Wandering Worms

hmpf

2008-11-08T23:53:00.000-08:00

natatamad na akong magmaintain ng sobrang daming social networking accounts kaya 'di ko na uupdate lahat ito, Facebook nalang ang ititira ko at deviantArt siguro [http://jhedrotten.deviantart.com]. Sige. Ewan.

Installing Mozilla Thunderbird and Pidgin on Acer Aspire One

2008-10-29T19:09:00.000-07:00

This How-To is Acer modded Linpus Lite specific, please don't try this on an Acer Aspire One that has Microsoft Windows XP or Vista installed.

This How-To will guide you in installing Mozilla Thunderbird and Pidgin Messenger in your Aspire One and change the icon on your desktop to the original icon. This will only work assuming that you are still using AME or the Acer e-mail client that came pre-installed with your Aspire One and the Acer Messenger as well.

First thing that we need to do is to uninstall AME, by typing this command in the Terminal [alt+f2 and then type Terminal and then click on Run]:

sudo yum remove evolution-data-server libpurple

When the terminal is finally done performing those task, we can go ahead and install Pidgin and Thunderbird using pirut or in my case the Smart Package Manager [assuming the you have already signed keys using this command: sudo yum update fedora-release]. Open pirut or Smart and then search for Pidgin and then Thunderbird. After we're done with that, we're going to associate both programs with the default Mail and Messenger icon by typing these commands on the Terminal:

cd /usr/acer/bin
sudo ln -s /usr/bin/thunderbird AME
sudo ln -s /usr/bin/pidgin UIM

Well actually, it is as easy as that and we are done. You should now be able to use Mozilla Thunderbird and Pidgin using the default icons, but in case you are unhappy with those icons and wants to have the original icons, don't worry because we can do that by going to the Terminal and then typing:

sudo mousepad /usr/share/applications/AME.desktop

It should open a notepad that has a lot of text written on it and just in case you want to label the icon differently, let's say change it from E-mail to Thunderbird, just replace the text after Name= and GenericName= to your preferred name. Let's get back to the icon. When we scroll down, we should be able to see a line that says Icon= , just replace it with thunderbird.png, save it and we're done. Well, sad to say for Pidgin it has to be done in a different way and I'll just cover that on my next post, because it involves tweaking of group-app.xml, and a single mistake can ruin your desktop.

If you're already satisfied, then that's all, however for additional info, you can read below.

So now we have Mozilla Thunderbird and its original icon, what to do next? Well this is not that necessary but just in case you found out, the Mozilla Thunderbird we just installed does not update itself automatically and if we check on the Help menu, Check for Updates is grayed out, that is due to the fact that this version of Thunderbird is from the Fedora 8 [the Linux distribution where Linpus is based] repository. So in order for us to fix this, we need to do these steps in the Terminal so that we will be getting the official release from Mozilla and we're going to install it in the /opt directory. This is how:

wget "http://download.mozilla.org/?product=thunderbird-2.0.0.17&os=linux〈=en-US"

sudo tar -xvf thunderbird-2.0.0.17.tar.gz --directory /opt

And then a lot of unpacking happens. After it's done we can type this again in the Terminal:

sudo chown user -R /opt/thunderbird
sudo mousepad /usr/share/applications/AME.desktop

And we just need to change the Exec= line to look just like this:

Exec=/opt/thunderbird/thunderbird

That's pretty much it. But if you're bothered to have 2 Mozilla Thunderbirds installed in your Aspire One, we can delete the old one via pirut or Smart but it will delete the icon as well which can be remedied easily by searching Google these keywords that I have used which is 'thunderbird.png 64x64'. Just copy the image to your Downloads folder and then move it to the pixmaps directory using this command:

sudo cp /home/user/Downloads/thunderbird.png /usr/share/pixmaps

After that, we're done. If something goes wrong or if you have questions, please feel free to e-mail me at jdcrisostomo@gmail.com. Have fun!

at last, my skate shots last malachi urban tactics summer tour 2008 are finally here!

