23 Sep
For all Animation/Motion Graphics designers, be informed that International Motion Graphics & 3D Models Competition “Asia Inspires ME” is now OPEN for submission!
Winning entries will be showcased at ME booth at inaugural SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 in Singapore.
Check out http://www.motionelements.com/blog/events/17 for more information.
Competition Period: 1 September - 31 October 2008.
For any enquiries, email: artists@motionelements.com
3 Sep
Finally some tech related news!
I’m posting this using the extremely fast Google Chrome, Google’s latest product - a web browser.
I’m just going to make this a short one and list down some first impressions and things I’ve noted while using it for the past 30mins.
Firstly, the browser is extremely fast when rendering pages! Even faster than Firefox in fact. Booting up the browser for the first time, Chrome prompts you to transfer your bookmarks/passwords/everything from Firefox. And everything they transferred alright. Even the history! Installation was fast, easy, and required little to next prompting.
Now, the first thing that prompted me to make a post is, Chrome doesn’t require users to install Flash as a plugin. Flash works right out of the box. I’m not sure if it’s because I already have Flash installed on Firefox or IE. But on my experience with Firefox, I still need to install the plugin even if I have installed it in IE. And vice versa of course.
This is a sweet little move that shows how much Google supports RIA in their browser.
Next, there’s this sweet little option called the “Create application shortcuts…”. Again, another feature to make RIA “more in sync” and working more like desktop applications. I can create a shortcut for my blog’s admin page, and you can choose to make it appear in Start/Desktop or Quick Launch. Works just like a application - even though IE’s shortcut URLs do the same thing. I guess Google made it sound much nicer - Application shortcuts. =P
Opening a new tab gives you 5 thumbnails of your Most Visited pages. A very handy feature that I never thought I would have need.
Lastly, I tried to access a music site which requires IE due to DRM reasons. And sadly, it still doesn’t work for Chrome as well. What is interesting though, is that the javascript that website is using seem to detect Chrome as Apple’s Safari on Windows.
Take a look for yourself: Nokia Music Store
Other things worth mentioning that perhaps you would have known by now is, tabs appear on the top of the address bar for Chrome, instead of under it. I don’t really see the benefits of this little change in the layout of the UI yet, but after more use, maybe I will prefer/hate it compared to the usual below the address bar tabs.
Conclusion
Chrome is fast becoming a replacement of Firefox for me. What it lacks right now, is the amount of Add-Ons that Firefox has. Time will tell if Chrome will replace Firefox completely for me, but for now, Chrome has impressed me a lot. It’s definitely made a good first impression.
Edit:
Chrome still doens’t support Java integration. That means that iBanking doesn’t work, and so does some upload managers for photo websites that uses Java.
And there is a new incognito Window thing, this is a very useful window to use if you’re in an internet cafe or in office!
3 Aug
After I got my PlayStation 3, I was always looking around to see which shop sells the cheapest PlayStation 3 Games. Good service was definitely a plus, but not a requirement if the games were cheap. But my search was in vain as most shops I went to, have the same high price, and were slow to bring in those big game titles. For example, during the release of Metal Gear Solid 4, shops like PlayCraft and Comics Connection did not have the stock on the release date whereas neighborhood game stalls were taking preorders long before, and had already sold of hundreds of the game on the day itself.
It was in a store like that where I first placed my preorder of MGS 4.The gamestore is in AMK HUB, but sadly, although I have bought a Nintendo Wii, 2 DS Lites, and 2 PSP Memory sticks at this particular store, the shop owner still did not seem to recognize me, and didn’t even offer me to become their member. The prices of the games in the store are similar to PlayCraft, and CC, if you’re not a member, but if you are one, you get discounted prices. That’s why I always had to go through a friend of mine to buy stuff from the store at a cheaper price, and after a few times, it was getting a bit inconvenient.
