Repairing Laptop Power Bricks

Recently I've had a few power bricks die on me. In one of those cases, it was still under warranty but since Asus seem to be extricating themselves from the original 'Netbook' formula there doesn't seem to be too many spare parts to go around. I guess that's why they gave me the option of a refund/credit instead.

Anyhow, a few days ago I ended up with another semi-working power brick. The original owner of the netbook told me that the cat had chewed on the cable (you could actually see bite marks and sections where the cord had come apart) but after examining the device it was clear that there were other problems as well. Pressing at particular points on the power brick resulted in the power coming on/off (didn't help that the thing had a fairly large buffer which meant that the visual feedback (LED) wasn't necessarily instantaneous).

First task was getting it open. Easier said then done if you don't have a good toolkit.
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=TD2106&form=CAT2&SUBCATID=954#1
http://dicksmith.com.au/product/T6337/30-piece-mini-bit-set-with-handle

This one used a 'Torx bit' (under the sticker) in combination with a snap-lock type system and possibly some glue? Prying it wasn't easy and seemed to result in more plastic deformation rather progress in opening it. However, using a combination of a sharp knife and a hammer seemed to work perfectly and with almost no perceptible damage to the case.
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-repair-HP-dv6-notebook-power-adapter/
http://forum.notebookreview.com/hardware-components-aftermarket-upgrades/516689-gateway-laptop-adapter-lite-disassembly.html
http://forum.notebookreview.com/gateway-emachines/318835-ac-adapter-disassembly.html

At this point, I should probably digress. If you've ever worked with anything with anything more then battery voltage you'll understand why getting 'zapped' isn't fun or healthy (for those who have never experienced getting 'zapped' it feels like 'buzzing', it's something you know is wrong for you and something that you know you want to avoid). Wear rubber gloves (kitchen gloves well do) and take other precautions when ever possible. Don't do it if you lack knowledge, skill, or are generally careless!

Since pressing on the capacitor caused the device to work/fail I thought that either it had failed or there was a dry solder problem. I removed/de-soldered it (use a layer of solder/flux on top of the existing solder in combination with braid if you're having trouble. Makes the job a lot easier and helps to minimise damage that is often caused by a combination of heat guns and pliers or extremely high levels of heat from a soldering iron.). Didn't help that I didn't have adequate equipment to properly test (I guessed based on some rather crude tests that it was working but I wasn't 100% sure without more suitable equipment) but after removing all solder from the immediate area and re-doing the job that the problem seemed to disappear and my guess that it was due to a dry soldering issue was confirmed. 

http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-check-capacitor
http://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=17592
http://www.capacitorlab.com/replacing-motherboard-capacitors-howto/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_plague

http://www.badcaps.net/pages.php?vid=5

Then came the issue of replacing the cable between the brick and the laptop. Problem is that the tip isn't widely available. In fact, the closest you can get is this which juts out slightly from the side of the netbook.
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=PP0503

I had two possible choices. Use that tip on a new cable or use the cable from the old brick. In my case, neither was ideal so I spliced the old tip into a cable from another brick that had another problem (broken tip)(if you want to ensure a clean job always try to follow the priciples of the original design. If it has two wires at it's core with insulation only on one wire follow that convention and so on. This will ensure that there are no strange kinks in your wire when it is finished.), used heatshrink to give a more professional look to the job, and put it back together (glue it if you want or else just screw it back together).

Using the slightly longer tip option is also possible. However, I like to make sure that things are more ideal from an engineering perspective (reduces strain on the tip as well as the laptop jack). I noticed that cap on the end of Bic ballpoint pens seemed to be roughly the same diameter as what I needed. Moreover, since it already had a 'ventilation hole', and was the right colour (black) things were even easier. I used a sharp knife that was placed in heat (too hot and it will melt the plastic, not enough and it will make the job more difficult. Aim should be for warm blade or else use no heat at all if your (super sharp blade is best. A Dremel/rotary tool may generate too much friction/heat and result in distorted plastic rather than a clean cut even at lower speeds) equipment is up to it) to cut it down to the correct length to slide it down over the longer tip, and then it was a case of sanding down until for a cleaner finish/more flush fit.

Another option is creating an adapter using a suitable jack/socket and plug though this isn't ideal.

Used these (ferrite cores/beads/chokes) to great effect recently on some sensitive devices (reduce EMI/RFI). Good thing is depending on version you use/purchase you may be able to remove and re-use them elsewhere.
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/question352.htm
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=LF1292

- as usual thanks to all of the individuals and groups who purchase and use my goods and services
http://sites.google.com/site/dtbnguyen/
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com.au/

Europe's Road Towards Regrowth Continued

Almost everybody currently agrees that the European Union needs growth and reform but the key questions of late have been:
- where is the growth going to come from?
- how are we going to do it?
- how much are we willing to bet/risk?
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-03-05/news/37469888_1_sales-of-tablet-computers-angela-merkel-bitkom

As I've stated before while I believe that ultimately governments should not interfere overly with the operations of businesses they should attempt to support it (within limits). To this end I think the stronger nations need to stop thinking of the weaker members in the union as just being debt burdens. They need to think about them as being possible business/trade partners as well.

I think the key thing is that they are seen to be genuinely helping rather than just enforcing a set of rules without any real discernable difference. The more developed countries can invest in the smaller countries. Since they are better able to adapt, there should be a very quick turnaround in these countries with regards to growth. In fact, if there is enough of a turnaround they may actually end up as being consumers of products/services from the more developed countries.

http://www.4-traders.com/news/Euro-Zone-Wage-Growth-Slumps-Delaying-Consumer-Recovery--16542022/

If there are any labour/skills shortages that can be fulfilled by people in weaker states surely freeing labour laws/movements must be considered. Portion of money from taxes gained from these workers who are willing to move can be sent back to the weaker countries for re-investment. This may be of particular interest for those countries that are having issues regarding ageing populations. By allowing greater/required skilled migration they fill in that gap while removing some of the 'burden' (unemployed workers) of some of the weaker countries as well.

The EU is already in the midst of approving a budget. However, I believe that there should also be a separate 'European Investment Fund'. The size of this fund will be based on a percentage to be determined by EU members but it will have one fundamental purpose. Namely, investing in projects that have the strongest likelihood of success within EU which will ultimately lead to growth. Prefer that it will be directly via EU rather than filtering down via various layers to speed up the process and to hopefully see the benefits of growth sooner. It should focus in on companies/projects that are:
- clearly competitive, sustainable, and basically only need a means of getting over this crisis
- need seed funding but show strong promise and have a concrete service/product in place (the fund will almost act as a venture capital firm)
- are things that nation states definitely need and will see short/medium impact on growth. Basic things that nations need like infrastructure (which will result in increased employment and productivity), critical research and development (which may result in drastic increases in productivity), etc...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/14/eu-summit-idUSL6N0C68TS20130314

The thing that should always be thinking about is maximum 'bang for buck'. For the smallest possible investment or change (for reasons of time required to implement the change) we need to be able to extract the maximum benefit (perhaps consider investing in SME firms only?). This can help us reduce problems related to stagnant growth in the short/medium term. If the policies in question are controversial then set a time limit on them so that we can renew or simply let the policy expire.