2008-05-07T17:48:00.000-07:00

yeah checkout http://jhedrotten.deviantart.com or check it out here [ http://dividethesubtract.multiply.com ] thanks

crap

2008-04-27T23:35:00.000-07:00

two words to describe my photography: "it sucks".

no new deviations, just decided not to join the digital bandwagon 'cause you can see kids here in the Philippines and even "conyos" of sorts without the slightest perception of photography and not even knowing shutter speed and aperture strutting around with DSLRs dangling in their necks[hey I'm not saying that I'm really good, but the fact disgusts me].

films and processing are really a tad too expensive, but it'll be better this way, with an old Canon EOS 500.

Photos of the URBAN TACTICS MALACHI SKATE TOUR 2008 coming up after a few weeks.

I need to work harder to earn a fisheye. whew.

why? why not?

2007-10-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

An angelic skinny girl with snow-white complexion who happens to have a supposedly immaculately sweet face if only it does not have accidents of an array of ostentatious facial piercings that would make Satan himself proud. A really emotional girl [well yeah, she used to be somehow a ‘boy’ and a playboy at that sense] yet shrouded by a mist of subtlety and right dosages of ‘girly’ complexities. Does have a flair for composing great thought invoking songs and is very passionate in performing on stage [miming her favorite emo front men over these past few years have resulted in developing her own unique style of singing], whether drunk or not. Surely this girl deserves the second-looks from passersby and the open-mouthed stares she gets from ‘emo-emohan’ kids on the local scene.

Superficial details, you might say? Aside from these things, I’m proud to say that this girl of sixteen years or so decides to bloom towards more artistic possibilities [she’s studying the art of tattooing and plans to have a major in painting, mind you] than spending her precious time in pretentiousness inside famed coffee shops and wasting vast amounts of time partying in conspicuous clubs [or bars] experimenting with the sexual privileges she gets from her adolescence. Aside from being the vocalist of the Learn To Understand band, and serves as the principal composer of the band, Angelica [or ‘Tisay’ to her friends] here have been improving her drums and guitar playing skills and is even excited on learning how to play the piano and other musical instruments.

So there you go, I don’t care whatever those closed-minded dimwits might say, it can be dog food for all I care. This is just a simple way of showing how proud I am to have her, too proud indeed that I sneer every time I see those guys who have waited so much for her to become a girl, and yet failed to do anything about it, greatly astonished to see a portrait of us, striding outside counter-culture gigs at after hours, holding hands and inebriated.

And last thing: I don’t need a vain, super sexy and pretty girlfriend if she’s going to lie to me every time she goes out with her friends and thinks she’s too hot to go to clubs and car shows, pretending she’s still single and having sordid affairs [some call it fornication, but I’d rather name it that way]. No, I don’t think that’s hot and aesthetically satisfying for me: I just need someone who values literature and is musically-inclined to share the rest of my life, I never asked for a fashion zombie.

