Amazing Blazblue Videos

For a dude that's always begging for his own content to be shared I haven't been sharing as much content as I used to before focusing on my own channel, but after checking out these Blazblue related vids that had to change.

(Note: If you don't know what Blazblue is then "see ya next blog!" because the following will all sound Greek to you... Speaking of Greeks, you gotta me know i you've seen these George. Ragna vs Hakumen FTW!!!)

(Note 2: Videos are not my creations nor do clicking on the embedded links direct you to any content owned or maintained by me.)

This first one Is a parody of the Continuum Shirt 2 opening



The second video, although in Japanese, is just awesome. This dude took the in-game sprites and FMV and gave us the animated ending we all wanted to see from Calamity Trigger...



That does it for this impromptu post. See ya next blog...

"Ace's Day Out" Leaves Youtube

Ok here's the deal...

My youtube channel has gotten the most daily traffic ever since I originally joined in 2006. We're not talking thousands or millions of views here, but enough to have my channel appear in more searches and queries. For anyone with aspirations of making a few dollars on youtube that is a good thing, but all your work could go down the toilet with two simple words: "Copyright Infringement."

With the recent monetization of my Youtube account I have had to be cautious to make sure I have permission from respective sources before uploading copyrighted content. This affects me the most in the way of background music as many of my older wedding clips use copyrighted songs. That is why you'll notice newer videos using royalty free songs as well as original compositions by me.

In the "Accounts" section of my Youtube settings I am plagued with the constant reminder:

"You have videos that may contain content that is owned by someone else."


This shows up because Youtube's Content Identification Service made 2 claims against my videos.
The first was a unreleased wedding promo, and the second was the first video I ever posted, "Ace's Day Out" The content owners reserve the right to remove the audio, keep the video from being played in certain countries, or even have it completely removed from Youtube, the last option sometimes resulting in a permanent strike against your account.


So, to keep my account in a positive standing I decided to remove mentioned videos. But never fear, the video can still be viewed below though a embedded Facebook link:

Ace's Day Out


Thank you for the 48 views it achieved in the year it was on Youtube! Ace will return...

Additionally, what this means is that if I create certain videos containing copyrighted music, with the exception of one particular source, you probably will never see them on the DVDeluxe Youtube channel.

I'll go into details in a future blog if needed but I'm getting kinda tired of talking about stuff like revenue sharing, monetization and ad clicking so just continue to show your support in the ways I mentioned so many times before and I'll see ya next blog!

November Wedding Promos

Congratulations to all the November newlyweds! This blog, like the previous, features the promo video(s) from my November 2011 events. For September's promos click HERE and for October's click HERE

Remember it's never too late to check for availability and schedule to have your special day captured by the Professional Services of Dennis Vice.

B&V Wedding Promo

(Special- If this clip is shared enough, a bonus promo will be added)
UPDATE- Bonus Reception preview has been added below enjoy!

B&V Recepion Preview

UPDATE- New preview has been added below enjoy! 


M&D Wedding Promo

Special thanks to my clients who gave permission to have their teasers posted!

As always, thanks for reading, watching, and clicking on ads to get me paid :)

See ya next Blog!!

Composing music for videos

Well with all the stress and deadlines I've had here and there, it's nice to take a few hours and work on something completely voluntary.

As you may be aware, I have been attempting to make some change with revenue sharing. You know, you click on a ad from this page and I get money. Simple huh? YEAH RIGHT... Anyway I now qualify for Youtube revenue sharing but here's the problem, not all my content is 100% original.

What I mean is, some of my most popular videos usually have traces of copy-written music. To get around this issue I have considered making my own music tracks for my videos, (That's right, I write music...) I've done his once before with my commercial video. Below is my recent attempt at writing a simple tune for some older wedding footage I had lying around.

J&G Wedding

Also if you somehow never saw my commercial here it is:

DV Commercial

Hope you enjoyed them as well as my other vids. Like, +1, tweet, retweet, ANYTHING! Help me out here...

See ya next blog!

Geek Squad is Worthless Sometimes

OK I'm seriously disgusted with Best Buy, Geek Squad, and Precision Camera right now...

Why?

I share my  abbreviated complaint with you below:

I bought a $1,200 camcorder a few years ago with a black tie premium plan. I've been a loyal customer with best buy since 2002 and I ALWAYS get the extended warranties. Sometimes I end up needing them and I've been impressed with the service for the most part.

Last month, however, I needed to use the camcorders service plan for a repair and it's been a NIGHTMARE. October 5th I took my camcorder in because the internal hard drive was having problems and I kept cutting off. That was the only problem at the time. I was extremely concerned with the timing of this problem because I record weddings and in a little over a week I was going to be recording another wedding. Geek Squad assured me that within 7 days they would hear back from Precision Camera (the company handling the repair) on whether the camcorder would be repaired or if a replacement was in order. Also of note is that this is the second time i have had to go to Geek Squad for this problem on this camcorder. Well they took the camcorder and I waited. 7 days later (October 12th) I received a email from Geek Squad saying my product "was in good hands". Upon using the service order number given to me I discovered that the only entry was that the device was checked in and awaiting shipment on October 5th!

I called Best Buy and Geek Squad assured me that the device had been shipped and gave me the direct number to Precision Camera to see for myself. I called the number and using the service order number given to me I was told that the device had been repaired and sent back to me back in 2009! upon further inspection they discovered that the same number was referencing a older camera I had repaired in 2009 and that they had no record of my current camera.

I went to Best Buy in person to explain the entire situation and Geek Squad sent a "Escalation" to find out what happened. Two days later the site updated and said that on The 14th my product was received. The same day It was assigned to a tech.

In the mean time I had to borrow money to buy a temporary camcorder to film the wedding and a $500 camcorder cannot compare to a $1200 model.

