Happy Vampires

The Vacation Season is fast approaching and naturally you will be taking your digital camera along for the journey. After all your vacations are far and few between and it is nice to look back on those memories as you slave away at your job. However, when you travel with a digital camera, it is a completely different experience from that of traveling with a film camera. This is a lesson that far too many travelers seem to be learning the hard way, especially if you’re traveling to Europe. After a couples years of relying solely on digital camera for taking photos when I travel, there are things you should consider before you head off on your next trip.

Charging Batteries is one of the biggest stumbling blocks you’ll face when you travel. Outlets can be scarce in hotels. On a recent trip to Europe, only one of the five modern hotels I stayed in had more than one outlet available for use when charging up electronics. Charging your battery can be more of a hassle if you’re traveling by train: If you take an overnight train in Europe, they don’t have power adapters at the seats (certain trains do, but it’s not something you can count on). I suggest bringing at least two rechargeable batteries, three if you plan to travel with overnight trains, or don’t think you’ll be able to charge every night. If your camera uses regular AA batteries, consider yourself lucky-you’ll find those everywhere. Scope out the situation in your room when you check in: You should get at least one usable outlet, but don’t count on more than that.

Bring your plugs. Some digital cameras typically come with a power brick that can handle international voltages, so you won’t need a voltage adapter. However, you will need a power plug adapter to convert a US outlet plug to the local plug. Most of Europe is on the same outlet now-but not all countries accept the general “Europe” plug. Be sure to research what you’ll need to jack in, and try to buy it before you leave (try CompUSA, Radio Shack, Rand McNally, or your local luggage store). If you don’t have a chance to get what you need Stateside, don’t fret: You should have no trouble finding an outlet converter overseas.

How do I offload my images? For fellow travelers using digicams, this was the number one problem I have heard repeatedly. Many comments from folks traveling for a week or more are: “I’m taking more pictures than I expected to.” “I’m not shooting at the best resolution, because I need the room on my memory card.” “I’m only halfway through my trip, and I have only 50 shots left.” When you travel, odds are you’ll take more pictures than you expect to also. A 1 GB card is very useful, and should suffice for low-usage shooters. But for those of us, who can go through a gigabyte or more in a day, not a week? Whether it’s because your a high-volume shooter, shooting in RAW format, or a combination of the two. What I discovered is many who had digital SLRs, that had 5 megapixel or more reported they were traveling with a laptop to off load their images. None of these folks were traveling on business, so they didn’t need to bring a laptop along. The sad fact is, for now, a laptop remains the most efficient and usable means of off loading images. Epson and Nikon have dedicated handheld units with a hard drive, card reader, and LCD display for copying over and viewing your images. But neither has a full-blown keyboard.

If you’re first buying a laptop, and intend to travel with it, I suggest going for the smallest one you can. Fujitsu, Panasonic, Sharp, and Sony all have models under four pounds. A laptop provides several additional advantages. For one thing, you can see your pictures on a big screen-to view how you’re doing, and if you see any problems you want to correct with your exposure, for example, or if your pictures are being affected by dirt. For another thing, you can properly label your folders, so you know which pictures were taken where.

Most newer laptops have integrated memory card readers, but otherwise, you can buy a small external card reader. For the wire-free approach, use a PC Card slot adapter for your memory card; and invest in a 32-bit Cardbus adapter (Delkin and Lexar Media offer these), for speedier transfers. Nothing′s worse than coming back to the hotel after a long day of sightseeing, and needing to stay awake another 40 minutes just to off -load two 1 GB cards, at about 20 minutes a pop. If you bring a laptop, I also suggest investing in a portable hard drive.

A portable hard drive can serve multiple purposes: It can be a means of backing up your photos on the go; a means of giving you a way to take your photos with you if you have to leave your laptop unattended and a means of expansion, if you somehow manage to fill up your laptop’s built-in hard disk. If you don′t want to bring a laptop, and already have an Apple iPod, Belkin sells an attachment for using your iPod with memory cards; or, consider the pricey units from Nikon and Epson. And if you′re in a bind, remember you can always buy memory overseas.

I was surprised that when I went to Europe, the prices were high, but not so outrageously so that I wouldn’t buy another card if I were in a bind. Cards were more readily available, too, than they were when I last traveled through Europe three years ago. Look at it this way: Even if you overpay on the card, you can still reuse it-which beats overpaying for a single use 35mm film cartridge when you were in a bind in years’ past.

