Kotaku Shop Contest: Move Instructions Winners

For some, using two electro-lollipops to run a game isn't as intuitive as it sounds. That's why you guys made up some helpful visual instructions for the good, bad, ugly and many other ways to operate PlayStation Move.

Leading off, quest points us in the right direction in which to throw punches. So does ultraroboninja.
I know I shouldn't laugh at donkeypunching, but Steven Ansell's depiction hit my funnybone. Sorry. NextMemory's Vault-Boy Falcon Kick submission was just as admissible, just as shameful, and just as funny.

Alex Mitchell, data_enabler and wooki all had strong takes on what it means to be bad. CalderMedusa went in the direction of a different superlative, and was a commenter favorite. leetEmu's paying attention and found a way to get Asshole Dog into the picture.

This week's winner, though? BeerManMike took a meme and made it funny all over again. But I've got to go with silferjam's truly inspired three-step salute to the mind-numbing 1988 “hit” by Was (Not Was). Take a bow, folks. See you in here for another contest tomorrow.

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Overview

Offering Photoshop features at a fraction of the price, Photoshop Elements 8 is a great way to get more advanced photo editing tools than most free tools offer while not spending hundreds of dollars for the latest version of full Photoshop.  Photoshop Elements offers you many of Photoshop’s best features, while making difficult touchup tricks simpler with one-click brushes.  It also includes an advanced photo organizer that lets you backup your photos online.  These features and more make it a great tool for consumers who want more features than their free photo editing tools offer.

Key Features

• PSD, PDF, RAW, and EPS file support, as well as most other standard picture formats such as JPG, PNG, TIFF, and GIF
• Full Layers, filters, and brushes support give you lots of editing potential
• Guided and Basic editing modes help new users get started
• New Photomerge, Recompose, and one-step brushes make touchup a snap
• Create Calendars, photo books, cards, online photo albums, and more quickly with professional templates

Installation

Photoshop Elements is fairly easy to install.  If you’ve purchased it as a digital download or downloaded a trial, you may first have to run an extractor to extract the download for installation.

Then, you’ll be able to use the installer, which is what you’ll see by default when you install Photoshop Elements from a DVD.  Select the language you want to use for setup, and click Ok to continue.

The installer works like most installers you’ve likely used before, so it shouldn’t be hard to get it installed.

You’ll be asked to enter your Photoshop Elements 8 serial number during the installation.  If you’d rather enter it later, or are installing it to try it out, click Install the trial version to continue without entering your serial number.

If you do enter your serial number, Photoshop Elements will automatically activate online during the installation.  Otherwise you can activate later when you enter your serial number if you chose to install as a trial.

Setup took less than 5 minutes for us, and we were soon greeted with the Photoshop Elements 8 Splash Screen.

Photoshop Elements Launcher

By default, Photoshop Elements will load a launcher when you run the program.  This lets you access information about getting started with Photoshop Elements, and also lets you launch the photo organizer and the Editor, which is what most people would think of as the real Photoshop Elements.

The tours can help you quickly learn the latest features in Photoshop Elements.

If you’d rather just launch the Photoshop Elements Editor directly without opening the launch screen, you can make a new shortcut to C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Photoshop Elements 8.0\PhotoshopElementsEditor.exe (or just Program Files if you’re using a 32 bit version of Windows).

Here’s the Photoshop Elements 8 Editor, which as you may notice looks fairly similar to Photoshop CS4 or CS5.

Features

Photoshop Elements is fairly easy to use, as it works very similar to many applications you may already be used to.  Open images usually are displayed in individual windows inside Photoshop Elements, though you can drag them to the top of the window to display them as tabs.

As mentioned before, you can find many popular Photoshop tools in Elements.  Most of the tools will be found in the pallet on the left, or in the menus at the top.

Click and hold pallet items to see more options.  The Lasso tool also includes a Magnetic Lasso tool, which works amazingly good for selecting individual parts of a photo.

The Spot Healing Brush tool is another great feature that lets you quickly remove small blemishes in your photos.  Not as impressive as Photoshop CS5’s object removal, but it’s still a great way to touch up your pictures.

You’ll also notice effect filters and actions on the right side of the window.  Drag an effect onto a picture to instantly add it to your image.

If you’d like to edit pictures in a simpler interface, click the arrow beside the orange Edit button on the right.  Here you can select the Quick or the Guided editor.