Mga Kababaihan at ang Kapitalismo sa Mass Media

2007-07-17T21:35:00.000-07:00

Kung tayo ay mag-iisip nang mabuti, para sa mga posibleng solusyon sa ating problemang pambansa, pulitikal man o rehiyonal, marahil ay ang ‘mass media’ ang unang-una sa ating mga listahan. Ang ‘mass media’ ay may angking lakas na hindi kayang tumbasan ng kahit anung sandatang pangdigma; marahil ay hindi nga pisikal ang tama nito sa atin, subalit kaya nitong tumagos sa ating ispiritwal at emosyonal na komposisyon ng ating pagkatao, at maari nitong mabago ang ating nakagisnan nang paniniwala at gawi ng pamumuhay habang buhay.
Sisimulan ko ito sa isang sariling negatibong pananaw ukol sa ‘mass media’: Itinuturing ko ito bilang isang epidemya: isang sakit na nakakahawa na patuloy ang pagkalat hindi lamang sa bansa subalit pati na rin sa buong mundo. Isa itong sakit na hindi namamalayan, walang sintomas, subalit malaki ang pinsalang nagagawa sa ating mga sariling katauhan. Hindi ko alam kung saan ito nagsimula, o kung ano ang tunay na layunin ng nagsimula nito, pero sa nakikita ko, ang epidemyang ito ay may kakayahan na iisipin ng tipikal na Filipino na hindi posible at ang mga ganoong ideya ay naglalaro lamang sa ulirat ng isang taong may masyadong malawak na imahinasyon, o ‘di kaya’y isang taong wala nang bait sa sarili. Kaya nitong magpasiklab ng isang pambansang rebolusyon; isang away pulitikal; alitan sa magka-alyansang bansa; isang transpormasyon sa katauhan ng isang tao, mapa-pisikal man o emosyonal; magsimula ng digmaan; magkalat ng hindi pagkakaunawaan; lasunin ang isipan at kung anu-ano pang hindi na mabilang na mga posibilidad. Lahat ng ito sa loob lamang ng ilang minuto.
Nakakatawang isipin na ang epidemyang tulad nito ay nasa ating realidad at namumulutan sa ating mga sariling interes. Ginagamit nito ang ating mga mithiin at pagnanasa upang tayo ay maging papet ng mga nasa likod ng ‘mass media’, sa pamamagitan ng paghahalo ng lason na hindi agad napapansin sa kanilang mga proyekto. At dahil ginagamit nitong puhunan ang ating mga sariling mithiin, hindi natin namamalayan na tayo pala ay nasa ilalalim na nito at tuluyan na tayong naapektuhan. At dahil sa patuloy nitong pagpapakain sa ating mga pagnanasa, hindi na natin ito maalis sa ating sistema at nakakalimutan na natin ang mga mahahalagang bagay na itinuro at ipinasa sa atin ng ating mga ninuno. Nagiging sarado din ang ating isipan sa ibang mga bagay na pupwedeng pagkunan ng impormasyon bukod sa ‘mass media’, at nagiging alipin na tayo at sunod-sunuran sa mga gusto nitong mangyari.
Ang ‘mass media’ din ay isang kilalang pugad ng mga kapitalista. Hindi ganun kadaling paikutin ang mga ulo ng milyung-milyong tao sa buong mundo, at hindi rin madaling kumuha ng mga taong magaling magsalita, manlinlang, at magbigay ng impormasyon. Subalit, madali lang ang solusyon dito: pera. Ang sandata ng bawat kapitalista, at ang bagay na kayang magpaikot ng mga pangyayari at tanggalin ang kamalayan ng sinumang tao naakit sa materyalismo: ‘wala akong nakita at narinig, wala nang nangyari simula ngayon, hindi ko kayo kilala,’ o di kaya’y ‘opo, ganoon nga ang nangyari, alam ko na po ang sasabihin ko’.
Siguro ay may kinalaman ang ‘crab mentality’ sa layunin ng mga kapitalistang magpakalat ng ganitong uri ng sakit. Kasi sa nakikita ko, ganito lang ‘yun eh: ang mga may-alam, nagiging kapitalista at ginagamit ang mga bobo at mga dukha. Hindi ko sinasabing lahat, subalit hindi iikot ang mundo ng wala ang dalawang sangkap na ito. Syempre, kung matalino ka, hindi ka magpapatalo, at sa tingin mo ay alam mo ang tama. Hindi mo gugustuhing talunin ka ng mga hampas-lupang walang pinag-aral at walang alam sa paghawak ng pera at pagpapalago ng negosyo, lalo na kung ikaw ay lumaki sa isang mayamang pamilya, na araw-araw mula pagkabata ay itinatanim sa utak mo ang saysay na ginagampanan ng mga dukha at walang alam sa lalong pagpapalago ng negosyo ninyo, na kasalanan nila ito kung bakit sila nagkaganun at dahil din ito sa kanilang pagiging materyalismo at hindi pagbibigay ng importansya sa pag-iimpok.
