Thoughts and Non Thoughts

Been using this smartphone for about a week now. It's really good and deserves the positive reviews it has received. I like it much better than my Nokia N95. It is sleeker and has much better build quality. The sliding querty keyboard comes in really handy when you are typing long text messages. It also starts and runs faster, unlike the N95 that seems to take forever to launch applications and programs. Plus, it's got push email capability. To help protect the screen I looked for a screen protector in some of the cellphone shops in the malls but looks like there is none yet for this new model. So I checked if the solution I used for the viewfinder of my Canon DSLR would work. Well, it does. I was thinking of a temporary fix but maybe it's for keeps (see pics above). It's simple really, just use a packing tape like the one below to cover the screen, then use a blade or a cutter to cut the edges -- voila!

Time flies! It's the end of June and suddenly the first half of 2009 is gone. Six months. The world has seen the inauguration of Barack Obama, swine flu, the passing away of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, unrest in Iran, Steve Jobs back at work, the "emerging shoots of the economy" that seem short-lived, scandal in the UK House of Parliament, and my losing 18 pounds! Well, Christmas is less than 180 days away, and I still have around 20 weeks to break 90. This has so far been a mixed bag of a year and it promises to continue being so. Shaping up to be a year to remember.

Your smile brightened many a young boy's heart. And through the years you always showed grace. Miss Farrah Fawcett, you will be missed.

He was a storybook, magical, tragic, larger than life figure even in death. He will be ranked among Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley as an iconic personality. Neverland will become like Graceland. He wasn't able to launch his comeback in life, but in death he will make his comeback with a vengeance. May he rest in peace.

It was a week -- and more. The weather made sure the final round would spill over to a Monday. It is a US Open to remember because one might forget it otherwise. One might remember the greens being flooded and swept. Or that the rounds spilled over into each other. There was the Mickelson factor, riding on a wave of emotion due to his wife's approaching battle with cancer. And there was Tiger Woods who was almost a non-factor. Neither was able to conjure enough magic to transform this Open into another chapter in their legends in the making. One may remember Ricky Barnes and how he disintegrated in the last round. Put all of this together and this could still be one of the most forgettable US Opens. But that would be unfair to Lucas Glover, the first man since 2005 to win the Open after not making the cut in previous tries. His story may not be as dramatic, but he did write a story that is heartwarming as it is personal. It is the story of someone who was seen to be full of promise...

Got rained again... Didn't know New Jersey could get this rainy this time of year. I'm betting on Mike Weir and Phil Mickelson.

I've been using a Canon EOS 10D for the last five years. It's a dinosaur by tech standards but still takes good pictures as the day I got them. The build quality is top notch. Aside from megapixel count, it does lack some of the features of the newer models, including the image sensor "cleaning". But there is a way, and the one I found seems to work well. Here are the basic starting materials. They are a wooden spatula (given out with some ice cream cups) and an anti-static wipe such as Dust Off (Pledge Wipes also work). Cut the wide end of the wooden spatula with a knife to have a straight beveled edge. Cut a 3 inch square piece of the wipe. Wrap the wipe around the spatula end. Wipe the sensor gently but with single strokes. Disclaimer: It works for me, but your mileage may vary. I am not responsible for any damage caused to your equipment from using my method.

Had some resistors made to load into the Jolida phono amp. The dynavector 20XL recommends a resistance loading of 30 ohms. To lower the load nearer this number, I place a 62 ohm resistor in parallel via a T-connector into the phono stage. The net resistance is around 38 ohms, which I find just right. (I also tried 47 ohm and 82 ohm resistors.)

Got back from a holiday. Nice break. Lost 5 pounds too. Total of 15 pounds in 3 months.