Two Sundays ago, the day before I went back to work, I sat down at Starbucks to enjoy an afternoon of D&D study.

Instead, I was horrified to see that my core temperature reading was skyrocketing a few minutes after I turned on my laptop. There was no air coming out of the exhaust at all, despite my dad having vacuumed it just a few weeks prior.

Nothing I did stopped the frightening display. The temperature hit 80 degrees Celsius, and kept going. To prevent a meltdown, I pulled the plug.

I texted my father, and he replied: “Time to bring it to Acer.”

Without a car and time, I wouldn’t be able to go to the service center. Even worse, I’ve heard horror stories about how long our local service center took.

Since I had nothing to lose (warranty was expired anyway), I decided to take a knife screwdriver to my laptop and see what was going on inside.

I bought a cheap set of multi-bit screwdrivers and easily found my way into my laptop’s innards.

True enough, the fan seemed to be stuck. I tried spinning it a bit, and it yielded after a while. Then I discovered why it was stuck.

Lodged in the space between the heat sink housing and the vent was the most monstrous dust bunny I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t anything like the cute gray fluffballs you find under couches.

This one, as you can see, was black, fibrous, dense, and spongy. As I used my Swiss knife’s tweezers to pull it out, it stretched and stretched and did not even break.

It took me about 5 minutes of intense concentration to pull the whole thing out.

True enough, when I tried turning my laptop on again, the fan began spinning without problems. This simple operation saved the pile of time, money and heartache that is usually associated with computer difficulties.

Take note that my laptop is already over 2 and a half years old and has never been repaired. Furthermore, the environment both at work and at home is extremely dusty and polluted. Finally, my laptop’s construction (Acer Aspire 5102WLMi) has a cooling system that is quite open and loose. By comparison, my mother’s laptop (a Twinhead) has a tightly-sealed fan housing, which keeps most dust out.

In any case, this is only recommended if your laptop’s warranty has expired and you have nothing to lose by trying.

In an attempt to diagnose the various maladies of my laptop, I downloaded NHC to monitor my core temperature, HDD temperature, and clock speed, among others. I was rather surprised what I discovered.

Acer Aspire 5102WLMi

Processor: AMD Turion 64 X2

RAM: 1 GB DDR2

HDD: 120 GB

Video Card: ATI Radeon XPress 1100

The main issue with my laptop is that it seems to hang randomly, for no reason at all. It hangs while I’m surfing the net or even just leaving it to idle. There is nothing I can do to make it BSOD reliably; it just seems to die whenever it wants to. This hanging takes one of several forms.

1. Everything just stops moving.

2. The screen turns into color bars, the same color as the predominant screen color at the time it was running.

3. BSOD, often with an error “Driver IRQL not less than or equal.”

I’ve tried updating my drivers, but the same thing still happens.

Another thing that I found really strange: When running programs as light as Visual Boy Advance, the CPU usage shoots up on both cores, like clockwork, every 30 seconds. (With Dynamic switching enabled, the interval increases in frequency to every 15 seconds.) I then saw that NHC detected this periodic stutter as both a drop in core speed (from 1.6 GHz to 800 MHz), resulting in an increase in usage. When idle, this doesn’t happen. However, take a look at the following:

Look, the processor is building a castle wall! It’s going to be able to effectively fight off sieges with arrow volleys! *Ahem*

This is at maximum performance, with no dynamic switching. The only programs actively running are Firefox 3 and iTunes. The core temperature is also disturbingly high. (NHC’s “Warning” level is 80 degrees Celsius, and “Shutdown” level is at 95. That’s almost hot enough to boil water. <_<)

So I’m not exactly sure what’s causing this.

I tried turning off maximum performance and went with dynamic switching instead. I got this. The processor speed is understandably jittery, switching from full to half depending on the need. However, the core temperature drops dramatically.

So yeah, what the heck is wrong with my laptop? It’s about 2 years old already. I’ve never dropped it or poured my coffee onto it. It’s just really odd that its performance has dropped significantly ever since it started crashing like this. Is there anyone out there who can help me with this? I plan on buying a replacement eventually (I want to be able to play Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2), but the current budget does not allow for that any time soon.

If anyone has had the same problem or knows why this weirdness happens, please let me know.

I forgot to mention:

THE COOLING PAD! IT DOES NOTHING!

Cooling pads seem to have absolutely no effect on the core temperature.  The readings I get are the same, with or without the cooling pad active.  SpeedFan still detects my temperature on both cores to be in the danger zone, and disturbingly enough, my laptop seems to have no CPU fan speed monitor.

After less than two months of use, my Nike+ now refuses to start. It died without warning this morning as I was about to begin my run. Now my iPod can’t detect it at all. I just used this thing yesterday, too.

After doing a quick search on the Net, I learned that this little gadget has a seemingly random battery life. Sometimes it lasts for 450 hours (my dad’s been using his more often and far longer than I’ve been using mine) and sometimes it doesn’t last longer than 4 hours. Mine lasted for more than a month, thankfully.

