The Official Homepage of Carlo Dimaandal

Next Year

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 16:14:00 +0000

See Full Forum Threads In Symbianize Without Registering or Logging-in

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 16:57:00 +0000

Symbianize.com is a Filipino forum with various topics on tech, the Internet, hardware, software and more. (though some of the info are a little bit on the greyhat area)

And like some forums, more useable details (links, tutorials, videos) are available only to registered users. But don't fret, if you don't want to sign-up and login to view the full contents of the forum threads, here is a simple trick or hack or whatever you want to call it. Here is a method to see full Symbianize thread contents without having the need to sign-up or log-in:

Our example thread is Ainol novo 7 advance specs pang tapat sa samsung tablet. It can be found on http://www.symbianize.com/showthread.php?t=598180

Instructions:

1. Get your desired thread's URL.

In this case http://www.symbianize.com/showthread.php?t=598180

2. Get the thread number. In this case : 598180

3. Open a new tab and enter this URL :

http://www.symbianize.com/archive/index.php/t-[INSERT THREAD NUMBER HERE].html

So for this thread, it's http://www.symbianize.com/archive/index.php/t-598180.html

You will get into an "archived" version of the thread.

Refer back to the original thread to see where the hidden content is.

Original thread:

Archived Thread:

As you can see, the hidden links are now displayed.

The archived version of the pages are also cleaner and has minimal ads.

I think it's worth noting that Symbianize runs on vBulletin. And this trick might work on other forums, but I'm not sure. I don't hang around forums that much.

Well, hope this helps.

First Kimstore Purchase

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 14:05:00 +0000

Kimstore is without a doubt the most popular online gadget store in the Philippines. They have been around for four years (I think). And even though I've been buying gadgets online for years now, this is my first purchase from Kimstore. Here is my story.

First contact is ok. They were not able to reply immediately but that's very understandable since it's the Chrimtmas season. I like the fact that they reply within a few hours with complete answers to your inquiries. But what I like most is that they are nice. I don't get the "just another customer" feeling.

Ordering and setting-up of the meeting went smooth too. No problems at all. They even called on the day of the meet-up to confirm the meeting.

However, I had a slight issue during the meet-up. We had initially agreed to meet at 2pm on a McDonald's branch. We (my gf and her cousin) got at the mall at 1pm and went to McDonald's. We texted the Kimstore agent and at around 1:30 and told him we were at McDonald's already, he said he was already at the MRT meaning it would take a maximum of ~30 minutes for him to get to our meeting place in Makati. He should be at our meeting place before 2pm.

It was already 2:05 but he hasn't texted yet. We texted him and he said he was at McCafe!(the other end of the Mcdo branch we were at!) He was already there since before 2pm and entertaining customers. I just wished he contacted us when he got there. He knew we were waiting for him since around 1pm.

Anyway, when we got there, he was entertainig other Kimstore shoppers. The good thing is, he really knows what he's doing. He's very organized and knowledgeable. The whole pick-up and payment process went very smooth. I saw that he was able to answer all the customer's inquiries. It's very pleasing and reassuring when your questions are answered when buying something (especially gadgets) especially when you're spending thousands of Pesos on the purchase.

It's very easy to see why Kimstore is so popular -

Wide selection of products
Store warranty
Very good prices
Excellent customer relations
Knowledgeable staff

It's just so sad that they don't have Canon products from some reason. :(

Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro First Impressions

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:47:00 +0000

I just got a new phone after I decided to say goodbye to My LG KM555.

First, a few pieces of info about the Xperia Mini Pro - (and why the long, funky name)

Xperia is Sony's line of Smartphones with Android OS. (the flagship of course being Xperia Arc)

Mini becuase it's a smaller version of "standard sized" Smartphones

Pro indicates a QWERTY physical version of a phone. This is not brand specific. For example, Samsung also has "pro" phones on their Galaxy line.

I bought the white version of the phone which gives it a nice, clean look out of the box.

Even though the phone is short in terms of height and width, it makes up for its thickness. Holding the phone feels really solid and secure, no fear of slipping here.

The physical and touch QWERTY keyboard is awesome. While nothing will ever replace the physical numerical keypad that we grew up on for texting for many, this system is a welcome change considering you (probably) won't find physical numerical keypad on Smartphones. (But I swear to God, when I find an Android phone with full touchscreen and physical numerical keypad, I'll get it in a heartbeat!) The on-screen numerical keyboard can also be used for texting but it's a far cry from a physical keypad if you're looking for that experience.

Screen is awesome. Yes, it's a little small to fully appreaciate the Android experience but then again, it's a mini. The screen is very responsive so far and no problems whatsoever.

The Android experience. This is the meat of the matter for me. I've always been curious how Android works and feels like. Now I find out that It. Is. Awesome. Having been an iOS user for the last three years, using Android feels like opening a door to a whole new world. Granted, it does come with its shortcomings. Android feels very confusing for a first-timer. I consider myself a fairly tech savvy person and even I got confused with the navigation, file system and other little things. But don't fret, after spending 10 minutes with your new Android device, everything will start to feel natural. Getting confused for a few minutes is no excuse to keep yourself from experiencing such an awesome mobile OS.

(this is not a paid ad / post for Android. LOL!)

Sadly I can't comment on the online experience of the device because my home WiFi sucks.

The device isn't perfect however. Right now, I already found a few (albeit small) things I hate about the it.

The cover for the USB port is a resealable-type plastic-attached lid. It's attached to the phone via a very small, thin delicate piece of plastic. If you charge your phone often, you know the cover will come off in a few months.

There is no dedicated music button.

The camera can't be accessed via the shutter button.

Bloatware - the device comes with a TON of bloatware - several pages worth! And I hate the fact that I can't remove some of them immediately.