On the 18th the site updated with the status "Final Inspection, Awaiting Shipment" followed by "Picked up and Closed" and I immediately became panicked because I received no phone call and did not pick up anything. I went to the store and they told me that in they're system UPS delivered it to my house, a delivery that I DID NOT ask for. They then noticed that the delivery was post marked for the same day and that it would be impossible for a Texas to Baltimore MD delivery that quick, so they found a tracking number to give me. The next day my camcorder came in the mail and it was in worse condition than when sent. the LCD screen flickered badly and from the looks, the hard drive was worse too. With another event days away I was VERY irritated.

I took it to best buy and Geek Squad said all they could do was send it back out. They said they would escalate it and it would be their the next day to get repaired.

I had to once again buy another camcorder and pray or the best. According to the website it was shipped on the 19th and Received on the 24th (not next day as promised.) On the 25th it was assigned to a tech and as of November 3rd I still wait.

I have a larger event this weekend and no decent camcorder and I have lost all trust in Best Buys protection plans.

Don't get me wrong Geek Squad seemed very helpful but they can care less about the fact that you are without a product that you invested long and hard for over a month, and that they're only solution is o come up with more money to buy a temporary solution. If I was that rich I'd already own 2 thousand dollar cameras!

Rant over... update to be posted whenever this is resolved...

Interesing Apps Episode 4 - My Sketch

Here comes another interesting app I've been meaning to mention for some time now.

It's a simple app that takes a picture taken on your iPhone, iPod, or iPad and converts it to a sketch drawing. That's it. Results can be cropped and tweaked with two sliders, and can be saved in 3 different sizes and uploaded to Facebook, Twitter or emailed. The only issue i've noticed is the final result sometimes looks like it was additionally cropped at the top. Here's a few sample with pics I took...

Granted these are nothing more than "filters" but since he app is free at the moment its not a bad download to fool around with...

If you've found or use a better app for this price i'd love to hear about it and do my own comparison.

See ya next blog!!

FIX IT!

Ok any of my regular readers should know by now that my release schedule for blogs changes at the drop of a hat. But I have a excuse this time, honest!

It would appear that chicken noodle soup and keyboards just don't mix (big surprise). In a sloppy attempt at self medication, alongside playing "catch up with video editing," I spilled some soup on my keyboard...

Sucks I know...

I thought I avoided the worst but in the end it appears my "T" and "F" buttons are not very responsive anymore. They DO work but it's hit or miss. You can imagine how hard it is to try and type long sentences when you constantly have to check whether or not your t's and f's went through.

AKe a look a a sample o how bad yping on a broken keyboard could look if I don' consanly check behind mysel... Very ime consuming indeed...

But never fear that's what I have a iPad for. I'll just open up Blogpress and keep it moving right?

...

Right?

...

Well apparently Blogpress doesn't want to work for me either, and chicken soup had nothing to do with it this time. While I'm not 100% certain I'm fairly sure the problem stems from the recent iOS 5 update. Blogger has recently update their site but I doubt that would affect the app itself. As soon as it opens it crashes, not a good look for a paid app. What this means for now is that I don't have access to the rough drafts of a few of my blogs.

Sadly this is not the first issue I have had with a app not working with iOS 5. While free apps can be a nuisance if they don't work with iOS 5 paid apps are a little more serious because you paid money for something that you no longer have access to.

Welcome to the FIX IT blog!

I hope this will prove to be a beneficial segment for apps that don't work properly on iOS 5. Consider it a stop sign for those who updated and are interested in certain apps, or a warning for those that haven't updated to the new Os in fear of incompatible older apps.

In order for this to work well I need reader participation. In the comments below feel free to post problems you have had with PAID applications in iOS5. As for me I'll be updating with issues I find as well as when said apps are fixed.

• Update #1 November 2, 2011

Blogpress 

As I mentioned earlier, this app won't even start. Fortunately the people behind this app are pretty good with updates so I don't think this will be a issue for too long...

X-Men Arcade 

When I went in the app store and saw the X-Men Arcade game for 99 cent I knew it was a "download now!" unfortunately this game freezes midway through the first level and crashes on iPads with iOS 5.
"But Dennis! That's probably just because you have a first generation iPad and that game needs the faster processor of the iPad 2." not true. This game was also tested with a 4th generation iPod touch with iOs 5 and the same problem persists. KONAMI FIX THIS!!! Till then, don't waste your dollar...

That's all for now but as a final note, be a smart shopper. Check the reviews. Remember that these are NONREFUNDABLE purchases so do your homework before shelling out cash, unless of course you got money to throw away, and if that's the case, I could use some help with these bills...

See ya next blog!

"Waiting" (With Bonus Content)

It's been almost a week since I posted my first self directed short film "Waiting" and I'm pretty happy with the end product as well as the overall reception.

My "DV Tries" video's are nowhere near as popular as my wedding promos but I expected as much. I only hope you give my personal projects a chance. And a HUGE thank you to the 2 people out of 340+ readers in the past two weeks that clicked on a ad to give me a few cents of revenue. It truly meant a ton!

"Waiting" was originally a project I was putting together for a film competition that went a lot deeper into my psyche than the final version you saw. In a last second change of heart I omitted scenes and footage which ended up greatly affecting the final results (thus the reason for the supplemental ending...) The entire decision to rewrite lasted months. Eventually the project took a back burner to other videos until recently, when shooting resumed and the final project was released.

A few of the original clips were used but most had to be reshot. The most interesting reshoot came in the way of the scene of myself. You can really see the weight difference in my face! Well, since my camera is in the shop and filming for my next project doesn't begin until this Saturday enjoy a few extra clips that didn't make the cut for one reason or another, as well as the side by side comparison of me before and after my hospital visit and weight loss.

