Friday, March 29, 2019

8 Best URL Shortener to Earn Money 2019

  1. Adf.ly: Adf.ly is the oldest and one of the most trusted URL Shortener Service for making money by shrinking your links. Adf.ly provides you an opportunity to earn up to $5 per 1000 views. However, the earnings depend upon the demographics of users who go on to click the shortened link by Adf.ly.
    It offers a very comprehensive reporting system for tracking the performance of your each shortened URL. The minimum payout is kept low, and it is $5. It pays on 10th of every month. You can receive your earnings via PayPal, Payza, or AlertPay. Adf.ly also runs a referral program wherein you can earn a flat 20% commission for each referral for a lifetime.
  2. LINK.TL: LINK.TL is one of the best and highest URL shortener website.It pays up to $16 for every 1000 views.You just have to sign up for free.You can earn by shortening your long URL into short and you can paste that URL into your website, blogs or social media networking sites, like facebook, twitter, and google plus etc.
    One of the best thing about this site is its referral system.They offer 10% referral commission.You can withdraw your amount when it reaches $5.
    • Payout for 1000 views-$16
    • Minimum payout-$5
    • Referral commission-10%
    • Payout methods-Paypal, Payza, and Skrill
    • Payment time-daily basis

  3. Wi.cr: Wi.cr is also one of the 30 highest paying URL sites.You can earn through shortening links.When someone will click on your link.You will be paid.They offer $7 for 1000 views.Minimum payout is $5.
    You can earn through its referral program.When someone will open the account through your link you will get 10% commission.Payment option is PayPal.
    • Payout for 1000 views-$7
    • Minimum payout-$5
    • Referral commission-10%
    • Payout method-Paypal
    • Payout time-daily

  4. Clk.sh: Clk.sh is a newly launched trusted link shortener network, it is a sister site of shrinkearn.com. I like ClkSh because it accepts multiple views from same visitors. If any one searching for Top and best url shortener service then i recommend this url shortener to our users. Clk.sh accepts advertisers and publishers from all over the world. It offers an opportunity to all its publishers to earn money and advertisers will get their targeted audience for cheapest rate. While writing ClkSh was offering up to $8 per 1000 visits and its minimum cpm rate is $1.4. Like Shrinkearn, Shorte.st url shorteners Clk.sh also offers some best features to all its users, including Good customer support, multiple views counting, decent cpm rates, good referral rate, multiple tools, quick payments etc. ClkSh offers 30% referral commission to its publishers. It uses 6 payment methods to all its users.
    • Payout for 1000 Views: Upto $8
    • Minimum Withdrawal: $5
    • Referral Commission: 30%
    • Payment Methods: PayPal, Payza, Skrill etc.
    • Payment Time: Daily

  5. Short.am: Short.am provides a big opportunity for earning money by shortening links. It is a rapidly growing URL Shortening Service. You simply need to sign up and start shrinking links. You can share the shortened links across the web, on your webpage, Twitter, Facebook, and more. Short.am provides detailed statistics and easy-to-use API.
    It even provides add-ons and plugins so that you can monetize your WordPress site. The minimum payout is $5 before you will be paid. It pays users via PayPal or Payoneer. It has the best market payout rates, offering unparalleled revenue. Short.am also run a referral program wherein you can earn 20% extra commission for life.
  6. Ouo.io: Ouo.io is one of the fastest growing URL Shortener Service. Its pretty domain name is helpful in generating more clicks than other URL Shortener Services, and so you get a good opportunity for earning more money out of your shortened link. Ouo.io comes with several advanced features as well as customization options.
    With Ouo.io you can earn up to $8 per 1000 views. It also counts multiple views from same IP or person. With Ouo.io is becomes easy to earn money using its URL Shortener Service. The minimum payout is $5. Your earnings are automatically credited to your PayPal or Payoneer account on 1st or 15th of the month.
    • Payout for every 1000 views-$5
    • Minimum payout-$5
    • Referral commission-20%
    • Payout time-1st and 15th date of the month
    • Payout options-PayPal and Payza

