(You can see me in the left circle)

Who said you have to spend tons of money on July 4th or New Year’s Eve to put on an amazing fireworks display? Thanks to the crazy people on YouTube, I have discovered a way to make my own cheap pyrotechnics called firewire.

This takes almost no preparation and is very simple to do.

Here are the materials:

• Grade #0000 super fine steel wool
• 5-6 feet of thin flexible wire (speaker wire, copper wire)
• 9v battery

After you have the materials it is time to assemble your cheap pyrotechnic. Just tie a slip knot in the end of your thin wire, then take one roll of steel wool and place it in the slip knot. Make sure your slip knot is very tight, this will keep the steel wool from burning as quickly near the wire and will keep the wool from being flung off prematurely.

Now you are almost ready to use your cheap pyrotechnic. You will want to wear a hoodie, jeans and tennis shoes because you will be standing a in a shower of sparks. With your hood on, grab one end of the steel wool and touch the battery to the other end. You will see the steel wool begin to glow, when it does start spinning it. Make sure to keep your head down. Sparks will go about 20 feet in front, behind and above you so make sure youre in an open area.

Once you know exactly how it works get your friends involved. See how many simultaneous firewire displays you and your friends can get going at once. Who thought spending 4 bucks at Lowes or Home Depot could yield so much fun!

(Caution: Do this at your own risk

So, you finally made it to Las Vegas, your on a budget and you don’t know what to do next. Don’t worry, there are plenty of things to do in Las Vegas that are inexpensive. For those of us who are tight with our money and for those of us who will lose all of our spending money playing blackjack before we get to the hotel room… this goes for you too.

 Vegas offers a lot of free shows and other forms of entertainment, you just have to know where to be when these events are happening. There are several free shows that anyone can go to. Most of them are put on in front of hotels and usually occur on an hourly basis, although the starting time will depend on when the hotel has it scheduled. During my stay at Vegas we attended several shows. The first show we saw was at the Mirage, called the Mirage Volcano. This show features, you guessed it, a volcano which spews smoke and fire. We found it pretty entertaining for the price of admission. Our next stop was the Bellagio, where a $40 million dollar lake was made for your entertainment.

At the Bellagio you will experience an array of enormous fountains which shoot water 460 feet into the air. Our favorite of the free shows was a pirate show at the Treasure Island Hotel, where a ship full of pirates are sailing through the ocean are met with cannon fire and have to… well I don’t want to ruin it. If you have seen the shows already and are looking for some more cheap entertainment just look around. Sounds boring? Trust me its not. Throughout our stay we walked around in many fancy hotels. Our favorite hotel to walk through was the Venetian. This hotel had everything from a casino to a shopping mall to a singing french man paddling a gondola while passengers ride behind him. No joke if you’re not renting a room in the Venetian at least go and check it out, just a warning though you might get lost inside this massive hotel.

If you are fan then you probably already want to do this. Visit the Pawn Stars!!! Ever since I’ve seen the TV show I have wanted to go and check out the store in person. Unfortunately I didn’t get to do this, but if you are in the area you should check it out.  These are just a few inexpensive entertainment possibilities that are available. Don’t forget to take pictures! People will love to hear about your time in Vegas.

    (Photo courtesy scrapetv.com)

By: Blake

     PspGoSpot.com offers unlimited PSP game and movie downloads for a one time fee of $29. This seems like a great deal, as many new games can cost around $40. Unfortunately, as the saying goes, if it seems too good to be true it probably is. For me this was the case with PspGoSpot.com.

     It is true they offer unlimited downloads, but what I didn’t realize and I’m sure many other people don’t realize is that you have to mod your PSP to use the downloads. This site tells you how to mod your PSP and downgrade it’s system software so you can use the provided downloads. If your like me then you don’t want to have anything to do with modding, which I’m pretty sure is illegal. The part I really don’t like about the process of modding is the fact that you HAVE to download several potentially malicious software programs. If you don’t download these programs then you simply can’t mod your PSP. Here is some of the disclaimer from their site…

“Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement.”

