D-link DNS-323

I picked up my new toys on thursday night. That was the first day of the Comex 2010. I only managed to get the D-link DNS-323 and a portable 1TB hard drive (Made in Japan).My initial impression of the device is it is very well built. It did not feel cheapskate like most of the things “Made in China”.

D-link DNS-323

After some lengthy backup of my Tera-Byte data, i moved the 1.5TB hard drives into the DNS-323. The installation guide was simple to follow. Now i am restoring my data back for the RAID1 protection. My router is transferring data at 30GB in 30 mins. Another 64mins to finish the transfer, maybe i should get a Gigabyte switch or router next.

So far i have encountered a problem.

When i shutdown my PC and the DNS-323, i will not be able to connect to the mapped drive. I can ping the IP of the DNS-323 but i just could not connect to the previously mapped drive letter. I noticed the DNS-323 is missing from my network neighborhood. I did some check and suspect it was the hostname to IP resolution. I saw it has appeared in the network neighborhood. I will reboot my PC after the current data restore.

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1. What to buy next and reasons

Mac is Unix based and we know many good things about Unix. It boot up fast and rarely give blue screen. Mac on the other hand is well known for its nice user interface.

So for the past few weeks i tried to download some images to test. The images are not small but range from 1.4GB to 7.3GB. This is the first time i deal with those .dmg (or compressed Apple format) and many more times with the ISO format. First is trying to convert the DMG to ISO and then comparing the MD5 checksum to verify the images have not been tampered with. All the images did not match their MD5. I also had a few coaster of DVD+DL discs. They failed to work.

I was about to give up when i found an image for my trusty old netbook. It was Asus’s first netbook, an Eee PC 701 with the 4GB SSD. The image was an outdated Mac OS X and some of the hardware such as ethernet and wifi were not working. Please tell me what is the image good for if the particular two devices are not working???

I decided to proceed and try to load it into the netbook. Goodbye Ubuntu 10.04. I was testing Ubuntu a few weeks before. This is really unsuitable for the normal IT folks or my skill must have degraded. I managed to load ity after some struggle with the boot image program. Then with some good luck, i plug in the extra wifi dongle i had. The Dlink DWL-G122 works! I need not need to do anything extra. Yes! I have a working hackintosh! A second life for my netbook.

Unless you have amber of free time or serious to learn some advance installation, then taking on this project may be suitable for you. If not, you are better off to buy a real Mac.

Hackintosh netbook

—

This article was written with the hackintosh netbook.

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Panasonic Lumix LX5

Current known launch dates:

Japan - 20 Aug 2010. It is OUT! O-U-T!!

USA – late Aug 2010. Consumer has yet to see it.

Singapore – 14 September 2010. The Panasonic Singapore has put up a website to count down the release. (Click on the Panasonic Singapore link).

Personally I think Panasonic can do better by launching a global release date but they could be doing so intentionally to create the hype. For those desperate to put their hands on it, they will not hesitate to buy it from Japan. I have seen those Japanese shooting with it and sharing the pictures.

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Apple iPad

The Apple iPad is a impressive product and it came in different prices due to Wifi 3G features and amount of memory onboard.

1. Determine why you need an iPad?

What is the primary reason of usage? Is it for reading ebooks? Is it for games? Is it for internet? Is it for photos?

2. Determine how long you intend to use it? 

We call this “rate of deppreciation” in accounting. It also start you thinking how much data storage you need. What you are putting in could double or triple in the 2nd or 3rd year. In addition, if you need to use it for more than a year, you may want to consider to extend the warranty if possible to safe guard your purchase. I almost want to use the word “investment” but iPad is NOT an investment. All digital products have no investment value.

3. If you need it for photo sharing

Check to see whether it can support your camera’s format. Most cameras support JPEG format, no issue for that. But I like to shoot Canon RAW format, so some homework to do.  Also you need to check out the accessories to allow you to transfer the photos into the iPad.

4. If you need it for reading ebook

Check whether your ebook format is supported. If not, how to get it to support? The current most popular format is PDF.

Ask around, ask the Apple staffs, as the Apple representatives before you make your purchase.

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2. Mac os x on netbook pc – hackintosh
3. What to buy next and reasons

1. Panasonic Lumix LX5 (YES! I am going travel soon!)

Panasonic Lumix LX5

A new compact camera to replace my 3 years old Fujifilm F31fd. Why i chose Panasonic Lumix LX5 is because of the below strong reasons:

i. 1:1 format. I like to experience with square pictures without post processing.

ii. Long battery life just like my trusty Fujifilm F31fd.

iii. Movie recording on AVCHD.

iv. Leica len! What else?!

v. I did not own a Panasonic Lumix LX3. Wahaha…

2. Dlink DNS-323 2-Bay Network Storage Enclosure

Dlink DNS-323

I have been toying with the idea of moving my mirrored hard drives from my PC to external for very long time. Recently due to some issues, i caused the mirrored to be broken. This is a good opportunity to redo my data protection with a central storage concept.  Why i chose Dlink DNS-323 is because of the below strong reasons:

i. CHEAP! It is the cheapest in the market right now. I am holding my purchase till the coming COMEX 2010.

ii. No hard drives purchase needed. My current 1.5TB hard drives are certified.

iii. Colleague’s strong recommendation. He used one himself and is a very satisfied user.

