Me and the Computer

LED Monitor Review: LG FLATRON E2041

2011-06-15T05:07:00.000-07:00

My Old AOC CRT Monitor began to show signs of dying. It would occasionally black out for a few seconds. Sometimes lightning streaks would run across the screen.

I bought that monitor way back in 2006. It served me well for 5 years. It was very durable and AOC is a good brand.

And so I had no choice but to buy myself a new monitor. I would have preferred another CRT Monitor but they were no longer available. Even the more recent LCD screens are being phased out in favor a the newer LED monitors.

LG FLATRON E2041

(This was not my first choice but it was the next best thing available in the computer store I visited).

1600 X 900 Resolution (16:9 Aspect Ratio)
Contrast Ratio: 5,000,000:1
Brightness: 250 Cd/m2
Dimensions W/Stand (WHD): 17.44" X 13.78" X 6.54"

My Feedback

This monitor comes with two connectors VGA and DVI.

It comes with a CD that is supposed to contain the manual and monitor drivers. However, when you install the monitor driver contained in the CD it will always give you an "Installation Aborted" error.

An Amazon customer wrote about this problem. But don't worry. The monitor is plug and play. It works fine with the default Windows 7 driver.

Content of the CD

What you will actually find in the CD are PDF manuals. But I did not find them helpful. Explanation on the various features and functions of the monitor are very sparse.

And the CD also contains a color calibration file, E2041 ICC Profile. But I also ended up using the default Windows 7 calibration because the one given by LG was too dark. You could not distinguish the lighter shadows from the dark shadows.

The CD also contained the monitor driver setup information. It is a text file. If you are an expert in Windows Registry editing, perhaps you can enter it manually. Otherwise, don't touch it. You will do fine without it.

Monitor Control Panel

The Monitor Control Panel is found at the right lower side of your monitor. They have no label. You will have to refer on the display on your screen when you are using them (this had me confused at first).

Overall Experience

It is a pretty good monitor. LED is really better than LCD. Picture quality does not change even if I view it at different angles or when I am far from the screen.

I would still say that CRT monitors produce crisper images but LED monitors are one step closer compared to LCDs.

Privacy and Your Digital Identity

2011-05-15T06:01:00.000-07:00

If someone had access to everything you have posted all over the internet they will know who you really are - perhaps even more than many of your close friends.

Imagine me as this person. I know who your elementary, highschool, and college classmates. I know who your former and current officemates are. I know your preferences and your interest based on the websites you visit.

I know your hobbies based on the photos that you shared and the organizations and clubs that you've joined. I know your favorite hangouts based on the statuses that you posted.

I know your Social Security Number, your Bank account, and your Credit Card information – every data about you.

I could use this information for something harmless as giving them to commercial companies so they could send you offers that you will probably like because they are based on your personal data.

Or this data could get leaked to individuals who have more malicious intention.

What are the bad ways your personal data can be used against you?

1. Stalking
2. Criminal Intent (Kidnapping, Theft, Robbery, Murder, etc.)
3. Slander / Mud Slinging / Destroying your Reputation

You would probably say I am just paranoid.

Just the past week we've heard that someone hacked into Sony's Playstation Network and into the members personal details. It is not stated whether credit card information were leaked but it is not far fetched.

And then Facebook admitted that they have been leaking personal data to third parties for years. And only because it was revealed by Symantec, the security company.

Facebook also admitted to hiring a PR company to run a negative campaign against Google. If a company would stoop so low as hire a company to do something unethical, could you ever trust them with your personal information?

Apple is also being sued because of the Ipad and Iphones location tracking because they store the information in their databases and it can be restored using itunes. The main concern was, what if someone hacked into these databases?

Lately, I have been weary with this Internet companies since they seem to bent on using their customers' data to every profitable way they can imagine. And hackers have become bolder and more sophisticated in their methods. So right now I am being more careful with the information I share. For starters I think there will be no more personal social network accounts for me. They actually do more harm to me than good.

Again am I being overly paranoid?

I have a former classmate who works abroad. She often receives SMS messages from relatives asking her to send money. The sender even used some personal information that only my classmate and her relatives will know. My classmate is fortunately a cautious person. She called her relative and she found out that her relative did not send any such SMS.

Now who would get a hold of her Cellphone and some information about her. The only thing she could recall is the company she hired to send a package to her country.

Firefox 4 vs IE 9 vs Chrome vs Opera 11

2011-03-30T05:54:00.000-07:00

If you download Internet Explorer 9, Firefox 4, Google Chrome, and Opera 11 you will find out that they all look the same. It feels weird really that find myself confused which internet browser I am currently losing.

The differences of course is under the hood and they are very subtle.

For me Opera is the best when it comes to downloading large files. It allows you to resume downloading from where you left off when you turned off your pc or logged off the Internet.

Firefox is the best when it comes to add ons. My favorite is Firebug. It is a very good add on if you are a developer.

Chrome is of course the original clean browser.

Internet Explorer 9 recently followed the interface design of the other internet browsers. It boasts a feature that will prevent advertising companies from tracking your surfing behavior. The only browser to have this feature at the moment.

But as I have said earlier, they all now look the same. It’s kind of funny. I never thought I would see this happen.

Upgrading Oracle's VirtualBox

2011-03-02T11:52:00.000-08:00

As I have posted earlier, VirtualBox is a virtualization software. What it does is allow you to install multiple operating systems in one PC or server.

An update, VirtualBox 4.0.4 was recently released on February 17, 2011. To upgrade VirtualBox 4.0.3 to the latest version:

1. Download VirtualBox 4.0.4 from the official website.

2. Uninstall your existing VirtualBox. Don't worry this will not erase your currently installed Operating Systems.

3. Restart your computer. You will be asked to restart your computer after uninstalling the existing software.

4. Install VirtualBox 4.0.4. Your previous OS installations should still be there.

MySQL Log File Location

2011-02-27T20:33:00.000-08:00

MySQL log files can help you track warnings and errors as well as optimize slow queries.

To find the directories where MySQL keeps them, just type the SQL statement:

SHOW VARIABLES LIKE '%log_file%';

This will show where your MySQL server keeps the log files.

Running Multiple Operating Systems in One Computer

2011-02-17T05:13:00.000-08:00

For a long time I was unable to brush up my skills in Linux because there was no available computer to install it. I did not want to make my PC dual booth since in the past it proved to come with a lot of hassle. Sometimes if something goes wrong with one OS it also affected my other OS. That is why I did want to do that anymore.

Fortunately, I recently stumbled upon VirtualBox. I was helping a friend create a forked process in her program and we needed to do it in Linux. And instead of installing Linux on a separate partion, we decided to use a virtual machine software instead.

VMWare is the most popular virtualization software but I wanted to look for something that is opensource and free. Luckily there is VirtualBox.

VirtualBox is the only free and opensource virtualization software. It is licensed under GPL 2. Development is currently being spearheaded by Oracle. It works with Intel and AMD processors.

I am currently using it to run Ubuntu 10.10 and Kubuntu 10.4. I am hoping to use it to run Android and Apple's IOS.

Firefox vs Opera : Downloading Large Files

2011-01-23T04:05:00.000-08:00

When it comes to rendering web pages, I think Firefox is the best. Sometimes when I am using Opera or Chrome Browser there are some javascript codes that does not function correctly but seems to work fine when I am using Firefox.

But if you are going to download large files, I would recommend using Opera. Opera is able to continue from where it last stopped after you paused the download. Firefox, on the other hand would often restart the whole process.

Windows 7 Media Player

2011-01-07T14:24:00.000-08:00

One of the things I like about Windows 7 is the new Media Player. The interface has been simplified so you get more screen space when you are watching a movie. As you can see from the above picture, the program does not display the controls when you don't need them.

But if you need the controls simply hover your mouse over the program. It will display only the most essential buttons that you will need.

If you want to see the more advanced controls, just right click over Media Player. You will see the option to chance the Visualization or Enhancements like in the previous Media Player versions.

Another great thing about Windows Media Player 12 is that it supports more video and audio format like Divx right off the bat.

Windows XP or Windows 7

2010-12-29T00:19:00.000-08:00

Windows XP is a good Operating System. By August 2011 it will be a decade old. But many find it hard to switch to Windows Vista or Windows 7. This is further testament to its popularity.

However, users of Windows XP will no longer be able to take advantage of newer hardware technologies since Microsoft has decided to stop selling last October 22, 2010 and the support is only available until April 2014.

Windows 7 is the latest release of Microsoft Windows. It came shortly after Windows Vista has gathered a lot of unfavorable reviews.

You maybe asking yourself, how is Windows 7 compared to Windows XP? And is it bad like Windows Vista?

Actually, Windows 7 is good too. In the office I have seen a Duron 2800+ with just 512mb of RAM run Windows 7 without any problem.

I myself am running it on a newer PC. If I would compare Windows 7 to Windows XP, I would say Windows 7 crashes less than Windows XP plus it recovers better.

When running computer games, it is just as fast as XP. Just make sure to install the graphics driver from the manufacturers website. Windows 7 will provide default driver for the latest graphics card. But this driver is not optimized, so you may experience some lagging when running graphics intensive computers.

Personally, between Windows XP and Windows 7, I think I'm sticking with Windows 7.

Windows 7 Sticky Notes

2010-12-14T04:14:00.000-08:00

Windows 7 has its own Sticky Notes application. It does not have as many features as Morun's Sticky Notes like: you can't hide a selected note, you can't put a title on each notes, and you can't make the fonts bold or italic. But you can change the color of the notes and it is useful enough though it seems bare in terms of features.

Free Software versus Commercial Software

2010-12-13T07:22:00.000-08:00

I am a fan of the Free Software and also the Opensource movement. But one must realized that not all free software are good for you. Here is why: Usability.

I realized that you should not choose to use an FOSS software just because it is free. Because a software maybe so unusable that what you save in money will cost you time. For me time is more valuable than money. Don't we all think that way?

So I am trying to discipline myself to use the “best of the breed” approach for choosing software Instead of going with what is free.

Having said that these are the free software I can recommend: Inkscape, Wings3D, Flex, Jquery, PHP, Apache, Codeigniter, and MyPaint. They are very easy to use. They have intuitive user interfaces. No. You won't find yourself pulling your hair when you are using them. They are great.

As for the other prominent free software out there, I won't mention them cause some of their supporters can be frighteningly sensitive and fanatical.

Warning: This problem with usability is not unique to free software. You can also encounter them on commercial ones.

As a rule, always try a trial version of a software first before purchasing them.

Adobe CS5 Collection Inconsistency in Installer Database

2010-12-09T07:32:00.000-08:00

There are some issues you may encounter when you are installing Adobe CS5 Collection. The installer will run and accept the serial number. But it will abruptly end saying - Inconsistency in Installer Database.

What happened here is that the file were Adobe keeps the list of programs got corrupted.

To fix the problem go to:

C:\Program Files(x86)\Common Files\Adobe

Then look for the caps directory.

Delete this directory and reinstall Adobe.

How to Save and Restore Mozilla Firefox Bookmarks

2010-12-08T10:42:00.000-08:00

It is a good idea to save your browser bookmarks in a safe place. It will come in handy incase you need to reinstall the browser when your OS gets corrupted or your browser gets corrupted.

In Mozilla Firefox, You can do this by clicking on Bookmarks on the menu.

And then click on Organize Bookmarks.

The bookmark management window will be displayed. Click on Import and Backup on the menu.