  7. Linkbucks: Linkbucks is another best and one of the most popular sites for shortening URLs and earning money. It boasts of high Google Page Rank as well as very high Alexa rankings. Linkbucks is paying $0.5 to $7 per 1000 views, and it depends on country to country.
    The minimum payout is $10, and payment method is PayPal. It also provides the opportunity of referral earnings wherein you can earn 20% commission for a lifetime. Linkbucks runs advertising programs as well.
    • The payout for 1000 views-$3-9
    • Minimum payout-$10
    • Referral commission-20%
    • Payment options-PayPal,Payza,and Payoneer
    • Payment-on the daily basis

  8. CPMlink: CPMlink is one of the most legit URL shortener sites.You can sign up for free.It works like other shortener sites.You just have to shorten your link and paste that link into the internet.When someone will click on your link.
    You will get some amount of that click.It pays around $5 for every 1000 views.They offer 10% commission as the referral program.You can withdraw your amount when it reaches $5.The payment is then sent to your PayPal, Payza or Skrill account daily after requesting it.
    • The payout for 1000 views-$5
    • Minimum payout-$5
    • Referral commission-10%
    • Payment methods-Paypal, Payza, and Skrill
    • Payment time-daily

Ep 23: Campain Ribbin’ Is Live!

Ep 23: Campain Ribbin' is live!
We talk with Henry Hyde about his new book "Wargaming Campaigns" and running a wargame campaign.
https://soundcloud.com/user-989538417/e ... ign-ribbin
The Veteran Wargamer is brought to you by Kings Hobbies and Games
http://www.Kingshobbiesandgames.comhttps://www.facebook.com/Special-Artiza ... 644366746/
Join the conversation at https://theveteranwargamer.blogspot.com, email theveteranwargamer@gmail.com, Twitter @veteranwargamer
Follow Henry at http://henrys-wargaming.co.uk/Twitter @battegames
Shot, Steel and Stone Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/shotsteelandstone/Wars of the Faltenian Succession E-Book: https://payhip.com/b/7he8The Wargaming Compendium: http://thewargamingcompendium.com/Gladius Publications: http://gladiuspublications.com/

Other companies we mentioned:
Tony Bath's Hyboria Campaign: http://hillcantons.blogspot.com/2010/12 ... art-i.html
Schleich figures: https://www.schleich-s.com/en/US/eldrador.html
John Keegan - The Face of Battle: https://www.amazon.com/Face-Battle-Stud ... +of+battle
Cartographer's Guild: https://www.cartographersguild.com/content.php
GMT - 1960: The Making of a President https://www.gmtgames.com/p-574-1960-the ... ident.aspx
Katie Aidley (Katie's Game Corner) Twitter: @katiesgamecrner
GZG - "StarGrunt" Jon Tuffley: http://downloads.groundzerogames.co.uk/sgii.pdf
Martin Van Creveld - "Supplying War": https://www.amazon.com/Supplying-War-Lo ... 0521546575
Martin Van Creveld - "War Games": https://www.amazon.com/Wargames-Profess ... an+creveld
Games Workshop - Mighty Empires: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/52/mighty-empires
Bob Barnetson - aka Bob in Edmonton http://edmontonwargamer.blogspot.com/
Too Fat Lardies - Pint Sized Campaigns: http://toofatlardies.co.uk/product-cate ... f-command/
Music courtesy bensound.com. Recorded with zencastr.com. Edited with Audacity. Make your town beautiful; get a haircut.
x




Kowloon Walled City

Abstract: Kowloon Walled City (九龍寨城) has long captured the attention of people around the world. Even though the slum that made the place famous was demolished and remodeled as an ancient Chinese garden in the 1990s, every year thousands of tourists still came to the site for the monuments and exhibitions that talk about the gone city. The City's uniqueness has also made it a popular scene in video games. These games altogether cover an amazing aspects of the gone city. In this article, we will first look at these characteristic features one by one, before disclosing the one piece of historical fact that contributed to the legend.