(Note: this is a embedded video that can ONLY be viewed via links such as the one below. Consider this a easter egg of sorts for taking the time to read my blogs!)



Thanks again and see ya next blog!! (2 rants on the way!)

P.S. Almost forgot to ask. If you like seeing bonus footage like this and would like to see additional footage of the previously posted wedding promos let me know. I may be able to fulfill your wish (no guarantees!)

October Wedding Promos

Congratulations to all the October newlyweds! This blog features the promo video(s) from my October 2011 events. For September's promos click HERE

Remember it's never too late to check for availability and schedule to have your special day captured by the Professional Services of Dennis Vice.


L & R Wedding

Special thanks to my clients who gave permission to have their teasers posted!

As always, thanks for reading, watching, and clicking on ads to get me paid :)

See ya next Blog!!

Photoshoppin' Part 2 - Have some cake

I may be semi-retired but that doesn't mean I can't blow the dust of my camera, which is for sale btw, and get some good shots of my friend's wedding. Can't say I'd do it for just anyone, but for as long as I can remember we've been friends. Being pretty much the longest friend I've had means a lot, to me at least.

I'm sure they're far better pics to be seen from others so I decided to post the few I lightly edited here, where they can be downloaded at no charge and at a slightly better quality. (If your wondering why I don't put them on my website then you really should read my blogs more often.

Anyway, enjoy...















Comments are welcome, and if you really wanna be nice, take a few seconds to click on a ad.

See ya next blog!

Photoshoppin' Part 1

Welcome to a new segment called "Photoshoppin'"

Every now and then I get requests for photomanipulations that far exceed the normal, "brighten" or "sharpen" tasks. Here is where I take you behind the curtain on some of my best work. Since I guarentee the privacy of said jobs, many of the pictures used are recreations of the original processes used for past photomanipulations. And now onto the first project...

So which is the original? The difference is obvious but without a side by side comparison, would you have been able to tell any editing was done? Comments or questions welcome.

Let's Play- Help Wanted

Blog site... Check...
YouTube channel... Check...
Web series... Of course!

Last June was supposed to be the beginning of production of my web-based series of "Let's Play" videos.

Let's PlayOne or more people, usually from message boards, that record themselves playing video games through screenshots or captured video (Mostly the latter)..." -Urban Dictionary

"But there are a ton of Let's Plays already floating around the net. Why make your own?"

"Because I want to..."

I doubt the direction I take with this show will be 100% original but everyone needs a hobby and mine is film and video games, so I'm gonna try something new for me, even if it may not be new to you. But I digress...

Production was postponed due to health and work but after a series of tests I'm ready to begin with the pilot episode. The hardest part of this project will be trying to avoid scheduling conflicts with my revolving co-hosts so I decided to post the pilot season filming schedule for those that wanted to reserve their spot for a specific episode.

Pilot Season schedule.
Nintendo World Cup- NES
Pictionary- NES
Revolt- N64
Mario Party 3- N64

Each episode will need a crew of 5, 4 hosts and one camera operator. Message me ASAP with the episode(s) you want to be a part of.

These games will be played on their original systems but feel free to practice on any other versions if you need to. Also, as tempting as it may be to copy other reviewers comments or jokes, please attempt to keep your material original.

That's it for now. See ya next blog...

September Wedding Promos

I know what your thinking. "Hey, shouldn't this stuff go up on your business website?"

Well recently my hard drive crashed and one of the few things I didn't back up was the layout for my website. This means that to do any kind of update, I'd have to rebuild the site from scratch (yeah that sucks.) On top of that, last summer it was announced by Apple that their MobileMe service would be discontinued and that web hosting would cease June of 2012. Although the site address will be the same I have not secured a new host yet so I'll keep you updated on the future fate of www.vicephotos.com.

Moving on...

Last month I had the opportunity to offer my videography services to two couples and the individual teaser videos have been getting a lot of traffic on Youtube (which is a good thing.) It makes me wish I embedded them here first (which would have been a better thing)

If you have yet to see them they have been embedded below. If you are interested in hiring me for a future event submit inquiries to DVDeluxe@msn.com.

A&C Wedding


J&E Wedding


Do you have a favorite? I'd love to hear your comments below.

Hmmm, anyone notice more video content than pictures recently? See ya next blog...

I Try

Back again! Actually, I didn't go anywhere. I still post weekly content, it just hasn't been here. I'll explain more on why in a future post. Anyway, if you don't already know, I have a Youtube channel, that's right, I got a Youtube Channel...

To date, 22 videos have been uploaded although only 16 of them are viewable to the public. Which leads me to a quick point I want to make; Just because you see me recording doesn't mean I'm trying to throw you on youtube! I take my profession seriously and although I try to entertain, I don't try to embarrass. I try very hard not to post unscripted footage without consent. Moving on...

I decided to make a mini series called DV Tries, and below is a brief episode guide:

Check out the very episode, "DV Tries a Crab Cake"

For achieving 2000 hits I decided to post "DV Tries DANCE CENTRAL"

Learning Motion 5 brought new challenges and I decided to throw something together, literally... in "DV Tries Special Effects"

My nephew is making his uncle proud, playing football in high school. I couldn't wait for the opportunity to get out the camera and get some footage. Footage from his first game is found in "DV Tries Fooball Coverage"

Ever since I bought a iMac I never shelled to the 20 bucks needed to buy a plug-in to view MPEG2 videos (I'm cheap like that.) What that meant though, was that I couldn't work with any of my older recorded footage. Well I sill don't have the plug-in but I found a free work-a-round. Here's the first of some of the old footage in "DV Tries Poi"

OK so thats 5 episodes in two months, with a 6th one going live today. Check them out. Comment. SUBSCRIBE. Your views and input mean a lot to me and it makes me embarrassing myself worthwhile...