No other lock button - I can't lock the screen unless I wait for it to time out or I press the power key. My other phone's power key nearly got busted after repeated pressing. I don't want the same thing to happen to this device.

No other unlock button - I also don't like the fact that you can ONLY unlock the screen via the Power and Home button. As if those buttons aren't used enough already. I want to be able to unlock the screen by pressing other buttons.

But definitely, this is a recommended purchase if you're looking for a budget smartphone.

More Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro posts to follow.

Why I Had To Say Goodbye To My Old Phone

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:59:00 +0000

1-1/2 years after using my LG KM555, I decided it's best to part with my first LG phone.

What happened?

Well, the phone is still works fine. It can still make calls and send messages. WiFi still works and pretty much everything else. But during the last year and a half that I owned it, it's slowly dying. And it continues to do so.

Here are some of its problems due to everyday use -

Battery life - this is one of the biggest problems. My battery has the infamous "memory issue." It doesn't stay charged for long. I can't use the phone when I'm outside the house. That pretty much beats the whole purpose of a "mobile" phone.

Can't save new contacts - I can't save any new contacts. I tried deleting stuff from my phone and memory card. I tried deleting some people from my contacts list - didn't work. This pretty much makes my phone useless too.

Non-working physical buttons - The volume-up and the camera button doesn't work. You have to press it crazy hard for it to work.

Sluggish - the phone gets more and more slugging whilst navigating through applications

Headset - the left ear piece gave up way too early in the phone package's life.

Furthermore, here are a few things that also bugged me. They're not really from daily use but phone limitations from the get-go.

Message limit - somehow, I can only save a total of 450 messages in the phone's folders.

Screen brightness - it's a struggle to read what's on the screen under direct sunlight even on max brightness

No slot for stylus on the phone - the cloth pouch has a slot for the stylus but this is an inconveniece for stylus-users who don't want to use the pouch. That pouch doesn't do a very good job as well. After a while it gets loose and the stylus can easily slip through.

Now I don't know what to do with this phone. With all its problems, it's very unpractical to purchase this phone. However, I know it's still worht something.

Suggestions?

Why Don't I Feel The Christmas Season?

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:14:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, I thought it was normal since it's still several weeks away. But today is the 21st of December and I still feel like November.

I don't feel like getting Champagne to celebrate. Even if I've started telling myself that I'm getting old and Christmas is going to be different from before, this year the Christmas Cheer just seems too elusive. Part of it is because of the tragedy in CDO and Iligan. It's hard to celebrate knowing other people are suffering like that. And because of this event, the media is showing more depressing news updates. I think they are also careful not to seem too festive so they won't come off as insensitive like Pnoy did.

Even with that said, I still don't feel the Christmas Season. It's Thursday tomorrow. Christmas is on Sunday. What's worse, I still haven't done any Christmas shopping yet! Hello, last-minute shopping crowds!

Anyway, it's still a few more days away, I still have a chance.

7-11's "Donation"

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:26:00 +0000

The popular convenience store 7-11 drew mixed reactions in the relief efforts for the devastated people of Cagayan De Oro.

On behalf of our fans, we are donating P10 for every new like, up to 1 Million Pesos. You can help by liking our page, and hitting the 'share' button. http://on.fb.me/711TyphoonSendang

-http://www.facebook.com/711philippines/posts/10150651236378228

That's posted on their Facebook wall as part of their "corporate social responsibility."

For me, this is done in really bad taste. I see it as "we have the money to help save people's lives BUT we'll hold on to it and let people die of hunger and/or sickness until our marketing goal is met." It all looks like just a marketing strategy, then they claim to be "good people" because "they helped."

If they have the money, why not donate it NOW!?

Did I LIKE the page and share the info? HELL NO. My morals is worth more than ten fucking Pesos. I'll donate on my own and urge people to donate through different channels and not be a part of this whole 7-11 marketing campaign. Why they chose to advertise in this dire time and take advantage of the situation, I'll never know.

Helping out?

Furthermore, no one should feel guilty for not "liking" their page. I saw a lot of comments saying that they just did it to help out. Bullshit. If people really wanted to help out, there are tons of ways. "Liking" 7'=11's page only adds another 10 Pesos to the so-called donation. You can donate much more than that on your own using your cellphone! Don't tell me these people can't spare 15 or 20 Pesos for CDO and Iligan. If they have the means to get on Facebook, I trust they have at least 10 pesos to spare. "Liking" 7-11's page for the sake of helping is just showing how cheap and/or lazy you are. They "like" the page and tell themselves and other that they helped. Also, not participating in this bullshit doesn't mean I don't want to help out!

Some supporters are also saying that 7-11 is doing this to help spread the word and get more people involved. Bullshit. People can just share the status itself if spreading the word is really the goal. They shouldn't be required to "like."

It's also possible that this money is part of their marketing budget. If so, they should have said so. It would have been better that way. At least they are not claiming that they're this extremely generous corporation. I fee that they're gonna get more complaints like dealfun.com complaints.

Because of this, I will boycott 7-11. I don't care if they're open 24/7 and it's convenient. They just lost a customer.

Why Is Tumblr Popular Again? (rant)

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:01:00 +0000

I don't get Tumblr. I have no idea why it's so damn popular. And I consider myself an Internet guy. I easily take a liking to almost anything and everything online.

I think it's cause I see Tumblr like it's just another fad. It's something that'll die down eventually.

Yes you see cool shit on Tumblr but it's nothing that you can't find anywhere else. Unless a celebrity that you're a fan of blogs exclusively on Tumblr, I don't see any sort of reason to browse the platform looking for cool shit unless you're trying to be cool and say you're on Tumblr. -which is pathetic.

