For a long time I have wanted to be able to check my bank account online. I have accounts in United Bank for Africa (UBA), Spring Bank (now Enterprise bank), Intercontinental Bank (now Access bank) and GTB. Despite the fact that the account I have in GTB is a current account and those in the other banks are savings accounts, I find GTB's current account less expensive to manage and GTB's customer service way better than all the others put together. So in few words, I actively use my GTB current account and in fact, I hold two Domiciliary accounts and a MasterCard account with GTB.

This past month I went to the GTB nearest to me and filled the Internet Banking form, but to my surprise I didn't receive the promised mail that will provide me my login details. But yesterday I was able in under 20 minutes to enable my accounts (the current, 2 dorms and a mastercard) for internet banking, and the details of how I did it is what I want to share with you.

As you'll most likely know (if you have read my previous posts) I am currently running my compulsory one year NYSC scheme in Bayelsa state as a Mathematics teacher in a community school, Elebele. Well, towards the end of the month of July, the school rounded up for the session we (both teachers and students) were given a two months holiday. Though, I spent the majority of the days in those two months in my lodge, I managed to summon enough courage to withdraw all my allowee for the month of August and go for a daring adventure across rivers and sea to Nembe and Brass Islands in Bayelsa state.

So in this essay of mine, I am only going to focus on the 10 days out of the two months that I spent on this adventure. I am not going to bore you with lots of words but with pictures.

I have been hearing about a “Wireless Tether” app for months now and even tried installing it, but to my disappointment it requires me to have rooted my phone so I couldn't use it. Then last week I finally rooted my phone and was amazed by the quality of connectivity I got between my phone and my laptop. And another amazing thing about this wireless tethering than makes it far desirable than the USB tethering (that comes along with the android OS 2.2) is that it allows multiple computers to connect and even phones that have wifi. And you can also create an access list to allow internet access for only selected devices (computers, phones and maybe, printers).

So in this post, I am going to explain extensively to you how to use the wireless tether app to share internet access on your android phone with other phones and computers.

Remember that post I made on changing the google account of HTC Dream? Then you will remember me saying “I bought a fairly new G1...”

Well, there was this day I posted a tweet on twitter saying I had issues with data usage of my G1, and a friend (@kenniy) responded and told me to mod my G1 for optimum performance and recommended Cyanogen Mod. Since that day (which should be 6 months ago), after reading about the benefits, I decided in my mind that I was definitely gonna mod my G1. Then after reading about doing it on several websites and discovered that most of them had very different ways of doing it with a common recurrent warning that my phone might get bricked, I finally gave it a trial 5 months ago. I choose a website that explained very well with detailed snapshots of the process, then I discovered that I couldn't go past the first stage because my G1 has android 1.6 (donut) and the steps will only work for 1.5 (cupcake). I searched for ways of modding my G1 running donut, and the only site I found that seems to explain it well didn't have a single snapshot and had too much warnings. So I suspended my desire to mod the G1 till when I have used the phone for a considerable time, when I won't be too bothered if the phone bricks.

Well that time came yesterday, I just couldn't put up any longer with the restrictions of the small internal memory and the fact that some applications are now being built for OS 2.1 (eclair) and above. So I braced up and faced my fear, and believe me I'm glad I did. I now have the latest android OS (froyo) running on my G1, can now send files via Bluetooth and even operate a swap partition on my phone.

So in case someone might need a more recent post by a more current user, I decided to share my experience, step by step and with snapshots. So let's go!

I know that I am a bunch of surprises
Surprises that leave my friends dazed for days
I know that I am quite unpredictable
Though majorly in ways quite desirable
I know very well that I'm a change freak
With a mind that flutters with each clock tick
I'm convinced my mind has its own mind
Though now I do not seem to mind
As long has it stays within its bounds
And is quick to perceive the outer sounds
I know I think way to much
Though with efforts not much

My life is fraught with dreams
Collections of well coordinated stray thoughts
Aspirations made more fluid than streams
Wishes in the fjord of reality caught
Desires seeking expression in my future
Dreams I daily run through in my mind
Constituting my second most valued treasure
And to the world have they made me blind
But surprisingly, I discovered today
During my daily meditation routine
After thinking back several days
Analyzing my life and looking within
That one of my dreams, a weird one
A really funny self-aggrandizing dream
That makes me feel nobler than King John
But has a chance of fulfillment that's slim
And now it has come true
Even truer than in the dream
Giving me hope of seeing more dreams come true

I received this mail with the name of the mailer as Dr. Farida Waziri. It is definitely a fraud, so please do not use the contact email or phone numbers. I posted it because I frequently receive similar scam mails and I am amazed when people fall for such low level fraud.


