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Thursday, 11 October 2007
Wild adults...
Posted @ 23:30
You think a child throwing a tantrum is bad? Well, the situation is far worse when it involves adults, those who are more than twice your age (well, my age). You can't really shout at them and tell them off (coz it won't work for a start), and all you can do is to pretend nothing is happening, which is obviously not true. Throwing a tantrum over the pettiest of all things is, in my opinion, just annoying and achieves only in losing my sympathy.
The difference between a child being childish and an adult being childish? The child will get bored quickly and move onto something else. The adult will just carry this on and on...
The difference between a child being childish and an adult being childish? The child will get bored quickly and move onto something else. The adult will just carry this on and on...
Thursday, 23 August 2007
ABCD...
Posted @ 14:05
A few posts ago I wrote about some of my commitments over the next week or so. First, here's a quick update on the situation: Job A is now scheduled to start on 2nd September; and I couldn't bring job B forward, so I had to turn that down. Now, things are getting even more complicated...
I have started something else, and let's call it job C. This piece of work must be done in 3 phases, but given I will have done 2 of them by the end of the week, I am taking a gamble and hope that I can finish stage 3 before job A starts. Again, it's not up to me to decide when to start stage 3, but judging by the pace of the project, I reckon we will go ahead by the end of next week. As with job B, once I start job A, job C cannot continue. Luckily (or unlucky, depending on your point of view), giving up job C now will no longer affect its progress, except I will be the only person losing out...
As if I have asked to tempt fate, I just got a message today asking me if I am interested in getting involved in yet another project: job D! No prize for guessing correctly: job D starts during the first week of September. This is really annoying, but I think I really have no choice but to decline the invitation.
In summary, job A (unavoidable by now) takes priority over jobs B, C and D. I would gain absolutely nothing from doing job A, and missing out on any of B, C or D is going to hurt. So, for the sake of not having to rant much more about this in the blog, let's hope everything is plain sailing for job C from now on!
This really sounds like an episode from some cheesy drama. Sux...
I have started something else, and let's call it job C. This piece of work must be done in 3 phases, but given I will have done 2 of them by the end of the week, I am taking a gamble and hope that I can finish stage 3 before job A starts. Again, it's not up to me to decide when to start stage 3, but judging by the pace of the project, I reckon we will go ahead by the end of next week. As with job B, once I start job A, job C cannot continue. Luckily (or unlucky, depending on your point of view), giving up job C now will no longer affect its progress, except I will be the only person losing out...
As if I have asked to tempt fate, I just got a message today asking me if I am interested in getting involved in yet another project: job D! No prize for guessing correctly: job D starts during the first week of September. This is really annoying, but I think I really have no choice but to decline the invitation.
In summary, job A (unavoidable by now) takes priority over jobs B, C and D. I would gain absolutely nothing from doing job A, and missing out on any of B, C or D is going to hurt. So, for the sake of not having to rant much more about this in the blog, let's hope everything is plain sailing for job C from now on!
This really sounds like an episode from some cheesy drama. Sux...
Friday, 3 August 2007
Typical...
Posted @ 15:42
Ok, currently I have two commitments, let's call them jobs A and B. These have the following constraints: Job A cannot be started until after 31 August but must be completed within the first few days of September; job B is a two stage process which must be completed before job A, but I have no control over the schedule. Ideally I would like to complete both, but if absolutely necessary, I can give up one of them. Personally I would rather do job B than A, but realistically I will probably need to ditch job B instead for logistics reasons.
Since the schedule for job B has not yet been decided, and I really need to sort out job A, I went ahead yesterday and confirmed the schedule: Job A is to be done on 2 September. This morning, I got an email from the people organising job B, and they told me that phase 1 will be done on 31 August. *Nice* ~ this means the prospect of finishing job B is zero as there are some lag time between the two phases. This is just typical, either I don't get anything organised or everything clashes...
I think I will try to see if we can shift job B forward.
Since the schedule for job B has not yet been decided, and I really need to sort out job A, I went ahead yesterday and confirmed the schedule: Job A is to be done on 2 September. This morning, I got an email from the people organising job B, and they told me that phase 1 will be done on 31 August. *Nice* ~ this means the prospect of finishing job B is zero as there are some lag time between the two phases. This is just typical, either I don't get anything organised or everything clashes...
I think I will try to see if we can shift job B forward.
Thursday, 26 July 2007
Bill 1 - Steve 0
Posted @ 12:48
I can't believe I am actually saying this!
Here I am talking about Microsoft (Bill Gates) and Apple (Steve Jobs). For once, I am finding that one of Bill's product is doing a better job than Steve's! What am I talking about?
Well, I've ordered some soundtracks which finally arrived yesterday. When I tried to play the CDs using iTunes, it wouldn't work. I couldn't work out why (and I still cannot). For some reason, iTunes refused to recognise that I have a music CD inserted into my computer, despite fiddling about with various iTunes and autoplay settings. All the options available to CDs were greyed out, so I could not even manually force iTunes to do something.
Then to my surprise, when I tried to play using WMP, no problem whatsoever! Is it something to do with copy protection systems? I don't think so, coz I tried to rip a track as a test, and it worked fine. One thing I didn't try, but ought to, was to test out iTunes with another music CD.....
Ah well, nothing can be perfect, software included... but surely being able to play a music CD is a basic requirement of a music/multimedia player?
Here I am talking about Microsoft (Bill Gates) and Apple (Steve Jobs). For once, I am finding that one of Bill's product is doing a better job than Steve's! What am I talking about?
Well, I've ordered some soundtracks which finally arrived yesterday. When I tried to play the CDs using iTunes, it wouldn't work. I couldn't work out why (and I still cannot). For some reason, iTunes refused to recognise that I have a music CD inserted into my computer, despite fiddling about with various iTunes and autoplay settings. All the options available to CDs were greyed out, so I could not even manually force iTunes to do something.
Then to my surprise, when I tried to play using WMP, no problem whatsoever! Is it something to do with copy protection systems? I don't think so, coz I tried to rip a track as a test, and it worked fine. One thing I didn't try, but ought to, was to test out iTunes with another music CD.....
Ah well, nothing can be perfect, software included... but surely being able to play a music CD is a basic requirement of a music/multimedia player?
Thursday, 12 July 2007
The Perfect Final Fantasy?
Posted @ 12:09
Ok, I've managed to finish Final Fantasy XII a couple of nights ago. Overall, I think it was an enjoyable experience, and there were many positive points about the game. Despite the fact that Vaan was designed to be the 'main character', he didn't actually dominate the storyline. This aspect particularly appealed to me, maybe because I have never been a fan of the first lead character of any groups, be it movies, games, cartoon, etc. The focus of the story itself took a refreshing detour from the typical 'love story' or the 'a journey to learn about myself', which was seen in several previous titles. I read some reviews that the music was 'good but not memorable', but I liked it, and actually found myself whistling to the opening tune every now and then (hmm...).
Good things must be balanced with the bad. My first complaint: don't design an offline game as if it is an online one! There are just too many tedious and repetitive things that one has to do in the game. Examples (slightly exaggerated) include the need to kill a million of the same enemies in a row to even have a faint chance of obtaining a rare item; or the fact that you have to fight monsters with more hit points than the number of stars in the Universe. I can understand (though not necessarily agree with) why game developers use these tactics for online games, where their income increases with the play time. For offline games, this is just unnecessary.
Speaking of stupidly long fights, let's talk about one of the optional bosses - Yiazmat. This beast had an insane 50 million hit points, and it took me about 2 hours (yes, TWO hours) to bring it down to just over 3 million. Then, that beast started to go mad, and was dishing out damages like there is no tomorrow. Now, until about that point, the fight was fairly routine, it was only the last part that was vaguely (I mean *very*) challenging, and I had to drastically alter my RPG fighting strategies. You see, one makes an RPG more challenging by forcing the player to continually adapt to the situation, not by forcing people to endure repetitive and mind numbing decisions.
I really believe that FF12 was marred by the OTT repetitions that one has to go through to get the most out of the game. However, on the other hand, I guess one will never see a 'perfect' FF game, as it will then be impossible to top it with the next title. Then it will really be the *final* Final Fantasy...
Good things must be balanced with the bad. My first complaint: don't design an offline game as if it is an online one! There are just too many tedious and repetitive things that one has to do in the game. Examples (slightly exaggerated) include the need to kill a million of the same enemies in a row to even have a faint chance of obtaining a rare item; or the fact that you have to fight monsters with more hit points than the number of stars in the Universe. I can understand (though not necessarily agree with) why game developers use these tactics for online games, where their income increases with the play time. For offline games, this is just unnecessary.
