I have discovered this video collection from youtube uploaded by RunzWithScissorz.
This is very informative, the analysis based on scientific facts as described by guest scientists (I am not sure though if they are really scientists but why spoil all the fun).
Here is the first installment:
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Traffic woes: the pedestrian crossing
On my way to UP, I had to cross a pededtrian lane to get to the jeepney stop. This lane bears white lines perpendicular to the direction the pedestrians take and a solid line parallel to that direction.
With my limited knowledge of traffic signs, I know that straight lines on the road mean that vehicles must remain on their side of the road for the entire length of that line and broken lines mean they can go from one side of the lane to the other cautiously.
Applying this principle in pedestrian lanes, I surmise that the two solid lines on either side of the pedestrian lane means vehicles must stop for pedestrians.
Alas, it does not hold true.
In the pedestrian lane that I and other people take to get to the jeepney stop, it is the pedestrians who must give way to the vehicles. While some drivers do stop to let pedestrians cross, most do not.
Is is because the drivers believe that they have the right of way because they are enclosed in a metal shell running at 20 kilometers an hour and we are not?
Is it because nobody has been seriously convicted of reckless driving resulting to severe physical injuries? In fairness to the authorities, some have. Except that those convicted are the poor careless-drivers-trying-to-making-ends-meet while the rich ones with fancy cars and next-to-nothing-road-safety-seminar-compliance get off the hook.
Or is it because licensing in this country is so easy? To get a license in our poor suffering country, all you got to do is pay up extra to take a written exam using an already-answered-test paper, and drive a car forward and backward.
Lots of new cars flood into this country. We do not only lack roads to accommodate all these vehicles, we also lack drivers who know how to use those roads.
With my limited knowledge of traffic signs, I know that straight lines on the road mean that vehicles must remain on their side of the road for the entire length of that line and broken lines mean they can go from one side of the lane to the other cautiously.
Applying this principle in pedestrian lanes, I surmise that the two solid lines on either side of the pedestrian lane means vehicles must stop for pedestrians.
Alas, it does not hold true.
In the pedestrian lane that I and other people take to get to the jeepney stop, it is the pedestrians who must give way to the vehicles. While some drivers do stop to let pedestrians cross, most do not.
Is is because the drivers believe that they have the right of way because they are enclosed in a metal shell running at 20 kilometers an hour and we are not?
Is it because nobody has been seriously convicted of reckless driving resulting to severe physical injuries? In fairness to the authorities, some have. Except that those convicted are the poor careless-drivers-trying-to-making-ends-meet while the rich ones with fancy cars and next-to-nothing-road-safety-seminar-compliance get off the hook.
Or is it because licensing in this country is so easy? To get a license in our poor suffering country, all you got to do is pay up extra to take a written exam using an already-answered-test paper, and drive a car forward and backward.
Lots of new cars flood into this country. We do not only lack roads to accommodate all these vehicles, we also lack drivers who know how to use those roads.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Sony Ericsson K610i - night mode
I have recently purchased a Sony Ericsson K610i mobile.
Some of its features are:
I took this shot without the night mode. This is a shot underneath my computer table where the shadow of the florescent lamp was covering the PC.
And I took this one with the night mode on. This photo has not been altered and it shows the original photo quality during the time it was taken.
So, if you are looking for a camera phone, Sony Ericsson, I believe, is the choice. :)
Some of its features are:
- 2-megapixel camera for photos and videos
- secondary VGA camera for video calls
- MP3 player
- 3GP player
- Usual calendar, alarm, to-do, etc
- SMS, MMS
- Bluetooth
- WAP, GPRS
I took this shot without the night mode. This is a shot underneath my computer table where the shadow of the florescent lamp was covering the PC.
And I took this one with the night mode on. This photo has not been altered and it shows the original photo quality during the time it was taken.
