Tag Archives: life

Tips for portable computer users

June 23, 2013 Sanuja Senanayake

During the last decade, the portable computers have replaced most of the the desktop computers. Today some people use portable units like laptops or tablets as their primary computer. If you use these portable devices as your primary units, you should also take precautions to protect your privacy and data security. This is not a how to tutorial. This article is written for those who have no idea on where to start. I may improve some of the explanations over time.

Setup

In order to protect your data, create an administrative account with a very strong password. Your password should be at least eight characters long and should include numeric characters. In addition I recommend using capital and simple letters. But what if you don’t want to enter a long password each and every time you want to log in? The solution to this is to create a secondary account with “limited” privileges. You can use a weaker password for this account because this account will not have the permission requirements for modifications. The administrative account password will be needed every time you want to install (or uninstall) a program. While it will not provide ultimate protection for your personal data, at least it is a good compromise for busy individuals.

Hardcare

Caring for portable hardware similar to caring for desktop hardware. You to keep the electronics clean and in controlled environmental conditions. Both of these are harder to do with portable devices.

Dust

Compressed Gas Duster (oxygen can, air can, etc) is the best way to clean dust on hard to reach area. But dusting off also helps by removing debris around fans and vents intakes. If you decide to use the compressed gas to clean, make sure…

not to spry an area over a long period (will form water vapor)
not to spry directly into connectors causing the connectors to get lose due to the force of air

Temperature

In countries like Canada where we have a very wide range in temperature, it is difficult to keep the portable devices at ideal conditions. Another problem you will run into is that with our busy lives we take the technology for granted a smallest malfunction due to these environmental elements could bring a catastrophe.

The best practices in controlling temperatures can be easily placed in a list.

Do not close your laptop (specially MacBook Pro) right after a long use. The head from the internal parts could damage the screen.
Place your electronic devices in protective casings whenever you can. For example, a laptop can be placed in temperature controlled sleeves.
The mobile phone/PDAs are most likely exposed to environmental elements because we cannot place them in enclosed cases (what’s the point of having a mobile communication device if it not quickly accessible?.

Liquids

The best solution for this is not to spill anything around your electronics. The measures taken after any liquid damage is not always productive. Almost all liquids we use in our household are electrically conductive and have the ability to increase the process of oxidation of metals.

Repairs

Some of you may be surprised to hear you may be able to repair some mobile devices at home. While most electronics circuity use machines, some parts are made with easy repair in mind. The most common portable device accidents are caused by gravity. To be more specific physical damage to a component caused by a fall.

Screen

Mobile smart phones made by Samsung have screen glued together using a heat sensitive material. Therefore you can remove the damaged screen by applying heat around the plastic front frame. You need to get proper tools which can be brought online. It is very cheap to repair at home than to actually send it out if the unit is not under warranty. So do your research and you might save some money.

Battery

While not all units have removable batteries, most of them have a method to open the battery compartment. This is because battery failures are one of the most common problems in portable electronics. Usually the power supply and the battery is fitted with removable plates. You may require a special tool to open it (such as special screws). I found hobby shops have variety of specialized tools that works for computers.

Power Supply

You cannot replace the power supplies without breaking them on any of the portable devices I know. However, you may want to do more research into your particular model.

RAM

This is the easiest part to replace or upgrade in most computers. Exception to some Netbooks and Ultrabooks, most laptops come with an access window for Random Access Memory (RAM) cards. Check the manual or the model number of the motherboard and verify the maximum amount of RAM it can take. In addition make sure you choose the right type of RAM (DDR2, DDR3, SO-DIMM, etc).

Opinion

Tips for Emigration from Asia

June 19, 2013 Sanuja Senanayake

Traveling outside the country is not something that most people in Asia would do. But with the growth of middle class, the interest in permanently relocating to developed countries have increased significantly. While some may argue that “when in Rome, do as the Romans do” is not always applied in countries like Canada. But if you are not willing to be flexible in your new adopted country, you will find it difficult to live. In 2012, majority of immigrants to Canada identified their motherland as Asia (including South Asia).

Your Name

Asians have a rich heritage. On top of that South Asians are very proud of their culture and history. In most communities we use the names to identify our cultural background. This is why you would come across South Asians with long names. These names are not random. They have a structure. I found this can be an inconvenient in the Western society.

