Blog with Honor

There has been much debate lately about whether or not its acceptable to take money for writing blog posts. Blogging for money without disclosure, along with opportunities like PayPerPost and the like, takes it all to a new level. I don't think we want blog police, but I also believe trust and credibility don't happen by themselves. What do you think?

Advertising seems to be the way to generate revenue from a blog. There is nothing wrong with that. However, content and advertising must be distinct. Well, yes I do blog about interesting ads that make me think, but that is not what I mean. Do you see 'Ads by Google' at the bottom of my AdSense links? That is called disclosure. So, if I'm ever offered payment to blog about some product, have no doubt it will be clearly marked as sponsored post. Having said that, if all you do is AdSense, I don’t even consider it a source of income. As far as I can tell from my experience, readers avoid clicking them (20 clicks out of 14,700 page impressions generate a grand total of $4.89)! Its passive and obvious.

I am in favor of any tactic that will enhance and point to a blog's credibility. The Blog Honor Pledge is designed to help bloggers make a statement to be authentic and transparent at all times. Even though its a kind of link bait, I like what it stands for and the ethics it represents. Thus, I adapted the Blog Honor badge on this blog, as you can see in my sidebar, with a little tweak so that it links back to this post where I take the Blog Honor Pledge (there is a link here to the original Blog Honor page anyway).

Do the right thing by the reader and the rewards will eventually come your way.

I have chosen to pledge to you the following:

1. I will endeavor to continue to bring you the highest quality content that I am capable of

2. I promise to attempt to disclose or clearly mark any content or advertisements or other monetization attempts that help me keep my blog operating

3. I pledge to never write "fake" blog content solely for the purpose of trying to generate revenue without complete and clear disclosure. With exception, my blog may exist for business purposes, therefore I use it to talk about products & services that relate to my business, thus assisting me in generating leads & sales for me indirectly

In return, I hope that you will continue to read my blog with the knowledge that I produce my blog out of a passion for the topic I write about, and not because I'm hoping to fool you into making money for myself.

Please note, I have nothing against generating revenue from my blog, in fact, your ongoing support of my sponsors and advertisers (text links, partner ads, etc...) helps me keep my blog operating so that I may endure to create better content for you.

I do appreciate your support. Continued thanks for your readership.

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Don't Copy That Floppy

Ok, you filthy thieves. I am about to show you something that will hopefully steer you clear of your current life of evil crime. Here is a hilarious look at copyright laws all the way back from the early 90's from MC 'Disk Protector'. The rap video portion is interspersed with boring nice interviews of the staff responsible for design of an early version of Neverwinter Nights.

That's it! I will never copy a game on a floppy ever again. I won't, believe me.

In recent times online credit card use is increasing very rapidly. Keeping this in mind many companies have started credit cards services but still the best one is visa credit card. For this people can get information on internet where many websites are providing useful information about credit card loans, mortgages and rental insurance. These websites also provide resources to calculate income plans of retirement. Some of these websites also provide the facility of online mortgage calculator. Other than this any one looking for payday loan information can easily get it from such websites

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How to Make a Bow and Arrow

"Once the weapon of choice for everyone from Native Americans to Turkish armies, the bow and arrow is one of the oldest hunting (and fighting) tools on Earth. While it's no match for modern weaponry, or indeed for modern archery equipment, a primitive bow and arrow can still save your life if you have to hunt to survive in the wilderness.

A high quality bow can take weeks or months to cure and construct, but a simpler version can be made relatively quickly and with readily available materials. The instructions here, based largely on the U.S. Army Survival Manual FM 21-76, can teach you how to construct a 'field-expedient' weapon."

[Via: WikiHow]

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Type Fast or Die

It is logical to associate an expert typist with fast typing, given that touch typing is an automatic skill, but a better description might be accurate typing. While learning to touch type will almost always result in a perceptible increase in typing speed, it is just one factor contributing to a marked increase in productivity.

Here is a creative application of an online game to test your typing skills: QWERTY Warriors! (Hit 'Play' to start then select a difficulty level.) The objective of the game is to type the word next to your enemies as fast as you can to survive. Sure beats typing tutor programs to make you faster!

