not wilson dot com

not wilson dot com

Wilson Ngu  //  i post stuff when i'm bored, and that happens quite often.

Jan 31 / 7:46pm

Hike at Samuel P Taylor State Park

Finally an opportunity to hike at a place I've thought of in a long time. An 8-mile loop at Samuel P Taylor State Park.

                         
Click here to download:
Hike_at_Samuel_P_Taylor_State_.zip (11113 KB)

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Dec 26 / 6:09pm

Clean installation of Snow Leopard failed

I received a 64GB Kingston Solid-State Drive for this year's Christmas gift (Kingston SSDNOW V SERIES). Given that the old Macbook that I used for exercising has been having a hard drive issue lately, I decided to replace it with this new SSD. However, I encountered an issue.

Problem:
Clean install of Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6  shows the following error message:

Install Failed
The installer could not copy the necessary support files

Information / History:
The Macbook model number is A1181. The install DVD is 22691-6558-A. 
Upgraded the memory to a single PNY 2GB DDR2 SODIMM two months ago. 

Solution:
Replaced the SODIMM with the ones that originally came with Macbook which were 2 pieces of NANYA 512MB PC2-5300 SODIMM.

Update:
Memory test failed on PNY 2GB DDR2 SODIMM which I purchased two months ago at Fry's at discounted price.
A lesson learned to always do memory test on a newly purchased DDR. Same goes with HDD.
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Sep 27 / 7:13pm

The Two Goldfishes

Just happened to be in the mood of taking pictures. These two amigos have been staying with me for 6 months.

         
Click here to download:
The_Two_Goldfishes.zip (519 KB)

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Jun 27 / 5:01pm

the guts of my mac mini ~

finally fulfilled > 2-year wish of wanting a mac mini. got the 1gb-ram version, but purchased a separate 4gb ddr3. 

been playing with it for about a week before having the time to single-handedly upgrade the ram.

performance wise, it feels snappier and there's room for virtualization now.

hard drive is 120gb. going to use external usb hard drive for now. may upgrade it in the future.

   
Click here to download:
the_guts_of_my_mac_mini.zip (177 KB)

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Jun 16 / 10:37pm

WWDC 2009 Afterthoughts, Safari 4.0, This Week in Tech

WWDC 2009 Afterthoughts
 
The keynote began with company's report, followed by Macbook updates, Snow Leopard introduction, iPhone OS 3.0 recap and iPhone 3GS announcement. Of all the things that were talked about, I really like Snow Leopard's new technologies. Phil Schiller ran through the iPhone 3GS announcement like a wind, and it's so obvious. While it could be due to time constraints, things would be quite different if Steve Jobs had announced it. He would milked in all the cheers and excitement from the crowd for every new features that the new iPhone has.
 
"...  a new 3 megapixel camera with auto-focus." <clap and cheers for 10 seconds>
"... a built-in digital compass." <clap and cheers for another 10 seconds>
"... an improved battery life." <clap and cheers for 15 seconds>
 
Safari 4.0
 
I really like this browser upon first impression; noticable browsing speed improvement and panaromic view of screenshots of favorite websites. After few minutes of using it, it began to piss me off. Here are the two reasons:
1. The address bar on the toolbar always stick together with the search bar. I can't get rid of the search bar! Do they really want me to Google using their search bar?
2. This one really gets into my skin and abandon Safari once and for all; Highlight on a word and choose copy.It's got two options: "Search with Google" and second is "Copy".
From the way I see it, I feel like its trying to shove Google into my face even though I don't want it. What I'd like to see is placing "Copy" as the first option. If Safari provides customization to remove Google entirely from their browser, or at least from my view, I'm still likely using Safari by this day.
 
This Week in Tech
 
I have been a regular TWiT listener since day 1, and I am starting to get really bored with the flagship podcast. Every week, the panel will discuss things related with the media, journalism and Twitter. Nothing against those three topics, but com' on, every week? So, next week's episode 200 will be the last one I'm listening to regularly for this show. I'll probably just peek in when Jason Calacanis is on the panel cause' he's got some interesting things to tell.
 
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Jun 8 / 12:06pm

iPhone 3GS Announced, Microsoft's Project Natal, Google Wave, Microsoft Bing, Palm Pre

iPhone 3GS Announced
 
Aside from a newly fresh line-up of macbooks, features tour of upcoming Snow Leopard an iPhone OS 3.0, Apple today announced a new iPhone 3GS. It's got 3 megapixel autofocus camera, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, a more powerful processor (I believe it's ARM 600MHz, previously was 400MHz), voice recognition, built-in digital compass,  Nike support, hardware encryption, improved battery life (up to 5 hours 3G talk time, 9 hours of WiFi), all for just $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB. Comes in black and white, and will be available on June 19.
 
