Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio was born an only child to a German mother and a half Italian half German father. Leonardo was named after the famous painter Leonardo Da Vinci because his pregnant mother was looking at a Leonardo Da Vinci painting when he first kicked. Leonardo was born in Los Angeles, California, on November 11, 1974. Leonardo's parents would soon divorce and he would live mostly with his mother. Leonardo graduated from John Marshall High school after attending Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies for four years.
DiCaprio begun his acting career by starring in commercials and educational movies. It was in 1990 that he made his first appearance on the television show based on the movie Parenthood. After Parenthood Leonardo would go on to work on other shows such as The New Lassie and Roseanne.
Leonardo's first film was Critters 3, a comedic sci-fi horror film that was released in 1991 and went straight to video. While DiCaprio's first film was not a success, he had a breakthrough with the movie This Boy's Life when he was hand picked by Robert De Niro out of 400 young actors competing for the role. DiCaprio would go on to play in 5 other films between 1991-1995, including What's Eating Gilbert Grape, and The Basketball Diaries.
It was in 1997 that Leonardo DiCaprio would star in the highest grossing film of all time, Titanic. Raking in a massive $1.843 billion in box-office receipts worldwide, Titanic propelled DiCaprio into a new level of stardom, being nominated for some of the most prestigious awards including a second Golden Globe nomination. Leonardo has been famously quoted as saying "I have no connection with me during that whole Titanic phenomenon and what my face became around the world [...] I'll never reach that state of popularity again, and I don't expect to. It's not something I'm going to try to achieve either."
Following Titanic Leonardo had two great successes in 2002. The first of which was Catch Me If You Can, based on the life of Frank Abagnale Jr., who made millions in the 1960's writing counterfeit checks. The second success was Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York, in which he played the protagonist Amsterdam Vallon, the young leader of the Irish faction.
In 2006 he worked yet again with Martin Scorsese on the film The Departed, where he played a cop working undercover in an Irish mob in Boston. Leonardo's performance in The Departed earned him a Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor. in addition, DiCaprio earned his third Academy Award nomination for Blood Diamond.
In 2010 Leonardo DiCaprio released his third collaboration with Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island, based on a 2003 novel of the same name. The film opened at number one in the box-office and was DiCaprio's and Scorsese's most successful collaboration to date. In the same year DiCaprio starred in Christopher Nolan's Inception. A movie based on lucid dreaming and dream incubation, where he plays a thief who enters the mind of his target through dreams. The film was released to critical acclaim, grossing over $21 million its opening day.
Currently Leonardo has a lot of work lined up for him. Including Clint Eastwood's Hoover, based on J. Edgar Hoover, and he is cast in the title role of Oliver Stone's film Travis McGee. With all these movies on his plate he is still an active environmentalist, and has cited global warming as "the number one environmental challenge.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
World of Warcraft Archeology profession preview.
Archeology is a secondary profession that will be shipping along with cataclysm, joining the ranks of cooking, fishing, and first aid. archaeology allows the player to unlock new abilities and rewards by discovering ancient treasures known as artifacts throughout the world. The artifacts you find are placed in your Archaeology journal, allowing you to study it to unlock rewards. By the looks of it you will have to complete mini-quest lines to receive your reward. There are two types of artifacts to uncover: Common Artifacts will give you more information on the lore of a race, and might be used in some kind of collection game. Rare artifacts will give you usable items, most of them will be cosmetic but some of them will have actual effects. Such artifacts are highly sought after by the Archaeology Society, and they pay in gold and items for their return. Those who have mastered archaeology can find Titan artifacts, earning special currency used to unlock character paths and allowing the player to further customize their character.
Archaeology also provides the Ancient Glyphs used by the Path of the Titans, a new form of progression path that looks to be mandatory if you want to get the most out of your character. So unlike the other secondary professions archeology will be required to maximize your characters damage per second, healing, or tanking capabilities. Any character will be able to train it and people with an existing gathering profession will have the possibility to track both things at the same time. The different Path of the Titans that you can go down are:
• Path of Khaz’Goroth: The Shaper
• Path of Golganneth: The Thunderer
• Path of Eonar: The Lifebinder
• Path of Aman’Thul: The High Father
• Path of Aggramar: The Avenger
• Path of Norgannon: The Dreamweaver
Each of the paths come with a unique play style behind them, for example "Eonar: The Lifebinder" is a path for healers and "Golganneth: The Thunderer" is for damage per second classes.The only thing to keep in mind for you hardcore players is that there will be a limit to how much you can progress during a certain week. Hopefully with this addition of Path of the Titans and Archeology in Wow Cataclysm, we will all have a little more fun whenever we are out exploring Azeroth. I think this will be the much needed addition to the game for hardcore players, because they will be able to progress down the Path of the Titans at a much faster rate. The casual players will still be able to max out their Path of the Titans slowly overtime but the real benefit will be seen by the hardcore raiders and "Pvp'ers"
Archaeology also provides the Ancient Glyphs used by the Path of the Titans, a new form of progression path that looks to be mandatory if you want to get the most out of your character. So unlike the other secondary professions archeology will be required to maximize your characters damage per second, healing, or tanking capabilities. Any character will be able to train it and people with an existing gathering profession will have the possibility to track both things at the same time. The different Path of the Titans that you can go down are:
• Path of Khaz’Goroth: The Shaper
• Path of Golganneth: The Thunderer
• Path of Eonar: The Lifebinder
• Path of Aman’Thul: The High Father
• Path of Aggramar: The Avenger
• Path of Norgannon: The Dreamweaver
Each of the paths come with a unique play style behind them, for example "Eonar: The Lifebinder" is a path for healers and "Golganneth: The Thunderer" is for damage per second classes.The only thing to keep in mind for you hardcore players is that there will be a limit to how much you can progress during a certain week. Hopefully with this addition of Path of the Titans and Archeology in Wow Cataclysm, we will all have a little more fun whenever we are out exploring Azeroth. I think this will be the much needed addition to the game for hardcore players, because they will be able to progress down the Path of the Titans at a much faster rate. The casual players will still be able to max out their Path of the Titans slowly overtime but the real benefit will be seen by the hardcore raiders and "Pvp'ers"
How to add songs to your blog
Blog writers often wonder what they can do to increase the appeal of their blog. With so many blog sites out their, yours needs to be unique and interested. Audio is an often overlooked multimedia device, is a great way to add your favorite songs, or even original audio, to your blog. The easiest way to add audio is through a platform, this makes it much easier for the new user to add audio content to their site.
-SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an online platform that allows you to upload any track from your computer and share it. You can add artwork, track descriptions, and even a website to purchase the audio you have uploaded. Once you have saved your changes just click share and you will be given an embed code to add to your blog.
-Deezer
Deezer is a free music streaming service based in France, and offers many options for people looking to add music to their blog. You can add playlists easily to your blog just by hitting the "blog" button, and then pasting the embed code into your site. You can also upload your own songs if you wish.
-Dewplayer
Dewplayer is completely free, open source, mp3 flash player. There is a simple HTML code generator with many options to edit and play with, such as: background color, volume, optional autostart, optional loop, time display, and shuffle. You can again, post single songs, or create an entire playlist for your site. Even with the free version of Dewplayer, there is no limit to how much music you can use.
There are many ways to implement songs on to your blog. You can for example, have lighter music streaming constantly in the background to provide a relaxed atmosphere. Or you can put individual songs on different posts throughout your blog, depending on if its appropriate for the post at hand. A good post to put it on would be a blog post about a specific band, or album that you just listened to, or are reviewing.
As long as you don't overdo it, adding music to your blog can really create a unique experience for your visitors. But keep in mind, your visitors don't want to be bombarded with music on every page they try and view. They also don't want to be surprised by the music, so keep autoplay checked off. You will end up losing more visitors than gaining if they feel like they have to mute their computer every time they view your site just to stay sane.
-SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an online platform that allows you to upload any track from your computer and share it. You can add artwork, track descriptions, and even a website to purchase the audio you have uploaded. Once you have saved your changes just click share and you will be given an embed code to add to your blog.
-Deezer
Deezer is a free music streaming service based in France, and offers many options for people looking to add music to their blog. You can add playlists easily to your blog just by hitting the "blog" button, and then pasting the embed code into your site. You can also upload your own songs if you wish.
-Dewplayer
Dewplayer is completely free, open source, mp3 flash player. There is a simple HTML code generator with many options to edit and play with, such as: background color, volume, optional autostart, optional loop, time display, and shuffle. You can again, post single songs, or create an entire playlist for your site. Even with the free version of Dewplayer, there is no limit to how much music you can use.
There are many ways to implement songs on to your blog. You can for example, have lighter music streaming constantly in the background to provide a relaxed atmosphere. Or you can put individual songs on different posts throughout your blog, depending on if its appropriate for the post at hand. A good post to put it on would be a blog post about a specific band, or album that you just listened to, or are reviewing.
As long as you don't overdo it, adding music to your blog can really create a unique experience for your visitors. But keep in mind, your visitors don't want to be bombarded with music on every page they try and view. They also don't want to be surprised by the music, so keep autoplay checked off. You will end up losing more visitors than gaining if they feel like they have to mute their computer every time they view your site just to stay sane.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Famous entrepreneurial success stories on the Internet
Becoming an entrepreneur is something many people only dream of, but the following people went above and beyond; becoming some of the most famous names of today, only because of the internet.
-Sergey Brin, Google.
Sergey Mihailovich Brin is the co-founder of Google, and the president of technology at Google. He has a net worth of an estimated 11 billion US dollars. Sergey met met future Co-president of Google, Larry Page, at Stanford University. While originally they did not get along, it was when they found a common interest in receiving information from data sets that they went to work on their first paper. The paper entitled "The Anatomy of a Large-scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine" is now the tenth most accessed scientific paper at Stanford University.
The couple originally tried to sell the Google search engine idea, but it failed. They in turn raised $1 million in investment money to start their own company. October 2004, the company released their first quarterly results as a public company, with a revenue of $805.9 million.
-Bill Gates, Microsoft.
Bill gates is the co-founder of Microsoft, and the richest man in the world, worth an estimated 46 billion US dollars. At Harvard University, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, worked together on creating a new version of Basic programming language for the Altair 8800 person computer. The computer company that allowed Bill and Paul to use their computers, were so impressed with their work, that they licensed the software. It was because of this that Bill and Paul formed the company Microsoft.
Their first big break was from the MS-DOS, their first operating system, developed for the first IBM personal computer. MS-DOS soon took hold of the market after Bill and Paul convinced other manufacturers to standardize their systems to run MS-DOS. Microsoft would not have another huge success until the 1990's, when they developed Windows 3.0. Following Windows 3.0, Microsoft developed Windows 95, 98, 2000, Millennium Edition, XP, Vista, and their latest Windows 7.
-Steve Jobs, Apple.
Steven Paul Jobs is the co-founder and CEO of Apple Computer Co, and sits on the board of directors for Pixar. In 1976 longtime friend Steve Wozniak showed Jobs a computer that he had designed for himself. Jobs convinced Wozniak to start up a company with him. On April 1st 1976, the two founded Apple Computer Company. Apple created three computers with limited success, the Apple I, Apple II, and Apple III. In the same year that Apple III was released, Apply Computer Co. became a publicly traded company on the stock market.
In 1983, John Sculley from Pepsi became Apples CEO, and in 1994, they released the Macintosh Computer. It was the release of the Macintosh that skyrocketed Apple's success, causing them to leave behind the Apple III line. From then on Apple would continue releasing highly successful operating systems, and be only matched by Microsoft. Even though Steven Jobs' net worth is the the billions, his reported yearly salary is $1 for tax reasons.
-Sergey Brin, Google.
Sergey Mihailovich Brin is the co-founder of Google, and the president of technology at Google. He has a net worth of an estimated 11 billion US dollars. Sergey met met future Co-president of Google, Larry Page, at Stanford University. While originally they did not get along, it was when they found a common interest in receiving information from data sets that they went to work on their first paper. The paper entitled "The Anatomy of a Large-scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine" is now the tenth most accessed scientific paper at Stanford University.
The couple originally tried to sell the Google search engine idea, but it failed. They in turn raised $1 million in investment money to start their own company. October 2004, the company released their first quarterly results as a public company, with a revenue of $805.9 million.
-Bill Gates, Microsoft.
