Hardisk Recovery

Today I'm going to talk about hard-disk failures. More and more people are storing important data into huge hard-disks in excess of 200gb in sizes. And when the drives fail (and trust me - they eventually do fail), most people do not have backups and cry over the data-loss.

So what can we do about it? Several things:

1. Backup,backup and backup
2. Drive maintenance and monitoring


1. You can just do file backup - just backup your data into another hard-disc or DVD-R
or you can do image backup where the whole hard-disk is copied bit for bit into an image file where you can store elsewhere.

2. Drive maintenance comes in many forms
a. Defragment your files - reduces wear and tear - hence good for the drive.
b. Monitoring drive error rate and also to strengthen the magnetic signal on the drive.


So what kind of software tools we can use to get the results we want?

1. Macrium Backup <-- I'm testing the free version of this so far. Some people say Norton Ghost would do the job. I do not have a definitive answer to this yet.

2a. Windows have a built-in defragment tool, but if you want something more fancy, try out Diskeeper, OO Defrag, Perfect Disk etc

2b. SpinRite <- a friend swears by this tool, small yet effective.

G1 Love Rap

Everything 64-bits

It's been quite a while since Vista has been launched and enough time for the OS to mature and iron out some of the major flaws. I am just curious whether is it time to bite the bullet and move to Vista Ultimate 64-bits.

The main advantage is probably the memory addressing capability. I would like to start a discussion group and perhaps even come out with a "reference" Vista x64 setup with a default suite of must have software :

So far, I think the setup should be something like

1. Vista Ultimate x64 SP1
2. Graphics drivers (Nvidia or ATI)
3. MS Office 2007 ( <-- not sure about this one, need comment)
4. Adobe CS4
5. Norton Antivirus x64
6. Nero x86 (32-bit)
7. K-lite mega codec pack (32-bit)
8. K-lite codec pack (64-bit)
9. uTorrent (32-bit) or maybe Artic Torrent (64-bit)
10. isobuster (32-bit)
11. PowerArchiver 2009 (32-bit)
12. ........ more to be added

Starhub blocking/shaping Bit-torrent traffic

This is probably old news, but have anyone compare download speeds of Singtel vs Starhub for their broadband service?

http://www.hardwarezone.com.my/news/view.php?id=10759&cid=8 reports that study shows that Starhub blocks or throttle network traffic for BT.

and when HWZ reached them for comment, the response was

"It is a known fact that P2P traffic is bandwidth intensive and can use up significant network resources. Hence, all ISPs employ bandwidth management tools to ensure that all traffic is given equal priority such that the service expectations of their online users are met. We do not specifically block P2P traffic. Like all ISPs in the world, we do, however, employ bandwidth management tools to ensure that all our customers receive an optimal surfing experience."

which sounds like the long answer to YES, they do block traffic, not just P2P SPECIFICALLY.
hmm.. maybe I should rethink my ISP choice

OLED keyboard - Optimus Maximus

The multi-talented Optimus Maximus keyboard by Art. Lebedev Studio is finally available for ordering - though not at an affordable price (USD1742+)for the everyday Joe.

A demo of how the keyboard can/will function can be found at this URL. A must for the serious Photoshop fan!





Another upcoming product from the company is called the Upravlator. I think it may be more affordable and perhaps be more successful than the expensive Optimus Maximus - yet to be seen but I think by mapping important keys to the device, a professional user can get to frequently used function quite rapidly - while still having the standard keyboard at his disposal.

Color of Chrome

Yes.. Google has launch it's beta browser called Chrome. Usage of Chrome seem to be doing very well for a first launch product.

First impression of Chrome? Speedy..  browser startup time is impressive, and also java-script execution seem too be snappy.

Where can you get Chrome? http://www.google.com/chrome ... where else did you think?

Why do we need yet another browser? Well, Google wants Chrome to run applications in this new browser... applications such as Google Docs..

Go test it out, and see if Chrome will replace your Safari, IE or Firefox browsers....

What is PWN ?

PWN is a word that is derived from "OWN". It could be that PWN was created by the frequent typo if the word OWN since the p and o keys are next to each other on a standard keyboard.

