Just Watched The Entire America's Got Talent Season 7 In YouTube

I wasn't doing anything these past few days because I didn't get any work. My internet connection went down (thanks SmartBRO) and, because of that, my client wasn't able to send me any work. Not having any work means no money for me but it also gave me a lot of time to waste.

I've always been a big fan of talent shows and one of my favorite foreign talent show program is America's Got Talent. I like it because it features some of the weirdest, funniest and most hilarious talents or acts in America.

Unfortunately, I only got to watch one full season of America's Got Talent and that was Season 2 but I did continue to watch many clips from the different seasons in YouTube. For example, I got to watch Illuminate from last season in YouTube and Fighting Gravity the season before that.

In this season, my favorites were Lightwire Theater, Tom Cotter and William Close.

I like Lightwire Theater because what they're doing is amazing. They combined light, electronics and other special effects with dance and music to create a performance art that's just mind blowing.

I like Tom Cotter because he's very, very funny. William Close with his huge string instrument is just out of this world and he plays it like a true musical master.

Lightwire Theater didn't make it to the Finals but William Close and Tom Cotter did. Unfortunately, they were beaten by a dog act that didn't do anything new nor spectacular. Yes, the dogs were fun to watch BUT, what they did in the finals, they've already done it in previous shows.

The other finalists brought their best with new and better things to show the people of America but, for some reason, America ignored what these other performers did and voted for the dog act that did nothing new.

I have nothing against the dog act because it's fun to watch but I don't think that it deserved to win 1 million dollars specially when the other finalists did something new and better.

Anyway, if you missed the 2012 season of America's Got Talent then don't fret because you can watch the entire season in YouTube. Just go to YouTube.com and search for "America's Got Talent 2012".

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My SmartBRO Canopy Got Hacked

Last week, my internet connection suddenly went haywire. It was timing out like a madman and because of that my internet connection was very rocky. This made downloading and uploading files bigger than 1 MB impossible.

When this happened, I was receiving new images to work on from my employer in Australia. I needed to process and return the processed or edited images back the next day but, because of my rocky internet connection, I failed to do my job.

Fortunately, my employer or at least the person who was working with me understood my problem but, for that week, I wasn't given anymore images to work on because of my internet connection problem.

I called Smart's Customer Service Hotline and reported my problem. The customer service representative or CSR said my canopy was misaligned and that was causing the rocky or intermittent internet connection. I was given a service request number and was asked to wait 24 hours.

Unfortunately, my internet connection didn't get better. After calling them back a few more times, a CSR scheduled me for a visit from their technician but I'll have to wait the day after the next because they don't have any technicians close to my area.

A few hours later, my internet connection suddenly went dead. It was totally out and there was nothing I can do about. When I called to report it, I was simply told to wait because technicians were already scheduled to come.

 Two days later, SmartBRO's contracted technicians arrived at my place. They tested my internet connection and even brought down my canopy. When I asked them what happened, they told me that my canopy was hacked.

I also learned from them that it was very, very common with SmartBRO canopy subscribers here in San Pablo City.

I asked them how it was possible, they told me that those who are doing the hacking were previous SmartBRO contracted technicians. They even said that one of these hackers is in our neighborhood but they didn't tell me who.

This particular experience made me think about ditching SmartBRO because I was no longer comfortable using their service. If my canopy was hacked once then what will prevent it from getting hacked again?

According to the technicians, putting a password will prevent my canopy from illegal access or remote access but, as far as I know, my canopy was already password protected.

After the technician's left, my internet connection was working again. I was again able to download images from my employer but it was still not perfect because my connection was still timing out regularly. The only difference than before was, it wasn't terrible enough to drastically affect my internet usage.

Anyway, the thought of getting hacked again still looms inside my head and the only real solution that I can think of is to just abandon my SmartBRO connection.

Now, the problem with my SmartBRO subscription is that I'm locked in a 24 months contract and I still have 11 months left. Unfortunately, after getting my canopy hacked by hackers, I'm no longer happy nor comfortable with their service.

I've been a SmartBRO subscriber for more than 3 years and I've had good and bad experiences with them but this canopy hacking problem is very hard to overlook specially now that it happened to me.

By the way, I googled "smartbro canopy hacking" and there are websites and forums that are teaching people how to do it.

If you are a SmartBRO canopy subscriber, will you feel comfortable knowing that your account or your canopy can be hacked by hackers and used by someone else? Seriously, SmartBRO should find a way to prevent people from hacking their paying subscribers canopy.

