iPhone upgraded/updated to v1.1.3 can't be downgraded...?

It's said that when you update your Apple iPhone to firmware version 1.1.3, you would not be able to downgrade back to previous versions (v1.1.1 and v1.1.2). According to Nate, downgrading from v1.1.3 would brick your iPhone.

"If your iPhone has never been unlocked, downgrading from 1.1.3 will leave you bricked until you upgrade back to 1.1.3, as far as I can tell. The phone (even with an authentic AT&T SIM) reports an Incorrect SIM while iTunes says there's no SIM at all, when you've downgraded back to 1.1.1 or 1.1.2 (1.0.x untested). If your phone was unlocked, the baseband upgrade fails on 1.1.3, so you will not have this problem but will not get 1.1.3 to work. "

Note: The firmware version v1.1.3 has not been officially released by Apple yet.

The Poker Odd Calculator?

I have seen the World Series of Poker on ESPN where they have the odds calculated and displayed in percentage (%) when a player is dealt with certain cards. Personally, I think the only odd which is against you is the 0% one when you totally got beat. Other than that, you still have a chance no matter how slim it is. What matters is how good is your luck. The Magic Holdem poker odds calculator is a great poker calculator to have if you're very into statistics, possibilities and odds. I know Michael is. From my experience and his, I find that relying too much on statistics will sway your winnings to one side or the other; either you win it all or you go home a brave dumbo. So get a holdem calculator for Mike's sake.

DOT bans checked, loose lithium batteries on flights starting Jan 1st 2008

It was announced that starting January 1st, 2008, you can no longer pack "loose lithium batteries" into your checked luggage on flights. If your battery is attached to a device (cellphone, laptop, PSP, camera, etc.) -- or is packed into a plastic bag -- then you're okay. According to the report, "Common consumer electronics such as travel cameras, cell phones, and most laptop computers are still allowed in carry-on and checked luggage," though, "The rule limits individuals to bringing only two extended-life spare rechargeable lithium batteries, such as laptop and professional audio/video/camera equipment lithium batteries in carry-on baggage." The new ban is related to lithium batteries' propensity to explode, and not due to any terrorism concerns. This may not affect all travelers as normally we wouldn't carry spare batteries as we have the all mighty charger. Just for portable device fanboys, take note.
[credits to Gadling]

80% of 1K

This is the 800th post. I just came back from Fry's Electronic stores and I picked up a piece of the after Christmas sales promo of Maxtor 320GB ATA hard drive for just $44 + tax. Down from the $109.99 + tax original price tag, it was hell of a bargain. I wanted to grab another one, but I figure it'd be unnecessary as I don't need them at all! I have 80GB on my laptop, 40GB on my iPod, 30GB and 60GB on my external 2.5" notebook drives, plus another 160GB 3.5" external hard drive. Now I am adding another 320GB. I don't want to do the math.

Illuminated Keyboard - Where Art Thou?

Damn I hate typing in the dark without any idea which key I pressed until I see the mistakes on the LCD screen. WHY the hell laptop manufacturers still don't incorporate illuminated keyboard into their models? They should all do it. It will greatly help the world. I once bought a PS/2 illuminated keyboard for my 1st desktop computer for $49.99, which was hell a lot of money for a sucky keyboard which broke after a few months. Uncomfortable but cool. Hard to use but it lights up in the dark, so I forked out $49.99 plus tax and shipping for it. Damn that was stupid.

Free $50 Offer By BidSystem.com

Many have asked me about some good alternatives to Google Adwords. Some because Adwords isn't very productive for them, some simply because they got kicked out or banned from the program. One which I know is the Adknowledge PPC Marketplace (Bidsystem.com). Adknowledge is a good solution for advertisers looking for decent exposure and generate clicks beyond Google. BidSystem.com is a multi-channel behavioral targeting ad network in which advertisers seamlessly bid for traffic in display, email and smaller search engines. The amount of exposure you get is very good and that's one of the main purpose of advertising. The Adknowledge BidSystem's popularity is verified by the fact that it has been widely used by almost 500,000 advertisers. For those who asked, this is a perfect time to join BidSystem because they are currently running a promotion where new members get $50 worth of free clicks. This offer lasts for a limited time. I must admit I am tempted by the $50 in FREE PPC Advertising promotional offer. This is a good option for those who would like to test out this advertising option and hopefully it serves your purpose well. New websites or blogs should consider this advertising option to increase your readership and traffic in a shorter time. Let me know of your success!