Previous iPhone 3G will still be available at $99. iPhone OS 3.0 will be here by August 9.
 
If it wasn't for AT&T and its 2-year commitment, I'm very likely going to grab one of these.
 
Microsoft's Project Natal
 
Microsoft announced motion controller for Xbox 360 touted as "Project Natal" at E3.
Some people hate the name. I think it's a nice name. The meaning is related to birth. In Indonesia, we use the word 'Natal' to indicate Christmas.
 
Traditional concept for playing home video games has always been just sitting on a couch and use a controller to move the fingers around. Few years ago, Nintendo stepped up and introduced the first home gaming console known as Wii that requires motion controller, thus creating a whole new way of playing games and proved to be popular among consumers of all ages. No doubt, this project is Microsoft's answer to virtual reality.
 
I'll admit that II was pretty skeptical when I first watched the videos. I'm more of an old-school when it comes to game play, meaning that I prefer to sit down, relax and use as little energy as possible. Then I came across the potential of using this device for communication and it blew me away. Imagine chatting with a friend on a screen, and using hand-motion gestures to control device. It's also got voice recognition so you can talk as if there is someone behind the screen. The video clearly shows the idea of how this device can be used in variety of ways aside from game play; then again nothing is perfect.  I'm curious in regards to the delay of the sensor capturing the movement. Can Microsoft deliver as advertised?
 
Google Wave
I wonder what the anticipation was for Google Wave and decided to check out the videos here, here and here.
 
First impression is that this product defines a whole new meaning for the word "real-time". There are three things that I like.
1. Live collaborative editing. Every character typed is transmitted live and can be seen by the recipient which makes this better than instant messaging. Some people don't like this feature, so it can be turned off.
Document editing can be done by multiple users, with each keys typed being transmitted live for others to see.
2. Play-by-play changes. The ability to monitor changes of a conversation or document conveniently through the clicks of a button.
3. Live language translation. The world will be a lot closer if people can understand one another.
 
Microsoft Bing
 
This one's got a lot of press lately. It's yet-another-search-engine. Bing is a simple, yet catchy name. It's got a good marketing and the search is surprisingly good.
 
As I looked at its interface, I can feel that it's trying to be as simplistic as Google but tries doing it differently, and I think that it's doing it nicely. But I don't like the background pictures. In fact, I don't like anything that takes extra bandwidth for a search-engine. A good search engine should look very simple. Verdict: Google is still my primary search engine.
 
Palm Pre
 
No, I don't have it, I haven't touched it, and I'm not going to buy it. But I have seen a quick review of it. It has an elegant user interface, allows multi-tasking and excellent overall usability. It's also able to get contact information directly from Google and Facebook. Unfortunately, it has poor battery life. I find that the screen is too small, but that's what needed to be done to fit nicely on the palm of our hand.
 
The startup video though, is awesome. Palm Pre could very well be the best smartphone next to iPhone. Its stock price was only about $3 early this year. Now it's $13! I'm really glad that Palm is doing well because it's a good competition for Apple, and competition is healthy for this consumer market.
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Jun 7 / 1:21pm

for a home that's under many trees, this is what i get to do once in a while.

not that i enjoy it, but i get to pick up a broom once every few months to clear the dead leaves on the patio.
 
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May 31 / 7:17pm

Chrome Extensions, Next-gen iPhone, Britain's Got Talent Finale, Hulu Desktop, Boxee Remote for iPhone

Google Chrome Extensions
Google Chrome is about to release extensions. Developer builds are currently available for some of their extensions including AdSweep.
I'm still not ready to make a move to Chrome yet. My router administration page is not able to work correctly with Chrome. The extensions will take time to mature. I would also prefer not to have GoogleUpdate.exe being forced running on the background by default even though it only takes few memory. It's good to see Google made it clear what it meant by "Restrict how third-party cookies can be used."
 
Thoughts on next generation iPhone
When I first heard rumors that Verizon will carry next generation iPhone, I was pretty sure that I will get one. Now that I have the time to think about it, I'll say it depends. It depends on the price and its monthly fee. It's pretty tempting to get one especially when dealing with the well-recognized gigantic Apple's marketing machine. I currently use the first-gen iPhone with prepaid T-Mobile and I paid a hundred bucks for a thousand-minute credit a year. Nothing beats that but the only downside is that there is no data plan. Given that I'm not travelling much, this doesn't seem to be a big deal, though I would still like an instant connectivity to Internet anywhere, anytime because that's the trend I'm seeing moving forward in the mobile world.
 
