Friday, May 28, 2004

my word is law!

here's something an officemate of mine sent me. it's a bit long but worth the read. =)
    My Word is Law
    by Chris Caines

    Today I am someone else; today I am the mind of the worst kind of
    Internet user. Today I am the voice of no-one and the opinion of
    everyone. Today, my word is law.

    Firstly you already know me, I’ve always been around and I started out
    bragging about how I had owned the same computer equipment as you, just
    several months before you did and believe me I’ve had every single one,
    from a PDP-11 to custom made X-Box. Whatever kit you’ve owned, I’ve
    owned and if I didn’t own it, I’ll still forget more about it than
    you’ll ever know. I’ve written software, I’ve worked on websites, I was
    the first person to use an Animated Background and, as soon as they
    become unpopular, I was the first person to tell you how lame they were.
    Why didn’t you listen to me in the first place? PNGs are where it’s at,
    although there’s no reason to be using graphics anyway. I was on the
    development team for Lynx and it’s still the best browser out there, if
    your site doesn’t support Lynx, it’s not worth visiting. Have you seen
    my site? I did it all in Flash, I learnt it over a weekend from a book.
    Flash sucks anyway, it’s all about DHTML.

    orums give me a presence, they let me come into your world and tell you
    how experienced I am at your subject. My car does 50 BHP more than
    yours, my sex life is more interesting and varied and my grass ALWAYS
    grows greener. Talking of Grass, I’ve taken the lot… I’ve smoked weed at
    Woodstock, done E’s at Evolution and taken speed with the stars at the
    Viper Lounge. I’ve done it all and I’m going to tell you about it until
    you’re sick of me, because the best thing is that I never go away. Oh,
    you can argue with me, but I’m always right. That’s because I’m well
    versed in the art of second accounts and Chinese whispers, if I’m not
    right, I’ll make myself right until you start to doubt yourself. By the
    end of the thread, I’ll tell you Black is White and you’ll wonder why
    you keep losing at Chess.

    Bear in mind, I don’t limit myself to knowing more than you. I also hate
    everything you like, disagree with everything you stand for and destroy
    any beauty you create. Your taste in music is childish, a product of
    sycophantic marketers who deserve to listen to something raw, gritty and
    real, unless you like something eclectic, in which case you’re a freak,
    an outsider who only likes it because it’s cool to be different. Either
    way, I don’t care; I’ll argue with you anyway, personal taste is a
    buzzing gnat which needs to be swatted.

    I don’t play games, because games are for losers who need to get out
    more, but did I mention I’m also the best player you’ve ever lost to at
    CounterStrike and will own you at the first opportunity? I played solo
    against team SK with just a knife and beat them all; I didn’t join them
    though because I don’t really play it. I’ve played to 60 on Everquest
    before the beta finished (They let me play to 60 to test how ‘Uber’ a
    character could become) and completed Half Life II. I play test for
    Valve, but they asked me not to tell anyone. Have you seen Doom 3 yet? I
    have, it sucks; but it’ll be the greatest game ever.

    ’ve got so much money; I can buy all the stuff you don’t have. I made it
    in the dot.com boom of the late 90s, then did my Doctorate in Computing
    Science but gave it all up to live on a beach in Cornwall. I don’t have
    ADSL because the exchange doesn’t reach that far, so BT gave me an E3 to
    my house. Don’t talk to me about being poor, I’ve seen it all and lived
    to tell the tale.

    I have three machines with top of the range graphics cards in them,
    running to twin 21” LCD monitors. My desktop runs in a resolution which
    would make an Eagle squint, yet I don’t visit sites which don’t conform
    to 640x480. All my games run at 200FPS in 1600x1200 with all the
    settings up to max, although why you need to run a game over 26FPS
    anyway is pointless because everyone knows that’s the highest rate your
    eyes need to see a moving picture. I get 3DMark Scores in number ranges
    that look like phone numbers, but I think synthetic benchmarks are
    flawed and it’s the gaming performance that matters. I only put it in my
    Signature so you know how pathetic your card is. You want to overclock
    it, volt mod it and bios update it, THEN you might get a score like
    mine. It’s all a waste of time anyway because anyone in their right mind
    owns a Mac, did I say I watercool my GPU RAM?

    I am everywhere. I’m in every forum, I’m in every chatroom. I’m a
    simmering pot of misinformation and arrogant, opinionated verbal
    diarrhoea. I’m never going to change, why should I? My word is Law.

    source: bit-tech.net

don't you just hate these kinds of people? no? well, you're a more tolerant person than i am...

