Justin Germino Ramblings

After three years of running my old 1st Generation Keurig home coffee brewing system it finally started to go South.  No matter how much I attempted to clean the device or flush it it would only fill the coffee cup by a little bit and leave most of the water in the tank.

I had brewed an average of 6 cups of coffee per day for over 3 years, so over 2,000+ cups of coffee had been brewed with it. It also tended to start leaking more over the years so I decided to replace it finally.

I love the Keurig Coffee Brewing systems so new the next system would also be the same company, but I didn’t want to go into their new next generation line as I don’t need froth or additions to coffee, I tend to just drink black with sweetener and rely on flavored coffees rather than milks, foams…etc. to enhance my beverage.

Enter the Keurig B60 Home Coffee Brewing System

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This fantastic brewer allows me to choose from 3 different cup sizes, the previous brewer was a 1 size only model.  It also has a separate side tank of water that holds about 4 cups at once.  This means I don’t have to pour water into it but once a day typically.  It speeds up brewing by keeping water hot while it is on and brews a cup in less than a minute every time except if it is completely empty and you need to put fresh water in.

It also has a timer so that if you keep fresh water and a K-cup inside of it it will turn on and start brewing at whatever time you program.  If you get up at 5:30am every morning, that cup of coffee will be waiting for you.

I love it but I found some things I didn’t expect compared to the 1st generation brewing model.  #1 it brews much faster, but this means it shoves the water through the coffee grinds faster resulting in lighter coffee no matter which cup size you choose.  My coffee is about 1/2 as strong with the new Keurig as it was with my original one and I tended to like stronger coffee.

I can get 2 brews from 1 K-Cup, I can however brew 2 medium sized cups from 1 K-cup with the 2nd cup being lighter but still drinkable which helps save money and make your box of K-cups go twice as far.

Overall I wish there was a trickle option so that it can go a little slower dripping the water through the K-cups so you can make stronger coffee when you so desire, but this is compensated by just buying darker roast coffee which will taste like medium roast.  Light coffee like the Starbucks Veranda Blend ends up being very light with the Keurig B60 Brewing system.

-Justin Germino

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I decided to take a guest writer position over at Bit Rebels which was one of my inspirational sites for DragonBlogger.com back in 2008/2009 when I started tightening the focus of the site.

Bit Rebels gets nearly 2 million pageviews per month and is a top notch technology / geek site.  I will be contributing at least 1 article per month and my first article was about my personal quest to find my wife the perfect laptop.

I am happy to be a part of the Bit Rebels team and have grown to admire and respect Diana and Richard who run the site as a passion.  So be sure to stop by and say hi on my article: http://www.bitrebels.com/geek/quest-for-the-perfect-laptop/

Let me know what you think of it, it is more of an editorial piece than a geek gadget piece but how I wanted to open up with the most pressing article on my mind.

I also have my second article published about a sapphire hard disk that can store data for 10 million years!

-Justin Germino

As I was drafting a helpful guide for guest authors for DragonBlogger.com to give them tips on how to write/submit higher quality content that would minimize my editing and SEO time I realized that I was writing a guide that could apply to anybody who wants to be a guest blogger.

So I decided to turn it into my first official eBook that I will market and offer to my fellow bloggers/readers.  I am targeting around 20-25 pages and will probably start it for sale at $1.00 but haven’t decided if I want to use e-Junkie.com which I already have an account on (and pay monthly for my poetry audio volume) or try another network.

I think the material will be worth the .99 cents, but like many eBooks if you find and read about 10-20 blog articles online you can get the same information more or less, this just keeps it all consolidated and in the same document. It also showcases my own thoughts, opinions and advice for those who are curious.

I should have it finished by the end of the week.

-Justin Germino

I have been a blogger for 4 years but have been playing role playing games for 26+ years including Dungeons and Dragons for over 20 years.  I was making a joke on how you can compare blogging to anything lately, after seeing so many bloggers write posts comparing blogging to everything from fishing, farming and everything in between.

So as I was pondering some comparisons between Blogging and Role Playing, I thought of some funny titles and metaphor’s to use and it inspired this post.

In Blogging you are actually multi-class, which means you aren’t restricted to a single class.  I think everyone has some levels in all of the following classes related to blogging.

WordPress Warrior

Yep, you need to be a WordPress Warrior one who can troubleshoot minor theme issues, plugin incompatibility issues and perform updates, upgrades and other minor achievements.  You are a WordPress Warrior because you need to know how to arm your posts with content, add featured images and make sure your WordPress blog is armored with the best WordPress security like with the WP Better Security WordPress plugin. 

