Posted by christine on May 13, 2010 in
Poetry During these hard times, smart buys are rare and very hard to find. One such smart buy is the new Zune portable multimedia player, the latest offering from Microsoft. This nifty player has since made waves in the market. No wonder, when it has excellent functionality at a very affordable price.
Soon It?ll Just Be Zune
Predictably, the famous rivalry between Microsoft and Apple has now extended to portable multimedia players with Apple?s iPod and Microsoft?s Zune. Even more predictable is the non-compatilibity of multimedia files between the two players. After all, they each must do everything they can to thwart competition.
Switching from the iPod to the Zune may be a bit confusing at first, and no, music and videos downloaded from Apple?s iTunes store will definitely not work with a Zune. You can download Zune software, however, to make the transition easier for you. And if you?re wondering why you should bother, unlike the iPod, Zune has FM and ? brace yourself ? Wifi capabilities. Enough said.
Zune You Can Groove
With a minimum amount of fuss, Zune music downloads can easily be had, regardless if you?re a MAC or PC user. It?s just a matter of knowing what you want and where to get it. With over six million ? and counting ? music files, Zune Empire is one such source. After a short sign-up process with Zune Empire, you?ll be ready to groove to the music in no time. The software?s setup is painless, and if you?re very much technologically-challenged, you can get step-by-step support.
Depending on file size, Zune music downloads are actually pretty quick. Obviously, the larger the file, the slower the download. On a 56K modem, a 3-minute song can be downloaded in as little as seven minutes. And if you have a high-speed Internet connection, well, you can just imagine how quickly you can get your favorite tunes into your player. What?s more, you can play the same tunes on your computer with a Windows Media Player 7 or higher.
Zune You Can Watch
Apart from music, Zune Marketplace downloads also offer movie and video files, so you can download and enjoy movies from any genre. Suspense, science fiction, romance, comedy ? you name it, and Zune can play it.
With this software, you can also watch your DVDs from your player. It?s just a matter of converting the DVD format to the required format. The process is easy enough, and once again, there?s support offered to technically-challenged individuals.
Zune You Can Enjoy
Apart from Zune music downloads and movie downloads, Zune Empire?s software also include other helpful applications to make your experience worthwhile. There are tools to make your downloads easier. You can even burn your downloaded music and movies into a CD or DVD.
Indeed, with Microsoft?s latest 80GB multimedia player, Zune has come and it is here to stay. You will no longer be idle ever again. With this player, a long bus ride or an even longer wait at the doctor?s office can even be ? dare I say it ? enjoyable.
Posted by christine on May 9, 2010 in
Poetry They say great things come in small packages. This can’t be any truer than the new Zune portable multimedia player from Microsoft. This miniscule gizmo never fails to impress with its crisp audio, realistic video, FM radio, 80GB capacity, and – brace yourself – Wifi connectivity. Whether you want to listen to music or even watch Zune Movies, you can expect great things from this little gadget.
Break Through with a Cutting Edge
Watching high definition Zune Movies in such a small device is a huge breakthrough in technology, no doubt about it. But how do you know that the movies you’re downloading are the right Zune movies?
You need cutting-edge software to download movies to Zune. After all, you want to have the best quality Zune Movies there are, whether you’re in the mood for a Hollywood blockbuster or a smart independent flick. It’s just a matter of knowing what you want and where to look for it. With Zune Empire, you need not look any further. You’ll be surprised to know that you can indeed find everything you want in one place.
Get Down on the Load or Let it Rip!
With the right software, a Zune video download is easy enough to do. You can choose from a very wide selection of available Zune movies. With a couple of clicks on your mouse and a few taps on your keyboard, you’ll be downloading Zune movies directly into your Zune player in no time.
If you don’t feel like downloading Zune movies because you’d rather use your own DVD collection, you’re still in the right place. You can simply rip your DVD movie, spectacular pictures, sound, and all.
Because the Zune player can only play MPEG-4 videos, you can then convert this ripped DVD format into the required Zune format with the Zune movie converter. You need not be worried about losing high definition video or high quality sound because the Zune movie converter will in no way compromise the Zune movies’ sound and picture quality. Furthermore, you have the option to resize and link different video files together – perfect for those TV shows and movie trilogies and quadrilogies.
