DVOPresents

Accuracy:

I’m not a musician but from the “feel” of things and based on what I’ve researched, I’d say Guitar Hero 2 is the most accurate, with Rock Band close or equal to it. Guitar Hero 3 is generally criticized as having extra notes to make it harder without adding anything in terms of accuracy.

Since all these are “games” and the bottom line is none of them are really like playing an actual guitar, I’m not sure how much it really matters how “accurate” they are as long as they are fun. Nevertheless, these are “simulations” of sorts and simulations are always more satisfying when they are accurately representing what they simulate.

Music:

The music in all these games are awesome, and certainly what gives me the biggest thrill is working to unlock the next set of songs! In all three games, rarely was I disappointed by the choice of song titles. Guitar Hero 2 & 3 have a bit more classic and guitar rock than Rock Band, but that is only common sense since Rock Band is also concerned with songs that challenge and titillate our vocal chords and percussion skills.

The reason Guitar Hero 2 gets a lower score, even though it has the most cool songs, is due to the fact that the majority of songs are covers. After being spoiled by Rock Band and Guitar Hero 3, it’s hard to go back to hear the generally well-played but badly sung covers on GH2.

Guitar Hero 3 has a ton of bonus songs by indie bands, but I couldn’t get into most of them.

As far as downloadables, Rock Band has the best selection so far, but there are still under 30 songs on Xbox Live.

The chart below is fairly complete, but I did not include the indie bonus tracks. Also some of the songs, like in Guitar Hero 3 especially, can only be unlocked in co-op play. These will give you a fair idea of what music to expect.

Graphics:

These are some of those rare games where the graphics don’t matter all that much, but still, everyone likes nice eye candy so who really shines here?

Definitely the winner is Rock Band. Right from the opening video you know this is a first rate production. This continues into the details of the menus and the excellent lip synching, guitar playing, and drum pounding of the 3D animated band.

My second favorite is Guitar Hero 2 which has some cool imagery going on. I felt Guitar Hero 3 was the weakest of the three, as the artwork wasn’t quite as interesting or innovative as part 2. Slash definitely looks like Slash though!

Instrument Quality:

There is no way to compare all the instruments because GH 1&2 only have guitars, whereas Rock Band comes with guitar, mic, and drum set.

As far as guitars, I played extensively with all three and for me it was a mixed bag. There is no one guitar that is my absolute favorite. I like the size and large frets of the Rock Band guitar, but it’s “strummer” is way too loose and sloppy and sometimes seems to miss notes. GH 2 has a nice guitar (I used the X-plorer) but it has to be plugged in like the Rock Band Guitar. Only GH 3 comes with a wireless version, which is a big plus. GH3 and GH2 have more solid feeling guitars and seem more durable, especially the GH3 guitar. So overall GH3 has the edge here.

Regarding the mic and drum kit in Rock Band:

The mic is fine. It’s just like a regular Logitech USB mic.

The drum kit is great, but I’ve heard there are some issues with them eventually falling apart. I believe it. It’s not shoddy, but I don’t think it could take regular daily pounding by restless teen boys for more than a month or two. **I recommend you buy Rock Band somewhere with an extended service warranty on the instruments.** (I got this from Best Buy for an extra $30 bucks for 2 years full replacement.)

Solo Fun:

Guitar Hero 2 and 3 are both amazingly fun single player experiences. I like the boss battles added in GH 3. The Tom Morello battle was especially exciting.

If you have heard that the difficulty level in Guitar Hero 3 has gotten ridiculous once you set it to hard or expert: Well you have heard right! Hard is extremely difficult even on the easier songs. And expert? What a joke. Is there anyone alive who can do Metallica’s One on Expert?

At first, I wasn’t sold on Rock Band as a satisfying single player experience until I got good enough to play guitar AND sing in Rock Band tour mode. The single player tour mode is not as exciting as the band mode, so I recommend at least playing bass and singing at the same time so that you can play the multiplayer tour mode.

