. . der! . .

Random: Ellipsis

2010-03-10T16:44:00.001+08:00

I just happened to come across a good read from Wikipedia. Here's something interesting:

In linguistics, ellipsis or elliptical construction refers to the omission from a clause of one or more words that would otherwise be required by the remaining elements.

Varieties of ellipsis have long formed a central explicandum for linguistic theory, since elliptical phenomena seem to be able to shed light on basic questions of form-meaning correspondence: in particular, the usual mechanisms of grasping a meaning from a form seem to be bypassed or supplanted in the interpretation of elliptical structures, ones in which there is meaning without form.

In generative linguistics, the term ellipsis has been applied to a range of phenomena in which a perceived interpretation is fuller than that which would be expected based solely on the presence of linguistic forms. Central examples drawn from English include sluicing as in (1), Verb Phrase ellipsis (VP-ellipsis) as in (2), and noun phrase ellipsis (NP-ellipsis or N’-ellipsis) as in (3).

    (1) John can play something, but I don’t know what.
    (2) John can play the guitar; Mary can, too.
    (3) John can play five instruments, and Mary can play six.

In each case, the second clause can be understood as in (4)-(6).

    (4) John can play something, but I don’t know what John can play.
    (5) John can play the guitar and Mary can play the guitar, too.
    (6) John can play five instruments, and Mary can play six instruments.

Some examples of other elliptical phenomena are as follows:
* Example: Jessica had five dollars; Monica, three. (The verb "had" was omitted at the comma).
* Example: What if I miss the deadline? (The verb phrase "will happen" was omitted, as in "What will happen if I miss the deadline").
* Example: Fire when ready. (In the sentence, "you are" is understood, as in "Fire when you are ready.").

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellipsis_%28figure_of_speech%29

I probably should... update

2010-03-05T21:18:00.000+08:00

Well, I went for ACShooting trials today at HometeamNS this evening for both rifle and pistol.
I would say I fared fairly mediocre in Pistol and average in Rifle. Since the selection trials will be based purely on grouping, I think I would probably get into the rifle team than the pistol team. The J3 who conducted the trials said I would "definitely get into the Boy's Rifle team" but "it depends on the coach". I do want to join pistol as it is a new air weapon I get to learn, without donning on the heavy shooting suit, shoes and gloves.

Fun-O-Rama is coming up soon, on the 27th of March. Anybody interested please get your tickets from me at $10. Drop me an email or call me if you have my number.

Congratulations to all those who did well for GCE A' Levels.

Photo update for 24/2

2010-02-27T23:51:00.000+08:00

Here's a photo update for my birthday (24/2)

Class photo at WCP

My birthday cake

After gobbling up everything

This is how disgusting it looks - but it tastes otherwise

Come on, we need to pose for the camera, right?

The cake was 'melted' by the sun

THANK YOU TERESSA

2010-02-26T21:13:00.002+08:00

Her wonderful birthday present for me - a hand-sewed bear.

THANK YOU. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR HARD WORK, TIME AND TALENT!
I WILL TAKE CARE OF IT!

Well, the not so nice birthday

2010-02-25T17:31:00.001+08:00

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday yesterday!

Here's a list of the people who thanked me (well not all but just to name those I remember)
IF YOUR NAME ISN'T HERE PLEASE DO NOT BE SAD.

- Karen
- Darren
- Dad
- Mum
- Shao Lun
- Junyan
- An Hua
- Richard
- Leonard
- Qin Li
- Hongzhang
- Timotheus
- Huiyan
- Mabel
- Roshan
- Nadiah
- Ivan
- Candis
- Huai Shen
- Dennis
- Jing Wen
- Shermain
- Qin Ying
- Malcolm
- Wei Nian
- Darren Teo
- Teressa
- Rachel
- Clarence
- Leon
- Jingyi
- Aloisius
- Liqin
- Anyi
1SD1
- Hui Yi
- Edison
- Ryan
- You Zhuan
- Sophy
- Shu Zhen
- Lynn
- Celestine (thanks for the cake)
- Amelia
- Carmina
- Winston
- Ryan De Cotta
- Olivia
- Tze Jin
- Nandini
- Mariko
- Vanessa
- Jiaying
- Jeremy
- Jia Ying
- Lilian
Nam
- Aloysius
- Wen Tjun
- Samantha
- Nicole
- Youjin
- Gregory
- Shu Zhen
- Mdm Beena

THANK YOU FOR YOUR WELL-WISHES

Anyway, it wasn't really a fantastic birthday except for the cake (thanks 1SD1). Though it isn't really nice looking - which the photo when uploaded, will show - it really tastes awesome!