Bill gates is the co-founder of Microsoft, and the richest man in the world, worth an estimated 46 billion US dollars. At Harvard University, Bill Gates and Paul Allen, worked together on creating a new version of Basic programming language for the Altair 8800 person computer. The computer company that allowed Bill and Paul to use their computers, were so impressed with their work, that they licensed the software. It was because of this that Bill and Paul formed the company Microsoft.
Their first big break was from the MS-DOS, their first operating system, developed for the first IBM personal computer. MS-DOS soon took hold of the market after Bill and Paul convinced other manufacturers to standardize their systems to run MS-DOS. Microsoft would not have another huge success until the 1990's, when they developed Windows 3.0. Following Windows 3.0, Microsoft developed Windows 95, 98, 2000, Millennium Edition, XP, Vista, and their latest Windows 7.
-Steve Jobs, Apple.
Steven Paul Jobs is the co-founder and CEO of Apple Computer Co, and sits on the board of directors for Pixar. In 1976 longtime friend Steve Wozniak showed Jobs a computer that he had designed for himself. Jobs convinced Wozniak to start up a company with him. On April 1st 1976, the two founded Apple Computer Company. Apple created three computers with limited success, the Apple I, Apple II, and Apple III. In the same year that Apple III was released, Apply Computer Co. became a publicly traded company on the stock market.
In 1983, John Sculley from Pepsi became Apples CEO, and in 1994, they released the Macintosh Computer. It was the release of the Macintosh that skyrocketed Apple's success, causing them to leave behind the Apple III line. From then on Apple would continue releasing highly successful operating systems, and be only matched by Microsoft. Even though Steven Jobs' net worth is the the billions, his reported yearly salary is $1 for tax reasons.
How to make money writing an eBook
Have you ever dreamed about earning extra income from writing? Do you feel like you just don't have what it takes to get published, or the ability to write a full length novel? The great thing about eBooks, is that anyone can write one. You don't have to be a professional writer, you don't need to go through publishing agencies, and you don't need to split your profit with anyone.
Making money with eBooks is a lucrative, yet very doable, business plan. There are a few things you must do in order to become successful in your eBook venture.
-Write what you know
Write about a topic you know a lot about, there is nothing worse than reading an eBook that looks like the author just barely researched before publishing. EBooks of any subject are being sold like crazy, so if you have particular knowledge about one thing, write about it. Chances are there will be a demographic for whatever you write about, and enough people willing to pay for that information.
-Market your eBook
People need to know your eBook exists before they can buy it; marketing your eBook is key in getting it to sell. If you have a blog already, getting your eBook's name out there won't be too difficult. Just create a hype by making posts leading up to the release of your eBook, and post it for sale when you finish.
Another great way to market your eBook, is to give small free samples of it away. If people find the content quality high, than they will likely purchase it. You can even give away free copies to other, more prominent bloggers, in hopes they will write you a favorable review.
-Sell it on an auction site
If you don't have a website or blog as a platform to advertise and sell your eBook off of, than selling on an auction site, such as amazon or eBay, may bring you in large profits. There are many eBooks for sale on eBay that are generating thousands of dollars a week. If you have an eBook in a popular category, it won't be long before someone stumbles on it while going through one of the auction sites. Make sure you price it reasonably against your competitors, if your eBook costs to much, many readers will just look elsewhere.
Writing an eBook can become a full time job, if you take it seriously, and write quality material. If your first eBook is not a success, research, and try again. Once you get a successful eBook out there, chances are you will have many repeat customers if you decide to release another. Who knows, you might even be able to quit your day job.
Making money with eBooks is a lucrative, yet very doable, business plan. There are a few things you must do in order to become successful in your eBook venture.
-Write what you know
Write about a topic you know a lot about, there is nothing worse than reading an eBook that looks like the author just barely researched before publishing. EBooks of any subject are being sold like crazy, so if you have particular knowledge about one thing, write about it. Chances are there will be a demographic for whatever you write about, and enough people willing to pay for that information.
-Market your eBook
People need to know your eBook exists before they can buy it; marketing your eBook is key in getting it to sell. If you have a blog already, getting your eBook's name out there won't be too difficult. Just create a hype by making posts leading up to the release of your eBook, and post it for sale when you finish.
Another great way to market your eBook, is to give small free samples of it away. If people find the content quality high, than they will likely purchase it. You can even give away free copies to other, more prominent bloggers, in hopes they will write you a favorable review.
-Sell it on an auction site
If you don't have a website or blog as a platform to advertise and sell your eBook off of, than selling on an auction site, such as amazon or eBay, may bring you in large profits. There are many eBooks for sale on eBay that are generating thousands of dollars a week. If you have an eBook in a popular category, it won't be long before someone stumbles on it while going through one of the auction sites. Make sure you price it reasonably against your competitors, if your eBook costs to much, many readers will just look elsewhere.
Writing an eBook can become a full time job, if you take it seriously, and write quality material. If your first eBook is not a success, research, and try again. Once you get a successful eBook out there, chances are you will have many repeat customers if you decide to release another. Who knows, you might even be able to quit your day job.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Tips for a better eBook reading experience
Readers who are new to eBooks, generally have a hard time getting used to them, and often times give up before they give eBooks a fair chance. There are a number of reasons that readers may be turned off by an eBook at first, but there are many ways to improve your reading experience.
-Adjust your screen brightness
The main problem people seem to have with eBooks, is staring at a bright screen for to many hours, causing headaches and eye soreness. The best way to counter this is to lower your screens brightness setting. Depending on your computer there will be different ways to manage this setting, but it is usually a button near the computer monitor that adjusts the setting. Keeping the brightness to a minimum will greatly increase the time you can spend reading, and the comfortableness of it on your eyes.
-Download a good reader
A good eBook reader is crucial to a more enjoyable reading experience. Free software such as mobipocket provide users with more than just a platform to read eBooks. You can store all your eBooks in the library provide by the program, and display them all, cover by cover, on their bookshelf. Besides providing a place to store all your eBooks, eBook readers provide more options to enhance your reading experience than paper books. Features such as: Font size, how many pages to display at once, full screen mode, turning page with a key press or mouse touch, and customizable background color.
-Taking breaks
Often times we forget that we are supposed to take breaks from the computer while engaged in it. But it is important that you don't forget to step away from the computer every once in a while, even if you are deeply engrossed in your book. Reading on the computer for too long without giving your eyes a chance to rest will bring the same problems that too high of a screen brightness does, headaches and eye soreness.
-Use an iPad or kindle
Using an iPad, kindle, or any other device meant to read eBooks can be much easier than a laptop. They are generally smaller, lighter, and easier to bring with you. No one wants to walk around carrying a heavy laptop, just to take it out in an impromptu place to read a book; but with a kindle or an iPad you can read anywhere on the go. The screen is usually further away as well, and smaller, eliminating some of the more harmful effects of using a laptop.
If you have yet to read an eBook, or have been wronged by them in the past, now's the time to give a try. By following the few simple steps outlined above, you will have a much more enjoyable reading experience.
-Adjust your screen brightness
The main problem people seem to have with eBooks, is staring at a bright screen for to many hours, causing headaches and eye soreness. The best way to counter this is to lower your screens brightness setting. Depending on your computer there will be different ways to manage this setting, but it is usually a button near the computer monitor that adjusts the setting. Keeping the brightness to a minimum will greatly increase the time you can spend reading, and the comfortableness of it on your eyes.
-Download a good reader
A good eBook reader is crucial to a more enjoyable reading experience. Free software such as mobipocket provide users with more than just a platform to read eBooks. You can store all your eBooks in the library provide by the program, and display them all, cover by cover, on their bookshelf. Besides providing a place to store all your eBooks, eBook readers provide more options to enhance your reading experience than paper books. Features such as: Font size, how many pages to display at once, full screen mode, turning page with a key press or mouse touch, and customizable background color.
-Taking breaks
Often times we forget that we are supposed to take breaks from the computer while engaged in it. But it is important that you don't forget to step away from the computer every once in a while, even if you are deeply engrossed in your book. Reading on the computer for too long without giving your eyes a chance to rest will bring the same problems that too high of a screen brightness does, headaches and eye soreness.
-Use an iPad or kindle
Using an iPad, kindle, or any other device meant to read eBooks can be much easier than a laptop. They are generally smaller, lighter, and easier to bring with you. No one wants to walk around carrying a heavy laptop, just to take it out in an impromptu place to read a book; but with a kindle or an iPad you can read anywhere on the go. The screen is usually further away as well, and smaller, eliminating some of the more harmful effects of using a laptop.
If you have yet to read an eBook, or have been wronged by them in the past, now's the time to give a try. By following the few simple steps outlined above, you will have a much more enjoyable reading experience.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Why flip flops are bad for your feet
You know summer has arrived when you start to see an abundance of flip-flops. But could these comfortable summer-time footwear be bad for you? The answer is yes, there are many problems with wearing flip-flops for an extended amount of time. While wearing them for short amount of times will usually do no harm, wearing them everyday could lead to foot problems. Wearing flip-flops often could put you at risk of straining tendons and inflaming ligaments in your foot. The worst flip-flops to wear are ones with no support, flip-flops with a support system are perfectly safe to wear for longer periods of time.
Wearing flip-flops can also alter the way you walk, which can lead to serious sole, heel, and ankle problems. Many flip-flop wearers scrunch their toes in order to grip the shoes while they walk, yet doing this can stretch the connective tissue that runs from your heel to toe. This causes inflammation, pain along the sole, heel spurs and tired feet in general. Researchers have also found that flip-flop wearers take shorter strides and turn their ankles inwards. This can cause long term ankle and hip problems. The best thing to do is get sandals with heel straps so you do not have to grip the flip-flops with your toes and turn your ankles inward.
Taking shorter steps also puts more stress on your body because you have to move more the walk the same distance. This could mean a higher risk of muscle and joint pain in the legs. Being over weight and wearing flip flops greatly increases your chances of running in to these problems. If you are already experiencing pain from wearing flip-flops then switch back to normal shoes with more support, the pain should subside. In a few cases foot and heel pain experienced from wearing flip-flops has led to more serious medical conditions such as arthritis or even a stress fracture.
This summer kick off the flip-flops, at least a few days a week. If not you may find yourself at the doctors office getting your feet examined, and no one wants to be doing that on summer break. If you are not completely ready to give up your flip-flop days opt for a pair of sandals with greater foot support and heel straps, this will save you the trouble of being in and out of the doctors office. Doctors say even walking barefoot is a safer alternative to wearing flip-flops.
Wearing flip-flops can also alter the way you walk, which can lead to serious sole, heel, and ankle problems. Many flip-flop wearers scrunch their toes in order to grip the shoes while they walk, yet doing this can stretch the connective tissue that runs from your heel to toe. This causes inflammation, pain along the sole, heel spurs and tired feet in general. Researchers have also found that flip-flop wearers take shorter strides and turn their ankles inwards. This can cause long term ankle and hip problems. The best thing to do is get sandals with heel straps so you do not have to grip the flip-flops with your toes and turn your ankles inward.
Taking shorter steps also puts more stress on your body because you have to move more the walk the same distance. This could mean a higher risk of muscle and joint pain in the legs. Being over weight and wearing flip flops greatly increases your chances of running in to these problems. If you are already experiencing pain from wearing flip-flops then switch back to normal shoes with more support, the pain should subside. In a few cases foot and heel pain experienced from wearing flip-flops has led to more serious medical conditions such as arthritis or even a stress fracture.
This summer kick off the flip-flops, at least a few days a week. If not you may find yourself at the doctors office getting your feet examined, and no one wants to be doing that on summer break. If you are not completely ready to give up your flip-flop days opt for a pair of sandals with greater foot support and heel straps, this will save you the trouble of being in and out of the doctors office. Doctors say even walking barefoot is a safer alternative to wearing flip-flops.
How to use Google Earth with an Apple iPad
Using Google Earth on an iPad is a bit different then using it online. They are they same program, but using the iPad to navigate the application may be more confusing for new users. Before downloading the application there are a few requirements have to meet:
1. At least 211 MB of free space
2. A WiFi connection.
This application mainly requires simple finger movements to use. There are a few options you can use while navigating the 3D globe:
-Zoom In
Either double tap the screen with one finger, or move two fingers simultaneously apart.
-Zoom out
Either double tap the screen with two fingers, or move two fingers simultaneously together in a pinching movement.
-Rotate
Put two fingers on the screen and turn in the direction you wish to rotate
-Pan
Put one finger on the screen and move it in the appropriate direction, or flick the screen quickly.
-Look around
Put two fingers on the screen and move them anywhere.
