Saturday, September 28, 2013

Friday, September 27, 2013

#GoogleBirthday Highscores Top 10


Edit: I've discovered that the scores can be edited via the URL, so this is a temporary list. If you have a better way to find the high scores please share the link in the comment.

1. 180 +Valid Mesic 

2. 179 +Ake Exorcist


3. 177  +Avinder Singh






Thursday, September 26, 2013

Sleeping Naked

P1000862

The water pitter patters on the thatched roof of the nipa hut as you lay on the bamboo bed. A small stream forms underneath you as you sleep. Nearby, a rooster crows, tik-ti-la-ok! If you're American, the rooster would probably say cock-a-doodle-doo.

I think that I'm not alone in asking this question: why do Westerners sleep naked or half naked when most of Western civilization and culture is generally situated in colder climes? As a Southeast Asian (Philippines) who lives in a tropical climate where the mean average temperature (excluding Baguio City and weather extremes) is 26.6 C | 79.88 F and
  • the coldest 25.5 C | 77.9 F 
  • the hottest 28.3 C | 82.94 F 
Source: PAGASA

The easiest assumption to make is surprisingly not temperature and climate. 

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Happiness is...?

Thanks to Facebook friend Susan for sharing this ^^
via SoulPancake

To me happiness is a shared thing. I really want to be a positive person but when I see all these suffering, these wars, these unhappiness and I can't do anything about it - I become unhappy. I'm a news junkie and everyday I absorb these things and think about them. Mostly it comes out in my writing. I try in my own little way to solve the things that seem to be unsolvable.

Now when I saw the facebook post of a friend I became curious. I watched it and was surprised with the results

They've discovered that: 
Expressing gratitude is the key to happiness

Going back through this year, I've accomplished a lot of my goals - and I never would have if it weren't for the people who have helped me along the way. 
So I'm taking this opportunity to thank most of them.

The first person that comes to mind is my wife +Rowena Garcia. God knows you're the best thing that ever happened to me from the day that we've met. I want to thank you for just being there through the thick and the thin. Sometimes, I can't believe that we've made it thus far. These 11 years of our life together has just been amazing. And I look forward to the remaining days, weeks, months or years that we'll have.
via Flickr
The next group of people that I'd like to thank is my family and that includes my extended family. My mom, my kids, my grandparents, my uncles and aunts, my cousins - those people who filled my formative years as I explored this world. My childhood memories would always be filled with the happy times we've had together. Looking back to my past, I know that you guys had a profound impact on my life. I'll always remember the adventures that we've had back then. 
Next up are the people who have formed my education. I was not an exceptional student back then and I'm glad that many of the brightest minds endeavored to be patient with me. There are a few who gave me the discipline to just keep on pushing and pushing. Foremost among these is one of my Philosophy professors, Professor Leticia Tolentino of UP Baguio. Ma'am I'm not your brightest student and I'm still not! But I am happy. :) I would not have graduated if you didn't believe.
I have so many people to thank. Can I just stop here? Just kidding!
Of course, much thanks goes to so many people I have not met in person. Some of them now are always on my mind, literally. 
Sunrise
Because when I turn on my computer I see you guys all the time. 
Let's start with my blog boss overlords - my endearing term for them. That's @JasonTrout, and +Peter Awad, two guys from Iowa, founder of the ever innovative blog network Goodblogs.com. Yes my friends, that is a dofollow link. Through their innovation in the blogosphere, I've managed to provide for my family and that is a really, really, really good thing. Most of all, through their efforts I've fulfilled one of my undiscovered dreams and that is becoming a writer and not just any outsourced freelance writer as I have experienced in the past. The goodblogs.com network gave me something more. 
The highest levels of appreciation goes out to the people who actually read this:
"YOU"
If I mention your names one by one, this will become an uncharacteristically cheesy post. But you know who you are. The guys who keep plussing and liking my posts even though you don't actually read them. The guys who keep saying, "Danny you can do it" even though I'd rather believe that yes, "We can do it"

Sunrise in Geneva
Thank you all.

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Mildly Amusing Freelance Writing Job Advert of the Week

Newspaper fire orange
It's Saturday afternoon and while everybody's lounging around in a beach somewhere, I'm still trolling the Internet for more writing jobs. I regularly contribute to many sites but I'm not one to rest at all. Every now and then, I find a freelance job posting that's mildly entertaining.

