Philips Vouchers For Sale At Lower Rate

20 x $50 (total S$1000) Philips Vouchers for sale at S$900 (you can save S$100)!

Philips Voucher is in $50 denomination and will sell @ $45 each.

Term & conditions

- Valid for all Philips product sold in the Philips Experience Showroom (located in Toa Payoh, Singapore).

- Vouchers valid till 21 Feb 2009.

- Not exchangeable for cash. Any unused amount is not exchangeable for cash.

- Customers have to top-up difference for purchases exceeding the stated value
here.

- Only valid at normal retail price not applicable for items on promotion.

If interested, please SMS to 94893088.

Factory address
The Philips Experience Showroom
620A Lorong 1, Toa Payoh
TP4 Building, Level 1
Singapore 319762
Tel: 6882 3999

How To Disable Telnet For Linux User

If you need to disable the telnet function for a particular UNIX/Linux user, it can be done by editing the /etc/passwd file and replace the shell (say /bin/bash) for that user’s entry with something else (say say /dev/null).

If it doesn’t work, then do these:-

- Login as the user.
- Edit the .profile (with vi editor) and add in the last line “exit”.
- Save the .profile.

With that, if the user tries to do a telnet, he will be automatically kicked out.

 

Wedding Anniversary

Today (12/12) is mine and my honey’s wedding anniversary.

I still remember it was so romantic and wonderful when we said “I DO, I DO” during the moment in the ceremony.

I love you, honey!!

Mobile messaging for Lotus Domino

Now, the Lotus Notes user can look forward to have the push mail service using a mobile device if the following criteria are met:-

- Lotus Domino 8.0.1 server or later (Lotus Domino 8.5 will be required for Nokia S60 support).
- Mobile device running under Windows Mobile (WM) 5.0, 6.0 and 6.1 releases. Or, Nokia mobile device running under S60 (Symbian OS platform).

To support pushmail access on the mobile device, you just simply need to install the IBM Lotus Notes Traveler software onto the device. After that, with some simple configuration on the device itself, it will be able to do the real-time replication (automatic) of Lotus e-mail (including attachments), calendar, address book, journal and To-Do-Lists.

With this major development of IBM's efforts, IBM has expanded the mobile support for the Lotus software portfolio (at no additional cost). In other words, the Lotus Notes user no longer needs to reply on Blackberry to pull email from Domino server, which requires additional infrastructure, overhead and cost.

To have a better picture about Lotus Notes Traveler on mobile, you may refer to the video clip below:-

References:-
http://www.itwire.com/content/view/21856/1127
http://www-01.ibm.com/software/lotus/products/notes/traveler.html

How To Update Virus Definition

Virus definition file (also called signature file) is basically a database that contains the virus code (the signature) of those known viruses. To detect a virus, the antivirus program looks for these code strings in executable programs.

In addition, the virus definition file also contains repair information about all the discovered viruses so that the antivirus program knows how to remove the virus from the directories and registry in the inflected computer.

There are many new viruses and security risks being introduced into the computer community every day. In order for the antivirus program knows to how detect and clean the most recent viruses, the virus definition file must be updated regularly to have the latest information.

For Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition (for Norton as well), there are two ways of update the virus definitions:-
1. Live Update
2. Intelligent Updater

Live Update
It is the preferred method for the virus definition update as it is easy to use.

If your computer is configured as an unmanaged client, then it can be configured to get the update automatically from Symantec virus definition’s server.

If your computer is configured as a managed client (Live Update option may be grayed out), the “virus definition” update is most likely getting from a central, internal server in your company.

In any time, if you need to get ad-hoc update from the server, you can just simply click the “Live Update” button to trigger the download (as shown below).

Intelligent Updater
The Intelligent Updater file is an executable file (EXE file) to use as an alternative to LiveUpdate for updating virus definitions.

