What's the stitch?

Some recent facts of life:
- I live on the 13th floor.
- Apparently, the number 14 is the one considered unlucky here. So instead of 14th floor you have 13A instead.
- My flatmate is a kind indian whom I until now I'm having trouble remembering and pronouncing his name.
- I need to improve my communication skills. Time to twist my tounge for pronounciations and a slightly modulated voice.
- I have to change my perspective on how to code things. Am used to fast and efficient. But now, the game is steady and stable.
- I have to keep reminding my self of modularization. Focusing on one part/tier of a system alone. I should lessen the entire-lifecycle super developer mentality so common back home.
- I have to appriacte swing. For all its shams and broken dreams, Swing is a fact of Java life.
- I escaped swing by accidentally blurting out hibernate and spring during a team conference. Now I have to defend why spring is needed and that hibernate is optional. I hope I win this framework debate. I am a spring junkie, and I want my POJO's flexible enough not to depend on Hibernate alone. Just in case there are drastic changes in the ORM framework in the future.
- Can't suggest aspectj domain object dependency injection at the moment. Too cutting edge and risky if the mantra is steady and stable.
- Today am probably going to defend why DAO's have to be implemented as interfaces rather than implementations. In a scenario of steady and stable code, I wonder if my argument that DAO's should be coded as an interface so that the actual ORM implementation (Hibernate, TopLink, EJB, JDBC, etc.) would make sense.
- I miss my DSL connnection back home. My flat doesn't have broadband access so am stuck with GPRS for my internet fix.
- I miss skype.
- I definitely appreciate the Treo now more than ever. YM via GPRS is worlds apart from internationl SMS charges. I only spent about 30 pesos a day, for roughly 2 hours of YM sessions. Add to the fact I can now get my email whenever I want to. Hooray for cheap mobile data services!
- I miss my wife and kids so much.
- I wept again last night when my wife told me my son keeps on hugging my picture frame back home.
- I wept some more, when my daughter typed I miss you so much Daddy on YM.
- I wept even more when my wife told me she just finished taking a bath and all the kids are asleep. I miss the parting legs and the parting lips. I miss her whispering I love yous in my ear. I miss our conversations. I miss her explaining to me the mechanics of PBB, and which housemate deserves to stay or not. I miss hugging her for no reason anytime, anywhere just to express what words cannot. I miss listening to her hearbeat after waking up in the morning. I miss feeling the love in close proximity.

homesick nox
-- Enduring the initial pains of becoming a global filipino...

Touchdown

Touchdown at 12:45am.

The last bus has just left.

Next bus 4:30.

Here I am, stuck at the moment. Good thing wifi is free. Can't configure Globe roaming on the Treo. I manually selected available networks but no dice. Either my Globe postpaid isn't yet configured for roaming (as opposed to what I had been told by the helpline), or the trouble is with the Treo.

Haven't slept a wink. Budget travel doesn't guarantee a working recline switch. Imagine the two other person beside you dreamfully taking a nap in a slightly reclined manner, and your stuck with your seat in upright position. Oh well, that's life.

Had my first taste of "Nasi Lemak", spicy! I choosed the beef version. Its like beefsilog aimed squarely for the chili loving Bicolanos. Never thought that rice and fried salted peanuts would actually taste good together. Didn't finish it all however, am still pacing my baby-fat-flaunting stomach.

1.5hrs till the next bus.


sleepy nox
-- miss ko na ang aming kama, at ang malupit kong unan...

Terminal Musings

Different worlds,
different people,
different faces,
different languages,
all waiting,
to fly
neath the moon
and the starry skies...

Samantalang ako,
may naiwan,
luhaan,
excited,
scared,
thrilled,
sad,
slightly looking forward,
antok,
puso ko,
kanina,
slightly nadurog.

Anak ng 365 na tipaklong,
homesick,
shit!
and to think
I haven't left yet,
bakit nga ba,
the world needs pera
And my katabi,
naka macbook pa.

But still,
amidst all of this.
I still miss,
my son's laughter
the witty conversations
with my daughter
The warm embrace
only my wife could offer.

Tonight will definitely be colder.


traveler nox
-- never mind the mosquito bites...

Decisions

Big fish in a small pond, or
Small fish in a big pond.

Or everyone wants to be a frackin' piranha?

Novell Linux Spoof Ad

Hilarious!

JPG Magazine

NatGeo quality photos without the nagging advertisements for now.

I like the theme, keeping it real. No photography/digital art non-sense. They like photos that capture what is "there" instead of an alternate reality depicting photoshop-induced artistry.


shutter nox
-- keepin it real...

Of Doll's and Marriage

Fresh from the inbox. This cracked me up!


A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about. For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover. In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife’s bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000.

He asked her about the contents. “When we were to be married,” she said, “my grandmother
told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.”

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

“Honey,” he said, “that explains the doll, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?”. “Oh,” she said, “that’s the money I made from selling the dolls.”



husband nox
-- the joys of marriage...

Diggnation Vidcast on PSP

Wooooottt!!!

Am probably the last person to try this, having had the PSP since last year but never really got to try this feature since I was stuck with the 1.5 firmware.

Oh my, this is really shiny!

If I could get smoothjazz.com to stream on this thingy, that would really be rockingly shiny!

Location Free Television in Tokyo

Via Slashdot.

Picture this.

- You are an OFW.
- The Filipino Channel (TFC) for you is an expensive luxury.
- You got $200 plus to spare for a Location Free device (get the cheaper wired only model).
- You got reliable and cheap DSL connection back in the Philipines.
- You got some decent understanding of how TCP/IP works.

With location free, you can watch your favorite local shows (PBA, Teleseryes, etc) on your lappy-tappy, PSP and other supported devices anywhere with an internet connection.

Yes, you can currently time shift almost any video/audio at this current day and age, so why bother with location free? Well, this one is real time, meaning you can watch the local shows live!

Hooray! for the flat world.

