Which Programming Language Are You?
The fact that I took this test in the first place says something. And the fact that I excitedly took this test says something else.
...Does it?
Haha! Whatever.
Hmmm... PHP. So happens to be my fave programming language! (Also so happens to be the language I'm coding with right this very second.) Java was my fave at one point in my life, but...yeah. I think that only lasted one semester in college. PHP kicked it off the pedestal.
Aaaaaanyway. Yesh. The first sentence is definitely accurate. But the second one I'm not too sure. I mean, okay, there are times that I change the way I do things, but I still have to check with my co-workers if I really confuse them.
Nyuuuuuu~ I'm such a geek. Haha!
//EDIT I took a couple more. Haha! XD
I retook the OS quiz, changed just one answer and I got:
Hmmmmm....
Anyway.
Man, I SO applaud the people who wrote this stuff. The choices are so hilarious.
There's this one question:
... "If I end up Windows ME someone is going to be hurting."
BWAHAHAHAHA! Genius.
...Does it?
Haha! Whatever.
Hmmm... PHP. So happens to be my fave programming language! (Also so happens to be the language I'm coding with right this very second.) Java was my fave at one point in my life, but...yeah. I think that only lasted one semester in college. PHP kicked it off the pedestal.
Aaaaaanyway. Yesh. The first sentence is definitely accurate. But the second one I'm not too sure. I mean, okay, there are times that I change the way I do things, but I still have to check with my co-workers if I really confuse them.
Nyuuuuuu~ I'm such a geek. Haha!
//EDIT I took a couple more. Haha! XD
I retook the OS quiz, changed just one answer and I got:
Hmmmmm....
Anyway.
Man, I SO applaud the people who wrote this stuff. The choices are so hilarious.
There's this one question:
Will the answers to these questions really help you determine my personality?
- No, it's entirely random.
- I believe everything on BBspot.
- It doesn't really matter now does it?
- If I end up Windows ME someone is going to be hurting.
- Hey we're the ones asking the questions, you just answer them and shut up!
... "If I end up Windows ME someone is going to be hurting."
BWAHAHAHAHA! Genius.
Labels: geekiness, quizzes, techie
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Thursday, January 31, 2008
The Saraic History of Gaming Part 1
I never considered myself much of a gamer. As much as I love tinkering with my PC — and as much as I'm almost always on the computer... You get my point. Still, there were a few games that conquered my no-gaming self.
Thus, I present to you The Saraic History of Gaming. Part 1.
Read full post...
Donkey Kong II
All hail the mighty Donkey Kong!
The original Donkey Kong is named after its villain. He is the pet of a carpenter named Jumpman. Jumpman mistreats the ape, so Donkey Kong escapes and kidnaps his master's girlfriend. A damsel in distress scenario, the player takes on the role of Jumpman to rescue the girl. Here in Donkey Kong II, though, Donkey Kong Jr. is trying to save Donkey Kong from captivity, and fights against crocodiles, birds, and electric flashes.
I wasn't six years old when I played this. We were living in Batangas, and my brother (not sure which) had a Game and Watch of this; I can remember it distinctly. It's the first hi-tech (at that time, anyway) thing I ever held... I remember being fascinated with the small flat batteries. Haha! My brothers and I all played this game, and, thankfully, I recall no time when we fought over who gets to play. Haha! Love and peace, everybody, love and peace.
Prince of Persia
Ah, yes. The legendary Prince of Persia, whom you meet after loading the game from DOS. Haha!
The role: the (would-be) Prince of Persia.
The objective: save the Princess from Jaffar
The time limit: one hour
The obstacles: falls, spikes, blades, magic mirrors poison that looks like magic potion, and, oh yeah: the master swordsman holding the Princess hostage.
Piece of cake! (Not.)
I played this in 1990, methinks... At first I was just watching Kuya Jabes play it, until I decided to try my hand in it. I finished this game several times, but it's always fun because even though you know what's coming next, you still have to be fast on your toes.
Budokan: The Martial Spirit
I would say that Budokan is my favorite computer game to play. EVER. As a player, you become a martial arts apprentice, train, spar with others, train, spar, watch the dragon in the lake behind the dojo, train some more, and then fight in the Budokan.
My favorite weapons were the bo and the nanchaku... And I was so envious of the opponent with the naginata. Arrrr I SO wished that the naginata was included in the dojo! Hehe.
Unknown to many, it was because of Budokan that I became interested in martial arts, making me interested in Ranma 1/2, which catapulted me into the anime fandom, which is one of the things that people associated with me all throughout high school. So, I guess, in a way, Budokan shaped who I am now. Haha!
Kuya JB and his friends loved playing Prince of Persia and Budokan on our XT because we had a CGA monitor. Back then they all had only the old green screens. But then one of them topped it when he bought a 286 with a paper-white VGA.
Lode Runner
The objective of the game is simple enough: run, get the gold, outsmart the robots, get more gold, and get to the next level. Yeah. Simple. That's what made Lode Runner so very addicting.
Falcon
Falcon made me familiar with Middle Eastern countries before school tackled them. What you do when you take a mission is you get into a Falcon, fly to wherever you're supposed to go, and gun down whatever you need to gun down.
This was the first game I played with a Joystick and I felt so... un-kiddie when playing it. I mean, it IS a war game, so I felt as if I was one of the big kids. Haha!
Snake
I think this game needs no explanation, as nearly all cellphones now have this as an application. Haha! I remember the original computer version of this... Kuya Tim and I would play against each other and he'd psych me into losing by getting his snake so close that it looks like he'll hit me. So then I'd panic, and then my snake would die. Rawr.
Scorched Earth
By this time, I think we've entered the era of the brand new and teeny tiny 3.5" floppy disk!
My brothers and I were positively addicted to Scorched Earth, because it was one of the PC games that you can play against more than one person... on the same PC! Ahluvet! It trained me with estimating projectiles. Haha! The interface is pretty simple, and so is the objective, and... well, it was just plain fun.
Hm... I should try to look for a download of this game...
Chip's Challenge
The very very very long game of Chip's Challenge is the game that I played over and over because my Chip kept dying. The day when I reached level 149 (thus finishing the game) is the day when I stopped playing. (I think.)
The player takes on the role of Chip, a high school nerd who meets Melinda The Mental Marvel in the school science laboratory. Chip must navigate through Melinda's "Clubhouse" to prove himself worthy of being a member of the exclusive Bit Buster Club.
Competition was tough between Kuya Tim and me... Although we never played against each other (the game was for one person), we kept tabs on who's on which level.
----
Oh, and in case you're wondering: No, we never had a Family Computer. And no, I don't think I ever played Super Mario Brothers. Donkey Kong was the basis of that game, anyway, so...yeah. I loved the cartoons, though.
