Funniest Wikipedia Captcha EVER!!

Hi, I was editing a German Wiki the other day and the funniest thing happened:

In order to make sure your a real person (and stop people using 'bots to create spam), wikipedia uses captcha (or similar). Basically it asks you to type a word that appears on the screen (I'm sure you've seen them before).

The funny thing was the word Wikipedia asked me to type (I absolutely promise I did not use photoshop or anything to fake it, some times fact is funnier than fiction), check it out..:

Next stop $600 a day

I surpassed my target of $150 a day with Affiliate Junktion a few months ago. As I sail past the $350 mark, I wonder how long it will take to reach $600 a day (my new target).

Find out how I do it here. EDIT>> I am waiting to get paid, read about that here.

Affiliate Junktion Payment Proof (cheque recieved)

Here is proof of payment from Affiliate Junktion (for those of you waiting for a payment wondering if Affiliate Junktion is a scam or not).

Just because they sent me payment once, does not mean I always received it, please read my latest blog Affiliate Junktion, a scam after all? Only time will tell..

Bellow is a photo of the Affiliate Junktion Cheque I received. To sum up, I have so far been paid:

August NZ$1226.00 (by cheque)
September NZ$4805.00 (by paypal)
October NZ$4568.00 (by paypal)

September payment from Affiliate Junktion was made with paypal. I thought this would be better (its certainly faster than cheque), but paypal charged me $187.85 just to recieve the money! I'm going to get one more paypal payment, then I will simply be getting too much to warrent gettin paid by Affiliat Junktion that way (because paypal charges a percentage) and I'll go back to getting paid from Affiliate Junktion by cheque.

Please note, I got paid ns September for July's commisions, so you need to know thats how long it takes (yes the time period had me worrying as well, for two months I had to wonder is the ceque would arrive). More information of when and how they payout can be found here.


Proof of payment from Affiliate Junktion: Here is the first cheque I have received from them. It would appear they are registered as "E-Work Marketing Limited" perhaps their former name, anyway I was happy to get the cheque from Affiliate Junktion. I will add future cheques to this blog page so come back in a month to see the next Affiliate Junktion payment proof added.


As you can see by the remittance advice of the Affiliate Junktion Cheque, it has the Affiliate Juntktion web address pre-printed. Although my address was handwritten, this is due to their recent system overhaul and Affiliate Junktion also enclosed an apologetic note.

I also videoed open the letter from Affiliate Junktion because is hard to provide proof of payment over the internet. I'm going to post that to You Tube soon (don't have time to today, sorry).

As other forms of proof, I have provided a photo of the Envelope and (what I though was the most important proof that Affiliate Junktion does pay) is a copy of the bank deposit.






If you want more information or want to get a check like this sent to you every month then signup here. The information is free and worth a read, After receiving you instruction feel free to read my blog because Affiliate Junktion probably isn't for everyone. Take a look for yourself.

Funny Adsense Ad combinations.

Today I came across some funny Adsense combinations.


Found on a hunting and fishing site.


I think it's interesting who the advertiser considers their target market....


Does this mean Hunters and Fishermen are more likely to cheat? (perhaps on their Asian wives..)
And lastly, when the Asian wife finds out about it all...


Perhaps even funnier that these ads appear together.

Saw these at a hunting ad fishing site like Kilwell Sports.

Top Multi Tier Web hosts for making money

I've got a few small websites now. All have some form of Monetization. One of the best ways I've found of making money with a web site is by referring people to web hosting providers, because its something we (webmasters and we site owners) all need.

I quickly learned that just getting a commission is not enough. You want to be able to build a multi tier network of people generating commission for you.

Here are the top Multi Tier Hosts because...

Multi Tier= more cash

Green hosting provider with $100 first tier, $65 second tier

Free ipods and music cards as well as multi tier

Multi tier hosting a whopping 10 levels deep

Know any more/better Multi tier web hosting providers? Make a comment!

Two great things to do when you're bored

Cool thing #1 Rastorbation

Printing a large image using you desktop A4 inkjet (or Laser printer) has a name. It's called Rastorbating (and you though no one was going to catch you).

If you don't have software to split an image up into the tiles you need to be able to print the image on a large scale, then here's something cool: The Rastorbator. It's a free online interface to allow you to upload an image and it will split the file into the tiles you need to print them at any size. Whats cool about is that the rastorbator splits images up using a process similar to line screening (used for printing/screen printing) which converts your image inter woven rounded shapes which give the image an arty look and keep the resulting PDF files size right down, allowing you to print them and email them easily.

You can also download a rastorbator stand alone program so you can rastorbate to any photo in the privacy of your own room :P



Cool thing #2: Wordle

Another cool thing to was some of you time is the cloud generator at www.wordle.net

You may have seem words thrown together in a bunch, some big some small. This is called a cloud. Search clouds are the most common example, these show the most searched items larger than the rest and can be a great way to tink laterally on things that misght interest you.

Now you can make your own artistic clouds from any text you like. Music lyrics, web sites, poems, whatever... here are some examples I came up with:

Google is Anal

Is Google anal? My computer thinks so...


We all know that Google is a stickler for the rules and that going against Google is like going against god, but today I saw something on my screen that seemed perhaps a digital Freudian slip:




PS. In case your wondering, this happen when I opened multiple tabs in Firefox while logged in at Google Analytics, The words Google Analytics were shortened due to lack of space (or perhaps the computer was trying to say something....at least it helps me to remember how to spell analytics!)

The seduction of added value.

The seduction of added value.

If you want to sell a product, any product, you need to understand value.

Value is the single reason why people buy things.

