CyberStudeo

I've been interested in blogging for quite some time, but found it extremely difficult to get started. When you work on a tight budget you rely a lot on free tools. And all the free tools I found were either too complicated to use, took too long to setup, or gave me too much customization, so I ended up with a result I didn't like. I also found it rediculous that free platforms limited features that all bloggers use. Why couldn't everything like metics, mailing lists and ecommerce all be on one site? These and other problems, let me to design my own platform. CyberStudeo's blogging platform is quite basic right now, but I'm developing it and adding more features. I have a host of ideas that I'm working on and adding. Besides all the great features, I wanted to make it easy - and automate as much of the process as possible - because duplicating work is inefficient. I think a turning point came for me, when I tried to get into Google Adsense. It was such a nightmare to apply, and I constantly got rejected. CJ Affiliates was no better. They expected me to have 10,000 site visitors before I could apply. Blogging really shouldn't be this difficult. I hope that this platform, with it's constant new tools and features will make getting started easier for other writers and bloggers. - William

CyberStudeo

2018-11-19

All About CyberStudeo

Published by CyberStudeo - Blogging - 2018-11-22

Choosing a Blog Topic (Part 2)

If you are already a fiction writer or poet with a bunch of published or unpublished works, poems, novels or short stories, you may find a blog useful to share some snippets of your work. Sharing your work in this way, will help you build a portfolio and a fan base. Beware of sharing work in which you have already sold the copyrights to a publisher. Check your contracts first. A picture is worth a thousand words. Photographs are the new way to communicate. A picture has the power to take your breath away, make you laugh or move you to tears. People love pictures. For photographers and artists, a blog can also help you share your work, enable you to build a portfolio and establish a fan base. Rather than just posting pictures, consider adding a short story, phrase, metaphor or a touching quote for an even greater emotional impact. A short, moving snippet of fiction can create even more mystery and intrigue that keeps your readers coming back for more. Musicians and songwriters can also use blogs to share their work, build a portfolio and establish a fan base in the same way. People love music almost as much, or even more than they love pictures. Song lyrics can be used to convey a great amount of emotion while still being mysterious and intriguing. Photographers, musicians, writers and artists who prefer not to share their work may find it more interesting to share their skill, techniques and experience. Photographers can share tips on shutter speed, aperture, lighting and a whole host of other professional guides. Artists can share their drawing and painting techniques, or even teach art on their blog. The same applies to musicians. People love to find out what tools and software professional and experienced musicians are using or how to use them properly. This also opens up the world of video creation, editing and visual effects. And don’t forget 3D animation. Besides actually publishing your own work, perhaps you prefer to give career guidance. There are a vast range of topics that can fall into this category: How to structure and write a resume or CV, how to create a business plan, how to set daily goals and work towards them, career path guidance for young students or college graduates, identifying strengths and weaknesses and using them to benefit your career. On the other hand, perhaps you are one of the few who absolutely loves your job and can write about it in intricate detail. Perhaps you can give advice or guidance about the specific job industry that you work in. Fiction publishers and agents can have a field day with this area of blogging. There are thousands of aspiring authors around the world every day who don’t know how to write a novel, get published or query an agent. Maybe your experience in your particular job or industry can help someone else realize their dream. How about a motivational blog if you are a motivational speaker? Most people just love compliments or to find out what little habits they can use to help them become more successful in life. Perhaps you are a doctor or nurse and can give health and medical advice on your blog.

