Jiwei Wang’s Notepad

There are basically three ways to publish your blog with WordPress.

1. Open an account on a blog service such as http://wordpress.com/. This is the easiest to set up.  But you cannot always customize to your heart’s content and you don’t earn from AdSense.
2. Run WordPress on your own server at home.  You really emerge yourself in the wonderful world of open source technology and experience the thrill of making money on-line.  Well, it’s pocket changes to start with but you’ll have a chance to grow the traffic and look for the next alternative.
3. Use a web hosting service such as the cheap and reliable share hosting 1&1 or VPS (Virtual Private Server) at VPS Link, use referral code CSR42P to get 10% discount, when you reach your stardom in the blogosphere.

If you decide to start with Option No. 2 and have got WordPress going (otherwise, WordPress.org offers everything you need), this HowTo is for you.  If you don’t have a static IP address at home, you can still run your own domain using dynamic DNS, e.g. http://dynadns.org/ .

This HowTo focuses on running WordPress over your ADSL or cable modem effectively.  ”Effectiveness” here is defined by your readers not noticing that your blogs are streamed over your ADSL/cable modem.  To do so, you have to overcome two hurdles:

1. Long latency caused by the limited upload bandwidth (normally in the ~650kbit/s range), and
2. The limited capacity of your home server (a P4 3GHz running at 95% CPU produces 3.5 dynamic pages per second; And an older P3 1GHz produces barely 1 dynamic page per second).

Combining the two hurdles, how bad is the delay to load your home page.  It takes about 1.2~2 seconds within North America. DNS lookup adds a few more milliseconds on top and cross continents delays it further. This is not too bad.  However, if you have AdSense ads along with your blog, it’ll take 5~15 seconds to display a page.  That is eternity on today’s Internet. Readers would have clicked away or turned attention to something else.  Don’t despair. There are ways to overcome the hurdles.

Firstly, why does Adsense slow down the page loading so much?  Because Adsense analyses your page on the fly to find the right AdWords ads and the Reader’s browser waits for the complete page before displaying. Safari browser performs poorer on this regard.  Secondly, if we can reduce the latency in generating the page and the size of the page in transmission, we’ll reduce the latency substantially.  So here is the recipe for the cure.

• You need to avoid generating the dynamic page twice for Adsense. WP-Cache plugin by Ricardo Galli Granada. http://mnm.uib.es/gallir/wp-cache-2/ gives you the perfect solution. Cached page/post are discarded as soon as you modify it. There’s also WP Super Cache http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-super-cache/ which improves the throughput even further.
• All major browsers can handle compressed pages. Your fully loaded home page (normally ~50KB in size) can be compressed to 8.5KB on the fly by Apache/PHP. Hey, this increases your bandwidth and reduces the latency by over 5 times. However, neither WP-Cache nor WP Super Cache tolerates compressed pages. You’ll have to configure your PHP for this task. In your /etc/php.ini file, change or uncomment the line “zlib.output_compression = on” and restart Apache.

How well does your blog perform after these two steps?  The latency comes down to 0.3~0.4 seconds (from previously 1.2~2 seconds) and your readers can enjoy your opinion with AdSense within about a second. This is on par with any major hosting service.

Good luck and have fun blogging knowing that there is no more digital distance between the readers and your blog.

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The dsl is an effective way to provide intuitive interface for optimizing the internet connectivity of a basic isp. The underlying technology can aid both the intermediary as well as the high-end in tweaking their broadband networks. These advanced concepts work in collaboration with the related adsl parameters to bring forth the specific dsl connection speed.

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Tags: Adsl Cable, Adsl Modem, Blogosphere, Cable Modem, Dns Lookup, Home Server, Hurdles, Internet Readers, Limited Capacity, Making Money On Line, Milliseconds, Open Source Technology, P3 1ghz, Pocket Changes, Referral Code, Stardom, Static Ip Address, virtual private server, VPS, Web Hosting Service, wordpress

The first thing you have to consider after installing WordPress and starting writing is to backup and restore your database.  I started with WordPress Database Backup 2.1.5, which was rated highly on WordPress.org.  It turned out to cause me tremendous grief when migrating to a different server. The primary issue is that some tables are not properly dumped. For instance, Counterize II 2.10 tables could not be restored properly. The secondary problem is that it took so long to back up my database, over a minutes with almost 100% CPU (P4 3GHz).

So I started looking for a better database plugin.  And I’m very happy to find WP-DBManager 2.20 by Lester ‘GaMerZ’ Chan.  WP-DBManager  uses the standard MySQL utility mysqldump to do the job.  It took less than a second to dump my database. Most importantly, everything is restored ok on a different server. WP-DBManager  also provides other functions to manage the database dumps, optimization DB, repair DB and a dangerous Empty/Drop tables.  Lester ‘GaMerZ’ Chan knows his stuff. Well done!

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Tags: Backup Restore, Database Backup, Dbmanager, Drop Tables, Gamerz, Grief, Job, Optimization, P4, wordpress, Wp

Google announced the availability of Android platform SDK this week. However devices running Android will only come after mid of 2008. Like the saying in an old joke, reading the software manual without the hardware is like reading a porn book without the software.  It’s hard to hold the urge.