Speaking of stupidly long fights, let's talk about one of the optional bosses - Yiazmat. This beast had an insane 50 million hit points, and it took me about 2 hours (yes, TWO hours) to bring it down to just over 3 million. Then, that beast started to go mad, and was dishing out damages like there is no tomorrow. Now, until about that point, the fight was fairly routine, it was only the last part that was vaguely (I mean *very*) challenging, and I had to drastically alter my RPG fighting strategies. You see, one makes an RPG more challenging by forcing the player to continually adapt to the situation, not by forcing people to endure repetitive and mind numbing decisions.
I really believe that FF12 was marred by the OTT repetitions that one has to go through to get the most out of the game. However, on the other hand, I guess one will never see a 'perfect' FF game, as it will then be impossible to top it with the next title. Then it will really be the *final* Final Fantasy...
Thursday, 28 June 2007
Only 5000+ emails...
Posted @ 10:30
I received an email from my hosting provider this morning saying that I have exceeded the storage space allowed. This is strange, as I do not use excessively large files in my website. After doing a little bit of investigation, it turns out that it is my email account that is causing the problem. You see, the hosting package comes with an email account, which I never use. The emails and the rest of my website share the same hosting space, and I have now accumulated enough messages that I have exceeded my storage space. A quick check at the FBP email account shows that I have over 5000 emails accumulated, and guess what - virtually every single one of these is spam. I reckon many of these emails must have attachments (viruses?), as all the emails collectively used up more space than the website itself?!
Now it is just a case of mass deleting the emails - oh, what a purposeful thing to do on a Thursday morning...
Now it is just a case of mass deleting the emails - oh, what a purposeful thing to do on a Thursday morning...
Friday, 18 May 2007
Button up!
Posted @ 13:40
Jeans, denim, dungarees... however you want to call it - whether it is purely for fashion or for convenience, most of us own at least one pair at some stage. Back in days when it was first invented, people were wearing them for labour work, due to the fabric's ability to resist wear and tear. Meanwhile, on a different note, here are some information on the invention of the zip. You will notice that they were invented at around the same time, although the modern version of the zip was not patented until early 20th Century. Anyway, why am I talking about these two things together? Well, presumably, when Mr Levi first started selling his jeans, zips were not widely available then, so buttons would be used instead to fasten various bits of fabrics. Now, fast forward more than 100 years, why are they still selling jeans fastened with buttons, as if it were some kind of fashion desire?
(Erm... actually, I think that *IS* the whole point of using buttons rather than the zip...)
Button fastened trousers is probably one of the more inconvenient pieces of garment, well for guys at least! So why do they still do them? Now, I think you should all realise by now that a certain *someone* (aka me) was having great difficulties recently buying a pair of jeans that fits him and was not fastened with buttons.
Ok, this post is in fact a rant... hehe
(Erm... actually, I think that *IS* the whole point of using buttons rather than the zip...)
Button fastened trousers is probably one of the more inconvenient pieces of garment, well for guys at least! So why do they still do them? Now, I think you should all realise by now that a certain *someone* (aka me) was having great difficulties recently buying a pair of jeans that fits him and was not fastened with buttons.
Ok, this post is in fact a rant... hehe
Friday, 30 March 2007
Dry showers...
Posted @ 23:13
So I've moved again...
The place is great, but interestingly, in the shower unit that is right next to my room, there is a pair of woolly gloves and a mirror INSIDE. That was very strange, I wonder what's going on...
Now, on the first night I moved in, I tried to have a shower. Strangely, the jets were so diffused that most of the jets only hit the walls and ceilings of the shower, instead of the person standing inside the shower unit! I stood in the shower for 10 minutes and only my feet got wet (coz all the water flows to the shower floor). In the end, I had to take a pint glass and fill that up with water, and used that to take the 'shower'.
The next day, we were discussing the shower with my colleagues. Since the mirror inside the shower was angled such that you could see the shower head clearly, we came into the conclusion that other people used the pair of gloves as a sponge to wash themselves, and the mirror was there so that they know exactly where to catch the water jets...
I really could not work out if this should be labelled 'rant' or 'funny', so I'e used both.....
The place is great, but interestingly, in the shower unit that is right next to my room, there is a pair of woolly gloves and a mirror INSIDE. That was very strange, I wonder what's going on...
Now, on the first night I moved in, I tried to have a shower. Strangely, the jets were so diffused that most of the jets only hit the walls and ceilings of the shower, instead of the person standing inside the shower unit! I stood in the shower for 10 minutes and only my feet got wet (coz all the water flows to the shower floor). In the end, I had to take a pint glass and fill that up with water, and used that to take the 'shower'.
The next day, we were discussing the shower with my colleagues. Since the mirror inside the shower was angled such that you could see the shower head clearly, we came into the conclusion that other people used the pair of gloves as a sponge to wash themselves, and the mirror was there so that they know exactly where to catch the water jets...
I really could not work out if this should be labelled 'rant' or 'funny', so I'e used both.....
Monday, 26 March 2007
From auto-caption to giant toilet...
Posted @ 18:37
MS WORD auto-caption function - you are driving me mad! Enough said...
Meanwhile, Rich came to the rescue just in time with some amusing architecture. Otherwise, I would probably have thrown a computer out of the door by now!
Meanwhile, Rich came to the rescue just in time with some amusing architecture. Otherwise, I would probably have thrown a computer out of the door by now!
Thursday, 15 March 2007
Can't auto 19...
Posted @ 14:34
ARGH~ Sleep deprivation really lowers one's tolerance to nuisance...
It is one of those days where I just have to do an (almost) all-nighter just to finish all the work. So having had 3 hours' sleep last night, I was printing out a report this morning.
I think I've commented on WORD's *amazing* auto-caption function elsewhere already, but the new development was just... bizarre. I have a series of diagrams which I've labelled using the auto-caption function. Strangely, WORD refused to allow me to insert Figure 19. It will do 16, 17, 18, and then jump to 20 and so on. I tried updating the fields and deleting the labelling and start again, but for some reason WORD just refused to insert Figure 19 in this particular document.
Chances are, the file is corrupted somehow - I've had lots of problems with automation and templates before, where the *quickest* solution is to cut and paste the whole document to a new file...
Why will Micros*ft decide to actually make something that won't piss people off?
It is one of those days where I just have to do an (almost) all-nighter just to finish all the work. So having had 3 hours' sleep last night, I was printing out a report this morning.
I think I've commented on WORD's *amazing* auto-caption function elsewhere already, but the new development was just... bizarre. I have a series of diagrams which I've labelled using the auto-caption function. Strangely, WORD refused to allow me to insert Figure 19. It will do 16, 17, 18, and then jump to 20 and so on. I tried updating the fields and deleting the labelling and start again, but for some reason WORD just refused to insert Figure 19 in this particular document.
Chances are, the file is corrupted somehow - I've had lots of problems with automation and templates before, where the *quickest* solution is to cut and paste the whole document to a new file...
Why will Micros*ft decide to actually make something that won't piss people off?
Monday, 5 February 2007
*cough*
Posted @ 18:25
Grr...
I have not had a cough for probably a couple of years now, and now my body just can't get used to it. I do not remember I have ever coughed so hard that I've got a headache and strained stomach from it! And if I have a cold, then fair enough - the fact is I've just breathed in some random stuff that's irritating my throat. This is doubly annoying...
grr...
I have not had a cough for probably a couple of years now, and now my body just can't get used to it. I do not remember I have ever coughed so hard that I've got a headache and strained stomach from it! And if I have a cold, then fair enough - the fact is I've just breathed in some random stuff that's irritating my throat. This is doubly annoying...
grr...
Thursday, 18 January 2007
Evil and pretending to be clever...
Posted @ 13:23
ARGH~
The combination of auto-caption with custom document template in Word is just EVIL! It pretends to be 'clever' and starts applying what it thinks is the 'correct format' as soon as I've inserted an auto-caption (and wouldn't undo properly unless I delete the 'corrupted' section and type again)! I've spent more time correcting (and re-correcting) all the random format changes Word decided to apply than actually typing new stuff!
ARGH~
The combination of auto-caption with custom document template in Word is just EVIL! It pretends to be 'clever' and starts applying what it thinks is the 'correct format' as soon as I've inserted an auto-caption (and wouldn't undo properly unless I delete the 'corrupted' section and type again)! I've spent more time correcting (and re-correcting) all the random format changes Word decided to apply than actually typing new stuff!
