Mac Vs. PC

I always had this question...
What should someone choose for a laptop. A Mac or a PC?
There are many differences of course, from performance specs to price itself. Last month I wanted to buy a new laptop for my MSc. I was looking around, comparing all brands and models and came up with the most common dilemma...Mac or PC?

I am a PC user for all my life and never tried a Mac before. But, if you check out the specs and capabilities of a Mac, you will find more powerful cores, better memory management, good graphics, high price and a low variety of components.On the other hand, a PC is more flexible, less expensive, less reliable and more expendable.

If you choose a Mac, you know you will pay a lot, but you will use it for at least 6 years with no problems of performance or repairs. A PC is more expendable, but is cheaper...

I personally chose a DELL laptop. I couldn't afford a Mac, although I wanted it so much...!

Your choice!

Google Buys Motorola Mobility

Going for the hardware as well, ha?
Well, the famous "Google", you know the rainbow company, just bought Motorola as an expansion.

There is the software available, so why don't produce the hardware? Wise move. Noone can deny that Google has little experience on hardware manufacturing, but I think it will be a success. There is "Google Chromium", a new available OS which is usually for netbooks, "Android", a mobile OS for smartphones, "Google Chrome", a web browser...and of course "Google Search Engine" which is the key to its success.

So, I think you have it all. Google is now everywhere and I don't thing it will stop here. It is even a word in a "Webster" dictionary...

As you can imagine this is only the beginning...

BSc - MSc - Phd - OMG!!!

I'd like to share with you a couple of links considering bachelor, master and Phd studies in Europe. I must note that I don't advertise the following site, but I found it very helpful during my quest!

 





For a first degree (bachelor) you can search here: http://www.bachelorsportal.eu/







 For a second degree (master) you can click here: http://www.mastersportal.eu/







And finally, for your Phd degree: http://www.phdportal.eu/


Furthermore, there is available search for scholarships and short courses among Europe.

Personally speaking, it is a very well organised website with many variables (tuition fees, starting date, duration, etc) to change depending on your preferences. After you make the search, you can short out the results, where there is a lot of information about the course you have chosen, the university, the city and the country. The individual requirements of each university are also available.

In what country should we live in?

A previous post was about whether to study or get to work right after college. Another one was reffering to the best universities worldwide. So, if someone chooses to finish even a postgraguate work, when he/she do so there will be the problem of work. You can certainly choose to continue to a Phd course, but that's not my thing.

Choosing a job is very important, but first somenone should choose the country he/she will work in, if there is such a possibility. So, after a lot of thought, I made a list of the available and desirable countries for employment.

Canada

 Ireland







Australia







I don't know why, but these countries always inspired me. The climate, the job opportunities and the general lifestyle is living up to my expectations. I hope I manage to work at least a couple of years in such countries because of the experience I'll gain, not only as far as work is concerned but also the lifestyle experiences!

Joey Tribbiani Vs. Charlie Harper

Of course I'm refering to the characters Joey and Charlie!

Joseph Francis "Joey" Tribbiani, Jr. is a fictional character on the popular U.S. television sitcom "Friends" (1994–2004) and the title character in the spin-off, "Joey" (2004–2006), portrayed by Matt LeBlanc. Born January 9, 1968, Joey comes from an Italian American family of 8 children, of which he is the only male. He has 7 sisters: Mary Therese, Mary Angela (with whom Chandler fooled around at Joey's birthday party), Dina, Gina, Tina, Veronica, and Cookie. Joey is from, and was presumably born in, Queens, NY. As a child, he was extremely accident prone. He also had an imaginary friend, Maurice, who was a space cowboy. He moved apartments four times in the series. The first time, he moved to his own lavish apartment away from Chandler (with whom the psychotic Eddie moved in) after he got the role as Dr. Drake Ramoray on Days of our Lives, though he moved back soon afterward due to his loss of the role. The other times were when he and Chandler moved into what is usually Monica's apartment, after winning it from her in a game in "The One with the Embryos". They were later forced back to their own apartment by the girls.



