Get Yourself A Fast and Reliable Internet Connection

I often hear of friends complaining about their very slow internet connection, reporting of very slow speeds that it takes an eternity to load pages and even impossible to download things. But which internet service to choose? Here are some of your options: dial-up, broadband, or dsl. So what's the difference?

Dial-up: In terms of speed, dial-up is considered the slowest, with 56kbps top. It also makes use of your phone dial tone so you either miss or can't make calls while on dial-up connection, unless of course you have a call waiting or a modem-on-hold software. Although slow, it is the cheapest internet service there is. I also kind of missed the beeping sound it makes when it starts to dial up. It just sounds very classic!

Broadband: If you need higher speeds for gaming, making download and video streaming, this type of connection is ideal, with download speeds up to 12Mbps. DSL or Digital Subscriber Line is actually a type of broadband connection that is dependent on your telephone company. With that, it means that is uses phone lines. There is also Cable, which as the term suggest, obviously runs on your cable connection. Then there is the satellite broadband service, which boasts of even faster speeds.

So if you need a faster internet connection, check out the different internet service providers first and see if high speed connections are available in your area.  With the ever increasing demand for faster broadband connections, chances are these ISPs are also trying to keep up, offering faster than ever internet services. The list can go on... and the terms can be confusing too. So check. Try to make a survey too of other internet users in your area. This will really help you in deciding what will suit your needs.

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Five Online Startups That Can Help Your Business Save Money

The world is vast and so is the Internet. In a world filled with possibilities, here are a few smaller niche websites that can help businesses save up on costs. Interested? Read on.

1. Bitrix24.com

Effective communication among employees is substantial for the success of a business. With Bitrix24, a business with 12 employees or less can have the basic package for free. This package includes a fully functional CRM, activity streaming where every team member gets updates as events unfold, calendar, activity planner, sales funnel plus other features at exactly no cost to one’s business.

If you have more than 12 employees, not to worry. For only $99 a month, you can use all of Bitrix24 services.

2. Logaster.com

Logaster for one is a great tool for making unique and beautiful logos without any hassle. You can create a logo yourself or choose from a hundred other pre-defined templates that you can use right away. For  a subscription fee of $4.99, you can also get designs for business cards, letterheads, envelopes your business needs.

3. PickyDomains.com

Thinking what domain name to use for your brand or company is critical. Some people do the nasty habit of domain hoarding that when the time comes you need to pick a domain, they are owned by somebody else. Hence you try to think of the next possible domain name that fit your brand.

Save yourself the trouble of doing this and let others do it for you. For only a small fee, all you need to do is register, pay a deposit ($50 for a domain, brand or name and $75 for a slogan), specify  parameters then choose among the suggested domains.

4. JetRadar.com

JetRadar helps users find cheap flights, compare airfares from hundreds of airlines and hundreds of travel sites and pick the cheapest plane tickets available. Now, this is what travel should be all about.

5. iSpionage.com

iSpionage is a good service to try out to know what your competitors are up to. It is always in the best interest of a company to be on the alert what competitors are doing so you can counter their activities with your own and stay at the top.

Are they spending money on Google and Bing ads? which keywords they bid on, which keywords generate most of free traffic for them, and ton of other valuable data. One can do a free search 3x a day or $59 a month for unlimited searches.

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A Museum Of Me

I have always loved Intel! We all know that if a computer has an Intel inside, you are sure that it is fast and reliable. And it has never failed to meet and even exceed my expectations. But hey, there is something new that is even more interesting to all Intel and Facebook fans out there!

Ever heard of the Museum of Me? Take a look at the video below to find out more about it! And be sure to like the Facebook Intel page after you're done watching.

Viral video by ebuzzing

So, what do you think about this new Facebook app?

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Tuesday is Moving Day

So my countdown for Moving Day has almost come to a close. After all the repainting, cleaning and packing up (which is not yet totally done), we will finally move into our new home in less than two days. Time is ticking fast for me especially that I don't have much time to do the rest of packing and the cleaning tomorrow. If only I could stretch the first half of the day, I would... just so I could finish everything.

I am thankful that hubby has already moved most of the moving boxes at the basement. There's now more space in the house. He has also done the glass cleaning and put away the curtains and the all the other stuff that I asked him to do. I, on the other hand, am not yet finished packing up our clothes, the rest of the kitchen stuff and the toiletries. And I still need to clean up the toilet. Just thinking about the rest of the things that I need to do gives me a huge headache.

