the practical PC

Counterfeit Nokia BP-4L Battery?

bursky — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 03:55:21 +0000

I needed to replace my BP-4L battery so I bought one from those mall stalls. It’s one thing that they admit that they only sell imitation electronics and gadgets but it’s a different matter when you pass-off something as “original” or a genuine product when it’s really not. We hear this often as “Class A” products.

I bought this one and was told that this was “original” from Nokia. I had my doubts so I still haggled with the price a little. After opening and comparing my original BP-4L with the one from the box, it was somehow pretty evident that they were just after my money. Here are some shots I took for you to compare:

Although it may not seem fair because I’m comparing one battery that came with my Nokia phone with a replacement battery, I would think that Nokia produces the same batteries with their genuine enhancements/accessories and would differ very slightly from the ones pre-packed in the units they are selling.

First sign was the label. If you’ve heard of RTFM when having a problem, you should RTFL (label) when buying stuff. Or maybe that’s just my way of saying “Read the Fine Print” I hope you don’t buy stuff like this anytime soon.

By the way, Happy Holidays!

Codeacademy: getting you started with JavaScript

bursky — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 08:43:32 +0000

Programming is an essential part of learning computers. You won’t be learning just about computer hardware — that’s what technicians are for. To be a computer “scientist”, you have to learn software and how to code. Though not in exactly in the “scientific research” category, JavaScript is one language you can use to learn about how to communicate to your computer. Codeacademy.com gives 8 easy interactive lessons for you to get started with the basics of programming using JavaScript.

Having had only a college degree and some basics of computer programming, I must say that codeacademy.com has a good interface for the user. Instructions are on the left side of the website with a big console in the middle. I don’t think it’s meant to be customizable so you can’t change it into your own console theme (green on black ala-The Matrix or plain white on black) but it serves its purpose. You can “Run” and “Save” and edit your code. However, I’m not sure if you need a compiler for JavaScript or it’s built in. Do you really just “Run” a program straight from code? Well, the console shows you errors so I guess it’s pre-compiled. But I’m just an amateur so I don’t think the person who’s trying to learn to code shouldn’t be thinking about that yet. And that’s a good thing.

In about an hour, I finished the “tutorial”. I was hoping for more lessons but alas, there were none. Codeacademy was hoping for more lessons as well and gave me a notification about writing lessons for other computer languages! I sure hope the community would grow and be of help to those who, just like me, want to discover or re-discover the joys of programming.

being on Google+

bursky — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 03:09:02 +0000

I’m really not into social networking but I do have a handful of blogs, I read a lot of blogs, and I also have (yes, I’m going to say it) Facebook. But before Facebook was launched there was Friendster. I had that too but it’s dead now so… and I still have Multiply. I *tried* myspace but i was always spammed with hot girl pictures whom I suspect to be actually 200-pound middle-aged ladies in some foreign country. To say the least, myspace was “too American” for my taste.

And now, Google has come up with Google+. I honestly think this is a re-thought Google Wave + Buzz. Geeks working inside Google must’ve been thinking individually about their passions that’s why these came along separately. Facebook had nothing to work on except for a social networking base so they piled them into that platform. So I guess that worked for Facebook and then Google, not wanting to be a copycat, didn’t directly want to compete with Facebook but that was inevitable IMO.

A couple of days with Google+ has not been all rosy and cheery. I don’t like the size of fonts, images posted, and spacing. Makes me grow muscles on my index finger having to scroll down after every 2 posts by my friends! But what I do like is the way they notify you and how you can respond to them on the Notification window/drop-down menu itself. Saves loading time! And I get to format text on my statii. (isn’t the plural of status statii? )

So right now, the more I use Google+, the more I am attracted. But I’m not ready to jump ship yet.

tpPC Top Tip: When in doubt, fire up that Virtual Machine

bursky — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 02:28:55 +0000

image from here.

