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How I solved my laptop’s overheating problem
Help! My laptop is overheating! It took a lot of wasted time and money, but I got it fixed.
The first idea I had was the fan. Maybe it was dying or maybe it was just dirty. Didn’t matter. The ASUS repair center took care of it for free.
Worked great for a week. Took it back. “Come on guys, same problem.” I told them the cpus were still overheating. This time they put new thermal grease on it.
Worked great for a few months. Bought a laptop cooling pad. Nope. Problem got worse.
This time it just froze in a few minutes. Didn’t matter what I was doing or not doing.
Either my laptop was on its way out or that repair center didn’t know what they were doing. Not going back there.
Took my laptop to a guy. He took out my hard drive and gave it a test. It had some damage from the overheating problem and needed to be replaced.
I bought a nice 250GB SSD drive from Samsung. Really nice and fast. This one. Next step was reinstalling Windows.
When I came to pick it up, that’s when I get hit with the bad news. Go figure, right? The laptop was STILL having problems crashing. That’s when he decided to look at my heatsink again.
ASUS did a shit job applying the thermal paste. Not only that, they used some cheap shit that was already crusty! 
This is what it should’ve looked like.
Beautiful.
He put on some good stuff and lo’ and behold, no more problems! The laptop is a powerhorse like it was originally.
If your laptop can’t breathe, something will get damaged. I was lucky it was only the HDD. Could have been the processor or motherboard.
What I learned:
- Check the fan. Clean with compressed air.
- Still having problems? Check the CPU. Go to computer guy if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Big thanks to Phil’s Computer Repository 010-8653-0161. He saved me hundreds of dollars on buying a new laptop, just with some easy repairs. If you are in Seoul and have a computer problem. Contact him.
Net Net Hunter Review: What I Learned
What is your money doing? It could literally be pissed away from binge drinking. It could be collecting dust in a savings account instead of getting huge returns that you deserve. This was my problem.
I eventually found a way to put my money to work. It is called Net Net Hunter. They spend hours combing through stocks financial using proven screening methods to find the beaten down, ugly, unattractive, diamonds in the rough.
What? These stocks are actually excellent net net canidates with impressive financials. Their stock has just taken a massive beating from some bad luck or increased market competition. Basically the idea is buying something really good, on sale. Bad companies get screened out, while only the cream rises to the top.
This site is not for chumps. It is not going to make you any money if you have no idea what you are going. This site, and Evan, will teach you everything you need to read and understand BEFORE you invest. You are under no pressure to buy anything, except a membership.
This is what I liked the most. The members and the content encourage you to read. “Read as much as you can and then you will understand what you are doing.”
The membership prices are fair. A monthly membership will cost a hefty $125 a month. It does come with a money-back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied. Unless you have the money, time, and knowledge to buy a full basket of stocks, I don’t recommend it.
There is also the yearly subscription. Monthly membership drops to an attractive $45/ month. I really appreciate the access to the deep analysis of different companies. They dissect a company each month to explain why they are a good or bad choice for investment.
The forums are a great source of information. Members are savvy and very helpful. There are new posts every day ranging from questions to links to new information.
There is new content every month and plenty in the archives. There is enough to read on the site alone to get you buckled in for the excitement of the Investment Roller Coaster.
The site isn’t without its quirks. You can tell it was built in WordPress. Links don’t take into consideration that you are already logged in and might jump you to an impersonal homepage or subscription page.
I have been a member for over a year now. I have seen some major updates over my time. Evan(the founder) has been personally very helpful over my time.
Taal Volcano Adventure
I had an excellent adventure to the volcano and back.
You could spend 5000 pesos and get a nice package with everything included, or you can peso your way there like I did at a fraction of the cost.
Before you leave, get a mask for the dust and a poncho if it might rain. Poncho is optional, but the mask is necessary. Masks cost 30 pesos.
First, take the train or taxi to edsa or Taft station. Make your way to the Rotonda? Hotel. The bus station is there. Just ask someone if you are unsure. Ask which bus is going to Tagatay city. Then, hop on the bus.
The staff will come along and tell him you want to get off to see the volcano in Tagatay. Pay your 78 pesos and take a nap. The bus is about three hours.