The quick editor mode reduces the options and tools to let you focus on the most popular photo touchup tools.

The guided editor, on the other hand, changes Photoshop Elements into a wizard based interface that can step you through a variety of photo tasks.

Photoshop Elements also makes it easy for you to create professionally styled photo books, calendars, and more from the Create tab.

Once you’re ready to share your photos, you’ll find a variety of options available for your use on the Share tab.  The Online Album option helps you create beautiful flash based photo galleries you can showcase on your website or blog.

Photoshop Elements can also help you create new images, and we were able to follow a wide variety of tutorials aimed at professional Photoshop since Elements is so similar.  You can also create a new Panorama or group shot from the Photomerge feature.

The Photomerge tools work very good in our texts.  Here we used it to create a panorama of the front of a dam, all from pictures shot from the top down.  We were very impressed that it was able to stitch the images together so good, and it only took 3 clicks to make it!

You can also quickly organize, touchup, and create photo products with the Photoshop Elements Organizer that’s included with Photoshop Elements.

It also includes a full screen editing mode where you can touchup and preview your pictures without any distractions.

One nice bonus you get with Photoshop Elements is a wide variety of popular and high-quality Adobe fonts.  By default, these are stored in your Program Files folder.  If you’d like to see what fonts are included and how to use them in other applications, check out this article about the Fonts Included with Photoshop Elements 8.

If you’re not a fan of dark interfaces, you can choose a lighter gray color scheme from the Options pane.

Photoshop Elements worked very fast on our system, but if you find it’s bogging down your computer too much you can choose the max amount of memory Photoshop can use.  You can also change the drive Photoshop uses for its scratch files, and select how many history states are saved.

Support

Adobe offers excellent online help for Photoshop Elements along with all their other products.  You can learn how to use many of the programs features.

You can download the help as a PDF, or install an Adobe Air application that will display offline and online Help information for all your Adobe products.

If Photoshop Elements crashes, you may be prompted to send a crash report to Adobe.  Photoshop Elements was very stable in our experience, but if you do have problems you can add your email at the bottom of the crash report to get notified if an update or hotfix is available.

Adobe also offers free phone-based support for setup and activation issues if you need help getting started.

Conclusion

If you’d like to expand your design and photo editing capabilities without spending hundreds of dollars, Photoshop Elements is a great option.  It’s very similar to the full versions of Photoshop, but is much more budget friendly for casual users.  Pro users will, of course, still want full Photoshop, but for most people’s needs, Elements hits the spot.  Plus, almost everything you learn in Elements can help you work in full Photoshop if you ever step up.  Photoshop Elements offers far more features than most free photo editors, and since it works seamlessly with other Adobe products you’ll feel at home working with colleagues using full Photoshop.

Photoshop Elements 8 is available for purchase as a download from Adobe or a boxed product from major retailers.  You can download a 30 day free trial with an Adobe account, and then a full version retails for $99.99 and is often available discounted for around $69.  If you’d like more online photo backup space and premium templates, you can purchase Photoshop Elements Plus for $139.  Alternately, Photoshop Elements is commonly purchased as a set with Premiere Elements, a popular video editing suite; the combo retails for $149.99.  If you ever decide you’d like to upgrade to full Photoshop, you’ll get a slight discount as an Elements owner as well.

Works on Windows 7, Vista, and XP, as well as Mac OS X.

Purchase Photoshop Elements 8 from Adobe.com

Extra Links

Download a Trial of Photoshop Elements

Get More Info About the Photoshop and Premiere Elements Bundle

Learn How to Use Photoshop Elements with Videos From Adobe

Install the Adobe Community Help Air Application

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Do you read or work with PDF files often? If so, you’ve probably needed the ability to either combine multiple files into one or split one into many at some point.

AnyBizSoft has two applications that can do just that. Their PDF Merger allows you to combine multiple PDF files into one for better organizing, archiving, and batch printing, while their PDF Splitter enables you to split PDF files–even encrypted ones–by pages, bookmarks, and page ranges.

In this article, I am going to review both of these applications, emphasizing how simple they are to use. I will also tell you where you can get these apps for free (for a limited time).

PDF Merger

PDF Merger is a standalone program that doesn’t require Adobe Reader or Acrobat to be installed in order for you to use it. It allows you to set properties and security for your newly created files, and it can remove passwords from protected files that prevent you from copying, editing, or printing.

