Pixel Advertising

Super Bowl 2010 Advertising

2010-02-06T14:20:00.000-08:00

In 2009, NBC paid a whopping $3,000,000 for a 30 second spot during the Super Bowl.

There's a reason for the big price, but we can't all afford 100K per second.

And Yes, chances are the ad will be recorded and replayed on YouTube. But will people click through the the TV or YouTube video and then spend time on NBC's website? No.

The point is, advertising to millions of people can be costly, and for what? At Makeaquick.com, when you buy an ad, it stays visible for a minimum of 3 years, and when someone sees it, chances are they will click through to your site.

So if you don't have a ton of money to spend on a short flick, then buy an ad with us. You may not see a surge of results on the day you buy, but you WILL see results. It's a long term investment, and a tiny one for that matter. What are you waiting for? Make the smart move. At this point, Makeaquick.com is still young. The early buyers will benefit the most.

Buy a Block Now!

Stacking Up Makeaquick with Bing and Google

2009-07-10T16:33:00.000-07:00

Hey again! It’s Colin with a special post loaded full of insight into the recent news of Google developing an operating system and Microsoft flaunting a new, powerful search engine. I got a chance to sit down with the CEO of Makeaquick.com, Egor Koltsov, to get his reactions and perspective on this battle of business giants. The following is a question and answer type format from my conversation with the head honcho.

What was your reaction when you first visited Bing.com?
After looking at Bing.com my immediate thought is that the design and layout is not practical enough to be a number one search engine. For the amount invested, I would expect the design to be less overwhelming in appearance and a bit more functional. I was not presented with any distinguishing features different from Google or Yahoo, just an overwhelming picture. I cannot overemphasize the importance of a layout and design and understanding the vital role aesthetics play in public appeal. The picture in the background should be a selectable option because it takes away from the purpose of the site. There are some new features that Bing offers but I don’t see how they will drastically alter the search engine experience, especially if the user doesn’t know what those features are, because they are too hard to find, which should not be the case. The layout should provide a nice flow too all the new features that Bing.com is trying to present to the world.
What, to you, does an ideal search engine offer?
As of right now I would say Google offers pretty much everything a user might need. Their search results are relevant to key words and provide sponsored links at the top of the page. Bing.com offers related search results in addition to the entered search words, but my question is whether or not such a minor design addition will sway users from Google. Google is now working on an operating system that rivals Windows. Microsoft seems to be interested in attacking Google’s strength; the search engine market. I think that is a good move by Microsoft. Google has become a new way of accessing information. Until Bing.com better competes with the kind of design, features, and abilities of Google, Bing will not be much of a threat in the search market. Given the strength and reputation of Google’s products, I believe they will pose a strong threat to the operating system market, which is the core of Microsoft’s products and profits.

How might you relate Makeaquick.com to a site like Bing or Google?
Makeaquick has a similar layout to Bing in that the main page offers its viewers pixelated squares of information as the mouse cursor floats over them. Bing uses a randomized background picture and gives facts about the image, which has almost nothing to do with the purpose of a real search engine. It actually distracts the user from the purpose of going to the website. Makeaquick presents categorized pixel advertisements that link directly to an advertiser’s homepage. I believe a website should offer very specific features for users and allow them to quickly access the information they are looking for, not detour them away from what they are looking for.

As you know, Google is developing their Chrome operating system. How might you advise Microsoft in handling this kind of competition?  A way Microsoft could brush off the challenge would be to compete with Google’s products and hit them where it hurts, like the search market. There are cost-effective and creative changes the people behind Bing.com have to do to improve what they already have. Microsoft also has to become more competitive with different products and create new products that make their competitors envious; for example, like Apple has done with their line of iPod products. Microsoft is missing some simple things, like creating a product that looks edgy, is unique, yet simple and sharp, while also operating with consistent reliability. With so many tech savvy consumers and companies in the market, that is how products must work in this day and age.

You seem very confident about the direction and future of the Makeaquick.com enterprise. Given your funding, and the $100 million Microsoft invested in just the marketing campaign for Bing.com, how do you expect to compete on the worldwide web?  Microsoft needs a team of unique, intelligent, artistic, imaginative and out of the box thinkers like Makeaquick.com has in order to create something special. You need to invest less and think more… get bright students from accredited and prestigious universities with unique young minds. Give them a few computers, a small office and a million dollars and they will create and execute something special that will compete with the best that the web has too offer. It might even propel Microsoft back to the top. I guarantee you that would happen if my team and I were offered that challenge. Microsoft is spending $100 million to force people to campaign for a product when the same effect could have been made with public statement by Bill Gates or a viral advertising campaign that would cost no more than a mere $100,000!

Let the battle begin: Microsoft vs. Google

2009-07-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

What’s happening? It's Colin again for Makeaquick.com and I have got a hot topic for you today. Have you seen those advertisements lately, overstimulating your mind with information from top search results for keywords like ‘Hawaii’ and ‘tickets’? At the end of the commercial you are directed to a new search engine, excuse me I mean ‘decision-making’ engine. If you have no idea what I’m talking about watch the video below and you will hopefully gain more clarity throughout the rest of this post.

Basically Bing.com is Microsoft’s $100 million marketing campaign aimed at capturing a chunk of Google’s growing loyalists. It appears as though Microsoft’s main concern at this point is merely web surfers devoted to search engines and a better searching experience. If you want to see some of the ‘real’ people staking their claims of life before and after Bing.com, click on the linked words. The testimonials go as far as showing a user on a Google search page.  The question arose in my mind whether or not Google would offer any sort of response to all this Bing.com hoopla and it has been confirmed that the minds behind Google Docs, Google Maps, and the expanding list of Google apps, are not focused on just search engine results. They are focused on a Google operating system; Google Chrome OS. Check out an AP reporting of it. The Google Chrome web browsing software was released in late 2008 and as of yesterday, plans are full speed ahead to get an open-source operating system on computers for consumers by the second half of 2010. According to reports, the OS will be designed for “budget-conscious consumers primarily interested in surfing the Web.”  Okay so all this information is all fine and dandy but how does it relate to you, the consumer and Microsoft, the billion dollar software giant? Let’s start with you. When Google Chrome OS is available, you will have four major competitors for your business; Microsoft’s Windows, Mac OS X, Google Chrome, and Red Hat’s Linux. If you have been keeping up with my posts, you can probably guess which way I’ll lean. To be sure, I will continue investigating all options. Microsoft hopes consumers will continue to go and get a computer with Windows OS preloaded, curbing their software autonomy. This is where Google slides into play. Now computer shoppers will have to pause for a moment and think about which software giant they want curtailing their personal computing experience. Which one will you choose?

America the Beautiful

2009-07-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! It's Colin again for Makeaquick.com. The Fourth of July has come and gone and once again all of us at Makeaquick.com have plenty of reasons to be proud Americans. We were all very fortunate to spend our holiday with close family and friends at an all American picnic. It was as traditional an Independence Day gathering as one might envision; juicy hamburgers, plump hot dogs, salads galore, fruit and veggie trays, and of course a light American lager to wash it all down.
With live music from the likes of the Whiskey Saints and Paul Chesney, everyone was pleasantly surprised when John Fogerty stopped in to a play a few patriotic classics before his evening set at the local Hollywood Bowl. As the day progressed I discovered the meaning of America’s birthday is observed differently by all kinds of citizens. Regardless of where you celebrated, or didn’t celebrate, odds are pretty good that your ears were tickled with some kind of music. For me, being in and around Los Angeles guaranteed a Michael Jackson cover. In my case I heard a solid, upbeat rendition of Billie Jean. It was nothing like the mellowed out acoustic cover by Death Cab for Cutie frontman, Ben Gibbard, floating around the web right now. Click here to listen to a couple covers that have been generated since the King of Pop's death.
Given my experiences on America’s 233rd birthday, I will leave you with a list of things I found to be truly “American.”
The Hamburger – Created in 1885 by “Hamburger Charlie” Nagreen when his meatballs weren’t selling at the Seymour Fair in Wisconsin. Charlie simply squashed his meatballs into a patty shape and started calling the innovation a hamburger sandwich.
Old Glory – The nickname given to the American flag by William Driver in the mid-1800s. Driver’s “Old Glory” is kept intact from the day in 1861, during the Civil War, when Tennessee succeeded from the Union and the flag was sewn inside a comforter for hidden protection.
Baseball – Around the same time the original Old Glory was being hidden in a comforter, Alexander Cartwright of the New York Knickerbockers was helping to mold the early European sport “rounder’s” into the game of baseball Americans witness today. The first American baseball team was the Cincinnati Red Stockings formed in 1869.
So to all you recovering from another Fourth of July holiday, we here at Makeaquick.com want you to embrace the freedom the United States of America offers and do something very American!

My Newest BFF - IPhone 3G S.

2009-06-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone it's Colin, the freshest face on the Makeaquick.com blogging team. I've been testing the iPhone 3G S for a couple weeks to provide marketing research and feedback for various advertisers, firms, and friends. It has been quite a treat because I was holding out with my 1st generation 2G 8GB iPhone from the summer of 2007! Now that the rest of the world, seriously just about the whole world, has access to iPhone 3G S's new functionalities and Apple's OS 3.0, I thought I'd recap my experience with the "fastest, most powerful iPhone yet."