Charles Francis "Charlie" Harper (born 1966 or 1967, according to "Walnuts and Demerol," "Young People Have Phlegm, Too" and "Twanging Your Magic Clanger") is a fictional character from the CBS sitcom "Two and a Half Men". Played by actor Charlie Sheen, the character has garnered him three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor and two Golden Globe nominations for Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedy Series. After being expelled from Juilliard, Charlie began writing jingles for a living. His most famous composition is the Maple Loops song. Charlie then became a successful composer and singer of children's music, with the alias "Charlie Waffles", when the jingle business dried up. The character of Charlie Harper is loosely based on Charlie Sheen, the actor who portrayed the character through the first eight seasons of the show. (In addition, it is the third character that has the same first name as Sheen, who had previously portrayed deputy mayor Charlie Crawford in Spin City and "Charlie" from All Dogs Go to Heaven 2.) Charlie prides himself on his bachelor lifestyle in Malibu and drives a Mercedes, and a Ferrari (and formerly a Jaguar). His lifestyle consists of living in a two-story beachfront home, drinking excessively, smoking cigars, constant womanizing, gambling, and wearing bowling shirts and shorts the vast majority of the time. Charlie sleeps in constantly, and is the boss of a full-time housekeeper. Money "falls into his lap" as he lives a life of free-spirited debauchery.


And the common clue is...women!!! Both of them appeared to have almost a different woman per day. Charlie is smart enough, rich and owns a house at the beach of Malibu and expensive cars. So it is easy to pick up "smart" and "confident" women. On the other hand, Joey is neither rich nor smart, but he is famous and has lines that kill!!! "How you doin'" is one of them!

I personally choose Joey as a womanizer because if you take away Charlie's wealth and money there won't be anything left to attract these fine ladies! Your choise...

Sons of Anarchy (Sam Crow)

I just finished watching the three first seasons of the series "Sons of Anarchy". It was really amazing...

A little bit of the story:
Sons of Anarchy is an American television drama series created by Kurt Sutter about the lives of a close-knit outlaw motorcycle club operating in Charming, a fictional town in Northern California. The show centers on protagonist Jackson "Jax" Teller (Charlie Hunnam), the Vice President of the club who begins questioning the club and himself.

Cast:
Charlie Hunnam as Jackson "Jax" Teller
Ron Perlman as Clarence "Clay" Morrow
Katey Sagal as Gemma Teller Morrow
Mark Boone Jr. as Robert "Bobby" Munson
Dayton Callie as Police Chief Wayne Unser
Kim Coates as Alex "Tig" Trager
Tommy Flanagan as Filip "Chibs" Telford
Ryan Hurst as Harry "Opie" Winston
Johnny Lewis as Kip "Half Sack" Epps (2008–2009)
William Lucking as Piermont "Piney" Winston
Theo Rossi as Jean-Carlos "Juice" Ortiz
Maggie Siff as Tara Knowles

Personally speaking, I recognized many of the previous actors in movies like "Green street hooligans", "Married with children", "Blade 2", "Resident evil: Afterlife", etc...

Great movie, nice script and wonderful plot!! Watch it at once!!!

Friends Vs. Two and a half men (Version 2)

As a good friend of mine said, the previous post (Friends Vs. Big Bang Theory) isn't the right one. There is another show left aside..."Two and a half men"...

It is a show starring Charlie Sheen as a rich music creator, who accomodates his brother (Alan) and nephew (Jake). Unfortunately, Charlie is said to be replaced in the show by Ashton Kutcher. Not the same same character (thank god) but a new one. And now I must disagree....replacing Charlie? He IS the show for God's sake...

And here are some funny scenes...

Higher education

When I was looking for a possible MSc (Master's degree), I came up with the following site which includes the top universities of the world, ranked by region, subject or reputation. It also includes the top 200 universities of the world (overall degree).
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/

1)Harvard University
2)Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3)University of Cambridge
4)University of California Berkeley
5)Stanford University
6)University of Oxford
7)Princeton University
8)University of Tokyo
9)Yale University
10)California Institute of Technology

If you google it, you can find many different rankings from various sites. This is the one I chose to trust. I hope you'll fulfill you dream...

Fast 5 (2011)

I just watched "Fast 5", which is "Fast And Furious 5" of course. It was a nice movie, as expected. But there is a little problem...Vin Diesel Vs. The Rock...are you kidding me???

