preMEDitated » technology

Tribal Wars: My Newest Addiction

admin — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 07:05:35 +0000

I must admit that I can easily get hooked on to games. This is partly the reason why I no longer install games in my PC. They usually just eat my time away.
So it was an ambivalent time when I came across Tribal Wars. I didn’t install it. It’s online based. I originally planned to check on it twice a day, but it is now on all the time I’m online.

Tribal Wars is a text based, RPG cum Strategy game. Yet despite being only text-based, it has captured the liking of hundreds of thousands of people across the world. At any given time in all the worlds (at least 35 as of recent count) of Tribal Wars, villages are either growing stronger, or getting plummeted. Troops are marching off in victory or defending otherwise hopeless villages. Merchants are hauling off tons of clay, wood, and iron for trade to drive the economy of war.
Players join tribes, or are kicked off from them. Tribes make alliances with other tribes as easily as they break them. Diplomats broker negotiations. In short, the game is the focal point of the epic fantasies of thousands. Yet for all its features, the game to me is just one big “Lord of the Flies” scenario, wherein everything is right as long as it is supported by might.
I have to go cold turkey on this game soon. It has started to encroach on my real life plans. It’s now demanding my all. I must remind myself that this game doesn’t have an end, or even a redeeming value. Sacrificing my precious time for a 6000 point village, or villages, is pointless.

So in tribute to my disappearance on World 34 of Tribal Wars, here’s a pic of my village.
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Click on the image to view it in full size.

SMART Loads Explained

admin — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 14:42:26 +0000

Since late January, I have been retailing load (cell phone credits). I started with GLOBE, but due to persistent customer demand I expanded to include SMART. I have no plans of including SUN Cellular. My time is already pretty much used up with those 2 networks.
GLOBE loading is straightforward. I just load input the customer’s number, and then select the required denomination. SMART, in contrast, is way more complicated. The sheer number of their promos confuse even the most loyal of their subscribers. I’m thinking even their employees don’t know about those promos. Their website doesn’t even give a comprehensive list of those promos. Btw, I give my SMART customers the load they request, but it beats me what more than half of those promos do.
So in the interest of myself and my SMART customers, here is a list of their promos:

E-load – Ordinary load. How I wish SMART did not add those other promos.

Denomination	Validity
15	1 day
30	3 days
50	5 days
60	6 days
100	10 days
115	12 days
200	30 days
300	60 days
500	60 days
1000	60 days

All Text – A majority of my customers ask me for AllTxt 20. There are a host of other promos under this category, but they are mostly ignored.

Denomination	Description	Validity
AllTxt 10	5 Smart to Smart/TNT, 10 texts to all networks	1 day
AllTxt 20	100 Smart to Smart/TNT, 10 texts to all networks	1 day
AT+Call 25	100 texts Smart to Smart/TNT, 10 texts to other networks Unlimited Call from 11pm-6am	2 days
AllTxt 30	180 texts to Smart/TNT, 10 texts to other networks	2 days
AllTxt 40	200 Smart to Smart/TNT, 20 texts to all networks	2 days
AllTxt 50	300 Smart to Smart/TNT, 30 texts to all networks	3 days
Lahatxt 20	50 texts to all networks	1 day
Lahatxt 35	100 texts to all networks	1 day

TNT Gaantxt – I only have 1 customer who regularly asks for this, and he does it only once every 2 weeks! There are 2 other infrequent customers who ask for this, but IMO, this promo should be scrapped. It’s not very cost-effective.

Denomination	Description	Validity
Gaantxt 10	45 texts to TNT/Smart, 5 texts to other networks	1 day
GaanTxt 20	95 texts to TNT/Smart, 10 texts to other networks	2 days

All Calls – I don’t remember having loaded a single customer for this one. I wonder how many SMART subscribers have used or even heard about this promo.

Denomination	Description	Validity
All Calls 20	10 mins.Smart to Smart/TNT w/ Free 5texts to Smart/TNT To call:dial *909+Smart#	1 day
All Calls 100	100mins.Smart to Smart/TNT w/ Free 30texts to Smart/TNT To call:dial *909+Smart#	5 days

Upsize – I only get requests for Upsize 35. The others have all been ignored.

Denomination	Description	Validity
AT20 Upsize	150 Smart to Smart/TNT, 10 texts to all networks	1 day
Upsize 20	No data	No data
Upsize 35	P30 airtime, 30 txts to Smart/TNT	1 day
Upsize 70	No data	No data
Upsize 130	No data	No data

The sheer number of those promos, most of them useless, ultimately makes SMART simply amazing (sarcasm).

