Late: Switching Over to the Fresh Look for the New Yahoo! Mail

I know there's this link showing up on my Yahoo! mail asking me to switch to the new Yahoo! mail with the improved user interface but I just gladly stuck to the classic view which I have been so used to since I began as a Yahoo! user in 2000. 10 years passed just like that and I have been a net surfer for 10 years. Unbelieveable. 10 years just zipped by and said goodbye. Below is the information from Yahoo! regarding its updates. I am a user who made the switch very very late.

Based upon user feedback, we have made Yahoo! Mail even better than before by streamlining the entire look and adding new functionality to provide a better email experience.

* Less Advertisement
We've removed all the ads on the left hand side of the page.
* Increased font
To improve the readability of email, we've optimized the font size.
* Simplified Email Filtering
Easily filter your messages between your Contacts and Connections under the "View" menu.
* Reading pane now easier to resize/minimize
We removed the "X" in the Reading Pane making it easier to resize/minimize this pane. To minimize, click the down arrows in the middle of the reading pane bar. To resize, mouse anywhere on the bar (except on the down arrows) and drag the bar up or down to any location that suits your needs.
* Improved attachment management
By setting up the new attachment tool, you are able to select multiple files at once (including an entire folder), see thumbnails of photos you upload, rotate photos, and the ability to send more photos quicker - click here for more details. If you do not want to try the new tool, you'll still be able to select multiple files at once and see the upload progress of each file
* Applications Box below your Folders
All of the useful/productive applications you're used to using have now been nicely organized in the bottom left hand side.
* Calendar and Notepad now grouped with Applications
We've tucked some of our favorite Yahoo! applications under the new Application Box.
* Select Messages in View
In addition to selecting all of your messages in your Inbox, you can now select just those in your view. Click on the "actions" button and choose "Select Emails in View".
* Improved tab management
After you send an email, the send confirmation tab will automatically close after you've viewed it getting out of your way. You can still go to your "sent" folder to view any emails that you have sent.
* Message size column turned off
To clean up your inbox, we've removed the message size column. If this is important to you, just do the following to enable the size column again:
1. Click on the View button at the top right of the page.
2. From the drop down menu, under "Show:" select "Size Column"
* Refreshed color options
With a fresh look come fresh, new colors! We hope you enjoy them as much as we had fun creating them.
* Moved "Print" button under Actions Menu
We moved the "Print" button under the Actions Menu in the inbox/folder view.
* "Mail Classic" button moved under Options menu
We have simplified the Mail header and still provide you the option to switch back to Mail Classic if you want. To do so, click on "Options' on the right-hand side and select "Switch Yahoo! Mail Classic…"

Quickcam IM to Replace My Quickcam Pro 4000: Downgrade :(

My Logitech Quickcam Pro 4000, which I bought for $50 back in 2004, has gone kaput. The video does not show up and there's only a pitch black screen everytime it starts. The audio, the built-in mic funciton is still good, only the video ain't working no more. Naturally, a replacement candidate would be either the Quickcam Orbit or the Quickcam Pro 9000 or the Ultra Vision. However, the Quickcam IM got the job because I don't quite trust Logitech as much right now. So I am settling for a cheapo Quickcam IM for the moment until I regain the confidednce in Logitech webcam products. The Quickcam IM comes with a headset and it already has built-in microphone, so I am gonna keep the headset in the box for now.

2008 is Green Year, Check Out the Ultimate Green Home

A green home? For Electronic House’s Home of the Year? Yes and you bet. For the first time, our grand-prize winner is an energy-efficient, sustainable home that’s made largely from environmentally friendly materials. And yes, it has plenty of electronics. In fact, the home’s control system, lighting and shading systems help to save energy.

The contemporary 4,200-square-foot Casa Futura, as it is known, is powered in part by 26 solar panels, two of which provide heat for the home’s hot water needs. It has water-saving features such as low-flow, dual-flush toilets and smart irrigation systems that water plants only when they need it. The home is constructed largely of recycled materials, with concrete radiant-heated floors and an efficient metal roof. Walls contain extra blown-in insulation, and the windows reflect heat and harmful ultraviolet light. Motorized blinds automatically shade the large windows to keep the rooms cool, and natural ventilation reduces the need for air-conditioning. All the appliances are Energy Star–rated for better efficiency, from the front-loading clothes washer to the low-water dishwasher. Highly efficient and long-lasting LEDs (light-emitting diodes) are used in several rooms as accent lighting, complementing energy-saving compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and traditional incandescent bulbs on dimmers for energy savings. And a whole-house control system ties together the lights, shades, thermostats and other electronics into one easy-to-use system. The house is so efficient, it has achieved Gold-level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the de facto green building rating system of the U.S. Green Building Council.

