Metallica - Death Magnetic Done!
Today we finished mixing and mastering our ninth studio album of original material, "Death Magnetic" which hits the streets worldwide on Friday, September 12. Produced by Rick Rubin and recorded at Sound City Studios, Shangri La Studios, and our very own HQ. The first track and video "The Day That Never Comes" will hit the airwaves later this month. In addition, you'll be able to download every song from "Death Magnetic" for the video game "Guitar Hero III" the same day the album comes out!
Can't wait to hear this!<!-- technorati tags begin -->
Tags: metallica, death magnetic, new album
<!-- technorati tags end -->My 1st Guitar Recording
OK! I lied. It's not my first guitar recording but it's the 1st one I'm really proud of!
Sure there are a bunch of bum-notes and I stray off-theme a coupla times but, damn, it sounds sexy!
Check it out:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/gfsa/norio/norrirock.mp3
And here's a cleaned-up version after some great critique from The Guitar Forum:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/gfsa/norio/norrirock-cleanedup.mp3
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Tags: guitar, guitar recording, kirk hammet, :D
<!-- technorati tags end -->Live Inspired!
Most of us live desperate day-to-day, month-to-month lives without any real passion or drive. We force ourselves to do what needs to be done by looking at all the horirble things that will happen to us if we DON'T do those things. We focus on the consequences and, so, we only ever do what we have to do and never a penny more. As employees, as entrepreneurs, as directors, we've all been guilty of this. You don't get anywhere living like that, you just build a bigger rut to live in.
Learn to inspire yourself to do the things you need to do, even if they're not things you enjoy or want to do. Doing what we want to do is easy but many great men will tell you that they got there by doing some of the things that they didn't want to do. They were disciplined and filled out the forms, did the salescalls, drew up the reports, practised the scales, etc.
I've tried to motivate myself with money but it doesn't work. Money is just a number in a bank account or a feeling in your wallet. By itself, it doesn't do anything.
I've discovered that I can inspire myself to do great things by giving myself little rewards that improve my everyday life. This weekend, I've set a goal to finish a project that's been hanging around for 3 weeks. IF I finish it by Sunday evening, we get a new DVD player.
That's not much but, to us, it's a lot.
You see, our DVD player broke a while back and we've borrowed one from Tanya's bro but that one is also broken. It irritates us to no end and has done so for months now. Buying a new DVD player won't cost me a lot but it will change our emotions in a positive way -- each and every day!
Take another example, if I finish another stale project by Friday this coming week, we're getting a new washing machine. That's a bit more expensive but still not exactly "exciting". It's not a new camera or lens for Tanya. It's not a new guitar or amp for me. It's something simple that will change our general outlook on life for the better. Our washing machine has been broken for a few months now and never spins properly. So we have soaking clothes that take a full day or two to dry. Which means our maid can't iron all our clothes which means we reach the end of the week with no undies or something silly like that.
Make no mistake, it's the little things in life that can change your whole outlook on life!
One last example. FreeArticles.co.za took a nosedive 2 months ago. Went from earning ~R6k down to less than ~R1k. I've set a goal that, once I get it back to its previous glory, I will get our maid in twice a week instead of just once. Simple, small & affordable change but the impact is huge. She comes here on Mondays and, by Thursday, the house is a mess! By having her come twice a week, we can have more visitors, feel better in our house and have her do some things that she can't do in just one day (windows, braai area, etc).
INspire yourself. Do things that will change how you feel INside. Let the good feelings come from INside and impact the rest of your life positively. Don't ignore the small things. Sometimes they can't more than the biggest!
We all work best when we're growing. Even in a recession, we need to grow. That's how we get inspired to do great things. So, even now, reward yourself. Inspire yourself. Grow.
<!-- technorati tags begin -->
Learn to inspire yourself to do the things you need to do, even if they're not things you enjoy or want to do. Doing what we want to do is easy but many great men will tell you that they got there by doing some of the things that they didn't want to do. They were disciplined and filled out the forms, did the salescalls, drew up the reports, practised the scales, etc.
