TurfSite Manila

Internet + Computer = Life! (version 3.20 build update 21012012)

Monthly Archives: October 2008

TurfSite Manila (Bobreyes.com) Gets Nominated, Again!

I had just received a Google Alert about my site, and one of the links in the notification was http://digitalfilipinowebawards.blogspot.com/2008/10/judging-blogs-professional-category.html

TurfSite Manila (my blog site at http://bobreyes.com) has been nominated in the 2008 DigitalFilipino.com Web Awards under the category Blog – Professional. Being nominated is such an honor, but being a co-nominee with Abe Olandres (YugaTech.com) is another thing. I had been reading his blog long before BobReyes.com had been established to a real web log ;)

Announcement of winners will be on the 5th of next month.

How to Download MP3 from Esnips.com?

Esnips.com is a social sharing website that allows users to share content, promote and sell creations, and form social niche communities around their specific areas of interests. This is also my favorite website when I am looking for music files, also known as MP3 files.

Type a title of a song in Esnips.com and you will find tons of versions of the same song, in different formats. Clicking on a link will load the Flash-based media player of the website. Now, if you want to download a copy of the file, you can, but your will be needing iMesh.

Now, here’s a technique that I am using to download the MP3 files, without having to use (and install) iMesh:

  1. Let’s say, the URL of the song I wish to download is
    http://www.esnips.com/doc/a56a0906-0f7f-4e6a-a241-1f3cdfaf7cb1/kundiman_ni_paraluman
  2. Change the word ‘doc’ in the URL to ‘nsdoc‘.
  3. Replace the song title or name with /ts_id/1205795172796/ns_flash/file88.mp3, in my example URL, I will have to remove ‘kundiman_ni_paraluman‘ and replace it with ‘/ts_id/1205795172796/ns_flash/file88.mp3′
  4. Hit the {Enter} key, and you will be prompted to save the MP3 file. That easy.

If you were helped of this post, your “Thank you!” is accepted, but your PayPal donation is better.

Get 15% Discount on SEAir Flights

Flying to Basco, Boracay, Caticlan, Borongan, Busuanga, Coron, or Tablas soon? I can give you the best deal with SEAir. Simply use the Promotional Code RRBR35EE at http://www.flyseair.com and get 15% discount on your airfare. No kidding!

Just book a flight online at http://www.flyseair.com and use the PROMO CODE RRBR35EE to avail of the 15% discount. The discount is valid only if you will buy the ticket online.

For inquiries and other concern with regards to this promo, please do not hesitate to leave a comment on this post. Thank you!

San Miguel Corp. Buys GSIS Stake in MERALCO

It is now official! San Miguel Corp. (SMC) will buy the 27% stake of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) at MERALCO, price of which is PHP90.00 per share — payable in three years. This was confirmed based on Disclosure 7393-2008 (October 27, 2008) received by the Philippine Stock Exchange Commission.

Why did Winston Garcia and his cohorts, este co-directors suddenly changed their minds and sold their share to SMC? Does this verify the rumor that the GSIS is really bankrupt? Nagtatanong lang po!

PS: What happened to our complaint two years ago? Cover up! Cover up!

Teaching SmartBro Techs How to Troubleshoot

Last week, we began experiencing an odd on and off connection of our Smart Broadband (SmartBro). Thursday, they advised us that their technical crew will visit us on Friday morning. Came Friday morning, the technical crew arrived, but there was a power interruption in our area, so I asked them to comeback the next day at around 1500H (since I have a class in the morning).

Saturday came, and at around 1300H, my wife sent me an SMS advising that the SmartBro technical crew are already there — too early for the 1500H schedule. So I sent instructions to my wife, based on what the CSR and I had agreed upon — to replace the LAN cable and AC adaptor of the Motorola Canopy antenna. To my surprised, my wife sent me an SMS again saying that the SmartBro technical team advised her that the LAN cards (01 onboard the mother board, 01 PCI, and 01 USB) are all NOT WORKING. What?! I immediately called home, and advised the technical crew to wait for me til 1400H (that was 1335H already).

When I arrived home, some 15 minutes later, the SmartBro technical crew were nowhere to be found. Apparently, they had lunch while waiting for me — that’s OK! So, when their team leader finally came face-to-face with me, I asked him what is their findings, and he said that my LAN cards are all defective. WTF?! Is that a coincidence or what?! I told him that it is impossible, since the PCI LAN card came from a workstation, that is in tip-top condition, plus the USB LAN card is working 100%. As I see it, it’s the Motorola Canopy antenna or the LAN cable from the Canopy to my LAN cards which is defective.