Vacation Time

Blog activity would be minimal during the next week or so as I'd be on vacation. It's about time that I have a vacation. I deserve it. Happy holidays! Have fun all! I hope the semester went well for those who are in school. And those is Wisconsin, I know, it's freezing!

New Amazon.com Gift Cards Design, Having A New Look

The gift cards and gift certificates at Amazon.com have been redesigned! Now, the current design stands out more because of the color contrast enforced. The previous design has a predominant light blue background which is kinda soothing. This one is bold and beautiful. If you run out of present/gift ideas for this Christmas season, why not consider giving some Amazon.com gift cards? Amazon.com is a very good seller place and I've had very satisfactory experiences with them. They also have a lot of stuffs to offer, so check it out.

Dec 13th 2007, Last Day for Amex Wishlist

Today, Dec 13th 2007, is the last day of the Amex My Wishlist program. So far I haven't been active in participating in trying to get some great deals at huge discounts. I tried to get one of the XBOX 360 Elites but failed. I also didn't get a Best Buy voucher for the 2nd year running. Last year my housemate got a few and I got none of it. Today, I am targeting Sports Authority voucher at 11am, and also chances to win a brand new 2008 Volvo C30 and C70. If you didn't know what Amex Wishlist is all about, you can visit the website here to see what you've missed so far. All times listed on the website are Eastern Time. And you would need an American Express credit card to be eligible for any vouchers, prizes or promotions.

Wisconsin Goes to Outback Bowl 2008, Facing Tennessee

Finishing up the season with a 9-3 record, the Wisconsin Badgers are headed to the Outback Bowl in Tampa, FL on Jan 1st 2008 to face the Tennessee Volunteers. I am projecting a Wisconsin win judging on how Wisconsin ended the regular season on a high with impressive outings by QB Tyler Donovan and TE Travis Beckum. The upset chance would live in the productivity of Wisconsin's running game spearheaded by last year's Freshman of the Year RB PJ Hill. The previous win against Michigan (the one which preceded their defeat to Ohio St) was a good reference point as it's a good match with 2 very good football teams. Yes, Michigan RB Mike Hart was out, but Wisconsin RB PJ Hill was sidelined too. Tennessee would rely much on the gameplay of QB Erik Ainge. It's hard to judge based on their SEC championship game against Arkansas as the Razorbacks defense was amazing that night.

Searching for Deals on DDR2 RAM

I am currently looking for a deal for at least 1GB of DDR2 RAM for desktop PC's. However, I don't want any which involves rebate(s). Besides eBay, they best deal I can find now is at Fry's website for the Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 PC6400 for $49.99. After tax, it comes out to about $54 plus. Crucial RAM has been reliable and trouble-free from my past experiences.

Signup for Travel News & Win an iPod Nano

Here's an easy way and a chance to win yourself a brand new Apple iPod Nano. Just sign yourself up for the Trusted Travel eNewsletter by December 31st 2007 to be eligible. This is a great opporutnity for me to find out more interesting or fun stuffs to do on my upcoming vacation to Las Vegas. I was in Vegas a few months ago on a 2 day trip, so I didn't really get to see all the things and deal with all the craziness attached to Las Vegas. I am sure to check out the endless and expensive shows during the night. I made some $100 from the slot machines on a 2-hour sitting the last time around and I am looking forward to get more slot machine action after done partying. During the daytime, I am planning to try some of the packages provided by Trusted Tours and Attractions, who also sponsored the iPod Nano giveaway. They offer discounted tickets to many sightseeing tours. I have been pressed to register for one of the the Grand Canyon tours, but honestly, I am not all that interested. I mean I saw it from the plane a couple of times on my way back from Wisconsin. I would love to go on a Grand Canyon helicopter tour, but it's almost the same view from the Southwest plane, only this time I'll get to experience the helicopter thrill. We'll see how my financial planning turn out. Definitely considering to have as much fun as possible in the Sin City. And the best thing is, I am not alone.

Redeem United Miles for $25 Restaurant.com Gift Certificates

I can actually use 1000 of my United Miles to redeem for one (1) $25 Restaurant.com gift certificate. The other option is to redeem 2000 miles for four (4) $25 Restaurant.com gift certificates. All you need to do is to locate a restaurant near you which accepts a Restaurant.com gift certificate and read the terms before you redeem.

