To be honest, I don’t really believe in speed boosters. For me, the only way to get a faster speed to to spend more on your subscription. But since this piece of gadget was just given, again, by my brother, there’s no harm in trying it.

According to the user’s guide, “The Hawking HBB1 Broadband Booster eliminates the problem of Internet lag in home and work networks. When multiple internet applications such as, VoIP phone calls, streaming video, and online gaming run simultaneously on a given broadband network, internet lag is present as both applications fight for the same amount of bandwidth. The end result is choppy conversations for VoIP calls, dropped or “frozen” frames for video streaming and online gaming lag (unplayable online gaming experience). The HBB1 Broadband Booster solves this using an intelligent engine (StreamEngine Technology) to manage and prioritize all data traffic going out of the network for a seemless internet experience. The HBB1 is designed to enhance the playability of online games, maintain VoIP call quality, and improve the performance of all time-sensitive “real-time” internet applications without any configuration by the user.” The keywords here are “seemless internet experience” which basically translates to minimized lagging.

Anyway, the setup is very easy. There are three ports – modem in (labeled as “Modem”), router out (labeled as “Router) and the 110v power adapter. Just connect the modem and the router cables but make sure that the device is unplugged. There is no power switch so the power jack has to be disconnected from the device. Then, powercycle your modem and router and wait for them to stabilize. Wait for a minute before you connect the power to the HBB1. Blue light blinks to signify that it’s “boosting” your connection.

See how tangled the cables are.

Of course, the most important issue is, does the HBB1 works? I did a test in Speedtest and selected the server in Singapore, before and after I setup the HBB1. I am currently subscribed to Globe’s 1 Mbps DSL with landline. Here are the three results of the before-HBB1.

Average download speed: 0.76 Mbps

After HBB1:

Average download speed: 0.84 Mbps

It hasn’t been two hours since I setup the gadget, so I’ll do further testing and check if the thing really works.

The Package
The package consists of the following: a cordless handset, cradle/charger, base unit with power adapter, telephone cord, ethernet cable, battery and battery compartment cover. Before you setup the phone, I assume that you have an Internet, a router (whether wireless or wired) and a landline phone. You should also have a Skype account.

The Setup
The setup is very easy. Just put the battery and its cover on the phone, place it on the cradle, and charge the phone up. Connect the base unit to the power outlet, connect the ethernet port to an available port in your router and the phone cable to the phone port. Since I have a ADSL connection, I connected the base unit to the splitter which my Globe phone used to occupy.

In the image below, the yellow ethernet cable is connected, from the modem to the router. The blue cable is from the base unit to another port in the router.

Skype
Now, unless your modem/router does Mac filtering, the base unit will automatically acquire an IP address, which you can see when you go to Menu > Settings > Network. Once connected to the Internet, you can sign up for an Skype account, or sign in with a previously created account.

Here’s how our phone looks like once signed in with Skype.

Making calls
Landline calls is easy. You just dial the number and press the talk button. To end the call, press the end button. As for Skype, there are two ways, depending on the Skype account. If it’s a Skype ID call, meaning, you want to call the username, you need to press the asterisk and spell the username of the person. If it’s a Skype Out call, meaning it’s a like an overseas number, then you dial the plus sign, country code, area code and the local number. Of course, you wouldn’t have to do this if the person you want to speak to is already in your Contacts. You can add 100 regular contacts and 200 Skype contacts.

The handset also serves as a speaker phone. On a call, you can press the Speaker button and press the up and down arrow keys to adjust the volume. I just wish the phone had a dedicated volume adjustment button on the side.

Reception
So far, I was able to test a Skype call when my brother called yesterday afternoon. Reception was crisp, although there were miliseconds of silent beeps. But according to him, on his end, it was seamless. He was using Skype on his mobile phone by the way. So maybe it was my Internet connected that had issues. I haven’t made a landline call.

The phone has a signal bar which displays the connection of the phone to the base unit. My room is upstairs and when I went there with the phone, the signal bar is still full. Suffice it to say, you can place the base unit near the router/modem and the phone somewhere else.

