Just yesterday I switched (back) to GAIM 2.0 after using Trillian Basic for a long time as my IM client.  GAIM still looks crappy compared to Trillian, but there are two features about GAIM that lacks in Trillian that forced me to switch:

• Trillian does not reconnect after a standby mode.  You can’t even just do a “Global Reconnect.”  You have to do a “Global Disconnect”, then “Global Reconnect.”  Small thing, I know, but it’s annoying nonetheless for laptop mobile users.
• You can “combine” IM handles for a contact.  For a contact, I usually have his or her MSN, Yahoo, and AIM accounts…and in GAIM, you can combine them into one entry in your list and if either of his or her IM accounts are online, that contact is marked as online in your list.  Makes your contacts list way shorter, too.

I also experimented with MSN Live Messenger a while back to see if it’s worthwhile to ditch my AOL friends while using my Windows box (since you can talk to your Yahoo IM contacts).  Piece of crap.  Never mind the advertisements (which can be turned off by using this–forget A-Patch…didn’t work for me) I can’t even see my Yahoo contacts if they’re online. 

I wish somebody would port AdiumX to Windows. 

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WTF?  It’s still a great camera.  But, seriously, Ricoh…sky blue?

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A family member works for the music industry and from time to time they get freebie DVDs and this was one of them.  I ended up watching this movie one day because I was bored out of my mind.

I was skeptical at first because the cover is a dead giveaway that it’s a love story…and it stars Vincent D’Onofrio, who is not exactly in your short list of actors for a feel-good chick flicks.  But Marisa Tomei was in it, so I thought it can’t be that bad.

I was pleasantly surprised (a happy accident?  boooo!!).  Yes, it is a love story, but it’s so far out that you would have not thought that it’s about, um, what it’s about (I don’t want to spoil the story).  Marisa Tomei was great as always, but I was floored by D’Onofrio.  The scene where he saw a chihuahua while strolling with Tomei was hilarious.

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I’ve taken up on a new “sort-of” job of writing a weekly column for a web portal.  I’m not going to write here where you can find it because I want the column to find its audience through recommendations of other readers and not through the shameless plug of the author. 

Come to think of it…this is already a shameless plug short of saying what it’s about and where one can find it.  Whatever…

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Electronic Arts is on a hot seat right now for openly admitting that they are using some form of spyware to provide in-game advertising on their new game, Battlefield 2142.  Majority of gamers (myself included) have a negative reaction to this, since it’s pretty much an invasion of privacy any way you look at it.  In order to provide the “right” advertisements on your gaming experience, this “software” that EA included will use your IP Address at the very least; and while EA claims otherwise at this point, I think this “software” will be snooping on your internet activity to fine-tune the ads.

Others argue that it should not be a big deal, since movies and TV shows have been doing this via “product placements.”  No, not the same thing.  When you buy your movie ticket at the box office, the cashier doesn’t ask for your name and your eating habits, and then change the products placed on the movie based on the eating habits of the viewing audience.

For me, I am not really affected…more of just “annoyed” (rather than “angry”) because I don’t play “Battlefield” games, or any EA sports games.  Although I am bit concerned that this could spawn a new thinking among game publishers that it’s OK to spy on their consumers.  I will not buy any game that installs crap on my PC to violate my privacy.

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I think it’s safe to say that most of my readers (6 of them) have a portable work computer.  And I think it’s also safe to say that from time to time, most of them grudgingly take this portable computer at home to continue their work to meet their next-to-impossible deadlines.  Of course, one of the annoying things about working with the portable is the lack of screen real estate. Most of us have desktop computers with larger screens, and wouldn’t it be really cool if we can use your desktop’s screen with the laptop computer as a secondary display without resorting to dealing with KVMs and extra cables?  And probably even use the desktop’s keyboard and mouse and not deal with the laptop’s not-so-comfortable keyboard and mouspad?  If this is the kind of setup you’re looking for, you’ve come to the right blog…I will show you how to do this.

(more…)

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I was reading this post on /. today and I could not help but say “WTF?” to myself.  It gets more asinine when people are actually giving serious responses and providing insights about working for Microsoft or Google.  And then I came across this response:

“I am thinking of settling down, and I have been fortunate enough to receive offers of marriage from both a Brazilian supermodel and an Italian supermodel. This has left me with a bit of a conundrum, however - I’m having real difficulty deciding which offer to accept. Putting aside the life of incredible wealth and sexual satisfaction I am sure to receive either way, what is the Slashdot community’s take on this? Am I crazy not to go with the Brazilian? I am especially interested in the insight of others who have married supermodels, in particular those who may have experienced what it’s like to date models of both nationalities.”

BAM!  Exactly what I was thinking.  Funny thing was it was marked “5 points for being funny.”  I have two words to that person who posted the question: Die already…you condescending son of a bi0tch.

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In case you’ve been in a coma in the past 12 hours or so, one of the biggest news is Google’s acquisition of YouTube.  I envy the employees of YouTube who don’t have to worry about money for the rest of their lives.  Bastards.

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I’ve resisted long enough from buying an XBox 360…but after seeing a gameplay video of Gears of War, I think I’ll probably cave in and buy one after its release.  DAMMIT.

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…you have to watch this season, it’s “Dexter.”  The best way I could describe it: It’s a cross between “Se7en” and “Sin City” and sprinkled with “CSI: Miami” without David Caruso’s somewhat-cheesy acting.

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