TV Blog

Overview Of Heart Rate Monitors

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:37:54 +0000

Before, when we exercise, we have to stop what we were doing and count our pulses manually. If they are way beyond our target heart rate, we decrease the intensity of our exercise. Way below target heart rate, and we increase the intensity of our exercise. Or, we can gauge our exercise level by the way we breathe and talk when we exercise. For example, if we cannot say three sentences and are gasping hard for breath when we are doing the treadmill, then that means that we are exercising more than we should have been doing in the first place. If we can still talk easily as well as breathe just as well, then we are not optimizing our exercise.

Modern Way of Monitoring Heart Rates

With the advancement of technology, we also saw a lot of improvement in terms of exercise machines as well as devices like heart rate monitors. Now, there are heart rate monitors attached to treadmills, and these monitors we can attach to our chest area to monitor our heart rates. This is a good way go gauge the intensity and level of our exercise without stopping and counting the pulse rate or assessing our breathing. Heart rate monitors are not seen on treadmills alone as they can also be found in other exercise machines like elliptical trainers as well as stationery bikes.

Kinds of Heart Rate Monitors

There are two common kinds of heart rate monitors. One is the heart rate monitor watches. As the name implies, this heart rate monitor device is attached to the wrist. You can simply attach to your chest the chest strap that comes with the device, and it will monitor your heart rate where it will then send the recording to the watch. This kind of heart rate monitors is widely used by athletes as well as those that people that exercise in the convenience of their homes since this is lighter in weight.

The other kind is the strapless kind, which is more convenient to use. In this device, you no longer have the chest strap, and you can easily monitor your heart rate by placing two fingers onto the sensors provided in the device for about 5 to 15 seconds before you will get a reading. This kind of heart rate monitors is more for the casual monitoring of heart rates.

Benefits of Using Heart Rate Monitors

There are a lot of benefits that one can get from wearing heart rate monitors when exercising:

1. They are more convenient than stopping the exercise program and manually counting the heart rate.

2. They are more accurate than manually counting your heart rate.

3. This easily helps you monitor your exercise level and increase the level and intensity accordingly until you have reached your target heart rate.

4. This will give you a signal if you are overexerting yourself and needs to slow down a bit.

Tips in Purchasing Heart Rate Monitors

Here are some tips if you want to purchase a heart rate monitor.

1. Know your purpose. If you are only going to use it at home for your aerobic exercises, then the low-end heart rate monitors are for you. If you are an athlete and need it for your training, then it is much wiser to get those with additional features.

2. There are so many brands out there to choose from, and the best way to choose among them is to read forums and reviews regarding heart rate monitors. You will get the best review from those who have tried a brand and found them helpful or not.

3. The best way to buy heart rate monitors is to buy online where you will be given a variety of designs and brands as well as functions.

How to avoid project failure

admin — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 01:30:25 +0000

Much has been written about runaway projects over the years. In every case the single largest contributor to project failure seems to go back to the initialization of the project, get that right and the project will have a better chance at success. Do we believe this? Well, yes it is clear when the time is taken to define and plan the project up-front, assuming that nothing changes in the business environment; the project will execute smoothly and successfully. Of course the assumption that nothing will change is colossal and so there is a bit more to project success than the front end planning, there is also managing the triple constraint of scope, budget, and time and within this constraint there are also the variables of integration, risk, quality, and organizational change (appetite and resistance). Project success depends upon planning for the constraints and the variables, as well as, the execution and control processes that must be undertaken. Professional project managers know that achieving project success is hard work and includes a plethora of skills, capabilities, team interactions, planning tools, and integration points, not to mention at times pure luck.

Many project managers and the business managers they work with use the term project plan and project schedule interchangeably, this is a mistake and one of the reasons that projects are not effectively planned at the front end, business and even some project managers don’t understand the planning process or the expected outcomes of that process. As professional project managers we have an obligation to perform a thorough and complete job of project planning prior to kicking a project off, but before we do this we have a duty to educate the project stakeholders in basic project management structures and methodology so they are able to be our effective partner in making the project a success. Each step in the planning process produces a work product that leads to the next step in the process and provides the project manager, the planning team, and ultimately the project team with a means of refining key plans and schedules. No step should be skipped, although many can be combined where it makes sense for the specific project.