Then click on Backup. The program will asked you where to save your bookmarks list.

It is a good idea to save this in a different hard disk or in your USB stick.

To restore, repeat the whole process except choose Restore during the last step.

GIMP: How to Enable Wacom Pen Tablet

2010-12-03T00:09:00.000-08:00

If you are doing digital graphics in Gimp, whether painting or simply drawing, it is best to use a pen tablet. Wacom is a recognized brand when it comes to pen tablets. Gimp does support it but it is not enabled by default.

How to Enable Pen Tablet Support

1. Launch Gimp using your pen tablet. Don't use the mouse to launch Gimp. If you do, Gimp won't detect it.

2. In the menu click Edit>Preference.

3. On the list click "Input Devices".

4. Click "Configure Extended Input Decives". Here is where Gimp gets weird. If you started Gimp for the first time using a mouse, it will say there are no available input device. But if you launched it using the pen tablet, you will see "Wacom Tablet Pressure Stylus" and "Wacom Tablet Eraser".

5. Click the Close Button

6. Click "Save Input Device Settings Now" so that the pen tablet will still be supported when you launch Gimp next time.

Latest AVG Update Corrupts Windows XP 64

2010-12-01T20:54:00.000-08:00

AVG is one of the free anti-virus software you can download off the Internet. It is easy to use and good at detecting computer viruses. But today I have a reason to dislike this software.

This morning I received a message from the software that the latest update is ready. So I clicked update.

And then it told me that I need to restart my computer.

I clicked Allow Restart.

After the computer restarted, it no longer boots properly. I kept getting an error that a DLL file was missing and then the OS restarts.

I could not even remedy the problem by loging into Safe Mode.

I ended up reformatting my hard disk and reinstalling the OS.

And now I have not yet installed all the software that were originally there because it would take me the whole day and I would get nothing done.

Ugh. AVG!

CoreTemp: Monitor Your CPU Temperature and Load

2010-11-15T21:35:00.000-08:00

I am a big fan of AMD CPUs. They are cheap and just as fast and reliable as Intel CPUs. But a few years ago, its cooling system was an issue. Intel based computers will not start if the CPU temperature is to high. But not for early AMD CPUs. It would continue to run regardless of the temperature.

That is why in my early days as an IT professional, I managed to burn three CPUs.

But these days this is not a problem anymore. You can set your BIOS to stop the computer when the central processing unit reaches a certain temperature threshold.

Still, if you are curious about monitoring your CPU temperature and load, you can use CoreTemp. It works for both Intel and AMD based computers.

This program can be useful in determining whether you need to improve your computer ventilation. Perhaps you might need more fans or more powerful fans to lower your CPU temperature.

Future of Computing: CPU + GPU

2010-11-15T04:01:00.000-08:00

Personal computing continues to advance in an unprecedented ways. At first chip makers were trying to out do each other by making CPUs (central processing unit) faster. And then they decided that it would be more efficient to combine multiple CPUs in one chip. That is why we now have what we call multicore CPUs. What this latest chip is capable of doing is to split computer processing loads among its cores.

But soon you won't be needing you graphics card either. Intel and AMD are working on a new breed of CPU that combines a graphics processor with the traditional multicore CPUs.

At Intel they are using what they call the Sandy Bridge Architecture to achieve this combination. AMD's initiative on the other hand is called AMD Fusion.

Back in 2006, Intel started exploring making their own graphics card. Which probably forced AMD to buy ATI, the graphics card company.

One has to wonder what NVIDIA is thinking or doing right now. If in the future we will no longer need a separate graphics card, this will be a big problem for them.

The Importance of Two Partitions

2010-10-11T08:18:00.000-07:00

Ideally you should have one hard disk for your OS (Operating System) and one hard disk for your data. But if you only one hard disk it is extremely important that you divide it into two partitions.

The Reason for this is that your OS may crash. And the only fix would be to format and reinstall your OS.

You can't do this without losing your data if they reside on the same partition.

So as a rule, always...always make atleast two partitions if you only have one hard disk.

If only I can remember that rule.

Ugh.

RealTek Audio HD Microphone Problem Solution

2010-10-07T21:43:00.000-07:00

Most of the new motherboards that comes with a built it RealTek Audio HD have microphone problems. I recently, bought one that suffers this problem.

So I checked the headphone jack and it works perfectly fine. But when I checked the microphone and it doesn't work.

So I opened my PC to make sure that everything is plugged correctly on the motherboard. And every was perfectly okay.

So what seems to be the problem?

The Solution

1. Your motherboard should come with a software to manage the audio input and output. Find the program RealTek Audio HD Manager.

2. Select the Mixer Tab.

3. Look at the RealTek Audio Input Section. I don't know why they do this but the Mic is set to mute by default.

4. Turn the Microphone settings on.

5. Check the RealTek Audio Output section.

6. Make sure the Front and Rear Volume are not set to zero.

7. Make sure the Front Pink In and Front Green In volume are not set to zero.

8. The Rear Blue In, Rear Pink In, and Rear Green In volumes should also be not zero.

9. Close the RealTek HD Audio Manager.

Your mic should be working now. If not, go to C:\Windows (depending on your installation) and run MicCal.exe to calibrate your microphone.

Nanostar Siege 1.8.1: Good Game Play Bad Maintainer

2010-09-22T09:52:00.000-07:00

The latest version of Nanostar Siege is 1.8.1. It was released just this September 20, 2010.

There are a few changes:

1. You can now test your defense with your own attack units.
2. You can place as many special units: Standard Bearer, Bard, Sergeant in the field.
This can help a lot when you are attacking a player who has more powerful set of heroes. But it is going to cost you more gold so you still have to decide if a player is work attacking based on gold cost.
3.The 'Army Reserved' has been replaced by 'Battle Points'. Like in the case of Reserve in the previous version, Battle Points is what determines how many times you can attack other players.

You will have 3 Battle Points maximum. 1 Battle Point is generated every 3 hours.
You can gain additional Battle Points by attacking your friends. But it will be rewarded to you randomly. Or you can purchase it with real money.

Good Game Bad Maintainer
Nanostar Siege has very good game play. It is a combination of a card battle game and tower defense. The problem is that the maintainers seem to have a knack for alienating their players.

The Battle Point system is the worst update they have made. Not only do you pay for the Cards to have more powerful heroes, now they are even forcing the players to pay so that they will be able to play.

Yes you can earn Battle Points randomly by attacking your friends by I'm sure that my friends would not like it when they see that I keep attacking them.

Unless they come up with something more suitable to replace the Battle Point system, I say pass to this game.

Update:

They shortened the time when the battle points are automatically gained to an acceptable duration.

NanoStar Siege Basic Strategy Guide

2010-07-12T13:38:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, I discovered an action strategy game in Facebook called Nanostar Siege. It has been my favorite game in Facebook eversince. To get a basic information about how this game is played you can read the Nanostar Siege Guide that I've written earlier. But on this post we will talk about how to win the game more often.

Basic Strategy

As I have said before, there are three basic units in the game: swordsmen, archers, and slayers. Before the start of the battle you are allowed to choose which combination of units you will use, how many, as well as their formation. Let's talk about...

If the defender uses Archers as their front, the best unit to place infront of your own formation are Slayers. Slayers move fast. They will be able to close the gap with the archers very quickly.

If you use a swordsman to attack a frontline of Archers, you can be sure that your first two swordsmen will die before they reach the archers.

Swordsman moves very slowly as compared to Slayers.

If you are facing a frontline of Slayers. The best counter is to use Swordsmen with Archers behind them.

Other things you should know is that Slayers are the best unit when it comes to attacking structures. They can quickly diminish the morale of the opposing castle. And then the next best unit for attacking strutures are Swordsmen.

Archers, on the other hand, gives poor damage when attacking structures. That is why when Archers happen to be at the front hitting the other players castle, I just let them die so that my Slayers or Swordsmen can take over.

And now that you learn the basic strategies, it's time for you to learn more advanced tactics: How to Keep Winning in NanoStar Siege.

Android Laptops and Netbooks

2010-07-01T05:53:00.000-07:00

We already got Windows based laptops and netbooks. Plus we can install any variant of Linux or have one preinstalled when we buy a mobile computer.

I think Ubuntu is the most popular Linux nowadays thanks for it being easy to use, especially to those coming from Windows OS.

Soon we are going to have Android based mobile computers hitting the market.

Android OS is a new operating system being developed by Google.

I will post here information regarding the Android based Laptops and Netbooks as they come out.

At the moment, there are no Android base mobile computers out in the market. But Toshiba and LG has announced that they will release Android based Laptops by the end of 2010.

Mozilla Firefox 3.6.6 Released

2010-06-27T04:01:00.000-07:00

Previously, I wrote about Mozilla Firefox 3.6.4 and the most prominent feature in this really is the Third Party Plugin crash protection.

Unfortunately, the side effect of this release is that plugins that rarely crashes before suddenly crashed more often.

But today, Mozilla released a patch and everything seems to be okay.

Whew! That was fast.

Ipads, Laptops, Netbooks

2010-06-25T00:24:00.000-07:00

Apple has managed to sell 3 Million IPads in just 80 days. Steve Jobs is really the master when it comes to hyping gadgets.

There is a popular saying that goes - "The best salesman can sell refrigerators to the Eskimos." I've always found this saying funny. But if there is one guy that could do it that has got to be Mr. Steve Jobs.

IPad Features

If there is one thing that the IPad can do very well is that it is great for viewing things. It is certainly the best for viewing electronic news, reading books, viewing pictures, reading electronic comics, and watching videos. However, you can not view the complete Internet with it since Apple has decided not to support Adobe Flash. Therefore, I you like to watch videos online, there are only a limited sets of videos you can watch. You cannot watch those videos available only using Flash Player ( which is a lot of videos by the way). And also you cannot use IPad to see web applications that run on the Flash Platform.

Nonetheless, I think IPad will be good for light tech users.

Netbooks for Highly Mobile Writers

You will still need your netbook. If you do heavy typing you won't feel comfortable using the onscreen IPad keyboard.

Laptop for Highly Mobile Programmers and Graphic Designers

Obviously you need a powerful laptop if you are engaged in these two professions. The IPad is simply not flexible enough and powerful enough to handle the tasks programmers and graphic designers do on a daily basis.

Drawing and Painting using the IPad

I would have wanted to buy an IPad simply for this feature alone. Unfortunately, it does not have it. Which sucks. Can you imagine having an IPad on your lap, a stylus pen, and a pressure sensitive brush drawing program. That would be fantastic. No more need to scribble on paper.

And also, Apple could have made the Wacom Cintiq obsolete. Because that one is a much more expensive hardware. Oh well. Maybe IPad 2.0?

Ipad and the Future

When people realize that the IPad is nothing but a very expensive reader I wonder what will happen? Ah, but Steve Jobs won't let that happen I'm sure.

I wonder if HP Slate will top the IPad.

Related Links:
Notebook vs Laptop
Desktop vs Laptop

Mozilla Firefox 3.6.4 Released

2010-06-23T01:56:00.000-07:00

Firefox 3.6.4 has been released today. The most prominent feature for this release is the third-party plugin crash protection.

It used to be that when a plugin crash, say Flash Player, you were left with no choice but to kill the browser.

Now plugins run within their own thread process. So that when a plugin crash, Firefox would just display an image to inform the user that a third-party plugin crashed. And then you can just close the Tab where the plugin was running.

One thing I notice with this release though, is that the Flash Player which rarely crash before now seem to crash more often.

