Justin Germino Ramblings

So on late Thursday night / Friday morning last week like many bloggers I woke up to Malware warning errors on my site.  This was reported to me by the 48+ notifications on Facebook by followers and fans and I saw that many of my blogs all had the same issue.

At first the error was misleading, and after routinely scanning my site I found no malware at all on it from virustotal.com and urlvoid.com so I was doing further digging and discovered on SocialSpark there was a blog post about malware being related to the IZEA Media service.

Well this was related to an advertiser network that purchased ads through IZEA Media that led to a malware site, and all sites that displayed the ads were flagged by Google Safesearch and had this malware warning that would show up if a user visited the site via search or directly with the Google Chrome browser.

To remove the malware warning you had to remove the IZEA Media code and then file a reconsideration request in Google Web Master tools, but it was faster once I filed a request on stopbadware.org which seemed to lead to a resolution 12 hours later.

3 days later IZEA Staree still shows the malware issue, and I would refrain from putting the IZEA Media ads back on your blog until IZEA has the issue completely resolved, since linking to Staree (which their ads do show on IZEA Media) could lead to your own blog showing malware warnings again.

Hopefully IZEA will get this issue fully resolved soon, and I think this was an isolated incident.  I have seen this happen before with an advertiser who purchased an ad through BuySellAds.com on my site and had to manually have it removed, but haven’t seen anything like this happen on a mass scale before.  IZEA still offers excellence service for bloggers and this mishap was caused by an advertiser network leveraging purchasing ads through their system, this opportunity should lead them to having better manual review processes put in place but overall does not personally make me have a negative opinion of the service as they provide too many good opportunities for bloggers and this one hiccup shouldn’t be a deterrent from bloggers wanting to leverage their services to earn some money for their blogging efforts.

-Justin Germino

Have to spend an enormous amount of time moving a huge section of Turf Tek grass from the yard of the old house to the new house which is made more difficult due to the hundreds of pounds of fine sand that was poured over the fake grass to weigh it on the ground.

I have about 100 nails left to unplug from the grass, then transport it over and dig, replant it on the new property but it should look fantastic when it is all said and done. The fake grass moves from our backyard now to our front yard in the new place and this should add some curb appeal.

I do like that after 6 years the turf tek is still in really good condition, requires no watering and is economical here in Arizona, however it does get blisteringly hot in the summer so you can’t really walk on it barefoot or touch it with your hands when it is over 110 degrees outside.  The dogs run over it as fast as possible and avoid unshaded parts during this time too, but in the fall, winter and spring it is decent to play on.

-Justin Germino

Our levels were drifting apart quite a bit from solo questing in Guild Wars 2 so the kids and I decided to start up some new characters and try harder to keep them within only a few levels of each other instead of having 10-15 level gaps between us which makes it hard to quest together.

I created a short, thin human necromancer named Xenon Dracolich who comes from a tortured past but uses his power over life force and death to help others. 

So far I have been experimenting with a variety of weapons and the staff has a lot of area of effect attacks at unbelievable range (1200) so you can set minefields and then switch to dagger/horn or axe/focus when enemies walk through all your inscription marks getting injured along the way.

-Justin Germino

The busier I get in my work and home life, the less time I have to actually spend the hours writing articles for my blog.  This is why my poetry blog hasn’t had a random Twitter poem in over a week and my personal blog has had days where no articles were published.

Fortunately DragonBlogger.com shows no signs of slowing down, my writing team does a good job keeping new content flowing to the site and I run most of the PR, Sponsored review coordination and write about 2-3 articles per week for it in addition to running the big contests.

I am however in potential talks to have a new podcast start up on the site, this would be 1/2 hour or 1 hour tech, gaming and gadget related podcasts held by a few writers who used to run a podcast on GameFaqs Podcast a video game blog.

I don’t know if it will pan out, but it may bring another dynamic to the site and allow us to attend more trade shows including the ability to get interviews and bring more original media other than writing to the site which is something I have been wanting to do but have limited time for.

What I really see and truly am thankful for is the pride and quality I see in the writers who are working for my site, some of my writers are going above and beyond simply freelance writing and are contacting companies on behalf of the site trying to line up new products to review.  This was something I gave as an option for my senior writing staff who had been with the team a year or longer.

It is already paying off big time, with DragonBlogger.com getting new products to giveaway to readers and early access to review some game and other media content.

I have noticed with the PageRank restored (PR3) more advertisers have come in with interest, SocialSpark has picked up a bit as well in September and my earnings are more than the whole August by the 16th of September which is a really good sign.

This Lenovo Laptop Giveaway is just the icing on the cake, and it has collected more than 10,000 entries in the first 3 days.  I think I may be able to get more than 100,000 entries for this contest which will be the largest by far.  This will translate into larger social media following, awareness of the site and more potential joins for future tech gadget giveaways.

