tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87450102010926354412024-03-13T03:47:33.413-07:00Chatterbox ChuckAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-22253821116933252342014-01-04T07:43:00.001-08:002014-01-04T07:46:39.429-08:00Why Are You On Google+? Seriously.<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-JNBAazqB-y4/Usgr-iNiJ1I/AAAAAAAAZjE/j2KMSOr33c0/s1600-h/CircleCount.com%25252B-%25252BGoogle%25252B%25252BStatistics%25252B%25252B%25252BGet%25252Byour%25252BCircleRank%25252B%25252B%25252Bsee%25252Bthe%25252Bmost%25252Bpopular%25252Bpeople%25252Bat%25252BGoogle%25252B%25255B1%25255D%25255B6%25255D.png"><img align="right" alt="CircleCount.com - Google Statistics Get your CircleRank see the most popular people at Google [1]" border="0" height="490" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Z7bhAl-sFjk/Usgr_bvgxXI/AAAAAAAAZjM/xmBAGhrD8CY/CircleCount.com%25252B-%25252BGoogle%25252B%25252BStatistics%25252B%25252B%25252BGet%25252Byour%25252BCircleRank%25252B%25252B%25252Bsee%25252Bthe%25252Bmost%25252Bpopular%25252Bpeople%25252Bat%25252BGoogle%25252B%25255B1%25255D_thumb%25255B4%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" title="CircleCount.com - Google Statistics Get your CircleRank see the most popular people at Google [1]" width="260" /></a> <br />
Last year I found myself wondering why my posts were not gaining any attention from the 13,000+ followers I have. A quick search on my circlecount.com profile revealed that in 2013 I had gone from 2,870 followers in January to 13,066 by December. I was blow away by how many people felt I was worthy of being followed, but I also realized that perhaps I was celebrating such an accomplishment a bit too soon.<br />
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Granted the stats also show I had a poor number of posts in 2013 (660 is not exactly an super active Google+ user) and that I received nearly 3 times as many comments but still that’s not that many comments considering the number of people who are following me.<br />
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I was a bit disappointed as I actually wanted to be a bit famous on G+ and have lots of people follow me and comment on my stuff like some of the more popular Plussians on here. I kept wondering if maybe it was me, my style, the topics I choose. In a way it is partially my fault, those numbers in my stats don’t lie. But I also realized that I was depending on the number of followers I had to thrust me into G+ stardom while ignoring the truth behind that number. A truth I better understood after reading <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/116024884086268367178" target="_blank">+Jesse Wojdylo</a> post <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/+JesseWojdylo/posts/XwWETm5qjGE" target="_blank"><strong>What Does It Mean to Have Over 50,000 Google+ Followers?</strong></a><strong> </strong>which spoke about <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/110619855408549015935" target="_blank">+Eli Fennell</a> , an awesome Plussian and a blog post titled <a href="http://wojdylosocialmedia.com/living-google-suggested-user-list-revisited/" target="_blank"><strong>Living with the Google+ Suggested User List Revisited</strong></a> that he wrote. This is when I realized that all my excitement over my 13,000+ followers was nothing more than excitement over a huge number that really means nothing if most of them don’t bother to interact with you.<br />
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And thus this conclusion brings me to my question. Why are you on Google+? Seriously. Why? I can’t deny at first I was one of those people who wanted Google+ to become “the social media site to be on” and crush Facebook because to be honest I find Facebook to be boring. I love my family and the few friends I have on FB but I have to be honest and say that I get bored of all the food pictures, selfies, random “what a boring day” short posts and constant pictures of religious images and quotes from a bunch of hypocrites. I’m Catholic but I can’t stand people who claim to be religious and carry themselves as if they do no sins yet seem to have more in common with the devil. But I digress. Basically I found very little interaction on FB that lead to awesome debates, discussion and even arguments on the latest and greatest in tech, what’s in the news or even politics. Nope, all I saw were little “meh” comments, pointless “(insert political party or politician name here) is/are stupid and destroying the country” comments lacking any real educated facts behind them and the too common “silent” comment which really is a post that no on cared to have a word to say about and Liked just because they were use to clicking that damn Like button. <br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-tcUaBn9G-jo/Usgr_yASCMI/AAAAAAAAZjU/q-IkEi6qLH4/s1600-h/S4BWxK2eH6IASI4pbgxHDkKrpbHfF_iynKo3ys8JOjI%25253Dw203-h202-p-no%25255B1%25255D%25255B2%25255D.png"><img align="left" alt="S4BWxK2eH6IASI4pbgxHDkKrpbHfF_iynKo3ys8JOjI=w203-h202-p-no[1]" border="0" height="202" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-uvsvEijPchc/UsgsAtyV8WI/AAAAAAAAZjc/M4mzeOr9d1w/S4BWxK2eH6IASI4pbgxHDkKrpbHfF_iynKo3ys8JOjI%25253Dw203-h202-p-no%25255B1%25255D_thumb%25255B2%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" title="S4BWxK2eH6IASI4pbgxHDkKrpbHfF_iynKo3ys8JOjI=w203-h202-p-no[1]" width="203" /></a> FB is a great place to stay in contact with family and friends (as my wife proves to me daily) but for a person like me who likes to meet new people, actually have conversations, debate a point or topic in order to understand why we think differently and perhaps maybe even rethink my own point of view, FB is not the place for me to do that. FB would be the equivalent of me hanging out at a cheap bar in the worst part of town and me daring to express an opinion that just might differ from everyone else there and then find myself having to duck for cover as the rampage begins and then my pictures and video end up on worldstarhiphop.com instead of Youtube. These days I don’t care much about what social media site is better. The way I see it if FB makes you happy (like it does my wife who has been unable to let go of FB and try G+ more often) then my all means enjoy it.<br />
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For me on Google+ I found exactly what I was looking for. A place where people express their thoughts, where people share what they found on the Internet, a place where conversations can actually lead to making friends from all around the world. Some may think that online friends are not real friends but I beg to differ and I have my Secret Santa Gift videos to prove that (<a href="https://plus.google.com/+ChuckCortes/posts/5vQptPhRsqt" target="_blank">Secret Santa Strikes Again</a> & <a href="https://plus.google.com/+ChuckCortes/posts/1JX2SBtxzB3" target="_blank">Secret Santa Strikes Again Part 2</a>). I have never been successful at making friends in the real world but have found some awesome people online. Even as far back as 8 years ago when I became a Call Of Duty PC gamer and join a group of people and played with them often. Some who I eventually met in person and who were kind enough to give my some spare PC parts to build the PC I have today because my previous one died on me and left me PCless and thus unable to play with them online.<br />
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<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-vWX5FsFZEhk/UsgsBLwAwOI/AAAAAAAAZjk/q6yi88xfyAI/s1600-h/TQcJzE0v_b17d6DAQcxDVThFjo9Lpcww429VktV-vEsM%25253Ds216-p-no%25255B1%25255D%25255B3%25255D.png"><img align="right" alt="TQcJzE0v_b17d6DAQcxDVThFjo9Lpcww429VktV-vEsM=s216-p-no[1]" border="0" height="216" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-9O5biYyliFA/UsgsCNtFuPI/AAAAAAAAZjs/ZBLz9LSLqzc/TQcJzE0v_b17d6DAQcxDVThFjo9Lpcww429VktV-vEsM%25253Ds216-p-no%25255B1%25255D_thumb%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" title="TQcJzE0v_b17d6DAQcxDVThFjo9Lpcww429VktV-vEsM=s216-p-no[1]" width="216" /></a>So I ask again. Why are you on Google+? Why do you bother circling people if you have no intentions of interacting with them? It makes no sense to me that so many people decided to go out of their way to circle me only to ignore me completely. In all honesty I wouldn’t get mad if my number of followers suddenly dropped dramatically after this article if only those who care about what I write kept following me. I would prefer to know that I am followed not because I was on a few shared circles that people just added to their circles without bother to see who was in them. Makes me feel like a strawberry that was picked only because I happen to be in the bag with a whole bunch of other strawberries and not because I looked good enough to eat myself but I happen to be at the bottom of the bag and if you don’t eat the bag fast enough I end up as waste.<br />
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I know what they say about people who assume but I still have to wonder. If you went out of your way to create the G+ profile, perhaps add a profile picture and then follow some people, find shared circles and add people like me to you profile then I have to assume you had more intentions to use G+ than you did to simply have the profile because you were “forced” by Google to have it. And if you had intentions of using G+ then you had intentions of interacting, commenting and maybe even sharing posts of your own. Otherwise “why are you on Google+” if not for the interaction? Maybe you are having trouble understanding Google+, how it works, how to use it, how to make the best of it. If so there are a ton of posts out there specially dedicated to help you learn more about G+. But let me honest about something. No amount of knowledge on G+ will help you if you have no intention of interacting with the rest of the Plussians on G+. The key to G+ is not just how often you post or how many people have a profile on G+, its the interaction. Its commenting on peoples posts and replying back to them on your own posts. That is what counts the most on G+, even more than the shares or +1s everyone does.<br />
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If you’re afraid to meet new people then G+ is not the place for you because while many have family and friends who have joined Google+ the foundation of G+ is based on the new people we all meet because unlike FB where most of the people are your list are family and friends, on G+ the best experience is found circling strangers who actually have content worthy of reading and interacting with. Otherwise you will only experience the Ghost Town effect that so many ignorant reviewers, who failed to understand how Google+ works, ranted about before.<br />
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There are 2 kinds of Google+ experiences:<br />
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<strong><u>The Ghost Town Experience</u></strong> where you only circles friends you found on G+ but are scared to follow strangers because of fears of privacy and of meeting new people but you end up with a mostly empty stream and eventually find your way back to what ever other social media site you used before.<br />
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<u><strong>The Awesomeness Of Google+ Experience</strong></u> where you take a chance, treat Google+ following like you do on Twitter and treat commenting and posting like you do on Facebook, combine that with Hangouts, Events, proper circle management and a huge desire to interact and what you get is nothing less than an awesome social media experience that can only be topped by getting to meet some of the awesome people on Google+ in person someday. A Hangouts In Real Life (HIRL) as so many have done on here and I look forward to doing in the near future.<br />
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Its your choice. I already made mine.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-16467471941425889172014-01-02T05:30:00.000-08:002014-01-02T05:32:06.826-08:00Happy New Year 2014 From The Cortes Family2013 has come and gone and I am happy to say good riddance. While 2013 brought some great tech and happens to be the best year I had on Google+ based on the <a class="g-profile" href="http://plus.google.com/111487545374003509241" target="_blank">+CircleCount</a> 2013 statistics they were so great to provide us, it was also one of the worst ones I had in my personal life.<br />
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Still, I won’t let one lousy year ruin the rest of my life and so 2014 will not only be the beginning of a new year, it will also be the year where Chuck Cortes pushes back against negativity and makes a better man, father and husband of himself. 2014 will be my year because I am gonna take it and make it mine.<br />
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Why not do the same? Lets make 2014 an awesome year so that when it ends we can strive to make the next year even better than before. Here’s to an awesome 2014. Happy New Year everyone, may God bless us all. And if you don’t believe in God well may you existence to a fruitful, awesome and very happy. Because your happiness is my happiness.<br />
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“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.” — Mother Teresa<br />
