PC Activity Logger

If you feel like you want to check what your child’s (or children) activity online, there’s an Activity Logger software that can do this trick. Designed for real-time computer monitoring, this software runs in invisible mode and creates a logfile that will record the PC activity i.e URLs visited online, keys typed, emails, chats, programs the users run which include the duration the applications were used.

Interested? You can get a free trial of this keylogger from softactivity.com.

Latest PR Update

Here’s the latest result of the PR update by Guurgle.

Tipsandtricks PR is down by 1 point. But that’s fine. I’m a little sad but I’m not really disappointed because I have been expecting this to happen all this time–what with the moneymaking schemes I’ve been doing here – from footwears to weight loss stuffs to acne cures. And even if my previous pagerank's somewhat low, I had a great time enjoying the perks that comes with it. So with this update, I certainly have no regrets. I have expected this to happen sooner or later. So the time has come. Still, my consolation is that at least I still have a PR, low as it is.

Tips? If you breathe and live for your PR rating, then stay away from PPs, TLAs, or other link marketing schemes. Otherwise, be happy with a low or inexistent PR - at least you don't have to beg in the streets to earn some moolahs!

Lightroom Update: 2.1 Released

For those of you who have been using Lightroom for post processing photos, Adobe Labs has already released an update to Lightroom 2.0.

As much as I want to, I won't be able to give everyone some tips and tricks on how to use Lightroom. No, not because I'm checking faucets today but BECAUSE I'm still a new user (and still groping my way). Instead, I'll lead you to a site that gives killer lightroom tips.

Anyway, the beta version may be downloaded here. Have fun and enjoy your Lightroom experience.

2/2 More Socks Please

In Part 1, I've mentioned that there are about 250, 000 sweat glands on each of our foot. Get that? Two hundred fifty thousand! Imagine! It certainly makes our feet sweat more than any other part of our body.

Just imagine if all of these glands produce a teeny weeny dew simultaneously. The feet would really be soaking wet in no time! It could get even through the shoes. The moisture being a good breeding ground for bacteria, sweaty feet now faces the hazard of developing into umm... *fanning the nose with one hand* Ah yes, smelly feet.

To understand it better, here are some of the factors that may contribute to excessive sweating of the feet or Plantar Hyperhidrosis:

- Stress on the foot caused by activity or ill-fitting footwear
- Mental/emotional stress
- Weather (hot weather definitely makes anyone sweat!)
- Hormonal change (especially during adolescence make the sweat glands work overtime)

So before everything gets embarrassing, how can we reduce sweating? Maintaining good hygiene is a must.

To do this, one should:

- Wash feet regularly. An anti-bacterial soap definitely is advisable. A solution made from baking soda + water is also helpful.

- Wear clean and fresh socks everyday. Using antibacterial or absorbent (cotton) socks are also preferable.

- Sprinkle foot powder on feet after taking a bath. You may also use baking soda and alum for this purpose. Alum powder positively dries the skin (a friend uses it for this purpose although initially in this country, it is commonly used as underarm anti-perspirant).

- Air-dry shoes after using them. Also for good measure, it is advisable to disinfect shoes before using them again.

- Wear well-fitting and well-ventilated shoes. Open-toed sandals like the Merrell Chameleon or Crocs lets the feet breathe real good.

Other modern options to solve excessive sweating: Through a surgical procedure called Thoracic/Lumbar Sympathectomy

1/2 More Socks Please

Someone close to me owns more socks than underwears. I’m not saying who it is because someone who knows me might read this and might go ‘aha! so it's you’ the next time he sees this person. I don’t want to cause more embarrassing moments for this person than I already have just by writing this post.

Anyway, don’t you find it odd that someone has more socks than underwears? Not? Well, the very first time I discovered this particular quirk, I was incredulous. I always have more undies than socks. Come to think of it, I even have more undies than pants. So why more socks?

