openSUSE basics: Quickly Releasing and Renewing your IP address

Category: openSUSE

If you're already booted up into openSUSE KDE but forgot to plug in your ethernet cable or your ethernet cable got disconnected while you were working, reconnecting the cable will often not get you back online immediately. Users actually don't need to head off to Konsole or a terminal immediately. After checking that the ethernet cable is firmly connected, click the Networking Interface in the notification tray.




Clear the Enable Networking box. This will disconnect the system from all networking interfaces. After a few seconds, check the Enable Networking box.




The steps are pretty much the same as ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew in Windows. openSUSE will immediately request for an IP address after you enable networking. The red indicator on the Networking Interface icon should now be clear. To check network traffic, click the Networking Interface Wired Connection (indicated as Wired Connection 1 in the screenshot) to check connection state and LAN IP address.

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10 Truths about Watching Downloaded or Streaming Videos Part 2

Category: Techtoday

6. Movies and TV shows available through legal video sites and questionable methods (such as torrents and usenet) provide freedom of distribution. Excellent shows such as British TV series The IT Crowd, Mumbai Calling, and Coupling can now be viewed by audiences numbed by terrible daytime and reality TV programming. Even racial prejudices, such as those aimed at Asian women and South Korea are corrected through highly entertaining Korean cinema, the titillating power of K-Pop music videos, the hallyu phenomenon, and leggy SNSD members.


Screenshot from Shyboy - Secret music video.


7. No one really complains about video players, codecs, operating systems, devices and Adobe Flash anymore. Videos are now about speed, file size, cost, audio quality, resolution, and availability.


Even Windows Media Player is a competent video player.
Screenshot from The Real Ghostbusters (1986) episode "Ragnarok and Roll"

8. Buying video? After the global recession is over please.

9. Unlimited repeat viewings. In the great days of Betamax and VHS, repeatedly watching Ghostbusters (1984)  could wear down a cassette tape. Today? I could watch Sean Connery scowl at Daniela Bianchi (From Russia with Love - 1963) or MacGyver (1985 TV series) grimace at every pistol aimed at him all day and the video file would still work 10 years from now. Plus, people will finally realize just how awesome Bruce Lee was through repeated viewings of Way of the Dragon (1972).


"This Blu-ray stuff is a jolly good invention!"
Screenshot from Goldfinger (1964)

10. The Internet is our personal time-traveling video machine. The Maltese Falcon (1941). Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955). Iron Man (1966) animation. Wheels on Meals with Jackie Chan (1984). Rowing with the Wind (1988) with Hugh Grant .  Top Gun (1986) with Tom Cruise.  Ghost Sweeper Mikami anime series (1993). Chungking Express (1994) with Takeshi Kaneshiro. God of Cookery with Stephen Chow (1996). Old favorites can never get away from us as long as videos are available on the Interet. And need I mention? Spider-Man (1967). 


"My hemorrhoids!"
Screenshot from "Horn of the Rhino" episode - Spider-Man (1967)

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10 Truths about Watching Downloaded or Streaming Videos Part 1

Category: Techtoday

1. Horror, slasher, and monster movies aren't scary if they suddenly pixelate, stutter, or fade into video lines midway through the video. In fact, the word "buffering" is scarier (unless you're watching Sadako crawling through the television in 1998's Ringu).


Jean Garcia in Shake, Rattle, and Roll X (2008)

2. Tech guys were right. HD downloads or Blu-ray rips won't make a movie any better. A terrible movie like Green Lantern (2011) is still a terrible movie even at the highest bit rate (even though Blake Lively is pretty amazing to look at in hi-res). On the other hand, awesome movies like the Indiana Jones Trilogy and the Back to the Future trilogy will always be worth watching even if the video was a spliced 15-second clip.


"We can't use that room. There's a webcam inside. . . I don't need no sex videos. I'm a college professor."
Screenshot from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

3. The strangest and most entertaining videos aren't from YouTube. Try European video sites or Chinese sites like Xunlei or Youku.com. You'll find sexy K-Pop videos, brutal martial art scenes, or hot Portuguese women - you'll either laugh yourself to death or will be bowled over with surprise.

4. Times and Newsweek a decade ago correctly reported that HD porn wasn't going to a be pretty sight especially if you could see the surgical scars, stretch marks, and misplaced hair growth of the actresses. That said, red-blooded males still get by with great audio, early non-HD videos of Sasha Grey or Japanese AV actresses like Maria Ozawa.


