Play The Dragon Age 2 Demo and Pre-Order The Full Game To Unlock 6 Exclusive In-Game Items

Bioware does not only innovate at visuals, gameplay and storyline on their well known, award-winning RPGs like Knights of The Old Republic, Mass Effect or Dragon Age, they also innovate on how they promote these games.

This time they will be promoting Dragon Age 2 in two different ways:

1. If 1 million gamers download and play the demo (in either PC, Xbox 360 or PS3) before March 1st, they will unlock two in-game books. One that will give you a nice cash boost (Far Cliffs of Kirkwall) and one that will give you a helpful XP upgrade (Lothering's Lament).

2. Just by downloading and completing the demo, you will get to unlock Hayder's Razor, a mystical dwarven blade that boosts health, mana, and combat abilities, in the full release of Dragon Age 2.

Make sure to play the demo using the same account that you will use when registering and playing the full release game so you can receive these items when they are released.

Also pre-order buyers will receive even more exclusive in-game items (before March 8th - the full game release date) . There are several options on where to buy your game, but I've done the research for you already. All stores below offer the following 2 items as part of their pre-order program (a happy day for Shield and Sword players):

* A sword: Fadeshear:
+ Damage improves with level-up
+ Additional damage vs. demons and undead

* A shield: The Lion of Orlais:
+ Two rune slots
+ Adds to health
+ Adds to % XP gain

Based on my research, the top 3 stores to pre-order or buy Dragon Age 2 are:

1. The EA Store: My top choice is to buy Dragon Age 2 directly from the publisher itself. No other store online offers The Black Emporium which is a secret market in Kirkwall where you will find:
+ A fighting Mabari War Hound. Can you seriously consider playing Dragon Age 2 without this faithful friend at your side? :).
+ The Mirror of Transformation. Having a bad hair day? Use this mirror to change your appearance: hair, eyes, tattoos, etc.
+ A magic item store with some of the best equipment that you'll ever find in the game.
+ A crafting store with some powerful and unique recipes.



2. Best Buy: My second choice would be Best Buy as this is the only other store that offers an extra exclusive item besides the two mentioned above. Best Buy gives you The Amulet of Ashes which provides heavy fire resistance, adds to fire damage, and adds to health regeneration.

3. Amazon.com: Amazon is not offering any extra items besides the two mentioned above, but their PC version is running for a nice 10 bucks off the regular price ($49.95 instead of $59.95) so if the Black Emporium or the Amulet of Ashes are not that important for you then go ahead and buy it at Amazon:














That's it for now. See you at The Black Emporium in Kirkwall!

Why Fly Coach When You Can Fly First Class For Less?

If you fly frequently for business reasons, to visit loved ones or just for pleasure, you definitely know of the usual discomforts of coach travelling: last in line to board, cramped spaces, getting bumped to a different flight because of overbooking, lousy food choices, etc.

If all your booking experience is limited to calling a local travel agent or going online to a website like Expedia.com or FlightNetwork.com you might be not be aware of the many amazing self-serve opportunities that you might be missing out on to help make your travel a more comfortable, no hassle, elite experience at very affordable, coach-like costs.

Who would be the best person to teach you all these tips, tricks and tools than someone who has flown over 2 million miles (about 80 times the circumference of the earth) in his lifetime? The november 2010 issue of Entrepreneur Magazine included an article with Nicholas Kralev, who is the president and CEO of Kralev International LLC, a company for travel education and training, as well as a business travel columnist. In this article he mentions three very useful tools for frequent travelers. These tools, which provide you with an insider view only registered travel agents where able to have access, include Expert Flyer, KVS tool and ITA software.

ExpertFlyer.com is the website where you can find Flight Availability, Flight Upgrades & Awards, Frequent Flyer Information and more! And it is also the tool that Kralev uses during his day long "On-The-Fly" seminars and webinars. A quote directly from his website (ontheflyseminars.com): The "On the Fly" Seminars are the first of their kind in the world. They offer a practical, hands-on curriculum designed to help travelers master the unique combination of paying the lowest available fares — and saving hundreds of dollars per ticket — while flying in luxury and enjoying a seamless journey.