I hope Mozilla release another patch for this problem soon.

Blog Housekeeping

2010-06-10T06:39:00.000-07:00

I did some housekeeping on this blog today. I decided to make the navigation simpler.

Cleaning up a blog is not much different from cleaning a house. You will accidentally unearth some things that you have already forgotten and they bring back memories.

I wrote several personal entries on this blog a couple of months and a few years ago.

It seems only yesterday.

Anyway, I think it is time for me to work this blog again.

How to Prevent Children from Seeing your Selected Facebook Post

2010-05-26T00:24:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you make a Facebook post that is intended for more mature audience. But the problem is that you also have under aged friends.

So how do you make children see only specific Facebook posts?

Setup a Group List
1.Click on Account in the Menu.
2.Select Edit Friends
3.Find List on the lower left side of the page.
4.Click on Friends
5.Click on the Create New List button
6.Enter a name for your new list. You can type Kids or Children or whichever you prefer.
7.On the icons of your Friend List, select all your friends who are under aged.
8.And then click the Create List button

Hide to Specific Group
1.Go to Profile
2.Type a Status Update. Let's say “Test Status”.
3.If you notice, there is a Padlock icon next to the Share button. Click the Padlock icon.
4.Choose Customize from the list
5.There is a text box that says Hide this from these people.
6.Type the name of the friend group you have just created. In my case, it's Kids.
7.Click the Save Setting button
8.When you finally click Share, your update will be shown to all your friends except from those who belong to your Kid group.

Show to Specific Group
You will notice that there is another option that will allow you to share your Facebook post to specific people or group list. Basically, it works quite the same as hiding. You choose specific friends or groups and your post post will only be visible to those you specify.

Related Link:

Managing Facebook Privacy

Invalid Maildirsize File Solution

2010-04-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you may encounter a problem where a certain email account could not send or receive an email. The usual error message you get is that the email account is over it's allotted quota.

This problem usually occur when you have set a limit as to how many megabytes of email an account is allowed to store. But there are some problems wherein you check your server and the account has not even reached its quota yet.

The real problem when this scenario occurs is that the maildirsize file has somehow become corrupted.

To verify, try to change the quota of the problematic email account. When you finally confirm, you will get an Invalid maildirsize file error.

Solution:
1. Login to your server using your FTP or Cpanel>File Manager.
2. Navigate to yourdomain.com/mail/emailaccount
3. Delete the maildirsize file. Your mail server will automatically recreate it.
4. Try sending and receiving email using the account again.

Google Documents Update April 2010

2010-04-12T13:52:00.000-07:00

Haven't used MS Office for a very long time now because Google Docs (and Openoffice) is good enough for my needs. And now they recently updated Google Docs with new features.

Now, If only I could really feel comfortable knowing that a third party has access to my documents.

Long Time No Post

2010-04-06T09:27:00.000-07:00

Long time no post here. The reason for that is I did a little experiment. We'll right now I am a bit confused as ever. Or probably they just outworked me. But that can't be the case since someone I know who will not stop working ended up the same as this blog.

The rules must have changed a bit. That is the only explanation I can see.

This only means one thing. It's time to relearn.

Now what am I talking about? Nothing. This is just me thinking out loud. Never mind. Now move along. :)

Telecommuting Equipments

2010-02-03T11:56:00.000-08:00

Before there was broadband Internet you could not imagine that it is possible to have a job while home. But now we have writers, programmers, graphic artists, medical transcribers, and call center agents working in the comforts of their own home.

There are several advantages to this kind of setup. You will be able to look after your children while you are working. Or you can take care of a sick family member. You can manage your own time. You won't have to experience heavy traffic while commuting to your office.

This setup will save you a lot of time.

However, if before you can take jobs in this kind of setup there are equipments you will need.

Broadband Internet Subscription - You will need a fast Internet connection. Dialup will not do because there will be times when you may need to have a conference with your client. Skype or Yahoo Messenger is typically used. If your Internet connection is slow, then you may have a hard time talking to your client because your voice will be choppy. It is even worse if you need to see each other through webcam. And the client may need need you to see some video or download a fairly big document or file.

Fortunately, Broadband Internet is even cheaper than dialup service nowadays.

Computer Equipment - Your computer can either be a desktop, laptop, or netbook depending on your type of job. If you are an artist, you may need a powerful desktop. A dual core CPU should be minumum, with a recently released graphics card, atleast 2 gigabytes of RAM, and a large hard disk to store your work. A programmer will need a similarly powerful computer with an almost similar specification.

If your job is a writer, you can do with a netbook or any low powered desktop since word processors are really not that CPU hungry.

Headset with Microphone - This is a must to be able to speak with your client through the Internet. Actually, one of the benefits we get with the Internet is that you it eliminated the need to pay for expensive long distance calls. Using Skype, Yahoo Messenger, or Google Talk you can speak with anyone located anywhere in the world. And you will be able to talk to them for free.

Webcam - This is actually optional but some clients do request it. The main reason is that some of them are just more comfortable knowing how the person they are talking to looks like.

Fascimile/Scanner/Printer - You won't really need a fax machine since most documents are sent through email these days. You could buy one that also doubles as a scanner and printer.

A scanner and printer is used for signing contracts. Usually the client will email a contract. You have to print it then sign it. You then scan the signed contract then send the image to them.

A Quiet Room - Lastly, you need a room where you can work with minimal interruption. You my also need this place for clients who might decide to pay you a visit for some work related reasons.

How to Manage Your Facebook Privacy Settings

2009-11-27T22:35:00.000-08:00

1. On the Top Menu, next to your name, you will see an option there that says "Settings"

2. After you click this, a submenu will drop containing the following commands: Account Settings, Privacy Settings, Application Settings, and Help.

3. Click on Privacy Settings.

4. You will see four more options: Profile, Search, News Feeds and Wall, and Applications. These four options will allow you to set what kind of information you wish to share to the public.

You can share information to Everyone. This means anyone on the web. Only Friends, the information will be shared to people whom you consider to be your friends. Friends of Friends, which means information will be available to your friends along with their own network of friends.

Cafe World Tips and Tricks

2009-11-11T13:37:00.001-08:00

One of the things that draws people to Facebook are social games. An example is Cafe World.

It is a restaurant simulation game.

When you play you will be given a small restaurant. Your avatar is the cook and you can choose one friend to represent your first waiter.

How to Play Cafe World

You will be given a starting 3000 coins. You need to cook food for your customers. You do this by buying ingredients of your chosen dish from the menu. Each dish will have different cost and cooking duration. And each one returns different amount of coins (your profit).

As you level up, you will gain more coins. You will be able to expand your restaurant. You will be able to buy additional stoves, counters, better chairs, and nicer tables. You will be able to hire additional waiters. And you will be able to cook more dishes.

Some Tips

Cafe World is one of many Facebook Social Games. Therefore, it was designed to encourage interaction between players. For example, you need to visit your friends' restaurant once everyday. When you visit them you will be assigned a task. The task is actually simple. You will go to your friend's restaurant. A message will pop asking if you want to help them by eating a dish they've cooked. It will also ask you if you are going to give them a tip. When you say yes, your character will eat the dish and you will be awarded with coins and bonus experience points. Your tip will also be added to your friend's coins.

You can also send your friends free gifts. They can serve these gifts to their customers. And it will help them level faster.

Lastly, you are gain additional coins if you invite new players. I think this is the main reason why Cafe World quickly became very popular.

Level Up Faster

Dishes that takes longer to cook bring more coins and experience points. That is why, when I play, I mostly choose foods that takes 12 hours to two days to cook.

Restaurant Expansions and Upgrades

Expanding your restaurant and purchasing additional tables will allow you to accommodate more customers. Therefore, you will earn more coins faster.

But you have to add additional waiters to increase the rate of people visiting your cafe. You will be allowed to do this as you level up.

So far, I observed that buying more expensive stoves do not affect the game in anyway. It seems that they are provided only as decoration.

Troubleshooting

There are times when you notice that a certain customer is not being served. The reason for this is that the pathway leading to the table is has become unreachable. Be sure to provide space where your waiters can walk towards the customer. Another reason is that your waiter could not reach the counter. Try rotating the counter. And make sure that the path to it is not being blocked.

Some Tricks

If you don't want your buzz rating to go down when you aren't serving any food, sell your door. Your customers will never be able to get inside hence you have no dissatisfied customer.

Enclose your cook and waiters within the counter and the stoves. This will impede them from moving to the tables. The side effect of this is that food begins to magically appear on your customer's table. And the tables magically get cleaned after they finish eating. No need for them to walk to the tables and waste time.

But remember that these exploits are actually program bugs. They are not guaranteed to work in the future and Zynga may patch them.

Real Life Lessons

Cafe World is only a game but it actually teaches some point that we can apply in real life.

1. You need a budget when you are going to run a restaurant.

2. There are expenses to be paid. In this game, the expenses are simplified. You pay for the ingredients of the dishes. In real life, you have to pay for the ingredients that you will need when you cook. Your employees must have their salaries plus benefits. Then there is the matter of the electric bill, water, and rent.

The lesson being taught is that you must plan before you spend. When you spend, your action must return a profit. If you fail to do this, you will eventually run out of funds to continue your operation, the business will close, and you lose the game.

So you see, it's not actually just another silly game. Don't get addicted however. And manage your time wisely.

Logitech MX700 Wireless Mouse

2009-11-11T05:36:00.000-08:00

Logitech MX700 is both an optical mouse and also cordless mouse. This means you are not impeded by a dangling wire in anyway. There is also no mouse ball so that you wont ever need to clean it. Traditional mouse becomes hard to use when the mouse ball has collected enough dirt.

Technical Specification

This mouse uses RF Technology by way of a small device that you can plug into a USB or PS2 port. Its sensitivity is up to six feet.

Two AA rechargeable batteries is provided.
It comes with a charging station. You don't have to remove the battery when you are charging. And it would take you 18 hours before
you will need to recharge.
Movement resolution is 800 Dpi.

Functional Features

It has a wheel so you can easily scroll down very long documents or website. Or you could use the two cruise control button on its side for same purpose.

Lastly, this wireless mouse looks good.

HTC 5800 Battery

2009-11-03T20:53:00.000-08:00

If you are still using your HTC 5800 Battery has already run out. You can still buy one at Amazon.

HTC 5800 came out in 2007 but I know some of you still find it usable. I myself still have a green screen Nokia. Can you believe that? And it has already outlived two of my brother's latest cellphones.

By the way, one way to conserve your HTC 5800's battery is to turn your cellphone's screen to level 4. This way you can extend your talk time up to 2 or 3 hours.

Android vs IPhone

2009-11-01T23:37:00.000-08:00

IPhone is the dominant smartphone in todays market. It is closed proprietary technology and therefore only Apple, Inc. can play in this platform.

This is the reason why all other cellphone companies are lining up behind the Android OS. Android is an opensource operating system for smartphones which is backed by Google.

It seems like this smartphone war is similar to the battle between Mac and PC several years ago. The Macintosh was a very closed desktop computer, while the PC was an open technology. We all know that the PC won that battle and it became the more dominant desktop computer.

Will the Iphone suffer a similar fate?

Being a software developer I am concerned with this policy of Apple. Of course, when I develop a software, I want full control and I want it to inter operate with other gadgets and other software.

The IPhone might not allow me to do that. Even more, Apple has to approved every single application submitted before they get to the consumers.

