A $35 Computer anyone?

I just discovered Raspberry Pi, a tiny one board computer that plugs into your TV and a keyboard. The computer cost a startling $35!

According to the the Rasberry Pi:

"The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card sized computer that plugs into your TV and a keyboard. It’s a capable little PC which can be used for many of the things that your desktop PC does, like spreadsheets, word-processing and games. It also plays high-definition video. We want to see it being used by kids all over the world to learn programming."


This product is so hot that the first batch of availability was sold out in just one day. Back order will take as much as 2-3 months. I just ordered mine and I won't get it till July. 


Oh and of course it runs Linux! I can just imagine how the Open Source Community will take this little Gizmo to the max. For me am thinking one RaspBerry Pi per kids.

Plain Donuts

Today is the start of a long and complex system testing for our next major upgrade. The upgrade is an important component to make our system MU (Meaningful Use) Compliant.

It is so critical that I was asked not to leave for the Philippines this April to support the technical side of things.  My only consolation, unlimited supply of plain donuts.

Configure Linux Bind to Answer Active Directory Services

Ever wonder how to mix and match Linux and Windows in the same network environment? Here's a quick DNS entry using BIND (DNS Server) on Linux to interact with Microsoft's Active Directory. Works like a charm. Following needs to be added on your zone file:

_ldap._tcp.DOMAIN.COM. SRV 0 0 389 DCHOSTNAME.DOMAIN.COM.
_kerberos._tcp.DOMAIN.COM. SRV 0 0 88 DCHOSTNAME.DOMAIN.COM.
_ldap._tcp.dc._msdcs.DOMAIN.COM. SRV 0 0 389 DCHOSTNAME.DOMAIN.COM.
_kerberos._tcp.dc._msdcs.DOMAIN.COM. SRV 0 0 88 DCHOSTNAME.DOMAIN.COM.

Ubiquitous "SmartPhones"

My current cellphone carrier Verizon announced that the iPhone will be available next month. I am not about to get crazy and switch back to iPhone. I am just worried that Verizon will suffer the fate of AT&T for too many drop calls.

SmartPhones are becoming ubiquitous and I am about to get sick of it. Much like hearing this song over and over at some point in the 80's.

228: Quick! Grab your Google Voice Number

I wrote about google few months ago in this post. Back then you can only get Google voice via invite. Today Google finally open it to all U.S. Residents (sorry Canada).

Of course you need to have a gmail account first. For those outside the US, if you try opening an account, it will ask for a U.S. phone number to verify your location.

I love Google Voice, I used it to forward my calls at home so I won't miss anything and of course block unwanted phone numbers like those telemarketers. Quick grab yours here.

218: RARTFM

Whenever I say am a technical analyst, people always say "ah you fix computers". Well yes but it's more than that. As a Technical Analyst, I solve complex technical issues. I would think of myself as an Investigator. Much like the CSI but instead of solving gory crimes, I solve technology issues. My job requires deep thinking and countless hours of sifting through vague documentations searching for answers. I have countless failures but I have my sweet victories as well. And each victory is always satisfying.

So how do I do it? My simple solution is RTFM or i should say RARTFM.

212: why I love my Android

It's been two weeks since I swapped my iPhone with the Android. I must say I don't miss my iPhone one bit. Here's why:

5. Rugged. The Android  is heavier and much tougher that the more Sexier iPhone. I work in a rough environment and I would need a tough phone.

4. Speed. Hands down the Android is much snappier than the iPhone. Web surfing is on warp speed even viewing photos in FB or playing youtube video is a snap.

3. Neat Features. Flash Drive: My Android comes with a 14GB SD Card which can be replaced easily with a bigger capacity. The Phone can be used as a flash drive through USB connection to any computer. Music: using an app, I can sync iTunes into my Android in no time or just simple drop my whole music folder into the SD Card and you are set. Ringtones: Play any song in your Android and you can choose to set it as your ringtone. Camera: 5 Mega Pixel resolution with video mode and a built in flash.

2. GPS. The Android GPS is miles ahead of the iPhone. With it's tight integration to google maps, the GPS apps provides turn by turn direction with voice. I find it even better than my garmin. One time I almost had an accident trying to use my Iphone GPS. I travel around San Diego most of the time and the Android GPS is a life saver.

1. Call for free. When making a call, I can connect to any WIFI and route my call  using my FREE google voice phone number. Quite a nifty feature when traveling abroad. I can see myself using my phone in the Philippines by just finding a WIFI spot.

Need I say more?

211: Different but not difficult

I've been neglectful in writing my blog since I moved to a new job. It was a very different transition but actually not difficult.

Different in such a way that the system we are using are all windows based (hey don't get me wrong I still dig open source). Different because it's more of a corporate setting. Different, well new office, new boss, new colleagues, new responsibilities. Not difficult because I've know technology all my life. Window, Linux, Mac maybe different in term on how the innards are built, but the concept is all the same. Not difficult because I can adopt to different situation pretty quickly. Not difficult because I don't have to impress anyone but just do my job. Not difficult because I don't have to play politics, I just play technology around our data center (which by the way is 30 times on what I used to handle).

Yes it is different but not difficult...if you know what your doing of course.

#203: Transition

In about a week I will be starting a new adventure. I will be joining a team of Technology Experts that will push for an initiative to computerize Medical Records of more than 165,000 patients from about 700 Health Care providers in San Diego. This is indeed a daunting task. But first I need to wrap up things with my soon to be former employer to ensure a smooth transition. Proper way to part ways.

#189: Nexus One

Big news today. Google announced the release of their smartphone Nexus One which of course running the Google android OS. For now, the phone is only available through T-Mobile.

