Missed several week's posts because of the Chinese New Year + end of semester exam preparations + personal exams. Oh, and my PC decided to die on me in the most unceremonious way - it still works but all PCI-e slots are not working ... took me so long to figure that out. Luckily it fell back to its internal on-board GPU so at least it is currently still in a usable state with legacy unaccelerated graphics (on board only has a 7100nvidia GPU). Local service and support won't sell me the board on its own unless I bring it in and purchase with service fees so I have to look for alternatives. Seeing as it is a rather 'old' PC (CPU socket wise) its difficult to get good LGA775 motherboards anymore. Additionally, I realised further problems with buying a so-called branded PC ... the feature set found on this PC cannot be replicated on any commercial boards available for public purchase. Yeah, somehow Acer has designed this board with so many additional I/O options that if I buy an off-the-shelf motherboard, more that half of the PC's connectors won't work because they have nowhere to plugin into!
On its own, the mobo (which is an OEM MCP73) has 4 USB 2.0 + 1 IEE1394 ports on board. Then it has four (yup, 4) on board USB connectors to support the additional 4 USB ports on the casing top AND the card reader AND another USB port in front. Most boards only have 2 additional USB connectors. Additionally, the original board also has 1 additional IEEE1394 connector to the front firewire800 port. Looks like I have to scour ebay for refurbished boards else go without the ports. *sigh*
Other things that kept me busy was my new phone .... that will be for the next post.
DiGi Prepaid DIY nano sim
Since getting an iPhone, I was forced to look for nano SIMs but I'm a prepaid user and majority of local telcos are hesitant to provide a nano SIM unless you sign up for a postpaid package (money sucking tactics). There were two ways to get around it - first is to get a nano SIM cutter or at least someone who has it to cut the standard mini SIM . Buying a cutter is useless because I only need one card (I'm not opening a phone store) so wasting RM17 (cheapest I could find) for a single use item was out of the question. There were some shop/stalls offering the cutting service at a few ringgit but I never had my phone with me at those times.
So, I had to resort to cutting my own. After reading many horror stories about failed cuts online and other advice, I was initially hesitant ... but eventually, I took a leap of faith and cut my own since I basically had no choice. Here's what I did ...
Get a template - there are various templates you can print out to get cutting guidelines. Find one that you feel comfortable with and works with your printer and paper size. I used this one here. [UPDATE Sept 2014 - link is dead, search google for "nano sim template"]
Before doing the actual cut, I tried out on several expired SIM cards I had on hand for practice - I tested a Celcom xPax mini SIM, TMobile micro SIM, Optus mini SIM and Starhub mini SIM. It is easiest if you have a micro SIM (image top right) but it works just as well with mini SIMs (image top left) - with micro you don't cut across the gold contact points but you have to with a mini. Ask around for unused SIMs or mobile phone vendors if you wish to get some practice before hand.
The final cut was made on the DiGi prepaid mini SIM. All five attempts worked out fine anyways with a 100% hand-cut success rate.
My advice for those wanting to try manual SIM cutting - make sure your cutting tool is sharp and strong. Flimsy school paper scissors will NOT work. Large heavy duty cutters may work but are unwieldy and may block your sight from cutting on the correct line. To test your scissors, try sticking a piece of tape onto both sides of an expired credit card (or any SIMilar thickness plastic card) and test on that. The scissors should cut through the tape layers and the card between neatly with pulling or stretching the tape. If at any point this fails, you may want to look for a different tool.
The SIM standard specs are pretty forgiving and you can actually overcut (or undercut) quite a lot and the SIM will continue to work. The problem with overcutting is that the SIM will be smaller than the official nano SIM size and will not fit in the tray properly (this will make removal and insertion very difficult). So you could always UNDERcut and then sand the edges to size if you're worried. I overcut the Starhub card I tested with in the picture above and ended up with a nano SIM too small for the iPhone tray ... the SIM card still works on other phones if I tape it to the contacts though.