Be prepared for problems. Things happen when you travel and I′ve had more things go awry carrying my digital SLR than I have had with my 35mm over the years. Lens paper is always useful to have on hand, but if you have a digital SLR, another supply is absolutely critical: An air blower bulb, to blast out the dust and dirt that will inevitably get trapped inside your camera. I never had problems with my 35mm SLR, but with my digital SLR, I constantly find dirt gets trapped inside, when I change lenses. And there’s nothing worse than having a splotch marring your otherwise awesome shots. Finally, remember the philosophy of redundancy.

Whether your battery dies and you have no way to charge it, or you run out of space on your memory card(s), and don’t want to buy another at a higher-than-usual price, I suggest packing a second camera if you can. A digital point and shoot is a good option but I usually carry a point and shoot 35mm to use if I run into any problems just so I won’t lose any precious pictures.

Doug Rogers has worked as a freelance photographer for the past 25 years in various fields of photography. In the past two years he has become an avid and devoted fan of digital and video photography and a life long lover of new technology. For tips on better digital photography and the latest reviews on the newest digital equipment that hits the market, Subscribe to his monthly Newsletter “The ViewFinder” at best-digital-cameras-review.com best-digital-cameras-review.com

The exceptionally talented super group Pieces of a Dream, celebrating 30 years of funky jazz have released their latest CD entitled Pillow Talk.

This is the latest in a long list of contemporary jazz releases by this group and I have been very impressed with the sound quality of the tracks on this CD.

Although this is essentially an instrumental CD vocal contributors on the project include Ramona Dunlap, Cherie Mitchell and Scott Mann among others.

The vocals seem to be just right to accompany the music. Very rich and soulful, and delivered with confidence yet still mellow too. All at the same time. True, the occasional vocals enhance the music, but on this CD the music is what really makes the project special.

The group is led by acclaimed keyboardist James Lloyd, and drummer Curtis Harmon into a stirring opening track entitled House Arrest. A very groovable tune that will at the very least have you tapping your toes.

From there the listener is treated to a buffet of simply fantastic music making Pillow Talk one of those CD’s that’s good any time you just need to put on some music and pour yourself a glass of your favorite wine and mellow out a bit.

One that goes great with a fireplace, your favorite bottle of wine and your significant other.

Overall I think Pillow Talk is an outstanding release. What I call, must have music. I give it two thumbs up. Even the casual smooth jazz fan will appreciate and enjoy Pieces of a Dream’s very nice mix of smooth and funky style.

A real pleasure to listen to as none of the tracks on it leave you disappointed.

The standout tunes and SmoothJazz247.com favorites on Pillow Talk are Foward Emotion [track 2], Wake Up Call [track 6], and In That Mood [track 9]. My SmoothLee Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 8, Those 3 Words. Very nice!

Release Notes:

Pieces of a Dream originally released Pillow Talk on March 28, 2006 on the Heads Up record label.

CD track list follows:

1. House Arrest
2. Foward Emotion
3. Triflin′
4. Sincere
5. Sailing
6. Wake Up Call
7. Teresa
8. Those 3 Words
9. In That Mood
10. Attitude
11. Your Love
12. Pillow Talk

Get the information you want on your favorite smooth jazz songs and artists at

Over 29,000 poker players came to Las Vegas from 40 different countries all over the earth to play in the 2005 World Series of Poker tournament events. This generated a total net prize pool of over $103,000,000 dollars, more than twice the total prize pool amount in 2004. New records were being made and old ones being broken so fast the challenge was to keep up with them all. Here is a “complete report” of what went on at this years World Series of Poker. It is complete because it covers tournament events #1 to #45.

Records were being made from the start as 662 casino employees entered Event #1 which was the “Casino Employee No-limit Hold’Em” tournament. The number broke the record set last year, which was 279 entrants. Andy Nguyen, a poker dealer from Binion’s in Las Vegas, won this event earning a payday of $83,390. Things really picked up as Event #2 “No-Limit Texas Hold’Em” began with an astounding 2,305 players signing up to play. For comparison, the 2004 WSOP Main Event had 2,576 players in it. Allen Cunningham was the recipient of a WSOP gold bracelet and $725,405 for winning this one. Event #3 “Pot-Limit Hold’Em” had Thom Werthmann pocketing $369,535 by overcoming tough play from Layne Flack in the heads up match at the final table. Another WSOP record was set when 21 year old Eric Froehlich became the youngest person to earn a WSOP championship bracelet by winning Event #4 “Limit Hold’Em” and an additional $361,910 for his efforts. Pat Poels who quit his full time job to become a professional poker player won event #5 “Omaha Hi-Low Split”. His paycheck that day was $270,100. Isaac Galazan won Event #6 “No-limit Hold’Em” a shootout tournament by defeating a determined Harry Demetriou and took home $315,125 for becoming champion.

