Whiz Search

It's Been a While

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 01:24:00 +0000

Hello again to whoever is reading this. I know I have been gone for a while, but I promise it's not out of laziness. I've just been finishing up school, working random jobs in search of having a real job in the science field. So if anybody knows of any open positions in research labs, pharmaceutical companies, environmental labs, or anything pertaining to science, health or optometry, please post them up. I would greatly appreciate any help in that area. Because we all know the only way to get a good job is to know someone in the company.

Anyways, I'm back and have a lot of backed up material to share with all of you. So expect frequent posting for the next few months. As always feel free to make blog recommendations as far as what kind of material you would like to see more of. The next posting will follow along shortly. Thanks for reading!

Make Sure to Sign up for the blog and follow me on twitter. Trust me I do not disappoint!

15 Fun Online Photo Editors and Tools

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 04:21:00 +0000

This post is for anybody and everybody who wants to turn their photos into something amazing without having to learn complex software or purchase expensive plugins. Welcome to the world of Online photo editing.

For anybody who takes pictures, it is necessary and fun to do some editing. The best way to do this is to have some form of editing software, but sometimes using the software can be frustrating and not all that fun. In the last post, I covered 15 Free and useful software apps for anyone with a creative side. Today, I have compiled another great list of 15 which consists of online photo editors. There are 3 main benefits to using online editors:

1) Conveniently available on the internet and can be accessed from anywhere.

2) Does not drain your computer processing power or memory.

3) Very easy to use and usually provides one click effects and edits.

You will find the list below, and as usual I have included a short description for each site and examples. These sort of sites are not exactly meant for serious photographers like myself, but I will admit that they can be very fun. Some are for fun, but some can be used for serious editing. I have personally tried each one of these sites which is why I have included them. Have fun, and as always let me know your thoughts.

This Has Been your find from the Search Whiz. Make Sure to Sign up for the blog and follow me on twitter. Trust me I do not disappoint!

1) Aviary - This is one of those serious editors I mentioned. This is your online adobe suite all on one site. There are 5 tools on the site including Image editor, image markup, effects editor, swatch editor, and a Vector editor. Just look at what you can do.

2) Dumpr.net - Fun and creative effects. Most are free. They offer a membership for the rest. greedy site owners :( . Still just fun to mess with.

3) FaceInHole.com - This is easily one of my personal favorites. for obvious reasons. Prepare to spend many fun hours on this site. Placing anybody's face in hundreds of different situations. If you don't see one you like, then you can create your own. Not only that, but you can order it on a t-shirt if you like. BTW the picture here is taken from my modeling career. Do not hesitate to call ladies. ;) lol.

4) Funny.Pho.To - Another very fun site with more of a variety of effects including framing, magazine covers, and face transplants.

5) Funphotobox.com - You guessed it, more effects and fun stuff. This site include some fun gif animations as well.

6) HairMixer.com - Do you want to see what you look like with a new hairstyle, or just want to make someone look really freaky. well here you go. the picture says it all.

7) InStyle Makeover : This one is for the ladies who want to see what they look like with celebrity hair and/or makeup. Automatically adjusts to your picture with tons of celebs to choose from. There is even an option to make over your man. (I hope my Girlfriend isn't reading this)

8) Photo505.com : More one click effects, but this site claims to have a new effect added every day. that could add up to a lot of effects.

9) Photofunia.com : more effects with plenty of animations as well.

10) Picartia.com : Use all of your photos to create a huge image mosaic. Always a fun project.

11) Pixlr.com : Advanced online photo editing using layers and custom brushes. Really gets the job done for an online tool.

12) Pizap.com : Let's just say this is a different level of fun.

13) Splashup.com : Another serious photoshop-like editor that offers pixel-level control.

14) SumoPaint.com : This one is really meant for people who like to draw and paint. Plus it edits photos with layers.

15) WriteOnIt.org : This site is mainly for creating your own magazine covers with your custom captions.

So that's it! Don't blame me if you find yourself spending hours on these sites. They are fun.

15 Free Apps for Photographers, Designers, and Artists

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 07:09:00 +0000

Software Development is at a point where for every Commercial Application, there seems to be someone who develops a free similar product. Which basically means there is no need to pay out tons of money to get some useful software. I have compiled here, a collection of 15 amazing apps that are absolutely free. These will be useful for Photographers, Designers, and Animators. As you go through the list you will wonder how some of these are offered for free.

