Category: Computer

Got this peom from rayalome which I thought was hilarious. Any CS major would appreciate it. Well at least those who took data structures.

Algorhyme

I think that I shall never see
A graph more lovely than a tree.
A tree whose crucial property
Is loop-free connectivity.
A tree which must be sure to span
So packets can reach every LAN.
First the Root must be selected
By ID it is elected.
Least cost paths from Root are traced
In the tree these paths are placed.
A mesh is made by folks like me.
Then bridges find a spanning tree.

— Radia Perlman

Just wanted to wish my buddy a Happy Birthday! I haven’t chat with him in a really really long time!

Speaking of chatting, did you noticed that AIM added 2 new buddies to your buddy list:
AIM Bots (2/2)
    MovieFone
    ShoppingBuddy

I played around with them for some time and it’s quite interesting. I didnt find ShoppingBuddy to be much use, but MoviePhone was pretty useful. You type in the movie you want to see followed by your Zip Code and it’ll tell you which movie theaters it’s playing at near you and the associated times. It also includes a link to the movie itself. They should’ve also provided a link to the theater so you can get directions and find out more info. Hopefully that’ll come later. You can also type in a date, and it’ll give you a list of movies that are playing near you. Not comprehensive but makes it easier if you don’t have any idea what you want to watch.

Too bad the interface has to go through an AIM chat window. What I do like about it is that the responses are amazingly fast. No need for all the pretty graphics to load.

/. had an article on it: AOL launches program for AIM bots.

I just noticed Yahoo! Mail is supporting advance edit controls in Firefox:

Before this, these advance controls were only available only in Internet Explorer, which really sucked because whenever I hit reply in Firefox, it’d create the following ugly reply patterns for the message:

>
>
>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>>
>>>

Now it’s just a blue bar like Outlook and how it’s suppose to be. Other functionalities it has includes spell check, font face, font size, bold, italic, underline, color, highlight, emoticon, hyperlink, text alignment, list creationg, indentation, and stationeries. The only thing I really cared about was the ugly > > > >. So I’m happy.

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Random Crap:

Google to offer web traffic analysis services – Google has officially launched Analytics, a robust new web analysis system that provides site owners with traffic metrics and massive amounts of useful marketing data. Based on technology originally developed by a Californian company called Urchin that Google acquired in March, Analytics integrates with Google’s popular AdWords system, and will vastly improve the quality and quantity of data provided to existing AdWords users. Those of you that don’t use AdWords can still use Analytics by adding a simple javascript snippet to your web site. I just implemented this on both my blog and gallery. We’ll see how well it does. I was working on KLAWS if you remember correctly, but that project sorted is still somewhere in midair and I accumulated way too much data to process.

Beating speed cameras (from deadlock) – apparently > 170MPH is the speed you need to aim for to bypass speed cameras.

Berkeley High’s condom club – A student can get a 12-pack, free food (from esca):

Now after I read this — and after I stopped laughing — my first thought was not about the offer of “free food,” presumably made to induce the students to join club. My mind did not linger over the sticker that gets attached to the back of a student I.D. (wondering, like, what’s the logo look like for the Condom Club?) What stopped me, what left me pondering the ingenuity of high school administrators, was the number of condoms on offer. Please, read this line again, slowly: Show your ID at the Health Center and receive 12 free condoms a week.

Where did they come up with the number 12?

Twelve condoms a week! I don’t know sex workers who need that many condoms. Certainly none of my middle-age friends need 12 condoms a week. High school students do?

Google Answers (from deadlock) – Ask a question. Set your price. Get your answer. More than 500 carefully screened Researchers are ready to answer your question for as little as $2.50 — usually within 24 hours. Your satisfaction is completely guaranteed.

So I went to the Microsoft Company Store today because I had to pick up a copy of Windows XP. I’ve been waiting for the company store to stock more Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 for some time. They were available online, but required extra for shipping, which being a bargain hunter was a sin if you could get it cheaper locally. So I finally waited long enough and it’s finally here. I’ve been using a Natural keyboard at work for sometime. It’s pretty nice on the wrist and it didn’t take too long to get use to. I have this decent Logitech “normal” keyboard at home and I was able to swap between them without much problems. However I HATED the fact that the Logitech island was vertical. Many new keyboards are doing this and I HATE IT!!! By island, I mean the set of keys that consist of Insert, Delete, Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down. Also, the Logitech made the Delete key bigger (2 button size worth) and shited the Insert key to the scroll lock key.

The Natural 4000 is got it right. The island is correct and I actually like the feel of my wrist on it. They have this soft foam like thing where my wrist rests on and I personally thing the bottom of my palms are in a more relaxes position then even with gel wristrests. Then again, it could also be psychological since I paid $25 for this keyboard. Haha.

