New Member of Adgitize

Hey there. As most of you know, I've been dropped by Project Wonderful a few weeks back and have been looking for a new ad type platform. I haven't really been looking around but I did stumble across a very convenient source of online income. I am now the latest member of the Adgitize network.

From what I've read and the way it works, I think it's great! I never really noticed it but it seems that many Entrecard members are already a part of the Adgitize network so it's extremely convenient to "drop and click". Similar to Entrecard, you gain points by clicking on the ads (that's a first!) of Adgitize members. Most Entrecard members, such as myself, have placed an ad right next to the Entrecard widget to make it easy to Drop and Click (I should trademark that sucker!). Each click gains you a point. Points are then converted to cash at the end of the month. No waiting for approvals, transferring to a cash out account or anything like that. And clicking on ads is not the only way to get points. Each page view that your web site generates is converted to points. Each time one of the Adgitize ads is displayed generates is converted to points. If you have more than one ad block displays, the ad and page view points multiply by the number of ad blocks you display. Being an advertiser generates an automatic 100 points a day (more on that in a bit). Posting articles generates a cool 100 points a day. And by articles, it means posting, period. So if you're an active blog writer, this is basically getting paid to do what you do anyways. So there are many ways that points can be generated.

So what is the conversion to cash? That depends on how active advertisers are and how many points are awarded but just to give you a general idea, here is the May 2009 conversion table.

Score less than 100 points in a day and you will earn 1 cent a day.
Score 100 to 199 points in a day and you will earn 2 or 3 cents a day.
Score 200 to 299 points in a day and you will earn 15 cents to 25 cents a day.
Score 300 or more points in a day and you will earn 76 cents to $1 dollar a day.

Again, those numbers are not written in stone so don't quote me on that but it gives you a general idea of how many points you will need to earn some cash. Looking at the table above, 200 points is very doable but you definitely want to score 300 points a day.

That sounds great, Metallman, but what about the advertising that you mentioned? Glad you ask. lol Adgitize cannot pay it's members if it does not generate any revenue. So advertising is a cool $14 a month (other options are available) and your ad is guaranteed to be shown on all sites that have the widget installed on their web page to the tune of at least once every 100 page views. So if 'X' site has 100 views a day, your ad will appear at least once on their site. Considering that there are thousands of sites in the network, you will definitely get your money's worth. And if you hit the 300 point mark daily, the ad will pay for itself each month. All while bringing you traffic and readers. Sign up is free and you do not have to advertise. You can gain points by other means but being given 100 points a day for being an advertiser is not a bad deal at all.

I haven't seen any complaints from anyone in regards to this. Paying to display your ad seems to be one "nuisance" that surfaces, but considering that you can pay $10 for a month long ad on any given website, you might as well ad the $4 and display your ads to thousands more. I'm quite thrilled about trying this out. Hopefully, it will bring in quality traffic as well as some online income. I'll keep you posted with how much it brings in after the first or second month. Check it out, friends. Later!

A Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On

Hey there. If you follow me on Twitter, than I'm pretty sure you know that we had a shaker over here in Southern California. Nothing too serious, but it was a good jolt for about 10 seconds or so. First reports estimated it at a 4.7 magnitude quake, then it was a 5.0, then it went back to 4.7. lol I chuckled to myself at how the media blew the thing up. We live in Southern California, we have little quakes all the time so when the news makes it a big deal, I feel as if there's nothing better for them to report on. They had callers dial in to share their experiences and it was just funny how a lady said, "Nothing fell, except for my eye glasses". Then there was this other person who called in and stated that he lived in Southern California for 15+ years. The newswoman then asked him if he's ever experienced any quakes before. Oh man... Of course he has! Who hasn't that lives in this area! Sheesh.