However, I got to know of this game store in Tampines through a friend one day, which takes preorders of MGS 4, and the price was $10 cheaper! Intrigued, I was tempted to go down to the shop to see what other games they had, and at what prices. Although I stay in CCK, I found time during one of the weekends, and made the trip there. Having got their phone number through my friend, I called them as, being a “west” guy, I am pretty lost in the east. The staff was very very polite and patient in guiding me to their store, and when I finally found the place, I was greeted by 3 guys in their 20s. To be honest, if I didn’t call them beforehand, and walk by this small store, I will definitely have missed it. And if I didn’t, I might be a bit daunted to enter the store. Maybe it’s a really small space, and so you can’t view the games slowly without feeling 3 pairs of eyes staring down at you.
Anyway, not to sidetrack, true as it was, the prices were superb, and I got WarHawk on the spot, brand new, at only SGD$49. This was a price which I can safely say, no other shop can beat. Even trying to get it 2nd hand at this price on forums was hard. I was impressed with their service as well, and they were really friendly. I made a preorder of MGS 4 on the spot, and promised myself that this shop, S Power House, is the result of my search, for the best game store with the lowest prices, and the best service.
A month later, and August came. The dreaded month, and the dreaded year, where all of my friends(me included) turn 21, and will be throwing parties. That means burning holes in my pockets don’t have time to mend themselves before another birthday came and burn it again. My finances weren’t in the best shape, and this was really a time where I could really do with discounts!
That’s why, for a very good friend’s birthday present, when we decided to get her RockBand, I knew exactly where to get it cheapest. No matter how ready I was, I did not expect something that costs SGD$399 almost everywhere else to cost only -censored- there. That’s A LOT cheaper. Tempted to get it on the spot, I was however, set back by the size of the box. When I aired this worry of mine, I was taken aback and pleasantly impressed by their offer - to deliver to my door free of charge. By now, I think I’ve lost count of how many times they have surprised me. However, as the date to the party was still some ways off, I decided to reserve a set of RockBand first, before calling them again to confirm the order.
However, yesterday, when I visited the store, ready to confirm the order as I wanted to collect it myself. I was quite upset to know that they didn’t have any left. But the reaction from their staff, impressed me once again. They immediately made calls to secure more sets of RockBand, and promised me to deliver it to the chalet this evening. That they did, and for the mixed up in that they failed to keep a set for me, they made it up by giving me a further discount. I was really very very impressed with the way these guys did business and needless to say, I am going to be a longtime supporter and fan of this shop.
Do visit the store, or give them a call if you are looking for games or consoles for I can guarantee you that you will never find more honest and friendly shop owner/staff that will go this far for good service.
S Power House
BLK 505 Tampines Central 1
#01-349 S(520505)
Tel: (65) 6788 4644
Fax: (65) 6788 4944
Email: spowerhse@gmail.com
25 Jul
When I first got my Playstation 3 online, I realised that I sorely need a bluetooth headset if I am going to ever cooperate and also perform effectively with my Metal Gear Solid:Online team, I will need a bluetooth headset.
Therefore, I went into the hunt for a cheap and good one, preferably one with stereo, so that I can connect it to my Nokia E51 and make full use of it’s MP3 playing capabilities. But, most bluetooth headsets in the market were actually mono(one sided), and I really don’t want to use that in public. Using that in public seem to make you look like an “uncle” immediately. The prices of stereo bluetooth headsets were also a tad too pricey. I was looking for one within the $50 range actually.
A month past, and when I was fiddling with the new Starhub ChatAnywhere feature, I realised I have over 3000 Starhub Rewards points. I promptly redempted them online, and got myself a $100 Starhub voucher. With this, my budget for the bluetooth headset increased 2 fold. 
To cut my super long story about how I got my headset short, I finally narrowed myself to the Jabra “dog-tag” model. The first time I checked with the Starhub shop in Plaza Singapura, it was out of stock, so I decided to wait, and today, I went to try my luck again. Luckily, it was still unavailable, for if it was, I will definitely have got that instead of this newly released one by Motorola.
