I bought a pair of BOSE Speakers today for my office. It’s intended to be a small speaker set for casual music listening and what not. My old set by Creative Labs was dying out. The sound quality was messy, and the volume would fluctuate at lower volumes - probably a circuitry problem. Anyhow, I went to Future Shop to test out some new speakers. At first I was hell-bent on buying a 2.1 Speaker set. In case you are not aware, the .1 decimals on speaker sets indicate a subwoofer added to it. So 2.1 means 2 speakers with a subwoofer down below. I love having subwoofers as I feel that it gives the music so much more beat while taking the load off the satellite speakers, making the noise much more clear. I’m not a fan of very heavy bass though - so it’s usually not on very high.

But when I tested out the BOSE Companion 2 Speaker set after checking out some Logitechs (which are great great speakers if I may add) and Altec Lansings (which by the way have very messy sound, if your ears are sensitive enough), I was blown away. I couldn’t believe how much sound clarity and weight was coming off a 2-speaker set without a subwoofer. Their slogan is “better sound through engineering” and they were not kidding. The difference in the clarity and tone of music was so obvious, I was sold in a few minutes. It was $99 in price. I could have gotten a 2.1 set from Logitech for around that price, or some lower-wattage models, even less, but I was still going to stick with the BOSE set I chose.

After some struggles trying to get my new AMEX card to put the transaction through, I brought them home to test it out.

Here is my critique on this speaker set:

1. Sound clarity is amazing. Especially considering these are single channel speakers. This one sounds better than the 3 channel speaker set by Logitech that I tested out. Usually speakers with 2 different channels sound better but this one proved that presumption wrong.
2. The bass is very powerful, even without a subwoofer. This is great, because it saves me a lot of space by not having that big subwoofer sitting on my bottom shelf. I can now utilize that space.
3. If you like to plug in other devices such as an MP3 player, or some kind of an external device, however, it’s a bit wonky. Usually these speakers come with an extra port for external devices other than the laptop itself, but this one doesn’t. It means you need to unplug-and-replug when you switch devices. Not a big problem for me however - I don’t own ANY portable music devices whatsoever.
4. The speakers cannot be mounted on the wall. So even though I saved space in my bottom shelf, I lost space on my desktop. Not much lies behind my laptop anyways, so it’s not a huge loss.
5. They could have made it a bit prettier. But oh well, it sounds good so I guess the looks can be compromised a little bit. But it’s basically a slanted box with a steel mesh covering - pretty typical for speakers.
6. If you’re used to having a wired remote sticking out for volume control, forget it. This has one volume knob on the right side speaker. No treble or bass or tone switches… but then it sounds so good

Overall, this was a worthy investment, priced at $99 and tax at Futureshop. They’re having a sale - they claim that regular price is $150. The BOSE website, however, sells them for $119.99, which is a curious thing in regards to Futureshop’s pricing. Usually manufacturer sites are the most expensive, and then the prices get slashed as you go to other more competitive retail outlets.

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Shawn Knight just sent me an article on his blog about the intense tornado activities in the Mid-South USA. The pictures are just mind-blowing. Most people in Vancouver, which is where I call home for the time being, have no idea what a tornado really is like, because we don’t have it here. However I could relate to Shawn’s article because I grew up in Missouri, USA, which neighbours the famous Mississippi River, and Kansas City as well as Kansas State, and during my 2 years there, I’ve seen my share of tornadoes.

In Kindergarten and Elementary School, we used to have tornado drills, as it was a frequent visitor in the prarie area that we lived in. The drill was to either get to the basement part of a building, or, if that’s unavailable, go to what would be considered the deepest core of the building, in order to minimize your chances of being hit by flying debris. In case of schools, those were the hallways. Classrooms would be evacuated, so as to minimize the chances of getting hit by flying glass. Once you hit the hallway, you would crouch like a turtle, with your knees to your chest and your arms wrapping your head, into a small ball, with your head directly against the walls. This was supposed to reduce the chance of you getting blown away, or getting hit by other objects, in case the intensity of the tornado rips through part of the building. Even if the roof got blown away, this covert position would reduce surface area, and help to keep you on the floor, in the building.

