How to approach a girl if I like her?

It always surprises me at how many guys completely mess this up.  Having been married for 11 years, then divorced, I had to figure this out all over again, with varying degrees of success.  The most important thing to remember is that there is no magic formula to get a girl to like you back and much of it will come down to basic forces of attraction. That said, provided there is a reasonable level of pre-established attraction, I have some good news: it's actually pretty easy if you learn some ground rules.  Here are my basic rules for pursuing a girl I like:

Rule #1: If she's in a relationship, don't pursue her. If you really, really like her, become friends with her. The laws of attraction don't apply to friends and you can become friends with anyone if you're a nice person.  It's very important that you don't ever make the first move with a woman in a relationship. You need to show her that you respect her relationship. If she's unhappy and attracted to you she'll let you know subtly, but don't get involved in a love triangle, wait til she's broken up or find someone else. If she's married, find someone else.

Rule #2: Be confident. This cannot be overstated. Forget about the movies where the girl is attracted to the guy because he's cute as he's tripping over his words; girl's flee this scene in reality. A girl wants to feel comfortable and she will not have an issue with you approaching her if you know what you're doing. So what are you doing? You're talking to her and showing her that you're interested in her. Find a way to ease into a natural conversation. Guys mess this up by getting nervous and trying to be funny, but it's more about not saying anything that will ruin your chances than saying the perfect thing that is going to win her affection on the spot. Just relax, her affection can't be won there, it takes time and chemistry.

Rule #3: Be yourself. Don't lie. If you're trying to pursue a relationship with this girl, all truths will be exposed sooner or later. It is also not good for your confidence to know that you have to be untruthful about yourself to have a chance with a girl. Know who is in your league, and don't take it personally if you try to go for a girl who is out of your league and she rejects you. You have to take the shot before you can make the shot so give yourself credit for trying, but be graceful in rejection. This will win you points and may even get you a second look at some point down the road.

Rule #4: Keep her engaged. This is the hardest one because it takes a bit of the intangibles like charisma and charm, but with practice these can be developed. Girls have amazing ADD when you're pursuing them. A split-second gap in conversation and they are checking their iPhones or making their way to the bathroom. You don't have to keep her enthralled all night straight but strive for solid 10 minute conversations where the two of you are making consistent eye-contact and the conversation is flowing. This will establish the rapport that you're trying to build. After 10 minutes of good conversation it is safe to ask for her number if the situation dictates it and she will give it to you if you've succeeded.

Rule #5: Don't double-text. You've got her number and sent her a text. If she's interested she will return it. Pay attention to the duration between her receiving and returning your texts. If she waits an hour, don't return fire immediately, wait a bit depending on her message. You may think she likes you, but girls use text-etiquette as a filter, so don't blow it by getting desperate and sending her a text asking why she hasn't responded when you thought you had a really good time together. Well formed voicemails or phone calls keeping in mind the above rules can also be a good idea, but let her dictate communication frequency. You can't force anything here and you will ruin your chances if you try.

Rule #6: Decrease your chances of rejection. When securing a date, whether its your first, second or whatever make sure she is available to go out before you ask. Otherwise after one or two rejections, both sides may start to feel like its not meant to be, and the relationship can die on the vine. To eliminate external factors from the equation make sure scheduling issues do not play into her decision whether to go out with you again or not.

Rule #7: If you've done all this and it's still like pulling teeth to get her to go out with you, stop pursuing. This may actually shift the dynamics in your favor and make her interested in you again. It has happened to me for sure. If it doesn't, let her go and find another girl.

Rule #8: It ultimately comes down to compatibility. Be honest about your feelings and don't force something that's not there or you'll pay the price later. Heartbreak is tough and constant communication is important so both parties can know if the relationship is working or not working.

Good luck!

How to Edit Video on Your Own Computer

I bet you already have what you need

One thing about this tech revolution is that we now have more technology than many of us know how to use! And that applies to video and video editing on your PC. I am willing to bet that you have all the gizmos and gadgets you need to turn raw family footage into something snappier. 