It is less convenient as compared with LiveUpdate, because it is a manual process. It also needs a larger download (say, bigger than 35 MB) that may be inconvenient if you have a slow internet connection (e.g. dial-up).

If your Symantec AntiVirus on your computer is configured as a managed client, it will not able to get the virus definitions from the company’s server when your computer is not connecting to the office network (for example, working on your notebook from home).

In that case, the only choice is to download the Intelligent Updater directly from the internet server and get the update.

The URL to the Symantec Security Response Web site to download the Intelligent Updater is as follows:-

http://www.symantec.com/business/security_response/definitions/download/index.jsp

Create a Pivot Table in Excel

The “Pivot Table” is one of the most powerful features in Excel.

In particular, it is very useful to use it to present information in a report format.

Assuming you have an Excel data file about the sales in different regions, with the Pivot Table created, you can click the “drop down” lists and change the data that is being displayed based on Month, Sales person, Product or geographic location.

Create a Pivot Table
In the Excel worksheet, go to toolbar and click “data”, and then “pivot table and pivot chart report” to follow the instructions given. Essentially, you just need to select the whole data set and create the pivot table in the new worksheet. All the column headers from your dataset should appear in a control box on the right of the screen. You can drag-and-drop the field buttons on your table.

For step-by-step procedures on how to create a Pivot Table, you may refer to the URL link www.homeandlearn.co.uk/ME/mes9p5.html for details.

I bet you… it is easier than you might think.

Opening of EPS file (How To)

To open an *.EPS file (Encapsulated PostScript) directly, you would need either of the following software installed onto your PC:-

Adobe Illustrator
Abobe PageMaker
Adobe Photoshop
CorelDRAW

However, there is still a work-around solution to open it using the normal Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint.

The steps are:-
- Launch Microsoft Word, Excel or PowerPoint
- Click "Insert" menu then Picture, and select the From File (to point to the *.EPS file).

Find command in Linux

I suppose the “find” command is properly the most useful utility in UNIX/Linux.

The following are a few examples showing how to perform some common tasks using the “find” tool. I will add more as time goes on.

Basic syntax: find pathname... expression

#If you want to find files that are 7 days old, use the -mtime option
find . -mtime 7 -print
(Assuming today is 23-Dec, the command will show the files that are only dated 16-Dec.)

#An alternate way is to specify the range of periods
find . -mtime +6 -mtime -8 -print
find . -mtime +6 -mtime -8 -exec ls -lt {} \;

#Find files based on 7 days ago (atime means last accessed time)
find / -atime 7 -ls

#List old files and delete them (mtime means last modified/creation time of a file)
find -mtime +60 -exec rm -f {} \;

#Find core files in the directory and remove them
find . -name "core" -exec rm -f {} \;

Note:-

When using with “-exec” command, it should be used together with {} and ; (semicolon), where {} is used as a variable whose name is the file “find” found. As for ; (semicolon), it represents the end of command which must be punctuated by a quoted or escaped ; (semicolon).

*** df -h (human readable)

du -sh * | sort –nr

du -hsx * | sort -rh | head -10

Send Large Email Attachment Over Internet

In most of the organizations, they usually have a policy in place for E-mail system to restrict people from sending or receiving mail with very huge attachment.

You can’t use the personal E-mail account to do the task as well because they also have a control for maximum attachment size rule. As far as I know, Gmail can accept up to 20 MB whereas for Yahoo, it can only take up to 10 MB.

In that situation, perhaps you can consider using the online file storage services like Rapidshare, Megaupload to send the mail.

I have tested Rapidshare before using their free service. Even though the upload speed is not fast but at least it serves the purpose. For information, the file kept on their server will be automatically deleted if it has not been accessed for 90 days.

Cannot open attachment in Lotus Notes (How To)

I came across an incident that Lotus Notes user can't open (example Excel file) within Lotus Notes. The system prompted that "Sorry, an application to open this document cannot be found". The attachment has the .xls extension and can only be viewed with the Notes viewer, but cannot be opened.