My wife is terrified of quakes. She never got used to them so she was shaken up a bit. She was lying in bed with our little one, I was in the living room, and the kids were eating dinner at the table when it happened. The weird thing about this quake was that we were able to hear it before it started to shake. I don't think I've ever heard it before it actually happens so I stood up to react, but didn't really do anything until I knew for sure it was a quake. I told the kids to get under the dinner table and I ran towards the room to get my wife and little one. By the time I reached the room, she was already up holding our little one heading towards the door. Once we reached the living room, the shaking subdued. We all sat in the living room, including our dogs and cat, and we sat around waiting for the aftershocks. From what I read, we had a 2.something and 3.something aftershocks, but we didn't feel them. While watching the news, and twittering and sending messages, we talked to the kids about earthquake safety and what they should do in case we experience an aftershock in the middle of the night. I don't think our boy was too shaken up, though, if he was, he wasn't really showing it. Our girls were shaken up a bit. Our little one ended up sleeping in our bed last night, while the other was restless throughout the night. How do I know? Because my wife couldn't sleep either so she counted the times she saw our daughter pop her head out of her room. lol

It's funny how every time there is an earthquake in Southern California, talks of the "Big One" arise. I understand that we live near a pretty active fault line but when all you hear is "disaster is a coming! disaster is a coming", how can you expect the public to not panic? It's like saying that a meteor is going to hit Los Angeles. We have no idea when, but it's going to happen. So what? Am I supposed to live a life in fear keeping an eye out on sky for any ominous looking objects? If it happens, it happens. No matter how much I prepare for it, I'm either going to survive it, or not. Same deal with earthquakes. There's no amount of rations and water and what not that is going to prepare you for the "Earth opening up and swallowing half of the south land". There's is no way to be 100% earthquake proof. It's either you're going to be lucky enough to survive it or not. Can I increase my chances? Of course! I can pack our stuff and we can all move to where there are no earthquakes. But you know what? Natural disasters happen anywhere so no matter where we go, there's is always something that the media will force us to fear. Tornados, hurricanes, lightning storms, earthquakes, meteors, pink teddy bears, or maybe even the dreaded hefalumps. lmao I say, that as long as you're informed and have a plan of evacuation, there really isn't much more that can be done. With that being said, I'm planing on having another talk with the kids, just to make sure that they know what needs to be done if it happens again. Later.

Vatican Humor

Hey there. Just a little something that I found funny. Later.


Vatican Humor

After getting all of Pope Benedict's luggage loaded into the limo, (and he doesn't travel light), the driver notices the Pope is still standing on the curb.

'Excuse me, Your Holiness,' says the driver, 'Would you please take your seat so we can leave?'

'Well, to tell you the truth,' says the Pope, 'they never let me drive at the Vatican when I was a cardinal, and I'd really like to drive today.'

'I'm sorry, Your Holiness, but I cannot let you do that. I'd lose my job! What if something should happen?' protests the driver, wishing he'd never gone to work that morning.

'Who's going to tell?' says the Pope with a smile?

Reluctantly, the driver gets in the back as the Pope climbs in behind the wheel. The driver quickly regrets his decision when, after exiting the airport, the Pontiff floors it, accelerating the limo to 205 kph. (Remember, the Pope is German and loves the Autobahn.)

'Please slow down, Your Holiness!' pleads the worried driver, but the Pope keeps the pedal to the metal until they hear sirens.

'Oh, dear God, I'm going to lose my license -- and my job!' moans the driver.

The Pope pulls over and rolls down the window as the cop approaches, but the cop takes one look at him, goes back to his motorcycle, and gets on the radio.

'I need to talk to the Chief,' he says to the dispatcher.

The Chief gets on the radio and the cop tells him that he's stopped a limo going 205 kph.

'So bust him,' says the Chief.

'I don't think we want to do that, he's really important,' said the cop.

The Chief exclaimed,' All the more reason!'

'No, I mean really important,' said the cop with a bit of persistence.

The Chief then asked, 'Who do you have there, the mayor?'

Cop: 'Bigger.'

Chief: ' A senator?'

Cop: 'Bigger.'

Chief: 'The Prime Minister?'

Cop: 'Bigger.'

Well,' said the Chief, 'Who is it?'

Cop: 'I think it's God!'

The Chief is even more puzzled and curious, 'What makes you think it's God?'

Cop: 'His chauffeur is the Pope!'

John C. Fremont!!!

