Friday, February 29, 2008

Get The Right Training



I had many, about 4 (and more than 2 is many), training courses before related to web development and computer programming. I did complete all those 4 training courses and I can say that I'm knowledgeable about the topics covered in those training courses. I can't say that I mastered all of it because there are some topics I don't like and need some refreshing to do and there is this one course that I didn't learn that much or didn't learn what I expected to learn because of the instructor but overall, I had a great time taking those training courses.

Training courses are sometimes not really required in a job but taking these training courses could be an advantage. There are many training courses offered everywhere and there are websites like Avand that can help you and your company find training courses in your area. Some of their popular courses are Sales Training, Plumbing Training, and Management Training. If the course you're looking for are not in their list, you can contact them discuss the courses that your company will need so that they could add it to their list. Check out their website if you have the time. Good luck!

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Share My iPod Songs: The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Don't You Fake It

This time on Share My iPod Songs is The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' first major album, Don't You Fake It. Songs I like in this album are Face Down, Damn Regret, Your Guardian Angel, and Disconnected. If you haven't heard this songs before, you can download and listen to their album below. Enjoy!



Artist: The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Album: Don't You Fake It (Deluxe Edition)

1. In Fate's Hands
2. Waiting
3. False Pretense
4. Face Down
5. Misery Loves It's Company
6. Cat And Mouse
7. Damn Regret
8. Atrophy
9. Seventeen Ain't So Sweet
10. Justify
11. Your Guardian Angel
12. Grim Goodbye
13. Face Down (Acoustic)
14. Disconnected

I signed up for PPP!

I signed up for PayPerPost last month and my blog or should I say this blog got approved for Marketplace Opportunities just 8 days ago. This blog was not approved immediately for Marketplace Opportunities because it does not meet the specific requirements that is indicated in their Terms of Service. Fortunately, PayPerPost updated their Terms of Service and made some changes to it like bringing down the minimum blog age to 30 days with at least 10 pre-existing posts from 90 days with at least 20 pre-existing posts. I just started making posts again on this blog just this January 2008 and making 20 posts of original content is not that easy. So, thanks to that change in their Terms of Service! Haha! :D

I learned about PayPerPost just last month when I'm searching for paid-to-blog services. I have read many testimonials about PayPerPost, about how it can help you monetize your blog and generate extra income if you're a blogger and create buzz and promote your product or services if you're an advertiser. I also read that PayPerPost strictly implements word of mouth ethics and I like that because it informs the audience of the blog of the connection of a certain post with the blog. Having read all of that testimonials and making sure that its not a scam or something, I signed up for PayPerPost.

This is the first Opp that I took and I know this will also be your first when you join PayPerPost because this post is like the welcome Opp when you're approved for the Marketplace Opportunity and it pays a nice amount of money, hehe! I will earn a$20 just for this post, isn't that a nice extra income for just a single post, haha! :D

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

the one with Google AdSense's Updated Terms and Conditions

I've been wondering what are the changes that Google AdSense made into the updated terms and conditions ever since I saw that Google AdSense Online Standard Terms and Conditions Accept Contract page. I don't want to read it all because its so lengthy, the deadline for accepting it is until May 25, 2008, I just want to take a quick look at my account and I just don't have the time to read it all that time.

Luckily, I remembered today that Google AdSense has a blog, Inside AdSense, so I checked it out hoping to find out some information about this matter. There's a post there entitled "Updated Terms and Conditions". The post says that most of the changes to the Terms and Conditions fall into two broad categories. The first category is future products and features and the second category is privacy requirements. The post also says that the changes are not limited to those two categories because they also made small changes throughout the Terms and Conditions so it's a good idea to review them thoroughly before accepting.

I think I'll just have to read it all sometime. There's a "Remind me the next time I log in" option that I use now but I know I'll choose the "Yes, I have read and accept the above Terms and Conditions" option anyway in the future because if I choose the "No, I do not accept the above Terms and Conditions" option now, I will not be able to continue using AdSense until May 25, 2008 and who wouldn't want to accept it? We all love our AdSense, right? Hehe! :D

You can read the full article from the official AdSense Blog here:
Inside AdSense: Updated Terms and Conditions

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Make A choice, Any Choice

I took another survey today at dNeero. I had fun answering this survey because its short and the questions are entertaining. About the last question, yeah, that's the most important decision I made today, haha! By the way, you can also answer the survey and post your answers on your blog(s) and/or social network(s).

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

the one when the thesis crunch time begins...

