January 17, 2014

Netflix in Australia

American Dad on Netflix

Ever since first trialling Netflix, I've been a huge fan.

For those in Australia that aren't aware of Netflix, It's probably unlike anything you've used before... in-fact, the closest thing it would relate to for most Australians is illegally downloading movies.

Most Australians have experienced Foxtel, which is our primary cable-TV company. Foxtel charges $124 per month for the platinum (most content) package, with a $75 installation fee and $75 equipment fee. You can also expect to pay extra if you want Foxtel on Demand, Main Event, or Adults Only. An additional set top box will set you back $15-$25 per month (and a once off fee of $75-$150).

Foxtel users are often upset by the amount of repeats shown, the cost(!), and the amount of advertising that is inserted in a paid service.

Netflix isn't anything like Foxtel. You decide what you want to watch and when you want it (Video on Demand). Netflix has a massive library of both Movies and TV shows that you can watch via your Smart Phone (Android or iOS), Smart TV, PS3, Xbox 360, WD TV, Chromecast or one of the many other options.
It has both Movies and TV episodes, and you're able to select which season and episode you would like to watch if multiple are available.

What's the cost? The cost of a standard Netflix subscription is $7.99 USD ($9.06) per month, this allows unlimited devices to be used, but limits simultaneous streaming to two devices. There are other packages being trialled such as $6.99 USD (~$7.93) for one simultaneous stream and $11.99 USD ($13.60) for four simultaneous streams. The other downside is that you need a decent internet connection and it uses quite a bit of data (beware of download limits).

Why aren't we all using Netflix?
Due to licensing restrictions, Netflix isn't allowed to broadcast to Australia. There are ways around this though, which I will be discussing in my next post.

* Prices quoted are in AUD unless otherwise specified. Currency conversion was provided by Citibank N.A. at time of writing.

July 06, 2013

Arnold's Ribs & Pizza Blacktown - Under New Management

Tonight, I decided to try Arnold's Ribs & Pizza at Blacktown again, mostly because I was home alone and I really don't like cooking for myself. I haven't been to Arnold's in a while, as the smokey flavour that I love at Arnold's had disappeared and the quality of meat had deteriorated the last few times I had bought from Arnold's.

When I arrived at Arnold's I had noticed that quite a few items had been removed from the menu, and asked if my regular dish was still available, the man behind the counter informed me that the meal I wanted was still available, and the changes were because the store is under new management (again). This man has apparently been there for a long time, he told me that the quality is much better now and the prices had changed - I assumed an increase, but I don't remember what the prices were last time I visited.

I immediately got excited, and started looking forward to that smokey flavour that got me returning to Arnold's in the first place! I even bothered to create a Google Plus post about it, and had planned a review for +Megan Vickers and others either way.

I was told it would take 12 minutes to prepare, and I went and purchased some groceries from the nearby IGA Supermarket. I then had a cigarette to pass some time. I arrived back, expecting it to be on the counter waiting, but as it wasn't yet ready, I took a seat. Whilst waiting, I noticed that the staff dress code seemed very casual, and the only staff member that wore enclosed shoes was the man standing at the counter. I also noticed that no-one seemed to bother with gloves, etc. but I did not see anyone handling the food without tongs. Something else I noted was that all three staff members in the store were eating food in the cooking area while working. I only seen the older man behind the counter and the young girl in the kitchen eating once, but the younger man that appeared to be doing all the cooking was constantly eating for the whole 30 minutes or more that I was waiting.

When the food finally arrived, I had a short drive home before being able to try the food.

I immediately noticed that something looked very different about the food, I wasn't sure if it was a bigger container or smaller servings, but I did notice that there was a lot more room than usual, and that there was hardly any sauce on the ribs! (IMHO BBQ Ribs should be really messy!)

So, how do I rate the food?

Corn Cob: (4/5)
This was the first part of the meal I started with, and I was pleasantly surprised that there was a big improvement! Previously, every Arnold's corn cob that I had eaten was very water and without any flavour (pre-frozen?). This was cooked quite well, and tasted like corn!

Potato: (4/5)
The potato was cooked well, but was a bit too large for my liking. I probably filled up more on the potato than I did the ribs.

Sour Cream: (4/5)
I don't know that you can go too wrong with sour cream. The only thing I dislike is that they place the sour cream with the hot meal which means it's normally warm and melted before you get to put it on the potatoes.

