Justin Germino Ramblings

Too many contests in a row are causing some serious downtime issues on my technology blog.  With the 10 days of giveaways having a few more live contests I have more strain than normal on a blog that is just about peaked at it’s shared hosting plan.

One of my goals for 2013 is to bring in enough revenue to be able to move my blog to a semi-dedicated or dedicated hosting plan, I just don’t have stable income to afford a plan or the time to devote to a full dedicated server hosting where I would have to do all of the administrative work and maintenance/monitoring/troubleshooting of issues.

It isn’t that I can’t do it, it is actually fun to do but it is time consuming and I have an enormous amount of work to do over the next several weeks and with the holidays I just don’t have the time.

Meanwhile, my Laptop giveaway ends on 11/30/2012 and it looks like it will be at nearly 70,000 entries which was my largest contest so far.  This contest alone brought in nearly 2,000 more fans to my Twitter fanpage and helped greatly increase attention for my contests and giveaways on DragonBlogger.com

I am going to be taking a break and scaling back to 1 giveaway per month starting in January, this massive Giveaway rush was a holiday extravaganza but is unsustainable from a time and financial perspective at this time.

-Justin Germino

Today I will be a guest on the Social Web Café Twitter chat http://tweetchat.com/room/socialcafe where I will be talking about holiday gadgets and gifts and helping to answer questions from readers. 

The chat is from 1pm – 2pm MST and the easiest way to follow a Twitter chat is to use a tool like Tweetchat, just enter #socialcafe as the hashtag to follow, login and you can be part of the conversation by conversing in the Tweetchat window.  This will automatically make sure all of your tweets are part of the hashtag and you will end up in the Tweetchat recap.

This is my first Tweetchat where I will be the official guest, I have joined many @blogengage Tweetchats previously and helped answer questions as well as some from @socialwebcafe.

I look forward to talking with fans of DragonBlogger and hopefully help answer some questions about holiday tech gadgets this year.

-Justin Germino

After months of showing interest my 9 year old son got the YouTube Channel bug where he wanted to record his video game play and practice doing tutorials, video’s and game play recordings on his own YouTube Channel.  Now Google doesn’t allow any channels for people under 13 so I basically created another channel in my name but he creates all the content for it and I publish it under my name.

His channel is YouTube.com/DeathAssassin04 and he has been using Overwolf to record his Minecraft and Guild Wars 2 gameplay while getting more comfortable with doing voice work and learning, experimenting while he goes.  I think it will help provide many skillsets not the least of which is getting more comfortable with speaking on camera, providing instructions, training and the skills involved with doing recording.

I even created him an intro for his video’s after he saw a cool intro on another kids YouTube Channel and wanted something similar.

Stop by and see how he does with his gaming video’s and say hi.

-Justin Germino

No Winners for the Powerball on Saturday now push it to the highest jackpot in history.  $425 million dollars is the estimated jackpot reach for the Powerball on Wednesday and people come out with dreams and hopes buying a ticket or 20 to see if lucky has that .00000000000000000000000000000001% chance of favoring them.

If you remember the last mega Powerball was one by a lottery pool of workers, ConAgra foods workers, pooling with people to buy bulk tickets increases the odds of winning but only marginally.

They say that more often than not you "pick" the winning numbers manually, some cosmic tune and random generated numbers do win but less often.  I barely even play Powerball or any lottery but may pick up a few tickets.

Like many I do fantasize about the "what if" you actually won a jackpot like that?  Of course I would take the reduced lump sum, I wouldn’t quit my job, I would bank and save most of it.  After all wealth for my family generations is important, knowing my kids, grandkids will be taken care of is an instant satisfaction.  I would make sure my wife had everything she could ever want and need in life, her life would be spent every day enjoying it and getting to make dreams reality.

I would also give tremendous amounts away in various charitable efforts too, I was thinking I like doing giveaways so much instead of running contests I would just giveaway stuff period.  I would like to be one of those people who is able to help make change in peoples lives for the better and make a difference to those less fortunate even more than the small amounts I donate now.

For those who want to compare, the last mega Powerball winning numbers in 2006 were 22-32-37-44-50, and the Powerball was 34 which had a $365 million jackpot.

