Category: News

1. Be passionate about your topic

I said it before in “Real Successful Blogging”, and I am saying it again. Passion is not a bonus, it is a must.
If you are passionate about your topic, you will be knowledgeable, you will know your market (the other people who are into that specific topic), and you will be able to follow up on the developments in that area. Something that would bore you to death if you are blogging about a subject just for the money instead of the passion.

2. Reach out

Blogging is not about you, it’s about others (ok, and you too). Reach out to others, write about whose blogs or articles you liked. This works twofold: first, people are always looking for reviews and views on things. Do other bloggers like this blog or website or tool? Do other photographers like that camera? Second: the people you are blogging about will appreciate the mentioning and the link (that is, if it is positive ) and will return the favor.

3. Be heard, be social

Get your word out, and people will link to you.
This can be done by speaking at a conference, setting up a large project or contest, participate very actively on forums, perhaps even as a moderator.
Try to stay on top of things, so that you can not only participate in conversations, but you can start them. If you can then also blog about these topics, it will definately get you authority and links.

4. Look real

If you want people to remember you, to want to link to you, to believe you, you need to look real to them. The first way to do this, is by the way your website or blog looks and feels. For instance:
* What’s your domainname, is it something that looks real, not scammy? Can people easily remember it?
* Does the layout and the design of your site add to the content and the message you want to bring? For instance, a yellowish, bright playful webdesign doesn’t add to your message if you’re an undertaker.
* How’s your content? Interesting and unique? Or boring or copied from somewhere else?
* How is your about page? Does it say something about you? Will people remember you by it?
* How is the useability of your site? Is it easy to understand? Or does it look good, but is hell to use?
There’s no need to answer positive on all these questions right away. But they are a good strategy to follow to increase your credibility on the internet.

5. Conversation

Markets are conversations, your readers are your audience, and your market. Have conversations with them. You do this through your blogposts. They can do that through the comments. Invite them to comment on your posts. Make it a two-way conversation, make it a community. After a while, a part of your audience will start communicating with you through their blog, and this is where the links start coming in.

6. Keep building

Rome wasn’t built overnight. Nor was Microsoft, Apple, or any other great success story. You need to keep working on it, keep building on your website, on your credibility, on your market position. This can take years, but you will get there eventually. Just keep building on it. Day by day.

Related posts:

1. Real successful blogging Passionate Be passionate about blogging, and be passionate about the…
2. 5 things bloggers can learn from Christmas. 1. If you really want it, you can blog from…
3. Helping others is what blogging is all about Do you know what blogging is all about? It’s about…

Conan O’Brien fans showed their support for the fiery comedian on Tuesday night by tuning in to his Tonight Show in large numbers. According to The Los Angeles Times, last night’s Tonight scored a 1.7 rating / 7 share among adults 18-49, up 40 percent from Monday airing.

Early Tuesday, Conan released a statement saying he would not accept NBC’s request to move the show to 12:05 AM to accommodate Jay’s move back to 11:35 PM from primetime.

“I sincerely believe that delaying ‘The Tonight Show’ into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting,” he wrote in a humorous letter addressed to “People of Earth.”

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Lotus, Racing

Now that Lotus is turning out production examples of the Evora on a steady basis, the crew on the motorsports side has turned its attention to creating a new competition car. Built to FIA GT4 specs and eligible to run in several different GT series, the Evora Cup car debuts this weekend at the Autosport International Show in Birmingham, England.

To get the car ready for the track, the Toyota V6 has been punched out to a full 4.0 liters and fitted with a dry sump oiling system. In race trim the engine is rated at 395 horsepower, with power is routed through a six-speed Cima sequential race gearbox. Upgraded six-pot calipers help the binders hold up to track use and adjustable dampers allow the handling to be adapted to the prevailing conditions and the driver’s style. At about 2,600 pounds, Lotus has shaved 440 pounds off the road car.

In addition to competing against other makes, Lotus is also launching a single make Evora Cup series with events around Europe. A €100,000 prize fund will be offered for the series this year. The Evora Cup car will run £120,000 plus taxes. Make the jump for all the details.

[Source: Lotus]

Continue reading Lotus announces Evora race car, one-make series

Lotus announces Evora race car, one-make series originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Chicago White Castle Restaurants cook up romance with candlelight, tableside service and themed decorations

Craving a little romance this Valentine’s Day? Then reserve a steamy date at your local White Castle Restaurant. Between 5 and 8 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 14, you and your valentine can enjoy a romantic candlelit dinner complete with special menus, tableside service and flowers.

Reservations are filling up quickly and can be made by 708-458-4450 ext. 0 Monday through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.