                                                       ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION.
                                                      {SECURITY WATCH}
                                                      #782 SECRETARIAT ROAD,GOVT HOUSE. ABUJA                                                                      NIGERIA.
                                                      Motto: No body is above the LAW!
                                                      {WEBSITE: http://www.efccnigeria.org
                                                      DATED: 31TH OF MAY 2010.


ATTENTION,
Hope this mail meets you in good state of mind, As you are aware, through the help of our investigation team here in Nigeria and abroad, we found out that your name was among the list of people Compensated with the amount of $2.5Million USD last Year from The Compensation Office.
Therefore so many people have been parading them selves to be the Payment Officers or false Courier Company affiliated to FEDEX and so many offices used in caring out their fraud. First of all is to bring to your notice that FBI,CIA and the EFCC they are work to get those fraudulent and criminals who cliam to be what they are not. We gathered that you have sent more than $12,500 to fraudulent official of Bank of America and FedEx Courier Company and Compensation office and also many of those scam offices.
We are an Affiliate to The FBI and CIA we will get you arrested and charge you to Court for if you send money to them or have anything to do with them again because our investigation eye are on you now and also you have to stop every conversation stating they are from the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF THIS COUNTRY including any ATM PAYMENT CENTRE and also BANK DREFT and also BANK OF AMERICA all this people are fraudulent people disturbing this country and we are highly in search of them and you can also help us in their arrest by providing their contact numbers and address so we can find them.
We have also investigated the circumstances that has brought about this winning and found out that it is real and legit your name was found among the list of successful winners, do you know that until this moment that am writing to you the Compensation Office Board has no idea that you have not received your winning of $2.5MDollars which is your legitimate and rightful money.
It became imperative that your matter was brought to the lime Light when one of the representative here happened to stubble through your file and found out that your payment was still pending by Mr. John Eddy and who have been demanding money from you for payment of Certificates of all sorts such as ANTI-TERRORIST CERTIFICATES,TAX CLEARANCE CERTIFICATES, etc., Also we found out that you have been promised severally that your money would be delivered by Fedex or Bank Transfer or diplomats  and Atm.
Today we happily inform you that your fund will get to you via Wired Transfer which the total amount of $2.5M will be wired into your terminal account once you provide us with the information of the Criminals mentioned above and also meet up with our Inquiries within the next 24 Hours from this notification.
KINDLY FURNISH US WITH THE FOLLOWING
DETAILS FOR PROPER CLEARIFICATIONS:
FULL NAMES:
ADDRESS:
CELL NUMBER:
DATE OF BIRTH:
MARITAL STATUS:
RELIGION:
OCCUPATION:
POSITION HELD:
BANK NAME:
ADDRESS:
BANK PHONE NUMBER:
ACCOUNT NUMBER:
ROOT NUMBER:
SWIFT NUMBER:
They will keep demanding money from you until they will make sure that your account is frozen and you will be broke for life. Please for more stories of this log on to our website and see what we do to rescue people in this kind of dilema just like you. You will have to get back to us with telephone numbers and full address. That's all we need.
PLEASE NOTE: YOUR BANK DRAFT WORTH OF $2.5MILLION IS NOW WITH US AND IT WILL BE SENT TO YOU VIA THE BANK TRANSFER INTO YOUR CORRESPONDING BANK.IMMEDIATELY YOU GET BACK TO US.
logon to our website now and see our duties (http://www.efccnigeria.org we are an affiliate to The FBI CIA and other government agencies
Abroad.


