Blog

  • Methodologizing

    January 12, 2005

    A few days ago, Sunil gave me some advice on starting up a business, based on his own experiences in Taiwan. The piece that stuck out was his emphasis on developing a methodology–how the business will get things done, if I understand correctly. This is different from the usual “make a business plan” advice you usually see, and it reflects Sunil’s emphasis on good execution. So I might as well start making stuff up:

    (more…)

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    DSri Seah

  • A Macintosh Moment

    January 12, 2005

    Visit SiteHere’s a few Macintosh-related tidbits. First, the much-rumored $499 Headless iMac, now known as the Mac Mini, was introduced at MacWorld. It’s tiny! I want one! Aimed squarely at those PC users who love their iPods with an extra $500 burning a hole in their pocket. Tell your parents and tell your friends!

    Watch VideoCheryl passed along this cheerful video about the challenges of using a Macintosh. It seems “Mac OS 9-ian” in some of its complaints, but I do so enjoy a good rant. Windows Media Player required.


    I’m actually thinking about making the switch myself. I figure I can get away with the Adobe Creative Suite and Macromedia Creative Suite…if I can get a good deal on then and have the extra cash, then I’ll jump. It’s a somewhat arbitrary decision, though…thousands and thousands of dollars that could go into, say, home improvement or a gym membership. Plus, there’s the allure of developing for the larger software market that is, sadly, Win32.

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    DSri Seah

  • Alias vs. MI-5

    January 11, 2005

    Cast of Alias, Season 3I have a great fondness for shows featuring covert operations and cat burglers. Don’t know why…just like ’em! So it was with great anticipation that I watched this season’s premiere of Alias. I enjoyed the first season, when it was firmly in the “Felicity joins the CIA” vein. Plus, it was nice to see a healthy gal like Jennifer Garner kick butt on-screen. The first season was also notable in that she didn’t seem to actually kill anyone. Season 2 wasn’t bad, though it went a little NUTS on the Rimbaldi storyline. Season 3 started to lose its charm. Season 4, which just started last week, has so far revealed itself to be less of an ensemble show and more of a Jennifer Garner Dress Up Hour. Mind you, I enjoy this, but it’s starting to wear a bit thin. The interaction between the characters has also evaporated…I sat through endless sequences of watching Sydney run from place to place without much purpose. It was pure filler…bah. Losing…Interest…

    Cast of MI-5, Season 3MI-5, on the other hand, had a kick-ass premiere. For those of you unfamiliar with this show, it’s an import from our British friends. MI-5 is the equivalent, I suppose, to the NSA/CIA here in the U.S.A. It’s tautly written and unpredictable, drawing more from spy movies from the 60s and 70s. It’s been called “the thinking man’s Alias”, without all the tiring running around of 24. There have been moments when I’ve sat, stunned at what had happened…it’s great.

    I particularly enjoy how the actions of MI-5 have to take place wedged between the stuffy confines of British power politics and international cooperation. As a result of this, the cast members are constantly irritated. The American CIA also makes an appearance…it’s fun to see how the Brits uniformly portray Americans as loud, pushy, nasal-sounding asshats.

    I’ve also queued up 24 on the Tivo to watch…I lost interest in it last year for whatever reason, but should give it another chance.

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    DSri Seah

  • WordPress Comment Editing Bug?

    January 11, 2005

    I just installed a blog system for my Dad…plain vanilla WordPress 1.2.2 package. It went fairly smoothly, but I had to modify a php file so I could edit comments from the admin interface.

    In wp-admin/post.php, line 697, I added: $content = addslashes($content);

    So it looks something like this:

        $content = balanceTags($content);
    $content = format_to_post($content);
    $content = addslashes($content);    // this is the new line

    $result = $wpdb->query("
            UPDATE $tablecomments SET
                comment_content = '$content',
                comment_author = '$newcomment_author',
                comment_author_email = '$newcomment_author_email',
                comment_author_url = '$newcomment_author_url'".$datemodif."
            WHERE comment_ID = $comment_ID"
      );

    Prior to this, everytime I tried to edit a comment, I’d see a PHP error complaining about the database syntax. I’m not sure if everyone’s install is like this or not. Maybe I’m missing something. This was a fresh WordPress download too.

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    DSri Seah

  • Dim Sum in Merrimack

    January 11, 2005

    The Hippo Press’ Grazing Guide to Nashua led me to South Garden, a chinese restaurant that serves Dim Sum three days a week. I went up there with Dad, Sis, and Sis’ Boyfriend to check it out, defying a snowstorm in the process. We were determined to get us some Dim Sum!

    The verdict: not bad at all. The Dim Sum doesn’t come in the neat carts, and some of the dishes are sort of approximations of what I am used to, but overall the flavor and preparation was excellent. The one down side is their lounge/bar leaks stale smoke into the dining area, but in a way that makes the experience more authentic.

    I’d go again…it takes about 15 minutes to get there from Nashua (40min if there’s a raging snowstorm, mind you). Just shoot up Everett Turnpike to exit 12, go south on Old Route 3, and it’ll be on your left right after you pass the Shaws supermarket.

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    DSri Seah