Life alla Carbonara

How to mod Iphone 3GS earphone with Phillips SHL 9600 headphone

2009-09-07T15:03:00.007+08:00

After reading this article, I look at my side and saw my Phillips SHL9600 headphone which had it's cord snapped after an accident. Since I only managed to use my RM200 investment only for a few days, I refused to throw it away after I learned there is no warranty for snapped cord from Phillips and there is no repair shop for Phillips headphone. So since its a better option than to sacrifice my CX300 plus a bit more cooler, I went a head with the plan. This tutorial is using the left earphone.

Difficulty: Intermediate
Cost: $$$$ (For this to be worthy, need to buy better headphone or earpiece than the stock one)
Equipment: 4 or more equipments
Messiness: Medium (waste products) to VERY messy (YOUR HAND!!!!)

Things you going to need:

1. an iBud or any earphone with mic (basically a hands free)
2. a headphone or earphone (Im using Phillips SHL9600)
3. Soldering iron
4. Screwdriver
5. Soldering skill
6. Guts
7. Backup headphone or earphone in case the project failed.

Caution !!!

1. Since it involve soldering which can burn if you are not careful or not skillful enough, proceed with caution.
2. Lots of small parts are involved so be careful not to lose or damaged anything other than unnecessary.

The awaited moment:
1. Pick up a nice and comfortable place.
2. Pry open the iBud using any mean as possible as long the wire inside is not damaged. (I used the strongest muscle in human body, hehe)

3. Memorize the position of the green and chrome wire since its going to be the same on the headphone.

4. Heat the solder so to release the cord.

5. Unwind the knot on the cord and remove the iBud casing.

6. Do the step 2 to 5 to the headphone.

7. Replace the headphone cord with the iBud cord and make a knot.
8. Solder the wire to the headphone according to the colour.

9. Test whether the driver works.

10. Screw back the driver and assembled it carefully.

11. Test it again if it works.

12. Repeat the whole steps with the right piece.

Bon Appétit...

Quack Quotes (02/04/09)

2009-05-02T21:04:00.001+08:00

"Double blind study is when you give two orthopedic surgeons an ECG chart..."
-A professor from CUCMS on ECG...

Quack Quotes (23/04/09)

2009-04-23T08:44:00.002+08:00

"Dark skin is the dominant allele. That guy? he is dominant maximus!"
- Jude on his best friend/housemate

Quack Quotes (16/04/09)

2009-04-16T08:47:00.001+08:00

" Those who speak the loudest bullshit the most"
- Anonymous

Quack Quotes (15/04/09)

2009-04-15T10:17:00.001+08:00

" Being matured means you dont blame everyone, you just know the exact poor guy to blame"
- Anonymous

Quack Quotes (30/03/09)

2009-03-30T23:56:00.001+08:00

"As long as you speak it through your nose, its french"
- Some invited professor..

Funny Pictar

2009-03-05T09:36:00.001+08:00

It soooo true...
Click to enlarge..

Quack Quotes (05/03/09)

2009-03-05T09:26:00.001+08:00

"As long as you pronounce it through your nose, its French"
- Some invited lecturer.

Competition on GAMEZ REVIEWZ.COM

2009-02-25T09:36:00.002+08:00

Win a NVIDIA Geforce 260 GTX graphics card or a PlayStation 3!!!

GameZ ReviewZ.com is celebrating its opening by having a give away.

More info at : http://gamezreviewz.com

Funny Pictar

2009-02-23T21:52:00.003+08:00

Click to enlarge...

Quack Quotes (21/02/09)

2009-02-21T10:48:00.002+08:00

"Because we made peace with our results"
-Chia after being asked how he can relaxed so much in the eve of exams

How To: Utorrent Setting Part 3

2009-02-17T20:35:00.006+08:00

Continuing from here

5)

6)
7)
8)For the net.max_halfopen, actually there is another tweak to it but since some people say they did have improved download speed using the value I have given, you can follow it if you want.

9)
That's it folks, happy torrenting....

How To: Utorrent Setting Part 2

2009-02-17T19:30:00.006+08:00

Continuing from here

Just follow the pictures shown. For the rest of the settings that I did not cover, mostly its either not important or you can set it yourself.

1)
2)
3)
4)

To be continued....here...

