Posted by admin on January 18th, 2010 — Posted in Uncategorized
Artist: Taj Weekes & Adowa
Title: Hope & Doubt
Genre: Reggae-Rock-World
Label: Alpha Pocket Records-http://www.alphapocket.com
Website: http://tajandadowa.com
In the past, I have shied away from covering Reggae music because it all seemed to sound the same to me, realistically that could apply to any style of music after a while though. I have to thank Taj Weekes for opening my mind to his wonderful music. Yes, there is that familiar stylistic backbeat on many tracks; however, I heard many different genres of music come bubbling to the surface on Hope & Doubt.
World music comes to the forefront of this recording with the use of a multitude of instruments. Sax, flute, trumpet, various percussive instruments, and amazing bass playing courtesy of Rads Desiree, are all part of the equation on the 10 tracks offered on this disc.
Weekes has the perfect set of pipes for Reggae, his tone and approach is well suited for the style of music. His lyrics do not take a back seat to the music either. On “Lonesome In Babylon” he sings-Said I long for dreary souls who slip away/distraught with tomorrow destroy today/said I long for dreary souls who seek a way. Weekes sounds sad yet he offers hope in the face of doubt. Just as the title suggest there are two sides to every story, the yin and yang and positive and negative, it all adds up to the realities of life we deal with daily, nothing is black and white when it comes to individuality.
Although his message has a serious tone, the music makes it a little lighter and more palatable and it gives you a feeling when the CD is over that yes indeed, there is hope left in a troubled world, all we need is compassion, love and music to help the change come about. A little magical Reggae never hurts either.
© Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-http://www.muzikreviews.com
May 10, 2005
01.Lonesome In Babylon (3:02)
02. Scream Out Mellow (3:31)
03. Jagged (5:41)
04. Sad (4:14)
05. Cold (3:39)
06. MPLA (4:21)
07. Blue (4:15)
08. Crash (3:03)
09. Mysterious (3:55)
10. Life (7:15)
11. Hidden Track
Rating-7/10
Credits:
Taj Weeks: lead vocals, rhythm and acoustic guitar, percussion
Rads Desiree: bass
Shelton Garner: lead and acoustic guitar
Conrad Seraphin: drums, percussion
Ari Matsumoto: guitar
Bunny Cunningham: keyboards, acoustic piano
Jacques Schwartz Bart:: tenor and alto sax, flute
Antonio Dangerfield: trumpet, flugle horn
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Posted by admin on January 18th, 2010 — Posted in Jewelry Info
To the un-trained eye, much of the handmade jewelry available for sale on the internet, in boutiques and at craft fairs may look to be essentially the same. However, this is not the case. Jewelry designers have a myriad of choices when creating their pieces. It is important to be aware of the different materials that may be used and how they compare; both in quality and in price.
Metals
The most common metals found in handmade jewelry are some form of silver or gold. Most jewelry buyers, however, are unaware of the differences between materials that bear similar names.
Fine Silver
Fine silver is the purest form of silver that is commonly used in jewelry. It is 99% pure silver. As well as being more costly, fine silver is softer than sterling, and will not tarnish.
Sterling Silver
Sterling silver is the most common form of silver used in handmade jewelry in the United States. Sterling silver is 92.5% silver, the rest is a combination of other metals including nickel and copper. This makes sterling more affordable, but it also makes the jewelry more likely to tarnish.
Silver Plate
Silver plate is a very, very thin layer of silver over a base metal, commonly brass. Over time, the silver plating will wear off and reveal the duller metal below.
Karat Gold
This is what most people think of as gold. The higher the karat number, the purer and more valuable the gold. Common variations are 10, 14, 18, 22 and 24 karat gold. As the karat number increases, so does the bright yellow color of the gold and the softness. Gold is also available in white and rose colors.
Vermeil
This material is actually gold-plated sterling silver. Many people prefer vermeil because it is a more affordable option than pure gold, but is still entirely made of precious metal. Most vermeil is plated with high-karat gold, and has a bright yellow color.
Gold Filled
Gold filled beads, wire and chain are made by applying a coating of gold to a base metal core. It is also called rolled gold. Unlike plating, this layer is quite thick and is very unlikely to rub off in the life of the jewelry. It is an affordable and durable alternative to karat gold. Most gold filled components are made with 14 karat gold.
Gold Plate
Like silver plate, gold plate is made by covering a base metal with a very thin layer of real gold. The layer of gold is likely to rub of, generally within several years of purchase, depending on how often the piece is worn, and what it is subjected to. While plating offers a very affordable option for trendy jewelry, it is not a good choice for jewelry that is intended to be worn often, or to become a family heirloom.
