Jekyll2022-06-24T01:59:13+00:00https://edoswaldgo.com/feed.xmlEd Oswald GoPersonal website of Ed Oswald Go. Learn about his adventures in software development, technology, photography, and more!Ed Oswald GoWindows 10 User Profile Service Failed During Login - Quick Fix2020-08-31T00:00:00+00:002020-08-31T00:00:00+00:00https://edoswaldgo.com/technology/windows-10-user-service-logon-failed<h2 id="introduction">Introduction</h2>
<p>Do you perform periodical cleanups on your machine? Or do you only do it when your computer is running low on disk space?</p>
<p>I clean unused programs and files when I notice my computer is running low on space. It is easy for my case because I frequently open the <em>File Explorer</em> of Windows and see the disk usage.</p>
<p>My usual process is to check for unused programs and uninstall them. Afterwards, I use the <a href="https://windirstat.net/">WinDirStat</a> tool for spotting large files that take a lot of space on my disk drive.</p>
<p>I delete those files and folders which seem unused then my machine is good to go again. Unfortunately, I did something different which led me to a critical problem.</p>
<h2 id="problem">Problem</h2>
<p>A few months ago, I wanted a more organized file system for my personal and work stuff. Creating new Windows accounts was one of the good ways to have boundaries and separation.</p>
<p>But, when I tried logging in to the newly created Windows 10 account, I suddenly encountered the “<strong><em>The User Profile Service service failed the sign-in</em></strong>” error!</p>
<p><img src="/assets/img/blog/windows-10/win10-user-profile-service-failed-sign-in-600x450.jpg" alt="image-center" title="User profile cannot be loaded" class="align-center" /></p>
<p>I couldn’t switch to other user profiles which I knew were working before. Head down below and see how I tried to solve the problem. <em>*anxious*</em></p>
<h2 id="troubleshooting">Troubleshooting</h2>
<p>I restarted and shut down my PC but same error was encountered and account switching was not available</p>
<p>I restarted my computer again, now in <em>Safe Mode</em>, but it still didn’t solve the issue.</p>
<p>Luckily, my computer had a recent snapshot and I used it for <em>System Restore</em>. Restoring my PC state to the previous snapshot let me log in to the working user account.</p>
<p>I ran the Windows <a href="https://support.microsoft.com/en-ph/help/929833/use-the-system-file-checker-tool-to-repair-missing-or-corrupted-system">System File Checker</a> tool to check and repair any corrupted Windows file. Then, I created a new user account but the same error was replicated.</p>
<p><em>System Restore</em> to the rescue again! But at that time, I searched further on the Internet for similar cases and possible solutions. I stumbled upon this Microsoft Community <a href="https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/user-profile-service-failed-the-logon-windows-10/1d47268a-c80f-4a69-8695-c9de0a9857f2">thread</a> and tried one of the suggested fixes.</p>
<p>I got hold of another Windows 10 machine that was still working. I copied the whole <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">C:/Users/Default</code> folder from that machine to my problematic PC.</p>
<p>I tried logging in to a new user account and it successfully proceeded to the Windows desktop!</p>
<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>
<p>The cleanup I made before caused the Windows login error as I deleted the <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">C:/Users/Default</code> folder which is vital for new Windows user accounts.</p>
<p>It was a great troubleshooting and learning experience. Being able to fix it was a big relief because it will be quite inconvenient to reinstall the operating system.</p>
<p>To end my post today, let us remember to not delete system files and/or folders especially if we don’t know their purpose. <em>HAHAHA!</em> Cheers!</p>Ed Oswald GoHave you experienced a Windows login error before that's not about an incorrect password? I ran into the User Profile Service service failed the sign-in! Check my post on how to fix it.Toolwatch: An Easy-to-use Application for Measuring Accuracy of Your Timepieces2020-08-24T00:00:00+00:002020-08-24T00:00:00+00:00https://edoswaldgo.com/technology/toolwatch-easy-to-use-measuring-tool-for-watch-accuracy<h2 id="introduction">Introduction</h2>
<p>Hi fellow watch lover! Are you itching for another new watch? I feel you. Haha! I collected some <a href="https://www.seikowatches.com/">Seiko</a> and <a href="https://www.orient-watch.com/">Orient</a> watches through the years. I believe that I have already reached the point wherein collecting more will be counterproductive in cycling them with proper wrist time. For me, they are meant to be worn and not just stored in cabinets or drawers.</p>
<p>As a watch lover, did it ever occur to you if the wristwatches you buy tell accurate times, especially mechanical ones?</p>
<p>Time accuracy might not be important for people who consider watches as fashion accessory only. People mostly have their mobile phones on hand and can just check the time on it.</p>
<p>But for some, like me, wristwatches serve as functional items aside from being fashion accessories. I find it more convenient to check the time by looking at my watch instead of reaching for my phone.</p>
<p>If we depend on the time of our mechanical watch, are we always looking at the correct time? Find out how we can measure the accuracy of our valuable watches.</p>
<h2 id="concept">Concept</h2>
<p>Basically, in order to tell if the watch is accurate, we need to check if the watch time deviated from a consistent reference time after N days.</p>
<ol>
<li>
<p>Get a reference consistent time (e.g. your phone)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Sync your watch time with the reference time</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>After N days, compare your watch time from the reference time</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>If they are the same, then your watch is accurate</p>
</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="toolwatch">Toolwatch</h2>
<p>The concept I mentioned above is simple, right? Yes, if you only want to measure one timepiece. What if you collect a lot of watches and want to consistently check for their accuracy? Here comes <a href="https://toolwatch.io/">Toolwatch</a> to the rescue!</p>
<p>I encountered this tool a few years back when I was looking for a free and convenient tool to measure watch accuracy. The concept of the tool is very similar to the steps I mentioned in the previous section but with the help of some automation.</p>
<h3 id="steps">Steps</h3>
<ol>
<li>
<p>Download and install the Toolwatch mobile app (<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=toolwatch.toolwatch">Android</a>, <a href="https://apps.apple.com/us/app/toolwatch-watch-accuracy-app/id1105636950">iOS</a>)</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Open the application</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Create an account and head to the dashboard</p>
<p><img src="/assets/img/blog/toolwatch/toolwatch-dashboard-450x800.png" alt="image-center" title="Dashboard of Toolwatch" class="align-center" /></p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Add a watch and its details</p>
<p>Clicking the cross icon on the dashboard lets you add a new watch. You may optionally store other watch details like the serial number and date of purchase.</p>
<p><img src="/assets/img/blog/toolwatch/toolwatch-add-edit-watch-450x800.png" alt="image-center" title="Add or edit a watch" class="align-center" /></p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Start the measurement</p>
<p>After creating a new watch entry, you may click “<em>Measure now</em>” on the dashboard to start the initial measurement.</p>
<p>Tap the button on the middle of the screen when the second hand of your watch reaches the 12 o’clock position</p>
<p><img src="/assets/img/blog/toolwatch/toolwatch-measure-600x450.jpg" alt="image-center" title="Start measurement at 12 o'clock" class="align-center" /></p>
<p class="notice"><strong>Important Note:</strong> Try to be consistent with your tap timing to lessen the discrepancy across multiple measurements.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Confirm correctness of initial sync</p>
<p><img src="/assets/img/blog/toolwatch/toolwatch-measure-end-450x800.png" alt="image-center" title="Measurement correctness confirmation" class="align-center" /></p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Repeat the measurement after twelve hours (or more)</p>
<p><img src="/assets/img/blog/toolwatch/toolwatch-measure-done-450x800.png" alt="image-center" title="Re-measure after 12 hours (or more)" class="align-center" /></p>
<p>After the initial synchronization, you may only measure again after 12 hours (or more) to check for time misalignment.</p>
<p>It is better to re-check after a longer period of time because inconsistency of the timepiece can be negligible in just after 12 hours.</p>
</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>
<p>Toolwatch is very handy and easy to use. But, it is not 100% accurate because of possible synchronization mistiming on our end or delays from the app itself. You may use plus or minus one second with the result you’re getting.</p>
<p>The mobile application not only provides a convenience method in measuring the accuracy of your watch, but also a storage of all your watch details.</p>
<p>Do you use other ways in measuring watch accuracy? Feel free to comment so that I can also try it out. If you haven’t measured the accuracy of your watch, go and try have some fun with Toolwatch!</p>Ed Oswald GoDid it ever occur to you if your mechanical watch is accurate? Let's find out how the Toolwatch mobile application can help measure the accuracy of our precious timepieces.Replicating Lightroom Mobile Defaults in RawTherapee - Can this be achieved?2020-08-17T00:00:00+00:002020-08-17T00:00:00+00:00https://edoswaldgo.com/photography/replicating-lightroom-mobile-using-rawtherapee<h2 id="introduction">Introduction</h2>
<p>Few years have passed since I last used <a href="https://rawtherapee.com/">RawTherapee</a>. I want to know the improvements in RawTherapee and see if I should now edit using my desktop computer.</p>
<p>Well, there’s great news! The problem about the default washed out images I mentioned in my <a href="/photography/my-photo-editing-workflow-utilizing-adobe-lightroom-mobile/">old post</a> has already been updated in versions 5.4 and above.</p>
