For Sale: UV Filter

uv filter

• Filters ultra-violet rays
• Protects your lens from scratches
• Clear and neutral, you can leave this filter on lens permanently
• When used outdoors and with sun, this filter gives cleaner, sharper pictures with less haze
• Your lens first line of defense against accidental hit
• 58mm thread

PRICE: P200

Bandila na Sinala (Filtered Flag)

This photo, titled “FREE AS A BIRD,” won a mini photo contest run by our photography mentor. I attended a 3 day seminar then got to be in this/our mini “alumni” social site group. Props used are flag I bought at a Roxas Blvd stoplight intersection (during the June 12th Philippine Independence Day) and the wooden birds are from here. The theme of the constest is DIY filter.

Using day-to-day home items as filters. No commercial filter is allowed. I used a plastic cup with a hole as a filter. I earned a remote shutter FTW. The photo below also got good number of votes, same contest.

I’d like to thank our teacher for running the show & the peeps who voted for my entries. I thank my payrents too. =)

Seriously, thank-u-2-God.

Spam Filtering is Tough Task

I have done all sorts of filtering, and still VIAGRA and CILAIS still end up in my inbox. Seems like these spammers took the VIAGRA themselves. They are hyper -sending emails with relentless fury that even Bruce Leee can not much.

Our web host has free filtering tool in its panel and I feel this generic filter is not enough. For serious spam filtering action, separate application should be used. It does not help too if you have gazillion contacts in your address book.

This battle has been in a long stand off: Spammers versus Filter Developers. As applications gets smarter at detecting junk, spammers get smarter at fooling the filters.

Spammers have taken it to a new level, utilizing images to sneak in these unsolicited emails. Keyword are easier to block out and so these image spamming gaining ground.

Now how in the world will the spam filters know what's in the image? That's their job to do really. But image filter basically does some math, a formula is applied to the image and generates a unique signature that the software can use to flag down a junk image.

But we all know this is not bullet proof. A little change in color here, a slightly larger text there suddendly changes the signature and what you get is a full pitch ad about... Yes, Viagra.

DIY Filter, Sunglass Filter to Shoot the Shades!

DIY Filter, Yema Plastic

Testing yema plastic as DIY camera filter...

Close-up screw in lens

This close-up filter is a nice alternative for expensive macro lens. Or easier DSLR macro photography accessory to use than the extension tubes.

Go to ecbuyph.com/catalog to order.

DIY Filter, Plastic Cap w/ Bottom Hole

Multoy

Trying out DIY filter with scary toys...

How (NOT) To Install An ELBA Range Hood

I installed the new ELBA Range Hood today. This one, we got (I think) from Anson's near Landmark. Yep, the new sprawling home appliance and furniture building. Annexed to it is a parking, where we always go. 3D is the post. If you see one black car, looks like it hasn't seen a car wash in month, that's me in the corner, that's me in the spot.

Anyways, i went to hell and back installing the range hood, and just herewith, to help you do this better, this is my how NOT to install this mother.

1. DONT read the manual. Yep, be lazy like me and assume you'll be able to figure it out, on fly.
2. Blame the condo-contractor for putting up one solid, hard to penetrate/drill concrete walls, just for inside walls.
3. Invite family members for a sleep-over and give them one good morning of extra judicial wall drilling noise.
4. Buy a short aluminum duct. So that, at the end of the day, you will still not be able to use its duct option. Right now, we are using the charcoal/filter option.
5. Don't prepare the vacuum cleaner or a trusty broom. Yes, make a mess of the kitchen.
6. Curse the freakin contractor no end for not having the cabinets provisioned and ready for this range hood. No effing holes for the ducts. I drilled 4 freakin panels, 4 inches in diameter. I grind a portion of the cabinet just to mak way for the hood. Whooooo!
7. Again, during times of trouble in the installation, skip the manual and go on "BAHALA NA" mode.
8. Midway thru the 3 hours of drilling, screwing and thinking, eat cheapo-chicaron and be dehydrated even more.
   

Tulo! Tulo! Tulo! Tulo! Tulo!

I am now here at Honda Cars. Checked in at around 8am, its now 11am and no quotation still. And I thought this Honda branch would close down for lack of clients. To my surprise, I am already customer number 14 despite the early log in.

Geez, I thought my auto is running in full throttle... ( I even bought some things and fixed minor probs last week, not knowing the engine needs some attention) ...not even close. The engine got STD.

I am now waiting for the quotation of the Honda service advisor. Based on the LEAKS he pointed out, I am looking at a disastrous 7K to 10K parts and labor for the leak containment. At least 5 areas (sealants and or gaskets) to need to be taken cared of. I hope I am wrong. If this goes less P5K, i'll go for it now (if they have the parts).

