Paragon Hard Disk Manager 12 Suite coupon code

In the midst of migrating Windows 7 from HD to SSD, and found this nifty tool called
Paragon Migrate OS to SSD 2.0. Decided to buy the whole suite, and found that there's a discount for it. Use coupon code ASPO_NV_20OFF when checking out

Playing Rage of Bahamut on an incompatible Andoid phone

Want to play Rage of Bahamut on your Android phone, but found out it appears in Google Play as incompatible? Well, here's a way to install it.

1. Download the APK. (Version 1.6.5.10 as of 02-Sep-2012)
2. Transfer it to your phone, preferably to the SD card. Android sometimes get wonky about where you can install your app from.
3. Allow installation of non-market apps. On Froyo or Gingerbread, go to Settings>> Applications>>Tick"Unknown sources". On Ice Cream Sandwich, go to  Settings>> Security>>Check "Unknown sources".
4. Use some sort of file explorer or app manager to find the APK and install it.
5. Play the game :) When the game starts, it will tell you that your device is not supported, but you should still be able to proceed as normal.
6. If this helps you, please enter my referral code ( vhv85153 )  at the end of the tutorial! You'll get some in-game items and a rare card as well :)

Have fun!

Adonit Jot Pro Stylus

I've caught the Draw Something bug recently. I liked to doodle when I was in lectures back in the past, so this game is a nice distraction when I'm on my daily commute. However, drawing with my fat finger doesn't give me as much satisfaction. So I got an Adonit Jot Pro stylus so I can express myself better.

The rubberised grip is comfortable and it's not too light-weight, so it feels quite like a quality pen. The tip slides smoothly across my phone's touch surface, theres no danger of scratching it. There's a transparent disc at the tips as well so it's not entirely frictionless, making it easier to draw.

It just feels that much better when you can execute your ideas as you want them.

Lol.

Google Finance: Cash-linking all transactions

I've been using Google Finance to keep track of my transactions in US stocks. Its a pretty nifty tool, and it's simple to use. However, one feature that is sorely lacking is the ability to mark all the transactions in your portfolio as cash-linked. I've come up with a simple script to do this. Just copy and paste the following code while you're in the transactions page of your portfolio, and press "Enter". One thing to take note is that your browser may remove the "javascript:" part of the script. If this happens, just type it in and continue.

javascript:var inputs = document.getElementsByTagName("input");var tickAll = function(){for (var i=0; i<inputs.length; i++){var input = inputs[i];if (input.name.indexOf("edit_is_cash_synced")>=0){input.checked="checked";}} alert("Done");};tickAll();

Thoughts on Charlie Rose's interview with Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg

Really insightful interview by Charlie Rose with Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg.

Some thoughts after watching the interview:

Facebook's strategy - cooperation vs competition
It seems like most of the bigwigs in the tech industry are engaging in multiple fronts of war with some other company. Apple is having this iPhone/iPad war with Google/Amazon/Microsoft, and another dimension of this is the iTunes vs Google Market/Amazon. Google/Amazon/Microsoft is also into cloud computing, putting it in direct competition with Oracle, Salesforce, Rackspace. The list goes on and on. TechCrunch has a great article on the challenges faced by Google. It does seem that other tech giants face similar issues as they expand the ranges of their products and services.

Meanwhile, Facebook has really just stuck to one product/service as they grow. What we see here is a laser-sharp focus on their core competency. And rather than spend the resources to fight off the other tech heavy-weights, Facebook is making the effort to ensure they have their finger in every pie out there. Additionally, by opening up it's platform architecture to other developers/companies, it allows a rich user experience where users can not only socialize, but also to enjoy games, music, videos and services that they couldn't have otherwise. By enhancing the experience, it makes users find Facebook so much more addictive.

But while Facebook has no intention of getting into a fight, Google is taking the fight to them in the form of Google+. While Google hasn't been particularly successful with their social networking projects in the past, no one can really write them off given the amount of resources and talent they possess.

Employing talented engineers
Every company in Silicon Valley wishes to hire more talented engineers than there are available. Zuckerberg and Sandberg are pointing to both the US education system failing to produce enough engineers and immigration policies that restrict the number of engineers they can employ. As they said in the video, it's first, second and third on their priority list.

This is an interesting problem because companies in Singapore also have problems with finding enough engineers, and fewer Singaporeans study engineering or stay in the industry. Former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and the Prime Minister's Office, Mr Ngiam Tong Dow is wary of Singapore becoming high-cost, low-tech. As he wisely notes, we cannot become a knowledge-based economy except through science and technology.

Sonic Generations Cutscene 01 - Abducted Friends

I've gotten the PC version of Sonic Generations from Steam, and man it's been a blast! The game brings you two Sonics - Classic and Modern. Classic Sonic basically plays like a 2D platformer while Modern is 3D, but the graphics are rendered in glorious 3D for both.

Why are there 2 Sonics? Well, here's a little clip to give you some hints.

Get iT @ Expo and Metro Expo Sale

I got some hands on for Sonic Generations at a game store the other day, it's pretty fun so I got it from Steam. I decided to get a Logitech F710 at the PlayCraft game fair at Expo to play it.

What did I see there? Fifa 09, Left 4 Dead (without the 2), Company of Heroes (good game, but dated). You get the idea. While the PC offerings were weak, the games for console appear to be better. But, no Logitech. No Razer. So I just roamed about for while.

Turns out there's a Metro Expo Sale a few halls down, so it was a good chance to find a replacement for my beat up wallet.