At kapansin-pansin sa hindi ko alam na kadahilanan na mas madaming kababaihan ang kasangkot sa mga kilalang mga balangkas ng ‘mass media’. Ayon sa datos na galing sa National Statistics Office noong taong 2003, 47.9% ng kababaihan sa edad 10-64 ang nasa dyaryo, laban sa 45.1% ng mga kalalakihan; 38.4% naman sa mga magasin at libro; 63.9% naman sa telebisyon; 57.5% sa radio at 21.3% naman sa kompyuter at internet. Ang mga nabanggit na balangkas ng ‘mass media’ ang naturingang pinakamalakas, dahil ang mga ito ay naging kasama na ng araw-araw nating pamumuhay, at ang iba dito ay nakaka-aliw panoorin o basahin.
Subalit hindi naman lahat ng nasa ‘mass media’ ay nagtuturo ng masama, o lumalason sa ating isip. Kung gagamitin ng wasto ang ‘mass media’, maari itong magturo sa atin at sa ating kabaatan ng mga magagandang asal at mga bagong tuklas sa larangan ng syensya, tulad ng mga palabas sa telebisyon na Discovery Channel at Animal Planet. Sa tingin ko ang talagang layunin ng ‘mass media’ ay ang magbigay ng impormasyon at ng pagkakalibangan sa ibang tao habang kumikita sila ng pera. Hindi pa rin talaga maiaalis ang pera sa usapan, dahil isa ito sa ating realidad, at halos lahat ng mayroon tayo ay galing sa mga kapitalista. At marahil ang pangunahing dahilan kung bakit ganito karami ang kababaihan na pumapasok sa ‘mass media’ ay para mabuhay, dahil sa malaking halaga ng salaping makukuha dito, lalo na sa telebisyon. Masasabi kong ito ang pinakamalakas na sandata ng ‘mass media’. Sa telebisyon, hindi mo na kailangan pang magpakahirap matutong magbasa, o magbasa ng napakahabang nobela o gamitin ang imahinasyon sa hindi gumagalaw na larawan sa isang magasin: ang kailangan mo lang ay isang komportableng upuan o higaan, telebiyon, pambayad sa kuryente at matang walang depekto o karamdaman, at tada! Nakatanga ka na sa iyong idolong artista. Ito din ang pinaka-kinamumuhian ko sa lahat ng kayang ihain ng ‘mass media’.
Dito ipinapakita ang lahat ng kalapastanganan ng mga tao, mga kagagaguhan, at kung paano nila ipaglantaran ang kanilang kabobohan sa buong bansa. Marahil ay ito ang nagpapaliwanag kung bakit mas marami ang mga babae sa telebiyon kaysa sa mga lalaki: dahil simple lang ang puhunan mo dito. ‘Pag may maganda at makinis kang mukha at katawan at ikaw ay maputi, pasok ka na, kahit wala kang alam at hindi ka marunong umarte. At kung ayaw ka namang tanggapin ay sabihin mong pwede kang maghubad, at humanda kang kumita ng limpak-limpak na salapi habang pinagpapantasyahan ng lahat ng kalalakihan sa bansa ang sariwa mong katawan.
Kung hindi ka naman pasado sa mga nabanggit sa itaas, huwag mag-alala dahil may isa ka pang pwedeng pagpilian. Kung ikaw ay kasalungat ng mga nabanggit na katangian sa taas, maari ka pa ring kumita ng salaping kayang bumuhay sa iyo at sa iyong pamilya. Kung ikaw ay maliit, maitim, tatanga-tanga may mala-mongoloid na mukha na sa tingin mo ay pwede sa karnibal at maging paksa ng araw-araw na tawanan at kagigiliwan ng mga pamilya tuwing tanghali, handing batuk-batukan ng mga tarantadong host na akala mo kung sino, lait-laitin sa harap ng masa at magmukhang kawawa, pwede ka pa rin. Alin lang naman sa dalawa yun: magpakyut o magmukhang tangang kinakawawa. Ang lahat ng ito ay kaululan na lumalapastangan sa ating mga kababaihan, sa kanilang pagkatao at moralidad. Lahat ng ito nang dahil sa pera. Ito ang dahilan kung bakit hindi ako nanonood ng telebisyon.

