The Beast

Just in case you forgot, this is the man to beat. Daigo Umehara (The Beast).

Wake Up America - It's Time To Change

Television Will Rot Your Brain

At least that is what my mom used to say when I would sit in front of my TV as a kid and watch all of those old after school programs. To tell you the truth though, she was partially right. Like most of you know today is the day that all or most analog television broadcasts will stop transmitting their signals to TV's all across the United States. The switch to digital media has begun.

I don't really care if the television at my house doesn't work any more, I don't watch enough of it to justify buying a converter box. My wife and kids however, will undoubtedly want to watch television at some point so I will probably end up getting a box anyway. I don't even have cable at my house and it's not that I'm cheap or can't afford it, it's just that I don't think television has any good quality programs like it used to. Don't get me wrong, there are still a few good things on TV but anymore its just filled with garbage much like the radio/music industry.

I will continue to do other things to fill my time, like writing or doing any of my other hobbies. TV is great but only in moderation. Spending countless hours in front of the television with almost no mental stimulation is not a good thing, when you could be spending that same time doing something more beneficial to you (or even just more fun).
I guess mom was right after all.

That also begs the question; can a show say that they are "On Air" anymore? Considering that the broadcast is not over the airwaves anymore.

Microsoft vs Canadians

Microsoft has done it again, they have created an ingenious new marketing campaign... err... new game that you may have heard of recently that pits you against one hundred other Xbox Live gamers in a test of reflexes and intelligence.

1 vs 100 is Microsoft's attempt to bring advertisers and gamers together in a trivia show style setting, much in the same manner as Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Deal or No Deal but geared more towards gamers. The game will actually be played and hosted in real time over Xbox Live where players will compete against one another in an attempt to win actual prizes like free Xbox Live Arcade games or Microsoft points. The crowd can even participate and win prizes as well if they can outwit "The One". The game is still in a Beta phase right now so people are just playing for fun but once its ready for release they should begin adding prizes.

This sound like a great idea and if they can pull it off, it will attract a lot of casual gamers and even some non gamers to sit down and play. It will also give gamers a chance to gain a little bit of notoriety if they are able perform well enough during the game. Microsoft had better not charge us to play the game though, as they should be earning plenty of revenue from each of 1 vs 100's many sponsors. Yes there are commercials periodically shown to you as you play the game but in my opinion, that's would be a small price to pay for a FREE game that allows you to win REAL prizes.

Which brings me to the topic of this article I'm writing. As I was browsing my Xbox dashboard earlier I came across the little ad that they had placed for a 1 vs 100 sweepstakes that is going on for the next few weeks where players can be entered into a drawing for various prizes just by playing 1 vs 100 during certain eligible times. Nothing special really, just another sweepstakes that's intended to draw more people to the game. The usual PR stuff that Microsoft does for all of their "cash cow" intellectual properties. Except on this one in particular I noticed something very, well... funny to be honest, buried deep inside the legal disclaimer of this sweepstakes that Microsoft has posted on their web site and on Xbox live.

Now I know what your thinking, "Who the hell reads that crap?" and I say to you... I do sometimes because I have always found them to be kind of funny. I get a giggle out of how much crap they have to put into their disclaimers just to protect themselves from being sued by us.
Anyway here is what is written on their legal page, this an excerpt that is copied and pasted directly from it:

"6) GENERAL CONDITIONS: Sweepstakes entrants agree to be bound by the terms of these official rules. The laws of the United States govern this Sweepstakes. All federal, state, provincial, and local laws and regulations apply. Each potential winner will be notified via U.S. Mail and/or e-mail within two (2) weeks of the prize drawing. If you are selected as a potential winner and you are a Canadian resident, you will be required to correctly answer, without assistance of any kind, whether mechanical or otherwise, a time-limited mathematical skill-testing question to be administered by telephone*. If you answer the skill-testing question incorrectly, as determined by us in our sole discretion, you will be disqualified and, at our discretion, an alternate winner shall be chosen from among all remaining eligible entries."