If you want to shred guitar, make sure you crank it up an extra notch from where you would keep it in Guitar Hero to keep it intense. I’ve heard complaints that Rock Band is too easy compared to Guitar Hero. This might be a problem for people who are used to playing Guitar Hero 2 on Expert, but everyone else should find one of the difficulty settings to their liking.

Multiplayer Fun:

This is where Rock Band shines and puts Guitar Hero to shame. Co-op Guitar Hero can’t compare to the full-fledged band experience you get jamming out in Rock Band with two or three other people.

Long term value:

Overall, I give a thumbs up to all three games. They are all fun, and if you are into the music genre you will eventually want to own all three.

Rock Band, once you get past the danger of failing instruments, has the most long term potential for fun as you can do so more many things with it. Get bored of guitar? Play drums. Bored of drums? Sing. Sick of singing? Be Phil Collins and play drums and sing at the same time! Or be Jack White and play guitar and sing at the same time. I’ll come over and be Meg on drums and we can all rock out together!

If you are ready to buy one, check out my Amazon store.

Rock on & on,

Izabael

Laughed? Cried? Outraged? Discuss this blog at my forums.

Visit Izabael’s homepage for more reviews: Izabael.com.

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The Blackberry is the hottest phone on the market. And if you are lucky enough to own one, you are lucky enough to be able and choose the coolest ring tones for it. Blackberry ringtones come in a huge variety of music taste and life anthems for just about anyone. Regardless of your need to rock the house with your ring or have a soothing melody alert you to your calls, Blackberry ringtones have whatever you desire. There are so many options out there that you can choose Blackberry ringtones for every mood you might have and even celebrate the holidays!

Cingular ringtones can make your Cingular phone as different and complex as you are. Do you love your Cingular phone? Then you will love making it even more your own by adding the ringtones of your choice. You can have special ringtones that let you know the love of your life is calling so you don’t miss that special call. Or you can have Cingular ringtones that let you know when the office is calling so you can conveniently miss the call when your out on the go and just need a break from the daily grind.

Verizon Wireless ringtones are becoming more and more available as Verizon starts to offer more package deals with their phone service. If you need a quiet ring tone to keep from disturbing the rest of the world, but still allow you to know when you have a call, Verizon Wireless ringtones have what you need. Or if you’re in a busy, crowded place and can’t afford to miss a call, you can get Verizon Wireless ringtones that will stand out enough in any crowd. From Rock and Roll to you favorite old show tunes, Verizon Wireless ringtones have just what you want to keep you connected to the world.

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In stage hypnosis, you must try to avoid a classic stage routine called ‘Onion-Apple’ routine. Here a hypnosis volunteer is told that they are holding a delicious apple, which they are to heartily enjoy. They are in fact holding a raw onion, yet the volunteers will happily munch away believing, and indeed tasting, the apple. You are advised to avoid any routine where a hypnotic subject is required to eat or drink a substance that, unbeknown to you, they may be allergic to. Another common danger, especially amongst beginners, is the use of ill-educated hypnotherapy. Once you have read this book you will be able to hypnotize a subject and rid them of a painful headache with ease, but DON’T. It is very tempting to show off your new skill by curing your friends’ ailments. You must resist this temptation, as it is all too easy to cause a lot more suffering.

Imagine a friend has been complaining of a migraine. Naturally, as you don’t like to see your friend suffer, you hypnotize him and rid him of the migraine. All seems fine and he goes home singing your praises. Later in the week you hear that your friend has in fact died as a result of a brain tumour. As you go to console his wife, she tells you that his life could have been saved if the tumour had been discovered even just days before. It suddenly dawns on you that if you hadn’t cured the migraine your friend would have gone to the doctor and the tumour would have been discovered and removed. The next thing you know, you are standing in court facing a charge of manslaughter. What may have started out as an ill educated attempt to help a friend (or indeed a boastful demonstration of your new skill) has lead to his death, ruined his family’s life and landed you in prison! Agreeably, an extreme scenario, but it does illustrate the severity of the potential misuse of hypnosis or self hypnosis. If you do want to practise hypnotherapy go to a professional college and learn how to induce the trance state the right way. Remember that you are not a doctor and therefore you cannot diagnose any ailment your subject complains of, no matter how obvious or simple it may seem.