Event #7 “No-Limit Hold′Em with Rebuys” was won by 24 year old poker tournament millionaire Michael Gracz, picking up an additional $594,460 for the win. But Michael said he would give up all the winnings just to have the WSOP bracelet, that’s how much it meant to him. Event #8 “Seven Card Stud″ had online qualifier Cliff Josephy claim the victory and $192,100. Erik Seidel picked up his 6th WSOP bracelet and $611,795 after winning the Event #9 “No-Limit Hold′Em” tournament. Reza Payvar who saw a marathon 13 hour heads up match to the end, won Event #10 “Limit Hold′Em”. Reza, who received $303,610 and a WSOP bracelet, stated he dedicated the win to his father who passed away last year. Reza missed the 2004 WSOP to be with his father who had cancer. Online qualifier Edward Moncada won Event #11 “Pot-Limit Hold′Em” receiving his first WSOP bracelet and $298,070. The winner of Event #12 “Pot Limit Omaha” was Josh Arieh who earned his 2nd gold WSOP bracelet along with a $381,600 payday.

In his 58th major tournament win, T.J. Cloutier picked up his 6th WSOP bracelet by winning the Event #13 “No Limit Hold′Em″ event and pocketing $657,100 in the process. Event #14 “Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split” lasted 36 hours, but in the end Steve Hohn picked up his bracelet and $156,985. Steve even endured a 4 1/2 hour heads up battle with Mike Wattel at the final table to capture this tournament victory! Mark Seif was able to place a desired crown on his poker resume by winning Event #15 “Limit Hold′Em Shootout” and $181,330 in his wallet. The champion for the Event #16 “No-Limit Hold′Em Shootout” tournament was Anthony Reategui, proving himself the best of 780 players for the title of champion and $269,100. Quinn Do ended up with $265,975 for winning Event #17’s “Limit Hold′Em″ tournament. Denis Ethier came from behind as the final table’s short stack to win Event #18 “Seven Card Stud High-Low Split”. Denis was rewarded with $160,682 for his effort. And Barry Greenstein became the champion of the Event #19 “Pot Limit Omaha” tournament gaining another $423,405 and a bracelet. Barry in his true humanitarian form dedicated his win to a terminally ill cancer patient named Charlie Tuttle. For Event #20 which was “Pot Limit Hold′Em″, Brian Wilson won $370,685 for his efforts at the WSOP.

Todd Brunson, son of Doyle Brunson was the winner of the Event #21 “Omaha High-Low Split” tournament. Todd won $255,945 and entered World Series of Poker history, as he and his father became the only father and son to win championship bracelets. And Mark Seif captured his 2nd WSOP bracelet in a week plus $611,145 to boot by winning the Event #22 “No-Limit Hold’Em” tournament.

Event #23 “Seven Card Stud” had a happy Jan Sorensen from Denmark ready to take home $293,275 and a bracelet for winning this tournament. Event #24 “No Limit Hold’Em” was won by the very serious, solid playing Farzad Bonyadi who earned $594,960 for the effort. In Event #25 “Pot-Limit Hold’Em”, Johnny Chan won his 10th WSOP bracelet breaking a 3-way tie with him, Doyle Brunson and Phil Hellmuth Jr., setting a record in the process. Johnny picked up a hefty $303,025 as well. Actress Jennifer Tilly turned heads again by winning Event #26 “Ladies No-Limit Hold’Em”. She actually dominated final table play against top women poker players in the world to win $158,335 and a bracelet you can’t buy in a store anywhere. Expect no less from the girlfriend of Phil “Unabomber” Laak. Phil Ivey overcame a determined Robert Williamson III to win Event #27 “Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys” earning his 5th gold WSOP bracelet and $630,685. Dan Schmiech won $404,585 by winning against actor Gabe Kaplan in the Event #28 “Limit Hold’em” tournament. Event #29 “No Limit Hold’Em” has Lawrence Gosney as this years champion pocketing $483,195 for the win. Now Event #30 “Seven Card Razz” is actually a little tough to understand and play, but O′Neil Longson proved he could do it and took home $125,690 as proof.

