tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69767612024-03-07T09:14:52.807+05:30Dreamsmademe BlogLife is a rollercoaster. I love the free fall!Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.comBlogger119125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-17592590708495461352008-07-28T14:16:00.002+05:302008-07-28T14:19:57.790+05:30I have moved to WordPressIt's been changing times. I learned blogging here but now for greater flexibility I have moved my blog to <a href="http://dreamsmademe.wordpress.com/">WordPress</a>. So I will not be updating this Blogger Version anymore.<br /><br />So here's the new <a href="http://dreamsmademe.wordpress.com/">Dreamsmademe Blog</a><br /><br />Thank you!Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-89412809953262249072008-06-11T16:04:00.005+05:302008-07-18T09:48:42.202+05:30For the moment, competition is cornered, finished, done, over!<p>Apple unveiled new iPhone 3G. It was making everyone want to have one like yesterday. That's Steve's Apple marketing machine. News galore like no other mobile ever existed on earth before. Who's loosing, who's winning is too mach chaos to pick.</p><p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/chankulatunga/SE-qG_ItAVI/AAAAAAAAAVo/AYj4KZ2mj3M/s1600-h/images%5B2%5D.jpg"><img title="images" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="96" alt="images" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/chankulatunga/SE-qIDzeVxI/AAAAAAAAAVs/COk5pQVYAbw/images_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="133" border="0" /></a> <br />I love my Treo but there are reasons that everyone in the phone business should be worried, wet their pants, and get their plans sorted out how to stand a chance in this race right now. </p><p>Why?</p> <p>Cos almost all iPhone competitors, For the moment, it's over, done, finished story. When Apple's marketing machine is on roll, everyone else is like a needle in a haystack. </p>Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-90305190489807654512008-05-06T10:37:00.004+05:302008-12-09T09:26:12.926+05:30Hail Ajax!Flash is still on the news!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJm52Vi9PPxZlIPesIko0lR010XMD4e7b2n315AjHZohniDiSgTEP7PA2Sy3TVhxUK70uM7T8vQewOFt_-AWBI5Bs_WgeRox84YKXImMaA_WDImou_cuQVWSmcXbjPxppRLtflVw/s1600-h/ajax_in_action.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJm52Vi9PPxZlIPesIko0lR010XMD4e7b2n315AjHZohniDiSgTEP7PA2Sy3TVhxUK70uM7T8vQewOFt_-AWBI5Bs_WgeRox84YKXImMaA_WDImou_cuQVWSmcXbjPxppRLtflVw/s320/ajax_in_action.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200928678357791746" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It is strange that I am being a designer who has no knack for code but still loves the JavaScript (Ajax) way of doing web. So as I have discussed little earlier<a href="http://dreamsmademe.blogspot.com/2008/02/living-broadband-flash-hell.html"> here </a>Adobe's Flash has more back slash nowadays from various fronts. I hail this!<br /><br />Read more here @ <a href="http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/05/05/flash_wars_adobe_in_the_history_and_future_of_flash_part_1_of_3.html">AppleInsider</a>Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-87087028206757936212008-04-13T20:05:00.005+05:302008-12-09T09:26:13.084+05:30Is iPhone Killing the Web ?In contrary to my early article <a href="http://dreamsmademe.blogspot.com/2008/03/paradigm-shift-in-software-industry.html">here</a>, there seems a different standpoint over the whole point of liberating the applications from the desktop.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7OZve4wHOVnCLg5lP2I2puihxiHJ2XjEfTScLsnpCDpzMO2NCWbWc93_4zdrV6RaJwMIJeElobKPzkOcfjV6c8na2bzypfweOmpWyoWKPQIkKYXnCkVQ_-jIyEUJLGrf18vBHg/s1600-h/killing+the+net.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7OZve4wHOVnCLg5lP2I2puihxiHJ2XjEfTScLsnpCDpzMO2NCWbWc93_4zdrV6RaJwMIJeElobKPzkOcfjV6c8na2bzypfweOmpWyoWKPQIkKYXnCkVQ_-jIyEUJLGrf18vBHg/s320/killing+the+net.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5188741203953300450" border="0" /></a><br /></div>As far as I am concern I like the portability, anyway there are pros and cons which leads to this debate. Interesting. Anyway I do not belong on either camps, whatever the best I will follow suite.<br /><br />Full discussion goes on here @ <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/printable/article/id,144358/printable.html">PCWORLD</a>Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-55038165640076857292008-04-03T09:55:00.003+05:302008-12-09T09:26:13.180+05:30No Windows for Old Men<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmNhnhtkEPubSxABYvgHrAa01PfTg4b7SV8wVG00cUogRL6_VmL_zRneNJ-0oT4V82849dOKTMK-HSPbTTznHFxYB47hsJqCQOeoec78_f4QotjD8KHzM1IepmVlF_11rhdOzaWw/s1600-h/nocountryforoldwindows.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmNhnhtkEPubSxABYvgHrAa01PfTg4b7SV8wVG00cUogRL6_VmL_zRneNJ-0oT4V82849dOKTMK-HSPbTTznHFxYB47hsJqCQOeoec78_f4QotjD8KHzM1IepmVlF_11rhdOzaWw/s320/nocountryforoldwindows.