http://pensador.org Just another pseudo-intellectual Wed, 24 Oct 2007 02:25:43 +0000 http://pensador.org/images/logo.png http://pensador.org Just another pseudo-intellectual http://pensadorg.org/blog/125/Tutorials/Applying-the-Chinese-Remainder-Theorem.php In public-key Cryptography, especially with the RSA algorithm, the Chinese Remainder Theorem is often used. Say you have a system of simultaneous congruences as follows x a1 mod m1 x a3 mod m2 x ak mod mk , where m1, m2, ..., mk are coprime, i.e. gcd(m1, m2, ..., mk) = 1. How can we solve for x? The solution is quite straight forward, but could involve a fair amount of calculations. I find that breaking down the method into smaller steps makes it easier to find and Tutorials http://pensadorg.org/blog/125/Tutorials/Applying-the-Chinese-Remainder-Theorem.php#comments Tue, 02 Oct 2007 22:42:38 +0000 http://pensadorg.org/blog/124/Personal/Support-peaceful-protest-by-monks-in-Burma.php Related links (constantly updated): March of the monks Photographs from the Burma Protests Myanmar troops kill 9 protesters - Reuters Nine killed in Burmese crackdown - BBC Canadian friends of Burma US Campaign for Burma Burma Campaign Personal http://pensadorg.org/blog/124/Personal/Support-peaceful-protest-by-monks-in-Burma.php#comments Thu, 27 Sep 2007 12:16:17 +0000 http://pensadorg.org/blog/122/Site Updates/A-bit-of-a-headache-with-my-webhost.php I was told that HostingIt365's webserver was hit by a DoS attack and their DNS file got corrupted. I had to change servers twice in the past week; depending on your location, pensador.org could be pointing to three different copies of this website. I will wait until the DNS records get replicated worldwide and then I will try to synchronize the data between Site Updates http://pensadorg.org/blog/122/Site Updates/A-bit-of-a-headache-with-my-webhost.php#comments Tue, 18 Sep 2007 13:26:05 +0000 http://pensadorg.org/blog/121/Personal/Another-kidney-stone-bites-the-dust.php This Monday I had yet another renal calculus crisis—the second one in less than 12 months. There was I, in the emergency section of the local hospital contorting in pain from 18:30 to 22:30. By 23:00 the stone had moved from my ureter to my bladder, which reduced the pain, and by the next day it finally got expelled from my system. After a blood test and an x-ray, the doctor said I had to drink more water and reduce the salt in my diet. I am considering taking Herba Desmodii capsules, a Personal http://pensadorg.org/blog/121/Personal/Another-kidney-stone-bites-the-dust.php#comments Wed, 29 Aug 2007 13:47:40 +0000 http://pensadorg.org/blog/120/Personal/A-little-Bossa-and-custom-players-on-YouTube.php Here's a little Bossa Nova for you to listen to when you get home from work. Just sit back and relax. I wanted to give YouTube's custom players a try—I've put together this playlist with my favourite Bossa Nova Personal http://pensadorg.org/blog/120/Personal/A-little-Bossa-and-custom-players-on-YouTube.php#comments Thu, 23 Aug 2007 18:28:33 +0000 http://pensadorg.org/blog/119/Technology/Look-for-starts-in-Sky-Google-Earth.php Google has just announced a Sky section on Google Earth were you will be able to explore the stars and other cosmic objects. When we will get a Bedroom section? I know a sock that's been looking for its pair for centuries. Google Lat Long Blog (via Technology http://pensadorg.org/blog/119/Technology/Look-for-starts-in-Sky-Google-Earth.php#comments Wed, 22 Aug 2007 09:27:44 +0000 http://pensadorg.org/blog/116/Personal/How-games-negatively-affected-my-life.php A short but true story of someone who decided to quit World of Warcraft. In the afternoon of November 23 of 2004, after my last class of the day, I headed to a computer store where I had reserved a copy of World of Warcraft Collector's Edition. Three years later, I look back and I realize