Category Archives: Geek

Hanging

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Written message from mom: left computer froze – words mutilated so i shut off switches

I was surprised that she didn’t capitalize the i. I beamed proudly in her slow but sure online-savviness.

I have in custody two computers. The left one acted funny. I turned it on and it beeped non-stop after logging into my account. The Num/Caps/Scroll Lock keys didn’t work. I flipped the AT/XT switch underneath (anybody remember those old keyboards?) and rebooted.

This time, the keyboard played dead, but it could still load Windows.

I flipped the keyboard back to AT mode and rebooted again. This time, it didn’t beep, but MSN 4.7 came up! Bloody irritating program. I saw the MSN 6.2 icon show me as disconnected, but I appeared online to my brother (who was on the computer to the right.) MSN 4.7’s icon wasn’t in the system tray, but it was invisibly making me online.

What was weirder was that I was the only one who had administrative power to install MSN 4.7 (I thought I removed it after installing MSN 6.2…) I remember having MSN 6.2, when a “new version of MSN is out, do you want to install?” popped up. When I clicked Install and rebooted, MSN 4.7 came back up.

After removing MSN 4.7 again with this very useful guide, I rebooted. This time, it was only MSN 6.2. However, it automatically scrolled to the bottom of the list! I scrolled back up, and it went down again!

There were two possibilities – the Page Down or End key was jammed. I opened Notepad, typed some nonsensical lines, copied and pasted it so it would fill more than one page, and put the cursor at the beginning of the file. It jumped to the end of the first line (and not one page down).

I then checked Hotmail, and it hung like my mom told me. This wasn’t Hotmail though; there was obvious video corruption at the bottom.

There could be just three things wrong now:
1) 3dfx Voodoo 3 on Windows XP and bad driver support
2) 512MB 400Mhz DDR Kingston Value RAM that never really got fixed after warranty
3) my classic solid, resounding keyboard has come to its End *sniff*

Two Heads

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Damn the free coffee; it kept me up till 6am Monday. Damn the airconditioner in the office; it gave me a flu.

I bought Alex’s 17″ monitor on Tuesday. Realizing that my keyboard was of the big-sized-connector variety, I headed over to a computer shop nearby and bought a Logitech NewTouch Keyboard. Damn it too; the Samsung one was even sissier, but the shop hadn’t much choice. I like my keyboards with tactile, resounding TAK TAK TAK when I type. At least it was cheap; otherwise, I’d never have bought a Logitech.

When typing fast, some letters would just disappear. At least it had an armrest.

A Voodoo 3 graphics card never went well with Windows XP; thus limiting what I could play:

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The Accomplished

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I love the feeling of having went out and having accomplished many errands, like today:

I went for driving class. I was early so I walked to Taman Jaya LRT and hopped on the train back to Asia Jaya. GuesswhoIsaw it was Ching Wei, Joel’s girlfriend, also headed for lessons at the same time, same place. I was at my third hour out of ten. (My first hour was spent driving to KL, up to Jalan Duta and pulling back into PJ through Hartamas while the second hour was spent going down to Subang, to that huge roundabout, and back down the highway.) She complained that she didn’t get any of that action! I guess I was lucky to have a forgetful teacher then. He probably couldn’t remember that I did not learn slope parking, side parking or three-point-turning before that! Well it wasn’t all that grand, considering I was also the last to get a spot on his ever-changing timetable.

Today however was different! He asked me, “have you learnt slope parking and side-parking?” I said nope. At the junction to exit the school, he said to turn left, meaning we were going on the road! (So much for that question.) We went down the same Jalan Duta KL stretch, but pulled back into PJ at Jalan Damansara instead. With what was left of the hour, he taught side-parking. He then received a phone call, and went something like this:

“Aaa! Yes aaa! You buy the Magnum 4D Toto! 8603! 4451!”

Reassuringly enough, 8603 was the Kancil I was driving. Was I fated to die today?

He dropped by the office, since we weren’t sure if I had two hours of lessons today. “The other girl cancelled anyway.” And so began the extra (or rather, unexpected) leg-cramping clutch-action of the slope-parking, side-parking and tire-balding-three-pointer hour.