Pork Ribs: (1/5)
The part that I was waiting for! I noticed that the end appeared to be cut after being cooked, and couldn't help but wonder if this is what one of the things I had seen the staff eating. I ripped off a rib and noticed how easily it had come off the bone, my mouth was watering and as I took my first bite I was rather impressed with how soft the meat was. Unfortunately, it didn't have that smokey Arnold's flavour that I was craving, or much flavour at all.
As there were two small racks (one is hiding in the above image), I was hoping that the second rack would redeem the meal. It didn't - I'm not convinced that the second rack was even pork! Not only did it suffer from the lack of flavour, but it also wasn't soft and tender like the first rack had been. The size difference certainly has me convinced that it is beef, but I'm not 100% sure as there was still not much flavour.

Comparison, A bone from each rack with the meat removed
My final rating of the meal: 2/5. It was edible, but I would not recommend.

Please let me know what animal you think the mystery ribs are from in the comments section below - I'm going to find myself a toothpick!

June 26, 2013

Android - in the beginning...

Android.

What is it? Android is now the world's most used mobile platform. Android was created by Android Inc. and acquired by Google Inc. in 2005.

Warning: This is a really long post where I tell you about all 12 of my Android devices, from 2009 to 2013, as well as my wife's 5 Android Devices. For TL;DR, please skip to the summary at the bottom.

When I first heard about the Android Operating System back in 2007, I knew it was going to be something I wanted to use. Most of you didn't even know about Android when I started using it, and wouldn't have believed the future success of the platform that can be seen today.

When the HTC Dream (also know as the T-Mobile G1 in the United States) arrived in stores in 2008, I immediately wanted to buy one to replace my current "smartphone", which is in no way a 'smart' phone by today's standards. I remember looking around many shops in Western Sydney at the time, although I was only able to find one shop with the handset - but at a not so decent price.
The HTC Dream was soon after released on the Optus network, but I decided to hold off as I had heard rumours that the HTC Magic was coming soon. The HTC Magic had a much nicer form factor (in my opinion), had an ugly little bump at the bottom that I thought was cool and unique at the time, and now had an on-screen keyboard, rather than a physical one like the previous HTC Dream.

In Australia, Vodafone launched the HTC Magic with most people still not having heard of either Android or HTC. The prices remained high to purchase the HTC Magic outright, so I decided to purchase one (new) from eBay as there were quiet a few people who had received the device as part of a contract upgrade but were in no way interested in the actual device. I drove out west to pick up the HTC Magic, I remember feeling very uneasy about handing over that much money (I think it was $350) to a complete stranger for a mobile phone in an area that's well known for criminal activity.
I soon became a 'developer' on XDA-Developers, trying to help people be able build the Android System for the HTC Magic from the Android Open Source Project. I stopped participating as much after I had achieved my goal.

Little known fact: Google gave away a rebranded HTC Magic designed for developers at a Google I/O conference. This device was known as the Google ION (it may have been a prototype for the Nexus series).

After I started using my new HTC Magic, I fell in love with Android (version 1.5; Cupcake). It was not like anything I had used before, although the Android Market (now Google Play Store) did not nearly compare to Apple's App Store which had many of the apps I needed wanted. I soon received an update to Android 1.6 (Donut). My wife had seen how much I liked my phone, and started to play with it often. She soon decided that she wanted one for her birthday in December, 2009. I took the hint and managed to negotiate a great price with an eBay seller (around $110 including postage costs) located in Adelaide, South Australia. She was very happy with her new phone, except that she found some videos of (we presume) the eBay seller - Masturbating. I reset the device and cleared all of the external memory, but I still felt like a really crappy husband. We did notice that one of the buttons was initially stuck and I just hoped that the stuck button wasn't related to the un-deleted video we found on the device. The button soon became un-stuck and started working as expected, but later stopped working completely.

After keeping my eye on the Android scene over at XDA, I had decided that my next device would either be a HTC Nexus One or a HTC Desire. Both devices were very similar in specifications, but I chose the HTC Desire because it had an optical trackball, rather than the physical ball found in the Nexus One (and the HTC Magic I already owned).