Kowloon Walled City before remodeling. By Greg Girard and Ian Lambot.
Kowloon Walled City (九龍寨城) has long captured the attention of people around the world. Even though the slum that made the place famous was demolished and remodeled as an ancient Chinese garden in the 1990s, every year thousands of tourists still came to the site for the monuments and exhibitions that talk about the gone city.
Aerial view of Kowloon Walled City in 1991. Source: Hong Kong Housing Authority via Hong Kong Public Library
Aerial view of Kowloon Walled City Park nowadays. By Greg Girard and Ian Lambot.
The City's uniqueness has also made it a popular scene in video games. The following is a list of games with the appearance of the City.
  • Final Fight 2 (Capcom. Super Nintendo: 1993)
  • Kowloon's Gate (Sony Music Entertainment. PlayStation: 1997)
  • Shadow Hearts (Aruze. PlayStation 2: 2001)
  • Shenmue II (Sega, Dreamcast: 2001. Xbox: 2002)
  • Bujunggai (Taito, PlayStation 2: 2003)
  • Stranglehold (Midway Games, Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/Microsoft Windows: 2007)
  • Wet (Bethesda Software, PlayStation 3/Xbox 360: 2009)
  • Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision, Microsoft Windows/Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/Wii: 2010)
  • Shadowrun: Hong Kong (Harebrained Schemes, Microsoft Windows/OS X/Linux: 2015)
  • 光輝歲月 (Lakoo. iOS/Andorid: since 2015)
  • Phantasmal: City of Darkness (Eyemobi Ltd. Microsoft Windows: 2016)
  • 正牌龍虎門 (Gameone. Android/iOS: 2019) 
Indeed these video games altogether cover an amazing aspects of the gone city. In this article, we will first look at these characteristic features one by one. I find that all these characteristics were due to one piece of historical fact. Next I will disclose what it was and how it contributed to the legend.

Tightly-packed stacked apartments

The most astonishing feature of Kowloon Walled City was perhaps its skyline of tightly-packed stacked apartment buildings. In fact, I use the appearance of such a unique architecture group to determine whether a video game is modeling Kowloon Walled City, unless I am explicitly told so.

Tightly-packed stacked apartment buildings in Shenmue II
Tightly-packed stacked apartment buildings in Bujungai
Tightly-packed stacked apartment buildings in Call of Duty: Black Ops
Tightly-packed stacked apartment buildings in Shadowrun: Hong Kong
The tightly packed Kowloon Walled City (figure 2) in 正牌龍虎門 (Gameone. Android/iOS: 2019) 

Poorly-maintained alleys and staircases

For those games involving navigating in the Walled City, you would notice that for most of the time, you are under internal alleys and stairs that do not have access to air or open space. These internal pathways are usually messy, dirty or even abandoned due to the lack of motivation to improve them.

Navigating hallways and doorways inside Kowloon Walled City in Kowloon's Gate

A hallway inside a Kowloon City Building in Shenmue II

 Inside the Kowloon Fortress (modeled after Kowloon Walled City in the 1960s-1980s) of Shadow Heart
Navigating inside Kowloon Walled City in Call of Duty: Black Ops
Messy, broken cables in the Kowloon Walled City of Phantasmal
The messy corner in real Kowloon Walled City. Source: cityofdarkness.co.uk
Poorly-built stairs in the real Kowloon Walled City. Source: cityofdarkness.co.uk
With poorly lit, ventilated and maintained pathways, the Walled City is portrayed as a place with mythic or even supernatural power. The story of Kowloon's Gate is all about the ancient Chinese environmental philosophy Feng Shui. It is the disrupted life energy flow that makes the demolished City to show up again in the Mortal world in 1997. Feng Shui apparatuses are all around in the city. The player needs to walk through a series of hallway and doorways that appear to be warping. In Shadowrun: Hong Kong, the City is described to possess some sort of supernatural energy. The City was also the stage of video games featuring combats using supernatural power combats such as Bejingai.
Fixing the Feng Shui of Kowloon Walled City in Shadowrun: Hong Kong

 
 Fights using magical power in the Demon Mecca stage (based on Kowloon Walled City) in Bujingai

In fact, the location of oldest road in the real Walled City, Lung Chun Road 龍津路, (also appeared in Kowloon's Gate) was believed to be identified by Feng Shui masters in order to capture the best possible luck.

