Borderlands 2 Launch Date Trailer

As many of the guys out there (and ladies!) I enjoy playing the occasional video game. By occasional, I mean I spend way too much time playing video games when I should be doing something else. Anyway, the Borderlands 2 launch date trailer was put out yesterday and it looks great. Despite the horrid dubstep action (not a fan… whatever) it is a very well made trailer… and I am sure that it will be a great game, of course. The game will be out September 18 in the US and on the 21 internationally. It is already available for pre-order – which is a great deal because by September the price of games will probably have increased again. Enough with the chatter, check out the trailer.

Borderlands 2 kicks off a new era of Shoot and Loot on September 18th in the US and September 21st Internationally!

Pre-order the game and gain access to the Borderlands 2 Premiere Club which allows you to download awesome in-game items. To pre-order please click here.

If you haven’t checked out the original Borderlands game, I highly recommend you do that. You can click here to pick it up for $29.99.

Borderlands 2 is a hybrid First-Person Shooter, RPG game focused on over-the-top co-op play, and set in the open-world game environment of the planet Pandora. The second game in the game series, Borderlands 2 raises the ‘loot and shoot’ action of the original game with an even larger and more detailed world to explore, an updated gun system, a new cast of characters and character classes, and integration of storyline with action.

Borderlands 2, sequel to the critically acclaimed and best selling role-playing-shooter hybrid, once again delivers its unique flavor, characters and addictive nonstop collaborative loot-shoot gameplay. As in the original game, Borderlands 2 features an openworld game environment, but this time around the world players experience is larger and packed with more depth at all levels. The game features an all-new cast of characters, skills, environments, enemies, weapons, and equipment that come together in a carefully crafted and connected story. Make new friends, arm them to the teeth and fight alongside them on a relentless quest for revenge and redemption through the undiscovered and unpredictable living world of Pandora.

  •  All-New Characters and Classes – Choose from all new characters and classes including the Gunzerker, who can dual-wield any two weapons in the game. Dual machine guns? Cool. Dual rocket launchers? Of course. Dual sniper rifles? sure, if that’s your thing.
  •  Play Online with Friends – Share your adventures with friends both online and via LAN through a seamless system enabling you to drop in and drop out of a campaign without ever having to restart the game.
  •  World Connected Story – Left for dead in the frozen tundra of Pandora, begin your quest of revenge and redemption as the story drives you closer to the Hyperion Corporation and its evil founder, handsome Jack.
  •  New Badass Gun System – Millions upon millions of possible weapons means tons of new and innovative ways to engage foes on Pandora. Fire, electricity, corrosive acid, and more will all be at your disposal.
  •  87 Bazillion…Everything – It’s not just guns on Pandora, you will lust after procedurally generated shields, grenades, alien artifacts, class mods and much, much more.
  • Brand-new Environments – From the arctic tundra, through the dangerous grasslands, past the mysterious corrosive caverns to beyond, discover more of the unpredictable world of Pandora at every turn.
  • Brand-new Enemies – Hulking, gorilla-like Bullymongs, vicious predatory stalkers and the hyperion mechanical army, run by handsome Jack, are just some of the new enemies you will face.

CLICK HERE to pre-order Borderlands 2 for $59.99 and get a special $10 promotional credit on Amazon.com – LIMITED TIME ONLY!

Crushing Juliet “Round & Round” on Live TV

Here is a live video of my band, Crushing Juliet, on FOX TV.  We played our song “Round & Round” on the morning news cast.  Check out the video and hope you enjoy!

You can download the Crushing Juliet album BROKEN CADILLAC anywhere you can download music.  You can also check us out on Rhapsody, Pandora, and many other streaming sites.  Check us out on Facebook!

Click Here to download Round & Round and the rest of Broken Cadillac by Crushing Juliet

Affordable Web Hosting

Last week, I posted about why getting your own domain name is important.  This week I wanted to follow that up and talk about where to get hosting from.  I personally use GoDaddy for everything because it is simple and I have had a great experiences from them with everything.  However, some people are not fans of them, so here is some information on what you should look for in your search for the perfect web hosting company.

