[Geeky Guide] Taking A Breather

So I've been steadily writing reviews and other posts for The Geeky Guide to Nearly Everything for over 9 years now and I'm starting to wonder if it's all still worth it. Blogging seems to be a bit of a more archaic web medium with more comment discussions happening on social media or more engagement with more dynamic content like podcasts and videos.

I don't think I'm quite done with the Geeky Guide just yet - I've poured too much time and effort into this blog over the years to just drop it so quickly. But I do recognize I need to reconsider how I want to utilize this site moving forward and whether or not I want to shift to other formats like podcasting or vlogging.

I'm also going to experiment with shifting my book reviews to places like Amazon or Goodreads, as they may have more value to independent authors there versus here on this site. We'll see how things go come 2019,  but for now expect more sporadic/infrequent updates starting December 2018.

[Geeky Guide] ISP Updates

My ISP (Globe Broadband) finally dispatched a tech team to figure out why my wireless connection was being terribly pathetic since, well, ever since I signed up about a month ago. After several minutes of twiddling with my computer (with me watching like a hawk), the tech went on to explain how wonky the wireless service does get and just explained (as I had already observed) what he had done.

As stupid as it was for him to continually reset the connection via the admin page, it seems to work and I tried the same thing out when things started to slow down, and so far it seems to help. It wasn't the most amazing solution provided, but it was a practical one.

Ultimately what this means to you, geeky reader, is that I'm finally decently connected again, so expect more updates as we continue on into 2009. If anything, you can always go on and check on my personal blog, Beyond Dinobot Island (yes, I'm an LJ user!) in case you're curious as to what I'm up to when I'm not posting entries here.

Cheers!

[Geeky Guide] A Fairly Geeky 2008

Image by Patrick Doheny via FlickrWell fellow geeks, it's the last day of the year. This may not have been the most productive year in terms of the Geeky Guide, but we certainly made some interesting steps forward.

It was great that I finally go back to the US this year although it was a shame that I didn't get the chance to meet any Geeky readers that might have been in the Los Angeles area. Sure, it drastically reduced my posting frequency, but I did get to see a lot of great things while I was out there and I got to watch the LA production of Wicked to boot!

This year was one of my most gadgetful since I finally had a laptop and a pretty gnarly digital camera but sadly I lost both when someone broke into my home. That forced me and my partner to move out of Pasay over to Makati and thus further reduced my posting frequency given the initial (and somewhat on-going) challenges with our internet provider.

This was also the year that I finally decided to get a domain for this blog and while I probably haven't maximized its potential given the domain, at least we already have it and that's a good start. Maybe as we move forward we'll think of bigger and brighter things to do with it, haha.

So to all you fellow geeks or just wandering readers who lost their way and ended up here, let me just greet you a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The Geeks are coming for you 2009!!!

[Personal] A Geeky Housewarming Mixer [SURVEY]

If you (a) actually read this blog and (b) live a reasonable distance within or just beyond the Metro Manila area here in the Philippines then allow me to ask a quick question:

Would you be interested in coming to a housewarming / mixer / social for fellow Geeky Guide readers / supports / fans like you?

I live in the Palanan, Makati area now and I'm thinking of a weekend in Janaury. Reply in the comments or email me in case you're interested / free.

I can probably offer finger food and we'll need to chip in for drinks but beyond that, mostly everything is fair game, I guess.

Cheers.

[rOckY]

[Holidays] Happy Holidays!

I'm going to be going home to the folks for Christmas Eve and so instead I have this scheduled blog entry to make sure I don't forget to say...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FELLOW GEEKS!!!

[GeekyCast] To Podcast or Not To Podcast?

Image by abstrakone via FlickrIt's been ages since I posted my last GeekyCast here on the Geeky Guide - so long, in fact, that I bet there's a large number of site readers who may not even know I once ventured into this side of things. Well, I did, and results were mixed.