Maps of mazes in Kowloon's Gate, showing Lung Chun Road (龍津路). Source: psychelia2.com
Maps of the real Kowloon Walled City displayed in Kowloon Walled City Park.

Open space

With apartment buildings packed so tightly, one can only look for open spaces at the rooftop. In video games, the high-rise rooftop is the combat stage as in Shenmue II and Call of Duty: Black Ops.

 
Rooftop fight in Kowloon Walled City in Shenmue II

Fight inside Kowloon Walled City in Call of Duty: Black Ops

In reality, the rooftop was where the residents used for relaxation or even homework. Note that the rooftops of different buildings are connected to one another, so you can just 'fly' from one building to another there.

A resident relaxing at the roottop of the real Kowloon Walled City. Source: designboom.com
Children playing at the roottop of the real Kowloon Walled City. Source: cityofdarkness.co.uk
Children doing homework at the roottop of the real Kowloon Walled City. Source: cityofdarkness.co.uk
The other rare open space in the Walled City was illustrated in the concept artwork of Stranglehold.
Concept art of Stranglehold modeling the church in the central area of Kowloon Walled City
It was indeed modeling the central area of the real Kowloon Walled City. The space consists of a few short offices.
The Yamen construction, surrounded by buildings, in the middle of the Kowloon Walled City. Source: sokoreazy.com
Started as a Yamen (the administrative office and/or residence of a local bureaucrat or mandarin in imperial China) in mid 18th century, the space was used since 1899 by different religiously groups as a home for the aged, a home for widows and orphans, a school and a clinic, among other things.

The real church in the Yamen area of the Kowloon Walled City, with its minister Issac Liu. Source: cityofdarkness.co.uk
The refreshed Yamen in Kowloon Walled City Park nowadays. Source: Antiques and Monuments Offices, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Hong Kong

Crime and triad activities

In another set of games (Final Fight 2, Shenmue II, Stranglehold and Wet), the virtual Kowloon City was modeled as a place with lots of gang fights and triad hideouts.

Gang fights inside Kowloon City in Final Fight 2

 
Kowloon City as Triad hideout in Shenmue II

Gang combats inside Kowloon Walled City in Stranglehold

According to the testimony of a police officer here, there were indeed lots of fights among triad society members even in the 1990.

Businesses

In games such as Kowloon's Gate and Shenmue II, you could find a variety of shops in the virtual Kowloon Walled City. The opening movie of the game Kowloon's Gate brings you the best glimpse on such a variety of shops through their extruding advertising signs. Typical businesses such as eateries and theaters are there, but there are also unusual ones such as adult shops. Some businesses such as doctors and dentists were in unusual density due to no laws and order inside the walled city.

Kowloon's Gate opening movie showing the variety of businesses in Kowloon Walled City.  

The variety of shops shown up in the opening movie of Kowloon's Gate. From left to right: theatre, adult shop, clinics
Concept art of 光輝歲月 showing a myriad of clinics and dentists in Kowloon Walled City
The sign of a dentist inside the Kowloon Walled City of Phantasmal 
A dentist office in the Kowloon Fortress (modeled after Kowloon Walled City in the 1960s-1980s) of Shadow Heart
Inside a dentist of Kowloon Fortress (modeled after Kowloon Walled City in the 1960s-1980s) of Shadow Heart
In fact, according to a government statistics conducted before the Walled City was demolished, in this 2.6 hectare of land, there were 87 dentists and 63 unlicensed doctor clinics.