To begin merging PDF files, you have to start by installing the program and running it. From the application’s main screen, you simply click Add Files… to select the files you would like to merge. You can import up to an astounding 200 files at one time with this program.

After adding your desired files, select any one of them and click Method. A screen will appear that allows you to select your page range and sort method. Available options include the merging of all pages, odd/even, or specific pages you type in.

Once you’ve made your selections, click the Options button to customize the properties and security for your soon-to-be merged file. Then, you can return to the home screen where you can set the file name and destination folder for the exported file.

If you’ve got everything situated just the way you like, all that’s left to do is to click the Merge button to begin the process of combining your PDFs into a single file. Check the folder for the your new document once completed.

PDF Splitter

PDF Splitter gives you a way to split large PDF files into smaller ones quickly and flexibly. Like PDF Merger, it is a standalone program that doesn’t require any other software to be installed. It allows you to split one large PDF file in multiple ways, including into several files with equal page number.

To use PDF Splitter, you first have to open the program to the home screen. Clicking Browse will allow you to select the PDF file you want to split.

Once selected, you can go under Select Split Method to choose your split settings. You can split by any amount of pages, split by bookmark, by page range to a single file, page range to multiple files, and averagely across multiple files. Customize the output folder and you’re done!

Click the Split button and PDF Splitter will go to work for you. Simply check the folder when you’re done for your newly created files.

Where Do I Get These Apps?

For a limited time only, AnyBizSoft is giving licenses to these apps away for free. All you have to do is navigate over to their Facebook page and fill in your information to be sent a free license for both apps. Once you have a license, you can download the apps from their respective pages and enter in your code to begin using them for free.

Aside from the limited time offer, AnyBizSoft is also constantly giving away free licenses for their flagship app, PDF to Word Converter 3.0.0. More details on their Facebook page.

If you’re an academic user, you can also check out their Back to School special offer page for more great deals.

Microsoft has been helping Adobe develop a sandbox similar to the Protected View in Office 2010. Adobe Reader Protected Mode, a sandboxing technology based on Microsoft's Practical Windows Sandboxing technique, is a new mitigation feature scheduled for the next major version release of Adobe Reader. In addition to working with the Microsoft Office security team, Adobe also learned from the Google Chrome team as well as third-party consultancies and other external groups that have sandboxing knowledge and experience.

Adobe Reader Protected Mode will be enabled by default and will ensure that all operations required to display a PDF file to the user are run in a restricted manner inside a sandbox. Actions not permitted in the sandboxed environment, such as writing to the user's temporary folder or launching an attachment inside a PDF file using an external application, are funneled through a “broker process,” which has a strict set of policies for what is allowed and what is not. This first release will sandbox all “write” calls, mitigating the risk of exploits that seek to install malware on Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows 7. In future releases of Adobe Reader, the company hopes to extend the sandbox to include read-only activities to protect against attackers seeking to read sensitive information from the user's computer.

Adobe's products are almost as ubiquitous as Microsoft's, and since Microsoft has been taking security much more seriously ever since Windows XP SP2, it made sense for cybercriminals to target software which had so many vulnerabilities waiting to be discovered. Last year, Adobe Reader took the crown away from Microsoft Office as the software with the most vulnerabilities. Brad Arkin, Senior Director of Product Security & Privacy for Adobe Systems, announced in May 2009 that a major Adobe Reader and Acrobat security initiative was underway: code hardening, incident response process improvements, and a shift to a regular security update schedule.

Microsoft's and Adobe's products compete on many fronts, but it makes sense for Redmond to help its partners in the area of security. The sandboxing approaches that Microsoft has pioneered in Office, including the sandbox for its search subsystem, the MOICE sandbox, and Protected View, are there to improve the overall state of security on Windows. The progress in security made by the Office team can thus be extended to other third-party applications for Windows, protecting the customers that Microsoft has in common with its partners.

Redfield Water Ripples 1.1 for Adobe Photoshop

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Microsoft has been helping Adobe develop a sandbox similar to the Protected View in Office 2010. Adobe Reader Protected Mode, a sandboxing technology based on Microsoft's Practical Windows Sandboxing technique, is a new mitigation feature scheduled for the next major version release of Adobe Reader. In addition to working with the Microsoft Office security team, Adobe also learned from the Google Chrome team as well as third-party consultancies and other external groups that have sandboxing knowledge and experience.

