Wednesday 27 June 2007

Mozilla Firefox


Have you ever stumbled on to a site in the hope to find free downloads for your favorite mp3, pictures or avi movie/anime only to be disappointed and then clicking back and later finding out that you have been contaminated with a spyware or two? This is why having an antivirus or adware-preventional program is important in the protection of your computer, but with the amount of program available out there which ones do I choose? And why do they cost so much?

There has to be a cheaper, simpler way to surf the net without worry right? Well, fortunately there is. I've been using the net for years, and had many unpleasant experiences surfing here and there with the suspicion that the sites might contain an annoying virus, spywares, adwares, worms, trojans and website Hijacks only to get them anyways since i don't have any programs to guard against them. So what is the solution? The cheap one that is? Use a different browser.

The Mozilla Firefox is basically an internet browser similar to the standard Microsoft or Netscape Explorer containing features like the back, forward, refresh, stop, home, favorites, etc. However unlike the popular Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox offers a safe web surf and guard against harmful websites that are often developed to exploits the weakness in the internet explorer.

So how does it work? Basically since Firefox is a whole new browser/program, it does not contain the same weaknesses/vulnerabilities as the older browsers like Microsoft, and so offer safer surfing. However, do not confuse higher security with total security. What I mean is even though it’s a lot safer with the Mozilla Firefox there is still potential risk in visiting suspicious sites that usually offer free mp3, game patches, cracks, etc.

Click on the following pictures to enlarge


Back to the bright side, since switching from the Microsoft to Firefox browser I have not caught a single spy-ware of any sort. Other great features that comes with Firefox is it’s’ ability to block many annoying popup usually for advertising purpose. Another benefit that I enjoy is its’ tab features, where you can run multiple sites in one browser window using a tabs for each site instead of opening a window each time. The Firefox is user friendly and also free for download; click here to go to the download page Mozilla Firefox.


Wednesday 20 June 2007

iGoogle

Now just before i begin with the topic of this post, i just want to say 'yes' i have slowed down on posting new post here, only because i have ran out of pictures to upload, and not to mention that i have exams this week for my Tafe course. Even though Tafe is easy for me and i spend more time playing than studying i do still have to sleep early and take better care of my health, however i still do have time to update my blog as i have been doing for the past week. For example i have changed the pictures to now show before-and-afters with an orange arrow to indicate the change. I've posted some comments and added some feeds from my favorite blogs.

One day while browsing with my favorite home search engine - google, i decided to just click around and see what those little links at the top right of the page was for, they have been there all those times but i just thought they were for help or advertisements. Then i discover the igoogle homepage customisation page, Here you can costomise your google homepage to have themes, tabs, windows that can show anything from the time to your personal horoscope. You can even add specific feeds from your favorite blogs like i did. By the way you need to sign in with a google account to do so. Otherwise just by clicking on the igoogle link you won't be able to add any new google-windows, or change the themes.

Click on the following thumbnails pictures to enlarge



I think the Themes are the best part, google has created some great themes with nice colour and animational background. That's not all, the themes changes by itself according the time of day and locational weather. How cool is that! So if your at home on a dark raining night then your themes will include night and rain in them. the only downfall is that there is only 6 themes to choose from, and aparently i notice one of the themes i.e. city scape doesn't change according to weather and time of day, i'm not sure why.

For those people who do not know what an RSS is - which is most people i think. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication, so what does that mean you might ask, well here's the definition from Wikipedia :
RSS is a family of web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries, news headlines or podcasts. An RSS document, which is called a "feed," "web feed," or "channel," contains either a summary of content from an associated web site or the full text. RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with their favorite web sites in an automated manner that's easier than checking them manually.

RSS content can be read using software called a "feed reader" or an "aggregator." The user subscribes to a feed by entering the feed's link into the reader or by clicking an RSS icon in a browser that initiates the subscription process. The reader checks the user's subscribed feeds regularly for new content, downloading any updates that it finds.

Basically igoogle is a considered a feed reader, or some might like to call it newsreader. So if you want you can add feeds from any site that has the RSS link.
The Mozilla Firefox browser can identify sites/blogs that has RSS enabled, if so you will be able to see an orange icon like this:

(Also taken from Wikipedia)

This icon will be rather small and can be view at the status bottom left hand side of the browser in the status bar. If you see this then it means that there exist a RSS link somewhere. So when you find the link for subscribe somewhere, just right click on it and select Copy Link Location (or Copy Shortcut in Internet Explorer) then go back to the igoogle site to the add in your RSS link.

for example at the end of my home blog page there is the RSS link called Posts (Atom). The image below show an example of how to copy the RSS link.