After that was over, I grinned at a poor Ching Wei, who’d already waited an hour for Joel. She certainly wasn’t wearing my “I went to town again!” smirk. We took the scenic route to Amcorp Mall, to look for a lurking Tech (yes I busted your secret hideout!) but found not him, but the lurky Dustyhawk instead. Once Joel came, I left for Bintang Walk, to collect my 512 Megabyte 400 Megahertz Kingston Value DDR RAM from Low Yat Plaza. I then found the elusive Robertson Audio MP3/VCD/CD player. “Wait ah I go ATM first…” I told the shopkeeper. I headed to the bottomest floor of Low Yat to find cables where the ATM machine used to be! Lucky me then, to have to go to Sungei Wang to find an ATM, because I found the MXJVC-branded variant.

After getting that for my mom (yes yes happy mother’s day in advance har har) I found a handphone-fixing shop outside of the Sungei Wang square that would fix my dad’s Siemens C30.

On the way home, I found that Pantera’s Reinventing Hell: Greatest Hits made for great music to nod off to. (I needed to test the CD player!) Yes that thrash metal greatest hits masterpiece. No I don’t find it boring. Hanna when are you going to buy it from me? I’m still carrying it in my bag yes I am.

As of time of writing I am listening to an old mix MP3 CD I made, wondering what the heck are the titles of the first 30 songs. Yep, it was probably a CD with one-hit-wonders (I had to Google the lyrics to find out what songs they were.) So much for skip protection; audio CDs didn’t work in the knee pocket. MP3 CDs were better off though, although sometimes it would have a mind of its own and skip and pop while sitting quietly on the table.

Thursday shall be even more interesting, as I sneak out of work early for a 5-6pm slot at driving school, and at 6:30pm, my first ever college class of the year!

Guitar Geek High

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I am on a guitar geek high.

I took home Anis’s Kapok-style guitar (classical shape with steel strings) and modified it. Since the strings had little rings for their ball ends, I tried putting my old thick E string through them in a flash of inspiration. A tremolo on a classical guitar bridge! I wound it through a few times. After all that, I played a chord and tugged on that little loop I made (around 12 centimeters in diameter) and it raised in pitch. A little. (Borrow someone’s digicam I will!) Ideally, I’d have two bars clamping on the rings, or at least one steel bar going through it. It would then pull all six strings, raising their pitch.

Illustration 1: (Pardon the crude Photoshopping.)
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Hang No More

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I finally figured out what was wrong with my computer that caused it many rude restarts (to be noticed by those who see me online). One wonky stick of 512 Megabyte 400 Megahertz Kingston Value DDR RAM. So much for dual-channel 1 Gigabyte dreams, then! The computer no longer crashed at certain Macromedia Flash 7 objects, accessing random folders on the hard disk, or any 3D game at random intervals.

Let’s see what else. Yes, I got in a Kancil for the first time, and got acquainted with the intricacies of the clutch pedal. I wonder how my dad drove around in his old rustmobile with a clutch that apparently didn’t work. I then headed over to KLCC for a free posture analysis thingy. Aye, it is true; I have a shoulder level alignment problem. I then walked to Bintang Walk, clocking under 15 minutes, to see the drool-worthy missing-pickup Line 6 Variax 500. (Of course, the 700 model was also there, but it wasn’t close enough in price to an American Fender Stratocaster.) Oh, and I’m also broke and waiting for the money to come out of the wall to be passed into the coffers of my college.

Gostan!

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It was a Wednesday morning, and I was drinking Teh Tarik laced with cinnamon at Maju Curry House, near PJ A&W Drive In, Taman Jaya. (Yes, they put cinnamon whether you ask for it or not.) I ran to the Taman Jaya LRT to take the LRT to Asia Jaya, but I realized my train was on the other side!

