I took the photos with a Canon SX30IS Camera that my wife and I received for Xmas last year. I think I may have done something in the dark because some of the pictures towards the end got a little blurry. I think next time I’ll set up a tripod because you have to be really steady once you get over 100x for the zoom level. We really like the Canon camera, our problem is we need to really figure out how to use it. Canon makes a great affordable, yet powerful digital camera. And it has HDMI output too!

Here are the Moon pictures from the Lunar Eclipse 12/10/2011:

Did you get any photos of the eclipse? Leave a link in the comments below, I’d love to see them. If you have any photos of any other astronomical events, leave a link to those in the comments section too. I remember seeing Halley’s comet with my parents in 1986  and I’ve been fascinated by it ever sense.

I would recommend that if you do get pulled over this holiday season and you’ve had at least a couple drinks, do as David recommends and most importantly, call the Law Offices of David Michael Cantor at 602-307-0808 because they can help you get your issue resolved as quickly as possible.

This type of QuikChlor unit is being sold as a private-label brand by Shasta Pool in Scottsdale AZ. Clevaquip of Australia is the manufacturer and the equipment is also sold under following private-label brands: AquaPower-Plus, Clevachlor, and Poolpower.

Our salt cell hasn’t been used for years so we’re doing the same as the previous home owners and use it as a chlorine pool. We have had more than one recommendation to stay away from the salt water pools, most people saying the maintenance and cost wasn’t worth it in the long run. I think next year we may give it a try and see what the big fuss is all about. I still maintain that the benefit to your skin from the salt water pool would outweigh the costs.

We recently bought a 9 year old house in Phoenix, AZ which included a Shasta Pool. It also included a QuikChlor Salt Chlorinator pool controller. Of course everything was in code so I needed to track down the manual. Finding it wasn’t easy which is why I’ve placed it below. Enjoy!

QUIKCHLOR RP30HD User Manual

Get More Pool Supplies here: http://amzn.to/p3rsmN

Amazon has a wide selection of pool supplies from skimmers to chlorine tablets: http://amzn.to/p3rsmN

Why did I choose the Beachbody Insanity Workout?

Very simple answer, no equipment needed. All you need is a towel and some water. I also chose the Beachbody Insanity workout because it’s made by the same company who produced P90X, which I have heard great things about but most people said the sessions were a little too long. The Insanity workouts are between 30 – 40 minutes. You have to be committed to really crush it. Some of the best advice I read about the program was to “just press the play button”. There will be days where you don’t feel like working out, “just press play” and get it over with. When you see the results at the end you’ll be glad you did just press play.

Here’s a video that explains what you’re about to get into:

One thing I really like about the videos in this workout is they are pretty well produced and Shaun T isn’t some cheesy host who doesn’t do the exercises. Some of the people participating int he workouts have bodies that are attainable. That’s my beef with some of these workout videos, the people have absolutely ripped bodies.

Here are the 10 absolutely Insane workouts:

• Dig Deeper & Fit Test: Shaun w Till put your body to the test and see what you’re made of. (30 min)
• Plyometric Cardio Circuit: Burn fat with intervals of intense lower-body plyometrics and killer cardio. (40 min)
• Cardio Power & Resistance: Build lean muscle and upper-body definition with strength-training and power moves. (40 min)
• Cardio Recovery & Max Recovery: Shaun goes easier on you once a week so you’ll be ready for the next round. (28 & 40 min)
• Pure Cardio & Abs: Nonstop, extreme cardio workout. (40 min)
• Cardio Abs: Do explosive intervals of cardio and core moves for rock-hard abs. (20 min)
• Core Cardio & Balance: This workout lets you take a break after month 1 and gear up for month 2. (40 min)
• Max Interval Circuit: With MAX Interval Training, this circuit is more intense than anything you’ve ever done before. (60 min)
• Max Interval Plyo: Push your legs ‘til they beg for mercy with power and plyometrics, all at your MAX. (55 min)
• Max Cardio Conditioning & Abs: Get pushed to your limit with this extreme cardio workout. (50 min)

Insanity Extras

• Elite Nutrition Plan: A meal plan specifically designed to fuel your body for these intense workouts. Totally optional but it will help you get your best results.
• Fitness Guide: It’s short and to the point, with just the information you need. Agree, that this is very important!
• Insanity Calendar: Allows you to track your progress through month 1 and month 2, set workout goals, and stay motivated the whole time. Plus, the Fit Test Tracker tracks your results as you transform your body.
• Free Online Support Tools: Stay inspired with round-the-clock access to fitness experts and peer support.