So in this tutorial, I am going to show you - step by step - how to spin video straw into video gold by editing your own video on your Windows PC.

Microsoft Movie Maker

Step1: Confirm Video Editing Software

If you Google the words "video editing software" you will see endless video editing programs. It can be very confusing. Ignore them all. For home video editing on a PC, Microsoft gives you Windows Movie Maker, for free. 

Check your PC right now under programs and see if you have it. If not, download it from Microsoft. You will be ready to edit video on your PC in no time at all!

Step 2: Check out the Movie Maker interface

When you double click the Movie Maker icon, the program opens up right away. It's nice and simple. Here is what it looks like. (Your screen will not look like exactly like mine. I have added the red frames and letters as well as imported some media assets into the project.)

The Movie Maker interface has 5 main areas

It's helpful to think about the interface in its 5 main sections. At the top is the Main Menu (A) where you have drop-down menus for "file", "edit", "view", "tools", "play" and "help". Click on the items to see what they have underneath. (You will be familiar with the idea from other programs you run our your PC.)


On the left of the interface is a list of Tasks (B). These are pretty much the same as the items in the main menu but they are nice and handy here. Next along to the right is an Imported Media (C) window showing the media you have imported into the project. (Video files have a film sprocket border.)


On the right of the interface you see a Preview Screen (D) (currently showing a bear). This is the area you use to preview your movie. You will also drag clips here from your Imported Media and cut them into smaller chunks.


Underneath and running along the bottom is your Timeline (E). This shows you all the clips you have arranged in the order they will appear in your video. You can toggle between a Timeline view and a Storyboard view using the down triangle. 

Step 3: Import media to your PC

Connect camera to computer

 

Decide what you want to include in your video. Your options are: video footage, photographs, music and audio. (You can also add narration.)

Then, use the Import command to get it into your project. If you have existing files on your computer, just click on Import > videos/pictures/audio or music, navigate to the file - and stand back!

If the video is in your camera, you will need to connect the camera to your PC. The command is Import > From Digital Video Camera. You may need to rummage through your old video camera packaging to find that cable or the installation disk. (Tip: A host of technology problems can be solved with the right cable or connector.)

Step 4: Create a rough cut of your movie

Now we are really getting down to business! With your assets imported into your project, it is time to arrange them in the order you want them to appear in your video. And nothing could be simpler. Look at your Imported Media (C) window, choose an "asset" (tech-speak for a video or photo or music track), then drag it down to the Timeline or Storyboard (E). It's all drag and drop!

Just drag and drop to the Timeline/Storyboard

You place your media in the Timeline/Storyboard just like you would assemble frames in a comic. Once you place one item, go ahead and place another.
And if you want to see how your video plays when the pieces are all connected, just click on the Preview Screen (D) play button.
Well done! You have just edited a "rough cut" of your movie on your own PC. Now read on!

Step 5: Fine tune and fiddle!

The last step when editing video on a PC is to right-size your video clips and to add finishing touches like titles, credits, fade-ins and fade-outs, special effects and maybe even narration. This is called the "final cut".

The secret here is to play. Poke around the buttons and see what they do! Video editing on a PC is non-destructive, which means that as you fiddle, you are not changing the original video. Oh yeah, like anything you do on the PC, when you edit, save your Movie Maker project from time to time. (Tip: If you want to try something out, save a new version of your project under a different name.)

Shorten video by dragging in the arrows

Right-sizing video: Make sure you are on Timeline view (click the little down triangle if you are on Storyboard view). Then, click on your video. Two arrows appear at either end of the clip (see picture). Drag the arrows inward to shorten your video at the beginning of the end. 

You can also break up a video by dragging it to the Preview Screen, playing the bit you want, then hitting the "Split" button. That creates a new clip. Repeat as many times as you need.

Special effects, transitions, titles: These effects are really simple to add. Just click on the Edit menu and follow the prompts. When you edit video on a PC, you can add effects such as "old film", sepia, mirror effects - you name it. (If you want to create a slide show, just drop all your images into the "Timeline/Storyboard" and use "Effects" to pan across your images - just like Ken Burns!)