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Paul Junior Won Chopper Live: The Revenge

Paul Junior won the first Chopper Live beating both Jesse James and his father, Paul Senior, with an awesome looking bike inspired by a plane. This year, Paul Junior won again but, this time, he didn't just beat both Jesse James and Paul Senior, he also beat the duo from Gas Monkey Garage.

(Jesse James looked on as Paul Junior raised his arms in victory)

Paul Junior's winning custom themed bike was based on Classic Cars. It has big white-walled wheels, it has bumpers, it has a steering wheel for a handle, it has grills, it has a big headlight, it has smooth curves and lines, it has pinstripes and it has Paul Junior's signature all over it.

Here are some pictures of Paul Junior's winning custom bike:

Paul Junior deserved to win again because the bike he built was very creative and it was something original. According to some people, Jesse James built a Buell knock-off and Paul Senior copied his bike from Confederate while Gas Monkey Garage simply refurbished an old Harley Davidson.

Chopper Live: The Revenge marks the end of American Chopper but, hopefully, Paul Junior will come back with a new show because there are still a lot of people out there that want to see him and his team build more outrageous custom themed bikes.

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Chopper Live: Road To Revenge, The Bikes Revealed

I just finished watching Chopper Live: Road To Revenge and it was awesome. All four teams were busy building their bikes and they all had their own way of building it.

(Chopper Live: The Revenge Build-Off Bikes. Image Credit: Discovery Channel)

Paul Jr. and his team went with style and used Classic Cars as the theme of their custom bike. They incorporated features and even parts found in old cars in their build. The final product was a sleek, classy and very creative looking bike.

Jesse James fabricated most of the parts of his bike and built a very unique, rigid and small looking bike. I don't think the bike carried any specific theme but it turned-out great because it was something different.

Gas Monkey Garage got an old bike, stripped it down and re-built it chopper-style. The final product is a nice looking bike and it will definitely blow the competition away because it's pink. What they did with that old bike was great but, in the end, the bike looks very ordinary.

Senior and his team went with their typical mechanical route and machine-built a very cool looking bike. Most of the parts where cut from aluminum that gave the bike that industrial/mechanical feel to it. It's a very interesting bike to say the least.

After seeing all four bikes, I can safely say that I like Paul Jr.'s bike best because he nailed the theme he was going for perfectly. The bike was big, it was bad and it was executed creatively. The body of the bike flowed fluidly and the way the grill and the gas tank complimented each other was genius.

The other bikes may look kinda better than Paul Jr.'s bike but, after I saw them all in the show, Paul Jr.'s bike has that dominating appearance because of its size. The other bikes are just too small and rigid.

Anyway, the YouTube video below will show you all four bikes.

Oh, I almost forgot. If you like Paul Jr.'s bike (which is another work of art from PJD) then Text 1 and send it to 97979.

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I'm Thinking Of Buying A New Android Phone

Currently, I'm using my ZTE Lite V9 android tablet to send and receive both text messages and phone calls. I have no problems using it at home but using it outside is kinda awkward because of its size. It's only 7 inches but it's still too big to be carried around like a phone.

I need a phone that I can easily carry wherever I go but, I don't want just any ordinary phone, what I want is an Android Phone. Unfortunately, Android Phones from popular brands like Samsung, Nokia, Motorola, etc. are extremely expensive and I can't afford any of them.

The cheapest branded Android Phone that I know is Samsung's Galaxy Pocket with a price of 4,889 PHP in Lazada.com.ph. It runs on Android 2.3 with a processor speed of 832 MHz. It's full features are:

• Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread)
• 2.0 Megapixel
• Stereo FM Radio with RDS
• TFT Capacitive Touchscreen
• TOUCHWiZ User Interface (up to 7 pages- widget desktop
• 832 MHz ARM 11
• Virtual Qwerty Keyboard
• Adobe Flash Player
• Geo-Tagging
• Multi-touch
• Multi-tasking
• Voice Search™
• Music Player
• Sound Recorder
• Polaris Viewer

My problem with this phone is the price. For 4,889 PHP, I could get something with better features from Cherry Mobile or MyPhone. Phones or items from these two brands are simply rebranded China Phones but they're extremely cheaper.

In fact, I'm kinda interested in two Android Phones. One from Cherry Mobile and one from MyPhone.