I know some software developers and I know that there are years of work put into some of these. Just imagine spending years of time developing something then just giving it away. There are descriptions for each app along with samples when possible. I can't say it enough, but some of these are just WOW! You can thank me by getting a friend to subscribe to the blog. Thanks for reading and I look forward to your comments.

This Has Been your find from the Search Whiz. Make Sure to Sign up for the blog and follow me on twitter. Trust me I do not disappoint!

For Photographers:

1)GimpShop : (Mac + Win) Maybe you have heard of the popular alternative for Photoshop, Gimp. Well this is a remake of the software in order to resemble the layout of Photoshop. This program can do everything that Photoshop can. Everything. It will make you say "I can't believe it's not Photoshop".

2)Adobe Kuler : (AIR based, Universal) A Great tool to simplify the world of colors. Use it to create color swatches by selecting your own colors or let the software generate its own color theme from an image. This is the kind of simple software that can save you hours of time.

3)Name Changer: I hate having to change the file names of photo sets one by one. This will let you select a batch of files and change all of the names at once and puts them in sequence. Just wonderful.

4)Shape Collage: (Mac + Win) Mostly for fun, but can inspire ideas. Use chosen photos to create a photo collage in any shape or arrangement you want.

5) PosteRazor: (Mac + Win) When you want to print out a picture in poster size, but don't have large paper or don't want to pay for a print. This will automatically split up your image into separate pages of chosen paper size and save it as a PDF file. Then you can print it and place the pages together.

6)TiltViewer: (Universal) Gives a very unique interface for your photo portfolio or album. To see a nice example, click HERE.

For Designers:

7) DrawBerry: (Mac) Create Vector based images in this fully loaded app. Simpler than using Adobe Illustrator.

8)Sweet Home 3D: (Mac + Win) An interior designers best friend. Use it to create top view layouts and then view it in awesome 3D.

9)Lego Digital Designer: (Mac + Win) Every Lego brick at your fingertips. Use it to create 3D models with lego bricks and then have the option of ordering the actual pieces in a kit to build the real thing.

For Animators:

10) Blender : (Mac + Win) Can you say "No way this is Free!" Very Powerful app for 3D Design and Animation. Even if you don't animate, you will definitely want to check this out.

11) Daz 3D studio: (Mac + Win) This goes Beyond animation. You can create amazing portraits like in a virtual photo studio. Has tons of free model downloads so you can use it just like a model. A Must Download for the sake of creativity.

12) Scratch: (Mac + Win) Developed by the genius people at MIT, a great app which can help you create simple animations and games. It is idiot proof, so even I can make my own game.

13) Flaex: (Mac) Takes Flash files and picks it apart. Saves all of the sounds, images, frames individually. Very useful.

For the Rest of you:

14) SketchBox: (Mac) You can make layered sticky-notes with text and drawings. good for quick notes and ideas.

15) Top Draw: (Mac) Use you JavaScript language to produce images at random. It can make some great looking original, abstract, images.

Don't Forget to Comment...

The Best Free Software of 2009

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:56:00 +0000

I am always on the lookout for free stuff and when I find it I always like to share. In this case I am referring to free software. After spending so much money on my computer and monthly internet fees, I may as well put some use to the bandwidth and download like there's no tomorrow. PCmag.com has recently listed 173 of the best free software of 2009 and here I will share with you my favorites . Why pay for Microsoft office when you can get something just as useful for nothing. My favorites are listed by category below.

If you are looking for software to download for free rather than free software, then there is a helpful link at the bottom of the post. (i.e. photoshop, office, corel paint...) I do not condone illegal software downloads, but I also am not a big fan of corporations either. As a disclaimer I will say that if you really use the software consistently, then consider purchasing.

Anyways, on to the list of Absolutely free and legal software. If you know of free software not listed here, please post a link in the comments. Enjoy.

This Has Been your find from the Search Whiz. Make Sure to Sign up for the blog and follow me on twitter. Trust me I do not disappoint!