Here's a good thing about this phone. You can buy the phone without any plan. All you need is any SIM card (prepaid) that supports GSM network around the world. You can then have a free unlimited voice calls through Google Voice and unlimited SMS through GTalk.

But here's the thing. Are you willing to invest $529.00 to be free from any mobile plan?

#186: Murphy's Law

In Murphy's Law, If anything can happen it will. abrenian.com crashed today due to database corruption. another hassles of technology. Positive thing is it's the new year and I'm starting from scratch.

#184: Hassles in Tech Support Service

It is a common occurrence for small businesses to tend to give a lot of power to their Tech Support staff. This is a common pitfall for business owners who doesn't want to deal with the intricacies of technology.

If you have a technician on board or you are planning to contract one, here are some tips you need to know.

1. Have your technician give you a comprehensive technical map of your network. Access codes for every devices such as your internet modems, routers and switches.

2. You must have all administrative passwords for your servers and computers.

3. Register domain names under your control. I have encountered businesses where they cannot access their registered domain because they are not the registrant.

4. Keep track of every software you buy including license keys. Make sure all these software are all under your name or your business name in case you need technical support.

Follow this step and you can rest assure that when someone takes over your technical support service, there will be a smooth transition.

#171: Google Phone, another iPhone "Killer"?

For the past few days, the internet is buzzing about the reported Google Phone called Nexus One. According to this report

the Google phone would be an unlocked GSM device running the Android 2.1 mobile operating system. Google, they claim, would sell directly to customers with no wireless carrier subsidy. The device could go an sale as early as this January.

Of course as with every smartphone coming out of the market, there's always speculations that it could be an IPhone Killer such as this article.

#166: Friendster makeover, now up for sale

Friendster, was the pioneer of social networking until it was overshadowed by myspace and facebook. Although this is the case, there are still big following specially in the Asia-Pacific Region.

I have not logged in to my friendster account for a long time until i bumped into this article outlining major makeover. I was curious and checked it out. It was indeed a major facelift. Somehow the design  has a facebook look and feel. Gone are the clutters and it's much cleaner.

But just as the big fuss on the announced change, a Malaysian based company is about to buy friendster with a reported price tag of $100M. This is much lower than when the asking price was about $200M a couple of years ago.

So the battle lived on. Looks like Friendster won't easily drop dead despite the dominance of Facebook and Myspace. Take your pick. And if you can't then settle for a much closely knit  community of abrenian.com.

#162: Technology can't wait but so is Our Christmas Tree

I had to work today (yes on a Saturday) but technology can't wait. It's crunch time. We have to finish the development of Simple Transactions. At the same time working on upgrading a Law Office's technology systems - building their network, website, telephone system and email. This should be fun.

As the holidays creep in, so is work. But of course with all these craziness I would certainly not forget to put up our Christmas tree. That would happen tomorrow. Kids' can't wait!

#159: A worthwhile project

Tonight I was coordinating a simultaneous technical install on 4 business locations around San Diego.

My phone was off the hook most of the time as we were racing against time. We were given a 3 hour window to take out a system that seems to be running for decades and install a new system that would (perhaps) run better.

It was tiring but it was a good experience which makes it worth the effort. Maybe in the future I will be coordinating a nationwide roll-out, who knows!

#152: Test drive the new abrenian.com site

I started abrenian.com back in 2002 as a hobby to learn web technology. Little that I know, that the site would become the most widely (even controversial) read website for Abrenians around the world. The site has become a major source of information for Abrenians living abroad.

Through the years, the site had undergone a couple of make-over to keep up with the technology at hand. And for the past few weeks, I have been working (on my spare time) on a completely redesigned website. The new site is currently accessible at group.abrenian.com and it's still on beta testing.

The new site uses elgg, an open source social networking software with features similar to popular sites such as facebook, myspace or friendster.

I invite everyone to test drive the site and would appreciate your feedback. 

#147: What a fraction of a second can do

I had expressed my frustration about elastix VOIP PBX System on this post a couple of days ago. Not anymore because I finally solved the puzzle.

It took just the letter "w" that made the difference. A "w" when dialing a phone number from a handset translates to a 0.5 second pause before dialing the rest of the number. 

0.5 Seconds is eternity in technology when you think of high speed computers running millions of processes in seconds. Or when you have to have 99.9999% system availability. So it's not surprising that a fraction of a second can make or break this PBX system.

I spent more that 30 hours trying to figure out the solution. It wasn't a waste of time though, because I also learned more about the core asterisk codes which is the underlying platform of this amazing open source PBX System.

Lesson learned: Sometimes complicated problems can have very simple answers, you just have to know where to look for it.

#144: Tech Challenge

Elastix without tears so they say. Instead I found myself wrestling with this complex system. Technology is great if it works, otherwise it's just a piece of dumb box wasting precious real estate.

#137: Free Wi-Fi what's the catch

Google is playing Santa early this holiday season by offering free Wireless Access to major airports around the U.S.

"We're very happy to extend our Holiday Wi-Fi gift to the millions of people who will spend time in airports over the next few months," said Google vice president of search products Marissa Mayer. "We know that this is a very hectic travel season for people, and we hope that free Wi-Fi will make both traveling and connecting with friends and family a little bit easier."

 But what does Google gets in offering such generous gift?

Travelers who log into free wireless networks will be invited to reciprocate by making donations to one of three charities, with Google promising to match contributions to a maximum of 250,000 dollars.

Many travelers probably are armed with an iPhone, Blackberry or the Driod already connected to the Internet. But if you are tired of looking at the miniature screen, then using the free Wi-Fi access is a good option.

But not so fast. Keep in mind that open systems like these are vulnerable to hackers. So here's some good tips you might want to follow in case you get tempted.

Have a worry-free and safe traveling during the holiday season.