Gemstones
There are many varieties of natural, synthetic, and enhanced gemstones available to jewelry designers today. Although most people have no idea about the vast range of possibilities there are when buying gemstones, it is very important to be aware of the differences when buying handcrafted jewelry.
Dyeing Gemstones
Dyeing gemstones is not necessarily a bad thing. It can bring life to otherwise dull materials. Be aware that jewelry made with dyed stones may bleed color if it gets wet. This may be avoided if the designer rinses the beads before using them in finished pieces.
Many quartzes, including garnet, amethyst and rose quartz are commonly dyed to enhance their natural color. Howlite and malaysian jade (not really jade) are also often dyed in very bright hues of purples, pinks and blues.
Chalcedony is another stone that is often dyed into brighter shades. It is important to be aware that some dyed chalcedony will fade over time. To avoid fading, do not store your chalcedony jewelry in direct sunlight.
Freshwater pearls are commonly dyed as well, but do not seem to have a problem with fading or bleeding their color.
Enhancing Gemstones
Enhancing gemstones is the process of treating them either with chemicals, heat or pressure to increase their value or durability. Smoky quartz is commonly enhanced to improve its color. Turquoise is often stabilized, or impregnated with a resin substance to make it harder and less absorbent of water and oils which may damage it.
Synthetic Gemstones
This is where it’s most important to know exactly what you’re buying. Many natural gemstones have very convincing synthetic counterparts. Some common ones are turquoise, jade, coral, and many types of quartz.
The synthetic quartzes, actually made of glass, are now found in a rainbow of colors and a wide variety of names. When these synthetic quartzes were first introduced to the United States by overseas manufacturers, they fooled some very experienced bead retailers and jewelry designers. Common varieties of synthetic quartz are tanzanite quartz, amethyst quartz, lilac quartz, and “fruity” quartzes. These include strawberry, cherry, blueberry and pineapple.
Synthetic gemstone beads can be gorgeous and affordable additions to a designer’s palette. Some very lovely variations include opalite and goldstone.
Putting it all Together
It is always a good idea to ask the designer direct questions about the materials used in his or her designs if you are at all concerned about authenticity or quality. Most designers will greatly appreciate your interest and happily answer your questions.
All of the choices can be overwhelming, but this shouldn’t deter you from buying handcrafted jewelry. A design created by an artist is unique and special. Armed with your new knowledge, you’ll be able to find the perfect piece of jewelry that you’ll enjoy for years to come.
Georgia Hadley is a jewelry designer, writer, and small business owner who lives in rural Vermont. In addition to her own business, Adorneya Jewelry (http://www.adorneya.com), she is also a founding editor of Craft Revolution (http://www.craftrevolution.com), a website dedicated to promoting mainstream awareness of independent designers and their products as desirable alternatives to big-box stores.
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Posted by admin on January 18th, 2010 — Posted in Branding
The brands are coming! Their arrival has been evident in our supermarkets and on the main streets of our towns and cities for some time now. It started as a trickle, led by the makers and the retailers of consumer goods, but it has more recently become a fast moving torrent that races headlong through almost every business and walk of life. In certain respects, it has come later to the hospitality world than to many others but now that it has arrived it is clearly planning to stay.
Make for the high ground! For many in the industry, it is something to be
viewed uneasily as it threatens to burst its banks and overwhelm everything that
stands in its way. Others are out constructing canals and reservoirs. For us,
branding offers something new and exciting; a fresh flow of ideas that will bring
renewed direction and vigour to our business.
So, to brand or not to brand? This is just one of the questions facing Irish
business owners in 2003 as we regard the landscape and consider our choices.
Any unease that we may feel in the matter is readily understood. The B-word
has been bandied about a great deal during the last few years and has been blamed
(most famously in Naomi Klein’s recent book No Logo) for some of the worst
excesses of globalisation. It is often presented as invasive, almost colonial, in its
intent, something that we are particularly sensitive to on this island. (Ironically
perhaps, two of the more prolific brands sweeping hospitality in the UK - Jury’s Inns
and O’Brien’s Sandwich Bars - are Irish).
Branding too is often associated with a cookie cutter approach to business and
thanks to the efforts of brands such as the global burger chains it can seem to offer
only faceless uniformity and hopeless mechanical repetition (albeit whilst helping to
deliver huge profits).
Smoke and mirrors! At times, it can seem to be nothing more than a navel-
gazing exercise that promises much and delivers little, or at least little of any
substance.