The 3-way tie Johnny Chan broke earlier became a tie again as Doyle Brunson won the Event #31 “No-limit Hold’Em (Short Handed 6/table)” tournament earning his 10th WSOP bracelet and $367,800 once again showing how his legendary reputation was earned. Event #32 “Omaha High-Low Split″ was won by David Chiu taking home his 4th bracelet and $347,410. Andre Boyer, a poker analyst for TV station Le Réseau des Sports in Quebec won Event #33 “No Limit Hold’Em” who’s skill was rewarded with a $682,810 payday. Event #34 “Seniors No Limit Hold’Em” has a new champion who’s name is Paul McKinney. Paul, who is 80 years old, can relax in the sun after depositing $202,725 in his bank account. Rafi Amit won Event #35 “Pot Limit Omaha” and $511,835 after becoming victorious in a heads up battle with Vinny Vinh.

A dominate Todd Witteles won Event #36 “Limit Hold’em” knocking out opponents left and right to take home the bracelet and $347,385. Event #37 “No Limit Hold’Em with Rebuys” was won by Jon Heneghan taking home $611,015 in the process. Event #38 was a super satellite tournament for seats to the Main Event, so no prize pool or list of winners was produced. Event #39 “No Limit 2 to 7 Draw Lowball with Rebuys” had David Grey as the champion who was heralded with $365,135. Event #40 was also a super satellite like #38 so there is nothing to report unfortunately. When it came time for raising money for charity, the media and celebrities in Event #41 showed up at the tables. Randy Bowman of the media won $10,000 for the Noblesville Boys and Girls Club.

Event #42 is the WSOP Main Event, the big tournament where millionaires are born. This year the first place prize was $7,500,000 and every person who made the final table became a millionaire guaranteed. 5,619 entrants competed in the tournament making it the largest in WSOP history. In fact it was so large that it had to be spread out over 9 days. 2004 champion Greg Raymer made it up to 25th place before elimination, receiving $304,680 for his efforts. But it was Joseph Hachem who became champion for this year, pocketing the $7.5 million and a beautiful diamond bracelet that can only be earned by winning the Main Event.

For those who were busted out of the Main Event, they found additional tournaments for play in Events #43, #44 and #45 which were 1 day events. Ron Kirk beat out players like Erik Seidel and Marcel Luske to take home $321,520 for winning the Event #43 “No Limit Hold′Em″ tournament. Event #44 “No Limit Hold′Em″ was won by John Pires who received $220,935 for his victory. And the Event #45 “No Limit Hold′Em″ winner was Willie Tann who happily received his bracelet and $188,335 for 1 day’s work! Not bad at all.

With the sheer size of this event and a total number of staff and players that could make up a small city, it is hard to think of anything the poker world could do to surpass it. But Harrah’s has already released the 2006 World Series of Poker Tournament Circuit schedule and it is expanded from 2005’s five tournaments to twelve, so we’ll have to wait and see. Poker on TV will keep us all happy until then.

Tom Howze is a webmaster for 9 sites that relate to

Kenny “Axil” Rose (Lead vocals), D.J. “Slash (Lead guitar), Joshua “Duff” McKagan (Bass Guitar/backing vocals), Terry “Izzy” Stradlin (Rhythm guitar/backing vocals) and Chuck “Matt Sorum” Johnson (Drums/Percussion) make Guns N’ Roses. The group has ridden a wave of success and failure spanning decades, which is almost unknown in the Heavy Metal music scene. Many fans of Guns N’ Roses believe that Guns N’ Roses is a Heavy Metal Rock band that is larger than large and has a collection of songs and hits not known to the Heavy Metal music scene since the Sex Pistols.

The lives of the band members have come under scrutiny of the public eye when the members’ experiences with drugs and sexual exploits came to the knowledge of the general public. The penchant for generating negative press dims in the light of their breathtaking song-writing and energetic performances. Their 1987 album, Appetite for Destruction, is undoubtedly a benchmark that many other albums and bands have failed to measure up to.

The fame of Guns N’ Roses continue to rock the world of Heavy Metal music with the rancorous songwriting and Slash’s vigorous guitar performances. Slash has been featured in various popular guitar magazines countless times and the band itself has been featured on many other magazines, newsletters and newspapers.

