Tuesday, 4 September 2007

保留

不是打算說什麼一天裡該保留多少時間給家人、自己、或誰,至少我沒這種資格。只是在想,有多少東西會被保留?四次搬屋,空間越搬越細,所以我就是喜歡iMac和手提電腦:省地方。

我小黑的硬盤只有40G,被騙人的數學和IBM Recoverary割去了兩成,實際只有31.2G;被XP及IBM工具之類又割去了很多,加上工作用的程式、SDK、自己的文件、公司文件,早幾個月前還剩下3到4G,上個月2G,今日1.18G。空間危機。

約莫去年十月,我工作了兩年半,Outlook Express電郵加起來才不過1G,今年四月左右突破2G,今日3.34G,上升速度驚人。所以我常常說,電郵沒特別需要不要用HTML格式,純文本不是很好嗎?因為這些電郵都是關係到工作,不能隨便刪除,即使顯然有很多都是無謂,例如一天內收到了三五個包著程式的電郵,之後又說「唉喲,發錯了,再發」這些。不過,沒空去處理。

把Browser的Cache清一次,1.49G,空間上升三成,救回300MB、1%總空間、或半張光碟。少得可憐。

跑到Outlook的資料夾裡看,240MB,我彷彿看到可以宰殺的對象。跑入Outlook裡看,最大的是Inbox和Fellowship。在Inbox裡把沒用的電郵給刪呀刪,什麼mac group、yahoo auctions、大學alumni之類,由55M減至45MB。之後轉入Fellowship,三年許便有80MB的電郵。心想,都是這過期的電郵,沒用又大份,於是開始進行大刀闊斧的清理,按發信人的名稱排列,毫不猶疑,一片一片的砍下去,Outlook彈出一個又一個「deleting...」的dialog,在証明著它花很多時間去刪除很多、很大的東西。除了提示網上相簿的郵件之外,沒有保留價值的都被一一割去。直至,遇上某人n年前發出的生日道賀電郵,原來曾經有人發過這樣的電郵給我,原來我老早就很會公事化地回覆,原來。。。原來還有些東西,遇上時,下不了手的。

Outlook Properties裡的Folder Size由原來的180MB減到125MB、80MB的Fellowship folder減到不足6MB。又把一堆文件給刪了,空間上升至1.88GB。証明了什麼?在資源有限的情況,什麼值得保留呢?

Monday, 3 September 2007

威力

做編程時,總會加入各式各樣的debug message,以Symbian系統,我們用的方法是把debug message(或稱debug log)寫入一個純文本。它不單止提供檢測的資訊,它的威力在於它能夠拖慢程式數以百倍、拖你十數分鐘,甚至一日。

200709032242的一段MSN記錄:
「被一句debug message浪費了十分鐘」
『不要緊, 我被一個debug build浪費了一整天』
「我要一部更快既電腦,我要一秒內load起個epoc,雖然宜家25秒load起,比以前P4時分幾鐘快,但我要再快D既sata」
『你要iRam, ram 扮hard disk果D』
「未至於那種豪華。要core2duo 2.4G, 4G ram, 120G SATA SXGA+ BT2.0‥‥應該會很貴吧」
『咪玩啦, 4G Ram, XP 去唔去到都成問題... vista... 你會用嗎』
「不,我會在mac上行parallals裡跑xp」
『做得好』

看來這就是無止境追求速度的原因吧。

後記:我居然又在想是否要自己掏腰包花兩萬元買台筆記簿上班用,而且已經有了型號:T61或MacBook Pro。開什麼玩笑。

依然在

今日瘋狂寫code(已經遲了兩個工作天),邊寫邊做測試,即使未完成,還是不能忘記要測試。寫code時,不少得iPod和我的hifi耳筒。彷彿雙耳被蓋著後,意志才會被綑綁集中於螢幕上,頓時14.1"的SXGA+大了不少,旁邊的15"XGA好像沒存在過了。下次或者要用上頭盔。

麻煩的事情、奇怪的API、複雜的做法,很討厭,什麼時候才完成?心中正納悶著,突然,聽到這一首歌:《依然在》(見留言)。是在鼓勵著我嗎?它在說『加油,打低XML!』嗎?

