::: the insignificant observer :::

Turning a Thinkpad X60 laptop to tablet ( Stage 1 of 4): Getting ready and introduction

2011-12-25T19:01:00.006+08:00

I want a tablet. No cash to spare for an Ipad or a Galaxy Tab. So how about I make one? This is what this post is about. Interested??? Read more!

I bought this second-hand Thinkpad X60 some time back to complement my rather heavy T410. Using it mainly as a giant ebook reader and video player. Then I wondered, is there some way to hide the keyboard since I seldom use it. Hence, I made the leap with this machine and this blog post chronicled the progress Ive made.

This conversion made up of four parts.

Stage 1: Getting ready and introduction (21 Dec 2011)
Stage 2: Flipping the LCD (21 Dec 2011)
Stage 3: Installing the touchscreen overlay add-on panel (Future)
Stage 4: Create a proper LCD bezel (Future)

Ive turned the left to the right. (You can click images to view the full versions)

Before I begin, here are the specs for this early 2007 machine.

Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 1.66Ghz
Intel 945GM chipset
Intel 950 GMA graphics
2x2GB DDR2-667 RAM (only 3GB usable due to chipset limitation)
80GB Intel X.25M G2 SSD
12.1" 1024x768 LCD
Windows 7 Professional SP1 64bit and Lubuntu 11.10 32 bit

Not impressive by modern standards, but precisely expendable enough for such a project. So lets get the required stuff ready.

1. Functioning expendable laptop.
2. Manufacturer's hardware maintenance manual (HWM) if possible
3. Soldering iron
4. Some wires for cable extension
5. Multimeter to test for continuity
6. Touchscreen addon (for stage 3)
7. Proper bezel (for stage 4)
8. Saw if necessary (for stage 4)

For the X60 and many other Thinkpad laptops, IBM/Lenovo makes very good HWMs with step by step instructions. The X60's HWM is available here. Not sure for other manufacturers though.

So lets begin!

The main aim for this stage is to remove the LCD panel. As per the HWM, one has to remove all these parts in the correct order.

“1010 Battery pack” on page 60
“1050 Keyboard” on page 65
“1060 Upper case” on page 69
“1100 Wireless WAN PCI Express Mini card” on page 75
“1120 Wireless LAN PCI Express Mini card” on page 78
“1170 DC-in and RJ-11 connectors” on page 85
“1180 LCD assembly” on page 86
“2010 LCD bezel” on page 97
“2020 Inverter card” on page 100
~~“2030 Bluetooth daughter card” on page 101~~
“2040 LCD” on page 102
“2050 Wireless WAN retractable antenna” on page 105
“2060 Wireless WAN antenna cable (SPWG)” on page 106
“2070 Wireless LAN antenna cables (SPWG)” on page 107
“2080 Hinges” on page 109

Those stroked off parts are because either my X60 doesn't have them or are deemed unnecessary by me. Still alot of stuff though haha.

The battery, keyboard and upper case has been removed.

I've detached the LCD bezel from the lower case by unscrewing the hinges. Notice the Wireless LAN antenna cables snaking out from inside the hinges. I have to disconnect them from the WLAN card later. Also pay special attention to the off-centre disconnected video data cable. That is the most problematic part faced in the next stage.

Off goes the LCD bezel and inverter (Not shown in pic) leaving the bare LCD panel. The X60's inverter is a long strip of circuit board the contains that LED indicators located just below the LCD panel. The video data cable connects to it too.

Hinges are the next to go. Notice how they extend all the way to the top where they meet the WLAN antennas. Also another key concern later.

Theoretically speaking, this stage and the next could be as simple detaching the LCD from the lower case, rotate it like a tablet and attach the hinges back. However as you can see, the video data cable is off centre and is too short to be extended making the above option impossible.

Another issue is that the hinges in this X60 are not symmetrical. If you look closely at the second last picture, one of the hinges has a larger hook at the case connection point than the other. This difference forced me to remove the hinges for the LCD so they can remain at the current positions.

This ends Stage 1. Will start flipping the LCD in stage 2.

Turning a Thinkpad X60 laptop to tablet ( Stage 2 of 4): Flipping the LCD

2011-12-25T19:00:00.004+08:00

Stage 1: Getting ready and introduction (21 Dec 2011)
Stage 2: Flipping the LCD (21 Dec 2011)
Stage 3: Installing the touchscreen add-on panel (Future)
Stage 4: Create a proper LCD bezel (Future)

From this point on, there is no more HWM to guide me and no turning back. From the previous stage, flipping the LCD horizontally like a typical tablet is infeasible. The only other solution is to flip it vertically. This means the inverter has to be shifted. Read on to see how I do it.

Since the inverter has to be shifted from bottom to top relative to the LCD panel, the LCD power cables (purple and black) has to be extended.

I snipped off the power wires at the halfway mark and soldered in my own extension wires.

Attaching everything back in preparation for the test.

The LCD panel is now upside down to maintain the off-centre position of the video data cable. Form a nice loop and tape it down.

Front view of the data cable and inverter.

The moment of truth! Upside-down image as expected.

Boots to the Windows 7 desktop just fine.

Remember the WLAN antenna cables? Now I have to reattach them. I just routed them back through the hinges and follow their original paths.

Full 180 degree closure. No issues detected.

Doing some housekeeping of the cables. Notice the WLAN antenna on the right. No place to screw on as the LCD power cables were in the way. I had to improvise by shifting it nearer to the centre.

Not as thin as the Ipad. But still good enough for me.

All works well!

All the tools I used up to this point.

My project shall pause at this point. The touchscreen add-on panel I ordered from Ebay will probably take another 3 weeks to arrive. Now that the keyboard is difficult to access, I'm using a Logitech K400 which is a combo wireless keyboard/touchpad to utilise this machine
From Logitech's website. A very useful space-saving tool.