For Cherry Mobile, I'm interested in Cherry Mobile Flare. It runs on a 1.2 GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and it's operating system is Android 4.0. It's full features are:

• Chipset: 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Dual Core
• Camera: 5 MP (Main), VGA (Front)
• SIM Slot: Dual SIM
• Screen Type: IPS Capacitive
• Screen Size: 4.0 Inches
• Navigation Key: Touchscreen
• Dimensions: 123 mm x 62.5 mm x 11.8 mm
• ROM: 4GB
• RAM: 512MB
• Slot: Up to 32GB microSD
• 3G/HSDPA Connectivity
• Data Connectivity: Bluetooth, microUSB, GPRS, EDGE, Wi-Fi, GPS
• Messaging: SMS, MMS, E-mail, Instant Messaging
• Platform/OS: Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• Battery: Lithium Ion 1500 mAH
• Color: Black

If I choose to buy this Android Phone then it will only cost me 3,999 PHP but, from what I've read around the internet, this particular Android Phone is currently unavailable or out of stock.

The other phone that I'm interested is MyPhone's A848 Duo. It's operating system is also an Android 4 and, if I'm not mistaken, it also runs on a dual core processor (I could be wrong, though). Here is A848 Duo's full features:

• Dual SIM Touch Android Phone
• GSM/EDGE Triband
• 4" 800x480 pixels IPS WVGA
• Android 4.0.4
• WIFI
• 5.0 MP rear camera
• VGA front camera
• LED flash
• MP3/MP4 player/Stereo FM Radio
• Bluetooth/USB/3.5mm jack
• Expandable memory up to 32GB

A MyPhone A848 Duo will cost me 4,590 PHP and, based on the price, it's still much cheaper than a Samsung Galaxy Pocket. It also has better features than a Samsung Galaxy Pocket (for the price, of course).

The question now is, which of the last two Android Phones should I buy? Honestly, I'm leaning towards Cherry Mobile Flare because of its price. It's the cheapest of the three and it's loaded with features but if it's no longer available anywhere then I might get a MyPhone A848 Duo instead.

How about you? Which Android Phone do you like better between Cherry Mobile Flare and MyPhone A848 Duo?

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Filipino Bloggers Worldwide: The 1st Grand Eyeball

Note: This is a Press Release from Filipino Bloggers Worldwide group in Facebook.

Finally! After over a year of inception, Filipino Bloggers Worldwide (FBW), in partnership with Ex-Links Events, presents Filipino Bloggers Worldwide: The 1st Grand Eyeball.

Get to meet your favorite Filipino bloggers and mingle with like-minded individuals this December 7, 2012 at SM Megamall’s Megatrade Hall 2 from 6pm to 10pm, and enjoy a night packed with fun learning, interactive games, meaningful conversations and special surprises!

Brand partners on the other hand, can expect not just additional exposure to blogger
attendees, but a long-term, fruitful relationship and support from Filipino Bloggers Worldwide.

About Filipino Bloggers Worldwide:

Filipino Bloggers Worldwide (FBW) started as a Facebook group on November 1, 2011. As the name implies, the group’s purpose is to unite all Filipino bloggers around the world. The group was easily recognized in the blogosphere in just less than a month. Since then, Filipino Bloggers Worldwide became the number one Facebook Filipino bloggers group. Furthermore, FBW was recently awarded as one of the Top Emerging Influential Blogs for 2012. The creators of FBW expressed that every blogger may have different reasons when it comes to blogging, but each and everyone in the community strives to make FBW an active and supportive group for Filipino
bloggers worldwide.

So come, join us in this momentous event, and be a proud Filipino blogger worldwide!

Filipino Bloggers Worldwide: The 1st Grand Eyeball is brought to you by Filipino Bloggers Worldwide, Ex-Link Events, Bo’s Coffee, ShareTea Philippines, B’s Cupcakes, Water For Less Purifying System, Breakfast Magazine, Azta Urban Salon, Ystilo Salon, Beauty by Ria, Bagellia Filipinas, Tough Brat Bags, VESTI, Always 10 List, Frank & Carol’s, Pinky Toes PH, Jana Kathryn, Kikay Konek, Astigirl by Tweet Sering, Blogger Manila, Gadget Gambit, Tower Camp Phils., Inc., Say It Nessie, Budget Biyahera, The Purple Doll, Shopping with Juan, and Smart Mommy Online.

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My Worst Job Interview Ever

I wrote about this experience a few years ago on my other blog/site and I have no idea how I lost it. In this post, I tried to recall what happened but I didn't mention the name of the company anymore because, the last time I mentioned it, a former officemate almost took a swing at me.

Are you wondering why he did that? Well, I found out that he was employed by this particular company and he didn't like what I wrote about them.

The clincher about this particular job interview was, I never applied for the position. I was at home, checking my e-mail when I got a message from someone in this company's Hongkong office asking me if I was interested in the position of Web/Graphics Designer. Of course I was interested.