Presently in the market, webmasters should be able to find numerous affordable web hosting companies. For the webmasters who want to significantly succeed with their website, it will also be necessary that they select the right one. Along with ensuring that a web hosting service is affordable webmasters also need to make sure that they will be provided with quality web hosting as well. A cheap web hosting solution will definitely prove to be worthless if the internet users are not even able to visit the website. Webmasters who want to ensure that they obtain quality hosting service from a web host who is offering reasonably priced plans, following are the things they should keep an eye out for.

Latency of the web hosting company

The latency of the web hosting company that they are considering to choose is the very first thing that webmasters should take notice of. When it comes to checking the ping times of a web hosting company, webmasters will be able to find numerous tools online that will prove to be helpful to them. What is really convenient about these tools is that webmasters will not have to pay anything to get them since they are available for free. The latency time of the web hosting company should in fact be checked from a variety of cities, especially if webmasters will be targeting any particular ones with a pay per click campaign. The conversion and click through time can be improved if the web host has high latency.

Web hosting company’s “uptime”

The uptime is the second thing that webmasters should be checking when they are looking for an affordable web hosting company. An ecommerce online store can be negatively impacted if the uptime percentage of a web host is very poor. If an ecommerce website constantly slows down, web shoppers will easily become frustrated and move on to another site. Webmasters can expect to furthermore customers if the server that the website is being hosted on goes down on a constant basis.

Quality software and management systems

Whether or not they will be provided with quality software is another thing that webmasters will have to determine when they are deciding which web host to select. When comes to facilitating the requirements of a website, it is important that webmasters ensure that they will be able to obtain various quality software from the web host. This will not only make the website easy to use for them but also the visitors of the website.

Good management systems such as Joomla, Mambo, etc. and a blogging platform such as WordPress should be essentially provided by web hosts. Quality SQL databases should also be provided by chosen web hosting. An ideal cPanel should also be offered by a website hosting company that is being chosen. With the right cPanel, developing and maintain a website can become a lot easier and simpler. Last but not least a shared server might not always be sufficient enough for certain webmasters and in that case it important to find out whether dedicated hosting at a cheaper price is being offered by the web host or not.

Even when considering an affordable web hosting company, keeping the mentioned factors mind can help you select the right one.  As I stated before, I use Godaddy and I know that right now you can save 20% on their 12-month hosting package – which is a great deal!  I wish it was around when I first got my hosting!

Congratulations to the Super Bowl 46 Winners

Congratulations to the New York Giants – winners of Super Bowl 46!

I hope that everyone who watched the game enjoyed it.  I was busy watching the commercials and not so much the game – oops!  I will get around to post a couple of clips on some of the better commercials in the next couple of days.  Be on the look out to see your favorites again!

What was your favorite moment of this year’s Super Bowl?  What was your favorite commercial?

CLICK HERE for 10% off orders of $100 or more on your New York Giants gear!

Why You Should Get Your Own Personal Domain Name

Having a personal domain can come in handy when you want to market yourself. It does not matter whether you are planning to develop a website or not, you should have one. Once you have created a domain name it will be yours and you can do anything you want with it. This can include selling your brand or selling it. However, you must do it as soon as possible before someone else beats you. There are many reasons why you should register your personal name.

Why should you have a personal domain name?

Getting a personal domain name is very important especially if you are a blogger or are involved in online business. Yes, you can get a blogger with major hosts such as word press, but this is not the same as having your own. Keep in mind that your business is bound to grow in the future meaning more visitors and when this happens the company hosting your blog site is going to benefit. This is one reason why you may want to get your own domain name.

When you invest in a good domain name you can be sure that it is going to help you in the future. There are some people who have earned millions just by selling domain names while they invested just a few dollars to create it. If you do not invest in a personal domain name today you will buy it for millions in the future. This is why it is advisable to get your name before someone else does. You must subscribe yearly if you want to retain ownership of that domain name.