Anyone Can Enjoy Zune Movies
Indeed, the right Zune software is every techie’s dream. After all, it opens up a whole new world of possibilities for Zune movies.
If you’re not such a gadget-freak, however, you may be less than enthusiastic and probably a little worried. Yes, you do want your Zune movies, but you are quite overwhelmed by the Zune’s obvious technicality. Well, you’ll be pleased to know that the software is designed to be user-friendly with its easy user interface and numerous functions. Even the most technically-challenged can get things done. Besides, you’ll be supported all the way, so you’ll have those Zune movies no matter what.
Whether you’re a techie or technically-challenged, a gadget-freak or a novice, young or old, male or female, gay or straight, you’ll surely enjoy watching Zune Movies from your Zune player. You’ll never be bored again – ever.
Posted by christine on May 5, 2010 in
Poetry Today?s hottest little gadget has taken the world by storm. Understandably so. The Zune portable multimedia player beats its competitors by a landslide with its crisp audio, crystal clear video, easy user interface, FM radio, and the much-applauded Wifi capability. Oh, and did I mention that it comes with an 80GB capacity? That?s more than enough space for those fantastic Zune downloads.
Get Lost!
Downloading your favorite music and videos to Zune is as easy as 1-2-3. With the right software, you can download to Zune to your heart?s content. It?s just a matter of knowing where to look for Zune downloads. One such software can be found in Zune Empire.
With over 300 million ? and counting ? zune downloads available, you can download whatever music floats your boat, from rock ?n roll to hip-hop and old classics to the latest hits. You can get ?emo? or get your groove on anywhere you want. You can easily hear every bass note and every guitar string from your Zune downloads with the Zune?s superior audio. Indeed, it?ll be so easy to get lost in your own life?s soundtrack.
Don?t get too lost just yet, however. You can also download movies to Zune. Different genres are available. If you want to watch your burgeoning DVD collection on the go, you can also download DVD to Zune. You can fall in love with Notting Hill, scream yourself hoarse with The Ring, and laugh yourself silly with There?s Something About Mary. You?ll enjoy watching your Zune downloads beyond high definition quality, so you?ll know exactly how ?perfect? looks and sounds like. You won?t even notice that you?re watching your Zune downloads from a small, handheld screen. Now you can really lose yourself from the rest of the world.
Beyond Zune Downloads
More than just Zune downloads, Zune Empire?s software also has a score of tools and applications that will make your Zune experience an excellent one. Your Zune downloads are facilitated, so you know that you?re getting high-quality music and movie files and definitely not broken or corrupted ones. When you download a DVD to Zune, the software gives you the functionality of ripping the DVD – spectacular sound, picture and all – and converting the DVD movie format into the required Zune format. Similarly, it also lets you burn your Zune downloads into CDs and DVDs for backup storage, so you can make sure that you?ll never lose downloaded files ever again.
These may all seem overwhelming and daunting, to say the least, especially to those who are not very technologically savvy. Don?t fret because it isn?t. Installation can be done in just under three minutes and Zune Empire has made it easy for even the most technically-challenged laymen.
With the support offered, anybody can get the most out of his or her Zune software and player. Indeed, with the right Zune software and a score of Zune downloads, you can power up your Zune player, kick back, relax, and get lost in a whole new world of music and movies.
Posted by christine on May 1, 2010 in
Poetry In today?s era, there are thousands of music folders available to whoever that makes of djing a source of his income. With so many options, the question arises, What music selection do I want for my wedding? And, why so many weddings still resort to the same old tunes?
As far as my experience is concerned, I can say that everyone wants their wedding music to be remembered as ?fun?. Now ?fun? has many connotations. First of all, you will have to determine what ?fun? means for you and your partner. Once done this, you have to objectively consider how many within you guest list will agree with you on that. You might be surprised of the result! Now you will also have to consider what their impression of ?fun? is. A good percentage of couples realize that by inviting Uncle Ed and Aunt Betty from out of town, they will have to cater a complete selection of music that they hadn?t even thought about in the first place, and more surprising even, that they probably hate and had already agreed as a pick on their ?Not To Play? list.
