Central Perk

vineri, 10 iunie 2011

SEOmoz Daily SEO Blog

SMX Advanced: Andy Atkins-Kruger Talks International SEO and Yandex - Whiteboard Friday

Posted: 09 Jun 2011 02:36 PM PDT

When most of us talk about SEO, the search engines we implicitly refer to are Google and Bing/Yahoo, but that's about it. Do you know which of these search engines is most popular in Russia? Neither! The largest search engine in Russia is Yandex, with millions of users and more market share than either of the other guys. You may have been wondering how to optimize your site for Yandex or other international search engines. While international SEO is fundamentally the SEO best practices we know and love, there are some nuances to consider when trying to optimize for search engines like Yandex. On Wednesday at SMX Advanced, Rand spoke with Andy Atkins-Krüger, the founder and CEO of international SEO firm WebCertain, about strategies for optimizing your site for Yandex and being conscious of international SEO. Have any tips of your own for optimizing for Yandex or other engines? Let us know in the comments!

Video Transcription

Rand: Howdy, SEOmoz fans. Welcome to this special edition of SMX Advanced Whiteboard Friday. There's no whiteboard. It's actually a Wednesday, and even better, I'm joined by Andy Atkins-Krüger, founder and CEO of WebCertain. Andy, thank you so much for having me.

Andy: Hi, Rand. Thank you for asking me.

Rand: Andy, can you tell us a little bit about what WebCertain does? Just give us a brief introduction.

Andy: Well, WebCertain is an international specialist in social marketing. So we operate in 36 languages and look after people with international campaigns.

Rand: Right. One of the countries that you operate in and help people with is Russia.

Andy: Yeah.

Rand: In Russia the primary, dominant search engine, with I think it's 60% to 70% plus market share, is Yandex.

Andy: And going up, the share is going up, yeah. We mainly find ourselves operating in those markets that are more difficult. So Russia and China are principal markets for us. We do a lot of work in both of those markets.

Rand: That makes sense. I mean, one of the big challenges that we have that I know a lot of people in the SEOmoz community have, is they basically have very little knowledge of what's going on in those particular two markets. I think South Korea is the other big one that's sort of uncertain for us. Can you give us a brief background, particularly with Yandex, how did they win the Russian market? Why do they continue to increase share against Google? What are some big differences between how Google operates and how Yandex operates?

Andy: Right. Well, Yandex actually launched in Russia. In fact, Yandex launched at the same time as Google. They're about the same age as Google.

Rand: Okay.

Andy: And a lot of the developments there are base around handling the Russian language. It was based on some software that was written before search engines were invented, that was extracting data from Russian language text.

Rand: This is like Cyrillic characters, which are . . .

Andy: Yeah. It's not the Cyrillic characters that's the problem though. It's the structure of the language. The words in Russian, the endings are very critical, and Google did not handle that very well for years. They put some investment in, in around 2006, and started to improve their handling of Russian morphology, as it's termed.

Actually, it's not true that Yandex has always been growing in share in Russia, because for a period of time around about 2008, they saw a bit of a dip and that was partly because Google had then started to deal with this Russian language issue. But since then, they've launched some new technologies that have actually been very successful for them, using particularly machine learning.

Rand: Okay. Which is something Google had historically biased against but recently tried out with the Panda update.

Andy: Yeah. Google does not use machine learning on its natural search to anywhere near the extent that Yandex does.

Rand: Gotcha.

Andy: One of the interesting things that I discovered, I was over in Moscow early this year, and virtually everything that's written about Yandex from an SEO perspective is wrong. It's out of date.

Rand: Well, I'm lucky to have you then.

Andy: Because the issue with Yandex is the way that they use machine learning comprehensively for their algorithm. So their algorithm is created basically by what human assessors think of web pages, and they set those as targets and then the algorithm tries to achieve those targets.

Rand: Right.

Andy: Now what that means is that if you've got a set of results and in those results there's a kind of a certain approach that should theoretically get you to the top of those results, and you launch a site that matches that format, then the algorithm is going to say, "Oh, no, that's not what we wanted," and it will shift. So as an SEO, you're in a fairly difficult position because it's going to move around all the time.