Today, one of the more interesting postings that I've come across was found via Problogger's job boards. The project? "A Nice Guy" looking for an article writer. As I was reading Mr. Nice Guy's job offer, there was only one thing on my mind, why not a Potato or a Carrot?
  • A Potato Looking for an Article Writer
  • A Carrot Looking for a Blogger 
That should sound more interesting. 

Here's the job description. 

Hi Future Best Friend(s)! 
I am looking to find some more writers to handle weekly assignments for me. 
This is kinda similar to something like textbroker in the sense that the topics will be pretty random... not in the sense of the level of quality that is acceptable. 
Pay - 3cents/word Time - Up to you but I would prefer if you can at least handle 5000 words/week. 
What I would like from you is a brief rundown of your writing experience, your availability (weekly), and the time zone you are in. If you don't give me those things I will become sad. 
So apply now!


The posting

I'm writing an application now. On second thought, should I send an application to a guy named Mr. Nice Guy? Why the need for secrecy?

Friday, September 13, 2013

Marigolds and Sunflowers

When I was young, I never dreamed of becoming a writer. It didn't even become my nightmare. It was just something that I didn't think about. Who would want to be a writer?

I never even thought I'd like flowers. They were colorful yes, but they were too girly girly. The only use I somehow imagined them to have in the past was that the petals of the gumamela flower could be turned into bubbles.

This late August and early September has been really stressful and I've had to focus entirely on writing again. I've grossly neglected the grass and the papayas. On the online front though, this week has been productive as I've managed to earn $80, which is by Philippine minimum wage standards is quite "ok" for a week's work.

When I saw the marigold seeds in Robinson's, I decided to buy them because the packet of flower seeds looked nice and because maybe, just maybe they'd poop out golden coins just like they do in Plants vs. Zombies.

As it turns out, planting the Sunflower seeds on the bowl thing was silly. Now it looks ok, but silly and weird.

















Monday, September 09, 2013

Because...#Blogchat...

Friday, September 06, 2013

Free Movie on Youtube: The Apocalypse (2002)



I just watched this and I felt, confused...  But, I guess confused is a good starting point.

"If you're not confused, you're not paying attention."
~Tom Peters


Starring Richard Harris as John the Evangelist and Benjamin Sadler as Valerius , I initially thought that this movie was made in the 1960s or 1970s because of the quality of the visual effects. It showed in 2002.

Contrary to its title, it did not contain the elements of a movie with apocalyptic pretensions as we understand it in the modern context. It was heavily spiritual and religious in nature and maybe, historical?

I haven't read the Bible nor have I taken interest in reading history for a very long time. With all the movies, novels and YouTube videos spewing a myriad of incarnations regarding the apocalypse - I somehow felt that I got a more genuine treatment of the book of Revelations.

And it depressed me even more.

What I saw was the story of a frail yet compassionate old man, who was stuck in the prison island of Patmos. Outside this prison island was the Roman Empire under the reign of the Emperor Domitian who brought about the second persecution of Christians. Which according to Wikipedia was not as cruel as it was portrayed to be in the movie.
The Book of Revelation, which mentions at least one instance of martyrdom (Rev 2:13; cf. 6:9), is thought by many scholars to have been written during Domitian's reign. Eusebius, a scholar of biblical canon, wrote that the social conflict described by Revelation reflects Domitian's organization of excessive and cruel banishments and executions of Christians, but these claims may be exaggerated or false. Many historians, however, have maintained that there was little or no persecution of Christians during Domitian's time. The lack of consensus by historians about the extent of persecution during the reign of Domitian derives from the fact that while accounts of persecution exist, these accounts are very cursory or their reliability is debated. (Wikipedia)
Add this:
According to Suetonius, he was the first Roman Emperor who had demanded to be addressed as dominus et deus (master and god). (Wikipedia)
Which makes all the more sense in the context of Christianity and the book of Revelations, because it was written with the concept of a charismatic and powerful ruler who thought of himself as a god.