Hey there. I ventured into our local Jamba Juice not to long ago and was quite pleased to see that the high school that I attended is sponsoring the Jamba Juice. They had a little corner full of Fremont stuff. Sweaters, banners, flags and what not, all bearing The Pathfinder mascot.

While in high school, I was pretty much anti-school activities. I didn't go to the dances, skipped out on prom, and didn't really participate in anything that the school paid for. I wasn't happy with the way the administration ran the school. Being that it is an "inner city school", it was severely under performing in many key areas. It sucks to be in school and then realize there's not enough books or whatever to go around. Not enough resources to help the students learn. Is it the admin's fault? Or is it California's? I don't know, but I keep an eye out on education because I don't want my kids to experience that crap in their schools. It's a huge let down knowing that you're not going to get work done cause there's a 40 minute wait for a computer at the library.
However, I was a band geek. I did participate in many of the band activities since we, the band members or PBO (Pathfinder Band Organization), paid for everything we did. Since we busted our asses off, other organizations took notice and invited us to perform at locales such as The Hollywood Parade. It also offered other opportunities to expand my musical horizons. I learned to play trumpet so that I can be a part of the All City Band. If you watch the Rose Parade, you'll see them marching on TV. And I also was offered a small scholarship from the LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District) for my accomplishments as a flute player. YES! I said flute player. Metallman played flute in high school so get over it and stop laughing. lol Music in school was my escape from all the drugs and gang violence in school. A small tidbit on Fremont, it's the birth place of the Blood and Crips gangs, so that should give you an idea of the surrounding areas.

Despite all that, Fremont molded me into me. I was an alright student. I just didn't want to be in class. lol You'd expect someone like to just sneak by high school, but nah, I graduated with honors and took several AP courses in my senior year. Some highlights of that senior year include me calling my AP Spanish teacher bitch (in return she called me "Animal", in Spanish of course...), creating "Viculus" (my short cut version of AP Calculus) and having my Economics and Calculus teacher going at it. LMAO That was a great argument. They were arguing over my grade. My Economics teacher gave me a C, even though I aced the final, he graded me down since I was rarely in class. My Calculus teacher gave me an A since I aced the final, she argued that because I knew the material, I deserved the A. The heated argument then ensued. Classic, classic stuff.

As crappy a school it is, it's still my school. It's where I grew up and it's a part of who I am. So whenever someone gets to talking about high schools, I back up Fremont. Hell with the Lancers, the Roughriders, the Bulldogs, the Eagles, or the much respected Highlanders (Granada Hills). Fremont Pathfinders all the way, BABY!

Summer Vacation in Kissimmee, Florida

Hey there friends. As I was looking at the pictures of the kids and I in the pool, I got to thinking that maybe it's time to take a family vacation. But I mean, a REAL vacation. My wife and I try to take vacation time from work to coincide with the kids so that we can spend time with them during their vacation and they can sleep in. We've taken them to all the local theme parks but that's just the thing, it's local. I'm not sure if hanging around your local area can be considered a vacation. So I've decided to enter the Kissimmee Sweepstakes.

Who would not want to spend 6 nights in beautiful Florida? Especially in one of the many luxury hotels there. Not only will 2 lucky winners of the sweepstakes have a 6 night stay, but they will also receive many freebies for themselves and their kids. I can so picture my wife and I enjoying a couple’s massage at the Omni ChampionsGate while the kids are off at Camp Omni Kids’ escape for two. Since the stay is for 6 nights, we'll have plenty of time to check out one of the many theme parks there, such as SeaWorld, Disney World (the kids really want to go there) and Universal Studios Orlando. Or simply just hang out at Cape Canaveral or Satellite Beach and soak up the summer sun. Hey, even if we don't end up the grand prize winners, we can still hope to land one of the other great prizes such as a 3 night stay at Kissimmee .

A man can dream, right. I've entered the sweepstakes in hope of being a winner. Considering the stress that many of us have encountered in the recent months, a nice family get a way is just what the doctor ordered to lift our spirits. So check out the details of the sweepstakes here and enter for a chance to win a dream vacation. Later.