Help companies reform and start making things that people build/want. A common issue locally and in the EU is attempting to compete in areas where there is little chance of us succeding or else simply trying to sell things that people don't need. Locally, this means subsidising production of uncompetive goods whose sales are on the wane while in the EU this means attempting to compete with the Chinese on price even though there is little of chance of this ever being realistic without significant subsidies or moving jobs off-shore. One local program here basically has highly experienced, former (retired but now working as consultants) industry leaders basically taking time off to see where firms can change to become more competitive. Cost of such a program would be negligible if implemeted correctly and could reap large dividends.
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/03/10/francoise_hollande_must_fix_frances_broken_economy_or_the_european_union_will_pay_the_price.html

Figure out how each country can contribute to the well being and future of other member states within the EU. If we do go down the route of further intergration would like further details on strengths/weaknesses of each country (one country can focus on agriculture, another on technology, and so on) and how they fit within the future EU. By doing so, we can reduce the amount of overlap and essentially give each nation a genuine purpose and a chance to thrive within the EU (use the EU like it was originally intended as an economic/trade community). If a state can not do this, then should we question their role within the EU?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/mar/11/france-triple-dip-recession-motor-sales-slump
http://www.smh.com.au/business/europes-debt-shaded-by-cost-of-managing-it-20130315-2g67y.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/15/us-eurozone-economy-idUSBRE92E0BH20130315

We can continue to muddle along but another alternative is going even harder/deeper/faster with regards to austerity/integration and hope that the markets realise that there is a mis-pricing and will begin to reinvest in EU countries. Obviously, there are significant problems with going down this route. Protests across the EU, and results of polling should indicate that 'the people' do not believe in such policy and there may be no mandate. If there are not signs of a pickup soon and of re-investment/growth in the EU I suspect election results may continue to be hung or else wildly skewed which further impedes the process of reform. Ultimately, the work that is being done needs to have a justification behind it. Preferably, sooner rather than later.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/03/16/uk-ecb-weidmann-idUKBRE92F04920130316
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-03-13/business/37681177_1_euro-zone-austerity-works-european-nations

Clearly, there has been some thought towards a multi-tier/speed Europe by several states.
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2013/03/europes-road-towards-regrowth.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-rebirth-and-regrowth-of-european.html
One thing that should be considered is whether or not we can aide this situation by essentially resorting to a 'swap' to reduce the impact of instability on Eurozone members. Basically, there are those who desire to enter the Eurozone/EU and others who are considering leaving. I suggest we speed up the process to 'fix' the inbalances that currently exist (another option to correcting the problem via austerity). We do this by swapping weaker nations for those who are better suited to the Euro as it currently stands or vice versa (stronger countries out) and de-value which ever currency is relevant we can move from there on.

I think we need to be more creative in the way we're dealing with the bond buying problem. We can use some of the facilities that have already been provided more creatively. Recently, Ireland sold more than the amount of bonds than was necessary. Think about this further. If we use some of a percentage of some of 'stability funds' to sell an abnormally large number of bonds when prices are favourable on behalf of some of the weaker states then we can basically gain some ground over the market and gain some further independence. Clearly, this will require further input/support from other member states.
http://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/ireland/ecb-banker-hails-irish-5bn-bond-sale-1.1326553

Noticed some countries drag their heals with regards to some regulatory reform. This can often give them a temporary advantage with regards to competitiveness, but it also allows them to see what the impact of the regulatory reform is in other jurisdictions. Think about this when looking at regulatory reform within the EU. Timing is just as important as reform. If unsure, we can create inbalances by implementing across some states and not others to see what the impact is or else simply study other countries and the way they change after reform.

Despite the unpopularity of some of what has been done it was necessary to bring us back from the brink and provide us with some stability to institute reform. I think a lot of people have underestimated the size of the problem while others have overestimated them though. As others have alluded to confidence returning (especially to equity markets) but other question is whether or not they are running ahead of schedule. Think it's a natural part of a media and interconnected world. They're guessing/factoring the likely impact of the reforms that have occured before they've even been completely implemented. It's nice to have confidence back in the markets but I think we need to think further about some of the messages that are being sent out.

I've said before membership to any geo-political union should always be beneficial to member states. I'll say it again. One of the great benefits of the EU is it's highly differentiated nature. While this makes the process of 'convergence' and other harmonisation more difficult it also provides it with significant strengths. Members from other states can learn from one another. It's almost a form of economic/social Darwinism.

http://www.social-europe.eu/2013/03/future-scenarios-for-the-eurozone/
http://www.social-europe.eu/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/eBook.pdf
http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/id/ipa/09723.pdf
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/scr/2013/cr1375.pdf
http://www.ey.com/GL/en/Issues/Business-environment/Eurozone-country
http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/EEF_Spring_2013_Main_report/$FILE/EEF_Spring_2013_Main_report.pdf
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-03-05/news/37469888_1_sales-of-tablet-computers-angela-merkel-bitkom
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/15/us-eurozone-summit-draghi-idUSBRE92E0I220130315

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/16/opinion/global/the-euro-zone-and-the-global-crisis.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/16/business/global/imf-says-euro-zone-remains-vulnerable.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/13/us/politics/balanced-budget-fight-is-philosophical-and-fiscal.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

- as usual thanks to all of the individuals and groups who purchase and use my goods and services
http://sites.google.com/site/dtbnguyen/
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com.au/

Random Thoughts

Had a USB flash drive go bad on me. Was considering repairing (many of the drives that I've come across have had some sort of soldering issue but were out of warranty when I repaired them. This was difficult to open/fix without voiding the warranty though as it was a 'nano' style device which basically sits almost flush to the casing of your computer) it but it was still under warranty. Thought there would have been more USB specific utilities out there but resorted to using storage specific utilities such as HD Tune, Scandisk, fsck, badblocks, and so on.
http://superuser.com/questions/376274/check-the-physical-health-of-a-usb-stick-in-linux
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/51481-3-sandisk-flash-drive-nightmare-error

Based on what I've observed it may actually be harder to find a reliable flash type storage (randomly) then first thought. It seems no matter which brand you choose they always seem to have a 'bad batch', counterfeiting problems, or product line issues every once in a while...
http://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=918
http://blogs.computerworld.com/17585/defensively_buying_a_usb_flash_drive

Concept that I was theorising about ('Cloudnet', a predecessor to 'Skynet' like capabilities) in my 'Cloud' report. Will be interesting how far they can push this. Ideally every robot/computer out there will be able to interface with the same 'core'. In a way, the concept/technology reminds me of of many robots from science fiction.
http://www.itwire.com/opinion-and-analysis/shaw-thing/59042-robots-to-use-%E2%80%9Ccloud-based-brain%E2%80%9D 

