Thursday, February 04, 2016
BlackBerry Z30 Screen Replacement + PhilPost Rant

Screen replacement successful! After a month of having no proper phone, here's what I learned:

1. Say NO to PhilPost. I have waited over a month just for my package to arrive and I've went to so much trouble just to track my package. They forwarded me to multiple offices, no one answers when I phone, etc.
2. Make sure you pick the correct item -- one that doesn't require you to manually remove your old screen from its bezel where it's firmly glued damaging some parts of the bezel in the process because the one you bought didn't come with its own bezel (should've done my research sigh)
3. Do the fixing yourself. It's really not as difficult as it seems. Find some tutorials on YouTube if you're unsure. It could save you a lot of money.
4. Lastly, having no proper phone for a month isn't all that bad. Sure, it gets frustrating when you can't easily browse the Web or access your Password Keeper, but then you get to spend more time on the real world and appreciate the important things in life :)

Labels: Blackberry, DIY, PhilPost, rants, Screen Replacement, Z30

4:50 PM

Saturday, January 23, 2016
Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga 14 20FY (Yoga 460): Best Laptop Ever (for what it's worth)

This is frankly the best laptop I've owned.My previous laptops were an HP Pavilion TX2000 and a Lenovo Ideapad S3 netbook.
I'm not an artist, but I just prefer to always have the option to use an active pen so I always include it in my criteria when buying a PC.
First of all, I'd like to say how absolutely thrilled I was when this thing's price went down from an already reasonable $999.99 to a whopping low price of $699.99! It was only for a day. Good thing I was able to accidentally find out about it and immediately request for a price match from Best Buy. The process was seamless and I got my $200 back after approximately just 3 days ($200 instead of $300 because I purchased it on sale for $899.99). I'm just so ecstatic about the savings! Somebody even mentioned in the forums that it's practically lower than manufacturing costs.

Anyway, on to the real review of the 2-in-1:

It's nothing short of spectacular.
Screen - I thought this would be an issue because of some of the complaints in forums, but it turns out to be really amazing. More so because those complaints might have lowered my expectations. But I find it really easy on the eyes. It's not too bright at highest setting, but I don't mind as long I can still perfectly view my screen even with direct sunlight on it. I never even put my devices on highest brightness setting anyway.

Keyboard & Trackpoint - It's the boss. It doesn't look as sleek as those in Macs but it's definitely easier to type on. I thought I wouldn't be using the trackpoint as I've never tried one before but it turns out to be a really intelligent design. I find myself using it more and more everyday. It saves me time because my fingers wouldn't have to travel so far from the keyboard when navigating the screen.

Speed - Yes, it's superfast. I haven't even toyed with the settings yet, but right out of the box, I never experience any lags. The bootup takes less than 5 seconds.

Touchpad - Great, responsive, spacious, no issues whatsoever. Doesn't jump or scroll too fast in Chrome like some of the complaints. Maybe because the drivers are already updated.

USB ports - It is advertised to come with 1 USB 3.0 and 2 USB 2.0 ports but there are actually 3 USB 3.0 ports (1 of which is always on, meaning you can charge your mobile devices through it even when the PC is off). It's a mistake I'm not complaining about. :)
Also, it's not heavy but it's definitely not as light as I thought it was. I read in the forums that the weight advertised (3.85lbs) is wrong and the actual weight is actually (4.1lbs).

Power - I haven't stress tested this thing yet, but I never experienced any issues so far when running multiple programs. I've run around 5-6 medium-to-heavy programs without problems. I also saw a video about someone running 10 programs all at once, half of which were heavy ones, and there were no issues so I have high hopes for this.

Touchscreen - I honestly don't know how to rate this. As long as I have no problems with it then I'm fine.

Pen - Haven't toyed much with this thing yet. I find that palm rejection isn't that good but fair enough. It could very well be just user error. Also, pressure sensitivity is working well. I'm only using the Corel Painter Essentials 5 that came free with the Intel Starter Pack in testing this though.

Overall user experience is 10/10. I couldn't be any happier with my purchase. It's a laptop that is packed with features yet doesn't fall short in performance and power. Definitely worth even more than the retail price of $999. :)

10:09 PM

Wednesday, January 16, 2013
FOR SIKAY

01.16.13

Hi, Sikay!