But then again this is only a concern for developers. Most users would not really care as long as their phone works.

However, because of the Androids openness, there might be more applications developed for this platform in the future. And this could be a reason that that Android smartphones could overtake the IPhone.

Desktop vs Laptop

2009-10-22T12:43:00.001-07:00

There use to be a time when laptops were less powerful than desktops. But this is not true anymore. For every powerful PC, you can buy an equally powerful laptop computer.

So what is the reason you would buy one over the other.

Portability

Laptops have the advantage of being easy to carry around anywhere. If you are going on a business trip and you need to work, a laptop is the solution.

You will have no problem surfing the internet as long as there is a connection available. You can also do presentations anywhere. You can run your slide shows made with either Powerpoint or Flash.

Laptops can also handle processor intensive uses. In fact there are some graphic artist and programmers who now work exclusively with a laptop.

If you are a writer, and you like to write while you are visiting exotic places, you can't go wrong with a laptop.

Speaking of graphic artist, there are many programmers who bring along their laptop when they are shooting on location. The reason for this is that they can immediately download their pictures so that they can take advantage of the larger storage capacity than what is provided by their digital camera.

Replaceable Computer Parts

The one disadvantage of laptops as compared to desktops is that their parts are not as replaceable.

Often you have to go to the manufacturer if you need them fixed or you need to replace a broken component.

A good example is a monitor problem, if the monitor broken you will need it repaired by the manufacturer.

Unlike when you have a desktop computer, you will just need to buy a new monitor.

With desktops, if the graphics card, memory, sound card, etc. gets busted, you can simply buy a new one.

However, desktops should be left to stay in one place. It can either be in your office or at home. Because they are just too impractical to carry around.

Summary

Therefore when you are thinking of buying a desktop vs laptop, you buy a laptop because you need a portable computer or buy desktop if you want a computer that can easily be fixed.

PLDT Frequent Disconnect Solution

2009-10-16T05:40:00.000-07:00

This is just one possible solution if you are finding that you're PLDT MyDSL keeps getting disconnected.

The current standard modem for PLDT MyDSL is Xyzel P-### series. You will notice that it has three LED lights as its indicator.

1. DSL LED
2. Ethernet LED
3 Power LED

Some of you may encounter a situation that on certain hours your Power LED turns red and your DSL LED keeps dying. But then after a few hours the Power LED finally turns green and your Internet connection becomes stable.

For a long time I thought this problem was caused by the DSL server dying in the main office or because of too many subscribers, the network becomes strained due to overcapacity. But apparently, this was not the case.

I found this out when I unplugged all the cables (rj45 and rj11) connected to the Zyxel modem except for the power.

I discovered that the Power LED was still red. So that means the problem has nothing to do with being connected to the PLDT server.

I discovered that somehow the voltage supply provided by the electricity company fluctuates depending on the time of day.

In my case from 6pm to 11pm our voltage supply drops below 220. It seems that this is the peak hours in my neighborhood when a lot of people are using a lot of electricity.

Most normal appliances can handle this fluctuation and but that is the problem with Zyxel modems. If the voltage supply drops they become very unstable. Hence you keep getting disconnected from the Internet.

Solution:
I requested the serviceman to replace my Zyxel adaptor with auto-volt adaptor.

Using Google Earth for Time Travel

2009-10-06T06:22:00.000-07:00

You are probably raising your eyes brows and saying what is this guy talking about? Can we really travel through time using Google Earth as our time machine?

Sure. Why not? But it is not the kind of trip that you expect. First off, your journey will be less perilous and you don't have to worry about affecting the time space continuum.

1. Open Google Earth
2. At the top of your screen you will see an icon that looks like a clock.
3. This will give you a slider with a starting year and ending year indicated.

You can use this slider to see what changed occurred at a your chosen place at certain points in time.

Lets time travel in Beijing.

1. Type 2008 Olympics Stadium in the Fly To search box.

2. This will take us to the National Stadium in Beijing.

3. Click the Slider and drag it to 2001. Then slowly slide it to 2008.

You will see how the National Stadium progressed from being just a barren land to what it is now today.

Nice huh.

There are other things you can do with this software. To know more you can refer to my article Google Earth Free Version.

OpenOffice: Microsoft Office Alternative

2009-10-05T04:42:00.000-07:00

You are of course familiar with Microsoft Office. It is one of Microsoft's most successful product.

OpenOffice is the Microsoft Office Alternative software offered by Sun Microsystems, Inc, now owned by Oracle Corporation.

The first time I used Openoffice, I said to myself. What the hell?. This software is freaking ugly.
Aside from aesthetic shortcomings, the software suffered from incompatibility with Microsoft Word and Excel File format which is still the dominant electronic document formats today.

I uninstalled it because there was really no incentive for me to use it. For example, if I were to send a resume to a prospective employer, they are going to expect a Miscrosoft Word document format. And since OpenOffice was not compatible, the document I send will not appear as I've intended.

Well that was two years ago.

I recently tried Openoffice again and I found that it has greatly improved. It is no longer aesthetically distracting and seems to be more compatible with the more popular office formats.

So if you are short of cash or just plain stingy, you can have this document software absolutely free.

HTC Hero Flash Games

2009-09-25T12:40:00.000-07:00

HTC Hero is the first smartphone with Flash support. It can play any type Flash content but not all Flash Games.

The reason for this is because the Flash player that comes with it is not the latest Flash player which is currently version 10. So if you want to play games try the older games developed for version 8.

Another thing since this phone does not have a keyboard, you will be limited to those games that does not use a keyboard.

You could probably play Point and Click Adventure games, Room Escape, Find the Difference, and Hidden Objects. Which is not that bad really.

Notebook vs Laptop

2009-09-07T02:09:00.000-07:00

The notebook or netbook (also called mini-notebook and mini-laptop) was originally designed to be a low cost, low powered alternative to laptops.

The things you will readily notice about a it is that- it is very small (some say cute) compared to a regular laptop. It does not come with a CD/DVD drive. And the screen is small; Only about 7 to 10 inches wide. But it can have a resolution of 1024x600 pixels.

Uses of a Netbook

You can use it to :

1.Check emails
2.Surf the Internet
3.Listening to Music
4.Watch Online Videos
5.Write and Edit Documents
6.Internet Chat
7.Play Casual Games

Why should you consider buying a netbook instead of a laptop?

1. If you travel a lot and you always need to be connected.
2. If you are you like working in cafes or beach resorts.
3. If you want something light
4. If you want something that's not bulky

Why you shouldn't buy a netbook?

1.You are going to use it to for graphics editing
2.You are going to do 3D Modeling
3.You will demo a software
4.You plan to code a software program

Basically if you are going to use as a general replacement for a desktop you are better off buying a laptop instead.

HTC Hero : Smartphone for Flash Gamers and Youtubers

2009-09-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

So you are waiting for your friends. And they are going to be late as usual. Now what do you do?

You reach inside your pocket and you find an IPhone.

You thought there is nothing left to do but listen to some music you downloaded, fool around with that silly ifart program, or play with some IPhone games.

What???

That's so 1990's man.

What you really need is an HTC Hero smartphone. So that you can go to AddictingGames.com play those cool flash games. And after you get tired of that, you can go to Youtube so you can watch some funny clips.

IPhones Don't Like Flash

Again if you are using an Iphone you are basically Flash blind. For some reason Apple, Inc. doesn't want to support Flash.

So here is your HTC Hero with some interesting Specs:

Operating System: Android
Camera: 5.0 Megapixel color camera with autofocus (this means you can take crisp pictures even if you have shaky hands)
Audio support: MP3, AAC(AAC, AAC+, AAC-LC), AMR-NB, WAV, MIDI and Windows Media® Audio 9
Video support: MPEG-4, H.263, H.264 and Windows Media® Video 9
Battery Life: up to 470 minutes talk time and 440 hours standby
GPS: Internal GPS Antenna

But most of all one of features that is going to be your favorite is that it makes it easy to use Twitter from within the phone.

Disney Aquires Marvel: Some Funny Thoughts

2009-09-01T00:06:00.000-07:00

In a very surprising move, Disney just bought Marvel for $4 billion. The deal will take effect in 2013. As a fan of Marvel movies, what does this deal implies to us?

Well, now instead of Stan Lee cameo appearances, we will no be looking for hidden Mickeys. lol.

I wonder if you are familiar with that. If you watch the Disney channel there is a segment there where they make you watch a Disney movie like Mulan. And in those segments you are supposed to look for 3 circles arranged in an upside down triangle. Hence - hidden Mickeys! Hehe.

Can you imagine Wolverine, Ironman, and the Incredible Hulk dancing with Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck at Disneyworld? I know, I know they are not going to do that. Won't They? *worried expression* Hahaha. I can't stop laughing.

One thing I am looking forward though - is Pixar and Marvel working together to create a CG Movie! *Whistles*

Fun Flash Games

2009-08-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of some of the more Enjoyable Flash Games I played.

1. Hex Empire - This game seems to be inspired by RISK. You start out with one city. The object of the game is to conquer all cities until you are the only player left. All players get as many reinforcement each turn depending on how many cities they currently hold.

So try to capture as many cities early in the game. Then you have to decide which city to strengthen when the other players begin to attack.

2. Epic War - Its about two opposing castles. You build army depending upon the resource that you have. The resource increase over time. You win if you manage to destroy your opponents castle.

3. Castle Wars - You really have to use your wit on this one. This is actually a multiplayer card game. You must beat your opponent defending on the cards that you have. The one who manages to raise a 100 storey castle or destroy the opponents castle completely wins.

4. Warfare 1917 & 1944 - This is similar to Epic War but this game is based on the two World Wars. You must know the right units to deploy at the proper time in order to win this one. He who is able to cross the enemy's line wins.

5. The Last Stand 1 & 2 - If you like zombie movies like Day of the Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and I am Legend, you will enjoy this one. The object of the game is to blast onslaughts of zombies everyday. You beat the game when you manage to survive until the last day.

6. 13 Days in Hell - Survive for 13 days in hell. For 13 days you will be attacked by waves of stronger and stronger attackers. Good thing you are allowed the buy better weapons as the game progresses. But be careful because your ammunition is limited. So be sure to use the proper weapons at the right time.

Best Free Online Browser Games

2009-08-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

Browser games are nice. They don't demand so much time unlike MMORPG. You can log in to your account anytime. And you won't be penalized too much for being away.

Aside from that they don't require you to install any client.

This means you can play them anywhere as long as you have a browser and an internet connection.

Here are my favorite Free Online Browser Games

1. Ikariam is a strategy game where you start out with one city. As your economy grows you can expand your empire to multiple cities across different islands. You will need to build an army as well as navy so you can wage war against hostile players. You can also form and join alliances.

2. Ever wanted to know how it feels like to be a pirate? Well captain Jack Sparrow that is exactly what Seafight is about.

You play as a pirate. You will have a ship and a set of crew. You will improve this two resources as your level increase. You can also upgrade your cannons as well as your ship.

This is not a turn based browser game. All battles are real time.

You can band with other players and form an alliance which makes it more fun to play. This will allow you to engage in massive sea battles with other groups of players.

3.
If you can get by with the simplistic graphics, there is actually an MMORPG that you can playing using your browser. That game is RuneScape. It is actually a very deep game. One of the things I like about it is that in the game there are a lot of ways how you can acquire money.

