Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by empire23

PSA: How to make lipot

empire23 — Mon, 07 Jan 2019 09:00:00 +0800

Don't know why so many ppl PMS today, so I bagi mani horidei to bora bora all around.

But here's a general guide to reporting because I'm sick of some of you idiots out there abusing the button.

1) JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE DISAGREES WITH YOU DOESN'T MAKE THAT GROUNDS FOR A REPORT - Eg; The STPM thread. Seriously TS really hati kaca one......

2) PLEASE TRY TO UNDERSTAND SARCASM - I think this is self-explanatory but some people are dense.

3) POLITICAL PARTIES AND LEADERS ARE NOT MAGICALLY EXEMPT FROM CRITICISM - This one I really don't get, be it BN/PH/......genuine criticism of a public figure isn't against the law, just keep it within the bounds of taste.

4) DEFAMATION IS CLAIMED BY THE DEFAMED PARTY - Seriously, people keep reporting threads saying defamation....are you the one being defamed? If not....don't click that button.

5) ONE POST IS FUNNY, 100 OF THE SAME THING IS SPAM - I'm fairly tolerant to people giving each other shit, it's after all a public forum, but if you keep posting the same shit over and over and over again across multiple threads. It gets old.

6) DUN JUST CLICK LIPOT! PROVIDE DETAILS - 90 percent of the time, the reporter magically assumes us mods understand the context. We don't. So remember to provide as much relevant details as possible and it contravenes forum rules.

Also if you're curious, we can talk about how I generally figure out how much holiday to give when someone does something wrong.

EDIT:

How does I decideds to unleash ban?!

A lot of people as me how a mod decides on a ban a duration and so on, so here's my list, it isn't exhaustive but it includes the list of my reasons and remember that /k/ has multiple mods and admins that take care of the reports, not just myself.

1) The infringement itself - This is obvious, some actions are worse than others. This one is pretty self-explanatory.

2) The number of complaints, from whom and the description - If there's one random report with no description from a newbie who is obviously oversensitive, it's likely to get discarded. Serial reporters usually get their reports thrown into the bin (See real law: Vexatious litigation/Frivolous Reporting). If there are like 10 reports on the same post, usually it shows something very bad has been posted, so I pay a lot more attention.

3) The character of user / history - If you have a really bad history of posts, prior suspensions, detected dupes, a long list of admin notes and so on, it makes us think you're a bad person, and I see this as a continuation of that. I consider this to be prime source of what a person has posted be genuinely punishable or if it's just a mistake or aberration on their part. eg; If you're usually good and post something bad, I'll let you off with a warning, if you oredi 3 suspensions under your belt and got dupe, I'll give one week.

4) Thread context - This is harder and more subjective, we rely on report details to understand the context and make a decision, but given the number of reports I try to do this as efficiently as possible.

5) Situational context - Easier to read, this is for events like mass-spam or string-spam, to keep things under control we apply a blanket ban and do so quickly to keep things under control so the forum experience is maintained for the majority of people. This also applies to forum specific context.

So /k/ I went back to Malaysia

empire23 — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 20:02:42 +0800

Hai /k/ I went back to Malaysia for a glorious 24 days and nao I'm back in civilization (Brisbane), but since I werk starting Monday, I decided to use this opportunity to talk about my observations while in KL. This is all from the perspective of someone who hasn't gone back for 2 years and probably won't for a long time. Ok, lets start.

1) Malaysia dem lot of nikka.

And I though Moorooka had a lot of awang hitam! They're everywhere! I saw some driving taxi, one jual berger in Tmn Permata, a few in Maybank, on the streets, in shopping centres, religious places, hell EVERYWHERE leh! I though we hate nikka one! Even Taman Connaught oso go so many of them. Also got a lot of Iranians! I thought they call us tree dwellers?

2) Malaysia dem lot of highways, but still jam.

I go bek, there's now a highway for erry place. Makes me very proud, but konfuis because if I miss the right exit sure die one. The tolls aren't too bad but always still jam one?! Nobody ever heard of carpooling kah? Malaysians are still surely in love with their car culture.

3) Malaysia mostly erryone has nais car.

I live in Brisbane, here most cars are quite burok and most people buy second hand instead of new. Driving around in Brissy I'd be lucky to see a Porsche every month, or a GTR every 6 months. In KL I see these cars almost everyday. I mean /k/ always komplening poor, why KL ppl all have nais cars? Really nice!

4) A lot of people eat a upscale joints nowadays.

Belip me /k/, my idea of eating out = McDonalds / KFC or order Dominos. Most oso 10 to 15 AUD. But Malaysians have really gotten into the upscale food game, everyone seems to want to have upscale version of something. Erryone now wants to eat at upscale Japanese places, drink Gong Cha or whereever and so forth. Not that I didn't eat anywhere fancy when I got bek, but still ppl spend well leh!

5) Everyone lives in their political world.

Everyone very side-ish. I haven't encountered any Malaysian that would admit that the team they support is gonna lose even when the indicators are there. Tok to UMNO people about Cow + Condo they sure say "Nothing to do with Sharizat!" when there is some CBT going on. When talk to PR people about Bijan's rising support they put head in sand and say "No chance!". As much as I care little, I realize both sides of fence all filled with idiots, the only smart ones are on the fence.

6) We are a lot more dress judgemental than omputeh.

My idea of go out dress are my comfy steel capped work boots, a t-shirt and work pants, I like a lot of pockets. But when I do that everyone seems to magically assume I have no money. If I go Pavillion, it seems that most chicks are dressed and tarted up. Not asking anyone to dress like a hobo, but people seem awfully overdressed to go somewhere so stupidly mundane like a shopping centre.

