It’s the Coffee, not the Cups

A dollop of caffeinated philosophy from King of Ah Mengs:

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university Professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the Prof went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, some plain-looking and some expensive and exquisite, telling them to help themselves to hot coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the lecturer said :

“If you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all of you really wanted was coffee, NOT the cup, but you consciously went for the better cups and are eyeing each other’s cups.”

“Now, if Life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of Life doesn’t change. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it.“

So friends , don’t let the cups drive you…enjoy the coffee instead.

LINK

Found this photo in Flickr, which I thought was one way to illustrate the point.

Coffee Cup
Originally uploaded by justmultimedia

While I think having a nice looking cup adds enjoyment to the coffee, ultimately, it’s about the coffee and not the container.

Free CD if you help review the SeaStars 2007 album

I’m giving away MP3 CDs for the first 50 people who help to review the SeaStars 2007 album.

It’s the only low-budget self-publicity that I can think of.

If you can find 30 mins during the next week or so:

1) Listen/ download to the songs from [this link].
Total playing time is about 32 mins. There are links for higher quality VBR MP3 files and also lower quality 64kbps ones. The link is available for 30 days only. A permanent list will be posted later, pending any changes after the reviewers comments.

2) Blog (if you’ve got your own blog)/ email your impressions of the album. e.g. like it, don’t like, not your cup of tea, good for dieting cos makes you puke, which ones got hope and can improve etc. We’ll post all reviews w/o edits (good or bad) in our blog.

3) Blog/ email us by 4th Jan 2008 or earlier (if you need more time, let us know).

We’ll then get in touch with you on how to pass you the MP3 CD we’re giving away for first 50 reviewers (CD will be supplied at a later date, once we get the supplies in for our home production!)

Thanks!
ivan

Music album - SeaStars2007.wordpress.com
Band blog - StarfishStories.wordpress.com

Oh the MP3 CDs we’re giving away would be the kind produced on a home computer though.

That is, if anyone still wants the CD after reviewing the songs. LOL.

~ Ivan

Pooch all pooped out!

How can I NOT love something like that?

Sigh.

My music project - SeaStars

I’ve not said more about the SeaStars 2007 music project. So here goes:

It’s a collaborative effort with a Secondary schoolmate, Adrian (whom I reconnected after 20 years!)

The story of how SeaStars got started is at this post.

We met to catch up over lunch. Then went for coffee. Adrian said he wanted to do an album and asked if I was interested. He said he liked what I did with the SeaShore Days mashup).

It was easy for me to say, “yes”.

Later, I set up the SeaStars blog, ‘cos I felt we needed a website. And it would be nice to document our musical journey.

And then, to our surprise, someone was kind enough to set up an official fanclub for us! It started off with this comment.

There are 134 members at my last count.

That’s 132 people more than what we’d expect. Heh.

OK, not all can count as “fans” per se (at least Adrian and I don’t expect any panties thrown at us, LOL!) but at least not all have quit the fanclub.

The songs for the album have been re-engineered (as best as I know how). Now I’m waiting eagerly for the artwork from (thanks to Jon.

“Zo Gang” (做工) - Singaporean film

I was laughing out loud at several scenes. I wonder if you have to be Singaporean to appreciate this:

Details at hosaywood.com

Vampire & Werewolf

I did this illustration for the “Horror” Genre Guide, for the public library services (National Library Board). Well, my colleagues couldn’t hire a graphic artist in time, so I was called to create the illustrations.

“Vampire/ Werewolf”. 31 Jan 2006.
Edited using Photoshop Elements, from a composite of illustrations from my earlier works.

I asked my colleague, Wai Ling, what she had in mind. And she wrote:

“maybe something like your Sherba specimen, but can refine a bit coz the current sample looks a bit gangly and aged like those who’ve drawn the full sum of their CPF…maybe something like your Elf Warrior not bad, i.e., accentuate distinct features that are instantly recognizable - but ur elf looks more like werewolf, tho…Or, you can draw a really sinister but gorgeous specimen - in art, either be very gorgeous or extremely ugly to make it outstanding…”

So here’s how I did it (I’m assuming that you have some basic knowledge of how Photoshop works):

Layer #1 was the vampire’s face. Image was cropped from “1994 (Dec) Battle of Pelenor“, with Brightness/ Contrast adjustment. I needed a face with an open mouth and remembered my ‘Pelenor’ illustration. Outline was refined with Eraser tool (same setting as point 2 but with smaller brush size). Fangs were added, eye shadow painted more prominently, and overall image was stretched to make longer vertical profile.

Layer #2 - Werewolf was from “1989 (Aug) Sherba - Arakian Trakker Hound“. Brightness and Contrast enhanced (Enhance-> Adjust Lighting-> Brightness/ Contrast). Outline was removed with Erase tool with Dry Media Brush, set at 65% opacity. Width was also stretched (original image had narrower profile).

Layer #3 - Background was cropped from, again, the “1994 (Dec) Battle of Pelenor” image. Took part of the chain mail from the arm part, and superimposed with another selected layer (using Selection Brush Tool). Then merged down image as one layer. Initially set layer at 99% opacity but look a bit dull. Decided to stretch and crop the background image and retain 100% opacity.

Battle of Pelenor (Dec 1994)

“Battle of Pelenor”. Dec 1994.
Poster paints, airbrushed on drawing paper.

I remember drawing and painting this in one sitting. It was during my school vacation back then. I must have been reading Fantasy novels about warrior kings.

