Win 2 10$ Amazon Gift Cards!

Another chance to win!

Last month, I gave away two Pairs of eyeglasses. If you weren't one of the lucky two winners, you can still enter this contest. So it is time to give away something else for this month. I've decided to give out two 10 dollars gift cards. This will be an easy to enter and you will also help me in the same process. Like last time, I will be using Random.org to find those two lucky people. So here are the rules!

Rules for entry!

First way to earn 10$ is a simple one. Just sign up for my Mailing List, nothing else is required. If your already signed up, your automatically entered into the running of the first 10$ gift card. Just sit back and wait!

The Second way, Is to tweet:

How to Win a 10$ gift card go to: http://bit.ly/iXi2iA #paulstechtalk #giftcard #free

You may only tweet this once per day, I will be watching the tweets if you start to spam people on twitter, I will know. So don't do it to many times, or your will be disqualified for the 10$ gift card. The more you tweet the better your chances are at getting the prize, so tweet 30 times and you could be the winner, that is tweet from 06/14/2011 12:01am EST to 07/13/2011 11:59pm EST and I will be watching. Good luck to all the people who enter and We will see who winds next Month!

If you like me to give out even more from Amazon, please bookmark the Amazon link and use that anytime you shop at Amazon and that way I will be able to give away even more cards down the road.  For your convience, you can use this bit.ly url to buy from Amazon:

http://amzn.to/jCdF1y or http://www.amazon.com/?tag=paulstechtalk-20

Anytime you use that link, I will make a small amount off the sale of anything you buy that day.   So the more you use it the more I will make and in turn be able to give away even more stuff from Amazon!

 

Good Luck to All That enter

Paul Sylvester

River Song? A Good Man goes to war!

It all coming together!

I just got done watching Doctor Who: A Good man goes to war and I must say the end of this mid season finale is something that even you can’t imagine. I did comment in the past about the possibility of Amelia Pond having a baby but I never would of imagine that Amelia would also bring about the famous River Song performed by Alex Kingston and She has brought many great ideas and even a possible spinoff of the show if they do decide to do that. I have been intrigued in the past and I am really curious about what will happen.

Spoilers — Ahh those Spoilers!

We first get to see River song in Season 4 : Silence in the Library but I never really connected with who she was until later in the season when we see her again until the Season 5: Time of Angels. Then only then we get to see what the future might hold. She would always talk about Killing a Good Man and we never really understood who but I did think it might of been the Doctor but no one could be that truthful and still be a great character. We do know that she is going to have to be the next or something is going to happen because of seeing in this season that the Doctor dies and doesn’t have time to regenerate. The Episode in question is The Impossible Astronaut. Everything that has happened in this season suggests that there will be a female Doctor Who but I wonder if that means that the Series for the Doctor Who right now is at the end of life.

Is the Series at its end?

I am not sure what will but everything that I have saw in this season suggests that there will be no more Doctor Who or at least a Male Doctor who. I will keep hoping that there will be more to come in the next season and that they will be keeping the series going. I just don’t know what the writers are wanting to accomplish or what their plans for the series. I also wished they didn’t do a mid season cut off just to have you hanging until the fall of 2011.

What do you think will happen? Will they keep the series going or do a Spin off??

Keep it Real

Paul Sylvester

Get Thunderbird to launch Firefox/Chrome browsers in Linux!

This isn't like Windows!

If your like me you probably clicked a link in Thunderbird and thought you would be taken to your favorite browser but that isn't the case with Linux. The pop up screen asking you which application to launch is quite similar to Windows but there is a problem. If you have had no experience with Linux then you might ask yourself "Where's the program files?" It seems that Windows and Linux differs from each other in that aspect. I did have to do some things to get Thunderbird to get it to launch a browser. This quick tutorial will help those new to Linux to do what they have always done on Windows. I will warn people that clicking on links in your emails is the first way to get a virus or a credit card stolen but that is for another topic and discussion!

Some Preparations are in order!

For some of use this is something that should already be included, but it seems that Mozilla didn't add some important config scripts into the Thunderbird application for Linux. Thanks to Google, I found the answers and I thought I would also share them with people so it would be much easier for others to enable launching the browser in Thunderbird.

You will need to add these strings in Thunderbird:

In Thunderbird: edit > Preferences > Advanced > Config Editor

Right click anywhere in the list and click ADD > String. Then add these strings with values!

• String: network.protocol-handler.app.http Value: x-www-browser


• String: network.protocol-handler.app.https Value: x-www-browser


• String: network.protocol-handler.app.ftps Value: x-www-browser

Once that is done, your ready for the next step of the process.

Where Do I find these files?

Most cases you will find these files in only one place and that is almost like a C: Drive. In order to find the right program, you first need to go:

1. /usr/bin/firefox.sh (shell script)


2. /usr/bin/chromium-browser.sh (shell script)


3. /usr/bin/rekonq.ex (Executable)

These are the two files you will need to tell Thunderbird to launch the right application when you click on a link. You should only need to do this once for each type of link from http, https, and the last one is the file transfer protocol but if you do this, I see no reason why you would be able to launch your favorite browser. Depending on which browser you have installed, it should be easily found in the the bin directory and you should be able to launch your browser even if it is not a well known browser. .