The thickness is the relatively same for most of the cards I tested so no sanding was necessary except for one which was ever so slightly thicker. YMMV
So, I had to resort to cutting my own. After reading many horror stories about failed cuts online and other advice, I was initially hesitant ... but eventually, I took a leap of faith and cut my own since I basically had no choice. Here's what I did ...
Get a template - there are various templates you can print out to get cutting guidelines. Find one that you feel comfortable with and works with your printer and paper size. I used this one here. [UPDATE Sept 2014 - link is dead, search google for "nano sim template"]
My advice for those wanting to try manual SIM cutting - make sure your cutting tool is sharp and strong. Flimsy school paper scissors will NOT work. Large heavy duty cutters may work but are unwieldy and may block your sight from cutting on the correct line. To test your scissors, try sticking a piece of tape onto both sides of an expired credit card (or any SIMilar thickness plastic card) and test on that. The scissors should cut through the tape layers and the card between neatly with pulling or stretching the tape. If at any point this fails, you may want to look for a different tool.
The thickness is the relatively same for most of the cards I tested so no sanding was necessary except for one which was ever so slightly thicker. YMMV
Disclaimer: Any attempts at cutting your SIM card are at your own risk. Cutting your SIM card may destroy it, damage your handset and void your handset's warranty and I will not be held responsible.
..... Show/hide full post
Setup ... and wait
OMG .... itchy fingers made me do it
In the last moments of the very first Asian Apple Store Lunar New Year sale ... I made a purchase. I feel a hole burning in my wallet liao
Unifi/Streamyx is IPV6 ready
As the world slowly begins its transition to IPv6, its funny that Telekom Malaysia has actually rolled out IPv6 features but not enabled them .... but then its not like there is any advantage of doing it yet.
If you're running on TM Unifi or Streamyx you can actually start using IPv6 on the network already. For example, if you're using Unifi on the defautl DIR-615 Gx router, the steps are as follows
Login to your router at the default address of 192.168.0.1 using a web browser (if you changed this, use the correct IP accordingly). You can use either the admin or management or operator accounts - all will work the same for this. Locate the first tab at the top for SETUP and then the left-hand side menu for IPV6 option. Then choose the option for "Enable IPv6 WAN connection"
Once enabled, choose PPPoE from the drop down menu (since SLAAC does not seem to be enabled at Telekom's end for now) and you'll see the options expand for account settings.
Choose to create a new session and then enter your Unifi account settings (the same as the ones found in the Internet setup page). Choose to "Obtain IPv6 DNS Servers automatically" for now else you can search for OpenDNS IPv6 options on Google.
Once that is done, click on the [Save Settings] button and then reboot the router. Upon completion of reboot, you can then proceed to the STATUS tab and view the IPv6 connection information if you logged on successfully.
You can then proceed to use any of the available tests online to check IPv6 connectivity. You'll see that you have dual-stack connectivity which means you are runnng both IPv4 and IPv6 simultaneously on the same network infrastructure without the need for any tunnelling.
So, why implement IPv6? There aren't many advantages or benefits to using IPv6 now unfortunately since majority of networks are running IPv4 but with IPv4 exhaustion already here more networks are expected to migrate soon. If you're an online gamer, there are reports that IPv6 will improve latency and routing times....so maybe you can try it out there and see if there is any change.
If you're running on TM Unifi or Streamyx you can actually start using IPv6 on the network already. For example, if you're using Unifi on the defautl DIR-615 Gx router, the steps are as follows
Login to your router at the default address of 192.168.0.1 using a web browser (if you changed this, use the correct IP accordingly). You can use either the admin or management or operator accounts - all will work the same for this. Locate the first tab at the top for SETUP and then the left-hand side menu for IPV6 option. Then choose the option for "Enable IPv6 WAN connection"
Once enabled, choose PPPoE from the drop down menu (since SLAAC does not seem to be enabled at Telekom's end for now) and you'll see the options expand for account settings.
Choose to create a new session and then enter your Unifi account settings (the same as the ones found in the Internet setup page). Choose to "Obtain IPv6 DNS Servers automatically" for now else you can search for OpenDNS IPv6 options on Google.