The box was very stylishly packed, and the manual was very user friendly as well. You only need about 1 hour for the first charge. The headset is also able to support FM radio and has buttons on the headset itself to switch between FM/MP3/Call modes.
The stock earphones that came with the headset were excellent, and the length of the headset reaches my waist. There is also a spare headset, with shorter earphones so that you can clip the headset on your collar.
Now, the headset isn’t very intuitive for first time users. I couldn’t figure out how to switch it on and needed to consult the manual (I don’t normally read manuals of gadgets I buy. =P). But this was a small stumbling block compared to the amazing sound quality the headset delivers. The wired headsets that came with the phone are definitely no match for it.
Next, I wanted to test how it works as a phone. I tried calling a friend, and clipping the headset to my waist, I spoke in a normal voice level. She heard me with no problems, and being stereo, I could hear her perfectly well as well. This was definitely a sweet surprise as I was expecting her to have difficulty hearing me when the headset is so far away from me.
Alas, the headset wasn’t perfect. While chatting with her, I accidentally pressed the phone call button on the headset when I was trying to unclip the headset. It’s extremely easy to do this as the buttons are placed on the four corners of the headset. I was expecting the “hold” feature on the headset will prevent this as well, but it seems like the phone button is not affected by the hold feature.
This was a small setback though, compared to the many good features that it has shown me. I will definitely recommend this headset to people who are looking to use their mobile phones as MP3 players, but hate the stock wired headsets. I have not started using this with the PS3 yet, but I expect it to be as pleasant as what I have experienced up to now.
23 Jul
It has been SOOOOO LONG since I last posted! Well, what motivated me to post today is insomnia, and also an urge to share some money saving tips for people looking for a new LCD TV or HDMI cable. My answers are from the perception of the layman, and I’ll try not to feed you with too techy answers.
What is the difference between 780p(HD Ready) and 1080i(Full HD)?
Price. That’s really about it. I’ve looked at dozens of screens and sometimes Full HD ones dont necessarily look better than HD Ready ones. To the naked eye, it’s really hard to see any difference! I have a HD Ready one.
Should I get a HDMI Cable for my PS3/DVD/Blu-Ray player?
Yes. It only costs as little as SGD$10 to get one on Play-asia.com!
What is the difference between a cheap HDMI cable, and a branded HDMI cable?
NOTHING. Get the cheap one. If you dont trust me, read this article here.
8 Mar
Since my article for calling thickbox from Flash seems to be my biggest contribution to the people out there, I decided to post a little finding I made myself.
It works on IE8!
8 Feb
I just upgraded my Firefox to 2.0.0.12 earlier today, and I was about to go to Yahoo! to check out movies when I got served by this page:
I think this is a really dumb thing to do by the Yahoo! Developers. If you are unable to properly detect the latest versions of browsers, please don’t write a script to block those with the latest versions out.
15 Jan
Have you heard of this? Because this is the first time I have, and seen it in action WITH Papervision 3D.
Unbelievable shit. I can imagine just how much more creative we can get with this!
Don’t know what the hell I’m saying? Check it out here.
For more information about the camera they used: http://www.panoramic-imaging.com/panoramic_video_service.asp
21 Oct
My previous post, Opening a Thickbox iframe in Flash, became the most commented post in my blog history thanks to Hugo and Jason . =D
I’m really excited to see that people are reading my blog as always, but unfortunately, it seems that the code that I posted wasn’t working for them. I spent some time debugging the files Jason sent me, and I realised that the code I posted indeed didn’t work anymore, although the same code worked for me for another file still.
I haven’t found out why, but I’ve found a new solution to the problem, and this time, I’ve posted source files. The FLA is in Flash 8 format since the ExternalInterface works in Flash 8 onwards anyway. =]
The solution I found to make it work was adding the following param to the swfObject:
so.addParam("allowScriptAccess", "always");
I hope this zip helps people who’re trying to do this!
Source Files: http://www.designfission.com/opening-thickbox-in-flash.zip
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