Google+ Fun

Official Google Blog: Introducing the Google+ project: Real-life sharing, rethought for the web

After going through the numerous blog posts detailing how Google+ works, I've decided that I won't be able to find any invites today. By now, you would have gotten your daily fill of the same thing:

- What's Google+?

- What does it Do?

- What edge does it have over Facebook?

- How does it look like?

- Other blogger's reactions
- How to Import Facebook Contacts on Google+

and finally,

- How to get Google+ Invites

From Lifehacker.com "How Google+ Actually Looks Like"

Reinventing Video Conferencing

Of all the things that one could appreciate with Google+, it must be the "hangouts" feature. It's like being in the TV show "Friends" except that you're not in Central Perk or actually in the same pad - you're just in your online "hang out". As geeky as it sounds, it may actually have several practical uses which are very easy to imagine. Several companies that offer video conferencing suites are in for some heavy competition from Google. After all, how can they beat free?

Note: Hot blonde in video. Must watch.

Turning Content Sharing Smarter

Have you ever published an article that you wished to share with some Facebook friends but not want to share it with your mom or gramps? Google+ intelligently addresses this issue by giving you the ability to share within circles. It's like Facebook lists, except that it's been given a more prominent role in social interaction via its accessible interface.

How Google+ Will Beat Facebook

Two words:

Group Chatroulette.

*Wink wink....

Happy 5th Birthday Funny Linux Blog!

Dedoimedo.com celebrates its 5th birthday today. Happy 5th blog birthday to its extremely witty and funny owner Igor Ljubunkic. Very few Linux themed blogs have masterfully woven that intrinsic and careful mixture of humor with its postings.

Quoting from Dedoimedo:
"Dedoimedo celebrates its fifth birthday and everybody is invited to the party. Half a decade ago, the site was born from the ashes of creativity and watered with love and geekiness. Now, five summers grown, Dedoimedo is a portal of masculinity, bristly chest hair and a wagonload of kernel code."

You may be wondering why I'm posting this on my blog rather than Igor's blog, well, it's because he doesn't allow comments!

If you're a linux fan and you really want to learn a lot about a lot, dedoimedo.com is the funniest place in the Linux universe!

Life Changing Art

How many works of art have you seen? Moreover, how many have changed your life?  

Although there's a certain form of banality when you say that art can change lives, our "busyness" precludes us from thinking about this on a day to day manner. To borrow from and to somewhat eviscerate Heidegger, we are caught up in each of our own "average everydayness". (Spell checker dun like this one... :) )

If you believe in "the breakout", you'll know how much this average everydayness tend to creep up from behind us, even before we have managed to take off. It's tantamount to having our wings clipped or our spirits imprisoned in a dark orb of hopelessness. 

Time to get down and dirty: money is the game changer, next to talent. It can help people achieve that propitious moment of realization that ironically does not lend itself in its absence. 

I believe that everybody wants to live life like Bill Gates. Build, dominate, then throw in the towel and give it all away. To him and his competitors, that's the ultimate moment of triumph. "You want it so bad? Here, take it. FTW"  

A Dad's Wish for Father's Day

Fathers' day is coming soon and as I celebrate the ninth year of my fatherhood I can't help but take pride in the moment. As a daddy, I would like to make the statement that it's easier to be a father than to be a mom.

1. We don't breastfeed.

2. We don't often change the nappies when the baby drops a Poop bomb.

+1

I woke up at 3:42 AM to find out that we can now put a +1 widget on our websites. Normally, I treat such things with a bit of cautious curiosity. I guess others are more keen on having a -1 button, which could be useful but very controversial.

I put the code, just before the /body tag and then tried embedding the latter portion as a widget. Still no go, I guess I'd need more shut eye for this thing to work.

Another concern that I have over the +1 button is the "Google Buzz button stigma" which seemed to attach itself even to more prominent websites. Ubiquitously hanging over there, beyond the sidebar, was the Google buzz button, with the number 0 written on it.