I've tried to motivate myself with money but it doesn't work. Money is just a number in a bank account or a feeling in your wallet. By itself, it doesn't do anything.
I've discovered that I can inspire myself to do great things by giving myself little rewards that improve my everyday life. This weekend, I've set a goal to finish a project that's been hanging around for 3 weeks. IF I finish it by Sunday evening, we get a new DVD player.
That's not much but, to us, it's a lot.
You see, our DVD player broke a while back and we've borrowed one from Tanya's bro but that one is also broken. It irritates us to no end and has done so for months now. Buying a new DVD player won't cost me a lot but it will change our emotions in a positive way -- each and every day!
Take another example, if I finish another stale project by Friday this coming week, we're getting a new washing machine. That's a bit more expensive but still not exactly "exciting". It's not a new camera or lens for Tanya. It's not a new guitar or amp for me. It's something simple that will change our general outlook on life for the better. Our washing machine has been broken for a few months now and never spins properly. So we have soaking clothes that take a full day or two to dry. Which means our maid can't iron all our clothes which means we reach the end of the week with no undies or something silly like that.
Make no mistake, it's the little things in life that can change your whole outlook on life!
One last example. FreeArticles.co.za took a nosedive 2 months ago. Went from earning ~R6k down to less than ~R1k. I've set a goal that, once I get it back to its previous glory, I will get our maid in twice a week instead of just once. Simple, small & affordable change but the impact is huge. She comes here on Mondays and, by Thursday, the house is a mess! By having her come twice a week, we can have more visitors, feel better in our house and have her do some things that she can't do in just one day (windows, braai area, etc).
INspire yourself. Do things that will change how you feel INside. Let the good feelings come from INside and impact the rest of your life positively. Don't ignore the small things. Sometimes they can't more than the biggest!
We all work best when we're growing. Even in a recession, we need to grow. That's how we get inspired to do great things. So, even now, reward yourself. Inspire yourself. Grow.
<!-- technorati tags begin -->
Tags: inspiration, motivation
<!-- technorati tags end -->SA leads the way in new solar technology - South Africa - The Good News
SA leads the way in new solar technology - South Africa - The Good NewsAlberts' panels make use of copper, indium, gallium, sulphur and selenium. The result is a revolutionary thin panel, approximately five microns thick (a human hair is 20 microns thick), that can be sold at a dramatically lower cost.
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Tags: electricity, solar power, south africa
<!-- technorati tags end -->Mom Always Like YOU Best ;)
Cute Overload! :)
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Tags: cute, cute overload
<!-- technorati tags end -->Eedjits and PCs
So I'm chatting to my friend about dum-dum users and the things they change on their PCs that they really shouldn't when it dawned on me...XP should come with a setting during install:
[ ] Check this box to protect settings from eedjits
And then, when they're on their PC and they try something stoopid, a little popup appears...
It appears that you're an eedjit or doing
something really stoopid. Which on is it?
[ eedjit ] [ doing something stoopid ]
And they click one and then it's all...
"Thanks. Please don't do that again or your computer will explode, taking you with it. Eedjit."
<!-- technorati tags begin -->
Tags: eedjits, windows, pebkac
<!-- technorati tags end -->3 Priceless Tips to Cure Your Money Phobia
"Many people are uncomfortable about money and hence they keep themselves poor," says Mathews. He also adds: "If we are too attached to money, it becomes difficult to make it and difficult to hang on to it."Simpleology Blog: Priceless Tips to Cure Your Money Phobia
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Tags: money, saving, money tips
<!-- technorati tags end -->Simpler Banking & Savings
I'm one of those idiots who, when everyone said, "Put your money away, get a savings account", smiled broadly and said, "I don't need one, things will always be fine." Yup, pretty stupid.
Things didn't go well last year and I'm still recovering. So I decided to get a savings account.
I wanted the best out there. And not just to save but to save with the goal of putting enough away to invest. You see, you won't get rich saving money. You'll get rich by investing money. But saving money is a pretty important milestone that comes before investing. And so began my search for a decent savings account.
