"We started with a hypothesis that FreeBSD has
better performance than Linux. Our experiments show
that even though Linux outperforms FreeBSD in the
measurement of kernel call latency, it is FreeBSD that
performs better overall. " ~ Dr. Marty Humphrey
www.cs.virginia.edu/~kc5dm/projects/osperf.pdf
Monday, February 27, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Keystone XL leaks, yet is worth building
Canada is rapidly increasing its oil production, and if the U.S. foolishly refuses to be a customer for these new supplies, Canada will build a pipeline to the Pacific coast and the oil will be exported to China and other overseas buyers.
See it's worth it despite all the leaks. Keystone XL would transport tar-sands oil 1,700 miles across six states and hundreds of water bodies
See it's worth it despite all the leaks. Keystone XL would transport tar-sands oil 1,700 miles across six states and hundreds of water bodies
Friday, February 24, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Playstation Vita review
Playstation Vita review
Posted on February 18, 2012
I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a Vita and spend a good deal of time playing two games that I was looking forward to – Lumines Electronic Symphony and Wipeout 2048 and two others.
I won’t waste time regurgitating the stats on the device – you can see for yourself on the Vita page on Amazon and chances are if you are interested in the device then you are a motivated buyer who did some kind of research ahead of time. So here is my (somewhat) abridged impressions:
1. Initially I was concerned about the size of the Vita. Some early reports said it was bulky and felt cheap. While I can’t dispute that the shell is made of mostly hard plastic, it still felt pretty good. The weight of the device felt balanced, and while the Vita is “big” to the eye, it is not heavy to the touch and has a nice sleek look to it. The design is also more comfortable thanks to the rounded edges and redesigned appearance.
2. The resolution of the screen is nice. Images were vivid. Pictures were clear. The front touchscreen works extremely well and all in all I was impressed at Sony’s (albeit late) foray in to the world of touch handheld gaming devices. However, upon playing the games, I can say with 100% certainty that the games definitely look fantastic – but they are NOT PS3 quality. I’m sure many of you already know that, but I just want to inform those who are expecting to play their PS3 on a handheld system. For me it was more like PS 2.5 graphics – much better than the PS2, but not quite PS3.
3. The browsing speed of the 3G version was okay. I wasn’t extremely blown away. I experimented with surfing various sites and found the download speed to be inconsistent. Some pages loaded extremely fast, others were slow. But keep in mind this is on a 3G connection so it is an issue that can affect other devices as well. Nonetheless, I did enjoy surfing on the device thanks to the big screen.
4. The buttons were easy to use, though the D pad and the buttons feel somewhat small and might be a bit tricky to use for people with fat fingers. The dual analog sticks feel comfortable and easy to use. They are a bit small and you can’t click on them, but trust me, it’s great to have two sticks on the device. It just makes playing games feel much more natural and gives the Vita a nice console-feel to it.
5. The picture quality of the camera is okay, but not better than what I take on my iPhone 4S. However, I do like the fact there are dual cameras. My only gripe about the front camera is that it is located very close to the buttons and it is easy to smudge that area of the Vita given its location on the device.
6. Video quality is decent. I really enjoyed watching some music videos on the big Vita screen. However, while the clarity of the videos is nothing to sneeze at, it doesn’t blow what I see iPhone 4S out of the water. Nonetheless it is more than fine for most people and again, I really like the big screen. Just note that the Vita does not support HTML 5 video (it does support parts of HTML 5, but just not the video component of it) or flash. Hopefully that will change down the road.
7. The UI is very easy to navigate. It is easy to launch games, apps and manage your settings on the touch screen. I was very pleased with this aspect of the Vita as well.
Quick Game Impressions:
Uncharted – Definitely the sharpest looking game that I tried. The graphics are solid and they are impressive the second you turn on the game. It may not blow away what you see on the PS3, but it is definitely the game that you show off to your friends when you carry your shiny new Vita around. The gameplay is smooth, and I like how it incorporates touch actions (like taps and wipes) to in-game combat and movement. Definitely a must-get launch game.