Thursday, May 27, 2004

exim carrying case for clie ux40/50 handhelds: my first impressions

<- previous page

like a kid on christmas morning, i opened the envelope and brought out my new toy



i immediately ripped open the plastic, pulled out the case and gave it a quick once over. it didn't look as bulky as i expected it to be and it looked just like it did on the site. my ux easily snapped onto the hooks and it was an excellent fit. pleased by what i've seen so far, i took a picture with my t610 and sent it over to a friend who was also thinking of buying one =) it doesn't look like it will offer much protection if i drop my ux (i have no plans of testing this =p) but then again, i didn't really buy it for that. i bought it specifically for protection against scrathes and it's compact fit looks like it will provide just that =)

here's a picture of my ux that shows the scratch =( i've adjusted the gamma levels to make the scratch more prominent.



next page ->

exim carrying case for clie ux40/50 handhelds: the transaction

the transaction
i went to pda-now.com and placed my order for the case on friday, 23.04.2004. immediately after, i received the following email:

    -----Original Message-----
    From: sales@pda-now.com [mailto:sales@pda-now.com]
    Sent: 23 April 2004 14:08
    To: xxx@xxx.xxx
    Subject: Order Confirmation


    Dear xxxxx,

    Your order of the following item(s) has been received

    World Pay Transaction ID:
    xxxxx

    Date / Time of Purchase:
    23 Apr 2004 06:08 GMT

    Item(s) descriptions:
    1 EXiM Carrying Case for Clie UX40/50 Handhelds;

    Delivery Address:
    xxxxx
    xxxxx
    xxxxx
    xxxxx
    PH

    Sale value:
    USD39.99

    You will be notified when we ship your item. For any
    questions and inquiries regarding this purchase, please send
    to: sales@pda-now.com
    Thank you for your purchase!

    Online Shop PDA-NOW.COM


on monday 26.04.2004 i got the following confirmation:

    -----Original Message-----
    From: PDA-Now.com [mailto:sales@pda-now.com]
    Sent: 26 April 2004 12:53
    To: xxx@xxx.xxx
    Subject: Shipping Nptice


    Dear xxxxx,


    Your order for:

    1 EXiM Carrying Case for Clie UX40/50 Handhelds;


    is confirmed and will be shipped on Apr 26, 2004 GMT+8 to the following address:

    xxxxx
    xxxxx
    xxxxx
    Philippines

    Please allow 7-10 business days for your order to arrive.

    Thank you for your purchase!

    Best regards,
    Sales Department
    PDA-Now.com


i waited patiently for 10 business days to pass. i even tried to completely forget about it so that i'll be pleasantly surprised when it finally gets here. unfortunately after 10 days, there was still no case! =/ i decided to stay patient, i figured maybe the national elections had caused deliveries to be delayed. so i waited another day... and another... and another... i am a patient person, but 14 days is just about all i could take! i decided to take action and email them. i decided i'd take a more diplomatic tone, after all, it could be the local post office's fault and not theirs.

    -----Original Message-----
    From: xxxxx
    Sent: 13 May 2004 11:14
    To: 'sales@pda-now.com'
    Subject: RE: Shipping Nptice


    is there a way to verify or check where the package is? it's been more than 10 business days and still no word.


a very polite anna li responded with:


    -----Original Message-----
    From: PDA-Now Sales [mailto:sales@pda-now.com]
    Sent: 16 May 2004 16:51
    To: xxx@xxx.xxx
    Subject: Shipping Notice Update


    Dear xxxxx,

    Your Order has been sent on 24,April, unfortunately, we lost the registered receive so we can’t do any follow up.
    According to that case, we’ll resent your order by 3 days speed post.
    Hope you can accept our apologies for make you any inconvenience, and thanks for your purchased our product again.


    Your Truly,
    ANNA LI
    PDA-NOW.com
    Tel: (852) 2493-5811 Fax: (852) 2498-5334
    Email: annali@pda-now.com


and true enough, after 3 days, wednesday 19.05.2004. i got a notice from the post office that i had a package to pick up! i was really excited but i had no time to go to the post office =( so on friday, i decided to have my brother-in-law pick it up for me. i couldn't wait to get home =)

next page ->

exim carrying case for clie ux40/50 handhelds

it's been almost a week now since i got my new case and i've been quite satisfied with it so far. of course there are pros and cons but overall i think it 's a great case. read on to find out more about it...

the transaction

my first impressions

the review (3 pages)

a summary

Thursday, May 20, 2004

brando ultra clear protector plus

brando workshop screen protectors have always been my preferred screen protectors. i used them on both my visor prism and my t665, and they offered great protection. what was great about them was that they were washable, reusable, and easily (well relatively =)) applied or removed. i also liked them because of their paper like texture, it was just like writing on paper =) i didn't really mind that it was a bit cloudy. i just set the brightness to a higher setting and it more or less compensated.