My million-dollar question was answered in few words. Actually, I could do it the shortest, let me put it in two words now: SWEATY FEET. No silly, it’s not smelly feet, it’s SWEATY (but it will be smelly when taken for granted). Learning this, I understood the reason. I too saw some sense in the decision of buying more socks as this person needs to change to new socks everyday –or even few more times daily, depending on the activity of the day.

Technically called, Plantar Hyperhidrosis, sweaty feet is common to the male species. But do you know women may experience this too. Why? The foot –our foot- is inhabited with more than 250, 000 sweat glands. With this number, it is expected that the feet sweat more than anywhere else in the body. If not controlled, the moist would be a good place for bacteria and fungi to thrive. And then feet would definitely stink by then.

<<'to be continued'>> In my next post, I'll tackle some factors that cause excessive sweating and tips to control and reduce this. For now, I'm off to see a franchise opportunity.

Spam-Free WP

With Blogger, this is a no-brainer issue. All one Blogger blogger has to do is to turn on the CAPTCHA (word verification) or comment moderation (which I believe is more flexible but would take time esp. on the blogger's part). Either way, you get an almost spam-free site. I said almost because if a real live human, as is in some cases, actually does the work and pollutes the comment section with spam, then you you just have to chalk it to experience :-)

So anyway with Wordpress, being highly dependent on plugins (or third party programs that enhance its functionality, I found out that there's no feature such as that of Blogger. Since I also have a blog using WP, I experienced moderating the comment section and deleting comment-generated mails every so often. Annoying, annoying, annoying! I see the these tasks to be two of the most unproductive things to do! I finally got fed up with waking up in the morning to be barraged with 20 or so comment-generated emails (spam comments) that I had to find a way to stop this headache-causing routine. (I wanted to see these spammers get their doses of Vallium- oh maybe not. Maybe the alli weight loss will do them good. lol)

Good thing that the web is so full of spammers helpful people who thrive in making the online world into a better place thus, creating something better and useful. And one example of these useful creations is the WP Spam Free plugin by Scott Allen. I have been using it and I don't have that much of a problem with spams now.

Contest Polls? No Thank You.

You read me right the first time.

If it's a contest where the winner is decided on the votes he gets, then I will have to say, count me out please.

Why? Online contest polls are not totally fair games. They would really be far from being fair especially if someone knows how to manipulate the voting process.

There was a time when I didn't know any better and thought that online voting is foolproof. I had even participated in an online contest poll at one point but this was the ONLY online poll I had ever participated in. I was supposed to win it but I did not.

You could think that I'm so audacious as to think I'd win - but why not? When someone - an officemate- learned about the contest, he leaked it into the company we're both connected with. It meant I had more than 5000 votes going for me. Really. I was on the lead. But few hours before the voting ended (and while I was comfortably sleeping), something happened to the polls and I suddenly lost the lead.

A friend who was vigilantly monitoring the poll observed the sudden rise of votes in favor of another participant. At first, she (my friend) first thought that these really were real votes but looking at the stats again (and how abnormal the rise was), she doubted it. So she poked and checked around. And what she found completely surprised her (and me eventually). She discovered another way into the voting process. *smile* But it was too late when she finally realized this. Even then, she with her friends helped me fight back.

When I woke up and checked into the poll, I was shocked to see that I was no longer leading it. About four of us were online trying to regain my standing til the last minute - but that didn't happen.

So really, experience is a good teacher. And my experience taught me stay out of contest polls, unless I am ready to cheat or to be cheated. Unfortunately, like weight loss pills, both don't sit well with me (even if I must admit I had fun at the last few minutes of that contest ;> ).

So there goes my tip for the day. If you think it's a fair and square contest, think again. If you want to learn the trick of manipulating the votes, email me. I'd readily tell you the how-to but won't do it here.

Goals to Live By

I read these cute tips, actually they are more like life instructions or goals to live by - on one of the small cards that go with the traveling bag that I recently bought.

- Love your neighbor
- Eat more greens.
- Cheer up it might never happen again (this one made me smile because the image beside this text is a car falling on the waters).