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-JHKkyio46Tg/UsM-cQ3ZRxI/AAAAAAAAZDk/YzpbQLVYVog/s1600-h/Happy%25252BNew%25252BYear%25252B2014%25255B1%25255D%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img alt="Happy New Year 2014[1]" border="0" height="359" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-LEuU4pjaByY/UsM-dhhbjwI/AAAAAAAAZDs/qVvBmbrJBfE/Happy%25252BNew%25252BYear%25252B2014%25255B1%25255D_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Happy New Year 2014[1]" width="570" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-16483468593814808692013-08-31T10:26:00.001-07:002013-08-31T10:26:18.290-07:00Google+ Is Awesome Because Of The People On It<p>I figured my last post would be about the challenge itself. The challenge mentioned at the bottom of this post that Dustin W. Strout started today which was fun. I had never written that many posts to my blog in one day before. It definitely was a challenge and although the rules said they didn’t have to be perfect I still had to make them look good which is probably why I only made 4.</p> <p>I wanted to thank Dustin and the other who started this challenge. I have always wanted to be a blogger but I always found reasons not to blog. Mainly because my posts hardly got any attention if any and sometimes I just didn’t know what to write about. Also I always figured my posts had to be long since it’s a blog after all but after this I realized that its not necessary. Perhaps I may find myself writing more now that I feel motivated by this challenge. </p> <p>Here’s to livening up my blog. Thanks Google+ and thanks Dustin.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ywwap_92q0A/UiInNPVA46I/AAAAAAAAWkg/Ctg_tk0KXQM/s1600-h/1%252520%252520Blogging%252520Challenge%252520%252520%252520Google%252520%25255B3%25255D.png"><img title="1 Blogging Challenge Google " style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="1 Blogging Challenge Google " src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-my4NKxufhw8/UiInOIQ-FtI/AAAAAAAAWko/jFiG_axK5pY/1%252520%252520Blogging%252520Challenge%252520%252520%252520Google%252520_thumb%25255B1%25255D.png?imgmax=800" width="588" height="406" /></a></p> <p>♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢</p> <p><em>Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment below about your thoughts on this. +1 it if you liked it (I highly recommend it). Share it if you’re inclined. Much appreciated.  :+D</em></p> <p><em>This post is part of <b>Dustin W. Stouts Blog Challenge <a href="http://goo.gl/h7bpMC">http://goo.gl/h7bpMC</a></b></em></p> <p><em>Chatterbox Chuck</em></p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-21499236188977162752013-08-31T10:19:00.001-07:002013-08-31T10:19:59.764-07:00I Love Making Or Eating My Hometown Food<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-8wanjmzOAyU/UiIluzFN34I/AAAAAAAAWkM/4NFOs7QuaBo/s1600-h/165041_10151191328793021_1629971540_n%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img title="165041_10151191328793021_1629971540_n" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; float: none; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left: 0px; display: block; padding-right: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" alt="165041_10151191328793021_1629971540_n" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-83lAHNQhCsg/UiIlvkkkm2I/AAAAAAAAWkU/c2nnvKsGCmE/165041_10151191328793021_1629971540_n_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="462" height="364" /></a></p> <p>I love it when either my wife or I make food from our beautiful island of Puerto Rico. Its great to eat the food my mom use to make for me when I was young. I miss her cooking which is why I try to make it as often as possible. One of out best meals was what we made for Christmas last year which was empanadas, a typical Puerto Rican cuisine that is sold just about everywhere around the island.</p> <p>We made all kinds of empanadas. Pizza empanadas which had cheese and sauce, ham and cheese, chicken, beef, shrimp and lobster (imitation). They were all delicious, at least the meat ones because I am allergic to seafood. I look forward to making these again. Hopefully soon. I may even make a video showing how to make them.</p> <p>♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢</p> <p><em>Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment below about your thoughts on this. +1 it if you liked it (I highly recommend it). Share it if you’re inclined. Much appreciated.  :+D</em></p> <p><em>This post is part of <b>Dustin W. Stouts Blog Challenge <a href="http://goo.gl/h7bpMC">http://goo.gl/h7bpMC</a></b></em></p> <p><em>Chatterbox Chuck</em></p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-45572911489376592942013-08-31T10:02:00.001-07:002013-08-31T10:05:21.918-07:00My Mother-In-Law Is The Greatest<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--rjgddmRpds/UiIhsn850vI/AAAAAAAAWj4/EaMQBlwc7Dg/s1600-h/2013-07-04%25252005-43-31-897%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="2013-07-04 05-43-31-897" border="0" height="267" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-qyTdZ5-jVaw/UiIhtbX7_2I/AAAAAAAAWkA/CMeie1WeXSc/2013-07-04%25252005-43-31-897_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="2013-07-04 05-43-31-897" width="443" /></a><br />
Times have been tough for my family ever since I lost my job 2 months ago. We have been scraping by on the few bucks I was given as a severance for losing my job to outsourcing but that ran out already. Now I am working to get unemployment benefits and food stamps while I look for another job. So far I have not had much luck but then again I have not been looking for long because I had other issues I had to take care of before I could look for work such as fixing my license and clearing a warrant I had for failing to go to court for a ticket because I messed up the dates. I cleared the warrant issue but can’t fix my license till I pay some old parking tickets from New Jersey from 18 years ago. Amazing the things that come back to haunt you. I can only hope my kids learn from my teenage mistakes but I digress.<br />
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Thankfully my mother-in-law has been here to help us. She has bought food for us, helped us pay some bills and even helped my wife get her license back because hers was suspended too due to lack of insurance on our car. Goes to show how easy your world turns upside-down when you don’t have money. I am thankful she was able and willing to help us. My mom is not financially able to help and I have no one else that would have been able to go out of their way to help me and my family. <br />
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I hope my 3 boys appreciate the sacrifices she has made for them, for us. I plan to make it up to her as soon as I have the chance. I have always given her money from my tax return, this time I will give her more because she deserves it. Thank you Juanita for being there for us. You are awesome. By the way, that’s my sister-in-law next to her on the left who is also pretty awesome.<br />
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♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢<br />
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<em>Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment below about your thoughts on this. +1 it if you liked it (I highly recommend it). Share it if you’re inclined. Much appreciated. :+D</em><br />
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<em>This post is part of <b>Dustin W. Stouts Blog Challenge <a href="http://goo.gl/h7bpMC">http://goo.gl/h7bpMC</a></b></em><br />
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<em>Chatterbox Chuck</em>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-23847293475848302432013-08-31T09:49:00.001-07:002013-08-31T10:07:59.427-07:00Will Call Of Duty Ghosts Save The Series?<br />
<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-pEgND3dr09c/UiIeoTZnwqI/AAAAAAAAWjk/SbBh-j82C-o/s1600-h/call-of-duty-ghosts-19880-1920x1200%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="call-of-duty-ghosts-19880-1920x1200" border="0" height="352" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Umflse5TX10/UiIepIJ0HDI/AAAAAAAAWjs/gJyaHqZgNLg/call-of-duty-ghosts-19880-1920x1200_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="call-of-duty-ghosts-19880-1920x1200" width="553" /></a><br />
I’m a big fan of the Call Of Duty (COD) series ever since Call Of Duty 2 came out. Since then I have played them all on PC. But if you follow the stories as I do you may be aware that COD has had its roadblocks that have made loyal players wonder if they should even bother with the next version. Sure COD continues to sell copies at record pace but the love for the game seems to be slowing down ever since Activision, the creator of the COD series, decided to make some changes that forever ruined the game, at least in my opinion.<br />
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One of the things that made the game so awesome to play was the dedicated servers. Servers that were controlled by people as opposed to the creators of the game as they are today. With control over their servers the owners could set the rules as they pleased. Certain guns could be restricted, the speed of the game could be changed and even the number of players could be altered. This allowed for unique servers and game styles that extended the life of the game.<br />
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Another thing that made this game awesome was the fact that new maps could be added thru 3rd party creators, people who would use map editor software to create new, awesome maps that added to the fun. And best of all it was all free. But it seems this is what Activision didn’t like as they knew they had to get a piece of that pie because, unlike the PC version, console versions of this game depended on the maps created by Activision and people were willing to pay for extra maps in order to extend the life of the game. So, they went off to change Call Of Duty on PC to be more like its console counterpart. This is where Call Of Duty’s awesomeness began to fade into the game we have today where people buy it because of their fanatism of the series but eventually realize that the game is simply a copy of previous games with new textures, a few half-baked new features, a new storyline and expensive downloadable content DLC that you need in order to get new maps.<br />
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The experience was ruined when people realized that by the time the next version of the game came out they had already spent between $45 and $75 extra on DLC on top of the $60 the game cost. And only to get new maps which some people would eventually find boring and lame. <br />
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The game was once awesome when the players were in control but Activision got greedy and wanted to control every aspect of the game and thus COD’s fame has bee eroding ever since. Now Activision’s next version, Call Of Duty Ghost, faces all of these issues and likely new ones considering Black Ops 2, the latest version, has been somewhat of a failure, even if it has sold in record numbers. I should know since I own every copy and my 14 year old son already stopped playing it because of how lame it is and has since gone back to the previous version Modern Warfare 3 on his Playstation 3. I have been playing Modern Warfare 2 ever after acquiring the other versions because while it was where the disaster started its where most players are these days. And thanks to a group called Four Delta One <a href="http://www.fourdeltaone.net/">www.fourdeltaone.net</a> the life of MW2 has been extended with the dedicated servers the game didn’t have.<br />
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I hope the next version of COD does well because I like the game and would hate for it to go away. But COD has some serious competition out there. Battlefield 3 has been a big hit and Battlefield 4 is expected to be even better.<br />
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♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢<br />
<br />
<em>Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment below about your thoughts on this. +1 it if you liked it (I highly recommend it). Share it if you’re inclined. Much appreciated. :+D</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>This post is part of <b>Dustin W. Stouts Blog Challenge <a href="http://goo.gl/h7bpMC">http://goo.gl/h7bpMC</a></b></em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<em>Chatterbox Chuck</em><br />
<em><br /></em>
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-14756151740061336252013-07-03T05:53:00.000-07:002013-07-03T07:02:26.027-07:00Making The Most Out Of Google Docs Thru Chrome<h4>
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<h4>
<img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-zHlfWINoMTw/UcNICuuVC2I/AAAAAAAAUcY/1IBvF41b0KQ/w440-h156-no/Chrome+Browser+Extension+Series.png" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /></h4>
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<em>Enhancing Your Internet Experience</em></h3>
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<em><br /></em></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-6185e019-a1ea-0faf-52b0-88a28698000d"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-6185e019-a1ea-0faf-52b0-88a28698000d"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For years I have been a devoted user of Microsoft Office because, well, it’s what everyone used. I eventually heard of OpenOffice and eventually LibreOffice, but, I just couldn't get use to a new office suite especially considering so few used it. But I then gave Google Docs a try and considering back then it was still behind on Microsoft Office it had one potential, I could access the files from anywhere I had an Internet connection, and even better, I could open Office files on it as well.</span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-6185e019-a1ea-0faf-52b0-88a28698000d">
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span id="docs-internal-guid-6185e019-a1ea-0faf-52b0-88a28698000d"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once Google merged Docs with Drive it made the transition easier but still I had to have a copy of Office around because of the average Office user. Lately however I have found some great uses for Google Docs and it involves reviving my Blogger blog and posting to Google+. I have learned that making great content on Google+ requires time, planning and a well written post, the same applies to my blog and so I have been using Google Docs to create posts for both but it was a bit of work maintaining them organized so I did some research and found some extensions that proved to be perfect for what I was trying to accomplish, easy management of my articles and posts before sharing them. Here are the extensions I found:</span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-6185e019-a1ea-0faf-52b0-88a28698000d">
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-6185e019-a1ea-0faf-52b0-88a28698000d"><a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/docs-quickly/cejihakmbjnefdijhceabdkkjfnmlgog" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Docs Quickly</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One thing I found a bit annoying about Google Docs, and somewhat similar with Office, was having to open Drive first before I could start a Doc. This extension allows me to quickly open a new Doc of my choice, Document, Presentation, Spreadsheet and Drawing, all from the extension icon. It was a piece of cake now to get a Doc open when inspiration would hit. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v3A_BLw6LDE/UdQtLhP3rMI/AAAAAAAAV1Q/1sENlM_YFD4/s1280/Docs+Quickly.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="443" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v3A_BLw6LDE/UdQtLhP3rMI/AAAAAAAAV1Q/1sENlM_YFD4/s640/Docs+Quickly.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/myt/ledgcpdbhmgboamkmgmiliegjdehfhko" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Myt</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course opening a Doc was easy now but I needed a template that I could use over and over so that my blog articles and Google+ looked more professional. The problem was that whenever I used an existing Doc it would overwrite the current post draft and I either had to create a copy of the file or copy the parts that were default on each post or article. I always look for easier ways to do things and found that this extension did exactly what I needed. I created 2 Docs that were templates for my blog articles and Google+ post and added “MyTemplates” (without quotes) to the title of the files. The extension then searches your drive for any files with this phrase and displays them on a list giving you the option to create a duplicate copy of the file that you can then use without altering the original template. Now I can create articles for my blog or posts for Google+ with templates that never get erased.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RnSYqMinfwo/UdQtMaWOogI/AAAAAAAAV1Y/sJuLleePKMI/s1280/Myt.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="443" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RnSYqMinfwo/UdQtMaWOogI/AAAAAAAAV1Y/sJuLleePKMI/s640/Myt.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/checker-plus-for-google-d/pppfmbnpgflleackdcojndfgpiboghga" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Checker Plus for Google Drive</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now that I have the ability to create Docs in an instant or pick templates for my blog and Google+ posts now I need an easier way to access the current files in my Google Drive without having to open a new tab and open Google Drive and search. That where this extension comes in, from the extension icon you get a drop-down of all your files in the order in which they were last modified. It even has a search box to make it easier to find a specific file thus making it easier to find my newest blog and Google+ drafts and edit them to share.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A2P-pc6Dc3g/UdQtMWZ82-I/AAAAAAAAV1U/Id1koJIgpr4/s1280/Checker+Plus+For+Google+Drive.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="443" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A2P-pc6Dc3g/UdQtMWZ82-I/AAAAAAAAV1U/Id1koJIgpr4/s640/Checker+Plus+For+Google+Drive.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All three extensions do a great job at helping me manage my Google Docs so that I can focus on my work without the hassle of creating and searching for files in the clutter that can sometimes happen in your drive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment below about your thoughts on this. +1 it if you liked it. Share it if you’re inclined. Much appreciated. :+D</span></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chatterbox Chuck</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
