Saturday, December 12, 2009

Gerber Infinity Ultra Task Light LED flashlight

Okay here's another possible candidate for a 1AA flashlight




875 pesos/$18.95 + 182 pesos/$3.95 shipping

pros:
* Gerber makes tough products. Military people use them. This is also a tough product based on reviews (some cons listed below do make it tougher)
* A little cheaper
* Its a twistie

cons:
* No reflector per se. AFAIK the led bulb itself has a small lens that focuses light forwards. The area where the reflector should be is just a cone of flat aluminum.
* Exposed Led bulb (no glass cover) but the bulb is recessed.
* Only 1 mode
* A little weak at 0.7 watts but plety bright for everyday use.
* No light regulation circuitry so the light gradually gets dimmer.

A review here

in reference to:

"Gerber Infinity Ultra Task Light LED flashlight"
- eBay.ph: Gerber Infinity Ultra Task Light LED flashlight (item 370278093563 end time Dec 20, 2009 12:38:20 PHT) (view on Google Sidewiki)

Friday, December 11, 2009

Class A led lights

It's really really tempting to buy these made in china 1x AA Lights. $10-$15. Free shipping.

But I know they wont last too long under rough treatment. Some have zoom but most of them dont have variable light levels (in the specs usually you see the switch described as "1 mode")

My recommendation: get these only if you have no money or if you want semi disposable flashlights. IF you have 1500 pesos, see the thread about the maglites I bought.If you have $15, get a fenix e01 here.

FYI. Class A in the Philippines means a chinese made copy of a product that is of slightly higher quality than usual. Although these flashlights are per se not direct counterfeits, you get the idea.




in reference to: DealExtreme: AA Cree Flashlights (Page 1) (view on Google Sidewiki)

advantages of a smart charger

A smart NIMH battery charger is more expensive than a dumb charger. So why should I get one?


First, with a smart charger you can just plug the batteries in and forget about it, come back later and it will be fully charged. With a dumb charger to be exact you have to compute the time needed. What if you computations are off? What if your computations assumed that the cell was flat when it had 10% charge?

With a dumb charger either you undercharge or overcharge a battery. An undercharged batt will of course not last as long. An overcharged batt will also degrade faster and not last as long. Yes, you can slowly damage a NIMH battery if you overcharge it. How much damage? Well, I dont know.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Batman - lost in time

i dont read comic books much but Acc to this article, Bruce Wayne is AWOL from the current DC comics universe

In Final Crisis, the original Batman, Bruce Wayne, is hit by the Omega Beam during a battle with the villain Darkseid. This beam sends Wayne spinning into the unknown, cast off into the time stream. He is thought to be dead by both friends and enemies. In the aftermath, the role of Batman is assumed by the original Robin, Dick Grayson, and the role of Robin is assumed by Bruce Wayne's son, Damian.




Batman isnt dead, he's just stuck in the past (with amnesia??), and he's trying to come back, jumping from time to time until he returns home (quantum leap??)

This is more for me about putting Batman/Bruce Wayne through my own, and my collaborators' version, of the ultimate test of who and what he is. So far I've had him overcome the Devil, Madness and Death; now we see him, truly lost, amnesiac, and stripped down to basic human survival mode in some extremely hostile environments and unfamiliar situations. He's the best fighter in his world, he's one of the smartest and most driven men who ever lived, but we've seen him outwit the Joker 10,000 times. This was a way of taking the character off the grid, as they say, and reminding readers what kind of man he is and what he's capable of. If you wonder why Batman is so cool — here's why Batman is so cool.
This is an attempt to look at a very familiar character from some unusual angles. And it's about Bruce and who he is — I want to remind people how the man and the mask are inseparable parts of a terrifying whole.

This looks pretty cool. It comes out mid 2010. Bruce stuck in the past, using whatever is left in his utility belt + his macgyver skills (Doc brown in back to the future 3 seems to be a more appropriate comparison) to totally rule. Of course he's looking for tech and magic to fast forward into the present.










in reference to: Grant Morrison on return of original Batman - USATODAY.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

PCHUB clearance sale

I'll pass. I'd rather have headache free full warranty brand new stuff.