See ya next blog!

UPDATE - Latest Video can be found HERE

Interesting Apps Episode 3 - Splashtop vs Teamviewer

I'm probably late to the party once again but if you remember my Teamviewer blog, then you know how useful I think remote desktop apps can be. Since the writing of that blog, Teamviewer has been a staple app on my iPad as well as on my android phone. It's worked so well for me that I never bothered examining the competition, after all, you get what you pay for, and being free i've been content with the few adjustments working with Teamviewer from a iPad or phone. To be honest, I'll probably still continue to use Teamviewer for the foreseeable future but i couldn't help but be impressed with a new app I discovered that does the same thing. Allow me to introduce you to Splashtop.



Now I'm not gonna rehash the benefits of using a remote desktop, so instead i'm going right into the differences and similarities of these two apps.

The similarities...

Both are very easy to set up. Download the app. Download the server program for your PC. Connect. Done!

Both have decent security measures and can support connectivity from other sources as well.

Both apps stream at a excellent display resolution, but more on this later.

Both provide mouse and keyboard control.

Both apps are free, (kinda)

The differences...

Back to display resolution. The resolution Teamviewer uses depends on the connection speed. This can be overridden but then the refresh rate is affected even more. The resolution on Splashtop is constant and the refresh rate is a whole lot smoother. So much so that you could stream video from your PC or Mac straight to your iPad. This leads me to the next big difference...

Sound! Splashtop also streams sound from your PC/Mac to your iPad. This is not a feature of Teamviewer. This opens up a whole new set of possibilities.

Although both apps have mouse and keyboard control, they are done differently. Teamviewer essentially turns your screen into a large trackpad. You move the mouse using the whole screen in this manner. Splashtop uses more touchscreen support. You just tap what you want to select to select it. Multitouch gestures control scrolling, zoom, etc. It's a little confusing when your used to Teamviewer but its a great feature. the only problem is when some precision is required in clicking. My big fingers have a problem sometimes closing windows/minimizing windows, or selecting text.

I mentioned that both apps are free, and to a certain extent they are. Teamviewer is free to use unrestricted, but wants you to "play fair" and pay $99 dollars if you plan to use the app for business. Splashtop has a free version of the app that is limited to 5 minute connections while the $10 regular app has a unlimited connection time.

The wrap-up

Splashtop probably deserves a dedicated review to cover all it's features, as well as tests on how well it streams with various connection speeds but this blog has dragged on long enough. I'm sure someone else has already reviewed it anyway, (I'm too lazy to search...) Both are excellent apps. I'm still a Teamviewer fan because I also have the option of using my Android phone to connect in addition to my iPad (in contrast to popular belief, i don't carry my iPad everywhere I go...)

I know there are other remote desktop apps out there and if they have free versions, i'll probably try them out too. (Hey money is too tight right now to be paying for what I can do for free.) I do however think that $10 could be worth a remote desktop app with multitouch support, high res display, and sound, but only for those that could really benefit from the added features.

Give it a try, and see ya' next blog...

Life with Diabetes

It's been about 2 months since I took the trip to the emergency room that lead to me finding out that I have Diabetes. Many changes were necessary for me to live with this life threatening condition ranging in various levels of difficulty. So for those interested here's the "two months later" blog on my health.

Most people thought the hardest adjustment I would make would be the sugar and carbs I eat. Not true! It's been easy for me to stay away from sweets for years, and after experiencing the consequences first hand, cutting back of breads and pastas was a no brainer. I actually went from having too high a blood sugar level to having too low of one. The balancing act is a bit weird, but manageable, and that leads me to my next adjustment.

With my blood sugar fluctuating I have very often had to deal with symptoms associated with low blood sugar. The ones that affect me the most deal with my mental state. I get irritable quick, depressed, and sometimes angry for no reason. At my worst I lose coordination. That being said I think it's wonderful when friends and families educate themselves on diabetes. They can then be supportive of your situation and give you space when needed. Unless, of course, if they're inconsiderate and unloving...

The biggest problem has been my eating schedule. Before, I used to skip meals or eat after both jobs, which lead to eating late at night, but I'm so active that if i was to not eat anything my blood sugar would easily fall into the danger zone. Keeping candy to adjust this is easy to do but I still need proper nourishment.

With proper nourishment comes eating smart. If you've read a previous blog I made, then you would know that I have recently been using fatsecret.com to track my calories and eat smarter. On top of that I have a regular exercise schedule that has been very fruitful. As of this posting I have lost a total of 16 more pounds in addition to the 30 lost from being in the hospital. 14 more and i'll reach my goal!

Overall, in conclusion I would say, "so far so good." But the X Factor that has been the biggest thorn in my side through all this has been STRESS! Trying to stay positive is hard, especially when everything seems to go wrong at once. My advice to anyone coping with diabetes is to avoid stress like the plauge. It will kill you. One of the best ways I take my mind of my problems is by writting/blogging (Maybe thats why I posted blogs 5 consecutive days versus the regular once a week schedule...)

Thanks so much for reading and I'll see ya' next blog!!

Best Buy Follow-Up Blog

A few day's ago I gave a few tips on buying "open box items from Best Buy stores. If you missed that one check it out here.

Well, I ended up going back to Best Buy with my findings and I'm sad to say things didn't go well. I explained the situation to the store clerk and he proceeded to check the computer for the price I saw. To my surprise he said the item was not in their system. He asked me when I bought it and I said a day ago. He then scanned the SKU number and found no difference in the price. I went home and did the same exact search my self and found nothing on the site. So either Best Buy has taken interest in my blogs and has spies trailing me 24/7 to keep the man down or by sheer coincidence I bought a item on the LAST day it was available and got screwed...