The Project Management Plan (PMP) is one of the key developments of the Initiation Phase and the project manager will refer to this document throughout the course of the project as it contains all the plans and strategies for the project going forward. A comprehensive

Movie reviews: I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry – Part 1

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:33:55 +0000

What to do on a Sunday afternoon in Oskaloosa, Iowa but to hit the town’s cinema which gave me the choices of viewing either I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry or Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I chose wrong, but at least my diet Mountain Dew wasn’t as flat as the movie.

It’s a sad day in movie history when the best part of this bomb was the ending (credits rolling), but Im getting ahead of myself. Chuck Levine (Sandler) is an over-sexed stud who beds any female that crosses his path, already we know this is not based on actual events and Larry Valentine (James), gives us a grisly performance as he tries to juggle fatherhood along with his chosen career as one of New York’s bravest.

We’re first introduced to Larry’s dilemma when he finds out his children, due to a technicality, will not be his insurance beneficiaries, unless he remarries. Enter dim-witted plot. After an almost endless rant on Larry’s behalf, Chuck agrees to go along with the scam and becomes his “domestic partner.”

Chuck and Larry seek the council of Alex McDonough (Jessica Biel), after they’re paid a home visit from a creepy guy from the insurance claims department who suggests they should make their union official by getting married. Due to a tip off, a fraud investigator (Steve Buscemi) is sent to confirm the validity of this newly formed relationship, and this is where the atrocious gay themes begin to unfold before our very now sleep-induced eyes.

In the movie’s first attempt to be witty, we have the duo trying to “gay up” their trash by purchasing gay-oriented items, such as: lubricant gel, Cher’s greatest hits, and a framed photo of WHAM. I’ve been gay for 31 years and have yet to purchase two out of the three items bought, will I be losing my gay membership card now? Trying to over come my disgust, I’m now faced with their “dropping of the soap” shower scene. And how can we have a homosexual-related motion picture without this played-out scene where the men eventually break out into song blasting Chaka Khan’s, “I’m Every Woman.” I know this is the song I burst into when I’m lathering up in the mornings. It seems to me that the writers of Chuck and Larry researched their gay jokes and puns by interviewing Red-Necks and Homophobic men who were recently released from a Midwestern prison and asked them, “In your opinion, explain how a gay man lives,” then taking their cave-man-like responses and whipping it out into a long drawn-out movie that lacks sentiment, actual gay insight, and significance.

Knowing that Sideways writers Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor put their two cents in the scripts leads me to believe that they need to stick to writing about what they know best, grapes and more grapes. Bottom line, I’m glad I was in Iowa where I only spent $4.00 for a matinee. Had I been back in New York City and spent a full $10.50, I would have demanded my money back, but gladly paid for my diet Mountain Dew.

Movie reviews: The Number 23 – Part 7

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:14:00 +0000

Joel Schumacher has directed many films (BATMAN FOREVER, THE LOST BOYS, FLATLINERS, A TIME TO KILL, PHONE BOOTH, etc.) and its good to see him return to the horror genre with the Jim Carrey starring THE NUMBER 23. Less a horror film and more a suspense thriller in the vein of FLATLINERS, THE NUMBER 23 finds Walter Sparrow (CARREY) in the mist of paranoia and fantasy when he receives a book from his wife Agatha (Virginia Madson) titled The Number 23, which is about a private detective Fingerling who gets wrapped up in a noir-mystery with dark consequences.

The film switches perspectives between that of Sparrow’s descent into paranoia to that of the fantasy of the literary world of Fingerling (also played by Carrey). The two stories parallel each other culminating in a climax that reveals the true nature of The Number 23 and its curse and that of the truth about Sparrow’s past.

Like Schumacher’s best films he allows the story to dictate the look and feel of the film rather than push his own aesthetics on the material. This is what has allowed him to move from genre to genre as a director whether it be romance (DYING YOUNG), horror (8MM), action (BAD COMPANY), or drama (VERONICA GUERIN, FALLING DOWN).

Not a flawless film, THE NUMBER 23 mostly suffers from what most mysteries suffer from trying to explain everything at the climax of the film in a short amount of time. Up until the third act of the film the story goes at a leisure pace but once the mystery of the book The Number 23 begins to unravel a lot of info is revealed and rushed through. This doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of the film but it does present a lot to digest all at once.

Mercedes-benz to Release New Black Series

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:47:47 +0000

One way of increasing the popularity and value of a car is of course to design them to be able to perform at an exceptionally high level. Another way to increase the selling point of a car is to make it rare and this means that you would be releasing only a limited number of a particular model into the auto market.