Finally, our unease probably owes a great deal to our native resistance to some
of the worst excesses of marketing-speak, particularly that which has its origins on
Madison Avenue. For some of us, the recent fuss about brand culture seems to
provide yet more evidence of US-style marketing gone mad.
Brand As Opportunity
But branding is too valuable a tool to be dismissed out of hand. It is vital to the
good management of reputation and relationships. Consider any of the great
businesses - including the independents and the family-owned - and you will see a
great brand at work. The great business leaders use it intuitively and
unselfconsciously. Like all tools, it can be pressed into service in a variety of ways.
Used properly, branding offers a business the opportunity to marshal its resources,
play to its strengths and gain significant competitive advantage.
It is a tool that can be used to great effect in those areas where it is difficult to
offer something truly distinctive and influence choice. We have seen how brands
such as Kelly’s of Rosslare and Derry Clarke’s L’Ecrivain can offer their owners the
opportunity to own a niche in a fiercely competitive market. For businesses
operating in hospitality and tourism branding offers a powerful way forward.
Brand Influencing Choice
As we have seen, during these past ten years, the hospitality and tourism
landscape in which hotels and restaurants operate has changed almost beyond
recognition. These years have seen huge growth, both in terms of market size and
choice, and this growth has been matched by considerable investment at all levels.
As a result, we can truly say that the customer is spoiled for choice. At the same
time, recent events internationally and at home have contributed to a falling market
(although certain parts of that market, e.g. the leisure break, have typically
remained strong). In the current climate, hotels and restaurants in Ireland are now
faced both with opportunities for further growth and with significant challenges to
that growth.
Where the customer is spoiled for choice, many of the features and benefits
that are on offer are no longer influential. In a market where there are few functional
differences between products or services, the customer choice is driven largely by
emotional factors. What you do has become less important, it merely brings you into
play. What increasingly influences choice are the values that drive your business, in
other words, who you are, what you stand for and how you deliver.
And yet, for many hotels and restaurants, product features and functional
benefits continue to provide the basis for all marketing and communications.
Say something! Anything! Think of the rash of advertisements and directories
where hotels and restaurants slavishly list the central location, the number of
rooms, the genuine hospitality and the fusion cuisine that fail to distinguish one
offer from the next.
Clearly, something extra is required in order to gain competitive advantage. A
distinct and well-defined identity gives a business something significant to say to
the market whilst providing a clear blueprint for the development of all
communications.
Brand Driving Strategy
Branding as an activity is seen principally in marketing and communications but
its effect is soon felt throughout the business. In addition to giving a business
something to say about itself, the identity of a business provides it with both
purpose and direction.
In order to successfully make any business stronger than the sum of its parts, it
is vital that the organisation support and direct its business and management
strategy through the development of a strong brand identity that enables it to
establish a clear, compelling and competitive presence in the marketplace.
In business people buy people and good business management is primarily
concerned with the effective management of business reputation and relationships.
This is especially true of hotels and restaurants.
At the same time, the business identity enables the team to accurately reflect
the long-term goals of the business (particularly in terms of positioning and
behaviour) whilst helping to drive the business strategy to achieve those goals.
Central to this role for the brand (and to the strategic and management
decisions that this prompts) is the requirement for a robust brand model that
enables the business to manage the identity and which is able to withstand the wide
range of demands that are being made on it by the various business functions.
Active management of the identity using a brand model or framework enables
the business to make a clear statement of intent and focuses all effort on the
achievement of business goals in a consistent and credible way. It also delivers
economies of money, time and effort as it streamlines decision-making throughout
the business.
Brand Delivering Benefits
What then does branding deliver to the hotel or restaurant business?
- It enables the business to build its reputation, manage its relationships
(especially its relationships with its customers) and play to its strengths.
- It levels the playing field. One of the beauties of brand development is that
the small business is at least as well equipped as the national or global chain to
build and maintain reputation and relationships (albeit at a more modest level).
- It provides a guiding principle and organising framework for the business and
takes the guesswork out of business decisions relating to relationship management
and communications.
- It allows business owners to make a clear statement of intent with regard to
their business direction and behaviour. It offers a common language for the
business team and a means by which they can readily describe what they do and
what makes them different.
- It enables a business to lead through its values and enables business owners
to trust to the intuitive leadership that distinguishes many of the great businesses.
- It makes for fresh and compelling communications that engage the customer
and provide a basis for long term business relationships.
- Finally, and most importantly, it helps a business to identify its market, carve
out a territory for itself that it can own and defend, and enables it to establish
genuine and sustainable competitive advantage.