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Finding the best rate on a home mortgage is a lot more complicated than going shopping at a discount retail store or joining a membershio club. The mortgage industry is filled with thousands of lenders and not all of them will look out for your best situation so you better prepare yourself to navigate this jungle. Start by writing down your goals. If you are searcing for the lowest mortgage rates leverage the power of the internet whcich has made the process of comparison shopping much easier than what was available ten years ago.

• When you are comparing mortgage rates, it is very important that you receive the offers within the same time period as mortgage rates can change daily.
• Comparing mortgage quotes is not only about trying to find the lowest possible mortgage rates, you also need to review the lender closing fees, specific loan program and any early payment penalties that may exist.
• Shopping for a mortgage for a second home or investment property may change the loan terms that a lender is able to offer you, so make sure you disclose the property type and loan purpose up front so you avoid any last minute surprises.
• Not all lenders will use the same criteria for underwriting your mortgage. All lenders will look at your credit history, the property loan to value, your debt to income ratios, assets, etc. However, not all lenders will give equal weight as to how they qualify you for underwriting. This is why it is very critical to obtain more than one mortgage quote.
• The larger your loan size, the more flexibility most lenders will offer you. This is a real simple explanation. the larger your loan is, the more money it makes for a lender and they generally will try to work with you to either offer a better deal or be more flexible with you situation.

The number one lesson in trying to get the best deal is that you definitively need to compare mortgage rates from more than one lender. We ended up choosing a lender that offered a competitive rate and reasonable closing costs, the entire process took less than one month.

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Everyone loves to save money, and the internet has become the best information equalizer ever invented! What allows you to find the lowest mortgage rates in the market? Doing some upfront homework usually makes all of the difference in being able to find a great deal. If you are in the market for a new mortgage to purchase or refinance your home loan then you know its not always easy to find the true interest rates that lenders are offering. We found out looking at refinance our existing mortgage to consolidate some debt that it pays off to compare offers and try to find the best deal. There are hundreds of thousands of mortgage lenders to choose from when it comes to obtaining a new mortgage, but how do you figure out which one to work with and if you are going to get a good deal for your situation. What I learned is that through a little bit of research on the Internet and leveraging technology the process of shopping for a mortgage really is not that difficult. First, you need to asses your situation, write down your goals, they will be different if you are purchasing your first home, exploring a purchase of a vacation property or trying to refinance and consolidate your credit card debt. The next step is to interview a few lenders to find out if they offer programs that meet your goals and if you qualify. Finding the lowest possible mortgage rates, you also need to review the lender closing fees, specific loan programs and any early payment penalties that may exist. Shopping for a mortgage for a second home or investment property may change the loan terms that a lender is able to offer you, so make sure you disclose the property type and loan purpose up front so you avoid any last minute surprises. Not all lenders will use the same criteria for underwriting your mortgage. All lenders will look at your credit history, the property loan to value, your debt to income ratios, assets, etc. However, not all lenders will give equal weight as to how they qualify you for underwriting. This is why it is very critical to obtain more than one mortgage quote. The larger your loan size, the more flexibility most lenders will offer you. This is a real simple explanation. the larger your loan is, the more money it makes for a lender and they generally will try to work with you to either offer a better deal or be more flexible with you situation. The most important lesson I learned is that if you want to get the best deal on a new mortgage, then you definitively need to compare mortgage rates from more than one lender. I ended up choosing a company that offered a competitive rate and reasonable closing costs, the entire process took less than one month.

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You have a great idea for an online business and you want to run with it but there’s one thing holding you back – website design. Great news! Don’t let it hold you back!

There are all kinds of companies involved in Ecommerce website design. Anyone use a canned website demand to throw together a website, but not everyone will be able to create a website that will work, which is why you should consider using a Web Development company.

Many companies can provide you with a custom website design so that your sites look professional. There are some really talented web designers out there such as Ecommerce Web Design

What you want to watch for are those sites that claim to be website designers who simply copy the designs and themes made from existing sites. You will need to do a little homework before you choose a website design team.

