Life on the Spot! Life and Leisure in Doha, Qatar

5 years ago, computing people were just worried about their PC's getting viruses and the millenium bug. I think I've only seen 3 virus attacks from when I started my foray into computing till the year 2000. Just as long as you get yourself one of those anti-virus software, then you're almost sure that you're protected. But that was 5 years ago and the whole situation is now different. Viruses, dialers, spyware, adware, malware or any other wares that they'll develop, they now occupy your machines, dwelling on your hard drives and hiding within your system files. A virus is a virus but what are dialers, spywares and adwares? These are all malicious programs you might get from installing software or browsing internet pages that you surf to and attach themselves to your system without you knowing. A dialer might try to use your modem and dial a number that would charge you for your call. Spywares hide on your system, collect and get data and information from your machine and send these data invisibly to you. Adwares are much like spyware but the information they get is used to choke you with ads, pop-ups, and banners. I spent 2 days formating, installing, formating and reinstalling my OS on the laptop because I mistakenly turned off my antivirus and my antispyware softwares. I suddenly got these pop-ups appearing and knew by then that I got hit. Yeah, I've been hit before. Getting on the net would make my system slow down to a crawl. I did try to squash the spyware by deleting registry keys, DLLs and exe files, running antispyware and antivirus software. They did detect some infected files, deleted them, but never really got rid of the whole thing. The next step was to just format my drive C:/ . I've learned from experience to always split my physical drive to at least 2 partitions, drive C and D. Always keep your personal files on drive D and if you know how to, move your My Documents too. So I just formatted my drive C, installed my softwares and hoped that everything worked fine. But that was not the case. Apparently, one of the software I always install seems to have a spyware. After about 6-8 reformats, I decided to slowly build back my system, installing only the antivirus and antispyware software and some base drivers, and installing Windows SP2! I think that helped since I got it working without hitches again. And I'm back to blogging!

Posted by xtian001 at 09:35 AM on August 11, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by xtian001 at 12:31 AM on August 09, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Remember when the Internet boom gave us companies that provided us virtual hard drives that gave us space on their servers for free so we could upload our Microsoft Word Documents, Excel files, JPGs, and MIDIs and have a backup of these? My colleagues in Saudi Aramco used to sign up for each new service that comes out almost on a weekly basis. I did sign up for Xdrive, Freedrive, Freeway and other sites whose names I don’t recall cause they were a lot. At first they gave out 20mb, then 50 mb, and then 100mb of space. This was really good since you can have access to your files wherever you go (thumbdrives weren’t conceived yet!). I would be able to access my files while vacationing in the Philippines and I could also upload files while on vacation which can be accessed later in the office. But as the Internet boom became the Internet Bust, these services died away into oblivion, leaving all our documents and files in limbo.

Since last year, there has been a re-emergence of this service. Some offer free storing of files and for paying a premium, you get bigger space and bandwidth for uploads and downloads. You now see a lot of people using Rapidshare or Oxyshare for personal files and even to share them. But they usually delete your files if nobody downloads them or after a month of storage.

The solution? Mozy! Mozy offers free, automatic and a secure way of backing up your files. It gives you 2 Gb of space for free and offers a premium service of $4.95/month for a 30Gb space. But who needs to pay that amount right? Anyway, I’m taking it for a spin and see how it fairs with previous offerings. Though everyone now has thumbdrives hidden in pens, keychains and whatever, it’s always good to have a backup especially if it’s for free. You can probably even use your account to share your personal videos with your relatives. Of course, you might need to share your user name and password too! In any case, Mozy might be a fad but let’s see if companies offering virtual hard drives can be made successful.

Posted by xtian001 at 01:15 AM on August 07, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

 

 

A friend of mine is selling a newly acquired Dell XPS M1210 laptop for a bargain price considering the amount it would cost if you buy it from Jarir Bookstore or through the Dell distributor in Qatar. He ordered this online from Dell US and got it shipped it through Aramex by Shop&Ship. All new, unused, no scratches, no thing, less than a week old. The lappie has a 12.1 Truelife WXGA display and weighs a merely 3.6 lbs. thus making it very portable and ultralight. But that’s not all, you get a Core Duo processor, 1 Gb Ram, dual layer DVDRW drive, 80 GB SATA HDD, WIFI, USB and firewire ports! It even has Soundblaster Audigy audio system and has Windows XP Media Center pre-installed! What else could you ask for? All this for a measly QR5500! If you configure the specs of the XPS M1210 on the Dell website to match the one he’s selling, you’d be surprised to know that it would cost you about US$1831 or QR 6683. And that’s without shipment cost. He got a discount coupon when he ordered it so he got it cheaper. Why don’t you check out the prices of laptops, especially the ultraportable/ultralightweight one in Carrefour and Jarir and compare the specs. I just saw some in Carrefour the other night and they’re not even Core Duo machine!

