Stuff I Like: Electro blogs.

I'm a fan of electro, I'll admit- I found house music to be bland (something about fifteen-second samples), but this blog covers much more than that- spanning music releases like Dada Life's GF#13 and a go-to list of events to hit up.

Check it out [ here ].

Blogs I like: Ian Bowden @ bowdeni.com

I've been talking about SEO for a while. Here's someone who's been making a living off of it:

[ http://bowdeni.com/ ]

My TL;DR: Search engine optimization is important, and is something that can (should?) be utilized to drive traffic your way. When Google and other search engines are the first place people turn to for answers, it pays for your solution to be the first thing they see.

Unrelated, but neat: [ http://www.catsforgold.com/ ].

Stuff I Like: Blogworld @ blogworld.com

Check it out:

[ http://www.blogworld.com ] is a resource for both ends of blogging- those looking to get into the business (if you can call it that) and business trying to get involved with social media.

Worth reading:

[ How not to pitch to a blogger ] via [source]
[ Thirty Days to a Better Blog ]
[ 9 SEOers Optimizing ]

It's important to know how to get your word out there- starting out is difficult, because building a readership when you've got little to no content is an uphill battle. Search engines are your friend, and understanding how they work makes them a utility.

Google works (partially) on backlinks- that is, the more often your pages are linked across other sites, the higher it appears in search rankings. Furthermore, the more often you are clicked in Google's search results, the heavier your site will be weighted the next time it's ordered.

In addition to the Free Hosting and Domain guides, a DIY SEO guide has been added to the queue.

Not a guide, just some pondering:

I'm considering getting a paid domain name (if only for branding) and I even have an idea for how I'd use it.

Unfortunately, ccwk.net is already taken (I could totes imagine a CCWK CONTENT NETWORK site), but that's meh-tier.

If I develop the project far enough, I think it would be a profitable enough venture to make the hosting worthwhile.

I wonder- what are the differences between hosting companies' singular and reseller plans? I know that resellers pay more for less in terms of resources, but it could be that they get more in terms of actual hardware resources.

Also worth looking into: a VPS or an actual dedicated server, if I'm going to try and sell hosting options.

I think it's time for me to learn PHP, too.

More on all of this later.

Low-Content: The Qemists

Deviating from the recent trend of "articles", here's a simple artist recommendation:

Check out the DnB (bordering on Dubstep) group, [ The Qemists ].

Something like alternative meets moody electro, I think. Their songs aren't necessarily the "repeated listen" sort of tracks, but they're a fresh step out of my recent rock binge.

That hosting article is on its way, I promise!

On Webhosting and Domain Names

Please be prepared for a ridiculous wall-of-text.

Over the last 8 hours or so I've muddled through setting up a completely free blog (perhaps a website later?).

Check it out over at [ http://mxdev.x10.mx ].

I even have a fresh .co.cc domain going up as soon as the nameserver changes propogate.

More on all of this after the break. Click the |Comments?| button to proceed.

Stuff I like: Zen Habits

"Men are like steel. When they lose their temper, they lose their worth."
~Chuck Norris

[ http://zenhabits.net/ ] speaks for itself, mostly.

Zen is a curious thing. Difficult for me to explain to my satisfaction. Suffice it to say that watching [ Life ] and reading old zen texts is the easiest way to begin understanding the concept.

When I reach a "Zen" state, I am clear. Devoid of thought, feeling, words, and attachments.

It's not something I can maintain for very long, but it's a pleasant place to be.

[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen ]

Shameless Airsoft Plugs

"Other people and things can stop you temporarily. You're the only one who can do it permanently."


~Zig Ziglar

I was introduced to the almost-milsim that is Airsoft (sometimes called softtair) by an old friend who just recently left for college. Airsoft is a game (or a sport, depending on how seriously you take it) that involves launching small, relatively lightweight plastic pellets at high velocity (typically propelled by compressed air in one form or another) to simulate gunfire without the danger of bullet wounds. The industry backing the sport is pretty big. We're talking 20+ manufacturers big. People pouring more than $500.00 into a single rifle big.

It's not just manufacturers that are producing rifles, though- it's also the players- a friend of mine (the same one who introduced me) sold me my first rifle. It started out as a stock TSD M16A3 - a rifle of decent pedigree - and he upgraded it with higher-quality internal components, such that the rifle fires harder and faster than almost any other stock rifle (and it's still field-legal, too!).

That being said, he's been doing this for awhile- buying a "decent" rifle, upgrading it, and reselling it for a profit. He's also introduced me to some good sources (if you're in the United States) of rifles and parts.

[ http://evike.com/ ] and [ http://airsoftgi.com/ ] are two reliable retailers for stock equipment.

[ http://www.airsoftforum.com/board/forums.html ] is an excellent resource for questions regarding almost everything airsoft, as well as an excellent marketplace for purchasing and selling rifles.

I'm still a nubcake, though- I'm working on manufacturing some field-ready armor. More on that later.

Infographic: Digital Distractions

"A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason."

~J. P. Morgan


I'm going to start using quotes to start posts more often. Please enjoy another infographic:

Of Interest: Russian Resources!

Dobre Utra. Доброе утро. Good morning~


[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_language ]
[ http://masterrussian.com/ ]
[ http://www.freedict.com/onldict/rus.html ]

Pronunciation is easy for me (I'm good at picking up accents).

Learning to read is a bit difficult, though. The Russian alphabet has something like 33 letters, special rules for spelling, and is a form of Cyrillic script.

Stuff I like: Marry Me @ Keenspot.com

Calimera (Καλημέρα), readers!

Average guy gets married to a rockstar after holding a "MARRY ME" sign at one of her concerts. Serious quantities of awk ensue. This is [ http://marryme.keenspot.com/ ], a well-written, well-illustrated graphic novel that is available online for your perusal.

It doesn't appear to be finished yet, but the artwork is visually appealing and I like the story.

Still getting back into the swing of publishing things more often.

Self-improvement September.

I've taken it upon myself to self-improve during September.

I'm teaching myself the basics of Russian and Greek (two completely foreign languages), and hitting the gym on an almost-daily basis.

To that end, I'm interested in the Rosetta Stone programs for the two languages- I learned German through immersion in the country, but I don't have that opportunity for Russian or Greek.

Unfortunately, Rosetta Stone is almost prohibitively expensive without a discount of some kind, so that's not even an option.

I'm doing these things to level up IRL. What will you do?