You see, Tumblr caters to lazy people. It has a Twitter-like feed where you follow other bloggers. And your dashboard (basically your Tumblr homepage) allows you to see what those people "posted." The system of seeing what you or your friends think think is cool displayed in a neat dashboard must be heavenly for those who haven't discovered Feed Readers. (If you're one of the people who hasn't discovered Feed Readers yet, try Google Reader. It allows you to subscribe to frequently updated websites. It's like your Tumblr dashboard except you can subscribe to almost any kind of website, not just Tumblr. But I digress. Back to the topic.) It also gives wannabe bloggers a feeling of accomplishment even though they're too lazy to create any content. They just re-blog other people's posts.

This "re-blog system" creates a popularity contest environment which is measured by the number of followers you have and the number of times your posts (assuming you create your own) are re-blogged. This was even more intensified with what used to be called "Tumblarity," which is supposedly a numerical scale of your Tumblr popularity. I guess it's this popularity contest which pushed Tumblr bloggers and content creators to continuously churn out good content. But I repeat, you won't find anything on Tumblr that you won't see anywhere else.

I also don't like Tumblr's structure. It's fucking hard to navigate to single posts since posts are not meant to be viewed individually. Tumblr's feel suggests that its content is to be viewed in a stream-like manner which, for me, is stupid. I believe in emphasizing the individuality of each post in a blog. I'd like to be able to navigate easlily to each individual post because not all blog posts are created equal. Rarely does one find a blog with whose posts are all "killers." A blog with all killer posts is like an All-Star team. Tumblr gives off a feeling that if you're not signed-up, you can't enjoy Tumblr-hosted blogs fully. Walled garden?

The entire platform doesn't seem to be SEO friendly, too. So rarely do Tumblr posts and blogs appear for my searches in Google. And not one SEO article I've read suggests that Tumblr has good on-site SEO. But this is just my hunch.

I also hated the fact that clicking an image doesn't take me to the image or the post or not even on a webpage for the image, it takes me to the home page of the motherfucking blog it's from. This is very trouble if people are backreading and looking at month-old posts. (I dunno if this has changed or if this is just for some Tumblr blogs but this always happens to me)

And Tumblr isn't scoring well on the content creation side either. As far as I can remember, Tumblr uses Amazon hosting for its content. This means URL to images are very hard to manage. It's practically impossible to link to an image. This is good if you don't want your image to be embedded elsewhere in the web. But if you're trying to edit your post and you have limited HTML knowledge, this can be very troublesome. I've blogged on Multiply, Blogspot and Wordpress. I've also tried submitting content on small and unpopular link and bookmark submission sites. But nothing gave me more trouble than Tumblr. (and I'm not even exaggerating) I was dumbfound when I saw that post titles are not required. How the fuck are people supposed to navigate? There's limited support on editing the HTML of your post. Fuck, even Multiply has a better post editor in my opinion.

It pains me to see nothing but praises for the platform and yet I can't find even one single exceptional thing about it. Yes, even celebrities (mainly online) are jumping on the Tumblr bandwagon but I think it's only cause it's popular and it's where the online crowd is.

For me, Wordpress is still the number one place for creating and delivering non-video content on the Web. Blogger comes in at a very, very close 2nd.

Tumblr is the new LiveJournal. And I can't wait for it to die its slow, natural and unavoidable death.

Offensive Tagalog Pickup Lines

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:34:00 +0000

This psot is also from the comments. These ones are the offensive and mean Pickup Lines! And some of them are just plain stupid. Read them here 'cause they won't be approved.

boy: baboy kb?? girl; bkit? gs2 mo baboyin kta??
boy; miss tae kaba? girl: bakit? boy: nakakasuka ka kc..!!!
suka ka ba? ....bakit......kasi ang asim mo
AKO: GRANADA BA KAYONG LAHAT? SAGOT NYO; BAKIT? AKO: PARA KASI KAYONG MGA SABOG!!! NYAHAHAHAHAHA
,.alam moh miss kita., .,bkit? .,thank you.,.wahahahaa
baril kba??? . . . . patira naman.. khit isang putok lang..:PP
` kanal ka ba? (bk8?) kc tanga lng mahulog sau....
palay kba? kasi ang sarap mong bayuhin ^_^
ihi ka ba? (baket?) ang sarap mo kasing iflush eh
girl: unan kb? boy: alam ko n yan, kc msarap akong kayakap?:) girl: hindi no! kc amoy panis na laway ka ehhh.. yuck!!! :)
kulangot kba?? ,,, kasi sa bwat paghinga ko RANDAM KITA..!
tyinelas ka .....bakit ang sarap mo tapakan
tae kb?? baho mu ee
BOY: nasabi ko na sayong maganda ka? GIRL: (kinilig) OO naman!! BOYL: naniwala ka nMn!!!! haha ouch basag!!!
BOY: miss alam mo bang hindi ka tao? at hindi ka din bagay? GIRL: eh ano ako? BOY: UNGGOY!! hahaha!
red h0rse kah vah .? . . . . [vkt?] . . . . mkha kah kcng kbay0 ..! haha ..!
may load ka ba?? . . . . . . . . pa text naman oh!!!!
Statwa kaba? pagalaw nga
ISDA KABA? - - - Baket? - - - SAPAKIN KITA DYAN EH!! SABIHIM MO ISDA KA PA RIN!! xD
girl: miss baril ka ba? hindi bakit? boy: ang lakas kc ng putok mo! ahaha
kusilyo ka ba? kasi saksakan ka ng panget ehhh!
ice cream ka b? bkit?ksi pgnakikita kta n22naw ako eh
mangga kba?????? bket?? mukha kcng klabaw:}:]hehehe?
e2 bago broadband kaba kc ang wala lang
tae ka ba.. ...bakit... kaci ang baho mouhh
mamahalin mo rin ako..... bakit? masarap kasi ang kare-kare.
cellphone ka ba? bakit? kulay violet kasi ang talong
Aanhin pa ang damo kung sayo palang patay na patay na ako
kotche ka ba? bkt? kasi.... na gugutom na ako XD