Full list of 173 titles : PCmag.com

App Launchers

Circle Dock : (Windows) Places all of your desktop icons arranged in a circle. neat little app.

Quicksilver : (Mac) creates a desktop workflow.

Audio/Music

Mojo (Win/Mac) : Allows you to connect directly to your friends music library and download audio files onto your computer.

Wavepad Sound Editor (Win/Mac/PPC/Linux) : Recording software with plenty of effects plugins. You can even install a Pocket PC version and edit on your phone.

Backup (Win/Mac)

Mozy: this is an online backup system for free. (up to 2 GB). Better than an external HD. uploads discreetly in the background.

Blogging

ScribeFire (Win/Mac/Linux) : Firefox plugin that makes blog posting very simple.

Browsers

Camino (Mac): It's like firefox with more of a Mac style.

Calendar/PIMS

Communications/Email

Conferencing

DabbleBoard : (Web) Use it while conferencing as a virtual whiteboard.

File Sharing/Download

DownloadThemAll : A firefox plugin manages multiple downloads at once.

File Viewer/Converters

Finance

Fun/Home

Geni : (Web) Allows you to create your complete family tree online. really cool.

Springpad : (web) like an online notebook with ability to add pictures and maps. and then you can share with others.

Graphics

Artweaver : (Win) Like a free version of Corel painter.

FlauntR : (Web) online photo editor made for all the social network sites.

Gimp : Probably the best free alternative for Photoshop

Pencil : (Win/Mac/Linux) Wonderful free software for starting in animation.

Instant Messengers

Interface Enhancers

Local Search

Office

Buzzword (web): An online word processor

Google Doc (web) : googles online office suite

Open Office (Win/Mac/linux) : A Full Office Suite. very awesome.

Operating Systems

Networking

Air Raider: (Mac) Great wi-fi utility for Mac. very versatile

RSS Readers

Synchronization

Video

Cam Studio: Screen Video Capture

HandBrake: DVD backup software

As For the Source For free Software. Stay away from file-sharing programs because these files are usually bugged. Instead try TehParadox . You will find anything you're looking for. It Surely does not disappoint.

Thanks For Reading. Feel Free to Share.

The Top 10 Most Hilarious Infomercials

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 21:49:00 +0000

Are you ready to laugh hysterically? Good, because that's what this post is all about. I have compiled here a collection of the funniest infomercials ever made. What really makes them funny is the ridiculous product which is being offered in each one. For some of the ones listed here, I truly wonder just how many were sold. I wish I knew because I'm sure those sale numbers are just as funny as the products themselves. So enjoy, but make sure not to watch them all at once or else you may experience over-laughing. As always let me know your thoughts.

Remember! These are all actual products that are actually being sold. Just a Reminder because some are hard to believe. Carry on.

I have no words for this one!

If Only I were an orange fuzzy bear. The fun I would have

This will you give you the shake you've always wanted.

Weight Loss Laziness began a long time ago...

Because people will NOT stare at you when you wear this. seriously. come on.

I only wish this was a required piece of furniture in every cubicle.

And to think that people actually intentionally came up with this name.

Really? REAAALLY? That's all my mind says when I watch this

It's also useful just incase you decide to become a serial killer. what a value

I told you it was painful to watch

This Has Been your find from the Search Whiz. Make Sure to Sign up for the blog and follow me on twitter. Trust me I do not disappoint!

Building your Website

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:43:00 +0000

Recently I have been looking into making my photography website, so I constantly search around to check my options. Most photographers out there have those really slick sites made with flash animation. At this point, as a photographer, you have to have a nice site. There are a few options out there:

1) Hire a web designer to create a unique site for you and then sit back and enjoy.

This is by far your best option, but it is the most costly way to do it. Generally getting a site professionally designed can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to over 30,000. Your best bet is to search on sites for freelancers.

I recommend - Elance.com A database of qualified freelancers in many fields

Craigslist.org This is a more budget friendly source to find cheaper help

2) Learn the skills and do it yourself.

This option basically depends on your patience and time. If you have some skills and want to build on them, then it can be worthwhile to take this route. Not only will you save money, but you will add to your arsenal of digital skills. There are plenty of resources online to help you learn.

3) Take the simple route and use a website builder.

