Windows Live: SkyDrive

I've just come across a part of the Windows Live Service that I didn't even know existed. Did you know that if you sign in to SkyDrive with your Windows Live ID, you have access to 5 GB of password protected online storage? You can back up your most important pics, documents, etc. It's also useful if you work from a number of different computers, and want to access your documents wherever you are. I'm usually a Microsoft basher, but I'm impressed. And no, this is NOT a sponsored post - just thought my readers would like to hear about this. I'd not heard of it before, and I bet a lot of people haven't.

Poker Professor

Ever had the urge to learn poker? If so, visit Poker Professor. It's an online poker school especially for novices. Learn the Poker Professor Strategy to become a skilled and confident player, and start to profit from the game. As I understand it, you will get $150 free at Poker Professor, with which to launch your poker-playing career, no deposit required.

Siani seeks revenge!

I'm so annoyed at the moment. My email inbox is being swamped with virus messages, simply because one person I know refuses to install any security software on his PC. There's no point in asking to remove my email address from his address book, as the wretched virus already knows my address. Antivirus software needn't cost the earth, and along with personal firewall software, is often available free, or at a very low price.

Luckily, I have very good security on my PC, otherwise I'd probably be battling a virus by now. Both my firewall and antivirus have integrated spyware scanners, plus I have stand-alone antispyware software. I really cannot understand why this fool refuses to secure his PC. Not only is his machine compromised, but he runs the risk of potentially infecting the machines of all his contacts, and their contacts, plus his contacts' contacts, and so forth. Mind you, this same person's wife once installed parental control software on her laptop, to stop him using it to surf dodgy sites.

Unsecured computers are a real bugbear of mine. There really is no excuse for it. Luckily, all I have is a nuisance, rather than a virus, as my security keeps catching it. At last count, I've had 42 infected emails in the last 12 hours. Oh what joy! I think I might get my revenge on this person by signing him up for a pile of junk mail :).

Online casino - SP

If the abysmal weather is getting to you, perhaps you'd like to liven things up a bit by paying a visit to www.888.com's award-winning Casino-on-Net. If you don't like traditional casino games, you could try out the new “Extra Games” arena, which will be even better soon, with new games on the way, such as Turbo Hi-Lo, Potshot, and Poker Bet. The casino itself offers eight progressive jackpots, amongst them a massive Caribbean poker jackpot. The overall pot is worth over $2,000,000, so any one of the casino's games could win you a share of that pot. You can also play public and private games of Craps, Roulette, Baccarat and Blackjack.

Click the logo below for more information. Have fun!

Snapbomb review - SP

Are you looking to make money from your blog? There are a number of sites around that allow you to do so, and there's a lot of buzz at the moment, about a site called Snapbomb. I know a lot of bloggers have a dim view of blog marketing and blog advertising, but as long as a blog maintains its usual standard of content, I see no harm in bloggers making a little bit of money.

In fact, I think sites like Snapbomb are ideal for people who cannot work full-time. Whether you have family commitments, suffer health problems, or find yourself bogged down by study, it's nice to be able to make a little cash from the safety and comfort of your own home. It certainly beats flipping burgers or cold-calling householders and trying to sell them home improvements. I've done both, so I know!

It's a very simple sign-up process over at Snapbomb. Although some of the tasks available may be of a somewhat adult nature, you can elect, as I have, to turn the safe search feature on, so I no longer see those offers. Why not check it out today, and make yourself some extra money?

Anyone here like poker? (SP)

I'm utterly useless at poker - I guess it takes a lot of patience and quick thinking. It's just as well I don't play - I'd lose every time. But how about you? If you enjoy a game and the chance to win money, check out www.pacificpoker.com.

888.com's recently upgraded software is an industry leader, and you could win a welcome bonus of up to $400. You may also be interested in Pacific Poker's tournaments. There's a $20,000 prize guaranteed every day of the week, except Sunday, when the guaranteed prize leaps up to $80,000. Click below if you fancy taking part.

Meet My Victory Hair!