A few days later, I received a phone call from the company's Philippine office and I was scheduled for an interview. Excited, I went to the company's office in Ortigas even though I only had transportation money with me.

At the office, I was handed an application form. I was somewhat surprised because I was not a walk-in applicant. I just assumed it was standard operating procedure.

In any case, I filled up the application form, sent it back and waited. If I remembered correctly, my interview was scheduled at noon but it happened late in the afternoon.

I was pointed to the interview room where I waited for the interviewer who was a man whose name I can no longer remember. He went through my resume and after a few minutes he started belittling me. He compared me against those who graduated from prestigious schools like La Salle, Ateneo, UP, UST, etc.

He went on and on about how underqualified I was and how I didn't even prepare samples for him to look at. When I mentioned that I brought CD's containing samples of my work. His response was, he had no time to look at them. Seriously!

I didn't want to come off rude and disrespectful so I just sat there and listened to what the man had to say. For someone who didn't even bother to look at my work because he had no time for it, he said nothing positive and just went on with his incessant rambling about these applicants from these so called prestigious schools.

I didn't applied for the position. I was asked if I was interested in it and yet I was humiliated and disrespected by this so called international company. Fortunately, I was able to stay calmed enough not to punch the man.

I went home that day pissed and out of money. I told my wife what happened and she was appalled. She told me to contact the person who e-mailed me and put me up for the interview but I decided not to. I just want to forget about it and move on.

A week later, the same company called me again for another interview. I asked the lady at the other end if what they're doing was a joke because if it was then it was not funny. I told her that I already went there for an interview and that I was humiliated, disrespected and, in some way, verbally abused by the interviewer.

She asked if I was still willing to undergo another interview but, after the humiliation that I got from their company, I said NO and hanged-up the phone.

That was my worst job interview ever and I'll never forget it as long as I live. As for the company, I don't know if it's still operating. I tried to search for it online but I could no longer find any updated news or information about it.

What about you? Have you experienced something that you can consider as your worst job interview ever?

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Free VPN, How To Connect With VPNBook.com

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network and, before I continue, I want everyone who'll read this that I'm not an expert in VPN but I do use it, often. I use VPN because it allows me to access websites that are not accessible from my location.

For example, some websites like HULU blocks access from countries outside the United States of America. Now, why do I want to access HULU? The answer is simple and that's to watch television shows for FREE. By connecting to a VPN server in the US, the website will think that I'm from the US as well thus giving me access to hundreds of television shows.

Obviously, VPN is not only for bypassing country restrictions. It can also help me protect my online privacy by hiding my real identity online as well as the privacy and identities of all those who use it.

As you can see, a VPN is a very handy thing to use and the great thing about it is, some of them are FREE. An example of a free VPN provider is VPNBook.com and below is how I setup a connection to it in Windows 7.

1. I clicked on the Start button and in the search field I searched for Set up a virtual private network (VPN) connection.
2. In the Create a VPN connection window I entered euro1.vpnbook.com in the Internet address form field, entered any Destination name and clicked on the Next button.
3. In the next window, I entered pptp as the User name, 9jHbfKiN as the Password and clicked on the Connect button to connect to the VPNBrook.com's server.

There is also a method for connecting to VPNBook.com's VPN server using the OpenVPN client but I didn't use it because I kinda prefer connecting using the PPTP (point to point tunneling) method. I find the PPTP method easier and faster to use but if you like to use the OpenVPN method then you can always do so. You'll find the instructions on how to connect to VPNBook.com's VPN server with OpenVPN in the official website.

So, if a website is blocking you from accessing it because of your location or country then try connecting to it through a VPN like VPNBook.com. Check it out today.

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Animes I'm Currently Watching And Following This Winter 2012

I grew up watching Superfriends, Voltes V, Daimos, Transformers, He-Man, Thunder Cats, Astro Boy, G.I. Joe, Dragon Ball Z and a whole bunch of other animated shows. Back then, I call all these animated shows cartoons but, as I grew older, I learned that some of them were actually called animes.

(Image Credit: sxc.hu)

I never stopped watching them and, in recent years, I moved from watching them in Betamax, VHS, Laser Disc, VCD to DVD. Now, I only watch them online simply because it's much cheaper. In fact, I don't even spend anything anymore because there are hundreds of sites out there that allows me to watch my favorite animes for FREE!

