Rice Blogger

Windows Live Writer is like a word processor on your Windows, but it is actually to post entries to your blogs without having to go through the hassle logging in your blog account.

It works with not only Microsoft Live Spaces but other platform is also compatible, including WordPress and Bloggers at Blogspot.com. The function is pretty standard with ability to insert hyperlink, pictures, tables, maps, Technorati tags and video from the web.

There are few benefit I could find:-

1. You could actually blog offline and publish them later.
2. Check spelling before it you post your entry.
3. Multiple blog controls
4. The best features is that you are able to have more plugins which would increase the features. There is only 63 plugins now but I would expect it to increase, check Windows Live Writer Plugins.

Windows Live Writer also download the templates from your website and letting you know how it would looks like when it is published. Take a look at my screen

It is pretty neat and clean look.

This post is actually done with Windows Live Writer. Hopefully it will comes out the way I expect it to appear.

Download Windows Live Writer

UPDATES – It actually appear pretty nicely, and I am able to resize the picture on windows, I am starting to like this.

It seems that every now and the wordpress will update a newer version. It is quite troublesome if you end up having more than 1 wordpress blog. It will be especially hard when there is more than one hosting server. WordPress Auto Update actually makes the job easy. Rather than doing the following steps for a normal upgrade.

1. Delete your old WP files, saving ones you’ve modified.
2. Upload the new files.
3. Point your browser to /wp-admin/upgrade.php.
4. You wanted more, perhaps? That’s it!

Now you just have to provide the script with your ftp information. Everything else will be done by the plugin.

WordPress Auto Update will perform the following:-

1. Backs up the files and makes available a link to download it.
2. Backs up the database and makes available a link to download it.
3. Downloads the latest files from http://wordpress.org/latest.zip and unzips it.
4. Puts the site in maintenance mode.
5. De-activates all active plugins and remembers it.
6. Upgrades wordpress files.
7. Gives you a link that will open in a new window to upgrade installation.
8. Re-activates the plugins.

I have tried this in one of my blogs and it works like a charm upgrading to WordPress 2.2.3.

Have you done it yet?

For all those who would like to start their own blog or transfer their blog from some free hosting (blogspot, wordpress.com), it is actually a great idea.

Why I don’t start with blogspot?
You may be able to add adsense, mybloglog, textlinkads and other javascript or embeded code into your blogspot, there is always limitation on what you can do. Unlike wordpress, you could add tones of ready made plugins and there is always the option to programe your own plugins.

With a lot of automization plugins like adsense deluxe (adding adsense into a post is never easier), akismet (come standard with wordpress to prevent SPAM), Google Sitemap Generator, and much more useful plugins depending on your needs.

WordPress is a better management of your content, theme, user, post and plugins.
Wordpress actually quite a good range of functions but at the same time, it is easy to use. There is no need to use the extra function if you choose not to use them. Function such as post timestamp (to write post for future), category, trackback and categories is always useful to making a good post.

Also there is a good blogroll management, which you could organize link into categories (although some theme may not support it). Unlike blogspot, there is no need to edit the templates to add/delete a link.

Support
WordPress is so widely used, therefore there is a huge cummunity contributing to the stability, security and growth of WordPress. There is also a good support forum for wordpress.

You could try wordpress function by signing up at WordPress.com, you would need one to activate your akismet too.

You could download the latest WordPress.

Did you know that you could actually use Google, a search engine to do your conversion and also calculator although it is not as advance as a mortgage calculator.

Here is a Google cheatsheet for calculator.

+ – / * is the normal calculator function

% – percentage (type 5% of 100 and answer is 5)

^ -power of (type 2^5 and answer is 32)

sqrt  -square root (type sqrt(9) and answer is 3) [NOTE: the bracket between 9 is needed for the command to function]

 Another great feature is conversion, which I do use it often.

You can actually do conversion using different units.
For example, you are interested to convert yard to centimeters, you will see the follwoing:-

For more function and command with google calculator, here is the official Google calculator cheat sheet.

This is a fun tool to check the value of your domain. Currently, riceblogger is valued at USD21. It is pretty good since it is only up for a week. LeapFish offer this service for free, but it is not always accurate.

According to LeapFish:

Estimated Base Value:    An estimated base value is created by your names CVS and is generally considered the minimum you should accept for your domain name.

It is not like I have plans to sell the domain, but I do feel that this appraisal services usually value a domain with a very high price.

Try with your domain and see how much it is valued.