If you got here, then I guess my QR code message was readable enough for your Samsung Galaxy S3. It's no BB10, but it's a great phone, nevertheless. Haha. Anyway, I brought you here because I couldn't fit my message into a few lines to put on a fan sign. And also, to demonstrate the cool uses of QR codes. Pretty neat, right?

So...

I guess the inevitable has finally arrived. You're now leaving your NSP family in search for greener pastures. We understand you, though, and we respect your decisions. I just want you to know that you have been a great inspiration to me, (and probably to a lot more people, I just can't speak for them). So far, we've been teammates in all the projects I've been part of since I got deployed, and I could definitely say I've learned a lot of useful things from you, both project and non-project related. I look up to you in a number of ways especially since it's comforting to find a mentor with a similar degree. And not just because of that, either. You've also imparted to us a variety of techniques that shall prove to be useful in our stay here in NSP.

I'm sure you'll do great in whatever you do. If and/or when things go rough, you know who to call -- Ramil. If the problem's Ramil (hopefully NOT!), then there's always Fiona, or your best buddies. But if you're feeling kinda adventurous and want an alternative, you can also count on me. I'm not saying I'd be much of a help. I'm just saying. HAHAHA.

This is getting boring, I know. (If it wasn't already boring from the start.)

So thank you, again, for everything.

This isn't goodbye, but AU REVOIR -- till we meet again...

---

Nice

P.S. Weird kaayo jd ky mka-english lgi jd ko'g ahat basta post2 or bsag simple lng na msg2...
Poser ra kaayo? HAHA

12:21 AM

Saturday, January 21, 2012
My "BERRY" Long-Awaited BERRY :)

First of all, I have to inform you that this is a very late post. I was going to post about this last December but never got the opportunity to. :( Anyway, here's the news!

I JUST GOT THE BLACKBERRY CURVE 9360!!!

I have been waiting for this since forever! I even used "The Secret" just to increase my chances of acquiring this phone. And get this, I even got to the point where I pretend that the flyers I got from the stores are real phones. Yes, I got THAT crazy!

Good thing, I'm past that now. :) It's been 23 days since I got hold of the unit, and what can I say, it's The ONE. I love my phone so much I don't know how I'll be able to let go of it when the time would come. But that's still a looooong time away since I got my phone with a Service Plan from Sun Cellular which has a lock-in period of 30 months.

I had thought it through and I came to a conclusion that it was quite a good deal, never mind the longer-than-usual lock-in period. For only Php999.00/month, I get to have:

UNLIMITED Call & Texts Sun-to-Sun
UNLIMITED BlackBerry Service (BBM, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare)
UNLIMITED Mobile Internet (I get to stream music and videos, tether my phone to my laptop, use my phone as a mobile hotspot to share my internet connection to up to 5 wifi-enabled devices without worrying about extra charges)
AND A FREE PHONE!!!

Although, I actually did not opt to get the free phone which was the BlackBerry Curve 9300 at that time (though it's already a great blackberry in my opinion) because I thought the newer handset which was the BlackBerry Curve 9360 priced at Php16,990.00 in the market would prove to be a good investment because I get to have it instead for just Php6,500.00. Even better, it's payable in 6 mos. 0% interest via accredited credit cards! The good stuff just keep on flowing! :)

I'll leave it here this time, even though I so badly want to brag about the phone's endless wonderful features! :)) BB-haters not allowed here!

P.S. I'll post pictures soon enough!

Labels: 9360, bbm, Blackberry, cellular, Curve, phone, sun

8:31 PM

Sunday, December 25, 2011
3 Online Holiday Gifts at No Cost for the Giver

It's the Holiday Season! Know what that means?! PRESENTS!!! But wait, have you got anything for your loved ones? Well, for those of you who haven't gotten anybody presents yet, and are EXTREMELY tight on their budget (i.e. allow only a maximum of Php 0.00 as gift cost), I present to you my ultimate Holiday Rush Remedy! Ta-daaaa!!!!