Car manufacturers do this to increase the popularity of the model or to commemorate a milestone. Mercedes-Benz, for example, has increased the already high value of their cars with the successful release of the first Black Series. This year, the German company hopes to continue the success of the Black Series with the announcement of the development and nearing release of the Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series.

Last year, Mercedes-Benz released a Black Series which was based on the Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG. The said limited edition model was produced in a very limited number, making it an instant classic to the view of some auto enthusiasts. This year though, the Black Series of the CLK63 AMG will be marketed to a wider area therefore more of this vehicle will be produced compared to last yearâ€™s Black Series.

The Black Series of the four-seater coupe is said to have been inspired by the Mercedes-Benzâ€™s Formula One Safety Car. What sets the Black Series CLK63 AMG apart from the standard model is that it packs more power among other things.

The past Black Series edition was only marketed in Europe. This year though, the 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series will be sold both in and outside of Europe. The said limited edition model will hit showrooms by the latter part of 2007. One of the countries outside Europe that the 2008 Black Series will be made available to is Australia. The inspiration for the Black Series of the AMG lineup of Mercedes-Benz is the Formula One safety car which sets the pace for Formula One cars when a crash on the track pose a threat to the speeding race cars. The Black Series will be the top of the line entry in the AMG model lineup.

The exterior styling sets the Black Series car from the standard ones. Design cues on the outside gives the limited edition series an aggressive look thus increasing its aesthetic value. The deep front spoiler of the Black Series lowers its coefficient of drag making the car more aerodynamic than standard CLK63 AMG. The over emphasized wheel arches, extra ducts on the front fender, and a slightly redesigned bumper gives the Black Series a look unique to itself.

As far as the weight of the car is concerned, Mercedes-Benz is yet to divulge that piece of information. Although one can infer that the Black Series will weigh less than its siblings due to the fact that carbon fiber and other composite materials are used in the construction of the body of the Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series. The lightweight and cool looking material will surely make the Black Series a lot more expensive than standard CLK63 AMG. Speculations around the auto industry puts the price of more than $250,000 to the unreleased limited edition series.

What powers the four-seater coupe is Mercedes-Benzâ€™s humungous 6.2-liter V8 engine. The V8 can produce as much as 500 horsepower and that sure is an improvement over the standard engine used in the standard Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG. That power represents a 25 percent increase in horsepower. That amount of power is transferred from the engine to the drive wheels via a precision engineered seven-speed 7G-Tronic automatic transmission featuring limited slip differential.

The gear box efficiently transfers power from the engine to the wheel s with limited waste of power. That amount of power can only be kept in check by equally highly efficient brake components such as an EBC pad. With all that power, the 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Series is reported to reach speeds of 100 kilometers per hour from a standstill in just 4.3 seconds.

10 Mistakes to Avoid When Setting Up a Link Directory

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:15:25 +0000

10 Mistakes to Avoid When Setting Up a Link Directory

When adding a link directory to a web site there are important
mistakes to avoid, or else you’ll be storing up big problems for
later on. I know, because I made some of these mistakes and
didn’t have anyone to offer any advice or tell me what I’m about
to tell you.

Don’t create a directory page with all your links on one
page. You should have no more than 30 – 40 links to a page.
The reason is that some sites will not link to you if a page you
put their link on has too many links, because it dilutes the
value of the link to them. To understand why, you need to know
about Google Page Rank and how it’s passed to another site from
your link page. That’s a subject too lengthy for this topic.
Plan your link directory on paper first and decide what
names you are going to give each category in your link
directory. Make the names fit with the theme of your site and
try to avoid adding categories which are nothing to do with what
your site is about.

For example if your site is about Making Candles and Candle
Accessories, don’t have link categories for Computers &
Games, or Search Engine Optimization etc. The reason is that if
you want your site to achieve a good ranking with the search
engines your site should be built tightly around your theme, in
this example Candles.
Only link to web sites that relate to your site theme and
have something to offer your visitors. This refers to item 2. If
you don’t have categories for unrelated topics, you’ll be less
tempted to link to them because you don’t have a category to put
them in.
Choose names for link categories that you want to use now and
in the future, because you can’t easily change them later
on. Once the pages are created by your link manager software, it
will use the category names you give it. So if you have a
category called “Candle Power” it will create an html page
called Candle-Power.html or something similar, using your
category name. Once this page is found and indexed by the search
engines, in time it will gain Page Rank.

