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Halloween Ideas Blog

Fri, 31 31 Oct 2008 00:29:51 GMT

People just love Halloween and it is easy to understand why, Halloween allows people to show their creativity in a variety of fun and exciting ways. This holiday season instead of purchasing a costume from your local shopping center why not have some fun and create your own unique one of a kind costume! If your really feeling ambitious you might consider throwing Halloween party for the adults or creeping out the kids by creating your own haunted house, complete with props and decorations. Our online article on creating a super scary sound effects CD will be of use for both a hunted house or Halloween party. Celebrate the spooky season with fun cell phone wallpaper for Halloween, then each time you answer your cell phone you can view fun Halloween pumpkin wallpaper. Those into mail order shopping for Halloween items can find a listing of Halloween catalog retailers here. Halloween is rich with History and lore, you can learn about Halloween, get ideas at Halloween Cat.com

Of course Halloween would not be complete without a cool jack o lantern, learn how to get the job done with our article how to carve a pumpkin. When your carving out your pumpkin don't forget to save the fleshy inside as well as the seeds, both are important ingredients in Halloween recipes.

Does Facebook have an answer for MySpace Music?

Mon, 15 15 Sep 2008 19:20:24 GMT

Hey folks! Long time no blog to. Here is my latest blog:

"Tell a friend to tell a friend!!"

With the launch of the much-anticipated MySpace Music expected within the week, tech industry wags are already asking if MySpace's archrival Facebook has its own "social music" strategy.

Now Facebook, despite bouts of indecision, may be leaning toward a plan: The social music service iLike announced Monday that Radio Retaliation, the forthcoming album from electronica duo Thievery Corporation will make its exclusive debut Thursday on its site. (It probably wasn't a coincidence that Thievery Corporation was the headlining musical act at Facebook's F8 conference in July.)

iLike became a runaway success on Facebook's platform and was selected as one of the social network's preferred "Great Apps" at F8. The music site has debuted albums before, most notably R.E.M.'s Accelerate in February, but this one will be officially promoted by Facebook in a "listening party" that lasts until the album's wide-release debut on September 23.

Facebook's choice to openly promote iLike as a "Great App" and enter into an album release partnership is a distinct shift away from the "neutral platform" image that Facebook has cultivated in the past. So does this mean that Facebook is finally going to embrace music?

Officially, the answer is a coy maybe. "For Facebook to start doing more things with iLike is definitely in the direction of keeping things pressing forward," Ali Partovi, co-founder and CEO of iLike, said in a phone interview last week. He described the Seattle start-up's relationship with Facebook as "ongoing and deep." Facebook representatives produce a standard "no comment" on future plans, except to say that digital music is a niche that the company continues to explore.

Unofficially, the answer isn't all that different. Music industry sources say Facebook has been notably indecisive about its music plans, frustrating industry executives who would love to have another major digital outlet for their music, despite their investments in MySpace's planned music service. It's gotten so bad that executives at one major recording label call Facebook's clumsy two-step of initial enthusiasm and meetings that lead nowhere "the Facebook dance."

A straight-up music service, or some other kind of potentially lucrative music strategy like promotion or ticket sales, hasn't been as natural a fit for Facebook or, for that matter, MySpace (perhaps that will change this week, of course, for MySpace).

This struggle has been going on since 2004, when the creators of Facebook--then a small site limited to students with e-mail addresses from a select number of U.S. universities--built a side project called Wirehog. Now mostly forgotten, Wirehog allowed Facebook members to share their music libraries and other files with people on their friends lists.

Wirehog, which was cross-promoted on Facebook and used the same user credentials but was never officially a part of the site, didn't last long. With obvious potential legal issues, the service was suspended in early 2005.

Company insiders say the music debate has been going on inside Facebook since then. For a while in late 2007 and early 2008, it looked like a Facebook music service might be on the way as rumors spread that the company was negotiating with labels and looking to hire a "music czar." But the most that came out of it publicly was Facebook's "Fan Pages" feature, which were marketed to music artists as well as to other brands, movies, television shows, and products.