The thesis crunch time begins today so I will not be able to make new posts the way I did these past few weeks. I can still make short posts during weekdays like this one but making long posts requires a lot for me so I will just make it over the weekends, granting that I don't have any thesis related activities. This will be my blogging schedule until the thesis is over. I hope I don't get bored doing the thesis and stick to my blogging schedule. Good luck to myself and good luck to our group!

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Get it going with dNeero

I signed up at dNeero and this is the first survey I took. You can read the survey and my answers to it below, although I can't say that all of my answers are true. I can't think of anything to answer for some questions like the "favorite flower", "favorite adult drink", and "favorite everyday drink" questions but you will also notice that some questions are answered honestly and deeply like "most afraid of", "favorite colors", and "want to do before I die" questions. Anyway, you can also answer the survey and post your answers on your blog(s) and/or social network(s).

Sunday, February 17, 2008

the one with the Smart Bro Plan 799, The Plug-it Anywhere Broadband

We just picked up our Smart Bro USB modem after two weeks of waiting for our Smart Bro Plan 799, The Plug-it Anywhere Broadband, application to be approved and an additional week of waiting for the USB modem to be available.


Dibidi Dibidi?


Ang liit lang pala talaga nung USB modem, hehe!


It is presented in a dvd-like case which contains the USB modem, data cable, sim card, Smart Bro USB Modem Quick Start (blue), and HSDPA USB Modem Quick Start (white).

The data cable has 3 plugs. One plug is for the USB modem (the small one) which the two quick start guides refer to as plug 1, another one is the one that connects to the PC (normal size with male connector) which the two quick start guides refer to as plug 2, and the other one is, I think, for extra power supply (normal size with both male and female connectors) which the two quick start guides refer to as plug 3. From what I understand, the Smart Bro USB Modem Quick Start says that you must attach plug 2 to the female connector of plug 3 and insert the male connector of plug 3 to the PC while the HSDPA USB Modem Quick Start says that plug 2 is the one inserted to the PC and plug 3 is just used to ensure that there is enough power supply. Medyo magulo sila noh?

The sim card is Smart Gold but it has a sticker that says "PLUG IT". Maybe they'll also release a sim card exclusively for this Smart Bro plan?

As I have mentioned above, there are two quick start guides. The Smart Bro USB Modem Quick Start is like a summary of the HSDPA USB Modem Quick Start. They have almost similar contents except for some of the illustrations, features, and notices mentioned.

We haven't tried using it yet so we're hoping that it will turn out fine just like their Plan 999 have done for last, I think, almost 3 years now. If you're asking why did we chose to apply for this plan, well, we all have our reasons, hehe! We did look into the issue of "it is just the same if we just use our 3G/GPRS capable cellphones as a modem", "the 40 hours is not free because that's what you paid for your Php 799", "not all areas are covered by Smart 3G and connection to those areas will just be in GPRS speeds", and other issues that's concerned with this plan. If it turns out just fine, eh di ok, good, magaling. If not, we have 24 months to suffer, unless we really want to discontinue it and pay them or something because we are still in the lock-in period. Anyway, I'll just make another post, maybe next week, after we have tried it out. Sana talaga ok 'to... haha! :D

Friday, February 15, 2008

Share My iPod Songs: Powerspace - The Kicks Of Passion

This is my first blog post from my Share My iPod Songs series of blog posts and it will feature Powerspace's first album, The Kicks Of Passion. This is one of the first albums that I downloaded when I bought my first iPod last December 2007. I liked their Alternative/Power Pop/Pop Punk sound (don't ask me about these genres because I can't really explain it clearly, hehe) and this album has the most played songs on my iPod. If you want to know more about what their music is all about, just download and listen to their album below.



Artist: Powerspace
Album: The Kicks Of Passion

1. Prologue: Adam Beckett
2. Quarantine My Heart (Baby)
3. Powerspace Snap Bracelet
4. Right On, Right Now
5. Amplifire
6. Be Aggressive
7. This Is Not What You Had Planned
8. Dancing In The Future
9. Choose Your Own Adventure
10. It Smells Like Electricity In Here
11. I Met My Best Friend In Prague
12. Sleep, Everyone...

Monday, February 11, 2008

the one with the wonderful Project Wonderful!

I signed up at Project Wonderful last February 1, 2008. I submitted this blog immediately after I signed up so that I can also be a publisher, but it got rejected so I'm stuck being an advertiser. I want to become both an advertiser and a publisher so that even if I'm winning bids and my funds are being decreased, I can also earn and pay off my winning bids at the same time. Self liquidating is the term, right?