So, if you are looking for a camera phone, Sony Ericsson, I believe, is the choice. :)
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Linux how to: audio in multi-user PC
I am currently using a dual booting PC using Windows XP and Bayanihan Linux 4.
Under my Linux OS, I have created two user accounts, mine and my wife's. My account has been created during installation. But this account is does not have administrative rights. My wife's account, however, was created long after the installation is made. I will discuss this process some other time.
When I created her account and tested if the account is okay, I noticed that the audio functions of the PC does not work for her. Accidentally, while I was configuring user rights to my mySQL application (also under linux) I was able to figure out how to allow her to use the speakers.
Under Linux, a user has to belong to certain groups to be able to fully use the machine. And only root can provide such a privilege.
So:
1. Open a terminal program
2. Log on as root by typing 'su' or super user in the terminal window and ender the root password.
3. Check to which group the user belongs to (the 'user' here refers to the user you wish to allow additional privileges, in my case my wife) by typing 'id' space and the user name. The result will be something like this:
uid=1000(username) gid=100(users) groups=100(users)
4. List down the information under "groups."
5. To allow the user to have audio rights, type the following:
usermod -G users,audio (username)
*remember to include the group of the user that is shown after typing 'id (username)' because if not, the original user rights to that user is lost and replaced by whatever you typed in after '-G'
When I checked, she now has audio rights and can listen to any music available that she wants to play.
Hope this helps.
Under my Linux OS, I have created two user accounts, mine and my wife's. My account has been created during installation. But this account is does not have administrative rights. My wife's account, however, was created long after the installation is made. I will discuss this process some other time.
When I created her account and tested if the account is okay, I noticed that the audio functions of the PC does not work for her. Accidentally, while I was configuring user rights to my mySQL application (also under linux) I was able to figure out how to allow her to use the speakers.
Under Linux, a user has to belong to certain groups to be able to fully use the machine. And only root can provide such a privilege.
So:
1. Open a terminal program
2. Log on as root by typing 'su' or super user in the terminal window and ender the root password.
3. Check to which group the user belongs to (the 'user' here refers to the user you wish to allow additional privileges, in my case my wife) by typing 'id' space and the user name. The result will be something like this:
uid=1000(username) gid=100(users) groups=100(users)
4. List down the information under "groups."
5. To allow the user to have audio rights, type the following:
usermod -G users,audio (username)
*remember to include the group of the user that is shown after typing 'id (username)' because if not, the original user rights to that user is lost and replaced by whatever you typed in after '-G'
When I checked, she now has audio rights and can listen to any music available that she wants to play.
Hope this helps.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Good samaritan: usiseros strike back
Two nights ago, I got to play the part of a good Samaritan.
I was waiting for a ride home when I suddenly noticed a buri hat (similar to a cowboy's had) fly off a speeding jeepney. The unfortunate owner must have asked to driver to stop in the middle of the street but was not heard or the hat was too precious to him that he jumped off the rear exit of the vehicle without waiting for it to stop.
A body in motion stays in motion, is a law in physics. So when the guy made contact with the pavement, his feet are not the only one that made contact with it but his legs, hips, back, shoulders and probably his head also did. The poor man tumbled on the asphalted road and laid inert. Since I was already in the scene, I moved in to help.
Luckily, an MMDA (Metro Manila Development Authority) enforcer on his way home stopped to assist. I waved the traffic away from the injured man while other came to help. And of at least ten people there, only four of us were really helpful, the rest, there to discuss what had happened.
The homebound enforcer and I tried to assist the victim and checked if he is okay. He did not speak but he was aware of his situation. Another enforcer came along and called the jeepney driver back to bring the guy to a nearby hospital while another man took over the traffic management. All the rest, talking and watching.
In fairness, they may not know what to do at that time but are willing to help. At the least, they created a cordon around the victim that guided traffic out of the way.
