I am about to begin a new phase of my life, and i think time is now ripe to relaunch my blog. stay tuned.
Update: New blog ready, it is at http://blog.weikiat.net
 (No Ratings Yet) |
Loading ... Loading ...… life enjoying life and programming is so much more rewarding.
I guess only those without a proper channel through which to derive a sense of satisfaction would be able to afford so much time to blog extensively about tiny tiny insignificant stuff in their life, and worst, some blogs that copy and paste content for the sole purpose of what? - to generate a few cents of ad money from “make money from your blog!” scams like nuffang, advertlets and blog2you that only rewards blogs with really high readership but earns ad dollar from advertiser without really paying them out to bloggers on lower traffic blogs.
I haven’t been blogging about my life for quite some time though, so I think it is high time I do, so at least people who RSS this blog or check back frequently will not delete this from their bookmarks.
The ordeal of installing a Chassic Fan to my PC
Recently after installing a new chassis fan on my PC with a fanciful blue LED, i notice that frequent BSODs (blue screen of death) on my PC which are seemingly random (different error code and cause everytime). Thinking that it was due to a partially failed graphic card driver installation I did sometime back, and having a bout of panic attack afraid that I am have broken something on the motherboard or graphic card (due to a loose jumper I also experience inability to boot due to my graphic card popping out of position or having bad contact), I decided to reinstall my entire OS. While I’m at it, I decided to try Vista.
The installation was not smooth and I had BSOD even during the installation, which further suggests that the problem is with my hardware. I panicked more, this system is new, and I don’t have the cash ready to replace any parts. I’ve also just thrown a $350 on a vacuum tube headphone amplifier, the Little Dot MkIII.
Logic dictates that the fan could be the source of problem, because the frequent BSOD only occurs after the installation of that damned CoolerMaster fan. However, ZOMBiE insists a fan causing BSOD is impossible, and after calming myself down and thinking through the whole thing it doesn’t seem likely. While I have made some mark on the internet and software world, I am a total noob when it comes to hardware. After randomly popping out a few RAM sticks and popping them back, the BSOD problem seemed to have gone away. I was relieved at this point.
Then I noticed another problem. Although I have had 3 sticks of 1GB RAM install, my Windows was only reading 2GB. It could be a faulty RAM, or a loose RAM, but CPU-Z, a utility that shows all your hardware information, shows that I have 3 RAMs running in triple channel configuration, which is correct. This resulted in me looking high and low on the internet, and there are so many different users experiencing the same problem as me, and so many possible reasons that I had no idea what to do.
Under the recommendation of ZOMBiE and my random trial and error, I proceed to pluck out all my RAM and re-seat them again. This time, 3GB RAM showed up in Windows, and no more sleepless nights for me.
Damn the CPU-Z for detecting something that Windows cannot even see.
Development of SgZap.com and a mistake
With too much time on hand and my constant need to use my creative juice (I was having frequent headache and sleepless night where my brain would keep on having random thoughts about everything and anything in a jumbled, disorganized manner which happens during school holidays or during long periods of time when I did not do anything productive thinking again.), I decided to come up with some website.
Creating a web app beats creating a Windows app, because there is larger exposure. Also, I already paid big money for my unlimited bandwidth, unlimited space and unlimited domain support hosting, so it is good to make use of it.
Recently there was the hype of tinyurl and other url shortening services, and looking at the miserable interface on tinyurl I decided to make my own with a more user friendly and simple interface. I suck at design, I am still a newbie at PHP, so I downloaded the open source PHURL and started modifying it intensively. I need some graphics, but ZOMBiE wanted to charge me for them, so I decided to keep all graphic elements of the site as simple as possible, so that I can generate them.
And thus, sgzap.com was gone, with fantastic interface compared to that of tinyurl. I even emailed MrBrown to try using it on his twitter instead of tinyurl. One day later I realized my mistake. Twitter automatically uses tinyurl for any links longer than 30 characters. (It uses another URL shortening service now)
I was shocked. My mistake for not researching enough.