I got a notification from my podcast host, MyPodcast.com, that given the length of time since my last post, my account is due to expire soon and all previous podcasts are scheduled for deletion within the month. A part of me was worried about this and wanted to rush out a quick podcast just to prevent the deletion, but then it got me thinking about the whole thing first.

So this begs the question - should I continue with the GeekyCasts at all or is this just a waste of time? Do you, the geeky readers of this site, feel that the GeekyCasts were a valuable addition to the site's content or was this just an idle diversion that took me away from the core demographic of the blog and why people bother to read the Geeky Guide at all?

Vote yea or nay in the comments section or just leave your opinion, it's fine by me.

[Geeky Guide] Back to Regular Programming

Well, it's been pretty much a month since my partner and I moved out of the higher crime risk area of Pasay City into the relatively safer neighborhood of Makati City. As mentioned in a prior post, my ability to update the Geeky Guide was going to be severely limited given I didn't have an ISP at our new address just yet and after a month of phone calls, site surveys and follow-ups, we finally settled down to a deal with Globe Wireless Broadband and we're back online.

I know I've missed a lot of events of significant geeky importance over the past few weeks and I'm doing to do my best to make up for things. For those of you who stuck around and waited for my return, my appreciation. I do hope I make it worth your while.

So on with the geekery!

rOckY

[Geeky Guide] Temporary Hiatus

Hello fellow geeks!

For those of you who've been wondering what's been happening lately in terms of why I haven't been posting updates as much as I used to, here's the post where I get to explain what's going on.

Man that was a long sentence.

Anyway, I just moved to a new flat over the weekend and naturally the week has been filled with post-moving activities and naturally my "day" job as a product training manager for a US-based call center. I'm still in-between ISPs and trying to find a new one as soon as possible, but I should get that resolved no later than the end of next week. By then we'll resume normal update cycles.

In case you're determined to read about what's been going on in my personal life (which is still geeky, mind you), then feel free to visit my personal blog, Beyond Dinobot Island - I try to keep this updated daily, at least while I'm at work. Like now.

Stay geeky!

[Geeky Guide] Two Years of Geeky Goodness

i luv geek from freakgirl's Flickr photostream.

Given everything else that has been keeping my busy day after day, it's with some irony that I almost forgot that today marks the 2nd anniversary of The Geeky Guide to Nearly Everything. Really, it is.

The exact date of birth for the Geeky Guide has always been a bit of an internal debate for me. While the very first post was created on this day, initially I think I was using US dates as my basis since I was blogging from the office and at the same time it was an alpha test post - one not necessarily meant for public consumption. While I didn't restrict access to the entry and you can dig all the way back to September 1, 2006 to find it, it was still part of my testing phase.

Then again, an alpha post is still an alpha post and I figure I'll stick to this being the anniversary of the Geeky Guide, as long as I do a better job of remembering it next year.

I have to thank everyone who continues to support the Geeky Guide, whether you're a silent reader or an active commenter. Because of your continuing geeky love, I've managed to post 1,041 entries to-date (including this one) and of course we now have our own domain - http://www.geeky-guide.com/. I've tried to keep the Geeky Guide more focused in terms of the content while at the same time returning to being a solo blog instead of a collaborative one (although I'm always open to interested bloggers wanting to help me geek out).

This may not be the biggest or most popular blog on the planet (or even in this country for that matter), but I feel we have a happy enough corner of the blogosphere and that's what matters more.

Hope you guys stick around for another year (at the very least) and in return I promise to continue to remain as geeky as possible.

Cheers!

rOckY

[Geeky Guide] Our New Home

Great news geeky friends! The Geeky Guide to Nearly Everything has finally moved to its own domain! Kindly update your bookmarks with:

http://www.geeky-guide.com/

With our new domain will come easier site navigation, more features like email hosted on the geeky-guide.com domain and much, much more! Longer-term readers visiting the old Blogspot link will still get redirected to the new address and those who have subscribed to our syndication feed need no make any changes to your RSS readers - I've made sure that things get updated automatically on the back end.