There are actually more of these offensive ones than real pickup lines. People these days! Haha

Cheesy Tagalog Pickup Lines 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:42:00 +0000

These are from the comments!

alam mo para kang cactus.... . . . . . . pero handa akong yakapin ka sa sandaling kailangan mo ako.. kahit alam kong masasaktan lng ako

holdaper ka ba? - - - - - - - - - - - Ibibigay ko kc sau lhat wag mu lng akung saktan

sana salamin na lang akoo nang sa ganun ,, lagi mo ang aqng tinititigan .. _pinkaholic_IV-B

boy: head and shoulders ka ba girl: bkit boy: coz ur my worlds no. one

sana T ka na lng para im always next to U

sabi nila libre mangarap... bakit? sana libre nalang ako... kasi pangarap kita ehhh

B:pangarap ka ba? G: Bakit? B: Kasi sabi nang nanay ko FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS

boy: nsan k kagabi gurl:nsa bahay bk8? boy: kya pla wala k sa pnginip ko

ang HAPPINESS hnd nagc2mula sa H nagc2mula sya sa U

bf:matalino kaba
gf:bakit?
bf:sagutin mo nga ako

May Kakambal Kaba?. (Baket?) kasi Nandito Kana sa Isip Ko, nandito kapa sa Puso ko!

Boy: Kapag napasabi kita ng "I love you", tayo na ah! Girl: *payabang* Sure! Game! Boy: Anong kulay ng araw? Girl: Yellow Boy: Anong favorite mong color? Girl: Pink Boy: 7+7=? Girl: 14 Boy: Oha! Napasabi kita! Tayo na! Tayo na! Girl: Hoy! Sandali lang! Sabi mo kanina kapag napasabi mo ako ng "I love you"!! Boy: Haha! I love you too, girlfriend!! Muah! Girl: Ay, shet! 'hayte_relika' *_lhabz Cco_* aira cristina delapaz salvador:)

LiPSTICK kah bah ..??? . hinahanap ka kc ng LABi cu ee .. nnnnnyaaaaahh . an sabe .. hehehe :)

sna bulsa knlng ng POLO SHIRT q!.. . . BKit? . . . . PAra MAlapiT ka XA PUSO q... hehehe mOi-MOi YUm-YUm

Finally approving 3-month old comments

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:03:00 +0000

Finally got around to approving old comments. Most of these are from the pick-up lines posts, or more specifically, almost all of them.

Some are blatant link building strategies.

There are about 4 of those comments.

Most of these are most likely going to a new post. And surprisingly, most of them are also "offensive" ones. Haha!

Feels good to finally take care of these waiting comments. They are compiled here and here or check out the bottom comments on my Cheesy Pickup Lines posts to see them.

6 People I Want On My Zombie Apocalype Team

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 18:20:00 +0000

Just in case the walking dead does roam the Earth and kills most of the populace, here are the people I want to be on my team to battle the brain-eaters.

1. Bob Munden - Literally the "fastest gun in the West." And he is as deadly-accurate as he is fast.

2. Isao Machii - Real-life version of Goemon (Lupin III) and Battousai (Rourouni Kenshin). The "Modern Samurai" does things you'd think you'll only see on Anime, movies and TV shows. He weilds a katana and cuts soccer balls, baseballs and even a grain of rice! His record is cutting a BB bullet (pellet gun bullet). Yes, he can cut that tiny plastic thing into two. And did I mention that he hits a moving bullet fired from the BB gun?!

3. Kate Upton - Well, because I'm a guy and it's Kate Upton.

4. Old Spice Guy - He turns sand into diamonds, rides horses backwards, swims and flies within a few seconds while talking in a kick-ass voice. He's also a giving person. As a matter of fact, he plans to give gifts to the entire human population this Holidays 2011. Also, he defeated the 90's commercial icon Fabio.

5. Chuck Norris - Only he is capable of things like:

When Alexander Bell invented the telephone he had 3 missed calls from Chuck Norris.

Fear of spiders is aracnaphobia, fear of tight spaces is chlaustraphobia, fear of Chuck Norris is called Logic.

Chuck Norris doesn't call the wrong number. You answer the wrong phone.

Ghosts sit around the campfire and tell Chuck Norris stories.

Chuck Norris doesn't actually need to eat. Food just uses his body for protection

Chuck Norris won the World Series of Poker using Pokemon cards

Chuck Norris has a grizzly bear carpet in his room. The bear isn't dead it is just afriad to move.

Once the cop pulled over Chuck Norris....the cop was lucky to leave with a warning.

There used to be a street named after Chuck Norris, but it was changed because nobody crosses Chuck Norris and lives.

Chuck Norris died 20 years ago, Death just hasn't built up the courage to tell him yet.

Chuck Norris has already been to Mars; that's why there are no signs of life.

Did you know Chuck Norris had a role in Star Wars......he was the force.

When Chuck Norris rides into the sunset, the sun is actually running from him.

Chuck Norris grew a beard at the age of eighteen. Seconds.

Some magicans can walk on water, Chuck Norris can swim through land.

Chuck Norris can cut through a hot knife with butter.

6. Chef John - Yes it's the zombie apocalypse. But that doesn't mean we can't eat what we want. If by some luck, we find an abandoned supermarket full of food, it wouldn't hurt to have this guy whip us something good. Chef John spares no expense in preparing the best meals.

How about you? Who'd you pick to be on your zombie apocalypse team?

"Cheesy Pinoy Pickup Lines", my traffic, keywords and tips

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 19:27:00 +0000

This is a personal blog. Though I have tried to hi-jack a some keywords on this blog's early life, I eventually decided to stop doing so. Or at least to minimize it because the domain is my full name. I want it to reflect me above anything else and not just some popular phrase totally unrelated to me.

