Giving My Blog A Few Tweaks...

Alright, I'm just here to announce that I've made a few tweaks and adjustments to my blog.

Here's a list:
1. I removed my music playlist - I reluctantly removed it because Mixpod is "experiencing an inconvenience" and can only support MP3 audio now. Plus, the player causes a lot of lag sometimes.

2. I changed my blog header from "Life Is Hard" to "Feel The Force" - Well, it seems only right to change the header of my blog to something that has to do with Star Wars, yes?

3. I changed a few captions - Just some minor changes to the captions on my picture, blog archive, etc. It's not really that important...

Well, I guess that's all of the changes I've made.

Anyway, I checked out "Cafe World" on Facebook.
But this time, players have more work to do: Players have to actually prepare the food themselves!
Plus, there are a lot of other game mechanics in "Cafe World" that are quite unsatisfactory, including the fact that it's very much like "Restaurant City" - unoriginal, in other words.
So, in the end I've decided not to play "Cafe World".

Well, that's it for now.

May the Force be with you...

"Meeting Of Masters"

Hmmm, let me try to recall what's happened in my life so far.
Nothing much, I think.
Oh wait, there is something...

I went to a so-called "Meeting Of Masters" at Ashman's house yesterday.
Ashman himself organised it. He arranged for the whole "Chess Gang" to meet at his house yesterday after lunch.

I arrived at his house at 1.30pm. Apparently, I was the earliest to get there. Sehran's supposed to come at 2pm, and Hazwan said he would be "a little late".

Well, anyway, while waiting for the others, Ashman and I played two friendly games of Chess.
He won playing the White pieces in the first round, and I won the second round playing the Black pieces.
And I have to admit, the Caro-Kann Defense is pretty darn effective!
But I better not use it all the time, or else I might become too predictable...

Sehran finally came at 2.30pm.
He and Ashman played one round of "Twister" while waiting for Hazwan.
But Hazwan was still absent.

So, Sehran and I played a game of Chess.
He was White and I was Black. I played the Petrov Defense.
But he didn't follow the main continuation.
Instead, he did something a bit strange and unexpected.

Instead of following White's main continuation line, he played an unorthodox system, and it almost worked against me!
But he got stuck because he couldn't find a way to breach my defenses AND parry my coming counterattack at the same time. In other words, he had no plan...
So, when my mother came at 3.30pm, we agreed on a draw.
And Hazwan still wasn't there!

Oh well...
It's over now.
Nothing much needs to be said about this.
But I wonder, did Hazwan really come to the "Meeting of Masters" after I left?

Okay, I think I'm gonna check out a Facebook application called "Cafe World".
A lot of my friends are using it, so I think I'm gonna see what it's all about...
But if it's just another RC-type game, then count me out! - I really don't wanna to play those kind of games anymore...

Well, I guess that's it for now.

May the Force be with you...

Finally! My Old PC Is Okay Again!

Okay, remember in my last post, I said that my old PC would be brought to a computer technician to be diagnosed for problems.
This is because my newly bought AGP graphics card, an "ATI Radeon 9550", wouldn't work on my old PC.

So, the technician inspected the computer, and in the end he said that it was the "ATI Radeon 9550" that wasn't compatible with my old PC.
Then, he recommended the "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500" for my PC, again.

Well, I wasn't that disappointed, honestly speaking...
Because last night, I did some research on "Wikipedia", and I found that the "ATI Radeon 9550" and the "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500" are extremely similar in terms of graphics quality and performance.
If you want to compare the cards for yourself, you can click the links below:
Comparison of NVIDIA Graphics Processing Units
Comparison of AMD Graphics Processing Units

The "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500" is under the "GeForce FX (5xxx)" series.
The "ATI Radeon 9550" is under the "Radeon R300 (9xxx, X10xx)" series.

If you've compared the specifications of the two graphics cards, you'll see that the "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500" edges out slightly better than the "ATI Radeon 9550", with a max fillrate of 1080MT/s, while the "ATI Radeon 9550" has a max fillrate of only 1000MT/s.

The core clock and memory clock on the "GeForce FX 5500" is also better than the "Radeon 9550".
Even the technician said that the "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500" is the best AGP card available for my PC - point being, it can't get any better than this card.

And the card actually works without any problems whatsoever.
I know, because I've tested it out myself.

And the best part is that I finally get to play my PC games again!
So I guess it all turned out alright for my old computer! [ smiles ]

Plus, my old PC got a few more upgrades, other than the graphics card, of course:
1. A pair of swanky, new computer speakers.
2. A wireless internet connection ( I won't be using this one so often, though ).
3. An 320GB external hard drive.

