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May 31, 2005

Welcome to the Google twilight zone!

Since the beginning of the year and until now, Google has launched all sorts of new services and in the last three months, the search engine announced something new almost every two weeks.

New features for the search engine, new local services, new software for the desktop searches or price cutoffs for the hardware components sold by Google, all these in such a short time.


Full story here
.

May 31, 2005

WP Plugins Used

Rain earlier posted an entry about recommended WP Plugins. I thought I saw a WP plugin that actually list down all your WP plugin.

Just found it here: pluginsUsedPlugin

… and installed it in my side bar (bottom side).

Here’s my WP plugin list so far, as generated by the WP plugin:

May 30, 2005

XAMPP: Apache Webserver Plus!

Many people know from their own experience that it’s not easy to install an Apache web server and it gets harder if you want to add MySQL, PHP and Perl.

XAMPP is an easy to install Apache distribution containing MySQL, PHP and Perl. XAMPP is really very easy to install and to use – just download, extract and start. At the moment there are four XAMPP versions:

* a version for Linux systems (tested for SuSE, RedHat, Mandrake and Debian),
* a version for Windows 98, NT, 2000, 2003 and XP,
* a beta version for Solaris SPARC (developed and tested under Solaris 8),
* and a beta version for Mac OS X.

Get your own copy now.

May 30, 2005

My PC wants to be a Mac!

Just couldn’t resist the urge to be just a plain old PC clone. My desktop also wants to be a Mac clone.

desktop

Cloning was done with the aid of ObjectDock and some wallpaper from WebMotiva.

May 29, 2005

Beats and Pieces

These should have been for the asides but I reckon they could all go in one blog entry here:

  • iPod Plug-In Sets Music Free “ml_iPod, allows iPod users to bypass iTunes and manage music collections in Winamp instead. The iPod is supposed to work with iTunes only…”
  • Firefox gets a question on US quiz show, “Jeopardy” “I’m now using the Firefox Web Browser that got its start from this Time Warner company’s Netscape division”
  • Top 15 Firefox Extensions (PC Magazine)
  • China in drive to register all Internet sites, portal says
  • How to set up multiple homepages in Firefox
May 29, 2005

The Cartimar Encounter

I visited Cartimar yesterday afternoon to look out for more fishes to add to my aquarium or maybe a couple indoor plants as well. I ended up checking the colorfull parrots, rabbits and puppies in the pet section of the shopping center.

parrots at Cartimar

I got a pair each of the yellow parrots and the blue-colored ones as well. The old man who sold them to me and mentioned their species names but I fail to remember any of them though I can only recall that the yellow is a Japanese breed and the blue ones are Australian.

cartimar dog

Took a dozen more pictures while they prepared the cage and other stuff for me. Above is a really cute white puppy (not sure what its breed though) who kept on staring at me while I take pictures of him. I sure would like to take him home as well but I’m afraid I can’t take care of him all the time if I do.

May 28, 2005

WordPress 1.5.1.2 Security Update

WordPress update for the recently discovered security bug (SQL injection) is out just now – WP 1.5.1.2. Go ahead and update your installations now.

Detailed info on the patch can be found here.

May 28, 2005

The 10 Commandments (of PC Security)

I. Remember thy antivirus software and keep it updated. It’s not enough to have the software installed (if you don’t have an antivirus package, stop reading right now and get one); you also need to keep up with new viruses as they emerge.

II. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s attachments. You get a message you think is from a friend with what looks like a cool file attached, so you click on it. Next thing you know, you’re Typhoid Mary, spewing out infected e-mails to everyone in your address book. That’s how the Sobig.F worm spread–and it happened so quickly that millions of copies got out before the antivirus companies could update their databases.

III. Avoideth bogus file downloads. Be wary of any Web site that requires you to download software to view a page, unless it’s something familiar like a Flash plug-in or Acrobat Reader. The file may contain a virus, a Trojan horse, or some auto-dialer that calls pay-per-minute numbers via your modem and racks up huge charges.