在MSN上跟朋友說了,她說『沒有那麼無奈吧?…』「捱過這一關終於可高叫吶喊」『人生有好多關,你指是工作嗎?』「好多。工作,財政,拍拖」『想來想去也是這樣,不要去想,隨著它過,開心也是這樣,不開心也是這樣,想來想去也不是如此』『你好多job要做..仲想那麼多..會壞腦ga』

可能早就壞腦了。

想起「Gundam壞腦研究室」。離題了。

結果,晚上九時,我「依然在」公司。

身價

自從由北京回來,就在想如何計算自己的身價?例如說,見工時該向對方提出多少,看看他又會「回」多少。到了現在(沒有搵工的日子第1235日,真的),又該如何去衡量呢?除了看看公司肯付出多少作自己的人工外,以前我會以發卡中心所批核的信用額作標準之一,看看財務機構以其廣泛應用於全港市民戶口的批核制度及計算方式所得出的答案。由於沒法子和別人比較,所以多數以時間來比較:什麼時候銀行會提高我的信用額呢?

不過,後來我發現了一些事:
一、有些公司會因為我少用或停用其信用卡,而無故提高我的信用額;
二、信用額提高使我所需要承受的風險增加,不是我會無意識下胡亂花錢(註一),而是假如丟了銀包的話(註二),可能被冒簽的金額太高。
三、起初信用額大約和人工相同或半倍(X1.5),但以後不會逐年提升,因為我從來都懶得向發卡中心更新資料(太多卡、太花時間,我也忘了哪些還沒更新過),有些到現在還是記錄著我四年前那份工作和那低得嚇人的薪金呢。

這兩年,我家打算裝修,我需要吐十萬元出來。哪來這份錢?當時我全副身家大約就只有那麼多,所以我打算外借(集資)。因為當時股市太好,我粗略算過,向銀行借錢分三四年攤還,而其時把所有剩餘的金錢都堆到股票基金上,後者的升漲比前者的利息還要高,足夠還利息之餘又有錢賺,除笨有精。漸漸留意著銀行「自動批核」的私人貸款金額,可惜,它們都只肯批出一兩萬元,杯水車薪,尤其是過去一年升職加薪後,這數目就顯得更「渺小」了。

上月總算有點進步了,或許獅子銀行見我放了廿萬在儲蓄戶口(那是全家集資的裝修基金),就向我發出$45000的私人貸款額。今個月更有意外的驚喜,銅錢銀行向我發出$75000的私人貸款額,可能它們終於發現了我的出糧記錄吧了。終於升價了!

不過,又不是送我$75000,標榜所謂零利息的卻又收取手續費,所以,遇上短期的周轉不靈,我還是向最熟的親戚借。


註一:即使我擁有十多張信用卡,但「先花未來錢」這一點對於我來說,從來都不存在,一張卡、十張卡都沒有任何超支的問題。
註二:雖然十多年來從來沒有丟銀包的記錄,但世事難料,凡事作最壞打算,比較安心。

irony of life (forward)

昨天收到契囡轉發過來的電郵,頗有趣的。

IRONY of life

Men:
  1. All men are extremely busy.
  2. Although they are so busy, they still have time for women.
  3. Although they have time for women, they don't really care for them.
  4. Although they don't really care for them, they always have one around.
  5. Although they always have one around them, they always try their luck with others.
Women:
  1. The most important thing for a woman is financial security.
  2. Although this is so important, they still go out and buy expensive clothes and stuff.
  3. Although they always buy expensive clothes, they never have something to wear.
  4. Although they never have something to wear, they always dress beautifully.
  5. Although they always dress beautifully, their clothes are always just "an old rag".
  6. Although their clothes are always "just an old rag", they still expect you to compliment them.
  7. Although they expect you to compliment them, when you do, they don't believe you.
Wisdom:

When I was married 25 years, I took a look at my wife one day and said, "Honey, 25 years ago we had a cheap apartment, a cheap car, slept on a sofa bed and watched a 10-inch black and white TV, but i got to sleep every night with a hot 25-year-old blond.

"Now we have a $500,000.00 home, a $45,000.00 car, nice big bed and plasma screen TV, but I'm sleeping with a 50-year-old woman. It seems to me that you are not holding up your side of things."

