How I Used Bookmarks to Manage My Time Online

As someone who's main projects involve using the Internet, it sometimes becomes easy to get sidetracked while surfing the web. Using a combination of time management, smart media consumption, and prioritization, I ended up developing a quick and effective way of managing my time online, all while using my browser's Bookmark bar. Here's how I did it and how you too can use Bookmarks to better manage your time online.

Plan Out Your Days In Advance

The first step that we need to accomplish is to decide which days you will spend the majority of your time online or which days you plan to use the web.

A couple of months ago, I went without Social Media and news for thirty days and it was an experience that I found to be quite pleasant. In those days I was not constantly bombarded with breaking news, status updates, or whatever lunch my friends were having. This small break was just what I needed to clear my mind and it was something peaceful that I enjoyed doing. Seeing as how the thirty day experiment was something that I had fun with, I wanted to apply a "mini-break" session in my week so even if I don't do thirty-days once a year I can still do three days every week. With this in mind, I decided that the days where I would be spending my time online the most would be Monday through Thursday. That way, I can have Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off without being wired to a screen.

The days that you decide spend your time online can be any variation of days. Maybe you'd like your online time to be on the weekends. Maybe you prefer a hop system like Monday-Wednesday-Friday. Maybe your online days are better suited for weekdays. So long as you select a plan that works for you, you'll be well on your way to better managing your time.

Once you have selected your days you can create a Bookmark folder and label it the selected days you decided. Using my own personal example, I created a "Monday/ Wednesday" and "Tuesday/ Thursday," folder on my Bookmarks bar. Again, you can use any combination of days you like, simply create a folder for your selected days.

Decide On the Content

After you have selected the days that you plan to to be online, it's now time to decide what content you want to view for those days.

Personally, I find that I get most of my entertainment, news, and ideas from video game and technology websites. For me, video games and technology are  (if not entertaining!) topics that I care about so I make sure that I'm always up to date with those news. I am also interested in sports, but quite frankly I care more about my team's schedule rather than the news. Since I enjoy sports but not sports news, I skip the sports news altogether to save time. The point that I'm trying to make here is that you can decide what you would like to view on your online days.

Whether that is keeping up with world events, politics, technology, sports, cat pictures etc. Find content that you enjoy and balance it out evenly in your selected days. For example, you can view cat pictures on Monday and save politics for Tuesday. Or you can read up on sports every Tuesday and save technology news for a Friday. Simply select the media that you feel you enjoy the most.

Once you have selected your content, add them to the Bookmark folders that you created. When you add the websites to the folder make sure that you delete the "Name," of the website. The reason for this is one, that it saves space on your folder, and two that it plays a solid part in the next step.

Choose the Appropriate Times for Each Website

Now that you have your set days and the websites that you would like to view on your days online, it's time to decide on the amount of time that you would like to spend on each website.

Again using myself as an example, I only tend to read technology and video game news which makes my daily time online daily roughly around thirty minutes. I also like to take part in social media activities like commenting and distributing +1's, so that's an extra twenty minutes into the mix. All in all, I make it a goal to not go over one hour of online activity. For the websites in my Bookmark folders, rather than having the "Name" of the website displayed, I label each one with the time I would like to spend on the topic. For example, instead of using the name "Lifehacker" for lifehacker.com, I change the name to "15 Min," to remind myself that I would only like to be on the website for fifteen minutes. The same goes with my favorite video game website and I title it "15 Min," respectively.

Simply change the name of the website into the time that you would like to spend on your selection. Once you complete your allotted time, continue with completing your other websites. Once you have established a good routine you'll be spending more time being informed on the topics that matter to you most and you'll be spending less time wandering around the web.
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The ultimate goal of this plan is to better manage the time you spend online. Sometimes we get carried away roaming loosely on the web and we forget about the information that matters to us most. Hopefully this bookmark plan becomes something that you will be able to implement into your daily life.

Favorite Element of A Game? The Soundtrack

About a year ago, I decided to stop playing FIFA online. It was a decision that I believe needed to happen in order for me to expand my gaming experience. I could go on and mention why exactly I did this but, that's an article for a different time. For now, I would just like to say that not playing FIFA as much made me miss the game. The gameplay, the competitiveness, even the silly physics, I missed it all. However, there was one element that I missed the most. That element was the absolutely superb soundtrack.