So far after 3 weeks, I’ve lost a total of 8 lbs, and most of all I feel better physically and mentally. If you feel like your in a rut, don’t spend money on a shrink or someone to talk to, start doing some of Shaun T’s Insanity workout for a couple of weeks and you’ll feel much better, I guarantee it!

If you have any questions about my program, please don’t hesitate to ask.

I decided that I would cook these ribs with a mixture of regular Kingsford charcoal and the remainder of a bag of lump charcoal (mainly smaller pieces). I would say that my tendency was 65% Kingsford charcoal, 35% lump charcoal. I think that I am going to use a similar mix for the next few times I use the smokenator. When I use lump charcoal alone my temperature tends to run on the high side, which is ok but I can’t seem to keep the dome temp around 225 degrees. I used the Rib recipe from the Competition BBQ Secrets book, I highly recommend picking up a copy today, Click Here!.

Regarding the meat preparation, the ribs were already seasoned by Albertson’s. I added a little bit of McCormick’s Garlic Pepper seasoning just for good measure. If you’ve never used McCormick’s Garlic Pepper grinder before, you’ve got to try one!

I got everything set-up and put together and packed the smokenator with charcoal. I find that when I pack it about half full (including wood chips) and then fill the other half with lit coals it tends to burn a little hot but also still has enough lit coals to ignite the charcoal already packed in the smokenator. I have had problems in the past of things not really taking off so that’s why I start with more hot coals. I can get the temp down within 30 minutes.

As you can see from the photos I used Apple wood chips, I soaked them overnight in water. The overall cooking time was 3 hours, the last 10 were over medium heat on my gas grill to firm up the meat, my wife likes smoked ribs done that way I think for my next smoking adventure I’m going to try a whole chicken. There are may recipes for rubs and ways to smoke different meats in the Competition BBQ Book, I highly recommend getting one as it is a great road map for BBQ adventures.

Try your best to maintain the low dome temperature if possible. It’s ok for it to go up and down at times but once you are able to maintain the temperature, it’s almost as if it clicks! Good luck and happy smoking!

In the past I’ve done a challenge to use Bing for all of my searches outside of work so I think I’ll do this for blekko too. My current position at work requires me to use Google so I’ll have to use it there but for all personal searches I’m going to use blekko for 30 days. I have noticed an increasingly amount of spam in Google search results. I’d like to see if using blekko most of the time provides better more focused results.

Ok, so that’s great, but how do I use blekko?

I thought you’d ask, so here is a short tutorial on how to get started using blekko:

Here is a listing of all of the current blekko slashtags:  Current Blekko Slashtags

When you go to blekko.com and you have a topic in mind, like the Grand Canyon. Wouldn’t it be cool to see Pictures of the Grand Canyon? In the search field type ‘grand canyon /images‘ – Wow, that was cool – what’s next?

How about videos of the Grand Canyon? In the search field type ‘grand canyon /videos‘  yea, that’s pretty much it! Let your imagination run wild, check some of these other blekko searches out:

grand canyon /travel

grand canyon/history

Do you have any other good blekko searches? Add them in the comments. In the next post we’re going to look at some of the native SEO options in blekko.

It seems ridiculous to think that 25 + years ago we were just getting cable in our homes. Some of us had a black box on the tv and you had to manually turn the dial to switch channels. Others of us can remember the first movie we watched on HBO, or the first highlight we saw on ESPN, the list goes on to where we are today with HDTV and DVRs.

The pace at which our technology is increasing can best be described as multiplying. As older more traditional forms of media are failing to adapt to our new societal trends, they are dying off. We are entering a new delivery model for our entertainment. My personal opinion is that within the next 2 years our television and entertainment options will all be available as On Demand choices. You’ll be able to watch whatever you want within minutes of it’s original air time. Options like Google TV and others will create an all inclusive dashboard for on demand programming. You’ll be able to make your choices based on what you want to see, the dashboard knows where the programs come from on the back-end (i.e. Cable TV On Demand, Hulu, Netflix, Tv.com, etc.).

I recently remarked that with the inclusion of ESPN3.com into the new offerings on Xbox Live, that I think I’m closer than ever to ditching my formal Digital Cable offering. In order to get access to the online content I would still have to keep my cable high-speed internet but I’d be able to cut out the majority of expense from our monthly bill.