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5184931007201091154" border="0" /></a><br />I found this nice article over who is gonna take control of the future of computing. Microsoft leaden PC era is surely becoming irrelevant as mobile era catches on. Whosoever gonna win this battle I am sure as end consumers we'll all gonna benefit it.<br /><br />"<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Many pundits still insist that Apple’s victories in the market can only make the company another new Microsoft, and force it to inherit the malware crisis facing Windows. This is like political commentators of the 16th century complaining that the territories that broke free from England would continue to suffer the same problems they faced under the monarchy, despite those new countries’ purposely devising new forms of government to prevent that from happening.</span></span>"<br /><br />Extracted from RoughlyDrafted Blog: Read more <a href="http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/02/five-factors-shifting-the-future-of-malware-and-platform-security/">here.<br /><br /></a>Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-8170785750596360062008-03-04T14:34:00.009+05:302008-12-09T09:26:13.319+05:30Paradigm shift in Software Industry<span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >As I talked about the Palm OS debacle in the <a href="http://dreamsmademe.blogspot.com/2008/02/todays-my-palmaddicts-article.html">early post</a> this is overall a transition time for 25 year old Packaged Software Industry itself. You know Lotus 123, Aldus* back then and now what come out of Redmond in a nicely wrapped boxes. There are some interesting things going on in the industry.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >Read this </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://mobileopportunity.blogspot.com/2008/02/mobile-applications-rip.html">leading article</a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" > and you may drill down further for </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://mobileopportunity.blogspot.com/2008/03/three-laws-of-technology-strategy.html">additional</a></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" > discussion.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My take on this would be:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHyCBiFAQalIO359JXdinQxhllsBrN82FW05a69Cww9jLJHpthBwN5QMjxGowIEdQaaqkGZwNwbsvCfnEIqDV8emSUzteALnge3BQH9QFFGoyvN116UiEslvZ6Mliv3kXStB4Iw/s1600-h/AldusFreehand4.0.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXHyCBiFAQalIO359JXdinQxhllsBrN82FW05a69Cww9jLJHpthBwN5QMjxGowIEdQaaqkGZwNwbsvCfnEIqDV8emSUzteALnge3BQH9QFFGoyvN116UiEslvZ6Mliv3kXStB4Iw/s320/AldusFreehand4.0.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5188930710795301874" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This tech shift is something we are seeing more recently than when Aldus/ Lotus saga ends and Adobe, MS catches on. It was anyway the good old packaged software business they were all in.<br /><br />The paradigm shift happened when Google and the gang came up with the solutions for the problems which came with the net bubble itself.<br /><br />But still since Adobe and MS likes had good money in their banks they could afford many mistakes and still thrive in this Google's era. The other reason is that desktop software's dead isn't anywhere near yet. Cos Adobe may be releasing a mobile version of Photoshop Lite but there are absolutely no solutions as yet for the gaming or high graphics industry unless you write Platform Specific. Not that people's mindset is all geared to keep all their valuable stuff in some remote servers that they don't have any control over. May be that's why Apple is releasing a SDK biting their own words like once Steve mentioned about third party software that "he doesn't want some Cingular networks to go down cos of some crappy software piece". Even when iPhone business model seems modern and good enough for the time being.<br /><br />So as someone says there isn't much from here to the mobile web other than the dumb pipes and the devices will keep changing themselves.<br /><br />The products are more likely will be the same, say gMail, Zoho Office, Google Earth or iTunes will still be the same when this transition ends.<br /><br />So winners for the next decade most likely will come from the same gang who dominates today. MS, Google and Adobe likes from software ends.<br /><br />This may change when it comes to physical products but Apple will still be there cos there's iTunes biz model is near perfect that other product vendors like Dell or SONY can't even get a hang of it yet. Anyway there are more chances to be a new winners too I guess, in the products category as well as in the software business.