The last post

Hello, everyone. I've kept this a secret for a while, but it's time to tell you the truth: this is my last post... from blogger, that is! I noticed that you, my readers, would also like to see some exclusive content, so I've moved to wordpress and split this blog in two, as follows:

• Wizard Writer's Hideout – my personal blog, where you'll see original content that caters to you from now on.
• Wizardwriter's Portfolio – my portfolio blog, where I display the best content I've written for my clients.

I'm sure you'll love the new design of both blogs: it's much cleaner, easier to read and streamlined. 

Have fun!

Exclusive article: V for Vendetta.

I just wrote an exclusive Triond article that talks about this amazing Graphic Novel. V for Vendetta isn't your ordinary comic: it's a one-of-a-kind work. Read more about it here: 

http://authspot.com/short-stories/comics-review-v-for-vendetta/

and don't forget to press 'like' if you do like the article!

Using Yammer to increase workflow and reduce dependency on email lists

Hello, everyone! I'm sorry about the lack of daily updates: it is because I've been writing a lot lately. Anyway, I'm excited to show you the article that just got approved: this one was written for Yammer through MediaPiston. For those who don't know, Yammer is company that sells integrated communication solutions to over 100,000 companies. No, I didn't get the number wrong. Check out their website. (By the way, I got 4 stars out of 5 for this article – pretty nice for a company this big, isn't it?)


Anyway, without further ado, here is the article.

---

Do you know how old emails are? 10 years old? Of course not. 17 years old, dating back from 1994? No, not even close.

Believe it or not, emails are a technology dating back from 1962, when the first rudimentary electronic network was created. That would be... 49 years, considering it's 2011 right now! This means, of course, emails may be older than you ever imagined they were. In fact, they might be older than you are.

Since emails have been there for so long, you probably also know what email lists are: you setup a server, and then addresses may be added automatically (as people send emails through them) or manually (as you setup a private list. Setting up a mailing list also requires you to decide if you want them to be "announcement lists," (a type of list that only sends email), "discussion lists" (where everyone is free to join – not very suitable for internal communication, right?), and the subscribing model. Oh, let's not forget spam, which requires a lot of time and money to get rid of.

This is your typical 1962 computer – it's amazing how old emails
are and how they have evolved together
with technology, isn't it?

Another problem inherent to emails, as you might have already noticed, is their slow response time: if you need something solved now and you only have an email address – well, don't count on it. Having a phone number might help these times – but what if you need to send messages to everyone, quickly?

Right after that, corporate (and internal) communication tools were born. These you might already know: Windows came with one built-in in their earlier versions. However, they were still very limited. It was the release of tools like ICQ that changed everything: now you could interact with a co-worker or employee even if they were outside of work, and messages were sent instantly. Then, MSN, AOL, Yahoo Messenger, and many other tools were born. However, the many choices of a myriad of tools also meant co-worker communication could be very hard – very quickly. If you are old enough (and now you don't have to be that old), you can probably picture yourself as John, James, or both of them.

John (on the phone): Hey, James. Say, I need to discuss some company issues quickly and send you a report. Do you have an MSN account?

James: Sorry, buddy. I only have an ICQ account. I don't trust MSN. It just keeps crashing.

John (irritated): Well, can't you create one?

James: Ah, that stuff is too complicated. Can't we discuss this through email? You attach the report and I get it as soon as I can.

John: (*Sigh*.) Ok. Bye.

John and James after they traded emails. They don't look very happy
about  the outcome of their conversation, do they?

Not to your surprise, the issue that was so urgent took more time than the expected to be solved, right?

Attempting to solve all these problems, many other social media tools that were born just the last decade: Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Digg – even YouTube can be considered a form of social media, however visual. Now these were even better: no need to install software, friend searching, customizing applications: you could create an entire different world – your world – within your own account. Unfortunately, these tools lacked what the seriousness of the email and the sense of urgency of instant messaging.

Let's face it... can a company handle all this information? What to choose, among all of these tools? And why did I read up to here only to read about Yammer? What's so special about it?

The reason Yammer is unique is that it changed the whole corporate communication system: before 2008, the answer would be to deploy your own communication strategy, alternating between a myriad of tools. But no more. In 2008, Yammer was born – and now, 3 years later, it is even more powerful than before.

You see, with Yammer you don't need to choose between tools: Yammer can unify them all into a single solution for you, with no need for installing any software at all – that means no crashing, reduced maintenance needs and improved workflow! Key features include:

• Send long messages through email integration, or short, instant ones with Twitter (or Google Talk) integration.

• Connect everywhere, from nearly any phone: Yammer supports iPhones, BlackBerries, Androids, Windows Mobile – and even regular cell phones through SMS integration!