Let's Rock Linux

Paul Sylvester

How to get free pair of glasses every year!

That's not possible?

If you saying it sn't possible then you don't know how to refer friends. The great idea of Glasses USA (Affiliate Link)is that you can get your glasses paid with as little as 10 people buy glasses from them. I don't mean to say it is easy but it can be a cheap way to get the people needed to get your free pair of glasses. I like to do this from time when I need new glasses and I'm going to share you the secret to me getting some great glasses for little to no money on your part. Most of the time you have to pay to Glasses, but if you follow my three easy steps, you will be on your way to not having to pay for anything but time.

All it takes is time!

If you willing to invest in a little you can also get glasses for free, this might not be easy but it will be the most rewarding when you Refer people to Glasses USA (Affiliate Sale). I've done this in the past and it works really well. I will be giving you my secrets so you can get get people you free pair of glasses and not spend a dime.

The first thing you will need to do is go to Glasses USA (Affiliate Link)and create an account.

• Go into your Account and find Referred Friends


• Look for the "Share the link with your friends:"


• Use that link provided to tell people about Glasses USA(Affiliate Link)!

There are some other ideas to consider!

If you have a weblog or website you can always recommend it on your website and using that URL that you just got done finding. It can be a very easy way to get a free pair of glasses. I must say that I am an sell for them (Affiliate Link) also so when I am done getting my free pair of glasses, I then switch back to my affiliate link. So you can see this is very useful for me to make money the rest of the year and still get my free pair of Glasses.

Use the URL on:

• Twitter


• Facebook


• LinkedIn


• Other Social Networks

If you do it right you can get a free pair of glasses each year. Although it can be very useful to also include coupon codes when you refer people in blog posts and other social networks. Like here are some for you right now:

• Get 50% off any pair of eyeglasses (basic single vision lenses) on orders over $80. Use code: SPECIAL50


• Buy any pair of glasses and get FREE U.S. shipping plus FREE anti-scratch, anti-reflective, and UV protective coatings! Use Code: FIVESTAR


• Get Multifocal Lenses + 3 Premium Coatings for only $45 (Instead of $110)! MULTISAVE


• Get FREE SHIPPING on any US order. No minimum purchase required!
  Use code: freeship10


• Buy two or more pairs and get FREE U.S. shipping plus FREE anti-scratch, anti-reflective, and UV protective coatings on both pairs! Use Code: PERFECTPAIR


• LIMITED TIME SALE – Get 20% off any pair of prescription eyeglasses from our iSee Eyewear collection + Free Shipping within the US (basic single-vision lenses included).  Use code: ISEE20FS

Find more Coupons on this page! (affiliate Link)

We all need glasses

Paul Sylvester

Living with Linux offline and blogging about it!

No time to be offline!

Hey Let's face it, I am more and more wanting to blog. It is however quite hard to do that while traveling or when I have family. So I been curious as to how to do that. As you know I've been using Linux more and more. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The only problem sometimes is I didn't have a internet connection and I know myself, that can be quite hard to write blog post. So I went searching around to see if I can blog offline. I found some great little programs that will do it easily in Linux.

Blogging Offline, Didn't know you could do that?

If your like me, you probably think you have to be online all the time. I am just glad that I found a program that will do me everything that I wanted to do with blogging and publishing my posts. I hate those times when I do not have access to an internet connection and I have something that I want to write. I didn't know you could blog offline either, but as I was wanting to delve more and more into Linux, I am steadily making Kubuntu my home away from Windows. I've always been fascinated with writing and Linux in general so that is why I am leaning more and more on teaching others about the Operating System.

Some programs that you should check out:

• Blogilo -- This is the one that I am using with Wordpress right now and it seems to work really well. I'm really impressed with the software and I think they are making some great strides with offline blogging.
• blogGtk -- Looks good but have not actually tested this one out. I will install it later on but the screen shots don't look anything like Blogilo and even then It looks somewhat the same. I guess I could live with any blogging software but right now I am loving Blogilo.
• Gnome blog editor -- This one looks to be for Gnome projects but does look promising even though I am using KDE. I don't know anything more than that, I might also try that one out just for kicks.

As you can see these are just a Few of blogging tools that the Open source community has created to better fasciliate and make blogging just that much easier!

How do I add links?

There are definately several ways to add links. I will give you a few ideas and let you come up with your own way to help you blog offline.

• Automatic Seo Links plugin -- Great little plugin for the simplest of things. The little plugin will allow you to automatically associate any keyword with an URL. So if I were to tell you about Linux, it would automatically link to a website. This is quite handy and have it used it in the past. You should look into it if you have a wordpress blog.
• Blogilo -- Download you most recent blog post and you will already have links available to keep your readers on your site longer and encourage them to stay on your site.
• Put the links in when your online -- This is also something that is very useful because if your like me, you sometimes can't think of the links but know that if you had internet access you could easily find them. So before you post with Blogilo, just go through the post and put those link in there when your ready.

I hope these help you create even better blog and allow yourself time to be offline. I really am enjoying Linux and how open the community is. Hope to see you soon!!