The biggest sticking irritant right now that I don't have a solution for is the power button. I have to flip the LCD panel open every time I want to turn on the PC. The BIOS only has Wake-on-Lan but that works only when the AC adapter is connected.

Unlike other brands, the power button of Thinkpads is located on the keyboard itself and not a separate switch. This means I cannot easily make an extension of it without ripping open the entire keyboard. The only idea I have now is a physical lever that goes under the LCD bezel but still not sure how to design it.

This ends stage 2. Will commence Stage 3 when I receive my touchscreen overlay some time in 3 weeks.

2011 and First Sem in NUS

2011-12-24T21:25:00.003+08:00

Its been a long time since I last blogged. And for a good reason. Time has not been on my side since I started my first semester in NUS. My Computer Science major I feel is heavier than the average in NUS baring the extremes like medicine and law. Spent many sleepless nights throughout this semester, no thanks to my 2 Maths modules.

Speaking of which here are my grades.

CS1010 A+ (Programming Methodology: C Language)
CS1231 B (Discrete Maths)
MA1521 B (Calculus for Computing)
LSM1302 B (Genes and Society)
PS1101E A- (Intro to Politics)

CAP for this Sem is an exact 4 out of a possible 5. Including my Special Term IS1103's A- brings the figure up to 4.08. I would say these results are within but on a low end of my expectations. Was hoping for at least a B+ for CS1231 and LSM1302. But I guess the rest of the NUS ppl in those modules did not leave much of the bell curve for me.

The A+ for CS1010 was a pleasant surprise for me. At the risk of bragging, I was confident I would get at least an A considering I scored at the top 25% for 60% of the assessment prior to the finals. But an A+??? Anyway, scoring was made easier since many of the top CS freshmen opted to take a tougher introductory course in Scheme (CS1101S). However, I'm willing to make a silent bet that this will be my first and probably last A+ I will get in my NUS education. This A+ furthers my regret that I chose not to take H2 Computing in JC. CS1010 is almost similar to it, I should have gotten an A in BOTH.

B for CS1231 was a letdown. Considering the time put into studying and the project video, it was not worth it at all if it wasn't my core module. The start of this module was hell. So many unknown weird symbols, and hell I was thought to prove why 1 + 1 =2. Its 2 dammit! The numerous foreign freshmen who seemed to have studied these in detail beforehand turned up the pressure cooker. And saying the "Proof is omitted" in every other proof just turns up the heat even more. The only respite was the fact that things got slightly easier as the semester neared its end.

MA1521's content in general is like an extension to H2 Maths. In terms of the concepts to study, they number close to the entire A Level Maths. So the difficulty of H2 Maths crammed into one semester. Welcome to University life! Its the opposite of CS1231. Start easy with a revision of H2 Maths then progressively getting harder and harder until my jaw nearly drops just before the finals. Made worse by the rusting of my brain during NS.

LSM1302 aka GEK1527 is considered my core module since I have to clear 3 science modules as part of my degree requirement. This module is taught by one very energetic lecturer. I assure you, you will not fall asleep during his lecture unless you purposely want to. Having zero academic background in Biology, this module is a real eye opener to stuff like DNA, cloning and their impacts on society. In one of the assignments, I had to make a brochure educating the public on Huntington's disease. Brought out a little part of my creative side. But the finals despite being MCQ-based was very tough and competitive. Would be happy to take this module as part of my GEK requirement. The Core sticker made me slightly dislike it.

PS1101E aka GEK1003 is taught by a very comedic Japanese Prof. Never fails to make the entire LT laugh at some point during his lecture. He spins jokes out of political leaders/academics yet drives the point clearly through. This module is competitive as many FASS students take it to satisfy their exposure requirement. Unless your English is superb, I say stay away from this module and any other English-based FASS modules for that matter if you want an A. Even though I got A for my GP in the A Levels and being a former debater, I was no match to the rest of the FASS majors. I guess my A- was just on a "scrap through" basis. I'm minoring in Political Science btw hence this module.

Having gotten the A+ in CS1010, I more than qualify for the accelerated CS2020 next Sem. A 2-in-1 6MC module that is even tougher than CS1101s. Hellish module? Oh yeah! Why I intend to take it? Just to challenge myself and to gauge myself with the rest of the "elite" freshmen in the CS department. Oh, I guess that means more sleepless nights coding away... Looking forward to more panda eyes next Sem...

CS1231 RSA PKCS Group 20

2011-10-25T21:53:00.006+08:00

My CS1231 group project video on the RSA Public Key Cryptography System. You are strongly encouraged to watch this video full screen at 1280x720p HD resolution for the best viewing experience.

Enjoy and learn about RSA!

Many thanks to my group members for this fantastic video production. Kudos especially to my video editor and narrator for doing the invisible heavy lifting!

New phase : Uni Education

2011-07-31T12:40:00.000+08:00

The title is somewhat a misnomer as I've technically matriculated earlier than normal due to special term (ST). Nevertheless in official terms, I'm in the 2011/2012 batch of freshmen.

My Special Term ended two days ago in my first examination in NUS. Thankfully, the paper was not tough although the wrist aches reminded that such a long time has passed since my previous exams in the A Levels that my wrists were unaccustomed to this.

From the 1 month that I've spent in university, the one thing that strikes me the most is the level of interaction between the student and lecturer/tutor. Students are expected to contribute and provide answers to questions with the tutor being a mere facilitator of discussion. I have to admit that this is partly due to class participation being a gradable component.

Notwithstanding this, I had a minor culture shock in my first tutorial where students spoke up at the intensity greater then what I've seen in JC and all my previous schools combined. In lectures, students were not afraid to debate openly with the lecturer should they have any contention/clarification with the points being taught. In JC, teachers used to tell us to clarify only during tutorials as the lecture schedules were always too tight.