I don't mean we buy things when they are “good value for money”. I mean we buy because of a perception of value. Many people for example might not buy a Mercedes because you can get a Toyota much cheaper with a similar specification and yet Mercedes sell a lot of cars, they just sell them to different customers. The people who buy luxury cars have their own set of requirements which they value, the price has less of an impact on their perception of value than for other car buyers. What motivates a luxury car buyer might be Brand name, appearance, exclusivity (sometimes by just making a product expensive, you make it exclusive and therefore attract people who have enough money to want to be seen as part of the 'club' of owners of that product).

To sell you product you first have to understand your customer and what represents value to them.

People who buy Apple Mac's have a different set of value requirements than PC owners. This can bee seen by all the Mac vs. Pc comparisons on the Internet. If we all valued products for the same reasons, simply comparing specifications would be valid and perhaps PC's might winout. By Apple adds value to their computers. Apple gives a more stable product with great free software in a stylish all in one package with a unique operating system. This appeals to their customers who don't necessarily care the computer is the highest specification for the lowest possible price, without the ease of use and style that has become synonymous with the brand, there is little value to that customer.

Anything can represent value within a customer base, look at how quickly the world adopted MP3 as a music format. People wanted a small file which would allowed the files to be downloaded quickly, even though it meant the quality was sacrificed a little.

Value = Matching a customers needs (physically or emotionally)

Once you know what motivates your buyers, you can use a killer strategy to skyrocket you sales: Added Value.

Added value is the preferred way of improving the buyers perception of value without having to discount your product. Once you latch on to the motivation of you customer you can use this to add value. Added value is created when you provide some further incentive to make a purchase. You could offer additional products or services that may also be desirable to your customer at a reduced rate (or free) with their purchase.

In any case you should try to provide added value with minimal cost to you. Online services and E-books can be perfect for that.

Discount should be avoided if you can create value some other way, however sometime the best strategy is to offer a product at a premium in the first instance and then after the initial phase of the product cycle where it's new and interesting you will be able to discount it.

Although its always a better strategy to find other ways to add value, discounting is also added value. By establishing the products initial worth you are showing the customer they can now buy something with an already established worth for less money. Getting more for less equates to added value.

And added value is seductive. My wife an I recently walked past an nice looking furniture item in a shop which had been reduce from €129 to €24.95 it looked like it was worth every penny at €129, now it was a bargain. My parents who were with us at the time also agreed and we were ready to buy it until we realized we actually had nowhere to put it and did not need it anyway. We were simply stunned by the value.

Internet markets do the same thing with E-books. Because delivery is so easy and they don't actually have to produce anything, they can give you lots of bonus books and newsletters.

As added value for this article, feel free to download a free ebook on making money with Google arbitrage (a process of making a profit by paying to send people to a website with advertising so they in turn leave through more expensive advertising). Right click here and click 'save link as' to download it.

iMac Contenders threaten Apples title

Most people agree, iMacs are cool.

Some (generally those that cant afford them) complain that they are too expensive. Many compare Apples legendary 'All in One' to any number of PC's. The biggest problem is that the PC with which people compare Apples iMac are tower pc's (also lovingly referred to as "boxes"), without any consideration to the value and cost associated with making an amazing looking computer which appears to be little more than a monitor.

But there are PC's capable of contending Apple for the all All in One crown. The most interesting thing is,... they are all (spec for spec) more expensive than an iMAC (and don't come with Apples amazing OS X nor iLife). And these aren't computers made by companies who can't produce enough to achieve economy of scale. These are the biggest brand in the business.

Take a look:

The Gateway 'One' ZX190

Sony's Vaio LT

Dell XPS

All in all not a bad lineup, I'm impressed. They just need a Mac OS and ilife....

My dowloadable Apple MAC Wallpapers

I change my wallpaper frequently and today I decided to make some new Apple wallpapers, you can download the whole lot as a .zip by clicking here.

If you liked them please feel free to tell others . enjoy. PS. download Free Lost and Heroes/4400 Wallpapers here.

7 reasons why you wouldn't bother with Psystar computers

Psystar is big in the news lately because it's selling computers with hardware compatible with the Apple MAC operating system. Psystar even goes as far as installing the Mac on a non Apple machine.

They charge you for a installing genuine Mac OS operating system, which might seam on the surface quite cool, but really, why would you bother?

I once bought a genuine Apple licensed Mac Clone in the 1998 and I saved over $2,000, I remember at the time I would have rather had a real MAC. How much can you save now? A couple of hundred?

7 reasons why you wouldn't bother with Psystar computers:

1.Psystar open computers don't come with iLife, so even if you save a few bucks you miss out on some top quality software.

2.A Psystar open computer is just another ugly PC.

3.You will get an operating system based on hacked software (and the ones who hacked the Mac OS are pissed at Psystar for taking advantage of their community based effort)

4.Your long term ability to get system updates is very questionable indeed.

5.How good is a Psystar guarantee if Apple closes Psystar down (due to Psystars dubious legal stance which breaches Apples End User License Agreement for OS X)?

6.Who ever heard of buying a Server using a hacked operating system. Servers a built for reliability.

7.Psystar open computers are just simply aren't Apple MACs.

Psystars open PC, still pretty ugly as far as I'm concerned.

It will be interesting to see if Psystar survives and if Apple does anything to thwart their business. Personally even though I am an open advocate of Apple releasing its operating system (OS X) as a software option (with strict license controls to ensure compatibility) I can't see that Psystar is offering any added value.

I do however applaud Psystar bringing the possibility into the public eye, who know's perhaps we'll see OS X for sale in PC shops yet.

