Weird behavior by silly or sloppy people who buy ads

From the side panel of my blog, you can see that I have advertised some PPC sites as a viable sideline. To many people, the money to be made from these sites is laughingly negligible. Yet to some, I know every cent counts. Recently, I have been observing a weird kind of ads. There is nothing really "wrong" with these ads except that they are all advertising a particular PPC site on the same PPC site platform. I cannot understand why people will do this. For instance, why advertise bux.to ads within bux.to itself? For someone who has already joined as a member, he will first login then browse the ads. While logged in and clicking, he comes across an ad asking him to join bux.to... hmm, what is the whole point of this? If they hope to snare the ones who are already members but forget to login before clicking, would they be so stupid to register all over again when they already have accounts? This is such a strange world. :P PS.: To see what myLotters have to say, click here.

Check out the RPG Feudalism

Here's a role-playing game that got me very excited the first time I played it - Feudalism at www.kongregate.com/games/Vitaly/feudalism . The simple official description of the game is "Choose a hero, complete quests, buy weapons and build the most powerful army to capture the whole world in this medieval strategy/RPG game." Arguably, the truth is exactly that. However, I feel that the developer, Vitaly, deserves more credit than only that. I quite like the artwork of this game. Many of the weapons, armors and units are beautifully designed and they make me want to keep playing the game. For a flash game, I think what we have here is very impressive. The game world is relatively large, with several nations and a considerable number of cities. The choice of weapons is plentiful and Vitaly even provided for characters of both genders (of course, this is not saying a girl can't play a male character or vice-versa - which was what I did since I wanted the starting attributes :P). Tips for the raw beginner: You may wish to start with the Japanese nation (referred to as Far East Empire in the game). The reason for this is that you can just concentrate on maxing one skill - the Far East Weapons skill - to get the benefits for both close and long range weapons. Otherwise if you want to use both kinds of weapons, you will need to max the two skills individually. That said, suffice to say that if you play the game right, you won't even need to attack with your hero. The units you command will easily send the enemies packing for you. Just make sure you max Patriotism and Art of War (and add points to Intelligence subsequently) to reap increased benefit of your units that are auto-controlled. My favorite long range weapon is the shuruiken and my favorite melee one is the katana. It is a pity the katana can't be used on a horse (which adds speed and/or defense) so I can only choose either. As for my favorite unit, it is the samurai. The samurai unit unfortunately does not have a horse (which helps it moves faster) so crusader/inquisitor would be a close second. I guess the trick of the game is to get the best horse, weapon (armor would be nice too) and units soonest possible in order to conquer the world (obvious right? lol :p). The screen shot shows my second full game and I definitely took my own sweet time - I was trying out different weapons, among other things. Once you get yourself familiarized with the game, I think you can perhaps win by level 15 or 20. So if you have a few hours of time to kill, go check out Feudalism. I hope you will enjoy it like I did. =)

Check out Nations Finance for your insurance needs (U.K.)

I once spoke to a friend who dabbles in insurance. Or more correctly, she trains people to sell insurance. She was trying to convince me that the gray and shady world of insurance was no more. In the past, the insurance line was not exactly a respectable one to be in. The primary reason was that there were simply too many black sheep around who were essentially swindlers and tricksters strutting around in Mary-has-a-little-lamb garments. Those people generally knew little about the insurance products they were peddling - but they knew just enough to con innocent victims into writing them their paychecks. But that was in the past. The insurance industry has already moved a big step forward since then and it is now cleaner and more professional. No doubt black sheep are still lurking around and ready to sneak on any unsuspecting victims. But fortunately, they are in the minority. If all else fail, you can at least still appeal to the company which will likely give you a fair answer lest their reputation be ruined. If you are in the United Kingdom, check out Nations Finance. It is a trading style of JK Online Media Ltd and offers tables for easy comparison of popular finance products such as personal loans, credit cards, insurance and banking. For instance if you are looking for home or car insurance, you can refer to the two links below: Home insurance - http://www.nationsfinance.co.uk/insurance/home-insurance.html Car insurance - http://www.nationsfinance.co.uk/insurance/ For cheap car insurance, you can click on the embedded link too. Remember that insurance is a relatively long-term product (even term insurance runs for 365 days) so do not simply rush to buy the first one available. Always do your due diligence and if you are in the U.K, Nations Finance is one place you can check. * This is a sponsored post.

