http://i56.tinypic.com/2dueeee.jpg
alt.link:
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
100 - E-text tutorial
This picture shows a tutorial for Etext version 1.1 text encrypter & how, if you must, use it on a computer with Windows XP or higher (Windows7).
http://i56.tinypic.com/2dueeee.jpg
alt.link:
http://i56.tinypic.com/2dueeee.jpg
alt.link:
099 - My Windows7 laptop dies
My Windows7 laptop dies
===
Date of Windows crash = The morning of Saturday May21,2011. There is some strange Karma today. This day is the prophetic Doomday/Rapture predicted by the religious people at www.familyradio.com . At Calgary International Airport, many experienced inconvenience as there was a ??power/computer?? disruption. This is also the Victoria Day long weekend (Monday the 23rd is Victoria Day). Thus the airport would be more busy than a typical weekend.
"
My Windows7 laptop dies. Windows states there is an error, likely an "incompatible driver". It starts into a self-diagnosis, and then suggests:
1) checking disk for errors. I do this as prompted. I am unable to boot into computer;
2) use last known good configuration. This fails. Windows can't do this;
3) use system restore. Windows says it can't find a system restore point. This is funny because I always keep at least 1 system restore point on the hard drive. Also, system restore is automatically active, by default, for the C:\ drive in a Windows 7 computer.
Now, I try booting into "safe-mode". This fails because, once again Windows says there is an incompatible driver.
One day prior, (ie., Friday May20, 2011), there was a reminder on my computer to install an Adobe upgrade, probably for flash or shockwave. I click OK but nothing happens as Adobe tries to connect to the internet and cannot find the connection. Also on this day, before shutting down, I had cleaned the drive C:\ simply by right-clicking on the drive C:\ icon, then on the Properties, and next choosing the Disk Cleanup button. This was straightforward and the process only took what seemed to be 1-2 minutes.
Two days prior (ie.,Thursday May19, 2011), at the public library, WiFi was very slow. My current antivirus software was, as usual, turned on.
(Come to think of it, my WindowsXP laptop similarly experienced a fatal "lsass.exe error", almost 1 year ago, on the evening of Tuesday May25, 2010. During the day, of May25,2010, I was also at the public library on their WiFi network, and my antivirus software was active too.) What kind of a coincidence is this?!
There is something else that is similar that may have occurred on these 2 dates. I may have intentionally or unintentionally switched wifi networks without shutting down the browser first. Windows may report an error with a router conflict of address or connection or similar jargon.
Back to the WindowsXP laptop and the lsass.exe error. No one seems to know exactly what an lsass.exe error is. I ask the computer technicians at the big chain electronics retailers and they don't know. The web has information that it is a software error resulting in a registry corruption. Other web sites claim that the lsass.exe error is due to a virus. Approximately, from the year 2007 to the Summer of 2009, this laptop has several times, encountered the lsass.exe error at the startup/boot stage. This was always remedied by my choosing the Windows-XP choice of using the "last known good configuration" or by restoring the registry via the ERUNT/ERDNT app (Written by Lars Hederer), using a (BartPE)live-CD. In the Summer of 2009, the CD-drive breaks down, so I am no longer able to restore the registry by this method.
In the Autumn, on September 06, 2009, the lsass.exe error strikes again. All Windows could show was a small box saying there is an lsass.exe error. If you click on the "ok" button, the laptop reboots & goes into this vicious cycle again. Now that I can't use the cd-drive to restore the computer, I had to use the services of the computer technician for a pricey $ data recovery and OS re-installation. As indicated above, the lsass.exe error happened again May2010 and the laptop remains dead.
I'm so cynical about Windows. As for my Windows7 laptop, I used the manufacturer's proprietary recovery software, and it worked like a charm. I did lose some data, but most of it had previously been backed up and my losses were minor. It's funny how Windows has frustrated me so often (ever since Windows 98), and yet reliable hardware and software all seem to come from non-Microsoft Brands or Corporations!