If later, you change the category name to “Candle Lights” the
link manager software will create a new page called
Candle-Lights.html and you will lose the page rank you had
gained for the earlier page. If your link partners linked to you
because the page you put them on had a good page rank, renaming
the page will cause this page rank to fall to zero. As a result
your link partners may drop the link they have back to you,
which is not what you ever want to happen.
Avoid having sub-categories or sub sub-categories in your
directory from your main category pages. The reason for this
is again to do with how search engines will rank your directory
pages. If your directory pages are more than two levels or two
clicks away from your main index or home page they will either
not be indexed by some search engines, or if they are indexed
they will achieve a lower ranking. Some web sites will not link
to you if the page you are to put the link on is more than 2
clicks away from your home page because these webmasters know
what I’ve just told you.
Ensure each page of your link directory has a link back to
your home page. Once again the reason for this is to do with
how search engines will rank your directory pages, so make sure
these links are in place.
Don’t be obsessed at linking only to web sites that have a
good ranking with the search engines. Look first at whether
the site has anything to offer your visitors. If it has poor or
unrelated content don’t link to it. If it has good related
content that compliments your own content but has zero or low
page rank, consider linking to it. Later on you may be glad you
provided a link, when it’s page rank improves.
Don’t use link directory software that doesn’t automatically
check links to your web site are still present on the other
sites. Doing link checking manually can be tedious and you have
to remember to do it. Software that you can set a schedule to
check links and automatically send out emails to webmasters when
links are not found will save you a lot of time. Link management
software that will automatically suspend links and delete them
if they are repeatedly not found is an added bonus.
Don’t use standard templates that come with any link
manager, link directory management software. You need to
modify these templates to match the look and design of your own
web site. This requires you know something about editing a web
page using an HTML editor. Also don’t use the standard email
templates, personalize them in some way, even if it’s only to
add your name.
Don’t assume you’re finished once you’ve set up your link
directory and done all the things I’ve said. You must test
and retest every aspect to ensure everything is working
properly, before visitors arrive.

This means making an add a link request, as if you were a
visitor to your own web site. Setting up test links and making
sure these links are being checked by the software so it detects
when links are removed or defective. Making sure it sends out
email notices correctly and check the formatting is correct when
they are received. You should also check you can make backups of
your link directory database and be able to restore it in the
event of a problem.

When to upgrade your computer monitor

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:35:47 +0000

This is a very simple question to answer. The answer is: When you want to.

But I will elaborate on this a bit so you can understand why it is true. If your monitor is not causing you any issues, there is no reason to upgrade. However, if it is a CRT (the older style monitors) taking up too much space on your desk, you might want to consider getting a flat screen (LCD). Also, if the monitor is beginning to get a bit fuzzy, you will want to upgrade right away as this could degrade the quality of your eyesight.

I think the better question to answer here is this: “When I do want to upgrade my monitor, what should I look for?” Now the answer gets more detailed, but I can give you general guide.

First, as I mentioned in the first paragraph, if you are using an older CRT monitor, and think you could enjoy the added desk space an LCD flat screen could give you, I recommend it in a moment, with one exception. If you are a hard core gamer and need to have a fast refresh rate, your desktop will provide a cleaner, faster refresh rate then most LCDs. However, if you are not in need of super fast refresh rates (which is the case for most casual computer users) then an LCD’s lack of CRT-quality refresh rates will go virtually unnoticed. I am a power user of computers, but do not game. Therefore, my LCD serves me perfectly and I do not notice it’s lack of CRT-quality refresh rates.

Now, let’s assume you wish to buy an LCD under my recommendation. You will not be sorry when you see the extra desktop space materialize after replacing your CRT. But another interesting feature I had not considered and didn’t notice until after I upgraded from a CRT to and LCD was how light it was. It is so easy to move around the desktop if I need to get to the wires in the back, or move it to another part of the table temporarily to lay out some papers, or even pick it up to take it to another computer somewhere else in the house. This truly is one of the best features of my LCD, even though I didn’t realize it would be so light.

However, once you decide the LCD upgrade is right for you, or if your current LCD is going bad, you might want to know the specifications to look for. The myriad of specs for LCD’s can be daunting, and you shouldn’t feel badly if you are confused. Even the most tech savvy of us have to do some homework on terms and specs before we buy upgrade items for our systems.

You will see various specs such as Contrast Ratio, millisecond response

Why should the world care about the environment in places like Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Rwanda?

