TechCOW - The Geek Within

It looks like CISCO came out with the latest thing to hit the SOHO market and the called it UMI (pronounced as YOU + ME) which is intended for teleconferencing and reuniting families in their own home. This probably was intended for high end consumers but if all the connections would be upgraded as specified in their specs (which calls for 3.5MBPS) it would be a huge opportunity to see people in HD quality video. Using the TV as a medium in this case was smart and people can send and receive video calls like what we do with web conference technologies. It definitely would be great for home use but the not quite so good news is you have to shell out $599 plus $25 per month in order to get one by November. It is so special since most of them have thought they'll wait for talks between CISCO and SKYPE in the beginning; but since John Chambers announced its release this week... it looks like this promising technology will be at homes in the coming months. I expect this to be a little cheaper just like any console or device that depreciates once more people have it. Tie ups from Verizon FIOS customers and Geek Squad will also make this easier to handle if they customers need help (for tech support).

As for rumors that CISCO buying out SKYPE in this particular field, that maybe still in the works because this technology wouldn't be too far behind to be enjoyed by ordinary people at home. The best thing about it is that SKYPE is free. SKYPE just got their software revved up making the video clearer and the software lighter for the ordinary PC/laptop to handle.

This package includes a camera, TV set-top box and a remote control. You guys in the US better order now at http://umi.cisco.com. I have it on my Christmas wish list now! =)

Web design is very complicated. Putting up a decent web site these days would take quite a while because you need to understand basic HTML codes and have the architecture fixed too. Planning the content, places to put the photos and videos are also a problem. This is crucial because it makes or breaks how the site would look like. This is the time where people should turn to places like the escort site and get with the professionals. I must say I am impressed at how they could get the process so easy for a beginner to understand. Never would you have to understand the codes; but by just merely moving widgets here and there you can put up your own professional looking web site in minutes. These are quite good features indeed!

For any industry to match the design they prefer, the site has dozens of templates available. The web masters can control what albums or videos they can get onto a page and how deep public access can be. Privacy is never compromised and escort web design makes sure of this. They have all the things a company needs to innovate and make their services presentable to the market they belong to. They can save a lot since making these usually cost thousands of dollars. Anyone can do this now and have the things they personally want on it. You can get one for free if you want one without paying a penny. It's just that easy! What more can you ask for right?!





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This just in. It looks like Cisco is going to buy Skype. I really do not know of any perfect combination but the two right now. Cisco is investing on huge VOIP structures and is still the leader in Routers, Switches and Hub market. If the price to pay is going to be around 5 Billion then they could probably get this to the works soon. Skype was initially bought by Ebay a couple of years ago but was literally sold to the public like much of its wares. Skype did not earn a lot before hand but it is picking up slowly this year after the financial crisis. Cisco is currently using technologies such as WEBEX for meetings and video conferencing. This is one area that Skype may be able to transfer its consumers too. Even if there are only quite a number of people using the service, 8.1 Million subscribers for Skype Out is no joke. The rest uses their free service. If a lot of people harness this particular brand still, there will be a huge demand for VOIP structures which Cisco can benefit in. Cisco bought Pure Digital and Linksys a few years back in an attempt to penetrate the SOHO market. It is but a great investment if they can control this one too. Maybe Oprah can get into the groove once Skype and Cisco gets together. I'm sure her Video Streaming technology would WOW anyone if they saw what Webex can do too. It is after all professional and way better than Skype. If the technologies merge as expected, it will get more advertisement and space in this industry. Although one drawback is Cisco may have to battle it out with their current biggest customers like Verizon and AT&T.

I will be working with these people soon. I hope everything turns out right and get the Skype shares to double or triple the price. It would also be nice to buy stocks as early as now.

I think I need to learn a couple of tricks in video editing. I have been a fan of a couple of Filipino videographers and I haven't tapped this side of my brain since last year. I always did a video right after a photoshoot but I guess I was too busy. It's a very complicated field and I need to know the basics. I might consider enrolling in video editing classes when my weekends free up around late this year.

That and the Spanish languages lesson that I'm planning to also take hahah. I've got a lot of things on my list.

Video editing is like a package with photography and since I have been serious about fashion I have to take matters in my own hands and get me some of these lessons too. Catching up is going to be hard but I need it so bad that I am willing to pay for it. If Adobe would not be able to perform well to the specifications of my laptop, I'll get another one just so I could get better at it.

Who knows?! I might get my own studio soon with all the lights and strobes that I'm wishing for today. If I get to have this as my business then so be it. I'll have to concentrate on the least priced things to buy first. The high ticket items will follow soon. Strobes are going to be one of them. I hear Tay Hua has some which are affordable, I'm probably going to check that out and the quality. Ask around Phipho and DPP.