Britain's Got Talent Finale
The media is everywhere on Susan Boyle for this year's variety show. I personally feel that she's doing just as well on the last performance as her first ones. I would have liked Aidan Davis to win the contest but I think that his final performance fell short compared to the semi-final. Diversity performance this night was incredible as they showcased their creativity and hit all their moves perfectly on the spot.
 
Hulu Desktop
Really starting to like Hulu desktop application. Worked nicely on a Macbook (Tiger) and best of all, it integrated nicely with the Apple Remote. Hulu occasionally crashes on Firefox. Not with its desktop application which is surprisingly stable.
 
Boxee Remote for iPhone
When encountering "Error connecting to AppleTV.local" message, set Boxee HTTP server setting to port 8080. Using iPhone as a remote control for Boxee is good but not great. I think Boxee is a game changer in terms of allowing us to watch more content than ever before, but given the weak Celeron processor inside that device just killed the experience on watching online content. I feel somewhat regretful in buying the Apple TV instead of a Mac Mini.
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May 25 / 9:19pm

Optimize Screen Space, Convert PDF to Kindle format, Firefox Add-ons, Mockumentary, Blogging

Fully optimize screen space use
I previously used gridmove to organize windows to fully optimize the use of screen space. Today I discover winsplit revolution which does the same thing as gridmove and I'm starting to like it. Someday I'm going to get myself a 1920x1200 resolution monitor.

Convert pdf to kindle-supported-format
pdfread has been my favorite converter for reading pdf content on a kindle. I must say that it's not very pleasant to read pdf on a kindle especially with its small 6" screen. My settings for viewing technical content is as follows:
In Format: pdf
Out Format: prc
Profile: prc-mobi
Layout Mode: landscape-half
unpaper: -v
Rotation: default
Dilation DPI: 300
Cropping Percent: 1
Size H: 520 V: 622
Colorspace: gray
Colors: 16
Edge Level: 5

Firefox Add-ons
Google Chrome 2.0 was released last week. It's faster both in terms of loading up and browsing. Given its simplicity, I was actually thinking of porting to Chrome before I realized that my Firefox extensions were invaluable. Let's see, I've got noscript, which helps me feel more secure on the web by preventing scripts execution. There's an Adblock Plus, which prevents ads from coming up, thus improving the browsing speed. Combining these two add-ons together, I find that the browsing speed is faster than Chrome 2.0.

Mockumentary Moment
When I first came to know about NBC's TV series "The Office," I wasn't particularly interested in it. Felt it was boring and didn't understand why it was heavily promoted during iPhone introduction back in 2007.
When a new character, "Erin," was introduced as the show's receptionist, I finally got through an entire episode. Then went on to the next episode. Before I knew it, I was hooked. Part of me was curious how Michael Scott quit Dunder Mifflin to set up his own Michael Scott Paper Company. Slowly I started falling in love with the characters. Coincidentally, Netflix made the first 4 seasons available for instant viewing. Took about three weeks to complete watching the entire four seasons. My enthusiasm for a sitcom has never been so high since Friends and Seinfeld.

Decided to give a chance to another show "Parks and Recreation." This "mockumentary" comedy genre of television provided me with a new set of perspectives. It takes a little effort to actually be interested in something new.

Blog or Microblogging
I usually post to Twitter and Facebook Status for <= 140 characters. Sometimes I've got lots to say. So, there will be multiple entries within one hour.
Put myself in the shoes of someone who's reading these entries. I personally don't like to read multiple entries from the same individual over a short period of time. I just skipped them and go for those whom I haven't got a chance to read for some time.
For me, Posterous provides the solution. The key is simplicity and ease-of-use. I don't need blogging software, nor do I ever have to visit a website to post a blog entry. I simply fire up an email client and start typing away. By the way, Posterous now support https for their login screen using GoDaddy as CA.
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May 16 / 7:39pm

technology advances

back when i was a kid, when mum and dad wanted to make an international call, i remembered that we would drive down to this building which i presume it's a phone company, and got ourselves into one of the many little phone booths.

few years later, we would purchase a phone card from a convenience store, then get to the nearest public phone and insert the card in to make local or international calls.

then things became more convenient. we would buy a card from a convenience store, scratch the card for the pin number and make a toll-free calls from home.

as the internet era began, we no longer have to get up from our seats just to buy a phone card.

when skype emerged few years later, it eliminated the need for home or cell phones to make an international call. all that's needed is a headset for free pc-to-pc calls and a credit card for pc-to-landline/cell phones.

the trend continues to this day with handheld devices capable of using skype to make calls.

we have come so far. technology help us save cost and time. what else can be done? what's next?

well, i believe that there is more invention, innovation and opportunity to conbine technology and energy, and make something really really useful.

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