Did you catch that? It seems to that Microsoft (the promoter of this sweepstakes) does not want to give you a prize if you happen to live in Canada and cannot answer their "time-limited mathematical skill-testing question". Can't even use a damn calculator or the internet, geez. I feel bad for all of the stupid Canadians out there but that also begs the question(s).

Why are they testing a Canadian citizens' math skills for winning a prize?

Why doesn't a US citizen have to take the test? Do they think Americans are too stupid to even bother giving a test to in the first place?

I'm sure it has to do with some ridiculous US or Canadian law but I still find it funny that they have to go the extra mile to win a sweepstakes while others don't.

I don't know but it sure does make you think Microsoft is losing their collective minds again or they just plain don't want there products in the hands of mathematically challenged Canadians.

If you want to see the disclaimer for yourself I have provided a link below. Look for it under section 6.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/1vs100/rules.htm

Learn The Ropes And Become A Champion At UFC Undisputed 2009

On the path to UFC enlightenment there are many pitfalls. It can be very easy to lose your focus and become frustrated when opponents are continually defeating you. I am here to give you some advice so the next time you step in the octagon you may leave a winner.

lol

Seriously though, there are several key things you need to do to become an effective combatant in this arena, so it is very important to get the basics down first. Use the pause menu in matches and look at your action list when you are in different positions/stances to figure out what moves your fighter has.

1. Block Your Head!

This is the single most important thing you can do to prevent instant KO's and most serious damage in general. If you are in striking range of your opponent then they are too so you want to keep your guard up. Blocking your head is even more important than blocking body shots because of three reasons:

You cannot be instant KO'ed with a body shot (you can be rocked however)

Damage and cuts to your face cause more stamina to drain over time and increases the chance of a KO more than body hits do in the short term.

You can hold RB or RT and still preform high/low counters, clinch, and takedowns.

That does not mean you shouldn't block mid/low attacks but it is better to try to avoid them by keeping your distance or countering them outright as they are usually easier to telegraph than the faster head strikes.

2. Practice...Practice...Practice...

Focus on one thing and do it until you get to know every little nuance of that ability then focus on another. Whether it's standing punches/kicks, submissions, or takedowns you need to know the damage and ranges for each of your attacks so you will know which one to launch in any given situation.

3. Learn The Ground Game

This is the most difficult thing to do in the game as you probably well know but there is simply no way around it if you want to compete with veteran players. At worst you want to at least know how to defend against it or prevent it outright if possible, but eventually someone is going to take you to the ground.

They key things to remember are that you don't have to flick the RS left/right to BLOCK a transition, you can hold it and you prevent their transition. Keep in mind that if their ground grappling skill is high enough they can occasionally transition even if you block it.

That is why it is important to learn the correct timing to counter the grapple instead if possible. Not only is it a guaranteed transition block but you will also come out in better position.

4. Your Stamina Is Vital, Do Not Abuse It

It is directly linked to how vulnerable you are to strike damage, instant KO's, and submission defense as well as how effective your attacks are against your opponent.

Keep your stamina as high as possible whenever you can, don't just wade into your opponent and strike relentlessly. While this tactic will work to some extent on most people, an experienced fighter will be able to capitalize on your low stamina if you cannot finish what you started and possibly get a win out of you because your fighter is to tired to defend.

5. Work With Your Fighters Strengths.

It goes without saying, if you are a good striker keep the fight standing up, if you are a sub/takedown specialist then do just that. I have fought many people online who do not use the fighter they selected in the way they were designed to be played.
Not to say that it isn't a good idea to mix up your technique but you need to maximize your fighters potential by doing what they do best.

Many people who are using fighters with Wrestling and Muay Tai skills but are not utilizing said skills, they prefer to just stand up and fight. You need to be working with your strengths. The slams and grapples from wrestlers are very good at PERMANENTLY draining stamina and they leave you in good position.