Sasha Grey's signature smirk.

5. One of the Internet's greatest contributions is widespread availability of foreign-language subtitles. A well-written and accurately transcribed .srt or .sub file is worth its weight in gold whether it's for anime, Spanish art movies, or classic French porn.


Lovely Michelle Chen in Taiwan's "You are the Apple of My Eye" (2011)

10 Truths about Watching Downloaded or Streaming Videos Part 2 - 6-10 Truths

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Holiday greetings from the real Spider-Man!

In the spirit of the holiday season, here are a few panels and a pin-up of the real Spider-Man during his real adventures in his first 32 years of publishing (not the garbage that Marvel, Dan Slott, Joe Quesada, Axel Alonso, Joe Quesada, and Steve Wacker, and others have been churning out like so much crap in the last 20 years).



"It woulda been a bleak Christmas without ya! Thanks!"
Amen, lady. Amen.
Art by Todd McFarlane and script by David Michelinie from Amazing Spider-Man#314 (1989)



Spidey and Mary Jane. 
Art by Steve Lightle from Marvel Holiday Special (1993)




Spidey and Santa. Legends shall never fade.
Art by Todd McFarlane and script by David Michelinie from Amazing Spider-Man#314 (1989)

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Display Comic Book (.CBR/.CBZ) thumbnails in KDE Dolphin

Category: Linux

KDE's Dolphin file manager supports .cbz and .cbr thumbnails out of the box. However, if you've recently installed a fresh copy of openSUSE 12.2 you might be wondering why comic book thumbnails aren't displayed automatically as in previous releases of openSUSE even if you press the Preview button. To make Dolphin load faster, comic book previews aren't switched on by default.

To enable comic book previews in Dolphin KDE:

1. Click the monkey wrench icon on the upper-right hand corner of Dolphin and click Configure Dolphin.

2. Click General on the left panel and then click the Preview tab.

3. In the Show previews for box, select Comic Books.

4. In the Local files above box, type 22 MB. By default, the value here is 3 MB. If you don't increase the MB size, thumbnails for high-resolution comic book scans will not appear in Dolphin.

5. Click Apply and then OK.

6. Navigate to your .cbr and .cbz folder and click the Preview button on the menu bar.

By default, Dolphin will remember the views of folders you've visited so you won't have to click the Preview button on a folder filled with comic book archives. However, if you want to set all your folders to have Preview enabled by default, leave the Preview feature enabled, open the Dolphin Preferences window, and click the Behavior tab under General. Select Use common view properties for all folders. Take note, however, that Preview will now be enabled regardless if the folder is filled with documents, images, or comic book archives.

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HTML5 is here to stay

Category: Techwriter

Although the news came out prominently (albeit briefly) in Wired's home page, the finalization of HTML5 standards was largely under the radar. This actually makes sense considering that most professionals are already waist-deep in HTML5 and are publishing books about the markup language despite the persistent prevalence of XHTML and XML on the web.

In a perfect world, HTML5 is the natural evolution of HTML and a unified platform for web developers. Even non-developers are aware that there are plenty of competitors to HTML5 and more than a dozen ways to structure data/text for the Internet. The mud-slinging and the propaganda when HTML5 was presented as the web standard was harsh - forums were filled with Adobe professionals lambasting HTML5 and defending Adobe Flash. Casual web users commented that HTML5 videos were pathetic and the necessary evil that was Flash was still an overwhelming preference. Of course, once Apple publicly dumped Adobe Flash, the tide somewhat turned for the non-coding citizens of the Internet. The debates were enough to drive me to the relative safety of XML and XHTML. Last year, I attended a conference about developing online videos and although the session was hardly useful (as most generally aren't), the lecturer correctly predicted that no one was in a hurry to adopt HTML5 until some hardware impetus occurred. As it turned out, it was Android and iOS on tablets and smartphones that broke the digital camel's back.