For a full rundown of the specs…
·        Dell XPS M1210 Core Duo Notebook
·        Brand new with original packaging
·        Ultralight, weighs only 3.6 lbs
·        T2300E processor 1.66 GHz * 2 (two processors!) not HT!, 2 MB Cache
·        1 Gb Dual Channel DDR2 RAM (512*2 sticks)
·        80 Gb SATA HDD
·        Intel GMA9500 video chip
·        12.1 inch Truelife WXGA display
·        Dual layer DVDRW drive
·        53 WHr 6 Cell Battery
·        Universal power adapter
·        Intel Pro 1345 Wireless (b/g) 54 Mbps
·        10/100 Mbps NIC, 56K modem
·        4 USB, Firewire, S-video out
·        Integrated SB Audigy sound
·        Windows Vista Capable
·        Fully transferable Dell warranty
·        Windows XP Media Center Edition

The catch? Nothing. He’s ordered it not knowing that he’d be able to go to the U.S. at the end of the month and would rather hold-off with the purchasing of the laptop.

Try calling Govind at 581- 0429 and see if it’s still available. This is a Qatar number and is only available in Qatar.

Posted by xtian001 at 08:09 AM on August 06, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

After bringing us the Segway, they are now developing a vehicle that appears to be taken from the Star Wars universe - the Land Walker! This 10 foot robotic vehicle weighs almost a ton! I'm pretty sure George Lucas has something to do with the development of this walking robot...he he he. Gamers who have played with Mech Warrior won't have a difficulty maneuvering the Land Walker. Although I haven't taken the Segway for a ride yet, I'm pretty sure it provides easier handling than this. Of course, the Segway isn't armed with airguns than can shoot sponge bullets. By the way, the price tag is definitely worth saving for...US$315,000.

Posted by xtian001 at 12:22 AM on August 05, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Before getting our domain “Life on the Spot”, I’ve been trying to decide if I’d go for a full content management system like Drupal or a blogging software like Movable Type. I’ve consulted a friend and discussed what would be the best solution for my planned website. Looking at Drupals’ documentation, one can see how powerful this free opensource software  providing you the luxury of maintaining user database, forums, blog capabilities, calendars and the like. I’ve even installed apache2triad (another opensource software which installs apache, MySQL and PHP in one package) on my machine as a prerequisite to get Drupal up and running locally. I was also able to get my hands on Drupal:Creating Blogs Forums Portals and Community Websites and used that to install and configure apache2triad. In minutes my local site was running flawlessly. It is indeed a powerful CMS solution which can even be used in a business environment. However, looking at my needs and the amount of time to develop my own templates, I decided to go with Movable Type as I deemed it was easier to configure and easier to create templates for (not really). It would also give Mavis an easier time to post her articles than using the full featured Drupal.

But that doesn’t stop my interest with Drupal. Sandro and I are now trying to start a forum project using Drupal in which the site would cater to Filipino expats in Qatar and those interested in going to Qatar. We’re hoping that we’d be able to get this thing going soon but we been both busy as I’ve been moving and developing this site while on his part, they’re preparing for his son’s birthday this coming Saturday. Give us more time and I’m sure we’d be able to make use of Drupal as intended.

Posted by xtian001 at 11:47 AM on July 30, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Want a free Domain name and hosting service provided by a “trusted” company? Then head over to http://officelive.microsoft.com/ . Apparently, Microsoft is giving away free domain and hosting solutions to try their Office Live. You actually have 3 choices.

Live Basics which is free during and after beta.

Live Collaboration which gives you the ability to manage customers, employees and projects and in which Microsoft will charge you $29.95/month after beta. However, you don’t get email accounts with this nor a web page. It’s basically a collaboration tool for you and your business.

Live Essentials which provides both Basics and Collaboration features plus more (25 GB bandwidth, 50 email accounts at 2 GB each, etc…)

If you opt out, you can still transfer the domain name you registered to your chosen hosting provider after 2 months of using Office Live.

The catch? Nothing really. You just have to be a resident of the US with a valid credit card. Why the credit card? Microsoft says they want to eliminate the prospect of non-business users signing up and scammers using their services to do what they do best. They charge you $1 but would be returned to you after they validate your address and your credit. For non-US people, they say that they’re going to provide beta services late 2006 but not really sure what those services might be.

So if you are qualified, why not try the Live Basics package and start creating your own business website. Although I’m sure that a lot of people would be signing up for their personal non-business related sites.

Posted by xtian001 at 09:34 AM on | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Want a free Domain name and hosting service provided by a “trusted” company? Then head over to http://officelive.microsoft.com/ . Apparently, Microsoft is giving away free domain and hosting solutions to try their Office Live. You actually have 3 choices.

Live Basics which is free during and after beta.

Live Collaboration which gives you the ability to manage customers, employees and projects and in which Microsoft will charge you $29.95/month after beta. However, you don’t get email accounts with this nor a web page. It’s basically a collaboration tool for you and your business.

Live Essentials which provides both Basics and Collaboration features plus more (25 GB bandwidth, 50 email accounts at 2 GB each, etc…)

If you opt out, you can still transfer the domain name you registered to your chosen hosting provider after 2 months of using Office Live.

The catch? Nothing really. You just have to be a resident of the US with a valid credit card. Why the credit card? Microsoft says they want to eliminate the prospect of non-business users signing up and scammers using their services to do what they do best. They charge you $1 but would be returned to you after they validate your address and your credit. For non-US people, they say that they’re going to provide beta services late 2006 but not really sure what those services might be.

