Touchdown: NASA rover Curiosity lands on Mars

This 1 ton rover is NASA’s pride once more. It’s a big day for the people of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laband to be honest if I am one of the staff, I would simply look up and think of galaxy like a bus ride away. The technology employed in this earthling machine is tremendously awesome and all I could think of is absolute amazement as to how advance American scientists are. It is good to know that we’ve traveled far in the galaxy but I’m somehow afraid after watching Battlefield 2012 movie which clearly depicts the possible dangers of inviting extraterrestrials. I just hope there are no Decepticons present in Mars as those rovers could be traced back to earth. If there is life on Mars then for now, we’ve invaded them by our androids. In the future, I hope I’m still alive to be able to make a vacation in one of Martian famous tourist spots.

More info on this link.

 

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Till next time.

Getting organized in the Linux world!

This is a sort of personal note because I’ve been wasting precious hours in front of my computer which is by the way running on a Debian Gnu/Linux operating system. I don’t want to waste anymore time so I’ve decided to take note of all the things I’ve done to have a fast and stable Linux powered laptop in case of another screw up. I’ve been using Linux for a while and I’ve done several re-installations because of the irreversible tweaks I made into my 5 year old laptop. It is a Compaq Presario 109TU which is powered by a 2Ghz Intel Pentium Dual Core CPU and a gigabyte of DDR2 RAM. It is a modest laptop but still exceeds the minimum requirements of a Linux operating system. The reason why I chose Debian is because of its known stability and having tried a multitude of Live Linux distributions, Debian is the only distribution that made my old laptop nimble enough to handle my daily tasks such as word processing, image editing, and a lot of web browsing.

There are important things to consider when running Debian. One is that it comes in three major flavors namely: 1) stable, 2) testing, and 3) unstable. The recommended version for beginners is the stable version and unstable for the brave of heart who are not afraid of possible data loss from misbehaving applications. The catch in the stable version is it uses a little bit outdated applications such as an older version of Firefox rebranded to Iceweasel. It is a major pain in the butt to use an outdated software because some of the tutorials available online are using either an even older version or the latest version of a specific application like Scribus and python. The only workaround is to build from the source which by now I’m capable of doing so, thanks to online forums and tutorials made by generous Debian and Ubuntu users. Thankfully, there is even a better and safer solution now to acquire new popular applications such as Iceweasel/Firefox via Debian backports repository. However, there is the latest release of Ubuntu which is based on Debian testing for the more adventurous type and for the joys Ubuntu brings to a new Linux comer.

The best Linux set-up is a simple set-up without any non-essential applications installed. I only install the applications I need and use daily such as the latest release of Iceweasel aka Firefox, nautilus-dropbox, Google Chrome, OpenOffice, and Scribus. Why use multiple internet browsers? It isn’t really by choice but some websites are optimized for a certain browser so using that specific browser is the reasonable choice.

To get things organized in the Linux world, you only need to use what you really need and master it. There is no best internet browser or best editor or best distribution, it all boils down to what you really want. Once you found it, stick with it. If things aren’t working as they seem, learn to make them work as Linux is known for a customized desktop experience.

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Till next time.

Man of Steel, redefined

Link

Man of Steel, redefined

Thanks to yahoo movies and iTunes trailers, I finally got a glimpse of the official teaser of the new Superman movie, “Man of Steel.” To all of us fans, I don’t need to introduce the dude in the red cape. Don’t expect the teaser to be filled with action though as it simply showed mild scenes depicting how Superman came to be but not a big deal as long as the fun is kept behind the covers. The teaser although mild mannered offered an exhilarating scene of the Man of Steel breaking the sound barrier and leaving jet trails behind him. I could only surmise the villain in the movie. Anyways, as long as it’s fun then go Superman. For sure I’ll watch this in the theaters to experience the new technology and sound effects employed in the movie production. If you’re going to watch this through a pirated disc, then get out of here! No offense to non-Superman fans, we all have our favorites.

The movie is said to be out on June 14, 2013.

 

Update:
I’ve been trying to find new teasers but so far, the original teaser is what I’ve got. Pardon me if you know a teaser from somewhere, I’ll be grateful if you share.