There are also some questions you’ll want to ask before making your final design. Price is important but you should find out what you will get for that price so you are comparing same products. You want to be sure you will have a website that loads fast, because visitors don’t wait for a slow loading site, and you also want a website that is easy to navigate. Those are the three key areas, of course there are others but that should get you started. A site like Website Design can guide you and provide you with options when you are choosing your site.

A good website developer will build you a site that is professional, easy to navigate, and has valuable content, in a budget you can afford.

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The extremely popular video sharing website known as http://www.YouTube.com has revolutionized the way that internet users spend there time online. Internet surfers from all around the world create, upload, and share videos for entertainment purposes and share them with each other on the YouTube. Many times, users create and upload amazing videos and share them with their friends and family by copying and pasting the code that youtube provides it’s users with. These videos are often posted on MySpace, Digg, Friendster, Hi5, and other networking websites, where they gain popularity.

Since the launch of YouTube in early 2005, many have the desire to download youtube videos to their personal computers and laptops so they have a copy saved to their hard drive. By downloading them, it gives users the ability to share the YouTube.com videos even if you are not connected to the internet or cannot access YouTube.com. This makes for entertaining and fun videos on the go.

YouTube has not lost it’s popularity since it’s launch, and the popular video sharing website is predicted to gain even more popularity in the future since it is one of the most popular websites in the world. Currently owned by google, and based in San Bruno California, YouTube will continue to revolutionize the internet as we know it.

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We’ve all heard the Alternative Minimum Tax Alternative Minimum Tax horror stories. Middle class Americans with modest means getting stuck paying the dreaded Alternative Minimum Tax, or AMT.

The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) was enacted in the late 1960’s. It’s original intent, like a lot of the laws, was to target a small niche of individuals. All to often these ideas never last and these laws ends up affecting many more people, as is the case with the AMT. Designed to prevent the super rich from sheltering all their income from taxation, the little guy now pays the price. In fact, the amount of unsome that is required to trigger the Alternative Minimum Tax is downright paltry. In 2005 amount for a single individual was a bit over $40,000. In the area of the country that I live this is close to the poverty level when you take into account housing expenses and overall cost of living. The sad thing is that if you live in a state that has high property taxes it can trigger the Alternative Minimum Tax, what’s more is that those excessive property taxes are non deductible under the AMT. The typical tax rate for AMT is 28% as compared to the 35% tax rate for the top o f the tax bracket. You can take a look at a tax table to find your specific income tax rate.

On a more positive note you can take advantage of a 1031 Tax Exchange to save on taxes. What your doing when you utilize a 1031 tax exchange is deferring taxes on certain property. In order to take advantage of a 1031 exchange you need to sell an existing property and purchase a new property rather expeditiously. The new property must cost the same more than the sold property. As a general rule you’ll have approximately 180 day to complete the 1031 tax exchange. So by utilizing the 1031 tax exchange over an over, throughout your life until you die and the property is sold by your heirs completely tax-free. It is highly recommended that you consult a qualified advisor experienced with these exchanges before moving forward.

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Photography is a hobby that you can easily learn if you are serious and invest time practicing. It can only truly be enjoyed optimally if you learn the proper skills and techniques needed for taking good shots. Initially you may need some informal - and perhaps formal - training and reading material.

Below are a few simple techniques for the beginners to learn photography.

1. First, determine which general topic interests you most. Is it science? Nature? Sports? Whatever it may be, become a student of that area of interest. It is important to have some level of understanding - if not expertise - to enhance your ability to catch a niche’s best shots at opportune moments.

2. If you can afford to purchase an SLR camera with its easy-to-use features, this will help. However when searching for a camera either stays within your price range or saves up for and later buys a camera that is currently out of financial reach.

3. If nature photography is your area of interest, it is important to evaluate the areas you select for locations to be included in your shots. For example, avoid taking a picture in direct sunlight, as that would almost surely ruin your picture quality. Position yourself so that the sun is behind you while snapping the picture.

