Fugitive tracked via WoW

I'd like to see them do this if the ISP uses a shared IP and if the MMORPG in question is free to play or has no meatspace address connected to the account
in reference to: Long arm of law reaches into World of Warcraft (view on Google Sidewiki)

safety gear for new years fireworks

I used to use stuff like this for safety when I was younger

note: i should have used some form of hair protection (a non flammable cap/hat) and nonflammable clothes but i never got a round to that

* filter masks

* ear protection

 

* eye protection

* hand protection. Actually this consists of a grabber to pick up stuff, and a long handled lighter

 

* A torch is useful becuase the high temp flame ensures that the wick is really lit. The plume of hot gas extends for some distance, also giving you the safety of the long handled gas lighter. And You have the power to burn through the cardboard case of a firework

port forward the smart bro 999-2 (share it router)

do you want to portforward the huawei b933 router (the share it router?)

1. go here, download the simple port forwarding program (freeware). It works with a lot of routers so feel free to share this program with your friends who use other ISP's

link

2. install it

3. run it

4. select the router

5.  type in the following - username: smartbro and password: smartbro

it should look something like this

the right side is the step by step quick guide. follow it step by step. Note, my internet seems to get cut off if i set the local IP to static (after a reboot?) but its optional anyway

 I was in communication with the author ( *****@pcwintech.com )   instead of the ***** write "shane" without the "'s

I masked the full email to avoid spambots

he accepts submission of new routers and I submitted the share it router and it was newly added to the database but the new configuration hasnt beent tested yet. I tried it on my PC and it did not work

the author said to try the tips here
link
but none worked

so we need beta test volunteers, preferably with MSN or yahoo messenger so the author of the program can help you through IM. I'm a little busy so i cant IM him

readyboost in windows XP

I've been using this for some time. It really does give a small boost specially on my 2006 vintage laptop with only 1 gig ram. The new versions also work in vista.

"Give Your Windows PC a Boost! eBoostr™, working as an alternative solution to ReadyBoost and SuperFetch technologies, implements a different advanced approach to use flash memory to speed up your computer It speeds up your PC and improves application responsiveness by using flash memory and free RAM as an extra layer of performance-boosting cache for your PC. Use up to four inexpensive flash devices to speed up your system. Add more speed to your PC without any hardware upgrade!"
- Boost your Windows PC performance » eBoostr.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

Sugar free treats dont satisfy

Interesting discovery. Scientists found out that when you eat a sweet treat, at least 2 parts of your brain light up. One says "its sweet". The other says " I'm satisfied".

Sugar substitutes only make the first part of the brain light up. So sugar free food make you want to eat more.
in reference to: Sugar-free satisfaction: Finding the brain's sweet spot - life - 27 December 2009 - New Scientist (view on Google Sidewiki)

Network Magic

What good is this program? Well these are the features that I have used

1. Share files in a network. Sometimes this can be a frustrating experience if you do it manually. I recently reformatted my laptop and now I can see the laptop on the network but I cant access the files from my desktop. Some crap about permissions. With this program Its really easy. Just run NM on both computers and designate the folders to be shared.

2. I can see if someone else is on my wifi network

A 7 day free trial is available and there are several more features.
in reference to: Cisco - Home Networking Software - Set up and Manage Your Network with One Easy Application (view on Google Sidewiki)

Grim Tales from down below

 

This is a webcomic that I frequent. Its made buy a guy called Bleedman who is supposed to be a Fil-Am.The art is pretty amazing. Its characters are taken from several horror based cartoons.

As you can see, it is anime influenced.

Link

First affordable LED Monitors in the Philippines

Philippine Daily Inquirer Dec 28 2009 Page B6 gives the price of the 18.5 inch e936Vw as PhP 6395 and the 21.5 inch e2236Vw as PhP 8595. Interestingly, the newspaper ad is worded as "First LED Monitors in the Philippines".

in reference to:

"First affordable LED Monitors in the Country AOC also unveiled the first affordable LED Monitors in the Philippines – e936Vw and e2236Vw. These AOC e36 Series monitors offer consumers brilliant large screen performance at highly competitive price. The AOC e2236Vw offers premium picture quality for graphics-intensive applications. It comes with 2.000.000:1 (DCR) contrast ratio, which delivers exceptional image clarity, and 160-degree viewing angle to provide increased visibility from side viewpoints. Its response time is 5ms, a key feature that prevents fast moving objects from becoming blurred. The LED monitor e936Vw is the New Green Monitor of AOC. The e36 series e936Vw has a unique external design, framing the screen in a glossy piano black finish with sea shell texture. The low power function of e936Vw saves up to 78.38% consumption than normal 4CCFL monitor, while for e2236Vw it is up to 75.51%. The table below shows the calculations on how you can save energy in a year:"
- AOC Monitor the Worldwide Leader in Display Manufacturing (view on Google Sidewiki)

New stupid security restrictions for flights

Holy crap batman, I have to go to the BAT-ROOM really bad!


