Saturday, July 10, 2010

How to add shopping cart to your blog

The easiest way to add a shopping cart is to use Paypal Merchant Tools. Of course in order to make use of this service, you will need a Paypal account if you don't already have one. Signing up is free and easy. Plus by making use of Paypal Merchant Tools, you can accept credit card payments.

Perhaps the easiest way to describe how to add a shopping cart to your blog is to describe how I set up this demonstration "online shop" at Demonstration shopping cart.

First, you will have to prepare your post. Add photographs, description, prices, etc.

Then, sign into your Paypal account. Then click on the Merchant Tool Paypal Merchant Tool Tab tab. Then at the right sidebar, click on "Paypal Shopping Cart", then enter the details like Item Name/Service, Item ID/Number (optional), Price of Item/Service you want to sell, Currency, etc. Then either tick the Paypal "Add to Card" Paypal Add to Cart button button or if you have your own button hosted on the web, enter its URL. Click the "Create button now" Paypal Create Button Now button at the bottom of the page and 2 HTML script will be generated - one for the "Add to Shopping Cart" button and another for the "View Cart" button. Copy the HTML scripts and paste them in the appropriate places in your Post Editor Window. Add further buttons if required and when finished, publish the post.

How to put a donation on your blog

If you are only interested in how to make a "Donate" button, skip this and go straight to the actual post. I have made a "Donate" button as a demonstration at the bottom of the left sidebar and have made a statement that while it is actually for demonstration I have I am not averse to accepting donations and have said in absolute sincerity that no amount is too small. If you want to use the that button to donate or to test you are free to do so, but please read the updates in red at the bottom of the post. This update is placed here because I added a link back to this post at the Donate button to alert any potential user of that "Donate" button of the implications after a kind soul donated $0.05 which I can say with absolute sincerity is greatly appreciated, but in my accounts, it says that I have been credited with $0.00 (because Paypal takes a cut from the donation). So the kind donor has lost $0.05 while I have gained $0.00 and Paypal earned $0.05. I remembered contacting Paypal for a schedule of charges but don't remember getting a response. I will contact them again. For a fuller description, read the update at the bottom of the post.

Another note: If you sign up for a Paypal account, you will be asked to pay a verification fee of something like $1.95. This verification fee will be credited back to your account when you make a withdrawal, so it is not really a "fee". Note that you can chose to verify later or not verify at all, in which case the maximum amount you can withdraw from your account will be limited to $1000.

This is in response to someone's question regarding putting a donation button on a blog. The easiest way is to sign up for a Paypal account (to get to their site, type "paypal" into the searchbox at the top of the page, tick the "Web" radio button and click "Search"). Sign into your Paypal account. Once you are signed in, you will see a Merchant Tool Paypal Merchant Tool tab tab. Click that and you will get to a page, on the right side of which you will see a section titled "Key Features".

Click on "Donations" and you will get to a page where you have various fields to fill in. One of them is "Donation Name/Services". I typed "This is for demonstration purpose only ...." thinking it will be added to the top of the button, but it looks like it serve no purpose because I left the other fields empty (except for my country which is already selected in the drop-down menu), left my choice of button as the default "donation" button Paypal make a donation button ticked, click "Create Button Now" at the bottom of the page. The HTML was generated. I just copied the HTML, got to the LAYOUT of the relevant blog, click Add a Page Element, chose HTML/Javascript, paste the HTML into the box and click "Save to Blog". That Page Element was added to the top of the left sidebar section. I wanted it at the bottom so I dragged it down, then click "Save" at the top of the LAYOUT.

I click "View Blog" and didn't "This is for demonstration..." so I had to edit the Page Element and added that to the Title. I will be writing to Paypal for the purpose of those fields and will update this post when I get a response.