Rand: So you kind of have to think, "What would quality raters want in their search results? That's what I need to produce." Then the algorithm will figure out the right metrics to get me to the top.

Andy: Yes. It actually points to having a bunch of assessors judging websites and saying which ones are great.

Rand: Now, can you pay these assessors to just say that you're great?

Andy: No, because they're not actually working on the websites that are found. They're working on a typical set that is adapted by the machine learning programs, which they call MatrixNet.

Rand: Interesting.

Andy: But they also use it for keywords categorizations. That's called Spectrum. So it basically decides what type of results people are looking for from a machine learning perspective, and then it goes into MatrixNet to find the right algorithm to deliver the right . . .

Rand: It's so interesting, because it's the complete opposite of Google, right?

Andy: Yes.

Rand: They produce an algorithm that gets results. They have quality raters that tell them how good that algorithm was, and then they try and tweak tune it rather than having the quality raters say, "We wish these sites were sort of in the top ten in these formats, etc. Build me an algorithm that's going to get them there."

Andy: But the interesting thing from a Google SEO point of view is that Yandex, having taken a significant market share back off Google in Russia - it's something like 5% - as result of machine learning, you've got to say, "Well, Google's likely to follow suit."

Rand: Yeah. Well, Panda was certainly right. So there's this Google engineer, and his last name is Panda. He comes up with this scalable machine learning technique, and they implement it. Then they name the update after him, and this is the first we've seen of that.

Andy: Yeah.

Rand: So maybe they're going in that direction.

Andy: I think it's inevitable.

Rand: Wow.

Andy: But Yandex has made that something of a core skill. So there are these machine learning competitions around the globe, and if you look at those competitions, they're often run by Yahoo, funnily enough.

Rand: Yeah.

Andy: But if you look at those competitions . . .

Rand: Well, Netflix had a very famous one, right?

Andy: Right. And you'll find that Yandex will have put in several teams competing to succeed, and they are quite often in the top ten, sometimes first, second, and fifth, that kind of result. They're really very keen on it.

Rand: That's very fascinating. So, Andy, real quick, if I'm doing SEO for Yandex, I want to rank well there, what are a couple or three things that I can do actively to help my site?

Andy: Well, it's going to sound a bit straightforward really. You need great content. It needs to look good. It needs to handle the Russian language well. It needs to have plenty of good inbound links, and some of them can be paid, because Yandex has a different approach to paid links to Google.

Rand: Wow. Okay.

Andy: They don't like paid links, but they accept that sometimes they have to count them, and they will say publicly that they have to count paid links.

Rand: Fascinating.

Andy: But basically, you've got to try and predict what the Russian human assessors are going to think is great content and they're going to want to match that in the particular search that you're targeting.

Rand: So maybe surveying your own small group of folks and saying, "What would you want to see here?" Try and produce that content.

Andy: Yeah, and you have to say that it looks like that's likely to be what we in SEO do much more of in the future.

Rand: Fascinating. I love it. Well, Andy, thank you so much for joining us.

Andy: No problem.

Rand: Thanks for sharing so much about Yandex.

Andy: You're welcome.

Rand: And good luck to you.

Andy: Okay. Thanks, Rand.

Rand: Cheers.

Andy: Cheers.

Rand: Take care, everyone.

Video transcription by Speechpad.com

Do you like this post? Yes No

How to Get More Followers on Twitter Graywolf's SEO Blog

How to Get More Followers on Twitter

Posted: 09 Jun 2011 10:35 AM PDT

Getting more Twitter followers is one of the first hurdles you have when you start a new Twitter account. Assuming that you are interested in quality and not just quantity, one of the most effective tactics is what I like to call a follower raid.

if 15% of the people who follow Coke-a-Cola follow you back, but 30% of the people who follow McDonalds follow you back, you should raid McDonalds Twitter followers more often …

While this name may have a slightly dark or black hat pirate overtone to it (arrrgh), quite simply it’s using other existing accounts in your particular niche and mining through the people who follow them. The first thing I would do is identify your competition in the space (I like to create a private list for this) and start following the accounts that are following them. The next thing to do is identify related or complimentary accounts (again create another private list). Do you sell after market racing parts for cars? People who follow NHRA and NASCAR are good candidates.

