Friday, January 28, 2011

Monday, January 24, 2011

Freelancer.com Acquires LimeExchange.com



While the big name startups in the US were raking in record busting amounts [How Much Money Are the Startups Making?] a small company operating in Australia is quietly building an empire. Unlike its American counterparts, this small startup was able to do something quite extraordinary - to be profitable before investors started investing and before big name bloggers started hyping.

This points to a sordid reality, that media coverage on world startups are heavily tilted towards American companies. Yet, it would seem that it's nothing new owing to the fact that most of the most popular media channels that people (including me) read are American, think techcrunch, engadget, and lifehacker
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But that seems to be perfectly alright for Freelancer Australia Pty Limited which has amassed several million dollars in revenue in 2010 alone. With its headquarters in Suite 501, 35 Lime Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, this company just recently made its own presence felt with some choice acquisitions, FreeMarket.com and Limeexchange.com.

Freelancer.com Headquarters in Sydney
The strategic acquisition has increased Freelancer.com's user base by 2 million registered people. Although that number may pale in comparison to Facebook's 600 million users, these 2 million people generated over $80,000,000 from which freelancer.com has derived a steady source of income through project commissions, gold memberships, testing fees and advertising among other things.

Kindle 3G Wireless Reading Device, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 3G Works Globally, Graphite, 6" Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology 

From a simple job website that's like Craigslist, to a heavyweight contender, freelancer.com stands poised to become the leading outsourcing platform in the world today after the likes of oDesk and eLance.

With capital infusion from investment group Startive Capital, freelancer.com only has to give its user base ample reason to stay given that similar startups offer little to no fees. Some freelancers are beginning to grow weary of freelancer.com's increasing fees and other revenue generation methods that often target the user.

Some have even resorted to gaming the popular freelance site, by means of violating the site's terms of use and conditions by contacting freelancer's directly.

Despite these problems, things are looking up for the Australian online behemoth. 

Hate Lebron? Love Ricardo

Miami Heat LeBron James Sports Poster Print - 22x34 Poster Print Collections Poster Print, 22x34

If you hate Lebron James, then you're going to love Ricardo - the bus boy. Jimmy Kimmel seems to have taken a liking to Filipinos and after Manny Pacquiao's karaoke gig, he might have found his next Pinoy. Watch Ricardo PWN Lebron.




Friday, January 21, 2011

What Have You Done With It?

With words that flow like thunder I beckon to thee. Because what I say here is of profound import. Let me grab a moment of your attention as I weave these words into your consciousness. The time is at hand for you to become aware of that which you may not be aware of.

You know that time is an irreducible object that goes past those which traverse it. The question that lies should not delve deeper into it, but to you, the one who rides it. Its waves beckon to those who ponder and its value is not lost on those who know of its import, but today I am asking you, "What have you done with it?"

Have you ever watched a flower bloom, whilst your calling beckons?
Have you ever stopped and unambiguously considered precisely what you have done with it?
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Maybe you have, but then again, maybe you haven't. To those who have, consider yourselves blessed in knowing that you have placed some time in considering it. To those who haven't, know that there are those who barely had enough of it, to witness it but for a fleeting moment.

It is you, the ultimate progenitor of your will who can alter it.

The most reckless and the most prudent means of approaching it would be to say that you have laid claim to a title which is something we would not care about later on.

You may be a lawyer, a doctor, an accountant or an engineer and yet be reduced to as small as a bucket of dust when time has laid its finger and called upon you to shed all that you perceive yourself to be.

Be conscious of it for a moment and the moment does not linger. Then you say that you do not have it. But what have you that is so plentiful yet so fleeting that you do not take the time to ponder it?

TIME

What have you done with your time!?

Why is it taking you so long to constantly prod on?
What is there in the world that would force you to constantly pursue something, knowing that in time, it is actually nothing?

As with all matters that pertain to the consciousness, time does not exist where there is an existence to grab hold of it. It is that fleeting gift like a sand hourglass slowly dripping away to that realm of wanton disregard.

STAND UP

Stop writing about life, when life is supposed to be lived.


Two's Company Bee Happy Dancing Solar Flower, Set of 2

GET UP

To see the world you have created. The shackles that you have worn, are merely created by none other than yourself.

FREE YOURSELF

Kassel™ Hand - carved Cuckoo ClockBy taking the time, to provoke, to see, to acknowledge and to be aware of, what it is that really merits your time. That momentary smile, that whiff of cold or warm air that you so longingly wish for. The constraints that man has built upon himself will slowly reduce him to ashes.