I just conducted a search within 5 miles of my current zip code and realised that most restaurants have now enforced a minimum amount before you can use a Restaurant.com certificate. A $50 minimum is required to use a $25 certificate. That's essentially getting your check half off. Some restaurants would restrict to dinner time only or weekdays only. Just follow this link to go to the redemption page.

Snoop Dogg Reality Show: Fatherhood

Who saw this coming? I didn't. Reality shows are popping here and here like mushrooms after the rain. But Snoop Dogg? What the heck, man. Alright, they got me. I am watching this. Just out of curiousity. TO learn the other side of Snoop. Snoop Dogg's new reality series, "Snoop Dogg's Father Hood" debuts this Sunday on E! at 10:30pm/9:30pm central.

New 20% Coupon for WWEshop

Today, I received another newsletter from WWE which provided the 20% off discount for a purhcase total of $75 or more. Use the code 20. Now I'm really tempted to pick up something for this holiday season. Maybe another DX or HBK shirt. Since I no longer follow the WWE, I am just looking for something nice and unique. Honestly, I haven't been as interested since they sent some wrestlers to TNA. Hear this out guys, even if you gave TNA some extra superstars, I still won't watch it.

Buy, Celebrate and Give with JacarandaStyle

With holiday seasons looming around the corner, let's all celebrate and give thanks to the blessings and love of our friends and families around us. However, we shall not forget those who are less fortunate. Contriibuting to charity with our holiday spendings would be one of the easiest and most convenient ways to makeour charitable contributions. Being from the land of the Hornbill where there are many native tribes, home-made accessories and decorations are everywhere in my hometown and I am glad to say that I do appreciate that form of home-made art. Beads, straws, leaves and wood are some examples of the materials used.

JacarandaStyle is a merchant which sells hand-made home accessories and jewelry which are really unique. These are all made in South Africa. The charity part: a portion of every item sold is generously donated to the Ethembeni School in South Africa (www.EthembeniSchool.org). It serves 300 physically disabled and visually impaired children in South Africa. I like the tea lights collection they offer, particularly the Wave Tea Light. JacarandaStlye has been mentioned in magazines like Food and Wine, Traditional Home and The New York Times. Since it's holiday season, there's a 10% off coupon code of "JSTYLE".

Shopping for WWE Items

WWE is currently having some offer codes for their items and merchandises at WWEshop. They always have free shipping codes available and I get notified through their newsletter. So if you're one of my fellow WWE fans out there and you are interested in buying some official merchandises, wait for the offer codes to be available to save some money. Your best bet is the 10% off discount and free shipping for $75 and above orders using GIVEME.

Here's a list of the current offer codes as copied from the newsletter.

GIVEME: 10% off and free standard shipping
on orders of $75+

TEN: International Special! 10% off
with orders of $99+

FREEME: Free shipping on U.S. orders of $60+

MONDAY: Free Monday Night War DVD
on orders of $60+

VINCE: Free McMahon DVD on orders of $60+

HLR: Free Cena "Hustle. Loyalty. Respect."
Pendant on orders of $60+

EDDIE: Free Eddie Guerrero DVD
on orders of $60+

EDIT: I have previously made a few purchases from WWEshop and have been fairly satisfied with the products, but not necessarily the price though. If it's not urgent, I'd wait for it to go on sale or when the price drops. Just another way of saving money.

Sending Holiday eCards While Contributing

In this modern day dominated by the technology and computer advancements, I realised it has been a while since I sent out a holiday greeting card to my friends and family. All is done from my computer because an ecard can be sent in a matter of minutes within a few clicks of the mouse. Month2Month.com has partnered with Toys for Tots to make a contribution for every holiday card received. This is a great way to help raise money for Toys for Tots. There's no subscription, advertisement or toolbar download requirement and it's absolutely free. I hate the fact that Yahoo! Greetings has changed from its original totally free ecards service back to the days when I sent my first ecard. Here's where to find Toys for Tots free eCards

Alexa Ranking Improves Past the Million Mark

My Alexa traffic rank finally broke under the million mark. Now this blog's Alexa rank is at 868,831. Previously it was at 1,099,938. This is the best rank reported for this blog and the first time it is in 6 figures. Hopefully this healthy trend would continue. My next goal is to break below the 500,000 mark. Thanks for all the visit.