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Email Your Future Self

I've seen this before, and maybe some of you have seen this as well, but I'm sure most people haven't. Even so, its time to bury your own personal time capsule! Ever wonder where will you be one year from today? Preserve your thoughts, resolutions, and memories on Future Me, then specify the date in the future when you want them emailed back to you.

The free service lets you to send an email to any address up to 30 years from now. It's a great way to check in on yourself a few years forward and see if you've achieved your goals or languished in procrastination. I know it can actually be difficult to write down one’s goal but it’s something you have to do if you wish to be accountable to yourself.

Here are some examples from the public letters if you need some inspiration.

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Get a First Life

Go Outside. Make some real life friends. Live your life. Second Life is a popular virtual world which recently crossed one million residents. To parody Second Life, Darren Barefoot created a one page satire site called Get a First Life which is a '3D analog world where server lag does not exist.' This blaugh seemed appropriate here:

[Via: Quick Online Tips]

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Bored of Times New Roman? Make Your Own Handwritten Font!

If you have a Tablet PC, you can create your own font with a free Microsoft powertoy called My Font Tool. On the same page, there is also a Handwriting Analysis Tool that supposedly reports what your handwriting reflects about your personality. Very interesting piece of software! Posted my results in the comments.

Lets face it. We are all using computers to type more and more everyday. Its no surprise that my script isn't very pretty. So, I present you with this good collection of free handwritten fonts. Enjoy!

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Size Does Not Matter

Jedi Master Yoda from the fictional universe of Star Wars once said "Size matters not. Judge me by my size, do you?" This is the idea behind the new ad for Golf GT TSI developed by the creative agency DDB London. This car may only have a 1.4 litre engine but it’s boosted with a turbocharger and a supercharger pumping out a whooping 170hp. The result, small but powerful!

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Borat Wins a Golden Globe

Jagshemash! Most of you probably have heard of Borat. He is a (now famous and controversial) fictional character portrayed by the British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. Most of you probably seen his film too. Borat - Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan. Well, 'Borat' recently won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. Watch his hilarious award acceptance speech (or read it here).

I Like You! Although I would ideally cut the post here, I can't help but continue with some constructive critism. I think Borat is as an inspiration from the Turkish Internet celebrity Mahir "I Kiss You" Cagri. Check out his music video! Moreover, if you visit his original website, you will see a lot of similarities. In particular his facial hair, formal wear and his use of the catchphrase "I like sex." In the film's introductory scenes, Borat not only uses Mahir's "You can stay my home" catchphrase, but also poses during a game of ping-pong in revealing red shorts, referencing two of Mahir's famous shots. Though unlike Mahir, the traveller, Borat is a television reporter. I really like how he uses this opportunity to reveal people's inner-selves (although sometimes it is offensive to others). This can be best described with Sacha Baron Cohen's own words (about Borat's anti-Semitism) in an interview featured in The Rolling Stone magazine:

"Borat essentially works as a tool, by himself being anti-Semitic, he lets people lower their guard and expose their own prejudice, whether it's anti-Semitism or an acceptance of anti-Semitism.... I remember, when I was in [Cambridge] university I studied history, and there was this one major historian of the Third Reich, Ian Kershaw. And his quote was, 'The path to Auschwitz was paved with indifference.'"

Do You Like Me? To be honest, Cohen is a great actor. No doubt about that. But I have seen the film and I don't think it was as good as Cohen's previous works. For example, I used to enjoy watching Borat (even before he became famous) in every episode of Da Ali G Show, doing satirical interviews with often-unwitting subjects. I was also rolling on the floor laughing at Borat's appearance on the talk show (twice!), Late Night with Conan O' Brien. In the film, there were some scenes that simply created a shock effect and I found them utterly tasteless (For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, watch it here re-enacted by bunnies in 30 seconds). Surely there were funny scenes as well, but it still is a low-budget mockumentary!

High Five! Fans of Borat, please go easy on my first post including my opinion.. but it had to be done!

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Swimming in Wine

It has been said that Cleopatra loved to bathe in red wine as a rejuvenation treatment in ancient Egypt. Don't like wine? Try swimming in Tea or Coffee! You can do just that at the Yunessun spa resort in Hakone, Japan. The resort provides all sort of liquid goodness for you to dip in - and you thought your Dead Sea soak was exquisite. It even has a traditional Turkish Hamam!

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