After I realized that I had to mod my PSP to use these games I wanted my money back. I remember reading the following on PspGoSpot.com’s FAQ page:

Q: What kind of support do you provide?
A: We are working every day, our office hours are in Eastern Time Zone of the United States of America. You can contact us by E-mail and our customer support will take in consideration your request asap.

     So I clicked the “contact us” link on the bottom of the page. I expected to find a phone number, but an e-mail page opened up instead. No problem. I typed my message then clicked send. ERROR. I tried again, and again. ERRORx2. Ok, maybe my e-mail isn’t set up to be compatible with the pop up messenger. I decided to take the address listed in the “pop up” e-mail and send my refund request to them from my hotmail account. Unfortunately this didn’t work either. I got an automatic e-mail sent to my hotmail account that stated the message couldn’t be sent to their e-mail address. I  began looking for a phone number or some other way of contacting them, but I found nothing. There is no phone number, e-mail address or any other way of contacting a representative from PspGoSpot.com anywhere on the site.

     I’ve had enough so I have decided to simply call my credit card company and back charge the amount I paid. If you are not into modding your PSP then don’t bother with PspGoSpot.com. It’s just a waste of time and a pain in the a@# to get your money back.

By: Blake

I just got back from a five day vacation in Las Vegas and who goes to Vegas without hitting some of the casinos? Of course I had to try my luck and unlike many people I was able to walk out of the casino with more money than I came in with. That’s right! I actually made money. Of course winning is every gambler’s objective when sitting down to play any casino game. Trying to out smart the ”house” is a task people take upon themselves to try every day. Usually, it boils down to luck. But if you know the odds of winning, you have a much better chance of walking out with a little more beer money than you came in with. As for guaranteed odds… I know a surefire way to beat the roulette table without risking any money!

Roulette is probably the easiest game, next to slots, to play in a casino and is the game that won me most of my money during my trip to Las Vegas. It’s pretty simple, you place your bet on any of the 36 numbers you think the ball will land on. Each individual number has a 2.63% chance of winning, but pay out 35/1. You can also bet on an even or odd and black or red. These have higher odds of winning and is where I put all of my bets. The odds of winning if you bet on either black, red, even or odd is 47.37%, almost 50 percent. The payout is 1/1 since the odds are higher that you will win. The infamous zero and double zero is what gives the casino an advantage and makes it impossible to gain better odds than the casino. In the long run you will always lose all of your money.

Since roulette was invented people have developed betting strategies in an attempt to improve their odds. There is one in particular that I like, which I call Double Up. Here is how it works. You bet low amounts of money, say a dollar, on black or red and every time you lose you double your previous bet. For example, if you lose after betting one dollar you would bet two dollars the next round. If you win that round you will get your dollar back and make a dollar. Then go back to betting one dollar until you lose again. Rinse and repeat. Unfortunately this method will not work in the long run as you can only double your money so many times. Most roulette tables also have maximum bet limits. This makes doubling your money impossible after a certain point. These limits also make it impossible for someone to put 100,000 on black, double up their money and walk away. As for winning roulette without risking any money, well Albert Einstein says it best “You cannot beat a roulette table unless you steal money from it”. I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Everyone is looking for the best way to beat a casino at their own games, but if that were possible then all casinos would be out of business. When I walk into a casino I don’t plan on winning. I just want to have a good time, but if I win a couple hundred bucks in the process then that will just add to the enjoyment of the experience. The key is to know when to quit and don’t be too greedy!

4.9 seconds.  But is horsepower everything? Some will say no, the Mustang is about 400 pounds lighter than the Camaro SS and the Challenger R/T. Dropping the extra pounds lets the Mustang make it from 0 to 60 in 5.6 seconds. Not bad in comparison considering the big difference in horsepower. The 2010 Mustang is smaller than it than both the Camaro and Challenger with a wheel base of 107.1, compared to the Camaro’s 112.3 and the Challenger’s 116 inch wheel base. The Mustang’s smaller size helps it drop the extra pounds.

