Even if you are an “AdSense Veteran” this is worth looking into. I do find Google’s statement under the “How much you can earn” section quite humorous:
For example, for every thousand page impressions you receive, you might earn anywhere from $0.05 to $5.00. While most publishers will fall within this range, you might notice that it’s a very large range.
Seriously, if you are earning 5 cents for every 1,000 page views, it is time to get out of the web business.
The main reason I started the SEO Revolution was out of frustration. Frustration at all of the lies and misconceptions that are posted in forums, given as advice in teleconferences, and even taught in live workshops. "So why didn't all of this work?" " Why wasn't my site successful?" " Why am I still stuck in a rut?" 
Your link to Newbie Central is broken. It looks like you need to take out the https// bit.
Thanks for catching that. It was fixed just after you posted the comment … forgot to give you “thanks” for finding it.