First class and elite priviliges are closer than you might think. Start your journey of elite traveling by giving yourself the power of knowledge. Never again limit yourself to just what the middle man wants to tell you. Why fly coach when you can fly first class for less?

Internet Marketing Books

If you are interested in deepening your knowledge about IM, I have some great reading suggestions from my personal bookshelf:

WisdomJuice Media

Just a short post to let you know that the corporate website for my new Internet Marketing company is up.

WisdomJuice Media is an Internet Marketing agency dedicated to help increase sales volume for your business.

We specialize in:

• Search Engine Optimization.
• Pay-Per-Click.
• E-mail List Building.
• Brand Identity.
• Web Design And Development.

Visit WisdomJuice Media's website at: http://www.wisdomjuicemedia.com/

The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels - Book Review

Probation periods for new jobs have always been the norm and in most cases they were just a formality. But, in these hard economic times where companies are trying to cut costs everywhere, finding yourself without a job because you were not able to position yourself properly during this important period is a possibility.

Dr. Michael Watkins, chairman of Genesis Advisers and author of "The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels", tries to convince us that success in proving our worth during the initial transitioning period into a new job is a skill that can be learned. He teaches us this skill by presenting us with a set of principles, tasks and advice that help making our entry to our new professional role a lot smoother and increase our probability of surviving past probation.

It might be tempting to think that this book is reserved only for C-Level executives but that appreciation could not be more wrong. The concepts found in the book can be applied to any level of leadership, from program to principal and general managers. It can truly be of help anyone undergoing a transition into a new role.

The book is written in a clear, concise manner and includes an example at the start of each chapter that illustrates how the principles introduced in the chapter could be used to avoid falling into pitfalls.

To summarize, I think that this book is a great read, and very useful for any leader that wants to be successful in transitioning to a new role. Nevertheless, I feel it could benefit from focusing more on actual real world case studies and practical advice instead of mostly on concepts. This is why I would recommend complementing this book with Thomas Neff and James Citrin's "You're in Charge--Now What?: The 8 Point Plan" which includes more down to earth examples and an actual action plan.

How To Make Lactose Free Milk At Home And Save Money

How To Make Lactose Free Milk

Milk has many known benefits including:

• Preventing osteoporosis (it is high in calcium and Vitamin D).
• Preventing hyper tension, and colon cancer.
• Reducing the incidence of tooth decay.
• Reducing the liver's production of cholesterol.
• Aiding in weight loss (contains a large amount of protein which helps you feel fuller longer).

But, for all of us who have some degree of lactose intolerance, trying to enjoy all these great benefits could translate into:

• Bloating.
• Stomach pain or cramps.
• Gas.
• Diarrhea.
• Vomiting.

Dairy companies have thus flooded this profitable market with Lactose free alternatives. These work great but the main problem is pricing. A gallon of Lactose free milk costs in most cases more than twice the price of regular milk which can quickly add up and become prohibitive for most budgets.

But, did you know you can easily and inexpensively make your own lactose free milk at home, and save tons of money in the process? Let me show you a quick calculation of possible savings:

• Lactase Capsule $0.11 - $0.25
• Gallon of Milk $2.49 - $2.99

DIY Lactose Free Milk (1 Gallon): $2.60 - $3.24
Lactose Free Milk (1/2  Gallon) $3.98 - $4.98 x 2 = $7.96 - $9.96

Total possible savings (per Gallon): $5.36 - $6.72

Lactose Free Milk Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 gallon of regular Milk (whole, 2%, 1%, skim, you choose)
• 2 of Rainbow Light Lacto-Zyme Dairy-Eze capsules