Thus ends Part 1 of the Saraic History of Gaming. By this time I was already in the latter years of elementary school, so more "intellectual" games are up next... I think. Haha! We shall see.
Recently, I encountered one of the biggest technical crises of my life thus far.
The Brontoc worm.
It not only infected one of our PCs at home, but my mom's laptop was also infected. Worse, our machines at work were also hit as a separate case. Our office machines, by the way, is a network of at least 30 computers.
Yep, the worm spread in all of 'em.
It was a nightmare. Really. Read full post...
People who have heard of this worm would agree with me, I'm sure.
I am now going to launch into a technical explanation with no actual reference; just typing out what I remember from all the websites I've read. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
The Brontoc worm is a virus that is spread over the Internet via e-mail, and from computer to computer via thumb drives. It also spreads within a local area network via the Shared Documents. It's a pesky worm, really.
What it does is that it wedges itself in your system registry so that even when you delete the "actual" virus file (if you locate it at all), it comes right back to life when you reboot. After making itself virtually invincible, it most conveniently turns your antivirus off. (Yes, it actually got past AVG. A feat few viruses are able to do.) Not only that; it also forbids you to check your task manager and your command prompt. Sometimes it even blocks your internet browser. Whenever its detects that you're doing something to kill it, Brontoc jumps up and closes whatever software you're trying to run. (And chuckles aside menacingly. Most irritating.)
Anyway, the bright side about Brontoc is: you'd still be able to use your PC without it going too bonkers. Just don't connect to the internet unless you want your computer to be flooded with spyware and other viruses, since...well...you're virtually a sitting duck in the malware-filled cyberspace, as you're without an antivirus, and Brontoc is barking, "Come one, come all!"
One of the viruses that got into my PC during this stage is one that replicates itself throughout your system drive. (Not sure what the name of this virus is.) In PCs, that's the system where your Windows is. In flash drives, that's the whole drive. It replicates itself, but then it uses a folder icon and inconspicuously names itself to be the same as the folder where it's in. For example, if the folder is C:\Sarah, it makes an exe file inside that folder and names it Sarah.exe. The icon is a folder, and if you're using the default setting that extensions of files are hidden, then it looks like an innocent folder, which it most certainly is not. If you're not careful, you'd get curious and open that "folder", and ultimately launch the virus all over again.
The lesson, therefore, is DO NOT READILY OPEN AN UNKNOWN FILE/FOLDER. Even if they don't look suspicious.
Back to Brontoc: Two weeks ago when I first detected it, I (and a friend who was helping me, and my brother, too) stayed up all night until 6 am just trying to fix it. (And this was right after a party at my house.) we tried many, many solutions online.
Did we fix it? No.
Brontoc is so smart: it blocks a~ll the software and solutions we found that were proven to work in the past. It was so amazingly impressive and phenomenally frustrating at the same time.
So, anyway, after weeks of searching (and when our office was hit by the self-same worm), our IT guy found a solution.
THANK GOD!!!
To do the solution we found, you need
1.) A CLEAN computer for downloading the stuff you need
2.) An internet connection
3.) A CD burner and a blank CD in which to put the downloaded stuff you have. Do NOT use a flash drive.
Let's get crackin'.
Stage 0: Cut access
Disconnect the infected PC from the Internet. Very very very important. This way, other viruses won't get in your unshielded system.
This, by the way should always be the thing you immediately do when you think your PC might be infected.
Stage 1: Search and Destroyyyyyy!!!
Download and install Spybot Search and Destroy. Amazingly enough, Brontoc doesn't block this baby. (If you're asking why we don't have Spybot S&D in the first place, it's because AVG worked perfectly well as our shield so far.)
Once you install S&D, DO NOT SCAN YET!!! Why? Er... because Brontoc might detect it? I can't really remember. Hehe. But, anyway, what we're trying to do is turn off Brontoc for the meantime so we can get rid of it without it being irritating. You can do that using the Windows task manager, but since Brontoc automatically closes that, we have to find a way to work around it.
Run S&D and click on Tools. If you don't see tools, go to Mode -> Advanced. Once in Tools, you should see a list of tools (like, duh) with check boxes on them. Check on Process List and System Start-up.
Let's work on Process list first. This shows your task manager. You should see a weird process like j8734987 or something similar. There should be about 5 or 6 entries, or maybe a whole lot more. But the point is: click on that suspicious process, and click Kill module. (Kill!!!)
Once that's done, go on over to System Start-up. This, on the other hand, shows stuff that load upon the system starts up. Thus, the name. Do the same. Kill every entry that has that similar suspicious s1234567 folder in its Key or Command Line. Basically, you need to delete ALL entries that has that type of string of characters.
So, yey! We turned off Brontoc! For now.
Stage 2: REMOVE~
Download GData Remover. This one right here is what will kill Brontoc, and all other viruses, spyware and malware it dragged in with it. Watching it see and get rid of said viruses is fun! Heeheehee. If you're asking why we didn't run this in the first place without all that search and destroy stage, I state again that Brontoc is a very smart prick, and might just block the Remover, too.
This process will be for about...hm...15 minutes or so.
Stage 3: Run a scan with your anti-virus software
GData Remover will prompt you to do this after it's done. Obey it.
I installed McAfee as a new anti-virus for this just to be sure. But if you prefer AVG, that's fine, too (that's what I used in one of our other PCs and it worked just fine). You can use Kapersky, or whatever else you've got.
Stage 4a: Check your registry
Okay. Now, this isn't required or anything, but it's better to be safe than sorry. See, when Brontoc infiltrated our system, it invited one of its friends, Blazefinder, for a party. One of the things Blazefinder did is it changed a registry entry that controls your Windows log in. After you've completed the first three steps of this pseudo-tutorial, our trusty programs may have had killed Blazefinder, but they did not fix the registry for you.
Don't believe me? Reboot and see that you will not be able to log in to Windows. A logon-logoff loop has been created, and that's most frustrating indeed. In case you DID reboot, skip on over to Stage 4b. If, however, you fortunately didn't, then read on (and yes, you can skip Stage 4b).
Run regedit by clicking on the Windows Start button, select Run, and type in regedit. Using the folders on the left, go to:
On the left pane, look for the entry named userinit. The data should be:
If not, set it to that.
YEY! You're done!!!
Stage 4b: Break the logon-logoff loop
I wasn't aware of the loop until I encountered it right after I rebooted my spyware-free system. I thought I was home free, but noOoOoOo~. I panicked. Seriously.
Anyway, I looked for solutions online. Some said to use the Windows installation CD and fix it via the recovery console. Others said use the CD to install; but instead of a fresh install, let the CD Repair the system. Theoretically, both solutions should work (they're supposed to overwrite the messed up registry with a proper one from the CD), and I guess maybe it DID work for other people.
Not for me, it seemed.
