Justin Germino Ramblings

Traveling is done for many purposes from the olden days of following food resources or migrating to more temperate climates, to vacationing.  Scandinavians know how to travel and sure like to explore the world in various ways and they have been very active travelers in 2010.

The infographic provided by Expedia shows you what the favorite transportation of Scandinavians was in 2010, how much they have traveled and how much years it would take you to visit different planets. Although you might not be able to take advantage of such a holiday, it is always good to know for when you have the opportunity to go on a cruise to Mars or drive your own car to Saturn.

An interesting fact is that if you line up all the beds from each hotel in Scandinavia, you will be able to make a path from Oslo to Stockholm, to Copenhagen and go back to Oslo again. Find out these and other interesting facts in the very original inforgraphic.

 About the Author

Simon Jackson have been traveling around the world, exploring different countries and cultures. One of his hobbies is his travel blog – Channel Voyager.  He currently works as a cheap flight (interesting to know is that the Swedish term is billiga flygresor) consultant for Expedia Sweden.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Scotts® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have a few bare patches of dirt in my backyard that were originally planned to be used for herbs and a makeshift garden area.  While we did have a few basil plants, rosemary and tomatoes the summer sun here in Arizona toasted everything pretty quickly last year.  So now a dead plot of dried dirt exists which we still plan to use and have another attempt to bring some edible beauty into your yard.

I am looking forward to the benefits of the Expand ‘n Gro™ sample that was sent to me, this concentrated planting mix contains coir which is made from coconut husks and helps retain up to 50% more moisture as well as tilling this mix into the native soil can make it 40% lighter which creates up to 90% more air space.  That is a lot of percentages, but basically all of these percentages add up to one thing:  

Ideal soil conditions so that your plants and flowers can thrive over being planted in plain dirt alone.  This is especially true for the arid dirt here in Arizona where few plants besides cactuses thrive natively without needing so much water and shade to keep them from becoming husks.

With the Miracle-Gro Expand ‘n Grow Concentrated Planting mix you can grow 3x the flowers and vegetables compared to using just native soil. The coir improves the soil for many years and the mixture feeds plants for up to 6 months. This advanced formula claims to be far better than potting soil alone and is worth trying in your garden.

Just watch this video for more information:

Win a Free Sample of Expand ‘n Gro

Want to try the Expand ‘n Grow mixture for yourself?  We will be giving away a free sample to 1 lucky reader, all you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post and tell me what type of vegetation you like to grow and hope to grow with the Miracle-Gro Expand n’ Gro mixture.  One lucky reader will be selected using Random.org process, but you must be a resident of the U.S. to enter the contest.

Contest begins today and ends on April 5th 2012 at midnight EST, winner will be selected within 48 hours of contest ending.

What would you like to plant and grow?

Some would say that technology іs аn improved route tо аn unimproved target and that technology іs associated wіth innovation. Іt involves thе transformation оf ideas іntо sоmеthіng usеful, that make people’s lives better. Innovation іs јust nоt limited tо creative people аnd organizations, but аlsо involves thе availability оf technological аnd scientific talent. Technology аnd innovation аrе synergistic. Technology hаs definitely changed оur lives аnd fоr thе better, but technology has also contributed to pollution as well.

Looking bасk іn time, wе realize hоw muсh оur lives hаvе changed duе tо thе fruits оf technology. Іt hаs provided us wіth freedom аnd lеss consumption оf time аnd resources. Pointing оut а раrtісulаr technology fоr thе drastic changes іn one’s life іs simply nоt роssіblе. А nation’s economic growth саn bе measured ассоrdіng tо thе level оf technology. Тhіs іs bесаusе а number оf factors аrе responsible fоr аffесtіng аn individual’s life style. Тhе mоst іmроrtаnt factor fоr deciding thе working оf а раrtісulаr technology іs thе presence оf competition. Оnе kind оf technology sееms beneficial оnlу untіl а technological advancement dоеs nоt occur.

The mоst effective piece оf technology іs the mobile phone, аnd nоw а days bеіng equivalent tо а civilization unto itself. Duе tо technological changes, thе dependency uроn not only technology like mobile phones, but social media software as well hаs increased mаnу folds. Ѕоmе advancement often occurs аt suсh а pace thаt it bесоmеs self-defeating at some point.  Think of how many social media connections we have the potential only to become poorer at communicating in person for example. As far as energy is concerned, thе ability tо convert carbon dioxide іntо fuel energy іs а breakthrough process аnd оnсе well established іn wоuld change оur dependency оn nonrenewable аnd limited sources.

With time, thе usе оf internet іs rising rapidly, even more so in developing countries that aren’t “wired” yet. Тhе Web literally connects оvеr a billion people round thе globe and is expected to add 2 billion more within the next 10-15 years. Тhе state-of-the-art technology hаs improved оur mеаns оf communication аs well аs оur educational standards. Duе tо thе innovations іn technology, аn individual саn gain knowledge аbоut аnу topic аt аnу place аnd аt аnу point оf time іn his/her life. Іt hаs allowed thе ease оf availability оf education. Іt hаs аlsо improvised uроn ways tо fulfill оur nееds аnd tо meet оur expectations. Innovations іn today’s tech-world саn help us tо solve urgent problems.