Dashed I did, to Asia Jaya. Lactic acid attacked my legs. I reached SDC, my driving school, and waited there for an hour. I let the others be sent to JPJ, where they would take their theory exam. The van came and drove to JPJ, that was smack opposite Maju Curry House. 🙁

Since I was late I had to take a number and wait one-and-a-half hours. When I got in, I took a practice session in the waiting room. I then went in and sat for the real thing, in front of a computer. I clicked A for the first answer (see, it pays to read my blog!) and it didn’t move. I clicked again. I added a few more clicks on A for safety.

It suddenly responded, and apparently my first 15 questions were answered A! I had to click on the previous questions to answer them correctly. Apparently, each computer was connected to the main server and whenever someone was done, and the results were being printed (obviously through the computer-hogging parallel port), my computer lagged. Presumably everybody lagged too. At least the timer didn’t move when it lagged. I could hear a lady coming in and telling another test-taker, “Don’t double-click! You will answer two at the same time!”

After probably 15 minutes (including 5 minutes lag) I was done. I got 46 over 50, where the passing mark was 42. The lady at the printer told me to take the printout to my driving school so I could register for the maintenance class. And so, I took the LRT back to Asia Jaya. The lady at the school took it and said to come on Sunday morning. I wish I photocopied it so I could gloat and show it to my mom or something. 🙁

And now, for the rest of the irrelevant day that I choose to share with you!

I went to Bintang Walk to buy a RM6 guitar strap. The bottom peg was real hard to fit in. It was sweet though; I could live my dreams of being a standing rock star/busker now. I also found a Santa Cruz 12-string guitar for RM450! Now I know where the Central Market buskers got their 12-strings from…

I also just bought a RM15 Melody DVD-RW disc from this shop with the knowledgeable old man. The same shop, the only one in Low Yat Plaza that sold DVD-RAM discs (albeit in cartridges). As I walked on to this other shop that I’d never bought anything from, I saw this same hot chick I always saw there. Damn. For once, she asked me what I was looking for. (You, babe?) I told her I was looking for a DVD-RW disc, and she pointed to the same thing, at RM10! Argh. I wish I waited. (RM10 is below the cost price, according to a collegemate who sells CD/DVD media.)

Regional Trouble

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Geek satiation time!

As if fate should piss me off once again, the original Red Hot Chili Peppers – Live At Slane Castle DVD-9 made me change my DVD writer’s regions.

Nope, DVD Region-Free did not work as advertised.

Yes, I had to change from Region 1 to Region 2 (Apparently this DVD-9 was for Regions 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 only!)

Nobody let playing a DVD be easy.

Yes, it is fully original with Holographic KPDN & HEP (no, not the imitation DVD-9 hologram), a Imported Warner Music sticker and censorship board approval! Yes it is a DVD-9 with a whooping 7.35 GB (so please don’t ask me to copy it for you although I have a DVD burner and know how to use it, as I have no media above 4.7 GB.)

Yes, it kicks ass with the fancy video shots and detailed DVD-quality stubble but I have to sleep and wake up tomorrow or rather in 2 hours time.

Tomorrow I promise a story on the acquisition of the DVD, and how the Kuwaitians striked yesterday!

Who’s The Man?

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Yay today is when I decide to print the System Restore help page and now my full-blown Windows XP installation is back!

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=307545

Oh, and I rode in Shaz‘s huge white sporty-looking Mercedes. My LRT buddy is now a driver!

Oh how proud I shall be over his oversizedness. Oh how I would miss him.

Jayaram came by, following us to the car park, asking, “why didn’t his dad just get him an entry-level car?”

To which I said, “you mean a car that facilitates entry at his level?”

Bummerati

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Today I was on the LRT to KLCC when a distraught friend called.
She: Are you near KLCC?
Me: I’m heading there, why?
She: I need somebody to talk to. (Insert crying sniffs.)

I was supposed to be at KLCC at 1pm, but I told them 2pm since I’d be coming after work, to which I got off and decided to come at 1pm. Of course, there was due consolation at DOME (where my friend borrowed Pete Teo‘s lighter) and we both played pharmacist (giving advice we’d never take.)

My distraught friend followed to the gathering. She makes the world seem so small! She knew somebody and somebody else’s friend.

