New Site... Again

Hi! If you happen to stumble on this site and happen to be interested to read more technology, food, etc topics. You can check out the shiny new site of the blog at www.krisviceral.com. Thanks!

We are moving!

Hi dear avid readers!
All two of you that I forced to read my blog will have to go to http://krisanthonyviceral.blogspot.com/ I just changed the name and just want a restart (again). Hopefully will update that more often since I won't actually focus on writing to earn just writing for the fun of it (which should have been my real reason for this one). I will probably post better quality posts. So hope you visit!


Author: Kris Anthony Viceral He talks about technology, life, food and some other interesting things that you may or may like. You can view all his stuff on the web at http://flavors.me/krisviceral

An Actual Plan for Change: For the Better Blog and Writing What I Want to Write

This blog has gone through a lot and has been with me for quite some time. It had several purposes which really never formalized. One of the first reasons was for ads. Honestly speaking, I wanted to earn while talking about the things I love to do. Fortunately/unfortunately, my Google adsense application has been denied way back when and stopped caring about ads. From there I just blogged whatever the heck I felt like.

So changes right? One of the many things I've learned from doing this blog is that I don't want to think about other things like ads. I just want to speak my mind and talk about things which is how it should work. 
  
A catchy blog name? Themes? Formal writing? I had enough. I'm going to start (and import some stuff) another new blog. Yes you may think (at least my friends) that it's just another one of my blogs but this time I'll write for the sake of writing. With that blog though I want to actually FIX the formatting, layout and customize it so it's actually EASY TO READ.

Ideas/Concepts/Stuff to fix:
-A better tag system (new tags like Filipino, Personal Opinion, etc)
-Teach you to browse the site via tags (so you get to read what you want to read)
-"Jump to article" (long posts that you don't want to read through when scrolling down is terrible)
-Delete old useless content (Content I just scavenged from across the web so that I have something to post)
-Fix posting style (I know the images and flow are terrible, believe me)
-Create my name/use my name
-Fix the darn header finally

Any more ideas, comments, very violent emotional raging emotions? Tell me below. I'm going to make a new post when I'm done with the changes. Thanks for reading!


Author: Kris Anthony Viceral He talks about technology, life, food and some other interesting things that you may or may like. You can view all his stuff on the web at http://flavors.me/krisviceral

Update on Why There is No Update

So as you've noticed nothing much is new. Did you ever have the burning desire to know? Well maybe not but I'm going to tell you why anyway.

As Google suggests (if you try googling me) I'm in Canada right now. Moving here and just having recently graduated has taken me to a roller-coaster ride the past few months. What's keeping me busy right now is a bridge-to-work program called IWES. Oh we're required to blog as of writing, cool cool stuff. Without getting into much detail, I'm learning about the Canadian culture and promoting my self to possible career opportunities (aka finding a job).

Things are getting more stable right now and finally sticking to a day-to-day activity has been good. Expect to see major changes which I'll talk about in the next post (which will be right now hopefully).

Author: Kris Anthony Viceral He talks about technology, life, food and some other interesting things that you may or may like. You can view his things on the internet at http://flavors.me/krisviceral

13 Interesting Facts About UST in Pictures (Tagalog)

As a proud Thomasian or really just because I'm reading this list from Facebook, I thought I'd share some of the most interesting things on the list along with my worthless comments. Full list is here. And for something different, this post will be in Tagalog-English or "Filipino accented English Slang". Click the links for the full url of the images as some of them aren't mine.

1. Tanaw ang Manila Bay kapag ikaw ay nasa tuktok ng UST Main Building Tower.

[Kung saan pwede kang mg ala titanic. click picture to see reference site]

2. Binuhat pa mismo mula sa Intramuros ang pinaka-entrada ng UST na tinatawag ngayong Arch of the Centuries.

<----

3. Ang UST Museum ang pinakamatandang museo sa Pilipinas na magpasahanggang ngayon ay nananatiling nakatayo.

[Based on fictional scientific studies, na sa UST museum ang pinaka malakas na aircon sa buong campus]

4. Mayroong urban legend na nagsasabing pag lumabas ka raw sa Arch of the Centuries nang hindi ka pa grumagraduate at made-debar ka.


[Kung saan prinopose na gawin ang sign na ito]

5. Dalawang beses lang nainterrupt ang pasok sa UST, noong First Revolution at World War 2.

[Muntik na/Saglit na naiinterrupt rin ng Ah1n1 ang pasok sa UST.]