When you get off you will be approached by people to take you to the boats. The boat is 1500 pesos. If you are solo or duo. You might be able to negotiate the ride down there and the boat. If you want to make your life easier, pay 100-200 pesos to get down to the dock. It is a long way, so don’t walk. Also, don’t bother including a return retainer. Get a driver when you come back.
When you get to the volcano, pay 50 pesos a person entrance fee. You will need another 50 to leave. You could ride a horse, but walking is just as fast. It’s not hard to get up there. A pleasant walk in the dirt for me.
Enjoy the view and hit some golf balls into the lake. Try getting balls for 100 pesos. The girl will even take a picture for you.
Get back down and find your captain or he will find you.
When you get back. Make your life easier and pay 200 pesos and go back up.
When you get up to the roundabout, make a left to a coffee shop, then find everyone else waiting for the bus. Make you get on the bus heading to Pasay.
Tell the ticket guy you want to get off at EDSA station. Pay 80 pesos. The bus took over four hours returning. I got stuck in evening traffic and wasted precious time on a bus 😑.
Congratulations! You had an adventure and made it back by yourself. I took the train back to my hotel for 15 pesos, but get back however you wish. Get a bite to eat or haggle with the street peddlers if you’d like.
Final breakdown of my costs. Don’t forget these were my final negotiated prices. Always start higher and make your way down. If you suck at haggling or don’t have the confidence to walk away, you might not get these prices. N = negotiable. Nn = non-negotiable.
Train to EDSA – 15
Bus to Tagatay – 78
Boat and tricycle – 1500
Entrance and exit – 50 + 50
Tricycle up – 200
Bus back to Manila – 80
Train back – 15
Total – 1988 Nice. That’s much better than 5000.
Final notes: ask staff or security if you need help. They speak English well and are very nice. Negotiate. It is part of their culture. Leave early, come back early. 7am is early, not 11.
Dual Monitor / Dual Audio
Do you have two monitors? For some reason do you want them to be playing their audio independently? I found a sweet solution!
This is the setup. I am a casual gamer. I wanted to play my games and my girlfriend wanted to watch a movie. Was a good boyfriend and watch the movie with her? No. I found a technology solution that would get us both what we wanted. Let’s not discuss how I was wrong anyway.
First, are you using HDMI? If yes, continue. If not, continue reading. Knowledge is power. I wanted the movie to play on the big TV and I would play my game with audio going to my headphones.
Next, did you set your projection option to “extend?” To do this hit WindowsKey + P. Then hit it a couple more times until the correct box is highlighted.
I use GOM Player to play videos. It’s a pretty good player and it is great for international subtitles. I’ve used other players, but when it came to subtitles. GOM had better compatibility. Also, for this tutorial, you will need it.
Set your primary audio to your headphones. All of the computer sounds will come out the headphones, including the game. Right click the little speaker button in the bottom right and click “Playback Devices.” Find your headphones and Set them as default.
Last, in Gom Player, click the gear and go to properties. Go to the Audio section and find audio source. All you do is set it to your TV.
Bam! Now you can ignore your gf and play your games too.
Embedding Your Google Calendar
I have hard-coded a calendar into a website before. It was not easy. Getting the calendar code was, but making it useful required some serious coding. To see what I mean, go here.
However, with Google calendar, having a dynamic, useful calendar has never been easier. If you would like to put your public calendar on your website or blog, you can click here read this:
Create an embed code for your calendar
With Google Calendar, you can create a snippet of code that will allow you to embed your calendar into any webpage using an HTML iframe.
To generate the calendar snippet for your website:
- In the calendar list on the left, click the down-arrow to the right of the calendar you want to embed, and select Calendar settings.
- Copy the iframe code displayed in the Embed This Calendar section. Paste this code into the html code of your website to embed your calendar.
- Click the Customize the color, size, and other options link above the iframe field to access the Google Embeddable Calendar Helper.
- Carefully select your options in the Calendar Helper:
- As you make changes, the calendar will change to reflect how it will appear on your website
- You can choose to display multiple calendars by checking the boxes in the list in the Calendars to Display section
- Copy the iframe code displayed in the large box above the calendar.
