Why do people troll?

What is trolling?
Trolling is the act of provoking or inciting arguments with the deliberate intent to obtain an emotional response and to disrupt genuine discussion on the Internet. Trolling by definition, is to be a disingenuous bastard on the Internet. Trolling seeks to attack people emotionally through a screen but not real-life. It is a psychology on human-computer interaction and virtual worlds. Comparing human to human interaction in real-life (e.g. bullying, playing pranks) to trolling is incorrect, because the user can choose to simply ignore, filter, block, delete, scroll or even move to the next page. The user has full control over what he/she wants to see and how he/she wants to respond through anonymity, privacy settings and so on.


So why troll?
There is no definitive answer as to the reason for trolling; however, trolling usually poses a question to you, your existence or your life. Usually, it's one of the following:

1. Why so serious?
2. What fun is there in poker if you cannot see the reactions of the players?
3. Do you truly understand and respect what freedom of speech is?
4. Are you aware of the concept of "ignore", "block", "delete", "scroll down" and "move to the next comment/page"?
5. How would you and the people here actually react to this?

The very existence of these questions is the very reason why people troll - to see you become clueless to these questions through your angered response. It's funny in the same way children make fun of one another through words like "your mother" where mature adults don't find it funny. In essence, trolling is childish.

If trolling is a problem for you, think about this example. Why do you simply ignore those 200 junk mails you get everyday? Why don't you report each and every one of them for harassing you over and over again, even when some of them are phishing scams? Well, because they're anonymous so you don't know how to get to them, and they're in your Junk folder. Problem solved. So why should trolling be a problem for you? The user has control over what he/she wants to see, and how he/she wants to respond. Remember that.


What about trolling with threats?
Some trolls target people with threats, like Justin Bieber for example. Some even go to the extent to blur the line between a real death-threat and trolling for fun. If no real threat is observable, then it is not wrong thanks to freedom of speech and expression. Of course, that itself is a hotly debated topic. There is a concern where even satirical comments can be regarded as a threat. One shouldn't be so sure to regard trolling as an ultimately wrong thing to do. It's just not as simple as one would like to think of it.

How to Customize Facebook Theme?

Cool blue theme with CSS hover effects for your Facebook addiction!

Customizing your theme only applies to you locally, which means nobody else can see it except yourself. However, it does serve as a very cool eye candy to show off to you and your friends, and they'll be asking how you did it! Here's a picture below, it's actually pretty neat with effects that give out a blue light as you hover over some of the controls.

"Dark Shiny Blue" by DaedalusIcarusHelios

You actually have to run a Javascript which locally replaces the CSS for the Facebook controls. It is not permanent, so it goes back to normal after you refresh your page. If you really want it to stay permanent, you will need to download something like GreaseMonkey for Firefox which applies it for you every time you visit Facebook. Okay, here's how to do it:

1. The first step is to go to this link: http://pastebin.com/raw.php?i=TWgqWe2Q
2. Select all (Ctrl + A) and copy it (Ctrl + C).
3. Go to your Facebook home page. You need to be there for the CSS to actually replace the controls on the page itself.
4. If you're using Google Chrome, press Ctrl + Shift + J.
   If you're using Mozilla Firefox, press Ctrl + Shift + K.
5. Paste the code (Ctrl + V) and press Enter to execute.
6. You will immediately see your Facebook in its new theme.

As of today, maybe this theme doesn't work so well with the new Facebook Timeline, it may have some glitches here and there, but it's still one of the better themes out there. If you find any better themes, please do share it at the chatbox!

What Are Unique Referral Clicks?

What are unique clicks in those pay-per-click ads you see in the net?


Okay, unique referral clicks are basically clicks that are not from the same users. If a user clicks it twice or 50 times, it is counted as one. How do they track it? By IP or by cookies, both can be possible too.



By IP
Basically, your IP is stored in the database, and whenever there is a new click, it compares that person's IP with the stored IP. If the IP is not there, it will be counted as a unique click.


By Cookie
Whenever you visit a website, you get a file called a cookie which the website uses to track your computer. For example, if you log in to a website, then you go somewhere else...when you return, you will still be logged in, because you have the cookie that the website can check. Basically it is the same here.




Wouldn't it be in Risk of Fradulent Acts?
Yes. People who pay people per unique click are at quite the risk, because people can just change IPs, go behind different proxies, and all the sort to make themselves seem like another computer.

Unless you can trace and successfully trace the IP to its original (it would be very difficult if it has gone through many network hops) ...then it is a difficult task to track fradulent activities.




What are the Workarounds?
There is no workaround for this concept of unique clicks, because the Internet is anonymous. However, sites like Nuffnang seem to use the concept where they will put up the ads on your site, and it doesn't matter who clicks it, you will still be paid. The ad will be there for an amount of time, and once it is over, you will be paid. You will obviously get very little money, but Nuffnang gets the most out of it, especially when there are many clicks.




