This Blog Again

If you have been keeping up with this blog or are new to it and are getting confused by some previous posts, allow me to explain. This blog's old template was annoying and not very customizable, so I decided to use a different template, one that was supplied by Blogger, just to make life easier. I like it and now the number of comments also show up with every post. Well, I think that there was something else I wanted to mention about this, but I have been trying to remember it for about ten minutes now, so I will just not mention it. Have a nice day. Oh and one more thing, I keep forgetting to post the "Top of Page" thing on the end of

The Best Way To Learn A New Language

Many people throughout the world are trying to learn a new language, be it for business, school, travel, or just to say that you are multilingual, but the thing most people are getting stuck on is a class or program that is affordable, or better yet free.  Well today I am going to introduce you to http://www.livemocha.com.  At Livemocha, you can choose to learn from a variety of over 35 different languages with complete ease.  The best part is, it's free!  Livemocha teaches in the same basic fashion as Rosetta Stone, which costs over $200.  At Livemocha, you will hear the word or phrase with a picture to learn the language and to review you on what you learned, you will piece together sentences and match words or phrases with pictures.

When you finish with that, you do two exercises: a writing exercise in which you write a few things with your new knowledge, and a speaking exercise in which you read a pre-written paragraph or sentence.  When you have completed those exercises and submitted them, members of the Livemocha community with read/listen to your submissions and tell you how good...or bad you did in the exercise.

Disqus

A few days ago I was chatting with someone on my blog and found out that the comment system I had wouldn't quite let you post a comment.  The captcha you were required to fill out wasn't working correctly and the box you were supposed to type it into wasn't there.  I decided I will use Disqus instead, I use it for another one of my sites and thought it would be easy enough.  For the most part it was, but I came to one small problem; previously the bar on top of a post would look something like this:

The number of comments would be shown, but when I added Disqus, the numbers would remain the same even if there were more comments.  For example, when I clicked the "comments (1)" link it showed me two comments.

I knew I couldn't just leave it like that so i tried to fix it, but I could not.  I tried for a long time to fix it to no avail.  I finally just decided to take off the comments thing, but then I realized I could just make it say "Comments," so I made it like that.  However it would still be nice for it to show the number of comments there are so if you might know how to fix this, please tell me.

THE CODE
If you are interested in helping me, here is the code that was the default:

<SPAN class='comment-count'>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != &quot;item&quot;'>

<b:if cond='data:post.allowComments'>
<A class='comment-link' expr:href='data:post.addCommentUrl' expr:onclick='data:post.addCommentOnclick'>
<b:if cond='data:post.numComments == 1'>
<data:top.commentLabel/> (1)<b:else/><data:top.commentLabelPlural/> (<data:post.numComments/>)
</b:if>
</A>
</b:if>
</b:if>

</SPAN>
</DIV>

Here is the code that is currently being used for it:

<SPAN class='comment-count'>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != &quot;item&quot;'>


<b:if cond='data:post.allowComments'>
<A class='comment-link' expr:href='data:post.addCommentUrl' expr:onclick='data:post.addCommentOnclick'>Comments
</A>
</b:if>
</b:if>


</SPAN>

Top of Page

MLIA

MLIA is an acronym standing for "My life is average." There is a whole website dedicated to it at mlia.com.  On the site you can find just a bunch of "average" stories posted by their users.  Most of the stories that are newer are not really average, but more humorous, and most are probably made up.  Nonetheless, if you are bored, it is a great site to just visit and read those stories; they have thousands of them.  Just by reading those stories, you could even find blog ideas, if you are a blogger.

If you get bored enough, you can even make your own account and post your own stories.  When you submit your own story though, just know that it is only a submission, it is not posted.  Posted stories are found on the home page of the site, but you can vote on submissions, if your submission gets enough votes, the submission will then become a posted story.  Also, your submission won't appear in the "Vote on Submissions" page right away.  You have to wait a while; I submitted my first story a month and a half ago and it still is not on that page.

I have also read many stories of people wishing a happy birthday to their friends and stuff like that, so if you want to give a happy birthday wish to your wife or husband or something, you should probably post it right now, then show the person the shout out for his/her birthday next year.

Top of Page

WhiteSmoke

Have you ever heard of WhiteSmoke?  Well, if you haven't then here is my understanding of it: it is a program similar to Microsoft Word, only it is supposed to be excellent at perfecting any mistakes that you might make.  Anyways, I got this email from them advertising an Outlook add-in of theirs and they gave an example of how it works; you have a poorly written email, you click the "T-Gen" (The name of the add-in) button and a message appears showing you how many mistakes you made then fixes them.  The example they gave just shows how horrible their add-in is and probably Outlook alone could fix everything that the "T-Gen" did.  Here is a picture:

Notice how the last sentence of the final email says, "it very important!"  Now I don't know about you, but I certainly think that the program didn't work to well on fixing that because "it very important" just sounds like baby-talk.  The "i" in "it" isn't even capitalized!  I can't believe that WhiteSmoke actually sent this email out to everyone who is subscribed to their mailing list.  It is quite embarrassing if you ask me. 