Should you have ideas for the site now that we have our own domain, feel free to leave a comment! I'll be posting the official contact email addresses soon, so stay tuned.

Cheers!

[rOckY]

[Geeky Guide] Geeky Domain

So after much thought (and even more delaying), I finally gave in to impulse today and purchased a domain for The Geeky Guide to Nearly Everything. Yes, we're finally dropping our direct affiliation with Blogger / Blogspot to try and establish an independent identity and perhaps pave the way to more readership and new avenues of geekdom. I'll still use Blogger to create these entries though and in fact I purchased my new domain through Blogger / Google, just to show I'm still a pretty big Google fan at heart.

I'm pretty excited about it quite frankly.

I'll not reveal the new domain just yet - this address will continue to work up until the migration where Blogger will automatically redirect you to the new domain (if I set things right). I just have to wait 24-72 hours before the new DNS settings take hold and I officially take full ownership of the new home for the Geeky Guide.

Image via WikipediaIn addition, I've also signed up for Google Apps, and thus this means you can also get email accounts, calendars, online documents support and other such features under the new domain. Sure, they're the same Google products just with a different ending URL, but perhaps there are some geekier readers out there who might be interested in signing up. I'll provide more information on that in the future.

Also, this means that I'll be in a better position to feature special events on our custom calendar, generate new levels of interaction and readership with the various applications and other such fun stuff. Oh yes, these are definitely fun and exciting time for the Geeky Guide.

The site might go buggy during the transition and of course you'll all need to update your links and bookmarks to the new domain and soon all the sites I manage will hopefully follow suite and get tracked with the new address.

Wish me luck!

[Geeky Guide] Podcasting Soon

After writing my review for The Dan and Rye Show, I got into a conversation with Doni a.k.a. keanoidd over on LiveJournal regarding podcasts and his recent interet in trying to set one up.

Being the good geeky friend, I started searching for suitable sites and we went over his options. At the same time, it got me thinking about setting one up for the Geeky Guide given it seems easy enough and it would be an interesting addition to the current content on the site.

So I've signed up for an account over at MyPodcast.com and I'll try a test broadcast as soon as I get home. I'm not sure what the reception for this podcast is going to be, but I'm definitely curious.

Just to remain consistent with my naming conventions, I'll be using a title header of [GeekyCast] for these experimental podcasts along with a GeekyCast label to help you guys sort through things. I hope this allows me to post more frequent updates despite my current work schedule, but then I might be wrong, eh? Look forward to our first podcast later today.

What do you think about the thought of a "GeekyCast" anyway? Do you think this is something you'd want to subscribe to? What kinds of topics would you like to be discussed during these podcasts? Your input remains invaluable in determining what direction we take these podcasts along with improving the Geeky Guide as a whole.

Cheers!

[Beta] Downtime

Hey blogosphere!

Sorry for the long absence - I've been occupied with a change in my work-related responsibilities and tasks which has definitely increased my occupancy rate. I barely get to update my personal blog these days, what more other blogs I maintain like this one.

I know the Guide is still finding its place on the Web so it hasn't been missed all that much. Then again, for those few readers who have become somewhat loyal or at least consistently interested in what we have to say around here, again my apologies.

I expect the Real World will be keeping me busy for at least another three weeks because of the project that I'm working on so expect updates to be primarily limited to weekends, if any at that.

On a side note, I was thinking of taking the Geeky Guide out of its supposed "beta testing" phase and move it into a sort of gamma testing phase - a programming term that normally refers to a period of continuous improvement. I know, it's just a label that hardly matters to the daily workings of the Guide. Then again, as the content developer, it just helps me to know where the site is in terms of its development.

I still haven't gotten around to building the much-needed FAQ entries about the Guides goals or something to that effect and a whole lot of other things. Oh well, I'm sure we'll think of something in time, right?