I eventually found Capitec. They're not one of the big four and all the better they aren't! Their focus seems to be on extremely simplistic banking for the lower-income bracket. No fancy features and lucratively named accounts -- just a Global One account where you can stick your money and be sure to find it again next month! Super! :D
They also offer 10% interest (per annum) on amounts under R10k. That's more than any of the other banks will offer without holding onto your money for 3 months or more. Sure there are some other options (from Sanlam and others) but the "bank" bit Capitec Bank gave me warm, mushy feelings, so I went with them.
Their setup isn't fancy and anal like the four big banks. Nope, you basically have 4-5 people opening accounts and 1-2 cashiers, accepting deposits.
The process is so simple too...
There's one catch / extra feature
If you want Internet Banking, you have to pay R125 for a special security device. If you can't afford that / don't want to buy it, you don't get Internet Banking. That can actually be a good thing as it stops you from messing with money you put away (by transferring it into other accounts). So, as long as you keep your card in a safe place at home, your money is actually VERY likely (99.999%) to stay where you put it. GREAT news :)
Pay yourself first
Now, the first rule you'll learn from Robert Kiyosaki, Tony Robbins, Suze Orman and others is that you should PAY YOURSELF FIRST! This means that you rather let your bills wait and pay something (say 10%) of all the money you make into your savings account LONG before you pay rent, electricity, etc. The psychology behind it is simple. If you pay yourself first, you WILL find a way to get the money for your creditors. If you pay them first, you just may neglect to save, which is pretty stupid. (ie: Like old me! :P)
So set up a stop-payment in one of your other accounts and make sure you put some money away each month before paying anyone else. You'll amass a small fortune and, one day, maybe even have enough to invest as a Forex Trader :D
It's not how much you make...
And remember, it's not how much you MAKE but how much you KEEP and how much you GROW what you KEEP that counts. I make double to triple of what most people my age make in a month. I also spend about triple to quadruple what most people my age spend in a month, so it doesn't count ;)
<!-- technorati tags begin -->
Things didn't go well last year and I'm still recovering. So I decided to get a savings account.
I wanted the best out there. And not just to save but to save with the goal of putting enough away to invest. You see, you won't get rich saving money. You'll get rich by investing money. But saving money is a pretty important milestone that comes before investing. And so began my search for a decent savings account.
I eventually found Capitec. They're not one of the big four and all the better they aren't! Their focus seems to be on extremely simplistic banking for the lower-income bracket. No fancy features and lucratively named accounts -- just a Global One account where you can stick your money and be sure to find it again next month! Super! :D
They also offer 10% interest (per annum) on amounts under R10k. That's more than any of the other banks will offer without holding onto your money for 3 months or more. Sure there are some other options (from Sanlam and others) but the "bank" bit Capitec Bank gave me warm, mushy feelings, so I went with them.
Their setup isn't fancy and anal like the four big banks. Nope, you basically have 4-5 people opening accounts and 1-2 cashiers, accepting deposits.
The process is so simple too...
- Pitch up.
- Have your ID, proof of residence and at least R10 to deposit.
- Sit down with a consultant for 15 minutes, sign 2 forms and have your picture taken.
- Collect card.
- Desposit funds and walk out.
There's one catch / extra feature
If you want Internet Banking, you have to pay R125 for a special security device. If you can't afford that / don't want to buy it, you don't get Internet Banking. That can actually be a good thing as it stops you from messing with money you put away (by transferring it into other accounts). So, as long as you keep your card in a safe place at home, your money is actually VERY likely (99.999%) to stay where you put it. GREAT news :)
Pay yourself first
Now, the first rule you'll learn from Robert Kiyosaki, Tony Robbins, Suze Orman and others is that you should PAY YOURSELF FIRST! This means that you rather let your bills wait and pay something (say 10%) of all the money you make into your savings account LONG before you pay rent, electricity, etc. The psychology behind it is simple. If you pay yourself first, you WILL find a way to get the money for your creditors. If you pay them first, you just may neglect to save, which is pretty stupid. (ie: Like old me! :P)
So set up a stop-payment in one of your other accounts and make sure you put some money away each month before paying anyone else. You'll amass a small fortune and, one day, maybe even have enough to invest as a Forex Trader :D
It's not how much you make...