How I made online passive income work.

It was a slow start, but I got there after about six months. Actually, what I did, could be done in a matter of days if you don't have to go through the learning process that I did.

We're all looking for passive income. What could be better than money coming into your life without you having to work for it? Certainly there are plenty of ways of making money online but just taking part in an online money making program (like Affiliate Junktion) is not going to put money in your pockets you need to actually make it work.

I use Affiliate Junktion simply because one day it caught my eye and I decided if ever I was going to give something a go, this might as well be it. But it didn't start off well. I lost money in the beginning. Not wanting to loose much, I stopped trying and thought Affiliate Junktion is a scam.

Later I found out that if you want to bring people to your affiliate site then there is something you absolutely must buy: A keyword tool. Without a keyword tool your online advertising would be like driving without a steering wheel. It simply is a must.

The reality is that by spending an hour a day for weeks I managed to get Affiliate Junktion to payout about €10 a day. Then I bought keyword elite and overnight (literally) my income went from €10 to €110 and it really only took me a few minutes to create top notch keywords.

Without going on and on over the same point, if you can't yet afford Keyword Elite, then use the google keyword tool to get yourself going and then as soon as you can get Keyword Elite, it really is worth the money.

One last little note, you can use all the money you save when you lower the bid amount using a keyword list created by Keyword Elite to pay for Keyword Elite (over and over). If you want to make money online with Affiliate Marketing, Keyword Elite is a must.

Opps, I accidentally started making money online

<<<<< EDIT: my latest blog on this subject is here - it is far more up to date >>>>>>

We'll it just crept up on me over the last few months.

Almost by accident, I started making money online with affiliate marketing.

The Affiliate program I started a few months ago (and the one I failed miserably with in the beginning) just started to make money for me.

Almost overnight, my account started to fill up, first with €10 a day and then a bit more and then more....

After being inspired, I purchase this keyword tool and a day later my income turned into over €100 a day. I so hope this is real, I don't want more, I just want it to be true. I'm still not so sure it is real, I had dreamed making money could be this easy, but could it really be possible? will it last? I don't really know the answer to these questions yet (I'm not due to be paid until about 16.07.08).

I'm so scared right now, I really hope its true and that it just carries on the way its going.

For those interested this is the affiliate program I'm using. Please note the following:
The information is free (as is a money making website), but you will have to pay to use their chosen web host. You will also almost definitely need to splash out and buy this keyword tool to make it work (best thing I ever did).

In the meantime, I don't know what to feel. I have such mixed emotions. The next month of waiting for my first payment will be excruciating, I'll continue to blog my thoughts, feeling and successes (or failures) here. Take a look at some of my old post to see the rocky road to riches i have experienced with Affiliate Junktion, then get the free information to see if its right for you.

The truth (with a bit of opinion thrown in)

Please fell free to add a comment (good or bad) comments will only be moderated on this post to stop comment spam.

The truth (with a bit of opinion thrown in)

• You can't argue taste
• The tragedy of 9/11 was perpetrated or sponsored by the American Government (and realization of this is NOT anti-American)
  
• The rest of your life starts Today
• You should work less and play more
• Daisy Duck is Hotter than Minnie
• Metric is an improvement over Imperial
• You are allowed to love yourself
• Global warming is a lie (but we should minimize our environmental impact anyway)
• It doesn't matter where you were born
• The teletubbies are Aliens
• Borders exist only in the minds of men
• .9999999 recurring is equal to 1
• “Allah” is simply a word. That word means “God” in English
• Smiles are infectious
• You can get all the nutrition you need without eating meat
• Those who conspired to falsify safety reports about the air quality in New York post 9/11 should be brought to trial for the resulting deaths which could have been avoided.
• It's not the megapixels, its the capture quality.
• Patriotism is bigotry
• Any charity is good charity
• Money can't buy you happiness, but it can take away the problems lack of money causes
• Terrorism is ineffectual without media coverage
  
• Tom Cruise only plays one character, Tom Cruise
• The invasion of Iraq is based on a lie
• Captain feathersword is better than the wiggles
• No means no
• You are loved
• Macs are the new PC's (and PC's are the new Mac's)
• Penfold is a hamster
• How you act affects outside opinion on your peer group
  

Apple MAC video games console, the time is now!

I am in the market for a new PC. Without a doubt I want a MAC. Well to be truthful, I want Leopard with iLife, therein lies the problem.

Apple currently doesn't have a model that fits my needs. This is down to two main reasons. 1^St, I'm a gamer (in a couple of months I will be a profession gamer) and 2^nd I already have a monitor I'm happy with.

The monitor issue is not an uncommon complaint. There are many people who upgrade their computers and monitors separately and who therefor need a new computer but are happy with the monitor they have got. With Apple that leaves two choices the Mac mini and the Mac Pro. While they Mac mini is a great machine, if you want to play games or us any 3D apps it comes up lacking. The Mac Pro is an impressive animal capable of anything you throw at it, but an entry level Mac Pro costs $2799 (at time of writing). What is needed is something in between.

I think the time is right for apple to bridge this gap and they could do by entering a great niche. I envision Apple making a games machine.

Macs have never been the platform of choice for gamers, I put this mainly down to fate. For various reasons (that I'm not going into here) games got off to a better start on the Windows/Intel platform than on the MAC and the PC has never looked back. While there have been some excellent game releases for the MAC, the sheer quantity an quality of windows games out there, doesn't make it a gamers choice.