Technology definitely saved me. I haven't been able to take care of minute details about my business dealings these past few months. I know it is tantamount to a success of a person to get what is needed for easy transactions; and we know how hard it is to go out of your way to get supplies and get the deal done in the same time. This has been a week of dilemma for me and I'll tell you why.

I went to a short meeting the other day with a former boss of mine who practically wanted my services since I did a good job working for him in the past. All the details were fixed and I did have a good time sharing stories on where I ended up these past few years. He did share some stories about the people I worked with in his office. There were some short rumors here and there for some of them that I needed to confirm. In short, I had a blast and a ton of laugh!

On a serious note we finished the details of the work being negotiated then he reached for his business card and gave one to me. I was startled and didn't talk for a few seconds because of all the time in the world that I needed to forget about something, I forgot to get business cards. It was another oh my god moment in such a long illustrious career. I was a little humiliated bar none.

Business Card Printing should have been easy and these are things that you can get on line. I should have known that in the first place. There are awesome companies like Face Media Group that got professional cards made for people like me. I got them to print accurate great looking ones and it was so awesome. I laughed alone in my room thinking that it would have been all good if I went to them first before I got into the business. I would have saved a lot and eliminate some of the stress behind it. Need I say more?!






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I need a blackberry application that would be able to let me post through blogger via my blackberry. I am trying to check if Google has answers for me but apparently they don't have one yet. The option is to email the post through the email option on posting. I have been doing that in the past and it is not a viable procedure for me. I want to have a better way of doing it while mobile and it seems to me there are no plans by blackberry or the good people from crackberry too. It also needs to be free because people like me are in dire need of it!

I wish there was some special GPL code given to programmers so they can start modifying applications and engineer something that would work for people like me. I know there are millions of users that go through blogger but if they do not conform to the needs of mobile users this would definitely be a hindrance to the adaptability that blogger boasts since its start.

My blackberry will be my buddy in the next 2 years. Hopefully it doesn't die on me or a cooler touch phone would suffice in the market and sweep me off my feet with the perks. I don't want to pay for things that I don't need and so far the wifi capability of my Blackberry Curve is doing good.

There are a lot of things to consider in purchasing things for our living room. I'm not the one in charge of redecorating because my Mom usually meddles if I do; so we let her do all the things she wants. I know how to look if the rug is handmade or not so when we went to a Persian Rug store she asked me to identify the ones she liked. We immediately went to the discount area rugs because I know Mom was on a tight budget. The real Persian ones were a little expensive but the machine made rugs that can fool even the designer's keen eye are right for this challenge. It's okay for me even if the stitching is seen on the edges because some of them only have the small ones.

I also suggested some bold colored ones that pop on neutral palettes if she decided to go that path on the wall paint. I never got to discuss with her the plans she had for that either. She wanted to have a new section separated from her current house arrangements and let me choose on the earth tone rugs she chose for the house. Even if I know the stitches were all too even and this was made by machines I went ahead and got her a red, maroon and black color combination. The technology behind this very clean and quality rug is awesome. Even if it is generated by machines; it makes me feel safe in choosing any design or make just as long as it comes from great institutions in rug production. I would also feel safer if I bought it from on line stores since I expect more discounts there too! It's so hard to tell which one is authentic with the current rug technologies. It's all for the best!




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I guess I did buy the right lens for my D60 Camera. It has this awesome depth of field and I probably have aced all the shots from testing this 35mm lens that just came from the US. I love it when I do the right thing.

I am having problems with setting the ISO though because on AUTO the output seems too dark and it does not follow the original setting as indicated on manual mode. It adjusts to it automatically but the iso range is so different it sets itself on a different one even if it is not on the right light.

As for the sharpness I wouldn't complain about it because even at its peak F4 it still performs quite remarkably. I love how vivid its pictures come out at that rate. I haven't been able to use it yet for modeling stints but once that we get to the photo shoots I'll really try this out. Fashion week is near too so if I would be able to get an invite to any show I'm surely going to use this aside from my zoom lens.

I am looking for a small form factor Desktop CPU and I found out that there are only a few choices available in the market. I am trying to minimize things in my room since and since my current one occupies almost an eighth of the space, this would probably be the better solution. I am trying my best to have a more powerful but less bulky set. Flat screen monitors probably would fit the small tables I have so the deal here is to find a branded Desktop CPU that can fit the small cramped space I have for it too.

I am dropping by the computer store later to take a look at the ACER ASPIRE X1200 which already has an installed Windows VISTA Home Basic plus an AMD ATHLON X2 Dual Core Processor. I do heavy photo editing and I need this processor rate to stay within that speed or more. If ever it is not possible to achieve that within budget constraints then I would definitely go with a notebook or a lower form just as long the programs I need for editing can be installed. Memory also plays a very important part in my choice so if the NVIDIA GEFORCE chip set does not succeed getting my needed video/graphics requirement I have to think of other alternatives. I need a Desktop computer now but if it is possible for me to get a laptop computer instead, then I'm all for that!