Upon checking, I realized that it was simply due to Windows “file association” issue.

To resolve the issue, go to Windows Explorer > Tools > Folder Options > File Types. Then select XLS extension and associate it with the appropriate program (by clicking the “change” button).

That is how I solve the problem.

Making Your Own Passport Photo (How To)

Few days ago, my wife mentioned to me that she needs a photo in passport size for the kid so as to enroll her for school next year.

To save money, instead of going to photo shop to do it, I did it DIY for free via the web site below:-

http://www.epassportphoto.com

Frankly speaking, on the first thought, I was thinking to install a Photoshop software and then prepare the photo from there. Really didn’t expect it to be so easy!

Follow-up Flag

In Lotus Notes, the mails can be marked with a follow-up flag and assigned a date and time to remind you about the message.

The messages marked for follow-up have a flag icon next to it which allows you to sort them, making them easier to find and work with. You can also set up an alarm for a specific date, time as well as having an e-mail notification. Flagging a message also places it in the Follow Up view which show only messages requiring follow-up. To flag a mail, just select the message that you want to follow up and then click "Follow Up" button. And, follow by the "Add or Edit Flag". It is a good feature that helps user to manage mails!

Windows Vista - Parental Controls (How To)

If you are concerned about what your children are surfing on the internet or want to restrict them on the time spent in browsing, you may use the built-in Parental Controls to do the restriction… if your computer is running on Windows Vista.

Windows Vista comes with Parental Controls (not for Windows XP). Even though it is not very powerful, it still serves the purpose.

Assuming you already have a user account created for the child, follow the steps below to block their usage:-

1. Start > Control Panel > User Accounts and Family Safety.
2. Click “Set up parental controls for any user” and select the user account that you want to control the access.
3. Click “Time limits” and then click on the blue box next to “Blocked”.
4. Use the grid to set blocks of time when your child can use the computer.

With this setup, your child will not be able to log on during blocked times. If the child has already logged on when time limits expire, he/she will be automatically logged off by the system.

For details, you may refer to:-
http://www.microsoft.com/protect/products/family/vista.mspx

As a parent, if you willing to spend money, then you can consider getting “Advanced Parental Control” for a better control (can also monitor the usage of your PC).

	Advanced Parental Control (BuyNow)

Thermal Cooker (焖烧锅)

Another money saving’s tip…

焖烧锅(Thermal Cooker)是近年来流行的一种新型节能锅。它分为内外两层，内层是金属锅，外层是保温材料，将内锅放在火上，里面的汤水烧开后拎到外锅里，盖好，过几个小时就可取出来吃了，汤、粥、饭，都可以用它来煮。

它利用保温材料或真空断热原理阻隔空气，内锅沸腾的热气不会流失，反而在锅内循环，自四面八方为食物加热，免电免煤气免照顾，时候一到自然就是一道热熟的美味佳肴。

它最大的优点就是放进去后就不用管它了，因为不需要火,不需要电，不会有任何安全隐患，你大可以放心去上班、逛街、睡觉，到时候取出来吃就行。

焖烧锅适用于炖、熬、焖等料理，依照食谱指示控制烹调过程,才能恰到好处。焖烧内锅借助其它炉具将食物加热至沸腾2~15分钟再移置焖烧外锅中盖紧。

根据研究，焖烧锅可节省约60%-80%的煮食时间。

总之它的好处可以: 省时！省能源！简便！炖汤，炖肉，排骨汤，熬粥,蒸蛋，新鲜可口的美味任你享受！还有一个关键,就是在焖煮过程中营养保持绝佳！

NoteTab Light -- HTML editing tool

If you are looking for HTML editing tool, NoteTab Light maybe is a good choice for you and it is... FREE.

I started to appreciate it because NoteTab can load very fast and is quite user’s friendly.

Next, it allows me to open and manipulate multiple documents, and then search & replace text and HTML tags within documents.

