Pingu the Penguin

Rai    Others     Linux, penguin, pingu

Linux is represented by a free-spirited, albeit flightless birds that can survive even under the harshest weather condition. A perfect symbol for the freedom-loving OSS developers, advocates and users.

I also have my own reason why I love penguins. Penguins themselves are contradictory by nature. Birds are commonly able to fly, a distinctive quality of their class in our ecosystem. But penguins are considered flightless birds – birds that do not fly, but instead spend more time in water and some cases, on ice. read more

Why Should We Take Trainings?

Rai    Career, Others     cisco, institution, mapua institute, meralco foundation, mysql, php, rhce, school, training

For the past few days, I have been thinking of enrolling myself to one of the available trainings for Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) courses in Manila. Of course knowing myself, it would take me at least six months decide whether I should go with the training or not. I am also thinking if I am truly prepared for this kind of training, physically, mentally and financially.There are also a few types of trainings that can enhance our life not only with our careers but also on a personal side. There are technical trainings, management trainings, personality trainings (good for aspiring models or spokespeople) and more.

Certifications from prestigious enterprise companies like Red Hat Enterprise or CISCO is definitely a plus to anyone’s profile, providing bigger chances of getting that dream career. But, if totally unprepared, trainings and examinations can break your self-esteem, not to mention your bank. CISCO trainings at Mapua Insitute of Technology can take at least a year and may cost around Php30,000 to complete the four modules. I have taken technical training myself these past few years. The first one I had was Linux System Administration at Meralco Foundation which has definitely paved the way for me to become a Linux System Administrator. The training was OK and the lessons we had back then was very basic and the cost is really cheap. I learned a lot of things during my Linux training and I still use the notebook with my ‘newbie’ notes in it.

The next one I had was PHP-MySQL training with same institution. It is also OK, as we started with very basic modules and went on to more challenging case studies. This was a hard for me because this was the time I had to skip school because my father is already very sick. Nonetheless, I finished the final case study just in time.

Now going back to RHCE training, there is no doubt that being an RHCE attracts employers like moths to light. But this one puts really hard pressure on me. Php22,000 for an examination is a huge money and failing is not an option unless I earn Php2M a year. I also need to undergo another type of technical training for my personal use: driving lessons . So time management is a big factor here.

In the end, it all boils down to one: training is a very good investment and though it may be costly at first, the rewards are definitely great.

*Sigh*

Build A Computer The Easy Way

Rai    Hardware, Others     build, computer, DIY, Easy As My PC

Gone are the days when only uber geeks can understand what RAM and CPU means and can build their own computers from scratch. Welcome to the 21st Century!

What? Still stuck with the jargons? Then you obviously need help, my friend. Easy As My PC helps you build your own PC from scratch, with the components you want, including all the instructions you will understand. You don’t have to be a geek to learn how to do it, all you need is a screwdriver and you are on your way to building that PC and learning along the way.

Benefits of building your own PC:

Based on my experience, it is beneficial to learn how to build your own computer from scratch because not only you get familiarized with the terms and the components of your computer system, you also get the feeling of satisfaction after building your PC masterpiece. You also go beyond just using your computer and on to understanding how a computer actually works.

I once bought pre-assembled computers from stores but they are really expensive. So being a natural DIY-er, I decided to try building my own PC which is one of the best decisions I ever made. But I learned through the hard way, though. I short-circuited most of the components, went through sleepless nights of figuring what does “three beeps” mean and flipping through pages of user’s manual with jargons I do not fully understand. But with Easy As My PC, you get easy to follow instructions with illustrations plus you are covered with manufacturer warranties. You will also learn how to upgrade your PC rather than buying a complete set now that you will have the opportunity of learning to build your own PC.

Save yourself from unnecessary headaches and “helpless” technical helpdesk calls. Learn to build a PC the easy way through Easy As My PC.

Have You Seen The Latest EeePC Hacks?

Rai    Hardware, Others     eeepc, electronics, hack, Hardware, upgrade

This nice Wiki Page describes how to make your plain and simple EeePC into a super fancy notebook by doing some internal upgrades. Soldering experience required!

(Because of the extensibility of the article and EeePC, I will just put some of the upgrades here.)

• USB hub

• GPS with antenna

• Bluetooth

• FM transmitter
• Power switch
• Card reader

Making Blogosphere A Better Place With PayPerPost

Rai    Others, PinoyTux, Random     blog, payperpost, PinoyTux, Wordpress

Today is a great day indeed. I mean nothing beats a stomach full of yummy food, John Mayer’s Your Body Is A Wonderland in my ears, and an email from a from a dear friend whose name rarely pops in my mailbox. It feels great to receive a mail from someone who is not a millionaire in Nigeria looking for someone to share his wealth with Now since we are talking about my mailbox, I just found out today that PayPerPost has finally approved my application to be one of their bloggers (yay!) after being rejected after my first try of joining this prestigious community.

What is PayPerPost?

I honestly can’t remember where I first heard of PayPerPost (PPP) but it definitely offers a fresh concept of making the best out of your blogs. People like me who likes to write about stuff, from Linux tutorials to my everyday whining, will truly benefit from what PPP has to offer. Firstly, it makes your blog not only a creative output for people like us, but also a source of income. As your blog receives more exposure, the advertisers benefit from this and in return, you also benefit from it. PPP is also a breath of fresh air from the typical ads that bloggers commonly use. Instead of the usual CPC or CPV, the blogger gets to blog about the topics that are both related to the contents of the blog and the advertisers. This way, both parties aim for the same goal: to reach their readers and relay the message.

From PPP site:

Join over 50,000 other bloggers who have started a new blogging revolution! PayPerPost is an incredible new self-service marketplace that allows you to get paid to blog about the products, services and websites you love. You can easily earn $500 per month or more with your current blog!

To join PPP’s marketplace, your blog must pass their requirements. Now this is where I initially had problems with. To qualify, your blog must be active and have at least 20 posts within the past 90 days. Since my blog is somewhat new with posts that are more scarce than rain in Africa, I was at first rejected. But this is why I got inspired of writing more about the thing I love the most: Linux and computers. With what PPP offers, I really want to be part of their ever-growing community of bloggers and advertisers.

Customer Love:

Sometimes, things do not work out the way we want it to be. That is where Customer Love comes in. You see, it is not just “Care“, it is “Love“. PPP values both the advertisers and bloggers, something that everyone looks for in everything. When I was first rejected, I made sure that I write more posts with rich content to reach the requirement. I re-submitted my blog, and voila! A sweet email came letting me know that my blog has been approved

Blogging and Earning

With PPP, you get to choose which topics you would like to write about that can be selected from the marketplace. Now this is what I like most about this program. I mean I write about random Linux or computer related topics so why not earn from it? Both the blogger and the advertiser will reach their target audience by using a content-rich post and not just some link inserted in your page. And as an added bonus, your first postie will automatically give you $20. Now that is very generous and very inspiring, a proof that PPP will not scrimp on you. As a matter of fact, I highly recommend PPP to all my fellow bloggers out there and as a proof, that PPP button on the right has been there long before I was approved.

Oh, did I mention that your first postie will earn you $20?