Another power management utility. Given number of computers in use around the world, I wonder how much of a saving we would make towards Carbon emissions if we were to mandate use of such programs (and better hardware) everywhere (aware of extensive power management technology deployment throughout portable and server technology. Don't see as much of an impact (in the real world) in the desktop/workstation (except in major enterprises) space though).
http://grano.la/
http://grano.la/blog/bios-help/?id=faq

Which reminds me, curious to know just what impact of this style of carbon reduction worldwide would be (I recall a statistic that said that cows were the source of several hundred litres of methane gas each day)?
http://finance.ninemsn.com.au/executivesuite/downtime/8609582/french-farm-scheme-targets-farting-cows

Easeus Data Recovery Wizard, nice free data recovery option for those under Windows and don't really have the time/desire to learn/skill to use more specialised forensic utilities. Limited to 1GB recovery in free/trial version though.
http://www.easeus.com/datarecoverywizard/
http://www.easeus.com/datarecoverywizard/free-data-recovery-software.htm

Figured out I had left some 'extraneous material' in a header for the Aspire One referred to below (labour intensive device to open if you've never seen this particular model). Resulted in occasional short. Have since done a trace back to larger, pads/points (easier to solder 'cleanly' 1mm target as opposed to something about 0.25-0.50mm in size) and are using these as connection points. Works perfectly now.
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2013/03/laptop-hacking-and-hardware-workarounds.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/cleanup-operations.html

Another alternative to 'netbooks'. Note small battery capacity, difficulty upgrading, casing, and heating dissipation problems (dealt with by underclocking in subsequent BIOS versions apparently).
http://liliputing.com/2012/11/asus-vivobook-x202-dissected-almost-as-tough-to-upgrade-as-an-ultrabook.html
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2003823
http://www.minimachines.net/a-la-une/sous-le-capot-dun-asus-vivobook-x202e-1839

Some things impossible/difficult to simulate. If simulation/training runs aren't realistic then you could be doing more harm than good.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-15/airbus-test-pilot-says-air-france-crash-has-simulators-stumped.html

- as usual thanks to all of the individuals and groups who purchase and use my goods and services
http://sites.google.com/site/dtbnguyen/
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com.au/

Europe's Road Towards Regrowth

This post is obviously a continuation of some work in my 'Convergence' report as well as some other blog posts.
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-rebirth-and-regrowth-of-european.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2012/12/abseiling-down-fiscal-cliff.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2012/12/politics-weaponsgun-control-and-fiscal.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2013/01/politicalsystem-change.html

My fundamental belief is that people should have the ability to work hard and ultimately choose the life that they desire for themselves. However, I also believe that at times capitalism works against itself. For it to be a self-sustaining system that will continue to endure there needs to be enough wealth throughout the network/system that the cycle of production and consumption of (finite) goods and services can continue. If the majority, (often the middle and lower classes) can not feed themselves or deal with their own needs then at some point those at the top will have nothing of worth that they can sell to those in the lower classes (think about a the process of photosynthesis. If at some point all sunlight were taken out of the equation then suddenly everything breaks down. The same thing is likely to happen here at some point. Take a little over time rather than a lot at one time. Capitalism works but it has it's limits much like Communism and many other ideologies.). Social instablity can result and strange/extremist perspectives can begin to take root.
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/138844/jerry-z-muller/capitalism-and-inequality?page=show
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/globalbusiness/9923506/Sputtering-global-economy-belies-stockmarket-boom.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/

From a personal perspective, what's been interesting is that in theory the the injection of capital into global markets should have led to growth but somehow they've mis-managed the re-structuring process. In reality what's happened is that what's basically been done thus far is shifting debt burden from the banks towards the taxpayer with the likelihood of it being paid back in the medium to long distant future. This has been due to a number of different factors but ultimately I believe that it partially comes down to complacency but also due to the fact that the policies that have been part of the 're-structuring' component have been too extreme (cut too quickly or too much and you're guaranteed to end up in a cycle of recession/depression) or just simply 'wrong' (make cuts to critical infrastructure and services and you may have other serious problems down the line. More thought needs to be put into individual country's needs.). More thought needs to be put towards how to not only becoming more competitive but not only through short cuts such as cutting back on spending, but also on how to do things 'smarter'. Make the process of business easier for people by cutting back on excessive 'red tape', streamline government process so that people can do things more quickly and easily, and pare back on non-critical services. The savings that can be extracted can be re-invested into more important areas. For instance, if you can calculate the weakest points (the points where the least amount of money will do the most) and inject it there then you can grow whilst also being relatively 'frugal'.

Another alternative is that we attempt to ride this situation out (let capitalism do it's thing). At some point, markets will realise just how much more competitive goods/services are in those weakest economies and will inject capital back into the system which 'should' lead to growth. The only concern is that I fear that by that point it will be too little, too late (youth unemployment is already at unusually high levels with no indication that they are going to come back down soon). Governments need to be more pro-active and co-operative with business when it comes to 'spruiking their wares' and make it easier for them to exist (much work with regards to FTA's being done behind the scenes worldwide at the moment. If they can't agree they could simply try/buy. Namely, implement temporary FTA's to see whether or not it would work over the medium/longer term. Ultimately, this allow for foreign investment without necessarily destroying local industries if carefully constructed.).
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/9921904/Italys-economy-shrinks-as-EU-leader-warns-of-lost-generation.html
http://www.news.com.au/business/markets/election-apocolyse-greeks-stock-up-on-canned-food/story-e6frfm30-1226395368597
http://bostonglobe.com/business/2013/03/12/obama-european-union-officials-rally-support-for-landmark-trans-atlantic-free-trade-deal/OXjBCTY7qWoq13XcmpKNLJ/story.html
http://articles.marketwatch.com/2013-03-12/commentary/37634157_1_eu-investment-trade-agreement-trade-and-investment
http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief/3443241-agreement-allow-brussels-more-supervision-national-budgets
http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief/3532541-national-budgets-under-brussels-supervision
http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/3393891-european-union-has-been-paralysed
http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/3522081-europe-has-lost-its-citizens
http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/article/3495571-we-lost-european-people
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/is-ireland-an-economic-example-or-exception-for-the-euro-zone/2013/03/13/6da0c9cc-8c1d-11e2-b63f-f53fb9f2fcb4_story.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/in-ireland-the-promise-and-problems-of-europes-recovery/2013/02/26/e91637c2-7b6a-11e2-9c27-fdd594ea6286_story.html

Something I've previously considered and am re-iterating is 'bottom-up stimulus'. Clearly, stimulus in at the top doesn't always filter all the way down so we can either manufacture methods (rules, regulations, governance) to ensure that it does filter down or else we can attack the problem by starting at the bottom and moving back up. After all, the purpose of business is to make a profit. The purpose of government is to ensure that the interests of the populace are represented and expressed (that's the theory). For this reason, I've always believed that the job of government should be to make it easier to for private business to grow (within limits obviously). Only when/where it is not commercially viable (or there are simply no takers) should government step in. This allows governments to maintain a relatively balanced budget whilst also ensuring that the needs of their citizens are met (they have a lot of options available with regards to governance in most cases). A good example of this would be Australia's NBN project. My belief is that it should have only connected major capital cities with most of the commercially unviable areas to be handled by government. Private industry should have funded the rest of it (and decided whether it was to be FTTH, FTTN, etc...). This would have allowed for a significantly less costly NBN whilst gaining many of the same benefits.
http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/456193/nbn_detrimental_ended_infrastructure_upgrades_by_telcos_bitcloud/
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-rebirth-and-regrowth-of-european.html

