Kenston Choi's Blog

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Personal Knowledge Base using StackOverflow Clone

A personal knowledge base can be a solution to properly manage your technical issues and solutions. I find myself encountering the same questions or issues again and again but still having to find for the solution. Keeping them it in some searchable Note-taking Application is not so ideal because I usually have no time to arrange these notes. There are even technical issues that can be addressed by different solutions depending on the scenario, so how do we keep track of them easily? I think, the StackOverflow model is just perfect for this. You get to register an issue but rephrasing it as a question. You add the solution that worked as an Answer. The next time you encountered the same problem, you can refer to the same written question and add some comments to the previous solution or propose another solution. There are numerous StackOverflow clones available, but I am limited to those written in PHP so I chose Question2Answer.

Question2Answer

PDF Management for Research using Mendeley

Mendeley Desktop changes the way I manage my collection of PDFs. Before, I often have to manually rename each PDF after opening them, and place the in the appropriate folder. This is really a hassle for me because I still have to track which PDF I have or have not read. Searching also needs to be done using a third-party tool especially if you are searching for an author's name. All these hassles can be solved with Mendeley Desktop.

Reading and Readability in iOS Devices

Reading PDFs in iOS devices like iPhone and iPod Touch is not easy, because the text is too little and the screen is too small. Zooming-in may require scrolling the page horizontally back and forth. This is because the text in PDF cannot be subjected to word wrapping. The ePub format has gained popularity because unlike PDF it is designed for reflowable content. Meaning, the long lines will eventually move down (reflow) without creating horizontal scroll bars. What tools can we use to convert PDF or webpages to ePub?

Sola Scriptura: A Biblical Truth

Paul commanded us not to go beyond what is written. It means we are confined with what is written, otherwise we will go beyond what is written. If that's the case then we are to hold on to what is written alone which means we believe in Sola Scriptura.

What's the intention of those people who do not want to teach what is in the bible alone? Paul says we need to hold on to what is written alone so that none will be inflated with pride in favor of one person over against another, and I think when that happens, the truth will be distorted by men.

"I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, so that you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written, so that none of you will be inflated with pride in favor of one person over against another." (1 Cor 4:6)
Paul commanded us not to go beyond what is written. It means we are confined with what is written, otherwise we will go beyond what is written. If that's the case then we are to hold on to what is written alone which means we believe in Sola Scriptura.
What's the intention of those people who do not want to teach what is in the bible alone? Paul says we need to hold on to what is written alone so that none will be inflated with pride in favor of one person over against another, and I think when that happens, the truth will be distorted by men.

Best Money Management App for iOS (IPhone and IPod Touch)

The App Store has a category for Finance, but among the many money management apps that are free, I find only one app that matches my needs. Most of the good ones are actually paid apps, and their free editions are too restrictive as it limits the number of transactions you can add. Having such app allows you to track expenses and income, which makes budgeting easier and account management easier. PocketMoney Lite is just the perfect app that offers password protection, data backup, 2 separate accounts (paid versions can have more), unlimited number of transactions, categorization of deposits, withdrawals, and transfers, complex reports (charts), repeating transactions (paid versions can have unlimited entries), and a very easy to use interface. What about the other apps?

Music for Concentration and Relaxation

I find Music for Aiports a very good set of music album to listen to. It consists of long tracks that aids in both mind relaxation and mind concentration. It can be looped and you won't even notice the start and end of each track. I first found this out in YouTube, and I'm impressed on the composition. It's quite different from those classical musical pieces, and it's truly suitable to be played in venues like airport or coffee shops.

Comparison of Free Bible Apps for iPhone and Ipod Touch

I downloaded some free Bible Apps for my iPod Touch. Most of them share the same set of features like highlighting verses, bookmarking verses, adding your own notes, performing searches, and viewing reading history. Here is the list of apps (ordered) installed with their corresponding links to iTunes for you to see the screenshots of the programs. But among the freely available apps, I like the ESV Bible most, followed by Bible by Youversion, BibleReader by Olive Tree, and Holy Bible by Paul Avery.