Keep It Real!

Paul Sylvester

Backing up in Linux is so easy!

Why Do I need to back up in Linux?

This is something near and dear to my heart because of just how important it is to back up you important data.  I've already talked about backup before but I never really thought about back up for Linux until recently.  Let's face it when you came to Linux, you probably didn't think you would need to back but you really do.   I learned the hard way on this.   My Story so others can learn from my mistake, I have been working on a big database for to keep track of who comes in and what they usually order but I had a problem today, and thought I had backed up my database before I re-installed the Linux distro.   In reality, I didn't actually.   I wasn't happy when I found out that the Database wasn't their after I had wiped the drive and re-installed.

Are you ready for a Disaster?

I ask that because I know I wasn't ready and I know most of you are probably the same way.   You probably didn't even think about backing up in Linux.   I am not really worried about backing up the distro but to back up the important data.   I wanted to share some of them with you and so you can update yours accordingly.   So here are a few good Ubuntu/Kubuntu back programs:

• KBackup -- This is the one that I am using right now but will be looking for a way to do offline back up in the cloud. (apt-get install KBackup)


• Simple Backup Solutions -- Another one that I have found that will be playing with later on this month.  (apt-get install simplebackup)


• fwbackups -- This is one of the more easier backup programs, that can do single and scheduled backups.   This might be the one for me but only time will tell.  (apt-get install fwbackups)


• Amanda -- If your have several different clients who need to have offsite backups this would be one way to do.   Allows you to have mulitple backups to a single server.   This might be good for my clients, will have to look into this one.


• And more . . . . . .

There are even more out there but these are the ones that interest me and I thought they would interest your also.    I will look online for some cloud storage later on this week.   You should always have more than one backup plan.   I always like the Rule of 3's when it comes to backup:

1. In the Home


2. A pen drive


3. Off site

It's time to change

If you haven't already started a backup plan for your Linux machine, it is always time to change.   You probably have something you want to keep and not lose.   You could have Pictures, documents, and client information that you need later on.   So what are you waiting for?

I'm backing up Now!!

Paul Sylvester

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With Linux, All you Really need is Google!

Linux can keep you sane!

I don't say that lightly because today, I was going to use Linux and all of the sudden I couldn't get past the Kubuntu splash screen.   It would just hang their not doing anything else.   I didn't know what was going on, if you have seen the look on my face you would of know I was scratching my head.   The obvious question though is what happened, that I was asking myself.   This isn't something that I am new at, but it was something I've never dealt with because when I was using Linux in the past it was always for leisure and not something that I used regularly.   Now that being said, I have begun to use KDE and Ubuntu more and more.   I find the open source community really intriguing and I am wanting to learn.

Keywords are the key!

When you have a problem with Linux, all you really need to put the right description of the problem into Google,  and you'll find the answer eventually.  Now I won't say this hasn't been a learning experience, because recently I bought a book to better help me to learn more about Kubuntu and Ubuntu called "Beginning Ubuntu Linux", So I will be reading up on how to handle the operating system more and more and being able in the future to help others with the same problem.   If you haven't gotten a book, I'd start there like I am.   I will do a review of the book later on when I get done reading it from cover to cover but for right now it will be a handy tool.

Solution to my Problem!

This solution that I will be talking about might not work with you but at least it will point you in the right if doesn't work.  I first searched several different forums, the Ubuntu Forum and the Kubuntu Forums for the answer using Google I might say.  After much searching I found a topic about updating and Graphics stop working and talking about the xorg not starting.  Which in turns lead me into the other topic Just Updated, Graphics have stopped working and thus lead me it how to fix my problem without having to wait till I could get a Pendrive from my house to fix the problem.  If you are looking for the solution here it is:

Go into Recover Mode

Go into the Terminal -- I couldn't even boot into the GUI safe mode
apt-get remove xorg-driver-fglrx

That wasn't all I did, I also did

apt-get autoremove

This was just in case I missed something.

I was messing around with fixing the KDE4D bug where it would freeze up everytime I would disconnect from the VPN and so I edited the

sudo nano /usr/share/kde4/services/kded/networkstatus.desktop

I then changed the true to the false

X-KDE-Kded-autoload=false
X-KDE-Kded-load-on-demand=false

I thought that might also be the problem so I changed that back to true.   Any ways, after I did all that, I got my Kubuntu to come back to life.   I don't know necessary understand what happened but I did fix it.   I did however find a good work around for that bug for the time being.   Just install KNetworkManager and it will automatically remove the plasma-widget-networkmanagement. So Now I don't have to worry about the system locking up and not being able to do anything.   I do hope they fix the Plasma problem in the coming updates but I will just have to wait see.

Go Linux

Paul Sylvester

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Linux will never have a Virus, Some say!

I got an Interesting Comment yesterday:

Wouldn't you bet that this topic is very popular with the linux community at a whole but that isn't what makes it interesting.   I got a comment that I must talk about in parts.

