Friday, June 29, 2007

Of Pens and Sieves

With the word play an obvious allusion to Harry Potter's pensieve (the smoky basin where Professor Dumbledore magically casts his silver-threaded memories for keeps), Of Pens and Sieves delves on a deeper and sometimes philosophical view of things one may find too melodramatic to have a take on. This new blog would be like a flower garden (complete with thorny roses, sweet-smelling dama de noches, and unwanted weeds) to my more serious thoughts - acute aspirations, emo-outbursts, sorry sighs, whimsical what-ifs, and from time-to-time, comic reliefs.

Like any garden, Of Pens and Sieves would need tendering, with the intention of acting as a therapeutic outlet as well. So please feel free to drop by, immerse yourself, or share your thoughts on/with mine (leave a comment if you wish).
Step inside my pensieve.


Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Excel Add-in Installer

Developer: Adajet
License:
Free
OS: Windows All
Last Updated:
Feb 23, 2007 11:15AM

Excel Add-in Installer
, as the name suggests, is a simple yet effective tool to quickly install all your custom-made add-ins in Microsoft Excel without even running Excel. With the developer in mind,
Excel Add-in Installer allows you to easily distribute and deploy your excel add-ins, saving you the hassle of personally having to instruct your often IT-challenged end-users on how to go about the lengthy installation from within Excel's clunky interface.

History:
As a side-project of my own while teaching myself VB6 programming, the idea for
Excel Add-in Installer had sprung from the need to effortlessly distribute the often complex Excel macros I write to my users. This allowed me to concentrate on my work better and devoid me of the time to install the add-ins personally. After nine iterations (v1.0.9), I've come to rely much on this small utility whenever I rollout new stuff.

Key Features:

  • Installs excel add-ins (.xll and .xla) without opening Excel
  • Fast and simple 2-step installation -> Browse - Install
  • With option to automatically start add-in on Excel startup
  • Command-line utility for silent install/uninstall
  • Integration with popular installer systems such as Inno Setup and NSIS
  • Works with any version of Microsoft Excel
  • Stand-alone executable (does not need to be installed)
Screenshots:

Main window

Command line help window


Disclaimer:
Excel Add-in Installer is completely FREE and contains no Adware, Spyware, Registration, Popups, Malware or other unwanted software.

I have not encountered any bugs yet since I only use it straightforwardly (had not undergone rigid testing). But since I'm just a self-taught programmer,
I'm sure to hear a lot of feedback from more experienced users/testers. So feel free to buzz me for any new feature suggestion or bug you may encounter as this would also greatly help me learn the (programming) language better.
Download Excel Add-in installer (48kb)

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

I just can't get enough of empanada!

Any trip to Vigan, Ilocos Sur just won't be complete without feasting on crispy cholesterol-rich empanada!

Available in regular and special (with even more cholesterol thanks t0 an egg and vigan longganisa), these thin and crispy stuffed delights doused in sukang-iloco-with-lasona have always been the perfect answer to worn out turistas seeking refuge in Vigan's spanish colonial plaza, after running around Ilocos for a full day (Norte and Sur mind you).

Please, please... help yourself...

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Back to Black

Way back when I first started working (which wasn't so long ago, mind you), I rewarded myself a mountain bike with my first pay. It was a full sized black 18-speeder with alloy rims, handles, and brake mechanisms, grip shifters, front and rear shock absorbers, and quick-release skewers for the seat and both front & rear wheels. You know, the works! It wasn't high-end stuff for the pros but it nevertheless cost me quite a bit at that time. It was a strikingly sleek-looking bike. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who thought the same when several months after, I came home and found it missing.

And so it was pure bliss when on an unusually hectic Sunday afternoon, I happened to chance myself upon that very same bike I set my eyes on 4 years ago. It was actually the blue version which I first saw and so I quickly looked for other colors. There wasn't any other but the attendant said they still had 1 more boxed up. I left the store not checking it out.

Total uneasiness got the better of me though and so I found myself back at the store in no time, eager to have a peek at the box. I could not believe what happened next. I call it fate, destiny at work.

It was black.


Call me corny or a sentimental freak. I don't care. But the emotion was really high, peaking when I finally mouthed "sige paki assemble na". Then finally, after what seemed like an eternity of endless waiting, there it stood, waiting to be ridden.

"Para akong batang binigyan ng candy."

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Power Tripping!

Hurrah! A book for my birthday!