Cheesy pinoy pickup lines is not an SEO post. It's more of a personal post because I actually like those funny pick-up lines. I never imagined that it will blow up like that. It led me to create follow-up posts with more pick-up lines. The next one, Even More Cheesy Tagalog Pickup Lines, became an even bigger hit. The original post how has 160,000+ page views and counting while the follow-up has more than 180,000+ and counting. The second one got its views in a shorter period. For some reason, the Google really loved it.

My posts were practically the only posts appearing on the search engines regarding the subject. That's why my traffic increased dramatically. Considering the facts that this is not an SEO blog, it doesn't get updated often, there are relatively few backlinks (except for link exchanges), the content is nothing out of the ordinary and I don't blog walk, it's really awesome that there was a point that I was getting more than 2,000 views daily.

I was constantly in the top 20 blogs of topblogs.com.ph for months. My live traffic widget (I removed it) showed new visitors every minute.

I guess my "public stats" attracted the attention of other bloggers. Today, even though my posts are on the first page for keywords similar to "cheesy pinoy pick-up lines", I am seldom on the first place like I always was. I don't blame them, though. I do the same thing. If you see a good keyword, you hi-jack it. Simple. No one owns a monopoly on keywords and no one has the right to get mad or anything like that.

The weird thing is that my "fall" didn't happen slowly like the increase of my traffic did. I experienced a sharp decline on one specific day and bounced back. It's like the search engines just decided to hate one day. I don't remember doing anything particularly significant prior except that I don't update frequently.

Anyhow, here are some tips if you happen to hit that "magical" keyword :

-- Protect your traffic stats. Think twice before you put anything that will reveal your traffic and/or keywords on your blog. They may offer instant gratification when you open your website from anywhere and they may be more convenient than "private" tools like Google Analytics but you are also essentially revealing your bread and butter if you use them -especially "live traffic" and "how many are online" tools. You will attract the eyes of ther keyword-hunter (i.e. competition)!

If you do decide to disclose your traffic stats, get ready for tougher competition.

-- Capitalize on your keyword. If you hit a jackpot keyword, analyze. See if it's beneficial to create follow-up posts or create a new blog or website for the keyword all-together. Check and see if the keyword will still be hot in the near and distant future.

-- Capture your traffic. Make sure that you have a way to "capture" the incoming flood of views. You should have RSS feeds / email subscription options, Facebook Like buttons (for pages), Twitter "Follow Me" buttons and whatever else to capture your visitors. This will enable you to tap on that audience in the future.

-- Turn your visitors into promoters. Encourage your visitors to share your content. Ensure that they can at least "Like" and "Tweet" your post. Those two are the most important. Any other sharing tools are optional.

Those simple things are pretty basic if you're a blogger but it's worth knowing or remembering. Happy blogging! :)

Funny "Triangle Diagrams"

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 15:47:00 +0000

Ok so the deal is you just pick two out of the three:

Your College Life

How You Balance Your Time

Looking For A Job?

Looking For A Date?

Lytro Camera Released (and some of my thoughts about it)

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:58:00 +0000

It's out. Orders are being accepted. And shipments will start next year.

The only thing I can be happy or excited about it is the fact that it is available for orders, but not that I'm buying one. I'm just excited to see more of it.

Having seen the camera online, I can list a a lot of things wrong with it. It's so disappointing for something that's supposed to be so revolutionary and innovative. I've summed them up into two points -

1) The camera design - it doesn't event look like a camera. I'm really wondering why they chose that stupid look. It doesn't look cool, it's not ergonomically designed (it looks like your hands and wrists are gonna get tired easily after several shots) and the screen is too small. Today's gadget game is all about bigger and bigger screens. It's a camera, you're supposed to look at pictures after you take them. Why would you put in such a tiny screen there? It's cool that you can use the screen to choose a focus point within the camera but how can you enjoy that and appreciate it fully if the screen is so small? They're hurting their biggest (and probably ONLY) selling point.

2) No support for photographers and photo enthusiasts - aside from a few pieces of information available, practically everything is unknown about the camera. Their website says that it has 8x zoom and a constant f/2 aperture and that it gathers 11 million light rays. That's it.

First, what the hell are "light rays?" Is that even a standard unit of measurement? There is no information on sensor size, ISO capabilities, shutter speed, lens focal lenght, etc... Already, pro photographers are not taking a liking to this camera and with this lack of information, it doesn't look like these photogs are gonna change their mind anytime soon. I guess they're new in the business, but a tip for Lytro - if you're making a camera, make sure you impress photographers and enthusiasts.

It seems that they are marketing this as a "gimick" camera - just shoot and worry about focusing later. It looks like they are targeting the casual shooters. I guess they feel that the "serious shooter" market is already dominated by big names like Canon and Nikon. That's fair. Fair, but sad. It's like they are putting up a wall and limiting the possibilities for the technology. Imagine if this kind of feature is available on a DSLR, think of the possibilities.

Also, I don't think that that camera design is going to attract the casual shooters -or any kind of shooters for that matter. It's just plain ugly.

---

On another note, I don't understand why some pro photographers are finding it hard to wrap their heads around the idea and technology behind the camera. As I've said, I think it's just an extended kind of RAW image. I guess they are being turned off by the gimmicky marketing approach and the fact that it pretty much can't do anything else aside from the ability to focus after shooting. If you think about it, paying the price of an expensive point-and-shoot for one feature alone is expensive and the camera doesn't even look cool. But I digress. These pros need to widen their horizons a little bit and stop being locked-up in their full-function, high-powered equipment and professional photography world. It makes them look and sound like elitists. They won't be able to appreciate the trivial, simple quirky little things about photography. Which is what probably drew them in in the first place.