Now you could just run through multiple accounts willy-nilly without a plan but, if you want to be smart about it, do it systematically. Each week choose one account and follow the 100-200 most recent followers. If you use Raven Tools Event Tracking, you can see which accounts are the most successful for getting you new Twitter followers. An important thing to remember is that non social media people don’t spend all day on Twitter or even visit Twitter everyday, so you have to give them a few days to follow you back.

Graph of Following/Followers using Raven Tools

When it comes to following back, pruning non-followers, and reciprocal follows, it’s more of an art, not a science. Some people are industry leaders–you will always want to follow them. Then there are celebrities, real or the fake, Internet kind (you know, like Robert Scoble). If they are important to your space, follow them; if not, don’t worry. There are a few tools out there to unfollow people who don’t follow you. Personally I like manageflitter. If you use it with Firefox and the check all extension, you can unfollow the people who don’t follow you back pretty easily. They also have the ability to filter out verified, celebrity, or other important accounts.

When you are doing this you are likely to come across accounts with a high number of Twitter followers, but only follow a low number of people back (some folks call them Twitter snobs). These people play a very important role: they help you identify accounts that are active in social media in a particular niche. If they have an interest in your subject matter, they are a golden resource and usually an excellent place to get more Twitter followers. The accounts they follow and interact with are usually influential or very good at helping you spread spread your message or reach.

If you systematically raid the followers of each of these accounts and use something like Raven Tools Event Tracking , you can identify which accounts are more likely to follow you back. For example, if 15% of the people who follow Coke-a-Cola follow you back, but 30% of the people who follow McDonalds follow you back, you should raid McDonalds Twitter followers more often.

A final consideration: you never want to let the number of people you are following get too far above the number that are following you. Personally I like to use 20% as a rule of thumb, but it can vary a little.

So what are the takeaways on how to get more Twitter followers:

Use private lists to keep track of similar or related Twitter accounts.
Set up a plan to grow your followers so you can track which accounts are most effective.
Tools like Raven Event Tracking let you tag specific campaigns.
Allow an adequate amount of time for people to follow back: not everyone is on Twitter all day.
Prune back dead/non followers before mining a new account.
Look for accounts with high number of followers and low number following to identify key players with a high social participation or influence factor.
Automation is good, but social media is about being social. You will need to interact if you want to get the most value out of it.

photo credit: Photospin

Blackhat Method for Increasing Your Twitter Followers When I started my new website ViralConversations.com, I also started...
New Twitter Account @graywolfseo Now that twitter lists have taken off and are being...
Facebook vs Twitter: Which is More Valuable? Recently there has been a lot of talk about Facebook...
Twitter Contests and Incentives – Do they Work A few weeks ago I made the mistake of wondering...
Twitter Lists are Teh Awesome Now that twitter lists have been rolled out just about...

Advertisers:

Text Link Ads - New customers can get $100 in free text links.
BOTW.org - Get a premier listing in the internet's oldest directory.
Ezilon.com Regional Directory - Check to see if your website is listed!
Need an SEO Audit for your website, look at my SEO Consulting Services
Link Building- Backlink Build offers 45 PR5+ Backlinks for $295
Directory Journal - Get permanent deep links in a search engine friendly directory
LinkWheel SEO - Get Web 2.0 Backlinks
Links From PR9 Sites - - Get In Top 3 Google ASAP
TigerTech - Great Web Hosting service at a great price.

This post originally came from Michael Gray who is an SEO Consultant. Be sure not to miss the Thesis Wordpress Theme review.

How to Get More Followers on Twitter

West Wing Week: "Way to Get Our Money Back"

Your Daily Snapshot for
Friday, June 10, 2011

West Wing Week: "Way to Get Our Money Back"

This week, President Obama traveled to a Chrysler plant in Toledo, Ohio, to congratulate workers on the turnaround they helped bring about at Chrysler and the impact that saving the company had on the community. The President also announced new initiatives that will improve our manufacturing workforce, and welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House for an Official Visit.

