Moving blog to Wordpress

I have finally done it - I have setup my own Wordpress blog over at http://gadgetdude.dkldomain.com. The visual design is my own, with CSS techniques based on others. I have ported all my Blogger entries and comments over, following a well-documented tutorial. Join me there, won't you?

[Internet] Traffic conditions in RSS

Here is a writeup on how to customize Yahoo Maps' traffic condition RSS data for a specific location and radius. In the comments there is another link to a page that integrates this data with Google Maps.

It's amazing how RSS can be used beyond blog publishing. I have added this traffic conditions RSS feed to My Yahoo.

[PDA/Cellphone] Windows Mobile 5 announced

Today Microsoft announced the new Windows Mobile 5, formerly known as Windows Mobile 2005 or Magneto. Many sources are reporting this, so I will just pick one and link to it.

For now Windows Mobile 5 is only available to hardware partners, so individual consumers like me will have to either wait until a new device with this OS is released, most likely in Q3, or for O2 to offer a software/firmware upgrade for my XDA Mini. As for the software upgrade route, since HP and Dell have already announced upgrade paths for their devices, I don't see why O2 couldn't, especially since Asian companies are less set on forcing us to buy brand new devices as their Americans counterparts. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

And lastly, WebIS has announced that their PocketInformant 2005 PIM software will support Windows Mobile 5. That could be great news for me since I already own a copy of PocketInformant 2005. I haven't used its contact photos feature due to the lack of integration with the desktop Outlook, but I hope that would change if I manage to upgrade to Windows Mobile 2005.

[Moblog] Dog having a good time

Posted by Hello

He is having fun rolling around on grass. We are helping to take care of our friends' dog while they are abroad.

[Moblog] Random photo

[Personal] Reconnected at home

Last night I finally plugged in the computers and setup Yahoo DSL. And now I have Internet access at home.

Yahoo DSL is awesome, easily providing the best content among the previous broadband ISPs I had (Earthlink, Comcast). Now I have access to the enhanced My Yahoo, LAUNCHCast Plus, and Mail Plus. These are the ones I care for and actually use, there are also other perks like bigger Briefcase space and Unlimited Photo Storage. Essentially I got Yahoo Plus with Yahoo DSL.

Before Yahoo DSL I had hoped that Yahoo Mail status could be integrated into Yahoo 360, but now I wish that Yahoo 360 status could be integrated into My Yahoo. Goes to show how fast my portal choice switches!

My monthly due is $20 for a one-year contract. I do worry how Yahoo/SBC will charge me after the term. I really don't want to pay $40+ for broadband, I mean, that's why I moved away from cable.

[Personal] I am still "online"

A few things have happened in the past few days that kept me from posting to this blog. For one I finally moved into my new house over the weekend. It didn't go 100% smoothly, but everything eventually got into the property, so I can't complain. Then there was the apartment cleaning which I absolutely hated, but judging by the apartment manager's response, we should be getting most of our deposits back. But ultimately the reason why I didn't catch up on my online activities is because *gasp* I don't yet have network access at home!

[Personal] Happy day not so happy

Today is the day when I finally move into my new house. I am supposed to be happy and excited, but I am not, at least not at this moment. A couple of reasons:

- My company is in the bottom of the sewer right now. Earlier this week an official announcement has been made about layoffs. Today there is news that talks of sellout is in progress.

- My movers were supposed to arrive at 9:30AM. They didn't. Instead they will come at 12:00PM due to a truck scheduling probably.

That's it for this post. Lack of a keyboard on my PDA impedes my "inspiration".

[Misc.] Funny funny "Dangerous Hacker!"

Must read. Be patient and read till the end, you will be awarded: Total Illusions - The Forums -> Dangerous Hacker!

[Internet] Condensed history of China

My main workstation is still down and waiting to be picked up by IT. Feeling bored, I decided to refresh my Chinese history. I was looking for a more in-depth version in Chinese (the language), but my laptop (PIII 700mhz, 256mb RAM, good for checking emails only) didn't have the Chinese IME setup, so I ended up searching in English and found The Birth of Modern China. It's a good short read, mainly facts with few opinions sprinkled in between. Near the end I found one paragraph I especially like. I have quoted two paragraphs, the first just leads into the forementioned one.

On the other hand, they did do their best to prop up the ailing Qing, the most notable example being the crushing of the Boxer Rebellion in 1900 by foreign troops (primarily U.S. Marines). What the Western powers were interested in was the carving up of China for their own purposes, and that, paradoxically, required keeping China together.

But two things happened to prevent that. First, in 1911, the Qing dynasty collapsed and China plunged headlong into chaos. Second, in 1914, the Archduke Ferdinand told his driver to go down a street in Sarajevo he shouldn't have, and Europe plunged headlong into chaos.

Ok, it's been fifteen years since my last real grammar lesson, but is this some kind of parallelism?