Let's get the basics out of the way. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch you should update to OS 3.0 immediately, although iPod Touch users will be tagged with a $9.95 upgrade charge. The 3G S has four key components that separate it from its lesser 3G: a 3 megapixel, auto-focus camera with video capabilities, voice command for your most common functions, Spotlight search, and a compass. iPhone OS 3.0 offers other significant updates from OS version 2.2.1 you can findhere, but that is a whole other story.
So how good are these new features? I'll speak to a few but let one testimonial do its own talking. The camera is a nice upgrade but not dramatic enough to corner the mobile phone, picture taking market. The video camera is decent, with minimal on board editing features, but good enough for a local Miami CBS news reporter to shoot an entire story using only the video camera and voice recorder application on his iPhone 3G S. Just watch this news story, shot with iPhone's video camera and be your own judge. Impressive nonetheless.
The voice command features are convenient when you need to be hands free and offer abilities to control your entire iPod, including playing specific artists, albums, songs and playlists, while also dialing specific phones of any contact in your address book. The voice control becomes interactive as well, allowing iPodders to ask for song information and requesting more music with similar rhythms. Pretty clever stuff, though I am waiting for complete voice control features like requesting certain songs be added to playlists or to never be played again.

The Spotlight search was a natural progression for the search features on recent Apple operating system upgrades. It allows users to search their growing iPhone storage collection. The 3G S comes in 16GB and 32GB varieties so search is more desirable than on the 3G 8GB and 16GB models. I've found it most useful for searching multiple e-mail accounts synced on my phone. But as you Spotlight users know, it does keyword search for everything you might have on your hard drive.
As for the compass, I have minimal use for such a feature. I'm sure there are some wild outdoorsmen that have been navigating trails, hiking mountains, skiing slopes, and wandering the Earth with one thought in mind; Why can't Apple just make a compass for my iPhone?! Well guys, and some girls out there somewhere, here you go! Your own compass app to replace the traditional magnetic compass control by the poles, moon, and other orbiting bodies in our solar system. There truly is an app for basically anything.
Having been given an "S" for speed, the iPhone 3G S really has outperformed smartphone competitors in overall data transfer rates. Our friends over at The Unofficial Apple Weblog recently posted speed test results comparing the iPhone 3G, one running OS 2.2.1 and another OS 3.0, the 3G S on OS 3.0, Google's G1 running Android OS 1.5, and the Palm Pre running Web version 1.0.2. Transfer rates were compared against a baseline 2GHz Core 2 Duo Macbook operating on OSX 10.5.7. Of course each smartphone has its own service provider (iPhone with AT&T, G1 on T-Mobile, Palm Pre paired with Sprint.) The results speak for themselves and I am here to attest to the speediness of my 3G S over the past few weeks. Check out thecharted results for yourself! I think the "S" stands for sweet!
My conclusion is this: I will be keeping my iPhone 3G S as a full time companion. No matter what criticisms I might have of the newest member in the Apple family, the iPhone still sets the precedent for the mobile phone slash smartphone market. I look forward to making speedier posts, faster tweets, and more immediate status updates for the Makeaquick.com fan base. All courtesy of our sponsors and my newest bff, iPhone 3G S.

The Makeaquick.com family welcomes Buckin’ B Ranch!

2009-06-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

Howdy y’all! The Makeaquick.com family would like to say “thanks and welcome” to the folks at the Buckin’ B Ranch, located just outside of Amarillo, the yellow rose of Texas! Beautiful sunsets give way to starry nights where the deer and antelope play on this sprawling piece of land in the heart of old Comanche canyon country. The wind sings, the tumbleweeds roll and the wildlife flourish out here in the Panhandle. Your host families will have you whistlin' Dixie after experiencing their charm, southern hospitality, and fine cuisine. So dust off your boots and book your trip today, because you know what they say… “Everything’s bigger in TEXAS!”

Makeaquick.com's first SALE!

2009-06-21T22:51:00.000-07:00

We here at Makeaquick.com want to congratulate and welcome MonaVie’s Ruth Cardon and her Canadian Acai Juice Company as our initial advertiser on our beautiful interactive site. Our staff is so excited to be working with Ruth! She’s a tremendous person and has a profoundly positive effect on everyone she meets. We look forward to getting healthier and wealthier together! MonaVie is changing people’s lives for the better everyday and here’s just one example of how:

I am a 21 year old college student at UCLA. I am slightly overweight, and a little bit worried about the direction in which my health could turn in the future. I heard about MonaVie from a cousin who’s a fitness coach, so I went to a tasting with my father who was also interested in what MonaVie could do for his health. My father has high blood pressure, as do I, and we have both been worried about our wellness. At the meeting we listened to some amazing first-hand testimonials of people at the party and decided to buy the juice after tasting it. It’s delicious!

Since drinking the juice, I have felt so much more energetic and full of life, not to mention more motivated to be healthy. I recently checked my blood pressure and it’s in the "good" range for the first time in 3 years! My father, an avid runner who has chronic hip and knee problems, had not been able to run in quite some time. He has not felt any pressure in his troubled areas since about a week after he started drinking MonaVie. And now, after feeling no pain and seeing his blood pressure drop to a “good” level, he’s running everyday!

MonaVie has really changed my life and my Dad seems 20 years younger these days! Having seen how happy my father is, my mother has started drinking MonaVie as well! We’re definitely a much healthier and happier family because of this wonderful product and we aim to share it with everyone we know and meet!
For more information and to get your MonaVie ordered today, please visit:
www.mymonavie.com/canadianacaijuice

The End of an Era: Dolce on Melrose is closing its doors June 30th

2009-06-17T15:34:00.000-07:00

Ciao Los Angeles,
When I accepted a position as an office assistant at Dolce, I assumed the job title came with the usual responsibilities any other hostess or secretary position requires of you. Two days before Dolce opened its doors, Lonnie Moore, CEO of Dolce Group and longtime pal of mine, said to me "You have to be the backbone of this place!" All of 20 years old, it was unclear to me whether he meant the office, the restaurant or both because Lonnie always has a way of making employees feel like his place is your place too, which only leads to a happier work environment. And thanks to partner Mike Malin, of the NBC reality hit Big Brother, celebrity investors were eager to embark on this journey as well. I was ecstatic on my way to work that first Tuesday morning! I had a cool job that was not only fun, but obviously was going to challenge me, which is just what I like! Little did I know Ashton Kutcher had gone on David Letterman the night before and held up one of Dolce's menus (the very menu I faxed to Letterman's people days earlier) and told America to go check this place out.

The restaurant had four phone lines in the beginning and they rang during my entire shift from 9am to 6pm! Everyone wanted to be there! The "boys", as I so affectionately refer to Lonnie and Mike, would come in to the office after their morning engagements and be slightly disgruntled when they discovered I had not even so much as checked the mail, much less attended to all the other responsibilities in the office, because I had been answering phones and taking reservations all day! I kept telling them over and over, "Y'all just don't understand, this thing is huge!"

But understand they did, which is why their savvy business persona is unrivaled today. Dolce on Melrose may be closing its doors, but you can rest assured Dolce Group is thriving! With an elite fleet of clubs and restaurants now spanning the country, there is virtually no end in sight. However, for you Angelenos who crave delicious Pumpkin Ravioli (my personal fave), two weeks from now you'll be S.O.L. All good things must come to an end and unfortunately our favorite local Italian eatery is no different. So make your reservations and plan your return to 8286 Melrose before it's too late!

Thinking back on all the special times I've spent at Dolce, the birthday dinners, drinks after work, and bad dates (where the only saving grace for the night was the delicious pesto chicken gnocchi), I do get quite nostalgic. So give them a call today at 323.302.4284 and be sure to tell them the folks at Makeaquick.com sent you! Grazie!

Arrive' derci!

"Read More" links in Blogger

2009-05-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

Hey, it's Pat here at Makeaquick.com. Im testing out a new little feature for our blog that I think will make the experience of checking out our blog a little more convenient.

Have you ever gone to a page (like ours...previously) and the current posting just isn't floating your boat? You have to scroll all the way down until you can see the next article. Now, what if that article doesn't do it for you either? Well, chances are your going to get bored and run off. So I'm adding a "read more" link to our posts. It will cut down the initial amount of text you can read, and then if your interested, click read more. This way, you will be able to scan all over the article titles quickly, and get a little taste of what they're about, without scrolling for days!

Want to put this feature on your blog? Check out these instructions.

The Joys: Next Band to Make it Big?

2009-04-28T23:55:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

It’s Dani from www.makeaquick.com here, reporting a really cool band that are really stirring up the scene. The Joys have recently embarked on a tour to promote their new CD “Unfold”, which started in late February, consisting of an appearance on A Channel morning show in London, hitting SXSW among Canadian heavy-hitters, a gig at the legendary Cat Club in Los Angeles and forward on to the Midwest.

Do they ever take time to breathe? Clearly not, the band has recently signed with Koch Entertainment to help promote the new album, a whole new facet to their team. What does the album sound like? The Joys signature classic rock sound, full of great classic riffs and the occasional ballad with vocals that will kick you in the teeth. A lot of the songs have that catchy, timeless structure that The Joys are so well known for. The difference between The Joys and most other bands out there? Their live show is absolutely phenomenal and I mean it is truly a rock ‘n’ roll performance that can rival some of the legendary bands in their genre. Lead singer Sara Smith is indefinitely dynamic, vocally and emotionally; with the ability to connect with everyone from your mom, the big dudes at the biker bar and the tween music lover.