Conclusion
----------
Things which I speculate may cause Windows to get a major/fatal booting error:
- lsass.exe error;
- switching wifi networks without first shutting down the browser;
- trying to upgrade Adobe Flash player (or Shockwave?);
- Using Windows' Disk Cleanup feature;
- some unknown virus which strikes in the month of May? (note: I don't know if I got a boot error in May of 2009/2008/2007; I don't have it documented. If the error did occur annually, that would be freaky.)
The only preventative measures I can think of for boot errors:
- frequent antivirus updates;
- don't switch wifi networks without first closing your browser;
- don't update your Adobe software, unless you absolutely must;
- make frequent/regular backups of data
- avoid cleaning your hard-drive using Windows' Disk Cleanup button;
- don't totally rely on Windows' System Restore feature. It has failed me several times on two different machines, and with two different versions of Windows.
tags: incompatible driver, lsass error, windows xp, windows 7,
===
Date of Windows crash = The morning of Saturday May21,2011. There is some strange Karma today. This day is the prophetic Doomday/Rapture predicted by the religious people at www.familyradio.com . At Calgary International Airport, many experienced inconvenience as there was a ??power/computer?? disruption. This is also the Victoria Day long weekend (Monday the 23rd is Victoria Day). Thus the airport would be more busy than a typical weekend.
"
My Windows7 laptop dies. Windows states there is an error, likely an "incompatible driver". It starts into a self-diagnosis, and then suggests:
1) checking disk for errors. I do this as prompted. I am unable to boot into computer;
2) use last known good configuration. This fails. Windows can't do this;
3) use system restore. Windows says it can't find a system restore point. This is funny because I always keep at least 1 system restore point on the hard drive. Also, system restore is automatically active, by default, for the C:\ drive in a Windows 7 computer.
Now, I try booting into "safe-mode". This fails because, once again Windows says there is an incompatible driver.
One day prior, (ie., Friday May20, 2011), there was a reminder on my computer to install an Adobe upgrade, probably for flash or shockwave. I click OK but nothing happens as Adobe tries to connect to the internet and cannot find the connection. Also on this day, before shutting down, I had cleaned the drive C:\ simply by right-clicking on the drive C:\ icon, then on the Properties, and next choosing the Disk Cleanup button. This was straightforward and the process only took what seemed to be 1-2 minutes.
Two days prior (ie.,Thursday May19, 2011), at the public library, WiFi was very slow. My current antivirus software was, as usual, turned on.
(Come to think of it, my WindowsXP laptop similarly experienced a fatal "lsass.exe error", almost 1 year ago, on the evening of Tuesday May25, 2010. During the day, of May25,2010, I was also at the public library on their WiFi network, and my antivirus software was active too.) What kind of a coincidence is this?!
There is something else that is similar that may have occurred on these 2 dates. I may have intentionally or unintentionally switched wifi networks without shutting down the browser first. Windows may report an error with a router conflict of address or connection or similar jargon.
Back to the WindowsXP laptop and the lsass.exe error. No one seems to know exactly what an lsass.exe error is. I ask the computer technicians at the big chain electronics retailers and they don't know. The web has information that it is a software error resulting in a registry corruption. Other web sites claim that the lsass.exe error is due to a virus. Approximately, from the year 2007 to the Summer of 2009, this laptop has several times, encountered the lsass.exe error at the startup/boot stage. This was always remedied by my choosing the Windows-XP choice of using the "last known good configuration" or by restoring the registry via the ERUNT/ERDNT app (Written by Lars Hederer), using a (BartPE)live-CD. In the Summer of 2009, the CD-drive breaks down, so I am no longer able to restore the registry by this method.
In the Autumn, on September 06, 2009, the lsass.exe error strikes again. All Windows could show was a small box saying there is an lsass.exe error. If you click on the "ok" button, the laptop reboots & goes into this vicious cycle again. Now that I can't use the cd-drive to restore the computer, I had to use the services of the computer technician for a pricey $ data recovery and OS re-installation. As indicated above, the lsass.exe error happened again May2010 and the laptop remains dead.
