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Rock Band $169

Stamina Magnetic Resistance Recumbent Bike $189

Losing weight playing a video game PRICELESS

It all started for me in February. I realized that springtime was coming fast and I had a few pounds to lose. Fifteen pounds to be exact. I found that I have little time in my day to to make time for a workout. I ordered a Stamina Magnetic Resistance Recumbent Bike from Amazon. I chose this model because it is magnetic and thus almost silent. Also the price is very reasonable for what you get. My original idea was to modify it so that I could use my laptop why working out. The problem was that could not keep my knees low enough to use the laptop effectively. I pretty much decided just to ride the bike while watching television. The problem I ran into was that I could not ignore the pain no matter what I watched on tv. One night my daughter was playing Rock Band on our Playstation 3.When she was done with her song I asked to borrow her guitar. Because the PS3 guitar is wireless it was no problem holding the guitar while riding the bike. I was extremely pleased to find that the concentration necessary to play the game made me forget out the pain involved in working out. Plus the songs are great so you get pretty pumped up just playing the game. I found that I had to download every song available from the Playstation network in order to keep it fresh. I have found that with this system I can work out every night and actually look forward to it. This system will work with the Guitar Hero games too. I am going to try some other games like Call of Duty 4 and Halo on the XBox 360. So if you are looking to lose weight and love video games, give this system a try. I think you will find that it works quite well. The more intense the gaming experience the better.

Ever heard of the ‘Tall Poppy Syndrome’?

Basically, it is slang for the tendency to criticize highly successful people (i.e tall poppies), and ‘cut them down’.

New Zealand has a terrible case of tall poppy syndrome with people constantly being knocked down, simply for letting themselves shine. People are criticized by their peers for merely striving to achieve the best, yet society wonders why a lot of young people settle for mere mediocrity in their chosen field.

I manage a band who I would have to call the best new rock band here in New Zealand, and in December last year, I sent a copy of this band’s album to a VIP in the New Zealand music industry. He absolutely loved it and he met with myself and Shayne to have a chat. He wisely advised us to watch out for ‘Tall Poppy Syndrome’ here in New Zealand. At the time I didn’t greatly understand that point he made, but I took the advice on board anyway.

I guess the main point here is that when you have something good, something that has the potential to be very successful – you have to watch out. There are people that will try and cut you down (generally those that are in the same industry, i.e in this case – the local struggling musician circle), that don’t want to see you succeed – because it shows that they are not as good.

When that happens, you need to be at your strongest. Don’t let it get to you – recognize it for what it is – jealousy. Let it be your motivator. That is exactly how I am now. I have a point to prove, but not only that – I know that this band is that good (check them out here). I’m not biased – but I do know what it takes to ‘make it’ and it’s also proven from the email, comments and response we receive from the general public (over 800,000 views on YouTube). We also have the support from very prominent NZ music figure, Ray Columbus. Whatever happens, stay strong, keep focused on your goals, keep your live show polished and finally – keep writing great songs so that you can be the best new rock band!

Keep your friends close and keep your enemies closer – you will see that in this case, there are people that have gone to great lengths to try and bring this band down……

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: “If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first four sharpening the axe.” – Abraham Lincoln

Click Here & Sign Up to Download Rock Band 2 Ringtones

Rock Band 2 is one of the most popular games in the world right now. Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, as the sequel to Rock Band and the second title in the Rock Band series. The game software was released in North America for the Xbox 360 on September 14th along with individual instrument peripherals. The software/hardware bundle for the Xbox 360 was made available on October 19th, the same date that the PlayStation 3 versions of the software, hardware, and bundle of the two were released. Versions of the game for the Wii and PlayStation 2 platforms will be released later in the year.

Click Here & Sign Up to Download Rock Band Ringtones

The game allows players to perform in virtual bands by providing up to four players with the ability to play three different peripherals modeled after music instruments (a guitar peripheral for lead guitar and bass guitar gameplay, a drum peripheral, and a microphone). These peripherals are used to simulate the playing of rock music by hitting scrolling notes on-screen. In addition to the 84 songs included on the game disc and 20 free downloadable songs, hundreds of additional downloadable songs are being released for the Xbox 360, Wii, and PlayStation 3 versions; all of these songs, existing and future, are compatible with all Rock Band titles. To get Rock Band 2 Ringtones for your phone, click on the link below and sign up now:

Click Here & Sign Up to Download Rock Band 2 Ringtones

Download Rock Band for Nintendo Wii. Learn how to get Rock Band on your Nintendo Wii. Download unlimited Nintendo Wii games including Rock Band.