Got a few minutes to spare? Fancy some fun? How about playing Extreme Style by VO5's fun online game, the Ultimate Flirting Championship? Better still, why not grab the free widget and post it to your own blog or social networking profile? You will provide your visitors with a lot of entertainment.

The object of the game is to achieve Victory Hair. What the heck's that, I hear you ask. Well, Victory Hair happens when a guy and girl with super-cool, styled hair meet each other, and Cupid fires a few arrows at them. Cupid's arrows mess up their hair, leading to what is known as Victory Hair.

So, how would you go about achieving Victory Hair? I'd opt for a nice dinner at an intimate, candlelit bistro, with fine wine and good conversation, followed by a midnight walk along the beach. Play the game and you, too, can have Victory Hair. As the game is played in real-time, with other participants, I had to wait in line a short while, until my game began. But it's worth the wait! (Note: game requires Flash plug-in). You just enter your user name and date of birth, then the game loads quickly and smoothly. The whole object is to have fun - but without shooting or killing anyone! What could be more fun than a little bit of virtual flirting? Give the game a try and let me know how you get on - I'd love to hear your experiences.

Virgin Media problems?

Have any of you folks in the Swansea area had trouble with your Virgin Media broadband connection lately? Despite having 4 MB broadband, my connection has been crawling along. I've also been unable to access many websites. Pages either failed to load fully, or I got 'page not found' type error messages.

Guess what? I've fixed it. Yay! If you're a former NTL customer, and your broadband's acting up, go into your browser's tools, and enter the following proxy server address:

webcache.virginmedia.com

Set the port number to 8080, and you should be fine. But remember - this only works for ex-NTL and ex-Blue Yonder customers.

Open Cisco Certification

A few years ago, I enrolled on an IT course at a local college. Sadly, I was unable to complete the course, as it was about the time my health problems kicked in. The course had two parts. The first part of the course, if passed, would lead to Cisco certification, and if the second part was also passed, the student would gain an MSc on top of their Cisco qualification. I truly regretted not being able to complete that course. But despite not completing it, the Cisco CCNA part of the course taught me so much about switching and routing. Although I initially found the basics of networking hard to grasp, especially the assignment of IP addresses, Cisco's training website covered the essentials in nice, easy to assimilate units, complete with diagrams. Without that basic training, I would have been utterly unable to set up a network. As it is, I've set up a few home networks, wired and wireless, as well as setting up a small office network for a friend.

The Cisco Learning Network is an essential resource for anyone studying towards, or considering enrolling on, a Cisco course. Cisco certification is recognized worldwide, and Cisco qualifications are highly valued in the IT industry. The website also has an excellent Careers section. Whether you're already studying for Cisco certification, or are perhaps considering taking this route, the inspirational Careers section is definitely worth checking out. It details how it is possible for Cisco certification to completely - and positively - change your career path. The site tells of how a Ugandan cleaning lady switched careers and became an IT administrator after gaining her Cisco qualification. After reading this, I'm seriously considering re-enrolling with Cisco. Several local colleges offer CCNA courses, on a part time basis, which would be perfect for me, given my health problems.

The few months I spent on a Cisco course a few years ago, expanded my IT skills considerably. At the time, I was somewhat nervous around computers. But the new skills I gained from the Cisco course gave me considerable confidence. Not only do I know how to set up a network, but I also know how to secure it. Although I don't currently work in IT, when my health improves, I fully intend moving into that field. I believe Cisco certification will advance my career prospects enormously. At the moment, I'm the unofficial IT support officer for family and friends, thanks to knowledge gained via Cisco. I know that when I gain Cisco certification, I will have no problems gaining employment. The IT industry is growing day by day, and much of it is powered not only by Cisco hardware, but by Cisco-certified engineers and technicians. Cisco certification is a must-have in this ever-expanding, highly competitive industry. I know I gained enormously from just a few months of Cisco training. If you're considering a career in IT, click the link above, and check out the options available to you. I'm sure you won't regret it.

Blogger problems?

Is anyone else experiencing intermittent problems with Blogger? Over the last few days, Blogger has either been very slow, or unreachable. Maybe it's just this stupid, ancient computer of mine. It's very frustrating, because nearly every time I come here to post something - computer says no! Grr.

