The Power Plant's been having a 3-day sale. So I took the opportunity to go to Fully Booked and buy the James Rollins' books that I've been waiting to go on sale. They're actually old books -- way before the Sigma Force series started with Map of Bones. I bought Amazonia, and the last copies of Subterranean, Excavation and Sandstorm at the bookstore. The four paperback books, after deducting the 20% discount came out to less than PHP1,000. Pretty good deal, I think. I did not get Deep Fathom because the cover had a bit of crease.
The recent fourth installment of Indiana Jones -- the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is available on book, and it is written by James Rollins. I'm not sure if Rollins wrote the book from which the movie was adapted, or whether he just wrote the book based on the movie's screenplay.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008
Downloading Movies
I've been doing a bit of downloading lately with BitTorrent. Although I've heard about it before (who hasn't), I've never really understood where does one get the p2p data to download since there is really no "centralized" server to query. Well, it seems that finding torrent is a lot more simpler than I thought!
While there are sites that host or index torrent files (eg. mininova, torrentz), nothing is simpler than just using Google! From the search bar, just enter the song/movie/document that you want with the keyword "torrent", and it will give you all the links you need. I can understand why the Hollywood types would be very concerned about BitTorrent. Almost any recent Hollywood movie that you are interested can be found (and downloaded) in any of the torrent index sites.
Almost all the video files are available in Audio-Video Interleave (AVI) format for some strange reason. Since I bought a licensed version of DivX Converter, I still have to do an extra step to convert AVI to DivX before I can play it in my home Philips DVDR Player. Caitlin has been enjoying the SpongeBob series on the player care of BitTorrent. :)
Downloaded AVI files are usually in the 700MB to 1GB range. Converting them to DivX results to about the same size. The quality is pretty good -- as good as DVD on a regular TV. I only notice some pixelation on dark scenes. But on bright daylight scenes, I can't distinguish it from an original DVD output. Its sure a lot clearer than the pirated DVD's that I've bought in the past. None of the typical skippings or bad disc sectors found with those pirated discs.
Sometimes, you can even find entire ISO images of the DVD. I found a 4GB Spiderman 3 ISO image file. So if you burn it onto DVD-R, its as good as the original DVD without any compression. For those with high-end players, I've also seen ISO images of Spiderman in Blu-Ray format (10GB+) or Transformers in the defunct HD-DVD format.
I've been using Imation and HP DVD-R discs. They sell at PC Express for PHP13.00. Out of the 10 Imation discs I've bought and used, 2 had errors during writing/recording. That's about the same failure rate I've experienced with Philips DVD-R discs from CD-R King. But so far, the HP DVD-R's are doing well, although I've only used about 5 pcs.
If C/S keeps replaying Terminator: The Sarah Connors Chronicles, maybe I'll just wait for the series to be available in DVD and download via BitTorrent. :)
While there are sites that host or index torrent files (eg. mininova, torrentz), nothing is simpler than just using Google! From the search bar, just enter the song/movie/document that you want with the keyword "torrent", and it will give you all the links you need. I can understand why the Hollywood types would be very concerned about BitTorrent. Almost any recent Hollywood movie that you are interested can be found (and downloaded) in any of the torrent index sites.
Almost all the video files are available in Audio-Video Interleave (AVI) format for some strange reason. Since I bought a licensed version of DivX Converter, I still have to do an extra step to convert AVI to DivX before I can play it in my home Philips DVDR Player. Caitlin has been enjoying the SpongeBob series on the player care of BitTorrent. :)
Downloaded AVI files are usually in the 700MB to 1GB range. Converting them to DivX results to about the same size. The quality is pretty good -- as good as DVD on a regular TV. I only notice some pixelation on dark scenes. But on bright daylight scenes, I can't distinguish it from an original DVD output. Its sure a lot clearer than the pirated DVD's that I've bought in the past. None of the typical skippings or bad disc sectors found with those pirated discs.
Sometimes, you can even find entire ISO images of the DVD. I found a 4GB Spiderman 3 ISO image file. So if you burn it onto DVD-R, its as good as the original DVD without any compression. For those with high-end players, I've also seen ISO images of Spiderman in Blu-Ray format (10GB+) or Transformers in the defunct HD-DVD format.
