April 2006 Archives

Cost of 15" Macbook Pro: S$4588

Upgrade to 2.16Ghz Intel Core Duo: S$535.50

Upgrade from 100MB to 120MB hard disk: S$178.50

Total cost: S$5302.

Cost of 17" Macbook Pro at 2.16GHz Intel Core Duo with 120MB hard disk: S$4988.

It has Firewire 800, which the 15" model doesn't have, 8x double-layer SuperDrive (as opposed to 4x) and an extra USB port.

Go figure. Is it simply a case of paying less for more bulk? Will there be a price drop for the 15" model?

Whatever the case, I think I'll hold out until OS 10.5 arrives.

I'm pleased to report that I will be leading a new band. We'll be playing fusion jazz, but hopefully on a higher level. I will be the main pianist but another (dare I say, more accomplished) keyboardist will be accompanying me on synths. I hope it will be a very powerful combination of complementary sounds.

I also respect my new bassist, who wants to play on a more advanced level. It's always good for a jazz band to have a strong bassist. And the drummer is fairly versatile too. I'm actually looking forward to it!

We intend to learn pieces by Dave Grusin and Fourplay, which require precision, coordination and improvisation. We will be meeting up in a couple weeks' time.

For the second time since I bought it 11 months ago, my O2 hung so badly that it couldn't be rebooted the usual way (by poking a hole at the base of the device). This time the warning message I got, shortly before it hung, was along the lines of 'Out of memory'.

After numerous attempts in vain, I had to do a hard reboot, resulting in my phone data being lost. Fortunately I was at home and managed to install the latest Windows Mobile patch (in the hope that it's more stable), and re-install my Bible software. Fortunately, all the data in my memory card was fine.

The first time it happened to me, though, it was more scary. I was on the road, heading towards a colleague's home for dinner. The O2 mini was lying peacefully in my car's cup-holder. I can't remember exactly when it happened, but I noticed the screen didn't look right anymore. I touched it with my fingers and it didn't respond. Rebooting didn't help.

Naturally I didn't have the O2 manual with me, and I really needed to get it working again. I did a hard reboot and then realised that all my contact data was wiped out. How was I to find my colleague's place now? I couldn't even call for help. Fortunately, I remembered the road she stayed on, and found the right condo. (Note: Prayer does help!!)

But it was a harrowing experience. No phone I've used before, has hung so badly on me. At worst, my Nokia phones would just get slower and slower. But even when they hung, I could restart them without problems. I noticed however that Windows Mobile doesn't totally close apps after you've exited them. So after a while a lot of RAM is being used, but when you check, no programs are running in the background. The only option left (as far as I know) is to reboot the Mini.

That's the most serious flaw in my Mini so far. The user interface sucks for SMS too - why is the numpad so small and pushed to the side? And if you meet an old friend on the street and he rattles off his mobile number to you, you can't just key in his number, then 'Save as new contact'. You must go into the address book, create new contact, then scroll down to the mobile phone field, and enter the number.

Having said all that, it's cool to view my PDFs, Powerpoint slideshows (yes, all one of them) and keep Excel spreadsheets on my little Mini. But these are all just NICE to have. I'd very much like a phone lets me SMS quickly without fumbling with my fingers / using a stylus. A phone that lets me call people from my address book with minimal scrolling and searching, and won't hang on me again.

I was applying for a CDP account online, and was asked to fill in my details. Finally, I had to print a summary page, sign it and mail it to them.

However, these were the instructions:

1. Select "File", click on "Page Setup"
2. Select Page Size as "A4"
3. Adjust the margins for header and footer to 0.2 inches
4. Remove the headings for header and footer
5. Click Ok to save

And I wondered: can't a print stylesheet resolve most of those problems?

You could set the margin-top and margin-bottom to 0.2 inches (and adjust the padding too).

You could specify a class or ID for headers and footers, and display:none when printed.

Not sure if we can set page size using current CSS techniques. But a print stylesheet would definitely make things easier for users.

Had a great service this morning. The church was packed full - to the point where we could barely stand without knocking into someone. Children were made to answer some basic questions about Easter, and as always, their answers were honest, candid and surprisingly accurate - apart from a comment that bunnies laid eggs.

Back home, as I re-launched my site this afternoon, it suddenly occured to me that this was a significant moment. My old server was subject to occasional taunts, insults and abuse by spammers. Eventually, one attack caused my account to be suspended last week. My friends (hosted on my account) and I stood innocent but were made to pay for others' crimes.

I found a new home with a new web host. Over the weekend, I kept late nights (early mornings, 4am to be precise) moving databases, files, and waiting for the domain name servers (DNS) to point to the new server. Since the site was down, I decided to do some housekeeping. I also decided to upgrade my friends to MT3.2 - a new body, capable of more powerful things. And I figured out how to reduce attacks on the trackback file (I think).

Finally, I published my home page. Resurrection!!!

It was a nightmare two days when trackback spam got the better of the server, and our old web host shut us down indefinitely. They wanted us to remove all MT scripts. But the fact is, it was a particular trackback file that was being attacked. If we removed all our MT scripts, we wouldn't be able to blog. (duh)

I contemplated moving some of us to Wordpress but didn't want to learn a whole new system. Wordpress is intensely easy to install, but I wasn't prepared to help anyone (let alone myself) redesign web pages and grapple with unfamiliar-looking templates. I also didn't want to cause linkrot with a new file naming system for our web pages.