7) Honestly the only fags I've talked to or seen are Malay.

First I get Meleis homo in line during check in, then Meleis homo in the airport duty free, Meleis homo manning the exchange counter and so on. Other races probably have their own gay people, but Meleis definitely have some gay genetics thing going on because the chance of me encountering one are far more than that of other races. Plus even the straight ones dress like fags.

8) A lot less rempits.

I dunno where all the rempits are but they're definitely somewhere. Didn't see my usual gang of rempits running in the KL area at night like crazy people. I has a sed. Is rempiting like a passing fad or something and now dressing up like homosexuals is the new thing among the Malay community?

9) A lot of interracial relationships.

Those days I'd hardly see people from other race date one another due to lumba haram. But now quite open, saw some lady reading cainis papers suddenly her kids and hubby pop up and tokking englands and bm. Oso a lot more open Indian and Cainis relationship, my brain tells me it is for the superior ding dong size, but I might be wrong.

10) Wkkay is more handsomer than I thought.

He told me to post this or he will ban me

Atheists come in

empire23 — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:03:24 +0800

I think this bald dude has generally hit the nail on what I've wanted to describe as the "modern atheist", much like the bygone atheists such as Russell, Asimov and others among all.

I don't really agree with all the author's point but I'll bold out the parts with merit so you cans TL;DR.

QUOTE

Note: this is a slightly revised version of what I presented at the recent Intelligence Squared debate in Sydney, arguing for the proposition, "Atheists are wrong" - hence its rhetorical style and brevity. This is the first of a series of pieces I will be posting in coming weeks on atheism, theology, ethics and the media.

It seems that we have reached a point in our national life where we are utterly incapable of reaching any kind of minimal moral consensus on fundamental questions.

What are the threats that we face in common? Where are those sources of corruption, perversion, addiction and even servitude that we ought to protect ourselves and others from? What virtues ought we to have and instil in others in order to make a robust civil society? What are our obligations to others - those living (including those who come to us from without our borders), dying and not yet born? What constitutes a good life? What ends do politics and the economy serve?

Such questions were once the subject of ferocious political and public debate; and, for better or worse, the Left and the Right believed there were answers, and that they had them.

What is most concerning about our current condition is not simply that the twin political pillars of Left and Right have sunk into a quagmire of craven expediency - a common malaise in the West diagnosed acutely by Tony Judt and Phillip Blond, among others.

Nor is it simply that ideas are now somehow regarded as suspect, if not positively toxic, within the political process, or even that politicians of whatever stripe seem to have resigned themselves to the belief that there are no political answers any more.

What ought to be of greatest concern to us today is that the questions themselves have become irrelevant. They simply fail to move us. It is as though we are living with a bastardized version of Francis Fukuyama's thesis of the "end of history."

So desperately impoverished are our political and moral imaginations after decades of market fundamentalism and the creeping gains of a culture-corrupting liberalism - which has systematically replaced the Common Good with individual rights, education with skills-acquisition, obligation with self-determination, and a hierarchy of values and virtue with the fetishisation of mere choice - that we have mistaken the walls of our moral imaginations for the achievements of progress itself.

Under these conditions, to adapt Clausewitz's famous definition of war, politics has become the extension of egoism by other means rather than an essentially moral and educative practice. On this point, Herve Juvin's analysis of the collapse of the social "Body" and the emergence of the political reality of "bodies" is exemplary:

"Politics used to subject bodies and lives to a common destiny or ideal; politics now must submit to the varied, fleeting and capricious destinies we give to our own lives ... the advent of the body legitimizes politics in the body's service, places its satisfaction, its activity, its enjoyment over all that might only be means to those ends: law, rules, society, kinship."

And so, without the guiding concept of a "Common Good" our social life is governed by the anomie of private interests, the inscrutable demands of "well-being" (which for us has come to mean little more than health, safety and pleasure) and the vicissitudes of mere fashion.

There are few things today more fashionable, more suited to our modern conceit, than atheism. In fact, far from being radical or heroically contrarian, the current version of atheism strikes me as the ultimate conformism.

This is especially apparent in the case of the slipshod, grotesquely sensationalist "New Atheism" - invariably renounced by principled, literate atheists like James Wood, Thomas Nagel, John Gray, Philip Pullman and the late Bernard Williams - which poses no serious challenge to our most serious social ills and so has no other alternative but to blame our social ills in toto on religion.

Now, I don't want to be misunderstood. I am not claiming that atheism is necessarily the cause of our modern predicament, much less that it is the root of all evil. To make such a claim would be to accord this variety of atheistic chic with too much importance, too much weight.

In a way, I think where atheism fits in our cultural moment it is more incidental than that. Our real problem today is the impoverishment of the modern mind, our inability to think properly about such elevated things as the Good, Beauty, Truth, Law, Love, Life, Death, Humanity, the End or Purpose of things, even Sex itself, without such ideas being debased by an incurious and all-pervasive nihilism.

And hence it is altogether unsurprising that, when we can't even think clearly about such lower-order goods, the highest Good, and what philosophy once regarded as the ultimate object of human contemplation - namely, God himself - is beyond our imaginations.

Moreover, it is equally unsurprising that when the New Atheists do speak of "God," their god is just as vulgar and petty and agonistic as their conceptions of morality, gender, politics and sex. When they speak thus about "God," are they not just seeing what is worst in ourselves?

And here we confront a desperate contradiction at the heart of so much atheistic hyperbole (accurately identified by Bernard Williams and others). The New Atheists rely heavily on the thesis that religion is the enemy of progress and human flourishing, and that once the last vestiges of religion are done away with, humanity will be far better off.