When the HTC Desire launched in Australia, I decided to get one on the first day. The device launched on the Telstra network, which mostly limited me to calling Telstra and JB-HiFi retail outlets. I managed to bring the price down a little, to something like $700. (I really don't remember)

After that, my wife had decided it was her turn for a new phone, and that she wanted the 'cute' HTC Legend. In my opinion, the HTC Legend is still one of the best built phones that I've ever seen. This time it was Vodafone that had launched the device in Australia. I started to call around a few stores for a release date, most stores told me that Vodafone was not getting the HTC Legend (they obviously hadn't read their e-mails) and a few stores incorrectly quoted the price at $549 rather than $599 due to difference in prices between two systems. I manage to find a store that had actually received stock just before I called, and obviously wasn't aware that it was a few days before the official release date. I quickly went to the store, and asked for the cheaper price that was on one of their systems. My wife loved knowing that she possibly had the first publicly sold HTC Legend in Australia, and she managed to convince her sister and brother-in-law to buy one. My wife later sold her HTC Legend to a friend, and he recently passed it on to another friend. The HTC Legend lives on.

I then decided that I should updated my HTC Desire to the newly released HTC Desire HD. I was a little disappointed that the device had not been permanently 'rooted' yet, as HTC had implemented a new mechanism to protect the device from writing to the system partition. I liked having full root access on my device, and since my initial HTC Magic, I had always had root access and an unlocked bootloader. As soon as I had purchased the HTC Desire HD, I started looking for progress on unlocking the device. One night while I was monitoring an IRC Chatroom named #g2root, I started to notice progress on the unlocking of the HTC Desire Z (also known as the T-Mobile G2 in the United States). It wasn't long before a linux kernel mod was posted by a developer, and whilst they were trying it on the Desire Z, I thought I would try it on the HTC Desire HD and it worked! I also managed to convince some guys that were known at the time for their modified bootloaders to modify the HTC Desire HD bootloader so that it wasn't locked. I now not only had the first permanently rooted Desire HD, but also the first S-OFF Desire HD. It wasn't long until everyone else had it (less than 24 hours), but that's my claim to fame.
Soon after, I managed to 'brick' (turn a device into something as useful as a brick) my Desire HD due to a silly mistake. I quickly (that same day) obtained another one.

Later I had to replace my HTC Desire HD (which was fortunately under warranty) due to a hardware fault. It was sorted out within hours at Vodafone's Parramatta repair centre.

I purchased a HTC Sensation when it was released by Telstra in Australia. I immediately started to have issues with the device, and after having issues with the replacement device, I returned the device for a full refund. I went back to using my HTC Desire HD.

While I was in Hong Kong in October 2011, I had shopped around for a new phone since the prices were much cheaper than in Australia. I finally decided to buy a HTC Sensation XE whilst in the airport when I was leaving Hong Kong. The HTC Sensation XE was identical hardware to the HTC Sensation I had previously owned, contained a new red/black colour scheme, and came with 'Beatz' by 'Dr. Dre' earphones and Beatz audio customisation.

The one thing I couldn't understand when I went to purchase the Sensation XE, is why the seller wanted more money than I had seen it for outside of Hong Kong airport. I asked him why it was more expensive in the 'duty free' area than it was outside of the airport which included tax. He looked at me like I was a complete idiot and told me "There is no tax anywhere in Hong Kong". I wasn't feeling real smart right then, but that did manage to get him to bring the price down below what I had seen at other retailers in Hong Kong. I remember being worried about being sold a brick (literally a brick) after reading some online scam reports, so I checked that the device was there and working after I had bought the phone, but before I had left the shop. Later in October, when I returned to Australia, the device hadn't yet been released - and when it was released, it was much more than I had paid in Hong Kong.

The next phone I purchased was a Samsung Galaxy Nexus - while I wasn't too impressed with the build quality, it was available to buy from multiple networks in Australia - which meant cheaper prices for me. I had secretly been an admirer of the Nexus series since back when I had bought my HTC Desire, as it offered both the 'stock android' look and feel, and the fastest updates available on the market. I later bought myself a new one when back in Hong Kong in August 2013, this phone was now considered 'old' in Hong Kong, which meant low prices and I was now able to give my wife one of them (she got my original one, I like new toys).

