How to make money doing what you love on the Internet

Posted on January 17, 2012 by afterdark2

January 17, 2012

By Teri Peters

I found this great post while scouring the net and found it quite timely and informative.  After Dark Grafx agrees that there is money to be made on the internet but you should exercise caution.  There are many scams, much wasted time spent on errors and especially,  this.  We get more than our fair share of clients who have that great idea and launch an online business with no clue how to effectively market online.  Often the budding entrepreneur will use a friend to create their website.  Even more frequently we are called in to fix the errors caused by a “nephew” or some other relative with a bit of coding experience.  This is a costly error and we’d like to help save you that lost money and the often uncountable and un-recoupable lost opportunity costs.  We are professionals at web design, SEO marketing, branding, start up consulting and generally, all things net related.

Our prices are competitive and our work is custom.  Templates are not acceptable.  Can you afford this for your great idea?  Yes.  We may advise you to keep it simple to begin with and upgrade as you can afford it but the answer is a resounding yes!  We are celebrating our 20th year in downtown San Diego but wherever you are in the world, we can help.  Please call, email or tweet us if you would like us to assist you with your online business!

How many people can say they make a good living doing what they love?  Let us help you get started on that path today.

From rags to riches, from trailer parks to white mailboxes, the climb is all part of the “American Dream.” But this dream– the equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity from one’s hard work– is really more human than just American and its ethos has never been so tangible as in the early days of the Internet. And yes, dear reader, we are still in its early days–very early days.

While the global economy has slowed in recent years, taking its toll on the job market, entrepreneurs and creative types are finding a competitive advantage online. And I’m not talking about traveling to China and re-selling Nike sneakers on eBay. I’m referring to chefs hosting supper clubs, mom and pops selling baked goods, designers building online stores; professionals becoming educators; and people fulfilling their dreams while connecting to a larger audience than was ever before possible. ….

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How to Grill Lobster Tails

Posted on January 2, 2012 by afterdark

Following this recipe, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msDAgokhPJA - Grilling lobster tails is quick and easy thanks to this easy method from Chef Jason Hill.

I used 16 oz tails and this recipe. Came out perfect thank you.  You just have to leave them on the grill a minute or 2 longer. Delicious!

ITEMS NEEDED:

  • 2  Lobster Tails (6oz, 8oz, etc)  I used 2 16oz tails so that is what the timing below is intended for this sized lobster.
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • 1  Shallot
  • Olive Oil (or any oil that you like.  The original recipe used Chive Oil that can bee found on his link above)
  • 1 Stick Butter
  • Parsley

HOW TO:

  • Make sure that the tails are defrosted. I like to put them in the sink and slowly run cold water over them until they are defrosted.
  • Prepare the garlic/shallot mixture but finely dicing up 2 cloves of garlic and one half shallot (shallots are small purplish onions http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shallot )
  • Place shallot and garlic in a little dish together and mix
  • I also diced up a small handful of fresh parsley
  • Lay the tails on their back as indicated in the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msDAgokhPJA
  • Place your chef knife or Large Knife at the very tip of the tail and slice down the center. You will hear a crack.  Use both hands for safety. Try to cut through the top (stomach) shell and the back (exterior shell) if possible.

Slicing Lobster Tail

 

 

  • Gently pull the meat away from the inside of the shell but do not detach from the tail.
  • Lightly rinse the tails in cold water. (I always do this just to make sure I am starting with a clean product) Pat them dry.
  • Lightly brush some olive oil onto the tails (or drizzle)
  • Put in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to marinate.
  • Place the tails faced down on the grill.

  • For 16oz tails, I had to leave them on for 2 minutes per side. They are bigger than the ones in the video above so the extra time is needed.
  • Once the tails have a little pinkness to them, pull them off the grill.

  • On medium heat add the following to the pan and bring to a boil: 1/4 stick butter, 2 tablespoons of garlic/shallot mixture and 1/4 cup of water.
  • Turn pan slightly on its side so that the liquids of in the pan are still over the fire and cooking. Add your 2 lobster tails to the TOP of the pan on their backs with the meat facing upward.

  • Take a tablespoon and drizzle the boiling liquid mixer over one of the tails. This will actually cook the tails to completion. You may need to add more butter garlic/shallot mixture and water throughout this process in order to coat and cook both tails.

  • You can see when they are done when they are white and when you touch them, they will bounce back a little.
  • Once they are finished cooking, place them onto your disk and drizzle a little more butter garlic/shallot mixture and sprinkle some parsley.
  • You are now done!
  • ENJOY!

My wife likes the lobster a little more well done, so…for her, at the last stage, I pull the tails out of the shells, I cut them into large chunks and add them pack to the pan with the garlic/shallot mixture until they are a little firmer.

I then place her lobster onto a place and broil in the over for 30 seconds to give it a little sear!

Bon Apetite !

 

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iPhone 4S, iOS 5 cause frenzy for Apple stores

Posted on October 17, 2011 by afterdark

by Stephanie Brown – The Daily Campus (see original article)

The age-old question of whether or not people define trends or trends define people may have been answered Thursday morning when Apple fanatics began camping out for the iPhone 4S release on Friday.

The new iPhone was even worth camping out the night before a big biology test, according to SMU junior Emily Reagan.

By 6 a.m. on Friday, there were about 100 people lined up outside the Apple store on the corner of McKinney and Knox. After speaking with the early birds, it was apparent the hype centered mostly on the deep voice integration system called Siri.

The Apple store manager on duty confirmed that the Knox Henderson store had received its complete shipment for the iPhone 4S, but the store was expecting more shipments to come in over the course of the day.

While the distribution of iPhones went smoothly on Friday, the store was packed on Saturday for a different problem.

Many Apple users were excited to upgrade their iPhones to the iOS 5 system that Apple had raved about at their conference held on Oct. 4.

The iOS 5 system shares many of the same features as the new iPhone 4S, but it does not have Siri. Users who had tried to upgrade their existing iPhones, which included iPhone 3G and iPhone 4, found themselves unable to do so.

Once the user had upgraded, the system told the user that the SIM card in use was not compatible with the device and directed the user to seek further information by visiting their mobile carrier or the Apple store.

After personally experiencing the problem, I visited the AT&T store on Greenville Avenue.

The technician there swapped out my SIM card, twice, and wi

th no luck directed me to visit the Apple store because it appeared that there was a glitch in Apple’s system. Knowing that

Apple would be swamped on Friday, I made my appointment for Saturday.

When I arrived, the “genius” technician who was helping me told me I needed a new iPhone. He swapped out my physical iPhone and then tried to install the iOS 5 system, but the same message appeared that the SIM card was not compatible with the phone.

Luckily, there were AT&T technicians on site, who worked on my phone for an hour.

They said they had many users experience this same issue, and the only option was to wait as Apple had a delay in their system and was lagging in updating the individual phones.

The technicians from AT&T advise anyone who wishes to upgrade their phone to the iOS 5 system to delay doing so for at least a week, because Apple is receiving a high amount of traffic.

To avoid being without a device, this may be advice worth heeding.

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