With MySpace Music on the way, and entertainment-focused social sites like Imeem and Buzznet making headlines, the pressure is on Facebook to finally make up its mind. One source within the digital music industry said to expect more aggressive music initiatives from Facebook in the next three to five months. Another said that in addition to iLike, Facebook has met with subscription-music companies Napster and Rhapsody. Both make sense: Rhapsody has partnered with iLike to provide full-length music playback, and early Napster exec Sean Parker was Facebook's first president before he left to join the Founders Fund, the venture firm run by Facebook investor Peter Thiel.

"All social networks are aggressively looking at adding social music features to their experience, said one executive in the digital music industry who asked not to be named. "I think for the last six months I've really seen almost every social network out there, the top 20, all making moves to go after social music."

The ad industry, still lukewarm on the prospects of getting good click-through rates from display ads on social profiles, will be more upbeat about serving their inventory on music-related content, the executive said. Entertainment, even digital entertainment, is a more familiar playing field.

Now, there is plenty of "social music" on Facebook. iLike's application is one of many: Imeem, Pandora, and Last.fm (which is owned by CBS, publisher of CNET News) all have applications on the platform. Many bands have created "fan pages" on Facebook, though MySpace remains the hub of choice for most band promotion in the U.S.

But this is where the advertising issue comes up again: Facebook does not charge for external applications on its platform, nor does it take a cut of the revenue. In spite of its ongoing development of "Social Ads" as an alternative to display advertising, advertiser confidence in Facebook and the social-network industry as a whole remains low.

It's not clear how much money changed hands in the Radio Retaliation promotion, but suffice it to say that Facebook would probably make a few bucks if it became known as a hub for promoting and previewing new music. That's one area where MySpace is still the leader--parent company Fox Interactive Media was recently estimated to be the biggest market for display advertising on the Web, regularly pulling in flashy ad packages from movie studios, automakers, and even high-end luxury brands. With a renewed focus on media and entertainment, it's a friendlier destination for ads.

Additionally, Facebook executives have confirmed that the company is working on developing a payment system, something that could have huge implications for both third-party music companies on the site and Facebook's profit margin. If Facebook took a cut of the revenue from the use of a PayPal-like system on its platform, this could mean a lot for sales of songs, tickets, merchandise, and the like.

"Because we're one of the 'Great Apps,' one of the benefits of that includes getting early access to any new features before other applications have access," iLike's Ali Partovi said when asked about how his company would take advantage of a Facebook payment system. "We haven't thought through exactly what the best scenarios are but I think something with respect to tickets would be something to consider."

Not everyone agrees that Facebook, or anyone else for that matter, should count on social music to help it make a profit. This could be why Facebook has hesitated for so long on the music front: it knows it wants to make licensing agreements but isn't sure what the resulting product would be.

Imeem, iLike, and others including the forthcoming MySpace Music count on ad-supported free streaming, a trendy but ultimately unproven business model that one source close to Facebook said the company does not find particularly compelling. High profit margins from digital downloads or streams are "a bit of a fantasy," said another industry source who requested anonymity. "iTunes exists to sell iPods." Billboard magazine estimated earlier this year that iTunes is indeed profitable, likely pulling in between $160 million and $390 million, but that's pocket change compared to the multibillion-dollar iPod industry.

That leads to another reason for Facebook's indecision. Streaming music on Facebook has been a product of third-party companies rather than Facebook itself, and clever legal language in the terms of the developer platform means that Facebook is exempt from many of the legal issues that would require it to negotiate with the labels. Direct negotiations with executives who have caused Apple fits in its iTunes pricing decisions could prove unpalatable to the social site, and an industry source hinted that legal issues, not profit margins, were the driving force behind MySpace Music.

Facebook has thrived on offering products that are, for better or worse, major shakeups in the social-media world. It introduced the "news feed" as a means of social consumption, and the developer platform as a way to bring in outside services, both of which are now industry-wide offerings, and its "Beacon" advertising program made a splash, as well (though not exactly a positive one).

There's no question that Facebook would want a large-scale "Facebook Music" to be equally groundbreaking, but record executives still aren't sure of the social site's intentions. With the official "listening party" for Radio Retaliation, Zuckerberg & Co. are starting to drop a few hints.

CNET News' Greg Sandoval contributed reporting to this story.