The curse of Google Reader

I started using Google Reader 2 or 3 months ago. It seemed like a good idea at the time. The only trouble is, I now tend to read blog feeds, rather than the feeds themselves. As a result, I'm not commenting half as much on other people's blogs, as I used to. Although I like the convenience of Google Reader, I've just realised that I'm losing touch with a lot of people. By reading the feed, and not commenting, people don't realise I'm still visiting them. Well, I jolly well am! I really must make greater effort to visit the actual blog posts, and leave comments. I read so many blogs and news feeds, I'd be lost without my feed reader, but it clearly also has its down side. I'm going to try to be a better blog visitor in future.

Fancy a free forum?

Have you ever wanted to set up your own phpBB forum? Perhaps you've thought about it, but don't want to pay for web hosting, or go through the hassle of installing forum software on your web server. Well, I've got good news for you. You can now have Free Forum Hosting over at Forumity.com.



They host everything for you, so there's nothing to install. You retain control of your forum's management, and you can even register your own domain for your forum, instead of using the sub-domain supplied. You also get unlimited bandwidth. So, if you want a free forum, check out Forumity.com.

Computer Says 'No'.

So, I downloaded the brand new Firefox 3, as part of Firefox's attempt to set a new world record for the most software downloads in a day. I love Firefox, and think Internet Explorer stinks in comparison. But horror of all horrors, dear Godzilla, my prehistoric and cranky monster of a desktop computer, HATES the new Firefox 3. Utterly hates it. Ever since I installed it, Godzilla has thrown tantrum after tantrum, like a toddler on a mission to ruin a family day out.

I need to see if I can reinstall Firefox 2. I'm having to use Internet Exploder, as I once accidentally called it. I cannot tell you how much I jolly well hate Internet Explorer. Almost as much as I hate Godzilla. I don't know what I hate Godzilla most for at the moment - its refusal to behave when I use Firefox, or the frequent appearances of the dread BSOD (Blue Screen of Death). The BSOD, as we all know, is the graphic equivalent of 'computer says no'. Roll on the day I buy my new laptop.

BTW, all you non-Brits, who don't know where I get 'computer says no' from, enjoy this clip from the hit TV comedy, Little Britain. It will explain all :).

Working from home

My ideal job would be one where I could work from home. But I've often searched for work from home business opportunities, only to be disappointed by what's on offer. All too often, I've come across business opportunities that simply sound too good to be true. This is because they usually are. You know the type of thing I mean. They often make ridiculous claims about how much you can earn, or ask you to lay out large sums of money. Worse still, they expect you to do unethical things like sending out junk mail or spam, or selling diet foods that don't work. And don't get me started on those envelope-stuffing jobs!

Finding the ideal work-from-home opportunity can be an absolute minefield. I know, because I've been looking for such an opportunity for a long time, and have found very little that appeals. As I was hunting around the web recently, I was pleasantly surprised to come across a business opportunity with a healthy, ethical ethos, where no grandiose claims were made. Anyone fancy earning some extra cash by selling the EcoQuest air cleaner? Goodness knows, in this day and age, there must be plenty of demand for air purifying products, with the amount of pollution floating around. Sadly, I'm not in a position to take this opportunity, due to my health problems. But who knows? Maybe I'll find something soon. Please keep all your fingers and toes crossed for me!

Hey advertizers! Check out SocialSpark

I think I'm going to enjoy being a member of SocialSpark.com. It's a very friendly, informal place, where members are treated with a great deal of respect. SocialSpark has plenty of decent, well-known advertisers, too. However, as it's a young site, I should imagine they could do with signing up a large number of new advertisers. I'm very impressed with the fact that the folks at SocialSpark have asked members which advertisers they would like to have sponsoring their blogs.