Most web hosting services also offer a free website designer program to get you started. This is the cheapest and least exhausting way to go. The site posted here is just amazing.

Free Website Design - Wix.com This is one of my recent online discoveries and was sent from above. It allows you to build a website using a simple drag and drop method. They have a bunch of themes that can be altered and also have flash based sites. If you choose to use the free account, then the site will have a simple banner along the bottom advertising wix.com. really not a big deal. If you upgrade (and pay them) the ads are gone and you can use a personal domain. They take care of the hosting. This is one site I guarantee will become popular.

This is also how I created my header for the blog. just thought it was fun.

These were just a few steps to help get you thinking. comment below for any questions. thanks for reading.

This Has Been your find from the Search Whiz. Make Sure to Sign up for the blog and follow me on twitter. Trust me I do not disappoint!

Twitter Tools

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 05:14:00 +0000

Since I have been spending so much time on twitter lately, just thought I would share a small list of free tools online that make using twitter a bit less crazy. At first I really didn't find twitter all too amazing, but once you follow the right people it gets almost addictive. So make sure to follow my twitter by clicking on the sidebar or search @WhizSearch. I'll be waiting Tweeple.

Mac Tools

Twitterrific – Pretty much does everything on twitter. just in a smaller form.

TwitterPost – easily post your tweets and display your current itunes track

Twitgit – Simple read and respond twitter app.

TweetAhead – widget to schedule tweets

Twitterlex – Widget to show your friends latest tweets

Twidget – allows you to update your twitter status.

TikiTwit – Matches your iChat status to your last tweet. not really sure why that's important.

Cross-platform Apps, Widgets and Plugins

Tweetr – apart from normal tweeting, you can upload files and shorten urls.

Spaz – twitter app with url shortener and sounds

Tweeter – can upload images and has a full screen display feature.

Twinja – Very versatile app allows for many different functions and multiple accounts

Let me know if you want me to post more stuff like this. Just vote below the post or comment. Thanks!

This Has Been your find from the Search Whiz. Make Sure to Sign up for the blog and follow me on twitter. Trust me I do not disappoint!

Watches used to tell time

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:39:00 +0000

As time becomes more precious, the more reason there is to love watches. I like cool watches as most guys do. I never understood why there is that fascination with watches. I mean it's just this thing on your wrist that tells the time. In certain watches I appreciate the craftsmanship like the Swiss mechanism or great engineering. But most of the time I like watches when they look freaking awesome. I see them in the glass case and I want it. But then I try it on and it usually is too big for my wrist or just looks very strange. I came across this online watch store and I can't get enough. Watchismo.com has all the brands and high res. photos. I will post up a few of my favorites below. I personally like the modern styles that aren't actually functional, but they look interesting. Because after all I have my cell phone to tell me the time. Duh!

Get your friends to sign up to the blog !! You dont want all this good stuff to go to waste.

This Has Been your find from the Search Whiz. Make Sure to Sign up for the blog and follow me on twitter. Trust me I do not disappoint!

A Constant Reminder

For The Complicated Person: What were they thinking

a Watch made for a robot?

The Eternal Moonwalk

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:45:00 +0000

I have been seeing a ton of different Michael Jackson memorials popping up on the internet, but most of them aren't very good and pretty much suck. Todays site has to be THE coolest Michael Jackson tribute that could ever be. EternalMoonwalk.com is a site where thousands of people have uploaded a video of themselves doing the moonwalk from right to left thus continuing into the next video. You'll see what I mean when you check it out. While I will admit that most of the videos aren't the best "moonwalks", but they will still put a smile on your face. Just incase you wanted to upload your own, I have posted a video tutorial from youtube on how to do a moonwalk. So have fun and keep the dance going.

This has been your backwards walking find from the Search Whiz. Slide your way over and sign up to the blog.

Alternative Uses For Household Items

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:24:00 +0000

In times like these, you want to make the most of everything. So today I have the perfect site to put that concept into use. AltUse.com is a site completely dedicated to showing you all the different uses that typical household items can have. It is categorized by products and also by uses so everything is easy to find. From Aspirin to Vinegar, they all have uses that you would not imagine. I never knew that using instant mashed potato mix could be used as a rat repellant. Or that adding vodka to your shampoo will increase the shine in your hair. Really interesting site worth checking out.