It’s not a question of whether Linux will get viruses. There are already a number of worms and other malware that have struck Linux services. As for a virus or other malware attacks against Linux as a whole, it can’t happen the way it can for Windows and Mac OS X. It’s a question of homogeneity vs. heterogeneity. Windows and Mac OS X have two flavors, 32bit and 64bit essentially [this is an over-generalization, but it's generally true]. Linux is so balkanized, that it’s difficult to think a virus could be written that could affect every distro out there, since none of them run the same versions of various system software [like services, filesystems, etc.], so it’s not likely that the same type of flaw will exist everywhere. Also, with distributions like Debian so many architectures are supported, and it’s difficult to imagine some virus author to put in the effort to make the virus able to infect so many disparate systems. The law of diminishing returns applies here.

This argument is something that is near and dear to my heart for several reasons.    Having seen Apple getting hit by a virus and malware, who thought they were educated also never once thought about getting a virus.   Now lets face it this isn't like a major system to some but there are more and more of linux users out there because of the fact this is a free system and many people would argue that they can't afford to buy a new version of Windows every 2 or 4 years and some of us will not buy Apple due the Apple tax.   So there we have it, more and more people are turning to Linux because of this worldly recession and that means more and more people are using Linux and the eyes of the malware writers will start to find holes and other ways to infect users.

Just because it is unlikely doesn't mean it won't happen!

We have seen in the past that there are Unix viruses and that was never really popularized as Apple having a Virus.   Now just because the Linux community is fragmented into many different flavors doesn't mean they don't have something in common to all of them.   The Kernel alone has to have something in common with all flavors to be considered viable.  That in such means that the flaw that you suggest could and probably does exist everywhere.    When someone says law of diminishing returns applies here, I have to imagine that you do not know that with any web surfing instance, I can easily find out which Linux you might be using and thus create a script for it.     Which in my Mind that sounds oddly like your using the old argument of Security through obscurity and we already saw how Apple got hit by a virus because they thought this same thought for several years.

Segmentation is everything to Malware:

So I agree, it’s possible that viruses for Linux will be in the wild sooner than later, but they will target specific distros/architectures [like Debian, Red Hat, SuSE, and derivatives, or even Android, and all the architectures supported by them]. Also, this means that the target markets for Linux viruses will be segmented and segregated, and thus much less profitable than markets as huge and contiguous as Windows or even Mac OS X. Until there’s no more low hanging fruit like this, virus writers won’t have the economic incentive to target Linux in general, except maybe to prove it can be done. But then again, the returns won’t ever be as spectacular as they can be on relatively homogeneous systems like Windows and Mac OS X. Thus it will always be possible to write Linux viruses, but not nearly as probable as with other commercial operating systems.

Segmented Linux distributions makes it just that more probable of getting a virus.   Most writers will love to have segmentation and they have used it in the past.  The Market segmentation would make it just that much harder for any one Linux Distro to remove the virus.    If you have several different flavors of Linux, you would have to remove the virus or malware a certain way with each and every version of the flavor.    Not everything is about economics, most of the writers have in the past did not want to segment because of the need to infect for ransomware, thus creating a way for income.   With the development of Antivirus Companies for Windows, they have alternatively changed tactics.   One of there new tactics is to spread to as many systems and use those system to send out spam, to redirect, infect other systems, and also pop up advertisements.    This is why they would love Linux because of the fact that there are so many segregated communities that it would be much harder for a system to be cleaned and thus the user would have no other option but to re-install Linux or live with the problem.   I for one have fought off viruses in the past with my clients so I know that some customers do not know anything about virus removal and thus will live with the virus until someone comes to fix the problem.   That is why I believe the Linux community as a whole should start developing a Virus database and work at stopping the problem before it starts.

What do you think?  I'd love to hear your comments?  Feel free to leave your comments at tell me your thoughts!

Only Time Will Tell!

Paul Sylvester

 

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How to customize your Wordpress Theme : Overview!

Theme are so simple!

You've probably read on one way or another from other blogs on how to do it.   I have thought it would be nice to discuss this at a really long length to help other bloggers customize their themes and you don't have to pay for anything.   You can download free themes from Wordpress or other sites and get any free theme and make it your own.  Editing a theme is not rocket science just a little know how and learning.   I've learned all this over my past few years and thought it would be high time to help others with the task.   If you ever wanted to edit your theme to make it more personable then this little tutorial is for you.

Explaining themes : Task at hand!

I won't say the task at hand is going to be an easy one, and that I will be talking about how to do everything to your theme, but I will be talking about several areas of theme editing and customization and you are going to want to stay tuned.   In this series, I will be talking about:

• Customizing your header


• Customizing your sidebar


• Customizing your content


• Customizing your Footer


• Adding ads to post using the Themes Function


• Why you would want to customize your theme

As you can see this will be a little more in depth then what others might of done or not done.   I don't know but I wanted to add my own spin to the discussion.   Anyone can edit a them but do you want to break it?   That is the most important question.   I am not going to tell you every nuance and what will happen if you do all this but this is going to be a great general guide for anyone who might want to get there feet wet and learn something new.

Why you would want to customize you theme!

If we all had the same theme, then blogging wouldn't be so enjoyable.   I actually like going to other blogs and seeing what type of changes they have done with their theme.    I personally like to change my theme every so often to get a fresh look and feel to my theme but others like to keep the same theme for years and years and that is all fine.   It is just more about preference than anything else.   I am sure someone wants some advice on how to make a theme work with yours.