I really hope that the technology is improved and it won't get in a walled garden state. For the sake of photography, I hope that the same technology is made available to big name brands because let's face it, Lytro won't be doing much with it considering its approach to photography and tenure in the field.

How To Feel Rich In An Instant!

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 10:11:00 +0000

Here's how to feel like one of those wealthy buisenessmen chilling in their estate -any time! And the best part is, you probably got everything you'll need to do so.

All we need is:

*** A computer with Internet connection.

That's it.

What you need to do:

1) Go to any media-playing website. (YouTube, SoundCloud, etc...)

2) Find some nice jazz music. (I recommend Turnabout Jazz Soul - Track 8 - Godot - The Fragrance of Dark Coffee)

3) Find some nice ambient background music. (I recommend RainyMood)

4) Find some nice background video.I recommend searching for "fireplace" on YouTube. If your computer and Internet connection are capable of streaming in HD, please do so.

5) Play the music and the video (preferably full screen) at the same time. If you're using a laptop, place your laptop in a nice place in the room like where you would like to have a roaring fireplace, if possible.

6) Get a (preferably hard) drink, sit back and relax!

Of course (2)(3) and (4) can be changed to whatever suits your personality and mood. Skip (6) and this is a great way to set the mood when doing homework or office work.

Even better, you can opt to download this media and have them play on your iPod or your phone anytime. If you have audio / video know-how, you can slap them together in a single video file for convenience.

This also works great when setting the mood for a romantic dinner/evening at home or when you are away on your vacation at a hotel.

Consoles are dying?

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 08:21:00 +0000

In response to this.

Video game consoles have been around for approx thirty years. MS, Nintendo and Sony will NOT let the console market die. Lalo na ngayon, lumiliit na ang share ng MS sa desktop market. And their Internet and mobile efforts are not paying off very well. They NEED to bank on gaming. I think that's their biggest cash cow today. And Nintendo has been around for literally more than a hundred years. You can't expect them to give up that easily in the next ten years.

"The gaming systems that will succeed in the future will be those that manage to move away from being focused solely on video games and more on other entertainment options such as movies, evolving from a traditional game console into more of a set-top box."
---consoles have been doing this for YEARS. The PS3 can play blu-ray and the three major consoles support in-demand content like NetFlix. And yet the author predict that this product line will "die?" He's a little self-contradictory.

Also, the video game audience has a "fanboy" culture. Anything not built specifically for gaming is not likely to get strong and lasting support from the "hardcore" video game community. While tablets and smartphones may continue to "ramp up" their gaming capabilites, if you still call them "tablets" and "smartphones," they will not appeal to the "real" gamer. Nokia has released two gaming phones, Sony has one, and Apple has bragged that its iOS platform offers and excellent gaming experience. But NONE of these efforts enticed the real gamer. They have attracted casual gamers a little. But while casual gamers may be big in numbers, they are not your repeat customers (real business). Nintendo learned this the hard way with the Wii. And while millions of iOS devices have been sold, I don't think anyone bought it specifically for gaming.

Author needs to do a little more research.

"Filipino Champ" Ryan Ramirez (and the local fighting game scene)

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 07:52:00 +0000

One can't deny the talent of the Filipino athlete. We have made waves in pool, track and field, bowling, boxing; and more recently football and dragonboat racing. Unsurprisingly, this extends to the world of e-sports - competitive video gaming. Recently, a team of DotA players competed in a tournament trying to take home a grand prize of $ 1M. Unfortunately, they fell short. But there is another Filipino e-athlete currently making it big in the fighting game scene abroad.

Meet Ryan "Filipino Champ" Ramirez. I found out about him through watching countless Super Street Fighter 4 AE and Marvel vs Capcom 3 videos on YouTube. I think it's really awesome that he chose that nickname to "represent." (fighting game players often choose a nickname when competing in tourneys) And it's not unfit to add "Champ" to the moniker, either. Ryan has won fighting game tournaments all over the US. H ise consistently in the top 4 or top 8 in major tourneys. At Evolution 2011 (the biggest fighting game tournament in the world held every year), he was in the top 8 at Marvel vs Capcom 3. In a few occassions, he has also beat (arguably) the best fighting game player in the world - Japanese Daigo Umehara.

Just recently, FChamp just came from Japan to compete in Super Battle Opera (SBO), aka Tougeki. Though Evo is biggest tournament held every year, SBO or Tougeki is considered to be in a higher level as it has more skilled players in attendance. Japanese players are "considered" better players than Westerners. Almost all US teams who go to SBO never make it past the first round. But to be able to qualify for SBO and fly to another country to compete is an achievement in itself.

That being said, it kinda sucks that we have such a small fighting game community. Apart from this forum, I don't know where else local players go to. Console games are nowhere to be seen at the Pinoy Gaming Fest. I guess that's understandable since PC games are more accessible what with computer shops on every street corner. I think there are more computer shops than sari-sari stores nowadays. And with consoles remaining as a sort of luxury locally, it looks like the local fighting game scene can use all the help it can get.

Sen Miriam Defensor Santiago Pick-up Lines (UPDATED Nov 2011)

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Since my pick-up lines post is so popular, I thought I should post this. This page requires a higher version browser

alternate :

Watch no less than Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago deliver the popular cheesy lines. And notice as she, herself, can't help but giggle.

This was on the University of the Philippines Institute of Human Rights.

Transcription :

Kung magkakaroon ako ng sariling planeta, gusto ko ikaw ang axis nito, para sayo lang iikot ang mundo ko.

Sana FB status ka na lang, para pwede kitang i-like.

Ibenta mo na bahay mo, total nandidito ka na, nakatira sa puso ko.

Sana naka-off ang ilaw, para tayo na lang mag-on.

Noodles ka ba, kasi Lucky Me?

Para kang hold-upper, lahat ibibigay ko sayo, wag mo lang akong saktan.

