subNet(142) - Hardware

I've got it!

Mon, 29 May 2006 01:12:49 +0800

Finally, I've got my new eye candy. More on the technical evaluation later. I'll have some fun with it first!

LCD that's bigger than your desk...

Sun, 30 Apr 2006 03:07:44 +0800

I don't want to be seduced again by consumerism but Dell LCDs are on bloody sale on the street - USD840 for 1920x1200 24". As researched earlier, the 20" model was said to be having the same panel as the Apple Cinema (both from Philips). I would guess it's the same for the 24 and 30 inches babes. However, note that even though with the same panel, the internal circuits might make a difference between the two in neck-to-neck comparison (from CNet).

Mini-ITX

Sun, 26 Feb 2006 14:13:34 +0800

I used to go to a small cafe nearby the office for checking personal e-mails at lunch. Well, not all companies allow staffers to use webmail in the office. As usual, those were Windows PC powerful enough for you to play 3D games. Actually, it was just too powerful so a lot of patrons just went ahead to install their own messenger software, toolbars, etc. It didn't make me feel comfortable because there might be spyware or keyloggers installed as well!

Keyboards are disgusting

Wed, 18 Jan 2006 23:34:22 +0800

I know that software is a dirty business, but never thought that dirty...

From the Slashdot - A test carried out by Pegasus Lab on account for Swedish magazine PC För alla showed that a normal PC keyboard was infected by more bacteria than a normal toilet seat...

(A robotic Swedish-to-English translation. Very neat translation indeed, for a robot...)

The "new" iPod?

Tue, 27 Sep 2005 02:44:29 +0800

Perhaps, albeit dated 1954...

What had happened today, 3 interesting news in one day? My last observation - ladies and gentlemen, the next generation of iPod

What would Robinson Crusoe think?

Tue, 27 Sep 2005 01:23:52 +0800

估值780億智利小島發現史上最大寶藏 | Robot reveals $10bn treasure haul

The greatest loss of Robinson is not his 4 years of captivation in the island, but his oversight of the world's greatest treasure just beneath his feet...

Say no to consumerism

Sun, 18 Sep 2005 22:06:08 +0800

Today, I bought 2 shirts and a pair of pants out of necessity (I can’t go to work in nude, somehow). Not quite sure since when, I’ve become very practical - I only buy what I need, not more, not less.

In the old days, gear was all that I care. I used to buy the latest and greatest, even though it would only be used for a week (then another new toy popped up to the mind). Needless to say, I was one of those nerds who help push the GDP up a few %, at the expense of one’s own pension.

..3. Bob Moog, creator of music synthesizer, dies at 71

Wed, 14 Sep 2005 22:41:48 +0800

(From The Archive, e-mail in 2005 Aug. Re-formatted for re-post.)

NY Times News Link (free membership logon required)

Perhaps my own mourning only. Moog was the father of (analog) synthesizer. I started with digital sampling synthesizers in 1994 so it's well before my time. A bit before that, in 1985, I started with FM (Frequency Modulation) synthesizer which was a concept evolved from Moog's pure sine/triangle waves addition/subtraction method. FM was also a brilliant idea because it could produce waves that were so complex that you would literally need a few hundred oscillators to produce with the Moog's method. However, this complex wave forms were also its drawbacks - it was just too complicated to master and therefore creativity remained in the hands of a few top sound designers only. So, most musicians would only use the factory presets bundled with the Yamaha DX syns, and yes, DX was once so hot that every band would have one.