Programs needed

I'm not saying you need these programs but it will make it far less troublesome if you do use them.   You can easily use an easy text editor to edit your php files but I prefer to use some kind of PHP editor to help me code and see the path of where everything is going as I customize my themes.   Here are some programs to consider installing and using these to make your theme more your own:

• XAMPP -- Great way to see what the theme will look like before you go live with your website.   You can test out various things before anyone even sees your website or knows that you will be changing it.   Works on Linux, Windows and Macintosh


• Notepad++ -- This is a good editor for those who might want to use Windows Machine.   I do not know if it is for linux but You can always try "Sudo Apt-get Install notepad++" to find out.


• gPHPedit -- This is a good little PHP editor but it is mainly for linux.   It is one of those that might be good for occasionally editing.   I like it but can be a pain if your not used to it all.


• Screem -- I like it better than gPHPedit but  it does take some getting used to.   It is also just Linux based right now, so you will have to look for a free php editor for you system elsewhere.

These are just a few of my picks.   If you like them or hate them, I'd like to know by leaving a comment.   If you have other suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment also, so Others can try them out and see if they are right for them.

Stay Safe

Paul Sylvester

 




 

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Why you should use Linux!

I've been using Kubuntu 11.04

Hey let's

Is your Blog half empty or half full?

Are you blogging and nothing is happening?

Let's face it, having a blog doesn't always mean you going to get the audience that you expect. I might not be the perfect example for blogging but it is what everyone is wanting to have a blog. Getting past the noise alone can be a very hard process. You never know who will read your blog or who will comment. That alone could make or break your blog writing ability. I don't mean that it would actually break your blog or anything of that nature, but I am talking about who comes to your blog and why.   This is the reason why some bloggers blog and others journal, each to its own.    Some like to just write down their thoughts and others are looking for the lifetime of knowledge.

Blogging isn't really about money!

Some bloggers want to make money and others like me want to build a community.    It's not that your blog is half empty but you should consider your blog as being half full.  Your probably trying to figure out what you need to blog about but you really should be searching for what you want to blog about and not thinking about the money.  Although I would be amiss if I didn't at least want to make money blogging.   My goal however is to do something that I love and that is to write.   I might not have a lot of writing skills but I will learn and adapt.   Adaptation is the key to a good blog at least in my case.  Knowing that is one part of a bigger picture some would say.

Finding the Time to blog!

This is another facts of life, for some it is easy to find time to blog and for others well just say they need to blog at all hours of the night.    It is actually just personal preferences when to blog, but just because you blog doesn't mean you are going to make a dent in who will come.   It however does mean that you can work hard and expect to make money.  So here are some points that I am going to work on:

• Work with other bloggers -- Having seen how this can help me, I will be collaborating with other bloggers to become a better blog.


• Work on my blog -- I'm am going to rededicate myself to making this a better blog.


• Making money --  Hey I didn't say I wouldn't want to make money but that is something that is going to be secondary to creating a better blog.


• Helping others -- If you need help creating your own blog or setting up your blog then you can contact me and hire me to help you in creating a good blog.

Paul Sylvester

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Something great is coming!

 

From Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Big Surprises coming!

Yes I know this is something you probably haven't heard from me for a while.   I do however have some bing plans coming in the following weeks.   I am unsure when this will happen but you can be sure it will be a great challenge for most of my readers.   I've been in talks with a company or two about something that you will love to talk about and also maybe get in the near future.

If you haven't already!

If you haven't already subscribed to my mailing list, this would be an excellent time to jump aboard.   This mailing list is going to be the launching for this Big surprise, so you will know before anyone else.    So If you haven't, you should.   It is also my newest attempt at keeping you up to date on what is going on.   Whenever I post something new to my blog you will receive an email the next day.   So you will never have to worry about missing a post.  I will also be adding special stuff in this email list from time to time so you will always find those nuggets of wisdom from my list.

How do I subscribe?

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Thats about it, I will see you on the flip side. Have a Good Day!!

Paul Sylvester

 

Are your ready for your last post??

A Great post by Derek K. Miller!

I was reminded by a great post by Derek and it was yes sadly his truelly last post.    If you didn't know Derek and kept reading blog you'd have heard nuances of his problems.   You also have grown to know about his family through his blog post and yet you'd only touched the surface of this man by reading his blog posts.   I didn't know him personally but that last blog post made me want to know him.   It was inspiring and well written and made everyone cherish the person he once was.   I come to think each blog should have something like this to let our readers know that there will be no more blog posts from us.   This is one reason I thought about making an educational post about getting ready to die posts?

How to Get ready for Death!

We've all wondered how we'd have our last blog post published and who'd do it.   That part is yours to decide but I am going to talk about the fundelmentals and let you decide just how you'd it.   I personally feel there are three ways to it:

• Family -- This is the most trustworthy choice because the family members will almost always want your wishes carried out.


• A Will -- This is common in the United States and I am sure in other parts of the world but it is one way to let someone know you have a final post and to publish it.


• A Lawyer -- This is another common way to make sure your post is published by giving access to your blog through a lawyer.

