Traffic From Stumble Upon

The other day, one of my readers submitted a post to Stumble Upon. I was pretty surprised that she submitted that particular post when I feel that there are so many others of better quality a has a way more interesting subject.

Still, I was very happy for the unexpected traffic and I think I received about four hundred unique visitors within the few short hours. Very lucky indeed. I don’t remember if that was the highest amount I ever received from Stumble Upon, though.

There was once I remember Stumbling a friend’s post but when I asked him what was the traffic numbers that he received from Stumblers, he said only a couple of hundred more. That made me wonder if I Stumbled correctly or not. LOL

But then not everyone appreciates being Stumbled of Dugg. I understand that the sudden surge in traffic will cause the blog’s AdSense CPM to drop. Well, I don’t know about that since I do not use AdSense so I did not actually benefit or lost when the surge of traffic from Stumble Upon came.

ISA For Raja Petra

I guess all of us, who have been readers of Malaysia Today, would sorely miss him as he was sent to Kamunting Prison yesterday to serve his two year detention under the ISA.

Whether we believe him or not, whether we agree with him or not, is another matter all together. There is no denying that Raja Petra, though known as the Editor of Malaysia Today, is also first and foremost a blogger and it is really sad that a blogger is incarcerated for writing and publishing online what HE believes in.

It’s been said over and over again that the ISA has to go because it has been abused but there are still so many “yes men” riding on the issue by calling for just a REVIEW. There’s a vast difference in REPEAL and REVIEW and I am sure these learned men and women know this but do they dare to call for what actually needs done? I don’t think so.

So while Raja Petra is in Kamunting to serve his two year term, which could be extended and once again without trial, I guess there will be a void in the Blogosphere. Gone are the days when we excitedly waited for his instalments of political scandals on Malaysia Today.

Let’s pray that Raja Petra will be released as soon as possible without condition! Down with ISA!

Trusted Internet: Creating Trust Online

As an owner of an ecommerce store and an avid online shopper myself, one of my biggest concerns is revealing my personal, financial and other sensitive information over the web. I, for one, will only shop at trusted online stores.

I may perform internet banking monthly but each time, I make sure to type in the correct web address on my browser and not by accessing these banking portals via links, particularly links from emails. I also make sure that these portals are operated on secure socket layers, which could be seen with a small padlock at the bottom of the browser.

I believe that sooner than later, most websites will adopt these security measures, hence creating trust online and making the world wide web a Trusted Internet that everyone could freely use without worrying that sensitive information will be leaked out to unauthorized parties.

If you are an owner of a website, you must check out COMODO and see what they could offer you to beef up the security of your website. I think that all webmasters owe it to their users to create a safe and secure environment to surf.

RSS Feed Readers

I have been using various RSS feed readers for a couple of years now to enable me to get updated on the latest posts that hit my favorite blogs and websites as soon as they are published.

However, from my own experience, no matter which feed reader that one is using, there is no one RSS feed reader that is reliable enough. For instance, a feed is usually known to only come in at least 30 minutes after a post is published and that is considered “normal”. I have on occasions, only received updates a few hours late, some times a week late.

Do you know why I thought to bring this issue up today? There’s one feed that has been on my list of feeds for the longest time but it never gets updated even though I do see updates when I go there but this morning, I suddenly received almost 700 items in the list! I’m fine with the number even though my browser hung a few times when I was going through the list and the items were not even full item view, and it is fun to backtrack on the old posts since I had missed some, but the problem is that each item has the same date and it’s not even today’s date. They are all dated like two weeks back, but I KNOW that those posts were spread out over a time period of almost a YEAR!

I really do not understand why we continue to use RSS feed readers when they are SO unreliable! You know, with internet technology so advanced, don’t you think that RSS feed makers could at least get something like this right?

Shopping For Diamonds Online

Recently, I have been busy helping a friend look for a diamond engagement ring that would not break her budget. You know, although I may be female, I really have no knowledge about diamonds and Engagement Rings!

I asked around and was told that Blue Nile is the place to shop. I have heard of Blue Nile before but have never even browsed though their online store before. I certainly did not even know that they are the largest online retailer of certified Diamonds and engagement rings! I also understand that Blue Nile features a selection of more than 60,000 diamonds and fine jewelry.

I tell you, every girl would have an awesome time picking out her engagement ring from Blue Nile! My friend was overwhelmed at first but the search function is really great in helping her narrow down her preferred diamond engagement ring by shape and also price.

You know, I have never thought that people would want to buy fine Jewelry online but with the prices that Blue Nile offers at up to 40% lower than competition, I now see no reason why one does not shop for a diamond engagement ring online! Blue Nile also offers free insured shipping by FedEx on every order and provides a 30-day money back guarantee so it really is an amazing deal to shop with them.

Home, Hop & Away

I told my friend about taking up the latest Streamyx Combo promotion but he said that it’s not worth it. I should have taken Celcom’s Home, Hop & Away, which comes with Streamyx 1MB broadband internet connection and a Celcom 3G connection for MYR108 per month.

Well, my Streamyx Combo comes with a 1MB subscription with a landline for MYR110 per month with lifetime warranty on the modem. And I pay for Celcom 3G Advance at MYR98 per month.

My friend, who is an accountant, says that no matter how I calculate, it’s cheaper to go with Celcom’s Home, Hop & Away and the savings could be as much as 40% per month.

However, it’s too bad that they are offering 3G in the package only and not 3.5G Celcom Advance or I would have signed up with them. You know, I still have a 12-month contract to fulfill for the Streamyx Combo. When I upgraded my package, they did not mention it and only told me so when I asked, after agreeing on the upgrade. Pissed off!

Cute iPhone Cases

I am looking for a case for my iPhone. You see, it’s almost a YEAR since I got my iPhone and it is still NAKED! At first, I did not buy any because I did not see any that I liked. Then I was too busy to shop. As you know, iPhone is not available here so I could only buy iPhone accessories online. My friend, a fellow iPhone owner, told me about SF Planet. She says there are many cute silicone cases which I may like enough to buy.

I saw a cheap mobile phone on SF Planet that I think would be a great Christmas gift for my dad. He dropped his in the toilet the other and it has not been the same again.

I am delighted to know that I could also at the same time buy MP3 player accessories. My cousin’s little daughter has asked her father to buy her an MP3 player and she has been bugging me to get her some accessories. I think this is a good opportunity to surprise her but I will only give these MP3 accessories to her this Christmas LOL!

So, which iPhone case should I get? Am I too old for Disney silicone cases or should I buy something more rugged?

Random Thoughts Off My Mind