Any gamer can tell you that the soundtrack is one of the most crucial elements in a game. A lot of times we tend to remember games based on the music we listen to when we're not near a controller. Personally, every time I would hear my friend's brother play Goldfinger's "Superman," the first thing that would come to my mind would be Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. Whenever I listened to Godsmack's "I Stand Alone," I couldn't help but think of the PoP: Warrior Within. Even in the radio when a local R&B station played Leona Lewis's "My Hands," I was reminded of Final Fantasy XII. Games and music often times have a strong relation to each other and this allows us to experience games even when we're not playing them.

The soundtrack's purpose isn't necessarily to just be background noise either. These sounds are meant to add emotion to the overall gaming experience. I can recall playing Persona 3 Portable and absolutely loving every battle in Tartarus. It almost seemed like every time a battle sequence would start it would suddenly be a party! In the same way, who could forget the classical tunes from Shadow of the Colossus? The added music made fighting a Colossi more monumental. Game developers I would say are focusing more than ever on making deeper soundtracks, and for us as gamers that is a phenomenal thing. Think about the game Journey for example, imagine if it hada soundtrack filled with dubstep. We would certainly feel something different about the game than what we feel now.

This is why I felt as though I lost something when I stopped playing FIFA. I missed the soundtrack that made the online experience my favorite part of the game.  Luckily, there is always an official soundtrack with each new game release, so even though I don't play the game as often anymore I never miss a great tune.  

All in all, my favorite element of a game is the soundtrack and I have already built a great video game music library on my computer. With this in mind, I can't help but feel that others the same way. So how about you?

What are some of your favorite game soundtracks or tunes?

Use A Headphones or Ear Plugs Case to Store Extra Cables

Every time I purchase a new gadget it usually comes with a charging cable. A Kindle, MP3 player, console controller, cell phone, you name it, there's always a cable. The funny thing is, is that most of these devices can actually use the same cable so I am always left with a spare.

Rather than throw them away I decided to store them in a headphones case and an ear plugs case for easy storage and mobility. I can use the small headphone case to store cables on the go without having to wrap them up. As for the cables in the ear plugs case, I use those at home if I ever need an extra.

The durability of the cases is actually pretty great. The hard plastics allow for a tough shelling that protect the cables. Plus, the extra space prevents the cables from getting tangled or bent. You can actually store plenty of items in these cases but I just happened to store cables in mine. Do you have any tough disposable cases that you use for your items? I'd love to hear everyone's ideas.

Why I Decided To Turn Off My Trophy and Friend Notifications on My PS3

As soon as I started playing The Last of Us, I knew I was in for something special. I had been waiting for the game for some time now and as soon as I finished the first chapter, I knew that it was going be a great experience. The hype that surrounded the game before its release had also been monumental. High scores and high praises from everyone in the industry, this was one game that everyone agreed was a masterpiece. So I dived in, ready to be immersed like never before. But then something happened, something that removed me from the experience in bits and pieces. After playing for a couple hours I just wanted to know, "When am I getting my first trophy?"

Before I played Ellie and Joel's adventure I had already read a couple of reviews to prepare me for what was coming. The reviews raved about how great the visuals looked and how the story telling had surpassed their expectations. The reviews also mentioned that obtaining a trophy in the game was not going to be as common as in other titles.

Now, I'm not one to simply buy games for the mere collection of trophies. Before I start any game, I never look at the trophy list and I make the attempt to not make trophies my main objective. As soon as I finish a game though I don't mind looking through the list and earning the trophies I may have missed. That's the way that trophies should be approached. They are simply an added bonus that (hopefully) allows you to experience the game in new and exciting ways.

But even with not looking at my trophy list and not making it my main goal to collect them, they are still there. Every time you finish a chapter, "ding!" Every time you you achieve a gaming milestone, "ding!" Worst of all, any time you are engaged in your game, "ding!" The trophy's default notification will interrupt your experience to let you know that you have acquired your tenth bronze, "ding!"

However, that isn't to say that the trophy notification entirely removes the player from the game's core experience. A lot of players probably don't even notice the trophy notifications and many of them can have a great experience with the default notification setup. But when I am deeply immersed in a game where immersion is key and important, personally I would prefer to skip the trophy notifications all together.

Granted, it's not only the trophy notifications that interrupt that immersion but also the friend notifications. Look, as much as I enjoy chatting and playing multiplayer games with my friends (okay, not really), I don't need to know that they are logging in or out when I'm in the middle of an important cut scene. It's just annoying.