Where is this leading? One thing that many governments have been involved are shared public/private enterprises. Namely, enterprises where the initial risks, capital, and burden are shared by both private and public industry which can have often much broader benefits than you would normally think.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/10/opinion/sunday/europe-needs-a-german-marshall-plan.html?pagewanted=all
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Plan

Moreover, if we think about this further there's also the chance that we can bring about other benefits as well. For instance, dealing with inflation artifically. For instance, if houses and office buildings are built to a known and fixed cost up front (obviously, we're targeting a lower cost than the current market price. If locally production can not result in adequate costed options than we import workers and goods which will allow us to do so.) this will also help to alleviate issues with a real estate shortages/bubbles, create extra jobs, whilst also allowing for economic growth (in general over the long term real estate growth outpaces inflation). Ideally the projects will either break even or make only a minor profit.
http://reports.weforum.org/global-agenda-council-2012/councils/real-estate/
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/23/us-russia-privatisation-idUSBRE85M0BG20120623
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/02/25/chinas-riskiest-property-market-just-collapsed-is-this-how-it-starts/
http://www.pic-reit.co.jp/en/outline/japan1.html
http://useconomy.about.com/od/grossdomesticproduct/f/Real_estate_faq.htm

Another option is to simply directly feed money (controlled/measured to help avoid inflation) into taxpayer's bank accounts instead of giving it to banks who will then lend out (they are under multiple pressures at the moment with regards to general global economic conditions, reporting to shareholders, and facing increasing strain anyhow especially with regards to the implementation of Basel and Frank-Dodd and their greater need for capital). This will allow people to pay their bills, keep their businesses going and so on...

One thing that needs to be stressed is that if we continue to make mis-steps is that we may end up in a situation that is likely to be similar or even worse than the one we currently face further down the line. Be wise...

Something I've considered/proposed in the past is a second currency within the European Union which would give nations greater flexibility with regards to fiscal/economic policy. An idea which is actually gaining some traction in the Northern (generally richer countries) What needs to be stressed is that this is most definitely not a breakup of the EU. It is reform that helps Europe modernise, become more flexible, and help it deal with the pressures that come part and parcel of modernisation/globalisation. It also gives the Southern (generally poorer) countries increased flexibility with regards to devaluation to kick start their economies once more.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/9920666/Germanys-anti-euro-party-is-a-nasty-shock-for-Angela-Merkel.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2013/01/the-rebirth-and-regrowth-of-european.html

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/us/economic-crisis-to-dominate-summit-of-eu-leaders-1.1325057
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/03/13/obama-on-charm-offensive-ultimately-differences-may-be-too-wide/comment-page-1/
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/13/russia-cyprus-moodys-idUSL6N0C5C9Q20130313
http://www.china.org.cn/business/2013-03/14/content_28236221.htm

Recently, there was a local story about what basically amounted to a permanent line of credit/facility to help banks should they get themselves into trouble. I say that this is fundamentally wrong. We should only ever step in if it can be guaranteed that we can get value for money. If they have an 'open tap' (so to speak) I believe that they may be more willing to take risks knowing that there is always a line of credit that they can rely on should they get into trouble (even if there are rules/regulations to curb it). Even if we do have have such a facility we should not make it known to the banks.

http://www.smh.com.au/business/nab-westpac-tapped-into-us-feds-emergency-funds-20101202-18i89.html
http://www.smh.com.au/business/world-business/private-equity-the-target-of-multibillion-court-case-20130314-2g1jo.html

- as usual thanks to all of the individuals and groups who purchase and use my goods and services
http://sites.google.com/site/dtbnguyen/
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com.au/

Laptop Hacking and Hardware Workarounds

If you've been around long enough sometimes you'll realise that people are sometimes unwilling to pay for the parts required in order to get the job done and you have to make do. A while back someone left me with an Acer Aspire One which had its fair share of problems but I was able to get going.

http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/cleanup-operations.html

However, he neglected to purchase a power switch/cable. Obviously, these are key parts of any electronic device but the cost of them actually constitute a large proportion of the cost of the device itself. I've decided to turn it into an experimental device.

By hooking pins 2/3 of the power connector on mainboard to the the pins corresponding to relevant contact points of a 3.5mm sound socket/plug (a multi-meter with an audible continuity tester is extremely useful but you can also use guesswork, or a battery, some wires, and a standard multi-meter/LED to get around this problem) I've turned the the microphone socket into a a partial solution to power control. The other part involes a microphone plug which is then hooked up to a SPST LED switch.

http://search.jaycar.com.au/search?w=spst%20led%20switch&view=list
http://search.jaycar.com.au/search?w=3.5mm%20stereo%20plug&view=list

While I was in Jaycar I noticed these (SPST switches that require a physical key). Not a bad security option actually... How can you hack something if you can't  power it up?

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productResults.asp?MID=1&SSUBID=708&SUBCATID=978&keyform=CAT2#1

Some notes from my experiment:

- clear that this particular machine had poor build quality. Even some basic things like the SD card reader slot needed some more thought/work. Based on personal experience tolerances and physical dimensions of memory cards are not identical and often vary from one manufacturer to another which means that sometimes cards from a particular manufacturer will get stuck and need to be extracted via abnormal means. This card slot erred on the side of being slightly too small. So many extra pieces which were not required. Small number of larger panels compared to larger number of smaller panels more preferable as the smaller ones tend to break more easily. Better to use more screws than snap lock type systems which when breached are often unrealistic to repair in spite of advances in glues, cements, and my experiments with plastic welding.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/government/more-epic-fails-involving-acer-this-is-not-a-new-story/10263
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/perlow/acer-its-time-to-own-up-to-your-lemons-and-fix-your-lousy-support/16746
http://www.geckoandfly.com/6311/the-most-reliable-laptop-survey-best-netbook-reliability-comparison/?ModPagespeed=noscript

- if you've ever repaired/modified laptops before you'll realise how specialised how some parts are and how difficult it is to find replacements (which are often expensive as well). This is particularly the case with parallel style cables that are often used for data transfer. I fashioned the required cable by using Scotch tape and filaments extracted from multi-stranded wire from junk electronic equipment. Obviously, this is not easy and could lead to terminal problems. I consider it only a method of last resort because if you don't do the job cleanly it's likely you'll have reached a point of no return and won't be able to go back. Some tips,  remove the clamps which hold the cables in place, clean the connections first, and then attempt to add some solder/flux to the relevant elements which you mean to connect. Then attempt to the final connection. Obviously, too high a level of heat and you could burn away tracks, to low and you won't be able to get the solder to flow and it will increase the difficulty of the job. Not enough solder will mean a loose connection while too much will make it hard to put the system back together without deformities.

