I read in The Star Online last night that Microsoft is clamping down on users of pirated Windows XP Professional by blacking out the computer every minute. To continue working again, the user has to reset desktop or something and this same thing will happen over and over every minute. Gosh, how irritating.

I don’t know if this is only going to happen in Malaysia or if it affects pirated Windows XP Pro worldwide, or if this blitz has even started yet since it is Wednesday here already but it seems that so far, none of my friends who are pirated users are experiencing the blackout.

Was it just a threat to make these users get their OS licensed? My, what rip off it is to have to pay RM5xx for a single computer license. Might as well use and open source OS, right?

Or better yet, buy a netbook for slightly more than RM1000 which comes with a licensed Windows.

I don’t know about you guys but PayPerPost seems to be down for me for more than twelve hours already but I checked the forum a few times but no one seemed to mention it at all.

When it was down last evening, I restarted my browser, restarted my computer, tried accessing PayPerPost.com from another computer, using another internet connection, cleared my browsing history and cache but all no deal.

The forum is fine, the main Izea.com website is fine too but the blogs are slow or could not be accessed at all. I asked a few postie friends just now but they have no problem with logging into their PayPerPost account.

Aih… headache. I think I need to go to Starbucks for their broadband.

The other day, my friend told me that her server was down. I told her that if her livelihood depends on her blogs, she might as well subscribe to dedicated hosting. I understand that for probloggers or huge websites, when their servers go down, they could lose thousands of dollars. The loss for my friend is not huge but it was stressful for her, worrying about missed opportunities and loss of income. I understand very well what she was going through.

When I was looking for dedicated hosting, a friend advised me to go with a local company. He said that I could be in touch with the company easily if it’s necessary, better than hosting with a company on the other side of the world where our time difference makes it difficult to be in contact.

His logic is that if you are in Canada, you are better off going with Canadian webhosting, for example. I think that is sound advice as it would eliminate lots of potential communication problems. Once local webhosting companies are identified, it is time to compare plans for dedicated hosting. You would want one that is affordable yet does not compromise on features, technical support and most importantly, uptime guarantee. Luckily you could easily do your research and comparison shopping via the many review sites available on the web.

Charter is having a promotion for the entire month of September where new subscribers of their high speed broadband internet will stand a chance to win a new HP Compaq Presario C770US laptop daily for thirty days! This laptop is valued at $600, for your information.

And the good news is that if you apply for their plan online, besides the chance to win a laptop, you will also receive an instant Shell gas card valued at $100. See how easy it is to participate in the Charter Laptop-a-Day Giveaway?

I think that this is an awesome deal, especially if you are looking for a high speed internet connection. Why not get a free gas card (could any car owner resist this?) and stand a chance to win a free laptop? I know I could never get enough of laptops! It’s not easy to catch up with technology, that’s why we need awesome giveaways like these!

So what are you waiting for? Head over to the website of Charter and subscribe to their high speed broadband internet plan online!