Advertising signs of doctors and dentists in the real Kowloon Walled City. By Greg Girard and Ian Lambot.
Advertising signs of doctors and dentists in the real Kowloon Walled City. By Greg Girard and Ian Lambot.
Prostitution, gambling and drugs were also common in the real Walled City.

A cross section of the Kowloon Walled City. Source: 《大図解九龍城》, reproduced here

Aeroplanes overhead

In Shenmue II and Call of Duty: Black Ops, one can observe aeroplanes flying over the City from time to time.
An aircraft flying just above Kowloon City in Shenmue II
An aircraft (left) flying just above the rooftop of Kowloon Walled City in Call of Duty: Black Ops
It was indeed happening every day throughout the day in the real Kowloon Walled City.

An aircraft observed from the roottop of the real Kowloon Walled City. Source: 九龍城砦探検記2 屋上から啓徳空港を見下ろす
An aircraft flying just above the real Kowloon Walled City roottop. Source: designboom.com
Evening on the roof of the real Kowloon Walled City, observing a plane landing to Kai Tat Airport. Source: designboom.com

The history behind

All the above amazing characteristics of the Walled City were all started by the Chinese Qing Empire leasing New Kowloon and New Territories to The United Kingdom under the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory in 1898. At that time, the Chinese officials came up with the idea of maintaining the country's rule over a city inside the leased land. The officials thought that such an exclave would help keeping the country's tie with the leased land and help claiming it 99 years later. The exclave in this case in the Kowloon Walled City.

1915 map of the Hong Kong region with the Kowloon Walled City listed as "Chinese Town" at the upper right-hand corner. Source: Wikipedia
The British tried claiming the right to rule that exclave from time to time. In 1899, the British succeeded in getting all the Chinese officers and soldiers away from the City. The Yamen Building in the central area was used by different religious groups as a home for the aged, a home for widows and orphans, a school and a clinic, among other things.

However, any attempts of the British Hong Kong government to take over the control of the City failed, due to the opposition from the Chinese government and the Chinese living in the City. Finally in 1948, the British and the Hong Kong governments decided to give up and let it to be. Meanwhile, the Chinese officials had no way to enter the Walled City since it was surrounded by British land, not even talking about ruling it. The City thus turned out to be a power vacuum which the British government didn't want to rule, the Hong Kong government was afraid to rule, and the Chinese government had no way to rule -- not under jurisdiction of any of the three government.

The "Not under jurisdiction of any of the three governments" graffiti (in Chinese 三不管 on the right of this screenshot) in Shenmue II
With no government enforcement, the stakeholders of the Walled City including the landlords and the tenants just have no motivation to do anything beyond the bare minimum. Therefore you saw apartments and walkways that were added in an ad-hoc, unorganized manner yet working. Facilities and hygiene were not well taken care of. The only open space remained were the central Yamen area that I mentioned earlier, and the rooftop which the residents used for relaxation or even homework. Unregulated businesses, unlicensed doctors and dentists, crime and triad activities were not interrupted as long as they did not affect the living of the landlords and the tenants.

The sign of the landlord association in Kowloon Walled City. Source: cityofdarkness.co.uk
One thing to note is that even though the Hong Kong government did not enforce laws this area and collect no dues from the residents inside, there did exist limited essential government services such as water, mail and even police patrol.

Postman delivering mails inside Kowloon Walled City. Source: cityofdarkness.co.uk
A policeman patrolling in Kowloon Walled City. Source: cityofdarkness.co.uk
The only Hong Kong law that was effectively executed in the Walled City was perhaps the one governing the height of the buildings, but again for a pragmatic reason. The City was located just 800m away from the Kai Tat Airport (1925-1998), and was close to the path that flights took to approach the airport. As a result, the buildings in the Walled City did not get more than 14 floors in order to avoid collisions with the planes, and one could observe planes flying just above him while he was in the City.
The path for flights to approach Kai Tak Airport. Source: SCMP

Side note: Where was the Wall of the Walled City?

