How to Enable OneSignal Web Push Notifications SendTag For Drupal (User Segmentation by Interests)

21 November, 2017 | Servers | 24 seen

I spent a good amount of time, trying to learn how to implement a better user segmentation on OneSignal. The best I could get so far was the default OneSiganal's out of the box segmentation based on user country.

As my blog covers many mutually unrelated topics, I was not utilizing the power of push notifications at 100%. In fact, after getting more than 26,000 subscribers (over a year) I felt afraid every-time I sent out a web push notification, as user targeting was very poor.

At OneSignal official documentation, I learned about using Data Tags, especially SendTag and SendTags

Once you've integrated OneSignal in your app or website, implementing tags is very straightforward - simply use the sendTag or sendTags methods to tag your users with a key-value pair at any time. You may also get and delete tags with other methods. To learn more and to check out code examples, dive into the SDK reference for your particular app or website.

Here is the code example, you should call

Top Cryptocurrencies I'm Looking to Acquire (Buy&Hold) in 2018

19 November, 2017 | Crypto | 8 seen

As the new year of 2018 is fast approaching, I decided it's the right time to review my current investment strategies and goals. Planning ahead is a great strategy and investments in crypto-investments are no exceptions.

Now if you have been following my blog for a while, you might already know - I started to invest in cryptocurrencies in July 2017, after experienced my first FOMO. Also, it should be noted that crypto investments take just a part of my broader investment portfolio, which, right now, consists of stocks, mutual funds, cash and peer to peer lending.

Remember - investments are risky, never invest more you can afford to lose.

I would call my investments in crypto as experimental. Despite I was looking to keep just 5% of the total portfolio in crypto assets, by now, writing these lines, crypto takes already about 10% of the total portfolio. And it seems it could rise to about 20-25% in 2018.  I keep investing on a monthly basis using dollar cost averaging. 

Investment Portfolio

By now (November 2017), this experiment has turned into a lovely…

Top Dividend Paying Stocks In Nasdaq Baltic I'm Planning to Acquire in 2018

18 November, 2017 | Investments | 27 seen

I've been investing in Baltic equity market since April 2017, currently (2017) my capital has been exposed to 14 great companies listed on the Nasdaq Baltic stock exchange giving a combined dividend yield on cost 4.04%

For detailed reports see Nasdaq Baltics Review After One Month Investment in Dividend Paying Stocks and Dividend Paying Stocks - Review After 3 Months of Investing in Nasdaq Baltics. Also, make sure to read monthly dividend income reports as well.

For tracking stock portfolio I've built a simple Google Spreadsheet, you can learn more and download in this article: Simple Google Spreadsheet to Track Stock Portfolio Changes Using GOOGLEFINANCE

As I have been a strong monthly dividend growth investor, I keep investing in stocks throughout the year in several batches. When Investing in Nasdaq Baltic, the great help to learn more about upcoming dividends is Dividend Calendar.

Some readers have asked me - do I just invest based on dates or I do my homework and research companies before investing. Of course, I do my homework and do at least fundamental analysis…

Top 5 star and Luxury hotels in Heraklion

17 November, 2017 | Hotel reviews | 60 seen

Heraklion is probably the most popular tourist destination on the island of Crete, also it turns out Heraklion is the fourth largest city in Greece.

Our travels took us to the Heraklion in June 2017, after we had discovered Western part of Island, we decided it's the time to turn to the Eastern side of the island.(For a complete list of my travels in Crete, see map) 

While still being somewhere in Rethymno, we booked a 5-star Galaxy Iraklio Hotel, which turned out a pleasant experience. Top 5-star or 4-star hotel in Heraklion are quite an affordable, on average you should be ready to spend about EUR 100 per night. For a 5-star hotel that's a very good price.

In this article I've listed some of the top 5-star and 4-star hotels in Heraklion, to consider.

Please note: hotels listed below may contain links to Booking.com, by clicking on links on this page and by making a reservation on Booking.com site, I might earn an affiliate income, at no cost to you.

Housed in a listed 1920’s building overlooking the Old Harbour of Heraklion, the prestigious 5-star hotel GDM Megaron…

Minimum Wages in Central Asian Countries 2017

16 November, 2017 | Macroeconomics | 5 seen

When speaking about Central Asian countries, I'm referring to the five former Soviet Union member states - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The total population of these countries is about 70 million.

Recommended reading: Population changes in the former Soviet Union, also see: Minimum wages in Central Asia 2013

As it has been already 4 years since my latest article about minimum wages in Central Asian countries, I decided to take a fresh look and compare. 4 years is a decent amount of time. 

Currency exchange rates as of November 14, 2017

Wow - is the first word I would like to express. There are some nations (Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and…

Simple FB connect Drupal 8 Mapping custom fields from Facebook

12 November, 2017 | Drupal Development | 24 seen

Simple FB Connect Drupal module  allows users to register and login to your Drupal site with their Facebook account.