As the software is free, I had installed it onto the company’s pc so that I can do web pages editing in my office using this tool. Now, I don’t need to rely on Macromedia Dreamweaver or MS FrontPage anymore.

To download, get it from http://www.notetab.com/ntl.php

Below is another online html editor that I use it quite often because it is handy:-
http://www.redpeachdesigns.com/html-editor.htm

RepliGo - Viewing Blackberry’s attachment

In my previous post in last year September, I highlighted about the BeamView software (by Beamberry company) where it can use for attachment viewing on blackberry device... in a way that the document on the blackberry can be displayed in their original form as they would look on the computer.

In actual fact, there is another more established software called RepliGo (by Cerience Corporation) that can do the same task. I didn’t mention it because BeamView still offers for free during that time.

With RepliGo, users also have the ability to send original documents as attachments in an email, print to HP Bluetooth printers (beautiful, right?), store documents locally and on the server, and even fax original documents right from the BlackBerry.

For organizations having BlackBerry Enterprise Server, I would think that deploying RepliGo is the only best choice for attachment viewing (compare with Beamview) if they are concerned about security (without compromising content).

This is because Cerience has a cooperate solution called “RepliGo Server” where it can be installed on your own Windows server in your premise (either a separate Windows machine or directly onto the BlackBerry Enterprise Server machine). To understand how the communication flows between the server and device, you may refer to the diagram above.

As for Beamview solution, they don’t have a cooperate edition. All the documents are processed and stored on the provider’s BeamBerry servers.

I also notice that RepliGo is an Alliance member of Blackberry. So, I guess you can have another choice now.

如何开榴莲

朋友送我几只榴莲，很开心，有榴莲吃了，确实也有很久没有买榴莲了。可是当我们看到那几只榴莲时， 有点伤脑筋， 因为老公不会开榴莲，我也不会，这怎么办？ 老公说上网看看。 果然没找两下，就有答案了： 先要找一块没用的毛巾或布（用完了就可以丢）， 然后把榴莲放在一个大砧板上，一只手拿布按住榴莲，另一只手拿刀砍去榴莲的尾端（没有柄的一端），大概2cm左右，这时候就可以看到榴莲的一个切面图，上面有五条线，接着顺着这五条线用刀把榴莲扳开成五瓣，这样就大功告成了！

我们终于吃到了榴莲，又学会了开榴莲，互联网的作用可真不小。现在的科技好厉害，只要一上网， 什么问题都已经不是问题了。

Follow-up Flag

In Lotus Notes, the mails can be marked with a follow-up flag and assigned a date and time to remind you about the message.

The messages marked for follow-up have a flag icon next to it which allows you to sort them, making them easier to find and work with. You can also set up an alarm for a specific date, time as well as having an e-mail notification. Flagging a message also places it in the Follow Up view which show only messages requiring follow-up. To flag a mail, just select the message that you want to follow up and then click "Follow Up" button. And, follow by the "Add or Edit Flag". It is a good feature that helps user to manage mails!

Acrobat Reader -- Read Out Loud feature

I believe that not many people are aware that there is a speech synthesizer existed in Acrobat Reader (version 6 & above), where it can read the PDF file with the sound coming out from the speaker.

Hence, a person with certain cognitive disabilities might benefit from reading and hearing the information.

To enable the Read Out Loud feature, just simply select View > Read Out Loud and then select one of the available options that you want.

It also allows customization where you can change the default Read Out Loud attributes.
To get into the settings, choose Edit > Preferences > Reading from the list of categories on the left side of the window (as shown).

Learning Keyboard Typing

The diagram below gives a glance of which fingers to be used when doing typing.

Proper position:-
- The fingers of your hands must be resting correctly on the home row keys. Your right thumb should be resting lightly on the space bar.
- Keep your elbows close to the body.
- While typing, only one finger should move out of the home row to type a key at any one time.

During practicing, you may find it helpful to quietly say out the name of the key as you strike it.