I envy today's generation of developers and programmers. They grew up firmly entrenched in the digital age and think in the same parallel lines as Javascript and PHP naturally. They require less effort to learn the backend and the syntax as compared to those who had to undergo the "traditional" way of learning markup and coding. I realize I'd have better luck learning industrial plumbing or sanitation engineering than jumping into the world of hardcore programming. Programmers can be as condescending as Apple users, as snobbish as digital artists, as prissy as the Kardashians, as temperamental as a drunken Hulk, and as critical as CNN political commentators, but they deserve whatever praise they get a hundredfold. HTML5 and CSS3, thankfully, seem to be designed for the rest of us who thrived freely during the medieval days of BBS, Netscape Navigator, and Space Quest.

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When should you switch to or install a new Linux distribution?

When should you switch Linux distributions? The easy answer is never, especially when the current Linux distribution you're running at home or on your server is working as smoothly as James Bond's pick-up lines. It can be very easy for new Linux users to be swayed by the announcements of other Linux distributions listed in sites like Distrowatch and Linux.com. Veteran Linux users and professionals already know the answer to this question. Users of rolling-release distributions from Archlinux, Debian, and openSUSE are pretty much married to their Linux choice. Enterprise IT staff are also generally content with their current setup and are very cautious about any changes to their chosen operating system. Home users and Linux enthusiasts like myself, on the other hand, can flirt with other Linux distributions regularly. So when exactly should you switch to/install a new Linux distribution?

1.You recently bought a new desktop, ultraportable, laptop, or netbook. Ok, so you don't want to dual-boot Linux on your new Macbook Air because the Apple Church will persecute you. But what about the sad Dell Inspiron or Toshiba Portege you left behind? Install Mageia or PCLinuxOS on that rig and give it the old Linux overhaul. You won't be disappointed and you'll probably toss aside that Air when you start enjoying that brand-spanking Linux distro.

2.You're tired of your desktop. Unlike MacOSX and Windows, Linux doesn't force feed you what desktop environment you should use. Does MacOSX cause you to regurgitate your dinner? Does Windows 8's tiles make you want to clean your toilet? Does Ubuntu Unity make you want to cry for your CLI? Instead of slapping on a desktop environment on top of your current Linux distribution, go for a fresh install of any one of the Xfce, KDE, orLXDE Linux spins. Although desktop environments like LXDE are considered modular, installing it over a distro that you initially installed as Gnome 3 or KDE will result in a very unpleasant experience. Native applications will mix with included applications of the new desktop environment. You may even experience system slowdown and crashes due to X issues between the two desktop environments (Gnome and KDE in particular don't play well together). Instead of having to troubleshoot errors, start fresh and install a Linux distribution which has a specific spin for that desktop. Fedora has spins for Xfce, LXDE, and KDE while Lubuntu is the best LXDE distribution out there. Linux Mint, of course, is tops with its Cinnamon release.

3.You tried a new Linux release with disastrous results. It's not uncommon that users make an online upgrade of their Linux distribution using the package manager without checking if the release notes encourage a clean install instead. The transition from openSUSE 11.x to 12.x was one such example with the Yast2 update causing ghostly bugs in KDE. Sometimes, users blindly upgrade to the latest release of their favorite distribution without realizing that the new release might not be their cup of tea. The biggest example of this was the horrible Ubuntu transition from the excellent Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat to the terribly disappointing Unity desktop of Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narhwal. Instead of biting your lip at the sheer inefficiency of Unity or Gnome 3, try a different Linux distribution. Moreover, a failed new release is a great excuse to venture out to other distributions that you haven't tried in awhile. Chances are there's one that floats your boat.

4.Your new or old hardware is starting to have issues with your Linux distribution. Contrary to popular belief, Linux handles new hardware very well. However, Linux works best with new hardware with a clean install. If you've been hanging on to your Linux distro for a long time and find out that new Bluetooth dongle or wireless card is having issues, it may be a good idea to reinstall or download the latest ISO of your favorite Linux distribution. This doesn't mean you shouldn't troubleshoot and visit the forums to get it working. This just means that sometimes all you need is a clean slate to get your new peripheral up and running instead of breaking your system with an untested or risky solution. Each Linux distribution has their own ways of supporting specific devices. For example, Fedora has historically had issues with the wireless cards on my laptops, while openSUSE KDE has problems fitting dialog windows in my 10.1" netbook screen. Battery life on my Lenovo Ideapad is better running openSUSE than Ubuntu. There's also the sticky matter of NVIDIA and ATI display drivers. Some Linux distributions work better than others when running open source drivers. Others work best with the official package provided by the manufacturer.

