Month: November 2005

I’m not talking about drugs (drugs are bad, kids) but about the trip to Southeast Asia me, Patrick and other interested guys or gals are going to do in January. It’s basically like this – our final exams ends at the 16th of December. At the 28th of December my family will arrive here in Hong Kong and stay until the 4th of January 2006. So (*drumroll*) at the 5th of January we will fly to Singapore in a Boeing 747 and we will return to Hong Kong at the 28th of January. Yes, you read the right date – our spring semester doesn’t begin until the 1st of February (and the Chinese New Year’s Eve is on the 28th).

What will be the contents of our great trip then? We have no idea. I’m certainly not that guy planning everything ahead and probably Patrick isn’t one either. We’ll probably plan the trip as we go, but to get cheap tickets we have to order the flights somewhat in advance. However, our still vague plans have evolved around the following themes and places:

Singapore, Malaysia, jungles, Angkor Vat, landscapes, adventures, cheap, warm weather, paradise islands, coconuts, scuba diving, rest and history. And if I know us two good enough, we would also want a decent share of: good standards, comfort, good food, relative security and safety and minimized administration.

Singapore is a really cheap flight hub in the same way as Hong Kong, and from Singapore we can easily access all of Southeast Asia. So that’s why we go in and out of Singapore, and it will also be our base for transports. However, it’s also the most expensive place to stay at, so we will actually minimze the hotel nights there. Instead, we will head towards Malaysia, which supposedly has a lot to offer, and then maybe a trip to Cambodia and back.

We have also considered Indonesia, because it’s dirt cheap and very close to Singapore. However, people have warned us that it is not safe, and Indonesia also has the greatest army of viruses and diseases ready to attack us as soon as we arrive. And the worst part is that Indonesian government are strange and demand visas in advance from us (at least from me as a Swede). Currently I would vote for skipping Indonesia…

Feel free to share any travel tips or experiences, if any. Otherwise, just wish us good luck 😉

So I’m getting close to a decision of actually buying the iPod. My younger brother showed interest in acquring, for a certain sum of money, my iRiver H120 which would cover some of the expenses. And for different reasons, such as the Chalmers scholarship for my studies abroad, I feel rich.

Given that I decide to buy the iPod Video in spite of it easily getting scratched, I have one important decision still to make: what engraving will I use for the back of the iPod? As you probably know, Apple offers free laser engraving of two lines of text with 27 characters each – to personalize.

So, I must have a unique engraving. That’s why I’m asking for your support. Please suggest engravings of any kind, because I need all the input I can find. If you need inspiration, you can always look at the Rejected iPod Engravings here :). Putting in a “RipperDoc” somewhere in the engraved text would be nice, though. And to start you off, I already have a suggestion:

Update:
Okey, my previous suggestion was bad
So I’ll randomly post some more!

– RipperDoc –
Inspire me!

If you can read this…
Get out of my pocket!

Salve me
Mea culpa

This is not a scratch

Size matters – it’s this big:
|————————–|

Corny suggestion? Give me something better 😉

I have now kept this blog running since July. When I began this, I had serious doubts that I would be able to keep up the blogging – earlier attempts at writing diaries or similar has been utterly failed. I just can’t keep my interest going.

However, looking back at soon 5 months of blogging I realize I can keep it up. And I’m enjoying it. I’m broadening the topics of the blog. It’s no longer just personal diary, a travelogue or a place for my unwanted political opinions, it’s more grown up. I think.

So far, most of the readers are my closest friends and acquaintances (or maybe not even you are active readers? 😉 ). I have had some strangers showing up, checking it out, but no signs of them staying. But that’s because a blog needs to get known to be read, and it gets known by being read (yeah, I know, chicken and the egg… ). I believe that my blog is good enough for more than just my friends (oh, you are not “just” my friends, I’m sorry! I thank you for visiting the blog so loyally and that you can live with me writing in English 😉 ).

What I’m I trying to say? I wan’t to spread the word. I want this blog to get known. Maybe I’m just narcissistic or blinded by other peoples success (such as the blogs listed on Technorati’s Top 100, some of them written by normal people like you and me). But I want to make a try and gradually make this blog both into the center of all things RipperDoc (that’s me) and a blog serving readers interestingly enough rants and dissections of assorted topics.

So if you think this blog is good enough, don’t hesitate to spread the link. Link to http://blog.ripperdoc.net from your site(s). Comment in my articles and say I’m a stupid d***head and *ushlover (nothing get’s readers like a decent flamewar!). Or just comment with your thoughts. Remember, if you like it, say it to others, if you don’t like it, say it to me…

(Yeah, I’m sorry for hiring you as my advertisers for no payment at all 😉 I’ll repay you in any way appropriate, other than cash, stuff and services.)

Yeah, those who know me know that I’ve rejected iPod before. I’m a proud owner of the “iPod-killer” from iRiver, H120, a 20 GB player with remote, optical line-in and out, recording, FM-radio, text reader and support for many file types. It has all the functions iPod didn’t have at the time I bought it (spring of 2004).

Now, things are different. The new iPod has 60 GB of storage, big color screen, video capabilites, slim design, calendar, great battery life, etc. It doesn’t record, it lacks optical interface, no FM-radio and it doesn’t come with a remote, but in the same time it’s cheap. Like $HK3000 cheap.

Yes, I admit, I’ve surfed the Apple web. And yes, I admit, Apple knows how to present a product. They know interface design and PR like no one else. It’s just stylish and you can’t help to whisper “I want that!”. Not because everybody else has it (hey, that’s a drawback!) but because it just looks good.

By now the non-materialists reading this have already asked themselves “Do he need another MP3-player? Isn’t the one he already payed good money for enough? Who would want to watch video on an iPod?”. Well. You non-materialists never understand 😉 I’ve done it before when buying my Z60m notebook (which to my great dismay still hasn’t been delivered!). I could do it again. After all, money are useless by themselves.

But don’t get me wrong, I’m not losing my common sense. I have to examine the good sides and the bad sides. I get a cool, modern player with huge capacity. But everything that’s shiny easily gets scratched (metaphorically and literally…). I can’t use it for recording my own sound atmospheres (yes, I do that sometimes!) and I also know that even if iPod is new, there are players that are more functional. Players that can handle video much better than iPod (heck, the PSP can do that and play cool games). So, yet is nothing decided. But the spells that www.apple.com are putting on me are hard to counter… I’m even considering getting me a Mac… the voices calling – “Buy me, buy me!”…

Signing out…