How to Get Stronger Signal with Your Smart Bro Plug-its

Portable and easy to use, these are some of the advantages that the broadband plug-it modems have over other means of having an internet connection like DSL or Antenna modems. Because of this, many people are now having their internet by buying broadband plug-it modems from internet service providers. Smart Telecom, Globe Telecom, and Sun Telecom are all offering broadband plug-it modems.

 

Plug-its work by receiving and transmitting broadband signals to and from the telecommunication towers of internet service providers like the way cellular phones receive signal. However, the problem is that indoors, the signal deteriorates and the internet speed get slow. Walls usually blocks broadband signals causing its deterioration. Other obstructions like roof and trees contributes to the deterioration of broadband signal.

Here are some of my tips to make the signal that your plug-it receives stronger. For each of the tips, you will need USB Extension Cord. This cord could be bought from shops that sell computer parts and accessories like CD-R King. A cord with a length of 3 meters usually cost about 100 pesos. USB extension cords with signal booster are not required.


Tip #1: Take It Outdoors

As I had said, the walls of your house contribute to the deterioration of broadband signal. To solve these, your plug-it modem must be placed outside of your home. This could easily be done if you are using a laptop computer since it could be taken anywhere. For desktop computers, the solution is to buy a USB extension cord and place your broadband plug-it modem out through the window.

Just make sure that the plug-it modem will not be too exposed to rain or direct heat of the sun. Leaving the plug-it modem too exposed to the elements may cause it to malfunction.



Tip #2: Place It on Higher Elevation

Since trees and roof of houses also blocks broadband signal, a good solution would be to place the plug-it higher than these obstructions. For my plug-it modem, we used a pole to prop up the plug-it modem above the roof of our house. I used two 3-meter long USB extension cords to connect the plug-it modem to the USB port. This solved the problem of weak signal that we are experiencing when we are connecting to the internet.

To protect the plug-it modem, we created a housing using ice cream plastic container, plastic jar, and Styrofoam bowl. The ice cream container serves as the outermost roofing to protect the plug-it modem from rain. The Styrofoam serves as the insulator to protect the modem from the extreme heat of the sun.

These are some of the things I did to get a strong signal for my internet at home. I know that there are more tips out there to make the broadband signal being received by your plug-it modem stronger. I hope that this tips helped you.

Do have more tips? Please tell me by leaving a comment. Thanks!


Visit Before the Eastern Sunset and read about my post about Shakey's Pizzanatic Card.

Visit Paradoxic Ley Line and read about Manny Villar is Not Blameless, which is about Winnie Monsod editorial against Manny Villar.

Follow me in Facebook, Twitter, and Friendster.

Add more income to your blog with Chitika ads. Join now!

An Unholy Alliance

 

An Unholy Alliance, Susanna Gregory

This is a whodunit novel set in the backdrop of the Middle Ages, right after the time when the whole Britain is reeling from the effects caused by the plague. The setting is Cambridge after the Black Death ravaged the city.

Matthew Bartholomew is just a doctor, who shocks his colleagues with the unconventional medicine he learned from an Arabic teacher. But when an unknown monk was found dead inside the chest containing the university’s precious documents, Matthew Bartholomew got tangled up in a murder case that involves not just the whole university but the whole town. The murder of prostitutes, the rise of demonic cults, and the sudden disappearance of a University chancellor are few of the mysteries that Matthew Bartholomew have to unravel.

An Unholy Alliance is a unique book because it is set during the Middle Ages. The setting made the novel unique since most of the whodunit or mystery novels have setting in the modern age. There are so many mysteries in the novel that will keep any readers interested. The storytelling is good and the characters are interesting. Susanna Gregory got the atmosphere of that era and the characters conform to the setting.  In the end of novel, Susanna Gregory convincingly resolved all the mysteries and problems and created a satisfying ending for an interesting whodunit novel.


Visit Before the Eastern Sunset and read about the advantages of having Shakey’s Pizzanatic Card.

Also visit Paradoxic Ley Line and read about Manny Villar’s road project controversies and my article on why Marlene Aguilar is crazy.

Go to Manila Informer and read about “Suggested Retail Price to Avert Crisis on Sugar.”

Follow me in Facebook, Twitter, and Friendster.

Monetize your blog with ads. Apply now to Chitika and see the money roll in.