5.You want to learn more about Linux. So you've been using Linux for a few years now and you're very happy with your Linux distribution. You want to learn more about RedHat or Novell-related Linux distributions. You want to set up your own server or build your Linux desktop from scratch. It's time to try a more involved Linux distribution like Archlinux, Debian, or Gentoo. You will definitely learn a lot and will build your confidence in handling Unix-like systems. Moreover, once you've successfully set up your hyper-awesome system, you'll have serious tech cred.

6.You want to specialize. Remember the time when each G.I.Joe action figure had a specialty? Well, there are dozens of Linux distributions designed with a specific function in mind. There are fairly easy ones like the backup image solution Clonezilla and FreeNAS for setting up network access storage. There are also distributions for firewalls (IpFire), security testing (Backtrack Linux and Backbox Linux), system rescue and backup (System Rescue CD), frugal (Damn Small Linux and Puppy Linux), and multimedia (Ubuntu Studio). Some of the software packages in these specialty Linux distros are unique to the developers and can't be installed on other distributions. Even if you don't end up committing to these distributions, knowing about the available software adds even more useful tools to your growing Linux arsenal.

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QuickFix: Dolphin KDE Cannot Change View Modes

Category: openSUSE

Users can change the folder views in Dolphin file manager for KDE using either the controls on the toolbar or by pressing CTRL+1, CTRL+2, or CTRL+3 (Icon, Compact, and Details view respectively). However, you may encounter an error where folder views will only be changed (and retained) when the user runs Dolphin as Root. To resolve this issue, delete the dolphinrc file using the rm command in a Terminal such as Konsole or manually delete the file using Dolphin.

In openSUSE 12.2, the dolphinrc file can be found here: /home/username/.kde4/share/config

To manually delete dolphinrc using Dolphin:

1. In Dolphin, click the monkey wrench on the upper-right hand corner and click Show Hidden Files. You can also click Alt+.

2. Navigate to the location of the dolphinrc file. You can quickly open the path by clicking on the location bar and typing: /home/username/.kde4/share/config/

3. Select the dolphinrc file and click Del or Shift+Del.

4. Log off or reboot your system. openSUSE will recreate the configuration file for Dolphin and you should now be able to switch view modes.

The bug doesn't occur when running a KDE distribution on LiveCD but may occur after a fresh install or online update. Symptoms may also include persistent settings in Dolphin reverting to default at every instance of Dolphin. Kudos to the great guys over at Linuxquestions.org forums for providing the solution in Kubuntu.

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The Superficiality of Social Networking: The Holiday Edition

Category: Techtoday

An old Filipino overseas worker once told me of his long years in Hong Kong as a driver for a British diplomat. A devout Catholic and a family man despite his penchant for loose women, this driver told me that his first Christmas in Hong Kong was the hardest. The British family had left for London and he was all alone in a city where he knew no one and the language was beyond his meager skills to make friends. He told me that as midnight was minutes away during Christmas Eve, his chest tightened and he couldn't breathe. His eyes welled up and felt the loneliness break even his steadfast resolve to make a little bit of money so far away from his homeland. There was food in the refrigerator (with a jar of Grey Poupon no doubt), but no delicious home-cooked spread. There was a small gift from his employer, but no children to hug him and no relatives clamoring for his hard-earned money. So what did he do? He picked up the phone and called long-distance. He talked to his family for hours and didn't even waver when his British employer lightly scolded him for the impressive phone bill he racked.

The story occurred in the 80s when computers weren't in everyone's house and Linus Torvalds wasn't bitten by a penguin yet (this is my prerequisite reference to Linux). This Christmas Eve, I was all alone in my rented Shanghai apartment, shivering next to my BFF, the living room heater. Unlike my Filipino OCW friend, I didn't feel a tightening of the chest or loss of breathe - I almost choked on my chocolate doughnut though. After ravishing my microwaved dinner of rice and vegetables, I went over to my Lubuntu-powered system and pulled up my email. I was happy to see only two messages, one from Apple about their new iPad Mini and a message about making my penis bigger (obviously my spam filter needed optimizing). I used Skype to chat with a friend and knowing that no one else in my small circle of friends and family will be sitting in front of a computer, made a long distance phone call home. I could almost hear the binary impulses run through the cellular lines, jump digital switching units and possibly even pass through a few COs before my call connected.

