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I’m blogging here today just to tell everyone that I’m still alive, despite the fact that my last post was well over a month ago.

So, what has been keeping me busy from updating this blog? For one, I’m into developing this web based college management system, http://mohdshakir.hopto.org/administration_dev.php/config, which is a live development system, hosted in my PC at home.

The system indeed is in it’s infancy, as I’m still in the process of figuring out what features to have, and to design the database schema accordingly. With that, I would really appreciate if anyone (especially those from academia) can actually give me inputs, say if they have a feature suggestion to the system, of simply to suggest adding some new fields to the existing tables.

I’m currently developing this for fun, as I just want to practice my long abandoned n00b level programming skill, so that it won’t just die. Accessing the system can sometimes be fast, and sometimes slow, as it might be struggling for bandwidth with all the torrents I currently download using my Streamyx broadband at home :D Here’s a screenshot of the current system (as of this blog is posted la);

I can say it’s somewhat functional already, but is far from perfect. One can basicly see how would the finished system be by looking at what the current system is.

I’ve been a KDE user since I started using Mandrake Linux 8.0, which if I remember correctly by that time bundles KDE 2. It was until recently that when Kubuntu 8.10 includes KDE 4 by default rather than KDE 3, I switched to GNOME.

KDE 4 at that time for me was an unfinished product where it’s not ready for prime time. The desktop effects were slow, many features of KDE 3 programs were still not ported, bluetooth was not working, and most important of all I can’t run it in dual screen.

This has changed recently when KDE team released KDE 4.2. There were so many bugfixes and improvements that I think it’s time for me to go back to KDE.

I’ve published an article on how to install KDE 4.2 in Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex) at Techrecipes.

LPI (Linux Professional Institute) is revising it’s current LPIC-1 and LPIC-2 certification programs and the updated certification program is set to be launched in April 1, 2009.

What this means to me is that if I am to take any of the exams, I better do it before the updated certification program take place, or wait at least for another year. This is because it’s gonna take quite a while before books that are based on the new objectives to be made available on the shelves. This is true especially for the LPIC-2 certification, which even for the current certification program, there’s only one book (to the best of my knowledge) that covers it which is O’Reily’s LPI Linux Certification in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition.

I can just hope Ditesh to organize a new el-cheapo LPI exams as it’s gonna cost RM574 per paper for the exam, and with two papers to pass per certification, it’s gonna hurt my budget big time.

/* I’ve started studying for the LPIC-2 exams (I’m already LPIC-1 certified, but is due to expire later this year), and it would be nice to know if anyone else is to join me taking the exams */

30.01.2009

Sabah Sunset

Photoblog

Not the best sunset photos around, shot during my November 2006 visit to Kota Kinabalu using my Sony DSC H5 prosumer digital camera.

Photo Title    

shakir digital photography   
Camera:   DSC-H5 (SONY) Shutter:   1/160 s
Create Date:   n.a. Aperture:   f/4.0
Lens:   no lens info ISO:   80
Flash:   Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode. Focal Length:   21.1 mm

Photo Title     Tree
Tree
shakir digital photography   
Camera:   DSC-H5 (SONY) Shutter:   1/60 s
Create Date:   n.a. Aperture:   f/3.5
Lens:   no lens info ISO:   80
Flash:   Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode. Focal Length:   23.3 mm

Photo Title     Generation
Generation
shakir digital photography   
Camera:   DSC-H5 (SONY) Shutter:   1/400 s
Create Date:   n.a. Aperture:   f/4.0
Lens:   no lens info ISO:   80
Flash:   Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode. Focal Length:   16.5 mm

Pantai Sabak is a once famous fishing village in Malaysia’s tourism map. It is located 13 kilometres from Kota Bharu, the state’s capital of Kelantan. Among other attraction to the village is the fact that it was a historical battleground between the Japanese and British forces during the World War 2.

After series of serious coastal erosion which happens every year during the monsoon season which I remember claiming over 50 metres of the seashore at it’s worst, the government decided to place wave breakers to protect the village.

The following shots were from my collection circa 2003-2005, where my family actually lives a bit less than 50 metres from the shore now..

Photo Title     Survivors
Survivors
shakir digital photography   
Camera:   C730UZ (OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO.,LTD) Shutter:   1/400 s
Create Date:   n.a. Aperture:   f/3.5
Lens:   no lens info ISO:   100
Flash:   Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode. Focal Length:   7.7 mm

Photo Title     Ruins
Ruins
shakir digital photography   
Camera:   C730UZ (OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO.,LTD) Shutter:   1/400 s
Create Date:   n.a. Aperture:   f/4.5
Lens:   no lens info ISO:   100
Flash:   Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode. Focal Length:   10.3 mm

Photo Title     Remains
Remains
shakir digital photography   
Camera:   C730UZ (OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO.,LTD) Shutter:   1/125 s
Create Date:   n.a. Aperture:   f/3.2
Lens:   no lens info ISO:   100
Flash:   Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode. Focal Length:   11.1 mm

Photo Title     Hstories
Hstories
shakir digital photography   
Camera:   C730UZ (OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO.,LTD) Shutter:   1/160 s
Create Date:   n.a. Aperture:   f/2.8
Lens:   no lens info ISO:   100
Flash:   Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode. Focal Length:   5.9 mm

Photo Title     Dusk
Dusk
shakir digital photography   
Camera:   C730UZ (OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO.,LTD) Shutter:   1/650 s
Create Date:   n.a. Aperture:   f/6.3
Lens:   no lens info ISO:   100
Flash:   Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode. Focal Length:   5.9 mm