Watch the video

Seth's Blog : Synchronicity, intimacy and productivity

Synchronicity, intimacy and productivity

A shortcut to customer and co-worker intimacy is to respond in real time. A phone call is more human than an email, a personal meeting has more impact than a letter.

On the other hand, when you do your work on someone else's schedule, your productivity plummets, because you are responding to the urgent, not the important, and your rhythm is shot.

The shortcut analysis, it seems to me, is to sort by how important it is that your interactions be intimate. If it's not vitally important that you increase the energy and realism of the relationship, then insert a buffer. Build blocks of time to do serious work, work that's not interrupted by people who need to hear from you in real time, right now.

On the other hand, for interactions when only a hug or a smile will do, allocate the time and the schedule to be present.

Confusing the two is getting easier than ever, and it's killing your ability to do great work.

• Email to a friend •

joi, 9 iunie 2011

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Chris Whalen: Geithner Cries Wolf, "No Downside" to Not Raising the Debt Ceiling; How You Can Help

Posted: 09 Jun 2011 12:57 PM PDT

Chris Whalen says "No Downside" to Not Raising the Debt Ceiling

Geithner Cries Wolf

The U.S. Congress has a little less than two months to raise the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling or possibly default on its debt. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says not allowing the Treasury to raise the debt limit would be "catastrophic" for the economy.

Geithner is crying wolf according to Chris Whalen, a banking industry analyst and co-founder of Institutional Risk Analytics. Whalen argues Congress should vote against raising the debt ceiling unless they agree to major spending cuts. "Congress has the right to say 'no' and the people of the United States have a right to say 'no' we don't want to issue more debt," he tells Aaron Task in the accompanying clip.

Whalen first made his thoughts known about the debt ceiling in a Reuters opinion piece Why Congress should vote no on raising the debt ceiling published in April.

"My view is that Congress should vote down any debt ceiling measure unless President Obama agrees to sign the balanced budget amendment. Even if Secretary Geithner has to run the US government on cash, like the good people of Iceland and Ireland today, it will be a good thing for America's political debate to default — at least for a few weeks. Then people will know that the once unthinkable is very possible."

At the time, Whalen's comments were viewed as radical, and some say still are. However, in recent weeks, he seems to be gaining more support from some of Wall Street's heavy hitters. For example, in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal hedge fund billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller echoed some of Whalen's rhetoric.

No one knows what will happen if the Congress does not raise the debt limit or if there's even a good chance of it happening, but Whalen is holding out hope: "If we don't have consequences in politics then we end up with what we've seen in the last 30 years, which is a permanent political class."

What If the U.S. Treasury Defaults?

The WSJ article referenced above is What If the U.S. Treasury Defaults?

One of the world's most successful money managers, the lanky, sandy-haired Mr. Druckenmiller is so concerned about the government's ability to pay for its future obligations that he's willing to accept a temporary delay in the interest payments he's owed on his U.S. Treasury bonds—if the result is a Washington deal to restrain runaway entitlement costs.

"I think technical default would be horrible," he says from the 24th floor of his midtown Manhattan office, "but I don't think it's going to be the end of the world. It's not going to be catastrophic. What's going to be catastrophic is if we don't solve the real problem," meaning Washington's spending addiction.

Widely credited with orchestrating Mr. Soros's successful shorting of the British pound in 1992, Mr. Druckenmiller also built his own fund, Duquesne Capital, into a $12 billion titan. He announced plans last year to close the fund and now reports, "I have no clients." He is still managing his own money, which Forbes magazine recently estimated at $2.5 billion.

Whatever the correct figure is, it would be significantly larger if Mr. Druckenmiller hadn't given away so much of his wealth. The online magazine Slate reported last year that Mr. Druckenmiller and his wife gave away more money in 2009—over $700 million—than anyone else in the country. Over the last two decades, he has been the largest benefactor of the Harlem Children's Zone, a community service organization featured in the movie, "Waiting for 'Superman.'"

