If I dig a very deep hole, where I end up??

I always wondered this.

http://www.digtootherside.cjb.net/

Now I know, somewhere in Equador, in the middle of a forest....

Nice way to travel to South America huh??

Njoy....

Canon....Now that's what I call customer service...

So....my Canon digi-cam was screwed.. For some reasons, since like 2 weeks ago, it started showing me a blank screen. The menu could be seen but nothing from the lens. The pictures that I took also turned out to be blank. Seemed like a CCD problem.

But because it was "That time of the year" I did to try to get it repaired untill today. I was also a bit hesitant since the warranty was only untill last month. The cam is freaking cheapo, din wanna spend like 1/2 its price for repairs.

Actually I had heard something about many cam companies calling back their cams for damaged CCDs. But hadn't heard about Canon.

Anyways, so I go to Canon Service and Repair today. Its at Harbour Front. This is how it went...:P

Me: Umm... The problem with this cam is that it...

Lady at the counter (LATC): Has a blank screen?

Me: Umm Ya! (How does she know??)

LATC: OK. Its a CCD problem. We'll repair it for you FoC

Me: OK! Thats Cool.

LATC: Oh, but we dont have the stock for the CCDs. They wont be arriving till January.

Me: Oh! (Damn it...that means I need to buy a new cam for the trip in Dec???..)

LATC: But, we will loan you a camera till then!

Me: Huh?? Really??(Oooops did I just say that??) Cool!

LATC: Just fill this up...

(Followed by lots of paper work. How I wish they have some kinda RFID/NFC tech to grab all my usefull data that I authorize....:P:P)

LATC: Since you had a A310, and thats out of production, we will loan you a A410.

Me: OK!! (Yipeee!!!)

(A lot more paper work)

LATC: Ok. Here is your new cam. Thanks. We'll sms you when your cam is ready. Just bring back this cam as it is

Me: Sure. Thanks.... (Smirks...)

Seems like its a very common problem. Saw a lot of people carry away replacement cams. Here is the notice that Canon has given me. Seems like really a lot of people affected.

So if you own a Canon cam. Check if you can get the CCD replaced. Its only untill 31st Dec 2005.

I have to agree that the customer service is great. Reminds me of Fujitsu in a way...

I just I have one question for them... Can I keep it???...pls pls pls.....

Bored????

Bored???

Here is something to do...

http://files.deviantart.com/f/2004/188/8/7/gridgame.swf

Try to beat my max score of 1460 1661!!!....:P:P

Give Away...

Hello!!

I am giving away a few things. If you are interested in any of the following things, contact me.

(Hehe. Mostly academic stuff.... Semester end what.... :P:P)


1.EE3207 Computer Architecture ==> Lecture Notes + Text (Computer Architecture , Mano)

2.EE4214 Real Time Embedded Systems ==>Lecture Notes + Text (Real Time Software Primer, Simon)+Exam Papers!

3.GEM1519 Science of Music ==> Lecture Notes

4.EE4103 Coding Theory and Applications ==> Lecture Notes + Really really minuscule Cheatsheet...

5.Serenity movie Poster. (Its new, untouched and pretty large)


Things that are not cleared out by next week will be burnt in my semi-anual notes burning cermony.... All are invited...:P:P

'Tis Done.....

Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeee.............


"If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well" -Billy Shakespeare

Outside my window....

I hate this weather....

I look outside my window and its soo dark and dreary. Reminds me of the start of winter when I was in Denmark.

It was dark....cold.....and wet!...Still sends shivers down my spine....I remember that I did not see the Sun for like 3 weeks straight. The Sun was not supposed to rise by 10am and was supposed to set at like 3pm. But most of the time it was overcast and the Sun couldnt peer through at all...

It was soooo depressing. I couldnt go out, it was getting really cold and I couldn't even look out of my window to waste time (It was just too depressing). Whats worst was my laptop had died on me and I was w/o a computer the whole time.....

I couldn't believe that weather could affect the mood (or the sanity)of a person so much. But, when I was there I could understand why the sucide rates in the Scandinavian countries sky-rocket in winter.

I have a photo of that dark and dreary sky somewhere....I'll post it up when I find it...

I hope I can see the sun later today.....or tomorrow.. Good old Sun.....

From MP3 to SLS...

Now for some techie stuff...:P:P

Recently, I have been to exposed to a lot of good techie stuff. There were some really cool seminars/tutorials in I2R. And me being the me....I had to go for all, even when they were during exam period. I feel that such things should matter more than exams. But anyway...

So the highlight were these talks by Dr. Jürgen Herre from Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS). He has been contributing to MPEG audio standards since the time of MPEG-1. So he's like pretty big in the field.

The talks were so cool. He talked abt the evolution of the MPEG standards. Its really amazing to see that. I mean how much progress people have made!!! Whats even more amazing is the amount of efforts that have been put in in these things!

