Since I was still using Windows 7, I had to find a way to simply get started without fooling around much with configuring my system.  Thankfully I found Jason Meredith’s Git for Windows Developers series. I downloaded msysgit and started following Jason’s directions in part’s 1 and 2. I’ve yet to read Jason’s part 3.  That said, I was able to follow through quite well with his series. Definitely one of the better tutorials out there.

Another good git tutorial shared by a friend of mine is Nick Farina’s Git is Simpler Than You Think. It was Nick’s blog that made me decide that I really needed to go back and really learn git for my projects and documents.

So far I’ve moved two of my current projects to Bitbucket and I must say their servers are definitely faster than those of Project Locker. Using git will be so much easier to manage my projects across two computers and three operating systems (Windows 7, Windows XP, ArchBang Linux).

While I love the glossy feel of LUST-V2, I would like to use its top to show people who I am and what groups I’m active in. I have stickers from the different activities I’ve participated in but I don’t want to just simply stick them onto my laptop.  I remember Jerome wishing he had never put stickers on his laptop since it was so hard to remove them when it came time to pass on his unit to someone else. Thankfully CD-R King has cheap laptop skins for sale now. I intend to get a few transparent skins for my project. Barring that, I can opt for a plain dark or light colored skin to put on LUST-V2. When I need to pass this laptop on to someone else, I simply remove the skin and that’s that.

Once I have the skin on, I have three options.

Option # 1: Collect stickers and stick them on.

No brainer. Every time I get a sticker, I stick them on to the laptop.

Option # 2: Make my own stickers.

National Bookstore has vinyl sticker paper for sale. I can always print logos and stuff on them and stick them onto my laptop.

Option # 3: Print on ordinary paper and decoupage onto the laptop.

I found instructions on how to skin a laptop using the decoupage method.  It sounds like a plan. I just need to buy Mod Podge Gloss from Deovir Arts. Or I can just simply dilute Elmer’s Glue-All and use an acrylic spray to finish.

I’ll figure out which option to go for in the next few weekends. First I need to buy that skin.

Today the Ice Cream Sandwich mascot was unveiled on the Google Campus. See the unveiling for yourself!

Also if you’ve been dying to finally see the Samsung-Google launch, then mark your calendars! It’s going to happen on Oct 19, 10am Hong Kong time. You can watch the live coverage on http://youtube.com/Android on that day and time.

Meanwhile, I should whip up an Ice Cream Sandwich in honor of the unveiling!

The PLM students were such a lively bunch. I’m glad to see how eager they were to learn about the Android platform.  The students continued to ask questions and tips for their projects and thesis.

At the end of the day we had the usual appreciation plaques. But the surprise of my life came when I opened up my package later. I was given another Starbucks drink tumbler. I don’t mind this since one can never have too many drink tumblers. But what surprised me was that they gave me a book: "Pastry" by Michel Roux! I eagerly read the book and started planning my next baking project from it. These students know how to do their research!

To the students of PLM, thank you for inviting us over! If you ever need help with your projects, you know where to find us.

We ended up baking five recipes. I was specially interested in making the foccacia since I had never tried making yeast breads by myself. It was fun to be able to knead and feel the dough in your hands. Some people think it would be easier to use an electric mixer with a dough hook. But I find doing it by hand more enjoyable.

We got to take home all of the food we baked. Next month they have an advanced baking class. Me and my new friends plan to get together again and join the same schedule. In fact, we bonded so much that we plan to have a monthly reunion to bake and share new recipes!

The thing with Google+ is that there isn’t any way to keep track of the messages you share to specific people.  In fact, it doesn’t even show up on your profile stream.  What to do?  The answer is to make a circle of one.  That is, create a circle and put yourself in it.  Then add that circle to the message and TA-DA! You can now keep track of the private stuff!

I created two “private” circles, one for private messages and another for my notes-to-self.  So far it’s worked out well.  The posts show up in the circles.  I finally have a way to keep track of my notes and the messages I post.  It only works one way though.  There’s still no way to tag incoming private messages created by other people.  But at least I’m halfway there.

For those of you who don’t know what Google Summer of Code is all about, it’s an annual program to give students from around to world some geek cred by working on several open source projects and get some cash on the side as well.  The program has been happening every summer (North American summer, that is!) since 2005.  This year an applicant can choose from 175 participating organizations for a project they’d want to do.  These include the Blender Foundation, Drupal, Inkscape, KDE, Moodle, The Honeynet Project, and WordPress.

Who can apply?  Well, first and foremost you have to be at least 18 years old on or before April 25, 2011.    You also have to be a student.  Doesn’t matter what kind of program you’re taking: college, university, masters, PhD, undergraduate.  The point is you have to show proof that you are currently enrolled in an accredited university/college educational program, whether full time or part time.  No, your course doesn’t need to be computer related to join the Summer of Code.  You just need to be technical enough to hack some code.