ARGH~
Friday, 12 January 2007
Connectivity... or not!
Posted @ 16:37
It looks like I'm not having much luck as far as internet connection is concerned thesedays. Having 'escaped' from HK, where many deep sea optic cables had been damaged recently, I found my myself returning to my room sans-wireless. For some reason, the wireless router in the house was not working. This is annoying, as given the size of my room, the lack of internet connection means that apart from zzz there is literally nothing I can do.
PS - Part (II) of "journey to workville" will be posted once the wireless problem has been fixed...
PS - Part (II) of "journey to workville" will be posted once the wireless problem has been fixed...
Tuesday, 7 November 2006
The forgotten emotion...
Posted @ 17:40
Long time no blog...
I remember spending the best part of 2004 and 2005 ranting about work in my blog. That was the time when I was building the equipment needed for my project, and the only resource that was in abundance was 'frustration'. Nowadays, I don't do too much major construction work, and time seemed to have diluted the negative emotions.
Today, I was given an instant refresher course on how to maintain a grumpy mood. Yes, I needed to do some more grinding and drilling work. The only consolation was that, this time, the construction work is not directly related to my own work, but that doesn't seem to dampen my frustration.
What happened? Well, I was all set up ready to use one of the machines just before lunch, yet someone managed to sneak in and queue jump when I returned after lunch. My job would take about 2 hours, but theirs would take over a day...
I am particularly annoyed because I shuffled my timetable to get the construction work going. Now I have to change everything again.....
I remember spending the best part of 2004 and 2005 ranting about work in my blog. That was the time when I was building the equipment needed for my project, and the only resource that was in abundance was 'frustration'. Nowadays, I don't do too much major construction work, and time seemed to have diluted the negative emotions.
Today, I was given an instant refresher course on how to maintain a grumpy mood. Yes, I needed to do some more grinding and drilling work. The only consolation was that, this time, the construction work is not directly related to my own work, but that doesn't seem to dampen my frustration.
What happened? Well, I was all set up ready to use one of the machines just before lunch, yet someone managed to sneak in and queue jump when I returned after lunch. My job would take about 2 hours, but theirs would take over a day...
I am particularly annoyed because I shuffled my timetable to get the construction work going. Now I have to change everything again.....
Labels: rant
Friday, 15 September 2006
First in the queue?!
Posted @ 16:50
Check out this article from the BBC news. Apparently these trainers with wheels underneath is *the* hit of this summer. It's not difficult to see why this is popular with the kids (and even some adults). The thing is, I'm sure these trainers *WERE* the gimmick of the season *several years* ago. I mean, I saw them everywhere a few years ago - outside this country. I almost forgot they've existed until I saw some kids wearing them the other day, and now comes the news article proclaiming them to be the latest fashion!?
What's wrong with this country (and I guess the rest of Europe too), where eveything is months and years behind the rest of the world? I mean, from movies to gadgets, many things seem to be reluctant to make their trip to this part of the world.
For another example, check out the European release date for Final Fantasy 12!
What's wrong with this country (and I guess the rest of Europe too), where eveything is months and years behind the rest of the world? I mean, from movies to gadgets, many things seem to be reluctant to make their trip to this part of the world.
For another example, check out the European release date for Final Fantasy 12!
yea ... HK got that at least 3 yrs ago and i dun see ppl wearing it anymore :P
# posted by
:
11:49 PM
Sunday, 10 September 2006
Deutschland?
Posted @ 15:45
Well, I've more or less settled down in my 'sliding puzzle room', so it's time to get back to my normal schedule...
Workwise, over the last two weeks, it almost felt like I am working in Germany. First, there was a journal article in German that I need to read (and understand). Despite virtually zero knowledge of German, I managed to translate the article by using a German-English scientific dictionary and an online translation tool. On one hand, I was pleasantly surprised that the translation tool managed the technical terms rather well, and I seldom need to use the dictionary. On the other hand, however, I wouldn't have a clue on what the translator was trying to say had I not have background knowledge of the topics discussed in the article.
However, the translated article pointed to another article for further information, which was again written in German. So back to square one. Now, having translated the second article, guess what I found? Bingo - I need to translate a third article. The third article then led to a fourth one, again in German. Finally (?), the fourth article pointed to a book written in German. I am in the process of understanding what the book was saying at the moment, so I don't know yet whether I need to find something else.
Annoyingly, even if I am fluent in the language, I would still need to sieve through all the articles and books, as each article only gave a fraction of the information I need. In addition, most of the articles were written by THE SAME AUTHOR!!?!? grr...
So there you go, I have virtually not read anything other than in German at work for the last two weeks. Oh, on a side note, now that I've settled down in my new place, it is now time for me to finish off the next design of my website as promised!
Workwise, over the last two weeks, it almost felt like I am working in Germany. First, there was a journal article in German that I need to read (and understand). Despite virtually zero knowledge of German, I managed to translate the article by using a German-English scientific dictionary and an online translation tool. On one hand, I was pleasantly surprised that the translation tool managed the technical terms rather well, and I seldom need to use the dictionary. On the other hand, however, I wouldn't have a clue on what the translator was trying to say had I not have background knowledge of the topics discussed in the article.
However, the translated article pointed to another article for further information, which was again written in German. So back to square one. Now, having translated the second article, guess what I found? Bingo - I need to translate a third article. The third article then led to a fourth one, again in German. Finally (?), the fourth article pointed to a book written in German. I am in the process of understanding what the book was saying at the moment, so I don't know yet whether I need to find something else.
Annoyingly, even if I am fluent in the language, I would still need to sieve through all the articles and books, as each article only gave a fraction of the information I need. In addition, most of the articles were written by THE SAME AUTHOR!!?!? grr...
So there you go, I have virtually not read anything other than in German at work for the last two weeks. Oh, on a side note, now that I've settled down in my new place, it is now time for me to finish off the next design of my website as promised!
Wednesday, 6 September 2006
From small to smaller...
Posted @ 16:07
Right, finished phase 1 of moving place, most of the stuff are now in the new room, except a few random things which I will polish off tomorrow. The new room is tiny, and just to give you an idea, there is literally only space for a desk, chair and bed. However, as these are meant to be self contained units, they have to find me some storage space. Their solution was to build a bunk bed, and have shelves, etc below. This actually creates quite a lot of storage space, although I must say the shelves are not exactly efficiently stacked, so usage of some of the space required creativity.
Generally, I am happy as long as I have enough space for my stuff (which should be fine even after phase 2 of the move), I don't care if I have to go through an assault course just to reach the door. At least I don't live on ground floor facing the traffic anymore, so I could actually open the blinds without putting on a show to the outside world.
Yet there is a slight problem - the bed. I have to climb up 1.5 m, followed by some yoga-style movements, before I can get on/off without banging my head onto the ceiling. This is a lot more difficult than I anticipated, and I can see a potential problem after a night's out partying...
BTW, don't even try to ask me why I am moving, unless you can endure hours of ranting...
Generally, I am happy as long as I have enough space for my stuff (which should be fine even after phase 2 of the move), I don't care if I have to go through an assault course just to reach the door. At least I don't live on ground floor facing the traffic anymore, so I could actually open the blinds without putting on a show to the outside world.
Yet there is a slight problem - the bed. I have to climb up 1.5 m, followed by some yoga-style movements, before I can get on/off without banging my head onto the ceiling. This is a lot more difficult than I anticipated, and I can see a potential problem after a night's out partying...
BTW, don't even try to ask me why I am moving, unless you can endure hours of ranting...
Monday, 4 September 2006
After all this?!!
Posted @ 16:00
Recently, I helped a friend to buy a computer online, which was delivered a week ago. Apparently somebody from the sales team has been trying to get hold of me ever since. On the order form, I gave them the office number, and unfortunately my fellow office mates took the brunt of the telephone calls (sorry Dan and Rich!) as I was out of the office every time the sales called. Prize must also go to the salesperson, for his effort in making almost 10 calls within 3 days, yet still managed to missed me every single time! Eventually, he was persuaded to leave a contact number so that I can call back.
So I dialed the number. After going through at least 5 different sets of "please press X" and several pieces of queuing music, the call got connected to an overseas call centre. Surprisingly, they have no record of needing to contact me! The staff was quite resourceful though, and he suggested me calling a different number.
