How many "programmers" tell us they can program because they learnt some vendor's API, typically MS Windows, or now J2SE or J2EE ? Programming is not the ability to pop up a dialog box or display some widgets on a screen. It is about data structures and algorithms.
Now that I am running W2K with DirectX, I downloaded the Geiss visualization plug-in and have not stopped playing with this thing since. One interesting note is the effect of letterboxing the display. The black border really helps focus the display itself. I am not sure if this is because I watched and like so many letterboxed movies, or if this is a real way to aid visual focus.
I am making this blogger entry on my laptop, using my 802.11b wireless access connection to my LAN at home. Pretty impressive huh !
Here is a thought. In a TV commercial, play a mini version of
the commercial at slow speed in a picture-in-picture window, so that
when someone fast forward through the commercial on a VCR, they
will see your commercial at normal speed !!
(c) www.pkshiu.com
Saturday turned out to be a hacking day. It kept raining in the afternoon. So I decided to install Windows 2000 on my old Tecra laptop. The installation was amazingly easy. Took 2 hours, but most of that time is just waiting for the system to copy files and install. Everything was detected automatically, even on this old machine. The full story is here. But now I have it setup (with a little extra work) to connect to the net via infrared through my Nokia GMS cellphone. Not bad huh?
Of course, the system is so slow, on this "little" P266 machine, even with 128 Meg of RAM.
The staff fighting and ending sequences are the best: Xiao Xiao Production No.3.
to around US$1200 to US$1400 now, down from the US$3000+ price tag. Note that an 18 inch LCD monitor has a larger display area then a normal 19 inch CRT monitor.
You know the minute I go buy a piece of the latest high tech toy, they come out with a new one. Now that I have the Nokia 8890 world phone, which does everything best except serving the Web, Nokia announced the 8310 phone that supports WAP. Oh well.
Well, my ISDN line was working for a month, until I got my bill from Verizon. I have an extra $383.44 of metered usage on my bill. This is suppose to be un-metered service. The only good news is that the business rep actually called and left a message telling me that they made a mistake. I deducted the amount from my bill and paid the rest. Let's see what happens next month(s).
So there is a battle between two emerging 3G standards in the next gen cellular network. Can the US beats the world into using their standards? Most of Asian is betting against it (and Europe also?). The rest of the world (except Japan and the US) is already big on GSM. So is the the GSM evolved W-CDMA going to win? Which way is China really swaying towards? Is this the event will finally end the US supremacy on a new technology standard? What drama...
I have a Nokia 8890 !! What a phone. After using it for a day now I know why people like this thing so much. It really is even better built and design then it looks. So far it works great on the HK Orange network. We'll how it works in the rest of the world.
walking from Tokyo Westin Hotel to the subway for work. Approaching a double glass door down a hall way. A hotel staff approaching fast from the other side, cleaning cloth in hand. Likely on his way to wipe down the door handles. He sees me. Stop. Step aside politely. I push through the doors and continue down the hallway. I give that a B+.
Same situation at a lesser hotel. The staff steps up to the door and continue him job of cleaning the door handle. Blocking my way. That would be a C-.
Ideal situation, perhaps at the Tokyo Okura Hotel, staff will hopefully rush up to the door. Pull it open. Say good morning as I walk through the open door? That would be a A+.
Watching this movie in Cambridge is its own entertainment. Lots of net people in the theatre. Someone is always explaining something to their companions. Who are Kleiner Perkins. Whats with the Nerf Gun. If you have lived through any of the Internet start up experience you should go see this movie. You will find out that you are not alone.
Having said that, the movie actually failed to give enough background on the characters and the company. If you don't understand the start-up process you will be lost. I still don't know what the main players do at that company. It is hard to care about these people since I know practically nothing about them.
Of course it is hard to squeeze all the information and the entire life cycle of a start up down into 2 hours. Perhaps they should do a split screen presentation, a la Prospero's Books.
Bottom line -- go see it. Bring someone to explain the jargons.
How can I live without it for so long? Just bought a fan for the office. (Computer room AC broke again). This one has a remote! Like whole house sound system, another thing that one cannot live without.... 80's yuppy materialism.
Verizon rep called. Told me I will get my ISDN install next week. Not bad huh? Told me her email address. Said will email me contract and line info. No email. Try sending email to her -- bounced. She called. My email did not work. I think their email service do not work. So much for a telecommunication company hey!?
Today what nationality you belong to in the real world matters. Are you America? Nihonjin? British Subject? Soon perhaps your country affilation no longer matter. It is which virtual community that you belong to that matters.
How will that happen? Can a virtual community have "citizenship"? What will be the power base? AOL users vs CompuServe? Spacebar vs Nerve, Slashdot vs. CNN?
Two weeks later. What's the change the Verizon biz office not forwarding my ISDN order inquiry to the ISDN office? 100%. Called customer service from verizon website: 1-800-870-9999. Talked to a real person. Gave me another number: 1-800-438-4736 (GET-ISDN).
Another real person answered. We are on a roll? Placed a new order, got a confirmation number. But she did not ask me what type of service I wanted. To be thorough, I told her I needed the Massachusetts Flat Rate plan. "We don't have that!! You need a business ISDN line. Let me transfer you....."
Business ISDN department answered. A person who sounded half intelligent. Placed an order. Even told me about the equipment requirement for the flat rate: need to support D+V on one channel, D only on the other. Time to check with 3Com. And the cheap flat rate requires a two year contract, with a 12 month cancellation panelty.
Back on track? We shall see.
Verizon's ISDN group still have not call me regarding selling me a new ISDN line. No surprise here.
Ikuko just told me that other brands of tissues in Japan also have the SIGNAL feature!
Kleenex has a feature called "SIGNAL" in their tissue boxes. When the box is about to run out, a tissue of a different color comes up to tell you to get a new box before it really runs out.