Adobe Reader Protected Mode will be enabled by default and will ensure that all operations required to display a PDF file to the user are run in a restricted manner inside a sandbox. Actions not permitted in the sandboxed environment, such as writing to the user's temporary folder or launching an attachment inside a PDF file using an external application, are funneled through a “broker process,” which has a strict set of policies for what is allowed and what is not. This first release will sandbox all “write” calls, mitigating the risk of exploits that seek to install malware on Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows 7. In future releases of Adobe Reader, the company hopes to extend the sandbox to include read-only activities to protect against attackers seeking to read sensitive information from the user's computer.

Adobe's products are almost as ubiquitous as Microsoft's, and since Microsoft has been taking security much more seriously ever since Windows XP SP2, it made sense for cybercriminals to target software which had so many vulnerabilities waiting to be discovered. Last year, Adobe Reader took the crown away from Microsoft Office as the software with the most vulnerabilities. Brad Arkin, Senior Director of Product Security & Privacy for Adobe Systems, announced in May 2009 that a major Adobe Reader and Acrobat security initiative was underway: code hardening, incident response process improvements, and a shift to a regular security update schedule.

Microsoft's and Adobe's products compete on many fronts, but it makes sense for Redmond to help its partners in the area of security. The sandboxing approaches that Microsoft has pioneered in Office, including the sandbox for its search subsystem, the MOICE sandbox, and Protected View, are there to improve the overall state of security on Windows. The progress in security made by the Office team can thus be extended to other third-party applications for Windows, protecting the customers that Microsoft has in common with its partners.

By Andrew Liszewski

It’s not like traditional paper sheet music was ever able to turn itself, and in my mind, hitting the arrow key on a laptop or swiping your finger across the iPad seems a lot easier than re-shuffling a stack of pages while playing an instrument. But since I’m no musician, who am I to question if this Bluetooth foot pedal from AirTurn actually makes things easier or not?

The device itself is basically a BT transmitter which connects to a handful of foot switches from the likes of Boss or Roland, and it seems to work with pretty much any application you’d need it to including Acrobat, Word, PowerPoint, Keynote etc. The transmitter is powered by a couple of AAs which should keep it running for a few weeks, and it has a range of up to 100 feet which seems a bit overkill. For $39.95 you can get the AirTurn transmitter and receiver by itself, but the company also sells bundles with Boss forward and back foot switches and their Music Reader software which pushes the price tag to close to $200.

[ AirTurn BT-105 Bluetooth Foot Pedal Page Turner ] VIA [ eCoustics ]

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By Andrew Liszewski

It’s not like traditional paper sheet music was ever able to turn itself, and in my mind, hitting the arrow key on a laptop or swiping your finger across the iPad seems a lot easier than re-shuffling a stack of pages while playing an instrument. But since I’m no musician, who am I to question if this Bluetooth foot pedal from AirTurn actually makes things easier or not?

The device itself is basically a BT transmitter which connects to a handful of foot switches from the likes of Boss or Roland, and it seems to work with pretty much any application you’d need it to including Acrobat, Word, PowerPoint, Keynote etc. The transmitter is powered by a couple of AAs which should keep it running for a few weeks, and it has a range of up to 100 feet which seems a bit overkill. For $39.95 you can get the AirTurn transmitter and receiver by itself, but the company also sells bundles with Boss forward and back foot switches and their Music Reader software which pushes the price tag to close to $200.

[ AirTurn BT-105 Bluetooth Foot Pedal Page Turner ] VIA [ eCoustics ]

Microsoft has been helping Adobe develop a sandbox similar to the Protected View in Office 2010. Adobe Reader Protected Mode, a sandboxing technology based on Microsoft's Practical Windows Sandboxing technique, is a new mitigation feature scheduled for the next major version release of Adobe Reader. In addition to working with the Microsoft Office security team, Adobe also learned from the Google Chrome team as well as third-party consultancies and other external groups that have sandboxing knowledge and experience.

Adobe Reader Protected Mode will be enabled by default and will ensure that all operations required to display a PDF file to the user are run in a restricted manner inside a sandbox. Actions not permitted in the sandboxed environment, such as writing to the user's temporary folder or launching an attachment inside a PDF file using an external application, are funneled through a “broker process,” which has a strict set of policies for what is allowed and what is not. This first release will sandbox all “write” calls, mitigating the risk of exploits that seek to install malware on Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows 7. In future releases of Adobe Reader, the company hopes to extend the sandbox to include read-only activities to protect against attackers seeking to read sensitive information from the user's computer.

