I have actually had quite a few more good PayPerPost opportunities now that my blogs RealRank was updated in payperpost, and in doing the opportunities I learned some things by posts getting rejected that I thought I would share with my audience to save you some headache and time so your posts would be accepted faster.

• Issue #1 - No Adsense Allowed in PayPerPost Posts

I use the “All in One Adsense and YPN!” plug-in for wordpress as I think it is the best adsense plug-in for adding google adsense to all of your posts and have it show on the homepage and individual posts. The best thing about this post, however I have had posts rejected as a result of adsense being in the same post as my paid opp and this is prohibited.  The beauty of the All in One Adsense and YPN! plugin, is that you can remove the adsense from a single post by adding the following <!–noadsense–> anywhere in the html part of the post.  So if you add this to all your PayPerPost posts, then you will clear this hurdle right off the bat.

Anyone embedding Adsense in their posts, I highly recommend this plugin as it is very flexible integrates extremely easily and lets you create sized and colored adsense banners right from the settings -> adsense menu in your wordpress admin.

• Issue #2 - Non-paid original content must exist just prior and just after your paid PayPerPost post

You need to make sure your blog has a good original and unpaid content to paid content ratio of at least 3:1, you cannot do a PayPerPost post immediately following a SocialSpark or another PayPerPost opportunity.  You must have an unpaid normal post of about 100 words prior and after your PayPerPost post or you will be rejected.  I have been rejected for this one before, here is the good news.  If you accidentally forgot to put a non-paid post just prior and after, you can use your wordpress to re-arrange the dates of one of your posts so that it is just before the timestamp of your paid post or just after.  So you can quickly write up an unpaid post and date it so it slides right behind or in front of your PayPerPost opp and then you can resubmit and get your approval.

If you choose to switch the post date of an existing post be careful to make sure the URI and index are intact, if you use a full date structure URI, and include the day in the URL, and you move a post to a different day this could cause confusion and have the post in the wrong URI for the date.  I only URI structure to the month, so I could move any post around as long as its the same month and the URI will be unaffected and undamaged.

• Summary

PayPerPost pays 30 days from when the post is approved so if you do 1 post a day for an entire month you will have a deposit into your paypal each and everyday the following month.  So far I have had much better luck with payperpost getting 5 opps in the past two weeks but PayU2Blog still pays better for me at this time and has more flexibility with the posts (I don’t have to review most products, just include links which is nice).

Hope this little tidbit helps.

-Dragon Blogger

At first I didn’t think I would be able to watch this episode while I was traveling at CA World, but was fortunate enough to learn that in Las Vegas Heroes comes on at 9pm instead of 8pm in Arizona so I was back at the Hotel by 8:30 and able to catch the show.

Updated to include the streaming episode:

The episode starts off with a long recap, followed by Ando trying to save hero and getting thrown.  Arthur was about to finish mind wiping hero when he gets distracted by a painting of an eclipse.  Ando rushes over and Hiro teleports them back to Japan accidentally, we learn that Hiro had most of his adult memories erased and he thinks he is 10 years old again.

Arthur tries to put Gabriel through a test claiming he has empathy and tricks him into a room where Elle lies waiting and she unleashes an electrical blast at him that starts to flay his flesh.  We see instead of retaliation Sylar instead encourages Elle to release her vengeance on him.  We see several scenes where she unleashes over and over again at Sylar blasting him and the effects are amazing as his skin vaporizes and smokes and electricity erupts from his eyes, mouth and every other opening on his person.  After unleashing a hellish blast Elle collapses to the ground and begs Sylar to kill her.  Sylar instead frees her and informs her that he forgives her for using him and that he owed her for saving his life.  He asks Elle to forgive herself and then we see Elle stop feeling pain and Sylar learns he acquired her power without ever laying a hand on her.  Afterward in one of the best scenes in the show we see Elle and Sylar bonding and Elle teaching Sylar to control and focus the electricity.  She informs him he will be a Gun Slinger in no time after Sylar shows how quickly he can focus and release blasts.  This scene we see just how much Elle did care for Sylar and I wonder now if the future son that Sylar had is not the child of Elle and Gabriel.

Matt Parkman and Daphne arrive at Primatech to see Angela still in a coma and when Matt tries to read her thoughts Daphne goes to warn and inform Arthur about the situation.  Arthur meanwhile is still plotting and planning to get the formula working and checks on Mohinder who keeps mutating patients with a formula that is missing something, or someone as they determine.  Something also is revealed in that the last eclipse seems to be when people started displaying powers and another eclipse is on the horizon.  Later Matt attempts to go into Angela’s mind to free her and asks Daphne to stay around and help him through it.

