arctica. Created by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment, Fanboy and Chum Chum: Brain Freeze hits shelves on August 16, 2011 for the suggested retail price of $16.99.

Created by Eric Robles, Fanboy and Chum Chum is the story of a boy named Fanboy and his best friend and trusty sidekick, ChumChum, two endlessly energetic “super fans” of all things sci-fi and fantasy. Their world is full of comic adventure (andmisadventures) as they share a hyper imagination that enables a wide-eyed acceptance of the bizarre. They’re fearless! They’re adventurous! They wear underwear on the outside of their costumes! They’re Fanboy and Chum Chum.

Fanboy and Chum Chum: Brain Freeze Episode Synopses:

Brain Freeze

  • Fanboy and Chum Chum discover that their favorite Frosty Freezy Freeze flavor, Berry Pink, is about to be discontinued.  Determined to have as much as they can before it’s gone forever, they end up with a massive brain freeze.  The next morning,Fanboy and Chum Chum wake up with no memory of what happened and their signature tighty-whiteys are missing.  They must retrace their steps to find out how their crazy night unraveled so they can find their precious underwear and restore order.

Berry Sick

  • During a summer heat wave, the boys discover the Frosty Freezy Freeze machine is on the fritz.  It’s up to Fanboy and Chum Chumto get the Berry the Ice Monster, the machine’s operator, back in good health.

Refill Madness

  • Lenny and Boog learn that Fanboy and Chum Chum have a valuable cup that entitles them to endless free refills at the Frosty Mart.  The two decide to work together to try to steal the cup.

The Frosty Bus

  • Fanboy and Chum Chum are waiting for the Frosty Bus to buy a Frosty Freezy Freeze.  Unfortunately, Boog is driving and torments them by always keeping their beverages just out of reach.

Jingle Fever

  • When Fanboy and Chum Chum find out they can win a million Frosty Bucks by writing the new Frosty Mart jingle, Lenny does everything in his power to stop them.

Back from the Future

  • After Fanboy and Chum Chum show Lenny that Dollar-nator is a time machine, he decides to use him to travel back in time andprevent Fanboy and Chum Chum from ever tasting a Frosty Freezy Freeze. But despite his greatest efforts, the boys somehow always end up discovering Frosty Freezy Freeze.

Norse-ing Around

  • Fanboy and Chum Chum discover a frozen Viking in their icebox and decide to help him “achieve glory” so he can get into Valhalla.

Fanboy and Chum Chum: Brain Freeze Fast Facts:

  • Street Date: August 16, 2011
  • Catalogue: 822404
  • DVD SRP: $16.99
  • DVD Running Time: 88 Minutes
  • Special Features:
  •  “Brain Freeze” Original Animatic
While your toddler might like this show just for the colorful and silly actions its really not designed for a young toddler – this show is really designed where a 4/5/6 year old would really start getting the humor and the dialog.  As an adult male – I have no problem stating that its one of the few cartoons these days that makes me crack a smile when its playing in the background.

How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. August 31st, 2011.
2 Lucky people will win the DVD! Tell us your favorite character on Fanboy and Chum Chum is and please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email).

You get 1 extra entry for tweeting about this contest (you can do this daily). Must contain the following information: @NickelodeonDVD @dadarocks – http://dad.tc/pgKfjy and you must also comment with the link to your twitter message.

Example: I want to win the #FanboyandChumChum DVD from @dadarocks & @NickelodeonDVD – http://dad.tc/pgKfjy

You get 1 extra entry for following us on twitter – twitter.com/dadarocks

You get 1 extra entry for following @NickelodeonDVD on twitter –twitter.com/NickelodeonDVD

You get 1 extra entry for becoming a FAN on facebook –facebook.com/DaDaRocks you must comment that you’re a fan

You will have 24 hours to reply before we pick another winner!

Disclaimer: NickelodeonDVD provided the DVD for this raffle

TeleNav GPS Plus Review and Giveaway of 1 year of service

TeleNav GPS Plus Review and Giveaway of 1 year of service

Stopping for directions as I said was never one of my strong suits, but enter the age of GPS and now I just need to know a few key pieces of information and I really should get where I’m going. Well what happens when you don’t have those pieces of information like where’s a nearby restaurants that might have a changing table for kiddo, or a nice place to grab a bite to eat, or the best yet where to get gas. Not just gas stations but this little wonder app will show you the cheapest gas prices as well. Over the course of this summer I’ve saved at least 30 dollars, which when you think about the fact this app is $0.99 for the first 30 days. After your first 30 days are up, take advantage of the special summer offer and get 12 months of TeleNav GPS Plus for just $9.99/year. That’s over 50% off the regular $21.99/year price. Or subscribe for just $2.99/month but this is a limited time offer. To get started with the $0.99 – 30 day trial just download the app from iTunes.

Key features:

  • Find cheap gas prices nearby – updated daily!
  • Get clear spoken turn-by-turn directions from people, not robots
  • Traffic-guided routing helps you avoid traffic jams
  • Auto rerouting takes you to your destination if you ever miss a turn or take a detour
How easy is it to find the cheap gas… you tap the Search button and then choose Gas By Price in the list of categories. You can then select the type of gas (diesel if need be) you are looking for and TeleNav will find those best prices.

How to win it… Contest ends 11:59pm EST. August 31st, 2011.
3 lucky people will be winning the TeleNav GPS Plus for 1 year. Leave a comment below with your favorite feature of the TeleNav GPS Plus and please include some method for us to contact you in the comment (twitter or email).

You get 1 extra entry for tweeting about this contest (you can do this daily). Must contain the following information: @TeleNav @dadarocks –http://dad.tc/njM8Xk and you must also comment with the link to your tweet.

Example: I want to win a one year subscription to @TeleNav GPS Plus thanks to #TeleNavDad @dadarocks – http://dad.tc/njM8Xk

You get 1 extra entry for following @dadarocks on twitter – www.twitter.com/dadarocks You must comment that you’re a follower.

You get 1 extra entry for following @TeleNav on twitter – www.twitter.com/TeleNav

You get 1 extra entry for becoming our FAN on facebook – www.facebook.com/dadarocks You must comment that you’re a fan.

You get 1 extra entry for becoming their FAN on facebook – www.facebook.com/TeleNav (and leave a note saying that www.dadarocks.com sent you) You must comment that you’re a fan.

You get 1 extra entry for liking this page on facebook (like button at the top of the post NOTE: you must be signed into facebook for it to work!)

You get 1 extra entry for suggesting and having 3 friends become fans of DaDa Rocks on facebook (and have them leave a note saying you sent them) You must comment with their 3 names.

You will have 24 hours to reply before we pick another winner! Limited to the USA.

Disclaimer: TeleNav supplied the prize for this giveaway as disclosed in an earlier post I am compensated by being part of the Navigator and Chief program but all opinions are my own.

Celebrating my son’s 3rd birthday

Celebrating my son’s 3rd birthday

Its hard to imagine that my son turned 3 yesterday… It was an amazing day between the perfect weather (actually getting everything done!) and having an amazing birthday party.

Here’s a quick video recap of the birthday party – 99% of the photos in here are thanks to my amazing wife Suzanne Cohen – who without her none of this would have been possible!

The party was great Marc the birthday boy had an ear to ear smile and I couldnt have asked for anything better then to see all the kids be jumping around listening to Rockin with Andy, playing with the water table at City Treehouse and playing with some cute walking elmo and big bird balloons.  There wasnt enough time to enjoy it all.