<p class="notice"><strong>Note:</strong> Version 5.4 has been released last 20-March 2018. I am so late! (-_-)</p>
<p>Based on its documentation <a href="https://rawpedia.rawtherapee.com/Sidecar_Files_-_Processing_Profiles#Defaults">here</a>, the software now uses the “Auto-Matched Curve” profile instead of “Neutral” for raw files. The initial state of the imported image will look like your SOOC (<em>“Straight Out of Camera”</em>) JPEG.</p>
<figure>
<img src="/assets/img/blog/photography/raw-therapee/coffee-watch-raw-therapee-default.jpg" alt="Image exported using RawTherapee default" />
<figcaption>Default JPEG output of RawTherapee</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The output of the default profile of RawTherapee looks nice. But, how does it compare to the output of my camera and the default of <a href="https://lightroom.adobe.com/">Adobe Lightroom</a>?</p>
<h2 id="comparison---defaults">Comparison - Defaults</h2>
<p>The default output of RawTherapee does not fully mimic the SOOC shot. It looks brighter and with green tint. Skin tone is on the yellowish side and the browns look more orangy. I also noticed that the image is smoother (less noise) but with less details.</p>
<p>On the other hand, Lightroom’s output is more similar to the SOOC image. It is just a bit brighter and saturated. Skin tone looks more natural with a bit of magenta tint. It also looks grainier which is likely due to a brighter image.</p>
<figure class="third">
<a href="/assets/img/blog/photography/raw-therapee/coffee-watch-sooc.JPG">
<img src="/assets/img/blog/photography/raw-therapee/coffee-watch-sooc.JPG" alt="Image straight out of camera" />
</a>
<a href="/assets/img/blog/photography/raw-therapee/coffee-watch-lightroom-default.jpg">
<img src="/assets/img/blog/photography/raw-therapee/coffee-watch-lightroom-default.jpg" alt="Image exported using Adobe Lightroom Mobile" />
</a>
<a href="/assets/img/blog/photography/raw-therapee/coffee-watch-raw-therapee-default.jpg">
<img src="/assets/img/blog/photography/raw-therapee/coffee-watch-raw-therapee-default.jpg" alt="Image exported using RawTherapee default" />
</a>
<figcaption>(L to R) Camera SOOC, Lightroom Mobile, and RawTherapee.</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Have you noticed the similarities and differences I mentioned above? Feel free to comment if you’ve noticed other discrepancies.</p>
<p class="notice"><strong>Note:</strong> I am using a modified neutral profile for my camera that’s why the SOOC shot is quite flat.</p>
<h2 id="rawtherapee---settings">RawTherapee - Settings</h2>
<p>Upon checking other default settings, I noticed that “Noise Reduction” is enabled in RawTherapee by default. Maybe this is the answer for the lack of detail issue.</p>
<p>Also, I recently found out that RawTherapee supports custom color profiles and these profiles are included in the <a href="https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/digital-negative.html">Adobe DNG Converter</a> software.</p>
<p>I wonder if these settings are sufficient enough to replicate the default output Adobe Lightroom. Let’s try applying the tweaks using the steps below.</p>
<h3 id="steps">Steps</h3>
<ol>
<li>
<p>Download and install <a href="https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/digital-negative.html">Adobe DNG Converter</a></p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Check the existence of the folder below</p>
<div class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code> %ALLUSERSPROFILE%/Adobe/CameraRaw/CameraProfiles/Adobe Standard
</code></pre></div> </div>
</li>
<li>
<p>Find the <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.dcp</code> file of your camera (if supported)</p>
<div class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code> %ALLUSERSPROFILE%/Adobe/CameraRaw/CameraProfiles/Adobe Standard/Canon EOS M50 Adobe Standard.dcp
</code></pre></div> </div>
</li>
<li>
<p>Run the RawTherapee application</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Using the File Browser tab, Browse the raw image to edit</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Open the image > Editor tab will be displayed</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Set the custom camera profile</p>
<ul>
<li>Go to the Colors tab</li>
<li>Find the Camera Management section</li>
<li>Click Custom > click the browse button</li>
<li>Choose the <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.dcp</code> file from step #3.</li>
<li>
<p>Click Open</p>
<p><img src="/assets/img/blog/photography/raw-therapee/raw-therapee-camera-profile-settings.png" alt="image-center" title="Custom Color Profile" class="align-center" /></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p class="notice"><strong>Note:</strong> For the complete details about DCP, you may check their documentation <a href="https://rawpedia.rawtherapee.com/How_to_get_LCP_and_DCP_profiles">here</a>.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Disable Noise Reduction</p>
<ul>
<li>Click the Detail section</li>
<li>Find the Noise Reduction section</li>
<li>
<p>Click the “power” button to toggle</p>
<p><img src="/assets/img/blog/photography/raw-therapee/raw-therapee-noise-reduction-settings.png" alt="image-center" title="Toggle Noise Reduction" class="align-center" /></p>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>
<p>Export the image</p>
</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="output---final">Output - Final</h2>
<figure>
<img src="/assets/img/blog/photography/raw-therapee/coffee-watch-raw-therapee-adobe-standard-no-nr.jpg" alt="Image exported using RawTherapee with Adobe Standard Profile" />
</figure>
<p>In my opinion, the new RawTherapee output is way way better than its default. Grains and details are already visible. Greenish tint is gone and skin tone looks more natural.</p>
<p>For the browns, they look less orangy now. But when compared again to Lightroom, the shade is still far off. Brightness difference is very minor and can easily be adjusted.</p>
<figure class="third">
<a href="/assets/img/blog/photography/raw-therapee/coffee-watch-raw-therapee-default.jpg">
<img src="/assets/img/blog/photography/raw-therapee/coffee-watch-raw-therapee-default.jpg" alt="Image exported using RawTherapee default" />
</a>
<a href="/assets/img/blog/photography/raw-therapee/coffee-watch-raw-therapee-adobe-standard-no-nr.jpg">
<img src="/assets/img/blog/photography/raw-therapee/coffee-watch-raw-therapee-adobe-standard-no-nr.jpg" alt="Image exported using RawTherapee with Adobe Standard Profile" />
</a>
<a href="/assets/img/blog/photography/raw-therapee/coffee-watch-lightroom-default.jpg">
<img src="/assets/img/blog/photography/raw-therapee/coffee-watch-lightroom-default.jpg" alt="Image exported using Adobe Lightroom Mobile" />
</a>
<figcaption>(L to R) RawTherapee (Default), RawTherapee (Adobe DCP), and Lightroom Mobile</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>
<p>Replicating the exact output as Lightroom can not easily be done with few change of settings. Further adjustment of colors is needed to really align them.</p>
<p>With those minor changes, the image really improved a lot especially the skin tone. If you are someone who is not particular with the color differences, or someone who has his/her own presets, using RawTherapee is definitely a great option.</p>
<p>Will I switch from using Lightroom Mobile (free version) to RawTherapee? My answer is still a no as my use case hasn’t changed since then. I don’t process a lot of images and I really love the UX of the mobile app.</p>
<p>Hope you like my small experiment and do suggest some tips if you know other settings to be modified.</p>
<p>Stay safe!</p>Ed Oswald GoAre you also a Lightroom Mobile user wanting to edit on a desktop computer? Check how I try to replicate the default output of Adobe Lightroom using RawTherapee.Converge Fiber X 1500 Plus Still Available! Is It The Best Fiber Plan for You?2020-08-09T00:00:00+00:002022-06-23T00:00:00+00:00https://edoswaldgo.com/adulting/converge-fiberx-1500-plus-affordable-fast-home-internet<p class="notice--info"><strong>Updated 2022-06-23:</strong> The fiber plans in this post are all outdated. Kindly check the website of the ISPs for the updated rates and bandwidth.</p>
<p class="notice--info"><strong>Updated 2021-06-03:</strong> I’ve updated the tables and computations based from the latest offerings of Converge, Globe, and PLDT. Some of the old plans are already obsolete and not offered anymore.</p>
<h2 id="introduction">Introduction</h2>
<p>Last month, I received a notification from <a href="https://www.convergeict.com/">Converge</a> that their <a href="https://www.convergeict.com/1500-xtra/">add-on promo</a> for <em>Fiber X Plan 1500</em> is still available. I only need to add <em><strong>99 PHP per month</strong></em> to upgrade my connection from <em><strong>35 Mbps to 45 Mbps</strong></em>!</p>
<p>I highly recommend the add-on promo for existing Converge subscribers especially if you belong the following.</p>
<ul>
<li>someone who wants a better value plan without breaking the bank</li>
<li>someone who loves to watch <a href="https://www.netflix.com/">Netflix</a> in 4K / UltraHD for added buffer (see bandwidth recommendations <a href="https://help.netflix.com/en/node/306">here</a>)</li>
<li>someone who gets impatient in downloading large PC or console games and updates (<em>Hooray for the additional 1.25MB/s</em>)</li>
<li>member of a household (<em>5-6 pax</em>) that streams multiple high-resolution videos simultaneously</li>
</ul>
<p>Amidst the pandemic, maybe you are planning to subscribe to a new fiber plan for your work from home setup. Choosing the right plan can be a daunting task because you will be sticking with it for quite a long time. Let’s find out if this is the right plan for you.</p>
<h2 id="internet-fiber-plans">Internet Fiber Plans</h2>
<p>Below are the lists of the plan offerings of Converge, PLDT, and Globe as of <em>03-June 2021</em>.</p>
<p>The costs prepared only cover the base plan price. I did not include the contract duration and extras like installation fee, modem fee, and freebies in order to simplify the computation.</p>
<p>Let’s also assume that they all have the same reliability rate and level of customer support so as to not have any biases.</p>
