Special thanks to all who contributed!

August 2001

To make updating this friggin' web site a little easier on me, I asked the visitors of the site to contribute some money to a ''Computer Fund'' which would allow me to purchase a portable notebook computer. About 180 (of the 8000 or so) daily visitors to the site opened their wallets and contributed anything from $1.00 to $100.00. This eventually added up to a total of about $1650.00 including the Amazon.com Honor System, P@yP@l and snail mail contributions.

I decided not to go ''all out'' for a top of the line unit. Mainly because there wasn't enough money to do that, but also because I wanted to get something that was needed and not just something that had all the bells and whistles that I wouldn't be using. I also didn't want to get a bottom of the line system that wouldn't last me the next 4 years or so while Howard is still on the air.

After doing some research and wracking my brain over what to do, I decided to stick with the computer company that I've had good luck with since 1994... good old Gateway Computers. I know there may be some people who have had bad experiences with Gateway but there are people out there who have had bad experiences with EVERY computer company so calm the frig' down. I looked into Toshiba, Sony and Dell laptops and found that the Gateway suited my needs just fine and I got what I wanted and needed to maintain the site. Plus, if the computer does die, Gateway services their products at their ''Gateway Country'' stores. A point well made by Alex at the Gateway Country in the Blue Star Shopping Center in Watchung, New Jersey. Thanks Alex! That was one of the final deciding factors in this whole thing.

So, what did I get? Here it is:

• Gateway Solo 5300 LS 98
• Processor: Intel® Pentium® III Processor 900MHz
• Memory: 128MB SDRAM
• Hard Disk Drive: 10GB Ultra ATA hard drive
• Screen: 14.1'' XGA TFT Active Matrix
• Video: S3 Savage IX 2X AGP Graphics Controller with integrated 8MB SGRAM
• Floppy Drive: Modular 3.5'' Diskette Drive
• CD-ROM or DVD: Modular 4x/4x/20x CDRW drive
• Modem: Integrated 10/100 Ethernet & V.90 56K Modem
• Multimedia: Integrated 16-bit Sound, Stereo Speakers, Internal Microphone,Headphone/Speaker Jack, Line-In and Line-out Mic Jacks
• Keyboard: Full-Size 86-key Keyboard
• Mouse: EZ Pad® Pointing Device
• Expansion Slots: Two Type II or One Type III PC Card Slots
• External ports: VGA, ECP Parallel, Serial, USB, NTSC/PAL Video Out, Power Input, 240-pin Docking Connector
• Operating System: Microsoft® Windows 98 Second Edition
• Anti-Virus Software: Norton Anti-Virus Software
• Battery: High-Capacity Lithium Ion Battery
• Extra AC Pack: Extra AC Pack
• Limited Warranty Program: 3 Years Parts & Labor Limited Warranty, Limited Hardware & Software Tech Support
• Total (including taxes and shipping): $1717.04

Some people may wonder why I didn't pick up the tab for the laptop myself. Well, as many of you know from my ''Behind The Friggin Scenes'' page, I hold on to a suck ass job where I don't make a ton of cash. The only bonus is that I get to listen to Howard all morning and I'm able to update this site in a timely manner. Therefore, I asked for some help in this area... and a bunch of people came through for me. Hopefully all of the others who can't afford to contribute or don't want to for one reason or another appreciate it as much as I do.

I still ask that people support the site by shopping at the various sites linked through MarksFriggin.com. I've gotten a fair amount of support over the years and it's helped me pay some bills while staying in this low-paying ''real'' job of mine. Once again, thank you for your support.