I still can’t get over how this thing doesn’t have a replaceable battery, or can’t be recharged. And they expect us to throw this away and buy a whole new unit? What gives?

This product would be a lot better if:

1. The battery was replaceable or rechargeable.

2. The battery life wasn’t so random (which may be caused by the product sitting in storage for a long time before being shipped and purchased).

3. If there was a way to track the battery life. I didn’t get any warning, and there’s no battery gauge to speak of. It just gave up the ghost.

Apple, please. And I was so impressed with this tool when I got it. Now I’m frustrated that it died so quickly, and that you want us to fork over another $19 to get a new one. At least treat your customers with some modicum of respect.

Thanks to an early Christmas gift from my dad, I’ve now been able to step up my fitness regimen.

Dad sent a Nike + iPod kit a couple of weeks ago, and I have to say that it’s been a very helpful little gadget.

It’s a small sensor pod that either fits into your shoe sole (if you’re actually using a Nike+ pair) or can clip onto your laces with a separately-sold clip (which I use) that tracks your movement. It beams the information to your iPod Nano or iPod Touch (it comes with a plug-in transmitter for the Nano, though the Touch has a built-in receiver for it). The application the iPod comes with (No need for installing the app, all you need is the sensor to err, awaken it) calculates your pace and distance traveled, while playing your favorite playlist. It even comes with a Power Song function which you can activate when you need that extra rush towards the end of your run.

Since Dad can check on my progress, I find it very encouraging. Even my brother is now expressing interest in it, so that we’d be able to encourage one another. I find this more helpful than it seems, really.

These are my runs so far. I’ve been running for longer than I thought I could, and my endurance has been getting better. Still a long way off from being a marathon runner, but wow. I’m the guy who used to run 10 meters around a track oval and walk the rest of the way.

Here’s my workout playlist:

Ash Like Snow by The Brilliant Green
Hitomi no Tsubasa by Access
Bye Bye Beautiful by Nightwish
Whoever Brings the Night by Nightwish
Thunder’s Mighty Roar by Rhapsody of Fire
Bring It On by Steven Curtis Chapman
My Land by Sonata Arctica
Full Moon by Sonata Arctica
GONG by JAM Project
Evil Shine by Ikuzawa Yuuichi
Reach Out for the Light by Avantasia
DEEP RED by JAM Project
Precious Jerusalem by Blind Guardian
The Pharaoh Sails to Orion by Nightwish
Wish I Had an Angel by Nightwish
Rain of a Thousand Flames by Rhapsody of Fire
Queen of the Dark Horizons by Rhapsody of Fire
The Power of One by Sonata Arctica
Over the Rainbow by Freedom Call
Libera Me From Hell by Iwasaki Taku (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann)
Triumph or Agony by Rhapsody of Fire
Reasons to Live by Dragonforce
Heartbreak Armageddon by Dragonforce
Inside the Winter Storm by Dragonforce
The Warrior Inside by Dragonforce
Scars of Yesterday by Dragonforce
Heroes of Our Time by Dragonforce
Nyan Nyan Service Medley by May’N and Megumi Nakajima (from the last episode of Macross Frontier)
LION by May’N and Megumi Nakajima (Macross Frontier second OP)
Northern Cross by May’N (Macross Frontier second OP)
Sorairo Days by Shoko Nakagawa (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann OP)

Power Song: E.P.M. by Dragonforce. I mean, what better song to use for a Power Song than a song entitled EXTREME POWER METAL?

Happy running.

Finally, a breather. With grades done and a rather relaxed week ahead of me, it’s time for a serious blog entry. Before that, however, let me introduce you to Shinkirou.

Shinkirou is an 8 GB iPod touch that my dad gave me for by birthday late last month. I was rather surprised by the offer  although I gladly accepted.  In any case, Shinkirou has now become a regular companion. More than just an mp3 player, I’m able to do a lot more with the iPod touch’s applications. Definitely a cool toy.  Daily podcasts from CNN and Ravi Zacharias, a Christian apologist who I listen to.

By the way, you can find that wallpaper here.

Now on to the main event.

The Angel at the Threshing Floor

This Sunday’s sermon was much more than just a simple message. I think it served to me as a massive wakeup call.The main text was a story about King David that not that many people know of, at least outside of regular Bible readers.

Most of the time, when we hear of King David, we hear about his vanquishing of the giant Goliath, or his adulterous and murderous affair with Bathsheba. However, towards the end of his life, David experienced another extremely significant event in his life.

Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelitest from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to meso that I many know how many there are.”

But Joab replied, “May the LORD multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?” 1 Chronicles 21: 1-5

Okay, so what’s wrong about having a census of soldiers? Well, let’s backtrack a bit.