The ASUS Nexus 7 - This isn't even a phone! The Nexus 7 was Google's first Android powered tablet, and I knew I had to have one. With more cores than the number in it's name, it was a real beast, and the 16GB variant (they only had WiFi back then) was available for only $318! While I was quickly able to get the price down to $298 to match Google's online price, I then asked the store to charge me an extra $2 so that I was able to claim a tax refund when I took the device out of Australia.

The device had quickly sold out, but luckily I had already obtained three. One for +Matthew Vickers, one for +Liz Davison, and one for myself. It was so new to the market that we weren't even able to obtain any accessories for the device in Asia, except a few generic ones. There were many requests to 'take a look' at the Nexus 7 when I was in Hong Kong, as most of them had not yet even heard of them. I now mostly use the Nexus 7 for the development of +PumpCount [link to PumpCount website]

Which brings me to my final device, the LG Nexus 4. This is Google's latest Nexus phone, and was released alongside the Nexus 10 (Google's 10 inch tablet). When the device arrived on the Google Play Store, it was quickly sold out again and again, until production stepped up. In Australia, retailer Harvey Norman had an exclusive on the device and was charging $100 more than Google online. Unfortunately, as they had an exclusive on the device, and Google Play Store was constantly sold out, they were easily able to sell out of them at the more expensive price. +Liz Davison was able to get my Nexus 4 as an early birthday present for me - several days before the official release date in Australia, but she had to pay a premium (Harvey Norman's price) for that. Within a week or two, I had managed to shatter the glass on the rear of the device somehow (I have no idea how, it wasn't dropped or anything), but was able to obtain a replacement, and I have been happy with it ever since. The Nexus 4 will probably be the next phone that I buy the wife.



What's Next? My guess is that it will be a Nexus device, but I don't know when or what Google plans on releasing. There have been suggestions of many devices, but none have shown up just yet.

Summary of my Android Devices:

  • HTC Magic
  • HTC Desire
  • HTC Desire HD (x3)
  • HTC Sensation
  • HTC Sensation XE
  • Samsung Galaxy Nexus (x2)
  • ASUS Nexus 7
  • LG Nexus 4 (x2)
Summary of my wife's (+Liz Davison's) Android Devices:

  • HTC Magic
  • HTC Legend
  • HTC Evo 3D
  • ASUS Nexus 7
  • Samsung Galaxy Nexus

P.S. There are a few things I haven't included, such as both of my children have an Android handset (Huawei), and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 that was donated by +Normann Aguilar.

May 08, 2013

Facebook's 'Babies' page causes mass confusion

Today, I've actually been on Facebook! (Read my thoughts on Social Networking in 2013)

Earlier this afternoon, I noticed a friend post a message about someone adding photos of her children to a Facebook page without her authorisation. This was followed by several other friends posting almost the same thing.

Immediately, I went to the page to discover an automatically generated page titled Babies. This page shows some information from the wikipedia article for Babies, along with a very informative section that reads:
This Page is automatically generated based on what Facebook users are interested in, and not affiliated with or endorsed by anyone associated with the topic.

As well as the huge amount of people that have 'liked' the page (currently 333,000), there has been a large amount of people posting about the page, and spreading it.

The issue people have is about the pictures that are contained on the page. These pictures are actually pictures that have been shared with the viewer and that contain the text 'Baby' or 'Babies' in the caption. It seems most people don't realise that.

I've received messages stating that people are reporting seeing pictures they shouldn't be able to see (people they don't know), and even reports that a pervert / pedophile is stealing photos and posting them. This is not true.
Even if it the report about seeing pictures they shouldn't be able to see was true, you'd have to realise that many people choose to make their posts / pictures public.

When I viewed the page from a desktop computer, it also contained a link to a Malaysian movie, which informs you that the screenwriter's name is 'Baby'.

Lastly, for those of you that insist you haven't given Facebook permission to use the photo on a page, you need to realise that this is no different to seeing a friends picture on 'your' news feed. Yes, the news feed is also really just a generated page on Facebook's website.

Needless to say, don't worry about it! Your pictures of your children are as safe as they were yesterday.

Please feel free to share this post to those on Facebook, especially to those who are sharing the babies page or are concerned.

Jetstar Customer Service - Incompetent & Insensitive

I'd bought my mother and father-in-law a return trip to the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia as a present for their 40th wedding anniversary flying Jetstar. Unfortunately, my father-in-law passed away on the 6th April, 2013 - the very day before their 40th wedding anniversary.