6. Noong panahon ng mga Amerikano, inalok ang UST na maging National University of Philippines. Hindi pumayag ang mga Paring Dominikano dahil mapapasa-ilalim ito sa pamahalaan ng Gobyerno. Ito ang naghudyat ng pagkakatatag ng University of the Philippines.

[Or pwede ring ayaw nilang maging bulldog or ayaw nila ng my hubad na nakatitanic pose statue]




7. Ginawang World War II Military Stronghold ang UST Campus noong masakop ng Hapon ang Pilipinas.

[kung saan meron ring nangyaring mga kalokohang gaya ng video na makikita ninyo (ok so hindi lahat pictures ang post na to)]


8. UST ang pinakamalaking paaralan sa siyudad ng Maynila.

[Gaano katanda? Dun pumasok si Rizal at inabutan ang ibat ibang sumakop sa Pilipinas]

9. Ang UST lang ang may natatanging titulong "Royal and Pontifical" sa lahat ng Kolehiya at Pamantasan sa Pilipinas.

10. Ang UST - AMV (Alfredo M. Velayo) College of Accountancy ang kauna-unahan at nagi-isang academic unit sa UST na ipanangalan sa isang mag-aaral nito.

[Alfredo M. Velayo pala. Akala ko parang AVR. Audio Music Video-College of Accountancy. Pwede naman di ba? Di ba? ]




11. Ang Faculty of Civil Law ng UST ay ang pinagtapusang pamantasas ng anim na Supreme Court Chief Justices.

[Kung saan sa kasamaang palad ay hindi ganto ang uniform ng mga judge sa Pilipinas]

12. May sariling sewing room ang UST located sa Second floor ng grandstand.

[Eto ang source ng mga UST PE uniform katulad ng picture sa kaliwa ngunit hindi po ganyan ang pinapagawa sa PE kaya huwag mag alala]





13. January 28 ang Feast day ni St. Thomas Aquinas at April 28 naman ang foundation day ng UST.

[Importanteng malaman ang mga date na ito sapagkat wala itong pasok. Maaring mg schedule ng mga class outing at iba pang aktibidades]







Once again full list is here.

Great Firefox Add-ons

With the recent switch to Firefox I thought I'd share some nifty add-ons I've used in Chrome but is also availble to Firefox. So enough with the introductions, let's see some great extensions.

Fox Tab vs Speed Dial vs Fast Dial

These three extensions add a fast access to your sites you frequent. Here's the lowdown on the three. Hit the links for the downloads.

Fox Tab: 3D effects, adds visual tab switching, kind of slow

Speed Dial: Fast, Customizable, able to create groups of links, looks butt-ugly

Fast Dial: Fast, limited to 1 page worth of shortcuts, isn't butt-ugly

Personally I would have chosen Speed Dial for its customization options but it just looks ugly, I'm using Fast Dial for now.

Downloads Tab

If you hate the window that pops out after you've downloaded a file, this extension puts the download in a new tab (a feature of Chrome I love). https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/downloads-in-tab/

Better GMail

If you frequent GMail, you might notice that there's some stuff that needs improving. This extensions adds some cool things like hierarchical labels, row highlights and much much more. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/better-gmail-2/

AdBlock Plus

One of the most popular addons, this one blocks those pesky annoying ads. This one's a mixed bag for me. It's really useful but sometimes goes in conflict with some other extensions so see if this one is okay for you. Oh by the way, after you install this extension and restart FF. Close the bar on the bottom that it adds.https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/adblock-plus/

InstantFox

This one is just pure awesome. I used to have a button to search YouTube automatically bur this one ups that concept. Once you install this add-on, if you want to search Google just hit "g [keyword]" right in your awesome bar and it'll hit up Google. You can replace g with y so it auto-searches YouTube. The only downside is that you could already do this with FF itself, this just simplifies it.  https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/instantfox/

Stylish

This is another awesome extension. As I've shown in a previous post, this one skins or changes the look of the website you're currently viewing. So you can give Facebook or YouTube a makeover.  https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/stylish/

There's a ton more addons so just head over to the addons site and try a bunch. Enjoy!

Tech How To: Moving From Chrome to Firefox 4

As you may have noticed from the blog, I'm a current Chrome user but I do like Firefox. Chrome seemed better than Firefox version 3 but now with version 4 it seems Firefox is back on track. So with all the customizations, preferences and modifications I've done with Chrome I don't want to part with those cool nifty stuff but I want to try Mozilla's new (or rather improved) Firefox. 

Here's a guide to moving from Chrome to Firefox.

Step 1: Download and Customize Firefox 4

First things first. Download and install FF 4.  Get it here http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/fx/

Optional: Customize Firefox's Look

If you aren't too fond or don't really want to adjust to Firefox 4's new look, there's a way to change that. Check out this guide by LifeHacker to customize FF's new look. http://lifehacker.com/#!5784783/how-to-fix-annoyances-with-firefox-4s-new-look

In case you don't want to look at the site here's a rundown of the stuff you can customize.

Toolbar: If you don't like the standard FF look. Head over to the main button (Firefox or Aurora) then Options>Toolbar Layout

Firefox Button:  If you don't like the darn button unorthodox FF button there's a way to change that. Download this extension https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/movable-firefox-button/ and you can customize where it is by doing the same technique as above.

From here you can drag and drop icons and it'll turn into buttons. You can customize it to however you like. Here's mine. 

I removed the search bar (since the url bar searches too), put the refresh button near the forward and back button, added the tab groups button and download button. In addition, also changed the main FF button.

Step 2: Find and Download Extensions

In Chrome go to the wrench icon  then goto tools > Extensions to get a list of your extensions. Now this is the most boring step. Since there is no automatic import,you'll have to do it manually. Goto https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/?browse=featured  and search for your extensions there.

Once you find an extension hit "Add to Firefox" and you'll be prompted a restart. Hit ok and the extension should be installed. Repeat this step a zillion times or really depending on the extensions you've made. Most of the time every Chrome extension has a Firefox equivalent or vice-versa so you shouldn't have much of a problem.

Step 3: Import Your Bookmarks to Firefox

Okay so next up we save our bookmarks to FF. This is a much easier step than the last so here goes. Go to Chrome's wrench bar and go to Bookmark Manager. You'll see the bookmarks tab. Click organize > export bookmarks and you'll be prompted to save a file. Save it temporarily anywhere your heart desires.

Now in FF hit the bookmarks button (the one with the star) then choose "Show All Bookmarks". You'll now see this window.

Hit import and backup button and choose to import HTML file. Find the file you saved earlier and choose OK. You'll notice your bookmarks are now imported to FF. You're done.

Step 4: Check Your Settings

This one is just to avoid anything annoying. Once again in Chrome hit the wrench icon and choose Options. Browse through your settings. In FF go to the Firefox button and choose Options>Options (Yes it's redundant). Now compare both and see which things you like your browser to do. Things like would when you click a link should you switch to the new window are just some of the stuff you could tinker with.

And that's it. You've now more or less transitioned to a new browser! Enjoy!

Tech How To: YouTube Hacks

First, a hack is not simply accessing a bunch of secured files (that's the Hollywood definition) anyway a hack could also mean a nifty trick.

Let's face it we use YouTube all the time whether it be for watching two babies argue or just wasting your brain cells singing to friday. So here's a few nifty hacks to for the ever popular YouTube.

Note: Most of the stuff or rather all of them use Google Chrome. There's a 98% chance that there's also a Firefox equivalent.

1. Download Videos with integrated YouTube Download Button.

There are a few hundred different ways to download videos on the site but I find this one most efficient.

Screenshot:

Note: No, it won't make your YouTube site go purple.We'll get to that later.

As shown in the screenshot, I've got a dedicated download button on YouTube videos. So how do you do that? If you've got Google Chrome installed: Download this extension. <---Hint: I'ts a link. And once you browse a new video you'll see the new button. It always you to download videos in FLV or MP4.

2. Stop the Damn Auto Play 

 If you're like me who wonders why would someone choose to automatically play videos (esp with slow internet) this one's a must.  So again download another Chrome extension. Here and enjoy!

3. Convert Videos to MP3

You sometimes have the dilemma of hearing a new fangled song and you want to put it in your playlist or on your fancy-pants iPod Touch or equivalent.  Here's how. 

a. Copy a YouTube video link. 