So if you are qualified, why not try the Live Basics package and start creating your own business website. Although I’m sure that a lot of people would be signing up for their personal non-business related sites.

Posted by xtian001 at 09:34 AM on | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The mighty Google Inc. has been updating its Google Earth app with its latest at a beta version of Google Earth Pro 4. I've actually tested Google Earth 3 and it's damn pretty good esp. that it now has the Qatar map in detail. I can even see our flat from it and even the construction being done on the roads! I am currently planning to get a project going in which i'd create a KML file for Qatar which contains landmarks like shopping malls, shops, building, restaurants, etc that people can download and use when they decide to use Google Earth. But since I started, I haven't found that much time to update it since I've only spent about an hour updating it. I'll probably update it once I finish relocating to http://www.lifeonthespot.com . But if you want to see a glimpse of my KML file, you can download it from here:

 Google Earth Qatar KML file

You can right-click and use "Save As" and make sure that you open it from google Earth or make sure that the KML file is associated with Google Earth if you choose to open it directly.

 Hopefully, I can make good progress with this in the coming days to come.

Posted by xtian001 at 01:15 PM on July 29, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The mighty Google Inc. has been updating its Google Earth app with its latest at a beta version of Google Earth Pro 4. I've actually tested Google Earth 3 and it's damn pretty good esp. that it now has the Qatar map in detail. I can even see our flat from it and even the construction being done on the roads! I am currently planning to get a project going in which i'd create a KML file for Qatar which contains landmarks like shopping malls, shops, building, restaurants, etc that people can download and use when they decide to use Google Earth. But since I started, I haven't found that much time to update it since I've only spent about an hour updating it. I'll probably update it once I finish relocating to http://www.lifeonthespot.com . But if you want to see a glimpse of my KML file, you can download it from here:

 Google Earth Qatar KML file

You can right-click and use "Save As" and make sure that you open it from google Earth or make sure that the KML file is associated with Google Earth if you choose to open it directly.

 Hopefully, I can make good progress with this in the coming days to come.

Posted by xtian001 at 01:15 PM on | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Life on the Spot! Our own little place in the world wide web. Why the name? After so many suggestions from Mavis and my own personal selections, we thought that Life on the Spot is what it is; a simple yet catchy phrase that says " This is our life on the spot or spotlight".

Posted by xtian001 at 07:37 PM on July 26, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you're a Firefox user and can't wait for their release of Firefox 2, then probably a Beta version of Firefox would probably do. If so, grab their Beta 1 release on the FTP site.

I've installed in just minute ago and one significant change for me would be the X button on every tab you open instead of it being on the very far right as before. This is great as often times, when closing tabs, one has to go to the other end click that Close button. I haven't really noticed other visual changes but everything seems to be ok. I haven't tried IE 7 Beta as I've gotten used to using the tab browsing of Firefox since last year and I'm sure MS Beta as buggier than most so I'd rather stay away from that esp. IE.

Anyway, for those of you who haven't tried Firefox yet, try it and I'm sure you'll love all the functionality and the plugins you can add into it. And I can wager that it's better than IE.

Posted by mavisrueda at 10:56 PM on July 23, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here are some of the shows we’ve completed watching the past 2 months (No Spoilers). Yeah, the Xbox, PC and TV were quite busy working together to bring us these.

24 Season 5 – He’s back; Jack Bauer. Great pacing and great plot. We both think this is the best yet although Season 4 comes really close. We finished 24 episodes in 4 nights! Can’t wait for them to start Season 6. Moral of the Story: Never argue with Jack Bauer.

Prison Break – Michael Scofield gets jailed to get his brother out of jail. Not exactly your 24-kind of pacing nor Lost’s rich characterization but gets the job done. Actors are believable and great at what they do. Some plot lines are obvious and reflect some other TV Series. Moral of the Story: A tattoo is not just an art form.

Amazing Race 8 – A first in the Amazing race as families travel around the US and South America to receive 1 million dollars. Great fun but challenges are a bit less exciting as the producers tamed them a bit for the younger family members. Moral of the Story: Leave the children to your parents when joining the Amazing Race.

Amazing Race 9 – TTAO! The Frat Boys, MoJo, The Hippies, The Nerds, The Double DD’s and more. With all the twists and turns, no one could ever expect who’d land first on the pit stops and who get eliminated. Amazing! Moral of the Story: Luck would always be a factor but brains with luck is what it takes to win.

SmallVille Season 5 – Overall, it is a great season but not for Clark. It just keeps pouring and we don’t even get to see a glimmer of light at the end of the season. Moral of the Story: Stay away from anything that comes from Krypton.

Lost Season 2 – Things get messy in here. With the opening of the hatch, Pandora’s box is opened. Along with all your theories about the island (The Others, The Monster, The Island itself), confusion sets in as more people and plot points are added. Still, if you want to know what the Island has in store for Jack, John, Kate and the rest of the gang, Lost 2 has them covered. Moral of the Story: Moral of the Story: Never travel with Oceanic Air.