Hopefully, you might save a few bucks from what you can learn on this site. All I can say is that the thought of using products for something other than the intended use just reminds me of the father from the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" . Lol

This has been your alternative find from the Search whiz. Sign up for the blog to find more awesome stuff. please comment. I'm soooooo lonely in here.

World's Strongest Vagina

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:16:00 +0000

Breaking world records has always been the dream of many people. You know like, stuffing the most olives in ones mouth, longest continuous time standing on one's head. But this one is quite a bit different . Quite a bit.

This is Tatiana Kozhevnikova, She is the World Record holder for having the strongest vagina. Surprisingly she is 42 years old and can lift 31 pounds of weights with, you know, her vagina. It is not shocking that she is Russian because after all those Russians know how to have a good time. What is shocking is the story of how she started doing this. Here it goes. After she had a baby, she read about how to tighten things back up. She learned that ancient women used to use wooden balls as exercise equipment for this purpose. Not having access to wooden balls, Tatiana found the next best thing. Glass balls. So she shoved one up and started a daily routine workout which I guess went a little overboard and turned her Vajajay into Super Vajajay. Luckily, you don't have to visualize this because there is a video (don't worry it's clean). It's just kinda freaky thinking about the fact that this woman can swing a small child just by pure clenching strength. Really damn weird.

This has been your Holesome find from the Search Whiz, enjoy. but not too much. Subscribe to the blog and make sure to comment on this one.

DIY, How To, Make Anything

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 02:41:00 +0000

The site for today is quite popular among "Do It Yourselfers ", but is pretty much unknown to the rest of the population. The site is Instructables.com and has tons of user submitted tutorials on how to make just about anything. These projects posted on the site range from very simple household items to complex electronics projects. This website is a paradise for people who like to tinker with everything, but it doesn't stop there. For example there is a food section where people share interesting recipes such as "How To make Plum BBQ sauce and syrup". I have been a member of this site for a while now and I use it mainly for making at home photography gear and anything else I find.

To top it off, two days ago there was a contest on the site where a picture was posted up and people could submit a funny caption. The editor chose the winner and it was ME. YAY! I won a Spy camera that attaches to your sunglasses. They have these contests randomly so keep an eye out. My Winning contest Entry.

There is a lot to cover on this site, so let me know if you find something cool to make. With a little bit of ingenuity and skills you could make something really really cool. Like this computer keyboard.

This has been your fun find from the search whiz. Don't hurt yourself and subscribe to the blog. And start commenting people. It gets lonely in here.

How Much are You Worth?

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:49:00 +0000

Today is my birthday, July 14. I turned 23 years old. It's not exactly old, but it's starting to fall out of the range of young. Stuck in the middle. I had those few minutes of feeling worthless so I just typed it into the search engine at swagbucks.com. The first result shown was a site called humanforsale.com . Naturally I clicked on it. Turns out it's this quick form you fill out to "determine" how much you are worth in a monetary value. I am worth $2,461,800.00 dollars. Are there any buyers out there? Because that would be freaking awesome. At this point instead of feeling worthless, I again felt like a high school loser who actually spent time filling this out. LOL. Hey it's worth checking out. Considering how the economy is looking, we may have to resort to this value system when all we have left to sell are ourselves. This site also has a bunch of other links to interesting quiz things aimed more for adults rather than teenagers. So when you're bored at work or home, here is your time killer.

This has been your daily find from the now older Search Whiz. I am now officially wiser than yesterday. If you would like to get me a birthday gift then feel free to send me $2,461,800 or if you prefer then just sign up to my blog and tell a friend while you're at it. As always thanks for reading. I promise to keep them coming!

HumanForSale.com

A Cappella Choir music

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:12:00 +0000

I have some really awesome videos to share today. Well hopefully you find it awesome because I find it awesome. First I came across this A cappella Jazz Choir from Slovenia. Yes, Slovenia, the country that sits near croatia and the other -Ia ending countries. The groups name is Perpetuum Jazzile and the song that they do really well is "Africa" from Toto. The eighties song about rain in Africa and such. Apart from the slight Slovenian accents, they are amazing. You have to watch this one.

And on that I started searching for other awesome A cappella groups because

after all, I was sure there were more groups like this one. Enjoy!