"PC Hub will be conducting a year end clearance sale

tentative starting date: December 12, 2009 until everything is sold.

business hours: opening 10AM - closing 430PM

location: separate booth inside our gilmore showroom/service center, 3rd floor. formerly seagate service center

warranty: 3 days testing in-house warranty. 1 week distributor warranty, but must be claimed directly from its distributor's or service center's.

conditon: sold as is, where is. product testing is possible at our pchub service center
item condition/status: items categorized and included in this sale are either: aging, phased out, missing accessories, dead pixels, unpristine boxes, and etc.

mission: everything in the sale must go

pricing & promotions: prices are non-negotiable. related promotions are non-negotiable, non-transferable, non-upgradeable.

availability, item condition: will only be known, upon visit. since all items differ from each other
price update: will only be known, upon visit. since all items differ from each other
priority:First come, first serve"



 





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StockCodeDescrCategoryPrice











.
1010201ECS 662/1066T-M2 (LGA775)Motherboard600
.
1010202ECS 671T-M3 (LGA775)Motherboard600
.
1010203ECS A770M-A (AM2+)Motherboard900
.
1010204ECS A780GM-A AMD 780 (AM2+)Motherboard1300
.
1010205ECS AMD690GM-M2 (AM2)Motherboard600
.
1010206ECS GeForce 6100SM-M (AM2)Motherboard600
.
1010207ECS GeForce 6100SM-M2 (AM2)Motherboard600
.
1010208ECS nFORCE4M-A (AM2)Motherboard600
.
1010209ECS P35T-A-L (LGA775)Motherboard900
.
1010210ECS P45T-A intel P45 (LGA775)Motherboard1300
.
1010211ECS P4M800PRO-M3 (LGA775)Motherboard600
.
1020101128mb Power Color ATI Radeon x1300 ddr2 (64bit) HyperMemory pcieVideo Card900
.
1020102128mb Power Color x550 ddr2 (64bit) HyperMemory pcieVideo Card900
.
1020103128mb Power Color ATI Radeon x300se (64bit) HyperMemory pcieVideo Card900
.
1020104128mb Power Color x1050 ddr2 (128bit) HyperMemory pcieVideo Card900
.
1020105128mb Power Color x1050 ddr (128bit) HyperMemory pcieVideo Card900
.
1020107256mb Power Color x1300pro ddr2 (64bit) HyperMemory pcieVideo Card900
.
1030501Creative CB2530 Headphone blackHeadphone1950
.
1030502Creative CB2460 Headphone blackHeadphone2140
.
1030503Creative SL3100 BT HeadphoneHeadphone2900





.
1030504Creative Aurvana DJ HeadphoneHeadphone3850
.
1030801Creative Webcam LiveWebcam530
.
1030802Creative Webcam Live ProWebcam1290
.
1030803Creative Webcam Live Ultra for NotebookWebcam1290
.
1030804Creative Webcam NX UltraWebcam1290
.
1030805Creative Webcam Live EffectsWebcam340
.
1030806Creative Webcam Vista AAWebcam430
.
1030807Creative Live Cam Notebook ProWebcam1350
.
1030808Creative Live Cam Optia ProWebcam1550
.
1030809Creative Live Cam Vista IMWebcam730
.
1030901Creative Gigaworks T20 2.0 speakersSpeakers2240
.
1030902Creative Gigaworks T40 2.0 speakersSpeakers4450
.
1030903Creative Gigaworks HD50 speakersSpeakers5380
.
1030905Creative Inspire GD580 5.1 speakersSpeakers5310
.
1030906Creative I-Trigue 3400 2.1 speakers blackSpeakers2930
.
1030907Creative I-Trigue 2300 2.1 speakers blackSpeakers1320
.
1030908Creative I-Trigue 3000 2.1 speakers blackSpeakers1510
.
1030909Creative I-Trigue 3200 2.1 speakers blackSpeakers1790
.
1030910Creative I-Trigue 3220Speakers1370
.
1030911Creative I-Trigue 3300 2.1 speakers blackSpeakers1980





.
1030912Creative TravelSound 250 BlackSpeakers1030
.
1030913Creative SBS 350 2.1 blackSpeakers560
.
1030914Creative SBS 580 5.1 blackSpeakers1030
.
1030915Creative SBS A200 blackSpeakers460
.
1030916Creative Inspire T10 2.0 speakersSpeakers1740
.
1030917Creative PlayDock i500 speakersSpeakers5800
.
1040201Cooler Master RC-690 blackCasing3400
.
1040202Cooler Master RC-341 micro-ATXCasing1500
.
1040401Cooler Master Extreme Power 400watts psuPower supply2150
.
1050301Cooler Master Notepal Infinite Global notebook coolerNotebook Cooler750
.
1050302Cooler Master Notepal Color Infinite notebook cooler blueNotebook Cooler750
.
1050303Cooler Master Notepal D1 notebook coolerNotebook Cooler400
.
1050401Cooler Master Choiix Easy Fit Notebook Sleeve (brown/black)Notebook Sleeve200
.
1050402Cooler Master Choiix 8.9" Notebook Metal Sleeve (baby blue/pink)Notebook Sleeve150
.
1070101Creative SB Audigy Platinum eXSound Card2900
.
1070102Creative SB Audigy 2 NXSound Card2140
.
1070106Creative SB X-Fi Xtreme Audio NotebookSound Card5550
.
1070108Creative X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity Wireless ReceiverSound Card2425
.
2010101ASUS P5GC-MX/1333 intel 945GC (LGA775)Motherboard800
.
2010102ASUS P5GC-MX/GBL intel 945GC (LGA775)Motherboard800