So I finally setup my new toys:

• Dell UltraSharp 2405FPW 24-inch Wide Aspect Flat Panel LCD Monitor with Height Adjustable Stand
• Philips PSC805 Aurilium External USB Sound Processor
• Logitech X-530 5.1 Speakers

The screen is so sweet! I was planning to dual screen with my old NEC 17″ LCD, but as you can see from the image, I don’t really have the space for it right now, so I’m probably going to look for a bigger table. Watching videos on this screen is amazing! Also, check out the the map sizes I can see with this screen:

My speaker system is still having some problems. For some reason the Philips External Sound Processor won’t send any signals to my rear speakers, so I’m still using my old Creative Labs SoundBlaster Live! 5.1 for now, which is decent, though I noticed the center speaker (although during tests show that the speaker works) won’t have any sounds coming out when I’m playing music or movies, even when I enable environmental surround sound schemes. The speakers themselves are nice. Especially when they only costed me $35 shipped.

Also, it seems my processor isn’t able to handle the Apple HD Movie Trailers (look for any trailer with the HD symbol next to it or any of the trailers under the category High Definition Trailers). My system plays the the 480p trailers okay (though you can still see some choppiness), but the 720p or 1080p is unbearable to watch. The video lags big time. I have a couple 720p and 1080p videos from WMV HD Content Showcase and they play fine and may I add how beautiful they were on my new screen. My processor and video card aren’t that weak. It’s a AMD Sempron 2800+ and Sapphire Radeon 9800 Pro.

Btw, Runts (look at my photos closesly and you’ll see them) are EVIL! I finished an entire box in one night. But fuzzywuzzy says Runts are evil for another reason: runts are evil because i end up with a jar full of banana. i hate those ones, so i throw them in a jar Wonka (owned by Nestle) is the makers of Runts and Nerds and other assortment of candies. I always wonderered which came first, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or the Wonka candy factory. According to Wikipedia, The Willy Wonka Candy Company came after the book. In fact, it coincided when the 1971 movie was released and some candy company purchased the license to it. Nestle didn’t purchase it till 1988. An interesting fact is that for the 2005 movie, Of the 110,000 candy bars made, only 1,850 were real. The rest were made of plastic. They were prepared by the Nestle corporation for the movie.

So at Microsoft, we have this email alias where we can post any questions we have about anything and they’ll help us. Today I asked about backing up software. The software I was using that came with my Seagate HardDrives were less than satisfactory. It didn’t have much options besides copy everything from Directory X to Directory Y and when ever it hit a problem (such as a file that it couldn’t access because the file was in use), it would stop.

Someone on that alias suggested SyncToy for Windows XP. I’ve gotta say, I’m really happy with this solution. Not only is it’s free, it has many options to choose from and even supports network directories. Only thing missing was the fact it didn’t come with a scheduler, though it did come with instructions on how to use the Windows Scheduler with the software which works for me. Another thing I wanted my backup software to do was not update files that didn’t change, but the seagate software just overwrote everything.

The different modes it supports are:
Synchronize: New and updated files are copied both ways. Renames and deletes on either side are repeated on the other.
Echo: New and updated files are copied left to right. Renames and deletes on the left are repeated on the right.
Subscribe: Updated files on the right are copied to the left if the file name already exists on the left.
Contribute: New and updated files are copied left to right. Renames on the left are repeated on the right. No deletions.
Combine: New and updated files are copied both ways. Nothing happens to renamed and deleted files.

The mode that I was looking for was exactly what Echo does.

I also got some other responses suggesting xcopy and robocopy which both did what I wanted, but SyncToy was simpler. hehe.

it was a pretty fun day. our team went out and celebrated reaching zbb (zero bug bar). went to teapot for lunch (food wasn’t that great though), but it was company paid for and then we went bowling. haha. it was embarrassing. the first round, i scored the lowest with a 60pt score. the first round was to see the skilled vs the amateurs and decide on teams. and losers had to buy donuts (one person per day, and with teams of 5, that meant a week of donuts). haha. there were 15 ppl, and everything worked out, until one of my teammates tells us she needs to go back. so what ended up happenings was i had to bowl twice for each turn on my team (since i was the worse). arm’s actually pretty sore right now. but the tides turned! i was no longer the lowest scorer! i jumped to the 80s and 90s (since i bowled for 2 people) in the 2nd game. though my team didn’t win, we didn’t lose either, so we were safe from the donut buying. we decided to have one more game. for the losing team, it was double or nothing, or if another team lost, they’d have to buy donuts = 2 weeks of donuts. but this last game was amazing, toland #1 as people differentiating between my 2 scores bowled a 143, though birthday boy (one of my teammates bday was today) scored a 157. it was pretty weird, i had multiple gutter balls and faults (this bowling alley actually records faults when your foot passes the line). 2 of my faults were strikes! and i only made 4 faults altogether. toland #1 somehow ended up making a spare strike strike consecutively. and ended with a strike strike 9 gutter. toland #2 on this game got the 90s, though i had consecutive gutter balls for 2 turns. guess what, our team didn’t lose again, but another team did lose so that = 2 weeks of donuts. i’m going to get so fat…

thanks to hung for donating this link: mario 20th anniversary memorial. pretty neat mario and luigi drawings.

thanks to cari for donating this article: Python Bursts After Trying to Eat Gator. A 13-foot Burmese python recently burst after it apparently tried to swallow a live, six-foot alligator whole, authorities said. might wanna think twice about eating that extra chicken wing when you feel so stuffed. buffets are EVIL!!!

