When you don't have an alternative to Microsoft Windows

After looking around for iTunes alternatives running under Linux, in the end I found out that Apple outdid themselves by forcing you to run iTunes, one way or another. Same goes for Ovi Suite by Nokia. Whenever I need to sync contacts between my N900 and iPod Touch, I have to do it on a Windows box, because sadly, there are no Linux ports to both softwares. The bigger question that comes to mind is, why there are no ports? I mean, the N900, Nokia's flagship that is running Maemo Linux, a Debian based Linux for the mobile devices and yet we cannot find a Debian based Ovi Suite. Until that puzzle is solved, I am forced to run a copy of Windows XP inside a VM. Till then I guess.

Shakma

A friend of mine was just telling me about a film she saw when she was young. The film is called Shakma. She kept on going about it that a "Raccoon" was killing people in the hospital. After googling it, turned out that the film is about a "Baboon", which is a very close resemblance to the raccoon. From a huge rat to a monkey, doesn't differ much.
Oh by the way she is the cutest girl ever!

A show not to be missed

Recently I have been watching this new show on Discovery Science channel, "Through the Wormhole". I urge everyone not to miss it if you are interested in the mysteries of our known and unknown universe. It is narrated by the legend Morgan Freeman, a man perfectly chosen to lay out the information. Yesterday's episode was about "dark matter", an invisible layer of our universe.

Bad web programming is Bad web programming

I do not understand how some websites work. You sign up for example to a website that shall remain unnamed, they tell you that they will send you an activation email, but it never shows up in your inbox! You try to sign up again and the site tells you the email is already in use!

Back home

Been away for a week on a mission from work. Was a good week in terms of productivity but being away isn't quite a charmer either. Away from family, friends and worst of all, gym. Now I have a week to catch up for in many different places.

Album of the Week

It's been a while since I posted an Album of the Week. This time it would be the album of the last couple of months. Lately I have been listening to Avenged Sevenfold's latest album, Nightmare. Even though most of the material were written after James "The Rev" Sullivan passed away, and Mike Portnoy taking the honor of playing in his place, the album makes you want to listen to it over and over and over. The general theme is dark, gritty and in your face. I urge everyone who is not a fan to listen, as fans already did.

I don't has da flu!

After days of runny nose, sneezes and general headaches finally my flu epidemic is over. In other news I am thinking of developing stuff as a side project or something, maybe one day a small project will grow to be something useful. Got VirtualBox OSE installed so I can run a Windows box inside my Linux for cross platform development. Visual Studio and Mono here I come.

Customizing Gnome, part 1

I've started tinkering around Gnome and customizing the look and feel of my Linux box. So much control it makes every control freak look like a baby. There are tons of themes out there for you to choose, and if nothing is of your liking, you can just simply change everything till it becomes perfect. Now I'm looking for a wallpaper to go on my desktop, something that would make people go "dang that's awesome!".

I has da flu!

Title says it all.

Hurting tonsils

Woke up today to find out my tonsils are hurting. Seems there's this virus or flu running amok this season, and it's heading for tonsils. Funny thing is about it is that there is nothing else of the usual flu symptoms, no coughing no high fever no runny nose no nothing. Guess I'll have to live on Strepsils and OJ.

Pidgin

After fighting a bit with Empathy, Gnome's default chat client, I decided to throw it away in favor of something that's a bit more customizable. Looking for the next best thing, my eyes quickly saw what I already endorse on my Maemo driven N900. Pidgin. Pidgin is a great client. Supports endless protocols, very light on the system and can be extended with plug-ins. If you feel like chatting from somewhere other than Microsoft's Live client, give Pidgin a try.

A week away for work

The last week I have been away on work for my company in a different country. Although the country does have an Internet connection better than my own, the place the company had us stay in was not connected. So basically I had to read about 100 e-mails when I got back.

In other news, I am really starting to think about compiling my own Linux OS from scratch. Just need to do some research about what should it have and why do I want to use it (other than surf the net of course).