Since it is moving day on Tuesday, that means no more IC for me. The telecom company hasn't sent a schedule yet and it has already been two seeks since we applied for a transfer. Tsk! tsk! tsk! I don't want to be IC-less for more than a week! I don't think I can survive that. How am I supposed to update my blogs if I don't have an internet? Geez!!! I guess that would mean having to go to an internet cafe or begging friends to let me use their computer / laptop at home.

So if you don't hear from me for quite some time, that means I still don't have an IC. I hope it won't take long though.

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Something New

While browsing the net, I found something that I think might interest those who want to create a free website. Your website could be anything you want it to be. An online store perhaps or a website for an organization you are affiliated with. You can create more than just a blog. You can create a real webpage with customizable pages, complete with photo galleries, members area, forum page, and other elements that you want to include in your website.

I was thinking whether to build a new website or not but then again, I realized that our religious organization here in Stuttgart needed a web page where we can post all announcements and events and highlight the group's activities and so it was that our website Pit Senyor! was born. I have yet to tell the officers about it and if they approve, then I will campaign heavily for this website. There is still a lot to be done with the pages and I have yet to make a custom header design. For now, this is how I came up with:

What I like about this service is that I can fully customize and make my own design to suit the organization's theme. But it is for advances users only, meaning that the webmaster must have HTML knowledge. I don't know much about HTML design so I guess I could solicit a friend's help to do this. I also have a 300MB storage space, which is not bad for a FREE website. I can add images, music and videos, even flash and html files. It's better than I expected. So create a free website now! And let your imagination and creativity do the work!

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Thank You LogMeIn!

I have been having second thoughts about this vacation knowing that I have lots of pending online tasks on hand. I have to continuously run a computer program that automatically gathers data from the Internet and I also have various online accounts to maintain. And I also have not only one but four blogs to maintain and update: Just About Anything, Samantha's Own, In His Steps and Cups and Lowercase. To make matters worse, our old laptop is not as reliable as it used to be so that if I ever use it, I can only open one page at a time because it takes ages just to load one page.

Then I recently discovered LogMeIn. It is a software that allows you to connect remotely to your workstation at the office or at home and access your desktop from another computer. All it takes is an internet connection and you are good to go. So I can now continue working on my current tasks as if I am just working in front of my PC through the remote control capability of LogMeIn. 

I remember my Marce Kaye telling me that she cannot do much blog design work while she was staying at her sister's place. If I had only known about LogMeIn before she came to her sissy's, I would have already told her about it and she could already set up her computer.

I just hope that the hotels where we will be staying have internet connections so that I can check in on the status and progress of my desktop PC at home.

If you are interested in this amazing online product, check out www.LogMeIn.com and avail of the 30-day free trial period now.

Disclaimer: this is not a sponsored post.

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Social Networking

I think that God blessed the day the Internet was discovered and made known to man. Why? Because it has made our world feel more connected with all the comings and goings. It has afforded man the capability to inform and be informed in just one click. It has even brought long lost friends and family members back together again through the different social networking sites that have mushroomed. You just post your profile online, and you are able to search for your friends or they will find you themselves. It's like business card printing working electronically and automatically.

I have heard many stories of being able to find their relatives whom they haven't had contact with for more than 20 years and then were able to catch up on their lives through social networking. I have heard and read testimonies from my own friends who have benefited from social networking because they received moral support and were inspired by just even a simple status message.

Although social networking can also have its disadvantages because of other people abusing the information that they can access from these social networking sites, there is no denying the fact that it is generally good.

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Participating in a Sportsbook on the Internet

Are you a major sports fan who is looking for an outlet for your knowledge? Then you may want to try your luck betting on games in a sportsbook. If you live in a place where it is legal to gamble, then you can go online and find a sportsbook. Usually all you have to do is sign up for an account on the website to verify where you live and your age, and then you are free to place money on any number of games. This can be a lot of fun, and very rewarding financially if you know enough about the game and the players involved.

Do realize that you can just as easily lose money as you can win it, so remember to do your research before placing a bet, particularly on a game that does not have a high expected outcome. You can find a sportsbook online that caters to any budget. You do not have to place thousands of dollars on the line in order to participate either. As with all gambling, you need to be able to control your emotions. You do not want to get sucked into a situation where you could lose a large sum of money because you were not thinking properly.