Project Work was cursed by many of my JC friends. In Uni, one has to see alot more of that. PW in JC spanned almost a whole year. Numerous opportunities abound for the Written Report (WR) to go through many guided drafts and time slots for Oral Presentation (OP) rehearsals.

My module being compressed in a ST had to contend with shorter timeframes. The project question was released on a Thursday evening. The groups had to cobble together an OP and WR and be ready to present by Monday. No help and no time for rehearsal, just do it, as Nike says. Had to do two of this in ST. Doubt deadlines would be this short in the normal term but one has to deal with more projects simultaneously which amounts to the same thing.

And a laptop is a necessity rather than luxury. One is expected to consult the web on the fly to gather/verify information. Asking is reserved only if you need opinions or if the information is exotic enough not to be easily searchable/available online. And battery life and weight is of the utmost importance. My T410 at 2.3kg weighs like a ton of bricks when I move from place to place. Lacking the Nvidia Optimus graphics, I had to buy a 9-cell battery to hit a reasonable 6 hours bringing it up to 2.5kg. Before your fire me with questions, please know that I did not regret my choice and bought this first-gen Intel i5 T410 model with full awareness of its limitations.

Back on topic, the prospect of being forced to take modules outside my faculty is daunting for some but attractive to me. I intend to take a minor in Political Science and am making full use of my university electives for this purpose. My degree requires me to take 3 Science modules. Of the approved list, I'm precluded for most of the Physics and Chem modules since I've taken those A Level subjects. End up I have to take Biology modules which I have no background in. Something I dislike but appreciate at the same time that this is meant for me to be an all-rounder person.

School for me officially starts with Orientation Week tomorrow. I look forward to this new phase of my academic life. After all, this is my course of choice since primary school.

GE 2011 results: My views

2011-05-08T10:50:00.012+08:00

I stayed up all the way till 3 am this morning to watch the news until the last result was announced. The latest time I have stayed up late at home to date. It was worth it in the end. I wanted to hear the results live, not on the newspapers or recorded speeches.

At 81:6, its the opposition's (or should I say Workers Party) best showing since independence and the days of Barisan Socialis. No doubt, this is a watershed election where a non-PAP party managed to win a GRC. The average vote for PAP at 60.14% is lower then the 2/3 garnered in 2006 and is its lower vote share since independence. The swing has been expected and reasons commented on by others so I won't touch on it.

I chosen a select few of districts to comment on.

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Aljunied GRC:

Congrats to the Workers Party team for getting elected there! Its sad that George Yeo has to leave.

I believe George Yeo is a capable minister. In fact, he is the one of the last few ministers on my list of who to vote out first. It is the PAP's fault that they want to put anchor ministers in each GRC. This may work in the past to deter opposition candidates. But when the opposition becomes powerful enough to challenge GRCs, you cannot say you have to vote the PAP team just because of one minister. When you lose, you lose 5 candidates including several office holders at a go. This problem is PAP's own creation.

If George Yeo is in an SMC, this problem would not arise. Its sad that George Yeo and his team is the first PAP casualty of the GRC system. But this is normal part of democracy and George Yeo is not indispensable. He can still serve as part of the Singapore delegation in foreign affairs to retain his expertise.

I silently hope that the WP team would do their best to make Aljunied a model GRC to prove that opposition candidates can run such large town councils as well. May Aljunied residents not have to repent! If WP fails in its work, I have no disagreement in it being voted out in the next election.

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Hougang SMC:

Expected result. WP is too entrenched in Hougang to vote it out already. I was surprised Yaw could garner a greater percentage of vote than his predecessor. Probably helped by the nationwide 6% swing.

If you see the electoral map, Aljunied GRC nearly surrounds the whole of Hougang. I'm not surprised if the WP team treats Hougang as the 6th constituency of Aljunied. If WP can run this 6 constituencies well, it proves that the WP team can do the same for any other GRC.

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Potong Pasir SMC:

A 50:50 chance ends with an almost 50:50 result. The smallest constituency by electorate yet took the longest to count. Alas, there can only be one winner and that is PAP's Sitoh Yih Pin. He and Potong Pasir residents deserves this victory. He has worked the ground for so long, its time for his reward. Now he has to perform. It will be easier to provide results. All he has to do at the minimum is to revive upgrading plans mothballed since 1984. The opposition representation baton of Potong Pasir has been handed over to Aljunied, its finally time for their much needed upgrading.

In my view, its unlikely Potong Pasir will exist in its current form in the next election. Its electorate at 17000+ is too small to justify its existence. It will be probably be merged into another district relegating the name of Potong Pasir into the memories of Singaporeans as the longest opposition stronghold of 27 years in history. Hougang, I'm looking at you to supercede this.

As to candidate quality, I have to admit Sitoh Yih Pin is the better candidate. Lina Chiam is an election newcomer and from her speeches in the rallies, she does not come across to me as someone with policy debating calibre. I have not heard the live speeches of Mr Sitoh but I salute his perseverance!

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Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC:

Despite Mr Chiam's reputation, age and ill health has caught up with him. People still do give him the utmost respect. But respect is not enough to win votes. Voters are still concerned about what can be done for them. I believe they see his poor health as a disadvantageous factor.

Its true a GRC team is bigger than one man. But he is like the "anchor minister" in a GRC. Its performance can fluctuate with the anchorman's capabilities.

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Marine Parade GRC:

If you were looking at the results live on TV, you would notice that a vote swing chart was provided for all other previously-existent wards except Marine Parade.

My guess is that it is too embarrassing to show. The last election was a by-election held in 1992 where the PAP team won by 72.9%. The swing of 16% is probably the largest in this election.