As you can see these are my ideas of how to publish that last post.   All though these are just a few, I thought the list might give you an idea to publish in your own way.    I won't say these are the only ways but these are my ways and I don't see any other ways to do it.

How will they log in?

This problem is common for blog owners because they want to protect there blog from being used for wrong doing.   So you'd probably be one of those who has an really good password that no one has access to it.   I currently use Lastpass and would tell people even with the last problem they had, it is still the best password manager you could have.   One way to give people the access to your blog and all that information that they will need after you die is to give your families or lawyer  several one time passwords for your Lastpass password database.   Now I say that because some of us bloggers have affiliate sales and there may be a need to switch the commission to someone's elses name for them to use the money to keep the blog going.   It just depends on what you want the money to be used for.   A way you can think of it is, it will help pay for your funeral expenses and pay the persons back in the long run.    You'll just want to make sure they know that the domain and hosting should be paid first to keep the money coming in but is little from the money you'll be receiving each month.

Give Admins rights to someone you trust!

This is something that people will have to decide if it is right for you.   You can give someone who you trust their own account on your blog.   Although this is something that you have discuss well in advance.  I don't recommend this tactic because of the possibility that someone could brute force that account and no one would be the wiser.   It however is important to come up with your own way to have that last post publish that your readers can know that their won't be any more post by you and that they can morn for your death because you were part of their lives and you could very well be missed.

Paul Sylvester

 

 

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Write the blog post that you want to read!

Image via Wikipedia

Finding the Inspiration?

No one wants to write about something people would not want to write less alone come visit your blog.   Sometimes the only way to get inspired is to visit other blogs to get inspired.   It can be a difficult process to some but others it is easy.   It however depends on your writing ability and how you approach a topic.   We've all had those times when we need to come up with an idea and expand on it.  A lot of times when I write a blog post, I don't come up with a title until I have wrote the post.   This is something that I have learned to do because it helps me find a good blog post name.   This is one of my tips for those who want to know how to blog.   I will give you several tips to help you

How Do I get Inspired?

I am sure some of you are wondering how I get inspired.   I am going to give you some important tips to blog and finding your topics:

• Always think about Blog titles anywhere you go -- This is something I always think about whenever I do anything from chatting with friends to working on someones computer.   I ask myself, "Is this a good blog topic?", If you answer yes then you should write it down to use later on.


• Dedicate so many hours a week to blogging -- This is another important factor because without work you will not make any new readers come to your site.  I usually try to give myself an hour or two a day to write a blog post but some people will probably be different depending on how fast you type and what you write about.


• Guest Blog -- This also helps you get inspired and also brings you more readers to your new blog.  I want to bring more readers to my blog and I might decide to guest blog even more to bring more people here.


• Find your passion -- If you don't have a passion, your readers will not see it and it will not draw more people to your blog.   The readers are coming to your blog for one reason or another.   That first impression can make or break you, so always right about things that you enjoy and know.

Don't get Burned out!

This is also something that important to me and others.   I however don't have a good way to prevent some blogs from having blog burnout.   I'd love to hear how you get past this little problem and help others get past that problem.  I know I have had that in the past and would love to learn new techniques to prevent that in the future.    How Do you prevent it?

Paul Sylvester

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Intro to Podcasting Part 2

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What is old is New Again!

In my previous post about podcasting, I talked about What is Podcasting and why you would want to podcast. These are some important questions that you must first want to answer before you start podcasting. It is one of the most terrifying things anyone could do but the most enjoyable after you do start podcasting. You can become an expert in your own right but just because you are podcasting doesn't mean you know everything or to ignore the little guy.  You can learn at lot from other podcasters in your field or area.  It isn't that you need to be afraid of the other guys but you should at least be working together and bringing other followers to your podcast.

How to Podcast!

Everyone who ever wanted  to podcast should do their research.   I happen to have done some research on the subject and also was part of several different podcasts.   Some of my most memorable podcasts were:

• Mike Tech Show Listener Round Table #242, 234,  226,  and 207


• Podnutz Episode #221


• Loutrekshow #44 and more

As you can see these are just a few of the podcasts that I was part of.   I really enjoyed them and I wanted to help those who wanted to start your own podcast.   The setup that Mike Smith has is something that only grows from the passion and dedication of his love of community.  It however is not the bare bones to say the least.   He has bought this equipment one piece at a time and you should really start off small and work your way to big.   So what are bare essentials?  It is just these things:

• A good Pair of USB Headphones (Prevents interference from other devices)


• Audacity -- Free for anyone who wants to use this great recording software.


• 1.6 Ghz System perferably a Dual or quad core if you plan to do Video.


• Webcam -- If you plan to add video to your podcast

That is the Bare minium you will need to start podcasting.   It however isn't going to be expensive but it will be time consuming.   So as you can tell some of this is going to be optional but others are required to podcast.   Most of this is just what you feel is needed for your podcast.  If your looking for an in depth article you can check out the how to podcast tutorials.   They give you some excellent advice on what it is required of you to podcast.

The Purpose of Podcast!