These two monsters just hit around within the whole movie!! It was superb!!! But, if I have to take a side, I would definitely choose the second one. I think "The Rock" is a living giant. I wouldn't go against him at any case.





 Nevertheless, they are both actors that were in many movies, good ones and bad ones. This sequel of the series was one of my best, as I saw new characters and old ones coming to life.

Just enjoy the movie!

Friends Vs. Big Bang Theory

Of course I'm referring to the famous series "Friends" (1994-2004) and "The Big Bang Theory" (2007-present). Personally speaking, I think that they both are the best shows ever created, with great plot and fabulous casting.

Here are some extra info for those who don't know...

Friends:
Jennifer Aniston - as Rachel Green
Courteney Cox - as Monica Geller
Lisa Kudrow - as Phoebe Buffay
Matt Le Blanc - as Joey Tribbiani
Matthew Perry - as Chandler Bing
David Schwimmer - as Ross Geller

The Big Bang theory:

Johnny Galecki - as Leonard Hofstadter

Jim Parsons - as Sheldon Cooper

Kaley Cuoco - as Penny

Simon Helberg - as Howard Wolowitz

 Kunal Nayyar - as Rajesh Koothrappali

Since I grew up while watching "Friends",  I can't be objective enough, but I can say that "Big bang theory" is just the right sequel to continue with. There is still a group of weird friends and a lot of laughter!!! And when I say a lot, I mean a lot, even when the scene isn't funny at all...

They both deserve to be watched, but I can't make a fair comparisson because the first one was older than the other. Friends ended near 2004, while "the theory" started in 2007. It has a different cast, different sense of humor, but the same old recipe!

I just can't understand people who say: "I never watched "Friends", where's the fun in that?"...OMG...please visit your doctor and find out what's wrong with you...


Some really funny pictures...!

Money makes the world go round...

Who wouldn't like to win the lotto? Is there anyone? I don't think so!!!
There are many opinions like "money can't buy hapiness" etc. I agree with it, but I also think that money can buy everything else!

Imagine having tons of money to spent. What would you buy? The ultimate materialism...cars, houses, motorbikes...just name it.

All in all, money can make the world go round. There are little things that you can do without spend something. You need money to eat, drink, drive, fly, walk, move, even breath! Whether it is all of it, or just a few bucks, in the end you always have to carry it along.

I remember one time that I wanted to buy a new wallet, as my old one wore out. I went to a random store and asked for a price. They told me: "It's about 60 dollars...", so I answered: "If I give you 60 bucks, what will I put in the wallet?"...and then left the store.

Everything is getting as expensive as it can be. So you need to have a lot of money, in order to make ends meet. I don't agree with spending as less as you can, because it is in our nature to take advantage of that little green thing, we all carry around. So just live your life the best way you can and enjoy the result!!!

An eye for an eye

I spent the last two days watching many videos on Youtube about fighting. Either it was a drunk men's brawl, or a fight at the MacDonalds queue while waiting to make an order.

And the question rises...why people fight? Do they need to do this because they want to or cause they have to in order to defend themselves? Pesonally speaking, violence should be more than the last sollution to end a misunderstanding. If you can be calm at that time, you can think with clear head and avoid any painful results.

On the other hand, if you are being attacked for no reason at all, you must do everything possible to defend yourself, if logic doesn't prevails. I've seen many videos where drunk men attack girls, drivers, even whole families... They should get what they deserve. Like a video where a group of drunk men has just left the pud where they were drinkning, and just looking for a  brawl. They bullied everyone on the street and while a car was passing by, one man of that group attacked the driver. Unfortunately, the driver had a baseball bat in his possession...so you can imagine the rest.

Another video shows a man who talks to the camera and says: "Let me show you how to break a car...", picks up a bat and head towards the traffic jam, few meters away. Then starts to hit a random car, while the driver was in it. Of course he was really scared and run away...

I won't even comment on domestic violence...

Do you think that a "fight club", like the movie would ease things down...?

Grading your way through...

Wouldn't it be nice if there were no grades at all? If you are a high school student, or a postgraduate one, there are always exams, grades and evaluations that you have to fullfill.

This kind of matter is always on debate. I can agree with and accept the fact that there should and must be some form of evaluation for everything you do. Final exams, evaluation periods, etc. On the other hand, you can't create a proper result, based on a random test.