Iron Chef Season 1 – The Secret Ingredients; Flay, Batali and Morimoto. You can’t imagine how these guys cook all 5 dishes in an hour to salivate your taste buds. Moral of the Story: Don’t under estimate Batali.

Posted by mavisrueda at 02:56 PM on July 12, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With my old trusty laptop breaking down, that meant no torrent downloads, no chikka messenger service, no posting on the blog, no chatting, no skype-calling and no internet surfing. The laptop is not that really old. We bought it in Saudi on December 2003. It's a Packard-Bell configured with a P4 2.8 desktop processor, 512mb RAM and 64 mb built-in graphics accelarator, all for SR6250. Remember that it was 2003 then so prices were relatively high although the processing speed was quite good for my graphics need. I've captured and edited our videos, did development work, made my presentations, used Photoshop, Flash and Illustrator with it. As for it's weight, well, Mavis never did like chugging it around as it is almost 10 pounds and becomes a 20 lbs. monster the longer you carry it. It was a laptop which had been in great service and never really gave me any problems till last week. Mavis and I decided to get a desktop instead of another laptop as with the almost 24/7 "need" to be online, a desktop would be best fit to assume that role as well as it would be faster than any laptop there is in the market without crashing your bank account. We went to Jarir to look at the ready-configured branded machines. We also went to the Sofitel Area to get quotations for your own configured machine. Of course, a higher priced- branded machine is more trusty in terms of stabiliy of the peripherals, good quality control and you get good service (that's what we're supposed to think) while a purpose-built machine is cheaper and you get a better configuration at that. I chose to get the "Sofitel" branded machine...he he he. Yup, cheaper(?) yet faster one. Here's the configuration: Processor: Intel 3.0 ghz Dual Core (4 mb Cache) Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-81945G Pro Memory: 1 Ghz DDR2 533 Hard disk: 200Gb SATA (Western Digital) DVD: Samsung DVD +- R/RW Double layer 16x Video: Intel Graphics 950 128mb (built-in) Audio: 7.1 HD audio (built-in) Network: LAN 100mb/1000mb Case: Gigabyte with ATX 300W power supply Front USB and audio connectors 1 Year Warranty Free: Surge Protection Extension cable Price = SR2925 Samsung F13n 17" LCD (3 years warranty)- SR 875 Dual Core. 2 processing power in one chip. Twice the amount of data that can be processed in parallel. All this power at a price. the chip alone costs SR1350. Way higher than buying it in the US. Still, you can never get this configuration from branded desktops at this price. I got the beast yesterday and already halfway in installing my programs. I already noticed a great significance in performance.I'm a multi-tasking freak and I usually have about 3-4 Internet Explorer open as well as a Firefox window with 2-3 tabs for surfing, 1 explorer window open, FTP program for my Xbox transfers, Chikka and/or Yahoo messenger, and Azurues downloading in the background. There were some bottlenecks in some instances as along with all these programs running, I was also installing and updating some programs but overall, I think using this machine would be fun for multi-taskers like me. I need to see how fast it is with Photoshop, Illustrator and flash opened at the same time. I'll probably finish setting it up on the weekend.

Posted by mavisrueda at 03:25 PM on July 05, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As Microsoft (MS) rolled out an Internet Explorer update (KB912812) months ago, you might notice that websites which uses Macromedia Flash or those which uses ActiveX controls now show a bounding box around them and on mouse-over, asks users to click on the content to activate it before you actually get to interact with the ActiveX control. This modification comes as part of an ongoing patent dispute with Eolas Technology and the University of California.

How does it affect IE 6 and Websites: The update changes how it handles active content viewed in certain Adobe products, including Macromedia Flash Player, Authorware Player, Shockwave Player, SVG Viewer, Help Center and Adobe Reader, as well as Sun Java, Apple QuickTime, RealNetworks, RealPlayer and other ActiveX controls. Active content that is embedded in HTML pages in certain ways may not be able to receive user input (for example, keyboard or mouse events) until the user clicks to either activate or continue loading the control.

Recommendations:
Solution 1: Revert back to previous version of IE6 with a Hotfix published by MS themselves. However, this is a temporary fix as MS rolled out the fix for enterprise users to have enough time to prepare their sites for the changes and make sure that all deployed applications which interact with IE can be tested and be recoded to the new way IE handles ActiveX controls. The hofix is only valid till this month as MS would permanently impose the changes soon after. The hotfix can be found here: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/917425.

Solution 2: If you are developing a website, remove the user activation requirement for active content. Developers need to go back and review all their websites which use ActiveX controls and modify and create an external the script to automatically turn on such function. Microsoft provides a guide into activating ActiveX automatically: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/workshop/author/dhtml/overview/activating_activex.asp Adobe/Macromedia also provides a JavaScript Fix on their website and an explanation why one should use the Adobe Solution: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/activecontent/articles/devletter.html http://www.adobe.com/devnet/activecontent/articles/why_adobe.html

And My Concern
This whole thing is currently messing up our deployed websites which uses Flash. The first time our IT rolled out the update, some of out flash content went invisible. We had to change some navigation elements on some websites and recode them again. Even then, we still got the "Press SPACEBAR or ENTER to activate" tab on these elements. We got to solving this by using the methods above but since we have about 40+ items we need to fix, we're slowly doing the upgrade as we also need to test everything again. This is ok for websites as we know we have a fix but for third party applications which we use ActiveX, Java and IE, it poses a big headache for us. Either the software maker comes up with a license agreement with Eolas or go back to their code and o the changes. A sample of this is our EDMS (Electronic Document Management System), Filenet IDM web interface. We now have to click twice for each tab that pops up. Talk about minimizing user clicks! And the thing is, the local vendor says it's the first time that they encountered this on Filenet. We're trying to get hold of a username and password to get access to the FileNet's support center. Hopefully, we'd find a way to get this thing solved or else, I'd die clicking away as I update about a 100+ documents and files which I need to upload on EDMS. Argghhh!!!