Wipeout 2048 – If you played Wipeout before, then there isn’t a lot here that you won’t be familiar with. It’s a high speed racing game with sexy graphics. But honestly after playing for 15 minutes, I got kind of bored. It’s pretty, but it’s nothing I haven’t experienced before. The load times were also a bit long. I wouldn’t consider this a MUST get.
Little Deviants (included with the First Edition Bundle) – A surprisingly fun game that makes (great) use of the rear touchpad. It might feel funny at first, but after you get used to the (excellent) rear touchpad, you’ll be addicted to this platformer’s string of fun minigames. I had way more fun playing this than Wipeout (to my surprise).
ModNation Racers – Essentially a PS clone of Mario Kart, with lots of colorful graphics and the ability for you to modify your racer/cars etc. Initially I was impressed with the customization options, but once I actually got to the race, I found the game to be too similar to Mario Kart but without the charm. The gameplay itself was alright and the car I tried out controlled okay, but overall the graphics also didn’t blow me away.
If you do buy a Vita, I would recommend Uncharted and Little Deviants as good first round buys. I can say this, I definitely had more fun with these games than any of the 3DS launch games (no dig at Nintendo as I do think the 3DS has some fine games as well, but Sony seems to have at least done a better job at launch time here in the U.S.)
Now to the But … in my title. My only main gripe with the Vita (so far) is the expensive cost of the memory cards. It is annoying that you can’t buy anything other than Sony’s Vita-only memory and paying $100 for a 32GB card does seem very excessive. You also have to get used to gripping the Vita in a different way to utilize the rear touch screen, but again, that’s more about learning something new than anything else. The pricetag is also somewhat hefty, but to me it’s worthwhile if you are into games, which leads me to …
All in all – if you are a hardcore gamer, you’ll love this toy. It’s not a PS3 in your hand, but it comes pretty darn close. Even though it has tablet-wannabe ambitions at times, in the end the Vita is a solid handheld gaming system for people who CARE about and LOVE games – plain and simple.
Posted on February 18, 2012
I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a Vita and spend a good deal of time playing two games that I was looking forward to – Lumines Electronic Symphony and Wipeout 2048 and two others.
I won’t waste time regurgitating the stats on the device – you can see for yourself on the Vita page on Amazon and chances are if you are interested in the device then you are a motivated buyer who did some kind of research ahead of time. So here is my (somewhat) abridged impressions:
1. Initially I was concerned about the size of the Vita. Some early reports said it was bulky and felt cheap. While I can’t dispute that the shell is made of mostly hard plastic, it still felt pretty good. The weight of the device felt balanced, and while the Vita is “big” to the eye, it is not heavy to the touch and has a nice sleek look to it. The design is also more comfortable thanks to the rounded edges and redesigned appearance.
2. The resolution of the screen is nice. Images were vivid. Pictures were clear. The front touchscreen works extremely well and all in all I was impressed at Sony’s (albeit late) foray in to the world of touch handheld gaming devices. However, upon playing the games, I can say with 100% certainty that the games definitely look fantastic – but they are NOT PS3 quality. I’m sure many of you already know that, but I just want to inform those who are expecting to play their PS3 on a handheld system. For me it was more like PS 2.5 graphics – much better than the PS2, but not quite PS3.
3. The browsing speed of the 3G version was okay. I wasn’t extremely blown away. I experimented with surfing various sites and found the download speed to be inconsistent. Some pages loaded extremely fast, others were slow. But keep in mind this is on a 3G connection so it is an issue that can affect other devices as well. Nonetheless, I did enjoy surfing on the device thanks to the big screen.
4. The buttons were easy to use, though the D pad and the buttons feel somewhat small and might be a bit tricky to use for people with fat fingers. The dual analog sticks feel comfortable and easy to use. They are a bit small and you can’t click on them, but trust me, it’s great to have two sticks on the device. It just makes playing games feel much more natural and gives the Vita a nice console-feel to it.
5. The picture quality of the camera is okay, but not better than what I take on my iPhone 4S. However, I do like the fact there are dual cameras. My only gripe about the front camera is that it is located very close to the buttons and it is easy to smudge that area of the Vita given its location on the device.
