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Archive for the 'Tech Talk' Category

Adding RAW (CR2, NEF, PEF, SR2, ORF) Files Support into Vista Photo Gallery

Published August 25, 2008 in Shutterbug and Tips & Tricks. 0 Comments

If you are shooting with your DSLR in RAW without JPG, then quick preview of your RAW files (Canon’s CR2, Nikon’s NEF, Pentax PEF, Sony’s SR2, Olympus’s ORF) is quite inconvenient, unless you have installed any third party viewer.

Thanks to modular design, camera manufacturers can create their RAW image codecs for Windows Vista, which will add RAW file support to the built-in Vista Photo Gallery.

After installing the relevant codecs, the support RAW file can be previewed as thumbnail. Besides, you can also double-click your RAW file, and it will be shown in Photo Gallery, just like any other typical image files.

However, the codec doesn’t provide any image editing support.

Click at the following links to get the relevant RAW codec.

By the way, on a side-note, there’s a new slider called “Clarity” in Photoshop Camera RAW, since version 4.1, which increases mid-tone contrast for selective parts of the image, resulting in a “punchier” image. Personally, I find this extra feature to be very useful. If you don’t see the Clarity slider in your Photoshop Camera RAW, it’s time to consider upgrading the version :)

How to Check Hardware Status and Firmware Version of Your SE P1 and G900?

Published August 12, 2008 in Phones. 0 Comments
Sony Ericsson P1i Whether you’re buying a Sony Ericsson P1i or the latest G900, or simply would like to periodically check the hardware status or firmware version, then you can access the Sony Ericsson service menus to find out hidden gems.

If you’re buying a new phone, the service menus can help you to confirm if the main hardware components are working correctly.

Access P1i Service Menus
scroll up, *, scroll down, scroll down, *, scroll down, *

Access G900 Service Menus
left, *, right, right, * right, *

What Are in Service Menus?

The most important interfaces in service menus are service information and service tests. Service information menu will tell you the version of PDA software, phone software, Bluetooth software and CDA running in your phone. These are the components determining the localized features available to software of a region (such as text input), and the version number will reveal how updated your firmware is.

On the other hand, the service tests menu has a number of quick and easy hardware tests to confirm the hardware component status, whether they are working properly. Examples of test available are display, camera, touch screen, keyboard, speaker and etc.

Periodically, I would access and run the service tests to check the hardware status (make myself more comfortable :p)

These are the links to listing of UIQ3 CDA and firmware available for:

If you find enough reasons to upgrade your phone CDA or firmware, you may refer to the guide here.

Tweet to Twitter from Mobile

Published August 8, 2008 in Internet, Phones and Web Applications. 0 Comments

Twitter Bird by Darkmotion
by Darkmotion@flickr

This post is inspired by LiewCF’s “7 ways to tweet”.

Ever since I’ve started mini blogging (or more specifically mobile status broadcasting :p) with Twitter, the need for me to tweet from mobile has soon been realized. The need for mobile tweeting became significantly obvious, especially when I was traveling for Peninsula trip convoy.

In fact, mobile tweeting has made mobile blogging easy! Simply by showing the latest tweets in my blog, I can easily update my blog with short messages that describe my life, without the hustle of writing a comprehensive post with proper content structure and titles. Check out my Twitter updates at twitter.com/tiensoon

So what’s my most preferred way to achieve mobile tweeting with my Sony Ericsson P1i?

There are many apps out there that allow you to tweet from mobile phone. But hey… I’m not going to tell you all the options available; instead, sharing experience on approaches that I’m most comfortable with.

Twitter Mobile

To me, this (m.twitter.com) is the most convenient and least interruptive medium to follow my buddies’ tweets. When I feel like checking out my friends’ statuses when I’m on mobile, simply open my phone browser (provided I’m in a 3G, GPRS or WiFi zone) and I’ll be signed on to Twitter Mobile – a simplified light weight interface showing the latest 20 tweets, and a text field to post my tweet.

The interface is so light weight that, I don’t need to really matter much about the amount of data transferred. It wouldn’t burn my phone bill hahaha Continue reading ‘Tweet to Twitter from Mobile’

I Need More Affordable Mobile Wireless Broadband

Published July 26, 2008 in Internet. 4 Comments

SingTel Mobile Broadband USB Modem

SingTel Mobile Broadband USB Modem

As shown above, is my brother’s SingTel USB modem which connects him to 1Mbps/384kbps (upload/download) mobile wireless broadband in Singapore. I’m surprised that it even comes with a 1GB SanDisk MicroSD card, which has approximately 8MB occupied for the modem installer, and plenty more free space left.

I must say that quality wireless broadband is freaking cheap in Singapore. The package that my brother is subscribing to, entitles him 50GB of monthly data usage at only S$16 (approximately RM40). 50GB is more definitely more than enough for his after-work internet usage, it’s like 1.6GB for a few hours at night. If you’re working earning in Singapore Dollars, S$16 plus is really nothing!