I also own a media server software called Play On. With Playon it works very much like the dashboard I envisioned earlier, I can access many of the available internet video sources all in one place. I have to go into each individual site (Hulu, Netflix, ESPN3, etc.) to see the program offerings but at least they are all in one place and can be streamed through my Xbox 360. I think the pieces are there, it’s now becoming an issue of actually cutting the cord.

What will the future hold? I think it will hold great promise for “content junkies” like me. The costs for us as the end user may go up since companies like Netflix, Epix, and others have to deliver you the content and they have to pay for that delivery. I think you’ll see more deals with content availability as companies like Netflix and Hulu need to monetize the rights they own to content. No matter what the future holds we know it’ll happen quickly and those companies hoping to stick around had better adapt to the changing environment or risk going the way of the newspaper companies.

On a recent visit to Canyon de Chelly, part of the Navajo Nation, my wife and I had a great time learning about the Navajo people in addition to the canyon and the Navajo’s that live there.

About 70 families live in or around Canyon de Chelly. Technically, the land is owned by the Najavo Nation. The land is leased to the occupants at a rate of $65 for a 65 year lease. So the occupants of the actual land aren’t exactly the owners. The first thing that greats you as you enter the park is the Visitors Center. Canyon de Chelly was named a National Monument on April 1, 1931.

According to Wikipedia the name Canyon de Chelly comes from:

The name chelly (or Chelley) is a Spanish borrowing of the Navajo word Tséyiʼ, which means “canyon” (literally “inside the rock” < tsé“rock” + -yiʼ “inside of, within”). The Navajo pronunciation is IPA: [tséɣiʔ]. The Spanish pronunciation of de Chelly [deˈtʃeʎi] was adapted into English, apparently through modelling after a French-like spelling pronunciation, and is now pronounced /dəˈʃeɪ/ (də·shā′).

There are many outlooks around the rim of the canyon:

One of the more popular things at Canyon de Chelly is the White House Ruins. Nestled into the edge of the lower canyon with a southern exposure is a set of Indian ruins named the White House Ruins. This is the only trail you can go without a Navajo escort. The reason they call it the White House is because of the white colored plaster/paint that was used on the house. White House Ruins stands out above lower ruins in a sandstone cave in Canyon De Chelly National Monument. These ruins were built by the Anasazi people. Anasazi is Navajo for “the ancient ones.”

Here is a video of the White House Ruins from the outlook above:

If you go to the Chinle, AZ and Canyon de Chelly area I’d recommend staying at the Holiday Inn and I highly recommend the Canyon de Chelly Tour from Lee and his family. My wife and I decided to do the private tour. Leandro picked us up at the Holiday Inn and then stayed with us for the next 3 hours and imparted his wisdom of the canyon that he’s learned over giving tours since he was 14 years old. His father still lives in the canyon.

All in all it was a very cool diversion for late summer in Arizona. It’s hard to believe some of the history contained out here in the desert Southwest. We also knocked out a couple of other attractions on this trip including Monument Valley in Utah and the Petrified Forest in Arizona.

GPS Coordinates for Canyon del Chelly

Lat: 36.15528
Lon: -109.50833
Elev: Unknown

Canyon De Chelly National Monument website
Recreation Area Map
Park Email: ailema_benally@nps.gov

Phone numbers
Headquarters 928-674-5500

Address
Canyon de Chelly National Monument
PO Box 588
Chinle, AZ 86503

Now that you understand the basic principle, we can get on to finding links for your own site.  For the sake of this post I’m going to assume you’re familiar with the different types of linking and we’re going to focus on either purchasing the text link ad or requesting it for free. In fact I’m not going to get into the process of attaining the link but more about how to identify the sites worthy or requesting a link from.

There are many different tools out there to help you, and every good Search Marketer should have a tool box full of tools. For this post I’m going to recommend that you have the SEO Quake Toolbar installed. We’re going to need to tweak the Toolbar so if you’re a master with SEO Quake, you can go ahead and skip to the section below. If you’re doing a fresh install of the SEO Quake Toolbar for Firefox here are a couple of initial settings that should be made, 1) Select either SEOBar or SEOToolBar, this will be the visual location of the bar, I use ToolBar; 2) You must select the parameter load settings, I recommend “by request”. This allows you to view the SEO Quake parameters on your own without pinging Google, etc each time you go to a page. Now you must select the SERP viewing parameters, for this exercise select Google, and Yahoo Site Explorer. Then scroll down slightly for the load parameters, again select “by request”. You can always change these in the Preferences.