When you are using a Muay Tai fighter it is in your best interest to use the clinch. Muay Tai clinch is very dangerous if you can use it correctly. The knee strikes have a very high damage/KO ratio and your opponent can have a hard time breaking the clinch if you mix your strikes up. If you don't use MT clinch then there is no point in using that style because their strikes are not as good as other styles.

These are just a few things to keep in mind. I hope this helps some of you out there and if it didn't then you probably know all of this already. Oh and for those that can't take a loss... well get used to it. If you quit when you face adversity at a video game then I would hate to see how you react to real life challenges. Your mentality is the only thing that needs real training in this case.

Send me a friend request if you want some real sparring lessons when I have the time. My gamertag is Element H and I usually play later at night or in the afternoon. Make sure you put something about a match or lesson in your message somewhere so I don't erase it.

Farewell XBOX 360

The day has finally come once again for me to send my XBOX 360 back to Microsoft to get it fixed. This is my second 360 in a little over a year and a half so I'm a little pissed about the whole situation and to top it off, they no longer send you a box to send your system back in. That is so damn cheap of them to make us have to pay for a shipping box when it's their fault we have to send it back in the first place!

So, since Microsoft is not willing to fit the bill for box, I thought it would be fitting to send my XBOX 360 back in a very special box just for them. I could be nice and send it back in a plain white box (I still have the box from the first time I sent my 360 in for "repairs") but after some consideration and a great idea from a friend, I thought it would be much more appropriate to send my 360 back in a Playstation 3 box.





I don't actually own a PS3, it's my friend's box and he hasn't needed it since Sony actually spent a little more time building their system. I'm no PS3 fanboy but I think this is the least I can do since they feel the need to be so consumer unfriendly. In the grand scheme of things this will probably not make any difference at all. The warehouse worker who receives this box at the very least might get a chuckle out of it as they toss my 360 into the crater sized landfill they have undoubtedly created in the desert over the last few years. It will fit snugly right next to all of vista installed computers and the broken E.T. cartridges littered about. I however, will get a laugh out of it and will be satisfied even more if they send it back to me in the very same box.





Hopefully they will send me an XBOX that will work for more than six months this time. I really do enjoy all of the games and services Microsoft has to offer but if Microsoft wants to keep enjoying my money they need to get their s**t together and build a quality system. You would think with all of the other stuff Microsoft has stolen over the years they would steal a little design technology from Nintendo. Now that is a company that knows how to make a system that lasts. Seriously, my kids have practically destroyed the outer shell of their GameCube from it falling/being yanked off of their entertainment center and the damn system works as good as it did the day I bought it. Drop your 360 a few times and see how long it lasts.
In the mean time I've ordered an Acekard with an eight gigabyte MicroSD card for my...err, my sons Nintendo DS so I...he, should have plenty to do while I wait for my 360's triumphant return.

GIF's Need Love Too

This is something I began doing just over a year ago in my spare time. I always thought it was cool when someone had a GIF animation in their signature or as their avatar so I decided to make my own. It was a little difficult at first but it soon became very easy to do these types of animations.

My first one took me a while to do because I was also learning to use photoshop at the time so I didn't know many shortcuts. I also decided to set the bar really high and make the GIF into almost a mini movie. It tops out at a little over a minute long, which was a pain putting every animation together for such a drawn out animation.



The second GIF that I created was an homage to Final Fantasy VI for the Super Nintendo. I always loved the little sprites that were used during the 8 and 16 bit eras of gaming. I never did finish the animation because I had so many other things going on, maybe I'll get around to it one of these days.
I actually edited the sprite for "Terra" to make a very convincing Zero Suit Samus by altering the colors and details of her outfit.
Enjoy.



These are a few other smaller ones I've done.

Fission Mailed, Xbox 360 Dies Another Death

I haven't made any blog entries about video games in a while and there is a reason for it. My second Xbox 360 has been overheating (two flashing lights on the left) which if it is any indication from my last system, my Xbox 360 is on its way to a brand new RROD (red ring of death for you noobs).

