jacks.ARSE

December 22, 2012

Doh, no more Amazon self-referrals

Filed under: Whatever @ 1:00 am

Nothing going on here in a long time. However, I just realized that Amazon hasn’t been crediting me for self-referral orders that I placed using Angeline’s account for the past 6 months! :devil:

Well, if anyone wants me to order using theirs, let me know. You get at least 4% back on most things. :money: Here’s my link if you care to return the favor:

» http://jacksarse.com/amazon

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April 21, 2010

AT&T Shaft, I mean MicroCell

Filed under: Whatever @ 3:09 pm

So I willingly went to the AT&T store today and paid them $150 for better service. Needless to say, I went home with my head hung low in defeat and disgrace. This thing just went national this month so even after reading a few success stories on the interweb, I was still a bit skeptical. Yuki too.

AT&T MicroCell Box

The unboxing was simple as well as the setup. You just log into your AT&T account, click a couple “Agree” buttons, choose the numbers you will authorize to use the MicroCell and you’re done! :dance:

Unfortunately, then you plug it in and the next step is to wait (it literally says this in the setup guide). And wait. A few lights blink and then you wait some more. Finally, while you are scouring the internet for tips on how to set the thing up, you get an SMS from AT&T congratulating you for not fucking it up.

Here is the glorious result!

MicroCell Screenshots
(click to enlarge)

My heart still aches when I think of how wrong it is to bend over and take it from AT&T. But, it is pretty sweet to get 5 bars of clear voice calling at home now. No more embarrassing garbled and dropped calls while discussing surgical cases for the next day. No more running to the bathroom when the phone rings because ironically it’s the only place we get a stable connection. Their slogan should be,

More bars in more places, now bend over and give us $150. Oh and make sure your broadband that you pay for has at least 1.5Mbps of bandwidth. Thanks.”

It was difficult to reason this one out but 1) the device is transferable so I figure I can try to sell it to the next sucker if/when we’re done with AT&T, 2) I need my sanity, and 3) we have actually become mindless Apple sheep and need to keep our iPhones…for now. :wallbash:

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December 20, 2009

It’s water proof!

Filed under: Crazy,Whatever @ 1:30 pm

One major setback was related to an essential feature of my new watch: water resistance.

I found a local watchmaker that had a pressure tester to check my previous and new watch. Disappointingly, the new creation failed miserably. So I replaced the caseback gasket with a slightly thicker one, but the problem lied with the crystal gasket.

But more shocking, was the water resistance of my previous beater! It passed with flying colors. Both the negative and positive pressure test, up to 100m! This all with an exhibition caseback and without a screw-down crown. I couldn’t believe it.

So after a week of fiddling around, I bit the bullet and applied a thin layer of cement around the edge of the crystal before installing it in the project watch. I also installed a new bezel insert that I like MUCH better. The beta is ready.

Version: beta
(click to enlarge and for before/after comparison)

Version: alpha

I also tested out what an exhibition caseback would look like with my decorated movement (isn’t it beautiful?):

Exhibition caseback test
(click to enlarge)

Lastly here are some updated specs after re-testing the watch today:

  • Water resistance: 100 m :clap:
  • Dial up position:
    • Accuracy: +1 s/day
    • Beat error: 0.2 ms
    • Amplitude: 315 °
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November 16, 2009

Watch building

Filed under: Whatever @ 10:58 pm

Damn this year has gone by fast. My current watch is one I modded/customized 4 years ago as a beater watch for the hospital. However, I’ve ended up wearing it everyday it was so versatile. The one thing I’ve been worried about, though, is its water resistance so I don’t take it into the ocean or dunk it under too much watch other than when washing my hands. So I’m thinking about building a new beater watch.

For the case, I am thinking between 40-42mm. I want something with a bezel so I can use it as a timer sometimes. I think I want a coin edge with a black insert to go along with being a more functional tool watch. Since I want better water resistance, it has to have a screw down crown. Ideally, it will also have a display back so I can also find a movement with some nice finish.

Movement

The dial is a tough one because it has to fit the case. So far, I’ve found a few options, but I think a black dial will work best and can still be dressed up with a nice leather strap. My current dial is a little busy, so I think I’ll go the opposite and go really simple. I’ll get another black date ring too to keep things clean and stealthy.