Based on this very short article, if you get paid per click for advertising stuff, please be honest about it and not just asking for clicks. They run quite a risky business, and any person who knows something about computers can basically spend the whole day generating unique clicks. And yes, it is considered a fraud if you do this, it's called Click Fraud.



Love,
Nicholas.

How to Watch TV Online in Malaysia?

This is a short guide on how to watch your favourite Malaysian TV channels' programmes for free online, without the need of a TV of course.



Thanks to Yen Teng for this wonderful website which lets you catch your favourite episodes of TV programmes that were shown on Malaysia's free channels such as TV3, NTV7, 8TV and so on.











How to Watch?
1. Go to http://www.tonton.com.my and click Register at the top and enter your details to create your account.

2. Click on Channels at the side and select your desired TV channel.

3. Click on any series or programme you would like to watch!










Enjoy! You don't have to catch your favourite series on TV anymore. You can even catch the news this way.




Love,
Nicholas.

How to Play CODMW2 Multiplayer Online?

Garena doesn't work. How?


Been trying too hard for so long just to get Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to go online on multiplayer but couldn't? Well there's one way that Unnamezz showed and he got it working successfully. Here's the steps on how he did it. Also, thanks to Leon who pointed out the post by Unnamezz.




Steps
1. Go to this link.

2. Then, download 'FreshInstall' if you have downloaded MW2 from Internet.

3. Else, if you downloaded MW2 from Steam / Original Copy, download 'Update'.

4. After your download is complete, extract all the files into your MW2 folder.

5. Replace and overwrite all.

6. Then, run alterIWnet_configure.exe and type your IGN.

7. Click on the MW2 Multiplayer icon and click Play, then click on Find Game.

8. Choose the gamemode you want to play and wait.

9. You may need to wait for quite some time, do not rush.

10. Just wait...

11. Be patience, the games will appear... continue waiting.

12. Wait just a little while more.

13. Volia! Games appear and you can play MW2 Multiplayer online. Enjoy!!




Please use this guide at your own risk, nobody is responsible for what you're doing to your MW2 if you tried it and it does not work. This guide is only for the desparate and people who bought the game but could not find any other ways of playing their game online.

Streamyx VS Maxis Broadband

Simple opinion on Maxis Broadband and Streamyx as a Malaysian user.



Some of you might search about Streamyx VS Maxis Broadband and I just wanted to notify you earlier that Streamyx is wired and Maxis is wireless. They have their own pros and cons and should actually not be compared because they are a different technology. So, this comparison is actually based on wired VS wireless technology in Malaysia. But anyhow, we Malaysians just want value for money! So let's take a look...







As of 2010, Maxis provides wireless internet through the use of a USB Modem in competition with other phone companies like Digi and Celcom. I've been using Streamyx for a very long time, but I am currently using Maxis Broadband. They will have a little comparison for each category stated below.









Speed
Maxis has great speed for low price (3Mbps for about RM68?) while Streamyx has moderate speed for a higher price (1Mbps for RM88). When Maxis is stable and has good coverage, the speed is definitely excellent. But that is not the case with most users, even me.

Living in Putra Heights, Maxis had a moderate coverage on this area. However, it was worse for Digi, with no coverage at all. Some people experience very good speeds with Maxis, but for me, it was terrible. Speeds do not go more than 1KB per second at times, and I could not even check my mail. To get decent or nice speed was very seldom. Chances are NONE when my quota is reached.


Judging by the awful speed I get with Maxis, I do not think the rest with the same technology (Celcom and Digi) would be any faster. As so, Streamyx would be more stable and "faster" compared to these wireless broadband services.






Stability
Wireless can never beat wired technology when it comes to stability, and I'm sure you know why. Wireless is susceptible to natural phenomena such as rain and haze which can slow down transfer. The instability gets greater especially when your area is of low coverage. For stability, go with Streamyx.









Installation & Ease-of-Usage
Maxis is very simple to install indeed, simply by plugging in your USB Modem and install their program and volia, you got yourself an internet connection. For Streamyx, there's slightly more to it, but it's all done by the people who set it up for you.

Maxis is better in terms of installation and ease-of-usage as you can just plug in the modem, drivers will install and you get connection right away. No other configuration is required. It would be the same on any computer. Thus, it does not require any knowledge about any network devices.






Bandwidth
As you all may have know, Maxis has limits your bandwidth for the home user packages and for people who download a lot, it would be quite useless. Once the quota has reached, Maxis slows your speed drastically. For me, it's less than 1KBps, and that's just insane. Get Streamyx.









Price
For Maxis, it is relatively cheap compared to Streamyx and it would be a very good value over Streamyx if you really get what you were intended to get. Else, like most users, you might face stinking speeds (you call this broadband?) and instability that will make you feel frustrated.