On another note, it always pays to stay informed. Whatever you are embarking on or planning to do, it surely pays to know anything about it. For instance, if you’re planning to travel somewhere, it is always practical to get to know anything about your destination – the climate, culture, mode of transportation etc… So along this line, example, if you’re planning on subscribing on a webhost, check the web first. Gather reviews and pay attention on what people are saying. Finally, check the terms of services of your prospect web hosting provider.

Helpful articles and tips about webhosting and other related topics can be found here.

Cleaning Tip

Because I just finished cleaning our floors, my tips is related to this.

Dishwashing liquid is not only good for washing kitchen utensils but also effective in removing grease on the floors.

More often than not, I find myself using this on the floor than any other cleaning product. Besides, most cleaning products contains chemicals that are not too friendly with my the nose and the lungs.

Protect, Preserve, Cover

After months and months of use, last night, I was able to finally clean my iPod Touch (yes this was before I went to bed).

I’m a believer of protecting gadgets, gizmos and what-not from wear and tear by putting them in at least a decent case. This way, I could preserve their physical state.

Anyway, taking off the iPod’s black silicon jacket, I proceeded buffing its surface with a non-abrasive cloth. Then, I cleaned it’s jacket –it was then that I found out that 3 of the 4 corners of its jacket already have cuts on them.

Fast forward to this morning, I am browsing this site that offers cheap mp3 player accessories and I am reminded to look for its replacement ASAP. I only hoped I could find a case (like that in the image) downtown tomorrow.

I Definitely Could Use This

It's this new feature called Forgotten Attachment Detector from Gmail that I'm talking about. Being forgetful and a loyal user of Google's mail service, I am definitely happy for the brains behind this feature.

I've always been in an embarrassing situation of sending an email without an attachment (when there should have been). It's my reality.

But with this new Gmail feature, it could help me avoid these incidents. If only Outlook, which we use in the office, could have something like this too.

Life's Lessons

This is definitely making me laugh. I was looking at this site that specializes on Martial Arts Equipment of all sorts (and gear to boot) when I found this page that focuses on life lessons. To be more specific it’s about Steve LaVallee's Life Lessons.

So without much ado, here are some of his life’s lessons titles, which makes for very positive goals for everyone -and yes, it certainly includes me.

- Train your brain, expect to win
- Plan your work, work your plan
- Anger is your enemy
- Magnify the Positive, shrink the Negative
- Champions have INTEGRITY
- Our habits can either make us or break us
- When hit with the Negative, counter with Positive
- Resistance should make us (me ) stronger
- Inch by inch is a cinch

Black Tea or Me

You Are Black Tea

You have a bold personality. You're not afraid of simply being yourself. You have the courage to speak the truth. You are fearless in your actions. You come off as a bit intimidating and unapproachable. Only confident people are attracted to you. You don't try to scare off anyone. You're just an intense person!

What Kind of Tea Are You?

- Well it says I'm a black tea. I don't mind at all because I'm a tea drinker -black or not. Now copycat, how about you? So whether you order black tea or straight ME, you're still ordering me. :-) And I will tell you that your order of the day is to stay away! And stop copying other people’s posts. lol

Off I got to check a site about carports.

A Tip For This Copycat

This morning, I am still irritated with the copying of one of my posts. I’ve just drank lots and lots of water as this is my regular Body Detox formula but I think I need to detox my mind too. Otherwise, this annoyance (or anger) would eat me alive. That would be a waste of time. So okay I’m going to move one but before that, I have something to say to this copycat.

I think whoever you are, whatever you do, you need to detox too. Maybe if I’d profile you based on your cheating/copying acts, you may not be living a healthy lifestyle. So detox now. It might help you with your mental state and even might help you become creative. Start from there. Please.

Go Away Copycats!

I was checking some stats (of this blog) this evening when lo and behold, I suddenly made a great discovery. No, it's not about a cure of some dreaded disease. Or a new planet in the Universe. Nor am I talking about discovering Atlantis.