Stop writing about life, because it is best lived.

Congratulations!

Today's a great day for many reasons and I am sure that it's going to be the same for you too!

Roast Chicken

First, my wife cooked an extra excellent roast chicken for me and my kids. I recently bought a 3 kg extra large chicken and I must say that she is the best cook and wife in all the universe. Another reason to be glad is that
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this blog has recently been accorded the great honor of having a Page Rank of 3. To celebrate, dannybuntu.com is now offering Premium sponsorship opportunities to interested parties.

For more details please go to Advertising section.

When I Was a Kid

FBI Special Agent Badge Mouse Pad

I wanted to be an FBI Agent.

Not NBI, FBI.


Detective + Lawyer

For real.

My dad, encouraged this by buying me almost 50+ Hardy Boys, Perry Mason and Nancy Drew books. I had two book cases inside my room and I had a toy gun (I actually got two which really made loud sounds and really looked real), which I carried around with me wherever I went. 


Of course, this would not happen because I am not even an American citizen, so I can't really be an FBI agent. It would've sounded awesome though, Special Agent Danny Garcia ala Fox Mulder looking for aliens and government conspiracies.

The local investigative bureau here in our country, the NBI, is ill equipped, tainted, and not so glamorous as the movies portrayed them to be.

Anyway, everybody dreams of being somebody when they grow up and not everybody gets the chance to live that dream. Sometimes, people realize that the "dream" isn't really what they initially perceived it to be.

Yet others cling to their dreams despite the highest of obstacles. Of these, time proves to be the most worthy opponent. Every second that passes is a second that says, "You Should Get Going".

So for those who finally gave up their dreams, so that others may have theirs, here's a badge that you can buy for $6.99

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Headline Reader

I started reading  newspapers when I was 10 years old and no I'm not just talking about the funnies, I'm talking about headline news, business, politics, local and sports news.  But now, I am increasingly finding myself reading just the headlines. Almost every time, just the headlines.

I don't know if you're experiencing the same but it kinda sucks doesn't it?


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And that's the reason why I'm making this a very short post.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

It Actually Makes Sense

....To Buy a Horse

Because tourists love horses. Imagine riding one through a jungle with trees and plants and grass


....To Buy a Goat

Because goats can easily be sold.
Because goats eat grass.

Grass grows quickly.
Goats eat grass quickly.
We need to cut grass at a lower rate.

....To Take a Nap



Because Resort-Ville.com (meaning me) is broke.

But not for long. When I wake up I will have enough energy and strength to take care of a thousand details.


The Kinds of Lives

Not definitive or exhaustive... Hopefully amusing and useful.

Fairy Tale Life

Some lives are lived like a fairy tale. It's like being in a children's story book that you once read in your tender years. You try to walk and ponder on a reality that's different, but then find that you can't. It's absurd and yet the reality of it all hits you like Manny Pacquiao's southpaw.

It's definitely real and you can't pop out of it like Mary Poppins did on the sidewalk caricatures made by Dick Van Dyke.

The problem with the fairy tale life is that everything is laid out to you in a silver platter. You tend to look for challenges, and try to muddle up the grand scheme of predetermined existence.

You constantly make a mess, to make you feel that your life is not a fairy tale. Then you succeed.


The Horror Movie 

The thing about horror movies is that everybody just seems to be doing the wrong thing, at the wrong time, in the wrong place, under the wrong circumstances, with the wrong people and get eaten up by the right monster.


Monsters, Inc. (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)


Some people's lives are like that. They seem to bounce from one unlucky event to another and in the middle of it all they just drag their lives on, like tap water in a fiesta.

The worst thing about lives being lived like this is that the people who are living it, don't even know about it. They just blame it on some other thing. Many people like to blame god, destiny, bad luck, their parents, that one devastating event that changed their lives.

It's a terrible place to be in.

This is one type of life where "Ignorance is not bliss" because ignorance is the source of it all.


The Romantic Life

People who live the romantic life tend to view everything in terms of "love" and finding their "destiny". The ultimate outcome would be very similar to the Fairy Tale Life, but take on a more serious tone because the Romantic life never truly manifests itself. There always has to be drama and antagonists that prevent it from happening. Once it is achieved, ironically, it turns sour and degrades to a Horror Movie Life or a Tragedy.