</span></div>
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-69661890247461729662013-07-01T10:58:00.002-07:002013-07-01T11:16:46.321-07:00Incognito Mode, Because Privacy Is A Must<h4>
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<img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-zHlfWINoMTw/UcNICuuVC2I/AAAAAAAAUcY/1IBvF41b0KQ/w440-h156-no/Chrome+Browser+Extension+Series.png" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /></h4>
<h3 align="center">
<em>Enhancing Your Internet Experience</em></h3>
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<em><br /></em></div>
<div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-72bd0d1c-9b60-b0e0-01cb-2dcf93c4ee5e"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-72bd0d1c-9b60-b0e0-01cb-2dcf93c4ee5e"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this day in age browsing the Internet is a common thing and more often than not you are using a browser that is used by multiple people. But, you don’t always want others to know what you’re up to online.</span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-72bd0d1c-9b60-b0e0-01cb-2dcf93c4ee5e">
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-72bd0d1c-9b60-b0e0-01cb-2dcf93c4ee5e"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maybe, you are looking for that awesome Christmas gift for your kids, checking your email or looking for the perfect restaurant to propose to your significant other or... you like watching porn and you don’t want others to know where you have been on the computer. Of course, you could always erase the browser history, use an app like CCleaner to delete cookies and temp files and maybe even go as far as pretending it wasn't you. But maybe you can make it easier on yourself by using the Chrome browser and simply switch the tab to Incognito Mode. Here’s an easy way to do it.</span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-72bd0d1c-9b60-b0e0-01cb-2dcf93c4ee5e"><a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/incognito-tab-switch/ofeampmlffjabmpdebckhpmcjkcjkahi" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Incognito Tab Switch</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With this extension its as easy as opening a new tab or an existing tab and clicking on the extension icon and voila, a new window opens and the tab is now in Incognito Mode. In this mode all extensions are disabled except those you select to run during Incognito Mode. Now when you browse the Internet any history and cookies created will automatically be erased the moment you close the browser and thus leaving no traces of your whereabouts. Bare in mind that this is only protection on a local level, websites can still track you and if you are on a network that logs every activity done on the Internet then this Incognito Mode will not block that either. This is only meant to protect your privacy on the browser itself.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xmCFyV7gfPc/UdHCyUG0g7I/AAAAAAAAV0I/4LwhR7swjs8/s1280/Incognito+Tab+Switch.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="441" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xmCFyV7gfPc/UdHCyUG0g7I/AAAAAAAAV0I/4LwhR7swjs8/s640/Incognito+Tab+Switch.gif" width="590" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢♢</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment below about your thoughts on this. +1 it if you liked it. Share it if you’re inclined. Much appreciated. :+D</span></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chatterbox Chuck</span></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></div>
<div class="zemanta-pixie" style="height: 15px; margin-top: 10px;">
<a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://www.zemanta.com/?px" title="Enhanced by Zemanta"><img alt="Enhanced by Zemanta" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/zemified_e.png?x-id=52dc4038-c378-48fd-8b51-996fd7f5c55e" style="border: none; float: right;" /></a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-40702006817115178612013-06-26T09:28:00.000-07:002013-06-26T09:28:31.401-07:00Digital Media Vs Physical Media – Are We Ready To Make The Switch?<ul>
<li><img alt="Digital Vs Physical" border="0" height="420" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-difbO3zlCvQ/UcsVYbC8tSI/AAAAAAAAVsI/OMP4-MZCEr4/vs-logo1%25255B31%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Digital Vs Physical" width="491" /></li>
<li>Data Caps</li>
<li>Bandwidth Throttling</li>
<li>Internet Speed and Prices</li>
<li>Internet Reliability</li>
<li>Hardware Reliability</li>
<li>Storage Requirement And Availability</li>
<li>Cloud Service</li>
<li>Hackers</li>
<li>Content Providers</li>
</ul>
<ul> </ul>
The truth? No. We are not ready for an all digital media environment. It doesn’t take a genius to understand why we are not ready based on the reasons above.<br />
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<strong><u>Data Caps</u></strong><br />
<strong><u><br /></u></strong>
If there is one thing we all know is that most ISPs love to put data caps on their customers. Some, like Comcast offer huge monthly data caps of 300 GBs (with an extra charge for ever 50 GBs after that), an amount that some would think is a lot but believe me, its not when you are downloading games that are as high as 25 GBs on your PC or gaming consoles. Then there is HD content, movies that exceed several GBs in size that are streamed thru services like Netflix and Hulu. And what about music? Radio stations are slowly being replaced with services like Pandora, Spotify and the newest players Google Music and iTunes Radio, all streamed online. You’d be amazed how much bandwidth these eat up and how many GBs you will go thru if you listen to music often. Take into account all of this plus your daily browsing, Youtube videos, email attachments and mix that with all your devices that access the Internet these days thru your WiFi network (cellphones, tablets, gaming consoles, PCs, TVs, media boxes, toys, appliances, A/C controllers, VoIP phones, etc) and you can easily see how small 300 GBs seems when you reach it before the next month rolls in. There are other ISP’s that have even lower data caps such as AT&T who imposed data caps of 150 GBs to their DSL customers.<br />
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<strong><u>Bandwidth Throttling</u></strong><br />
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If data caps are bad enough we also have to deal with throttling (slowing down your service on specific sites or programs instead of providing the speeds you are paying for). AT&T and Comcast have been known to do this a lot. A quick search on Google shows AT&T and Comcast throttling Youtube and even torrents. Imaging having to wait days for a game to download when you should have gotten it faster because of the speeds you pay for? That would suck big time but its down all the time because these ISPs don’t want people to take advantage of them and thus make them lose money in some way.<br />
<strong><u><br /></u></strong>
<strong><u>Internet Speed And Prices</u></strong><br />
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Thanks to Google’s Fiber Internet many ISPs have been forced to provide faster services at cheaper speeds in order to stay relevant as Google Fiber slowly (painfully slowly) makes it way into American homes but even then we still not only lag behind the rest of the world in Internet speeds but ISPs actually claim that they don’t provide it because they think we don’t need it. We all know its not about what we want but about them finding ways to make money off higher speeds. They know most people won’t pay a premium for really, really fast Internet so they simply raise the speeds a little every year and call it “we gave you a speed boast for free” promotions. But, what’s the point of speed if they still cap and throttle you? Some ISPs still charge an arm and a leg for faster speeds in some areas and some don’t even offer faster speeds. And then there are those who don’t even have Internet yet because they live in remote places where their only options is satellite Internet (unreliable, expensive and slow) or mobile Internet (also unreliable, expensive and slow). <br />
<strong><u><br /></u></strong>
<strong><u>Internet Reliability</u></strong><br />
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Data Caps, Bandwidth Throttling, Internet Speeds and Prices, none of that matters if your service in unreliable. Many out there made a big stink over MS’s 24 hour check in requirement for the Xbox One before MS decided to do a 180 on this and it made sense because not only are Internet services not reliable today they are not everywhere either. Some argued that this feature was no big deal and that people shouldn’t complain but in reality it’s a valid argument. Every time a storm passes where I live both Internet and power are disrupted. Power usually comes back fast, but ISPs are not as quick to react. More often than not my Internet drops for no apparent reason and sometimes when for days without a fix. Unfair when your system would have required a check in every 24 hours unlike other similar services that could go for weeks before requiring a check in.<br />
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<u><strong>Hardware Reliability</strong></u><br />
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Remember the red ring of death the Xbox was known for? These days people still have hardware issues that can easily prevent them from enjoying their content. All it takes is for your hard drive to fail and all the digital files you downloaded need to be downloaded again once you are able to change the drive or replace the entire system. Routers and modems also break from time to time thus preventing you from downloading any new digital content. <br />
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<strong><u>Storage Requirement And Availability</u></strong><br />
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This can also be another issue. These days most people don’t see it because physical media is still available to consoles (not so much on PCs) but once you start filling up your hard drive with massive games that take up several GBs each you’ll start to notice the limitations. To make matters worse changing hard drives on current systems is no piece of cake and next gen console apparently are even worse. Add the fact that to get more space you gotta pay up the ying yang for a bigger drive on consoles and storage space becomes a problem. On a PC its easy, you add more drives or backup the current drive and replace it with a bigger one and restore the OS and software. But not everyone is tech savvy enough to do this and hard drives are still a tad bit expensive, especially if you want an SSD for the speed.<br />
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<u><strong>Cloud Service</strong></u><br />
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Cloud services are still in their infancy. They depend on the speed, reliability and hardware you have in order to function properly. They are also expensive in some cases. Netflix is pretty cheap but lacks a lot of content because some networks simply refuse to share their content thru streaming (because of greed). However storage sites like Google Drive, Dropbox and even iCloud are expensive because they are based on the amount of GBs you want or need to store your digital content. Bare in mind this service also affects the data caps. This will definitely be the key to the switch to digital content but for now they are too restricted, expensive in some cases and don’t always provide that much content. <br />
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<u><strong>Gov’t And Hackers</strong></u><br />
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And then there are Gov’t and hackers. Time and again we see stories about hackers accessing peoples private content, damaging systems and causing all kinds of havoc. Losing access to your digital content thanks to hackers would really suck. But just as bad is a Gov’t who is determined to gather every piece of data on their citizens and in some cases without their citizens knowing it (NSA, The Patriot Act, President Obama). Last thing you want is to have it all digital thus making it easier for the Gov’t to get it all and know it all in a moment.<br />
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<u><strong>Content Providers</strong></u><br />
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But the biggest problem are the very people providing the content. All it would take is for Steam, MS or Netflix to believe you are breaking the ToS in some way and you will be locked out from all of your content even though you paid for it and its legitimately your (in most cases) because in order to use it you have to access their services which they can block.<br />
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In the end thanks to greed from the hardware developers and ISPs we are not ready because we still have too many obstacles to get passed before we can stop wasting money on disks for music, movies and games. Having the physical content handy can help prevent any of these issues from hurting you because you have it in your hands and unless you lose it or break it you can use it when ever you want. You can even sell it and get a few bucks back and money back is always good.<br />
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This can also spell disaster for our economy as many companies will go the way of the dinosaur like Gamestop and F.Y.E., brick and mortar stores that sell physical games, movies and music. Several other stores like Walmart, Best Buy and Target will have to eliminate their music, movie and video game sections. Eve local movie and video game rental stores like Redbox, Blockbuster and GameFly would go out of business, in part anyways. We are already suffering from unemployment and a weak economy.<br />
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It just doesn’t seem like we are ready for the change just yet even though PC gaming has mostly moved to a digital content platform for video games and Netflix is almost becoming a cable cutting alternative to cable TV. <br />