Nintendo DS

Of the gaming console makers of the world, I see Nintendo as an innovative and creative company. My proof is the Nintendo DS.

Just when most of my friends and officemates are buying Sony PSPs to while their time away, I chose to play games with Nintendo DS. It is agreed that the features of Sony PSP are great. However, Nintendo DS is cooler. What made Nintendo DS cooler? The answer for that is its two screens.

The first screen is like your regular screen where you can play the usual games, just like in Sony PSP. The second or the lower screen is a touch screen that could be used as additional screen or a touch pad to add more interactivity in the games.

The touch screen made the Nintendo DS better than the Sony PSP. Because of the touch screen, Nintendo was able to place more creative games in Nintendo DS that will appeal from youngster to adult gamers.


Visit Before the Eastern Sunset and read about my post "No Mistress Allowed"

Also visit Paradoxic Ley Line and read about why I think Marlene Aguilar is crazy.

Follow me in Facebook, Twitter, and Friendster.

Traffic Tip: España Boulevard

España Boulevard, which other people call as España Avenue, is one of the worst roads in Metro Manila in terms of traffic. This short stretch of road starts from the end of Lerma Street, which is known by commuters as Morayta, and ends at Welcome Rotonda, which is the boundary of Manila and Quezon City. Popular bus stops for this road are Blumentrit, San Vicente Street, Lacson Avenue, University of Santo Tomas, and Morayta. Buses and jeepneys from all over Metro Manila use this road.

Vehicular traffic in España Blvd. is heavy any time of the day. Commuters experience heavier traffic during rush hours which are the hours around 8 AM and 5 PM. Normally, the traffic is bearable since it takes about 30 minutes to reach both ends of España Blvd. By 5 PM, the traffic in España is compounded by the traffic in Quezon Avenue. Worst traffic usually happen during and right after heavy rain since España Blvd is easily flooded.

Thus, during heavy rains, commuters are recommended not to pass through this road. For many times, I experienced long hours of being trapped inside the traffic in España Blvd. During these situations, buses and jeepneys are forced to take the side streets to no avail. Thus instead of suffering from irritation, the wise steps for commuters is to take other route that will bypass España and reach their destination faster.

For commuters going to Fairview, Commonwealth Avenue and similar places in Quezon City, it is advised to take the LRT 3.

Manila to Fairview, Novaliches, Commonwealth Ave and similar places in Quezon City:

Step 1: Go to LRT 3 Recto Station

Step 2: Go up to second floor of the station and buy LRT card from ticket booths or dispensers. Buy ticket that will take you either to LRT Cubao Station or to LRT Anonas Station.

Step 3: Put your card in the card slot to get pass the train entrance. Don’t forget to take your LRT card after you passed through since you will need it when exiting the station later

Step 4: Go up to the third floor of the station and board the train there.

For those who want to go down to the LRT Cubao station, take the following steps:

Step 5: Go out of the train at Cubao Station then go down to second floor of the station.

Step 6: Put your card into the card slot to exit the station then go to Gateway mall.

Step 7: Pass through Gateway Mall, then to Ali Mall to reach EDSA. To avoid getting lost, it is advised to follow the large crowd walking from LRT to MRT station at EDSA.

Step 8: Upon reaching EDSA, navigate through MMDA pink fences and choose the bus that you desire so as to reach SM Fairview.

For those who go down at LRT Anonas Station, take the following steps:

Step 5: Go out of the train at Anonas Station.

Step 6: Go out of the station. The exit that you should choose is the exit on the side of Saint Joseph’s Church.

Step 7: Walk to the back of the church. There you will find jeepneys that are going to Fairview and Lagro.

For commuters going to SM North and Trinoma Mall, it is advised to take the LRT 2

Step 1: Go to LRT 2 Recto Station

Step 2: Go up to second floor of the station and buy LRT card from ticket booths or dispensers. Buy ticket that will take you to LRT EDSA Station.

Step 3: Put your card in the card slot to get pass the train entrance. Don’t forget to take your LRT card after you passed through since you will need it when exiting the station later

Step 4: Go up to the third floor of the station and board the train there.

Step 5: Go out of the train at EDSA station.

Step 6: Put your card into the card slot to exit the station then go to the MRT Taft Station. Navigate your way towards the station. You may follow the crowd toward the station since many LRT riders take the MRT, but be careful since there are also many people who walk toward the MMDA footbridge. If you reached the footbridge, you could either go back or just cross EDSA and walk to the station on the pedestrian lane.