Well, enough about my old PC.
I'm quite satisfied with it.
This whole problem is over at last...

Well, I guess that's it for now.

May the Force be with you...

A Very Disappointing Day...

Well, I haven't updated my blog for quite some time now, because I was busy dealing with my graphics card problem.
So, here I am at last!
Anyway, I went looking for an AGP graphics card to replace the old one today.

But first, my family and I stopped at a warehouse sale somewhere near Bukit Jelutong.
It was a warehouse sale, for school books! Ugh!
My parents bought me and my brother a tonne of reference books and activity books for next year!
Yikes!

After that, we went to Subang Parade to look for the AGP graphics card.
We went to all the computer stores in Subang Parade, but all of them had mostly PCI Express graphics cards, not AGP.
And for those stores which do have AGP graphics cards in stock, they only have one model: The NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500, which is exactly the same card that I have! ( The one that malfunctioned, remember? )

So, after that, we went to Sunway Pyramid and began hunting for the AGP graphics card there.
This time, the computer stores actually had AGP graphics cards other than the NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500.
At long last!

I found a good AGP graphics card in a store called "ASUS", or at least that's what I think it's called.
The graphics card I found is the "ATI Radeon 9550".
It's awesome! Not only is it AGP, but it's also better than my previous graphics card!
Even one of my PC gaming magazines, "PC Gamer Malaysia", mentioned the card I found as "a good card" and "worth holding on to"!

I was so excited!
But when I got home, all of that changed...
Apparently, the same problem that forced me to replace my previous graphics card is happening to my new one too.
I was puzzled. When I tried to reboot the computer to install the graphics card, the monitor was blank, just like with my previous graphics card.

I called Mun Hoh, one of my good friends back in Puchong, to help me with my problem.
He said that I didn't insert the card properly. In other words, I didn't push the card in the slot all the way...
So, I tried to push the graphics card deeper into its slot. But at one point, I knew that the card could go no deeper.
Then, he decided that I should simply just call a computer technician.

My father agreed to this, and called a technician...

Well, I think you can tell how very disappointed and upset I am after what happened today.
My excitement of getting a brand new graphics card, and finally being able to play my PC games again, was wiped out, just like that.
[ sigh ]
[ rubs forehead ]

Well, my father is going to bring my computer to a PC technician tomorrow.
Maybe tomorrow will bring more promising results...
I really hope that whatever problem plaguing my old PC will be solved tomorrow...

I guess that's it for now...

May the Force be with you...

No Graphics Card = Miserable Life...

I miss my graphics card...
Ever since it died, my old computer has become a useless chassis.
I can't do ANYTHING on that computer!

My life has been miserable.
So miserable, in fact, that one day, I became "desperate"!

My brother discovered a "Game Boy Emulator" program on one of our DVD game folders.
Once on the computer, it allows you to play "Game Boy" games on the PC.
Magical, no?

So, since the emulator is on the PC, he also downloaded some Star Wars GBA games from the Internet.
These include ( in chronological order ):
1. Star Wars Jedi Power Battles - Episode I
2. Star Wars Episode II Attack Of The Clones - Episode II
3. Star Wars Episode III Revenge Of The Sith - Episode III
4. Star Wars Trilogy Apprentice Of The Force - Episode IV, V, VI

To be honest, they were kind of boring.
I went through the whole Star Wars saga ( Episode I, II, III, IV, V and VI ) nearly 7 times over already!
But I told you, I was "desperate"!

I took some screenshots of the game using something called "CamStudio" ( another one of my brother's downloads... ).
Again, I arranged them in chronological order:

STAR WARS: JEDI POWER BATTLES

Woot! I chopped the battle droid in half!

STAR WARS EPISODE II ATTACK OF THE CLONES

Look at the way Anakin is staring at the laser. That same laser actually managed to hit him a few milliseconds later!

STAR WARS EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH

Everybody loves Kung Fu fighting! Especially Anakin!

STAR WARS TRILOGY APPRENTICE OF THE FORCE
The duel between Luke and Vader on Cloud City. Not that big of a deal, actually...

I played the four games above over and over and over again.
I find them real sickening because of the horrible graphics quality, the repetitive, non-sensical and redundant gameplay, and the midi-audio ( It's terrible )!

But I've got nothing else better to do.
Not even "Chessmaster: Grandmaster Edition" works on that old computer anymore!
At least it can handle GBA games, but only in a small sized window - Anything larger will cause even the low-resolution GBA game to run slowly! Ugh!

Well, honestly, my life sucks right now.
I've lost contact with most of my friends...
I can't play my favourite computer games anymore because my graphics card is dead...
[ sigh ]

I hope I get a replacement for my old "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500" soon.
I don't know how much longer I can last...
Honestly, I've been using YouTube and Wikipedia WAY too often!