But with Apple recently switching to the Intel processor thats brought the opportunity back for Apple to get it's game on. Now on a Mac you can dual boot into windows (Apple even help you do it with bootcamp). While this is pretty pointless as far as I'm concerned for any other applications (because the MAC OS and Mac apps are generally much better), it does make sense for games.

Better still, as a gamer I always like to have my system clean for running my games optimally. If all my other applications run on the Mac OS side, that would leave me with a clean windows version strictly for games.

Thats were a new product for apple could fit in. Apple could easily bridge the gap between Mac mini and Mac Pro with a machine aimed at gamers. It could also come up with a funky design that would suit the customers. I'm so sick of the PC game machines which have a 'tattoo' or 'alien' look. Just because I play games, doesn't mean I have bad taste.

Who knows perhaps Apple could buy/license the technology from Parallels or Crossover, put it together with a streamlined version of Leopard (using a Front Row like interface for the installed windows games) as a boot option and the Mac games machine could suddenly be a console! (or is Apple afraid they'll just end up making another “pipin”)

Apple already tried to make a games console once with the pipin (pictured).
Is it too scared to make a games MAC?

This new game orientated Mac wouldn't have to be just for hard core gamers. It could also be for those other people who have a good monitor, but want something more than the Mac mini, and less than the Mac Pro. Just make it look cool and throw a great choice of graphics cards in there, and you've got a winner in my book (can I pre-order?).

Who knows, the mini is not all that far away from another refresh, perhaps this time, it will get decent graphics capabilities which may make my grumblings a mute point.

Macbook Air is old news, here comes the XO-2

Forget MACbook Air, the coolest thing on the horizon in the computing world might be something bound for the third world.

I long been a fan of the OLPC program. OLPC stand for One laptop Per Child and is basically an initiative to get laptops in the hands of children in developing nations. Bravo I say.

Sure, I agree with my brothers criticism that really impoverished people need clothing, food, clean water, shelter and education far more than they need a laptop. Further more, the donated laptops might just end up being sold on the black market (ebay?) creating a dependency cycle of people needing to get them, to sell them, to survive. Yes, sure that may not solve much, but one would hope that's doesn't end up being the norm. I would think enough units would go into the right hands to make a difference. Isn't something this charitable better than nothing in its absence?

Further more, some of the people getting excited and involved with the project may not be the type to expend so much time and energy helping to provide wells or housing. The people driving this project are tech people, they like tech and it motivates them. It hard enough to motivate people to be charitable as it is.

I've seen other criticism too, but rather than defend OLPC further I just wanted to point out how the project could also benefit the rest of us. The next genration OLPC (the XO-2) is quite innovative and more importantly super cool! Once you put OPLC “give 1-get one” program (where you buy one laptop and another is donated to a child on your behalf) together with the next generation ebook-styled XO-2 (pictured), there are going be be a lot of people buying one for themselves just for the coolness of it. I mean, check it out! Who wants a Macbook air now?

The OLPC XO-2 in Laptop mode

The OLPC XO-2 in book mode

The OLPC XO-2 in Flat mode

The next gernation OLPC (the XO-2) will have:

• Dual 16x9 proportioned sunlight-readable touch screens

• Keyboard and touchpad both replaced by touch screens

• Physically smaller than XO-1; size and weight more like a book

• 1 watt power consumption

• Target price of US$75 to large educational buyers

You can find out more about the OLPC here.

Get a job interview, the alternative method.

Recently I received something cool in my inbox, a job offer from Monster.com with a company I'd love to work for. I decided that not only did I want the job, I had to have it!

I'm not going to say too much about the position yet, but rather talk about what I am doing in an effort to get the job.

I started by sending a covering letter and sent it away attached it to my CV.

After four days I had received no reply, ok sure thats not that much time, but I was not prepaired to just sit and wait for them to come to me. I decided action had to be taken.

I starting working on an plan to make sure I got noticed. I researched the company on the Internet and wrote a magazine style display ad promoting myself (one that any advertising agency would be proud of) as the ideal candidate for the position..

Now I had to make sure this got into the hands of the right person. I needed to find out the first name of the person in charge of hiring for that position. I already had a first initial, but I needed more to succeed with my bizarre plan.

In order to find out what this important persons name was, I rang their office to ask, or at least, I tried to ring. Nobody answered the telephone number I found on the Internet. I wondered if the information I had found on the Internet was incorrect. So I called the German office, I could have asked in English because it is an international company and Germans are well known for having a reasonable English ability (they learn it in school from a young age), but I decided my accent would win some respect (relatively few foreigners bother to learn German) and told the operator I had to send a package to this person at the Spanish office.

5 mins later I had found out:

• she was a woman
• what her full name was
• the physical address of the office
• and even got her unlisted direct phone number!

Part two of the plan involved some theatrics.

I went to a shopping mall and purchase the following items:

• A Star shaped gift box
• Coloured balloons
• A Hello Kitty helium filled balloon (pictured here)

I put my one page ad/presentation into the gift box Attached it to the balloons and drove in to the companies head office.

This company office is normally closed to the public, but because I showed up with a car full of balloons and told security "I had a delivery", I was ushered in.

I had only expected to drop the package at reception content in knowing that it would get to its destination and get noticed, but the receptionist was so excited by all the balloons, she insisted I deliver them in person to the woman concerned. 5 mins later I had an on the spot interview in person. It was a bit awkward at first, and maybe just a little uncomfortable for both of us, but we managed. I worried a bit that my Spanish was good enough, but she said it was the most interesting job application she had ever received, so thats got to count for something doesn't it?

I have since passed two more stages of the application process and have been waiting for some kind of indication as to whether I will get to the next and final stage (a formal interview with the head of department). Regardless I'm pretty pleased I got so far, I guess I'll now just have to wait and see...