Engadget reported that the Pwnage Tool 2.0.2 will be ready for the iphone3G. More information about the tool can be found at http://wikee.iphwn.org/

So what is Pwnage?

Pwnage is based on an exploit found in the lower levels of the iPhone/iTouch bootloader.
With the Pwnage tool, we can now patch iPhone device to allow unsigned code. What this means is that once pwned, you will be able to install custom mad .ipsw files from iTunes into your device.

More info on Pwnage is found here http://wikee.iphwn.org/s5l8900:pwnage

Blu-ray Entertainment Systems from Pioneer

• LX01BD: Blu-ray Disc Home Cinema System with Omni-Directional Speakers
• LX03BD: Blu-ray Disc Home Cinema System with 5.1 AV Receiver and Satellite Speakers
• LX08BD: Blu-ray Disc Home Cinema System with 5.1 AV Receiver
• LX03: DVD Home Cinema System with Satellite Speakers

All these systems will debut in Oct/Nov 2008.

But for folks who just want a rock solid Blu-ray player ? How about the Profile 2.0 compliant BDP-LX91 ?

Features include 1080p24, HDMI 12-bit Deep Color Support. DTS-HD Master Audio / Dolby True HD compatibility and professional-quality Wolfson Digital Audio Converters. Looks like Europe may get a taste of this monster before any part of the world.

For you movie buffs in Singapore , cheaper Blu-ray movie titles can be had !! If interested, leave comments with your email for enquiries.

HTC Diamond

Sony Ericsson C905 Cyber-shot

Quadband GSM with EGDE and HSDPA/UMTS slider phone with 8.1megapixel camera with Xenon and LED flashes! Drool. It even has an image stabilizer, face detection, and autofocus to boot. And for all you GPS fans, you can even "geotag" photos you take with the phone. Other features include a 2.4-inch scratch-resistant display, an included 2GB Memory Stick Micro, and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (with A2DP support).

Will the camera on this phone be a viable replacement for a pocket digital camera?

But will folks still be swayed to the Apple Iphone camp ? The touch interface is certainly a compelling proposition. If only the IPhone has a 6mp camera to compete. The choice is yours!

Music compositon on a computer

I haven't dabble with music composition for a while. And I just came across "Tube It" - a homemade song made by Renetto of YouTube fame.




The video was made entirely with a Mac with the built-in iSight and the music composed/made using GarageBand.

So it made me remember some of the tools that the PC world has too. Like Sony's Acid Pro or PGMusic's Band-in-a-Box. Seems like music is converging to Loops.. ha ha

It'll be interesting to see what the new Band-in-A-Box version 2008.5 can produce... I've seen the 2004 version and was quite impressed by the software. Now many years later, I'm sure there are lots of new features to keep everyone happy.

I've done one "loopy" piece which I called "PurePlay", it's more like a short medley.

boomp3.com

Mathematical Equations

Equation 1
Human = eat + sleep + work + enjoy
Donkey = eat + sleep
Therefore,
Human = Donkey + work + enjoy
Therefore,
Human - enjoy = Donkey + work
In other words,
Human that don't know enjoy = Donkey that work
============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ===
Equation 2
Men = eat + sleep + earn money
Donkeys = eat + sleep
Therefore,
Men = Donkeys + earn money
Therefore,
Men - earn money = Donkeys
In other words,
Men that don't earn money = Donkeys
============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ====
Equation 3
Women = eat + sleep + spend
Donkeys = eat + sleep
Therefore,
Women = Donkeys + spend
Therefore,
Women - spend = Donkeys
In other words,
Women that don't spend = Donkeys
============ ========= ========= ========= ========= =====
To Conclude:
From Equation 2 and Equation 3
Men that don't earn money = Women that don't spend.
So, Men earn money not to let women become Donkeys! (Postulate 1)
And, Women spend not to let men become Donkeys! (Postulate 2)
So, we have?
Men + Women = Donkeys + earn money + Donkeys + spend money
Therefore from Postulates 1 and 2, we can conclude
Man + Woman = 2 Donkeys that live happily together!