Gerard Tannam is the founding Managing Director of Islandbridge Brand
Development. He delivers brand direction, planning and communications across a
wide range of sectors including property development, retail, hospitality and
tourism.
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Posted by admin on January 11th, 2010 — Posted in Branding
The quality of your logo can mean the difference between success or failure. It can be that simple!
Trademarks and Logos make up the most international language in the world. An excellent logo can cross many barriers and provide your organization with a means of delivering to your customers an unequivocal and uniform message.
Every successful company has its own “personality,” and just as human personalities are complex, so too is your company’s personality. A successful logo is a means of condensing a complex reality into a single, simple statement, one that can be controlled, modified, developed and matured over time.
Your logo needs to be much more than just a
distinguishing mark for your company. It must be an
indication of quality, value, and reliability.
Does your logo do these things successfully?:
• IDENTIFY your company, product, or service.
• DIFFERENTIATE it from the mass of other
similar companies.
• COMMUNICATE information as to your products
value and quality.
• ADD VALUE by causing you to provide a quality service in order to maintain your company’s reputation.
• REPRESENT potentially valuable assets. When people see your logo, can they tell by the design that your product or service is of high quality.
If your logo doesn’t do these things, then you might
need to update it, possibly seeking professional
advice.
Is your logo design really that important?
It is extremely important! Your logo is a part of the
foundation on which you build your brand. Especially since the recent explosion of Internet businesses, but even before that, consumers have an overwhelming variety of choices. Chances are that whatever you are selling, there is something similar to it available. Chances are there is someone in direct competition with you right now. Yes, there are very few products that are shielded from direct competition because of a patent or for some other reason.
It is because of this that much of your efforts in
marketing and branding should be concentrated on
building a distinctive and differentiated “brand
personality” for your company.
Take the success of Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola. There is some difference between these two products, but this difference is very subtle. Plus, there are hundreds of other brands of cola on the market. Even so, these two brands, Coke and Pepsi, are able to dominate the world wide cola market. What is the main factor for their success? It is the strength and appeal of their brands.
And what is the foundation for their brands?
It is their powerful Logos!
Your logo is the means by which you can distinguish
your products and services and therefore serve both your needs and the needs of your customers.
Ok, so what are the TOP 5 components that make up an excellent logo?
1) Long lasting style.
It is often tempting to adopt a design that looks
really cool at the time but that can become outdated
very quickly. This leads to the logo being constantly
changed. Your logo designer should resist the urge to change your logo unless it is really necessary. It is only after consumers frequently see your logo that
people may start to notice it. (Sometimes this is after you are already bored with it)
2) Distinctiveness.
It is interesting to note that many new companies adopt logo styles that are very similar to everyone else’s. Don’t go overboard though, your designer should be sensitive to cultural norms. A really wacko design wouldn’t do well in funeral home. However, you should still seek distinctiveness.
3) Appealing to consumers.
Your logo must be appealing to those who aren’t
affiliated with your company. This means you must
test your logo. Show it to your customers and see what they think. Ask them what emotions it evokes in them.
4) Conveys the right image.
What image are you trying to get across to your
customers? Corporate? Upscale? Franchise looking?
5) Legibility
No matter what you do, if people don’t understand your logo, then it will be ineffective. Who are you trying to target? Where are you going to be displaying your logo other than your web site? Will it be on your letterhead, business cards, auto signs? Does your logo put out the same message no matter where it is displayed.
In conclusion, your logo is central to your company’s “personality”. Even if your company has a great personality, if your logo doesn’t convey that, then people may get the wrong idea and never do business with you. Within your logo and company name is held all of your investments, because it is this clear, identifiable aspect of your brand that the consumer uses in selecting your company or purchasing your products.
—————
The author, Nathan Cain has more ideas that will help your business marketing efforts.
Visit his promotional
products web site at http://www.Web-Magnets.com
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Posted by admin on January 11th, 2010 — Posted in Photography Stuff
Why Pinhole Photography?
It’s fun. It’s creative. It’s educative about the basics that photographers deal with whenever they do their thing.
What is Pinhole Photography?
At its simplest, a pinhole camera is just a light tight cardboard box with a piece of aluminium pie dish containing a pinhole to expose the film or photographic paper.
Of course you need to design a shutter, (your thumb will do), some way to hold the film in place and a system to seal up the opening where you put the film in the pinhole camera.
There is no viewfinder; you just point the pinhole camera in the right direction. You can draw some lines on top of the camera to indicate the field of view.