You win this round Best Buy... No love lost. If only I could have gotten back to them the same day, but that would a have meant taking off work, and in the long run that's not worth 10 bucks...

Oh and to add insult to injury, last Sunday, Best Buy sent me a coupon for 10% off any open box item. A tad late to the party don't cha' think.

See ya next blog.

Final Cut X

I recently made the transition from Final Cut 7 to Final Cut X so like everyone else I must add my two cents...

...actually does my two cents even matter? In the end our beloved Mr. Jobs will do whatever he wants and it looks to me like he's more interested in his newer customers than he is the older ones. But I actually think it's more than that. Just look at all the attention that Final Cut X has received in the past month. Negative yes, but i think that negative was the plan. As many of you have probably already read FCPX has a list of missing features that has many professional editors justifiably upset. But what about people that never used earlier versions of FCP? Well, there's no adjustment to be made. The design has been revamped to look a lot like imovie which has many amateur editors less intimidated with a program with "Pro" in its name. The cheaper price helps too.

I do miss some of the features not present in the current version of FCPX but I have no doubts that many of them WILL return. Consider this example.

When the iPhone was originally released it was a pretty solid device with many good features. The main problem though, was that it was AT&T exclusive. What was, in my opinion, a effort to expand the App store sales, Apple then announced a iPhone for people that didn't want AT&T, or a phone. Enter the iPod Touch. Now the first gen iPod Touch had many differences with the iPhone and I wont go into the obvious ones, like phone and speaker parts. Instead lets consider a few simple things like the calendar app. When I first heard about the iPod Touch my first idea was to use it as a PDA right out the box, but that wasn't possible. The "+" button to add memos and appointments was mysteriously absent from it. Instead you had to always sync it with Microsoft Office or the calendar program on a Mac.

This was one of the stupidest omissions I had ever seen! As far as computer code goes it was a matter of changing a "true" statement to "false"! At the time many others felt that this feature "crippled" the possibilities of this device, and it received a lot of attention, but did it stop the iPod Touch from being successful? No. And what happened next? Well, a paid upgrade toted the ability to add calendar entries as a "new" feature. In the end, the device got the attention it needed and Apple got the money they wanted.

Back to the present; FCPX is missing some features that probably wouldn't have added a single hour to the overall production schedule, but Apple needed a cheap way to get the word out that this is the program to bridge the gap between amateur and professional. Let's face it, Apple is going off their brand name to attract new customers. Every negative article compares FCPX to iMovie and that's exactly what Apple wants to impress on new customers.

"Hey, it's a new Final Cut Pro! And people say it's just like iMovie. I know how to use iMovie! It's cheap too! Who cares about all the other stuff people say is missing. I'll probably never use that stuff."

And that, my friends, is how Apple makes money. Class dismissed...


...Oh wait, what about the long time customers! No worries there. Just keep slapping patches and updates on every other month until they stop complaining.

Opinions welcome, see ya next blog!

Its not a secret anymore...

It's been a interesting couple of months health wise and the internet has proven to be a great source of information when it comes to research on diets, diabetes, exercise, and support. (Note: Although the internet has countless resources it should never replace regular doctors visits)

Now, more than ever, it's been important for me to watch what I eat and in this day and age counting carbs is easier than ever before. It's one thing to buy supermarket items based on the nutritional information found on packaging, but what happens at restaurants, picnics, or anywhere else where your in the dark on how bad or how good a meal is for you? In the past I liked using a iPhone app called "lose-it." It's a great app with a large database of restaurant and supermarket foods. It lets you track calories, monitor weight, and combine common items for custom meals. The only problem I have had is while it does have a large database I still find many meals I eat not making the list. Making custom entries is possible, but time consuming.

So I started searching the net for a website with a larger database of nutritional info and I came across fatsecret.com. It's a great site. The first time I used it was to find the info on the Sizzlin Chicken and Cheese at TGI Fridays. The results were fast and accurate. I was also impressed at the fact that the site was free to use. Without any form of registration you can go and get info on tons of food. But so much more comes with registering.

I've been using fatsecret.com as a reference site for close to two months now, but only recently decided to register to see what else they had to offer. And that is what prompted be to write this blog. This is a great site for anyone interested in tracking and maintaining a diet. I'm still exploring the many resources offered but so far a few things have really impressed me.

First, the fact that it's free. No Subscription fee, no "lite" version, no trial period. Just free. To quote the site:

"...FatSecret is not like those other diet sites that promise free consultations, profiles, plans or advice and then try and push you into some paid product or 'premium' service. We are totally free and we very much aim to stay that way..."

The next impressive part of this site is the options you have in searching for, recording, and tracking diet plans. Lets face it, it's hard to stick to something when it becomes too much of a inconvenience in your daily life. I don't carry my iMac everywhere I go, but you know what I do carry? My phone!

"FatSecret has integrated applications for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, Android, BlackBerry & Windows phones, Facebook, iGoogle and a great tool for Firefox users."

Each interface is simple to use and syncs automatically so whether I'm at my PC or out and about all my information is up to date.

While on the subject of the interface. It's a breeze to work with. I just search for a item or meal, and it gives me the option to add it to my Food Diary. If it's something i regularly eat that I can find it again in the "Most eaten", "Recently eaten," or "Quick Pick" categories. Putting in goals is just as easy and you have the option of sharing your goals and progress with "buddies" through a integrated friends list similar to Facebook.

I'm sure there are hundreds of sites like this but all I need is one thing that works for me, and right now, this is the thing. The website fatsecret.com gets a A+ and my book. The Calorie Counter apps get a A+ as well. One small note though is that a internet connection is necessary for searching through the database so if you don't regularly have a internet connection I would still suggest the lose-it app since the entire database is actually on your iPhone vs. the web.