Donate to the Garden City Fund

Singapore is widely known as the Garden City. Unless you already live in a forest, you will likely be pleasantly surprised when you touch down and pass through the gates. The Singapore government has spent considerable resources planting trees all around and basically keeping the island green. Such effort is easily evident as the flora certainly beautifies the surroundings. The Singapore Environment Council and the Garden City Fund, a registered charity, have jointly launched the Plant-A-Tree Programme. On the last Sunday of every month or on special days such as the World Environment Day or Earth Day, the public can now plant trees at designated parks or nature reserves. Planting trees does not come cheap though. To plant just one tree, you need to fork out S$200. You get a "discount" if you plant 10 trees which will set you back S$1,500. 50 trees will cost you $5,000. Personally, I feel that the minimum amount of 200 bucks is a deterrent in itself. $200 is no small sum of money to the general masses and one suggestion would be to open one-tenth or one-quarter shares to the public. It's like, people can choose to do their part for the environment by sponsoring one-tenth of a tree for 20 bucks. This will make the programme affordable to more people and even students who are not earning can participate. For details of the Plant-A-Tree Programme, check out www.gardencityfund.com.sg . You can also see a report from Channel NewsAsia here (mirrored here). If you have any queries, go ahead and push an email to Garden_City_Fund@NParks.gov.sg .

Get tactical clothings from 5.11 Tactical Outdoors

Hey guys, check out this cute site at www.511tacticaloutdoors.com . It's code-named 5.11 Tactical Outdoors and carries a huge inventory of the #1 brand of tactical clothing in the world - 5.11 Tactical. From tops to bottoms to accessories, this company has them all. Check out the 5.11 Tactical Pants at least - after all, pants are the bare minimum for guys. (Don't think you want to walk around in undies pretending to be a Tarzan right? :P) But why would you want to buy these items? If you need to ask me this question, you are probably not the "right customer". But I guess one can use the items for a trek or expedition to any no man's land. You can even use them to indulge in your own private fantasy of being a SWAT team member. To sweeten your shopping experience, 5.11 Tactical Outdoors is providing free shipping on all orders above $50 (just type "freeshipping" (no space) in the coupon box at checkout to remove ground shipping charges). Further if you spend more than $100, you get a free tactical operations flashlight free. And if you are buying boots, you get up to 3 pairs of socks free too. For me, I have my own stock (lol). I am already a solder (when recalled) and I can easily get similar items from the camp store. Unless you are a Singaporean male, you likely can't "enjoy" the same "benefit" as me. So go on and check out the site and see if anything makes your heart beat faster. :P * This is a sponsored post.

Banned from driving. Banged old lady.

