Felix Ker's blog

Last week, I wrote about my experience with a desktop using Windows XP with only SP1, adding on that Windows XP SP3 will be out very soon. Today, I read news that its out and available for download, but unofficial. Get it if you can’t wait.

I’m waiting for the official release for my PC and laptop at home! It should be out next week.

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This question may sound silly, but I believe not everyone is on SP2 yet.

I happen to be using a friend’s workstation and discovered I couldn’t install Microsoft’s SQL Management Studio (SQL Server 2005). The main reason was because the workstation had only SP1 installed. Unable to do my work; totally disappointed, I was!

Why upgrade?

Microsoft gave us many reasons such as Proactive Protection, Compatibility, Improved Manageability, Windows Firewall, Blocking Pop-ups, Internet Explorer, Updates, Wireless, and more new technologies.

The few features I find useful:

Windows Firewall - I believe this is the most useful. Remember the Blaster worm a few years back? If you had your firewall turned on, you should be protected against it. We don’t know what’s coming up from hackers, but with the firewall, you should be kinda safe.

Pop-up Blocker - I personally find this quite useful. 4 out of 5 stars. Simple, pop-ups irritate and disturbs what I’m looking at. Just don’t like to close windows while looking at sites.

Wireless Internet made easy - Wireless networks can be discovered and managed with the friendly GUI. What I just did was double-click on my home’s wireless, set the 64-bit WEP network key and I’m in. Fast and easy, isn’t it?

Read more about the features

Windows XP SP3

SP3 is coming out very soon. Sometime within these few days. (According to sources) I’m not sure if you can upgrade to SP3 without going on SP2.

I’ve tried Windows XP Service Pack 3 Release Candidate 2, but didn’t notice any improvements. Maybe they’re just too transparent to me. Did SP3 just made more keys for Windows XP? 

Whatever, let’s just wait for an official release. Will Microsoft be late again?

Have you upgraded?

Are you already using Windows Vista? Or still on Windows XP? Service Pack 2? Or still SP1?

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What is the next step that you would take if your expensive mobile phone or iPod gets wet in the rain or your drop it in a wash basin?

Such accidents are not very uncommon. Adam Curry once dropped his iPhone in the toilet. Venadium went for a swim while the iPod was still in his pocket. Leo Laporte did something similar to his cell phone. Virgo soaked his iPod when a bottle of Diet Coke fell over his trousers.

Since the warranty for most electronics does not cover water damage, what can you do to revive that wet gadget ? The answer is in your kitchen.

Power off the device (if it’s not off already) and try to completely cover the iPod or iPhone in a bowl of rice. Rice being a natural desiccant will help absorb the excess moisture. Let it try for at least 24 hours and DO NOT try to charge the device.

If your gadget has a removable battery, dry it separately to speed up the whole drying process.

This home-remedy is cheap and worth giving a try before you rush to the Apple store for a replacement.

Ernesto Londoño successfully managed to fix his wet BlackBerry phone after he left the device soaked overnight in a bowl of uncooked rice.

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Green tea is one of the world’s most popular drink coz of its extraordinary benefits to the human body. Here are the 25 reasons why you should drink 3-4 cups of green tea a day:

1. Green Tea and Cancer
   Green tea helps reduce the risk of cancer. The antioxidant in green tea is 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times better than vitamin E. This helps your body at protecting cells from damage believed to be linked to cancer.
2. Green Tea and Heart Disease
   Green tea helps prevent heart disease and stroke by lowering the level of cholesterol. Even after the heart attack, it prevents cell deaths and speeds up the recovery of heart cells.
3. Green Tea and Anti-Aging
   Green tea contains antioxidant known as polyphenols which fight against free radicals. What this means it helps you fight against aging and promotes longevity.
4. Green Tea and Weight Loss
   Green tea helps with your body weight loss. Green tea burns fat and boosts your metabolism rate naturally. It can help you burn up to 70 calories in just one day. That translates to 7 pounds in one year.
5. Green Tea and Skin
   Antioxidant in green tea protects the skin from the harmful effects of free radicals, which cause wrinkling and skin aging. Green tea also helps fight against skin cancer.
6. Green Tea and Arthritis
   Green tea can help prevent and reduce the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Green tea has benefit for your health as it protects the cartilage by blocking the enzyme that destroys cartilage.
7. Green Tea and Bones
   The very key to this is high fluoride content found in green tea. It helps keep your bones strong. If you drink green tea every day, this will help you preserve your bone density.
8. Green Tea and Cholesterol
   Green tea can help lower cholesterol level. It also improves the ratio of good cholesterol to bad cholesterol, by reducing bad cholesterol level.
9. Green Tea and Obesity
   Green tea prevents obesity by stopping the movement of glucose in fat cells. If you are on a healthy diet, exercise regularly and drink green tea, it is unlikely you’ll be obese.
10. Green Tea and Diabetes
    Green tea improves lipid and glucose metabolisms, prevents sharp increases in blood sugar level, and balances your metabolism rate.
11. Green Tea and Alzheimer’s
    Green tea helps boost your memory. And although there’s no cure for Alzheimer’s, it helps slow the process of reduced acetylcholine in the brain, which leads to Alzheimer’s.
12. Green Tea and Parkinson’s
    Antioxidants in green tea helps prevent against cell damage in the brain, which could cause Parkinson’s. People drinking green tea also are less likely to progress with Parkinson’s.
13. Green Tea and Liver Disease
    Green tea helps prevent transplant failure in people with liver failure. Researches showed that green tea destroys harmful free radicals in fatty livers.
14. Green Tea and High Blood Pressure
    Green tea helps prevent high blood pressure. Drinking green tea helps keep your blood pressure down by repressing angiotensin, which leads to high blood pressure.
15. Green Tea and Food Poisoning
    Catechin found in green tea can kill bacteria which causes food poisoning and kills the toxins produced by those bacteria.
16. Green Tea and Blood Sugar
    Blood sugar tends to increase with age, but polyphenols and polysaccharides in green tea help lower your blood sugar level.
17. Green Tea and Immunity
    Polyphenols and flavenoids found in green tea help boost your immune system, making your health stronger in fighting against infections.
18. Green Tea and Cold and Flu
    Green tea prevents you from getting a cold or flu. Vitamin C in green tea helps you treat the flu and the common cold.
19. Green Tea and Asthma
    Theophylline in green tea relaxes the muscles which support the bronchial tubes, reducing the severity of asthma.
20. Green Tea and Ear Infection
    Green tea helps with ear infection problem. For natural ear cleaning, soak a cotton ball in green tea and clean the infected ear.
21. Green Tea and Herpes
    Green tea increases the effectiveness of topical interferon treatment of herpes. First green tea compress is applied, and then let the skin dry before the interferon treatment.
22. Green Tea and Tooth Decay
    Green tea destroys bacteria and viruses that cause many dental diseases.It also slows the growth of bacteria which leads to bad breath.
23. Green Tea and Stress
    L-theanine, which is a kind of amino acids in green tea, can help relieve stress and anxiety.
24. Green Tea and Allergies
    EGCG found in green tea relieves allergies. So, if you have allergies, you should really consider drinking green tea.
25. Green Tea and HIV
    Scientists in Japan have found that EGCG (Epigallocatechin Gallate) in green tea can stop HIV from binding to healthy immune cells.

My Two Pennies Worth

I think now we can see why Japanese live longer than other people from other countries. I cant say that its totally because of the green tea they drink, but also the diet they have.

I’ll try to drink more green tea day by day and hope it makes me healthier!

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