With an endless list of accolades, among them a TIMA 2007 nomination for “Best Female-Fronted” , and extensive press coverage, it was inevitable that The Joys were to hit Gold record status with their single “Storm”. The experience has boosted them into the spot light and have made them push even harder to gain cross-national appeal.

On a stop in Los Angeles at Cat Club in West Hollywood, guitarist Mike McKyes took some time to answer a quick Q & A with us:

Q. The Joys were recently picked up by Koch Entertainment, how has the label helped? Has it become easier to manage the various components, Booking, Touring, Writing, Publishing, Management, etc?

A. Koch has a been a great door opener for us, and a great addition to our growing team. They have definitely made it easier by helping us with their expertise, efforts and contacts and put our album in stores nationwide.

Q. You were selected among some great company to represent Canada at SXSW, Bedouin Soundclash, Magneta Lane, Arkells etc. What was your experience like?

A. Aside from the fact that we were surrounded by thousands of people in downtown Austin and all the streets were closed off, I really felt like we treated it as another show… I mean, we were accepted to participate because of who we are just like all the other great acts that performed with us. I’m honoured that we got to experience SXSW, thank you!

Q. You released a brand new video for “Storm” off your latest album nationally in February, what have the responses been like?

A. Our fans love it, and it’s funny how perceptions change when it was released. I still wake up in the morning and brush my teeth the same way and people think that we’re famous now! I like it, because it makes me smile.

Q. The Joys have been touring since February, do you have any funny stories from the road?

A. Yes, Kevin made a homeless guy a peanut butter sandwich at a rest stop somewhere between El Paso and Hollywood yesterday. I don’t know why that’s funny… it just is to me.

Q.It doesn’t look like you guys are stopping anytime soon, especially with the release of your recent CD, what’s next? Will you be coming back to California anytime soon?

A. It’s a never ending process of playing live and promoting our music, and trying to balance that with writing new material, recording it and introducing it into our live musical repertoire. Oh ya, and finding some time to sleep in there.

Want to see how their tour is going? Check out their tour blog on http://www.thejoys.ca and keep up with the latest videos, reviews and pics from along the way!

Check out their new music video for their single, “Storm”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDe1flpfr7I

Merge: Telekinesis

2009-04-28T23:49:00.001-07:00

It’s Dani from www.makeaquick.com here. We are going to take a little break from my 5-star adventure to cover a really amazing band that I had a chance to listen to on my drive up to San Diego. The San Diego experience will come later, but check out Telekinesis!
These days there’s a real lack of great record labels that you can really rely on. The days of Stax and Motown, Chrysalis and Island feel long gone. Even labels like Arts & Crafts who at one point seemed to be on the right path to such reliability have fizzled into a safety zone for their friend’s bands and side projects; hardly a holy temple for the newest and most exciting talent. However, there is one label out there that does manage to come closest to maintaining a consistent reputation for having a killer roster of bands. That label is Merge Records. One only has to hear the names of The Arcade Fire, M. Ward, Spoon, and Neutral Milk Hotel to get an idea of the critically acclaimed bands and songwriters they release. That’s why when I heard about Merge’s latest new band Telekinesis I was really excited to hear the record. The band is singer/songwriter/guitarist/pianist/drummer Michael Lerner who wrote all the songs and plays almost every instrument on the album. It’s a solid listen that flows perfectly through the eleven tracks about the fragile heart of the indie rock dreamer kid. Lerner’s songs about escape (Tokyo, Imaginary Friends) and his cold, yearning heart (Rust, Calling all Doctors) will have fans of all of Merge’s songwriter based bands lining up at the door. His well written songs have catchy vocal melodies, chopping drum beats and sweeping keys arrangements. If I could give it a tag line I’d probably write something like: “Catchy As Hell” or “Joyous Melancholy”. This is a band I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on and looking forward to catching them live whenever they roll into town. In an era where everything is changing and you need something to trust in, I’m thankful my most recent leap for a Merge artist really paid off. Tune in to Telekinesis; it’s worth it.

Simon LA Finale: You’ve never had dessert like this

2009-04-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

Hey again,

It’s Dani from www.makeaquick.com here. Today, I bring you the finale of my experience at Simon LA restaurant, the latest venture from celebrity chef Kerry Simon. The dessert from Simon LA is so intense and exquisite, that it requires a whole separate post to itself. By this picture, you will see what I mean!

So, this dessert looks like absolutely every kids dream dessert, all at once! Well, that’s the point! Simon LA has created this eclectic dessert platter that features everything a kid could get at a candy store. It also features some American favourites! What’s the catch? Everything is homemade by the Simon LA staff.

The cookies are absolutely delicious, featuring white chocolate macadamia nut, moist chocolate chip and butterscotch chip. I saved a couple to have with my morning cappuccino, and damn it was worth it! The rice crispys, both chocolate and regular, were incomparable to most I’ve ever had. I’m not even a fan of dessert!

The sorbet is unbelievable. One was an orange strawberry combination that is extremely fresh and easily cleansed the pallet. The other is a banana version of rocky road. Both were so good, that when I had to rush off to a meeting I took both to-go so I could eat them in the car.

The only thing that I found disappointing was the donut holes. Donut holes are basically the US version of TimBits, if you’re Canadian, you know what I mean. I have yet to taste a TimBit rival, and this wasn’t even close.

The milkshakes were great and complimented the cotton candy, and tasty caramel corn. Our two favourites out of the whole dish were the chocolate cup cakes, which were made to look like Hostess Chocolate Cup Cakes. The were astounding and jaw dropping to any chocolate aficionado. They were not too rich, and had a very moist chocolate flavour. The other highlight of the dessert platter was the pink coconut cream puffs. They had a pink coconut encrusted crust, with a delicious cream filling.

This dessert platter is great to share with a couple friend! There is enough variety for everyone to be happy. In this case, I would definitely say to leave room for dessert!

SIMON LA: PART II

2009-04-26T18:42:00.000-07:00

It’s Dani from www.makeaquick.com here. Yesterday, I brought you a review of several appetizers and classics from SIMON LA, the latest venture from celebrity chef Kerry Simon. Today, I bring you a review of a few main courses that I had the opportunity to try.

Truffled macaroni and cheese

This isn’t your typical Kraft mac and cheese or even your mama’s macaroni and cheese. This is mac and cheese, Kerry Simon style.
The top layer of the dish is a delectable conglomeration of various cheeses. As you break into the mac and cheese, your taste buds are delighted by a creamy, but not too rich, cheese-based sauce and plenty elbow noodles. You can smell the aroma of truffle and it is the first flavour that hits your tongue. The truffle aroma slowly fades each bite and is followed by the wonderful texture of the rest of the dish.

If you are a mac and cheese fan, you absolutely have to try this!

Roasted prime new york strip l fava puree, tomato-olive sauce
A nine ounce cut of prime new York steak that is roasted and served in two slices over fava puree with a tomato basil olive sauce (garlic, shallots, roasted tomatoes, mixed olives, chile flakes and fresh basil)

I am really big on steak. I think that if you can cook a steak appropriately with proper garnish and complimentary side dishes, you really have it made. Of course, I had to try the New York Strip at Simon LA. However, I was severely disappointed. Their were two medallion cuts of meat that were cooked appropriately, but I couldn’t get over the fava puree with tomato basil olive sauce. It was extreeemeelly over seasoned to the point where I couldn’t enjoy the dish or the steak. What a bummer!

Bamboo steamed fish l lemon grass, ginger, kaffir lime, bok choy

The Bamboo steamed fish this particular evening was halibut, which I absolutely love and was excited to try. The halibut and complimentary vegetables was served in a bamboo hot pot. I lifted the cover to reveal an amazing aroma of fresh halibut and various spicy seasonings. The dish was simple, the Halibut was extremely fresh and flakey and it was seasoned with the most amazing combination of what I think was paprika, black pepper and chile flakes. The portion was rather small which was disappointing considering I could have eaten it all night!

What’s coming next? A review of Simon LA’s most infamous dessert!

Exclusive review of chef Kerry Simon’s latest venture, Simon LA

2009-04-26T18:32:00.000-07:00

Hey,

It’s Dani from www.makeaquick.com here. As I promised, I am bringing you some exclusive coverage of amazing resorts, restaurants and parties from a 5 star exclusive weekend trip. The first of this coverage is a review of the appetizers from Simon LA, the latest venture from world renowned chef Kerry Simon. Check out my thoughts below!

Marinated spring market vegetables l homemade ricotta, warm crostini Seasonal vegetable that are blanched and marinated in herbaceous olive oil (parsley, basil, rosemary, sage, garlic, shallots, salt, chile flakes) then tossed with lemon juice, fresh parsley, orange zest and served over homemade ricotta cheese and served with a toasted piece of Ciabatta bread. Vegetables may include baby carrots, romanesco, campari tomatoes, fava beans, English peas, pea shoot, fennel etc..

