Two Guys on Gaming, Tech, and the World
When I first discovered AppSumo, I thought, “Oh, great. Another daily deal site.” After looking around for a little while, I quickly realized that I was wrong. AppSumo is not another copycat deal site. AppSumo is the profitable blending of two diverse business models. [Read more…]
Pros: Dynamic choice and consequence system, multiple play-through options, interesting plot, great soundtrack and graphics, and high replay value.
Cons: Lackluster enemies, less than stellar stealth and combat mechanics, and an upgrade system that’s too easy to overpower.
Rating: 8.5/10 [Read more…]
If you’ve been blogging for a while, you’ve probably realized that it takes a LOT of time to make it work. Sure, technologically, the blog will stay there as long as you pay your hosting fees, but if you want a thriving, engaging blog that brings lots of traffic (and lots of money) you have to keep feeding it with new content.
The problem for many bloggers is that they don’t have time to frequently and consistently write quality posts. I’ve been there. Having (or building) a successful blog is a full-time job, and for bloggers who are trying to make a go of it on the side will almost certainly run into this problem.
For a while, I tried to feed my starving blog by getting guest blog posts. In my despair, I came across three blog networks: Web Traffic Control, Blogger Link Up, and My Blog Guest.
Here’s a critical overview of why I think they suck.
This website is based on the idea that people who have something to advertise will pay people with a blog to publish a guest blog post about the product or service they are advertising. Web Traffic Control is the “service” that brings the two parties together. The advertiser pays WTC $30 per post. WTC keeps half the money, publishes the post on your blog, and gives you, the blogger, $15.
That doesn’t sound too bad, right? So why does Web Traffic Control suck? Several reasons:
The Blogger Link Up network is low-tech in comparison to WTC. It’s essentially an email newsletter sent out to everyone on the list three times a week. Users who have guest posts to give away or blog owners who need a specific blog post written enter that information on the website, and the offers and requests get sent out to the people on the list.
Each newsletter starts off with a brief message from the webmaster (which is sometimes useful and sometimes not so useful), and then the list of offers and requests.
On the positive side, I think the BLU is a great concept for networking with other people in the blogosphere. And if you keep your eye out, you can come across some good opportunities (I had an article published on a Page Rank 7 site through a connection I made with it).
The problem is there is no quality control. Just like any other free-to-use ad site (cf. Craigslist) the offers are only as good as the person behind them. This usually means a lot of junk posts. The offer in the newsletter might seem good, but when you get the final product, more often than not it turns out to be a poorly-written, barely grammatical piece of fluff content with no substance and a link in the author byline to a site that is not related to the actual blog post at all.
I regret some of the junk that I’ve published on my sites through shady offers on Blogger Link Up.
Similar to the Blogger Link Up, My Blog Guest is a network of writers and publishers. Instead of being a newsletter, it feels more like a social networking site where there is actually the possibility of interaction between the two parties.
My Blog Guest has one up on BLU because they review the articles in the offers to make sure they are original, and for the most part they are of higher quality than BLU. The ones I’ve received are grammatical, have substance, and are usually written by someone with experience in the field they’re writing about.
The problem? The articles lack panache. They are informative but impersonal. You might get some search engine traffic from these, but dry content isn’t going to connect with your readers.
After my brief sojourn in the safari of guest blog post hunting, I’d like to think I’ve returned a wiser blogger. By and large, it’s a barren wasteland, filled with ghost towns, sickly game, and jackals.
I’m sorry to my regular readers for publishing some of the refuse that has been on my blog recently. I’ve realized the error of my ways and will be more selective in what is published from here on out.
If you are running a blog of your own, hopefully this post will help you learn from my mistakes. Don’t publish fluff content just to keep the search engines happy; your readers are more important. If your schedule doesn’t allow you to post quality content as frequently as you planned, reduce your frequency, not the quality of your posts. Don’t partner with just anyone willing to throw you a bone — publish good content by people with authority in your niche.
Do it well, or don’t do it at all.
Top image by Maria Reyes-McDavis
Safari image by Andrew Turner
Roomba iRobot Vacuum Cleaner
Robots that actually do something useful are phenomenal.
When I saw an ad for a Roomba iRobot vacuum cleaner, I showed it to my wife, half expecting her to call me crazy for wanting to invest in a robot. (The phrase itself does sound kind of silly — to “invest in a robot.”) Much to my surprise, she was almost as excited as I was.
