SuperSampler (35mm, ISO 200 Film - Test Shots)

SuperSampler test shots in the hands of an amateur photographer. Much effective on animated objects if you ask me...

Notpron Spoiler Level 24

Level 24 is another easy puzzle that we have in notpron IMO.


We don't have much of a clue other than the numbers we can collect from the source code: 639853835. Obviously having a picture of an old celphone there tells you that this has something to do with the puzzle. Check on the keypad of your celphone and try to write down the letters to the corresponding number we have collected from the source code.

6 - mno
3 - def
9 - wxyz
8 - tuv
5 - jkl
3 - def
8 - tuv
3 - def
5 - jkl

Forming sensible phrases out of the following information above would get you to "nextlevel" so all you need to do is change the url to:

http://www.deathball.net/notpron/beepbeep/nextlevel.htm

Play notpron HERE

Notpron Spoiler Level 23

Received so many emails regarding notpron spoilers and request to continue this online riddle game recently so I guess I'll try to update my blog and work on notpron spoilers every now and then. An easy level, IMO! Homepage title says "I'm the tiniest unit you can see!" and we all know that when it comes to images, the tiniest unit are the pixels so I changed the URL to -->

http://www.deathball.net/notpron/beepbeep/pixel.htm

...and got the page below:


Hmm yeah, just do what the page asks you to do, save the picture and then zoom in and look for a red dot. You'll notice red dots scattered across chosen letters to form a word and at the end of this you'll come up with "music" so all you need to do is change the URL to -->

http://www.deathball.net/notpron/beepbeep/music.htm

...and you're on to the next level!

Play notpron HERE

HACKER'S GUIDE: Modifying Samsung S630 IR Sensitivity

If you are young or you feel young, skillfully talented yet underpaid and you love photography so much especially the picture effects that only an expensive DSLR camera/lens can achieve (IR Photography), then this tutorial is likely to be yours!


DISCLAIMER: THIS TUTORIAL IS DEFINITELY NOT FOR BEGINNERS UNLESS YOU REALLY WANT TO TRY AND YOU ARE VERY CURIOUS. THIS SHOULD BE DONE BY SOMEONE WHO HAD EXPERIENCED SOLDERING WIRES OR ANY CIRCUIT COMPONENTS AND HAVE DISMANTLING EXPERIENCE IN ANY SORT OF GADGET/S. IT IS ALSO ADVISABLE TO USE CHEAP, OBSOLETE POINT-AND-SHOOT COMPACT DIGITAL CAMERA SO THAT IT WOULD NOT BE TOO HARSH ON YOU IF YOU DAMAGED THE DEVICE DURING THE PROCESS. THIS STEP BY STEP TUTORIAL IS ALSO ONLY APPLICABLE TO SAMSUNG MODEL S630 ALTHOUGH THE PROCESS OF MODIFYING THE IR SENSITIVITY APPLIES TO ALL AND THAT IS THE REMOVAL OF THE IR CUTOFF FILTER. THE COLOR OF THE IR CUTOFF FILTER ALSO VARIES TO EVERY MANUFACTURER. IN THIS CASE, WE WOULD BE REMOVING A "REDDISH" FILTER ALTHOUGH USUALLY FILTERS ARE "BLUISH" IN COLOR. LASTLY, DISMANTLING A DIGICAM IS REALLY HARD BECAUSE IT IS NOT DESIGNED FOR DISASSEMBLING SO DISMANTLE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! ANYWAY, GOOD LUCK...


So amazingly I had free time to work on this project and eventually finish it. Completed the project approximately 3 hours including dinner on my worktable. Anyhow, first thing to remember before doing anything else is to gather all the materials needed. It is also advisable to acquire the internal schematic diagram of the device if available. However in my case, I had to completely figure out the dismantling and everything myself because schematic, camera parts diagram is not available anywhere online.

GATHERING OF MATERIALS:

1) Any cheap and obsolete compact point-and-shoot digital camera. Fortunately in my case, since I was already fond of photography ever since I was a child, I've come to collect lots of systems from Joycam-to-Advantix-to-Digicam-to-Lomocam so acquiring an obsolete camera is no way a problem for me. I just dig in my stock room and there I have it!

2) Precision screwdriver. I have been collecting tools like these since high school for some reason. I'm just drawn to dismantling and reassembling stuff. I get thrill from it so the earlier you collect tools the better for you would be using one eventually in hacking projects like this. Although there are many precision screwdrivers available in the market, I personally like to use the one with rubber grip. It is also advisable to acquire a precision screwdriver with opt x 60mm, opt x 23/8in.