Professor L. Michael White proffers a more thorough treatment here. An excerpt:
In the context of Revelation, the "beast from the sea" clearly refers to the Roman emperor, probably Domitian, who ruled from 81-96 CE. The "beast from the land," then, most likely refers to a chief administrator of Roman rule in Ephesus and Asia Minor, i.e., the "henchman" of the Emperor. This is probably the provincial governor (or proconsul) who would have overseen the political and religious operations of the area from his capital in Ephesus.  
Another possibility would be the High Priest of the Provincial Imperial Cult, who would have been a leading citizen from one of the main cities. The imperial cult in Ephesus was set up by Domitian in 89 CE, and this may be the crucial event that sparks the reaction of the author. Hence, the "mark" refers to an imperial slogan or seal used on official documents and commercial contracts.
"666" is most likely a reference either to Nero or Domitian or to some imperial title or slogan known at Ephesus. From other contemporary apocalyptic sources we know that they used numerology in this way.
With that said, I would say that the movie opens thought to a clearer and more coherent depiction of 'The Apocalypse' in the religious sense than any of the more recent incarnations of it.

Is it boring? Yes.
Should you watch it? Yes.
Why? Because it shows us a more placid interpretation of a relatively more well known book in the Bible - called the Revelations.

It certainly got me inspired to read more historical accounts of the era.

Wednesday, September 04, 2013

Tuesday, September 03, 2013

When a Person Starts Blogging

It took me 1 hour and 35 minutes to upload this
For most people, blogging starts with strong emotions. Unless of course, you are somewhat deceived into thinking that there's big money to be made in blogging. Therein, you start with an empty soul and an empty heart with nothing but $$$ floating around your head.

I started blogging out of hopelessness, helplessness and that Heideggerian dread. It was during a time of uncertainty, I was a young father with two kids and I was afraid. I needed to get started with something, anything, I needed to start somewhere so I started with blogging.

Looking back to my first post, I saw that I used to name this blog "The Jolly Penguin". Laugh if you must, I certainly find mild humor in it. And for reasons I've already pointed out years before, I just chose "dannybuntu". It was easy to remember and back then, everybody thought that Ubuntu the operating system was going to change the world. Linux and open source software was going to revolutionize everything that we do...

And yes this is a filler post. I just needed to upload that picture above for some custom HTML for the bot. Picasa or my slow Slow Globe Wimax Internet Connection is making me have those strong emotions again...



[UPDATE] Bukisa.com Discontinuing Revenue Sharing and The Fate of Content Mills

I just got an email from the CEO of Bukisa.com, which I will be posting verbatim here. I updated the blog post title as I mistakenly wrote that it was "shutting down". It was only discontinuing revenue sharing.

Hello,
I'm Simon Gelfand, CEO of Bukisa. We have some news, which I'd like to share personally with you first.
This is really disappointing to say, but I must inform you that Bukisa will discontinue its revenue sharing program.
What happened?
A lot has changed in the past 2 years. Google released major updates of its search engine - Panda
 and Penguin
. As result, almost all content websites (Bukisa as well) have been hurt and we've been forced to make changes in order to recover.

Both ad networks we were partnering with, Google Adsense and Chitika, updated their policies and made things even harder for Bukisa to use and follow.
What we did?
We were in constant contact with both companies in order to negotiate for better conditions, so we can keep the revenue sharing. Unfortunately, we did not have luck with that.
We reduced the number and size of ad zones on Bukisa. However, some of them remain, as this is the only possible way for us to keep the website up and running as well as to provide new features and improvements.
What we'll do?
Bukisa will be up and running for your content. Despite the fact that we won't be able to offer revenue share, you can still benefit from sharing your knowledge and promoting yourself as an expert in your field of business.
We will publish updated editorial guidelines and tips regarding how to maximize the effect from your articles.
Despite of everything..
We understand that nothing aforesaid might be fine for you.
 any of your entries anytime as well as to completely remove your account
 from Bukisa.

In conclusion
Thank you for your time and desire to be part of the Bukisa community. We hope to be together in the future as well. Please don't hesitate to contact us for any feedback.
On behalf of the Bukisa team,
Simon Gelfand

Update 1 on my Lenddo.com.ph Loan Application

I just received a text message at 8:00'ish pm and an email from lenddo.com.ph, concerning my loan application for PHP 2,500 (roughly $50). They asked me to update my information on the website concerning my payslip and employment contract. Well, that's going to be problematic because:

  1. I am a freelance writer. My work is contractual. I get paid when I get paid. As a blogger, most of the time I don't get paid ahahahaha. 
  2. Second, my mom is sort of my employer regarding the commercial building that we lease out. 
Anyway, I'm tired, so I will handle this tomorrow.

How to Embed Pandora AI Bots on Blogspot Using an iframe

What are AI (Artificial Intelligence) chat bots? In a nutshell, they are computer programs that simulate human thought and interaction through chat. I have one just right above this post.