Photo Title     Fishing
Fishing
shakir digital photography   
Camera:   C730UZ (OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO.,LTD) Shutter:   1/800 s
Create Date:   n.a. Aperture:   f/3.2
Lens:   no lens info ISO:   100
Flash:   Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode. Focal Length:   14.1 mm

Photo Title     Shells
Shells
shakir digital photography   
Camera:   C730UZ (OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO.,LTD) Shutter:   1/400 s
Create Date:   n.a. Aperture:   f/3.2
Lens:   no lens info ISO:   100
Flash:   Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode. Focal Length:   9.7 mm

Photo Title     Protecting
Protecting
shakir digital photography   
Camera:   C730UZ (OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO.,LTD) Shutter:   1/400 s
Create Date:   n.a. Aperture:   f/8.0
Lens:   no lens info ISO:   100
Flash:   Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode. Focal Length:   5.9 mm

Photo Title     Morning
Morning
shakir digital photography   
Camera:   DSC-H5 (SONY) Shutter:   1/1000 s
Create Date:   n.a. Aperture:   f/4.0
Lens:   no lens info ISO:   125
Flash:   Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode. Focal Length:   6 mm

Photo Title     Fishing 2
Fishing 2
shakir digital photography   
Camera:   DSC-H5 (SONY) Shutter:   1/1000 s
Create Date:   n.a. Aperture:   f/5.6
Lens:   no lens info ISO:   125
Flash:   Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode. Focal Length:   16.5 mm

Description: During Trans Gopeng-Cameron Expedition

Date: October 2004

Photo Title     Butterfly
Butterfly
shakir digital photography   
Camera:   C730UZ (OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO.,LTD) Shutter:   1/160 s
Create Date:   n.a. Aperture:   f/3.2
Lens:   no lens info ISO:   100
Flash:   Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode. Focal Length:   9.7 mm

 

Photo Title     In The Dark
In The Dark
shakir digital photography   
Camera:   C730UZ (OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO.,LTD) Shutter:   1/40 s
Create Date:   n.a. Aperture:   f/3.2
Lens:   no lens info ISO:   100
Flash:   Flash fired, auto mode. Focal Length:   9.7 mm

 

Photo Title     View of Gunung Batu Putih
View of Gunung Batu Putih
shakir digital photography   
Camera:   C730UZ (OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO.,LTD) Shutter:   1/400 s
Create Date:   n.a. Aperture:   f/5.6
Lens:   no lens info ISO:   64
Flash:   Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode. Focal Length:   5.9 mm

I’ll be posting more of my photo collection in this blog, starting with the old ones; the time when my gear was point-and-shoot cameras and photography to me really was to point, and shoot..

 

As a start, the following was taken at Sungai Gabai waterfall, Hulu Langat. Selangor, circa 2003

 

Photo Title     The Frog Prince
The Frog Prince
shakir digital photography   
Camera:   C730UZ (OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO.,LTD) Shutter:   1/160 s
Create Date:   n.a. Aperture:   f/4.0
Lens:   no lens info ISO:   400
Flash:   Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode. Focal Length:   5.9 mm

In a not so recent past, I’ve got myself a Nikon D90. It’s my first dSLR and as of now I’m very pleased with what it can do. The only problem now is that I’m probably still not good at making it do what it do best, taking great photos.

 

For that I’ve also got myself a Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8, a great lens from Nikon. I hope this will bring me a step closer to taking great shots.

 

Gadgets aside, I also tried to understand the bits of what the tutorials at Cambridgeincolour was trying to tell, and the following is the first few shots that I’ve had with the camera:

 

 

* Nikon D90 and Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 photos are taken from Nikon USA website

** Other than resizing, my "sample" photos are un-doctored in any way.

And I’m downloading it now..

Though I’m not a Fedora fan (I’ve had bad experiences with rpm), but I just want to try it out under Virtualbox to see how much has it changed since the last time I tried it. I never was a Fedora user though, and the last time I used Redhat was it’s 7.3 release.

This has put my 4Mbps Streamyx to the test, and man I was surprised!

** I’m downloading it from a Japan’s mirror

I know the title is gonna be a joke in a couple of years, but I finally got my TMNut Streamyx 4Mbps broadband to my home today, after applying for it 7 months ago!. Previously I was solely relying on my unreliable Celcom 3G for broadband at home, and while on the road.

I’m not sure if this 4Mbps package is for real, and so I test my broadband speed using speedtest.net, and here’s the result;

Pretty impressive I would say, but when I start downloading from international servers, my download speed rarely exceed 100KBps, which translates to speed of less than 1Mbps.

I guess I’ll just wait for the High Speed Broadband project to become a reality as being recently announced by the government, and see if things do get better.


  • peja: Ni projek utk sapa ni bro? dah ada org berminat nk beli blom?
  • rizal: bro sy nak nik lpi 101 tp xtau kat ner nak mik dan mcm ner mik.. kalo leh bg taw..mcm ner nak mik exam lpi.. kat ner nak mik.. tlg email kat sy bro t
  • gbelbe: Hi! good job! I'm using the huawei eg162 with china mobile and I had the same problem. If i boot with the modem plugged in it worked, but anytime i t
  • Michael: You guys out there that post this crap should learn how to write. You are all writing to each other. You all already know what it is your talking ab
  • WAN MAN: Memang terliur gua tengok bro punya photos....gua baru bercadang nak beli D90...tapi bajet ade sikit kurang....kena kumpul dulu..... Tapi gua tengok

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