I absolutely love fresh vegetables. The vegetables were flavourful and cooked appropriately with that wonderful warm crunch. However, I wasn’t really impressed with this dish in it’s totality. The ricotta was bland, extremely watery and did not compliment the vegetables in the least and was totally omissible. I also expected more from the “herbaceous olive oil” which I found typical and lacking of the flavours as per the description above. I wish the fava beans, English peas and pea shoots were included in this dish!

Colossal crabcake l young papaya asian slaw

The Colossal crab cake was fine. The crab was fresh and it wasn’t doused in oil, the outer layer had a delicate breading and the texture was enjoyable. However, the flavours didn’t really pop for me. I enjoyed the young papaya Asian

Tuna dynamite l lump crab, red chili aioli
layers of sushi rice, yellowfin tuna, lump crab meat topped with spicy Asian mayonnaise (sambal, sweet chile, soy, ketchup, mirin, mayonnaise). dish is gratineed in salamander caramelizing the mayo; completed dish is topped with a sake/mirin/soy reduction.

Tuna Dynamite had to be the best dish that I got to experience. I actually ordered it three times before leaving the hotel. The flavours and textures of the dish are bold and flavourful. The solid base of the dish is sushi rice, which absorbs the flavours from the sake/mirin/soy reduction and mayo. The tuna is fresh and the most bold flavour with a slight spicy Asian-infused kick. The crab meat is the delicate top layer which ties in all of the flavours, especially the mayo. If you like spicy tuna sushi rolls or sashimi, this dish is a must-try! The best part about this dish is you can definitely split it with two to three people or enjoy it as a satisfying meal yourself!

Five Star Exclusives from www.makeaquick.com

2009-04-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

It’s Dani from www.makeaquick.com here. Tomorrow I’m leaving for LA for a business meeting and conference. I will be staying at the tres chic Sofitel which also means I will be bringing you exclusive reviews of the Stone Rose Lounge and SIMON LA.

What is SIMON LA you might ask? It’s the latest venture and top LA restaurant by superstar chef Kerry Simon. Kerry Simon is the only person I’ve seen beat Cat Cora on Iron Chef America. Not only had this culinary star attracted the likes of David Bowie and Iman, Matt Dillon, Diane Keaton, Debbie Harry and INXS, Chef Simon began a trend that renewed the popularity of chef’s tables in kitchens throughout many fine restaurants in the United States. This critical response to Simon’s special brand of culinary genius was noticed by Rolling Stone. In 1991, the magazine named him one of the top personalities of that year, and bestowed him with the unofficial title of “Rock n’ Roll Chef."

I’ll also be checking out some of the hottest clubs in West Hollywood.

What else do I have in store for you?

The meeting then brings me to the Ivy Hotel in San Diego, one of the hottest boutique hotels right in the Gaslamp district. With a renowned rooftop function space, with panoramic views, VIP access to Envy Nightclub and Ultra Lounge, bottle service and Cadillac Escalade service.. It’ll be as if you were here with me!

Check back all of this week for 5 star exclusives from www.makeaquick.com

PimP and sick of LA traffic?

2009-04-13T16:55:00.000-07:00

Hey, it’s Dani from www.makeaquick.com Are you sick of LA or NY traffic? Well, I sure am! Check out the new Gocycle. It Go’s about 15mph, and it’s electric which is great for the eco-conscious. It has a sleek modern design and folds up for easy storage and portability. The Gocycle is the world first to feature a fully-enclosed, multi-gear drive system of three gears. The bike is being sold between $900and $2500, which is a great investment considering you don’t have to pay for gas!

In other news, are you undeniably pimp like me? Or do you want to just look it? Then check out this gold bullion mouse. Unfortunately, it isn’t made out of real gold, but it looks pretty damn cool.

You can also buy a USB hub and Gold PC to match!

To You Becoming A Billionaire

2009-04-09T22:55:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

So Egor emailed me this cool write-up on Forbes about a study on Billionaire traits. Forbes “studied” 657 self-made billionaires to come up with commonalities between them. The article can be found here: http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/106866/Billionaire-Clusters Here’s my take on the article:

“First, a significant percentage of billionaires had parents with a high aptitude for math. The ability to crunch numbers is crucial to becoming a billionaire, and mathematical prowess is hereditary”

Yes, usually being able to count is important, so is being able to spell and read. It’s also great to be able to actually count the money you roll around in.

“Consistent with the rest of the population, more American billionaires were born in the fall than in any other season. However, relatively few billionaires were born in December, traditionally the month with the eighth highest birth rate. This anomaly holds true among billionaires in the U.S. and abroad.”

All of you born in December, might as well give up now. Don’t complete high school and don’t even try going to college. It’s all over for you. Don’t’ worry, Billionaires always need people to pick up after their children and mow their lawn.

“More than 20% of the 292 of the self-made American billionaires on the most recent list of the World’s Billionaires have either never started or never completed college. This is especially true of those destined for careers as technology entrepreneurs: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Larry Ellison, and Theodore Waitt.”

Just like we said! College? Psh, who needs it? A B.A. isn’t even worth it’s weight anymore, everyone has one! Plus, the debt you end up being in is RIDICULOUS! Might as well just go on walfare, be a bum and live off the system (ie the Billionares).

“Billionaires who derive their fortunes from finance make up one of the most highly educated sub-groups: More than 55% of them have graduate degrees. Nearly 90% of those with M.B.A.s obtained their master’s degree from one of three Ivy League schools: Harvard, Columbia or U. Penn’s Wharton School of Business.”

Didn’t you just say that most Billionaires never started or completed college? We are confused, please be consistent.. This is important! We are education the masses here!

“Several billionaires suffered a bitter professional setback early in their careers that heightened their fear of failer.”

If your money making schemes fail and you get banned from Ebay, pick yourself up and try again!

“Several current and former billionaires rounded out their Yale careers as members of Skull and Bones, the secret society portrayed with enigmatic relish by Hollywood in movies like The Skulls and W. Among those who were inducted: investor Edward Lampert, Blackstone co-founder Steven Schwarzman, and FedEx founder Frederick Smith.”

That’s right, you heard it! Gangs are the way to making big money, no wonder police are trying to crack down.. Not everyone can be a Billionaire, of course! Forget the gang crackdown.. Join ‘dem gangs

To you becoming a Billionaire
Salute
Or shall I say
Absolutely
Makeaquick.com

Have you ever wanted to snowboard on sand dunes?

2009-04-09T00:14:00.000-07:00

It’s Dani from www.makeaquick.com here. I am an avid snowboarder, so when I moved from frigid Canada to the summer wastland that is California, one of my friends gave me a, what they thought was hilarious, going away present.

While I was cleaning out my closet the other day, I re-discovered the present . It’s called a Sandviper, and it is used for “snowboarding” on sand dunes. This thing is real, and apparently very popular in places like Dubai. Now the sandviper comes in various different shapes, depending on your style of sand boarding…

I do like boarding, but maybe a ripstick, longboard or something of that sort would have been more appropriate?

The special conditions on sand need specific equipment, hence this special board. “The front area is wide for more boosts in the sand and gets narrow in the back for aggressive maneuvers. The bottom side is slightly convex from nose to tail for an optimal float angle. The top side is vaulted therefore no sand amasses on the board and transfers more power from the foot to the board by the rampant angle. The foot loops assure an easy step in or out and transmit foothold and control of the board to the driver.”

Check it out!

The Tate gets a much-needed facelift

2009-04-07T23:49:00.000-07:00

It’s Dani from http://www.makeaquick.com here. Since I was a kid, I have been fascinated with museums and art galleries. My favourite was the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Ontario Canada. The building was always very conservative, with a massive grand entrance and fantastic mosaic on the ceiling. It had, and still has a really cool massive Native American totem pole that stretched at least 4 floors.

For the last two years of my undergrad at the University of Toronto, I had the pleasure of witnessing an architectural feat that blew my mind on a daily basis; the new Crystal gallery extension to the Royal Ontario Museum. I got to watch the entire construction process while walking to class, on my lunch, or out library windows, from the massive steel frame, to the panels that enveloped the old, conservative design of the building.
The result of the new extension? An amazing juxtaposition between the conservative original building and the dynamic modern “Crystal” which looks as if it has landed and crashed the museum.

That being said, I was very surprised and excited to hear the Tate museum has just unveiled it’s new Egyptian-modern inspired extension. This is fantastic news considering the Tate is a massive concrete construction, and not in the flattering way. Check it out!

Amazon Kindle 2 Review

2009-04-07T01:23:00.000-07:00

Hey, it’s Dani from www.makeaquick.com. So I was talking with owner and founder of http://www.makeaquick.com, Egor K., and he saw the new Amazon Kindle 2 electronic ebook reader and insisted that I check it out!

Have you been debating getting an electronic book reader? Now just might be the time to pick one up. Amazon just launched the Kindle 2, which has some significant improvements compared to it’s earlier counterpart.

The Kindle 2 is cheaper, running at $359, and it’s a lot thinner, only 0.36 inches. The Kindle 2 hold about 1,500 books, compared to the original Kindle which holds only 200. It also has a longer battery life.

You can adjust the text size, wirelessly download books with the build in wireless capability without the need for a wi-fi hotspot or monthly service plan and I find that it’s not like reading off a computer screen, in fact - it is very similar to reading a book without the cumbersome weight.