During the course of one year I have been sitting down and conversing with at least 50 couples on regards their music planner. It?s interesting to realize that the majority of couples under 32 years of age, when asked about specific titles such as Macarena, Chicken dance and/or Y.M.C.A., will consistently reject them, arguing that they are too ?Overplayed?, ?Tacky?, ?Boring? and other negative adjectives. As a professional I want to give the right impression to my clients and always agree on writing off these songs. I do this in front of them so that it is clear that I agree on their decision. However, I also always ask them about the possibility of their relatives requesting said titles. In many occasions their attitude changes, realizing that their family and friends are making a trip to their wedding and it might be probably selfish, if not rude, to stick to a list of Hip Hop or Techno that his or her side of the family will be totally unacquainted with.
At this point you might be freaking out to the possibility of having to listen to some music selection you really hate. Now my suggestion is that for as long as the song you don?t want to hear reminds you about bitter memories of the past (which happens often with Romantic/Slow jams), or it is offensive in lyrics, innuendo or speech to the general audience or to a particular individual, you should let the Dj play those songs. As a music engineer, he will try to wait and build up the spirit that conduces to those songs and blend them in the middle of a set that most people will be dancing to. Personally, I have seen that the majority of the times even the Bride and the Groom end up hopping around the Chicken Dance or the Cha Cha Slide. Don?t forget that once alcohol, atmosphere and mood kick in, people will dance to almost anything. And interestingly, it is precisely these songs that usually take the crowd to the next level. They have been designed for this purpose and they can really accomplish it. You don?t need to have Michael Jackson dancing skills to perform Y.M.C.A.; your 50 year old auntie will feel identified with it; if there are children in the crowd they will feel more compelled to go to the dance floor and share, etc. So yes, now you can realize that these songs are meant to do silliness, to break the ice and to motivate the crowd as a whole. It is also more interesting to realize that these are exactly the moments of the WHOLE evening your guests will remember the most, because crowd activities are what we fondly appreciate.
On a last note, I urge you to remember that weddings are in essence a show. Your guests expect to be entertained. That is why you are arranging a dinner for them. Not because they can?t afford to get one themselves, but because even dinner is part of making them feel welcomed and entertained. You want to share this occasion with all of these people, and by making them feel as comfortable as possible you are also addressing the notion for them to stick around a bit longer after dinner and participate of the dance floor and share with you and have fun. And in every party there is always a time when silliness kicks in. And that is exactly the time when the Pour Some Sugar On Mes show up, and people do silly things. And everyone laughs and have fun. Your guests will most probably forget everything about the cake next day, but they will certainly remember this!
Posted by christine on Apr 27, 2010 in
Poetry Wise people say, there are two types of toys in the world. The toys that set the child to think and the toys that set the parents to think!
Making a paper toy is just like solving a maths problem. Not a difficult problem, not an easy problem, but mathematics does not condone a mistake. To arrive at the correct final answer, your steps need to be correct. Each and every step! Let’s have a quick look at how to solve this question paper and learn to make paper toys articulately.
First things first, a paper toy is a toy that is made after folding the paper. It is all about folding the paper in style indeed! This art is known as Origami. You need to know the basic folds, the folds that give strength to the ultimate toy that you are going to form out of it.
Just study all the details of the toy that you are going to form, if you are making this new design for the first time. Your requirements of raw material is simple: Paper, foil backing, cutting material such as knife, scissors or blades, glues, paints and other craft goods.
Your end product needs to be good, appealing and also the product should last. By using a low quality paper, you might end up in fiasco. You would tear the paper at the most unsuspected moment, when you are about to give finishing touch to the toy. If you use the heavy paper, the folds will be tough, you will not be happy to work with this paper and the toy might end up with the appearance of a heavy-weight boxer.
The papers suggested are colored bond paper or the commercial origami paper. Once given proper shape and color, these nature-friendly toys are easy to carry– they are lightweight and as for appeal and appearance, they score over with toys of any other genre.
Posted by christine on Apr 14, 2010 in
Poetry Christmas is in the air. You can feel it in the chilly and festive air, the heartwarming carols you can hear everywhere, and the blinding Christmas lights strung on trees and houses wherever you look. The time for eating, drinking, and being merry is here. Of course, who better to eat, drink, and be merry with but your closest friends? Indeed, above all else, Christmas is the time for family, and, of course, friendship.