Adobe's products are almost as ubiquitous as Microsoft's, and since Microsoft has been taking security much more seriously ever since Windows XP SP2, it made sense for cybercriminals to target software which had so many vulnerabilities waiting to be discovered. Last year, Adobe Reader took the crown away from Microsoft Office as the software with the most vulnerabilities. Brad Arkin, Senior Director of Product Security & Privacy for Adobe Systems, announced in May 2009 that a major Adobe Reader and Acrobat security initiative was underway: code hardening, incident response process improvements, and a shift to a regular security update schedule.

Microsoft's and Adobe's products compete on many fronts, but it makes sense for Redmond to help its partners in the area of security. The sandboxing approaches that Microsoft has pioneered in Office, including the sandbox for its search subsystem, the MOICE sandbox, and Protected View, are there to improve the overall state of security on Windows. The progress in security made by the Office team can thus be extended to other third-party applications for Windows, protecting the customers that Microsoft has in common with its partners.

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The Adobe Acrobat Blog has a new post up reveling in the 1 million downloads their Reader app for Android has garnered in the two months since its release. With over 4,000 rating the app also sits at a healthy four stars, and with all the success the PDF viewer has had Adobe promises there is much more to come. I’ll take any enhancements as a bonus as I’ve been pretty pleased the the experience Reader for Android has offered since day one. It isn’t the most light-weight PDF reader on the Android Market, but for all of its features it really makes the viewing experience that much better on Android. If you haven’t checked it out I highly encourage you to check it out.

[via TalkAndroid]

The Adobe Acrobat Blog has a new post up reveling in the 1 million downloads their Reader app for Android has garnered in the two months since its release. With over 4,000 rating the app also sits at a healthy four stars, and with all the success the PDF viewer has had Adobe promises there is much more to come. I’ll take any enhancements as a bonus as I’ve been pretty pleased the the experience Reader for Android has offered since day one. It isn’t the most light-weight PDF reader on the Android Market, but for all of its features it really makes the viewing experience that much better on Android. If you haven’t checked it out I highly encourage you to check it out.

[via TalkAndroid]

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I’ve recently started to play around with Photoshop 6.0 and in a short time, I’ve actually learned quite a few neat tricks! I think the program might intimidate some people at first glance. For those of us who aren't techno gurus or graphic artists, this is completely foreign territory. But if you are even remotely creative, you will become ADDICTED once you get the hang of it. Now, I am by no means an expert, but I've learned enough to do what I want, which is to create funny pictures out of existing ones. You know, like cropping your head onto a celebrity's body or something? You've all seen examples of it on the internet and television, but you can do it too! 

You don't have to run out and buy a $400 program like Photoshop 6.0 like I'm using (and that's an old version!). In fact, you can start free in just a few minutes. Got to: www.adobe.com and get a free 30-day tryout of Photoshop Elements 4.0. They have a Mac version as well as a Windows version. You register for free and you don't have to enter any credit card information or anything like that. It’s completely no hassle, no strings attached. 

This free download of Photoshop Elements 4.0 is what I started with and it is so user friendly, you won't believe how quickly you'll be creating photos. There's even a slideshow program in it if you want to make a little movie of your pics with music. I've created slideshows as gifts for my husband and he loves them. It's such a great creative outlet. With the “Magic Extractor” tool on PE 4.0, you can easily crop the most detailed part of a picture and paste it onto another. With lots of other easy-to-use tools, this new creation can become seamless with just a little patience. 

I am always busy taking digital pictures of my baby son and creating new ones. For instance, because I'm a big nerd, I Photoshopped his head onto the head of baby Kal-El from Superman: The Movie. It's silly, I know, but you can do anything you want. For those of you who are interested in digital scrapbooking, this program is invaluable. Go see for yourself and discover a creative side you didn’t know you had.

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The Adobe Acrobat Blog has a new post up reveling in the 1 million downloads their Reader app for Android has garnered in the two months since its release. With over 4,000 rating the app also sits at a healthy four stars, and with all the success the PDF viewer has had Adobe promises there is much more to come. I’ll take any enhancements as a bonus as I’ve been pretty pleased the the experience Reader for Android has offered since day one. It isn’t the most light-weight PDF reader on the Android Market, but for all of its features it really makes the viewing experience that much better on Android. If you haven’t checked it out I highly encourage you to check it out.