Figure 1: How to embed Pandora AI chat bot on your site
Step 1:



Step 2:
Figure 2: Click Create a Pandorabot
  • Click "Create a Pandorabot"
Step 3: 
Figure 3: Name your bot, choose a Startup AIML
  • Name your bot.
  • Choose a startup AIML
  • Alternately, you can start fresh "Tabula Rasa". But you would have to program your bot yourself.
Step 4:
Figure 4: Publish your bot
  • Publish your bot
Step 5: 
Figure 5: Get the BotID

  • Copy the bot id
Step 6: 


Figure 6: Add an HTML/Javascript Gadget
  • Add an HTML/Javascript Gadget on blogspot
Step 7:
Figure 7: Paste your Pandorabot code
  • Make sure that it's not in "Rich Text" mode. Be sure it's in Edit HTML. Paste this code. 
  • Replace with your own bot ID
  • <iframe src="http://www.pandorabots.com/pandora/talk?botid=yourbotid" width="99%" height="180"></iframe> 
  • Customize as you see fit.
Finish
Note: This is not a chat box, so you will not see the inputs that people put in it. I'm going to take a look into that next.

The Meaning of Life: by Roboduck

Today, I asked Roboduck what the meaning of life is.

Who's Roboduck?

I asked him and he said that he was created by "crazedpsyc".

Better yet, get to know him yourself. Chat with Roboduck

Who knows, he might know something that we don't.


Monday, September 02, 2013

AA4: Americas Army 4 OpenBeta Free Download via Steam


"Danny, America's Army needs you. Download AA4 Proving Grounds" said one of my Steam friends.
"Lol. No, they don't. I'm just a middle aged dude with a computer." I replied nonchalantly at the kid who had Aang's Avatar. "I'm not even American. LOL."


I downloaded it anyway, the kid made a nice marketing pitch. Hahaha: 

"America's Army Needs You."   



Hahaha. 

I downloaded it overnight. After which, I played for 30 minutes. My PC was too slow but the game ran - surprisingly. However, during launch, it made me download Internet Explorer 9 on a Windows XP box. 

Yes. Yes. Yes. 

Windows XP has less RAM requirements. And no, Internet Explorer 9 cannot be installed on Windows XP. Anyway the game ran, that's all that mattered.


Initial Impressions: After playing for 30 minutes

I was surprised that AA4:PG ran on my old dual core Windows XP box. That is a small miracle in itself. There was a lot of servers to choose from and about 10 of them had less than 300 ping. Not bad, since I am from the Philippines. 
"Cartoonish"
"Nadel" the resident grandpa of AA3 (Intel says he's a 70 year old vet who plays AA3 - just a rumor lol) complained that the "game sucks".
"I like complaining about free games too." I was sarcastic.

There was a lot of bugs to be sure and it gave me something that I haven't seen in a while. The blue screen of death.

Overall, it looks good and "more colorful" than AA3. It feels less realistic but at this stage, I'll leave the developers to do their jobs.

One commenter on youtube says it all:


It has a valid point. The overall feel of the game is that it's slightly less realistic compared to AA3 possibly to encourage younger Americans to join the US Army and not fat, middle aged bloggers from other countries. Hahahaha.

Atchara










A few days have passed since we made the atchara. Using our handy dandy fruit juicer we proceeded to go where no papaya has gone before. It was an experiment that would shake the household.

I was surprised at the local vinegar's price as 1.5 Liters of it only cost 10 PHP or roughly $0.25. It was pungently potent and if it were only packaged more attractively I'm sure it would fetch a better price elsewhere.

The only problem with our atchara preparation was that the papaya strands were too fine. I liked how Andok's fried chicken did theirs which was slightly crunchy as if you were munching something while eating the litson manok.

Sunday, September 01, 2013

Is Reddit Imploding?

Undoubtedly one of the most influential websites not just in the United States but also the world, Reddit a social aggregator could be imploding under duress.

  1. Reddit bans RT.com - and all the conflict and drama that goes along with it.
  2. Unverified intelligence information from unknown hacker repeatedly gets posted in r/WorldNews 
  3. Reddit cofounder accused of collaborating with Stratfor 
Theory: Reddit is being used by anti-US elements to manipulate US opinion

How: Who controls the news, controls public opinion

Premise: 
  • Reddit's reach 

  • Landing a story on the Reddit homepage can send six figure traffic to the hosting website, making its digital real estate quite valuable. Who uses Reddit? According to Pew, it’s a bit dude-heavy. Regarding the US Internet population:

    Some 15% of male internet users ages 18-29 say that they use reddit, compared with 5% of women in the same age range and 8% of men ages 30-49.