Matters of the Heart

The ultimate Romantics see life as some sort of Romeo and Juliet Better to Die than to Not Have You type of way.

People like this, tend to daydream and bask over cascading emotions. They could get married several times over the course of their lifetimes and tend to do poorly in their professional lives because they put "love above all else."


Action-Suspense

People who live in an Action-Suspense type of life, always see the world as some sort of Black or White and Good vs Evil, You vs. Us/Me type of way. These are the people who'd never have qualms taking matters into their own hands. They're the take charge types who think that they have a monopoly over the course of actions to take.
Die Hard Collection (Die Hard/ Die Hard 2: Die Harder/ Die Hard with a Vengeance/ Live Free or Die Hard) [Blu-ray]

You're always wrong if you confront one of these people because you fit the grand scheme of things as either with the persona or against him or her.

Although these people are action oriented, they fall short in one item - to take note that life is not a duel.


Science-Fiction

People who live the Science-Fiction genre tend to keep abreast of the latest technology around as if they were watching for the second coming of Christ. While waiting, they develop highly technical skills for the sole purpose of learning them and using them for the ultimate climactic event which is supposed to be world changing.

It always has to be world changing.

Although by no means exhaustive, there are two general types for people like these:

1. The World is Doomed Because of Technology

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines [Blu-ray] 
2. The World is Doomed, Technology Will Save the Technologists and That Cute Girl/Guy

Armageddon

*Constant reference to Bruce Willis unintentional....


Fantasy

For these people, life is a quest and it is magical. They tend to see life as a conquest for either gold or scrolls. If they could use a magic spell to turn their boss into a mouse, they probably would (and most likely do so, albeit unsuccessfully, when their boss's back is turned).

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Widescreen Edition)


People who have lives like this, tend to see themselves in a role. They could be one among the following:

1. Frodo - The unlikely hero
2. Sam - 'The best friend'
3. Gandalf - The highest mage
4. Aragorn - The King
5. Arwen - The Queen
6. Legolas - The Playa
7. Gimli - Fat, ugly but strong
8. Smeagol - The substance addict
9. Boromir - Nobody wants to be Boromir


Musical

To these people, life is a Bollywood dance number. Well, not really. It could also be the Sound of Music or Mary Poppins. Of course, there are other classifications for lives such as these.

1. Stereotypical drug addicted rock star

Scream 

2. The fame addicted teen sensation

Greatest Hits: My Prerogative 

3. Talentless

Hottie & the Nottie



4. Has Beens

Backstreet Boys [ENHANCED CD]

5. The New Kid in Town

Baby


Tell me if I missed something via the comments section.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Theme Conundrum

Please forgive me for overly changing the themes several times over the course of 1 month. I am just bent on having a simple theme that offers little to no distractions. That's why I finally settled to a "no sidebar" layout.



#SHINEOnline

This week, this blog joined the #SHINEOnline 2011 blogging challenge by Julie Isaac.

The goal of the challenge is to blog at least twice a week and Julie has been very supportive. All in all, there are now over a hundred blog participants pledging to blog more frequently.

You can find all the participating blogs over at http://paper.li/tag/SHINEonline

Paper.li is just awesome.


ResortVille

There's not much to blog about in ResortVille since I am still waiting for the new video camera I got for Christmas. If I really think about it, there's really plenty to write about this place and I would say that a lot of exciting things are going to happen this year. Right now, I'm just focusing on more profitable endeavors.


Dan's Online Jobs

Writing at a rate of 3,500 words or 7 articles a day is pretty taxing, but I'm holding steady. The secret to being able to write plenty of things is to focus on one thing and then to branch out. It's like planting a seed and then watching it grow and spread its roots, trunks, stems and leaves.


Business

January is the time when I have to get business permits for our leasing business over at 205 Aguirre. The amount of tax that we paid are just horrendous. Overall, I paid 26,179 Pesos just to renew our business permit in Paranaque. My mom helped by doing the paperwork for this year. Thanks mom!

Getting a business permit in my opinion is an arduous process that should be made easier through online means. I remember the time when I was enrolled in the University of the Philippines in Baguio, back in 1999. You'd have to get in line several times in several locations and not be able to finish enrollment in one day.

As a person who grew up with computers, I enjoy doing things with a simple click of a mouse button.

The upside to this is that Mayor Jun Bernabe has somewhat made the process less painful, albeit still not computerized, by putting in air conditioning in City Hall. 

I just hope that they would stop charging for useless fees like the Paranaque Chamber of Commerce and Industry since we don't even attend those.