Open Source Photography?

Wicked!

Interesting wiki.

Stream iTunes to your PSP

Sweeeeeettt!

With a bit more RSS XML whackery, mt-daapd can probably do the job. :))

Got to refresh my aging PERL kung-fu if the lazy web doesn't have a solution available at the moment.

PSP Update

3.10 Custom Firmware is out!

Tried updating our PSP last night because am interested in the slightly faster browsing experience the new firmware has to offer. Since this is a firmware flash, the risk of bricking is quite real. Fortunately the update process went smoothly and the PSP came out unscathed.

The update lets me for the first time try viewing the videos included in the sample UMD disc. And boy the screen is absolutely gorgeous! The spiderman 2 preview was difinitely shiny to watch on the PSP screen.

The update also updated the audio player. It now have a visual display akin to what you see on modern day media players. Pretty shiny still.

Sony should provide RSS feed reader for text tho. Until now you can only view video and audio RSS feeds. An email client would also add to this handheld's appeal. On the accessory side, an external keyboard will tripple the shiny factor of this little bugger. A driver for the Palm's Universal Keyboard will make this a really sweet machine.

Another app that Sony should add is a VOIP client. PSP with VOIP or Skype integration will really make it rock!

Anyway web browsing is a tad faster. Something that made me do the update in the first place. Still trying to find a decent web based RSS reader as Google still doesn't have a mobile version of its Google Reader app.

Location Free

Wow, this is seriously redundantly shiny!

Its like taking your PSP on steroids.


The network is the computer!

Google Themes

Since I use Google's personalized homepage as the default for all my browsers, the newly added theme-ing feature is rather shiny!

Take it for a spin, for now its restricted to a set of pre-defined themes, but knowing Google, expect user contributed/hacked versions in the future.

Best Career Advice in less than 30 seconds.

This early, I also encourage and tell my kids to do well in school, and someday have their own company. For me its quite important not to limit them by saying "study hard so that you can land a good job after school". I want them to grow up with the entrepreneurial mindset.

And last but not the least, I hope they grow up to be a global Filipino, exploring and learning the new flat world.

Flower Power!

Flower Power
Originally uploaded by nocs.

Haven't blog in a while. Been too busy coding the Philippines coolest online tourism portal lately. I still have a ton of images to process during our Baguio Panagbenga trip.

Here is a teaser for now.

My Current Heroes

In no frackin' particular order.

- Apache mod alias "Redirect" feature. Smashingly shiny! Saved my butt because tiny_mce somehow ain't doing relative url mapping.
- JPEGImageEncode/Decoder and JPEGCodec bundled with most JDK's. Automatic server side image resizing galore. No more excuses to not accept high resolution images.
- The lazy web, for providing algorithms to keep that frackin' image aspect ratio.


Some thoughts, making an application user friendly is like asking a makeup artist to make her model look natural. Its a long and not so easy process.


dev nox
-- drag and drop, resize on demand, server side processing junkie...

Canola!

The Nokia N800 loaded with Canola is terribly sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetttt!!!

However, I still dream of that dastardly result of combining the Sony PSP gaming system and the Maemo OS. That would really be undeniably shiny!

The Myth Of Talent

Worth the read. The download-able article argues that "talent is a set of skills you develop over time through desire". Not the typical "its either you have it or you don't".

Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Watch

Santa, its still a long time till Christmas, but maybe this could give you a headstart.

My fervent dreams of location based apps would definitely benefit from this little bulky bugger. Tracking the distance I walk everyday should be undeniably fun too. :)



gadget nox
-- wishful thinking...

Musings

- Frack! Broke my left eyeglass when am just about to leave the house this morning. Replacement would set me back 700 bucks. That's life.
- Loving NBA Live 2007 on the PSP. Makes me look forward to the train rides on my everday commute. Love the live commentaries and the much improved gameplay. My current season standing: 5 wins - 4 losses. Not bad for a newbie.Next game against the Bucks.

nox
-- on a northbound train...

Rocking Chapel

Family went to the local chapel in our village to hear mass today. Was pleasantly surprised at the end of the mass the local children choir were really awesome singing the song "One Way". Everybody was upbeat with the pop-rockin tune.

We have stayed for over a year in this village, and we are really loving the place. A local chapel within the village is really rockin, since its walking distance from the apartment and the mass schedule is 9am every sunday. Aside from that, its just one jeepney ride from the MRT and pretty much near the wet market so that makes it pretty darn convenient.

For the meantime the song is currently on top of my last song syndrome queue (LSS).


faithful nox
-- singin', One way, Jesus, your the only one that I could live for...

Back to earth.

Ok, am back to work, my mind that is.

My body feels different tho, after 4 days of non-stop walking in Baguio (really impractical not to go around on foot during the Panabenga festivities), its only now that the tired feeling is settling in.

Ok, back to work...

Touchdown in Baguio

Touchdown in Baguio
Originally uploaded by nocs.

Interesting place. Cool weather. Haven't slept a wink yet. Need to catch some Zzzzzs.

Baguio here we come!

Baguio Gear
Originally uploaded by nocs.

Ah the digital age. Back in the day, probably you only have to bring instamatic Kodak film type cameras to record your vacation. Past forward 2007, you have portable video recorder, digital SLR camera and portable gaming gear you can bring with you.

In two hours we will be leaving for Baguio. Our first family outing, just the four of us (Lovey, Rojan and Janro). Hope the kids will enjoy the uber cool weather and the flower (Panagbenga) festival.

Excited!

froggy nox
-- Hopping around in Baguio soon...

Improved Navigation

Woot!

Based on popular demand, we just added categorized views for location and interest pages. Simple modifications, but makes navigating the site much, much, better.

For the record, internet explorer (IE) still sucks! go Firefox!


froggy nox
-- Hop around, look around...

The new Canon 1D Mark III

10 FPS and dual digic III processors? SHINY!

The new accessories like the wireless transmitter is pretty shiny too. Can't find the info how to integrate a GPS into the thing, that would be redundantly shiny.

