Jimmy

Jimmy was candid, readily admitted mistakes and answered every question asked.

photo: Calvin Sit via nytimes.com

Jimmy won't get caught with his pants down

via The New York Times.

In Preparation For End of The World

I got this stove in anticipation and preparation for end of the world scenario.  I heard we are close.
The stove is the Optimus Nova multi fuel thing.  I heard it's good.   No explosion and I live to tell and show you guys the picture.  So it's all good.

I focused some five inches behind the stove.  Time to get autofocus lenses.

Long Fist

Soul Crushing Tedium

The decidedly low tech low concept alt rock band that is uniquely Hong Kong My Little Airport presents a Cantonese song that is about the spirit stifling and soul crushing job working as a Telebet Services Assistant.  The lyrics are local but I have to say the state of being bored is largely a universal human condition shared by peoples across cultures from all walks of life, rich or poor.  I think I can relate or even appreciate people talking about life lived unfulfilled.  The song's cheerfully pessimistic and delusionary passive-aggressive subversive lyrics* really make MLA one of the few bands that are hip and "with-it."

*If I were to pick on something about the lyrics I would have to say, given it's sung by a female, the "dumb fuck(dick)" reference (at the 1 minute mark of the above music video) should be changed to "stupid cunt" or something to that effect.  Now it's kind of odd even I understand cursing can be really generic and mindless sometimes and can't be taken at face value or literally.  Anyhow, I suspect since the lyrics were written by a guy so it came out as "dumb fuck."

Blogger

Looks to me Blogger is back to read write again.

Now, instead, Twitter went overcapacity.

Nintendo DSi WiFi Atrocity

It's year 2011 and this thing works like it's in year 1102.  Don't expect this thing just works because it won't.

I disabled WPA, WEP still no go.  WEP or WPA didn't seem to be the issue.  In the end I re-enabled WPA, I did the IP manually, and I think it didn't work either.  In the end's end, I had to resort to to change the MTU value to 1500 matching the router's.  All this can only happen if you have god access to the access point.  Then I got a steady but kind of "slow"* connection.  The, I think, Opera browser is a slow* poke and needless to say it sucks.  Don't buy it for Internet connectivity.  And for DS, I don't think it supports anything other than WEP.

The implementation of its WiFi connectivity is ghastly repulsive.

*  I was being too nice.  It's actually very slow, like worse than back in the day when you had a 56Kbps connection.  Nintendo what happened?

iPad 2 Bloodbath Continues

pictures and screen capture from mingpao.com

From Beijing to Hong Kong, from Apple to Fortress, the bloodbath is unrelenting and is carried on in Hong Kong.  Alas, Hong Kong is no Beijing, not yet, so instead of blood, they got only red paint.  So that's lame relatively speaking.  And there is no Apple enforcer who rightly and righteously gave the unruly iPad line jumpers and scalpers a well deserved bloody beating.

Anyway, I have to give accolades to Fortress and the young scalper.

Fortress doesn't discriminate and sell to whoever pays up, not based on some bullshit like where the customers come from, what they buy it for or worse arbitrarily judge people's attire for saleability.  So that's a very good thing.  The young scalper has good work ethics.  Though I don't quite get why he needs to be hospitalized--he got thrown red paint all over by a couple of guys; perhaps a sign or reflection of how generous and benevolent the Hong Kong health system is.  The kid wastes no time, immediately gets back to work, in hospital slippers and pajamas.  I think it's this kind of work ethics that most local Hong Kong kids (though, some even have masters degree) sorely lack and desperate in need of in order to compete.

I expect more iPad 2 bloodbath, or at least red paint, going on in the near future.  Fortress should send out some enforcers with metal pipes in hand to keep people in line, me think.

Awesome Movie Title

The sheer bluntness of a seemingly bland title makes it the more poignant and powerful.  Via nytimes.com.

I used to joke with my friends using this movie title, a way to defuse the dread of growing up, taking up more responsibilities, dying one day at a time, and ultimately realizing a life is lived unfulfilled and everything is already too late.  And all you can do is to make peace with yourself.

Browne and O'Brien: Nuclear Reactors 2 and 3

picture from the web, copyright belongs to its rightful owners

The Admiration Is Mutual

Mr. Browne, "Your pants are two-inch too long."

Mr. O'Brien, "Your pants are two-inch too short."

For country bumpkins like myself, they look like a pair of fashion disasters--like leaky nuclear plant units 2 and 3  in Japan kind of disaster.  Well, what do I know?

Correction:  I know there was something wrong, and yes, it should have been Browne instead of Brown.  Those folks at BG can't get his name right.  Disappointing but not entirely surprised.  Misspelling can be endearing, sometimes.

iPad 2 Bloodbath in Beijing

picture from AP via Yahoo News.

Chinese people do not know how or simply refuse to wait in line.  Most stupid Americans and Europeans wait over night in line to buy Apple products but Chinese people aren't stupid enough to work that way:  they prefer to cut the line and fight all the way to the front.
The Jasmine Revolution that it's not.  Apple's share price is around $350.  YES!

UPDATE:
Wow!!!  The latest is that an Apple store manager came out of the store to attack those who didn't get in line or jumped the line.  Basically, the store manager, a foreigner named John, came out of nowhere and acted as an enforcer.  I wish there were more store managers like John who take it upon themselves to maintain order in the world or at least in their store.  Assholes who jumped the line should be kicked and jumped without mercy.  Good job Apple Store manager.  Assholes who jump the line and think they can get away with it will need to think twice.  The sad news of course, those injured may not be the assholes in the midst of commotion.  Oh well.  Collateral damage.

Backyard Macro Photography

Backyard Macro Photography

UPDATE: ADDED 5/15/2011

Biking

Breakfast

What Did the Seals Use To Shoot The Death Pictures

A member of the Navy Seals snapped his picture with a camera and uploaded it to analysts who fed it into a facial recognition program.

While some people are speculating on what dog was on that mission, I can't help but think about what camera got the Navy Seals approval to snap the death pictures or even video.  What could the Seal possibly be carrying in this kind of situation?  A compact, a DSLR?  A Nikon or a Canon or a totally different kind of animal?  What lens?  Fixed focal length, zoom?  What ISO?  JPG, raw or a combination?  Was it a SD or a CF card?  Or just a camera phone?

Roses

Bunny

Bunny

Bunny In The Frontyard

Film Develop, Scan and Proof in NYC

If anyone knows anything about a reasonably good* lab around Grand Central area, I would like to hear from him.  Lab should do 35mm and 120 film color negative or positive.

*  First and foremost, do no harm to the film.  Operators have to be anal about their job.