Practice makes perfect!!

IP camera vs conventional camera

Lately, I have done some read up on comparing the conventional CCTV camera (Analogue CCTV) and the IP CCTV camera (also known as network camera) because I was looking one for the kitchen to monitor the maid.

Finally, I purchased an IP camera (spent $288) as I conclude that this type of camera is much better than the conventional type.

In the internet, there are a lot of info mentioning about the comparison of the 2 types of CCTV cameras. For example... http://www.iviewcameras.co.uk/IP/exploreip/ipadvantagesoveranalogue.htm

Below are just some of the essential points which I had considered for my purchase:-

1. Access
- Remote access to live images and remote administration to IP camera are possible from anywhere using a Web browser.

2. Image Quality
- The picture is digitalized. There is no deterioration over time and cable length is not an issue.

3. Video & audio support
- It can support both video & audio.

Now, with the camera that I installed, I can monitor the live or recorded video anywhere using pc. I can also access the live images using my 3G mobile phone. In addition, it allows me to set up motion detection to trigger automatic recording and E-mail alerts.

No wonder IP cameras are quickly gaining ground over the conventional CCTV camera system!!

For IP camera, you can consider it choosing from Axis, D-Link (recommeded), JVC or Linksys.

Increase font size in Lotus Notes

It is not surprised that Lotus Notes user doesn’t know where to change its font size for viewing because the setting is not done at the GUI interface.

For Lotus Notes 5 (or later, apply up to Lotus Notes 8) client, you can customize the display size of the default fonts by adding the following setting to your NOTES.INI file (inside the Lotus Notes directory):-

Display_font_adjustment=x

Where x is the number of points added to the default size, and is a number between 0 and 25. For example, if you need to increase the font size to 5, you would type:
Display_font_adjustment=5

Alternatively, you can also change the font size of Lotus Notes by changing your display fonts in Windows (Control Panel > Display > “Settings” tab > Advanced button).

However, please note that changing the Windows display fonts will affect all programs on your computer.

"Aviva BIG e" investment plan

Around Oct/Nov last year, I was attracted by the big advertisements from Aviva on their "Aviva BIG e" investment plan. It advertised that they can generate higher returns on the CPF which gives average of 3.5% PA interest.
After some consideration, I signed up the plan in Nov-07 with some money from my CPF.
Just few days ago, I received a postage mail from Aviva stating that the interest rate will be reduced to 2.75 % w.e.f from Jan-08.

What a disappointed!! http://www.avivadirect.sg/whatweoffer/bige/benefits.html

Stock Market Indices

American Indices 美国股市指数	Asian Indices 亚洲股市指数	European Indices 欧洲股市指数
Dow 道琼斯 NASDAQ 纳斯达克 S & P 500 标普500 MerVal 阿根廷 Bovespa 巴西 TSX 加拿大 IPC 墨西哥	Nikkei 日经指数 Hang Seng 香港恒生 Shanghai 中国上海 Straits 新加坡海峡 Jakarta 印尼雅加达 NZX 纽西兰 TSEC 台湾 Sensex 孟买 Nifty 印度	AEX 荷兰阿姆斯特丹 FTSE 伦敦金融时报 DAX 德国 CAC 法国

Keywords 关键词:
Stock Market Indices - Last & Change 各国股市指数变化

Mail Merge

Well, it is a new chapter of the year again. And, it is time to send greetings to friends & family.

Having this in mind, I would like to share with u all about Mail Merge features in Microsoft Word which u can make use of it. If you get to know how to use the mail merge, you can send E-mail to any number of people quickly. For example, u may use it for sending newsletter to customers; sending out holiday greetings to friends/family.

Using the Mail Merge is easier than what you may think. To start the mail merge process, launch the Microsoft Word. Next, on the Tools menu, point to Letters and Mailings, and then click Mail Merge... and then blah blah.

For details, please refer to:- http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA011095491033.aspx