In addition, people are developing all sorts of applications for the Kindle. For example, there is a new app that converts .PDF and .epub docs to the Kindle compatable .mobi format.

Pretty Cool!

Nintendo DSi hits stores today!

2009-04-06T17:01:00.000-07:00

It’s Dani from http://www.makeaquick.com here with a pretty cool announcement. The Nintendo Dsi hit the stores today and I got to give it a test-drive to give you a firsthand review. So what are some of the differences between the Nintendo DS Lite, and the Nintendo DSi you might ask? The DSi is about the same shape and size as the DS Lite, it comes in a matte light blue and matte black as of right now. The screens are slightly larger and brighter and the DS games still play and look the same, but you can no longer play Game Boy Advanced Games.

There is a slot at the front that houses a SD card reader, this means that you can store photos and music on the unit. The most visible improvements are two cameras, one on the front of the DSI, and one on the back of the front casing. You can snap photos and edit them, as well as integrate your own face into games such as Mario Kart!

A new operating system allows you to go online and purchase/download games wirelessly with the newly launched Dsi shop. Finally, a music application allows you to record sounds and manipulate songs, which allows for some pretty cool functions such as the new KORG DS Synthesizer, my favorite function thus far.
Now, for the question you’ve all been waiting for? Can you hack it?

Not yet…

Price: $169.99

Mac Mod, Mac Tube?

2009-04-02T22:16:00.000-07:00

Hey,

It’s Dani from www.makeaquick.com writing to you about my current love: The McIntosh.

So I was surfing the internet a while ago, and found this really cool MacBook mod created by a guy named Eddie Zarrick. Thinking that it was relatively impossible to replicate this mod on my own, I gave it up. However, I just found out that Zarrick recently published a very thorough how-two, with a material list that only costs about $200. So if you’re brave, and not technically challenged, then this is a really cool mod to try out. Also, don’t worry if you screw it up too bad, a new clear logo LCD replacement for a macbook is only $10. Check out the How-To Here: http://edsjunk.net/tutorials.html

Hottest new mobile radio for the Slacker

2009-04-02T00:20:00.000-07:00

Do you like unlimited, free music? BUT are you download-conscious and feel that it’s unfair to download songs without fair compensation?

We have a wicked, new gadget for you. SLACKER is a new personal radio system for your computer or mobile device.

As far as I understand, Slacker has inked deals with all four major labels and indie labels / indie distributors to provide their users with a gigantic and almost limitless playlist of free music with album art and artist profiles. This means that you may not find that obscure new band your roommate was telling you about, but you will find something you haven’t heard before.

In addition, you can go through various songs and rate them by either marking them as your “Favourite” or by “Banning” them from your playlist. Slacker will then, based on your selections, provide you with more music that is similar to your favourites.

Slacker is totally free to use, with the exception of the purchase an optional radio player. However, if you have a computer with reliable internet or a Blackberry/ iphone, It’s not necessary. You can download the Slacker application from the web, directly to your phone. Viola! As long as you have internet, you have free mobile personal radio where you can find virtually anything you like and discover new music on the go.

Now that’s something NOT to feel guilty about!

Who the F#$%! Are People?

2009-04-01T11:51:00.001-07:00

JIMMY YOUNG - VOCALS &GUITARS
MATT POWERS - BASS
MATT O. - DRUMS
GRANT RHODES - KEYS

The www.makequick.com team got a chance to check out PEOPLE at the Troubadour on Fri. March 20th in Los Angeles, California and we absolutely loved them. I heard of PEOPLE through a band called Semi Precious Weapons from New York, who I have seen several times over the past couple years. PEOPLE were supposed to tour with Semi Precious Weapons, but the plans tragically fell-apart after a death close to the band.

The bands claims that their music lies within the crux of 70s rock. Although tracks on their self titled release “PEOPLE” touch upon 70s attitude and vocal intonation say “Lil’ Bastard” or “1-330”, the reality is the band is relatively eclectic. With songs like the reggae inspired “Valentine” , “Double” a Mick Jagger/modern rock hybrid, or “A Night on The Town” 80s greatest hits, its hard to pinpoint the bands sound, but not their identity. With flamboyant outfits and 70s boyish good looks, the band is out to create a buzz again with a new album entitled “Cliché”. The new tracks seem to levitate towards the 80s direction, although we’ve only heard a few.

Look out for PEOPLE at the Viper Room on April 6th in West Hollywood, and maybe we will catch them on that Semi Precious Weapons tour sometime soon!

The Joys “Unfold”: SXSW, the Mid-West and a peanut butter sandwich

2009-03-30T23:07:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

It’s Dani from www.makeaquick.com here, reporting a really cool band that are really stirring up the scene. The Joys have recently embarked on a tour to promote their new CD “Unfold”, which started in late February, consisting of an appearance on A Channel morning show in London, hitting SXSW among Canadian heavy-hitters, a gig at the legendary Cat Club in Los Angeles and forward on to the Midwest. Do they ever take time to breathe?Clearly not, the band has recently signed with Koch Entertainment to help promote the new album, a whole new facet to their team. What does the album sound like? The Joys signature classic rock sound, full of great classic riffs and the occasional ballad with vocals that will kick you in the teeth. A lot of the songs have that catchy, timeless structure that The Joys are so well known for. The difference between The Joys and most other bands out there? Their live show is absolutely phenomenal and I mean it is truly a rock ‘n’ roll performance that can rival some of the legendary bands in their genre. Lead singer Sara Smith is indefinitely dynamic, vocally and emotionally; with the ability to connect with everyone from your mom, the big dudes at the biker bar and the tween music lover.

With an endless list of accolades, among them a TIMA 2007 nomination for “Best Female-Fronted” , and extensive press coverage, it was inevitable that The Joys were to hit Gold record status with their single “Storm”. The experience has boosted them into the spot light and have made them push even harder to gain cross-national appeal.

On a stop in Los Angeles at Cat Club in West Hollywood, guitarist Mike McKyes took some time to answer a quick Q & A with us:

Q. The Joys were recently picked up by Koch Entertainment, how has the label helped? Has it become easier to manage the various components, Booking, Touring, Writing, Publishing, Management, etc?

A. Koch has a been a great door opener for us, and a great addition to our growing team. They have definitely made it easier by helping us with their expertise, efforts and contacts and put our album in stores nationwide.

Q. You were selected among some great company to represent Canada at SXSW, Bedouin Soundclash, Magneta Lane, Arkells etc. What was your experience like?

A. Aside from the fact that we were surrounded by thousands of people in downtown Austin and all the streets were closed off, I really felt like we treated it as another show… I mean, we were accepted to participate because of who we are just like all the other great acts that performed with us. I’m honoured that we got to experience SXSW, thank you!

Q. You released a brand new video for “Storm” off your latest album nationally in February, what have the responses been like?

A. Our fans love it, and it’s funny how perceptions change when it was released. I still wake up in the morning and brush my teeth the same way and people think that we’re famous now! I like it, because it makes me smile.

Q. The Joys have been touring since February, do you have any funny stories from the road?

A. Yes, Kevin made a homeless guy a peanut butter sandwich at a rest stop somewhere between El Paso and Hollywood yesterday. I don’t know why that’s funny… it just is to me.

Q.It doesn’t look like you guys are stopping anytime soon, especially with the release of your recent CD, what’s next? Will you be coming back to California anytime soon?

A. It’s a never ending process of playing live and promoting our music, and trying to balance that with writing new material, recording it and introducing it into our live musical repertoire. Oh ya, and finding some time to sleep in there.

Want to see how their tour is going? Check out their tour blog on http://www.thejoys.ca and keep up with the latest videos, reviews and pics from along the way!

Check out their new music video for their single, “Storm”:

How to look PIMP by dying your Blackberry Trackball!

2009-03-29T14:39:00.000-07:00

It’s Dani here from www.makeaquick.com! It was Egor’s birthday yesterday, so Patrick and I decided to steal his Blackberry BOLD and make some suprise modifications! Ever want to match your trackball to your keyboard or casing? Check out our steps on how to dye your very own trackball for under $5!

STEP 1: Go to Walmart and purchase fabric dye of any colour, just make sure the brand is “RIT”

STEP 2: Carefully take apart the Blackberry and remove the trackball and it’s casing. Youtube it because this can be very difficult, and you can easily break the phone.

STEP3: Remove the trackball casing from the trackball, be careful not to lose any pieces!

STEP4: Squeeze the fabric dye into a bowl, the dye comes off ceramic easy. Warm up the dye in the microwave for 10 - 20 seconds. dip the ball into the dye, cover it entirely and leave it for a couple hours.

STEP5: take the ball out of the dye with tweezers, dry it until no excess dye comes off.

STEP6: put the trackball back in its casing, and put the phone back together.

STEP7: That’s it! Check out the black trackball we did as well!

Luxury Cellphone To Be Released, www.makeaquick.com gets a sneak peak

2009-03-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
Its Dani from www.makeaquick.com again. So yesterday, I updated you all on some great, free cellphone applications for your Blackberry or iphone… well look at this,

The ultimate luxury cell phone.. Yes.. Throw away your Blackberrys and Iphones and check out the Ulysse Nardin, typically known for making watches. The phone has biometric fingerprint locking, wifi, email browser, 2.8 inch multitouch screen, 5 mega pixel camera and yes, it looks pimmmpp. Although this phone has a battery, it also harvests kinetic energy from a watch-like rotor on the back. The phone is on display at Baselworld and jewellery expos around the world, and it will be available for consumers soon!