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What do you think? Are we ready to go all digital? Do you think Microsoft should have stuck to its guns and focused on moving towards a more digital platform or is Sony right that people still prefer physical content over digital?<br />
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<em>This article was inspired by the story linked below.</em><br />
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<a href="http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/through_sonys_eyes_vast_majority_gamers_prefer_gamestop_over_buying_online2013">http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/through_sonys_eyes_vast_majority_gamers_prefer_gamestop_over_buying_online2013</a><br />
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Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment below about your thoughts on this. +1 it if you liked it. Share it if you’re inclined. Much appreciated. :+D<br />
<br />
Chatterbox ChuckAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-16644561566085906602013-06-25T05:01:00.000-07:002013-06-25T05:01:54.894-07:00When Your Bookmarks Get Out Of Control, Its Time To Call In The Bookmark Sentry To Bring Order To Chaos<h4>
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<em>Enhancing Your Internet Experience</em></h3>
If you’re like me you likely have a huge collection of bookmarked websites that you try your best to keep neatly organized but sometimes its gets hard to keep track of what sites you already have bookmarked and which ones still work. To make matters worse while Chrome is an excellent browser with the ability to sync your bookmarks to across all your Chrome browsers with the same login, more often then not I have noticed that Chrome can duplicate your bookmarks making your organized collection bigger and more cluttered thus hampering your ability to find what you are looking for. But fear not my friends I have an extension that can help you fight back against duplicate and broken bookmarks to bring order back to chaos, a la Borg style.<br />
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<u><em><strong>Bookmark Sentry</strong></em></u> <a href="http://goo.gl/8rR5E" target="_blank">http://goo.gl/8rR5E</a><br />
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This extension will will go thru your entire bookmark collection on Chrome to search for duplicate links, “not found” bad links (404 errors) and even links that may have issues that you may want to update. Just go to the settings page on Chrome and then to extensions section and click the options link under the Bookmark Sentry extension to run it. The UI gives you an “anti-virus” like scan and starts counting the number of errors as it finds them. Bare in mind not every error it finds is actually an error. You have to take into account that a site may be down or unreachable at the time of the search and you also have to be sure you are on an open network when doing this scan because if the network has restrictions such as blocked sites and filters some of the results can come up as connection errors or blocked so take that into account before considering deleting the link.<br />
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After the scan is done a tab will a list of the errors will open with a list of all the errors the scan found. The top section shows all the links that the scan could not connect to separating them by type of error such as Not Found and Connection Error. A color coded system makes it easier to see what type of error they were. Next to each error is an X for you to delete the link if you want to. A button at top each section gives you a single click option to delete multiple links such as All Not Found (404) links, All Empty Folders and even All Duplicate Links.<br />
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Those errors in yellow should be reviewed with caution because, as I stated above, these may simply be connection problems due to the network and not the website.<br />
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Although the duplicate section has a Delete All Duplicates button I would suggesting reviewing these manually as sometimes you may have duplicate links in different folders for personal reason and you may want to make sure the extension doesn't delete both links by accident.<br />
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One extra feature is the Scheduled Scan preferences that allow you to set the days the extension can auto scan and what to scan for such as bad links, duplicate links or both. You can also set how long to test a page before determining a error status thus allowing for more accurate scan. There is even the added bonus of choosing to support the extension developer by choosing to hide ads or not.<br />
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<a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1CM8WUuvnCI/UckTrO4o3mI/AAAAAAAAVjU/iijbg3-1AQ4/w574-h397-no/Bookmark+Sentry.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="442" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-1CM8WUuvnCI/UckTrO4o3mI/AAAAAAAAVjU/iijbg3-1AQ4/w574-h397-no/Bookmark+Sentry.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
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Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment below about your thoughts on this. +1 it if you liked it. Share it if you’re inclined. Much appreciated. :+D<br />
Chatterbox ChuckAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-3719427324561650892013-06-22T15:56:00.001-07:002013-06-22T15:56:48.401-07:00Start Browsing The Right Way With An Awesome New Tab Page<h4>
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<em>Enhancing Your Internet Experience</em></h3>
Chrome is an amazing browser but even as amazing as it is it can still be boring and too simplistic on its own. Especially the new tab page which can either be left to the default settings displaying your Chrome apps and website shortcuts or you can change it to open a specific page of your choice such as Google.com but while having a specific page like Google.com open in a new tab is OK and the standard Chrome new tab page is also OK, sometimes OK is just not good enough and so the next step is to go awesome.<br />
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<em><strong><u>Awesome New Tab Page</u> </strong></em><a href="http://goo.gl/AQCKC">http://goo.gl/AQCKC</a><br />
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If awesome is your goal then look no further than to the Awesome New Tab Page extension. With this extension you can make all kinds of changes to your new tab page to configure it to your liking. <br />
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The default page starts out with a tutorial tile on how to use the extension, basic shortcuts tiles to common sites like Facebook, Twitter and Amazon, widgets tiles like a clock and open tabs list, a shortcut tile to the Chrome web store and to more awesome widgets and then there’s the Google tile which contains shortcuts to several of Google’s products making it easy to access any of them right from the new tab page. The only downside is that this tile cannot be configured separately to add or remove any of the Google products but its not a big deal so long as the extension developer keeps it updated with new products and eliminates those that have been retired.<br />
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To the left of the page you’ll see the toolbar with several options. The top icon is the about menu for the Awesome New Tab Page extension. Under that is the configure settings for the extension. Here you can reset the extension to its original default settings, display the bookmark bar on the new tab page and hide the menu icons. Want to add a cool background to your new tab page? You can do that here too. You can also import and export your Awesome New Tab Page settings and also save them in the cloud in case you want to have the same setting all across all your Chrome browsers. This section has many more options if you just click around the tabs to adjust the new tab page to your liking.<br />
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If the default new tab is too boring or lacking then change it. By clicking on the lock icon to the left you’re given access to configure the entire page. You may notice when hovering over the tiles that editing icons appear allowing you to change the tiles configuration by clicking the pencil icon (if it has any) or delete it with the X icon. You can rearrange the tiles to your licking to make it look the way you want, making easy for you to find the tiles you like using.<br />
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You can also move tiles to different slots to organize the tiles to your liking. You simply need to drag the tile to the slot you want. This dragging feature adds these diamond icons that you can drag to chance the size of the tiles as well. This feature is good if you have a particular site or app that you use often and want quick access to, like a link to your social media site profile, with a huge tile it makes it easy to find and quick to click.<br />
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Another great feature of this extension is the ability to create your own shortcut tiles. With the new tab page unlocked simply click on an empty tile slot and a new tile will be added and the configuration menu comes up allowing you to add the link to what you wish to open, an icon for the tile and more. You can configure the shortcut tile as you see fit.<br />
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Apart from shortcut tiles to websites you can also add app tiles for your favorite Chrome apps like Google Keep, Google Music, Gmail and even Pixlr Editor by clicking the apps on the side bar and dragging the apps from the menu while the page is unlocked. Some are cloud apps and others are apps that run on your desktop right from Chrome. Kinda like those on Chrome OS. Simply search for apps on the Chrome Web Store <a href="http://goo.gl/9G30I">http://goo.gl/9G30I</a>, install them to Chrome and add them to your Awesome New Tab Page for easy access. <br />
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Ah, lets not forget the widgets which is also on the side bar, these are tiles that work right from the new tab page like the clock, tab manager and even a notepad you write on and keep notes. Like the apps tile you simply drag the widgets from the widget menu and put them on any open slot you want while the page is unlocked. From the widget menu you can go to the widget page to download more widgets for your new tab page with all kinds of functions like a weather widget, a calculator widget, a Gmail widget and even a calendar widget. All easily available thru the Chrome Web Store.<br />
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Here is what my current set up looks like. I used the <strong><em>Meta-Tile widget </em></strong><a href="http://goo.gl/tK7IU" title="http://goo.gl/tK7IU">http://goo.gl/tK7IU</a> to add multiple links in a single tile to maximize space for more shortcut tiles. The background is the awesome (pun intended again) new 2014 Chevy Camaro because why not? A good reason to go back to the new tab page. One last trick I learned while writing this article was the backup feature. It comes in handy when you wanna add this extension to multiple Chrome browsers on different PCs since the settings don't sync with Chrome's sync feature. You simply go to the configure menu under the Import/Export tab and click on export. Below will show a backup code in a text box that you can copy and store. I chose to save mine into my Google Drive. When you have to restore the Awesome New Tab page to your preferred settings simply go back to the configure menu under the Import/Expert tab, click import, copy the code from your Awesome New Tab backup and paste it in the text box and hit apply and voila the Awesome New Tab page is restored to your preferred settings.<br />
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The Awesome New Tab Page extension is chock full of features that will allow you to create an Awesome New Tab page (pun intended) thus replacing the old, boring Chrome default new tab page. By adding more widgets and apps you can make your tab even better.<br />
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If you need help using this extension please feel free to ask me, I’d be glad to help. <u></u><br />
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Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment below about your thoughts on this. +1 it if you liked it. Share it if you’re inclined. Much appreciated. :+D<br />
<br />
Chatterbox ChuckAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-66975443121065813112013-06-20T11:14:00.001-07:002013-06-20T11:24:32.906-07:00Chrome’s Extensions Are A Plenty, Extension Manager Can Help<h4>
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<em>Enhancing Your Internet Experience</em></h3>
In this series I will be introducing you to all kinds of extensions that will make your Internet browsing experience even better than with just a basic browser. But considering the number of extensions that the Chrome Web Store has that you may consider using and the fact that the more extensions you have installed the more memory the browser will use, I figured I would start off this series with the one extension no Chrome browser extension user should be without.<br />
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<strong><em><u>Extensions Manager (aka Switcher)</u></em></strong> <a href="http://goo.gl/MQ8Un">http://goo.gl/MQ8Un</a><br />
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This extension is a must. With features galore, Extension Manager will help you take control of all your extensions giving you quick access to all of them right from the browser icon. Simply click the switch icon to get the dropdown menu where you can see all of you options. From this menu you can see all of your extensions, apps and even themes for your browser. You can filter them by enabled, disabled, themes and apps. Next to each extension there is a box that you can check to enable the extension and uncheck to disable. If the extension has options you’ll see a wrench icon you can click to access them. <br />
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You can also delete extensions, apps and themes from this menu with the trashcan icon and if you click on the extension’s icon it will take you to the Chrome Web Store page for this extension. A great way to get to the page if you would like to leave a comment to the developer, rate the extension and even see if details on the extension including the latest updates.<br />
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Looking for a particular extension among all those installed? Use the built in search box. You can even access the Chrome Web Store from the link next to the search box. The settings can be accessed from here as well if you want to tweak this extension.<br />
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All in all this is a great extension that will help you manage all the new extension I will be sharing with you throughout this series and believe me, there will be plenty. Simply use the check boxes next to each extension to turn on and off extensions and apps you only use on occasions, to switch themes and to turn off any extension that may be giving you problems. Definitely the one extension every Chrome user should have.<br />
<img height="457" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-b9RPRFVepIU/UcEnMTAqIbI/AAAAAAAAUPc/hz0ABjbZ778/w883-h702-no/Extension+Manager.png" width="574" /><br />