Tornado alarms were installed in all the municipalities, and that thing was so loud and the noise hit a large area. It was a long wailing sound, sort of like a ambulance siren except much longer in its high-low wave. When you hear that, your best bet is to hide according to your drills. Our apartment was on the 2nd floor, but in such places, neighbours are always there to help. Anybody living in lower floors would happily welcome their neighbours into their apartments to hide out during a tornado blast. All apartments were built with the first floor as half-basements, specifically for tornadoes. Most houses were built like that too, if they did not have a full basement under it! Even the architecture of such towns were affected largely by this powerful natural phenomenon.

When I went back to Korea, however, the government was not so much interested in natural disaster relief, but leaned more towards wartime provisions. There was training for bombings and other aerial attacks that may incur in our city, which was 4 hours away from the North Korean border. This was not only for schools, but it was a city-wide provision. All schools, offices, and homes were to comply when this happens. If I remember correctly, everybody was supposed to be indoors during that short period, but it was not enforced very well. It had been more than 40 years since the Korean War, and not many people took it seriously. However they would still do the military drill of emergency take offs and what not, as well as police officers being put on alert until the military took over.

And then I came to Vancouver, and went to highschool in the GVA (Greater Vancouver Area). We are located on the Pacific plate belt, or whatever it’s called, and we’re considered to be at high-risk for earthquakes. We constantly had earthquake drills, where we’d hide under a table or desk to avoid being hit by falling objects. And then, before the second wave would hit, we’d all evacuate through the designated evacuation routes, assemble with our teacher, in order to make sure the head-count matched from when the class begun, so that missing students can be easily identified and searched for.

Growing up in 3 different countries, in very distinct environments has given me such a wide array of emergency preparation training, and it’s actually quite amazing that I managed to experience all this throughout my life.

Does anybody else have any interesting anti-disaster training that’s not often seen in many parts of the world?

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There’s always debate and hype about which type of computer is better. Should you buy a Microsoft base computer with Windows Vista or XP on it for business computation purposes? Or use an Apple computer with the OSX Leopard installed in order to experience smooth and easy computing with more drag-and-drop? Is Apple more stable? But isn’t Windows better for software compatibility and high-caliber business applications?

It is true that, overall, Apples are more stable, and are less likely to crash. But then there’s the issue of software. Just this week I had a major mix-up with a client because my Macbook Pro with OSX Leopard did not read the docX file from my client’s Office 2007 properly. It wasted quite a bit of time and energy and it sucked. I used to have a hard time backing up software as there was nothing too solid built into Windows XP or Vista that came even close to the ease of use and the power of Time Machine, which is built into the OSX 10.5 (Leopard is the nickname). But then most CRMs are tailored to send synchronization data to Office Outlook 2007, not Mail or iCal. Not to mention, my blackberry synchronization software does not work on my computer and it always errors out, killing half the functionalities of my handheld.

My Macbook pro does run the Adobe CS3 suite quite fast and smoothly with very little margin for error or slowing down. And the expose and stack features are just amazing for productivity. But then I still miss the interface of Microsoft Excel which was much more technical, while Numbers 08, my Apple, feels more like a granny’s software with its short list of functions and menus, and the overly “easy-to-use” feel to it. It’s a spreadsheet program and I expect a hundred buttons, not thirty. But then that’s simply a matter of preference I guess.

I remember the age old problems with Windows XP of not being able to shut down the computer due to some error, or that problem where a virus would infiltrate within seconds of booting unless you patch your Service Pack 2 immediately before connecting to the internet without a firewall. Routers did more than just route - it was important to start up your computer for the first time unless you already had the latest patch pre-installed. And then there was that Windows Vista problem where the wireless network was fine but the LAN connection would be a 50/50 for connectivity, not to mention it would slow down a lot trying to perform its fancy graphic effects not meant for Windows based systems.