Step 7: Buy MRT card, and put your card in the card slot to get pass the train entrance.  Don’t forget to take your MRT card after you passed through since you will need it when exiting the station later.

Step 8: Go down the ground floor and board the train there.

Step 9: Go out of the train at North EDSA Station, walk towards Trinoma Mall exit to exit the station.



Visit Before the Eastern Sunset and read about a weird announcement from a bus company, "No mistress allowed."

Also visit Paradoxic Ley Line and read about Dubious Party Lists and COMELEC's very long ballot.

Follow me in Facebook, Twitter and Friendster.

Importance of Internal Linking

Links are important elements or factors that are being considered by search engines like Google and Yahoo in ranking every website in the World Wide Web. Basically, the greater the number of incoming links that the site has, the higher its ranking will be in the search engines.

Because of this, bloggers do their best in scattering the links to their blogs in the internet by trying to place their links in other blogs or websites. Linking your blogs to other websites or blogs is called as external linking. There are many ways to do external linking like asking other bloggers to place your blogs link on their blogs, which is called as exchange link. Leaving comments is also helpful in leaving links on other people blogs or websites.

There is another type of linking that many bloggers ignore. This is internal linking.

Internal linking is done by placing a link or links in a page of blog or website that is referred to another page or pages that are also within your blog or website. For a blog, this is done when links were placed on a new blog post that are referred to the older blog posts that are related to the topic of the new blog post.

For example, you are writing a blog post about Siamese cats and you remembered that you posted a blog post about Persian cats in the past. It will be a good idea if you will place a link on your Siamese cats blog post that refers to your blog post about Persian cats. Doing that is what we call as internal linking.

Importance of Internal Links

1. Higher Pagerank

Search engines do not only rate blogs as a whole but it also ranks each page of a blog. This means that one of your blog posts may rank higher than your other blog posts. Just like in ranking websites, search engines rank pages by looking on the different factors like the number of visitors that the page receives, the number of incoming links that the page has, and many more. Doing internal linking will help individual pages or blog posts to garner higher pageranks.

2. Longer Visitor Stay

Links are doorways to other pages and it will be good if that doorway will lead the visitors of your blogs to your other blog posts, thus making them stay longer in your blog. Placing links of your other related blog posts will also show the readers that you have more to say about the topic that they interested in, thus making you more credible in the eyes of your visitors.

3. Old Blog Posts are not Forgotten

Because of the diary-like set-up of blogs, old blog posts are being buried under new blog posts and many of them are forgotten. This should not happen to any blog posts and bloggers must ensure that old blog posts will still be visited by readers. Internal linking is great way of resurrecting old blog posts.


Automated Ways to Place Internal Links

There are many ways to automate the placing of internal links on your blog posts. Many widgets are available and are free to use and download. One of them is the LinkWithin, which I talked about in an article. Another one is the widget that randomly shows old posts of your blog.

You should also know what is the best color of links to make it work better for your blogs.  


Visit Before the Eastern Sunset and read about Mactan Shrine, which talks about the things to see inside Mactan Shrine and other important information for those who want to visit the place where Lapu-Lapu and Magellan fought for supremacy.

Also visit Paradoxic Ley Line and read about my recent article, which is about the proposed expiration for marriage contracts by a party list.

Drop by Manila Informer and read my latest article there, which is about the capture of Jason Ivler.

Join me in Facebook, Twitter, and Friendster.

Eragon

"Eragon" by Christopher Paolini, Knopf

“A boy and a dragon and a wonderful, but dangerous, set of adventures”

Those are my words for the book Eragon that I have just finished reading recently. Eragon is a poor farm boy who luckily found a shiny stone in a magical forest near their hometown. Food for the table that would last for the whole winter, these are thoughts of this poor farm boy as he carried the stone back to his dilapidated house. The stone is more valuable than food, however, as a dragon came out of the stone and chose Eragon as its rider, opening up a new life and opportunities for to become the person who will save the world or continue its destruction.