<h3 id="converge-fiber-x-plans"><a href="https://www.convergeict.com/fiberx/">Converge Fiber X Plans</a></h3>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Plan</th>
<th>Landline</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Price</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Bandwidth</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Cost per Mbps <br /> (PHP/Mbps)</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Cost per Year</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Fiber X 1500</td>
<td>N/A</td>
<td style="text-align: right">1500</td>
<td style="text-align: right">35</td>
<td style="text-align: right">42.86</td>
<td style="text-align: right">18,000 PHP</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Fiber X 1500 Xtra</td>
<td>N/A</td>
<td style="text-align: right">1599</td>
<td style="text-align: right">45</td>
<td style="text-align: right">35.53</td>
<td style="text-align: right">19,188 PHP</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Fiber X 2500</td>
<td>N/A</td>
<td style="text-align: right">2500</td>
<td style="text-align: right">100</td>
<td style="text-align: right">25.00</td>
<td style="text-align: right">30,000 PHP</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Fiber X 3500</td>
<td>N/A</td>
<td style="text-align: right">3500</td>
<td style="text-align: right">200</td>
<td style="text-align: right">17.50</td>
<td style="text-align: right">42,000 PHP</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3 id="pldt-fibr-plans"><a href="https://pldthome.com/fibr">PLDT Fibr Plans</a></h3>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Plan</th>
<th>Landline</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Price</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Bandwidth</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Cost per Mbps <br /> (PHP/Mbps)</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Cost per Year</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Unli Fibr 1699</td>
<td>Yes</td>
<td style="text-align: right">1699</td>
<td style="text-align: right">35</td>
<td style="text-align: right">48.54</td>
<td style="text-align: right">20,388 PHP</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Unli Fibr 2099</td>
<td>Yes</td>
<td style="text-align: right">2099</td>
<td style="text-align: right">50</td>
<td style="text-align: right">41.98</td>
<td style="text-align: right">25,188 PHP</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Unli Fibr 2699</td>
<td>Yes</td>
<td style="text-align: right">2699</td>
<td style="text-align: right">100</td>
<td style="text-align: right">26.99</td>
<td style="text-align: right">32,388 PHP</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Unli Fibr 3799</td>
<td>Yes</td>
<td style="text-align: right">3799</td>
<td style="text-align: right">200</td>
<td style="text-align: right">19.00</td>
<td style="text-align: right">45,588 PHP</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Unli Fibr 5799</td>
<td>Yes</td>
<td style="text-align: right">5799</td>
<td style="text-align: right">600</td>
<td style="text-align: right">9.67</td>
<td style="text-align: right">69,588 PHP</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Unli Fibr 9499</td>
<td>Yes</td>
<td style="text-align: right">9499</td>
<td style="text-align: right">1000</td>
<td style="text-align: right">9.50</td>
<td style="text-align: right">113,988 PHP</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3 id="globe-unli-plans"><a href="https://shop.globe.com.ph/broadband/unli-fiber-internet-plans">Globe Unli Plans</a></h3>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Plan</th>
<th>Landline</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Price</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Bandwidth</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Cost per Mbps <br /> (PHP/Mbps)</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Cost per Year</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Unli Plan 1499</td>
<td>N/A</td>
<td style="text-align: right">1499</td>
<td style="text-align: right">20</td>
<td style="text-align: right">74.95</td>
<td style="text-align: right">17,988 PHP</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Unli Plan 1699</td>
<td>Yes</td>
<td style="text-align: right">1699</td>
<td style="text-align: right">25</td>
<td style="text-align: right">67.96</td>
<td style="text-align: right">20,388 PHP</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Unli Plan 1899</td>
<td>Yes</td>
<td style="text-align: right">1899</td>
<td style="text-align: right">35</td>
<td style="text-align: right">54.26</td>
<td style="text-align: right">22,788 PHP</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Unli Plan 2499</td>
<td>Yes</td>
<td style="text-align: right">2499</td>
<td style="text-align: right">50</td>
<td style="text-align: right">49.98</td>
<td style="text-align: right">29,988 PHP</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Unli Plan 2899</td>
<td>Yes</td>
<td style="text-align: right">2899</td>
<td style="text-align: right">100</td>
<td style="text-align: right">28.99</td>
<td style="text-align: right">34,788 PHP</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Unli Plan 3499</td>
<td>Yes</td>
<td style="text-align: right">3499</td>
<td style="text-align: right">200</td>
<td style="text-align: right">17.50</td>
<td style="text-align: right">41,988 PHP</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Unli Plan 4999</td>
<td>Yes</td>
<td style="text-align: right">4999</td>
<td style="text-align: right">500</td>
<td style="text-align: right">10.00</td>
<td style="text-align: right">59,988 PHP</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Unli Plan 9499</td>
<td>Yes</td>
<td style="text-align: right">9499</td>
<td style="text-align: right">1024</td>
<td style="text-align: right">9.28</td>
<td style="text-align: right">113,988 PHP</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h2 id="comparison">Comparison</h2>
<h3 id="higher-plans-are-cheaper">Higher Plans are Cheaper</h3>
<p>All the plans of the ISPs (Internet Service Provider) above have more bang for your buck (<em>lower cost per Mbps</em>) as you go with higher plans. Should you just avail the highest / most expensive plan then? <strong>Definitely not!</strong></p>
<p>You will be shelling out a LOT more of your hard-earned money and a regular household probably couldn’t fully utilize the bandwidth of these plans.</p>
<p class="notice"><strong>Note:</strong> It is also important to consider that you have your mobile data plan as well. Try summing up all your phone and Internet bills, you might be surprised how much you’re spending per year.</p>
<h3 id="affordable-plans">Affordable Plans</h3>
<p>Amongst the affordable / lower-tier plans, Converge Fiber X 1500 Xtra is the most affordable one with the highest bandwidth.</p>
<p>But, Converge does not offer a landline. Almost all PLDT and Globe plans include a landline which normally costs around 700 PHP per month.</p>
<p>You might be shocked once you see the huge drop of the price per Mbps after we factored out the cost of landline.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Provider</th>
<th>Plan</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Price</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Price <br /> (landline cost removed)</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Bandwidth</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Cost per Mbps <br /> (w/o landline)</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Converge</td>
<td>Fiber X 1500</td>
<td style="text-align: right">1500</td>
<td style="text-align: right">same</td>
<td style="text-align: right">35</td>
<td style="text-align: right">42.86</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Converge</td>
<td>Fiber X 1500 Xtra</td>
<td style="text-align: right">1599</td>
<td style="text-align: right">same</td>
<td style="text-align: right">45</td>
<td style="text-align: right">35.53</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>PLDT</td>
<td>Unli Fibr 1699</td>
<td style="text-align: right">1699</td>
<td style="text-align: right">999</td>
<td style="text-align: right">35</td>
<td style="text-align: right">28.54</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>PLDT</td>
<td>Unli Fibr 2099</td>
<td style="text-align: right">2099</td>
<td style="text-align: right">1399</td>
<td style="text-align: right">50</td>
<td style="text-align: right">27.98</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Globe</td>
<td>Unli Plan 1499</td>
<td style="text-align: right">1499</td>
<td style="text-align: right">same</td>
<td style="text-align: right">20</td>
<td style="text-align: right">74.95</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Globe</td>
<td>Unli Plan 1699</td>
<td style="text-align: right">1699</td>
<td style="text-align: right">999</td>
<td style="text-align: right">25</td>
<td style="text-align: right">39.96</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Globe</td>
<td>Unli Plan 1899</td>
<td style="text-align: right">1899</td>
<td style="text-align: right">1199</td>
<td style="text-align: right">35</td>
<td style="text-align: right">34.26</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Turns out that PLDT Unli Fibr 1699 and Globe Unli Plan 1899 have cheaper bandwidth price than Converge Fiber X 1500 Xtra. <em>*shocked*</em></p>
<p>Should you just go for PLDT or Globe, then? <strong>It depends.</strong> If you need or want a landine, definitely go with PLDT or Globe. Otherwise, go for Converge.</p>
<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>
<p>Every household / person has different needs and use cases. For our case, subscribing to Converge Fiber X 1500 Xtra is the right plan because we don’t need a landline. Even if the cost per Mbps is slightly higher, the total cost per year is still lower.</p>
<p>Remember to check your budget first before determining your wants. Also, don’t forget to include mobile data plans of every household member when budgeting.</p>
<p>Hope my post helps you decide! Stay safe!</p>Ed Oswald GoChoosing the right fiber plan that will best fit your home needs? Check out if the ongoing add-on promo of Converge Fiber X 1500 plan is the right one for you and your family.My Workflow for Editing Photos - Utilizing The Power of Adobe Lightroom for Mobile2019-02-10T00:00:00+00:002019-02-10T00:00:00+00:00https://edoswaldgo.com/photography/my-photo-editing-workflow-utilizing-adobe-lightroom-mobile<h2 id="introduction">Introduction</h2>