For the un-initiated, MPEG-1 or specifically MPEG-1 Layer 3 is what u know as mp3.

In the talk Dr. Jürgen was talking abt the latest MPEG standards. The MPEG-4. For general audio, one can acheive 'good quality'....rather acceptably good quality at as low as 24kbps!!! And he demo-ed it. And it sounded nice. A bit synth, but that's if you are very very picky about things. But come on....for 24kbps....i'd take that anyday.....

Today Dr. Jürgen had a 'tutorial' about Multi-Channel encoding. The stuff they do so that you can have ur precious 5.1 audio over channels ment for stereo or mono.....Another amazing field. Man I wish I could understand 1/2 the stuff that they were talking about. I mean I kinda got it but not fully. There is so much that people have done. MPEG-Surround the new standards that is gives 'good quality' 5.1 in as low as 42kbps!!! Just amazing...

Parametric Coding is the way to go!!!!....(Ner mind if you dont get it. Else ask me....if you dare...)

I am so gratefull to I2R allowing me to do my FYP there. I get a chance to meet and rub shoulder(in a figurative way) with all these great ppl....I hope I2R has more such cool talks...

Anyway, so much for MPEG and mp3s. I still prefer my ATRAC...so back to my Mini-Disk....:P:P

Exchange!!!!!

OK. This is too much...

I suddenly have this urge to go on Exchange again. Rather to go back to Danmark and study as an exchange student in DTU. Og , selvfølgelig læse Dansk, en gang tid....All over Again!!!

I mean it was soooo coool. All the people I met there. All the adventures that we had. All the places we visited. And of course all the parties that we had. I am missing it.

What sucks....is looking at people blogging from exchange and feeling jealous. Especially so when you have been to places that they are blogging from. Its like..."I know that. I have seen that. I was standing right over there!!!!"

Man, I am sure all those who have been on exchange will agree, hands down... the best time for your Uni-life.

Now my friends are asking me to visit them again!!! Oh man, I am soooo tempted to go back. How I wish I could just heck these exams and tour around Europe for a whole month, or maybe two or more...:P:P

My friends are asking me to make plans for next summer to Italy or Greece. I wanna go!! But I really doubt I will. Jobs and stuff would have started then. So I guess not for 3 more years then. Thats too late then.... But then where is Europe going. It will always be there as it is. So there is no hurry.

OK! Anyway, I will surely go one day. Like I said to so many of my friends from Denmark, "I promise to come back, some day". Hope that 'some day' does happen some day....

As Momo said... Till Next....

Its that time again....

Oh yippiee...

Its that time of the year again.....

The time when you :

1. argue with ur best friend that exams don't make sense...

2. wonder if there is any point in mugging millions of pages of stuff that does not make sense..

3. wonder if you are in the wrong course (never wondered that...at least...:P:P)

4. wonder why they never let you print out your cheat-sheets. (I mean they let you cheat anyway right)

5. toss a coin to decide which of the chapters you should read before the exam (I personally dont trust those coins....I have other ways)

6. wonder what would really happen if you put all 'B' for you MCQ exams...

7. tell yourslef that the only reason you find it difficult this time around is because you didnt study consistently from the start of the sem. And next sem you surely will.

8. dream about the time when you had so much fun in the lecture with your friends...while trying to think of what the professor was trying to say.

9. hope that there is webcast for this course....

10. wonder how to finish watching 24hrs worth of webcast before the exam in the afternooon...

11. wonder what you are still doing in NUS...

12. wonder where you put that "Withdrawl from University" form....


Well... For those who need it and for all the other over-acheivers who don't....

Good Luck!!!

Sleep....Where art thou???

This absolutely sucks....

I was not feeling so well, so I decided to sleep early today!! I have been sleeping pretty late for the past week, so this is like a big deal.

I try to sleep and I cant seem to fall asleep!!....Ahhhhhhhhhhh

Was tossing and turning for an hour. So I decided to listen to some music to help me sleep...

Thats when I realised that I had left my headphones at home! Man....

So I listened to an Engadget podcast....Though listening to all that tecky stuff would 'bore' me to sleep.....But guess what.....now I am more awake than before!

And I hate this state. My brain seems to be needing the sleep. It's like working at 50%. But my body does not wanna sleep.....

Sigh...I think I'll just blog some great link that I found....


1. Ever wanted to own a microscope?? I rem I used to have one, but this one is way cooler...

2. "PodLocker promises security, delivers torn pants..."

3. Smart Fire Alarm....Is it me or do you think that the neural network is a bit of an overkill????

4. A tea serving robot!!! Man...wastage of technology.....

5. Zeno zit zapper... Whatever man....


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OK....Now I shall go back to trying to sleep again....