Do you like creating home videos and uploading to Youtube? Well check out these absolutely tiny and extremely colourful Cisco Flip Pocket Camcorders. Obviously, you aren’t going to get pro quality but you will get high definition! The cost ranges from $130 - $230 dollars It will capture 60 minutes of video on board flash memory which can be transferred directly to a computer or you tube via a USB club. The software included allows you to edit videos in a pretty efficient manner.

We also hear that Cisco is investing in creating a new release of Flip Pocket Camcorder and will be adding 4G wireless connectivity and Wifi, no other camcorders have these features yet!

Speaking of Youtube, be sure to watch the tutorials on how www.makeaquick.com functions on www.youtube.com/makeaquick

Have a Blackberry or an Iphone? Makeaquick.com discovers some free applications!

2009-03-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

My roommate got the Blackberry Bold recently. I’ve always been a fan of Blackberrys. I had a Curve most recently and really loved it. When working with clients and advertisers from www.makeaquick.com , it’s important to keep in contact and be able to view word files, powerpoint presentations and more seamlessly while I’m on the road. Since I was due for a cellphone upgrade, I thought it would be cool to get the Blackberry 8900. It has a lot of the features that are the same as the Blackberry Bold with the exception of G.

So far I’m loving it! I spent a couple hours online searching for free Blackberry apps to make my life easier and that I thought would interest our www.makeaquick.com team. I found some pretty interesting stuff.

Do you hate texting while driving or are simply lazy and hate typing long-ass text messages to clients or friends, especially those who refuse to call you and insist on texting you a novel? Well then VLINGO is for you. VLINGO basically allows you to “Speak” into your device and have applications carry out their respective functions. This includes sending emails, texts, memos, browser web searches, social-networking status messages and much more. AND this thing actually works, you don’t have to talk slow or like a robot, and it doesn’t make a ton of errors. Check it out at: http://www.vlingo.com/

For those slackers at work, not us at www.makeaquick.com of course, we found the ideal application for you!

Sling Media just released a new Sling Player application for Blackberry. What’s a Sling Player you might ask? A Sling Player allows you to watch your favorite television program that you have at home on your mobile device. The Sling Box attaches to your cable box, it costs only a few hundred bucks, and the Blackberry application is free. So if you’re at work late, or on a business trip in Japan, you can watch Boston Legal, Survivor, the football/basketball game, or any of your favorite television programs on your phone. Not only is it super cool if you love television, but it is virtually changing how people enjoy media. If you have a DVR or a TIVO, you can even watch the programs you have recorded.

If you have an iphone, the new application is being released really soon! Check out: http://www.slingmedia.com/

www.makeaquick.com gets to test-drive some new gadgets! An insane Xbox 360 and a new ereader!

2009-03-24T22:36:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of people who still read books..no, really! I’m serious. Brands like Sony and Samsung are trying to make it easier for people like you and me to read on the go! Be it, Go Transit, the Subway, Train, or in the car on a long weekend vacation. Dani from www.makequick.com got to test-drive the new Samsung Papyrus. What is a Samsung Papyrus you might ask? It’s an e-book reader, and its super cool. It comes in some sleek colours like sea foam green and black. It also has some great applications to help you keep organized like a memo pad, world clock, contact list, calculator etc. What a handly little organizer.

The Samsung Papyrus will hit the stores this summer in Korea and launching in the US/UK soon. The price is about $299, which is cheaper than all models of e-book readers currently on the market! Maybe They’ll advertise on www.makeaquick.com!

Are you an Xbox 360 Fiend? Or one of those crazy people that mod Xboxs for fun on your spare time? DanI from www.makeaquick.com got exclusive access to Microsoft’s 360development kit. It features double the memory of a stock 360 (1GB) - room in the hardware for devs to debug AND it runs burned discs. This XBOX runs as smoothly as www.makeaquick.com flash technology. Plus.. It looks absolutely super sweet. Unfortunately, this thing isn’t for sale or on the market.

Makeaquick.com SXSW Adventures Day 4 & 5!

2009-03-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

It’s Dani from www.Makeaquick.com reporting from the hottest music event in the world right now. Check out my exclusive coverage of Kanye West’s private performance and way more below!

I really enjoyed the Pop Montreal Showcase. Having never heard The Boats had a pretty respectable set. The D’Urbervilles were simply sexy and Les Handclaps are that type of feel-good upbeat pop that just makes you want to dance, regardless of if you know what they’re saying or not. Pop Montreal is still on the top of their game.

Silversun Pickups @ Antone’s, showed off their technical ability, literally ripping up the neck of a guitar with perfect ferocity. Silversun Pickups have that rare ability to extend the climax of a song to Mogwai-esque euphoria. They previewed some new material for the crowd from their unreleased album entitled Swoon. From the sound of it. I think it’s going to be another mega hit.

Jesse from MSTRKRFT seems to have lost the edge that was so apparent in Death From Above 1979, and now bores us with uninspired mixes.

We just wanted to let you know that Zaki Ibrahim is nominated for a Juno, and performed last night at Buffalo Billiards around 9pm. Having seen her numerous times, we didn’t check out her set - but in the words of Empire Isis, she is “gangstress”. Speaking of which we hope to have TIMA 2008 “Best Out-Of-Province” winner Empire Isis perform at the 2009-2010 TIMAs award ceremony. We also heard she was filming for her musiqueplus series during SXSW, check it out here: http://www.musiqueplus.com/emissions/empireisis/videos.html

We also wanted to see Ra Ra Riot and Immaculate Machines but didn’t get a chance. If you saw them, comment and tell us how they were!

Having purchased tickets for Fader Fort ahead of time, we were able to get in to the Kanye suprise gig. That being said, tickets were selling for ridiculous prices on the streets of SXSW. The performance opened with Kid Cudi, who you will be seeing a lot of in the upcoming years, scroll down and check out our previous blogs, we included a video of a Kid Cudi performance for you to check out. Common then hit the stage later joined by Kanye West. Since the Grammys, Knaye cut his ridiculous 80s hair (thank God) and has ditched the Venitian blind glasses for the solid plastic variety. Its ok, we can’t all be perfect… the duo spat insane lyrics for a few songs, and then were joined on stage by Erykah Badu (originally from Texas). The trio were impressive, In her own words, Erykah Badu was “hot like pussy in the sun” and it was apparent that Common “ain’t lil Wayne but [he] got a lollipop”.

My main issue with Kanye? The guy can rap and freestyle, obviously. When it comes to singing? He’s pretty much as good as Britney Spears lip-synching at the ACC. “Heartless” was OK, but his voice was so modified, it really took away from the performance for me. I can give him props for putting in the effort though. The performance(s) ended with Kid, Common and an all-star lineup joining Kanye on stage to sing “Good Live” and “Love Lockdown”

Kanye, Metallica, on SXSW? WHY WHHYYY WHHYY? For me, SXSW is about showcasing indie bands and you damn well know that every photographer, A&R Rep, and writer was at Fader Fort tonight - hell, we had someone there. Why overshadow the independent artists when you have an international stage, anywhere/ anytime? It seems slightly ridiculous. I really do commiserate if you played at any other venue at SXSW this evening.

Regardless, Maybe we can get Kanye and Metallica to advertise on the “Music” tab of www.Makeaquick.com!

Makeaquick.com’s SXSW Adventure Day 3 & 4

2009-03-23T01:21:00.000-07:00

I saw The Airborne Toxic on The Late Show with David Letterman, so I thought I would skip over to the NME showcase to see what the buzz was about. You’ve probably heard “Sometime Around Midnight” on the radio. They performed earlier in the week with Lily Allen and a few others. This band has a ton of Sold Out shows in the UK, and I mean, they’re ok. They’re sometimes really solemn, delicate and beautiful, other times they sound like The Cure meets The Strokes . I’m not surprised that they‘re a NME endorsed band. The being said, Cut Off Your Hands sound the same to me. Maybe it’s just my ear, or the fact that they were playing like 20 shows at SXSW and we had enough already of them. Same with Boy Crisis and the others.

Dynamic and flamboyant as always, Brooklyn natives Semi Precious Weapons hit the stage with their take on 80’s glam rock. Let me tell you, they aren’t a The Darkness-style kitschy interpretation of what 80’s rock was. Justin has so much charisma and attitude that I enjoy the music every time I see them and i’m totally entertained as well. Semi Precious Weapons are show stoppers, regardless of who they’re lined up with. Think of genderfukt New York Dolls with 6” stilettos. Who else could hump Rachael Ray at SXSW and get away with it?

Primal Scream are probably one of my favourite new bands. See them on March 24th @ The Phoenix Concert Theater in Toronto, Ontario. Check out their Myspace.

I was most excited last night to see The Sonics. To me, the Sonics are one of those bands that embody everything great about music. The Sonics are a lot older then most of the bands playing SXSW, but you would have never known it. Saxophone, gritty organ intact and full-speed ahead for their entire set -they are a total ’60s anachronism. Their punk rock cover, “Louie, Louie” , could have rivalled Patti Smith, and was one of the most intricate and sinister takes on the song I’ve heard. The Sonic’s aren’t the only band poised for a comeback. I heard the DEVO gig was extremely impressive gray jumpsuits and new songs in all, and they haven’t changed a bit. New studio album soon? We think so!

