Bill Loguidice's Blog, page 83

The Humble Store Very Positive Sale is Live!

The Very Positive Sale just launched in the Humble Store and will be live through Friday, September 29 at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Click this link to check out the great selection of highly rated games included in the sale.

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Outlast and Whistleblower DLC free for 48 hours, plus End of Summer Sale Encore!

Our partners at Humble Bundle are giving away Outlast and its Whistleblower DLC for FREE for 48 hours! This promotion will end on Saturday, September 23 at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Click here for the link to this free game and its add-on content.

They’ve also extended their End of Summer Sale as an Encore until Monday, September 25 at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Click here to get the link for these great deals.

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Pay your own price self-care and self-help titles from Callisto Media

The Humble Book Bundle: Treat Yourself presented by Callisto

Click here for the deal. The offer expires October 4, 2017 at 11:00:00 PDT.

The best day of the year. Is a day that has this bundle in it! Treat yourself with a collection of self-care and self-help titles from Callisto Media, includingClean Eating Made Simple, The Pain-Free Posture Handbook, Essential Oils Natural Remedies, Chakra Healing, and more!

Pay what you want. All together, these books would cost over $115. Here at Humble Bundle, you choose the price and increase your contribution to upgrade your bundle! This bundle has a minimum $1 purchase.

Read them anywhere. These books are available in PDF, ePUB, and MOBI formats, meaning you can read them anywhere at any time. Instructions and a list of recommended reading programs can be found here.

Support charity. Choose where the money goes – between the publisher, the Humane Society of the United States, and, if you’d like, a charity of your choice via the PayPal Giving Fund. If you like what we do, you can leave us a Humble Tip too!

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Name your own price Steam games in the Humble Very Positive Bundle 2

The Humble Very Positive Bundle 2

Here’s the link. The bundle offer expires on October 3, 2017 at 11:00:00 PDT.

Think positive, and positive bundles will happen. Start your day on a good note with our second Very Positive Bundle. Yes, all of these games have a rating of “Very Positive” on Steam! Get Oxenfree, Middle-earth™: Shadow of Mordor™ Game of the Year Edition, Beat Cop, and the Middle-earth: Shadow of War pre-order (with a T-shirt, too).

Pay what you want. Normally, the total cost for these games is as much as $187. Here at Humble Bundle, though, you choose the price!

DRM-Free and on Steam. Several of the games in this bundle are available DRM-free for Windows, Mac, and Linux. All of the games are also available on Steam for Windows, and some for Mac and Linux too. Pay $1 or more to access Steam keys. Please check out the full system requirements here prior to purchasing.

Support charity. Choose where the money goes – between the developers and, if you’d like, a charity of your choice via the PayPal Giving Fund. If you like the bundle or like what we do, you can leave us a Humble Tip too!

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For a limited time, get your free copy of Oddworld: Abe’s Odyssee

Copies of the Steam PC version of Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee are free for 48 hours in the Humble Store! This promotion ends Thursday, September 21 at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Get your copy by clicking this link.

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Rare Intellivision III Brochure Restored and Available as a PDF

“mthompson,” with the help of “GraziGamer,” has touched up and restored the rare Mattel Intellivision III brochure from Winter CES 1983. You can find the link to the PDF via AtariAge, here (and if there’s enough interest, “mthompson” may also do a print run).

Although Mattel promised both an upgraded Intellivision III and even a IV to better compete against more powerful competition like the Coleco ColecoVision, Mattel ended up selling off their Intellivision business in early 1984 after suffering heavy losses the previous year (one of many casualties of the Great Videogame Crash). While the Intellivision brand and products would continue to be a going concern until the end of the decade, no further work was done on either incredibly intriguing successor system.

If you’d like to read more about the Intellivision, ColecoVision, the Great Videogame Crash, and videogame platform history in general, you might want to check out one of my books, Vintage Game Consoles: An Inside Look at Apple, Atari, Commodore, Nintendo, and the Greatest Gaming Platforms of All Time.

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Review: TOSCiDO W902 4-port USB Charging Station

While I already own several USB charging stations and docks, I was attracted to the TOSCiDO W902 4-port USB Charging Station for a few good reasons, which I’ll describe shortly. I’m reviewing the black color, but it’s also available in white and bamboo.

The box.

In the box you get the unit itself, AC power plug, and 3-in-1 USB cable.

The cables.

The first reason I was interested in this is that this unit is incredibly compact at only 1.4 x 5.7 x 3.14 inches. Just like there are four 3A USB ports for the most power hungry devices, there are four 1.1 inch slots for even the largest of your devices to safely reside while charging.

One angle.

The second reason is the included 3.3 foot braided 3-in-1 USB cable. It has connectors for Type-C (newer devices), microUSB (most other devices, including Android), and Lightning (Apple iOS devices). I love having this wild card USB option to be able to plug whatever I need to into.

Another angle.

