I had to wait a week before writing about the latest addition in my network — the ASUS Eee Box. If I may, I would say that the Eee Box is ASUS’ answer to Apple’s Mini PC; only smaller. The unit weighs 3lbs and is 1-inch thick (8.8×7x1) only. It comes with two mounts — one is for desktop mount and the other is a wall mount or like what ASUS advertises, the unit is mounted behind an LCD monitor to get the effect of “no box PC”. The box comes with wired keyboard and mouse. Of course if you chose the wireless route, you can do so because the machine already comes with wireless adapter (and antenna for range maximization). Knowing me, this featureis of course disabled. The machine is also very quiet and does not take up so much power consumption. The Box is also DVI ready so if your monitor has DVI, that would be great. For an average user, it won’t be a difficult computing because the Box is pre-installed with Windows XP Home Edition.
The Box!!!
Why did I have to purchase this gadget? For one, I wanted to test it and it’s cheap enough to experiment with. I plan to install other *NIX flavored OS in it instead of Windows. I also needed a PC that can serve MySQL database and it shouldn’t take space in my workspace and won’t consume so much power. Eee Box is the perfect specimen. The Box has been running since I bought it an a few restarts were executed because of Windows’ unfailing releases of bug fixes (don’t they get tired of this why not release a less buggy software instead).
I only recommend the Box to an average user. Average I mean a user who only does: web browsing, chat, email, music, photos, occasional videos, word processing. I don’t prefer this to a hardcore user who may wish to do audio-visual editing and multi-tasking applications although it’s hyper-threading. However, it’s enough for daily computing.
November 3rd, 2008
I’ve been roaming around the blogosphere for a few years now and I’m really at awe every time I see a photoblog. I wish I could capture what they have. I’m openly confessing that I have no talent in any form of art — may it be audio or visual. I take photos, but not worth bragging. Then I realized that I am mostly fond of taking candid pictures of people. Since getting a DSLR, I’m ecstatic because shutter is fast and I can take snapshots of movements in frames of close intervals. I have yet to really use the camera properly and timely. I’m set for a vacation in the coming months, so I should be able to take more photographs that I can share with my audience here.
October 3rd, 2008
Then, I enjoyed my job. Now I don’t.
Then, I was excited to sit on my desk. Now I wish the hour never comes.
Then, I was encouraged to do a good job. Now I’m not.
Then, I cared. Now I don’t.
The feelings are the same in my previous job. Is it because I’ve learned what I needed to learn? That’s fair to say. I also realized that growth is not possible in this situation, but I thought of that already before. I’d like to borrow Muymuy’s method and leave a password only I can decipher.
makahiya plant
October 2nd, 2008
Readiness and Disaster Management are the recent issues in the Philippines. PAGASA claims that there was a breakdown in the structural aspect of their readiness program during typhoon Frank. There is no such thing as readiness. Nature is uncontrolled that’s why most of us thrive to be unnatural. The only thing a forecast can do is minimize casualties; it’s not a prevention. I guess it’s a readiness to be killed for the dead. I’m a huge fan of the natural and I missed one good nature loving during the typhoon. I miss the days back home when we encounter annual typhoon visits. It’s exhilarating. Now most of you will definitely say that it’s insensitive of me to be thinking that way after many people lost their lives. Sorry to disappoint you, but that’s what we call “natural death”. Sooner or later you’ll die, so why not give your life to something that gave and is giving you life and not to some illness caused by the artificial or ambitions. I want to die with nature’s help or during my sleep. That way there’s nobody to blame for my death.
Disaster Management — I’ve nothing on this one. I don’t have the luxury to think about helping the victims. If it was me, I’d look at this as a rebirth and reset my life. I would disappear and live life anew. I’ve been waiting for something like this to happen to me; especially when I’m traveling by plane. I always wish my plane crashes in an inhabited island so that if I survived, I’d live in solitude. Did I just digress?
June 30th, 2008
Winnipeg, Manitoba — It’s been a while since my last entry and here I am full of expectations for this one. I don’t like Canadians. I have been solid about that for years now. I don’t like them politically, culturally and throw in also economically.
Canadians have been unsubtle about their (except for the Prime Minister I guess) dislike of the United States of America. Canada envelopes the northern part of the US and they are well protected by the US militarily from three directions. Instead of gratitude for this, the Canadians think that what the (US)Americans are doing to keep a civilize world is plain wrong. They are too idealistic for their own good.
Now let’s talk about idealism for Canada. Canada uses two languages — English (British, not [US]American) and French. That means that they are bounded to the British and the French who discovered their neck of the woods. Essentially, Canada has no independence so they should just shut their mouths about the United States and get their shit together first to get away from their monarchs. Trivially, Canada has no president. Instead they have a prime minister because they still recognize the monarchs thousands of miles away in the land called the United Kingdom. If you ask Canadians why they don’t exist as a Republic, they would tell you that they are sentimental about the presence of the monarchy. A stupid thing to say for a could-be-sovereign country.
Culturally, I dislike their attitudes. (US)Americans are liberal, but they at least have manners. Canadians lack courtesy, hospitality and other good manners. Canadians will confirm this. They think they are high up in the food chain to be looking down on people. Here’s a stereotype: if you meet a rude Caucasian in the States, most likely he’s from Canada. One more piece of observation: Canadians look alike. I would like to post pictures, but I won’t. When you visit Canada, pick one face and you’ll find many of them like that…pick the ones with ’stache.
If (US)Americans complain so much about taxes, go to Canada and you’ll wish you can bring your taxes from the States. Generally, they have two taxes: GST (federal) and PST (provincial). Total tax could reach 15% - 20% of your purchase. That’s too much. They even have AST (accommodation) and a GST is also taken from that AST. So if you stay in a hotel, they will charge you two taxes plus an accommodation tax plus another tax off that accommodation tax. What they mean to say is that “pay us double, foo!”
I think that about covers my dislike for Canada and its people. However, I LOVE the music they make. I will also attempt to photographically compare the four provinces I visited when I get back, so watch out for that my dear readers.
June 26th, 2008
Taken from “Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay”:
I fear that I will always be
A lonely number like root three.
A three is all that’s good and right,
Why must my three keep out of sight.
Beneath a vicious square root sign,
I wish instead I were a nine
For nine could thwart this evil trick,
With just some quick arithmetic.
I know I’ll never see the sun, as 1.7321
Such is my reality, a sad irrationality.
When hark! What is this I see,
Another square root of a three
Has quietly come waltzing by,
Together now we multiply
To form a number we prefer,
Rejoicing as an integer.
We break free from our mortal bonds
And with a wave of magic wands
Our square root signs become unglued
And love for me has been renewed.
May 25th, 2008
According to Thomas Hobbes, the state of nature is the state where each individual would have the right, or license to everything in the world. I believe that if society is stripped down — of everything artificial — we would be in that state. The world was originally in a state of nature.
Before I go any further, here I define a state as a point in space, not a governing one or a collective.
Hobbes’ assumption of the natural state led him into proposing a social contract — ultimately creation of society. For my own behalf, I will only accept the truthfulness of Hobbes’ assumption.
In the state of nature where a man can do what he wants is the foundation of my selfishness. If a man was originally allowed to do what he wished — free from constraints of society, then he should be forever allowed to do what he wants to do regardless of its effect on others.
It is not difficult to acknowledge the state of nature because it is always present, only hidden by the artificial curtains enveloping it. It is a sad thing, however, that when a man is born, he is conventionally acquainted to the artificial state and will take him a lifetime to realize that there is indeed a state with no constraints.
May 14th, 2008
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