- fashioning a cable is not easy. Try to make life easier for yourself. Use maintenance manuals when/where ever possible to find out which connections are superfluous and do not bother with them.

http://podolsk.pro/scheme/Toshiba/portege%20r500.pdf

The reason why I say this is because making a cable is far more difficult than you think without a decent lab/equipment (use cables from another laptop if at all possible!). Simple things like keeping the wiring straight and insulated from it's neighbour are an issue. Several options include:

- using a single wire strand and then enclosing it with tape, then wrapping this with the next wire and so on
- using paper to create a backing which you could then begin to glue the wires to
Reaslitically you're limited to creating cables only for:
- speakers
- memory cards
- trackpads
- power
- antennas

Basically anything less than six pins/connections and it shouldn't be too difficult. Any more and you'll require skill/patience/time.

Data card (optical drive and hard drive in particular) cables should definitely not be attempted by those who don't have good hands and technical knowledge. As I've discovered many odd things that can result which with cause/effects relationships that are not immediately clear when making custom modifications. In my case, the Aspire One works perfectly fine if you leave the switch in permanently. Remove it and re-insert (or any other electronic devices such as USB devices) while the power source remains intact and the machine may not boot properly next time (fiddle around with the ordering and it will work again though. Need more time to understand the bug compeltely...).  Like I've said though it's a hack and does minimal/no permanent damage to the system (I was considering drilling but there's little room to work with as it is. The recording socket seemed like the most obvious option since it is rarely used unlike network and USB ports).

- use dollar/discount store as a place from which to extract parts from toys which you can not find elsewhere. Membrane type switches are a constant source of pain for me and often I find that just breaking it off from another device is the only way that I can find one (creating one is also possible but also requires skill/time/patience. Possibly more than that required of creating a cable)

BIOS hacking introduction/roundup for those who are interested (a continuation from some of my previous posts/work obviously. Even if it is related to compliance issues there are surely better ways around this than a hardware whitelist?).
http://forums.mydigitallife.info/threads/20223-Remove-whitelist-check-add-ID-s-to-break-hardware-restrictions-mod-requests
http://www.sbbala.com/DellWWAN/Whitelist.htm
http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/General-Discussion/WWAN-and-wireless-card-BIOS-whitelists-Lenovo-COME-ON/td-p/952681
http://www.prizepony.us/2010/12/hacking-the-hp-nx5000-bios-whitelist/
http://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/140664-whitelist-bios-for-dv2000-dv2710us/
http://www.endeer.cz/bios.tools/bios.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/54350-2-laptops-blacklist-whitelist-nics-bios
http://forum.notebookreview.com/panasonic/703862-cf-52-wifi-bios-whitelist.html
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/forum2.php?config=tomshardwareuk.inc&cat=20&post=58770&page=1&p=1&sondage=0&owntopic=1&trash=&trash_post=&print=0&numreponse=0&quote_only=0&new=0&nojs=0

Freezing issue on an Acer. Interesting how many tangets they took.
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1702462
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Acer-Aspire-One-522-Netbook.50481.0.html
http://www.umpcportal.com/2011/03/acer-aspire-one-522-upgrade-how-to-and-tests/

Linux on the Toshiba AC100. A so called 'Smartbook'.
http://code.google.com/p/cm-paz00/downloads/list
http://www.tabletroms.com/forums/ac100-rom-development/3562-android-4-0-toshiba-ac100-firmware-review-installation-ice-cream-sandvich-4-0-a.html
http://wiki.debian.org/InstallingDebianOn/Toshiba/AC100
http://kotelett.no/ac100/README/
http://pole.su/Toshiba-AC100-Ubuntu-2.6.37-install-ENG.htm
http://pole.su/Toshiba-AC100-Fedora-2.6.37-install-ENG.htm
http://www.umpcportal.com/2010/10/hacked-toshiba-ac100-ubuntu-10-10-is-running/

Interesting articles on power management/consumption under Linux and how to re-pack a laptop battery.
http://www.overclock.net/t/1205257/overclock-cpu-in-linux-necessary-program-names-given
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2006/04/how-much-power-does-my-laptop-really-use.html
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=67965&sid=2965074f1377886634859c9c48f0dd77
http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/rebuilding-laptop-battery

Disabling cores doesn't really help with power saving and may even increase it in some cases.
http://pundiramit.blogspot.com.au/2010/07/how-to-disable-cpu-cores-in-multicore.html
http://www.absolutelytech.com/2011/08/01/how-to-disable-cpu-cores-in-linux/
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/318586-28-solved-disabling-cores-save-energy

Disappearing Optical Drive Fix
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314060

- as usual thanks to all of the individuals and groups who purchase and use my goods and services
http://sites.google.com/site/dtbnguyen/
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com.au/

Netbook, Ultrabook, and Macbook Air Alternatives Continued

I've been looking further at some of the models mentioned in my previous post and it seems they are not without their idiosyncracies/foibles. The HP DM1 has a number of problems which may be potential deal breakers for those who are more technically inclined. These include:
- they use an Insyde BIOS which also uses a device whitelist which means that you may be limited with regards to hardware upgrades/swaps/replacements
- the wireless module on the system I examined was a Broadcom BCM4313 which may work under Linux but isn't the best solution out there. In fact, under Linux you may simply be better off using an USB based wireless module (use blacklist.conf/rfkill or even remove the wireless module to block/disable it). Swapping it out isn't an option though because of the whitelist issue! (more on this later) This is the error message if you're interested.
####Start Quote####
Wireless module not supported

The system has detected a Wireless module installed in the system is not supported. System halted. Please remove device and restart.

WLAN Module ID (702)

For more information visit: http://www.hp.com/go/techcenter/startup
####End Quote####
- we've mentioned the BIOS previously but I must mention it here again. Normally, there is an 'Advanced Mode' with many BIOS's or there are more options that are available in the open but I'm not sure what has happened  here. In the past, F12+A would allow you to access the 'Advanced Mode' but things have changed and you're left with an extremely stripped down version of what you would normally want (no options to turn on/off various capabilities (USB ports, wireless/BT, etc...), no choices with regards to SATA/ACHI mode, etc...)