So, he brought a new (still sealed) Motorola Canopy antenna, attached a new LAN cable to it and the other end to my LAN cards (testing each of the network adapters), and still the error is “A network cable is disconnected.” He then insisted that my LAN cards are all defective. But, I told him, during the installation of the service two years ago, the technical crew had to change the Motorola Canopy antenna four (04) times, before we were able to connect to their base station. So, with a grin in his face, he went back outside and returned with another set of sealed Motorola Canopy antenna. He said, if this one will not work, it is really my LAN cards which are damned. But, before I let him attach the new antenna to my PC, I showed him that the onboard LAN card (Intel) is indeed working, as reported by the diagnostic tools software.

So, the cables were all changed, the new Motorola Canopy antenna attached, and wallah! SmartBro is back online in my PC. Now I firmly believe that their technical crew are NOT that technical at all. You see, troubleshooting needs some analytical thinking, and I do not know if they have it.

Discount Coupons for TurfSitePH.net

Christmas season is fast approaching (officially starts on 02 NOV 2008 here in Manila), and if you are in the process of shopping for domain name registration and website hosting (webhosting), TurfSite Computing, Inc. (http://www.turfsiteph.net) offers the following promotional discount coupons:

  • TURFSITE5 — to celebrate five (05) fruitful years of TurfSitePH.net operations, get 15% off your total purchases at http://www.turfsiteph.net
  • CSBMMA2008 — 15% discount that current and former CSB students & faculty members can enjoy at http://www.turfsiteph.net
  • PWAG — members of the Philippine Web Accessibility Group or webmasters of websites certified by PWAG can avail of 20% discount (website hosting services) from http://www.turfsiteph.net
  • MULTIPLY — Multiply.com members within my network can enjoy a 10% discount on all TurfSitePH.net services

What are you waiting for? Subscribe to TurfSitePH.net services now!

Ignoramus, SmartBro CSR-us

Two days ago, my wife noticed that the Smart Bro connection in our Windows XP machine is off and on. The network connection icon at the Windows XP task bar keeps on changing from “Connected 100Mbps” to “A cable is unplugged.” As someone who understands how computers work, I checked on the lan cable (that is connected to the Motorola Canopy antenna): it’s secured; checked on the LAN card thru the Intel diagnostics tool: it’s working properly; then I just noticed that when you move the AC adaptor cable, the connection is UP but when you drop it, the connection is DOWN. Could it be that the AC adaptor that powers the Motorola Canopy antenna is malfunctioning?

That very same night, I called Smart Bro Customer Support, and after talking to someone by the name of Jason for almost 30 minutes using a GlobePH mobile phone, the line was disconnected. It was almost 2300H already that night, so I didn’t bother to make another call to them.

Last night, the same problem is being experienced. I made call to the Smart Bro Customer Support again, and after being on hold for more than 15 minutes — using my GlobePH mobile phone (I did advised the CSR that I am using a mobile phone), the CSR instructed me to replace the UTP cable of the Smart Bro. WTF?! All I am asking was for a technician to drop by our place and check the cable connections, and now you are asking me to change the UTP cable by myself?

Elly Pamatong: You’re Insane!

At first, he sued Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Rosales for alleged corruption in the church. Now, the insane nuisance candidate Elly Pamatong wants the Holy Bible to be banned in the country. This is insane — YOU, Elly Pamatong, is INSANE!

He even wrote his “own bible” called the Third Testament and established his own church called the New Christianity and Immortality Ministries: YOU ARE INSANE THAN THE MOST INSANE! And what made the issue worst, he now has a website http://www.thirdtestament.ph — don’t tell me that I didn’t warn you that he is insane before clicking on the link.

If YOU, Mr. Pamatong do not believe in Jesus Christ, then why name your newly-founded church “New Christianity”? Contradicting, isn’t it? Go on with your comical antics, but please DO NOT PUT THE NAME OF THE LORD, THY GOD IN VAIN.

Now, can somebody incarcerate Elly Pamatong? Is he still a lawyer? Can somebody disbar him, if he is still one?

MSN Groups Closing Down; Multiply Takes Over

It has been confirmed by TechCrunch.com yesterday that the MSN Groups service will cease to operate as part of Microsoft on 21 FEB 2009. Prior to this confirmation, various mailing lists and forums had been discussing the rumor that circulated about the closure of MSN Groups either by end of this year or early next year. A similar confirmation has been released by Charlotte Jones, Group Product Manager at Microsoft.

Apparently, the reason for the closure of MSN Groups is attributed to the launch of Microsoft Windows Live Groups in November 2008, and Microsoft do not want to have two “competing products” inside their fence.

The good news is that the operations of MSN Groups has been turned-over to Multiply.com, an emerging name in social networking, especially here in the Philippines (next to Friendster).