When You Only Want the Best
You?ve probably noticed that of the multitude of presents you receive each Christmas, the best always come from friends. It?s no wonder because they know you best; therefore, they know what you want, or at least, what you need.
Of course, you want to do the same thing for your friends. You want to give them the best Christmas presents you can find, or at least, afford. After all, why should you settle for less when you can give the best?
Still, shopping for Christmas presents is never easy, especially when you only have the best in mind. It takes a lot of time and effort, not to mention money, to find the perfect Christmas presents for your nearest and dearest friends. And if you?re a busy, busy person, it?s unfortunately a luxury you don?t have. Consider giving your friends personalized gifts.
Get Up Close and Personal
As far as intimate Christmas presents go, personalized gifts are your best bet. These days, you can get absolutely anything personalized. Personalization can be done through print, engraving, emboss, embroidery, and monograms.
You no longer have to search for the perfect coffee mug that suits your best friend?s personality. You can have one made especially for her. Bath towels are no longer just bath towels. They can bear your friend?s name, or maybe a quotation or two. An engraved pen is something your writer friend will appreciate.
The list of personalized gifts can go on and on. It?s just a matter of using your imagination. With personalized gifts, you can get a memorable picture or a private joke immortalized on any seemingly innocuous item, making it so much more intimate and a great deal more important.
Personalize Anywhere, Everywhere
These days, more and more people are embracing the concept of personalization, so personalized gifts are easy enough to find. Simply walk into any specialty store, and chances are they can personalize any of their items for your friends.
For the busy career person, you can also get personalized gifts online. This way, you don?t have to feel guilty about not giving as much care and attention to your friends? Christmas presents. With just a few taps on your keyboard and even fewer mouse clicks, you can choose an item to personalize, pick a design or specify your own, pay extra to have it gift wrapped, and voila! You have personalized gifts ready to be eagerly unwrapped come Christmas day.
Indeed, what friend wouldn?t like personalized gifts? You probably wish you?ll get one too. And guess what? You probably will.
Posted by christine on Apr 10, 2010 in
Poetry So you’re thinking about getting your first tattoo. What do you do next? Well, it’s best not to rush off to the nearest tattoo parlour, point at a random design and wait to see your new masterpiece.
Here are five vital decisions that you must make before you proceed any further.
1) Do You Really Want A Tattoo?
A tattoo is a lifetime commitment, so you must be absolutely 100% certain that you want one. You might think that it’s the greatest thing in the world today, but will you feel the same about it in 10 years, 20 years or even 50 years?
Okay, tattoo removal technology is improving all the time, but it’s still time consuming, expensive and painful. So for now it’s best to assume that your tattoo will be for life.
2) The Tattoo Design
Once you’ve decided that you definitely want a tattoo, the next step is to choose the design that you want. There are hundreds of categories of tattoo design to choose from, including dragon, flower, butterfly, angel, sun, etc. The choice is endless.
Most tattoos are done from predesigned templates. It’s just a case of choosing the one that you want (some are free, but the better ones cost up to $20) and taking it to your choosen tattoo artist.
So visit a number of tattoo related websites, take a look at tattoo design books and decide on the general type of design that you want. Once you’ve done that, narrow it down to the actual design that you want.
Alternatively, if you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for, or you want your tattoo to be unique, you could consider getting an artist to design a custom tattoo exclusively for you.
This option is more expensive (perhaps $200-300 and upwards for the design, depending on size and level of detail), although more mainstream designs will work out cheaper as most tattoo artists will have experience of designing them. However, you’ll have complete control over how your tattoo looks, nobody else will have the same and it will last you for the rest of your life.
Always remember, a good tattoo is not cheap, and a cheap tattoo is no good.
And a word of warning, unless you intend to place your tattoo on a part of your body that you can’t see (such as your back), choose something that you don’t think you’ll get tired of looking at. The worst situation is to get a new tattoo on a highly visible part of your body that you grow to hate within a few months.
It’s also important to choose a design that will be as relevant to you in the future as it is today. This is particularly relevant when it comes to designs that include names.