My birthday 'gift' from the school was the best - 3 runs in one day. The first run involved running to school as I was almost late for school. The second run was during Mass PE. The final run was during Cross Country. It ended at 6pm and hence when I reached home it was around 8pm. There wasn't much time to celebrate. When I reached home, I just fell dead in bed at 8.10pm.

I slept for 9 hours.

* Pictures will be uploaded once it's on Facebook *

[Video] Meltdown

2010-02-20T18:51:00.000+08:00

A visually impossible penetration of a Singapore-dollar note through two ordinary rubber bands.

[Video] CNY Special - Spinx On Phone (Performance+Tutorial)

2010-02-16T21:19:00.000+08:00

Welcome to Spinx

Spinx (pronounced Spin-ex) is a phone manipulation technique. Basically, it allows you to rotate your phone (or any device rectangular in shape) continuously by 'bouncing' off your hand. It is a demonstration of skill. People have asked me how to perform this phone bouncing technique. This is a video that teaches you how to 'bounce' your phone.

It will take about 2 weeks of practise to get it well executed. Before trying, ensure you have a soft landing surface such as a bed in case you'd drop your precious phone. Spinx is best done with a ice-cream shaped phone that isn't as wide as the phone in the video. However, with sufficient practise, any phone/device is able to 'bounce' off your hand.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2010-02-15T19:37:00.001+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year!

1SD1

2010-02-13T13:48:00.003+08:00

1SD1 - 14 pretty babes & 9 hunks

My Ultimate Blue Laptop

2010-02-12T19:35:00.000+08:00

I finally bought my Vaio laptop from Harvey Norman with a 5-year warranty.

Specifications:
Sony Vaio VPC CW26FG
Core i5-520
4GB DDR3
500GB Harddrive
DVD supermulti
Nvidia GT330M
Multicard reader
Wireless LAN a/b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
14.1" WXGA
1.3 MP webcam
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
2.4kg with batt

And pictures -

The entire set of goodies; from left to right: Bag, Mousepad, 8GB Thumbdrive, Bluetooth mouse

Laptop

Closer look at the Bluetooth mouse (free but worth $99)

Free 8GB Sandisk thumbdrive

Steelseries mousepad (not free - bought from school $13)

The classic laptop casing

Open it and you'll find a quick start guide and a manual

And the laptop

AC adapter and power plug

My new beautiful purplish-blue laptop

3 H2 and 1 H1

2010-02-04T18:00:00.002+08:00

I am taking 3 H2 subjects and 1 H1 subject for A' levels!

H2 - Economics (yay!), Chemistry and Physics
H1 - Math (yay!)

I chose H1 math because I hate math! I cannot stand doing so many math problems and sums, and there seems to be no logical reason for me to take H2 math as Economics/BA in university only requires H1 Math OR O' level A math. However, I chose to take H1 math instead of no math at all because I need an easy A for my A' levels. H2 economics and H2 chemistry were what I wanted since the start. As for H2 physics, I had to think between H2 Bio and Physics. Despite getting A1 for Bio and A2 for physics at O's, I took H2 Physics as I was more interested in it.

Just sharing some of my thought processes in choosing my subject combination. It all boils down to interest and whether it will be of use in the future (in University perhaps).

Today was just another boring day with several talks related to P.E in AC. There's mass PE (a.k.a. Hell) where everyone will just die during that 40 minutes of P.E. Then there's swim P.E.

Guess what, I lost 2 kilograms and gained 1 cm BUT I AM STILL OVERWEIGHT.

Oh well, guess I am in ACtive (a nicer name for TAF club in AC.)

Do something with your computer series #7

2010-01-31T20:15:00.001+08:00

K-Lite Codec Pack
This codec pack allows you to play almost all video formats on your PC. Just download, install and restart your computer.
http://www.free-codecs.net/download/K_Lite_Codec_Pack.htm

Media Player Classic
This is a free video/audio player which has built-in codecs to play various videos and audios. Just download, install and play a file using that program.
http://www.free-codecs.net/download/Media_Player_Classic.htm

Now you can finally play everything without problems!