Guns N’ Roses popped into the music scene when the music scene was dominated by pop music and pop-metal and the future of Guns N’ Roses seem blurry at the point. But they proved the critics wrong when songs many consider raw and an uglier version of rock & roll came galloping into the charts full speed. The members of Guns N’ Roses are definitely not known to behave in an angelic way – and they’ve never tried to behave in any other way, in fact, the members are known to be ‘ugly’, ‘misogynist’, ‘violent’….but they are also known to be ‘funny’, ‘individualistic’, ‘vulnerable’ and sometimes ‘sensitive’.

Guns N’ Roses music is very basic and gritty – honest to a fault. They are everything true heavy metal music should be. Listening to Guns N’ Roses, listeners will soon realize that their music can evoke a wide range of emotions, from anger to sadness, from devotion to hatred.

Guns N’ Roses released their first EP in 1986 which grabbed attention of heavy metal music lovers all around the world. The release of the EP led to their first debut album, Appetite for Destruction. The album didn’t start selling until almost a year later, as the group toured and performed in numerous live shows. Only when attention was given by MTV by playing “Sweet Child of Mine”, the album shot straight for the number one spot! Taking opportunity of their sudden fame, they re-released their debut single “Welcome to the Jungle” and it instantly rocked its way to Top Ten. Other albums and songs followed including “Patience” and “One in a Million”. They started work on their follow-up album in 1990 and it’s in the same year that Adler was fired and replaced by Matt Sorum from “The Cult”. In addition, Dizzy Reed on keyboards was also introduced. The recordings for 1 new album turned into 2 new albums – “Use your Illusion I” and “Use your Illusion II”.

“Use your Illusions I and II” initially sold very well until Nirvana’s “Nevermind” broke their successful stride. Rose took over the band with a change of attitude and as a result, Stradlin, one of the best songwriter of all times, left Guns N’ Roses in 1991 and he was replaced with Gilby Clarke (Kill for Thrills). It wasn’t until 1993 that the fans of Guns N’ Roses could come to terms with the change because Stradlin had an important role to play in the band. Their following album, The Spaghetti Incident, did garner good reviews but it still failed to capture the kind of spirit that was apparent in the early days of Guns N’ Roses. Guns N’ Roses appeared to have lost their edge and many thought that they were out of the race for good. The situation was further worsened with the departure of, yet, another band member, Slash, leaving Rose as the last of the original cast for Guns N’ Roses.

In 1999, the first original song in 8 years for Guns N’ Roses, “Oh My God” was released and it was featured in “End of Days” film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. The new lineup for Guns N’ Roses consist of Rose, Finck, Buckethead, Stinson, Brian Mantia, Paul Huge, and Dizzy Reed. The new Guns N’ Roses continue to play and perform wherever they can but they generated some bad press when former members of Guns N’ Roses were BANNED from watching their performances. Soon Paul Huge joined the lineup of EX Guns N’ Roses members and was promptly replaced with Richard Fortus (former Love Spit Love). Fans and critics alike are waiting to see what the new lineup can come up with while the group of ex-GNR members continues to enjoy celebrity status.

Dean Erickson. Journalist, and web site builder Dean Erickson lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of all-guns-n-roses.info all-guns-n-roses.info on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.

Everyone likes to get a little something added onto whatever they are already getting. This is a natural human condition. For example, we are far more likely to buy the shampoo in it that has 20% more free, than the plain original bottle without the extra 20%. This is true even of gamblers. Each one is looking for an online poker bonus. But how can you get an online poker bonus?

When you sign up for a site, you are eligible for an online poker bonus. The type of online poker bonus you are eligible for is dependent on the site. Each poker site has a tendency to have their own specific online poker bonus, and you can do research to see which bonus is more beneficial to you. Once you do the research and decide which online poker bonus would be most advantageous for you to take advantage of, you just have to follow the rules and the steps required by the website to receive your online poker bonus.

We all love to get free things. We all love to get bonuses, and little presents, just for doing what we were going to do anyway. Poker and casino gambling sites know this, and this is why they offer bonuses. It is to encourage people to use their site rather than anyone else’s. They know that people are going to gamble, and they know that their site has a lot of competition. The way you can eliminate some of that competition is to establish an online poker bonus that surpasses the other ones that are available to players.