Many people get their names of their children added to their tattoo. This is a safe option because they’ll always be your children. But think carefully before you get the name of your spouse or partner tattooed over your body. What if you seperate in the future? Will a new partner be happy to see the name of your ex emblazoned across your neck?
3) Color Or Black?
Another consideration that’s closely linked to your choice of design is whether it will be in color or just black. This choice largely depends on the type of design that you like.
But bear in mind that black tattoos tend to have more definition. Due to the contrast with your skin they’re more noticeable than the smoothing effect achieved by color tattoos. In comparison, color tattoos are much richer and help to add more character to your chosen design, but they do cost more.
4) Which Part Of Your Body?
Before you decide which part of your body to get tattooed, there are three minor issues to consider. First, bear in mind the size of your choosen design. If you’ve set your heart on a large design, there won’t likely be enough space on your hands or ankles etc. Back, shoulders, chest and stomach are better areas for large designs.
Second, how visible do you want your tattoo to be? Do you want it to be on public display most of the time, or do you want it to be more discreet? If so, it’s important to bear in mind your normal style of dress.
It’s also important to remember that certain professions such as the police have strict rules about no tattoos on the lower arms etc. So if that will be an issue, check with your employers first.
Third, certain areas are more painful than others. As a general rule, areas of your body where the flesh is thinner and more bony, such as your ankles, head and lower back, tend to be more painful. Less painful areas to tattoo include your shoulders, chest, upper arm and upper back. And due to the number of nerve endings involved, it goes without saying that more intimate areas of your body could be extremely sensitive.
5) Size
The size of your tattoo will to a large extent (dreadful pun!) be determined by the location where it appears on your body. After all, a design that measures twelve inches square won’t fit on the back of your hand. Large tattoos will also take longer to complete (and therefore cost more), and will be more noticeable.
But don’t let all that lead you to believe that a small tattoo is something that can be undertaken on a whim. A small tattoo is just as big a commitment as a larger design and will last just as long.
Getting any tattoo done is a major decision, so don’t rush into it, and make sure that you’re absolutely certain about all of the decisions above before you go any further.
Posted by christine on Apr 6, 2010 in
Poetry When you think of a casino what mental image appears first? The room full of slot machines! The slot machine is first love of anybody that goes to the casinos or riverboats. The slot machine is an interesting piece of machinery, both mechanical and computer. The slot machine commonly called the one-armed bandit is now a computer in disguise and all slot machines are not created equal.
Nickel slots may offer lower payouts, but this is the most inexpensive way for a newcomer to learn the ropes of the casino slot machine. Many features are the same between the nickel slots and the 5 dollar slots, but you need to start out on the nickel machine so you can keep your money while you learn. . Nickel slots may offer lower payouts, but there is still nothing like the thrill of hitting the jackpot, no matter what machines your casino offers.
When you walk into the casino the casino will feature just about everything from ?single coin? nickel machines to 5 dollar and up multiple payline slot machines and slot machines with progressive pots. The single coin machine are just what their name implies; you are gambling with one coin whether it be a nickel, quarter or dollar coin. Also some slot machines can take more coins and the more coins you play on a single pull will increase the amount that you can win. The gamblers that play the maximum amount usually win the best jackpots.
Playing progressive slots are becoming a very popular past time. These machine usually have a very large jackpot, sometimes in the millions. Each time a coin is played on a progressive slot machine a percentage is added to the jackpot. The progressive slot machines are tied together through a computer network within the casino or they are networked between casinos. To win the big jackpots you will need to bet the maximum.
No matter what slot machines you play stick to your spending limits and read the instructions on every machine that you play. If you maintain your bank roll you can have hours of fun. Enjoy yourself and have a blast!
Posted by christine on Mar 21, 2010 in
Poetry Even in Jail Paris Hilton knows how to create buzz. As a business owner creating a healthy dose of buzz about your business is a must. Of course, you want your business to be known for skills more valuable than getting yourself in trouble.
You have to be determined to generate buzz about your products or services. The buzz has to be based on fact not fiction, but don?t worry it doesn?t have to be something outrageous that will land your name in the gossip magazines.
If you are waiting for the next big idea to hit you on the head, you are going to be greatly disappointed. You have to take a proactive measure in creating buzz about your business.
