WordPress Issues

WordPress 2.7

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If you haven’t upgraded your WordPress to 2.6.3, like me, then it’s better to forget it because WordPress 2.7 will be here in the blink of an eye. Seriously, I could never keep u with the many upgrades and updates, the many changes and patches. Well, if I only have one blog, it is not a problem and I could take time in upgrading and fixing whatever that may break but with over ten WordPress powered self-hosted blogs, I don’t think I have the time nor do I have the patience.

It’s not as if I am an expert in WordPress, you see. If something goes wrong that I do not know how to fix, I need to spend a tremendous amount of time hunting the web for answers and if that fails, seek the help of friends. Only one of two would help.

So my policy is not to fix something that is not broken. I would hate to experience one again the effects of an incompatible plug-in. I may not even know about it if there’s any!

Blogging

How Is Your Blog Coming Along?

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It’s funny that each time I meet a friend who is a non-blogger, he/she would ask me about my blog. Well, what could I say except that it’s coming along fine; it’s still surviving. If only they know of my twenty blogs!

I think that this question has already replaced the common opening greeting that Chinese use all the time, “Have you eaten?” Just like the British who like to open a conversation on the weather.

A non-blogger would not understand or be interested in PageRank or traffic levels. A non-blogger would also not be interested to know how much so-and-so has made in the previous month from blogging.

On the other hand, my blogger friends would not be bothered to ask about my blog. They know I have twenty blogs. So do they; some even more! When we get together, we just want to FORGET about blogs and blogging. LOL

Computing & Internet

Do You Shop Online?

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Many people, like my sister, still do not feel secure shopping online. However, once they trust a store, they would have no problems paying for their online purchases.

My sister recently purchased a bottle of shampoo from Allegro Medical and she was very impressed that when a friend told her that she is on the market for shower chairs, my sister told her about her experience with Allegro Medical.

This friend would not only be able to buy a shower chair at a good price because of the discount but also have it sent to her home, saving her the hassle of shopping at a neighborhood store.

Even though I have no qualms shopping online, I still take basic precautions like only disclosing my financial information over a secure payment gateway.

Computing & Internet

Voice & Video Chat Come To Gmail

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Gmail has added new features to their email application; voice nd video chat. This looks like an instant messenger right in an email app.

When I was a new internet user, I admit that I was chatting the whole time I was online. It started with text chat, then voice chat and finally video chat. I was chatting with strangers but video chat was restricted to family and friends only.

However, after a while, I guess the novelty wore off. I no longer have the time or the passion for chatting and only do so when absolutely necessary. With voice and video chat in Gmail, I don’t even feel anything. I know that last time, I would welcome this but no longer.

Gmail to me, now, is just to log in and read and reply emails. I wouldn’t want chats to distract me from replying emails. I may be delayed, or reply the wrong email or miss out in the points that I would want to bring forward.

If I am inclined to chat, I would rather log in to a separate application like Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Messenger Live or AOL Instant Messenger. What do you think? Would having voice and video chat in Gmail be useful to you?

Charity

Making A Change Right Now

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With Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, many of my friends and I are thinking of ways to give back to society the blessings that we have received throughout the year. Personally, I have just finished setting up a website for a charitable organization and would soon use it as a vehicle for donation drives. Yet some of us will be donating some cash to orphanages but I have been thinking that no matter how much we donate, our impact will not be too big because of our small outreach.

And then early this morning, I read about this 12-year-old boy Bilaal Rajan who realized the power of making change, starting with himself and canvassing the help of children around the world.

Reading about Bilaal Rajan, I feel a sense of shame. As a working adult in the modern world, I, like many other people, have been too busy chasing after one material item after another and I salute a boy like Bilaal Rajan for teaching me selflessness of that level. People say that charity should begin at home but that should not necessary be the case, right?

I am amazed by Bilaal’s untiring effort to help make the world a better place for children in other parts of the world. If you would like to support his cause, you could buy his book or make a direct donation via this webpage: http://www.bilaalrajan.com/donations.html

Computing & Internet

Full MGM Movies On YouTube

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An arrangement has been made and we can soon watch some MGM films on YouTube. Is that a good thing? Only if you have fast broadband connection. As for me, I would rather watch them on DVD and not subject myself to the endless buffering.

I think that soon, YouTube will have a section for premium members where they will charge a membership fee to watch copyright movies like Netflix or something. There will be subscribers if the quality of content is good and cheaper than the US$1 per DVD that people in the United States are able to rent via DVD vending machines.

But I would rather watch YouTube as is, even if I may need to render up to ten parts to complete a full movie. LOL Yes, I have tried this before. Have you?

Computing & Internet

Best Budget Hosting

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My friend, Terrence, was planning to set up a website just for the short term. He just needed a domain name and a small hosting package to host his website which he wanted to whip up for a year-end project.

Although he is not new to webhosting he has had a website for over ten years now, I would say that he is out of touch with the any hosting packages that are now available on the market. Web hosting is, after all, a very competitive business, considering the many websites that are launched daily.

When Terrence asked me for a good website hosting package, I was not able to let him know which he should subscribe to, since he just wants it for a few short months. BUT, short or long term, I would insist on maximum uptime. That should be the most important, right?

I did inform him that he should check out the best budget hosting and compare the available packages from Web Hosting Geeks, a website that gives us the lowdown to most major webhosting packages and domaining issues.

What I personally like about Web Hosting Geeks is the trouble they take to listing down package features and let us know the goodies that come with it so that we could easily compare and decide on the most suitable web hosting for our needs.

Random Thoughts Off My Mind