Its easy to pinpoint the likely causes. The displeasure with Tin Pei Ling's performance, Nicole Seah's popularity and the lesser known fact that Marine Parade GRC sent some of their voters to Aljunied due to cough! cough!. This a real embarrassment to Goh Chok Tong and the PAP as a whole. It may be forced to reconsider before putting candidates like Tin Pei Ling up the election slate again.

Its a pleasant surprise to see that the B team of NSP did better than their A team counterparts. NSP's B team Marine parade got 43.35% while their A team (including party chairman Goh Meng Seng) at Tampines GRC got 42.78%. The Nicole Seah effect is really strong.

It has been suggested in the temasekreview that if Tin Pei Ling contravenes the Elections Act, she will be stripped of the MP position and a by-election will be called. I normally don't read the temasekreview but this idea is not bad though a little extreme. I thing a better, more detailed solution would be:

Get half, more or all of the Marine Parade MPs to resign. This will trigger a by-election. Get a prior agreement with the opposition to not contest which I believe they will oblige. They wont win anyway. Replace Tin Pei Ling with George Yeo and resubmit nomination forms. The resulting walkover will send George Yeo back into parliament as per normal without having to go through campaigning again.

There is even a facebook page on this. This solution is normally unethical but if the PAP does it, it has my full support.

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Joo Chiat SMC and East Coast GRC:

What a close battle especially for Joo Chiat SMC which WP's candidate (48.99%) was a relative newcomer. One can already visualise the "tentacles" of WP extending outwards from its home ground in Hougang. Aljunied already conquered. More to come.

I dunno if the elections department will redraw Joo Chiat and East Coast as it usually does for wards like these. I better hope not. If it does, it will yet be another glaring example of gerrymandering like Cheng San and Eunos GRCs.

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Conclusion:

Its easy to focus on one PAP loss of the GRC and forget that it has won in all other districts except Hougang. It still has a super-super majority to pass constitutional amendments with ease. The opposition parties have to continue working the ground in order to get more seats. In the next election when I can vote for the first time, any decent opposition party/candidate that contests in my district will get my vote until the 2/3 PAP dominance in Parliament is breached.

The Worker Party performed the best among all the opposition parties. Its percentage of votes garnered was not lower than 41% for every ward it contested. This is a party to watch. It could be the eventual centrepoint for the opposition should they decide to merge to form a 2-party system.

GE 2011 counter counter reply

2011-05-07T12:23:00.004+08:00

My last reply of this very fruitful exchange between my pro-opposition stance and my army pal's pro-PAP stance. I have learned alot from this exchange of viewpoints and I'm sure he did too. Too bad, I don't have the time and energy to keep writing such long articles for the minute few to read them.

Today being Polling Day, shall cap this discussion (I hope) which started from before Nomination Day. Its not like I'm helping the Workers Party (which I closely support) write and defend their manifesto.

I have a life to go back to. And so do you. Good Day and vote carefully!

General Elections counter reply

2011-05-01T17:36:00.002+08:00

Saga continues. My counter reply on wordpress.

General Elections 2011: My views

2011-04-30T17:42:00.002+08:00

I have written a very long post regarding the above. This article is the pro-opposition stance against the pro-PAP stance adopted by by friend Jack. Read my article here.

My T410 review

2011-04-03T21:00:00.005+08:00

By popular demand, I'm writing a review for my 3 week old laptop. More than a few have asked me for the reasons I purchased this notebook, considering its price and the fact that this is already a one year old model with its successor already on the market.

A little bit of intro first. The T410 was released by Lenovo around the time of the Consumer Electronic Showcase (CES) in January 2010. The Thinkpad product line itself was formerly under the auspices of IBM before its entire PC division was bought over by Chinese-based Lenovo in 2005.

Despite the change in mothership, the IBM design heritage still resonates strongly in the Thinkpad/Thinkcentre product lines. Black, boxy design and red Trackpoint still remains. Even the BIOS power-on self tests still contains the IBM name.

Before I get on with the rest of the review, let me state the specifications and the upgrades I have done already.

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ThinkPad T410 (2537-RZ5) $2299

Intel Core i5-540M Processor (2.53GHz, 3MB smart cache, 1066MHz FSB)
14.1 WXGA TFT+, w/ LED Backlight 1440x900 , WWAN antenna
NVIDIA Quadro NVS 3100m Graphics 256MB DDR3 with AMT (No Optimus)
Conexant 20585 Smart Audio HD
Nanya 2 GB PC3-8500 DDR3
Seagate 500 GB HDD 7200rpm (ST9500420AS)
DVD Recordable 8x Max Dual Layer, Ultrabay Slim SATA
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6200 (2X2 AGN)
Bluetooth
2.0MP Camera
UltraNav (TrackPoint and TouchPad)
6 cell Li-Ion Battery
Windows 7 Professional x64
3 Years International Carry-in Warranty (local onsite)

+9 Cell battery for $159

Upgrades already done
Added Kingston 4GB PC3-10700 DDR3 (current total = 6GB) $60
Intel X.25M G2 SSD replacing DVDRW in Ultrabay $548

Future upgrade roadmap
Gobi 2000 WWAN 3G + AGPS in PCIe slot
Replace 2GB stick with 4GB bringing total to 8GB

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First looks

(Feel free to click on the images to get a clearer view)

The primary reason I'm getting this old model is because of its 16:10 screen aspect ratio, sporting a resolution of 1440x900. Aside from this and the equally old Dell Latitude E6410, I can't think of any other model on the market with this screen type. Most are 16x9 with 1366x768 pixels these days.

Why you may ask? Vertical height is the answer. 16x10 means less scrolling when reading numerous web or code pages. To match the 900 vertical pixels, one can get the 1600x900 but on a 14 inch screen, that kind of dot pitch makes any text unreadabily small.

