Journals

Striker13 years ago2010-09-13 15:49:40 UTC 7 comments
Repairing my audio system was a success! I have such a cool feeling I could do this by myself.
Here's the link to my blogpost:

http://sjackm.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/repairing-the-audio-system/
Striker13 years ago2010-09-09 13:41:40 UTC 4 comments
I'm posting this message using Firefox on Ubuntu. Well, at least virtually speaking.

I just installed 'VirtualBox'(open source software) that gives me the ability to run(or emulate?) a machine(computer) inside my OS, hence giving me the ability to run different operating systems and try them out.
I only installed it because I really wanted to try Ubuntu without too much hustle.
It's really cool though. I may not be able to run windows applications but if I had a notebook I'd definitely install Ubuntu on it :).
Striker13 years ago2010-09-01 16:25:36 UTC 5 comments
I filmed a squirrel :). Enjoy.
Quality problems explained in the video description.
User posted image
Striker13 years ago2010-08-29 08:05:58 UTC 8 comments
Now back at the shoutbox! ->[edit] meh, nevermind.

I was stumbling out of boredom and found an interesting site.
I don't know if you guys know about Wolfram Alpha but it's one of the most cool sites I've ever seen.
I already made a post on my blog so I'm not going to write about it again.

[EDIT] Also, I have to express my opinion about the search system on twhl:
IT SUCKS.

I was randomly looking after one old thread of mine, this one.. It's the Cool Sounds one.
My input in the search box: Cool Sounds.
Current status: On page #12 and still didn't found my thread. Wtf?
Striker13 years ago2010-08-16 18:23:34 UTC 4 comments
Here's an article that fucked with my mind:

Science facts about this "holographic" world

As I'm reading this, I start to think about the 4th dimension. You know, it's said that in the 4th dimension you can see a 'three dimensional' thing from all possible directions at a time, so probably that's what's happening at a subatomic level.
Striker13 years ago2010-08-02 18:41:27 UTC 5 comments
I came across this wikipedia page... I thought it'd be cool to share it with you guys:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanian_humour
Striker13 years ago2010-07-28 05:29:01 UTC 2 comments
After aprox. 1100 km traveled by train in aprox. 23(that's a like, a medium of aprox 50 km/h :| ) total hours of travel, I'm exhausted, but I survived. I'm still alive.
Of course, not mentioning that I traveled in a class 2 sleeping wagon... which is not really bad but umm... there's not much to entertain with when it's night, you can't go to sleep earlier than 1 am because you're used to go to sleep late and the only things to play with are the lights, thermostat and the LEDs near your bed(of course, if it doesn't get annoying to everybody else :)) ).
It will surely pass a long a time until we'll have something comparable to TGVs...
The awesome part is that if you go on the main train transportation site, there's a big image saying something like "Be green, choose public transportation!". Ahem, and you surely encourage us to do so...

Comments from the other journal:

brendanmint said:
take yur computer, so we can see everything right after you take the pictures, you can be like, PICTURE, connect, UPLOAD, done. REPEAT.

Unfortunately I don't have a netbook, or laptop(which would anyway be too heavy to transport over such a distance), neither a wireless internet connection. Even if I had, I'd only have to rely on the netbook's battery, because the sockets in the wagon are, of course, not working(I tried charging my camera on the way back).

ATDestroy said:
I would lose the will to live if I did that.

I'd probably lose it too if I lived in a better country...

DiscoStu said:
500km? 11 hours? It's a bit too long for my likes. It would take about 6hs (or maybe even less) in Spain or France.

Yeah well, we're like... 50 years before those countries when it comes to technology and public transportation comfort.
You know what's awesome about this though?
If WW3 starts, we're like... 50 years before those countries.

potatis_invalid said:
When I travelled a little more than 1000km by train, it took 12 hours. It was boring, but if you have something to entertain you (a DS/PSP/Game Boy/laptop or a whole bunch of comic books) you survive.

Well, I bought a gaming magazine and a photography one, so I wasn't that bored anyway.

But skipping the travel problems, the city I visited- Iaşi - is just wonderful. I almost feel sorry that I don't live there. I also made about 230 photos, it will take me a couple of days to sort them and post the best on the internet :)).
Even though it has a big population, it at least gives the impression that it's not congested at all, but still gives you the feel of thriving life. I like how the building are placed. Most of the buildings are tall, "strong" buildings, but they're not very close so it gives the impression of open space. The parks are also beautiful, there also a lot of monuments, and I even had the chance to ride for free a bike. It was some kind of "green" organisation sponsored by a popular bank in our country. I also visited a botanical garden, the biggest one I've seen in my life yet. But I'll post more on my blog (perhaps not today) as soon as I can get some of the pictures online.
Striker13 years ago2010-07-25 18:31:15 UTC 4 comments
Well, it's 1:30 am.

Tomorrow at 9 am I'll go on a trip of about 500 km by train :(. It will take about 11-12 hours. If it was Japan, it would probably only be about 1-2 hours. Oh well...

I'm visiting a cultural city, and I'm bringing the Nikon with me. Will probably take a lot of photos.

Good night, and see you in about 3 days again.
Striker13 years ago2010-07-21 08:46:28 UTC 3 comments
Well I already read most of a 200 pages manual, and I decided to make some slow motion footage.
Note that the camera sacrifices video quality for higher frame rates.

The video includes: a lighter, matches, pouring water, chopping a plum, hitting a peach. Perhaps in the future I'll film an entire box of matches catching fire :).