3) Soldering gun/iron. I've been using this since college. Well I guess you can tell the looks of the tip of this soldering iron. I think I may need to buy a new one but I can't dispose this for sentimental sake. Anyway, you would be needing a soldering gun/iron because you would desolder something in the dismantling process so it is very preferable that you do have soldering experience.

4) Soldering lead. Of course you can't solder without soldering lead and I always believe that the key to a good solder is through the soldering lead you would be using. I suggest you acquire the one from ALEXAN (shameless plug). They market one of the finest soldering lead in the country IMO. I was only able to visit two branches of ALEXAN, one in Raon and the other located at SM Megamall. If you would want to check newest robotic kits and components, I suggest you go to Raon branch for the store is bigger and components there are more complete.

5) Desoldering pump. A desoldering pump, colloquially known as a solder sucker, is a device which is used to remove solder from a printed circuit board. There are two types: the plunger style and bulb style. Well it's hard to desolder without this so I suggest for you to acquire one of these. And I'm using the plunger style.

LET'S START THE DISMANTLING PROCESS!

1) Remove all external screws. You should be able to gather up eight screws at the end of this step.


2) Carefully remove the lower cover, one from the LCD. There are a few latches that you needed to check to remove the entire cover.


3) Lift the LCD gently and release the flat ribbon. You may need to lift the black plastic latch to release the flat ribbon cable and remove the LCD from the device then unscrew everything from the metal part where the LCD was attached to.


4) Remove the remaining screw and then desolder the following below for you to lift the PCB board up. You can choose to desolder the connection between the board and flash but the process is a little complicated so I suggest you just lift the board up to unscrew the plastic casing and expose the lens part of the camera.


5) Carefully lift the board and unscrew the grey plastic board from the casing to remove the casing entirely and expose the LCD. Remaining screws are hidden somewhere but it's visible just twist, turn the camera you would be able to spot them.


6) Lightly remove the front cover. Be careful on removing the front cover especially when touching the cable connecting the flash and the board. The flash tube discharged and I was holding the thing and that hurts really (ouch! o_O).


7) Unscrew the flash from the lens and carefully take the lens out of the device.


8) Unscrew the CCD out of the lens.You would be able to gather up three screws at the end of this step.


9) From this point you would be able to see the IR CUTOFF FILTER just sitting on top of the CCD. Notice the "reddish" color of the filer.


10) Carefully remove the IR CUTOFF FILTER. It's just a translucent plastic like thing attached to a rubber and removing them off wouldn't be a problem. You just need to apply a little force. No need to worry if it breaks off because that's our goal anyhow.


CONGRATULATIONS!!! YOU'RE HALF WAY THERE... Now, all you need to do is put everything back together which is the hardest part in my honest opinion.

Anyway...

Enjoy these sample output off my newly modified Samsung S630 digicam:





Night vision capable? Oh yes, I was able to test it using a temporary IR flashlight which is my TV remote control and it was able to detect the lovely purple light. See for yourself:

Valedictorian Speech With Daria Morgendorffer

I wish MTV stayed cool like it used to be back in the 90s. Smart, thought provoking and brilliant, unlike all the crap MTV spews out now.

I got totally hooked on MTV when I was in high school. Staying up late and sneaking just to see shows like Late Night With Butt-head, Aeon Flux, The Head and The Maxx. I remember my mom used to hate Beavis and Butt-head and gets weirdly angry every time she caught us (me and my brother) watching the show. I don't know, but I could say -- that show mentally devirginized me... then came Daria, which isn't just mentally devirginizing but rather mentally abusing. The perfect show for growing teens! Daria, she actually taught me how to survive high school with caustic wit and a pair of combat boots. Anyway, its script were well-written, the scenes were very realistic and the characters were interestingly funny. I just don't understand why do amazingly well-written shows like this get cancelled, while crap like Family Guy and the Cleveland Show stay on the air? So I'm stuck with seemingly similar shows, South Park and The Simpsons.

Anyway, Daria had its moments, well almost every show. Sarky lines and witty statements all over. Below are some of my unforgettable Daria quotes:

Daria: People call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute.

Daria: Unless the problem is, what's for dinner. Pizza can solve that problem quite handedly.

Daria: I have something to tell you two. Tom's not my brother.
Kevin: A-ha!
Daria: He is the mad scientist who built me. He has to hang around in case my internal organs fall out.