Galing mo din, ano? Di mo pa ko binabato tinamaan mo na ako.

Maglaro tayo ng kahit ano, wag lang taguan, kasi a girl like you is hard to find.

Sana exam mo na lang ako, para sagutin mo rin ako.

Bastos ka rin, ano? Di ka man lang nagpapaalam tuloy-tuloy kang pumasok sa puso ko.

Google ka ba? Lahat kasi ng hinahanap ko sayo ko natagpuan.

Nakalimutan ko pangalan mo, eh. Pwede bang tawagin na lang kitang… akin?

Nakalunok ka ba ng kwitis, kasi pag ngumiti ka, may spark

--------------------

Di ko sinasabing maganda ako. Sinasabi ko lang, pangit ka.
Pag nakikita kita, parang gusto kong magsorry sa mga mata ko.
Wife: Ibili mo ako ng bagong bra.

Husband: Wag ka ng mag-bra, maliit naman boobs mo.

Wife: Eh bakit ikaw, nagbebrief ka pa?

Q: Pano mo sasabihin sa isang babae na mataba siya na hindi siya mababastos?

A: Excuse me, Miss, Mang Tomas ba ang lotion mo?

--------------------

GUY 1: May sagot ka ba sa exam?

GUY 2: Puro blanko.

GUY 1: Patay.

GUY 2: Bakit?

GUY 1: Baka isipin nila nagkopyahan tayo.

--------------------

Di ko sinasabing maganda ako. Sinasabi ko lang, pangit ka.
Pag nakikita kita, parang gusto kong magsorry sa mga mata ko.

Wife: Ibili mo ako ng bagong bra.
Husband: Wag ka ng mag-bra, maliit naman boobs mo.
Wife: Eh bakit ikaw, nagbebrief ka pa?

Heart Evangelista is so beautiful people often tell her how beautiful she is. And she always says she feels extremely mortified when she hears it. So I told her, “Don’t do that! Why should you be so shy and why should you be embarrassed?” And I told her, “When someone told me, ‘Ang ganda mo’ I answered ‘Sana ikaw rin.’”

In a swimming pool:

Classmate 1: I’m sure lulutang ka.

Classmate 2: Bakit? Dahil payat ako?

Classmate 1: Hindi, dahil plastic ka.

When the cashier at the grocery said, “Miss, pwedeng candy na lang ang sukli ko sa iyo?” I answered “Bakit, tsokolate ba ang ibinayad ko?”

The husband said, “When I’m gone you’ll never find another man like me.” The wife replied, “What makes you think I’d want another man like you?”

transcription from http://www.facebook.com/note.php?created&¬e_id=260636807302803

UPDATE: Marc Logan did another article on her on TV Patrol this November 2011. There is no video available for sharing yet but here are the cheesy quotes transcribed:

Anong height mo? Pano ka nagkasya sa puso ko?

Masasabi mo bang bobo ako, kung ikaw lang laman ng utak ko?

Para kang test paper, naubos na ang oras ko kakatitig lang sa yo.

Sana magtaas din ang presyo ko para minsan matawag mo rin akong MAHAL.

Ngayon break na tayo, daig ko pa ang traffic sa EDSA. I cannot move on

Minamalat na naman ang puso ko, paano kasi laging sinisigaw ang pangalan mo.

Ako na magbabayad ng tuition fee mo, basta pag-aralan mo lang na mahalin ako.

Grabe ang dami nang pick-up lines ngayon, wala na nga ako maisip kundi ikaw.

Sana magkasama tayo sa pila, para pag may sumigaw na next, at hindi mo narinig tatanungin mo na agad ako kung "tayo na ba?"

Pangalan mo pa lang kinikilig na ako, paano pa kaya kung magka-apelyido na tayo?

Taken ka nga, for granted naman.

Straw ka ba? Kasi sipsip ka na, plastic ka pa.

Ang pag-ibig parang ketchup, matamis pero maraming nakikisawsaw.

Transcribed by yours truly. :)

7 TIPS PARA MAIBA ARAW MO

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 05:33:00 +0000

I got this from our Facebook group.

7 TIPS PARA MAIBA ARAW MO:

1. Ibenta ang CP at bilhin ulit.
2. Ibigay ang wallet sa katabi sabay sigaw ng "Holdap!"
3. Maglaro ng taguan tapos umuwi sa bahay
4. Paghiwahiwalayin ang sangkap ng 3in1
5. Uminom ng 5 basong kape at matulog
6. Kurutin ang kapatid at unahang umiyak
7. Makipag jak-en-poy sa salamin hanggang sa manalo.

Haha! Meron pa kayo alam? Hit the comments! XD

People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care.

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 14:39:00 +0000

People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care. - proof of how selfish people are.

Because if you "don't care," that means you most likely won't help them and/or you are of no use to them. And if you have no use for them, they won't care about you.

Why can't we just appreciate how smart or talented or beautiful people are regardless if we have something to gain from it?

Ok, I'm done being a cynical asshole for today.

Thor Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:12:00 +0000

I just recently saw Thor. Good movie. In fact, I think it's better than Captain America.

Thor is what it is - your typical superhero movie. But it excels at what it does. The story, though can be predictable, is still exciting enough to keep you watching until the very end. And you have your basic stuff - character backgrounds, plot, conflict and everything. Even if some supposedly major characters were not properly developed, the whole formula still works what with all the explosions, action scenes and comic book references and all. Thor delivers a fun and entertaining movie perfect for a lazy weekend.

