A Quick and Easy Fix for Overheating NEO Laptop

Is your laptop screechy and overheating after a few minutes of using it?
Well, now is the perfect time for you to get that fixed. Otherwise, you’d see blue screens displaying on your laptop, and it would just shut down by itself.

Forget about the "I'll fix this later" or "I'll pay someone to repair that later" mentality. Next thing you know, the motherboard gets burnt out and you lose the data that you so dearly care about. You just have to deal with the overheating problem now. And, the good thing is, you can even do it yourself, like I did. 

I am not an expert at fixing laptops, nor am I an experienced technician or repairman. But I do have a habit of searching for solutions and watching other people do the fixing on youtube.

When I opened the rear panel of the laptop, I found the culprit -- dust, a bunch of it.

Introducing Two Absurd Solutions for oDeskers

Two days ago, I received an email from oDesk “announcing two new solutions for freelancers.” The moment I opened the mail, I was dubious about what I had just read. They proudly announced the two useless solutions: Connects and Membership Plans. Connects are virtual tokens that can be used for applying for a job, while the second one involves a monetary “token” to be more visible to clients and have a greater advantage of getting hired. That's $10 per month, on top of the 10% deduction from our earnings. How absurd is that?

It just doesn’t make any sense. Immediately, I visited the blog page and joined the community to post my comments. Unsurprisingly, most members have expressed their dislikes, concerns, and disappointments regarding the ridiculous solutions, most especially the second one. From what I read during the merger of Odesk and Elance, Odesk CEO Gary Swart promised that they never planned to increase fees or membership fees in the future.

Jobs in Progress Equals Blog on Hiatus

It's been a while since my last post on this "absurd" blog. But I am finally back... and getting ready to "overcoming absurdity" in 2014.

Over the last 11 months, I've been working, pondering, and then working my buns off.  I have had experiences worth telling, and so many stories to tell. They are too much for me so I found it hard to put them into words. I went through a lot of transitions, inner struggles, and was affected by the natural catastrophes that hit our region. Yet, despite the earthquake and super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) that had passed through the island, I still am grateful to find myself sitting in the corner of my cozy room with my fingers running on the keyboard, doing what I am obliged but love to do. I am also grateful for the opportunities that came to me and for the wonderful and very considerate employers I have and have had at oDesk.com.

For the longest time, I've been running Source the News website and played a role since its inception. I admit, I'm not quite satisfied with the front end of the site, but it's still on the Beta phase. So, I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.

oDesk Financial Account Suspension!

It's only been a couple of days since I posted a topic about my oDesk experience. I shared how this has helped me professionally & financially. It's just ironic how the situation turned against me when I received an email notification from oDesk this morning. I was really shocked and worried when I saw the notification on my profile. I never thought I would be scammed from this "secured" site.

"Financial Account Elmer Devilleres (810209) has been suspended.  Please contact customer support."

 

What the heck has just happened to my financial account? I have worked hard on every project that I have had, with the goal of providing satisfying results to my employers/clients. I am really doing each task with good intentions. I always aim for the best, to exceed my client's expectations. Yet, all of a sudden, I was being suspended by oDesk because of the unauthorized account used by my former client for payments.

 Here's the notification letter.

Absolute Pleasure to Work With

It actually feels odd and unusual for me to write and share my experiences and some personal stuff through my blog. But, it also feels great to read some experiences that lighten up my day. I used to keep a journal during my college years. I find solace in unloading these experiences into a journal, whether bitter or not. So, I might as well share some from working on oDesk.

Today, I am so delighted to receive a message from my former employer on Upwork. He just gave me a 5-star rating with a very favorable review on my profile.

What Is Options Trading and How Significant Is It in Online Investments?

In today’s globalized economy, technology has been considered vital to the proliferation of one’s business and to the growth of one’s finance or profit. One strategy that has been highly utilized over other investment methods online is options trading. But what is options trading? Before going further, it is first important to familiarize ourselves with options trading, what it means, and how important it is to increase your finance or profit via the internet.