Jane: You have to distract Gary...
Daria: How?
Jane: You'll think of something. Use your womanly attributes.
Daria: Gotcha. I'll give birth.
Jane: That'll work.

Jake: Damn it, Daria! I'm not made of money!
Helen: Damn it, those bastards aren't going to take away my days!
Quinn: Damn it, Daria, you could've sounded like you meant it!
Daria: Damn it! It's MY turn to say damn it!

Daria: My goal is not to wake up at age 40 with the bitter realization that I have wasted my life on a job I hate because I was forced to decide on a career in my teens. - (One of my favorite Daria quotes.)

Daria: Like being in love there must be a corresponding painful side like losing in love, it's just a fact of life.

Daria: That's the road to happiness and personal satisfaction. That's why they don't want you to take it.

Trent: You know Daria, sometimes it's hard to believe you're in high school.
Daria: I find the situation unbelievable myself.

Helen: (On reading Daria's career aptitude test evaluation sheet.) A mortician? Your lack of interest in personal interaction makes you an ideal candidate for working with the dead. Daria, have you given any thought to your career plans?
Daria: I guess I'll just wait around for people to kick the bucket.
Helen: I can't believe you're not more ambitious.
Daria: You want me to kill people to drum up business?

Teenage boy: Where were you girls been all our lives?
Daria: Waiting for you. We were born in this room. We grew up in this room. And we're going to die in this room, alone.

Jake: Won't this camping trip be fun, Daria?
Daria: Yeah. Almost as fun as drowning.

Daria: Well, my history teacher hates me because I know all the answers, but there are some interesting idiots in my class.

But the best of them all, of course, was her valedictory speech. I can still hear clearly how she delivered her speech. Monotonous, calm and very Daria.

Daria: Um, thank you. I'm not much for public speaking. Or much for speaking. Or, come to think of it, much for the public. And I'm not very good at lying. So let me just say that, in my experience, high school sucks. If I had to do it all over again, I'd have started advanced placement classes in preschool so I could go from eighth grade straight to college. However, given the unalterable fact that high school sucks, I'd like to add that if you're lucky enough to have a good friend and a family that cares it doesn't have to suck quite as much. Otherwise my advice is; Stand firm for what you believe in, until and unless logic and experience prove you wrong. Remember, when the emperor looks naked, the emperor is naked. The truth and a lie are not sort of the same thing. And there is no aspect, no facet, no moment of life that can't be improved with pizza. Thank you.

Glad that it's now on DVD and I got myself a copy!

SMARTMATIC, not a smart move…

SMARTMATIC, not a smart move…

As far as I have understood from what I have googled regarding the history of AES (Automated Election System) in the US, the study of using this system started around 1960’s. Feb 15, 1965 - Connecticut's Secretary of State, Mrs. Ella T. Grasso, plans to ask the Legislature to amend the election laws to permit consideration of 11 modern voting and counting systems. On the other side of the electronic-unit issue is the position of the Automatic Voting Machine Corporation. Aside from the fact that the use of this technology would be ideal for federal government, the process of adapting the use of AES took them years of trial and error before considering application.

What is it for us?

Manila, Philippines – SMARTMATIC entered the scene November last year proposing the use of their PCOS (Precinct Count Optical Scan) machines aiming a fair, just and fraud-free election. About 50 million Filipinos have registered to vote in the 76,000 precincts using counting machines that would tabulate and transmit results electronically. These machines uses compact flash cards which contains smart algorythm commands to perform its duty and tabulate results flawlessly. According to some source, SMARTMATIC took 2 months to program all of these 76,000 compact flash cards for 76,000 precints and just now, less than a week before the actual election day, we have been informed that 100% of these flash cards contains erroneous program to count local ballots. COMELEC together with SMARTMATIC has to recall all compact flash cards that have been deployed and reconfigure them to read votes for the local ballots and it’s only because of some stupid layout error. If you come to think of it, the complexity of the system is far too ambiguous for us to adapt at this point in time. Re-programming and re-distribution of 76,000 compact flash cards in just 2 days is a tongue-in-cheek statement and could be the downfall of COMELEC and SMARTATIC which may result to failure of election. In return, we would still resort to parallel manual counting and that is obviously pathetic and ridiculous.

How safe are PCOS machines?