4. Practice as much as you can by regularly taking pictures of just about anything. Use different light settings, locations, people, animals, inanimate objects, bodies of water, and so on. When you photography people, capture them in both expected and unexpected contexts.

5. Stabilized images are important. You don’t want your picture to be distorted because of your shaking hand. To avoid this problem, use a tripod to steady the camera. Doing so also assists in taking pictures at different angles. And take into account the size, position and shape of your subject as you aim.

6. If you are taking pictures indoors or the required amount of light is not available, you will need to use an artificial source of light to brighten the target area. A camera’s built-in flash will help, but sometimes even it doesn’t produce enough light to sufficiently brighten the picture.

Adhering to these recommendations will help you gain the most out of your photography experience. The more practical knowledge and skill you bring to the hobby, the better will be your results and subsequent enjoyment.

Many of our fondest memories of family and friends are from photographs captured some place or time. These memories can be shared with our descendants and other friends even though they were not there or were too young to remember. Hopefully the person taking those photographs had learned a few photography techniques to capture these photos.

Unfortunately, most of these people behind these cameras are not exactly what you might call experts. Most likely they are your friends, family, and next door neighbours. This is why the results of these pictures taken leave something much to be desired. That is precisely why at most important occasion’s people hire the services of a professional photographer. Not everyone has enough money to spare on a photographer and that is why they do with some not so impressive pictures. Here are some photography techniques that will make undesirable pictures a thing of the past!

1. For portraits it is important to have an appropriate backdrop. Using a tripod helps to keep the shot from being blurred. It also helps to keep the photograph straight.

2. Avoid direct sunlight when shooting outdoors. If using the sun as a source of natural light, make sure it is behind the photographer.

3. Photographers have to develop a good rapport with their subjects. When taking portraits it is best if the subject’s face is relaxed, and not fixed into a posed smile. Photographers, with a little effort, can help their subjects feel at ease. This can be done by engaging them in friendly conversation in between shots.

4. When taking a group photo make sure that everyone gets included in the picture. A little directing on the photographer’s part might be necessary. Position everyone so that they will fit into the picture. The tallest persons should be in the back row. This way nobody gets accidentally blocked from the shot.

5. If you’re shooting a wedding or some special event, get all of those posed shots. Then be prepared for those unexpected shots when no one is expecting it. Sometimes these will be your best shots of the event. It lets you see the real people, not that stiff smile you usually get when the shots are planned. Use a little discretion here; don’t try for those tabloid magazine shots.

Photographers should make every effort to catch their subjects when they are at their best and when they are at ease, being natural, and just plain having a good time. This way their true personality and true essence will be captured in the photographs.

Taking the greatest photographs can be achieved using some or all of these photography techniques. Remember, if you will practice using these photography techniques your photography skills will improve. It is important that you take plenty of photos until you become totally comfortable behind the camera. You will be surprised soon you will be taking those award-winning shots and may even develop a few good techniques of your own. The great thing about using a digital camera during this time is that you’re not wasting film. If the shot is not what you wanted, just delete it

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There’s a website where you can go to get a cheap xbox 360, iphone or more. You can also get a cheap ps3 or Nintendo Wii as well. Everytime the kids see the commercial for the Wii they go crazy. Sean does too. He’s such a big kid. I’d like to try the Wii out first though before buying it. I know they’re not that expensive to begin with but none of us have every played it before so how do we know it’s even worth all the hype?

When you go to this website you can also read reviews on games and game consoles. And they also have auctions for you to bid on. The prices are actually really good. Or you can click on “today’s hot deals” and see what THE hot deal of the day is and whether it’s something you’re in the market for. Like today’s number 1 hot deal is for downloads for your iPod. They’ll take you to a site where you can get MP3’s or movies. The number 2 deal is a way to show you how to fix your own XBox so you don’t have to spend a fortune having a company fix it or buying a new one. The cheap iphones they have on there right now are exactly that - cheap! The new iphone is really neat. I’ve been looking into getting one. With this website maybe it’s now affordable for me!

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