A personal domain name is easier to remember compared to one which is not personal. You can use a name that is easy for you and other people to remember and make it easy for those who want to communicate with you. This is very important if you are promoting your brand online. In addition to creating a memorable name, you can create a short domain name. You can minimize the number of characters used to make sure the name is easy to memorize and small enough to fit in your business card.

Having a domain name can give you an advantage over your competitors. The search engines will recognize you when people want to learn more about you. Imagine what can happen when an employer wants to know more about you and he is able to locate personal and academic details online. This can impress him and he may end up hiring you.

If you are still not convinced why you should have your own personal domain name then do it because it is cheap. There are some sites that provide a free domain name while others will require you to pay less than $15 annually. The cost is negligible considering the benefits of having one.  (My favorite is GODADDY!)

It is important to have your own domain name. This is something you cause to create awareness about your brand or business. The benefits of owning one are many. You will have control of the personal domain name and can decide whatever you want to do with it.

The Bark Side

The following is an awesome commercial, yet again, by Volkswagen.  It is simple, creative, and more importantly, memorable.  They seem to be enjoying the Star Wars theme in commercially lately, but it is definitely working for them.  A great way to take an unrelated product, license it, and make it relevant to sell their cars.  Pretty soon anytime you see Star Wars you will think of Volkswagen and vice versa. (Thanks to my sister for showing me this since I don’t watch TV much.)

A canine chorus barks a familiar tune. Keep an eye out for our 2012 Game Day commercial—it will all make sense. Love Star Wars and Volkswagen? Create an Intergalactic Invite to your Big Game party here: http://vw.com/star-wars-invite

What do you think about the commercial?  Will you remember Volkswagen?

SOPA & PIPA

If you don’t know about SOPA and PIPA, then I strongly suggest that use the internet and do some research on it.  It could change the way you use the web and destroy your freedom.  This is another bill that is left open for the government to shape and change it anyway they can.  We cannot let this happen.  We cannot stand for this.

I do not agree with copyright infringement – being a musician I know it sucks to have music illegally uploaded and downloaded.  However, this bill is not just about ridding the internet of piracy and copyright infringement.  It will allow them to control what you say, what you see, and what you hear.  We cannot let this happen.  We cannot stand for this.

From Google:

Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA.

The Senate will begin voting on January 24th. Please let them know how you feel. Sign this petition urging Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA before it is too late.

Click here to learn more about SOPA and PIPA before it is too late.  We cannot let this happen.  We cannot stand for this.

END PIRACY, NOT LIBERTY – Sign the petition and call your local state department and let them know that you want them to vote NO on SOPA and PIPA.

Kickstarter: Musicians Get Money, Fans Get Musicians

If you haven’t heard of crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter, I don’t know where you have been.  If you have fans (and sometimes even if you don’t) crowdfunding is a great way to raise money for your next song, cd, tour, or whatever your plans are for the near future.  Keep in mind – and this is a very important detail people over look – crowdfunding means you give something in return for money and it doesn’t mean people just give you money.  Whether it be new music or merchandise or even a private acoustic show for your money-giving fans, you have to offer up some good rewards to get people to fund your project.  If you offer up the right things, people will give you money.  (Remember… the rewards have to be good and equivalent to the amount you are asking.)

Kickstarter helped raise over $19,000,00 in 2011 for musicians.  That is right, 19 million dollars.  Second to only what film producers got on the site.  Did you get a share of the 19 million?

Loyal fans are definitely willing to help your band out, but they want something in return.  

Make sure that you offer up a wide range of price-points and options within the ranges: small ($10-$100), medium ($150-$500), large ($600-$1,000) and extra-large ($1,000+).  And make your prizes equivalent.  Maybe an digital album download before the release for those who offer $10 or for $15 you can get this awesome band shirt that will normally sell for $20.  Be creative.  Get your fans involved.  Ask what they want via Twitter and Facebook and then deliver when possible.  Always, and I mean always, take time to recognize fans who help you out – whether it means sending them an email, giving them a call, or shouting out to them via Facebook or Twitter… it really is the little things that matter.