Currently, I'm watching the following Anime's weekly (or whenever there's a new episode released):

• Hunter X Hunter (2012). This is a remake of the original Hunter X Hunter. The artwork is better and the pace of the story is much faster.
• Sword Art Online. This anime revolves around a fictional virtual world MMORPG called Sword Art Online. The characters were trapped to live their lives in the game and getting killed in the game means dieing in real life as well. If you love playing MMORPGs then you should definitely watch this one.
• Ginga e Kickoff. This anime is about soccer and a group of 8 young kids trying to become the best soccer players or team in the galaxy.
• BToom. This is also an anime that revolves around a fictional online game called BToom. The characters were transported in an island where they have to fight each other using the mechanics of the game to survive.
• Ixion Saga DT. This is just a fun anime to watch. The first episodes are just filled crazy almost random things.
• Robotic; Notes. This anime is about a group of High School kids who are trying to build a giant robot. I like it because the characters are very interesting.

Anyway, these are the animes I'm currently watching and I'm watching all of them online for FREE. Unfortunately, I can't post links to where I'm watching them because I don't want to violate any of Google's Content Policy for Blogger.com.

The Content Policy under Copyright states, "please don't provide links to sites where your readers can obtain unauthorized downloads of other people's content." Since, a streaming video needs to be temporarily downloaded into the users hard drive as it plays, putting up links to video streaming sites that show these animes can be considered a violation of the Content Policy.

So, if you are interested in watching these animes online and for free then just simply search them on Google.com. By the way, the fact that Google allows these sites in its search index is kinda ironic (and, in a way, hypocritical) because it's breaking its own Content Policy. LOL!

Anyway, goodluck with your search and I hope you find a good site where you can watch your favorite animes online and for free.

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Setup Blogger With Domain Name From Namecheap

Last week, this blog's internet address or URL was http://rom1975.blogspot.com but, now, it's http://www.rom1975.com. I recently purchased the domain name rom1975.com from NameCheap and used it on this blog.

The price to register the domain name was only $10.69 USD but I paid less than that because I used a special NameCheap coupon that gave me a little discount. This special coupon is only available for the month of October 2012 and it's called SPOOKYDEAL.

After successfully registering the new domain, the next thing I did was use it on this blog. Setting-up the new domain name was easy. What I did was go to this blog's Settings page and clicked on the +Add a custom domain name link under the Publishing section. Clicking on it expanded the section.

When the Publishing section expanded after clicking the +Add a custom domain name link, a form field appeared and it asked me to buy a new domain name for my blog. I don't need to buy a new domain name because I already bought one from NameCheap.

Instead of buying a new domain name, I clicked on the Switch to advanced settings link. Clicking on it made the Advanced settings form field appear but before I could enter my new domain name, rom1975.com, I first configured its host record in NameCheap.

I could probably write what I did but it'll be much quicker to just show what I did to make my new domain name from NameCheap work with my Blogger or blogspot blog. Simply view the screenshot below to see how I setup my new domain name's host record in NameCheap.

After updating my host record in NameCheap, I went back to my blog's Settings and entered the new domain name in the form field and clicked on the Save button. If it didn't work immediately then it just means that the domain name hasn't propagated enough yet. I simply waited a few hours and tried again. This time it worked.

Basically, this was how I setup my new rom1975.com domain name from NameCheap in Blogger. I'm not sure if I presented it very well but, as you can see, it was very easy. If you have a Blogger or blogspot.com blog and you want it to have its own domain name then you can purchase one at a very cheap price from NameCheap.

Anyway, I just hope this simple rambling of mind can help those who wish to setup a NameCheap hosted domain name in Blogger. Goodluck!

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New Blogger Template For ROM'1975

When I started this blog, ROM'1975, earlier this year the blogger template that I used on it was a modified version of the very popular Ads Theme Blogger Template. It wasn't just a popular blogger template, it was also my favorite. In fact, I used it on almost all my other blogger or blogspot blogs.

(Modified or Customized ProFinance Blogger Template)

Last week, I modified it again by changing the header graphics and adding a background image but, this week, I decided to use a different blogger template other than Ads Theme. Don't get me wrong, the Ads Theme blogger template is still my favorite and I'll still use it whenever I can but, for now, I'm going to use a different one on this blog.

As you can see, the Blogger Template that I'm using now is a modified version of the ProFinance Blogger Template. I downloaded the original ProFinance blogger template for FREE from PremiumBloggerTemplates.com and I modified or customized it according to my preferences.

After installing the template on this blog, what I did next was, I changed its background and header graphics. I added a background image, made the header area taller and applied a custom made header graphics on it. Those changes were already enough to change the over-all look and feel of the template but I didn't stop there.