<p>Some time ago, my wife and I had been quite stubborn in sticking to SOOC (Straight Out of the Camera) when taking photographs because we wanted the photos be as natural as possible and to depend on how we expose the photo. But, rotating and cropping were completely fine for us as colors are not manipulated.</p>
<p class="notice"><strong>Side Note:</strong> I had just thought that this might be one of the factors that led me to buying a Fujifilm because of their color science. If you haven’t read my post on how I decided my first camera, click <a href="/photography/buying-my-first-camera-fujifilm-xa10/">here</a> to view it.</p>
<p>As I create images for my site and build a portfolio of my photos, I noticed that my photos look very normal even if I like the composition. I felt like there was something missing especially when comparing with beautiful photos that can be found in social media. Also, there were many times when photos coming from my smartphone look better than my camera’s.</p>
<p><img src="/assets/img/blog/photography/parking-post-before-after-600x400.jpg" alt="image-center" title="Before and After Photo Edit" class="align-center" /></p>
<p>The frustration I felt piqued my interest in exploring post-processing as a way to enhance my photos and squeeze more beauty out of them. But, getting started with post-processing did not become as smooth as expected. Head down to know about my learnings on how to color grade my photos.</p>
<h2 id="problem">Problem</h2>
<p>I initially found <a href="https://rawtherapee.com/">Raw Therapee</a> for editing the raw photos of my <a href="http://www.fujifilmph.com/x-series/x-mirrorless-digital-camera/x-a10">Fujifilm X-A10</a>. It is a free cross-platform software which is actively being developed. I tried importing the raw <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.raf</code> files of my camera but I saw a very flat image which is very far from the SOOC image. Unfortunately, I learned that the software has no support with the camera used at that time. As far as I remember, I chose a different camera profile instead, to have some starting point.</p>
<p class="notice--info"><strong>Update:</strong> Based from the repository of Raw Therapee, the Fujifilm X-A10 is already supported as of v5.5. Click <a href="https://github.com/Beep6581/RawTherapee/issues/4447">here</a> to view the ticket.</p>
<p>Apart from the hiccup of the initial import, I was overwhelmed with the user interface. There were too many input controls and tabs. For an individual who is considered as a beginner, I highly recommend starting out with tutorials first because of various terminologies which can be too technical. I immediately jumped ship and searched for an alternative software that is easier for me to use.</p>
<p class="notice--warning"><strong>Note:</strong> The problem is not the tool but my incompetency and lack of knowledge. With my current knowledge, I think I am now eligible to use Raw Therapee and maybe I will create a post on this one in the future.</p>
<h3 id="solution">Solution</h3>
<p>After trying out different free software, I liked the user experience of the <a href="https://lightroom.adobe.com/">Adobe Lightroom CC</a> application for iOS. The user interface is much more basic and easier to understand, in my opinion. The support for albums and folders is very clean. The controls are collapsed by default and are arranged from top to bottom like how you will edit a photo (i.e. framing -> exposure -> color -> effects).</p>
<p>Starting out with Lightroom was also not that smooth because the free version only supports the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Negative">DNG (Digital Negative)</a> file format. I needed to convert the raw <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.raf</code> files to <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.dng</code> format. Luckily, <a href="https://www.adobe.com/">Adobe</a> provides a free converter software, named <a href="https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/digital-negative.html">Adobe DNG Converter</a>, for this additional step.</p>
<p>These are the software I chose for practicing and improving my photo editing skills. I would like to share the workflow I came up with for streamlining some of the steps requiring human intervention. See my workflow steps below.</p>
<h3 id="bonus-photo-editing-workflow">Bonus: Photo Editing Workflow</h3>
<ol>
<li>
<p>Transfer the images from your camera to a PC / Mac.</p>
<p class="notice--info"><strong>Tip #1:</strong> Aside from using a fast SD card, it is also great to use a fast and reliable card reader.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Open the Adobe DNG Converter software and process the raw files to <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.dng</code>.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Transfer back the converted <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.dng</code> files to your device with Lightroom for mobile.</p>
<p class="notice--info"><strong>Tip #2:</strong> In case you are using a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network-attached_storage">NAS (Network-Attached Storage)</a> at home, you may also use the free <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/documents-by-readdle/id364901807">Documents</a> application in iOS because of its support to different kinds of protocol like Samba.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Open the Lightroom Mobile application and import the <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.dng</code> files desired.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Start editing and unleash your creativity.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Export the edited version of the photo to your desired channel.</p>
<p class="notice--info"><strong>Tip #3:</strong> Lightroom for mobile supports sharing of the edited version to specific applications like <a href="http://instagram.com/">Instagram</a> or directly share it via <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AirDrop">AirDrop</a> which is very very handy.</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p><img src="/assets/img/blog/photography/parking-post-after-600-x400.jpg" alt="image-center" title="Parking Post After Photo Edit" class="align-center" /></p>
<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>
<p>My workflow is not the best and not the most efficient. The need for transferring images from camera to PC / Mac can be cumbersome instead of just directly transferring to your mobile phone. Batch editing is not possible in Lightroom for mobile because you can only paste presets to one image at a time. Well, at least it can export multiple images.</p>
<p>The features of the free version of Lightroom for mobile are already sufficient especially for beginners like me. I believe that its features are powerful enough to extract more details out, pop some more colors, and modify the mood of the image. I have no plans of altering my workflow nor subscribing to the paid Lightroom version, currently.</p>
<p>Color grading your images can greatly boost the overall beauty of the photos. But, it is also possible to ruin the image when overdoing some things. Try applying a bit of everything to grasp how each setting affects your photo. Lastly, always make sure that you are taking raw photos aside from jpg for easier manipulation while retaining the great quality of your images.</p>
<p>Hope you like my post! Feel free to comment / suggest some workflow tweaks and other software suggestions. Cheers!</p>Ed Oswald GoWanting to enhance your photographs for free? Learn how I get started on post-processing my photos and have an overview of my photo editing workflow.What is Your Favorite Focal Length? Determine Your Frequently Used Focal Lengths via ExifTool2019-01-01T00:00:00+00:002019-01-01T00:00:00+00:00https://edoswaldgo.com/photography/what-is-your-favorite-focal-length<h2 id="introduction">Introduction</h2>
<p>Firstly, I would like to greet you a happy happy new year! May you have a prosperous and cheerful 2019. Past few weeks have been quite busy and it has been a while since my last post. In general, 2018 went well for me especially the opportunities to travel with my wife and to learn more about photography.</p>
<p>To start the fresh new year, I would like to create a light and fun post with regard to photography. Most interchangeable-lens cameras being sold on the market are accompanied with a lens that will let you shoot right out of the box. Those <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kit_lens">lenses</a> are called as kit or starter lenses and often cover most of the focal lengths you will need, from wide to medium telephoto.</p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/oswaldogo/45640793795/in/datetaken-public/" title="What’s Your Favorite Focal Length?"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7826/45640793795_a60f27441c_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="What’s Your Favorite Focal Length?" /></a></p>
<p>When I bought my first dedicated camera, the <a href="/photography/buying-my-first-camera-fujifilm-xa10/">Fujifilm X-A10</a>, it came with a 16-50mm kit lens. While for my wife’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EOS_550D">Canon 550D</a>, the camera came with the 18-55mm lens. We have used them on our trips and got satisfying results.</p>
<p class="notice--warning"><strong>Note:</strong> Having a kit lens should not hinder you from taking beautiful photos. Keep shooting and practice your composition skills for a better foundation.</p>
<p>People might say that upgrading your kit lens to a good affordable prime lens can give you sharper and more beautiful photos. If you feel that you have already outgrown your kit lens and want something more, upgrading to a faster and affordable prime lens can be a great option. But, this upgrade have some drawbacks that might lead you to just leaving your new lens at home.</p>
<h2 id="problem">Problem</h2>
<p>A prime lens has a fixed focal length as compared to the usual kit lens with variable focal lengths. Flexibility of zoom lenses is very handy because you can compose more even when just standing at one place. For prime lenses, you need to move your feet in order to achieve your desired composition for farther/nearer subjects.</p>
