One Of These Days...

I will peel myself off the bed and start joining an amateur marathon

This costume should intimidate the hell out of my competitors and make myself a bigger ego!

A Valentine Truth

I, for one, am in for meaningful overnight relationships and just like in any fairy tale, you won't fall in love  with me until the last page. Ha ha

Happy Valentines!

Psychology Is Witchery!

The Pros of Being a Psych Major

Cuchi Cuchi Coo

I hear that this is how you train lions in the circus!

Astrology Today

This week, slightly viral news about the new zodiac sign has people worried about their signs changing. (some even had their original signs inked on their skin)

This is my opinion on it.

HTC Desire Z Leaves A Few Things To Be Desired

Even though I am as poor as the vermin at home, I asked a friend to get me my first Android phone, The HTC Desire Z.

Not my actual picture!

I was never really a big fan of touchscreen type phones as I find them cumbersome to use but I welcome their additional functionality in providing easy access to applications without navigating through a lot of options via the QWERTY keyboard. 


As a newbie coming from the Palm line of smartphones, I have found new life on the screens of these new phones along with the impressive UI found in Android devices. I feel like I have a lot of extra desktop space on the phone since it enables desktop switching via finger swipe gestures to move on to different home screens. If you are familiar with Linux you can switch to several desktop screens unlike Windows where you only have one desktop and switch to different windows which will clutter up your task bar.


I would like to point out though that the only issue I have on the way the Desire Z has been designed is the location of the audio jack at the top of the phone. I find it a bit difficult to use the hardware slide keyboard while my headphones are on. I don't like using bluetooth headphones since it eats up more battery and I would like to avoid looking like a douche having a rectangular piece in my ear.


So far, I have been jumping on different ROMs ever since I rooted it and have tried Villain Z 1.0.0, Q'n'D-MIUI ROM, and Cyanogenmod 6.1.1.


I have been trying to learn how to properly make my own ROM using Dsixda's Android Kitchen for HTC phones in order to add/remove some of the applications.


Right now, am currently using Villain Z 1.0.0 and I like the way Sense integrates social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter but it seems a bit sluggish for me so I think I'll start ROM jumping again.


Overall, I do like the way my first Android phone is built and the option to truly customize it is addictive and a truly awesome experience!

PLANET ZERO Goes Down Before The Year Ends

With the year nearing its end, I am suddenly slapped in the face a few times by a stroke of bad luck with computers, specifically my desktop.


There's a reason why I still stick with Windows and keep Linux on the netbook. I still like playing games from time to time and am still not overly proficient with the nuances of Ubuntu. After more than a year running the desktop for 24 hours and I guess 4 or 5 reinstalls due to software issues, my primary drive decides to go down. I have never owned a Western Digital drive in my life but since they were cheaper I opted to get a 1.5TB for storage purposes and rarely access it except for downloading new stuff. Thankfully it hasn't gone down yet but it is currently going through a file consistency check which appears to take more than a few hours the maximum wait time to finish.


My main issue is the 320GB Western Digital which still has an IDE interface. My 40GB seagate still works but I had to format that as well due to software issues which caused my torrent files and a few files becoming unreadable. It sucks that I have to redo everything but I hope that the 1.5TB data is still intact.


I may need to build a new box dedicated to storage and P2P soon and start a RAID system to avoid this situation from happening again. I am thinking if I can do this on Ubuntu or FreeNAS but the latter is using ZFS which is used mostly by Solaris or FreeBSD, I may need to do more research on that.


In my opinion, Western Digital sucks and I am sticking to Seagate on my next system.


Anyone want to buy all my Western Digital HDDs?

Useless Anecdote

Yes, There is nothing interesting today and I am bored.

Holiday Greetings!

And they'd like to greet you HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

'Twas The Night Before Christmas (The Politically Correct version)

Politically Correct Santa by Harvey Ehrlich


'Twas the night before Christmas and Santa's a wreck...
How to live in a world that's politically correct?
His workers no longer would answer to "Elves",
"Vertically Challenged" they were calling themselves.

And labor conditions at the north pole
Were alleged by the union to stifle the soul.
Four reindeer had vanished, without much propriety,
Released to the wilds by the Humane Society.

And equal employment had made it quite clear
That Santa had better not use just reindeer.
So Dancer and Donner, Comet and Cupid,
Were replaced with 4 pigs, and you know that looked stupid!

The runners had been removed from his sleigh;
The ruts were termed dangerous by the E.P.A.
And people had started to call for the cops
When they heard sled noises on their roof-tops.