Some people like me are just too curious (or too nosy) with stuff they find. Most of the time, those things that have a sense of mystery about them are the most intriguing and you just can’t wait to open them up. Much like Pandora’s Box… and just like the same box, it sometimes holds stuff that we actually DON’T want like malware or viruses. So before you open that Flash disk or CD or DVD you found in the office, get a virtual machine first and disable all access features. This is what Lifehacker suggests after reading an study conducted by the Department of Homeland Security on government employees.

Virtual machines are now easier to find and install. If you have Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate, you can get run Virtual PC, otherwise you’ll have to look for something like VirtualBox. It’ll be worth the trouble for you and your company.

But if you have someone you hate at the office, use his or her PC instead. Haha!

well, it’s been quite a while

bursky — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 07:39:53 +0000

I never realized I haven’t been posting anything here for over a year. Maybe because I didn’t find time or find anything really interesting to post. Or maybe because I’m just another douche bag. Who knows?

I just got interested again in tech blogging, but because I’m not tied to any agency or company that reviews technology nor do I have any background about the new media and stuff, I guess no one would be willing to hire me just yet or listen to make any credible reviews or be invited to product launches. I still get influenced mainly by what I hear or see from other bloggers, not from personal experience of new technology. I usually just get to review stuff I buy, not those things that companies give away to professional bloggers for free. (I really must be dreaming of this that’s why I blog! LOL)

Can I be credible? Can I be impartial? Can I be fair in judging products? Will you hire me if I promise to do those things? (shameless!) WHAT? I’m being practical! LOL

How I stopped Windows 7 RC from restarting…but

bursky — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:10:36 +0000

It’s already March 18 and the trial period for Windows 7 RC expired weeks ago. I’ve had the unfortunate fate of not being able to afford (yet) Windows 7 Ultimate. So Windows kept on restarting after every 2 hours. Right smack in the middle of me working on unsaved documents and spreadsheets and programs!!!

So while I’m saving up for my Windows 7, my temporary solution is to set my PC date back to January of this year with the same day. Now I just have to keep in mind that it’s March, not January.

But this technique doesn’t go without any problems. I’ve had security certificate problems, log-in problems on Firefox and bookmarks/RSS don’t update. A quick fix albeit tedious task to recover from RSS that don’t update is to adjust your date in the morning to TODAY and then refresh your RSS and then set it back to an earlier date.

Getting GRUB back after a Windows Reinstall

bursky — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:04:33 +0000

Windows can sometimes be a pain. It’s a good thing Linux is out there. Unfortunately, when Windows messes up (which is often), it takes Linux with it sometimes. boo…

XP was getting really slow at the office. So I jumped the gun and decided to shoot it in between the eyes (figuratively speaking of course) and had to reinstall it. I have a dual-boot machine which has Ubuntu on the other side by the way. And after the reinstall, XP assumed that it was the only thing in existence… Superiority complex? (doh)

So I had to get back my Ubuntu! I want it back coz it’s pretty! Besides, I want to discover what’s 9.10 is all about. heehee… Fortunately, The How-To Geek comes to the rescue. The following is just a reworded version:

First, boot from a Live CD. Run Terminal and type the following:

sudo grub

grub starts here and you type the following inside grub:

find boot/grub/stage1

#(this’ll show you what to type in the next line. It basically searches where grub was installed in the ‘old’ system.)

root (hd0,0)

#(assuming that grub is in hd0,0. change this according to the location with the find command)

setup (hd0)
quit

Then restart your system without the LiveCD. DONE!

GWave Experience so far…

bursky — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:52:28 +0000

I was not really interested with the reinvention of the e-mail by Google a.k.a. Wave. What I understood from the stuff I’ve been seeing everywhere online is that it’s a collaborative tool for people online. It’s how e-mail ‘should have been invented’ if it were done in the 21st century. And I see the potential and can see how this is a great idea… But by limiting the number of ‘testers’, this becomes a big drawback for Wave.

I recently got an invite. And I’m like, “What now?”

I have only 2 contacts on Google Wave so far. And they’re not exactly my ‘collaborators’ in anything in particular… We can chat real-time. But that’s what an IM is for. I can’t write them any email because Google Wave IS NOT email even if you have a @googlewave.com account. All I can send them are waves. But I don’t want to send them waves!