Even though there is "Walled" in its name, the City one did not have any wall around it. Why was that? For that, we need to dig into its history further.

In ancient times, Kowloon Walled City was a typical small outpost and coastal fort without any wall. It was after the British occupation of Hong Kong Island in 1841 that the Qing Empire realized the importance of defensing territory. In 1846, the Qing Empire constructed a wall to enclose the area, the origin of "Walled" in the name of the place.

Model of Kowloon Walled City in the mid 19th century. Source: Wikipedia
The Walled City seen from White Crane Hill in 1865. Source: cityofdarkness.co.uk
Kowloon Walled City in 1910s. Source: Hong Kong Museum of History via wsj.com
The South Gate of Kowloon Walled City. Source: Wikipedia
However, when the Japanese occupied Hong Kong during World War II, the wall was demolished and its stone were taken away to build the drainage of the Kai Tat Airport nearby.

The Kai Tat Airport runway in 1971. Source: Wikipedia
If the wall had not been demolished, the wall and its entrance into the City would have been looked like what you saw in Shenmue II...

The city wall of Kowloon City in Shenmue II.
... but not just broken signs now.

Remnants of the City's South Gate and its entrance plaques. Source: Wikipedia

References

City of Darkness Revisited. (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2017, from http://cityofdarkness.co.uk/

Wall Street Journal. (n.d.). Kowloon Walled City. Retrieved April 30, 2017, from http://projects.wsj.com/kwc 

Pictures of Kowloon Walled City. (2013, April 06). Retrieved April 30, 2017, from http://hongwrong.com/kowloon-walled-city-photos/ 

ケロ. (n.d.). 九龍城砦探検記1. Retrieved April 30, 2017, from http://www.geocities.co.jp/SilkRoad/9613/kyuryu/kyuryu1.html 

Chan, W. (2015, January 02). Kowloon Walled City: In Hong Kong, it was the densest place on Earth. Retrieved April 30, 2017, from http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/31/travel/kowloon-walled-city/index.html 

DeHart, J. (2013, April 26). Kowloon Walled City: Anarchy and Inspiration in the City of Darkness. Retrieved April 30, 2017, from http://thediplomat.com/2013/04/kowloon-walled-city-anarchy-and-inspiration-in-the-city-of-darkness/ 

The Lost Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong as Represented in Video Games. (2014, April 02). Retrieved April 30, 2017, from http://untappedcities.com/2011/10/02/kill-screen-kowloon-city-behind-these-walls/ 

【情報】巨大的立體迷宮--香港九龍寨城(內含大量圖片). (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2017, from http://forum.gamer.com.tw/Co.php?bsn=60433&sn=605187 

香港高登討論區 (n.d.). 【時事台】紀錄片 - 九龍城寨 (多圖) by 軍事家. Retrieved April 30, 2017, from http://m3.hkgolden.com/view.aspx?message=6335212&type=CA 

Carney, J. (2015, February 12). Kowloon Walled City: Life in the City of Darkness. Retrieved April 30, 2017, from http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1191748/kowloon-walled-city-life-city-darkness

Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong Government. (n.d.). Declared Monuments in Hong Kong. Retrieved April 30, 2017, from http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Monument/en/monuments_63.php

陳雲. (2005). 「守土與抗命」──九龍城寨的歷史意義與公園改裝建議. In 我思故我在──香港的風俗與文化 (pp. 154-170). 香港: 花千樹出版社. 

Review - CHASM - A Convincing pseudo-RPG Metroidvania With Randomized Maps!

Chasm - Jungle boss

Chasm - Logo

There's an old Irish saying: "There's many a good tune played on an old fiddle", and it fits well Chasm, an old-school Metroidvania which has been in development during around 6 years, since 2012. 

  "Bit Kid, Inc.", the developer, doesn't promise us innovative gameplay mechanics, but a very well-made addictive platformer/adventure with a nice twist: randomized maps!