Second-hand smoke from his pipe had his workers quite frightened.
His fur trimmed red suit was called "Unenlightened."
And to show you the strangeness of life's ebbs and flows,
Rudolf was suing over unauthorized use of his nose

And had gone on Geraldo, in front of the nation,
Demanding millions in over-due compensation.
So, half of the reindeer were gone; and his wife,
Who suddenly said she'd enough of this life,

Joined a self-help group, packed, and left in a whiz,
Demanding from now on her title was Ms.
And as for the gifts, why, he'd ne'er had a notion
That making a choice could cause so much commotion.

Nothing of leather, nothing of fur,
Which meant nothing for him. And nothing for her.
Nothing that might be construed to pollute.
Nothing to aim. Nothing to shoot.

Nothing that clamored or made lots of noise.
Nothing for just girls. Or just for the boys.
Nothing that claimed to be gender specific.
Nothing that's warlike or non-pacific.

No candy or sweets...they were bad for the tooth.
Nothing that seemed to embellish a truth.
And fairy tales, while not yet forbidden,
Were like Ken and Barbie, better off hidden.

For they raised the hackles of those psychological
Who claimed the only good gift was one ecological.
No baseball, no football...someone could get hurt;
Besides, playing sports exposed kids to dirt.

Dolls were said to be sexist, and should be passe;
And Nintendo would rot your entire brain away.
So Santa just stood there, disheveled, perplexed;
He just could not figure out what to do next.

He tried to be merry, tried to be gay,
But you've got to be careful with that word today.
His sack was quite empty, limp to the ground;
Nothing fully acceptable was to be found.

Something special was needed, a gift that he might
Give to all without angering the left or the right.
A gift that would satisfy, with no indecision,
Each group of people, every religion;

Every ethnicity, every hue,
Everyone, everywhere...even you.
So here is that gift, it's price beyond worth...
"May you and your loved ones enjoy peace on earth."

Notice:  This poem is copyright 1992 by Harvey Ehrlich.  It is free to
distribute, without changes, as long as this notice remains intact.
All follow-ups, requests, comments, questions, distribution rights, etc
should be made to  mduhan@husc.harvard.edu .

'Twas The Night Before Christmas (The Dieter's Christmas)

Just at the right time when I think the world is getting fat, I found this excellent parody of the poem The Night Before Christmas penned in 1823 allegedly by Clement Clarke Moore or Henry Livingston, Jr (depending on who you trust)


I hope you get to read this before you take the first bite of your Christmas dinner.


Enjoy!

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all round my hips
Were Fannie May candies that sneaked past my lips.
Fudge brownies were stored in the freezer with care
In hopes that my thighs would forget they were there.

While Mama in her girdle and I in chin straps
Had just settled down to sugar-borne naps.
When out in the pantry there arose such a clatter
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the kitchen I flew like a flash,
Tore open the icebox then threw up the sash.
The marshmallow look of the new-fallen snow
Sent thoughts of a binge to my body below.

When what to my wandering eyes should appear
A marzipan Santa with eight chocolate reindeer!
That huge chunk of candy so luscious and slick
I knew in a second that I’d wind up sick.

The sweet-coated santa, those sugared reindeer
I closed my eyes tightly but still I could hear;
On Pritzker, on Stillman, on weak one, on TOPS
A Weight Watcher dropout from sugar detox.

From the top of the scales to the top of the hall
Now dash away pounds now dash away all.
Dressed up in Lane Bryant from my head to nightdress
My clothes were all bulging from too much excess.

My droll little mouth and my round little belly,
They shook when I laughed like a bowl full of jelly.

I spoke not a word but went straight to my work
Ate all of the candy then turned with a jerk.

And laying a finger beside my heartburn
Gave a quick nod toward the bedroom I turned.

I eased into bed, to the heavens I cry–
If temptation’s removed I’ll get thin by and by.

And I mumbled again as I turned for the night
In the morning I’ll starve… ’til I take that first bite!

Ladybug Plays With Sprinkles!

Enjoy!

Fun With Google Translate

Boredom And Its Chilling Effects

Doing nothing and just randomly search the hivemind for something interesting I found this but do not know what to make of it.


Ah well, enjoy!

State Of Being

This is what I need to be doing right now.

But I am peeved by the fact that I am in this frustrated state and I need the above so that I can be doing this.

I am still searching for my creative muse...

Writer's Block & The Importance Of Grammar, Punctuation And Capitalization

Whilst I try to fight off writer's block I opted to bring back some little nuggets of knowledge fun via twitterverse.

Enjoy!