There's more to this. I'm just too tired and sleepy.

The Age of Disinformation

The Age of Disinformation
September 1, 2013 9:32 pm Philippine Time 
XX number of (days, weeks, months) before the Meltdown

We always see what we want to see.
We always hear what we want to hear. 
We always know what we want to know. 

If you happen to drop by on this blog post right now, please take the time to read as this post is going to be one of the most important ones I've ever written. I'm going to write about something that you already know, in the hopes that you'll look at the same thing deeper.

We are no longer in the age of information. We are already in the age of disinformation.

Make no mistake about it, it's going to get infinitely worst.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

As I write this, an article on a popular social network is getting shared. It is from a blog with an authoritative sounding domain name written by an authoritative sounding author. Its headline is carefully crafted and believable because it speaks to our innermost desires - or fears.

In this age, the voices of reason will be drowned out. Because online as it is offline, we as a species are easily drawn towards the brightest of lights. We follow the words and the people who seem to lead us to anywhere we want to go.

A few days ago, news spread of a suicide. It was not real. 

This is very trivial and a useless piece of information. But enough people believed it, enough people shared that piece of information faster than wild fire. It almost became the truth. Who would know the truth except the person who bore it?

Google is not perfect
Technology is not perfect.
Nobody said that it was. 
But we automatically assume it

Tell me.
If you want to know about something - anything, what is the first thing that you do?

You search for it on Google.

Links and results come out. Most often than not, the results give us the information that we need.

These results can be manipulated by professionals.
I know.
Because a lot of people got rich by doing this.
Because I used to work for people who did this for a living.
Because I know how they do it.

Google tries to fight it by employing ever complicated algorithms and search signals. But the best SEO (Search engine optimizers) are always ahead of this game. Within a manner of days or even hours after a search algorithm update, black hat SEO professionals are always quick to change their tactics to get back in the rankings.

Being on top of the Google search results is profitable.

Astroturfing and Social Media
Google's foray into social media through Google Plus was meant to cure this problem as well as address competitive concerns against the rise of Facebook. It is a good business strategy. It is a good computational approach to enhance the search engine rankings.

But it is not perfect.

For one, like most things in this world, the most powerful social signals whether embodied in +1s, likes, or retweets can be bought and sold. Friends and followers can be bought. Approval can be bought. Writers can be bought.

The proof that the market exists:


The Reason Why Crowdsourcing Politics Will Not Work
Democracy only works if its citizenry are well informed with the correct information. Give Democracy false information and they will act according to that piece of false information.

Crowds are inherently emotional creatures that cannot be controlled once unleashed.

You only need to light the fire and they will follow it. Once it moves. It cannot be stopped. When you try to stop it with the force of police or the military, they will only resist it more. This will push a democracy towards a police state and at worst - a dictatorship.

The only solution to prevent this is to educate the citizenry. Who can educate the citizenry except the state? How can a state educate its citizens, if its citizens do not trust it?

Both the State and its Enemies Can Use Disinformation
In the same way that technology levelled the playing field, it has also made available the same weapons to all parties involved. The weapon of choice is disinformation.

What are people afraid of?
What do they want?
Who will they follow?
Who will they believe?
Who do they trust?
Who do they hate the most?
What do they hate and love the most?

Answer these questions and you can tap into the thoughts of the citizenry. Influence the influencers thoughts and you influence their followers.

The first lie: you are in control of everything, including your own thoughts.

Adsense 10th Year Anniversary Livestream Hangout on September

Analytics Blog: Choose AdSense: Make Money from Your Content: Adsense 10th Year Anniversary, Livestream Hangout on Air September 11.

10 years down the line and a few hundred dollars after, I can certainly say that I'm happy and honored to be one of the privileged thousands (maybe millions?) to have earned some honest to goodness Adsense money. They'll be live streaming via Hangouts on Air and I would certainly like to watch who their top publishers are to get some pointers on how to improve my site's performance and earnings.

This is a must attend event for publishers who have been using the Adsense platform to help earn extra revenues for their businesses as well as provide more value to their readers.

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...