<br /><br />After all may be Apple will be a sheer winner in this both ends. Since it has got it's products right and then with portable OS X and iPhone software bundle is too unrival to match. May be it's Apple who pushed the envelope eliminating Flash from iPhone for the mass adoption of the mobile web. Now no turning back again.<br /><br />As I work for a software company we were too shady about what cult to follow. Flash was good enough, Google (Ajax) seems promising and MS .NET was the king of the king of desktop applications business model. Sun Java too did try to solve this big time problem but I don't know where they fit in right now. Enterprise software too, that they heavily profited on is shrinking by a sea of new comers like us, <a href="http://www.interblocks.com/">Interblocks Ltd</a>, for their relevant field.<br /><br />But with iPhone, Apple may have saved us from lot of trouble. Platform specific gaming and heavy graphics 3D industry may not be shaken by it. But for most of info oriented software industry it just proved us that Ajax is not only promising but it is actually very practical for the next decade. The best part? We no longer needed to be tied down by either camps, the desktop nor the net. After a decade of Sun's famous slogan now we can actually "Write once, Run Anywhere"<br /><br />So I call it, FREEDOM! Finally.<br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(0, 153, 0);font-size:100%;" ><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">*This reminds me the good old days, I still remember the days I </span><a style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);" href="http://www.freehandsource.com/_frames/_misc/_history/fh_splash_screens.html">learned</a><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);"> it, an </span><a style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);" href="http://www.freehandsource.com/_frames/_misc/_history/fh_version_history.html">Aldus Freehand® v3 or V4</a> package was lying down somewhere in the stuff room, in Advantage SL, my first ad firm where I worked.</span>Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-4589667859043425652008-02-28T15:16:00.003+05:302008-02-28T15:32:19.675+05:30What can be better than Palm OS?<div class="entry-content"> <div class="entry-body"> <p><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Being a tech guy there are moments that you feel happy and sad at the same moment. Cos while some raise your expectation way up some makes you miserable.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Here I explain why in my original </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://palmaddict.typepad.com/palmaddicts/2008/02/what-can-be-bet.html">PalmAddicts</a><span style="font-style: italic;"> article. </span><span style="font-style: italic;">Read and enjoy if you do speak the same language!</span></span><br /><br /><img src="http://palmaddict.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/02/27/palmos.jpg" title="Palmos" alt="Palmos" style="margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; float: left;" border="0" /> It saddens many of us that Palm had long since abandoned their Core OS sending it across the board. Palm -> Access -> Palm likewise without ever rewriting it to the new 3G era. Then they married with MS Mobile for the sheer doubt of dying itself out in the crowd. It saved them no long term purpose. Since Apple and the clan came in showing us what we've been missing in our user interface and design ends desires. Now they may be up to repeat the same in function and feature wise when they release the supposed to be native development tools for the iPhone. (SDK)<br /><br />In the abyss of all this I miss the opportunity to credit the Palm's original developer who came up with the initial Palm Launcher idea for applications handling. I still love the simplicity of it. The rest had all been a history that we forgot. And now I wonder whether my next gadget could still be from Palm.<br /><br />Palm's abandonment of it's OS in full time paved way others to smack on them in their own lawn. The smartphone business itself. Microsoft, Nokia, HTC and the Sony Ericsson clan leap forward their beauties flooding the market that I almost felt like ashamed and an old fella to carry my Treo to a restaurant. But strangely none seemed to get it correctly in the OS end until Apple came along.<br /><br />Strange thing is that with all the modern sophisticated functionality and the bells and whistles my Palm still does what it does beautifully. Thanks to it's wonderful software base Palm still shines without having done anything for its survival for the last 5-6 years. After Treo 650 what they did all was cheating themselves, not us, consumers.<br /><br />Surprisingly they still hold the crown for the biggest apps list yet. Palm's Launcher doesn't even have a decent find features for this 30000 odd growing number of application base which originally written to lie on it. Anyway people still use it in full time. I still live my life and write this stuff with a four year old Treo.