Banned from driving. Banged old lady. That was exactly what our hero, Charles Lee Cheow Loong, 30, did on 16 Nov last year. This model citizen was under an 18-month driving ban then but he blatantly disregarded the verdict. It would have been no "big" thing if nothing happened beyond having an additional driver on the road. But unfortunately for him and the poor old lady, something did happen. At about 6.40 am that day, he hit Mdm Pang Hong Koon, 79, along Eu Tong Sen Street. What followed was a classic hit-and-run accident. He hit then he ran and it didn't bother him a whit if his victim might have lived if he had called for an ambulance. I am guessing the most important thought that went through his mind then was if he would be caught. I can certainly understand the turmoil that might have been roiling in him but ultimately, he made the wrong decision. He chose to sacrifice a life just so he can get away. Temporarily. Justice has a long reach. The one laughable thing about this whole affair was that he left his front license plate around. This was also the clue that led to his arrest. The case has been adjourned to 23 Nov but he has already admitted to five charges - speeding and killing Mdm Pang, driving under disqualification, failing to render assistance, removing his vehicle without lawful authority and driving without insurance coverage. Now take a look at his photo. I don't know when this photo was taken but he did not look the least bit remorseful. He just looked more embarrassed than anything. Something along the line of "Oh well, no big deal. Tomorrow, I'll try harder - if I knock down someone, I will just make sure I take my car plate along". Even if Charles gets his just desserts, Mdm Pang is already gone. How can someone feel no guilt after killing someone who has done him no wrong? Sentencing him only soothes the living - most of whom have no stake whatsoever in this case. I think it is important that we try to prevent such accidents from happening again. But is it even possible? If such accidents are prevented from ever occurring again, our world will indeed become Utopia. LMAO. You can read the original report from Straits Times here. Alternatively, see here.

See customer reviews of products at TrustSource.org

Want to know what products really work on the net? Many times when we want to buy something, we are faced with the dilemma of whether the product is safe or effective. We scratch our heads, ask our neighbors and scramble around the net for information. I am not usually a "trigger-happy" person so I normally try to search a bit before making up my mind. Especially if it is something to be taken orally or even applied externally, I feel doing one's homework is important. You can search using Google or even the Dogpile I just blogged about yesterday. One important piece of proof whether a product works is the reviews from customers. Hop over to TrustSource.org where you can read reviews from people that have used the respective products. Let's take a case study. For example, you need something for hemorrhoids relief. According to Wikepedia, it is estimated that approximately one half of all Americans have had this condition by the age of 50. Still, it is not exactly something to boast and blow your trumpet about. Next to your friendly neighborhood doctor, the web will likely be your next source of information. So check out the site to see what those who have used the products have to say. I can't seem to find any search box there though so here's a suggestion if you want to search for something in particular. Fire up e.g. Google and type in the following (assuming you want to search for the drug Venapro): venapro site:www.trustsource.org There. Simple, isn't it? So now you know how to search easily. :P * This is a sponsored post.

Ever tried Dogpile? - the search engine with the power of 6

Which search engine do you use when you need to search for information? Quite a number of you would likely say "Google". After all, there is a reason why "google" ended up being used as a verb. When someone needs to search for information on the web, there is a half chance that he will say he will "google it". You want to know more about Japan? Well, google it. Personally, Google has been my favorite since quite a long time back - right from when it began to gain prominence as a baby who suddenly could talk. I refer you to e.g. the Top 10 Search Providers report by Enid Burns dated 25 Sep 2007. I am not sure if this is the latest report of this kind but it was what I found using Google. :P From the report, Google has approximately 54% of the search pie. Yahoo is in the second place at only 20%. Whether or not Google will continue to reign supreme in the search arena, it will likely continue as a heavyweight for some time to come. Heard of Dogpile yet? It goes by the slogan "All the best search engines piled into one." Though Dogpile is unnamed in the above-mentioned survey (not sure if it is because it doesn't qualify as a search engine or whether it simply isn't dominant), I have come across several hardcore fans who simply swear by it. They scoff at Google and insist Dogpile is the best. You can check out Dogpile at www.dogpile.com . The page looks cute to start with. ^^ Dogpile claims that different search engines often return different search results for the same query. Hence, they are superior because they combine the power of the six leading search engines into one - viola, Dogpile is born. For those wondering why Dogpile is called Dogpile, it has something to do with Rugby and you can read more here. Honestly, I can't make up my mind which is better - Google or Dogpile. If I am in a hurry, I guess I will stick with Google. Otherwise, I would probably run the two side by side. Anyway, so now you have Dogpile as an extra option if you have been using exclusively one search engine like Google, Yahoo or MSN. =)