.
2010103ASUS P5L-MX (LGA775)Motherboard800
.
2010104ASUS P5ND2 SEMotherboard800
.
2010105ASUS P5P800-VM (LGA775)Motherboard800
.
2010106ASUS P5PE-VM (LGA775)Motherboard800
.
2010107ASUS P5S-MX SE SiS 671(LGA775)Motherboard800
.
2010108ASUS P5VD2-MX (LGA775)Motherboard800
.
2010109ASUS P5VD2-MX SE (LGA775)Motherboard800
.
2010110ASUS P5VD2-VM (LGA775)Motherboard800
.
2010111ASUS P5VDC-XMotherboard800
.
2010501XFX MG630i-7100 (LGA775)Motherboard2310
.
2010502XFX MG630i-7150 (LGA775)Motherboard2690
.
2010503XFX NFORCE780i (LGA775)Motherboard8770
.
2010504XFX MB-750i-72P9 (LGA775)Motherboard4950
.
2010505XFX MG610i-7050 (LGA775)Motherboard2140
.
2030901Altec Lansing M602 60watts RMS, 100db ipod speakersSpeakers7180
.
2030902Altec Lansing iNMotion iM3 4watts RMS, 75db ipod speakersSpeakers4950
.
2030903Altec Lansing iNMotion iM4 4watts RMS, 75db ipod speakersSpeakers3430
.
2030904Altec Lansing iNMotion iM5 superior maxxBass technology ipod speakersSpeakers4950
.
2030905Altec Lansing iNMotion iM7 25watts RMS black ipod speakersSpeakers7700
.
2030906Altec Lansing iNMotion iM9 extreme sound ipod speakersSpeakers6040





.
2030907Altec Lansing iNMotion iM11 superior maxxBass technology ipod speakersSpeakers3450
.
2030908Altec Lansing iNMotion iM300 black ipod speakersSpeakers2950
.
2030911Altec Lansing XT1 1.5watts RMS usb speakers (gray/silver)Speakers2790
.
2030912Altec Lansing XT2 4watts RMS usb speakersSpeakers3480
.
4030201A4tech kls 23mu keyboardKeyboard280
.
4030202A4tech kips 800 keyboardKeyboard680
.
4030203A4tech kx-5mu keyboadKeyboard530
.
4030204A4tech kb-28g keyboardKeyboard330
.
4030205A4tech kls 30 ps2 keyboardKeyboard280
.
4030206A4tech kbs 720 ps2 white keyboardKeyboard230
.
4030207A4tech kas-15mu keyboardKeyboard580
.
4030208A4tech g-100 gaming padKeyboard380
.
4030301A4tech x-750f gaming mouseKeyboard580
.
4030302A4tech op 50d white opt mouseMouse200
.
4030303A4tech swop 80 opt mouseMouse300
.
4030304A4tech x-718f mouseMouse580
.
4030305A4tech ak-47 gaming mouseMouse200
.
4030306A4tech kbs 6135bp keyboard+mouse (pink/yellow)Combo580
.
4030307A4tech rks 2570d wireless keyboard+mouseCombo1280
.
4030401A4tech hs50 headsetHeadphone280