Seeing that, I couldn’t resist but to make some comparisons with what’s available to us in Malaysia.

Maxis Wireless Broadband - 3GB monthly data usage, possibly-throttled speed, RM118 per month

Recently, in Klang Valley area, banners promoting Maxis USB modem with animal print designs are easily spotted everywhere. Ya I agree that it looks nice, adding a little “wild factor” to the otherwise plain device.

What about the internet speed? Wah quite shiok lo.. everywhere you see, the banners and brochures say “up to 3.6Mbps“, it’s like 3 times faster than the RM88 Streamyx 1.0Mbps wired broadband. But, wait till you read this page:

3.6Mbps in Maxis High Speed 3G (HSDPA) coverage areas, 384kpbs in 3G coverage areas, 247kbps on Maxis EDGE in major cities and towns, 56kpbs on Maxis GPRS nationwide

In most cases, unless you’re using it at KLCC and some (very few) hot places in KL and Klang Valley, the 3.6Mbps Maxis High Speed 3G is not available. From my experience of surfing with Maxis 3G on my phone, you can tab to the 384kbps (theoritical speed only) Maxis 3G in most of the town areas in Peninsula Malaysia. Which means, most of the time, you are paying RM118 a month for 384kbps, unless you are residing in the very limited Maxis High Speed 3G coverage areas. This is a bit unfair; Maxis should offer cheaper price for 384kbps 3G package, to users who are out of HSDPA coverage areas. Continue reading ‘I Need More Affordable Mobile Wireless Broadband’

Windows Vista is Outdated

Published July 19, 2008 in Software. 1 Comment

When you think that the Windows Flip 3D effect in Windows Vista is the coolest desktop eye candy, wait till you see the amazing visual effects available on Ubuntu 8.04 with 3D effects powered by Compiz Fusion.

If you have never seen the breath-taking 3D effects available on Ubuntu 8.04, please watch the following YouTube clip, and I’m sure you will be immediately amazed with jaw-dropping reaction ;)

How to Enable Advanced 3D Effects on Ubuntu 8.04?

My Initial Experience with Ubuntu 8.04

I’ve recently formatted my home PC, made way for Ubuntu, and installed dual-boot with Windows XP Professional and Ubuntu 8.04. This time, I’ve made the Ubuntu 8.04 as the primary default boot, leaving Windows a secondary choice :p

FYI, my home PC is relatively old comparing to today’s de-facto standards. It’s running on Intel Prescott P4 2.0GHz processor with 512MB RAM and an on-board graphic card. This specification is a BIG NO to the resource-hungry Windows Vista.

Firstly, with Ubuntu installation CD, you can even boot and run the operating system from CD without installation. So, you can try out its compatibility with your computer and find reasons to convince yourself, before you commit to install it.

I’ve given my Ubuntu a 12GB partition, with 900MB swap area. It takes a set of very simple steps to install Ubuntu 8.04 with complete graphical interface. Yes, the installation is easy; it asks less questions comparing to Windows XP and Vista, and many configurations are automatically detected. For my case, it even prompts if I would like to import settings from Windows XP. Continue reading ‘Windows Vista is Outdated’

Java VisualVM is Now Bundled with JDK6 Update 7

Published July 11, 2008 in Java. 0 Comments

Java SE 6 has already been released for quite some time (ya… now already update 7 looo). Even though many monitoring and diagnostics features are enhanced and introduced in Java 6, but it has been lacking an out-of-the-box bundling of a convincing visual Java application monitoring or profiling tool, until the most recent JDK6 Update 7.

In this latest update of JDK 6 (version 6u7), the Java VisualVM - a visual tool integrating several lightweight profiling capabilities for troubleshooting Java applications, is bundled. After installation of JDK 6u7, you can find jvisualvm.exe in the /bin folder. By the way, VisualVM is similar to JConsole to certain extends, but a lot better than JConsole.

You might have heard of JProfiler, or even have some first-hand experiences with it. No doubt it’s an comprehensive Java application profiler, but it comes with a price tag :) Java VisualVM is FREE, free like a free beer!

How to take advantage with Java VisualVM?

Java VisualVM

Firstly, in order to benefit from the full profiling advantage of Java VisualVM, you must run your Java application on JVM 6. No worry, you can also compile your codes with Java 5 compatibility, and run the application on JVM 6, so that it is profilable by VisualVM.