It's during the holidays that social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook lose all meaning. The relationships built and maintained over such networks is superficial at best unless established far prior to the required digital sign-up. Greetings over posts and boards are only felt briefly and passes faster than a torrent of Game of Thrones or an email over a T1 line. Photos posted in services like Flicker and Instagram are mere shadows of events and emotions, cheapened doubly by Photoshop editing and file compression to JPG and PNG. Memes in Tumblr may be digitally immortalized, but it lacks the physicality of a hug, the slapstick comedy of a spilled eggnog, or a poorly told Christmas joke.

So drop those smartphones and set aside those tablets. Close those browsers and forget about those Google+ circles or that ridiculous "Like" button. It's the holiday season. Even if you don't celebrate Christmas or New Year or the end of the Mayan calendar, go with the flow and be happy with everyone else. The beauty of a holiday can never be experienced in a digital greeting card or social networking site. Like most things, you have to be there. Literally and not digitally.

Sincerest holiday greetings,

Your friendly neighborhood writer of Unsolicited But Offered.

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External Desktop Hard Drives, Backup Software, and Linux Part 3

Category: Linux

Everyone has their method of backing up but Linux comes with lots of great ways to back up files. For personal back up tasks, I've settled comfortably with Grsync in Linux and SyncToy in Windows. Although there are plenty of backup utilities available in both Linux and Windows, I tend to lean towards syncing files rather than scheduled compressed backups. Applications that compress backups normally default to a format that Windows and MacOSX can't open without a separate application. If your network or machines primarily use Linux then it's not a problem. I don't use Deja Dup and similar backup utilities because I'm wary about backup solutions that compress your files. Any damage to the root compressed file may mean an inability to open or retrieve your files. The advantages of using applications like Deja Dup or NTI EZ Backup, however, is that you use storage efficiently. Compression is excellent and scheduling backups ensures you always have your files safely stored somewhere. In addition, scheduled backups are automatic and user intervention is hardly needed. File-syncing, even with preset folder pairs, is a more involved and manual process. If you have confidence in automated backup solutions then go for it, but if you're patient and prefer to be hands-on when backing up, use file syncing programs like Duplicity, Toucan(for Windows), and Grysnc.

In my case, I've been using a simple Grsync setup to sync folders between Lubuntu/openSUSE to my external hard drives. If you just need to sync two specific directories, then Grsync is a simple solution to backing up personal files like movies, MP3s, documents, and project files. A Windows version for Grsync is even available over at Sourceforge but isn't nearly as stable. For KDE users, Luckybackup is very similar to Grsync and is also just a GUI version of rsync. Over the years, I've come to appreciate the following advantages of Grsync:

• Grsync works well across dual-boot systems. When I'm in my Linux system, I can easily access my Windows partition to backup files using Grsync. If needed, I can also access shared folders over the network.
• Grsync is available in all Linux distributions and can be installed using the distro's package manager. I've used Grsync in openSUSE, Ubuntu, Fedora, Lubuntu, and Mandriva over the years and performance and stability of the application has been consistent across Linux distributions.
• Grsync is faster than traditional file transfers using a file manager. Most file transfers using a file sync application are pretty fast whether you're in Windows or in Linux so this is nothing special. Pair Grsync with USB 3.0, however, and you get to see what rsync can really do.
• Syncing directories is another way of running differential and incremental backups - two tasks normally found in freeware/bundled software.

Using Grsync can be laborious if you have to regularly sync different folders separately. Grsync, moreover, doesn't allow you to schedule backups unlike Deja Dup or Backup in Ubuntu Unity (KDE's Luckybackup does have a scheduled feature however). Grsync, like Microsoft's SyncToy and the freeware Toucan, is also somewhat dependent on folder/directory pairs. If you don't specify directory or folder pairs to sync or your folders are located all over the place, you can easily miss out on folders you don't regularly back up. Linux users, of course, can just create a sync pair of their Home folder, but it's not the most efficient approach and you're often left with empty folders included in the backup.