In a May 2 letter to House Speaker John Boehner, Mr. Geithner warned of "a catastrophic economic impact" and said, "Default would cause a financial crisis potentially more severe than the crisis from which we are only now starting to recover."

In a Monday speech at the New York Economic Club, Mr. Boehner fired back, saying that "It's true that allowing America to default would be irresponsible. But it would be more irresponsible to raise the debt ceiling without simultaneously taking dramatic steps to reduce spending and reform the budget process."

So the moment couldn't be better to consult Mr. Druckenmiller, who almost never gives interviews but is willing to speak up now because he thinks that fears about using the debt-limit as a bargaining chip for spending cuts are overblown—and misunderstand the bond market. "The Treasury borrowing committee letter speaks about catastrophic financial crises, comparing it to Fannie and Freddie. That's not what we're talking about here," he says.

He contemplates the possibilities for bond investors if a drawn-out negotiation in Washington creates a short-term problem in servicing the debt but ultimately reduces spending:

"Here are your two options: piece of paper number one—let's just call it a 10-year Treasury. So I own this piece of paper. I get an income stream obviously over 10 years . . . and one of my interest payments is going to be delayed, I don't know, six days, eight days, 15 days, but I know I'm going to get it. There's not a doubt in my mind that it's not going to pay, but it's going to be delayed. But in exchange for that, let's suppose I know I'm going to get massive cuts in entitlements and the government is going to get their house in order so my payments seven, eight, nine, 10 years out are much more assured," he says.

The Upside and Downside

To suggest there is "No Downside" is a bit inaccurate. A better way of phrasing the setup is there is "no NET downside" to not increasing the ceiling without significant budget cuts.

The downside is a temporary default. Interest rates may go up if that happens. Some parties maybe harmed in the process. Thus, the downside is a temporary delay in payments and the small mess that might entail.

The upside is a potential permanent reduction in US spending. From my perspective, that is a massive upside potential, for a bit of short-term downside.

Risk of Greek-Style "Solution"

It should be crystal clear that Congress and the administration need to do something about budget deficits before the market imposes a "Greek-Style" solution on the US.

I mentioned that possibility in my recent Yahoo Finance video appearance: Debt Ceiling Discussion on Daily Ticker with Mish, Aaron Task, Henry Blodget: Will the Bond Market Eventually Force Congressional Hands?

How You Can Help

Please pick up the phone, call your Congressional representatives, and insist on "Major" budget reductions now "Not in the Future", before agreeing to hike the debt ceiling.

Here is the Online Directory for the 112th Congress

It is time Congress call Geithner's and the President's bluff.

The way to make that happen is to insist your representatives recognize something must be done NOW, not 10-years from now about the budget crisis.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Confused Trichet Walks Tightrope on Liquidity, Rate Hikes, Greece; Reflections on Unexpected Things

Posted: 09 Jun 2011 10:14 AM PDT

The US dollar is a bit firmer vs. the Euro in the wake of a Trichet's comments regarding "strong vigilance", code words for a "hike is coming" at the next meeting.

Trichet also got into a pissing match with German finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble who said bondholders must contribute a substantial share of a second aid package for Greece. Schaeuble proposed a 7-year maturity extension that credit-rating companies say would constitute a default.

The rest of Trichet's prepared words were certainly more dovish than hawkish, with a pledge to provide "unlimited liquidity".

Please consider ECB's Trichet flags July rate rise, hardline on Greece

"On balance risks to the outlook for price stability are on the upside, accordingly strong vigilance is warranted. On the basis of our assessment we will act in a firm and timely manner," Trichet told a news conference after the ECB kept its main refinancing rate at 1.25 percent.

Trichet said evidence since the ECB's May meeting confirmed "continued upward pressure on overall inflation mainly owing to commodity and energy prices."

But wary of choking off support too fast, the ECB would continue to provide banks with unlimited liquidity to support the recovery, he said.

Trichet said evidence since the ECB's May meeting confirmed "continued upward pressure on overall inflation mainly owing to commodity and energy prices."

