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Releasing Your Indie CD with Print on Demand

2012-02-26T11:30:00.000-08:00

Looking for a major record deal? Join the club. It’s a club that just about every other unsigned musician is in already, too. But at least you’ll have plenty of company. For every artist who’s signed, there are thousands more who never even get a chance. Getting a record deal is as much about connections and pure luck as it is about raw talent and determination. If you do everything you possibly can to get a deal but keep coming up short, will your dreams be forever put on hold?

Lots of musicians who don’t get signed to a major label try releasing an independent record. They do it entirely on their own – from recording to mixing to producing to distributing to marketing and more. Self-publishing your CD is difficult, and it’s risky. But big risk is a requirement for big reward. If you’re going to self-release your CD, one way to maximize your potential for reward and success is print on demand (POD).

POD is exactly what it sounds like – your CD is printed as it’s demanded. In other words, your CD is replicated only when a customer purchases it. POD technology has a lot of great benefits for artists. Here are a few of them:

Minimizing Costs and Inventory
Most musicians don’t have a lot of money to spend on making their dream a reality. In order to create their CD with traditional publishing methods, they have to spend a lot of money up front ordering hundreds or thousands of copies. If not all of those copies sell, it makes a big dent in their profits. They also need to find a place to store all those CDs. With POD, you only have to pay for CDs as they’re ordered. You aren’t required to spend a lot of money up front, and you don’t have to keep a large inventory.

Maximizing Profits
With POD, you’re only printing the exact number of CDs that you sell. This allows you to maximize your profits because you aren’t paying for any extra CDs. Your profits won’t be reduced because you have a lot of extra stock that never sold. POD allows you to strike the perfect balance between manufacturing and sales.

Total Artistic Freedom
A major label has the potential to bring you major success. However, a major label will also take a great deal of control over you and your music because they have a stake in it. With POD and self-publishing, you’ll retain complete artistic freedom and control over your CD.

If you’re interested in print on demand for your indie CD, you’ll have to choose a POD manufacturer to go with. There are a lot of POD companies that specialize in CDs. Some of the major POD CD manufacturers are CD-Fulfillment, Mimeo, Mixonic, and Disc on Demand. One of the major POD publishers for books is CreateSpace, and they also products POD CDs. Each company has different policies and prices, so you’ll have to do some research to figure out which is the best one for your music.

As long as you’re willing to put in the time and effort it will require to market your CD on your own, POD is a great option for you if you just can’t get a deal.

Author Bio: Ben Sharp is always looking for great indie music. As a professional freelance writer, he never leaves home without his grammar checker and iPad. When he needs a media kit created, he partners with Miami Printing Company Associated Printing Productions, Inc. for outstanding results.

10 Awful Movies

2012-02-25T11:30:00.000-08:00

Over the course of the years, there have been many films that left us shaking our heads. While some movies aren't great, others are just plain awful. Here's a quick list of some of worst of the worst.

1. Glitter

Mariah Carey took a lot of heat for her role in the movie Glitter. Critics called the story line laughable, and audiences seemed to agree. The movie only took in $5 million at the box office.

2. Gigli

Fans of “Bennifer,” as Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were once known in the media, hoped to see the romance come alive on the big screen. Unfortunately, the movie about a mobster who falls for a lesbian hired to kidnap the brother of a federal prosecutor fell flat. Perhaps it was a sign of things to come, as the celebrated couple split not long after filming.

3. From Justin to Kelly

Staring American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson and the first runner-up from the first season of the hit show, From Justin to Kelly was a major flop. The choreography was so bad, a special Razzie Award, the Governor's Award, was created just for it. The movie has been called one of the worst musicals of all time.

4. Batman & Robin

It just goes to show that even A-list celebs can have a movie flop. When George Clooney took a turn as Batman, no one every expected the movie would be a total dud. Unfortunately, Clooney's campy portrayal of the superhero, combined with the subpar acting of his costars, led to a box office and critical disappointment.

5. Freddy Got Fingered

A bizarre movie from funnyman Tom Green, Freddy Got Fingered managed to break even, much to the chagrin of movie critics. Plagued with jokes about sexual molestation and sadomasochism, the movie features extreme shock comedy. The original cut received a NC-17 rating, though subsequent cuts downgraded the film to R.

6. Catwoman

Another fail for Marvel characters, Halle Berry embodied the title role in Catwoman. The film won four Razzie Awards, and made Roger Ebert's “most hated” list. It has a 10% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

7. Showgirls

Showgirls, which featured Elizabeth Berkley in the title role, was a major commercial and critical flop. The promotional content for the movie emphasized the overt sexual overtones of the film. In the end, perhaps that's what led the NC-17 to make a measly $37 million at the worldwide box office.

8. Monster a Go-Go

Movie flops are hardly a new occurrence. In this movie from 1965, an astronaut disappears after his space shuttle crashes on earth. The movie began production and abruptly stopped when it ran out of money. Production commenced once again down the road, though many of the original characters didn't come back. This led to a disjointed film that feels like a total mess.

9. Pledge This

Featuring Paris Hilton in the title role, Pledge This was not a commercial success. Critics weren't kind either, calling Hilton's portrayal of a sorority queen ridiculous and her acting pathetic. The movie's makers later sued Hilton for allegedly not promoting the film as much as she should have.

10. Battlefield Earth

Battlefield Earth, which stars John Travolta, Forest Whitaker, and Barry Pepper, was based on a portion of L. Ron Hubbard's book of the same title. The movie is on Roger Ebert's “most hated” list, and has won 9 Razzie awards. This officially makes it the film with the most Razzies of all time.

Author Bio: Frederick is guest blogger and movie reviewer also interested in art, registry mechanic and music.

Get Inspired: Favorite Travel Destinations Inspired by Box Office Movies

2012-02-21T11:30:00.000-08:00

When was the last time you watched a movie and gazed in wonder at the scenery thinking ‘I wish I was there’? It seems to be something that I do on a regular basis so I figured I’d start tailoring some of my trips around a few of those destinations that made me feel really inspired.

Last year I made it to Las Vegas for the first time, where I gazed at the fountains of the Bellagio in the style of Ocean’s Eleven, stared skyward at the gargoyle which was made famous by the flying mattress in The Hangover and watched the sinking of the Pirate Ship without the drama of Miss Congeniality 2. I also found time to visit Muscle Beach in Los Angeles, wander through Notting Hill, and sit aboard the Scottish steam train made famous as Harry Potter’s Hogwarts Express.

But if you think I’m some sort of ‘movie groupie’, think again. I don’t stalk location directors in my spare time, and I don’t plan all my vacations around the Hollywood box office’s opening reviews. It’s just that I see movies as a sort of personal travel assistant, opening the doors of opportunity by giving me a brief glimpse into some of the most amazing locations on Earth.

I’m not alone, either. Movie buffs from around the world follow in the footsteps of their icons to set foot on hallowed ground. Here are a few of the most popular destinations for adventure tours inspired by movies from this decade.

Lord of The Rings

This fantastic trilogy was filmed mostly in New Zealand, and in some of the most inaccessible parts of the country as well. The Tongariro National Park, with its three not entirely extinct volcanoes, played home to the dark lands of Mordor and are regularly visited by fans (and Orcs) alike. A private estate called Alexander Farm played the part of Hobbiton, and the remains of the tiny town can still be visited there today.

Twilight
Portland, Oregon is the filming location for this trilogy, and little about the area has changed. It was chosen for its eco-friendly outlook and its lush green vegetation that features so heavily in the movies. The towns of St Helens and Corbett are still there, of course, and true fans will recognize man of the waterfalls and other iconic landscape sights.

Pirates of The Caribbean
Who hasn’t fantasized about setting sail on a pirate galleon in the tropical blue water of the Caribbean? No? Well, if you ever find yourself craving a life on the open seas then your destination of choice should be St Vincent and the Grenadines,

the series of islands which played host to Johnny Depp’s infamous Captain Jack Sparrow and his cutthroat band of swashbucklers.

The Tourist
Even with the excellent acting skills of Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp in this beguiling tale of thievery and intrigue, it’s hard not to notice the even more enchanting lure of the famous city of Venice in which the film is set.

Of course The Tourist wasn’t the only movie to be set here, with Casanova, Casino Royale and Just Married only a few more on the illustrious list. The iconic St Mark’s Square is a main attraction, while the Grand Canal and the Rialto Bridge are must-visit sights in this remarkable city.