My wife is a very reasonable woman. She told me to go out & find a hot 25-year-old blonde, and she would make sure that I would once again be living in a cheap apartment, driving a cheap car, sleeping on a sofa bed and watching a 10-inch black and white TV.

Aren't older women great? They really know how to solve your mid-life criss!

Thursday, 30 August 2007

Nokia Download! PC Client

Recently, Nokia launched Download! PC client. It allows users to connect their phones to PC and access content which were originally available via Download! only. This is a great news for users. Even the free content available at Download! add up to over 3 GB, include 30 language packages for Text-to-Speech and over 50 maps. With the PC client, users can get as much as they want with low-cost/free (and faster) PC Internet access, and get more out of their expensive phones. I've added Nokia map to my 6120 classic.

Download! - a preloaded application on several Nokia phones which allow users to browse and download region-specific contents. Some are free, some charges, and some try-for-free.

What concern end-users the most is not the long download time (GPRS is relative slow) but the traffic cost (no true-unlimited GPRS in HK yet). Especially, 3.0 applications are mostly build by the free GCCE compiler, not the thousands Euro ARMV compiler (which only available for Symbian.com customers to purchase only). Compare with ARMV compiled, GCCE compiled application could be 3 to 10 times larger in size. Which cost end-users more $ for download.

So, isn't it great ot have the Download! PC? Go grab one now! (Only available for Windows OS......... and MacOS if you have virtual Windows)


Nevertheless, I found that I couldn't download the Presenter.jar probably. So I download the Presenter.jad, open it using Notepad, and find the following line and download the file using a normal browser:

MIDlet-Jar-URL: http://cgw.nokia.mobi/ntp-cgw/dl?m=6120c&l=en&o=13&c=454&a=cn&ci=00e116a382fddc48373ea9da&cl=3.2.734&cp=S60&cmcc=454&cmnc=03&ovf=false&cc=30668&d=D2745&content=1188476529539

Wednesday, 29 August 2007

圍棋四期第五課

很少再寫圍棋的事,因為不是輸棋,就是沒有下棋,或者因為加班或者搬屋而沒法上課去,況且,沒有再看棋書,上課也沒足夠精神去聽課,打睏得比加班還難捱。這樣子,棋力沒有進步過,一直都在18級(這是個很安全的級數,因為和同學下棋時不用讓先或讓子),直到上星期被導師「逼」升至17級,靠就是一份試卷:答對一題有一分,答對7題,7分加上本來的1分,升一級、剩2分。

下棋不再寫棋譜,不單止懶,而是沒有那種空閒時間去複盤,也沒有預料自己會贏棋並記下來好讓我可以向周圍的人炫耀一番或者吹噓一下,今晚都不例外,但世事嘛總是出人意表的。

今晚對戰級數比我高的同學,所以他要讓先,我執黑子。黑右上小目,白左下星,黑右下星,白左上星,很普通的佈局,總算是有禮貌的下法。之後我大拆兩邊,他三連星再佔右方中星,又是他先挑戰了。我補了兩角,他又立又拆,才行了個立二拆二,明顯失誤(他自己說的)。後來被他佔了天元,數星位,九個裡他佔了五個,心裡盤算著會輸吧,於是嘗試打入他那空曠的地域。「死一隻棋,不怕」心想。再來,「才兩隻而已」,「第三隻嘛、橫死直死,搏一搏」,後來無端端做活(兩眼淨活)。本來這是很笨的,因為花了近廿子才換來兩目地,但卻無意間開了三四個劫,而且我方是不怕死,是無憂劫(奇吧,無啦啦搞出這東西來,我今晚是怎樣了?)。結果對手被我打傻了眼,殺入的黑棋兩目淨活了、剌穿了邊、威脅著角、殺了中央一片棋、間接連回家(尖頂)。

一鼓作氣,我乘著這個勢,又提了一片企圖佔我三三的八九子,兼順手殺多旁邊以為接應的一兩子。被嚇壞的他以為必敗,我卻數不出必勝的目數來,於是又膽粗粗向著他的星挑戰。結果對方一個失誤,使我三目兩眼活棋並爆出一個不敗的劫。提劫共約十子,太多了吧。後來大家都覺得打零目的劫太無聊了,還要找有目數的劫來打這無目數的劫,什麼跟什麼。形勢大好,挑他一下,真的被我算中,哈。