Betting in a sportsbook is a great way to enhance your sports viewing experience. When there is money on the line, you tend to be more involved in a game. It is a great form of entertainment when you feel like you are a part of the team without even being there in person. If you want to have a really great time while watching your favorite sports, then try your luck in an online sportsbook. You might even be surprised and make some money.

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Online Bingo Games Gaining in Popularity

Gone are the days when bingo was seen as an old people's pastime. Over the last few years, bingo has become one of the most popular online games. It is now being played by people of all varying ages. In fact, the internet has given bingo a new lease on life, so to speak. Not only are diverse groups of people playing, they are also chatting up a storm in forums.

Part of the attractiveness of bingo is that it is easy to play. It can be a family affair with just a few persons, or a major production with hundreds. The fact that just about everyone has access to the internet has helped fuel the game's increasing popularity.

What Makes Bingo So Fun

People like winning, and with bingo there can be many winners. There seems to be a rush when your number is called. The excitement of marking off each number as it is called tends to get the heart pumping as players wait for the next number.

Adding to its popularity is the addition of variations of the original bingo game; these various styles help keep the game interesting and fresh. Plus, many new styles have been developed for specific audiences, such as just for children or men. In short, there is a type of bingo game for just about everyone.

One of the most popular styles of bingo remains "full house," also known as "coverall" or "full cover," wherein every number must be covered to win. Other patterns include horizontal bingo, diagonal bingo, and cornered. Full house bingo is the most difficult because all the numbers must be matched to those called for someone to win.

Online bingo has retained many of the features of the traditional game. Another major plus is that players can win prizes, whether they be cash or kind.

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How Much Do You Know About SERP?

I am no SEO expert. In fact, I flinch each time I read or hear this word. It sounds so "Latin" to me that I wouldn't bother having a second look. You might find it funny and weird though, considering that I am running a blog.

But I came across a service that has convinced me to give it a second look... and a second thought. It's called SERP Analytics. For the benefit of those who have no idea what SERP means, it stands for Search Engine Results Page. For those of you who are looking to optimize your web sites through increased traffic AND increased profits, this might just be the service that you need. It is initially in Beta mode and registration is FREE.

Do you specialize in SEO & SEM? Is analyzing SERP a little bit too complicated for you? The SERP Analytics environment will provide you with different parameters and data that will make it easier for you to sum it all up: SEO paramaters under search results, show positions changes, archived SERPS, and SERP summary in a special window.

The Reverse IP Search tool in SERP Analytics


A sample of a domain summary using the IP C-Block 204.9.4.

And if you become a member, there are lots of tools available for you such as the reverse IP search. This tool allows you to enter an IP address and find all other sites on this IP, including those of your competitors. It also has the capability to view the domain summary and the top ranking keywords for a given site. The domain summary shows you the monthly traffic, approximate cost equivalent, top paid and organic keywords, and SEO score. These data you can use to create your own strategy in terms of getting the search engines to crawl your sites using relevant keywords.

There are also two very helpful SEO Tools that this service provides:
1. Top 10000 keyword tool
2. Google datacenter tool

Find the most popular keywords here!


Filter to show only the keywords you want.

The Free Top 10000 keyword tool gathers the most popular keywords. If you are running AdSense or paid keywords on your sites, this tool allows you to explore the many possibilities or even redesign your web site to cater to these niches. Containing top keywords from paid keywords, search keywords and keywords ranked on searches / CPC, this tool also shows the keyword properties, allows the user to sort keywords by parameters and also has a filter capability to show only the keywords you are interested in.

The Google Datacenter Tool... just key in the site URL and you're good to go!

Merged scrolling feature allows for simultaneous SERP windows viewing.

The Google Datacenter Tool on the other hand provides you with search results from different Google Datacenters. It is very easy to use. You simply type in the site URL that you want to search, key in the number of results you want, choose the datacenters you are interested in and then voila, you can view the SERP on different datacenters concurrently. This tool also has a "merged scrolling" feature that allows you to scroll the SERP windows at the same time.

Easy peasy to use eh? So why not give this service a try? Register for FREE and you are on your way to making your web site more profitable and gaining more traffic too!

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Traveling On A Budget

I have already posted about our next travel destination: Holland or The Netherlands. I am so excited! I know it's going to be a very wonderful trip. As with our other trips, I always set a budget so that we would know how much should be spent on hotel accommodation, food, souvenirs, and other miscellaneous fees like parking, entrance fees, the likes.