Content Cleric

Channeling your inner wisdom you are hopefully able to preach and gather a crowd of followers and devotees who spend time to worship (read) at your online house.  Your content is your bible which others read and are hopefully willing to share passages to their friends and increase your following.  You are also required to heal posts that perform poorly in SERP and fix mistakes/typo’s or incorrect information pointed out by your readers.

SEO Sorcerer

Don’t let any of the PR and Marketing People fool you, getting good Google Search Engine rankings takes MAGIC.  You will learn how to become an SEO Sorcerer who first delves in with easy plugins like WordPress SEO by Yoast but eventually learns to manually research SEO phrases, keywords and place them optimally in articles like 2nd nature.  Soon your content will spread online in the search engines faster than the flames from a wizards Fireball spell.

Twitter Thief

Thieves don’t just pickpocket for money, they gather information from tavern keepers, rumors from peasants and more.  As a Twitter thief you need to keep your ear to the wire as they say and know what is going on with your niche, what others are talking about and joining conversations by both friending others in your network but also with the goal of getting your own information shares as well.  Just don’t be the kind of thief that steals and reprints others content on your site.

Google Gnome

Gnomes which are inventors, learners and thinkers show what it’s like to stay ahead of the curve, do research and be creative on how you interact/interface with the mighty Google which controls whether your content is seen by the masses.  Sure you could be a Bing Barbarian but Google still is the driving force behind you getting your content seen and whether you will get the audience and pageviews you are looking for.

Facebook Fighter

Different than the WordPress Warrior the Facebook Fighter needs to soldier on joining the ranks of over 1 billion other users.  You need to learn how to gain ranks in this Facebook army and come out recognized and more noticeable than your peers, there are always bigger fish so you need to show your mettle and take on challenges that may think are above your level until you overcome them.  Attack the big dogs, promote others material out of the blue, giveaway prizes or something that may be a little overbudget for the month to attract attention.

Blogging Bard

Lets not forget you are ultimately and foremost the Blogging Bard, whose song is in your writing.  You sway people with your words and have to have enough charisma to make them want to follow you and keep coming back to see what else you have to say.  Weaving a little magic, a little song and dance with YouTube video’s and other means of entertainment you put on this show and make sure your content informs, educates or entertains.

In Summary

You are a multi-class character as a blogger, which class do you specialize in or which classes do you think you need to earn more experience and levels in?

-Justin Germino

The planet needs our help. It does not take much effort to protect the planet, and “going green” is trendy these days. Any little positive action can have long-term effects that can protect the planet from further damage. Here’s how you can help:

Invest In a Reusable Water Bottle

This simple investment can cut down immensely on plastic water bottles being tossed. It will even save you a ton of money. There are so many different kinds of reusable water bottles that vary in prices that will match your budget. You can find a water bottle to use for work, home, school, and the gym. It’s not recommended to reuse a plastic water bottle, as it can trap harmful bacteria.

Go Paperless With Bills

Going paperless can save you several trips to the mailbox, and it will save a ton of trees. You will no longer to wait in line for stamps at the post office when you are paying your bills online. You could even set your bills to automatic payment. This way you never have to worry about missing a bill. Banks and credit card companies even offer benefits to customers who choose to bank and pay pills online.

Turn the Faucet Off While Brushing Your Teeth

There’s no reason to leave the faucet running while brushing your teeth. It’s incredibly wasteful for water, and it will add up after a while. Save one of our most important resources by only turning the faucet on when you actually need the water. It’s efficient and it will prevent you from starting other lazy habits.

Unplug Unnecessary Appliances

If you only use your toaster once a day, unplug it after you are finished making toast. Even if appliances aren’t on, but they are plugged in, they still use electricity. Take a day to go through your house or apartment and unplug what you aren’t using all the time. You will save the planet, and you will also lower your electricity bill. It’s another simple change with a huge impact.

Adjust Your Thermostat

During the winter months it’s tempting to blast the heat in your home or apartment to cozy up. Although you may be extra warm, you are only wasting oil and electricity. Keep your thermostat at a mild temperature, and you can even save yourself quite a bit of money on your bills. Still feeling a bit cold? Put on a sweatshirt and some fun slippers!

Janelle Rivera has a strong passion for protecting the planet. She has taken the extra step to help build awareness for going green. She is even researching Environmental Masters programs.