Options Trading, or Online Options Trading, refers to the engagement in the business of buying and selling stock options or other various option positions. It is derived from the words option and trading. In business and commerce, an option refers to the right to buy or sell an underlying asset or commodity at a certain cost for a specific period of time. On the other hand, when we talk about trading, it is considered engaging yourself in buying and selling for net profit. Thus, the term options trading comes into existence. 

For some people, options trading is considered an investment strategy to financial freedom. One of its advantages that lured investors is that it can leverage their profit by choosing options with the right strike price and expiration. The leverage effect of option trading enables you to take part in the move of high-priced stocks with just a small capital expenditure. With this, you have the versatility of options to make money when the market either goes down or sideways. However, some people think that dealing with options trading is risky. Yet, despite its risks, investors or option buyers always think that, on the brighter side, they can have unlimited profit potential. This is because of their right and not their obligation to exercise a contract for an underlying asset. So, if some people ask you this question, “what is options trading?”, we can therefore say that it is by far the best strategy to increment your profit over the internet.

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This article was written for my client on oDesk.com when I was asked to write a sample for the job interview in 2011. The topic given to me was "what is options trading". I had no idea what it was or how it worked, but through a bit of research, I was able to write this short article, which earned me "the job" for a year.

My oDesk Experience

When I first learned about oDesk, I was hesitant to join and a bit skeptical about its veracity. Then, I realized I had nothing to lose if I joined and signed up for the site. So I did on July 26, 2010. But my skepticism never faded until a year later when I started applying and working on a very simple job in September 2011. What started as a tryout has turned into a full-time freelance job. I even resigned from my day job to focus my time on oDesk.

I have been working on and off via oDesk.com for over a year now. I have had 26 jobs already, with over 2,500 hours of oDesk experience. I couldn't say this has been my productive career, since most of my jobs are at low rates and done at home. However, the oDesk experience has definitely helped me financially and professionally, and it has contributed a lot in terms of my personal and family needs.  It even widened my views on life. It's been a bittersweet experience for me.

Virtual Office Assistant in a Business: A Boon or a Bane?

In a globalized economy, business sectors and individuals are finding ways to cater their products and services to any country where they can possibly get. Some business-minded people would hire an assistant, either personally or virtually, to get their ideas crossed. Some would prefer to hire a personal assistant so that they can check their work anytime they want. However, some would get an assistant through the internet without the hassle of going through an exhausting search for anything they need for their job. Thus, virtual office assistants come into existence. But what do virtual assistants really do? Are they worth the risk of letting your jobs, either confidential or not, be managed, maintained, prepared, or done by anyone you are not even aware of? Do virtual assistants get your job done better, or do they just make it worse?

To answer these questions, it is first important to be familiar with the term virtual office assistant. A virtual office assistant refers to a self-employed contract individual who offers administrative, creative, or technical services. It may also mean dealing with similar tasks of an office secretary or manager, but performing them from a home office, using one’s own computer equipment, software, phone, and Internet connection. The task of a virtual assistant is to manage, maintain, transcribe, prepare, and handle any job that people do in their day-to-day lives. They may even take care of the bills and schedules for a person’s appointments or meetings. In other words, virtual assistants could help organize the unorganized. However, some issues may arise when hiring a virtual assistant. A few disadvantages of having virtual office assistants may include less personal communication, overreliance on technology to communicate, and personal discipline on both parties. Yet, these can be ignored if a client and a virtual assistant find time to work with each other and gain their trust. Moreover, both parties need to be assured of a job well done and well-compensated work.

Having familiarized ourselves with the term virtual office assistant, its tasks as well as its advantages and a few disadvantages, it would then be safe to infer that virtual office assistants can be of great benefit to an individual, a business, or any industry.

This was written during my training for a virtual assistant position in Lapu-lapu City. I did not pursue the training simply because there was no salary for a couple of weeks or more.