"From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put." - Winston Churchill

"You can be a little ungrammatical if you come from the right part of the country."  - Robert Frost

"Punctuation is important. For instance, commas save lives: Let's eat grandpa. Lets eat, grandpa" - Unknown

"Capitalization is important. Capitalization is the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse and helping your Uncle jack off a horse." - Unknown

Working Under Moonlights

It has been approximately 2-3 months since I got a paycheck.

Although, it does not bother me that much right now I have to preempt possible inflation and emergency situations that may hamper my economic development. I find it funny that I sometimes consider my existence as a recognized entity by the UN

I was contacted by one of the local recruiters to join a startup seeking to grow as a pioneer in Recruitment. It sounded a good idea at that time and the proponents of this organization also founded the now rebranded Stream Global Services. I would still like to focus on writing but everyone still has to eat.

I accepted a lower paying job with lighter responsibilities and thin benefits. At that time, I thought to myself "why not?" It is a startup so they may not be able to pay much and perhaps now is the time to at least weaken the barriers a bit and see how it works out. Compensation-wise, according to some people that work on the local recruitment scene, it is above-average and since I came from a specialized industry they estimate that it does sound interesting and something new indeed.

I was not promised the moon and the stars during my job offer but I think they missed to mention that there are limits to how high the sky will be. Something I only learned during my first week.

Very disappointing in my opinion. They talk about the usual corporate values, mission and vision, blah blah blah. Potentially, I can compare this to another Dilbert world.

I have a week to decide and I guess I need to concentrate more on observing what I should anticipate from this organization.

I remember reading or hearing something regarding something that most likely would be apt for this conundrum "It is my lime & I will squeeze it when I want to".

Archos 43

I tried crowdsourcing for an answer in the quest for my new PMP from a previous post.

A kind soul answered my query and pointed me to the Archos line. I probably chose Creative at first due to it being a brand name and of course, they were the pioneer of sound back  in the mid-90s.

After my first day at work, I thought I'd pop in to one of the shops and ask around. I found out that the specific model I was looking for is relatively new but I saw a glimpse of the Archos 5. A soon to be discontinued model that basically looks like the iPod touch.

I checked the unsealed box and it seems a better choice than the Creative Zen X-Fi2 that alternative PMP users have been hearing about. The Archos seems to match almost everything that I am looking for in the PMP. If it was readily available and a few hundred off the current prices I would have probably made an impulsive decision just like when I purchased my ASUS 1000HE netbook which I still hold dear.

I am going to email the distributor right now and see if it is available. I hope I get to touch before making the purchase!

Alternative PMPs - The Day My iPod Died

I just found out that my 4th Generation iPod Nano died.

While I felt a tinge of sadness but I think now is the time to find an underdog when it comes to Portable Music Players (PMP).

Here are some brands that I found out as an alternative to the Apple iPod as being the best in its class.

Archos

Creative
 
iRiver

Samsung

SanDisk

I am thinking the following features should be available in search of that PMP:

• Full video, picture, audio support on both proprietary and open alternative formats
• MTP support on most sync software found in both Windows and Linux,
• 24 hours battery life when in continuous playing mode
• USB and WiFi support for synching data and installation of apps (latter could be waived)
• Small and thin form factor
• Digital recording function 
• Support for 3.5 mm connectors

So far, Creative is on top of my list. I have yet to explore which models are fit  for my needs. I'll have to research a bit more and get some ideas. It looks like I'll be thinking more during trips than just let wind vibrations distract and capture the attention of my brain!

Happy Days - An Evolution Of A Generation

'Happy Days' actor who played Mr. Cunningham dies - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos


When I first heard this I have always wondered what it would have been like to be there witnessing a generation change the world through free-thinking ideas. The Happy Days series was one of those shows you tend to keep close to your heart as it changes the way you view things.


I remember watching the show on an old colored TV with bad RF reception as Richie Cunningham and his gang going through the motions of American puberty growing up in the 50s. I must say that the 50s was a decade of innocence. Nearing the end of the decade, this generation started to question the necessity of conforming and realized individualism and innovation as the new "cool".


In my personal opinion, some time between the 50s and the 60s was where the term "being cool" became popular as the urge for individualism and being different in a socially acceptable level rose to be what defined their generation.


It would have been nice to be there and be part of the grassroots movement of coining the term cool in a global scale. 


According to Wikipedia there is a timeline of cool:

For what it's worth, Thanks to the Happy Days gang for allowing us to remember how it was like to be innocent and documenting what it was like to be part of a generation that has freed us from the shackles of conformity and promoting individualism.


I certainly hope that future generations will take the better characteristics of individualism and conformity and unite them to form a better society than we have now.