then came martin fields. i read a review somewhere on the web and was very impressed by how clear it looked. but pictures can be deceiving, as a dabbler in photoshop i know that a little retouching can make a picture look much better than it actually is. the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. so i bought one, well, two actually, i decided to give the other one to a friend who was having a birthday. i was really surprised at how clear it was! i mean, the review said that it was, and i was hoping that it was, but to actually see it was really something else. of course the paper like texture was no longer there nor was the anti glare, but i think the clarity more than compensates for these other features. (that is of course just my humble opinion, your mileage may vary =))

so now i'm really excited about brando's new screen protector. i'm this close -><- to buying one. i'll post a mini review when i finally do get one =)

Friday, May 14, 2004

missing 'my documents' folder

a month ago i did something silly on my desktop. i don't remember exactly what i did, but the end result was that i lost my 'my documents' folder shortcut on my desktop. i know, i know, silly me. the weird thing was that, not only was it missing from my desktop, but also from explorer and the open and save dialog boxes of most apps. i ran across an application called TweakUI a few years back and thought that maybe it could help (it allows you to hide some icons that are on your desktop by default). i did a quick install only to find out that even it couldn't see the folder =( i decided i couldn't be bothered and just created a folder shortcut on my desktop. this worked for a couple of weeks, but i eventually got tired of having to navigate to the folder everytime i needed to do a save or open a file. (ahehe, lazy me =D)

after some serious googling, i found out that the display behavior of the my documents icon on the desktop was controlled by some value in the registry. to resolve the problem, all i had to do was fire up regedit and navigate to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER
'- Software
   '- Microsoft
      '- Windows
         '- CurrentVersion
            '- Explorer
               '- CLSID
                  '- {450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}
                     '- ShellFolder
i then needed to change the REG_DWORD value of Attributes from 0xf0500174 (hides the icon) to 0xf0400174 (displays the icon).

i hope you don't lose your my documents folder icon like i did, but if you do, then at least you'll have the benefit of my experience to bring it back =)

sony-ericsson (and ericsson) phone diagnostics

have you ever tried having your sony-ericsson phone checked at semicon? ever wonder what it is they do to find out information like software version and the like without you telling them? well, wonder no more =) here is the series of joystick (left and right buttons for older phones) movements and key presses that will display the diagnostics menu.

> * < < * < *

just in case you're look for the '>' button, you won't find find it 'coz it's not a button but a joystick direction =D

wifi hotspots in the philippines

one thing great about the ux50 is that it is wifi ready =) just fire up the ux, go into network settings, scan, connect and voila! you are online =) of course you'll have to keep those wifi prepaid cards handy unless you're lucky enough to find an open hotspot. so for those who aren't into wardriving or warchalking i thought i'd come up with a list hotspots you can try out. btw, this is by no means a definitive list, it's just a list i've put together for myself.



globewiz hotspots as of 14.05.2004

ncr
allegro cafe, wynsum bldg., pasig city
cafea, greenbelt 3, makati city
greenbelt 3, makati city
greenhills theater mall, san juan
legend hotel, mandaluyong city
kimchi, pioneer highlands ug level
rcbc eat food court
the coffee bean and tea leaf, makati city
holiday inn, clark pampanga
mekeni restaurant, clark pampanga

cebu
ayala center cebu
bo's coffee club, ayala center
cebu city sports club
marcelo fernan press center
mactan international airport cebu
cebu waterfront hotel

davao
basti's brew, victoria's mall
grand regal hotel

upcoming hotspots :
kaya restaurant, rockwell
the hub, podium mall
university of asia and the pacific
greenbelt 2
bo’s coffee davao
national sports grill greenbelt 1
paseo de santa rosa
e-lounge, glorietta 1

support info:
manila: 730-1357, vismin: 1-8008-730-1357, or helpdesk@globequest.com.ph



airborne access hotspots as of 14.05.2004

alabang
seattle's best coffee - alabang town center, alabang town center mall
netopia - alabang town center, alabang town center mall
tequila joe's - alabang town center, alabang town center mall

baguio city
seattle's best coffee - session road baguio, sm baguio
netopia - abanao square, abanao square baguio city
netopia - sm baguio, sm baguio
netopia - session road, piltel building session road
the filling station - camp john hay, camp john hay baguio city

