Gcelerated Mac!

Posted by Syamsul in IT on 30th Jun 2004 | 0 comments

No, there really is nothing wrong with the spelling I’m just really excited that my PowerMac processor upgrade card from Gigadesigns is finally here! Ordered from Other World Computing and shipped via FedEx, my package finally got here after about 5 days (would have been faster if I hadn’t ordered just before the weekend).

So what does the package look like? Well, here are some pics!

So how does the new G4 1.4GHz card compare to my puny old G4 400MHz? Here’re some benchmarks:

(1) Encoded an MP3 file using LameBrain from an AIFF file on the hard drive

3min 46sec (G4/400MHz) vs. 1min 11sec (G4/1.4GHz)

(2) Created a contact sheet using Photoshop Elements 2 out of 75 pictures
9min 38sec vs. 4min 06sec

(3) iMovie 4 export of a 1min 30sec clip into “CD-ROM Quicktime” preset format
6min 28 sec vs, 2min 21sec

The gains aren’t exactly linear, but I suppose the performance gains aren’t so dramatic after some point (at least with these applications/tasks anyhow).

Synching bookmarks

Posted by Syamsul in IT on 18th Jun 2004 | 0 comments

One advantage that Apple touts of its .Mac service is the ability to synchronise the bookmarks of its Safari web browser between several Macs. Alas, not many people make use of this because

1) .Mac is not cheap at US$99 a year (though, granted, you do get a ton of other features with the subscription)

2) Apple’s Safari only runs on the Macintosh platform

3) Not all Macintosh users use Safari

So let’s say, like me, you use the great Mozilla Firefox web browser at two computers, say at home and at work, and you want to keep your bookmarks in synch, how can you do it? Well, instead of manually copying your bookmark files over every time :p you only need to install the Bookmarks Synchronizer Plug-In for Firefox and you’re ready to go!

Only thing though, is that you’ll need to have access to an FTP log-in: your copies of Firefox will need to synchronise to somewhere now won’t it?

Hopefully a future version will allow synching to a USB flash drive – now THAT would make synching more accessible to most people.

Speedy surfing with Firefox

Posted by Syamsul in IT on 18th Jun 2004 | 0 comments

I’ve been using Mozilla Firefox for a while, and in my opinion it is the BEST web browser right now. I’m not just talking about surfing speed though: there’re also other things you don’t get in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer or Apple’s Safari, like user-installable themes, extensions (like plug-ins that enhance the functionality of the web browser) and control over pop-up ads. Get more information by clicking this button

A problem with many workplaces, however, is that you usually won’t be able to install software in your computer. Troublesome, but I suppose it has its merits: the PC tech support side won’t have to go through the nightmare of removing inadvertently installed adware or spyware, the way I need to with my dad’s PC thanks to my sister’s “brave experimentations”!

So how do we run Firefox in the workplace then? Simple: get Portable Firefox, unzip the files to a folder on your USB flash drive or other external storage device, and run it off there! Cool huh?!

Joy to my ears part II

Posted by Syamsul in General on 14th Jun 2004 | 0 comments

I was looking around the big Sony shop at Bugis Junction, and what should I see but the much sought after white coloured Sony EX71SL in-ear headphones (at least I THINK they are anyway, since it’s been so damn hard to for me to find them)! Selling at S$72 after a “10% discount” (who’re they kidding? the online pricing is S$72!!), there was only..gasp!…one box left! So guess what I did? Yes faithful readers, I bought the very last one..ahahaha (reminds me of the feeling I had when I got the very last piece of a really cheap USB flash drive and proclaimed it to the disgruntled queue behind me at a recent PC Show..)

So how does it sound? Let’s see…incredible volume level and clarity,crisp highs, lows pack a punch,midrange is clear and dynamic range is simply excellent. One note on the lows: it really feels like you’re listening to subwoofers rather than mere headphones! The in-ear nature of the headphones, however, makes it important that you:

1) clean your ears regularly
2) never share your in-ear headphones with anyone else (yucks!!)
3) never munch anything while listening, unless you enjoy listening to the sound of your teeth grinding against whatever it is that you pop into your mouth..no kidding!
4) watch where you’re going..yes, the headphones block out most ambient noise!

So, goodbye to adequate Apple earbuds and hello to the most excellent Sony EX71SL as the companion to my trusty Apple iPod!

Spyware removal

Posted by Syamsul in IT on 12th Jun 2004 | 0 comments

No thanks to my sister’s penchant for “trying out” software and visiting some interesting websites (using Internet Explorer, no less), my dad’s Windows XP PC was becoming more and more sluggish with each passing day. More frustratingly, a few pop-up ads would appear as soon as Internet Explorer was launched, marring the surfing experience.

Now, I’ve managed to switch my dad to the superior Mozilla Firefox (and he didn’t even notice it, thanks to an Internet Explorer skin for Firefox), so he’s been experiencing tabbed browsing and doesn’t suffer from pop-up ads and the like. But that doesn’t do anything about the adware/spyware-infested state of my dad’s PC. So what could I do?

A recommendation at an online forum led me to Spybot Search & Destroy. It scanned my dad’s PC and found all sorts of stuff which were removed in minutes! Now my dad’s PC is significantly faster (as fast as an AMD Duron running Windows XP ought to be, anyhow)!

So all that’s left is to convince my sister to start using Mozilla Firefox, and to stop experimenting with interesting-looking software…