Oh well, maybe if I wake up, it will appear.

Easiest way you can make the Google +1 Appear

It's cut and dried clean, but comes with less customization options:

Design >> Page Elements >> Click 'Edit' in Blog Posts >>
Show Share Buttons

How to Configure Squid Proxy Server in Ubuntu [Guest Post]

By Dr. Muhammad Saleem, PHD

Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Engineering

Squid is a popular proxy and web cache server. It is used for a variety of purposes e.g. increase in speed of a web server through caching of most recently accessed pages, security through packet filtering. It was designed to support HTTP and FTP protocols. However, it now also includes support for TLS, SSL and HTTPS. Squid is available for all Unix-like operating systems as well as Windows. The Squid is an excellent solution ranging from small offices to large enterprise networks. Remember, PC reserved for Squid must have large amount of physical memory because it maintains an in-memory cache for higher performance. One more thing: it can threat the privacy of clients because it can log URLs, date and time of access, requester’s identification etc. 

Being an Ubuntu 10.10 Noob Again

It's fun to be a newbie again, and again, and again.
After several Windows Vista mess ups, I guess it's time to switch back to an Ubuntu 10.10 install.

How to Install Proprietary Drivers in Ubuntu 10.10 - Guest Post

By Dr. Muhammad Saleem, PhD

Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Engineering

With past versions of Linux, it was relatively difficult to work with third-party hardware. The era has changed now and, like many other Linux distributions, UBUNTU has made it easy to use any kind of proprietary hardware with your computer.

How to Migrate to Ubuntu 10.10 from a Windows Environment

By Dr. Muhammad Saleem, PhD

Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Engineering

Lest it become a nightmare, migrating from Windows to Linux/Ubuntu needs a systematic and well-defined plan. You can be sure that there’s a solution for almost every compatibility issue you’ll encounter – direct solution or a workaround. 


Being unfamiliar with the new operating system, at times, could make you feel uncomfortable, but if you are 

My Love and Hate Relationship with Trees

I was a sub-urban Filipino kid, then I loved trees.

And I think I am a member of Greenpeace, or was - I don't actually pay the dues anymore.

But when I moved here, my perspectives changed a bit.

I don't love them when the storm makes them sway like angry giants. Or when they fall during a storm and almost crush our house and greenhouse.

I hate them when their leaves cause more than 2 weeks of sweeping.

Yet, there's still a small glimmer of love that I know is here somewhere.

I love them because a large blue bird sometimes lives on them.



I love them because they provide us with shade and coolness whenever it gets too sunny.

I love watching them grow.

But despite that love, I know that I have to cut some of them someday. If you ever saw a large tree branch falling randomly anywhere, then you'd know that they can be really dangerous.

The "ana-e" tree has beautiful flowers that make it look like a firetree during December. But their branches are so heavy that they can crush cement when they fall. Cleaning them up is also difficult, because the large tree branches have spines that are so small yet so painful when you touch them.

I suddenly thought about this post, because of a recent video I saw on TV, or rather on my computer:

Sorry, there was no embed code, they really want you to visit their site.

Click here: Alleged illegal logger throws stones at news team

What do I think about illegal logging?

I think it's a blatant crime against nature. But that it's also a touchy socio-political  issue. Livelihoods, lack of education and more. If you have ever seen the family of an illegal logger, then you'd have to try and balance that with what is more valuable - livelihood or nature?

Before I write too long, I'll write about this soon in my other politically themed blog.

Blog Monetization Strategies of the Top Blogs - Mashable.com

As a blog owner myself, one of my routines is to look into the monetization strategies of the top blogs. Of course, none of these strategies would work if the traffic to their site is not substantial enough. Assuming that you're a blog owner and the traffic going to your site is large enough (5 figures daily) to be monetized, you might be looking into increasing your revenue by learning from these successful ones.

Note 1. Act Like Big Media