/dev/blog

I’ve just ordered my copy from China, and hopefully it will be arriving within a week or two. The boxset is something like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6477610565

If the source I ordered my copy from is good, and the quality is also good, I’ll post a link to the source I ordered from. The place I found it sold it for a scant $58, including shipping, much less than what eBay has to offer for the same set, and at fraction of what the US collector’s edition boxset (discontinued, the one with three boxes) is asking for. And also much less than what I would’ve paid for if I bought each of the 20 DVDs.

I mainly ordered this set for accomplishing my goal for finishing all the Bond movies ever made, and also possibly for movie nights for after the senior finals. I’ve also got Band of Brothers and the Godfather series for similar purposes.

Supposedly these Bond DVDs are all perfectly legit copies distributed in China. We’ll have to see about that.

I attended the LA Auto Show on Saturday the 14th of January, and I loved it. After seeing the Royal Grey MINI Cooper with the silver roof and stripes, I’ve noticed that is the color I’ve been looking for. See for yourself. It is simply beautiful, IMO.

I also saw the Bugatti Veyron that was there. It really didn’t work for me. It just didn’t feel like it is THE 1001-hp car. It just didn’t look crazy enough. I mean, the Pagani Zonda has double the visual horsepower. For 1.2mil, it didn’t seem like you were getting a complete supercar. Sure, it’s got the performance, but I would’ve prefered if it just had a more radical look to it.

The big surprise for me at the auto show was the new XK from Jaguar. It was simply beautiful. If I had the money, I’d get one of those.

That about sums up the highlights for me at the LA Auto Show.

They’ve actually arrived several days ago, but I wanted to give a bit of time to let them wear in a bit before saying anything about them.

The Future Cats hug my feet quite tightly, and does so even more on my left foot. Maybe my left foot is a little bigger than my right. I tried running with these shoes on, it didn’t work out too well due to the not very wide sole, so some steps didn’t feel too solid. Walking with the shoes is (almost) as comfy as my old shoes.

Now, on to what these shoes are meant for, driving. It is simply a pleasure to drive with. My shifting suddenly became much smoother, mostly because of more pedal feel through the shoe’s thinner rubber sole. The not as wide sole noted in the previous paragraph also helped. Before, with my older shoes, I sometimes had the heel of the shoes touch, and they’d get caught with each other. Not any more. And, the muchos rubber at the heel area also helps in smoothening out the rotating of the foot when operating pedals. Much of this might be just some psychological thing, but it makes a difference for me, so the shoes are definitely worth it for me.

I’ve just ordered a pair of Puma Future Cats in Black/Red/Dark Shadow from Foot Locker. Below is a picture Read the rest of this entry »

After reading this post at DrunkenBlog, I’ve noticed why I’ve been saving nearly all my reports, essays, etc. in .txt format. Before, it was just for avoiding Microsoft Word. Now, I will do so just to keep my files alive, in case one day Microsoft decides to stop supporting Office:Mac.

I found this one on Google videos.

Here’s another awesome one.

A cool idea would be if some students at our school can put together a video featuring cars at our school, and put it up on the video production stuff. Doesn’t have to be performance, just something fun and cool, like the MINI + Audi one.

“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction.”
–Albert Einstein

Wow, this is so true. I mean, if you look at Windows v. *nix, SUV v. MINI, and Ghandi (can’t believe I just said/typed this, for I know near nothing about him) v. current-day-U-S-of-A, it seems that everyone is aiming to be bigger and badder, yet they overlook the benefits of being gentle, small, agile, etc.

Well, here’s a good read for the weekend: Click Here
A quote from the above link:

Jettas are safe because they make their drivers feel unsafe. S.U.V.s are unsafe because they make their drivers feel safe. That feeling of safety isn’t the solution; it’s the problem.

Here’s a sign that America is awakening. Hopefully more will see the light.

Interesting A rant, but a very interesting and true one. We should really take a look at what America is becoming.

Even Mr. Paul Thurrott, long time MS-Win advocate, is seeing the light gradually.

And, to all those rushing to send in their college apps, like me, good luck, and remember to send them in early, to avoid any possible problems like the UC server crashes

Well, I just recieved an email from Apple saying that the Brea Mall will have an Apple Store grand opening on Saturday the 12th. For the past two openings in Greater Los Angeles, I’ve missed due to events like the SAT test and a dragon boating contest. Nothing, I repeat, NOTHING, will get in my way of going to this one, and getting my own Apple shirt.

Anyways, enough ranting. Is there anyone that might be interested in going together? I can take a couple of friends with me. Leave a comment if you are interested, and I’ll give a confirmation if I still can take people or not.

Just in case you want to get me something

Anyways, here it is:
D-Link Bluetooth USB adapter
Nice big waffleweave microfiber towel (for drying car)
Some other microfiber stuff for washing car (e.g. applying soap and such)
Family Guy DVD (Movie or Seasons)
World of Warcraft
Claybar kit (for car again )
iceLink Plus for MINI (CD Changer version)
an unlocked cellphone on this list
or, be creative and surprise me

If you will be getting something, please post in comments or e-mail me at blog [at] lokisnake [dot] com, so I can cross them out and won’t get two of the same items. Or, just get a gift receipt so I can return something in case of a double.

Thanks

Well, I finally recieved my E2C in-ear headphones. Well, when I tried it with the default (type: flex, size: medium) plugs, I couldn’t stick it into my ear, and also the sound was just horrid. Then, I took out the other plugs that came with the whole package and tried the ultra soft small ones, wow, just, wow.

I can now hear each part of the music quite clearly, especially in the big fat symphonies (tried it with Dvorak’s 9th). The quality is simply amazing. Compared to my friend’s Sony EX-71s, the bass isn’t as “strong” but it is way tighter and much more accurate. And from a non-audiophile’s point of view, this set of cans (do these qualify as cans?) is well worth the money.

Outside noise is almost totally filtered out. If I have these E2C’s on, and am playing music, it was quite hard for my sister to grab my attention. She had to scream very loud, or to get my attention visually.

Oh, and if you are looking for just boomy bass, go for the Sony’s, if you are looking for a nice pair of in-ears that isolate outside noise well, and reproduce music in an accurate manner, look no further. Well, unless you have more money to spend, then, the higher grade Shures or the Etymotics would do even better.

Perhaps I’ll throw in another write-up after the so-called “burn-in” period, and see if the sound quality really improves.