Issues
This phone was bought in Canada (see the link here). And being in Canada, the set can only be used in 110v power outlet. I have to use a computer AVR which has a single 110v port and plug a power cord extension. I just wish that this is a 220v set, but I think I can just buy another adapter from Raon (a place in Manila known for electronics).

And as I have mentioned earlier, I wished they had a separate volume control button. Another thing I noticed was an echo on Skype call on the first day. For some reason, it disappeared on the second day.

Other than on those issues, the GE 31591 is a great phone.

I immediately saw a gray/semi-white tall and sturdy tripod. I asked one of the sales crew, Jennilyn, that I want to purchase one and inquired if they have one on stock. The price: P 450. After checking, she found that there was no more in-stock and the remaining item is the one on display. Okay, I’ll just purchase that, I said. I volunteered to put the tripod in the bag, but it won’t fit. The bag is too small.

Here’s the tripod that still has the price tag on it of P 450. I did not put that sticker. CDR King did.

She checked the CDR King website and found out that there are two models of the tripod, with different prices, and that the tripod that I want was mislabeled. Mine was labeled as “LN 17.” WT-3520 was at 600 while the WT-3540 is 650. I asked her if she can identify which of those two matches the one they have in the store. The poor girl cannot determine the difference.

Alin, alin, alin ang naiba. Seriously, can you tell the difference between the two?

In the end, this CDR King store in Save More in Tanay did not allow me to purchase the item. Menchie, who I do not know is a staff or a manager, said that since they cannot determine the real price of the item, they won’t sell it anymore.

On Christmas eve, in the office, then came my gift. It was, lo and behold, a tripod. It’s not exactly the model that I want, but at least its something that I can use while I try to find a way to repair my real tripod. Interestingly, the giver is the same guy who gave me last year a CDR King CD holder which, up to know, is very usable.

So it’s lesson learned. Everything happens for a reason. If it’s not really meant for you, it won’t be given to you. Kung hindi ukol, hindi bubukol.

1. Satellite Photos of Japan, Before and After the Quake and Tsunami (New York Times) 

2. What teachers really want to tell parents (CNN) 

3. No, your zodiac sign hasn’t changed (CNN) 

4. Parents, don’t dress your girls like tramps (CNN) 

5. (video) – Father Daughter Dance Medley (Yahoo)

6. At funeral, dog mourns the death of Navy SEAL killed in Afghanistan (Yahoo)

7. You’ll freak when you see the new Facebook (CNN) 

8. Dog in Japan stays by the side of ailing friend in the rubble (Yahoo) 

9. Giant crocodile captured alive in Philippines (Yahoo)

10. New Zodiac Sign Dates: Ophiuchus The 13th Sign? (The Huffington Post) 

11. Parents keep child’s gender under wraps (Yahoo)

12. How to Talk to Little Girls (The Huffington Post) 

13. Stop Coddling the Super-Rich (New York Times) 

14. Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior (Wall Street Journal) 

15. (video) – Twin Baby Boys Have A Conversation! (Yahoo) 

16. Man robs bank to get medical care in jail (Yahoo) 

17. Why You’re Not Married (The Huffington Post) 

18. A Sister’s Eulogy for Steve Jobs (New York Times)

19. Ryan Dunn Dead: ‘Jackass’ Star Dies In Car Crash (The Huffington Post) 

20. Scientists warn California could be struck by winter ‘superstorm’ (Yahoo) 

21. Notes From a Dragon Mom (New York Times) 

22. A Message to Women From a Man: You Are Not "Crazy" (The Huffington Post) 

23. Obama’s and Bush’s effects on the deficit in one graph (Washington Post)

24. Penn State, my final loss of faith (Washington Post) 

25. Golden-Voiced Homeless Man Captivates Internet (Yahoo) 

26. The most typical face on the planet (Yahoo) 

27. Widespread destruction from Japan earthquake, tsunamis  (CNN) 

28. Permissive parents: Curb your brats (CNN) 

29. A father’s day wish: Dads, wake the hell up!(CNN)

30. (video) – Laughing Baby Loves Ripping Paper! (Yahoo) 