-Justin Germino

I thought I was a big shot laptop giveaway but when I saw that Go Gadget Giveaway is offering a Macbook Pro with Retina Display, I couldn’t help but wonder how they were able to offer such a great prize?

Good for them for investing to give away such a great laptop as a prize and even I am tossing my hat into the ring as I have never owned a Macbook and would like to own one to do more Mac OS software reviews myself.

You can enter the Macbook Pro Giveaway by clicking on the link and there are only a few entry methods which makes it easy to enter, you don’t have to spend 30 minutes clicking on likes, follows or subscribe buttons.

Here’s hoping, I expect it will get a hundred thousand entries by the time the contest is done, I note that the contest ends on December 14th so there were over 90 days in this contest about a month longer than my Lenovo Ideapad Z585 giveaway.

-Justin Germino

I see more and more information about using tablets, smartphones and other devices to augment your TV or movie watching so that you can get real time information, snapshot the screen and talk about it with your friends or more while watching live television.  Amazon X-Ray features ability to know who the actors are in a movie instantly at your fingertips, Nintendo TVii allows you to get information on the Tablet Controller and interact with information in real time while watching live TV. Smartglass from Microsoft wants to do the same thing with any tablet / mobile device you own for your Xbox 360.

My question is does the trend of multitasking while you are watching something really mean you are truly watching and immersing yourself in a film or movie?  It is one thing for live TV like Sports, Reality Television, but I would think a director for a movie or drama based TV Show puts all this time and effort into having people watch and become one with the film, the distraction and missing small details from your eyes bouncing back and forth from the screen, or attention spans lacking which causes the suspense or build up to be less effective must not be something they are looking forward to.

I also approach movies and good TV Shows like I do books, I like to be immersed in the world the director has created, I become one with the film trying to be as if I am there. I am maybe a little anal about movie watching but I don’t like disruptions, interruptions and I don’t ever use my phone, iPad or any other device while watching a movie or TV Show I like.  The only exception again is reality or real time TV where voting and interactivity are part of the event itself.

I also don’t allow my kids to multitask while watching TV but they tend to not already or even ask, as we do movie time as family hour or two where we all sit together and enjoy something, lately we are watching Hercules The Legendary Journey’s episodes on Netflix as our family TV hour when we can find time.

How do you feel about watching TV while you are busy sharing, texting, reading or gathering more info?  Is this distraction helping you enjoy the film or is the distraction for making it easier to get through TV Shows and Movies that just can’t hold your full attention for it’s entire duration?

-Justin Germino

I generally just buy Keurig K-cups for my coffee machine and drink what is available, there is a limited selection of organic coffee available but when it is I tend to drink it.  I do drink a lot of coffee however and average about 6 8oz cups of coffee per day and try to vary what types I drink so I don’t burn out on any specific flavor or brand.

I haven’t tried the organo gold healthy coffee yet, but it does look interesting.  The coffee is sold in sachets so it makes it easy to have single servings and drink it for one.

This coffee also has Ganoderma Lucidum which I had not read anything about so I did some research, Ganoderma Lucidum is Lingzhi fungus and is an herb and supplement that has antibacterial properties and studies have shown acts as an additional anti-oxidant that adds benefits to helping lower blood pressure, cholesterol and even may have some anti-tumor properties.

Read more about Lingzhi Mushroom here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lingzhi_mushroom

So this had me thinking, I hadn’t run into any coffee before that had Ganoderma Lucidum added for additional benefits, I had seen coffee with Ginseng and other herbs, but this was my first time running across a coffee with this spore.

So my question for my fellow coffee drinkers, is have you ever had Lingzhi Mushroom in your beverage before, what do you think of it?  What other herbal supplements do you have in your coffee typically to help boost its anti-oxidant levels?

-Justin Germino

Update 09/16/12

It looks like the bug has been fixed, my son noticed after the most recent round of patching that he now can select and add the Mistfire Wolf to his character as an elite skill where it had been grayed out the last 3 weeks.  Do you still see a problem if you found this article?

My son worked hard doing housework the last few weekends to earn the Guild Wars 2 Digital Deluxe upgrade to his account where he would gain the following benefits:

• Mistfire Wolf Elite Skill
• Mini Rytlock
• Golem Banker
• Chalice of Glory
• and Tome of Influence

The only problem is when you purchase the Digital Deluxe after you already bought the game which costs 2000 gems, then there appears to be a bug with the Mistfire Wolf Elite Skill where it won’t unlock for any existing character accounts you have created even if they are Elite skill eligible (Level 30).

I confirmed this appears to be an issue as it was reported by several members of the Guild Wars 2 community.

http://www.guildwars2forum.com/threads/10039-Mistfire-Wolf-Bug

If you create a new character after purchasing the Digital Deluxe version of Guild Wars 2 then it will be accessible to new characters, just not for any previously existing that were created prior to upgrading to the Digital Deluxe.