Everything's free so why not give it a try. Feel free to add me as well (dvdeluxe), and see you next blog!






PS: I am in no way affiliated to fatsecret.com and the opinions provided in this blog is based solely on my personal experiences with the site so far. Feel free to share your opinions below.

Open Box? Best Buy Shopping Tips

Lets talk a bit about Best Buy.





Not really going to go on a rant here, although there are SO many things i could say about Geek Squad. Today I'm gonna touch more on their "open box" items. Basically they are either returned items or floor/display models that are being sold at a discount price.

For the most part it's the same as buying a new item with the exception that sometimes there are missing parts. To my knowledge Best Buy does a good job detailing what may be missing from said equipment but I'd love to hear comments saying otherwise. I've bought open box items many times in the past and I can honestly say that I've never had a problem with a used item that made me wish I bought it new (from Best Buy.)

So then what's there to talk about? The pricing. Take this example:

I recently saw something I was interested in buying and I had 3 choices. The "new" which was priced at 79.99. A "open box" item that was previously returned with all components at 69.99. And finally another "open box" item that was missing the manual and the actual box it came in, for 79.99! Obviously something didn't make sense and after asking a few questions I discovered that the ORIGINAL price of said item was 99.99 so the 79.99 price tag was a discount from that, ($20 off.) Some time later the item went on clearance for 79.99 and thats why the other open box item was even cheaper.

Which leads me to tip #1; compare prices of identical items. Mistakes are made all the time so don't get caught paying too much for something that recently went on clearance. If you see a discrepancy don't be afraid to ask questions.

Well, it turned out that both "open box" items were supposed to be marked as 69.99. And that leads me to my next question. Why? Why does a item missing parts get the SAME discount as a item that is new, with the exception of being opened once before. They told me that it has to do with the age of each item, but that really didn't help explain anything.

I ended up getting the one that still had a box and manual since it felt like I'd be getting the smarter deal and went home. I decided to do some price comparisons to see if I could have gotten a better deal somewhere else and I was surprised to see a 69.99 price tag... from BEST BUY'S WEBSITE! So, in the end, I ended up paying the regular price for a open box item.

Tip #2; always compare online prices with retail locations. For the most part large stores like Best Buy all go by the same price structure so the website would probably be the most accurate source for price updates. Just make sure that any online pricing is not exclusive to online promotions or deals.

Now comes the fun part, going back to the store to question the price discrepancy. Tip #3; make sure that if you complain about a price difference that it's actually for the correct model. Check model numbers. Sometimes discounts only apply to certain models or packages so don't start a fight you cant win.

Well I'll make a future blog with the results of my investigation, but before I close, just one more question. If the original price was 99.99 and the open box discount was $20 off, then shouldn't the 79.99 price been $20 off? What should the discount be for the 69.99 price tag? Also, how much money would need to be on the line for you to want to dispute pricing? Leave your comments below and see ya' next blog!

Time to be serious

Ok it's time to be 100% serious. Due to the previous week's events, I almost wasn't here to write this blog. To answer the question of what happened to me I post this blog for my readers, and friends to inform and educate.

Last week I was diagnosed with Diabetic ketoacidosis...

Diabetic ketoacidosis, or DKA, is a potentially life-threatening complication in patients with diabetes. It results from a shortage of insulin; in response the body switches to burning fatty acids and producing acidic ketone bodies. This is, (as in my case,) sometimes the first symptom of previously undiagnosed diabetes, but it may also occur in known diabetics due to a variety of causes, such as illness or poor compliance with insulin therapy.

I dealt with vomiting, dehydration, deep gasping breathing, and confusion which are all typical symptoms. DKA is a medical emergency, and without treatment I could have died. Fortunately a swift trip to the ER made treatment possible.

Treatment involves intravenous fluids to correct dehydration, insulin to suppress the production of ketone bodies, treatment for any underlying causes such as infections, and close observation to prevent and identify complications. For me this involved a week long stay in the hospital.

I'm happy to say I'm home now, recovering and regaining the strength necessary to get back to work, but this could've been prevented.

Diabetes often goes undiagnosed and has been called a “Silent Killer.” People can exhibit noticeable symptoms such as frequent urination, blurred vision, excessive thirst, itchy skin and numbness or tingling in feet. Most individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes do not show these overt warning signs at the time that they develop the disease. These symptoms sometimes get ignored, I should know. I've NEVER had any health problems and I work a whole lot so I figured I was thirsty and exhausted because of it. I've never been used to eating a lot of sweets or soda, BUT, I do enjoy pasta which was a issue. The moral of the story is, don't take your health for granted.

Take the initiative and make sure this doesn't happen to you. The doctors don't know how long I've had diabetes. I could have been unknowingly controlling it for years.

Get tested! Just because you get blood work done during a doctors visit doesn't mean that your blood is being tested for diabetes. You have to request a HbA1c test. If your family has a history of diabetes than your doctor might suggest you get tested, but it's still up to you.

Feel free to leave a comment, and share this with any who are putting off going and getting tested. It's a matter of life of death.
Take care of yourself and see ya next blog...

Thats right I write poems #3

Poem time...

"You Don't Really Care"

You love getting my hopes up.
You spark my creativity with your promises and in time a masterpiece is created within my mind,
but that masterpiece is but a dream,
a dream crushed by the reality that you care not for me or my profession.
In the end I am a ignored memory with a vision that must be forgotten,
if only to retain my sanity.
For whenever we meet your smile can't hide your feelings,
or should I say lack of feelings,
for you are a friend to me,
but I am nothing to you.
Nothing but a joke amongst your friends,
who will never attempt to care about the beauty I create when I look through my lens...