1. Dedicate a Star to Someone

This is one gift that is absolutely lasting. What better way to remind that somebody of how special they are to you not only during Christmas season, but every night when they look up at the sky and remember that special gift you gave to them eons of years ago. Bonus: If ever you're both far from each other, that one star just might make you feel closer to each other just by thinking that no matter how far apart you are, both of you can see the same star at the same time!
Among the sites I know that allow you to do this at no cost are Staracle and Name A Galaxy. Plus, they even allow you to print your very own Star Certificate! :)

2. Send them Christmas Songs that Feature their Name

Hip Hop Grams allows you to send hip hop holiday songs to your love ones that feature their names in it. You just type in your name, email address, pick out recipient's name from the choices, provide recipient's email address, and voila! Holiday obligation completed. :) Unfortunately though, not all names are available.

3. Donate to Fake Charity under their Name

Alright. This one's pretty nasty. But it's just entirely for fun - not meant to ruin anyone's holiday. :) The concept is simple. You pick 1 from 6 charities to donate to, provide necessary information (e.g. your name, friend's name, amount to donate, dedication, etc), and you're done. Link: Care4Less

Furthermore, these sites allow you to give your loved ones from across the miles gifts in just a few clicks! What perfect way make everybody happy this Christmas! :)

Hope you enjoyed this post, and stay tuned for more random clever (or maybe just plain weird) ideas from yours truly! :p

Labels: christmas, free, fun, gifts, holiday, ideas, presents

12:08 AM

Friday, October 22, 2010
You didn't have to! But I'm glad you did! :D

"Gifts are most special when they're given on a NOT-so-special occasion. :)"

Today, I received something totally unexpected from someone totally unexpected. I'm not gonna disclose names here so it's up to you to keep guessing who exactly I'm referring to. Nothing could describe stuff better than photos so I'll skip all the chit-chat and jump right to them:

It's the 3rd book from the Airhead Trilogy by Meg Cabot! I've already read the first book. I've already downloaded a copy of the 2nd one and I'm about to read it. The only thing missing is the 3rd. That is, until now. I am just so so happy! What can I say, the timing is just too perfect! :)

I've been waiting for this for quite some time already. I know you spent a fortune on this. Thank you so much! You know who you are. :)

Labels: gifts, happiness, new

1:06 AM

Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Letter to Four One One

***, these past few days, it seemed as if my entire world revolved around you. But I'm glad everything between us will be over by tomorrow. At exactly 11 in the morning. Thank you for the memories...the experiences...I'll never look back. No bitterness. No regrets. Just a feeling of relief that once and for all, the agony you've imparted to me, will no longer be anything but a memory.

[letter to four one one]

Keypad Decoder with LCD Control

LCD showing the output

Control unit of the circuit

Labels: academics, college, pressure, project, school

10:02 PM

Monday, October 18, 2010
College Survival Kit

College is definitely one of the toughest times in a person's life. Aside from it being the confusing stage of young adulthood wherein you're too old to be considered a youngster yet too young to be considered an adult, it's also the stage when academic pressure is at its peak. It's the last period of our FORMAL education (not considering graduate programs), hence, we almost always find ourselves pushing our abilities to their limits fearing that we'd "break it" instead of "make it". I know. I'm making college sound like hell. But it's not that bad. Trust me. There are a lot of ways we can get through it without losing our sanity at the same time.

How? Let me share to you some of the stuff I've used for quite some time already (others, I discovered just recently) to make my academic life a boon instead of a threat:

Note: to access and/or download the following, just click on their names.

INFORMATION-GATHERING TOOLS:

Google - I know! Too obvious. And too popular. But it's just too useful not to be included in this list. So...here it is. At number 1, even.
Gigapedia - almost every book you need is in this site! Their database contains mostly educational books. But a lot of teen fiction books can be downloaded here as well. You, however, need to have a Google Account to register. Best of all, it's free!
Academic Earth - contains a fairly prodigious amount of video courses from leading universities (Harvard, MIT, Stanford, etc.). View them all for FREE! (A great academic replacement for YouTube. HAHA.)
uTorrent - best torrent downloader! a very lightweight application. search torrent files (ANY FILE TYPE) from torrent websites and download them here. Best of all, you can pause, resume, and allow files to be automatically downloaded at startup! :D

PERSONAL TOOLS:

OneNote - a member of the Microsoft Office collection. It's like a notebook only you can do a whole LOT more. It is most especially interesting for tablet pc users as it has full tablet functionality. You can write mathematical formulas with your own handwriting, record lectures while typing/writing, capture screen clippings in a few clicks, organize your notes like in a binder, convert tablet-written text into typed text, draw stuff, paste pictures in your notes, search for text in pictures or words in notes, create diagrams/flowcharts, share notes, password-protect notes, and so much more! What I like most about it is that I can rearrange my notes by simple "dragging and dropping" according to my liking. Like when I mis-estimate the amount of space I need for a particular note. Most importantly, you'll never run out of space! No need to buy notebooks, papers, nor bring several different notebooks to class! You're saving mother earth and at the same time, saving yourself a lot of effort and time! Note: OneNote now supports mobile devices like iPod Touch, iPhone, Android-powered devices, Windows Mobile devices, etc. The only drawback is that it's NOT for free.
Notepad++ - WAY better version of notepad. Try doing your programming stuff here and you'll never look at programming the same way again. HAHA. That's not entirely true. But whatever. HAHAHA.

COMMUNICATION AND SHARING TOOLS:

Box - A very reliable and secure file hosting site. You get 1Gb of free space upon sign up. Direct linking is not allowed, however.
Skype - it has better video call functionality than the Yahoo Messenger. Plus, it has several other features YM doesn't have. One is the capability to share your desktop to the other person. Quite handy, I should say, especially when you'd like to show something to the other end.
Dropbox - (this I came across just recently.) UGH! I seriously wish I'd known of it sooner. Best for group projects. Reduced our project-making time in half, if not more. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS THING! Upon signup, you get a free 2Gb of space where you can store, sync, and share your files. The thing is it automatically backs up any file you store in the "My Dropbox" folder in your PC. You'll never find yourself doing the following ever again:

drive back home to retrieve documents you accidentally left
scream in anger because you accidentally deleted or edited a file
use USB flash drives to transfer files
use email attachments to save files
use email attachments to share files
schedule and do manual file backups
inform your groupmates that you've updated a file and sent it to them.

Yup! That's how truly AMAZING Dropbox is. I simply say "amazing" because I lack the vocabulary to accurately describe how Dropbox was able to dramatically change my life and prolly the lives of millions of other Dropbox users, including my groupmates, as well.

TeamViewer - another application I was able to use just recently. It allows you remotely control the desktop of another user, view their desktop, transfer/share files, and a lot more. Granted you have their permission of course.
MyPhoneExplorer - (for Sony Ericsson users only) A great tool to control your cellphone through your PC. Connection is established through bluetooth, usb cable, or infrared. You can do almost anything you'd be able to do on a phone such us compose and send messages, make calls, and manage files. You can even backup up your messages, notes, contacts, files, etc! :D I find this especially useful when dealing with groupmates without internet connection while doing our projects. Typing my message thru my laptop instead saves me a significant amount of time.

These are all I can remember for now. Please check this out again as I will be updating this list from time to time. Thanks and Godspeed! :D

Labels: academics, college, cool, new, pressure, problems, project, school

2:05 AM

Monday, May 10, 2010
I'm for GORDON

i was never for noynoy. i had it down to gordon and gibo. and i chose gordon in the end because i have no reservations when it comes to him. he CAN DELIVER. and he has the most realistic platform. he gives specifics. unlike others who merely brainwash the people with their advertisements claiming to be righteous and whatever without even laying out their platforms. the closest we get are vague descriptions of what they WISH to do which can't even be considered a platform, in my opinion. with gordon, i feel at ease because i've researched well and saw that he was able to deliver the best he can given the situation. he doesn't back out from anything. if he sees a problem, he solves it. he doesn't do stuff only when people are watching or the media is covering it which means he's truly sincere with his work. he may have personal reasons for running but that's okay as i'm sure all the others have too. but among the candidates, he's the most qualified. why would we risk voting for the candidate who's promising to make BIG changes for this country when we have someone (GORDON) who has already done these BIG changes? he's tried and tested. he's already proven himself. that's why i wouldn't regret voting for him, whether he wins or not. plus, later on, i get the satisfaction that i wouldn't bring with me the guilt of not voting for him and voting for the lesser evil candidate who's more likely to win just to prevent the more evil candidate from winning. that may be practical but that doesn't mean it's right. And I'm opting for RIGHT. So, Gordon FTW!

10:03 PM

Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Removing Vocals from Audio Files through Cool Edit Pro 2.0

*another repost from my previous blog*

Want to remove vocals from an audio file but don't know how? Here's a simple tut for you:

1. Open Cool Edit Pro 2.0.

*if you haven't yet installed Cool Edit Pro 2.0, see previous post below.