Read all about at ElectronicHouse [source]

No Portuguese for Me

I forgot to update that I will no longer have the chance to practise Portuguese as I am not getting to be housemate with a Portuguese girl. Not a problem at all. It's not that she knows how to make yummy Portguese egg tarts. I am just disappointed at the opportunity lost for staying in a fully furnished condominium. What a pity! Well, I guess life moves on. As I was pretty sure that I could 'land the deal', my search process slowed down and I had to gear up my searching moves. But for now, I guess near is better.

Portuguese....

A weird fact: the Portuguese understand Spanish perfectly where the Spanish can't understand Portuguese very well at all, kind of like a one-way mirror. Very true but I wonder why. I've taken 3 semesters of Spanish and if I go to Brazil or Portugal, they can understand me alright and I probably have a hard time decoding what they say. Sure they are spelled differently, but sometimes pronounced the same? Having a Portuguese housemate would help solve my woes. Learn portuguese and keep my Spanish.

What About My 4th Generation iPod? Grayscale and No Photo and Video

My 40GB iPod is still alive and working, after having water dripping out of it in summer 2006. But it is getting kinda obsolete now, especially when PMP's (portable media players) are flooding the market and pushing my iPod to the edge of obsolete-ness. I don't really use it as an mp3 player a while lot nowadays and it is mainly to store backup data or taken out whenever I run out of hard disk space in my computer. Even that does not go so well as sometimes it locks up and other times it is unwrite-able (less often). I wish to turn it into a clock. However, I couldn't find an iPod firmware hack to do that. Since I don't have a clock in my room now, that would be a great option if it is possible.

Deleting Old Non-performing Blogs, Unclustering I Call It

I am in the process of cleaning up my properties. In my computer. And also what I have stored online. As starters, I am deleting my old non-performing blogs, since I don't update them anymore and nobody reads them anymore and I don't make money from them anymore. Yeah, crap, some had a few PageRank values, but I figure it's better to channel all my thoughts to one blog or two. Furthermore, there are other things taking over my time in the days to come.

Old unused files in the computer are just clusters of data which jam up my hard disk with fragments. I feel happy when I see the amount of free space increasing to 10%, rather than the 1% or 2% which I always see. Yes, lotsa of junk cleared. Goodbye junks! Oh, and if anyone is interested about deleting files to the point that they are no longer recoverable, I use Clean Disk Security. Well identity theft is somewhat a threat. So some "personal" files should be disposed of properly. I can have paper shredders from Staples to dispose my credit card bills and stuff, and I use Clean Disk Security to dispose my digital files.

Surviving With 384Kbps Broadband

First, the general conversion. 1 byte (as in KB = Kilobyte) equals 8 bits (as in Kb = kilobit). Therefore, 384Kbps converts to 48KB/s. Not too slow you might tend to say. However, I notice some sluggishness even during normal browsing activities. Combined with the fact point that ISPs actually automatically carry out bandwidth limiting/capping after a period of heavy usage really takes the toll on my downloading speeds. The below par loading time of webpages are well off the 48KB/s mark which is in fact the theoretical capability of the broadband connection. The solution: switch to at least 1.0Mbps line or even better the ultimate 3.0Mbps connection line. Money says it all sometimes.

Finally Threw Away My Lousy Altec Lansing 2 Piece Speakers

That pair of speakers came with my 2nd desktop computer, a DELL, back in 2003. A humble 2 piece computer stereo speakers manucatured by Altec Lansing which has no value for money in the used electronics market, be it Craigslist or eBay. I finally decided to toss it into the trash. I have no use for them anyway. Feels good to empty some junk. I hate junks piling up. I clear them out asap and sometimes in the future I may find a need for them. But dealing with the past is a part of life. It's just how you deal with it. The best option now is sit down, think, plan about the future and look ahead and move forward.

Back to the Hot and Humid Weather

I am experiencing the hot and humid weather now. It's gonna take a fe days to adjust to. I couldn't handle the heat on the first 2 days, so I turned on the AC unit in my room. It felt so much better. I must now obey one of the rule of living healthy; drink at least 8 glasses of water everyday. Or I should just carry a water bottle around with me all day long. Luckily water comes cheap.

New 20% Coupon for WWEshop

Today, I received another newsletter from WWE which provided the 20% off discount for a purhcase total of $75 or more. Use the code 20. Now I'm really tempted to pick up something for this holiday season. Maybe another DX or HBK shirt. Since I no longer follow the WWE, I am just looking for something nice and unique. Honestly, I haven't been as interested since they sent some wrestlers to TNA. Hear this out guys, even if you gave TNA some extra superstars, I still won't watch it.