Quickie #1

iPods started out white and the demand was for black.

Wii's were introduced in white and people wanted black.

Xbox 360's were white and people jumped at the chance to get a black version years later.

The Playstation 3 was black and now they have a white version.

iPhones start out black and now white is the new thing.

I gotta get in on this fad somehow ...

Finally!

Blogging on a Saturday!? Yeah it's happening! I'm getting this one out of the way while the glee is still in the forefront of my mind.

For years I've been begging for critique for my photos, videos, blogs, etc. I've been managing several sites to accomplish this goal. While the number of hits each page will get has gotten better and better the number of comments stay the same. Today, from one of my other pages, I received my first written critique.

Why is this a big deal? Well 98% of that page is viewed by critics I don't know. This page will never be advertised via this blog or Facebook or anywhere else for that matter. Why? The frequency I update each site is based on how much interaction I have with my readers/viewers. Simply put, the more comments, likes, and favs I get, the more content I make. I can see from this blog and FB, how much my friends support my work, so other sites I manage reflect how much support I get from other Internet communities. What that means to me is that any critique I get from other sites is less likely being made just to make me feel good.

That being said I'll now give you a exclusive look at the picture, as well as the critique given:


"Dee 2"
"Models- Dee and Tee"
Vision: 4.5/5
Originality: 5/5
Technique: 5/5
Impact: 5/5

"Dee2" is a visual portrayal of softly blending & matching color and warm emotion. Being a people photo for the most part then, one looks for detail quality, noting any flaws that could be improved. Perhaps, there is a subtle mind game in the selected title, as both models look similar? In this picture anyway, they are very few and minor. One common defect with such outdoor photos is of a tree trunk/branch appearing to emerge from a person's head or body. Although this appears to be the case with the background girl's head, they are much more distant behind her head and is thus minor. Proper depth of field is very evident, and she is as sharply focused in having detail as sharp as the foreground model, to imply a usage of a high f-stop. The colors of the models and their clothing are almost identical, to further imply a mutual relationship (as the title suggests) and near-equal relevance on a gray medium (ground) in the making of the picture. As far as emotions go here accordingly, one sees inviting eagerness or curiosity, especially with the right forearm and hand of the foreground girl not in the image, to better pique the latter. It is clearly her that captivates and draws this critic into the scene with a smile of acceptance, while our presence is also acknowledged by the facing background subject beside the birch tree. Lighting in this picture is good, and the photographer did a superb job with composition of the pertinent objects involved. Seeing this, I do not know who exactly is Dee or Tee (although I have a taller brother of the former name!), but that is not very important, as the title does suggest a kind of duplicity between them. The models' mode of participation, photographer's acute skill in composition, in combination with the technical details described, make this image deserving of much praise, many faves, and high ratings.

It's great to hear this kind of critique and im looking forward to more in the future. Whether or not I share it here though is up to you readers. See ya next blog!

Another video

No MVC3 content this time around. All this video editing as wet my appetite for film making. So much so that I've actually been making a storyboard for a short film. Let's see what happens...

Anyway I thought I'd post some more unscripted footage that I had the opportunity to grab just last night.

Unlike the previous videos this one is not embedded so check out the link below.
Don't go toe to toe with CP Lacey

Special thanks to CP Lacey for permission to repost my footage.

See ya next blog...





PS: Not worth a blog by itself, but thank you to the viewers that helped send one of my youtube videos over 100 views. (I know i'm surprised too) Sharing links, liking, tweeting and commenting would really help. Thanks for the continued support.

Bonus Footage

As promised, here is some online bonus footage!

The whole idea was to play with some final cut settings I hardly have the chance to mess with and I think it worked out in the end. Enjoy!

Thanks George

Hey!

It feels like forever since my last blog. Where have I been? Working, working, working, studying, and playing Marvel vs Capcom 3!! (yeah i did some other stuff too... I think...)

So what do I have planned for this week's blog? Nothing!! That's right I allowed myself to get distracted by the awesomeness that is MVC3 and now I gotta get back to work on a bunch of side jobs and errands in preparation for some big things happening soon.

To be honest I do have some material that I can post but I'm not in a rant mood, or at least i'm trying not to be.

What I decided to do for my readers though to make up for the lack of content was to put all my coverage videos in one place. Coverage videos? Oh yeah, did I forget to mention the MVC3Tournament I was a part of!? Yeah it happened...

Below is the semi final matches between Lionheart (player 1) and Mario (Player 2). Hopefully soon the Finals will be encoded as well as the "bonus" footage. (you'll just have to wait and see...) Enjoy!!

Round 1


Round 2


Round 3

I can't make up my mind

Ok this blog is a tad out of the ordinary for me but I need my readers help with this one. By help I mean comments.

Below I have three pictures I took using three different styles, and I like all three so much I cant decide which one to post to my New and Unscripted Facebook gallery. Which do you like the most? Why?

A


B


C


Having hits to my blogs are nice but I really want to make these a more interactive experience. Always make sure your comments are submitted correctly so that they show up and can be read. And you can always make a anonymous comment so give it a try. See ya next blog...

Bonus Blog - Self Portrait

Here's a non-advertised blog for those that subscribe or care enough to regularly check up on me.
Enjoy a expressive self portrait...


"Console from a Canine"

Another model decided to cancel on me at the last minute.

As I rest contemplating my next move and wondering how I will make ends meet, he sneaks in.

He knows he's not allowed in the studio, his head low, he slowly crawls in my lap and looks at me.

His speaks to me through his eye's, saying, "Everything will be ok..."


Not expecting comments this time around so consider yourself off the hook as thanks for at least being a reader.
See ya next blog...

Mini Rant # 5 Let me in already!!

