pakmingw

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Digital / Online Learning Content for 2017 - Early 2018

Digital / Online Learning Content for 2017 – Early 2018

Complementing my recommended book list for 2017 – early 2018, there also exists a lot, a LOT, of online content for free that you can use to build your knowledge on modern IT topics. During a recent discussion with a Digital Architect in my company, when I asked him for advice on how to build knowledge his response was really telling: he told me that the best way to do it was to look online. He…

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IT / Innovation Book Recommendations 2017-Early 2018

IT / Innovation Book Recommendations 2017-Early 2018

Here are my book recommendations for 2017, based on my learning objective to refresh my IT knowledge for the cloud / AI / ML / open source era. The catalyst for this learning effort was a real coincidence of multiple events happening all at the same time: my employer gave me training with MIT Sloan, I went to a conference on Artificial Intelligence, my employer started a marketing campaign about…

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Creating a Pollution Sensor based on Plantower Particulate Sensors (PMS3003)

Creating a Pollution Sensor based on Plantower Particulate Sensors (PMS3003)

If you already have Arduino board hanging around and would like to create your own PM2.5 / PM10 particulate sensor, here’s a recipe on how to do this. Note that I have pulled together a lot of other resources from the web that were badly organised here into one document. My code is based heavily on code from DFRobot.com’s sample code (all references included at the end of this post). Here’s a…

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Fixing Cisco Linksys E4200 v2 Stability Issues

Fixing Cisco Linksys E4200 v2 Stability Issues

I have an old Cisco Linksys E4200 v2 and have decided to share my fix for various stability issues that are present in the hardware design. It’s still quite a useful little router (even though now there are newer faster designs). There are two problems that I have encountered: Power Supply: The stock power supply is not the best and mine stopped working (the device would not power on after a year…

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MacBook 2017: First Impressions

MacBook 2017: First Impressions

I recently acquired a MacBook 2017. It has been over 7 years since my last new Mac purchase experience, so I thought I’d document the first impressions since my last purchase experience. (Full disclosure: I’m primarily a Microsoft Windows / PC user, with Office 2016 for personal and professional use). In short: I’m really impressed. In under an hour, I had all my apps up and running, my files…

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Migrating from Amazon Kindle to Kobo E-Reader (Using Free Tools)

Migrating from Amazon Kindle to Kobo E-Reader (Using Free Tools)

This blog post explains the migration from Amazon Kindle to Kobo E-Reader. I had purchased the Kobo independently of wanting to do such a migration (and use two devices) but I found tools online that facilitate such a migration (and also remove Amazon’s DRM in the process). I believe such side loading is legal since I have purchased the book already from Amazon. I guess this is my only caveat. My…

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Pentax K-30 / K-50 Black Picture Problem and Fix

Pentax K-30 / K-50 Black Picture Problem and Fix

Pentax K-30 and K-50 have a problem with the aperture control mechanism within the camera that causes them to not actuate the aperture, hence giving only black photos. This is due to a small solenoid within the camera, that over time becomes more magnetized and fails to actuate. The fix is simple: take out the moving horseshoe part from the solenoid and then file or grind it down to reduce the…

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Fix for R3000 Ink Dropping on Prints

A common problem with the R3000 after a couple of years of service are ink drops that start to fall on your prints. This is not due to a head strike, but actually due to with the PK/MK switch within the ink supply unit that gets blocked over time. After a while, especially if you use Photo Black (PK) only, such as myself, the MK line will block at the switch and then start leaking black ink. One…

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Grands Magasins, Paris, mai 2015. #paris #street

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Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar, Delhi, India

Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar, Delhi, India

  The Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar is a huge parking lot for trucks in the north west of Delhi. It’s the largest truck roadhouse in Asia, and handles between 2000-3000 trucks (and about 6000 truckers a day). With 6000 men moving in and out, there’s a lot…

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Self Help Group (SHG), Microfinancing, Nerela, New Delhi

Self Help Group (SHG), Microfinancing, Nerela, New Delhi

Savita (CSI Community Mobiliser) and Devaki (GRC Director) are facilitating a rather interesting microfinancing project in the slum called a Self Help Group (SHG) or Stree Shakti Suvidha Kendra (in Hindi). This is a program whereby they help the women in…

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Marriage Mediation, Near Pocket 11, Sector 6, Nerela

Marriage Mediation, Near Pocket 11, Sector 6, Nerela

  NOTE: This post has been written by Divesh Kaul with additional information from Devaki the CSI GRC’s programme manager (Child Survival India Gender Resource Center).

Geeta’s and her husband’s weeding was conducted by her family in a village of Uttar…

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  The Masti Ki Paathashaala (MKP) or Fun School project being run by CSI (the NGO I’m…

  The Masti Ki Paathashaala (MKP) or Fun School project being run by CSI (the NGO I’m shadowing here in Delhi). This school takes kids that have either fallen out or not been to school and provides them with remedial education to bring up their level to…

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Vietnam: Of Visas, Ha Long Bay, and Hanoi

Vietnam: Of Visas, Ha Long Bay, and Hanoi

Whilst on holiday in Penang, my dad turned to me and asked what it would take to go to Vietnam for a couple of days. My sister and I looked at each other and said we would work it out. In the end, with about a day’s worth of planning, we turned out a…

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No more instrument auctions (at Christies and Southeby's at least)

No more instrument auctions (at Christies and Southeby’s at least)

Strad indicated recently that Christies would follow Southeby’s lead and stop its annual instrument auction. The article indicates that all its auctions activities have shifted to private sales (presumably this means their staff as well). That was always…

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Relaunch of pakmingwan dot com ...

Relaunch of pakmingwan dot com …

After more than a year of inactivity I’ve decided to tear down the old drupal install and restart on wordpress (which is what all the cool kids seem to be using these days).

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Run Pak, run!