One of the things to salivate in your dreams. In reality a 5D with a 24-105 IS attached would be good enough for me. But even that is still a distant dream.

Don't get me wrong, the 350D that I have is pretty damn good starter kit. I just wish they made it more ergonomic and provided the adjustment wheel found on the 20D/30D and upward models. With that said, I could say the 30D is what I need and the 5D is what I want. The wife says a family car should be the real priority since the children are growing up, so for short, no other frackin' expense till we get that one.

Now if only I could earn from blabbering blogging... Maybe I should set up my own picture gallery and put some Ad Sense there and pretend number of people would be interested in them. Put up a donate to my 5D fund button if Paypal Philippines would put its act together and finally allow that feature for those of us living here.



shutter nox
-- back to work, nuff said...

Apple's new wireless router.

This Apple guys really gets it! No longer you have to buy a separate SLUG to plug your external storaged device into the network without a host computer.


mac nox
-- now back to work...

Bluer than blue.

Bluer than blue.
Originally uploaded by nocs.

I like how saturating the blue channel in this photo turned out. The correct exposure allowed the photo to retain the detail in the clouds even if I doofus-ly shot it in JPEG instead of RAW.

Solitude

Solitude
Originally uploaded by nocs.

My first stab at black and white. I like how the tiny image of the fisherman is framed nicely within the reflection of the sky. The mountain on the left side gives a cue on the scale I think.

I could imagine myself in place of the fisherman, neath a cloudy sky, thinking of nothing, pondering the mysteries of life and the universe, just me, the boat, the clouds, the view, the cool breeze of the ocean, wondering just how to get back to the frackin' shore.

Transient Objects

Am addicted to XML serialization and deserialization via XStream. It rocks!

One thing to watch out if you are using dependency injection (AspectJ) is to make sure your helper objects are declared transient. Else XStream will complain of stack overflow. So save yourself from countless omit field statements and just declare those injected objects as transient.


dev nox
-- swimming in a sea of XML data...

Firefox rocks on my mac, but...

It frackin' hogs the CPU. Safari on the other hand seems to slowly leaks in to memory, but doesn't hog the CPU that much. The web developer plugin on firefox is a gem of a tool that keeps me coming back to use it from time to time. Wish they could fix the CPU hogging thing so I could use it as my main browser on my poor single core G4 processor.

Enough, whining. Back to coding..


dev nox
-- wishing for a macbook pro...

TomTom Bluetooth GPS Receiver

Update: Of the GPS receivers I mentioned a while ago. The TomTom Bluetooth GPS receiver seems to be the sexiest. Not to mention small and interfaces nicely with most PDA's including my trusty old treo.

Too bad, I don't have Paypal Donate button.

GPS Hunt

I wonder which of this GPS list is the cheapest?

I need one for my location based services (LBS) ideas that still titillates the wet corners of my mind from time to time.


traveller nox
-- no direction home...

SysAd Musings

MRTG reporting something consuming the bandwidth at 80%. After checking the mailq, I have 6K plus deferred messages also holding the CPU hostage (almost 50% ).

One command to rule them all:

postsuper -d ALL deferred

Modern day digital surgery of a machine's electronic artery. They do rhyme, don't they?



sysad nox
-- loving one liners...

MTR

Yes, I had been slacking off my sysadmin required reading and only now discovered this wonderful little bugger. Better than traceroute and ping. I like the live latency updates, and its quite fun using this on a machine connected via GPRS and 3G.


sysad nox
-pingin' and tracin'...

MRT woes

Wondering why its so hard to geta stored value card this days. Seems to go together with the recent announcements that G-Pass conduits now available at all MRT stations. Add to that the recent sightings of future-dressed G-Pass girls with old school megaphones(?) hawking the merits of G-Pass.

Another thing that caught my attention is the 1% deduction for every reload. Aside from the fact that it requires that you have at least 16 pesos balance to use the thing.

Let me see, its more expensive, you don't seem to get a bonus ride, the convenience factor compared to card based entry isn't that noticeable and last but not the least proprietary. Not surprisingly, MRT passengers doesn't seem to line up on those G-Pass booths, so what's keeping them from using it?

mobile nox
- <i>mo-bloggin on a southbound train...</i>

Today's bathroom musings.

In no particular frackin' order:
• IE version 6 below sucks! Period. Its a PITA when its the only browser incorrectly rendering your webpage.
• Good thing am a back end developer, but crossing the front end line is downright unavoidable. That's the time you curse cross browser rendering issues.
• HappySlip on youtube rocks. Now I won't dare leave our toothbrush in the bathroom. Its the "meesst" that haunts you. Love the paean mac song too.

slippy nox
- <i>still cursing IE 6, while singing happyslip's mac song, whilst outside the room inside my mind...</i>

Manila Times HopAround.net Article

Our little baby in beta (hoparound.net) got featured in an online manila times article. Reposting it here.


HopAround.net benefits
microenterprises in Vigan


A local tour guide and car rental operator based in Vigan may not have the knowledge or the resources to promote their services to a potential tourist from the other side of the continent. But soon, even those tasty empanadas created by the town’s manangs can be a byword in the ever-growing global village concept created by Internet technology.

For those who are interested to climb the High Peak in Palauig, Zambales—considered the highest point in Central Luzon at 2,030 meters—can now start with “a click of a mouse” by visiting www.Hop­Around.net, a web portal offering Internet visibility to micro-entrepreneurs in the country, along with the capacity to provide tourism services to local and foreign travelers.

“Entrepreneurs engaged in the tourism industry from all over the country will soon be given a ‘voice’ and a ‘face’ in the worldwide web for all travelers to see with the launch of HopAround,” Philip Camara, president of HopAround.net said.

Micro entrepreneurs in Palauig and nearby Iba who provide 4x4 vehicles, packed meals, camping gear, personal guides, and more, can now make their services visible in the Internet by registering at HopAround.net.