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4030402A4tech mk 650 earphoneHeadphone230
.
4030701A4tech pk 730mj webcamWebcam650
.
4060301Suzuki Nuetron 1001Qni Atom N280 1.6Ghz, 2gb, 160gb, 10.2", 1.3MP, BT, 1.25kg, xp homeLaptop15500
.
4060302Suzuki Larisa 1415 JLS Dual T4200 2ghz, 2gb, 320g, 14", dvdrw, 1.3MP, BT, 2.4kg, xp homeLaptop22000
.
4060303Suzuki Europa 1415 JES Duo T6500 2.1ghz, 3gb, 320g, 14.1", dvdrw, 1.3MP , BT, 2.4kg, xp homeLaptop25000
.
4060304Suzuki Europa 1212 AES Duo T6500 2.1ghz, 3gb, 320g, 12.1", dvdrw, 1.3MP, BT, 2.25kg, xp homeLaptop27500
.
5010401MSI 945GM4-FMotherboard1100
.
5020401256mb MSI 7600 GSVideo Card1200
.
5020402256mb MSI 8600 GTSVideo Card1700
.
5040501Antec Neo HE380 380w psuPower supply1100
.
5040502Antec Neo HE430 430w psuPower supply1200
.
6010601Asrock ALiveNF5-VSTA AM2Motherboard1300
.
6010602Asrock ALiveNF6-VSTA AM2Motherboard1300
.
6010603Asrock AM2NF3-VSTA AM2Motherboard1300
.
6010604Asrock AM2NF4-SATA2 AM2Motherboard1300
.
6010605Asrock K7NF2-RAID AM2Motherboard1400
.
6010701Palit nVidia N73V nf7050 LGA775Motherboard1400
.
6010702Palit nVidia nf520 AM2Motherboard1400
.
602020564mb Gecube Radeon 7000 ddrVideo Card100
.
6020206128mb Gecube Radeon 9250 (128bit)Video Card500





.
6020207128mb Gecube Radeon 9550 GTVideo Card800
.
6020208256mb Gecube Radeon X1650 ddr2 PCIEVideo Card600
.
6020209512mb Gecube Radeon X1650 ddr2 PCIEVideo Card900
.
6020210256mb Gecube Radeon X1650 XT ddr3 PCIEVideo Card1100
.
6020211256mb Gecube HM X1300 PCIEVideo Card500
.
6020212128mb Gecube HM X1300GS ddr2 PCIEVideo Card400
.
6020213256mb Gecube X700 PCIEVideo Card500
.
6020214256mb Gecube X700 ddr2 PCIE (bigger hsf)Video Card530
.
6020215128mb Gecube X700 PCIEVideo Card350
.
6020216128mb Gecube X700 Pro AGPVideo Card800
.
6020217512mb Gecube HM X1550 Pro (128bit) AGPVideo Card1500
.
6020218256mb Gecube X1950 XT (256bit) ddr3 AGPVideo Card2000
.
6020219512mb Gecube HD 2900 XT ddr3 512bit PCIEVideo Card2000
.
6020220512mb Gecube HD 4850 ddr3 256bit PCIEVideo Card3500
.
6020221512mb Gecube HD 4870 ddr5 256bit PCIEVideo Card4000
.
6020222128mb Gecube HM X1050 (64bit)Video Card300
.
6020223128mb Gecube HM 550 PCIEVideo Card300
.
6020224256mb Gecube HM X1550 (128bit) ddr2 PCIEVideo Card550
.
6020225512mb Gecube HM X1550 Pro (128bit) PCIEVideo Card650
.
6020226256mb Gecube HM X1650 ddr2 PCIEVideo Card600





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6020227512mb Gecube HM X1650 ddr2 PCIEVideo Card900
.
6020228512mb Gecube X1950 Pro (256bit) ddr3 PCIEVideo Card1300
.
6020229512mb Gecube X1950 XT (256bit) ddr3 PCIEVideo Card1500
.
6020230128mb Gecube R 9250 (128bit) AGPVideo Card500
.
6020231256mb Gecube R 9250 (128bit) AGPVideo Card800
.
6020233256mb Gecube X700SE PCIEVideo Card430
.
6020234256mb Gecube X700SE ddr2 PCIEVideo Card450
.
6020235256mb Gecube HD 2600XT ddr3 PCIEVideo Card1500
.
6020501128mb Palit FX5700 128bit w/ FM TunerVideo Card1400
.
6020502128mb Palit 6200 TC256mb ddr2 PCIEVideo Card1100
.
6020503128mb Palit 6600 128bit ddr2 PCIEVideo Card750
.
6020504128mb Palit 6800 GS 128bit ddr3 PCIEVideo Card900
.
6020505128mb Palit 7100 GS 64bit ddr3 PCIEVideo Card750
.
6020506256mb Palit 7100 GS 64bit ddr3 PCIEVideo Card750
.
6020507128mb Palit 7200 GS 64bit ddr PCIEVideo Card800
.
6020508128mb Palit 7200 GS 64bit ddr2 PCIEVideo Card800
.
6020509256mb Palit 7200 GS 64bit ddr2 PCIEVideo Card850
.
6020510256mb Palit 7300 GS 64bit PCIEVideo Card900
.
6020511512mb Palit 7300 GT Super ddr2 AGPVideo Card1450
.
6020512128mb Palit 7300 GT Sonic ddr2 PCIEVideo Card900