[via TalkAndroid]

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Microsoft has been helping Adobe develop a sandbox similar to the Protected View in Office 2010. Adobe Reader Protected Mode, a sandboxing technology based on Microsoft's Practical Windows Sandboxing technique, is a new mitigation feature scheduled for the next major version release of Adobe Reader. In addition to working with the Microsoft Office security team, Adobe also learned from the Google Chrome team as well as third-party consultancies and other external groups that have sandboxing knowledge and experience.

Adobe Reader Protected Mode will be enabled by default and will ensure that all operations required to display a PDF file to the user are run in a restricted manner inside a sandbox. Actions not permitted in the sandboxed environment, such as writing to the user's temporary folder or launching an attachment inside a PDF file using an external application, are funneled through a “broker process,” which has a strict set of policies for what is allowed and what is not. This first release will sandbox all “write” calls, mitigating the risk of exploits that seek to install malware on Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows 7. In future releases of Adobe Reader, the company hopes to extend the sandbox to include read-only activities to protect against attackers seeking to read sensitive information from the user's computer.

Adobe's products are almost as ubiquitous as Microsoft's, and since Microsoft has been taking security much more seriously ever since Windows XP SP2, it made sense for cybercriminals to target software which had so many vulnerabilities waiting to be discovered. Last year, Adobe Reader took the crown away from Microsoft Office as the software with the most vulnerabilities. Brad Arkin, Senior Director of Product Security & Privacy for Adobe Systems, announced in May 2009 that a major Adobe Reader and Acrobat security initiative was underway: code hardening, incident response process improvements, and a shift to a regular security update schedule.

Microsoft's and Adobe's products compete on many fronts, but it makes sense for Redmond to help its partners in the area of security. The sandboxing approaches that Microsoft has pioneered in Office, including the sandbox for its search subsystem, the MOICE sandbox, and Protected View, are there to improve the overall state of security on Windows. The progress in security made by the Office team can thus be extended to other third-party applications for Windows, protecting the customers that Microsoft has in common with its partners.

Studies have shown that people who smoke more than six cigarettes a day will have a hard time quitting. Scientists have even been able to show that it is very common for people to make several attempts before they finally succeed, but this must never be a reason to give up. On the contrary, you should accept the fact that you couldn't resist, because it is bound to happen at least a couple of times before you can really be smoke free. There many many different ways to stop smoking, but remember that many different approaches and methods may be better for one person and won't work for another. So if one approach doesn't work for you, you shouldn't give up, because it is highly likely you will have to do it at least a couple of times to get over with it, you should try using a different approach.
Cigarette smoking involves two types of addiction, the first one is a physical addiction to nicotine and the second one is a psychosocial habit.
Many people can quit successfully buy stopping right away. But it's better for those who are more physically dependent on nicotine to gradually stop taking in nicotine before trying to quit altogether. This makes it a lot easier by decreasing their experience with unpleasant symptoms when they quit. One method to do this is to replace nicotine by some products as nicotine patches or nicotine gum. Both of these are now available without a prescription. But you shouldn't forget that they are expensive and will not make you stop smoking. They are just there to wear off the effect of nicotine. Another great method to stop smoking is by switching progressively to cigarette brands with lower nicotine levels before finally quitting. For example, you could switch once a week for a couple of weeks. But the problem with this method is that most smokers compensate all of this by smoking more cigarettes, or puffing more deeply, and this can be much less effective than smoking them as you usually do.
Another effective method to stop smoking is to identify your personal triggers, which are situations where you feel like you must smoke, and to develop a plan to deal with them. These triggers can be people, for example you smoke around friends, or places, like in a bar, or even emotions. If you continue to identify difficult situations after you quit, this will help you by keeping you smoke free. If by chance you have to take a cigarette because you can't resist, don't give up, because you were almost there. Just study the last situation and see what went wrong to prevent it in the near future.
There are many good reasons for you to quit, thinking about this could help you go threw those hard times. For example, think about the money you'll save. If you buy one pack every two days, you could be saving up to one thousand dollars in a year. You should also think about how good you will feel after you quit. This might not seem very true for some people, but on the long run, it is obviously true. Another think to look forward to is the fact that food does smell and taste better when you're smoke free.
If you look at the list of the horrible side effects of smoking, you will be amazed by what is in that cigarette can do to you. But to look on the bright side, here is a list of benefits that begin immediately after smoking; in twenty minutes, your blood pressure and pulse return to normal rate, in twenty four hours, your chance of heart attach will have decreased significantly, in forty eight hours, walking becomes easier, and smell and taste return to normal, in three months, lung circulation can increase up to thirty per cent, and in one year your risk of heart disease is one-half of what it was one year ago. This shows that it does not matter how long you've smoked. These are reliable changes which you will enjoy.