And remember, it's not how much you MAKE but how much you KEEP and how much you GROW what you KEEP that counts. I make double to triple of what most people my age make in a month. I also spend about triple to quadruple what most people my age spend in a month, so it doesn't count ;)
<!-- technorati tags begin -->
Tags: saving, investing, capitec, robert kiyosaki, suze orman, tony robbins
<!-- technorati tags end -->Momentum is a Catalyst for Major Successes
Wow, look at that blog title -- what a mouthful! What am I on about?
I'll explain...
There are some things, right now, that you need to do in order to achieve your goals and dreams. Some of them, maybe most of them, could seem like pretty daunting, involved tasks. Nearly impossible to do all by yourself. And if you, like me, are working for yourself, you don't know where to get the motivation from sometimes.
It's easy enough to get cracking on something important if you know your boss will fire you or generally make your life miserable if you don't do it. But when you work for yourself or when the task at hand is a personal one, the motivation sometimes comes a little harder.
(Part of) The secret to achieving whatever it is, is simply to do 1 small part of it. Once you become immersed in the task, your 1 becomes many. Why? For the same reason that a boulder rolling down a steep hill is harder to stop than 1 rolling down a not-so-steep hill -- it has MOMENTUM. Great momentum!
So make yourself a little list of all the little 'ones' you could do that give you momentum, that drive you towards massive action. Stick it on your screen and actually try and do just ONE thing. Most times you'll find yourself doing a lot more ;)
Here's a list to get you going...
1. Just one paragraph (of a lengthy proposal / email)
2. Just one line (of code in a program)
3. Just one phonecall (of 100 salescalls you need to make today)
4. Just one task (in a list of chores / to-do's / etc)
Make your own suggestions and give it a go. It really helps! Just pick ONE and do it :)
<!-- technorati tags begin -->
I'll explain...
There are some things, right now, that you need to do in order to achieve your goals and dreams. Some of them, maybe most of them, could seem like pretty daunting, involved tasks. Nearly impossible to do all by yourself. And if you, like me, are working for yourself, you don't know where to get the motivation from sometimes.
It's easy enough to get cracking on something important if you know your boss will fire you or generally make your life miserable if you don't do it. But when you work for yourself or when the task at hand is a personal one, the motivation sometimes comes a little harder.
(Part of) The secret to achieving whatever it is, is simply to do 1 small part of it. Once you become immersed in the task, your 1 becomes many. Why? For the same reason that a boulder rolling down a steep hill is harder to stop than 1 rolling down a not-so-steep hill -- it has MOMENTUM. Great momentum!
So make yourself a little list of all the little 'ones' you could do that give you momentum, that drive you towards massive action. Stick it on your screen and actually try and do just ONE thing. Most times you'll find yourself doing a lot more ;)
Here's a list to get you going...
1. Just one paragraph (of a lengthy proposal / email)
2. Just one line (of code in a program)
3. Just one phonecall (of 100 salescalls you need to make today)
4. Just one task (in a list of chores / to-do's / etc)
Make your own suggestions and give it a go. It really helps! Just pick ONE and do it :)
<!-- technorati tags begin -->
Tags: achievement, momentum, success
<!-- technorati tags end -->First Gautrain vehicle unveiled - South Africa - The Good News
Among the cars' features are the roof mounted heating, ventilation and air conditioning units, LED panels indicating the train's destination and the locality of the next station, as well as hand-woven moquette upholstered seats for added comfort while the Gautrain cruises at up to 160km/h.First Gautrain vehicle unveiled - South Africa - The Good News
I know a lot of people are sceptical about this but I think that's only because this train is bigger than their imaginations and beliefs for SA. We've done big things before and there's no reason (at all) why we won't succeed again. I'm looking forward to this and future growth for our country.<!-- technorati tags begin -->
Tags: gautrain, south africa, sa good news
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