The hottest advertising portal http://www.makeaquick.com Reporting live from the hottest events in the world! Remember musicians you now have a cool place to advertise on:
Makeaquick.com!

Makeaquick.com at SXSW Diaries: Day 2 & 3

2009-03-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

It’s Dani here from www.torontoima.com and www.makeaquick.com!

Playboy Rock the Rabbit Party was the party to TRY to get into, mind you it was private and impossible anyway.. Energy Drink and Burrito in hand, I almost spilled my Rockstar when finding out one of our friends got in. WTF?! This is what we could get out of him before he passed out:

Moby really got the crowd going….and playmates going (SERIOUSLY!), closed his set with “Paradise City” by Guns ‘n‘ Roses I did a lot of dancing. Blah blah, honestly thought Moby was dead and gone… Centerfolds still like him… MGMT, last year’s SXSW darlings (they were EVERYWHERE in ‘08)…really solid set and were the highlight, only having seen them once before. Justice where Meh. Centerfolds. Never heard of the UK’s The Heavy or The Rub - but was most impressed with The Rub and the Centerfolds … (he then proceeded to sleep the rest of the day and we haven’t seen him since, sensory overload?)

Look out for Playboy’s annual March music issue. http://www.playboy.com/magazine/features/rock-the-rabbit/

Big Boi and K’naan were great, the crowd went crazy for Outkast hits and he said that a new album may drop in the near future. Andre 3000? Nowhere to be found.

Red Red Meat performed, who we haven’t seen for years - Is this a comeback with the re-issue of their 95 disc “Bunny Gets Paid”?

We really wanted to see Grizzly Bear - but they literally had a line as far as the eye could see. We heard that there was a delay for about 45 min.

Weirdest moments of the day:

Kris Kristofferson’s limo and the massive crowd of industry-types and god who surrounding him near the New West Party.

Seeing Semi-Precious Weapons and their HAIR. We caught them last year at the Cravefest International Video Awards @ Tattoo Rock Parlour, real show-stoppers. See them if you can.

The Handsome Furs blew us away at the Subpop Showcase, it felt like Dan almost shattered the mic with every lyric, and Alexei was barefoot - what’s with the barefoot thing? For some reason every time I see someone barefoot on stage it reminds me of K. D. Lang. Nonetheless, she is a nimble little thing who can play synth like the best of them. Handsome Furs emphasis how many truly gifted bands we have coming out of Canada right now.

Tonight? The Plans? NME Showcase @ Ace’s Lounge or Vice Records @ Emo’s Main Room

The big buzz for tomorrow night: Rap battle between Common and Kanye maybe? Where? Fader Fort at some industry party. When? We don’t know!! But when we do we’ll tell you!

The hottest advertising portal http://www.makeaquick.com Reporting live from the hottest events in the world!

Makeaquick.com is at SXSW the Hottest Ticket TONIGHT!

2009-03-19T23:10:00.001-07:00

Hey! It’s Dani from www.makeaquick.com, so we promised to bring you updates from SXSW in Austin, Texas. GEZ! Everyone is buzzing, twittering and so on about all of the bands performing. Other people are throwing “SXSW can Suck It!” parties in LA, mostly because they are jealous they can’t be in Texas, which I swear is the only time anyone will ever be jealous that they aren’t in Texas… Last night we split up and got to check out the legendary Roky Erickson w/ The Black Angels at Austin Music Hall. Others went to go check out the awesomeness that is Camera Obscura and The Bronx at Red 7 Patio. We Looooveeee The Bronx, especially “White Tar”.

The final group went to go show support for the HUGE night of Canadian Acts at the Last Gang/Paper Bag Showcase @ The Habana Calle 6 Patio featuring Lindie Ortega, Winter Gloves, Magneta Lane, Wood Hands and Mother Mother. All very good, Mother Mother was the hot ticket at CMW as well.

In addition, TIMA 2008 “Best Pop” Nominee Emma Lee performed at St. David’s Church at midnight.

The hottest ticket tonight? According to our friend Eric Alper of Koch Entertainment, Metallica’s Secret Show - but otherwise, there are some pretty amazing acts performing…so many we don’t know where to start, really - there is sooo much! If you dig urban music check out K’naan, who you may have heard most recently on MTV protesting the economic status of the US between your weekly dose of The Real World. He is performing today as part of an “AfroPunk” showcase with London Soud, Janelle Monae, Dallas Austin & Big Boi of Outkast @ Austin Music Hall.

If you’re feelin’ somethin Canadian: Sam Robert’s Band and Arkells are playing tonight at Cedar Street Courtyard in succession starting at 8:30pm. Six Shooter has a showcase tonight at The Velveeta Room with Jenn Grant, Elliott Brood, Melissa McClelland, Luke Doucet and NQ Arbuckle, starting at 9pm.

Emo’s Main Room: Cut Off Your Hands 11pm and Peter Bjorn and John @ 1am.

But I think we are alllll planning to check out the Sub Pop Showcase at Radio Room Patio!!!! YAY!

Other Canadian’s at SXSW:

Ruby Coast, Po’ Girl, Aun, Human Highway, The Perpetrators, The Rural Alberta Advantage, mostly new ones for us! Google them!

And of Course: DD/MM/YY, Shout Out Out Out, Ohbijou, Priestess

PHHHHHEWWW, I can’t even absorb Fri yet, but we will let you know what’s goin on if we get there! Cheers!!!

SCHEDULES ALL ONLINE AT: http://www.sxsw.com

The hottest advertising portal http://www.makeaquick.com Reporting live from the hottest events in the world!

To Buy or Not to Buy? Makeaquick.com is STILL debating!

2009-03-19T01:43:00.000-07:00

Being a lover of great architecture, I always like to check out the latest in modern house design. That being said, I didn’t expect ever seeing the beauty that lies in the mathematical deconstruction of the Klein Bottle experimental house. Not only does the design have a genius base, it’s also environmentally friendly with a water collection system and solar panels inclusive.

Klein Bottle is notorious for housing designs that are the epitome of modern spatial relationships and configurations. Another really cool house by his name is the Klein Bottle / McBride Charles Ryan in Mornington Penisula, Australia. This house is based upon the idea that although the unique surfaces may be distorted, they remain topologically the same.

Innovative? Damn straight! It’s great to make bounds and leaps within your own field. Like Klein Bottle, www.makaquick.com has revolutionized pixel advertising! With a friendly administrative and marketing team, innovative website with integrated flash technology and entrepreneurial aims, we work to make sure that you’re ad is exposed to hundreds of thousands online.

Music and Fashion News from LG Toronto Fashion Week!

2009-03-18T13:28:00.000-07:00

LG Toronto Fashion Week kicks off yesterday in Canada. Fashion Week pitched 40,000 square feet of tents in front of Nathan Philips Square featuring some of the hottest designers from the north. The event was kicked-off by none other David Dixon who showcased clothing inspired by Barbie for real women.

Also recently announced is it turns out that local Toronto band Fritz Helder and The Phantoms just got signed to Nelly Furtado’s new label and will be closing Fashion Week with a performance at the Burroughes building. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at www.automatt.net.

Are you interested in getting your fashion design or brand into the spotlight? Check out http://www.makeaquick.com and learn about new ways to market your business online through our unique fashion tab!

John Richmond.. what a culprit!

2009-03-16T20:02:00.001-07:00

So I was speaking at a music conference the other week. Thinking all of the attention is on me of course, and I get more questions and pictures taken of MY SHOES! I got a ton more publicity than usual from even fashion press simply due to what I was wearing. What the heck you wonder? I wondered too! I’m guess when I think about it more, i’m not really surprised though. The shoes in question are actually John Richmond’s that were purchased as a gift in Italy.

If you don’t know who John Richmond is, he’s an awesome indie influenced designer. John Richmond is a celebration of the energy, creativity and unpredictability of youth and street culture. Each line is heavily influenced by musical movements, blended with “street chic”, John’s own irreverent style and luxurious precision. These fundamental elements of the philosophy have led to the iconic slogans “Destroy, Disorientate, Disorder”, “Diamond Dog” and “Eat Cake”. John’s close ties with the music industry have led him to dress stars such as Madonna, Mick Jagger and Annie Lennox.

What an unexpected and creative way to gain publicity! I guess celebrities do it all the time, but who knew it could work for me on a business-level. If you are trying to break your brand into the industry or even new market areas, such as fashion, music, or the internet, try to think out-of-the-box when it comes to your marketing campaigns. Categorized Pixel Advertising is a great new and inventive way of marketing. It’s unique in that makeaquick.com utilize flash technology to make sure that your advertisement is visible.

Makaquick exposes your advertisement to a new internet-based community. Be it you’re business is related to entertainment, shopping, travel or dating, www.makeaquick.com has a place for you. Check it out!

Share and Enjoy:

Looking for More Longevity Out of Your Laptop?