I started smoking as a teenager, and was an extremely heavy smoker for more than ten years - at times, I smoked more than three packs a day. Then I quit smoking.

I've had people ask me in astonishment, “How did you do it?” On the one hand, it was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. On the other hand - quitting wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I had excellent motivation.

I was finally ready to hear what the doctor had to say - that if I quit smoking now, my chances of getting cancer would gradually diminish. If I didn't, lung cancer would become a certainty over the next ten years. I was also ready to hear what my boyfriend had to say: “I love you, and I really want to marry you. I want to be able to grow old together and if you keep smoking, that won't happen.” That was a wake-up call. I was ready to face the fact that if I didn't quit smoking, I might not see my children graduate high school.

If you are thinking about quitting smoking, please do some research first. Talk to your doctor or company nurse about the health effects of smoking, and put together two things for yourself:

- a folder with as many graphic details as possible (pictures of diseased lungs and dead bodies are sure to make you think twice about lighting that cigarette)

- a small wallet card with 5 or 6 of your top reasons to quit smoking written on it. Carry it with you everywhere, and review it often… even before you make the decision. Once you've decided to quit, I think it's helpful to look at the process simultaneously from two perspectives. My Dad always told me that when I was ready to quit smoking, that I would “Just do it!” He was right. When I was ready, I didn't even smoke a last cigarette - I just didn't smoke any more. However, I did take several weeks to prepare myself for that moment, and unless you are a very light smoker to begin with I recommend that you do the same.

Most people benefit from a visit to the doctor's office first. Tell him that you are ready to quit smoking and ask for practical help. Most will advise you on matters ranging from diet, exercise, and relaxation techniques to medications you can take to help you. There are a wide range of drugs available to assist in quitting smoking. I used the nicotine patch. There are also gums and sprays that work in a similar fashion. Some people have had good results from a pseudo-cigarette that replaces nicotine and gives your hands something to do but breaks the “smoking” urge while you taper down to a quit point. There are also several pills that can help control the urge to smoke.

Increase the amount of Vitamin C you're getting, and take a good multi-vitamin as well. Quitting is a shocker to the body and your system needs the extra support, plus the Vitamin C helps to detoxify your system quickly.

It helps to grab a calendar and pick a quit date. For some people this may be a fixed date - you may need to abandon those cigs before you start a new job or go on a cruise. If so, I recommend your quit date be at least two weeks prior to that date. For others, it might be some arbitrary date in the future. The trick, though, is to make it no more than two weeks away. But give yourself a break. If your highest-stress day at work is Tuesday, then for goodness sake don't make your quit-smoking day a Monday or Tuesday!

Mark the date you pick in red on your calendar. Tomorrow, smoke your normal number of cigarettes and write that number on your calendar (the total number - not the number of packs). The next day, cut that amount by at least 10% and write your progress on your calendar. If you lack the willpower, give all your cigarettes to a trustworthy friend and have them ration them out to you. My husband did this for me and in two weeks' time I had gone from three packs a day (that is sixty cigarettes, friends) down to only ten cigarettes a day. I was highly motivated to quit smoking, and you should be too!

Go shopping for healthy snacks and hand diversions. Most people gain weight when they quit - I did, but not too much. Get a good variety of things to eat that are low-fat and nutritious that you can eat “all day”. Carrots, raisins and other dried fruit, celery and peanut butter, grape tomatoes, whole-grain bread for toast, yogurt, low-fat cottage cheese, oatmeal, fresh fruit, and the like are good. Also stock up on great things to drink - staying hydrated, especially with Vitamin-C rich juices, will help you immensely with this process.

The night before your quit day, take everything related to smoking out of your house: the cigarettes, ashtrays, lighters, memorabilia, everything. Dump it in a dumpster that you will not be able to access again, not the trash can at home.

When your quit date arrives, that's it! No “one more for old times sake” - none. You just quit smoking. You did it!!