Maxis also has a 7-day trial, and in case you are not happy with the product, you just need to return your modem and you get back all your deposit. This is true, but within that 7 days they will make sure you get good speeds, and after that is a different story. Your deposit is also a rebate (RM30) to your monthly payment, so I guess its basically free, you only need to pay for monthly fees. Contract? No contract, but you forfeit your deposit if you terminate after the 7-day trial. Digi however, has a contract and I don't recommend getting it because you will most probably experience the same problem as Maxis.

(Some damn girl at Lowyat told me that Digi has no contract and no quota, what kind of a friggin' lie is that?)



Anyhow, Maxis is certainly cheaper and if you get good speeds with it, then that's a very good thing.






Customer Service
Service? When did any of these Malaysian ISPs ever cared about service?







Overall
Overall! For stable, good speed and everlasting connection, get Streamyx. Streamyx allows you to play games, download stuff and do everything you need with a nice speed and guaranteed stability. Even if your speed is slow at the time, you won't go as low as 1KBps (maybe at least a few KBps? :D). You only get Maxis if you want to surf the net just for the sake of getting some information or send emails because it's cheap but slow. But trust me, you would LOVE Streamyx if you actually tried Maxis. Not to mention Streamyx sucks as well...but it's the best among the suckers. Malaysia's development in this field is underinvested and uncompetitive. There's nothing we can do.




Love,
Nicholas.

Basic HTML in Blogger

Another simple snippet on using HTML when creating blog posts.



See, most of us bloggers have a frustrating time using the Compose menu while creating or editing our blog posts. When we shift blogspot image thumbnails, they lose their links and you cannot click on it to see the enlarged picture. When we try to align text or change their sizes, they just won't do shit!




What is HTML?
Now HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language, doesn't really matter but just to let you know. This language can be written on Notepad, or any text editor. It is one of the easiest and basic languages for webpage development. It is used for the layout and structure of a webpage.




HTML Concepts
Let me explain the concept of HTML first.





1. < > indicates a HTML tag.
Note: Replace the ( ) with < >

(HTML), (body), (div) and so on indicate that it is a HTML tag, which means it is a HTML code. Inside this tag is where your code will be written.




2. All tags must be closed.
All tags opened like (HTML) or (div), must be closed with a matching tag like this, (/HTML) or (/div). Treat your HTML tags like inverted commas. This is an example.




<div> <-- This is the open tag. Insert your content here. </div> <-- This is the closing tag.






How to Use in Blogger?
So how do you apply it while editing your blog posts? We will use both Compose and Edit HTML tabs so that it becomes simpler for us. So let us look at how to use it in different situations listed below.




1. Shifting Image without Breaking the Link
a) First, go to Compose and click Upload Image.


b) After uploading your image, you will see the image at the top of your post.


c) Switch to Edit HTML and find for the (img) code. It will start with something like...


(img src="http://yourimagelink.com/image.jpg")


This is the starting of your HTML code that adds the image in. It ends with the (/a) tag (known as Anchor), which is the end of your whole image code.


d) Select from the start to the end of this code and Cut it. Go to where you want to put the image and paste it there.




2. Aligning Text or Image
To align, all you need is to add (div) tag as the starting point before the image code. Depending on your alignment (center, left or right), type the tag like this. Note that it is also closed at the end.



<div align="center"> [Image Code Goes Here!] </div> <div align="left"> [Image Code Goes Here!] </div> <div align="right"> [Image Code Goes Here!] </div>






3. Changing Text Size and Colour
Some of the time you will have problems with this when you change the text size and keep altering it till it's all messed up and the text just won't show in the correct size. To change this, you need to look for this code.




<span style="COLOR: rgb(Your Colour Number)"> <-- The text colour code. Your Text. </span> <span style="FONT SIZE: 100%"> <-- The font size code. Your Text. </span>.



If there are three colour numbers, which would probably have the word RGB there, it means that the colours are measured through Red, Green and Blue. Imagine mixing these colours, and you have to set the intensity of each colour so that you can get the colour you want. The minimum value is 0 and the maximum value is 255.


For font size, using the percentage is better has it is based on your default font size (different templates might have different font sizes) and so on. You can also try using numbers instead of percentages to experiment the correct font size you want.





4. Problems with Line Breaks
Sometimes you might experience problems when you put in line breaks. When you click Preview, they just don't show it correctly, the spacings are all wrong. So what you can do is... insert this code.




<br/>



This does not need a closing tag as it is closed within itself already. This tag is basically a line break. Insert more of these to put in more line breaks.






Closure
That's about it. These 4 situations are the most common problems faced by bloggers who do not know HTML. I hope this guide would help you in creating better posts!




Love,
Nicholas.

What's the Best Programming Language?

What's the big deal with this and why are there so many?!


A programming language is used to express algorithms and computations done by a computer. It is the whole stucture, layout and how it works. A programming language can be designed by anyone to run certain computation commands.