-Tilt
Put two fingers on the screen and move them down at the same time. You can also enable auto-tilt, which will match the angle of the earth to the angle of your iPad.
-Go to your location
You can have Google Earth follow your location by touching the cross-hair icon. The better your WiFi connection, the more accurate the GPS will be.
-Displaying coordinates
Toggling the position option in the options menu will enable coordinates to show at the bottom of the main view. You can toggle between feet and meters when displaying altitude as well.
-Searching for places
Enter the place your are looking for, if multiple results come up, click the correct one and you will fly to that location. You can see a list of all the matches by hitting the list icon.
-Clear search results
To clear search results hit "Clear History" in the option window.
-Displaying content
There are many display options, including: terrain, places of interest, businesses, and Wikipedia. You can enable and disable specific content under the "Layers" window. Content will appear as icons in the main view, touch the icon for more info about it. Enabling terrain allows you to view mountains, and hills in 3D.
Using the iPad to browse Google Earth may take a little getting used to, but the basic layout is the same. How to navigate the client itself is the only difference, but is similar to other apps in that you have to use your fingers as tools to use the program.
1. At least 211 MB of free space
2. A WiFi connection.
This application mainly requires simple finger movements to use. There are a few options you can use while navigating the 3D globe:
-Zoom In
Either double tap the screen with one finger, or move two fingers simultaneously apart.
-Zoom out
Either double tap the screen with two fingers, or move two fingers simultaneously together in a pinching movement.
-Rotate
Put two fingers on the screen and turn in the direction you wish to rotate
-Pan
Put one finger on the screen and move it in the appropriate direction, or flick the screen quickly.
-Look around
Put two fingers on the screen and move them anywhere.
-Tilt
Put two fingers on the screen and move them down at the same time. You can also enable auto-tilt, which will match the angle of the earth to the angle of your iPad.
-Go to your location
You can have Google Earth follow your location by touching the cross-hair icon. The better your WiFi connection, the more accurate the GPS will be.
-Displaying coordinates
Toggling the position option in the options menu will enable coordinates to show at the bottom of the main view. You can toggle between feet and meters when displaying altitude as well.
-Searching for places
Enter the place your are looking for, if multiple results come up, click the correct one and you will fly to that location. You can see a list of all the matches by hitting the list icon.
-Clear search results
To clear search results hit "Clear History" in the option window.
-Displaying content
There are many display options, including: terrain, places of interest, businesses, and Wikipedia. You can enable and disable specific content under the "Layers" window. Content will appear as icons in the main view, touch the icon for more info about it. Enabling terrain allows you to view mountains, and hills in 3D.
Using the iPad to browse Google Earth may take a little getting used to, but the basic layout is the same. How to navigate the client itself is the only difference, but is similar to other apps in that you have to use your fingers as tools to use the program.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Comparing Miley Cyrus and Talor Swift
Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift are both teenage solo artists in the music industry. They both have a similar style of music, while Miley's is more of pop with a mix of country, Taylor swift keeps it straight country for the most part, with a few pop songs in the mix. Miley's fame is directly attributed to the Disney channel, where she first became popular off of the show Hannah Montana, a show about a teenage pop-star that leads a double life. This gave Miley Cyrus an a huge platform to start her solo music career off of.
Taylor Swift however has no affiliation with Disney, and had to work much harder to get her musical career started than Miley Cyrus did. Taylor Swift has been signed and dropped before recording her first single "Tim McGraw". She then released her self titled album on which 'Should've said no' was a big success.
Miley Cyrus's music is generally geared more towards younger kids and tween audiences. This is largely due to the fact that Miley's career started on the Disney, and her first few albums were under the pseudonym Hannah Montana. Miley Cyrus's music is also not as relate-able to many many people as Taylor Swift's music. This is because Miley's first albums mainly focused on her leading a double life as the Hannah Montana character, something that not many teenagers can relate to.
Taylor Swift's music however has a much larger audience, if not in numbers than in age groups. The main reason for this is Taylor Swift's song content matter. Many of Taylor Swift's songs focus on topics that teenage girls go through in their everyday life, such as being overlooked as "just a friend" to the guy they like. Many college girls who buy Swift's Cd's say it is because of just that, they can relate to the songs.
Miley is working on leaving her Disney past behind quite clearly, her music is becoming more focused on adult subject matter. Even her stage performance are becoming increasingly adult, and possibly even too adult. In an effort to leave behind her Disney days she is becoming increasingly like pop-stars before her. Miley is showing many of the same qualities that Britney showed when she was transitioning in to adulthood, with songs like "Can't be tamed" where she is clearly trying to break free from the mold that was created for her.
While Miley and Taylor have a lot in common, it is clear that they are two separate artists with two separate styles of music, and different demographics. Taylor Swift has a strong foot in the country music industry, but Miley Cyrus's ability to leave behind her Disney days will ultimately decide if she will remain a force in the pop music industry.
Taylor Swift however has no affiliation with Disney, and had to work much harder to get her musical career started than Miley Cyrus did. Taylor Swift has been signed and dropped before recording her first single "Tim McGraw". She then released her self titled album on which 'Should've said no' was a big success.
Miley Cyrus's music is generally geared more towards younger kids and tween audiences. This is largely due to the fact that Miley's career started on the Disney, and her first few albums were under the pseudonym Hannah Montana. Miley Cyrus's music is also not as relate-able to many many people as Taylor Swift's music. This is because Miley's first albums mainly focused on her leading a double life as the Hannah Montana character, something that not many teenagers can relate to.
Taylor Swift's music however has a much larger audience, if not in numbers than in age groups. The main reason for this is Taylor Swift's song content matter. Many of Taylor Swift's songs focus on topics that teenage girls go through in their everyday life, such as being overlooked as "just a friend" to the guy they like. Many college girls who buy Swift's Cd's say it is because of just that, they can relate to the songs.
Miley is working on leaving her Disney past behind quite clearly, her music is becoming more focused on adult subject matter. Even her stage performance are becoming increasingly adult, and possibly even too adult. In an effort to leave behind her Disney days she is becoming increasingly like pop-stars before her. Miley is showing many of the same qualities that Britney showed when she was transitioning in to adulthood, with songs like "Can't be tamed" where she is clearly trying to break free from the mold that was created for her.
While Miley and Taylor have a lot in common, it is clear that they are two separate artists with two separate styles of music, and different demographics. Taylor Swift has a strong foot in the country music industry, but Miley Cyrus's ability to leave behind her Disney days will ultimately decide if she will remain a force in the pop music industry.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
How to use annotations on YouTube
Annotations are a useful tool for an YouTuber. They provide a way for you to add information to a video after you have uploaded it already. Whether you just did not have the time to cover something in a video, or if you simply forgot, annotations can fix these problems quickly. Use annotation within reason, many viewers will feel annoyed and put-off by your video if it is swarmed with text.
To begin using annotations you must:
1. first upload a video.
2. Then you must go to "My Videos" and click "Edit Annotations" next to the video you wish to add annotations to. You will be transferred to the annotations editing page, where you will see your video and an editing window.
3. Here there will be three tools for you to choose from: Add speech bubble, add note, and add spotlight.
Each of these adds something unique to your videos, and should be used in different situations.
-Speech Bubble
A speech bubble will add a bubble to the middle of your screen. You can enter the text you wish to have in the speech bubble either directly in the bubble, or in the editor to the left. You can also use the round handles to change the size and shape of the speech bubble, and by clicking and dragging, you can move it around the screen. There will be a yellow line underneath your YouTube video, this indicates at what point in your video you want the speech bubble to appear, and when you want it to end. You can change the duration by changing the numbers in the editor. Using the editor you can also add a link to your speech bubble, simply paste the link where it tells you to, you may only link to a YouTube page. To finish you must click "Save Draft" followed by "Publish".
-Note
The only difference in the note tool is the appearance. Instead of a speech bubble, it is a rectangle. It is edited the same way, and has all of the same options as the speech bubble has.
-Spotlight
The spotlight is a little bit different than the other two options. The spotlight will place an empty square in the middle of your screen, you can turn it in to a rectangle, and move it around the screen just like the other tools. You can also drag the text at the bottom of the spotlight wherever you like. The use of the spotlight is to add a click-able link around a specific part of your YouTube video. Adding the link in the spotlight is the same as doing it with the speech bubble, and again it can only link to a YouTube page.
Remember to use these tools in moderation, people are coming to your videos to see you, not to be bombarded by text. Adding some information or a click-able link is fine, but writing out a novel using annotations is not.
To begin using annotations you must:
1. first upload a video.
2. Then you must go to "My Videos" and click "Edit Annotations" next to the video you wish to add annotations to. You will be transferred to the annotations editing page, where you will see your video and an editing window.
3. Here there will be three tools for you to choose from: Add speech bubble, add note, and add spotlight.
Each of these adds something unique to your videos, and should be used in different situations.
-Speech Bubble
A speech bubble will add a bubble to the middle of your screen. You can enter the text you wish to have in the speech bubble either directly in the bubble, or in the editor to the left. You can also use the round handles to change the size and shape of the speech bubble, and by clicking and dragging, you can move it around the screen. There will be a yellow line underneath your YouTube video, this indicates at what point in your video you want the speech bubble to appear, and when you want it to end. You can change the duration by changing the numbers in the editor. Using the editor you can also add a link to your speech bubble, simply paste the link where it tells you to, you may only link to a YouTube page. To finish you must click "Save Draft" followed by "Publish".
-Note
The only difference in the note tool is the appearance. Instead of a speech bubble, it is a rectangle. It is edited the same way, and has all of the same options as the speech bubble has.
-Spotlight
The spotlight is a little bit different than the other two options. The spotlight will place an empty square in the middle of your screen, you can turn it in to a rectangle, and move it around the screen just like the other tools. You can also drag the text at the bottom of the spotlight wherever you like. The use of the spotlight is to add a click-able link around a specific part of your YouTube video. Adding the link in the spotlight is the same as doing it with the speech bubble, and again it can only link to a YouTube page.
Remember to use these tools in moderation, people are coming to your videos to see you, not to be bombarded by text. Adding some information or a click-able link is fine, but writing out a novel using annotations is not.
Healthy foods that aren't really healthy
With obesity levels rising all over the world it's no wonder that people are taking a stand and trying to change their lives for the better by eating healthy. Taking this initiative to change your lifestyle is a great first step in leading an all around better life, but what if what you believe is healthy really isn't? Many food companies are catching on to the fact that people everywhere are leaning towards a more health conscious diet, and they plan on taking advantage of that. With clever marketing gimmicks and false advertising some of the top food chains are fooling customers into believing their food is healthy.
The most common food that is touted as being healthy are salads. While salads can be healthy, many that you will find while eating out are worse for you then most of the other items on the menu. The reason for this is usually in the salad dressing and the salad toppings. While salad alone is a perfectly healthy meal, most salads are topped with fried chicken, croutons, eggs, and even bacon. Add a creamy ranch or Italian dressing to it and you have more calories and fat on your plate then you would with a cheeseburger.
Another trend that people are following when it comes to healthy eating is replacing meals with smoothies. If you make these smoothies yourself then it usually is a healthy alternative, yet many people are buying these smoothies when they go out to eat. Smoothies that are prepared at restaurants are usually loaded with sugars, ice cream, and milk. All of these things combined usually add up to more than 500 calories, along with more than double the sugar of your normal can of soda. Along the same line as smoothies are yogurt parfaits, these are sold in stores and at fast food places like McDonald's. While yogurt and granola sounds healthy enough, the yogurt is usually packed with sugar and so is the granola, making this a high calorie snack that is best avoided.
The most common health food trend is wraps. Many people have realized that excessive bread is nothing but extra calories and carbohydrates. Wraps have the potential to be a very healthy option over regular sandwiches, but many fast food chains are taking advantage of this and making wraps that are less then great for you. For example the T.G.I. Friday's "BBQ Chicken Wrap" has 1,540 calories. That's almost an entire daily allowance for an active adult male, and this is from something being claimed as a healthy meal.
With people becoming more and more conscious of what they eat it is no wonder that food companies are trying to swindle these people back into eating their foods. If you are not careful you may end up sabotaging your diet without even knowing it because of big business food companies. With a little research on the subject you can outsmart even the sliest of advertising and be successful in your goal to become a healthier eater.