6. Video quality is decent. I really enjoyed watching some music videos on the big Vita screen. However, while the clarity of the videos is nothing to sneeze at, it doesn’t blow what I see iPhone 4S out of the water. Nonetheless it is more than fine for most people and again, I really like the big screen. Just note that the Vita does not support HTML 5 video (it does support parts of HTML 5, but just not the video component of it) or flash. Hopefully that will change down the road.
7. The UI is very easy to navigate. It is easy to launch games, apps and manage your settings on the touch screen. I was very pleased with this aspect of the Vita as well.
Quick Game Impressions:
Uncharted – Definitely the sharpest looking game that I tried. The graphics are solid and they are impressive the second you turn on the game. It may not blow away what you see on the PS3, but it is definitely the game that you show off to your friends when you carry your shiny new Vita around. The gameplay is smooth, and I like how it incorporates touch actions (like taps and wipes) to in-game combat and movement. Definitely a must-get launch game.
Wipeout 2048 – If you played Wipeout before, then there isn’t a lot here that you won’t be familiar with. It’s a high speed racing game with sexy graphics. But honestly after playing for 15 minutes, I got kind of bored. It’s pretty, but it’s nothing I haven’t experienced before. The load times were also a bit long. I wouldn’t consider this a MUST get.
Little Deviants (included with the First Edition Bundle) – A surprisingly fun game that makes (great) use of the rear touchpad. It might feel funny at first, but after you get used to the (excellent) rear touchpad, you’ll be addicted to this platformer’s string of fun minigames. I had way more fun playing this than Wipeout (to my surprise).
ModNation Racers – Essentially a PS clone of Mario Kart, with lots of colorful graphics and the ability for you to modify your racer/cars etc. Initially I was impressed with the customization options, but once I actually got to the race, I found the game to be too similar to Mario Kart but without the charm. The gameplay itself was alright and the car I tried out controlled okay, but overall the graphics also didn’t blow me away.
If you do buy a Vita, I would recommend Uncharted and Little Deviants as good first round buys. I can say this, I definitely had more fun with these games than any of the 3DS launch games (no dig at Nintendo as I do think the 3DS has some fine games as well, but Sony seems to have at least done a better job at launch time here in the U.S.)
Now to the But … in my title. My only main gripe with the Vita (so far) is the expensive cost of the memory cards. It is annoying that you can’t buy anything other than Sony’s Vita-only memory and paying $100 for a 32GB card does seem very excessive. You also have to get used to gripping the Vita in a different way to utilize the rear touch screen, but again, that’s more about learning something new than anything else. The pricetag is also somewhat hefty, but to me it’s worthwhile if you are into games, which leads me to …
All in all – if you are a hardcore gamer, you’ll love this toy. It’s not a PS3 in your hand, but it comes pretty darn close. Even though it has tablet-wannabe ambitions at times, in the end the Vita is a solid handheld gaming system for people who CARE about and LOVE games – plain and simple.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Bought Star Trek Voyager complete series
I was a fan of the Star Trek Voyager in 1995 - 2001 and I have many episodes in Xvid off Limewire long time ago. Thanks to a Canadian, I have all seven seasons. This was fascinating for me as a kid, all this 24th century technology. Star Trek with James T. Kirk seemed so outdated culturally. Hollywood is talking about a post-Voyager series. I got this set $80 cheaper by waiting over the brand new Amazon price. I'm a little bit interested in the next Star Trek series whatever that may be? In case you're wondering, I already have Star Trek The Next generation complete box set from 2009.
I imagine this new series will incorporate technologies like Quantum slipstream drive. It will take place after 2381 when Starfleet upgraded slip stream drives. The new series should have Vesta-class starships in it. The relaunch of Star Trek Voyager by Kirsten Beyer seem to be better series than Titan, Next Generation, Destiny, and Typhoon Pact series.
Here's my favorite Star Trek Next Generation episodes.
1. "The Best of Both Worlds"
2. "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II"
3. "Yesterday's Enterprise"
4. "The Inner Light"
5. "Relics"
Top 10 Voyager episodes
1.