Posted by xtian001 at 06:53 PM on June 09, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As Microsoft (MS) rolled out an Internet Explorer update (KB912812) months ago, you might notice that websites which uses Macromedia Flash or those which uses ActiveX controls now show a bounding box around them and on mouse-over, asks users to click on the content to activate it before you actually get to interact with the ActiveX control. This modification comes as part of an ongoing patent dispute with Eolas Technology and the University of California.

How does it affect IE 6 and Websites: The update changes how it handles active content viewed in certain Adobe products, including Macromedia Flash Player, Authorware Player, Shockwave Player, SVG Viewer, Help Center and Adobe Reader, as well as Sun Java, Apple QuickTime, RealNetworks, RealPlayer and other ActiveX controls. Active content that is embedded in HTML pages in certain ways may not be able to receive user input (for example, keyboard or mouse events) until the user clicks to either activate or continue loading the control.

Recommendations:
Solution 1: Revert back to previous version of IE6 with a Hotfix published by MS themselves. However, this is a temporary fix as MS rolled out the fix for enterprise users to have enough time to prepare their sites for the changes and make sure that all deployed applications which interact with IE can be tested and be recoded to the new way IE handles ActiveX controls. The hofix is only valid till this month as MS would permanently impose the changes soon after. The hotfix can be found here: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/917425.

Solution 2: If you are developing a website, remove the user activation requirement for active content. Developers need to go back and review all their websites which use ActiveX controls and modify and create an external the script to automatically turn on such function. Microsoft provides a guide into activating ActiveX automatically: http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/workshop/author/dhtml/overview/activating_activex.asp Adobe/Macromedia also provides a JavaScript Fix on their website and an explanation why one should use the Adobe Solution: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/activecontent/articles/devletter.html http://www.adobe.com/devnet/activecontent/articles/why_adobe.html

And My Concern
This whole thing is currently messing up our deployed websites which uses Flash. The first time our IT rolled out the update, some of out flash content went invisible. We had to change some navigation elements on some websites and recode them again. Even then, we still got the "Press SPACEBAR or ENTER to activate" tab on these elements. We got to solving this by using the methods above but since we have about 40+ items we need to fix, we're slowly doing the upgrade as we also need to test everything again. This is ok for websites as we know we have a fix but for third party applications which we use ActiveX, Java and IE, it poses a big headache for us. Either the software maker comes up with a license agreement with Eolas or go back to their code and o the changes. A sample of this is our EDMS (Electronic Document Management System), Filenet IDM web interface. We now have to click twice for each tab that pops up. Talk about minimizing user clicks! And the thing is, the local vendor says it's the first time that they encountered this on Filenet. We're trying to get hold of a username and password to get access to the FileNet's support center. Hopefully, we'd find a way to get this thing solved or else, I'd die clicking away as I update about a 100+ documents and files which I need to upload on EDMS. Argghhh!!!

Posted by xtian001 at 06:53 PM on | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Since eCommerce became an option for expats (esp. in the middle east) to buy items from the US/UK and have these delivered through mail, more and more has it made using the internet more interesting at the least. Now you can surf the net and look for your favorite book not found in our local bookstore, order it and have it delivered right at your doorstep (or in our case, cubicles). I have ordered comic books, dvd's and other stuff from Amazon and got them in Saudi without any hassle. Sometimes though, you find yourself trying to buy that elusive item on the net, only to find out that the internet shop doesn't deliver outside the US or UK. The solution? A mail forwarding service which gives you an address in the US/UK so you can have anything delivered locally and forwarded to your address in Qatar.

Aramex now have a service called Shop & Ship which offers you that exact service. Basically, you have to sign up with them and pay a one-off setup fee of $35.00 ( SR127.75) to receive your address in the US/UK. Once you get the adress, you can now use that address when ordering any item that is not available for international shipping, for a service fee of course. If you're in Qatar, the first half kilo would cost you $8.00 (SR29.2) and succeeding half kilos would set you back for $5.50 (SR18.25). Let's say you ordered that glorious looking, souped-up laptop from Dell USA (with a discount voucher of $750) and have it sent here in Doha, you pay Aramex a total of $53 (SR193.45) for that 5 kilo package (probably 3k for the laptop and 2k for packing... he he he). With the savings you got by buying it in the US, shipping fee of $53 is just peanuts. You can even have them ship your stuff at a specified date so that all the items you bought can be shipped at the same time. The service is also available in Saudi and other middle east countries. About customs tax? Well, I know someone who actually did what I illustrated above by buying a laptop from Dell USA and having it delivered here and was charged tax at all. However, you can find the following on the Shop & Ship Terms and Conditions page.