The most common food that is touted as being healthy are salads. While salads can be healthy, many that you will find while eating out are worse for you then most of the other items on the menu. The reason for this is usually in the salad dressing and the salad toppings. While salad alone is a perfectly healthy meal, most salads are topped with fried chicken, croutons, eggs, and even bacon. Add a creamy ranch or Italian dressing to it and you have more calories and fat on your plate then you would with a cheeseburger.
Another trend that people are following when it comes to healthy eating is replacing meals with smoothies. If you make these smoothies yourself then it usually is a healthy alternative, yet many people are buying these smoothies when they go out to eat. Smoothies that are prepared at restaurants are usually loaded with sugars, ice cream, and milk. All of these things combined usually add up to more than 500 calories, along with more than double the sugar of your normal can of soda. Along the same line as smoothies are yogurt parfaits, these are sold in stores and at fast food places like McDonald's. While yogurt and granola sounds healthy enough, the yogurt is usually packed with sugar and so is the granola, making this a high calorie snack that is best avoided.
The most common health food trend is wraps. Many people have realized that excessive bread is nothing but extra calories and carbohydrates. Wraps have the potential to be a very healthy option over regular sandwiches, but many fast food chains are taking advantage of this and making wraps that are less then great for you. For example the T.G.I. Friday's "BBQ Chicken Wrap" has 1,540 calories. That's almost an entire daily allowance for an active adult male, and this is from something being claimed as a healthy meal.
With people becoming more and more conscious of what they eat it is no wonder that food companies are trying to swindle these people back into eating their foods. If you are not careful you may end up sabotaging your diet without even knowing it because of big business food companies. With a little research on the subject you can outsmart even the sliest of advertising and be successful in your goal to become a healthier eater.
How to add multimedia to your blog
Many blog owners will feel that they do not have the appropriate skill to add multimedia content to their site. But adding multimedia to your blog is no harder than entering a copy and paste-able HTML code into your site.
-Audio
Audio, an often overlooked multimedia device, is a great way to add your favorite songs, or even original audio, to your blog. The easiest way to add audio is through a platform such as SoundCloud. SoundCloud is an online platform that allows you to upload any track from your computer and share it. You can add artwork, track descriptions, and even a website to purchase the audio you have uploaded. Once you have saved your changes just click share and you will be given an embedded code to add to your blog.
-Video
Many popular video sites openly offer an embedded HTML code for you to copy to your website or blog. Three video websites that offer this are YouTube, Vimeo, and Blip.tv. Simply go to one of these sites, find a video that you want to post to your blog, and hit the embedded button displayed near the bottom of the video. Most sites allow you to edit the background and size of the video before the code is created. Mixpod is a tool used to create video play lists for your blog. It allows you to edit many different players, themes, and color palettes. You can rename and reorder the video play list however you like.
-Photo
Adding individual photos to a blog is usually very simple. However if you want to add a slide-show of photos to your blog, it gets a bit trickier. Adding a slide-show keeps your posts from looking to cluttered with tons of individual pictures, a huge turnoff for readers. You can create slide-shows with a variety of effects from images on your computer by using Slide. You can customize the theme, color, background, size, and even add music. Clicking save will bring up your embed code, which you can post directly to your blog.
Instead of spending money on an expensive coder, just take some time and do it yourself. You will feel more accomplished, and you will save some cash.
-Audio
Audio, an often overlooked multimedia device, is a great way to add your favorite songs, or even original audio, to your blog. The easiest way to add audio is through a platform such as SoundCloud. SoundCloud is an online platform that allows you to upload any track from your computer and share it. You can add artwork, track descriptions, and even a website to purchase the audio you have uploaded. Once you have saved your changes just click share and you will be given an embedded code to add to your blog.
-Video
Many popular video sites openly offer an embedded HTML code for you to copy to your website or blog. Three video websites that offer this are YouTube, Vimeo, and Blip.tv. Simply go to one of these sites, find a video that you want to post to your blog, and hit the embedded button displayed near the bottom of the video. Most sites allow you to edit the background and size of the video before the code is created. Mixpod is a tool used to create video play lists for your blog. It allows you to edit many different players, themes, and color palettes. You can rename and reorder the video play list however you like.
-Photo
Adding individual photos to a blog is usually very simple. However if you want to add a slide-show of photos to your blog, it gets a bit trickier. Adding a slide-show keeps your posts from looking to cluttered with tons of individual pictures, a huge turnoff for readers. You can create slide-shows with a variety of effects from images on your computer by using Slide. You can customize the theme, color, background, size, and even add music. Clicking save will bring up your embed code, which you can post directly to your blog.
Instead of spending money on an expensive coder, just take some time and do it yourself. You will feel more accomplished, and you will save some cash.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The different types of Poker.
While you may be familiar with Texas Holdem from television, there are many different poker game variants to learn if you wish to be a well rounded player.Now is an opportune time to learn these other games, so that you may hone your skills while the majority of other players are still exclusively playing Holdem. The reason for this is because Holdem may go out of style at any time, and it will be at this point that the truly skilled players will rise to the top.
Omaha is a popular second to Texas Holdem, because of its similarities. But becoming a winning player at Omaha is much more difficult. Omaha is played exactly the same as Texas Holdem with one exception, each player is dealt four cards instead of two. While this may not sound very hard to master, because of the extra math and calculations one most do because of the extra cards in the hand it becomes much harder to define a profitable call and a bad call. In order for your hand to be eligible at showdown in Omaha two of the cards in your hand must be used along with any of the other 5 cards that were dealt to the table. There are many variants to Omaha, such as Omaha Hi/Lo and Omaha 8 or better.
7-card stud was a very popular poker game until Holdem took over. Each player posts an ante and is dealt 2 cards face down and one card face up. The lowest up card must open the hand with either a bet or a check. If a player bets then naturally the other players must either call, raise or fold. There is a maximum of 4 bets (1 bet and 3 raises) in each round. After this initial round is completed each player still in the hand is dealt another face up card. The betting round begins again but is now started by the player with the strongest poker hand showing. For example, if a player has a pair of 2's showing then he opens the betting round. Each round continues this way until the seventh card, the seventh card is dealt face down and is the last card dealt. After the last card is dealt face down the final better round begins and the player with the best hand wins. Standard Texas Holdem hand rankings apply to this game. There are a couple variations of 7-card stud, including 7-card stud Hi/Lo, and 5-card stud.
Razz is a game almost identical to 7-card stud, the only difference is that players are competing for the best low hand instead of the normal Texas Holdem hand ranking. The lowest possible poker hand is A-2-3-4-5. Ace counts as a low card in Razz.
Draw is a game with many variants. There is 5 card draw, in which you are dealt 5 cards and you can discard as many as you like looking to improve your hand. There is also 2-7 single draw, which is played the same as 5 card draw yet you are trying to complete the lowest hand possible, similar to razz. There is also 2-7 triple draw, which is played the same as single draw but with 2 more drawing rounds.
Mixed games are a combination of some or all of the above mentioned games, mixed games include H.O.R.S.E which is Holdem, Omaha, Razz, Stud, and Stud 8 or better. H.O.E which is the same as H.O.R.S.E, except no Razz or Seven-card stud. H.O, Texas hold 'em and Omaha high-low. O.E which consists of Omaha high-low and Seven-card Stud Eight or better. H.A, Pot limit Texas hold 'em and pot limit Omaha, And Eight Game Mix. Eight Game Mix is Fixed limit 2-7 Triple Draw, fixed limit Texas hold 'em, fixed limit Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, fixed limit Seven-card stud, fixed limit Seven-card stud Eight or better, no limit Texas hold 'em and pot limit Omaha.
These are some of the many types of poker games available online and live, learning these games while Texas Holdem is still peaking at its popularity is a great idea if you wish to continue to be profitable in the future. Eventually players will burn out on Holdem and wish to try something knew, if you already have the knowledge of these game variants you will find it easier to beat these players and be more successful in your poker career.
Omaha is a popular second to Texas Holdem, because of its similarities. But becoming a winning player at Omaha is much more difficult. Omaha is played exactly the same as Texas Holdem with one exception, each player is dealt four cards instead of two. While this may not sound very hard to master, because of the extra math and calculations one most do because of the extra cards in the hand it becomes much harder to define a profitable call and a bad call. In order for your hand to be eligible at showdown in Omaha two of the cards in your hand must be used along with any of the other 5 cards that were dealt to the table. There are many variants to Omaha, such as Omaha Hi/Lo and Omaha 8 or better.
7-card stud was a very popular poker game until Holdem took over. Each player posts an ante and is dealt 2 cards face down and one card face up. The lowest up card must open the hand with either a bet or a check. If a player bets then naturally the other players must either call, raise or fold. There is a maximum of 4 bets (1 bet and 3 raises) in each round. After this initial round is completed each player still in the hand is dealt another face up card. The betting round begins again but is now started by the player with the strongest poker hand showing. For example, if a player has a pair of 2's showing then he opens the betting round. Each round continues this way until the seventh card, the seventh card is dealt face down and is the last card dealt. After the last card is dealt face down the final better round begins and the player with the best hand wins. Standard Texas Holdem hand rankings apply to this game. There are a couple variations of 7-card stud, including 7-card stud Hi/Lo, and 5-card stud.
Razz is a game almost identical to 7-card stud, the only difference is that players are competing for the best low hand instead of the normal Texas Holdem hand ranking. The lowest possible poker hand is A-2-3-4-5. Ace counts as a low card in Razz.
Draw is a game with many variants. There is 5 card draw, in which you are dealt 5 cards and you can discard as many as you like looking to improve your hand. There is also 2-7 single draw, which is played the same as 5 card draw yet you are trying to complete the lowest hand possible, similar to razz. There is also 2-7 triple draw, which is played the same as single draw but with 2 more drawing rounds.
Mixed games are a combination of some or all of the above mentioned games, mixed games include H.O.R.S.E which is Holdem, Omaha, Razz, Stud, and Stud 8 or better. H.O.E which is the same as H.O.R.S.E, except no Razz or Seven-card stud. H.O, Texas hold 'em and Omaha high-low. O.E which consists of Omaha high-low and Seven-card Stud Eight or better. H.A, Pot limit Texas hold 'em and pot limit Omaha, And Eight Game Mix. Eight Game Mix is Fixed limit 2-7 Triple Draw, fixed limit Texas hold 'em, fixed limit Omaha Hi-Lo, Razz, fixed limit Seven-card stud, fixed limit Seven-card stud Eight or better, no limit Texas hold 'em and pot limit Omaha.
These are some of the many types of poker games available online and live, learning these games while Texas Holdem is still peaking at its popularity is a great idea if you wish to continue to be profitable in the future. Eventually players will burn out on Holdem and wish to try something knew, if you already have the knowledge of these game variants you will find it easier to beat these players and be more successful in your poker career.
What to look for in a Poker Tournament.
If you are playing poker, it is likely to make a profit. There are a few things to look for in a poker tournament that will increase your chances of turning a profit that game. The first thing you must look at is the prize pool. The price pool will determine how much money is divided between the players that get far enough in the tournament to qualify for it. The bigger the buy-in and the more players there are, the bigger the prize pool will be. On many of the popular poker sites, and live poker tournaments there are guaranteed prize pool. Meaning that no matter how many people enter the tournament it will at least match the guaranteed amount. If you find a poker tournament with a guarantee and not many players entered, it is best to sign up for it. This is because you will still be guaranteed a shot at the inflated prize pool, but there won't be as many people competing against you for it.
Another thing to look out for in a poker tournament is the general skill level of the players involved. Even seasoned players will want to pick a tournament with the most amount of low skilled players in it. The easiest way to do this is to look up the statistics of some of the players involved in the tournament, there are many sites that do this for you. This is known as finding a "soft" game in the poker world. It is also known as "table selection" because instead of joining any game that seems appealing to you, you find the game that you have the best chance of winning in.
The third and final thing to look at when joining a poker tournament is the game type itself. Texas Holdem is the best game to join if you are interested in the largest prize pools. This is because Holdem is the most widely played form of poker, it is also the poker game with the most new players. With the amount of new players with little knowledge of the game, it is very easy to take advantage of them and win more money. It is best to stay away from other types of poker games until you have mastered Texas Holdem and you are a consistently winning player. By doing a few simple extra steps in your searches for poker tournaments you can greatly increase your profitability in any game that you play.
Another thing to look out for in a poker tournament is the general skill level of the players involved. Even seasoned players will want to pick a tournament with the most amount of low skilled players in it. The easiest way to do this is to look up the statistics of some of the players involved in the tournament, there are many sites that do this for you. This is known as finding a "soft" game in the poker world. It is also known as "table selection" because instead of joining any game that seems appealing to you, you find the game that you have the best chance of winning in.