Choose from a large range of video editing effects right on your PC

You have just edited a video on your PC!

Congratulations! You have just edited your first movie on your PC! The final step is to hit the "Publish Movie" button in the Main Menu (A) and choose how you want to watch your movie.

So, what to edit? Well, there is video that you shoot yourself, of course.

Or, you could edit video or film that you have already shot, or that someone else in the family shot. Transferring your 8mm, Hi8 video or VHS tapes to DVD - or better, to a hard drive - allows you to use your new found editing skills to turn those old home movies into a family documentary.

Final Tip: Practice! Video editing is a learned skill and the more you do it, the better you get. You will get faster - I promise!

And stay tuned for more tips on editing video on your PC. Video editing really is a blast!


Guest Post: Author: Nigar Sultana

Apple's next Smartphone The iPhone 6

The rumor mill is already churning out reports about Apple's next smartphone, likely called the iPhone 6. We're collecting every rumor, whether wacky or plausible, that CNET has reported about the iPhone 6 here, so you can stay on top of the latest reports on its release date, specs, and special features. Let us know in the comments below what you're hoping to see from Apple's next iPhone.

When we will get it

Despite one report that says Apple will launch the iPhone 6 at its June 2014 Worldwide Developer's Conference, it's much more likely that we won't get a new phone until the fall. That's because since 2011, Apple has announced its new iPhones in September and October.

iPHONE 6 DESIGN

 

Typically, Apple uses the same design for a product for two iterations, before bringing out something new. As we've had the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S, it makes sense for Apple to go for something different for the iPhone 6.

Rumour has it that the iPhone 6 is taking design cues from the iPod Nano and iPhone 5C. 

Rumours published on the Japanese blog Macotakara stated that Apple wants to replicate the multiple colours of the iPhone 5C, giving people a choice for their new phone.

The iPhone 5C was made of plastic, which wouldn't seem like the right move for a high-end smartphone; Apple seems to agree and is also looking to the construction of the iPod Nano. This product comes in multiple colours, too, but uses anodised aluminium body to provide the colour.

With a metal body, Apple will then take some of the design cues from the iPhone 5C, including the curved edges, and the same speaker and microphone holes in the bottom of the handset.

Allegedly, the phone would be just 7mm thick. At this size, the current camera would protrude from the back of the phone. Apple may make the phone thicker to compensate or, by the time the phone is released, have a smaller camera module.

These rumours seem to be been proven as true, if the latest leaked photos are to be believed. The iPhone 6 allegedly snapped in the Foxconn factory shows a new curvier design. Rather than the harsh edges of the iPhone 5S, the smooth, curved sides are definitely closer to the iPhone 5C and iPod Nano.

There's nothing for scale in the photo, so we can't tell how big the phone is, although it's pretty much accepted that the new iPhone will have a bigger screen (see below for more information).

As well as showing off the casing, the photos also seem to show a new sensor on the bottom right. A second snap from the factory showed a CAD drawing of the phone, with the sensor labelled, but the resolution is too low to read it properly. It may be a pulse reader, as Apple is said to be gearing the iPhone 6 towards fitness

iPHONE 6 SIZE

ETNews has been reporting that the iPhone 6 will be the slimmest iPhone yet. In fact, at a reported 6mm thick, the iPhone 6 would shave 1.6mm off of the iPhone 5. It would also make the iPhone 6 half the thickness of the iPhone 3GS.

Making the iPhone slimmer also raises the question, will it be called the iPhone 6 at all? When Apple made the iPad slimmer and smaller, it went with iPad Air. Plenty of people believe that the iPhone 6 could be the iPhone Air instead.

It would make sense in a way, as Apple could continue to sell the iPhone 5S as the smaller screen version and have the iPhone Air as the slim, large-screen model

iPHONE 6 RELEASE DATE

The short version is that nobody really knows when the iPhone 6 is coming out. Everyone has a guess, but it's usually wrong. In other words, Apple releases a product when it's good and ready.

