The question for today was “What would I like to see when I look back on my blog on 01JAN15?”.
I have a small list of things that I would like to see. Will I get them? Who knows. We’ll see what I can come up with. BUT, regardless of me getting what I want or not… here is my list.
1. 1,500 Subscribers / Followers
Seems like the biggest drug of the bloggers choice would be the number of views one can get on their blog. I’ve had a few spikes over the last few months thanks to Reddit, but nothing with any enduring value. I want to get my blog to the point where I can have a legitimate daily readership. Hell, I’d settle for weekly.
2. An actual focal point for what my blog is supposed to be about.
I’ve covered all sorts of topics here. Politics, weight loss, video games, family, religion, and even the occasional rant. The big problem is that there is no real central focus for what I write about. I want to find that I have come up with an actual thing to write about consistently.
3. At least 200 real posts.
I like the idea of writing regularly, but I want to make sure that the posts that I write have actual substance. I had the idea of providing commentary on whatever was near the top of the reddit feed for that day, but I’m not sure if that would work very well. I mean, I know that I have an ability to include sarcasm and occasionally humor in my posts, but I don’t think that copying what is already written about would be the best bet.
So, there you go. THREE things that I would like to see in the next year when I look back on my blog.
Drop me a comment if you have any feedback on my diatribe today. If your comment rocks enough, I’ll maybe even write a post on it.
I mean, he has like 87 games that he stars in and has more marketing power than Steve Jobs ever could hope for. Mario is a ROCK STAR!
But, what do all rock stars have in common?
INFIDELITY!
Seriously though, Mario is a bad ass.
Anywho, the reason for today’s post is this…
This picture is awesome on like 3 different levels.
I made the comment that if Mario was gonna cheat, this is where he would do it. I mean, it’s his own castle, it’s got a bed, and as awesome as Peach is, Daisy would NOT hesitate to capitalize on real estate like this.
I guess the long of the short here is that this childrens bunk bed is pretty awesome.
Makes me wish I had one as a kid… or a teenager… Hell, I want one now and I’m 33.
If you are here trying to figure out how to get more hits on your blog, then you came to the right place. Keep reading.
GOOGLE JUICE: The stuff you pour on your blog to make it show up on google!
So, I write a blog.
I enjoy writing, it makes me smile.
Recently I did a post based on the cheapest drug an internet junkie can get. I talked about page hits and getting people to actually click on the links and read the site. I hadn’t figured out how to actually get people to this place.
Well, while I was on the phone with my amazing wife Andrea recently, and I was saying how I was SO excited that I got 21 hits in one day one time.
I know what you are thinking, “Garen, 21 hits is LAME!” and you are right, 21 hits IS lame. She told me that she was getting upwards of 60 hits off of a single post each day on something she hasn’t written about in months. I wondered how the hell she was pulling this off. After talking to her a bit, she explained that I had to put information in to my meta tags for the pictures themselves.
So, after a bit of playing around I figured out how to add my tags. I went back and filled in the tags on a half dozen posts and suddenly, within actual MINUTES, I was getting hits on the site. I was very impressed. Something so simple and it was generating interest in what I was writing. Well, actually, it wasn’t generating interest, it was actually just letting people find me a little easier.
So, how do you tag your pictures so that you can get more hits?
What You Don’t Know About Your WordPress Title Tag
When you upload a picture to your WordPress site the uploaded picture automatically is given the same title as the one you gave the file in your computer.
This of course means you optimized the picture file title from ’249384.jpg’ to ‘freds_fine_fish.jpg’ before you uploaded the photo to your website.
For a lot of you, the next step from there is to select the size and placement of the photo and move on. No more optimizing work to be done here. Picture title optimized. Success.
Wrong.
What you may not have realized is that in WordPress, the option in the photo editor that is red starred as required, is not where you optimize your pictures.
Nope. To optimize your pictures for maximum search engine goodness, you want to be sure you’ve entered your keywords into the second selection labeled ‘Alternate Text’. That’s right, the spot that sports the red star, while required by WordPress, doesn’t actually do much for optimizing your website photos. That second line, that’s where your google juice is.
So there you have it. That’s how it’s done.
Go back, fill in your tags, and you’ll be good. Instant fame, success, and a new car in the garage*
(*Fame, success, and new car not guaranteed)
Holler if you wanna see something posted here, maybe click the follow the blog button. Possibly share whats going on here on reddit. It could be a good thing.
So, most people that are in to gaming on their computers know what a case mod is.
You buy a stock case.
You punch a window in the side.
Maybe a blowhole for the top.
Possibly a custom paint job.
Stuff it full of amazing components.
And go.
Well, I had always been interested in case modding. I looked at it with a wonder and an awe that I can’t really quite explain. I loved the way cases looked when they were all fancy with all of the fun little trinkets that a case could contain.
My big problem is I had no skill to do such wonderful work. Or at least this is what I told myself. So, because of this, I found myself purchasing pre-modded cases.
They look okay, in fact, some of them even look downright awesome, but you are aware that you have the same case as hundreds or even thousands of other people out there.
For some people, this is okay. For others, this might be considered partially unacceptable.
Well, after years of owning pre-mods, of using bland cases, and of using computer cases that were pleasing to the eye but still plain, I decided I finally wanted to go a little bigger and do my own mod.
My first mod.
In fact, I posted pictures of the results recently. It turned out quite nicely.
Well, the point of this post is to actually encourage you to take that first step.
I started by purchasing a coolermaster Elite 343 for my new computer. It’s a great case. Pleasing to the eye, small enough to tote around, but big enough to hold all of my components nicely. I was happy with the initial case. But I was curious so I started digging around and I found that there are many resources online for case modders. Many videos. Many tutorials. Many places to get good information for taking that all important first leap into the world of actually cutting holes in a $50 piece of steel.
