I Miss All The Adventure

You know what I miss from all the field work?





The view of amazing landscapes, created by God.

A Female Autobots!?!?

Menyusul kesuksesan The Transformers (2007), beredar rumor tentang karakter-karakter baru yang akan muncul di dalam The Transformers 2. Salah satu yang paling menarik tentunya adalah kemunculan sebuah Autobot perempuan (betina?), dengan konsep model seperti ini:




Yang kubayangkan adalah Megan Fox mengenakan sejenis jumpsuit ketat dengan warna senada memacu motor ini mencoba menyelamatkan si chickensh*t Shia Lebok(!) -- or whatever his name is -- dari kejaran Starscream (Decepticon yang di ending film terlihat terbang tinggi menembus awan).

Ehem ehem. What about this idea, Mr. Bay?

Memang fantasi tentang robot perempuan dari dulu selalu menarik - terutama bagi laki-laki. Mungkin ada yang salah di otak kami ini? Entahlah. Daya tarik tema seperti ini begitu besar bagi kami yang mungkin tergolong ke nerd, geek, atau sekedar kutu buku and/or AFC.

Mungkin kalian ingat tentang video clip Aerosmith yang "Falling in Love is Hard on Your Knees", aku rasa itu tentang seorang pemuda yang menciptakan fembot. Yup, fembot dan bukan robot perempuan (atau bahkan robot betina). Bahkan di internet kita bisa menemukan forum tentang fembot seperti yang ada di sini, atau sebuah tulisan yang mengulas kenapa kita (laki-laki!) begitu tertarik dengan fembot.

Anyway, mungkin perlu diperjelas, fembot itu secara penampilan luar mirip dengan manusia (perempuan), sedangkan karakter baru Autobot itu (kalau benar dimunculkan) adalah jelas-jelas hanya sedikit menyerupai wanita. Yang dulu sempat muncul dalam pikiranku adalah: apakah dia digilir oleh para Autobot? Atau dia "gula-gula"-nya Optimus Prime?

Apakah sebenarnya pertempuran Decepticon dan Autobot itu selain merebutkan energy cube, juga merebut/mempertahankan satu-satunya robot perempuan (betina?) di planet Cybertron? Apakah ini juga menjadi semacam analogi bagi kita di bumi, bahwa wanita adalah sumber masalah? Ingat Kuda Troya?

(Arguably, is the REAL problem just because of the male EGO?)

Jepang sudah memproduksi boneka perempuan yang memiliki tubuh idaman para pria (dan wanita juga). Kepala boneka ini bisa dipertukarkan. Bahkan dada mereka (kabarnya) sangat mirip dengan dada perempuan bila diremas (and they even jiggles too)!!!

Tak lama lagi kita akan menemukan (bukan robot perempuan yang bisa berubah jadi sepeda motor) dalam kehidupan sehari-hari, robot perempuan atau fembot seperti yang sudah ada di Kanada (lihat video):




Ha ha ha!

Ressurecting A Smartphone

On a Thursday night, I got an unpleasant surprise. My smartphone's touchscreen damaged, I guess because I carelessly bumped it to the truck in our workshop when my men were loading reinforcement steel bars for our Jawa Tengah Area project.

One third of the screen looked like it has been smashed with something that left the liquid crystal splattered all over the screen. I got a hard time reading my contact book that night. And I curse my carelessness.

So the next day I resort to my Siemens candy bar phone that I haven't been used for almost half a year. Yes, I got another phone that I haven't use for two years now.

Anyway, I asked a colleague to try to something that could (probably) helped ressurecting my PDA from near death. Thankfully, he agreed. Here is the story in pictures:


He opened the back and plug out the battery.


Then he tried pulling out the upper back case and thus reveal the camera protector.




Then he pried open the back case entirely and now we got to see the circuit board. But now we realized that the backside case can't be released because there were two small wire attached to the speaker that were glued to the case. And the space was so tiny we got an opening only a couple of centimeter.




Since we got no pincers at hand, we had to resort to nail clippers. Surely a mind-boggling exercise that required a certain level of dexterity with hands.

After that, he tried to open the front-side case because that's where the LCD were being attached to.


Here was the front side of my smartphone with the LCS still attached to it. Next we had to pry it loose. Hmm....


Not that hard though, here is the circuit board, removed from the case and the LCD.


And here is the LCD that need to be replaced.

So we went to ITC Roxy that afternoon and went hunting for sparepart kiosks that were scattered among the 5 floor of the building. We had to bargain for the replacement for half an hour just to get Rp.50.000,00 discount.




Back to the office, we get my trashed PDA and then start working on it again -- he did the pick-up and I did the documentation.


Here was the replacement ready to be installed.


Here was half of the PDA (the backside) and both of the LCD screen.


Here was another part of the PDA (the circuit board where the LCD screen had to be attached to).


We tried to temporarily attached the LCD screen to the circuit board then inserted the battery to the terminal and then turn it on. Voila! It lighted up!

Hooray!!!


Here was the front side of the PDA with the new LCD screen were being firmly installed.


And here was the pair ready to be reinstalled again. I was impatiently waiting for the moment of revelation...


He carefully attached both parts including the wiring for the speaker. Using the same nail clipper to push it into the proper terminal.


Carefully, slowly, deliberately, reattached both parts. Then after put the screws back, inserted the battery and turn the unit on.


Hallelujah!

My smartphone live again!!!

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Note to You:
I HELD NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR MISUSE OF THE INFORMATION THAT WERE POSTED IN THIS BLOG. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRY THIS AT HOME. EVEN IF YOU DO, USE YOUR OWN GADGET.

Berapa Sih Sebenarnya Tarif Wimode?

Aku cek talktime sebelum mulai pakai dan isinya Rp. 25.105,00

Setelah logged out -- pemakaian dibulatkan ke menit berikutnya -- 55 menit kemudian, sisa talktime ternyata hanyalah Rp. 17.512,00

Artinya pemakaian sebesar Rp. 7.590,00 untuk 55 menit!

Bukankah sesuai iklannya dulu, tarif Wimode adalah Rp.100,00/menit? Kenapa malah sekarang kena Rp. 138,00/menit?

Bila itu adalah harga setelah PPN, artinya tarifnya adalah sekitar Rp. 125,00/menit sebelum PPN.

Apakah ada "penyesuaian" harga yang tidak disosialisasikan ke konsumen?

Apakah "penyesuaian" tarif naik 25% dalam waktu enam bulan, tanpa pemberitahuan apapun itu adalah tindakan yang etis dan logis?

Akankah kita di Indonesia akan terus-menerus dipermainkan oleh para operator telekomunikasi dan penyedia jasa internet?

Apakah sekali lagi esia itu terbukti sebagai operator yang penuh trik dan tipuan?