things to do during the sembreak

After 2.5 years, I'll be experiencing a sem break again one month from now. wohoo!!! I'm listing down here things I can do during the break:

1. Create class websites for the courses I am teaching this sem so that I can teach each subject with ease the next semester
2. Go on a three day vacation somewhere in the Philippines (budget: 2500PHP) prospects: Sagada, Ilocos, Baguio
3. Attempt a JRM Photography website
4. Manage CTC-219 lab (reinstallation, ask funding for switches and cables)
5. Acquire more knowledge on Grid computing
6. Revitalize JRM Photography marketing

one more month to go before the semester ends

Study load:

1. CS 270: MySQL Storage Engines Paper and reporting
2. CS 270: Machine Problem (Guidelines not yet released by professor)
3. CS 270: Long Exam #2
4. CS 297: Business plan

Teaching Load:

1. CIE 122: Normalization Lecture
2. CIE 122: Long Exam #2
3. CIE 122: Reporting Guidelines
4. CIE 122: Storage Lecture
5. CIE 122: Indexing Lecture

6. CE21: Continue lecture on classes + exercises
7. CE21: Constructor and Inheritance Lecture
8. CE21: Object-oriented Analysis and Design Lecture
9. CE21: Schedule consultation for final project
10. CE21: Quiz on UML
11. CE21: Templates Lecture
12. CE21: STL Lecture
13. CE21: Exception and error handling lecture
14. CE21: Long Exam #3
15. MP 1 and 2 checking
16. Exer 8,6,9 checking
17. Exer 11 checking
18. STL Exercise

Cluster Administration:
1. Cluster usage application form
2. Cluster integration
3. gLite User Interface installation
4. Hardware and software inventory
5. GROMACS update to CVS version
6. GROMACS roll
7. Grid website

JRM Photography:

1. Burn Cel's DVD
2. Printing of several albums
3. Edit video of Grace's debut
4. Glenn and Glo's Guestbook
5. Layout of Glo's album

new video camera

More than three months ago, I posted a blog entry about buying a video camera for weddings. Last Monday, we were able to resolve the issue. We bought the Canon XH-A1. It looks really nice... I hope we attract more clients with this. Click here to see our blog entry about the video camera.

the streisand effect

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Two moons this August!

Received this e-mail from a colleague:

Two moons on 27 August
27th Aug the Whole World is waiting for... Planet Mars will be the brightest in the night sky starting August. It will look as large as the full moon to the naked eye. This will Cultivate on Aug. 27 when Mars comes within 34.65M miles off earth. Be sure to watch the sky on Aug. 27 12:30 am. It will look like the earth has 2 moons. The next time Mars may come this close is in 2287. Share this with your friends as NO ONE ALIVE TODAY will ever see it Again.

EDIT: Apparently this one is a hoax. Sorry for the confusion. Read more.

bicycle race at mandaluyong city

I went to a bicycle race this weekend at mandaluyong city sponsored by their congressman Neptali Gonzales. A very exciting event to watch, but very difficult to photograph. Most of my shots were blurred since the ONE-SHOT focusing wasn't able catch up. I was late to realize that using the AI SERVO AF mode was more suitable. Unfortunately, it drained my battery (was only able to bring one) after 50 or so shots... After draining my batteries, I stayed on to watch two more races. Very exciting. Makes me want to be a cyclist also.

sneaky bastards

I recently experienced a printer error message on my Canon IP1880 printer (IP1800 in some countries). The message says:

An ink cartridge is not installed properly. Open the printer's cover, make sure the ink cartridge is installed properly, and close the cover.

After googling the error message, I found out that most of the people who encountered this problem were refilling them and were able to fix them by buying new cartridges (which almost costs as much as the printer). Apparently (this is speculation), Canon has a way of determining if you are using refills and a way of preventing you from doing further. The technology behind it may be known only to few Canon employees developing the printer cartridge and/or driver. I wouldn't be surprised if this is true because it is a well known fact that although the quality of ink refills is inferior to originals, they are eating up a huge portion of the printing market. Millions, if not billions of Yen in sales are lost because of the emergence of Ink refilling companies.

What is sad for me though is that this "feature" of the printer is not made known to the consumers. Why was I not informed!?! For a guy like me who just wants low quality print outs, ink refills is a gift from heaven. Why is Canon preventing me from receiving them? hehe. Is there a law or ethical "rule" that says using ink refills is wrong. I know Canon is just protecting its business. But if I knew that the IP1880 had such capability, I would never fall for its stylish exterior.