ACJC Orientation

2010-01-29T20:04:00.005+08:00

I think I should start blogging something about Orientation. Well, today was day 2 of our epic-high plus epic-mad plus epic-crazy orientation. Let me talk about day 1 first.

Well, school was supposed to start at 7.25am, and we had to assemble by 7.15am. I woke up at 5.30am and started packing my stuff, bathed and got ready for school. I left at 6.20am to meet An Hua at Boon Lay interchange. We took bus 198 from BL - and this was the WORST moment and decision made in the day. 198 got stuck along the road of Hua Yi secondary in Jurong West, and at around 7am, we were still at Hua Yi! School was supposed to start at 7.15am and it's at Buona Vista.

We couldn't make it on time. So we got down the bus, took a cab and rode it there. The cab was also stuck initially along the same road (the road was bloody packed). Finally, when we got to AYE at around 7.10am, we heaved a sigh of relief. The cab fare amounted to $14 including peak hour surcharge (there goes my pocket money) and luckily we split the cost.

Though we weren't the last ones, we were relatively late. (We reached at around 7.27am). First day of school and this had to happen. Anyway, we had an introduction to the school via various speakers - the Principal, Vice Principal, Level head and the acting Discipline Mistress. Following that was the orientation introduction.

I was posted to Voda (a clan in ACJC) out of the four clans available. My OG group was Nam. At first, we weren't very enthusiastic, but it became better after rounds and rounds of ice breaking and cheering.

There were many many many many cheers learnt and several games played during the first day. We had an entire day of orientation (7.30am-6pm). Got to know a few friends there from my OG - with people from ACSi, Gan Eng Seng, Methodist Girls, Crescent girls, SJI, Jurong West Sec, Swiss Cottage sec, Commonwealth Sec, TKGS and GMSS.

What a mix!

I started day 2 off by meeting Karen at the MRT station (YES, I LEARNT MY LESSON)

Day 2 was not as exciting as day 1 as we had introductory lectures on GP, KI, Math, Economics and Chemistry in the morning. Each introductory lecture lasted for an hour. After some deliberation, I decided to take the following subjects - GP, PW, CL, H1 Math, H2 Chemistry, H2 Physics H2 Economics.

I decided not to take four H2 subjects as I didn't want to study like mad again (actually I was quite a slacker in Secondary school but who cares). I chose H2 Economics over H2 math because I was more interested in Econs than Math. Moreover, Business Admin/Econs in NUS/NTU/SMU requires only H1 Math knowledge.

In the afternoon we had the same old cheering lessons, learning how to cheer clan cheers as well as AC cheers. I screamed till I am running a sore throat now. We also learned the moves for the mass dance, well not all. At least the dance moves are pretty solid but easy to learn.

Hopefully orientation doesn't get too boring with the repetitive cheers, dance and games. How I wish school and lessons (tutorials+lectures) start soon!

P/S: I am starting to like ACJC a lot! THE BEST IS YET TO BE!

Tutorial: How to fold CNY cards in bulk

2010-01-22T20:55:00.002+08:00

I was a little bored in office today and I came up with an idea of teaching people how to fold Chinese New Year (CNY) cards in bulk. Basically, it is just folding the CNY cards for people (very simple) but I am showing you how to fold many at one go and keeping everything tidy along the way. The normal way of folding one card at a time would take a long time to fold about 250 cards, hence, I thought of showing you how to fold about 10 cards at a go in less than 15 seconds.

This is not an official tutorial, so do not ask me for concrete explanations. I just merely took pictures of myself doing it with one hand. So, without further ado, let's get started.

Grab a stack of Chinese New Year cards (about 8-10 cards)

Start by giving the cards a bend in the center with two hands. I showed the bend in one hand because I was using the other to photograph this

Apply enough pressure with your hands to arc the cards

Hold the cards in your right hand and use your left hand to peel off one card at a time

Use your thumb and left forefinger to pinch the card that is peeled off from the pack. This creates a crease on the card

Another angle (Of course you will still be holding the stack of cards with your right hand)

Continue sliding your thumb and forefinger down the card to crease the center of the entire card

Once the first card is completed, use your other fingers to peel the second card off the stack

Finger positions to peel cards off

How to hold your cards you've already creased

Complete creasing the stack of cards

To get this

Holding the cards from the crease, you'll get this

Drop the cards one at a time into the first card (just drop, it will automatically sit into place)

Like this! It's magic!

