the Set game for mobile (3)

Toys'R Us does not have the Set nor Duo for sell. But I found UNO H2O on sale with 20% off the tag price. Now I see why the owner of the cards prohibited us to bend them.

Set on Mobile, ver. 0.02.05 - something that can play with, finally.

To honor the SET Enterprises Inc., the icon use the original box design. To reserve more space, the patterns and card are smaller. Some statistics will be put on the right-hand-side later (such as # of cards remain/pick-up). The check algorithm is done. If I add a big loop into it, the computer should able to tell me the number of possible SETs on table. Still thinking about the difficulties, whether an easier game (or harder game) possible.

the Set game for mobile (2)

I ordered the card games at Amazon, together with another one - Duo, something like UNO with more features. However, Amazon told me that they cannot be shipped to Hong Kong. Wat!? Why? Oh well, I have to visit Toys'R Us later.

There is no progress on my mobile version. Still struggling (not working) on the data structure of card and deck. Even so, I already have a piece of code that can generate cards with m features and n variants. And I have think about how to lay out the cards on screen, esp when it's too crowd to show the whole card. This is my weakness - spend too much time on the very detail part, dragging the whole development process.

I should make it simpler - object(card and deck) should only hold data, engine handle game logic and calculation. Putting calculation code on object will results in larger object and hence wasting memory, esp when it is not neccessary and not too reasonable to do so.

ver. 0.2.0

the Set game for mobile

My friend showed me a card game, The Set. It is fun and is good exercise to brain and eyes. I'm trying to buy it in stores, Toys'R Us? Meanwhile, I'm working on a mobile version, so that play on road. Hopefully finish it by weekend.

No plan for A.I. nor for sell. So far it's for peronsal usage. There'll be a timer (later) for self-competition. There might be a hard level in which newly dealed cards will not form a set (except the last 3 cards). There might be 1 extra pattern for each feature. Anyway, just for fun.

Block Recognizer

近日研究緊Pocket PC上的輸入法，想在中文版PPC上加入Block Recognizer同埋大易輸入法。搵左幾日，大易似乎是「無行」了，真係要的話，可能自己寫會更快更直接。

Block Recognizer是最近似Graffiti的英文輸入法，只有英文機附有，中文機就沒有。從網上資料及刷了英文ROM的舊機上，證實了要使用Block Recognizer，最關鍵就是msim.dll這個ROM file。只要把相關的檔案和Registry的值加入到中文機裡，理論上是可以使用它的。可惜，網上沒有這個file，從英文機裡又沒法copy出來。 唉，有乜計？

當電池走到盡頭時

俗語有云『當黑夜走到盡頭時，黎明的曙光就會來臨』，可是，我部Asus A600．．．『當電池走到盡頭時，恐怖的hard reset就會來臨』。

放著機子幾日不理，機就起動不了，當我一駁上sych-charge cable，那清脆利落的歡迎聲音和畫面隨之而來，我就知道，我就是知道，一切都…一切都…完了。

True VGA mode on WM5

網上有人教改registry使PPC行True VGA Mode的方法，無聊試下，但因為未能更改一堆DLL檔名而暫時放棄。不過又真係好過癮，睇下個Program Menu ，一個字，爽。

XP shut down dialog, force update

Today when I start up the laptop, there is an update from Microsoft - "Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool - March 2006 (KB890830)". Since I'm testing the system with the patch from yesterday, I ignored the update. When I pressed shut down, the dialog was "rewritten". Microsoft force users to install their updates, again.

Limit of hiberation, 1GB max!?

Last weekend I bought a 1GB DDR ram to upgrade my IBM T42 laptop. Since the laptop has two slots, which were filled by two 512MB ram, I only get 512MB extra after the upgrade. This extra 512MB cost me more than it should be.

After the upgrade, my laptop no longer able to hiberate. When I press Fn+F12 and it prepares hiberation, then it fails and returns "Insufficient system resources exist to complete the API" (technical details from Microsoft). Regarding this issue, many people went to Bryce Yehl's blog. Its thread is so long, and has full explaination, which other site cannot compare with. However, the patch is not available publicly until you call Microsoft. Luckily, I found the patch from an unofficial website.

Just installed and it works. Hopefully my laptop will run smooth from now on.

Acer n300, 1.00.08 & 1.00.15

After the upgrading the ROM to 1.00.15, I found that my Acer n300 no longer showing text in ClearType. In fact, the text looks uglier than before.

In version 1.00.08, ClearType is enable. So that the screen looks better to customers in store. In version 1.00.15, ClearType is disable. It can then claims the performance has boost up after upgrade.

Besides me, there is another guy who found out that the ClearType was disabled on new OS. Some one has the solution to re-enable ClearType. This one is cool~~




Enable ClearType:
Method 1. Search "NoClearType" in registry and set its value to "0". ClearType options is available under Settings > System > Screen.

Bluetooth Software

Bluetooth is not supported on Windows XP natively. The Windows Bluetooth software is available from Microsoft update or service pack. However, it isn't ease to use. It takes a form of wizard-like. Everytime user has to go thur 5 or 6 steps to transfer a file. It's just no good to those who need Bluetooth frequently.