The revolution іn technology hаs gіvеn rise tо chat rooms, discussion rooms, personalized web раgеs аnd online databases. Тhе ІТ sector hаs completely changed thе outlook оf human communication wіth e-mails, video conferencing аnd instant messaging. Wіth thе advent оf technology, people аrе building bridges tо decrease thе distances іn thеіr mind. Оnе basic drawback thаt hаs tаkеn place іs thаt people аrе bесоmіng lethargic duе tо high trends іn technology. Іt іs shortening оur ability tо pay attention. Robotics, automation аnd computerization аrе оn thе gо fоr changing оur lives. Implementation оf robotics will gіvе higher efficiency аnd cheaper labor, thеrеbу increasing unemployment rate.

Now thе оthеr side оf technology іs nоt sо green. Іt іs bесаusе оf improvised technology оnlу thаt wе hаvе sееn nuclear аnd atomic wars. Тhіs hаs аlsо leaded tо increase іn pollution аs well аs corruption. Неnсе, оnе must knоw hоw tо balance bеtwееn manpower аnd automation. Іn thе wоrld оf automation, cars hаvе created freedom аs well аs concrete jungle. Technology іs аffесtіng оur nеаr future sо іt bесоmеs оur responsibility tо streamline іt іn thе rіght direction.

-Justin Germino

My kids are simply hooked on Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure which I bought them for the Xbox 360 less than 2 weeks ago.

Skylanders is a unique game that leverages a USB device called a Portal and gives players the ability to integrate action figures into the game.  They simply place their Skylanders action figure on the portal and the game reads the figure placed and their in game character switches to their action figure.

The action figure itself also stores data and the level, hat, name and stats are stored in the action figure you collect.  You can take your action figure and go to any friends house and just join other Skylanders games in person with your own character, it is portable.

As if this isn’t enough, you can then plug the portal into your PC and use your action figure into a web based spin off game in the same world.  This is probably one of the diverse and clever games I have ever seen targeted for the kid market.

In the starter pack you get Spyro, Trigger Happy and Gill Grunt though some starter packs come with different characters I think.

The game is part adventure, part action story and reminds me of a simplified MMO without the skills, inventory and classes.  It is highly entertaining and the kids are always wanting to get a “new” Skylander to see how he integrates into the game.

My 8 year old really wants Voodood to be his next character and characters can range from $12 – $36 or more depending on the rarity.  Think of them like a collectible card game (Magic the Gathering) with rarer characters/cards worth more money.

My youngest son wants Cynder or one of the other dragons to augment, though he really enjoys playing as Gill Grunt like now.

Have you or your kids gotten into the Skylanders craze yet, who is your favorite character.

-Justin Germino

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Reaching level 16 the other night was a highlight and after adding some new Vanguard skills like Running and Shield I was able to move between places a little faster.  I had enough Coruscant Commendations to purchase the most powerful blaster I have owned to date.

Off to fight Justicars and help clear the streets of these would be thugs.

I read that Star Wars: The Old Republic will soon be releasing version 1.2 which will contain new races, legacies and some new missions.  I like how proactive Bioware is at adding new content to the game and they are off to a great start.

-Justin Germino

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Okay so having filed my taxes as a sole proprietor for my blogging for the past several years here in the United States, there were some things I knew to collect before hand that could be listed as expenses and others that need to be reported as income.  These are some of the tips and information that I have compiled though you should always check with your accountant or tax person you work with and make sure you have everything you need to file your taxes and take advantage of everything you can write off.

When Do You Need 1099?

If you earn more than $600 from a single company or source then you will need (should) collect a 1099 form from that company or service.  These 1099 forms are reported to the government and make it easier for you to collect and combine your finances.

Now, I only had 1099 forms from IZEA, Google and Amazon and most of my earnings came in various small payments spread out among many different advertisers.  In this case you  must report all of this income and you need to have good records (transactions / correspondence) in case you are audited.

Compile all of your blog earnings for the year from all sources of income which could include banner ads, text link ads, link sales, product sales, sponsorships…etc

Blogging Expenses

As either a business or a sole proprietor you can write off a number of business related expenses for your blog.  These can include the following:

• Web Hosting Fees
• Advertising  (Adwords, Banner purchases…etc)
• Hiring Writers / contractors (graphic design / articles…etc)
• Giveaway Prizes
• Domain Registration
• Mileage driven to any blogging events
• Registration / fees related to attending blogging events
• Materials (Business cards, physical print media)
• Internet (Portion used for blogging)

You may also be eligible to write off a portion of your home, this involves taking the amount of square feet for your home office and factoring the cost of utilities and cost related to that portion of your home used for your blogging business.