How To: Utorrent Setting Part 1

2009-02-17T15:00:00.007+08:00

Difficulty: Begginer
Cost: None
Equipment: Utorrent (http://www.utorrent.com/download.php)
Messiness: If you can even make a mess out of this, maybe u should just stick with normal computer use.

There are a lot of ways to share files in the internet. One of the best method is by using torrent. If you want to know what torrent protocol is, Google is your best friend. Here Im just want to show the best setting that I have been using for years and it never failed me. These settings is based on careful research but I have already forget the reason behind each setting especially the "advanced" part.

This may not give you full speed since there are a lot more tweaks to increase the speed which I may cover later. But for now, just be content with the average speed of 40 kb/s (Using 1mb Streamyx connection.)

Operating systems that has been tested: Microsoft XP Sp2 and Sp3, Vista Home Basic 32 Bit and Vista Ultimate 64 Bit. (Utorrent now support Mac but I havent tried on it yet.)

Useful Tips:
1) Download from reputable sites such as Mininova.org or Isohunt.com.

2) Private tracker such as Demonoid.com or Jiwang.torrent.org are usually faster and have more files but you need to register and follow their rule. or else you are banned from their site.

3) READ comments if available since they may contain valuable info or fix and workarounds for troubles your may encounter. It is also useful for determining the quality of the files.

4) Choose files with the most Seeder for faster download.

5) Sharing illegal files are punishable by law, use it at your own risk.

To be continued.....here

Quack Quotes (13/02/09)

2009-02-13T08:06:00.004+08:00

"After TWO years, I think I START thinking about what you said on fighting the devil inside me.."
- A Blur person proving his bluriness

How To: Upgrading Laptop 3D Card Part 5

2009-01-30T23:39:00.008+08:00

Continuing from here

10. Now, wet the cotton bud with the alcohol.

11. Carefully, swab some of the alcohol on the surface of the CPU (Only on the metal surface).12. Carefully, wipe the alcohol and the thermal grease with the clean cloth. Repeat step 10 to 12 a few times until the metal part becomes reflective like a mirror.13. Carefully and slowly, put just a little thermal grease on the metal part of the CPU according to the instructions given with the thermal grease.Here I put it in cross arrangement since it is recommended by some people.14. Repeat step 10 to 13 on the GPU.

15. Before you assemble everything back, you might want to clean the air ventilation of the fan to avoid increased heat.

16. To do this, just unscrew the fan and put some cotton bud in the air ventilation, there might be some dust trapped there.17. Put the heat sink back carefully and firmly. You can only do this ONCE or you have to repeat step 10 to 13 again. This is to avoid tiny air bubbles from forming in the thermal grease that can cause increased heat. Screw everything back and switch on the laptop. The laptop will start normally except fro the absent of driver.

Congratulations, you have just voided your warranty and decrease your productive time with the new 3D card. I will post other related topics such as overclocking and installing driver on other posts next time.

Bon Appétit...

How To: Upgrading Laptop 3D Card Part 4

2009-01-26T23:59:00.006+08:00

Continuing from here

7. After admiring the card and worrying about the warranty that has just been voided, push the card slowly on the green board and unscrew the graphic card.
8. After you have finished unscrewing, gently lift your finger and the card will rise in a slightly tilted manner, remove the card carefully.

9. Insert the new card in the same way you remove the old card.
9. Screw the card properly and firmly.
To be continued....in part 5....

Family & Youth Carnival

2009-01-21T13:03:00.005+08:00

Young Mercy Malaysia Of Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences humbly presents to you:Come and do you part as a human in this charity event. For more info you can click on the poster.

Quack Quotes (19/01/09)

2009-01-19T22:07:00.003+08:00

"Zawir, I couldn't help ponder what the hell u're pondering about"
- Jude Cornelius on his friend's pondering

Quack Quotes (14/01/09)

2009-01-14T10:26:00.005+08:00

"This is not madness, it's MACness!!!"
- Ahmad Ibrahim on his new Macbook Pro

Quack Quotes (14/01/09)

2009-01-14T09:08:00.000+08:00

"There is something in this world that nobody has seen yet,
It's something gentle and very sweet,
And if you had been able to put your eyes on it,
Then you would yearn for it,
That's why the world has hidden it,
To make sure that not just anyone can get their hand on it,
But at some point, someone will find it,
That one person who is supposed to find it is also the one who will be able to find it,
That's just how it is."
- Anonymous

Review: Pizza Bread aka Roti Pizza

2009-01-12T23:08:00.006+08:00

-FOOD-

This time Im going to review another delicacy sold in main campus of the Uni. The product was sold in a small quantity and was quite obscure from view. I once mistook it as another seller's item since their items are placed side by side.