Only Wifi, Bluetooth and HDD indicator lights??? A huge reduction in number of indicator lights compared to the past. The rest like battery and Sleep are at the back. I really miss NUM lock. CAPS lock light is on the CAPS lock button itself. Mute and Microphone lights are also available.

The thick metal screen hinges on Thinkpads have been known to be very reliable. Lets see years down the road.

The trademark Thinklight above the LCD. This is activated by a keyboard combination. I still prefer the button-flipout style of the Night Lights on HP Elitebooks though. When its dark, one still has to feel for the keyboard combination.

The Synaptic textured touchpad ensures good grip even if you have greasy hands. On the right is the fingerprint reader on "ready to scan" mode. The Trackpoint (pointing stick) for those who prefer smoother movement.

No shortage of ports (on the left) here. One Gigabit LAN, 3 USB 2.0 ports and Displayport. I'll prefer HDMI since Displayport displays are quite rare. I bought a cheap adapter from Ebay to mitigate this.

Hard disk drives, or rather, HDD and solid-state drives. The included Seagate drive is quite speedy on its own. However, one can never be fully satisfied. I took the plunge with one of the most common and value SSDs on the market, the Intel X.25M G2.

Placed in an Ultrabay HDD adapter I bought from Ebay, I inserted the SSD into the slot previously occupied by the DVDRW drive. Ports visible from this side include the E-Sata, always-on USB 2.0 port and Firewire. 34mm Expresscard slot also available.

The Seagate hard drive is protected by two easily removable shock-absorbing rubber bumpers on the sides and a small rollcage to withstand compressive pressures.

The underside of the laptop.

A small access panel at the centre provides access to one DIMM and WWAN(3G) slot. If you look closely, you can see two holes marked by a small droplet indicating drainage holes for the spill-proof keyboard. The rubber stands are one of a kind as well, built to absorb vibrations.

Inside the access panel.

I've filled the previously empty DIMM slot with one 4GB stick. The slot on the left contains wires to a pre-installed WWAN or 3G antennas. A Gobi 2000 for me here in the future!

The Windows 7 Pro license sticker hidden away in the battery compartment. SIM card slot for the 3G card also in this area.

The 94Wh 9-cell battery will stick out like a sore thumb here. On the left, is a 56k modem port. I'm neutral about its presence. I tried making ordinary voice calls with it by connecting it to my phone line. It works lol!

Notice the specks of dust on the lid. And my laptop is only less than a month old! The rubbery surface provides more grip at the cost of greater magnetism to dust. The dust is also very difficult to clean of.

Unlike the the 9 cell battery, the 6 cell will flush with the back. I had no choice. The 6 cell battery will only run for 3hours to juice up my power hungry Nvidia card. 9 cell will give me close to 6 hours. If not for lack of Linux support for Optimus, I would have gotten an Optimus T410.

My laptop's rating on Windows 7 Experience index. Performance is relatively good with exception to graphics. Let me emphasise, my Quadro card is not designed for gaming. The graphics card hardware and drivers are optimised for stability and accuracy at the expense of performance.

The one thing I'm proud of is the 7.6 hard disk rating. This is only acheiveable with an SSD. Even the fastest magnetic HDD will only get a rating of 5.9.

Summary:

Pros:

1. Easily modifiable. Lenovo even includes full hardware maintenance manuals and videos on their website.
2. Being a business-oriented notebook, replacement parts will still be available in years to come.
3. Excellent build quality. Unless an unreasonable amount of force is applied, the keyboard does not flex. With its magnesium rollcage, its supposed to be more resistant to drops. I can't vouch for this for obvious reasons.
4. Spill reason keyboard. Ditto above.
5. Dual latch LCD
6. Included Lenovo Power Manager software helps to stretch battery life.
7. Extensive BIOS options. Important for me. No overclocking options though.

Cons:

1. Rubberised surface is a dust magnet
2. No Optimus graphics = Poor battery life (Can be easily mitigated if one gets the Optimus or switchable graphics model.
3. Displayport instead of HDMI (mitigate with adapter)
4. No USB 3.0 ports (can add USB 3.0 Expresscard)
5. Expresscard is 34mm only
6. E-SATA port is not combo with USB
7. LCD colours and contrast so-so despite the price premium
8. Microphone and headphone audio jacks are combined, not dedicated.
9. Expensive

Last words:

The successor to this model, the T420, is already out in the US market. Dunno when it will reach our shores. Its equipped with next generation Intel Sandy Bridge CPUs and Intel HD 3000 integrated graphics. According to notebookcheck, this integrated graphics is even more powerful than my Nvidia NVS3100m with an added benefit of longer battery life.

I would advice anybody who is getting a notebook to not follow my footsteps unless you need this specific screen aspect ratio. I always encourage people to buy computers only at the last moment as prices and performance always improve down the road. For me, I can't wait any longer as this model will soon be superceded.

New year, new beginning, new freedom

2011-01-02T22:07:00.000+08:00

If the last 2 years are the years of my NS obligation, then this will be the year that I (almost will) make a clean break of it. My new found freedom is intoxicating, but definitely not drunk inducing.

Firstly, its my post-ORD and pre-uni job as an IT technician. I've earned more in the 7 weeks since I ORDied than 3 months of NS allowance. With more money, comes with more expenses. No more army camp to provide free water, food, lodging, clothing and electricity as I used to drone about to my bunk mates. Transport and meal expenses can eat up a hefty chunk of my salary. But after comparing both, I definitely prefer freedom!