Acafellas - "Kiss From a Rose" not the best quality, but really really good.

The VocaPeople.- just plain entertaining

Carleton Singin Knights - "Vienna" Billy Joel

UC men's octet- "Bohemian Rhapsody" Queen

This has been your vocal finding from the Search whiz.

Sing along and sign up to the blog. Thank you thank you.

A funny Version of YouTube

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:52:00 +0000

As simple as it sounds, loopytube.com has a collection of videos that are purely entertaining. Sometimes I get frustrated searching for something interesting on youtube.com mainly because there are a ton of videos and many of them are just a waste of space. So apart from reading my blog, if you need an extra fun moment in your day just go to loopytube . Post up any videos that you would like to share.

This has been your daily find from the Search Whiz. Now While you're laughing at the following video subscribe to my blog. Just click the big orange button or enter your email.

Alanis Morissette - My Humps - Remix

In Memory of Michael Jackson

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:11:00 +0000

It was truly an emotional experience watching the Michael Jackson memorial. Michael Will never be forgotten and will always live on. I have posted here some of the highlights from the memorial service. I will be posting more throughout the day so subscribe to catch all of them. Share any of your thought about Michael and the memorial service. I thought it was wonderful and very fitting for such a legend. This has been a posting in memory of Michael Jackson. Subscribe on the right.

Queen Latifah Speech

Brooke Shields Speech

Update: Very inspiring speech. Martin Luther King III

Update: Stevie Wonder Performs "I Never Thought you'd Leave in Summer"

Update: Jackson Family speaks including Paris Jackson

You Are Being Spied on By the FBI

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 22:12:00 +0000

Prepare to be scared out of your mind. This may be old news to you, but this is a reminder for everybody that YOU are being spied on without even knowing a damn thing. If you own a cellphone, then anybody can listen in on what you're doing. And guess what? The FBI can use the microphone inside your cell to listen to you at anytime, even when your phone is turned off. The only way to be safe is to remove the battery.

Anybody can go to flexispy.com and listen in on any cell phone number. Not only that, but they can see your text messages, emails, and anything els that is transmitted to and from your phone. It would only cost you $249 dollars per year to spy on anybody. You can listen to every word and snore, day and night. This is ridiculous and only reminds me of the novel "1984". Watch these videos to get a better understanding of how it works and what is going on. BEWARE !! It's things like this that just make me want to move to a remote island in the middle of nowhere and actually have freedom. I don't like bullshit freedom. I don't think anybody does. Let me know your thoughts on this, and feel free to write freely.

This has been your outrageous find of the day from the search whiz. Subscribe to the blog if you are as pissed off as I am.

And By The Way Happy Independence Day, WooHoo!

news article on CNET

This is nothing new. read here.

Good video to take some precautions

Join a Fun Group

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:05:00 +0000

It's a beautiful summer and we should all be out having some fun. Sometimes when I find a hobby or interest, I have trouble finding people who share the same interest. After all doing something is much more fun with a group who enjoys it. Stop searching around and asking people you know if they want to do something you love. Just join MeetUp.com and find a group right in your neighborhood.

This site is pretty well known, or so I thought. I'm surprised at the number of people who haven't heard of it. I searched for a photography group and found a dozen right in my area. They schedule photo shoots with models and full setups. It's fun and I can learn from others who are more experienced. My suggestions for groups are photography, hiking, running, board games. Just type in your interest and you will definitely come across at least a few groups. They even have a polyamory group in SoCal. I swear I didn't search it up it just came up on the home page. LOL. Let me know if you join any groups, cause others may be interested.

This has been you daily find from the search whiz. Now go do something and thank me by signing up for the blog.

Just To get you started, these are some groups in my area:

The Los Angeles Drinking & NOT Driving Group

The Burbank Scrabble Meetup

Los Angeles Audio Improvisation Lab

Michael Jackson's Complete Will

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:46:00 +0000

Michael Jackson's Death has had a huge effect on his fans and the music world. We have lost a legend and he will never be forgotten. For me personally, I will never listen to his songs the same way again. The news so far is that there will be a public memorial at the Staples Center at 10:00AM on Tuesday July 7.