Currently Playing on My PSP: NCAA Football 2007

I am currently playing NCAA Football 2007 by EA Sports on my Sony PSP. That's the latest version in the market now, sadly. Somewhy EA Sports decided no to roll out a 2008 version for the PSP platform. I think the game is a must play for all college football enthusiasts so that they can show their support for their school by thrashing whoever their no.1 rival is.

The only downpoint is that the team rosters do not have the names of the players. The QB would have for eg. his name on the jersey as QB #7, WR #1 or TE #10. That kinda sucks. Yes it really does. The features are of that player who wears that number, height, size, agility, appearance and such, just not the name on the jersey. I already played through 2 seasons with Wisconsin ending up as the top ranked team in the country at the end of the season and emerging as national champs. I am getting a little bored of it now. But this game is really good on the PSP, very similar to the game plays on the Madden NFL which I used to play on the PS2 and PC.

Black Friday Traffic Increase - Here and Gilroy

I have been seeing a spike in traffic due to the Black Friday Excel spreadsheet post. That post became the 2nd most popular post here in a matter of a few days. I didn't see that coming and it's definitely a good thing when you hit the traffic pot once in a while. I am expecting this sudden surde to drop back to its initial pace even though I am working on networking now to create more inbound links and increase the exposure and visibility.

I am glad to be able to share that useful file with all shoppers for this year's Black Friday sales. I headed to Gilroy Premium Outlets for the midnight opening sales and was stuck in traffic for more than 30 minutes about 2 miles away from the exit to Gilroy. It was so packed with people walking around like an ant colony and there're no parking spots available except at other closed stores which were located a little far away. I parked somewhere near OfficeMax, which was closed.

The line forming outside the store.

Puma store line.

This is GAP where it's too crowded and the line for the cash register is all the way to the end of the store.

I am heading out man.

My Visit to Stanford University

Yesterday I paid the famous Stanford University a visit. It's about 40 minutes away and since I used to visit campuses when I go on college vacations and visiting friends, I thought this would be a good opportunity to have a real look at Stanford since I'm not too far away. There weren't many people around on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and seemed very peaceful and quiet. So nothing much to talk about actually.

Drove there via El Camino Real, parked the car at a Visitor's parking lot for 1/2 hour for $0.75. Walked to the Visitor's Information place at Memorial Hall but it was closed. So we grabbed a map and headed out on our own and proceeded to the Main Quad. Then we drove around the campus via the Campus Drive Loop to get a general landscape overview of the place. Was tempted to stop by the Stanford Shopping Center but did not. I would say this was a sightseeing tour of the campus without the audio narrations. More photos:

How Come Life Can Be Sad?

Life won't be sad when you have a mission and a goal set initially. It's called your DREAM.

Distance by Long Shot Party

You are my friend
Aa, ano hi no yume, ima demo mada wasuretenain deshou?
You are my dream
Aa, hajimete bakka, kimi wa my long lost friend
Whoa, ima tabidatsu yo!
Every day, kono saki no shine de
I wanna see you, Hikaru my soul on fire
Kore de miosame no fun days
To be the future, mezashi take over, dakara I’ll dream on!
I’ll go the distance
Mihatteru sora so full
Narikonda starting
Ore ga saikou no power, full tilt!
You are my friend
Aa, ano hi no yume, ima demo mada wasuretenain deshou?
You are my dream
Aa, hajimete bakka, kimi wa my long lost friend
Whoa, ima tabidatsu yo!
Thank you my friend
Aa, ano hi no koto, ima demo mada oboeteru kara
You are my dream
Aa, mou kondo koso ma moru my way
Whoa, the distance.

Cingular 8125, HTC Wizard Can't Start/Boot, Buying New Battery

My Cingular 8125, HTC Wizard smartphone just died on me. It was frozen before I went to sleep so I reset it and went to sleep. It remained frozen the next morning. After I tried another reset, it would shut off after the first screen. I searched for possible answers on forums, and most of these occurrences are due to battery failures. Let's hope that's the case with mine because I don't need hardware problem with my phone right now. I went ahead and ordered an OEM replacement battery. From Amazon. $2.89, that's cheap. Cheaper than a burger.

Pricey Gas...No Money...

The car was out of gas, so we headed to the Chevron station outside for some fill up. That was when I realized that the gas price has spiked! I haven't been paying attention to gas prices over the past 2 months was rather shocked to see the price of gas reach $3.469 per gallon. 2 months ago I paid only $2.969 per gallon at the very same station.

I pumped in $10.01 worth of gas for a good old 2.885 gallons only. OMG. Everything is getting expensive and my USD worth is slipping down the value ladder. How the Ringgit got weaker over the past few months has eluded my attention. Now it is something of my concern as I am taking all options into consideration. Money is never out of the consideration because the world revolves around money more than anything else.