Aramex is not responsible for any customs or duties incurred on any Mailbox contents. Furthermore, Aramex is not responsible for penalties, loss or damage of Mailbox contents while in possession of customs.

Hope this helps!

 

Posted by xtian001 at 06:06 PM on May 29, 2006 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I've always been fascinated with gaming. I've had an Atari console when it came out, playing Pac Man and Space Invaders. Aside from the several Game and Watch screens that I had, I also had several Nintendo Family Computers in which Mario and Luigi were made famous. Then Sony came out with Playstation which brought in the Final Fantasy Series and Metal Gear. But that was then and now what I have is the Big Black Console called Xbox. I love my Xbox. It's been 2 years since I got mine from the Philippines (though the unit was bought and brought from Hongkong) and had a 120 GB harddrive installed to it. Not only do I use the console for gaming but also for playing all media files that we want to watch on the big TV; JPG, AVI, MPG, MP3, RMVB, WMV, MOV, DAT for VCDs, and even our DVDs. You can even transfer the files from your PC/Laptop directly to the Xbox through ethernet connection. The only thing missing is for it to be a PVR (Personal Video Recorder) so we can copy TV show from our satellite feed directly to the Xbox harddisk. We've brought it to most of the hotels we've stayed in just for Xiane to be able to watch her cartoons and keep her happy. It's one of the first thing that I set up when moving to a new place (we've moved 6 times this year including our long hotel stays). So far, paying roughly US$380 for the console with 120GB has been worth it. Microsoft has just launched its new Xbox, named Xbox 360 for whatever reason. A Core version (Console, Composite AV plus wired controller) would set you back for 299 while the Premium System (Console, wireless controller, headset, ethernet cable, Component HD cable, and 20GB hard drive) would cost you US$399. That is if you can find one. He he he. People who were lucky enough to get one had sold theirs thru ebay, earning almost twice the amount of what they paid for. That's what hype makes people do, spend an unbelievable amount of money for that item or service. I have a friend who is not really a gamer but was fed the hype. He now is too excited to get an Xbox 360 just because he knows a lot of other people buying it. Amazon and other online retailers have them on their sites but most likely, your orders would arrive January or even February of 2006! But people are still ordering and other have been trying to track down those elusive boxes. Others have even resorted to stealing! I'm not sure why MS would hype the launch of their next gen console only to have limited numbers available to those who want it. A marketing ploy to salivate those who want it? Or, looking it at the other way, it might mean that they released so little for people to serve as product testers for the 360. A lot of owners have been complaining about errors, hangs, disc reading errors and disc scratching. MS says it's just 3% of 360 owners but I'm not too sure. Personally, I would not buy one just yet. I don't want to be a guinea pig for MS. I'd probably buy one after a year or two after 3-4 stable firmware versions have come out. Besides, my old yet trusty Xbox hasn't given me a problem in 2 years of use and abuse. Plus I can almost do anything the Xbox 360 can do (except play those not-so next gen games and output to HD) and more. I'm not in for the hype...which is good, so I can start saving for the High Definition TV that I'm going to buy once I decide to buy my 360! He he he he...

Posted by xtian001 at 09:39 AM on December 03, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I was chatting with a friend in Saudi this afternoon, talking about work and other friends when he suddenly asked me to forward him the URL of this blog since he hasn't seen it yet. I type it in the chat window for him to click on. He told me that he met this guy in Saudi and they got to talking. I'm not sure how the topic got where it was but my friend began telling the guy that he knew someone who worked in Khobar then moved to Jeddah and moved back to Khobar then moved to Bahrain. Now, the guy interrupts my friend and the whole situation kind of went like this (I'm not sure how it exactly went but this is my personal interpretation of what happened based on what my friend told me. If you're the guy who my friend was talking to, you can email me the exact details and I'll revise this)

My Friend: Oh, I have a friend who was in Khobar then moved to Jeddah for a while, then moved back to Khobar, then moved to Bahrain this year.
Guy: And he's in Qatar right now?
My Friend: (surprised but nodding)
Guy: He has a small kid? My Friend: Yes!
Guy: His wife is currently on vacation in the Philippines?
My Friend: (now starting to wonder and laugh) Yes! Do you know him?
Guy: Yeah, I've read his blog.

Small world.