So here I go again, luckily this time it only took a few seconds to connect. This time, the call centre was proabably located in this country. When I explained to him that I have a "mysterious caller", he knew exactly who I was! Anyway, after all the hassle, I finally heard what he had to say:
SALES: Are you interested in purchasing the three year extended warranty?
Grr...
So I dialed the number. After going through at least 5 different sets of "please press X" and several pieces of queuing music, the call got connected to an overseas call centre. Surprisingly, they have no record of needing to contact me! The staff was quite resourceful though, and he suggested me calling a different number.
So here I go again, luckily this time it only took a few seconds to connect. This time, the call centre was proabably located in this country. When I explained to him that I have a "mysterious caller", he knew exactly who I was! Anyway, after all the hassle, I finally heard what he had to say:
SALES: Are you interested in purchasing the three year extended warranty?
Grr...
Labels: rant
Tuesday, 15 August 2006
Oooh, look! A notice on the chair...
Posted @ 15:00
As I have mentioned before (although quite rarely), I work in a big lab where my stuff occupy around a third of the space. Recently, there was a clean-out of another section of the lab, the junk was replaced by a chair placed in the centre of the space. As you move your line of sight from the newly created space to my area of the lab, you will find this is where much of the junk has migrated to! In fact, they are blocking access to my own stuff!
Obviously muttering censored phrased to myself, I return my line of sight to that solitary chair. There is a signed notice on it reading,"This space is reserved. No Dumping!"
I was speechless. It's amazing the kind of thing they would do.....
Obviously muttering censored phrased to myself, I return my line of sight to that solitary chair. There is a signed notice on it reading,"This space is reserved. No Dumping!"
I was speechless. It's amazing the kind of thing they would do.....
Tuesday, 1 August 2006
Boring 'X-hell'...
Posted @ 14:21
Grr... for the last week or so, I literally spend hours every day staring and modifying the same excel worksheet again and again. Basically I have sets of about 50 identical worksheets (identical layout, different data) that I need to play around with. Every time I change something, I'll need to do it to all the worksheets. Now, I've already written macros to do most of the chores such as pasting and solvers. However, before I could use the macros, I'll need to change some of the numbers - manually. Why? Well, even though I am changing the content of the same cell in every worksheet, the actual values are unique because they all have different data. Now, to get those unique values, I'll need numbers from a different file. This isn't too bad, as the macros make it semi-automatic. The worst bit is that, to complete a cycle of modification, I'll need to have some input from my brain, as some of the cell values are based on the qualitative assessment of everything else on the worksheet.
I must have done at least six cycles of alterations by now. So this is 50x6=300 identically layered worksheets! The job is not difficult, just incredibly tedious and repetitive. Argh~ I am getting sick of it! Whether I finish or not, I *will* move onto something else next week...Boring 'X-hell'...
I must have done at least six cycles of alterations by now. So this is 50x6=300 identically layered worksheets! The job is not difficult, just incredibly tedious and repetitive. Argh~ I am getting sick of it! Whether I finish or not, I *will* move onto something else next week...Boring 'X-hell'...
Saturday, 8 July 2006
Phantom viewer...
Posted @ 12:15
Where was I? Ah, yes, PowerPoint XP vs 2000. Well, since there doesn't seem to be an easy way to persuade 2000 to display my images without the shadows, let's try something else. PowerPoint comes with a function called "Pack and Go" where you zip the slides into a self-executable file. In the setup wizard, you have the option of adding the PowerPoint viewer to the file, so that the slides can be shown even on computers without PowerPoint (or the wrong version) - that's the theory anyway. Now, the viewer doesn't come as a standard so you will have to download it from the MS Office website.
As with all computer products, what you think you see is certainly what you won't get. After downloading the viewer (by clicking on the "download viewer" button in the setup wizard), PowerPoint insists that I do not have the viewer, so it cannot zip the application with the slides. This has happened to the two computers that I've tried.
So, there you go, I did my presentation in 2000. Luckily the room is bright enough so that you can't really see the extra shadows. Why did I not bring my own laptop? Coz they said they have all the necessary equipment in their conference room!
As with all computer products, what you think you see is certainly what you won't get. After downloading the viewer (by clicking on the "download viewer" button in the setup wizard), PowerPoint insists that I do not have the viewer, so it cannot zip the application with the slides. This has happened to the two computers that I've tried.
So, there you go, I did my presentation in 2000. Luckily the room is bright enough so that you can't really see the extra shadows. Why did I not bring my own laptop? Coz they said they have all the necessary equipment in their conference room!
Oh baz i didn't realize you are still updating your blog since the front page was not updating itself as much. I had been wondering why you were so quiet tim, thought you were vigourously working and shutting yourself down into only your PhD like Henry. One thing I find very crap with Xanga and other free weblogs, is that I have to sign up to everything if I wanna leave a comment on my friends' blog. annoying, i cant be bothered......
# posted by
:
9:54 AM
Thursday, 6 July 2006
Phantom of the Border...
Posted @ 22:05
I thought I was in the Tropics over the last few days. First it was the heat wave, now we get (almost) monsoon style rain (admittedly only for a little while). Since my office has air conditioning, I suppose this is an incentive to stay there and work!
Speaking of work, I was making a presentation for a site visit. Now, their computers use PowerPoint 2000 whereas we have XP here. As many of you may know, PowerPoint is notorious as far as backward compatibility is concerned. However, I belong to the minority who do not use a single animation feature (not even the sequential display of bullet points - I just have everything on the screen at once), so I thought I could not go wrong. How wrong was that...
Luckily I have access to PowerPoint 2000, so I was able to check before I made the journey. I have several shapes with a gradient fill that has been flipped. On XP, the gradient fill would flip with the shape as expected, but good old 2000 would leave the gradient as it is. This is a relatively easy fix, so I'm not going to complain too much here.
However, the shock came when PowerPoint 2000 tries to display my images, which are in PNG format. When I prepared those images, I had a white border around them so that I know where to crop. Since my slides have white background, nobody will notice the white borders on my images - except PowerPoint 2000 of course! It has decided to put a hideous shadow under the white border, so every slide has some random grey/brown lines lying across (I have multiple, overlapping images on some slides).
Instead of having the white borders on my images, I replaced them with a white background fill, but 2000 still doesn't like it. I'm not sure what is happening exactly, but I have a feeling that PowerPoint 2000 will put a shadow over any PNG images on the slide.
Hmm... this post is getting rather long, let's continue the story next time...
Speaking of work, I was making a presentation for a site visit. Now, their computers use PowerPoint 2000 whereas we have XP here. As many of you may know, PowerPoint is notorious as far as backward compatibility is concerned. However, I belong to the minority who do not use a single animation feature (not even the sequential display of bullet points - I just have everything on the screen at once), so I thought I could not go wrong. How wrong was that...
Luckily I have access to PowerPoint 2000, so I was able to check before I made the journey. I have several shapes with a gradient fill that has been flipped. On XP, the gradient fill would flip with the shape as expected, but good old 2000 would leave the gradient as it is. This is a relatively easy fix, so I'm not going to complain too much here.
However, the shock came when PowerPoint 2000 tries to display my images, which are in PNG format. When I prepared those images, I had a white border around them so that I know where to crop. Since my slides have white background, nobody will notice the white borders on my images - except PowerPoint 2000 of course! It has decided to put a hideous shadow under the white border, so every slide has some random grey/brown lines lying across (I have multiple, overlapping images on some slides).
Instead of having the white borders on my images, I replaced them with a white background fill, but 2000 still doesn't like it. I'm not sure what is happening exactly, but I have a feeling that PowerPoint 2000 will put a shadow over any PNG images on the slide.
Hmm... this post is getting rather long, let's continue the story next time...
u should bring along ur laptop!
i experienced viewing powerpoint XP work with older version b4 and got problems with images, words and spacing ... basically everything >_<
i experienced viewing powerpoint XP work with older version b4 and got problems with images, words and spacing ... basically everything >_<
# posted by
:
4:00 PM
Thursday, 15 June 2006
Break-athlon (Part 2)...
Posted @ 15:31
A few entries ago, I wrote a list of things that broke recently: computer, washing machine and umbrella. Guess what, I now have three more things to add to the list. Last week, one of the fluorescent light in my room was knackered, followed by both lights in the bathroom! So six things broke in less than one month, and none due to mishandling. Way to go...
Incidentally, taking a shower in total darkness was quite an experience! Ha...
Incidentally, taking a shower in total darkness was quite an experience! Ha...