But they also claim that all religion is "man made," and self-evidently so. This begs the question: if religion is indeed this all-pervasive source of corruption and prejudice and moral retardation, where do they believe that religion itself comes from, if not the human imagination? And so, as Bernard Williams puts the question:

"if humanity has invented something as awful as [these atheists] take religion to be, what should that tell them about humanity? In particular, can humanity really be expected to do much better without it?"

And so, it would seem that we are left with an unavoidable choice: either these atheists are really misotheists, God-haters, who rage against the very idea of God, the Good, Truth and Law, and so desperately try to will God out of existence; or their oft-professed faith in the inherent human capacity for progress is without justification; or the history of religion reflects the extraordinary human capacity to pursue the Good, as well as its equally pronounced tendency for Evil, idolatry and nihilism.

It is apparent, is it not, that the current batch of chic atheists are but a symptom of a more general cultural decline, the steady impoverishment of what Hilaire Belloc perfectly described as "the Modern Mind," which ceaselessly explains away its own moral deficiencies by projecting them onto God and banishing him into the wilderness.

It is just as apparent why such an atheism - with its cartoon versions of history, its theological illiteracy, it fetishisation of science, its hostility to the humanities and aesthetics, its flattened-out brand of morality as mere "well-being," its cheap gags and mode of incessant piss-taking cynicism - should appeal so powerfully to a culture that has grown accustomed to the vulgarities and trivia enshrined in the modern media.

The emergence of a form of chic atheism, precisely as a media-fuelled and driven phenomenon, was anticipated by Hilaire Belloc with staggering clarity. Writing in 1929:

"the 'Modern Mind' dislikes thinking: the popular Press increases that sloth by providing sensational substitutes. Disliking thought, the 'Modern Mind' dislikes close attention, and indeed any sustained effort; the popular Press increases the debility by an orgy of pictures and headlines ... In all these ways and twenty others the popular Press as we have it today thrusts the 'Modern Mind' lower than it would otherwise have fallen, swells its imbecility and confirms it in its incapacity for civilization and therefore for Faith."

And this atheism, I believe, will continue to flourish to the extent that moral disintegration, nihilistic capitalism, anti-aesthetic liberalism and a kind of ubiquitous piss-taking cynicism remain the dominant forces in our common life.

I often hear atheists insist that they do not need God in order to be good. But if I am in any way accurate in what I have argued here, we are faced with a far more destructive possibility: that without God, there simply is no Good.

Quickly, counter the arguments! Imma too lazy to f***ing post in RWI, it is filled with konon-nye smart but probably jobless pimply teenages. Plus they post slow!

Mypolitician.com.my

empire23 — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 09:55:54 +0800

Wokay, here's the deal, in Australia they have Myschool, MyUni, Myballs and whatever, which publishes government stats on various statistics related to what the site is reporting. So people know for example how good the school they're sending their kids is statistically.

I propose the same, but for politicians with more advanced statistics comprising of many metrics that I have learned by being a useless **** in Australia.

I hope you guys contribute to the thread by giving out suggestions and hopefully some real world contribution on how to make this work

So let's get down to business

What is this site and what does it do?

It generally records the various facets of politics, statements, transcripts, blog posts and so forth and amalgamates them into a simple and easy to use site. For example, you want to check how the MP for DUN XXXX is voting, you click on his/her name and you get to see his/her voting record on the issues, speech transcripts, objections/orders made in parliament, issues raised and so forth. So the idea is that there is higher public accountability.

The site also records contact data both official and non-official for your local pollie. It should ideally have a mail server with a sorting system to record responses. eg; When sending an email to your local pollie, cc a copy to server, and when your local member emails you back, the cc is then recorded. A statistic of relevant emails sent to replies garnered from the server but a final metric of ratio of emails sent to replies received. A score is then given to a politician based on how well they respond.

This site is not for political opinions, because opinions are like assholes, everyone has one and they all stink. Plus I think most people are too stupid to tell if an article is biased or not. Following that logic, the site is to be unbiased based on the fact that everyone is an effin moron. But the posting of news articles from various incorporated sources regardless of their affiliation must be accepted. I don't care if it's Utusan or Harian Metrollsex raving about how Anwar is gay. If it is published, it gets filed under his name, no questions asked. Even if there's an article that says Karpal Singh is an alien, we put it in.

What does the site need?

BALLS and real keyboard warriors willing to put in the hard yards.

Remember that the site is only as good to us the people when records are set straight. We need people to collect data, verbatim with no changes and no opinions. Essentially, what we don't need are journalists (because I hate journalists), we need reporters, transcribers and people that can verify the authenticity of sources. If someone says "ABC", that is what will be published, not "AB" "AC" "BAC" "CAB" or whatever.

We need people to watch those dreary parliamentary debates and jot everything they hear and see down. We need people to trawl through submissions and verify them. We need people who are non-partisan and can maintain a good attitude.

The man power issue will always be THE issue, site design and hosting isn't too hard, I figure we'll just host it out of Wkkay's PC or something. But otherwise, if there are enough of us, money is rarely an object.

How will it expand?

I have no fking idea. It's just an idea I threw around after work this morning.

Let's note a few things

- I am an electrical engineer/cab driver/shooter/contractor. I'm not a web programmer. Unless websites now accept SCADA, Matlab or Cadence code, I can't do jack
- I am not in Malaysia. So most of the ground work can't be done by me. Think of any investment in time to be an investment into the future of Malaysia.
- I am a patriot. I love my country, and so should you. What we're doing has no sides, only our collective betterment being the goal.

So /k/ are you guy man enough to grow some nuts and do something instead of just ranting on the board and racing like retards on littletike tricycles?

