Chinese Democracy Failed

Chinese Democracy was one of the most anticipated albums ever and was poised to set sales records. The numbers are now in, and they are disappointing. What went wrong? Many are blaming Axl Rose for the poor sales numbers for Chinese Democracy, claiming that he did not do enough promotion for the album. But, here are a few interesting facts:

1.) "Chinese Democracy," "Guns N' Roses," and related terms were all in the most-searched terms on places like Twitter, Google, etc around the week of release. People were talking about it.

2.) The album was streamed millions of times on MySpace in a few days. People were listening to it.

3.) Axl has been talking about new songs for Chinese Democracy for over 15 years and promising an imminent release more than once. People did know about the album.

I have more than one guess as to why the new Guns N' Roses did not blow the world out of the water with sales numbers. I do not believe this was an issue of poor promoting. My best guess is that the content was not there. The songs were outdated and simply could not live up to the hype created. After millions listened to the album on MySpace, they realized that it wasn't that special, and therefore did not rush out to purchase it. Sure it has its moments, but the album simply became a victim of too much promotion spread over 15 years. Agree or disagree?

Go Avatar: How To Avoid the Recession

The age of avatars has never been so prominent than now, so if you’re feeling the effects of the recession, leave yourself behind and become “virtual” in a 3D World.

It’s really easy to do this. Just go to Whirled or perhaps “simpsonize” yourself, but remember to never leave your computer so you never encounter "in the red" surroundings, such as unpaid bills, unemployment, or every single sullen news segment broadcast from the Capitol. Being an avatar only adds to the escape because even though it’s you, it’s not really you and you feel good about that.

Avatars are also good for adding personality to your many social network profiles. Rather than upload a very genuine mug, you can make your nose bigger, color yourself, and own some really nice pearly whites complete with a devil grin. Ugly? Now you can be handsome.

Americans aren’t just home for the holidays; they are at home online, shopping, Tweeting, building a better domain for themselves. But if you really want a cure for your bleak situation, you should “friend” only the people who smile, a recent CNN article suggests. It may not be an avatar, but every little bit helps.