IV. Smite spyware and pop-ups. Like Trojan horse programs, spyware secretly installs itself when you download software like file-swapping applications; it tracks your movements online and delivers ads based on where you surf. Pop-up ads can also exploit security flaws in Internet Explorer, like the recent Qhost Trojan that hijacked users’ browsers after they viewed an ad on the Fortune City Web site.

V. Thou shalt foil spammers. Unsolicited commercial e-mail is more than just a nuisance; it’s also a major source of virus infections. In fact, some versions of Sobig are designed to turn infected PCs into zombie machines that can be used to send spam. A good filter like Symantec’s Norton AntiSpam ties your antivirus software might miss.

VI. Keep thy operating system patched. E-mail-borne worms and other scourges like to exploit security holes in your software–namely Windows and other Microsoft programs. These days Microsoft issues so many critical updates to fix these flaws that many users ignore them. Don’t. Last January, the Slammer worm exploited a vulnerability that Microsoft had fixed more than six months before. But thousands of infected computers–including some at Microsoft–didn’t have the patch installed. Run the Windows Update program once a week and whenever Microsoft issues a warning.

VII. Maketh a rescue disk and keep it handy. When things go bad, a boot or rescue disk is your first step to recovery.

VIII. Be not taken in by false claims. There are more hoaxers than hackers on the Internet, and more bogus “e-mail virus alerts” than actual viruses. Even real virus threats are typically blown out of proportion by the media.

IX. Honor thy firewall. A firewall is like a bouncer for your computer–it checks every ID at the door and won’t let anything in or out until you give the thumbs up. So a hacker can’t access personal information on your hard drive, and a Trojan horse keystroke logger (a stealth program that monitors the characters you type) can’t steal your passwords and transmit them over the Net.

X. Maketh backups and keep them holy. Simply put: Back up your data files at least weekly (daily if you’re running a business). Even if you fall victim to a virus or hacker attack, you’ll escape with only minor damage. Fail to keep a recent backup though, and you’ll go straight to hell–at least, that’s how it will feel.

Condensed version republished here. Original by Daniel Tynan

May 27, 2005

Interview: Unang Hirit

videoWas only able to upload the full video copy of the GMA 7 inteview during the iBlog Summit last May 7.

The video can be downloaded here (file size: ~20MB). The file is in DAT format and can be played on Media Player or any MPEG player.

Thanks to Robert from AGB Philippines for the copy. :)

May 27, 2005

Just how big is the Google machine?

It is estimated that the entire Google search engine system is running at the ff. specs:

  • 719 racks
  • 63,272 machines
  • 126,544 CPUs
  • 253,088 GHz of processing power
  • 126,544 GB of RAM
  • 5,062 TB of hard drive space

That’s a pretty huge server farm. And I am guessing they are adding more servers everyday.

May 27, 2005

How to price your services.

In my years of doing freelance works — web designing, programming, post production, technical tutorials and consulting — I learned that the best way to price the services was computing it by the hour while pegging a minimum limit.

Thus, if you are to design a website or do some programming, estimate how long it will take you to finish the job then multiply it with your standard hourly rate. Take the total and add or subtract at most 20% from it depending on the type of client you have — 20% more for corporate clients and 20% less if personal clients. I made the 20% offset because corporate clients tend to ask more personal meetings and beta presentations. In the same sense, any additional revisions to the project allows for incremental fees.

It becomes even much easier if you do technical tutorials or on-site consulting. Rates for speaking engagements may also follow the same scheme but you need to round it off to either half day or whole day engagements, half day taking 4 hours and whole day at 8 hours.

May 26, 2005

Nokia’s 1st non-phone gadget — N770

Nokia just unveiled their first non-phone gadget ever. Dubbed the N770, it’s basically a 4-inch screen web-browsing tablet that can hook up via WiFi or thru a mobile phone.

Looks pretty cool and retails at $350, but I’d rather go for the LifeDrive.

