Where in the World is Jawis?
First plot is from Hotel to airport. Second plot is from the plane to final destination of Hong Kong International Airport.
A few things to note:
The GPS plot from hotel to airport is accurate, but it seems to show
that I started from the golf course. The error is in the satellite
image. There seems to be a double up of a road not long after the plot
begins. You should be able to make out the road that the plot should be
following.
I did not get a GPS fix from the plane until just after the "fasten your seatbelt" sign blinked off.
Questions are:
Where was my holiday destination?
Which Hotel did I stay in?
Which departure gate did I disembark from in Hong Kong?
Prize:
Satisfaction for a job well done!!
GPS Plot 1
GPS Plot 2
As a reminder, the questions are:
Where was my holiday destination?
Which Hotel did I stay in?
Which departure gate did I disembark from in Hong Kong?
Mobile Broadband options in Hong Kong
| PROVIDER | COST |
1. CSL 1010 (link) |
|
2. PCCW (link) |
|
3. Y5Zone (link) |
|
Wi-Fi Comments:
- PCCW will wire the majority of 7-11′s in Hong
Kong with Wi-Fi access. Their plan is to have over 3,000 hotspots
blanketing Hong Kong by July 2007. - Y5 Zone provides 1-, 5-, or 30-day unlimited usage passes.
These are perfect for travelers, friends, or family who are visiting
Hong Kong.
HSDPA (what is HSDPA?)
| PROVIDER | COST |
| 1. CSL 1010 (link) |
|
2. SmarTone (link) |
|
3. Three 3G/Turbo3G (link) |
|
HSDPA Comments:
- Three has the most options available and flexibility: 2, 5, 50, 100, 500, and unlimited MB packages. Their EasyPlus Data plan is also very reasonable if you should go over the alloted bandwidth — i.e. you won’t be charged an arm and a leg!
Activesync Via Bluetooth
Installing the Bluetooth software (BlueSoleil) to XP was uneventful. After installation, XP was able to detect the dongle and allocated it to COM port 16.
Next, using my PDA I ‘discovered’ my desktop. I guess I could have done it the other way around, but the main thing was that pairing went off without a hitch. Not much different to pairing a headset, except you need to enter a password to both devices. If the pairing is correct, you should see ‘Activesync’ as a service available on your paired desktop.
I then started up Activesync on my desktop. In connection settings I chose to allow connections to COM 16.
Finally I started up Activesync on the pda. Under Menu I chose ‘Connect via Bluetooth’.
The PDA found the desktop first go and connected, but I noticed it did not synchronise. In the end I found I needed to click on the ‘sync’ button….I guess that’s what it’s there for! The pda will stay connected after the Activesync is complete. You can explore your files on the pda via Bluetooth while it is still connected.
Pleasantly, I found it to be a relatively painless experience in setting up. In the past I seemed to run in to many problems when setting up Bluetooth on the Desktop. Not just problems with connections and file transfers, but I used to experience crashes and conflicts as well.
To be honest I find syncing with a USB cable convenient, as I get to charge the pda at the same time. I was surprised though, that setup for Bluetooth sync was hassle free and the synchronization process was just as efficient.
Anyone else here synchronize with Bluetooth? Is it a useful application or is it just a novel way to synchronise? One instance where I did find it useful was when I first started writing this little article. I did it on the Atom at first. I wasn’t in the same room as the desktop at that time, but when I saved it I was able to sync with Bluetooth and got a copy of the file on the PC.
The Bluetooth Dongle
I hope this article will encourage you to try out Bluetooth!
WinXP tips: Image Resizer
Windows XP tip: Image Resizer
Why Use Image Resizer?
Do you ever receive emails with JPEG attachments that take 10 minutes to download? Or, when you open up a photo that your friend sent you, it appears to be zoomed in and you can only see one corner of the image? Chances are, those files were sent at their original file size and resolution — they should have been resized before sending.
Digital cameras are so commonplace now that most households in Hong Kong own at least one unit. These days, a 3- or 5-megapixel camera is probably the lowest-quality grade you will find at a store such as Fortress or Broadway.
I took at test photo with a Canon 3-megapixel camera: left at the highest-quality settings, a 2048 x 1536 (3MP) photo took up nearly 1.5MB on the SD card. If I took 10 casual photographs and emailed them to a friend, you can bet that there will be complaints about receiving a whopping 15MB in attachments — for only 10 photos! The same photo, when resized to 1024 x 768, occupied a much-more respectable 200KB.
What Is A "PowerToy"?
Microsoft has released a set of utilities called PowerToys. According to Microsoft, they "add fun and functionality to the Windows experience." One of these PowerToys happens to be the Image Resizer — There are a bunch of other utilities out there that can resize photos, but Image Resizer is highly recommended for its simplicity of use.
