Blog from the Loft

What’s new in gadgets in Tokyo? As I always say, the only thing that is important are things that deal with the newly digital media — MP3, JPG, MPEG — or sound, pictures and videos. Before getting to those, do you know that it is Minidisc’s 10th year anniversary? Just when you think it cannot [...]

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I just tried out the tablet PC from Fujitsu. It…. WORKS !! It works very well actually. The hand writing recognition is fast. If you just want to input electronic ink, the ink input feels real as well (using Microsoft Journal application). I can see using this instead of paper for note taking. The tablet [...]

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In the Hong Kong subway (MTR), when two lines intersect, they intersect in two consecutive stations. Each station is for one connection direction. So you always can walk from Line 1 Platform A1 to Line 2 Platform A2 at Station A to go in one direction, and walk form Line 1 Platform B1 to Line [...]

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I was playing with (or watch someone else playing with) a onboard navigation system in a Mercedes in Germany. I think it is a after market unit, may not be made by Mercedes. Anyway it uses a dial to input addresses, i.e. typing. It would seems tedious at first, “dialing” through the alphabet. However the [...]

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I registered my first domain orac.com in 1995 !! Only until now VeriSign has managed to merge all their account databases so that I can have all the domains that belong to me (All your bases are belong to us ?) in one single place. Now I can do bulk renewals, address changes, etc. without [...]

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Why did this Logitech digital pen product slipped through all the media? I saw it first in a PC Connection printed catalog. Visiting the Anoto website confirmed that it is the same technology by Anoto, first written up by Wired. This is a truly innovative idea. I hope it makes it. Maybe I should order [...]

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We have finished the initial design of the layout of the loft. (What is the correct architectural term here? spacial program? floor plan? ..) This is a major milestone in the design process I think, and we have taken record time to do this — meaning getting to such a great solution in such a [...]

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Hero the movie will be out soon, although no one in the States seems to know when. They released it for just one week in China just to get it qualified for something (but not Oscar?), but it is still not in general release even in Asia. One thing that I heard is that Miramax [...]

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The Turner Prize exhibits will be at Tate British until Jan 5 2002. Wonder if I will make it. What caught my attention to the Turner Prize was Martin Creed, who won it last year. The prize was presented by, Madonna ! What led me to Martin Creed, particular his work #88, is the website: [...]

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Read the excepts from this book.
The first chapter reprints Mitch Kapor’s “A software design Manifesto”. A 11 years old paper that is still relevent, and sadly un fulfilled today. One funny quote is: “everyone I know (including me) feels the urge to throw that infuriating machine through the window at least once a week. (And [...]

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