Trying to Win a Nintendo Wii from CircuitCity Sweepstakes

The Nintendo Wii keeps getting snapped up by holiday gift shoppers and I barely have a chance to even add it to my freaking cart. I am hesitant to choose the option of buying one from eBay or Craigslist for a jacked u price. So the best way out now is to win one. It is one of the hottest item on the wishlist this holiday season. Thanks to the low inventory, this item has been living the hotlist for a while.

The 21 Days of Wii Sweepstakes. Here I come. "Wii would like to play." Wish me luck and I hope I can win one for my loved one. Like eBay's commercial said, "It's better when you win it." and FREE.

If you can't win one from somewhere and really want to buy one, check out the Nintendo Wii sellers at Amazon

All I Want for Christmas Giveaway by Overstock.com

Yes, it's already December. Christmas Day is just 3 weeks away! I still remember when the Laser Disc technology was still hip back 10 years ago, my Dad bought a LD with a sweet compilation of Christmas songs. My favorite is none other than Twelve Days of Christmas. And I found out today that Overstock.com, yeah the big "O", is currently having a All I want for Christmas Giveaway promotion starting today, Dec. 3rd.

We would get the chance to win gifts that you’ve chosen from Overstock.com and they can be worth up to $1000! And you can enter everyday! Not only you get to play for yourself, you can invite 5 friends to join to increase your chances of winning. Here's how it works, if you win, they'll win too! That's definitely a good way to spread some early Christmas love.

Wait, there's a Grand Prize at the end of the 5 day contest. The grand prize is each and every gift you’ve registered to win over the duration of the contest. So if you don't win anything in the daily giveaway, you still stand a chance to win it all! Amazing! I can't wait. Let me roll out my wishlist. Nintendo Wii, Sony PS3, XBOX 360, Garmin GPS unit, iPod Touch, and the list goes on. I am going to wish for a XBOX 360 today.

Wishlist This: Belkin N1 Vision Wireless Router

It has been a while since the last time I searched for a deal on a wireless router. As I mentioned in the previous post, I was looking for a reliable wireless router for my family. Then I came across this $70 deal at OffceMax for the Belkin N1 wireless router which has a retail price of $149.99 on Belkin's website. It has a cool built-in Network Status Display lets you see your connections working. "Each icon represents a network component, so you can easily monitor your connections for fast troubleshooting." The display has icons of Security, Wireless, Wired, Router, Modem, and Internet which lets the users know which is active and connected, making it easy to view your router status.

Then, I found a router with a much cooler display also from Belkin. It's the Belkin N1 Vision wireless router. It retails for $179.99 on Belkin's site. It was dubbed as the most advanced interactive network display. It has 6 choices of display which includes time and date, current broadband speed, usage within the past 24 hours, and connected devices. This is definitely my type of router, but not quite my type of price. Paying $180 for a draft n wireless router is just plain ridiculous. I've learned and I should've known. Cool toys come with hefty price tags.

In the end, I bought a D-Link DI-524 wireless router from eBay for $20.35.

Shopping for A New Wireless Router, Thinking D-Link DI-524

My family back home finally subscribed to broadband internet, thanks to the much persistent nagging by my little sister. So now I am thinking of getting a new wireless router for them. I've had a few experiences with wireless routers, Gigabit, Linksys, Netgear and then Belkin. My first one, the Gigabit, was a cheapo. The Linksys was touted as one of the best but connections kept dropping once every few days. Then a great deal at Staples came by and I purchased the Netgear wireless kit of router plus PC card and another kit of router plus USB adapter. It turned out that the Netgear wasn't as stable too. I ended up selling one of the routers, the PC card and also the USB adapter.

Then I got a D-Link DI-524 wireless router for a hot deal price of $25 (back then) from Fry's. That was my best experience with wireless routers. So I am thinking of getting that since I thought it's reliable and all that. It's just for normal wireless internet around the double storey semi-d. I wouldn't wanna pay close to $100 for the draft n routers. And there's no other place to pick up a bargain other than eBay and Craigslist.

