Know when its time to say, "I need help..."

DIYers (Do-It-Yourself guys and gals) are a very proud breed, which is a disadvantage since they do not know when they need help and when to call for help.

I have been doing a lot of DIY stuffs and I love it. It saves me money and provides me with a feeling of accomplishment when I am successful.

I was able to construct a serial level converter that I used to resuscitate a dying hard drive,

schematic diagram I used to make the serial converter

construct a simple audio isolation device, and install a second hand car stereo and amplifier. Its not that hard, its just a matter of knowing where to plug what to make everything work.

But there are times that no matter how hard I tried, I can't make some things work they way they should. I spent hours trying to convert a CD ROM into a car CD player and construct a home made amplifier. I ended up burning a PHP150 brand new audio chip. I've abandoned this project a long time ago. Its a good thing that my bro had sold me the car stereo and amplifier.

I bought this baby in AC for PHP150, then burned it the next day :-(

I've also been tackling a humming sound that's coming from the car speakers for weeks now and I can't still beat it.

Now, do I need help in beating this humming thing? I definitely do, but too proud to admit it. I've tried everything but the damn humming is still there.

This is a good example on when help is needed, and as much as I would hate to do it, I'll will consult a car audio professional in solving my humming problem.

So, fellow DIYers, here are some piece of advise:

1. Know when to say "I need help." If its taking too long to have the results you want and if the frustration is mounting, then its time.

2. Be very careful. One common danger on doing DIY stuffs is getting electrocuted. I got a taste of it yesterday, while desoldering an audio transformer. Its not a nice experience.

Mirror of Erised

Yes, I am re-reading Harry Potter and I am planning going from Book 1 to Book 7.

This is the first time that I will ever do this. I have read a lot of books and I need to read a lot more, but I feel that, after finishing HP & the Deathly Hallows, something is still not right, I feel that I am still missing a lot of things.

And one of the questions that has bugged me is: What does Dumbledore see on the Mirror of Erised.

Dumbledore insisted that he sees himself holding a pair of thick, woolen socks. But I have to agreed with Harry that Dumbledore might not have been quite truthful. And I am right to agree.

There are a lot of speculation on what Dumbledore had seen in the mirror, but as it happens, this has already been answered by Ms. Rowling on one of her chat sessions with fans, I think.

If you have read Book 1 to Book 7, (as I know, almost all of you have done) you already know the answer on what's Dumbledore's heart's desire.

Metallica is Back!

It's been a long time since I've popped my Metallica cassettes to my tape player. Yes, its that bad.

 

Like any other, I was (still am) a huge Metallica fan. They were introduced to me by a College friend thru their Kill 'Em All album. A few days from that introduction, I started collecting their albums and was able to get a hold of most of their early release.

 

Their appeal to me was their clarity of guitar riffs, angry lyricism and fast thrash drum beats. Although Dave Mustaine is critical with Kirk Hammett's guitar playing, accussing him of stealing his riffs when Kirk first joined Metallica, I still like the way Kirk play, especially on most of the songs on their "...And Justice for All" album. I also like the drum beats of Lars Ulrich as it was my first introduction to trash metal, and it was a fruitful introduction.

 

All these changed when they realeased Load. I felt they started softening off their style to have mainstream appeal, which does not appeal to me :-( Some believed that it all started with the Black Album, but there are still a lot of things that I like with this album. With Load, its really disappointing.

 

 

And then comes Death Magnetic, and after listening to half the tracks on the album, I know that my idols are back.

 

As a Rolling Stones review said:

"Death Magnetic is the musical equivalent of Russia's invasion of Georgia — a sudden act of aggression from a sleeping giant.

 

"this album is Metallica becoming Metallica again — specifically, the epic, speed-obsessed version from the band's template-setting trilogy of mid-Eighties albums: Master of Puppets, Ride the Lightning and, especially, the progged-out ...And Justice for All. That much is clear from the 90-second mark of Death Magnetic's first track, "That Was Just Your Life," where the band unleashes a barrage of James Hetfield's dutta-duh-duhnt riffing and Lars Ulrich's octuple-time double-bass-and-snare smashing."

Nothing much is left to say except "It's good to have you back, I miss you so, so much..."