I'll give you an example to show what I mean. Suppose you are studying for the final exams for your master. You read the whole book, check every notes from the teacher and look for every available information you can find online about this specific subject. In the final exam, there are 5 questions that must be answered. If you can't remember, say, two of them, there is only 60% success. Istead, if there is a lucky guy that has read only these  5 questions, he will hit a 100%! I think this isn't fair.

So, the evaluation must not only depend on some randomly picked question, but on the overall performance of each student. As a result, there can't be any bad luck and you will be awarded respectfully.

College...work...or both...?

As a child, you should look after your future. But what would that be? Continue to postgraduate studies, or finding a job to make ends meet?

The first scenario is completing a bachelor or a master's degree. As soon as you finish school, just look for the most appropriate subject to focus in, and you're done! After that you will have the sufficient supplies to work for a huge corporate firm and make a tons of bucks!!!

The second one is working...working...and....working.... Most families have economical issues, so as not to be capable of financially supporting their children. The only sollution is to start working your ass out! As in every choice, there are some pros and cons. On the one side you can't follow your "dream" and you are destined to work to fund your life. On the other hand, you will gain experience, in contrast to someone who is still studying and you will become more prepared for your life.

The choice is yours! But be carefull...don't screw it up!!!

Hacking and cracking

I'm writing this post, because of the recent events in Greece.

According to this article:

Greek police arrested an 18-year-old suspected of having hacked into the electronic systems of the FBI and Interpol, they announced Wednesday.

He reportedly also took over the computers of unsuspecting users, accessed their data and used it to obtain new credit cards in their names. A raid on his home turned up over 120 credit cards and thousands of euros in cash, police said.

He faces charges of computer fraud, forgery, illegal violation of privacy, and illegal weapons possession. The teen, who was not named, was arrested at his home in Athens, according to the Greek police electronic crime squad.

They seized computers and related equipment as well as flares, shotgun cartridges and a homemade incendiary device, they said.

Greek police said they had been seeking the youth for two years, after attacks that took place in February 2008 and February 2009.

U.S. and French authorities cooperated with the investigation, they said.

(If you ask me, this is the best way to get employed by FBI, CIA, MI6, etc. Even if you get caught, they should make you a (job) offer you can't refuse...just watch "Catch me if you can")

So, I want to take advantage of the situation and present the best hackers in the world (not my list, here is the source).:

Vladimir Levin

This Russian computer whizz became the first person to successfully hack into a bank in order to steal money. He was arrested in 1995 following the transfer of $10 million.

Jonathan James

Jonathan James became the first juvenile to be sent to prison for hacking, when at the age of 16, he cracked into NASA and DTRA computer systems.

Robert Morris

At the age of 23, Robert Morris unleashed the first Internet worm, when an experiment caused 99 lines of code to infect computers across the US. He was subsequently arrested and sentenced in 1990. 

David Smith

Wreaking havoc globally, David Smith’s malicious ‘Melissa’ virus spread to over 300 high profile companies, causing an estimated $400 million of damage.

Gary McKinnon

Having hacked more than 90 US military computer systems, Gary McKinnon was arrested and is currently undergoing trial for what the US Prosecutor called “the biggest military computer hack of all time.”

MafiaBoy

With his real identity kept under wraps due to his young age, MafiaBoy successfully hacked into a group of high profile websites, including eBay, Amazon and Yahoo.

Kevin Mitnick

With his high profile antics profiled in two movies, Kevin Mitnick made a name for himself as the most wanted hacker in US history after breaking into the systems of the world’s most top technology and telecommunication companies.

Kevin Poulsen

Dubbed “the Hannibal Lecter of computer crime,” Kevin Poulsen successfully hacked into the Los Angeles telephone system to ensure that he was the 102nd radio station caller, winning a brand new Porsche 944S2 in the process.

 

Timothy Lloyd

Becoming the arch nemesis of Omega Engineering in the process, Timothy Lloyd placed six lines of malicious code in their systems, deleting over $10 million worth of software in the process.

Masters of Deception

This renegade hacking group allowed access to private phone lines, using their methods to access the communications of the National Security Agency, AT&T, and Bank of America.