From Sweep2Wake to Gravity Screen

If there is one feature in the HolicsROM that I can't live without, it's the Sweep2Wake. For those who don't know, you can put the HTC Velocity to sleep and wake it up by swiping across the capacitive strip. Easy as that. That only time I have to press the power button is when I want to reboot the phone. Even then, I normally use QuickBoot for that.

Albinoman887's CM11 ROM is supposed to have this feature, too, but for some reason, I can't get it to work. That's where Gravity Screen comes it. Combining the proximity sensor and the gravity sensor, the app is able to screen off the phone when you put it inside your pocket, and wake it when you take it out. Same thing when you put down the phone on the table, and lift it up again. And it's all done automatically. When the device goes to sleep on its own, you can wake it up by simply passing your hand across the proximity sensor.

Very cool.

CM11 Update for HTC Velocity 4G

There's a new stable build (April 24) for Albinoman887's CM11.0 ROM for HTC Vivid/Raider/Velocity 4G, so I decided to upgrade. As with most upgrades, I would've simply flashed the ROM via recovery, and be done with it. Tonight, I was feeling tired and sleep, so instead, I followed the installation instructions, and did a wipe /data, wipe cache, wipe Dalvik cache.

Bad move. Once the phone has rebooted, all the apps and settings are gone. Bummer. Another day spent:

• signing in to Google, Yahoo, eBay, Dropbox, and Yahoo
• replacing Trebuchet with Nova Launcher and setting up the homepage apps and widgets
• downloading Adaway from F-Droid
• turning on debug mode and allowing apps from unverified sources
• selecting ringtones and notification tones
• reinstalling apps and setting them up again

Windows 8.1 on T400

First impressions - everything feels snappier and more stable. The dual homescreen - regular desktop and Metro-based UI needs getting used to. Instead of installing software, you now download apps from the Windows Store. And apps auto-update. You can still install software the old way if you want to. To access the Windows Store, you'll need an online account though.

There are apps for music, video, food, travel, health, news, photos, games, finance, etc. They work quite well and easy to use. No options or config for the power users to tweak. As long as I can keep using the desktop, I'm happy.

Windows 7 on T43

Now that Windows XP has gone end-of-support after a 12-year run, I've decided to upgrade the Lenovo Thinkpad T43.

Installation is as easy as popping in the Windows 7 DVD, and selecting the DVD-ROM drive as the boot device after a reboot. Upgrade is an option, but it's always better to go for the clean install. Right after install, the TrackPoint and the trackpad don't work. Sleep function doesn't work because the display driver is wrong. Can't get WiFi to work because Fn-F5 only serves to toggle Bluetooth. Nothing that Windows Update can't fix.

I went to Lenovo's drivers and support website to download the T43-specific drivers and software, but for some reason, they won't install. If you really want power management, hotkeys support, fingerprint security, etc., go here for more detailed instructions.

100 Gigs, Baby!

Finally upgraded my broadband plan to 100GB per month. I gotta tell you, it's a game changer.

No more waking up early to download huge files. No more stealing bandwidth from the neighbour's WiFi. Kidding. No more checking the usage meter every day. From here on, I can study all those Udemy courses I've signed up for. I can download all those rars and torrents I've queued up. Linux ISOs, you know. I can watch all those YouTube videos and playlists I've flagged as "watch later". I can start making use of that XBMC I've painstakingly set up.

Just today I've already used up 5 gigabytes of data. Imagine that.

Movie 2014.04.27 - Doghouse

Wasted 85 minutes of my life on this one. Another one of those buddy zombie movies where a bunch of lads go on a road trip to the village of Moodley to cheer up their recently-divorced mate. Fortunately for them, the whole town is populated by women. Unfortunately for them, they're zombie women, who hunt and eat men. One by one, their mates end up getting killed. Only four of them managed to escape - three on foot with one on a shopping trolley.

Movie 2014.04.26 - The Raid Redemption

A veritable fightfest with minimal to zero plot. Works for others, but not for me. I admit, the fight sequences and choreography are top-notch and looks authentic, but 90 minutes of non-stop fighting and grunting? C'mon.