As usual my ratings are based on:

1) Taste: (Give me muscle cramps, Once is enough Thank You, Kind to my tongue, Down the memory lane, A food to remember).
2) Creativity (Again?!, Oh..., Okay, Why didn't I think of it b4?, Genius!!)
3) Quantity (Stingy, Satisfying, Generous)
4) Price (Highway Robbery, Inflation, So-So, Sales?!, I thought it was free..)
5) Relevant (Yes, No)
6) Healthy (Yes, No)
7) Full Rating (Out of 20)
* Relevant: for example a hot chocolate sold next to a hot 'nasi lemak' is not relevant.

As for the Pizza Bread:

1) Taste: A food to remember (5/5)
2) Creativity: Why didn't I think of it b4? (4/5)
3) Quantity: Satisfying (2/3)
4) Price: Inflation (2/5)
5) Relevant: Yes (Good for breakfast, brunch, lunch or even tea)
6) Healthy: Yes (Sardines, bread and cheese, quite healthy for a student)
7) Full Rating: 15/20

Final verdict: The strong point is the taste and creativity yet the price is what really bring down the rating. This may be caused by the ingredients used but a overall a very good buy!

How To: Upgrading Laptop 3D card Part 3

2009-01-12T21:11:00.007+08:00

Continuing from here

So now I presume you are mentally, physically and economically prepared and assuming the card is in your possession right now (buy it from ebay.com and search "MXM". If you dont have paypal, read here), lets move on to next steps. (If you are clueless of what Im blabbing about, read here and here again.).

The awaited moments:

1. Pick a nice, comfortable and if can, humid place and near to an earthing point.
2. Wear as lightly as possible.
3. Follow the precautions from part 2.
4. Lay out the things needed.My preparations (Clockwise): Laptop, cloth, screwdriver, the new card, thermal grease, methylated spirit, cotton bud and a nice cold drink(optional on a very hot day and to stay calm).

3. Unplug the laptop, take out the battery and push the power button for 10 seconds to remove any remaining current in the laptop.

4. Unscrew the laptop cover, and this will greet you. 1-Wifi chipset, 2-CPU, 3-RAM, 4-Hard Disk, 5-3D card, 6-Fan.

5. Carefully remove the heatsink(the orange thingy) and the fan by unscrewing it carefully. It will look like this after the removal.Take note on the chipset, NEVER put any alcohol on it since the blue thermal grease is irreplaceble.

6. This is our main reason for undergoing such a crazy job, the graphic card.
To be continued....in part 4....

Quack Quotes (12/01/09)

2009-01-11T23:52:00.005+08:00

"Love is like ghost, lots people are talking about it yet only a few have truly see it...."
- Taken somewhere from the internet...

Quack Quotes (10/01/09)

2009-01-10T21:15:00.006+08:00

"Women are like chillies, some like them sweet and tasty, some like them hot..very very hot.."
- Anonymous

How To: Upgrading Laptop 3D Card Part 2

2009-01-07T19:39:00.006+08:00

Continuing from here...

Difficulty: Expert
Cost: $$$$
Equipment: 4 or more equipments
Messiness: Medium to VERY messy
Things you going to need:

1) A supported laptop.
2) Compatible graphic card. (You can buy it from Ebay.com. Dont have paypal account? Check here)
3) Gut. (It need lots of gut just open the laptop....)
4) Dexterity. (If you are not confident, ask help from other people)
5) Money. (To buy the card, To not regret if it turned out bad etc)
6) Caution. (See below)
7) Screwdriver. (Magnetic ones are more efficient)
8) Good thermal grease. (I recommend either Arctic Cooling MX-2 or Tuniq TX2)
9) Heatpad. (For certain laptops only)
10) Alcohol solution. (To clean the old thermal grease)
11) Cotton bud.
12) Clean cloth. (Linen free is preferred)

CAUTION!!!
1) Electric Static Discharge (ESD) is the number 1 enemy of computer hardware. You might noticed any damage caused by ESD because the value is too small but it WILL cause immediate failure of the card or shortens it lifespan. Make sure you are properly free of ESD by:

DO
- Buying a special earth connector.
- Doing the upgrade FAR from carpeted areas.
- Touch a metal connected to the earth (metal water pipe, window grill etc) frequently.
- Doing the upgrade during rainy days or in air conditioned room. (ESD is quite strange in the fact that it cant happen in certain humidity)

DONT
- Not wearing any cloth that can easily accumulate ESD such as wool. (Try googling for more info)
- Not wearing any shoes.