後來忘了他搞什麼,挑起我的棋,本是打穿他的邊,因為他尖,我順勢打爆了他一整條邊,搶多數目;我這十手棋是超損人少利己的。到了這個地步,該收官了吧。導師卻跑過來,把我以為是死棋兩子(K2K3),搞出個五氣殺四氣兼先手來,救活兩子、殺他六七子、搶多半條邊,太恐怖了。若是這樣,我想他的目數要少多一半或以上了。


計地:46目對76目,黑勝。向著十六級邁向33%,多勝一盤便可以升級了。

後補:這是今晚我記得的大概形勢,黑九子被提,白十五子被提,死棋白子比黑子多。導師說J3有棋(其時未有N1),黑長J3,白長J2,黑H3瞄著G4斷點(白棋不補G5至K5死),白補G5,黑拐H2,黑五氣殺白4氣(J2至M2)。想起來都恐怖,起先似無謂的垂死掙扎,之後似是要殺五子並活棋,原來是殺七子並活棋兼搶邊,就係咁,導師三手打爆白棋,這就是業餘一段呀~

天元至L列記憶不深,T8-10一帶也記不清,K16以上也不太記起,只記得放棄了三隻棋,所以左圖假設它們為死棋。O6至P7那四子是胡亂放的,我真的記不起了,好像棋子會多一點吧。

四角情形、左邊、下邊、上邊和左中就最肯定了。還有肯定的是白棋的死棋把右方那片地填滿,還有三四子填在別的地方。

更正:G12為白棋,那兒是被我逼成一塊餅的(呵呵呵),之後白棋便有個虎口了。

Desktop Pass-through problem in ActiveSync 4.2

When Pocket PC connected to Windows' ActiveSync, it not only able to sync data with Outlook, but also able to connect to Internet via the PC being connected to. However, I got an error "The page you are looking for connect be found due to unknown error. 0x80072f78". This problem has prevent me to update my Avantgo.

Since my router at home has broken down for unknown reason, I cannot get my Acer n300 connect to Internet. So, I made a rough search online and found the following pages:

Activesync 4.2 now available for download from Jason Langridge's WebLog - MR Mobile!
ActiveSync 4.5 and Weatherpanel problem from Aximsite.

Both pages has point out that the error is due to new ActiveSync has "a problem with Desktop Pass-through ... caused by a Layered Service Provider (LSP) that use the Windows TCP/IP stack." This known issue can be solved by enabled the LSP by modifying the registry manually. This solution has absolutely *no* warranty and use at your own risk!

Open the registry (run RegEdit), locate: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\ SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\ Windows CE Services\, and add "AllowLSP"=dword:0. Restart your ActiveSync. You may kill the process using Task Manager, and restart from Start menu. Alternatively, you can reboot your computer (of course).

This work for my Acer n300 and ActiveSync 4.2, on Window XP Pro (English).

Monday, 27 August 2007

打造廣東話輸入法

之前利用OpenVanilla的伸延特性,和其他網上資源,在Mac上打造了我自己的大易輸入法,至今還在修改著.cin檔,今次便要打造廣東話輸入法。

先說說別的廣東輸入法:CantonIM 廣東輸入法。這個看起來很好又簡單的輸入法,在我的Mac上跑時,總會令我的程式自行關閉,就好像Mac內置的大易輸入法一樣(每當打出「衰」字時,必炒)。這個問題,另一個Blog也有提及(Madthiu's PALACE)。所以,試了沒多久後就放棄了。

為什麼明明在用大易輸入法,還要造一個廣東話輸入法呢?除了讓我執筆忘字時可以有點幫助,還有是因為我無意間找到Alan888發放的廣東話輸入法。那兒提供的文件雖是供中文Windows的輸入法編輯器使用(也有方法讓英文Windows使用),但只要略加修改,也可以放在OpenVanilla上使用。修改部份請看comments。

修改完成後,存儲成UTF-8的canton.cin於~\Library\OpenVanilla\[Version]\UserSpace\OVIMGeneric\。動新啟動OV後,在Perferences裡便何以使用了。