Bundled Windows OS is Refundable

Rai    Microsoft     customer care, eula, hp, laptop, Linux, notebook, vista, windows, xp

Choosing notebooks is becoming difficult to do because of so many choices and options to weigh. And if choosing hardware is not hard enough, notebook manufacturers bundle their products with softwares that are usually junk or something that you do not need.

One very common example is Windows Vista OS. Vista comes with every notebook, or computer for that matter, and buyers usually have to pay for it even if they do not want it. Some prefer to downgrade to Windows XP while some just have no other choice but to purchase the OS license only to wipe it off from their notebooks and replace it with Linux.

As a consumer, we have the right to choose which products we want to buy. And in some cases, notebook manufacturers do not seem to give buyers to choose if they want to buy OS or not. That really sucks because Vista OS licenses can cost at least $100, and customers are only paying for the license, therefore do not own the software. Why would you want to pay for something that you do not, and will never, own?

Fortunately, there are some people who actually read the End User License Agreement or EULA of Windows licenses and use it to their own advantage. Take for example uncle_benji, the author of equiliberate.org, who bought an HP notebook bundled with Vista. He chose to waive his purchase of Windows Vista license in favor of using Linux, and got his money back, almost the same amount of the retail price of Vista.

Read his full story here.

Hacking Tips for $40 Wii Remote

Rai    Games     Games, hack, johhny lee, nintendo, remote, whiteboard, wii

Nintendo Wii is a spectacular gaming console that revolutionized how console gaming works by using remote controllers, giving the players more variety than the ordinary controls. And many technology buffs like to research and experiment different other uses with the Wii Remote, other than as a game controller.

Researcher Johnny Lee takes a $40 Wii Remote and cheap hardware, and turns it to a digital whiteboard and a 3D viewer eye-glasses, among other things. That is how flexible the Wii Remote is.

Watch this video as Johnny demonstrates the Wii Hacks:

Source: www.ted.com

The great thing about the Wii remote lies in its design. The motion sensors inside each Wii remote (or Wiimote) makes it flexible for other uses other than just being a game controller. As a game controller, it can be a golf club or a bowling glove and makes a game more interactive and puts more ‘real action rather than pressing buttons. Put in a modified hardware, which is available from any hobby or electronic shop, slap in some free software and you got yourself a whole new gadget.

One thing I can think of as another use for the Wiimote is how you can use it as navigation system for visually impaired people. Since the Wiimote uses motion sensors, it can be modified to use as a simple navigation system and alerts the user for possible road obstacles like passing cars. I tried searching if there are any available documents on the net about this, but nothing came up yet. Maybe I ought to contact Johnny Lee about my idea.

IT Makes It Possible

Rai    Random    

While not everyone is into ‘IT’, everyone is now involved in Information Technology age whether we like it or not. Everyday things have little computers in them that do many things aside from adding and subtracting numbers. Cars have little computers that control gas and air mixture to achieve that perfect driving experience, mobile phone have tiny microchips that receives signals from telecommunication companies connecting us to people all around the world, even animals in the wildlife are using computers.

Admit it, computers are everywhere. And being an IT System Administrator makes me a part of this ever growing industry. Do you know that System Administrators like me work around the clock to make sure your email gets sent? Yes, we are not as popular as the software developers but hey, everyone must work in harmony so we can achieve our goals. The line between developers and system administrators are blurred anyway. System administrators are developers in a way and developers are system administrators.

There are a lot of things that I like about geeky stuff (read: computers and technology). Like it still amazes me how two people can communicate over instant messaging even if they are thousands of miles apart or how your car knows when to deflate the airbags. Behind those everyday things, there are IT people working on it who went to school and took special trainings like Cisco certification to be able to create such amazing things.

I myself went to special school that teaches a lot of things about computers and technology and took Cisco Certification training as well. Although I never finished the training course, it helped me add ‘bling’, if I may say so, to my resume. And I saw a couple of friends who finished the training and took the certification exam and how their career growth boosted afterwards. That made me think that having experience is already a big plus, but having a certification to prove that years of expertise is really big.

In a way, IT professionals are like doctors: one must put in time to learn and explore things. But being certified in one field like networking technology or software engineering is a big, big plus. And if you are thinking that IT is already saturated with jobless professionals, then think again. There are lots of career opportunities in every country whether it is just designing the company website, or making sure that planes don’t go crashing into mountains.

And the best part of being an IT administrator? I get to play around with computers and get paid for it. Although, I think that being a game tester is a more satisfying job. I would love to try that.

Cuppa Coffee, Plz

Rai    Random     cafe latte, coffee, diagram, espresso, illustration

This is how your favorite cup of coffee looks like in a cross-section view, whether it is espresso or cafe latte. SO next time you drop by Starbucks, you know how your coffee looks like inside.

Credits: coffee.info

How to Make Soda Bottle into Secret Stash

Rai    Internet     hidden treasure, secret stash, soda bottle

Here is a nice way to hide your secret stash of anything. I am always fond of making things like ordinary stuff lying around the house, fooling everyone into thinking that it is just a piece of junk.