The Internet enables small business owners to create buzz quickly and inexpensively. With technology you can communicate with, entertain, and educate your customers. When you succeed you create an effective viral marketing campaign that can spread like cyber space fire.
Engage your customers on your site by asking them to respond to a site survey. Such survey engages your customers and it provides your company with quick information. If you don?t have a lot of traffic post your survey to Web sites with significant traffic such as some of the more popular social networking sites.
Whatever method you are utilizing to create buzz around your business, you have to be able to measure it. If you can?t measure it, you can?t manage it. Once you have a system in place to measure the effectiveness of your buzz marketing campaign, you can quickly make adjustments to improve its effectiveness.
There are several factors to measure such as the number of new users, email registrants, and time spent on your web site. Don?t just measure once in the beginning of your campaign. Measure religiously and keep measuring. To compare the rest of your site?s performance with your buzz campaign performance, you should create a landing page. The landing page enables you to study the results isolated from the rest of your site.
Wouldn?t it be nice to get the kind of buzz Paris Hilton gets without having to get arrested?
Posted by christine on Mar 16, 2010 in
Poetry This is something I briefly touched on in a previous newsletter – …over and over I get asked “will I write better songs if I’m a musician”?
What’s the answer?
Yes AND no.
Confused?
Let me explain. For the sake of simplicity, here I’ll talk about the ‘music’ aspect of songwriting.
First up, I’ll tell you that I’m a musician, songwriter and a vocal coach. And I have worked with both songwriters who play instruments and songwriters who don’t. Which group are a better bunch to work with?
It goes like this. Those who play an instrument (to a certain degree) are more prone to understand timing, tempo and perhaps some syncopation. Sometimes, musicians will also understand the creation of melody a little more than non-musicians. They’ll understand the structure of harmony and some music theory that goes along with it.
Because of the various ‘pieces’ or ’songs’ they have played with their instruments, these musical and rhythmic elements are more or less naturally embedded in their brain – in practice and in theory.
Of course, this is GOOD thing. It’s an advantage. Now yes – there are non-musicians who are gifted with these elements also, but I’m just talking in general terms here. For the most of it, more musicians will have these elements than non-musicians.
Now here’s the twist. It’s because of this very same reason that many musicians find it hard to write great songs. How? Well, because there are musicians that are pre-programmed into believing that perhaps a melody should flow a certain way, or maybe a chord sequence shouldn’t fall in that pattern, etc, BECAUSE they get caught up in the theory that indirectly tells them “this isn’t right”.
You see, songwriters who don’t know anything about music theory or playing an instrument will write freely. Meaning they won’t think about whether something is ‘musically right’ or not. Of course, you can’t write a song of pure non-musicality and expect to get a welcoming reception. You’d be mad to.
But it’s nice when you don’t think too much about something ’sitting right’ musically in the song. Why care? It’s a song. If the second verse has 10 bars and the first verse has 8 – so what? No big deal.
On the flip side, there are non-musical songwriters who just need that little push to learn some very basic chords on a piano or guitar….just to give them that edge and sometimes to even super-charge their creativity. So….
….here’s my conclusion. If you play an instrument and you wish to be a songwriter, then don’t think too much about what’s musically correct. Let the chords and melody take you away. Don’t think about it too much. Yes, stick within the rules of music, but don’t get caught up in it.
If you are a non-musician and you write songs, then a great idea would be to learn some very basic chords on the keyboard. This isn’t completely mandatory, but it will definitely give your songwriting a boast. Just the basic chords will do. You’ll be amazed the kind of music you can make with learning the basic stuff.
And why did I say the keyboard and not the guitar? Well, I believe the keyboard to be fundamentally easier to learn than the guitar, as you can blatantly see the notes for the intervals you are playing face-front.
But please, don’t let me deter you from learning the guitar if that’s in you to do so. It’s a wonderful, natural songwriting accompanying instrument.
If and when you do decide to learn an instrument, I wouldn’t get too caught up in the theory, unless it’s your desire to really learn about it….
……and if you wish to do so, then try to draw a firm line between your musical ego and your songwriting craft. This is the key here. As much as they may fight against each other, they *can* work together, if you consciously try to find a balance.