May 25, 2005

Chicken Inasal

A pride of the Illonggo delicacy, the inasal nga manok (grilled chicken) is an all-time favorite.

inasal

The pecho (thigh) is the only chicken part I really enjoyed eating but most people prefer the paa (leg) because it is juicier. Chicken inasal is best enjoyed with sinamak, aged palm vinegar with ginger, onion, garlic, and lots of sili.

The closest one can get a bite of it here in Manila is with Bacolod Chicken Inasal which has at leats 8 branches spread across the metro. Don’t forget to ask for chicken oil as well!

May 25, 2005

100Mbps/20Mbps for Php1,900 a month!

Yes, a new company in HongKong, Broadband Network Limited, is offering 100Mbps/20Mbps DSL connections to residential buildings across the metro. They call it the “3G” BB100 Symmetrical 100Mbps internet access which can be achieved by using Cat5-E copper cables. Introductory price starts at HK$268 or roughly Php1,900.

That’s almost the same amount I pay for my 512Kbps DSL connection with PLDT. Dang, when can we get a taste of that speed around here? ;)

May 25, 2005

Bloggers Adsense Earnings

ProBlogger made a small survey from Bloggers about their AdSense earnings and out of the 372 who joined the survey, they got these results:

* 33% earned under $30 per month
* 16% earned between $30 and $99 per month
* 11% earned between $100 and $499
* 9% earned between $500 and $999
* 4% earned between $1000 and $1499
* 2% earned between $1500 and $2499
* 4% earned between $2500 and $4999
* 3% earned between $5000 and $9999
* 1% earned over $10,000
* 13% do not use Adsense
* 4% did not wish to disclose their earnings

Fascinating to see that about 23% of Bloggers are earning more than $500 a month. How I wish I had those numbers too. But alas, I only belong next to the bottom group (at 16%). :D

May 25, 2005

Brainboost: Question Everything.

A search engine that can actually, and intellegently, answer (almost) all of your questions — BrainBoost.com.

Brainboost uses Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing techniques to go the extra mile, by actually answering questions, in plain English. It employs cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence technology to understand your question, and match it with relevant answers it locates on the web. BrainBoost can answer most any factual question, as long as the answer appears somewhere on the Internet. From Astronomy to Zoology, and everything in between, ask BrainBoost.

May 24, 2005

PalmOne launches LifeDrive

palmone lifedrive PalmOne just launched the new LifeDrive™ mobile manager, a 4GB cross-hybrid between a laptop and a PDA.

Here’s what you’ll get for Php30,500.

  • Intel® 416MHz XScale™
  • 4GB hard drive (3.85GB accessible to user)
  • 16MB ROM
  • Palm OS® 5.4 (Garnet)
  • 320×480 Transflective TFT (65K colors)
  • Bluetooth® 1.1 wireless
  • Wi-Fi® 802.11b wireless
  • IR, SD, SDIO and MultiMediaCards
  • Voice Recorder

Note to self: Add this to my Digital Wish List.

May 23, 2005

Where is this?

Can you guess now?

May 23, 2005

Prolly the longest Animated GIF ever made.

Title: Door Buster.

This is probably the longest animated GIF movie ever made. (approximately 1.9MB in size so may take a while to load)

Longest Animated GIF

Click here to download image.

What he ought to have done was just pull the door, instead of pushing it.

May 23, 2005

The Art of the Saber

artposterThis is a short amateur video but a really cool one inpired by Star Wars:

A light saber fight sequence with the flavor of a Hong Kong martial arts action movie. This short is set in a dense forest of an unknown planet, where a young Jedi, eager to fight to help the Revolution, clashes with a Sith Lord in a battle where only one will remain standing. Music by Hans Zimmer, and a monologue extracted from an authentic Civil War love letter written in 1861, help to set the tone for this movie.

Download the 5:50 minute video (Quicktime) here. Apprx. size: 29MB.

Lifted from TheForce.net.

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