Alas, the uzis struck again. Cars and jeeps and buses and motorcycles slowed their pace. It must be to avoid bumping at each other but also to have a look at what's happening. Most may have felt pity at the man and some may have come up with their own versions of what happened and drove off.
About 15 minutes after he fell, the man was loaded on to the jeep he fell from and was rushed to the hospital. Three guys accompanied him including the second enforcer while the rest went our separate ways.
I was waiting for a ride home when I suddenly noticed a buri hat (similar to a cowboy's had) fly off a speeding jeepney. The unfortunate owner must have asked to driver to stop in the middle of the street but was not heard or the hat was too precious to him that he jumped off the rear exit of the vehicle without waiting for it to stop.
A body in motion stays in motion, is a law in physics. So when the guy made contact with the pavement, his feet are not the only one that made contact with it but his legs, hips, back, shoulders and probably his head also did. The poor man tumbled on the asphalted road and laid inert. Since I was already in the scene, I moved in to help.
Luckily, an MMDA (Metro Manila Development Authority) enforcer on his way home stopped to assist. I waved the traffic away from the injured man while other came to help. And of at least ten people there, only four of us were really helpful, the rest, there to discuss what had happened.
The homebound enforcer and I tried to assist the victim and checked if he is okay. He did not speak but he was aware of his situation. Another enforcer came along and called the jeepney driver back to bring the guy to a nearby hospital while another man took over the traffic management. All the rest, talking and watching.
In fairness, they may not know what to do at that time but are willing to help. At the least, they created a cordon around the victim that guided traffic out of the way.
Alas, the uzis struck again. Cars and jeeps and buses and motorcycles slowed their pace. It must be to avoid bumping at each other but also to have a look at what's happening. Most may have felt pity at the man and some may have come up with their own versions of what happened and drove off.
About 15 minutes after he fell, the man was loaded on to the jeep he fell from and was rushed to the hospital. Three guys accompanied him including the second enforcer while the rest went our separate ways.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Low cost computing
My uncle once offered to by me a laptop. It is a Pentium IV gateway laptop that will cost him $600. He told me that he will donate $100 for my cause and just ask me to pay him $500. Based on the exchange rate at that time, it will cost me about 35,000 pesos to pay him back. And I do not have that kind of money at that time.
In the last 10 years, the best pre-Pentium personal computers cost as much as thirty thousand pesos (P30,000) and this is too much for middle class families like ours. Right now, those pre-Pentium PCs are considered obsolete. You can't even buy one for just P500. Some one would probably give it to you with all their heart.
When I bought my AMD Athlon 1800 powered PC, it cost me P17,000. Five years later, a PC with the same processor speed costs only P9,000-P10,000.
A lot of low cost computer stores have been coming out. They sell complete PCs (with monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers) for as low as P3,000.
We would probably think that this is some kind of a gimmick. These PCs must be second hand from other countries. And most indeed are. Some products still have stickers from Japan or Taiwan. But the stores can give you a warranty from 3 months to a year for each product. The one year warranty is the same thing offered by vendors of first hand, first rate, high quality desktops.
Unless you want to show off to your neighbors your cool new branded PC, you can settle for the low cost alternatives they offer.
With a certain degree of discipline even families from the slums can purchase a P-III 500 MHz desktop for this kids. Hell, they can buy a television and cases of beer, why could they not afford a PC?
If only those low income families discipline themselves, we can claim to the world that in the Philippines, we have one PC per family. :)
And we will become the country with the most computer literate people.
In the last 10 years, the best pre-Pentium personal computers cost as much as thirty thousand pesos (P30,000) and this is too much for middle class families like ours. Right now, those pre-Pentium PCs are considered obsolete. You can't even buy one for just P500. Some one would probably give it to you with all their heart.
When I bought my AMD Athlon 1800 powered PC, it cost me P17,000. Five years later, a PC with the same processor speed costs only P9,000-P10,000.
A lot of low cost computer stores have been coming out. They sell complete PCs (with monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers) for as low as P3,000.