“HopAround’s basic advocacy is ‘Local Economy for Local People.’ The web portal will create new business opportunities for micro-entrepreneurs, referred to as Micro Tourism Service Providers [MTSP], who can provide transport, lodging, meals, guides, gear, packaged tours among others, for tourists,” Philip said.

Because the MTSPs are from the area, they have extensive knowledge of their particular locations and therefore know the most scenic destinations, the most interesting local culture sites, the best out-of-the-way local fare eateries, the most knowledgeable personal guides, the cleanest and most comfortable lodgings, and at the most competitive rates available, offering the tourist a totally different experience from the usual tour and travel packages in the market.

The HopAround website presents popular spots around the Philippines which tourists can review while mapping out their travel plans. Each destination will be linked with registered MTSPs from the chosen locality, each MTSP allocated with an online information box where the MTSPs contact details are posted and a chat window for inquiries provided. The tourist may access the listing of MTSPs and the contact details by clicking on the desired point of interest or location, thereby allowing direct interaction between the MTSP and the tourist or allowing the tourist to post an inquiry in the MTSP’s chat window.

“The more service providers there are enlisted to cater to this growing number of tourists, the better the local tourism industry will be. And since tourism impacts the economy greatly, both people and country will benefit,” he added.



oh yeah, hopefully this will let both foreign and local tourists/travellers find awesome destinations in the Philippines!



froggie nox
-- Life is an adventure. Look around, hop around...

Still Life

Still Life
Originally uploaded by nocs.

The typical workstation scenario. Tools of the trade. Music, light, mountain dew, water, tissue, alcohol, a cup of coffee/tea, keyboard and mouse, and last but not the least, my trusty sidekick/pda.

Its been a week now since I leave the lappy at home. I still miss it. Desktop GNOME, while vastly improved is still no match for the tight integration of apps on OS X. But its close. But this would do, as the iBook is out of warranty and no money to upgrade yet.

On the other hand, the dual core office workstation rocks! My apps compiles twice as fast! Makes me yearn for a core 2 duo macbook or better yet, a macbook pro! Dream on...


worker nox
-- because a clean desk is a sign of sick mind...

Life is an adventure. Look around, hop around...

Yesterday we launched HopAround.net beta!

This is basically an online app that aims to discover the unbeaten path. A different perspective in the online tourism sector. Basically we want to norture and build micro tourism entrepreneurs and build local economy for the local people. By discovering new places to go and micro entrepreneurs, we hope to bring a fresh and less costly approach in discovering the beauty of the Philippines.

We are also adding a pinch of a web 2.0 ingredients: building online communities and social participation. We are working closely with the locals in each province to add content. We are also working hard to throw in there our m-commerce and mobile apps experience. We still have a gazillion long feature list. Stay tuned.

Other than that, we want to be the one of the premier destinations on the net if you want to hop around the Philippine archipelago.


froggie nox
-- The Philippines today, tomorrow the world! The future is mobile, look around, hop around...

The tree and the sky.

The tree and the sky.
Originally uploaded by nocs.

I am the tree,
You are the sky.
Clouds go by,
But my love won't die.


puwetik nox
-- janelletic pa rin...

Photo hacking

Stare
Originally uploaded by nocs.

In some ways digital photography is also like hacking. Like the photographers of the old days hacking film, modern photographers hack thru digital darkrooms (a.k.a. post processing on a computer).

Although my main interest is still capturing whats there (and not faking it), with minimal post processing as much as possible. That means getting the shot right in the first place and just minimal post processing afterwards. On post processing however, I do want to hack up a workflow that makes images that I capture distinctively mine. And am currently beginning to discover the advantages of shooting RAW instead of JPEG.


shutter nox
-- hacking my digital negatives...

PicooZ RC Helicopter

PicooZ
Originally uploaded by nocs.

Sent by good my good friend winston, this litter bugger is really fun to fly around! Fine tuning it is a bit tricky. You have to keep the rear rotor blades perfectly aligned, else the helicopter body will also spin around. Once in flight you can use the left and right trim controls to stabilize the helicopter. The box also include a few strips of silver tape, that you stick on the front for added weight to facilitate forward flight.

What's neat is that its virtually crash proof since the body is made of styro foam and the rotors are made of flexible plastic. Another nice touch is the helicopter charges via the RC remote, so all you need is a 6 AA rechargeable batteries.

Its small enough that you can play it inside the house or and office cubicle for that matter. The blue blinking light inside the body makes it possible to fly this at night. It can also reach two stories high on an open ground. Watch out for the wind, this thing gets easily swept away.

Am 29 and I still love toys, I think thats also the reason why I love hanging out with my two kids, its a good excuse to be a kid again. :D


pilot nox
-- Flying, soaring... Happy that we could be...

Shadow, is my friend. I don't have to make ammends.

Shadow, is my friend.
Originally uploaded by nocs.

I remembered being fascinated with Peter Pan's shadow in my youth. There was a scene in the movie when Peter was trying to catch his own shadow. So last weekend while I was trying out my "home photography" experiments, I noticed my shadow just waiting there for the camera, and so I obliged and gently pressed the shutter.

shadow nox
-- shadows and shapes, make em' shake...

Multi-touch

You all have seen the iPhone keynote. And one to the technologies that makes it shiny, is multi-touch. Some geeky stuff here. This is what I am excited about, Apple innovating and other companies are somehow forced to follow. I smile when reading about people whining about the lack of 3G features, too early to tell if it has set the bar, yada, yada. They just don't get it.


Now to get you a more visual, hands-on experience (got this from iandexter's feed).



Imagine the impact of this technology in the future, not hard to see it implemented in laptops or on OLED displays. This will change the aging current user interfaces and will probably tickle the minds of those in the porn tech industry.

visual nox
-- touchy monday morn.

Lean and mean.