It is such a dissapointment to me that microsoft with all of its money and technology, can't build a reliable system. I remember reading a report recently that stated "out of every 100 systems produced, 68 will leave the warehouse with a major problem that could lead to serious malfunction within the systems lifespan". Granted this report is dated back during the system's launch but still. That is an extremely high failure rate. The cost to repair and/or replace these systems has far exceeded what the cost would have been if microsoft had decided to spend a little more time in the R&D stage of production. Hell, most companies in the same situation would have completely went out of business. Microsoft, of course, has a lot more money to waste (apparently) and can afford to make unreliable hardware (cough, vista, cough).

I'm no hater, I love my Xbox 360 and Xbox Live (IMO) is way better than the Playstation network. But I have to ask myself, "how much money do I really want to spend on a product I cannot trust?" The day I bought my system I spent over 600 dollars in one fell swoop, buying the games and accessories to go with it so my friends and I could play. If I had spent this much money on anything else and received such bad quality in return I would never buy from that person/company again. But of course now that I have so much (time and money) invested in the damn thing its hard not to.

Even better, I called microsoft recently to inquire about getting a (what they would consider) new Xbox 360. My system is still under warranty so everything went together well. Like last time they are going to send me postage to send my 360 to them in the mail. However unlike last time, they told me I would be responsible for furnishing my own box to ship it in. The nerve, after spending well over fifteen-hundred dollars on Xbox related stuff over the years, they cant spend under 5 dollars for a box? WTF. So my friend and I came up with a funny plan. I don't have a PS3 but a buddy of mine does and he suggested that I ship them my Xbox 360 in a Playstation 3 box. And you know what, I think I will. If anything the guys at the RROD landfill (located next to the Atari E.T. game landfill) will get a laugh out of it.

So yes this has been a complete FISSION MAILED on microsoft's part. I will update you shortly on my progress with my system with pictures and stuff so stay tuned.

Great Tips for Starting Your Own Online Business.

Just like many of you out there who are venturing into the online market, I was overwhelmed with misinformation and the steep learning curve of affiliate marketing when I began trying to make a steady income from my home.
It was hard for me to find good and reliable resources to use when I first started out. To be honest, there is quite a bit of bogus and outdated material being sold. While some of the more popular e-books and info sites still offer valuable information, most of the stuff you find is garbage. That's why I am going to reveal to you some of the best resources available on the web to help you get started building your own online empire. Also at the very bottom of this blog there is a link for a very valuable e-book that I am giving away absolutely free. It's packed full of great information to help get you started.

First lets talk about help. You are going to need plenty of it when you are a noob. We all started out as beginners at some point and it was always great if you could find someone to help guide you and give you support along the way. Below are some of the best places for you to meet other like-minded entrepreneurs who are willing to help you with all of their knowledge and experience.

http://www.warriorforum.com

This is the best place, hands-down, for information on everything related to making profits. This is where the big dogs in online marketing hang out to discuss their business and experiences with one another. The community is extremely friendly and helpful to beginners and registered users are often given deals on merchandise and services that no one else can get.

http://www.websitebabble.com

This is a great forum that I just recently found. It has many wonderful tips for those of you who are wanting to start up your own website. The websites owner also has two other great sites that compliment this site, that are all built around planning, creating, and marketing your own website.

Now lets talk about FREE tools. We all love free stuff right, of course you do. These are some of the best free tools, programs, and websites that I use to help streamline my work.