I understand the degrees that websites have to go through the fend off automated spam. I just hate that I have to suffer for it.

Simple log in's have turned into detailed questionnaires. Efforts to fend off identity theft have caused the far majority of honest internet surfers to be bombarded with a variety of authentication procedures if they make even one mistake imputing a password. And lets not forget the hassle of a forgotten password, or the auto lock out feature for too many failed attempts.

Of all these features I will agree that most are a acceptable inconvenience, but one annoys me to no end...


I don't know the official name so I'll call it the "Visual Verification".
It's those jumbled up numbers and letters that you have to type in along with a password, blog comment, or post.

The entire look of it always makes me think, "Is this what dyslexic people see all the time?." They trail from that question to the the episode of Batman the Animated Series where Batman discovers he's in a dream engineered by the Mad Hatter because one side of the brain controls dreams and the other controls reading, (btw, is that actually true?)

Anyway, the other day I was trying to sign on to YouTube and I wasn't 100% certain what my password was. The next thing you know I was presented with this annoying prompt.

Sometimes they make it easy for you by actually making it a real word. That way, even if you can't make out a letter or two, you can still take a guess to the overall word and make out good. But nooooooo! They had to use a bunch of garbled letters and numbers. (and you can NEVER tell if it's a zero or the letter "O"!)

To then make matters worse, when I made a mistake (oh yeah, that was gonna happen), I wasn't told if the mistake was in the username, password, or verification prompt!

I then notice this little speaker button next to the verification and I think to myself "I'll just listen to the letters and type them in."

Now it may be hard to describe sound in a written media, but it would be no exaggeration to describe what I heard as, a cluster of static and garbled voices. Like 15 people all holding different conversations at once with a old TV in the background on no channel. I even thought I heard one whisper something antis-emetic...(family guy reference)

This level of annoyance is just crazy. I know computers are smart but why do I need to be made to look stupid just to post a blog comment, or share a link?

If computers ever became sentient beings they already have all the tools necessary to get entertainment at my expense...


Share your thoughts below and See ya next blog!!

That's right I write poems - the unexpected sequel

With so many ideas for blogs in my head this was all I felt like uploading. Enjoy it for what it's worth.

"Is it worth it"

My emotion is my creativity...

Hiding emotion, in turn, hides my creativity.
The more feelings I repress, the less artistic I become.

While the simple solution would be to express myself more,
What happens when how I feel, hurts those I love.

What's more important?

It would be simple if I was fed nothing but love and support...
Surely my artistic side could positively thrive...

But such is not the world I live in.

So I am bound to my foolish attempts at recycling pain into pleasure.
With tools in hand I shall continue to process this suppressed anguish into something that may benefit someone else... Who knows... Maybe even bring happiness...

Such a process doesn't appear to be beneficial in the least and yet with constant suppression comes sporadic joy.

It's all I can ask for...

Comments welcome, thank you for your continued support...

Pro Shot

Special Treat for you!!

Over a year ago I made my first YOUTUBE video called "Ace's Day Out"
With plenty of ideas and very few resources lots of old videos went unedited, till now...

I present you with Pro Shot Play

Hershey Park's "Pro Shot" game
$5 for 3 shots
2 in wins
but what happens when...

See Ya Next Blog!!

Mini Rant #4 Pizza Woes

Well, let's get the year 2011 started right with a mini rant!

"If I can remove a pepperoni, that has no cheese on top of it, and I find no cheese beneath it, then I did NOT get extra cheese like I wanted!" - DV

Ordered me some Papa John's tonight. I shall present you with...

Exhibit A


Here's the first pizza I got tonight. There's a difference between thin and regular crust pizza, but you sure couldn't tell from this mess. In case you wanted to know, this was supposed to be the "Papa's Favorite" pizza. That involves pepperoni, sausage, cheese, and special seasoning. IN ADDITION to those ingredients, I added extra pepperoni, extra cheese, and extra sauce. This is nowhere CLOSE to what I usually get.

They've done such a good job for such a long time with me that this came as such a surprise. Let me fill you in on how much I ordered from them.

For the last three years I've taken advantage of their monday Raven's special. Here's how it works. For every touchdown the Ravens got on a Sunday you get one free toping for a 10 dollar pizza. If they won you got double toppings. the last three years have been pretty good for the Ravens, and in turn, pretty good for me...

But now I gotta deal with some lazy cook that wants to be stingy with ingredients. And what makes it worse is how they handle complaints. Ten minutes on hold and I'm instructed to not eat the pizza and to give it back when my second pizza is delivered...

1 hour later: My second pizza arrives and the driver tells me to throw away the first pizza. For all that I could have just ate some instead of starving waiting for the second pizza! But now i present you with...

Exhibit B



I was completely caught off guard with the weight of this pizza. It was HEAVY!! Looking at it, you can tell that this was made by someone who was pissed off that they had to make a second pizza because of how poor a job they did the first time. After a good scolding from a supervisor they dumped the entire tray of cheese on dough and ran a pizza cutter over it like a blind person would... but then that would be insulting to a blind person... Accuracy aside I don't blame them for making sure this one met my expectations but I know for a fact that they have all kinds of measuring tools to tell them how much to put on the pizza. Do it right the first time and there will be no problems from me.

And I know there are people that probably try to get free pizzas by complaining but lets look at the records. I haven't had to complain in over a year and I've been a customer over 5 years so why not take my word that there is a legitimate problem and not try to play games by assuming I wanted a second pizza for free. That's why they acted like they wanted the first pizza...

*sigh* Papa John, what happened? You usually got better game than this. Maybe your trying to get Flacco to switch to you from Pizza Hut by sending the message that you can be just as accurate as him...

Well after 2 slices im done with this monster so I'm about to get my workout in putting the rest in the fridge. See ya next blog...