While I saw it, fantastically, as a step into the future — a chance to join the ranks of robot owners like the Jetsons or the Skywalkers — to her it was a simple, easy way to clean our house. We were both pleased with the purchase.
Like any vacuum cleaner, the Roomba iRobot is designed to clean your floors. The key difference is that it cleans on its own. Instead of wasting time pushing around a traditional vacuum, having a Roomba makes it easy to clean while working on something else at the same time. Our Roomba is cleaning our house right now, even as I write this review.
The first few times we used our Roomba I would stand and watch it clean, struck with wonderment at this ingenious creation. Now that it has become a normal part of our life, it’s easy to turn it on and go to another room until our robotic vacuum cleaner is done.
This kind of efficiency is a huge benefit for people with a busy schedule. But even if you’re not busy, it’s nice to put the robot to work so you can do something more entertaining.
Using various sensors, the Roomba is keenly aware of its environment. Even in rooms with a combination of carpet and hardwood floors, the Roomba adjusts on the fly to clean any kind of floor. (There are even pool-cleaning Roomba robots.)
The Roomba iRobot can also sense stairs and ledges, so you don’t have to worry about your new robotic friend falling to its death.
If you want to keep the Roomba out of certain rooms or areas, you can use battery-operated “virtual walls” to create a barrier that your robot will not cross. This is a great way to clean one room at a time.
The Roomba makes it easier to clean in the “tough spots.” Because of its height, your robot can clean under furniture in places that would be difficult to reach otherwise.
With a traditional vacuum, it’s hard to clean along the edge of a wall. No matter how hard you try, there is always a small gap between the cleaning brushes of the vacuum and the baseboard. The Roomba, however, doesn’t have this problem. The construction of the cleaning brushes allows the Roomba iRobot to clean the edges of the room.
My wife and I adopted a dog a couple years ago. We love him very much, but — being a beagle — he has a tendency to shed… a lot. I’m not sure exactly how it does it, but the Roomba excels at picking up his hair.
The only problem I have with the Roomba is the charging process. It runs on a rechargeable battery, which is great, but because of the sensitivity of the battery, the instructions state that you should leave the Roomba plugged in to the charger at all times. I haven’t done any testing to see what kind of electrical pull this causes, but the concept of leaving it plugged in constantly contradicts my eco-friendly philosophies. For storage purposes, owners of the Roomba iRobot vacuum cleaner are advised to remove the battery from the robot completely. Hopefully, Roomba will come up with a better charging option.
Despite the charging situation, the Roomba is a great purchase. My wife and I love having a cleaner house and more time to do what we want.
With all the things the Roomba can do, you might expect these robotic vacuum cleaners to be pretty expensive. However, you might be surprised to find that these robots cost about the same as their higher-end traditional counterparts. Moreover, you can often get a discount off the retail price by ordering your robotic vacuum cleaner on Amazon.
If you want to save time and clean your house easily, you can get your very own Roomba iRobot Vacuum Cleaner on Amazon right here or through any of my referral links in this review. |
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No mаttеr how goоd а Maс іѕ, thеrе will cоmе а time when it gеts ѕluggіѕh. Whеn thіs haрpens, уou wіll nаturally wаnt to find an еffеctіve wау of fіxing it.
Resource-intensive programs are the moѕt common reason for a Mac ѕlоwіng down. In this сaѕе, removing the progrаm оr upgradіng your ѕуѕtеm maу bе thе best wayѕ of fіxing a slow Maс.
Another possible rеаson for a Maс getting sluggіѕh iѕ when а number of prоgrams tаkе uр large аmountѕ оf уоur сomрuter’s RAM. Fіxіng a slоw Maс wіll thеrеfоre rеquirе freeіng up some vаluablе ѕpaсe in yоur RAM. Whеn уour Mac bеgіnѕ tо slow dоwn, thе moѕt commоn сulpritѕ аre thе sо-callеd mеmory hogs. The best methоd for fіxіng a slow Mac iѕ to kill thеѕе mеmоrу hоgѕ. And while therе аrе several differеnt wауѕ оf fіxіng а slow Mас, уou wоuld nаturаllу wаnt to foсuѕ on thе ѕіmрlеst and lеsѕ time-сonѕumіng. Fоr thіs rеason, wе іntroduсe yоu tо thе MасKeереr by ZeoBIT.
