Friday, March 18, 2011

Charriots of the Gods

I am not a religious man. But I am not a god-less free thinker. I have a religious teaching to follow with and as a guidance of my life. The teaching from Confucius, Taoist and Buddhism are my guidance. These teachings, however, do not much cover the God chapter. Though I am a God believer that there is only one God regardless of which religion someone is following, be you are a Christian, Muslim, Hinddu or Chinese believers. As I believe God's teachings are to bring goodness to man-kind. And religion blossoms as different people has different cultures, hence such religion fit to such people.

During my teenage, I could keep myself in deep thinking of the existence of one-self, and the God. Once I am boldly enough to assume that there is only one God and He hand down His teaching through different languages, hence religion is created. And I was boldly assume that God is actually aliens from outer-space ! That was when I was 17.

Until recently when I watched the History Channel I know I am not alone to have this kind of "weird" thinking. There is a series of documentary in the History Channel titled as "Alien Astronauts" where the evidence of Earth being visited by alien in the pre-historic time is discussed. From there, I got to know Mr Eric Von Daniken and his book, "Chariots of the Gods".

Shame of me, this is my ever first English book (apart from text book of school and university). With "heavy heart", I started reading this book and got fascinated by the facts and hypothesis he made. He got my imagination runs wild !

First, Mr Von Daniken started his stories with a suppose that in our near future, man would have developed enough to travel to outer space out of our solar system into deep space. Then our astronauts found a Earth-like planet with alien creatures live on the surface. Due to the need of refueling the spaceship, our astronauts land on the planet, and started to build bases and harvesting minerals that required for the fly-home. The humanoid creature that live on the planet is so under develop that they resemble pre-historic human age. Few of the brave locals approach our astronauts who came from the sky with gigantic flying spaceship. Our astronauts were kind enough to interact with the locals, and hence the brave ones were elected as priests, or even kings. The local treat our astronauts as gods with advance technology. Our astronauts teach them simple knowledge of sciences, arts, numbers and mathematics. When the minerals required for a fly-home is enough, our astronauts left the planet. Since then, the locals treat our astronauts as Gods with powerful power!

Of course this kind of assumption so science fiction like, but it sounds logic to me. From the number itself, we, human or homo-sapien, can't be the only intelligent species in the vast universe! Someone, or something must have habitat one planet out there, unknown to us, that may one day we would contact them.

The book continues with stories and finding and paintings and writing from ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Sumerian, Greek and Hindu. Surprisingly, the stories of how God decent from sky is so similar in the holy text of these civilizations. That could be explain, in my opinion, that geographycally these civilizations are quite near to each other. People may travel from one place to another, carrying with them their legend, and been translated into language and culture that fit to them.

But what been written down and drawn by the ancient people of Latin America is really an un-explain. What Mr von Daniken says are quite logic as no way the ancient people would produce such a precise workmanship that require very precise accuracy! How would the ancient people move that gigantic rocks ? Why are the faces of that rock so alien-like ? Why pyramid?

One thing I don't understand is that Mr von Daniken never consider the myths told by Chinese as part of the "prove" that alien did visited Earth. For example: there is a myth about flooding in ancient China. There is a myth about how earth and heaven was form by a giant awaken from an "egg". There is a myth about how human been made from dirt. And the the myth of a princess flew to the moon. I myself had studied these Chinese mythology and felt convinced that our ancient Chinese did interact with the alien! Then why the story of God of the Chinese myth is so different from the near-by civilization ? Can this be explain as geographically China is separated from India and the Middle East by the Himalayas? Hence the story of God descending from heaven with gigantic spaceship is much different from the Chinese one.

The whole book writes about alien-traces in religion texts and ruin city walls of some major civilizations. It is a fun book to read. Many things seems to be un-explained can be explain by von Daniken. His points are some how valid and logic to me.


It's a nice book to read. I don't consider this book as an anti-religious book as it never challenge the existence of God. You can treat it as a science fiction story books, but what is written inside is too real to be fake. It's a fun book to be read.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Ad-hoc Connection Between PC and Mac with Internet Access

I am always a PC user until I bought myself a pre-own MacBook Pro some months ago. I don't call myself a total shift from PC to Mac as my main working station is still my Dell computer which run under Windows 7. I do, however, found out that both Windows 7 and Mac Os X has lots of similarities that I have no difficulties switching between my PC and my Mac.

I used to run a virtual router on my old XP desktop computer which I could create an internet shared WiFi hotspot in my home with a Asus WiFi adaptor. The virtual program come together with the adaptor. Some clicks away, and my old XP desktop computer could turn into a WiFi hotspot. With this setting, I could have internet access for both of my desktop and laptop computer.