I'm writing this while our DNS is being updated. Feels kinda strange, like I'm incognito.

My boss: I've been watching Miss Singapore Universe 2006... do you know there's a contestant called Vanessa Tan?
Me: Is it? ... (recovers from mild shock) Shh! Don't tell people I'm moonlighting!!!

I went home, found the website and my namesake's profile page. Flight stewardess. Can lah :P

Well.

It appears that we have no choice now but to win the Champions League.

Calling Mac users and experts - I need help with making a decision! I was at Apple Centre Orchard this afternoon and noticed an offer for all three MacBook Pro models (1.83, 2.0 and 2.16GHz dual Intel processors).

That was surprising, considering that they should be in hot demand (according to the salesman) so there'd be no need to throw in any freebies. Anyway, let me know if you think this is a good deal or not:

• Buying either a 1.83GHz or 2.0GHz model gets you a S$150 voucher and Microsoft Office 2004. When I queried further, the salesman said it was the Student/Teacher edition of Office, which would give it a S$269 value. This part's a bit confusing as the Office logo they used was grey so it looked like the Office Standard version. Hmm.
• Buying the latest 2.16GHz model gets you a free 1GB RAM upgrade (which they claim is S$599), as well as the same Microsoft Office 2004. When I asked, "Can't we just buy the extra RAM cheaper from another shop?", they told me we can't use 'older' RAM on this new machine. (Mac experts, is this true??) I was thinking of buying my RAM from SGL at Sim Lim Square, actually, since some of you dear readers had recommended this value-for-money store to me earlier and they had indeed saved me a bundle on RAM for my PowerMac.

The store's educational discount doesn't apply to the MacBook Pro offers, but the salesman assured me that the freebies thrown in, were worth more than the discount. Hmm...

I left the shop tempted to buy a MacBook Pro, despite warning RamblingLibrarian to resist it a little longer. But after considering my own needs, I realised I don't need the Microsoft Office freebie because I still have one licence to spare at home (we bought the Edu licence which gives three serial numbers).

Also, the thought of 1GB of RAM costing S$599 sounded outrageous - even though the salesman seemed absolutely certain that was the standard price.

The other question was, should I buy the model with the 2.0GHz or 2.16GHz dual processors? The latter seemed like a steep price to pay for so little extra power (which could be spent on more RAM, no?). However, I am a Logic Pro 7 user who is in the midst of forming a new band (more on that later) which may require live recordings or at least some mixing and effects processing. Also, I've got Reason 3 and occasionally edit and render videos using iMovie. I'd hate to watch a brand-new MacBook Pro take a longer time to process files than my 2-year-old PowerMac. It would feel like I had just downgraded myself.

I read in MacWorld Magazine that the new processors aren't four times faster as claimed. That means I need - no, I just want - the fastest thing on the block to compensate for it. But that's being whimsical and silly. Arggggh.

So now I'm thinking I should continue to wait, because I don't really need a laptop yet - it's just nice to have. I wonder if any faster chips are coming out. Also, maybe I should wait until OS10.5 comes out at the end of this year.

What do you think?

My referral software occasionally points me back to sgblog.com, which keeps a top 10 list of Singapore blogs. I've been on the list for a year or two, but have no idea how I got there. Not surprisingly though, XX is there, along with SPG and a model who appeared in FHM (against her will). However many other popular bloggers were left out.

Alongside each blog name was a figure in brackets. The higher the number, the higher the ranking.

Out of curiosity, I signed up for an account. Then I clicked on my own blog... and the figure in brackets increased by one.

So that's how it works - a simple clickthrough to measure popularity.

Just to keep tabs, I signed up for the following:

• del.icio.us account
• Newsvine account
• Ma.gnolia account
• Rojo
• Digg.com account

I'm suffering from info overload at the moment, considering that prior to this surge of Web 2.0 apps, I was already using Kinja, then switched over to Bloglines.

Also stumbled upon Kinja's interpretation of my website. Fine, I get the hint. I'll post more often! Also, it's interesting to note that this site's been classified under 'apple, mac, macintosh, open source'.

Until I watched the award-winning play on its opening night at the National Library theatre, I didn't know that a fundoshi was a loincloth.

Glenn Goei made an opening speech, warning those whose sensitivities might be offended by the bawdy humour, that a red light above the stage would turn on as a warning, and they should close their eyes.  The Geylang-esque red light turned on halfway through the first story and remained there until the end.

Rest assured there was no frontal nudity - let's just say they just had a lot of, er, cheek. When Emma Yong (one of my favourite local actresses) made her sudden appearance, I actually saw ... stars.

Kudos to the drummer, and to all the actors for a brave performance.

Technorati Tags: Magic Fundoshi

[Note: This is not intended to be a complaint rant. Just wanted to get my thought process down. ]

I spent the last few hours figuring out how to configure my Textdrive account. After years of using Cpanel and recently enjoying the ease of Fantastico installations, I felt handicapped using a text-only interface containing terms I didn't understand. I did wonder how come there were no screen shots of Textdrive's admin panel before I signed up for their Mixed Grill deal, but then thought 'Nah, it can't be that bad.' Caveat emptor, my bad.

From something beautiful like this:

To this (Webmin):