MaсKeерer haѕ bеen dubbеd as thе 911 fоr your Mас beсauѕе іt doеѕ mоrе thаn sіmрly fixing a sluggіsh Mас. In fact, іts prоbаblу all yоu nееd tо keep уоur Mаc sаfе аnd running in perfeсt conditіon. Fіxing a slow Mac iѕ vеrу fаѕt, sаfe, and еаѕу wіth the MaсKeeреr. In јust onе сlіck, thе рrоgram will ѕсаn уоur hаrd dіsk for mеmorу hоgs that аffеct уour Mаcѕ pеrformanсe. Oncе these mеmоrу hogs аrе identіfіеd, уоu mаy thеn рrоceеd tо thе next ѕteр іn fіxing a ѕlow Maс, whіch is removing thе culрrіtѕ frоm yоur ѕyѕtеm. By simрly cliсking on thе Rеmоvе button, уou can ѕaу goodbye tо thе mеmory hogs аnd hellо tо а fаѕtеr Mас.
Aside from rеmоvіng mеmоry hogs, the MасKееper alѕо hеlps in fixing a Maс that is running оut of stеam wіth іtѕ орtіmіzаtiоn feаture. Thiѕ feature іncludes аn uninѕtallеr that mаkеs ѕurе unwаnted files are cоmplеtelу rеmovеd frоm yоur ѕystem. It аlso has an updаte tracker that lets yоu know whеn cеrtain progrаmѕ neеd to bе uрdаted. Kееріng apрlісаtiоns up-tо-date іѕ аlѕо еsѕеntial іn fixіng а ѕlоw Mac beсаusе outdatеd ѕoftwarе оftеn cаuseѕ уоur Maс to ѕlоw dоwn as wеll.
And аs рrevіоusly mеntiоnеd, thе MacKееper dоeѕ mоrе thаn juѕt fіxіng a ѕlow Mаc. It alsо has ѕоmе vаluablе ѕeсuritу feаturеѕ that уоu wіll surеly apрrесiаtе. Fоr оnе thing, the MасKeeреr can keep уour Mас proteсtеd frоm hаrmful fіles thаt mаy pоse а threat to your privaсу. What’s the uѕe of fixіng a slоw Mac іf you саn’t kеeр іt ѕаfе, rіght? With thіs in mіnd, уоu’ll аlso apрreciatе thе anti-thеft ѕеrvісe providеd by MaсKеeреr. This fеature allows you tо traсk thе lоcatіon of a ѕtоlen Mac and takе а snарshot оf thе thіеf — very hеlрful indeеd fоr rеcоvеrіng а stolen Maс. So, thе nеxt tіmе уоu fеel the neеd fоr fіxіng a slоw Mас, ѕtоp loоkіng for cоmpliсatеd sоlutionѕ. Juѕt downlоаd the MacKeерer аnd ѕtаrt fixing a slow Mаc and keеріng it ѕаfe аt the sаme time.
From time to time I get emails from Woot.com, the brilliant originator of the one-deal-per-day online phenomenon. The typical Woot email contains their signature tongue-in-cheek copywriting and news from the Woot universe.
Until recently, this universe included: the original Woot.com, Shirt.Woot, Wine.Woot, Kids.Woot, and Deals.Woot. An email sent to “Extra Special Deals.Woot Users” on Friday (Oct. 7, 2011) announced a new member to the family of Woot sites: Local.Woot.
Similar to other local deals sites (like Groupon or LivingSocial), Local.Woot will “focus on retailers who sell vouchers by local area,” the email said. The about section of the site goes into further detail, explaining Local.Woot as a kind of aggregate of other local deals sites:
Visit here every day and you’ll find all the current Living Social, Amazon, Groupon, etc. deals for your area.
By aggregating deals from these other organizations, Local.Woot allows users to have a broader view of the deal scene in their city. Similar to Deals.Woot, users vote for the local deals they like and leave comments to help other Wooters. The most popular deals make their way to the front of the “Top” section, and the newest deals show up in the “Fresh” section.
Despite the initial positive buzz around the group deals system, recent events are casting doubt on its sustainability. While it’s great for consumers to find coupons for ridiculous discounts, many business owners are not pleased with the system — for various reasons.
The announcement of the death of Facebook’s deal system and the troubles that the Groupon IPO is having adds further evidence to the decline of the market.
Entering so late in the game, Local.Woot may be a wonderful idea that just came a little bit too late. Will the aggregating system help Local.Woot weather the tumultuous world of local deals? Or will it be another “also ran”? Only time will tell, but in the meantime feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
I love the internet. I really do. Few things make me happier than when I’m online and everything is going like it’s supposed to.