Beyond July, Trichet left the ECB's options open, saying: "We are not signaling any particular pace for the next decisions on our interest rates."

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, facing domestic pressure to involve the private sector in any new Greek bailout, earlier this week demanded a "quantified and substantial" contribution from bondholders as part of any new package.

Schaeuble also suggested extending the maturities of outstanding Greek debt by seven years. Trichet's comments appeared to underline his opposition to such pressure.

"I am not embarking on a dialogue with a particular minister here," Trichet said.

"We are not in favor of restructuring ... and so forth," he said. "We exclude all concepts which would not be purely voluntary, without any elements of compulsion. We call for avoiding any credit event and selective default, say. And of course, default."

Asked if the ECB would roll over its own Greek bondholdings, Trichet replied: "It's certainly not our intention."

Commodity Excuse is Lame

Central banks hike when they want to, or when the market forces them to, using whatever excuse they want at the moment. The excuse now is rising commodity prices.

The fact of the matter is commodity prices are rising primarily because of a torrent of unsustainable infrastructure malinvestment in China in conjunction with peak oil. One can also blame policies at the Fed, especially QE2.

As such, and from the perspective of Europe, there is little inflationary about it.

Trichet Clearly Confused

Perhaps a rate hike is warranted, perhaps not, but Trichet's confused comments don't help.

Moreover, if inflation is a problem, why should a central bank pledge "unlimited liquidity"? Are we to believe a hike from 1.25 to 1.5 percent will cure the inflation problem, so much so that the ECB can continue offering "unlimited liquidity"?

Walking Multiple Tightropes

Trichet is walking multiple tightropes simultaneously, partly out of his own foolish stubbornness and partly because of flaws in the structure of the Euro-Zone policy itself. Thus, it's no wonder he sounds confused.

He has only himself to blame for the ECB's balance sheet being loaded to the gills with garbage from Greece and Ireland. Much of the rest of his problem has to do structural problems in Maastrict Treaty that created the European Union. Given that he was one of the architects of that treaty he can blame himself for that as well.

Regardless, interest rate policy of "One Size Fits Germany" is not tenable in practice. Recognition of that predicament is what led Trichet to propose major changes in the treaty.

For a discussion of what Trichet now wants, please see Trichet Calls for Creation of European "Nanny-State" and Fiscal "Nanny-Zone" .

Is Another Hike Suitable Even For Germany?

For now, Trichet has signaled his intention to get in another hike. I am wondering "Is a hike even the right policy for Germany?"

In case you think it is obvious, please consider German Industrial Output Unexpectedly Fell in April on Construction Slide

Jun 8, 2011

German industrial production unexpectedly declined for the first time in four months in April, led by a drop in construction output.

Production fell 0.6 percent from March, when it rose a revised 1.2 percent, the Economy Ministry in Berlin said today. Economists had forecast a gain of 0.2 percent, the median of 36 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey showed. In the year, production rose 9.6 percent when adjusted for working days.

Reflections on Unexpected Things

Consensus is this is a "moderation" in growth not a halt of it. Perhaps.

However, it might also help to know that Industrial production "unexpectedly" dropped .9% in France, and consumer spending "unexpectedly" plunged in Italy.

Of course job growth "unexpectedly" plunged in the US and the unemployment rate "unexpectedly" rose.

Also in the US, there was an "unexpected" plunge in the ISM, in new orders and order backlogs. Please see Mish on Yahoo Finance Daily Ticker on Slowing Global Economy; U.S. Manufacturing ISM Plunge; Order Backlog and New Orders Barely Above Contraction for details.

The number of consecutive "unexpected" things that has surprised economists is rather amusing. Once again I suggest that economists are an amazingly optimistic lot smack in the face of a global economy that is clearly slowing.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Damn Cool Pics

Gulliver’s Kingdom Abandoned Theme Park
The 20 Most Anticipated Games of 2011
Malissa Jones, The Fattest Teenager in Britain is now Anorexic
Korea’s Got Talent – The story of Sung-bong Choi
25 Awesome Photographs of Birds Nests
Dad Waves at Son in 170 Costumes

Gulliver’s Kingdom Abandoned Theme Park

Posted: 09 Jun 2011 06:14 PM PDT

Built in the shadow of Japan's Mount Fuji with oodles of government stimulus money, was a sprawling white elephant that existed for only 10 years. Today there's little if any trace of the abandoned theme park, its ruins, or Gulliver himself but the eerie and unsettling images captured by a legion of intrepid "haikyo" explorers.