I’ve decided to take a handful of them and put them here. I have also decided to take a few short lists and post them here so you have an idea of what you need to purchase if you want to make your life while modding considerably easier.
So, without further ado, I offer a list, a string of videos, and some verbal encouragement. With a little luck, a little willingness to try new things, and a little bravery that causes you to pick up a jigsaw, you can have something that just screams your name.
Here we go.
The Tools
The following is a list of tools that will make your adventure in modding WAY easier. Not all are required, but all are useful.
-Safety Glasses (REQUIRED!)
-Jigsaw with a 20tpi blade (Cuts steel)
-Handheld drill with drill bits
-Hole Saw
-A rotary tool (Dremel or some other brand)
-Tape Measure
-Masking Tape
-Pen/Pencil
-Hand files
-Handheld rivet gun
-Screwdrivers (Phillips and Flathead)
See? The list of tools are all things that you most likely have sitting in your garage or basement already. Even if you don’t, I think the rotary tool is the most expensive one. Do you have friends? Do any of them have any of these tools? Might you be able to borrow a tool? Possibly bring them over with their tools to help you cut up your fantastic case? Just a few things to consider.
The Mod List
Okay, so there are a number of mods that someone can do to their computer. I offer you the following four suggestions that are super simple. Deceptively good looking. And while they have been done to death, are a GREAT place to start modding. I give them to you in the order of difficulty.
-Case Handles (Four drilled holes. That’s it!)
-Blowhole (Five drilled holes, and 10 to 15 minutes with a rotary tool)
-Case Window (One drilled hole and 20 minutes with a jigsaw)
-Painted Case (3 hours with a can of spray paint)
See, this list is short, but it offers up some great ideas. Almost everyone starts with one of these four projects. Each is awesome because they give you the opportunity to do things how you want to do them in a way that has your own personality and style to them.
Since I do enjoy writing, but I am also notoriously lazy, I am going to post a few links to help you with these projects. While I could explain them in depth and detail, the videos that I am going to share do a much better job since you can actually SEE what you are doing or what is going on.
Lets look at our first mod…
CASE HANDLES
See, this is super simple. Now, you don’t have to purchase your handles from MNPCTech.com if you don’t want to. Believe it or not, I bought mine at walmart out of a clearance aisle. Just look wherever someplace sells drawer handles or gate handles. Simple.
Case handles are the easiest mod you can do to your computer.
Okay, next one…
CASE BLOWHOLE
Case blowholes can be done on the side or the top of a case. While I did my blowhole up top, the video below will instruct you how to do a blowhole on the side.
Again, SIMPLE! It’s not hard at all to do these simple mods.
Okay, so you have handles now. You have a possible blowhole on your computer, be it in the side of the case or on the top of the case. That’s awesome. BUT, how can we go a little bigger?
Well, lets move on to mod number 3.
CASE WINDOW
With a single drilled hole, and a jigsaw (Or a dremel if you feel so inclined), you are about to put a window on the side of the computer. Now, the acrylic (Plexiglass) that they use is available at most any walmart or home improvement store. Home Depot has the perfect size for about $3.00.
But, I digress, on to the video.
… All I can say is that wasn’t hard at all. No, NOT hard. I did this recently even, do you want to know how my case turned out? AMAZING! Straight edges, smooth after I took a file and sandpaper to them, and after putting in the channel edging, it looked smokin’.
But, this leads me to mod number 4.
CASE PAINTING
I like red, blue, green, black, and a handful of other colors. But, my case, while it was black, just didn’t “pop” the way I wanted. So, this is what I decided to do. Icebreaker red.
Well, I thought to myself, I’m not good with a can of spraypaint… is there a way I can learn?
heh…. yes. Yes there is.
Now, I listed tools, I listed some videos, but now I’m going to talk about something that is just as important as the basics I posted above.
TAKING THE PLUNGE
Case modding is an amazing hobby. There are SO many things that you can do. The only limit is honestly your imagination. Recently, I mounted speakers in to my case so I didn’t have to lug speakers around to places with me. I thought that was pretty awesome.
I’m considering mounting a monitor to my case on a swing arm right now. Possibly putting in storage space for a keyboard and mouse. I don’t know. But, regardless, this is what I am enjoying doing right now.
So, this is what I want to say to you as you read this.
Case modding is not hard!
It really isn’t. It’s fun. Sure, we all make little mistakes. But honestly, that is half the fun of learning the hobby. Taking that first step to put a drillbit to the steel was the hardest part of the process.
As I stood in my basement with a fully dissasembled, BRAND NEW, computer case before me, I had my drill in hand and was nervous.
My lines were drawn, my cuts were figured out, and my first hole was ready. I put the bit to the steel, pulled the trigger, and at that point, I was committed. I don’t have skill when it comes to things like this. In fact, I often half-ass them. But I found that once the drill hole was in, I was in for the long haul. I pulled out the drillbit, plunged my jigsaw in to the opening, and pulled the trigger. I haven’t looked back since.
I know the material from the videos and the blogs. I knew that if I followed the lines on the case, or used a piece of wood as a guiding edge for my saw that I could cut a straight line. Once I made that fourth straight line and the plate of steel fell from the case and tinkled to the floor, I knew that ground had been broken.
This wasn ‘t hard. This was fun.
5 minutes with a file to get rid of a sharp edge and I suddenly had a place to put my newly opened plexiglass.
I had modded my case.
You can to. I know you can.
Hell, if I can do it, any untrained monkey with a jigsaw can do it.
I promise you, it’s easy. Just take the plunge.
Jump in.
Mod it till it bleeds!
(On second thought, just mod it… don’t bleed. That usually requires a trip to the emergency room)
Twitching with Rage 