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6020513512mb Palit 7300 GT 128bit ddr2 PCIEVideo Card900
.
6020514128mb Palit 7300 LE ddr2 PCIEVideo Card900
.
6020515256mb Palit 7600 GT ddr3 PCIEVideo Card950
.
6020516256mb Palit 8500 GT Sonic ddr3 PCIEVideo Card1000
.
6020517512mb Palit 8500 GT Super ddr2 PCIEVideo Card1050
.
60205181gb Palit 8600 GT Super+ ddr2 PCIEVideo Card1150
.
6020519512mb Palit 8600 GT Super ddr2 PCIEVideo Card1100
.
6020520256mb Palit 8600 GT Sonic+ ddr3 PCIEVideo Card1150
.
6020521256mb Palit 8600 GT 128bit ddr3 PCIEVideo Card1200
.
60205221gb Palit 8800 GT Super+ ddr3 PCIEVideo Card1250
.
6020523512mb Palit 8800 GT 256bit ddr3 PCIEVideo Card1200
.
6020524640mb Palit 8800 GTS 320bit ddr3 PCIEVideo Card1250
.
6020525769mb Palit 9600 GSO 192bit ddr3 PCIEVideo Card1300
.
6020526128mb Palit FX 5200 128bit AGPVideo Card900
.
602052764mb Palit MX 440 64bitVideo Card600
.
6020528256mb Palit 2400 Pro 64bitVideo Card800
.
6020529256mb Palit 2600 Pro 128bit ddr3 HDMI PCIEVideo Card850
.
6020530128mb Palit X1600 Pro Golden PCIEVideo Card700
.
6040301Lianli PC 777 casingCasing11050
.
6040302Lianli PC 767 casingCasing9650





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6040303Lianli PC 70 casingCasing9650
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6040304Lianli PC 6070 Silver casingCasing3650
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6040305Lianli V1000A/V1000B casingCasing7950
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6040306Lianli V1110 casingCasing11050
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6040307Lianli PC 850 casingCasing3650
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6040308Lianli PC72-SCA2 casingCasing11050
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6040309Lianli W658A-B/W658B-B casingCasing2650
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6040310Lianli ST-RD400+400 casingCasing6150
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6040311Lianli PC 64 server aluminum casing w/ free aquarium side panel-silverCasing6150
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6040601Ultra X 600w psuPSU1250
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6070201Media Gate (MG-35) 3.5" media divx playerMedia Player3100
.
6070203El wire kit 150cm (blue/green/red/yellow)Accessories80


in reference to: PC Hub Clearance Sale! (view on Google Sidewiki)

Digicams for dummies

This is a nice article to help educate newbies about buying a digicam.
in reference to: Giz Explains: What Everyone Should Know About Cameras - Camera guide - Gizmodo (view on Google Sidewiki)

hacking the airmiles program

This is brilliant! Its just like a bug in a game, but in real life!

You buy say 10,000 $1 coins with your credit card (free postage), you then deposit them in a bank and use it to pay off your CC debt (zero interest of course).  You then get 10,000 airmiles for the cost of the gas to go to the bank. The 10,000 airmiles can be cashed in for free flights, hotels, etc. BRILLIANT!

in reference to: U.S. Helps Frequent Fliers Make a Mint - WSJ.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

libraries are closing

As a young geek in schol I have fond memories of libraries from elementary up to college and med school. Its sad to see libraries close. But at least, there's the internet if you can afford it.
in reference to: Despite Ray Bradbury’s Efforts, A California Library Closes - NYTimes.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

supersoldier serum in trials - anybody can be Captain America

78% strength increase seen in monkeys with no side effects. Damn, If I were the US military or the NFL or NBA, I would support this research.

Now if they could just get this in pill form


Using gene therapy, NCH scientists have been able to get follistatin (a myostatin blocker) to promote phenomenal muscle growth in macaque monkeys. NCH is now working with the FDA to perform the preliminary steps necessary for a human clinical trial. Is this the prelude to a super-strength gene therapy for all of us?"

Myostatin acts to control muscle growth. Block it and muscles gorow. This pumped up looking cow is a breed called the Belgian Blue. Very lean meat. No fat, all muscle. It has a mutation in the myostatin gene. The cow is just standing there stuffing its face with food and it gets batsuit type muscles. No need for weightlifting!!






in reference to: Slashdot Science Story | Super Strength Substance Approaching Human Trials (view on Google Sidewiki)

Dollar falling









Wow. The dollar is falling. I'm going to postpone any ebay purchases.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Chinese do fingerprint transplants

Wow. There's nothing techincally or biologically difficult about it. I gotta hand it to the chinese docs for thinking outside the box.

in reference to: BBC News - 'Fake fingerprint' Chinese woman fools Japan controls (view on Google Sidewiki)

Monday, December 7, 2009

PCS convention - new venue

Review of the SMX convention center for the PC annual convention dec 6, 2009. Previous conventions were held at shangrila hotel.