Exposure times for pinhole photography are usually measured in minutes.
Exposure Determination.
Work out your exposure by the hit and miss method, also known as exposure determination by experimentation. This is where you say “Ooooh. I reckon about two minutes.” Then if it turns out ok, well and good. But if it’s not right, you either double it or halve it for the next exposure, depending on your assessment. Nothing wrong with that method for pinhole photography.
Suitable Camera Size.
Let’s say you’re using 4″x5″ photographic paper. The diagonal of your paper is about 160mm. If you make the distance from the pinhole to the paper about 50mm to 80mm this will be ok. Length of about half the diagonal of the film. You could make the length 20mm to 50mm giving quite a wide angle. There’s nothing to stop you building your pinhole camera around a four foot length of drainpipe giving you a 1200mm telephoto pinhole camera, except that the exposure time might be in the order of several hours or all day.
My best pinhole cameras have used 8″x10″ film and have a length of 50mm to 70mm. Everything is in focus from 250mm to infinity. Angle of view is around 135 degrees.The light runs off at the edges of the image.
Note: 100mm = about 4″
End of Technical Stuff.
There is much more technical stuff that can be studied but that’s all you really need to know to get started. So empty the breakfast cerial packet and build a pinhole camera.
Practical Stuff.
You can use pretty much anything light tight to make a pinhole camera: biscuit tin, breakfast cerial packet, 20 litre oil drum, golden syrup tin, jam tin, match box, black ice cream container etc. etc. Would you believe you can even use your mouth?
Yes, in the darkroom put a short piece of 35mm film in your mouth and close it. Go outside and press the aluminium with the pinhole firmly against your lips, then open your lips for about 10 seconds keeping your head still. Reverse the procedure. You can work out the rest for yourself.
Consider whether it will be better/easier to use the end or side of your tin/box.
If you use a jam tin you can use alfoil and a rubber band for a lid.
Use black paint inside a shiny tin if you have some handy.
Invent a shutter. Black plastic and masking tape will do.
If you decide on a jam tin or golden syrup tin with the pinhole in the side, consider using a baffle that springs tight against the sides of the tin to fasten your film too. A piece of plastic milk bottle will do.
Handy items to have around are: breakfast cerial packet, masking tape, blue tack, plastic milk bottles, rubber bands, alfoil, scissors, knife, glue.
Your pinhole camera will give a negative image on your photographic paper. In this modern, computer age it will be possible to scan, change to a positive and computer print.
An SLR camera can be used for a pinhole camera simply by removing the lens and attaching a pinhole with black sticky tape.
If you are making a pinhole, look for the smallest needle in the set.
It’s important to have a smooth, burr free pinhole for the sharpest possible image. Ideally, push the tapered section of the needle through in several stages, gently removing the burr with fine wet and dry paper between actions. Rest the foil on cardboard as you push the needle through so you don’t stretch the foil.
So Build a Pinhole Camera
I think that every photographer needs to build at least one pinhole camera and experiment with it. There is so much to be learned from pinhole photography which is photography at its most basic.
Laurie McArthur is a wilderness landscape photographer, based on the New South Wales Far South Coast, Australia. Laurie’s images may be viewed at http://www.southimage.net/
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Posted by admin on January 10th, 2010 — Posted in Photography Stuff
It was widely reported in the press (15 September 1997) that a British tourist, who stole a lump of stone from the base of the Great Pyramid five years earlier, returned it to the Cairo Museum with a letter saying that ‘it had brought him bad luck ever since’. The Museum authorities were not surprised; several such items had been returned by people who felt cursed {When the Luxor Casino was built in Las Vegas it moved on its foundation so the elevators had a lot of re-engineering to be done, while I lived in Las Vegas. The death toll during its construction was nine. Do you think a religious and spiritual force knows when it is being improperly sullied?} after stealing them. A good reason for caution is the largely bogus story of an Egyptian coffin lid - or fragment of a coffin lid. It was told to Arthur Weigall, author of ‘Tutankhamen’ (1923) by its one-time owner, Mr. Douglas Murray who purchased the coffin some time in the 1860s: ‘no sooner had he done so than he lost his arm, owing to the explosion of his gun. The ship in which the coffin was sent home was wrecked, and so was the cab in which it was driven from the docks; the house in which it was deposited was burnt down; and the photographer who made a picture of it shot himself. A lady who had some connection with it suffered great family losses, and was wrecked at sea shortly afterwards…The list of accidents and misfortunes charged to the spirit which is connected with this coffin is now of enormous length.