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

This is Google's very own free keyword tool. Use this to find out exactly how a keyword is performing in a google search and how competitive the advertising is for that particular keyword or set of keywords. This tool will be invaluable for affiliate marketers who want to use adwords to market their products.

http://www.clickbank.com/index.html

If you plan on doing any affiliate marketing this is where you will want to go. Clickbank offers hundreds of products for you to market with and most products offer a generous 70 - 80 percent in commissions. The best way to be successful here is to find a product that you realy believe in and try it for yourself. If you enjoy it write a review on the item telling why you loved it so much.

http://roirocket.com

This is an affiliate website like ClickBank. They offer great products and commissions as well as great tools for you to advertise with. The best gift has to be their website analysis program that registered affiliates get to use for FREE. It helps them keep track of all of their websites traffic! A very useful tool to track how your site or ad is doing.

http://www.sitepoint.com

Do you want to skip some steps and jump right into an already established website? If so then check this place out. This is a site where people auction their websites. From starter websites to multi-thousand dollar earning websites, you can find and buy almost any kind of site you want for a price.

http://www.htmlkit.com

This is a great tool for those who want to design or tweak their own web page but don't have a lot of knowledge in html. The HTML KIT makes it easier for you to make your web pages by taking most of the hand-coding out of the process. They offer a free version and a even more functional version if you pay for it.

There are plenty of options when it comes to domain and web hosting so I won't go into detail about them here. Most offer very affordable prices for hosting and domain registration. Just Google it and you will find plenty.

Finally. In my opinion this is probably the best way to get a serious start with your online business. This is the one of the best things you could ever invest your money in. It's the complete package for beginners and established entrepreneurs alike. Site Build It! ("SBI!") is the only, all-in-one, site-brainstorming-and-building-and-hosting-and-marketing, step-by-step system of software tools that delivers thriving, profitable business.
This is the site I have used to help make a decent amount of money in a little over six months. They do more then just provide a domain name and hosting service. They will actually help you build your business. This is super important for you as they actually help your business grow and succeed. Most packages that resemble this have multiple membership levels that can limit your potential and they have high monthly premiums that are not very easy to deal with nowadays. Not with Site Build It. You only pay a one time fee for a package that gives you so much value, that I would say they actually over deliver on everything they promise. This is a serious business venture that does require a little time and effort but it definitely pays off.
Here is the link and thanks for reading. I hope this helps out if your new to network marketing.

http://www.sitesell.com

Here is the link to the free E-book that I mentioned earlier. It will definitely help out in your efforts to grow and succeed in your business and in your life. This is in PDF format so if you need to you can download Adobe Acrobat here to read it.

Affiliate Masters

How to make a little money with a little time and effort?

First off let me go ahead and cut through all of the BS and tell you that yes, I am going to try and get you to acquire a product or service from me at some point or another. I can't help it, it's just what I do.
If your already heading to your browser's address bar at this point I understand, I probably would be too. If not then congratulations, this may (or may not) be your first proverbial brick in the "business that JACK built" as they say.
Now, I don't consider myself the authority on internet marketing to any extent but what I do have is experience. And by experience I mean I've been ripped off and scammed by many unsavory marketers. Not to say that everything I've ever bought into was a scam, but most were lacking in some area or another. Many of the programs had no support and were too hard to figure out (I was a N00b), or they were just too costly and difficult to promote properly.
Despite being overwhelmed by a tidal wave of lies and misinformation I have managed, through trial and error, to find a few good things that have worked for me.
The best way to demonstrate this is by retelling you the story of my very first online experience. It was almost two years ago that I decided I was going to try and make a little money online. My wife was pregnant and was not working anymore so I needed to find a way for us to make some extra income to compensate. That's when I found a little program that you may have heard of or even bought yourself, I won't say exactly which one... actually I will. I don't even know if its around anymore but if it is, you should know what to look out for.
It was Angel Stevens process orders from home kit. She claimed on her sales page that you could make money easily by processing sales orders that companies needed completed for around $15-$30 a piece. The premise was made to sound like there was an actual employer that you would be doing business with and that they would supply the all customers you needed. The company only needed you because it was quote "too costly for them to process all of the orders themselves". Sounded great to me. SOLD. $250 total for the entire kit at a time when I really didn't have the money to spend in the first place.
What it essentially turned out to be was an over glorified affiliate program. Technically you were processing orders but they neglected to mention (until you buy it of course) that YOU would be responsible for ALL advertising and conversions before you to get paid your $15-$30 per order. Not so easy for someone who had absolutely no marketing experience whatsoever. I gave it my best shot but I was never able to get anything going. The ad also said that they offered a personal training coach, which they actually did, but after setting up the initial meeting I was never contacted again. Even when I tried to email and call them they never responded back. Luckily I was able to get a refund since the transaction was through Paydotcom and they have their own return policies.
My experience with the process orders program wasn't a complete loss however. Some of the information was actually very usefull and it introduced me to the whole concept of affiliate marketing. Which would eventually lead me to get burned a few more times but that's O.K. we all have to start somewhere.
Let me tell you from my heart that despite what all the advertisements say, making money online when you first start out is hard if you don't know what your doing.