Once that is done, click on the [Save Settings] button and then reboot the router. Upon completion of reboot, you can then proceed to the STATUS tab and view the IPv6 connection information if you logged on successfully.
You can then proceed to use any of the available tests online to check IPv6 connectivity. You'll see that you have dual-stack connectivity which means you are runnng both IPv4 and IPv6 simultaneously on the same network infrastructure without the need for any tunnelling.
So, why implement IPv6? There aren't many advantages or benefits to using IPv6 now unfortunately since majority of networks are running IPv4 but with IPv4 exhaustion already here more networks are expected to migrate soon. If you're an online gamer, there are reports that IPv6 will improve latency and routing times....so maybe you can try it out there and see if there is any change.
A 2014 resolution ... I hope
Finally a better firmware for default Unifi routers
Referring to an earlier post here, there has finally been an unofficial-official firmware to fix the DNS problem with the DIR615 routers. The firmware updates G2 routers to version 7.15 and finally forwards DNS requests correctly between the router and the users in the LAN (previous firmwares timed out on most DNS requests thus making most pages never fully load or just time out)
So, save your config (just in case, the update shouldn't delete settings but you never know) from the menu. Download the firmware from here and update using the administration menu. Tested on two routers to work better than the original (one was 7.12 the other was 7.13).
So, save your config (just in case, the update shouldn't delete settings but you never know) from the menu. Download the firmware from here and update using the administration menu. Tested on two routers to work better than the original (one was 7.12 the other was 7.13).
Awww ... even iTunes makes mistakes
*Sigh* - as advanced as Apple is, iTunes does make mistakes like the one above. It probably was a indexing error with their backend servers.
Ultraviolet DRM is terrible and I wish it would die
What is ultraviolet?
What was it intended for?
Uhm ... to replace iTunes (it is headed by Warner Bros) as another means to distribute movies digitally legally. Probably was meant as a way to avoid paying Apple more money and to torture customers with yet another DRM system.
What is good about UV?
Three things only - your movies are "in the cloud" and accessible anywhere (not really), movies are available online through streaming (broadband required to stream) or offline through downloads and content can be shared with friends and family. Thats it. Nothing else. Nothing else they advertised really works.
Why does it SUCK SO BAD?
Hmmm ... how do I put this as clear as possible ...
UltraViolet is a free, cloud-based digital rights collection that gives you greater flexibility with how and where you watch the movies and TV shows that you purchase. When you buy a movie or TV show from a participating retailer, it's automatically added to your UltraViolet Collection and you have options to stream it over the Internet and/or download it for offline viewing to a variety of connected devices. Because UltraViolet offers so many viewing choices, you have greater freedom to choose where you want to watch - on a mobile device, computer, television, game console, etc.
What was it intended for?
Uhm ... to replace iTunes (it is headed by Warner Bros) as another means to distribute movies digitally legally. Probably was meant as a way to avoid paying Apple more money and to torture customers with yet another DRM system.
What is good about UV?
Three things only - your movies are "in the cloud" and accessible anywhere (not really), movies are available online through streaming (broadband required to stream) or offline through downloads and content can be shared with friends and family. Thats it. Nothing else. Nothing else they advertised really works.
Why does it SUCK SO BAD?
Hmmm ... how do I put this as clear as possible ...