The Terminal
Actually, this one’s probably best avoided. The tale of Viktor Navorski and his enforced stay in New York’s JFK Airport is based on the true story, and will certainly strike a chord with anyone who’s had to endure the purgatory of being stuck in the departures lounge for any length of time. But even an unplanned overnight stay pales into insignificance in comparison to the ordeal suffered by Mehran Karimi Nasseri who was forced to live in the Charles de Gaulle International Airport for an incredible 17 years due to a bureaucratic loop hole. Not recommended.

Author Bio: Fiona Galloway is a travel writer who regularly takes adventure tours to fulfil her movie fantasies.

America’s Most Haunted: Take These Trips If You Dare!

2012-02-20T16:30:00.000-08:00

I’m a bit of a would-be movie buff but just lately I’ve had enough of romances, bromances and deep and meaningful films that sail straight over the top of my head. I mean, The Tree of Life, what was that about? And don’t even start me on Donnie Darko. So I’ve been watching less cerebral stuff like An American Haunting and The Amityville Horror – did you know these movies are based on real life events?

Anyway with the holiday season on the distant horizon it got me thinking about different types of activity holidays this year. If you’re trying to drum up new and interesting holiday ideas and, like me, the USA is your preferred destination, I challenge you to add this lot to your list.

Alcatraz, San Francisco
Immortalised (for me at least) in the Clint Eastwood classic Escape from Alcatraz, from 1934 to 1963 this foreboding place housed some of America’s most dangerous criminals, including Al Capone. The inmates of Alcatraz suffered indescribable humiliation and deprivation. A gradual slide into insanity was the norm. If it’s true that spirits return to haunt places where they were traumatised, Alcatraz must be full of ghosts! One prisoner was once found dead in a cell after screaming that he was locked in with a creature with ‘glowing eyes’. Guards tell a tale of an additional figure in the prison line up with a dead man’s face and sobbing has been heard from empty cells. Alcatraz remains a foreboding, desolate place, with a dank atmosphere of death. Visit if you dare!

Winchester Mansion, San Jose, California
If you’re staying in California, take a tour of the Winchester Mansion, built in the late 19th century by wealthy widow Sarah Winchester. It took workers 38 years of around the clock toil to complete this bizarre mansion with its false doors, 47 fireplaces, 3 elevators and a séance room. All to ward off evil spirits. It all made perfect sense to Sarah who was designing her house as instructed by the ghosts she consulted on a nightly basis. Rumour has it that organ music can regularly be heard in the Blue Room where Sarah died and the house is full of cold spots and strange lights. Why not try a night-time flashlit tour and see for yourself?

The Villisca Axe Murder House, Villisca, Iowa
Hmm, I wonder what happened here? Villisca is now a remote town in an isolated corner of Iowa. Back in the early 20th century it was a bustling, vibrant place until one night in June 1912 when tragedy struck. The six members of the Moore family (two parents, four children) plus two of their childrens’ friends were slaughtered as they slept peacefully in their beds. The murderer was never found, the motive remains unknown. Villisca was never the same again. In 1998 the house was included on the National Register of Historic Places and the home restored. The ghosts of the Moores and their guests are said to linger on in the house where they met their untimely end and paranormal sightings and occurrences are frequently reported. For the brave – or should that be slightly bonkers - overnight visits are available.

The Lemp Mansion, Missouri, Illinois
Continuing on the family theme, this mansion was another site of family tragedy. Owned by the Lemp family, the creators of Falstaff beer, the family’s first tragedy occurred in 1904 when William Lemp’s son died. Later William committed suicide in the house. Tragedy continued apace as Lemp’s daughter also killed herself, later followed by William’s brother Charles. Today the site is a fine dining restaurant but staff continually report apparitions, glasses flying through the air, doors opening and banging shut. The ghost of William Jr’s illegitimate son is also said to haunt the mansion. Born with Down’s Syndrome he was called ‘Monkey Face Boy’ and spent his life locked up in the mansion’s attic where passers by claim his ghostly face still appears at the window from time to time.

If those tales haven’t sent a shiver down your spine you need to get out there and visit! If you prefer your activity holidays and adventure tours to take place in the daylight, head for more salubrious destinations. Whatever your thrill of choice, get out there and have.. er.. fun. I’m off back to the DVD rental store. Perhaps I’ll go for a nice rom-com this time.

Author Bio: Kate Smedley is an avid fan of activity holidays with a difference, but not that different.

Vegas Movies

2012-02-20T11:30:00.000-08:00

Maybe you’re still recovering from your last visit to Las Vegas and fancy reliving some of the memories, or perhaps you’re saving up for an amazing trip and want something to wet your taste buds? Either way, this list of awesome Vegas movies will put you on the right road to satisfying those needs!

Oceans 11

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The perfect casino robbery film, you can choose from the original or the new re-make (which was just as good, if not better). The Oceans 11 films are witty, smart and sharp. The characters are great as are the plot lines – and you get to finish the film off with an amazing casino robbery. You’ll love this film if you’re a fan of heist movies!
Rain Man

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Rain Man still remains one of the most surprising Vegas movies. Based around the life of an Autistic man who inherits a huge amount of money and decides to take it all to Vegas. This film has a fantastic case (Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman) and gives away something a little deeper than the average Vegas movie.

The Hangover

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This is probably the most famous Vegas film at the moment, and seems to go about exploring everything the city has to offer. The plot follows the (rather eventful) bachelor party of a young group of men as they take on Vegas and plan to have the time of their lives. Interestingly though, the plot all happens the morning after as they try to piece together the night before, and get the groom to his wedding on time. The film is absolutely hilarious and brilliantly cast and scripted.

ConAir

So this film isn’t actually set in Vegas for very long (you’ll have to wait until the very end) – but totally worth adding to this list because of the amazingly shot Las Vegas plane crash during the last few scenes. The film is great too (it’s about a plane which gets taken over by convicts as an under police man tries to stop them) so it’s a win all round.
21

Definitely a new Las Vegas classic, this is an edgy and original film about a student who takes to gambling in Las Vegas to raise money for his studies, and finds Las Vegas has more of a hold on him than he’d ever have thought it could. It’s a fantastic film, with just the right amount of humour, romance, gambling and action. With Kevin Spacey as the supporting role, the cast is pretty top-notch too.
Casino

This is the ultimate Las Vegas movie, and considered one of the major classic of modern cinema. This amazingly shot film (by Scorsese) shows the glittering and glamorous side of Vegas as well as the brutal and crime ridden one. The film stars Robert DeNiro and Sharon Stone and concentrates on the lives of two mobster best friends as they struggle with their gambling and casino empire.
Indecent Proposal

A young married couple who are struggling financially head to Vegas to gamble everything they own and win the money back. However after their idea flops and they lose it all, an indecent proposal from a passing stranger could solve all their problems. Set among the glamorous hotels of Vegas and playing up to the sex, drugs and rock and roll lifestyle – this film is everything you’d expect from a Vegas movie. A good alternative for those who aren’t a fan of the heist options though.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

This film (before the Hangover came along) was one of the funniest and wackiest Las Vegas films. The film (staring the magnificent Johnny Depp) follows the travels of a young journalist as he covers the motorcycle show for his magazine. It’s gets a little wackier though as he and his friend go on a mad trip to find the “American Dream” in their (now famous) red convertible.

Thanks to Ladbrokes Bingo for this great roundup of Vegas Movies. If you have anymore to add, please leave a comment below.

Bart Simpson's Chalkboard Quotes and Scribblings

2012-02-16T11:30:00.000-08:00

Via: cabletv.com

Neuroscience Advancements & Lessons We Should Learn from the TV series “Dollhouse”

2012-02-15T11:30:00.000-08:00

Neuroscience has come a long way in the past few years. Scientists are making many new discoveries which could lead to developing new technologies and methods for approaching life, enabling us to truly embrace the full power of our brains. It could also lead to technology that allows scientists to link up our brains to weapons and technology, increasing our mental capacity while diminishing that of our enemies: curious and potentially dangerous tech.

Neuroscientists work to help make the world better. They are working for good and not evil. The developments in neuroscience also could be used to enhance brain capacity for learning, memory, or attention. It could potentially be used to prevent or cure Alzheimer’s. There are indeed several positive potentials for this type of research and the technologies that could come out of it. However this sci-fi geek can’t help thinking about all the many ways in which new neuroscience discoveries such as those listed in this article could result in more bad than good for humanity.