So, I eventually gave up and fresh installed Windows in one of my PCs just because I badly needed to work on that PC. But I didn't want to do that to ALL my infected PCs, so I charged on and looked for other solutions. I came across this heaven-sent blog entry, with detailed, easy-to-follow steps to fix the Windows XP logon-logoff loop with BartPE.
If that blog writer was beside me when I used his solution, I probably would have kissed him.
...
Or not.
I'd probably thank him over and over and over and over, though. Hehe.
So, yeah. The method worked. I won't explain it here because my post is long enough as it is. Go on over to his site and check it.
If you disregard all the time spent on research and trial and error, as well as the downloading and burning, I think the whole process from start to finish would take an hour, more or less. All these solutions we found on separate websites, and it really was a pain to go through the cycle of thinking you're done but you're not and so you look for another solution and do it and find out that there's still something else to fix.
I hope my blog post, a story of one of the most frustrating but exciting and immensely educational events in my life, will help you so that you don't have to go through all the trouble I went through.
MAN I'm glad that's over.
If you've got your own experience with Brontoc, or if this blog post somehow helped you, please don't forget to comment! Thanks!
Thus, I present to you The Saraic History of Gaming. Part 1.
Read full post...
Donkey Kong IIAll hail the mighty Donkey Kong!
The original Donkey Kong is named after its villain. He is the pet of a carpenter named Jumpman. Jumpman mistreats the ape, so Donkey Kong escapes and kidnaps his master's girlfriend. A damsel in distress scenario, the player takes on the role of Jumpman to rescue the girl. Here in Donkey Kong II, though, Donkey Kong Jr. is trying to save Donkey Kong from captivity, and fights against crocodiles, birds, and electric flashes.
I wasn't six years old when I played this. We were living in Batangas, and my brother (not sure which) had a Game and Watch of this; I can remember it distinctly. It's the first hi-tech (at that time, anyway) thing I ever held... I remember being fascinated with the small flat batteries. Haha! My brothers and I all played this game, and, thankfully, I recall no time when we fought over who gets to play. Haha! Love and peace, everybody, love and peace.
Prince of PersiaAh, yes. The legendary Prince of Persia, whom you meet after loading the game from DOS. Haha!
The role: the (would-be) Prince of Persia.
The objective: save the Princess from Jaffar
The time limit: one hour
The obstacles: falls, spikes, blades, magic mirrors poison that looks like magic potion, and, oh yeah: the master swordsman holding the Princess hostage.
Piece of cake! (Not.)
I played this in 1990, methinks... At first I was just watching Kuya Jabes play it, until I decided to try my hand in it. I finished this game several times, but it's always fun because even though you know what's coming next, you still have to be fast on your toes.
Budokan: The Martial SpiritI would say that Budokan is my favorite computer game to play. EVER. As a player, you become a martial arts apprentice, train, spar with others, train, spar, watch the dragon in the lake behind the dojo, train some more, and then fight in the Budokan.
My favorite weapons were the bo and the nanchaku... And I was so envious of the opponent with the naginata. Arrrr I SO wished that the naginata was included in the dojo! Hehe.
Unknown to many, it was because of Budokan that I became interested in martial arts, making me interested in Ranma 1/2, which catapulted me into the anime fandom, which is one of the things that people associated with me all throughout high school. So, I guess, in a way, Budokan shaped who I am now. Haha!
Kuya JB and his friends loved playing Prince of Persia and Budokan on our XT because we had a CGA monitor. Back then they all had only the old green screens. But then one of them topped it when he bought a 286 with a paper-white VGA.
Lode RunnerThe objective of the game is simple enough: run, get the gold, outsmart the robots, get more gold, and get to the next level. Yeah. Simple. That's what made Lode Runner so very addicting.
FalconFalcon made me familiar with Middle Eastern countries before school tackled them. What you do when you take a mission is you get into a Falcon, fly to wherever you're supposed to go, and gun down whatever you need to gun down.
This was the first game I played with a Joystick and I felt so... un-kiddie when playing it. I mean, it IS a war game, so I felt as if I was one of the big kids. Haha!
Snake
I think this game needs no explanation, as nearly all cellphones now have this as an application. Haha! I remember the original computer version of this... Kuya Tim and I would play against each other and he'd psych me into losing by getting his snake so close that it looks like he'll hit me. So then I'd panic, and then my snake would die. Rawr.
Scorched EarthBy this time, I think we've entered the era of the brand new and teeny tiny 3.5" floppy disk!
My brothers and I were positively addicted to Scorched Earth, because it was one of the PC games that you can play against more than one person... on the same PC! Ahluvet! It trained me with estimating projectiles. Haha! The interface is pretty simple, and so is the objective, and... well, it was just plain fun.
Hm... I should try to look for a download of this game...
Chip's ChallengeThe very very very long game of Chip's Challenge is the game that I played over and over because my Chip kept dying. The day when I reached level 149 (thus finishing the game) is the day when I stopped playing. (I think.)
The player takes on the role of Chip, a high school nerd who meets Melinda The Mental Marvel in the school science laboratory. Chip must navigate through Melinda's "Clubhouse" to prove himself worthy of being a member of the exclusive Bit Buster Club.
Competition was tough between Kuya Tim and me... Although we never played against each other (the game was for one person), we kept tabs on who's on which level.
----
Oh, and in case you're wondering: No, we never had a Family Computer. And no, I don't think I ever played Super Mario Brothers. Donkey Kong was the basis of that game, anyway, so...yeah. I loved the cartoons, though.
Thus ends Part 1 of the Saraic History of Gaming. By this time I was already in the latter years of elementary school, so more "intellectual" games are up next... I think. Haha! We shall see.
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Saturday, October 06, 2007
virus alert!
Recently, I encountered one of the biggest technical crises of my life thus far.The Brontoc worm.
It not only infected one of our PCs at home, but my mom's laptop was also infected. Worse, our machines at work were also hit as a separate case. Our office machines, by the way, is a network of at least 30 computers.
Yep, the worm spread in all of 'em.
It was a nightmare. Really. Read full post...
People who have heard of this worm would agree with me, I'm sure.
I am now going to launch into a technical explanation with no actual reference; just typing out what I remember from all the websites I've read. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
The Brontoc worm is a virus that is spread over the Internet via e-mail, and from computer to computer via thumb drives. It also spreads within a local area network via the Shared Documents. It's a pesky worm, really.
What it does is that it wedges itself in your system registry so that even when you delete the "actual" virus file (if you locate it at all), it comes right back to life when you reboot. After making itself virtually invincible, it most conveniently turns your antivirus off. (Yes, it actually got past AVG. A feat few viruses are able to do.) Not only that; it also forbids you to check your task manager and your command prompt. Sometimes it even blocks your internet browser. Whenever its detects that you're doing something to kill it, Brontoc jumps up and closes whatever software you're trying to run. (And chuckles aside menacingly. Most irritating.)