LYN Shooters Thread

empire23 — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:42:41 +0800

Harlo, i'm quite sure a few LYNers are into the black art of putting holes into things really really far away. Or as people call it, Shooting.

So this thread is generally dedicated to the multiple forms of shooting, which includes target shooting, metallic silhouette, rapid fire, long range, tactical, IPSC and so on. Shooting also encompases hunting and other related skills i believe, so feel free to contributed what you reckon is relevant, a few good topics that are related would be,

- Hunting
- Weapons Development
- Militaria and Warfare
- Utility items and other gear
- Weapons care and armoring
- Outdoorsmanship
- Marksmanship
- Historical discussion
- Dan lain lain lah

General Shooting Diciplines and the weapons they're based on ;

Shotguns ; I know shit about shotguns, so pardon the ignorance.

- Trap
- Skeet
- Clays

Rifles ;

- Benchrest Rimfire (generally catered for the .22LR and other centrefire rifles), the rifle is rested on a table and rest, the name of the game here is accuracy
- 3 Position, you take a number of shots at 3 positions, standing, kneeling and prone, being accurate here is important, but there is a tighter time constraint
- Military Rifle, same as the 3 position, but with the exception that only ex-service rifles may be used, examples being the Kraut Kar-98k, Brit Lee Enfield, Italian Mannlicher Carcano, American Springfield 1903 and French Lebel/MAS49. This applies to wide range of service rifles.
- Rifle Metallic Silhouette, where you try and knock down a metal target to gain points, you would require a decently powerful weapon to enter this class of competition because not only do you have to hit the target, but knock it down.
- Lever Action, generally the same is the RMS, but you're using a level action rifle instead. Often known as the cowboy action.

Pistols ;

- Metallic Silhouette, same as the rifle version, just scaled down to pistol power to meet the needs of pistol shooters
- Service Pistol, same as the Military Rifle, a pistol has to be qualified as service used (Miltary service), so generally it would consist of Colt 1911s, British Webleys, German Walther P38, German Mauser 92, American M9 and so on
- Target Pistol, many classes, consisting of the purest form of target pistol shooting utilizing the 22LR round and custom guns (this is same category of shooting in the Olympics), there's the revolvers subcategory and so on
- IPSC, generally this is a whole different category where pistols are used in simulated environments that are meant to mirror pratical use, many different guns can be used here, but most stick with the Glock or the 1911s.

The next few posts will be dedicated to the basic working of weapons, the various actions available and ammo. I'll post em later.

Rules ;

QUOTE

1) Please, NO illegal shite, adhere to the rules and laws of the country you are based in. If you cannot own a giant .50 BMG baby killing super rifle and ask about getting one illegally, you will be reported.
2) Advertising sales is ok by my bit as long as they're personal, post your license number and the serial of the firearm you wish to trade if you wish to do to do. Sales between friends are encouraged in our community. Remember to do this legally.
3) Adhere to the board rules regarding being civil to one another, remember, we're gun owners and as so an armed society is polite one, we do not make threats, we do not incite armed rebellion, we do not encourage unlawful use of firearms. Period.
4) If you wish to post recipies and other tips and tricks, BE SURE TO NOTE THE SOURCE, THE RELIABILITY OF THE SOURCE AND MAKE KNOWN IF MODIFICATION IS POTENTIALLY UNSAFE, recommending stupidly hot loads and obviously unsafe practices will result in a report.
5) Off topic posts aren't that big a deal in my book, it's a forum, so we socialize, that's natural, as long as it isn't too bad it's tolerable all around.
6) The rules will be ammended if the situation calls for it.

Situations include,

I) New laws
II) Zombie Apocalyse
III) New forum rules
IV) Alien Invasion
V) Social rules regarding the use of firearms

7) If you don't know, ASK. This isn't the hardware forum whereby you should google things up, a lack of knowledge here could result in injury or death.
8) If you don't know, DON'T SAY YOU KNOW. Simply, don't give advice which you unsure about, and as with rule 4, if you feel you advice is right but potentially untrue, state it!
9) Remeber that you are not only a private citizen, but an indicator and show of our sport, carry it with pride and lead by example, everytime you do anything unsafe or illegal, it reflects badly on the rest of us.
10) Enjoy you sport. That's all there is to it

[addedon]March 11, 2009, 11:01 pm[/addedon]Cardinal Rules of Safety when Operating Firearms

1) Treat EVERY Firearm as if it is loaded

2) Never point the firearm at anything you're not willing to destroy/kill/turn into squishy pulp

3) Be sure of your target and everything behind it

4) TRIGGER DICIPLINE! Finger off the trigger till Hammer time comes!

5) Don't load till you're ready to do serious shootan

6) When done shooting, detach mag, open bolt, eyeball it and then render safety

7) Secure all weapons at all times

8) Just like you don't let assholes touch your wife, you shouldn't let people touch your guns

9) When moving over obstables, unload and render safe before moving. Moving the rifle to the other side and then moving without the weapon on your person is even better

10) Drugs, Alcohol, Alcopops, Cannabis and other shit = No good with firearms

11) Know your weapon and keep it in operating order at all times

Next post will be regarding ammo.

News Posts

empire23 — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:47:52 +0800

I'll keep this short. Instead of people posting news in kopitiam and waiting for people to comment (which generally forms 20 percent of the 1st page thread count), why don't we have a seperate news and discussion section. Doesn't seem as fun or popular, granted, but it'll make moderation easier i figure. And heck, we could probably apply the idea to most other sections at the same time.

While i'm at it, i want to ask, is it ok if i started a thread on making ammo (it's legal in Aus but not legal in Malaysia the last i figured), guns (generally rifles are non licensable in Malaysia) and where other forumers can post old Military Manuals? Generally a thread regarding shooting.

