Jun 01
ErinGadget, Reviews
My laptop developed some problems late 2007 which causes it to freeze regardless if I have Linux or Windows running. I initially thought it has something to do with the installed operating systems but reinstalling various Linux distributions didn’t help. My initial suspect was a heat problem. I turned Lala upside down and proceeded to vacuum the bottom side with the help of a couple of toothpicks to help remove the lint (and two years of use can accumulate a lot of those!).
Last February I walked by a CDR-King shop and decided to get a laptop cooling pad. The models available are only the slider ones which I don’t want. I wanted something that I can use as a prop stand while doing portable computing in the bed. The only non-slider model they have is the LSY709 so it is the model I got after being assured that it can accommodate a 15 inch laptop. If I remember correctly this peripheral is given a 7-day warranty.
First off, the cooler pad is able to hold Lala but not by much. The laptop is protruding by almost an inch on both sides, and 1.5″ at the hinge side. I don’t think the shop contains any cooler that is bigger so this is not something that can be helped. The pad’s construction is slanted which raises the back portion higher. It also has two plastic “stands” at the top corners that elevates the placed laptop a little further and gives a little air pocket between the pad’s metal surface. Overall the pad still fits in my laptop bag quite comfortably but I am anxious on the bare edges because even if they are smooth they may still rip the padding if placed incorrectly and forcefully,
One thing that is not shown in the site is the view from below so here it is:
The wires are pretty open which can be something to worry since I want to put this in my lap. Fortunately the fans are protected by grills so there is no possibility of my leg skin getting into contact if I place it on my lap while it is in operation. But the wires is still ugly as it is something that looks like what I would have done if I constructed it myself.
This cooler, as can be seen from the image posted in the cdrking site, has three quiet fans in the middle that pulls the heat from the laptop placed on top. Unfortunately my laptop’s bottom vents are on the top portion near the hinge so they don’t really line up. Again this is something that I don’t think can be helped because I reviewed all the cooler pads in the site (at the time) and all of them has the cooler in the middle. I think it is the laptop design (a Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo Pro V7100) that is at fault here. I need to check the other laptops if the placement of the heat vents are in the middle. Nevertheless the air pocket between the laptop bottom and the cooler pad surface is enough to produce a swirling ventilation.
I have used the pad whenever the laptop is in use. The elevation works great especially when I am placing the laptop down on the bed. As everybody who owns a laptop should know (yes Boi, that includes you), putting laptops on top of fabric or paper is not recommendes as they are soft enough to block the vents. The cooler pad gives the laptop enought elevation that even if the fans are blocked, the laptop vents are still free to swirl the air around. I haven’t experienced any lock-ups yet.
Now the bad parts:
- While the fans are quiet, their output must not be that strong. I can barely feel the airflow when I switch on the fans.
- The bare metal approach is not comfortable if you put it in your lap. I get dent marks on my legs whenever I forget to put a throw pillow on the edge that touches my skin. The laptops weight (~2.5 kilos) might also have something to do with it.
- Shabby wiring. As of today, the fans are dead. I think I can see where the wires got damaged and may be able to fix it if I get the time, tools and inclination. Right now this pad is only good for elevation. 🙁
This pad is now due for replacement. Will I get the same model? Probably not. It was a value for what I paid for it but I think there might be something better out there that provides the right balance of price and functionality.
ciao!
May 29
ErinRubbish, Work
Just venting.
I think I am nearing the “warning” levels of my stress tolerance. I am now easily affected by the inconsideration of everyday strangers. I haven’t been awake for more than 4 hours and my temper already flared with:
- The jeepney driver who stopped in the middle of the road, checked out the “prospective” passenger in the sidewalk, and then start again when I was overtaking his vehicle and directly in line with his vehicle. This is one of the reasons why I hate driving. This person needs to be hit by a “driving for dummies” bat.
- In a tight two lane street (the breaker of a floodway circuit) that already have a lot of vehicles parked smatteringly on each side, a pedicab driver stopped in the middle, and then exhanged a long bantering with a pedestrian who he has just passed by. Here is your stupid and inconsiderate sign, and a generous amount of honking as a bonus.
- The elevator going up to the office floor only has a few passengers since it is still early. I normally go to the back since I dismount at the next to the top floor being serviced by the elevators but since this time I was near the door. In the floor before my stop, a female rider carrying 3 bags: a typical oversized female handbag, a paper bag, and a laptop backpack, alighted. The problem was that the backpack was only slung using one of the straps so it was dangling and it hit me. Since the woman was from the same company as I am (we are occupying that floor also), I just smiled and raised my right hand in a typical open-palm pinoy fashion to sign “no worries, everything is alright”. Then the frigging woman (I refuse to call her a lady), stopped when she was out of the elevator door, and gave me the evil eye. Here is your stupid and inconsiderate sign, if you have been careful to make sure you carry your belongings securely then your heavy laptop bag won’t have dangled and hit me. And I don’t care if you are a manager, you deserve to be hit by a large etiquette bat in the head.