i don't want

2006-09-20T19:46:00.000-07:00

I want to have something to write about but it seems that every time I tried thinking of a subject, my mind betrays me in a way that makes me not want to write anymore about anthing or anyone. That stirs up wafts of melancholy billowing in my inner self (who am I anyway?). There are also times when I feel alienated by everything and everyone. Something sucks today is such a lame word to put it. Everything sucks is more apt. I feel like a robot, driven by an abstract force that looks through the eyes and hides in solitude inside this complex composition of organs, flesh, circuits of nerves intertwined, blood that is composed of blood cells pumped in the center of the nervous system. I want to see myself. Not the sheer image that forms in the face of the mirror everytime I gaze at it absent-mindedly, examining every feature of my countenance. Isn't the eyes mirrors our soul? I don't know. I am confused and abused by these facts, by these imformations, by these propagandas, conspiracies and whatever you call them that proclaims that everthing has a counterpart, has an opposite, everything is relative, and all relative things that makes things different and dual. I have even thought about a different world that is opposite to what we know, and yet it makes no sense. When will humanity end? How did we know that the sun will stay billion of years ago? Questions that are not answered echoes inside the bottomless pit of curiosity. I am just waiting for science and technology to stab our backs. Technology is advancing. Technology will leave us falling and will be gone without a trace, just like what happened to Laika, the spacedog.

the hell with computer viruses

2006-08-15T18:29:00.000-07:00

Okay. So here it goes. Just last month, I bought a new Sony Memory Stick Pro Duo for my Sony Ericsson walkman series mobile phone. I bought it for about 2000 bucks at the PC eXpress shop in Magallanes. Then just about last week, it became defunct. Useless. My two thousand pesos went to the trashcan [not literally, but figuratively, since all I got now for my 2k is a definitely useless black microchip printed with Sony and a big 1GB in it]. I remembered how that mem stick slacked off, I remembered how I was seated inside that can with all those people cramped inside, on my way to the University, listening to some old Arch Enemy tracks trying hard to chill and relax although I was far from relaxing; it was very hot, and there were so many people talking, walking in and out at the different stations, and unfortunately the aircon is not working [as usual, when you always ride in the last car of the train]. So I have to close my eyes as to not to feel giddy and stuff. But then, as the violent music blaring desire and fear in my mind goes on, with my eyes closed, I started to smell something nauseating, now don't ask me what the hell was that, for my eyes were closed; I just swear there was an Arab in the f***ing train. Oh well, sorry for that, I'm not being a racist or something, but we all know how they smell- and it's now nice. So, enough of the Arab thing- let's get back to where my mem stick started to become useless. Just as I have said, I was listening to Arch Enemy's 'Anthems of Rebellion' album when suddenly it stopped and started playing Radioactive Sago Project's 'Masarap'. Upon hearing Lourd De Veyra's voice, I was alarmed. Not because he is my idol, but because of the fact that I was listening to Radioactive a while ago but it is not in my current playlist. For a split-second I thought I was being mugged [talk about being paranoid] and the thief accidentally changed the track. The thought roused me from that moment of stupor and I instantly dug my pocket for my cellphone. Then I saw something weird: the display says it was Arch Enemy, Anthems of Rebellion album, 'Leader of the Rats' song, but my cellphone was actually playing Radioactive Sago Project! What the f**k, I thought. Then I thought it was just some kind of a bug with my cellphone so I turned it off. And when I tried turning it on again, it wouldn't. It would just show the welcome screen and then nothing. I tried several times but the cellphone is giving me the same response so by then I knew that it was the mem stick that was causing this mess. I removed it and then tried the phone again and tada! It worked. Minus my precious images. Minus my 600+ tracks. I tried inserting the mem stick but it causes my phone to hang. Again, I tried several times. Then I feel like crying. I went home after my classes without anything to listen to. Without RAdioactive Sago Project, Arch Enemy, Cradle of Filth, Descendents, NOFX, Big Mountain, Selecter, Specials etc., only the noise of the squalid places I absentmindedly pass by everyday.