Wisconsin Accepts Outback Bowl Bid, Heading to Tampa Florida

It was announced that on Thursday, the 8-3 Wisconsin Badgers officially accepted an invitation to play in the 2008 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. This would be a third straight bowl game in Florida as in the previous 2 seasons, the Badgers and I went to the Capital One Bowl (2006 and 2007) in Orlando. Wisconsin came out victorious in both Capital One Bowls, defeating Kenny Iron's Auburn in '06 and Darren McFadden's Arkansas in '07. I enjoyed both of my bowl game trips/vacations and is sad to say that I might not have the chance to be in the stands for this year's Outback Bowl. The opponent for the 2008 Outback Bowl is still undetermined and it may come from the SEC bunch of Tennessee, Florida, Auburn or Arkansas.

Whoever's invited, it promises a very good matchup as SEC has proven itself to be a very solid conference, unlike the Big Ten this year. For Wisconsin, after a National Championship hopeful previously touted BCS-ish season that started on a high but regressed to one battered with injury and 3 conference losses, a bowl game on the New Year’s Day is the simple reward for the team's persistent effort throughout the season. The 3 loses clearly costed a much hoped National Championship dream for all cheeseheads and Badgers faithfuls.

An untimely loss to Illinois followed by a dreadful loss to Penn State dug a huge hole for the Badgers late into the season. Then Wisconsin went down fighting against Ohio State before acknowledging that they are second to the Buckeyes and at the same time proved their worth with a convincing and solid win over Michigan at home which salvaged the season. There's much more to come from this Wisconsin core next season with talented starters like CB Jack Ikegwuonu, LB Johnathan Casillas,TE Travis Beckum and RB P.J. Hill returning. Stay tuned Badger fans. There are more to come.

1-Calc: The Best Calculator for Windows Mobile Pocket PC

I have 1-Calc installed on my newly flashed HTC Wizard/Cingular 8125 (Windows Mobile 6 Professional Edition) and it is inarguably many many times better than the default calculator program that came with any Windows Mobile OS. It is easy to use with the currency converter function with auto rate grab. It also features as a full scientific calculator, unit converter and tip calculator. Now just key in the amount on the bill and the number in your party and it'll spit out the tip per person according to the percentage you set (default is 15%).

Download Firefox 3 Now, Beta Version

I am so happy to run into this piece of information. Firefox 3 is actually available for download to the public. The directory is most probably meant for developers or beta testers, but it has been accessible since its alpha version. Now, the beta 2 version is on the ftp server. The last time I updated my Firefox via auto update, it has been crashing with the Not Responding error message as the window freezes. That's on Windows Vista 32-bit, but my girlfriend's Windows XP is fine with the same update. I am not too sure if it's my machine or is it the version of Firefox which created some conflicts with the Vista OS. Either way, I am ready to install the Firefox 3 even if it's a beta version. I ran the Vista beta version before it was released.
[The Firefox 3 Download Link]

Upcoming Movie: Sweeney Todd

There's this Tim Burton's new movie, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of the Fleet Street, coming out on December 21st starring the ever capable Johnny Depp. In this movie, Johnny Depp is Sweeney Todd. Here's a link to the trailer. Depp is one of my favorite actors because of the variety roles he took on in many different movies. The characters he took on were completely unique and non-conventional. Just look at him in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Willy Wonka was a character I never understood and I never figured out why he would take up this role given his popularity in the acting world. Captain Jack Sparrow's character was definitely made much more interesting by Depp. These two characters easily explains how good Depp is at acting. He never failed to captivate the audience in these unconventional characters.

Once more, he is carrying another character which I think is unconventional, Sweeney Todd.
The revengeful 19th century legend of Sweeney Todd is definitely to come alive in this movie because Depp is at his finest and we all know what a movie like this becomes when Depp brings his A game. I am looking forward to a good outing by Depp for he never disappoints as we can all see from his much respected filmography. To find out more, visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site or you can visit Sweeney Todd on MySpace. If you need a proxy to access MySpace at your school or workplace, there's one which I mentioned here. It's an unblocker/proxy.

Currently Playing on My PSP: NCAA Football 2007

I am currently playing NCAA Football 2007 by EA Sports on my Sony PSP. That's the latest version in the market now, sadly. Somewhy EA Sports decided no to roll out a 2008 version for the PSP platform. I think the game is a must play for all college football enthusiasts so that they can show their support for their school by thrashing whoever their no.1 rival is.