If possible, take your Quit Day off from work. You're likely to feel lousy. If the doctor has prescribed something, be sure to start taking it immediately. Open your windows and start airing out your house. Wash the curtains and all the bedding, mop the floors, wash your windows, and shampoo the carpets. You'll need to wash some clothes to completely deodorise them. Get as much of that smoke odor out of your house as you can. Believe me… you never noticed it before, but you will now! The smell will make you alternately sick and have wild cravings. Do the same deep cleaning on your car.

Any time you have a craving you can't stand, especially that first day, go take a shower. Seriously! Where is the one place that you can't smoke? Somewhere that you've got water pouring over your head! Plus, if you get that steam into your lungs, open your pores, and exfoliate your skin well, it further helps to detoxify your body. Repeated shampooing with something that smells nice will also get the smoke smell out of your hair. (Don't be surprised if nasty-looking stuff comes out of your pores during the first couple of days, if you were a very heavy smoker!)

Beyond that first day, dealing with cravings is a personal matter. Some people actually quit smoking and say they never feel the urge to smoke again. Others report that each day gets better and better, and after a few months they rarely feel like smoking. I fell into the latter category, and it's been nearly ten years since I've had a cigarette. Now the smell of tobacco makes me feel ill. When I first quit and I really wanted to smoke, I'd pull out that wallet card or my folder of information, and I would remind myself of why I quit. Out on the street, I'd close my eyes and take a few deep breaths and say, “I'm OK.” A few minutes later the urge would pass.

Some people say that exercise helps tremendously with cravings; other people report that prayer gets them through. If you have a friend who is capable of talking you out of stupid things, give them a call. Just remember - a craving lasts for a few seconds. You can wait it out. You CAN do this. Think of it this way: You are not quitting smoking. You already have quit smoking. It's done! You're an ex-smoker. Do not let anything take that away from you!

Do not put yourself into social situations involving smoking for at least sixty days. Going to a party or even a friend's house where everyone has lit up is like throwing an alcoholic into a bar. Someone is sure to remember you as a smoker and offer you a cigarette. Worse, they may have heard that you quit and decide that you should remain a smoker. That happened to me more than once. Misery loves company - don't rejoin the miserable.

To quit smoking successfully, you don't need just willpower. You also need good planning and medical management to loose yourself from the shackles of nicotine addiction. As my father always said - Just do it!

Major League Manager Dies

James Gammon—the manager from Major League and a lot of other stuff—died over the weekend after a long battle with cancer. Everybody smoke a pack of Marlboro Reds and talk like him in his honor.

Thank you for your continued support of Deadspin. See you tomorrow morning.

Send an email to David Matthews, the author of this post, at david@deadspin.com.

billboard after improvement

billboard before improvement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 27, 2010
San Francisco

The Billboard Liberation Front (BLF) is honored to announce a new marketing partnership with Philip Morris (PM) that finally brings together the rugged sense of American independence with your most important choice as a consumer: your death. The message of “My Life. My Death. My Choice.” informs and empowers the consumer to choose, as their god given right, how they want to die. Philip Morris brings this message to the consumer to remind them that some rights are inalienable in life as they are in death.

“We’ve always said that the only two things in life that are unavoidable are death and taxes,” commented Michael E. Szymanczyk, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Philip Morris. “This campaign drives home that message where, if you are gonna die, might as well do it on your terms. Just like our Marlboro Men did.” According to Patrick B. Smelt, Chief of Marketing, “This bold message of independence and demanding life and death on your terms fits with the current zeitgeist of anti-establishmentarianism and post-post-modern rage at the repressive state demanding a healthier you and your environment.”

The BLF was honored to accept this exciting challenge. “We have no comment on President Obama’s health care reform, but many consumer of Philip Morris’s products do. We felt that this campaign picks up on a widespread rage that some nameless, faceless bureaucrat might give them cheaper health care, preventative treatment, and maybe deny them the sweet release we are all seeking,” said Rico T. Spoons, BLF Director of Offense as he idly drew a razorblade across his wrists. “This oppressive political climate and fascist approach towards health raises the comforting question of ‘how will you end it all?’ I like to think that we are just giving some poor folks a reminder that Philip Morris will always be there to help kill you.”

All former Marlboro Men, Wayne McLaren, David McLean and Dick Hammer, were unavailable for comment due to their rugged, manly choice of death by lung cancer.

The improvement can be viewed on Howard at Van Ness in San Francisco.

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