Labels: rant
Tuesday, 30 May 2006
Break-athlon...
Posted @ 14:27
Hmm... May 2006 seems to be a month of malfunctioning. First my computer, then my umbrella (!), and now the washing machine?!? The washing machine washes and dries ok, except it stopped tumbling, which sort of rendered the 'tumble drying' function useless, so now I am ended up with piles of steaming but wet clothes (i.e. no point in tumble drying). Grr...
A quick update on the computer issue. There is now a new theory of what's going on. One person proposed that the processor fan malfunctioned, which means the motherboard was killed by overheating. Hmm, I guess now I'll take any explanation, since the computer is not starting regardless of what I do to it. All I can confirm is that the power supply to the electronics is fine. Anyway, I've got myself a cheap HDD caddy, just to see if the HDD is in fact ok afterall.
Oh well, a couple more days to go before June. Fresh start then...
A quick update on the computer issue. There is now a new theory of what's going on. One person proposed that the processor fan malfunctioned, which means the motherboard was killed by overheating. Hmm, I guess now I'll take any explanation, since the computer is not starting regardless of what I do to it. All I can confirm is that the power supply to the electronics is fine. Anyway, I've got myself a cheap HDD caddy, just to see if the HDD is in fact ok afterall.
Oh well, a couple more days to go before June. Fresh start then...
Tuesday, 16 May 2006
Argh~ my hard disk!?
Posted @ 13:16
Argh~ I think my hard disk in my laptop has just died!!??
This morning, I switched on my computer, but after a few minutes it froze (this is very rare for my laptop), so I switched it off. When I tried to switch on my computer again, my hard disk wouldn't respond. From the laptop LED display, I can see that there is actually power through the computer, but for some reason the hard disk wouldn't start, no noise whatsoever...
Erm, does this mean that my hard disk has died?
So annoying, the last thing I need right now is a broken hard disk. Luckily, the damage done, in terms of lost data, is relatively mild. It turns out that I've backed up most of the important things when I uploaded my new website theme last week! The most annoying chunk of information that I've lost is my accounting stuff.
Hurray for my new website theme - you've saved the day! Deceptively calm - was this an omen?
This morning, I switched on my computer, but after a few minutes it froze (this is very rare for my laptop), so I switched it off. When I tried to switch on my computer again, my hard disk wouldn't respond. From the laptop LED display, I can see that there is actually power through the computer, but for some reason the hard disk wouldn't start, no noise whatsoever...
Erm, does this mean that my hard disk has died?
So annoying, the last thing I need right now is a broken hard disk. Luckily, the damage done, in terms of lost data, is relatively mild. It turns out that I've backed up most of the important things when I uploaded my new website theme last week! The most annoying chunk of information that I've lost is my accounting stuff.
Hurray for my new website theme - you've saved the day! Deceptively calm - was this an omen?
Tuesday, 9 May 2006
I miss my tables...
Posted @ 00:08
For once (and only once), I can see a point for a *total* domination of IE in the web browser market. I really hate this 'multi browser compatibility' business. First, although I have semi fixed the blog pages, I just found out that one sees a random brown bar at the end of every post when using firefox (and therefore I guess this would happen in safari too). For some reason, the java script used to hide the comments is not exactly buddies with the tableless structure. I think I'll need to spend some more time working on it - by that I mean trial and error.
So yes, at the moment, only IE will render everything as intended. The only exception is of course my logo on the side bar (on the index page), which is supposed to be a PNG with a transparent background. The trade-off of having to put up with the random bar in firefox is that it renders transparent PNG properly.
So yes, at the moment, only IE will render everything as intended. The only exception is of course my logo on the side bar (on the index page), which is supposed to be a PNG with a transparent background. The trade-off of having to put up with the random bar in firefox is that it renders transparent PNG properly.
IE is actually the bane of web design. It has enough bugs in the implementation to make everything look like crap.
Anyway, with the IE PNG problem, there's a solution which allows you to add one line to your HTML and a JS file to solve it.
HAve a look at the source on my homepage and look for the pngfix.js line.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bobosola/pnghowto.htm
Anyway, with the IE PNG problem, there's a solution which allows you to add one line to your HTML and a JS file to solve it.
HAve a look at the source on my homepage and look for the pngfix.js line.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/bobosola/pnghowto.htm
# posted by
Alastair :
6:26 PM
I like your new look :)
# posted by
:
4:21 PM
Monday, 8 May 2006
Deceptively calm...
Posted @ 00:34
Customers are always right. Isn't this the first thing one learns when entering the services industry. Of course, whether the customer is *actually* right or not is irrelevant here. We got some really bad manners from the cafe staff today for messing up with our orders?!?!! So, we decided not to give them any 'service charge' coz there was really not much services. As we head out, one of the senior staff tried some cheeky comments on us, obviously forgotten about the whole rudeness thing. I just smiled...
Still, compared with some of the things I had to deal with this week, this incidient at the cafe was really nothing. Deceptively calm is the perfect description of me at the moment (to coincide with the new theme, haha)...
Still, compared with some of the things I had to deal with this week, this incidient at the cafe was really nothing. Deceptively calm is the perfect description of me at the moment (to coincide with the new theme, haha)...
Monday, 10 April 2006
Unusual Diet
Posted @ 10:43
Ok, I swear that somebody in my office is on a diet of plastic and black ink! I've now lost one pen every week for the last month! This is so annoying, I paid for the pens and only managed to use them for a week before it became 'someone else's property'. I have my suspects, but because everyone get their stationery from the department stores, I couldn't actually tell the difference.
Grr... so annoying!
Grr... so annoying!
ng hai ha ma ... steal pens gum cheap :P??
# posted by
:
2:25 PM
hey baz...yes, thesis kick-off, heehee, yes, i mean, fidling with the "template" and "layout" and "font"...
arrr...u know, ppl around my lab likes to steal my calculators. so, u probably feel a bit better for ur pens??
arrr...u know, ppl around my lab likes to steal my calculators. so, u probably feel a bit better for ur pens??
# posted by
:
8:24 AM
Monday, 3 April 2006
I'm undeRAGE...
Posted @ 12:36
Interesting weekend.....
Last Friday, for the millionth time, I got refused into a bar because "I am underage". When I produced my driving licence as proof of ID, the bouncer (who is considerably older than me) asked what that was?!? You see, nowadays, people have a photocard driving licence, whereas before 1998, we had the old paper style. However, many places do not accept them as valid ID.
Now, a couple of points to note here...
First, this country does not accept its own legal documents as proof of identity, which is ridiculous. I admit the lack of photo on the old style licence is the reason behind this, but surely whoever designing these things in the first place should have thought about this! Secondly, the bouncer, who I said was older than me, did not even recognise the old style licence. Hello? What's going on here? Don't tell me he's never seen a paper licence before (I bet he owns one anyway)?
People said I should take this as a compliment. Er, NO! If they say I'm 21, then yes; but to think I'm under 18, this is just inconvenient. I can assure you that nobody finds any comments that lead to inconvenience flatterring at all. In fact, 'insult' would be a better word than 'compliment'!
However, trying to see some humour in all these (Oh I tell you the whole saga was very funny to all my friends...grr), I propose two plans. Either I wear a badge saying "I am 2" going into the pub next time, or I get a customised T-shirt that reads "Obviously I look under 18!".....
Actually, the bouncers only start working at around 7pm or so. Therefore I only had to start my weekend at 5pm..... hahaha
Last Friday, for the millionth time, I got refused into a bar because "I am underage". When I produced my driving licence as proof of ID, the bouncer (who is considerably older than me) asked what that was?!? You see, nowadays, people have a photocard driving licence, whereas before 1998, we had the old paper style. However, many places do not accept them as valid ID.
Now, a couple of points to note here...
First, this country does not accept its own legal documents as proof of identity, which is ridiculous. I admit the lack of photo on the old style licence is the reason behind this, but surely whoever designing these things in the first place should have thought about this! Secondly, the bouncer, who I said was older than me, did not even recognise the old style licence. Hello? What's going on here? Don't tell me he's never seen a paper licence before (I bet he owns one anyway)?
People said I should take this as a compliment. Er, NO! If they say I'm 21, then yes; but to think I'm under 18, this is just inconvenient. I can assure you that nobody finds any comments that lead to inconvenience flatterring at all. In fact, 'insult' would be a better word than 'compliment'!