Click Here & Sign Up to Download Rock Band for Nintendo Wii

Rock Band is one of the most popular games in the world for the Nintendo Wii. If you’re looking for a new game for your Wii, then Rock Band is the perfect choice. You can also download unlimited games, music, movies and TV shows for your Wii by clicking on the link below and signing up at MyWiiDownloads.com. Click on the link below to learn more about this exclusive offer:

** Download Unlimited Games, Music, Movies and TV Shows for Your Wii **

The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of both. A distinguishing feature of the console is its wireless controller, the Wii Remote, which can be used as a handheld pointing device and detect movement in three dimensions. Another distinctive feature of the console is WiiConnect24, which enables it to receive messages and updates over the Internet while in standby mode. If you want to download Rock Band for Nintendo Wii, simply click on the link and sign up at MyWiiDownloads. You will be able to instantly download Rock Band for Wii and an unlimited number of other games, videos, movies and music. Don’t wait – get Rock Band now:

Click Here & Sign Up to Download Rock Band for Nintendo Wii

I could spend all day playing an adrenaline-fueled shooter over Xbox Live, and I love nothing more than running raid after raid in “World of Warcraft,” but when it comes to playing a game with a bunch of people, live and in person, nothing compares to “Rock Band.” Harmonix and MTV Games offered this little piece of melodic wonderment to the world last holiday season and, despite some unfortunate hardware malfunctions, met with thunderous applause from rock star wannabes everywhere. Now, a mere nine months later, a successor is ready to take the stage. The only question is, will “Rock Band 2″ be more like a Metal God or a Garage Band.

First, let’s take a look at the core game. For those of you living under a rock that’s ill-equipped with gaming devices, reading material and commercial television, “Rock Band” allows up to four players to take the reigns of musicians in an up-and-coming band with the sole purpose of hitting the big time. Whether you choose lead guitar, bass guitar, drums or vocals, you’ll use your rhythm, coordination and talent to play along with notable songs in music’s past and present. Thankfully, this perfect blend of accessibility and outright fun is returning for its latest incarnation.

Now that we’ve gotten that arduous task out of the way, we can move on to some new goodies that are offered so prominently in sequels. First, “Rock Band 2″ is throwing in some amazing online modes into the mix, allowing bandmates to link up from all over the globe. This is seen through local and global online competitions that include World Tour and Battle of the Bands, both of which give you, the gamer, an opportunity to compete against individuals and entire bands to see who truly is the God of Rock. If you worry about how you look more than how you play, the game’s character creator has been given the once over to allow for more fashion, tattoos and bling. Finally, if you’re an owner of the original “Rock Band” and you’re dreading the constant switching of discs, fear not. “Rock Band 2″ not only backwards compatible for downloaded content, it also has a Disc Export Feature for exporting the tracks from the original into your new game.

Sure, MTV Games’ franchise has solid and addictive gameplay, a hefty pile of online features, and enough songs to offer something for everyone. While each of these very positive comments should have you salivating and waving cash at a game store clerk, what really makes “Rock Band 2″ shine is the fact that anyone, from teenager to grandparent can pick up an instrument, strike a pose in the living room, and jam together in perfect, gaming harmony.

Summary

Rating out of 10

Gameplay: Whether you’re playing alone or with a group, “Rock Band 2″ offers accessible fun for all ages and enough songs to satiate any taste.(9)

Graphics: While you’ll spend most of the game looking at tiny dots on streaming frets, spectators will enjoy custom created characters and cool light shows that truly encapsulate the concert feel. (8.5)

Sound: It’s what the game is all about, and it does it flawlessly. (9.5)

Entertainment Value: Replayability galore and plenty of online features make “Rock Band 2″ a solid purchase whether you need to buy instruments or not. (8.5)

Originality: Sequels are far from original and the music genre is chock full of contenders. But while originality may be lacking, the concept is delivered better than any game currently in the genre. (6.0)

Overall Score 8.5