Too aggressive power management of harddisk

I just found about this problem regarding too aggressive power management of hard disk in Ubuntu. One of my laptop hd is affected which is a Seagate 5400.2 100gb. My Fujitsu 80gb is just fine.

I used this work around, which looks to work fine.

Model software in color

Today and tomorrow I am attending a workshop on "How To Design Better Software Using FDD", which is essentially about color modeling. Color modeling uses the 4 archetype, Moment Interval (MI) (something happening in time like transaction, business process), Person/Place/Thing (PPT) (something in space like customer, site, product), Role (how are PPT interacting with MI) and Description (catalog /metadata for PPT like list of video titles). Each one of the archetype has a color to make things easier to read UML w/o adding more clutter: MI - pink, PPT - green, Role - yellow and description - blue. Here is like a reference domain neutral model called Archetypal Domain Shape. Your model will almost end up with pink - MI being like the center.

For me color modeling is a nice concept and puts some fun and simplicity in modeling the problem domain. Whether or not its effective and useful is another question, others and the creators have claimed its effectiveness in real world projects... so maybe it does have some benefit. I do think I will give it a try as I see it as something useful to have in communicating ideas of a project. The main lesson was after all is not the colors and model, but ask the business and do not assume. I wish there was some better model similar to a state diagram model which conveys a point in time, UML class diagrams does not convey very well non static stuff. How can you model properly dynamic languages such as Ruby that can redefine classes in run time?

From Feisty to Gutsy

I just upgraded one of my Ubuntu Feisty to Gutsy using the upgrade option via the net, I am assuming this is using Debian's dist upgrade... and wow and did upgrade smoothly. I know Debian dist upgrade works, I have used it once or twice but Ubuntu really puts some good UI and polish to it. I have also removed Automatix, as the only thing that I used outside universe and extra is skype and codecs.

I have also tried to turn on compiz, and its nice... not as distracting as Vista effects. All in all I think Ubuntu is really a good choice... oh yeah I like Ubuntu taking care of installing bluez and ati binary drivers.

Forza 2 Hire driver

I have been playing a bit for Forza 2, its really nice. I normally play with the max difficulty settings (no driving aids, hard, simulation, etc.). Its been hard playing the endurance races as I don't have continuous time at hand, I have to take care of our baby daughter.

I find the hire driver to be poor compared to GT4 b-spec mode. Here is what I think:

• You can't dictate the strategy to the driver, like aggressive and cruise, etc. You are essentially an audience unlike in GT4 where you are like the pit crew.
• There is practically zero pit strategy. In GT4 I don't always change all of the tyres and do a full refuel, this gives you full incentive to think about pit strategy.
• You can't swap drivers. In GT4 sometimes I take the first drive and be aggressive, then make a pit and let the computer take over with cruise mode. I have driven some endurance races in GT4 fully, but there are tracks that are a bit boring and sometimes b-spec is nice too.
• You can't fast forward the time line. I guess its not much of a real issue since all of F2 endurance races are short compared to GT4

Forza 2 is great, but it sure can improve on the Hire driver feature. Can't wait for Forza 3 or GT5.

Long dry spell

Wow its been a long time since I wrote to this blog. Lots of happening, our baby daughter has arrived last Sept... hence the inactivity with this blog. Too busy and sleepy, also maybe a good convenient excuse for me.