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Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment below about your thoughts on this. +1 it if you liked it. Share it if you’re inclined. Much appreciated. :+D<br />
<br />
Chatterbox ChuckAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-51988369259244053162013-04-10T07:37:00.001-07:002013-04-10T07:37:15.833-07:00Google+ Photo Album Limitation And How To Work Around It<p></p> <p><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; border-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; border-right: 0px" border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-uOYMGfY-q_U/UWV0V31t4aI/AAAAAAAAP8U/pozRNifdbk4/s630/GooglePlus.png" width="459" height="226" /> </p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" border="0" align="left" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-TqyyWjuKl-U/UWVVJmPvvlI/AAAAAAAAP7E/3HN-40npKGc/s300/google-plus-icon-2.jpg" width="100" height="100" /> I’m a big fan of Google+, its my main social network site because I am not a big fan of Facebook. Too boring for my style. But, there comes a time when even I have to accept that Google+ is not perfect. :+(  It seems that Google+ has one flaw that most people may not be aware of but will eventually stumble upon once they reach that point when Google tells them they can no longer upload images to share.</p> <p>Considering Google+ is strongly oriented towards sharing photos and has a huge photography community plus seeing that many of Google’s features are based around photos (animated profile pictures, large animated cover photos, photo tagging, emotion icons for photos, full size images, text on photos for easy memes, photo only searches, unlimited photo space when uploaded thru Google+ and more) its hard to understand why such a limitation exist.</p> <p>What limitation? Well, when you upload images to share on Google+ these images are saved in an album called <em>Photos from posts</em> in your photo section of your Google+ profile. What is really strange is that every post you share with an image (links don’t apply) creates a folder within this Photos from post album. If you share several images or one in a single post, they will all be inside one folder within this album on folder for each post you share. You’re probably still wondering what the problem is. Well, this Photos from posts album (and every other album you create) has a limit of 1000 folders and/or images. Once you reach this limit you will no longer be able to share images to Google+ thru the share box on your stream or profile page, not without deleting some of the images from this folder first, most preferably older ones. Keep in mind deleting images you shared automatically deletes the post as well. I personally would like to avoid deleting any of my posts.</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" title="Image from Panah Rad G+ profile" border="0" alt="Image from Panah Rad G+ profile" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-n0mMbm53nMY/UWLcw-stI-I/AAAAAAAET9o/p-3Mvmhw6UQ/s746/1.png" width="542" height="341" /> </p> <p>Now, I know 1000 sounds like a lot of photos. I mean who shares 1000 photos right? Well, you may want to expand your idea of what kind of photos are being shared. I’m not just talking about photos of yourself, photos of trips that you take, of interesting or strange things you take pictures of or even photos of landscapes and animals. I’m talking about those meme images you share, those pictures of celebrities and cars you like, even those photos of posters, jokes, strange inventions, quotes and your religious beliefs. All these count towards that limit even if you save these photos in an album before you share them because Google+ will add the image to the Photos from posts album even if the images are already in one of your albums with one except which I will explain later in this article. While 1000 sounds like a lot you’d be surprised how quickly you can reach that limit if you dedicate a lot of time sharing stuff on Google+, especially if you use one of the tips and trick recommendations on how to share posts properly for more attention and interaction that many Google+ pros teach like this one <b><a href="https://plus.google.com/109471940039062886080/posts/WNWtzRpwTcX" target="_blank">How to write a Successful Google+ Post</a>. </b></p> <p>To give you an idea of just how easy it is to reach this limit I did some research on my own activities on Google+ since I joined back in July 2011 and so far, based on my <a href="http://www.allmyplus.com/">http://www.allmyplus.com</a> statistics I have made around 1738 posts of which 527 images were shared meaning I have already reached the half way mark on this limitation. And while I am very active on Google+, I am not as active as other people I follow who post an average of 5 to 10 posts per day most with images attached. I have already seen one fellow Plussian find himself in this bind being forced to delete old images in order to make space to be able to continue to share images and also a Google+ Page that was forced to create a second page in order to continue to share posts with images because they too had reached this limit. </p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JcVu_wHLMbo/UWVXu5v5hPI/AAAAAAAAP7U/swv-IGqAvxU/s645/screenshot.12.png" width="516" height="342" /> </p> <p>However my fellow Plussian +Panad Rad found a small workaround that can help avoid this limitation in a way and I would like to share it here but let me warn, this workaround takes a few extra steps in order to share a post with an image and requires you to ignore using the share box on your stream and profile page to share images to avoid adding photos to the Photos from posts folder. If you are willing to do the extra leg work here’s how you do it.</p> <p>The first step is to create a new album so head on over to your Photos section. </p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-yGMdJKCgqs8/UWVU4FMyppI/AAAAAAAAP6Y/SYszYV6KtmE/s336/screenshot.5.png" /> </p> <p>You’ll need to pick an image you want to share to create the album. I choose a beautiful picture of a 2014 Chevy Camaro to share. Click the Upload New Photo button and then add the image.</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-EdmpdbcHaog/UWVU4ZWGEgI/AAAAAAAAP6w/evWjP-bkW-k/s344/screenshot.6.png" /> </p> <p>Change the album name to what ever name you want to call this album to make it easier to find. I choose G+ Shares. Then click the create album button at the bottom.</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-Iclyktrf1ok/UWVU4zDyenI/AAAAAAAAP60/JG7DSSEjRpQ/s902/screenshot.8.png" width="569" height="379" /> </p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p>Once the image is uploaded to the new album Google+ will quickly give you the option to share the newly uploaded image to your stream. This is where you have to share the post in order to avoid the image being added to the Photos from posts folder and thus avoiding the limitation. Add your comments, select who to share this with and share like you normally do and voila the image will remain in this folder.</p> <p>Bare in mind, its a must that you share the image from this pop up share box. If you choose to upload images to share later, once you try to share the image it will automatically add the image to the Photos from posts album and it makes this workaround pointless. Remember this applies to any photo you uploaded to an album in your photo section. If you share it after it was uploaded as opposed to the moment it was uploaded it will affect the limit of your Photos from posts album.</p> <p> </p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-PzDqSp22tus/UWVU4PJ7rSI/AAAAAAAAP64/4Kb33qe0S_E/s600/screenshot.10.png" /></p> <p> </p> <p>To verify this worked go back to your Photo section and look at the new album you created and compare it to the Photos from posts album and you should notice that the image you just shared is only found in the new folder you shared it from and not in the Photos from posts album.</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YI8ngC2ltkY/UWVU4MfwvyI/AAAAAAAAP68/jrAOyxKyTCY/s650/screenshot.11.png" width="581" height="188" /> </p> <p>So long as you avoid sharing images by adding them directly to the share box from your stream or profile page you won’t have to worry about reaching the limit and having to delete old images to make space which, as I mentioned before, will also delete the posts the images were shared on. Of course like the Photos from posts album every album in your photo section has the same limitation. The difference is if you reach this limit you can always create a new album and continue to upload and share from there without having to delete old images to make space. Keep in mind that Google+ gives you unlimited photo storage so long as you upload thru Google+, these images do not affect the cloud storage space Google gives you for Drive/Picasa with the exception of images that exceed the size limit for images. Google+ recently added the ability to upload full resolution images but bare in mind these will affect you storage space even if uploaded thru Google+. I have 5 GBs free Google Drive cloud storage.</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-kSNp7AaA9es/UWVhhRR0VYI/AAAAAAAAP7w/hxTekf1A1eU/s593/screenshot.14.png" width="579" height="264" /> </p> <p>As an added tip to make it easier to upload images to share. Rather than going thru the photo icon on your main page to access this new album and upload a new image to share, depending on your browser of choice, bookmark the album so you can easily access the album as opposed to going the long way. I added a bookmark to my bookmark toolbar on my Chrome browser where I can directly access the album, click the add photo button and upload the new images to share. Just remember to share the image as soon as you get the pop up share box as I explained above and you should be good to go.</p> <p> <img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nunPCst1rVY/UWVpM65y4JI/AAAAAAAAP8E/FTmFXA3UhL4/s1052/screenshot.13.png" width="584" height="265" /> </p> <p>I know this is a bit more time consuming and requires extra steps and that using the share box Google+ gives you on your stream and profile page is easier and its true but this is simply meant to be an alternative workaround to avoid the limitation Google+ photo albums currently have, especially the Photos from post album that is default for Google+ and cannot be changed. Hopefully Google looks into this and makes some changes to allow either more images in an album or to change where the images are saved when shared. I posted this issue on the Google+ Discuss community <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/114352541359374810407/posts/bBDHYVGyAbc" target="_blank">here</a> and hope they see it and take it into consideration.</p> <p>I hope this little workaround helps. If you want to know how close you are to this limit just go to your Photos from post album and check out how many images you have in there or you can go to <a href="http://www.allmyplus.com">http://www.allmyplus.com</a>, sign in with your Google+ account and look at how many photos you have shared, don’t count the ones you reshared. </p> <p>If you have any comments or questions of have an alternative of your own please feel free to reply on my Google+ post for this article by clicking on the image below. Thanks.</p> <p><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; margin-left: auto; border-left-width: 0px; margin-right: auto" border="0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-u8GI_rvVC20/UAa-h4T7ORI/AAAAAAAAIEg/2g2Ik4U_iJo/s256/G++Comment+Icon.png" /></p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-91907945231365002792013-04-08T09:00:00.001-07:002013-04-08T09:00:33.822-07:00Here's my article on the Drobo Mini because I wanna win a Drobo Mini from GeekBeatOK so GeekBeat.tv, one of my favorite online tech shows with my 2 favorite show host <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/103493459351957813291" target="_blank">+Cali Lewis</a> and <a class="g-profile" href="https://plus.google.com/109938202835872364257" target="_blank">+John Pozadzides</a> are doing a give away of the Drobo Mini and in order to have 4 chances I have to share on Twitter, on Google+, on Facebook and also write a post on my blog.<br />
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Now, I haven't written a article on my blog for a long time but this seems like a good as time as any to bring it back to life considering I have been looking for a reason to do so.<br />
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Now lets see if this works, after all who wouldn't want to win a free Drobo Mini. This would be awesome for me. After all I was planning on starting a Youtube channel and I will definitely need the space to store my videos and what better way than with a Drobo Mini right?<br />
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If you wanna know what a Drobo Mini is and what it can do, check out the link at the end of this article for details from John's own blog.<br />
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So wish me luck. I hope to be a winner. Thanks.<br />
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<a href="http://onemansblog.com/2013/01/27/drobo-mini-review/">http://onemansblog.com/2013/01/27/drobo-mini-review/</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-46213826959023869772012-10-05T11:32:00.001-07:002012-10-05T11:47:25.665-07:00How would you prefer to reach the inevitable end of today's human society?<div align="left">
OK, lets face it folks. Our society won’t last forever. Eventually some huge disaster will hit us and bring humanity close to extinction. Personally, I would rather not get there the hard way but most people wouldn’t agree which is why I bring you this. If given the choice to pick how our society would end, what would you choose? Vote on the poll below and check out the results. BTW, this post was inspired by the comments found on this post on Google + <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-15762451630647568462012-07-27T04:23:00.001-07:002012-07-27T04:26:06.019-07:00How The Google TV Boxes Can Be Made Better<a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-9GEY26OXLU0/UBJ58EUGxaI/AAAAAAAAIKc/3q9qGfZgv0Y/s1600-h/google-tv_update%25255B8%25255D.jpg"><img alt="google-tv_update" border="0" height="221" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_q1Aj815tgI/UBJ59Nh8hBI/AAAAAAAAIKk/tCPdEHwSUas/google-tv_update_thumb%25255B8%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="google-tv_update" width="240" /></a><br />
Thanks to Google’s recent update to Honeycomb 3.2 on all the Google Tv boxes out there Google is on the right track to creating an excellent Media Player. But Google Tv boxes still lack some features I feel should be essential in every media player, features than can turn the Google TV boxes into the center of ones Home Media Center.<br />
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Google Tv already has the ability to stream music, pictures and video from USB connected devices, networked drives and online streaming services. I can also browse the Internet, play games and even chat on most of the top Social Media sites out there such as Google+, Twitter and Facebook. But Google Tv is still running like a Beta program, something Google has a reputation for doing and considering Google Tv is in essence another portal for Google’s many products its time for Google developers to start adding features consumers truly want from it. Here are some of the features I would like to see and what I have heard from other Google Tv users.<br />