My first interesting find on this topic is that there have been multiple people who have committed suicide because of Michaels death. You can read about this here : Fans Commit Suicide.

My main reason for posting this is because I have come across Michael Jackson's will. In case anybody was interested in reading the fine print. You can read it right below. either click the document link or use the full page or zoom buttons to get in close. I have read through it and here are the most interesting points.

1. Michael's Father, Joe Jackson, is left with nothing

2. MJ's Children will be under the custody of his mother

3. Secondary custody is granted to Diana Ross

4. MJ is leaving his Beatles music library rights to Paul Mcartney. Thus ending that feud.

Feel free to comment anything you want. I'd like to know what you think about the whole situation and MJ. Now Beat It and sign up for my blog for the sake of Michael .

Michael Jackson Complete Will

Blind photographers

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:28:00 +0000

I am a decent photographer and so are the group of people on the site I will share with you today. The only difference is they can't see because they're blind. BlindPhotographers.org is a site which showcases galleries of photos taken by some very talented photographers who are visually impaired. They all come from different backgrounds and have different reasons on how they lost their sight. Some of them can see to a certain degree which ranges from just seeing blobs of colors to only seeing dark and light shadow. This is truly amazing and inspires me as a photographer and as a person. I highly recommend browsing through the photos in their gallery or on flickr. I have no idea as to how they can achieve such awesome photos without really seeing what they are capturing.

This has been your photo find from the search whiz. If you have decent vision then click on the subscribe button . please

Update!!!!!: Here is a wonderful mini documentary which includes interviews with three of these blind photographers.

Obscura from Damon Stea on Vimeo.

Literal Music Videos

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:27:00 +0000

As if the 80's weren't hilarious enough, a few people had the idea to take some music videos and record the song to sing what was actually happening in the video. Sounds a little weird, but once you watch one you will get it. This is one post that I'm sure you want to share with someone who needs a good laugh. There's a bunch more of them, but these are by far the better ones. enjoy

This has been your Awesome 80's find from the search whiz. Be cool and subscribe to the blog.

Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler

Head Over Heels - Tears for Fears

Take on Me - A-Ha

I Would Do Anything For Love - Meat Loaf

Instruments and Music From Another World

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:41:00 +0000

As a musician I love trying new instruments and learning to play them. I mainly play the piano, then I picked up a guitar, and recently I got myself a drum set. I like to keep things interesting, so now I am considering playing the Bowafridgeaphone. It sounds strange mainly because it IS strange. Here I thought that all the instruments we have are just fine, but some people aren't satisfied and cannot control their creative side. And now you can see all of their creations at OddMusic.com complete with sound samples. Most of them are wacky re-creations of existing instruments, but some are just unheard of like the Bikelophone. I highly recommend at least looking at the pictures of these instruments because it may just inspire you to come up with one of your own. Post up some of your favorites in the comments.

This has been your daily find from the search whiz. Now enjoy the sounds of the stamenphone as you sign up for my blog.

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I Won Big on Swagbucks.com. So can You!

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:17:00 +0000

So this is a perfect opportunity to tell everybody about an awesome site called swagbucks.com. This site is a search engine where you randomly win online money called "swag-bucks". Just to be clear, the search results are derived from google and ask.com, so it finds what you're looking for and on top of that you can constantly win. All you have to do is sign up. When you collect enough "swagbucks" you can go to their online store and redeem them for anything you want. And they have everything ranging from music, trading cards, comics, electronics, etc... They also have online sweepstakes for which you can "buy" entries and most of them are only 1 swag dollar.

Which brings me to my point. I entered a recent sweepstakes on swagbucks.com where the prize was two tickets to a Yanni concert plus two backstage passes. And guess what? I WON!!!! I couldn't believe it that I won something so awesome. My girlfriend and I attended the concert at the Nokia theater on tuesday jun 23.WOW. First off my seats were amazing they were center orchestra seats. I saw everything that happened on stage without the need for binoculars. The show was amazing without a doubt. I am a HUGE Yanni fan and it was so great to watch him live along with the new singers. The orchestra played quite a few

of his original pieces without singers and that was such a treat. The audience was %80 Armenian so there was a lot of cheering for Yanni's violinist, Samvel Yervinyan. After the show, it was time to go backstage. And little did we know that our passes were the highest lev

el of VIP.