In Japan, votes in national and most local elections are cast by writing the candidate's or party's name on a blank ballot paper. In elections for the House of Representatives voters fill in two ballots, one with the name of their preferred district candidate and one with their preferred party in the proportional representation block. For the House of Councillors, the district vote is similar (In SNTV multi-member districts, several candidates can be elected, but every voter has only one vote). But in the proportional vote for the House of Councillors votes are cast for a party list (influences how many proportional seats a party receives) or a candidate (additionally influences which candidates are elected from a party's list). In 2002, passage of an electronic voting law allowed for the introduction of electronic voting machines in local elections. The first machine vote took place in Niimi, Okayama in June 2002. In 2003, a system for early voting was introduced. In the Japanese general election, 2009 a record number of more than 10 million Japanese voted early. Despite Japan’s technological advancement, they’d choose to adapt parallel manual counting system not until 2003.

Now, the anxious us would wonder how safe is it really for us to use these PCOS machines? My answer… We are not safe at all!!! It does not guarantee that these machines would be free from fraud and cannot be manipulated. Actually, it would be a lot easier to alter results. It could be done just by switching re-progammed compact flash cards to PCOS machines in order to manipule the tabulation system.

In conclusion…

The use of the system should not be taken lightly. This should have gone a rigorous study that should have taken years before considering the adapatability of not just our technological advancement but also the availablity of human resources knowledgeable enough to relay the process.

The few months SMARTMATIC spent pushing and forcing the application of the system is not enough to make a certain judgement that we would have a fraud-free and successful election. And I fear and anticipating its epic failure…

The Worst-Case Scenario

Why I have been single for so long...

This made me laugh really hard...

I don't usually write stuff about this and I'm not really too emotional when it comes to this kinda stuff (well, I've learned not to). I'm just that annoyed, but I know shit happens.

A woman not too familiar with me just came into our house bursting into tears, crying out that her husband has another woman. Now my mom, being the president of our subdivision's homeowners association couldn't really abandon her even if she's a total stranger. I, being too skeptic, even thought that her act was just a scam (Budol-Budol in layman's term) but nevertheless we let her in the house as she looks nothing harmful. She said she was a veterinarian with 3 children and had been married for 19 long years. She said she was happy with her husband and her husband didn't show any signs that he was bored of their marriage that's why she never would've thought that something like this might happen. She went to see my mom because the woman her husband is currently seeing actually lives near our house. She said she just wanted to talk and make her point straight to her. She even quoted that she wouldn't make any scandal and that she's far too educated to behave like that. We talked a lot about stuff while I listen to my dismay. You really couldn't tell anyone's current state if they're marriage is doing fine and going strong just by looking at them. Most of the time, those people who looked like they're not having any sort of problems are usually the ones suffering the most. I've met and talked to quite a few from different cultures of different ages. Having talked to these people I can say, I've become too cautious. That if I don't choose well enough, I might end up like these psychologically and emotionally abused women.

Going back, I'm just a bit disappointed of this reality that usually girls always get the blame. The woman the legal wife is talking about is only 22 years old. So young for a 50-ish guy. I even thought after learning that I am 3 years older than her that this would seem like you're making out with your dad or something and that's really gross if you ask me (no offense to anyone). But yet the wife is blaming it all to the girl, with a not-so developed mind (except me LOL) and still inexperienced in terms of morality and spirituality (which I believe you'll only acquire to understand as you age). Isn't that frustrating? Why not blame your husband? He's the one who left you anyhow. He's the one experienced enough to seduce (or even bribe) a woman half of his age. But then again, I don't really know the internal stuff so I couldn't really speak for the wife. The wife must have missed out something. She must have got no time for him anymore. She must have ignored the important things and these small things might cause the husband to grew out of love and grew stale of their marriage and partnership. I don't really know. It must be that the husband is just trying to find a little excitement that once he has when he was younger just this time he got caught uncovered. I'm not sure, I can't speak straight because I've got no experience myself. I'm just an observer.

I just don't get how can a woman of her age get seriously involved with a middle-aged guy knowing that he has a happy family. Is it because of money that you'll turn yourself blind? My rational thought can only think of this one thing. Disgraceful as it may sound, but I can't blame her, money makes the world go round. But then again to get yourself trapped in a pretty much embarrassing situation like this, would you still go for the money or choose to straighten up your life and die with dignity?

You know, nothing is too late if everybody just change. Not just the husband, the wife and the lover but also you and also me. All for the better... (Geez, I'm starting to sound like Karl Marx in search of Utopia! >,<)