HYPERAXE

Just the other day, after setting up a new home linux server, I noticed that SSH login was very slow on the said server from remote desktops or notebooks. Well, I experienced this before and found out back then that one way to resolve this was to add the IP addresses of the remote PCs/notebooks that would connect to the server under /etc/hosts. This is due to the fact that the SSH server tries to do some sort of DNS lookups for remote logins and not finding the records it needs would make things slow. So I tried this out hoping it would fix things, but to my surprise SSH login was still way too slow.

After digging into the configuration and testing things out, the issue here is that SSH tries to connect to the DNS servers under the /etc/resolv.conf file to do DNS lookups and bypasses the /etc/hosts file even though you configure your server to look under hosts file first before going straight into the DNS servers. Well, looking at the SSH daemon config, you just have to set this parameter to prevent this situation from happening:

UserDNS  No

After setting this up, I’m back to the speedy SSH login and learned a new thing on SSH daemon configuration.

I had been used to a lot of multi-tasking work as a developer, and I must say I enjoyed doing such things since it made me feel a lot more efficient if you are able to do a lot of things in the shortest time possible. Nevertheless, I had always been very careful not to overdo things since productivity also suffers if you tend to overwork or misprioritize on the current tasks at hand.

Just recently, I had this very challenging multi-tasking stint of learning a new programming language and a new web application framework, namely iPhone SDK for the new programming language and Google Web Toolkit for the new web application framework. Whew! When the tasks were given to me, I got excited knowing these are something new and exciting things to learn, and another addition to my arsenal of software development knowledge. Read the rest of this entry »

Just last week, I got the chance to play around with an iPhone 3G from a local store. I was pretty impressed by the user interface and it features. For me it seems like a Nokia 95 on steroids, considering it’s also able to access the internet over Wi-Fi or the 3G network, and it comes with a built-in GPS receiver, but of course with the more stronger points of a touch screen, and the cool Apple UI trademark.

Globe Telecoms launched it a couple of weeks ago, so I tried to inquire about the price, and sad to say Globe really designed a business model pricing to get more money out of it. It’s really a lot more expensive compared with AT&T’s offer so I’m not really sure what are the specific factors that made Globe offer this cool gadget at such prices or plans. So considering the price, you really have to think a lot if this gadget is worth that hard earned money of yours.   Read the rest of this entry »

I managed to play a bit of Wii Fit which Aphilo and I bought for a relative and  I must say that I enjoyed it a lot and for those seeking to add up some spice with their Wii console gaming experience, this is one gadget I highly recommend.

I don’t think though that it would be something that can replace a fitness club experience. It doesn’t come close actually to all the things you can do inside the gym, but definitely the Wii Fit would be able to help you out to get moving and overcome that sedentary lifestyle. Moreover, being able to work out your body and enjoy the game play would be able to give you a bit of motivation to burn some calories and lose some unwanted weight. Having said that, I don’t think the Wii Fit would be able to burn that much calories, compared to the real thing, but at least it gets a bit of the job done. Read the rest of this entry »

Sample Image from Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

Aphilo and I had a stroll at a mall this afternoon and passed by one of the Canon Stores. We weren’t really intending to buy something but she just wanted to look around and see what are the new things Canon has to offer for her photography hobby. We managed to talk to one of the sales person whom we have known for quite some time and I tell you, we are really impressed with this guy for he really knows the stuffs he sells, especially when it comes to Canon DSLR lenses. He’s also very enthusiastic to answer customers’ questions and explain their products’ features whether you’ll buy it or not. Read the rest of this entry »

I could never emphasize enough the importance of backups to everyone. I had bad experiences of data loss by ignoring the importance of this very basic administrative task, the worst is actually losing a whole website data due to my leniency.

Your web hosting or VPS provider may try to impress you about their servers configured with RAID 10 super fast SATA disks. It’s true that this kind of configuration offers some level of protection from data loss but for your own sake, just keep your own backups since they would surely not be liable for any data loss as most of their TOS (Terms of Service) states.
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