Ubuntu - Dead then Alive

For some very strange reason, my Ubuntu died on me today, most probably from aMSN crashing. So I said "well let's just reinstall everything from scratch". I tried to boot the CD I had burned (and used to install Ubuntu the first time with it) it did not want to. After battling with burning a new CD, using a couple of Linux to USB stick softwares trying to boot the OS, nothing worked. I eventually gave up and dug up an older version of Ubuntu. I booted that up, went on to format my drive and install it. To my amazement, instead of having the older OS, my current OS booted after the reboot with everything I already had there. Funny thing, I guess my HDD decided to lock down itself from changes. Now all is well and dandy.

Now I'm looking for something new to do, like develop on Linux (with GUI of course).

Blogging again

It's been a long while since I haven't posted anything here. Truth be told work is taking most of my time. I finish my shift, head to gym and head back home to find the only thing that's needed is sleep. Hopefully I am back for action here.

In other news, I just switched my everyday work laptop from Windows 7 to Ubuntu 10.04.1 LTS. Very very promising distribution. Everything is fast on it. The boot sequence, the actual work, everything. The next project I'm thinking of now is compiling my very own Linux distribution from scratch. Will take a while but sure will be worth it. Until the next post.

Back to the Blog

It's been a while since I posted anything here, now I guess i'll be blogging again when something falls in front of me. Only recent thing to post about is the new book i'm reading, "The Whisperer in Darkness" by H.P.Lovecraft. If you're into novels portraying old gods and the likes then it's a great pick.

XNA - Update

With the journey started not so long ago with XNA, i have done quite good of an improvement in this field. I have hit Chapter 4 in "Beginning XNA 3.0 Game Programming From Novice to Professional". It is a great book. Very well documented and the explanation is superb. It is also filled with countless coding examples so you can see what you learn in action. Another bonus is it teaches on top of XNA itself how to organize your game (or any other application) code by splitting it into smaller modules. In a nutshell, this book is a great way to start with this subject. If you feel like tackling some game programming just get a copy of this book and go for it.

XNA

My latest interest in the world of technology is Microsoft's XNA. XNA is a .NET based Software Development Kit that's geared towards game design. It's designed for hobbyists and independent game designers but once you start working with it, you will see that it has a nice professional feel to it as well.

To get started you need Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 (for XNA 2.0) or Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 (for XNA 3.0 and 3.1) and the XNA SDK, which can be found at http://www.xna.com.

If you feel like making a game or two, check it out. It can set you on the right path to professional game design.

Heavy Rain - Happy Ending

I finished with Heavy Rain for the first time, and was lucky enough to hit the Happy Ending of it. With that out of the way, I should revisit the game for a look at the darker endings. As a post-play review, the game is brilliant. The interaction system is new and unique, and needs a bit to adjust to. The character evolution (or devolution) that runs with the game is perfect. The non-interactive cut-scenes feel like watching a great film and the interactive fast paced action where certain button strokes are needed take that film into an action extravaganza. That is all i can say without blurting out any spoilers even though i feel like going endlessly about it. Again, if you are lucky to own a PS3, get Heavy Rain.

Heavy Rain

I borrowed Heavy Rain from my future brother-in-law, not knowing that the journey begins with the box itself. After opening the box you will find a pre-cut piece of paper that resembles the box-shot's origami.Once you slot in the blue-ray disc, and as you are installing the game, a step-by-step tutorial takes you from a square piece of paper to the origami itself. You have to admit, psyching players before the game start is a bonus. It gets you right in the mood. A must buy for any PS3 owner out there.

Quote of the Day

Nothing is permanent in this wicked world - not even our troubles - Charles Chaplin

Web-comic of the Week

If you feel like reading a web-comic that's tons of laughs and filled with witty comments, then all you have to do is head over to Least I Could Do's website. All I can say is do not miss it.

http://www.leasticoulddo.com

Dante's Inferno - Done

Just finished the story mode of Dante's Inferno. All I can say that it was epic. The story was perfect, dialog makes you shiver and the action was great. Gonna give it a go with Resurrection Mode, another run with the improved Dante (all his abilities and unlockables are retained for the second ride in Hell).

Album of the Week - Festival

I got my hands on a copy of Jon Oliva's Pain new album Festival. At first I didn't know what to expect. But on a first listen, I felt like I traveled back in time to the old Savatage days. Slow heavy riffing coupled with screeching solos. A must get.