What happens if some terrorist tries something 2 hours before landing?


in reference to:

"As we boarded, the flight attendants announced that all passengers would be prohibited from getting out of their seats (for instance, to go to the toilet) or from using any electronic devices (phones, laptops, games) or having anything on their laps (even a book or a blanket) during the last hour of the flight."
- Yo dawg, I heard you like TSA security restrictions, so I put some security restrictions on top of your security restrictions Boing Boing (view on Google Sidewiki)

Ubuntu OS that looks exactly like windows XP

Hey, this would be a great experiment for net cafes. The website is in chinese (translated with google toolbar).

Its a 600 meg download. I think its free. And NO I have not tried it yet so I dont know if its any good.

in reference to: Ylmf OS-雨林木风Linux操作系统 (view on Google Sidewiki)

Flash drives in National Bookstore

National Bookstore is the #1 book and school supply store chain in the philippines. Imagine my surprise when I found out that they also sell flash drives. Ok they also sell a few PC related stuff like diskettes and cd's because its part of the modern office. I was surprised when I found out the prices are almost the same as Cdrking. Almost all are well known brands.

So same cheap price (probably the cheapest in the Philippines), better brands, much shorter lines. National Bookstore FTW!

Related Posts Widget for Blogger / Blogspot

Really useful widget
in reference to:

"Related Posts Widget for Blogger / Blogspot"
- Related Posts Widget for Blogger / Blogspot | Best Blog Widgets For Free (view on Google Sidewiki)

Eco cars for the philippines - what will be successful

For reference here are 2 related posts

A Prius for the Philippines

Why Philippine Car companies are stupid


If you want to sell an electric or hybrid car or whatever eco friendly car in the Philippines you need to pass some criteria. I'll try to post my ideas from the perspective of a normal Filipino car user/buyer.

Lets look at the what I think the target market would be. I think the target market would be the mid to upper middle class like me. I'm a doctor. Any of the lower classes would not be able to afford  it. Either they use public transportation, motorcycles or at best they use > 10 year old second hand cars or locally assembled owner type jeeps.

Only the rich would dare buy an expensive car like the Prius just for its eco friendlyness because the Philippines is a poor country and we have our priorities. Save money over the environment, even if it just covers the short term.

As a member of the middle class, my goals are a balance between initial price of the car versus the money saved in daily operations. If I were say a taxi company or operating a jeepney, then my priorities would be different. In that case the balance would swing towards lower running costs since these types of vehicles have a hack of a lot more mileage per week than a private car. LNG and small diesel engines are currently used for taxis and jeepneys but there are a few electric jeepneys. But even for taxi and jeepney companies, a very very high initial price is not good because credit isnt easy here and a lot of businesses wont risk so much up front for a possible long term payoff. I'd say for a middle class person, around up to 25% more expensive than a comparable normal car would be the limit.

For a jeepney airconditioning is not needed but for a middle class person arriving at work all smelly and sweaty would not do your social and professional life any good. Also related to this is the looks of the car. It cant be too ugly. An ideal eco car would at least look decent, preferably it would not look any different from a regular car. Unfortunately a SUV variant of the eco car would be needed in the philippines because of the bad roads, the flooding and the extra cargo/passenger space which may be useful. But of course some people would be ok with a small 2 seater so there should be a variety of models available.

Maintenance would be a big issue too. For electric cars, lowering initial price and lowering servicing costs by using cheap lead acid batteries would be viable. Modular battery packs would be nice. You could buy a car then if you had extra cash, go for the li-ion battery pack as an extra. If you have to lose some options to lower the price like computer controlled battery charging, regenerative braking and automatic transmission then do it.

Performance on the road would not be too high a priority. Max speed of 110 kph and tepid acceleration would be acceptable if it would mean lower running costs. Compare this to the prius which has the acceleration of a V6 coupled with a high price. Range would depend on the consumer. For electric and hybrid electric vehicles, different battery packs should be available. I personally would be ok with < 50 km per charge.

Small diesel cars (say the size of a Vios or smaller) would be a hit in the Philippines. Low initial cost, readily available fuel and parts, mileage comparable to some other more expensive alternatives. Who cares about the CO2 and particulate emissions as long as the average Filipino saves money. Ok thats not the right attitude but the average filipino is poor and prioritizes budget over the environment.

A Prius for the Philippines

The Prius. WTF was Toyota thinking? Its expensive, around the same price as a mid end luxury car and almost 5x the price of a vios. Look, Toyota, if I was rich enough to afford a Prius I would be rich enough to NOT CARE about the gas bill. And I would rather buy a BMW or Mercedes since the price is the same. Filipinos dont give much thought to the environment because we're poor. We'll gladly stomp all over the greenies if it meant saving a buck. I predict that most people in the Philippines who buy the prius (if any) are more interested in "appearing" green.


I suggest a cheaper version, a PRIUS LITE if you will, with these specs:

* Smaller body, 2 seater if needed.