Secondly, more time. Its obvious to most, but time is what NS loves to takes away. For eg, in just 7 weeks, I got my first formal computer certification after attending 7 weekend classes. I must admit though, this Comptia A+ cert is quite basic to the point of being chicken feet to me. Anyway, I can't do this before. With possible weekend guard duties and book-ins to consider, no way I can commit to such classes. My driving lessons were tough enough to schedule. Before I start my special term in May, I intend to get at least one or two more certs still!

Speaking of special term, I'm starting school in May. I dunno how will my orientation camps be affected. I'll just take a wait and see approach lor. I need to exercise my brain juices before kicking off full steam into academic life once again. I hope to use this special term opportunity for this purpose.

So I welcome 2011 as the year of greater freedom, the year of no NS (except reservist).

My HTC Desire

2010-12-01T22:37:00.000+08:00

The long wait for my third camera phone was worth it. 2 years in the army had deprived me the luxury of snapping away as and when I "desire". Anyway, thats not the point. The point of the blog post is about my first touchscreen smartphone!

I had been eyeing the HTC Desire as my post-ORD phone for awhile now. But the price then with a non-data plan was at $498. I knew the price would drop with the release of the Desire Z and impending Desire HD. Looks like my wait paid off! In one week, the price dropped to $398 over the Sitex weekend . I snapped it up on the spot.

Here are some specs I pulled from Wikipedia

Qualcomm QSD 8250 1 GHz Snapdragon
AMD Z430 GPU
3.7-inch 480×800 SLCD screen
5MP camera, autofocus with LED flash
576MB RAM
512MB flash with micro-sd
1400mAH battery
Compass, GPS, accelerometer
Android 2.2 with HTC Sense UI

Enough said. Let the pictures do the talking!

The home screen. 1st of 7 screens available, unlike the stock Android 2.2, which only has 3. I've not used the stock Android 2.2 UI before so I can't say how it compares to other Android phones. The SLCD screen at 800x480 through not as good as Iphone 4's 960x640, is sharp enough for me to not discern the individual pixels at first sight.

One can also customise the desktop with live widgets. I doubt Iphone OS has this capability.

Apple Mac OS deja vu?

This is the part where excites me the most. Its the huge variety of applications available on the Android app market and on third party sites. I don't mean the number of apps, I mean the types of apps you are allowed to install.

Take the above for example. Its a non-Android-market app called aDOSBox. Basically, it allows one to emulate a DOS environment on the phone. What can I do with this? See the next picture for an example.

Look closely. Its Windows version 3.11! To save you a google search, its the Windows version that precedes Windows 95. Honestly, this is just a gimmick lah. I can see no practical use for this except for bragging rights and proof of concept.

The main issue here is that the Android OS is very open. Fewer restrictions are placed on application development and installation compared to Apple's Iphone OS (IOS). One can also do much more on the phone without having to step on legal grey areas. To accomplish the above on an IOS device, a jailbreak is a necessary first step provided that you even can find the related app. My phone? I haven't even rooted it yet! There exists this option for yet more control but no. Warranty comes first for me this time.

Back to playing with my phone again!

No more Corporal Yeo, now just Mr Yeo and CPL (NS) Yeo

2010-11-06T14:27:00.003+08:00

ORD lo! A standard phrase uttered by people like me. My 22-month chapter as an NSF just closed, with 10 more years as an NSman too follow. Regardless, its an end from the day-to-day rigour of army life.

Not bad for a plaque eh? Heard not everybody got things like this from ORD.

Now to civilian life and work.... Eagerly anticipating Special Term next year.

Less than 10 days to ORD

2010-10-27T20:58:00.001+08:00

Single digit now... Can't wait to get my pink IC!

AHM 2010

2010-09-13T10:53:00.000+08:00

I ran the 21km Army Half marathon yesterday. After many weekly training sessions in camp and around Singapore, it came to this. The 21km run started at the Padang and took me to East Coast Park before U-turning back.

Pictures of the finisher medal

Front

Back

I wouldn't have run in this half-marathon on my own accord. This, I give credit to the army for "forcing" us to take part in the run.

According to my watch, I took about 2hrs 50mins.

Now, my sore legs...

20 now!

2010-09-05T22:44:00.000+08:00

Finally a 2 in the first digit of my age. Seeing the volume of Facebook messages, I encounter one of my rare moments where I dunno know how to reply back. Since my blog is linked to facebook, I will just reply here lah.

I thank all my well-wishers. In 2 decades since I was born, I sure have experienced alot. It is said that by 20, one will have heard abt 90+% of the range of sounds in one's lifetime. Not that it means anything to any of us, but its one of the many milestones we cross in every stage of our life.

Still not legally an adult though, I can't vote for one. Which means I'm guaranteed to miss taking part in the next election.

My second and last birthday in NS. For my 21st birthday, I'll be in NUS. Out of this frigging army! Soon, no more being my bunk's alarm clock but I will still sleep early everyday. So to my bunkmates, you have to find someone else to wake your up every morning.

The key difference between this and previous years' is how most people wish me. Previously, it was almost all by smses, this year its mostly on Facebook. As killerzephr says, its the "in" thing now. Despite my stronger than most IT background, I've slower when it comes to adopting social media/networking technologies. Now for now, haha!

Till the next milestone at Sept 5 2011! Thanks for the well wishes!

What I did for the YOG opening ceremony

2010-08-27T22:11:00.001+08:00

If a picture can say a thousand words, how much more can a video say?

See those trolley pushers? I was one of them. 2 weeks of rehearsals just to get that scene right.

Post NDP + YOG

2010-08-12T19:00:00.001+08:00

Edit 1 (13/8/2010 2pm): News of the lousy YOG food for "volunteers" made it into today's Straits Times.

Finally got round to blogging again. The YOG rehearsals ate and will continue to eat up many of my late nights.

