Tag: reviews

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Apeks DS4

Since I seem to be on a scuba phase of my preoccupation cycle, I’ll post some scuba related reviews. I’ll start with the Apeks DS4. This 1st stage regulator is a no-nonsense device. It has a dry-sealed (DS) system which means it has a sealing outer diaphragm which transmits pressure over the primary diaphragm. The water doesn’t get in contact with internals and freeze things in cold water. It is also overbalanced. This means the deeper you get, slightly more pressure is delivered to the 2nd stage regulator. It has 4 medium-pressure ports, and 1 high-pressure port. It came with a DIN fitting so I needed a yoke adapter for using it with the tanks that are commonly available locally.

I haven’t really used too many other 1st stages so all I can say is that it works and it works well. The fact that many advanced divers recommend it is testament to its capabilities.

Rating: 5/5

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Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Did quite a lot last sunday: went to the dry cleaner, had a hair cut, had lunch at Piadina, watched the cat show/contest sponsored by the Philippine United Society of Ailurophiles (PUSA), and watched The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (now that’s a long title).

It’s a pretty cool movie. It has shades of the Wizard of Oz and the Lord of The Rings. It’s not quite Oz but it does evoke that feeling of wonder and awe back when you were still not as jaded or pragmatic. Nor is it quite LOTR as the plot is much more simplistic (e.g. very few would think Aslan clever for his sacrifice trick).

Towards the end, there was a quite violent battle between the forces of good and evil. I guess that would be another influence of Tolkien on Lewis and the LOTR movie on the director. But it is not anywhere near LOTR’s battles. I actually hope the battles of both movies are as gritty as Braveheart but I guess nobody else would want an R rating for this movie.

Overall, I think the movie is primarily for children or children at heart. But then, most of us are to a certain degree, aren’t we? ;)

Rating: 4/5

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IBM Thinkpad X20 Series Battery

It’s a new year and Selene, my Thinkpad X22, has a new battery!

The battery that came with Selene is already 3 years old and it is showing: It only holds about an hour’s worth of charge. They say Li-Ion batteries only have 3 years life so I guess it will be downhill from 3 years on. I therefore decided to get a new battery.

After quite some time searching through Froggle, PriceGrabber, etc, I finally ordered it online from KeyBattery.com. They don’t ship international so I had it shipped to my friend Billie who was in the US and she eventually got it to me through various means. Thanks Bill! ;)

The battery is your normal IBM spec Li-Ion battery with 10.8V and 4000mAH charge for an effective usage time of roughly 3 hours. There are batteries that have 4400mAH (notably from BatteryRefill.com) but unfortunately the online shops that carry those do not accept my credit card. Too bad since you could do quite a lot with an extra 10% charge. But then again, 3 hrs vs the old battery’s 1 hr is already quite a lot too so I shouldn’t be complaining.

Rating: 4/5

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King Kong

Final exams were just done and I was looking for something to spend my time on. Enter King Kong. I decided to watch it because apparently people feel it is good: tons of cinemas were showing it (in Eastwood it was showing in ALL cinemas). Much more than any movie in recent memory. I went into the cinema with pretty high expectations.

I wasn’t disappointed.

The movie started off a bit slow: The background is set and the characters and their relationships built up. Then they stumble upon a mysterious island and it was non-stop action from there all the way to the ending in New York. You have to see the action scenes: from the dinosaur stampede, to the monster rumble, to the insect attack, to the city rampage, and finally to the battle up at the top of the Empire State Building.

It would seem like the movie got a lot of ideas from other movies. But remember that the original King Kong was where lot of other movies got ideas from in the first place.

And the acting is not bad either. Naomi Watts was gorgeous in a breathless 30s actress kind of way. Adrien Brody did well as the unexpected hero. He’s supposed to be Watts’ love interest but there seem to be more chemistry between her and the ape. Andy Serkis as the big ape himself almost outdid his Gollum. The only one who seem out of place is that comedy guy from Shallow Hal, but that’s because I saw that movie (as well as a few others). Otherwise he probably would have seemed great to me.

A classic in the making? Looks like that to me ;)

Rating: 4/5

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Pi

Pi is about a psychotic mathematician (aren’t they all?) trying to develop a formula for making sense of and predicting the stock market. As he struggles against the problem, he is hindered by painful pyschotic attacks but which seems to lead him closer to the answer. As the solution comes within grasp, he realizes that it’s not just him who wants it.

Through great movie-making, Pi successfully draws you into the pyschotic world of the lead character for a pretty immersive move watching experience, i.e. you will almost feel psychotic too :)) As a bonus, it has a lot of interesting math information (some are inaccurate but still interesting nevertheless). Not for the casual viewer but if you’re a serious buff, it could be for you.

Rating: 3/5