Now my Mac faces similar problems where, it often loses internet connectivity after a sleep-wake cycle, and often fails to shut down. When it fails to shut down, I need to force reboot it, and when that happens, my entire external harddrive that contains the Time Machine needs to be re-indexed, which means for 4 hours my computer will be sluggish. And then I just faced a problem of iChat not allowing me to add my friend Gary Lee. Danielle Nagami was added successfully (I guess I do have better luck with the girls!).

My conclusion after going through all of the major Microsoft Operating Systems, as well as switching to Apple with convincing from some friends, is that ALL COMPUTERS JUST SUCK EQUALLY, and problems will never stop because nothing is perfect. So I will just shut the hell up, not complain, and simply do my best to try to fix each bug as they come along. Microsoft’s claim that Vista is the most stable and functional OS ever was a scam, and so was Apple’s claim that “It just works.” It’s all a sack full of crap just like Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy. It’s a bundle of deceits just like the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and successful democracies installed in all of US conquered territories. It’s a… OK I’ve run out of analogies. Computers suck, just like Britney Spears.. and Clay Aiken.. I’d make a joke about Heath Ledger sucking in Brokeback Mountain but that would be disrespectful cause he just died.

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I was going through my regular Facebook routine today and an ad caught my attention. Facebook has been running Facebook Ads for a while now, a PPC type of ad system throughout the Facebook platform, geared towards certain demographic of users and what not.

Anyhow, here’s the screencap of the Ad :

I don’t know what kind of data entry workers work in such environment… What exactly are they entering, into what? That is my question.

Anyhow, if any data entry position had the amenities flashed in the above ad, I would like a position there.

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Section Two for the Pro-Gear series will cover the software I use in order to get my work done.

Since my new computer is a Macbook Pro as I discussed on Pro Gear - Hardware, many of my software are now Mac-Based software. It was quite a transition coming over here since my hard drive on my HP Pavilion blew up and I was forced to switch computers fast. I will categorize my software mainly into three categories - backbone, administration, and design & development.

Backbone

Backbone software would mean what I run all my stuff on, mainly operating systems, and whatever it takes to keep the OS running smoothly. Obviously I have the newest version of OSX Leopard, which is an amazing operating system accompanied with cool features like Cover Flow, Stacks, Time Machine, and more. For more details on the OSX Leopard, check out this video tour of the OSX.

Apart from the Leopard, I have VMWare installed, which allows me to run Windows XP on my Macbook Pro as well. This helps for testing purposes, opening files sent to me by clients in native Office 2003 environment rather than the shaky Office for Mac environment. Mainly it is used for testing websites on IE7.

My Macbook Pro also has AppZapper installed, which is a great app for cleanly removing applications I do not need anymore. For browsing, I generally use Safari for its fast speed and cleanliness, but for web development I use Firefox with some plug-ins that are absolutely critical for fast web development and troubleshooting.

On my spare Toshiba laptop, I also run Windows XP, and this is used as a desktop. My Toshiba Laptop runs IE6 in order for testing certain websites, although compatibility for IE6 is slowly becoming more of an extra than a mandatory part of web development contracts.

Administration

Administration software would include word processing, data handling, accounting and what not.

iWork ‘08 is my primary document processing software. It’s like Microsoft Office except it works on a Mac, and it works damn fast. It includes Pages (Microsoft Word equivalent), Keynote (Microsoft Powerppoint Equivalent, and Numbers (Microsoft Excel Equivalent). Together they make a very powerful administrative software group for everyday office purposes.

Quickbooks Pro 2007 for Mac is my choice for accounting. I’ve gone through demos of nearly 10 different accounting software. Quickbooks Pro was by far the best choice for professional accounting and tax preparation. Yes, even though it is not officially a tax software, it can do tax preparation for you by categorizing expenses and tracking them in detail, in a very easy way. The second best choice for accounting software is Microsoft Money. Some people might feel repulsed at the fact that it’s Microsoft, but trust me, if I were on a Windows based computer, I’d go with Microsoft Money any day.