Peter and Claire argue about escaping and separating only to find Knox and Jessie attempting to hunt them down.  Originally they both think that Peter is the target and after evading them in the apartment only to be chased in the sewers it is revealed they were after Claire all along.  A few scenes later Peter is able to improvise a trap and use Flint’s own flame ability to allow Claire and himself to escape.

Meanwhile Ando is trying to instruct Hiro about his powers and what his abilities are but Hiro is still a 10 year old and can’t help but play pranks and joke around like any kid.  He does start to master his ability a little bit after a few attempts at first slowing down time, and then stopping it for a short period of time.  After learning how to stop and slow time, Ando asks Hiro to try teleporting and after several attempts he does and transports Ando and himself into a comic book store.

Nathan arrives at Pinehearst with Tracy and confronts his father only to learn Arthur’s plan was the same as Lindermans except with a much higher body count now.  Nathan leaves the company with the intentiont to go find his mother and learn more.  Meanwhile Tracy goes back to Arthur and attempts to negotiate a deal where she will make sure Nathan joins his side in exchange for Arthur keeping her intact and taken care of when the dust settles.  She has the same survival instincts as her sister Jessica it would seem in this case.

This episode was simply fantastic and I have to say the final scenes of the episode were so utterly monumental that I got goosebumps.  The final scenes show Matt, Daphne and Angela escaping from the mental prison built by Arthur after he revealed he had some feelings for Angela and released her after she confronted him.  We leave seeing the “Heroes” Matt, Daphne, Nathan, Peter, Claire, Angela in the hospital room discussing the formula and the catalyst where Claire reveals that she is the host.  In the “Villains” headquarters at Pinehearst we see Jesse, Knox, Arthur, Sylar and Elle gathered around where Arthur wakes up from a future scribling to reveal that the Eclipse is coming.

The previous would show us that The Eclipse will strip the Heroes of their powers and they have to contend with being normal again.  I have never been more excited to see the next episode as I am now.  Tell me what you all thought of this episode?

I particularly thought the scenes between Sylar and Elle were so charged with emotion, hatred, anger and then respect, gratitude that it almost invoked me to write a poem and I just may after this.

-Dragon Blogger

Yesterday I had lunch at Noodle Asia in the Venetian Casino area, this was a lunch bistro serving and specializing in noodles and soups.  They are very busy during lunch hour but seat people very quickly as soon as they turn tables.  My party was seated in under 10 minutes but the lunch wasn’t so bad at 11am.  The place only has a few dozen tables and probably seats about 75 with an open view of the small kitchen.  Our drink orders were taken promptly where I ordered hot Oolong Tea, and my partner ordered hot Jasmine Tea.

They did not have Sweet & Low which is the only artificial sweetener that I use, so I had to settle for Equal but that happens occasionally.  We had placed our order fairly quickly once the tea was brought out, I had ordered the Yung Chow fried rice, my partner had ordered the Moo Shu Pork and the Wanton Soup.

First arrived the Wonton soup which was served in a large bowl, easily making 4 individual servings so we both had 2 helpings of the soup.  Note:  2 people can really share just 2 entrees as there is so much food it is hard to eat much more unless you really have a big stomach.  The soup was lukewarm and not as hot as it should have been, but at least you could taste it and consume it right away.  The broth was very good and slightly salty, the wonton’s themselves were soft and very flavorful, the boiled Bok Choy was also very nice.  The broth itself could have used a little more like some chopped carrots or some other vegetables, it only contained green onions, Bok Choy and Wanton Noodles, but it was a good dish nonetheless.

Up next was the Yung Chow Fried rice which was my favorite dish served for lunch.  The rice was very well flavored and the BBQ Pork and Grilled Shrimp mixed in the rice paired very well.  I had multiple helpings of this dish and used only a little soy sauce to help add a little salty flavor to the well flavored rice.  There were chunks of carrots and peas which also enhanced the flavor.

The final dish to arrive was the Moo Shu Pork, and this dish was not as good as I would have expected given the wonderful flavor of the Yung Chow Fried Rice.  The pancake that the pork and vegetables were wrapped in tasted a little doughy and too much like flour.  The Hoisin sauce was decent but didn’t have as much flavor as some other Chinese restaurants I have eaten at.

The price for Noodle Asia was what you would expect from eating at a restaurant in a Vegas hotel and the three items plus 2 hot tea’s came to a total of fourty seven dollars and change.  Which is kind of costly for Chinese food, but reasonable compared to other restaurants in the Venetian.