During the following week, I called Jetstar to inform them that the passengers were no longer able to travel, and they told me that they can either send me a very limited Jetstar travel voucher for the cost of the fares, or I'd have to fill out their compassionate request form if I'd like a refund or change of flight details (including name change) which requires 'supporting documentation' such as a funeral home statement or a copy of the deceased's death certificate.

Once I was able to obtain a copy of my father-in-law's death certificate, I filled out Jetstar's compassionate request form and waited for a reply.

On the 25th April at 4:00AM, I received an e-mail notifying me that the flight schedule had been changed. This was the only correspondance I had received from Jetstar by the end of April, so I called them again and was informed that the compassionate request form had been received and that someone would be in touch with me shortly. The operator seemed to ignore the fact that my mother-in-law was also booked on the flight, and constantly referred to only looking at my father-in-law's flight.

On the 1st May at 3:30AM, I received another email notifying me that the flight schedule had changed, followed by an email at 5:30AM acknowledging a request, with indication that I would be contacted within 5 working days.

I then received a pre-prepared reply on the 4th May at 7:00AM from a no-reply e-mail address as if I had not contacted them before. The email stated that they understand my circumstances might change, and that if I am/was unable to travel on my booking, I should fill out a compassionate request form on their website and include suitable documentation such as medical certificate or documents detailing that a person is deceased. It also indicated that they would consider the request for the possibility of a voucher, which I was offered in the first place (without filling out a compassionate request form). The only part of this e-mail that seemed personalised was the booking reference number and my name, which they'd spelt incorrectly.

On the 7th May at 4:00AM, I was sent ANOTHER (third) notice that the flight schedule had changed.
Whilst looking on Jetstar's website, a box came up allowing me to chat (online) with a customer service agent. I thought this might be a great idea, so I clicked the button and had a conversion with Gerald:


[15:31:29] Info: Thank you for choosing Jetstar. A Travel Specialist will be with you shortly.
[15:31:30] Info: You are now chatting with 'Gerald'
[15:31:34] Gerald: Hello! My name is Gerald. How may I assist you today?
[15:31:44] JD: Hi there, I called up after one of my PAX died, was told to send Compassionate Request Form.
[15:32:14] JD: I received no response, so I called to chase it up, I was told that someone would be in touch.
[15:32:33] JD: After waiting nearly a week, I'm told to fill out a compassionate request form.
[15:33:03] JD: Jetstar's customer service is absolutely useless, I just want to speak to someone who can resolve this situation to my satisfaction.
[15:33:04] Gerald: Have you submitted the form?
[15:33:14] JD: Yes.
[15:33:56] JD: After the first time it was requested. When I asked for a follow up on the form, I'm told someone will call me. Instead I get an email directing me to the CRF again!
[15:34:26] JD: I'm sorry if I sound really annoyed (I am) but it's becoming a joke, and costing me money every time I try and reach you guys.
[15:37:23] Gerald: I'm sorry for the inconvenience. May I have the booking reference please?
[15:38:35] JD: Booking Reference # XXXXXX [Removed]
[15:39:15] JD: <Father-in-law's name> passed away on the 6th April, It was planned to be a present for them to receive for their 40th Wedding Anniversary.
[15:40:25] Info: Chat session has ended.


Yes, The operator had effectively 'hung up'. Was I too rude? I'm not sure, but I've now gone from being somewhat annoyed to really annoyed, still with an unresolved issue. I start looking for a customer service policy and find Jetstar's Customer Guarantee which says: "...If you ever need to talk to us about anything, we commit to our customers that our Call Centre will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. We also commit that we will have a decision-maker available in our Call Centre to address your query on the call... If we fail to meet this commitment, call us and we’ll provide you with a $50 Jetstar travel voucher". I figure that since they haven't had a decision maker available in the call centre, I'll ask them to honour their customer guarantee and they might get things sorted quicker.

I then proceeded to call Jetstar, and once again explain where I'm up to. After being put on hold a few times, I'm informed that the admin has received my request and the attached document wasn't received. They requested that I re-submit the compassionate request form, I told them I would.

When I asked about the customer guarantee, the operator argued that it is their procedure that the admin must decide on compassionate request forms, and that they can not answer. I asked to speak with the supervisor and was ignored several times, and then I was finally transferred to the supervisor, when I asked his name, the agent told me he didn't know - but he calls him Salva. Salva tells me he is the 'floor support supervisor' and he informs me that he is the most senior agent at the call centre.