Anyway, the bright side about Brontoc is: you'd still be able to use your PC without it going too bonkers. Just don't connect to the internet unless you want your computer to be flooded with spyware and other viruses, since...well...you're virtually a sitting duck in the malware-filled cyberspace, as you're without an antivirus, and Brontoc is barking, "Come one, come all!"
One of the viruses that got into my PC during this stage is one that replicates itself throughout your system drive. (Not sure what the name of this virus is.) In PCs, that's the system where your Windows is. In flash drives, that's the whole drive. It replicates itself, but then it uses a folder icon and inconspicuously names itself to be the same as the folder where it's in. For example, if the folder is C:\Sarah, it makes an exe file inside that folder and names it Sarah.exe. The icon is a folder, and if you're using the default setting that extensions of files are hidden, then it looks like an innocent folder, which it most certainly is not. If you're not careful, you'd get curious and open that "folder", and ultimately launch the virus all over again.The lesson, therefore, is DO NOT READILY OPEN AN UNKNOWN FILE/FOLDER. Even if they don't look suspicious.
Back to Brontoc: Two weeks ago when I first detected it, I (and a friend who was helping me, and my brother, too) stayed up all night until 6 am just trying to fix it. (And this was right after a party at my house.) we tried many, many solutions online.
Did we fix it? No.
Brontoc is so smart: it blocks a~ll the software and solutions we found that were proven to work in the past. It was so amazingly impressive and phenomenally frustrating at the same time.
So, anyway, after weeks of searching (and when our office was hit by the self-same worm), our IT guy found a solution.
THANK GOD!!!
To do the solution we found, you need
1.) A CLEAN computer for downloading the stuff you need
2.) An internet connection
3.) A CD burner and a blank CD in which to put the downloaded stuff you have. Do NOT use a flash drive.
Let's get crackin'.
Stage 0: Cut access
Disconnect the infected PC from the Internet. Very very very important. This way, other viruses won't get in your unshielded system.
This, by the way should always be the thing you immediately do when you think your PC might be infected.
Stage 1: Search and Destroyyyyyy!!!
Download and install Spybot Search and Destroy. Amazingly enough, Brontoc doesn't block this baby. (If you're asking why we don't have Spybot S&D in the first place, it's because AVG worked perfectly well as our shield so far.)
Once you install S&D, DO NOT SCAN YET!!! Why? Er... because Brontoc might detect it? I can't really remember. Hehe. But, anyway, what we're trying to do is turn off Brontoc for the meantime so we can get rid of it without it being irritating. You can do that using the Windows task manager, but since Brontoc automatically closes that, we have to find a way to work around it.
Run S&D and click on Tools. If you don't see tools, go to Mode -> Advanced. Once in Tools, you should see a list of tools (like, duh) with check boxes on them. Check on Process List and System Start-up.Let's work on Process list first. This shows your task manager. You should see a weird process like j8734987 or something similar. There should be about 5 or 6 entries, or maybe a whole lot more. But the point is: click on that suspicious process, and click Kill module. (Kill!!!)
Once that's done, go on over to System Start-up. This, on the other hand, shows stuff that load upon the system starts up. Thus, the name. Do the same. Kill every entry that has that similar suspicious s1234567 folder in its Key or Command Line. Basically, you need to delete ALL entries that has that type of string of characters.
So, yey! We turned off Brontoc! For now.
Stage 2: REMOVE~
Download GData Remover. This one right here is what will kill Brontoc, and all other viruses, spyware and malware it dragged in with it. Watching it see and get rid of said viruses is fun! Heeheehee. If you're asking why we didn't run this in the first place without all that search and destroy stage, I state again that Brontoc is a very smart prick, and might just block the Remover, too.
This process will be for about...hm...15 minutes or so.
Stage 3: Run a scan with your anti-virus software
GData Remover will prompt you to do this after it's done. Obey it.
I installed McAfee as a new anti-virus for this just to be sure. But if you prefer AVG, that's fine, too (that's what I used in one of our other PCs and it worked just fine). You can use Kapersky, or whatever else you've got.
Stage 4a: Check your registry
Okay. Now, this isn't required or anything, but it's better to be safe than sorry. See, when Brontoc infiltrated our system, it invited one of its friends, Blazefinder, for a party. One of the things Blazefinder did is it changed a registry entry that controls your Windows log in. After you've completed the first three steps of this pseudo-tutorial, our trusty programs may have had killed Blazefinder, but they did not fix the registry for you.
Don't believe me? Reboot and see that you will not be able to log in to Windows. A logon-logoff loop has been created, and that's most frustrating indeed. In case you DID reboot, skip on over to Stage 4b. If, however, you fortunately didn't, then read on (and yes, you can skip Stage 4b).
Run regedit by clicking on the Windows Start button, select Run, and type in regedit. Using the folders on the left, go to:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\
Microsoft\WindowsNT\
CurrentVersion\WinlogonOn the left pane, look for the entry named userinit. The data should be:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\userinit.exe,If not, set it to that.
YEY! You're done!!!
Stage 4b: Break the logon-logoff loop
I wasn't aware of the loop until I encountered it right after I rebooted my spyware-free system. I thought I was home free, but noOoOoOo~. I panicked. Seriously.
Anyway, I looked for solutions online. Some said to use the Windows installation CD and fix it via the recovery console. Others said use the CD to install; but instead of a fresh install, let the CD Repair the system. Theoretically, both solutions should work (they're supposed to overwrite the messed up registry with a proper one from the CD), and I guess maybe it DID work for other people.
Not for me, it seemed.
So, I eventually gave up and fresh installed Windows in one of my PCs just because I badly needed to work on that PC. But I didn't want to do that to ALL my infected PCs, so I charged on and looked for other solutions. I came across this heaven-sent blog entry, with detailed, easy-to-follow steps to fix the Windows XP logon-logoff loop with BartPE.
If that blog writer was beside me when I used his solution, I probably would have kissed him.
...
Or not.
I'd probably thank him over and over and over and over, though. Hehe.
So, yeah. The method worked. I won't explain it here because my post is long enough as it is. Go on over to his site and check it.
If you disregard all the time spent on research and trial and error, as well as the downloading and burning, I think the whole process from start to finish would take an hour, more or less. All these solutions we found on separate websites, and it really was a pain to go through the cycle of thinking you're done but you're not and so you look for another solution and do it and find out that there's still something else to fix.
I hope my blog post, a story of one of the most frustrating but exciting and immensely educational events in my life, will help you so that you don't have to go through all the trouble I went through.
MAN I'm glad that's over.
If you've got your own experience with Brontoc, or if this blog post somehow helped you, please don't forget to comment! Thanks!