The only downpoint is that the team rosters do not have the names of the players. The QB would have for eg. his name on the jersey as QB #7, WR #1 or TE #10. That kinda sucks. Yes it really does. The features are of that player who wears that number, height, size, agility, appearance and such, just not the name on the jersey. I already played through 2 seasons with Wisconsin ending up as the top ranked team in the country at the end of the season and emerging as national champs. I am getting a little bored of it now. But this game is really good on the PSP, very similar to the game plays on the Madden NFL which I used to play on the PS2 and PC.

One Good Reason to Visit Chuck E. Cheese: $0.10 Per Token

Yes, this is the best deal ever from Chuck E. Cheese. They normally have the buy 50 tokens get 50 free. One token has a $0.25 value. Through the 50 get 50 deal, you're actually getting 50% off as each token true discounted cost is $0.125 per token. But today, I found the bext deal so far. Buy 40 tokens and get 60 free. I get 100 tokens for just $10, which brings it down to just $0.10 per token! Yeehah! I am 23, but I can still have some fun at Chuck E. Cheese. I prefer to go on weekdays because there'd be less kids around to save myself some embarassment. Here's the coupon if you too need togo to Chuck E. Cheese, be it for yourself or your kids.


Current offers: http://pujutengineered.blogspot.com/2012/07/good-reason-to-visit-chuck-e-cheese.html

Free Reciprocal Link Exchange Directory

One of the easiest and earliest steps of trying to improve your website's exposure and traffic is to submit your website to a free directory. This is especially true for new websites because you'd want your website to be indexed in popular search engines. There are many free directories available on the internet. It's even better if the directory provides reciprocal links so that both parties can benefit from each other via the directory.

Another Blog Review Posted

I would like to thank Krispyblogs for the short review sum up of my blog. Writing reviews for others is a very good way to establish links to one's site. It would definitely increase the amount of inbound links. Blogrolling is another option too, but I wonder how many visitors actually visit the links in the Blogroll. If interested in reading more of Ryan's reviews, go to http://krispyblogs.com/reviews/

Uninstalled SopCast

I just uninstalled SopCast from my computer. The reason: I hardly used it because I always can't connect to stream the stuffs which I really wanna watch. Yes, I don't wanna pay for pay-per-views of the English Premier League because I am too cheap. I thought with SopCast, I'd get to watch Manchester United games once more, just like the days when I went to the mamak stalls and order teh plus roti canai's and waste away my freetime. Eh, no. That could be considered a hobby. So no waste time ok?

p/s: SopCast is a simple, free way to broadcast video and audio or watch the video and listen to radio on the Internet. Adopting P2P(Peer-to-Peer) technology. It enables you to stream free live channels from all over the world. You would need to install the SopCast player before you can start streaming (smart idea).

Credit Cards Australia Comparison

This is just right for my sister. A credit cards comparison site based in Australia. I would love to help her and give her some recommendations about which credit cards would fit her best. At the same time, she can go search and Compare Credit Cards with all the different choices available presented at a single site with a nice, organized layout. Cards can be browsed by type, features, banks and issuers. Right now, since it's going to be her first credit card, I'd probably recommend cards with some reward programs and no annual fees. I believe she is smart enough to pay her bills on time to avoid the charges which are really going to burn a hole in the wallet if there is no strong sense of financial responsibility. This site is a very good resource for her because of the details of the cards available and it is very easy to use. This should be the place to visit if you are looking for a credit card in Australia.

Black Friday Traffic Increase - Here and Gilroy

I have been seeing a spike in traffic due to the Black Friday Excel spreadsheet post. That post became the 2nd most popular post here in a matter of a few days. I didn't see that coming and it's definitely a good thing when you hit the traffic pot once in a while. I am expecting this sudden surde to drop back to its initial pace even though I am working on networking now to create more inbound links and increase the exposure and visibility.

I am glad to be able to share that useful file with all shoppers for this year's Black Friday sales. I headed to Gilroy Premium Outlets for the midnight opening sales and was stuck in traffic for more than 30 minutes about 2 miles away from the exit to Gilroy. It was so packed with people walking around like an ant colony and there're no parking spots available except at other closed stores which were located a little far away. I parked somewhere near OfficeMax, which was closed.

The line forming outside the store.

Puma store line.

This is GAP where it's too crowded and the line for the cash register is all the way to the end of the store.