Published by The Inscrutable Shrew - All Categories - 2018-11-21

Growing Up Wild

Episode 1 Three young children burst out of the front door of a bright yellow beach house with a thatched roof, screaming. The door, with wood swollen from the seaside humidity, bangs off the door frame as they try to slam it in the face of their pursuers. Max, two feet high and thick thighed, spots his hiding place immediately. His tiny legs are so short you can barely see them in the overgrown grass as he tears toward the massive potato bush growing a few meters from the house and, with stunning grace, dives straight under it, burying himself amidst the brambles and shouting in baby language as Daniel and I careen, barefoot, down the mapalo path, barely affected by the sharp crushed shells giving way beneath our calloused feet – feet which have not yet known shoes. We are pursued by no less than three large Mozambicans, some of the fastest runners in Southern Africa, shouting the odds in Chitswa and snatching at our heels as we desperately make our escape. “Up the tree! Mind the boomslang in the hollow!” I screech at Daniel as we reach the car park, and he immediately begins climbing, nimbly avoiding the dark crevice on the west side as well as a thick arm which swings out to grab him. He’s up, poking his head through the thick canopy above to watch me with wide eyes as I sprint to the generator room, looking for a place to hide. My venators are three steps behind me - My goat flees in the wake of our bedlam, braying blue murder - I dive behind the generator room - Make for the pathway near the well - Sprint uphill towards the school hut and - I am surrounded. Quick as the black mamba residing beneath my parents bedroom deck, Saramento, the fastest of our trappers, grabs hold of my arms, wrestling me to the ground so that Kandida, dreaded by all children and terrifying in her girth, can grab my legs and together they transport me, like a wild boar, to the poitjie pot, screaming and cursing the earth. I can hear Daniel threatening to jump out of the Zulu Podberry tree. Someone has climbed up after him. In the end he doesn’t have the guts and is hauled down, biting and using all the swear words he’s learned from Dad. Max is still buried beneath the potato bush, shrieking at Judy to leave him alone. Daniel and I are wrestled, writhing like electrified snakes, into the kitchen where Mother – that traitorous Rat! - stands over a smoking pot of execrable potion, cackling like the Wicked Witch of the West, praising her calamitous cohorts as her children are presented, shouting and frothing at the mouth. You may be wondering at this point if this tale has a happy ending and I can assure you, it does not. Mozambique, you see, is a wild place, comprised of three main integrants: feral people, corrupt tax men and horrible diseases. Of these three, the two which are pertinent to our story are the feral people and the horrible diseases. The horrible disease in question is, of course, malaria, the dreaded tropical fever that all of us have had at least 37 times each – a guarantee when living in a place like Mozambique. And so it was that Mother Rodent was so absolutely sick of drip feeding us Quoartem and cleaning vomit off the sheets at 2am, that she concocted a vile and vitriolic poison made up of pawpaw leaves - legend in Mozambican culture, the kernel of their herb-lore, taken straight from the rambling recipes of the local Nanga, which Kandida, that fell and despotic nursemaid, swore would make us immune for all our lives. Pursuant to this solemn promise, Mother Rodent had spent the morning filling the house with an odour so foul it could have smoked the devil out of hell, and then, with guileful charm, informed us three children that we were to drink at least one mug each of this pawpaw leaf tea, and that is when, with wills of iron, wild eyes and screeches of abandon, we went propelling through the front door, the intransigent executors of my mothers command hot on our heels. Upon our capture she swooped down on us, pouring her egregious decoction down our gagging throats as we spluttered, coughed and screeched like rabid ferrets, and then were tossed, unceremoniously, onto the lawn outside to cotch and squall. Max, the last to evade entrapment, was finally manhandled from beneath the potato bush and put up a fight that a green-backed iguana would be proud of, as Mother Rodent brandished her terrible tonic and cackled, reprehensible, roguish and rapturous in her victory. I am, now in hiding from Mother Rodent, The Inscrutable Shrew

Published by The Inscrutable Shrew - All Categories - 2018-11-21

A Rant and a Reward

It happened several Mondays past that my good Minister of Home Affairs arrived at work in a decidedly lacrymose condition, bewailing the brutalizing of her brother who had been attacked with a broken beer bottle that night gone by, and now waited at Parirenyatwa, more than disgruntled, for a doctor to sew up the 10 inch hole in his head without anaesthetic. “What kind of hospital are these! Hospital of the Crocodile!” And other splenetic lamentations took up the better part of a half hour as I tried to placate good Florence, offering to procure the anaesthetic and other medleys of medicines required for her brother’s treatment. Relieved (barely), she allowed me to repair to the veritable pharmacy down the road where the spunky pharmacist had much to mutter about when I showed him Parirenyatwa’s prescription. “Parirenyatwa, honestly! Who takes ciprofloxacin five times a day?” And with a whirl of his white lab coat, he flounced to the back to retrieve my petitioned potions. At the till, I was quoted a dismaying figure which caused me to lean heavily on their fancy glass counter top, jabbering for them to repeat their last words in English. “If you are swiping or paying with ecocash, the total is $189,” said he. “Excuse me?” said I. “$262,” droned he. “What?” “The rate is fluctuating by the minute, advise to make payment immediately,” yawned he. “I think I’m going into anaphylactic shock, could you add some intravenous antihistamines to this order and I’ll pay in US$ please.” “Ah good,” said he, completely unperturbed by the cardiac arrest I was experiencing, “That will be $30.” “What? That’s a rate of almost 10:1? Are you insane?” “It’s an unfortunate government, yes.” “It’s an unfortunate bloody life is what it is!” “Are you ready to pay?” I certainly wasn’t, but pay my USD$30 I did, and hastened to deliver the medications. The following morning, her brother stitched up and knocked out with Stopayne, and a docket opened with the police, Florence informed me that the attacker had been watching her at the bus station. “This man is mad,” decried Florence, “My brother is the fourth person he attacked!” “This is dangerous,” said I, “Perhaps you should use a different bus route...” “Oh no,” said she, “I am not afraid of this man! I am going to FIX him!” (“Fix” is a word which here means “bring justice to” or “get revenge upon”) “I sleep at Parirenyatwa the whole night like someone who is mad! I am going to FIX him!” With reports submitted and witnesses identified, the doleful police began their arduous search for the brutal barbarian who had terrorized Arcturus for the better part of the year. On bicycles by day, creeping through bushes by night, the assigned task-force came up empty handed for days. Pursuant to this disappointing failure to trap the terrorist, Florence bemoaned the luck of the evil and the apathetic langour of the residents of her suburb who refused to lift a finger to aid the police in their search. And so it was that we, in the spirit of FIXING, crafted a cunning scheme. “A month’s supply of cooking oil and mealie meal will be supplied to the man or woman or (insert identifiable genders and species) who captures this tyrant of terror and brings him to the police direct.” This message was sent with jaded hope via the grapevine to the marketplace at Arcturus, where a third of the community spend most of the day vending and haggling and sipping lacto beneath the mango trees. I absconded then to the shops to purchase a large bunch of bright yellow bananas, and nothing more, for the bananas alone were $15, and upon my return only an hour and a half later, found Florence gyrating like an ecstatic lemur, proclaiming victory and screeching loud exuberances to the entirety of Greendale. “The plan – OH THE PLAN – it worked!! They have caught him! They found him sleeping in the river like a CROCODILE! Two men, they capture him and bring him to police! Now they are asking for their oil and mealie meal.” At this news, Tendai, watering flowers nearby, dropped his hosepipe and danced an energetic jig. Indeed, our dexterous devices had worked faster than any police investigation I had heard of! Later, cooking oil and mealie meal were dispensed to the enforcers of justice from Arcturus and the murderous myrmidon was indeed, thoroughly, FIXED. Let it be a lesson to all that, in Zimbabwe at least, there is no strength that cooking oil and mealie meal cannot inspire, no exigent task it cannot make possible, and no recalcitrant cretin that cannot be brought to justice with these commodities as a reward! I am, guilefully, The Inscrutable Shrew