Mail, Address Book, iCal are the main email/contact/calendar clients included with the Mac OSX, and it is the best way to go, as it synchronizes well with all the other parts of your computer. My advice usually for these is to stick with whatever the OS Vendor gave you. Likewise, if you’re using Microsoft Windows, you should be using Microsoft Office for your email/organization/word processing and all of that.

I also use a Web Based CRM for managing tasks and schedules between myself, my employees, and my associates. SugarCRM is my choice, and you can read more about why I use Sugar CRM. The only problem with most CRMs is that they only offer synchronization with Microsoft Outlook. My personal tasks and reminders are in iCal, while my professional calendar is kept in my CRM. I open my CRM at the beginning of each day to check what I’m facing that day.

Tomorrow I will post about the development and design production software I use, which are software such as

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I know it sounds incredibly cocky of me to say this but I now consider myself a pro in this Design, Marketing and Internet field. I’m not saying I’m the best, but I definitely do have an edge as well as years of experience in this area so I will reveal the software and hardware I use. When I choose these these things I take into consideration multiple angles and purposes. Not all of my gear is top-notch gear that provides best performance - some of them are optimized for the scale of my business to meet the balance between budget and functionality.

Hardware

Macbook Pro 15.4″ 2.2 gHz - I have the newest (as of early 2008) Macbook Pro by Apple Computer (in case you didn’t know). I run OSX Leopard (version 10.5) and with VMWare I run Windows XP Professional with SP2. This cost me $2200 Canadian plus the 2 year extended warranty and tax. Cost me almost $3,000 with everything in.

Toshiba M60CD4 - It’s my old Toshiba laptop, which has a dead screen. It cost me $1500 and tax back in late 2005. It’s been my longest lasting laptop I’ve owned so far unless the new Macbook beats it. It is connected to the external monitor, and I mainly use it for some coding stuff, and also to test websites on Internet Explorer 6. It sits on my desk, closed, so it’s more or less a desktop. It helps when I need to look something up quick, without having to open my Macbook out of its case.

Acer 22″ Widescreen LCD - The LCD screen is my secondary monitor for my Macbook, and also for the Toshiba. It cost $289 and tax, and it’s given be exceptional value so far. It’s a great way to extend your desktop to have more space and improve work efficiency.

HP CM1015MFP - This is my massive multifunction color laser printer. It is a relatively new model with a scanner and all. Cost me nearly $500 plus tax. The print quality is great, and it’s great for producing print proofs and invoices that look sleek and clean. My industry relies largely on image, so even invoice printing out of an inkjet printer looks bad. Hence the investment for a printer that cost 5 times as much as a generic multifunction would.

Logitech Mouse/Keyboards - I won’t list the models but I only purchase Logitech brand mouse/keyboard combinations. I have a wireless keyboard/mouse set, as well as a wired laser mouse that I carry around with my Macbook.

Blackberry 7250 - This is my primary phone, and of course, I get emails. It gives me much more mobility when I need to reply to urgent emails and what not. Sounds like the everyday marketing phrase but I’m really not restricted to my home office, or even my laptop at all times. Which is great. This is the older model of the Blackberries, and this is the sturdiest blackberry ever made, in my opinion, and I don’t care if everybody else flashes their brand new Blackberry World 8830s or Blackberry Pearls. I like mine the best.

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The following is an actual question given on a University of Washingtonchemistry mid term.

The answer by one student was so “profound” that the professor shared it with colleagues, via the Internet, which is, of course, why we now have the pleasure of enjoying it as well :

Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle’s Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.

One student, however, wrote the following:

First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let’s look at the different religions that exist in the world today.

Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle’s Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities:

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.

2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.

So which is it?

If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, “It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you,” and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct……leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting “Oh my God.”

THIS STUDENT RECEIVED AN A+.

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