Before I get started with the usual link love for the rest of the blogosphere, I have an announcement to make. While the kinks are still being ironed out and I’ll probably make several more tweaks as the site matures, I have officially launched a fighting games blog called Hadouken Online. This is the secret blog that I was talking about last Friday.

I’ve been playing video games all my life. While I enjoy Contra and other action games as much as the next guy, my passion has always been fighting games. I thought Mortal Kombat II was incredible. The game that I’ve been playing the most on the PS3 is Virtua Fighter 5. The only game that I play on the PSP is Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection. I like the strategy involved. I like the intricate combos. I like the learning curve. And that’s why I’m going to love Hadouken Online, whether it makes money or not.

The first real post on Hadouken Online is now live: Street Fighter IV officially announced. And yes, there’s a preview trailer for you to enjoy. The fireball at the end is particularly cool. Shinkuuuuuuu…. Hadouuuuuken!!!!

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And now, a few words from the blogosphere.

Have you ever wondered what the site would look like if Google.com was designed for Google? Wonder no more, because GoogleLady has done it for you. There is a test site put up that shows how the Google homepage would have to be changed if it wanted to be fully Google-optimized for SEO purposes. Forget the clean interface; you need keyword stuffing!

As sad as it may sound, I spend most of my waking hours in front of the computer. So does ShoeMoney, but when he was asked to provide 5 websites he can’t live without, he came up with quite the interesting collection. Let’s just say that a certain panda killer didn’t make the list.

Most of the search engine keywords that point people toward Beyond the Rhetoric are to be expected. I get a trickle of traffic for “freelance writing”, for example, as well as “Richmond Night Market” for this post. There are some oddballs, of course, and John Cow has decided to share some of the silly search phrases that directly visitors to his blog. One of these phrases is cow shagging. I’d rather not know what post brought up that term.

A mortgage can be quite a confusing thing, especially for first-time homebuyers. InvestorBlogger discusses the biggest loan you will probably ever take out, asking whether mortgages are a chain around your neck or the shoulder of a giant. He’s got six tips to ensure that it’ll be the latter, rather than the former.

Making a steady income as a freelance writer can be a challenge at first, but Chris Bibey reminds us how becoming a freelance writer can save you money. Based on his calculations, he can save at least $12,600 a year by working from home. And it’s not just about saving on the commute.