2) Dont touch any metal parts of the hardware or the card. Eg.
3) Be careful when cleaning the thermal grease and applying a new one. NEVER clean the blue paste on the chipset.
To be continued...in part 3....

How To: PayPal for Malaysian (And those without credit cards)

2009-01-07T18:20:00.006+08:00

-Misc-

Difficulty: Begginer
Cost: $
Equipment: 2 or 3 equiments
Messiness: None to simple mess

Introduction

Sometimes, we stared longingly at some items sold at Ebay.com or other international online shops. Sometimes, we want to have the special privileges that comes with donating money to our favorite forums or website.
Sometimes, we just want to send some money to a relative or friends in different countries.
Only one thing that stop us from achieving our desire, Paypal.

Paypal is an online service where you can do secure transaction instantly regardless of county which make it a favourite among online shops.
But the catch is, it need to verify a credit card before any transaction can be done.
Credit card as we all know, might bring more harm than good and as students, applying it ourselves are next to impossible.

At last, a solution have arrived in the name of Tune Card.

Main website: https://www.tunemoney.com/

The best things about using Tune Card:

1) Its a prepaid card. (You need to put some money into it before you can use it. If the money runs out, you cant use the card. In that way you can limit your spending.)
2) Its basically a Visa card. (Can be use almost around the world)
3) Can be applied online. (No need of paperwork and such, they even send the card to you!)
4) Accepted by Paypal.com. (Before this, only Public Bank debit card are known to be accepted by Paypal.com)

While it is true there are other debit card such as Maybank and BSN that offer Visa capabilities, they are not supported by Paypal from my experience. (Although Maybank said they are going online with their debit card last year, on 7/1/09, Paypal still did not recognise it..)

Things you need to have:

1) A computer
2) Internet connections
3) Online banking account. (Maybank2u, CIMBclicks etc.)
4) Money in the bank account.
5) Paypal account (Optional, but hey, that's why you are here right?)

How to:

1) Go to the website https://www.tunemoney.com/
2) Register with them.
3) Go to https://www.paypal.com/us/
4) Register an account.
5) Click on verify credit card.
6) They will deduct some money from the Tune Card but dont worry, it will be refunded into you paypal account.
7) Wait for the verification email.
8) Enjoy!

Bon Appétit...

Review: Coconut Jelly

2009-01-07T12:01:00.009+08:00

-FOOD-

Review.

While I was browsing around the selections I was approached to buy some coconut jelly. The jelly is sold by Young Mercy 2. Since there is too many selection of food in the foyer, I decided to do some review on the food starting with the coconut jelly.

My ratings are based on:

1) Taste (Give me muscle cramps, Once is enough Thank You, Kind to my tongue, Down the memory lane, A food to remember).
2) Creativity (Again?!, Oh..., Okay, Why didn't I think of it b4?, Genius!!)
3) Quantity (Stingy, Satisfying, Generous)
4) Price (Highway Robbery, Inflation, So-So, Sales?!, I thought it was free..)
5) Relevant (Yes, No)
6) Healthy (Yes, No)
7) Full Rating (Out of 20)
* Relevant: for example a hot chocolate sold next to a hot 'nasi lemak' is not relevant.

As for the coconut jelly:

1) Taste: Kind to my tongue (3/5)
2) Creativity: Why didn't I think of it b4? (4/5)
3) Quantity: Generous (3/3)
4) Price: So-So (3/5)
5) Relevant: Yes (It was nice on a hot day)
6) Healthy: Yes (Considering it is made from coconut)
7) Full Rating: 15/20

Final verdict: A good buy especially since the profit will go to charity.

Quack Quotes (07/01/2009)

2009-01-07T09:04:00.005+08:00

" So basically, anyone who stuck in the anal phase will grow up as an ass.."
- Jude Cornelius on Freud's Theory

How To: Upgrading Laptop 3D Card Part 1

2009-01-07T08:14:00.007+08:00

-COMPUTER-

Introduction.