SlowMotion Footage

Also, here's my first picture ever with this camera(didn't read the manual and had no idea how different functions work, so I switched to Auto mode):
User posted image
2nd picture :D :
User posted image
I'll probably post a gallery of photos in the future on my blog. Note that the image resolution was greatly decreased( and picture quality too). Original file size is too big for Image shack(around 2-3 mb).
Striker13 years ago2010-07-20 05:39:25 UTC 2 comments
I just received my Nikon P100. This is so awesome :D :D :D. YEAH.

[EDIT] My first photo is of a cat xD that entered the stairs of our block.
Striker13 years ago2010-07-15 05:11:46 UTC 8 comments
Well, yesterday I woke up with my back really hurting.
I put on a thermometer and I had 37,7 C. Went to the doctor.

It seems I have pneumonia... I feel better today, but I still have to take medication 7 days. Yesterday I was all sweating at a minimum effort(because when you have pneumonia, air sacs in your lungs are filled with liquid and oxygen absorption is greatly reduced).

It's awful...

[EDIT] In other news, I'm preparing a new Gmod Machinima: Illegal Broadcast 2(Illegal BroadCast 1).
I've got some awesome scenes for this one( I'd say 40% is done). It will also feature true 720p video, not "stretched to fit" as in IB1, although before I realized this is better I filmed 2 or 3 clips in 720x480.
You can guess that it won't be the best machinima, but it will surely feature cooler scenes than IB1(which, sincerely, I don't like it much either). Hope I finish it soon!
Striker13 years ago2010-07-01 20:07:33 UTC 6 comments
[EDIT] Just saw 28 days later. One of the few films that first blows from the chair and then keeps you pumped.
Well, I'm tired.
It's 3AM and I just finished my last article on my blog about global warming...
It's about Scientists Solutions to Global Warming

I know a lot of you disagree with the theory of Global Warming. I have my doubts too, especially that climate change is not something really provoked by humans. But pollution is, and that's affecting air quality and other environment related things. That's why there's this "green" revolution.
Besides that, it's a trend, and I think it's cool :P and funny to be a part of it :D.
Striker13 years ago2010-06-25 19:59:00 UTC 4 comments
After thinking and thinking and thinking...
My decision is now official: I will buy a Nikon Coolpix P100.

At first, I was continuously dreaming a video camera. But in the price range of 800$-850$ I could only find crap ones. Even at that price range, they are still camcorders(small ones). The main advantage is that they have a different type of sensor that doesn't produce the wobble when you move them fast.
So then I start changing my mind... I saw there are a lot of new cameras supporting 720p or even 1080p filming, the main disadvantage here is that most of them shoot at 24fps and some of them have disastrous jelly-like filming when you move them.
At first I said: alrighty, I'll save some money for a Nikon DSLR. D5000 will be my choice. Then another day I thought for a couple more bucks I can get the D90 which has superior image quality.
But after thinking and thinking and thinking...

I realised I couldn't save that much until at least next year. DSLRs cost much because they have that functionality: you can change the lenses(or objectives or how do you tell them in english). But they are fucking expensive. And I aspire to be a semi-pro photographer, but I'm not yet. I even don't have a pocket camera, my whole experience is based on reading and using for a short period of time other people's cameras!
So the natural way to go was to search for compact cameras that are almost DSLR-like. People call these "bridge" cameras, because it's an intermediate class between the two.
And I found Nikon Coolpix P100.
Just watch the review. For me, it was instant love...
Yes, I am aware how many disadvantages it has. But damn, it shoots 1080p at 30fps with stereo sound! And it can go as far as 240fps at smaller resolutions without sound. That just kicks ass. And it's half-price of the D90. And boy I will love that fucking awesome 26x optical zoom and awesome macro photography. Combined with a tripod to reduce that wobble, this will just KICK ASS.

I have about 70% of the money. I hope I can buy it before the summer ends. Wish me luck!
Striker13 years ago2010-06-22 20:04:10 UTC 5 comments
Here's some footage with the much-more-bigger-than-normal river Crisul Repede from my village.

Read my previous journal to see what happened, it's 3 AM and I'm really tired to write again.
Striker13 years ago2010-06-21 20:36:51 UTC 5 comments
[EDIT] I LIIVEEE. Takes some cake MNON MNOM MNOM

Nothing serious happened. At least in my area. The river didn't pass the dams in my area, but some of them were damaged a little more down the stream. On the upper part of the stream, a few tens of kilometers away there were serious damages and some people died. Some people told me this morning they saw pigs and household items floating on the river.
I'm still a little alarmed though because upstream the river there is a barrage that's now overwhelmed by waters... and this is the main reason I was very frightened yesterday(well, today at 3 am :P).

I anyway went for a walk on the shore of the river, and took the camera with me. I'm now processing the video. I'll post it later. I wasn't amazed by how deep it looks now, but I was amazed when I saw a lot of bent and torn apart grass near the dams. Well, that means there really was a flood(we are lucky that we have tall dams especially for floods like this, but that's only in our village...).
I couldn't fell asleep. Something seemed wrong.

I went to the toilet. My toilet's window is facing the river(well, the river is at about 200-300 m I guess). I can hear it how furious it is( and our river is a fast type one, when it grows it's very dangerous).
Then I could hear a siren in the village. After that, at the emergency tower( yes we have loud emergency towers) I could hear a voice warning us of flood.
It should occur at 4 am.
Well, T-25 minutes :\.

I'm really frightened because people near the river are being evacuated. I anyway live in a block of apartments, but it still scares me. From what old people say, it's not something to joke with.

Well, I hope nothing bad happens... if something bad happens though, I hope I can save at least my computer tower. Or at least the Hard-Disks.