<br /><br />The need arises, while Palm lies in their sleepish form, a few good developers tried to fill in the gap writing their own code borrowing features from various systems on the top of the Palm's own Launcher. But to me none succeed much doing so because they focused on features instead of the Palm's simplicity. Palm's own age old launcher dominates including mine. Is it not that I never tried those # number of launchers. I have virtually tried them all. But I keep none on my device because they all seem to make things complicate on my Treo, deviating from Palm's original concept we all liked. The simplicity. They couldn't implement what Palm didn't offer either. So say WiFi, modern day browser or 3G never seen on Palm, after what, a lifetime had passed with these techs?<br /><br />Myriad of tabs, buttons, lists, menus, colours, shadows, icons, bars, pop ups, strips, scrollers, skins, themes, plug ins, backgrounds, gadgets, gosh! You name it. It all appeared on this tiny launcher. It's a utter mess when one try to create your Core Duo 20 inch something flat panel on this tiny 320 by 320 beloved. So I stopped trying it.<br /><br />Most launchers inundate users but never seem to fix the initial problem of Palm's simple yet effective age old launcher solved, until when Apple shocked the industry with their revolutionary OS X engine iPhone interface. It's simple just like good old Palm, but has the modern sophistication .<br /><br />So as time went by, though many killer apps for mobiles initially emerged in Palm front. I sadly watch they quickly get ported elsewhere better in a blink of an eye loosing my edge. Now people talk big over iPhones nice touch screen, threaded SMS etc, boy, I used it for years silently on my Treo.<br /><br />But now Palm front is lacking that wow factor, hopes are dire, I feel odd. Within me I know it is still better than most of the rest. Anyway now there are new kids in the block who tries to out-smart everything I knew about mobile computing. Apple seem to lead the gang with what Palm missed. From NextStep, Newton, Classic Mac OS to OS X now Apple has got the most flexible mobile platform on earth at their disposal for the modern era. Even industry mogul MS envy that.<br /><br />For the moment what lacking is the a way that all the best mobile developers had no chance to port their beautiful apps to this new crown. But soon with the release of Apple SDK for iPhone I am sure we are about to see a flood of new killer apps for iPhone that no one seen elsewhere. Not even on my beloved Palm front.<br /><br />Palm should have done this but I do not belong on camps. So I am happy to see this day dawned anyhow.<br /><br />I will keep my Treo cos nothing beats it quite yet. May be will get a Centro to please my senses and I can still keep my Initially big list of applications I kept since 2000. Ewallets, browsing, productivity tools, GPS unit, music & video, some fun games (no dumb consoles please), email, threaded SMS, IR remotes, you name it. My Treo had it all and now everyone's AFTER them. Soon iPhone will get it all the way I want it so I can get in to a restaurant without been ashamed of.<br /><br />If I were to have some Palm stocks I should be worried now, or may be the Centro will serve them a bit. But when I am having a Treo I am still winning. When their features match or probably outsmart, I will go and grab an iPhone.<br /><br />I had a nightmare that when finally my Treo dies I may have to switch to MS Mobile or the Nokia clan without even having a choice. Boy, I was happy when I saw the new <a href="http://www.styletap.com/">StyleTap platform for MS Mobile</a> so I could still use some of my beloved software if I ever moved from Palm OS. Now even better they've got it <a href="http://www.styletap.com/product_apple.php">emulated on iPhone</a> too! Anyway Apple solved the problem once and for all raising bar for everyone. Thanks Steve Job for making this day possible. Thanks to thee, who someone brain child the original Palm OS. May be it was Handspring guys.<br /><br />Now it seems I have industry's best choices up for the grab. I may never be up to the task running naked though on this, but I would say, Eureka!</p> </div> </div>Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-36382353284149937772008-02-06T14:55:00.003+05:302008-12-09T09:26:13.520+05:30Living broadband, Flash hell...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik80qevCIfTXjDphrJuM06f01PNJvJxQc2mJ4Hwyy7aa7AlLe5tWczZt4a740NZv3TpfVubo4DAOK4sKrg4_IgPpYaaZcgmmfgD025DXff8GwMz_d3fP0J-1lZHuFey5Lk420iPQ/s1600-h/flash_suck_or_rock.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik80qevCIfTXjDphrJuM06f01PNJvJxQc2mJ4Hwyy7aa7AlLe5tWczZt4a740NZv3TpfVubo4DAOK4sKrg4_IgPpYaaZcgmmfgD025DXff8GwMz_d3fP0J-1lZHuFey5Lk420iPQ/s320/flash_suck_or_rock.