Having a desirable home is a great feeling, not only because it’s obviously pleasant to be in, but also because of that warm glow you get when people come round and are obviously jealous. It’s not a particularly attractive human trait maybe – but all of us love having that thing that other people want and being able to feel like a success as a result. And few things say success like a highly desirable property that everyone wishes was theirs…

There are many different things you can do to your home that will make it more attractive and better to live in, but not all of them will increase that ‘want’ factor that makes a property stand out. Here we will look at five things you can do to your home that will make other people really want them…

Walk-In Wardrobe

She has vast knowledge about home additions and improvements which she shares via guest blogging.This won’t make everyone want to live in your home – rather it will win over about 50% of the population. Having a walk-in wardrobe is a dream for many women and if you can then fill it with great shoes it will make most women who come round feel like kids in a candy shop, while you smugly remember how jealous you used to be of people who had this feature.

Home Gym

For all the gym fanatics having a home gym is of course a great feature that will turn them green with envy. Even for people who don’t regularly hit the gym though, there’s no denying that a home gym looks incredibly slick and glossy and makes it feel a bit more like a celebrity home.

An Office Pod

This is a little less common than some of the other home extensions we’ve listed here, but that’s what makes it so desirable – it’s uniqueness. An office pod of course is a high tech looking little eco pod that will sit at the end of your garden normally letting in a lot  of light and employing a minimalist design to make sure there are no distractions. It also makes you feel like James Bond when you’re at work…

Man Cave

A man cave is basically a converted loft or attic that is made into a little getaway for the man or men of the house. This means a space where they can relax on lazy-boys, play computer games, enjoy a beer and play tablet football. This is something that every guy will wish they had in their own home when they come round, and especially if you can fill it with cool toys to make it into a ‘real pad’. A great way to make sure that yours is the house that everyone wants to visit and that you become the perennial host of future events.

Balcony

A balcony instantly makes any home look more classy as well as more romantic and beautiful. People associate balconies with Romeo and Juliette and other romantic scenes, and they will have images of you standing out on it looking up at the stars and sipping whiskey  This of course will make them jealous, which is a win for you.

About the Author

The article is supplied by home improvement blogger Diana Lewis. She has vast knowledge about home additions and improvements which she shares via guest blogging.

Compassion is something the world is short of, compassion is what humanity needs and what being human is all about.  We all know and complain about our lives in some way, but there are always those in greater need, those whose lives are so much worse than ours and when we show compassion for others who are less fortunate or going through hardship we are in essence feeding our souls and showcasing humanity itself.

Now every year I participate in the Salvation Army Christmas Angels program, but this was the first year I heard of and read about the Operation Christmas Child program from Samaritan’s Purse. The idea is simple, you get a standard shoe box or small plastic container and fill it with items you think a child would like to have, then you send it along with a small $7 donation and it will be delivered to a child in need somewhere around the world.  This is called the Build-A-Box program and is a great way to do an activity with your kids or family and help kids select items to give other kids that they may learn compassion and help reinforce altruism.

• You just start with a shoebox as mentioned.
• Decide whether you want to pack it for a boy or a girl.
• Decide age category (2-4, 5-9 or 10-14)
• Fill the box or small container with toys, school supplies, hygiene items or other things that would both benefit him or her and also provide some happiness.
• Include a $7 or greater donation to cover shipping and packing, you can pay online or include a check in an envelope attached to shoebox.
• Make sure you rubberband the shoebox closed or the plastic container has a closed lid.

You also have the ability to follow your box if you donate online.  This allows you to get email updates every time your box is scanned and arrives in a postal destination around the world until it reaches it’s destination. Drop off your box at a local drop off location, you can find one by searching the link to the left. To see and learn how to pack a shoebox, watch the How to Pack a Box with Scotty McCreery:

  You can also follow OCCBoxes on: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OCCshoeboxes Twitter: @OCC_shoeboxes

This holiday season build a box with your family to teach kindness, compassion, and generosity. 

BlogFrog will match the first 200 boxes that are built.  Pledge your commitment below to build a box today on Facebook or Twitter!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Operation Christmas Child. The opinions and text are all mine.

Honestly this is an opinion on what I think will be the Top 5 Wii U games this holiday season based on what I have seen and how much buzz I see on my Wii U News fanpage which covers articles specific to the new Nintendo Wii U console.

I know I want to get one for my boys especially for the New Super Mario Bros. U and the Rayman Legends which my nearly six year old would love to death.

Nintendo Land

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Let’s face it, this game will come bundled with the Wii U Deluxe bundle which will default it to have higher sales but it won’t be like Wii Sports which was included with every Wii sale.