For all applications running on JVM 6, you will be able to create CPU and memory profiler, take thread dumps, browse heap dumps, and more. For applications running on JVM 5, the most that you can monitor with VisualVM, is only the threads. Click here for more details on Java VisualVM features. Continue reading ‘Java VisualVM is Now Bundled with JDK6 Update 7′

Me and Google Search Appliance

Published July 4, 2008 in Google and Life Log. 2 Comments

Me with the Google Search Appliance

This picture was taken on 16th June with my Sony Ericsson P1i. It was the day when the Google Cheese Search Appliance (GSA) arrived at my office. I’ve been keeping this picture for weeks, and not planning to hao lian 好恋, until I’m “inspired” by Jason Lioh’s latest post. hahaha

After been using Google web search for so long, this is the very first time, my colleagues and I have a chance to see, touch, test and molest the set of Google search hardware, software and algorithm designed specifically for enterprise use. This is a loan unit we got from Ingram Micro to on search integration with our flagship product.

Learn from Jason. Allow me to hao lian 好恋, can or not? haha

Tomcat Context File “Mysteriously” Disappeared or Deleted

Published June 26, 2008 in Web Applications. 0 Comments

If you’ve done any Java web project deployment on Tomcat which involves NFS or SAN, you might have encountered a scenario where the Tomcat context file (\jakarta-tomcat\conf\Catalina\localhost\context.xml) mysteriously disappeared, especially after server restart.

Looks like it’s a Tomcat bug, you may refer to the Bugzilla record for further information.

This issue will only happen if the physical location of the web folder is different from Tomcat. For example, the Tomcat context could be configured with docBase residing in remote storage such as SAN or NFS.

When Tomcat detected that the web folder specified in docBase is not reachable, such as during storage server restart or network disruption, then the context file will be automatically deleted. Some may call it a feature though :p

How to Resolve in Linux?

In Linux, you can issue the following command to make the context file immutable. It’s like giving it “power overwhelming” StarCraft cheat…. will never die hahahaha

chattr +i /opt/jakarta-tomcat/conf/Catalina/localhost/ROOT.xml

Please change the location path accordingly.

chattr +i is to make the file immutable, it can’t even be deleted by root user.

If you try rm /opt/jakarta-tomcat/conf/Catalina/localhost/ROOT.xml, you will get “Operation not permitted”… wah really never die

What if one day, you decided to remove its immutable status??

Instead of chattr +i, just use chattr -i will do

Sorry but I don’t have solution for Windows yet.

Anyone with better alternatives?

Firefox Spellchecker Not Working. How to Enable?

Published June 24, 2008 in Software. 2 Comments

Before installing Firefox 3, I’ve uninstalled my Firefox 2 to prevent any unforeseen conflict. However, as I use it more, I find something missing.

No one is correcting my spelling mistake anymore! “Aiyo.. Inglish spelling mistake in email and bloc beli paiseh one le..”

So, what has gone wrong? Apparently, the English dictionary was removed; most probably, when I uninstalled the Firefox 2.

Firefox - "Add Dictionaries" Option in Context Menu

“Easy job lo.. dictionary missing ma install it back lo..”

  1. Right click on any textbox or multi-line text input control (such as Gmail email composition box).
  2. If no dictionary is installed, you will see the “Add Dictionaries…” option in the right-click context menu. Click on “Add Dictionaries…”, and you will be brought to the Firefox Dictionaries and Language Packs add-ons.
  3. Just select your preferred spellchecking language, such as English (US), and install the dictionary.
  4. After restart, spellchecker will start to function in Firefox.

By default, Firefox spellchecker is working on multi-line controls. If you want the spellchecker to work on single-line text field as well, do the following:

  1. Type about:config in your browser location bar.
  2. Accept the warning message if prompted.
  3. Search for layout.spellcheckDefault option, double click on it, and change its value to 2.

Finally Own a Victorinox 1.6703 Swiss Army Knife

Published June 20, 2008 in Gadgets. 6 Comments

Besides electronic gadgets, I think most guys are easily fond to hardware utilities and tools as well. When I’m at hardware retailing shop like Ace Hardware, I can easily spend my time there “admiring” at the wide range of tools showcased, even if I have no plan of buying anything :p Some of the stuffs are just too cool to deliver some degrees of visual pleasures.

I’ve been wishing for a Victorinox Swiss army knife for years. However, this is not a cheap hardware in Malaysia. In fact, the price tag is quite steep, easily cost more than RM150 for a simple original army knife.

It came by chance, when Wai Pei told me that the Victorinox Swiss army knife is very cheap in Mexico. Her husband was there for job assignment. Without second thought, I told her to get favor from her husband to help me buying an army knife. No particular model in mind, as long as it features a useful set of tools, and most important, as long as it’s Victorinox haha.

Finally, traveling by air, a brand new set of Victorinox Explorer 1.6703 Swiss army knife has arrived at me on Tuesday :D Many thanks to Kevin and Wai Pei for helping me to fulfill my wish.

Victorinox 1.6703E Swiss Army Knife

Victorinox 1.6703E Swiss Army Knife

I love the model that Kevin has chosen. The Victorinox 1.6703 is featuring a comprehensive set of 12 tools for 16 purposes, all made from the first class stainless steel by superior workmanship. Continue reading ‘Finally Own a Victorinox 1.6703 Swiss Army Knife’

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