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5174576914515505890" border="0" /></a>I don't know when this day came to be. But I knew that it would. I've known to Flash internals a bit. No knack for coding but I knew enough since I used to be a big time Macromedia Flash lover. The honeymoon all ended when Adobe brought it over. Their plans for Flash were big, actually too impressive, they want it to be the platform for the web, mobile and beyond. Likewise Sun had their own plans for "write once run everywhere" their beloved J2ME too. For that ask from any mobile developer, they know what <a href="http://mobilesuccess.infinitysw.com/2007/10/21/ugh-3-million-platforms-with-100-users-each/">the mess</a> they are in.<br /><br />In the desktop end I watched in horror, Flash Designer becomes Flash Developer. It almost had a free ride until Google Stuff (Ajax) and then Apple came in. Gosh! it was destined to be next Microsoft Windows or even worse. Actually Windows is better because it solved industry's bigger problem once and for all that many people face right now <a href="http://mobilesuccess.infinitysw.com/2007/10/21/ugh-3-million-platforms-with-100-users-each/">here</a> and <a href="http://mobileopportunity.blogspot.com/2008/03/following-up-on-mobile-applications-rip.html">here</a>.<br /><br />I happened to be a Flash designer for some distant <a href="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/Websites/Xasia.html">past</a>. It was a wonderful time, when web was in its infancy Flash made possible things which we could not even have imagined putting on web. Finer graphics, animation, streaming content after all that Real Player and MW windows media hassle. Then the impossible partial refresh issue of a web page without having to reload afresh. Those are few good memories that I have which we could not resolve (until web 2) without the help of this once beloved Flash. I remember the things at <a href="http://www.eye4u.com/">Eye4U</a> and <a href="http://www.2advanced.com/">2Advance Studio</a> guys did with Flash in 1998-2000 time. We were stunned!<br /><br />And ever since everyone who had a sight of Flash abused and raped it in full time. Dial-Ups were dead hoc jam trapped. Then they had a free ride when DSL emerges because the bandwidth seems the best thing for Flash to eat. Web became all crap.<br /><br />Living in a Flash for a lifetime was going be a <a href="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/Websites/Corona.html">fun</a> or so I taught. You know, the initial web animations, banners, business scope of online advertising, then smart/ rich Flash Clients and our famous YouTube (until Apple <a href="http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/03/05/steve_jobs_pans_flash_on_the_iphone.html">liberated</a>) were all based on Flash technologies. It was my hobby and then it finally migrated to my bread and butter too, the firm I work for, is too, converted it's one part cash cow ATM Client to run on Flash. I should have been happier.<br /><br />This was possible cos Flash was originated as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FutureSplash_Animator">FutureSplash</a> , a graphics software, a designer tool with industry's most hyped term at that time. Vector based graphics, further it had streaming media and animation capabilities too! It was a designer's Nirvana. Since Adobe had the graphics monopoly it was obvious that their next move would be to merge them all to be a single platform since they brought it from Macromedia. Wow! nice idea, except one fundamental error.<br /><br />This is where it all went wrong. We, designers don't eat code for breakfast, nor that developers need more than a jazzed up little Notepad to do their wonders. Not until a new breed of Einsteins emerge out of this rubble who have knack to do the both.<br /><br />So here we go, Flash have big fundamental errors to start with going in either direction. Below are a few that comes to my mind.<br /><br /># It is utter annoyance for the end users because (No one complained yet though)<br />1. Having to download the plug in<br />2. Then take much more bandwidth and time than the normal content<br />3. Crippling your poor processor and the memory when in use (until recently, still for mobiles)<br />4. If not properly done, starts to play before the full download messing your taste buds.<br />(you know, it's like eating your pie in a rodent way)<br />6. Blinks, sings, hoots, flashes, throw flowers at you when all you want is peacefully read<br />5. Version conflicts repeat things all over<br /><br /><br />#It used to have knack for designers because<br />1. All the strengths of Flash we commonly know of content, animation, streaming media, rich client creator)<br />2. Having the potential to be an All In One Tool for<br />- Print mass media document creation ( Rival PageMaker, Illustrator, InDesign, Freehand and QuarkExpress)<br />- PDF corporate document creator and archiver (Acrobat, FlashPaper)<br />3. Obsolete old favorites like gif animations<br />4. Give you the partial refresh of a web page (Pre Ajax era)<br /><br />#And now it try to solve a problem we never had<br />1. Designers like their eye candy, they want it JLO, the Photoshop way<br />2. Developers will eat, sleep and drink their gibberish<br />3. Both will co-exist together fine, but we just don't talk the same language.