All my folders (MP3, multimedia, etc.) are all stored in my Downloads folder in Windows and Linux so syncing works for my workflow, but it may not work for others. In my setup, for example, I would still have to set up a separate pair for my iTunes folder in Windows because it's located in the Windows Music folder by default. Another aspect of Grsync new users should be aware of is that because it's just the GUI version of the commandline tool rsync, the error messages that pop up when something goes wrong can be occasionally impenetrable. For example, if you tried to sync a file larger than 4.x GB to a FAT32 storage without large file support, the resulting error can be somewhat daunting (though harmless). Finally, if you need want a backup solution that automatically sorts files to specific folder (such as Western Digital's proprietary WD Smartware), then look for other utilities other than Grsync.

Clonezilla - ghosting in Linux

Debian-based Clonezilla is not really a backup tool but an imaging solution of your whole system. However, this shouldn't prevent users from including their Spider-Man Library or Color Me Badd MP3s when they create a backup image. If you maintain your system well or you're a huge fan of clean installs and configuring a freshly installed Linux system, then you would hardly need a Clonezilla image. There are plenty of users out there, however, who would find a partition-to-partition image very useful. Some scenarios would include:

• A Windows-Linux dual-boot. If one or the other crashes, a Clonezilla image would save you from having to work with deleting the offending partition, reinstalling applications and/or the OS itself, fixing the Grub2 bootloader, and registering your Windows OS or Adobe applications for the nth time.
• No high-speed Internet access. Linux's dependence on the Internet for updates and applications is one of its greatest strengths but it's also one of its weaknesses. If you break your Linux system and you find yourself without Internet access (outages, overdue ISP bills, in the jungles of the Amazon), you're stuck with whatever applications your LiveCD/LiveUSB has. Having an image handy can get you back online with all your favorite applications ready. Also, although some users like configuring Linux from scratch or customizing desktop settings after installation, it's not exactly an easy (or quick) task if you don't have Internet access. An image would have all your NFS, Samba, network, and boot settings up and running immediately.

Clonezilla is extremely powerful and can be used across networks, NAS devices, and with multiple machines. Using Clonezilla can be scary if you're not familiar with the options or it's your first time (you are dealing with GBs of data). However, after you've tried cloning a hard drive and then restoring it, you'll love the idea of having a system image handy. The basic settings are more than enough for most users. I've only had to restore to a Clonezilla image a handful of times over the years. Each restoration went succesfully without a hitch. It's a great security blanket and will keep you sleeping soundly at night.

Microsoft SyncToy: Alive and Kicking

I remember testing SyncToy in Windows XP for the first time many, many years ago. The backup utility was part of a free set of Microsoft Toys users can download from the Microsoft downloads site. I found the simple interface and clearly defined features unpretentious and useful. However, I was still using DVDRs and CDRs to back up files back then so it was somewhat useless in my workflow. Microsoft wisely released SyncToy for Windows 7 and made very few changes. It's a dependable and no-fuss tool for Windows users who want to sync files. It's not as flashy as other freeware such as Goodsync but it does its job well.

SyncToy is very similar to Grsync in many ways but offers a few straightforward sync options on the get-go. One thing I don't like about SyncToy is that you are required to set up a folder pair before you can sync folders or directories. You can't run sync tasks without setting up a source and target destination pair and naming the set. Grsync allows you to sync directories without having to save folder pairs (although again that's not exactly the most efficient way to go about it). SyncToy's workflow, however, does ensure you have an easy list of predefined pairs to sync in the future. SyncToy, like most Windows 7 applications, can also be installed on Windows 8.

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Two Questions before Upgrading

Category: Techtoday

A couple of weeks ago, online shopping for electronics reached new heights and is probably still hitting records globally. PC enthusiasts and gamers were upgrading their video cards, Apple worshipers were donating to their Church, while home users and the working Joe went to replace their 2-year old laptops, portables, All-in-Ones, and desktops with brand-spanking, high performance hybrid machines. News about users replacing their cellphones and smartphones every couple of weeks give me chills, but smartphones are being bought, sold, and traded faster than Pokeman cards way back when.

I can't argue with publishers and writers of sites such as CNET and PCWorld. It's their job to sell stuff and present you with plenty of superlatives in order for you to buy the latest ultrabook or video card, the new Mac Mini, and the popular Samsung Galaxy. Besides commercial sites, there are also millions of professionals and technical communities that discuss the merits of buying X or Y and upgrading Z while prices are low. It's very easy to list the merits of upgrading. Well, I'm going to swim upstream and write about NOT upgrading. I don't mean waiting it out and not being an "early adopter". I'm not talking about waiting for the next HTC phone or Macbook before getting one because it will be better or cheaper later on. I'm talking about upgrading your hardware/gadget only if you really need to.