We had one break to watch the NDP though. As usual, the SAF shows off with its vast array military equipment. One just have to spot the less-glamorous C4I (aka signals) vehicles at 4:37 to know this is a once in 5 years event.

This just makes a slight mockery of the no-cameras in SAF camps rule. Here we are, showcasing all our hardware to anyone close enough to tune in to our local TV channels. Anyone notice whether this practice of showing off military weapons during national parades coincides with the level of authoritarianism of the country? I know China, Russia and North Korea are famous for doing this.

Going behind the scenes have I have done last year, one will know that for every one performer you see on the TV, there are several behind the TV screens ensuring that things run smoothly. Its those people you should appreciate. Many of them did their jobs not because they are altruistic but because they are forced to do it.

This year though, I'm involved in the YOG opening ceremony at the last minute. I'm not at liberty to discuss what I do till after the performance ends this Saturday. Let's just say, its something not much different from saikang. The difference this time is that my buddies and I will probably be caught anonymously on tape in the mass of the performers.

Do I like saikang for important events? No! Then I prefer doing military stuff in camp instead? No way!

No contradiction in the above. Saikang is the lesser of two evils and that is my point. Being a conscripted army, we didn't have a choice of whether to join the military. This extends to the dictatorial style of military orders. We cannot disobey any orders from the top down, even for non-defence related activities. These makes us (and students) cheap and easy targets to arrow for manpower.

In case you do not know, the YOG budget has overrun more than 3 times. Why is this so I cannot answer. I would like to add my 2 personal contributions to that though.

1. The onlinecitizen managed to dig up an ST article on MOE's purchase of YOG tickets. So am I safe to say that part of the YOG costs has been indirectly subsidised by (government's) money from the MOE? My sister got her ticket free to watch one of the competitions so I'm pretty positive that its the MOE and not the students' Edusave accounts go to paying for this.

2. With the use of army personnel for this event, their labour is not factored into the budget. After all, they are already paid for by Mindef. What about the school students who have to be audience leaders and performers? To be fair, opportunity cost is difficult to measure and thus never included. With 5000 performers and army saikang warriors, I doubt its small.

And the meals provided for us? Pathetic! See this scanned copy of the ST report from hardwarezone forums. I didn't eat that meal in the picture since I was involved quite late. Soggy rice with meat and vegetables in (probably partially melted) thin plastic containers are the norm. We do get ice-cream and drinks about half the time. But I would prefer my cookhouse food anytime.

For last year's NDP, we were provided KFC/Pizza Hut or its voucher equivalent. I remembered that I had so many vouchers, I had to give some to my family and bought my own meals for the rest. After all, eating KFC for lunch and dinner for weeks in a row will do no justice to my health. This is just one of many grievances about this, the rest, I cannot air.

Before I end off, let me post a picture of myself included. Ironic that this being my blog, personal pictures seem to be a rarity this days. I attribute this to the lack of a camera handphone. So obviously, no chance of pictures.

Yet another event to arrow army personnel. My constituency's National Day Dinner which was held last Sunday. See more if you want. Must be not enough willing (and paying?) constituents to fill the seats, so get army people to make up the numbers.

This is not what irks me. The tables were clearly segregated between VIP and non-VIP. Those non-VIP tables including mine were served "lower-quality" food compared to the majority VIP ones. I know I shouldn't complain since I was invited for free, but at least have the decency to give me the same food as those eaten by the MP and 3/5? of the other tables.

All I look forward to, is my ORD to end this.

Less than 100 days!

2010-08-03T17:43:00.000+08:00

Time passes real quickly! My days to ORD can now be counted in double-digits. My pink IC is so much closer to my hands now. Counting by guard duties, I should have 2, at most 3 left.

Although I'm leaving the army soon, I don't seem to feel any different in the boring day-to-day routines. Discipline in my unit has been tightened to slightly below uncomfortable levels. Obeying the barking orders of commanders used to and continues to be the order of the day.

In between doing my required regimental duties, (e)books are my favourite companion. Free times do come by every now and then, hence my Iriver Story ebook reader. Currently, I'm into the books from several science fiction authors and occasionally, political/socio-economic writers. Carl Sagan's scientific essays too has renewed my interest in physics which stopped since I was drafted. Flipping through a university physics textbook, I've realised how much I've declined since the A-Levels.

Saikang this time again. Not the NDP, but the YOG. When it comes to large scale events, the army will be involved in one way or another. With its large pool of conscripts on its beck-and-call, all orders shall be fulfilled with utmost military precision. It makes me wonder about how much time has been wasted which could otherwise be used to shorten our NS liability. But we still do it, and we do it well. For the alternative of staying in camp engaging in our military stuff is worse off.

Just 3 months, 3 months and I'm out of this privileged prison.

Look left, look right then look left again

2010-06-14T12:22:00.001+08:00

Remember this before crossing the roads of Taiwan or any country with a right-hand traffic for that matter. Almost got killed for not modifying the age-old habit acquired from Singapore. Otherwise, I apologise for the very long unannounced hiatus since the last post.

I just returned from a "short holiday" to Taiwan recently. I could not mention beforehand so you can roughly guess why I'm there for. Since its so short, I couldn't really explore much. Lacking a tour guide, my buddies and I had to stay within the safe confines of Kaohsiung. Here are some of the pictures I took.

Touch down at airport. My first experience with personal info/entertainment screens. The last Qantas flight I took a decade ago at economy class didn't have this feature. It was great to select a video of your choosing or monitor the flight progress.

I was lucky a 4-man room for just 2 guys.

Their dedicated motorcycle lanes serve them well in protecting the safety of motorcyclists. But not when vehicles are parked on the roadside, not when there are more 2-wheelers than 4-wheelers or when their numbers swell even more during peak hours. If you have a chance to drive there you would know.