Is it time that we began to take heed of the warnings of sci-fi writers? Nothing is certain and surely not all sci-fi writers are inadvertently prophetic but as real life tries to catch itself up with science fiction, should we not pay more attention to the lessons learned in sci-fi stories?
One such sci-fi story and lesson can be found in a series that was sadly short-lived and ran briefly from 2009-2010 with two seasons. The series involved technology, developed through advanced neuroscience among other things, which could erase a person’s brain and replace it with a new personality for military and pleasure purposes alike.

Dollhouse, created by Joss Whedon, may have not been extensively popular according to the networks, but its fans were devoted (count me in there!) and its willingness to delve into issues of technological and societal moral grey areas and outright deception made it a work of staggering television genius. Those who stuck with it were rewarded with a twisted and emotional tale that demonstrated the fragility and strength of the human mind, will power, and identity. It also showed clearly how technology and associated money and power can corrupt and destroy humanity.

Neuroscience in itself is a wonderful, powerful discipline but as our discoveries run feverishly toward the realm of science fiction let’s pause for a moment to consider how this could go wrong.
Here are a few lessons we could learn from Dollhouse:

Technology that can enhance our brains could also destroy them. In Dollhouse, a technology was developed which could copy and store memories thus enabling healing from mental deterioration and other positives. However this same technology enabled elite, privately funded organisations to erase and replace personalities and sell people with fabricated personalities to the highest bidder. Sound far-fetched? Maybe it is, but when you consider that slavery and prostitution rings still exist, then tie this in with neuroscience tech gone array (very possible), you’ve then got a very sinister future where even your own personality could be at risk.
Money is the ultimate decision maker. In Dollhouse, money doesn't buy happiness, it buys fake people! Surely our current economic climate should give sway to this concept that historically money influences people's decisions more than almost anything else. Money is powerful. Maybe capitalism will fall in our lifetime. Maybe cash will cease to be the mighty sword that it is, turning good man bad, turning businesses to corruption. But I have little to convince me any of this will happen in my life time. Despite protests, cash is still the ultimate playing card. Humanity is so easily swayed and influenced by money. We know this. We see evidence of this every day. Despite neuroscientists seeking to create good out of technology and research that could turn bad – the fact is if it can be used for weapons or negative purposes, it will be. Especially if the tech can make certain people rich.
Humanity as a whole if left solely to its own devices will destroy itself with its own technology. I don’t say this to be pessimistic, but human history has taught us that humanity needs order to exist in some semblance of harmony. If a technology becomes available that can upset the order of things, chaos will inevitably ensue. Humanity on its own is chaotic. All of us, en masse, are a little bit crazy. There’s a reason societies have evolved with structures and systems to create order. They may be flawed systems but at the moment they work (mostly) if only to keep us, or certain members of us, from losing too much control. If you insert technology, especially mind-altering technology into this equation we’re pretty much doomed. Especially in a survival situation. Survival of the fittest then becomes survival of the sanest or the smartest, where we struggle to maintain ourselves in a society where you can have your self removed and replaced in the blink of an eye.

Dollhouse is of course fiction. The technology discussed in that innovative television series is complex and unlikely to exist in the real world. Still, as neuroscience, robotics, and other technology advances at lightning speed it would be smart for humanity to stop and take stock of how quickly we have come to this point.
It very well could be that we stumble upon a future we thought only possible in fiction (and not a good one!). The only way to prevent that from happening is to think through and estimate all possibilities and slow down neuroscience and technological progress long enough to get a sense of the potential results, both positive and negative. If we don't do this, the Dollhouse scenario or other sci-fi scenarios really could become reality!

Author Bio: @kimberleynewey is a writer of fiction and non-fiction both scripted and prosaic. She hopes technology doesn’t destroy us and indeed finds some encouragement from companies like Global Integration who use technology to help bring people together through cultural diversity training.

Biggest Loser, Good or Bad?

2012-02-14T11:30:00.000-08:00

I used to be religious about watching The Biggest Loser. Even though I would record it on the trusty DVR, I would still watch everything. The contrived product placements, the grunting and sweating, Bob and Jillian yelling out “last chance workout” while looking like angry parents. Even thought the show clocks in at a whopping two hours (and it could easily be 20 minutes long) I still watched the whole thing.

But now, for a variety of reasons, the bloom is off the rose. I can no longer bring myself to watch this show, and I think your own personal DVR needs to lose some much needed, Biggest Loser weight. Here’s why:

It’s not actually motivational – if you’re like me, you watch this show with a combination of morbid curiosity and incentive/hope that it will encourage you to actually work out and be healthier your own self. But does this ever really happen? Does anyone actually step into a gym to get their work out on because they just watched a 450-pound man lose 2.1 pounds last week and get sent home? Sadly, I don’t think so. Since the show is two hours, I get hungry watching and find myself eating lots of junk food.
Trainer carousel – This show was at its best when Bob and Jillian were murdering their teams of portly people with death stares and yells. Jillian is now departed and we’ve had a pair of “mystery trainers” for three weeks, Anna Kournikova for one very brief season, and another random trainer this year that I don’t even want to get to know. When contestants have been on this show longer than the trainers (Daniel, Shea) that’s a bad thing.
It’s actually unhealthy – there, I said it. And it’s not like I’m some huge fitness freak or anything, but I really think that the model of the show (work out and continue to lose weight every week while you compete for a $250,000 prize) does not lend itself to creating actual fitness. Do they create some incredible body transformations? Absolutely. But the way that they go about it is inherently unhealthy. Limiting large people to an 800-1200 calorie diet per day and then expecting them to burn 5-6,000 calories per day means that they’re going to be burning valuable fat AND muscle and also, not getting enough food to actually fuel their body. The fact that this show runs for 12 weeks and the expectation is that they need to lose at least 100+ pounds to be successful simply means they don’t have the time to lose weight in a completely healthy manner.
Unrealistic cardio – To achieve their daily “burn” these poor people are sometimes working out 6-8 hours. A day. This is all fine and dandy while they’re on the show and they have literally nowhere else to go, but what are they supposed to do when they’re released back into the cruel, unforgiving real world? Quit their jobs so that they can work out? And what are the rest of us supposed to do if we’re trying to attain their “healthy” lifestyle? Work out for a living and eat postage stamps for lunch because that will be all I can afford? Maybe if Jillian shows up to explain the fiber content for me.
It doesn’t really work - According to Season 1 contestant Ryan, the outward effects of the show only lasted for a month. And after finishing the season at 208 pounds, he now weighs 300. These are people that have struggled with weight for most of their lives and if they’re not able to focus on it at an exclusive ranch, they’re most likely not going to keep it off. Erik Chopin went from 407 pounds to 193. But a few months after being on the show, Erik was back up to 368. Bob Harper told him that he understood how hard it was to keep the weight off, however "You know how to take it off and you know how to put it on, what you don't know is how to live your everyday life," Exactly, Bob. Learning how to live their everyday life should be what this show is about. Instead we get circus freak transformations that are fun to look at, but simply aren’t realistic enough.

What are your thoughts about the show? I would love to hear your point of view.

Author Bio: Tyler watches a lot of TV and when he is not watching it he is blogging about it. He is a writer and marketer for www.uscharterservice.com you can follow more of his posts @TylerBMoore

Top Three Films Featuring Televisions

2012-02-13T16:30:00.000-08:00

Television is an inescapable part of most contemporary people’s lives. As such, it’s no surprise that the television has become a widespread pop culture motif. The TV set can take on a number of roles on film from friend to enemy (or else the catalyst for making either of these), but one thing’s always for certain: if a TV appears prominently in a movie then it’s probably in order to make some kind of point (although this can range from something enduringly meaningful to a mere illustration of a certain part of the plot).

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Also, of course, featured in Tim Burton’s 2005 adaption Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, television is the main vice of the rather aptly named Mike Teavee. Finder of the fourth of Willy Wonka’s Golden Tickets, his portrayal has varied in the various adaptations of the story. However, in all of them he is an avid watcher of television, the majority of his bad behaviour generally attributed to this. He ends up being shrunk by Mr Wonka’s experimental Wonkavision technology, which broadcasts not images but objects through the air waves to people’s televisions. Although this is ultimately remedied by his being stretched on some of Willy Wonka’s candy making machines, Mike Teavee is never the same after his factory adventure.