“Since we first offered reserved Valentine’s Day seating in 1991, this has become an annual tradition for many couples,” said Jamie Richardson, vice president of corporate relations.

“It’s been a huge hit because a lot of our loyal customers – fondly known as ‘Cravers’ – either met in a White Castle Restaurant or have other enjoyable memories they like to celebrate here.”

This year, White Castle will make Valentine’s Day truly unforgettable by snapping a complimentary digital photo of each couple that can be viewed later from the White Castle Web site.

White Castle expects demand for reservations to be even greater this year as Americans continue to seek ways to get more romance for less cash.

“At White Castle, you can indulge your special someone’s craving for a romantic dinner without breaking your budget,” Richardson said.

He noted that Sack Meal #3 provides a dinner for two – complete with 10 of the distinctive Slyder® hamburgers, two 21-oz. soft drinks and two regular French fries – for as little as $11.55. “It’s just one example of the value we’ve offered customers since we began selling our famous steam-grilled hamburgers for a nickel in 1921.”

Valentine’s Day is just one of many special programs through which White Castle engages and rewards its Craver customers and family of team members. Each May, the company is the official sponsor of National Hamburger month.

By submitting a recipe in the Crave Time Cook Off competition, customers have a chance to win a Crave Case every week for a year.

And customers can submit their ultimate Crave story in the 10th annual Craver’s Hall of fame competition for the chance to join such fellow Cravers as Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle stars John Cho and Kal Penn and members of the rock group The Smithereens in the hallowed Hall.

Visit whitecastle.com for details on these and other events.

About White Castle

White Castle is a family-owned business based in Columbus, Ohio that owns and operates 419 White Castle Restaurants in 11 states.

The company was founded in Wichita, Kansas in 1921 and was the first fast-food hamburger chain.

For more information on White Castle, please visit whitecastle.com.

I am very pleased to announce that I have become a Fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, commonly known as CSI (and formerly known as CSICOP). CSI is one of the foremost skeptical organizations in the country and the world, and it is both humbling and an honor to be a part of it.

I was chosen along with other 15 other people, many of whom will be familiar to regular readers, including Skeptic Dictionary creator Bob Carroll, Steve Novella, Massimo Pigliucci, UK Skeptic’s Christopher French, Seth Shostak, and my fellow astronomer Jay Pasachoff. You can get the full list at the CSI announcement.

I’m also very happy to note that another of the new Fellows is one James Randi! Randi helped create CSICOP, but left years ago due to personal reasons when Uri Geller (boo!) sued both him and CSICOP. Randi has maintained a cordial relationship with the group over the years, and I know he’s personally very happy to be a part of CSI once again.

I’ve received a few emails from folks asking if my leaving the JREF to do TV work would take me away from doing skeptical outreach. It will be impacted, of course, but I hope this announcement lets you know that I will continue to do what I can to make this world a more reasonable place. I could no more stop doing that than I could stop blogging, or stop breathing, or stop being amazed at how wonderful our Universe is.

My thanks to the good folks at CSI, and to all of you who support me!

When I saw this graph about the toll the recession has taken on entrepreneurs, the first thing I thought of was green energy.

Maybe that’s because a close friend of mine is starting a green energy company. But it’s also because a lot of economic analysts expect energy to be a major source of growth and job creation in the next ten years. The problem is (as my friend can attest), just as world governments’ interest in green technology is increasing, investment in green technology is falling off a cliff. As the Economist explains here, renewable energy has a high upfront cost, even if you save a lot of money with efficiency over time. That makes firms reluctant to become customers, which makes venture capitalists reluctant to become investors:

Companies cannot be expected to abandon them unless they get a clear
signal from consumers or governments that it is in their financial
interest to do so. And they are not getting such a signal.

The answer is elusive. A carbon price in England, for example, has not spurred a renewable energy revolution, the Economist reports. Still the United States should be creative. Programs like “Cash for Caulkers” that pay homeowners to retrofit their homes are a nice start. Or we could invest in green technology more directly, as Evan Osnos chronicled in this New Yorker story about China’s “crash course” in green technology. Or the government could poor money into energy storage research, and heed the predictions of Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer about battery technology being the key to the global technology revolution. The point is: There is a lot more that we can do, and a green tech policy could go a long way toward recovering America’s entrepreneurial spirit and creating a new fleet of jobs that last.

[Via Real Time Economics]

I…I just don’t know what to make of this Nunk on Droise performance art by Stéphane Perrin.

Simply put, the performance consists in dynamically generating noise music from the alcohol drunk by the performer during the performance. During the performance, the performer drinks alcohol and several breathalyzers are used to generate sounds and interacts with the visual. In addition, the abuse of alcohol inevitably leads to uncontrollable results and the body of the performer becomes itself a musical instrument.