* Smaller engine. The Prius has a 1.8 liter engine but accelerates like a V6. Who the heck in the Philippines would want to do that? It wastes gas! Just give me a 1 liter engine that accelerates like a 1.3 liter engine. That would be good enough for me.
* Cut down on the expensive electronics. Just have the dashboard flash a big LOW BATT or FULL BATT sign and have the driver manually switch the gas engine on or off.

* Why be gas at all? Go diesel - electric hybrid

* Modular battery pack. Add more or less cells depending on your budget. Also have the option of going lead-acid.

* From the start its a plug in hybrid.

* Typical battery only range would be say 20-50 km, with the aircon on. This is the Philippines. Its hot here. An aircon is a necessity. Anybody that can afford a decent car also has a job or social life that would be affected if they showed up to work sweaty and smelly.

* Manual transmission to lower the price.
* Not more than 1 million pesos in price

Why Philippine Car companies are stupid

Some recent big time mistakes done by Philippine car companies.

WARNING: this is a rant. I do not pretend to be a car expert. This is all my opinion and is based on some personal observations and consultations with a few friends. It also contains sweeping generalizations, mild swearing and mild exaggerations for shock and comedy purposes. So if you have information that can explain some of the stupid decisions car companies have made, or if I made some mistakes, then feel free to comment.

NOTE: by "philippine car companies"  I dont mean companies that were founded by and owned by filipinos, I mean major car companies that sell cars in the philippines.

Lets start with the new Austin mini and the new  VW beetle. These 2 are remakes of cult classics so fans of the original who are now grown up might want to buy them. Unfortunately, that looks like the full extent of the market. These 2 did not sell well. Not sure if they were grey market cars or if an official distributor exists. Anyway these 2 had big disadvantages. Parts and support are always a problem in the philippines unless the car is one of the Big japanese or german brands. Pero the main problem is price performance ratio. These are not large or fast cars and they cost a lot. For almost the same price it would be much better to get a more ordinary looking BMW or Mercedes Benz. Filipinos are practical and wont buy a car just on sentimental value or cuteness.

Next, small diesel cars or lack thereof. AFAIK in Europe Austin mini sized diesel cars exist. AFAIK the smallest brand new diesel car you can buy in the philippines would be a ford escape 2.0 liter. If someone could offer a diesel subcompact sedan (something like a Vios or City) with a ~1.5L diesel with a sub 1 million peso price tag, it would sell like hotcakes. Even better would be a really small diesel car like the Suzuki celerio. Aside from being practical, filipinos are poor. Afaik one reason the honda CRV won over the Rav 4 was its lower price.  1 liter of unleaded gas costs 39.9 something pesos and Diesel costs around 10 pesos less than that. Add to that the generally higher mileage of diesel and you know why diesel cars are cheap to operate. On a related note, why the F*** dont the expedition and other large cars come in diesel format?

Next - Cars need to go on a Diet. The Toyota Corolla and the Honda Civic started out as small cheap sedans available in 1.3 liter versions. They then started to grow bigger and bigger, both in size and engine displacement. Finally they got overpriced out of their market segment and the Toyota Vios and the Honda City had to be invented. As similar thing also happened to the Suzuki vitara - becoming the Grand vitara. The small SUV segment was taken over by the Jimny but it is too small to take over the vitara's place. WTF are those people thinking. Only a few filipinos need more horsepower. Remember that the Philippines is a poor country. Special mention to the Ford Expeditions that are now gathering dust in their owner's garages or are being sold dirt cheap. A SUV or sedan with a > 2 liter gas engine is a stupid buy these days. Gas is expensive. You should at least offer a diesel version.

Next - the Prius. WTF was Toyota thinking? Its expensive, around the same price as a mid end luxury car and almost 5x the price of a vios. Look, Toyota, if I was rich enough to afford a Prius I would be rich enough to NOT CARE about the gas bill. And I would rather buy a BMW or Mercedes since the price is the same. Filipinos dont give much thought to the environment because we're poor. We'll gladly stomp all over the greenies if it meant saving a buck. I predict that most people in the Philippines who buy the prius (if any) are more interested in "appearing" green.


I suggest a cheaper version, a PRIUS LITE if you will, with these specs:

* Smaller body, 2 seater if needed.
* Smaller engine. The Prius has a 1.8 liter engine but accelerates like a V6. Who the heck in the Philippines would want to do that? It wastes gas! Just give me a 1 liter engine that accelerates like a 1.3 liter engine. That would be good enough for me.
* Cut down on the expensive electronics. Just have the dashboard flash a big LOW BATT or FULL BATT sign and have the driver manually switch the gas engine on or off.
* Why be gas at all? Go diesel - electric hybrid
* Modular battery pack. Add more or less cells depending on your budget, sacrificing cargo space. Also have the option of going lead-acid if your budget is really small.
* From the start its a plug in hybrid.
* Typical battery only range would be say 20-50 km, with the aircon on. This is the Philippines. Its hot here. An aircon is a necessity. Anybody that can afford a decent car also has a job or social life that would be affected if they showed up to work sweaty and smelly.
* Manual transmission to lower the price.
* Not more than 1 million pesos in price