2. Insert your audio file. In the menu bar, choose insert>wave from file(if it's in .mp3, .wav, or .wma extension) then choose the file you want to open.

*if you can't see your file, choose "All Files (*.*)" in the drop-down menu that appears when you click the "Files of Type" dialog box.

3. Now that you have your audio file ready, press F12 on your keyboard or click

to switch to edit view.

4. Next, press SHIFT+ALT+V on your keyboard.

5. Preview your music. Most (if not all) of the lead vocal in your music should've been removed by now.

6. Save your file. Go to File>Save as, then type your desired file name and choose the file type that is most suitable. I suggest using .wav for clearer copy, and .mp3 for a more compressed format in case you intend to send the file to someone.

Have fun editing!!!

Labels: audio, cool, edit, removing, vocals

8:59 PM

Free Cool Edit Pro 2.0 (Adobe Audition 2.0) Full Version

*reposted from my previous weblog*

I finally managed to download a full version of Cool Edit Pro 2.0 for FREE without the hassle of searching through Google™ for cracks, serials, etcetera! Here's what you should do: 1. Download the demo version of the software from either 1 of these 2 links:

External Mirror 1
External Mirror 2

2. Download the Cool Edit Pro 2.0 registration setup here:

External Mirror

3. Run the file "cepsetup.exe". 4. Run "cep2reg.exe". 5. When prompted for license key, use this information:

(Note: highlight area (or press Ctrl+A) to view information)
Name:Peter Quistgard

Serial #:200-00-37YQOQ7L

Tadaa!!!

Your registered Cool Edit Pro 2.0 should be fully working by now.

8:55 PM

Friday, September 25, 2009
The Pressure is Mine.

It's been 5 days now since we last worked on our project. And the progress is nada. Zero. Zilch. I can't get myself to feel excited about something I totally have zero knowledge about. Plus, I was born in an era where "boredom" is seldom experienced, given the wide variety of leisure choices. I feel really sorry for my partner. She's stuck with some lazy person who can't even seem to focus on a particular thing. And what's worse, I'm stuck too. Just stuck. Usually, I tend to be able to figure things out the moment I see them. But no matter how hard I scrutinize the "stuff", I can't seem to figure out how it's done. Either I'm just putting too much pressure on myself or I really am this dumb. Umm. I'll choose the former.

God bless us. We're supposed to pass a fully-working program this Tuesday. Even worse, we have to actually know what we've done or act as if we know what we've done. Great.

LOCATION: PCB Lab

STATUS: Working on project. Supposedly.

Labels: academics, pressure, project, school

12:43 PM

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

What is going on with the world? As if being left by someone you like is not enough. Now I have to deal with yet another dilemma. Why does it have to happen now that I already know what I want - who I want, for that matter. Or so I think. I didn't know life could be this confusing. I seriously thought I can easily handle anything that comes my way, being the objective and logical person that I am. Seriously. I was one of those people who were unemotional and very detached from the world. And this is even supported by my sign, Aquarius. I used to be able to solve problems in a systematic and efficient manner. But now, it has come to the point that I don't even know where to start. At all. Give me a series of Math or Circuitry problems and I could very well choose to answer those than these of my own. I don't usually believe in signs. Though it may seem otherwise. But that's only because I tend to joke about being superstitious and all — believing in zodiac signs and the like. But that's only for fun. I am too sane for that. No offense to the believers. I have to admit, though, sometimes I just want to believe the things experts say about my personality as an Aquarian. That way, I might be able to convince myself that I really am logical. And that I can somehow give solutions to any problem the world throws at me. How I wish. But right now, I have to put this at the bottom of my priority list. There are so many more important things to bear in mind. Like my Electronics Eng'g. exam tomorrow, for example.

I love glue sticks!

Labels: confusion, problems, solutions

7:02 PM

Monday, September 21, 2009

I'm addicted to these...

Things to do:

finish Java Programming Project
cram for pre-final exams
look for income-generating opportunities
finally, stop wasting time, get dressed, and go home already so you can start whatever it is you need to do.

Hardwork has a future payoff. But hey, laziness pays off NOW. :)

Labels: laziness, procrastination

2:59 PM

skinned my site!

Labels: blog, blogger, new, skin

1:05 PM