<p class="notice--info"><strong>Tip:</strong> Moving your feet for composition can be a benefit rather than a consequence because there are times when you will see a different perspective that is better than the composition you foresee.</p>
<p>Another problem, a bigger one, is when you do not know the focal length you want to use. You might have heard many people say that you need to buy the affordable 50mm prime lens, a.k.a. the Nifty-Fifty, as your second lens. But, some people will say that the Nifty-Fifty is too tight especially for crop sensor cameras. Head below to learn about determining your favorite focal length for your first prime lens.</p>
<h2 id="solution">Solution</h2>
<p>Remember my <a href="/photography/how-to-modify-photos-metadata-using-exiftool/">post</a> before on how I used <a href="https://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/">ExifTool</a> to modify the metadata of my photos especially the focal length? Now, we will still use ExifTool but for data gathering purposes. Assuming that you already have some photo dumps from your past shoots, we will use those photos to know your frequently used focal lengths.</p>
<h3 id="data-gathering-via-exiftool">Data Gathering via ExifTool</h3>
<ol>
<li>
<p>Download and install ExifTool (<em>may follow the instructions <a href="https://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/install.html">here</a></em>)</p>
<p class="notice--info"><strong>ProTip:</strong> For Mac users with Homebrew, you may get ExifTool via <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">brew install exiftool</code></p>
</li>
<li>
<p>After the installation, open your favorite console emulator.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Go to some directory for placing the retrieved data.</p>
<div class="language-bash highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code> <span class="nb">cd</span> ~/Documents/
</code></pre></div> </div>
</li>
<li>
<p>Execute the following command to list the <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">FocalLength</code> property of all the image files inside the directory.</p>
<div class="language-bash highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code> exiftool <span class="nt">-FocalLength</span> <span class="nt">-csv</span> <span class="nt">-t</span> <span class="nt">-r</span> ~/Pictures/album-to-process <span class="o">></span> focal-lengths.csv
</code></pre></div> </div>
</li>
<li>
<p>After ExifTool finishes processing the directory, it will generate a <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">.csv</code> file while displaying how many images were processed.</p>
<div class="language-bash highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code> 1 directories scanned
1092 image files <span class="nb">read</span>
</code></pre></div> </div>
</li>
</ol>
<h3 id="data-analysis-via-google-sheets">Data Analysis via Google Sheets</h3>
<p>After gathering data, let us find some meaningful information</p>
<ol>
<li>
<p>Open the .csv output file of ExifTool in <a href="https://sheets.google.com">Google Sheets</a></p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>SourceFile</th>
<th>FocalLength</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>~/Pictures/album-to-process/IMG001.JPG</td>
<td>16.0 mm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>~/Pictures/album-to-process/IMG002.JPG</td>
<td>35.0 mm</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>~/Pictures/album-to-process/IMG003.JPG</td>
<td>50.0 mm</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</li>
<li>
<p>Click on the <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">FocalLength</code> header</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Click <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Insert</code> -> <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">Chart</code></p>
</li>
</ol>
<p><img src="/assets/img/blog/cameras/focal-length-summary-700x433.png" alt="image-center" title="Focal Length Summary" class="align-center" /></p>
<p class="notice--info"><strong>Tip:</strong> You may sort the <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">FocalLength</code> column for better visualization of ascending focal lengths.</p>
<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>
<p>Based from the chart above, the most frequent focal length I use is 16mm, which is relatively wide even for a crop sensor camera. I can say that I really love to take pictures using a wide angle lens because I love nature and landscapes. The solution I provided is not 100% foolproof as there are many factors that can easily affect your data.</p>
<ol>
<li>
<p>Location / Genre - Some places are more scenic but depending on your location, you might need to zoom more. For people who love shooting portraits, they might be also zooming more to have a compressed shot.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Garbage Images / Test Shots - It is best to process only albums that are properly curated because not all shots are usable and will probably just skew the data.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Conscious Decision - You might have noticed that 35mm and 50mm succeeded 16mm from the chart. This is because I want to shoot using these fixed focal lengths to have a feel of prime lenses.</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>I hope this method can help you understand more about your shooting style and preferences. If you do not have some backing data for analysis, I believe item #3 is the best way to try out specific focal lengths. This can greatly help you decide in purchasing your new lens. Cheers!</p>
<p><em>P.S. I mentioned, at the start of the article, that this post is a fun one. This is quite shallow but for me, trying to integrate different fields, even just the basic concepts, is very enjoyable.</em></p>
<script async="" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Ed Oswald GoA fun but inaccurate way to know your favorite focal length using ExifTool, Google Sheets and your huge amount of travel photos.Appliance Shopping Guide - Three Cs to Remember When Buying Appliances2018-12-09T00:00:00+00:002018-12-09T00:00:00+00:00https://edoswaldgo.com/adulting/appliance-shopping-guide-three-c-to-remember<h2 id="introduction">Introduction</h2>
<p>The holidays are just around the corner and promos are being released by stores here and there. Aside from buying gifts for family and friends during this season, you might already have a wishlist on what to buy for yourself.</p>
<p>Are you eyeing a more efficient air-conditioner or a wide vibrant LED TV for your living room this Christmas? Purchasing appliances involving large sum of money is not an easy decision especially for your hard-earned money. I curated the steps I usually do when buying appliances. Head down below to know the three important Cs that I want to share to you when buying appliances in general.</p>
<h2 id="1-checklist">1. Checklist</h2>
<h3 id="know-your-budget">Know Your Budget</h3>
<p>Budget is the most important point to know because this will limit or hinder your purchase.</p>
<h3 id="know-your-needs">Know Your “Needs”</h3>
<p>Why are you buying this appliance? How do you envision the appliance in helping you improve your quality of life? Will you save more time and money as you use the tools over time? If yes, the next step is to determine the different factors that will affect the usage of the appliance. For example,</p>
<ul>
<li>Washing Machine
<ul>
<li>How heavy are your clothes per wash?</li>
<li>How frequent do you wash your clothes? Daily or weekly?</li>
<li>Are you willing to split the laundry in multiple batches?</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Refrigerator
<ul>
<li>How many people are there in your household?</li>
<li>Do you love to cook?</li>
<li>How much food do you store on a regular basis?</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>TV
<ul>
<li>How far is your couch from the TV rack?</li>
<li>Do you need the features of a smart TV?</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Air-conditioner
<ul>
<li>How big is the room that needs to be cooled?</li>
<li>Will the air-conditioner operate for long hours?</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="know-your-wants">Know Your Wants</h3>
<p>More expensive variants of appliances usually have more features and more advanced technology. If you think that those additional features will be very helpful and make you more efficient, you can always opt for the higher-end types as long as you have the budget. See some extra features of appliances that you might want below.</p>
<ul>
<li>Washing Machine
<ul>
<li>You might want to save more water and go for a front load variant.</li>
<li>If it will be too much of a hassle to split the clothes by batches, you can go for a larger capacity one.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Refrigerator
<ul>
<li>You might want fancy features like ice dispensers or even see through doors.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>TV
<ul>
<li>Have you heard of the statement <em>“Bigger is Better”</em> when buying TVs? You might want to buy a bigger TV for a more immense experience.</li>
<li>Do you have a plan of building your own home theater in the future? A bigger TV will definitely match your Hi-Fi setup.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Air-conditioner
<ul>
<li>If you are starting to integrate smart features in your home, you might want to also control your air-conditioner through your smartphone.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="know-the-brands-specialties">Know the Brands’ Specialties</h3>
<p>Search for the top and recommended brands for a specific appliance. Check for the common problems of users with first-hand experience of the brands and their makes. Also, list out alternative quality brands in case your top choice is not available.</p>
<p>It is important to note that you should not stick to a single brand for all your appliances. If for example, Brand X is well-known in making good quality TVs, it does <strong>NOT</strong> mean that Brand X is already good in making a different kind of appliance.</p>
<p><img src="/assets/img/blog/appliances/washing-machine-panel-640x427.jpg" alt="image-center" title="LG Washing Machine" class="align-center" /></p>
<h2 id="2-canvas-online-and-offline">2. Canvas (Online and Offline)</h2>
<ul>
<li>View items online to have a list of potential desired items. List them down. This will serve as your baseline.</li>
<li>Visit your local stores to check item availability and prices.