I work for a hardware manufacturer with a huge line of products and I love reading reviews and articles about products in sites like Engadget and Wired. I'd probably buy more stuff if I had disposable income (a Macbook Pro has been on my wishlist for close to a decade now), but I'm definitely not as well off as Tony Stark. This year, I bought a stick of 4GB of RAM for my 2-year old Ideapad and 2TB of external storage. The rest of my largely aged gear (which is considered legacy by today's standards) - the pokey Sony PRS-600, the now discontinued Creative Zen, my first-gen netbook, my embarrassing Nokia E63, and the aforementioned USB2.0-equipped Ideapad - remain untouched and in use. Bleeding-edge tech users don't need to feel sorry for me though, I was given an iPad 2 for my birthday so I'm not totally from the Cretaceous era.

Before you upgrade your tech, ask yourself the following questions:

Do you need it?

Everyone will tell you a quadcore phone is the way to go or the iPhone 5 is heaven's gift to mankind. But if all you do on your phone is make phone calls, take photos you will never print (sigh), check e-mail, read the occasional ebook, and play some version of Angry Birds, should you really shell out a few hundred quid because advertising and sales say so? It's tough to argue with anyone who says they need it because everyone else has it, but ask yourself do you really need it. I don't use a cellphone so I'll use RAM as an example instead. I increased the RAM on my Ideapad to 6GB this X'mas because it was struggling with some of the video conversions I was doing and Adobe and Corel tasks I was working on. If I ask myself point blank if the standard 4GB it came with would be enough for the next year, I would say "Sure, especially when I'm booted into openSUSE or Ubuntu."

Tech professionals would laugh at my gear, but the money I spent on the RAM was more cheaper than buying that Samsung Series 9 Ultrabook I've been checking out. I could have definitely continued working without the 2GB increase, but getting the extra Kingston DDR3 was worth it. I also dream about someday upgrading the storage on my machines to SSD, but right now I'm fine with the mechanical HDDs I'm using. I'd love to read in the dark with a new Kobo Glo to replace my PRS-600 with its dim screen, but a click of a bedside lamp dissuades me from ordering one. I try to remember that when it comes to consumer electronics, necessity and luxury can easily be confused.

Ok, you need it. Is there any way to improve your product without having to replace it or buy a new one?

Android gets a lot of criticism due to its fragmented update structure but that doesn't give you an excuse to chuck it out the window and buy the HTC One X or newest iPhone. If you do your homework really well and ask an enthusiast to help you out, you can solve a lot of the complaints about your smartphone, desktop, tablet, or laptop whether it's in the form of a firmware upgrade, a quick fix, or a cheap replacement. You don't need to be technically inclined to learn a thing or two from forums. If you find smug and condescending tech guys in the community, look elsewhere for help. There are plenty of places to find solutions, from the manufacturer's site to YouTube.

Is your wireless connection on your laptop slow? Check if the Mini-PCIe card can be replaced with a faster one (it's $10 for the latest Wireless-N Intel Pro card). Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP getting you down? Forget about that iMac, do a clean install or better yet, dual-boot to a Linux distribution. Bugs in the performance or features even on standalone products like media players and tablets always have a workaround. You just need a bit of patience or help from nice folks on the Internet, the best troubleshooting/upgrade tool in the world.

The Economics of Upgrading (or Replacing)

Every time I read buyer and consumer reviews in sites like Amazon.com, I get the feeling that everyone believes they're an expert when it comes to consumer electronics and that throwing money at a device that is faster and has better hardware will resolve all software or hardware issues (believe me, it's normally the user who causes their own issues).

Having disposable income is tough anywhere in the world right now. Tech sites will always argue that buying the latest equipment is an "investment" that will pay off later. Keep in mind that writers encouraging upgrades or purchase of new products are either paid to write or actually have the disposable income to buy new stuff themselves. A larger HDTV being sold at a few hundred dollars off is a good buy, but ask yourself if you can still see Daniel Craig's facial lines in Quantum of Solace clearly on your Panasonic or Samsung TV. If you still can (and count his warts too), then maybe you don't need a new HDTV quite yet.

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