It isn't hard to understand why anyone would podcast but if you are curious as to the purpose of podcasting, well I will explain it to you.   Before we had computers we had radio stations and before we had radio stations we had a campfire.   As you can see, we are always want to connect to other people through spoken words because it makes it more personable and real to us.   We all want to be a part of a community to learn something new, so that is where podcasting comes into play.   We can be driving our car and listen to a podcast like an audio book, and not be around a computer.   It seems more and more people are doing this while driving, and less and less listening to the radio.   I must say a good podcast keeps me driving for hours without having to turn the station.

Are you going to be a podcaster or are a podcaster.   I'd love to here your experiences.   Feel free to leave a comment and tell others how you got into the business of podcasting!

Paul Sylvester

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Will blog for money! How to make money blogging.

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Everyone wants to make money Blogging

I bet everyone is looking to make money online. It isn't always easy to blog or even what you want to blog about.  If your anything like me you want to make some kind of money for your hard work.    It depends on a lot of things to go right or at least to go in your favor.   I am here to talk about some of the more stuff than having a keyword or a niche per say.   I want to talk about other ways to draw your crowds to your site and why it isn't just about the niche market but how your present it!

This is not going to be about just making money, because there are more than that to have to do to keep the revenue coming your way.   I intend to talk about what is important and why it is important.   Just because you have a blog and you can blog doesn't necessary mean you will make money but it does give you one step closer!

It's All About Presentation!

I say that because I know that just because you are blogging will not bring in money, but you have to get a high level of readers to want to help you succeed at making money.  When I talk about readers, I am talking about those who either link to your site or want to click your links to support your hard work.     These are the type of followers that can make or break your blog experience.  Just because you have followers doesn't necessarily make for a great blog.   So what are the ways to make money, you might be asking?

Connect with your readers

I know on my other blog I have discuss time and time again.  In my experience you can make some money from just blogging but it depends on more than just blogging about money.   It isn't always the easiest thing to do because more and more readers are quite picky on which blogs they will support and which ones they will not support.

I want to Connect with my readers again!

You've heard me right, I wanting to make that essential connection with my readers.    It isn't going to be easy because of this being a new domain.   Some of my old readers have probably forgotten me or don't even know that I have a new blog up and running.   Although it can't be for me not trying to tell them.    That is why I am asking my current readers to tell your friends and family and let the ones that might of found me before through you.   So they can come back and comment about posts and become a regular visitor on my blog.   If you want this blog to become better, that is one way to do that.   Invite people, and tell family and friends about this blog.   You never know what will happen.   I also made it easier to book mark posts or recommend them to friends and family.   There is a new book marking tool at the top and bottom of each post, so you can recommend my site through email, and Facebook and other ways.   I do ask that you find a good post and click the Facebook like button.   This will also help people find my site and as always thank you for being a regular guest on my blog posts.

Paul Sylvester

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"When it rains, It pours!" : Ways to fight stress!

Image by danieljohnsonjr via Flickr

Your doing your usual stuff and the something happens.   You really don't know what to think or do.   You could be in shock, or just disbelief.   I have had that happen last week.   I thought it would be fun to discuss this and give a few insights as to what I learned.

The back story

I was at work doing what I normally did to make the customers happy.   My job was one of those really good jobs where you would have to always listen to the customer and try to help resolve their problem(s).  It isn't the easiest job in the world, and I bet most technicians would also agree that sometimes the customer can be down right mean or even rude to the technician just because they have no one else to yell at.  Last week I lost one of my dearest and most paying contracts, it isn't easy to just sit still and wonder how will I pay bills now without this retainer client.   I bet Mike Smith has this problem all the time and probably worries about it every week when he losses a client like this.  Some of things that I want to know is how do others deal with stress.

Stress is a killer

I know I am not the only one who has to deal with the stress.   I do however wanted to come up with a way to help prevent some of the stress from happening.  According to some places, Stress can be a great motivator and also be our downfall in the long.   I say this not to scare people but to bring up some very important topics that I thought we should at least look at:

• Stress is different for each person -- Now I am not saying that some people don't have stress but they do not show it very often if never.   You may never know that some person you are talking to is having a stress full day because they may never show the signs of being under stress.


• Stress makes you grow older quicker --  Now this is something that I have felt in the past when I have more stress it makes me feel older and not like I used to be.   This also can be a bad side effect, because it will sometimes send people into a depressed state.


• Stress can give your High Blood pressure --  I should know about this one because this has been my case for the few years.  This is something that I have had to deal with because of what all stress has been put under my belt the last few years.

Fighting Stress

So you have thought about it and have come to the conclusion that you have to much stress in your life.   You're probably like me and want to reduce some of the stress that you are having right about now.   I know I hate stress and what it does to my body.   I wanted to share some ways to reduce the stress in your life so you can live a healthier and longer life.

• Exercising --  This is one of those many found truths that if you exercise everyday, either by walking or do aerobics you can decrease the stress in your life in one way or another.  You should however do something once a day for at least an hour.   I have found walking on paths to be my best way to relieve stress .


• Journaling -- I have found sitting down to blog to be a great way to reduce my stress in my life.  If you don't have a blog or know how to blog this is great time to start.   You can start by creating your free blog at wordpress.com and not have to worry about any of the problems of hosting or domain services.