- The most asked questions by laptop users is "Can I upgrade my laptop graphic card" after watching some trailer of latest games. The answer very much depends on the laptop brand and models. This is done through interface called (Warning: Geek language ahead!) MXM which is basically PCI-e for Laptops.

Things that can be done with MXM:

1. Upgrade to a better 3d card.
2. Exchange between ATI or NVIDIA 3D cards.
3. Change a faulty 3D card by yourself.

As for the brands of laptops that use MXM (based on research and exp.):

1. ACER
2. ASUS
3. Alienware
4. Compaq/HP
5. Some company that offer custom build laptops (DELL is not included)

How check whether your laptop has MXM?

1. Based on brands. (Refer to the above)
2. Based on models. (Eg. 4920 doesn't have MXM but 4920G has)
3. Based on specifications. (Laptops with ATI or NVIDIA has higher chances)
4. Model of 3D cards. (3D cards with desktop counterpart such as HD 3450 has higher chance)
5. Based on the bios. (Change log or it may appear on the start of the laptop)
6. Open the laptop yourself.
* All of the above usually applied to newer laptops. (2005 and above)

Like all things in life, there will be risks involved when upgrading the 3D card such as:

1. Void you warranty.
2. Destroy your laptop.
3. Waste your money is the card is not compatible.
4. Overheat your laptop.
5. Drain your battery quite quickly.

Then why do it with all the risks involved? The reasons are:

1. Play all that beautiful games such as Crysis, Left 4 Dead etc.
2. Bragging right as a geek.
3. Good for people who need attentions.
4. Satisfactions of doing something yourself.

To be continued.....in part 2...

Recipe: Spaghetti alla Carbonara alla Single

2009-01-07T01:02:00.005+08:00

-FOOD-

This is a very simple but delicious recipe to commemorate the start of my new blog. This recipe is suitable for students and people with little time.

Difficulty: Begginer
Cost: $$
Utensils: 2 or 3 utensils
Messiness: None to simple mess

Ingredients (Main):
- Pasta (can be fettucini, spaghetti or anything long, slender and sound italian).
- Cheese (have tried mozarella and creamy cheese, preferred the mozarella better).
- Eggs (one egg per person)
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Water

Ingredients (Meat):
- Chicken meat or beef (chopped up).
- Seasoning sauce (I used Maggi)
- Oregano

Utensils:
- Pot (I used pasta cooker for efficient cooking)
- Wok (to cook the meat)
- Fork

Methods:
- Boil some water in the pot. (Boil: Bubbles!!)
- Add some salt into the water. (I usually use 2 pinch per person)
- Carefully put some pasta into the pot. (No need to break it)
- Push the pasta slowly into the boiling water until all pasta are submerged.
- Wait as long as indicated in the pasta wrapper.
- In the meantime, cook the meat.
- Heat the wok with slow fire.
- Pour some oil or butter and wait till they boil.
- Put the meat into the wok.
- Pour some seasoning sauce and oregano.
- Make sure all parts of the meat are cooked well enough.
- Turn of the fire and start working on the cheese.
- Take another bowl and mix the egg together with the cheese. (Use forks or anything u can find)
- By now the pasta should be finished so try your best to pour the water out of the pot leaving behind the pasta.
- This is going to be the crucial part so be quick but be careful.
- Put the still hot meat together with the hot pasta.
- Pour the mixture of cheese and egg into the pot and quickly mix them together with a fork while they are still hot.
- The secret is to cook the mixture of egg and cheese using the heat from the pasta and the meat when they are mix together.
- Put some black pepper to add some taste.
- Serve and enjoy.

I'll add some pictures later.

Opening Ceremony

2009-01-07T00:38:00.007+08:00

- This is my first post for this blog and I would like to say that this blog is a collections of things I have experienced by myself and I intend to share it with other people. The posts will be divided into several topics so that you can go to topics that interest you.

The topics:

1) Tech
2) Food
3) Hobby
4) Misc
5) Quack Quotes
6) Lessons of Life

- Since we experienced life differently from each other, some of things I tried may not work out so well with other people. It may due factors such as luck and timing but never give up until the very end.

- I wont hold responsibility for any accidents that occurs after following my "recipes" since I wont something unless I survived the recipes myself.

Bon Appétit...