2009-03-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

So my room mate ALWAYS makes fun of my laptop. We got the same laptop, around the same time, a pretty awesome HP dv1020 about 3-4 years ago. Hers is a little newer then mine, it has Windows Vista and a few upgrades. I would still consider them about the same in age.
Hers is in like PRISTINE condition, not a scratch, scrape, no wear and tear at all, ANYWHERE! Mine on the other hand, I mean I wouldn’t say it looks like it’s been through a war zone or anything. In my opinion, it has the normal amount of wear-and-tear for a laptop that has been used by a student for 4 years at university, just like hers… her opinion is that it’s been through hell, but I disagree.
OK, so I’ve had to replace the keyboard once because the keys were wearing down. There are a couple light wrist imprints on the right and left of the mouse pad. The top is a little scraped/scratched, but not badly, I‘ve used one of those neoprene cases. I’ve never dropped it or anything, but the screen definitely needs to be replaced. It has a nice big green line on the right side that runs all the way down. It doesn’t seem to bother me, I just watch movies or read documents to the left of the green line….. Uh yeah…
She on the other hand, never opens it roughly and it is always in a neoprene case. Her keys have never had to be replaced but she types like a mouse. She purchased InvisShield-like plastic protectors to place over the wrist area and mouse pad…. I think she’s a little paranoid, but whatever!
Finally, for my birthday she decided to get me a new laptop. I am going to school for another 4 years, so she thought it would be a great gift. Of course, she tried to get one that would suit my lifestyle - She got me a Panasonic, state-of-the-art Toughbook! Specifically, the Semi-Rugged Toughbook 52. This thing has magnesium alloy casing, in case I feel like dropping it off a building. A spill resistant keyboard and touchpad, which is great because I’ve spilled coffee on my laptop so many times I’m surprised it hasn’t taken a shit because of it, and a mounted quick-release hard drive. I do think that this laptop is a little extreme, and her idea of a funny joke, but you can actually get variants of the laptop to suit your needs. Ranging from business/everyday rugged, to out on the field in extreme weather conditions rugged.
Longevity of electronics is really important, especially if you intent to get use out of them for a long period of time. When you make an initial investment, be it a small one, or large one, you want your investment to keep giving in the long run. Be it you’re marketing a huge multi-million dollar corporate, or even a small home-based business, pixel advertising is a great option. It’s an extremely economical way to advertising, 1 block of pixels is only $200. You can’t even get a marketing plan written for you at that rate! It’s unique, pixel advertising has really captivated the internet audience’s attention. Most importantly, it has longevity. Through the maintenance makeaquick.com website your advertisement will always be displayed, you’re pixels are exclusively yours and your investment will keep on giving as a result.
Check it out at http://www.blog.makeaquick.com and keep up-to-date with the latest technology, and see what shenanigans we are up to!

The new iPod Shuffle might be small, but it PACKS a PUNCH!

2009-03-13T14:18:00.000-07:00

Have you all seen the new Ipod shuffle? I was at 24 Hour Fitness yesterday and literally everyone has it already. The new iPod shuffle is jaw-droppingly small. It’s half the size of the previous generation. Yet there’s room for so much more. With 4GB of storage, it now holds up to 1,000 songs, and lets you enjoy multiple playlists, too
To create the world’s smallest music player, the controls from iPod shuffle moved to the earbud cord. This allowed the new iPod shuffle to be dramatically smaller, and easy to use. That’s a lot of power in a tiny package! You know what else packs a lot of power? Pixel Advertising! Purchasing 1 block of pixel advertising space on http://www.makeaquick.com%20/can lead to a dramatic difference in your business. We utilize mass marketing techniques, and flash programming language to ensure that if someone is searching for a company within your general subject matter, your ad WILL BE SEEN, no matter how many blocks of pixels you purchase. Now THAT is powerful! What are you waiting for? Check out http://www.makeaquick.com/ today and “Buy a Block!”

Makeaquick.com is Expanding! Brand New Makeaquick.com Team Member!

2009-03-13T13:37:00.001-07:00

The Makeaquick.com team has some pretty cool, entrepreneurial members! Check out all of team member’s individual bios under the team on the right side of the FAQ page. We would like to welcome the very smart and beautiful Daniela to our team. She’s a very talented Internet Marketer with awesome major music label marketing experience. She is one of people that is working on promoting our site to get a lot of traffic that will benefit all the advertisers on Makeaquick.com. Don’t you want to get in on the action? Pixels = Power!

Return On Your Investement!

2009-03-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren …. $375,000

Oster Imperial Golden Caviar …. $93.00 per ounce

2000 Louis Roedere Cristal Brut….$199.99

OR

1875 Blocks, 750,000 Pixels………. Great Return on Investment

PRICELESS!

How is makeaquick.com a great return on your investment? Do you have questions about pixel advertising? Check out our brand new FAQs here: https://www.makeaquick.com/sample/MAQ_FAQ.html

Ahoy Cellphone Aficionados!

2009-03-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

Are any of you the type of technology users that have to have the latest thing? Have you heard of the new Blackberry Niagara 9630? One of the makeaquick.com staff got to demo the new phone over the weekend. I have a Blackberry Bold myself and was really impressed with the Niagara. It’s going to be released for Verizon users. The only thing I dislike is it doesn’t have Wi-Fi and it isn‘t 3G. Other than that it’s pretty sick, and apparently very economical as a result. You know what else is economical? Purchasing pixels on makeaquick.com to mass-advertise your business! We utilize the latest technology to make sure that your ad and business are ALL OVER the internet! You’ll even have money left over to buy a brand new Blackberry and check out your ad remotely from anywhere in the world! Interested in how pixel advertising can change your business? Check out our new FAQs CLICK HERE!

Makeaquick.com enjoying an EFFEN good weekend!

2009-03-09T17:26:00.000-07:00

The staff at makeaquick.com are enjoying a fabulous weekend getaway in LA. One of our associates was nice enough to bring us a bottle of EFFEN Vodka. Have you seen this stuff? Apparently it’s imported from Holland. It tastes absolutely delicious, smooth and crisp! It not only tastes fantastic, the design of the bottle is frikken cool - sort of like the makeaquick.com website and category features on www.makeaquick.com check them out! When you choose a category on the top of the nav bar, all of the associated ads will be brought into the spotlight and the rest will fade away… sort of like what happens after a couple vodka crans! Enjoy your weekend!

Why Pixels? Why Makeaquick.com

2009-03-02T15:18:00.000-08:00

Selling powerful pixels to you is our simple but dynamic way to advertise your business and make it visible all over the web . Truly, it is but an ingenious but profitable method to bring millions of people to your business and conversely, bring your business to millions of people all over the world. In fact, we are offering everyone at this initial stage to become part of a marketing history that promises to revolutionize the way companies maximize their profit online. The purchase of pixels is pretty simple, too. In a nutshell: pixels are available in 20x20 blocks totalling 400 pixels for $200. There are 5,000 of these blocks available, into which the Makeaquick.com site is divided, totalling 1 million dollars worth of advertising space! Your ad(s) will be submitted with a link to your site. When people click on your ad they will be automatically redirected to your link.

All are welcome to purchase as many blocks as they wish. You could even make internet history by buying 625 blocks worth $125,000 which equals to 250,000 pixels of explosive advertising space all at once!

You’re ads could be any size and shape that you choose on the Buy a Block page. Play around on that page. Use your imagination and have fun with it. Your ads will be on the makeaquick.com page for a very long time (forever). Millions of people will see them and visit them. Make your ads as bright and colourful as you like. Buy a block and watch your investment keep paying you back over and over!

Makeaquick.com - Introduction & Tutorial

2009-01-04T23:10:00.000-08:00

I made this video to give a quick visual about how our main block page works. I hope it's helpful! We're working on making something better, but for now, I think this explains the site a bit. Comments are always appreciated!

In order to watch this video, you'll need Flash Player version 8 or later. If you don't see the video above, you can quickly and easily download flash player for free at: http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/

To watch the video on youtube.com, please go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0hXEh7TKFw
We recommend watching the video in high quality mode.

Thanks!
-Pat

Makeaquick.com is BORN!

2008-12-22T23:21:00.000-08:00

Thank you everyone for your dedication and support for this project.
Makeaquick.com has been officially set to LIVE on 12-22-2008.
Little adjustments and fixes will be done daily, please email us if you see anything that needs fixing.

Video demonstrations of how everything works are coming!

The Russian Version of Makeaquick.com is coming! (Probably with in a week or so to be exact.)

Other Language versions of the site are coming in 2009!

We will be starting to market Makeaquick.com full throttle starting right away from January 2009!

We will keep updating everyone with all the developments!

Thank you again to every one who helped and supported me and this project!
Egor.K

Finishing touches By Egor at Makeaquick.com

2008-09-27T18:08:00.000-07:00

Big doings on the website, we’re putting in the finishing touches. We just applied for a merchant account. Hopefully all gets approved and set up by next week. We should soon have our categorizing feature up and running – probably also by next week – which will make our site totally different and very cool. Bottom line, pixel-fans, we're almost ready to launch. Start that countdown... Can't wait!

Testing our Blog

2008-08-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

This is the 1st blog entry on Makeaquick's blog. Thanks to blogger.com, we have this sweet blog incorporated into our website. This post is just a test. When we acualy have something awesome to say about our new awesome website, this is where we're going to let you blogger people know. Egor, we'll also delete this post when we have our real first post. This is pretty much just to show you. :)