For those who are still confused of what is happening in my previous post, I will now reveal “What I did!”
Archive for May, 2007
(Read this post with an open mind)
There is something that I have always wanted to do. There are pros and cons to it. I was advised not to do it. However, there was a “tiny voice” in me saying, “Just do it!”.
Anyway, I am extremely happy to announce that, “I have finally done it! WooHoo!!!”
UPDATE: On second thoughts, did I make a mistake? Was I ready for it? Will I regret it few months later?
But…
The process of doing it was great. I felt anxious and excited all the way through it. It was like going through the great “unknown”.
At the end of it, it felt great. I did feel proud of what I have done — in a way. Come to think of it, I guess I should encourage others to do it as well. Since it cost me only RM40 to do it. Not to forget the RM15 “feature” that I purchased to allow me to do it.
Great bargain.
(This post is meant for those who has (at least) a domain name.)
So, what’s the big deal between using www.domain.com (with www) and domain.com (without www)? You probably didn’t bothered, did you? I guess you didn’t know that it will affect your website or blog’s pagerank too.
According to ekstreme.com, “to search engines, because subdomains are different entities, http://www.domain.com and http://domain.com are two different websites with the same content. This means that they both will be penalized for duplicate content and will rank lower.”
So, have I got your attention now? To www or not to www, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that you decide between one of them and stick to it. no-www.org recommends websites to drop the www prefix because they claim that it is depreciated and that the “use of the www subdomain is redundant and time consuming to communicate“. Meanwhile, www.yes-www.org argues that it “serves as a gentle reminder that there are other services than the Web on the Internet“.
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Method 1: Apache mod_rewrite and 301 redirection:
To redirect domain.com to www.domain.com:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^domain\.com [nc]
RewriteRule (.*) http://www.domain.com/$1 [R=301,L]
To redirect www.domain.com to domain.com:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^www\.domain\.com [nc]
RewriteRule (.*) http://domain.com/$1 [R=301,L]
If you open up your .htaccess file in a Wordpress blog, you’ll see this:
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
What I’m doing is to redirect tenthofmarch.com to www.tenthofmarch.com. So my version looks like this:
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^tenthofmarch\.com [nc]
RewriteRule (.*) http://www.tenthofmarch.com/$1 [R=301,L]
RewriteBase /
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
Method 2: Using Wordpress Plugin
I found 2 Wordpress plugins that allow you to redirect either way without the need to tweak the .htaccess file. This is an easier and safer alternative, since you do not touch the .htaccess file. Bare in mind that any mistakes made while tweaking the .htaccess file might cause some problems while accessing your blog.
1. Enforce www. Preference.
I’ve tested this one and it works. This plugin detects the selection you made in the “Blog address (URL)” under Options –> General.
2. Objection-Redirection
Haven’t tried this (lazy) but I think it should work.
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Again, it doesn’t matter whether you choose to www or not to www. The important thing is to choose either one. I’ve done a quick check on some blogs that I frequently visit and notice MOST of them have not done this. It is about time you guys decide.
If you live in Malaysia, you would have probably experienced or at least heard of the poor quality of broadband services (Streamyx) in Malaysia. Just do a quick search with technorati and petalingstreet reveals countless complaints about the poor quality of broadband service it serves.
This point is further strengthened with a website created dedicated to expose the lousy services that Streamyx provides. I found a blog post published by someone living in Australia who doesn’t use Streamyx but knows that Streamyx sucks. He compared his 56kb/s connection to the 512kb/s broadband Streamyx serves and claims that his 56kb/s doesn’t lag compared to Streamyx’s.
I’m fortunate enough to live in an area where my Streamyx connection isn’t perfect, but it isn’t as bad as some claims they have. However, there are times when my connection drops or becomes unstable as well. Whenever that happens, there is a “routine” that I perform to restore the connection. I have been doing it for some time now. Therefore I believe it “should work”.
I even tested the same “routine” when I was having problems with the Streamyx connection when I was in PJ some time ago. Happy to say that it worked there as well. So, fingers crossed, I hope it works for you as well. This “routine” should work, provided that the Streamyx connection in your area is not “borned” crappy — if you know what I mean. Here goes:
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Step 1: Ping your default gateway infinitely
Firstly, you will need to find out what your “Default Gateway” is. To find this out, start up command prompt. (Start –> All Programs –> Accessories –> Command Prompt) Type “ipconfig” and hit the <enter> key. From the screenshot below, my default gateway is set to 192.168.0.1. Write down *your* default gateway.