Over the years, many other programming languages have developed and are easier to understand, write and see. Programmers would like to use a simple, quick and powerful programming language to write. It would save a lot of time.

The Popular Programming Languages
Microsft C++
C#
VB
VB .NET
ASP
ASP .NET
Javascript
Java
Perl
Ruby
Python
Haskell
Actionscript
PHP
MySQL
SQL
...many more.





The Functionality of Programming Languages
Languages like PHP, SQL, Javascript, Perl, .NET languages and ASP are used commonly in web forms and applications as they are more suited to those kinda jobs. For standalone programmes, Java, C, Haskell, Python, Ruby and many other languages could do it efficiently and bring out the most of the programme.

So what's the big difference between one language and another? It's really due to speed, security, stability, portability and other factors.











So Which is the Best?
There isn't really the best, but for a very well-designed and simpler language would be Python (dynamically typed) and Boo Script (statically typed). Both of these languages are really close in syntax, and basically if you know one of them, you could learn the other easily as well.



In C languages, they are very good in speed. But bad in terms of security. VB is even worse especially in portability. Java and Smalltalk makes an all-rounder, but Python and Boo Script is just SUPER! Other than that, Ruby and Haskell is worth considering as they are also very good languages.












How Do I Learn? It's DAMN Complicated!!
It's complicated if you are not used to reading a different language as you don't know what it means! Basically you need to use logic and understand the functions, methods and everything else. You have to know what is a class, what is a constructor, and why is the code even there, what does it do? By going step-by-step slowly, try to figure out how it works.

There are also plenty of tutorials online or you could find a book in the library. The stupid problem in Malaysia or in my college is, I can't find any Ruby, Haskell, Python and Boo Script books in the libraries.




Understand the simple IF ELSE statements (if condition is satisfied, then do this, else do that), WHILE, DO...WHILE, FOR, OR, AND and the others as every programme would need these.











It's Still DAMN Complicated!!
For a start, you could learn VB. Get Microsoft Visual Studio. Visual Basic is basically a simple language that allows you to perform everything in a GUI. Just drag and drop boxes, text and add in your own stuff. It also has wizards which will guide you through all the database connections, SQL queries and so much more. So it is a very user-friendly tool.



If you don't want to start with VB, you could go with Python. I started with Python too, and many others recommend Python as well instead of Java. Why? Let's say for example, we need to make our programme say, "Hello World!" and the code will be like this.



Java
public static void main (String args[])

{
System.out.println("Hello World!");
}


Python or Boo Script
print "Hello World!"



There you have it. The person who created public static void main must be a joke. Why can't you just tell the compiler to just say Hello World directly?! Another example is you would need lots of anonymous delegates in C++ while you only need a simple loop in Python. So...go with Python.





Switching Languages
If you learned programming before, switching languages is not a hard thing. You just need to use new syntax, sematics and new words. The concept is still the same.

Love,
Nicholas.

Google Adsense in Blogger

How to enable Google Adsense in Blogger blogs?


Google AdSense is advertisement serving application. By enabling it, Google will have its advertisements on your blog. When visitors click on it, you will get an amount of money. This pay-per-click feature will earn you if your blog has high traffic!



Simple Steps
1. Login to your Blogger account.

2. At the Dashboard, click Monetize.

3. Under the AdSense tab, choose an option on how the ads will be displayed on your blog and click Next.

4. If you currently have a Google AdSense account, just Sign In with it. If you do not have an AdSense account, you will have to Create one. Just fill in the blanks and read the policy, agree with everything and you can proceed.

5. Blogger will then give you a preview on what your ads look like and it'll be added as a Widget in your blog. You can then drag or rearrange the Widget anyhow you like.





Make Sure You Do the Following
- Read, agree and obey all of Google AdSense's policy before signing up.
- Make sure all your details are correct and legit, especially your address.
- Do not try to click on your own ads!




Love,
Nicholas.

How to Search Effectively?

How to search effectively and get the results you want in search engines on the Internet.


Some of my friends have troubles trying to search for certain things they need. However, they tried and ended up getting results which are of no use to them. So how do others actually searched and found the right content while some couldn't?

A bunch of search engines.

Mistakes in Word Usage
1. Write Your Search Correctly As a Sentence
Avoid any spelling mistakes and make sure you use correct grammar. If you want to search for guides, make your sentence a question. For example, if you want to find out how to kill people, you can type in "How to Kill People?" or "How to Murder?" or even, "How to Murder Without Getting Caught?" and so on. Upper case or lower case letters does not matter, but it's best to just keep it all in lower case.

Spellcheck? Know your ABCs.

2. Avoid Usage of "AND", "BUT", and "NOT"
Most of the time you would include the word "AND". If so, most search engines will treat your search as two conditions and will show you results that satisfy all the words you write, but not either one. When searching, you should search for every single possiblity, and there isn't a need to satisfy all the conditions unless you need very very specific results.