This is why I have decided to turn off notifications for trophies and friends whenever I'm about to start a new game. That way, I can experience the game without any interruptions on-screen. If I end up getting a trophy for something I do in the game, at least now my immersion won't suffer because of it. It's not that it entirely removes a player from the experience, but those small chunks where it does certainly add up.

In my experience with The Last of Us, it wasn't the "ding!" that annoyed me but rather the lack of. This is an attempt to put an end to those notifications and experience a game in a richer way. Congratulations, you have finished reading this article, "ding!"

Image: Wikimedia Commons

What Infamous 2 Got Right (That Other Games Didn't)

Infamous 2 is a great game, let me state that first to get it out of the way. If you haven't played it already, you should just stop reading this article and go buy it right now. In fact, it's free on PlayStation Plus! So go on, check it out.

Now, if you're still reading this I'm assuming you already finished the game and for that I say great job! Even though the game is a little old now it has stood the test of time quite well. However, this short piece isn't about raving on about how great Infamous 2 is but rather I am going to discuss with you one of the game's features that outshines many other titles. In short, that feature is "Blast Shard Sense."

Within the past generation we've all played great titles such as Bioshock, Uncharted, Call of Duty, or Assassin's Creed. In each one of those games there has been what I like to call a "Collection Achievement," by which I mean, there is a side quest in the main story that requires you to collect particular items in order to unlock an achievement or get an extra dose of story information.

By the titles that I mentioned above you can already recall the collection achievement mission that I have described, Bioshock has the tape recorders, Uncharted has the treasures, Assassin's Creed has the feathers/flags, and even the ever popular Call of Duty has the intel. All of these games including many other popular titles have these collection achievement missions.

In each one of those games I would argue that collecting the required items ended up being a chore and in worst cases, it removes the player from the entire experience. For example, as much as I love the Uncharted series, sometimes I found myself moving the camera in odd places just to see if there was a treasure that I might have missed. The same can be said about Assassin's Creed. Whenever there was a mission that involved chasing after a target or simply trying to be stealthy, a feather or flag would appear and for a moment I would switch my attention on trying to obtain the item. Now, this doesn't break any game by any sense, but it is something that many games still have and honestly, I don't feel that it should be that way.

Infamous 2 on the other hand does something great with it's own collection achievement mission. Yes, it still has you collect a particular item (Blast Shards), but the entire collection process is remedied with an ability that Cole gets midway through the game called "Blast Shard Sense." This ability allows the player to pin-point the exact location of the remaining blast shards without having to search for them on your own. If you want the Blast Shards, go get them. If you don't, leave them be. If you're playing as Cole while on a mission, it becomes a whole lot easier to leave a blast shard that you passed by because in the end you know that you can always come back to get it. This ability allows the player to remain engaged in the experience without having to worry about missing a collection item.

Infamous 2 did genius work with "Blast Shard Sense," and other games should take note on how to take on these collection achievement missions. As a player, you want to be engaged in what you're playing and anything that breaks that engagement should be remedied.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Two Upsets Heard Around the World

If there’s two things any avid sports fan can tell you with certainty, it’s that in sports you should always expect the unexpected and that a little faith can go a long way.

Which is why you are guaranteed to see two upsets this week, the U.S. will end El Tri’s reign in CONCACAF this Tuesday and the fiery “Canelo” Alvarez will set Mayweather’s kingdom ablaze on Saturday.

It was impossible to expect that with an 88% chance of qualifying Mexico is now stumbling for a third place spot in the standings. It was also unexpected that the U.S. is now almost guaranteed a spot in the World Cup after an early loss to Jamaica. Expect a gritty match with the outcome being U.S. 2 - Mexico 0 .

Mayweather Jr. is a great fighter no doubt, but not even the best athletes fare well against father time. Whereas Mayweather is approaching the end of a career, Canelo is only just hitting his peak. Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr.  has the numbers behind him, Saul “Canelo”Alvarez has the faith of an entire nation with him. Look for Saul “Canelo” Alvarez knocking out Floyd “Money” Mayweather Jr. in the tenth round.

There’s one more thing every sport fan can agree on, it’s gonna’ be one heck of a week.

