Maxtor Basics 3.5" External Desktop HDD

Got this hard drive from Challenger to backup my data today. Took the 250GB version. This is the second external hard drive that I got in my attempt to stick to my philosophy in data backup, which is to backup the backup. The other 3.5" drive is a much prettier Seagate FreeAgent 250GB.

First impressions of the Maxtor? Boring, but very functional. This drive is reasonably priced, connects through USB, has a standard speed of 7200RPM, comes pre-formatted in NTFS and doesn't include any junk software. It is completely black all around and looks like a rounded brick, which makes it look very dull and serious, as compared to the more funky design of the FreeAgent. Clearly, the Maxtor Basics is a utilitarian device which does nothing more than it is supposed to do. That's great actually, as I absolutely detest drives preloaded with a load of crap trialware!

For a peace of mind, the Maxtor comes with a 3 year warranty, but it is still 2 years shorter than that of the FreeAgent. I've not heard disastrous stories with Maxtor drives, so with fingers crossed I hope this drive is lasting.

However, there is one area the Maxtor can improve on, which is that of design. There is no rubber padding beneath the drive to prevent it from shifting about when placed on the table, since the bottom is quite smooth. The inclusion of either a rubber protector or a stand would be best.

Overall, a very sensible, no frills hard drive worth considering if all you need is storage space.

Gypsona bandages

Today's art practical lesson was FUN! Mr Tang taught us how to use plaster-of-paris and how to use gypsona to create a face mask. The victim of the day was Bernice. We literally covered the entire front of her face with strips of gypsona glued with water, leaving only her nostrils open.

The megapixel myth

Perhaps the most popular myth that many many people have toward cameras is that the megapixel count is everything. Many people believe that it is the main way to judge a camera's worth, and the more megapixels, the better. If you have a 14 megapixel Sony point-and-shoot and I have a 8 megapixel dSLR, then definitely the Sony is better as it has more megapixels.

This is what so so many people think, especially the non-technical users. Not surprisingly then, this myth is also constantly exploited by camera manufacturers in their advertising gimmicks. So many people have purchased cameras just because the salesman told them the camera has a high megapixel count.

But the here's the truth, the one and only truth: megapixel count is only an indication of the image resolution and hence how much detail the camera can resolve, but it DOES NOT say ANYTHING about image quality at all!

It only tells you the resolution, that is how many pixels you have horizontally and vertically in the captured digital file. In other words, that 8 MP dSLR will most likely produce better image quality than the 14 MP Sony compact, but the resolution of the digital file from the dSLR will be smaller than that from the Sony of course. Contrary to popular misbelief, more megapixels in a consumer point-and-shoot seldom produce better images, because it actually causes image quality to drop, and in most cases, to have more noise at higher ISO and reduced contrast (though resolution increases).

So what does image quality depend on then? What it boils down to is really the lens optics and also the digital sensor used to capture light. This is what people should be looking for in a camera, and this also explains why compacts suffer from poor image quality as compared to dSLRs. As the name suggests, compact cams have a small sensor size in order to fit into the compact body. However, dSLRs, being bigger, can afford to have much larger sensors which will perform better in low-light and yield better images. Second factor affecting image quality is lens optics, that is how good the glass is. That's why SLR lenses are typically so costly. A better lens would produce better colours, suffer less from chromatic abberation, have less distortion and have a higher resolving power. This translates to better image quality.

Lastly, I must also clarify that megapixel is NOT a measure of image sharpness. Sharpness depends on your lens, your shooting technique (whether you can steady the camera or not) and the level of sharpening the camera's processor applies to the JPG files.

With all these shocking things in mind, realise that besides megapixels, there's much to consider in purchasing your new camera. Consider the lens, the zooming power, the low light performance, the sensor, the image processing chip, the colours... there is so much other than megapixels.

So in summary, do not be fooled into thinking that a 14 MP camera is always a good thing. What megapixels mean is just resolution. In real-world usage, this means how big you can print your digital file up to. So unless you are printing super big 20 inch prints, you don't really need that much resolution. Typical cameras today have an average megapixel count of 8-12, and that's sufficient for most users. More megapixels only means larger file size (loads slower on the computer) and unnecessary resolution.

Hope this clears things up! The next time people come up to you with your camera and the first thing they ask is 'so how many megapixels?', you know what to tell them!