Anyway, I made this post because, at last, this blog have been approved and I'm also a publisher now! I can now start putting ad boxes on this site and start selling ads with Project Wonderful. As you can see, I'm still experimenting with the type of ad boxes and the location on where should I put them. I think they should be optimized so that I would know how much will I really earn from them. The minimum amount that you can withdraw is $10, so if you want to withdraw funds monthly, the minimum you had to make is $10 monthly. I currently have 4 ad boxes, three 125X125 and one 468X60. If I could earn $0.09 from each of the 4 ad boxes everyday, that's a total of $0.36 a day, I could earn $10.8 a month and be able to withdraw funds monthly. This is just the minimum so my goal now is to reach $0.09 each per ad box.

I'm still new on being a publisher but I hope I also earn a couple of bucks from Project Wonderful. I'm happy I signed up at Project Wonderful! I hope I reach my goal! This is great, Project Wonderful together with Entrecard will offer many great oppurtunities for this blog!

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Feedburner's FeedFlare™, the classic problem of Blogger's sidebar shifting to the bottom of the page, and my stupidity

Let me tell you a story, a story about my stupidity...

But before I start the story, I want to discuss first what I know about the classic problem of Blogger's sidebar shifting to the bottom of the page. This problem is very irritating if you let it get to you. You may want to punch the monitor of your PC or throw your laptop away. I wouldn't do that of course but I have been tempted to do that even if I love our PC and my laptop. Anyway, there are two possibilities why your sidebar shifts to the bottom of the page. Its either a post extends beyond its designated width or something in your sidebar extends beyond its designated width. The solution to this problem is to review the contents of the two columns, or three if you have two sidebars, and identify the contents that are causing the columns to expand.

Ok, here's the story...

I signed up for Feedburner so that I can easily manage my feed, see where my content goes after I publish it, know how many people are subscribed to, attract new subscriber and other reasons why people would sign up at Feedburner and burn their feed. As a new user at Feedburner, I'm excited to try out the services that they offer. I first tried out FeedFlare™, which allows publishers to easily build “interactivity” into the content they create, making it simple for subscribers to tag, email or share their content with others, and it turned out ok. After that, I tried out their Monetize services and which makes use of Google AdSense.

This is where my stupidity starts...

I thought that this service will display AdSense ads on the first post of my feed and it got me thinking, "Wow! Is that really possible? I can put ads on my feeds now? That's great!". I have installed the script that FeedFlare™ uses so I'm good to go, I just have to active the service. I activated the service not knowing that it doesn't display ads on the first post of my feed but it display ads on the first post of my site. I didn't know this at first because I didn't read the description of the service thoroughly. The effects of the services are not seen immediately so I took a break from my blog after that.

After 2-3 hours of break...

I visited my blog and I saw this horrible looking page. The sidebar space is still there but its content are all at the bottom of the page. It's still in its right arrangement, its not scattered and it has maintained its form. It is not just in the right place. I consulted Blogger's Help and found the answer, which is the one I discussed earlier before the start of the story. I also looked at the Blogger Help Group at Google Groups.

Here is where all that crazy debugging starts...

Having all that knowledge, I tested the contents of each column. I first tested the contents of the sidebar, removed some of the recent links or pictures I have placed there. After that I hit the refresh button just to see that there is no improvement at all. I then tested the column that contained my posts. I also removed some links and ads that I have put there. Ok, there is still no change. Then I tested my posts one by one as one of the users in the Blogger Help Group has suggested. I click on each permalink to see which post are affected. The first two or three posts are ok. Their individual pages shows the sidebar where it belongs. I noticed that there is this one post that causes some irregularity on the column. The contents of the column narrows down a little after that post. I clicked on its permalink and when I arrived at its page, the sidebar is at the bottom. I saved this post as a draft temporarily. I then reloaded the index page of my blog and my blog is back! It's back to normal! I'm so happy that time. I just decided to make that post a draft and show it anymore. I created a new post just to test if all things are fine and also to post that I have fixed things. I typed a sentence and publish it immediately. Then I arrived again at this horrible looking page! I deleted that post, created another one and publish it. The same thing happened. That goes on until I got to my 8th test post. I'm getting frustrated so I stop debugging it and take a break but I didn't deleted the test post so I can work on it after.

After 5-6 hours...