The third and final thing to look at when joining a poker tournament is the game type itself. Texas Holdem is the best game to join if you are interested in the largest prize pools. This is because Holdem is the most widely played form of poker, it is also the poker game with the most new players. With the amount of new players with little knowledge of the game, it is very easy to take advantage of them and win more money. It is best to stay away from other types of poker games until you have mastered Texas Holdem and you are a consistently winning player. By doing a few simple extra steps in your searches for poker tournaments you can greatly increase your profitability in any game that you play.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Making real money playing World of Warcraft
Making real money from playing World of Warcraft may seem like a pipe dream, but its very possible. Most of the ways to make money playing World of Warcraft involve breaking the ToS (Terms of Service) agreement that you agree to when you log in to play. Now this is not illegal, but can get your account suspended or even permanently banned if caught. If your account is invaluable to you then I suggest not following these tips, or creating a new account to use them on.
There are many ways to make money playing WoW, the first of which is selling gold. In order to sell gold you will need to either be able to grind a lot of gold yourself in a short amount of time for it to be profitable, or to download a bot to do it for you. Bots are great because you can go away from your computer and it will still be running, making money for you 24/7. Another great thing about bots is that if you have multiple accounts to use it can play them all at once, no longer will you only have to focus on one of your characters at a time. Now all of your characters can be used to their full money making potential.
Once you have amassed quite a large amount of gold you are going to need to sell it off. The easiest way to do this is to go to a popular gold selling site such as Mogs.com and go to their selling section. The only problem with this is that you will not get very much money for all the gold you have acquired, it is simply the fastest way to unload it. Currently gold prices are about $3/1000g if you sell it to a major website. If you feel like trying to make more money with your gold you can make a trial account and offer your gold for sale to players in WoW, you can usually get close to market price this way because players rather by from someone trustworthy than a Chinese gold farming site and risk getting banned.
The second way to make money in World of Warcraft is to sell your account. Again you could hand level accounts and then sell them once they hit level cap, or you could bot multiple accounts at once to greatly increase your profit. Once you hit level 80 you can either sell it off right away, or try and obtain better gear for the character to increase the accounts value. When you are ready to sell your account you can go directly to a site like Toonstorm.com and send in your characters profile for review, they will then send you an email quote with how much they will by your account for. But just like selling gold these sites will often give you much less than market value because they to are try to turn a profit. The best thing you can do is sell it on a forum site like Mmobay.net where you can post it up yourself and receive offers on it from other members, similar to craigslist.
Making money through World of Warcraft can take a small initial monetary and time investment, but once you get it going you can make good money if you stay dedicated to it.
There are many ways to make money playing WoW, the first of which is selling gold. In order to sell gold you will need to either be able to grind a lot of gold yourself in a short amount of time for it to be profitable, or to download a bot to do it for you. Bots are great because you can go away from your computer and it will still be running, making money for you 24/7. Another great thing about bots is that if you have multiple accounts to use it can play them all at once, no longer will you only have to focus on one of your characters at a time. Now all of your characters can be used to their full money making potential.
Once you have amassed quite a large amount of gold you are going to need to sell it off. The easiest way to do this is to go to a popular gold selling site such as Mogs.com and go to their selling section. The only problem with this is that you will not get very much money for all the gold you have acquired, it is simply the fastest way to unload it. Currently gold prices are about $3/1000g if you sell it to a major website. If you feel like trying to make more money with your gold you can make a trial account and offer your gold for sale to players in WoW, you can usually get close to market price this way because players rather by from someone trustworthy than a Chinese gold farming site and risk getting banned.
The second way to make money in World of Warcraft is to sell your account. Again you could hand level accounts and then sell them once they hit level cap, or you could bot multiple accounts at once to greatly increase your profit. Once you hit level 80 you can either sell it off right away, or try and obtain better gear for the character to increase the accounts value. When you are ready to sell your account you can go directly to a site like Toonstorm.com and send in your characters profile for review, they will then send you an email quote with how much they will by your account for. But just like selling gold these sites will often give you much less than market value because they to are try to turn a profit. The best thing you can do is sell it on a forum site like Mmobay.net where you can post it up yourself and receive offers on it from other members, similar to craigslist.
Making money through World of Warcraft can take a small initial monetary and time investment, but once you get it going you can make good money if you stay dedicated to it.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Best online poker games for profit.
This article is going to be purely about what the best online poker games are for making a profit. The top online poker game to play for money is currently Texas Holdem. The reason for this is because of the popularity of the Texas holdem card games in the media. Another reason is that it is one of the more simple poker games to play, as it only requires two cards pre-flop. Playing Texas holdem is like playing another other poker game in that the table is set up the same, and the blinds and antes still have the same affect. To play Texas holdem you and the rest of the table will be given two cards, these two cards have a relative value but will likely not be good until action has unfolded and the flop comes out. the flop is 3 cards, you must match either of the two cards in your hand to the 3 cards on the flop for your hand to have improved. After the flop of 3 cards, a turn is dealt which 1 card, then there is the river which is the last card. Generally if your hand has not improved by the flop or the turn it is best to throw the cards away and not put more money into the pot, but if your hand has not improved by the river then there is no reason whatsoever to continue with the hand.
Texas holdem is a great game to play because that is where the most "fish" are. Fish are new players who will make bad moves since they are still beginners. The reason many fish play Texas holdem is because it is the easiest game of all the poker variants to learn. It is your job as the "shark" to take all of the little fishes money. You can do this by researching the game and spending time learning to get better, it is very easy to get ahead of the competition at lower level limits because most of these players are just playing for fun and don't care about turning a profit. After learning the fundamentals of holdem it may be wise to venture out and try other forms of poker, but it is not necessary. many of the top pros are holdem exclusive, because that is what the majority of the big money tournaments are held in. The best secondary poker game to learn if you are going to go down that route is Omaha or any Omaha variant such as Hi/Lo. Omaha is the second most popular poker game, but be warned it is quite a lot more complicated than Texas holdem.
Texas holdem is a great game to play because that is where the most "fish" are. Fish are new players who will make bad moves since they are still beginners. The reason many fish play Texas holdem is because it is the easiest game of all the poker variants to learn. It is your job as the "shark" to take all of the little fishes money. You can do this by researching the game and spending time learning to get better, it is very easy to get ahead of the competition at lower level limits because most of these players are just playing for fun and don't care about turning a profit. After learning the fundamentals of holdem it may be wise to venture out and try other forms of poker, but it is not necessary. many of the top pros are holdem exclusive, because that is what the majority of the big money tournaments are held in. The best secondary poker game to learn if you are going to go down that route is Omaha or any Omaha variant such as Hi/Lo. Omaha is the second most popular poker game, but be warned it is quite a lot more complicated than Texas holdem.
How to get a lot of views on YouTube
Getting more views on YouTube is a great way to potentially increase the amount of money you can make at home. As long as the content you upload is not copyrighted and is made by you, than you can start turning a profit using these tips to increase your views.
-Use clever key words in your video title. Certain key words are searched more than other, this is known as SEO (search engine optimization). Using SEO for your video titles can greatly increase your views. Instead of labeling your video some nonsensical that people will not be searching very often, try looking on Google for trending topics or most used search words and try and tie it in to your video title someway.
-Make videos relevant to what is currently going on in the media. Staying relevant means people will always be searching what you are talking about, this is a great way to increase your views because if you are always on top of what is currently happening people will subscribe to you for future updates.
-Put out videos on a schedule. Similar to television, make a schedule for your videos and always upload them on the same days. When viewers know that you are consistent with your video uploading it will make them more likely to subscribe to you, which will in turn increase the views of your new videos.
-Hold contests. Contests are a great way to get viewers. Think of the item as an investment, the money you lose giving away something valuable will return tenfold with the amount of viewers/subscribers you gain. The most effective contests for building subscribers or viewers are the contests that require you to comment on the authors video, and you must be subscribed to actually win the item. this means that everyone that comments on your video trying to win what you are giving away is also going to be subscribing to you.
-Tag your videos properly. Similar to using key words in the title of your video, take some of the more popular videos and key words and throw them into your video tags. this will make your video appear in the results when people search those terms.
-Collaborate with someone who has more subscribers than you. If you make creative videos, or you are especially talented at something you can find it easy to gain viewers by collaborating with a more well known youtuber. Just because they are getting more views than you does not mean you can't offer something to a new video of theirs. This works great because then they link back to your channel and all of their subscribers are now aware of your videos.
Once you have enough views on your videos and a big enough subscriber base you should apply for Google AdSense. This will enable revenue sharing on your videos and again increase traffic to the content you produce through YouTube. YouTube is a great way to make money if you can just follow the simple steps outlined above to increase your views.
-Use clever key words in your video title. Certain key words are searched more than other, this is known as SEO (search engine optimization). Using SEO for your video titles can greatly increase your views. Instead of labeling your video some nonsensical that people will not be searching very often, try looking on Google for trending topics or most used search words and try and tie it in to your video title someway.
-Make videos relevant to what is currently going on in the media. Staying relevant means people will always be searching what you are talking about, this is a great way to increase your views because if you are always on top of what is currently happening people will subscribe to you for future updates.
-Put out videos on a schedule. Similar to television, make a schedule for your videos and always upload them on the same days. When viewers know that you are consistent with your video uploading it will make them more likely to subscribe to you, which will in turn increase the views of your new videos.
-Hold contests. Contests are a great way to get viewers. Think of the item as an investment, the money you lose giving away something valuable will return tenfold with the amount of viewers/subscribers you gain. The most effective contests for building subscribers or viewers are the contests that require you to comment on the authors video, and you must be subscribed to actually win the item. this means that everyone that comments on your video trying to win what you are giving away is also going to be subscribing to you.
-Tag your videos properly. Similar to using key words in the title of your video, take some of the more popular videos and key words and throw them into your video tags. this will make your video appear in the results when people search those terms.
-Collaborate with someone who has more subscribers than you. If you make creative videos, or you are especially talented at something you can find it easy to gain viewers by collaborating with a more well known youtuber. Just because they are getting more views than you does not mean you can't offer something to a new video of theirs. This works great because then they link back to your channel and all of their subscribers are now aware of your videos.
Once you have enough views on your videos and a big enough subscriber base you should apply for Google AdSense. This will enable revenue sharing on your videos and again increase traffic to the content you produce through YouTube. YouTube is a great way to make money if you can just follow the simple steps outlined above to increase your views.
Common misconceptions about health foods.
In an ever increasing global trend to move towards healthier foods, it's no wonder food companies are hard at work to keep the customer uninformed about what they are eating. Knowing what foods are good for you and which ones are bad is not difficult to find out, but many consumers fall prey to careful marketing, making it hard to know exactly what you should be eating when trying to lose weight. For example, McDonald's has been promoting their new salads as a healthy alternative to their standard foods, yet a closer look at the nutrition facts will show that this is far from true. A McDonald's Quarter Pounder has 410 calories in it, 170 of those come from fat. A Southwest salad with crispy chicken on the other hand is 440 calories, with 180 of those coming from fat, and that's without dressing! Add creamy Caesar dressing to that and you have an extra 190 calories on top. That's a total of 610 calories, 200 more than a Quarter Pounder. It is McDonald's clever marketing that allows them to get away with selling a salad that is worse for your body than a large burger, but people eat it right up.
Another common misconception is that fruit smoothies are a low calorie alternative to a meal. While this is true if they are made at home with the right ingredients, many people opt to buy these frozen treats when they are out at places like Jamba Juice. The problem with buying fruit smoothies out is that they are usually packed with sugar to increase they taste, while fooling the customer into believing that they are drinking something healthy. Some examples of this are the "Yumberry Topper" which has 590 calories for its "original" size (22 fl oz.). Or the "Chunky strawberry topper" which has 620 calories for 22 fl oz. Most of these drinks range from 400-550 calories, hardly a healthy option for the conscious dieter.
But while many people have misconceptions about what is healthy, many others have the same misconceptions about what they believe are unhealthy. A lot of people don't think you can eat a healthy, low calorie meal at a fast food chain, but there are ways. A normal cheeseburger at a fast food joint will usually run you 300 calories, not bad for something that is likely going to fill you up and leave you satisfied. A typical snack wrap from McDonald's runs about 250-350 calories, again not bad if you are on a calorie budget. Losing weight is no easy task, but just by reading the nutritional info you are more likely to succeed in your weight loss goals. Don't be fooled by what you see on TV, educated yourself by doing research and plan your meals around what you learn.