3. Precise Keywords and Phrasing
If you are searching for information on a Trojan Horse virus, don't just type in "trojan". Type in "trojan horse virus". If you type the three words with the quotation marks, it becomes a phrase and it will not be separated in the search.

Another example is when you search for a kind of cheese, don't just write cheese. Type in "parmesan cheese". This lets you go straight to the point instead of getting unrelated results.

Words, words, words.

4. Searches Shouldn't Be Too Long
It is best that your searches are short and simple. Long searches definitely won't give you the results you want. Limit your search to a maximum of 10-12 words.


5. Arrangement of Words
The arrangement of words will return you different results. Example, if you search "ROSE Online Knight Guide" and "ROSE Online Guide Knight" will return different results. If you're unsure to put which words first, search both and take a look.





Mistakes in Human Attitude
1. Don't Be Lazy, Browse the Pages
Another problem with most people is they're too lazy to go through the other pages. They just look at the results on the first few pages and give up. If you couldn't find you need, keep looking before you start a new search.


2. Open Multiple Windows and Tabs
To optimize your search and speed, open a few browser windows and start searching separately. Once you perform many searches, look through them one by one. When you found something related to what you need, open that link in a new tab and continue looking. Once you gathered enough tabs, look through them one by one. Do not care if the results might not be related. As long as you see something you feel that's related (through keywords or sentences) then just open a new tab.

Tabbing in Internet Explorer.

3. Click on Anything that is Related
You might feel that some of the results are not like what you want. However, you should try clicking them and take a look before you continue. It's just an extra 30 seconds or so.

One of the most famous search engines.

4. Make use of Google Cache
If you used Google to search, you might have noticed there is a Cache link at the bottom of each result. Sometimes you might have overlooked the words in a page, but by using this, the keywords are highlighted with colour and you could jump into it quickly.

Also, you can also use this if the page has been removed, forbidden or not found. Google's cache may still have the data stored on that page and so you could see the page before it is removed or even skip the login/password requirement.

Love,
Nicholas.

How to Manage a Game Guild?

Find out how to manage an active and cool guild in any online game or MMORPG.


Yes, firstly this post is made after Alex's rant on how my blog post should be nicely about my guildmates! I am in the WarriorNation guild, I joined it when I played Cabal. So I met this awesome guild and we had so much fun together. Back then it was so active. Now, the Cabal section is DEAD!




Steps
1. Recruit members.
Firstly, recruit friends. Then recruit random people you see. Populate your guild a bit, and set a little level requirement for the guild. This ensures that your guildmates won't be too slow or too weak for any occassion. It's good to have girls in your guild too. It keeps the guys from leaving your guild.

Snowie A.K.A Olivia, happy-go-lucky girl in the guild.

2. Keeping the guild chat active.
Mainly your friends will be the ones actively spamming in the guild chat. This will let other guild members chat and have fun themselves as well. When guild members chat and interact with each other, they will build a relationship and will be more devoted to the guild.

In forums, we celebrate birthdays to keep everyone warm and active.

3. Scheduling events.
For every guild, there would be guild events and some fun for all members to participate. Members can get to join events and win some fancy prizes or advantages. When making events, you must be creative and make sure that every guild member has a chance to participate. Have your assistants or yourself sponsor some cool prizes. Set a date and let all members know about it at least a few days before the event starts!

Battle Ops Lulu posting up a CTF event in forums.

4. Manage your guild's ranks and groups.
Sometimes you may want people to help you. So a guild could consist not only the guild master, but also his assistants and many other levels or ranks of members. This allows members to have a small goal to achieve as well as lightening your burden by splitting up the work. You can give funny names to your groups as well!

It's also best that you assign a member as a crafter, or someone who keeps all the stuff like a warehouse. You can also select members that are specially for guild wars and many things to ease management.

Points & Rank system in my guild. Templars rock, Paladins suck. =D

5. Get a guild forum or website.
If your game doesn't support a guild board, then you have to create your own. Having your own guild forum allows you to post up events and various things you need to let your guild know. Guild members can also chat and moderate the forums and post up pictures of themselves to share online.

Here is an example site which lets you build guild sites for free.
(http://www.guildportal.com/)




6. Do stuff together and party.
When knowing guild members of nearly the same level, party them and do some training together. You could also get higher level members to help out the lower level members in their quest or leveling. Help each other and interact more daily, even when there's no events!

xTitan from Cabal NA trying to split an item with his party.

Example Suitable Events
If you don't know what I mean by suitable events, here's a few examples.

1. Hide and Seek
Being my guild's traditional event, Hide and Seek is a simple game where the organizers will find a place to hide and give simple hints. Players will then try to find them and start a trade. The first one who succeeds doing that will win and get their prize. This is done a couple of times in one whole event.