One of our two USB docks my wife and I have at our respective bedsides will be replaced by this device. It’s far smaller and fits in far better with our needs. The fact that the price is so incredibly low, even with the included 3-in-1 USB cable, was just icing on the cake for this feature-rich product.

Pluses:

– Incredible value

– Includes 3-in-1 USB cable

– Compact

– One pair of USB ports on each side of the device

Minuses:

– Having a pair of USB ports on each side of the device may not be convenient for everyone

Summary:

With the latest USB technology, compact form factor, room for up to four devices, and a killer price, the TOSCiDO W902 4-port USB Charging Station is a winner.

Thanks to TOSCiDO for the discounted review unit.

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Review: Lofter Dimmable LED Flexible Desk Lamp

Whether it’s my aging eyes, some type of psychological quirk, or some combination thereof, I much prefer to work in a well-lit environment. I’m all about maximizing ergonomics and comfort when working, and for me, lighting is a key component of that. That bias is part of why I was so keen on integrating the Lofter Dimmable LED Flexible Desk Lamp into my standing desk setup at my home workstation.

The box.

I had an existing clamp light, but one that used a regular bulb. While I’ve since replaced said bulb with an LED bulb like I have throughout most of my house, I was not necessarily satisfied with the way the cone-like shade directed the light. For my purposes, the gooseneck of that particular lamp was also too short and relatively inflexible. So, while that clamp lamp served me faithfully for several decades, it was definitely time for a change.

The included instruction sheet.

The Lofter features two brightness levels and three light modes, facilitated by 12 LEDs with a rated lifespan of 100,000 hours. The arrangement and flexibility allows a great deal of flexibility in setting the lighting just the way you like it with maximum coverage.

The lamp.

Similarly flexible is the gooseneck, which is both long and highly flexible. I had no problem positioning the lamp exactly the way I like. While I don’t think I’ll ever make a 360 degree loop-to-loop with the gooseneck, it’s nice to know that option is there.

Of special note is the clamp. While it grips nice and tight like you’d expect, there’s an unusual amount of care taken with the padding. In other words, there’s little chance of this clamp damaging your table’s surface.

This is not its final resting place, but provides a good example of how I can place it on my standing desk.

The lamp itself has a 5.25 foot (1.6 meter) USB cable with inline controls sticking out of it, which allows for use with any USB port or power adapter. While it’s important to note that a power adapter is not included, considering USB ports and power adapters are pretty much everywhere these days, I’d say it’s not really an omission, particularly given the price. I know I certainly didn’t need yet another one.

For quality, coverage, and portability, the Lofter receives high marks. And if white – like the color I reviewed – isn’t your thing, it’s also available in black.

Pluses:

– Quality construction

– Easily transportable

– Great lighting options

Minuses:

– For some, the lack of a USB power adapter might be an issue

Summary:

A quality, transportable desktop lighting solution.

Thanks to Lofter for the review unit.

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Infographic: 10 Marketing Lessons from Apple

The following infographic and related information is courtesy of The Website Group.

WHAT APPLE TAUGHT US ABOUT MARKETING

The 10-year-old kid, selling ice cold fresh lemonade on the street corner in your local neighbourhood had it right. He or she may not have not realized it but the simple marketing strategy that they accidentally and innocently came up with works perfectly on the people strolling by on their daily walk.

For starters, a simple sign saying ‘Fresh Ice Cold Lemonade’ grabs your attention because that’s exactly what you’re feeling like on a hot summer’s day. Simple and to the point. No bells and whistles needed.

As your icy cold glass of lemonade is handed over to you, not only is your thirst quenched but the purchase appealed to your emotions and you walk away feeling great inside knowing that you have just made a kid’s day!

Because that beverage far out exceeded even Beyonce’s lemonade you leave the kid dry by the end of the day due to your word of mouth recommendations.

This is unpaid marketing at its very best!

You might not think it but this marketing strategy is used for some of the biggest companies around the world. In particular – we’re talking Apple. A standout company that doesn’t need to sell itself short, there’s a lot we can learn from them.

Another popular strategy from Apple is their ability to create mystery around a product launch. Nobody likes a spoiler but everyone loves a surprise, so keep your goodies to yourself until the day comes to pull the rabbit out the hat. Just as Apple taught us. They leave you hanging until the very last minute so that when they finally unveil a product you can’t wait any longer to get your hands on it!

These are just a couple of marketing lessons that we can learn from Apple, but there are plenty more! Read on for a list of 10 marketing techniques that Apple has used to build one of the most well-known brands in the world!

Courtesy of: The Website Group

 

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For a limited time, get your free copy of Psychonauts!

Available as DRM-free and Steam versions for Macintosh, Windows, and Linux computers, now is the time to score a copy of cult classic, Psychonauts, for free. Click here to get it. The offer expires Saturday, September 16 at 10 a.m. Pacific time, so hurry!

 

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