After testing several brands we have found that the above capsules work best because they not only include a generous amount of Lactase enzyme but a broad range of enzymes that aid digestion of all the components of dairy-milk: sugar (lactose), milk protein (casein) and milk fat. You can replace the Dairy-Eze for the following cheaper alternatives (these only contain Lactase, so YMMV):

• 1 of Nature's Way Lactase Enzyme Capsules
• 2 of Solaray Lactase Capsules

Procedure:

• Pour 1 cup of the milk into a blender.
• Carefully separate the two halves of the capsule(s) and pour them into the blender.
• Blend the milk until the powder is fully dissolved.
• Pour mixture back into milk container.
• Close milk container tightly. This is very important! =)
• Shake for about 15 seconds to blend milk and mixture together. Don't worry if foam appears, it will settle down.
• Leave milk in fridge for 24 hours.
• Enjoy!

That's it! So simple, and the savings can add up very nicely. You can also do without a blender and mix the powder in a cup with a spoon. Also, you can always bring some of the capsules with you when you go out for any meal high in lactose that you decide to eat. This How To Make Lactose Free Milk recipe has worked very well for us and I hope it is of good use for you.

Can You Tell If Your Customer Is Ready To Buy?

How To Tell If Your Customer Is Close To Buying By Looking At The Search Keywords They Use To Find You

If you are interested in doing keyword research for an on-line marketing campaign, it is crucial that you understand how the keywords that a customer uses during their search can be a clear indication of how close they are to making a purchase. Choosing the right keywords and optimizing your marketing efforts around them can have great results and deliver more targeted clicks to your website.

An on-line purchase cycle has 3 different general stages:

1. Browse stage: when the customer is 'just looking' around for general information.

2. Comparison stage: when the customer has an idea of the type of product or service they are looking for and are comparing different offerings.

3. Buy stage: when the customer has made a choice between products and is trying to find the best deal (price, availability, etc).

Every customer that types a keyword into a search engine is engaged in a different internal dialogue depending on which stage of the purchase cycle they are. If you want to reach your customer at the right stage, you have to think about this dialogue when choosing keywords. As an example, put yourself in the shoes of a customer who is searching for 'theoretical physics' and go through the 3 different stages of the purchase cycle and see the evolution of your internal dialogue.

1. Browse stage:

At this stage, you might have questions similar to:

- "What is the big fuzz about theoretical physics?"

- "I have seen theoretical physics being mentioned many times in the Big Bang Theory and would like to know more about them"

And you would most likely use general, all encompassing keywords like:

- theoretical physics

- big bang theory physics

- physics

2. Comparison stage:

Possibly after a bit of information gathering, you decide that you want to find out if there are any good books on theoretical physics that are accessible to the general public. Some questions you might have are:
- "What are some popular books on theoretical physics?"
- "Are there any reviews for theoretical physics books that I could look at?" 
At this stage, you would most likely use more specific, refined keywords like:

- theoretical physics book reviews

- theoretical physics books for dummies

- theoretical physics made simple books

3. Buying stage:

At this point, you have most likely gone through several review sites and read some articles on specific book recommendations. Your current objective is to get the cheapest prices with the best availability for the books you have chosen:
- "Where can I find Michio Kaku / Gary Zukav / Stephen Hawking books for cheap?"
- "Is there an eBook version for Physics of the Impossible?" 
You would tend to use very specific keywords of book titles or authors like:

- Michio Kaku

- Physics of the Impossible eBook

- Gary Zukav

- Dancing Wu Li Masters
- Stephen Hawking
- A Briefer History of Time 

This is not a set-it-and-forget-it strategy and requires constant refining but by knowing well your target customer and analyzing his internal dialogue at different stages of the purchase cycle you are better able to target them at the right moment. If you have an educational site where you have plenty of articles about general topics in theoretical physics you might want to target the customer from the 1st stage, but if you are an author selling books on the topic you might want to target the customer at a later stage.

Further reading:

http://www.roi.com.au/index.php/search_engine/keyword_strategies_for_the_customer_buying_cycle.html