I would like to have a number of familiar brands sponsoring my blog posts. Before I get to naming some of those brands, I'd like to outline why I'd enjoy this kind of sponsorship. I probably don't make as much money as I could from sponsored blog posts, because I feel uncomfortable reviewing products or brands I'm not too familiar with. How can I honestly review something I don't know? Also, I like my sponsored posts to have some value for my readers, not just for my PayPal account. So if I'm blogging about something my general readership can relate to, the post sits comfortably alongside the rest of my blog, instead of sticking out like the proverbial sore thumb.

So what advertisers would I like to be sponsored by? I would have to go for well-known, global brands, because my readership comes from all over the world. I would love to write sponsored posts for Pepsi - my favourite brand of soft drink. Pepsi Max is divine, especially the lemon and lime flavour. As a lifelong chocoholic, I would also love the chance to be sponsored by Cadbury's. Or Nestle's. Or just about any major chocolate manufacturer. It would be the next best thing to free chocolate!

I'm also quite a geeky, computer sort of person, and would love to review software and gadgets for some of my favourite brands. One of my favourite applications is Apple iTunes. I also adore Adobe software, especially Adobe PhotoShop. One of my pet subjects is Internet security - I'm always telling people off for not having enough. So I'd also love the chance to be sponsored by computer security firms such as Grisoft, Lavasoft, Comodo and Checkpoint. It would give me the chance to nag people to improve their security!

I hope I get the chance to be sponsored by some of these great advertisers soon. Wish me luck!

I signed up for SocialSpark!

My blog has just been approved for SocialSpark, which is both a social network and a nice, ethical way for bloggers to make money. I was somewhat miffed when my blog was initially rejected - see the post preceding this one for the full story. So, this morning, I was surprised and delighted to discover two very nice comments on this post from William, the Review Lead at SocialSpark, as well as Gordon King, the manager of Izea's Customer Love. They apologized for the error made, and said nice things about this blog. I am HUGELY impressed by that level of customer service, so I think I'm going to enjoy my time with SocialSpark. Many thanks, Gordon and William :).

So what's this SocialSpark all about, I hear you ask? At the moment, I'm still trying to find my way around and get my bearings. Perhaps the simplest way to describe it is as a cross between Pay-Per-Post and MySpace, although this an over-simplification. With SocialSpark, you can add other users to your friends, and they can add you to theirs. Although I suspect there may be some users who simply like to collect friends, that's no different to any other social network. I find this 'friending' ability attractive. It's not just a good business tool; it also creates a nice, friendly atmosphere at SocialSpark.

Another thing that attracts me to SocialSpark is that it has a strict code of ethics. A lot of sites offering paid review opportunities ask bloggers not to disclose their affiliations with those sites and advertisers. Such sites also tell you that you may only write 100% positive reviews.

SocialSpark is very different. For a start, they insist on what they call a 100% audit-able in-post disclosure. See the little 'sponsored by SocialSpark banner at the end of this post? No mistaking the fact that this is a sponsored post. That means that SocialSpark expects 100% transparency from its bloggers. This allows bloggers to maintain an honest relationship with their readers. SocialSpark also favours "100% real opinions" - which means you don't have to be 100% positive about a product, but can honestly review it. Another huge plus is that all sponsored posts for SocialSpark contain no-follow tags. This means they won't be picked up by search engines, so you shouldn't lose your page rank for undertaking sponsored posts.

Something I really like about SocialSpark is how easy it is to navigate. Here's a screenshot of my SocialSpark home page. From here, a user can easily access the marketplace, the community, their account or the help pages.


The marketplace is very easy to navigate and customize. You can either choose to view all channels and all opportunites, or you can be a bit more selective, and browse the marketplace via its different channels, e.g. entertainment, travel, family, etc. If you look at the right hand sidebar of this screenshot, you will see there is a further ability to filter your choices, so that open opportunities that are available to you, appear at the top of your marketplace listings.


You can also browse the SocialSpark community. Here, you can make new friends and discover interesting new blogs.


The community also includes a collection of message boards, one of which specifically focuses on SocialSpark. Here, you can get help and advice from other SocialSpark users, or even from SocialSpark staff.


All in all, SocialSpark looks like an interesting place to be. So if you're looking for a nice, safe social networking site that also gives you the chance to monetize your blog in an ethical way, give SocialSpark a try.