EDIT: I have since been ask to go in for an interview. It went well, but I'm just waiting to hear the bad news (can you feel my pessimism?). Still I'm really pleased with what I achieved and I guess its now 50/50.

EDIT #2 (two week later): I got the Job! that just goes to show how thinking out side can improve your chances! I start in two months :)

Affiliate Junktion Scam test Re-loaded

<<<<< EDIT: my latest blog on Affiliate Junktion is here - You can find more up to date inforamtion on Affiliate Junktion here.>>>>>>

Welcome to the definitive blog on weather or not Affiliate Junktion is a scam. When people look for “Affiliate Junktion Scam” many people find my blog because it tells my own real story which didn't start off that well.

I suggest if you really want to know if Affiliate Junktion is a scam, you read this whole post as it is a culmination of my entire experience so far with Affiliate Junktion and weather or not Affiliate Junktion is a scam. During this post I will answer the most common Affiliate Junktion related questions.

The most important thing people want to know is not “is Affiliate Junktion a scam?” it is actually “is Affiliate Junktion going to steal from me, cheat me, sell my email address or worse”. The answer is no. They really do offer you free information on their money making program. So then you want to know “wheres the catch?”, there is no catch, but yes you will need to spend some money (very little, which you will get back). To understand it all go and visit omnis (it used to be ipwer). They offer good value web hosting. It's this hosting service that you will need to run Affiliate Junktions free website and use the Affiliate Junktion system.

You will also then need to generate traffic to bring to your promotional website, this can be done with online advertising rather cheaply. The downside is, it will take a month of advertising to bring in daily clicks before they pay you. In the mean time you have to bear the cost and the risk. You don't have to, but to really make Affiliate Junktion work, you should bite the bullet and splash out for a proper keyword tool. This tool turned my Affiliate Junktion income from €10 a day to €80 (and counting) - well worth it.

The good thing is you after you signup for the free Affiliate Junktion information you are under no pressurer to take part. I recommend you check out omnis and also get the free Affiliate Junktion information here (opens in new tab). One thing I can guarantee you, is that you can do all of this without obligation/risk. I always recommend researching anything before you get into it, so take a look at all the information that Affiliate Junktion gives you. By joining up (it's safe) you can see what they offer and decide for yourself if you want to take part.

Also check my other Affiliate Junktion blogs. Here is a post purely as a directory of my Affiliate Junction posts. When I first stared the program I made a loss, and didn't really understand Affiliate Junktion, but I managed to turn that around (now I'm making about €100 a day with affiliate Junktion - proof here). DO read what I've written to see if its the right program for you, but also get the free info from Affiliate Junktion (click here) it will help you understand more.

I am doing my absolute best with this blog to provide you with independent accurate information on Affiliate Junktion, so you can decide for yourself if Affiliate Junktion is for you.

Though Affiliate Junktion had not been successful for me at first, I tried again (the third attempt). I did so because I learned two things: That Affiliate Junktion paid out per referral not per conversion (how did I miss that - stupid), which means that people don't have to take part in order for you to get paid. I also learned some more things about advertising with Google adwords to help me make a better Affiliate Junktion campaign.

Lets start by answering the most common questions about Affiliate Junktion.

Q1) Will Affiliate Junktion actually pay me?

A) You can find dozens of websites on the Internet saying “I got paid by Affiliate Junktion” but most people say that from the time they join up thinking they need to do so to create interest in the Affiliate Junktion program (or at least to show Affiliate Junktion isn't a scam to help entice people). Often people will out and out lie thinkin it might help them make money with Affiliate Junktion, me, I don't care. Take a look at my Affiliate Junktion payment proof and if you feel you want to get monthly cheques in the mail like me then click here and take a look. You decide.

Q2) How do I know if Affiliate Junktion isn't going to use my credit card and steal my money.

A) Because Affiliate Junktion never asks for your credit card number, nor does Affiliate Junktion ever ask for any payment from you whatsoever. The information they give you really is totally free.

Q3) Is Affiliate Junktion legitimate?

A) Affiliate Junktion is legitimate in the sense that it does not try to defraud you of money. I have debunked (explained) Affiliate Junction in this post. It's easy to see how it works simply with the information Affiliate Junktion gives you.

Q4) If the information is free how does Affiliate Junktion make money? (Affiliate Junktion is trying to make money isn't it?)

A) It's easy to see how Affiliate Junktion makes it's money. Affiliate Junktion gets a commission from either omnis or ipower. Once you receive you free information the process is explained. You can check it all out here.

Q5) Does Affiliate Junktion really pay the $75 joining bonus?

A) Yes, the $75 joining bonus has been in my Affiliate Junktion account from day one. Please note that is NZ$75, you can check daily currency conversions here.

Q6) Why should we trust what you say about Affiliate Junktion?

A) Just because something is written doesn't mean it is true, (the same goes for the newspapers). You have to decide yourself how honest my explanation of Affiliate Junction is. You can see this blog is about other things of interest too me, and that my experiences with Affiliate Junction aren't all happy ones (I din't work it out in the beginning, - all these post still exist in Nov/Dec 2007). Also seven months has past since I joined Affiliate Junktion so I'm happy that one can see how genuine it is.

Q7) Whats does “ Affiliate Junktion pays out per referral not per conversion” mean?

A) It means Affiliate Junktion pays you NZ$2 every time somebody makes an enquirery , people don't have to join for you to get paid a commission (unlike other Affiliate programs).

Now lets talk about my new experiences with Affiliate Junktion as of late.