Obvious ways around the BIOS/whitelist problem include:
- altering serials/ID's of devices, modifying the BIOS/whitelist, physically altering devices itself so that certain identifying information can't be gathered (create a secondary switch to make the device 'visible' again. If the machine doesn't support it obviously this could result in a smoky mess. You have been warned...) and so on but clearly these may impinge upon your warranty
- extracting BIOS/whitelist and finding compatible hardware so that you can work within whatever space is left
- creating an internally accessible (seen this mod with an Eee PC. Basically tap the internal USB bus, hook a hub to it, and plug a wireless card into that) USB wireless card. Some space in there but not much and there is already substandard thermal venting (the entire bottom side includes aluminium sheeting on the inside face, the frame uses some metal, and there are only two vents on the side. It should be noted that the machine can get extremely hot under maximum exertion) so not sure how it would go
- using a different/older BIOS. HP's utility doesn't seem to support downgrading though based on what I've seen. Hacks include using a different flashing utility or fiddling around with the extracted firmware/executables. Past experience with other manufacturers indicate that they often only make the most minor of efforts to obfuscate their work and reverse engineering may be realistic/possible
- modifying the BIOS itself, http://www.bios-mods.com/forum/archive/index.php?thread-4191.html

Having a locked down BIOS is understandable from a security, quality control, and other standpoints but this is seriously dumb for a device that is likely to be used in the consumer space. What's worse is that clearly not enough testing/research has been done with regards to providing a platform that will work across most operating systems...

For me these issues aren't really problematic. The real deal breaker here is the fact that the entire keyboard/moouse freezes from time to time. There have been numerous accounts of these problems and numerous supposed answers which include:
- build up of static
- faulty hardware
- incompatiblity with Linux (virtual machines are actually are realistic option on this particular machine but I often require raw access to the underlying hardware and I often use non-persistent/Live Operating Systems for testing)
- heat dissipation problems

Based on what I've seen it feels like there is a strong correlation with heat increases and keyboard/mouse freezes (everything else works except the keyboard/mouse. You can even plug in an external keyboard/mouse and everything works). I ran it with the following extra kernel boot parameter ("thermal.off=1") which offloads thermal management from the OS to the BIOS and it seemed to work. Then, I ran a simulation by running multiple instances of dd running pseudo random number generation and outputting them to stdout.
dd if=/dev/urandom of=/dev/stdout
This allowed me to increase system temperature without requiring significant user interaction. Thereafter, it was a case of watching whether or not the system would keel over. One night of testing and I thought that I had may have overcome the problem but after doing some intense network based wireless transfers it seemed clear that I had not. Moreover, attempting to cool it via air-conditioning seemed to have no effect. If I had more time this would be a non-issue since I could work away at the problem until it's fixed but the fact of the matter is I'm busy at the moment....

Still, I honestly believe the DM1 is a strong offering (screen, keyboard, battery life, and so on) in spite of these problems. If HP are willing to make the necessary modifications (and offer better/stronger support for their product) they clearly would have one of the strongest options in this particular market sector/price point.

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1986925
http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Hardware-Upgrades-Replacements/excess-heating-and-stopping-work-of-keyboard-and-touchpad/td-p/1347457
http://askubuntu.com/questions/182730/keyboard-freezes-with-wireless-use-on-hp-pavillion-dm1
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1026697
http://www.bios-mods.com/forum/Thread-REMOVED-DV6-3071tx-Whitelist-Removal
http://www.bios-mods.com/forum/Thread-Test-sp55495-WIFI-Unlock-HP-Pavilion-DM1-4000
http://forums.fedoraforum.org/archive/index.php/t-276283.html
http://joshuawise.com/wireless-whitelist
http://web.archive.org/web/20090310024936/http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~mjg59/thinkpad/bios.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20090204194109/http://www.paul.sladen.org/thinkpad-r31/wifi-card-pci-ids.html
http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Operating-Systems-e-g-Windows-8-and-Software/screen-says-www-hp-com-go-techcenter-startup/td-p/1100475/page/17
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareCategory?cc=us&dlc=en&lc=en&product=5215434&
http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Hardware-e-g-Windows-8/HP-DM1-4108AU-Solid-Sate-Drive-SSD/td-p/1437603
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/product?cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&product=5215434
http://www.bios-mods.com/forum/Thread-Test-sp54026-Whitelist-Removal-Request-HP-DM1-3248CA-F-12-or-F-13
http://www.bios-mods.com/forum/archive/index.php?thread-8126.html
ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp54001-54500/sp54026.exe
http://www.bios-mods.com/forum/archive/index.php?forum-143.html
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1989051
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1878300
http://forums.fedoraforum.org/archive/index.php/t-276214.html
http://forums.fedoraforum.org/archive/index.php/t-276283.html
http://blog.tomw.net.au/2012/12/installing-linux-on-hp-pavilion-dm1.html
http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Lockups-Freezes-Hangs/Cursor-freezes-pavilion-dm1/td-p/1705561
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/hp-pavilion-dm1-4010us-late-2011.aspx
http://gingernfree.blogspot.com.au/2012/09/hp-dm1-series-laptops-with-ubuntu-1204.html
http://www.linuxfordevices.com/c/a/News/HP-Pavilion-dm1z-review/
http://techlogg.blogspot.com.au/2008/02/unstick-those-stuck-pixels.html
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&docname=c00288895
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defective_pixel#Partial_sub-pixel_defects
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1804786
http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=75795
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-hardware-18/amd-e450-radeon-6320-stability-issues-924838/

A utility to allow for more better temperature control/battery life on your laptop
http://scottiestech.info/2010/02/05/how-to-increase-your-laptops-battery-life-a-lot-with-crystalcpuid/

http://www.consumerlaw.gov.au/content/the_acl/downloads/consumer_guarantees_guide.rtf

Work with enough audio equipment and you'll eventually get crackling at some point. Often you think it's the speakers or the cable themselves but they're often the connections. Replacement parts are available from local electronic stores.

- as usual thanks to all of the individuals and groups who purchase and use my goods and services
http://sites.google.com/site/dtbnguyen/
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com.au/

Netbook, Ultrabook, and Macbook Air Alternatives

With the end/widespread production of netbooks options have become limited for those who require similar functionality at a similar price point. I've recently been investigating some of the options that are still available and aren't quite willing to move towards far more expensive Ultrabooks and ultralight notebooks. An obvious option includes working with whatever netbooks that are still being manufactured. Some of the locally available options include Acer, Samsung, and Toshiba. Ironically, Asus netbooks (the original creators of this product category) aren't easily obtainable (One thing I've found interesting has been the evolution in the design of netbooks. Clearly, the original netbooks were highly limited but I noticed a gradual evolution of these devices over time such that many of the original flaws were ironed out (poor keyboard design, small/slow primary storage options, etc...). However, of late I've discovered significant flaws in the design of these devices that makes them difficult to justify even at their low price point.

http://liliputing.com/2012/05/netbook-shipments-down-34-percent-from-last-year.html

Among them are clear deficiencies in thermodynamic management (ventilation design and fan efficiency/noise), issues with hard drive choice (some drives are notorious for noise problems and yet they are still chosen for mass production), upgradeability (many of them quite simply aren't able to be easily upgraded (hard drive and somtimes RAM) without voiding the warranty (they often use locking mechanisms that that will break upon opening them), power consumption (reaching silly levels given the size of the devices), build quality (I think they've gotten progressively worse over time), weight (it used to be that the best netbooks were about 1.1KG but they're now approaching 1.5KG) and durability (plastic only works so well. Even some of the more expensive Toshiba R/M series based laptops suffer from issues because they haven't given enough through towards materials engineering).