The South Asian Buddhist culture have the following name convention. HISTORICAL_FAMILY_NAME YOUR_NAME_1 YOUR_NAME_2… SURNAME. The first name has historical significant and has nothing to do with identifying a person. For example, my dad, my brother and I all have the exact same first name. The last name, also known as surname is also common to family members. Therefore in my Buddhist culture it is a combination of middle name and the first or middle name and the last is the identifiable unique name of a person.

Now let’s look at Canadian legal documents and general conventions. Official legal documents in Canada will provide you with enough space to include the entire name. But the subsequent correspondence will only include your first and last name. This is a major problem because three of us in my household have the exact same first and the last names (HISTORICAL_FAMILY_NAME SURNAME). If someone send us a letter addressed to one of us, it can be confusing. This is what exactly happens when we get letters in the mail. To solve it, I decided to switch my middle and the first names around. But since I did not change it before we came to Canada, I had to go through the process of requesting the name change from the government. I highly recommend officially changing your name before entering an another country to avoid extra paperwork. Having three names or even more is OK, as long as the first name is your unique identifiable name. I recommend the following format; YOUR_NAME_1 YOUR_NAME_2… HISTORICAL_FAMILY_NAME SURNAME, which will translate into YOUR_NAME_1 SURNAME in most official documents.

Your Documents and Drugs 🙂

All documents from your native country either must be in English or the official language of the country you are immigrating. These documents must be translated by a respected and approved translator. In other words, the validity of these documents depends on the authorized translator’s accreditation and therefore go to the embassy and request for a list of translators. Do not discard the original documents. The translated documents must always be accompanied by the original for future comparison.

If you are bringing in controlled materials such as pharmaceutical drugs, do not remove the materials from their original containers. Such containers also must be in one of the official languages. It is better if you can bring them with the manufactures sealed caps(eg. without opening bottles).

Travel Documents

While in Asia it is a common practice to include dependents (children) in parent’s passports, please get individual passports even for the children. Countries like Canada and US will specifically inform you to have separate passports. But even if it is not specifically told, I recommend obtaining individual travel documents to avoid any unforeseeable issues.

Photocopy all your travel documents including the air ticket and leave that copy with a relative. This is for in case of an emergency and / or loss of the documents.

Regardless of if you are going to be a Permanent Resident(PR) or not, write down the information on embassy of your birth country.

Do not hesitate to ask questions… lots of questions from border security personals when you arrived at your destination.

Earth Science

Geologist’s field checklist

May 28, 2013 Sanuja Senanayake

The select all, none and invert functions uses JavaScript code. If your browser (like old mobile phones) cannot handle JS, you will sill be able to read the list, but may not be able to tick off the check boxes on the left most side. A word to those poor Geologists who still on IE instead of FireFox, Chrome (or webkit) or Opera, the time has come for a change. As always, the Print button at the top will remove my title images, menus and border for you to print. The check marks will also print as it is so you can use this page just like an Excel file.

This list may not be complete. Always check with your educational institution before making any arrangements. I am not responsible for you getting attack by a small rat in the woods or a bunch of engineers up to no good.

Travel Essentials

Personal and Safety Gear

Tools and Equipment

Electronics

If you would like to edit or add items to this list, please contact me. Improving this list may help your fellow students.

Updated: 30-July-2017

Earth Science

A Geologist’s Vacation in Canada

May 15, 2013 Sanuja Senanayake

Most people know me as a Geology student, a computer guy or a mix of both. As a part of my Geology degree at the University of Calgary, I participated in field schools. They are a valuable asset to get hands on experience. However, how many of you would like to explore the Geology in your area but have no idea what to look for?

I complied set of pictures showing good Geological features (mostly structural) I took last year in Western Canada. I will post the locations later sometimes so you can also have Geologist’s Vacation!

Please click on the images to view the higher resolution one. The captions identify the major feature in each photo.

Bed formation with a strong orientation.

Relationship between a Fault and a Dyke. Can you tell which one came first?

Stylolites (Pressure Dissolution) Structural Feature.

Philosophy

One’s own in the midst of abundance

May 8, 2013 Sanuja Senanayake

Have you ever heard the phrase, “to live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one’s own in the midst of abundance“? It is a quote taken from a Japanese Buddhist book, The Teaching of Buddha. While the English translation of the Indian quote may not be as perfect as we would like to, it highlights a valid philosophical argument.

Continue reading One’s own in the midst of abundance →