makati city
seattle's best coffee - greenbelt 3, 1st level greenbelt mall 3
seattle's best coffee - the paseo center, 1st level paseo center (ibm plaza) paseo de roxas
seattle's best coffee - powerplant mall rockwell, rockwell center
mobile 1 greenbelt, 2nd level greenbelt 1 mall
mobile 1 park square, gr. level park square ayala center
cheesecake etc., 2nd level greenbelt 1 mall
netopia - greenbelt 1, legaspi st. greenbelt mall
netopia (universe café) - park square, gr. level park square ayala center
tequila joe's - glorietta 4, ayala center
california pizza kitchen - glorietta 3, ayala center
true value - powerplant mall rockwell, rockwell center
powerplant mall - concourse level, concourse level powerplant mall rockwell center
papermart greenbelt 1 mall, greenbelt telecom center greenbelt 1 mall
enterprise center - lobby, ayala avenue corner paseo de roxas
makati 1 hotzone, makati ave. cor. de la rosa street

mandaluyong city
seattle's best coffee - sm megastrip, sm megamall
seattle's best coffee - emerald avenue, emerald avenue
netopia - sm megamall, ortigas center
california pizza kitchen - shangrila mall, shangrila mall
struan and tang's - shangrila mall, shangrila mall
villman-netopia cyberzone, cyberzone sm megamall

manila city
westin philippine plaza , roxas boulevard
netopia - university mall (dlsu), taft avenue
netopia - robinson's place manila, padre faura st. ermita
tubbies café - taft tower, taft tower taft avenue (beside dlsu)

pasay city
club manila lounge, departure terminal ninoy aquino international airport 1
pagstop, departure terminal ninoy aquino international airport 1
hari-raya restaurant, departure terminal ninoy aquino international airport 1
cathay pacific lounge, departure terminal ninoy aquino international airport 1
korean airlines lounge, departure terminal ninoy aquino international airport 1
ba/qantas lounge, departure terminal ninoy aquino international airport 1
singapore airlines lounge, departure terminal ninoy aquino international airport 1

pasig city
mobile 1 podium, basement 1 the podium san miguel ave. ortigas
cheesecake etc. - the podium, gr. level the podium san miguel ave. ortigas
tequila joe's - el pueblo, el pueblo ortigas
coffee california - pearl drive, pearl drive ortigas center
ortigas 1 hotzone, julia vargas cor. meralco ave.

quezon city
seattle's best coffee - eastwood, citywalk eastwood city libis
seattle's best coffee - e. rodriguez sr., e. rodriguez sr. avenue
seattle's best coffee - tomas morato, tomas morato st.
seattle's best coffee - katipunan, katipunan avenue fronting ateneo
melange crepes & pasta, sgt. esguerra (formerly bohol ave.)
ateneo de manila loyola campus, edsa walk college quadrangle

san fernando la union
netopia - san fernando la union, pldt building san fernando la union

support info:
call the support hotline at 633-wifi
10am to 10pm mondays to fridays
10am to 7pm saturdays & sundays
or e-mail customer support department at support@airborneaccess.net

t68/t61x as bt remote for winamp :)

what you'll need:
  • a bluetooth dongle (i have an InstantPAN Bluetooth USB Dongle)
  • PCControl from christersson.org

    how-to:
  • configure your bluetooth connection (more on this next time)
  • using explorer, navigate into My Bluetooth Places and find your phone.
  • double click on your phone.
  • right click on your the serial port icon you want to connect to and select connect (alternatively, you can just double click on the serial port)
  • if so configured you will be asked to pair your devices. pair your devices.
  • once you have successfully connected to your phone's serial port, right click on the serial port icon and click properties.
  • make a note of the com port being used, mine uses com 3. (this is actually defined in your bt's software configuration)
  • right click on the serial port again and click disconnect.
  • install PCControl
  • launch PCControl
  • specify the port you wish to connect to (in my case, 3)
  • click on the settings button
  • specify the path to your winamp executable (and change any other setting you wish)
  • click on the close button
  • click on the connect button (the button's label will change to connected)
  • on your phone navigate to accessories (main menu > connectivity > accessories )
  • select Pc Control
  • select WinAMP
  • select a song from the playlist =)

    PCControl is actually more than just a winamp remote control. you can also control your mouse (among other things). kudos to christersson.org for such a nifty little app =)

  • look ma, i'm a blogger!

    so this is blogging... hmmm... interesting... i wonder how often i'll get to post in this thing. anyways, feel free to look around =) if you're here because you want to get to know me better then you're in the wrong place. i'm an extremely paranoid person so as much as possible i won't be posting any personal stuff. of course you can always try to find out more about my personality through my writing, but why bother? i'm as uninteresting as uninteresting can be! heck, i'll probably just use this as a repository of "tech" and other interesting things i come across so i'll have easy access to them in the future. so if you intend to read on, prepare to get bored outta your wits =p