Published by The Inscrutable Shrew - All Categories - 2018-11-21

A Virulent Vice

I am shrewishly certain that there are obsessions more odious and vices more villainous in this unnatural world than an addiction to hot sauce, but, frankly, when the boyfriend can't eat a meal that doesn't instantly give him mouth ulcers, things have got out of hand. It all started with Borrowdale SPAR's pickled vegetables which, as I've pronounced previously, will burn a hole in your gullet and cause the most grotesque sobbing you could ever choose to engage in. But this particular pickle is of such a toothsome quality that anyone would happily eviscerate their tonsils just for a small taste of absolute goddam heaven. When I arrived home, still panting and frothing at the mouth like a scandalized beaver, I relayed every sordid detail of my orgasmic experience of this chili to the boyfriend. "What's the god-honest point?" said he. "I like to actually eat my food, not use it as some sort of Tibetan torture treatment!" "Sacrilege!" shrieked I, and determined then and there that it was my Fates-ascribed duty as his cohabitor to ensure that he would one day appreciate the delectations of violent and searing chili if it was the last thing I did. And so, with his more sensitive palette in mind, I began with an entry level condiment that would safely introduce a pink-tongued custard-stripling to the world of red-hot roasted rations, namely: Dr. Trouble (Lemon, Hot). "Eh-HEY!" shouted Florence upon my arrival and unpacking of the groceries. "So you want to get into trouble??" "It's perfectly harmless!" I said. "Mxm! That's what the monkey thinks about the crocodile on the water like a log! I know today you are looking for Trouble!" And indeed I was, for there is nothing better in life than getting into a little bit of trouble, especially when it comes to food. As I flounced about the kitchen, sweating over the black cast iron pot full of stir fried greens, Florence picked up the bottle once more and, seeing the "Hot" label, raised a halting hand like a preacher who feels the fiery anointing of the good Holy Ghost coming on. "Mhmmm! Today is today!" "Today is today!" I agreed vehemently. And we did a sort of Tonga war dance in the two by one meter kitchenette as the boyfriend poked his head out of the office and watched, with eyes wide like a mongoose on a misty morning. I had prepared an innocuous supper, of course, something to tempt him to use condiments, my hand outstretched in deviant love, ready with the Dr. Trouble. "Just try it! A smidgen on the end of your knife." And so he did, tentatively tasting a tiny trace and then, surprised, pleasantly, like a Zimbabwean at petrol station with full tanks, began eating with gusto. And so began the chary chore of Duncan's chili eating. It only took three whole bottles of Dr. Trouble to realize that we were practically drinking it while Florence raged about poisoning our pancreases and losing the ability to taste forever. We decided we needed something slightly more effective that we would use in smaller amounts, which would make it last longer and, with any luck, fool that shrewd Minister of Home Affairs into thinking that we were no longer, at her appropriate advice, incinerating our intestines. To that end, we stood in the condiment aisle at Pick n' Pay, with the beady eyes of critics, pawing at different brands of hot sauce and repudiating all the mild labels like we were Mexicans born in the sweltering heat of a habanero chili plantation, drinking the milk of mothers who ate more jalapeños than the red devil himself. It was there that we came across Banditos' Habanero Sauce. We decided to play it safe with the 6/10 and, after tentatively dipping forkfuls of noodles into a small teaspoon on the side of our plates, we found that it was rather the same potency as Dr Trouble and hastened to buy the 10/10 which we were sure would not disappoint. And it didn't. With an immoderate millimeterage of what I was soon to discover is the hottest sauce to be bottled south of Mexico in Africa daubed all over my baked potato, I set about eating with that intractable arrogance that every Mozambique raised Landrey has ever had about chili. Forkful after forkful, one, two, three and then, suddenly it hit me like I'd swallowed a bag of blue-bottles and, my brain almost hemorrhaging from the burn, I went flying to the freezer to swallow an entire packet of frozen peas instead to stave off a gushing nosebleed. My cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk with ice and other frozen items, I returned to my seat, collapsing and fighting heart failure, while Duncan, to my great exasperation and disbelief, was pouring half the blazing bottle onto the remainder of his potato, humming like it was Heinz ketchup. I had created a monster. "'At is 'ong wif yoo?" I demanded through melting ice cubes and soggy peas. "What are you talking about?" "Oo ah going to KILL orself!!!" "I can't understand you - what are you eating?" And I replied, spitting out the contents of my gerbalish cheeks onto my abandoned plate, "You can't eat chili like that, for god sakes!" But eat it he did, and, through sweat and shakes and some mild heart palpitations, declared that it was the best meal he'd ever eaten. It followed then that the entire bottle of 10/10 Habanero hot chili sauce lasted Duncan all of 3 and a half days and during that time Florence in her wily way weasled out of me that it was indeed a far hotter sauce than any we had ever bought and declared emphatically that Duncan would get stomach cancer if he wasn't careful. But every meal I cooked, drenched in half bottles of Mexican fire-sauce, was too bland for the belly-aching boyfriend who longed only for chilis hotter than any grown on this and any other known world. Concerned, I suggested that he may have a problem and that therapy or an anonymous group may do him some good. This however did not waylay the maniacal chili champion and, in a last-ditch effort to curb his chancorous craving, I went in search of the hottest chili Zimbabwean toilet paper - I mean bond notes - could buy. I heard first of this disturbing decoction of flaming feral fire plant on the esteemed Zimvine where a consternated consumer decried the sale of a chili so hot he had to get it not only out of his cooking but out of his house and surrounds and life, if you please, and what, dangnabbit, was the ever loving point of a chili so violent that one could not eat it. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is what I put my hope in! A cure! Fates above and Furies beneath, I had found it! I purchased it one sultry afternoon at Food Lovers Greendale. It sat, inconspicuous on the shelf, with a rather average logo that read: HOT in great flaming letters made out of actual red chili peppers, and, on the side, as though the front banner were not portents enough, screeched VERY HOT. I slid it through the check out, smelling victory. The teller said, "So you like hot stuff?" To which I replied, "Veritably," To which he countered, "So do I," and I noticed then that he looked me up and down and winked and I stood sort of agape like a toad bereft of a tirade, and said, "Ah, yes, well, must be off, vices to vanquish, all that - cheerio!" The boyfriend greeted me at the door and I offered him a sandwich with immediate effect, which he accepted and asked, as he had not stopped asking for months now, for extra chili, and I said, like any good housegirlfriend, "Yes darling!" I basted his sandwich with HOT (for that, to my knowledge, is its actual name), conniving and convinced, and handed his cure to him on a silver platter, hovering nearby, awaiting what I was certain would be my victory. What I witnessed was nothing short of traumatic. This once pink-tongued custard-stripling devoured his dinner with such voracious virility that I thought at first the taste had not caught up with him, but oh, how wrong I was! How I underestimated this beast of a boyfriend who was champing down this virulently venomous chili like it was his reason for living! "Is this new?" says he. "Yes," breathe I. "My eyes are vibrating," quips he. "Oh God NO!" cried I. But they were, visibly. "It's delicious!" shouts he. "I think we should go to a hospital!" falter I. "Oh no," flaps he, adding another teaspoon to the corner of his sandwich, and, with a shit eating grin, devours it almost neat. "OH-HO!" screeches Florence! "I am going to call Nyaradzo!" Ladies and gentlemen, I fear for my beloved's innards as they are likely near incineration, and, should he father children in the near future, I fear our spawn will come out like little burning devils with a penchant for pain. I am, fretfully, The Inscrutable Shrew