how I almost ruined my life with a computer game. I am an undergraduate in Software Engineering. I feel kind of silly writing this, but I will share my true story with the intent of Personal http://pensadorg.org/blog/116/Personal/How-games-negatively-affected-my-life.php#comments Tue, 17 Jul 2007 22:56:20 +0000 http://pensadorg.org/blog/112/Personal/Formula-1-Practice-Montreal-2007.php This a video I took when I went to the Formula 1 Practice in Montreal. June 8th, 2007. Sorry for the low Personal http://pensadorg.org/blog/112/Personal/Formula-1-Practice-Montreal-2007.php#comments Sat, 09 Jun 2007 10:48:47 +0000 http://pensadorg.org/blog/111/Technology/Microsoft-reveals-tabletop-touchscreen-user-interface.php Today Microsoft revealed an amazing tabletop, touchscreen computer named “Surface”. Users are able to interact with the system by touching a screen placed horizontally, much like a table. It introduces new ways of managing photos and music, ordering at a restaurant, searching for directions, comparing products, drawing! Interested? Start saving 10,000 bucks now. More videos: The Possibilities, The Magic From Microsoft's Surface page: It turns an ordinary tabletop into a vibrant,... Technology http://pensadorg.org/blog/111/Technology/Microsoft-reveals-tabletop-touchscreen-user-interface.php#comments Wed, 30 May 2007 18:22:50 +0000 http://pensadorg.org/blog/110/Technology/How-to-fix-the-missing-advrcntr2dll-error.php After I uninstalled Nero on my dad's laptop, I kept getting the error "This program requires the file advrcntr2.dll ..." whenever I opened a folder that contained a video file. There is a good fix for this: just go to Nero's website and use CleanTool to remove the leftover registry entries. Tell us whether this fix worked for you by leaving a Technology http://pensadorg.org/blog/110/Technology/How-to-fix-the-missing-advrcntr2dll-error.php#comments Sat, 19 May 2007 12:42:53 +0000 http://pensadorg.org/blog/109/Technology/Yet-another-article-on-why-IE-six-sucks.php I can give at least two reasons: its PNG rendering and CSS support. When I worked on the new version of Pensador's Blog and compared the results on both Firefox 2 and Internet Explorer 7, I had the naïve assumption that I was covering most of the browsers, until my girlfriend told me she could not see half of my site on her laptop. To be honest, at first I had the usual arrogant geek reaction—she must be doing something wrong. She had to send me a screenshot so that I could Technology http://pensadorg.org/blog/109/Technology/Yet-another-article-on-why-IE-six-sucks.php#comments Thu, 08 Mar 2007 14:55:04 +0000 http://pensadorg.org/blog/108/Site Updates/PENSADORORG-version-5-is-Pensadors-Blog.php Finally! A new version of PENSADOR.ORG, now called Pensador's Blog. Here a list of the few changes from my To-Do list: Add Digg and Del.icio.us to site. Improve registration (username verification). Add preview to blog comments. Make layout Web 2.0 :) Make buttons consistent throughout the site. Add user control panel above menu. When user logs in, should be redirected to last page, not main page. Update guest book look. Update... Site Updates http://pensadorg.org/blog/108/Site Updates/PENSADORORG-version-5-is-Pensadors-Blog.php#comments Sat, 24 Feb 2007 14:26:10 +0000 http://pensadorg.org/blog/107/Tutorials/How-to-get-a-c-cedilla-on-Ubuntu.php I was getting really frustrated with the fact that I had to copy and paste the character ç whenever I had a conversation with someone from Brazil. I did a search around the Ubuntu forums to realize that I was not the only one having this problem. The thing is that on Windows, when you type single quote and c, you get a c cedilla (ç). On Ubuntu, you get a c acute (ć). If you are in the same boat, here is how I solved my problem. Add "U.S. English International (with dead Tutorials