Timeless
This episode starts with Chakotay and Harry Kim finding the frozen remains of Voyager and her crew on an ice planet ten years after their less than triumphant return to the alpha quadrant. This one is awesome because it forces such speculation from the viewer as to how the disaster occurred, and you just can’t beat a cameo by LeVar Burton as Captain Geordi LaForge of the Starship Challenger.
2.
Blink of an Eye
In this one, Voyager comes across a planet whose relationship with space-time makes time on the surface pass faster than the rest of the universe. While days pass on voyager, centuries pass on the planet. Voyager becomes trapped in orbit, which causes geological problems on the surface. My favorite part of this episode is how the due to the constant presence of Voyager in the sky, it takes a place in the alien society similar to that of the moon in ours… inspiring operas and a space race as they become more advanced.
3. Year of hell part 1&2
Voyager encounters a race with a weapon that allows them to erase anyone or anything from history, altering the timeline in their favor. Voyager promptly gets beat to hell by the alien race and over a year, Janeway builds alliances to stop them and restore the timeline to normal. A great episode for those that enjoy bits about how time travel and changing time lines work in the Star Trek universe.
4. Equinox part 1&2
ver since Voyager Premiered, much of the Fanfic had revolved around the concept of Janeway encountering another Starfleet vessel in the Delta Quadrant. At the end of season five, fans got their wish when the Voyager received a hail from the Starship Equinox. The captain of the Equinox has made much darker decisions than Janeway had to to keep his crew alive, and is determined to get them back home at all costs. When Janeway discovers how far he’s strayed from federation ideals, she vows to bring him to justice.
5. Hope and Fear
When Paris and Neelix return from an away mission with the mysterious Arturis, who helps them decipher a coded message from Starfleet that seemingly offers the crew a way home via an experimental ship called the Dauntless. It turns out to be a trap, as Arturis blames Jameway for not allowing species 8472 to stop the Borg before they could assimilate his world. It’s one of the few where Janeway is forced to confront that her actions can have a down side for those in the Delta quadrant, and one where Seven of Nine admits that she may not want to continue her quest for individuality. A lot of focus is placed on the Seven/Janeway relationship.
I imagine this new series will incorporate technologies like Quantum slipstream drive. It will take place after 2381 when Starfleet upgraded slip stream drives. The new series should have Vesta-class starships in it. The relaunch of Star Trek Voyager by Kirsten Beyer seem to be better series than Titan, Next Generation, Destiny, and Typhoon Pact series.
Here's my favorite Star Trek Next Generation episodes.
1. "The Best of Both Worlds"
2. "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II"
3. "Yesterday's Enterprise"
4. "The Inner Light"
5. "Relics"
Top 10 Voyager episodes
1.
Timeless
This episode starts with Chakotay and Harry Kim finding the frozen remains of Voyager and her crew on an ice planet ten years after their less than triumphant return to the alpha quadrant. This one is awesome because it forces such speculation from the viewer as to how the disaster occurred, and you just can’t beat a cameo by LeVar Burton as Captain Geordi LaForge of the Starship Challenger.
2.
Blink of an Eye
In this one, Voyager comes across a planet whose relationship with space-time makes time on the surface pass faster than the rest of the universe. While days pass on voyager, centuries pass on the planet. Voyager becomes trapped in orbit, which causes geological problems on the surface. My favorite part of this episode is how the due to the constant presence of Voyager in the sky, it takes a place in the alien society similar to that of the moon in ours… inspiring operas and a space race as they become more advanced.
3. Year of hell part 1&2
Voyager encounters a race with a weapon that allows them to erase anyone or anything from history, altering the timeline in their favor. Voyager promptly gets beat to hell by the alien race and over a year, Janeway builds alliances to stop them and restore the timeline to normal. A great episode for those that enjoy bits about how time travel and changing time lines work in the Star Trek universe.