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 17:41:14 +0000

“Dad, this week we have another trip to the Zoo, could I please have some pocket money to spend because we will be out all day”. I remember my days when I was still in primary school and I could not wait for a school trip so that I can see the wild animals up close. My school had these trips each month depending on the schedule of the class and school.

The land was well kept, trees well preserved and I could tell a tree by its leaves. I knew grazing pastures, where to find different animal each season, life was just incredible and I can never forget these times, not because of the good time I had but also because the land was worth looking at.

In town trees were prohibited from being cut, you could not just farm anywhere as you would get into trouble. Land was so important and we even had a forestry commission which looked after some areas with special trees or vegetation. Then the country was the bread basket of southern Africa and the country was beautiful. We also had trips to farms to see the different crops and how they ran the place. I would have to drive out to the farm areas to see some form of agriculture and different areas grew different crops and focused on what was appropriate for their area.

One year everything changed, someone thought it was a good idea to let people do what they want wherever and however, the country lost the rule of law and common sense was thrown out of the window. Once a great tourist attraction now looks like a slaughter dessert. The land is less than desirable and the true value of the land has been lost. Zimbabwe has lost its back borne, the true beauty of the land has been flashed down the tubes.

Should the world care about this? Yes is the answer I give. My children will never know or be able to picture what I grew up looking at. My family was an average family but knowing that we had a get away to the Zoo to admire the animals and the land there was something to look forward to, now, well that is certainly another story. I hate the pictures I see of the land now, the very true land has been stripped of its dignity.

Africa is beautiful without the make up, the land is what makes it a majestic place to go to. For me the land there is a habitation for animals and giving that away for forming has simply meant that the land has been over used in every way taking away it beauty and meaning. The pressure that has been forced on the environment has meant that the land cannot do what it is meant to do naturally.

Sydney Ranked 23rd in International Cost of Living Comparison

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:29:41 +0000

Sydney is the 23rd most expensive city in the world for expatriates to live in according to the findings of an international cost of living comparison of 228 international locations, conducted by the international relocation calculator, Xpatulator.com.

The Xpatulator.com international cost of living comparison uses the prices of goods and services that expatriates spend their salaries on in each location, and calculates cost of living indexes (COLI) for 13 different basket groups using New York as the base (i.e. New York is equal to 100).

The most expensive city in the world for expatriates is London with an overall COLI of 126.6. At the other end of the rankings, the least expensive city (for expatriates to live in) is Harare with an overall COLI of 16.4. This means that on average, goods and services that cost an expatriate US$100 in New York would cost US$126.6 in London, compared to just US$16.4 in Harare, and US101.73 in Sydney.

How Sydney Compares

For each aspect of cost of living, Sydney is ranked by Xpatulator.com as follows (Out of 228 international locations, ranked from highest cost of living to lowest cost of living):

â€¢Alcohol & Tobacco (Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco Products): 29th

â€¢Clothing (Clothing and Footwear Products): 116th

â€¢Communication (Telephone, Internet, and Mobile Communication): 150th

â€¢Education (Creche, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Fees): 13th

â€¢Furniture and Appliances (Furniture, Household Equipment and Household Appliances): 94th

â€¢Groceries (Food, Non-Alcoholic Beverages and Cleaning Material): 44th

â€¢Healthcare (General Healthcare, Medical and Medical Insurance): 11th

â€¢Household (Rent, Mortgage, Water, Electricity, Household Gas, Household Fuels, Local Rates and Residential Taxes): 33rd

â€¢Miscellaneous (Stationary, Linen, General Goods and Services): 112th

â€¢Personal Care (Personal Care Products and Services): 7th

â€¢Recreation & Culture (Books, Cinema, DVD, Sports Goods etc): 29th

â€¢Restaurants Meals Out and Hotels: 24th

â€¢Transport (Public Transport, Vehicle Costs, Vehicle Fuel, Vehicle Insurance and Vehicle Maintenance): 41st

Relative to other parts of the world Sydney is relatively expense for personal care products and services, however Sydney has relatively cheap telephone, internet, and mobile phone communication.

Expatriate Pay Approaches

Cost of living information is used by organisations to establish salary levels for expatriates undertaking international assignments. How the cost of living information is used depends on the pay methodology adopted by the organisation. There are 3 mainstream approaches to establishing salary levels for international assignments, the salary build-up approach, the salary purchasing power approach, and the cost of living allowance approach.

Salary Build-Up Approach

The build-up approach uses the expatriateâ€™s home salary as the starting point and then builds up the salary package for an international assignment. Typical elements added to the salary are for cost of living differences, hardship differences and exchange rate. Hardship is the relative difference in the quality of living a person and their family are likely to experience.