However, trying to see some humour in all these (Oh I tell you the whole saga was very funny to all my friends...grr), I propose two plans. Either I wear a badge saying "I am 2" going into the pub next time, or I get a customised T-shirt that reads "Obviously I look under 18!".....
Actually, the bouncers only start working at around 7pm or so. Therefore I only had to start my weekend at 5pm..... hahaha
Wednesday, 29 March 2006
They have the guts to ask...
Posted @ 22:23
This is so rude. I could not believe that somebody asked me if I needed my lab space any more?!?! I might not be spending much time in the lab nowadays (coz I'm running computer simulations), but that doesn't mean I don't need my lab equipment anymore. Also, even if I truly won't be doing any more experiments, only a fool would vacate their space before the end of their project. What if you realise, a few months on, that you need to check a set of experimental data? Oh, equipment dismantled, tough luck!
I don't think so.....
I don't think so.....
Tuesday, 28 February 2006
Active obstruction...
Posted @ 14:27
I noticed that whenever I'm going through a 'rant phase', the number of posts increases to keep in sync.
A great way to *maximise* resource utilisation is to install all the one-off software onto the same computer. At least this is what *some people* think. From one semi-official source, I found out their justification is that 'it is easier to install software onto one computer'. Of course, I should see this happening anyway, giving all the fuss everyone had been through before.
Now, I'm stuck here blogging until the computers become available again.....
A great way to *maximise* resource utilisation is to install all the one-off software onto the same computer. At least this is what *some people* think. From one semi-official source, I found out their justification is that 'it is easier to install software onto one computer'. Of course, I should see this happening anyway, giving all the fuss everyone had been through before.
Now, I'm stuck here blogging until the computers become available again.....
Friday, 24 February 2006
Phantom bin lid...
Posted @ 11:52
Are people getting desperate or what?
Ok, my lab has a habit of becoming other people's junk yard. No exception this week. I have a whole table of junk pipes, nails, tubes and even part of an air conditioning unit! However, what's different this time is that something of mine has gone missing. I have a big bin full of powder, and for some reason the lid covering the bin has disappeared. This is really pathetic, to go to someone else's lab and steal their bin lid. Do people not have better things to do? Even more annoying is that I will need to get a replacement lid, because I don't want people to start thinking it is in fact a bin for trash.
Still, there is a net increase in the amount of stuff in my lab.....
Ok, my lab has a habit of becoming other people's junk yard. No exception this week. I have a whole table of junk pipes, nails, tubes and even part of an air conditioning unit! However, what's different this time is that something of mine has gone missing. I have a big bin full of powder, and for some reason the lid covering the bin has disappeared. This is really pathetic, to go to someone else's lab and steal their bin lid. Do people not have better things to do? Even more annoying is that I will need to get a replacement lid, because I don't want people to start thinking it is in fact a bin for trash.
Still, there is a net increase in the amount of stuff in my lab.....
Thursday, 2 February 2006
Quick rant...
Posted @ 14:25
One hundred and twenty something pounds wasted, and *time* and *effort* haven't been factored into it yet. Bad "investment", bad "investment". I'll calm down in a day or two, but in the meantime, I'm kicking myself.
Labels: rant
Monday, 23 January 2006
Low key affair...
Posted @ 15:58
There are things which I'd like to keep low key, even though there's nothing secretive about them. As an example, I tend not to tell people what I'm up to every minute, and the easiest way to annoy me is to try to map out my daily schedule by bombarding me with questions.
Recently, I had to disclose a plan to a friend for "logistics reasons" (I assure you that it's nothing sinister, haha :p), but with an added comment that I'd like to keep it a low profile. So how come everyone's been asking me how the plan is going today?!!?!
Ok, it's no big deal that everyone knows what I've been doing over the last few days, but personally I don't think it's the best time to tell everyone yet. I'm probably just not thick-skinned enough to face people if the plan doesn't work out and every had known about it, but I'd like a little bit of privacy when requested. Thanks you.
Speaking of invading private space, I'm in a bit of a bad mood lately coz someone did something far too 'personal'. Disgusting. Everyone I've told thought that person has acted inappropriately. Don't they teach manner at school anymore? Grr...
Recently, I had to disclose a plan to a friend for "logistics reasons" (I assure you that it's nothing sinister, haha :p), but with an added comment that I'd like to keep it a low profile. So how come everyone's been asking me how the plan is going today?!!?!
Ok, it's no big deal that everyone knows what I've been doing over the last few days, but personally I don't think it's the best time to tell everyone yet. I'm probably just not thick-skinned enough to face people if the plan doesn't work out and every had known about it, but I'd like a little bit of privacy when requested. Thanks you.
Speaking of invading private space, I'm in a bit of a bad mood lately coz someone did something far too 'personal'. Disgusting. Everyone I've told thought that person has acted inappropriately. Don't they teach manner at school anymore? Grr...
i suppose the definition of everyone is everyone besides me?
maybe you should consider restraining yourself from blogging about it until its done, that way i don't have to guess what the hell is going on.
besides i've been out of the loop recently that i don't know what's going on with any of my friends.
maybe you should consider restraining yourself from blogging about it until its done, that way i don't have to guess what the hell is going on.
besides i've been out of the loop recently that i don't know what's going on with any of my friends.
# posted by
alastair :
5:07 PM
hehe, I guess you're right, except I'm out of ideas for blog at the moment, and I haven't done a 'complaining entry' for a while! As usual I'm leaving everything semi-enigmatic so only the people involved would know exactly I'm on about... haha :p
# posted by
Basil :
5:47 PM
Tuesday, 15 November 2005
Dramatic change!
Posted @ 10:33
My university has recently implemented a new student records system (bought from, ahem, across the Atlantic... hehe), which is supposed to be quite good, as it allows the students to sort out personal details, exams, transcripts, etc, all from one website and database. Yesterday I logged in and found out that, to my surprise and amusement, I am classified by the University as "Caucasian". I've checked myself in the mirror several times, and I really found it hard to find evidence to support the idea that I am in fact not a Chinese/Oriental/Asian! :p
Interestingly, I can change most of the personal details in my account, but 'ethnic group' is something that is not within my admin right to change. So I have to contact the university to sort this out! I wonder if they would believe it when I told them I want to amend my ethnic group status!
Interestingly, I can change most of the personal details in my account, but 'ethnic group' is something that is not within my admin right to change. So I have to contact the university to sort this out! I wonder if they would believe it when I told them I want to amend my ethnic group status!
u'd better tell them in person ...hahaha ... so they can see ur face and reflect on how they can make such a mistake!
# posted by
:
3:22 PM
Monday, 7 November 2005
Er... Indecisive?
Posted @ 10:17
Well being indecisive is one thing, but being lazy or just can't be bothered is quite another. When you tell people to do things themselves, and explaining the "strategic advantage" of doing things separately, why do they ask you to sort it out for them? I really don't understand...
Labels: rant
This is a confusing post is it about supervisees? It sounds like lazy undergrads to me!
# posted by
PocketGenius :
10:41 AM
Haha, nah... nobody really... just a "generic person"... hehe - certainly not the students...
# posted by
Basil :
6:18 PM
Tuesday, 1 November 2005
Illusion
Posted @ 12:12
Here's a little optical illusion, courtesy of a link provided by Rich.
Also, for the second time in a row now, I have been sent a "reminder notice" to pay my college bill 10 days before it is due. Recall the definition of "reminder" - it means "why haven't you pay yet?". Stop wasting resources doing pointless things! Do they seriously expect people to cough up money 10 days in advance?
Also, for the second time in a row now, I have been sent a "reminder notice" to pay my college bill 10 days before it is due. Recall the definition of "reminder" - it means "why haven't you pay yet?". Stop wasting resources doing pointless things! Do they seriously expect people to cough up money 10 days in advance?
Wednesday, 7 September 2005
So far not impressed...
Posted @ 23:25
Well, I've installed the new virus scan/firewall combo for a few days now. Here's two words to summarise my initial impression - NOT IMPRESSED! The software has four applications, and here's a quick run down of what I think so far:
Virus Scan: Actually, I quite ok with it.
Firewall: I thought it was ok until I started observing wierd behaviour. Every day so far it has decided to block something randomly, it could be a particular page of a particular website (I've tried it on another computer and it was fine) or MSN. In the case of MSN, the firewall is actually saying it is allowing all traffic.