Posted by xtian001 at 11:57 AM on November 29, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The other week, I asked a friend of mine to take me to the building/area where shops sell computers and peripherals. I was planning to look for a WiFi card for my laptop. The area is called Sofitel area because of the Sofitel Hotel that was beside the building before. Now, the hotel is the Mercure Hotel but they still call the computer building Sofitel. The building has 2 floors full of computer shops. It is difficult to find parking in the area so if you find one 2 to 3 blocks away, better to get that parking and walk than go round and round looking a for parking near the area. Anyway, I found out that prices of most computer peripherals are quite expensive here. I guess that is true for the Middle East except for UAE as they have a duty-free port. Plus, most companies have their regional offices there. I was looking for a Wifi card for my laptop as I’m planning set up a wireless network at home once I get my ADSL connection (applied on 30/9 and got the schedule on the 8th of November… Argghhh). This means that Mavis and I can surf the net anywhere in the house without wires, that is if we use the laptops’ battery. I was able to buy a DLink DWL-G650 PCMCIA card for QR190 which is as comparable to cost in the US. Some shops were selling it between QR 200-230. The wireless router costs QR 290 which was quite high considering that it only costs between US$40-55. With most small items that you buy here, you only get limited warranty, usually 3 months. You can buy your usual stuff of web cameras, CD media, hard disks, MP3 players, networking items, laptops, desktop PCs, etc in this building. It can get real busy during the night and shops are filled with customers. If you want some high-end stuff, you can go to Jarir Bookstore near the Ramada signal as they also sell branded computers and peripherals.

Posted by xtian001 at 07:30 PM on October 28, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There are 2 options for expats wanting to watch their favorite television shows and programs in the Middle East. Either you pay to subscribe to a Satellite Pay-TV service of your choice or get Free-to-Air Satellite and watch shows for free. If you’re on a budget and would note necessarily need the channels you’re paying for with the packaged set, your best bet is to get someone to install a satellite dish system for you. Some apartments in Doha already have satellite dishes installed on their rooftops, provided by the owner of the building. If you don’t have it in yours, you could get someone to install the whole system along with the dish for about 600-700QR. With this, you get the dish, 3 LNBs (Hotbird, Nilesat, Arabsat – these are the only satellite available in most of the middle east), cable, and the receiver. You can go to Mergab Street near Al-Sadd (near Doha Clinic) to look for the shops that install this for you. What channels are free-to-air (you can watch them without paying for subscription)? Well, for those wanting English shows/programs, you get the Middle East channels One, MBC 2, MBC 4 (they show some old and new seasons of Gilmore Girls, Smallville, Las Vegas, Survivor, House Swap, Extreme Make Over, Oprah, Martha, Friends, etc. along with English movies). Of course, most would be repeats after a day of watching or two. For news channels, you have BBC News, CNN, and Euronews. You also get Arirang from Korea, Fashion TV, and other channels that show bits and pieces of English programming like Bahrain 55 and Alrai. However, some shops and installers sell a “special” receiver in which you can view some subscription-based programs by inputting their code through the remote of the receiver. You can get new codes, if they change, on the internet. With this, you can watch European channels like Multivision 1-6* (see below for more info on codes) showing Western movies. You also get Eurosports 1,2 and Classic. You get channels from SF DRS and TSR which shows blockbuster movies, classic movies, newer seasons of western series (Lost, Desperate Housewives, Smallville etc.). You have to select the right audio channel to hear the original English track. Some shows don’t have it so you have to settle for French, German or Swede. You also get BBC Prime but not the other BBC channels. If you’re the one who wants to pay for such, here is a rundown of paid TV services. You can visit their website for more details.

• Showtime – www.showtimearabia.comDepending on how much you really want to see some of the latest western TV series and shows, Showtime may be your answer. It might cause you an arm and a leg though! Their TOTAL PACKAGE would cost you QR2640 per year and their MOVIE PLUS for QR2388! However, it is fair to say that they have the best programming there is. They have E!, BBC Food, TV Land (24, Friends, CSI, Smallville, Alias, David Letterman, Nip/Tuck and even Desperate Housewives), Turner Classic Movies, Hallmark Channel, Disney Channel, Cartoon Network channel, etc.

• Orbit – www.orbit.net“The Orbit Satellite Television and Radio Network is the world’s first fully digital, multi-channel, multi-lingual, pay television service”. Mid-priced subscription at QR150/month for their Mega Package. They have Super Movies, Cinema City, America Plus (Everwood, Nip/tuck, cold Case, Smallville, Dead Like Me, ER, Las Vegas, Carnivale), Orbit ESPN, Disney, History Channel,etc. They have Arabic channels like Al Riyadiyah, Cinema 1, Series, Fann, Alsafwa and Alyoum. They now have a Filipino package (PinoyPlus) with syndicated shows from GMA 7, Philippines!

• Art – www.adduniverse.comThis mostly caters to Asians (India, Pakistan, etc.) as they have exclusive channels for them and they have the cheapest packages too. They have the Firstnet, Art and Pehla bouquets. I’m not sure of what they have right now since I can’t access their site so you have to see for yourself on their website.

• The Filipino Channel (TFC)They provide 6 exclusive Filipino channels from ABS-CBN, a media network in the Philippines. They have News Channels, Movie Channels and general entertainment channels packaged together. It is quite expensive and even Filipinos are complaining that for 6 local channels, QR2200++/ year is not worth it. But if you really want to catch Filipino shows, this is your only option. * Codes: For more info on codes, you can visit this forum or view the codes here. For Multivision, usually it requires a firmware/software upgrade for your receiver so check out this forum and see if your receiver supports the upgrade.