At least that's what this elegantly wrapped birthday gift appeared to me. Forgive my excitement over a book for I've been a repressed book lover due to its ever increasing cost. I made my best guess at the title underneath the signature wrap my girlfriend is starting to get famous for. Lemme see... I can only think of one right now. I thought it would please my girlfriend if I opened the gift with her around. You know... so she can see my reaction. So I set it down beside me and started driving.

Two blocks down the road and as I've failed that marshmallow test, I found myself unable to suppress the building suspense. With enough care to not tear the hand-made paper apart, I started unfolding from the edge. Wait, I recognize that color pattern! This IS the book! Hurriedly, I ripped the rest and behold...

The one book to rule them all... [evil laugh]

Finally, I've got my wanting hands on the book I've been wanting to dissect, law by law, and all 48 of them (i think an equally clinical book review is in the works)! The title alone intrigued me, better yet, mesmerized me, having first seen a copy at Powerbooks. I mean, come on. Who doesn't want to stand out, to gain respect, to bask in the spotlight, to be successfull, to relish in more victory, to play on people's fantasies, to wreck fear on the weak, to annihilate your enemies, to have ultimate power! [evil laugh again]

Sorry got carried away. Hehe...

Sunday, May 6, 2007

Still Dreaming of SLR

Couldn't help but go through my dad's stuff last night...

It never crossed my mind how huge a fortune this hobby must have been then until I started scouring the net for more info and specs on these accessories. Lens kits, including Wide Angle and Telephoto lens plus all the filters, easily come in at least 4 figures per piece (not including the decimals mind you). I haven't even mentioned the cost of rolls (and more rolls) of films (thank God for digital!), renting a "dark room" (it's actually a red room) and all those plates and stop bath solutions needed for developing your negatives the old-fashioned and creepy way. I honestly thought these were inching their way closer towards the trash bin. Or maybe just another set of antiques highly awaited by the curator.

It seems I just might be scheduling a trip to my dad's old friend(s) in the studios, or worse-comes-to-worse, Hidalgo (Click on Hidalgo for a quick info on, well, Hidalgo, and the camera shops you could find there. You could also check out the map on the right). Might as well have these valuated first by the experts. The camera bodies (I hope at least one of them) might still be revived to its former operational glory. That old shimmer could still be brought out of the lenses. I could have a brand new, err, kinda new, plaything! I'm crossing my fingers though that I wouldn't need to shell out that much for all the repairs and restorations. Otherwise, hello DIGITAL!

Actual pics of the gear (Left-to-right, Top-to-bottom):
  1. 1977 Nikon FM w/ Nikon 50mm Series E Lens Kit
  2. 1979 Yashica FX-3 w/ Yashica 55mm Lens Kit
  3. 1976 Yashica 35MF (Yashica 38mm Lens)
  4. 2X CX Teleplus MC Lens + Vivitar 49mm Wide Angle Lens Kit
  5. Weston Master II Universal Exposure Meter
  6. Cokin Chroma Filters
  7. (UV) Filters, Adapters, Lenses, Flash, exposure meter
  8. Camera bag (other stuff in the bag: dessicants, cleaners, remote trigger, Sunpak flash slave unit, etc.)







Friday, May 4, 2007

DSLR: Dreaming of SLR

For several months now, I've been fancying myself on owning a Digital Single-Lens Reflex or more commonly a DSLR camera. With the proliferation of megapixel camera-phones (have you seen the 5MP Nokia N95?) and dirt-cheap digital cameras coming in all shapes, colors and sizes at your suking tindahan, preserving that perfect Kodak moment is now as easy as "point-and-shoot". With the piles of pictures I've collected and the narrowing price gap of the latest point-and-shoot with entry-level DSLRs however, I've realized that I wanted to capture moments in more detail, more style, and more drama. More and more, I guess I've (re)discovered an "eye for photography". And this I could achieve with a DSLR - "ung mukhang Pro na camera"!

Having a DSLR would be a rekindling of sorts into this vivid world I plunged into as an innocent little boy of 6 (or 7, can't remember exactly) with my dad. My dad, who taught me the basics of which I've lost though time without practice, was a part-time photographer for then Kameraworld (now Picture City after the original co-owners have split up) and owned several mechanical SLRs. Among his stuff which I have recently unearthed were ...

a 1976 Yashica MF35, ...
a 1977 Nikon FM, ...
and a 1979 Yashica FX-3 ...
... with a bevy of accessories ranging from detachable lens kits and filters to remote triggers and tripods, not to mention your run-off-the-mill photographer's bag. If time permits, having a trip down memory lane with these 3 snappers would be a great way to immerse myself (again) in photography from a historical perspective. That's also 3 new posts for this month. Haha!