Well, I guess that's it for now...

May the Force be with you...

Back From Malacca...

Hey, guys!
I'm back from Malacca!
Yes, I'm tired, but I have just enough energy to update my blog, like I said I would in my last post...

Well, in one of my recent posts, I mentioned that while I was playing "Star Wars: Battlefront", my monitor just froze, and then blacked out.
I told my father the problem, and he told me to check the Internet for solutions.

I did. But what I found was discomforting.
There is no problem with the monitor at all. It's the graphics card that's on the fritz.
It was something I honestly did not want to believe. It was painful, actually...

I decided to carry out a test to determine if what I discovered was true.
I unplugged my old computer's monitor and hooked it up to my new computer's CPU.
It's a standard test - If the old PC's monitor manages to show the start-up process of the new PC's CPU, then there is something wrong with the graphics card in the old PC.

I carried out the test, and the old PC's monitor actually worked - I was able to use the new PC's functions, and it all showed up on the old monitor.
That proves the fact that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the monitor.
The monitor is directly connected to the graphics card. If there was something wrong with the graphics card, it would affect the monitor too.
Therefore, there HAD to be a problem with the graphics card.

I told my father about this, and he told me to open up the old PC's CPU chassis.
Well, I saw him open it up before, so it's no big deal actually...
The last time we opened it up, it was with the intention of getting rid of the dust in the chassis, because the dust could actually cause the internal systems to overheat.

This time, however, I had to open up the chassis, remove the graphics card from its slot, and inspect it for signs of damage. And give the innards a good dusting as well!
So, the next day, I opened it up and got rid of any dust inside the chassis using a fine brush.
After that, I gently removed the graphics card from its slot.

Here are some pictures.
I took them using an old camera I found in my cabinet.
Here they are:

The good ol' chassis of the "HP Pavilion t210d"...[ sigh ]

Here's a closer look...

The two most difficult parts to clean - The graphics card and the processor fan.

The hardware - My beloved "NVIDIA GeForce FX 5500 AGP 8X"...

Well, I inspected the graphics card, and I found something on it that could be the possible cause of the graphics card's malfunctioning.
It was a rupture on one of the pixel pipelines of the card.
It wasn't very big, but even a little bit of damage can cause the whole the card to cease functioning.

I showed the damaged graphics card to my father, and he asked me to find out more about the damage on the graphics card via the Internet.
All the websites I found all repeated the same thing: If the graphics card is damaged, then the only solution is to replace it.

So, finally, I helped my father find the information and specifications of my old PC.
We would have to replace the old graphics card. Apparently, there's no other option...
To be honest, I'm actually gonna miss that old graphics card...[ sigh ]

Well, I guess that's it for now.

Oh, and Jannah,
welcome back from wherever it is you were...
We thought you were dead! [ stares wide eyed ]

May the Force be with you...

Off To Malacca...

Alright, I'm here again...
And this is my 140th post on Blogger!

Oh, and the picture I used in this post IS considered a Star Wars picture, for your information.
It's Ben Kenobi, once known as Obi Wan Kenobi before the formation of the First Galactic Empire.
So, for those of you who really don't know, it's not just some picture of an old man pointing, alright?

Anyway, I won't be around tomorrow.
I'm following my family to see my grandparents in Malacca.
I'm leaving at 8am and won't be back until Thursday.

I actually planned to blog about my old computer, which is having some problems regarding the monitor and graphics card.
Normally, I don't blog about this kind of hardware problem, but this time it's serious.
I'll blog about this on Thursday, when I come back from Malacca...

Well, I've gotta go pack...

May the Force be with you...

Malfunctioning Monitor! Ugh!

Right, I'm here again.
Well, I wasn't really planning on blogging today.
I didn't have much of a choice!

Here's what happened:
I was playing a video game on my other computer - "Star Wars: Battlefront".

It's an awesome game!
And yes, it's a Star Wars game.
I enjoyed playing it because I just recalibrated the graphics settings of the game to its optimum level.
So the performance was unparalleled! [ smiles ]

Anyway, I was about to shoot down a Separatist Super Battle Droid when suddenly, the screen froze.
Then the speakers started to emit some sort of weird noise - I recognised it as my Republic Clone Trooper's blaster rifle being shot successively, like some sort of malfunctioning machine gun.
It was weird...

Then the screen went blank.
I could still hear sounds coming from the speaker. The battle was still going on...
Then I heard a Super Battle Droid blaster shot, immediately followed by the dying shriek of the Clone Trooper I was controlling...