All About CyberStudeo

Published by CyberStudeo - Guest Posts - 2018-11-19

Creating Our Own Happiness

I believe we have the power to create our own happiness. I believe the real magic in the world is done by humans. I believe normal life is extraordinary. I was sitting in my car at a stoplight intersection listening to the radio. I was, I guess, lost in the moment, thinking how happy I was to be inside my nice warm car. It was cold and windy outside, and I thought, "Life is good." Now, this was a long light. As I waited, I noticed two people huddled together at the bus stop. To my eyes, they looked uncomfortable; they looked cold and they looked poor. Their coats looked like they came from a thrift store. They weren't wearing stuff from The Gap. I knew it because I'd been there. The couple seemed to be doing their best to keep warm. They were huddled together, and I thought to myself, "Oh, those poor people in that punishing wind."But then I saw their faces. Yes, they were huddling, but they were also laughing. They looked to be sharing a good joke, and suddenly, instead of pitying them, I envied them. I thought, "Huh, what's so funny?" They didn't notice the wind. They weren't worried about their clothes. They weren't looking at my car thinking, "I wish I had that." You know when a single moment feels like an hour? Well, in that moment, I realized I had assumed this couple needed my pity, but they didn't. I assumed things were all bad for them, but they weren't. And I understood we all have the power to make moments of happiness happen. Now, maybe that's easy for me to say. I feel lucky to have fans around the world, a house with a roof and a wife who puts up with me. But I felt this way even when I was working at Long John Silver's. I worked there for 11 years as a fry cook. When you work at a place that long, you see teenagers coming in on their first dates; then they're married; then they're bringing in their kids. You witness whole sections of people's lives. In the beginning, it seemed like a dead end job. But at least I had a job. And frankly, it was easy. After two weeks, I knew all I needed to know, and it freed my mind. The job allowed me to dream about what my life could become. The first year I worked there, we got robbed. I lay on the floor. I thought I was going to die. I didn't think I stood a chance. But everything turned out all right. A lot of people look at life as a series of miserable tasks, but after that, I didn't. I believe this is something all of us can do: Try to be happy within the context of the life we are actually living. Happiness is not a situation to be longed for or a convergence of lucky happenstance. Through the power of our own minds, we can help ourselves. This I believe. *** Creating Our Own Happiness, by Wayne Coyne