My interest has reawakened so to speak ever since I've started snapping away with my trusty old Sony Ericsson W800i. With its decent 2MP-Auto Focus camera, I've been taking pretty neat snapshots of varying subjects (check it out) that I decided it was time I needed a "true" camera that could do more.



It's been almost a year since my so called reawakening. My friend Ronnie (you can check out his blog by clicking on his name) has just recently grabbed his own Canon EOS 400D and is now finding time to tinker with it. As for me, I'm still without one. I mean hey, these things don't come cheap. The neophyte-friendly Nikon D40 is a hefty P26k in Quiapo. And that's already in photographer-haven Hidalgo where cameras are often at least 6-7k cheaper than malls. That's why they're called investments. And like all investments, these things need planning. To kill time, or should I say "While planning...", I plan (again that word) to brush up on the technical stuff like lighting, apertures, metering and the like. I've also been working my butt off (I wish there was OT) and saving up on unnecessary expenses. And so I've been planning since. Sheesh...

Somebody wake me up please... or better yet hand me a DSLR!
Hmmm... I think I just found the perfect birthday gift for me this May!

[keeps dreaming...]

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Undelete Plus: File Recovery ain't this sweet

Have you ever known the anguish and desperation in losing something very valuable that you'd do everything imaginable (and unimaginable at that) just to have it back? Unfortunately, I have. And that was how "at-wits-end" it felt like when due to an unexpected behavior of an email backup software I have been using for quite a while now, all my personal stuff from the My Documents folder (keepsake emails, tons of painstakingly crafted VB apps and photos both from my trusty old SE P800 and, IMO the best bang-for-the-buck mobile phone, SE W800i), got deleted without passing thru the Recycle Bin! All these from just a backup utility supposedly at the forefront of email disaster. Truly a nightmare any self-confessed techie would want to wake out off.


Good thing there was Undelete Plus. I've had this pretty small utility (only 526 kb - perfect for your USB first aid kit) for several months already and what a perfect timing it was to prove its worth. You may download the latest version (v2.7) here.

Where have all they gone?

I launched the executable (yup, no need to install and it runs perfectly on Microsoft Windows
95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003) and out popped an interface any non-techie newbie could figure out.

On the left pane are all your computer's drives, including flash-based devices if connected. Check the drive/s you want searched then click Start Scan on the toolbar just above to well... start scanning.

This small yet efficient tool
supports all Windows file systems for hard and floppy drives including FAT12/16/32,NTFS/NTFS5 and image recovery from CompactFlash, SmartMedia, MultiMedia and Secure Digital cards.

The pane to the right would now show a
ll recently deleted files - candidates all for salvation (that of being salvaged?)! The list contains all your basic information like filename, path and size and even tells you if it has a good chance of being recovered with its file integrity intact via the Status column. In my case, it took a little over 2 minutes of thoroughly scanning for 3GB worth of files.



The Return of the Comeback...

Simply check the file/s you wish to undelete or if you wish to breeze through all files, right-click anywhere on the results pane and choose Select All Files. Just above the Status/Preview pane are options for where you want your precioussss files restored and if you want to maintain the original folder structure. Hit Start Undelete (beside Start Scan) for that much awaited sigh of relief. Whew!

More or less (ok, more...), it took the same amount of time to recover the selected files. And true to its Status prior to recovery, I was able to open all files without any error or corruption. Everything was back where it was supposed to be prior to the disaster. It was like... magic! And it only took a few mouse clicks! I must say, data recovery couldn't get any sweeter and simpler than this.

For geeks only!
For more advanced users, you can also do the ff:

  • filter results by File type (left pane)
  • filter results based on filename, dates and size
  • see original folder structure tree (left pane)
  • sort results using columns
  • change language on-the-fly
...quoting from the author's website...
Important Information: The following three things are important for a successful restoration:
  1. The more recent your last defrag was the better your chance of recovering the deleted file so defrag often (at least once a week). DO NOT defrag the disk after you decide to try and retrieve an erased file.
  2. Every time that you computer writes to disk the chances increase that your deleted file will be overwritten. The sooner you make a restoration attempt the more likely you will be successful.
  3. The smaller the size of the file - the better our chance of success is to restore it.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

There's always a first...

My first attempt at blogging... my first post nevertheless!
Gimme time (which I rarely have these days) to settle in and get used to this new thing.