The interior on the Mustang looks similar to previous models, but the hard plastic that was on the instrument panel top has been upgraded to a higher quality material that stretches from door to door and flows nicely with the rest of the dash. Many people are happy with this design change as it is a nice upgrade from the pieced together plastic panels from previous models.

There are many nice muscle cars available, but in my opinion there is no one vehicle that is better than the other. When it comes down to it you will pick the vehicle that you feel suits you the best. The new 2010 Mustang, Camaro, and Charger are a few possible options when choosing a muscle car to buy. Some people may not prefer a new vehicle and will stick with the classic 1977 Mustang they grew up with. For me though it’s a toss up between the Camaro and the Mustang. If only I could have both… 

(image courtesy blogspot.com)

By: Blake

Redbox is becoming more and more popular and as a result of its popularity a problem has formed. So many people want to spend their dollar on a movie that long lines form in front of the machines making the whole renting process a pain. Waiting for people new to the Redbox experience to figure out how to pick a movie can be frustrating. A long line in front of the machine may make you miss your 9:00 24 hour deadline. But wait, lets take a step back and look at the whole picture. Maybe long lines aren’t as bad as we make them seem.

I will admit, in congested areas renting a DVD from a Redbox may be difficult. Especially if you are renting during Redbox rush hour, the weekend. Some people will go to great lengths to find a Redbox in a discrete location so they will be able to avoid the hassle of dealing with long lines. The only solutions I see is if there were more Redbox locations or if you rent when no one else is. Reserving a movie online can save time as well. If everyone reserved online the lines would move much quicker if a line even had time to form.

As for returning a DVD just before the 9:00 deadline… if you are really worried about an extra dollar then you will get the DVD back well before 9:00. It is only a dollar after all, so if you end up spending 2 dollars on a movie rental you are still better off than if you rented from any other movie rental service. Hollywood video in my area used to charge 5 dollars for a week rental. Ever since Redbox showed up they have lowered their price, but 2 dollars still beats their new price.

Ultimately if renting from a Redbox is too much of a hassle then I would go back to one of the original ways of renting. That’s what I would do, take the path of least resistance. Once Redbox became convenient once again I would go back to using it’s service, but right now in my area long lines aren’t much of a problem. So, until that happens I’m sticking with the Redbox.

(If you liked this story about Redbox click Here)

Place adsense click ads in Wordpress Blog with text going around with a simple code.

By Dennis Bandy

There is a simple HTML code used in Wordpress blogs to position adsense ads and some adsense alternatives, with no plug-in required. The code allows positioning of click advertisements into the post so that the text will wrap. This not only makes the page look better, it can also increase CTR (Click Through Rates). I like that there is no plug-in required to place the click ads or affiliate program html. The ads can also be set to appear on the left or right with the text wrapping nicely.

By using the code to insert adsense click ads, the space on the page can be used more effectively and will in turn help your website to monetize at a higher rate. A little bit of experimenting with different size and formats of ads may be necessary depending on which Wordpress template is being used. After a little trial and error the right combination can be figured out quickly. At the time of this post, I’ve not tried the wrap code with adsense alternatives like Chitika, Taboola, Widgetbucks, Adbrite, Clicksor, Bidvertiser, Adtoll, ExitJunction, TargetPoint, FastClick or ClickThruTraffic. I’m interested to find out if the simple adsense wrap code will work for those alternatives in Wordpress as well. So comment and let me know (and pick up a link at the same time).

The html code places the adsense ad to the left and text wraps around it.

If you want the adsense ad placement to the right, simply change the [float: left] to [float: right] see below;

<div style="float: left; margin: 3px 3px 3px 3px;">

place adsense script here</div>

Please bookmark this page and any links are appreciated!