Objective Audiophilia Thread

empire23 — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:58:59 +0800

I'm seriously bored, have one exam left on the 14th which is Electronic Design and Analysis (generally discrete amplifier design for n00bs) so i decided to open this thread to discuss common misconceptions regarding stupid audiophile beliefs and such. Anyone with decent electronics knowledge or a solid opinion is welcome to join, so that we may poke fun at people that spend one bajillion dorrars on magic stones or springs.

Anyone having doubts on purchases are also welcome to ask about them, because even if you've bought something dumb, you can always be enlightened, sell it off to some dumbass and get seriously awesome stuff for your money. Hurr.

Let's start with one i really love.

1. Cable Burn in.

Belief : that Cables sound better as they're used.

Reality : It's bullshit, the cables oxidize as they're use and technically that's worse. If we rule out oxidization due to coating, the only other process i can think off is electromigration, where high voltage densities for really really small connection cause high eV levels that are enough to dislodge atoms, this only happens in microprocessors with cables which are a million times smaller. And electromigration is a bad thing if you must know. Thus there is no such thing as cable burn in, aka it's bullshit.

2. Electronics Burn in.

Belief : That electronics sound better as they're used. A few hundred hours are the best.

Reality : As big a pile of bull as cable burn in. The tendency of components, especially transistors, resistors and other components is absurdly low. Anyone who thinks opamps can burn in should be shot and burned on a stake. The only drift that occurs with electronics is temperature drift, as the temps increase, the components values "drift", but even that's a pile of shit these day as most components come with some form of temperature compensation or have very temp stable charateristics.

Note that even going up to double the operating temps of a general resistors doesn't really change the resistance by much, 100 PPM of the rated value per celsius for most Milspec resistors.

The only thing i know that does require burn in are capacitors, and it's only the final 3 percent for electrolytics and after that burn in time, age drift kicks in . Most circuits are extremely tolerant to changes in capacitance, only microwave ones being sensitive, thus it's never a problem for audio electronics.

Windows Vista HDD migration

empire23 — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:24:52 +0800

I have this problem. My current HDD is ass slow by any standard of imagination.

So what i want to do is reinstall my OS on a shinny new RAID array. Ok, reinstalling isn't a big problem, it's just that the disc for my Vista U64 installation is about a thousand KM back home, plus sending the disc here via post is going to be expensive.

My question is, can i Ghost/XCOPY my old drive's contents onto the new array and expect it to work? Will Vista gimme any issues? I knew XP never liked this.

Photo Competition : Street Photography

empire23 — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:39:21 +0800

WE HAS A WINRAR LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «
THE WEDDING MUSCIAN!

Why? Like i said, the colors and tone match the overall feeling the photographer wants to convey, reinforcing it, the vignett effect coupled with the subject on the edge gives it that little extra. Above all, it's the subject that really appealed to me. The subject's fatigue and resting stance, couple with the tone and color really made me think "this is something". The photo doesn't excell in all parts, but it does capture the essence of street, a person or people and a moment above all, an impromptu recording of actions by the camera lense.

Congrads Kord. Here's on to an awesome picture!

HONORABLE MENTION

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

William's capture of Children playing in the beach is a great example of a picture with a message, theme and feeling to go with it. Technically flawless, and with a great setting. It screams innocence, fun and a carefree attitude that kids take to the world around them, something we as adults could learn. Thumbs up my good man

Emp's PSU Guide

empire23 — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:33:14 +0800

PSU Madness!

Nobody posts anything useful in Hardware nowadays, it's either really stupid kids or really stupid kids with money posting like they know shit. There was a time where people actually found this place as intellectually stimulating, now it's just a pile of poo. So i've decided to spend my time to write a decent guide regarding PSUs and how they work to encourage thinking and maybe help this place regain some dignity it once had.

This first post will incorporate various notes and sources regarding the subject of power supplies and switching power supplies among other things and the second deal exclusively with the simple basics of electronics that are required to understand the fundementals of power supplies as a whole.

Resources

ON Semiconductor Power Supply Notes
http://www.onsemi.com/pub_link/Collateral/SMPSRM-D.PDF

National Semiconductor Power Supply Notes
http://www.national.com/appinfo/power/files/f4.pdf

ON Semiconductor Notes on Power Factor Correction
http://www.onsemi.com/pub_link/Collateral/HBD853-D.PDF

Notes and Rules

Rules

1.Respect High Voltage. Don't touch it if you don't know how it works. Even when disconnected a PSU is a source of dangerous voltage as a badly designed PSU might or might not have bleeder circuits to bleed the charge holding capacitors.

2.If you don't know, then highlight the section and ask. I will answer questions, no worries, just make sure you do prior research and if you still can't find the answer, i'm all ears.

3.If you feel any section has any errors, feel free to highlight them by posting, it is greatly appreciated. I am an idiot, i get shit wrong even if i'm too pigheaded to correct it sometimes. I don't really mind corrections.

Notes

1.Most of my references are either from datasheets, online sources, and Hughes' Electrical Technology, Gary M Miller's Modern Electronic Communications, The Power Supply Cookbook, Tangentsoft.net and Basic Electronics by the US NAVY PRESS.

2.Pictures are usually stolen, anyone willing to volunteer their time to draw me pretty diagrams is more than welcome.

3.Some of the information here is taken off my lectures with Dr Ron Sharma and Dr Bruce Varnes, both are my lecturers, one lectures Power Plant Tech and other does Telecoms Principles. I will upload my notes if requested, they're of far higher quality than my Malaysian college notes.