(The Original FREE ProFinance Blogger Template)

I also changed most of the colors used in the original ProFinance Blogger Template from gray and blue to yellow and green. I chose yellow and green because those two colors matched the colors of the background image. The only colors that I didn't change were those used on the links, body text, sidebar text and those used on the body of the blog itself.

Anyway, modifying the free ProFinance Blogger Template was very easy. All I did was change a few stylesheet codes and the result was a modified or customized ProFinance Blogger Template specially made for this blog, ROM'1975.

So, are you also using a Free Blogger Template? Did you also customize or modify it according to what you like it to look?

For those who wish to get their own copy of the ProFinance Blogger Template, click here.

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Up And Down With SpeedySparrow.com

Currently, all my blogs are hosted by SpeedySparrow.com and, as of this writing, all of them are down. If I'm not mistaken, SpeedySparrow.com is now way off their 99.9 % Uptime Guarantee because the service has been down so many times and in so many hours this year.

I transferred to SpeedySparrow.com last year because one of my blogs suddenly got a lot of traffic and, because of that sudden increase in traffic, BlueHost heavily throttled it. This made the blog and all my other blogs in the account very, very slow. Afraid that BlueHost might suspend my account (which BlueHost is known for), I immediately asked for a good and inexpensive host in WebHostingTalk.com.

One of those that responded was Sean of SpeedySparrow.com. I asked him a lot of questions and he answered and explained them all. He was very accomodating and, even though I've tried CrocWeb and HawkHost first, I decided to go with Sean's SpeedySparrow.com instead.

Unfortunately, the first month turned out badly because SpeedySparrow.com's servers went down hard. It took them days before they could restore everything back to normal. As if cursed by some evil voodoo magic, SpeedySparrow.com's servers would constantly experienced some kind of server problems since then.

I stayed with SpeedySparrow.com because Sean was a really nice person and the support team was always available to respond to any questions or problems. Another reason why I stayed was because I don't have enough money to move to a new hosting provider.

I don't regret staying with SpeedySparrow.com but I'm now contemplating of moving to a new host as soon as I have enough money in my PayPal account. As much as I want to stay but this recurring down time and server problems are really hurting my blog's search engine ranking and traffic.

When I left BlueHost one of my blogs was getting 2,000 to 3,000 unique visits per day. After the transfer to SpeedySparrow.com, that number slowly dropped and now it's hanging on 300 unique visits. I'm not sure if the drop is related to the regular downtime but I do know that constant downtime can affect a blog's search engine ranking specially in Google.

Anyway, I'll be staying with SpeedySparrow.com until I get enough money to transfer to a new and more reliable host with stable servers. I'm thinking of moving to CrocWeb but it's not yet final. If you have a suggestion then please share it by posting it as a comment below.

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Comment Exchange, Do They Read Your Post Before They Comment?

Currently, I'm participating in an activity called Comment Exchange in, at least, three Facebook Groups about Blogging. I participated in this activity because I wanted people to start commenting on my blogs. If visitors see that other people are commenting on a post then it might just encourage them to comment as well.



Comment Exchanges in Facebook work like this, if you are a participating blogger then you must post your link to your blog entry in the official Comment Exchange post which is oftentimes started by an Admin of the group. Other participating bloggers will also post their own links to their own blog entries.

You must then visit all the links posted and comment on the blog entry. In return, other participating bloggers will do the same with your link. They will visit your link and comment on your blog entry as well.

Comment Exchanges are very common in the blogging world but I've never really participated in them until just recently. It's a very good idea of getting traffic and comments but it also has its own problems.

One of its problems is, some Comment Exchange participants don't even read what you've posted. They'll just base their comments on the title of your post and you will eventually end up with an out-of-topic or an off-topic comment.

For example, my blog post titled "Sizzling Bangus and Rice, Perfect Lunch For The Masses" received 19 comments but 7 of them had nothing to do with the topic. Those who posted the questionable comments simply read the title and assumed I was talking about a real Sizzling Bangus but if they had read the post then they would had known that I was talking about a brand of cheap fish crackers sold in Sari-sari stores.

Fortunately, the majority of those who commented read the entire post and was able to comment accordingly.

So, are you participating in any kind of Comment Exchange? If you are then do you think they are reading your post before they comment on it? If yes then post your answer as a comment below. If no then post your answer as a comment below as well.

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Gaming Is A Waste Of Time And Money

I mostly blog about online games or MMOs or MMORPGs like Star Trek Online, Champions Online, DC Universe Online, Dragon Nest and others. Obviously, if I'm going to blog about online games then I'll need to play them and, at least, become familiar with them.