Many Bluetooth doogles come with a satellie-like Bluetooth software. The software has a graphical interface. Bluetooth devices are list around a core, which represents the PC. The orbit is capable of around 10 devices. It should be more than enough for regular users. However, it isn't so to us, who has over 30 devices on the list. We have to scroll the orbit everytime and connect the devices before selecting target files.

The best Bluetooth software I ever use is the verions 1.4.10. So far, besides some unknown brand Bluetooth doogles, I already knew that Belkin and Billition's PCMCIA Bluetooth (version 1) come with it. Besides a regular GUI, it also intergrated into the right-click menu, under Send to option. Furthermore, the shortcuts in Send to option can be used as DOS command. Therefore, I can write a DOS command in a batch file and run jobs in batch mode quickly.

The new version of PCMCIA Bluetooth 2 from Billition will come with a new software from Toshiba. I wonder if it can be used as if the version 1.4.10.

Red Hat Linux 8.0 Part III

尋日放工回家就繼續裝Linux，食完飯差唔多裝完，太好了，終於boot入GNOME。之後猛睇documents，煲左三個chapters又搞左好耐終於上到網。部機屬於輕巧型(當年)，所以連network卡都係要另外用PCMCIA加上去。

好，今日繼續睇Linux既GSG... Getting Started Guide

Red Hat Linux 8.0 Part II

尋日關機時發現一句很怪的comment:

Open Linux

我想，Red Hat Linux無法成功啟動GUI或許和這個有關，所以今日晚飯後就即刻再裝多一次，今次所有partition都format一次，partition分佈很奇特：1GB, 300MB SWAP, 15MB free, 4GB，中間15MB是bad sector，萬萬不能用，format都無效，因為一format到那個位置，部機就會死下死下，之後reboot。

今次選擇將個linux裝響頭果1GB，所以只裝最基本既野。但係咁都要40分鐘先裝完，唉，部機真係慢。

今次終於成功BOOT得起個GUI，用既係GNOME。以前未用過，要學下先。希望可以上手啦。

Acer n300

今日成日都諗緊是否該買Acer n300呢，舊機Asus A600服役40個月，算是物盡其用，值回機價了。雖然n300少了infrared、沒GPS、CPU遜了點，但卻能符合我其他重點要求：

1. VGA resolution (480 x 640)
2. Dual wireless (bluetooth 1.2, 802.11b)
3. SDIO
4. compact (easy to hold with one hand, under 150 grams)
5. under $3000
6. Chinese OS

雖說新產品應該比舊的耐用，可是電腦產品卻因為硬件的進步和軟件不斷提升的要求，使它們的使用限期變得極短：一年起，兩年止，三年汰，四年壞。

• 一年：如果買的是新品（剛推出就買），大概使用一年都不會有太大問題，除非全線upgrade(如新OS)，因為廠商都需要時間回本，而設計新產品週期也不會短。
• 兩年：當第二代產品推出後，分別基本上還不太大，功能與上一代通常只有些少分別，未必能成為upgrade的理由。當然，全新OS又例外。
• 三年：基本上第三代推出後，分別就明顯起來，就如Apple iPod一代二代都一樣大，分別只在scroll wheel和capacity。3G和4G的外型上纖細了，外表還是相若，5G就與1G、2G完全不同了。到了第三年，hardware有新格式，software又有新系統，基本上和第一年的產品已大不同了。
• 四年：如果部機可以用到第四年還未壞，一係部機好勁，一係部機無用（所以只放著不理）。假如多年來日常使用，五癆七傷，尤其是充電池，頂多只剩五成或以下的功率，部機就形同廢物了。

唉，講黎講去都只係搵ｄ理由說服自己去換唧。

兩年前仲用緊既三部機，宜家只剩返中間一部仲用緊。

開心小發現：手提相機微距攝影大法

現時許多手機都有相機功能，其相機鏡頭多半是固定對焦的，拍攝中長距物件是沒問題，但想近距攝影似乎不可能了。

不過日前發現了可以利用放大鏡去更改鏡頭來拍攝微距，雖然並非什麼大發現，而且坊間都有這類add-on賣，不過放大鏡在公司或書房都可以找到，都算是免費方案。最少不用黏貼奇怪的東西在電話上。

這張照片是在公司用放大鏡和N70拍的，對象是 Double Zeta Gundam HG 版，其比例為 1:144，頭部高度約 1CM（不連角）：

感覺有點糊，再來一張，你看你看，蠻清楚！

Red Hat Linux 8.0 Part I

同事送了一套Ubuntu 5.10 Linux，單靠CD就能boot up，無需安裝，任何電腦都可以run Linux而無需鏟機。

「不如試下在舊notebook上run。」

已經裝在舊notebook上的Open Linux因版權問題停止支援（我是付錢買的），亦不支援notebook的sound card，有畫面無聲，現在有新的Linux，不妨一試。可是，搞了半天都無法執行，是機件故障麼？還是hardware型號太舊呢？或者因為它是十年前的產品……

後來又試下老友送的Red Hat Linux 8，單單安裝就用了三個鐘。安裝完可以順利boot up，但無論選擇登入GNOME或KDE都只有這個畫面，點解？還我三個鐘呀～



p.s.: my old laptop is Texus Instrument Extensa 900. It was sold to Acer on late 90s.