<ul>
<li>Some local appliances stores:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.abenson.com/">Abenson</a></li>
<li><a href="https://ansons.ph/">Anson’s</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.automatic-centre.com/">Automatic Centre</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.smappliance.com/">SM Appliance Center</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.western.com.ph/">Western Appliances</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Do not expect to find the exact models you encountered online on your local appliances stores (unless you’re in the US, EU, or other major ones).</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<p class="notice--info"><strong>Recommendation:</strong> Most of the time, we buy our appliances at Anson’s because of the competitive prices and location.</p>
<h2 id="3-cash">3. Cash</h2>
<ul>
<li>Always ask if the store offers cash discount. The posted prices in stores are usually the SRPs (Suggested Retail Price).</li>
<li>Ask if price of cash payment is the same as (or slightly differs from) straight payment using a credit card. Better stick with your credit card if there is only little difference to earn rewards points.</li>
<li>Beware of the 0% interest installment being offered by merchants as you will probably be paying the SRP.</li>
<li>If the cash discount is already huge but still out of your budget, maybe that is a sign that you need to save more money and wait until you have sufficient budget for that item.</li>
<li><strong>Important Note:</strong> Paying in cash is not always the best option especially if it will disrupt your cash flow. This is more applicable to entrepreneurs who need funds for their businesses. Example, given the ff:
<ul>
<li>SRP: 100,000PHP</li>
<li>Cash Discount: 30,000PHP</li>
<li>0% 12mos. Installment: 8,333.33PHP per month</li>
</ul>
<p>If you can generate more than 30,000PHP in one year using that capital, you may opt to pay in installment.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p class="notice--info"><strong>Tip:</strong> If you have decided that you will buy the item at Anson’s and pay in cash, ask for the manager’s discount. This can save you a few and you can use it for the delivery fee.</p>
<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>
<p>Buying things is very exciting and fun for most people. But for some (like me), it is quite stressful because I want to buy things that provide the most bang for my buck and to ensure that I will not regret my purchases in the end.</p>
<p>This is not a bulletproof buying guide. The most important thing to remember is to always spend within your allotted budget (without breaking the bank).</p>
<p>I hope that the brief guide I made help you be a wiser shopper.</p>
<p>Happy holidays! Cheers!</p>
<script async="" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Ed Oswald GoThree days left before the big 12.12 sale and you surely are excited with sale and promos. Before purchasing, read my guide for tips on how to shop wisely.A Fast SD Card for Your Camera: Do You Need One?2018-11-25T00:00:00+00:002018-12-09T11:00:00+00:00https://edoswaldgo.com/photography/do-you-need-a-fast-sd-card-for-your-camera<h2 id="introduction">Introduction</h2>
<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_Digital">SD (Secure Digital)</a> cards are the common storage media being used by modern digital cameras. They are very important to a camera setup because they are like analog camera films where the pictures are stored in. Having a reliable storage medium is a must for preventing data loss and corruption, but how about the performance of the SD card?</p>
<p>When taking pictures before, there were times when my camera froze due to some write delays. My camera did not let me take another shot without waiting for the write operation to finish. You might have heard that you need a class 10 SD card at the minimum in order not to encounter some bottleneck when taking pictures. But, I was already using a class 10 card! How come I was still encountering some bottleneck?</p>
<p>I usually take pictures in RAW + JPEG mode using my <a href="http://www.fujifilmph.com/x-series/x-mirrorless-digital-camera/x-a10">Fujifilm X-A10</a>. The approximate size of my camera’s output is 24 MB for RAW and 5MB for JPEG. Given the numbers, I might be hitting the maximum write speed of my SD card and might be needing an SD card that is faster in writing ~30 MB at a given time frame.</p>
<p class="notice--info"><strong>Tip:</strong> JPEGS are quite handy because whenever I am lazy to do some RAW editing, I can just easily transfer the photos to my smartphone and upload to some social media platform.</p>
<h2 id="choosing-an-sd-card">Choosing an SD Card</h2>
<p>In case you are not yet familiar with the SD card speed classes, you will usually see classes 2, 4, 6, and 10; the numbers indicate the minimum write speed of the card in Megabytes per second (MB/s). Now, there are more ratings to cards. You might also see the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secure_Digital#UHS">Ultra High Speed-I (UHS-I)</a> interface classes, U1 or U3, indicating a minimum write speed of <em>10 MB/s</em> and <em>30 MB/s</em>, respectively.</p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/oswaldogo/46037946041/in/datetaken-public/" title="Test of SD Cards - Guess Who’s The Winner"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4871/46037946041_83673a56e5_k.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="Test of SD Cards - Guess Who’s The Winner" /></a></p>
<p>I recently purchased a 32GB <a href="https://www.sandisk.com/home/memory-cards/sd-cards/extremepro-sd-uhs-i">SanDisk Extreme PRO</a> which is a class 10 UHS-I U3 card. It has a read speed rating of up to <em>95 MB/s</em> and up to <em>90 MB/s</em> for its write speed. I opted to buy the Extreme PRO instead of the <a href="https://www.sandisk.com/home/memory-cards/sd-cards/extreme-sd-uhs-i">Extreme</a> version because of the write speed rating difference.</p>
<p class="notice--info"><strong>Tip:</strong> I prefer to carry more smaller capacity cards to lessen the risk of losing all my photos in case of a broken or corrupted card.</p>
<p>The Extreme version only supports a write speed of up to <em>40 MB/s</em> for 16-64 GB and up to <em>60 MB/s</em> for the 128-256 GB variants. Aside from the write speed rating difference, the Extreme PRO has a better bang for my buck because of the price to write speed ratio. I gave more importance to the write speed ratio as compared to the price to capacity ratio for this case.</p>
<div class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code> Extreme 32GB:
600 PHP / 40 MBps = 15 PHP / MBps
600 PHP / 32 GB = 18.75 PHP / GB
Extreme PRO 32GB:
800 PHP / 90 MBps = 8.88 PHP / MBps
800 PHP / 32 GB = 25 PHP / GB
</code></pre></div></div>
<p class="notice--warning"><strong>Note:</strong> Prices are rounded up and are not the SRPs as of 25-November 2018. Also, please be aware that there are many fake memory cards. Double check the credibility of the sellers before buying.</p>
<h2 id="testing-the-sd-card">Testing the SD Card</h2>
<p>As there are many fake memory cards being sold today, first, I wanted to verify the performance of the card I bought if it lives up to the rating of the manufacturer. It would be a waste if I bought a fake memory card that performs like a lower class one. For this verification, I found a great software named <a href="https://crystalmark.info/en/software/crystaldiskmark">CrystalDiskMark</a>. It is an open-source disk benchmark tool for measuring the read and write performance of your hard disk, SSD, and/or flash drives.</p>
<p>Also, this software gave me an opportunity to measure my current SD card. I am using the <a href="https://www.sandisk.com/home/memory-cards/sd-cards/ultra-sd-48mbs">SanDisk Ultra</a> freebie back when I bought my camera. It is a class 10 UHS-I card and has a read speed rating of <em>48 MB/s</em>. There’s no actual write speed rating based from the product specification but it will surely be slower than its read speed.</p>
<h3 id="software-test---crystaldiskmark-v602-x64">Software Test - CrystalDiskMark (v6.0.2 x64)</h3>
<p>I used the <a href="http://www.ugreen.com.cn/product-912-en.html">UGreen USB 3.0 Card Reader</a> for connecting the SD cards to my machine where CrystalDiskMark v6.0.2 x64 is installed. I set CrystalDiskMark’s test count to five with one GB test data. I included some of my existing SD cards to the test for comparison. The results confirmed that the Extreme PRO SD card I bought is up to its rating. For my SanDisk Ultra card, its write speed is less than 30 MB/s which might explain why I was encountering some write delays.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>SD Card</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Capacity (GB)</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Seq Q32T1 (Read MB/s)</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Seq Q32T1 (Write MB/s)</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://www.sandisk.com/home/memory-cards/sd-cards/extremepro-sd-uhs-i">SanDisk Extreme PRO</a></td>
<td style="text-align: right">32</td>
<td style="text-align: right">91.40</td>