(Photo courtesy hitempohobiekayaks.wordpress.com) 

Buying the right kayak can be easy if you know what you are looking for. There are many to choose from, but I know my favorite brand is Hobie. They offer a variety of kayaks that are built to handle the requirements of many outdoor activities. With a set of foot pedals, traveling on the water has never been easier. Use your pedals to silently propel you to your favorite fishing area. Some of the Hobie kayaks come fully equiped with everything you will need for a day of fishing.

This particular kayak has a place to clip your rod on the side of the boat where it will stay until you reach your fishing destination and a place to hold your rod while you wait to catch a fish. This Hobie even comes with a live well where you can keep fish you have caught. If you are like me then you enjoy taking your kayak down a spring river.

Before we had our Hobies we used to rent kayaks so we could go down Weeki Wachee Springs where we would start up river and go down river. Now we don’t have to rent. Instead we park down river and pedal the kayaks up river to the point where we used to rent. Once we get there we turn around and follow the spring back to our vehicle. Of course this could be done with regular kayaks, but getting up stream would be much harder without the foot pedals.

Hobie is a great company. Certain days of the month they will go out to a body of water and let people try out Hobie kayaks. If there is a specific type would like to try all you have to do is call them and if one is available they will bring it so you can try it for yourself. This is how I got hooked on Hobie. Ever since I got my kayak I can’t wait for the weekend so I can get it out on the water.

By: Blake

LTD, live the dream is the motto painted on my new guitar. The KH-202 is a huge upgrade from my previous guitar which was a Squire by Fender. I had to retire my old guitar, which was also my first guitar, after I started trying to learn more difficult songs. There were some things that just couldn’t be done on it. After a trip to Sam Ash I was able to find the guitar that would suit my new song choices.

There were several songs that I wanted to learn on my old guitar. A couple were Thunderstruck by AcDc and Crazy Train by Ozzy. You’ve most likely heard both of these songs and know that there are some fast parts that require some taping. After trying both songs for a couple of weeks on my old guitar I was beginning to think that I was never going to learn them. That was until a friend came over that already knew Crazy Train and was unable to play the solo on my guitar. He promptly told me that I needed a new guitar.

We took a trip down to Sam Ash to look for my new axe. That is when I found the KH-202. I pulled it off the wall and started playing. After playing some Metallica songs I was comfortable with I switched over to the intro of Thunderstruck. To my surprise I played it perfectly, I could hear Brian Johnson chanting thunder as the notes flowed through the store’s amp.

The pickups on the KH-202 were much better than my old Fender and made playing in general easier. Hammer ons and pull offs sounded like I was picking each note and taping was now possible. The fact that it was a part of the Kirk Hammett series made it that much more desirable.

After I got my KH-202 LTD home i was living the dream. The $400 price tag wasn’t that bad considering that I won’t need another guitar for a very long time. Besides it has many features I like including the Floyd Rose bridge and skull and cross bone inlays. It’s a sweet guitar that will keep me satisfied for a long time.

After seeing the new Prius commercial I realized that I had just heard a song that was strangely interesting to me. It isn’t even close to the type of music I listen to, but I had to know more about it. I know there are many other people who have gotten the urge to google the Prius commercial after hearing the song, so hopefully this information will answer a few of your questions.

The unique commercial is filled with people acting as scenery with a unique song playing in the background. After doing some looking I was able to find out that the song was originally by the Bellamy Brothers and is called “Let your Love Flow”. The song released in 1976 and reached the top of the country charts in 1979. Of course if you have heard this version you will know that it is not the same as the version in the Prius commercial.

The version of “Let your Love Flow” in the Prius commercial is a cover by Petra Haden. Unfortunately this version is only currently available on the Toyota website. I think that was a great idea to get people to visit the Toyota site although it does limit the songs availability. Most people would expect to find the cover on Itunes, but only the Bellamy Brothers version is there. It seems like a lot of people like Petra Haden’s cover of “Let your Love Flow” and the only place to get it is on Toyota’s site, but I think it will make it to Itunes some day.

So there you have it. The Bellamy Brothers classic hit “Let your Love Flow” was revived by Petra Haden on the new Prius commercial and it seems that it has become a hit song once again.