WE and four other people were escorted by Yanni's Public Relations person to the Upper level of the Wachovia VIP lounge. And what made it better? We got to meet the singers before everyone else. All of the other backstage pass holders were downstairs and they had to wait. Plus there were 60 of them. The six of us upstairs waited and finally all of the singers came up and we met them. It was surreal. I, of course, acted completely dork-like and couldn't stop smiling, but hey who cares. For once, I was VIP. We only

got about ten minutes or so to talk and take pictures, because the PR people kept moving them along to meet time deadlines. Anyways here are my thoughts on each singer.

I'm the guy with curly hair, just incase you thought I wasn't

In order from left to right:

Chloe: What a voice on this girl. She can sing,dance and dominate the stage. Not only that, but she is very beautiful in person. More than you see in pictures. She seemed to be very relaxed when meeting everyone and doesn't mind talking to a fan.

Nathan Pacheco: Can you say one in a million. Yea! because that's who this is. Nathan has a phenomenal voice that will give you chills. I guarantee it. The best part is, he is a great person to match. He was so genuine and kind it's ridiculous. Both my girlfriend and I couldn't stop talking about just how great he was. I wish I could better describe it, but just trust me on this one.

Leslie Mills: Leslie is the delicate flower of the bunch. Her voice has a subtle sensuality that makes you want to keep listening to her. She was a little nervous when talking to us, but hey who wouldn't be. meeting random strangers who smile at you can make one nervous. She was great. She mentioned her favorite part of the tour was working with talented musicians.

Ender Thomas: The Latin firecracker. This guy can grab and hold the audience' attention. He is a showstopper. When he performs, you can't look away. Plus he has the cool accent. Very friendly person and is having fun on the tour. He loves performing and it really shows.

Overall. Amazing experience. Unforgettable. If any of the Yanni performers happen to read this, bravo! and feel free to contact me. ( I know it's a long-shot, but why not). Thanks to SwagBucks for the prize. And make sure to sign up for swagbucks.com. It's free and you can win stuff so why not. please use the link from this blog as it helps me out. Let me know if you win anything!

This has been your daily find from the search whiz! Have a very Yanni day and sign up for the blog while you're at it.

Blind boy can see. Amazing! must see to believe!

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 06:07:00 +0000

Today I have something inspirational to share. I have a keen interest in eyes which is why I want to become an optometrist. I believe that miracles happen all the time and the impossible is always possible. This video is about a boy, named Ben Underwood, who is blind, but doesn't need help getting around or finding things. He uses echolocation to see his surroundings. yea like a bat or a dolphin does. It is something that has to be seen to be believed. This is inspiring and just plain astounding. You'll see what I mean. I have posted here five videos which are parts of a documentary about this boy. I am sad to say that this inspiring sixteen year old passed away earlier this year due to a recurrence of his cancer, but I am sure he served as inspiration to others to realize that everything is possible. God bless you Ben.

This has been your find of the day from the search whiz. Eye know you want to sign up for the blog, so please do so.

Your Own Library of Books. Free!

noreply@blogger.com (The Search Whiz) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 07:22:00 +0000

I am a book lover and love to read a good story, which is why I own hundreds of books all over the house. Well I realize that there are countless books, but alas only so much room in my house. So recently I have acquired an e-book reader which stores thousands of books that I can read on the same little screen. I have the sony prs-500 which is quite a fun device and makes reading a book very interesting. Of course the first thing I had to do was find a source for free e-books because I don't like paying ten bucks for a digital file that cost the publisher nothing. At first I found torrents, file-sharing , etc.. (basically illegal sources). These had current books, but there is the hassle of making sure it's virus free or if the file works. So I kept searching and I found a source with over 25,000 free e-books. Not only that, but you can download the files in 10 different formats for your device. This is completely legal because the books on this site are public domain meaning that they're old. But this includes all famous authors, playwrights, poets. It's called ManyBooks.net . Everything is categorized and easily searchable. They even have banned books. I found books that I would have never discovered if not for this site. So go ahead and download a book or a thousand. It's legal and a good read. Feel free to post some recommendations.

This has been your daily find from the search whiz. Sign up for the blog because like these books, I need readers.