Since learning a bit more about Affiliate Junktion and advertising with Google Adsense I decided to give Affiliate Junktion another shot.

I started a new advertising campaign for Affiliate Junktion and here are the results:

1st month = €10 per day profit

2nd month = €110 per day profit (the change is solely because of this tool)

The two most important things are:

Months of successful activity with Affiliate Junktion - 3 --- Daily (yes daily) income currently €110

My income increase came from the use of this keyword tool.

Affiliate Junktion is now making me a decent profit. One can't help wondering how much my negative comments in the past have an affect on my own current Affiliate Junktion campaign. I took my wifes advice and decided to keep everything truthful and not inflate or exaggerate my results to try and improve them. In other words, I'm not going to falsify my experience to make it attractive for others interested in Affiliate Junktion.

Affiliate Junktion Summary (so far):

I can't say if Affiliate Junktion will work for all. It's not a scam in the sense it's not trying to steal from you, but you may not be able to get it working right straight away (I couldn't until I discovered this). If you are prepared to spend a little time learning abou how to get it working or if you have other sources of Internet traffic you can direct to the Affiliate Junktion program, than Affiliate Junktion might just be what you are looking for. One thing is absolutely sure, it cost you nothing to find out about it, I wholeheartedly encourage you to empower yourself with the information to help you make an informed decision and you can get the best information on Affiliate Junkiton from the source (here).

Is Jack Tompson promting GTA IV for TakeTwo?

One could almost be mistaken in thinking that Jack Tompson is actuallt working for Take Two.

Jack Tompson is the attorney who wrote to the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, demanding that legal action be taken against Take Two and retailers of Grand Theft Auto IV.

He is bringing worldwide media publicity to the already hyped and highly anticipated GTA IV game.

But for Jack Tompson, that's just a necessary evil.



Despite unintentionally promting GTA IV, I think Jack Thompson is doing a good thing. He's bringing mature games into the lime lite. Hopefully this way parents will think more about games a little more and understand that their are games aimed at another audience than just "kids".

I agree with him in one sense at least, parents should be aware of the content of the game and make sure they talk about it with their children rather than just handing it over.

The same can also be said for many other games (not just mature games like GTA IV). Aa game written for a thirteen year old is almost definitely not going to be ok for a 7 year old (the same as with any other media).

The way I see it, keeping this game away from kids younger than those supposed to play it is the combined responsibility of the retail outlets and the parents in the same way that selling alcohol is. That just might be where Jack Thompson's argument comes a little unstuck.

Game playing parents (like myself) already know there is a difference between Mario games and Grand Theft Auto type games (remember Carmageddon?) . However some parents either don't know or simply don't care. If you combine this with the tendency for those same people to throw their kids in front of a Playstation/Xbox like they would a TV (to use as a babysitter) then you have a very scary combination.

Grand theft Auto is no different from any movies, or comics or other media aimed at the same yo.ung adult age group. A big problem is that outdated concept that video games are for kids. If you still think that like that, then watch this.

It all comes down to caring about what children are doing and being there for them. Perhaps thats Jack Tompson's goal, to show parents they do need to be aware of the content of such games. Or perhaps some took his ZX Spectrum away before he finished Manic Miner and he's still pissed, who can tell.

Critic of game like GTA IV need to remeber that like TV, Movies and Books, Video games are a great escape.

Grand Theft Auto looks like an amazing game and I believe that helping publicize the necessity for parents to watch what their children are playing and be there for them will be good for mature games in general. When parents start taking a more active interest in what games their children are playing, those of us mature enough can run around being bad ass killers and nobody will get hurt.

Is Apple missing out?

The world is ready for Apple to make MAX OS X available to for PC's

Apple may as well, because others are already making it happen.

I've long been an advocate of Apple selling the operating system to those who want to install it on non Apple hardware.

Years ago Apple allowed other people to build machines with the same components and licensed the operating system. In 1998 (I think it was) Companies like Umax were selling Macintosh clones (I brought one, it was great!).

Fast forward to today and the MAC OS is now running on the same hardware as PC's making the possibility even easier. Dell and HP would happily jump at the chance to sell PC with MAC OS X installed. But Apple won't do it.

Apple maintains (amongst other reasons) that the hardware/software synergy is required to achieve the stability and reliability that MAC users enjoy and expect. If they suddenly had to support millions of hardware configurations as Microsoft windows (or Linux for that matter) does then the operating system would suffer and become less secure, prone to crashing and problematic (like it's current competition).

This is a weak excuse. There is absolutely no reason that Apple can release the MAC OS as a software operating system and specify which hardware it would run on.

The truth is, they are doing quite nicely the way things are. Producing the whole product they can make a profit on everything and guarantee a bigger sale.

Actually I don't blame any company for wanting to make an ever increasing profit, it is (after all) their duty to do so for their shareholders, but would releasing the operating system actually cost Apple money?

I don't think so.

If Apple sold the operating system, they would instantly open up a whole new market. Sure there would be new competition undercutting the Apple computers (actually thats already happening, I'll get to that soon..), but take a look at Apples customers, people buy MAC's because they are great computers, they look good and they are a strong (even cool) brand. I don't think that would stop, they would just get their computer sales and operating system sales on top.

If other people sold computers running MAC OS X they'll still never be as cool as MAC's. It still actually amazes me that there aren't any PC's that look as cool as MAC's (well I found a Sony as cool as an iMAC, but it was far more expensive). Plus if you look in other industries, big brand names are always finding a way to get their products into the hand of people on a lower budget in order to open up new markets, without hurting their brand image.