Indeed, as the modules name suggests, its one of the easiest ways how to connect Facebook to Drupal. And as I had already worked with this module a few years ago (see: Drupal Simple FB connect + User Form Theming ) now, when working on idea about possible Drupal Dating portal,  I decided to implement Simple FB Connect. In this article I'll write down my notes on how to map custom Facebook fields to Drupal 8 using this module.

I should note that I was working on Drupal 8.4.2 minimal profile installed. 

Before proceeding to the technical part, make sure you have created:

• Facebook app for your Drupal login - For creating a Facebook app, please follow this tutorial: Installation instructions
• You have installed and configured Simple FB connect module

For the sake of ease for this tutorial I will cover details on how to map fields from Facebook's person's public profile only (for enabling additional fields you will need to make Facebook review for your app)

…

How To Hide Tabs On Drupal 8 Content and User Pages

11 November, 2017 | Drupal Development | 28 seen

In Drupal 8 there is a quite easy way to to hide tabs view both on content and user pages. The best there are no hook, modules or complicated theme rewrites involved.

In today's short Drupal tutorial series I will provide a simple workaround out of the box on how to hide tabs both on content and user pages in Drupal 8.

Also see: Theming Drupal 8: How to Hide Site Name

What at start seems like a simple issue, might turn out to be a imminent problem. The truth is - it's super simple, but still a little bit complicated if you come with a Drupal 7 background. 

For hiding tabs in Drupal 8, we will need to go to the block layout page:

Search for a block Tabs , click on Configure button and from the bottom click on Remove block.

That simple. Hope it helps!

Top Hotels and Apartments in Triopetra, Crete

10 November, 2017 | Hotel reviews | 6 seen

Triopetra in Crete, is among the most abandoned places I've traveled lately, if they wouldn't have a sea and a lovely beach, I would compare this place to the remote and almost abandoned desert village in Georgia, Udabno.

During our about one month road trip around the island of Crete, we stayed at Triopetra Notos hotel for one night on June 11, 2017. According to Booking.com website there are not many hotels located in Triopetra, but during our short visit here, I did found a few new construction sites in the area, which might mean - Triopetra could gain some popularity in the future.

Right now, there is nothing much to do or see in Triopetra, except get remote abandoned feeling and take some amazing sunset pictures.

Please note: hotels listed below may contain links to Booking.com, by clicking on links on this page and by making a reservation on Booking.com site, I might earn an affiliate income, at no cost to you.

This property is 1 minute walk from the beach. Offering accommodations with air conditioning, Triopetra Notos Hotel is located in Triopetra, just 38.6 km from Balíon. Rethymno Town is…

Hurma Cafe Shop in Tbilisi

8 November, 2017 | Restaurant reviews | 25 seen

Hurma cafe shop is a recently opened hipster style coffee house serving not only great coffee lattes, but also smoothies, delicious brunch and all day breakfast for a very affordable prices.

Located close to the Tbilisi Philharmony on Petre Melikishvili street 21 on the opposite side to the Tbilisi Hard Rock Cafe. This place is run by Russian/Ukrainian girls (at least that's what I understood). Despite being opened just recently, I noticed mostly foreign visitors here. Yeah, who I'm to complain, right?

That said, welcome to another great Tbilisi restaurant - Hurma cafe shop!

Menu at Hurma Cafe shop in Tbilisi

One of the rare places in Tbilisi offering Breakfast all day. Although I should mention that in recent years there have been a lot of improvement with brunch offer in Tbilisi. Prices for a brunch menu here are really low compared to other brunch places in Tbilisi. The prices will probably grow in the future, but for right now - enjoy!

Hipster style interior at Hurma Cafe shop

Looking for a rustic, industrial, kitschy place in Tbilisi? Come to Hurma Cafe shop.…

About Getting Residence Permit and Residence Card in Georgia

7 November, 2017 | Living in Georgia | 44 seen

Recently I was contacted by a blog reader asking about how to get a permanent residence status in Georgia, after buying an apartment in Tbilisi.

I decided to come up with a longer answer in a blog format, as I believe I will hear this question more and more, as Georgia is becoming a hub for expats from all around the World. For other readers questions please see: Questions and Answers section

The good starting point for getting more information about residence permit in Georgia is the official website of The State Commission on Migration Issues. See: Residence permit and residence card

Residence permit authorizes the right of a foreign citizen to enter and stay in Georgia or transit the territory of Georgia during the term of validity of residence permit. It also authorizes a holder to invite another foreigner to Georgia.

To obtain a residence permit, a foreign citizen must either personally or via authorized representative apply to any territorial office of the Public Service development agency, branch of the Public Service Hall or Community Centre, or apply online via the distance service of the Public Service…

Why Bitcoin Price at $7,174.50 ain't no fun, But I'm still buying it?