Source: weburbanist

The 20 Most Anticipated Games of 2011

Posted: 09 Jun 2011 05:03 PM PDT

There are some very cool game titles coming. Here is a list of coolest and most anticipated games which will be releasing in year 2011.

Aliens: Colonial Marines

Assassin's Creed Revelations

Batman: Arkham City

Battlefield 3

BioShock Infinite

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Dark Souls

Dead Island

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

From Dust

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Gears of War 3

Hitman: Absolution

Mass Effect 3

Silent Hill: Downpour

Super Mario 3D

Spy Party

Tomb Raider

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Unannounced game

Source: telegraph

Malissa Jones, The Fattest Teenager in Britain is now Anorexic

Posted: 09 Jun 2011 04:48 PM PDT

The woman who was once Britain's fattest teenager now has anorexia. Malissa Jones, 21, lost 26 stone (364lbs) after having a gastric band fitted four years ago. She now weighs just 8st (112lbs).

Doctors had warned her that she was close to death at 34stone (476lbs). At aged just 15, she had already suffered from a suspected heart attack, and her massive weight was crushing her internal organs on her 5ft 8inch frame.

But now Malissa has been told she could die within six months unless she eats more. She told Closer magazine: "I would urge anyone wanting surgery to lose weight healthily. I wish I had. "Surgery can have consequences you might never have imagined."

Malissa was the world's youngest stomach bypass patient when she had the £10,000 NHS operation in January 2008.

Malissa Jones at age 6

She consumed 15,000 calories a day from gorging on chocolate, crisps and junk food - seven and a half times the recommended 2,000 calories for a girl of her age. But parents Richard and Dawn were unable to stop her food cravings.

Source: dailymail

Korea’s Got Talent – The story of Sung-bong Choi

Posted: 08 Jun 2011 10:18 PM PDT

I heard he went to Art High School, but he could barely graduate because of his financial problem. I bet he couldn't get private lessons or support for his vocal training.. I admire him even more!!!!!!!!!!

I seriously cried when he started singing.. just wanna give him a Huge Hug!!
Bring it on Sung-bong!!!

25 Awesome Photographs of Birds Nests

Posted: 08 Jun 2011 09:53 PM PDT

Sharon Beals is an incredible photographer and artist. Sharon uses photography as an art form, and as a way to chronicle what moves her heart and concerns her conscience from habitat restoration and plastic in the ocean, to the ecology of rivers, and of course, birds' nests. In her latest hardcover book 'Fifty Nests and the Birds that Built Them', Sharon showcases her gorgeous photographs of nests accompanied by fascinating and informative portraits of the builders themselves. For more.

Dad Waves at Son in 170 Costumes

Posted: 08 Jun 2011 08:45 PM PDT

Two big thumbs up to American Fork, Utah father Dale Price, also known as the "Wave at the Bus" dad. Price dressed up in a costume every morning of the school year—all 170 days—and then headed outside to wave goodbye to his son's school bus. Price says it started out at a joke on the first day of school to embarrass Rain, a high school sophomore with a 4.0 GPA, since it was his first year riding the bus, and things just snowballed from there.

Indeed, Rain was initially embarrassed by his father's antics, but soon, he and his bus riding classmates, grew to love the costumes and looked forward to seeing what creative outfit his dad would wear next.

The Pirate's Last Wave

Price didn't repeat a costume all year—he's dressed up as a Anakin Skywalker, a pirate, Michael Jackson, and yes, as a blushing bride—and he only spent around $50 total. He mostly borrowed his get-ups from friends and neighbors. Although Dave doesn't plan to do it again next year, Rain can still relive the memories. His mom Rochelle started a blog to document the daily costumes.