Movie 2014.04.24 - Chaos Theory

The whole movie is basically a flashback of the father-in-law-to-be to his son-in-law-to-be. The SIL was about to chicken out during the wedding day, so the FIL told him his sob story to put things in perspective.

Frank (Ryan Reynolds) starts his first day on the time efficiency motivational talk circuit by being 10 minutes late. Thanks to his hot wife Susan (Emily Mortimer). He gets propositioned aggressively by a fan in his hotel room. The wife finds out about this. He drives a pregnant woman who's about to give birth to the hospital, and inadvertently puts his name as the father. Again, the wife finds out about this, and kicks him out of the house. To prove that he's not the father of the baby, he takes a medical exam and finds out that he has Klinefeleter's syndrome, which means he's actually sterile since birth. So who's the father of his little daughter Jesse? Buddy, his best friend. Susan eventually finds out the whole truth, and tries to get back with Frank. Frank buys a gun and waits for Buddy at the beach house. Buddy thinks that Frank is about to commit suicide, and rushes to the beach house to talk him out of it.

Movie 2014.04.23 - Ender's Game

Movie adaptation of a classic sci-fi book. Haven't read the book before, but as usual, I'm guessing it's probably more exciting than the movie.

Background story is that Earth was invaded by the alien Formics and millions perished in the war that ensured. Thanks to Mazer Rackham, the aliens were pushed back. For the next 50 years, Earth prepared for the Formics' return. The twist here is that kids were being trained to take the lead because of their mental capacity. One standout is Andrew "Ender" Wiggin.

Ender suspects that he was not being told the whole story. Maybe the Formics never intended to invade Earth again. Maybe they just wanted to be left alone. But that's all too late now. In the final simulation run, Ender managed to wipe out all the Formics' home planet for good using the Molecular Detachment Device. Turns out his trainers lied, and it's not a simulation.

Devastated, Ender makes contact with a dying Formics queen, and promises to find a safe haven for the new generation of Formics.

Book 2014.04.16 - Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!

One of the very few autobiographies I've read. Managed to finish reading this book faster than normal because one, I'm on paternity leave. And two, with a Kobo Glo, it's easier to read in the dark while cradling a baby to sleep compared to a regular book.

The book is basically a collection of short, humorous anecdotes about his "adventures" throughout his life - the pranks he played, the languages he learned, his attempts at painting and samba drum playing, his involvement with the Manhattan Project, his skills as a safecracker, his thoughts about winning the Nobel Prize, etc.

I've heard of Feynman before the book. Didn't realize he was that famous. The stories are told in a straightforward, lighthearted way; very easy to understand. Can't wait to read the sequel - What Do You Care What Other People Think?

Movie 2014.04.13 - The Avengers

Pretty sure we've watched The Avengers before, but the wife insists that we haven't, so we watched it again. I'm sure it's Chris Evan's fault.

The way I understood it, Loki plans to rule Earth with the help of his Chitauri friends. In return, he is to get the Tesseract from S.H.I.E.L.D. and hand it over to the Chitauri. The Tesseract supposedly has limitless power, which the Chitauri plans to take over the universe. Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been playing with the Tesseract as a source of unlimited clean energy (and to develop powerful WMDs on the side).

Long story short, Loki activates the Tesseract, and the alien invaders come flying in. The Avengers stop their petty squabbling and turn back the alien horde - destroying most of Manhattan in the process. To celebrate their win, they sit down for a meal of shawarma.

What a Crock

I still can't believe I didn't put the Breville slow cooker on a flat surface, causing the thing to fall to the floor and crack. Well, the glass lid shattered and the crockery cracked, but the slow cooker itself was fine.

I started looking online for an SLC30 unit or its parts, but no such luck. Must be a really old model only. The best replacment I could come up with is an almost new BSC300 5-liter brush stainless steel cooker with a ceramic crockery bowl. Had to drive all the way to Bass Hill to pick it up, but at more than 50% off from the RRP of $90, I'd say that's a very good deal.

I hope MIL is happy.