Unlike most bloggers who can blog about virtually anything, I can only blog or write about things that interests me and one of these things is playing online games. Don't get me wrong, as a gamer, I'm not addicted to any one game. I do have my favorites but I don't spend 16 hours a day playing them.

Well, there was a time when I would spend an entire day playing Ragnarok Online or Khan Online or even Cabal Online but that time was long gone. I am now more of a casual gamer who only spends a few minutes playing and more time blogging about the different games I play.

Recently, I joined a few Facebook groups about Bloggers and some of these groups have an activity called Comment Exchange. I enjoying participating in this activity because I get to visit and comment on other blogs and other bloggers do the same with my blogs.

On my online gaming blogs, I've received a few comments saying things like playing online games is just a waste of time or it's just a waste of money. Of course, that is their opinion and I respect them for that but, is playing online games really just a waste of time and money?

I guess it depends on how you look at it. For example, I'm making a little money from my blogs about online games like Free Play MMO and Kabalyero. In fact, I had two gaming blogs before that made me $1,000 USD and $4,000 USD in just one day.

So, if I'm going to base it on my experience then gaming or playing online games is definitely not a waste of time and it can be a great source of money too. You'll just have to use what you learned from the games you play and turn it into a possible source of income.

For example, some expert gamers write Strategy Guides for their favorite online games or MMOs like Guild Wars, World of Warcraft, Star Wars: The Old Republic, etc. They make some money by selling them to other players.

In my case, I can only blog about them. I'm not good enough to write a Strategy Guide about a particular game and sell it to others. That sort of thing takes years of expertise.

Anyway, the next time you play a game or an online game or even a game in Facebook. Think of it as an opportunity and, who knows, you might just find something that could potentially become a source of extra income for you.

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Jeremy Lin's Winning Streak, Is It Finally Over?

Wow! The last time I followed nor watched an NBA game was when Michael Jordan was still playing for the Washington Wizards. Last week, the NBA had a break-out superstar and he is neither black or white.


(Image Credit: NBA, Jeremy Lin, New York Knicks and New Orleans Hornets)

He is none other than Taiwanese-American Jeremy Lin and he led the New York Knicks to 7 consecutive victories before losing against New Orleans in a very close game. Is the Jeremy Lin magic over? Of course not.

In their game against New Orleans, New York trailed all the way. They were able to close the gap a few times but it wasn't enough to catch-up. In the last minutes of the fourth quarter, New York got a few breaks but New Orleans was able to hold on to the lead and win.


(New Orleans Hornets beat Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks, 89-85)

The lost against New Orleans stopped Jeremy Lin's winning streak but getting 7 wins in a row is already a big accomplishment. Besides, losing a game is nothing to worry about. As long as they are getting more wins than loses then losing one or two games is fine.

I'm not really rooting for any NBA team but I'm very much interested with the New York Knicks and Jeremy Lin right now. I guess I'm just curious to know how far this team can ride on Jeremy Lin's success and how long can Jeremy Lin handle it.

Superstars carry huge burdens. Once you are tagged with it, people will start expecting a lot of things from you and some athletes can't handle it. Those who overcame it became more than just Superstars, they became Legends.

Anyway, Jeremy Lin's winning streak is over and, hopefully, it doesn't turn into a losing streak because it will suck big time if that happens.

Update: Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks just defeated the defending champion, Dallas Mavericks, 104-97 at Madison Square Garde putting the Knicks back in the winning track.

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10 Random Things About Me

Obviously, my regular blogs are still down because if they were up and running then you won't see me posting on this blog too often. This is my fourth blog post for today and it is about 10 Random Things About Me.



I'm going to make it as random as possible but I must admit some of it are not totally random. For example, I won't consider the fact that I'm a blogger and a freelance web designer random but I'm sure the other things are.

Here goes:

1. I often fall asleep infront of my computer. Yes, that's how addicted I am to computers and the internet. LOL!

2. I'm in my mid 30s but I still love watching animes. My current favorites are Bleach and Fairy Tale.

3. I used to drink a lot of coffee but not anymore. Now, I drink a lot of water instead.

4. I love playing Massively Multiplayer Online Games and my current favorites are Star Trek Online, Dragon Nest, Champions Online, DC Universe Online and Showtime.

5. I love watching movies online for FREE. No, I don't download them. I just watch them for FREE.

6. I love watching television series in HULU for FREE! Yes, paid shows or paid series are also available but why pay for them when there are others that you can watch for FREE.

7. My favorite color is navy blue and, because of that, most of my shirts are in that color. In fact, if you see me every day then you might even think that I don't change shirts at all.