Pleasantville (1998)

Pleasantville is a visually impressive film wherein protagonists David and Jennifer get sucked into a black white 50s sitcom. Breaking the TV remote during a spat and unable to turn the TV on any other way, the pair are mysteriously visited by an enigmatic repairman who presents them with a replacement (which just so happens to cause the aforementioned mishap). Although initially attempting to act in character so as not to interfere with the show’s usual plotline, the siblings slowly start to change the world they now inhabit. The world starts bursting into colour, and the titular town eventually begins to expand beyond its few fictional streets. Although Pleasantville’s residents initially fight the change, they eventually embrace the presence of colour and passion in their lives.

Ring (1998)

This notorious Japanese horror film that has had a number of sequels, prequels and reimaginings, Ring is widely acknowledged to be one of the scariest horror films of all time. Focusing on a video tape that, once watched, results in your death after seven days, it follows reporter Reiko Asakawa as she attempts to investigate the mysterious deaths of a group of teenagers who watched it. However, it turns out that they only way to escape the same fate is to make a copy of the video and pass it on to somebody else. The film also subtly begs the question as to whether you would be better or worse off for having the best LED TV to watch it on (probably the latter).

Author Bio: Carol Brown wouldn't really like to encounter any of these TVs in real life!

Virtual SEO Office:The Future Ahead

2012-02-13T11:30:00.000-08:00

The way to start and operate a business has changed a lot in just the past few years. If creating a new SEO business is a future venture, thoughts about whether or not having a SEO virtual office business is one thing to consider. One major decision in the choice of a virtual office is location: Where is this business going to be set up?

There is no such thing as "distance" becoming an obstacle with our current internet capacities. Workers can come from all parts of the globe and not have to travel long distances for office meetings. Everything can be done from the comfort of home, on the couch, or at the computer desk. Just like any other style of business, there are good points and bad points to choosing a SEO virtual office.

Finances
Here's a reason many businesses rise to the occasion or fall flat on its face. The amount of finances being put into the business. Virtual businesses have the ability to keep overhead on the lower end of the spectrum, freeing up the amount of cash that runs to the pockets of the businesses workers. Most of the beginning finances of opening a business are finding the right office space to set up work in. Traditionally, there is rent that needs to be paid for offices; but if the business is virtual, all that is needed it the existing equipment and a solid starting ground. Typically someone’s home or a business within a business - if the company is daring enough.

Opportunities

Many people believe that the smaller something is, the easier it is to overcome something bigger. Most of the time that is true; at least in the world of businesses it is. Small businesses are able to out-maneuver the larger companies by pumping out more products because the inner workings are more efficient and can work faster without bumpy roads.

Large companies that aren't virtual tends to have a lot of "dead time"; where employees spend more time getting ready, or just driving to work instead of actually working. Small virtual companies, however, kill that "dead time" because there is little reason to get dressed up or drive anywhere, because the "office" is already there. The dead time used in virtual offices is the time to turn on computers, which doesn't take very long at all.

Longer Hours
Time is more like a double edged sword; while it's nice to have the office at home, one will find that the difference in "work" time, and "no work” time tends to merge together until there is a forced boundary set up allowing the worker to back away from the computer. It is based more around the mentality of the surrounding area being more comfortable, which lets the worker produce at a much higher rate than being tied to an office chair.

Many find this to be a benefit; more time spent working means more product being pushed out. The others, feel like working from home takes away from family time, or personal time, because it's much easier to get wrapped up in ones work without someone reminding us to go home.

Virtual offices are a rather tricky subject to cover for some people, because the thought of a rather successful business running smoothly in something that isn't an office seems off putting to them. It is possible; however, the company and workers just need to keep a straight and narrow schedule to keep things running smoothly.

Whether the choice to have a traditional business or a virtual business comes along in the future, the choice is up to the owner and the workers. If the thought of saving money and working from home is something that strikes a high interest in the business, virtual is the way to go. If not, better start arranging commuting trips for those early morning carpool rides.

Author Box
The article is shared by George Martin. George is keen observer, traveler and complete foodie. Professionally he is blogger and efficient and hard working trainer. Visit his site to know more about serviced offices Melbourne and virtual office.

Must have household robots

2012-02-09T16:30:00.000-08:00

2012 is surely the time for the robot revolution, or the only time, since the world is going to end in a few months, again. As long as we still have time, you might as well sell your possessions and buy these amazingly helpful robots.

iRobot Roomba 570
Nobody wants to vacuum their own house. The new iRobot Roomba 570 features improved navigation, in order to move through the house more efficiently. It can un-tangle itself from the carpet, clean corners and edges and even tells you when something is wrong. The Roomba also has a remote control, which enables you to move your robot wherever you want (as long as you can see where it is going).

The Roomba also has improved Lighthouse technology installed, which ensures that it sweeps the whole room and enables it to calculate how large a room is. This way, it will clean the whole room before moving onto the next one, leaving no dust or bunnies behind. It follows a time schedule religiously (which you can enter into the Roomba’s interface) and recharges itself when running low on battery power.

Zucchetti Lawnbott
This little Italian-designed lawn cutting robot is light and small and can still cut your lawn with precision and speed that is rarely seen among automated lawnmowers.

This Lawnbott determines the growth rate of your lawn and adapts its schedule so that the grass will always be cut to the length you want. It can handle an impressive 33,000 square foot area, and can cruise on a 27 degree slope without shutting down. You can also run this robot on Sundays, since it is very quiet (no more rocks thrown at you from the neighbour’s house).

Wakamaru
If you need a date night with your wife or husband, but you don’t have someone to call, what should you do? Power up your Wakamaru nanny robot, which will care of everything, of course! This human sized robot was created in Japan and is designed to keep an eye on the elderly and your children. It can be programmed to contact you or a designated person should anything go wrong

It is also programmed to contact the hospital or police if it recognises a problem with the children or elderly people. It will follow your parents and children around and is able to interact with humans as well as recognise facial expressions. It currently recognises 10,000 words, which isn’t a bad start for a lifeless being.

Rovio Spy Robot

When you’re away from home on a business trip, or on holiday, you need someone to look after your home. Hiring someone to look after your home is an option, but wouldn’t you rather have Rovio the security bot zipping through your home, scanning for danger? With the power of Wi-Fi, you are able to control this spy robot from anywhere in the world with a console control, mobile phone or pc. You’ll be able to check on your pets to see if they have been fed, or browse the house to see if anything is misplaced.

Robotic chairs which follow you around...
In a German library, a Dutch designer, Jelte van Geest's created a chair which follows you around the library so that you will have a place to sit if you want to flick through a book. As soon as you walk out of the library, it wanders back to its original location and waits for the next client. When it comes into commercial production, it should be great to have around the office or home when you really need to sit, or when someone tells you to “sit down a minute, we need to talk...”

Author Byline: Ruan is an experienced content writer and kid at heart who spends his down time with his children, either making lego models or buying them the next toy on their wishlist (currently the imaginext batcave).

Red Carpet Awards: The Treatment and Trivia

2012-02-09T11:21:00.000-08:00

When we hear the phrase ‘red carpet treatment,’ our mind immediately thinks of red carpet awards such as the upcoming Oscars or even the MTV award shows. Back in the day however, red carpet treatment wasn’t exactly the glitz and glam of these infamous red carpet award shows.

The origin of the red carpet

Did you know that the first reference to the red carpet in literature was in Ancient Greece? For those that enjoy reading gruesome fun facts, the red carpet came to signify blood and honour to the gods in Aeschylus’s Agamemnon.
Another thing you probably didn’t know about red carpets is that they weren’t originally intended for celebrities! The only red carpet awards were those that measured the paths taken by heads of state. These days, red carpets are known for hosting the highest level of glamour in the form of international product placement. Celebrity dresses are paraded and critiqued for the benefit of fans at home. But in times past, the red carpet was only rolled out for the likes of United States presidents like James Madison, who in 1961 walked on a red carpet to the bank of an Arcadia river.