• Find a friend -- another great way is to talk to someone about your problems and your stress.   Although some people will not do this it is  however a good way to relieve or at least reduce your stress.  Just talking to someone can help you live longer.


• Praying -- Yes You've heard me right.   I have found this to be best way to reduce stress.   You may not know this but I do believe in God and every time something happens, I ask God what to do.   He has answered a lot of questions in his own way.   God has been a source of strength and peace in my every day life.


• Music -- Find some uplifting music and listen to it.   If you find music that lifts your spirit then you will reduce stress in more ways than one.   I have found this to also help my stress.  Most of the time I start singing and I feel my stress going away.   I might not be the best singer but I do sing and it does help.

These are just a few but I will let you figure out how to fight stress.   I'd love to hear how you fight stress and what has worked for you when it comes to relieving your stress.   Please feel free to comment and help me make my life less stressful.

Paul Sylvester

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To podcast or Not to podcast? That is the question!

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I did love doing the Miketechshow Listener Round Table!

I kind of wish Mike would do more Listener Round tables.  Talking about the tech of the day and having those how to podcasts are something that really excites me.    I loved the discussions we had about our experiences and stuff.   I loved the creativity of the podcasts, and I would love to restart those podcasts.   I just have some problems with this.

First Problem: Extra Guests!

As you can see this would be the most crucial part of the whole problem.   Having guests who would want to come on board on a usual period.   I haven't decided if i will do this but if i did, It would probably start off being a monthly podcast and then we'd go from there.

Second Problem: Intro Music and Album Art!

I have never been good with making intro music like Mike does on his podcast.   If I did decide to do this then I'd want to have everything set before I do start having a podcast.  I already have a good Podcasting headset which is the Plantronics .Audio 655 USB Multimedia Headset which is a very good headset to do a podcast with.   I even did most of the podcasts with this head set.   I absolutely love this little headset to use on any podcast.   That at least is not a problem for me right  now.

Third and Final Problem:  Editing!

Although I can edit them using Audicity, I do not have a good understanding just yet and also where I would host the file for you to download.   I can always host it on a free service but I think it is important for the listeners to be able to download them to listen.   Although I have looked around, I have found some great free services but I would like to not do free because most of them require an audio advertisement that i get no money for.   If I am going to do some kind of advertisement, then I would like to have the money to help support the blog or podcasting, so I can buy more stuff to make the podcast even better!

What do you think?   Do you want to do a listener round table like we used to or not??   You answer will determine what I do next!

Paul Sylvester

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Security and Privacy go hand in hand! Or does it?

Image by sfpanda_pix via Flickr

Privacy Really?

I've been commenting on Gail Garners Blog about how Google mail is putting ads in the emails.  Now I have done at least one post about Privacy and you not having it.  If you haven't read my  post then I will give a outline of that post.

It basically boils down to some main points that I will discuss on this post:

• No-one is Immune on the Net -- Anyone and everyone has some information floating out on the internet and even celebrity information that they don't want you find can be found if you look hard enough.


• Know the Information before anyone else -- Seriously if you want to keep track of what is being put out on the net about you.   Have Google email you when either name or some other information that you are looking for gets put out on the net.


• Be Ready for Anything -- There isn't much you can do to actually be ready for Anything but it is more of a statement to yourself that "Nothing will surprise you.".   Sometimes just taking a long hard look at your life and remembering some of this can be quite concerning, so you should be ready for someone to find out and have an answer for them.


• Our life are infinitesimal compared to the scheme of things --  Everyday, I am constantly thinking what can I do to make someone's else happy.   I find blogging makes me happy but I always want to make others just as happy as I am sometimes.   I sometimes like to wake up in the morning and just thank God for each day I can bring something new to my readers!

How Security is involved in Privacy

If you read the title and was a little curious why security is crucial to privacy.   It does not take a rocket scholar to figure this out.  If your are one to worry about your privacy then you should be also worrying about what information is leaking out on the internet from sources that you have no control over.   This means you have to figure out just how far you willing to go.

• Friends --  Sometimes your privacy is left to who you decide who your friends are.   They might accidentally mention your name or some other random tidbit about you.   It all depends on who your really trust and tell them not to share your information.


• Family -- Almost the exact same people as friends but since they are your family, there may or may not be trust so you will have to deal with them in your own way.   This is why I grouped them separately!


• Services -- If your ever signed up for Facebook or other social websites than you have not truely read the Terms of Service.   Most of them, if not all, require to the user to have personal information on there server.   In turn, someone could get on there server illegally and copy all those names and information.

As with my previous post about epsilon having been hacked.   If you have a computer or the internet then your information is slowly being leaked and there is nothing you can do about it.   You can minimize it but that is about all.

I want to hear from you.   Do you think you can still be invisible on the internet?  Leave a comment or ask a question.   I'd love to hear what you have to say!

Paul Sylvester

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My Reasons why Amazon will make an Android Tablet!

Let's face it we heard about stories of the Android Tablet that Amazon developing. In this post I talk about my reasons why Amazon would even develop or sell one. This is a must read for anyone who might want answers as to "Is Amazon making an Android Tablet?"

Click to read more ...