Typically, Apple releases a new iPhone once a year, around September. This time around, the rumours are that Apple is breaking that cycle. As the iPhone 6 is largely a complimentary product to the iPhone 5S, giving people a choice of screen sizes, the argument is that Apple will release the new smartphone soon.

So far, we've seen May, June and July all rumoured for a launch date. The information comes from a wide variety of conflicting sources, so none of these feels right. 

However, there's a more persuasive argument that the iPhone 6 will launch in September, as is usual. It all comes from the financial report submitted by GT Advanced. This is the company that will manufacture sapphire glass for the new smartphone (see below for more information). 

In GT Advanced's earnings report, it's clearly stated that the company expects to earn the vast majority of its money in the second half of the year. That means, from July, GT Advanced will be producing sapphire glass that will have to be shipped to China to be used with the iPhone 6 production line. That would seem to suggest that the iPhone 6 will be released in September, one year after the iPhone 5S.

It's hard to argue with those kinds of figures, but we'll bring you more information as we have it.

iPHONE 6 PRICE

Apple typically releases its new models at the same price as the old ones. If that holds out, then, and assuming that the 16GB model is dropped, we'd expect the 32GB model to cost £529, the 64GB model £599 and the 128GB model £699. However, if the company continues to sell the iPhone 5S, we could be in for some new pricing, with the iPhone 6 a premium model that sits above it, in which case all bets are off and we have no idea how much it will be.

If Apple does decide to make an iPhone with a larger screen, there's also a good chance prices will increase too. Susquehanna analyst Chris Caso, speaking to AllThingsD, predicted that there could be a $50 to $100 premium for a larger iPhone 6, compared to the 4in iPhone 5s.

Rumours of an iPhone 6 substantial price hike have been echoed by The New York Post. Again, the story says that the new smartphone could cost $100 more than the existing iPhone 5S.

Although this goes against Apple's tradition of keeping prices the same across generations, it's not a rule the company is afraid to break every now and then. Last month's iPad Mini with Retina display launch introduced a $70 premium over the entry level model, so a price hike isn't out of the question. 

However, there is potential good news. As Apple is said to be planning two screen sizes, it may be that the 4.7in model costs the same as the current iPhone, with only the larger phablet costing more. We're going to have to wait until much closer to launch to have any true idea of pricing, though.

Guest Post By: Sinthea

Make Money from your website through adsense alternative

Most of us only know about Adsense that offers webmasters to earn money by placing ads on their sites. The owner of the site can earn through clicks on those ads. The price earned per click depends upon the max CPC or bid amount for that ad. Throughout the globe adsense has become a source of income for those who have a lot of traffic on their sites. There are similar programs offered by Yahoo and Microsoft’s Bing also. Before I begin, I want to tell that I have confidence in adsense, however programs offered by Bing or Yahoo can also be a source of income. Let me elaborate each one by one.

Make Money

Google adsense- It is most widely used program that lets web site owners to place text as well as image ads on their site and earn revenue when somebody clicks on it. The only condition for earning is that the clicks must be genuine. Invalid or fraud clicks can lead banning of site for lifetime. Here lifetime means you won't be granted other adsense account, no matter what you do. Google adsense uses its tools to figure out people whose accounts have been banned in the past. They save ip addresses linked with each account. If you change your ip by changing the internet connection, they will match the address of payee name. So practically it is very tough to get back your account or get new account once it is banned.

Yahoo Publisher Network- This is the program that is similar to Google adsense except that it is offered by Yahoo. In this program you place ads on your site that are automatically monitored by Yahoo. Yahoo bots see the content of your site and deliver the ad that is specific to the content of your webpage. You are paid when someone clicks on yahoo ads placed on your site. The amount you earn on each click depends upon many factors such as max CPC (Cost Per Click) of ad. Page rank of your webpage. If you have a high page rank and your content is unique and informative than revenue from each click will likely to be more. This is same as what happens in Google adsense. In YPN you also have the provision for generating specific ads. For example, if you want ads for hotels, then you can generate code for displaying ads for hotels. You can also change the appearance of your ads in YPN. 