I needed to give sgzap a new focus and I finally found it. Traffic tracking. I notice that people love to post links to sites in forums, tagboards etc. However, unless those websites belong to them, they would not be able to find out how many people have clicked and visited the links they post. I added some code to sgzap, (first time I wrote mysql queries) and now sgzap tracks the number of time each of the “zapped” urls are clicked.
So there you have it. SgZap.com. URL shortening feature with real-time traffic tracking.
  (4 votes, average: 1.75 out of 5) |
Loading ...So I went on a 3D2N trip to KL.
During my return, I proceed to the automated gates (the one where you scan your passport with a machine yourself), I got stuck and the silly machine just didn’t want to let me through. A staff came, spent 5 minutes clicking through her computer while I stood there anxiously, wondering what is wrong.
Then the Truth came. Due to the weight of my luggage, the system detect me as 2 person.
What an intelligent system. Fantastic waste of time.
| (5 votes, average: 2.2 out of 5) |
Loading ...Me and my girlfriend made this travel plan as early as last year, and we went ahead to book our travel 3 weeks ago.
However, with the recent appearance of Swine Flu, we were concerned.
Neverthless, after much discussion we are going ahead with the plan.
Hope all is well, I will be leaving on the 11th and coming back on the 13th.
| (4 votes, average: 3 out of 5) |
Loading ...While Koss as a company is little known in Singapore due to their laid back marketing (actually no marketing in Singapore), they are the first company that invented portable stereophones, or headphones as we know it today.
While most headphones, even those nowadays, cramps on the head with the main pressure on the ear, causing fatigue when used for long hours, Koss pioneered the concept and technology of transferring the pressure to the temporal bones, allowing the headphones to be worn for long hours with comfort. In fact, you won’t feel that the headphone is there.
The Koss PortaPro, the third product from Koss, is one of the longest running product. Invented in 1984, it is still been manufactured and sold today with almost no change in design. Headphones produced by competitors throughout the 25 years were unable to even come close to the sound quality and durability of this headphone at the same price point. Any headphone in the market now that could rival that of Koss Portapro costs at least twice the price. Koss had invented a portable headphone that could withstand the test of time. Because of this, Koss Portapro also comes with a international no-questions-asked lifetime warranty. If your set is spoilt for whatever reason, simply mail the headphone back to their headquarters and they will send you a new one.
What other company has the confidence to give lifetime warranty, and which other consumer product (other than food) can survive for so long in the market without being overshadowed by rival products? Only Koss and its PortaPro.
I first bought a Koss Portapro 4 years ago in 2005. At that time I bought it simply based on its unique look and great sound. I did not know about its history until I went home and google. It was the BEST headphone I even owned, with sound better than that of my later purchases which costs 300 dollars upward. I later sold my Koss Portapro in 2008 due to under usage to enable others to enjoy the music. I regretted that decision ever since.
When I know about the release of Koss Portapro 25th Anniversary limited edition yesterday (Only 25000 units worldwide), I practically went crazy and I told myself I must get one ASAP. And today I took off from work and went down to Stereo, one of the most honest and great store specializing in audio equipments located at Causeway point.
Take a look at Koss Portapro 25th Anniversary Limited Edition.
| (11 votes, average: 3.73 out of 5) |
Loading ...From Strait Times
IT IS shape up or ship out for food outlets which do not have excellent hygiene standards - starting with those at public hospitals.
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said on Sunday that hospital stall holders which do not get the top ‘A’ or ‘B’ ratings may be told to close shop.
‘If they want to renew the tender or take part in it, then they must deliver this minimum standard of hygiene,’ he said.
His stern stance comes in the wake of Singapore’s worst food poisoning outbreak. In Geylang Serai this month, contaminated Indian rojak struck down 154 people, killing two.