(Money is usually used in MMORPGs to improve the character by purchasing a better weapon or armor; buying a new skill; or buying a new magic spell. )

In Runescape you can engage in cooking, crafting, mining, smithing, woodcutting, and my favorite - Fishing.

Pretty neat huh.

Oops! You will need a Java Runtime plugin to play this game.

4.

Cafe World is a restaurant simulation game that you can play in Facebook. In this game you start with a small restaurant and a limited menu which you expand as you gain levels.

It is a social game that encourages interaction with your Facebook friends.

Related Link:
How to Play Farmville
How to Quickly Gain Level in Cafe World

Important Books to Read in the 21st Century

2009-08-22T17:43:00.000-07:00

Doing business has changed a lot since the advent of the Internet. For example, it used to be that you could hire a company to create a hype behind your brand, product, or service. But this is not true anymore. You can no longer dictate to the consumers how they will view what you offer. Because if one customer is not satisfied, he is going to blog about it and a lot of people will know. Another thing is that, we don't sell to a single neighborhood anymore. My store may be located in Manila. But that doesn't mean that I can't sell to someone located in Los Angeles, London, or Vancouver. Likewise we should keep in mind that our competition isn't also limited to local stores anymore.

So how does one succeed in a world that offers so much opportunities and yet is also more competitive? Here are the most important books I believe could point the way to help us succeed in this 21st century.

1. The Long Tail:Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More - by Chris Anderson This book describes how the market place is a whole lot different today than during the previous decades and onwards.

2. Free : The Future of Radical Price - by Chris Anderson How can you make a profit when everyone these days expect a lot of things to be free? This book has the answer.

3. The Tipping Point - by Malcolm Gladwell Malcolm Gladwell tells us the ingredients needed to turn our products and services into widely successful hits.

4. Freakomomics: A Rogue Economists Explores the Hidden Side of Everything - by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner Offers glimpses of how people behave in certain situations. Read it to find out how you can subtly persuade your customers to buy what you are offering.

5. Art of War by Sun Tzu The principles written in this classical text is still true today as it was during the 6 B.C. It is an indispensable guide on how to beat your competition.

Things to do When your Internet Connection is Slow

2009-08-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

Frankly, I don't have any idea myself. It's been so long since I have been on dialup. We are so used to opening multiple sites inside one browser. One tab would contain a streaming mp3 widget, while the other tab is playing an online video, while the other one loads an image sharing site, and then I'm downloading a few hundred megabytes of software, and then I'm browsing through a news site.

But ever since typhoon Morakot and an earthquake in Japan knocked out some underwater fiber cables in the Asia Pacific region, we are officially back in the internet stone age ladies and gentlemen. It's a struggle to open just in one crappy text based website. Life sucks. lol. Let's hope Asia Pacific Telcos find a better technology to solve this. Because there is such a thing as the Pacific Ring of Fire remember. Earthquakes will happen in this region and will happen often.

Back to the original topic. What can you do during these days when the internet is awfully slow? Hmmm... (Thinking) You will figure it out.

Importance of Website for Small Businesses

2009-08-11T04:20:00.001-07:00

It is important for all businesses to have a website. Yet I know a few companies who don't have one yet.

A website will help your business be more visible and more accessible to customers.

I have a few clients who were able to expand their company after they've put up a website.

One is a small freight forwarding company. They used to occupy a single room near JP Rizal. They have recently moved to a more prestigious building near Ayala. And they are now renting one whole floor.

I also know of an employment agency who have greatly expanded their business due to many additional clients who contacted them thru their website.

It is also very helpful when customers searching for a product or service using a search engine, stumbles upon your website.

Recently, I helped a client put up their own website. Should you have a need for chemical liquid transportation, you can check their website at www.isotank-excel.com.ph.

Here is to hoping they gain more businesses which I am sure they would.

Corazon Aquino: Who Are You?

2009-08-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

I wish I could write you a proper tribute. But how do you find the words for all the good things you represent. Perhaps if I borrow other people's words it will be good enough. Somebody said you were God's gift to the Philippines. It was no less than Sister Lucia of Fatima. A lady said you made her part of history. A guy said that you were the conscience of our nation. He was a former Atheist. One of our countrymen explains the reason why you died on the first day of August. And personally, I don't think I can look at a yellow ribbon the same way again. It pays to be good. Honestly, I did forget. Evil men thrive for a while (just like the corrupt politicians in our midst). But in the end it pays to be good. The outpouring of love as your body pass by Ayala is a testament to that. And that's you. For me that is your legacy. Thank you.

Google Earth Free Version

2009-08-03T19:42:00.000-07:00

This software comes in three versions: Google Earth Free Version, Pro, and Enterprise.

The Pro version comes with additional features that are geared towards business organizations. Meanwhile, the Enterprise version allows you to deploy the software on your own server.

Both also comes with email support and access to comprehensive Help Center.

Having said that, there a lot of things you can do the Free Version and it is very useful.

( You can download the software here > http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html )

What You can do with Google Earth Free Version

1. You can use it like a map. It can help you find a particular street and visit places you are not familiar with.

2. It will even show you what establishments are present in a particular area. Let's say you plan to visit a Museum. After having located it using Google Earth, you can also see if there are any cafeterias or restaurants around the area. You can also see if there are nearby souvenir stores.

3. You can see satellite views of historic places and important landmarks. So far I have visited the Great Wall of China, and the Stonehenge in UK. Unfortunately, I could not see the large statues when I visited Easter Island in Chile. The satellite view was blocked by many trees.

But should you be interested in visiting the Eiffel Tower in Paris, or Saint Peter's Basilica in Italy, you can easily do that.

Wow that was the cheapest around the world tour I ever made. And I didn't even have to leave home.

But of course nothing beats visiting the real thing in person.

4. If you get tired of visiting important landmarks why not dive into the ocean and look at the ocean floor.

5. If you get tired of that also you can visit the Moon. You can even go to Mars after you have finished exploring the moon.

6. You can also do time travel? Seriously you can do that with the software. There is a slider in Google Earth Free Version that will allow you to track changes that happened to a place at different points in time.

Google Map Versus Google Earth

2009-07-31T08:54:00.000-07:00

Google offers two mapping services. They are Google Map and Google Earth.

You might be asking - What is the difference between the two?

In terms of data, I could say none. But in terms of how to use them, here are their differences:

1. Google Map is a browser based program. You can now use Google Earth using a browser via plugin. But it is generally a stand alone program.

2. Google Map is 2D while Google Earth is 3D.

Using Google Map is pretty straight forward. It felt like using a map. :)

Using Google Earth is more interactive. You will feel like you are God looking down from heaven. Weird huh?

It is very interesting to see how your house looks like from the satellite view.

Google Webmaster Tool: Geographic Target

2009-07-26T15:02:00.000-07:00

Google provides a lot of tools that will help websites perform better with their Search Engine. One of these tools is the Google Webmaster Tools.

For this post we will talk about Geographic Target:

1. If you are logged in to Google, click My Account
2. Then click Webmaster Tools
3. In the Dashboard click Site Configuration
4. Then go to Settings
5. On the right side of the page you will find a drop down list and a check box labeled Geographic target.
6. In my case, I am getting most of my traffic from the US so I set my target to that location.

What is the purpose of this setting? As you know Google has many localized domains. www.google.ca is for canada. www.google.com.ph is for the philippines, www.google.com is for the US. Google displays slightly different results depending on the target region. Changing this setting will help you rank better in your chosen region.

How to Make Your Blogger/Blogspot Page Title SEO Friendly

2009-07-24T14:42:00.001-07:00

By default Blogspot will display your pages Blog Title + Page Title. For SEO purposes we would want our post to display the Page Title first because the first keywords get more weight with the search engines. So how do we do this? 1. In your Blogger account dashboard, locate the blog you want to edit. 2. Click Layout 3. Click Edit HTML 4. locate <data:blog.pageTitle/> 5. replace it with

<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "index"'> <title><data:blog.title/></title> <b:else/> <title><data:blog.pageName/></title> </b:if>

6. Save your template. That's it. :)

And Darkness Fell: July 2009 Solar Eclipse

2009-07-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

July 22, 2009 partial solar eclipse in Manila. I used a filmstrip to filter the sun's glare. This one was shot using a neighbor's lung x-ray as filter. Hehe.

Typical Online School Setup

2009-07-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

You might be wondering what it is like to attend online classes.

Typically you will go to the website of your school. In the website they will give you access to their online training software.Using the software you will have access to lessons. These can be in a form of video, audio, or pdf documents.

You will also have a chat software so you can attend live classes with your professor should you want to.

There is also a forum where you can discuss with your classmates, do assignments and projects together.

There is a web based software also to take your exams.

This is how a typical online school operates.

I have dedicated a site dedicated to this subject.

Should you be interested in learning more about this topic, you can find my site at Distant Schools.

Advantages of Online Classes

2009-07-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

Maybe you thought about moving your career forward. And one of the way you could think about is by taking further studies. But at the same time you think it would be difficult; You are just too busy with your work. But Thanks to the internet, it is now very possible to attend a school even with a busy schedule. How? By way of online classes. All you'll need is a computer, an internet connection (preferably broadband), and an internet browser (I recommend mozilla firefox 3.5, my favorite).

Here are the Advantages of Attending Online Classes

1. You can attend a course anytime. If you are busy with work during the day, no problem! You can attend class at night.

2. You can attend course from anywhere - Perhaps you want to earn a degree from MIT but you live in Asia. This is now possible. You can even attend classes even while you are on vacation - in an exotic resort or you are traveling outside your country. As long as there is an internet connection, you will be good to go.

3. You save time because you don't have to travel to school. So you won't have headaches dealing with traffic. You won't have to miss dinner because you are running late.

4. In a traditional setup classes are usually postponed when the professor is sick or have some important function to attend to. This won't happen in an online class. You can view the days lesson through a streaming video or an audio podcast.

5. In a traditional class the instructor has to focus on many students at the same time. But in an online class your instructor will be focused on you one-on-one while you chat. You can ask him about a subject you are finding difficult and there won't be other students that could divert his attention. If the instructor is not present they provide you with faculty support who could focus on your requirements and concerns. So graduating with multiple degrees is not that difficult anymore.

The Similarities Between Wine Making and Blogging

2009-07-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

I created some new blogs this week for experimental purposes. They have already been indexed but their absolutely getting zero traffic. I created some links pointing to them. But still same result - no traffic. Then I tried to recall when this blog first gained traffic, as well as my Kubuntu tutorial blog. For this blog, I recall that I got traffic ( without any promotion and linking building) after about two weeks. What happened was I started to receive visitors that were searching for "bad side of the internet". But it would take a couple of months more before it gained considerable visitors without me doing anything. My Kubuntu tutorial (which was my very first blog), I got traffic about a month. But I could say it really started to tend for itself after six months. And now I have this 3D Modeling blog, which I have almost given up on. Yet suddenly, it is starting to get traffic this past week. It has been seven months since I started that blog. I have never promoted it. And I rarely update it.

I guess you realize now why I entitled this post - The Similarities Between Wine Making and Blogging. Because their only startling similarity is - Age!

Note to self - we should not be discouraged if our new blogs or websites are not getting any traffic. Just keep posting and let them age. Because like wine, the older they get; the more valuable they become.

Me and the Computer Visitors

2009-07-04T08:01:00.000-07:00

I noticed that most of the visitors I get here are from the US and European countries. If you are near retiring or perhaps planning for the future, it might be wise to consider my country. With the global economic crisis upon us and no clear end in sight, you'll never find a better place to get more bang for your buck. Check out this blog, Retire in the Philippines, to help you make a decision.

