Pets Can Sense the Paranormal

This guest post from Arlene Guthrie

I'm a sucker both for animals and the paranormal; this is why I love that the Animal Planet airs The Haunted - a show that centers on a family whose pets are affected by the ghosts that inhabit their house. Ever since I got my new Direct TV HD DVR, this show has become my favorite show of all time. Why? Because it has everything from cute animals to scary ghost stories. Although each show is different, they all share something in common: pets.
I've owned several dogs and cats my whole life, so watching families who act as if their pet is as much a part of their family as their own kids makes me feel really at home when watching the show. Of course, the ghosts make me a little nervous once it's time to go to bed, but I know my dog, Jack, will lay across the foot of my bed and protect me if anything jumps out of the closet. The show has also helped me to understand an animal's keen sense of the paranormal and just how special they really are.

DeadSpace 2 Launch!

Also, the DeadSpace 2 Trailer has launched and looks to bring all kinds of new action to the playing field. A lot of changes have been made to make DeadSpace 2 even better. Check out the trailer:

WoW's Lunar Festival Begins!

Lunar Festival is upon us again as the citizens of Azeroth celebrate the defeat of Omen, driven mad during his plagued sleep after being wounded by the Burning Legion. Players can scour the world for Lunar Festival Elders or test their mettle against Omen. Rewards await those who gather enough Coins of Ancestry.
The festivities started on Sunday, January 23rd and will wrap up on Saturday, February 12th.

Visit WoWWiki for all the details on the Lunar Festival

Updates for Black Ops

Without a doubt, Call of Duty: Black Ops has been great, but there are still a number of things wrong with the game that seem to be aggravating players of all game types in the multi-player realm. Luckily Treyarch realizes these problems, unlike many games of the past, and are working to correct them even though they should have been dealt with before releasing the game anyway. CallofDuty.com has a full posting of the updates that will be taking effect to correct a lot of the issues, however there are still several that they are continually working on. Without a doubt the spawn system has been very troubling, particularly with the small maps, especially Nuketown, but this next update aims to take care of that problem. This and other problems are on the list from the Forum post addressing this update:


NOTE: This is for all consoles, I repeat, all consoles. I think its for the wii, but I'm not positive.

Hey gamers,
We are listening to you and we’ve been busy working on updates based on feedback from the community. We have already deployed a number of updates, and there will be many more to come. Stay tuned right here for all the latest info.
IN PROGRESS Title Update 4 is nearing the end of Phase 2 testing. Going into Phase 3 submissions on 12/6. Patching process: http://fb98197f.theseforums.com

Issues Addressed:*• Resolved several issues with parties getting disbanded unexpectedly.

• • Updated handling for UPnP-enabled routers to improve matchmaking conditions where users had strict or moderate NAT types. Also added in-game communications so that all players are aware of their NAT type in the Player Match party lobby.
• • Addressed issue that prevented the “Load MP by Default” option from saving when other specific option combinations were set.
• • Prevention of exploit that allowed players to keep custom classes and killstreaks after prestige.
• • Addressed an issue where Flak Jacket Pro would not always protect against ground fires left by Napalm Strikes.
• • Prevention of users losing their killstreak reward when switching classes at the start of a new round in round-based game modes.
• • Addressed an issue where the incorrect perks would appear when spectating another player under certain circumstances.
• • Added round start explosive delay to China Lake grenade launcher to give it the same round start limitations as other explosives.
• • Contracts will now reset when the player Prestiges.
• • Prevention of Valkyrie rocket exploding upon release under rare conditions.
• • Prevention of Gunship failing to give player full control under rare conditions.
• • Prevention of an issue where a player will get teleported outside the map boundaries under very specific circumstances.
• • Additional security measures to enhance detection and banning capabilities.
  
  Gameplay Tuning:
• • Limit the ability to re-roll supply drops using Hardline Pro to Care Packages only, no other killstreak drops.
• • Added a negative influencer to all spawn points to decrease the chances of spawning near an enemy. This will further improve spawning protection on top of previous updates.
• • Additional sound mix tuning for Ninja Pro users – increased ranges and volume of enemy footsteps, and removed player footstep sounds on concrete material types.
• • Increased headshot multipliers for sniper rifles. Sniper rifles with suppressors equipped will now always be ensured one-shot kill headshots.
• • Subtle increase in sniper rifle accuracy when scoping in.
• • Added a render delay to the red diamond player indicators that appear when controlling the Gunship, Valkyrie Rocket and Chopper Gunner. When a player first spawns, this will not appear for a period of time.
• • Additional minor reductions in knife lunge. 

For more updates be sure to visit The Call of Duty Wiki.

Optimus 7

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of LG. All opinions are 100% mine.

LG has launched its first Windows Phone 7 known as the LG Optimus 7  using the Windows operating system, designed to simplify what people do and how quickly they can do it. The Optimus 7 offers the same glance and go experience of the Windows Phone, but is combined with features offered only by LG . Share multimedia files with other digital devices and Hubs without having to access tons of menus and display videos and pictures or even play music without the hassle of any wires, directly on your tv. If you're thinking about going out, access real-time information about shopping, dining, entertainment and more with Scan Search, another great feature from LG, to make sure you get exactly what you're searching for. And when you are out, don't miss a moment with the 5mp camera and 720p HD video resolution, ideal for capturing video and photos and uploading them directly to any social media.  Enjoy a new era of entertainment with tons of features and simplicity with the ability to directly access your Xbox Live and Zune services, making entertainment more convenient. Check out the video below for all the great features the LG Optimus 7 has to offer.

 

What do Your Ties mean to you?

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of MyTies. All opinions are 100% mine.

MyTies, the latest social networking system takes the ties that you have in your life, and makes them that much more personal while keeping your "ties" or groups that are specific to you, completely private. Releasing 11/3 for the iPhone, MyTies looks to revolutionize social networking for mobile devices in a way that provides safety that other social networks don't, while still allowing you the ability to completely customize your style and the people you interact with everyday. Through this new social network, you are able to not only stay in touch with friends, whether your around the corner or miles away, but even find them with an integrated gps that lets you know when friends are around ... if you want to be found of course. If you prefer to get away or just not let certain people know where you are or what you are doing, you can completely customize who gets to see your conversations with more customizable privacy settings ... because you most likely wouldn't find your college buddies chatting with your parents, and probably wouldn't want them to. The best part is the ability to group your contacts for easy messaging and deciding who gets to read which conversations. MyTies customization gives you more control over your social life so you don't accidently invite your boss to that party again...

Best of all this App is free at MyTies and you can get 20 more invites to connect with more family and friends with this code: myprivacy

Check out the free demo at MyTies.com and then download the app for free!

Reach

Halo: Reach turns out to be as good as Bungie has been claiming all along but as I play I can't help but feel that there is something still missing. Although this is a new chapter in the story, there really isn't any drastic difference than the other Halos. As a matter of fact, even in multiplayer the lack of creativity is showing with remakes of old, uncreative maps like Hemorrhage which is simply a different colored Blood Gulch. Don't get me wrong, the new Halo is a great game, great story line, and still great multiplayer with a slight new twist of classes, which has also already been done by many other games, but the lack of creativity seems to make Reach appear to be nothing more than a reach of desperation to stall while they think of something better. At least that is what I hope they are doing if they plan to keep an audience for their next release.

Call of Duty: Black Ops is just around the corner so be sure to get your pre-orders in. The new types of game play that are supposed to be released in Black Ops look promising but only time will tell.