Privacy: This utility basically deals with cookies, file shredder, etc. I found the interface a lot more confusing than the previous version, and it *appears* that I have less control over the matter of cookies. Also, in terms of alerting me to these cyber snacks, it has employed a mixture of the old interface where I get a Window-style dialogue, and the new interface where a MSN-style pop-up appears at the corner of the screen.
Spam Killer: Well, it identifies spams correctly, but it also accuse many decent emails as spams too. For each message, it actually explains why it think it's a spam. For the incorrectly identified ones, so far the funniest explanation is "it looks like spam"?!!? However, I can set custom filters, which I did by telling it all emails from the university should not be labelled as spam. Well, it sort of worked, except its logic is that it will classify all emails from the university as spam, but the automatic action would be to accept these emails anyway. Hmm...
General Points: My computer took a minute or so longer to start up, which is not surprising. However, the delay in opening new IE windows is starting to seriously annoy me now. Conclusion: I don't like the latest incarnation, but I'm stuck with it coz they no longer offer support (and hence updates) on the older versions.
Virus Scan: Actually, I quite ok with it.
Firewall: I thought it was ok until I started observing wierd behaviour. Every day so far it has decided to block something randomly, it could be a particular page of a particular website (I've tried it on another computer and it was fine) or MSN. In the case of MSN, the firewall is actually saying it is allowing all traffic.
Privacy: This utility basically deals with cookies, file shredder, etc. I found the interface a lot more confusing than the previous version, and it *appears* that I have less control over the matter of cookies. Also, in terms of alerting me to these cyber snacks, it has employed a mixture of the old interface where I get a Window-style dialogue, and the new interface where a MSN-style pop-up appears at the corner of the screen.
Spam Killer: Well, it identifies spams correctly, but it also accuse many decent emails as spams too. For each message, it actually explains why it think it's a spam. For the incorrectly identified ones, so far the funniest explanation is "it looks like spam"?!!? However, I can set custom filters, which I did by telling it all emails from the university should not be labelled as spam. Well, it sort of worked, except its logic is that it will classify all emails from the university as spam, but the automatic action would be to accept these emails anyway. Hmm...
General Points: My computer took a minute or so longer to start up, which is not surprising. However, the delay in opening new IE windows is starting to seriously annoy me now. Conclusion: I don't like the latest incarnation, but I'm stuck with it coz they no longer offer support (and hence updates) on the older versions.
Wednesday, 17 August 2005
Queries regarding your bill...
Posted @ 09:22
I've got an email from college today about my unpaid college bill. Here's an excerpt:
"Your college bill of GBP 763.20 is due on the 25th August 2005. If you have any queries regarding your bill, please do not hesitate to contact me."
It is the college's usual tactics to use the phrase "queries regarding the bill" when they really mean ""why haven't you paid?". Now, check the date: 17 August 2005 - in other words, I still have over a week before payment is due. Therefore, stop pestering me for money, as this will only add to my dissatisfaction of college attitude towards students.
Besides, why give them money early when it could be sitting in my bank earning 0.000000001p of interest? haha...
"Your college bill of GBP 763.20 is due on the 25th August 2005. If you have any queries regarding your bill, please do not hesitate to contact me."
It is the college's usual tactics to use the phrase "queries regarding the bill" when they really mean ""why haven't you paid?". Now, check the date: 17 August 2005 - in other words, I still have over a week before payment is due. Therefore, stop pestering me for money, as this will only add to my dissatisfaction of college attitude towards students.
Besides, why give them money early when it could be sitting in my bank earning 0.000000001p of interest? haha...
Labels: rant
on the up side, i was sent a college bill where the college actually OWES ME 85 pounds. i wonder if i'll ever see that money
# posted by
liquidx :
10:31 AM
Monday, 6 June 2005
Hello, how may I annoy you?
Posted @ 10:45
I need to ring the travel agent to sort out something about a flight that I've booked. Their opening hours are 10am-8pm. When I called at around 10.10am, I got connected to their offline message, saying please call back during working hours (which they repeated it on their message as 10-8). Ok, maybe people are starting a little bit late today. Also, their clocks could be 10 minutes slower, so I decided to wait for a little while more...
10.45am... I'm still getting this $^%&@ offline message!? To the best of my knowledge, 10.45am is a later time than 10am!
10.45am... I'm still getting this $^%&@ offline message!? To the best of my knowledge, 10.45am is a later time than 10am!
Labels: rant
hope the travel agent didn't take ur $$ and then close down =P
# posted by
:
8:48 PM
Nah, I was only trying to change the flight date, but too much hassle. So, I gave up in the end.
# posted by
Basil :
9:28 PM
Friday, 27 May 2005
No respect
Posted @ 23:05
I'm telling ya, once I've submitted my thesis I don't have to be so nice to ya. I've already had no respect for you and today it just plummeted beyond zero. I hate people who had no power but think they have authority over everyone. However, I hate even more those people falling in the above category AND hinders everyone else's work.
I complain a lot, but I'm usually very tolerant during these encounters. Not many people can make me storm out of a room fuming at work. Count yourself special in that respect.....
I complain a lot, but I'm usually very tolerant during these encounters. Not many people can make me storm out of a room fuming at work. Count yourself special in that respect.....
Labels: rant
Monday, 23 May 2005
Lock update
Posted @ 16:23
Remember I told you on Friday that the lock on my door broke? Well, after getting college to fix it, I discovered that they didn't bother to come afterall!?!? Hmm... so Friday evening, and they have already finished work, and my door remained unopenable. So they expect me to sleep elsewhere for the whole weekend?! Anyway, got the porters to have a look, and the only thing they could do to let me in was to rip off the lock! Well, I could get in, but couldn't leave coz I couldn't risk leaving my room unattended.
Anyway, they eventually got somebody to fix the lock on Saturday afternoon. Apparently this wasn't the first time there had been a problem with this particular lock. Grr...
Anyway, they eventually got somebody to fix the lock on Saturday afternoon. Apparently this wasn't the first time there had been a problem with this particular lock. Grr...
Friday, 20 May 2005
Unlocked yet unopened
Posted @ 11:49
It was fine last night, but this morning, my door lock broke?!! It was broken in the sense that I can unlock it, but when I turn the door handle it won't open. What's also strange is that I can open the door from the inside, but not from the outside.
What happened between last night and this morning? The only thing I can think of is that the cleaner was hoovering the corridor this morning, may the vacuum cleaner knocked against the lock and broke it???
Hmm...
What happened between last night and this morning? The only thing I can think of is that the cleaner was hoovering the corridor this morning, may the vacuum cleaner knocked against the lock and broke it???
Hmm...
Monday, 16 May 2005
Snapshot in the office...
Posted @ 13:58
$%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!* $%@#!*
I hate mathematical modelling................................ Brain got stuck on line one!
I hate mathematical modelling................................ Brain got stuck on line one!
Tuesday, 3 May 2005
Can't call, won't call...
Posted @ 11:03
The tone of my blog seems to be rather tame recently, but trust me, I am as cynical and critical of the world as usual.....
The story started just over a year ago, when I went to Amsterdam for a few days. [No, not *that* kind of story!] Anyway, as I have a monthly contract with my mobile phone services provider, I can use my phone in many destinations overseas without special arrangements (supposedly). I even checked with the staff to make sure that I can indeed dial from Amsterdam, and they said everything was fine. Guess what, I had reception, but I couldn't dial!
I haven't given this much thought since then... until now. I will be away for a few days again, and I wanted to make sure that I've got the mobile phone services sorted out this time round. It turns out that I have roaming enabled, but dialling disabled (default option)?! In other words, I have reception, but I can't dial.
What's the point?
More importantly, if this is the default option, shouldn't the staff who handled my enquiries last year know about this?
The story started just over a year ago, when I went to Amsterdam for a few days. [No, not *that* kind of story!] Anyway, as I have a monthly contract with my mobile phone services provider, I can use my phone in many destinations overseas without special arrangements (supposedly). I even checked with the staff to make sure that I can indeed dial from Amsterdam, and they said everything was fine. Guess what, I had reception, but I couldn't dial!
I haven't given this much thought since then... until now. I will be away for a few days again, and I wanted to make sure that I've got the mobile phone services sorted out this time round. It turns out that I have roaming enabled, but dialling disabled (default option)?! In other words, I have reception, but I can't dial.
What's the point?
More importantly, if this is the default option, shouldn't the staff who handled my enquiries last year know about this?
this is very stupid >_<
but dun forget that u r in uk, this kind of things happen always =P
but dun forget that u r in uk, this kind of things happen always =P
# posted by
:
6:50 PM
Sunday, 24 April 2005
Gained a present, but lost a wheel...