Car brands are a good example, you can buy non Mercedes SUV's with Mercedes motors. Some factories make the exact same car which sells for a different price by three different brands. Rollerblade (the big in line skating company) also owns a buget brand. They sell some models under both brands, if you want the badge you pay the price, if you can't afford to be in that club, they still make a sale and you still get the product albeit without the badge.

I'm sure that Apple could do the same.

Apple could also partner with the component manufacturers, or hardware makers. If they did release the operating system as a software only option then it would boost sales of particular hardware. Your telling me Apple couldn't get a percentage?

Well if apple doesn't, it just might miss the boat (*sighs*) -again. For those not yet in the know, since Apple MACS became Intel based (like PC's) there has been a movement of enthusiasts dedicated and determined to doing what Apple won't. Making it possible to install MAC OS on any PC. This effort is called OSX86 project, and they have done an excellent job.

If you build your own computer with exactly the same parts as in a MAC than installing MAC OS X on it is amazingly easy. Just a couple of tweaks and you have MAC OS X on your screen and be able to keep that big fat PC box on your desk (*sighs again*).

Some companies are even capitalizing on this.Take a look at this comparison of an “open computer” (now available by from a company called Psystar) and a MAC mini I found (on this pic it's called an “openMAC”, they changed the name last minute for fear of litigation from Apple, but forgot to change it on this jpg from their website)

It shows a computer built to run MAC OS (and they will deliver it pre-installed with MAC OS X Leopard) with better specifications for a lower price than the MAC mini.

For this comparison to be fair you have to consider one thing, the cost of the operating system. They should show the cost of the software in this comparison. The “OpenMAC” would cost (including software) $628 (more than the MAC mini). Just for reference, it would cost $618 using OEM Windows Vista Home Premium (note that the Leopard software is not OEM and is the 'ultimate' version).

*** oops, I almost forgot, that a new MAC comes with iLife which would cost you a further $79 if you bought the Open Computer from Psystar instead of the genuine article.

In my opinion it won't provide competition to genuine Apples (I'd still buy the MAC mini anyday) but possibly open the door to a new market.

In any case, it may prove that if Apple doesn't make MAC OS available to buy separately for installation on non Apple hardware they may suffer in the same way that the music and motion picture industry has done in the face of file sharing. Consumers showed that wanted the product a different way, when the industry failed to respond and the process went underground. Is the same fate slated for the 'budget' Apple MAC?

Only Apple really knows if their OS will ever be sold separately. If it doesn't sell it separately it may risk loosing the sector of the market that wants an ugly box with the best specification possible on the cheap, and thats something the Steve Jobs probably wont lose any sleep over.

Does a new technology mean a new way to breach copyright?

One of the coolest things I've come across in a long while is a tool for 'sucking' 3D data out of any 3D application or video game.


Imagine you want you very own figure of you World of Warcraft character. You simply use this software called ogle to extract the 3D information, clean it up a bit and get it printed on a 3D printer.

Here you can see what I mean.

In case you don't know a 3D printer is like a cross between a bread maker and an inject printer. You put in a powdery substance in the 3D printer and a printing head moves through it spitting out a drops which harden it. After each pass head moves up a fraction slowly hardening the 3D object. The end result is that you can open it up and pull a solid 3D object that was made from your 3D data out of the tin of powder (at least thats a pretty good simplified explanation).

But if you can extrad 3D mesh data, you could also use the 3D models in any number of ways.

The problem might be for computer program manufacturers is that people might rip off their models.

It wouldn't be too hard to (theoretically) get the 3D data for an object, change the mesh a little and then use different texture maps to save you from making your own object.

Having said that, if your reasonably good in 3D it would probably just be easier to make your own models bearing in mind the probable amount of time you would have to spend cleaning up the mesh and the quality of 3D editing software. It would be far too obvious, for example, to use a character (and risk the copyright owner taking legal action against you) from a game for your own project, commercial or not.

I'd hate to see someone intent on inserting DRM into OpenGL (3D graphics data) in an effort to stop 'mesh theft' (my term).

I'm hope this is going to be a technology only really used for fun and for good. I can imagine that might be a cool niche business, 3D printing an painting (from a screenshot) figures of game characters (by that I mean configurable character like the ones in mmorpg's).

Dear Friend. How have you been scammed today?

Are people really that stupid? I hope not.....

I received an email in my junk folder today (as much as I hate to admit it, hotmail is a Microsoft product I almost like because of its spam filter) thats starts:

"Dear Friend.

How are you today?"

It goes on to talk about the delivery of US$1.8m cash. It's supposed to appear as though it got sent to you by mistake, and that if you forward the identification details, they will send the US$1.8m to you.

C'mon are you kidding me? This is a phishing scam at its worst. If you get it, block the sender, delete the email, and if possible report the sender. Never reply, this will only alert the person who is phishing that the email account is live (in use), and it might be passed on/sold to a spammer, then you can expect a never ending supply of phishing emails in your inbox.

Phishing scams pray on our will to believe something (no matter how preposterous). If I told you I knew a way for you to make millions online you would at least listen. What you would also do, is hope. Hope and want that information to be true.

Phishing scams do it, affiliate marketers do it, heck, advertising agencies do it! The emotion can be strong, the argument convincing (I was once convinced to take part a sophisticated way to get you to part with your money called Affiliate Junktion).

But there was nothing sophisticated about this phishing scam I received today.

I have to wonder how many people fall for such pathetic attempts to get you personal information. More importantly, I worry about people I know who may be sucked in...

Here's the email in its entirety for those how get similar phishing scam emails and want to recognize them.

Don't be sucked in by Phishing scams like these:


Dear Friend.