- The Indian support engineer handling my ticket that got redirected to the India support team (WHY oh WHY?). My tickets are usually handled by the Manila server team who are much more competent at this. Even with me painstakingly exerting every effort to make my ticket description as detailed and complete as possible, the engineer had the gall to send me an email with this thinly veiled ultimatum:
After reviewing the ticket, it has been determined that some information will have to be verified from you before we proceed with your request. Please refer to the questions/clarifications below:
1) Managers approval required
2) Kindly let us know in which project id needs to be created
or reply to this email with your answer/s on or before <28-05-2008>.
Your reply is very important to us as we aim to provide quality services through better management of tickets. Please note that failure to provide the information needed on or before the date mentioned above may result in ticket closure.
Why am I mad? Because I have attached the approval in the original ticket, all of the details are already in the description, and I created the ticket yesterday (>>May 28, 2008< <) at 7PM (GMT+2), received the reply at 9:45PM (GMT+2). Apologies to all of my friends in the support business but this one needs to be bashed by a big “reading comprehension” bat.
As they say in the street: Ang aga-aga, pinapainit nyo ang ulo ko! (It’s still early and you are already testing my patience!)
File system consistency check you all. 🙁
Goosefraba… Goosefraba…
Now I feel better.
ciao!
May 27
ErinTop of my head
Wife just called that my entry for today’s topic (personal mantras) got the top spot. But it probably is for the 6th position since it was read at 7:30am. My entry: the universal truth, shit happens
May 23
ErinFLOSS, Rubbish
The Philippine Linux User Group (PLUG) mailing list currently has a thread that (according to the archives.free.net.ph) is 44 replies strong. The thread started about a query on how to increase one’s technical portfolio (I assume for job interviews, but it is still too early to trust my memory) but, in typical internet forum style, morphed into opinions and lamentations that the PLUG lists are getting boring and losing the old hands.
Various comments were put forward but the reasons that stuck with me were that (1) the usability state of Linux has evolved that solutions to majority of technical issues are just a Google away, and (2) the old posters have moved on to the pressing need of their real life.
I don’t see myself much of a contributor but I have been a member of the list for more than five years and I am not posting as much as did. I don’t even police the lists anymore but I have always attributed that to the reduction of the number of PLUG mailing lists, the members sharing the policing responsibility, and the members actually knowing better than to post off-topic questions. The last two signifies that the PLUG mailing list members have grown up and the new members are savvy enough to respect proper list netiquette or they are afraid to post, whichever you want to believe in. 😀
People might not grow up proportionally to the rate they are growing old but they will grow up nonetheless even if they don’t realize it. The PLUG thread sparked an eureka moment, I am growing up. I just noticed that I now often sign my blog comments using my nickname instead of just “ramfree17”, and if left unchecked I am using proper capitalization on those comments which is a far cry from the “all low-caps” rule that I was imposing when I was younger 😉 . The downside if it can be called that is that I am losing some of my idealism in favor of pragmatism. I was always in favor of pragmatism since childhood but I guess right now the pragmatic part of me is consuming more of the idealistic share.
An email reply jokingly contributed that the “golden years” of PLUG might have already passed but it is time for the new blood to step up. Whenever I hear the term “golden years” I remember this snippet from Mary Schmich’s essay “Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young” (made popular as Baz Luhrman’s “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)”):
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
ciao!
May 11
ErinFLOSS, Garbage
I just learned that German word and wanted to use it in a post. Upon Google search reveals that it meant current intellectual trend. 🙂
The current Philippine Linux User Group site is experiencing a slow renaissance of some sorts thanks to the efforts of Gabriel Mercado and company. The latest addition to the site is the aggregation F/LOSS related posts of some PLUGger bloggers. In a post to the list, Gabriel posted the FAQ of the aggregation as
- *What the heck is this?* - This is the aggregated feed of a few
gentlemen PLUGgers / Bloggers who've been kind enough to share their Linux /
FOSS or otherwise PLUG related feeds with the rest of us. Namely, they are
Messrs. Anuerin Diaz, Elijah Alcantara, Manny Amador (Phnix), Michael Cole,
Migs Paraz, Noel Bautista and Zak B. Elep.
- *What's it for?* - Several purposes. Primarily, to achieve 'zeitgest'
so that we may be able to know what things are going on in and around
PLUGgers minds, what's keeping them occupied, and so on. Secondarily, it
provides content for our website. Once syndicated, said content will also
help promote PLUG by spreading our news, info, howtos, etc., onto the
general blogosphere. It can also help us figure out who are actively doing
FOSS work out there, as well as provide a central repository of all things
PLUG related. Not to mention of course, end hunger and promote world peace.
Take note however that each post still belongs to each author and does not reflect the official stand of PLUG (the organization). If I mess up here in the capsule then the blame will all stop here.