If you want a different button from the Paypal 
Paypal make a donation buttonbutton, you will have to create your own button, perhaps using one of those free button generator sites (use the searchbox at the top of the page. Tick the "Web" radio button). Upload it to the web using either Getting New Blogger to host a picture for the profile photo, sidebar, Header, etc. (click BACK button to get back to this page) or use Photobucket. Get the URL, paste that into the field for the Button Image URL and tick the radio button.
Update: Got an email notification from Paypal saying I received a payment for USD0.05, showing that the "Donate" button is working.
As I have said in the title for the donate button, it is for demonstration purposes and no amount is too small if you really want to donate, and I mean it. I really appreciate the person who made that donation. However, note that Paypal deduct their fees when they pay me, although there is no fee when you make a payment (eg. via a "Donate" button.) and this is what shows in my account:

Click on screenshot to enlarge it, or if you don't want to and can't read the figures, I received $0.00 after deduction.

So while I sincerely appreciate the payment, note that after deduction, I got $0.00, the kind donor lost $0.05 while Paypal got $0.05. I still appreciate the thoughts though, but I will try to get more information about deduction from payment received so that you are better informed if you want to put a similar "Donate" button in your blog and will update this post when I receive a response. For personal experience, read below.
Note: I have made a payment of -$619.00 USD from my balance to a US resident. While there was no charge for making the payment, the recipient told me she only received only $595.00, meaning $23 (3.7%) had been deducted.

Also, if you do not already have a Paypal account and you started one and use your credit card for verification purposes, there will be request for a verification fee of I think is $1.95, which you can chose not to pay. In that case, your payment from Paypal will be limited to USD1000. I have made that verification payment recently, but that payment will be paid back into my account when I next make another payment so I wouldn't really lose anything.

The person who made the donation also requested a payment of $0.01 CAD, probably for a contribution to the verification fee. I appreciate his thought on making that donation and really don't mind making that payment, but I will have to inform him that if I make that payment, after Paypal deduction, he will probably get $0.00 CAD.


Friday, July 9, 2010

Octopus Paul: Germany will win 3rd place


Octopus oracle Paul is predicting Germany will win over Uruguay at the World Cup in the fight for third place. Paul's pick was carried live Friday on TV stations around Europe. The world-famous octopus could be seen choosing a mussel from a glasstank marked with a German flag, after sitting on the Uruguayan tank for a few minutes — indicating a German victory in Saturday's fight for places three and four in the World Cup. Since predicting Spain's victory over Germany, the mollusk has become less popular at home, while Spaniards have offered their newfound mascot protection. Paul correctly predicted Germany's wins over Argentina, England,Australia and Ghana and the country's loss to Serbia. He picks the Spain-Netherlands final later in the day.


Thursday, July 8, 2010

Samsung UA55C8000 TV

We peer into the third dimension with the Samsung UA55C8000 TV and like what we see.
IT IS funny that TVs are actually getting thinner these days as 3D technology is becoming more common - what we get here is a situation where the TV itself is gradually becoming closer to a 2D piece of paper while the display is gaining more depth :-)

Anyway, lame jokes aside, regular readers of In.Tech will probably already about know my fanatical interest in all things 3D and when the Samsung UA55C8000 came in complete with 3D glasses I was totally stoked.



Samsung Nx10

The Samsung NX10 is light on the shoulders but pretty heavy in the features department.

MOST photographers would agree that DSLR cameras take better pictures than their compact brethren but unfortunately portability is not a DSLR strong point.

After lugging one around during a holiday, you would probably need another holiday to recover from the inevitable sore shoulder, especially if you have a heavy model.

This is where Samsung intends to step in with its 14.6-megapixel Samsung NX10.

It does away with the conventional mirror technology that is a staple of DSLRs to produce a smaller, slimmer and lighter body.

But don't be fooled by its petite size, this camera can easily rival a full-fledged DSLR when it comes to specifications, which we will discuss in length later.

Moving on, the camera supports the proprietary NX-mount lens system and dedicated flashguns.

To date, Samsung has unveiled three different lenses - namely the 18-55mm OIS, 50-200mm OIS and 30mm pancake lens. "OIS" denotes built-in stabilisation technology.

For the purpose of this review, Samsung was nice enough to loan us a unit with the 18-55mm lens.

Angelina Jolie Salt



Before becoming a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt swore an oath to duty, honor, and country. She will prove loyal to these when a defector accuses her of being a Russian sleeper spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture, protect her husband, and stay one step ahead of her colleagues at the CIA.

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