I would give this restaurant 3 our of 5 stars, and Ironically the restaurant is famous for its Noodles and that was one item I hadn’t even ordered.

-Dragon Blogger

I was asked by someone on twitter today if Wii Fit is worth the price and thought I would write a good detailed post with my thoughts on the subject matter. I can tell you that I don’t know if these methods work for everyone, but I can tell you Wii Fit was an active part in me maintaining a healthy weight, building muscle and toning my body.

Some people would prefer to try and take the easy way out to lose weight and see if a weight loss pill like Phentermine would work for them and help them lose pounds with minimal effort and change of lifestyle. I have not had much success with Appetite suppressants or metabolism enhancers myself since I don’t like using foreign chemicals to achieve something I can do with willpower and training myself mentally and physically.

Wii Fit has some great routines and workouts in that you can use to help you but I will cut past the plug of the product and strictly go down to how I use it and what routine works best for me. I have lost over 50 pounds in 2 years through adjusting my eating habits and adding moderate exercise to my regimen. I work out with Wii Fit at least 4 times a week for 15-25 minute sessions where I can.

Here are the most impact routines:

JackKnife’s - make sure you use a mat or soft surface as this can hurt your back or neck. These really work your abs better than crunches or sit ups alone since you are working the upper and lower parts of your torso. When I first started I could barely do 10, but now I can do the maximum 30 JackKnifes and just feel the burn of my stomach muscles a bit when completed. Sometimes I will do the JackKnife Challenge and push as high as 50 but then my stomach is just aching.

Pushup and Side Plank - These are great because they not only work your biceps, but your shoulder muscles as well. You really feel it in your shoulders and these tone your arms better than almost any other exercise in Wii Fit, again I started only able to do 6 or 10 and now can do the full 20 in a row but I still can barely do more than 30 at max.

Plank - This is harder than you would think, you just lie on the floor with your forearms on the balance board and hold your body rigid. It is easy to hold the pose at first but then gets very hard after 60 or 90 seconds which I can do but with some effort. You feel the burn in your stomach as well as arms when you are done with this exercise.

I combine my routine like this:
To warm up I do the following Yoga Exercises:

Cobra - To stretch my back and shoulders
Bridge - To strech my legs and stomach muscles
Spinal Twist - To stretch my hips and back

I then do the following in a row:

Pushup and Side Plank - 20 reps
JackKnife - 30 reps
Rowing Squat - 45 reps

That is my typical workout routine when I don’t have a lot of time, it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to complete and I have almost a full sweat and full stretched muscles when completed.

I guarantee if you don’t work out that much that you will need to do minimum reps and you may barely get through this whole routine, but set this as your goal.

If I have extra time, I will throw in Rhythm Boxing for another 10 minutes as that is the most cardiovascular workout out of all the Aerobic ones.

So I highly recommend Wii Fit, it will benefit anyone who doesn’t have the will or time to use a gym. It is better than a workout video as you can vary your exercise routine and you get to weigh yourself regularly to keep track of your goals.

-Dragon Blogger

I logged into my Google Analytics recently and noticed the home page now has a default column for % changes which compares your previous months web sites with your current month all summarized at your fingertips.  This is an extremely welcome touch as it allows me to see my monthly growth overview without having to delve into each individual site listed and playing with dates and options.

You can also quickly do weekly, yearly or daily comparisons as well.  In addition you can get quick summary of either unique visits, bounce rate, average time on site or completed goals.

So here is the statistics comparing my four sites between September 12th - October 12th versus October 13th - November 12th.

(click for larger view)

If you look at my statistics the are broken out as follows for unique visits:
DragonBlogger.com is up 61.37% over the previous month
RockAlongProductions.com is up 41.17% over the previous month
WandererThoughts.com is up 229.78% over the previous month
JustinGermino.com is up a whopping 591.29% over the previous month

Twitter is one of the main reasons for my huge spike in my personal diary site, as well as the fact that I drop more entrecard credits for that site now than I did in september.  Either way it is good to see all four of my blogs are growing very rapidly in viewership and unique visitors, as long as my growth is in the double or triple digits my sites are expanding to my satisfaction.  I will be adding this new monthly metric to track as I want a minimum a certain growth on all my blogs to show that they are expanding.

Thanks to everyone who visits my sites and finds my content worth reading, I enjoy hearing from all of you.

-Dragon Blogger

Our Company Rock Along Productions is putting together its 2nd live rock music show in Gilbert, Arizona at Crabby Don’s.  This show features three local bands:  Razer, Daughters of Fission and Big Mouth Mason with special guest Opus Dai coming in from California.