I discovered that a cat copied one of my posts down. to. the. letter! Of course, this isn't new to me. I've read of other people's posts being copied or pictures being passed as someone's own everyday but to suddenly find myself in this situation is new. I cannot claim to be a good writer - or a writer with very original thoughts/posts - but for God's sake, I always make my own posts. ALWAYS!

I am livid with anger now No, I am not livid with anger but I tell you my heart is irregularly beating and I believe my blood pressure has shot up and I have this strange desire of strangling someone. Okay that would be too vile - maybe slapping someone would be right? Lol

They say that imitation is the best form of flattery but I am not happy with this. I am not happy with the fact that one of my posts is being passed as someone else's. Period. He could at least made another title for the post but no, he did not. But then maybe all he knows is how to right click, copy and paste! I hope there are Plagiarism Police to slay copy monsters like this guy.

But tell you what. There are times when I include invisible links in my posts (whether paid or not). Luckily (for me), that post which was copied contained these invisible links that point back to this site, the tipsandtricks site. And guess what, this particular copycat might not have seen it (maybe too jumbo dumb-o to see - it's not really surprising, what can you expect) and I could have laughed at his face now because two of my links, which by now are no longer invisible, still exist in the post!

Trick: Putting an invisible link (pointing to your site where the post appeared) in the body of your posts might just make a difference.

tipsandtricks4me

P.S. As I'm proofreading this entry, I can't help but realize that I'm horribly ranting in this post. My apologies.

Tip on Getting Personal Loans Fast

If you are planning on getting a Personal Loan, here’s a quick tip for you.

Lenders- whether they require all sorts of documents or not- mostly check if a client has the capability of paying back. They need that assurance (otherwise they would be it out of business in no time!). 

So when you want to apply for Fast Loans, plan ahead what proof can you show to give these lending institutions an assurance that you will be able to pay them back. You may provide them with an updated checking account for this. Or very recent payslips (as proof that you are consistently earning every payday) could suffice. 

Umpteenth Times

Here are thirteen treats for my son.

Okay. Here are thirteen children flicks that I've seen a million times already. Sometimes I can no longer stomach watching these flicks but what can I do? I have a cute boss at home who requests demands to see one or more of these when the desire hits him (and I'm such a good mother slave to let him have his ways at times).

But these are tricks, too (to make the tot stay quiet and still for awhile). *clapping the mouth* Oh forget I said that. Alright, alright. I should really work on honing my questionable parenting skills and exercising my motherly rights (if there is such a thing!) more often. But like online trading, that's a different subject. :-)

1) The Emperor's New Groove

2) The Best of Kermit The Frog

3) Mickey's Christmas Carol

4) Mulan

5) Mulan 2

6) Aladdin


7) Atlantis -The Lost Empire

8) Atlantis 2 - Milo's Return

9) Toy Story 1
10) Toy Story 2

11) Cars

12) Robinhood

13) The Small One


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

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Checking Myself

Here's a test that I took just for fun. Although I am quite confident with the way I handle my finances, I just want to see how I'd rate - for fun.

So anyway, this is my result and to say that I'm quite satisfied with it is an understatement. Of course, it has no scientific basis and as such, it shouldn't be conclusive.

You Are Great With Money

You know the value of a dollar - and you save and spend wisely. By living below your means, you've set yourself up for a rich future. And while it may hurt to sacrifice now, you'll probably have plenty of money later on. You're on your way to riches - just keep it up.

Are You Good With Money?

So how about buying me one of those football trophies? *smile*

Clueless

Something is wrong with this Fitness Singles link. I tried viewing the site but I was redirected to Google.

I first thought it’s a minor glitch with my browser (Mozilla Firefox) so I switch to Chrome. But still I was redirected. I also tried it with Internet Explorer but the result was the same.

So now I have no clue what's wrong here.

Keep it Short

In this post, I mentioned about my busted USB. So in the process of recovering my files, which I did through DOS commands, I learned the importance of file naming. Or rather, using the shorter filenames.