*When my father was alive, he engaged in a series of meetings with the mayor to facilitate the computerization of tax payments and judicial docketing in City Hall. This didn't push through. Today, Paranaque City's system is now computerized and some segments of tax payment are now online. We haven't tried it yet since we'd like to see if it is working. I will probably look into this next time that we have to renew our business permit.

The thing with government efficiency is that they're so good in collecting but lag so much in services. I hope they improve on the latter.

If I may say so, I think the current local government of Paranaque is just so overstaffed. If you look at the number of "government employees" standing around city hall, pretending to look awesome, you'll know what I mean.


Online Business


To date, I would say that my portfolio of websites and blogs have now reached several domains, that is why I am engaging the thought of hiring freelance writers such as myself to fill those blogs with both useful and SEO'd content. Look above the tabs to see I WILL PAY YOU TO BLOG or my own GET PAID TO BLOG offer.


The two shouldn't be a mutually exclusive endeavor as is being propounded by most Internet marketers.

People are already complaining that the web is being filled with useless SEO'd gunk and I tend to agree with them. If only Internet marketers would hire writers on the basis that the content that they produce is at the very least readable and informative, the web would definitely be a better place. Of course, paying higher rates would also be helpful.

You get what you pay for.

I am not one to complain and in fact I see an opportunity for this. The web needs a portal for those who just want to buy and those who want to sell. This should let the other parts of the web be free from the gunk that we're increasingly seeing.

As a freelance writer, I've seen the works of others and can't help but feel sorry for them. The current model is not working because people are turned off by websites that offer no real value other than putting out fluff.

Think about it, when was the last time you liked a website that was full of advertisements?

Once I am able to get some financial leverage, I'll proceed to executing some ideas which I think will solve the problem.



How about you? How are you doing? I'd be happy to hear your comments and plans for this year.
Don't forget, I am paying bloggers who are keen on writing about financial matters, online jobs, linux+ubuntu. Do look above and see my offer. Thanks

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Wordpress or Blogger Which is Better?

Blogspot vs Wordpress

As the domain dannybuntu.com expires, much thought has gone into which is indeed the better platform for blogging, blogspot or wordpress? It would seem that the best way to analyze the question would be to use quantitative measures.

For this we would be using:
1. Google Trends as a measure for Popularity Over Time
2. Alexa.com for Traffic
3. Google Keyword Tool External for Interest

Although by no means definitive, these two by far, are the most viable options due to the level of data gathered and organized.

I. Blogspot vs Wordpress Round 1: Google Trends 

Chart 1A: "Blogger vs Wordpress" - All Regions

Chart 1A

Chart 1B: "Blogger vs Wordpress vs Blogspot" - All Regions


The possibility of ambiguity rears its head as the word "blogger" is also the generic term for a person who blogs. Thus a comparison must be made with all three included. The results are pretty much in favor of blogspot.


Chart 1B


Chart 1C: "Blogspot vs Wordpress" - United States


Here's where it gets interesting. Note: Oregon, Washington and San Francisco, California. Generally, the trend clearly shows the steady and increasing popularity of Wordpress over blogspot in the United States. The point of intersection lies at the juncture when Microsoft's blogging platform "Livespaces" moved to Wordpress.

Needless to say, the union of the two proved immensely consequential and could be an indicator for further favor of Wordpress over Blogspot

Chart 1C
Chart 1D: "Blogger vs WordPress vs Blogspot" - United States


Chart 1D
II. Blogspot vs Wordpress Round 2: Alexa 


Chart 2A: Blogspot


Chart 2A
Chart 2B: Wordpress


Chart 2B
III. Blogspot vs Wordpress Round 3: Google KTE


Chart 3A: Blogspot vs Wordpress in Google Adwords Traffic Estimator


Chart 3A
Chart 3B: Blogspot themes vs Wordpress themes in Google Adwords Keyword Tool


Here's where the data becomes "funny". Note when "blogspot themes" appear. Verification of this interesting outlook in Google trends next.

Chart 3B
Chart 3C: Wordpress Themes vs Blogger Themes vs Blogspot Themes in Google Trends


Data verification for significant difference between searches made for "wordpress themes" as opposed to "blogger themes" and "blogspot themes" is corrborated.

Holy cow.


EventId's in Nostr - from CGPT4

The mathematical operation used to derive the event.id in your getSignedEvent function is the SHA-256 hash function, applied to a string rep...