Other alternative options include:

- used ultralight notebooks (premium options such as those from Lenovo, Toshiba, Sony, and others)
- cheaper ultrabooks (often expensive, come at the cost of build quality, battery life, and so on). Includes branded as well as generic options via various eCommerce websites
- tablets, so called tablet hybrids, and smartphones (often expensive, aren't as flexible (especially with regards to application support), and have poor battery life and keyboards or no keyboards at all)

However, of late there are seems to be a re-interpretation of the netbook class among some manufacturers. Price point and weight are a fraction higher than that of netbooks (though the same if you can get them on sale especially in light of the deployment of Windows 8), but so are screen sizes, keyboards (they still have some issues particularly with layout such as the sizing of the arrow keys, and often battery life. Each has their own idiosynchrocies but I've found the following to be worthwhile exploring:

- Asus 1225 series (enlarged 'Seashell' series)
- HP DM1 series (enlarged 'Mini' series)
- MSI Wind series (various designations/models but they seem to be similar in size/configuration to the 'Macbook Air' but aren't widely available locally).
- Acer A0725 series (enlarged 'AOD' series)

Since they are often enlarged netbook platforms, they still exhibit many of the same weaknesses of existing netbooks. Namely, the inability to upgrade (though you are often able to overcome the 2GB limit inherent to the standard netbook platform) without voiding your warranty, poor screens, performance (similar Intel/AMD chips are used) and thermodynamic design, and compatibility issues. 

If you do some digging you'll notice that the A0725 and DM1 series both have interesting bottom panel designs. They both have bottom panels that come apart in a single section. The A0725 seems to use a single screw while the DM1 uses an innovative latch (doubles as a means of holding the battery in place) system that allows for easy upgrades. Structural integrity and build quality issues seem to have been compromised to achieve this. Nonetheless, not a bad compromise for this price range. The 1225 series has many of the same flaws as 'the Seashell' series. Beauty, thermodynamic design, and the desire for higher margins comes at the price of ease of upgrade (look at the F-35/JSF program for a good guide on how to design/create easily upgradeable systems, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-35_Lightning_II) and other build compromises. The most annoying thing about many of the keyboards out there is that there is clearly more than enough room to create a good keyboard on many laptops provided some thought is put into it. I'd take a ergonomic/useable keyboard over an aesthetically pleasing design any time.

http://support.acer.com/acerpanam/netbook/2012/Acer/Aspire/AspireOneAO725/AspireOneAO725sp2.shtml
http://computers.toptenreviews.com/netbooks/acer/aod257-13685-review.html
http://lookatprioryearfiles.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/upgrade-hard-drive-of-your-samsung.html
http://uk.hardware.info/reviews/2700/cpu-shoot-out-intel-atom-d2700-vs-amd-e-450
http://forum.eeeuser.com/index.php?/topic/83131-1215n-hard-drive-swap-with-pics/
http://forum.eeeuser.com/index.php?/topic/89236-1215p-vs-1215b/
http://forum.eeeuser.com/index.php?/topic/82953-1215n-hard-drive-noise/
http://www.cnet.com.au/hp-pavilion-dm1-4108au-339333319.htm
http://www.insidemylaptop.com/how-to-disassemble-hp-pavilion-dm1-laptop/
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/2009901
http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-E-Series-E1-1200-Notebook-Processor.73569.0.html
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=AMD+E1-1200+APU
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1878300
http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/netbooks/hp-pavilion-dm1-4125ea-review-50006730/
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=6018&review=hp+pavilion+dm1&p=4
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1799014
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1804786
http://thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu/2013/01/windows-7-vs-windows-8
http://www.officeworks.com.au/retail/products/Technology/Computers/Laptops/Everyday-Laptops/ACAOD27026
http://mail.myself-care.com/Acer-notebooks/acer-netbook-10.1/
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1510270
http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/computers/blogs/gadgets-on-the-go/googles-chromebook-pixel--an-oxymoron-priced-to-fail-20130222-2evse.html

Working with Office files on Android platform.
http://www.kingsoftstore.co.uk/kingsoft-office-android.html
http://www.free-power-point-templates.com/articles/view-and-edit-ms-office-files-on-android-for-free-with-kingsoft-office/
http://download.cnet.com/android/office-suites/3150-18483_4-0.html

Fanless designs becoming more commonplace. Should make for some extremely interesting and less compromised/more optimal designs in future. Obviously, not too many options in the marketplace though and where there are they are difficult to procure locally.
http://liliputing.com/2012/05/more-fanless-netbooks-could-be-on-the-way.html
http://www.netbooklaptopreviews.com/netbook-news/increase-in-fanless-netbooks/

Linux/Android on a few hybrid tablet/netbook class devices.
http://gdgt.com/toshiba/ac100/
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-20015201-64.html
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ARM/TEGRA/AC100
http://pole.su/Toshiba-AC100-Fedora-2.6.37-install-ENG.htm
http://nullr0ute.com/2012/11/a-long-overdue-status-update-of-fedora-on-arm/
http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/27975/how-to-dual-boot-ubuntu-on-asus-eee-pad-slider-sl101

Power consumption/performance comparison between low power/mobile solutions from Intel and AMD. Obvious issue is driver support when switching from Intel to AMD platform though. Have observed some anomalies myself while working with AMD platform. More investigation required but believe that even if AMD is just as solid as Intel option, driver/software support may be enough to make a difference in the marketplace for AMD.
http://liliputing.com/2011/02/low-power-chip-battle-amd-c-50-intel-atom-n550-power-consumption-compared.html
http://www.amdzone.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=138262&sid=81a5b86212664aa39bec6bfe5d0ff84e
http://www.cpu-world.com/
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/

I often use plastic packaging (thin enough to open a package but not thard enough to break it) of from other products to open sensitive equipment without damaging the casing but apparently a gap guage adjuster works just as well.
http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/champion_sparkplugs.htm
http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/online-store/products/Stanley-Feeler-Gauge-Metric.aspx?pid=12571

For those of us who are simply interested in the Windows 8 interface but don't necessarily want to install/purchase it.
http://betanews.com/2012/12/11/disable-the-new-windows-8-interface-for-good-with-ex7forw8/#comments
http://forums.mydigitallife.info/threads/35189-Windows-7-explorer-for-Windows-8
http://www.nngroup.com/articles/windows-8-disappointing-usability/
http://www.informationweek.com/software/windows8/are-businesses-waiting-for-windows-9/240148533
http://www.iobit.com/iobit-winmetro.php
http://www.neowin.net/news/winmetro-bring-window-8-metro-ui-to-your-desktop
http://darktips.com/metro-windows-7/

- as usual thanks to all of the individuals and groups who purchase and use my goods and services
http://sites.google.com/site/dtbnguyen/
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com.au/

Laptop Thermal Design, Convergence, and More Security Analysis

If you've ever used any laptop/netbook you'll realise a lot of compromises need to be made to achieve a balance of power, portability, durability, and longevity. One of the big issues is heat dissipation. For instance, running a fan can result in significantly higher power requirements. If you're curious one experiment I came across said that shifting more air via a larger fan was more efficient and quieter than a series of smaller fans.).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_pipe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_sink

Recently, the thermal pad (it feels like a silicon/rubber compound) dried out on my Asus 1015 series EeePC which led to higher than average temperatures and ultimately permature shutdown. The interesting thing about the design is that the CPU is placed almost directly over RAM chip socket. Moreover, foil is then used as another supposed heat dissipation mechanism on the inside the RAM cover. The obvious issue is if the fan/heatsink combination on the CPU is not working properly this combination results in a 'heat sandwich'.