I haven’t seen a response from ArenaNet or NCSoft about whether they confirm the bug on their side and are going to release a patch for it, but for now this is something to consider if you wanted to upgrade to the Digital Deluxe, note you won’t get the Mistfire Wolf Elite skill for any existing characters already created prior to the Digital Deluxe upgrade.

-Justin Germino

As any parent will tell you, a child can benefit a great deal from sharing their life with the family dog. Depending on their age, they can be involved in training their pet – teaching him commands and also how to go to the toilet outside. However, a dog can also teach them life skills including responsibility and how to care for another living thing.

Teach Responsibility

Your family dog is totally dependent on you to meet all his needs. He will teach your child responsibility as they can take on the role of feeding him, grooming him and cleaning up after him.  They can also bathe him and brush him to keep him free of tangles.  This will allow your child to grow up understanding that there are some things they just have to do, even if they are tired.

Be Empathetic

A dog can teach your child to understand how another person or animal might be feeling. They can learn that if they forget to put food in his bowl, then the dog will feel hungry, just as they would if their lunch was late. They can appreciate that pulling the dog’s fur will hurt just as pulling their own hair does.

Be Active

Studies have shown that children who live with a dog are more active than those without a pet. This increased activity can not only help to prevent childhood obesity, but it gives your child something fun to do that doesn’t involve a computer screen.

Be a Trusted Listener

Your dog can become your child’s best friend, one that they can tell anything and not have to worry about being judged or having their secret shared. Even when times are tough, their dog still loves them and is always available for a hug. Your child also has a full time resident playmate that is always ready for a game of ball or fetch in the back yard.

Be a Protector

Children often have periods when they are growing up, when they become scared of things, both real and imagined. Even if you don’t have concerns about intruders or other genuine threats, a dog can make your child feel safe and secure from the monsters under their bed.

Keep them Healthy

There has been some recent research that children that grow up with pets are healthier and have a stronger immune system than those that don’t have an animal companion. This in itself is an excellent reason to have a four legged family member living in your home.

Keep these points in mind when you are thinking about getting a family dog. Include your child in all aspects of dog care, at an age appropriate level. By doing so, you are helping them to grow up into a happy, healthy and well-adjusted adult

Susan Wright DMV is a dog expert and a vet. Susan writes articles featuring tips to create lasting memories with your dogs

Learning to Embrace School

People often wonder why so many children hate school. Well, perhaps they are learning it from their parents who frequently complain about work! Of course, having a more positive attitude about your own life is only one of the ways to cope when you realize that your child hates school.

Find the Reason

Chances are, there is some sort of reason why your child hates attending school. Maybe the child is being bullied by someone else or perhaps the class is not accepting of him or her. Another option is that your child is bored and would do better in a more challenging class. One of the best ways to find out about these problems is to have an open and honest dialogue with the child, but also with the teacher, since your little one might be afraid to open up to you about some of the more intense issues.

Be Positive

As mentioned earlier, if you have a negative attitude about your own life and job, how can you expect your child to constantly be positive about school? Try to have a more positive outlook in your life, and encourage your child to find positive aspects of school. For example, he or she may really love gym class, so you can encourage your child to offer to be team captain. If your child loves English, encourage him or her to mention a trip to a local book signing in class. Do not make your child feel as though he or she is a failure. Of course, there are going to be trying times. However, if you permanently give up, then you can be sure that you are always going to have a child who complains in the morning and whines throughout the entire month of August about the impending return to class.

Provide Other Outlets

You might never be able to make your child absolutely love his or her school. If that is the case, make sure that your child has plenty of other interests and hobbies in his or her life that are enjoyable. Most communities have plenty of clubs and sports teams that individuals from the kindergarten through the high school age can enjoy. Schools frequently have an array of clubs from debate teams to volunteer groups in which your child can participate. Finding fun activities within the school is a way for your child to start loving the educational environment. However, make sure that children understand that if their grades start to dramatically suffer, all of these fun activities will have to be cut from the agenda. This is another method for getting them to be more focused and involved in their studies.

Transfer Schools

In extreme cases, it might be necessary for students to transfer schools. You do not want to make a habit out of school hopping, so be sure that you save this for intense cases, such as if there is a lot of violence or bullying going on in a particular school. Some students are just better suited for different environments too. For example, a child from a very religious family may do better in a religious school where he or she can feel comfortable praying, and a very artistic child may do better in a Montessori school where he or she can really explore.

Do not become overly frustrated if your child hates school. Many children claim to hate school, but there is really only one or two components that they strongly dislike. By focusing in on these issues, parents can work with teachers to help craft a better learning environment for youngsters.

Brittany Campant enjoys sharing educational tips and parenting advice. The most important advice she recommends is doing an education employment  background checks before hiring teaching staff.