I've been using Imation and HP DVD-R discs. They sell at PC Express for PHP13.00. Out of the 10 Imation discs I've bought and used, 2 had errors during writing/recording. That's about the same failure rate I've experienced with Philips DVD-R discs from CD-R King. But so far, the HP DVD-R's are doing well, although I've only used about 5 pcs.
If C/S keeps replaying Terminator: The Sarah Connors Chronicles, maybe I'll just wait for the series to be available in DVD and download via BitTorrent. :)
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Full-Spread Photo Books
Orders for full-spread photo books from our online picturebooks store, ThePictureShop.com, have been picking up as of late. In fact it has been out-selling our traditional double wire-bound picturebooks. The most popular configuration so far seems to be the 8"x8" and the 8"(H)x10"(W) format with pages or more. The 6"x6" is a good start for those who just want to try it out. But eventually, they get to like the products and "upgrade" to the larger formats.
Our Picture Books are also available through Picatoo, Mozcom's online photo store in partnership with Fuji YKL Color Lab. In recent months, Picatoo has partnered with Cebu Pacific Air to offer a customized version of Picatoo called Fun Prints. Cebu Pacific passengers get free 20 x 4R prints when they submit a photo of a boarding pass. Through this facility, some frequent travellers have also discovered already that printing photos on picture books are a lot more fun.
Our Picture Books are also available through Picatoo, Mozcom's online photo store in partnership with Fuji YKL Color Lab. In recent months, Picatoo has partnered with Cebu Pacific Air to offer a customized version of Picatoo called Fun Prints. Cebu Pacific passengers get free 20 x 4R prints when they submit a photo of a boarding pass. Through this facility, some frequent travellers have also discovered already that printing photos on picture books are a lot more fun.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Terminator 4
C/S channel (aka RPN 9) is back to its old tricks. Its been alternating new episodes and replays of Terminator: Sarah Connors Chronicles for the past month. It did the same thing before with Heroes 2 when it was running out of new episodes to show. I can't understand why don't they just show all new episodes. Then when the season ends, they either replay the entire season or start with a different series.
The story line of Sarah Connors Chronicles have been developing well. The addition of Brian Austin Green as Derek Reese, the brother of John Reese (who was sent back in time by John Connors and paradoxically, fathered him), to the cast is nice. It took me some time to recognize him as the dorky sidekick in the old Beverly Hills 90210 tv series. He now looks all buff and grungy as the soldier sent back through time. But I suppose he will get killed off before the season ends.
Another good news to Terminator fans like myself. There is already a 4th Terminator movie in the making entitled Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins. The movie is expected to be released in 2009. Unlike the previous Terminators which were based on present time, this one is based on the future with John Connors (played by Batman's Christian Bale) fights Skynet. Its still a question mark whether Arnold Schwarzenegger will be part of the cast.
The only thing that kind of dampened my enthusiasm for Terminator 4 is the announcement that the director will be McG. I'm not a big fan of his work, although granted that the only one I've seen is Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Its too MTV-ish and senseless with ridiculous/impossible stunts.
Monday, June 16, 2008
China UnionPay ATM Cards Now Accepted by Philippine Merchants with PayEasy Online Payment System
Philippine Internet merchants can now accept online payments from 1.3 billion Chinese who have China UnionPay (CUP) ATM cards! CUP is the one-and-only official inter-bank ATM network of China with all their major banks being part of that network. That's a super Bancnet + Megalink + ExpressNet ATM network multipled several-folds! An estimated 95% of all Chinese who have a bank account would have a CUP ATM card.
Granted that there are not a lot of online merchants who are targetting the Chinese market, we cannot ignore the fact that China is one of the world's fastest-growing economy. Their middle-class is increasingly spending more and travelling more. So local companies who are in the hospitality (hotels, resorts, spas) and medical tourism industry should seriously look into this market. And with PayEasy, they now have that option. Best of all, unlike credit cards, China UnionPay is an ATM/debit card. So merchants do not have to worry about those nasty chargebacks!
Credit cards still remain the most common mode of payment for online commerce. But with an estimated paltry 4% of the Philippine population having credit cards, it is important for merchants to consider other online modes of payment.