Posted by xtian001 at 02:34 PM on October 26, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A lot of people have asked me how I got into the business of Web Design. They think that since I’m into IT, I have a degree in computing or engineering. I wish! I then have to explain to them how I became a web designer. I spent my first 2 years of college life taking up Journalism at the University of the Philippines (U.P.) in Baguio. I love writing but then, it was also becoming boring for me. I thought of shifting to the more interactive segment of Mass communication which was Broadcasting, but that meant I had to move to the U.P. Campus in Diliman. I found out, as I was applying, that my grade average was about .2 below the cut (thanks to Spanish 10 and 11) so my next option was Film and Audio Visual Communication which needed a 2.0 average (1 was highest in our grading system). Yup, you read it right. I have a B.A. in Film and Audio Visual Communication. It is a 4-year course. I took classes in Directing, Script-writing, Cinematography, Film Editing, Photography, Experimental film and even Acting (I’m not that of a good actor… he he he). The thing is, I didn’t even know how to start a computer in 1995. Then we had courses in Film animation and Digital Editing and that started it. I got introduced to the world of Photoshop and Premiere. Instead of becoming a Film/TV director, I became more involved with graphics. I got my first PC on 1996 and spent late nights with Photoshop. I got hooked to the web on 1997 and just used it to learn more of computers, the web and web design tools. I didn’t even have a book on Photoshop then and online tutorials were not many. By 1998, I was working part-time as a graphic artist/web designer for a local company and working full time as Head Graphics Artist for a desktop printing shop. Then everything just fell into place. I was offered a job in Saudi as a Web Designer in 1999 and now I’m here! I’m sure a lot of universities already have a specific course for Web Design. The thing is, Web Design is both technical and artistic. You have to deal with the design itself, colors, graphics, elements and then you also have to deal with user-functionality, compression and code. You just can’t say “I want to be a Web Designer” but not deal with the elements of design or not deal with the technicalities involved. Although in a scale, it pays off better to have the inclination with the arts. Companies usually have a dedicated Programmer/Developer to the hard coding for you. Still, you need to know how to code, what the code means and what the code can do. For me, I may not have a degree in computing or engineering, but some things you just to learn outside of the University and excel in it ( at least I think I do).

Posted by xtian001 at 07:48 AM on October 08, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's so difficult to decide what Video Camera I would buy. I've been holding it off since 2 years ago as I was hoping that a cheaper yet better option would pop up from manufacturers. Well, Panasonic came out with their "affordable" line of 3 CCD camcorders. On the top of the list is the PV-GS400. Next is the PV-GS250. The real difference between the two (2) is that the former takes better still shots than the latter. Plus the price of course. The GS400 runs to about US$1400 while the GS250 runs for about US$1000. Well, I've been researching again and found out the the Panasonic AG-DVC30 is a professional model with better CD than the 2. And it will set me back for US$1800. Why Panasonic? I think Sony is too hyped and high priced. JVC doesn't really put out excellent cameras. And Panasonic has been one to push the delivery of 3CCD cameras to the masses. The thing with me is that I'm an enthusiast in a sense. I do have a major in Film and Audio Visual Communication and my interest with film, be it moving or still, has never really faded. That is why I'm quite picky about this stuff. Anyway, since I'm in Bahrain, prices quoted above would be much higher here and that is also the reason why I was asking Ricardo to pick one up for me when he goes to the US next month. But that might not be possible for some reason. I already called Panasonic Bahrain and asked them of the availability of the AG-DVC30. I'm expecting a call from them today. Hopefully, the price comes close to the price in the US. Wish me luck. XXX

Posted by xtian001 at 08:45 AM on May 12, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I just received news that the site I developed (www.ricardoguzman.com) was nominated at the Webby Awards for the Best Personal Site Category. WOW! To think that the Webby Awards is considered as the most prestigious award honoring excellence in Web design, creativity, usability and functionality, being nominated as one of the best among 4000+ entries is unbelievable.The site was developed for Ricardo Guzman (Mexican - American) as his personal online presence as well as to be part of his application to a Film school in the U.S. I started working on the project late August 2004. He was already trying to complete the designs for each page and section for months but wasn't too sure of what he wanted to actually show. At first, it was supposed to be a plain HTML site as he was consulting another designer to do it for him since I was to busy with personal stuff. But looking at the designs, I was insistent on developing the site in Flash as I thought that it would really showcase the designs that he did and would attract more visitors to his site rather than a plain static site. So we met one afternoon to discuss the merits of the site and how he envisioned it to be. Eventually, he agreed to do the site in Flash as I explained that we'd be doing one project that is a website and could also be distributed as a stand- alone multimedia presentation as well. I grabbed the sitemap and started planning how to do everything in Flash; loading of movies, dynamic updates, navigation scripts, etc. The basic script was done in about 3-4 days. The next week, I was pushing Rico to finalize the designs as the structure was ready. We spent about 2-3 months doing the whole thing after work. I wonder if Ricardo is going to keep his promise of sending me to New york if he ever wins? Well, we have to see first if the site really wins! So cast your vote at http://pv.webbyawards.com and vote for the site Pirates, Poets and Passion (www.ricardoguzman.com) under the Personal Category so we could at least win the People's Voice Award.

Posted by xtian001 at 09:57 AM on April 14, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)