Mr Khaw believes that people here have become complacent, and said that hygiene levels have slumped to close to a failing grade.
Speaking on Sunday at the launch of a section of cycling track linking Sembawang and Woodlands, he built on his suggestion for public hospitals to lead the charge in raising hygiene standards.
‘Our food handlers are by and large A, minimum B. There were only a handful who are C. So of course a lot of pressure would be on them to improve,’ he added.
His benchmark: Japan, where food stalls are so clean that Mr Khaw said he is ‘prepared to pay a little bit more for that security’.
The private sector has already shown it is possible.
At the Kopitiam chain, which has five of its 57 food courts located at hospitals, it is compulsory to get an A grade.
Mr Khaw saying that people here becoming complacent? There is someone who is paid top dollars in Singapore to ensure that these hygiene standards are maintained and that this person is none other than Mr Khaw!
This is like a QC manager of a factory saying that the factory workers are complacent when clients came back with complains of defective products. 
| (8 votes, average: 2.75 out of 5) |
Loading ...Wasting time away in the office rekindled my passion in programming. To date I have created a maze solving mouse inside a Microsoft Excel Document and also an elevator game.
At home, I am working on a notepad replacement using Microsoft’s latest .NET framework, version 3.5 SP1. While notepad replacements are very common, my design goals are quite unique:
-Learn from notepad. It works exactly like notepad, while adding some features for conveniences:
-Make full use of the latest GUI improvements, including icon inside drop down menu, textbox (yes, you can enter text into a menu!) inside dropdown menus, etc
-Lag free. This is the core reason why most people use notepad. It is the thinnest fastest text editor out there. However, due to the nature of the .NET framework, one might not enjoy instant launch, but I have made various improvements, including no program freeze when opening/saving large text. (Notepad will freeze when saving or loading large amount of data, my program will just churn along happily.
-Keep things to the minimal. While most notepad replacements add more and more features with the consequences of having a very cluttered GUI, i kept things to the bare minimal. I have also removed all pop-up windows (e.g Find/Replace window) and instead tuck everything neatly under the menu system.
-Connectivity. I intend to make the program capable of peer to peer collaboration (2 person can work on the same file at the same time.) However, this still need works and I am still assessing how practical it is to implement this.
These are the features already implemented:
-100% working emulation of notepad features (with the exception of wordwrap and font selection, which is fixed by default)
-Rename/delete/change the read-only attribute of the opened file directly in the program.
-Ability to make the program window transparent, and also to set it to be on top of other opened windows.
-Support drag and drop and shell command to open multiple files at the same time
-Insert date in varying format
-Wiki, google selected text right from the contextual menu
-Instantly change selected words to lower case, upper case, or raNdomiZe iT
-Insert text from existing file into current opened file.
-Save selected text as another file
More to be announced soon.
| (5 votes, average: 1.8 out of 5) |
Loading ...When we were young we had dreams. “When I grow up I want to be a magician!” “I want to be an inventor!” “I want to be a doctor!” “I want to be banker like my father!”
Continue reading ‘People are just waiting for death’
| (5 votes, average: 2.6 out of 5) |
Loading ...Finally went down to play after 2 months. Enjoy the video! Note that the date in the video is wrong.
| (2 votes, average: 3 out of 5) |
Loading ...I used to think that people are stupid for doing jobs that they do not like and those that have zero job satisfaction. I told myself that when I go into the workforce I will find a job where it would be fun for me, it would be easy, and it would bring me lots of money. I am educated, for god’s sake. I was almost like those ignorant teenagers out there nowadays, wanting to get into business courses in University or wanting to start their own silly little business thinking that they can be their own boss and make some money. At least I know that things are not that easy and it is statistical that 1 out of 10 new businesses fails.
Continue reading ‘Entering the workforce: New realisations’
| (10 votes, average: 3.3 out of 5) |
Loading ...
Loading ...
Recent Comments