I am glad that most of our travel preparations can be done via the Internet such as advance bookings and reservations for museums and parks and of course, hotel booking. These online transactions require credit cards as a mode of payment and I am glad that we have one. Credit cards simply do make life simpler... Now that I have mentioned it, there are indeed lots of advantages of credit cards. They simplify our online transactions and we can also purchase items that are only available on the Internet for a limited time. They are also recommended as the form of payment especially when you travel. I think it is more safe because you don't need to carry cash around with you all the time and fear losing them because you can pay with your credit card. When we travel, we only bring just enough cash (bank notes and coins) for souvenirs, parking fees, and meals. The more expensive purchases or bills like hotel fees, we usually pay by credit card.

How about you? How do you use your credit card?

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Ready For The MLB 2010 Season?

Are you ready for the Major League Baseball 2010 Season? 13 days from now, baseball fans from the US and the world over are all eyes as the Yankees play against the Red Sox. This is going to be one very exciting night as fans cheer and even bet for their favorite team. Did I just mention BET? You bet!

Sports betting is very common in the world of sports. Why do people bet on sports? There are three simple reasons. People bet just for fun to make the game more exciting. If you bet that this team will win, you will of course cheer hard for that team, making it more exciting. People bet for their favorite team, even if the odds are against their favorite team. Others bet simply because they want to earn money.

So for those of you who are baseball fans and first timers in the world of sports betting, it would be smart if you arm yourself with the basics of baseball betting. A pretty good knowledge of the different team standings and records is a good start. There are also lots of tips and tricks and of course, betting tips that you need to take note of so that you won't be groping in the dark once you start betting.

But of course, as with other things in life, experience is always the best teacher. So for those of you who loves to bet in sports, good luck!

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I Need Them Sent!

Being a travel bug has brought me to lots of different places and has earned me tons of photos and postcards. And when I say tons, it means filling up my 500GB external drive almost to the brim. I have already edited some of the travel photos so I can have them printed and send them back home but I just don't have the time and the energy to drag myself to change into a multitude of clothing, get on the train and then walk again to the print shop and to the post office. Seriously, I need help.

Luckily for me, there are now postcard mailing services available online that will allow you to upload your artwork or photos and they will do the rest. Imagine having someone print and send the photos or postcards to your desired recipients with just a click. That would surely save me all the effort and all the trouble. I can now stay warm in the comfort of our home and still update my family with our travel adventures. Although they can readily see some of our photos online, nothing compares to having printed photos and postcards in your possession. They bring the memories closer to home.

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Bid and Be Dazzled

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Bidazzled. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you ever participated in online bidding and auction? If you have, then you must be familiar with how it works. An item gets auctioned, online users can bid on the product up to a certain number of days and when no more bids have been placed, the bidding is closed and the item goes to the highest bidder. Sometimes, bids are too high so that you don't get value for your money. Wouldn't it be great if you could bid and get up to 90% savings on brand merchandise and help charity at the same time? Bidazzled makes it possible.

More popularly known as Penny Auctions or Pay-Per-Bid, bidders purchase bids in advance and then use it to bid on merchandise. The beauty of this is that only a few cents are added to the price each time a new bid is placed so that if you badly need that item, you can still bid on it and be assured that you pay less than the retail prize. If you don't win the bid, you receive up to 50 Bonus Bids and you are given an option to buy it or they buy the item back. 2 Winners have already won Nintendo Wii's with just 5 free bids. I also like the fact that it helps fund a lung cancer charity called The Ruch Foundation.

So try Bidazzled now. They have an exclusive offer for you too, my dear Readers! You can get 15 additional bids if you register until January 15th 2010! Just enter the following codes in the registration page:

• Blog: BBP1202A
• Twitter: BTP1202A

Bids cost only $1 and can be purchased in bid packs as low as $25. On top of that, you receive bonus bids with each bid pack you purchase. They also have a Viral Referral Program that allows you to receive more bonus bids for referrals up to the fifth level.

So what are you waiting for? Bid now at Bidazzled and be dazzled!

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Let Viddler Do The Talking

I have been blogging for quite some time now and came across a number of video blogs or video entries. I try to get updated with what's going on around the globe with CNN Video. I have also enjoyed watching videos having content related to my site. I sometimes even publish videos on this blog whenever the need for one arises, especially when I want to get a message across and communicate with my readers through audio-visual means.

