PCC Rallybots

The only PCC 5 pack I want is the Dinobots set, but I got the news too late that it is already out of stocks! Better than getting nothing, I bought the Rallybots set and Smolder as they are on sale. I always want to get a 5 pack set to get some drone limbs for the commander robot. It is really difficult to choose a 5 pack as they are really bad designs. I picked the Rallybots set because the drone vehicles look pretty nice. Smolder has the coolest robot among all the PCC.
(click to enlarge the photos)

First have a look on Smolder

Smolder in package.




Very nice looking vehicle mode.


Very cool robot mode.


Smolder's partner Chopster


Chopster becomes a big axe!


Power up mode


Leadfoot vs. Smolder


Pinpoint vs. Chopster

Now Double Clutch and the Rallybots

Double Clutch in package.




Double Clutch has a nice muscle car mode.


With the drone vehicles.


Even a great car mode, Double Clutch has a stupid robot mode...


Lets combine!


Power up mode, with stupid limbs.


Attack! Decepticons!


"You don't need those limbs!"


"Smolder, Power up!"


"Lets get the limbs back~"




Power up Leadfoot seems to have the best articulations.

After playing the 5 pack for a while, I can definitely say PCC is a failure! The drone limbs suck. I don't find any fun with the "power up" mode by sticking the limbs to the commander robot. I think the Dinobots set will be the last PCC set I will get.

Little Tyrant

The new wave of TF reached Hong Kong. I didn't know that the people here are so eager to get new TF. When I went to the department store, I could only get this little Megatron :(
Though I couldn't get the other new stuffs, I satisfied with this little Megatron.
(click to enlarge the photos)

Reveal the Shield series. The rub sign comes back!


Very nice robot mode. The only complaint is the head cannot turn.


Stupid regulation to put the orange cap on it! Everyone knows this is a toy!


This Megatron is small, but still far bigger than the WST Megatron.

EEEPC 701 Jaunty to Maverick

這次可以算是意外的upgrade. 本來沒打算要把EEEPC的Ubuntu升級, 但一直用的9.04早幾天Update Manager開始彈出"No Longer Support"的通知, 原來Jaunty己面世18個月了. Update Manager只可以直接升級到9.10, 也沒所謂, 就升到9.10吧!

按一個button就可以升級, 只是花時間等吧, 不過download完後, 還要多等2個多小時安裝, 只好先睡一覺. 醒來發現升級過程還要選幾次Y/N, 趕著上班結果要等到第二晚才可以完成整個升級. 但似乎我在9.04時作了不少改動, 升到9.10後, 整個OS都變得很不正常! 先不說Update Manager把我已update的application變回舊版, 而且不斷彈出language update的dialog, 更嚴重是這些language update根本不能完成! 其他application也變得怪怪的, 一怒之下只好重裝Ubuntu了! 恨自己update前沒有做cloning...

反正要裝就裝最新的! 之前剛替公司的一台MacMini裝了10.10, Maverick的感覺給我還不錯, 但確實有點擔心到達701能否支持得住呢? 安裝過程倒是比以前裝Jaunty時順利得多, 而且基本上所有peripheral都可以用, 包括錄音(Jaunty時要改alsa config的, 因為Maverick是用PulseAudio嗎?) 只是WiFi還是怪怪的, 跟Jaunty時一樣, 不過反正我不用, 算了. 但始終也不算是一帆風順, 還是花了我一天多時間做configuration, 週末假期就這樣泡湯...

以下是做過的改動:

• Screen Resolution
  因為剛買了新的Monitor, 是Full HD 1920x1080, 之前在Jaunty改了xorg.conf後就可以正常顯示了, Maverick不會有問題吧? 果然Maverick default已有1920x1080@60Hz的選項, 真方便! 但開心不要太早! 選這個1920x1080@60Hz是不能正常顯示的! 會花畫面! 怎辦才好呢? 才剛買一個星期的monitor就此廢武功?
  花了我大半天時間, 找盡網上各種方法也不成功, 最後求人不如求己, 發現到要用1920x1080@61Hz才可!但怎樣才可以弄出這個1920x1080@61Hz呢? 還是加Modeline! 不過這次不是加到xorg.conf, 而是加在~/.xprofile, 在login時跑3句xrandr就好了.
  

• 另一個必定要做的是Overclock, 還是裝EEEasy scripts. 但這套script到Jaunty就沒再update了, 安裝時會遇到asus_eee module compile的問題. 要將asus_eee.c裡面2句comment, 否則build不過.
  //eee_proc_rootdir->owner = THIS_MODULE;
  //proc_file->owner = THIS_MODULE;
  Build到asus_eee module後, EEEasy scripts安裝就沒問題了, 可以Overclock到900MHz.
• Maverick的中文輸入default由SCIM轉了到IBus, 用法跟SCIM沒有太大分別, 但因為我的 System lanauge是英文, 倉頡輸入法會default輸入簡體字! 太過份了吧! 倉頡本身是繁體輸入法來啊! 網上找到要將/usr/share/ibus-table/engine/table.py line 126改成return 1才可!
  

現在只有一項是搞了半天還搞不定的, 就是開機時Plymouth在external monitor會花畫面. 這問題網上有解決方法, 就是在kernel boot parameter加入nomodeset和改用uvesafb display. 這樣做是可以正常顯示Plymouth logo, 但boot不進gdm, 只會進到console login. 結果搞了半天還是得放棄. 唯一得到的是知道多了一點grub2的configuration...

New Monitor~

之前的Samsung 19" monitor雖然用了4年多還工作正常, 但只有VGA+DVI input, 讓我的PS2呆在一旁. 今天就買了新的monitor, LG W2363V. 這個monitor最特出的是有各種輸入: VGA, DVI, Component, HDMI x 2! 本來以為要買LCD TV才可以有Component input, 怎料幾星期前在電腦商場見到這個號稱"打機必備"的monitor, 真是為我打造一樣!
用了一會感覺還不錯, 但還是不太習慣這麽大的畫面, 始終我的房間太小了... Resolution由1440x900提升到Full HD的1920x1080, 對小小的EEEPC來說也是新挑戰! 畫面是能正常顯示, 但EEEPC的風扇似乎轉得很響了 ~_~
還有最不慣的是Full HD下, 平日看的RMVB解像度已跟不上了, full screen效果不太好, 但HD的片源EEEPC又不夠快decode, 如何是好?