CoScriptor

Another nicely done tool from IBM......

While its concept is nothing new (think Web Marco tools like iMarco, Selenium etc), it adds in a few really nice touches.

1. Collaboration + Tagging => You can share and use script from others together with a standard tagging system. What really separates it is the private database that let you define/customise "variables"
2. Firefox integration => No need to startup a separate/additional program
3. Stored in easy to read text => the "source code" literally reads like a use case ..... can't wait to see its future integration with Rational tools. This flexible parser is probably the coolest touch.
4. Step run and running of script => Amazing done, with highlighting and direct script/web interface editing possible to accommodate any deviations. While Selenium does this too, CoScriptor is much narrower in its scope and hence able to do this more intuitively.
   

Firefox users should really give this a spin.

Is it time for 64 bit computing?

Lately I have been looking around for a new computer (Funded not by me of course :P). Looking at getting some 64bit cpu power and picking a suitable OS. After listening to this Hanselman minutes podcast, I sort of decided that going 64bit Vista is a good idea, especially since I intend to be running VPCs off it.

Flying penguins on SIA

It not often that Singapore gets positive limelight in IT news (Yup I am refering to Odex...) but this article certainly sounds like something which will make IT people take a second look.

To make flying more enjoyable for its passengers, Singapore Airlines Ltd. is adding bigger screens, more in-flight movies and a PC, running Red Hat Inc.'s distribution of the Linux operating system, in every seat on its newest planes.

That by itself is nothing really special, but the following is what I guess really makes it stand out.

KrisWorld can also be used as a PC and includes Sun Microsystems Inc.'s StarOffice application suite, which offers a word processor, spreadsheet, and a presentation program. Every seat is fitted with a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port that lets passengers access documents carried on a thumb drive or portable hard disk.

Event Driven Architecure

Event Driven Architecture (EDA)

is a software architecture pattern promoting the production, detection, consumption of, and reaction to events. - Wikipedia

This area has recently caught my interest. Previously when I was still at Cornet Technologies, the framework which I had developed had an "aspect of delivering data" which seemed to be a mismatch with the SOA approach that it was based off. After looking through this glossary, EDA seems like a natural fit to it. Guess I will be looking more into this area in the coming weeks.

Firefox dictionaries

I realised that after my move over to Australia that my Firefox installation had lost its built-in spell checker. At first I thought that it was the result of certain new plug-ins I had installed, but after look round a bit, found out that it was because of a missing dictionary.

In short what happened was I after getting to Australia, I changed my operating system time zone setting, which also change the dictionary that was being use.

The solution is simple, right click on any text area which you would normally expect the spellcheck to be active -> languages -> Add dictionaries.


After that, simply click on the dictionary you need to install it.

html composing reloaded

Its been a while since I last had to do any manual html composing. Instead of sticking to the regular dreamweaver, for this time round, I took a look around to see what good open source alternatives are available. Heres the latest configuration of my "enviroment".

Firefox with the following plugins

• Firebug - great debugging tool
  
• Web developer - name says it all, a real "swiss army knife"
  
• color picker - great for getting the actual color
• IE Tab - for double checking it runs ok in IE
  

Composing tools

• Nvu - Neat tool that does exactly what it say
• Sea Monkey - Thought this would be good but theres simply too many unnessary stuff thats pack in it, ditched it in favour of Nvu
  

A table ... ahem... 'surface' for every home?

Simply amazing, Microsoft's new upcoming product Microsoft Surface.

Official Site
Popular Mechanics July 2007 Report

Imagine this working with software and add ons that can be written. What I have in mind is Bump Top (Demo at Ted Talks) running on Surface.... will surfaces be the new desktops in homes of the future?

Tackling a Technology problem

During the recent D5 conference where Bill Gates and Steve Job were interviewed, this came up.