- You need multiple accounts to access your content
First you need to sign up for an Ultraviolet account. You do that here. Once you have a UV account, you need to create ANOTHER account at EACH AND EVERY respective studio that is distributing using UV - e.g. I now have accounts created in the Sony Pictures Store, Universal Hi-Def, Flixster and Warner Bros ... so in total 5 new totally unnecessary accounts just to download my digital 'copies' - It is difficult to view content
It is IMPOSSIBLE to view any of your content without downloading their software or apps. To watch on your PC/Mac you download Flixster. Same goes with tablets, phones, phablets and whatnots. The downside of this? There is no way to show your content onto your living room TV or audio visual system short of connecting your computer to your display. At least with iTunes you can still get an Apple TV to view your content on the TV or use any iDevice with the proper av adaptor (hdmi/component/etc) to display content. Using a tablet/phone/PC as your player means you actually need to mirror the content onto the TV. - Quality of UV is poor
Overall video quality of UV distributed films ranges from good to really poor. Compression is noticeably higher than iTunes digital downloads and detail is often lost. Worst thing is that UV downloads are 2-channel STEREO only. Supporters may claim that this was intended because the digital downloads are meant for portable devices which is true but if iTunes digital downloads can provide both 2-channel stereo AND 5.1 channel surround, then I'd go for iTunes anytime because I like knowing that I can still pipe the full surround experience if necessary. - UV tablet/phone applications suck
The Flixster tablet app sucks on all the platforms I've tried it on. On the iPad, the app integrates with Rotten Tomatoes and shows current/upcoming/past movies which is actually rather cool. The movie download/streaming section though leaves a lot to be desired. Movies download with no problems but often remain in processing mode indefinitely. This means that the downloaded version can never play and if you attempt playback it will revert to the streaming version instead. In some cases, movies that were successfully downloaded, processed and can be viewed offline can suddenly revert back to its undownloaded state and will no longer work thus forcing you to delete the file and redownload. On android tablets, I've had even less success with the app crashing often and movies suddenly stopping for no reason. - UV desktop applications suck more
The PC desktop application is probably the weakest. I though iTunes was bad - UV is worse. Unlike tablet apps, the desktop PC version of flixster has no links and is purely for playback only. The software is not optimized and cannot playback video content unless the app is made full screen. In a window, the content jerks and frame rate drops dramatically thus making it impossible for you to have multiple applications open on your desktop so you can't watch a movie whilst check your facebook status at the same time. - There is no easy way to backup files
Unlike what the support website says here, there is no easy way to backup your UV digital movies. Digital content is downloaded as a binary file with no extension and a random string of alphanumeric characters (it is actually an mp4 file wrapped in their own DRM encoding). You can't really transfer this file anywhere because the target app you copy it into will not recognise the file. For every device you own and activate with UV, the file downloads with a different filename so it is impossible to map files between devices. D-U-M-B. They should have done it like iTunes where downloads happen as M4V files. Backup? Just copy the file out. Move to another PC/Mac/iPad/iPhone? Just copy the file in. No nonsense. No fuss. Compared to UV where I have had to download the exact same movie 4 times on 4 different devices just because their files are different. - You can only buy/redeem movies on the PC
Yup. STOOPID. For a distribution method supposedly meant for portable devices, there is NO WAY to get new content without going back to your desktop and logging into individual websites. Some of you might think that you can browse websites on the portable device so why not do it there? Nope. Impossible. Most websites I've been too won't work with tablet browsers. Either the pages won't load or your code won't work (even though the same code works when used in desktop)
The sad state of local arts scene
Its saddening to see the effect of lack of funding towards arts locally.
It starts off with a little known production called "Chow Kit Road! Chow Kit Road!" which is being produced by local company Masakini Theatre Co. Although initial publicity was adequate, as time progressed, hype and interest in the show started to wane. Recently, they were caught off guard when their main source of funding decided not to sponsor the show.
Those that have never been involved in any major production need to know that the costs of running a show like this runs into the hundreds of thousands of ringgit if not millions. This amount goes into payment for the cast and crew, venue rentals for rehearsals and shows, external payments for media (lighting, AV, printing etc) and so forth. A major chunk of cash goes into royalties if the show uses commercial content or is a licensed production. Without sponsorship, a show basically grinds to a halt with a showstopping screech.
Although it is unclear why the sponsor decided to withdraw funding, it is equally disheartening to see the cast and crew which have putting so much effort only to hear news like this. It is not uncommon for things like this to happen since the arts is still viewed as more as a hobby as compared to other jobs like engineers or doctors where the so called 'ROI' is more clear cut and measureable.
