Category: Review

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Craigslist Reader: An Awesome Free Tool

This reminds me of the news group days… for those deal seekers out there, you all know about Craigslist, which is a free classified listing service.  You can find practically anything, including jobs!  However, it is practically daunting to try to find something sometimes because you couldn’t search by multiple locations and/or categories.  Well, your worry days in deal-finding days are over!  Thanks to Motion Technologies’ free software, Craigslist Reader, you can now just do that!   You can search by multiple locations and categories!!  Go get it and start looking for deals … or jobs!!  It’s rather easy to use and awesome at what it does!!

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Chaos Theory (2007): Movie Review

I came across this movie in some what random manner… however, upon watching it, the movie just warmed up my heart… big time. First, big props to Ryan Reynolds for an excellent acting. This is my first time seeing him acting so big so well. And I don’t get impressed often. He was always playing goofy parts (ie. Scrubs and Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place). Yet, here he is playing a very serious role of a father and a husband.

And the plot is even better. One that should touch anyone’s heart, of love and betrayal. But for some reason, the ending was the best for me… and the favorite part, I took out and personally typed it up in this quote… Frank Allen is the character that Ryan Reynolds plays, the main character…

Franik Allen: It turns out there are few things that are more chaotic than that of a human heart. Speeding up, slowing down, pretty face, flight of stairs, it’s always changing no matter what happens. It’s an erratic son of a bitch. But underneath all that bump to bump mess, there is in fact, a pattern, the truth. And it’s love. Most important thing about love is we choose to give it. And we choose to receive it, making it the least random act in the entire universe. It transcends blood, it transcends betrayal, and all that dirt that makes us human. If you can figure that out, Jake’s got nothing on you.

That is huge. And so true. I pray that we will also choose to give and receive love. I give it 8/10.

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Skype’s Unlimited World Plan Review

Skype has been around for quite some time now… it has established itself as VoIP (Voice over IP) initiator.  This means that it will allow you to make calls over the Internet.  Now, it has taken another major step towards bigger market.  It is now offering what it calls “Unlimited World Plan“.  What is this?  For just $10 a month (ok, $9.95 to be precise but it’s $10!), you can make unlimited calls to anywhere in the 34 countries!  And it also happens to include South Korea!  😀

So I signed up to test this humongous potential!  I used my Logitech Webcam as microphone.  I call Soojin up as she’s in Korea.  I hear her just fine.  However, she says she can only hear my first syllable… like a bad cell phone call.  🙁  I get frustrated so I hang up.  I call her back with the cheap calling card I have been using from www.fonsale.com

Brian had warned me about this poor quality… so I was about to give up on it… but after few days of thinking, I decided to search SKype’s site for “poor quality”.  What comes up first?  Echo.  That’s right.  First thing it says is that echo can degrade audio quality and that webcams are infamous for it.  So I decided to unplug the USB webcam and plugged into mic port a microphone that I own.  I dial Korea again, and this time, she hears me perfectly!!  😮

Conclusion to this review?  What about this line?  “We have a winner!!”  😛  Seriously folks, if you call one of those 34 countries frequently (and that includes within US, Canada, and Mexico), this is one heck of a deal!!  Just be sure to not use USB webcams!!  🙂

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Omid Djalili – A Must-see Iranian-British Stand-up Comedian!

Of all possible stand-up comics, I just discovered one of the modern best!!

His name is Omid Djalili, an Iranian-British stand-up comedian and he was simply a blast to watch! I just couldn’t stop laughing!! See for yourselves on Youtube! I just watched his “No Agenda” stand-up and it’s beyond hilarious!! Be warned though that he’s not politically correct, but in my opinion, no real good stand-up is politically correct.

We have become too sensitive as a society but really… laugh at yourself for once! 😀

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Comatose by Skillet

Comatose by Skillet

I discovered Skillet back in late 90s when they were harder in terms of music…
I forgot about them but found out that they are still around and released a CD by the title of “Comatose” about a year ago… and I love it!! 

First track “Rebirthing” is sheer genius and joy to listen… they did awesome job of mixing classical with rock!  And the title song “Comatose” reminds me of how they have stayed true…  Go listen to it already! 

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GlobalSat BT 328 Bluetooth GPS unit Review

So… I found GlobalSat BT 328 for $35 shipped off www.buygpsnow.com thanks to Hong!

It is a Bluetooth GPS unit that is about the size of a lighter!
Here’s the listed spec:

Electrical Characteristics (Receiver)
Chipset SiRF GSC2
Frequency L1, 1575.42 MHz
C/A Code 1.023 MHz chip rate
Channels 12
Tracking Sensitivity -155 dBm
Accuracy
Position Horizontal 10m 2D RMS
WAAS enabled 5m 2D RMS
Time 1 micro-second synchronized to GPS time
Velocity 0.1m/sec 95%
Datum
Datum WGS-84
Acquisition Rate
Hot start 8 sec., average (with ephemeris and almanac valid)
Warm start 38 sec., average (with almanac but not ephemeris)
Cold start 42 sec., average (neither almanac nor ephemeris)
Reacquisition 0.1 sec. average (interruption recovery time)
Protocol
GPS Output Data NMEA 0183 protocol, and supports command: GGA, GSA, GSV, RMC, VTG, GLL (VTG and GLL are optional)
GPS transfer rate 38400,N,8,1
Dynamic Condition
Acceleration Limit Less than 4g
Altitude Limit 18,000 meters (60,000 feet) max.
Velocity Limit 515 meters/sec. (1,000 knots) max.
Jerk Limit 20 m/sec**3
Power
Voltage Built-in rechargeable battery (1300 mAh) and 5V DC input charging circuit
Operation Time 16 hr. After fully recharged, in continuous mode
Physical Characteristics
Dimension 67.5mm x 45mm x 17mm
Weight 65g
Temperature
Operating -20¢X~ 60¢XC
Humidity Up to 95% non-condensing

Bluetooth Specification

* Bluetooth: V1.2 Compliant
* Supply Voltage: 2.8V ~ 3.3V
* Frequency Range: 2.402 ~ 2.480 GHz
* Receiver Sensitivity: -80 dBm
* Transmit Power: Class 2
* Transmitting Range: 10 m
* Power Consumption: 45 mA (Typical)

I’ve had my Samsung i-730 for almost a year now and since I got Google Maps for it and with unlimited data package with Verizon Wireless, I decided to give this GPS thing a try. My PDA phone has Windows Mobile 5 so it was a bit different to setup.

There was a addendum to setup your GPS wit WM5 and I was more or less on my way! Basically, you have to set it up like any other Bluetooth device detection method. Turn on GPS first, have your WM5-device search for a BT device, and select it and assign it a COM port.

You then assign a new Outgoing COM port to it. Then in “Settings” –> “System” –> “GPS”, make sure you set it up for same COM port in “Hardware” port setting and set it for 4800 baud setting.

I have Google Maps 1.2.0.18 installed and once I clicked “Track Location”, I began to see blue dot on the map and as I drove home from work last night, I saw my location moving!! It is the best $35 I’ve spent!

There’s a car charger so you can charge it and placement doesn’t seem to be too sensitive as I left it in my center console.  This would also work on a laptop with Bluetooth and a mapping software…  Overall, I give it

9/10 for no-nonsense awesome GPS!