To see the full suite of PowerToys for WindowsXP, click here.
Where Can I Get Image Resizer?
Download Image Resizer PowerToy (521 KB 2 min @ 28.8 Kbps)
- Click the above link to download the .exe file to a directory on your hard drive. (Your Desktop folder works well as temporary storage) Alternatively, you can choose to "run it from its current location."
- Double-click the file to open and go through the installation process. Choose "Complete" when given the choice.
- After installation is completed, whenever you have the context menu open (right-click on image file) in Windows Explorer, you will see a new option called Resize Pictures. This option brings up the Image Resizer PowerToy.
You can use the usual Windows techniques of SHIFT+click or CTRL+click to select multiple JPEG files prior to bringing up Image Resizer. This is a very convenient way to resize a batch of photos!
- Basic Options – Recommended Setting: LARGE (1024 x 768)
Using the basic options below will append the selected file(s) with Small, Medium, Large, and WinCE, depending on which size is selected.
- Advanced Options
Make pictures smaller but not larger:
If editing a picture is that has a resolution smaller than the currently selected SIZE, selecting this option will not "up-size" the photo and create a pixelated version. (try up-sizing a 640 x 480 photo to 1024 x 768 to see what I mean!)
Resize the original pictures: If checked, make sure you are editing a copy of the original photograph, or else it will overwrite your original file.
WinXP tips: Cleartype
Windows XP tip: Enable ClearType
What is ClearType?
ClearType is a nifty feature that a surprising number of users do not use. With the proliferation of LCDs during the past few years, this is a feature that no LCD owners should leave off – this includes laptop and notebook owners! Note: this feature is most beneficial to LCD users running on a DVI (digital) connection. If you are using analog or a CRT, go ahead and give this a try anyway – who knows, you may be able to see benefits. If you don’t like it, just turn it off.
Before we start, let’s make clear what ClearType actually DOES: ClearType is an anti-aliasing algorithm that actually blurs the edges of the screen text. Before you think that it sounds counter-productive, take a look at the image below. Note especially the diagonal lines on the letters N, w, x.
Enable ClearType
1. Right-click on your desktop. Select Properties.
2. From the Display Properties box, click on the Appearance tab.
3. Select the Effects button.
4. From the second pull-down menu, select Cleartype.
5. Hit OK 2 or 3 times, until you get to the Desktop.
Your changes have now been applied and you should be able to see a difference.
*Note: those with strong eyesight may find Cleartype to have adverse effects.
Read on to learn how to to fine-tune Cleartype for even better results!
Fine-Tune ClearType
Now that you have had a chance to see the benefits of ClearType, let’s take it a step further by actually improving the results of ClearType!
Even lesser-known than the ClearType feature itself, is the online ClearType Tuner provided by Microsoft. You will be able to adjust several settings, including RGB/BGR and contrast. When you first access the above link inside Internet Explorer, it will ask you for permission to install the tuner’s ActiveX controls – you should answer YES or RUN in order to proceed.
Keep in mind that Internet Explorer is a must for the online tuner. If you do not wish to use IE or prefer a downloadable component, use the ClearType Powertoy tuner instead. It’s only a 2.5mb download.
1. The first screen, shown below, includes a handy check box that shows the benefits of having ClearType ON. If you’re one of those who turned ClearType ON but see no improvement, or even worse — it looks as if quality has degraded — then stop. Look no further, the rest of this article is not for you (unfortunately!).
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2. The second screen allows adjustments for RGB vs. BGR monitors. The majority of monitors will look better with RGB, so select the option on the LEFT (make sure a blue square is highlighting the option), and click next.
3. Here you can adjust the contrast settings. Out of the 6 boxes, select one that looks best on YOUR monitor. Click "Next" to save your settings. The final screen will show a preview of the text with your previously selected settings, which can always be adjusted, so feel free to play around to find the most comfortable contrast on your monitor.
4. The final preview of your text settings.
ClearType Summary
That concludes the article on ClearType. Hopefully your text has become much cleaner and easier to read. If you’ve found this article useful, please leave a comment!
WinXP tips: Remove Messenger!
Do you ever receive a strange Messenger message from your friend, but you did not have MSN Messenger open? Chances are, the default Windows Messenger 4.7 is the culprit. No, this is NOT MSN Messenger, which is at version 7.5 as of this writing. You can’t get rid of this via the Control Panel and must resort to a special command.
Remove that pesky Windows Messenger!
Here’s how:
From your Start Menu, select Run, then copy and paste the entire following line into the box:
RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %windir%\inf\msmsgs.inf,BLC.Remove
Press Enter - you will see flashes of the progress bar moving.
This will remove Messenger for good. After your next reboot, you won’t have to deal with these "mysterious" Messenger windows anymore.