Trying To Move On

If you're looking to become an xbox game tester and test the newest & coolest xbox 360 games for cash, then you had better get out of dream world. No one is going to knock on your door and say "Hi, Do you play video games? Do you want to test video games for us and make lots of money?" Sorry, it just isn't going to happen that way. No, instead you have to take action and work to become a xbox game tester all on your own. How can you do that? Simple, by following the 3 simple steps below.

Step 1: Don't Focus on the Money....at First

Your ultimate goal is to make a living playing & testing video games. But, keep in mind you are not going to reach that goal on your first day, so try not to get your hopes up too high.

No game developer is going to pay you huge sums of cash for your first testing job; it's as simple as that. Game companies and developers need experienced xbox game testers, not "weekend players" who are merely trying to give game testing a "shot".

What does this all mean for you? It means you may actually have to test xbox 360 games for free! It may be a hard notion to stomach, but it is a necessary adjustment to get your foot into the door of professional xbox game testing. By offering your services for free, game companies will see what you're made of; not to mention, you'll be able to build up some very useful references.

Step 2: Make More Than Friends, Make Contacts

The more people you know in the game industry, the better your chances of becoming a highly paid, and well known xbox game tester. Having said that, make it a mission of yours to be as friendly and as courteous to everyone you come in contact with. That secretary you talked to on the phone or via email might just be the right person who can push your application to the front of the line.

Quick Note: You won't start out knowing every one in the industry, so don't get bummed out about your lack of reliable game contacts. Building a network of reliable contacts is a gradual thing that takes time and patience.

Step 3: Get Active and Stay Active

Never stop applying for xbox game testing jobs and testing positions. Even when you land that first video game tester job, don't stop sending in applications. The more companies you are in contact with, the greater your chances are for finding high paying testing jobs.

Remember, there are guarantees in the game testing industry. Merely because you have a testing job with one developer during week one, that doesn't mean you'll be working with them during week 2. In light of that fact, try to follow these 3 basic guidelines: don't limit yourself, keep your options open, and always (ALWAYS) be looking for more xbox game tester positions!

Do you think you've got what it takes to be a video game tester? Are you ready to test games and not just play them? If you honestly think you're ready, then visit http://Gamer-Testing-Ground.com and find out how you can get started testing video games today!

AP - It's a Bond market.

Automobile maintenance got too complex for most do-it-yourselfers. The same has been happening with some home repairs. With home electrical, it just got trickier -- with the requirement of "arc-fault protection" for most areas of the house.

An arc-fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) is a special circuit breaker in your electrical panel designed to sense arcing (sparking) that might present a fire hazard.

These have been required for bedroom areas of homes built since 2002. Beginning in 2008 they are also required to cover most other areas -- except those that must already have ground-fault (GFCI) protection. Because AFCI devices have some ground-fault sensing also built into them, it looks like the AFCI is the wave of the future in home electrical safety technology, perhaps replacing GFCI devices as well as regular breakers.

Should you welcome this as a good safety net, or do you wonder if it is part of a sticky spider web, brought to you by manufacturers, insurance companies, and regulatory engineers? I won't answer that for you or try to give statistics. What I will do here is point out what a homeowner is up against if one of these new breakers should happen to trip off.

Standard old fuses and circuit breakers would blow or trip for three possible causes.

Two of these were common and familiar to most people:

1. Either electrical usage was excessive (an overload)...

2. Or current was trying to get way out of control from wires faulting (a "short").

Many homeowners could handle the troubleshooting needed to solve these conditions. (The third problem has to do with poor connections right at the fuse or breaker, which overheat it and make it blow when it wouldn't otherwise.)

An arc-fault breaker will trip for any of these same problems, but in addition it will trip for some ground-faults and for arc-faults.

If an AFCI trips, how will you know what sort of cause you are looking for? Will you have to become more dependent on professionals from the industries that dreamed these things up?

In general and in a nutshell:

*An overload (or an overheating breaker) will correspond to heavier usage;

*A short or ground-fault will tend to continue to trip the AFCI very soon after you reset it;

*An arc-fault will tend not to repeat the tripping soon, since the conditions for an arc to get going do not often persist after the arc is stopped by the tripping.

If an arcing condition does exist somewhere on such an AFCI circuit, you may have to put up with the nuisance of the occasional tripping, till it goes away or is solved. But do not get freaked, as if something is going to start a fire.

That is the whole point of these AFCIs -- no such fire will have a chance to start.

And that is the point of many products in our life today -- after hazards have been publicized enough, we will comfort ourselves by buying these things that seem to foolproof life. I hope we are not fools in the process.

Larry Dimock is The Circuit Detective, a master electrician and electrical troubleshooting contractor in the state of Washington. His website is filled with home electrical troubleshooting information and tips. He also gives advice from there, to homeowners around the country, on their specific circuit problems. See http://www.thecircuitdetective.com

AP - The country is sinking deeper into the economic doldrums, and it's likely to stay there for a while.