Make Free Calls Online – How? Making calls online is nothing new. There are various software out there to do that task like Skype, Yahoo Voice, etc… These services are normally between two PCs (desktop to desktop, desktop to laptop) but that is not what we are going to cover here now. These free calls we are talking about are going to be between PCs and old school land-lines or mobile phones. Ready?

Just a word of caution, this technique is only available for calls to the US and Canada. If you want to call other places for free, then this post does not cover that. Moving forward…

You’ve probably heard about Google Voice. But since you are reading this post, then probably not Google Voice is a beta service launched by Google last year. As of now it is still in its beta trial stage and that is probably why they are offering their calling services to US/Canada for free. So how do you avail of your free call to any US/Canada land-line phone/mobile?

Follow the steps below:

1. Get a Google Account. For this to work you have to have a working Google Account.
2. Open Gmail and install the Google Voice plugin. You can do this by looking at the left sidebar of Gmail and following the instructions when you click “Call phone”.
3. Once you’ve installed the plugin then you’re ready to rock n roll! Dial the US/Canada number and make sure your PC’s microphone and speakers are working. Or if you want, use your headset.

So that’s really there is to it. These free service is free tentatively until the end of 2011. For calls to other places on the globe, you have to buy credits before being able to do so. Having bought credits and used the service to call non-US/non-Canada countries, I confidently say that the service is working fine and a good alternative to calling on the phone.

Water Coolers for Home – A Good Idea? I’m writing this post because as of now I do not have a water cooler at home. However, I am thinking of buying one. Is it a good idea? Or should I just stick to what I am used to? If it is, what kind of water cooler should I buy? Let me search the internet for answers but before that let me tell you how we store and dispense water at home.

When I was just a small kid, my mom used to boil our drinking water. No, we didn’t drink it hot but once boiled, we let it cool down for a while before transferring it to several small water containers. These water containers will in turn be put into the refrigerator to cool and be suitable for drinking. That was like 2 decades ago.

Now, we do it in a slightly different way. Instead of boiling water to distill it and kill of harmful organisms in the water, we instead buy mineral water from mineral water stations. We buy the mineral water together with the tapped water container (those containers with a tap attached to it so that you could get water straight from the container via the tap…). That way, we don’t have to boil water and leave the “water experts” in making sure that our water is clean and potable. After that, we transfer the mineral water in to small water containers and do as the former paragraph describes.

To eliminate the “transfer from large water container to smaller container” step, I could buy a water cooler/dispenser which can host a large water container which is designed specifically to fit into a water cooler. These water containers do not contain taps but instead their opening holes are designed to fit into the water cooler/dispenser which in turn cool/heat the water to be dispensed at the user’s will.

From comfort’s point of view this is a good idea. But if I want to save money by keeping purchases and monthly electric costs down, then sticking to the existing method of cooling and dispensing water is the way to go.

Many business owners often contemplate whether or not they should outsource some of their business tasks. More importantly, they wonder when they should outsource business tasks. Almost all companies will benefit to some degree from outsourcing business activities; however, there are several factors that play a large role in determining when outsourcing tasks is a smart move.

Companies should only contract out business tasks when they have the money to do so. This of course makes sense being that all businesses want to be profitable. Many businesses that are just starting up will find they benefit from performing most of their activities in house. Some businesses use business credit cards to pay for outsourced services, which prove beneficial because it enables them to build up a good business credit history. Performing activities in house provides businesses enough time to identify which tasks they will benefit the most from outsourcing. It also enables businesses to make enough profit to have the money available to pay for outsourced services if they choose to not pay with business credit cards.

It is also smart to begin contracting out tasks when a business realizes their employees are spending much of their time on tasks that can be outsourced for an amount that is less than what the employee is being paid. There are certain tasks businesses should remember cannot be outsourced, as if they are then the quality of these activities will be lost. Keeping this is mind, if a business excels at performing certain tasks with high quality, then it is not wise to contract them out.

Outsourcing business activities is never something that should be rushed into. No business should ever outsource any tasks until they find an experienced service provider that is capable of meeting the business’s outsourced needs. It is also important for a business to not outsource any tasks until they have a budget drawn up for their outsourcing needs. Sticking to this budget is pertinent so that a profit can still be endured from outsourcing activities.

Many businesses find it beneficial to not contract out any business tasks until they have posted their outsourcing needs on a number of different outsourcing boards. Posting outsourced needs enables a business to partner with the best available outsourcing service providers, which can also lead to saving extra money. There are also a number of businesses that find it advantageous to provide potential outsourced service providers with a test project; this enables a business to see if a service provider is actually worth hiring. Many businesses will go through a number of service providers until they find one they are comfortable hiring on a permanent basis.

Almost all businesses find it beneficial to outsource their bookkeeping and accounting tasks. Both of these types of tasks are very time consuming and must be completed in accurate manners, making it all the more important for a business to wait until they find an experienced person or company to outsource these tasks to. With these types of tasks being so time consuming, it is also important for businesses to outsource them as soon as possible.

Any company that has an online website will generally find it helpful to outsource their website design processes. Along with website design processes, blog design processes are also beneficial to contract out. Outsourcing these types of tasks enables a business to rest assured their business identity is being portrayed in a professional manner on the Internet.

Outsourcing business activities, even by paying for the services with business credit cards, allows a company to focus their attention and time on other pertinent matters other than repetitious tasks. The most important area for a business to focus on is its sales, as this will allow them to increase profit levels and improve customer satisfaction.