Quote of the Day

"Through me is the way into the woeful city; through me is the way into eternal woe; through me is the way among the lost people. Justice moved my lofty maker: the divine Power, the supreme Wisdom and the primal Love made me. Before me were no things created, unless eternal, and I eternal last. Leave every hope, ye who enter!" - Canto III: The Gates of Hell, The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri.

Dante's Inferno

I got my hands on a copy of Dante's Inferno for the PS3. First of all a lot of people said that it was going to be a God of War III knock-off since it was released a month before God of War. I hate to disappoint them but the only common thing between both games is the endless slaughter. Other than that the game boasts a great storyline, beautiful graphics and a lot of tricks up Dante's sleeve to make this game worth playing over and over again.

If you have a PS3 and in need of a game, i urge you to get it.

Professional Look

Job hunting can sometimes be tedious. Today i have been talking to people, mailing others and fixing a professional profile at LinkedIn.com.

Hoping that my hunt will be over soon.

Break from posting - Birthday havok

After my birthday last Wednesday i haven't had the time to do anything actually since friends were pulling me from one side to the other to celebrate the festival that my birthday became.

In other news a great friend of mine got me a Lego Bionicle, basically revived the child in me. Now need to collect all of them.

Old school

Yesterday passing by a friend's house where i spent a long time playing guitars with him, i felt nostalgic. The good old days, when our only worry was getting our guitar to scream and cry. With that in mind, i unplugged my Boss ME-50 in favor of plugging in my old screaming Boss Metal Zone MT-2 (old circuitry design). Now i know what I've been missing.

The rain

Driving my sister today to work, mother nature was kind enough to provide Lebanon with a bit of rain. Hoping that higher in the mountains this rain is falling down as snow. Need to hit the slopes for a bit of snowboarding. Been a while.

Music of the Week - Crematory - Infinity

Just got my hands on Crematory's new album, Infinity. The album is exceptionally produced, the music is melodic, dark and beautifully composed. With both growling and clean vocals Crematory provide your ears with a musical experience like non-other.

For all metal heads out there, fans of Crematory or not, see this album cover and get it from your local music shop as soon as possible. You won't be disappointed.

Reading Material

Recently I again have picked up curiosity in reading something. Usually i go online and pick something to read but I guess I'm going to revisit my bookcase and pick something up to read. As a "what I would like to read" section, I really am interested in anything written by H.P. Lovecraft, since I haven't come across any book in the local book stores.

Anime Spot - B't X

B't X is one of my favorite Animes which i am revisiting (again due to boredom). Created by Masami Kurumada, the genius behind Saint Seiya and many great mangas. Watching B't X does bring back good memories from the first time i saw it. What's evident is in fact that Teppei (B't X protagonist) bears striking resemblance to Seiya (Saint Seiya's protagonist). As far as story goes, as always, Kurumada breaks all limits. I urge everyone to watch it even if they are not really into Japanese Anime.

Things to do when bored - Use my phone as a PS3 controller

Was sniffing around the net for something fun to do, and i stumbled upon a nifty little software for any device running Maemo as an operating system (for me, the Nokia N900). With this software, you can use your device as a bluetooth Human Interface Device, such as a mouse or a keyboard or a remote controller.

Now watching my favorite movie on my PS3 or playing my favorite music album is even easier.

If you are lucky enough to own a PS3 and a Maemo device, all you have to do is download BlueMaemo from extras-devel repository, add the Maemo device as a PS3 bluetooth device and voila.

Early morning wake up

Waking up every day at 8:00 AM to find out that at this phase of my life i have nothing to do (just graduated, waiting for my university's paperwork so i can apply for a job) plainly sucks. I'm getting bored too fast too easy.

In other news snow's back in my country and can't wait to hit the slopes again.

First Day on the Blog

Welcome everyone to my blog. Being the first day on my blog (sounds more like a job saying it now), i frankly do not know what to blab about at this moment, so I'll guess I'll start with a simple intro. In essence, I'll be blabbing about the things that i pick interest about, and sometimes things with no sense whatsoever.

Until next post