Contact Person Mr. Hoek Ali
Email: ( efcccrimescommission@pross.org.uk )
Secretary of the EFCC
+234-808-480-0866 or
011-234-808-480-0866


You are hereby advised to keep this transaction confidential from this criminals until you get your fund.
Presently we are notified that you are still having some transactions with another fraudulent office claiming to be from Bank of America you are highly warned to stop communicating with this Frauds and face the reality with us to make sure you get your fund which you have been suffering from since Last year.
We are giving you our full support and word that we are trying to protect you but if you feel you are brave then you dare and see what the outcome will be when we come and get you arrested for claiming Drug money in resident over there in USA


BE WARNED! BE WARNED!! BE WARNED!!!
For security purpose make sure you keep it secret until you get your fund
and never you contact this bad York's of eggs anymore again , they are
fraudulent.


Dr. Farida Waziri
Executive Chairman, EFCC. And FBI

Note that the mail is full of grammatical errors, the claim is unreasonable and the email address of the contact person is not under EFCC's website domain.

As you probably know, I'm serving (NYSC) as a Teacher in Basic Junior Secondary School, Elebele, Bayelsa state.
Well, I gave my (year 1 or JSS1) students an assignment, to write an essay on how they spent their mid-term break.
Here is one of my favorite -

How I spent my mid Term break First. In the morning when I was asleep my mom wake me up and told me to go and take my baet and I woke up and took my baet and I woke up and took my baet dress up and my father and mom tuok me and go to yenegia. First thing I sour is Children dancing. Not only that I sour my friends. So day told me to dance. So I danced and win a prise. called Clock I was so happy I have fun and I see more than that my mom also took me to misstabiss I eat and drink with my friends many many fun that I have I sweem in sweeming pull God I so much love my perence because day give The best thing in life I have much fun. I sour father Crissmass two mony things. that is How I spend my MID TERM BREAK,
God buy

I gave my JSS1 students an assignment - How did you spend your mid term break?
Here is one of the funniest essays -

My name is eluina Afuga I am in J.S.S.1B I am writing on How I SPENT my MID-TERM Break. I went to Church on Sunday on Saturday I went to the market to buy somethings and on Thursday I went to Lagos and sent my children day on Thursday 27 of may we went to misser Beans in lagos and in paperoni I eat Chicking and fieaded rice and we dance in lagos we sa
w ninienia in lagos she sing a song I like are vioce and we went home on firday we eat rice and beans I went to visit my friend her name is mary she like me we play to gether and eat together in lagos I Like lagos because I have many of my momin friend they buy me a doll too. the childre play and dance I saw my friend Ruth Naomi and franka Joselin I se sailas I went to the Zoo I saw a elephat, horses, chimpaze and lions monkeys and griffe

I recently bought a fairly new HTC G1 after a long tiring search for android phones at Computer village, Ikeja (Lagos, Nigeria). Most of the phone dealers had only windows mobile phones, iPhone and Blackberry, but no android phone. Just when I was about giving up, I came across a dealer that had a fairly new HTC G1 (he called it London-used but it's obviously from USA). Anyway, I bought the phone and if not for the Motorola charger that came with it I could have easily passed as new.

Since the phone isn't new and the former owner did not do a factory reset and had the phone registered with his gmail account. I had to change the gmail account to mine to be able to access the android market (the phone requires me to enter his account password to access the market). I didn't want to do a factory reset so as not lose any application installed by the former owner. Actually, I have an aversion for factory resets because of the painful data loss they often cause.

After searching the internet for another way of changing the gmail account that will not involve any multiple system settings change. I came across a method that worked fine and is probably the only alternative method.

So outlined in a detailed manner below is this method of changing the gmail account -

Goto Settings, Applications, Manage applications, and browse to Gmail storage, select Clear Data. Also goto Gmail and select Clear Data. Finally goto Google Apps and select Clear Data.

Now go back to Settings, and select Data Synchronization. You will be prompted to setup a new account. Enter your gmail account and password. So now, you will be able to synch your gmail on your phone and also access the android market. You will also receive a mail from the android team welcoming you.