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I got this phone off of a promo from Globe Telecom Inc. which is one of the providers here in the Philippines. I know it is free but hey it should work as a phone at least. I was disappointed it did not function well the first time I tried to call someone. No one could hear me or if ever there was some who could, it was too soft. They barely could hear me. I wanted to have it replaced so I went back to Globe. They talked to me there but you know, I felt they were just suspecting I wasn't telling the truth. For a cheap phone why should I go back there in the middle of the afternoon while I was on my day off?! I am not happy Globe and this is not the first time I had a nightmare with you.

After a few mock calls she initially did not believe the mouthpiece was damaged. I used another phone and got through nicely. She believed after she used her own phone and talked to me after wards. It took me a couple of hours there and even then she looked as if she was still not convinced to swap it with a new one, but she had no choice I wasn't going anywhere for a phone that didn't work.

There are a few things I didn't like about the phone. It's too small. Mouthpiece was too far from the real place to talk. The display was mediocre. It sounded off every time you open and close it. The battery life was great but it always turns the back light and handset off when you don't press anything on the keypad for a few seconds. I haven't tried the mp3 or radio yet but I will once I get home. Samsung should pay me for these tests, but I can't complain on free phones!

I have been using graphic design software and I must say that at this day and age there are a lot of improvements. I must also admit that not all of them function well but there are several that remain very impressive. I use CAD software for most designs I make for clients. I have been using them since college to design furniture and works of art. I mainly use them for structural engineering and architecture. I remember the time when I made my first rendered object. Nowadays it is not that much expensive. There are even free ones like this Aluminum frame designer; and you can form various things with it. Imagine very powerful software that you can use and download for free. In just a few minutes, this very special software can also generate schematics, fabricated renders once you are finished with your design!

The 3D view is also great as it shows every detail of the frame and you can never go wrong with the measurements since it follows the indicated scale. FRAMEXPERT is specialized CAD software that can be used to build frames with limitless possibilities while having the option of getting it all shipped overnight. When you need some shelving or containers for your gadgets and tools this is the right thing to have. This is indeed a designer's dream software! I love it!







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I wanted to have sharp strong images plus the bokeh via a big 1.4 or 1.8 aperture. I was choosing between the 50mm f1.4, 50mm f1.8 or the 35mm f1.8. All of them are Nikkor so I don't really have problems as far as quality is concerned. A prime lens would be perfect for me since I do fashion spreads and portraits. The deal is I only was able to hold 50mm lenses with a Canon and Nikon. I haven't touched the 35mm but judging from the output I saw from a peer I think it would be the best one for me.

Comparing the shots that were from the 50mm 1.8 this is actually better and the plus side is I can definitely use it with my D60. The autofocus option is important much so with low light conditions. The 50mm 1.8 apparently would not autofocus because it doesn't have any motor inside and comparing their output, the images look more sharper indeed.

I already bought one from AMAZON this morning and I'm waiting for it to be delivered this 17th. I am so excited about this new purchase. I know it is kind of another impulsive purchase but hey I've been a good boy this year so why shouldn't reward myself right?! =)

I really have some inkling with African American women that I never could explain. I am Hispanic and Asian looking so it would be quite difficult for me to get a solid match in this side of the world. It is so amazing how technology today can span countries and goes through barriers which were actually so literally unimaginable a few years ago. Internet has been the best medium for romance; it makes everything look so easy!




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A friend of mine asked me this morning about the CANON 550 Rebel 2ti and frankly I did not know that much of it because I am a loyal NIKON user. I researched about it and found out that this is the greatest camera CANON has in terms of the Rebel series. This is the camera that they released to challenge the NIKON 7D in power and performance. The camera boasts of higher HD quality and resolution with the additional ability to crop videos on cam. Before I forget, this camera is at 18MP so you kind of understand how clear and crisp the photos would be.

I told him to get it but he was worried about what lens he should get. 50mm lenses do have very good depth of field and so does the 35mm. If you get the 1.4 aperture lens for the 50mm it will be well worth it for portraits and glamor shots. I have seen it also perform under low light conditions and it did get quite good photos too. This goes the same with the 35mm or with any prime lens at that fact. The only draw back I think is the ability for you to take the shot. On some instances you need to be a little near the subject before it focuses. Manual focusing is easy but then again it would not pick up what most sensors would be able to. I have seen a sample of the video capability and it seems that even the FLIP video can give it a run for its money. It has the zoom capability with the L Lenses they have but it looked so ordinary with the camera shake HD cameras still have. Is it worth the price? I don't think so. Would I choose this over the NIKON 7D? Not either... in the end what matters most is your preference and what you plan to use it for in the first place.