Labels: antivirus, brontoc, gdata remover, logon-logoff loop, solution, spybot, techie, windows xp, worm
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Friday, July 06, 2007
more mingle memes
"This is definitely the work of a vampire pig monster."
Guh-wha?!
Sorry, but I just HAD to type that in.
At first it kind of surprised me how a site for online dating has so many amusing quizzes that are not, in any way, related to dating. It sure is a great way to driving traffic to their site, though! I heard of this before, that you can make money online with quizzes and articles, but I never tried it. Heeheehee.
60% GeekMingle2 - Free Online Dating
Not surprisingly, Star Wars and Star Trek questions dominate the list. Hehehe.
Vampire. Pig. Monster.
...
$5575.00
I 'm not sure... But do they base this on how healthy you are? The healthier your body is, the more expensive it is? @_@
Guh-wha?!
Sorry, but I just HAD to type that in.
At first it kind of surprised me how a site for online dating has so many amusing quizzes that are not, in any way, related to dating. It sure is a great way to driving traffic to their site, though! I heard of this before, that you can make money online with quizzes and articles, but I never tried it. Heeheehee.
60% GeekMingle2 - Free Online Dating
Not surprisingly, Star Wars and Star Trek questions dominate the list. Hehehe.
Mingle2 - Free Online Dating
Vampire. Pig. Monster.
...
$5575.00
Mingle2 - Online Dating
I 'm not sure... But do they base this on how healthy you are? The healthier your body is, the more expensive it is? @_@
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Wednesday, May 30, 2007
checkin' out Xpango
A friend emailed me today, saying I can get an Apple iPod Video for free. ("Get an iPod... FREE!") True to my skepticism about these things, I raised an eyebrow and almost ignored the email.
Almost.
After an hour or so, I shrugged, deciding to click on the link she gave me. Why not? I thought.I've got nothing to lose, right?
The link went to Xpango. When the page loaded, my first thought was "Hm. Nice colors. Sleek layout. Nice." Ahahaha. Of course, my web designer brain toggled into action again. Attracted by the nice website design, I read on. As it turns out, I can get an Apple iPod for free. Not only that, but I can also get a Creative Zen Vision, a Nokia N-series cellphone, and/or the new Xbox 360 Elite Edition... all for free.
Well, free in terms of cash, anyway. What you actually have to do to get them gadgets -- there's a whole list of them, not just the ones I wrote down -- is either (a) buy stuff from the products they got there (also techie stuff), (b) visit and/or buy from Xpango's sponsors, or (c) invite friends to sign up in Xpango. Of course, we'll all go for the third option first. When a friend joins the program, you get 1 credit to your name,when that friend tries something out on Xpango.
Okay. Here's the cool part: you don't need a hundred gazillion credits to get a gadget. For example, I want the 60 gig Creative Zen Vision W, and I can get it for only 26 credits. That means I only need 26 of my friends to sign up under my name! Cool, huh? And if you change your mind and decide you want a cellphone instead of an XBox, you can change your selected gift anytime. As long as it hasn't been delivered to you yet. Hehe.
I browsed their FAQs and their other pages, and soon enough, I was convinced. I signed up, and I just brought my friend one step closer to getting her gadget.
And so, my friends, if you want to try it like I did, click on this link to Xpango, browse around, and register! Oh, and please do me a favor and put my referrer number, 90472425, as your referrer.
You got nothing to lose by doing this anyway, right? :)
Almost.
After an hour or so, I shrugged, deciding to click on the link she gave me. Why not? I thought.I've got nothing to lose, right?
The link went to Xpango. When the page loaded, my first thought was "Hm. Nice colors. Sleek layout. Nice." Ahahaha. Of course, my web designer brain toggled into action again. Attracted by the nice website design, I read on. As it turns out, I can get an Apple iPod for free. Not only that, but I can also get a Creative Zen Vision, a Nokia N-series cellphone, and/or the new Xbox 360 Elite Edition... all for free.
Well, free in terms of cash, anyway. What you actually have to do to get them gadgets -- there's a whole list of them, not just the ones I wrote down -- is either (a) buy stuff from the products they got there (also techie stuff), (b) visit and/or buy from Xpango's sponsors, or (c) invite friends to sign up in Xpango. Of course, we'll all go for the third option first. When a friend joins the program, you get 1 credit to your name,when that friend tries something out on Xpango.
Okay. Here's the cool part: you don't need a hundred gazillion credits to get a gadget. For example, I want the 60 gig Creative Zen Vision W, and I can get it for only 26 credits. That means I only need 26 of my friends to sign up under my name! Cool, huh? And if you change your mind and decide you want a cellphone instead of an XBox, you can change your selected gift anytime. As long as it hasn't been delivered to you yet. Hehe.
I browsed their FAQs and their other pages, and soon enough, I was convinced. I signed up, and I just brought my friend one step closer to getting her gadget.
And so, my friends, if you want to try it like I did, click on this link to Xpango, browse around, and register! Oh, and please do me a favor and put my referrer number, 90472425, as your referrer.
You got nothing to lose by doing this anyway, right? :)
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Thursday, March 22, 2007
google-luuuuuuuuuv
Many people have told me that I should be getting paid to do this.
But I don't really care.
I just wanna spread the love.
Yes, siree, I'm a Google enthusiast. Addict. Fan. Whatever you want to call me. Google rocks, no matter what other people say. And here's why:
GMail
This is how I first got into the G. Of course, a lot of people have been using Google as a search engine, but when I tried Gmail, I fell in love with it. I love it because it loads so friggin' fast, and organizing mail is so friggin' easy because of them labels, and my inbox keeps clean because of conversations (emails in one thread are kept as one entry in your inbox) and archiving (you can store your emails into the archive and just search for them later when you need 'em).
And and and -- here's one of the best parts -- I get to use Google to send my work mail, yahoo mail, and whatever else mail server there is out there! Yep. If you've got Gmail and you don't know about this yet, go and check it out. Click Settings -> Accounts and you'll see something like this:
Except it'll be your email address there. Ahahaha. Of course. Just click Add another email address. Type in your address in the pop-up, and you're all set! You don't have to log into your other email accounts to send one little email. Of course this is super handy when coupled with email forwarding. Set up your other email addresses so that all your emails get forwarded to your gmail. And then set up Gmail (click Settings -> Filters) to put
labels on them.
For example, I've got my work mail to forward stuff to Gmail, and when Gmail gets it, it puts a "work" label on it. And then I can reply to the email using my work address while still in Gmail. Ain't it ever so cool?!
GTalk
Google's chat thingy. It's lightweight and it's super handy. You know what's the best part about GTalk? You don't have to download it. Seriously. Just log in to your Gmail account, and you see Quick Contacts on the left side of the screen. Pick the contact you want to talk to (granted, of course, that their green light is on, meaning they're online), click Chat, and voila! Instant Messenger in an instant!