5 November, 2017 | Crypto | 56 seen

Bitcoin price has raised above $7,000 mark at the start of November 2017. It might sound like a great deal for the early day bitcoin investors, but for those who are opting in the cryptocurrency game just now, this might turn into a negative experience in the short term.

About 5 months ago I experienced my first FOMO (fears of missing out) and decided to invest in bitcoins (and few other altcoins). I quickly developed the so-called dollar-cost averaging approach and decided to acquire 3-4 altcoins once in a month until the end of 2020.

Remember your capital is at risk, never invest capital you cannot afford to lose!

I remember I bought the first bitcoins (satoshi's) for the price of about $2,700 in July. Now a couple of months later in November, I bought a few satoshis already at $7,100 price level. Bitcoin price has increased more than 2.6 times in just 4 months.  If you invested $10,000 in July, you are having about $26,000 in November.

Sadly I didn't make a 10K Investment in bitcoins back then, actually, my total net worth portfolio just recently has reached $10,000 value. Instead, I keep investing…

Minimum Wage Set to Rise in Baltic States in 2018

4 November, 2017 | Macroeconomics | 5 seen

During the past few years, there have been some positive improvements for raising the minimum wage in all three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). In 2018 minimum wage is set to rise in all Baltic states again. Estonia will a have a minimum wage of EUR 500; Latvia - EUR 430 and Lithuania - EUR 400.

That' s a pretty decent leap if compared with 2016, when minimum wages were set at EUR 430 in Estonia, EUR 370 in Latvia and just EUR 350 in Lithuania. See: Minimum Wage Set to Rising in All Baltic States in 2016

Despite a pretty decent increase in the Baltic States, minimum wages here are still among the lowest in the European Union. See: What's Minimum Wage in European Union 2017

During the past years I've been closely monitoring minimum wage developments in the Baltic states, here are few articles from history:

• Minimum wage in Baltic states
• Minimum Wages in the Baltic States 2015
• Minimum Wage Set to Rise in All Baltic States in 2016

Why do I care so much about minimum wages in the Baltic states? Simple, as I've been building dividend paying…

October 2017 Dividend Income Report - $72.97

2 November, 2017 | Investments | 11 seen

Welcome to the sixth (#6) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks, peer to peer lending (both fiat and cryptocurrencies) in October 2017. 

October was a very sad month - my dear granny passed away at the age of 87. Grandmother was like a mother to me taking care and giving advice in my childhood, teenage years and adult life.  My granny gave me first lessons in the finance world when I was like age  6 or something, she taught me about compound interests, deposits, bonds, and stocks. She was one of the smartest persons I ever know. I miss you a lot, our distant phone conversations in 3:00 in the morning...I miss you, and I know one day we will meet and play checkers again. Rest in Peace!

October, in terms of a passive income, turned out better, as I thought before, and generated me a dividend income of total $72.97. In fact, October now is the second best after the month of July.

Unexpected dividend payment from Estonian Nordecon (which I thought as one of the worst investments in 2017, just a couple of months before) helped to…

Audio & Video Transcription Service by Caucasus Translations

31 October, 2017 | Living in Georgia | 7 seen

Caucasus Translations is a professional translation and localization agency located in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia. The leader in the translation and content localization business in Caucasus and Central Asia. Agency employs more than 300 translators across the globe to provide cost-effective, accurate and native translation solutions for companies in almost all industry verticals in about 40 countries.

Today I'm glad to announce that here at Caucasus Translations Tbilisi department, there have been established audio & video transcription department.

As for the last couple of weeks, I've been involved in building office's infrastructure, configuring servers and setting up transcription software,  I decided to share few photos from this new department:

Caucasus Translations ready to assist with audio&video transcription service

The team of highly experienced transcription professionals works with the latest and top-notch software here. Confidentiality and data security are among top priorities here.

Lobby hall at Caucasus Translations

24/7 guarded building, with…

Why I'm not investing in Madara Cosmetics (MDRAUC)

30 October, 2017 | Investments | 24 seen

MADARA Cosmetics also known as MADARA, is a Latvian manufacturer of organic skin care products. The ingredients include biologically certified blossoms and herbal extracts from the Baltic region.

Since October 17, 2017, there is an ongoing IPO for Madara stocks on First North Baltic Share List. IPO will end on November 3rd. Also, there is a small hype with this IPO in Latvia and seems after this IPO will end, it will attract a lot of new first time investors to the Baltic stock exchange (Nasdaq Baltics), mostly from Latvia. Which is great, and hopefully more people will start to explore and invest in other listed companies.

As a strong investor in the Baltic region (Dividend-paying stocks and peer to peer lending) investment opportunities in Madara Cosmetics have been on my radar, probably since the Spring of 2017, when I first heard about upcoming IPO, planned for the Q4 of 2017

Once IPO was announced and I familiarized with the prospectus I had ambivalent feelings regarding investing in this company.

I did the most basic fundamental analysis I could - I asked to almost all…