"I made $20,000 last week in my SLEEP!!!"

"Make $100's a day doing absolutely NOTHING!!!"

"Get paid $1,000's on complete AUTOPILOT!!!"

Sure, It is theoretically possible to make $20,000 in your sleep. What they don't tell you however is that they invested a couple thousand dollars into the program themselves to get these type of results. I don't know about you but that's something I can't do on a shoestring budget nowadays.
Yes, making thousands of dollars a day on autopilot is possible. However, in order for a business to become completely automated, you generally have to outsource your projects to other people or firms to do them for you. That costs money that a lot of people don't have.
It takes effort and hard work if want REAL results. That goes for just about anything in life, there is simply no substitute for hard work. It will pay off eventually but the KEY to a successful business is making your work worth the effort. If you don't enjoy what your doing your probably not doing it well. I have to say that I enjoy doing this than any other J.O.B. that I've ever had in my life. I've worked in factories and warehouses before and this definitely beats the hell out of those jobs.
It's been over a year and a half since I began working online and it's been a huge learning experience. Everyday I learn something that helps me to sharpen my writing skills or make me think in new and creative ways. Even the endless amount of ads and junk I get in one of my email accounts are useful to some extent. I look at the ads that I receive and I try to sort the ones that stand out from the ones that don't. I do this to get an idea of what my competition is doing and what might appeal to the people I'm trying to market to. This helps me decide what kind of ad campaign to run and how to effectively market my product.
The best way to learn how to do something is by getting your hands dirty, by that I mean jumping in and trying different things. Pay attention to what your competition is doing. If they just ran a new ad on ebay and its converting sales then obviously they're doing something right. You just have take what they are doing and do it a little better. That's how you begin to succeed. Take it just a step further than the competition and customers are almost guaranteed.

Knowledge is power

In my opinion if you are new to online marketing, or starting out with any kind of product, you should try online auction sites like ebay, ioffer, or ebid.com. This way you can relate, buy, and sell to many other people in an environment that is generally friendly and SCAM FREE. They have many policies in place to protect buyers and sellers alike from malicious people. It just takes a little time to set up a paypal account to send and receive payments and to make an ad for what your selling.
You also might want to try taking paid surveys for some extra cash. I have done this before and you can make a couple hundred bucks in a fairly short amount of time if you really get into this. I have to warn you though you usually have to spend some money on trial offers or paying shipping and handling fees for you to qualify to receive payment. Nevertheless, it does work and pays fairly well for the amount of time it takes.
Multi Level Marketing can be daunting for beginners. Learning to find the ones that have the best product and the best pay out can be a little overwhelming for someone who doesn't know what to look for. That's why it may be easier to just sell your own stuff on ebay or craigslist. You can earn plenty of money with the right MLM program but you have to know how to market them effectively or you could end up spending more money in the long run.
Have you noticed that I use the word product a lot? It's because the goods and products you sell are very important to how your business will shape and grow. YOUR stuff is the only thing connecting you to the other person, it is what will represent YOU. That means you should market quality products that have genuine value. It's easy to make a quick buck on a cheap and trendy product, but if you have a product of lasting value people will remember that. And THAT is what will get you happy customers, and happy customers are repeat customers.
O.K. now the part I talked about in the beginning, enticing you to acquire a product or service from me. Seriously though, the two links links below are affiliate links and I will earn a commission if you join, but it is my opinion that these programs are the cheapest and easiest ways to make some nice extra money to get you started. I'm talking $50 - $100 a day with a few hours work and even more if you put the time into it. No matter what you do, don't just do sit there and do nothing. I did that myself for a long time and you know what it got me? NOTHING!
With the way the economy is going today everyone should be trying to make money on the internet in some way, shape, or form. Even if it's just to cover your cable bill, that would be one less bill you have to pay and more money for you to spend on the stuff you love.
Good luck! (links below)