Always Beginning

2009-07-01T05:19:00.000-07:00

You might think that my activity here starts and end with each post. Actually, it is just a start. I still do a lot of other things after I have posted.

I wait and observe different variables . I experiment what type of post gets visitors. And those that don't. I experiment which types of promotions are effective and lasting. And those that are not. I think I have already figured out what I need to do. And so it is time for me to apply what I learned into practice. In the past I tried to limit this blog to technology. But now I will no longer do that. I will still post articles about technology but I wont limit myself to that as consciously as I have done in the past. Actually, you might have noticed that I have been doing that since a couple of days ago. My recent post were mostly about opinions.

To give you a hint of what I learned:

The hardest promotion to work for is the social media kind. It can give you a burst of web traffic but it only for a very short while. This means you have to work on a new campaign if you want another burst of visitors.

On the otherhand, the easiest promotion to work for is the search engine kind. You can post an article aimed at search engines. If you did it effectively you will you attract visitors whether you post another article again or not. And this is the kind that is ideal to aim for. Why? Because it is less work. And you will have time to do other things.

So there. I will still post about technology. After all, I'm primarily an IT guy. But I'm not going to limit myself.

Eureka!

2009-06-28T02:27:00.000-07:00

Last night I was looking at DP trying to learn something new. And then this guy posted a screenshot of a blogger who earned so and so cash from a few blogs that's just 9 days old! Of course on this day and age images can be easily manipulated. And a lot of marketers have used this technique to get attention. And many people have been fooled with this technique. (MLM people are notorious with this. They will tell you that they make so and so and they show you the things they bought and the amount of checks they made. Then they make you buy into their system. And before you know it you are working your butt of trying to make money - the thing that you were trying to avoid in the first place that is why you joined MLM. But you are so happy working for them because you have been hypnotized already. Until you get tired, burned out, and quit while never making anything sustainable. Or the MLM company folds because they could no longer recruit newbies who would support the uplines. If I were you I will avoid MLMs at all cost. They're fools gold. Google Bernard Maddof. All MLMs are Ponzi Schemes no matter how they try to change their system. There I said it. LOL.) Anyway back to my original subject. So I checked the blog that the thread starter was referring to. To my surprise the article was well written and made a lot of sense. I proceeded further by reading his other posts. I ended up reading everything he wrote for one whole day. By nature I am a skeptic. I don't readily believe anything I hear or read whether you are a anonymous guy on the internet or a person with authority. Hell I don't even believe my own Born again Pastor and my Catholic Priest outright. (And yeah I am neither Born Again Christian nor Catholic. I am both and none.) But I do take time to listen to everybody and investigate what is being said on my own time. And because of this attitude I believe I have developed a sense whether a person is for real or not. And the guy mentioned in the forum to me was for real. My only wish is that I should have stumbled upon his blog earlier. It would have saved me from a lot of pain and mistakes doing my own quest. To give you an idea, here are two important things I learned from him. Two Kinds of Traffic 1. Social Media Traffic 2. Search Engine Traffic Both are useful but Search Engine Traffic is the more valuable one if you want to succeed doing business in the internet - and with less stress. ;)

Tech Investment Scam

2009-06-23T23:57:00.000-07:00

We all want a better and more prosperous life, especially, for our family. We all want to do good to improve our society. But sadly there are people who make a living by exploiting our good intentions. Take time to read a post by my friend Danny, regarding his personal experience with these kind of people. You can read it at part 1: http://dannybuntu.blogspot.com/2009/06/day-1037-how-to-make-300000-php-month.html. part 1b: http://dannybuntu.blogspot.com/2009/06/day-1037b-update-i-got-email-today.html part 2: http://dannybuntu.blogspot.com/2009/06/day-1037c-part-ii-how-not-to-invest-in.html part 3: http://dannybuntu.blogspot.com/2009/06/day-1038-summation-how-to-get-venture.html

In the Name of Freedom

2009-06-21T20:32:00.000-07:00

Today I planned on writing about another disruptive technology. But I could not bring myself to do it. Disturbing pictures from Iran keeps running to my mind. Especially about this girl who hemorrhaged in front of a cellphone camera. (You can search for "Neda Iran" Youtube to find out about her. Be warned though that it's a very disturbing video not fit to be seen by everyone).

I'm thinking, here we are, our only problem is thinking about the latest gadget to buy or trying to figure out how to work a software. While in another part of the world people are fighting for change against a long standing regime and dying in the name of freedom. And they are asking for us to help them, specifically the UN. But is the world going to move to their aid? Ironically, in my country meanwhile, some congressman are making the move to suppress freedom and remain in power for as long as they desire.

To my countrymen, let the pictures from Iran remind us how bad it will be for us if we allow our politicians to remain in power unchecked. And to the people of Iran, I pray that you have your freedom soon.

Congratulations Lakers!

2009-06-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

I just want to congratulate my favorite team for winning the 2008-2009 Championship. Wooohoooo!

Disruptive Technologies Part 2

2009-06-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

Before cellphones had SMS there was the pager. It is a simple communication device usually clipped to a belt. The way it functions is that you call a Paging company and then they will send the message to the pager. When the message arrives it would either beep or vibrate just like the cellphone.

The pager was the object of constant butt of jokes back in the days. Sometimes you send a message to someone and it would arrive misspelled or in a bad grammar. And sometimes the operators sends the wrong message to the wrong person. There is this joke about a messenger sending a congratulatory message to a person who's relative have just died. And meanwhile, also sending a condolence message to a couple who have just been married. The paging companies were just like that.

One paging company I remember is Pocketbell. And then back in those days it was a standard for folks to have both a cellphone and a pager. But when cellphone companies began to offer SMS, the paging industry disappeared.

Disruptive Technologies Part 1

2009-06-14T05:49:00.000-07:00

In our lives, we occasionally witness technologies coming along that kills existing industries and give birth to new ones.

I remember that before there were computers there was the typewriter. One typewriter company that I can recall is Olivetti. But of course there were many others. The typewriter required considerable effort. You really have to push the keys very hard so that the keybars would strike the ribbon properly and the ink would transfer to the paper. And then every time you press a key the carriage would move. So that when it reaches the end you have to reach out and swing it all the way back.

There was an industry built around correcting typing mistakes - the Liquid Paper. It is a white fluid that you apply to your typing error. You wait for it to dry out and then you retype on the letter that you have just erased. And of course another industry that relies on the typewriter is the ribbon industry. It is the part of the typewriter that holds the ink.

Then the computer and word processing software came along making the typewriter irrelevant. Reference: http://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/index.html

Happy Independence Day

2009-06-11T11:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Independence Day every one! Oh and thanks Google for making us this doodle. We really appreciate it.

The End of Print of Media

2009-06-10T03:36:00.000-07:00

We used to buy newspaper everyday. It was a good source of news, infact, it was the only source of written news back in the days. When I was in highschool, we bought newspapers so that I could improve my English vocabulary. And then later on after that, when I entered the professional world, we bought it for the classified ads so that I could find jobs. But today, printed news is dying. There isn’t a week when you don’t hear newspaper companies closing or doing measure to cut cost. What changed? More and more people are turning to the internet for their news. In the internet, you can not only read about events but you can also see or listen to them in a form of video or audio. More over, printed news is slow news. When it reaches you, the articles it contains are already several hours old. While with the internet, you can read about an incident instantaneously or just a few minutes after it happened. Lastly, with regards to classified ads, we now have Ebay, Craigslist, and several online buy and sell websites and job sites which can cater to both local and international customers. People would rather lookup the internet for classified ads because again, it is more timely and updated. But I guess printed news is not dead yet. Because not everybody has internet access, there will still be people who would need newspapers. But this audience is shrinking as more and more people become tech savvy and broadband penetration increases. I would not be surprised if newspapers no longer exists a couple of years from now. Printed magazines of course, is a different matter, because it is not crucial for magazine articles to be up to the minute.

List of Free Graphics Software

2009-06-07T10:09:00.000-07:00

Now a days you can actually run a Graphics business using only free software. There are many others but below is a list of software that I am familiar with.
1. Gimp

2. Inkscape

3. Artweaver

4. Blender

5. Wings3D

What if Cloud Computing Fails

2009-05-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

I once wrote about the advantages and disadvantages of cloud computing. And I found this insightful article from PC World, that gives us new idea about what may happen if cloud computing fails. You can read the PC World article here: http://www.pcworld.com/article/164946/google_outage_lesson_dont_get_stuck_in_a_cloud.html Take note of the section that talks about an incident where a cloud server company closes abruptly and they did not even give the customers a chance to recover their data.

This is something that companies would have to consider if they are contemplating of going this route.

Accessing Windows Folders from Wubi Kubuntu

2009-05-10T20:41:00.000-07:00

1. Click the K button. 2. Choose File Manager 3. You will be presented with this screen. 4. Click on Root which is the red folder icon on the left side. 5. You will then get this screen 6. You will notice that is a folder name host. This is your windows folder. You are allowed to copy files between Wubi and Windows.

Benefits of Using Linux

2009-05-10T05:27:00.000-07:00

The primary benefit of using Linux is security. You won't have a problem with viruses messing up your computer. In my long experience of using Linux, there was not a time where I had to reformat my computer because of a virus or trojan attack. Or because something messed up with my system registry. It does not mean that viruses won't find their way into your computer. It is just that they won't be able to carry out their malicious intent. They would find themselves stuck in the folder where they first land. And you can simply delete them when you notice them.

So how is this possible?

Linux Files and Folders Security Policies There are three kinds of user privelges in Linux.

a. Owner - is the person who created a file or folder.

b. Group - a person could belong to a group. The Group setting of a user allows them to have access to files and folders that have been created by another user who belongs to the same group.

c. Root - This is the admin or superuser. They have access to everything.

There are three kinds of permission settings for each files and folders.

1. read access - Which means you can read but you can't edit them.

2. read/write access - which means they are editable.

3. read/execute - you can read and execute the file but you can't edit them.

4. read/write/execute - you can read, write, and run the file.

The Owner and the superuser can set the privileges available for a file or folder. They have the option to even limit the access of other users that belong in their group. Now if you are not the owner, not a superuser, and not a member of the group, that means you wont even see the file or folder at all. Linux systems files are also editable only by the root user. This is what makes Linux systems very secure. As long as you don't give your access to somebody else, you can be sure that your files and folders will be safe.

Reasons Why I have not yet Updated to Kubuntu 9.04

2009-05-07T22:29:00.000-07:00

Actually, I did but I decided to downgrade back to Kubuntu 8.10. My Reasons

1. My Nvidia graphics card was having problem with the latest Kubuntu version. (I think I found the solution to that problem now)

2. Kubuntu 8.10 looks aesthetically better than version 9.04

3. A lot of programs have not yet been updated for this version. Reason #3 is actually my main reason for sticking to Kubuntu Intrepid (8.10). I have decided to wait a few months until developers have updated their software to 9.04. After that I will upgrade.

Related Link:
Introducing Wubi - Linux for Windows

Wubi: Linux for Windows Part 2

2009-05-06T11:50:00.000-07:00

Installing Wubi. There is a bug with the latest Wubi installation. That is why I did not point you directly to the official site in my first post. (You can find the official site here: http://wubi-installer.org/) If you are running Windows XP, the latest installer won't work. This is why we need to get an older Wubi. Try searching google for Wubi 8.10 or you could try downloading a copy at download.cnet.com

When you already have Wubi.exe, here are the things you need to do:
1. Run Wubi.exe
2. It will give you a screen similar to this

3. Choose 15 gig for the hard disk size. Don't worry if the space looks too small. We can adjust it later. And also we will still have access to our Windows folders even if we are in Linux.