• Don't you like the official Yammer apps? Access Yammer through many third party apps: Gabble, OneLogin, itDuzzIt – even a Firefox extension is available!

• Is the flow of messages too large for you to handle? No problem – specify the keywords you need and Yammer will search relevant data for you!

Wait – you might protest – you haven't described how to reduce dependence on email lists!

Indeed, I haven't: that's because there's no need of setting up email lists when you use Yammer: after all, Yammer only allows connections from within your network. This is because, to sign up, all you need is an email address and your business contacts, and it also translates into no spam and a productivity increase of up to 60%.

After hearing to all this, it may seem Yammer is expensive: in fact, it isn't. Yammer is "Freemium": you can get access to the most basic services for free, and advanced services cost only $5 per user/month.

You don't trust us? Great. Skepticism is good! Trust the 100,000 companies and organizations that opted for our services instead. They include, but are not limited to: UNICEF, Fox International Channels, AMD, LG, eBay, PayPal – and so on.

Guess what all these companies have in common?

Yammer: THE Freemium integration social network.

Child's play: Underwater kites fly deep under the ocean and turn the sky green

This article was originally written for Cooler Planet, Media Piston's client, who requested an article about Green News.

---

I bet you have never seen this kind of Kite

The sky has never been greener. Minesto, a Swedish company specialized in converting tidal currents into green energy, has created undersea kites that will expand United Kingdom's green energy. Called "Deep Green", this project has ambition of amplifying UK's power supply by 1% by 2020, but if the projects goes well, this kind of technology could provide the country up to 5% of their technology in the future, Minesto's press release states.

A video demonstration of Minesto's Deep Green Technology 

Although skeptics comments in Minesto's Youtube video question the idea, stating that it may not generate enough energy or threaten Marine life, or be threatened by algae comments both at Youtube's link and Daniel Carrington's blog (the head of the environment section of British news portal "The Guardian", pro-tidal visitors state that "the device is noisy, and unlikely to attract Whales and Sharks", that the device can be made algae-resistant either "chemically or electrically", and that tests could be made in a few areas to ensure this device can be redesigned not to harm marine life, if needed. It's also worth noting that the project has been under development at least as early as 3 years ago, as reported back then by Clean Technica, another news site about green energy.

A fact, however, cannot be denied: United Kingdom's government is not going to give up the idea anytime soon. RenewableUK Wave Tidal 2011, for instance, states that "the UK is already the global leader of wave and tidal energy", which is being held today, as of March 2nd, 2011. This event will discuss the technology's future, which is heavily competing with alternative energy sources as renewable gas technology, solar panels, recycled landfill gas, and wind turbines (which, among them, one that deserved praise, according to Clean Technica, is the AeroEnvironment Architetural wind, capable of adapting to urban areas and architeture and "producing 28,000 Kw/hour under normal wind conditions".

Despite the challenges renewable technology has to face, any new, renewable green technology is welcomed. Oracle ThinkQuest Education Foundation, for instance, states that as of now, ways to permanently handle nuclear technology – one of the major energy alternatives to coal today, are not satisfactory, as it usually takes thousands of years for nuclear energy to be fully decomposed. Therefore, extracting energy from the ocean can prove to be a great source of energy – even more reliable than, for instance, wind technology, as wind currents are not always reliable.

Sources:

1. Minesto's website:  http://www.minesto.com/news-2

2. Daniel Carrington's Environment blog:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/damian-carrington-blog/2011/mar/02/underwater-kite-turbine-green-electricity

3. Clean Technica News portal:

http://cleantechnica.com/2009/10/23/underwater-kite-harnesses-ocean-energy/

4. Oracle's ThinkQuest Education Foundation:

http://library.thinkquest.org/17940/texts/nuclear_waste_storage/nuclear_waste_storage.html

Why buy a Mercedes?

This article was originally written for Mercedes-Benz of Bellevue, a branch of the ever-sophisticated Mercedes-Benz. It tells you about the Mercedes E-class – and why you should buy it.

---

When you buy a car, there usually trade-offs as, "should I buy a car with a more powerful engine or the one that will save me money?", or, "should I buy a car filled with accessories or one that will last?"

Security, economy, handling, choose as you wish: a Mercedes E class fares among all them very wisely. Although only a little slower than a Lexus in accelerating - an E350 will go up to 60 mph in 6.8, and the E550 up to 60 mph in 5.3, against 60 mph in 5.2 seconds in a GS450h, having a Mercedes E class just feels a lot smoother to drive: the new Bluetec technology achieves about 30 mpg in a highway, compared to 23 mpg of a Lexus. Buying a Mercedes not only is Luxurious, but it is Luxurious to suit your needs and safety: AttentionAssist, for instance, tells drivers when they are drowsy, and Pre-safety ensures you will rest assured: unlikely the Lexus GS450h, it doesn't act during the collision: the E-class has 200-meter sensors that will react to any danger before it happens, from moving seats to a less threatening position to the passengers to dynamically adjusting airbags that fit the frame of a person, light-framed or heavy-framed; small or tall.

