Connection problems using IE

I normally use the Firefox browser to access the net. A couple of minute ago I went to my blog using Internet explorer, just to see if it displays correctly and I was shocked to see the site go off and a warning appear. My blog is hosted with Blogger and I assume that this is a specific problem related to Blogger as I don't have problems with other blogs hosted elsewhere.

The error warning is given below:



On clicking the "More information" button, I get the following:

Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage

This problem can be caused by a variety of issues, including:

•Internet connectivity has been lost.
•The website is temporarily unavailable.
•The Domain Name Server (DNS) is not reachable.
•The Domain Name Server (DNS) does not have a listing for the website's domain.
•There might be a typing error in the address.
•If this is an HTTPS (secure) address, click Tools, click Internet Options, click Advanced, and check to be sure the SSL and TLS protocols are enabled under the security section.

I have no idea what is causing this problem and am not sure whether this is affecting my visitors who use IE as well.

Anybody facing a similar problem?

Update:
Pushing the Followers widget to the bottom the sidebar seem to have solved the problem.

Nokia E72 unveiled

Nokia has unveiled the E72 at the Nokia Connection event in Singapore today. This is a slight improvement from the successful E71. Besides featuring a full QWERTY keypad, the smartphone has a 5 megapixel camera and includes A-GPS and compass with integrated maps. Though I don't have the dimensions, it looks quite slim.

It also has faster internet access at 10.2Mbps connections over HSDPA and comes with a 3.5mm audio jack.

It is expected to ship in the third quarter of this year at an estimated retail price of €350 before taxes and subsidies.

Top Entrecard droppers for May 2009

This is the list of the top Entrecard droppers on my blog for the month of May.

• Beyond Feron
• MARKFE
• Living well
• photodito
• sharing information
• Airfare Now!
• Chaos Tech
• Traders' Hub
• Leomar's Den
• Photojournalist !

Thanks a lot guys.

When egos on the web collide

Just watched Leo Laporte telling off Mike Arrington on YouTube. I learnt about it from Tim Jennion's blog.

I don't necessarily agree with the language used but I think that Leo is right to be pissed off. I mean I wrote about the Palm Pre on my blog as well. If I had received a review copy, I would have done a better job reviewing it.

I have received review copies in the past including the 3 USB Dongle and to say that this would make you biased is totally out of line.

Makes Mike sound like he's having a case of sour grapes.

Anyway, here's the video:

SEO Expert UK

While going through some of the profiles on Twitter, I realised that every 3rd person is either an online marketer or self-proclaimed SEO Expert. I say self-proclaimed because a search on Google for the names for several of these guys (and some companies) doesn't even show up on the first results page.

BTW, for those who didn't know SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation and refers to the art and science of improving volume or quality of traffic to your site from search engines.

Anyway, you can't be an SEO expert if your names doesn't even show up on Google - the most popular search engine in the World.

Moving on, according to Google, apparently I am the #1 SEO Expert in Coventry. However, I was curious as to who was on top of the charts for the key words 'SEO Expert UK'.

#1 was http://www.seo-expert-services.co.uk/
#2 was http://www.misterweb.co.uk/ &
#3 was http://www.nikkipilkington.com/

So, these are the top 3 SEO experts in the UK (according to Google).

I noticed that all of them had the keywords in their website title (the one that comes out on the top of your browser) and that all three sites were companies involved in search engine optimisation.

It would be really interesting if a freelancer like me suddenly got on the top of the results for the keywords.

Anybody up for the challenge?

Palm Pre phone available in the US

The Palm Pre phone which was unveiled at the CES in January, is now available in the US on the Sprint network at $199.99. This is Palm's answer to the Apple iPhone.

The 3G phone has a 3.1-inch touch screen with a vibrant 24-bit color 320x480 resolution HVGA display. One of the things I really like is the fact that this phone has a QWERTY keyboard.

Running on the new Palm webOS, features includes a built-in GPS and 3 megapixel camera with LED flash. It also supports several media formats and also comes with wireless connectivity .





The phone is slightly smaller than the Apple iPhone with the following dimensions:
Width: 59.5mm
Height: 100.5mm
Thickness: 16.95mm

It weight 135 grams.