How are you today? I am writing to inform you that I have Paid the fee
for your Cheque Draft. And I went to the bank to confirm if the
Cheque has expired or getting near to expire and Mr.Ahmed Zafa the
Director of Central Bank of West African States(BCEAO) told me that
before the cheque will get to your hand that it will expire.

So I told him to cash the US$1.8million United States Dollars to cash
payment to avoid losting this funds.However, all the necessary
arrangement of delivering the US$1.8m UNITED STATES DOLLARS in
cash was made with FEDEX COURIER SERVICES LTD. in Cotonou Benin Republic,
Mr.Ahmed Zafa the Director of Central Bank of West African
States(BCEAO) Cotonou have to package the sum of US$1.8 m in cash for me.Then he also agreed to help me to Register the Consignment with FEDEX
COURIER SERVICES LTD.Infact I'm happy that every movement I made goes
sucessfull.
As for our agreement with the FEDEX COURIER SERVICES LTD. they
promised that your consignment will leave this Country on monday next week,But
the Director of the FEDEX COURIER SERVICES LTD. said that they need
your contacts informations to able them meet up with you immediately the
Diplomat Agent arrived to your Country.

write a letter of application to the given address below.
Contact person: Dr.Jim Vicktor
EMAIL:***********removed to protect the stupid************@yahoo.fr
Send them your contacts information to able them locate you
immediately they arrived in your country with your BOX .This is what they
need from you.

1.YOUR FULL NAME---------------------------------------------------------
2.YOUR HOME ADDRESS--------------------------------------------------
3.YOUR CURRENT HOME TELEPHONE NUMBER---------------
4.YOUR CURRENT OFFICE TELEPHONE---------------------------
5.A COPY OF YOUR PICTURE------------------------------------------
Note.The FEDEX COURIER SERVICES LTD.
don't know the contents of the Box. I registered it as a BOX of an
Africa cloths. They don't know it contents money. this is to avoid
them delaying with the BOX. don't let them know that is money that is in
that Box.

Thanks and Remain Blessed.

Mr.David Baju

**********
The latest scam I got in my email was this one (give me a break!)

AWARD FINAL NOTIFICATION.
We are pleased to inform you the released results of the EUROMILLION SWEEPSTÁKE LOTTERY/NEW YEAR PROGRAMS held on the 14th July 2008.
Your EMAIL was attached to a ticket number 102/08 with serial number 000228 lucky numbers 4 5 5 6 4 which consequently won0the lottery in the 2nd category.You have therefore been approved for lump sum pay out of £10,600,000 Pounds(TEN MILLION SIX HUNDRED THOUSAND POUNDS)in cash credited to file REF Nº: ESWL/2147/08/MAL.
To begin your claim please contact your claims agent: Mr Alex Taylor
The Foreign Services Manager of EUROMILLION SWEEPSTAKE LOTTERY
Email: ----------@hotmail.com


For the fun of it take a look at these other Phishings scams, some are quite hilarious.

Could blogging and the web save the third world and maybe even the planet?

Computers are getting cheaper and cheaper.


Some people in the industry predict that we are on the Virge of significant cuts in computer prices.

This might be needed to continue to fuel computer consumerism.

When computer are cheap enough this might dramatically affect the lives of people in third world countries....

Computers are staying useful for longer. Indeed the computer that I am writing this on is already 8 years old (with a few upgrades). The result is obvious, people are not replacing their computer as often. To entice consumers value has to be created. The smart consumer already knows how much they will benefit from a new machine, but now they need a price incentive before they are prepared to throw away something thats still very functional and useful.

Whats that got to do with the third world? Lots.

Incidentally at this point I would like to add the although widely used, third world is not really a very appropriate term these days. Developing nations is generally considered better.

While its not currently incredibly viable economically to ship all our old computers to developing nations, as computers and screens get smaller, it is becoming more and more viable.

In the mean time an ever increasing amount of people in developing nations will be able to afford new computers simply due to lower prices. It's pretty obvious that as entry level price drops more customers in developing nations who previously couldn't afford a computer will be 'created'.

The amazing rise of Linux has also vastly contributed to the ability of such people to have access to capable technology. Ubuntu was designed for this purpose entirely. To bring a fantastic operating system to absolutely free to everyone who wants one.

The great thing about all this is how rapidly it will increase prospects for those in developing nations. The Internet is the one place were we are all together and we are all equal. Do you think America would be so quick to invade Iraq if corporate America employed large programming and web services from workers in that region? It may not be big in Iraq, but contract programming and web services available over the Internet are big business. Do you think that cool application you just found was made in you country just because it's in your language?

The one laptop per child (olpc) program was created to put a sub US$100 laptop in the hands of children in developing nations. At the moment the product they have created is a little bit more than their goal of US$100 but it wont be long before it surpasses that milestone and will only get cheaper.

When the developing nations can school up via the Internet and provide services to the rest of the world, money will start to flow in their direction. Even for those who won't want to learn programming or web design, there is no shortage of service opportunities provided by the Internet. There are an abundance of smart people who will provide us with cultural, intellectual insights and news via their blogs and earn revenues through advertising and affiliate marketing.

It's a great prospect. Very little is consumed during the process. When someone spends a day blogging, the only thing they consume is power and time. Not only are no trees cut down to make the product they sell, the income created may even mean they less people cutting down trees for farm land. Sure I admit power is still a big problem for this planet, but eco friendly power solutions are getting better while processors are continuing to use less juice.

Whichever way you look at it, I think its a positive thing. Technology will bring opportunities to those who don't have them and through this they will prosper.

Peace and quad cores to all.