Versions

Version 1.0 - Basic Release

How many of you people want a PSU guide?

empire23 — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:29:53 +0800

I have a PSU technology guide, that teaches the basics apart from design of PSUs, their working concepts and even the add on concepts that make them tick. The list of topics are as follows;

1) Fundamentals
2) PSU concepts
3) Linear Regulation concepts
4) Switching Regulation concepts
5) Switching Power Supplies as a whole
6) Power Factor and Notion of Complex power
7) Real World Examples

A) I could flog it for a small sum of money to a few tech sites, but the money they pay me wouldn't even be enough to pay for a cup of tea around here.

B) I could post it here if the amount of people willing to read it. There's no point in doing community service if the community doesn't make use of it.

Looking for Zeiss Planar 50mm 1.4F

empire23 — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:47:35 +0800

As per the thread title, i'm actually looking for a Zeiss Planar 1.4F lense, built by Zeiss or Cosina isn't a problem, i don't really mind if it's made in Japan. Plus i'm looking for a converter that'll allow me to use the lense on my EF mount. I kind of want to try the lense and mount before i buy, so do you guys know anybody or any shop that carries them on hand? 2nd hand is fine too

Thermal Power Research

empire23 — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 07:06:42 +0800

Question is we've always asked ourselves. How much power does X PART develop. While taking a shit today, i realized that measurement of power via the measurement of the time required to heat up a certain object, the delta and the final temperature at the end of that time could technically show how much power that item develops when it's working. Don't ask me how i thought about this when taking a dump, a smart man keeps his muses secret. Anyways, so what power do we usually want to know? Obviously the power of stuff that consumes the most power, namely processors and graphics cards. Graphics cards are easy because you can use a shunt and use Ohm's law to derive something, it's just hard as you'll have to desolder the PCI-E slot's power connectors or isolate them.

Thus we've come to the processor.

The goal of this thread is to figure out 2 thangs
1) The variability of leakage power from the same stepping and of processor (for example, 20 E6600 Core2Duo's temperature variance between units), this is for academic purposes.
2) A real quantitative figure of power use by processors under various conditions. This is a measurement of the power consumption of the proc alone, thus even if you change mobos, the figure stays the same.

Anyone wanting to join this hunt for power measurement can request their name be added. I'm looking for extreme ocers, engineering educated, math and physics inclined folk, plus God forbid it, more EE goons. So here's the list so far.

1) Empire23

If you have nothing good or useful to post here, don't post it

Anyways let's get to what i've figured so far.

[attachmentid=368093]
1) Measurement Method 1

Q = m c ΔT

Q = Power Needed

m = Mass

c = Specific Heat capacity

ΔT = Difference of temperature

Asuume room temp is 26 Degrees C and the Target/Final temp is 90 C

Assume a processor is perfectly insulated and perfectly coupled to a 1kg block of copper.

The mass would be 1kg. Coppers Specific Heat Capacity is 385 j/grams. Thermal delta is 90-26 = 74c

Thus Q = 1x385x74 = 28490J

Under the assumption that to get 1kg copper to a temp of 90C one has to inject 29k joules of power

1 watt hour is about 3600 joules.

X watt = X Joule / Seconds

here's where we add the time. If it takes 5 minutes or 300 seconds to heat up till 90c

Thus 28490 / 300 = 94 watts.

I think this is correct, i'm not a materials or mechnanical engineer for the love of God. So i hope some engineering folks from other fields chip in with their much needed expertise

Problems as conveyed by fishychickens

1) Repeatability
2) Insulation
3) Mounting standards
4) Thermal Interfacing and Coupling
5) How people in HW are now complete idiots

2) Measurement Method 2

We can use the EE method of discovering power chomped by assuming the P = I V

All motherboards have Voltage sensors, and even a retard can clip a set of voltage probes across an inductor on a motherboard right? Point is that V is easily measured.

Problem is finding I or Current in Amperes

There are 2 methods of finding it which aren't too bad.
[attachmentid=368094]
1) You break the circuit and add the ammeter in series with one phase.

[attachmentid=368095]
2) You use a current probe that uses the Hall Effect.

This has everything going for it.

1) It's damned accurate
2) It's repeatable
3) You don't need to overheat anything
4) Probably easier

But there are 2 problems here as i've myself realized.

1) Some Processor voltage regulators play around with the phases and shut them down when not needed, so we MUST know the pattern and we must know how the load is distributed
2) I'm assuming that all regulators here are pass style MOSFET switching regulators.

As with all research ventures, you'll have to know your measurement limitations and what equipment can be shored up.

QUOTE(Equipment Available)

1) Oscilloscope with Both Voltage and Current probes.
2) Fluke 189 and Fluke 179 DMMs
3) Soldering Stuff (non BGA capable)
4) Plug Based power analyzer (it plugs into the PSU and gives total power consumed and PF)
5) Some Shunts

Things we might need
1) Processors (duh)
2) Motherboard with easily de-solderable inductors
3) Balls

I'm not expecting freaking geniuses here but i think community participation is good as in the HTT Reseach thread. Not everyone was an elite analog/signalling engineer but community participation did help alot out in figuring out on how the damn thing worked. So if you think you're good, lend a hand, we could actually compile a list that's worth a damn!

Tech@Emp

empire23 — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 01:20:41 +0800

I've gotten off my ass due to my connectivity to blogger being decent now and i've just posted my first article on the state of malaysian tech magazines.

Anyways, this site is generally meant for reviews, critique, views and how to do guides centered on technology, and other stuff i can't publish on mainstream sites. It will be very much centered on commentaries and how-to guides as i'm trying to cater to a smaller more dedicated line of people. Well, i'm not planning to make any money off it, i just want it as a place to sharpen my writing skills and get an idea of how Malaysians view technology in their day to day lives.