The Skitepolis Journal continues

Note to self. This blog hasn’t generated enough traffic but I’m going to continue to improve this blog. There are so many good blogs out there but I only salute the ones with the three things I’m trying to build on in blogging.

Originality. Nothing is sweeter than the original content upon which secondary interpretations are based.

Accuracy. Nothing is more annoying than inaccurate information. Disseminating incorrect knowledge is a crime to the collective human intellect. Blogging requires the mastery of one weapon that makes every blogger a blogger – grammar.

Fun. Internet is supposed to be informative and fun at the same time. Watching television is informative and fun at the same time. Reading print magazines is informative and fun at the same time. Reading a blog that is utterly boring is like reading a school textbook. Here comes the graphics to entice the brain with colors and shapes that matter to the senses just like watching television and reading magazines.

You should see these three things in this blog. I don’t have any excuses to write poorly so if you notice any typo and incorrect information please remind me by posting a comment or emailing me.

Owning a Smart Phone and not being a Smart Owner

I recently lost my phone to a professional thief and somehow I am thankful because the ass only took my phone and nothing else. He spared my wallet with expensive paperworks on it. That was a smart phone with all the whistles of android apps and globe telecom’s powerful internet connection. However, I’m not smart enough to lock it down completely and I even uninstalled the app that would enable me to trace it at such times. I somehow blocked it directly through NTC and whoever took it would find it useless except if they find a way to charge it and unlock it.

Philippines is such a messy country with cops and guards everywhere that does nothing but fool around not even able to catch and prevent crimes in populated places like MRT stations.

Poverty? I don’t blame poverty. We are just not brave enough to change ourselves. Who looks out for one another? None. Someone saw how the thief took my phone but they just shut up when they could have done something.

I am doing something great on my part. I am responsible and if there’s one thing I can do to make a difference, I don’t do drugs and I don’t throw my garbage in the streets and I don’t harm my neighbors in any way.

Update.

It has been over a year since the above incident. The method of choice to repel bad elements is to live simpler and under moderation. I learned quite a lot from this experience. It made me appreciate the little things I have like an old nokia phone that only failed because of a dead battery which is normal considering the number of years it served me. Looking at my PC which is 5 years old, I realized that I can give it new life as home server. Reuse, reuse, reuse as many environmentalists say. However, you can’t apply this principle in electronics. An old PC with a processor designed 6 years ago consumes four times the power required by newer processors. There are 8 watt PCs nowadays and allowing an old computer that consumes more power to continue running is itself a crime against the environment. Of course, that is only my opinion.

Cheers!

Yeah right, I want that Mac but wait, I like Windows as well…

 

I am using windows but I do like Mac a lot and to be able to experience Mac in my PC I even installed Ubuntu and configured it heavily to look and behave like Mac right from booting up to shutting down. I know my way around Mac and I highly appreciate the fact that Mac doesn’t need an anti virus. Yeah right, I said that. Mac will never need an anti virus as long as the users of Mac are kept at a minimum but I believe that when Mac universe grows bigger than windows then, why would the bad guys spend their time hacking their way on the diminishing windows population? It’s only a matter of time. Right now, windows still owns the bigger side of the OS market and as long as big Microsoft controls the OS market, bad guys will continue going after windows users. Mac looks elegant with the rounded scroll bars and everything but many of the applications people use on a daily basis are still running under windows. However, big Microsoft feels the need to give Mac users Microsoft Office. Many people are using Mac and many more are buying Mac for power and peace of mind and for signature tablets that looks even better on top of expensive coffee shops like Gloria Jeans, I don’t like Starbucks but no offense to the people who love to sit their ass under the seats of Starbucks, Gloria Jeans people – way to go, we are drinking the best coffee their is. It’s just about market and many people are tied to Microsoft Office not because of the name Microsoft but because of its great software that is Microsoft Office that has grown more secured and faster than its previous versions. The Microsoft Office 2010 looks like a native Mac app, thanks to Mac windows users can enjoy a little part of what the Mac population are enjoying every day. With my line of interest, I do want a Mac but it’s a pain in the pocket. I can have two powerful windows laptop for a single price of a Mac Book Pro. Later Mac when I have everything in place and if there’s a spare I will grab one of your flashy aluminum tablets.