Nintendo Land showcases what the Wii U can do with the tablet and is basically the “this is what the system can do” standard.  I imagine people will want to try it’s various games and interactions to see just what makes the Wii U so much different and what creative ways we can leverage the tablet controller.

New Super Mario Bros. U

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Mario has style and clout, still one of the most popular gaming characters of all time and even though the plot is always the same you want to play the levels see the new power ups and this is going to be a beautiful platformer.  The 4 player co-op nature of Super Mario Bros Wii kept me playing it for YEARS on and off and this may be the best Super Mario Bros. game to date based on looks and play style, gone are the separate “worlds” and now it is one giant map with areas to go to like Super Mario World.  I am very much looking forward to the New Super Mario Bros. U and this is the one game I will be buying with the system automatically when I get it.

ZombieU

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Time for a mature hard core gamer Nintendo game?  They have been few and far between but Nintendo is saying they will make up for it on the Wii-U by making sure games that appeal to the masses plus titles for hardcore gamers are a focus on their new system.  ZombieU looks impressive and has been getting a lot of hype.  The way they integrate the controller as a 2nd screen looks like it will be very engaging.  Where you have to use the controller like a phone to dial out, while dodging Zombies around you, or use it as a map, for item selection…etc.

Could this be the new Resident Evil series in the making?

Rayman Legends

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Mario isn’t the only one who can platform with the best of them, Rayman Origins was one of the best platformer games in the last few years and Rayman Legends looks to continue this trend.  The multiplayer local co-op is just fun and adds to the fun of platformers and I bet Rayman Legends does not disappoint.

The game allows you to keep playing it on the tablet controller while the TV is turned off, so if the TV is shared somebody else can watch TV while you are playing it like a mobile game.  Also Rayman Legends supports 5 player local co-op, 1 tablet and 4 regular Wii controllers!

Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth

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I personally think the success of The Avengers will still help sell this game and the fact that the Xbox 360 version of the game requires Kinect may help spur sales of the Wii U version for those who don’t enjoy using the Kinect system.

Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth features impressive graphics, co-op play and looks to be an interesting super hero brawler game.

What do you think will be a hit, do you think Ninja Gaiden 3: Razers Edge or Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 should have been listed?  I would think these games would have been mass sold on other systems before Wii-U was released so they may not make as large an impact on the Wii-U itself but who knows.

-Justin Germino

I noticed my Staree profile recently and saw a background that I don’t ever remember seeing!

I know I sure didn’t create it, but it looked cool so I am not complaining.  I don’t know if it is done automatically based on various images you upload in  your profile or if the IZEA team themselves take the time to create a customized profile background for you.

Either way, it was kind of cool and I like Staree but still forget to use it and post images directly to Facebook more often instead.  My activity on Staree pales compared to larger media personalities and I only have earned .03 cents so far with this image sharing program.

-Justin Germino

Disclosure:  EZWipers was kind enough to send me a pair of windshield wipers for my 2008 Chevrolet Colorado truck for free so that I could talk about how easy it was to get wipers for my car model, as well as document my effort to replace the existing worn out windshield wipers.  This post is 100% my opinion alone.

I had never done car windshield wiper replacements myself before, so when the pair of Anco Wiper Blades arrived from EZWipers I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.

My 2008 Chevy Colorado still had the default windshield wipers that came with it when I purchased it used back in 2010 and they were all beat up driving through monsoon storms (dust storms wreck havoc on windshield wipers).

I should point out that this was my first windshield wiper replacement that I have ever done manually.

The first blade I replaced was the passenger windshield wiper and it took about 2-3 minutes for me to figure out how to unhinge and take off the old wiper.  But then it took me about 6 minutes to figure out how to install the new Anco wiper I received from EZWipers.

Once I figured it all out, I was able to do the driver’s side window in less than 2 minutes however and the new wipers were tested and worked out very well.

My only feedback is if you make a mistake or try to put the wipers on wrong, the connector piece can snap off easily which requires you to re-attach it.  It isn’t a big deal but took me some practice since it was my first one and I felt like an idiot when I spent 6+ minutes trying to figure out how to snap it on properly and make sure the wiper was the right direction.

Overall it was very simple and you can simply get new windshield wipers and replace them yourself for a fraction of the price of taking them to a dealership or auto repair shop to do it for you.

• All you need to do is go to EZWipers.com
• Type in your car model (it will likely fill in and show you the model and years)
• Pick the wiper blades you want
• Add to cart
• Pay with credit card or paypal
• Wait for them to show up
• Install them.

I would have no problem recommending you get your next car windshield wipers from EZWipers and just replacing them yourself.

-Justin Germino