Arrange all the folded cards in order to complete

Review: X-mini portable speakers

2010-01-21T19:49:00.000+08:00

I don't know why I have this craze on posting reviews. But let's just go right into the review on these wonderful portable speakers. The X-mini I am currently reviewing and using is an old version of X-mini.

AESTHETICS

The X-mini is a very small gadget which is about the size of a ping pong ball. It fits into any bag and pocket (well not really) perfectly and is a breeze to carry around with its light weight. It weights less than 500g on my hand. It comes with a wire which outputs to two ends - one as a USB port for charging , while the other outputs as a 3.5mm audio jack. The X-mini is stylishly simple and easy to use - just twist the capsule and the vacuum part will pop out, which will produce the bass.

SOUND QUALITY

The sound produced is very powerful - almost as good as a 2-channel speaker. At that size and portability, it is really something worth considering. The sound produced though doesn't have that extreme clarity, it still is a good supplement for your bulky speaker at home. It is good at parties when you need to have a portable speaker around to blast music. The sound output is actually from the top of the speaker hence it gives a very wide range of audibility.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Well worth it for the price, especially useful when it comes to parties and gatherings and when you don't have a full-powered speaker around. Very easy to use, very portable, quick charging available. X-Mini 2 is also out to link the X-minis together for a greater surround sound effect. A must-have for those yearning to blast music everywhere they go.

RATING

8.5/10

Headphones Review: Creative HQ-1900

2010-01-21T19:23:00.002+08:00

Hello audiophiles out there, here is my simple and short review on the Creative HQ-1900 headphones. I know this is a relatively old pair of headphones, and I bought it more than a year ago. That means I've done enough breaking in with the pair of headphones and I can give some decent review and comments on it!

AESTHETICS

The looks of the headphones are slightly above average, with rotatable cups for DJ use and storage. I find the storage option for this headphones quite impressive as it is able to half its size to keep in the cabinet / bag. The headphones is made up of plastic and it's rather durable after repeated drops on the floor. The plastic doesn't come off despite repeated drops. The earmuffs are quite long-lasting, but mine has several holes in it after months of usage.

As for comfort and ease of use, I personally feel that the earmuffs are painful on the ears after a while. They press on the ears quite tightly and with my spectacles on, they can really hurt the side of my ears. The extension of the headphones is quite generous as it is able to cover my big head. The cables are also long enough for daily use. With a 3.5mm audio jack, it can fit into most players.

SOUND QUALITY

The bass of this headphones isn't very superb after breaking in, but feels decent. Vocals and trebles are very clear, without any EQ adjustments. The instruments can be clearly heard of some of the songs I tested this headphones with.

When playing Counter-strike: Source with this headphones, footsteps could be clearly listened from all directions, hence allowing me a high accuracy of predicting correctly where the opponent was. Sound quality is still quite decent despite several months of using it.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I would say this pair of headphones is worth a try on a moderate budget. However, it isn't really comfortable for extended periods of use.

RATING

7/10

Do something with your computer series #6

2010-01-19T19:42:00.002+08:00

This is a new series which will teach you certain things you can do with your computer.

It may consist of tutorials you can learn, including speeding windows up, minimizing clutter in your computer, shorten daily tasks and many more!

Do something with your computer #6: Deleting locked files

Sometimes when deleting a file or a folder, the error "cannot delete Folder: It is being used by another person. Close any programs that might be using the file and try again" will appear.

This occurs frequently when you try deleting a file or a folder that is in use (perhaps by Windows). One way to delete the file is to close the application that is using the file by ending its process in Task manager. The other, fuss-free method is using Unlocker.

After installing unlocker, simply right click the file or folder you wish to delete, and click Unlocker. Click Unlock all and then choose Delete. This will delete the file without you having to end any process. This way, you also do not risk ending the wrong process.

You may download Unlocker from here:
http://www.filehippo.com/download_unlocker/
http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Miscellaneous/Unlocker.shtml

Do something with your computer series #5

2010-01-16T16:24:00.002+08:00

This is a new series which will teach you certain things you can do with your computer.