What is the Difference Between “Cool” and “Dry” Settings for an A/C? If you are asking this question, you are also probably wondering how to use your air-con efficiently? And when is the best time is to use cool or dry settings? Why does water drip from the air vent? Now I am no air-con expert but I had those same questions and I want to share the answers I found with you albeit in my own words in non-technical jargon. (FYI, I use a split type Panasonic air-con in my room which I’ve had for more than 2 years.)

First off, what is the difference between “cool” and “dry” settings for an A/C?

I’ve read through countless blog posts, forums, etc… and here is the gist of the answer to the above question. Both cool and dry settings removes water in the air. In essence, both settings reduce the humidity of the room which makes you comfortable and feeling cool. Now the difference is this. The cool setting does a little bit more by cooling the air until it reaches the desired temperature as set by the user. On the other hand, the dry settings just drys the air (dehumidifies the air…) and when humidity is brought down to a certain level, the A/C stops thus saving energy.

With that knowledge, we can devise a simple plan on how to use the A/C more efficiently and bring down energy billing costs. If temperature is really high (very hot), then use the cool setting. It dehumidifies the room which is good for humid countries (e.g in the tropics) and brings the room temperature down as desired. On the other hand, if the room temperature is fine but it is a bit humid that day, then just use the dry setting. The A/C will bring humidity down and you will feel cooler because your body can now release more heat thus cooling you. Lastly, if it is simply cool that day and want it just a little bit cooler, use an electric fan!

After awhile, probably after a few years of using your a/c unit, water starts to drip down from the indoor a/c unit itself and not drain down the proper channels. This is due to the fact that the drainage is dirty water cannot sift through it properly. To solve this problem, simply clean the inside of the water duct(this is my own term referring to the pipe which drains the condensed water out of the room…) and voila your a/c is as good as new.

Now, as I said I am no a/c expert and the information above is how I understood the various articles and posts I read online about A/Cs and their settings. If I get them wrong, please correct me via the comment section below

HSBC Credit Card – How to Use it Wisely? I am currently in the possession of and use a HSBC credit card, a Mabuhay Miles one to be exact. Though I have never used the miles I have stored ever, using a HSBC credit card in the Philippines has a lot of advantages. This post will discuss those perks that I like (not all…) and show you how to use your HSBC credit card wisely. Ready?

Whenever you use your HSBC credit card for payment on dining, grocery, etc… you get to earn miles points. The ratio is not 1:1 of course but suffice it is to say that for every mile point you need to use more than double digit pesos. Anyway, this post is not about the Mabuhay Miles feature. We want to focus on the Caltex Instant Rewards and Rebate feature/benefit.

According to the official HSBC Philippine website, you can:

Get P100 off your fuel bill for every charge slip worth at least P2,000. Get even up to a full tank of fuel, for free.* What’s more, your card continues to enjoy 3% rebate on your fuel spend at Caltex. With HSBC, life’s amazing moments are on us.

We all know that fuel prices are rising like crazy. And we need all the discount and savings we can find. Fortunately, there is HSBC to the rescue. For a minimum of a P2000 transaction (keep the charge slips please…), you get to get P100 of your fuel bill. In my own personal experience, this is not a discount. Instead, Caltex stations give you P100 worth of fuel for free! Thus the term “off” is a matter of perspective. If you want to have a discount and you were originally planning on shelling out say P1000 for fuel, simply present your P2000 charge slip to the gas attendant together with your credit card, get P100 worth of fuel and then shell out only P900 instead of P1000 to get a P100 discount!

Or you could opt to still buy P1000 worth of fuel and get P100 extra worth of fuel when you present your charge slip and credit card. It’s up to you.

Personally, what I do is every time I gas up, I use my HSBC credit card and buy P2000 worth of fuel so that the next time I gas up, I get P100 worth of fuel free! If you use your credit card this way, gas/diesel worth P55/L or P45/L respectively would now cost you less given the “discounted” or “extra” fuel you get.

Now as if that’s not enough, HSBC gives you a 3% rebate on fuel purchases from Caltex! That’s like P60 off each time I gas up for P2000.

Thus, if you own a vehicle and want to save on fuel, use your HSBC credit card this way. If you don’t have a HSBC credit card, apply for one to enjoy these perks. I believe this Caltex fuel perk will last for some time so it is definitely worth owning a HSBC credit card.

For those wondering, this is not a sponsored post. I just want to share how good it is having a HSBC credit card I do use other credit cards as well such as the Citibank Cashback but that is another topic for discussion which I will probably will post on as well in the near future.

How to Mass Delete Pending Comments in WordPress. There are 2 practical ways. One for the technically inclined and one for non-tech savvy users who simply want to get rid of thousands of spam pending comments in 1 go. Let us check out both solutions.

For the general user => How to Mass Delete Pending Comments in WordPress using a Plugin

It’s as simple as that. Here are the steps:

1. Go to your WP dashboard.
2. Click on “Add New” under Plugins and enter “WP Optimize” in the search box.
3. Install the WP-Optimize plugin and you’re all set!

Just play around with the plugin and you should be able to find your way around and delete all those pesky spam comments.

For the techie people => How to Mass Delete Pending Comments in WordPress via PHPMyAdmin

Taking this route has its advantages however small. One advantage is less overhead during WP loading but which has very minimal to no visual effect on users. But then again it’s your choice Here’s what you have to do:

1. Enter your CPanel and click on PHPMyAdmin
2. Select the database of your WP installation
3. Click on the SQL tab
4. Enter this code inside the SQL textbox:

DELETE FROM wp_comments WHERE comment_approved = ’0′

That’s it folks! Thanks for reading.