By the time I arrived, I went on looking for that receipt, hoping to get a warranty so that the mem stick would be replaced or repaired or whatever. I just thought I can no longer live without my music [that's hyberbole of course, since I already had lived without it when my expensive headset got destroyed]. I saw it, and as stated in the piece of paper, they are going to replace it in one week after the date of purchase; and it has a six months warranty, on which they can repair it, but it is not for free, meaning I still have to pay a certain percentage of its original price. So I have to think first, since I got no money and the place is not so far but let us just say that it is difficult to go there with cheap transportation, meaning I had to go there with a taxi that would cost me 200pesos all in all. And I could buy a lot of things out of that 200pesos.

But then when I was about to go to have this residue of modern technology checked, when we were hanging out in the classroom enjoying a 'no-professor-hour' viewing images in my friend's laptop when she showed us a screenshot image of a new virus, told us that it was from the Ateneans. Oh my god, I thought. I was shocked not because it was from the Ateneans [of course] but because I recognized what was in the image. It was the Autorun message that the OS will prompt when you inserted a Media Storage device in the USB port, when the storage device have more that 2 types of files. But instead of seeing the usual recognizable programs [such as Windows Media Player for music and videos, Open Folder to view files option and et cetera] what's on top of the list is a program, a rather strange and weird one. It is e_ttm. Not exactly, but it looks that way. It is a program that will autorun, and Windows will ask you if you would like to use the program found on the disk. I suddenly remembered myself quickly tapping the Enter button repeatedly the last time I inserted my mem stick into the memory card reader. And I was so damn sure I saw that program and I was afraid that I have used the program after all. Then I remembered how my desktop pc dramatically slacked off in terms of performance. It became slow, even in accessing folders, which is strange, when your pc has 2GB DDR ram. My friend told me that beware of that virus which will make your files disappear and will make your storage device defunct after two weeks. She failed to tell me it also slows your pc down. Hehehe.

So it saved me the trouble of spending 200pesos and the feeling of being stupid. I am proud to say that I am no longer an abecedarian when it comes to buying gadgets because I have been a techie ever since. I have my first computer when I was in kinder. My first cellphone in grade one and et cetera. And as far as warranty is concerned, they'll only repair or replace it if the damage is natural, or took place in the factory, not if it acquired viruses due to your own carelessness. At least I did not look like a complete idiot inside the shop.

So why am I writing about this just now? After all of a sudden? Because I think the same thing happened to my flash disk, which refuses to save anything just now. It's not my fault. My sister's. So I have to System Restore the desktop again. I'm so glad virus makers are still being kind. They don't disable the System Restore first.

non-sense #5

2006-07-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

Babbling is not enough. It's hard to speak when no one is listening. Too much silence can make your eyes pop out in a barbaric trance. Learn Latin and you might burn the English dictionary while in an uncontrollable demonic laughter. Misunderstanding is key. Inebriate yourself with words and be obnoxious. Explicit is the framework of the human aesthetics. Pleasure defines beauty. Pornography is really interesting. Art is the slave and desire is the overlord. Books and paintings, canvas and paper makes no sense. The language of the flesh is the world's lingua franca.

non-sense #1

2006-07-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

The fire inside me is sure as hot as the tongues of flame in hell itself. Insecurity has found its new breeding ground. Ennui is nowhere to be found; a thousand of Mazda3s drifting inside my brain. Betrayal is the ally and rejection is the crime. The sweet aroma of coffee wafts inside the sepulchral veil, unaware of its bitterness. The brain and heart in a muddy and brutal catfight: the heart lost in cerebral tissues, trapped between the two hemispheres. It continually pulsates, about to self-destruct. The moon sniggered whle the night clouds covered her: as it goes on, with the confused pen as the referee. Pessimism hovers succinctly over the purple sky.

Mental Block

2006-07-07T22:37:00.000-07:00

I suddenly forgot what I was about to write.
I didn't say supposed, I said 'about'.
This is not a poem telling you to come back later.
Let me sleep first,
Or give me five cups of cold coffee
To turn the dreamfuse on.

you can check out http://isipnanakakahon.blogspot.com if you want to read more.