4. Choose Kubuntu, my favorite Ubuntu version.

5. Enter a username and the password.

6. Start the installation

7. Restart your PC after the installation is finished.

8. After you start your PC you will see two boot options. The first is your original Windows XP boot. And the other is your newly installed Kubuntu. Choose Kubuntu.

9. You will see the Kubuntu logo, as your newly installed OS starts to load. But is it really installed? Actually, No. It has just started to download the files needed to create Kubuntu.

10. This will take a while so I suggest you do something else (Watch TV, sleep, drink beer, have a hair cut, clean the house, play pratical jokes on somebody - anything to keep you busy for an hour)

11. But after it is finished you will be taken to the Login screen.

12. Enter the user name and the password you provided earlier.

13. After the login screen you will be presented with this. Ain't she a thing of Beauty? :) We are still just using Kubuntu 8.10. There is an option to upgrade to the latest version 9.04 but I won't do that right now. I will tell you about my reasons on my next post.

Related Link:

Introducing Wubi
Reasons Why I have not yet Updated to Kubuntu 9.04

Wubi: Linux for Windows Part 1

2009-05-06T02:56:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has officially ended mainstream support of Windows XP last April 14, 2009 and the extended support will end by April 2014. Windows XP has been the most popular OS of Microsoft. And even though a newer Windows version already came out, people still prefer using Windows XP.

2014 is still a couple of years away but expect newer programs to move away from XP starting next year. So what are your options?

1. Windows 7 – This version is currently available for public testing. It is expected to be better than Windows Vista. Windows Vista has gotten very bad reviews that it is being compared to Windows ME, the worst Windows version ever. Windows 7 will come in six editions. The lower editions will have limited functionalities compared to the higher editions. Of course, the higher editions will cost more. If you are just a home user, would you feel comfortable knowing that you are using a limited OS (Operating System)? Of course not.

2. Linux – This OS has gotten a bad rep of being too geeky. And I do admit that Windows is still easier to use than this one - but not by much recently. It’s developers has taken great strides to make it easier to use. I especially like the Ubuntu distribution packages and my favorite is the KDE flavor which is called Kubuntu.

How do you start shifting to Linux? Try Wubi. It is a software that will allow us to run Linux with Windows XP or Vista without the need to repartition our hard disk.

Related Link: Installing Wubi Reasons Why I have not yet update to Kubuntu 9.04

What's for Dinner?

2009-05-02T00:52:00.001-07:00

There are Swine Flus, Bird's Flu, Mad Cow, Foot and Mouth Disease, and Red Tide. So what do we eat now?

What is A Computer Virus

2009-05-01T23:14:00.000-07:00

Some of you might think its funny but I know a few people who think that computer viruses are actual virus just like common colds. Indeed it is the casual computer users who are the most vulnerable victim of computer viruses.

So if you are a casual computer user and not really a technical person, how can you better protect yourself?

The best way to protect yourself, aside from downloading anti-virus software, is to know what you are up against. Unlike real viruses that spread through human contact or proximity, computer viruses spread when a computer user runs an infected program. That means, they are practically harmless as long as you don’t run them.

Here are some precautions that could help you better protect yourself:

1. Don’t run and Scan any program you are unfamiliar with

2. Scan any program you download from the internet

3. Scan any storage device that is shared to you like USB Flash drives, hard disk, and floppy disks (if you still have them but I don’t if ever anyone still uses them).

4. If you are in a network, don't share folders with full read and write access. If you need to share some files, make sure that the folder they are in has only read access.

Where to Measure your Bandwith Speed

2009-04-29T22:55:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of sites where you can measure your bandwidth speed

1. Speedtest.net This one seems to have become a lot of people's favorite. The nice thing about it is that it will give you a world map and indicators where the different servers are. You can practically measure your internet speed according to servers in different parts of the world.

2. http://210.5.68.202/speed/ If you are a PLDT MyDSL subscriber you could measure your internet speed here.

3. http://utilities.globequest.com.ph/ This one can be used by Globe subscribers

4. http://speed.skyinet.net/ For Bayantel and SkyInet subscribers.

Yahoo Messenger (YM) Hangs Shutdown After Login

2009-04-29T21:28:00.000-07:00

You might encounter Yahoo Messenger hanging after you successfully login. Or it my automatically shutdown. The reason for this is that Yahoo Messenger is dependent on Internet explorer to display some of its windows. Your Internet Explorer might have been corrupted so a reinstall of Internet Explorer should fix this problem.

Three Must Have Books for Web Writers

2009-04-22T07:52:00.000-07:00

Whether you are a website writer or a blogger, these are the three books you should read.

1. Letting Go of Words by Janice (Ginny) Redish This book will teach you that writing for the internet is different from writing for regular magazines, newspapers, or books.

2. Problogger by Darren Rose and Chris Garett What better way to learn how to succeed in writing for the internet than from the Probloggers themselves.

3. If You Can Talk You Can Write by Joel Saltzman This book will help you feel confident about writing.

I do not describe these books extensively here because I don’t want to spoil the content. But believe me, if you find them in your local bookstore, buy them.

Reasons to Write Your Own Tutorial

2009-04-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

Think of any topic then search the internet for it. You will find that most likely there is already an existing tutorial for what you are looking for. But there are still plenty of reasons why you should write your own tutorial:

1. Because you can explain it clearer A lot of people write tutorials. They explain the process to accomplish a certain tasks but they make no effort to explain clearly. Perhaps they use too much jargon or they forget to go through the steps in the proper sequence.

2. You have a simpler process I have met people who instead of making a process simple, makes it more complicated and eventually confuse themselves. One reason for this is that they unconsciously pad the process with unnecessary steps. I have read a couple of documentations that have this problem. You can help them. You can study how a certain task is done and perhaps you can find a way to make it simple.

3. Your web visitors like your writing style more than the others There are people who write like robots. There are people who write like they are talking to themselves. But there are people who write like they are talking to you directly and these are the people we like to read.

4. For personal reference If you are a technical consultant, you will encounter a problem that crops up every once in a while. That is a very good reason to write down the solution. If you encounter the same problem, you can instantly refer to your article. It will save you time. One advantage to saving your tutorial over the internet is that you don’t have to carry a notebook around. You can refer to it anywhere.

5. You can earn from it People will have a similar question or problem and they will need your tutorial. There are various ways how you can earn from it.

a. You could submit it to a website like Helium.com and get paid.
b. You can post it in your website or blog and earn from the advertisements you place in your site.
c. Or with enough tutorials, maybe you can publish a book.

How to Remove Conficker Virus

2009-04-18T05:56:00.000-07:00

One of the symptoms that you are infected with that Conficker virus is that you can not access security websites like Mcaffee, Systemantec, Comodo, and AVG.

So how do you remove this virus when you can't access anti virus websites?

Solution:
1. Go to the Command Prompt. You can do this by clicking on Start > Run
2. Type in cmd then click the ok button
3. In the command window type in ipconfig /flushdns This will clear cached dns records
4. Or you can stop the dns cache service by typing net stop dnscache
5. Download the Conficker remover from this site http://www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2009-011316-0247-99
6. Disconnect from the internet and run the virus remover.
7. If it did not seem to remove anything, run your PC in safe mode then run the virus remover again.
8. When the program is finished it should give you a report of the processes that where stopped, the files that were clean, and the registry entries that were corrected.

If the virus is preventing you from downloading the virus remover even after you stopped the dnscache service, you will need to download it from another PC that has not been infected. Maybe you can download from another PC in your office or from an internet cafe.

Thank You

2009-04-15T05:21:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all of you who sent your message, visited us during mother's wake, or were with us during Mama's burial. Your support is very much appreciated. Tomorrow the family will start life without her physical presence but we will be strong out of our love for Mama. And because that is what she would have wanted. For me, Mama did not really die. Infact, she is very much alive and well - cured of all her sickness. For us and Mama, there are no goodbyes but only 'see you later'.

Something Different with the World Today

2009-04-09T00:51:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up and hoped that yesterday was just a dream. But as I stood up and looked at our house, the same lights and burning candles were there. And you were not there to remind me that I should eat my breakfast before it gets cold.

My sister told me that your grandson, who is just over one year old, went to look at you. He tapped the glass of your coffin like he always tapped your cheek to wake you up in the morning. But he seemed to be puzzled because you were not stirring. He tapped your coffin a little harder and even seached for a way to open it because you were not moving. And in his little mind he wanted to wake you up like he always does. Because he knows that when you wake up, the very first thing you will do is smile at him.

But today and yesterday is very different. Some things have changed and will never be the same.

A Birthday Gift Papa Will Never Forget

2009-04-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

Let me she share to you something about my mother. And show you how selfless she is.

My mother had a lot of sacrifices for us while we were growing up. And she really made sure that we will be able to finish our studies. Even though it would be hard for her. She really fought for us so that we would grow to be responsible adults and citizens. My mom, one of the best moms in the world.

For her final act, my father's sixtieth birthday was approaching. And she promised that she would give him a very memorable present. She fullfilled that promise yesterday. Her task started around 7:30 am and was completed at around 2:30 in the afternoon.

You see her gift to my father was an unforgettable birthday party. My father will have atleast five days celebration where all the neighbors are invited and she made sure that even our relatives would come. And there will be plenty of food. But she planned a coffee party. So we expect to have coffee, milk, biscuits, and some nuts to fight the sleepiness. Because it was a five day non stop party remember? She also made sure that she was the best dressed. Indeed my mom looks beautiful in her barong and her make up is exquisite. As a testament to her boundless selflessness, the party required she give her life for it to get started.

And she gave it. My mom died, in the year of the Lord, April 8,2009 due to traumatic bleeding in the brain. Because she accidentally slipped and hit her head on the concrete floor.

It's my father's birthday today, April 9, 2009. My mother's body is with us but she is not. We miss her. But don't worry mama. Life happens in a blink of an eye. Next thing you know we will be seeing you again. And you could share with me again your smiling face and your contagious laugh.

Love, Your Son

Privacy Policy

2009-04-07T03:46:00.000-07:00

We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.

Site Layout Update

2009-04-06T01:06:00.000-07:00

Forgive my site for looking horrible right now. I'm in the process of updating my template. This might take me the whole week.

On Cloud Computing

2009-04-05T02:34:00.000-07:00

Cloud Computing is a novel idea. You take a companies back office software (like accounting, purchasing, sales, human resource, etc. ), host it to a third party, and let them take care of its maintenance. This has two advantages:

1. The software is kept in one location so it will be easier to maintain it.

2. Companies can concentrate on their core business and let the professionals handle the technology side.

However there are also things going against it. Like Denial of Service Attack. You won't have access to your software which is hosted outside of your company if the hosting company suffers a Denial of Service Attack. If you read my earlier post before this one, you will see that recent victims are reputable technology companies.

Another thing is that, there will always be companies who will not be willing to share their data. Especially, if these information are vital to their competitive advantage.

These are the challenges that will prevent Cloud computing from reaching general acceptance and I think they are very strong challenges.