Pros

Good parking, much better than before at shangrila.

Proximity to SM Mall of asia where you can go after the conference.

The place is much bigger.


Cons

3500 pesos for a guest on site registration. That’s expensive but its more or less the same as last year. Cash only, Booo! No credit cards or smart money. Please get with it. Cash is so last millenium.

Wifi sucks. SM free wifi doesn’t work. For some reason I cant connect even with full bar signal. Havent asked anybody about it yet so it might be isolated to my lapotop. There are 2 wifi AP’s called AccessZone-Philcom, but open up a browser and you get a login page, you need a password. Dont know where you can buy load for that.

Some meeting rooms have 220v outlets but the outlets may be a little far from the seats, a short extension cord may be needed. The big function rooms do not have visible 220v outlets.

Some convention halls smell brand new, and that’s a bad thing. I hope the outgassing hydrocarbon smell from the upholstery and paints is not carcinogenic. They need a good airing out. Aircon is powerful, and I didnt bring a sweater.

No more free hot water/coffee/tea, except maybe for some function rooms which had coffee, hot and cold water. No more free teabags. In the afternoons there are snacks. I had a free iced tea and some pandesal with corned beef. Previously there was abundant coffee and hot water and maybe cookies next to the function rooms. I usually brought along some instant powdered drinks. I miss that. Breakfast is available in the function rooms. Its cafeteria food. OK but cheap.

On the average, I’d say it’s a draw as to which is better.

review of the second generation led maglite 2AA




Now just remember everybody, I am not a professional reviewer so don’t expect too much from this review.

Ok what is my goal? Why do I want a branded led flashlight? Well I need a reliable flashlight that will last for years. I have many 168 mall cheapo made in china led flashlights that die after some time or after falling down. They cost around 100-200 pesos. Its very infuriating to need light NOW and when you press the button nothing happens. You have to fumble around tightening and un tightening the thing trying to get it to work.

Ok why do I have to buy it online, with PayPal + smart money? Because its cheaper online and you get much more variety. Lots of good brands/ models are not available in the Philippines. Probably saturated by the cheapo models.

Ok this is a 2AA light. Its made of aluminum and a little heavy. The metal construction should add to the durability. As a 2AA light is longer than a 1AA or 1AAA light, this light’s “ecological niche” would be in my backpack or maybe on my desk. I don’t need a super powerful beam. 1 to 3 watts would be fine. If I were say a SWAT team, I would need 3 watts and up but I’m not. In the jargon of flashaholics this would be an EDC or everyday carry. A flashlight you carry around everyday for everyday normal use. Being slightly more powerful than most 1AA lights, I would go to my backpack and get this if I needed slightly more power.

Ok why did you choose this brand? Well, it’s the cheapest branded one among my short list. Competitors were the 2AA Fenix e20 and the Inova radiant. Both of them don’t have adjustable brightness. The radiant even has a plastic body. This one has adjustable brightness and adjustable focus. Plus Maglite has a very good reputation and my dad likes Maglites. Maglite has a reputation for not being on the cutting edge of technology. With the second gen led Maglite, the led bulb is more efficient and more reliable and it has more features. This should help it regain ground lost to other brands. This is the maglite webpage.


The store I bought this from is EDC knife depot. Ok so I bought 3, colored blue, red and grey. One for me, the rest as Christmas gifts. It cost me $23.99 x 3 =  $71.97 + $22 shipping + $0.00 tax = $93.97. It was sent via FedEx. 5 days for delivery. Just beware that the code for the website isn’t 100% bug free. When you try to order, the website adds a wrong amount for shipping, its too low at $8.75. The correct shipping charge should be $22 for 3 lights. So email the owner of the website first before paying by paypal. His email is gabpro21. After that ad an @ sign then type the free email of google . I'm not posting the address to avoid spambots. So for each flashlight including shipping that’s $31.32 per flashlight. At php 47 per $1, that’s 1472 per piece. Pretty cheap considering that that major gunstore chain that can be found in SM malls prices the same model at 2400 pesos. Just take note that the shipping is expensive for one item but if you order multiple items, the cost per item becomes much much less.