Published by CyberStudeo - Guest Posts - 2018-11-19

Is This The End Of Bitcoin?

In November 2017, I wrote a book about Crypto Currency Trading (Crypto-Currency Trading - One Strategy That Never Fails) in which I correctly predicted that bitcoin would crash soon. At the time, one bitcoin was trading at the record high of $7,350 and it was showing no signs of slowing down. Actually it was breaking past some of the wildest expectations. Of course, I received numerous emails with insults and threats because of my prediction. One month (7th December 2017) after I published the book, the price of a bitcoin had almost doubled to $13,741. If it hadn’t surpassed expectations at 7k, it definitely did at 13.7k. I had two conflicting emotions about this massive rise. The first emotion was intrigue, because the more it rose, the more certain I was that it would come crashing down hard and fast. Actually one day while I was in my office looking at the charts, I turned to a colleague and said, “Lots of people are going to lose money. This is going to come down hard.” The second emotion I had was fear that I had been wrong. Was it possible that Bitcoin would not follow the general trends of other altcoins, and instead be a phenomenon of its own? You see my prediction was based on a pattern that absolutely ALL crypto-currencies follow. Stellar Lumens, which is one of my favorite currencies, is a perfect example. It has risen exponentially and fallen exponentially — twice over a period of about 3 years. Every single crypto currency goes through these quick bursts and major falls in their own time frames. Bitcoin had never been through one. Its price had never fallen very sharply. In essence, it was still on the rise, and this rise was becoming unsustainable. One day later, on the 8th of December, it had reached $17,233. It was a huge gain — approximately $3,500 dollars in 1 day! And the very next day it had started to crash. But it wasn’t the end yet. It would rise again a few days later, and hit over $20,000 by the 17th of December. And that rise would be its record high. A huge number of people have lost tens of thousands of dollars. Since then it’s been depressing for most people to watch bitcoin — but not me. I was ready for this. I had predicted it. As I type now, the price of bitcoin is at about $5,600 and it seems to be stuck there. So is this the end of Bitcoin? Besides the high transaction fees that make it impractical to use for small, everyday purchases, it’s still a really brilliant currency for trading. And if you look at the Stellar Lumens chart above, you will start to see that bitcoin is following a similar pattern. It’s now “bottomed out” — which means it’s going to start rising again soon and this time I predict that it will surpass the 20k mark on its next peak. If you want to invest in something that’s going to be profitable, buy bitcoin now. But buy sensibly — a little bit at a time whenever you can afford to because this is not the end of bitcoin. *** This post contains illustrations that have been ommitted. You can see the full post here: Is This The End Of Bitcoin?

CyberStudeo

How to Accomplish Big Things

Have you ever felt like your dreams are bigger than you are? Like wanting to travel to exotic places or become a millionaire or write a best-selling book? Dreams so grand, so distant, they seem like stars glittering and unreachable in the night. And what of the small dreams? The everyday ones? Like going back to school, falling in love, or landing a better paying job. Those things aren’t unreachable — people do it all the time — and yet … it still seems so difficult. Sure, you know it’s possible, theoretically, but with everything you’re dealing with, you can’t for the life of you see how it’s possible for you to do it. At least not right now. Money, time, current responsibilities, past commitments — there are a gazillion obstacles standing in your way. The idea of dealing with all those things, of overcoming them, of finally getting into a position where you can do what you’ve always dreamed about … it seems nearly impossible. Not as distant as the stars, perhaps, but it would certainly be like walking on the moon. The good news? While I can’t say overcoming all those obstacles will be easy, it’s certainly possible. In many ways, I’m living proof. I have a type of muscular dystrophy called SMA that slowly makes you weaker and weaker until you can’t move at all. In my early 20s, I lost the ability to move anything but my face, and I was totally dependent on welfare to survive. Even the simplest dreams like getting a job, taking a vacation, or renting my own apartment seemed as impossible as walking on the moon or circling the stars. And yet … years later, I’ve accomplished each and every one of those things. Not only did I get a job, but I used speech recognition software and a lip-operated mouse to start an online magazine that’s now worth millions of dollars. Not only did I take a vacation, but I convinced my caregivers to help me travel across the United States and Mexico. Not only did I rent my own apartment, but I could afford to live in luxury, a stone’s throw away from the ocean. Was any of it easy? Simple? Fast? Hell no. Building the life of my dreams was the scariest, most difficult thing I’ve ever done. But I did it. Not through luck or genius or powerful connections, but by learning to use my brain in a way that few people do. In this post, I’ll show you the exact method I used to make it all happen. Nothing for sale, and no “woo woo” stuff. This is the entire method, and it’s packed with actionable (albeit difficult) advice. Let’s get started. *** Jon Morrow is the founder and CEO of SmartBlogger.com and Unstoppable.me - He has overcome extreme odds and built himself a business that's worth millions of dollars, even though he only has the ability to move his face. To read this full blog post, go to: How to Accomplish Big Things, Even When You Feel Small