Unfortunately, things don’t always go the way they’re supposed to on the internet. It can be slower than expected, you can be tricked into some pretty crafty phishing schemes, or you (or your kids) can stumble upon some pretty nasty content. Despite all the internet’s perks and all the pleasure you, I, and billions of people across the globe can derive from it, situations like these can be terrible.
But there is good news. There are internet superheroes fighting for a better online world.
Though they might seem outnumbered by all the bad guys and technical difficulties we face online, these internet superheroes fight harder and harder to make this web faster, more secure, and more informative.
OpenDNS is one such superhero. Calling itself “The fastest-growing Internet security and DNS service,” and with over 20 million clients, OpenDNS uses some pretty amazing technical mojo to make web browsing a better experience.
So, “how does it do this?” I’m glad you asked. Put simply, by allowing users to access the internet through special DNS servers instead of the ones provided by users’ internet service providers (ISP), OpenDNS increases performance and adds features that your ISP can’t or won’t.
(Click here for more information on DNS.)
Let me break it down a little. Here are 5 reasons you should become one of OpenDNS’s 20+ million [Update] 30+ million clients.
DNS servers are computers. Like all computers, there is a limit to how much “work” a DNS server can do at any given time. If you are using your ISP’s DNS servers (which by default you probably are), your ability to quickly resolve web addresses is directly linked with (and limited by) the speed of that server. More people using that same server means a slower connection for you.
OpenDNS is superior to your ISP’s DNS server because that’s its job! OpenDNS specializes in having the best, fastest DNS servers — unlike your ISP who has a million and one other things to worry about.
When you are dependent upon your ISP’s DNS server, you are putting your internet connection at unnecessary risk. If that DNS server crashes you would be unable to navigate to any websites by URL and would only be able to surf by IP address (because I know you have those memorized, right?).
I used to work for an ISP, and while this was not a common occurrence, those DNS servers did go down more often than you would hope. Believe me, trying to be online without a working DNS server is no fun at all.
OpenDNS also uses a system it calls “SmartCache” to create a more reliable internet. SmartCache detects some website failures and will help you get to the page you want in spite of those failures. Do you think your ISP can do that?
In addition to its amazing reliability and speed, OpenDNS also puts a premium on security. It also runs the authoritative anti-phishing site PhishTank.com. This thorough knowledge of nefarious phishing sites is like a tool in OpenDNS’s tool belt that it uses to fight for your security online, preventing these sites from loading.
The anti-phishing service is so powerful that OpenDNS can rightly claim:
Our phishing protection is so good that companies like Yahoo!, Microsoft and Facebook look to us to help protect their customers.
When you sign up and get your network online with OpenDNS, you can start keeping track of your internet usage like never before. Simply log into the OpenDNS dashboard, and you can view months and months of data on the domains and IPs you requested, the types of requests, and much more. The easy-to-read graphs make it easy to understand and conceptualize how you have been using your internet connection.
Aside from all the malicious websites in the world today, there are legitimate sites that offer content that is inappropriate for children. Perhaps you don’t want to subject yourself to such material either. While there are programs that can be installed on a computer to help contain access to such sites, they are limited in their functionality.
For help getting started, be sure to check out their Knowledge Base.
| Article first published as Android App Review: Safari! HD on Blogcritics. |
Safari! HD
There are three different game modes in Safari! HD. In “Time Attack” mode, the goal is to get as many points as you can before your time runs out. “Survivor” mode operates with basically the same concept, but you can add additional time to the clock by getting more points. The “Endless” mode lets you play for as long as you like, as the title says, without end. The only way to stop the “Endless” mode is to voluntarily quit or to play until your battery dies.
In and of itself, Safari! HD is fairly entertaining. However, in addition to the game proper is the meta game–that is, the game outside the game, or in other words, the achievement system. Safari! HD participates with the mobile gaming community OpenFeint, which, if you are not familiar with it, has an achievement system similar to Xbox Live Achievements or PlayStation Trophies. As an achievement junkie, I have spent most of my time with Safari! HD hunting those achievements.
In addition to its partnership with OpenFeint, Grasslandgames, the developers of Safari! HD, have been wise to make multiple versions of the game. As you may know, Android runs on many different types of devices, some with a larger screen than others.To accommodate for the possible variations in players’ experience, there are two versions: Safari! HD, for phones with larger screens like the HTC EVO
For just over a buck