This book is the latest of the novels in the genre of fantasy that I had read. Though very far away from the works of J.R. Tolkien, this novel is quite refreshing to read and will keep the readers in turning the pages until the end. Novels in this genre are flooding the bookstores and some of the characters and creatures seem to repeat from one fantasy novel to another. In spite of this, Eragon managed to create its own unique world that are different from the other ones in other fantasy novels. Although some of the creatures like elves, dwarves, and humans are still present. One of the villainous creatures in this book are called Urgals, which somewhat represent the Orcs of Tolkien's novels. What set this book apart are its plot and the possibilities that may arise in this novel.

So if you are hungry for a fantasy novel, then Eragon is recommended for you.


Visit Before the Eastern Sunset and read about Mactan Shrine, which is the shrine of Magallen’s slayer Lapu-Lapu.

Also visit Paradoxic Ley Line and read about my new article which is about the proposed expiration date for marriage contracts.

Follow me in Facebook, Twitter, and Friendster.

Pocket Tanks

Once in a while, when I get bored in office I play the usual desktop games on my office computer. The games that I usually play are spider solitaire, space cadet pinball, and the classic minesweeper. Recently, I discovered this cool game from my officemate. The name of the game is “Pocket Tanks.”

Pocket Tanks is a simple game and anyone can easily learn the basics of the game in few seconds. The game is a battle between two tanks that fire at one another with various cool missiles. Each missile has their special effects and power. Each tank gains score by hitting the opponent tank. The tank that has the higher score at the end of the game wins. It is a turn based game and the game ends if both of the tanks have no more weapons at their disposal.

Weapons

The weapons in pocket tanks can be categorized into three, namely, (1) weapon that cause destruction, (2) weapons that bury your opponent, and (3) weapon that remove the earth or terrain in the game.

The first category is composed of missiles that cause damage to the enemy tank. The damage will come into the form of scores being added to your tank. My favorites in this category are the Chain Reaction, Pineapple, and Napalm for the great damage that they bring. Homing Missiles and the Heat Seeker hunts the enemy even if it not well targeted by your tank.

The weapons in the second category include the Magic Wall, Dirtball, and the Dirt Slinger. The last two weapons are my favorites in this category because I use it to bury the enemy tanks. Burying the enemy tank is useful, especially if it has no weapons of category three. The enemy will be forced to incur damage when it tries to use category one weapons.

Dirt mover and Earth Mover fall to category three. These weapons remove the earth that was used to bury the tank. Earth Mover, in particular, is also useful in clearing the terrain where the enemy tank is located so as to disorient the enemy when the position of your tank is already on target.

Techniques

The game is played by approximating the trajectory that should be used to hit the enemy tank. The trajectory is made by selecting the right angle of the trajectory and the power for your weapon. For the first salvo, I usually use the Homing Missile to gauge the angle I should use in hitting the enemy. Homing Missiles are no-miss weapons. After that, I pummel the enemy with various weapons so as to increase my score.

Another technique that I use is hitting the enemy with Pile Driver. This weapon creates a pit where the enemy tank will fall, making it ideal for the Hailstorm weapon to create maximum damage.

If the enemy has no weapon like the Earth Mover or Dirt Mover, then I use the Earth Pile and Dirt Ball to trap the enemy and make it damage itself with its own weapons.

Other Good Things

Pocket Tanks can be downloaded for free from Blitwise. The free version has no time limit for the play unlike the games downloaded from Popcap. The Pocket Tanks free version already has assorted weapons that can fill your boring time in office.

If you are bored playing against the computer, then you can also play against your officemate via two – player or via LAN. The game can also be played via different difficulty levels, from level one up to ten.

Pocket Tanks is developed by Blitwise. Full version is also available for purchase. The full version has additional 30 weapons that have more interesting and wacky effects. To download the free version or buy the full version, visit Blitwise now.

The Verdict

Pocket Tanks is a nice game to play to while away time or to remove office boredom. The game is challenging enough to at least wake you up. Thinking of strategy and the best trajectory also makes your mind ticking. So if you are tired of Spider Solitaire or Minesweeper, then Pocket Tanks may be a good game for you.

Visit Before the Eastern Sunset and read my post about the hotels that could be found in Mactan Island.

Visit Paradoxic Ley Line and read about my latest article Political Play in the Maritime Industry.

Join me in Facebook, Twitter, and Friendster.

You could download Pocket Tanks at the website of Blitwise.

Leave a Comment. Find this post informative? Do you like this post or hated it? Please let me know. Your comments, suggestions and reactions are warmly appreciated. All reader’s comments will be personally replied to as soon as possible.