2. Chicken Dash
I don't know why it's named like that but this event is a race event. Players are required to team up with a partner. The first player will start at one point, and race with the rest to another point. Then the second player will start moving as soon as the first player reaches them. This is pretty much like the passing the baton.

Yeah, XiiaoRanger or Alex, tribute to you for coming up with the greatest ideas for events. Oh, almost forgot, that's the cute and forever young Mashi beside him.

Notice these events does not require any level requirement and it's just plain and direct fun. There are many more cool events my guild has made, but it's not as common as these and is more complex. So use your imagination!




Real-Life Gatherings
I'm sure most of you all didn't expect this, but a gaming guild could have real-life gatherings and have some quality time. Firstly, it's best that the members you're going out with are on the same region or nearby. You can't expect guys from Malaysia to fly over to the US just to meet up and have fun for 3 days, unless they want to and have money to spend.

Guild Mistress Ohmchii posts up the outing event in forums.

GarDiaN, the most handsome pastry chef cooked for us in our 2nd gathering.

For these outings, the host must get a good hotel which is near to all the places where your activities will be done. If possible, travel light and let the places you want to go in walking distance. If it's not in walking distance, then you have to rent a car or use your own car(s), else, call a few cabs. Then, do some fun stuff together that you could interact more such as paintball, archery, pool, picnic and so on.

Picnic at waterfall, with Superman GarDiaN and Wonder Woman Qiu Han.

Estimate the total expenditure and post it up in the forums or something to let your guild members know. Oh, and the most important thing is SAFETY!! Be sure to look out for each other.

Yeah, group photo of 1st gathering.

Well that's about it. A guild can be as close as a family and you could have lots of fun in it. Manage a fun guild and members will always keep the guild active!

Love,
Nicholas.

How to Get a Guy / Girl in IM?

I don't know how I would put this post title but, this is on how to get a guy or a girl in instant messaging.


This sounds desperate and dumb but there are some people who would like to chase after someone but just don't have the guts or chance to do it in real life. So online seems to be another choice.



Getting The Contact
You can have many ways to get your contact's e-mail. Be it through a friend, through social networks, blogs, or basically anything. By surfing randomly in Facebook you could find someone maybe your friend knows as well and so on. Say that you're a friend of your friend's contact and have similar interests. State the reason why you're adding, e.g just to make friends.

Some people you could meet through games, and ask for their e-mail.

Nico is one of my contacts I got through gaming.

General Steps
1. Chat generally.
Talk about how you found that person to add as your contacts, talk nicely and be polite. Introduce yourself and maybe let the person know more about yourself so that he/she feels comfortable with you.


2. Ask a few general questions, get to know.
Now you've introduced yourself, and talked a bit, you could get to know each other. Like say...share your hobbies, interests, ideas, gossips and everything else. As you talk more and share more, you will understand more about each other's personality, mindset and even lifestyle. (So you can decide to ditch that person now, before you regret!)

Nico made a nice biodata of herself to show me although we haven't met each other yet.

3. Relax and hold back.
No one wants to be asked out or being known too much on the first day. So be sure not to talk too much until you touch a sensitive subject. Just keep it for the next time and go slow. Come back every 2 days, then everyday.


4. Play games!
After all that boring mumbo-jumbo conversations, it's time to have some fun with each other. Play some games with each other and eventually let him/her win. Crack some jokes and bully each other a bit while having fun. Your contact will feel that you're a very friendly and amusing person, aside from all that kind and politeness charm you gave merely through words.

You can also play the game called "20 Questions", where you question each other 20 question about their lives and there'd be no lying.

Yeah, she says I love you too! in MSN...and she didn't even knew how I looked that time.

5. Now, realise how your contact feels about you.
By now you should look for signs whether your contact likes you or not. If your contact really only wants to make friends, or had someone else in mind, or did not believe in online relationships, you could still try to convince that person that you're better than the people he/she knows.

If you face such problems, you have to go slowly and keep being that person's best friend. If she comes after you and starts conversations, advise you about your life, send you lots of e-mails and stuff like that, it might mean that she is attracted to you.

Nico did this in her wood project showing her love to me, although we haven't even met.

6. Ask out!
Now you're so happy and having fun with that person, it's time for you to actually meet up. Maybe go by a casual saying to meet up with a bunch of friends. Normally if your contact has no confidence, he/she will not go out alone with you.

Success. After 1 year and 9 months together, we finally were able to meet in Genting for our first date and kiss.

Once you succeeded asking your contact out, means you've gained some trust of your contact. From there onwards, it's all about repeating the steps and making yourself seem better and irresistable by having the same interests, same kind of thinking and put in some effort to make situations where both of you could get a spark.

It sounds dangerous huh, if I were a pedophile or a grifter, how would you think Nico would end up? So ladies, please be careful when you date online. The person you're trying to date might not be real. Luckily Nico met a guy so innocent and true like me...and luckily I met her as well.




Love,
Nicholas.

What is an IP Address?