Aside from aiming to lose a few baby fats, I also started trimming the things I bring daily. Am stationing my out of warranty iBook at home for the moment and converted one of the machines at work as my workstation. Was pleasantly surprised how polished the default GNOME environment is on ubuntu. I still hasn't tried making the dual core work on the Pentium D workstation, cat /proc/cpuinfo only shows one processor. More on this later. I would miss the iBook, but since its out of warranty and we don't have a budget for an upgrade, it would be safer it stays home.

For now, am limiting my gear to my trusted Treo and its gullible infra-red keyboard. Might bring my kid's PSP from time to time since it has wi-fi and the built in web browser is quite usable. Besides am enjoying PQ, quite addicting 3D puzzle game. Other than that, I might also take a stab at street photography and do a photo-a-day sort of thing.

This would also force me to setup system to seamlessly pass/share data around my home and work computer. For now, there is no denying how useful the aging CVS is. I haven't tried Sub-version, since work is piled up and that would mean configuration changes and finding out if Eclipse supports it.

It was weird traveling light on my way to the office this morning. Using the regular keyboard brings nostalgic feelings, likewise using a regular mouse as opposed to a laptop's touch pad.

My journey into digital photography

Tribu in the sand


I had always been fascinated by photography but never had a chance to try it till last year when I got the 350D. I percieved film back then to be costly, unlike today's digital. My goal for now is to be the best photographer there is for my wife and kids (FHM models would also be nice). I think my field would be "home photography", people who loves to errr, take pictures of everyday things found in his home. Still lots to learn tho, much of it is understanding the light, if dancing is making love with the dance floor, photography is also making love with the light.

But still, the process of capturing those priceless moments in time is such a great stress reliever after long hours in front of the computer.



Waiter, got milk?


In a way, am also trying to cultivate the creative part in me (more like trying to discover if I had it). Although I have read somewhere that photography is for people who aren't very good at creating art, and if you can't create art, it might be easier just to capture it. But others will surely disagree, as they say that what would separate a photographer from a snap shooter? the photographer composes/creates, the snap shooter simply takes a picture.



The umbrella pose


At the end of the day, I like photography because it forces me to try to find beauty in everyday things.


shutter nox
-- if a picture paints a thousand words...

Today's musings

In no particular order:
• Just watched a CNN clip early this morning regarding the iPhone's appeal on the asian market. Interesting in a way that the it focused on Japan, where the mobile technology is more advanced than any other country in the world. Thanks to its broadband speed mobile data infrastructure, in Japan, the phone not only plays TV, you can use it literally for a train ride, email, IM, browse the internet, GPS your way into Tokyo, buy something from the fruitstand, remotely control your coffee machine, etc., and last but not the least, make a phone call.
• So how does the iPhone stack up to a market like this? With mobile data infrastructure a generation ahead than its GSM/Edge/Wi-fi/Bluetooth combo? The answer is simple, as one japanese in the interview puts it: "its stylish, and I'm curious." And quite frankly, that is just what the iPhone needs to make a dent in the asian market.
• On the other hand, am continously fascinated how advanced mobile technology is in Japan. The degree it becomes an extension of an individual there. From an architect carrying his digital blueprints there, teenagers watching TV, a father paying for his groceries just by placing the phone on top of conduit point of sale device, an old man using the phone's mapping application to navigate downtown tokyo, to a commuter tapping his phone to an train turns-style entrance (drastically minimizes lines), an so much more!
• What makes it so successfull in Japan? Why isn't it yet that wide spread in a flat world? Can the Philippines, the texting capital of the world, also do it? What would it take?

nox
-- Japan is a MobileIndie's wet dream come true.

My manly hands

My manly hands
Originally uploaded by nocs.

In another futile attemp to have a body of decent shape, am determined to conquer the threadmill. This time, am adding a cheap 18lbs dumb bell to the mix.

The strategy is to walk/run at least 15-30 minutes every other day. Shoot! thats already a conservative estimate. Am also determined to finally get rid of still lingering baby fats around my cute belly. I don't care if I lose a pretty functional stabilizer (prop your elbows on your tummy for added instability when taking a picture, you get the drift).

Lets see again where this goes...

athletic nox
-- by all means, wish me luck...

OS X PostgreSQL binary

Since I reformatted my iBook over the weekend (on a very slow DSL connection, go figure.), am still in the process of getting the apps I NEED one by one. I had always loved PostgreSQL (and it has alwasy loved me back), even back in the day, MySQL just doesn't appeal to me. Anyway, I searched the lazy web for a lean and mean binary installer instead of going thru the usual process of installing the OS X dev kit, installing fink, and manually compiling postgres. Turns out, as expected that somebody has done just that. From somebody with a domain ending in .ch, my oh my, the world is now flat indeed!


dev nox
-- Postgres rocks!

He was selling us the future -- mobile, broadband-connected and ubiquitous.

This wired magazine post nailed it squarely on the head. Am a bit amused why some people whine regarding the lack of 3G, among other things, they just don't get it. Steve is selling us the future of mobility. And damn! I like the direction he is going.

Same goes for the Apple computer, it isn't just the hardware, its the combination of all the technologies that makes your computer a tool, rather than a state of the art computing machine. It allows you to think more of the problems you are trying to solve, rather than the computer be a problem in itself. In short, it makes a pretty good effort to get technology out of your way, and that separates it from the rest.


mac nox
-- i love my mac...

Oddities of my digital life.

Shoot, its my 900th post to blogger! :) probably more than a thousand if it included my .plan whinings since circa '96.

Also, here I am, contemplating of formatting my iBook. Everything is backed up and ready to go. Except for one thing, i forgot my yahoo messenger password. And since I only use my my yahoo account for messenger, that means I didn't bother to change it for the past 3 years. Didn't change, also means I don't have clue as to what password I used then. Recover tools doesn't work since I also don't remember data I entered back then. Oh well.