<td style="text-align: right">85.63</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://www.sandisk.com/home/memory-cards/sd-cards/ultra-sd-48mbs">SanDisk Ultra</a></td>
<td style="text-align: right">16</td>
<td style="text-align: right">46.32</td>
<td style="text-align: right">28.86</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://www.kingston.com/en/flash/microsd_cards/sdc10g2">Kingston MicroSD</a></td>
<td style="text-align: right">32</td>
<td style="text-align: right">45.98</td>
<td style="text-align: right">13.34</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>SanDisk Ultra MicroSD</td>
<td style="text-align: right">64</td>
<td style="text-align: right">45.93</td>
<td style="text-align: right">12.35</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h3 id="camera-test---fujifilm-x-a10">Camera Test - Fujifilm X-A10</h3>
<p>After the satisfying benchmark results from <a href="https://crystalmark.info/en/software/crystaldiskmark">CrystalDiskMark</a>, now let’s head on to the integration test with the <a href="http://www.fujifilmph.com/x-series/x-mirrorless-digital-camera/x-a10">Fujifilm X-A10</a> camera. Digital cameras have a memory buffer that stores images temporarily before getting written to the SD card. The buffer can help photographers in burst shooting to capture more photos while writing in the background. The faster the writing to the card, the faster the buffer clears.</p>
<p>I wanted to verify the card performance using my camera and determine if my camera would choke on its image buffer (which would make me regret the SD card purchase). The test was to continuously shoot in RAW for 30 seconds and determine how much data could be written to the SD card. I recorded videos of the camera during testing to know the total time of writing in which I depended on the camera’s light indicator. Head down below to see the results of the test.</p>
<p class="notice--info"><strong>Note :</strong> This test involved shooting pure RAW images only. I did not include JPEG because it would add more processing overhead to the camera which might skew the writing results.</p>
<h4 id="camera-configuration">Camera Configuration</h4>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Option</th>
<th>Value</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Continuous Shooting</td>
<td>H (6.0 fps)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Focus Mode</td>
<td>MF</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>ISO</td>
<td>200</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Shutter Speed</td>
<td>1/200</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Image Quality</td>
<td>RAW</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Dynamic Range</td>
<td>Auto</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Film Simulation</td>
<td>Standard</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>White Balance</td>
<td>Auto</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Shoot Without Lens</td>
<td>On</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>MF Assist</td>
<td>Standard</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<h4 id="camera-test---results">Camera Test - Results</h4>
<p>The performance of the Sandisk Extreme PRO did not disappoint me even if it did not reach the write speed from the software test. Its results really blew past the performance of the other SD cards I’ve used. Comparing the results from CrystalDiskMark, the result of the Sandisk Ultra was quite strange as it was the 2nd top performer but became the slowest one for this test.</p>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>SD Card</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Data Written (MB)</th>
<th style="text-align: right">No. of Images (RAW)</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Write Time (s)</th>
<th style="text-align: right">Avg Write Speed (MB/s)</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://www.sandisk.com/home/memory-cards/sd-cards/extremepro-sd-uhs-i">SanDisk Extreme PRO</a></td>
<td style="text-align: right">2182.41</td>
<td style="text-align: right">94</td>
<td style="text-align: right">33</td>
<td style="text-align: right">66.13</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://www.sandisk.com/home/memory-cards/sd-cards/ultra-sd-48mbs">SanDisk Ultra (Gray)</a></td>
<td style="text-align: right">534.03</td>
<td style="text-align: right">23</td>
<td style="text-align: right">67</td>
<td style="text-align: right">7.97</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><a href="https://www.kingston.com/en/flash/microsd_cards/sdc10g2">Kingston MicroSD</a></td>
<td style="text-align: right">697.50</td>
<td style="text-align: right">30</td>
<td style="text-align: right">52</td>
<td style="text-align: right">13.41</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>SanDisk Ultra MicroSD</td>
<td style="text-align: right">581.25</td>
<td style="text-align: right">24</td>
<td style="text-align: right">61</td>
<td style="text-align: right">9.53</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p class="notice--warning"><strong>Important Note :</strong> In reality, people wouldn’t shoot like the test scenario done and I am not sure if the test done is safe for my camera. Best to still observe performance depending on your use case.</p>
<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>
<p>I am happy with my purchase given that SD card prices are now more affordable while achieving great performance. But really, I do not need that much of a performance because I do not take photos in burst mode as most photos I take are landspaces and products. I am hoping that I will not encounter any laggy moments in the future while using the SanDisk Extreme PRO card.</p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/oswaldogo/45516397954/in/datetaken-public/" title="SanDisk Extreme PRO - The Missing Piece"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1956/45516397954_220055b3a3_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="SanDisk Extreme PRO - The Missing Piece" /></a></p>
<p>Having a faster and better performing SD card is essential for increasing the throughput of your camera. They are great helpers but the need still depends on your use case, photography style, and budget. Below are some pointers that might help you decide if need an upgrade or not.</p>
<ol>
<li>If you are not having problems or hiccups with your current setup, then you do not need an upgrade.</li>
<li>If you are purely shooting JPEGs or shooting one image at a time, then you are probably fine with a normal class 10 card.</li>
<li>If your SD card is broken, buy a reliable one with the appropriate speed for your camera.</li>
<li>If you shoot many many many photos and tired of waiting, go with higher speeds.</li>
<li>The most important point is to just keep shooting and to practice more whatever your SD card is.</li>
</ol>
<p>Cheers!</p>
<script async="" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Ed Oswald GoHaving freezing problems with your camera? Learn why I bought a SanDisk Extreme PRO and how I tested its performance for my Fujifilm X-A10 camera to help overcome the performance bottleneck.Standardizing Your Wordpress Development Environment Using Docker2018-11-03T00:00:00+00:002018-11-03T00:00:00+00:00https://edoswaldgo.com/software/standardizing-wordpress-development-environment-using-docker<h2 id="introduction">Introduction</h2>
<p>You probably already heard of <a href="https://wordpress.com/">WordPress</a> or you might already been using it to power your websites or blogs. According to the report of <a href="https://w3techs.com/technologies/details/cm-wordpress/all/all">W3Techs</a>, WordPress is powering <em>32.2%</em> of all websites and <em>59.4%</em> of all <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Content_management_system">content management systems</a> across the globe as of November 2018.</p>
<p>Yes, the numbers are quite big for WordPress and the community is huge. Also, there are many themes and plugins being implemented actively by the community. Are you are planning to build your own personal website? I recommend you check this platform especially if you’re not a very technical person.</p>
<p class="notice--warning"><strong>Important Note:</strong> Be cautious on the plugins you are including to your website in order not to compromise security, performance, and stability.</p>
<p>For experienced WordPress developers, do you use a separate development environment before publishing your changes to a production or live environment? If yes, How do you maintain the consistency of your development environment from the production environment? Head down below to know more about the problems I encountered and how I handled them.</p>
<h2 id="problems">Problems</h2>
<p>The most popular server stack for running WordPress might still be <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LAMP_(software_bundle)">LAMP</a>, an acronym for Linux, Apache, MySQL/MariaDB, and PHP. Most hosting solutions provider will use Linux as the operating system for your WordPress instance. But, what if you are using Windows or Mac OS for development?</p>