My windows PC is always safe and if there’s a glitch I just spend a few seconds and one reboot is enough to keep it open for a longer time to do stuff without interruption or involvement on my part. Yeah right, and really my desktop is for heavy downloading purposes and I can have all the movies I want for free as long as the law in my country keeps me from downloading freely. I am only downloading legal movies though and I am no hacker so cops are not after my ass.

And by the way, as long as you know how to use windows systems you will never be threatened by computer bugs or security threats as long as you never share your computer to someone who doesn’t know anything about malwares, phishing sites, and false security alerts or someone unmindful of flashy banners and other interesting stuff. I am just using a native windows anti virus software but it’s always updated and my browsing habit is never a threat to my computer’s health. When I just want to browse unsecured sites I just run my favorite browser which is chrome under sandbox and I am free to click anything I want out of curiosity and I never keep anything left behind like cookies by simply cleaning up the sandbox folder. I still prefer windows for the moment considering my internet connection and the ease of downloads under internet download manager. There is so much more in windows than in a Mac and trust me when I say that. I have probed into a Mac and all I could see is elegance and simplicity but when it comes to ultimate freedom, windows is still the best.

The IT Journey – Part 2

Lately I have been thinking about what to do with my blogs. Yes, I do have a list of blogs that I don’t update anymore. I am trying to write something sensible and helpful to all but I couldn’t think of something that does that goal. I guess, I am left with this one blog about technology and some stuff and I am not even sure if I can organize things here. I am trying to find out the best way to earn a little something through blogging but it seems that no matter how hard I try I couldn’t do such a thing. Nonetheless, I do want to share how I end up with computer fascination. I never had a computer when I was in High School or in College. I simply rented computers in computer shops and I didn’t even know how to access websites by then. In the seminary, the computers simply got infected with a virus and one got stashed in the storage room leaving us with a few working computer for a large number of seminarians. I didn’t know how to fix a computer at that time and if I could go back in time, I could have fix a lot of computers and for no price at all. Time has changed and I am not in the seminary anymore. I left my congregation not because I didn’t like it or feared what life would be if I remained inside but because I feel that I have a different calling. I am happy now living with the most beautiful woman in the world whom I loved so much that one second of being far from her is like long years of waiting. I did not abandon my faith or the lessons I learned from the seminary – I continue to live by them.

The IT Journey is a beginning of probing deeper into my life and I am discovering more of myself in the process of tinkering with the computers. The funny part is I begin to think that life is like a giant computer so complicated that understanding its system is like the most impossible feat to an ordinary human being. Who wrote the code in the first place? Looking at life like a system of codes and infinite possibilities is very fascinating. I can’t help but sigh to what a wonderful life I have. I guess I have never been happier to breathe everyday and to find the one person I love the most beside me every time I wake up. There is so much in life to discover and I believe that it takes a simple dedication to appreciate what we have at the moment to make our lives more exciting. We don’t need gadgets to make our lives full or fancy cars to emphasize our status in life that we simply belong to higher social beings. Life is short and the best way to be happy is right now. I will continue to cherish the people I love and I won’t let each second pass by without appreciating the colors they give into my life.

Sulit.com.ph – the best portal for the online Filipino Entrepreneur

I don’t normally do transactions online but the hassle free and effective transaction or business done online is simply a stunner and the best way to meet clients who doesn’t have enough time to venture out and trade in person. When I heard about ebay all that I could think of is about scammers and never did I do an ebay transaction or did I bother to continue an ebay account that did nothing. However, when I heard about Sulit.com.ph I was simply amazed that Filipinos could do the same thing that ebay actually does – doing online business where offices could be set up online and transactions done in a hassle free environment, of course real transactions are done physically on both ends where the need to meet and seal the deal is a necessary thing but not at all times. I am actually new in online business and I’m still perfecting a concept that I will try out soon using the influence and online presence of Sulit.com.ph. However, my initial impressions of Sulit.com.ph are too high that I wouldn’t want to join other online portals.