To begin with, Israel as a nation had not been led by a king since they came out of Egypt. Moses, Joshua, and their successors were not really monarchs. Eventually, the people clamored for a king, and so Samuel, the last judge, asked God about it—and God told him what to say. In effect, they were discouraging them from relying on a political leader. Nevertheless, since there was a provision for a king in the Law (Deuteronomy 19). The gist of this was that the king should be an exemplar of righteousness and should avoid relying on his political and military power and not on God. By counting his fighting men, David is relying more on how powerful his army is and not on God’s ability to give him victory.

What happens is that David orders Joab, his commander-in-chief, to do it anyway. Take note that Joab is not a very nice guy, as seen elsewhere in 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles, but even he was appalled by the command. He counts the men short just to spite David, but notes that there are over a million men at David’s command. After the census, the judgment comes. God’s messenger is Gad, a prophet.

This is what the LORD says: ‘Take your choice: three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the LORD–days of plague in the land, with the angel of the LORD ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me.  1 Chronicles 21:11-12

David responded well:

“I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”

The judgment comes, and the LORD himself does it with a heavy heart. The plague kills 70,000 men before it’s over, and the angel finally turns to Jerusalem to destroy it.

But as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the LORD was standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth, with a sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown. 1 Chronicles 21:15-16

This must have been a horrifying sight for David—angels have always been shown to be terrifying creatures in Scripture, and to see this angel standing on top of what was to become the Temple Mount with his sword drawn in the execution of judgment must have been doubly unsettling especially since David knew this was all because of him. However, this was a wakeup call for David–he was not in power because he was a strong king. He started out as a shepherd, an unlikely hero whom everybody thought was nothing more than an annoying kid—then became one of Israel’s greatest figures. He was persecuted by his own king for a long time, and was not able to enjoy a the comfort of a palace until well into his adulthood. And he had become king only by the grace of God.

And so here was the turning point in his life–facing a being of enormous supernatural power, David could do nothing but bow down and worship the Lord. He purchased the threshing floor of Araunah and built an altar, insisting on buying it and the sacrificial implements because offering something he got for free to the LORD was unthinkable.

But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take fo rthe LORD what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.” v. 24

After this, the LORD himself answers David with fire on the altar, and the angel at the threshing floor ceases and desists from the slaughter. Seeing the reply of the LORD, David declares, “The house of the LORD God is to be here, and also the altar of burnt offering for Israel.” (1 Chronicles 22:1) He had found the last mission of his life: the founding of the temple.

David never really gets a chance to build the temple–he’s approaching his 70s by this point, and the prophet Gad tells him that since he’d been a man of blood, the LORD decided not to give David the honor of building the temple, and that the honor belonged to Solomon, David’s son, who would be a man of peace. (22:7-9) David then prepares vast quantities of resources for the building of the temple, and after David’s death, Solomon picks up the work and carries on the construction all the way to the temple’s dedication.

So what does this ancient story have to do with me?

Three things: a wakeup call, a turning point, and a mission.

You might have noticed that my blog entries have been very angry lately. I’ve felt confused, distressed, and annoyed at various things. Add this to my lack of direction and you’ve got a very uncomfortable young man. However, this message just stirred my heart so much and renewed my courage.

I’ve been unhappy with my job. I do get enough money to continue my current lifestyle, but I was not happy that it was a very cold, dead end for me if I stayed here—I’d never earn enough to fund my own further studies, and thus I’d never get promoted or get opportunities for teaching in higher institutions. I’m thankful to the Lord that I have a job at all, but I’d been living the past four years as if this was all there was.

I have a history of being like that—living for the moment. While it sounds good on paper or in a movie, living for the moment, quite frankly, leads nowhere. I don’t like meandering around a mall; I definitely don’t want to meander around my life. I have to move on and move forward.

Now my problem is that I saw the Angel at the Threshing Floor of my life—my application to Singapore’s Ministry of Education. It has always been so intimidating to me, especially since I’m a teacher with only four years of experience and not a single unit of education underneath my belt. I’ve been afraid to take the risk, afraid to make a move, and as such I’ve been putting it off.

Now that the year is ticking by rapidly, I haven’t finished it yet. But like David, who made the bold risk of bowing to the Lord’s will and building an altar where the angel stood, I have decided it’s time to trust in the Lord and go with his plan. By all indications, that mission does not involve me staying here in the Philippines. It’s time to move on. The Angel at the Threshing Floor, though terrifying, is merely the messenger who is to bring me my life mission.

…belongs to a 75-year old Swedish woman.

View the article here.[link]

Forty. Whopping. GIGABITS PER SECOND. @_@ This is insane. I want one. Then again I’ve sworn off downloading illegal stuff, so it really won’t do me any good. Except maybe for absolutely lagless online gaming.

I couldn’t resist clicking on the “Attack of the Killer Slugs” article in the sidebar. I sort of regretted it. (You do not want to see a bucket of 900 slugs. Trust me.) Gastropods are disgusting enough, but black, 15cm gastropods rampaging across a city is more than my stomach can take.

Oh, and another quiz:



What type of Fae are you?
How true.

Sorry for the successive flatliners. My brain hasn’t been working much lately.