It was then that I realised that the CPU and the other systems were still working normally.
It's the monitor that's malfunctioning...
I restarted the system twice, but to no avail. The monitor just remained blank, even though I clearly heard the Windows start-up sound coming from my speakers!

My father wasn't around to take a look at the monitor.
I still haven't identified the source of the problem - Why on earth is the monitor not showing anything?!
Then I decided that I should just leave it be and return to it later.

So, I shifted to the computer I'm using right now and started blogging.
And so, here I am!
[ sigh ]

You know, what I've said above represents the ONLY interesting thing that's happened to me so far!

Well, I guess that outgrowing my shoes yesterday could be counted as "interesting"...
I mean, I could wear my shoes yesterday, but I can't wear them today!
Strange, no?
Oh well...

Alright, I guess that's it for now.

I won't even bother typing "comment me, kay?" anymore because no one seems to be commenting anymore!
What a bummer!
I'll just keep blogging for the fun of it - I have to keep my blog alive no matter what, right?

May the Force be with you...

Life Is Dull...

Alright, I found this picture on Facebook. I took it from either Kamal or Hannim's profile.
It's a picture of 3 Omega!
But some people that are supposed to be in 3 Omega are missing...
Oh well...

There are a few students from other classes, too...
Matthew is a prime example ( he's between Amir and Hari ). He's from 3 Zeta.
And there other students whose names escape me - they come from other classes as well.

And I think you should be able to spot me in the picture, right? [ smiles ]

Anyway, I just posted this picture here for fun.
Because truth be told, I've got nothing else better to do.
I might as well update my good ol' blog, right?
[ sigh ]

Well, I'll blog again as soon as something interesting happens.
Which will be soon enough. Hopefully...
Life is getting duller and duller by the moment.

Even the weather right now is so dull and gloomy...[ stares out of the window ]
This could be my shortest post ever since my last shortest post.
Ugh, I don't care anymore!

Until the next time...

May the Force be with you...

The "2012 Phenomenon"?

Well, the picture says it all - Where will you be in 2012?
Is it true?
Is the world really going to end on the 21st of December 2012?

I'm only 18 years old by then!
And my brother would only be 14, which means he won't have to suffer the hardships of preparing for his PMR Examination if the world really does come to an end!

So I did some research on the topic via the Internet.
And I found an article in Wikipedia named "2012 Phenomenon"...

Based on what I found, the "2012 phenomenon" comprises a range of "pseudoscientific" beliefs and proposals positing that cataclysmic or transformative events will occur in the year 2012.

These beliefs are based primarily on what is said to be the end-date of the "Mayan Long Count calendar", which is presented as lasting 5,125 years and terminating on December 21 or 23, 2012.

All predictions about how the world could end in 2012 have been rejected as "pseudoscience" by the scientific community since these claims would violate the laws of physics and are contradicted by simple observations...

Hmmm, I think I'm just going to sit back and wait for the year 2012 to come and go...
If it happens, it happens.
If it doesn't happen, then it doesn't happen. Simple!

There are several theories on how the world will end ( again, from Wikipedia! ). I'm just going to list them down for the fun of it...
1. Geomagnetic Reversal ( Polar shift ) - possibly triggered by a massive solar flare. This belief is supposedly supported by observations that the Earth's magnetic field is weakening, which indicates an impending "reversal" of the North and South magnetic poles.

2. Planet Nibiru - a planet, called Nibiru or Planet X, will collide with or pass by Earth in that year. This particular theory has been widely ridiculed, but is considered plausible.

3. Black Hole Alignment - An apocalyptic reading of "Jenkins's hypothesis" has that, when the galactic alignment occurs, it will somehow create a combined gravitational effect between the Sun and the "supermassive black hole" at the center of our galaxy ( known as "Sgr A*" ), creating havoc on Earth.

Of course, the first theory involving giant solar flares and the reversal of the North and South magnetic poles is the most believable and relevant theory. It even came out in the movie "2012"...
I'm still 50/50 on this one, but for you skeptics and believers out there, there's no need to convince each other to believe whatever you want them to believe - If you think the world is coming to an end on the 21st of December 2012, so be it. And if you think that everything is fine and dandy, that's okay too.
There's no need to start arguments and controversies over this topic.

That's right, I'm looking at you two, Justin and Amelia!
( There was a heated argument in Facebook, originating from a wall post by Ivan Joseph about the movie "2012". Of course, the two main characters are Justin, the believer, and Amelia, the skeptic. )

Oh well...
Let's forget everything that I've typed above, alright?
There's no need to worry about the Apocalypse just yet!

I guess that's it for now.

Comment me, kay?

May the Force be with you...