My gulay! I should just frackin' create a new yahoo id and be done with it.


odd nox
-- pondering my digital life...

Welcome to the "Age of Mobility"!

My excitement over the iPhone lies deeper actually. Its the thought that this device could actually trigger the "Age of Mobility". The hype will fuel other phone manufacturers to innovate. Or pressure those other phone companies to "REALLY" innovate. Because from this moment on, every frackin new phone will be judged against the iPhone. That excites me more!

Mark my word. The "Age of Mobility" has began.

mobilenox
- "mobile indie! independently mobile!"

You would never look at other phones the same way again.

Yes, thats right. Just watched the iPhone keynote intro. Man, you really won't look at other phones the same way again. Every other phone model out there looks obsolete compared to the iPhone. It has OS X running on it for starters. The interface is so damn shiny! The connectivity, the audio/video integration, iPhoto managegment, the sweet, sweet little touches that makes your digital life easier, am gonna love a phone like that.

Apple's new iPhone!!!

WOWWWWWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Apple Rocks!!!

Hello 2007!

Ah life...

Stereotypical faster than the blink of an eye, its 2007!

And all we want is world peace!


Later...

Test 1, 2, tres...

Blogger beta test (post via email)

Its the season for being happy! Because the reason is not dead nor gone!

My first take on shooting behind the window pane.


Janro fiddling with the Christmas ball.


Rojan doing the mannequin pose.


My all time favorite models. Oskosh, just in case you need one. :D




Merry Christmas everybody! Happy new year too!



daddy nox
- i love my kids!

YoSpace Smartphone WAP emulator

shiny piece of software! i love the emulation mode. you get to really see how your wappy looks like on pop phones.

runs fine on the bookah. albeit slow. oh well...

Firefox Vi-ish find keybinding

Woot!

Just discovered using "/" would bring up the search box on firefox.

Shiny!

Hawak kamay...

Loving the 50mm!


shutternox
- be true to the 50, and the 50 will be true to you...

Girl succeeds having people buy her a macbook pro!

Lucky!

I remember Sacha Chua also did something similar (Ad Space) on her laptop. Only this time the idea was taken further. :)

Now, should I post my bank details for "Buy Nox a Canon 5D with a 24-105L lens" campaign. I'll advertise the sponsors name on the 5D, my blog, my ibook, and if the fund is big enough to buy a macbook pro, I'll find a way to laser etch em' too.

Too bad Paypal PH doesn't offer local bank withdrawals yet, that would make things like this a tad easier for international donors.

On the other hand, funding for a Tamron 17-50mm would suffice.


dreamy nox
- Canon are you listening...

50mm Fun!

Really loving the nifty fifty! Way sharper than the kit lens. Now if only they make something as optically as good as this, with a focal range of 17-200 with IS priced not more than $200! Then more people (consumers) can concentrate more on the art and not the tool. Wishful thinking...

Anyway, more shots of my two little kittens:

My volunteer assistant little boss/cameraman/director.


Tag team. Yey! Rojan won and bagged a medal.



daddy nox
- i love my kids!

My daughter rocks! and my cam is back!

Yesterday was good timing as Canon called to inform us that the 350D was fixed and ready for pickup. It took them 1 month to replace the sensor and a few other things. Here is to hoping that problem won't go back anytime soon. :)

Anyway, Rojan presented the "Three Litte Kittens" this at her school this morning. Wifey and I were so proud. Also got a chance to use the nifty fifty (Canon 50mm lens) and take my shot at family candids/events photography. Its a bit weird using a fixed focal length lens for this type of shoot. Quite challenging! The 50mm prime was awesome but I think I need to add one more walk-around lens with enough reach for cases where you can't go beyond set boundaries, like a school stage for example. But for portraits and low lights (school gym) wide apertures really helps. Also 50mm on a cropped sensor like the 350D is a bit short on the wide end on a crowded gym.

Time to make excuses to get the Tamron 17-50 or the Sigma 17-70. Am torn between the two. If money is not an object, the Canon 17-40L would be nice or the Canon 17-55 2.8 IS, but those are way too much for this hobby. Unless if Canon would be nice to give me one for Christmas of course. Thats shooting for the moon, hehehe, as most reviewers on the net mention that they rarely even lend one for review.


daddy nox
-proud/happy dad!

Shiny! Open source Java Rocks!

Rejoice, rejoice, rejoice!!
For now you have a choice,
yer FREE!!!

Like a bird on a tree...
Are you happy of me?



devnox
- Sun, you rock!

Picoo Z Micro RC Helicopter

This is pretty wicked! Damn Shiny!

Cost about $20-$30. Would make an awesome gift for myself my two year old boy.

Will order from a friend coming home from HK this Christmas. Dexter order na! :)


kidnox
- the kid within...

Its out!

Oh yeah! As I have told a friend who bought a macbook 2 weeks ago. Wait for this since the macbook pro line was just updated, and its predictable that the macbook series will follow by year end.

As for me, bookah wookah is still ok for my development needs. Albeit slow when resin and postgres fired up together with eclipse.

Ok, ok, this is a need. Not a want.

Oh well...


macnox
- i want you... i need you...

The official PSP™(PlayStation?Portable) Website

The wifi feature and with full netfront powered browser makes titillate the geek in me. Yes it can be it can be done on the treo and with Smart's flat per minute GPRS rate, but this thing has a freakin nice screen resolution! And last but not the least can play awesome games on the go.

Tempting...

Kiyosaki, Kiyosaki... If I had not read that book, I would buy this thing in a jiffy. But it wouldn't hurt to receive one from dear Santa this Christmas. I wish...

On another news, the PSP3 is out. But am not much of a couch gamer. Mobility is where the future lies.


playnox
- PSP dreamin, mobile indie...

Java Persistent Objects (JPOX)

This thing is sexy. Period.

Time to blog the adventures in JDO land. One baby step at a time.

devnox
- the simpler the betterererererer...