4. Equinox part 1&2
ver since Voyager Premiered, much of the Fanfic had revolved around the concept of Janeway encountering another Starfleet vessel in the Delta Quadrant. At the end of season five, fans got their wish when the Voyager received a hail from the Starship Equinox. The captain of the Equinox has made much darker decisions than Janeway had to to keep his crew alive, and is determined to get them back home at all costs. When Janeway discovers how far he’s strayed from federation ideals, she vows to bring him to justice.
5. Hope and Fear
When Paris and Neelix return from an away mission with the mysterious Arturis, who helps them decipher a coded message from Starfleet that seemingly offers the crew a way home via an experimental ship called the Dauntless. It turns out to be a trap, as Arturis blames Jameway for not allowing species 8472 to stop the Borg before they could assimilate his world. It’s one of the few where Janeway is forced to confront that her actions can have a down side for those in the Delta quadrant, and one where Seven of Nine admits that she may not want to continue her quest for individuality. A lot of focus is placed on the Seven/Janeway relationship.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
PBIs are easy
My PC-BSD didn't LIbreoffice 3.4.5 (only openoffice 3.2) so the PBI file is automatic like exe file. Can you believe that Firefox 10 is 200 MB? I also got Opera 11.61, Q4Wine and Wine 1.3.4, some console emulators.
I got the 64-bit PC-BSD 9 Isotope Edition so I installed that today.
None of my facebook acquaintances want to join Google+. I'm on Google+. Like I said, facebook is evil. I comment on this college employee's wall, but he doesn't return the favour. Nobody returns the favour (all Americans).
There are a lot of people, who I comment on thier wall, and they unfriend me. Then they act like they haven't seen me in their life. What the fuck? Then they hit the abuse button, It just shows how hell-ish facebook is.
I got the 64-bit PC-BSD 9 Isotope Edition so I installed that today.
None of my facebook acquaintances want to join Google+. I'm on Google+. Like I said, facebook is evil. I comment on this college employee's wall, but he doesn't return the favour. Nobody returns the favour (all Americans).
There are a lot of people, who I comment on thier wall, and they unfriend me. Then they act like they haven't seen me in their life. What the fuck? Then they hit the abuse button, It just shows how hell-ish facebook is.
Friday, February 17, 2012
What if GP2X Caanoo ran Android? II: YINLIPS YDPG18
1. 5.0" High definition Touch Screen
2. 5.0 Mega pixels digital camera & DV function(Optional for double camera)
3. Support all audio decoding, Multi-tasks to play,listen to music while watching ebook and play the game. Multi-channel output
4. Sopport 1080P（1920x1080pixel）video decoding, RM/RMVB,PPTV，Support online TV, online movie,Support flash player 10. X online play ,Plugin subtitles SMI, SRT, SUB, SSA, ASS, SUB+IDX,ISO Navigation
5. Android2.2 OS,quickly visit any website, see news, office, reading, online download . Support website flash display
6. Wifi function,support E-mail,browse Office software，Word,execl... Support many input method, support handwritten input method. Support video chat and QQ chat etc.
7. Audio and video output(HDMI 1080p NTSC/PAL)
8. Game function,support 8bit NES/FC,GB,GBC.16bit SMC,SMD,SFC/SNES.32bit GBA,MAME.64bit N64,support 3D PSX(480X272）,HD 3D(800x480), android APK 3D games. Flash 10.X games, support full screen touch game,support gravity sensor direction sensor game, support network multi-player against games
9. Ebook function:TXT,PDF format
10.FM radio function(Optional), Clock, calendar, calculator
11.Support JPG format photos browsing, support small screen preview, 3D switch, slide broadcast, zoom
13.Support Micro SD card
14.Built-in double speaker
CPU:1.2GHz
GPU: Mali 400 @ 395MHz
RAM: 512MB
5" 800 x 480 touch screen display
5 Mega Pixel camera
Supports Micro SD card
Stereo speakers
WIFI
HDMI
USB - supports keyboard/mouse etc
Video, music, photo, e-book, calendar, calculator, web browser etc
Emulates: NES, SNES, GB/GBC/GBA, Mega Drive, MAME, N64, PSX, Flash 10.X games
Supports network multi-player games
Gravity sensor
Dimensions: 175mm x 75mm x 20mm | Weight: 200g
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