I think in terms of intuitive taste, both for people and products, you know, we sat in Mac product reviews where there were questions about software choices, how things would be done that I viewed as an engineering question, you know, and that’s just how my mind works. And I’d see Steve make the decision based on a sense of people and product that, you know, is even hard for me to explain. The way he does things is just different and, you know, I think it’s magical. And in that case, wow.

- Bill Gates

This reminded me of a Ted Talk by David Pogue I had seen some time back. As I am working late tonight using office 2007, it struck me how Microsoft has tackled technology problems once again. Anyone using the office 2007 will be familiar with the Ribbon toolbar.

It is seriously an amazing engineering feat and attempt to manage complexity.... Is this the best possible solution? Technology problems is always best solved with a people aspect in it, after all technology is created for people and technology problems are caused by them too. And as per the title's of David's Talk, "Simplicity Sells". Guess he forgot to mention the punchline, "except to engineers".....

Ask.com relaunch

Ask.com just had a relaunch of their website. My first impression is that it looks and feels like Google.... with a touch of Yahoo.

Its certainly a vast improvement over the original and while the little touches on the UI like skins that are nice to have. Interestingly, the search results returned feels more personal compared to what I can find from a Google search. I could actually find some of the old web sites of friends just by searching for their names; some thing which I cannot find in Google. The search customization panel on the left is also a nice touch compared to Google's which is located at the top and bottom.

For now, I think I will stick to Google search.

Understanding an individual, technology takes a leap

For technology, there is always a point when its utility value takes a huge upturn. Like for the Internet, it was the intervention of WWW, for mobile devices, it was when your local Telco providers started providing affordable prices and plans. Just seen an article in New York Times.

JAMES D. WATS ON, who helped crack the DNA code half a century ago, last week became the first person handed the full text of his own DNA on a small computer disk. But he won’t be the last.

Having such information about our DNA at an affordable cost will signal a new era on how medical treatment and services will work. General practitioners role in medical treatment will evolve to studying an individual's DNA and understanding what specific hybrid of medication works best. The demand for technology that provides manageable access to this wealth of data will skyrocket and whole industries will be spun round using/abusing this data.

But until then, this milestone in genetic studies, will be as how Amy Harmon reported it

Until then, even Dr. Watson, who posted his genome on the Internet last week, has to wait. At a ceremony marking the occasion, he stared at the disk containing his genome for a few seconds, then stuck it in his pocket.

Hectic 2 weeks

The past 2 weeks have been really busy, both for my work life and in the technology sector. From cool tech conferences like where2.0, new stuff like Google mashup, Street views on both Google maps and Live Search, interesting Bill Gates and Steve Jobs interview and so on..... talk about information overload :P

Going on that, Google Gears would likely be something that will help me heaps. Reading feeds to keep updated on happenings in the IT world, especially on a Monday morning can certainly be overwhelming. Now with Google Gears, I can actually get a head start while transiting to office.

Coming up next.... Goggle reader on a tablet PC.

Technology.... works best standing on the shoulders of giants

I have recently taken onto listening to podcasts from educators corner as I transit to and from office. The session by Shai Agassi hit many notes that I felt was very true with respect to technology. These podcasts are a definite must listen for anyone who intends to do something in technology with business.

Technology ..... worthless without a cause

Maybe I am not geeky enough, but sometimes I do give a blank look when some of my friends take about cool new devices, gadgets..... and well simply tech stuff. Why? I guess the main reason was that besides for the cool factor, I did not really see the cause for that technology.

This particular article about Dr Krause who has spent the last 40 years collecting sounds and currently hoping to include it in Google Earth is something I totally emphasize with. While the technology and concepts in it is not new, his ideas gives a cause for using them.

During my undergraduate days in ANU, I worked with many a few wonderful people in the cultural and heritage faculty as part of my research paper for digital heritage. Their views and opinions opened my eyes to a new perspective on technology. While I was busy with sorting out the technical aspects of using semantic web technologies for preserving cultural information, they provide me with their views and visions of what preserving heritage is all about .... giving my research direction and well .... simply a 'cause' to follow.