31. Epic Cover Letter: How To Get Hired For Your Dream Job (PICTURE) (The Huffington Post) 

32. New Zodiac sign dates: Don’t switch horoscopes yet (Washington Post) 

33. Things Babies Born in 2011 Will Never Know (Yahoo)

34. The Psychology of Revenge: Why We Should Stop Celebrating Osama Bin Laden’s Death (The Huffington Post) 

35. (photo gallery) – ‘Where Children Sleep’ (New York Times) 

36. Quake moved Japan coast 8 feet, shifted Earth’s axis (CNN)

37. Steve Jobs, Apple founder, dies (CNN)

38. China’s latest craze: dyeing pets to look like other wild animals (CNN)

39. Grant Hill’s Response to Jalen Rose (New York Times) 

40. Steve Jobs’s Patents (New York Times) 

Anyway, if you want to know more about Steve, Bloomberg has published a 68-page, advertisement free, all-about-Steve issue. Know his triumphs, failures and everything in between. Know how it feels to get fired in a company you founded. Know why he just wears jeans and turtle neck shirts during product introductions. And know how he prepared for his death.

You can download the magazine here.

Here’s how my layer’s palette looks like:

What I want is an easy way to order the layers alphabetically. What I did instead is to manually transfer and relocate each layer on top of one another. I hope there is an easier way to do this.

But seriously, I’d like to know for how long it will last for me without FB. This is actually a sort of experiment. And so far, it has been successful.

Ever since I have deactivated the account, things have been less stressful. Most of the things posted in FB are negative thoughts and nobody wants to be drained with all the negative energy, right? Since I have opted for people to be in my Friends List, then I would like to know what’s going on with their lives. But at the same time, I would like to have the option to only read positive things. FB should have an app that will filter and extinguish negative thoughts. Before, it has always been my habit to check FB before I go to sleep. Reading people’s statuses somehow affects me that leads to a low quality of sleep.

Being absent in FB also allowed me to talk to people on issues that you would normally discuss on FB. I’d got to know them in a personal level. In the local parlance: wala ka nang pakukuwentuhan pa kung lahat nasa FB na.

Absence in FB allowed me to be productive, both at work and at home. In the office, since browsing non-business related websites is not allowed, I get to read eBooks in the office database.

The only thing that keeps me from deleting my account are the pictures I uploaded. A lot of memories, good or bad, are stored in them, either through the comments or the caption, but most specially on the substance of the photos. The photos in FB also serve as a reminder of the photos that I did not and will never upload. They are just too personal and controversial (and nope, I don’t have any scandal). Posting the photos will raise a lot of eyebrows. I don’t even upload those photos in my personal Flickr account.

So for my FB friends, you won’t find me anymore in FB. For concerns that need my attention, just email or text me.

Memolane serves as a memory lane for your social networking accounts. In my case, I have included Facebook and Flickr. What Memolane does is to make a timeline of your statuses and uploaded photos. This is very useful in Facebook because I sometimes want to backtrack my previous updates and it’s kinda cumbersome to search it in my FB wall. In the case of photos, Memolane puts the pictures in a timeline, depending on when the photos were taken or when they were uploaded.

Aside from Facebook and Flicrk, you can also add Twitter, Picasa, FourSquare, Youtube or MySpace (and a lot of others)

It’s the “Memorable Stories from 2010.”

It is basically a listing of my previous status updates last year. It is randomly made – there is no order as to when the update was made. The number of updates show is also random. I suppose the longer (in characters) the updates are, the fewer will be shown. For example, in one page, it only showed five updates but these were long sentences, while on another page, it showed eight updates, each composed only of few words. But of course, I maybe wrong.

From what I have noticed so far, they only appear on photos, not on your profile or wall. If Facebook really wants for these stories to be “memorable” for the account owner, they might as well include a link for that particular update so that we’ll know what happened after it was posted, when it was posted, and the comments made therein.

Here are some of my updates.