It may consist of tutorials you can learn, including speeding windows up, minimizing clutter in your computer, shorten daily tasks and many more!

Do something with your computer #5: How to toggle USB port On/Off

Some people might find their USB port(s) locked or disabled. Here is one way to resolve the problem.
It is simply done by editing the registry value.

To disable the access to USB port, in windows XP and 2000, follow the steps below

Click start, and run
In the Open box, type regedit and hit enter
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\UsbStor
In the right pane, double-click Start.
In the Value data box, type 4, click Hexadecimal and then click OK.
Quit

To re-enable a disabled port, follow these steps above

But, enter the Value as '3' instead of '4'.
Quit.

eight.

2010-01-12T10:36:00.005+08:00

L1R5 = 8 - 2 for CCA = 6

A1: E.Math, A.Math, Chemistry, Biology, Comb. Humanties

A2: Physics

B3: Chinese, English (LOL)

Not really impressed with 6 distinctions though, since I had aimed for 7. Something happened to my English and I got a B3. Killed my straight A's. I thought I would get a B3 for combined humanities and A1 for English, but it happened the other way round. How unexpected.

Anyway, 6 points after deduction is still quite a good score. I plan to put NJC as my first choice just to try my luck . Second choice would be ACJC. Going for the open house tomorrow to check out the school.

I also plan to reward myself (for playing and studying). Probably an iPod touch! Congratulations to those who did well for the O' levels including Ruth (8 A1s), Leonard (6A1's 1A2), Daniel (7 A1s), Junyan (5A1s, 3A2s), An Hua (6A1s 1 A2) and many more which I've forgotten.

10 things I learnt from working

2010-01-07T22:23:00.003+08:00

Tomorrow will be my last day at work, before I collect my O' level results. I'll then decide whether I should continue working or not after collecting the results. Good results then I'll continue working. If they're bad, then I'll have no mood to work.

So what have I learnt in the 2 weeks in my aunt's office? Well basically it's some accounting/admin work that teaches me business admin, collate data, file data, input data and so on. I find my job very interesting, and I've learnt a lot of things about banking and business from it.

1. The bank is a sucker. It sucks all your money. Every transaction you make, the bank eats up some of it. For example, for a fifty thousand US dollar transaction you lose about two hundred to the bank - as commissions and some other charges. Hence, be a banker.

2. How to use Microsoft Excel more efficiently.

3. How hard it is to work and yet not get sick and tired of your job.

4. Credit advices; debit advices; bills of laden (BL); letters of credit (LC); taxations; cheques; transactions; indents; invoices; GST; tally bank statements of account; filing; prices of metals; type packing lists, enclosures, invoices.

5. How to collect official documents from banks and companies (in areas like Keppel Tower) while carrying a document worth half a million in your hands.

6. How to take good care of documents as losing them means making a police report and losing money.

7. How the business world is like; how people get cheated; how people make mistakes; how business contacts are made; how business is maintained.

8. How to work with your fellow colleagues and how to get along with them.

9. How the business is like, how to buy/sell (trade), how a business works and flows.

10. How important a typing error is. One error can mean a loss of one million.

Do something with your computer series #4

2010-01-06T11:53:00.002+08:00

This is a new series which will teach you certain things you can do with your computer.

It may consist of tutorials you can learn, including speeding windows up, minimizing clutter in your computer, shorten daily tasks and many more!

Do something with your computer #4: Tech trends in 2010

It is already 2010, and here I would like to share some trends in computers I've noticed. This can help you if you're planning to get a computer (laptop or desktop) in 2010.

Processor
For desktops, the current trend is mainly based on the Core i5 (for mainstream gaming, work purposes), Core i7 (for extreme gaming purposes), Core 2 Duo (for basic uses) and Core 2 Quad (will be obselete soon). The Core i5 is placed between the Core i7 and the Core 2 Duo in terms of performance and price. Those looking for a computer which can perform most tasks seamlessly can consider the i5.

For laptops, the current trend is the Atom processor (though weak), SU processor (for mobility) and the Core 2 Duo processor. The atom processor is mainly for netbooks, the SU processor is mainly for ultraportable notebooks weighing below 2kg and the Core 2 Duo processor is for mainstream notebooks which balance work and play.