A Very Metal Birthday

Hey there. My B day has come and gone. I want to say that I'm 27 now. I really don't want to do the math since I'm extremely tired from this weekend's activities. Let's get a run down, starting from Friday.

Friday

My wife had a get together planned at the house for my B day. It was mostly my cousin's that showed up with a few of their friends. There was way more food and drinks that we could consume and after once everyone was feeling a little buzzed, my bro suggested we all play rockband. I think the boy is hooked on singing. He had us laughing since he demonstrated the moon walk while singing Beat It. lol My wife was filming and I haven't gotten the chance to see the vid but if it's as hilarious as I remember, it's going on Youtube. lol My bro also seemed genuinely disappointed when it was time to go. He didn't want to cough up the mic. My mother and many of my cousins were going to take part in Revlon's Walk for Women, a walk to help fight women's cancer, so they called it a night pretty early. Our last guests went home a little after midnight which bring me to...

Saturday
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! My wife got me METALLICA TICKETS!!! That's right. A little after midnight, she reaches into her purse and pulls out 2 tickets to go see Metallica in Anaheim. HELL YES! Does my babe rock or what! We busted our asses off trying to get them off of KROQ when they were giving them away. You needed to be caller 20 to be a winner and the best I got to was caller 18. Concert is going to be in December... I want to see Metallica NOW! lol Once I calmed down, we went to bed. We then had breakfast the next morning at IHOP. We also had to handle some home loan business. We were able to get our home loan remodified (Thank you President Obama!) and got our mortgage reduced and a way better interest rate than when we first got the loan. So after breakfast, we went to the bank, got the certified check that we needed and then dropped off all the paperwork at FedEx. We then drove home to relax a few before heading out my cousin's baby's Baptism. They had horses for the kids to ride, which was pretty cool, but the story of the night actually came from their neighbor's house. When we first walked in, we noticed that the neighbor's where hanging out by the fence. We figured they were hanging out there to catch a glimpse of the horses and what not. Well, it turns out that the neighbors where there because their baby was trapped in the car. THEIR BABY WAS TRAPPED IN THE CAR! No one realized the severity of the situation until a AAA truck pulled in their drive way to open the door. And this was about an hour or so after we arrived! God knows how long the baby was in there. It upset me some that they left the baby in there for so long. If it was my child, I would not leave him/her in there for anything close to an hour. I would have busted a window or something. We hear in the news all the time how a parent would leave their kid in the car only to come back to a dead child because of the heat or suffocation. They were lucky that this happened during the evening so heat wasn't a factor but still...

Sunday

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! I surprised my wife with a set of flowers and her Mother's Day gift. She's been wanting a set of Doc Marten Boots so I got her a pair. 20 eye Docs with a zipper on the side since I know that lacing up could be a pain. We then went to have breakfast at Mimi's Cafe. I made reservations well in advance since I know it would suck to wait for a table. We showed up and waited no more than 10 mins before being seated. We were there first. My brother was to take my mother and grandma and we were expecting my mother in law as well. My wife got a little upset since her mother was running a little late. My mother was running late too so I told her not to let it get to her. We all sat down, had our breakfast, cracked some jokes and went on with our day. We went to my Aunt's house since she asked the night before for everyone to show up at her place to watch the Laker game (Damn Losers!). We were one of the first to get there and after awhile, the swarm of people that is my family started coming in. The kids ended up jumping in the pool. My wife and I felt a little uncomfortable with them in there since they're not the best of swimmers. One of my Aunt's piled on the floating devices on our little and once they all had their floating tubes, they were having some fun. We didn't feel at ease until I jumped in with them. I had too. Was the only way I really feel comfortable since the pool did not have a shallow end. So yeah, after killing hours in a pool and eating afterwards. We took off, tired as hell.

MONDAY

At work, tired as hell. Had to roll off the bed cause I didn't want to get up. I think the whole family is tired from this weekend. None of the kids seemed to be awake this morning. lol They all seemed sluggish and hesitant to get up and that includes us. So, that was my weekend. How was yours?