The top gasket was just replaced 3 mos ago by one Bangkal Makati auto shop.

The lesson learned: When dealing with the car engine (and other major systems like brakes, transmission, electrical wiring), I WILL NO LONGER GO FOR SO-SO AUTOSHOP. To the Honda Service Casa I shall go. Just a waste, spending P700 for a gasket (and labor) then you'll have the gasket dumped in 2 to 3 months.

Only Honda's (unintentional) free wi-fi is keeping me sane from 4 hours of waiting and the prospect of another negative P5K to P10K. Thank you thank your for your careless IT head. I love "unsecured network". Advise to car service centers, if you'll have unsecured wifi network, you gotta serve us free coffee too (or at least you should have foods4sale).

UPDATE: The cost is P6258.00 (P2730 parts and P3150 labor). Add the subsequent P900 change oil. To be replaced are distributor oil seal, distributor o-ring, cylinder head cover gasket, oil pan gasket, oil pump seal, oil pump o-ring, shifting lever oil seal, spool valve filter and others. I estimated it at 7k to 10k and now I got the quote. Just a couple of hundred bucks over P7000.00. Parts will arrive Aug 2. I will have my auto fixed Aug 6. Meanwhile, I should be dropping oil in the coming days just to maintain minimum oil level.

A Push For Pool

Like I know the answer to everyall, I was texted/asked, "why billiards isn't included in the olympics?

My answer is/was, Billiards just has too many variations (snooker, pool, etc) and each variation has even more types (8 balls, 9 balls, rotation).

And my 2nd known reasoning is... each game has rules where interpretation varies in different countries, localities even.

As Filipinos are known to be "magulang", billiards rules differ from town to town. My mates alone, they make rules on the fly, of course rules that will favor them. Ok, I am guilty of that too.

That's my 2 cents, err, 2 reasons basically. It has lots of game types and criss-crossing rules interpretation.

The rest of the story here.





Totally OT, but did you know that it's easier to hit the fucking shift-delete keys everyday than to fight fuckin spam with anit-spam, filter and all that? The white-flag is blowing in the wind!

DIY Filter, Wine Bottle

The Re-Birth Of My Honda Civic

Earlier in the day, I left my Honda for a 35 point check of Engine, Aircon, Brake System, Etc. Etc. What are those 35 points? That I do not know.

For a licensed mechanical engineer like me, I do not know why I am so dumb about cars.

Maybe when they give the invoice tomorrow, the jobs done are all printed out. Then, I would know what my car went through.

Of all places, I sent the car at Hyundai. Remeber, my car is a Civic.

Anyways, my sister happens to work at Hyundai or HARI. 'Lil GM' she calls herself. Indeed, she may be one, as I'll be getting the works at dirt cheap cost thru her office.

Free buffing too will be done by the crew of JR, the chief of service dept.

Had I chosen to do the change oil at HARI too, I may have gotten discounted service too. As it is, I was charged a hefty P1500 at a Shell Gas Station last week. Around P1000 alone for the semi-synthetic lubricant.

Thru the Lil GM too, I might get a Disc/MP3 Player. My trusted flash mp3 player with all its Eraserheads Classics in it will now have some rest.

After this over-all check up and if the engine found to be not knocking on heavens door, I'll be upgrading the muffler and headers so that my car would kick ass.

It's now sucking air using a Simota Air Filter and the effect is huge. You could feel the acceleration when you put the pedal to the metal.

As soon as the headers/muffler are changed, I'll be racing down every Mazda 3 and 6 (which I envy) out there in South Luzon Expressway.

Firefox 2.0 Over Internet Explorer

Who needs Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Now that Mozillas beta version of Firefox 2.0 is getting rave reviews, I can't hardly wait to upgrade. Final release is scheduled for August. Added feature is it's new anti-phishing features. If you have been around the internet, you know this feature means a lot.

Users are warned when they encounter suspected internet criminals and offers to return to their home pages. Phishing protection is turned on by default and works by checking sites that users browse against a local list of known phishing sites, according to Mozilla. I suppose, this list should be regularly updated. Users can do so by reporting web forgers that they will encounter.

This beta release is just about the same time Microsoft is beta testing the version of Internet Explorer 7.0, which it released on June 29. Which also features phishing filter, along with a security status bar, address protection bar and URL handling security. Maybe, if not for Firefox emergence and usability, Microsoft wouldn’t have done this. Competition really benefits the end-user.

Despite of IEs own upgrade, I'll still be using Firefox.