Granted that there are not a lot of online merchants who are targetting the Chinese market, we cannot ignore the fact that China is one of the world's fastest-growing economy. Their middle-class is increasingly spending more and travelling more. So local companies who are in the hospitality (hotels, resorts, spas) and medical tourism industry should seriously look into this market. And with PayEasy, they now have that option. Best of all, unlike credit cards, China UnionPay is an ATM/debit card. So merchants do not have to worry about those nasty chargebacks!
Credit cards still remain the most common mode of payment for online commerce. But with an estimated paltry 4% of the Philippine population having credit cards, it is important for merchants to consider other online modes of payment.
Banco de Oro Internet Banking Security
I logged on to BDO's Internet Banking facility tonight to do my banking. It told me that my password has already expired and it prompted me for a new one. Ok, that's pretty standard. After entering the new passwords and clicked the next button, it further asked me for a secret question and answer in case I want to retrieve or change the password. No big deal. Still pretty standard way of doing things.
Once logged in under the new password, I tried going to the change password utility to change it back to my old one (so that I don't forget). With Metrobank's Internet banking facility, it will not let you re-use an old password. But before with BDO, you can actually change back the new password to the old one and it will not complain. So I tried doing that trick again. But this time, something new happened...
It asked me to enter my secret question and answer. Yes, you read that right -- it ask me what is my secret question AND the answer to that question. This is really weird! Normally, the system should present you with the secret question you registered and you just give back the answer. This is the first time I've ever encountered a system that actually prompted you for your secret question! And I don't remember the exact phrasing! I just know the question is about where I was born. But it looks like the words have to be exact. So now, I can't change my own password because I forgot the exact wording of the question. Arrgghh!
Once logged in under the new password, I tried going to the change password utility to change it back to my old one (so that I don't forget). With Metrobank's Internet banking facility, it will not let you re-use an old password. But before with BDO, you can actually change back the new password to the old one and it will not complain. So I tried doing that trick again. But this time, something new happened...
It asked me to enter my secret question and answer. Yes, you read that right -- it ask me what is my secret question AND the answer to that question. This is really weird! Normally, the system should present you with the secret question you registered and you just give back the answer. This is the first time I've ever encountered a system that actually prompted you for your secret question! And I don't remember the exact phrasing! I just know the question is about where I was born. But it looks like the words have to be exact. So now, I can't change my own password because I forgot the exact wording of the question. Arrgghh!
Online Photo Editors
Adobe recently announced a free online, web-based version of their flagship, Photoshop. Of course, it will not have all the features of the standalone products but it does provide an interesting alternative for people who need to edit a photo on-the-fly, or out in the field and there is no photo editing software installed on the machine (eg. in a cafe).
While I haven't tried the Photoshop online version, I came across another one called Phixr. You can use it without registering an account first (although your temporary guest session will be limited to about 2 hrs, I think). You can easily upload a photo from your PC or ask it to retrieve an image from the web via HTTP. The photo loads on the working canvas and you can do basic edited such as cropping, converting to sepia tone, adding voice bubbles, red eye reduction, noise reduction, blurring, adding border frames, etc. It also comes with some advanced photo effects such as posterize, dot art and many others.
The resulting edited image can be re-downloaded as jpg, or converted to other formats such as png, pdf or tiff. It also has the option to send it as email. And most importantly for people maintaining web albums, it can send it directly to your album of choice. It supports several including the popular ones like Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket, Webshots and SmugMug.
While I haven't tried the Photoshop online version, I came across another one called Phixr. You can use it without registering an account first (although your temporary guest session will be limited to about 2 hrs, I think). You can easily upload a photo from your PC or ask it to retrieve an image from the web via HTTP. The photo loads on the working canvas and you can do basic edited such as cropping, converting to sepia tone, adding voice bubbles, red eye reduction, noise reduction, blurring, adding border frames, etc. It also comes with some advanced photo effects such as posterize, dot art and many others.
The resulting edited image can be re-downloaded as jpg, or converted to other formats such as png, pdf or tiff. It also has the option to send it as email. And most importantly for people maintaining web albums, it can send it directly to your album of choice. It supports several including the popular ones like Flickr, Picasa, Photobucket, Webshots and SmugMug.
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