Professional SEO. He helps a number of online gambling sites like:

platinumpoker.com/ Internet Poker
doylesroom.com/ Poker
doylespokerroom.com/ Poker Room

The Internet is HUGE…and Real Estate Internet Marketing in particular is big business; and is growing as we speak. And a thing that is spurring the success of Agents leading the way is quality Real Estate Web Site Content.

Why Content? Because Buyers and Sellers log onto the Internet looking for information, not for YOU. And when they find it they are likely to keep returning to it like a bee to honey, satisfying their quest for information.

So, let me ask you. Do you think they’re more likely to keep revisiting a site with 25-50 pages, or a site with 200-300 pages?

You’d be right if you said 200-300 pages, as the more content you provide to your Web Site visitors the better they’ll be able to satisfy their need for information to make wise buying and selling decisions.

Use Real Estate Web Site Content in Sequential Autoresponders.
A Sequential Autoresponder, also known as Drip Email, allows Agents to automate some of their marketing functions. Autoresponders are great to have, as they are designed to automatically respond to any email they receive with an instant response.

By using one of these programs you won’t have to spend countless hours answering emails again. You can feel free to do other things and always know that your prospects and customers have access to the information they need anytime they want it.

To set your business on autopilot, all you need to do is get your copy ready and load it into your Autoresponder. Once a potential Buyer or current customer sends your Autoresponder address a message, the information they are seeking will automatically be delivered to them. Autoresponders are very quick - delivering information via email in a matter of seconds.

For example, you could set up a 7 Part “Special Report for First Time Home Buyers” and if potential Buyers want the information have them request it via email. But instead of giving your regular email address you should give them the email address to the Autoresponder.

Again, they’ll receive the requested information near instantly, making you look like an Agent who’s on the job…and you will be with an Autoresponder.

Use Real Estate Web Site Content as Special Buyer and Seller Reports.
Real Estate Web Site Content offers is one of the easiest, and maybe misused ways of generating real estate leads. While other forms of advertising can be very short lived (like radio, television, newspaper classified and magazines, etc.) a Web Site page can last longer than your career.

Real Estate Web Site Content is nothing more than information packaged as articles, reports, Website pages, etc. The more site content you have the more information you can provide to your Web Site visitors.

Of course many will never see all of the pages you have on your Web Site, so offering the same information as “Special Reports″ will enable you yet another way of providing the same information, but in a different manner and format.

Buyers and Sellers are hungry consumers for all things related to real estate, especially when it’s pertinent to their specific needs. And because different people have vastly different needs you should give away as many reports as you can, knowing that some of the folk receiving them will think of you when they get serious about buying or selling real estate.

Use Real Estate Web Site Content as Web Site Pages.
This is a no brainer, but consumers search the Internet everyday looking or information regarding their buying and selling needs…and they will repeatedly go to where they find it.

So, if your Web Site contains useful, informative and helpful information it will generate more leads than you might be able to imagine right now. And to reap the rewards of your efforts in building an effective traffic generating Web Site you need to capture the names and email addresses of your site visitors.

A subscription box offering “A Special Report, FREE Newsletter” or something else of perceived value will help compel visitors to sign up. And once they sign up the magic begins.

Visit

“2001: A Space Odyssey”, more commonly known simply as “2001″, is my all time favorite movie. I have watched it about 30 times over the years, mainly on videotape. I love it mainly for its cinematography, which still looks futuristic after nearly 40 years. I also enjoy the profound mystery of the story.

“2001″ is divided into four parts. The first part, titled “The Dawn of Man”, takes place millions of years ago with a tribe of ape men living in an African jungle. One day a tall rectangular gray slab (known as the Monolith in the novel) appears, mystifying the tribe. Shortly thereafter, one member of the tribe, while playing around with some bones, discovers the principle of tools, leading to the development of technology.

The second part concerns a mission to the moon in 1999 by Dr. Hayward Floyd, an American scientist investigating a mysterious encounter, which turns out to be a replica of the Monolith which had appeared on earth, this one buried 40 feet beneath the lunar surface.

The third part concerns a mission to Jupiter 18 months later aboard a long spaceship controlled by HAL, a notorious computer, who ends up going berzerk and attempting to kill all the astronauts aboard the mission. David Bowman, the last remaining crew member, manages to deactivate HAL and then learns of the true purpose of the mission, to investigate a larger version of the Monolith orbiting Jupiter.