I finally met my picture-taking-linker. Someone who had my link and took a picture of it. Of course, I wouldn’t reveal her link, since there I have some hesitation about linking LiveJournal users.

I met an Avril-Lavigne lookalike (but loads cuter-looking) who totally rocked except for the part where she asked, “are you a Trekkie?” I mean, it’s not really a compliment to be told or asked. (To my relief she took out a Klingon Dictionary.) For the record, I used to record Star Trek: Voyager for my aunt without the ads, and I enjoyed The Next Generation, though Deep Space Nine was a boring journey-less show.

Bah weep granah weep nini bong? (Taken from Transformers: The Movie, as the universal greeting.)

I also met a Chai-fan. Yessir that Coffee Bean drink that is tea with cinammon, at RM7 (without tax). All I could drink from the takeaway cup cover was the steam! I removed it for the full frontal whiff. It was, really, Teh Tarik with cinammon. I suggested Maju Curry House, that also had Teh Tarik with slight cinammon even if you didn’t ask for it. (It was then itself that I knew the smell was cinammon!) It was near the Masjid Jamek LRT interchange station, to the left coming out of the long PUTRA LRT escalators. It was then I found out that Lionel Goh also knew about that place!

I didn’t talk much with the rest of the crowd though, since I was engrossed in musical conversation with the Chai-fan and the Avril-lookalike. Topics ranged from the “have I seen you at Urbanscapes?” to the neckaches from the Incubus concert.

It was time to beckon and I met xen0s at the KLCC LRT station, to take the LRT to Bangsar and then a cab to Su Ling’s birthday party. We reached there somewhat early and walked about, to find Ironwood, a guitar shop. I went in and jakuned over the BC Rich guitars. We stood around for quite a bit before I nudged xen0s, asking him to test the guitars out. It was neat. He did some old-school Metallica, especially the songs I never got round to getting the tabs to. There was this other cool dude with emo glasses who showed us how a Flying V was meant to be held. He also recognized Tenacious D – Tribute when I played the intro riff, and sang the lines!

We then went over to the birthday party an hour late. I met Annie my old pool-virgin-mate there. I had a practice round, with total anti-kai-ness, where I’d just look like I hit something in but miss or send the white ball in. After that, I took whatever was left of the buffet table. I then played with the ever-humble now-sharpshooter. I was still a lucky shooter.

The dancefloor was open, and the lack of density and the deejay’s bad transitional skills (and maybe a few not-so-popular track choices) decreased the buttshaking activities of the young and nubile chicks there. One dude shouted that the DJ sucked, and he was in for a reprimanding. “I’ve been a DJ for 8 years.”

I didn’t overhear the entire conversation. Of course, while as a deejay I’d love to allow people to discover not-so-overplayed tracks, the crowd wasn’t legal, and they had yet to reach somewhat musical maturity. They’d only dance to songs they knew and saw on MTV! Unfamiliar songs were booed.

Whatever happened to finding the groove of the song? I mean, I wasn’t an R&B or hip hop fan, but I could just find the beat and follow it. Sure, some songs pride itself on its unique, irritating samples, but eventually you find some similiar concepts. Same goes for rock music – find the beat and headbang. Sure, some songs were more fun, but his selection wasn’t all that underground. However, his transitions were awkward and jerky, from one song to another. That, perhaps, should warrant him some needed training.

I took a cab home past midnight, and the taxi driver didn’t turn on the meter, but I didn’t say anything. It would usually cost RM7, or RM14 for midnight charge, but I was glad that upon reaching home, he only asked for RM10.

Are you a techie?

Here goes a paragraph: I’m on my first hard disk now. The second one rebooted right after its Scandisk. Total bummer. I’m on a barebones Windows XP installation. The lack of programs installed makes me feel like I’m using a cybercafe computer, except for the games installed. I managed to backup what I thought should be backed up on 9 DVD-Rs. Yes, 9 DVD-Rs at around 4.4 GB per DVD average, or 40.6 GB! (And that’s not even counting pr0n.)