And then, those people that I (somehow) *need* to collaborate with, I can’t invite. Because Wave is currently on ‘preview’. So that’s just what I can do with Wave right now. PREVIEW it!

An idea just popped in my head right now. You know what Google Wave will be perfect for? It’s digging for old conversations and fights you had with your girlfriend or boyfriend and then responding to that wave. heeeheee… I’m sure soon enough, one of you will be waving ‘goodbye’ to the other…

Linux needs a Windows 7/OS X make-over

bursky — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:21:46 +0000

OK. i’m happy with Ubuntu being free. I’m really happy that great effects are achievable through packages such as CompizFusion. But isn’t it about knowing how to get the effects you want — it’s GETTING them and liking them, out of the box.

I think Linux is now in a position to say where it’s going to take free and open-source software-(FOSS) desktop computers with functionality and design in mind. We like the functionality. We love how it can do things and sometimes how Linux does them better. But mostly, the things that attract people to Windows 7 and Mac OS X are those that make people say “WOW! I don’t think I can live without that effect/feature!” Sadly, Linux is more catered to the technically-inclined people. Smart people. Don’t you think those on the other side need to be ‘saved’ as well?

Well, yeah. Linus (yeah. We’re friends. First-name basis. ) mentioned how Linux became a bloated “penguin” that it has so much stuff on it now. But I guess that’s what needs to be done if you’re going after the other senses and a larger market.

It’s like buying a car. Two cars. Same engine, same features — ceramic brakes, leather seats, air bags… Both can take you from point A to point B. But you choose the Ferrari Red color ’cause black is boring. Add a SatNav and talking woman. Add great speakers. It weighs the car down but it will sell! And those people smart enough are getting Linux are those that have the hardware and know how to maximize its use buy adding the “SatNav” and the “great speakers” by themselves. I think Linux should put them in immediately and put it in a wonderful showroom so everyone will watch out for it.

I think the same article cited above also sees how ‘slim’ Linux is compared to the 2 dominant OSes today. So it’s like comparing RAM requirements of 1998 and 2006. Right now, desktop PCs having Terabytes of space and Gigabytes of RAM, most Linux distributions are pretty slim. And pretty useful. Now, should we let all those resources ‘go to waste’ by just being there? It’s time to use ‘em up. MAXIMIZE them, NOT exploit them.

===

What I’m ultimately targeting with this one are the simple first-time users of PCs. It’s my wish for my grandma to use a Linux PC with no problems. That’s what I’m wishing for the Linux distros. Win 7 and OS X are pretty successful with it. My prayer is for the same to happen on Linux. For older hardware, there already are ‘ultra slim’ Linux distros. So i guess that answers the ‘fatso’ issue with Linux. This post was inspired also by Lifehacker.

Why buy a PSU when your case already is supplied with one?

bursky — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 06:09:00 +0000

It’s been generally an issue, most specially with those building budget-PCs, is the PSU. Often, this component of the computer gets overlooked. Yes, you buy a neat motherboard, the best ‘bang for the buck’ AMD processor (sorry Intel, I like AMDs) and RAM, and yet, you settle for your PC case’s bundled Power Supply Unit (PSU). Now, lemme see… If I were an ordinary user, I don’t think I’ll ever use up all the 500Watts that the PSU ‘can handle’. But if you’re a gamer, an overclocker, or a performance user, then it would be easy to gobble up all the 500 Watts (which is actually just about 300 Watts if you really test your PSU). But is is just that?

If on the practical (cheap) side, then yeah… I’d say stick to the PSU you have. I used my Pentium 133 until it was dead and the PSU never conked-out on me. But I guess back then, they still made quality “generic” PSUs. I’m not sure anymore with today’s fast production and surplus and poor quality assurance and the misleading labels.

Now, which PSU to get? For the regular desktop user with a few games on the side (like myself), 500Watts gives you enough legroom for expansion (a RAM, HDD and GPU upgrade could be next). If you can spend a few hundred bucks on that new nVidia 9500, try getting more peace of mind and buy a HEC Raptor first.