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Webcam With Mic</h3>
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<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-dMFZ_k13o5s/UBJ595fm-XI/AAAAAAAAIKs/-2OQc-Xg7nQ/s1600-h/webcam-icon%25255B5%25255D.png"><img align="left" alt="webcam-icon" border="0" height="100" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-N3-kCNvLgTs/UBJ5-q0l_bI/AAAAAAAAIK0/K_aSbsPXh58/webcam-icon_thumb%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" title="webcam-icon" width="100" /></a> Being a product of Google intended to connect to the Internet and bring the Internet to your living room, you would think a webcam would have been an obvious feature on any Google Tv device. The Logitech Revue, the box I have, does have this feature except it’s only loyal to one specific Logitech webcam and it only works with certain apps on the box. It’s like having a sports car in a city where only 2 roads exceed 45 MPH speed limits for a short distance. First every Google TV device (box or Tv) should allow any webcam to work if only needing to add an app that will allow it to work. Then it should allow any app that is webcam capable to use it. Imagine doing a Google+ Hangout from the comfort of your living sofa watching everyone on your big screen HDTV without the need of a computer connected to the Tv to accomplish this. How cool would that be? Webcam Google Tv developers, lets get it done. And don’t get me started on Skype and Google Voice, it just gets better and better.<br />
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Networkable Drives</h3>
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-YclkX4PpmJM/UBJ5_E_jw3I/AAAAAAAAIK8/GeLCWrnNP8Q/s1600-h/Drive-Network-connected-icon%25255B5%25255D.png"><img align="left" alt="Drive-Network-connected-icon" border="0" height="100" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--g6BmoqVD0w/UBJ6AHHf8mI/AAAAAAAAILE/3LTtbjKFgtU/Drive-Network-connected-icon_thumb%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;" title="Drive-Network-connected-icon" width="100" /></a>How is it that Google Tv boxes are capable of connecting external hard drives and playing any media on them, well almost any but we’ll get to that later, but are incapable of turning these drives into networked drives? Most routers these days can do it, my PC does it and so can my WD TV Plus box. Why can’t the Google Tv box turn USB drives into networked drives? This would completely eliminate the need for a server box for some of us or make it easier to add a drive to the box and turn it into a network drive without the need to going to the server one may already have. Considering the fact that the Google Tv box doesn’t even turn off makes it the perfect choice for such a task giving the computer a chance to sleep at night and save power in the process and with new USB power standards being released the drive can be powered right from the USB port thus eliminating another power cord. Come on devs.<br />
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Expanded Bluetooth Capabilities</h3>
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<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-tB0kbOkaqIc/UBJ6A-lJwPI/AAAAAAAAILM/L0m6uM4rvCc/s1600-h/bluetooth-Vista-icon%25255B5%25255D.png"><img align="left" alt="bluetooth-Vista-icon" border="0" height="100" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Q1Rag6v3_SQ/UBJ6BWtVDPI/AAAAAAAAILU/OkFMBTfS0yM/bluetooth-Vista-icon_thumb%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline;" title="bluetooth-Vista-icon" width="100" /></a> I don’t know what the bluetooth feature on the current boxes can do besides communicate with the controller but I feel more can be done with a tech that already exist on it. The ability to connect your phone and stream photos and video one has stored would be awesome although the Nexus Q may already take care of that in a the future, still. Also, how cool would it be to be able to connect bluetooth headphones and speakers to be able to enjoy TV without bothering others at night or be able to listen to music from anywhere in the house. Again this may be a feature the Nexus Q may be designed to handle but still, it wouldn’t hurt to have it on the Google Tv box for those of us unable to afford the extra $300. Also the possibility to use a bluetooth keyboard and mice for convenience would be extremely awesome.<br />
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Gaming Controller</h3>
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-65_t4GXa-sI/UBJ6CHIPG6I/AAAAAAAAILc/73tUv3PMUsA/s1600-h/Devices-input-gaming-icon%25255B5%25255D.png"><img align="left" alt="Devices-input-gaming-icon" border="0" height="100" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-QQBi6ml8Vf0/UBJ6C6fDzSI/AAAAAAAAILk/kNBAruqkuE8/Devices-input-gaming-icon_thumb%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;" title="Devices-input-gaming-icon" width="100" /></a><br />
It’s pretty obvious that gaming will be an extra added feature to Google Tvs capabilities. OnLive can already be installed and used in view mode and rumor has it it will eventually become fully usable on the Google Tv to play games thru it. The ability to connect a wireless gaming controller would be awesome either thru a USB receiver or the same bluetooth connection already found inside the box. The possibilities of this are ending.<br />
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Browser Extensions</h3>
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/--Rd-mq0F6SY/UBJ6DnT1OAI/AAAAAAAAILs/1GgQNsSHmC0/s1600-h/extension-icon%25255B8%25255D.png"><img align="left" alt="extension-icon" border="0" height="100" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-HJetlXlw7Ps/UBJ6EJJQzzI/AAAAAAAAIL0/jV9Guq3Rz50/extension-icon_thumb%25255B4%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;" title="extension-icon" width="100" /></a> I use to be a Firefox fan until Google+ came out and I decided to give Chrome a chance after I discovered there were some neat extensions that made the Google+ experience even better. I am now 100% a Chrome user with Firefox as a back up thanks to the awesome extensions I have been discovering since I started using it. Extensions Firefox just doesn’t have or can’t compete with. <br />
Chrome being the main browser on Google Tv, how is it possible that Google Tv developers left out the ability to be able to use these extensions? I understand that Chrome is in essence a mobile version of Chrome made to work on a big screen but come one, extensions are what make Chrome a worthwhile browser. Please bring extensions to Chrome.<br />
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Google Tv, Nexus 7 And Nexus Q</h3>
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<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-1sUhm6ssRWE/UBJ6E-1MCnI/AAAAAAAAIL8/FK_Ts6nhgcY/s1600-h/3.square-icon-v1-500x-black-glass%25255B5%25255D.png"><img align="left" alt="3.square-icon-v1-500x-black-glass" border="0" height="100" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-qLN1Xs3Sdz0/UBJ6Fnq9q5I/AAAAAAAAIME/Y9L3EB6xiWw/3.square-icon-v1-500x-black-glass_thumb%25255B3%25255D.png?imgmax=800" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;" title="3.square-icon-v1-500x-black-glass" width="100" /></a> The Nexus Q is still a mystery to most people. In it’s current form it can do some cool things but the truth is that it’s not much more that a really heavy and cool looking, expensive Google product that is at it’s earliest Beta stage and needs a lot of love from developers before it can truly show what it’s capable of doing. I can envision a world where my Google Tv, a Nexus Q and a Nexus 7 can communicate with each other and work together to make the Google Tv Media center experience beyond awesome by allowing the nexus Q to be the central hub where you can stop a video or song on one box, say in the living room, and pick up where you left off on your Google Tv box in your bedroom, gaming room, entertainment room or even the kitchen on any Google Tv box or your Nexus 7. <br />
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If you have any other suggestions of what features to add to Google Tv please share them on the Google+ post of this article linked below.<br />
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<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/114352541359374810407/posts/Qv9hGUdvcvC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Click" comment="" height="150" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-u8GI_rvVC20/UAa-h4T7ORI/AAAAAAAAIEg/2g2Ik4U_iJo/w245-h245-n-k/G%252B%2BComment%2BIcon.png" to="" width="150" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-80828340889131506042012-07-18T08:39:00.001-07:002012-07-18T08:52:19.994-07:00Will You Really Miss The Windows Start Button In Windows 8?<p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-4ceUVvS6jhk/UAbaCRxXCRI/AAAAAAAAIE0/fhQRkj9pqy4/s1600-h/windows%2525208%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="windows 8" border="0" alt="windows 8" align="left" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-oeGRggCSfhg/UAbaDvDs2BI/AAAAAAAAIE8/ljggBdAhDYk/windows%2525208_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="240" height="165"></a>Ok so it seems that regardless of the negative comments by most online people about Microsoft’s decision to eliminate the memorable Star Button and replace it with the new metro UI, Microsoft is not backing down on this move and instead is now providing reasons why they made the decision stating people were using the start button less on Windows 7.</p> <p> </p> <p>The real question is will you really miss the Star Button? Ironically while Microsoft may be right that people have been using the Start Button less and less lately people still want it there because of the convenience of having it. Honestly I don’t see any valid reason to actually get rid of it all together even with the Metro UI. After all it’s my understanding that not only did Microsoft give us a normal Windows desktop but the Metro UI is meant to encourage developers to create apps specially designed to work with it. But since it’s pretty obvious not everyone will have a Metro based app by the time Windows 8 launches and it’s likely that not everyone will want to create one afterwards and it’s also likely that not every program will work well as a Metro app that one would have to assume that existing and future non-Metro UI software will need somewhere to be access from and while the Metro UI can be used in the same manner as the original Start Button is used now it would still make sense to have kept it because not everyone like an interface that completely changes the screen just to be able to run an app that will change the screen back.</p> <p> </p> <p>However, since it’s pretty obvious Microsoft won’t be backing down anytime soon if ever maybe we should look towards the future and find an alternative to the Start Button and Metro UI such as Rocketdock, ObjectDock and other new apps people will eventually create not to mention possible fixes that will get rid of the Metro UI or at least make it less intrusive. We all know it will happen, people always find ways around this kind of stuff so I say lets just move on and find a way ourselves. After all, when Microsoft eliminated the Quick Links from the taskbar someone found a way to restore it. Maybe the same can be done with Windows 8. Who knows. </p> <p> </p> <div style="text-align: center; clear: both" class="separator"><a style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em" href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/114352541359374810407/posts/aCw4R7Vv5wT"><img alt="Click" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-u8GI_rvVC20/UAa-h4T7ORI/AAAAAAAAIEg/2g2Ik4U_iJo/w245-h245-n-k/G%252B%2BComment%2BIcon.png" width="150" height="150" to="" comment=""></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-50646455530494102842012-07-18T06:18:00.001-07:002012-07-18T06:53:11.883-07:00What do Facebook stocks and Facebook users have in common?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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According to the article linked below it seems that Facebook’s stocks continue to drop but to add insult to injury it seems an analyst has discovered that Facebook users have also been on a decline. Sure it’s nowhere near what the stock is losing but considering the one thing every “Facebook vs Google+” critic has been Facebook’s huge user base, and also taking into consideration that Google+ is gaining more and more users every day, even a few defectors could mean a possible trend on Facebook.<br />
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But it’s not like Facebook has anything to do with it. It’s not like Facebook has been consistently messing with peoples private information, changing their emails without any warning, putting more and more ads within the users stream and trying everything possible to turn every Facebook user into a profit. <br />
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I am a loyal Google+ user and am not ashamed in any way to admit it. While I have had a Facebook account for a long time I barely visit the site once a day. I actually deleted my original account because I had too many people on my list although 150 people pales in comparison to my wife’s list but still it was a boring list of people who either posted nothing of interest or nothing at all and they interacted with me even less. I may as well have had no one on my list. I choose to delete the account, start a new one and only add family and a few friends, nothing more. The only real reason for having a Facebook account, besides my wife and kids, is because some websites require a Facebook account to register so I sometimes have no choice when i really need to use the website. Otherwise It wouldn’t be as active as it is now.<br />
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I have also notice quite a few Google+ users who have stated they ditched Facebook either completely or partially. I guess this analyst may be right. You know what they say about all good things, not that Facebook was good in my opinion but I digress. <br />
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<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/07/17/facebook-shares-idINDEE86G0G120120717" target="_blank">Article Link</a><br />
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<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/114352541359374810407/posts/Qv9hGUdvcvC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Click" comment="" height="150" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-u8GI_rvVC20/UAa-h4T7ORI/AAAAAAAAIEg/2g2Ik4U_iJo/w245-h245-n-k/G%252B%2BComment%2BIcon.png" to="" width="150" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-40088982901109625742012-07-16T07:19:00.001-07:002012-07-16T07:34:22.573-07:00When Free To Play Really Isn’t – In-Game Purchases The New DLC Concept<img align="left" alt="Ouya" border="0" height="361" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-q9n-ZhoDzps/UAQi9sY3-WI/AAAAAAAAIBE/ztVMZwuy2zk/photo-full%25255B13%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px 5px 0px 0px;" title="Ouya" width="313" /> For those who don’t know what DLC is is it means Downloadable Content, basically a way to add new content to a game such as new maps, new weapons, new missions and more. You basically buy a game, play the game as is and eventually the game makers will throw in some added content thru a DLC you purchase to add to the game to extend it’s lifespan and prevent the game from becoming boring and repetitive.<br />