CMOS what?!

Engr. Dr. — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:50:36 +0000

Blue screen of death, everyone. Everyone, blue screen of death. Now you’re introduced.

A while ago, the blue screen of death suddenly popped out in my monitor. I was stunned for a second. It was not because I’ve never seen such a scene. In fact, our other computer frequently pops out that scene especially before its DDR card was replaced. It was because it was probably the first time it appeared in my PC.
Thinking that a simple restart would fix it, I just did that. The issue, however, was not that simple. My ROM drives went awry. They kept blinking, and when I clicked on one of the “open” buttons the tray pops out halfway before returning. I could think only of one cause: BIOS virus. I could also think of only one solution: clearing my CMOS.
Thankfully, I still had my motherboard manual. I knew how to reconfigure the jumper settings, but I didn’t in what situation to do it. Several questions came to my mind:

Do I need to remove the peripherals connecting to my motherboard?
Do I turn on the power while the jumper setting still commands CLEAR?
Was this Theme Hospital’s fault?
Did a trojan invade my PC?

Thankfully again, there was another PC in the house. I searched the Internet for instructions and dutifully applied them. To make the long story short, everything returned to normal. I am now blogging using my own PC.
This may seem to be a trivial thing to some, but this experience made me realize something. If this had happened 4 years ago, or even 2 years ago, I would have been on the verge of panic. I couldn’t have borne thinking that I need to buy a new PC. It’s something I couldn’t afford, and am shy to ask money for it from my parents.
This is the insight that struck me. It’s not that practice makes perfect, but what experiences we have, however inconsequential we may consider them to be, can prepare us for what may lay ahead in the future.

Btw, this is what my motherboard looks like. Now guess where I placed the CMOS jumper…

Katana

Engr. Dr. — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 15:55:15 +0000

Photo Taken from http://llbbl.com/data/RPG-motivational/target49.html. These Demotivators are hilarious!

In my opinion, the katana is the best sword type ever made. Its professional design makes me drool. Its silvery sheen makes want to feel its length with my fingers, savoring an almost metallic tang that forms in my tongue. Its history makes me want to clasp its handle tight as I picture battles and intrigue from ages past. It’s just so mysterious that I wish I had one with me.
Judging from the cost of an original, traditionally manufactured katana, which is also called a nihonto; it would be quite a long time before I could get my own self bought katana. A minimum of $8000 or approximately P400,000 isn’t cheap! Now I’m not even suggesting about the multi million dollar types. These stuff could could cause weakening of knees and passing out from their mere presence.
So I have to content myself with learning how these are made. Thanks to the National Geographic Channel, I got a grasp of the techniques used in katana manufacturing. One person is not enough for one blade. One week is not even enough for one blade. So that means one dollar is not enough for one blade*.
About nine days are required for forming the alloy. The blacksmith typically loses a lot sleep the entire time. He has to make sure his apprentices are not horsing around. One mistake could could mean the difference between steel that the gods would be proud of and steel fit only for commoners. That statement, however, is another way of saying that low quality steel usually ends up as spoons and forks.
Steel that passes the test is sent to another smith. This guy doesn’t get the easy work all to himself even though he has apprentices in his employ. In fact, he is endowed with perhaps the greatest responsibility. One mistake and he nullifies the work of the blacksmith before him.
His job, basically, is to form two materials in one blade from one steel. Martensite for toughness and brittleness, and pearlite for softness and flexibility. The marriage of these two materials produces a sword with an edge tough enough to slice through bone, but flexible enough not to break during combat.
Then the blade is sent to another specialist, the polisher. This guy, as the name implies, polishes the sword to perfection. He typically works alone. Nothing should break his concentration as he reveals the cutting edge of the blade. Whetstones of various types, shapes, and cost** are scrubbed lovingly on the blade. His is the most dangerous job. One mistake and he could nick his fingers or various other anatomical parts. If he’s not careful, he gets a bloody mess to contend with.
Now I don’t have to mention the casing and handle manufacturing. Suffice it to say, they receive the same excellent and perfect treatment Zen Japanese are known for. There are thousands of katana around, but very few of them are made in the traditional manner. One of these traditional blades, by the way, is waiting for me.
Now if only I could shell out a few thousand dollars…

*Forgive me for the lame remark. I needed something that has a “one” ring to it, not LOTR mind you.
** Some of these stones cost thousands of dollars each.