LINK # 1

LINK # 2

LINK # 3

BTW, xbox live gamertag: Element H
Hit me up if you ever want to play.

"Holy Gears of War Batman"

As many of you know the new update is available for Gears of War 2. This is a quick patch for the game that addresses many issues people had with the game and fixes some (but not all) of the bugs in the game.
After some time with the game and the improvements I have to say I'm pretty satisfied overall. The balance is back in the game and it's no longer easy for you to advance on someone when your being shot. The update did introduce a few bugs that I hadn't encountered before however. Sometimes it would not allow me to revive a fallen teammate or allow me to pick up a weapon or ammo even though I needed it. I also got stuck on some corners or on top of an object when I tried to mantle over them.
Still the updates breath new life into Gears of War 2, which I think was really necessary. I just wish they would speed up matchmaking.
Here is a list of the improvements so far, this list is from the official Gears of War website:

The following fixes and improvements are included in Title Update 3.

Improvements
Title Update 3 makes these new improvements:

• Adds 100 levels of player experience that you can gain based on your score in Public matches. The game still uses Trueskill for matchmaking to find the most competitive matches, but the skill rank is now hidden. The new level of experience appears next to your gamertag, with levels 1 through 99 displayed as numbers and level 100 displayed as an icon. The game normalizes experience based on match type so that players earn an equivalent amount of experience across all modes.
• Adds an experience penalty for players quitting before a match is complete.
• Adds bots automatically to a Public Match if players quit and cause unbalanced teams. This ability has always existed in Private Matches if the bot count is set higher than zero.
• Optimizes playlists to only have two modes per playlist. Ties are decided by random selection.
• Adds the ability for teams to talk to each other between rounds in a Private Match.
• Adds the ability to save Public and Private Horde high scores after each complete wave, in case the host loses connection before failing or completing all fifty waves.
• Makes minor changes to general bandwidth usage.
• Adds region preference to matchmaking.
• Improves standby detection.
• Adds nine new achievements worth 250 points. Progress toward them starts after Title Update 3 is applied. Six of the new achievements require the Snowblind Map Pack, a set of four new maps to be released soon. The nine new achievements:

  o "Rookie Gear" (10 points): Earn enough multiplayer experience to reach level 5 (Public only).
  o "Seasoned Gear" (20 points): Earn enough multiplayer experience to reach level 15 (Public only).
  o "Battle-Tested Gear" (30 points): Earn enough multiplayer experience to reach level 25 (Public only).
  o "Battle-Hardened Gear" (50 points): Reach level 50 and play a match on each of the four Snowblind Map Pack maps (Public only).
  o "Veteran Gear" (75 points): Reach level 100 and win a match on each of the four Snowblind Map Pack maps (Public only).
  o "Never Eat Red Snow" (20 points): Complete waves 1 through 10 on all Snowblind Map Pack maps in Horde (any difficulty).
  o "Icy Dead People" (25 points): Complete waves 1 through 50 on any Snowblind Map Pack map in Horde (any difficulty).
  o "Frigid Body Dynamics" (5 points): Play a multiplayer match on each of the four Snowblind Map Pack maps (any mode).
  o "The Weather Outside Is Lethal" (15 points): Win a multiplayer match on each of the four Snowblind Map Pack maps (any mode).