I talk to Salva who agree's that they've been unable to make a decision (unless he can call my mother-in-law and see if she's happy to change a booking she didn't end up receiving), however he argues that Jetstar's commitment "is for a query, not a request" and even goes as for to tell me to look the two words up in the dictionary (his English isn't very good as you can see below).
When I ask him for the official reason, and this is (word for word) what he spits out: "The one that you are asking is for the response of the request you have submitted to us, as you can see it will be responded within 15 days. The answer on your request is not yet provided by the admin.". After 2 hours (1:54 minutes to be precise) of being on the phone, Salva indicates that he is going to send a $50 Jetstar travel voucher to me before the phone conversation is ended.

This morning, we receive two emails from Jetstar. The e-mail contain a $50 Jetstar travel vouchers in each. I presumed they had sent a duplicate copy of the first one.
I showed my wife, who starts crying when she notices that Jetstar have issued the travel vouchers in the name of her mother and deceased father, and the vouchers also state "The person named on this Voucher must be a passenger travelling on the booking".


April 25, 2013

JD on Social Networking in 2013

First and foremost, welcome to my new blog.

This first post is about Social Networking and Google+.

When people ask me what Google+ is, I find it hard to explain it quickly to most people without using the term "Facebook". The Google+ fanboys (myself included) might shoot me down for this, but reality is that most people don't understand exactly what social networking is.

My first real experience in what we now call "Social Networking" was probably MySpace. I registered an account on MySpace very early, but only used it to view others' photos. I then joined Twitter, and while I have never been a big 'Tweeter', I do think the service has a use, but a very limited one. I've joined various others such as LinkedIn and FourSquare but I always felt they were popularity contests and something I would not use very frequent, if at all.
After a few years of +Liz Davison asking me to join Facebook, I finally joined in November 2007.

After joining Facebook, I quickly started adding the many family members that were already using Facebook, followed by school friends, and people that I'd met in real life through other people that I was already 'friends' with.
Facebook became a big part of my online identity, even though I kept it rather private for quite some time. It was hard to decide what was appropriate to share as I knew my grandmother, little sister, etc. would be able to read the posts that I had sent for 'friends', therefore I would mostly censor myself. I later changed the idea of censoring myself, to removing the people I was worried about seeing uncensored statuses.

So as you can see, Facebook quickly went from being the place I hated, to the place I loved. I think it mostly worked for me, because almost everyone was there. This is probably also what caused me to start disliking the service.
I always tried to keep my Facebook friends to a limit of about 250 people (half of the 500 friend limit at the time) by removing the people that had become less relevant in my life.
Many people I added on Facebook only used the service every once in a while, so while it might seem like I might get 250 status updates from friends each day, really it was more like 10 status updates from 40 'active' friends. It quickly led me to come to the realisation that many of my friends constantly complained about anything they could - this isn't the circle they have me in in their real lives.

I joined Google+ while it was invite only in July, 2011. Rather than searching for friends in real life, I started adding people that I already knew online such as +Keith Gable+Brandon Amedee & +Graham Green. I of course invited my wife +Liz Davison and brother +Samuel Davison and probably a few others. Whilst this was working, I already had these people on Facebook, I quickly discovered the Nearby stream (which wasn't very nearby at the time) which allowed me to read and comment on other people's public posts. I also started to notice people talking about me on the now defunct 'incoming' stream. It wasn't until October of 2011 that I really started getting in to Google+. The first person I didn't know who's post I had reshared was +Ben Buxton, and the first person I didn't know who commented on a post of mine was +Mandy Abela.

Google+ quickly became my online identity, and I've met many great people through it.
The only drawback (for me) is that I have been unsuccessful in finding most family and friends on it, with the exception of the very distant +Chris Double of New Zealand, who is my wife's 6th cousin (1x removed), and a few people who have a Google+ profile and don't know/are inactive such as +Jade Beale. The rest of them that I can think of I have invited.

I'm not sure if the lack of everyone is what makes Google+ so great, or if that's what could improve.

As I said, Google+ is now what I consider my online identity, and I have heavily included Google+ in my new blog. What do you think of Google+ or Facebook?