Meanwhile, Google also set up $10 million in prizes for developers who build compelling Android programs, including Developers Challenge offers 50 prizes of $25,000 each, with the best then going on to compete for greater prizes of $100,000 and $275,000.

So here’s the idea, if you can make Android run on Windows Mobile or Palm devices, you’ll hit the jackpot.

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Some cellular service providers reward their loyal customers with ringtone and wallpaper freebies. The graphics and audio amusements have become a big part of the mobile industry these days. The melodious mobile device ringtones may not be compatible enough to go with every service carrier. These ring tones come in a wide variety such as funny ringtones, monophonic or simple ringtones which may be downloaded as free ringtones and the most popular category of premium-charged music ringtones.

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Tags: 10 Million, Android, Cellular Service Providers, Developers, Free Ringtones, Google, Jackpot, Loyal Customers, Mobile device, Mobile Industry, Old Joke, Palm Devices, Phone, Platform Sdk, Porn Book, Prizes, Ring Tones, Ringtone, Running, Service Carrier, Urge, Wallpaper

The rising Canadian dollar (now 1.07 over US$) is a clear indication of a strong Canadian economy. Well, some would argue that the real causes are the ever-rising cost of natural resources and temporary weakness of US economy due to the sub-prime mortgage crises.  

The strong Canadian dollar prompts a tide of Canadians shopping across the border.  This led to open concerns of weakening Canadian retail industry and hence the entire economy.  To address those concerns, it’s useful to start by comparing the tax exemptions between Canada and US to see how the two countries feel about their economies.

It’s worth pointing out that the Canadian exemption rate for 48 hours was raised to $200 only recently.

Examining the exemption limits, you’d see that you’ll have to stay out of the country over 48 hours to shop interesting items. Reports of long queues at border crossings over long weekends confirm the fact. However, this means expenses of two-nights hotel and meals in US.  The actual effect is that consumers spend even more abroad.

Often time protectionism of a specific industry backfires.  The protected industry would become inefficient and consumers would suffer. A comparable case is the RRSP no more than 20% foreign content rule, which had seriously dented the retirement funds of Canadians while banks raked in excessive profit. An inefficient retail industry would mean high living cost and may create bigger flocks of snowbirds taking their life savings south.

A better solution is to let the market economy shape the industry.  I’d think the government should relax the exemption limits and consumers should vote with their choices. This will eventually create a more efficient and competitive retail industry.

If you do decide to take advantage of the strong Canadian dollar, I’d recommend checking out this site http://betterdollar.com/ to avoid the hidden costs, e.g. in credit card payment.

Duly Noted

A considerable fraction of the strength of Canadian economy lies in the well rooted economy plan of the state. Somewhat similar rules apply at the personal finance management through a consumer creditcard. Nowadays a whole host of cards labeling themselves as 0 credit cards are in the market. More recently, the market leader americanexpress has wowed the customers with lowest markup rates on american express centurion card. Few kinds of the secured credit card are saving the card holders from having to pay heavily on missing any of the odd months now and then.

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Alas, it turns out eventually that the much anticipated GPhone is a software platform, closely toeing the line of Google’s business model. As we’re recovering the torturing suspense, let’s see who are friends and who are foes of “GPhone”.

Google’s announcement this afternoon came together with the Open Handset Alliance. Sifting through the member list (http://www.openhandsetalliance.com/oha_members.html), you find the usual suspects of any industry alliance/forum, names such as Intel, Qualcomm, TI, Samsung, Motorola and LG, etc. But what’s interesting is who’s missing at the round table. This is an indicator of being a likely “foe” to “GPhone”.  Given that the current members are probably “by invitation only”, it’s also an indicator being considered “foe” by Google.

Contrary to Investor’s Business Daily report (http://biz.yahoo.com/ibd/071105/general.html?.v=4 ), Nokia is not part of it. Of course Nokia has Symbian. RIM (with its own OS) is also missing.  So are Microsoft, Apple and Palm.  All of them already have a “closed” or semi-closed (in contrast to semi-open) platform, and naturally do not see the point of having anther one.  They will most likely be the foes of “GPhone”.  Who’s going to win in the end?  History tells us open platform has better odds.

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Of all the other brands nokia phones offer the highest level of durability along with the product quality. A Nokia cell phone is such a superior blend of features coming with a complete set of cell phone accessories that deserves to have a place in best seller cellphone novels. All of the new cell products of the same manufacturer are launched with a new cell phone safety guide to make sure the safeguard of the consumers.

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Tags: Alliance Forum, Biz Yahoo, Cell Phone Accessories, Cell Phone Safety, Foe, Foes, Forum Names, Google, Gphone, Ibd, Industry Alliance, Microsoft Apple, Nokia Cell Phone, Nokia Phones, Open Platform, Own Os, Phone, Qualcomm, Safety Guide, Sifting Through, Software Platform