I'm so cynical about Windows. As for my Windows7 laptop, I used the manufacturer's proprietary recovery software, and it worked like a charm. I did lose some data, but most of it had previously been backed up and my losses were minor. It's funny how Windows has frustrated me so often (ever since Windows 98), and yet reliable hardware and software all seem to come from non-Microsoft Brands or Corporations!
Conclusion
----------
Things which I speculate may cause Windows to get a major/fatal booting error:
- lsass.exe error;
- switching wifi networks without first shutting down the browser;
- trying to upgrade Adobe Flash player (or Shockwave?);
- Using Windows' Disk Cleanup feature;
- some unknown virus which strikes in the month of May? (note: I don't know if I got a boot error in May of 2009/2008/2007; I don't have it documented. If the error did occur annually, that would be freaky.)
The only preventative measures I can think of for boot errors:
- frequent antivirus updates;
- don't switch wifi networks without first closing your browser;
- don't update your Adobe software, unless you absolutely must;
- make frequent/regular backups of data
- avoid cleaning your hard-drive using Windows' Disk Cleanup button;
- don't totally rely on Windows' System Restore feature. It has failed me several times on two different machines, and with two different versions of Windows.
tags: incompatible driver, lsass error, windows xp, windows 7,
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
098 - Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars Episode 6: Return of the Jedi
I think Return of the Jedi released in theatres in 1983 or 1985? The hairstyles seem almost odd. I can't put my finger on it, but maybe it is a reflection of the mid or late 1980's.
Compared to Star Wars (Episode4), Luke and Han have aged considerably. Princess Leia has stayed youthful though. (How did this happen? Medical bo-tox had not been invented yet.)
Some changes made for Episode 6 compared to the original release are as follows. Were a few Jabba the Hutt castle scenes were deleted? Wasn't there a scene where a slave who didn't capture the favor of Jabba ended up being swallowed by Jabba? The dungeon monster sequence, where the giant monster was crushed by the portcullis, I think they deleted the dialog where the grieving keeper/tamer indicated he had raised the monster since it was a baby.
At the end of the movie, the destruction of the 2nd death-star is celebrated by fireworks among several worlds. We see cutaway shots of Tatooine, Coruscant, etc. The awful part is when Naboo is shown and we hear Jar Jar Binks' voice in the crowd. Shortly after, Luke sees the spirits of the three Jedi: Obi-Wan, Yoda, and youthful Anakin. The original movie however, showed a gregarious old Anakin. Although the youthful (Hayden Christensen) Anakin is very handsome, the other two Jedi spirits take the form of old Yoda and old Obi-Wan. I'm just saying they should have left this part alone.
I think Return of the Jedi released in theatres in 1983 or 1985? The hairstyles seem almost odd. I can't put my finger on it, but maybe it is a reflection of the mid or late 1980's.
Compared to Star Wars (Episode4), Luke and Han have aged considerably. Princess Leia has stayed youthful though. (How did this happen? Medical bo-tox had not been invented yet.)
Some changes made for Episode 6 compared to the original release are as follows. Were a few Jabba the Hutt castle scenes were deleted? Wasn't there a scene where a slave who didn't capture the favor of Jabba ended up being swallowed by Jabba? The dungeon monster sequence, where the giant monster was crushed by the portcullis, I think they deleted the dialog where the grieving keeper/tamer indicated he had raised the monster since it was a baby.
At the end of the movie, the destruction of the 2nd death-star is celebrated by fireworks among several worlds. We see cutaway shots of Tatooine, Coruscant, etc. The awful part is when Naboo is shown and we hear Jar Jar Binks' voice in the crowd. Shortly after, Luke sees the spirits of the three Jedi: Obi-Wan, Yoda, and youthful Anakin. The original movie however, showed a gregarious old Anakin. Although the youthful (Hayden Christensen) Anakin is very handsome, the other two Jedi spirits take the form of old Yoda and old Obi-Wan. I'm just saying they should have left this part alone.
097 - Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope (year 2004?)
When this movie originally was released in the 1970's (1976?) it was called Star Wars. Now it has become known as Star Wars Episode 4. Star Wars is strong enough to stand on its own and does not require re-editing/tweaking. That being said, Episode 4 brought changes I didn't mind or notice and some changes that I did notice.