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I recently posted about a PC World article that spoke of a kickstarter project called Ouya, an Android powered, open sourced game console and how the writer of the article had no idea what he was talking about. One of his points about how this kickstarter project might be a bad idea was how piracy would be a big problem for a console made with open sourced software. How it would be easy for people to simply look for a paid app on the net, download it and play it on a console specially made to be hacked. Of course the genius failed to notice how the project stated it was aiming at a Free To Play platform in essence eliminating the whole piracy issue because who pirates free stuff after all? <br />
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However, in keeping up to date with tech and gaming current events I discovered that there may be a possibility to make the games this console free to play and still turn a profit while avoiding piracy. The key could be the extras the developers can add to the games as add-ons that can be purchased thru the game. Take Call Of Duty for example. Currently there is a free to play Call Of Duty online version that will be released in Asia soon where the key to the profits will be in the weapons and such that you will be able to purchase within the game. Basically anyone with access to the game will be able to play it for free, but if you want that cool Golden Deagle, that fiery Flamethrower (if they have one) or that kick ass claymore, you gonna have to cough up some cash to buy it in the game. Otherwise you gonna be stuck with the stuck weapons in the game.<br />
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In essence the same concept could be applied to the games made for this console. The developers can make them free to play but if you want the extras you gonna have to pay thru the game to get them. Now granted I am not well versed in how the whole buying thru the app concept works and it’s possible even this could be hacked but I have to believe it can work. I mean, it works for other games like Call Of Duty and any other game that gas either DLC or in-game purchases.<br />
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Of course one can only hope this is not the case and developers will not seek to make a profit from this one way or another but sometimes money makes people do crazy things. What do you think? Could in-game purchasing be the key to making a profit from an Android based, open source gaming console with a free to play platform? Would you prefer to pay for add-ons from within the free-to-play game as oppose to pay for the game and future versions?<br />
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Please post comments on the Google+ post for this article found <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/114352541359374810407/posts/YCc7tJjggcU" style="background-color: orange;" target="_blank">here</a>. Thank you.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-25459796230271888342012-07-16T05:26:00.001-07:002012-07-16T05:48:49.143-07:00Oversensitivity vs Consideration – Who needs to be the better person?<a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-xtWIlZHkxNE/UAQIWBhpBxI/AAAAAAAAIAw/Fy6hJFsHNa0/s1600-h/Cartoon_cursing%25255B18%25255D.jpg"><img align="left" alt="" border="0" height="200" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-HvOZ5GTudaM/UAQIXM1cJfI/AAAAAAAAIA4/vX_XLpJSEyU/Cartoon_cursing_thumb%25255B16%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="border-width: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px 15px 5px 0px;" title="" width="240" /></a> If you’re a gamer like me you may have notice how hard it is to play a game without having someone consistently curse and say stupid things in their mic or thru in-game msg. Some people simply ignore them, others mute them but there are those who get offended by some of the words used when cursing and insulting others either because they died “unfairly” or they killed you and want to brag about it.<br />
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This argument has 2 sides and each, I believe, makes a good point. But which one is right?<br />
On the one hand we have the oversensitive people. the ones who get offended to easy even from the silliest of insults, comments and cursing. While it’s understandable to be upset if you are called something like gay or stupid; is it necessary for them to actually listen to it? Is it necessary for them to take the comments so seriously? You do have the ability to mute the person’s mic and you can always leave the game or you can always ignore them and move on. There are times it seemed silly that some people would get offended even from something as stupid as “I nailed you” considering this can imply a sexual action and can also give the impression of being gay. Of course this is taking it to the extreme but some actually do this. <br />
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On the other hand we have those who are inconsiderate, they actually mean to be insulting and sometimes actually mean the words they use. I can understand the adrenaline rush that comes with playing FPS games like Call Of Duty and the frustration of thinking you have the upper hand only to get killed due to so dumb luck move or lame team mates that you either bash the other players because you kicked their asses or because you lost. Is it really necessary for them to be so abusive either way? Do they ever consider the people playing with them such as younger children who may not be fully aware of the definition of some of these words like raped, fucked, tea bagged and mother fucker. Children who start thinking it’s ok to say it because everyone else online does. Sure, the parents should pay more attention and perhaps should not even allow them to play, that doesn’t take away ones responsibility to be careful what what comes out of our mouth.<br />
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So we have to wonder. Who’s right or wrong here? The one who is too sensitive or the one who is inconsiderate? What do you think?<br />
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Please post comments on the Google+ post for this article found <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/114352541359374810407/posts/L2y3qN1gHo4" style="background-color: orange;" target="_blank">here</a>. Thank you.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-57264900354302279172012-05-25T10:40:00.001-07:002012-05-25T10:44:18.313-07:00Men In Black 3 – Time Travel Will Smith StyleLooks like Will Smith can’t stay out of the spot light thanks to that reporter who tried to get some lip but ended up getting a mild smack down from Will. Of course it’s what he wants cause it’s good for him.<br />
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Today we get to see his latest sequel to one of his best movies made, Men In Black 3 where he has to go back in time and work with a younger version of Agent K. Now most people know sequels tend to do somewhat poorly the higher the sequel number goes although Men In Black II was actually pretty good. I expect this 3 installment to do somewhat good since it’s Will Smith after all but I don’t expect it to be the greatest movie this year and I don’t even expect it to knock The Avengers out of it’s top spot this weekend either. But it does go to show that even though the economy is still in shambles and people are still broke, piracy has not exploded as people are still paying (or overpaying in my opinion) to watch movies in the theaters and paying for extremely overprices popcorn and soda. Just look at The Avengers breaking records and taking numbers and I bet Men In Black 3 will do pretty good too.<br />
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Once I get a chance to watch it I’ll drop a review.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IyaFEBI_L24" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Please post comments on the Google+ post here:</span>
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<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/114352541359374810407/posts/ejE45KyNhYK" target="_blank">Men In Black 3 – Time Travel Will Smith Style G+ Post</a></h3>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-34546925698686978252012-05-25T10:08:00.001-07:002012-05-25T10:15:43.599-07:00Lollipop Chainsaw – Not your typical zombie gameI have seen some strange games such as Lemmings, Happy Wheels and the strange snail game hidden inside the Sega Master System, but this one takes the cake. <br />
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When I first heard about Lollipop Chainsaw I had no idea what to expect, when I found out what the game was about and how it’s being created I could not figure out how the name would ever give anyone the idea of what this game is. In essence this is a zombie game. Yes, a zombie game. Even crazier? The characters are high school cheerleaders. Yes your heard right, high school cheerleaders, Japanese high school cheerleaders to be more precise since their wear those awesome little school uniforms. You know, the ones where they may as well not be wearing a skit at all. :+) <br />
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So, although you can see it in the video below the game is in essence a mix of Street Fighter like combo attacks, Left 4 Dead 2 zombie killing, a little bit of Barbie cuteness and some Sims 3 special effects. I know, it sounds like a strange game to play, or even own. I seriously doubt people will be standing in line overnight to wait for the midnight release of this game. But it does make me curious enough to want to try it out. I mean, who can resist watching all the upskirt camera views every time you attack a zombie? Zombies and mini skirts, all we need is chilli cheese fries and a milk shake and this is a dream come true.<br />
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I look forward to trying this game out and giving my review although this will not be on PC apparently and i can’t imagine why not. I am not much of a console person but I will bare the annoyance to try this game out.<br />
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Please post comments on the Google+ post here:<br />
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<a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/114352541359374810407/posts/36YNuL8xyhQ" target="_blank">Lollipop Chainsaw – Not your typical zombie game G+ Post</a></h3>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-21242617196447693702012-03-30T09:46:00.001-07:002012-03-30T10:41:57.636-07:00Trayvon / Zimmerman Incident - Sometimes bad situations hurt more than just the people involvedIf you have been following the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman incident then you are aware of how much attention this story has received and how much affect it has had to the people watching the events unfold and those close to the 2 individuals involved. <br />
But what about those who have nothing to do with the whole incident? You’d be amazed who ends up hurt by these kinds of incidents even though they have nothing at all to do with them. Innocent bystanders one could call them. Casualties of war in essence. <br />
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One of the stories I heard was about an elderly couple who’s address was tweeted (and apparently continues to be retweeted) as being George Zimmerman’s home. Sadly enough this couple has since been harassed by people on Trayvon’s side of the argument including Spike Lee who was one of the people who retweeted the tweet and being so prominent in the Black community made what was a bad situation worse. So much that he had to tweet an apology for his mistake and to ask people not to do such a thing again but the damage has already been done and all because people jumped to conclusions too soon and expected justice to be swift. I know cause I jumped myself at first but wiser minds opened my eyes to my “Judge Dredd” style of judging and although I still believe Zimmerman murdered Trayvon due to the facts we have so far, I will not go on a witch hunt and instead allow the system to do it’s job under the watchful eyes of the American people. <br />
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I know this may not mean much but I apologize to this couple for these people’s ignorance, stupidity and senseless actions that have forever changed and possible ruined their lives. And all because they happen to have a son called William George Zimmerman. Such a shame people did not even bother to check the facts before jumping to such terrible conclusions. The story is below. <br />
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<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/03/spike-lee-incorrectly-tweets-address-of-george-zimmerman/">http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/03/spike-lee-incorrectly-tweets-address-of-george-zimmerman/</a> <br />
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But the damage does not end with them. I also came across someone else who has been affected by this and could potentially have financial damages. Apparently a 20 Century Fox movie studio called 21 Laps Production was had been working on a film since 2008 called Neighborhood Watch, of all things. Staring Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and Richard Ayoade, movie set to hit theaters on July 27<sup>th</sup> 2012. But considering the title, this movie has no relation to the Trayvon/Zimmerman incident and even more the premise of the movie is of a scifi/comical nature and has nothing to do with the type of neighborhood watch that Zimmerman was conduction. <br />
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Basically the movie is about a neighborhood watch group composed of friends looking to have some me time who happen to discover a plot to destroy the world, by aliens. Now, it’s pretty obvious the conflict here. Although the movie is scifi/comedy and is about watching for aliens who want to destroy the world, the movie stands to be caught up in the Trayvon/Zimmerman incident especially since the first trailer (see link below) failed to show any scenes that would indicate the neighborhood watch group was looking for aliens and instead shows a group of paranoid men questioning a kid, of all things. It’s stands to reason this will definitely indirectly hurt movie sales but the producers will try to curb this issue by releasing new trailers with more details about the actual plot of the movie which is aliens. Hopefully they succeed as the concept of the movie does sound good and these guys are definitely hilarious and great actors even if we are currently dealing with a horrible event closely related to the movie premise. <br />
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Good luck to the movie studio. <br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2X-R_PR6xs">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2X-R_PR6xs</a> <br />
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This goes to show how easy it is for our actions to have undesired and regretful results. It’s why although we should not stop fighting for justice and allow this incident (and many others like it) to get swept under a rug, we need to be more responsible of our reaction to these incidents as it is unfair for anyone to have to have their lives disrupted just because there is a small but non-related connection between them and the incident. <br />
