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.
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