If you're curious, I've used copper shims, coins, and even foil in combination with standard thermal paste as a means of replacing thermal pads if I couldn't find a replacement. Be sure to cut to size if the material is somewhat malleable though particularly if there are components on top of the chip which may cause a short (can lead to non startup of your machine and can often be difficult to diagnose if you've been roaming around the whole board) or other problems.

One of the things I examined in the 'Convergence' report was pricing differences between local retailers and overseas options, the premium that people were willing to pay for locally purchased goods, and whether or not prices would eventually converge regionally/internationally. Clearly, there is some work with regards to suppliers/channels and a Federal Government enquiry as well. It's going to be interesting whether things will change and how long they will take given the smaller size of the Australian market.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/national/growing-consumer-outrage-at-information-technology-mark-ups-and-rip-offs/story-fndo1qgd-1226440690843
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/firms-to-answer-on-cost-disparity/story-e6frgakx-1226505607189
http://www.smh.com.au/business/retailers-forced-to-step-into-line-on-price-20130111-2cjx8.html
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2013/s3687910.htm
http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/tech-giants-to-face-it-gouging-probe-20130211-2e80e.html
http://www.afr.com/p/technology/adobe_cuts_australian_prices_after_BgBXyFaCrXRGNIrS1M2fNN
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2013/02/australian-government-to-force-apple-microsoft-to-front-up-australia-tax-inquiry/
http://www.crn.com.au/News/333106,why-the-it-price-inquiry-summons-may-not-mean-answers.aspx
http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/93744

Raytheon have been playing around with concepts similar to social networking OSINT (aware that FBI/DHS/NSA may have been working on similar technologies as well) and 'Algorithmic Masking' concepts outlined in 'Convergence' report.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9861155/Warning-over-social-networking-snooping-technology.html

Continuing work on 'Cybersecurity' report (Hope to finish soon. It's 871+ pages/229K+ words now though I think I should be able to cut down a lot). Been interesting just how much difficulty a lot of cutting edge projects have run into, in particular the JSF program.
http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/the-pentagons-new-trillion-dollar-jet-is-a-garbage-can
http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/f-35-takes-flight-sans-ge-and-perhaps-canadians
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/03/air-force-norman-schwartz-says-software-may-slow-f-35-development-030611w/

- as usual thanks to all of the individuals and groups who purchase and use my goods and services
http://sites.google.com/site/dtbnguyen/
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com.au/

News Websites

Google News and other news aggregators work but sometimes they don't pick up everything that you may be interested in (though an alert service can sometimes help). Here is a list of some interesting local and foreign news websites. This list will be updated over time.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/
http://www.reuters.com/
http://asia.wsj.com/home-page
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/
http://www.theatlantic.com/
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
http://www.aljazeera.com/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
http://www.sbs.com.au/
http://news.xinhuanet.com/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
http://www.darkreading.com/
http://www.americanthinker.com/
http://english.ruvr.ru/
http://www.asiapress.org/api/01en/index.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
http://www.smh.com.au/
http://www.afr.com/
http://www.theage.com.au/
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/
http://www.crikey.com.au/
http://www.jpost.com/
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/
http://www.timesofisrael.com/
http://www.haaretz.com/
http://www.ynetnews.com/
http://www.publicserviceeurope.com/
http://www.dw.de/
http://www.latimes.com/
http://www.wnd.com/
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
http://dailysignal.com/
https://news.ycombinator.com/
http://atimes.com/
http://allafrica.com/
http://debka.com/ 
http://www.standard.co.uk/
http://english.pravda.ru/
http://english.alarabiya.net/
http://www.tehrantimes.com/
http://www.thestar.com.my/
http://www.zerohedge.com/
http://russia-insider.com/en/
https://rbth.com/
http://www.inform.kz/en
http://www.rferl.org/
http://nationalinterest.org/
http://english.hani.co.kr/
http://www.dailynk.com/english/
http://www.bloomberg.com/
http://www.nytimes.com/
http://www.abc.net.au/
http://www.euractiv.com/
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/
http://www.haaretz.com/
http://www.spiegel.de/
http://www.radio.cz/en
https://intpolicydigest.org/
http://www.euronews.com/
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/index.asp
https://consortiumnews.com/
http://www.newyorker.com/
http://www.theepochtimes.com/
http://www.politico.com/
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/
http://www.europeanvoice.com/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
http://theconversation.edu.au/
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/
http://www.indiatimes.com/
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
http://www.news.com.au/
http://www.thenation.com/
http://www.businessinsider.com/
http://edition.cnn.com/
http://world.time.com/
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/
http://www.economist.com/
http://www.europeanvoice.com/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
http://seattletimes.com/
http://rt.com/
https://sputniknews.com/
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/
http://www.china.org.cn/
http://www.nationalpost.com/
http://www.chinatoday.com/
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/
http://english.china.com/
http://www.scmp.com/news/asia
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/china/
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/
http://www.news.cn/english/
http://en.people.cn/
http://chinaview.cn/
http://english.cctv.com/
http://english.sina.com/index.html
http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/china.htm
http://www.chinatoday.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_newspapers
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/
http://sampan.org/
http://www.english.rfi.fr/
http://www.thehindu.com/
http://www.csmonitor.com/
http://english.pravda.ru/
http://dawn.com/
http://www.thestar.com/
http://www.presstv.ir/
http://www.voanews.com/
http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/
http://www.globalpost.com/
http://www.cbc.ca/
http://english.alarabiya.net/
http://gulfnews.com/
http://www.3news.co.nz/
http://www.sltrib.com/
http://www.worldbulletin.net/
http://www.mirror.co.uk/
http://www.democracynow.org/
http://thediplomat.com/
http://www.nationalreview.com/
https://www.total-croatia-news.com/
https://www.leafly.com/
http://www.truthjustice.net/
http://euobserver.com/
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/
http://www.greenleft.org.au/
http://www.truth-out.org/
https://www.truthdig.com/
http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/
http://www.independent.co.uk/
http://www.presseurop.eu/
http://www.euractiv.com/
http://www.incyprus.com.cy/en-gb/
http://english.ruvr.ru/
http://www.euronews.com/
http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/
http://www.wsws.org/
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/
http://www.cyprus-mail.com/
http://www.social-europe.eu/
http://www.hindustantimes.com/
http://www.ft.com/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/

- as usual thanks to all of the individuals and groups who purchase and use my goods and services

http://sites.google.com/site/dtbnguyen/

http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com.au/