Guild recruiting is hard on the nerves

I have a guild on the Vashj server on World of Warcraft and it has been a pain to get members. The guild is brand new so it is only level 1 and has under 10 members and I am in danger of losing those. The guild premise is to have a group grounded in respect for each other and that I think is the major sticking point since many people act out their frustrations via online anonymity. They want to vent their frustrations by using the anonymity of the net as a way to avoid the penalty for behaving in such a manner that would otherwise get them into trouble. Pray for my guild that it gains memberships and progresses into a decent high level guild with plenty of opportunity for all. If you aren't the praying type then wish me luck, I also believe in luck and wishes. This is the guild recruitment macro I use and I hope to have 30 members by Sunday. . . " is a leveling guild who's watchword is Respect. We are small but growing fast. 4 bank tabs, starting funds, voice chat, and people who will treat you well. Msg for invite." Second macro is: " is a lvl 1 guild with 4 bank tabs, repairs, starter funds, and a fellowship based on Respect. Respond for an invite. Join us for a mature game experience." So you can see where I run into trouble. . . Everyone will think that there is no fun in being a member rather than a fun atmosphere that is civil as well. The upside is that is the few members I have are decent people who make the game enjoyable. Any thoughts as to how to proceed? Should I just invite anyone and weed them out or should I continue along the very slow but sure method. I'm leaning towards the latter but I am tempted to switch gears and sort the wheat from the chaff.

Galaxy Tab 7 inch Tablet GT-P1010

Well I thought I would write about one of my favorite hobbies right now, and that is to use my tablet for much of the things I use my computer for. Before I go into this device I want to qualify a couple things. One, I have never owned an iPad or iPhone so I don't know enough about those devices to compare them to my Galaxy Tab 7 inch. Also, my experience with tablets is limited to the GT-P1010, which is a rock solid device so I'm not sure if I am spoiled or not, chances are I am.

I am considering purchasing an iPad now that the displays are so much better but I am worried that all my hard earned money I've spent on apps in the Google Market (now Google Play) will go to waste, and I have found a number of good ones. The problem is I have learned how to use the tablet well and I'm not sure what the learning gap is between the iPad and the android devices. I have also always been happy with the more open model of applications and since everything on Apple's market has to be vetted by them I find that perhaps I may be missing out on some decent if controversial aspects of online life should I choose to go with iPad.

The Galaxy Tab 7 inch is a 16GB model with a microSDHC slot capable of taking up to 32 gigabytes of external storage. The model number is the GT-P1010, and I am thoroughly enjoying it as my daily driver. I wish I could recommend this device to people but the technology has moved on and the 1Ghz processor is adequate but no longer in the mid range of processing power needed to fuel certain programs such as games or running a lot of the newer apps together in one setting. It does have 512Mb of RAM but much of this gets used by services for apps that are installed, making me need to clear memory and uninstall certain apps I would rather have installed but are memory hogs or processor intensive.

A few things about the GT-P1010 I have not seen mentioned in other places. 

1) This is thee only model to not receive an upgrade to 2.3 . While many sites mention that an upgrade is not available for this unit, it has somehow been singled out as a device not worthy of 2.3 . I highly recommend buying a Galaxy Tab Note 10.1 if you are in the market for a tablet instead.

2) You need to root the device and modify the settings on the tablet to get streaming videos to work. For some reason Samsung disabled the Stagefright video player that came with the Galaxy Tab GT-P1010's Android 2.2 Froyo operating system in favor of the vanilla player from previous versions. If anyone reads this and is having trouble with their unit post a comment here and I will try to walk you through the process.

3) The stock keyboard leaves a lot to be desired. I am sure most people download third party keyboards for these devices, but I have yet to find one that does not block most of the screen when entering text. This is the main reason I suggest anyone interested in a tablet go for a 10 inch version. It just isn't fun to type a long article or email on a 7 inch device.

These are minor complaints on an overall excellent device. I use it to supplement my computer for short posts, Facebook and Google+ browsing, twitter and short emails. But the best use of the device I feel is for "enjoyment" browsing and catching up on emails and social networking while laying down in bed or at a coffee shop. Unlike a laptop it is truly portable, I have no trouble finding space and the time to simple pick up the device in 1 minute whereas my laptop is laborious and I have to keep it oriented in a certain position to use. You don't know how good tablets are until you find out you can lay down in bed and compute.

This was an early generation device and i look forward to buying a Galaxy Note 10.1 to truly join the modern aspect of tablet computing. Be warned if you decide to get a tablet, you will want to avoid your desktop computer, and you will find yourself in withdrawals when it comes time to plug the device in to charge...

World of Warcraft Auctions 5/18/2012

Using Auctioneer is a must for new players as well as old timers on this game. It enables you to see a history of prices via a percentage to determine whether or not an item is offered at rates that are higher or lower than average. While this does not help due to price fixing on materials for crafting it can be invaluable if you are offering these goods in bulk or stumble upon a number of these items in bulk to resell at a higher price.

A few words about items in the game that seem too low priced to be true. For instance on every server you will find Mystery Meat selling usually below 10 silver for 1 item or under 1 gold for a stack of 20. No matter how much price fixing you engage in you will lose your shirt and have to sell at a loss plus your deposits into the guild bank. This has to do with player ignorance of the cooking skill. You would think Mystery Meat would be a good cooking mat if you played vanilla wow but these days that recipie stands dormant since the area that used to offer the recipie is completely changed since the Cataclysm expansion.

I am currently compiling a list to print out of materials for crafting so I can engage in some profiteering to make some money for my newly established guild. Time to get back to the game, I will be burning the midnight oil here while the England finishes breakfast and East Asia prepares for supper. I cannot wait for the days when video games become a truly global enterprise.

Time to get serious about my Android experience.

I have been a technophile (someone who loves technology) since a young age. I grew up with a Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k and Commodore 64 all the way up to today where I use a desktop with 6 cores running at 3.7 Ghz when in turbo mode. Games in particular have been a passion of mine, even with h a trough lately in my  game playing abilities I still subscribe to Rift, and was a World of Warcraft player from 2005 up until last month.

But something has taken my fancy lately, namely Android devices. I own an Android 2.2 Galaxy Tab 7 inch and a 2.2 Virgin Mobile Motorola Triumph, with a 2.3 Gingerbread Wildfire S (also by Virgin Mobile) as my favorite, if memory deficient, device. The ability to take my computing with me has made me ditch my landline for good and embrace mobile operators as my daily drivers while on the go.

Some of these blog posts will be merely ruminations on my daily struggles with this nascent  technology while others will delve into more fundamental areas of where I feel the technology can be improved and why I think  that there is a lot of benefits and also improvements to be had in the mobile arena.

My next blog post will be a spec sheet of the devices I own. If nothing else, this will inspire me to buy a Transformer Prime and jump all the way from Gingerbread to Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich. The next purchase on my list will be an Amazon Kindle Fire though as the Galaxy Tab is becoming somewhat dated. I will be wiping my devices in preparation for this blog so as to refresh my experience and give my devices a fair shot at fame and fortune.

God's blessings on this Easter Weekend to you and yours,

Sincerely, Steven H.