• February 1, 2012 /  environment, Geeking Out, Lifestyle

    gas pump tea potI was wondering last night I was wondering which car I would buy next year as I was driving my dad’s diesel-powered Nissan Patrol. It’s common knowledge that an SUV generally consumes more fuel than a smaller car, and several motivational speakers and authors often talk about a huge amount of savings just by using a smaller car.

    It got me thinking: would the total cost of ownership of the Toyota Prius (The only hybrid car in the Philippines) be significantly cheaper than buying a compact sedan or hatchback?

    So I did a little bit of research and my findings were surprising! Read the rest of this entry »

  • January 25, 2012 /  OpenShot, Tutorials and Guides, Ubuntu

    timelapsed downtown torontoLast time, I taught you how to create a time-lapse video using FFMPEG and the Terminal or (GIMP for animated GIFs) in Ubuntu Linux. But not many people are comfortable using the command line. I for one certainly made that post so that I wouldn’t forget how!

    This time around, I have a simpler, easier solution that won’t get your shutter fingers dirty using OpenShot Video Editor.

    Read the rest of this entry »

  • August 18, 2011 /  Ubuntu, Windows

    I always thought hell would freeze over before this happened. Apparently, either it’s already freezing down there, or MS finally realized that if you can’t beat them, join them.

    Anyway, this is too nice not to share.


    An animation that Microsoft made to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Linux kernel was shown this morning during Linux Foundation executive director Jim Zemlin’s opening keynote at LinuxCon. The video comically depicts the rivalry between Linux and Windows, but concludes with the suggestion that peaceful coexistence is possible.

    In the animation, a cartoon penguin throws rocks at the Windows logo after being frightened by Bill Gates wearing a pumpkin on his head, a reference to the now-infamous Halloween Documents in which Microsoft laid out an aggressive plan for destroying Linux. Later in the animation, a cartoon representation of Bill Gates brings a birthday cake to the penguin’s igloo.

    Microsoft’s relationship with Linux was one of several topics that Zemlin discussed during his keynote. He showed a classic quote from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who infamously described Linux as a “cancer” in 2001. Joking that Ballmer’s hostile characterization of Linux was only partly accurate, Zemlin pointed out that Microsoft is one of the largest contributors to version 3.0 of the Linux kernel by code volume.

    Microsoft’s code contributions largely revolve round enabling improved support for running Linux instances in the company’s Hyper-V virtualization software. This reflects the growing importance of mixed-platform deployments among Microsoft’s own customers. It’s increasingly clear that Microsoft needs to support Linux and open source software in order to remain competitive in the server space.

    Over the past few years, Microsoft has built ties with the Apache Software Foundation and other key communities that play a role in the open source server stack. It’s not surprising that the company is looking to improve its relationship with Linux. Will the old caustic rivalry turn into friendly competition? As Zemlin discussed during his keynote, Microsoft’s aggressive posture towards Linux vendors on patent issues still poses an impediment to closer collaboration…

    Original article from Ars Technica.

  • April 24, 2011 /  Geeking Out, Operating Systems, Windows

    A kid wears a computer with a Blue Screen of Death. Classic!:)


  • April 24, 2011 /  Geeking Out, Windows

    Found this short article really, really interesting.

    A List of People Who Need to Stop Writing Software

    Thank God I’m no longer using MS Windows and Internet Explorer.:)

  • April 15, 2011 /  Geeking Out, Tech Stuff, Ubuntu

    Saw this AWESOME laptop mod in the Ubuntu Forums and all I can say is joparox (owner of this laptop), you rock!

    I’ve considered modding some of my old laptops before, maybe adding stickers or sport a new custom paint job. But this guy DRILLED through his laptop case with a sanding bit, installed a couple of LEDs, and then covered it up with the clear acrylic from a CD jewel case before gluing it all together with silicon glue!

    Taking things further, here’s a steampunk laptop mod from Datamancer. Read the rest of this entry »

  • April 13, 2011 /  Movies and Animation, Tools, Ubuntu

    So I installed WinFF the other day from the repository. I’ve used WinFF before and it’s a great cross-platform FFMPEG frontend for converting and transcoding videos and audios.

    When WinFF is all set up, it works like a charm. However when installing it for the first time, or in my case setting it up again after a long period of time, problems revolving around codecs usually come up.

    The problem isn’t particularly difficult, it’s just frustrating. Read the rest of this entry »

  • April 12, 2011 /  Games, Tutorials and Guides, Ubuntu, Wine

    For quite some time now, I have been watching on the sidelines as hordes of people get sucked in and hypnotically waste countless hours at this little game called Angry Birds.

    People play it with their iPhones or Androids or PSPs on the streets, in cars or buses or trains, while waiting for their turn at a reception area, and another handful more play with it on their Windows PC at work and at home.

    So it got me thinking, what does someone without an iPhone or a Droid who was an Ubuntu user like me need to do to get their hands on this phenomenal time-waster? Read the rest of this entry »

  • March 25, 2011 /  Tech Stuff, Tools, Wii

    There are already several tutorials out there on the ‘net on how to make an IR LED pen. Some ranging from simple hacks to full-blown manufacturing. The problem with the simple hacks, though, is that they are clunky, unwieldy, or unsightly (like this one, really cheap to make, but uses tape to keep it together!!!). And anything more complex than that was just too much hard work. The closest thing I found was an IR flashlight tutorial, but it uses a MagLite, which is a bit more expensive than necessary, and a flashlight is unidirectional which will limit it’s use. Plus, you’ll also need to bring out your drill. Nope, not simple enough.

    So I got my brains out of the drawer, dusted it off, and started using it a bit, and thought up of a cheap, simple, and really easy-to-do but very elegant solution! The philosophy behind it? Don’t reinvent the wheel. Read the rest of this entry »

  • March 15, 2011 /  Geeking Out, Tools

    Just geeking out:
    I need a Teensy++ 2.0 Board. Imagine the DIY hacking possibilities! Motion controlled light switches, colorful yet mindless LED displays, mobile robot controllers, console hacks, the possibilities are mind-numbing!

    If you guys want to buy me one, you can buy it from the PJRC Store. Just send me a PM via our Facebook page or in the comments (be sure to leave your email address so I can tell you where to send it).:D

    Thank you very much in advance!