Category: Technology

And there was one…

I took my second turbo slug offline last night after migrating the MySQL database to the main turbo slug.

After much trial and error, I managed to figure out a way to run Apache 2.0.54 + PHP 5.0.4 + eAccelerator 0.9.2 + MySQL 4.1 on one of my turbo slugs efficiently.

Running on a 32 MB embedded device at 266 MHz, with next to no disk swapping and consuming a little over 10 watts of electricity.

Very efficient. Enough to make BC Hydro proud — “Power Smart” lol :)

If you wander over to Ebay quickly, you’ll probably see my second turbo slug up for auction, alongside the 40 GB USB 2.0 drive that once housed the MySQL server :)

Now, go bid and win!

Firmware upgrade woes…

I have a LG combo DVD-ROM and CD writer at work, along with a LG DVD-RAM drive.

I happened to find newer firmwares for both, so I proceeded to download and install them.

After the reboot, I saw an unexpected message to the tune of ‘Windows has detected significant changes to your hardware configuration since you first installed Windows XP. You have 3 days to re-activate Windows.’

Microsoft: Does a simple firmware upgrade constitute a significant hardware upgrade?? I think not.

Apple switches to Intel..

Apple has begun production of new products featuring the Intel Core Duo (what kind of name is that?) processor.

By the end of 2007, all new Apple desktop and notebooks will be running on Intel processors. That’s good news for me and many others. I’ve been contemplating on purchasing an Apple iBook for awhile now, and this news definitely makes my decision a lot easier :)

Steve Jobs stated that the move was brought on by Intel’s faster and cooler running chips. It looks like Apple is already showcasing their first Intel-based notebook. Comparatively speaking, the performance of the Intel Core Duo is decent relative to the Pentium M processor; the processor that the Intel Core Duo replaces.

Palm TX or Axim X51v..

First of all, Happy New Year everyone.

After months of debating between the Palm TX and the Dell Axim X51v, I took the plunge and went with the Palm TX. The major deciding factor: price.

I was initially skeptical in purchasing the Palm TX, due in part to Access Japan purchasing Palm a few months ago. With the release of the Treo 700w, Palm may be shifting all newer products to the Windows Mobile operating system. After crashing a display model running the Windows Mobile operating system, I decided the frustration wouldn’t be worth it and I would be better off sticking with something more reliable — the Palm TX. The Palm TX marks the second Palm I’ve purchased since I purchased my Palm IIIxe in late 2000. A worthwhile upgrade, in my opinion :)

So, why the Palm TX? I needed something reliable — not something I’d have to soft reset everyday. The Palm TX features 128 MB of NVRAM, which means the Palm doesn’t lose any of your data even if the batteries are completely drained. The Dell Axim X51 series also upgraded to NVRAM, along with the advent of the Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system (which has not proven to be stable — at least during my testing). Another deciding factor was the included WiFi and Bluetooth functionality. It’s about time Palm offered built-in WiFi, instead of forcing consumers into purchasing the fragile SDIO WiFi cards (occupying the only available SD slot). Now, I can surf the Internet and also listen to MP3’s by means of a 1 GB SD storage card ($63 CDN at NCIX.com!). Another deciding factor was the sleek, black Tungsten-style body of the Palm TX and the large screen. I can finally SSH to work without pulling out my notebook, should I ever need to :) The cons — no cradle included.

On a side note, don’t you just love technology — you purchase something, only to purchase additional accessories for it down the road. A $330 Palm TX is pricey as it is, and then you are prompted to buy a better carrying case for it and also expand the available storage, adding another $100 to the price tag 😉 Economics in action — supply and demand :) I’m careful not to spend too much on technology these days, as most technological items these days are disposable assets (well, not all.. thanks in part to Ebay) :)

In other news, I finished reading The Broker last night. It was a good read, but I didn’t like it as much as the other John Grisham title I read — The Firm. I’ve started another John Grisham title (my wife chose it for me) — The Last Juror.

GMail adds RSS feeds…

Google decided to add RSS feeds to their GMail service a couple of days ago, which appeared to be annoying at first, but I’ve got used to them. Google has coined them ‘web clips’.

That said, I didn’t like most of the web clips that were being shown and quickly customized the selection of RSS feeds for my taste. Clicking on the ‘Spam’ folder is amusing as it pulls up a new recipe involving spam (yes, the other type). It’s nice to get the latest news and Slashdot headlines without surfing over to Slashdot every couple of hours now :-)

On the downside, GMail has become slooooower now, presumely as a result of downloading RSS content alongside regular e-mail content. I sure miss the early days of GMail when it was snappy.

Thankfully, you can shut off the web clip functionality if it distracts you too much :-)

RAZR sharp…

I’m referring to no other than the Motorola RAZR V3.

I’ve been waiting to grab the Motorola RAZR V3 for awhile now, but the price wasn’t quite right. Since my other phone, a Nokia 3220, was acting up and since my cell phone shop had no replacements, I had to acquire the RAZR V3 — perfect timing I guess.

I decided to go with the silver model instead of the black special edition model. I think it simply looks better in silver, especially with the keypad and all. One of my early annoyances is getting it out of the case it comes with and answering an incoming call on time.

Since the phone is fragile, and I don’t want to remove it from its case and quickly open it whenever there’s an incoming call.. I have two options. Option 1: buy a cheesy case that fits the RAZR V3 so that I don’t need to replace the existing Motorola OEM one, or Option 2: Go wireless with Bluetooth.

Which one would you choose? Hmm… yeah. :-) Being the tech savvy guy I am, I surf over to my friend, Mr. Ebay. I happen to find the recommended Motorola HS850 Bluetooth headset for a half-decent price, so I grab it. For the time being, I will have to torture myself with removing the phone from the case to answer and place calls, ever so carefully, or just leave it out of the case whenever possible.

Pro’s:
– sleek, stylish and sharp
– thin form factor
– reasonably priced, if you can get it on special
– quad band, which is good if you travel
– ultra sharp display — the screen appears to be of better quality than my TFT monitor (not surprised)
– built-in Bluetooth
– the built-in camera is not crappy like 99% of the other phone cameras on the market
– nice selection of ring tones — very clear at 22 KHz, I might add
– intuitive menu system
– nice, thin lighted keypad
– excellent voice clarity
– very good reception

Con’s:
– No included USB cable and software? (Another purchase from Mr. Ebay)
– Price, when you can’t get it on special

That’s all for now. I can’t say too much yet. It’s only been Day 3 with the RAZR :)

Another slug online…

My second slug finally arrived yesterday from Bermuda. I purchased it off Ebay for $60 USD, saving me about $39 CDN from purchasing it brand-new. I flashed the Unslung 5.5 beta firmware onto it, followed by a simple 5-minute overclock by removing a resistor on the mainboard.

MySQL 4.11 has been relocated to the second turbo slug to free up some RAM on the main slug. If this blog seems slower to load — the extra overhead imposed by the main slug accessing the second slug is to blame 😛

I just purchased TwonkyMedia 2.9.1 ($22 CDN) so that I can stream my music and music video collection to my other systems. Since the second turbo slug is just running MySQL 4.11, OpenSSH and Samba, I think I’ll be able to squeeze a few more CPU cycles out of it to stream some music :)