You can, of course, download GTalk so you can close your Gmail window and still receive IMs and mail notifications.
Whether or not you download GTalk, all your chat sessions are saved in your GMail for future reference. ^_________^
Blogger
OK. Now I know a lot of people are loyal to LiveJournal and/or moving over to Wordpress. To tell you the truth, I've got an LJ/Vox blog, and I've got one in Wordpress, too. But my fave still remains to be Blogger. First of all, I still think that posting is easiest in Blogger. Sure, sure, other people might try to protest about that. But, hey. To each his own.
Also, with Blogger, I get to fully customize the look and feel of my blog. For free! I was a bit disappointed-- oh, wait, scratch that. I was TOTALLY disappointed when I learned that to modify CSS in Wordpress, I had to pay up. Argh. (If I'm wrong, send me an email and help me fix my WP blog.) Here at Blogger, you can do whatever you want with your HTML, and Blogger would have no complaints. Unless, of course, if your HTML isn't structured properly. Hehe.
Another thing is that Blogger helps you choose colors. In Templates -> Fonts and Colors, Blogger generates the colors from your blog, colors that match your blog, and other colors that'll look good, AND you can shuffle the colors within page elements. All you gotta do is click and experiment. And if you do something wrong, you can always revert back to the original settings.
Sometimes, I reshuffle the colors in this tool just to watch 'em move. Just for fun. And then I revert back to the saved settings. Hehe. It really looks so cool, watching them move!
And you get to insert widgets from third parties, too. In some blogsites, you can't modify the HTML, and you can't put foreign widgets and scripts in. Too bad.
Ah, yes. I love Blogger. Ain't it obvious?
Google Reader
I believe I've already blogged about this. But I shall say something again.
Reader is, like, an answer to my prayers because with it, I don't have to regularly check my friends' blogs for updates. Sometimes I spend time checking up on their blogs only to discover that they haven't updated at all. Bummer. Also, sometimes, I check up on their blogs only to discover that I've missed so many entries! That's a bummer, too.
With Reader, I get updated whenever a friend updates his blog (or site) whether or not they're on Google. I put WP, LJ, Multiply and other wites on my reader, actually. Also, Reader isn't limited to blogs. From what I understand, it started out as a feed tracker. If you want, you can get news and stuff in there.
You can label, favorite and share your feeds, too. Aaaaaaand you can post 'em on your Blogger as a widget! Yey! That's what I love about Google. Everything works together so friggin' well.
Google Docs and Spreadsheets
Oh, joy! I SO wish this existed when I was still a student. It would've made my life SO much easier.
With GDocs, you can upload documents and web pages, as well as spreadsheets, so you can access and modify them anywhere, without needing to download them. This is very convenient because with this, you save your flash drive from getting (or spreading) viruses. Each revision is logged, and you can revert back to any version of your document at any time. You can also collaborate with friends, work colleagues and groupmates. And you can also choose to just share the documents, and let other people view it without changing the content. And then, later, you can save them, or publish them online as web pages, or as blog entries!
Google Personalized Homepage
This is the turnpike. This is where everything comes together. If you're going to get ANYTHING from Google, get the personalized homepage.
It has the classic Google search bar, of course. Like Yahoo! Homepage, you get to choose what to put on your Home. You can put your calendar, news, and whatever else. But what's so cool about this is: you get to put non-Google stuff on there, too. Holy crap. Nothing beats that, I tells ya.
For my Home, I put in Gmail (like, duh), Yahoo Mail, Google Reader, my links (which I can also organize using labels), date and time (the clock looks so nice and sleek!), quote for the day (they're either hilarious or inspiring. Luv it!), time converter (a must for someone whose clients and bosses are out of the country), and my Docs. I can collapse my widgets, and I even get to use tabs and rename them! Aside from my Home, I get the "tips, for the days" tab, and my "converters, translators" tab.
One thing I love about the Homepage is that I don't have to log in to Yahoo! (or anything else Google, for that matter) to see my stuff. Gmail is there, so I see new mail. Reader is there, so I don't have to log into Reader to see new stuff in feeds. If you click on the link, the contents "pop up" and you get to read the entry right there in Homepage. (see the lower left quarter of my screenshot below) And, if I click on other Google services, I don't have to log into them again because one Google log in logs you into everything else Google!
One new and very fun thing about the Google Homepage is the themes. For the meantime there are only a few themes available. They're all very amusing, but even if you don't want a cutsie look, there's a theme for that, too. Personally, I was choosing between the beach theme and the tea house theme. I chose the latter. A fun thing about the themes is that it changes dynamically depending on the time in your area. On my screenie above, you can see the nighttime, early morning, afternoon and early evening versions. The dawn version's cute, too. It's just the nighttime one, except the colors are slightly changed, and the snail's replaced with another animal. The "wee hours" version has ghoul kitsunes in them. It's hilarious! The evening version is nice, with fireflies and stuff around the kitsune. The designers' attention to details is so cool!
So...yeah. That's it so far. I'm sure I missed some awesome thing about Google services. When I do remember what those are, be sure I'll blog about it later.
But I don't really care.
I just wanna spread the love.
Yes, siree, I'm a Google enthusiast. Addict. Fan. Whatever you want to call me. Google rocks, no matter what other people say. And here's why:
GMail
This is how I first got into the G. Of course, a lot of people have been using Google as a search engine, but when I tried Gmail, I fell in love with it. I love it because it loads so friggin' fast, and organizing mail is so friggin' easy because of them labels, and my inbox keeps clean because of conversations (emails in one thread are kept as one entry in your inbox) and archiving (you can store your emails into the archive and just search for them later when you need 'em).
And and and -- here's one of the best parts -- I get to use Google to send my work mail, yahoo mail, and whatever else mail server there is out there! Yep. If you've got Gmail and you don't know about this yet, go and check it out. Click Settings -> Accounts and you'll see something like this:
Except it'll be your email address there. Ahahaha. Of course. Just click Add another email address. Type in your address in the pop-up, and you're all set! You don't have to log into your other email accounts to send one little email. Of course this is super handy when coupled with email forwarding. Set up your other email addresses so that all your emails get forwarded to your gmail. And then set up Gmail (click Settings -> Filters) to put
labels on them.
For example, I've got my work mail to forward stuff to Gmail, and when Gmail gets it, it puts a "work" label on it. And then I can reply to the email using my work address while still in Gmail. Ain't it ever so cool?!
GTalk
Google's chat thingy. It's lightweight and it's super handy. You know what's the best part about GTalk? You don't have to download it. Seriously. Just log in to your Gmail account, and you see Quick Contacts on the left side of the screen. Pick the contact you want to talk to (granted, of course, that their green light is on, meaning they're online), click Chat, and voila! Instant Messenger in an instant!