I can't sleep with my blog looking like that so I tired debugging it again. This time, I used Firefox's Error Console. I find two errors, the first one is an error concerning the script of FeedFlare™ and the second one is an error concerning the script of PayPerPlay. I first removed the script of PayPerPlay thinking that "Why would the script of FeedFlare™ cause all of this problem?". I reloaded the index page of my blog and saw that there are no changes. After that I didn't removed the script of FeedFlare™ immediately. I experimented with it. I move it from one line to the other observing if it will make a difference to the page but still no luck.

This is where the enlightenment comes in...

I still didn't removed the script and I logged in on my Feedburner account hoping to find the answer there. I activated some features of FeedFlare™ for my site because I noticed that there are no services activated for my site but I had the script pasted on the template of my blog. I reloaded the index page again and saw those the features and activated for my blog, the AdSense ads, and my sidebar in place! I'm surprised to because I didn't activated any feature of FeedFlare™ that displays ads. I read again the description of the Monetize services displaying AdSense ads because that is the only reason I could think why there would be an ad on my first post. I read it thoroughly then I said to myself, "How stupid am I for activating that feature even if I haven't read and understand what the feature does?". I deactivated the Monetize services but didn't solve the problem. I think the system is not updated instantaneously because when I reloaded the index page of my blog, the ads are still there and I want this to be fixed before I go to bed.

The end of this story is near...

I still didn't want to remove the script of FeedFlare™ because the features that I have put on my feed might not show up. I experimented with FeedFlare™ features and found out that if I activated features for my site, the sidebar will not shift to the bottom, but if I didn't activate any of it and I put its script on my site, then the sidebar will shift to the bottom. I then decided to remove the script hoping that it will not affect the features of FeedFlare™ for my feed. I reloaded the page saw that things are back to normal again! I removed the test post and publish again the previous post that was affected. I reloaded the blog again and its still ok! I also visited my feed and the features of FeedFlare™ I activated for it are still there! Hahaha! At last, I fixed it! I can go to bed now... ZzZzZzzzz...

The end...

Thanks you for reading. I know its very long for a blog post but I wanted to tell the story in detail so that you would not make the mistake I made or should I say the stupidity I made. I'm not a great story teller but I hope you understand my story. Just leave a comment if you have comments, suggestions, and/or violent reactions. Thank you again for reading.

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

the one with all the 1st day Entrecard madness!

You all know Entrecard, right? I know most of the bloggers do, haha! :D Entrecard is the first and only free exchange network for 125x125 ads. Entrecard lets you advertise your own 125x125 Entrecard on any blog in the network, for free! You pay for this advertising with Entrecard Credits. You can earn these credits for free, this is why you can advertise for free, by visiting other blogs and dropping your Entrecard onto their widget. You can also earn if you put the widget in your site and let other people drop their Entrecard. Like the introduction video on their site said, "It's your internet business card".

I read that it started last November 8, 2007 but I just became aware of it by mid January 2008. I noticed a lot of blogs have Entrecard widgets. I don't want to jump into the bandwagon immediately so I waited for sometime and take a look at things before I signed up at their site. I should have signed up with Entrecard last week but I discovered Project Wonderful and got hyped up over it too. I'll just tell you the wonderful story at another post, hehe!

I'm happy with Entrecard and the benefits I get from it. I discover new blogs and new people also discover my blog. It's exciting to blog hop, drop your Entrecard, and get your Entrecard Credits. It's a little addicting and you can get credit crazy trying to earn more credits, haha! I'm also very happy with the free traffic that it brought to this blog. I signed up just 20 hours ago and I got 108 page views and 65 unique visitors, 60 of which are first time visitors and 5 are returning visitors. I know that's not a lot compared to the big and popular blogs out there but that's a big deal to me because that's the first time I get that much traffic in one day. That is a new record for my blog. I'm really happy and excited about Entrecard right now! Haha! :D

So what are you waiting for? Drop your Entrecard at my Entrecard widget. I also added my Entrecard inbox feed below the widget so anyone who drops their Entrecard get their Entrecard linked from my blog. I just don't know how often the feed reader updates its content because I notice that it does not show the new Entrecards right away when I reload the page when there are new Entrecards dropped. I will change my feed reader when I find a new one that is better than the one I'm using right now. Ok, that's all for now. Happy blog hopping with Entrecard! :D

Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Share My iPod Songs

I will be starting a series of blog posts entitled "Share My Ipod Songs". As the name suggests, I will be sharing the songs in my iPod on those posts. The series will last until I have shared all the songs in my iPod. So if there are new songs, the series will not end, haha! Of course the series will end. All things come to an end. I'm just saying that the series will be longer if I add songs to my iPod from time to time. If you want to ask me if I will be sharing just a list of the songs or will I be uploading the songs too so that you can download and listen to it, the answer is, I'm still thinking about it.