Discover what is an IP address and how hackers could do their job by only obtaining these row of numbers.


Just a short information post for computer illiterates...I'll make it simple.

Internet Protocol (IP) address is a numerical label that is assigned to any device connected to a computer network that uses Internet Protocol for communication. An IP Address is like your home address, it is your location and your computer's identity.

IP Addresses specify the location of a source and destination nodes. This shows where packets of data will be sent to and received.



How Hackers Get Your IP Address?
Actually they're called crackers, but we'll just use hackers since everyone seems to have that understanding. Hackers normally obtain IP Addresses through websites, e-mails and basically anything you can connect to. However, they won't normally be doing this. Normally, their targets are mostly random and normally obtained through port sweep or some other method which effectively gives them vulnerable computers to attack.



What Hackers Can Do With Just Your IP Address?
Of course, if you have a good firewall, you do not need to worry about anything. After the hacker obtained your IP Address, he will run a port scan (to find all open ports) to find a way in. If they have the easy way in, they'll connect to your computer through that port and can upload their own trojans and viruses, eventually taking over your computer.

While your ports may not be open and well managed with good firewall protection, hackers do have ways to break through a firewall. They do not have to directly hack through your firewall, but they could pretend as an allowed server or something your firewall will omit.



Of course this post is not actually to talk about hacking, it's just to let you know what IP Address is. Well, it's just like your postage address in real life, and it's like letting burglars know your address. But whether burglars can get in or not is another thing.



Love,
Nicholas.

How to Update Graphics Driver?

Update your graphics driver for better gaming or display.


Here's a simple tip on how to update your graphics driver. Those who had problems with their computer display having large icons or wrong resolution, will have to get your drivers. Some games which you cannot support or having graphics problems can also be solved by updating your drivers.

Windows Users
1. Laptop Users
You should visit the website of your laptop manufacturer (if you're using Dell, visit Dell's website) to download the latest driver. On the website, they should have a Downloads section and you can select the laptop/package you bought.


2. Desktop PC Users
Firstly, you need to know what graphics card you're using. To do that, go to Start Menu and click Run. Then type in "dxdiag" in the textbox and click OK.

A new window should pop-up with a few details of your computer. Click the Display tab and see the name of your graphics card.

Now that you know what graphics card you have, visit the manufacturer's website to get your latest drivers. These are the famous graphics card websites...


NVIDIA: http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp
ATI from AMD: http://ati.amd.com/support/driver.html
Intel: http://support.intel.com/support/graphics/

Macintosh Users
Click the Apple, and on the Apple menu, click Software Update.

If there is a Mac OS X update available, you can install it. If there is a graphics driver update, it will be included in the Mac OS X update.

Typical look of a graphics card.

FAQs and Problems
1. I can't find Run on my Start Menu!
Right-click on your Start Menu and click Properties. Click on the Start Menu tab and click on Customize.

Then, find for Run Command and tick the box.

Alternatively, you can hold Windows Key + R which is the hotkey to open up the Run window.


2. I don't know what type of Windows I'm using!
Right-click on My Computer (it should be on your start menu) and click Properties. Then look under Operating System or System Type.

That's all for this post. Any questions you can still directly ask in the Message Board. Good luck!




Love,
Nicholas.

How to Make Images Dance?

This isn't a hack, isn't illegal and only affects your own computer.


With the use of javascript, you could just put it in your address bar to run the code and make your images dance in any way you want! This is for fun purposes only.


Steps
1. Go to a website preferably with lots of images.
2. Wait until it fully loads.
3. Copy and paste the following code into the address bar.

Code:

javascript:R=0; x1=.1; y1=.05; x2=.25; y2=.24; x3=1.6; y3=.24;x4=300; y4=200; x5=300; y5=200; DI=document.images; DIL=DI.length;function A(){for(i=0; i<DIL; i++){DIS=DI[ i ].style;DIS.position='absolute'; DIS.left=Math.sin(R*x1+i*x2+x3)*x4+x5;DIS.top=Math.cos(R*y1+i*y2+y3)*y4+y5}R++ }setInterval('A()',5); void(0);

Then watch the images on that website move around in your computer. To alter directions and ways the images may move, just change the x and y values and mess around with whatever number you find. If you understand the mathematical formula there, you can try changing to a better formula to make your images go in your own ways.


Love,
Nicholas.

What is RSS Feed?

As some of you may question, what is RSS Feed and why do I put it up on the menu bar?


A web feed is basically a data format used for frequently updated content. The most useful thing about web feeds are whenever you have internet access, you get the updated content immediately. Else, you can manually update them yourself.

Web feeds are extremely useful especially for Google News and other up-to-date contents any of the readers may want to read about.

RSS Icon

How to Subscribe to a Feed
To subscribe to a web feed, you can add the web address or feed address to your Feeds.

For example, click on the RSS Icon at the menu of my blog to go to my blog feed. Then, just click Subscribe to Feed or something of the sort located at the menu at the side.