Good luck to everyone.

-Justin Germino

Before Thanksgiving we went to see Rise of the Guardians which was a great movie and are planning to go see Life of Pi in 3D today at the theaters in an early release.  The movie about an Indian boy who gets stranded with a tiger on a small boat centers around two opponents learning to survive together and looks appealing, particularly because it’s artistic approach is something unique for my kids to watch and I hope it instills the sense of wonder.

Metacritic has mixed reviews of the film though at 78 it’s Metacritic score is higher than Rise of the Guardians, Frankenweenie and Wreck it Ralph, it is a bit long at 2 hours and 6 minutes for children and hope it can hold their attention span that long in fact. 

I don’t really pay attention to critics anyway when it comes to films and just enjoy the ride and the experience the director takes us through.

-Justin Germino

Image credit: imdb

Don’t take a break or go away from the idea of being thankful every day instead of just thinking about what you are thankful for on Thanksgiving.  I am thankful every day of my life that I have a smart, beautiful wife who is my best friend in this world and has been at my side for over just over 16 years.  I am thankful every day that I have two beautiful, intelligent sons who I hope will grow up to love life, learning and be respectful of all other human beings on the planet no matter what.  I am thankful that in harsh economic times I still am employed and have never known what it is like to live on the streets or truly be in poverty or have endured true suffering as some have.

I empathize and am thankful for each of these, but I am thankful for so much more.  I am thankful for each person who gets up in the morning and goes to work even though they are sick and don’t feel well.  I am thankful for all the people who dream of a better world and do what they can in their own ways to help change the world for the better.

I am thankful for all those who stand up to tyranny and try to oppose it, I am thankful for all those who forgive and give second chances.  I am thankful for those who love animals and show compassion for every creature on the planet.

Even though the world is still in chaos, tyrants, corporate monstrosities and terrorism still exists, there are things to be thankful for.  Be thankful for everything that you have, even the things you can complain about because you have a life and as long as  you have a life you can work and strive to do something about the things you want changed.

Disney World is a magical place for all who visit, parents and children alike. Over the years it has grown and expanded into the park we know and love today. While all the classics are still there: your favorite Disney resorts, the teacups, and Splash Mountain, there have been many planned attractions over the years that never became a reality. Find out what big plans were made for Disney World that did not work out in the end.

Additional Countries in the Epcot World Showcase

The pavilion in Epcot that features 11 countries for you to travel through is one of the park’s most popular attractions. The park currently features Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, the American Adventure, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Morocco, and Japan—but there were almost six more. When World Showcase was being advertised before its official opening there was mention of sections for Israel and Spain. The Spain section was going to have a boat ride similar to the Mexico ride and would have blended the experiences of its two largest cities, Barcelona and Madrid. There also have been, over the years, plans to add Russia, Switzerland, Venezuela, and the United Arab Emirates. There also was talk at a time of adding an Equatorial Africa section to the World Showcase but since the opening of Animal Kingdom these plans have been dropped.

Animal Kingdom

There were plans for a section of Animal Kingdom called “Beastly Kingdom” that would have explored animals of myths and legends. The area would have rounded out the vision for the Animal Kingdom Park which is supposed to focus on animals from today, animals that once existed but are now extinct, and animals from the imagination. The area would have featured rides and attractions involving dragons, unicorns, and other mythical beings. This project was eventually abandoned, citing budget cuts. The area is now Camp Minnie-Mickey and the remaining land will become a part of the planned Avatar Land.

Experience the Wonder That Is There

While you may not be able to visit the places that never worked out when staying at one of the fabulous Disney resorts, there is still so much to see and do. There will also be the added pleasure of the expanded and soon to open Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom that is sure to be a treat. Disney is truly the most magical place on Earth, which is why you should plan your next family vacation to become part of the magic.

About the Author:

Patrick Whalen is a part of an elite team of writers who have contributed to hundreds of blogs and news sites. Follow him @2patwhalen.

Creative Commons image source

Board games have always been a popular pastime for families and friends. Even with the advent of the internet and cable television, people still like playing board games because, let’s face it, it’s just that much fun.

