....How to..?

Reactions: This widget acts like a mini-poll beneath each of your blog posts and offers the ability for readers to leave feedback quickly.

How to add “Reactions” to your Blogger template

To add this new function to your Blogger layout, you will need to do some simple steps to activate it. Once logged in to your Blogger dashboard, go to Layout -> Page Elements and click the “Edit” link for the “Blog Posts” widget. In the pop-up window, you will see the option to add “Reactions” to your posts:


Tick the check box and edit the labels for your buttons by clicking on the link “Edit” nearby if you want. Then finally save this setting.
Adding the code to your template

Unfortunately, setting up this feature doesn’t simple as Blogger comment form, you need to add some lines of code to your template.

If you are using a default Blogger template with no modifications to widgets or the post layout, nothing more to do because the code is added.

If you are using a customized Blogger template, you will need to add the required code to your template manually. In this case, go to Layout -> Edit HTML in your Blogger dashboard. Make sure the check box “Expand widget templates” is checked. Next, search for the following line of code:

<data:post.body/>

Immediately after this line, add the following section of code:

<span class='reaction-buttons'>

<b:if cond='data:top.showReactions'>

<table border='0' cellpadding='0' width='100%'><tr>

<td valign='center'><span class='reactions-label'>

<data:top.reactionsLabel/></span>


</td>

<td><iframe allowtransparency='true' class='reactions-iframe' expr:src='data:post.reactionsUrl' frameborder='0' name='reactions' scrolling='no'/></td>

</tr></table>

</b:if>

</span>

I logged in to my Gmail account a few days ago to find my IM cluttered by "service". Normally, service is on a user's list to represent gmail. Then, I could not find many of my regular contacts! When i tried refreshing, I got "Invited" text, which means that a particular contact had been invited by me! Panicky as I was, I suppressed my instinct to fire an email to Gmail and re-signed. Good for Gmail this worked, got back my contact list! Here's the screenshot.

I just love experimenting with new widgets. Though I can't say I'm an expert at it, I think they can easily be tampered with

to suit your needs. Here are some new ones I have experimented with:

1. LibraryThing this is a cool little widget that shows the latest range of books straight from Amazon.com. You can

customize to stand vertical or horizontal as well as try some templates that they have. If you are an Amazon associate, you

can enter your ID in the advanced options- extra moolah if you are into blogging for money. You can see an example of it

here, where it is placed as a horizontal box below the posts. Try it here!


2. FeedJit one of my favorite widget these days. It is real time activity widget which lets you know whose visiting your blog

and from where or which site. See it working here. Try it here!

A good blog template is a rare find indeed! I've scanned the sites looking for one I like and got very few that are worth it. Any good sites that you recommend?

I'm using this one on my other blog, called Notepad Chaos at Gosublogger. It's a keeper!




You might need to tinker around a little if you use it on Blogspot as its meant for WordPress.


Direct Download linK.

To see it work- check out this demo.

I am currently on a project where I am required to create training materials for the retail channel. [psst... will soon update about this exciting product that we are in creating right now!]. So, I did what I'm really good at, googled it, of-course! A whole bunch of sites were thrown at me and I tried a few. Below is my review and recommendation:

1. TextAloud: This product by Next Up was just okay. Not too impressive. Came with a 3 day trial and costs about $30. I dint think it was worth the effort because the only "voice" I could use with it was Microsoft Sam, which is as mechanical as they come. The "Natural" voices, which is by far closer to the real human voice, cost a ton.

Worthiness: 2/5
Ease of use: 4/5

2. SwiftTalker: a really easy to use software. Again, the default voice is Microsoft Sam. I downloaded Dian voice for trial. Not of much use though because the voice asks you to register now and again.

Worthiness: 2/5
Ease of use: 4/5

3. ABC2MP3.com: This is by far the best. You dont have to download a thing except the sentence you want! The converted files are in lightning speed and the voices really are better than most.

Worthiness: 4/5
Ease of use: 5/5

To manually start Windows XP with a clean boot, follow these steps:

Step 1: Start the System Configuration Utility

1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.
2. The System Configuration Utility dialog box is displayed.

Step 2: Configure selective startup options

1. In the System Configuration Utility dialog box, click the General tab, and then click Selective Startup.

2. Click to clear the Process SYSTEM.INI File check box.

3. Click to clear the Process WIN.INI File check box.

4. Click to clear the Load Startup Items check box. Verify that Load System Services and Use Original BOOT.INI are checked.

5. Click the Services tab.

6. Click to select the Hide All Microsoft Services check box.

7. Click Disable All, and then click OK.

8. When you are prompted, click Restart to restart the computer.

Step 3: Log on to Windows

1. If you are prompted, log on to Windows.

2. When you receive the following message, click to select the Don't show this message or launch the System Configuration Utility when Windows start check box, and then click OK.

Notes

* You have used the System Configuration Utility to make changes to the way Windows starts.
* The System Configuration Utility is currently in Diagnostic or Selective Startup mode, causing this message to be displayed and the utility to run every time Windows starts.
* Choose the Normal Startup mode on the General tab to start Windows normally and undo the changes you made using the System Configuration Utility.

Step 4: Optional step to disable features
If the clean boot fixed the error, you do not have to perform this step.

Important If your problem is not fixed and you do have to follow this step, it permanently removes all restore points from your computer. The System Restore feature uses restore points to restore your computer to an earlier state. If you remove the restore points, you can no longer restore Windows to an earlier state.

This step temporarily disables Microsoft features such as Plug and Play, networking, event logging, and error reporting.

1. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig, and then click OK.

The System Configuration Utility dialog box is displayed.

2. Click the General tab, click to clear the Load System Services check box, and then click OK.
3. When you are prompted, click Restart to restart the computer.

If these steps helped you start your computer in a clean-boot state, you are finished. If these steps did not help, go to the “Next Steps” section. If you have to return your computer to a normal startup state, go to “Steps to configure Windows to use a Normal startup state”.
Steps to configure Windows to use a Normal startup state
After you used the clean boot to resolve your problem, you can follow these steps to configure Windows XP to start normally.

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. Type msconfig, and then click OK.
The System Configuration Utility dialog box is displayed.
3. Click the General tab, click Normal Startup - load all device drivers and services, and then click OK.
4. When you are prompted, click Restart to restart the computer.


Source: Microsoft article 310353

I was terrified when I opened my Firefox to see everything BLANK. The history or auto complete in the address bar was not showing up, the bookmarks were missing and the usual home page of google was replaced by a blank page. Trying to subdue my panic, I did a little research.

What does not work:

Restarting Firefox
Restarting the computer
Importing bookmark backup from the profiles folder. You see those fugly files ending with .json- useless!

What to do:

1. Close Firefox completely
2. Open the Firefox profile folder
3. Delete or rename all files named "places.sqlite", including "places.sqlite-journal" and any "places.sqlite.corrupt" files, if found.

When you restart Firefox, "places.sqlite" will be rebuilt and your bookmarks will be automatically restored from the latest JSON bookmark backup; however, your recent browsing history will be lost.

Now you can go to Bookmarks- Organize- Import and backup- Restore- and choose a date [preferably the previous day]

Click here for source.