. At Mos Eisley, a "wretched hive" to some of the most villianous scum of the galaxy, and to the Cantina bar, the exterior shots seem to have been enhanced with extra traffic and lifeforms. eg., There are numerous (too many) reptiles and flying objects that I don't remember seeing in Star Wars. This is distracting.
. Han Solo speaking face to face with Jabba the Hutt seemed un-necessary.
. The DeathStar explosion pattern is different. However, I don't mind it. (There was nothing wrong with the old explosion either.)
There's an error that probably happened in the original cut. I wouldn't have caught this error unless I so nerdily watched StarWars so many times. In the climactic Rebel fighters attack scene on the Death Star, pilot Porkins is killed in action. Poor Porkins! His radio "call sign" is Red6. He is either destroyed by a tie fighter or a cannon that blasts his ship to pieces. Shortly after, (within 5-10 minutes?) we hear Porkins (Red6) on the Rebel radio announcing his call sign in some communication. Like I said, only a person who watched Star Wars too many times would notice this blooper.
When this movie originally was released in the 1970's (1976?) it was called Star Wars. Now it has become known as Star Wars Episode 4. Star Wars is strong enough to stand on its own and does not require re-editing/tweaking. That being said, Episode 4 brought changes I didn't mind or notice and some changes that I did notice.
. At Mos Eisley, a "wretched hive" to some of the most villianous scum of the galaxy, and to the Cantina bar, the exterior shots seem to have been enhanced with extra traffic and lifeforms. eg., There are numerous (too many) reptiles and flying objects that I don't remember seeing in Star Wars. This is distracting.
. Han Solo speaking face to face with Jabba the Hutt seemed un-necessary.
. The DeathStar explosion pattern is different. However, I don't mind it. (There was nothing wrong with the old explosion either.)
There's an error that probably happened in the original cut. I wouldn't have caught this error unless I so nerdily watched StarWars so many times. In the climactic Rebel fighters attack scene on the Death Star, pilot Porkins is killed in action. Poor Porkins! His radio "call sign" is Red6. He is either destroyed by a tie fighter or a cannon that blasts his ship to pieces. Shortly after, (within 5-10 minutes?) we hear Porkins (Red6) on the Rebel radio announcing his call sign in some communication. Like I said, only a person who watched Star Wars too many times would notice this blooper.
096 - Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (year2002?)
Recently I watched again, The Phantom Menace. It was ok. But if I could, there would be several items I would alter.
I would have Jar Jar Binks play his role with a serious personality, instead of the current clown and slapstick character.
The Anakin pod-racing sequence would be shortened.
Darth Maul would be creating more havoc throughout the movie, perhaps even kill many jedi's! As it is, Maul's presence is short and frivolous. His absence from the movie would hardly be noticable.
Anakin's father would be some cool guy, instead of having no literal father (ie, immaculate conception).
Throughout the show, there are comedic characatures. It almost seems if the movie was targeted to kids who watch Saturday morning cartoons! Less comedy please!
Recently I watched again, The Phantom Menace. It was ok. But if I could, there would be several items I would alter.
I would have Jar Jar Binks play his role with a serious personality, instead of the current clown and slapstick character.
The Anakin pod-racing sequence would be shortened.
Darth Maul would be creating more havoc throughout the movie, perhaps even kill many jedi's! As it is, Maul's presence is short and frivolous. His absence from the movie would hardly be noticable.
Anakin's father would be some cool guy, instead of having no literal father (ie, immaculate conception).
Throughout the show, there are comedic characatures. It almost seems if the movie was targeted to kids who watch Saturday morning cartoons! Less comedy please!
