I Hate You, Lidia Matticchio Bastianich!

I caught an episode of Lidia's Italy and saw a great recipe: breadcrumb tomato spaghetti.  She drizzled olive oil and breadcrumbs over tomatoes, baked them for 25 minutes, and later added it to spaghetti, basil, and ricotta salata.  I googled it later in the week and somehow downloaded the win32/patched.gb virus (thank you AVG).  I've owned a computer for 20 years (way back to the Commodore 64) and never downloaded a virus (and all I did was click on a website). I've worked on the problem for most of the week, but today my poor netbook won't start up (not even in safe mode).  I'll keep researching the problem, but I may have to reinstall Windows XP (which should be a challenge since netbooks don't have a CD drive).         

Blogging 101

I've been blogging for a little over 10 months and its been fun. I started the blog to maintain an online diary of trying to develop a business idea and escape the rat race. I've read everything related to SEO (search engine optimization) and optimizing traffic. I'm learning through a lot of patience and trial and error (you can't get rich overnight). If you're thinking about starting a blog, be sure to write about things that interest you or things that you know a lot about (so you have a constant flow of content). My blog focuses on travel, food, sports, and entertainment (books, movies, TV shows, and music). Here are a couple of suggestions of applications and affiliate programs that I use:

1) Google AdSense: is essential if you are looking to make money online. You get paid based on two formats: CPM (cost per thousand page impressions) and PPC (pay per click). Google AdSense scans your page and places ads according to the content (FYI: real estate, jobs, cars, and personals ads generate the most revenue). It takes time to build consistent traffic, so don't be discouraged.

2) Google Analytics: a free tool which shows you how traffic gets to your page (referring websites, google keywords used), average time spent on your website, most visited pages, and a number of other useful stats. Surprisingly, my most popular blog postings are videos. Reno 911 - I Won the Lotto!" is my most popular link.

3) Amazon Associates: is Amazon.com's affiliate program. If I'm going to reference or promote a book, TV show, or movie, doesn't it make sense to make a commission off of sales? Typical commissions paid are 4%-6%.

4) AddThis: is the most underrated promotion tool (I'm upset that I didn't add it sooner). It allows you to add a "Share It" button so people can bookmark, email, Digg, Delicious, share via Facebook / Twitter, etc. It can get you countless links and it's a simple HTML code.

To promote your blog and drive in traffic, add your link to your email signature, request backlinks on other websites, and promote new blog entries via social networking sites. Stay patient, enjoy yourself, and results will follow.

Microsoft XBox 360: Project Natal

Microsoft recently announced their latest development for the XBox 360 (at the E3 Expo): Project Natal. It is a motion sensing camera that will allow you to play games without a controller by sensing your movements and relaying them to your character in the game. You can punch an attacker, kick a soccer ball, drive a car, ride a skateboard, etc. It will also recognize your voice, allow voice commands, keep track of multiple players, and allow you to virtually interact with characters in the game (second video: Milo Demo). If Microsoft supports it with enough innovative games, it could be the Nintendo Wii killer.

And the Winner is....

After weeks of research on netbooks (small lightweight laptops with no CD/DVD drives), I finally narrowed down my search between two models: the Acer Aspire Oneand MSI Wind.I have a Dell Latitude D630 from work, buts its too heavy to travel with (5.1lbs) and its battery power is mediocre (I'll be lucky to get through a whole movie on one charge). Both the Acer and MSI are similar in a lot of regards: 1.6Ghz Intel Atom, 160GB hard drive, 1 GB RAM, 1.3 MP webcam, and a 6 cell battery good for 5-6 hours of battery life. The Acer is lighter at 2.2lbs with a 8.9" screen, but the MSI won me over with a bigger screen (10"), being bluetooth enabled (I could plug things in without occupying USB ports), and being able to support 802.11n. Now I have no reason not to blog more often....