Several alcohol sensors output each a voltage that depends on the alcohol content in the breath of the performer. These voltages are measured by an Arduino board and sent to a program written under OpenFrameworks that processes them and sends them through OSC (Open Sound Control) to a Pure Data patch. The patch dynamically generates sounds from the received data. In addition, the use of a microphone allows the sound emitted by one of the (un)desirable effects of the consumption of various alcohols in a very short time, namely vomiting, to be processed too by the Pure Data patch.

Yes…simple. All I know is that I want some sort of warning system where my toilet calls me up and magically plays the menacing Jaws theme when my stomach is on the verge of retaliating against my alcohol consumption. [Nunk on Droise via Make]

Losing hair is quite a common thing. In fact, losing 40-80 hair a day is physiologically justified and does not require any treatment or medical intervention. Such loss of hair is noticed during bathing, combing the hair, while sleeping or simply on your shirt or tops. However, the issue arises when the hair loss exceeds the said figure such as more than 100 hairs a day.

There are plenty of reasons for a person to lose hair. In order to learn how to stop hair loss, one should learn the physiology and factors that harm the hairs and hair-roots. Hair loss could be due to tension, depression, stress, anxiety or it could be due to simply heredity. Other causes include unhygienic conditions, improper washing of the hair, using chemical products for hair (such as shampoo, hair cream, hair lotion, hair oil) etc. Using hair dryer in improper way may also harm hair root and hair loss occur.

Let us learn how to stop hair loss:

How to stop hair loss tip 1: The diet plays important role in living healthy. Excessive salty, oily, junk and spicy foods may make you lost the hair and hence they are to be avoided. On the other hand, one should go for dark, green and leafy vegetables and fresh fruits (or their juices). They provide enough roughage and they are good for the intestinal health. They are also said to flush out the bodily toxins so the body remains toxin-free. Also, drinking plenty of water helps in keeping the body and hair healthy.

How to stop hair loss tip 2: There are plenty of herbs that can be used in stopping the hair loss. Herbs such as bhringaraja (Eclipta), amalaki (Indian gooseberry), mehendi (henna) etc are Ayurvedic herbs those have been used in treating hair loss since many centuries. Such herbs can be used internally as well as externally. For instance, there are some head massaging oils made up of brahmi, bhringaraja etc those are said to be beneficial as they strengthen the hair root and make hair strong enough to remain on the scalp.

How to stop hair loss tip 3: Many health care providers, especially holistic health care providers opine that holistic exercises such as Pranayama and Yoga help in strengthening the hair root and prevent the hair fall. Asanas such as sarvangasana, shavasana and shirshasana are specially designed to increase the blood flow into the brain and scalp and hence they are considered to be very beneficial in providing enough nutrients to the hair making them strong and shiny.

How to stop hair loss tip 4: Alternative therapies such as aromatherapy, acupressure, acupuncture, Ayurvedic Panchakarma, massage therapy, Chinese medicines are reported to have good effects in hair fall and hence can be adopted. Treating acu-points in a proper way is useful in preventing the hair fall.

One has to take care about their hair and it is better not to use any chemical based hair product. Also, devices like hair dryers may over dry the hair and make them brittle and hence, are to be avoided. Use herbal shampoo and soap to rinse or wash the hair and let them get a sun-dry.

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

• Related posts on HAIR
• Anti Aging Hair Restoration for Men— Is It Possible Without …
• HAIR LOSS REMEDY – CAUSES AND PREVENTION | Top Subject Matter
• Andrew – Hair Color: Light Brown … « StarSearchCasting.com Weblog …

• Related posts on LOSS
• HAIR LOSS REMEDY – CAUSES AND PREVENTION | Top Subject Matter
• Weight loss surgery fair offered – Joliet Herald News

• Related posts on Regrow
• Another precaution to be observed is that the eyes
• Female Hair Loss Prevention – find a solution to stop hair loss …
• What Causes Hair Loss ? What Can I Do? | smeleketehe.org

Reactions were a bit mixed when SCEA officially unveiled the North American box art for Heavy Rain. If you count yourself as among those who hated it, here’s some good news for you.

• Breakthrough hair loss product

Product Description
Breakthrough Hair Loss Treatment. Clinically proven to help regrow hair better than any other topical treatment…. More >>

DS Labs – Spectral Dnc Hair Loss Treatment, 60 Milliliter liquid

EFF has long fought for the privacy of your laptop and other digital devices at the border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has implemented program that authorizes searches of the contents of travelers’ laptop computers and other electronic storage devices at border crossings, notwithstanding the absence of probable cause, reasonable suspicion or any indicia of wrongdoing.