Some unique features that is not there in Google adsense is that yahoo offers four ways of collecting revenue. Unlike Adsense where you can get your money only through cheque, Yahoo offers following ways of collecting your earnings.

· Direct bank transfer

· Cheque

· PayPal

· Online deposit

Yahoo uses same tools that Google uses for monitoring the genuinity of ads. So you can be banned as in case of Adsense for fraud clicks. Like Adsense Yahoo is open for any one who want to earn some cash.

Latest update on Yahoo Publisher Network-. With the effect from april 30 2010 Yahoo dcided to shut down its YPN business. The closing of YPN is end of 5 yeras long Yahoo Publisher Network. Yahoo assigned that maintaing Publisher Network requires too many resources which otherwise can be used to provide better user experience for its users. So where the yahoo is sending its existing publishers who were making money. Well the answer is Chitika.com. Yahoo is snding all its existing publishers to Chitika well known for providing content relevant ads for websites. Rad on to know more about Chitika.

Chitika- Chitika is another platform similar to adsense or other platform such as pubcenter or YPN. The good thing about chitika is that it has better CTR (Click through rate) and it its pay out per click is much higher than google adsense.

Bing Pubcenter- This is publisher advertising network offered by Microsoft Bing. The program is beta release, so Bing is expecting a lot of feedback from its users. This program is newly launched and is open for citizens of U.S. only. You need to complete a W9 form for applying to this program. Requisites for Pubcenter are

· US tax ID

· Address proof

· Site traffic must be from US only.

Like Adsense and Yahoo Publisher Network, you will earn money only when someone clicks on Bing ads on your site. The amount earned per click depends on factors that are present in Adsense and YPN. Here again, Performance is monitored and you can be banned for invalid clicks. High quality, unique and informative content is likely to be accepted in Pubcenter program. Pages with less use of java scripts and graphics can be strong contenders for this program.

You can place both image as well as text ads. You can also customize the look of your ads. A variety of tools and features are present to monitor the performance of your ads. Most of the features of this program is same as that of Google Adsense and Yahoo Publisher Network.

Adsense vs Chitika vs Bing Pubcenter (which is more Profitable)- There is no direct answer to this question. Which program will give you more cash can’t be predicted. You will know only when you try it yourself. Adsense is said to have more CTR ( Click through Rate, The no of times click is done divided by 100) because of its specific ad placement. Adsense gives you less revenue. However, Adsense generally gives 30- 40 percent of the actual CPC. Here specific ad placement means that the ad shown on your webpage is very much related to the content of your website. Since Google adsense has lot of advertisers they have plenty of ads to show specifically for different content across different webpages. So if you webpage is all about "making money through website" then you might see ad of affiliate or adsense related products.

Chitika on the other hand has much better payout for every click than adsense. Also Chitika click through rate is much higher than its competitors making it one of the best ad revenue generating for websites. Chitika also has specific ad placement related to the content of the website. 

On contrary Yahoo gives 60 -70 of the revenue of actual CPC (cost per click) but CTR of Yahoo is believed to be less because of broad ad placement. By ad placement I mean relevancy of ad to the content of the page. Very specific ad placement means that if your page is about coffee then you will have ads on coffee only on your page. Broad ad placement means that ads of different utility can appear irrespective of the content of your page. To elaborate this point take the example that your website is about "earning through website" then you might get ads about web hosting or some other ads like that which is not very closely related to the content of your webpage. This is owing to the fact that yahoo has less no of advertisers and hence it has less variety of ads to show on its content network.

Since lot of people have already used to see "ads by Google", they know what it is and will certainly won't click out of curiosity. On the other hand YPN and Bing is still very rare so probability of visitor clicking on these ads out of curiosity is much compared to adsense.

Nothing much can be said about ad placement of Bing as it is still very new.

Conclusion- Though Google’s Adsense is most widely used publisher ad placement program, there are other options too that can be used for generating revenue. A experiment spanning a time of few days can be to determine which one is best for your site. The revenue potential through these programs can't be estimated correctly unless it is done correctly.

Writer:  Emily