You Are Here (The Same Power)

Video of me strumming 'You Are Here (The Same Power)', a new track on Hillsong's latest release 'This Is Our God'. I figured out the chords by myself. Enjoy!



Not perfect I'm aware, but worship doesn't need to be perfect as long as it's true. (:

This Is Our God: Thoughts

Finally I have my hands on Hillsong's newest release, This Is Our God, their 17th live praise and worship album! According to Wikipedia, it was recorded live at the Acer Arena on 9 March 2008 by the Hillsong Live team with a crowd of over 10,000 worshippers.

There are a total of 16 tracks, and honestly speaking, I absolutely love EVERY single one of them. Special mention goes to 'You Are Here (The Same Power)', which is a wonderful, wonderful, simple and short song; it spoke volumes to me when I first heard it.

The lyrics goes like this:

The same power that conquered the grave
Lives in me
Lives in me
Your love that rescued the earth
Lives in me
Lives in me

To me, this song is a form of encouragement that every problem that I face in life can be conquered, simply because the mighty power of God that conquered the grave lives in me. It is a humbling thought that left me awe-struck... and gives me the assurance in every circumstance I'm in.

Other songs that particularly left a deep impression on me were 'Healer' and 'Stronger'. Absolutely touching songs which proclaim God's truths. I haven't heard the entire album, but I can say confidently that this is definitely THE worship album this year which will bring me closer to God.

iPhone 3G & AT&T

On the 11 July, iPhone 3G was released in the US and other selected countries. I was too busy with organising Photon for Photosoc and piano concert that I didn't have time to keep track of the happenings in Apple world.

I don't know much about how the procedure went, but I've read stories which said the fastest it took to activate the iPhone 3G onto AT&T's network was half-an-hour! Now that's a freaking long wait, since activation is mandatory upon purchase, unlike through iTunes at your own timing as with the first phone. I will not want to stand in queue for the whole day just for an iPhone 3G!

But this brings me to my point, that the single weakest link with the iPhone does not lie with Apple: it is with AT&T! The new phone promises superior internet connection speeds with 3G, but the irony is that most people will not get that 3G in the US because AT&T's 3G network coverage is so darn pathetic! In other words, people are duped into thinking they will get 3G just because it is named iPhone 3G. Another misbelief that many have is that owning iPhone 3G will be cheaper. That's absolute baloney. Yes, the upfront payment sum is indeed less, but the monthly bill will be on average more than before, so overall, you pay more. This is a matter of perception: people perceive that something is cheaper because you fork out less at the store upon purchase, but few consider about the long term cost. Nonetheless, it's a good marketing gimmick.

Well at least I'm thankful that this is in US and not Singapore. But things won't be any better here I think. Yes, we should get 3G in most places when it arrives, but I assure you Singtel will sell the iPhone at a hefty price tag, because unlike AT&T, they will not subsidise the cost of the phone. So for me personally, I take on an ambivalent attitude to the arrival of iPhone in Singapore.

Eee PC 4G: hands-on

The recent trend in mobile computing is to create affordable, portable, and somewhat underpowered ultra mobile PCs (UMPCs). Asus was one of the first to launch a cheap UMPC which sold like hotcakes, and that is none other than the well-known Eee PC.

It has already been on the market for a while, and there are new competing machines such as the HP Mini-note, which is a great road warrior btw. I have been playing with the 7-inch Eee PC in stores before, but today I had the chance to physically interact with it at home for a while. My dad's friend just got a 4G version, and so I explored it. :)


This machine runs on Linux, and uses software such as OpenOffice, SMPlayer and Firefox as alternatives to Office, WMP or IE on Windows respectively.

It costs around S$400, so quality isn't top notch. It is worth your every cent though, despite how 'toy-ish' it feels. It is a no-frills, simple to use, straightforward machine with emphasis on the Internet (web 2.0 stuff such as Google Docs) and also on education (there is a dictionary and periodic table pre-installed).


Extremely portable, the Eee PC is an ideal choice for students, or for casual web-surfing and presentations to clients. I like the 3 USB and VGA ports, but don't quite like the small low-res 7-inch screen. Of course there is the bigger 9 inch model, which promises more screen space. This Eee PC runs on 512 MB RAM, but it feels snappy.