You can, of course, download GTalk so you can close your Gmail window and still receive IMs and mail notifications.
Whether or not you download GTalk, all your chat sessions are saved in your GMail for future reference. ^_________^
Blogger
OK. Now I know a lot of people are loyal to LiveJournal and/or moving over to Wordpress. To tell you the truth, I've got an LJ/Vox blog, and I've got one in Wordpress, too. But my fave still remains to be Blogger. First of all, I still think that posting is easiest in Blogger. Sure, sure, other people might try to protest about that. But, hey. To each his own.
Also, with Blogger, I get to fully customize the look and feel of my blog. For free! I was a bit disappointed-- oh, wait, scratch that. I was TOTALLY disappointed when I learned that to modify CSS in Wordpress, I had to pay up. Argh. (If I'm wrong, send me an email and help me fix my WP blog.) Here at Blogger, you can do whatever you want with your HTML, and Blogger would have no complaints. Unless, of course, if your HTML isn't structured properly. Hehe.
Another thing is that Blogger helps you choose colors. In Templates -> Fonts and Colors, Blogger generates the colors from your blog, colors that match your blog, and other colors that'll look good, AND you can shuffle the colors within page elements. All you gotta do is click and experiment. And if you do something wrong, you can always revert back to the original settings.
Sometimes, I reshuffle the colors in this tool just to watch 'em move. Just for fun. And then I revert back to the saved settings. Hehe. It really looks so cool, watching them move!
And you get to insert widgets from third parties, too. In some blogsites, you can't modify the HTML, and you can't put foreign widgets and scripts in. Too bad.
Ah, yes. I love Blogger. Ain't it obvious?
Google Reader
I believe I've already blogged about this. But I shall say something again.
Reader is, like, an answer to my prayers because with it, I don't have to regularly check my friends' blogs for updates. Sometimes I spend time checking up on their blogs only to discover that they haven't updated at all. Bummer. Also, sometimes, I check up on their blogs only to discover that I've missed so many entries! That's a bummer, too.
With Reader, I get updated whenever a friend updates his blog (or site) whether or not they're on Google. I put WP, LJ, Multiply and other wites on my reader, actually. Also, Reader isn't limited to blogs. From what I understand, it started out as a feed tracker. If you want, you can get news and stuff in there.
You can label, favorite and share your feeds, too. Aaaaaaand you can post 'em on your Blogger as a widget! Yey! That's what I love about Google. Everything works together so friggin' well.
Google Docs and Spreadsheets
Oh, joy! I SO wish this existed when I was still a student. It would've made my life SO much easier.
With GDocs, you can upload documents and web pages, as well as spreadsheets, so you can access and modify them anywhere, without needing to download them. This is very convenient because with this, you save your flash drive from getting (or spreading) viruses. Each revision is logged, and you can revert back to any version of your document at any time. You can also collaborate with friends, work colleagues and groupmates. And you can also choose to just share the documents, and let other people view it without changing the content. And then, later, you can save them, or publish them online as web pages, or as blog entries!
Google Personalized Homepage
This is the turnpike. This is where everything comes together. If you're going to get ANYTHING from Google, get the personalized homepage.
It has the classic Google search bar, of course. Like Yahoo! Homepage, you get to choose what to put on your Home. You can put your calendar, news, and whatever else. But what's so cool about this is: you get to put non-Google stuff on there, too. Holy crap. Nothing beats that, I tells ya.
For my Home, I put in Gmail (like, duh), Yahoo Mail, Google Reader, my links (which I can also organize using labels), date and time (the clock looks so nice and sleek!), quote for the day (they're either hilarious or inspiring. Luv it!), time converter (a must for someone whose clients and bosses are out of the country), and my Docs. I can collapse my widgets, and I even get to use tabs and rename them! Aside from my Home, I get the "tips, for the days" tab, and my "converters, translators" tab.
One thing I love about the Homepage is that I don't have to log in to Yahoo! (or anything else Google, for that matter) to see my stuff. Gmail is there, so I see new mail. Reader is there, so I don't have to log into Reader to see new stuff in feeds. If you click on the link, the contents "pop up" and you get to read the entry right there in Homepage. (see the lower left quarter of my screenshot below) And, if I click on other Google services, I don't have to log into them again because one Google log in logs you into everything else Google!
One new and very fun thing about the Google Homepage is the themes. For the meantime there are only a few themes available. They're all very amusing, but even if you don't want a cutsie look, there's a theme for that, too. Personally, I was choosing between the beach theme and the tea house theme. I chose the latter. A fun thing about the themes is that it changes dynamically depending on the time in your area. On my screenie above, you can see the nighttime, early morning, afternoon and early evening versions. The dawn version's cute, too. It's just the nighttime one, except the colors are slightly changed, and the snail's replaced with another animal. The "wee hours" version has ghoul kitsunes in them. It's hilarious! The evening version is nice, with fireflies and stuff around the kitsune. The designers' attention to details is so cool!
So...yeah. That's it so far. I'm sure I missed some awesome thing about Google services. When I do remember what those are, be sure I'll blog about it later.
Labels: google, internet, techie
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Thursday, June 22, 2006
lessons from a manual camera
i've been spoiled by a digicam. really.
the first time i used a digicam, i couldn't understand why everyone was fascinated by it. first, the flash was way too bright for my liking. second, you MUST NOT move when taking, or posing for, a photo if you turn the flash off. and third, it's digital, so one small mistake of carelessly pressing the delete button will send your precious photo to oblivion.
but then, i grew to love the digicam. partly because of the numerous settings you can use, but mostly because you CAN delete photos if you didn't need them. amateur photographers need not worry, because "bad" photos can be deleted and forgotten.
but then, i was suddenly stuck with an old, jurassic manual camera that was actually older than me. seriously. i was suddenly scared of taking photos because i didn't want to "waste" the film.
but then, i realized...you can never really waste film (to some extent of course). i mean, even skewed shots, and even those that aren't centered, or those that were taken at the wrong angle... every shot has a story. every moment is a kodak (or agfa, fuji, whatever) moment.
why?because every moment is part of life. every second counts, so they say. so, therefore, no second does not count. every small, tiny, minute detail, when looked back on, carries a thousand memories, laughter, lessons and joy with it.
so, look through your old photos. sift through your negatives. examine "rejected" shots... and rediscover life.
the first time i used a digicam, i couldn't understand why everyone was fascinated by it. first, the flash was way too bright for my liking. second, you MUST NOT move when taking, or posing for, a photo if you turn the flash off. and third, it's digital, so one small mistake of carelessly pressing the delete button will send your precious photo to oblivion.
but then, i grew to love the digicam. partly because of the numerous settings you can use, but mostly because you CAN delete photos if you didn't need them. amateur photographers need not worry, because "bad" photos can be deleted and forgotten.
but then, i was suddenly stuck with an old, jurassic manual camera that was actually older than me. seriously. i was suddenly scared of taking photos because i didn't want to "waste" the film.
but then, i realized...you can never really waste film (to some extent of course). i mean, even skewed shots, and even those that aren't centered, or those that were taken at the wrong angle... every shot has a story. every moment is a kodak (or agfa, fuji, whatever) moment.
why?because every moment is part of life. every second counts, so they say. so, therefore, no second does not count. every small, tiny, minute detail, when looked back on, carries a thousand memories, laughter, lessons and joy with it.
so, look through your old photos. sift through your negatives. examine "rejected" shots... and rediscover life.