OpenDNS | Providing A Safer And Faster DNS

Hmmmnn... Some noticeable speed bumps.

Try it out! Shiny!

Kalesa Transit

man without a cam

The Canon 350D is undergoing sensor replacement surgery due to this annoying horizontal banding problems right smack at the center. If post processed with photoshop's unsharp mask this problem is accentuated and can be visibly seen as white lines running across the entire frame. This only happens at apertures 3 and below and iso 400 and above, so you would need a lens like the nifty fifty (Canon 50mm 1.8) to check if your sensor also exhibits the same problem.

Fortunately, the unit has local warranty. And with the kind help of tekgik at pipho was able to escalate the problem to a very helpful Canon exec. Else it might take till december for the unit's sensor to be replaced instead of a promised mid november timeframe.




shutternox
- missing the sound of a clicking shutter...

How Much Is My Blog Worth

My blog is worth $4,516.32.
How much is your blog worth?

wooooot! $4K! Thats worth a 5D, a 24-70mm and trip to HK with the family. :D :D :D

Aspect, oh Aspect...

Not all is peachy at aspectj land.

If you are using hibernate, you are in for a nasty circular dependency surprise once you inject an object/service/dao to your domain object which has a hibernate session factory injected via spring. The session factory object tries to load your entity/domain, which will be intercepted with aspectj and try to configure using your spring configuration, which will again call on session factory....

The solution is including an unsaved-value="null" into your primary class (use xdoclet to make your life easy).

Am currently using load time weaving using the AJDT tool. And its a bit slow on bookah wookah. A much nicer/lightweight approach is to mock your objects for unit testing and use ajc on the final jar build.

Is it domain dependency injection worth the trouble? It depends, but it truly helps make your model more object oriented. Makes mapping meatspace problems easier. You could treat your domain object just like a real object.


devnox
- binding aspects to the jar output...

Allergic to annotations?

If you are like me, still allergic to annotations, but would like to inject stuff to your domain objects to keep them from becoming anemic, you cant rely on the spring docs (ATM) to give you a more simple explanation on using AspectJ for domain injection. The problem is magnified if your only use of aspects is for domain injection and nothing else (K.I.S.S. philosophy).

There is another way. You still need to download the usual AspectJ installer and the eclipse AJDT. Then create an aspectj project with a class like the code below.


package com.mobileindie.spring.utils;

import org.springframework.beans.factory.aspectj.AbstractBeanConfigurerAspect;
import org.springframework.beans.factory.wiring.ClassNameBeanWiringInfoResolver;

public aspect DomainObjectConfiguration extends AbstractBeanConfigurerAspect {

public DomainObjectConfiguration() {
setBeanWiringInfoResolver(new ClassNameBeanWiringInfoResolver());
}

// the creation of a new bean (any object in the domain model)
protected pointcut beanCreation(Object beanInstance) :
initialization(com.mobileindie.domains..new(..)) &&
this(beanInstance);

}


Take note of the initialization line, this is where you define which objects you would like to inject your dependencies whenever a new instance is called. This also assumes wire by prototype mode. But the beans are configured just like a normal bean in your spring application context xml.

devnox
- ano nga ba ang aspect kung meron kang aspect?

Apple - MacBook Pro

Core 2 Duo based MacBook Pro just out!

The time has come to drool again. Imagine the boost in productivity with that machine. A core 2 duo compiling my java apps! If the current crop macbook can cut my compile time in half, imagine the speed on this sweet bugger.

Back to G4 reality.

macnox
- dreaming ang drooling...

The Aspects Blog: Tips for using Eclipse effectively

Aha!

I had been using eclipse for quite a while and didn't know that there is such an option such as Fast Views, which really helps reclaim much needed screen state on my 1024x768 resolution challenged bookah wookah.

Just right click on the title bar of the view and select the Fast View. It minimizes your view to a single icon on the bottom (default). But you can place it either on the left or right portion depending on your preference.

dev nox
- hopping around...

Alapaap

iPhoto Diet 3.1 - VersionTracker

Woot! Just what I need!

Need to swap the larger drive soon tho. With barely 1 gig free disk space, things are slowin. Can't give up both my music and photo collection either. Wonder if those shops are oven on tuesday...

XStream

POJO to XML? Check. XML to POJO? Check.

Yummy clean XML generation... Whats not to love?

Spread the love...

devnox
-- still buried in the xslt regime.

Self portrait fun!

At the risk of exposing my vanity, and the limits of my creativity, my self portrait version 1...

Resized original image.


Post processed, bronzed, 50 year old shed-my-boy-next-door-image look.


I have to admit, I will still look dashing 20 years from now. Hehehehe...

samoht.com: SpringViz

SpringViz + GraphViz = Springy-fied Diagram Titilations

Spread the love...


devnox
-- buried deep in the xslt regime...

Hands-on with the Treo 680 - Engadget

And the new Treo 680 is out!

Oh well, still no wifi or confirmation of WiFi support. No 3G either.

In the Philippines, more and more people are getting hooked on using their 3G handsets as wireless conduit for internet access. Not surprising tho, since Smart 10pesos per 30mins 3G/GPRS is spot on (Globe, take a hint). At that rate, you would think twice subscribing to WiFi access like Airborne etc. I mean, you can get a prepaid smart sim and have prepaid internet access anywhere that there is a Smart signal. Speed is a bit sluggish if you are not on 3G (dial-up speed), since 3G doesn't cover the whole archipelago yet. When you are on 3G however and using a data cable, speed is somewhere between a dial-up and a low grade broadband connection. But you sure can't beat the convenience and the decent connection rate. +1 for Smart.

Globe is still stuck on the per kb pricing. Whilst handy and practical for instant messaging and quick email checking on your handset, quite unpractical if you plan to use it together with your lappy-tappy for in-the-middle-of-nowhere internet access.

Back on topic, the new Treo (or even the current Treo line) is a match for Smart's data rates. On the other hand, they should have at least included a WiFi (or at least a Wifi option) and 3G chip in there.