Top of Page

Does Blogger Automatically Submit Your Blog To Search Engines?

I used to think that the answer to this question was yes, but then I tried to find this blog in Google and it didn't work out too well.  I think that it would be safe to say that the answer is no, Blogger does not automatically submit your blog to search engines.  Sense you are reading this I am either guessing that you searched this yourself and want to know, or you were reading through my blog, but just in case you are reading for the first reason I am going to give you a link to a site that submits your blog or site to tons of search engines.  To submit your site to search engines, go here http://www.freewebsubmission.com/.

Top of Page

Parcheesi

Now who doesn't like Parcheesi, it is a classic family game good for all ages.  Actually I don't really know anything about the game other than how to easily win in it.  The first time I played the game was last night and I won without one of my two opponents even getting one of their pawns into home.  I used a very simple strategy to win and now I will tell you how you can win at Parcheesi.  Okay first you have to get fives to get out of your base and so what you want to do is make a blockade on the space that you get let out on.  To make a blockade, you just have to get two of your pieces on to the same space.  Once you have the blockade on your starting space, don't move it until you get your other two pawns in your home, unless you have no choice but to move them because someone else blocked you off.  Once you get your blockade there, leave it there that way people will pile up behind you but they can't move anywhere and you have pretty much the whole board as your "safe spot."  This way you will always have at least two of your pawns in home before any of your opponents get one pawn in.  And if for any reason you have to go back to your starting base, then when you roll and you get, say a five and four for example, you still have your blockade, so just move one pawn of your blockade four spaces and then take a pawn out of your base replacing the broken link of the blockade.  Once you create the blockade at your starting space before any of your opponents passed that spot, you are guaranteed to be the first to land some pawns in home as long as you don't, at anytime, break up the blockade.  And once you have your two pawns in before anyone else you are almost guaranteed a win unless you are very unfortunate.  Also when you only have two pawns left to get home, move them together and try to make them blockades as many times as you can.  Just remember, don't move a whole blockade on doubles as that is against the rules, but if you have a blockade and you roll a five and four, move one five and one four, then if you get the same thing next time move the further behind one five and the one in front four that way you can create another blockade.

Top of Page

Why does Facebook not listen to its users?

Well I can't quite answer this question because I am not of the Facebook staff.  That, however, is a very good question, I mean, come on Facebook take a look around; we want a "Dislike" button, not a new layout, not another "Like" button.  Seriously Facebook the "Create a Dislike Button" fan group (now like group I suppose) has 110,248 fans (likers?) and growing.  You think Facebook would get the idea and implement a "Dislike" button, but no, what Facebook does instead is get a new layout.  Where did that come from?  I have not seen anything asking Facebook to get a new layout, maybe suggestions for a customized layout, but I don't think they meant for Facebook to customize it for them.  There is even a Facebook page "For everyone who hates the new layout!!!" in which 184,538 Facebook users partake.  So  after that, you think that maybe in the next Facebook update there will be a dislike button, but no, instead Facebook implements another "Like" button that replaced the "Become a Fan" button.  I didn't hear anyone asking for that to be changed either.  I am not the only person who is confused about the new "Like" button, but so are 673,428 (and growing) other people, who are part of the "We asked for a dislike button, and you gave us ANOTHER like button?" Facebook fan (liker) group.  Then there is another 18,577 people who do not like the new "Like" button replacing the become a fan button and are part of the "I don't 'LIKE' this new 'LIKE' button!!! hit LIKE now!!" Facebook fan (liker) group.  So again, why does Facebook not listen to its users?  I don't really know, but maybe it is because they think that the ideas of the Facebook staff override the ideas of the users, but I am a web designer and an expert in html, php, javascript, and css, so I know that it would be very, very simple for someone at Facebook to just copy the code for the "Like" button and just change everything that says "like" to "dislike" all in a single day.  Facebook even proved that its employees are capable of doing that when they changed the "Become a Fan" button to a "Like" button.  Another reason Facebook may not be  listening to its users may simply be because the ideas of the users never got to the staff, and just in case they didn't, now they did, but one more reason Facebook may not be listening is because they think that they have tons of users and don't need to listen to what they have to say because if one person stops using Facebook, then who cares, they still have millions of others using it, and Facebook may not know this but May 31 is "Quit Facebook Day" and a recent poll of Facebook users showed that over half of Facebook users are primed to quit.  That poll however was over privacy, which Facebook did listen to its users then; Facebook released a new privacy system.  Alas, it is almost the same thing as the old one.