However, after I upgraded to Windows 7, the virtual router program no longer useable as that program is designed for Windows XP. The reason why is not known; I've tried to install the program, but the program just couldn't run. This drop me to the idea of direct computer connection via ad-hoc connection.

Back then when I was a PC user, my mind was set at that PC and Mac would not communicate in a direct or in-direct way. I didn't know that to connect both PC and Mac through ad-hoc connection is possible. Even with some settings on PC and Mac would make an ad-hoc connection with internet access for both PC and Mac is possible.

I am using Celcom internet broadband service with my PC as my main computer. My PC, which is a Dell computer would be connected to Celcom broadband, and my Mac would access to internet via ad-hoc connection through my desktop PC. And I will show you how to set up an ac-hoc connection with internet access between a PC and a Mac.

Preparation

This is my Asus Wifi adaptor. This adaptor would be plugged onto my PC as my WiFi transmitter. My Mac has its own AirPort as its WiFi receiver. Once the adaptor is plugged onto the computer, Windows 7 will set it up automatically. A wireless network connection will be created under my computer's network connections.

Network Setting Up

On my PC, I will set up a private network by bringing up the network windows as shown below:

Double click on "Set up a new connection or network". Under "Choose a connection option", select "Set up a wireless ad hoc (computer-to-computer) network" and click "Next".

One friendly explanation what is an ad-hoc connection is all about will be shown. Read it, or skip it by clicking "Next".

In the next windows, the name of the ad-hoc network shall be named, and a password to be assigned for this network. In this example, select security type as "WEP" and I've named my network as "ExampleAdHoc". Give any name to your liking. A password has assigned to it. Check "Save this network" as well before click "Next".


If everything has done correctly, the next window will inform you that the network you have just created is ready to use.

To check if the network that has been created just now is ready to use, simply double click onto the wireless signal icon on the bottom right taskbar. A pop up windows will shown all wireless network that is available.

A "Waiting for users" prompt indicates that the network is ready to use, and waiting for any computer that want to connect with it.

Proxies

The next step is to set up the proxies for the PC. This step is important as proxies will ensure that all computers within the same network would have a fix IP address and made internet access for other computers within the network possible.

To set the PC's IP address, simply double click "Change adapter settings" that is located on the left hand side of the "Network and Sharing Center" window. A windows of "Network Connections" will be brought up as shown :



Right click on the "Wireless Network Connection" (in my case, "Wireless Network Connection 2"), and select "Properties", under "Networking" tab, select "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)", and click on "Properties" button.

Check "Use the following IP address:", and key in the IP addresses as shown:



Leave the "Default gateway" and "DNS severs" blank, click "Ok" and you are done with the proxies.

The next step is to share the internet connection via this wireless network that been created. This can be done by sharing the internet connection with the broadband services that is connected to my PC. I am using Celcom broadband service, hence what I did was under "Network Connections", left click the "Celcom" icon, choose properties, select "Sharing" tab, and check "Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection". Select the "Home networking connection" by choosing "Wireless Network Connection" as shown:



Click "OK" and you are done with my PC. My PC now is ready to be connected as a router for other computers as well.

Setting on Mac

Since my Mac would share the internet connection via PC, hence what I should do is to assign an IP address to my Mac and to assign the router IP address, which is my PC's IP address into my Mac's network setting.

To start, simply select the "System Preferences", and select "Network" under "Internet & Wireless" section.


Under the Network window, select "Advanced..."

Select "TCP/IP" tab, under "Configure IPv4", select "Manually" and key in the IP addresses as shown below:

Click "OK", and click "Apply", and you are done !

Turn on your AirPort, and you should be able to find your network name under "Devices". Select and join the network that you've created, key in the password, and walla, you are ready to surf the internet from your Mac.


Monday, December 6, 2010

Group photo with flashes.


Shooting a group of people under bad lighting condition is a tricky job to do. I read one article about taking a group photo with 3 flashes in strobist.com, I wanted to try out the method explain by strobist. I has this golden opportunity when I and my wife were invited to attend a bloggers gathering in a local restaurant.

I used 2 flashes instead 3 as mentioned by strobist.com. Strobist explained that a cross lighting method should be adopted to provide a 3D-ish kind of group photo. Flash on camera left would positioned in such a way that the flash light would feather out so to provide a soft-box type of lighting, and the flash on camera right should be fired from behind the group for separation purpose. A third flash suppose to be fired from on camera axis with low power to provide some fill onto the crowd.