<p>Aside from the operating system, another variable is the software package for development. Some will use <a href="https://www.apachefriends.org/index.html">XAMPP</a>. Others might be using <a href="http://www.wampserver.com/en/">WAMP</a> or <a href="https://www.mamp.info/en/">MAMP</a>. It is great if the team can have a consensus on what to use for uniformity. Still, the development environment wouldn’t be able to be as close as the production setup.</p>
<p>Furthermore, what if the software stack itself will be modified? i.e. instead of using Apache, the infrastructure will shift to use <a href="https://www.nginx.com">Nginx</a>. All of the developers will need to resetup their development environment and might encounter setup delays.</p>
<h2 id="docker-to-the-rescue">Docker to the Rescue</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.docker.com/">Docker</a> is a very popular tool especially for DevOps people. It provides virtualization capabilities at the operating system level, called as <em>“containerization”</em>. It lets you create containers containing application(s) inside. For deeper details regarding Docker containers, you may visit the link <a href="https://www.docker.com/resources/what-container">here</a>.</p>
<p>Docker supports major operating systems (i.e. Linux, Windows, and Mac OS). This will help address the operating system differences not only between developers but also with the live environment. Even if the developer is running Windows, we can build containers using Linux as base. Quite handy, right?</p>
<p>The Docker configuration file for the development environment can be submitted to the source repository which greatly promotes portability and productivity. Team members can now just pull the project and run it instantly without setup woes.</p>
<h2 id="dockerized-wordpress">Dockerized WordPress</h2>
<p>I chose <a href="https://lemp.io/">LEMP</a> stack as a starter project. Basically, this stack will use Nginx instead of the usual Apache web server. I listed the chosen Docker containers below for virtualizing the desired stack. Read more to find out how these components can be started with just one command using Docker Compose.</p>
<h3 id="list-of-containers">List of Containers</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://hub.docker.com/_/nginx/">Nginx</a> - Web server</li>
<li><a href="https://hub.docker.com/_/wordpress/">PHP-FPM with WordPress</a> - FastCGI implementation with built-in WordPress</li>
<li><a href="https://hub.docker.com/_/mariadb/">MariaDB</a> - Database server</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="getting-started">Getting Started</h3>
<ol>
<li>
<p>Install Docker and Compose. Click <a href="https://docs.docker.com/install/">here</a> for the official guide.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Clone the <a href="https://github.com/edoswaldgo/docker-wordpress-lemp">docker-wordpress-lemp</a> Git repository.</p>
<div class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code> git clone https://github.com/edoswaldgo/docker-wordpress-lemp.git
</code></pre></div> </div>
</li>
<li>
<p>Run Docker Compose</p>
<div class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge"><div class="highlight"><pre class="highlight"><code> cd docker-wordpress-lemp
docker-compose up -d
</code></pre></div> </div>
</li>
<li>
<p>Open the URL ( <a href="http://localhost">http://localhost</a> ) via web browser for initial WordPress setup.</p>
<p><img src="/assets/img/blog/docker-wordpress/wordpress-init-setup-600x450.jpg" alt="image-center" title="WordPress Initial Setup" class="align-center" /></p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Voila! Your environment is up and running.</p>
<p><img src="/assets/img/blog/docker-wordpress/landing-page-600x450.jpg" alt="image-center" title="WordPress Landing Page" class="align-center" /></p>
</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="virtualization-alternative">Virtualization Alternative</h2>
<p>Docker seems to be similar to a virtual machine. Why not just use <a href="https://www.vagrantup.com">Vagrant</a>? Short answer is familiarity. I am just more familiar with Docker as of the moment. Feel free to explore this one and may leave me messages about your experiences with Vagrant.</p>
<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>
<p>The Dockerized setup of WordPress for me is very clean, lightweight, and convenient. My local machine need not to be cluttered by the required components. I can easily dispose the created containers without worrying about dangling files.</p>
<p>Virtualization is key for bridging setup gaps and differences. Keeping the development environment close to the live environment is a big plus and Docker provided this without much hassle. In fact, Docker setups can be used in production as well. But, just always remember to remove sensitive data and do not expose them in plain text for production.</p>
<p>If you haven’t tried Docker yet, try it out now and I am pretty sure you will love it. Cheers!</p>
<p class="notice--info"><strong>Extra:</strong> My personal website is currently powered by <a href="https://pages.github.com/">GitHub Pages</a> using <a href="https://jekyllrb.com/">Jekyll</a>. You might wonder why I chose this setup and why I did not use WordPress for my personal website. Wait for my next post and we will tackle this topic soon!</p>Ed Oswald GoGuide on how to quickly setup your WordPress development environment using Docker. Learn more on how Docker helped me virtualizing LEMP stack in Windows.DIY Dry Box: Affordable Way of Storing Your Camera Gears Safely2018-10-28T00:00:00+00:002018-10-28T00:00:00+00:00https://edoswaldgo.com/photography/diy-drybox-for-camera-gear-storage<h2 id="introduction">Introduction</h2>
<p>Have you already read my post before on <a href="../buying-my-first-camera-fujifilm-xa10">how I chose my first camera</a>? I acquired more and more gears as time passed for supplementing my learning and curiosity about photography. I bought different prime lenses from wide <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">12mm</code> for landscapes to fast <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">55mm</code> for portraits.</p>
<p>Even if you normally buy affordable equipments, you will be quite surprised on the total amount you’ve spent for all your gears. That is why it is very important to protect and preserve them. I decided to assemble my own dry box for my camera storage at home.</p>
<h2 id="dry-box">Dry Box</h2>
<figure class="">
<img src="/assets/img/blog/diy-drybox/diy-drybox-600x450.jpg" alt="DIY Dry Box" />
<figcaption>
Dry box with my camera gears.
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h3 id="what-is-it">What Is It</h3>
<blockquote>
<p>“A dry box is a storage container in which the interior is kept at a low level of humidity. It may be as simple as an airtight and watertight enclosure, or it may use active means to remove water vapor from the air trapped inside.”
~ <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_box">Wikipedia</a> [Accessed October 2018]</p>
</blockquote>
<h3 id="why-use-one">Why Use One</h3>
<p>Have you seen photos taken by a camera or lens with fungus? The effect is quite distracting, right? By controlling the humidity, you can prevent fungus build up. Based from <a href="https://www.epa.gov/mold/brief-guide-mold-moisture-and-your-home">EPA</a>, the ideal relative humidity is between <em>30%</em> to <em>50%</em> for fungus prevention.</p>
<p>As camera owners, maintaining items in tip-top condition is very important to not waste your hard-earned money.</p>
<h3 id="how-to-build">How to Build</h3>
<p>Putting together the items below is very simple and straightforward. The challenge is more on the procurement of the items with the desired specifications.</p>
<h4 id="items-needed">Items Needed</h4>
<ul>
<li>Airtight Container
<ul>
<li>You need to find the right container size according to your current and future gear plans.</li>
<li>I chose a container with a bigger surface area while having a shorter height. It is easier for me to retrieve a specific equipment.</li>
<li>You can buy these containers at your local supermarket or department stores.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Dehumidifier / Desiccant
<ul>
<li>You can visit your local hardware stores or Japanese thrift stores for dehumidifiers.</li>
<li>You will need to replace these once saturated with water.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Hygrometer
<ul>
<li>May find and use a digital or analog hygrometer for this scenario.</li>
<li>Japanese thrift stores usually sell hygrometers but during my search, the item is not available. I just opted to buy the item online.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h2>
<p>The dry box I assembled has been able to fulfill my protection needs for almost a year. I usually open the airtight container a bit if the relative humidity drops quite low as I want to maintain it around <em>40%</em>. Hopefully, this setup could protect my gears for many years to come.</p>
<p>Let me know if you are also using this manual setup or if you already switched to an electronic dry box. Cheers!</p>Ed Oswald GoDo-It-Yourself guide on how to store your precious camera gears on a simple and cheap way using a dry box.