I am heading out man.

Ctrl-Shift-Esc Is the Ctrl-Alt-Delete of Windows Vista, I Just Knew

I am currently using Windows Vista Home Premium Edition which came with my Dell laptop last April and I have always needed to bring up the Task Manager because of non responding programs which I need to terminate. In Vista, Ctrl-Alt-Delete would bring up a blue Vista screen called the Security Dialog and the Task Manager option is at the bottom of the list (Start Task manager). That's how I have been accessing the Task Manager for the past 7 months, a 2 step process.

I just came across that Ctrl-Shift-Esc is the actual shortcut to the Task Manager in Windows Vista. Saving me an extra step. But I don't like the combination. Maybe because I am so used to Ctrl-Alt-Delete and the Ctrl-Shift-Esc keys are lined up on the left edge of the keyboard. It's difficult to hit them with 3 fingers from my left hand, so I guess the best option now is to press Ctrl-Shift on the right and then Esc. And I tested that Ctrl-Shift-Esc also brings up the Task Manager in XP.

My Visit to Stanford University

Yesterday I paid the famous Stanford University a visit. It's about 40 minutes away and since I used to visit campuses when I go on college vacations and visiting friends, I thought this would be a good opportunity to have a real look at Stanford since I'm not too far away. There weren't many people around on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and seemed very peaceful and quiet. So nothing much to talk about actually.

Drove there via El Camino Real, parked the car at a Visitor's parking lot for 1/2 hour for $0.75. Walked to the Visitor's Information place at Memorial Hall but it was closed. So we grabbed a map and headed out on our own and proceeded to the Main Quad. Then we drove around the campus via the Campus Drive Loop to get a general landscape overview of the place. Was tempted to stop by the Stanford Shopping Center but did not. I would say this was a sightseeing tour of the campus without the audio narrations. More photos:

RealRank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Explained

Ok, the RR (RealRank) segmentation system which PPP just implemented to counter Google's act of stripping PPP bloggers/posties of their PR (PageRank) to 0 is applied by RealRank: X, with X being an integer of 1 to 9. RealRank 1 means the top 90% blogs would qualify for the opp and so forth. So a RealRank 3 requirement means the top 70% oblogs would qualify. "RealRank: any" means all blogs are accepted. This segmentation is based on percentile (for now, until possible further changes are announced).

Project Cingular 8125 HTC Wizard TouchFLO Windows Mobile 6 ROM Flash Part 2: Success

After failing to flash my HTC Wizard/Cingular 8125 to a Windows Mobile 6 Professional with TouchFLO interface of the HTC Touch on my first try, I successfully got it done yesterday. My guess is correct, my Wizard/8125 was not CID unlocked. I proceeded to downgrade to the Button ROM (gives me the ipl of 1.01) and then CID unlocked it with Lokiwiz. Then I ran the Button ROM once more to get the spl to 1.01 also.

So I am all set to flash to a non Cingular ROM. It was recommended to flash to the T-Mobile 2.26 ROM first because it's the best setup/preparation to custom ROMs. So I had the T-Mobile splash screen on my phone with buttons for tzones and T-Mobile hotspots. I flashed to the TNT 1921 WM6 Pro TouchFLO ROM within 5 minutes and now I am running 10MB pagepool Windows Mobile 6 Professional with TouchFLO. Operation complete.

Below are some screenshots after the completion:





EDIT: As requested, a link for the Button ROM download (which works)
Please leave a comment if the link is no longer working, I'll upload one ;)

EDIT 3: As requested, a link for the TNT 1921 WM6 Pro TouchFLO ROM (10MB pagepool) download. After you install the ROM, install this TNT Cube to enable the TouchFLO cube function.

EDIT 4: As requested, a link for the TNT 1921 WM6 Pro TouchFLO ROM (6MB pagepool) download. After you install the ROM, install this TNT Cube to enable the TouchFLO cube function.

EDIT 5: 6MB = BALANCE BETWEEN SPEED AND AVAILABLE RAM FOR PROGRAMS

10MB = FASTER SPEED AND LESS AVAILABLE RAM FOR PROGRAMS

EDIT 6: Official Cingular ROM Download Link

EDIT 2: Before you start, check if your 8125 is a G3 or G4. Mine is a G3. G4 uses a slightly different approach/file. I think if you have a G4 and you do it with the G3 method, you'll brick your phone.