Again, check with your accountant but go to your accountant with all your annual expenses for electricity, mortagage payments, rent…etc and see what is eligible.  Make sure you have the square footage of your home / apartment and the work area to collect the eligible amount for write off.

When hiring writers or contractors to write for your site, something you need to be concerned about is if you pay more than $600 in a year to a single contractor who is a U.S. citizen.  You will be required to report that payment and send the individual a 1099-MISC if you do pay somebody that much.  Generally this isn’t an issue if you hire a variety of contractors through services like e-Lance, Freelancer.com, oDesk, Fiverr….etc but if you work specifically with the same person often you may end up paying them over the $600 mark which requires extra forms to fill out and provide on your part.  Again, this only applies if you are hiring contractors from the U.S. to work for you and pay out that much, if you are hiring a contractor Internationally this rule does not apply.

Always check with your accountant on what is eligible and what isn’t, but as you can see from filing my 2011 tax year as a blogger I had a total of $9,156 income with $5,051 in expenses, this brought my net income of the year to $4,104 for my blogging activities and was my highest ever.

I work an average of 20 hours per week as a part time blogger, so if you divide this for all hours in weeks in a year (20 x 52 = 1040) and then divide my total income ($9,156 / 1040) this means my earnings came to $7.84 per hour from running my own blogs.  This is just above minimum wage in the United States, but at least I was blogging from my home and didn’t have to spend time away from my family to earn that little bit of second income.  Note, income varies significantly and some months the rate would have been $15 – $20 per hour, with others being $2-4 per hour, this is only the beginning too as my income has doubled each year so far since I have been blogging.

-Justin Germino

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Scotts® for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Arizona has harsh summers and harsh winters, devastating heat and below freezing temperatures in the winter take it’s toll on lawns and this is an actual picture of my front grass right now.  Obviously with my lawn in this state I need to start thinking about cutting it down, fertilizing and re-seeding with Bermuda grass for the summer here. What I would want is perfect green and healthy grass that looks more like my backyard turf. To get the best out of a lawn you need to use fertilizer, weed killer and clean grass seed that has a low weed ratio.  The Scotts® Snap® Spreader System is an efficient and effective tool to help make sure you apply and spread the right amount of fertilizer and/or combination weed killer/feed around your lawn quickly and efficiently.

Help build strong roots for your grass by combining the Snap® Spreader with the appropriate Snap-Pac and turn your lawn into something worth showing off again.  The system is so easy to use because you simply snap the Snap-Pac into the spreader and you are ready to go.  There is no need to cut open anything, measure or deal with spills or messes. Coming on March 7th 2012, you will find Snap perks on Facebook goes live which is a loyalty program that will be giving away prizes.  You can go ahead and Like the Scotts Snap Fanpage now and enter your email address to get an email or calendar reminder when the loyalty program goes live on March 7th.

Just watch a video testimonial on how easy it is to use the  Scotts® Snap® Spreader System.

RacoHardeen (Republic Vanguard Trooper)

Been spending a vast amount of my night hours playing Star Wars: The Old Republic lately and enjoy it so much it has interfered with my blogging time.  This is one unique MMO game and one of the features I really like is the incorporation of companions who do so much more than just follow and shoot things you are fighting. 

You can send companions on skill quests where they can boost skill levels, acquire item rewards, craft materials and even weapons, armors and enhancements for your character and gear.

I am only level 15 now and still learning the ropes, there is so much yet to discover and you can’t even get a vehicle like a speeder until you are level 25.

Anybody have any tips they want to share about playing SW:TOR and how to get Armstech items quickly? 

-Justin Germino

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This weekend was spent doing a lot of housework which included pulling hundreds of weeds, bush trimming and breaking apart a weathered swing set and buying and assembling a brand new one from Big Lots which we got on sale for $96 with 20% off on top of that with their one day 20% off sale.

I also helped my in-laws do their taxes on Sunday and this was the first year I used TurboTax online to completely do a full Federal and State Tax return, it was easy and painless (easier since they take standard deductions too).  I was impressed with the quality of the site and it was just as functional as using any purchasable software.

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I should note though, that buying the TurboTax Deluxe Software (Federal, State and e-File) is cheaper from Amazon than paying TurboTax directly and filing online by about $19.

In the meantime, this week will be a very busy week at my job and leave little time for blogging. This is annual review week and I have to give 16 focal reviews each about an hour long this week on top of my regularly scheduled meetings.

I am also trying to queue a mass of blog posts for my March Spring Break with the family where I will be driving to Las Vegas, then California and though I will have my iPad and probably laptop I probably won’t be spending a lot of time blogging unless I want to get my family ticked off at me for working on my vacation days.

-Justin Germino

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Have some errands to run this morning and some chores, but we are very much looking forward to seeing The Lorax in theaters today.  I was a huge fan of Despicable Me and the movie looks genuinely creative, artistic and original.

It doesn’t hurt having Danny DeVito starring as The Lorax and will be good to see him as a character again.

-Justin Germino