095 - Mai the Psychic Girl
Mai the Psychic Girl -- Feb2011. written by JCPMA
In the late 1980's/early 1990's I've read at random some of the (few) manga titles available in NorthAmerica and translated into English. The manga at (comic) book stores at this time were all in traditional North American "comic book sizes", approximately 8 x 10", perhaps 50 to 80 pages (ie., similar to the size of a NorthAmerican comic book like DC or Marvel etc titles like Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Archie & Jughead ... well you get the idea). The common manga format that I see nowadays, are in compact digest compilation sizes. They are approximately 6 x 8". They contain 4 or more issues/chapters of the story per volume, and each digest (volume) may have 300 or more pages! It is common for translated manga to be "flipped", that is, read from the right to left direction. Rumiko Takahashi's work is cute. Other authors' work was somewhat interesting.
I even purchased a few titles of Chinese manga (translated into English); One is a story around a martial arts theme set in ancient China. I can't recall the name of the title (I think the work "Sword" is in the title) but it is somewhere stowed away in my "stuff" storage area. This manga is absolutely terrible. The art is good and acceptable with perhaps an average (subjective) rating. The storytelling however is very bad. It is boring to read. There is no real heavy suspense, and I don't really "care" about the characters. It seems much of the story is based on action/fighting sequences.
Back to present times. I don't get out much, but it seems to me Chinese manga never caught on in North America. Am I wrong? (Does this mean all Chinese manga is this bad? There must be some quality work out there, somewhere.) Ironically, I have noticed that there are Japanese Manga titles translated into Chinese! I guess quality is accepted universally.
Mai the Psychic Girl is the series, decades ago, that got me hooked onto manga. It was one of the few titles which was compelling and captivating at the time. This is one of my favorite, if not my most favorite, manga series. Fortunately, the retailer carried back-issues and I was able to collect the entire (28 issues) series! (I understand that Viz recently republished the entire series as a 3 volume manga called "Mai the Psychic Girl, Perfect Collection".)
The writer is Kazuya Kudo. The art is more realistic than in most manga in that the eyes are less "cartoonish". Ryoichi Ikegami is the artist; He also illustrated the adult manga series Crying Freeman. This is from Wikipedia. In Japan, Mai the Psychic girl is titled "Mai"; the Kanji for Mai is " 舞 "
BigFive BB52
EACC 21543D
GB12345 4672
GB2312 4672
Unicode 821E
CCCII 21543D
The original NorthAmerican comic book format of this series was published bi-weekly by Eclipse Comics and Viz Comics.
Plot: Extra-Sensory abilities are seen as a curse as they hinder a young girl's life and freedom. The heroine has to remain strong to do all she can to avoid using her powers and to try to live a normal teenage life. This series is a super-page-turner. A fun roller-coaster ride. One of my favorite supporting characters is "Ron" the dog.
If Tim Burton does direct the movie, I hope it DOESN'T contain an Edward Scissorhands, or Batman type cinematic flavor.
Links.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mai,_the_Psychic_Girl
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryoichi_Ikegami
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_Comics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viz_Media
http://www.comicvine.com/mai-the-psychic-girl/49-26428/
http://www.viz.com/product?id=3976
http://www.amazon.com/Mai-Psychic-Girl-Perfect-Collection/product-reviews/156931070X/
http://www.screenrant.com/tim-burton-mai-psychic-girl-ross-60405/
5star Manga
In the late 1980's/early 1990's I've read at random some of the (few) manga titles available in NorthAmerica and translated into English. The manga at (comic) book stores at this time were all in traditional North American "comic book sizes", approximately 8 x 10", perhaps 50 to 80 pages (ie., similar to the size of a NorthAmerican comic book like DC or Marvel etc titles like Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Archie & Jughead ... well you get the idea). The common manga format that I see nowadays, are in compact digest compilation sizes. They are approximately 6 x 8". They contain 4 or more issues/chapters of the story per volume, and each digest (volume) may have 300 or more pages! It is common for translated manga to be "flipped", that is, read from the right to left direction. Rumiko Takahashi's work is cute. Other authors' work was somewhat interesting.
I even purchased a few titles of Chinese manga (translated into English); One is a story around a martial arts theme set in ancient China. I can't recall the name of the title (I think the work "Sword" is in the title) but it is somewhere stowed away in my "stuff" storage area. This manga is absolutely terrible. The art is good and acceptable with perhaps an average (subjective) rating. The storytelling however is very bad. It is boring to read. There is no real heavy suspense, and I don't really "care" about the characters. It seems much of the story is based on action/fighting sequences.