If you live in the greater Phoenix area I encourage everyone to come out to the show, tickets are only $7 and if you are one of the first 100 people you get a free signed poster from Opus Dai.  I will be at the door putting on wrist bands and look forward to meeting and talking with you.

Here is the poster for the show which I also designed:

-Dragon Blogger

In just under three months Dragonblogger.com has finally achieved just over 15,000 links on the web according to the Link Popularity Check tool which I use regularly to track how my blogs are doing.  In fact all four of my blogs are doing fairly well, my poetry blog is actually gaining many backlinks faster than my personal blog.

I posted about using LPC before to track your blog statistics and my goals, I still have a short ways to go to catch one of my favorite sites visually Aronil who has almost 20,000 links.  However, when my friend Damien Riley’s Postcards From The Funny Farm blog has a whopping 21,222 links which is amazing.  Every once in a while I will plug other blog URL’s to LPC and see where they measure and I measure against them.

LPC clearly doesn’t mean you have more PageRank or better Alexa rank, but it shows that your site has more coverage and reach out there and is therefore a good measure on how much reach your site may have.  So far I have seen all of my blogs grow steadily and I want to break 20,000 links by December 31st.  This would be quite an achievement to have my blog reach 20,000 links in less than 5 months.

See the blogs I track and the link count on them (click for larger image)

-Dragon Blogger

I had finally had enough and I have always been an advocate of Zone Alarm in the past. For some reason on my Windows Vista Business Edition Zone Alarm would spew popups left and right for every program, it would constantly forget when I check “remember my decision” and I was just wasting too much time clicking 20-30 times during an application install to treat the program like an installer.

Seriously, as if my bloated windows operating system could handle yet another program spawning mass popup’s. My Windows Vista really needs to take some cyber diet pills or something. My 2GB of ram is almost used up by my day to day program use, Google Chrome browser alone eats up nearly 400mb when I leave it and many tabs open at the same time, Firefox which I run in parallel eats another 160mb. Seriously do we need to use 700mb of ram for two browsers to be open, this just seems like bloated code and memory leaks to me.

So now I am using just Windows Defender for the time being until I decide to try something else. Avira Antivirus seems to work very well for finding malware and triggers warnings periodically, even when downloading files from the freeware sites and such they can contain Trojans. Slim down your OS as much as possible folks, use msconfig to trim and disable as many non-essential start programs so that they don’t start sucking up ram the moment your operating system loads.

You can use freeware to do this as well, I will start posting some reviews of good ones, one of my favorites was Advanced Uninstaller Pro, but it isn’t free and my trial expired a while ago.

-Dragon Blogger

Just to tell everyone how easy it is to slip off a moderation and exercise diet I have been very busy as of late, since starting my four blogs and working tons of hours. I have not forced myself to work out as much as I was previously. We all know what the best fat burner is and we just have to commit to it.

I have also been sloppy on my portion control and was eating an extra item or two when I went to fast food places, this really can catch up to you. Now, I am up to 163 pounds which for a five foot ten inch man is not fat, but it definitely concerns me that I gained four pounds in two months by not exercising as hard as I should and with Las Vegas tomorrow, Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner lets face it, I am going to eat.

My wife is a chef after all, and I just can’t help but overindulge in the great culinary delights that are presented at the dinner table during holidays. I will have to step up my exercise plan for the next several weeks and try to make sure I don’t keep gaining. I write this just to encourage everyone else who gains a little don’t be defeated and don’t take it as a total loss, losing weight is a learning experience and you keep working at it and tweaking your routine and regimen until you find the best fit.

Good luck my friends.

-Dragon Blogger

I can’t figure it out, first shaiya the free MMORPG game and now Fallout 3 gives me the same problem. Both games install 100% correctly and without issue, but the moment I try to run either of the games my Windows Vista immediately gives me blue screen of death and my computer reboots instantly. This seems like a video card driver/monitor issue.

I know my Dell FPS2407 Monitor only likes 1920×1200 resolution, and I am stuck using analog instead of DVI cable for connection due to my KVM switch and sharing the monitor between multiple computers. I can’t figure out if it is a driver isse with my video cards, or the fact that maybe you can’t run games with Vista Business Edition, maybe I need Ultimate edition or something.

I didn’t have any problem with Kings Bounty, so I don’t know what it could be. This is maddeningly frustrating and I need these problems like I need used and discarded Halloween costumes.

I am leaving tomorrow and don’t have any time to troubleshoot this for at least a week, meantime I can blog about it and vent my frustrations here.

Thanks for listening to my rant folks.

-Dragon Blogger