CyberStudeo

Choosing a Blog Topic (Part 1)

Before you even get started with your blog, you need to decide two things: First you need to decide what you’re going to write about. As you read through this series and get ideas for your blog's topic, we also want you to keep a second and more important question in mind: how are you are going to do it differently to make your content more appealing, entertaining or interactive? There may be hundreds of thousands or even millions of blogs that cover the same topic, but that doesn’t mean they are all good. It also doesn’t mean they are well known. You can more than likely achieve better success if you write about it in a more entertaining way or do something differently. You can also achieve greater success with better tools and marketing. When thinking about a topic, remember that many people have achieved incredible success by choosing a topic they were already passionate about: their hobby, their interest, or something they know a lot about. Try stick to the same concept. If you’re not interested or passionate about the topic you choose, blogging becomes a chore that you will eventually grow to dislike. If you are passionate about something, but don’t know much about it, you can always learn. Learning and research are part of the process that all bloggers inevitably face. In this series, we will give you a comprehensive list of ideas. To help you with this activity, grab a pen and paper and list any ideas that appeal to you. The most ideal way to make a list is to put a title and a brief description under it. Try to limit your title to 5 words or less for easy review and use the description to further elaborate any thoughts or additional ideas that come to mind. You don’t necessarily have to follow our descriptions. Since people learn best from examples, the example list below is assumed to be from a person who is interested in homemaking and holds qualifications in architecture, interior design and landscaping but is also thinking of venturing outside of these and complementing the blog with other topics of interest. • Home and Garden Blog Publish the recipes that Gran has been collecting for all those years. Post landscaping and gardening tips, handy hints and household cleaning tips. Post interior design tips, and use of colors. Consider parenting tips also. • Landscaping and Interior Design Publish some of my architectural designs with commentary. Publish some of my landscaping designs, water feature designs with commentary. As you read through our ideas, you might find that you come up with your own ideas – write them down. Literally anything that comes to your mind, even if you think it’s silly or unrealistic. We will go through your ideas a bit later in this book to refine them, so don’t hold back. Remember also, that quite a few successful bloggers don’t cover one specific topic at all, but rather, they cover a variety of topics in an entertaining or unique way. Others cover a topic that is so broad it allows them to write about numerous sub topics. These types of blogs are a bit more difficult to find names for, but we guide you through the naming process in our free Blogging Guide ebook. Ideally read through all our ideas, even if they don’t interest you, because they might help you come up with your own ideas. Part Two Coming Soon.

CyberStudeo

Materials Required to Build Your Model

Our Printable Kit has been launched. In order to build a model of the ship, you will need the following materials. 15 Sheets of Heavy Cardstock: Each sheet needs to be approximately 35 inches long, 25 inches wide (89.5cm x 63.5cm) and approximately 1.5mm thick. Anything greater than 1.5mm becomes too difficult to cut, and anything less than 1.2mm becomes too flimsy to support the decks. You can find some of this heavy cardstock on Amazon: Heavy Card or here: Heavy Card. This material is referred to as “Heavy Card” in the instructions. 100 Sheets of Card Stock: 100 sheets of plain white, A4 card stock, between 200gsm and 220gsm. Make sure that you have a printer which is compatible with the weight you choose. Ideally, both sides should be plain, without a textured or glossy finish. You can get 200gsm card stock on Amazon: CardStock. UK based people can get some from here: CardStock. This material will be referred to as “200gsm CardStock” in the instructions. Black and White Laser Printer: Black and white laser printers work well for the high volume of printing you will be doing. This printer needs to be able to print on the card stock you chose previously. Otherwise, consider getting the printing done at a print shop. Color Laser or Inkjet Printer: You will need a color printer for parts such as floor boards, windows, and various finished parts that need to be in color. Ream of Plain Paper: Approximately 500 sheets of A4, white bond office paper (80gsm). This is the type that’s typically used for home and office printing. The paper should not have a glossy or textured finish. Order some from Amazon: Plain Paper or if you are in the UK from here: Plain Paper. This material will be referred to as “80gsm Plain Paper” in the assembly instructions. 100 Sheets Newsprint Paper: Approximately 100 sheets of A4, 60gsm newsprint paper. Be cautious when running this type of paper through your printer. Its lighter weight may cause it to crumple or jam in the printer. Ideally run one sheet through at a time. You can order this newsprint on Amazon: Newsprint. This material will be referred to as “60gsm Newsprint Paper” in the assembly instructions. Liquid Paper Glue: A few bottles (approximately 1 liter) of transparent, liquid paper glue. You can get some liquid paper glue from Amazon: Liquid Paper Glue. Glue Sticks: Approximately 350g of paper glue sticks. You can get a pack of 60 from Amazon: Glue Sticks. Plain White, Cake Flour: You will need approximately 2kg of plain, white cake flour without any self-raising agents. This will be used to make a paste that works well with paper mache. Mixing Bowl: You will need a small mixing bowl that can hold about 500ml of liquid. Other Tools: You will need a 30cm (12inch) ruler with markings in centimeters on one side and millimeters on the other side. You can also use one marked with centimeters and inches if you prefer. You will need a strong pair of sharp scissors as well as a craft knife with some spare blades. You can get a craft knife from Amazon: Craft Knife. In addition, you will also need some colored pens, preferably, Red, Blue and Black. Ball point pens are ideal because you will need to be able to press down firmly. Later in the project you will require paint and paint brushes. Sizes and color samples will be advised in later issues as they become necessary. In the meantime, it’s a good idea to get 1 liter of white paint and 1 liter of black paint. Use craft paint, or a water-based acrylic PVA with a low sheen – preferably one that has a gloss level of between 20 – 30%. Avoid oil based or high glossy paints.