- Paste this code into your website to embed your calendar.
I would really recommend you use a special calendar and make that public instead of your personal calendar. Nobody cares if it is Amy’s birthday. If you are a teacher, you can post your lessons, homework, due dates, etc. on this calendar and share it with the world.
Clearing the Garbage Out of My Calendar
Is the calendar on your phone full of useless crap? Mine was too. I was using an app that is designed to help me train for a marathon. It added countless amounts of entries in my calendar.
However, when I deleted the app, all of those events stayed. The events were non-reoccurring, so deleting one didn’t help me. What was I supposed to do with the infinite amount of other events? Sure, I could hide the events with a simple touch, but I wanted them gone.
I searched for all the keywords I could think of, but nothing helped. My last search “How do I clear all the events on my phone?” finally gave me the results I wanted.
I found this site. I did exactly what they told me to do and poof! All Clean! Now I can go back the clean slate I set out for myself.
Sending Money Home
Short and sweet. I have been in Korea for over six years. I have basically kept most of it all here, because I didn’t have any debt waiting for me at home. Awesome for me, right?
I had a large sum of money sitting in my account. I did some reading online and wondered “how much can I send home legally?” The short answer is, all of it. Unless you are doing something dodgy or putting that money into a taxable account of some kind. You have no reason to worry about your money.
What happens with the IRS is another issue. Since the money is already mine, we will see what happens.
You have no reason to send under 10k at a time, that is just for travelling with money. If you can wait, wait until the exchange rate is in your favor. However, I wouldn’t worry about it. You aren’t a Forex trader.
I couldn’t find any sources with a definitive answer. I received this from my bank:
For your peace of mind, when funds are wired or mailed from another account, the funds are deposited and we do not take any taxes. Please be advised, if the funds are coming from a retirement account or 401K, we recommend that you speak to a tax adviser. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
This tells me, just sending money home doesn’t cause anything to change. Good luck! I hope this post helps some people out.
Travel
So you get x days of vacation. Everyone gets different days or different times. You have two choices: stay in or get out. Unless you have some serious errands to run, you should take a vacation outside your city or country.
You don’t need to go somewhere far or expensive. You don’t even need to spend the whole time there or in one place. Just get out.
While abroad you should see all that you can. That’s why you are abroad, right? Explore your new country in a different area. There are probably a few reputable foreigner travel groups to use. I found them using Facebook or meetup. You could meet your new best friend or form another meaningful relationship.
My favorite option is to take a plane out of the country. This really revitalizes me and keeps me from getting burnt out. If you can go somewhere with a friend or two, your fun should double. I went alone the last few times because I couldn’t find a travel buddy. No problem. I just had to take complete ownership of my travel arrangements. I always end up having a great time.
Don’t be scared to go see something new. You are already living it by living in a foreign country. Have fun and maximize your experiences.
10 MAgazine Article Review: Renting an Apartment in Korea
I read this article recently. It was interesting and had some good points, but had some problems too. I really liked #1, but didn’t like 2 or 3. I have been renting an apartment apart from my school for several years and haven’t had any problems. I will add more information on living with roommates at the end. If you live in your school’s apartment, just soak in the information if you decide to move out.
#1 Is using a real estate agent. This is important for having the legal documents in case of something going wrong with your apartment. The downside is that they might try to make you pay more than you need to because they are dodgy. These are called “real estate fees” or something to that effect. They will however do a lot of work to make sure you find th right apartment for you in the location you want and for the budget you give them
#2 Says to report your alteration of residence with the Immigration office within 14 days. You should already know that and doesn’t need much more detail.
#3 Obtain the “fixed date” with the local office (주민센터 ). Most foreigner and teachers don’t need this information. We don’t put that much money down or the school takes care of it. If you are getting a really nice apartment go for it.
What if you are like me and live in a foreign-friendly area like itaewon or with roommates? You can find great apartments using Craigslist or Facebook, so #1 and #3 are irrelevant. #2 is flexible because you could “change” the date you actually moved in by changing a date. See my other blog post on that other piece of paper you need when you change your address.
Good luck in finding a great apartment. Dont stop learning!
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