Another common misconception is that fruit smoothies are a low calorie alternative to a meal. While this is true if they are made at home with the right ingredients, many people opt to buy these frozen treats when they are out at places like Jamba Juice. The problem with buying fruit smoothies out is that they are usually packed with sugar to increase they taste, while fooling the customer into believing that they are drinking something healthy. Some examples of this are the "Yumberry Topper" which has 590 calories for its "original" size (22 fl oz.). Or the "Chunky strawberry topper" which has 620 calories for 22 fl oz. Most of these drinks range from 400-550 calories, hardly a healthy option for the conscious dieter.
But while many people have misconceptions about what is healthy, many others have the same misconceptions about what they believe are unhealthy. A lot of people don't think you can eat a healthy, low calorie meal at a fast food chain, but there are ways. A normal cheeseburger at a fast food joint will usually run you 300 calories, not bad for something that is likely going to fill you up and leave you satisfied. A typical snack wrap from McDonald's runs about 250-350 calories, again not bad if you are on a calorie budget. Losing weight is no easy task, but just by reading the nutritional info you are more likely to succeed in your weight loss goals. Don't be fooled by what you see on TV, educated yourself by doing research and plan your meals around what you learn.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Best Xbox Games of All Time
The Xbox has been home to many great games, starting off multiple successful gaming franchises that still carry over to the Xbox 360. While there are to many great games from the Xbox to list them all, this will be a simple and short list of the top 3 Xbox games.
1. Halo 2(2004)
-Halo 2 took everything the first game had to offer and blew it out of the water. There are more weapons, more levels, and a great online experience. Halo 2's single player campaign is great, and offers a memorable FPS experience, but its the online multi-player where this game really stands out. With a variety of maps, and a load of different game options it provided countless hours of online fun, You could invite friends to come join your lobby so you could queue together into a match, or you could player by yourself against strangers across the globe. It never took long to find a game, and depending on the outcome it would increase your rank in that category. There were 50 levels to gain in each game mode, always giving you something to aim for.
2. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow(2004)
-Taking after Konami's "Metal gear solid" franchise, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell provides an exciting and adventurous stealth espionage experience. This game is not you typical shooter, instead of running and gunning down hallways you must crouch and sneak around, being careful not to alert guards. The choice is yours to open fire on anyone you see, but if you decide to go down that path you will likely not finish the mission you were sent in to do. This game is so great because it really provided a unique play style that hadn't been seen in to many other games before. Levels usually had multiple ways to be completed, and the game is rife with secondary objectives to complete in each mission. Pandora Tomorrow also added a very fun multi-player mode to its second installment, one of the only things missing in the first game.
3. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic(2003)
-This game takes the entire star wars experience and allows you to experience it how you like. Your choices effect the game world, and your own character. Helping others, and choosing friendly text when talking to others will put your character on the good side of the force, and doing the opposite will align you with the siths. Not only do your actions decide how your character evolves, but the story as well. The game can have completely different situations and endings depending on the choices you made throughout your characters journey. The combat system in KOTOR is far from intuitive but it is still engaging and is made up for by the story and character development. There are at least a good hundred hours of game play, and even more than that in replay value. No RPG fan should be disappointed in this game, it stays true to typical RPG game play and story unfolding, but gives you the ability to control your own progression path in ways that other games do not. And yes, there are light sabers.
1. Halo 2(2004)
-Halo 2 took everything the first game had to offer and blew it out of the water. There are more weapons, more levels, and a great online experience. Halo 2's single player campaign is great, and offers a memorable FPS experience, but its the online multi-player where this game really stands out. With a variety of maps, and a load of different game options it provided countless hours of online fun, You could invite friends to come join your lobby so you could queue together into a match, or you could player by yourself against strangers across the globe. It never took long to find a game, and depending on the outcome it would increase your rank in that category. There were 50 levels to gain in each game mode, always giving you something to aim for.
2. Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow(2004)
-Taking after Konami's "Metal gear solid" franchise, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell provides an exciting and adventurous stealth espionage experience. This game is not you typical shooter, instead of running and gunning down hallways you must crouch and sneak around, being careful not to alert guards. The choice is yours to open fire on anyone you see, but if you decide to go down that path you will likely not finish the mission you were sent in to do. This game is so great because it really provided a unique play style that hadn't been seen in to many other games before. Levels usually had multiple ways to be completed, and the game is rife with secondary objectives to complete in each mission. Pandora Tomorrow also added a very fun multi-player mode to its second installment, one of the only things missing in the first game.
3. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic(2003)
-This game takes the entire star wars experience and allows you to experience it how you like. Your choices effect the game world, and your own character. Helping others, and choosing friendly text when talking to others will put your character on the good side of the force, and doing the opposite will align you with the siths. Not only do your actions decide how your character evolves, but the story as well. The game can have completely different situations and endings depending on the choices you made throughout your characters journey. The combat system in KOTOR is far from intuitive but it is still engaging and is made up for by the story and character development. There are at least a good hundred hours of game play, and even more than that in replay value. No RPG fan should be disappointed in this game, it stays true to typical RPG game play and story unfolding, but gives you the ability to control your own progression path in ways that other games do not. And yes, there are light sabers.
Get paid to play online video games
Making money playing games sounds to good to be true right? Well in most cases it is, but there are a couple of websites that legitimately do pay users to play their games. While most of the time you have to end up being very lucky to ever cash out on a gaming website, the chance is still there. So if you are bored and feel like playing some games online, why not do it on a site where there is a chance to earn some real cash?
The first site you can use to make money is Moola. Users must create and account and they are then given 1 penny. One many may not seem like much but its how skilled you are at the games on their site that can turn this penny into cash, up to ten million. That is not a typo either. Using the single penny you are given you must play one of the three games on their site, most of thee games are a mix of chance and skill so its best to not risk all your money on one game once you've built up a decent bankroll. Each game you play is against another user of the moola site competing for the same thing you are, more money. For each game you win you double the amount of money you wagered on the game, similar to gambling but you never risk your own money. The formula is simple, you start with the penny, win a game and move up. You continue to do that until you are satisfied with the amount you have one and request a cash out, or until you bust your bank roll.
There are other ways to make money on Moola as well, including boosters and invite friends through affiliate links. You earn money through boosters by completing offers that Moola gives you, usually involving signing up for a trial of something.
Another site where there is a potential to make money off of gaming is Pogo. This site has a wide variety of games, in tons of categories. Each game gives you a certain amount of tokens for playing them, you get more tokens the better you do in each game. You can play single player puzzle games or you can play board and card games against other players wagering your tokens. Pogo is not as profitable as moola even for a good player, with pogo there are only a couple ways to actually get money. One of those ways is through raffles. They have daily, weekly, and monthly raffles. Think of it like buying a lottery ticket with tokens. You can increase your chances of winning the raffles by purchasing as many raffle tickets as you like, as long as you have enough tokens. The other way to get money is the win the jackpot for whichever game you are playing. To win the jackpot you must do well enough in a game that you earn a wheel spin, the wheel spin must land on jackpot. The most each games jackpot can reach is $4999.99, not bad.
The first site you can use to make money is Moola. Users must create and account and they are then given 1 penny. One many may not seem like much but its how skilled you are at the games on their site that can turn this penny into cash, up to ten million. That is not a typo either. Using the single penny you are given you must play one of the three games on their site, most of thee games are a mix of chance and skill so its best to not risk all your money on one game once you've built up a decent bankroll. Each game you play is against another user of the moola site competing for the same thing you are, more money. For each game you win you double the amount of money you wagered on the game, similar to gambling but you never risk your own money. The formula is simple, you start with the penny, win a game and move up. You continue to do that until you are satisfied with the amount you have one and request a cash out, or until you bust your bank roll.
There are other ways to make money on Moola as well, including boosters and invite friends through affiliate links. You earn money through boosters by completing offers that Moola gives you, usually involving signing up for a trial of something.
Another site where there is a potential to make money off of gaming is Pogo. This site has a wide variety of games, in tons of categories. Each game gives you a certain amount of tokens for playing them, you get more tokens the better you do in each game. You can play single player puzzle games or you can play board and card games against other players wagering your tokens. Pogo is not as profitable as moola even for a good player, with pogo there are only a couple ways to actually get money. One of those ways is through raffles. They have daily, weekly, and monthly raffles. Think of it like buying a lottery ticket with tokens. You can increase your chances of winning the raffles by purchasing as many raffle tickets as you like, as long as you have enough tokens. The other way to get money is the win the jackpot for whichever game you are playing. To win the jackpot you must do well enough in a game that you earn a wheel spin, the wheel spin must land on jackpot. The most each games jackpot can reach is $4999.99, not bad.
Common myths surrounding masturbation
One of the reasons there are so many myths surrounding masturbation is because of the taboo nature of it. It is hard to get correct information regarding masturbation because people are generally to embarrassed to talk about it. The general myths surround masturbation range from the hilariously absurd, to completely reasonable. Knowing whats true and whats not may sometimes take further research. Some of the more ridiculous myths are:
-You will grow hair on the palm of your hands. Another variation of this one is that masturbation causes loss of eyesight. These are the more prominent masturbation myths, but they are not taken seriously by many. This myth is usually used to scare kids that are just coming to age out of masturbating.
-Another insane myth floating around is that masturbating causes STD’s. Anyone who knows the very basics of STD’s will know that this is impossible. STD’s have to be transmitted between at least two people, its right there in the name.
-Only people who don't have sex masturbate. Research actually shows that people who are in relationships masturbate more frequently then then those who aren't. masturbation can be used as practice, or as a tool to increase stamina for when you are in bed with your partner.
Then there are the less inane myths floating around that may actually seem legitimate at first.
-Masturbation is unhealthy. Quite the contrary, masturbation does wonders for the body. It releases stress and tension, and can help some people fall asleep. One study has even found that frequent ejaculation can reduce a mans chance at getting prostate cancer.
-It is less okay for girls to masturbate than guys. While this one may sound true, that is only because you have become conditioned to thinking it is more inappropriate for girls to touch themselves then for guys to do the same. Society has always been more comfortable with men expressing their sexuality and making women feel wrong for doing so.
-A child masturbating means that he has been exposed to inappropriate information that is not right for his age. Masturbation alone is not an indicator of this, from when we are very young we explore our bodies and learn what feels good and what does not. Often times masturbation is discovered by yourself and not from outside influences.
-Teenagers who masturbate often will have a decreased chance in having children. This one, while it sounds reasonable enough , is just not true. Masturbation has not been linked in any way to a decrease in sperm or the ability to copulate with a female.
Many of the stigmas surrounding masturbation are just due to misinformation, if more people researched the subject there would be less confusion and myths wouldn't be so abundant.
-You will grow hair on the palm of your hands. Another variation of this one is that masturbation causes loss of eyesight. These are the more prominent masturbation myths, but they are not taken seriously by many. This myth is usually used to scare kids that are just coming to age out of masturbating.
-Another insane myth floating around is that masturbating causes STD’s. Anyone who knows the very basics of STD’s will know that this is impossible. STD’s have to be transmitted between at least two people, its right there in the name.
-Only people who don't have sex masturbate. Research actually shows that people who are in relationships masturbate more frequently then then those who aren't. masturbation can be used as practice, or as a tool to increase stamina for when you are in bed with your partner.
Then there are the less inane myths floating around that may actually seem legitimate at first.
-Masturbation is unhealthy. Quite the contrary, masturbation does wonders for the body. It releases stress and tension, and can help some people fall asleep. One study has even found that frequent ejaculation can reduce a mans chance at getting prostate cancer.
-It is less okay for girls to masturbate than guys. While this one may sound true, that is only because you have become conditioned to thinking it is more inappropriate for girls to touch themselves then for guys to do the same. Society has always been more comfortable with men expressing their sexuality and making women feel wrong for doing so.
-A child masturbating means that he has been exposed to inappropriate information that is not right for his age. Masturbation alone is not an indicator of this, from when we are very young we explore our bodies and learn what feels good and what does not. Often times masturbation is discovered by yourself and not from outside influences.
-Teenagers who masturbate often will have a decreased chance in having children. This one, while it sounds reasonable enough , is just not true. Masturbation has not been linked in any way to a decrease in sperm or the ability to copulate with a female.
Many of the stigmas surrounding masturbation are just due to misinformation, if more people researched the subject there would be less confusion and myths wouldn't be so abundant.