Since the flash from Sony camera's pop-up flash commander is visible under shutter speed of 1/250s (HSS speed for A700), I should make use of the flash fired from this pop-up commander, with shutter speed set at 1/200s, instead using a third flash as mentioned in strobist.com.

The result isn't that promising though. Although the flash from the pop-up acts as fill, but I feel that the flash isn't strong enough to bring up details of the shadow. Still, some faces are still in dark shadow. Perhaps I should use the third flash as advised by strobist. :p

Monday, November 29, 2010

New Gadget in the House

I didn't iPhone myself although I have a chance to do so. My old mobile phone decided to call it a day and refused to accept power charging when I do so. I was happy and sad at the same time; happy as I finally has a valid reason to get myself a new mobile phone with straight approval from Home Minister, and sad because there aren't enough money in my bank book for me to own an iPhone.

I could own an iPhone with credit cards easy payment,instead burdening myself with interest free monthly instalment, I choose not to. My first mobile phone was Nokia, it was the trusty little blue colour Nokia 3230. :D Nokia made reliable handphones, and I bet this one would serve me well.

Once again, the familiar Nokia ring tone rang again. :D

Monday, November 22, 2010

Some recent update

I knew I've been not maintaining my English blog. Blame to the work load that come to me. After moving back to Penang from KL, I lost most of my free time I used to have when I was in KL. From 5 days work per week to 6 days work per week, from nothing to do in the office back then to a practically no rest working hours, I have no much time for me to think of blogging.

Once in a blink of my mind, I wanted to stop blogging, that includes my Chinese blog.

Of course I don't wish to stop blogging. Just I might take out some time to write a post in my blogs.

So, what I am up to these days ?

I Mac myself. LOL.

Not a new one of course. I bought this 1 year old MacBook Pro from a friend of mine who he wished to upgrade to iMac. I was exited with my first ever Mac. Been using it for a month and am surprise to see how fast it turn on and turn off when compare to my brand new Dell Inspirion desktop. This Mac is just a 2 core Intel processor, where my Dell desktop is running on i5 processor.

However, Mac isn't that Godlike after all, it do hang occasionally. LOL. Look like bite an apple a day not always kick a windoz away. :p

And blogging with Mac is a headache for a windoz guy like me. I find the HTML codes from Safari browser is not understandable with extra lines and extra commands. Look like a Mac machine isn't that friendly anyway.

My son is 2 years old now, and he started to speak more words. He could already speak out a simple sentence in object-verb-subject format. He has learned lots of things from the adults by just observing what we do and what we speak. And he likes been photographed.

My soft box DIY project has been put on halt although I've drawn out the plan and the materials are ready. One word : lazy. LOL

Anything else to update? No. As my life isn't that interesting after all. LOL.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Jupiter and its moons.

Jupiter Moon on 22nd Sep 2010

Jupiter is the closet to Earth from 18th September till 24th September. It can be easily been spotted by naked eye. If someone has a binoculars or a small telescope, Jupiter's 4 Galilean Moons can be seen easily.

I shouldn't missed this great opportunity to photograph Jupiter with my own camera and lens. 400mm super zoom lens is good enough to photograph this giant gaseous planet and its moons with ease. The distance between Jupiter and Earth is shortest on 21st September 2010, but the weather is not that encouraging; raining whole day long, and even when the rain stops, thin layer of cloud is still overcast the heaven. However, being the next brightness object in the sky after the Moon, the cloud could not stop the light from Jupiter creeping through.

There was a small period of time when the cloud is thinnest and the rain stop at night, and the light pollution was minimal I could point my camera to the heaven to witness my very first time, to see the King of Planets of the Solar System. Quite disappointing to see through my 400mm lens that what I saw was only a small white dot, not quite I imagined as a clear picture of Jupiter with its red spot. Although disappointed, I continued my will of photographing Jupiter and let the camera do the job of capturing the light from heaven. To my surprised, not only Jupiter is enlarged in the photo from a small dot to a decent size, 4 of its 63 moons can be easily seen on LCD of my camera ! :D

What setting do I need? High ISO, big aperture and long exposure. Shutter speed less than 1 sec is ideal so not to encourage "star trail". Hence, high ISO and big aperture would compensate the limitation of the shutter speed. Closing down the aperture with provide a star flare effect.

Jupiter could still be seen by naked eye till October. This is my hope that the weather condition would be promising for astro-photography.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Baby Ver 2.0




Three years ago, we got married.

Two years ago, he came and joined us.

And she will join us in a few months.

Welcome, Baby Ver 2.0. :D