Chet’s Chatter

Poem: Not Waving But Drowning

Posted on 18 November 2008 @ 20:24 in Tech Stuff

One of my two favourite poems (the other one’s here), typed up using Visual Typewriter and exported to JPG format.

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Some changes a-coming

Posted on 3 May 2008 @ 00:16 in Health, Rant, Tech Stuff

First off, I just wanna say I MISS MY WIN DESKTOP. It went belly-up a week or so ago, and I’ve been using my MacBook plugged into the external 17″ monitor.

Yes, I have both Windows and Apple machines at home. It’s always been that way ever since I started using computers. At college in San Diego, I had a DOS laptop (yes, in those days, it was DOS, pre-Windows), but the department used Macs. Then, when I came home and started at my second job, we had dinosaur Macs but later persuaded the department head that we needed proper PCs. Then I started hanging out with a group of Mac users, and decided to get me an Apple G4 PowerBook. It was mostly a fun machine while I continued using a Win desktop for serious work. I later replaced the PowerBook with a MacBook, mainly because it can run both Mac and Win OSs.

And I’d been toying with the idea of going 100% Mac, especially since I can use Win on it, too (some necessary apps still require the Win environment). The desktop was getting old, and I thought it was time to make the change.

So for the past week, I’ve been on a Mac environment. It’s quite fun actually but hell on my eyes. The 17″ monitor’s display is not proportionate to the Mac’s 13.3″ display. 1280 x 800 on the Mac became 1280 x 10something … oh, I forget. I’m currently not using the 17″ at the desk, but the “native” Mac on my lap. And suddenly I realised I’d been abusing my eyes with a disproportioned display all week. Not that I didn’t know - my eyes have been feeling tired more than usual, and one night, I even had shimmering images in front of both eyes.

Still thinking of a change to Mac? For the sake of my eyes, I don’t think so.

It is time for a computer upgrade, but not in the direction of a Mac. Instead, I’m staying with Windows. A completely new CPU with the latest components.

I’m planning to sell my MacBook (anyone local who’s interested, please email me chincm[AT]gmail dot com). And getting the new ASUS eeePC (see previous post), a 9″, < 2-pound ultraportable. Cuz I still need a mobile machine when I’m out and about.

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I love Bluetooth

Posted on 5 April 2008 @ 12:45 in Books, Tech Stuff

This is one of those rare occasions when I feel technically competent.

I’d just purchased two books from eReader, (Rita Mae Brown’s Cat on the Scent and Pawing Through The Past, books #7 and #8 in her Mrs Murphy series, if anyone is curious), downloaded them to my MacBook and needed to transfer them to my Palm TX PDA.

Now, the usual way to transfer the two files would be to take out the memory card from the TX, put it in a card reader, plug the card reader into the MacBook, copy the files to the card, and reverse the process. But there’s an easier way.

Both the MacBook and Palm TX have Bluetooth (short range wireless). After pairing the two devices so they can “see” each other to exchange files, I proceeded to send the first file from the MacBook to the TX. A bleep from the TX told me the connection was successful. Within minutes, both books were on the TX, ready to be read.

No wires. No popping of memory card in and out of the two devices. No plugging in of card reader, etc.

I feel quite accomplished this morning.

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Catching Up

Posted on 9 December 2007 @ 21:46 in Tech Stuff

Well, I finally got off my tushie and upgraded my weblog to WordPress 1.5.2. This is not the latest version which, for now, is Version 2.3.1. I expect to do that before the end of the year.

Updated: Monday, 6:30 p.m.

My weblog is now running on WordPress 2.3.1, the latest stable version.

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Time out

Posted on 8 July 2007 @ 16:05 in Tech Stuff

Not my choice, tho! Streamyx at home is down, and I’ve been going to the neighbourhood book cafe to use the TMNet hotspot there. But I’m limited by the battery life on my MacBook, which is pretty impressive but still not unlimited (and I don’t bring along the power cable, which would defeat the purpose of a laptop). Besides, it’s not very conducive to write a blog post in a public space.

And yes, I’m at Hoxe’s right now. This place rocks!

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