Exploit Fixes
Title Update 3 fixes these possible exploits, where under certain circumstances:

• A player could swap from a pistol to a two-handed weapon during a cover slide and then mantle greater distances.
• Players could kill themselves in Wingman to avoid giving their opponents more points. Now, suicides and team killing will reduce team score.
• A player holding a meatshield could melee through some walls.
• A player could equip a two-handed weapon with a shield using either the Boltok or the Gorgon pistol.
• A player could equip a two-handed weapon with a meatshield using either the Boltok or the Gorgon pistol.
• A player could prevent planted shields from being picked up by other players.
• Players could launch themselves into the air with a smoke grenade while mantling.

General Fixes
Title Update 3 fixes these other issues as well:

• An issue that caused chainsaw interruption when a player is shot to be less reliable in some body positions than in others.
• An issue where a third player could join a Public Wingman party lobby and remove another player from the game.
• An issue in Submission games where occasionally the meatflag would immediately run back to the spawn point after being dropped.
• An issue where players that were knocked down but not out (DBNO) while planting the Boomshield would appear to be standing.
• An elevation-based issue where the detection for a headshot might not align properly with certain character model heads.
• An issue that could cause Wingman teammates to have different character models.
• Additional miscellaneous bug fixes.

Balancing
Title Update 3 makes these balancing changes:

• Reduces stun duration of smoke grenades. Currently, characters always start to get up after 2 seconds.
• Gives melee the same delay after roadie running that shooting received in Title Update 2.
• Removes spawn protection from the Horde in Horde mode.
• Increased the forward angle that triggers chainsaw duels so that players with Lancers equipped won't be sawn from the side without a duel.
• Reduces the delay before a player can climb up after entering low cover.
• Makes minor changes to weapon spawns on the Subway map to provide greater balance.

Making Sense of Things

Hello everyone and thank you if your actually going to spend your next few minutes reading this. I don't usually write on any blog sites and I don't have a My Space or Face Book account. I really just wanted to have a place to write down some of my thoughts and experiences.
This will be my first real blog. I've actually written one other blog but it was over a year ago and it was more of an attempt to sell something than an actual meaningful post. Last year I was trying to do the whole MLM thing and it never really took off for me. That doesn't mean I've given up, I just don't pursue the MLM side of marketing as much anymore.
Anyway...
That was a year ago and this is now, and boy have things changed. If you've seen the picture on my profile you will see that I'm holding my youngest son in my arms, he was only a few months old in that picture but now he's turned into a little boy. He just started walking not to long ago and is just now starting to be able to feed himself. He must be a fast learner (gets that after me) because it only took him a couple of tries for him to manage keeping the spaghetti on his toddler spork. They grow up too fast sometimes, my oldest is now eight years old and he's just as rambunctious as ever.
Until just recently I was working at a factory doing a Data Entry job and everything was going as well as it could until (you guessed it) they laid me off. For two years I had been the sole provider for my family and suddenly I was out of a job. So like many other people today I spend every other week in the unemployment line. I am still unemployed and my wife has taken on a part time job but its not all bad.
I've been able to spend a whole lot more time with my kids and I've been able to be there when my youngest hit a few of his recent milestones. Now I know why my wife didn't want to go back to work after such a long hiatus.
That's what has gotten me thinking, I don't want to have to go back to work and I don't want my wife to work. I want my family to have and enjoy all the things that I never had. So now I'm on a mission to make my home business work. It's the only thing that I can think of that will allow me to have the lifestyle I want and the income I deserve. I've tried (and failed) many things in the past so I have a much better sense of how things work this time around.
So wish me luck if you will and I will do you the same, we all deserve to be unburdened by financial setbacks and I hope to do just that.

BTW, If you happen to play X-Box Live you should check me out sometime and well play some games. My gamertag is Element H and I usually play Halo Wars, Call of Duty 4, Gears of War 2, and all of the Guitar Hero Games (my wife likes GH too). I usually play later in the evening and at night, during the day I'm doing the whole daddy daycare thing and working on my business.

Thanks again for reading.