Back to present times. I don't get out much, but it seems to me Chinese manga never caught on in North America. Am I wrong? (Does this mean all Chinese manga is this bad? There must be some quality work out there, somewhere.) Ironically, I have noticed that there are Japanese Manga titles translated into Chinese! I guess quality is accepted universally.
Mai the Psychic Girl is the series, decades ago, that got me hooked onto manga. It was one of the few titles which was compelling and captivating at the time. This is one of my favorite, if not my most favorite, manga series. Fortunately, the retailer carried back-issues and I was able to collect the entire (28 issues) series! (I understand that Viz recently republished the entire series as a 3 volume manga called "Mai the Psychic Girl, Perfect Collection".)
The writer is Kazuya Kudo. The art is more realistic than in most manga in that the eyes are less "cartoonish". Ryoichi Ikegami is the artist; He also illustrated the adult manga series Crying Freeman. This is from Wikipedia. In Japan, Mai the Psychic girl is titled "Mai"; the Kanji for Mai is " 舞 "
BigFive BB52
EACC 21543D
GB12345 4672
GB2312 4672
Unicode 821E
CCCII 21543D
The original NorthAmerican comic book format of this series was published bi-weekly by Eclipse Comics and Viz Comics.
Plot: Extra-Sensory abilities are seen as a curse as they hinder a young girl's life and freedom. The heroine has to remain strong to do all she can to avoid using her powers and to try to live a normal teenage life. This series is a super-page-turner. A fun roller-coaster ride. One of my favorite supporting characters is "Ron" the dog.
If Tim Burton does direct the movie, I hope it DOESN'T contain an Edward Scissorhands, or Batman type cinematic flavor.
Links.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mai,_the_Psychic_Girl
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryoichi_Ikegami
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eclipse_Comics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viz_Media
http://www.comicvine.com/mai-the-psychic-girl/49-26428/
http://www.viz.com/product?id=3976
http://www.amazon.com/Mai-Psychic-Girl-Perfect-Collection/product-reviews/156931070X/
http://www.screenrant.com/tim-burton-mai-psychic-girl-ross-60405/
5star Manga
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
094 - Hikaru No Go
094 - Hikaru No Go
written by Yumi Hotta
artist is Takeshi Obata (also artist for Death Note)
This manga is originally intended for young teen's or even pre-teens. (Amazon.com says it is for readers ages 9-12). But it is one of the most suspenseful, action-packed stories I have encountered, even without any elements of violence or sex etc. You have to read it to believe it. The suspense really rivals the intensity of an adult story or movie of action/violence! It is a roller coaster ride!
The main theme of the story is a chess-like game played with colored-stones/pieces. The manga series illustrates the challenging path to become a professional Go player.
plot: a boy finds a haunted Go (game)-board and falls in love with the game of Go.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikaru_no_go
according to amazon.com, this is a 23 volume series.
http://www.amazon.com/Hikaru-No-Go-Vol-1/dp/159116222X/
http://store.viz.com/Hikaru-No-Go-Vol.-1/A/159116222X.htm
5 star manga
written by Yumi Hotta
artist is Takeshi Obata (also artist for Death Note)
This manga is originally intended for young teen's or even pre-teens. (Amazon.com says it is for readers ages 9-12). But it is one of the most suspenseful, action-packed stories I have encountered, even without any elements of violence or sex etc. You have to read it to believe it. The suspense really rivals the intensity of an adult story or movie of action/violence! It is a roller coaster ride!
The main theme of the story is a chess-like game played with colored-stones/pieces. The manga series illustrates the challenging path to become a professional Go player.
plot: a boy finds a haunted Go (game)-board and falls in love with the game of Go.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikaru_no_go
according to amazon.com, this is a 23 volume series.
http://www.amazon.com/Hikaru-No-Go-Vol-1/dp/159116222X/
http://store.viz.com/Hikaru-No-Go-Vol.-1/A/159116222X.htm
5 star manga
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