One good example of what not to do when such an incident has so much attention that ignorant comments could cause riots and such is this website below. The title of the post: <br />
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<b>Misconceptions in the Trayvon Martin Case</b></h3>
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The editor, Dan Linehan, attempted to clear up what he considered misconceptions about Trayvon and Zimmerman except his post was not only bordering on bias but can easily be seen as an attack on Trayvon himself considering none of the misconceptions in the post put Trayvon is a positive view. The post got so much negative attention the editor-in-chief had to post a response of his own to the complaints and about the posts. The editor-in-chief being a friend of Dan tried his best to point out all the things that were wrong with the post while not insulting his friend in the process but in the end it was obvious even he had to admit Dan Linehan went too far and did a poor job writing the post. So much so that even though he considers Dan to have done a stellar job investigating the misconceptions, he still had to say in essence that Dan screwed up, royally, even if he doesn’t say it directly. <br />
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I read most of the post and to be honest I found it father disturbing and down right disgusting that this person would even be considered a journalist. A journalist reports he doesn’t express his opinions or his point of view about what he reports. At that point it becomes a blog and not journalism. Every misconception he tackles screams of what “he” thinks should be the correct interpretation. There is very little investigating, factual points and even observations. All I read was point after point of how Trayvon literally deserved to be shot and how Zimmerman was just doing the country a favor. If anything I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that Dan is definitely a brave man to even dare post such an article considering the number of people who would want to do harm to him because of his opinions. <br />
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I can not accept the editor-in-chief’s claim that Dan “was not acting out of malice or any particular political agenda”. I am a firm believer that people mean what they say and his article said a lot, enough to warrant an editor-in-chief response as an article of it’s own. If this was journalism, it was irresponsible journalism; it was idiotic, careless and unprofessional. Worthy of a “Failed” award if one existed. <br />
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<a href="http://www.wagist.com/2012/dan-linehan/misconceptions-in-the-trayvon-martin-case">http://www.wagist.com/2012/dan-linehan/misconceptions-in-the-trayvon-martin-case</a> <br />
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Stick to the facts and allow the system to play its role as judge and jury. <br />
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<i><u>Please post comments on the Google+ post linked below.</u></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-32818156568745689392011-12-01T20:10:00.001-08:002011-12-01T20:10:45.995-08:00Republican/Democrats – Who’s really to blame for our current chaos?<p>You know, once upon a time I use to enjoy a good political debate. I am a Conservative who leans Republican but at least I am willing to admit when we screw up. Do you? That is one of the biggest arguments I keep having online, especially on Google+.</p> <p>We are currently is one of the worst financial disasters our nation has ever faced and still people who vote Democrat blame Republicans and people who vote Republicans blame Democrats. Apparently to many Americans are just too proud to admit when they are wrong and regardless if Bush might have started 2 wars, threw money at the very people who caused our current financial debacle thru “stimulus packages” and failed to keep the country from sinking, too many Republicans still blame Democrats for the cause of all this bullshit. But by the same token, Obama not only did not stop the 2 wars, he actually spent even more money on them, sent more troops and may now find himself having to face even more potential military situations. On top of that he also gave money to the same people Bush did thru a second “stimulus package”. And to top it off he promised he would fix everything, that he would not be like every other politician before him, that he would create jobs, fix the economy and bring us out of this hell hole we are in. So far the only thing he has accomplished is to pass the healthcare bill which every Democrat knows but refuse to admit that it too will contribute to our financial downfall. Yet Democrats blame Republicans for his failures while at the same time claiming he has not failed. It is frightening to see people so obsessed with their party of choice that they are willing to ignore all the mistakes their representatives make while at the same time criticizing and bashing those of the opposing party for doing the same.</p> <p>When are we going to finally grow up and realize that we are all fucked not because of Republicans or Democrats but because of both. They both are responsible for the bullshit currently destroying this once great country. Republicans spend too much time blocking Democrat bills simply because they are submitted by Democrats and Democrats do exactly the same to Republicans. But as bad, as corrupt, as disgusting and criminal as these politicians are today and were in the past 3 to 4 decades, they pale in comparison to those who voted for them. </p> <p>I was blown away by the idea that not only was I expected to vote for Obama because I am Hispanic which makes me a minority but because I am also (according to our Gov’t) poor. I am even more embarrassed to think that a lot Black people voted for him simply because he was Black. Are you serious? He could have been the worst person ever to have been voted for President and you voted for him simply because he was Black or simply because you were Hispanic and poor? Is our society that stupid that they would ignorantly pick a person to lead our country based on the Political party they represent, the color of their skin or how much money they promise you? </p> <p>Have you ever sat there and wondered what would happen if our great society was to fall? If you could no longer jump on the internet from you expensive iPhone, from your fancy laptop or your really cool tablet without having half the net blocked because our Gov’t thinks we should only access what they deem acceptable; if you could not protest against your Gov’t without risking them killing you, your family and everyone else you know; if you could not afford to eat at those delicious restaurants, if your home had no A/C or even power and water? Well folks this is currently happening all around the world because the people of these societies who are suffering these problems are either too scared, too sick or hungry, too ignorant to know what to do or even to devoted to their religious beliefs to do anything about their problems. But many centuries ago a lot of people fought and gave their lives so that we could enjoy the status of “the most powerful country in the world” we either have or use to have (depends on your point of view). Historical documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were created so that we could have a society who was free from the tyranny of those who thought we had no rights unless they told us we did. </p> <p>But look at us know. On the one hand we have those who used greed to create wealth and in turn create power they could wield thru this wealth and on the other we have those who use greed to take from others simply because they think because they are Americans they deserve to have everything too even if they did not earn it, failed to earn it or think they should have it regardless if they do more or less work than others. Everyone calls rich people greedy because they have lots of money but always want more, but it’s so ironic that although poor people obviously don’t have a lot of money, they too always want more. When was the last time you met someone who would refuse more money whether they already made lots of it or made just enough to get by? Who do you think are the ones buying all those iPhone 4S’, Amazon Kindle Fire's, iPad 2’s, Mustangs, Playstation 3’s,HD Tv’s, blueray players and movies, etc? Rich people only?</p> <p>Greed, like death, does not discriminate. Rich or poor, Black or White, Hispanic or Asian, man or woman, child or adult; no matter what greed is part of all of us and given the chance, odds are most people would choose to be part of that 1% tomorrow even if today they despise them, call them criminals, want to shoot them and/or wish they would all go bankrupt. That’s because, like peanut butter and jelly, greed and hypocrisy go hand in hand and if there was one thing that would at least describe most Americans is greed and hypocrisy. You need only to look at how they criticize politicians from across the isle for their stupid ideas while they ignore their own politicians who had the exact same ideas which they agreed with.</p> <p>You know who is really to blame? We are. Republicans and Democrats. We are the idiots who not only vote for these corrupted politicians, who spend our, either, hard earned money or Gov’t given money on those same big corporations who are screwing us; but also who continue to stay ignorant and accept the status quo because we either think there is nothing we can do which is why we depend on the Gov’t or we don’t want to do anything to screw with the Gov’t who is currently helping us. Point your fingers all you want to Republicans and Democrats, but until you are able to look in a mirror and accept that this is mostly your fault (remember, a “Gov’t of the people, by the people, for the people”) all you are doing is creating more problems.</p> <p>Vote Republican? Vote Democrat? How’s about we vote for the right guy/gal for the job instead?</p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8745010201092635441.post-50012045935647347022011-11-10T12:43:00.001-08:002011-11-10T19:14:15.700-08:00Time to revive the question, is Google+ a Facebook killer?<br />
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We all remember when Google+ first came out the big question back then was “Is Google+ a Facebook killer?” and for a while many spent a lot of time trying to prove that Google+ would not stand a chance against the all mighty Facebook, even posting these comments right on Google+.</div>
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But now it has been several months now and Google+ has had many upgrades made to it such expanded search, sharable circles, games and most recently Pages. Facebook has since been constantly updating their site adding new features and changing others in a dash to keep up with the Google+ hype. More often than not I heard complaints about how some people did not like the changes, how their screens looked more cluttered and to make matters worse several privacy issues stories started coming out overshadowing some of these upgrades.<br />
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It doesn’t take a genius to know that Google+ is not currently in any position to overthrow Facebook, but there is no denying that although the hype is somewhat gone, it continues to grow and many of those who at first found little interest in Google+ due to lack of people in their circles are slowly getting the hang of it. The problem was (and still is) simple, the whole debate over whether Google+ was a Facebook killer confused people making them think Google+ was just another Facebook when in reality it was much more than that. I’ll explain:<br />
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<i><b><u>Facebook</u></b></i> –<i> is mostly used by people who want to have close connections on a personal level with family and “friends”. They wouldn’t normally add some random stranger because this would give them access to more personal things that they would not normally share outside their family and friend circles (pun intended).</i><br />
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<b><i><u>Twitter</u></i></b> –<i> is mostly used by people who want to share things with everyone else by allowing anyone to follow them while picking who to follow at their choice. It’s meant more for getting the word out to a larger audience and not so much for chatting.</i><br />
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<b><i><u>Google+</u></i></b> – <i>brings the best of both worlds. It gives you Twitters ability to get the word out to everyone interested in hearing it while also allowing you to share with specific people on a more personal level like on Facebook. It’s kinda like having your cake and eating it too.</i><br />
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So in a way all 3 Social Media sites are similar but Google+ has a better chance to shine more in essence possibly dethrone Facebook or at least create a whole new kingdom where people can own a home on each side and travel back and forth to. Why? Well again, it’s simple. Facebook is just that, Facebook, a Social Media site, some of it’s newer features were thru connections with other third party software such as Skype. Google+ on the other hand is not just Google+, it’s also Gmail, Google Reader, Google Voice, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Chat, Google Maps, Picasa, Picnik, Youtube and even Blogger. <br />
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Little by little Google is integrating all its apps and services making it a seamless pleasure to go from one to another or to access them from within other apps or services. Google Docs and Youtube can be access from Hangouts, Google Reader articles and Youtube videos can be shared directly to Google+, Picasa, Picnik, Google Maps and Google+ all work together. And best of all they are all connected to Gmail. I look forward to having my Blogger be connected to my Google+ profile. <br />
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So after spending so much time on Google+, making “friends”, getting to know people, expanding my techno-knowledge and more, I find myself asking this question once again. Is Google+ a Facebook killer?<br />
My answer? Yes, at least for me. As of a few weeks ago I created a new Facebook account in which I requested as friends only a small handful of family and friends to be on my list because not only was my old account cluttered with boring posts and hardly-active people, but I had lost so much control of it that it was easier to start over than clean up the account. Once I am happy I have those I am interested on having on my list I will kill the original account and let everyone know why. Then I can spend more time on Google+ while only having to check Facebook on occasions and thanks to some Google Chrome extensions I can do that with little effort and my time on Facebook will be just to have a small sense of connection between family and friends not on Google+ yet, once they are one here too, then Facebook will have something to worry about.<br />
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What about you/. has Google+ become the cause of you Facebook account quick or slow death?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491162731422641412noreply@blogger.com