Today’s red carpet

Most people think that the red colour of the carpet represents the aura of the celebrities who walk on it. New Yorkers who know their history, however, would inform us that the red carpet use originated with the railroad. If only those New Yorkers privileged enough to walk on the plush crimson carpet at Grand Central Station could see how times have changed. Presently the carpet comes in red, green and orange depending on the event. From promotion of the environmental awareness to the Nickelodean Kid’s Choice Awards, the red carpet has become a jack of all colours. While we’re waiting in anticipation for the red carpet to roll at the Academy awards, we should commemorate the fashion triumphs and failures of previous 2011 red carpet awards given. While everyone was completely captivated by Angelina Jolie’s green sleeved Atelier Versace gown, they won’t soon forget the nightmare that was Marisa Tomei’s Oscar dress.
With many more fashion foux pas and feats to look forward to in the upcoming months, it is no wonder that one can’t help being interested in the carpet where only stars tread. The traditions of red carpet awards and the legacy of the entertainment industry’s biggest events are truly fascinating!

Author Byline: Bella Gray is a budding enthusiast in household cleaning equipment. Having recently acquried a cylinder vacuum cleaner, she is now in pursuit of the best carpet washer.

By Nate | MiniHipster.com :::: kids street fashion & children's clothing trends / kidswear & childrenswear / childrens fashion & kids clothing trends

2012-02-08T10:25:00.000-08:00

By nate los angeles in MiniHipster!

By Nate | MiniHipster.com :::: kids street fashion & children's clothing trends / kidswear & childrenswear / childrens fashion & kids clothing trends

Comic Books Go Corporate – Should Superman Bow To Outside Interests?

2012-02-07T12:02:00.000-08:00

Image Credit
Comic books and the world’s greatest comic characters and brands have always held themselves separate from the world of humans. Part of what keeps our intrigue alive is the super heroes doing their jobs in an alternate universe, similar to ours. Throughout the history of comic books though there has been some blurring of the lines.
Good Triumphs Over Evil! – The War Years

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Interestingly, the birth of Superman and many other comic book characters was as a direct result of WWII. While Marvel’s characters were active against the forces of Germany and Japan. DC’s heroes tended (most of the time, at least) to shy away from the conflict. During the war, comics were used to promote patriotism, and jingoism even, with many super heroes coming down to aid the American war effort.
Clark Kent Goes to War

Image Credit
Issue #25 of Superman in 1943 had a story that was commissioned by the US military as a tool to explain what the Technical Training Command of the US Army did. This helped raise money and support for this division. Captain America was also roped in by the government to tell the world how to buy a grenade to help the war effort.
There are other examples of comic book heroes and characters and even entire comics devoted to promoting products. While many were used to promote and advertise specific comic merchandise and branded goods, there are just as many instances where comic book characters were plagiarised and used for marketing and corporate purposes.
Web Cereal

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Can you really trust a super hero after he has been given his own brand of cereal to punt? (This wasn't the first cereal he's marketed, either.
“Thwack!” Say The Fantastic Four

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All types of products got promoted by the super heroes of the day. The Fantastic Four were used to advertise chewing gum and even had a couple of cheesy lines to say in true comic book style.
Spidey Snake

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Spiderman had his own sub-story when this comic book was printed to advertise the Magic Snakes Puzzle. The question is always whether or not Stan Lee was involved in the marketing and advertising from his favourite character?

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Some corporate giants created their very own comics as an innovative way of advertising products. Charles Atlas could “Make you a Man”, but did the use of a comic book style dilute the big man’s message?
Cigarettes And Pimple Cream – Everything Got The Comic Book Treatment

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Although the Marlboro Man didn’t get his own comic book, a number of cigarette companies used to advertise their wares in comic books. Comic book adverts were considered a way of reaching the youth market and providing entertainment. The advantage of comic book ads was that they could easily introduce a character and provide different scenarios without having to create a new campaign.
Although the golden age of comics has died out, the internet is becoming a new environment for the creation of web comic books and daily comic strips that are used to entertain and educate, whilst delivering a global social message.

This questionably heroic collection was produced by Chessington Holidays; offering you official partner Chessington hotel deals.

3D Printing – Taking Piracy to the Next Level

2012-02-06T11:59:00.000-08:00

At the end of January, notorious torrent sharing website The Pirate Bay added a new category to their downloads – Physibles. The Pirate Bay describes physibles as “data objects that are able to become physical”. This is based on the growing market in 3D printing – these were once the property of high-tech labs but are now marketed as a consumer product for under £1,000. 3D printers such as the MakerBot ‘Thing-O-Matic’ are designed for home use and allow users to create almost anything from scratch. Just like a document printer, the Thing-O-Matic simply replicated a computerised design as a 3D product.
At the moment there are limitations of size and use but The Pirate Bay may be onto something by offering ‘physibles’. Currently, consumer 3D-printers print coloured plastics. The models are durable so are great as the toys in the image below. However, imagine if the printers could print all materials?

Physical Piracy

Currently, the main form of sharing is digital formats. A product is converted from physical to digital (CDs to MP3s, DVDs to Video files, Books to eBooks) but with 3D printing this has the possibility to go the other way. Users can turn digital files into physical object; a bit like downloading music and burning it onto a CD. In the future you could download a new part for your car or a belt and print it in your own house. If this becomes a reality then manufacturer’s could seriously be in threat – why pay for somebody to design and make a product for you when you can it all yourself? As one commenter writes on Pirate Bay’s announcement, ‘You wouldn’t download a car would you? I WOULD IF I COULD!!’
You would only ever have to pay for the printing materials and everything else would come free. Pirate Bay may see this as a perfect opportunity for piracy but a huge positive is for content creation.

User Generated Content

Currently, to create, produce and market a product requires hefty financial backing. That is why shows like Dragon’s Den exist. There is a wealth of budding creators waiting to launch the next big thing but held back by monetary constraints. They may have perfected the design phase or even created a prototype but the next steps – consumer feedback, production and marketing – don’t come cheap. However, 3D printing allows designers to make their own products or even to market their designs round the world for others to print. 3D printing could do for product design what YouTube did for video, Soundcloud did for music and eReaders did for books. User generated content is on the rise.
This is a controversial talking point in the marketing world at the moment as designers argue whether designs should be free or not. Each 3D printer comes with a ‘design store’ or catalogue where users can download templates for printing. Some stores are free and allow open sharing between users. Others charge for all designs where the designer and the printer manufacturer share the profits. There’s also the possibility for stores to operate like mobile app stores with the designer setting the price.

Fad or Revolution?

A lot of people think 3D printers are just a fad for graphic and product design communities and will never go mainstream. That may be the case in their current form but as 3D printers become larger and more intricate I think there is the opportunity for a real manufacturing revolution. The Pirate Bay believes that 3D printers are just the start and that in 20 years we will be downloading our clothes. According to them, physical sharing will mean ‘No more shipping huge amounts of products around the world. No more shipping the broken products back. No more child labour. We’ll be able to print food for hungry people. We’ll be able to share not only a recipe, but the full meal. We’ll be able to actually copy that floppy, if we needed one.’
That’s adventurous thinking but it could be closer to the truth than many people think!

This article was written by Silicon Beach Training. We provide some of the best design courses in the UK including InDesign Training and Illustrator Training. We never oversell courses so that everyone gets what they came for.

Pop Quiz: What are the Best Trivia Apps?

2012-02-04T13:10:00.000-08:00

Are you a know-it-all? Hot on the pursuit of all answers trivial? If so, then what you need are some great trivia game apps to download onto your phone! Whether you have a photographic memory, love to learn new things, or simply enjoy a good game, there’s never been a better time to find all kinds of trivia apps. And now you can take your mad trivia knowledge skills to the next level with cross-platform and multiplayer functionality!