Other HTC related posts.

Use Coupons to Save Money

Are you set for holiday shopping? It's Black Friday and Christmas coming soon, it's New Year coming soon. I need to get holiday gifts for everyone, and maybe a SONY Slim PSP for myself, and get rid of my PSP Firmware version 3.40OE-A on eBay or Craigslist. Shopping online is fun and easy. You can get free shipping most of the time, and extra coupons for discounts that won't be available in stores! Normally I would use Google to search for certain coupon codes.For example, use Google to search "overstock coupon" or "compusa coupon" and you'll easily find something that'll save you some bucks.

CouponChief.com is a nice place to get the coupons and promotional codes. It's the chief! CouponChief.com has sweet Overstock.com coupons that I and you can probably use to get the newer, slimmer PSP for some lucky kid. It is more advisable to have a coupon website bookmarked. CouponChief.com has a wide variety of choices and resources. It'll be your source of coupons everytime you shop and save online.

Some of my favorites are: Kohls coupons for general bedroom appliances, Eastbay coupons for sporting goods, Footlocker coupons for footwear, Overstock.com coupons of cheap knockdowns. I used a Dell coupon for my Inspiron laptop purchase and it saved me an extra $100! That's 10 hours of my previous college part-time job right there! Are you gonna save or what?

RealRank by IZEA to Replace PageRank for Payperpost

The recent PageRank punishments handed out to bloggers who do sponsored posts has led to another clever idea from the people of Payperpost at IZEA to come out with an alternative to combat this unfairness. RealRank is their answer. Because Google has dropped PageRanks to 0 in many cases, including this blog which was a PR4, it no longer reflects the previous "traffic importance".

To quote IZEA:
RealRank data is gathered from the IZEA Toolkit "ITK" (formerly PPP Tools). It is a piece of javascript that many of you already have and those outside of PPP will be able to get from a separate site without joining PPP or SocialSpark. ITK gathers REAL traffic information, much like your analytics platform and ranks users based on their standing within the network. The formula is relatively simple:

70% weighted towards visitors per day
20% weighted towards amount of ACTIVE inbound links per day
10% weighted towards pageviews per day

Today, RealRank is officially implemented and the Blog tab has a column for RealRank and it displays my RealRank as calculated by ITK. I am glad we all didn't have to bow to Google's dominance.

Dirty Hotel Housekeeping: Watch Before You Travel!

When I travel and stay in hotels in the future, I will be more careful about the cleanliness after watching this video. It will make you sick just watching it. I guess the quality of housekeeping doesn't depend on the image of the hotel. It probably depends on the mood of your housekeeper! Who knew that the hotels that offer things like wireless internet, plush robe, free coffee and room service also offer you a direct way to get some nasty germs.

The video feedback: Ewwh. Really disgusting. I used to work as part time housekeeper in college and I try my best to keep things clean because I am a traveler as well so I really understand the importance of being clean. The one I worked with uses disposable plastic cups so I didn’t have to deal of glasses, whooh. Now think twice about why you got sick during or after your vacation. Yikes!

Vat19 Has Some Fun Products

Being an active postie at PPP, I have been selected to test some cool and fun products from Vat19. I received a package from Vat19 and it contained Color Flames Colored Candles which would be useful to recreate those romantic moments, 1 Smencils Gourmet Scented Pencil with chocolate smell which is awesome and an Insta Snow Fake Snow Powder pack which can be very good for pranks.

I really like the candles as they are unique and VAT stands for Videos and Things and it is an online store to shop for cool stuff from scented candles to high tech office gears, technology products like electronics and a whole lot more USB Gadgets. One of the item I checked out is the Universal Knife Block which doesn't use slots so I can store knives and utensils from different sets without any problem. Do consider Vat19.com for your holiday shoppings and stocking stuffers for this upcoming holiday season because they really have some potential curiously awesome gifts.

Apple Store Black Friday Sale Special

Apple Store is having a Black Friday Sale Special this year. November 23 only. It says "Come back to the Apple Online Store the day after Thanksgiving for a special one-day-only holiday shopping event. You'll find dozens of great iPod, iPhone, and Mac gift ideas — all with free shipping." Check back on Black Friday. Maybe there'd be deals on the Apple iPhone or iPod. Fingers crossed.