This is not to say that the movie didn't have its flaws. There were a few things that didn't quite add up but realizing that this is your run-in-the-mill Marvel comics movie, I could let those things go. I can let everything pass except for one thing - the chemistry between Hemsworth and Portman (or more specifically, the lack of it.) Yes, they are both good looking Hollywood actors but there is just something about their partnership that didn't fall into place. (spoiler) Their whole kissing scene before Thor leaves for Asgard just felt totally awkward. (spoiler end)

And yes, I do think it's better than Captain America - The First Avenger. I'm not saying the Chris Evans movie is bad, I'm just saying I think Thor is better. Probably because Captain America promised just a little too much. But hey it is Captain America. And he is the First Avenger, after all.

Also, I think this is one of the few movies where I actually like the hero more than the antagonist. But still, props to the Frost Giants and Loki. Looking forward to seeing Thor and the rest of the Marvel guys stop Loki from bringing more mischief in the Avengers movie next year.

Loki - from the 2011 movie Thor

Top 5 Foods I Love Now That I Probably Won't Be Able To Enjoy As Much 10 Years From Now (maybe sooner)

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 11:50:00 +0000

I'm not the healthiest one in the bunch. That much I can admit. While I do have some nice traits, my lifestyle will generally make any health buff cringe.

For one, I don't eat plants except for a few stuff like rice, bread, potatoes, etc. But I don't generally eat any kind of leaf, fruit or vegetable. My stomach gets upset and my lips and mouth get red and itchy. Also, I don't get any exercise at all. Especially during the last few years when I've been freelancing full time. It's a little different now that I have a job and am going outside the house more. Wearing glasses and being generally clumsy on any physical activity has made me skip the possibility of picking up any new sport or physical activity. However, I plan to change this. But I digress. On to the topic.

I'd like to list the Top Five Foods I enjoy now and probably won't be able to enjoy as much soon unless I have a radical change in my lifestyle.

1. Crispy Pata - I only recently "discovered" the joy that is crispy pata. Like with a number of other dishes, this one relies heavily on the sauce as much as it does on the course itself which makes it doubly enjoyable at times. But I have always skipped it until recently because it looks too troublesome to chop and eat. How I wish I enjoyed it more when I was younger and not when I'm starting to get headaches when I eat too much fatty food.

2. Chicharon (deep fried pork skin) - I've never really enjoyed chicharon until, like said, I discovered that I get headaches eating fatty food. I guess I just loved it more because of the "taboo" effect.

3. Sweets - I have a sort of sweet tooth. I don't always crave for chocolates and sweets, but when I do, I can't stop having frequent, tiny servings for days (much like a kid). And this isn't limited to solid food. I also feel craving for sweet drinks like chocolate shakes and milkshakes. This wouldn't be as bad if my grandfather didn't die of diabetis. And my mom's side of the family are all showing symptoms of the deadly disease.

4. Rice - There was a point in my life when I ate rice like crazy. It allowed me to gain weight (coupled with quitting smoking) to normalize my BMI as I was on the underweight category for most of my younger years. These days, there are still times when I eat rice like there's no tomorrow. But being at risk of diabetes, I can't have all the extra rice I want anymore. Bummer when I'm at Mang Inasal or Tokyo Tokyo.

5. Cheese - I love absolutely anything with cheese, provided it doesn't have too much plants in it too. For me, cheese goes with almost any food. And you can double any cheese amount on any recipe with cheese for me, no problem. Hell, when I was a kid, I used to eat plain cheese as a snack! But having no regular exercise, I know the cholesterol will catch up with me sooner or later. So, I try to cut down on my cheese consumption too.

Now this is not to say my eating habits are totally screwed. I do have some good qualities. I have a good intake of fluids - I love drinking water. So that means I pee a lot too. I know that's good cause it cleans the internals regularly. I don't consider myself a heavy eater. I think my meal size is just right for my body size, albeit it doesn't contain greens.

Sooner or later, I really plan to change. I want to atleast go jogging regularly or get on a treadmill. I don't want to have to go and have a low carb candy someday. I have tried to get some greens in my diet before but it just doesn't work. My body just rejects fruits and vegetables. So God help me, I hope soon I'll be able to get healthier eating habits and a healthier lifestyle in general.

Stupid Comments Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 10:00:00 +0000

I've notice quite a few of them before. But I never really saw the potential to use them as blog posts. (you can see how much of a terrible blogger I am) Anyway, here it is - the first of what will hopefully be a series of stupid comments!

U mad brah? or confused...?

This is from my ever popular post of Cheesy Pinoy Pickup Lines.

Lytro

noreply@blogger.com (Carlo) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 02:25:00 +0000

Lytro has been announced for a few weeks now. As expected, it had mixed reactions from photographers and hobbyists alike. And well, here are my two cents on the matter.

In a nutshell, what Lytro does is it allows you to take a picture of a subject or a scene and pretty much forget about getting a focus point because Lytro lets you choose a focus point in post-processing.

Personally, I think Lytro is very interesting. And I think it's genius. It's kinda surprising that Canon and Nikon didn't think of it first.

I look at it as an extended RAW file system. You know how in RAW you don't have to worry about WB, color and exposure that much (or sometimes at all, as opposed to shooting JPG) because you can tweak it in post-processing? This is because RAW files store in as much picture information as it can so that you can edit the image the way you want it afterwards. With Lytro, another layer of picture information is added - focus.

Unfortunately, I think Lytro files will be much bigger than RAW files. It's already a pain that RAW files are around 15-20mb each. I can only imagine how large "focus information" will be. And the required software and computing power shold be amped up as well.

Because of the flexibility it offers, many purists don't like it and think it's nothing but a gimik. I think this is how purist painters felt when photography was starting to get popular as an art form. As opposed to standing in front of a scene or a subject for hours and painting them, a photographer just points his lens and snaps away. But today, no one can argue that photography is an art form. Painters might have felt 'cheated' in some way. And I think film shooters might have felt the same way when digital came into the scene. Digital photography offers virtually unlimited shots and thus it doesn't push the photographer and kinda promotes a spray-and-pray attitude. The thing is, I think that many of them converted to digital anyway.