Ben Stein: It’s Trivial (Griptonite Games):
If you’re looking for a single-player trivia game app, you’ll probably want to take a look at Ben Stein: It’s Trivial. It’s not hard to imagine that a Ben Stein trivia game is going to give you both attitude and a challenge, and It’s Trivial does just that. This app has a lively retro graphical interface, regular and bonus rounds, and because it has Ben Stein’s name on it, you’ll get Ben Stein’s lip to go with. Get a question right, get a wry comment. Get a comment wrong, Ben slams you. Voice clips add a personal touch to an entertaining game. (IOS, Android)

Trivia Pursuit (Electronic Arts):
EA’s update to the classic game allows you to play with up to four players via Wi-Fi connection— and who wants to play Trivia Pursuit by themselves anyway? If you’re worried about running out of new questions to answer, or if you want a more specific topic focus, EA currently has five expansion packs available for purchase (TV, General Knowledge, Movies, Encyclopedia and Sports). The game also provides customizable time limits and difficulty levels for a more individualized game experience. (IOS, Android)

Trivia: Knowledge Trainer from Binary Family:
More than most, this trivia game is far more than just a game, it tracks your Trivia Knowledge Quotient as you play, and an adaptive question generator that ups the difficulty level as you get more questions correct—and dumbs the questions down if you’re getting too many wrong. Other features include a review function for missed questions, and the ability to play American, British and Australian-specific questions. Regional and world rankings show you where you stand against all other players. (IOS)

Trivia by Sporcle:
Aside from the straightforward and easy to navigate interface, the Trivia by Sporcle phone app provides phone gamers access to the massive user-generated database of trivia questions that Sporcle has been providing since their start in 2007. While most games use a more general set of trivia questions, the Sporcle advantage is in the extremely specific types of questions that users post for play. You can search for trivia questions by date posted, or go to the Categories section and pick a topic to challenge yourself with. Best of all, new games are added every day. (IOS, Android)

TriviaBurst by E5 / Bit33:
Opinions may vary, but this should be right at the top of anyone’s trivia app list. The first big advantage to what is touted as the Apple Store’s most popular trivia game is that it’s OpenFeint and HeyZap enabled, allowing you to compete in rankings against tens of thousands of other players. TriviaBurst also links to Facebook so you can get your FB friends gaming with you as well. If that’s not enough, TriviaBurst supports user-generated content, providing a new level of difficulty and obscure trivia questions—at present count, 40,000+ questions, and counting. Flashy interface that’s easy to navigate rounds out this fantastic trivia app. Get it now. (IOS, Android)

Author Bio: John Fisher also writes for www.triviaquestions.net, and enjoys everything from music trivia questions to a geography quiz.

Why You Should Make The Most Of Video Marketing in 2012

2012-02-03T12:30:00.000-08:00

In this article I am going to tell you how you can integrate videos into marketing. First of all, you must understand the fact that video marketing is nothing new to internet marketing strategy. It is being done by thousands of online business successfully over past many years. But recently in 2010 and 2011 we have witnessed a dramatic increase in the popularity of video content on social media sites like YouTube and Facebook. Many international magazines have reported that according to latest surveys people now prefer watching video on websites rather than reading a long 1000 words article. This has happened most probably due to the invention of modern and low cost video cameras that are able to record high quality videos with very little effort and arrangements.
Video marketing, if done properly can become your most lethal weapon of marketing, video marketing has the ability to deliver all kinds of emotions like happiness, love, hope, frustration and satisfaction. Sometimes, people don’t feel like reading a lot of text but still want to get some information, entertainment or communication, videos come in really handy in this situation to deliver you message and engage your visitors.
Your overall SEO can get a great boost if you mix video marketing along with your traditional SEO activities. Videos are a very good way of getting editorial links and increase brand awareness and credibility.
How to Create a Great Video for marketing?
The main idea behind video marketing is to deliver the message of your business in a very user friendly and efficient way, its purpose is to attract attention of your user. The worst you can do is to make your promotional video look like a sales pitch. Make sure your video gives your visitors something valuable, informative, and full of humor and insights. Video tutorials these days are in great trend, they also help you appear as an authority in your relevant field.
Distribution of Your Video
You should not only make a video and put it up on your website. But you should make the most out of every web channel that can be utilized in showcasing your video. Below is a list of sites/services where you can submit your promotional videos to get maximum exposure and traffic.

TubeMogul.com
Google Video
Yell.com
Metacafe
Dailymotion
Viddler

Conclusion
Video marketing can be a great source of online exposure, traffic and SEO boost if done properly. If you are serious about internet marketing, then it will be important that you start using this high potential marketing channel right away.

Author Bio:

Kenny loves to write on everything related to internet marketing where he has been quite successful. He is also a shrewd investor during his spare time. You can have a look at his site on How To Trade Commodities if you are interested in some investment tips.

Top 3 YouTube to MP3 Conversion Sites

2012-02-02T16:30:00.000-08:00

YouTube has become the internet's most dominant video hosting site, providing amateurs and celebs alike with a medium for sharing their songs and videos with the online community. Upon uploading your files to YouTube, the media is converted in the FLV (Flash Video) format. FLVs are optimized for the web, enabling sites like YouTube to host high quality content while making efficient use of web space. But if want to download your YouTube videos for use offline, you may find that FLVs aren't supported by your Smartphone or MP3 player. Avoid compatibility issues and save your YouTube videos in the MP3 format. While you may find a plethora of sites that offer YouTube to MP3 conversion, the following three sites round out the top tier of YouTube conversion services.

Convert your favorite YouTube media into MP3 audio files using Xenra's online media converter. After copying and pasting your YouTube video's URL into Xenra's text field, you'll be presented with several download options for capturing and converting your link at different quality levels. Simply select "MP3" option from the menu box next to the desired quality, and then click on the adjacent "Download" button to save the video as an audio file. Xenra also features a browser plug-in, which enables you to capture your YouTube videos without having to navigate to Xenra's homepage whenever you want to convert a video into MP3 format. And if you need storage space for your converted YouTube MP3 files, sign up for a free Xenra account to backup your converted media online.
http://www.xenra.com/tutorial

Video2mp3
Use Video2mp3's online YouTube to MP3 converter to transform your Youtube videos into MP3 format. Video2mp3 can convert Youtube media into MP3s at an impressive 256kbps (KiloBit Per Second), which falls on the higher end of MP3 audio quality. After locating your Youtube video and copying its URL, simply paste the link into the Video2mp3's conversion box. Select your quality setting, and then click on the utility’s "Convert" button to start the conversion process. After your Youtube video has been converted, you have the option to download the ripped MP3 file or an MP4 video of it.
http://www.video2mp3.net/

Visit ListentoYoutube's website to convert your YouTube videos into MP3 files. After copying your video's URL and pasting it into ListentoYoutube's text box, select your audio's quality setting from the two options beneath the box. You can select either "Standard Quality" or "High Quality." Note: the "High Quality" option is ineffective if the YouTube video is encoded in standard quality. After click on the site's "Go" button, your YouTube link will be converted into MP3 format. And then after a brief conversion period, ListentoYoutube will generate a download link for your audio.
http://www.listentoyoutube.com/

This article was written by Shon, owner of Australia's first dedicated YouTube to MP3 website.

3D Glasses - How Do They Work?

2012-02-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

Gone are the days of red and blue 3D glasses that were seen as a novelty, reserved for cinematic shows at theme parks or for floods of people flocking to their nearest cinema for the 3D version of Hollywood’s newest release.

In the comfort of our own homes we can now watch 3D television with 3D glasses without the old-fashioned one green one red lens fashion faux pas and unsightly red and green or red and blue image on the screen. That's a thing of the past as new 3D glasses - like sunglasses in appearance - are available.

So how do the new wave of 3D glasses work and allow us to see a 3D image?

In order to emit a 3D image, the television itself must deliver offset images that filter separately to the left and right eye. The most common way to do this is by viewers wearing 3D glasses that filter the offset images to each eye.

There are two types of 3D – active and passive. Active 3D glasses display an image on the left eye and then on the right eye, swapping in quick succession. The glasses themselves contain shutters that open and close in sync with whatever is displayed on the screen which allows the left eye to see the image for the left eye, and the right to do the same. Active 3D is the clearest form of 3D, and the resulting effect is a better quality picture.

Passive 3D glasses do not have shutters to send the image from the screen to the eye. The screen for passive 3D show one image for the left eye and one image for the right eye at the same time. The glasses contain filtered lenses which ensure that each eye sees the right image. The effect of passive 3D is that as the images are being shown onscreen at the same time, the resolution of the picture is half of that of active 3D, and the image is therefore not in full HD.

The older 3D movie screens incorporated red and green images on the screen which were picked up by the red and green filters on the 3D glasses and one image was sent to each eye, meaning it was difficult to have a good quality colour film via this old method of 3D.
Active and passive 3D allows for a more refined picture and a resulting better viewing experience all round.

Guest Author Bio:
Amy is a blogger for online glasses retailer Direct Sight

Latest Advancement in Smartphones Technology: Corded Handset

2012-01-31T11:56:00.000-08:00

What would encourage smartphone users to purchase handsets for their devices? It proves more entertaining to ask is why would these users buy these larger-looking corded handsets? Considering the options of the Bluetooth ear clips and the white ear-buds, it proves common sense as to why consumers are now more interested in headsets. If one thinks about it, assume you are sitting in an airport, and someone is sitting next to you speaking loudly with their ear- buds/clips on.