For example a person earning AUD$100 000 in Sydney taking up an assignment in London would have the following build-up:

Base Salary AUD$100 000 X COLI X Hardship Premium X Exchange Rate = Assignment Package in UK Pounds.

Using Xpatulator.com, a person earning AUD$100 000 in Sydney, would earn an assignment package of UK Pounds Â£58 447.

Salary Purchasing Power Approach

The Salary purchasing power approach seeks to achieve parity between international locations. What would be the equivalent of a salary in Sydney in other places in the world in terms of purchasing power? We compared purchasing power by comparing salary levels adjusted for cost of living differences, and relative hardship using Xpatulator.com.

A salary of USD$50 000 in Sydney Australia is equivalent to:

â€¢USD$44 031 in Beijing

â€¢USD$48 578 in Dubai

â€¢USD$62 238 in London

â€¢USD$46 142 in New Delhi

â€¢USD$51 514 in Paris France

This means that an organisation with a head office in Sydney, and international offices in each of the above locations would pay a position that is paid USD$50 000 in Sydney, USD$62 238 in London and USD$44 031 in Beijing in order to achieve the same salary purchasing power in each location.

Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) Approach

Organisations that make use of Cost of Living Allowances (COLA) use cost of living information to determine how much COLA to pay for international assignments. A COLA is an allowance paid to an expatriate to ensure that they are compensated where the cost of living is higher than their home country. Where the cost of living is lower, most organisations do not adjust the salary downwards, they would simply not pay a COLA in such cases. Using the example of a person earning US$50 000 in Sydney sent on an international assignment to London, they would be paid a COLA as follows:

USD$62 238 in London less USD$50 000 in Sydney = USD$12 238 COLA in London

The COLA is paid in addition to the individualâ€™s current salary, for the duration of the international assignment, and is typically reviewed on an annual basis, or when the COLI changes by more than 10%.

Humor: Signs that you are obsessed

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:01:46 +0000

Obsessions! What would we do without them? There are all kinds of obsessions in the world to become attached to, but we know we aren’t truly addicted, right? Don’t you just hate it when people tell you that you’re so obsessed that you fail to see just how obsessed you are?

What are the signs, how can you tell if you are obsessed? You might reconsider whether or not you’re obsessed when . . .

*You log into your Helium account 57 times a day to see what’s going on in the community boards. Since you’re logged in anyway, you stop and check your ratings and earnings too. Then you excitedly leap with glee when you learn you earned .02 since last log-in!

*You check your email dozens of times each day to keep up with everyone. Imagine your surprise when you see nothing new, except you’ve gotten yet another offer of discounted Viagra or you’ve just won another prize, gift card or lottery! Amazing how you’ve won thousands in the last week alone!

*You wait for months for your favorite TV show to return to the air and watch the trailers carefully each time in hopes you missed something or that they’ll share some new tidbit. Of course nothing new is ever shared . . .but the next one might show something!

*Your addiction to the Internet shines through in your linguistic skills. Imagine your bosses and colleagues responses to your incorporating “LOL”, “ROFL”, or “TTFN” into your conversations instead of laughing or simply saying “goodbye”. You always sign your emails off with an emoticon of some sort.

*Your role playing identity has crept into your offline persona. You find yourself talking in character and responding in ways which are only understood by the gaming community. You begin to confuse who’s who in your online and offline lives. Last week you accidentally referred to your boss by the name of your arch enemy in your role playing game.

*You watch a great movie, but it leaves off in a negative note, and you watch it over and over hoping for a different ending. Hey, the 15th time might be the charm and your favorite character survives.

*You can’t seem to stop text messaging, even in the middle of big events, such as weddings, graduations and parties, even if they are your own. The officiator asks if “you do” and as your fingers are anxiously clicking away, you tell him you’ll get right back to the question after you hit send.

*You can tell you’re obsessed with a musical artist or band if you travel around the country following them to their gigs. It doesn’t matter if you’ve lost your job, left your spouse, or have no money to travel, you’re going!

Doesn’t it drive you nuts when people try and convince you that you are obsessed about things? It bugs me. Hey, just because I spent the morning brainstorming ideas for this article does NOT mean I’m obsessed.

What do you mean I’m obsessed with Helium? I am not! Now leave me alone, I really have to go, there’s this great debate topic on Helium where I want to go weigh my .02 in.