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MIA 2 weeks - Maplestory Private Server?

Author duststar | 10.05.2008 | Category MMORPG, Maplestory, Private Server

I was MIA for 2 weeks, taking a short break but at the same time also doing some personal testing of private maplestory server (Sorry. No links here. But you can google for it.). Yes. I got it running on both linux and windows platform. It was cool. For windows platform, I run it on a 512MB Windows XP SP2 virtual machine. Pretty straight forward setup exactly based on the guide given. For linux platform, I run it on a VPS. There’s tweaking to be done. CPU utilisation is pretty low, however memory consumption was horrifying high, 512MB at least for a small test server.

Here’s some screenshots:

The memory usage is horrifying. More than 512Mb.

Only 1 channel, but you can scale up to full 20 channels if you have the resources.

I am a super GM!

GM’s skill - Full screen dragon roar.

GM’s skill - Full screen dragon roar, part 2.

10,000x EXP rate if you notice, a LVL 120 dragon knight in less than an hour time.

10,000x Meso rate, basically you can adjust the rates anytime, anyhow.

1 billion mesoes - Server-side data are stored in a MySQL database which you have full access.

A NPC used to customise job advancement without questing.

In short, for personal testing, it’s fun. And, you have the power to take control of every game details. But, it is quite boring if there isn’t a strong player base. That’s what makes MMORPG interesting and fun.

How to maximise your returns for petrol pumping

Author duststar | 24.04.2008 | Category automobile, hearsay

Got the tips on petrol pumping from a friend of mine. The pointers do make sense and I hope it’ll benefit you as well.

Somone who has been in petroleum pipeline business for about 31 years and is currently working for the Kinder-Morgan Pipeline in San Jose, CA wrote the following information:

We deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period from the pipe line; one day it’s diesel, the next day it’s jet fuel and gasoline. We have 34 storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons. Here are some tricks to help you get your money’s worth.

1. Fill up your car or truck in the morning when the temperature is still cool. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground; and the colder the ground, the denser the  gasoline. When it gets warmer gasoline expands, so if you’re filling up in the afternoon or in the evening, what should be a gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and temperature of the fuel (gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products) are significant. Every truckload that we load is temperature-compensated so that the indicated gallon age is actually the amount pumped. A one-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for businesses, but service stations don’t have temperature compensation at their pumps.

2. If a tanker truck is filling the station’s tank at the time you want to buy gas, do not fill up; most likely dirt and sludge in the tank is being stirred up when gas is being delivered, and you might be transferring that dirt from the bottom of their tank into your car’s tank.

3. Fill up when your gas tank is half-full (or half-empty), because the more gas you have in your tank the less air there is and gasoline evaporates rapidly, especially when it’s warm. (Gasoline storage tanks
have an internal floating ‘roof’ membrane to act as a barrier between the gas and the atmosphere, thereby minimizing evaporation.)

4. If you look at the trigger you’ll see that it has three delivery settings: slow, medium and high. When you’re filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to the high setting. You should be pumping at the slow setting, thereby minimizing vapors created while you are pumping. Hoses at the pump are corrugated; the corrugations act as a return path for vapor recovery from gas that already has been metered. If you are pumping at the high setting, the agitated gasoline contains more vapors, which is being sucked back into the underground tank, so you’re getting less gas for your money.

Hope this will help ease your ‘pain at the pump’!

Disclaimer:
Above information is replicated from another external source. If anyone has any strong concern/objections that this piece of information shouldn’t appear here. You may let me know by leaving your contact information and justifications for the claim, using the comment feature found at the bottom of this post. Thanks!

Banana peeling no jutsu!

Author duststar | 23.04.2008 | Category Comedy, Youtube

“jutsu” is a Japanese word meaning “technique” in English.
Simply, the technique of banana peeling!
Got this video link from my girlfriend. It’s real funny!