The images portrayed of these mobile phone users are intolerable, rude people who crave for everyone around them to hear them. It proves clear that not all ear-bud/clip users exhibit these traits, but if they chose to use handsets, it would give them a “regular” phone-feel, with increasing comfort ability which would give them an excuse to lower their voices when out in public talking on their phones.

How many times have you received inappropriate or freezing stares while using the ear-buds and ear-clips because passerby’s thought you were talking to yourself? The mobile headset lets you talk on the phone minus the strange looks because people will see the cord, making it clear you are talking on the mobile phone, instead of yourself.

There is an extra benefit with corded handsets; the cellphone attachments protect mobile users from certain forms of radiation that has been proved carcinogenic to users. What does this mean? It means that where the corded handset may not appear as cool as ear-buds or ear-clips, but it does prove safer to use.

A company titled “Yubz” began making corded handsets in the early 2,000s. Unbelievably, this product was originally created as gag-gifts for people who were steering away from their landlines and opting for cellphones as their primary phone line. After the beginning phase of the marketing launch for the product, the scare of cellphone radiation began circulating. Yubz decided to change their marketing strategy to include acompellingdetail about their product which was, “a reduction of cell phone radiation” with the use of their product. They include these helpful-findings on the corded handset packing materials.

The company “Imobifone” offers the latest and most cost-efficient handset market on the market. Their corded handsets retail for twenty-five dollars. “A + R” offers a French designer edition by David Turpi. The handsets come in colors such as magenta, yellow and virtually any pop-color you can imagine. Consumers are raving about these corded handsets due to the cute and stylish factors of the products. A + R corded handsets will run consumers thirty dollars.

Corded handsets will grow in popularity in the future. These products are stable and easier to keep track of. How many times have you lost your ear buds or ear clips? If you have lost the buds/clips often, you can demonstrate how expensive this becomes over a period? Handsets are larger and harder to lose. Even if, you lose a corded handset, they prove economical in replacing.

Author Bio: The post is contributed by William Taylor. William is fervent supporter of cloud computing and latest technologies. His world revolves around new and expensive gizmos. Visit his site for adsl internet and digital tv.

What's Good About the New YouTube Design?

2012-01-24T10:30:00.000-08:00

With the announcement of the new $100 million strategy to incorporate original design and content, YouTube has planned an intensive six week schedule to enhance the user experience. Owned by Google, YouTube's new design will see many transformations and benefits caused by Google's far reaching influence in the virtual world.

One of the most striking features of the new YouTube is the bold and futuristic look. Designed aesthetically to reflect a sharper UXDriven website, the new look of YouTube is pleasant and sophisticated. The Channels 3.5 design is simple and easy to navigate.

In the new and improved YouTube design, advertising on channels is more organized and well thought out. The flexible designing to place advertising allows the channel user to customize and create user flows and layouts that effective rather than the previous practice of randomly placing uploads and playlists. The new decision divides the YouTube UI in three or more environments. This tabbed browsing quality includes different environments like Videos, Feed, Custom and Featured. Making the UI more simplistic, the new design is compartmentalized to feature different types of content.

Another positive addition to the new design of YouTube is the integration of Google+. Although this change does not directly add to the features of the website, YouTube's reach will expand further with the addition of other Google ventures. The addition of the Google Search Plus Your World will make YouTube more powerful and accessible than before. Google's power on paid and organic searches will take YouTube to newer levels of visibility.

Marketers prefer to invest in websites that are capable of monitoring the viewers to detect patterns and make advertising more effective. Realizing the importance of analytics, YouTube followed the footsteps of Facebook Insights and Google Analytics to introduce the YouTube Analytics. This platform is robust and is accompanied by new metrics to monitor the website for demographics, views, comments, shares and measure Likes, Dislikes and playbacks.

Author Bio: Annabelle is a writer by profession and likes to blog about her varied interests. She represents Airsoft Gun and BB gun online store.

Is Pawn Stars Real or Fake?

2012-01-23T14:10:00.001-08:00

Although many recently reality shows have been discovered as being fake, the presence of these so called "reality" shows are not going anywhere. This History Channel's most popular program has often been called fake. Pawn Stars is viewed world wide and talked about across the globe. A small pawn shop in Las Vegas keeps it's television viewers entertained with countless historic items coming through the doors. But is Pawn Stars for real? A real person from the show speaks out on his YouTube channel in this video.

Five Technologies It’s Time To Let Go Of

2012-01-21T17:00:00.000-08:00

Technology marches on at such an impressive pace that we've had little time to mourn those inventions of the last fifty years that are no longer with us. The disappearance of such pieces of live-fast, die-young tech as the Dial-Up Modem seems especially odd when you consider that some entirely dated technology has held on to our affections for ages. Here are five technologies, some older than others, that we really should have euthanised by now.
Vinyl

There’s a pretty good chance that if you’re still harping on about vinyl, there are few other things you need to let go of. These things may include: your hair, the notion that teenagers are going to start playing on your recently cut lawn, your recently divorced wife of thirty years and all hope that Prog Rock is, and ever was, listenable.
You may even only have a physical age of twenty five, but your love of analog has aged you irrevocably. Completely unable to discern the ‘warmth’ of analog recordings, it’s only logical for me to conclude that, given your age and your regular consumption of music, you simply have Tinnitus.
Wristwatches

Wristwatches are still valid as an accessory, but as technology? Ok, so reaching into your pockets to grab whatever clock-possessing tech you have on your person is a little like returning to the days of the pocket watch. But it’s not like we’re in the trenches of the Somme: it’s time we can spare.
And no, I’m not saying that people should be throwing their timepieces into the fires of the Swiss Mount Doom from whence they were forged. It’s just that there are people out there, who genuinely believe that wristwatches are necessary, as opposed to being yet another way for them to preen and flash their wealth in your plebeian face.
Landline Telephones

Doomsayers tend to forecast the death of any technology that is incorporated into our mobile phones with great enthusiasm. This seems kind of ironic considering that after decades of mobile-phone usage, the landline still isn’t dead. Nevertheless, everyone under the age of sixty could live without their landlines, were it not for the inflated prices you have to pay to phone anyone you don’t particularly want to phone. Depending on where you live, you can get round this and live without your landline already: toll-free numbers are free to call via Skype. You know, as they say they should be.
Traditional Photography

Subject to precisely the same sentimental nonsense as vinyl, traditional photography is meaninglessly touted as somehow ‘more authentic’. Typical digital cameras on the market nowadays match the resolution of film with less noise and grain. And you don’t get more ‘what you see is what you get’ than the digital experience either.
Sure, film has complex benefits over digital. But if you’re not a high-tier professional, preaching about them is a kind of Clear Blue for pretentiousness. And the snobbery that goes with that impression is justifiably detected: the beauty of digital is that it opens photography to those who don’t have to make every single shot count. Today’s photographers can learn on the job without having to spend prohibitive amounts of money on film and on developing their pictures. Typical digital camera prices allow absolutely everyone to get in on the fun. The easy portability of image data even means that everybody can choose to ignore your holiday snaps via email, Facebook, Flickr and all kinds of avenues.
Games Consoles

Whipping up a little drama in the gaming industry is a little difficult these days. Claiming anything is dead or dying and trying to sound especially original is impossible. Right now, smartphones are pushing a pillow into the face of handheld gaming whilst their own pricing and lack of innovation are considered symptoms of a coming implosion. Then there’s the PC, which has been slowly throttled by the home games console for over a decade.
And even games consoles are endangered technology. Seven generations of consoles have established a fairly predictable five-year cycle of innovation that has suddenly been broken. The technology behind the consoles is simply getting too expensive: Sony’s Playstation 3 has taken nearly five years to dip below £200 in the UK, whereas its predecessor took less than two years to reach that price point.
And what would the console manufacturers even do with a new generation? Nintendo’s Wii-U, which is apparently controlled by a fisher-price tablet computer looks an especially desperate attempt to answer that question. Games developers too also seem reluctant to step forward, production costs being as inflated as they are. Even consumer enthusiasm for the next big thing cannot be depended on: graphics are now subject to a law of diminishing returns that will mean that whatever these companies come up with next, we’ll shrug it off and barely recognise the difference in fidelity.
Something’s got to give. Cloud gaming services like Onlive mean that the platform you use is, in theory, irrelevant. Perhaps we’re headed to a future where games consoles are like any other entertainment player: a badged unit built around shared, standardised technology. Meanwhile the march of the consoles towards being fully featured PCs will be complete, and both platforms will die in the collision.