If I upload the songs:
Will I violate copyright laws even if it is my personal blog? Will Google Adsense punish me for violating their program policies?

If I don't upload the songs:
Will it be useless to the readers if I just present them a list of songs? And isn't it better if the readers could also listen to what I'm listening?

I will start sharing my iPod songs next week. I should have made my mind by that time but until that time comes, I want some of your thoughts about this. Is this a good or a bad idea? Should I upload songs and let people download it or should I just tell them what I'm currently listening to?

Monday, February 04, 2008

Pink Lady Casino

The following is a paid review:

Do you play casino games? What about playing casino games online? What do you think about online casino and online casino gambling? I ask this questions because I haven't really played any casino games online for fun or for real money.

Well, anyway, I think you know what I had to review today. It's an online casino by the name of Pink Lady Casino. As the name implies, this online casino is geared toward the female casino player. I visited their website and I read there that they are the best online casino gambling experience on the net. They had over 100 of the top casino games on the internet.

There are two ways on how you can play at their casino:
1. Downloading the casino software
2. Playing online without downloading (Flash Version)


Getting started using the casino software:
1. Download the casino software.
2. Install it.
3. Set up you casino account.

How to download:
1. Click on one of the download buttons found through out the website.
2. A "File Download" window will appear. Select “Run” to begin.
3. If a security warning appears, select “Run” again.
4. The software will begin downloading.

How to install:
1. The installation wizard will appear. Just click the buttons and supply the information needed.
2. Click the “OK” button to start the installation.
3. The Casino License Agreement will appear on your screen after the installation completes. Read this carefully and select "Yes" to accept the agreement.

How to set up your casino account:
Upon running the software for the first time, you will be asked if you want to Play For Real Money or Play For Fun. Playing for real money and playing for fun or playing without money requires different accounts. To play for real money, just select "Play for Real Money" and follow the instructions to set up an account. If you want to play just for fun, select "Play for Fun" and again, follow the instructions to set up an account.


Getting started on playing online without downloading (Flash Version):

Click the "Play Now (No Download Required)" button. You are now ready to play games with Practice mode enabled as default. You can play for real money by clicking the button at the upper left of the page to switch to Play For Real Money mode. Use this button to switch between modes. I don't think the Practice mode requires a casino account but the the Play For Real Money mode requires one. I also want to add that I think the Practice mode is the same as Play For Fun mode because there is no money involve in those modes.


I think this will be the end of my review as I don't have an account yet and I am not yet planning on creating one and trying their service out. You can try it out if you want and come back here to make a comment about their service.

Saturday, February 02, 2008

the one when I received my first ReviewMe payout!

I just received my first ReviewMe payout! Yahoo! Yehey! Google? Hahaha! :D I'm just very happy right now. This is the first time that I received something from blogging and now, I can safely say that there is money in blogging, hahaha! :D This is the first time because I haven't received anything in the past from Google when I joined their Google AdSense program. It's just so hard for me to gain money from AdSense because I don't have many visitors in this blog and their payout is $100. So I'm really happy that I discovered ReviewMe!


Here's a proof of their payment. $21.50, not bad considering that I earned that much from three blog posts that I just did in less than fifteen days, I'm not yet even enrolled to their affiliate program, and what if I accepted all of the reviews that are being offered to me. I could have earned $10-$20 more. ReviewMe is a great way to earn at the sides for a blogger like me. I just have to take into consideration the number of original posts that I make and the number of review offers that I accept. It must have a good balance, which is the reason why I didn't accept all of the reviews being offered to me, so that this blog would lose its spirit and still contain a good amount of original posts coming from my heart ;)

Friday, February 01, 2008

the one with the PLDT Scandal

I uploaded this video* about a year and four months ago at YouTube but I did not expect it to have so many views, comments, and ratings. After a year and four months of being there, it reached 152,888 views, 625 comments, and 96 ratings. I don't know if it is the title that I put, which by the way I did not create because that came from the filename of the attached file on the email which contained this, or if it is just that controversial because of the booming call center industry here in the Philippines.



Download the wave file here:
PLDT Scandal.wav
(Right click, then "Save Target As" or "Save Link As")

*It's not really a video at first. It's an audio file (wav) and I just made it into a video file (wmv) so that I can upload it in YouTube.