Day Mind XPression

Vista didn’t suck

Details: Published on Friday, 23 October 2009 04:45; Written by Daniel Shin; Hits: 1362

Congratulations Microsoft! From what I have been reading on the internet, Windows 7 seems to be a success! Many journalists have mentioned that the new operating system might give a much needed boost for Microsoft after a Vista’s terrible features and performance…

Wait, what? I have been using Vista for almost two years now, and I do not think the operating system sucks. Sure, the operating system might have had some problems in terms of driver compatibility issues, but with improved security architecture and loads of included goodies, I think Vista is a great operating system.

The people who have bad memories of Vista probably did not have the right system. Sure, if you did not have a dedicated graphics card (most laptops during Vista’s launch did not), then your CPU was doing more work to make the user’s interface pretty (and useful). It’s not Vista’s fault for their not-so-good experience. It was their fault for not providing adequate hardware or turning on unnecessary features (I turn off Aero, because I don’t find it to be useful).

Just because your computer didn’t run Vista well doesn’t mean the operating system is a bad operating system. It is mostly due to the ignorance from the user’s end that is causing the headaches in the first place.

For the record, I am going to stick with Vista at least until the service pack one for Windows 7 is released.

Water Bobble Initial Review

Details: Published on Monday, 02 August 2010 15:01; Written by Daniel Shin; Hits: 1212

Wouldn’t be nice to have some type of a portable water filtering device, so you could drink good, filtered water any where? If there is such a product, one place I definitely would be using would be is the airport, where merchants sell overpriced bottled water at a marketplace where they have a virtual monopoly. (OK, there probably is a fair bidding process to sell items in the airport, but those bottled waters cost over three dollars!)

Well, Water Bobble has been appearing in the newspaper ads for a couple of weeks now, and I had the chance to buy and use them. The positive for the Bobble is that you just need a good water source (Tap water, but not anything that has any biological contamination, because Bobble only clears mineral and some chemical stuff in the water) to have good filtered water.

I tried this at a university’s drinking fountain, which is notorious for having smelly, chlorine filled water, and the filtered water tasted good! You just need to take off the cap, pour water in, put on the cap, and squeeze the bottle to get your filtered water. Quite easy.

Speaking of squeezing the Bobble, I was skeptical regarding the plastic build of the product. When I was observing at the store, the plastic seemed too thin for prolonged use, and I thought the product would break or wear out after multiple squeezing. So far, the product is doing pretty well after two weeks of use, and I do not think the plastic of the bottle would break any time soon. The plastic is light, precisely because it makes it easy for the user to squeeze the bottle. However, there is still a light concern regarding the build quality of the Bobble, so I will write an updated article after one month use.

Overall, I really like this product. If you travel a lot via air, then this is a must have to avoid paying ridiculous amounts of money on airport bottled water. If we can clearly eliminate the build quality concern, then I would definitely recommend this product to all.

My favorite running headphone: Sennheiser PMX80

Details: Published on Tuesday, 24 November 2009 01:07; Written by Daniel Shin; Hits: 1869

I usually run two to three miles a day, and I always run with music.

I have experimented with various running headphones, and I have not been fully satisfied with any of them until I tried the Sennheiser PMX80.

The first problems with previous running headphones have been durability. After six month of almost daily usage, it has become a pattern that one of the ear buds becomes dead. There are two reasons for this problem: Either the cord fails due to the weak build or the ear bud fails due to its sensitivity from sweat exposure.

In any case, this really drives me crazy, because it always happens during one of my runs. Running without music makes the exercise a little more painful and dull. So, I have decided to check out the Internet to invest on a new running headphone.

The Research

The problem with a lot of “The Top Ten Running Headphones” list on the Internet is that many of the products are not in production any more. I did not know that head phone products would have a short lifetime in terms of production.

To get the current best running headphones, I headed to Amazon and did some research. The user reviews really helped to get the “feel” of the headphones, and it was even more helpful to know that many of the reviewers were runners themselves!

Now, there were a couple of criteria that I was focusing on: durability, sound quality, and comfort. After digging through multiple stars reviews, I have landed on the PMX80 page. It was the video review by a fellow customer that got my attention, and in a few minutes, I ordered the product.

Initial Impressions

After the package arrived, I was quite happy with the easy packaging. Initially, I was quite surprised by the build quality of this product. Unlike most headphones, it did not feel fragile or hollow.

As I put on the headphones, I was quite surprised by how comfortable it was to wear it. At the same time, the headphone was positioned in my ears such that it wouldn’t fall or move around as I did my jogging.

The sound quality was great as a running headphone, but it was also nice to be able to hear the background noise from the outside world (Especially if you are running outside).

I also was surprised that you can actually wash the ear buds using running tap water. Although this is not completely water proof (Do not submerge this underwater), it is nevertheless ready for any weather conditions (such as running in the rain).

Overall Evaluations

Due to the back-neck design of the headphone, you cannot wear it while lying down. However, the PMX80 is an excellent choice as a running headphone. The long-term durability is still in question, but in the event that the headphones do break within a two year period, you can always rely on Sennheiser’s excellent warranty repair service. However, I doubt that I might need to replace this headphone due to its solid build and durability, and I am overall happy to invest the PMX80 as my running headphones.

Laundry Quarters

Details: Published on Friday, 29 January 2010 23:12; Written by Daniel Shin; Hits: 1194

Because the laundry card machine broke for the fourth week….

I had to go to the bank to get $40 worth of quarter

These machines are old. Some of the new quarters get rejected sometimes…

When will they replace these machines? They are in constant repairs.

Walking with Kant’s Political Writings

Details: Published on Sunday, 25 July 2010 00:55; Written by Daniel Shin; Hits: 988

I have been noticing that I have been reading a lot. Everywhere I go, I have some reading material at hand. No, I am not full blown book-geek per se but more of a reader with a diverse appetite.

For most people with some familiarity in philosophy, reading Kant is almost a suicidal venture, if you intend to have a pleasant reading experience. Reading Kant is quite difficult, not because he is a bad writer but because he is venturing on a difficult philosophical task. Meaning, it is a pleasant intellectual reading experience.

To be fair, I already had the pleasant experience to read most of Kant’s first Critique. I am somewhat familiar with his philosophical views from metaphysics to ethics. While I find most of his philosophical project fascinating, I am mostly interested in his political philosophy. So, the first book I am reading for the summer is “Kant: Political Writings”.

I’ve already read several Kant’s Political Theory works, but I intend to finish this book, which is a compilation of several Kant’s works. There are two reasons for reading this particular book: 1) bragging rights and 2) have a deeper understanding on his political philosophy.

Combining these two reasons, I gain some authority to accuse several established academics for misreading Kant’s political philosophical work. It seems to be a pattern among some academics to read only a few works by a particular philosopher before they either 1) launch a barrage of puzzling attacks or 2) misappropriate the work for their own theorizing projects. This is an embarrassment and needs to stop.

Even if I throw out the original intentions for reading this difficult work (this is still one of the most accessible work by Kant), I love the formal writing style and the occasional memorable metaphors in the text. It’s an enjoyable experience for any serious student of Philosophy.