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

The Fountain of Youth

iDigit Design has prepared a series of ‘before and after Photoshop’ stills to remind us of the ‘vision of impossible beauty’ that media tries to present us with every day. Hover your mouse over each picture for the ‘before’ view.

Quoted from their website: ‘Many of the images here have been so heavily manipulated they could claim to be art. But unlike Rubens or Michelangelo, the manipulation is neither made clear nor becomes part of the viewing experience.’

These manipulations are not made explicit in purpose to sell us a naturally unattainable standard and thus making our logic, common sense and personal views of beauty fight to decide if what we’re seeing is truth. Don’t let them ever fool you!

On the same page, you’ll find a link to a tutorial on how artists tap onto this illusory ‘Fountain of Youth’ in order to transform a photo of an older woman into a young woman one.

Always remember: ‘You're beautiful because you're unique and that's what makes you special.’

The Miniature Earth

World Population: 6,552,766,939+

What would the statistics look like if we were to turn the world population to a small community of only 100 people, keeping the same proportions we have today?

Based on Donella Meadows’ “State of the Village Report”, published in May 29, 1990, this webmovie truly opens our eyes to realizing and putting in perspective the differences found in our world.



Go here for more information about The Miniature Earth project.

“If you keep your food in a refrigerator and your clothes in a closet, if you have a bed to sleep in and a roof over your head, you are richer than 75% of the entire world population. Appreciate what you have. And do your best for a better world.”

Sand Fantasy – “Just Imagine…”

By combining three simple elements: lights, music and sand, Ilana Yahav, creates powerful visions of beauty.

Using only her fingers as artist tools, Ilana leads us through these ‘meditation journeys’ that draw us in, fills us with wonder and stirs our souls.

The video of one of her works entitled "Just Imagine…”, on the subject of world peace can be found below or here.



The music track is “Angel” from Merav Josef-Levi.

For more video clips and information about Ilana you can visit her website.

Just some videos to enjoy

Behold... the Honda Civic choir!



10K Pounds... the Domino Effect!


The Muppets' Mahna Mahna song!

The Evolution Of Beauty

"To Infinity And Beyond"

ZOOMQUILT – an idea by Nikolaus Baumgarten, is a collaborative art project of 15 artists that could be nicely summarized by quoting Buzz LightYear from Toy Story: “To Infinity And Beyond”.

The act of ‘Quilting’, which involves sewing or tying two layers of cloth with a layer of insulating batting in between, is taken to a new level by ‘quilting’ together several (I’ve counted at least 7) paintings in a seamless way.

Add a touch of Flash, and this magic quilt can be zoomed in or out in an infinite loop, giving the impression of a mysterious trip into a surreal world of fantasy.

Start your trip here (requires Flash player). An HTML version (not as cool as the Flash one) is here.

On a small tangent, click here to hear William Shatner and the Star Command Chorus perform “To Infinity and Beyond”.

One Hundred Peace Breaths Exercise

Image Copyright e-mandala.net

This exercise is better performed while sitting.

Close your eyes. Hold both hands relaxed on top of your knees. With the thumb, the index and the middle finger of one of your hands hold the thumb of the other hand.

Breathe in through your nose, fill up slowly your lungs and stomach. Focus on your breathing. Relax and release all air through your nose or mouth, while mentally counting “one”.

Repeat this process by moving to the next finger and count up. If you find your mind wandering around too much, go back to zero. Try to reach one hundred without putting too much effort.

Once reaching the one hundredth breath becomes easier, try going through the exercise without using your fingers to count.

Share at least one hundred peace breaths with the world every day.

T.E.D.D.Y. - A Sketching Interface For 2D to 3D Freeform Design

Takeo Igarashi, Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, at The University of Tokyo, has released a new version of his 3D Modeling and Painting research prototype named SmoothTeddy.

What differentiates this tool from others is that you create and modify the model by drawing 2D freeform strokes which are translated into 3D polygonal surfaces. The interface is intuitive enough that even young children are able to construct interesting models after a short tutorial. Some example models are here.

More complex model manipulations like extruding, smoothing and bending are supported, via simple interactions. I believe it’s better to see it in action to appreciate the beauty of this concept. Take a look at the clip below or go here.

People with drawing tablets (e.g. Wacom Graphire or Intuos) would be able to enjoy this software better, but that shouldn’t discourage others to try it. You can download it for free here (requires to have Java installed).

Bill Gates' Commemoration Presentation

Not a lot to say. Just enjoy this classic!

The Simpsons Come Of Age

Would you believe it if I told you that the TV show “The Simpsons” turned 18 years old last Sunday (September 10, 2006)?

To think that it all started as a series of small shorts that aired before and after ad breaks on The Tracey Ullman Show (1987-1989)… It’s definitely being a long way since then.

What a better way of celebrating this coming of age than driving down memory lane and enjoying a glance through all the 48 original episodes, courtesy of the really great people at Simpson Crazy.

It’s amazing to be able to witness first-hand the quick evolution, at the level of drawing and voice acting of this popular series. Some of my favourite are:

• The Pacifier (MG05)
• House of Cards (MG12)
• Bart's Little Fantasy (MG41)

You can enjoy the shorts here.

Walker Scene

While cleaning up some older folders in my hard drive I found a short render of another final project, this time for the first level course of the Computer Animation Certificate - Maya at Concordia University.

Hope you enjoy it!

The Best Magic Effect for Girls

'Little Bro' KYT is trying to win a contest to appear on the DVD release of THE ILLUSIONIST, starring Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti and Jessica Biel.

It’s about making a video that showcases your best illusion / magic trick.

Please, don’t forget to register, leave some nice comments and rate the video (5 stars!!!)

If you want to share the video with your friends, you can send them this link: http://www.kytmagic.com/

Good luck boyo!

Kroco - Gym Scene

This is the result of my animation project for the summer semester, as part of the Computer Animation Certificate - Maya at Concordia University.

Everything in the movie was created by me but for the background and tattoos, courtesy of Google Image and the music, "Eye of the Tiger", by Survivor. You can buy a copy of the CD here. Enjoy!