Guitar Modes

Joe Satriani makes it looks sooo easy.
Joe Satriani - Great Lesson on Guitar Modes Part 1

Lydian, Dorian, Myxolydian, Aeolian (Natural Minor), Aeolian Dominant, Ionian (Major), Phrygian Dominant… must find a book or website that illustrates the modes, in a manner that a layperson like me would understand.

I know I’m already playing some modes or “shapes” (like Major, Minor and Pentatonic) but always good to expand beyond what you’re familiar with.

Joe Satriani - Great Lesson on Guitar Modes Part 2

In Part 2, Joe Satriani shows how some “scales” work with seemingly different chords. At this point, it’s info-overload for me… heh. So I go back to just using my ears, and my brain to tell me whether the notes sound nice or not.

Found this blog on GuitarModes. Good stuff! It features videos from YouTube.

And this particular webpage (www.ocmusic.com/Modes.htm) shows the various points to play on the fretboard.

Which wireless router should I get?

I wanted to get a wireless router for my HDB apartment (I was using a fixed LAN point) but I wasn’t sure which brand to get. So I asked my usual IT/ Mac gurus.

Within a few emails, I went from “almost clueless” to “confident buyer” — thanks to Lucian, Kevin and Siva.

I’m happily blogging this while connected to the wireless router I’ve successfully set up a few minutes ago. I bought a Linksys product, if you must know. I’ve used their product before and have found it reliable. Their customer service was also pretty good.

There are plenty of product reviews out there, but nothing beats receiving affirmation and second opinions from trusted and knowledgeable friends.

Since the guys were generous in sharing what they know, I’ve decided to compile my own FAQs on buying a wireless router. NOTE: Any mistakes in this post are mine alone.

***

Q: Do different brands (of wireless routers) make a difference? For instance, I had the impression that Belkin is top of the range.
Apparently they do. The differences lie with the WIFI chipsets from the different manufacturers.

For instance, Linksys seems to have a good track record of compatibility with Apple products, while Belkin was a “maybe” and some feel Netgear was a “less than safe choice” if you have a Mac.

Getting a good router means a better Internet experience. Invest in a good one!

Q: Some routers end with “B”, “G” and “N” in their name. What’s the difference?
They refer to the wireless networking standards.

The 802.11b (B-series) is older. The 802.11g (G-series) standard comes next. Then there’s the newer, faster 802.11n (N-series) specification which has been drafted but not made standard by the IEEE yet.

The G-series is sufficient for most uses. It’ll be your broadband speed that’s your bottleneck, rather than the router. 802.11n is probably good if you move a lot of files wirelessly between computers on the same network.

Q: I saw product claims like “5x faster” etc. Does the router really improve download speeds?
The answer is ‘no’ if you’re just using the router without using the manufacturer’s propriety WIFI cards.

“5x faster” probably refers to the G-series when compared to the older B-series. You usually need to use additional WIFI cards with the router to enjoy the faster speeds. The packaging might say something like “For optimal performance, you will need to use the following [brand name] products…”

Q: For a 4 to 5-room HDB flat, would a wireless router with a 400ft range will suffice? Do I need to get a booster?
The range would usually suffice if you can place the wireless router in the middle of your home. If that’s not possible, try moving the router antenna (p.s. I found that just shifting the antenna towards the direction of a previously less-than-favourable-reception area improved the signal by 10 to 15%).

Q: I tested my connection speed via speedtest.net. Why is it that upload and download speeds differ?
It’s usual to have faster download speeds than uploads (most users will download stuff rather than upload, so it makes sense to ensure majority of users are happy). The ISPs don’t expect home users to run servers. But this is slowly changing, as more of us do VoIP, upload youtube videos, host game servers, do remote computing etc.

I have Mac. Should I then get the Airport or can I use the other routers?
The wireless routers work the same (Macs and PCs are able to use either brands). Your final decision may be the cost, your trust in the brand, and the design (i.e. coolness) factor. Cost-wise, Apple products can cost up to SGD$100 to SGD$150 more than another brand that might adequately serve your need (all I needed was just to surf the net, and my usage isn’t that heavy).

Comment: I hope the sales guy don’t give me that “how come you’re asking me such simple questions” look. Most times, I end up feeling stupid when I try to buy IT stuff. It’s like these people expect customers to know the products already.
If they want your business, they are supposed to be answering “stupid” questions! And you will find out that lots of questions turn out not to be “stupid”.

Dolphins Galaxia music video

After the song was completed, I decided to see if I could piece together a music video. Here’s the result:

Details over at SeaStars 2007. Thanks to Jeremy for giving me the chance to showcase the video at the Songcraft mini-concert.

Credits:

Videos

• Among Dolphins by BlueVoiceOrg
• Animation: Dawn Asteroid Mission by NASA
• Dolphins Swim in the Wild! by DolphinDVD
• EARTH IN ORBIT by dreamswithindreams
• Hubblecast 01: The Comet Galaxy by rshida
• Solar system in Milky way by mpcb
• Space Earth Universe view by inpureheart
• Star Timelapse by jrzedevl
• Time-lapse Moonrise by rougepark

Photos

• Milky Way over Farley Mount by Fragments of Eternity
• The Milky Way Galaxy before moonrise by Computer Science Geek

This work by Ivan Chew is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License. For permissions beyond the scope of this license , please contact via RamblingLibrarian@gmail.com.