How to stop having lucid dreams
For some lucid dreaming is an amazing unforgettable experience that they wish to continue having. For others though lucid dreaming might be frightening, and can be far from fun. Lucid dreaming can be scary for those who are not ready to have one, luckily there are a few ways to avoid lucid dreaming.
-Get a full night sleep. Research shows that lucid dreaming happens most often after a person wakes up and falls back asleep. This is because falling asleep after waking up puts you right back in to R.E.M. sleep, the stage of sleep where you dream.
-Avoid caffeinated drinks before bed. This one should be fairly obvious, but to decrease your chances of waking up to early you should stay away from caffeinated drinks. Caffeinated drinks also have been shown to increase your chance of experiencing lucidity in your dreams.
-Watch TV before bed. Watching TV before bed decreases the clarity of dreams, lowering the chances of becoming lucid.
-Don't focus on lucid dreaming. People who think about lucid dreaming often times have a higher chance of having it happen to them. If you wish to stop lucid dreaming one of the best things you can do is ignore the idea of it, do not try and pressure yourself to stop having lucid dreams as that will only increase the chances of you becoming lucid.
There are not many ways to avoid lucid dreaming, but becoming lucid in general is very rare, unless you are deliberately attempting to become lucid. Thankfully it is very easy to wake up from a lucid dream, or to fall right back into normal sleep, so if you are afraid of lucid dreaming you don't have to stay in one for longer than you'd like to. Some tips to help you wake from a lucid dream:
-When you become aware that you are dreaming immediately over-excite yourself, this should wake you up almost instantly. Many people who want to lucid dream have trouble staying in them because of how fragile the dream state is, simply getting worked up about it tends to do the job.
-Roll your eyes. When dreaming your body is in sleep paralysis, meaning that you are unable to move. Your body does this to prevent sleep walking. Your eyes are not paralyzed during dreaming though so attempting roll them should wake you instantly.
-Allow yourself to fall back asleep into the dream. Let your subconscious take over the dream again by not concentrating on the fact that you are lucid, your brain should take over for you and you should go back into the dream you were just having without being lucid.
Overall the thought of becoming lucid in a dream should not scare you, they are very easy to wake up from, and can be quite fun. But if you still wish to avoid them just follow the tips here and you should not experience any lucid dreaming.
-Get a full night sleep. Research shows that lucid dreaming happens most often after a person wakes up and falls back asleep. This is because falling asleep after waking up puts you right back in to R.E.M. sleep, the stage of sleep where you dream.
-Avoid caffeinated drinks before bed. This one should be fairly obvious, but to decrease your chances of waking up to early you should stay away from caffeinated drinks. Caffeinated drinks also have been shown to increase your chance of experiencing lucidity in your dreams.
-Watch TV before bed. Watching TV before bed decreases the clarity of dreams, lowering the chances of becoming lucid.
-Don't focus on lucid dreaming. People who think about lucid dreaming often times have a higher chance of having it happen to them. If you wish to stop lucid dreaming one of the best things you can do is ignore the idea of it, do not try and pressure yourself to stop having lucid dreams as that will only increase the chances of you becoming lucid.
There are not many ways to avoid lucid dreaming, but becoming lucid in general is very rare, unless you are deliberately attempting to become lucid. Thankfully it is very easy to wake up from a lucid dream, or to fall right back into normal sleep, so if you are afraid of lucid dreaming you don't have to stay in one for longer than you'd like to. Some tips to help you wake from a lucid dream:
-When you become aware that you are dreaming immediately over-excite yourself, this should wake you up almost instantly. Many people who want to lucid dream have trouble staying in them because of how fragile the dream state is, simply getting worked up about it tends to do the job.
-Roll your eyes. When dreaming your body is in sleep paralysis, meaning that you are unable to move. Your body does this to prevent sleep walking. Your eyes are not paralyzed during dreaming though so attempting roll them should wake you instantly.
-Allow yourself to fall back asleep into the dream. Let your subconscious take over the dream again by not concentrating on the fact that you are lucid, your brain should take over for you and you should go back into the dream you were just having without being lucid.
Overall the thought of becoming lucid in a dream should not scare you, they are very easy to wake up from, and can be quite fun. But if you still wish to avoid them just follow the tips here and you should not experience any lucid dreaming.
Is Salvia the next Marijuana?
Salvia Divinorum becoming the next marijuana is about as absurd as crack cocaine becoming the next cigarette. An experienced Salvia Divinorum user knows that this is a ridiculous proposition, but to the uninformed parents of children who are getting to the age of rebellion the idea that Salvia Divinorum may be the next marijuana is a frightening idea. A slue of misinformation about Salvia is coming from the media, who do nothing but hype Salvia as a drug that it is not. Most users of marijuana have likely not even heard of Salvia Divinorum, it is a not a popular drug, and does not produce any similar effects to marijuana.
The wide-spread usage of Salvia Divinorum amongst teens is what is causing it to be linked with marijuana, however most teens are using this drug simply because it is a legal. Many legal drugs are abused by teens if there is a potential to get a "high" from it. There have been many reports of teenage deaths due to Dextromethorphan (DXM, Triple C's) which is the main active ingredient in many over the counter cough medicines. Yet Robitussin has not been compared to marijuana in the way Salvia Divinorum has.
Typically marijuana is used to relax and get the occasional giggles, far from the average Salvia trip. Salvia Divinorum is a psychoactive plant with dissociative effects, and hallucinogenic properties. A typical Salvia trip consists of 5-15 minutes of intense hallucinations followed by a couple hours of a drunk like after effect. One journalist from the UK science magazine "New Scientist" Wrote:
"The salvia took me on a consciousness-expanding journey unlike any other I have ever experienced. My body felt disconnected from 'me' and objects and people appeared cartoonish, surreal and marvellous. Then, as suddenly as it had began, it was over. The visions vanished and I was back in my bedroom. I spoke to my 'sitter'—the friend who was watching over me, as recommended on the packaging—but my mouth was awkward and clumsy. When I attempted to stand my coordination was off. Within a couple of minutes, however, I was fine and clear-headed, though dripping with sweat. The whole experience had lasted less than 5 minutes. —Gaia 2006-09-29 (UK Media)"
To continue to compare marijuana to Salvia just shows a lack of understanding of the different effects of the drugs.
The wide-spread usage of Salvia Divinorum amongst teens is what is causing it to be linked with marijuana, however most teens are using this drug simply because it is a legal. Many legal drugs are abused by teens if there is a potential to get a "high" from it. There have been many reports of teenage deaths due to Dextromethorphan (DXM, Triple C's) which is the main active ingredient in many over the counter cough medicines. Yet Robitussin has not been compared to marijuana in the way Salvia Divinorum has.
Typically marijuana is used to relax and get the occasional giggles, far from the average Salvia trip. Salvia Divinorum is a psychoactive plant with dissociative effects, and hallucinogenic properties. A typical Salvia trip consists of 5-15 minutes of intense hallucinations followed by a couple hours of a drunk like after effect. One journalist from the UK science magazine "New Scientist" Wrote:
"The salvia took me on a consciousness-expanding journey unlike any other I have ever experienced. My body felt disconnected from 'me' and objects and people appeared cartoonish, surreal and marvellous. Then, as suddenly as it had began, it was over. The visions vanished and I was back in my bedroom. I spoke to my 'sitter'—the friend who was watching over me, as recommended on the packaging—but my mouth was awkward and clumsy. When I attempted to stand my coordination was off. Within a couple of minutes, however, I was fine and clear-headed, though dripping with sweat. The whole experience had lasted less than 5 minutes. —Gaia 2006-09-29 (UK Media)"
To continue to compare marijuana to Salvia just shows a lack of understanding of the different effects of the drugs.
The downside to selling on eBay
Ebay was once a site with low fees and a great customer base. It had the feel of a flea market where you could hunt for deals and sell rarities at a reasonable price. Nowadays it will cost you an arm and a leg in fees, fees to list your item, fees when it sells, fees to maintain your eBay store (if you decide to go down that route), and PayPal fees (which is a subsidiary of eBay). By the time you actually the money you made into your bank account it may be less then 60% of the original amount. When it comes to selling on eBay though you will be lucky if you even get that money to your bank account. With eBay's new and improved buyer protection policy, any buyer that feels like getting your item for free can and will. All it takes is them opening up a dispute with PayPal or eBay and claiming you sent them a different item then they purchased, they are then free to send you back whatever they like as long as they provide a tracking number PayPal or eBay will decide in their favor and they will be completely refunded.
Good luck selling your item in the first place though, eBay has become over saturated with fake Chinese knock-offs of everything from Mp3 players to brand name clothing. These sellers are usually power-sellers and will rank higher than you in searches and visibility because eBay does not care about authenticity just sale volume. eBay has now changed there store policy to if you have a store the items in it now show up in the main search result, where it use to just show up in a different section. Now all the stores that are flooded with thousands of products are showing up in regular search and it is crowding up eBay even more, making it less likely for someone to find your item when there are pages of useless spam in front of it.
The fact that you can only use PayPal to receive payments on eBay makes selling on this site an even worse experience. PayPal has been notorious in shutting down users accounts for no reason, with no explanation given. PayPal can close your account that has money on it and make you jump through hoops to get that money unlocked, unfortunately many times people either give up because of how hard it is to get their money back, or they complete all the steps and PayPal still leaves the funds lock. Scamming seems abundant within these two companies, so if you plan on selling on eBay using PayPal be careful, and never leave all your funds in your PayPal account.
Good luck selling your item in the first place though, eBay has become over saturated with fake Chinese knock-offs of everything from Mp3 players to brand name clothing. These sellers are usually power-sellers and will rank higher than you in searches and visibility because eBay does not care about authenticity just sale volume. eBay has now changed there store policy to if you have a store the items in it now show up in the main search result, where it use to just show up in a different section. Now all the stores that are flooded with thousands of products are showing up in regular search and it is crowding up eBay even more, making it less likely for someone to find your item when there are pages of useless spam in front of it.
The fact that you can only use PayPal to receive payments on eBay makes selling on this site an even worse experience. PayPal has been notorious in shutting down users accounts for no reason, with no explanation given. PayPal can close your account that has money on it and make you jump through hoops to get that money unlocked, unfortunately many times people either give up because of how hard it is to get their money back, or they complete all the steps and PayPal still leaves the funds lock. Scamming seems abundant within these two companies, so if you plan on selling on eBay using PayPal be careful, and never leave all your funds in your PayPal account.
Diet Sodas in General
The purpose of diet sodas is clear, to replace the sugar in normal sodas with a synthesized sugar substitute such as aspartame to give the drink a similar taste and contain zero calories. The purpose of drinking a diet soda would be to eliminate the calories you would normally intake from a regular soda and thus cut back on your daily calorie intake, in turn losing weight. The problem is that instead of losing weight, medical researchers have determined that drinking diet soda may actually lead to obesity. A study done by
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio states:
"The study of more than 600 normal-weight people found, eight years later, that they were 65 percent more likely to be overweight if they drank one diet soda a day than if they drank none. And if they drank two or more diet sodas a day, they were even more likely to become overweight or obese."
If drinking diet sodas does increase the chance of obesity in a user than it is completely counter-intuitive to drink diet sodas. It is better to drink regular soda in moderation. While both have their downsides, regular soda has been shown to actually be a healthier alternative to diet soda, defeating the entire purpose of even having a diet soda. Companies such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola are trying to trick their customers into believing they can lose weight and drink the sodas they enjoy, but this is nothing more than a ploy by the soda industry to keep customers.
-Pros
*No sugar or calories
*Low sodium
*Zero carbohydrates
-Cons
*Possible increase in weight
*Tastes worse than regular soda
*Larger number of preservatives
*Negative effects on the liver, kidneys, and other organs
*No nutritional value
*Contains carbonic acid which is bad for the intestines
*Artificial sweeteners are metabolized as carbs which can cause long term health problems
*Increase in hunger/cravings for sugar
*Potential cancer risks
*Tooth decay
If you value your health it is safe to say that you should stay away from diet sodas, and carbonated drinks in general. Just like all things, it is okay in moderation, but it is when you let your soda addiction get out of control that you become a high risk for health complications and obesity. Always remember, if it sounds to good to be true, then it probably is.
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio states:
"The study of more than 600 normal-weight people found, eight years later, that they were 65 percent more likely to be overweight if they drank one diet soda a day than if they drank none. And if they drank two or more diet sodas a day, they were even more likely to become overweight or obese."