Subscribe now! It’s a fun way to get an insight on what is currently happening on the local Linux mindsphere. Unless you have a local RSS reader, I am recommending the Google Reader since it is free and pretty nifty.
ciao!
May 11
ErinGarbage
Long story but the gist was that I was once in the receiving end of some insult because of my use of “ciao” as my farewell greeting.
Ciao has been my “customary” farewell for all text communication except for SMS so the insult left a stinging feeling for pegging me as an Italian-wannabe (which I am not, no disrespect meant for those of Italian descent). I just love the way ciao rolls off the mouth when I got to hear it from a foreign film more than five years ago, and it is such an informal greeting that it is meant only to be used among friends. I think that got me to use it first with email signatures since I started signing up for technical mailing lists which are informal by nature.
Lately I have seen several of the local bloggers and email list participants using ciao as their farewell greeting. I would not go as far as saying I have a trademark on that behavior but I kind of feel validated on the uptake of usage. It just produces a feeling of validation that more and more people will learn that you can break free from the typical mold of using “regards” and “best wishes” or the more formal “Until our next [insert future refence]” as farewell greetings.
We are of the borg. Resistance is futile. /lol
ciao!
May 09
ErinTop of my head
I am so tired of this “can’t do” attitude without providing an alternative of what we “can do”. I wish they would work with us on creating a solution rather than just telling us our solution will not work or is not allowed to work.
May 08
ErinGarbage
(A neighbor’s car overtakes us in the highway while we were going to work)
Wife: Kapitbahay natin yan di ba? [reads plate number] Ano pangalan nya?
Me: Di ko alam. Tawagin na lang natin siyang Mario [grin].
Wife: Ayan ka na naman. Bibigyan mo na naman ng ibang pangalan.
Me: Bakit, alam mo ba pangalan nya? Hindi naman di ba? At least sa akin me pangalan siya.
Wife: E hindi naman yun ang pangalan nya. Bakit di mo na lang tanungin?
Me: [lowers voice] Pare, ano pangalan mo? Kasi inaabangan kita tuwing umaga, para masulyapan man lang kita.
Wife: Yuck. Kadiri ka talaga.
Me: E syempre gagawan mo ng konting background. Alangan namang lapitan mo bigla at tanungin mo lang ng pangalan.
[pause while I was cursing the greedy jeepney driver in the road]
Me: Sige Joseph na lang. Mukha naman siyang Joseph.
Wife: Mukhang Joseph? Bakit mo naman nasabing mukhang Joseph? Ikaw ba mukhang Erin?
Me: Yup [raises eyebrows repeatedly while still driving].
Wife: E di ba si Joseph un tatay ni…
Me: Jesus.
Wife: Ano kaya tawag ni Jesus kay Joseph?
Me: Erpats.
Wife: Bakit erpats?
Me: Bakit hindi? Sabagay, di naman nya tunay na tatay un. Baog kaya si Joseph?
[I can see from my peripheral vision that my wife is giving me the ‘EYE’]
Wife: G**o ka talaga. Bakit mo nasabing baog?
Me: Me kapatid ba si Jesus? Me alam ka bang ibang anak si Joseph?
Wife: E bakit tayo?
Me: E baog tayo.
Wife: Ikaw lang.
Me: Sabi ko nga, baog ako.
Wife: Saka Virgin Mary nga di ba?
Me: So hindi sila nagtalik kahit kailan?
I am so going to Hell if I was still a firm believer that Hell exists. 🙂
Oh, I removed the giggles in the conversation. Just imagine where they will be. 🙂
ciao!
May 07
ErinTop of my head
Coming from a WinAmp background, the best mp3/ogg/wma player right now for me is XMPlay (http://www.un4seen.com/xmplay.html) which can be used without installation and provides enough features to suit somebody who likes to play some tunes in the background while working. For those not reading between the lines, it means somebody who doesnt really care about the visualization because it meant to be for listening and not for watching.
Apr 30
ErinMovies, Reviews
Iron Man the movie is a great comic book adaptation at least for me and my wife. We just came home after watching it at Rockwell Cinema. The flow of the story was never dragging; never did I feel there was a dull moment even if I have watched each new trailer several times that I know what was going next in a few screens.
The movie was full of effects which is expected because *it is about IRON MAN*. Technology was his ability. Good thing the effects never overwhelmed the story and acting. Robert Downey Jr. was a perfect fit for Tony Stark’s character. He gave a realistic flamboyant performance where needed, and made Stark’s billionaire “i don’t care about you” attitude his own.
Most of Stark’s gadgets are enough to give any geek his technorgasm. Well apart from the Dell computers which is kind of a downer given most of Stark’s equipment was very futuristic. I very much liked the design surface table which does 3D interactive rendering. I wonder if I will live to the time that it will come become feasible for the every day Juan to own one. 🙂
Right now I am considering if I like Iron Man better than Batman Begins. Is it too much to ask for both? 😉
I am watching it again once I get hold of a DVD copy. 🙂
ciao!
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