My Blog

This is only my 3rd week in Canada, but I've been getting several phone calls from a US listed number and everytime I pick up an automated female voice says "Congratulations! You've just won a cruise to the Carribean! To claim your prize, please press the 9 key!"Obviously it's a scam... and just so you know the phone numbers are:

• 1-702-466-3253 (Nevada)
• 1-856-676-0951 (New Jersey)
• 1-201-210-6106 (New Jersey)

I've just downloaded Firefox 3 Beta 4 on my Mac and Windows machines and tried it out. First impression is fantastic but not without a caveat. First of all, all of the Firefox add-ons from version 2.0.0.x don't work at all.

Secondly, Firefox 3 Beta 4 in OS X does some strange rendering. It doesn't render one of my clients' website correctly in OS X but it looks normal in Windows. If you take a look at the screenshot below, the Contact Us text is rendered just below the cyan box. This doesn't happen on Firefox 2.0.0.x in OS X. Compare this with the Windows rendering, which is identical to v2.0.0.x rendering. Other than that, general browsing does feel faster. It uses OS X form controls - which is a bit disadvantage for me because everytime I want to check what it looks like on Windows I'll have to go back to Windows again.

Coolest stuff I've seen in Chile. I filmed this video 3 years ago and just come accross it in Val Paraiso. Awesome street acrobat performers. Hats off!

I'm the kind of guy who prefers typing with a keyboard than clicking and moving a mouse to do things. Another minor annoyances is OS X disables the Tab button by default for selecting buttons (OK, Cancel) in a dialog. If you're a typer and not a clicker, you may find that enabling All Controls option in System Preferences => Keyboard & Mouse makes your keyboard operation more efficient.

If you find yourself confused with distinguishing directory & file listing in UNIX, you're not alone. I remember when I first installed of Redhat 5.2 in 1998, I got confused with distinguishing file and directory after ls command. It took me a while to find out that the good news is: it is configurable with color-coded directory listing for easier reading and usability if you're a heavy command line user. The second thing is finding where exactly I am located in the current directory without typing pwd all the time. So here's a little step that you can to do to improve your working efficiency in UNIX command line:

1. Edit /etc/bashrc and add alias ls="ls -laFG" to make directory listing colored
2. For the command prompt, add the following command: if [ -n "$PS1" ]; then PS1='nu@e[31;1m[w]33[0mn$ '; fi

I've finally purchased OS X Leopard 10.5 and I believe the improvement increases my efficiency working with files than in OS X Tiger 10.4. The first improvement that I'm particularly impressed with is the Columns view in Finder. Even with Tiger, I've always liked Finder's ability to navigate my folders in one click and see the content of the upper directories on the left column. The only quirk is that there is no way I could arrange the sort order by Kind so I can easily see folders sorted on top. I am also surprised, however, that Finder sorts the filename kind by its alphabetical definition of the filetype without placing folder on top. For example: a folder called Library (File type: Folder) will still be placed below com.apple.IntlDataCache.le.sbdl (File type: Document) as you can see above. I find it easier to navigate with KDE File Manager or Windows Explorer where folder is always sorted on top. I am disappointed, however, that, the Open Dialog still has no configurable options to sort by Kind. I'm used to seeing folders on top in Windows, KDE, or GNOME environment. This lack of option in OS X oftentimes slows down my day-to-day operation with files. I hope that the next release of OS X address this issue. Another improvement over Tiger is the Path Bar (breadcrumb) as you can see below. I've always find it difficult to see folders within folders before Leopard comes out, there has never been a path bar (only shown during Spotlight search result) except the Path button on top, which was really quirky. Although the placement of the Path Bar (inconsistent to where address bar should be) is at the bottom of the window, this is still a very much welcomed improvement. I found it difficult working with nested folders in Tiger as I couldn't see which directory I'm located then.

I am moving back to Canada by January 2008 and I have to start selling my stuff before Christmas. Among other things is my car - a black, 4-door, 2000cc Mitsubishi Eterna 1990 with 17inch racing tires. The odometer reads 200,589 kms as of today. I'm still using the car so expect a few more kilometres by the time you see it. I've had this car since March 2006 and got the engine all fixed (I spent Rp. 15,000,000 to get it all fixed). I've replaced all the four tires with new Bridgestone in 2006 and the engine condition is still excellent as well. The only thing is that I've crashed the rear bumper against a wall in a Canggu (the street light was turned off) and there's a dent there. Mitsubishi Eterna is a runner, as pointed in this article (scroll down until you find The Mitsubishi Escort Car). It's a fast car and fun to ride. I'm selling this beautiful Eterna for Rp. 38,000,000 (± USD 4,170). Please e-mail me your offer and if you want to make an appointment, please call (0361) 789-5853 first. I'm located in Kuta - just 5 minutes walking distance from Warung Nikmat and Dewa Fitness. As always - First come first serve, but the best offer gets the goods!

This is the beginning of Prana's blog. I will be mainly writing about web design, software, Apple, and other day to day stuff here. Back in July, I tried to come up with several ideas to mark the day that this blog is opened. Having gone through a few options, I finally decided to engrave my white Macbook for the blog opening. However, it's very hard to find a company in Bali that would (and could) engrave my little Macbook, as it is made of polycarbonate. They said that if it were made of aluminiums like the Macbook Pro, it would've been a lot easier. I have asked around to several companies in Bali here and noone would take it because they fear they would damage this baby. Anyway, I had to go to Singapore for a business trip last month, and I went to the place where I had my last laptop engraved 2 years ago. The old Singaporean guy did a good job for my old BenQ Joybook 7000, but I wasn't so sure if he could do it again for this Macbook due to its material. So I walked in and after a few minutes looking at it, the guy said "No problem". I picked the letters, and voila he did it within less than 45 minutes! He charged me SGD 30.00 (± USD 20) - the same price he charged me 2 years ago. He still remembers me too! I was so happy with the result and just want to share this with you all. The place is called Sing Hee, #01-45 Brash Basah Complex, Singapore. Phone: +65-6337-0732. Don't judge the store by its appearance. It may look like a junkyard but the old Singaporean guy who owns it knows what he's doing. I've walked in to a few other stores in Singapore and Bali and they look more upscale but they couldn't do what this guy did. Check out my engraved Macbook now: