Options on Budget Multi-user Computing

The internet shop is probably the most common business for internet-savvy technophiles with entrepreneurial pursuit. I kept away from it for so long because, whether you go for business-only internet access or cater to online gamers, you might as well have invested somewhere else given that the PC hardware depreciates quickly, new and better hardware can appear any time at lower cost, and setting up online gaming access is more of a gamble since players could always go for new and better games that you have to buy just to keep them coming back.

It all translates to intensive investment and cut-throat price competition with neighboring Internet shops. At the end of the day, practically all shops in a particular neighborhood, unless you're the only Internet shop in your area, will luckily just break even or lose.

Google Docs and Time-Saving Tips on Encoding Very Long Text Documents

As I have already written before, I still keep a day-job and recently, I realized having the alter-ego of a startup apartment owner. Along with that role, I have to formulate a just, tenant- and owner-friendly rental agreement, thanks to Landlording: A Handymanual for Scrupulous Landlords and Landladies Who Do It Themselves for the great assistance.

How does Google Docs figure in this equation? Their new feature that goes by the tonguetwister Optical Character Recognition or better known as OCR, which was very very handy when I needed to encode a long document from the aforementioned book as model for the rental contract. In this article I'll discuss the steps I took, how it went, the plus and minuses of the process and the overall benefits.

Node.js and NPM: Key to Dynamic Web Applications Beyond AMP

I keep reading mention of blog articles on Node.js, Node.js Package Manager (NPM), Socket.io and web socket programming like this on Twitter and given that I had time to check it out, researched and updated myself on what the rave is all about.

The Node.js website (<rant>) isn't very helpful how to install this supposed to be Javascript file, given that the example invokes the script in a different manner, and you'll even be more confused if we add NPM to the mix. Another disappointment I have against Node.js is that it didn't build on OpenBSD 4.9(</rant>). What I have below is how I was able to set this up on my two Ubuntu 10.04LTS boxes, one with SSL and the other without.

Quest for the Home Office Essentials: The Adventure with Ubuntu 10.04LTS and Canon Pixma MP140

My youngest sister handed down to me her Canon Pixma MP140 printer from UK, one of those multi-function device, it can print, scan and copy printed documents and pictures. Checking with OpenPrinting indicated possible disappointment since it's not listed as supported there.

Previously, GNU/Linux's reputation as a desktop computer platform was spotty, but this has not deterred me from settling for it as our desktop of choice at home with Ubuntu 10.04LTS. I document here the experience I had setting up the Canon Pixma MP140 printer with Ubuntu 10.04LTS, what pleasant surprises I encountered and drawbacks that almost made me look for something else.