Bern Out -- Mac Dies at 50

Sat, 09 9 Aug 2008 21:53:26 GMT

Hey folks,

Bernie is right up there with the best comedy greats. RIP Bernie.

"Tell a friend to tell a friend!!"

Comedian Bernie Mac died this morning in Chicago after a long hospitalization from pneumonia.

Mac, whose real name is Bernard McCullough, passed away early this morning at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He was 50 years old.

His rep just issued the following statement to TMZ: "Actor/ comedian Bernie Mac passed away this morning from complications due to pneumonia in a Chicago area hospital. No other details are available at this time. We ask that his family's privacy continues to be respected."

The day before he died, Mac's rep insisted he was stable, in no danger and expected to be released within the week, even though it was clear Mac was on his death bed.

I added a New Section to my site...its called QuiKSites.com

Tue, 15 15 Jul 2008 23:01:27 GMT

Hey folks!

Hope everyone is doing well. I just wanted to let you guys know that 6MPA has a new section that was added a few days ago. I created a site called QuiKSites.com. Whats the purpose you ask? Simple, its a way for people with a business to have a website created quickly. You just select a template of your choosing, send in all the info regarding your site and we build it in a matter of a few minutes or hours, as opposed to weeks or months.

The templates are cool and modern looking, so if you know someone who is looking to have a site created, have them checkout my site QuiKSites.com and they could end up with a site like this:

"Tell a friend to tell a friend!!! "

Is Dating A Jock A Good Thing?

Wed, 25 25 Jun 2008 23:05:20 GMT

Hey folks,

All I can say is .... GO JOCKS!!!!

"Tell a friend to tell a friend!!!"

The Kim Kardashian-Reggie Bush romance continues to burn strong.

The two lovebirds recently enjoyed a romantic vacation in Italy, where they were photographed sitting side by side while an artist sketched them in Florence.

How cute.

Glamour girls dating professional athletes is an old sport but one that is thriving more than ever with supermodel Gisele Bundchen and New Englands Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, Jessica Simpson and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, Hilary Duff and New York Islanders center Mike Comrie.

Jennifer Hudson reportedly had a short fling with New York Jets safety Kerry Rhodes but supposedly went back to her longtime sweetie James Peyton, the maintenance engineer.

Author Staci Robinson cautions women about dating professional athletes. In her novel Interceptions, she writes about what it’s like to date a baller about to go pro.

And she writes from first-hand experience.

She was engaged to her college sweetheart at UCLA Roman Phifer, who went on to marry another woman named Alexis. Yes, that Alexis, who later became the fiancée of Kanye West though the two split earlier this year.

“The moment a guy puts that NFL or NBA jersey on, they are thrown up onto this pedestal to be worshipped by a large part of our society,” Robinson said, “and with that comes all this temptation, beautiful women, spending many nights in five star hotel rooms. I mean you can go from a beat up old bucket car to a $100,000 dollar Mercedes sedan all within weeks. The transitions are sometimes overwhelming for young couples - but the excitement of it all keeps you coming back. If you enter into a relationship with one of these guys, you have to proceed with caution and really know what you’re getting into. And you have to keep your stuff together, stay on the path that leads to the personal and professional goals you have created for yourself instead of getting swallowed up by the demands of his career.”

Or maybe a pro athlete is better off doing it Tiger Woods’ way. Marry an au pair.

Rock Band heads to Japan with help from Q Entertainment

Mon, 02 2 Jun 2008 23:59:47 GMT

Hey folks,

Even playing musical instruments have gone to the gaming consoles. I have mixed emotions about this one. Check it out and judge for yourselves.

"Tell a friend to tell a friend!!!"

Harmonix and MTV are bringing Rock Band to Japan with some help from Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Q Entertainment (Lumines). According to the press release, "The two studios will work together to develop the title, marking the first US-originated rock music game to be heavily localized for the Japanese market." No clue on what that heavy localization will entail.

It has been little over a week since a Harmonix rep was asked about the possibility of seeing Japanese content in Rock Band. At the time, the rep said an official announcement on future DLC plans would arrive in "a little over a week." So, the question remains: How does one program instrument tracks for a Genki Rockets song?