The presence of an Egyptian mummy on board is sometimes blamed for the loss of the ‘Titanic’. It was said to have been shipped to New York on the supposedly unsinkable liner. Its coffin, no.22542 in the British Museum, is associated with the curse, and Museum authorities caution people who propose to photograph it.” (2)
Negative self-fulfilling expectations are a difficult thing for people to deal with in conjunction with the sorcerers’ art. This is the concept of the ‘War Bottle’ that turns your idiosyncrasies into more unbalanced certitudes that makes a strength become a fatal weakness. It is also the nature of energy that caused a large number of early North American Indians to forego the vanity of having their picture taken. Some of them listened to their wise men talk of the soul being frozen in the minds of those who would see the picture, and thus their spirit would not grow with them. There certainly is truth to the fact that our thoughts impact others. Our thoughts are energy and the thoughts of many people who thought negatively about the ’stupid savages’ may have had just the impact the shamans and witch-doctors were certain would happen. The curse of humanity is that our soulful energy deceives our ego into thinking we are powerful. The ego doesn’t understand. ‘WE’ is not ‘me’!
CANDLE MAGIC:
Reversing candles are a great thing to protect yourself from the intent of people sending negative energy at you, but talismans and mandalas galore have been most reliable for the minor flare-ups. The cross is a mandala with four entry points for the assimilation of the four primary forces to become balanced at the ‘center’. What you choose for faith in your goodness has much to do with your actual protection. In many ways a ritualistic process opens you through your own energy to the very things you project. This is true in the macrocosm of humanity as well as in the insipid little parcels of power-mongering flesh that think they deserve more than the numerous other life forms that have soul and ethics.
One person (or persons) sought to make me suffer and there were some disturbing physical responses. The individuals involved were gay and they had hit on me numerous times. My response was a joke or a simple ‘not my style’. One of them was in charge of three covens of witches and fancied himself the meanest ‘SOB’ in the Las Vegas Valley. He had a lot of good knowledge about Biblical origins and history and I enjoyed talking with him. The more he tried to impress me the less he succeeded. I made it clear I did not fear him or anything.
The day my penis started to bleed was when I actually thought I might need more than my usual ‘mirror and cross’ visualization. I used a reversing candle and within a day the place where Lord Gandolph holed up when he was in Las Vegas was burned. His boyfriend (who had enjoyed my leather pants and boots) lost all of his belongings. This caused me to leave the teaching of the Wiccans after six months of ‘Perfect Love, and Perfect Trust’! About a year later I discovered the high priestess had thought I was a ‘Machiavellian Prince sent to overturn her Temple’ and Lord Gandolf was one of her Temple Elders. There are many actual reasons why I know such things occur and I will relate them as it seems pertinent from time to time. The pursuit of ’siddhis’ (powers) is a quest that robs one of their actual potential according to Alcyon who rejected his Messiahhood at the age of eight; later he became honoured even more for his truth. You may have seen or heard about this great man who recently left our physical place of reference - his name is Jiddhu Krishnamurti.
Author of Diverse Druids
Columnist for The ES Press Magazine
Guest ‘expert’ at World-Mysteries.com
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Posted by admin on January 10th, 2010 — Posted in Branding
About once a month a few of us at the office get together during lunch for what has become known as a SWAP meeting. We share thoughts, stories and sometimes play Pictionary. It’s a great way to relieve stress and learn interesting tidbits about the people we work with.
One afternoon our conversation turned, as all conversations eventually do, to the topic of The Lord of the Rings. Our discussion about differences between the book and the movie evolved into a discussion about the characters in the movie which made up the Fellowship of the Ring. The interesting thing to note was the difference in the levels of awareness of these characters by various people. We were struck by the similarities in how people remember these movie characters and how people remember certain brands.
The highest level of character awareness can be called ‘the geek level’. These are people who know the character’s full names as well as additional details about them. For example, knowing that Legolas, Sindarin elf of the woodland realm, is a great archer is comparable to those people who know the brand name, logo and jingle, all unaided. The next level, still pretty high on the scale, can identify the characters by name and race: Aragorn the human, Gimli the dwarf and Legolas the elf. These are the people who know the brand name and correctly match it to the product still without a helping hand. Then there are the people who know the characters by the actors who play them. These people may know the parent company of the brand or the name of the product, but don’t know the advertising or what the product actually does.