If you want a hassle free and a safe environment where you can meet possible clients, I highly recommend Sulit.com.ph. It makes me a proud Filipino and I thank Sulit.com.ph for enabling me to post free advertisements. Sulit.com.ph, you’ve been a great help and I am looking forward for countless business transactions done through your servers and if one day you make us pay for your services I wouldn’t hesitate to give my support. Thank you and keep up the good work. We, the sulitizens are working and helping each other to keep your servers up and running.

Smallville is ending?!?

I have been following Smallville for 10 years and all that I can say is that Smallville is amazing! For those of you who don’t know what Smallville is all about – it is the high school life of Superman. There would be some of you who wouldn’t approve of the changes made to the storyline but without those changes Smallville would be very boring. I like the episodes and there’s not one that I don’t like. All seasons have a theme of its own and the recent and final season reveals how Superman becomes Superman from the mere title of The Blur coined by his avid supporter and lover Lois Lane. Oh and by the way the 10th season has started and yesterday I downloaded the latest episode which is actually the fourth and it’s very surprising. Do you remember Braniac? I do remember this highly intelligent and very cunning robot created by Jor-El, the father of Clark Kent which turned out to be planets’ doom. At first I thought the writers couldn’t think of enemies other than the Braniac but as the story progresses it was actually the Braniac 5 coming from the future trying to save Clark from the darkness within himself. This darkness is not about the evil lurking in the personality of Clark Kent but how he punishes himself from his past mistakes and how he treats those who support and love him like Lois Lane and those who need him like Oliver Queen aka the Green Arrow. Braniac 5 took Clark back and forward in time trying to show him that clinging to the past is what makes the darkness in himself thrive. Finally, after seeing how he becomes in the near future and how he feels about his dear Lois Lane, Clark believes in himself again and moves on. He appeared in an interview where the Green Arrow is being questioned by the press to support his friend Oliver Queen inspiring the Green Arrow to speak with sheer display of vigor and dedication to do good. Lois Lane on the other hand receives a romantic night in a barn in the Kent’s farm giving an insight to what happens in the next episodes where Clark finally trusts Lois Lane his secrets and embraces his destiny as Superman.

Hold on to your seats and wait for the next episode which I predict would be filled with action after Clark Kent’s battle against his very own darkness. And by the way, I believe that he’s going to fly in the next episodes and right now, they’re looking for someone who will become the next Superman in the coming Superman movie. I am a big fan of Superman and I write this as a simple trip down memory lane where as a child I would look into comics pages with sheer enthusiasm and absolute wonder. It is still wonderful and a relief coming back from work.

The IT Journey – Part 1

I am a graduate of philosophy and I am tired of thinking or reasoning out trying to formulate better questions other than obvious things I usually encounter. I do appreciate real philosophers who have helped transform the lives of so many human beings in their quest for meaningful human life. Nonetheless, to summarize what I have learned from so many of them thinkers (the ones I do understand leaving the rest for the geniuses of whom I know a few), it’s always good to appreciate the beauty of each present moment. The past has been good and the future looks brighter but what really concerns me is the way I live my life now.

I love tinkering with my computer. I can install software into it and when it slows down, I can simply perform diagnostics and fix the problem. This fascination originated from my daydreams of being a computer hacker. But as soon as reality check comes in, I always find out that I am too far behind today’s great hackers who truly understand computers. I just know what to do with their created programs but creating one of my own is completely a different thing. At one point I was really fascinated by a student who created a sort of Youtube Instant Search inspired by Google’s Instant Search in just a few minutes. I don’t even understand what API means and I don’t even know how to create my own website from the scratch with its own database and all the technical jargons IT people are talking about. However, I do know my way in the blogosphere.

There is so much in computers that I want to know. How it interacts with each other through numbers and bits of data flowing from cables and radio waves. Gadgets are simply hardware with bits of software installed enabling it to talk to each other and to the user all at the same time. The online world is growing exponentially and I am just curious what’s going to happen in a few years. Nowadays, I don’t have to go to the bank to pay my bills or go to a shop to buy some stuff, I only need my credit card and with a few intelligent clicks I get what I want and they just come right in front of my door. The convenience of mobile computing is so great that I don’t even have to move out of my seat to do so many things. But the scary part is, where are all these things take place? That is one question I want to answer.