1st Glimpse of November Snow

I was walking back from my interview today when the first few drops of snow hit Madison. It was really cold this morning when I headed out to ECB. Weather temperatures of 2 - 3 degrees Celsius with wind chills. I was cycling against the wind flow and had to use extra energy to fight the wind. By the time I got to Union South, I was panting and puffing, my legs were tired. After a brief rest in the warm and cozy Union South lounge, I made my way to ECB to get ready and prepare for my interview. I thought the whole interview was okay and lasted about 25 minutes. It was a 30-minute slot.

After I changed into my jeans and sweater, I was lucky to catch a glimpse of November snow in Madison before I leave this marvellous city, maybe for good. Time flies, wink wink blink blink and it's already November and there's only a month and a half left in the fall semester for my fellow friends who are still in college. The skies get dark by 5pm. Yes, winter is coming, but I am leaving.

300 More Posts to 1000 - McD Monopoly 2007 Sucks

This is post number 700. Today, we had lunch at McDonald's and got some McD Monopoly pieces. I won 2 crappy game downloads from RealArcade. That's what I got for landing on the Community Chest. I was aiming for the Chance, GO or Free Parking spots but clearly the rolling of the virtual dice was well beyond my control.

It's all preset. There goes my odds of beating the odds. The prizes offered this time around are much worse and less worthy of playing for, what to say to have more intentional lunch visits to McD. A waste of money. Just as I was talking about me not buying the hot deals off the internet recently, I let myself fell into the cheap tricks by a giant corp like McD to lure more customers during this Monopoly game promotional month.

And offering guaranteed bucks to Footlocker or Toys R Us doesn't fancy me. And imposing a limit on the stackable amounts for redemption to $5 is just plain demoralizing to the spirit of the game. Back then I was able to collect several pieces of Best Buy bucks to get a collector's edition of Titanic for free! This time around, no PSP's and iPod's are offered. Heck I am not buying the pieces off eBay anymore too! Boo!

Since I Came Back to Madison, I Have Not....

1.) visited Jamba Juice to have a cup of their amazing smoothies and also to make use of my Buy One Get One Free coupon. Yes promotions like free stuffs, contests and coupons buy me into their business. I have nothing to lose, as long as I get a better than regular price. My ex housemate asked me the other day if I have been buying any hot deals off the internet. I said no. It's simple, I don't have a permanent place to stay which I pay rent and utilities for. So I am better off saving my money for something else, something like food and regular everyday expenses.

Life is absolutely different now with no school and no job involved, which means no sponsored allowance for me. Therefore, I have to take my spendings seriously while making an effort to make sure there is still some minimal income from the internet to cover up some portions of my expenses. Redeeming reward points and credit card cashbacks, writing reviews and doing surveys are just some of the options available. Redeeming a free flight to San Jose with my Southwest Rapid Rewards credits caps it off; saving my damn money for my future!

2.) been to the Wisconsin Badgers home football game at Camp Randall. Being an ardent fan and hardcore supporter of the Red, that's slightly surprising, even to myself. Tickets to the Iowa and Michigan State games were overpriced. I am guessing it was due to the fact that we WERE one of the top teams in the country, ranking as high as no.5 and riding on a nation best winning streak.

The attention given to us by the media regarding the nation best winning streak back then was a sign of something bad to come. The game vs. Illinois was on national TV, not because it was a intra-top 10 battle, not because it was a huge rivalry. It was because of the possibility of an upset. People wanna see top ranked teams fall, people wanna see big upsets. We got exposed. I somehow feel that we are left with no choice of being drawn into the disadvantageous publicity since we had no control over the media.

The coaches did their job by addressing the media with every possible encouraging comments and remarks, hoping not to dent the players' confidence and belief in their own capabilities. However, in the end, it was the media who won. The media is biased as they always are, because the media is run by humans. And humans are opinionated. We got dragged into the ugly wins and giving up big plays thing, which then was amplified by the media and made into national coverage. Once we got kicked off the no.5 spot, followed by the no. 19 spot, no one gives a shit.

Yes, that's the point, none of them gives a shit about us. Why is that USC only dropped to no. 10 despite losing to a 41 point underdog opponent in Standford, and playing at home while we, being the 3 point underdog going into the game against Illinois, playing in the opponent's ground. I mean, come one, when you pit Illinois against Stanford, you know who is gonna win. So why does USC deserve to the up there when they lost to the weaker team among the two upsetters? BECAUSE THEY WANT USC IN A BCS BOWL GAME! Damn.

Honorable mentions:
3.) Used my Red Lobster gift cards.
4.) Exercised much.
5.) Attended a hockey or volleyball game.
6.) Gotten a job offer.