Well, that was abit of a lecture, hope this helps and if your still confused and want to know more, then go and borrow the "Blogging for Dummies" book from a library near you.

Saturday 16 June 2007

PhotoShop Pics - G4

Eyep, Another days worth of posting up my pictures, the following are Before and Afters once again with Photoshop. The ones on the left is before and right is after for those who are confused.

Come to think of it, i've been mentioning the word "Photoshop" in every post so far, and then there's the blog title, hmm ... it's making me look like i'm trying to help the creaters advertise the product - which i'm not, otherwise i wouldn't be so poor.

Anyhow here they are:


This is Urumi Kanzaki from GTO, i just took this out of their manga-scans and edited it.


This is Kaede Nagase, I drew this one by hand then scan and colour them with PS.


Man i used to have a huge crush on this girl, she is Marina Huynh, whenever she was around it was like i was under a "oh my god its her, hide" spell, but i recon if i meet her nowadays i can talk to her like how i talk to other people, not worshiping her like a queen or something.


Anyhow, carry on, here's another one i drew in my skectch book then just cleared out the smudges and made it more presentable, it's my favorite page.


This one i drew for Dianna, which most of you reading this won't have a clue who that is, but then you don't know who the other guys are like Dat and Steven and Harry so there. Again i just made it more presentable.


This Lisa person is another crush i had, this time from uni. I didn't have a picture of her so i had to turn her to anime/manga. Again its handrawn and PS edit.

Well thats all i got with the PS edits. The rest is just another version of the same image, for example the Kaede picture is taken out and placed on a wallpaper, nothing new. Enjoy.

Friday 15 June 2007

PhotoShop Pics - G3

Oh man, i'm supposed to leave these pictures for tommorow's post, but i'm a little impatient, so here they are. ( *thought* - What am i gona do tommorow ? )


Alritey, like i promised here's Dat using his superspeed to cross the road and avoid that speeding bus, how scary. Other powers to be revealed next time.


Just look at how calm Harry is; even when face with the fact that he's about to fall to his doom. Lucky for him Dat was around to save the day.


This is me showing off my colouring in skills with Photoshop, obviosly the one on the left is the orginal and the one on the right is my final product, how do u like that ay.

oh man i spent the whole day doing these images, how crazy, gotta eat and sleep now, once again enjoy.

PhotoShop Pics - G2

Oh Man, just got up - its 12:18pm, i had a late night yesterday trying to edit more photos. Now that they are done its show time.


OH Look its the asian version of smallville starring Dat as Clark Kent. We're gona be seeing more of this guy showing off his other powers in later post - stay tuned.


Here's one of me doing the Tai Chi. Yes This is Exactly the same as my display picture on the left, but now it's upgraded to have the left hand moving also the surround is motioned blured for greater effects.


Didn't you guys know, i was part of the Nickelback band, but i usually try to take the lead singer on so i was evicted, dam, I'm gona try to join Linkin Park next, just watch.


And over here we have Steven being mind controled by his friend Sharlean (not sure about the spelling). It looks like an episode of Supernatural or Smallville.

Well that's all i got up to yesterday, Enjoy !

Thursday 14 June 2007

PhotoShop Pics - G1

Today is awlfully cold, its raining elephants and hippos too.

I've been searching the setting and posting and couldn't find a way to post all my photoshop photo's on this blog, until i realiese that this site is not like those msn space and yahoo360 where they allow photo albums. But thats ok, i can still post the images in my post.


The one above is of Dat using his heat vision to fry a fly that got in the way of his singing in the City's Kareoke.


Here's Another one where i gave him superpowers with photoshop skills. The ball in the midle is actually a lenz flare. The fire ball looks kinda like a nice gift instead of an attack - oh well.

Welcome - The Reason

Hello everyone,

This is of course my first post but not my first blog, I did that one on yahoo360.

I don't really have much to say at this point so i'm going to be brief this time.

If your thinking that his is just another online diary then your really mistaken. I've seen and read enough of those boring things to scream. I mean they have their place and all, like you make one so your friend or family can read it. But who has the time to read those, especially when you write them daily. To me its a waste of time and effort writing about how my life went, i don't have enough freinds to care.

My blog is going to be about personal development ideas, opinions and pictures of friends or art that i create or altered with Photoshop 7.

I have to admit i'm a newbie with this whole blog stuff even though its been around for ages, i got some catching up to do - but hey, this is my stepping stone, and i've got the "Blogging for Dummies" to prove it.

Well, its actually 1.12 am right now, i'm hungry and tierd, gotta go.