Sorry for the ugly design. Until i find a webdesigner willing to do it on the cheap, it will remain ugly

http://emp23tech.blogspot.com/

EOS5D or EOS1D Mark III

empire23 — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 15:11:09 +0800

I'm currently waiting on my results before going overseas for study, my folks said if my results are good enough and a get a scholarship, the money they saved will be passed to me as cash, they already set the cash aside and they aren't really the stingy kind so that gives me some money for something mucho macho expensive, so instead of doing what most smart malaysians do, like buy ASN2020 or put it an investment scheme, i've decided to buy a fracking new camera to replace my 350D with Kit lense.

The thing is that i'm torn between two models, with very different price ranges and features...so folks, help me choose a new cammy. The most obvious reason i'm sticking the 5D in is because of the FF sensor, which allows me to shoot in low light or darkness without a flash (which i hate), and the fact it's cheaper and comes with the nice L class kit lense. The EOS1D is attractive because to me it's a longer term investment, has weather sealing and alot of soft features, and a new dual DIGIC processor and a host of other pro features, but the matter of the fact is that i get no lense to start with, thus i'll have a really expensive professional body sitting there doing nothing while i cough up the dough. Assume this is going to be a camera that has to last me the next 5 years.

Here's my little list of pros and cons

EOS5D

For

- Full Frame Sensor
- 12.8 megapixels (assuming the same pixel density)
- Smaller body and more transportable
- 24-105L 4.0L Kit lense
- No FOV cropping

Againts

- ISO3200 the max
- Not as many AF points
- No live view
- 3 FPS only (although it doesn't matter much to me
- Cheaper

EOS1D Mark III

For

- Weather proofing
- DIGIC III dual processor and even lower noise
- Very tough body
- Live View
- Longer batt life
- Larger ISO range of up to 6400
- More AF points and better metering and evaluation
- More software features

Againts

- No lense, so buy body, save for lense, probably do narthing until i save money
- APS-H, so there's a 1.6x cropping and there's only 10 megapixelz
- Large and heavy, probably will die lugging the beast around.

So help me choose between the both and provide ye reasons!

Needs to design stupid power supply

empire23 — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:48:34 +0800

Ok, all audiocrap needs power, that's the point lol. So here's a PSU design thread dedicated the art of chap fan PSU design, based on the priciples of "take what's good, leave the rest" and nasi campur. Here we shall discuss designs pertaining to good PSU design and all that crap.

I'll start with my particular problem....Parallel Regulation with super regulators!

My idea is this, quadruple the current output on a regulator by using 4 parallel regulators based on the Jung Super Reg design or the "i curi from National PDF" design. The problem is, how does i divide the current load equally across the regs? I know i can use current sense via resistors, but those are horribly inaccurate. Anyone out there got any idea? Damn well stratching my head on this

Consumer Rights and Law

empire23 — Sat, 12 May 2007 19:02:51 +0800

Well, most consumers here don't really know their rights and since i was reading up on the topic, might as well post it for the good of all buyers that actually read through this section lawl.

Consumer Protection Act of 1999
http://www.kpdnhep.gov.my/pub/kpdn/downloa...on_Act_1999.pdf

Here's the quick link

http://www.kpdnhep.gov.my/index.cgi?action...b=consumer_1999

Generally a culmination and reinforcement of older acts. Hope it helps in any future disputes or whatnot. Interpretation is open to all so go ahead and post (although most likely someone other than me will answer, go ask RBR)

EDIT : ADDED.

Trade Descriptions Act of 1979
http://www.kpdnhep.gov.my/index.cgi?action=pub&pub=akta_1972

This generally alludes towards the enforcement of proper descriptions and definition of false advertising.

Hope the mods sticky this to educated people abit

BF2142 Tech support

empire23 — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 00:53:29 +0800

UPDATED

A few people i've hear inclusive of myself have gone through numerous problems with BF2142, and the loss of hair afterwards. Well, might as we start a thread out dedicated to solving technical issues associated with this ~~Successor to Windows ME~~ Game. Well i hope the mods pin it up so this thread can get more exposure and maybe help a few dudes push in some game play time.

This thread will generally compile problems and solution, which should be submitted in a simple and easy to read format as per the below for further ease of reference by our esteemed members, TKers and n00bs alike.

Diagnosis : One of the easiest ways to get a diagnosis is to use the system log. Go into the Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Events Viewer -> System. And then look for log entries with the Exclaimation mark beside them. Easy right?

[PROBLEM]
Problem : eg; Giant Crabs in BF2142
Location : eg; Verdun
Time : eg; While I was High last night
Ping : eg; 100ms
Setup : eg; Pentium MMX.......
Likely Source : eg; Stupid DICE programmers, EA.
Added Notes : The crab just CAME!
Likely Fix : Find it's weak spot and hit for massive damage

[SOLUTION]
Problem : eg; EA people hate me (post 1337)
Solution : Hate them back

I plan to update the thread's first post with the above and if everyone with the same problems could chip in abit, heck we could send this shit to EA and get them to fix it. Plus in the mean time we could come up with fixes of our own.

Here's a few problems of mine

[PROBLEM]
Problem : Graphical Corruption and funny geometric shapes on screen
Location : Random
Time : Random
Ping : Random
Setup : AMD Athlon X2 with X1800XT 512mb with Catalyst 6.9
Likely Source : Lankey Drivers or Game itself
Added Note : Gets in the way of shooting people

[SOLUTION]
Problem : the above
Solution : None, but reduction of such anomalies is possible by upgrading to the Catalyst 6.10 Drivers. People also report that lowering the resolution helps, but i'm still not sure.