http://pensadorg.org/blog/107/Tutorials/How-to-get-a-c-cedilla-on-Ubuntu.php#comments Sat, 17 Feb 2007 10:23:51 +0000 http://pensadorg.org/blog/106/Technology/Google-Video-and-YouTube-integrated-to-orkut.php Now you are not only able to message your Google Talk contacts from within orkut, but you can also add your favourite Google and YouTube videos to your profile. Although mostly popular in Brazil, orkut is Google's social networking site, a competitor to MySpace and Microsoft's Live Technology http://pensadorg.org/blog/106/Technology/Google-Video-and-YouTube-integrated-to-orkut.php#comments Thu, 01 Feb 2007 20:56:45 +0000 http://pensadorg.org/blog/105/Site Updates/Version-5-is-almost-here.php I have a couple of ideas on my Pensador's Blog To-Do List that I want to implement and test but the only resource that I am missing now is time... I want to make this site more "Web 2.0", whatever that means. I already did some experiments with Ajax a while ago—one for them was applying it to the comments system—but they were disastrous and quite frustrating. Version 5 of PENSADOR.ORG Pensador's Blog should be complete by the end of the month, so stay Site Updates http://pensadorg.org/blog/105/Site Updates/Version-5-is-almost-here.php#comments Thu, 01 Feb 2007 11:20:16 +0000 http://pensadorg.org/blog/104/Technology/iPod--cell-phone--internet--email--iPhone.php Apple did it again. They already redefined the way we listen to music with iPods and now they will revolutionize how we communicate with each other. An iPhone is a combination of an iPod with a cell phone with Internet and email facilities. I'll probably get one in 2 years, when my contract ends and the price will be more affordable than $600 Technology http://pensadorg.org/blog/104/Technology/iPod--cell-phone--internet--email--iPhone.php#comments Thu, 11 Jan 2007 13:46:44 +0000 http://pensadorg.org/blog/103/Site Updates/Friendlier-URLs.php For a while I've been wanting to implement friendier URLs. Basically I wanted to have ".../category/Tutorials/" instead of ".../category.php?name=Tutorials". I didn't even know what option I had to use on .htaccess to turn this feature on so I could't really search for it. So I went to #apache on irc.freenode.net and asked for help. EvilGuru, one of the good guys there, told me that mod_rewrite was my answer. After a couple of minutes on Google, I finally got what I Site Updates http://pensadorg.org/blog/103/Site Updates/Friendlier-URLs.php#comments Mon, 01 Jan 2007 15:59:00 +0000 http://pensadorg.org/blog/102/Technology/Google-Talk-integrated-to-Orkut.php In an attempt to increase the popularity of its instant messaging software, Google integrated Google Talk to the online community orkut. Users can now show their status on their profile and are notified when they receive scraps. A button to add a scrap was added to Google Talk's conversation window. Orkut is mostly popular in Brazil, having more than 60% of its users from the Portuguese-speaking Technology http://pensadorg.org/blog/102/Technology/Google-Talk-integrated-to-Orkut.php#comments Tue, 14 Nov 2006 23:10:26 +0000 http://pensadorg.org/blog/101/Personal/Tarde-em-Itapoa.php Another one of my favourite artists, Toquinho playing Tarde em Itapoã with Gilberto Gil (song written by Toquinho and Vinicius de Moraes). Personal http://pensadorg.org/blog/101/Personal/Tarde-em-Itapoa.php#comments Thu, 02 Nov 2006 22:57:05 +0000 http://pensadorg.org/blog/100/Technology/Firefox-20-Released.php The final version of Firefox 2.0 has been released today. Here are the great new features: Spell check for textareas (thank you!) Search engine manager Updated user interface Navigation arrows for when you've opened too many tabs Updated Add-ons manager And much more! Download it Technology http://pensadorg.org/blog/100/Technology/Firefox-20-Released.php#comments Mon, 23 Oct 2006 11:43:57 +0000