There is plenty of simple games installed too, but too kiddish for adults. This is a potato game that Shawn really enjoyed:


And that's Shawn posing with the 'Penguin Racer' game on screen, which is a lot of fun too!


However, no computer is ever perfect. What I don't quite like is the stiff mouse button, the small trackpad, the small 'backspace' key which I always miss... and to nick-pick, the hinge is a tad too stiff.

Overall, highly recommended as a secondary laptop. Verdict: 4/5

Advantages: very affordable, portable and light. Performs acceptably well and has a neat and user-friendly interface. Also has a handy black casing which fits the Eee PC snugly.

Disadvantages: Screen too small and 4GB flash drive is pathetic (can slot in an SD card to solve that).

PW Survey

Hello everyone, please click on this link below and attempt a survey for my group's project work!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=VUu5SE_2biqBN_2fArzM5vZdDA_3d_3d

Your help is greatly appreciated, thanks!

This Is Our God - Desert Song (Testimony)

Verse 1:
This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in my hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

Verse 2:
This is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flame

Chorus:
I will bring praise, I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice, I will declare
God is my victory and He is here

Verse 3:
This is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on its way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

Bridge:
All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

Verse 4:
This is my prayer in the harvest
When favour and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've received I will sow

'Desert Song' from the new release 'This Is Our God' is sung by Brooke Fraser and Jill McCloghry. This is one extremely powerful song, especially the bridge, but watching the Youtube video above showed me the shocking background behind this song.

About a week and a half before the recording, Jill McCloghry gave birthed to her premature son. And on that night, he died because he was too small. But even under this saddening circumstance she never questioned God's existence, and continued to worship and sing unto Him. It is encouraging how her faith wasn't shaken, and I'm so touched by her testimony, however short.

To me, this song tells me to never stop giving praise no matter what, because in every season, all of my life, God will always be that same God, no matter whatever happens. And because of that, we have a reason to sing. So always tell yourself in the most dire of situations, that 'I will bring praise, I will bring praise..."

HH and his spongebob

Today Hanhao brought a new friend to school. His name is Spongebob, and he is being abused as a stationery holder. LOL :P

The philosophy behind data backup

There is no denial that today we use computers more than ever. Not just one machine, but many times, multiple machines. Personally, I have one family desktop and in my room I have another laptop. In a few months time yet another laptop will be arriving. Therefore, increasingly, one finds it a challenge to manage data across multiple computers. Furthermore, it is common to own a few thumbdrives and harddrives to add to the arsenal of data storage devices.

With so much data accumulated in so many different physical locations, managing and organising them in a central location then becomes an administrative nightmare most will face in time to come. I don't know about you, but I'm facing this issue. This makes data backup very tough because it's hard to account for all the files, i.e. which ones are duplicates, or which are newer versions as they are scattered all over.

But backup, as complex as it seems, is actually quite clear-cut. Or at least, the philosophy behind the management of your documents should be as simple as this: A file only exists when it exists in two or more separate physical locations.

This is the reason for backup. One can only guarantee that a document is truly safe when it exists in another storage device. This is because harddrives do fail, and the more we come into contact with them, the higher the probability that they will malfunction. So always backup your data, and until you do that, none of your data really exists because they can be gone anytime during a crash or virus attack.

So how do I ensure everything is foolproof, and that data exists in more than two locations? The strategy is to backup the backup. Get TWO huge harddrives, probably around 500GB. Use one to backup all your data (either manually or using software such as Time Machine), then copy all that exists on that first drive into the second one. In other words, mirror that first drive. Lastly, bring that second drive and store it out of your house (maybe at grandparent's place or at office). You never know when your house will be burned down by fire, or when there will be an earthquake. At least when that happens and your house becomes reduced to rubble, you know that your precious data will still be safe in another location, and that's key.

Another way to bring that data out of your house is to store it up in the cloud. This means uploading stuff to online data storage services such that they are independent of any physical harddrive. It's all stored online in the servers of that company. Examples are Windows Live Skydrive, Amazon's S3 service and Apple's iDisk. Most are paid services however.

In today's digital world, your data is about as precious as your life. All your photos, music, documents, videos ARE what you want to preserve, so do backup today keeping in mind this philosophy. You will feel more secure!