[PROBLEM]
Problem : Screeching sound, PC hangs
Location : Random
Time : Random
Ping : Random
Setup : AMD Athlon X2 with X1800XT 512mb with Catalyst 6.10 and Audigy2ZS
Likely Source : Game itself
Added Note : NA

[SOLUTION]
Problem : The above
Solution : Go into DXDIAG, lower sound hardware acceleration to BASIC. Or use Software sound in the BF2142 options, or buy an XFI.

So i hope you guys keep posting so we can all help each other out. Even if you have a solution to a simple and maybe meaningless bug, just put it here.

USER SUBMITTED BUG REPORTS

REPORTED BY CEREAL

Problem : Random CTD's Graphical Bugs
Location : Titan Mode
Time : Playing more than 1 round of titan mode
Ping : Any Ping
Setup : Athlon64 3000+
X1600xt 256MB ram
Likely Source : Graphical Drivers (using OLD cataclyst 6.6 Omega Drivers)

Problem : the above
Solution : Downloaded Newer cataclysy 6.9 Drivers since Omega Said they cant produce any later drivers anymore
www.omegadrivers.net

REPORTED BY NASIK

[PROBLEM]
Problem : inner titan goes to black
Location : every titan map
Time : everytime i enter teh titan, both enemies and own
Ping : 100% not related. even in singleplayer teh same
Setup : athlon64 3000+ 7800gt
Likely Source : dont know. in demo it works fine
Added Note : sux. cant see shit in it

[SOLUTION]
Problem : the above
Solution : none. at least for now.

REPORTED BY SIHUMCHAI

[PROBLEM]
Problem : Crash to Desktop
Location : Whatever map
Time : Random, see added notes.
Ping : Not related? Low ping and high ping also got. 120-450
Setup : AMD Athlon XP 1800ghz 9550SE 512mb RAM
Likely Source : The Game itself.. Or my crap system
Added Note : Happens after loading a map, not first game, maybe second, third, or fourth-- etc. etc.

[SOLUTION]
Problem : the above
Solution : Unsure

Unsure? Because a forumers asked me about CTD's.. I think it was Yoshuka, and I said no, doesn't happen to me. But recently it happened a 1-2 times.
__________________________

[PROBLEM]
Problem : Memory Leak
Location : Whatever map
Time : Random, see added notes.
Ping : Not related? Low ping and high ping also got. 120-450
Setup : AMD Athlon XP 1800ghz 9550SE 512mb
Likely Source : The Game itself.. Or my crap system
Added Note : After long duration of gameplay, the game slows down dramaticly.. When exit to desktop.. It says virtual memory too low, or.. A hazard sign will be displayed at the system tray(which is low virtual mem).

Empire23's note : You probably need more memory since BF2142 uses around 750 megs of it

REPORTED BY AOSHI_88

[PROBLEM]
Problem : It lags when the commander moves the tian you're assaulting
Location : Whatever map(TITAN)
Time : A few times
Ping : 100-110ms
Setup : AMD Athlon XP 2500 Barton with GeForce 7600GS 256MB GDDR2.
Likely Source : The Game itself.. could be the Engine
Added Note : I jump and so do other people.... all OVER the screen.
[SOLUTION]
Problem : the above
Solution : None... EA hasn't said anything yet.

Mouser, Handmade electronics and Digikey bulk

empire23 — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 22:35:22 +0800

As most here know i'm starting one of my quarterly bulks to mouse and others. He's the stuff plain and simple.

DIGIKEY.COM ADDED TO LIST OF BULKING POINTS

1. Buy only stuff that is listed and in stock.

2. Take into mind, minimum quantity

3. Shipment comes to me then is sent out to you, you pay for my parking, poslaju and a drink.

4. This is a community service. But i make extremely little. If you want you can add to my slush fund for future bulks. But you are charged credit card fees and other costs which i will make clear.

5. I'll pay for some orders in advance. But this is only extended to people who joined my previous bulk or whom i trust (people who i like duh). But if the quantity goes above 400 ringgit. Pay first, then you get your stuff.

6. If customs jacks us, payment for it is divided accordingly. If someone helps the stuff pass customs 25 percent of what was supposed to paid to them goes to our hero.

7. Timeframe is about 1 month to 1.5 months. Getting funds isn't easy and i prefer i use up all the shipping size FEDEX gives in a box. I'll always choose the cheapest shipping, even cheapest @ 75 USD isn't a joke my muchachos.

8. Names, Addresses, Phone numbers and such are to be provided clearly. If you're prepaying, suggest you screenshot your transferslips for ease of reference.

9. The bulks for each site aren't just at the same time, i'm a student, RSmalaysia raped me and i feel dejected and heck i'm moneyless. One site might be pushed back.

10. You can recommend a site besides the listed which i can bulk from and suggest it. But don't complain if i don't, the only 2 sites i promise is mouser and Handmade electronics.

11. Yes i will take stuff in exchange, but i define the value. Stradivarius, 200 ringgit. See? I accord fair value.

12. I have no intention of taking your cash and running to Mexico. Only mootykins does that.

So have a good look and make your choice boys this only comes once in a while.

ORDER LIST

QUOTE(Tachikoma)

Cancled

PAID AND SENT LIST

QUOTE(Tachikoma)

4x OPA637BP
2x OPA627BP

Empire23's shit filled gallery

empire23 — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 00:16:17 +0800

Need somewhere to host my photos. Se7en might as well foot the bill for me on that one. So here goes, my crappy pics. All are unedited, because i'm no photochop person in the first place, but you guys are welcome to help me edit them.

Bon Odori Pictars. Because a Loli is fine too.
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