It arrived in a FedEx package.




  
Each comes in a plastic case with the flashlight, 2 Duracell AA alkaline batteries, a small manual and a larger manual See pics.




   
No lanyard or wrist strap, no problem, I’ll buy one. I might also attach a carabineer. Take note that the lanyard will interfere with candle mode because the butt of the flashlight cant fit on the detached lens unit with the lanyard in the way.


Insert the batteries with the positive side towards the head. You open it by unscrewing the tail. Not doing so may damage the electronics inside. This is one major disadvantage of the Maglites compared to other flashlights like the Fenix e20 which has some protection against that.

The flashlight has no switch, you twist the head. In the jargon of flashaholics its not a clickie, it’s a twistie. The pushbutton switch is a major source of failure and this should make the flashlight last longer. Well, that’s the idea anyway, we’ll have to send this to the Mythbusters. But Maglite has a reputation for toughness so this should be a safe bet. I’ve seen the rubber covering the clickie switch of a flashlight wear down after a few years so the cover is another point of failure. You get this reliability at some cost in convenience. Nothing beats the push on push off action of a button. But you can twist the head one handed.

The led is supposed to be a Luxeon Rebel® LED rated at 3 watts. I don’t know if it actually gets 3 watts. From my standpoint, whats important is that its pretty bright.

Tighten the head of the flashlight to turn it off, loosen it to turn it on. If the light has been off for more than a few seconds it will default to maximum power. Turn it on then immediately off then on again to access the next mode, low mode which is like 25% as bright. Even at low mode its still bright enough to be useful around the house. Low mode is done by flashing the light on and off so fast that you can’t notice it. I tried to see if I could use the strobe effect to better visualize the fan blades of an electric fan.With the naked eye you can barely see the fan blades. I was able to capture one blade with my camera set to high shutter speed. My camera is a canon a590is which has manual control so I can play around with the aperture and the shutter speed.





These 2 pics were taken with with the light at normal and low mode. With normal mode, you are only able see the blades as a blur instead of being able to see one blade.

Quickly twist the head off and on again and you get to the third mode which is on and off flashing. The fourth mode is S.O.S. Do it again and it cycles back to full. I have doubts if I will ever use the flashing and SOS modes in my life.

Construction. Its solid aluminum. There are some unfinished sharp edges at the lanyard hole, but its minor. See pics .




 

Aside from that, the construction and machining is very good. The knurling on the body and on the head is a little shallow. With clean hands the grip is positive and you can use your fingers to twist the head one handed. But with oily or muddy hands I doubt it would be easy. The flashlight is round so it could roll off a table or something. A little macgyverization is in order.

163 mm long. Reflector is 25mm in diameter, body is 15 mm. I don’t have a scale, sorry. But the weight of the aluminum definitely makes it feel not cheap. I don’t think this would be comfortable in my pocket but its meant to be in my bag or on the desk anyway. I already ordered a fenix e01 for my kechain.


Picture of the component parts.





Side picture of wide beam and narrow beam.





Picture of narrow beam and wide beam.






As you can see, there is a constant spill of light into a big circle. At 1 meter, the big circle is more or less 85cm in diameter. This is constant in zoom and in wide. With the light at zoom, there is a 20 cm bright spot in the middle. As you zoom out, the reflector moves a little forwards, and light reflects off the back of the reflector, giving it a bluish tint.





You can also see the dust on the plastic lens.




  
You’ll need a damp lint free cloth to clean it up. Since the reflector is now more in front of the bulb, the light intensity drops a bit in wide mode. In wide mode, the central bright zone spreads out and you’ll see an ugly shadow in the center. You know, with this big spill, I don’t think I’ll be using the wide mode too often. With the zoom, the light really throws far. I don’t have any hard numbers though.

The reviews say that this is cooler than the first generation and the light doesn’t drop in intensity as it overheats. Confirmed, the light stays at the same intensity as long as the batteries hold up. The head is noticeably warm but only a little.

I have no light meter handy so I can’t give you any hard data on the intensity, but it’s bright. Don’t look into the bulb if you want to keep your eyesight. It’s blindingly white. The color is a very clean and stark white.

Ok I loaded it up with my year old eneloops, fully charged of course care of  my unomat smart charger and kept it on. After 5 hours I had to go to sleep so I turned it off. The next day, I was able to do another 3 hours (total 8 hrs) before the light starts to get a little dim. The light intensity to my eyes was the same for the entire 8 hrs. This is because there are circuits that try to keep the voltage constant even as the voltage produced by the batteries start to decrease.