For Internet Explorer or possibly other browsers, Feeds are located under Favorites.



My Feeds Only Update When I View Them!
If you haven't already set automatic update for your feeds, you can go to your settings or internet options to set your update schedule. Once set, the feeds will update even if you are not actively using a browser, bad for phones which need credit when downloading data.

For Internet Explorer users, go to Tools > Internet Options. Then click the Content tab and click Settings under Feeds and Web Slices. Check Automatically Update Feeds and Web Slices.



Advantages
The advantages of web feeds are simple.
1. Users do not need to enter any information about themselves such as e-mail.
2. Users do not need to notify or request to unsubscribe or subscribe a feed.
3. Users can view more efficiently as it is well sorted and much simpler.



To receive frequent and quick updates from my blog, subscribe now as well. It is simple and easy to do!



Love,
Nicholas.

How to Start a Blog?

No knowledge of HTML, CSS or creating stuff related to computers? No worries.


With the free bloggging services provided today, anyone can just start a blog without much hassle. They also provide free templates, graphical user interface, and everything you can add into your blog just by point and click.

So, if you really have no knowledge on any of this, you may read this guide for some simple ways to get your blog started.

Steps
1. Find a free blogging service provider.
Take a look at them on the net and see what you can do with the things they provide.
http://www.blogger.com/
http://www.xanga.com/
http://www.livejournal.com/
http://www.wordpress.com/
These are the examples, you may find more on the Internet.


2. Sign up an Account.
When you enter their website, you will most probably see a link or an attractive button that says Create A Blog or something of the sort. You just need to click that and it will direct you to create an account. Fill in your details.


3. Naming Your Blog.
When thinking of a name, you might want to set a theme or a topic regarding the contents of your blog. If your blog is about chocolates you can name it, "A Chocoholic's View" or so on. They will also ask you to name your domain. This is the address that viewers need to visit your blog.


4. Choosing a Template.
After you finished creating an account and naming your blog, they will provide you a list of colourful templates to choose from. These templates are the basic layout and style of your blog, so choose what you like. They are already pre-made and therefore you don't need to write your own codes.


5. Private or Public?
The blogging service provider site will eventually ask you whether you want your blog to be private where only invited guests can view or public. If your blog is mostly about personal stuff and secrets, you might as well make your blog private.



After you finished the steps above, you should be done! You are ready to publish your first post. You may go to the Posting menu to type in anything and click Publish to put it up on your blog.







Spicing Up Your Blog
1. Custom Templates
http://blogandweb.com/
http://www.eblogtemplates.com/
http://www.blogskins.com/
These are the examples of websites you may find blog templates from. You can also search it up by typing, "Blog Templates for (Your Blogging Service Provider)" to find.

After you found your favourite template, you may need to download the code or just copy and paste if it is given to your blog's HTML box. It would most likely be in the Layout menu. For Blogger, it is in Layout/Edit HTML. So you just need to paste all of that code in.


2. Spreading your blog.
You can spread your blog by posting your blog link to everyone. You may send it in instant messaging or even in your friends' blogs by comment. You may let Google or other search engines know about your blog so people can search it up. For more tips on popularizing your blog, you may view my guide here.


3. Adding in pictures and videos.
It's better to add in some pictures and videos here and there in your blog posts so your readers don't get too bored reading a bunch of text. To add pictures or videos, simply click on the Add Image or Add Video icon in the Post Editor while writing a post. Then put in the address of the image/video and click Upload.

If you want to add a picture as the big title of your blog, you will need to change the HTML code and add the image code in, which also depends on your template. However, some blogging service providers like Blogger offer a Heading Picture sort of thing in the Widgets section that you can make use of easily.


4. Adding widgets.
To spice up your blog, you can add widgets such as a comment box or a music playlist.
http://www.cbox.ws/ - Comment Box
http://www.spinchat.com/freechat - Chatbox
http://www.statcounter.com/ - Visitor Counter
http://www.mixpod.com/ - Music/Video Playlist
http://www.clocklink.com/ - Clocks
Some widgets are also provided in the blogging service provider itself such as Labels, Post Archive, Wishlist and so on.

To add a widget, click on Add Gadget or Add Widget at the Layout menu, then select the widget you like to add. To add custom widgets such as the Cbox, click the HTML Code Widget and just copy and paste the Cbox code in.



Last Notes
If you wish to have your very own domain and don't want the blogging service provider to add its own name in the domain, (e.g. lemoney92.blogspot.com), then you will need to pay the blogging service.

You will still need to pay if you are hosting your own blog. If you are hosting your own blog, make sure you have knowledge on database and basic coding for your blog. You will also need Wordpress programme and a web host. Since this is complicated, why don't we just get Blogger or Xanga instead? =)

Blog is also abbreviated from Weblog, which means web-based journal.




Love,
Nicholas.