Now, most people are familiar with the really popular board games like Monopoly and Snakes and Ladders and Risk, but there is literally a whole world of board games out there – a veritable smorgasbord of dice and board game bits for your delectation!

Take, for example…

The Settlers of Catan

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The Settlers of Catan is a multiplayer board game designed by Klaus Teuber. It first came out in Germany as Die Sidler von Catan. Players pretend to be settlers on the imaginary island of Catan. They build settlements, cities, roads – all of that. Now, the goal is to reach ten victory points. You score one victory point for each settlement you own, and two points for each city. You can also build your own armies and roads, which will give you additional points. The Settlers of Catan now have a video game series, and several expansions from the original board game.

Ticket to Ride

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Ticket to Ride is another board game from Germany. The point is you build a railway, and the game ends when you’ve used up all your supply of colored train pieces. Now, there’s an application on the iPhone for this board game turned video game, and you can play it anywhere you like. But of course nothing beats the original form.

Dominion

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Dominion is another strategic board game. Dominion is considered one of the first “deck building” games and has inspired several other card-based games. It is set against a backdrop of Medieval times, with players attempting to build their kingdom. There are four kinds of cards in this game: the Victory Card, which awards you victory points after the game; Curse cards, which are like victory cards but take points away from you; Treasure Cards, which are played during the ‘Buy’ phase and generate coins; and Action Cards that generate effects during your turn. Dominion has been translated into several languages, including French, German, Dutch, Finnish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Russian, Norwegian, and a few others. Right now, there is a browser based online version of Dominion being developed.

Axis and Allies

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Axis and Allies is a series of World War II strategy games. There are several expansions in the Axis and Allies games. Namely: Axis and Allies, Axis and Allies: Classic, Axis and Allies: Europe, Axis and Allies: Pacific, Axis and Allies: D-Day, Axis and Allies: Revised, Axis and Allies: Battle of the Bulge, Axis and Allies: Guadalcanal, Axis and Allies: 50th Anniversary Edition, Axis and Allies: Spring 1942, Axis and Allies: Pacific 1940… and so on and so forth. This is a great game for history aficionados. You play as one of the major players in World War Two: Japan, Germany, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, or the United States of America. The expansion packs allow you to play other countries. It’s a very intricate board game that allows for a lot of strategizing and hours and hours of fun.

Have you played one (or two) of them? What are your other favourite board games?

About the Author

Nikki dela Paz is a lifestyle and business blogger. She writes for Netgiraffen, a Danish specialty store offering quality and educational toys and games for children.

I started thinking how I can out do my last year’s Christmas Giveaway where I gave away 2 Kindle Fires to readers in a contest and with my laptop giveaway about to be over I wanted something that stood out for the holidays.

I came up with the 10 days of giveaways from DragonBlogger.com (My wife later told me why not 12 like 12 days of Christmas) so I may have to see if I can come up with 2 more prizes to make it 12.

Anyway, starting Friday November 23rd (Black Friday) we will be doing a 10 days of giveaways on DragonBlogger.com where a new contest will start every day, the event which will have all contests ending on December 18th so I can ship the prizes before Christmas should be fun and exciting.

The prizes will only be disclosed ahead of time to members of the DragonBlogger.com Newsletter and will not be broadcast online except each prize 1 at a time during the contests themselves.

I am also going to giveaway a special prize only to Newsletter subscribers who sign up for the Newsletter between Black Friday and December 18th.

-Justin Germino

You can finally pre-order Star Craft 2: Heart of the Swarm which has an official release date of March 12th 2013 but you can get a chance to play it much sooner.

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Pre-order Heart of the Swarm from Amazon.com and you will get a beta access code shortly after pre-ordering the game.  This means you can order Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm now and start playing as early as next week perhaps!

Starcraft 2 Heart of the Swarm is an expansion pack to Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty and focuses on the Zerg campaign but adds new units to all races for multiplayer.

I personally can’t wait to dive back into the Starcraft 2 universe and am looking forward to the campaign mode most of all (I suck in Starcraft 2 multiplayer and am not ashamed to admit it.)  I mean I know some Countries and area’s turn Starcraft competitions into an online sport with 6 figure winnings and prizes but I just was never great as a multiplayer and preferred solo story campaigns myself.

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