What Nintendo Should Do to Boost Wii U Sales

It seems as though everywhere you look nowadays there is someone declaring that the Wii U is a failed console. Granted, you would have to know the difference between a Wii and Wii U first (I kid, I kid!). Nintendo however isn’t the type of company that you can simply brush off as a failure.

Time and time again they have proven themselves to come back from economic hardships. Most recently the 3DS, who at first was seen as a lackluster device now even outsells both the PS3 and Xbox 360. The point is, Nintendo understands their business model better than anyone else and they will do what they seem fit to increase their revenue.

But just in case that they needed some quick advice on how to improve sales, here some ideas to help boost the Wii U market.

Focus on the Current Audience

Nintendo’s audience started to shift dramatically when the Wii was first released. Though to be fair you can make the case that it truly shifted with the release of the Gamecube. The audience was no longer the hardcore gamer that finds enjoyment from current games such as Call of Duty, Uncharted or Halo. Their main target is a more of younger audience that still finds enjoyment in classics such as Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong. That isn’t to say that there are no adults that are current owners or fans of Nintendo’s offerings. But it is hard to argue that their main target is a younger audience. Thus, it it is crucial that they don’t shy away from what’s making them currently successful. It would be wise for their focus to continue appealing to a youthful generation, and from what we've seen that’s exactly what they’re doing. Support your current audience and continue to focus on distributing the content that made the company great, and you will see Wii U sale growth.

Remember the Hardcore Gamer

Nintendo is already focusing on their core audience and that’s a great thing. The sales for the Wii U will indeed improve because of this. But remember when I said that the the company appealed to a younger audience? Well, that audience does grow up eventually. Thus this next idea could possibly be the long-term plan for the company in the end. That is to approach the younger audience now and remain with them until they grow into adults. However, just because your appeal is strongly focused on the youthful gamer, you can also develop a strong case for the Hardcore gamer to come back to Nintendo. Don’t forget that that this is the same company that released Goldeneye on the N64 and more recently it is the same company that revealed those great looking Wii U Pro Controllers. If Nintendo can once again reach out to the Hardcore gamer, they will indeed see sales climb for their console.

Now you might be saying to yourself, but didn’t Nintendo already try reaching out to the Hardcore gamer with Call of Duty and FIFA? Only to fail and even lose support from EA? Yes and no. Even though some companies have gone on to say that they won’t support Nintendo unless they start selling consoles, this can still be remedied by SELLING consoles. So with focusing on your market and reaching out to the Hardcore gamer, Nintendo could also…

Begin Branching Out to Indies and Third-Parties

Honestly, I think the biggest gripe that people have against Nintendo is that they leech the heck out of Mario, Donkey Kong, and Zelda. Granted, those are some excellent games but those titles can only carry you so far. Both Sony and Microsoft are already nailing the indie support and Nintendo just recently displayed interest in supporting indies as well. The fact of the matter is that indies have the potential to dramatically increase sales for the Wii U mainly because the future of gaming revolves around indies. Nintendo should also look to bring more third party support for their system. If I have a Wii U that can play my Call of Duty, my Battlefield, or my Madden, why would I need to have a Sony or Microsoft console? Bring back the indies and the third parties that made Nintendo the thriving company it is today and Wii U sales will indeed rise.

Bonus: Continue Being Nintendo (Original)

Here’s an intriguing thought. Even though it sounds as though I am trying to make the Wii U into a PS4 or even Xbox One, it cannot be. As long as Nintendo continues to be what it’s always been, Nintendo, it can never be Sony or Microsoft and that is a glorious thing! Recall what happened with the Wii console and how it sold incredibly well with people of all ages. Nintendo could have easily gone the same route as Sony or Microsoft but by proposing a different idea to gaming (motion sensor controls) they captured a market that had never been tapped. The rise of casual gaming basically began with the Wii system and it has become a market that competing companies try their best to attain as well. With the Wii U, Nintendo introduced a tablet controller that dramatically changes the way we play console games and even though it has met with troubling short-term success, its long term success resides on that tablet controller. In short, Nintendo has always been a company that takes risks with new consoles and in an industry that thrives on innovation it’s important for Nintendo to continue being Nintendo, or original.

With the new upcoming line of first-party games and even a price drop, Nintendo has a great chance of resurrecting the Wii U and making it into a formidable console. Though things right now appear grim for the console it still has the potential to rise. If it manages to follow a couple of these guidelines don’t be surprised if it ends up becoming, “the little console that could.”