Now that you have your default gateway, you can start to ping it. Type “ping <your default gateway> -t” and hit the <enter> key.
To cancel the ping, press the “Ctrl key” and “C” together (Ctrl + C) or just click on the “X” on the top right of the window. You should try pinging your default gateway for 1 to 2 minutes. Sometimes, my connection will be restored with this process. However, if you have been pinging your default gateway for more than 5 minutes but your connection is still dead, move on to the next step.
Step 2: Disable your Local Area Network and restarting it
This step works best when you have other computers connected to the router that are still able to surf the Internet but only yours are not able to. Firstly, you will need to open up your “Network Connections” folder. You can do this by going to (Start –> Control Panels) and selecting “Network Connections“. An alternative way will be to “Right-Click” on the “Local Area Connection” icon on the taskbar, and selecting “Open Network Connections“.
You can then disable it by following the next process. “Right-Click” on the “Local Area Connection” icon and select “Disable“.
Wait for 30-60 seconds or more. Enable it back by “Right-click” on the “Local Area Connection” and selecting “Enable“.
You will need to wait for another 30 to 60 seconds or so before your connection will be ready. If nothing happens, give it a little “boost” by repeating Step 1.
Step 3: Restarting your ADSL modem
If the 2 steps above failed, your last hope is to restart the ADSL modem. Below is a picture of how my ADSL modem looks like when it is “connected to the Internet” and on “standby”. Whenever the connection to the Internet drops, the LED on the top that shows “LINK” will be blinking. If that happens, I know it’s time to restart the ADSL modem. Since different ADSL modem “behaves” differently, you’ll need to observe your own ADSL modem to see how yours works.
What you need to do is to switch off the ADSL modem. Let it stay that way for 30 to 60 seconds or more. Switch it back on right after that. You might need to wait a while before the connection goes back online. If nothing happens, give it a little “boost” by repeating Step 1.
So far, I’m happy to say that my connection will always be restored after going through step 1 to 3. I hope it works for you as well.
Step 4: (Bonus) Streamyx Customer Service
Heck, if all the steps given above doesn’t work, there is always the “Streamyx Customer Service” team. 
I’m not too sure if this step works but you may give it a try. LOL. I found an audio file that I heard sometime ago about a conversation between a Streamyx customer and their customer service. It is a little funny, yet disturbing. Proceed with caution.
I have always liked photography, in a way. The thought of holding a bulky camera and gears that weighs a tonne is “orgasmic” a wonderful feeling. I remember the process of choosing my first digital camera a few years ago. I had two camera choices — Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX7 and Panasonic DMC-FZ3. There was another model Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 (if I’m not mistaken) which felt a lot more “natural” in my hand but the price tag was a drawback. It is almost RM1,000 more expensive than the other two.
My dad recommended me the FX7 because it’s smaller and easier to carry around. However, the thought of a 12 times optical zoom and “big” (sort of more professional looking) camera, was just too hard to resist. I ended up purchasing the FZ3.
I have to admit there were times when I regretted and thought that I should have gone for the smaller, slimmer FX7 instead. For instance, during my convocation where most of my friends carried their cameras in their trousers or shirt pockets while I couldn’t bring mine along. Carrying my FZ3 under my “robe” might look like I had an AK-47 hidden beneath it. However, I still love my FZ3. It is my “first love”, isn’t it?
Below are 2 photos I took in my “mini-garden” yesterday evening. It was in the evening, and it just started to rain. Therefore the lighting isn’t enough. My camera must be 3 years old or so. The air was cloudy. Blah-blah-blah. OKOK, those are just excuses for my amateur looking “macro shots”.
I resized the photos without any editing. The flower above is quite nice. Look at the background on the right and you will see how it grows from a tiny “dot” to a big flower on the left.
This one looks like “seeds”. When the flower “blooms”, it is tiny and white.
So, how can I improve? Is there still hope in me? This is the first time I am posting my photos. So be gentle when you comment. Or else… 
Hahhaha.
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