We would probably think that this is some kind of a gimmick. These PCs must be second hand from other countries. And most indeed are. Some products still have stickers from Japan or Taiwan. But the stores can give you a warranty from 3 months to a year for each product. The one year warranty is the same thing offered by vendors of first hand, first rate, high quality desktops.
Unless you want to show off to your neighbors your cool new branded PC, you can settle for the low cost alternatives they offer.
With a certain degree of discipline even families from the slums can purchase a P-III 500 MHz desktop for this kids. Hell, they can buy a television and cases of beer, why could they not afford a PC?
If only those low income families discipline themselves, we can claim to the world that in the Philippines, we have one PC per family. :)
And we will become the country with the most computer literate people.
Laptop Maintenance and Repair
Why is it that manufacturers of electronic equipment want clients to keep on purchasing new parts rather than go out of their way and remedy malfunctions through repair? I read from a website (I forgot the site address) that Elitegroup Computer Systems of Taiwan designed their laptops with so many hidden screws that it will discourage an owner from doing repairs himself. This is another vote for the one China policy. I was so pissed off that I told myself not to buy another Taiwan made product in the future.
About four months ago, my laptop croaked on me. Well, it actually beeped on me. I turned it on and it made three long beeps with no screen. This prompted me to visit the authorized repair center to have it checked even though it is four months beyond is warranty.
Three beeps from the BIOS of my ECS laptop means base memory error.
Before taking the laptop to the authorize technicians, I consulted our office technicians first. I was advised to try to remove the memory module, use a soft eraser to clean the gold contact, re-seat the module firmly and try it again. The beeping is still there.
Unfortunately, when I brought the laptop to the authorized service center, I was told the problem with the beeping sound can only be remedied by purchasing a new mainboard since the problem was not the memory module but the DIMM receptacle. A new mainboard or shipping the laptop to Taiwan for repairs will cost me half the price of the laptop.
Disappointed, I went home. There, I tried to open the laptop by myself. I did not have a digital camera at that time so I was not able to document it for you. Alas, I cannot solve the problem.
I turned to our office technicians for help and they obliged me. Sadly, they too cannot repair the mainboard.
A few days ago, I chanced upon an advertisement of a repair center. The ad says that they can repair mainboard problems that the machine's own authorized repair center cannot. They say that since the manufacturers of the laptop is a business establishment, they prefer the clients to buy at a larger sum rather than providing affordable repair solutions.
So I tried this one. I will find out soon enough if their batting average on repairs is good. :)
About four months ago, my laptop croaked on me. Well, it actually beeped on me. I turned it on and it made three long beeps with no screen. This prompted me to visit the authorized repair center to have it checked even though it is four months beyond is warranty.
Three beeps from the BIOS of my ECS laptop means base memory error.
Before taking the laptop to the authorize technicians, I consulted our office technicians first. I was advised to try to remove the memory module, use a soft eraser to clean the gold contact, re-seat the module firmly and try it again. The beeping is still there.
Unfortunately, when I brought the laptop to the authorized service center, I was told the problem with the beeping sound can only be remedied by purchasing a new mainboard since the problem was not the memory module but the DIMM receptacle. A new mainboard or shipping the laptop to Taiwan for repairs will cost me half the price of the laptop.
Disappointed, I went home. There, I tried to open the laptop by myself. I did not have a digital camera at that time so I was not able to document it for you. Alas, I cannot solve the problem.
I turned to our office technicians for help and they obliged me. Sadly, they too cannot repair the mainboard.
A few days ago, I chanced upon an advertisement of a repair center. The ad says that they can repair mainboard problems that the machine's own authorized repair center cannot. They say that since the manufacturers of the laptop is a business establishment, they prefer the clients to buy at a larger sum rather than providing affordable repair solutions.
So I tried this one. I will find out soon enough if their batting average on repairs is good. :)
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