How do you apply?  You start off by making a proposal on the project you want to do.  The proposal is subject to approval by a participating open source organization.  You can check out the ideas page on the Summer of Code website to figure out what you’d like to do for a particular organization.  You can also check out the student manual for tips on how to make your proposal. Once you’re accepted, you can finally start coding!

But you don’t code for free though.  You get a stipend for all that hard work you put in!  This is how it works:  If you get accepted into the program, you get US$500.  When you pass the mid-term evaluation of your project, you get US$2,250.  When you pass the final mid-term evaluation, you get another US$2,250.  So by the time you end your project in August, you have a total of US$5,000 (roughly 200,000 pesos)!  If that isn’t incentive enough, I don’t know what is!

Need more information?  Head on over to the Google Summer of Code homepage right now!

Back in 1996, I underwent Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) to correct my myopia. My doctor at that time said that my sight might worsen again in the future due to lifestyle and age. I last had my post-op check-up in 2007. I was diagnosed with slight myopia, but it wasn’t bad enough to need a retouch. In my recent check-up, my sight grade didn’t change at all. I was diagnosed with eye fatigue with slight dry eye. My lifestyle finally caught up with me.

Waldo checking out my eye drops

The doctor told me to use an ophthalmic lubricant (GenTeal) to use as needed. He doesn’t recommend using Visine or Eye-Mo since they’re harsh on the eyes for everyday use, even those “daily use” ones. He also told me to take frequent breaks away from the computer. The advice has made me rethink about the way I work. It also made me realize that taking frequent off-computer breaks is not really an option but a necessity.

To help me with my breaks, I reinstalled WorkRave on my computer and configured it with what I learned using the Pomodoro Technique. That is, 25-minute time slots for work, 5-minute breaks and 15-minute breaks for every consecutive four work slots done. I also listen to my body now. When my forehead starts aching, I take a break away from the computer. I use the breaks to see if I need to use the lubricant and to go get a glass of water. Maybe I should take Vitamin A supplements as well.

I also will have to give up on pulling all-nighters. It’s also a source of stress on the eyes. Indeed, while this is said to be part of the life of a developer, I’ve realized that it shouldn’t be and I should find ways to avoid this from ever happening.

My cheesecake recipe is actually a modified version of Chantal’s New York Cheesecake.  Since only a few people were eating (my best friend and I), I pared down the measurements enough to fill two 4 1/2 inch springform pans.  Other modifications I made:

• The graham crust is based on Lori’s Simply Sinful Cheesecake recipe.  Lori had baked the crust first before pouring in the cheesecake mixture.  I agree with her.  Pre-baking the crust gives you that nice cookie-like texture that holds throughout the baking process.
• I added an extra yolk to the recipe for a bit more custardy feel.  I would suggest you not add the extra yolk when you try this recipe the first time around, just so you’d have a baseline.  Add the yolk in your next batch and decide which you’d like best after that.
• Lori immediately removes her cheesecake once cooking time is done then leaves it out to cool.  I left mine inside until I can hold the pan of water with my bare hands.  It might depend on the oven and the cheesecake recipe you’re using.  Experiment to see which works best for you.

A tip with the bain-marie: Wrap your springform pan in foil before putting it in that pan of water.  This prevents water from seeping into the bottom and making your lovely crust soggy.  What I would do is to take some string and tie the foil around the top edge of the springform pan so no condensation collects inside the wrapper.  Or you can just simply fold the foil and crimp it over the edge of the your springform pan.

If you would rather want to bake this in a 9-inch springform pan, multiply the graham crust mixture by 2 and the cheesecake mixture by 4.  EXCEPT THE YOLKS.  I’m not really sure what would happen if you add four extra yolks to a quadrupled mixture.  I would suggest you remove the extra yolks and add up as needed.  Yes, it would mean multiple experiments with this recipe, but is that really a bad thing?

So, here’s my junior version of the New York Cheesecake.  Enjoy!

Junior New York Cheesecake

Graham Crust:

• 1 cup crushed graham crackers
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Cheesecake Mixture:

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk (optional)
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).  Grease two 4 1/2-inch springform pans.  Set the pans aside.
2. In a bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter.  Divide the mixture equally between the springform pans.  Press the mixture down with a flat object (like the back of a spoon or a bottle lid.  Bake for 10-minutes.  Set aside to cool.
3. In another bowl, mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate.
4. Mix in sour cream, vanilla, and flour until smooth.  Divide equally and pour into the springform pans.  Wrap the pans with foil.
5. Get another pan big enough to hold the cheesecakes.  Place the cheesecakes into the pan.  Fill the pan halfway with hot water.
6. Place pan in preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes OR until center is slightly jiggly in the center but the perimeter is set.  Turn off the oven.  Cool in oven with the door slightly open.  Remove when you can handle pan with your bare hands.  Remove the foil and chill the cheesecakes at least four hours to let flavors develop.