The problem now comes with how the production is to continue without funding. As it is, they have around less than two months to come up with the required cash to proceed and have thus resorted to crowdfunding which is found here. Main thing is that successful crowdfunding requires two things - a sizeable 'crowd' and a convincing plea delivery - of which CKR!CKR! has none of. Based on whatever I can gather, tickets are selling slowly, there is not much interest save for a few active members and any social media sites are woefully lacking.
Their crowdsourcing video with their director was uninspired and sounded as if she had given up and was forced to say something to fill in the dreadfully long and mostly empty 1.5 minutes. And what is with the old-film look to the video? It was badly filmed with low audio and has no real delivery goal. Recently, they added in another video with missiles and bombs which had no relation whatsoever to their plight and instead makes them look like their joking around. To a new visitor, it shows that the cast usually rehearse in a war torn country in a well equipped air-cond studio that is easily bombed?!?? WTF? Sad really.
They need US$550,000. As of today they have US$282.00 which is 0.05% of their goal. They have 35 days to reach their goal. Which means they need to have at least one EXTREMELY generous donor or get ~US$15707.00 donations DAILY. Their so called 'plea' for people to donate US$1 (yes, I really do mean 'plea' with quotation marks because their video basically asks this as a question which is something that should never be done) means they need 15,000 people to donate daily which is pretty unreasonable when their facebook/twitter/social media sites roughly have around 300-400 likers/subscribers.
Word of advice - find out how to do proper crowdsourcing videos (Google has plenty of help) and hit the social media sites fast! A plea needs to tell the viewer not just WHY they need the money but WHERE the money goes to and HOW it will be used. Get the cast/crew along to help in the plea to show it is a concerted effort instead of one desperate woman's plea. And for gawd sakes stop the FX videos ... they're just embarassing.
It starts off with a little known production called "Chow Kit Road! Chow Kit Road!" which is being produced by local company Masakini Theatre Co. Although initial publicity was adequate, as time progressed, hype and interest in the show started to wane. Recently, they were caught off guard when their main source of funding decided not to sponsor the show.
Those that have never been involved in any major production need to know that the costs of running a show like this runs into the hundreds of thousands of ringgit if not millions. This amount goes into payment for the cast and crew, venue rentals for rehearsals and shows, external payments for media (lighting, AV, printing etc) and so forth. A major chunk of cash goes into royalties if the show uses commercial content or is a licensed production. Without sponsorship, a show basically grinds to a halt with a showstopping screech.
CKR!CKR! basically uses the songs of the late Sudirman to narrate the life story of its main character. More details can be read on their webpage here but suffice to say it mostly resembles (as written) a local version of Rent!.
Although it is unclear why the sponsor decided to withdraw funding, it is equally disheartening to see the cast and crew which have putting so much effort only to hear news like this. It is not uncommon for things like this to happen since the arts is still viewed as more as a hobby as compared to other jobs like engineers or doctors where the so called 'ROI' is more clear cut and measureable.
The problem now comes with how the production is to continue without funding. As it is, they have around less than two months to come up with the required cash to proceed and have thus resorted to crowdfunding which is found here. Main thing is that successful crowdfunding requires two things - a sizeable 'crowd' and a convincing plea delivery - of which CKR!CKR! has none of. Based on whatever I can gather, tickets are selling slowly, there is not much interest save for a few active members and any social media sites are woefully lacking.
Their crowdsourcing video with their director was uninspired and sounded as if she had given up and was forced to say something to fill in the dreadfully long and mostly empty 1.5 minutes. And what is with the old-film look to the video? It was badly filmed with low audio and has no real delivery goal. Recently, they added in another video with missiles and bombs which had no relation whatsoever to their plight and instead makes them look like their joking around. To a new visitor, it shows that the cast usually rehearse in a war torn country in a well equipped air-cond studio that is easily bombed?!?? WTF? Sad really.
Word of advice - find out how to do proper crowdsourcing videos (Google has plenty of help) and hit the social media sites fast! A plea needs to tell the viewer not just WHY they need the money but WHERE the money goes to and HOW it will be used. Get the cast/crew along to help in the plea to show it is a concerted effort instead of one desperate woman's plea. And for gawd sakes stop the FX videos ... they're just embarassing.
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