The last part of the film, “Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite”, is the most fascinating and also the most bizarre. Dave leaves the ship aboard a space pod to investigate the large monolith. He ends up getting taken on a fascinating voyage through the cosmos, ending up in a mock-up hotel room. Then he goes through several phases of aging. Finally in his death bed, he sees a smaller version of the Monolith in front of his bed. He reaches out for it and becomes the Star Child, a fetus-like apparition.

Piano lessons for adults is generally LOTS more fun than it is for kids, primarily because the only adults that play piano are people who really want to, which is certainly not true of most kids that take piano lessons because their parents want them to.

But that’s not the only reason by a long shot.

Adults in record numbers are signing up for piano lessons all around the world, for a variety of reasons, including:

* Because of the internet, adults have become aware that piano lessons don’t have to happen in a music studio or store, so they are not locked into a schedule of showing up for a lesson every Tuesday at 4. Now they can choose their own time and schedule and learn at their own pace via lessons available on the internet.

*Adults have become aware that traditional methods of learning by reading music and practicing scales is not the only way to learn to play the piano. They have become aware that learning chords and chording techniques is a viable option.

*Chord-based piano learning methods are excellent for beginning adults, since they can quickly learn enough to make their songs sound good in a reasonably short time. It doesn’t take years of intense practice to be able to play a familiar tune in the right hand while chording in the left hand.

*Many adults have found that by learning chords, they can come through the “backdoor” of piano playing. They learn to play chord-style quickly, and enjoy it so much that they are then motivated to learn to read music and go on to master traditional sight-reading.

*In addition to the musical benefits, professional people have discovered that piano playing is one of the most relaxing things they can do after work. It allows them to get their minds off the activities of the day and just focus on the pleasure of making their own music.

*Some have even taken it a step further and become proficient enough to play at social events and parties. Just being able to play “Happy Birthday” while everyone sings along is a real social advantage, and satisfying emotionally as well.

*Other adults use their new-found piano playing skills to play in their churches or on worship teams, or just to accompany themselves as they sing.

*Piano playing adults can create their own music in their own way – they can “do their own thing” in music. They can create moods ranging from joy to silliness to sadness to patriotism to whatever matches the need of the hour.

*And last but certainly not least, chord piano lessons taken over the internet or in home by way of DVD’s and CD’s are much less expensive than traditional lessons, and can be replayed over and over as necessary.

Whatever the reason, adults in increasing numbers are doing what they thought they would never do – they are willingly taking piano lessons, knowing the benefits are many and wonderful.

Duane Shinn is the author of over 500 music books and music educational materials such as DVD’s, CD’s, musical games for kids, chord charts, musical software, and piano lesson instructional courses for adults. His book-CD-DVD course titled chordpiano.com/ “How To Play Chord Piano In Ten Days!” has sold over 100,000 copies around the world. He holds advanced degrees from Southern Oregon University and was the founder of Piano University in Southern Oregon. He is the author of the popular free 101-week online e-mail newsletter titled playpiano.com/ “Amazing Online Piano Lessons For Adults Only - Secrets Of Exciting Piano Chords & Sizzling Chord Progressions” with over 83,700 current subscribers.

Please accept the information below as a guide offering suggestions for publicizing a concert and encourage maximum attendance
and success!

Some of the recommendations may not be appropriate for your type of concert. While some of the concepts may be obvious,
others may be new but worthy of a try.

I will cover the aspects of flyer/poster concert promotion and a few tips for media promotion..

Firstly, the single most importand thing when you want to promote a concert is to start delegating duties and make sure helpers know
what’s expected of them.

So let’s start!

[Flyers and Posters]

It’s importand to have a well designed, eye-catching flyer or poster. It will show people that the concert deserves their anticipation,
time and money.

The artist’s management may provide you with some flyers or posters to start with.

If you prefer to create your own flyer or poster, you should find a graphics professional or pronting company willing to donate
services in exchange for advertising..

If it’s the first time the artist is coming to your town or city be sure to include a testimonial on the flyer or poster. A flyer that simple
advertises an artist or a band will mean nothing to someone who has never heard of them!

Assign volunteers to post the flyers in places likely to attract the most attention. Try grocery stores, local chamber of Commerce
offices, Art Councils or other communities, malls, shoping plazas, music stores, book stores, galleries and other popular gathering
spots where flyers are displayed routinely but be sure to ask for permission before posting.