So my next tip would be to name the files shorter and simpler. It would really have saved me a lot of time if I did that on all of the files. As it is, I wasn't able to copy files using DOS because I couldn't get the filenames right (especially those with very long filenames and with special characters).

Another One...

A couple of days ago, I made this post about meeting Latinas (or latinos). It was out of niche but I needed to post it somewhere-and my other Blogger account was locked up so I had no choice. I honestly thought that that was the last of it here. But I was wrong because now I’m providing another link to a Latina Dating site. My apologies.

Back Up!

Tip: Always back up the back-up.

Of course I knew this already but there were times when I forgot to do exactly that. And recently this tip came mocking at me. My USB -which contained very important files- went out. I couldn't access it through the explorer. I could only see the files thru DOS. I know how to copy from there but I couldn't do it with all the files. I had trouble copying the files and directories with very long and complicated names!

Payday Loan

I recently had a talk with my friend and officemate about managing finances. This friend is currently having financial problems despite earning more than I do.

So when he asked me about "my ways" , I told him I'm not too good with finances. (When I want to) I'm really capable of spending more than I should. The only thing is, I'm so aware of this . SO much so that I am able to discipline myself with my spending habits.

AND I always save. It's a habit, maybe an obsession. When payday comes, I always deduct a fixed amount for my savings first. What remains in my account after that is what I spend.

On the other hand, if you're having problems paying bills, it's good to note that it's too easy and fast to avail of a Payday Loan.

Most Deadly!

This is related to this post I made about secondhand smoking.

If you think breast cancer is the deadliest cancer for women, think again.

Each year, lung cancer kills more women than any other cancer -or according to this post, than breast, ovarian and uterine cancers combined. And some reports say that a number of the victims never smoked. Aside from environmental pollutants, researchers are looking into the secondhand smoking as the cause.

I am actually freaking out when I read this piece of information because, for all my I-hate-smoking and I'm-going-to-puke-because-I-smell-tobacco attitude, there was a time when I smoked. Yes, it's true. Long before I was introduced to blogging motherhood and when I used to have a social life, I was smoking. I wasn't smoking ten packs a day or ten sticks a day but I was a social smoker. I wasn't smoking all the time at parties, but I smoked. Period. And it's weird because even then, I still hate the smell of smoke coming out from someone else's cigarette (but not mine!). But that's that.

It didn't last for long though -this fascination with smoking. I decided to quit when I noticed I kept getting sick -it's just the ordinary cough and colds but I started to worry when one time, I saw that the color of my nasal drip was the color of smoke: gray. I decided right there and then to stop -and I made it. I haven't taken a puff since then.

So anyway, I'm just worried -and freaking out to learn that it's lung cancer not any other form of cancer that's killing many in a year.

PS3

For Goths

What is a Goth? I am completely stumped that I had to google it. (I sound so uncool and old!)

So okay I learned that Goth is a subculture. Except for the black clothing, it said, that there is no defined thing to make one a Goth. Okay.

So why my interest about this? It's because I found a specific chatroom, the Goth Chat Room where Goths could meet and chat with each other. There that's the main reason.

Short Notice

So I'm able to post now. But it seems my other account is locked up.

My post below seems out of niche but I don't have any choice but post it here.

Please bear with me. Thanks for understanding.

Latina Chatroom

Are you a latina? Or a latino?

Or better yet, are you looking for a latina or latino to chat with? Good news. If there's a chatroom for Asians, Jews, Christians and what-nots, there's also a chatroom to meet and chat with Latinas (or Latinos for sure). Sign up and get in the Latina Chat Room now.

Test

Test. Test.

Something is wrong with Blogger.

I don't know but I cannot save posts.

I've been clicking the publish button for the millionth time already. Nothing.

Test.

Computer repairs

Everyone is becoming more and more dependent on computers these days. Well at least I am. But really I know of people who have also been dependent on computers. Just in my office, when our computers break down, we find it hard to really “work.” We could hardly be productive without one and we’re just glad we have manufacturer’s technicians who come to fix our PCs.