The manual says you should lubricate it every 6 months with petroleum jelly. Probably to keep the o-rings soft.

Close up of the led bulb and candle mode.




  
 Few brands have the candle mode feature. In  this case the reflector serves as a stand. In candle mode loosening the butt end cap serves as an on off switch. One criticism is the butt end cap has to be tightly screwed on for the light to work. Even a little loosening will turn off the light.

Final score:  2 thumbs up! Minimal bugs. Thanks to the website EDC knife depot for a great flashlight!!

Bringing your bookmarks with you







Xmarks is a nifty firefox addon. It can sync favorites and passwords from one PC to another. If you're on an unfamiliar PC, you can just load My Xmarks, sign in and you get a list of your bookmarks

canon camera pricelist from commdapp

I passed by the commdapp expo 2009 on the last day and here are the prices of canon’s cameras.

•    Powershot
o    A530 – 5900
o    A570 IS – 7950
o    A580 – 8500
o    A590 is – 10,500
o    Sx 100 is – 11990
o    A610 – 6900
o    A620 – 6990
o    A630 – 8990
o    A710 is – 7990
o    A720 is – 9900
o    TX1 – 11,990
o    SX100 is – 11990
o    S90 – 31950
o    G11 - 33950

•    Ixus
o    I7 zoom – 7990
o    800 is – 9900
o    850 is – 10,990
o    200 is touch – 27,950

•    Camcorders
o    Zr 800 – 8990
o    Zr 830 – 9990
o    Zr 850 – 10790
o    Optura S1 – 8490
o    DC 210 – 12990
o    Dc 230 - 14990
o    Zr 800 – 8990
o    Zr 830 – 9990
o    Zr 850 - 10790

•    EOS
o    1000D – 32950
o    450d – 40950
o    500d – 49950

smart bro new plan 999 confirmed

This is photographic confirmation of ther new plan from smart, a plug it plan that is unlimited and costs 999 pesos a month. I think we should call it plan 999-03. Plan 999-01 would be the canopy. Plan 999-02 would be share it. You can also see it as a full page newspaper ad.





Confirmed, it is nationwide and 24 months lock in.


I hate to say it but I now do not recommend smart bro share it unless you need the router. Plan 999-02 or share it has the disadvantage of being locked to one province and I think plan 999-03 also has the flexibility of being able to use 2g and 3g unlike plan 999-02 which is locked to 3.5g only. I have to wait for my share it to expire before switching.

So to summarize, the only advantage of share it over plan 999-03 is
1. free wifi router
2. easier placement. I have an office with no smart signal and I just hang the share it on the window

advantage of plan 999-03
1. nationwide
2. more portable
3. not limited to 3.5g

Portable cautery

As a suergeon or rather as a surgical engineer, as I would like to be known, I'll also blog about medical gadgets that I like. I'm cheap so I wont get into the super expensive stuff. I'll concentrate on stuff that can practically be used by surgeons like me, a simple private surgeon with no money in a small clinic.

Ok, I dont have the brochure with me so I'll update this later with the contact info of the seller. They graciously gave me permission to post pics on my blog.

This looks interesting, a portable battery powered cautery. Uses AA batteries. 4000 php for the blue one, the black one costs 5k. The black one has a low and a high temp device. Construction is plastic, pretty flimsy. The tips are disposable. I'll update this later with the prices. You could probably sterilize the thing + batts with ethylene oxide but the girls there say surgeons just cover the thing with a sterile glove.


Personaly this is an interesting proposition. It looks just like my dad's soldering gun and probably works the same way.



I think I could macgyver something like this. I'll base it on an old aluminum 2aa flashlight. I'll start  fine steel wire for the tips.

I doubt you can dissect or cut with this. It will probably used for hemostasis ot burning bleeders for minor surgery in the office like cicumcision. I might get one if my practice picks up but I'll try the macgyver first.







update. Supplier is Biomedia health care. The tips cost 350 pesos each. Their second part of their email is eastern.com.ph, the first part is biomed@

Now at PCS convention - hard to get online

Hi,

I am now attending the Philippine College of Surgeons Annual convention at SM MOA SMX. Since the PCS website has been cracked and defaced somewhat by a hacker, I'll just post the URL instead of a link.
http://www.pcs.org.ph/

Net options at MOA suck. Netopia has 2 net cafes but its expensive at 63 php/hour, per second charging at least. There is AFAIK 1 plug available in the entire mall, at Burger king. There are some plugs in SMX but for sdome reason I cant access the sm free wifi. Dont know of any other cheaper net cafes.

So thats the reason I was offline for the past 2 days.

More blogs to come.

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