8. I have four intelligent children and I love them all.

9. I'm married to my wife for more than 16 years and I am looking to extend that a hundred years more.

10. I am a blogger, an online gamer, a web designer, a father and a husband rolled into one person.

Well, those are 10 random things about me. I probably could add more but this post only calls for 10 random things. Maybe I'll add them in future posts but, for now, I'll just leave it at 10.

I hope you enjoyed learning more about me in this post. If you like then you can also share some random things about you. Simply post them as a comment below.

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Budweiser Shootout Started With A Bang

Are you a fan of NASCAR racing? Well, I like any kind of race in general specially those that involves vehicles like cars, bikes, planes, boats, etc. I also enjoy watching them when I can but not always.



Unfortunately for NASCAR fans out there, the Budweiser Shootout started off with a couple of crashes already. The first crash involved five cars and it happen in the last moments of the opening practice for Saturday's Budweiser Shootout.

I wish I could say it wasn't a terrible crash but there is no such thing because any crash is terrible. A simple bump can lead to a pile-up that can result to massive losses both in property and lives.

The second crash happened today when nine cars crashed in the ninth lap of the race. This crash was larger than the first crash not because it involved nine cars but because it was more destructive.

Cars were thrown-off the course and collided with the wall. A few even burst into flames and a flaming car is very, very dangerous because it could also explode. If it does then it will greatly put the life of its driver at risk.



From what I've read and seen in the news, none of the drivers in the crash got hurt seriously and that is very fortunate indeed.

This year's Budweiser Shootout started off with a BANG but, for some reason, I don't think crashing or car crashes is the kind of BANG they want their fans to get.

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Kevin Costner In Superman: Man Of Steel

I'm sure many of you know about this already but I just found out about it recently. It seems that our favorite superhero, Superman, is going to have a new movie and we can expect to see it next year.



The title of the new Superman movie is Man Of Steel and it is a reboot of the Superman story. What it means is, the movie will start from the very beginning. This Superman movie is not based on any previous Superman movies.

Man Of Steel has an all-star cast of Hollywood stars and movie veterans with Henry Cavill playing the title role as Clark Kent/Superman. The movie also includes Russel Crowe of Gladiator playing Jor-el, Superman's biological father, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White and others.

As you can see, Man Of Steel is not lacking in star power but what caught my attention most is the star playing Jonathan Kent, Superman's foster-father. I've seen him in movies like Dances With Wolves, Water World, The Postman, The Bodyguard with Whitney Houston (RIP), Field Of Dreams, Tin Cup and many more.

Obviously, I'm talking about Kevin Costner. I've seen many of his movies and, I guess, it is safe to say that I am a fan of him. Seeing his name the new Superman movie made me more interested to see this new version of the Superman mythology.

Saying that he is perfect for the role would be very bias of me but he does have the look of a Jonathan Kent in him and I'm sure he'll do a good job at it too. I just hope that he will have a longer role as Jonathan Kent in this version because, in the original Superman movie, Jonathan Kent died early in the story.

Anyway, I'm planning on taking my entire family to see this movie when it comes out just like with Superman Returns. Superhero movies are more fun to watch when you have your family with you.

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All Sites Down, SpeedySparrow

As of this writing, all my regular blogs are down. My hosting provider, SpeedySparrow, is currently doing some work on the server that has all my blogs and all I can do right now is wait for them to finish. Hopefully, whatever they are doing will make the server more stable.



According to Uptime Robot, the downtime started yesterday, February 17, 2012, at around 12:00 AM. It's already 10: 30 PM of February 18, 2012. So, counting from the time the server went down up to now, all my blogs have been down for more than 20 hours already.

SpeedySparrow has been experiencing server problems since last year. As you can see, they are still having server problems this year. I wish I could explain what they are experiencing better but I'm not really knowledgeable in server technology.

I'm just a simple blog owner and, right now, all I want is to get all my blogs back up and running. Everyday they are down is making me lose potential income from various sources including Adsense. If I don't make anything then I won't have any money to pay my web hosting with them and I don't want that to happen.

Don't get me wrong, the people behind SpeedySparrow are nice people and I know they mean well. It's just that, their server is having too much issues and these issues are hurting their customers and it's hurting them as well.

I also know that they are doing their very best to fix these issues but they should really look into a more lasting solution like maybe moving all their customers to a new server rather than trying to salvage an already problematic one.

Anyway, I do hope they can permanently fix whatever it is that is causing their server problems and I also hope that they can fix it soon.

Update: Now we have a member from a different server gloating about our misfortune with our server. I know it's a joke but the timing is way off.

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