The Liability of Social Networking

Sat, 03 3 May 2008 21:45:52 GMT

Hey folks, sorry its been a while since my last blog, I've had major pc issues. My system is almost back to normal. Checkout this article related to networking.

"Tell a friend to tell a friend"

About a decade ago an attorney friend of mine told me that you should always delete emails that are one year old. He went on to explain from a lawsuit/discovery process, these e-mails could come back to haunt you.

And I think of this statement every time someone writes me via one of the myriad social networking sites on the market. I wonder for example, is there any recourse for me if I want to permanently delete messages at a later date?

Based on the preliminary research I have done, the answer is a resounding maybe. Even some sites which allow you to delete messages still archive them and may or may not get rid of the content.

In a society where there is likely to be more and more lawsuits, I wonder what sort of disastrous mess many are getting into by communicating via sites which could in turn could be broken into or even subpoenaed at a later date. This information - as innocuous as it seems today could be used at a later date to help make a case for you to go to jail or pay a fine or whatever.

Whatever your opinion is of lawyers, the few I have had contact with over time are very smart and can take scraps of paper and combine them in a way to turn a mouse into a monster.

Giving a lawyer access to years or decades worth of your most personal conversations seems like the making for century's worth of lawsuits where people will kick themselves for saying something that seemed innocent at the time.

Where are TV’s Best Fights?

Thu, 10 10 Apr 2008 00:12:45 GMT

Hey folks, I like to promote love and peace.... but I can't deny a good fight

"Tell a friend to tell a friend!!!"

The UFC has become a major force in the world of sports entertainment (or is it the world of beating people up for entertainment). Though they have the best promotion machine, they are not the only game in town. In fact, it seems like everyone and their mother is practicing choke holds, arm bars, and flying knee strikes.

So, where are TV’s best fights?

The UFC has top billing, even outshining boxing. They boast the best fighters and most entertaining fights. Spike TV is now broadcasting a new season of The Ultimate Fighter in which contenders try fight their way to a UFC contract. Its kind of like Next Top Model meets Battle Royale, only more redneck.

Versus broadcast two combat leagues. World Extreme Cagefighting is like the minor leagues for the UFC, though it has plenty of respectable fighters. The other is The World Combat League. It is the brainchild of Chuck Norris and is almost cute when compared to the other shows out there. It is simply stand-up fighting on a round karate mat. There are a couple of good fighters, but it is below par for the most part.

I’m old school. I’ll choose boxing over anything else if there is a choice to be made. ESPN’s Friday Night Fights are still the best game in town. They feature the best up and coming fighters. The next time you’ll see some of these pugilists is on Pay-Per-View. You don’t often see the sweet science on broadcast channels these days. CBS, perhaps at a time when its mind was not right because of the strike, will broadcast the “CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights” this year. NBC returned the jab with its own version, Strikeforce on NBC. This is hardly prime time, though. NBC will air the show on Saturday nights after SNL. That’s past most people’s bed times. Maybe they are counting on the after bar crowd to tune in instead of hanging out at Denny’s. CBS will only air 4 2-hour specials, but they will be earlier in the evening.

Featured Web Ad: PS Millionare Mentor

Sat, 29 29 Mar 2008 19:09:53 GMT

Hi everyone, well it looks like we have our next featured web ad winner. With 59 clicks for their site, I give you...PS Millionare Mentor!!! Checkout the site below and feel free to rate and post your comments.

This site is also featured on my toolbar, just click on the trophy.

Your site could be next, so I encourage you to help spread the word and get your friends to visit 6MPA and click on your Web Ad

"Tell a friend to tell a friend!!"

rate this site:

5 (not useful at all) 4 (would rarely use) 3 ( use occasionaly) 2 (would regularly use) 1 (I'm telling my friends)

The Next Big World Singing Sensation, Leona Lewis!!!

Wed, 19 19 Mar 2008 00:26:13 GMT

WOW! This girl is somebody to watch. She is already being compared to singing greats like, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. This girl is amazing!!! In my opinion, she blows away any current female singer out there. Checkout the youtube link to hear her sing on Oprah.

"Tell a friend to tell a friend!!!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUW43sbLw_4