Top of Page

How To Get People To Stay On Your Blog

Alright so I am going to tell you how to get people to stay on your blog, and by this I mean to get them to finish reading a post, not to continue checking back to your blog everyday or something like that, but instead answer some basic questions like "Why do people come to my blog and immediately get off?"  and "How do I get people to stay on my blog for longer time frames?"  Well when you have a blog post and it is titled with a question, I will take the question "What is the best time of day to workout?"  If I were to title a blog post like that and write a few paragraphs about it, I would want people to actually read it, not just come in get the answer and then get off.  For example the other day, I Googled that question and one of the first links I came to was a blog sort of site, it had the question, then the answer and then a few paragraphs about it.  But all I wanted was the answer, so as soon as I read the first line, it said, "Whenever you are most awake."  That was the answer, that was all I went to the site to get so after I read the first sentence, I just closed it out, but I saw that there were a few more paragraphs about it, but I didn't care to read those because all I wanted was an answer and that is what I got.  So I was on the page for a  whole 10 seconds maybe, but when you get people to visit your blog you don't want them on for only 10 seconds, you want them on for a longer time.  So this is what you do: you simply put the paragraphs that you want to write about your answer first, and then put the answer at the bottom, that way the visitor reads the full blog post because they don't want to miss the answer so they just read until they find the answer.  And it works, look right now, you just read this whole post to get that answer I just gave you.  So congratulations on your new found technique.

Top of Page

A Dream

The other night I was really super tired but I couldn't fall asleep, I felt like the song Fireflies by Owl City, I hadn't had much sleep for the past couple days, and now I was too tired to sleep. So for about 3 hours I was in the Twilight Zone - half asleep, half awake, and half in a dream - and in the dream I had, I didn't recognize anyone's face, they were all completely new to me, which kind of surprised me because I know that dreams usually incorporate the character's faces from people you have talked to or seen recently, but I couldn't recognize one single face. Usually I can recognize some, but I also don't usually remember my dreams, but when I do, I know at least three of the characters in real life. Also, because I was half awake, I knew I was dreaming, so whenever something went wrong, I just fixed it by saying, well this is my dream anyways, so boom. I dreamed I was in some sort of mall and then wind from nowhere started blowing like craziness, so hard in fact, that people were flying out of the place and others flying in. I remember this couple was having an argument and then they guy blew away and was exchanged with another guy and then the girl blew away and was exchanged with another, and this just kept happening it was also happening in a circular motion, it's hard to explain, but basically is nature took three couple who were arguing and mixed them up with someone else in the three couples until everyone was happy. It was very interesting, and then I just woke up right then and thought, "Dang, I don't think that a dream could get more confusing than that and still be realistic (in the sense that they were the same three couples and they switched around about 50 times in only about 3 seconds)," but it was much more complex than what I was able to explain. I don't really want to write the rest because this seems to be a longer post already, but if you want to know the rest, then comment saying so and I will post another one.

Top of Page

Movies

I think I may start reviewing and critiquing movies on this blog; I can't really think of much else to write on here. Unfortunately though, I am only good at critiquing movies while I am watching them, so I will not start that until I get a laptop so it will be easier for me. Well, I can't think of much else to say in this post, so I guess I will just end it, because basically what I am trying to do is add a post everyday, though I know that won't really happen, but I guess I could try.

Top of Page

Should Farmville Be Removed From Facebook?

Well there is a very simple answer for that question, and the answer is, "Yes!" A better question would be, "Why should Farmville not be removed from Facebook?" Ever since Farmville came out, it has been all the rage, but for what reason? The most action you get on there is getting annoyed that you didn't click soon enough so your crops died and now you have to redo the whole process. How can that be any fun? People are getting so addicted to that game that they don't go to work anymore. It is causing more people to just stay home and sit on the computer and do absolutely nothing. What do you get out of playing that game? You get absolutely nothing, you just sit there, click...click...click, "Ha ha! I just got $50." "That's great, now we have enough to get that TV we've been saving up for." "Oh...I didn't mean real money...I meant on Farmville. But, I can buy a TV on Farmville though." The game is completely pointless, and people wonder why everyone is getting fat, well here is one reason, people get addicted to stupid, pointless, online games, and then they sit in a chair all day, staring at a screen, getting no physical movement besides the finger clicking, no exercise or anything, then they get blood clots in their legs and when they go to the hospital, they get mad because they don't have any money to pay for the medical bills because they don't do anything except Farmville all day and then they wonder why they are getting blood clots and they get mad because they are in pain. But when they get back home, they don't change what they do, they just go straight back to Farmville and not working, and gaining weight. What will it take to get it through their heads that they need to stop playing Farmville, for their sake, and their families? How far will it go before they finally just give up on Farmville and get their life back and their families back and become social again? Please not much longer.