After that, the characters become a bit more fuzzy. They may be identified by type of being (the dwarf, the elf, the hobbit, etc.) or even worse “the hot guy from The Pirates of the Caribbean movie.” That’s when you know your brand may be in trouble. These people may only be aware of your brand when prompted, and may not be at all aware of the advertising or maybe incorrectly identify the brand that is being advertised.
There are varying levels of brand awareness. While we’d all like our brands to be known on the geek level, realistically they may only be known by association with another brand.
Scott White is President of Brand Identity Guru a leading Corporate Branding and Branding Research firm in Boston, MA.
Brand Identity Guru specializes in creating corporate and product brands that increase sales, market share, customer loyalty, and brand valuation.
This Article may be freely copied as long as it is not modified and this resource box accompanies the article, together with working hyperlinks.
Over the course of his 15-year branding career, Scott White has worked in a wide variety of industries: high-tech, manufacturing, computer hardware and software, telecommunications, banking, restaurants, fashion, healthcare, Internet, retail, and service businesses, as well as numerous non-profit organizations.
Brand Identity Guru clients include: Sun Life Financial, Coca Cola, HP, Sun, Nordstrom, American Federal Mortgage, Franklin Sports and many others, including numerous emerging growth companies.
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Posted by admin on January 6th, 2010 — Posted in Online Games
I have compiled a list of the most important things every WOW player on the Alliance must know and have narrowed it down to five. Read them below.
1.) If you want to go solo, get yourself a Night Elf Hunter or a Warlock.
While there isn’t any one particular character template that works perfectly for soloing, this is about the best that there is on the Alliance side. First, there really isn’t any equal level monster in the game that a properly tricked out Hunter can’t tackle one-on-one without breaking a sweat. While Warlocks are a bit more fragile, they have an excellent complement of damage dealing spells that will let them survive - albeit while taking more damage. Unfortunately, many creatures will attack in groups if they notice one of their buddies getting pounded on (Elite creatures are particularly nasty with this).
That’s where pets come in, Any “Pet” class can use their animal (or demonic) companion to do what’s called “crowd control” - basically pulling one creature away from a group and a time and killing it. The Warlock’s Void Walker is particularly good at this. Night Elves quest lines at low levels are also pretty self-contained within the geographically isolated Teldrassil, meaning you never have far to run to reach a quest destination or to retrieve your corpse.
2.) Gnomes have the best (worst) dancing emotes.
Trust me on this one. Simply typing /dance into the game while playing as a gnome will show you what I mean. Gnome dancing is the most offensive thing in Azeroth - rumor has it that the Horde offers 10 gold pieces to anyone who can actually manage to kill a Gnome in PvP during a dance. This makes Gnomes perfect for role-players who want to annoy other players and have a good laugh.
3.) Everyone loves a Human Priest.
This is the perfect class for players looking to group. Humans’ racial talents help a Priest hold his or her own in combat and there isn’t a group alive that isn’t thrilled when a Priest shows up just before heading into an Elite dungeon or an instance. Priests are also pretty rare in the game, there aren’t really all that many players who enjoy taking on the social/support roles, so your skills will always be in demand - and you’ll level pretty fast.
4.) You don’t have follow the quest lines for your own race!
One of the biggest misconceptions that new players have about World of Warcraft is that quests are restricted by race - in other words, that if you’re playing a Human, you must take the “Human” quests in Elwynn Forest when you start out. That’s simply not true. Players can take any level-appropriate quest regardless of their race. For Alliance players looking to level up a bit faster, there is a bit of a shortcut. Simply head to the hub cities of Ironforge or Stormwind as soon as you’re strong enough to get out of the newbie zone (around level 5). From there, find the passage to Teldrassil, the Night Elf homeland and start collecting quests. Teldrassil is very small, contains the hub city of Darnassus that offers every service, and players rarely have to run far to complete quests. You’ll find yourself at level 10 or even higher in no time!
5.) The Alliance means more content, but more people.
For whatever reason, the Alliance races as a whole (Humans, Night Elves, Dwarves, and Gnomes) are more popular with players. This can often mean severe crowding in popular regions along with what we like to call “mass extinction events”. That basically means that several quests in the area that require players to kill a particular animal may make it hard to find that animal for a while - and that you may be racing other players who are standing around waiting for them to spawn. The good news is that the Alliance has a lot more quest-based content than the Horde. While this isn’t noticeable at the earlier levels, many Horde players often find themselves running low on quests around level 25-30 and being forced to just “farm” random creatures for experience.
Mark MacKay is a researcher, marketer, and an avid online gamer, including World of Warcraft and also the creator of the World of Warcraft Gold Price List Guide, a web site setup to help WOW players find the cheapest place to buy their gold.