Model Titanic

The Benefits of Blogging

You probably already have your own reason for wanting to start a blog, but let’s take a moment to review some of the benefits of blogging. A blog can be a way of advancing your life in ways that you’ve never imagined possible. A well-written blog with good content helps you keep in touch with people who visit and can establish you as a credible source of information. For small businesses, blogging is a brilliant way to enhance your marketing efforts, drive visitors to your website, and even attract prospective customers. In a study, 81% of businesses rated a blog between useful to critical for their business operations. A business blog allows customers to give valuable comments, feedback, helpful criticism, suggestions and even glowing reviews. A business that knows what’s on their customer’s mind has a gold mine of product development and marketing information. Every time someone links to your blog post, tweets about the post, or emails it to a friend: it’s free marketing for your business. Fiction and nonfiction authors have a better chance of landing a book publishing deal if they have a blog with a large following. Many popular bloggers become top selling authors and many top selling authors have blogs. If you are thinking about self-publishing, a blog can help you achieve much greater success. Driving your book up to the best seller list can also help you grab the attention of readers who would never have heard of you otherwise. There are, of course, numerous personal benefits to having a blog: You can become a better writer, become a better researcher, and even expand your knowledge. You’d be surprised how many new insights and ideas you can get from researching your blog posts or from your readers’ comments. Starting a blog can help you build a network of contacts, or even make new friends. The goal that most bloggers have it to be able to earn an income from their blogs. And indeed, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people have built lucrative businesses and careers around their blogs, while others earn enough money from their blogs to give up their jobs and still live comfortably. Then there are others who just enjoy perusing a topic they are passionate about while also earning a little bit of extra pocket money. Stay at home moms who really want to be with their children sometimes find motherhood can be very isolating and even lonely. Blogging has given many moms the freedom to stay at home while still giving them the opportunity to build an audience or support network. Many moms said blogging added new meaning their lives and gave them the chance to pursue their own careers and interests, while also helping them feel like they were doing something useful. Many said their time became their own again; they could work on their own schedules and not miss out so much of their children’s lives while also earning an income. Blogging is one of the few businesses or hobby’s that you can start up with little to no financial investment. It gives you the freedom to write about something that interests you, without having a boss or CEO giving you boring, mundane or repetitive tasks that it a job. Blogging allows you to create something that you can call your own. People who have had a traumatic experience, or are working through a life changing event, sometimes find that blogging helps them cope better and bring about a degree of closure and acceptance to their lives. Trauma victims who blog also reported that it gave them a more positive attitude and made them realize that they are not alone. They also found that sharing their experiences and being able to help other people through the same or similar circumstances brought new meaning to their own lives. What are your goals for blogging because success can be defined in many different ways? So what is your definition of success and what are your goals? Perhaps you want to make enough money from blogging to give up your job. Perhaps you want blogging to enable you to travel more. Your goal might just be to make new friends, contacts, or gather the largest possible following. Closely related to a large following is fame – perhaps that’s your goal. Take a moment to define your idea of success including how you will know when you reach your goals.