A Mercedes-Benz E-Class – in all its Glory.

If you insist into buying a Lexus, you have a few options to choose from: 

• Lexus of Bellevue: 101 116th Avenue Southeast Bellevue, WA 98004-6365, phone: (425) 455-9995. 
• Lexus of Seattle: 20300 Washington 99 Lynnwood, WA 98036, phone: (425) 774-7900. 
• Lexus of Tacoma: 1708 40th Avenue Ct E, Fife - (253) 922-7100.

But, if your choice is a Mercedes E-Class and the safety, comfort and sophistication it offers (included being government-tested, with excellent ratings, compared to Lexus GS450h, which was not government-tested yet), visit Barrier - the Mercedes-Benz of Bellevue - which complies to everything a Mercedes offers:

• Customer care hotline.
• Online service scheduling - why bother going out home? Schedule services in your house easily and safely! 
•   90 day Barrier extended guarantee for pre-owned vehicles - because we trust our work!
• Urgent care service, with no scheduling needed - because we're there when you need us, anytime.

If you need to contact us, don't hesitate - here's our address: 

•   Mercedes-Benz of Bellevue 11950 Bellevue - Redmond Rd Bellevue, WA 98005 Sales: 1-866-509-9650 
• Service: 1-866-509-9649

Zoom in and out to locate us.

Travel All Over the World for Just a Few Cents (Client: Park Plaza Hotels)

This article was originally written for Park Plaza, a big chain of 40 hotels spread in 15 different countries. It was rated "5-star" by my client.

---

Westminster Hotel, London

Does a romantic trip all over the world sound like a fantasy to you? Well,  Park Plaza deals are here to prove you otherwise. You see, Park Plaza is present in 15 countries worldwide, with a pleasant choice of 40 hotels to choose from. With them, you can taste London's finest breakfast, enjoy the lovely scenario of Amsterdam with your loved one riding a bike, or witness the beautiful scenario of Bangkok. A trip like this need not be expensive, but you can still have the luxury that you deserve. 

Sukhumvit Hotel (Lobby)

Let's explain how Park Plaza makes your trip all over the world cost less than half a penny: first, you pack your luggage and fly through one of their airline partners to London, earning gold points. Then, you spend a night into Westminister Bridge London, one of their most Luxurious hotels, opposing Big Ben. After that, when you decide to travel to Park Plaza Victoria Amsterdam to enjoy a typical Amsterdam bike walking, you can use those gold points to get a great discount – while still earning more free points. Then, you go to their Sukhumvit Bangkok hotel, which offers stylish facilities, and from there you rent a car from one of their partners, visiting central Bangkok to eat exotic thai food. In the end of your journey, you might have so many points you might earn a free flight and stay into Liau Hotels in Brazil, Sao Paulo, so you can enjoy the typical warmth of Brazilian people, witnessing a tropical paradise and their wonderful hospitality.

If you visit Victoria Amsterdam Hotel,
you'll have the opportunity to visit
this city's famous canals.

Do you think your advantages end there? Think again. We from Savings.com offer many deals and coupons from many different companies, among them: cloth shops, bookstores, electronics shops, drugstores – you name it. When your dream comes true – because that's certainly not of a matter of "if", but "when" – you'll certainly be able to send "those" special shoes for your best friend for almost free, too. And, if you visit our site, you may also grab a Park Plaza discount code: after all, you never known about the wonderful surprises that are waiting for you.

Right, I write

Right. All Right. I write, and it's past midnight. Left, the pen, right there. And from my head, nothing comes all right!

Stiff, stuck, stopped and blocked. And then, I'm back to my computer – I am completely locked.

Right, All right. This is not poetry; this is prose. And yet – just yet – I feel the need to express myself freely, properly.

Right, all right. Nothing comes to my mind. Over and over I read different books wanting inspiration and then I break the rules of punctuation and the commas suffer and the periods suffer. And then, no inspiration – no motivation – to write.

But hey, it's ok, right? Over and over, the same words I write – and then, thinking I'm escaping from these rhymes, I do the evolution:

Right. All right. Nothing comes to my mind. And then – just then – I get away from the computer and grab a pen.

As I write, my fragmented thoughts become organized; as I write the same words on a different sheet of paper,  shit happens – then, shit vanishes.

No, not right. In fact, this is completely wrong. You aren't reading this; this text doesn't really exist – but that's how my text is, and published with all the might and courage it shall be!

(P.S: What do you guys do when you feel your writing feels the same all the time? Leave me a comment.)