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Posted by admin on January 2nd, 2010 — Posted in Jewelry Info
Purchasing a pearl necklace can be a daunting task because if you really want top quality pearls there are a number of questions and steps to take to ensure you do get the quality that you are seeking. Pearls are beautiful and a very stylish accent to any wardrobe. The questions and steps with some explanation will be addressed below.
Do you want natural, cultured, or imitation pearls. Please note that imitation pearls are custom jewelry and they don’t have much value. Natural pearls are next to impossible to find in stores they are also of a lesser value than cultured pearls.
There are choices of the shape of the pearls that you want. Pearls can be symmetrical, baroque, or irregular. Sphere like pearls are most costly and they are greatly sought after. Symmetrical pearls and tear drop shaped pearls should be even all over.
The size of the pearl is a great issue involving the price. The size of the pearl will affect the price. Bigger is better and they are also more expensive. If money is not a big issue size will only matter by your choice.
Depending on how much you want to spend, what kind of necklace do you want? Do you want a multiple strand with smaller pearls which are less expensive or do you want a single strand of larger pearls which are more expensive.
When inspecting pearls under direct light and on a flat white surface. Check every pearl for luster. Lustrous pearls have shiny surface. There should be good contrast between light and dark, as well as strong and crisp reflections. Avoid pearls that have white and cloudy look to them.
What is the pearls ‘orient’ - a play of iridescent rainbow with high quality colors. Ask whether the color is natural or dyed. The latter is less expensive. More exotic natural colors are more effective.
What is the pearls overtones - a tint secondary to the main body color. Pink tones can increase the price and blues can reduce the price. You can verify that the pearls are clean by making sure there are minimal defects such as nicks, cracks, pits, or discoloration.
Turn the pearl around and check it at all angles. The color, the shape, smoothness, and luster cannot all cannot be different on a single pearl.
Roll a strand of pearls on flat surface to test them for roundness. If they are round they will roll more smoothly and evenly. If they are not round you will feel it when the pearls are rolled, it could feel like going over a bump.
There are three steps you need to take to recognize real pearls from imitations. Run the pearls along the bottom edge of your teeth. A real pearl will feel gritty and or sandy. A fake pearl will feel smooth.
Look at and feel the pearls. Flawless pearls and those that feel light when you bounce them in your hands are probably fake. Check out the pearl under a number 10 magnifier ( a loupe). Imitation pearls appear grainy.
This is definitely a process and it is up to you to do whatever you can to check the value of the pearls. If necessary bring someone who is knowledgeable with you.
About the Author
Martin Smith is a successful freelance writer providing advice for consumers on purchasing a variety of products which includes
Wedding Ring and and more! His numerous articles provide a wonderfully researched resource of interesting and relevant information.
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Posted by admin on January 2nd, 2010 — Posted in Links Info
There are a few things that all of the internet’s most popular sites have in common. First, they all made a plan to increase link popularity on their site. Second, they put that plan into action and used a professional to build link popularity for them. Third, they all use quality permanent one way links to their website in order to get more traffic and higher rankings.
Building link popularity for your site is a very time consuming, tedious and boring process. You will spend many hours of time, and often see little in the way of results. Hiring a professional to build your site’s link popularity makes complete sense because you have better things that you could do with your time.
Link popularity is the number of links that direct people to your website and the quality of those links. Search engines like websites that have a lot of incoming links from sites where the links make sense. Link Popularity is the key to earning a place in the results pages of these search engines.
If you want to buy links to your website, you need to make sure that you are going to buy quality incoming links. If you buy links on a site that is not ranked highly, or that the search engines believe are not of good quality your links will not get you as much traffic as you want.
If ranking high in the search engines is important to your web site then you should definitely buy links. When you buy links that are on high ranked sites, it increases the ranking given to your site. There is no easier way to get on the first page of the search engine results than when you buy permanent links.
By far, the best way to do what the most popular sites have done is to hire someone who knows how to make good things happen for your site. If you aren’t convinced, remember that:
1) It matters where your site is listed! Professional link builders know how to build link popularity by creating high-quality permanent links to your website.
2) An SEO specialist will definitely find incoming links and get you better links and higher link popularity than you could do on your own. This is because they have the time to do it - and they know how to do it.
3) You have other things to do with your time. Who doesn’t really? Instead of spending a huge amount of hours trying to build you link popularity you can free yourself up to do anything else.
Hire a professional to build your link popularity when they buy permanent one way links to your site on your behalf! Be like the best sites around, and relax while you enjoy your success.
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