In U.S. v. Arnold we fought for a requirement that customs agents have some reason before searching your computer and in our FOIA work on border searches, we have pushed the government to reveal its policies and practices in this area.

Now, another civil rights group, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers is seeking potential plaintiffs for a lawsuit challenging suspicionless laptop searches. As a first step in this effort, NACDL is seeking to identify defense lawyers who have had their laptops searched at the border and are willing to serve as individual plaintiffs. In order to demonstrate the effect of this policy on members of the criminal defense bar and to support the constitutional challenge, NACDL plans to assemble a group of individual plaintiffs who will develop affidavits describing the harm they suffer by having their electronic information exposed to government officials.

This lawsuit will not seek monetary damages for individuals who have been searched; instead, it will focus exclusively on fixing the unconstitutional policy. Participating members will be represented at no charge by NACDL and ACLU attorneys.

EFF supports the NACDL and ACLU’s joint effort. To determine whether you may qualify as a plaintiff, please consider the following:

1. Have you ever had your laptop, cell phone or camera searched when entering or exiting the U.S.?
2. Have you ever had the contents of your laptop, cell phone or camera copied when entering or exiting the U.S.?
3. Have you ever had your laptop, cell phone or camera seized when entering or exiting the U.S.?
4. If you are employed by someone else, does your employer have a policy about traveling internationally with laptops, cell phones or cameras?
5. Do you avoid carrying confidential business or personal information on your laptop, cell phone or camera due to the suspicion-less search policy?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, and might be interested in joining the NACDL suit, please contact Michael Price, NACDL’s National Security Coordinator, at (202) 872-8600 x258 or [email protected].

Hace unos días os habíamos mostrado un teaser del Verde Supercar, de Revenge, un casi ignoto constructor norteamericano que desvelaba su proyecto de V8 híbrido. El vehículo por cierto que no ha pasado inadvertido, gracias a su V8 electromagnético, una designación que bien puede ser clasificado como de ficción, pero que es perfectamente realizable, como lo ha probado Revenge con este proyecto.

Además de poder llevar los clásicos motores V8 de Ford o Chevrolet y de ser un deportivo con un diseño realmente espectacular, con aires de Ford GT, el secreto del Verde es su motor V8 que puede funcionar en base a etanol, que entregaría 400 caballos, consumiendo lo mismo que cualquier híbrido de última generación.

Su economía se logra mediante la aplicación de la tecnología HP2g, que está integrada por un motor eléctrico dentro mismo del bloque motor, que permite operar individualmente cada cilindro, mediante magnetos cerámicos. De esta manera, el Verde puede funcionar a pleno con sus ocho cilindros, u operar en marcha económica, con un sólo cilindro, si se quiere.

El pulso electromagnético entra en acción emitiendo electricidad para el motor eléctrico mediante pulsos y no de manera continua. Asi se ahorra energía, mientras el sistema de frenado va regenerando electricidad a las dos baterías que lleva el coche.

Sería bueno tener disponibles algunos datos más, pero imaginemos por un momento que es un V8 propulsado por 8 pequeños motores eléctricos en cada cilindro y que pueden mover el pistón que sea, a gusto. Me quedan dudas en cuanto a cómo pueden cambiar el orden de encendido cuando no opera con los ocho cilindros y otras cosas, pero parece ser una tecnología prometedora. Habrá que esperar a que el prometido motor HP2g salga a la luz o más datos del constructor.

Verde Supercar

Vía | Piston Heads

Ok, S&P actually downgraded California to A-. And since developing countries have some of the best balance sheets around, maybe the title is especially unfair to those countries.

The reason?

The budget situation remains horrible.

Dow Jones:

Due to uncertain assumptions of major portions of the budget, S&P said the state’s credit is more susceptible to adverse economic developments.

As a result, it lowered its ratings on the state’s $63.9 billion of general obligation debt by one notch to A-, which is four notches into investment grade. That is the lowest such rating for any state in the U.S. California also has a negative outlook, meaning future downgrades aren’t out of the question.

And while the budget proposal includes efforts to make some structural improvement to the state’s projected fiscal imbalance, S&P said it does so by assuming what it considers to be “significant increases in federal reimbursements and funding and reduced federal spending mandates–provisions over which the state lacks singular or direct authority.” It also requires voter approval of two ballot measures to allow the redirection of $1 billion in funds presently earmarked pursuant to two prior election results.

Read the whole story — >

Bonus: Now see the real state of collapsing state revenues — >

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Now See The Real State Of Collapsing State Tax Revenues
• Now See The Real State Of The Commercial Real Estate Industry
• Jumbo RMBS Defaults Triple: California, Florida, And New York Lead the Way