I’ve been into pilot style hands that are white with black centers to continue the clean, stealth look. I found a cool set that looks like some of the Sinn or Damasko pilot hands. As far as second hands go, there is a trend to break up the monotony of a black and white watch with a colored second hand. Most go orange, but Damasko has a really nice ultraviolet yellow second hand that I’ve been liking.

This is what I’ve come up with so far:

Mockups
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February 20, 2009

Sexy body

Filed under: Whatever @ 11:00 pm

Look at the sexy, new Nikon (knee-con) D3x. Under the hood is a 24-megapixel full-frame sensor. It’s touted to be THE full-frame, professional DSLR, and at $8000, it’s not cheap (like I needed to say that). It also happens to be the bigger brother of the equally revolutionary Nikon D3, still the reigning king of 35mm low-light and sports digital photography.

Nikon D3x: Front
Nikon D3x: LeftNikon D3x: Right(click for more sexy views)Nikon D3x: BackNikon D3X: Top

I tend to think about the relationship of Nikon to Canon as similar to BMW and Mercedes Benz: the Nikon is just that much sexier and cooler.

Check out the review here:
» Nikon D3x Review at DPReview.com

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February 11, 2009

Free Emoji!

Filed under: Whatever @ 10:34 pm

For those of you who don’t know what Emoji are, read this:

» Emoji

Look what you can do! Anyone with an iPhone with version 2.2 or higher can see your Emoji icons. :thumbup:

Emoji
(click for larger preview)

Can’t wait to get them for yourself? First, click here to open iTunes and get the free app: Spell Number or search for “Spell Number” on your iPhone iTunes Store!

Then, check out the following video to enable Emoji on your phone:
(more…)

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Going under

Filed under: Whatever @ 6:38 pm

Just after the new year, our program’s chairman sent out a link to this story. I’ve heard of a few cases of this happening in several anesthesia programs and I even think I knew someone last year. The person I knew died. I’m not sure of what exactly, but I think I know.

Check it out if you want to learn a little more about my specialty and one of its most dangerous occupational hazards.

» Going Under

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December 8, 2008

No more Polaroid

Filed under: Whatever @ 6:58 pm

If you think about it, Polaroid pictures were the closest thing to today’s digital imaging. At the end of the year, Polaroid will no longer produce its own film. This was announce some time ago, but I just noticed it again in the news today. It’s like survival of the fittest for technology.

» Polaroid goes extinct

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October 8, 2008

A Sandwich Thief

Filed under: Whatever @ 6:47 pm

I’m super annoyed that after looking forward to it all afternoon, someone stole my sandwiches and drink. Maybe they thought the “Jack” written on all three items meant cheese (never heard of a Jack cheese drink though). What irks me to no end about it is that I left it in my own department’s conference room where one of my colleagues who I’m supposed to respect and vice versa got confused about two sandwiches and a drink in the corner and took them.

Who knows, maybe they were moved somewhere else. Maybe not.

This reminds me of the Friends episode where Ross gets sent to anger management because he went ape shit after someone stole his sandwich. :devil:

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October 6, 2008

Backward or Forward?

Filed under: Whatever @ 8:41 pm

I’ve been feeling like I haven’t been taking enough pictures. At first I thought it was that I just wasn’t inspired. But I got to thinking it’s also probably because I just never have my camera with me now that it’s a minimum of 3.5 lbs. just for the D70 and a lens. That and I’m just lazy. So when Canon announced their new PowerShot G10, I got a little excited. 4 years ago I was so ready to get rid of the crappy “prosumer” point and shoot camera and move up to a full-on DSLR and here I am thinking about the G10. Blah blah blah and 3 weeks later I have my new toy.

PowerShot G10 Front
PowerShot G10 Top
PowerShot G10 Back

Check out those cool rangefinder-like controls! The feel is nice too with a leather/ette thingie on the hand grip. The start-up time was unexpectedly quick; a snappy surprise. Weight-wise, the G10 is a breeze to carry. Although not as high-res as the D90’s screen, the G10 does have a higher res screen than most other point-and-shoots. Lastly, a few notable improvements from my old G3 are the built-in lens cover and 28mm wide angle. Unfortunately, the lens is slower at f/2.8.

I’m still a little conflicted though since it really does lack a lot of things, say, a new D90 would have. We’ll see how much I actually miss a DSLR. The good news is that I sold two more images recently which easily covers the G10 … or a new lens. Weird if you think about it that way: a G10 equals a lens in cost. Haha.

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