CyberStudeo

White Star Line - A History

The White Star Line (1845-1934) was founded in Liverpool, England in 1845, by Henry Threlfall Wilson and John Pilkington. At its inception it was called the “Aberdeen White Star Line”. Little did they know that it would become one of the greatest steamship companies of its time, and much later, one of the most famous of all times. The company’s initial focus was on the great Australian gold rush. In the early 1850’s if you had sound ships and ran the Australian route, it would be difficult not to succeed. In 1852 White Star Line launched and operated a fleet of wooden sailing clippers—the Blue Jacket (later renamed the White Star), the Red Jacket, the Ellen and the Iowa. With these vessels, they transported would-be prospectors from Liverpool, England to Melbourne, Australia in search of the newly found gold fields. They returned to England, loaded with seal skins, whale oil and Australian wool and gold, the latter being its main cargo. Pilkington and Wilson's initial business plan for the White Star Line included leasing and chartering vessels as opposed to purchasing them. As business and capital increased, they would purchase vessels. The first ship purchased under the White Star Line name was the 879-ton clipper ship Iowa, of the barque class. In 1857, a 19 year old by the name of Thomas Henry Ismay, struggling to claim his stake in the business world, met up with a retired ship captain named Phillip Nelson. Nelson owned a ship, the Anne Nelson, named after his wife. The two became friends and decided to go into business together as shipbrokers. After five years the partnership broke up and Ismay founded T.H. Ismay and Company in Liverpool. After a few quick years, T.H. Ismay and Company had become a recognized establishment in its own right and Ismay was becoming a wealthy man. Deciding it was time to make some outside investments, Thomas Ismay began purchasing shares in the White Star Line. In 1863 White Star Line purchased its first steamship, the Royal Standard, a move thought to be what White Star Line needed to pick up business. As it turned out, Royal Standard did not make a difference and the conglomerate was now on a rapid downhill spiral. The now slowing Australian gold rush made matters worse. In an attempt to save itself, the White Star Line broke away from the merger. White Star Line decided to abandon the Australian run and reroute the Royal Standard to the North Atlantic run—Liverpool to New York. Thomas Henry Ismay, by now 31- years old, and director of the National Line, saw an opportunity for the taking. Together with Sir Edward Harland (of Harland and Wolff Shipbuilders), they quickly purchased the White Star Line from the near penniless Henry Wilson on January 18, 1868, for £1,000 (the value today would be over £46,000). By purchasing the name and the house flag of the White Star Line, Thomas Ismay took on the company’s over £500,000 debt. Thomas Ismay’s intention with the purchase of the White Star Line was to redirect the bankrupt company's attention from the Australian trade to the North Atlantic passenger service—a move that Henry Wilson had attempted, but failed. Almost immediately after the purchase, the White Star Line was back on its feet. The full article is available in Volume 1. It includes printable parts to build your own model of the Titanic.

Model Titanic

Welcome Aboard

It was on a summer night in 1907, that a dream to build the most fantastic ship ever conceived began in London. Titanic continues to be one of the most infamous and beautiful ships of all time. The legend and mystery surrounding the Titanic has endured for over 100 years and has fascinated audiences before, and long after that fateful night when she slipped violently beneath the waves. She was designed to be the greatest achievement in an era marked by prosperity, confidence and technological advances. But little did the owners know that their greatest dream would lie wrecked at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean on its first voyage. The Titanic has always held a special place in my heart. This ambitious project has taken up many hours of my time, over many years, but it has been extremely rewarding. From the very beginning, my intention was to make it available to the public, but I've never felt that it was good enough. After years of tinkering, it's still not perfect, but it's a great start. I hope to bring you an even bigger, more accurate model in the future. Build your own replica of the Titanic out of paper and cardstock at a 1:160 scale. The completed ship is slightly less than two meters long. The scale is a compromise between size and detail: It's not so big that you can't easily construct and display it, but not so small that minute details are eliminated. This subscription includes several volumes of E-books that provide simple, yet detailed instructions as well as assembly parts that can be printed on your home or office printer. The first issue, Volume 1 is being released on the 1st of November, 2018. It will be available for pre-order on our website in a few days.

Model Titanic

All About Blogging

There are approximately 152 million blogs on the internet, and it’s estimated that two new blogs are created every second. It’s likely that you’ll be referred to a post on someone’s blog whenever you search for information on Google. It’s also estimated that most people read a blog post at least once a day. When blogs were originally started, they were primarily places for people to write about their day-to-day activities. Mundane, everyday tasks became fodder for journal entries. Somehow these writers gained a following and the hobby of blogging was born. Today blogs have evolved somewhat, and “bloggers” write about a wide variety of far more interesting topics. People use blogs to document their travels around the world, or promote a cause or charity. Businesses use blogs to market their products, or provide support. Blog topics range from hair tips, technical information and news to cooking, health, gardening, sport and actually just about anything you can imagine. It’s a place to express yourself to the world. A place to share your thoughts and your passions or really anything you want it to be. It’s like having your own website that you update frequently - similar to a Facebook timeline in a way. Never before have average, everyday people been able to reach such a huge global audience so easily. Though there are still people who write about their daily activities, there are also those who give almost no detail about their lives, but write instead about a hobby or interest. Others dedicate their blog to something they are passionate about, or teach about a topic they are knowledgeable in. A blog is really just an online diary and accessible to anyone on the internet. Entries are called posts, and usually the latest entry shows up first. This is the basic difference between a blog and a website - the way that information is presented. The writing style, or tone, of blogs is also generally chatty and informal, though there are many bloggers that prefer to keep a more professional and formal tone in their writing. Blogs generally also allow visitors to comment on posts and articles, a feature which most websites don’t allow. Blogs also have fewer pages than websites, although modern blogs are now adding an About and Contact page. Blogs also usually send out a free newsletter with each post to keep their visitors informed about new content. CyberStudeo will be adding all these features to our blogs soon.

CyberStudeo