Oh well...

Google Maps for Treo

Shiny!

Although, the Philippines is limited to satellite view. No street level info yet.

Location, location, location...


treonox
- the future is mobile...

Finally...

After what seems like eternity, 2 days to be exact. I finally saw the login screen.

Thats after migrating from the old acegi 0.8x to acegi 1.x. Same concepts, different naming conventions, some bean reconfigurations. After which, I thought, why not update the spring libraries as well (circa 2005 libraries)? and why not upgrade to Hibernate3 as well? I think I accelerated the growth of my white hairs a bit. And thats coming from bed loving flu a week back.

All in all the Hibernate2 to Hibernate3 sucks the most.

Oh well...

Guardian Unlimited Business | | Google nets YouTube in $1.65bn takeover

Oh syet! $1.6B!

Lucky duo.

Necessities

Need to swap my 80G external hdisk to the 40G that comes with bookah. With only 2G space left, its noticeably affecting performance once the swap kicks in. That would mean a day of downtime tho, re-installing the day to day apps.

And oh, am down with the flu. Should have taken the flu shot together with the kids.

Spring 2.0!

Just noticed this now. Woot! Spring me baby!

I ditched liferay for the current project. Its nice, but unbearably slow on bookah (iBook G4), even with resin's JVM mem config cranked to the maximum. String beans is better and fits resin and glassfish like a glove. Will probably just portalize (JSR 168) the app on the next iteration. For now liferay doesn't cut it for my G4 powerpc portable dev machine, and I have no means to upgrade to a dual core macbook yet.

Post typhoon / typhoon post

Rojan
Originally uploaded by nocs.

No electricity,
nothing to do.
A camera in hand,
what do you do?

Capture the expressions around the candle of course!

This is the real purpose of my DSLR, capturing time thru the lens. Am difinitely my daughters number one fan! Next task is to print this 8x10 and find a good frame. :D

Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 XR Di II Lens Review

My dream lens for the 350D. The Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 IS would be great if not for its "L" like price. I like the kit lens, but its a pain to use it when the sun is out, and I hate flash.

Santa, oh Santa...

Hmmmmmnnn...


shutternox
- bitten by the photography bug

Macro fun!

Janro and I, chased a butterfly outside last saturday. 350D in hand was surprised what the kit lens and a bit of post processing can do. :D

Original Image: Colors "accurately" reproduced.


Processed image, using the "velvia film" effect by using the channel mixer in photoshop.



Next experiment is to shoot with RAW and try the picture styles in DPP.


shutternox
- "yung tira ko, kit lens lang yan..." (tm)

Warm lights experiment

WB set to shade/ISO at 800.

Am still focus challenged tho. And greatly needs to improve estimating DOF to get the shots I want.

And I hate flash. Larger apertures would be nice. Except of course the hobby is at the bottom of the priority list. For the meantime, the kit lens would have to do. I just have to work within its limits.

Microfinance/M-Commerce thoughts

Been reading focus notes of a recent world bank publication listing Financial Institutions that use E-Payments to serve the poor. Particularly interested on using mobile phones as a means to carry out basic banking transactions.

Was surprised that for the Philippines we only have one entry (Rural Banks Assocations of the Philippines via Globe G-Cash?), and it was only offering one service: Payments.

Anyway, it also mentioned some reasons why potential users are cautious in using m-commerce. Nothing new here, I have mentioned this a couple times in this blog.

- Mobile banking applications are not yet inter-operable.
- Mobile phone payments may not conform to international security standards. And if I may add SMS as a basis for m-commerce transactions just doesn't cut it. Message delivery reliability issues still haunts this platform.
- For banks, a "mobile phone only" channel has not yet proved profitable. Chicken and Egg scenario here.
- Mobile phone banking may not be able to reach the most remote and poor areas. I don't see this as much of a hindrance in the Philippine setting. Rather (as I repeatedly mentioned on this blog) the lack of infrastructure for cash-to-electronic/electronic-to-cash convertions.
- Mobile phone banking may not be easy to use for illeterate and older users. True. Its a fact also that these young at heart would rather stick to tried and tested finance channels.
- Regulation surrounding mobile phone banking is not yet clear. There is no clear cut regulation yet in the Philippines. Am still confused with the whole cellco performing basic banking functions stand (Is it a bank or not?)

And only G-Cash was identified. Where is Smart Money?

Anyway am looking at this from an angle of an industry obeserver. I still lack the depth of a true blooded microfinance expert. Been itching to pursue a graduate study on microfinance, if only it wasn't that expensive!

29 and prime!

29 and prime!

Woot! Turned 29 today!

Happy, thankful to God I have priceless companions, everyday presents that rocks my world! :D

Good times...

Epekto

Epekto

"Ano ba an epekto? Kung meron kang epekto..."

Overheard thru the radio on the FX Taxi on the way to work. Coudn't remember which artist. Except that it sounds familiar to the songs in my youth. Words to live by, if I might say.

treonox
-on a northbound train

Two words...

Portlets and Photography...

That pretty much describes my day to day activities...

Still has a lot to learn.

Code lang ng code... Shoot lang ng shoot...

PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor

Still the best web app prototyping tool!

Haven't tried Ruby on Rails yet tho.

Apple's Battery Recall

Apple's Battery Recall

Got my brand new spankin' replacement battery courtesy of Senco (Thanks Carlos!). That was quick! Filed for replacement last August 25, and replacement arrived last August 31. Apparently, they called home last week, but our household companion wasn't able to inform us.

Anyway, they called again today and was wondering if am still interested since they need to ship back my old battery to Apple SG. I hurriedly went to the office (sprained my left ankle in the process, avoiding a puddle) and surrendered my old battery, thank them, and left smiling :D

Good times...

Can you feel the love?

This hobby is very addicting. Can't wait to go home and experiment. Thanks to God for giving me such lovely subjects.