So how much more if our home PC breaks down? Though I’m lucky it has never happened to me, I’m sure it would be a bummer. I only wished there are companies here with reliable technicians who could do home computer repair anytime (just like in the US).

It would be great to have Computer Help as soon as you make the SOS call. :-)

Respect

I make friends, I lose friends.

We make friends, we lose friends.

They say that in a healthy friendship, one shouldn't be afraid of losing a friend because one said "no." Or one has declined or disapproved of something.

Tip: Respect

Good friends should respect each other's right to say "no." Or to freedom of opinion and choice.


Off my soapbox now.

Checking Divorce Records

Yesterday, I've written about being able to check public marriage records in the USA. Someone thought and commented that I was kidding and that she/he didn't know it is possible. But it is.

It is also possible to check Divorce Records online. Oh, the wonders of Internet. Simple click the link to see for yourself.

Secondhand Smoking

This morning I had been so lucky to have boarded a cab that reeks of malodorous smell called tobacco smoke. Of course, we were very well on our way when I became fully aware of the pungent smell. As I'm already too tired to stop, get off and look for another cab, I decided to endure the odor - and I suffered for almost an hour! Covering my nose with the sleeve of my jacket helped a little but after 20minutes, my jacket was starting to smell of tobacco. The smell was so horrible I felt like throwing up and I had thought I'd faint before reaching home. Fainting -I'd have welcome it because that would have been a better option than being so aware with the stench. But as luck would have it, I didn't faint. Such torture.

Few minutes before reaching home, I could stand it no more but nonetheless endured more. You can just imagine how glad I was when I saw the familiar structures of my neighborhood and guess what, even before the car stopped on our front, I already opened the door and was halfway out of it! What a relief. I promised myself I'd never ever be as long-suffering as this in the future (not when smoking -or secondhand smoking is concerned!).

So my tip for the day is somewhat related to this tale.

Tip: Do not hang out in places where you can inhale secondhand smoke. Or with people who smoke. (If you do, and with its hazards, you might as well think of getting a health insurance!)

Secondhand smoke, also know as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), is a mixture of the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette, pipe or cigar and the smoke exhaled from the lungs of smokers. It is involuntarily inhaled by nonsmokers, lingers in the air hours after cigarettes have been extinguished and can cause or exacerbate a wide range of adverse health effects, including cancer, respiratory infections, and asthma. SOURCE

Trick: If your spouse/lover/partner smokes (and you don't), with a smoldering look, offer "bed and breakfast" for the times he will not smoke. :-) If this will not work out for you, then I don't know what will. :-)

Checking Public Marriage Records

Marriage records are already available online –yes, in the USA. This is really wonderful news for someone who needs to access marriage records. Like most online transactions, the process of checking Public Marriage Records is so simple and quick. Just give the name, age, city and state and information will be readily available in just a few seconds. No sweat.

Events That Happened on my Birthdate

It will be my birthday soon :-) and I decided to do this list so I'd remember some events that fall on the same date (in different years).

1908 General Motors was founded by William C Durant

1887 The first game of softball was played in Chicago, Illinois

1901 Alturas, California was incorporated as the only city in Modoc County.

1920 Bombing at The Wall Street (a bomb in a horse wagon explodes in front of the J.P.Morgan building in New York City - 38 are killed with 400 injured)

1949 First Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner episode- Fast and Furry-ous was aired.


1963 Malaysia was formed from Malaya, Singapore, British North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak.

1974 Pres Gerald Ford announced conditional amnesty for US- Vietnam War deserters

1976 Episcopal Church approves ordination of women as priests & bishop

1955 Juan Domingo Peron was deposed in Argentina.

1977 Ringo releases "Drowning in the Sea of Love"


1984 "Miami Vice" premiers

1989 Singer Natalie Cole marries record producer Andre Fisher

Source

1990 Dennis Quaid & Meg Ryan wed

Other sources: Answers and HistoryDates