Basically, the higher the clock speed of the processor, the faster it is. However, different types of processor at the same clock speed perform differently. E.g. The Core i5 at 2.53GHz versus the Intel Core 2 Duo processor at 2.53GHz. The core i5 would be faster.

Monitors
For desktops, the current trend is the bigger the better, with 22" and 24" monitors becoming increasingly popular. 19" monitors are the minimum now, though some would stick to 17". The price is relatively competitive for 22", and you can view movies at Full HD resolution.

For laptops, most laptops (especially ultraportables) are of 14". Those slightly bigger are at 15". Netbooks are mainly at 10". For weight and portability purposes, 13/14 inchers are the best. Those looking at viewing HD videos, playing games should get bigger screens (at the price of cost and weight).

Graphics cards
For desktops, for light gaming such as RPGs, any video card with dedicated video RAM would be sufficient. Avoid integrated graphics card at all cost.
For moderate to casual gaming, I would recommend cards in the $70-$200 range. They are sufficient for you to play most games (at mid settings) for 2-3 years. Examples are the Nvidia 9600/9800, ATI HD4850.
For hardcore gaming, ATI has the newest HD5770 cards in the market. Though they're good, they're extremely expensive. Better choices include the GTX280, HD4870x2.

For laptops, depending on your needs, integrated graphics for better battery life, dedicated graphics for some gaming. Mainstream laptops with dedicated graphics include the following graphics cards -
Nvidia GT102M, ATI HD4350, HD4650 and so on.

RAM (or memory)
For both laptops and desktops, the optimum (and also minimum) RAM you should get is 4GB DDR2 RAM in dual channel mode.

Those going for something better can consider 4GB DDR3 or 6GB DDR3 in triple-channel mode.

Harddrive (or storage)
For desktops, the price of conventional SATA2 7200rpm harddrives have fallen. The minimum you should get is a 500GB harddrive at around $95. A 1TB harddrive costs around $125. Those looking at something faster (but more expensive) can consider the new Solid State Drives (or SSD). These drives are much expensive, but they run much faster because they do not ultilise any spinning parts. These drives cost around $600 for 80GB. To show you how fast they are, you can install Windows 7 on them in 10 minutes compared to 40 minutes on conventional harddrives.

For laptops, the average harddrive is about 250GB. Hence, you should get a laptop that has a 320GB/500GB harddrive at the minimum.

CD/DVD drive
Basically most (if not all) optical drives have a DVD reader and burner. If not, get one at around $40.
The trend is to get a new optical drive with Blu-ray reading ability. They cost around $200.

Network
Most network cards now include Wireless N technology, which promises speeds similar to modem speeds (or wired speeds) and greater wireless coverage. Hence, get Wireless N routers and Wireless N network cards.

Operating System
Windows XP will become obselete. Windows Vista just suck. Get a Windows 7.

This series is completely original. No content was ripped or copied from another site.

Do something with your computer series #3

2010-01-05T19:59:00.003+08:00

This is a new series which will teach you certain things you can do with your computer.

It may consist of tutorials you can learn, including speeding windows up, minimizing clutter in your computer, shorten daily tasks and many more!

Do something with your computer #3: Basic troubleshooting - Internet

Sometimes you'll have a problem with the internet, be it when using Internet Explorer (IE), Firefox (FF) or any other web browser.

One common problem you would encounter would be a connection problem, which is when a webpage (or website) fails to load and shows an error. Here is a simple guide to troubleshoot this problem.

1. Ensure your address isn't spelt wrongly. Check the 'www' part. Sometimes, you might have typed 'ww' instead.

2. Ensure you are connected to the internet. Hence, check your modem, router, wires to ensure you have a wired/wireless access to the internet.

3. Ensure your firewall allows your internet client (or browser) to access the internet. This can be configured using your firewall software by allowing your browser to connect to the internet. A temporary solution would also be disabling the firewall for a while.

4. If all these fail to troubleshoot, you might want to try using the command box to help you (likewise you could right click on your network connection and click repair).

- Open command box by going to START > RUN (or Windows Logo + R) and type 'cmd' (without quotes) and hit ENTER.

- The command box (cmd) will appear.