Do not forget to post the flyers or posters to the concert location itself! Try to hang posters as close to the average eye level as possible..

[Media and other sources of publicity]

List the concert in community calendars, Newspaper, Magazines or radio and TV stations if possible. Radio and Tv stations may be
willing to anounce events for free.

Be sure to notice them many weeks in advance. In the listing include the date of the concert, time, location, ticket price, ticket outlets,
sponsors of course and phone numbers for information.

Ask promotional material from the artist’s managementslike interviews, video clips, song samples, photographs etc. Try to deliver the
material to the media along with the news release anouncing the concert.

Make sure you follow up by phone. Ask from the management to arrange an interview with the artist(s) if possible. Discuss other
possibilities.

Provide artist’s promo material (if available) to radio stations likely to air it. Encourage them to play it often especially a week or two
before the concert. Have volunteers and friends telephone the stations and request more..!

If you are using an answering machine make a recording using sound clips from the artist. Advertise the phone numbers available to call
in newspapaer or on the radio. Include a short message in the recordings detailing concert info.

When you are online, subscribe to any music-related newsgroups or bulletin boards. Post messages about your anticipation, plans and
later, show specific information! Of course if you own a website, consider creating a special area to advertise the concert with a hot-link
to the artist’s home page (if any).

Ask from the media to co-sponsor (sharing in work or revenues) or to endorse the concert for publicity purposes. If they say ‘YES’
then make sure you include a ‘..co-sponsored by..’ message in the flyers and other promotional material..

Everyday Concert Promoters are making money booking shows. If you want to know how they do it. There’s an Easy To Follow,” digitalstarproducts.com/star/-detail-17.html How To Promote A Concert “Step-by-Step Guide - Showing You Exactly How To Promote A Concert & How Concert Promoters Book Shows And Avoid Losing From Costly Mistakes..

Here’s an interesting fact: people who listen to music in their headphones too loudly can suffer from permanent hearing loss. Well, that’s not that interesting and many people would agree with that statement. Here’s why it’s an interesting fact: The reason people listen to music too loudly is not necessarily because they love loud music. Rather, it’s because the background sound is too loud and interferes with the music.

So what’s the solution? Music should be enjoyed through headphones (remember, not everyone shares your musical tastes!)…that’s a given. But music doesn’t have to be enjoyed at a massive volume. After all, the true enjoyment of music does not come from the volume but from the quality of the sound.

And how do you get sound quality? One of the ways is to reduce the outside sound you hear. This is done through noise cancelling headphones.

What are noise canceling headphones? The most common type is the kind that goes over your ear and completely encloses it in a shell. There’s soft padding around the sides so it conforms to your head. This type of shape is called circumaural, although you need to know that not all circumaural’s are noise cancelling headphones.

Aside from that shape, noise canceling headphones have another piece of technology that allows them to actually eliminate the background sounds: they use special circuitry, padding insulation, and other technology inside the shell of the part that goes over your ear. This special circuitry works to kill noises from the outside as the sound waves are directed toward you.

The result? Put them on and the world goes quiet. That will allow you to listen to great music at a lower volume and enjoy it more, while keeping others from having to listen to your unique musical tastes.

Because of the insulation and circuitry required to deaden background sounds, the head phones will naturally be bigger in size than the small earbuds you use in your ears. So they may not always be appropriate for travel. If you′re cycling or riding on the bus, you need to hear the background sounds for safety or to know when your stop is. However, if you′re traveling by plane or you want to have a quiet night in a hotel that seems too loud, the noise canceling headphones are just the thing you′ll need for absolute privacy.

If these types of cans are too expensive, you may want to consider circumaural headphones that are not noise cancelling. They′ll still dampen the noise. Or, if you find that they are too big and bulky, you may want to bypass earbuds and instead purchase canalbuds. Earbuds fit right at the end of your ear canal while canalbuds actually go into your ear. They do a better job of deadening external sounds. These are often referred to as noise isolating or passive types of head phones.

Listen to great sounding music! Quality headphonewarehouse.com/Noise_Cancelling_Headphones_10.htm noise cancelling headphones by Etymotic Research give you high performance noise dampening and beautiful music besides. Check these out and many more from Sony, Bose, AKG, Koss, Sennheiser from HeadphoneWarehouse.com HeadphoneWarehouse.com With head phones for the Ipod, wireless, noise reduction, studio style and many other types of cans.