Read more about the phone on the Palm website.

First Commentator:
Daisy

Hooked on Spymaster

While going through Twitter recently, I noticed that one of the top trending keywords was #spymaster. Found out that Spymaster is an online game for Twitter which is now on private invite only beta.

The game works like this:

First of all you choose which spy organisation you would like to join - I choose MI6 naturally. You then carry out tasks and earn money and gain experience. As you gain more experience, more challenging tasks (with higher rewards) are unlocked.



You can buy items such as guns from the Blackmarket and finally carry out assassinations. you can even open a Swiss Bank account.

I am not sure but I think this is the first Twitter based game and if you are on Twitter, you might think twice before signing up. I am warning you - it is really addictive.

First Commentator:
Azwan

Web host ratings

I had blogged about a Web hosting review site some time ago which had received considerable interest from my readers. it was no surprise considering the fact that there are so many providers around each claiming to give you the best value for your money. Well, recently I came across Webhostingrating.com, another site that rates web hosting providers.

On the main page, they have provided a list of 10 top best web hosts based on independent customer web hosting rating. According to the list the top web host is InMotion Hosting, followed by Awardspace.com and Web Hosting Pad. Here they have a "thumbs up" rating system with InMotion Hosting receiving 5 "thumbs up".

As your business or traffic gets bigger ultimately people move into dedicated web hosting. Their dedicated web hosting page lists two providers, namely, InMotion Hosting and iWebFusion Technologies LLC. Only InMotion has received 5 thumbs up while the later is unrated as yet.

If you are looking for a good web host, I would definitely recommend going through this site.

Why people don't follow you on Twitter

Having been on Twitter for quite a while, I was looking at ways to increase the number of my followers. However, while doing so I found out several mistakes that people make on Twitter that turns away others from following them.

Some of them are listed below:

1. Not having a profile photograph.
   
   
2. Not having a profile description.
   I know some people are really concerned about their privacy and blah, blah but if you are, then you shouldn't be on any social network.
   
   
3. Someone who has no updates.
   
   
4. Someone who doesn't have a profile photograph, description or updates.
   I am surprised that this guy had over 200 followers without even making a single update.
   
   
   
   
5. Someone who keeps tweeting links to "get rich quick" schemes.
   
   
6. Someone who uses abusive language.
   A good way to lose existing followers as well.
   

Can you think of other reasons why you might not follow someone on twitter.

UPDATE: Unlike what some people seem to think, the guys at Twitter are scanning the Twittersphere for funny activity. Clicking on some profiles will take you to this page:



First commentator:
Walski69

Top 10 Entrecard droppers for April

Time for some link love.

1. Traders' Hub
2. Markfe
3. Photodito
4. Swirling Thoughts
5. Chaos Tech
6. Blogging resource and make money online
7. Beyond Feron
8. Life Reflections
9. Learning How To Make Money Online
10. Life After Work

Thanks for the drops.

Airfree P80 - Futuristic looking air purifier

This is a different type of gadget I am going to review here - an air purifier.

I made the decision to buy an air purifier after our family had a bad case of flu running around (Don't worry, it was long before the swine flu). I don't think any of our kids is allergic to pollen but we don't want to risk it.

The first one was a bargain I grabbed at the local Lloyds pharmacy. It has a ioniser and a filter. However my wife was not really satisfied and we finally decided on the Airfree P80 after a bit of searching on the web.

We bought it from the Breathing Space site for £199.

I was initially sceptical about it's claims of being "The World's safest and most tested air purifier" and I was wondering how it purifies the air without using any filter. However, reading the reviews on various sites convinced us that it was the right choice.

As soon as we received it, I took it out of the box and started it up. It has a nice futuristic design which makes it look like something out of a Dr. Who series. At first I was surprised that it was so silent. Unlike the other one which makes a right racket. I could feel clean and slightly warm air coming our of the top vents.



The air purifier works by passing air through a heated ceramic core incineration chamber which kills all germs and cleans air that passes trough it. It also has a pleasant blue light which is actually quite soothing at night.



It may be my imagination but we sleep better at nights and the air in the house seems fresher when ever we enter the house.

The Airfree P80 has definitely been one of our best investments so far.

First Commentator
Melayu Boleh