- Type all these into the box, one sentence at a time, ENTER after every sentence.
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew
ipconfig /flushdns
exit
- Basically what this does is ask for a new IP address from your ISP and flush the DNS cache.
- Hit refresh on your browser.

Hopefully it helps troubleshoot several internet problems. Tag if it helps.
This series is completely original. No content was ripped or copied from another site.

2010

2010-01-01T00:14:00.002+08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Do something with your computer series #2

2009-12-30T22:02:00.006+08:00

This is a new series which will teach you certain things you can do with your computer.

It may consist of tutorials you can learn, including speeding windows up, minimizing clutter in your computer, shorten daily tasks and many more!

Do something with your computer #2: Learn how to do basic CPU overclocking

A friendly reminder before any overclocking is done: Please be aware of the risks that come with overclocking. Overclocking involves increasing the frequency and the voltage settings of the computer. This may permanently damage your system if not done properly.

Overclocking increases your CPU frequency, e.g. from 2.4GHz to 2.6GHz. This adds speed to the CPU, allowing it to perform more task per unit time, increasing its performance. It is a relatively cheap (it's free!) and easy way to squeeze more juice out from your computer.

Overclocking for the first time will not really damage your system, because there is usually a threshold level whereby the computer will eventually not boot up, show signs of errors and crash frequently. You can also reset to factory settings from the BIOS screen if anything goes wrong.

To overclock your CPU

1. You'll need to boot into BIOS. This is done by hitting the Delete key (or F2/F8/F10/INS key, depending on your make and model of your motherboard - hence check the manual) before the Windows Logo screen and after the POST screen (Power-on self test)

2. You will see a Blue screen. This is the BIOS screen. (Not an error screen). You'll need to locate the Frequency and Voltage control from one of the menus. From there, you can change the CPU's FSB (front serial bus) and frequency speeds.

3. In case you get lost, hit the ESC button to go back or F10 to save.

4. Typically, under most conditions, to overclock a CPU, you simply increase the FSB speed by pressing the + button on your keyboard. The clocked speed of your CPU would be calculated by multiplying the clock multiplier by the FSB speed. E.g. FSB x Clock Multiplier of my computer (E8400 C2D) 3.00 GHz would be 333 MHz x 9 = 2.97GHz.

5. Usually, increase the FSB speed by just about 10-20 MHz, this will increase the clock speed of the CPU by a lot (depending on your clock multiplier). E.g. If you increase your FSB speed by 10MHz, then your final clock speed on an E8400 C2D processor is 343 x 9 = 3087MHz = 3.09GHz.

Note: Different processors have different clock multipliers. E8400 has a clock multiplier of 9, while E8500 (similarly, a Core2Duo processor) has a clock multiplier of 9.5. E8200 has a clock multiplier of 8.

6. Always check the stability of the system before you finalise. So, save and test out your new speeds first. If the computer crashes, lower the FSB speed.

Hope you picked up something from this.
This series is completely original. No content was ripped or copied from another site.

Do something with your computer series #1

2009-12-27T16:50:00.004+08:00

Do something with your computer #1: Learn some shortcuts for Windows

     F1: Help
     F2: Rename (file/folder)
     F3: Find (any file/folder)
     F5: Refresh
     F6: Navigate (in Windows Explorer)
     ALT+TAB: Switch between open programs
     ALT+F4: Quit (any open programs)
     SHIFT+DELETE: Delete item permanently (does not go into recycle bin)
     Windows Logo+L: Lock the computer (goes to windows logon)
   Windows Logo+D: Show Desktop (minimizes all opened windows)
     Windows Logo+C: Launch Control Panel
     Windows Logo+Tab: Cycle Taskbar Buttons (very cool on Windows 7)
     Windows Logo+E: Launch Windows Explorer
      Windows Logo+F: Search
     CTRL+A: Select All
     CTRL+C: Copy
     CTRL+X: Cut
     CTRL+V: Paste
     CTRL+Z: Undo
     CTRL+B: Bold
   CTRL+I: Italic
   CTRL+U: Underline
     CTRL+W: Close window/tab
    CTRL+ALT+DEL: Launch task manager
    CTRL+R: Refresh
   CTRL+1/2/3 (any number): Toggle between tabs in a tabbed browser
Well that's a useful list! Hope you guys learn something from this list.

This series is completely original. No content was ripped or copied from another site.