Posted @ 22:57
*headache* grr... although a lot better than I thought it would be... Anyway, I thought the present was rather extravagant, very touched... :)
Today, I discovered that someone stole the back wheel of my bike, and I parked my bike right underneath a CCTV... $%^&@#
Today, I discovered that someone stole the back wheel of my bike, and I parked my bike right underneath a CCTV... $%^&@#
Monday, 18 April 2005
Annoyed x4
Posted @ 22:30
Random updates.....
1. Moths - Well, the college folks have *cleaned* the house today, ready for the pest control people tomorrow. My room is now in a semi-packed state. Argh, more tidying up tonight/tomorrow morning... [annoyed]
2. Moths again - The notice from college says "prompt action needed before the infestation spreads to nearby houses". Fair enough, except one of my housemate has lived here for two years, and apparently moths were really *bad* back then. Prompt action... I see... [annoyed x2]
3. sTuPiD feibao - I fell into the trap of being able to do the difficult stuff but have no understanding of the basic work *again*. [annoyed x3]
4. "Cheap" people - Someone stole my 1 pound coin for the locker in the gym... As HK people would say: "so cheap"! [annoyed x4]
As you can tell, I'm not in a very good mood today.....
1. Moths - Well, the college folks have *cleaned* the house today, ready for the pest control people tomorrow. My room is now in a semi-packed state. Argh, more tidying up tonight/tomorrow morning... [annoyed]
2. Moths again - The notice from college says "prompt action needed before the infestation spreads to nearby houses". Fair enough, except one of my housemate has lived here for two years, and apparently moths were really *bad* back then. Prompt action... I see... [annoyed x2]
3. sTuPiD feibao - I fell into the trap of being able to do the difficult stuff but have no understanding of the basic work *again*. [annoyed x3]
4. "Cheap" people - Someone stole my 1 pound coin for the locker in the gym... As HK people would say: "so cheap"! [annoyed x4]
As you can tell, I'm not in a very good mood today.....
Thursday, 14 April 2005
Moths...
Posted @ 23:40
Four people live in my house, but one of them is on holiday for a few weeks, and another is away for some kind of placement for a while now. So, two people sharing two bathrooms and one kitchen - not a bad deal, eh?
Not a bad deal..... except there is a moth infestation in the house and the college is getting the pest control people to sort it out next week. Argh, need to tidy my room and create space for them to disinfect.....
(#$%!@*)
Not a bad deal..... except there is a moth infestation in the house and the college is getting the pest control people to sort it out next week. Argh, need to tidy my room and create space for them to disinfect.....
(#$%!@*)
Tuesday, 12 April 2005
Too many answers!
Posted @ 22:05
This is INSANE!!!!!
I've done this calculation 10 times today, and got 6 different answers out?!?! Worse, all of them were pretty similar, so I couldn't really eliminate the obviously wrong ones. There wasn't even a 'statistical winner' either - 4 of the answers came up twice, and two answers came up once.....
I've done this calculation 10 times today, and got 6 different answers out?!?! Worse, all of them were pretty similar, so I couldn't really eliminate the obviously wrong ones. There wasn't even a 'statistical winner' either - 4 of the answers came up twice, and two answers came up once.....
stressed + frustration + annoyed
Posted @ 13:56
stressed + frustration + annoyed + stressed + frustration + annoyed + stressed + frustration + annoyed + stressed + frustration + annoyed + stressed + frustration + annoyed + stressed + frustration + annoyed + stressed + frustration + annoyed + stressed + frustration + annoyed + stressed + frustration + annoyed + stressed + frustration + annoyed + .....
I hate it when I can't figure out how to do something that I knew I could do.....
I hate it when I can't figure out how to do something that I knew I could do.....
Labels: rant
Sunday, 27 March 2005
Mood-less...
Posted @ 23:59
I hate Sundays..... always messes up my body clock (actually, it's been messed up since Friday). Woke up late + feeling lethargic + got nothing done + can't fall asleep until dawn + etc (the cycle goes on). Argh~
I've still managed to squeeze in a little bit of work this Easter weekend. Why work? Basically I've been given several jobs to do this week from the *boss*, and all of them were *censored* hard. Although the work is not expected to be finished within a week (I'll be lucky if I can do them within a month!), I thought I'll get something done this weekend whilst motivation is still high.
Oh, just got a letter from my bank this week coz they suspected that my debit card is being used "fraudulently". Grr... those stupid online shopping websites... they crash when you want to pay, and then messes up your account too. Ok, so not fraud here, but still needs some sorting out. I will not buy stuff from that site again!
Mood indicator: "mood-less" (too lethargic to have a mood)
I've still managed to squeeze in a little bit of work this Easter weekend. Why work? Basically I've been given several jobs to do this week from the *boss*, and all of them were *censored* hard. Although the work is not expected to be finished within a week (I'll be lucky if I can do them within a month!), I thought I'll get something done this weekend whilst motivation is still high.
Oh, just got a letter from my bank this week coz they suspected that my debit card is being used "fraudulently". Grr... those stupid online shopping websites... they crash when you want to pay, and then messes up your account too. Ok, so not fraud here, but still needs some sorting out. I will not buy stuff from that site again!
Mood indicator: "mood-less" (too lethargic to have a mood)
Wednesday, 16 March 2005
My itinerary...
Posted @ 00:38
If we are gossiping and you said don't say a word, fair enough. If you've told me your life secret and ask me not to mention it in front of people, then I respect your privacy. If you are bad mouthing people and ask me to keep quiet, I guess I should coz it's none of my business. What I don't understand is - why do you ask me not to say a word when it has nothing to do with you? Effectively I need your permission when I want tell people about my itinerary. I can see where you are coming from, but you've got the logic wrong here! If what you've said make sense, then every single noun in this world would become illegal!? Er, no, I don't think so.
Thursday, 10 March 2005
Moral and teaching?
Posted @ 22:57
I may be sarcastic, I may be cynical, and my temper is not the tamest around. However, my moral values still rank above $$$! Call me stupid, but I'm not going to quibble over the OT's that will probably not be paid. I had received my *fair* share (to put it mildly) of awful teaching, so I will not pass this on. I'd rather spend a few more hours sorting out your brains than to let you wandering around feeling lost. A bad education experience can mess up your life, and I know this far too well.
Equally, I hate it when your students can almost outwit you. I've already prepared extra materials just for one group, but they still seem to be able to (almost) get the better of me - two weeks in a row now. So unfair, I did put in all the extra effort you know?
Equally, I hate it when your students can almost outwit you. I've already prepared extra materials just for one group, but they still seem to be able to (almost) get the better of me - two weeks in a row now. So unfair, I did put in all the extra effort you know?
Sunday, 6 March 2005
When the bad gets more expensive...
Posted @ 02:20
hmm... a whopping 49 people visited my website last Friday?! What's going on? Most of them were around 6pm as well.....
Also, I've spotted a few new regular readers recently. Thanks a lot! :)
Before today (Saturday), the last time I took a train to London was in Novemeber. I found out that they've raised the ticket price (again) since. Already muttering #$%!*@, it turned that lots of underground stations today were closed due to engineering work (much of circle line was closed at some stage!), and there were delays at King's Cross too due to (more) engineering work. Is that what people get in return for paying more for their transport?
Also, I've spotted a few new regular readers recently. Thanks a lot! :)
Before today (Saturday), the last time I took a train to London was in Novemeber. I found out that they've raised the ticket price (again) since. Already muttering #$%!*@, it turned that lots of underground stations today were closed due to engineering work (much of circle line was closed at some stage!), and there were delays at King's Cross too due to (more) engineering work. Is that what people get in return for paying more for their transport?
Labels: rant
Friday, 4 March 2005
Technology pulls people apart!
Posted @ 20:18
More people than I thought share my view that there are serious flaws with how things operate at the moment. As a result of a discussion today, I notice that there seems to be two extreme camps - one that really likes him and one that think he is a waste of space. So another point has been added to my "I don't want to work in academia" list...
I've been told that my name got an honorary (or notorious? hehehe) mention in a lecture today... hmm...
Moral of the story: technolgy may make the world a smaller place, but it certainly does not bring people closer together - in fact it pulls people apart...
I've been told that my name got an honorary (or notorious? hehehe) mention in a lecture today... hmm...
Moral of the story: technolgy may make the world a smaller place, but it certainly does not bring people closer together - in fact it pulls people apart...
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