got this article from yahoo: Language Trends in 2005 Are ‘Crunked-Up’. “Crunk” — the American hybrid for crazy and drunk — is an example of how words evolve from popular culture, according to Susie Dent, author of “Fanboys and Overdogs: The Language Report.” “Crunk is generating all sorts of offshoot terms in the U.S. — crunk ‘n’ b, crunk rock, crunkster — and looks set to catch on in Britain, too,” Dent said. “New words travel from one variety of English to another and at a rapidly increasing rate, thanks to the way language is exchanged today over e-mail, chat-rooms, TV, etc.” i think they’re talking about me. ;p

got this article from yahoo: Cops Handle Kids’ Fist Fight Over Pacifier. It all started Monday afternoon, when a 6-year-old boy dropped a pacifier. Another 6-year-old boy picked it up and refused to give it back, allegedly prompting the first child to deliver a punch. story wasn’t that interesting, but pacifiers for 6yr olds?!?! then again, i’m the one that like sucking and chewing straws. i think i’m stuck in the oral stage in freud’s terms.

got these from pya!:

• vid: 衝突試験 – Crash Test – crash test on food items – not sure if it’s a commercial for food or cars…
• vid: エアバッグ – Airbag – sensitive mercedes benz airbag

forecasts say that we’ll be getting rain on and off for the next 2 weeks.

dmv is stupid. i sent in my change of address/move out of state form for my vehicle and id and guess what they mail me here in washington. a vehicle license renewal notice. sigh…

so my computer systems have finally been completely set up. it’s been setup for awhile, but it was today when i finally closed the case. no more hdds hanging out on the side. no more ghetto-rigging some computer fans. + i finally installed my seagate backup software, so my “documents and settings” folder, along with my “program files” folders will be backed up through the network onto my raid 5 drive. currently i have 760GB installed. add on my external 120GB and my spare 160GB, i’d have over 1TB! i’d have more, but i have to ship back my 200GB drive to wdc, because UPS made a snafu, where somehow the box i shipped with a hdd, foam, and papers became an empty box. but they’re paying the insurance claim, so i have no complaints for selling a used 200GB for $100, since i can probably get a new 300GB with that money. i’ve been having horrible shipping experiences lately. office depot screws up and my chair has yet to arrive for over 2 weeks. they did drop by on friday, but no one was around. my anime order never showed up, so i just faxed in my cc dispute supporting documents yesterday. and i’ve already mentioned that time when i ordered a raid card and it came with the box and manual, but the hardware itself was missing. leads me to think that the ups distribution center here might have something going on…

got this link from /. : Star Wreck: In the Pirkinning. a star trek parody. The first Finnish full-length scifi parody is made from astounding special effects, action and loads of dark humour. It is the product of a core group of five Finns and many people who’ve helped us during the seven years it has been in the making. You can download the entire movie by clicking here. For free, of course.

got this article from /. : What’s with them young whippersnappers? Canadians between the ages of 18 and 29 are much more willing than other age groups to make illegal copies of software programs, cheat on exams or even shoplift, an Environics poll suggests. Nearly 27 per cent of younger people surveyed said they would consider cheating on a test or exam, compared with 10 per cent of the general population. do keep in mind this “study” was done by the Canadian Recording Industry Association, canada’s RIAA equivalent. they seem to be trying to associate a relationship downloading illegal files with cheating or shoplifting.

got this article from yahoo: San Francisco Street Becomes Ski Jump. After several tons of trucked-in snow were dumped on two blocks of Fillmore Street, a section so steep that the sidewalks have built-in staircases, Moseley and friends drew a big crowd on the gorgeously sunny day, and their aerial tricks as they soared across Vallejo Street had the fans cheering.

got this article from yahoo: Bar Made From Arctic Ice Opens in London. A chilly bit of Scandinavia is coming to the heart of London’s West End Saturday with the opening of Absolut Icebar, a bar made entirely out of ice right down to the art on the walls and the glasses for the drinks.

got this article from yahoo: Media boasts land top hooker in jail. Canadian Natalia McLennan, 25, sobbed uncontrollably in Manhattan Criminal Court after she was unable to post $50,000 bail and was taken away in handcuffs to jail. … In that interview, she told the magazine she generated revenues of $1.5 million annually and kept 45 percent of that sum in return for having sex with high-roller clients of NY Confidential, a swanky Moroccan-themed brothel in Manhattan. what happened to the $1.5 million?

got thse from pya!:

• img: 一人、鼻づまり – Clogged Nose – tiki kleenex box
• img: ツルハシ – Pecker – pick axes on car – another reason not to get involved with the mob
• img: wan岸署 – Bark Bank Station – detective mcpup
• vid: コーラ – Cola – coca cola commercial – human liquid
• vid: Deserttrip asteroid plunges into a car – probably a commercial
• vid: 気安く触るんじゃねー – It’s okay to to touch, right? – never trust lions, even when they’re pets
• vid: 白く伸びた後ろ足 – The white hind leg which extends – goat kick in the nads