Example 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrPoPVwBLhw&feature=channel_video_title

Example 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kn_LMGqZgs

b. Go to Vid To MP3 Website or http://www.vidtomp3.com/

c. Paste YouTube Address

Don't forget to choose High Quality :D

d. Wait.

e. Click Download

4. Once Click Video Search

Another chrome extension. This one gives you a YouTube Button on your browser. Once you click it. Just type away a query! Oh it has the ever so useful auto-complete too. Download here.

Screenshot:

 

5. Change YouTube's Look with Stylish

Just like the Facebook Hack I posted a few days ago, this one involves Stylish Google Chrome Extension. Download stylish here.  Go to YouTube Site and click the Stylish button and choose a new look! :D

Purple YouTube link: http://userstyles.org/styles/16229/youtube-dark-shiny-purple-transparency

Here's one more hack but I haven't personally tried yet.

6. Disable Those Comments

Why? Seriously you only get 1/10000 intellectual comment on videos so why bother reading through those?

Download and disable all those dumb comments. Oh how we wish we could filter dumb comments .

 

Tech How To: Awesomize Your Windows Environment

Tired of the same looking Windows? Seems like your computer really isn't unique or personal? Well, here's a quick way to make your windows look awesome and get away from the default stuff.

Note: There are different ways and softwares to customize your win-environment but I'll talk about CustoPack tools since it's the easiest to use.

First a preview of one of the many ways your windows might look like after:

Preview one: My Computer

Preview two: Notepad

Preview three: MS Word 2010 Starter

Preview four: Google Chrome

I would have included the taskbar but it's mostly hidden and I didn't customize it much. There's a bunch more awesome customizations available. I'll show you how.

1. Install CustoPack

Download it here. While downloading proceed to step 2.

2.  Choose a Theme

Browse the themes here. Once you find one you like. Download it and leave it for now. My theme is Adaigo Some themes modify just a few elements while others customize everything from the logon screen to the taskbar and adds a nice transparency or changes most of the folder icons. I also suggest Elune theme.

3.  Run CustoPack and Install a Theme

Choose "Choose a CustoPack"

You'll be able to see a bunch of themes you've downloaded. Click one and it'll ask you to install the theme. Spam the next button until the installation finishes. It'll need a restart. So do it.

It's done. You'll see that the your windows environment has been awesomized (Well thats if you didn't choose the damn twilight theme). 

A few more things you can do:

4. Modify RocketDock

Some themes come with RocketDock which is a Mac-like object/app launcher. I'll make a more in-depth customization tutorial for it later.

5. Modify Desktop Wallpaper and Logon Screen

If the default wallpaper doesn't suit your style go ahead and change it. You can choose "edit current CustoPack" and it's pretty easy from there to change the Wallpaper and Logon screen.

That's it! Pretty easy and straight forward. Oh sometimes CustoPack crashes, just relaunch problem if that happens. Have fun!

Tech How To: Shiny Blue Facebook

Ok so my blog is back after zillion internet years (equivalent to a few months in normal human time). Anyway, here's a nifty little trick.

Since you probably use Facebook a lot because we happen to be humans who prefer to interact via the net instead of actually talking to each other. Here's how to give it a different look.

Output:

Note: No, it doesn't give you black bars duh. The gray area is what you get when you highlight a post. Feel free to search for my good friend "Jason Dy Music" on Facebook or you tube. 


Chrome Only:
1. Install Chrome
Obviously you need chrome. I don't know if there's an equivalent in Firefox or  IE. Anyway, download and install chrome if you're not using it yet.


2. Install Stylish
Stylish is a chrome extension. What it basically does is give you available "themes" per website. So you can have individual sites looking differently. Grab it here <--it's a hyper-link if you haven't noticed


3. Install Theme
Ok so now that you've got Chrome and Stylish installed. Download this particular theme. Click install and Stylish will do the rest.

There you have it! Now bathe in the new shiny blue Facebook awesomeness. You can also add skins to different website. Just click the Stylish icon in Chrome and find a theme you like and it'll skin the website to a new look!

Note: Why do this? 

I find websites with heavy use of white a big eye strain especially during night when you're only source of light is a laptop so I'm making my desktop, windows environment and everything else mostly black or dark blue.  I've recently just switched to a laptop and find this horrendously eye-straining.

It wouldn't be much of a problem to a desktop since you're farther away from the screen, laptops are much closer though especially if you use it in bed or don't have a workspace for it.  And yeah this site is white heavy so I'm going to change it probably (or not visit/update it lol).