Top of Page

Blogging

Ugh, I hate this part of blogging, it, for me, is probably one of the hardest parts, and that is trying to think of something to write. I want to be able to post stuff more often, but then I am struck with the decision of what to write about, and I can never think of anything. So right now I am just writing this and this is pretty much just a waste of time to write because I am writing about writing, well I guess maybe someone could possibly read this, but I don't know. So if you ever do start a blog, you should just make it one topic, and don't label it "Everything" like I did. So if you have anything that you would like me to write about go ahead and tell me because I am clear of ideas.

Top of Page

People's Reviews

I haven't posted anything in a while, but I don't think it matters because I don't think that anyone reads this blog, but anyways, I made a website at the beginning of this month, called People's Reviews, it is a website where you can rate and review and rank anything and everything.from products, to companies, to general everyday things like paper. So if there, by chance, is someone reading this, you should visit that site at http://peoplesreviews.99k.org. Also I need to make two more websites, one next year and the year after, so if you have any ideas on what the should be for or about, use the comments to tell me, thanks.

Top of Page

This Blog (Update)

Alright so if you read my last post then you may have been unclear about some of the stuff I wrote about because now, I have fixed the fourth tab thing apparently it was just my browser, Google Chrome, once I opened this in Internet Explorer, the calibration was fine. I also just added a music player at the bottom of my blog, not many songs on it right now, but that is because I don't know what you like. Just write a comment telling me which songs or bands I should put in it. I made the widget using grooveshark.com so none of the music I put on here, or at least none so far, is mine. Also if anyone knows how I can put the blogger bar thing back at the top of my blog can you please show me how, thanks.

Top of Page

This Blog

Alright so, I got a new template for this blog, it's pretty cool looking but there are a few things that I don't like about it.

One of the main things I don't like about it is the comment box, you can't just scroll to the bottom to write a comment. You have to scroll to the top and then click where it says comments, and then it will reload the page with the comment box. That could get annoying though especially if you read the post and then you want to comment, but then if it was a big post, then you have to scroll to the top to click the comment button. I think I will start adding a "Top of Page" link to the bottom of all my posts to make it easier and if I can. I could probably go through the html/css coding to fix the comment thing, but it would take a long time and I don't want to waste my time doing that.

Let's see if this works....Top of Page I hope it works!

Alright, I just tested it, and it does work, so I will just add that to the bottom of all my posts and go back and add it to my "Lockerz.com" post.

Another thing I don't necessarily like about it is that for some reason or another, it made the search button text go white, so now it just looks like there is a search box with a blank button right next to it. Or at least it looks like that on my computer, leave a comment if it looks differently on yours. If it does look blank, it is supposed to say "Search" and you can see it if you highlight it with your cursor.

Now for the thing that isn't the template's fault but this website blogger.com's (or maybe it's my browser's fault I am not sure yet). Anyways, if you have made a blog using this site, then you are more likely to know what I am talking about. In the "Page Elements" tab of the "Layout" tab, it is a drag-and-drop interface, where as I choose where The posts and widgets go on the page. If you are reading this before I fix the problem, you will see that there are four side tab things that look like they are attached by binder-type rings and the first three are filled, but the fourth one is blank. This is because when I try to drag and drop anything, my cursor is about two inches below the item it is grabbing - this is hard to explain but I will try anyways - and I can't bring my cursor low enough as to where an item will fall into that fourth slot. If you know how to fix this problem, please, feel free to comment and tell me how.

Well I think that is all that I don't like about the template. If you want this template for your blog or another webpage thing, you can download it here http://www.raycreationsindia.com/template-details.aspx?templateid=8. Also I put a chat into this blog so just in case you randomly want to talk to me you can do so with that chat box. It is a private chat box and only you and I will be able to see the chat so don't mistake it for a public chat box. I don't really know how often I will put up posts either, but you can still follow this blog, right now I have no followers, so follow this and help make this blog more popular (even if you don't check back). Also if you have any suggestions of what I should talk about or do with my blog, feel free to comment, but please do not spam or curse, use anything inappropriate, or bad. The comments are monitored and will be deleted if I find it bad or offensive or inappropriate in anyway, and yes, I do consider cursing a bad thing, people need to be more mature than that.

Top of Page