One important thing about crowdfunding is the fact that it is “fund raising” within a certain time frame.  You set a date and tell the world how much you need.  You tweet it, post it, newsletter it, and spread the word to raise the money.  If you do not raise the money by the date you set, you get nothing.  Which also means that your fan doesn’t pay up unless you reach the goal you set.  You might be able to cleverly leverage some reverse psychology here… if you want.  ;)

Kickstarter has showed no signs of slowing down.  Visit the site and take a look around at the popular fund raising campaigns.  Get some ideas for some stuff you can do and then start raising that money!

For more information on Kickstarter or to kick start your fund raising, check out Kickstarter.com.

Enter Title Here

Before I go into my little spill about writing a title, which won’t be long and I will write an actual post on it when I have time – one day, I just wanted to let you know what has been going on. Mostly, I haven’t been updating stuff as much as I would like to be, but I have been doing some other work on the site and I just acquired some photography stuff, kind of, and can start doing reviews on products and take pictures. Who knows, maybe I will even grace you with my horrible southern accent in a video someday soon. We can only hope… not.

So, basically, I just wanted to let you all know that I am lazy and haven’t felt like posting anything. Not really, I have just been doing a bunch of stuff with the band(s) and getting things ready for this site and I got some really, really cool projects coming up in the near future that I am excited about. Hopefully you guys will enjoy it too.

And on with something relevant to the world…

The worse part about writing a blog (I hate that term) paper, article, story, book, song, etc. is figuring out the title. Now, most of the time song titles are easy and there is a simple, effective method – most of the time. But what is hard for me, is titling articles, papers, and especially these blogs. The title is just as important as the content itself. Why? Because you have to catch the readers attention and make them interested in reading the “article” itself. If you have a crappy title, very few people will read it… if anyone. Like I said, I will one day write an actual post on this, but for now, I just want to mention what brought this about.

Yesterday, I was reading Yahoo news stories headlines (absolutely the worse news source online) because that is what I always do when I am bored. It is usually great because they have about 10 different articles and every week they spin them, give them a new title, and re-post them. It is kind of like a Nickelback song except the words are always the same.

Anyway, they had one title something along the lines of “The Healthy Nutritional Benefits of Beer.” I should have saved it so I could give you an exact title, but whatever. Of course, I read this because I found it humorous and was generally interested in it – because I don’t drink. That isn’t the point though. My sister brought up a thought about what people were going to take away from the article.

For one, they aren’t going to read anything but the title because Americans don’t read. (Well, most. ;) ) Luckily, there were a few pictures associated with it – always a plus because then I have something to look at while I pretend to read the article.

This is what we decided people were going to take away from it. Most Americans will read the title, without reading what the article says, and take away “Beer is healthy. Let’s go drink some more beer and get smashed!” And if they are in the south like me, they would have read “Beer Good. Hell yeah!”

The article basically said beer, like wine, has some nutritional value when taken in moderation. What is moderation? According to the article, one pint of beer a day keeps the doctor away. Well, they said it could provide nutritional value. Point being, titles are very important when you are writing., but when you are reading, they are  the starting point – not the stopping point!

The Dark Knight Rises Official Trailer

If you haven’t gotten a chance to see The Dark Knight Rises trailer yet, I have posted it below for your viewing pleasure. It looks good on the computer and great on the big screen at the theater. They may have made a movie that competes with the Dark Knight and Heath Ledger’s remember-able last performance. I am definitely looking forward to checking out this movie comes out this summer (2012).

Check out The Dark Knight Rises trailer:


What do you think about the trailer? Are you looking forward to The Dark Knight Rises?



If you haven’t already, be sure to pick up The Dark Knight on Blu-Ray and DVD today!  Click Here to check get it from Amazon.com for only $14.49.