I limit my video uploads though because it tends to slow down the loading of my blog page. So I would really love it if I could find a free video hosting site where I could upload unlimited number of videos, post comments and tags within the video and even share it with RSS and iTunes. Then I came across Viddler, a platform for video publishers, which makes this possible and more!

Checking their service further, I learned that you can also engage your readers in your videos because you could add timed tags, timed comments or even video comments within the video itself. Now that is what I call interaction and not just purely content!

If you have a business, you can further enhance a business plan by embedding a customized online video for business that contains your company logo, and a permalink that will link to your website. I think their service is just great. Why don't you check it out too?

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Download Your Favorite Stuff

I love to download stuff from the Internet... music, TV series, games and films. Sometimes, the download could take ages to complete because the download rate is way too slow and that is frustrating. That's why when downloading, I always look for free torrents. Glad there is QueenTorrent in beta. This interface is very simple and you can find the latest at just a click of a button with their powerful search engine. Best of all, it has a huge database that is updated on a daily basis so that you can be assured of good torrents. If you are looking to download some of your favorites which are not yet locally available, visit QueenTorrent.com now.

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A Salt Journey

One of the many travel adventures that we had here in Germany was our trip to the Salzberg Mountain. It was a unique experience for us because we had to go underground to discover the wonder of the salt mines and learn more about "white gold".

In our overalls to protect us from the cold and our clothing from the salty air. The temperature udnerground is constant all year round at 12°C.

Before the trip, I had to browse and search the Internet for more information especially on the location since we will go there by car. I even had to search pdf files for the SalzZeitReise brochure and had them printed so that on the way, I can read to Hubby about where we are going and the adventure that awaits us. I am grateful for the Internet because information is readily available to us.

The Rutschen, the Schaustellen, a wall of brine crystals behind me, the miner's tunnel, the Spiegelsee and the mines.

I had an adrenaline rush while riding the scary mine's slide called the Rutschen. I was awed by the wonderful and warm colors of the brine crystals that graced the Schaustellen. I was mesmerized by the Spiegelsee (Mirror Lake). I was informed and educated on how important salt is and how it is processed. It was a very great adventure indeed!

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The Heroes of Newerth

My Hubby loves to play online pc games every now and then, especially if it is RPG and DoTA-based. He is an avid DoTA player because of its interactivity and the Heroes that he can utiluze. I am sure he will love this new game, Heroes of Newerth, which is currently in closed beta.

Heroes of Newerth is an upcoming video game developed by S2 comprising of two factions battling against each other, the Legions and the Hellbourne. Each faction has its own set of heroes, which are further categorized into strength, intelligence and agility heroes. If you want to know more about the heroes and the game in general, there is a discussion thread dedicated for this game over at Ruggednerds.com.

I am sure Hubby will be interested.

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Car Shopping?

When we got here in Germany, finding new cars or just one for the family was hubby's first priority. This is because his office is a good 30-minute drive from where we live, and we need the mobility in terms of traveling and of course, God-forbid, emergencies. And so it is how it happened that we found our car, a BMW 320d series online.

If you want to find a great one of your own, you may find one at http://www.buyyourcar.co.uk/. There you will find used cars, new cars, car leasing, contract hire and van leasing and enables customers to compare offers. It also has independent reviews and integrates in its site online links to competitive loans and insurances so that you can find everything related to car shopping in one site. Go check them out for a closer look!

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My Virtual Farm!

When I started playing Farm Town some two months ago, I was enjoying it so much and became addicted to it. From an Adept Farmer, I made my way up the ranks and have expanded it to the biggest lot available. It was a lot of hard work, I tell you. It took up a big chunk of my free time. Hehehe!

While playing I learned lots too. Like you could earn more for your crops if you hire somebody else to do it for you. And watering your neighbors' flowers can earn you coins too! And hiring other Farm Town players or your neighbors to plow for you saves you coins by 25% and 50% respectively, with both parties earning experience points. I also learned that harvesting and plowing for others can earn you lots of coins and xp points too! To earn coins, I contracted my neighbors firsthand to contact me if their crops are ready for harvest so I can harvest it for them! And that is how it happened that I moved up from Level 6 to Level 26 in two months' time. It could have been higher but I am happy with how things are going.

And this is how my Farm looks like today:

All the crops and trees are now ready for harvest. Wanna help with the plowing and harvesting?

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