The Japanese are simply hilarious. I give it a laughter rating of 10 out of 10! Comparing this to the episode of Steven Lim doing “striptease” last time on Jack Neo’s Monday Night Tip-Top Fun Variety Show on Channel 8, can we Singaporeans accept this airing on our TV? I think it’s funny, and of course as usual, it is the parent’s responsiblity to teach/educate your child in case he/she follows what he/she sees.

Midnight Eagle (ミッドナイトイーグル)

Author duststar | 21.04.2008 | Category Midnigh Eagle, Movie

A Not-So-Professional Review

The entire movie lasted 112 minutes, with a rating of PG. This drama-action movie was directed by Izuru Narushima, starring Takao Osawa as the main lead actor (Yuji Nishizaki), and Yuko Takeuchi (Keiko Arisawa) from the “Ring” movie.

The show itself didn’t attracted much attention through vigorous marketing showcase. Got to know of this show through my cousin when he told me there’s a Japanese movie right now and it looked good. The director capture a lot of close up scenes on the actors to capture their emotion struggles and feelings. Slow moving plot with rising tensions, and twists near the end of the movie. I would say that near the end of the movie was the best part of the movie. However, one should not expect this to be an exciting piece of thriller movie, as there are more drama plots involved rather than action-packed scenes.

In my personal opinion, I will grade the show 7 out of 10. Takao Osawa’s acting skills are superb, and convinced me to place my bet on him to save Japan in the movie. It was a touching moment, silencing everyone in the cinema when he says he is saving his son.

Synopsis

Yuji Nishizaki (Takao Osawa) was a former war photographer who witnessed the crash of a U.S. bomber codenamed “Midnight Eagle,” and becomes involved in an manhunt for its secret payload - a nuclear warhead, that threatened to wipe out Japan’s entire population and whole of East Asia.

For more details, please see: Midnight Eagle [IMDB]
Official Website (Japanese): http://www.midnighteagle.jp

The Forbidden Kingdom (功夫之王)

Author duststar | 21.04.2008 | Category Movie, The Forbidden Kingdom

A Not-So-Professional Review

The entire movie lasted 105 minutes, with a rating of PG (Action Violence), and the first movie so far starring 2 of the most well-known “Martial Arts Movie” stars for the past decade, Jackie Chan and Jet Li. This is definitely one of the top reasons why the movie attracted so much consumer attention in Singapore, such that almost all the Saturday night time slots at Plaza Singapura were only left with first or second row seats from the screen.

Personally, I felt weird watching both of them (I mean Jet Li and Jackie Chan) wearing ancient China Martial Arts World outfit and speaking English describing various Chinese Martial Arts terms. Yeah. Even the Jade Emperor and Sun Wu Kong also speaks English! This aside, the fighting scenes were so pumped up that you wouldn’t take your eyes off the screen even for a slight moment. However, I also felt that Liu Yi Fei’s role, as Xiao Yan Zi was a bit redundant except to be the beautiful flower vase. Some of the plot also doesn’t make sense, such as the Jade Warlord (an Immortal, starring Collin Chou from the Matrix Revolutions) establishing his base at a mortal mountain with a monastery nearby (I mean, shouldn’t Immortals lived in the Heavenly Palace?).

In my personal opinion, I will still grade the show 7 out of 10. 9 out of 10 for the fighting scenes, and 5 out of 10 for the plot. Therefore, average out with a score of 7 out of 10. It’s worth the dollars to see Jet Li versus Jackie Chan!

Synopsis

An American teenager who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kung-fu classics makes an extraordinary discovery in a Chinatown pawnshop; the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King.

With the lost relic in hand, the teenager unexpectedly finds himself traveling back to ancient China to join a crew of warriors from martial arts lore on a dangerous quest to free the imprisoned Monkey King.

For more details, please see: The Forbidden Kingdom [IMDB] or The Wikipedia
Official Website: http://www.forbiddenkingdommovie.com