Labels: photography, techie
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Thursday, May 05, 2005
telepono
Today, I actually used our landline phone for more than two minutes. I was on the phone for two hours and I didn't even notice. Wow. Amazing that I find it amazing.
I hate how this is going to make me sound old, but... I remember that time in high school when all-night (or at least until midnight or so) phone sessions with my friends were normal. Even on school nights. Never mind that I was with my friends the whole day, all-night phone sessions were a must. Now, however, gimiks, class reunions... almost everything is organized through text messaging and not on the telephones.
C'mon. Say it.
Telephone.
It even sounds weird, now... In the span of four years, telephones have drastically waned popularity (not that it's phased out or anything yet, but y'know what I mean). I'm starting to wonder what's going to do that for cellphones. And when that's going to happen. It seems highly improbable right now, but...
Anything's possible, I guess.
Freshman
Student A: "O yan, tapos na. I-save mo na."
Student B: "Gah! Wala akong dalang diskette!"
Student A: "Tara, bili muna tayo..."
Sophomore
Student A: "Penge naman kopya ng exercise natin...Peram muna ng diskette."
Student B: "Ano ba namang klaseng CompSci student ka? Walang diskette sa bag?!"
Junior
Student A: "HA?! 'Cannot read specified device' ka diyan! Ang sarap namang sipain yung floppy drive na 'to..."
Student B: "OK lang, may kopya ako sa CD."
Senior
Student A: "Hindi kasya sa diskette yung file natin?!"
Student B: "Malamang. exe yan, e."
Student A: [mapaparaning] "Pano na 'to?!"
Student B: "Nako... hindi ka pa pala CompSci of the 21st Century..." [maglalabas ng flash drive]
--------------
January 10, 2005
Sarah's Room
Women's Residence Hall
10:36 p.m.
I'm starting to dislike diskettes. I'm starting to REALLY dislike diskettes.
For the past five days, I've spent too much on diskettes I simply can NOT rely on anymore. I've bought 7 diskettes so far (different brands, from different stores) and all --- literally ALL --- of them have failed me. Either some PCs can't read it (regardless of OS), or Windows says "Cannot read specified device".
"Cannot read" my foot.
Oh, yes. I'm starting to HATE diskettes.
--------------
February 5, 2005
Ayt. Here's the actual blog entry. Pretty short, but an entry nonetheless.
Most technological advances go through these three stages, I suppose... The most recent ones could be the cellphone or digicam.
Stage1: when a student has (insert gadget), that means she's flaunting her wealth.
Stage2: when a student has (insert gadget), that means she's using her money wisely.
Stage3: when a student has (insert gadget), that means she's being practical.
Today, the flash drive is in Stage 3, what with diskettes deteriorating in quality (plus, PCs read them so slow, and they get broken way too fast). That's why I was literally jumping around with joy when I got me a flash drive.
Ako ngayo'y isa nang CompSci of the 21st century! ["Happy happy, joy joy~!"]
Now, if only I can get me a PDA....
I hate how this is going to make me sound old, but... I remember that time in high school when all-night (or at least until midnight or so) phone sessions with my friends were normal. Even on school nights. Never mind that I was with my friends the whole day, all-night phone sessions were a must. Now, however, gimiks, class reunions... almost everything is organized through text messaging and not on the telephones.
C'mon. Say it.
Telephone.
It even sounds weird, now... In the span of four years, telephones have drastically waned popularity (not that it's phased out or anything yet, but y'know what I mean). I'm starting to wonder what's going to do that for cellphones. And when that's going to happen. It seems highly improbable right now, but...
Anything's possible, I guess.
Labels: techie
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Saturday, February 05, 2005
Progression of Memory
Freshman
Student B: "Gah! Wala akong dalang diskette!"
Student A: "Tara, bili muna tayo..."
Sophomore
Student A: "Penge naman kopya ng exercise natin...Peram muna ng diskette."
Student B: "Ano ba namang klaseng CompSci student ka? Walang diskette sa bag?!"
Junior
Student A: "HA?! 'Cannot read specified device' ka diyan! Ang sarap namang sipain yung floppy drive na 'to..."
Student B: "OK lang, may kopya ako sa CD."
Senior
Student A: "Hindi kasya sa diskette yung file natin?!"
Student B: "Malamang. exe yan, e."
Student A: [mapaparaning] "Pano na 'to?!"
Student B: "Nako... hindi ka pa pala CompSci of the 21st Century..." [maglalabas ng flash drive]
--------------
January 10, 2005
Sarah's Room
Women's Residence Hall
10:36 p.m.
I'm starting to dislike diskettes. I'm starting to REALLY dislike diskettes.
For the past five days, I've spent too much on diskettes I simply can NOT rely on anymore. I've bought 7 diskettes so far (different brands, from different stores) and all --- literally ALL --- of them have failed me. Either some PCs can't read it (regardless of OS), or Windows says "Cannot read specified device".
"Cannot read" my foot.
Oh, yes. I'm starting to HATE diskettes.
--------------
February 5, 2005
Ayt. Here's the actual blog entry. Pretty short, but an entry nonetheless.
Most technological advances go through these three stages, I suppose... The most recent ones could be the cellphone or digicam.
Stage1: when a student has (insert gadget), that means she's flaunting her wealth.
Stage2: when a student has (insert gadget), that means she's using her money wisely.
Stage3: when a student has (insert gadget), that means she's being practical.
Today, the flash drive is in Stage 3, what with diskettes deteriorating in quality (plus, PCs read them so slow, and they get broken way too fast). That's why I was literally jumping around with joy when I got me a flash drive.
Ako ngayo'y isa nang CompSci of the 21st century! ["Happy happy, joy joy~!"]
Now, if only I can get me a PDA....
Labels: techie
Blue. Stars. Sky. Jazz. Choklit. Pasta. Sashimi. Green tea Frapp. Aroma of coffee. Books. Movies. Fanfics. PC. Google. Mobile phone. Mp3 player. Sleep.
Cockroaches. Shopping. Humidity. Migraines.