Author Bio: Steph Wood likes to stay ahead of the tech game and writes content for electronics retailer Comet, who sell a cheap iPad 2 in the UK market.

The Techniques of Infomercials and Why They Work

2012-01-21T11:00:00.000-08:00

In the brand management and marketing industry the idea of an infomercial is largely frowned upon. This is understandably so due to the overly enthusiastic infomercial presenter, annoying catchphrases, and obscure products present in all infomercials. However, despite this apparent repulsion infomercials do exceptionally well in this modern environment of advanced branding and marketing techniques despite the ongoing development of digital platforms and social media. Surprisingly, figures show that infomercial advertising brings in over £91 billion of revenue each year so it’s quite clear that something is working. But of course we know that, as we all have some infomercial product stashed away at the back of our kitchen cupboard and have at least once been glued to the infomercial television screen.

The Negative Perception of Infomercials

First of all, let’s have a look at why infomercials have such a bad reputation amongst branding and marketing officers. The look and feel of infomercial advertising with the eager salesman and testimonials seem a bit downmarket. Thus for many brands that rely on the ‘cool’ factor or have an upmarket brand image, infomercials could tarnish the brand. Also, brand advertisers simply believe that infomercial videos simply do not work. With the advanced marketing techniques and high budgets of campaigns today, it is commonly believed that something that simple cannot be effective. Finally, TV infomercials run against the grain of advertising in general and therefore against all the knowledge of an advertiser.

Advantages and Techniques of Infomercials

Now let’s look at the advantages of an infomercial and what techniques make the infomercial products sell. The most obvious advantage is production costs; an infomercial costs about a quarter less than most regular television ads. Second of all, because of the length of infomercials, the advert acts as a self-contained unit or presentation. Thus if you have a product with a specific function that sets it apart from competitor products, that cannot be fully explained in a slogan or in small print, infomercials will fully explain, answer any questions of doubt a viewer may have, and then re-explain the infomercial product. Just have a look at this example for fitness equipment, the 'Standing Ab' machine. Believe it or not, infomercials are engaging and convincing and if done properly, converts into sales. But wait, there’s more!

Neuro-linguistic Programming

The addictive quality that some television infomercials seem to possess can be accounted to a very specific technique used by infomercial producers, namely neuro-linguistic programming. Neuro-linguistic programming refers to a specific take on communication, personal development and psychotherapy that was developed in the seventies. It states that there is a connection between neurological processes and language in certain patterns of behaviours that have been learnt through experience. Although not supported by scientific evidence, its application was made popular by Tony Robbins, a self help guru, motivational speaker and infomercial expert. Whether or not the psychotherapy behind infomercials is correct or not, there’s no doubt that the infomercial’s call to action phrases get viewers dialling

Author Bio: Penny Munroe is an avid writer in the branding and marketing techniques used to sell products and services. After being persuaded into buying a steam mop and steam cleaning machines on an informercial, Munroe decided to look into why infomercials are so convincing, even though most of us are so repelled by them.

Doh! Potential Compensation Claims for Characters in ‘The Simpsons’

2012-01-20T18:56:00.000-08:00

The Simpsons is a widely adored television cartoon and as such, many people can recall classic moments and character quotes from the show with great ease. As someone who works within the industry of compensation claims, just some of the scenes that stick in my own mind include Bart trying to sue Krusty the Clown for appendicitis caused by ingesting a jagged metal Krusty-O (‘Round Springfield’, season 6, episode 22) and Mr Burns for hitting him with his car (‘Bart Gets Hit by a Car’, season 2, episode 10), Homer seeking compensation for being kicked out of an all-you-can-eat restaurant after eating too much (‘New Kid on the Block’, season 4, episode 8) and Marge wondering if she should sue Mr Burns for unfair dismissal from her short-lived job at the power plant (‘Marge Gets a Job’, season 4, episode 7).
I am however, surprised that there have not been more narratives in The Simpsons which explore claims for recompense since the potential for such is vast. Let’s take a look at just a few examples of where additional compensation claims could be made by characters in the show...

Ralph Wiggum: Excessive Paste Consumption

The problem:
The “special” child in the third grade of Springfield Elementary Ralph Wiggum has a penchant for eating paste which should actually be used for crafting activities during classes (‘I love Lisa’, season 4, episode 15, for example). Such a habit could cause major digestive problems in the long run for Ralph and this could force the boy to have time off from school and his father – Police Chief Wiggum – to take time off from his job, leading to a loss of earnings.
Who would be liable?
Schools across the United Sates are expected to purchase non-toxic glue for their students to use but considering how tight the budget for Springfield Elementary is (sneaking into an American Historical Battle re-enactment spot because the school can’t afford tickets for the students, anyone? – ‘The PTA Disbands’ Season 6, episode 21) due to underfunding it would not be shocking if the paste chosen by Principle Skinner was not safe for children.
If the purchased glue is up to the expected safety standards than Ralph would have no one but himself to blame should he become ill due to his habit.

Homer Simpson: Radiation Poisoning

The problem:
Nuclear power has the, er, power to cause all kinds of medical problems and genetic mutations – just look at the three-eyed species of fish Blinky! Since Homer has worked at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant for more than 20 years (in viewer time) it is hardly any wonder that all of his hair has fallen out and that his IQ apparently drops further as each day passes.
Who would be liable?
Arguably, as the employer and owner of the plant, Mr Burns would be to blame for any radiation-related medical problems that Homer might have. This explains why Mr Burns gave Homer a phoney award (the “First Annual Montgomery Burns Award For Outstanding Achievements in the Field of Excellence”) and a cash bribe of $2,000 when a routine health check at work revealed he had become sterile due to radiation poisoning (‘Brother Can You Spare Two Dimes?’, season 3, episode 24). Burns’ sneakily got Homer to sign a legal waiver denying the plant’s responsibility and therefore Homer of any accident at work compensation that he might deserve.
The fact that Homer is the power plant’s safety inspector could also stop any claims being unsuccessful as – arguably – he should have taken more significant steps to reduce the risk of radiation exposure for all of the plant’s employees.

Dr Nick Riviera: Medical Negligence

The problem:
Inept quack physician Dr Nick Riviera has apparently avoided being sued by any of his patients for medical negligence to date but this is somewhat miraculous. In ‘Homer’s Triple Bypass’ (season 4, episode 11), it is implied that Nick’s “old friend” Mr. McGregg – who has “a leg for an arm and an arm for a leg” – does so due to Nick’s incompetence. Dr Nick has also been seen digging up bodies for organs in Springfield Cemetery (‘The Girl Who Slept Too Little’, season 17, episode 2), presumably for use in his unwell patients.
Who would be liable?
Dr Nick would be held responsible for damage caused by his unqualified medical work, as would any practise that mistakenly hired him as a certified doctor (some of the certificates in his office in ‘Bart Gets Hit By a Car’ (season 2, episode 10) read “Club Med School”, “Female Body Inspector” and “I went to medical school for four years and all I got was this lousy diploma” indicating that he is a complete fake).
Local governments usually work very hard to protect practising doctors from claims for compensation but unfortunate patients of Dr. Nick would surely be entitled to a huge payout.

Troy McClure: ‘Fishy’ Abuse

The problem:
In ‘A Fish Called Selma’ (season 7, episode 19) it is revealed that washed-up movie actor Troy McClure has a fetish for doing less than savoury things with fish – one of the main reasons cited for his “career” forever being on the rocks. Troy’s self-described “sexual abnormality” left him quite unpopular with the folk down at the Springfield Aquarium who would no doubt sue should they once again catch the 1970s star engaging in unspeakable acts with their collection of ocean friends.
Who would be liable?
Obviously Troy would be responsible for anything that he does to the aquarium’s fish but he could perhaps claim he was in a state of “temporary madness” as a result of his weird obsession and thus; perhaps reduce the amount of compensation that he would be ordered to give to the venue and its owners.
Troy might also have to pay for damages related to any films in which he was due to star before the ‘fishy’ story hit the headlines, ruining their chances of success and the profit margins of Hollywood studios.

The author of this guest post – Kat Middleton – is employed as a specialist car accident compensation lawyer.