Once the toolbar has been installed, click the SEO Quake logo on the far left, make sure only the following are selected, just like mine:

These settings will insure that the Toolbar will stay on top of the page (or bottom of the header of your FireFox browser), that SEO Quake will show in Google SERPs, and it will also show in Yahoo Site Explorer results. This is very important when looking for new links. We have a couple more settings, bear with me, on the top of the menu that shows when you click on the SEO Quake logo you’ll see Preferences, select that menu.

Ok, there are many different settings here and I can’t cover them all right now but I want to cover the way it should be set-up for Link Building. The two columns you want to concern yourself with are the two I have highlighted, Google, and Yahoo Site Explorer. You may have to take my word on the latter, for some reason my plug-in doesn’t allow me to see the entire name of the column but I know the last one is for the Site Explorer. Please look at the graphic and ONLY select the ones I have selected in those two columns. This will only show data for Google PageRank, Inbound Links to the Page, and Inbound Links to the Domain. Make sure you hit the Save button in the Presets area, this will save the changes you made to the parameters. Head to the top of the box and select the Plug-ins Icon, it’ll take you to the following screenshot:

OK, select the SE Plugins tab, and in the Google section select “on load” for the Load Parameters. Please scroll down in that box for the Yahoo Site Explorer and do the same, select “on load” for the parameters. What we’ve just done is we’ve limited the number of parameters to be shown in the Google SERPs and Yahoo Site Explorer Results pages and then we requested that SEO Quake load the information immediately upon page load.

Now back to the Link Building exercise, there are two major ways to look for solid sites to request links from, 1) Keyword Ranking Reports, and 2) Backlink profiles (I’ll discuss in another post). In this post we’re going to cover Keyword Rankings. Go to Google and let’s do a test search to make sure the Toolbar is set-up correctly and showing you the right information. You should see some thing similar to this:

If everything was set-up correctly you’ll see the search results and just below, you’ll see that SEO Quake has populated the Google PageRank, Yahoo Links to the Page, and Yahoo Links to the Domain. These parameters are what you’ll use to determine the authority of the page/site you want to request links from. Obviously any site ranking in the top 20 in Google for Current News (or your keyword) are going to be considered authority figures for that keyword. The reason Links to the Page are important is for an inside page of a website that has PageRank, you want to make sure the page has at least 10 unique links to avoid losing or shedding it’s PageRank.

Do related searches for your keywords and also some fringe but yet related keywords because you’ll find your self running into competition and also sometimes the sames sites over and over again. It takes time and practice to know exactly what you’re looking for but once you get a few really relevant links you’ll see a quantifiable change in search rankings.

]]> http://www.nathansauser.com/how-to-find-good-text-links-keyword-rank/feed/ 0 http://www.nathansauser.com/value-in-diy-link-building/ http://www.nathansauser.com/value-in-diy-link-building/#comments Wed, 16 Jun 2010 04:25:10 +0000 Nathan http://www.nathansauser.com/?p=136

(Read More...)]]> Many of us know the challenge of DIY Internet Marketing, for some industries it isn’t the easiest consulting job to take on.  Luckily, paid links are still a viable tool in the Marketer’s toolbox.  Paid links will help you achieve the rankings your clients deserve once you’ve done the proper SEO and developed great content.  Don’t cut corners because you’re going to use paid links.  I’ve personally seem it time and time again, a website owner thinks he’ll get to the top of Google for ‘hiking shoes’ but the meta date on his site is all about hiking trails in the Southwestern US.  Never mentions his keyword ‘hiking shoes’ anywhere on the front page of the site.  You cannot get results like that anymore, you still need to do the work.

Paid links are used to enhance or supplement a marketing campaign.  They are the equalizer in most verticals.  They allow online casinos to rank ahead of Wikipedia, they allow smaller bookstores compete with the big guys.  When used effectively you can and will see results.  So, you’re working on a client site and you need a few links because they aren’t over the hump on their #1 keyword yet.  Check out Intellilinks, it’s a new link broker that works as a marketplace where you can buy or sell links.  I personally have been using them for 6 months and the results have been fantastic.

I also have a site of mine listed and it’s been selling two links on it for the last 3 months.  Intellilinks has a good mixture of Publishers and Advertisers, about 4 to 1.  So far I’ve been able to get just about everything I have needed.  There are some areas where you’d like to see some expansion in the selection of the sites but for the money Intellilinks is the best site out there for the DIY’er.