If drinking diet sodas does increase the chance of obesity in a user than it is completely counter-intuitive to drink diet sodas. It is better to drink regular soda in moderation. While both have their downsides, regular soda has been shown to actually be a healthier alternative to diet soda, defeating the entire purpose of even having a diet soda. Companies such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola are trying to trick their customers into believing they can lose weight and drink the sodas they enjoy, but this is nothing more than a ploy by the soda industry to keep customers.
-Pros
*No sugar or calories
*Low sodium
*Zero carbohydrates
-Cons
*Possible increase in weight
*Tastes worse than regular soda
*Larger number of preservatives
*Negative effects on the liver, kidneys, and other organs
*No nutritional value
*Contains carbonic acid which is bad for the intestines
*Artificial sweeteners are metabolized as carbs which can cause long term health problems
*Increase in hunger/cravings for sugar
*Potential cancer risks
*Tooth decay
If you value your health it is safe to say that you should stay away from diet sodas, and carbonated drinks in general. Just like all things, it is okay in moderation, but it is when you let your soda addiction get out of control that you become a high risk for health complications and obesity. Always remember, if it sounds to good to be true, then it probably is.
How to Make Money on YouTube
In order to start making money on YouTube you are going to have to do more than just sit in front of your camera and talk. You are going to have to build up a viewer base, by either vlogging about something you are passionate about, or finding something else to talk about that people are interested in. Many of the top YouTubers today follow the vlog format, on a schedule similar to television. All these YouTubers did not start with the subscribers they had though. They worked hard and pushed out video content almost everyday to give users an incentive to subscribe to their channel. Not every YouTuber has been so legitimate with their subscribers and views though, many used automated programs, also known as bots, to increase page and video views. Artificially boosting their videos to top watched and receiving more recognition than they deserved.
Now I'm not saying you should do anything illegitimate to build your viewer base but some of the most well known YouTubers did just that, and they are now profiting largely off it! After you have decided what you are going to vlog/make videos of and have built up a subscriber base of 500+ unique users you will want to apply for YouTube partnership. Only apply for partnership once you have uploaded a good number of videos and the total views for each video is in the thousands. Also make sure that you frequently upload new videos, YouTube will decline your application if you do not regularly upload new content. Another sure fire way to make sure your application gets declined is to have copyrighted material on any of your videos. Any music, or video content that you use that is not of you must have written consent from the original author.
If you follow the guidelines above you should get accepted by YouTube to become a partner, if you have not yet signed up for a Google AdSense account now is the time. Once you get your Google AdSense account up and running you can start placing ads on your videos. Each click that your ass get will generating revenue, while not much (often just a few cents per click) it adds up when you have thousands of people clicking the ads. Many of the top YouTubers report 6 figure incomes, just from making YouTube videos a couple times a week. If they can do it, why can't you?
Now I'm not saying you should do anything illegitimate to build your viewer base but some of the most well known YouTubers did just that, and they are now profiting largely off it! After you have decided what you are going to vlog/make videos of and have built up a subscriber base of 500+ unique users you will want to apply for YouTube partnership. Only apply for partnership once you have uploaded a good number of videos and the total views for each video is in the thousands. Also make sure that you frequently upload new videos, YouTube will decline your application if you do not regularly upload new content. Another sure fire way to make sure your application gets declined is to have copyrighted material on any of your videos. Any music, or video content that you use that is not of you must have written consent from the original author.
If you follow the guidelines above you should get accepted by YouTube to become a partner, if you have not yet signed up for a Google AdSense account now is the time. Once you get your Google AdSense account up and running you can start placing ads on your videos. Each click that your ass get will generating revenue, while not much (often just a few cents per click) it adds up when you have thousands of people clicking the ads. Many of the top YouTubers report 6 figure incomes, just from making YouTube videos a couple times a week. If they can do it, why can't you?
Nintendo's 6 Best Video Games of All Time
Nintendo has been a staple in the gaming community since the mid-70's and has brought us some of the most well known characters in gaming to date. This is a list of what I believe to be the six best and most recognized Nintendo games.
1. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES, 1990)
-While most people would place the original Super Mario Bros. In this place I think that Super Mario Bros. 3 is much more deserving of the spot. Super Mario Bros. 3 brought us everything that Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 2 did not. Such as unique levels spanning across 8 worlds, with each world bringing a unique theme to the table. Different armor suits that provide different "buffs" to Mario, And a plethora of new items to use with in-game benefits. It expanded on everything the previous Mario games brought us, without just rehashing content.
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2. (Wii, 2010)
-Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the best 3d Mario game that has been released. I was debating putting Super Mario 64 in this place but I realized that I would be putting it there purely for nostalgia and not because it is actually the better game. Super Mario Galaxy did to 3d Mario games what Super Mario Bros. 3 did to side-scrolling Mario games. It re-invented the play style without ruining the game that we have all come to know and love. While the basics are still the same (you run around stomping enemies, collecting coins, and retrieving stars), there is a lot of new added content that was not seen in any previous Mario game. Not only is there 120 stars to collect like in the original Mario game, but there is 120 extra stars to collect after you 100% complete the game. Giving this game a huge replay value and a lot of extra content for the fans.
3. GoldenEye 007 (N64, 1997)
-To this day GoldenEye 007 is still one of my favorite first-person shooters. This was the first FPS I had ever played, and the first multi-player game I had ever played, so you can imagine the impression that it made on me. GoldenEye had very fun basic "shoot 'em up" game-play with various necessary and secondary objectives on each level. This made the game have a linear feel and provided replay value for those wishing to complete all the secondary objectives in the level. What really made this game great though for me was the multi-player mode, maybe its the fond memories I have of sitting around with 4 controllers plugged into my Nintendo 64 with all my friends competing for top kills, but it was something that I had yet to experience in a game. It was something completely new and exciting to actually be able to kill your friend in a FPS video game, and I believe it has shaped a lot of current FPS games.
4. Pokemon Ruby And Sapphire (GBA, 2003)
-The best games to have been released on the Gameboy console in my opinion are the Pokemon RPG games. Most people would argue that Pokemon games are just for kids, but I disagree. The Pokemon games may not have the best story-lines but what they lack in story they make up for in game-play and just the amount of hours you can spend trying to complete everything this game has to offer. Th game-play is simple for the most part, you start off with a Pokemon and you go into the wild to collect more and battle trainers. After the first couple trainers though the game gets increasingly difficult to the point where even a seasoned gamer can lose a battle very quickly. There are literally hundreds of Pokemon to collect, and it is no easy task to catch them all, but it does provide for hundreds of hours of game-play. Once again giving this game a ton of reply value. By the time you reach the last trainer battle (which is actually 4 trainers) you better come prepared with great Pokemon, knowledge of how to play each one, and a ton of healing items. For something that is deemed to be just a kiddie game I believe it has the depth of any good RPG.
5. Banjo-Kazooie(N64, 1998)
-This game doesn't stray far from the Mario 64 formula, but it is one of the most fun platformers I have ever played. In each level you most collect the jigsaw pieces to advance, very similar to Mario and collecting stars. The difference between this game and Mario is that this game is HUGE, much bigger than the Mario 64 world. Banjo and Kazooie have many more attacks than Mario does, including punches, kicks, rolls, and even flying. The game graphics are also much better than its plumber counterpart. There's not much to say about this game other than it is a very fun platformer that doesn't just copy Mario, it breaks the mold and gives you a massive world to collect and explore in.
6. Resident Evil 4 (GC, 2005)
-Resident Evil 4 is a great and unexpected shooter to come out of a Nintendo platform. The game takes place in Europe and you play as Resident Evil 2's Leon S. Kennedy. Your objective is to rescue the presidents kidnapped daughter somewhere in Europe. Resident evil 4 provided a level of horror that hadn't been found in video games in a long time, especially not a Nintendo game. For a system that has been highly regarded as a kids console Resident Evil 4 comes out of nowhere and provides a chilling and immerse first person shooter experience. Throughout the game you will experience a load of new zombies that have not been found in previous Resident Evil games, and trust me these zombies are freaky. Get to close to certain ones and you will end up in a mini cut-scene getting your head sliced off with a chainsaw. Overall I'd say this is one of the best shooters to come out of Nintendo, if not one of the best shooters ever made.
1. Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES, 1990)
-While most people would place the original Super Mario Bros. In this place I think that Super Mario Bros. 3 is much more deserving of the spot. Super Mario Bros. 3 brought us everything that Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 2 did not. Such as unique levels spanning across 8 worlds, with each world bringing a unique theme to the table. Different armor suits that provide different "buffs" to Mario, And a plethora of new items to use with in-game benefits. It expanded on everything the previous Mario games brought us, without just rehashing content.
2. Super Mario Galaxy 2. (Wii, 2010)
-Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the best 3d Mario game that has been released. I was debating putting Super Mario 64 in this place but I realized that I would be putting it there purely for nostalgia and not because it is actually the better game. Super Mario Galaxy did to 3d Mario games what Super Mario Bros. 3 did to side-scrolling Mario games. It re-invented the play style without ruining the game that we have all come to know and love. While the basics are still the same (you run around stomping enemies, collecting coins, and retrieving stars), there is a lot of new added content that was not seen in any previous Mario game. Not only is there 120 stars to collect like in the original Mario game, but there is 120 extra stars to collect after you 100% complete the game. Giving this game a huge replay value and a lot of extra content for the fans.
3. GoldenEye 007 (N64, 1997)
-To this day GoldenEye 007 is still one of my favorite first-person shooters. This was the first FPS I had ever played, and the first multi-player game I had ever played, so you can imagine the impression that it made on me. GoldenEye had very fun basic "shoot 'em up" game-play with various necessary and secondary objectives on each level. This made the game have a linear feel and provided replay value for those wishing to complete all the secondary objectives in the level. What really made this game great though for me was the multi-player mode, maybe its the fond memories I have of sitting around with 4 controllers plugged into my Nintendo 64 with all my friends competing for top kills, but it was something that I had yet to experience in a game. It was something completely new and exciting to actually be able to kill your friend in a FPS video game, and I believe it has shaped a lot of current FPS games.
4. Pokemon Ruby And Sapphire (GBA, 2003)
-The best games to have been released on the Gameboy console in my opinion are the Pokemon RPG games. Most people would argue that Pokemon games are just for kids, but I disagree. The Pokemon games may not have the best story-lines but what they lack in story they make up for in game-play and just the amount of hours you can spend trying to complete everything this game has to offer. Th game-play is simple for the most part, you start off with a Pokemon and you go into the wild to collect more and battle trainers. After the first couple trainers though the game gets increasingly difficult to the point where even a seasoned gamer can lose a battle very quickly. There are literally hundreds of Pokemon to collect, and it is no easy task to catch them all, but it does provide for hundreds of hours of game-play. Once again giving this game a ton of reply value. By the time you reach the last trainer battle (which is actually 4 trainers) you better come prepared with great Pokemon, knowledge of how to play each one, and a ton of healing items. For something that is deemed to be just a kiddie game I believe it has the depth of any good RPG.
5. Banjo-Kazooie(N64, 1998)
-This game doesn't stray far from the Mario 64 formula, but it is one of the most fun platformers I have ever played. In each level you most collect the jigsaw pieces to advance, very similar to Mario and collecting stars. The difference between this game and Mario is that this game is HUGE, much bigger than the Mario 64 world. Banjo and Kazooie have many more attacks than Mario does, including punches, kicks, rolls, and even flying. The game graphics are also much better than its plumber counterpart. There's not much to say about this game other than it is a very fun platformer that doesn't just copy Mario, it breaks the mold and gives you a massive world to collect and explore in.
6. Resident Evil 4 (GC, 2005)
-Resident Evil 4 is a great and unexpected shooter to come out of a Nintendo platform. The game takes place in Europe and you play as Resident Evil 2's Leon S. Kennedy. Your objective is to rescue the presidents kidnapped daughter somewhere in Europe. Resident evil 4 provided a level of horror that hadn't been found in video games in a long time, especially not a Nintendo game. For a system that has been highly regarded as a kids console Resident Evil 4 comes out of nowhere and provides a chilling and immerse first person shooter experience. Throughout the game you will experience a load of new zombies that have not been found in previous Resident Evil games, and trust me these zombies are freaky. Get to close to certain ones and you will end up in a mini cut-scene getting your head sliced off with a chainsaw. Overall I'd say this is one of the best shooters to come out of Nintendo, if not one of the best shooters ever made.
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