One can get a heart attack if you are too used to driving in considerate Singapore roads. Cars overtake illegally using the lane, 2-wheelers ride as if they own the road, blatant disregard of right-of-way coupled with the lack of experience driving on the opposite of the road as we are used to. Want a good defensive driving lesson? Drive in Taiwan lol!

No large city plugged into the global economy can hold back the omnipresence of fast-food restaurants.

In their New-York style yellow cabs. Though their flag down price is more expensive than Singapore, they fares are standard throughout the day. No need to navigate the myraid of surcharges just to gauge the fare required.

One of their many night-markets.

Unlike our local pasar malams, you will never get bored by the huge variety of games they offer. Their prizes are attractive too. For one game, if you hit 9/9 targets using only 9 balls, you get to ride home in a scooter!

Smog seems to be a common sight. The locals don't hesitate to wear masks when needed.

One of the many malls we went.

Finally back to home sweet home.

Passed Class 3 driving!

2010-04-23T16:42:00.002+08:00

First, Class 4 military license, now Class 3 civilian license! Woohoo! 7 public road and 3 circuit lessons later, I'm officially off the "L" plate group now. I passed the manual license test on April 19 but only now do I have the time to blog about it.

It wasn't too long ago that I passed my SAF class 4 driving test. Now finally, I can drive. Before this, it was so near yet so far. I have the skills to drive heavy military trucks but not the permit to sit on the driver's seat of my dad's car. A dead irony!

I got 18 demerit points of the maximum allowable 19 ( and no immediate failure mistake) in the test. Now before you start castigating me on my barely passing grade, let me explain why. Of the 18 points, 8 points were from repeating the same mistake. The mistake in question I cannot say, but take my word that it is something that was not emphasised ( and thus I did not have the habit of) in the SAF driving school. The remaining 5 mistakes of 2 points each are

1. Roll backwards on slope (in circuit) <1m
2. Change lane abruptly
3. Use inappropriate gear
4. Incorrect braking
5. Fail to look out for pedestrains

I admit those are my fault (partly also I didn't wayang abit for the test), no opposition to those penalties. Otherwise, the test is over and I have my full weekends back to myself. Having passed this, I no longer have to devote a quarter of my precious weekends and divert a huge chunk of my meagre monthly allowance to lessons. Phew!

I have to thank Mr Nathan, my SAF instructor and Mr Lee, my private instructor for their teachings. Without them, I wouldn't have the addition of such a colourful photo permit into my wallet.

If you are curious about the total amount I spent from the 2 theory exams to the practical test, its about $700. If one takes the school route (instead of the private route) and starts from scratch, one can expect to pay triple that amount.

The Political Compass

2010-04-03T17:02:00.000+08:00

Wouldn't it be simple of politicians/people were simply classified as leftists and rightists? It is, but in this day and age, it is woefully inadequate to pigeonhole their views based on this traditional either/or classification.

The folks at politicalcompass.org came up with this 2 dimensional model that adds a social aspect to one's economic views.

With this model and some test questions, they can determine on which part of this 2-dimensional political spectrum you lie on.

Here are my results.

Economic Left/Right: -5.12
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.13

No surprise for me here, I knew I would lie somewhere on the left. As for the negative y-axis, thats an interesting aspect I realise about myself.

Here's how other world leaders stack up based on anecdotal evidence.

Interested to where you stand among the politicians, you can take the test here.

Long hiatus explained

2010-03-21T12:57:00.000+08:00

First off, I apologise to my loyal readers of my lack in posting for the last one month plus. Contrary to your doubts, this blog is still alive.

Let me state my situation. For the past 2 months, I've spent more nights looking at the stars when I rest then looking at my bunk's ceiling. Week after week of outfield exerted a heavy toll on me and my weekends.

As for stuff to talk about, sad to say I have none. My life is boringly routine. Chiong 5 days in camp then return home for 2 days. In this 2 precious days, I must cramp in a relatively tight schedule of reading the entire week's papers, watching recorded shows and driving lessons. Not to mention housework and the occasional outings. Then the cycle repeats when I book in.

Off to pack my stuff yet again! Till I ORD...

CNY

2010-02-16T10:15:00.000+08:00

The year of the cow has now given way to the year of the tiger. Its inauspicious enough for many Singaporeans to have kids as backed up repeatedly by year on year statistics. Inauspicious enough that my Mum prevented me from leaving my house today to borrow a reserved book.

Anyway, it has always been a routine for my family to do house visits and collect hongbao. Preparation wise, baking cookies, cakes and house cleaning has always been the norm. This year, I had guard duty of the eve of CNY. No, I wasn't arrowed, I volunteered for it. Don't ask me why.

My second CNY in army. My last CNY in the army. By the next one, I'll would have long ORDied. March/April batch people, happy Year of the rabbit in advance for you.

UIP over!

2010-01-31T09:47:00.000+08:00

January 27, the date I will forever remember as the say my UIP ended in 3 Signals. 260 days of the supposedly temporary UIP from 12 May 2009 vs 283 days from then to my ORD. Nearly half my life in my unit is frigging UIP!

This whole week was one of extreme tiredness to me. I was out in the field everyday. If one measures by cookhouse meals, I have only eaten 4 meals in camp of a total of 19. The rest have been preservative-loaded combat rations. I have done more set-ups in this single week then all the previous days in 3 Sig combined. Sleep wise, I only had one proper night of 7 hours, the rest averaged less than 3 hours.

Our turnout to mark the end of UIP was also first the feature an outfield component. A first this, a first that, not something I'm proud to boast about. The record for the longest UIP in a unit famed for long UIPs is no joke.

With my beret and Tiger (3rd Division) formation badge, my uniform is now complete. Finally, we get our deserved privileges. I'm getting sick of marching and singing army songs to and fro the cookhouse for more than a year already.