3. Lite-On LabelTag writer drive

Lite-On LabelTag

I have tried those CD label stickers and those LightScribe burning. They are still not good in my opinion. Why i need to buy a new drive is because of the below strong reasons:

i. The old Lite-On is dying! Yes, i am very certain and it support LightScribe.

ii. Time to move onto SATA bus.

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Mr Avocado

I found the stall today. I saw 2 men holding familiar glasses of the delicious green stuff inside. Hey! The glasses look familiar! The green liquid looks familiar! It is Mr Avocado!!!

Where are they now? They have moved to the Food Center at Margaret Drive. Go go go! “Thank You Brother!”

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Ineffective:

Norton 360

Adware

It seems the ang moh anti-virus does not detect it, how to kill it?

Effective:

金山网盾3.5.x

The above app managed to detect and remove it. Good work. Those people surfing the Chinese website better take extra pre-caution.

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I used the public transport everyday. Whenever i take the mrt, i will recall what my sifu has told me. He also take public transport most of his time.

“In the past, if the train is crowded, you can wait for the next one”

“If the next one is crowded, you can wait for the next one”.

“Now, you better don’t wait for the next one. If you can squeeze into the train, you better do so”.

Nowaday i always tried my best to squeeze in whenever possible. Somemore i am carrying two bags today and one of the bags was heavy. I used what i learnt from the other botak sifu. He told me:

“When the bag is heavy, put it down”.

So i parked it on the floor. What a relief! People called this Wisdom.

The next mrt gave problem at Jurong East. Imagine the platform is very crowded. The Eastbound and Westbound trains kept unloading passengers onto the platform but the middle Northbound train did not move at all. I heard one woman said “Must be overloaded”. It was packed with people inside. The train still did not move after a while. Then the train doors opened and requested all the passengers to alight from it! People were filling the platform from both sides and now they are coming out from the inside?! As usual (?!), the empty train can now move away from the station.

“How come it couldn’t move before?”

After it cleared the track, you get to see the number of people on the opposite platform. I felt like taking out my iPhone to take a picture of the situation and upload to Stomp.

Some people started grumbling, some started making phone call to inform they are going to be late. Then i notice a woman with a smile. Wow! This woman is showing the qqS. I should follow her and not to let the situation dampen my Spirit. If you are ready for the Secret, you will realize it and received the secret.

The next mrt arrived and people start rushing into it. I have an insight.

“You are only as fast as the person in front of you”.

I recalled in one situation that i did not managed to squeeze into the mrt. It was because the person in front was preventing me. She was the last one to board the train leaving no more space for me to do so. I was just standing outside next to the train door!

Yes! “You are only as fast as the person in front of you”.

So i managed to squeeze into the train because my front person was quick as well. <continue> Along the way, a woman’s heels caught my attention. Another buckle heels. This design is really hot cake. Wait! How come it looks so familiar? I glance at the woman’s back view and realised this was the same woman whom i saw this morning. What a coincident!

buckle heels

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Here is a list of great books recommended by my sifu:

1. The master plan to success – Napoleon Hill

Hard to find but i have placed my order.

2. Think and grow rich – Napoleon Hill

3. The master key system – Charles F Haanel

For Entrepreneur-to-be,

4. The E-Myth – Michael E. Gerber

I will provide a short review after i have read the books.

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“Virtually all games at a casino are games of chance, and in nearly every instance the odds are in the house’s favor. It’s possible to get lucky and win sometimes, but nearly impossible to win in the long run. However, there are a couple of notable exceptions to the rule, where you can gain a slight advantage over the house.”

“Avoid roulette, keno, slots because of the enormous house advantage. Craps, and blackjack have considerably better odds, and depending on the variations in the rules blackjack can actually give the player the advantage (although this is rare).”

Does the above sounded familiar? I lost around RM$55 on the keno.

“Steer clear of newfangled table games, virtually all of which are constructed to give the house a real advantage.”

“Polish your poker skills. Poker is unique amongst casino games that you play against the other players, not the house. So if you develop some good poker skills, and get seated at a table with poor players, you could have a significant advantage and high probability of winning.”

“Learn to count cards in blackjack. Card counting is technically legal but casinos often do not allow it. If they suspect you are counting cards, you will be asked to stop playing or leave the casino. Counting cards involves paying attention to every single card turned over by the dealer, realizing by implication which cards are left in the deck, and increasing your bet when the remaining cards offer you a mathematical advantage.”

To conclude, only poker and blackjack offer you a better chance of winning. Go brush up your skill now.

Source: http://www.wikihow.com/Gamble-With-a-Chance-of-Winning

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