Movie 2014.04.10 - What to Expect When You're Expecting

Another one of those romcoms with multiple characters and multiple story lines, which later end up being all interconnected one way or another. You know what I'm talking about. This time, the topic is pregnancy. The scriptwriters basically brainstormed about any topics related to pregnancy and dumped them into the movie - adoption, breast feeding, daddy daycare, miscarriage, circumcision, etc.

By the end of the movie, all the main characters ended up in the hospital, and everything is resolved to everyone's satisfaction. The couple who had a hard time conceiving finally got their baby. The woman who can't conceive lost her job, but she still went to Ethiopia with her partner to adopt. The weight-loss show host started contracting during a live broadcast. The girl who miscarried got back together again with the guy who knocked her up.

Movie 2014.04.10 - Dakota Skye

Movie is about a disenchanted girl with a superpower who fell in love with a stoner dude because she can't "read" him. Dakota Skye's superpower is that she can tell if someone is lying. And the truth is revealed to her like a subtitle in a foreign movie. Then she meets Jonah, the best friend of her singer-boyfriend Kevin. The problem with him is that he never lies, so now she's intrigued. Intrigued enough to spend some quality time with with Jonah behind the back of Kevin.

One time, Kevin mentioned that Jonah was kicked out of their band during high school. Now this is shocking news for Dakota because Jonah had told her before that he actually quit the band, and this didn't trigger her lie-radar. So maybe Jonah had been lying to her about everything else all this time. Later, Kevin admitted that maybe Jonah did quit the band. Kicked out. Quit. Same thing. Whatever. Dakota decided right then and there to break up with Kevin, who's all confused.

The day of the high school graduation, Dakota drove all the way to New York, tracked down Jonah to start a new life with him.

Interesting Indie film with a unique story line. Good acting from the main characters. Story feels a bit slow and dragging at times. Personally, I think Dakota doesn't have a superpower. Maybe she's more perceptive than the average person.

Variations

Apart from changing the hinged doors to quick slide for the bedroom wardrobes ($550), I also had the following variations done:

For the kitchen bench, instead of having the cooktop and the sink across each other, I had the sink moved to the side of the window. Even though there is dishwasher provided, I forsee a lot of manual dishwashing to be done. Having a window view while doing these chores is best. The sink and the associated plumbing underneath means that the microwave slot and the potholders will have to go. To access the "dead space" between the sink and the dishwater, we've decided to install a push-open cupboard door on the other side of the bench. A bit unconventional, but functional.

I remember asking about bathroom niches during the colour selection, and my cosultant said it's not included in my package. It's a good thing I checked the fine print because they are.  So back they go. Tiled niches 300mm high x 600mm wide in the bathroom and ensuite.

Same thing goes for locksets for the internal doors. I noticed from the item number/model that they are passage leversets. I double-checked the inclusions list, and it says "internal door locks". The consultant wrote back saying I can nominate 5 doors, whose leversets will be fitted with privacy adaptors fitted. Mind you, these are not actually security/privacy leversets - just normal passage leversets to be fitted with an add-on privary adaptor.

Lastly, a 600mm wide x 600mm deep manhole positioned to garage. There was no mention of this anywhere in the plans or specs, although I'm sure this is a requirement.

Airconditioning Appointment

Drove 45 minutes to Minchunbury for the airconditioning appointment with UltraAir. The consultant came in, popped open his laptop, and checked out my details. He says, "The airconditioning unit that came with your package is the ActronAir SRG131E and SRA133C. It's 13kW, which is just right for your house. We'll put in diffusers in the bedrooms, family room, dining room, and kitchen. One zone for the bedrooms.One zone for the rest. Any questions?"

I didn't have any questions, so he asked me to sign the form on the laptop screen. My signature was pretty bad because of the crappy screen sensitivity, but he didn't seem to mind. Another 45 minutes to get back home. Would've been easier and faster if he just emailed me the form, and I email back the signed copy.

Big 4-0

Celebrated my 40th birthday with an extended family lunch at Hong Kong Seafood Restaurant (where else?). This is also Aaron's 1st month anniversary. He was sleeping most of the time. Due to the number of guests, we had two tables - kids and adults. Got my sister and SIL to babysit the kids. For dessert, it's the croquembouche cake from Loomas, specially delivered on the day to the restaurant.