Distributed Denial of Service Attack: Something is Wrong around the Internet

2009-04-04T02:11:00.000-07:00

For the past days we have been hearing about the Conficker worm which is supposed to go live April 1. But the date passed and nothing happened. Yet today something is wrong with the Internet. Websites that would have been normally up could not be accessed.

Upon investigating further I found these http://www.secuobs.com/revue/news/79101.shtml, http://www.thewhir.com/web-hosting-news/040309_Registercom_Falls_Prey_to_DDoS_Attack, and http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=91639. A Denial of Service attack is when hackers attack servers where the addresses of websites around the internet is kept. What happens is that you cannot view the website though it is up because your internet traffic is being redirected somewhere else.

Nothing much we can really do about it, except to wait for those responsible to fix their DNS servers.

One More Online Personality Test

2009-03-30T00:39:00.000-07:00

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle." - Sun Tzu

Since I found out about an online blogger personality analyzer, I researched more a bit about personality test. You could try this one: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm . I got an INTP result which I think is a more accurate description of my personality.

Sometimes I get comments like I never show my emotional side. Or I seem too cool even though the world around me is in panic. Sometimes that is a positive comment and yet sometimes it is not. Because there is a tendency for me to appear like I don't care at all.

I have asked myself at times, why am I like that? Could I be different? Or Am I stuck to be like this forever because it appears I'm just sick in the head or something? Lol.

But come to think of it, we can only learn what goes wrong and what not to do next time. But we can never really change who we are. Because that is how we are built. That is how God planted us (if you believe in a God like I do). I think, like Sun Tzu, one of the keys to success is accepting who you are and thriving in what you have and what you can offer.

And so you are saying, "Hey, I thought this is a technology blog?" Ok. Enough of that vague musings. Just try the test. You might find a use for it or something. Lol.

Related Link:

Blogger Personality Analyzer

Blogger Personality Analyzer

2009-03-25T23:38:00.000-07:00

They say that there are always three sides to a person. Who you think you are, Who others think you are, and Who you really are. I have a general perception of myself which maybe different from how my friends see me. But what the heck. Our mind will keep spinning trying to figure out our real personality type.

So let's just forget about that crap. Let just say we are what we are. And that's about it.

Make sense?

No?

Lol. I'm just trying to be funny today. There is an online personality analyzer that can give an idea about us. You can find it at http://typealyzer.com/index.php?lang=en. I entered this blog and I got ESTP - The Doer. Some part of it is right like this quote "more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time."

But I think I'm more of the introvert type.

Related Link: Carl Jung Typology Test

Parts of A Flash Game

2009-03-17T04:50:00.000-07:00

If you are going to make a Flash game here are the things you need to make.

1. Pre-Loader. Although broadband is the standard connection now a days there are still some who use the internet using slow dialup. A preloader would insure that your player see's something like a percentage counter. Instead of getting the notion that your program might have hanged.

2. Intro Screen. This contains the title of your game.

3. Instruction or Help screen. Helps the player know how to operate the game.

4. Game Level Screens.

5. Game Loop. Is the heart of a Flash game. It is an infinite loop but can be stopped when certain conditions are met. Like if the player completes the game or the game hero or heroes die. The game loop is responsible for tracking the various status of ingame objects and ensuring that they perform their programmed tasks based on player commands and ingame conditions.

6. Game Over / Retry Screen. Shows up when the player loses. It can also show the High Score screen.

7. Credits. Display the people responsible for creating the game as well as the people who helped them make it. This screen can be shown by pressing a button in the intro screen or after the player completes the game.

8. Highscore Screen. Gives a feedback of how the current player performed compared to other previous player of the game.

Free ISO Image File Reader

2009-03-12T18:27:00.000-07:00

If for some reason you needed to read an ISO image file in your hard disk instead of your CD drive, Microsoft has a free tool that allows you to create a virtual CD drive using your hard disk.

You can find the program here.

When you run this program it will create 3l files: vcdcontroltool.exe, vcdrom.sys, and readme.txt

1. You need to put vcdrom.sys in your C:\windows\system32\
2. Run vcdcontroltool.exe
3. Click the install driver button and choose c:\windows\system32\vcdrom.sys
4. Then click the Start button and then the OK button
5. Click Add Drive button
6. Then click Mount button and choose the ISO image file in your hard disk

After these steps you should be able to read the ISO image file as if it was a CD drive in your computer.

How to Backup Your Blogger/Blogspot Blog

2009-03-06T16:29:00.000-08:00

There has been a lot of times when my entries here magically disappeared costing me several months of work.

Fortunately, there is now an easy way to backup Blogspot blogs.

In your blog's control panel, if you look under the Settings tab, you will see Blog Tools section. Beside it you will see an option to Import Blog, Export Blog, and Delete Blog. Export Blog will allow you to save the contents of your blog in your hard disk. Import Blog will allow you to restore a previously saved copy.

Related Link: To Begin Again

Windows XP Stuck in a Login Logout Loop

2009-03-04T01:47:00.000-08:00

So I quickly dropped what I was doing and went over to their place. When I got there I found this Windows XP PC that keeps getting redirected to the login screen after logging in. I asked if they have another working computer.

Like always, I searched the web to find if someone else have already encountered this problem. Sure enough I found that the problem was being caused by a virus. The author said it was being caused by a virus called BlazeFind. Here are the steps I did to solve the problem:

1. I went to the problem PC and then I booted it using Windows XP CD.

2. I went to the recovery console, what I needed to do was go to C:\Windows\system32\

3. to do a COPY USERINIT.EXE WSAUPDATER.EXE unfortunately when I looked the USERINIT.EXE was missing

4. so I went over to the other working Windows XP PC to copy its USERINIT.EXE file. But the problem is I could not copy it to the problem PC because Windows XP Recovery Console won't detect the USB drive.

5. So what I did was reboot the problem PC normally.

6. I then looked if a folder was accessible through the network. Luckily the owner of the problem pc did have a writable shared folder so I copied USERINIT.EXE to the shared folder.

7. I then booted the problem PC again and used the RECOVERY CONSOLE.

8. I copied USERINIT.EXE to C:\Windows\System32

9. I the proceeded again to step 3.

10. After I was finished. I rebooted and I was able to login normally.

11. The final adjustment I made was to go to run REGEDIT and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ WindowsNT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon

12. I then typed C:\WINDOWS\system32\userinit.exe, as it's value.

Make sure that the comma is included. Make sure also to do a malware and virus scan after doing the above steps.

But what if you were not as lucky as I am and you could not see the problem PC in the network? What you could do here is remove the hard disk and make it a slave drive of a working Windows XP PC. Copy the files needed to fix the problem. Then you put back the hard disk in the original PC you took it from. And then fix the problem by following the needed steps I stated above.

The Internet, Broadband Connection, Browser Tab Interface, and Attention Deficit Disorder

2009-02-23T20:28:00.000-08:00

Have you ever logged on to the Internet looking for something? And while you were doing your research you realized you can open another tab in your browser to check the latest news. And while you are at it you open another tab listen to a music stream. And then you open another tab to play a massively multiplier online game. And then while you were doing all those things you decide to open another tab so that you can watch video streams.

Ah, the convenience of having endless websites to visit, a very fast internet connection, and a user friendly internet browser.

But as you get used to these perks, do you ever feel that it’s getting harder to focus?

I have read that Attention Deficit Disorder begins from childhood and continues throughout a person’s adult life. But is there a case when an adult never had this problem but gains it because of his lifestyle and activities? Or does it lie dormant or perhaps subdued, but somehow the endless choice presented by technology aggravates it?

Can technophiles ever be saved?

So far, the best cure I’ve found is to unplug the Ethernet cable from the DSL modem.

Actionscript: Custom Random Function

2009-02-16T17:30:00.000-08:00

I made a custom random function in case you are looking for a random number generator in Actionscript. Actionscript has a random number function but it does not really allow you to specify a minimum and maximum range. Here is the code:

private function getRandomNumber(min:int, max:int):int
{
    var xRandomNumber:int;
    xRandomNumber= Math.floor(Math.random() * (max -1)) ) + min;
   return(xRandomNumber);

} // getRandomNumber

Back from Neverland

2009-02-10T04:43:00.000-08:00

Wow. I leave for couple of weeks and the traffic has dropped 75%. Lol. I guess blogging is kind of like office work. In the office you are slave to the bosses. With blogging we are slave of our readers and the almighty search engine - Google.

Google show me some love please. Bring back the precious traffic. I promise I will try to update as often as I can. Please.

Anyway, kidding aside, where have I been? I would like to tell you that I have been hauled in the basement for the past weeks. The only problem is we don't have a basement.

So let me just say, I have been busy with something. Here is an article about Flash Game Development to give you an idea.

Programming games is what got me interested in computer science in the first place. It is something that I always wanted to do.

It has not been a viable profession years ago unless you live in the US. Not until the past two years. Thanks to the internet, now anyone can enter this industry irregardless of where you are in the world.

And since this blog is actually my technical journal expect that I will share with you my experiences as I try to turn my ideas into codes.

How to Solve Flash Player Lag/Hiccup

2009-01-11T14:31:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been testing a graphic intensive Flash program. I keep running into a problem. At some point in the program the Flash Player would lag or suffer a hiccup.

I went to other websites to see if my I was the only one experiencing this. I was not the only one.

1. I found that this maybe caused by a graphics card driver not being installed.

So I reinstalled the graphics card driver and it seemed to solve it a bit.

But this is not really the end of the story.

2. Flash can also lag if there are too many objects being instantiated in the Flash program. Especially if they are being created inside a loop. This causes Flash player's memory consumption to grow thus causing a lag.

But try to run other Flash programs and see if they lag. Because often it is the programmers fault why Flash lags. He probably did not develop the Flash program optimally.

Update August 2009: Okay guys, you may be wondering if this problem only occurs because you are using Windows, Mac, or Linux. Let me tell you, from looking at my web statistics of all the people who landed, let me share to you that this is a problem on all Operating Systems. It does not matter whether you are using Linux, Windows, or Mac OS. We are all experiencing this problem.

What does this mean?

It means Flash programmers must work to use the Flash Player more efficiently. At this point, programmers are doing things that are pushing the Flash Player to its limit - especially with Flash games.

On the otherhand, Lets hope that Adobe comes up with improvements to handle our programs.

Update December 2010:
I am no longer experiencing this problem. I've tested it on Windows XP and Windows 7. Just get the latest Flash Player from the Adobe website.

Adobe Flex: How to Embed and Display SWF Assets

2009-01-08T07:27:00.000-08:00

I have an swf file, published for Flash Player 9+ that contains two symbols. I am going to need one symbol which is actually a movie clip. This movie clip is named Jar and it comprises of two frames. The first frame is a picture of an okay jar. The second frame contains a picture of a broken jar. How do we embed and display this in Flex 3? (I will assume you are familiar with Flex 3) ...

import mx.core.MovieClipAsset;
import mx.controls.Image; [Embed(source="myassets.swf", symbol="Jar")]
[Bindable] public var JarClass:Class;

... That is about it when declaring it in Flex using Actionscript.
Now lets displaying using a function.
I made a function named init() which I call every time the CreationComplete event of the application is executed.
Here is the function:

private function init():void {

     var myJar:MovieClipAsset = MovieClipAsset(new JarClass());
     myJar.gotoAndStop(2); // Display the second frame
     var zImage:Image = new Image();
    zImage.source = myJar;
    zImage.x = 40; zImage.y = 40; // add to the DisplayObject to make it visible addChild(zImage);

} // init

That's about it.