<br />4. They will be happy with just a notepad<br />5. We, designers want Dreamweaver equivalent<br /><br />Instead another day dawned. Ajax (JavaScript which is) solved it's own problems which created back then. I was happy to see when Google and Zoho people mastered it. Apple proved me right. Wow! We can live without Flash.<br /><br />But I still see some major places that I would love to visit uses heavy Flash content. I regularly use my Treo for browsing for the last three two years. I am happy Palm did never bother to port Flash for their Treos as with they neglected everything else. But do I miss what miss cause that my Treo couldn't access Flash content? Nope, not in the least. It was because Palm never updated their Garnet OS to have 3G or a better browser. It was the best when it came a six years ago. Anyway I lived the Treo generation in full which is now <a href="http://dreamsmademe.blogspot.com/2008/02/todays-my-palmaddicts-article.html">shaken</a> though<a href="http://dreamsmademe.blogspot.com/2008/02/todays-my-palmaddicts-article.html"></a>. Anyway let Treo begone since iPhone will probably solve the biggest problem of mobile web.<br /><br />Here <a href="http://www.gx-5.com/">GX-5 </a>is one good example, some real good talents but still insists you to install and enjoy full flash content if you are on a desktop. I had abandoned this kinda sites altogether for long. But recently I saw if you are on a mobile device that we can have a simple html version instead.<br /><br />I hope at lease people will follow suit. Adobe's vision for Flash may be great, but no thank you. I don't wanna MS DOS legacy saga repeated here like even after Vista arrives. We can't carry on the burden of legacy saga or a designer becoming a developer.<br /><br />People do need full blown web in a whisk without the expense of TheirTube. So the answer is no SilverLight either but lies in the same hands of the good old wizard of JavaScript itself!<br /><br />What do you guys think?Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-14099585600514633962007-11-16T16:50:00.000+05:302008-12-09T09:26:13.707+05:30A shutter bug...I had always been a happy little shutter bug since the day I saw my first digital camera way back in 90s. Even as an collage boy I knew that this thing was going to change the way we look at the world through the third eye. Today Digital Photography has been a gift from the heaven.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://dreamsmademe.shutterpoint.com/"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjblWA655Iu-AaVAWLLTl1wbaBukq2_n34jZNU-0xqEe_k2OR9-gEyMDZG1ejH6Io68Ind5cQSsHJvOjTj4YxSM1f8h7X-1feCME-E0rLgqyDl8rv_8Ckf2rHN8_n2Jny86QOO5lA/s320/colombo_night.JPG" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjblWA655Iu-AaVAWLLTl1wbaBukq2_n34jZNU-0xqEe_k2OR9-gEyMDZG1ejH6Io68Ind5cQSsHJvOjTj4YxSM1f8h7X-1feCME-E0rLgqyDl8rv_8Ckf2rHN8_n2Jny86QOO5lA/s320/colombo_night.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5133402767423603314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Colombo Evening - So far the nicest photo I've taken with G9</span><br /><br />No more expensive film to burn, second thoughts on whether your shot was ok, or should go for another take, digital realm made photographers' wildest dreams a so called snap. Now I see even very reluctant hardcore film photographers are making their switch being unable to deny the worlds of benefits they can get from digital film. If ever, the only thing which hold them back was the price of replacing their SLR gear to D. But that's also changing swiftly now budget DSLRs coming in prices we have never heard of.<br /><br />I can't see myself as much of a photographer though from my early days I loved photography. And I was carrying around a basic digicam from the day I could afford one. Much before most of my colleagues thought of getting one, they enjoyed my immature, mostly trip photographs. I told them then the day would soon come that we all replace our 110s with digicam with the power of SLRs. Now some of them carry cameras I even envy at like new Canon Digital EOS on in their backpacks. Viola!<br /><br />After my first <a href="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/MyPC/Images/chan_murcury.jpg">Chinese Digicam</a>, I stayed loyal to my old <a href="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/MyPC/Images/chan_dx7440.jpg">Kodak DX7440</a> which still produces stunning images for my humble needs even after years of use. Anyway finally I thought of giving myself a little treat getting an updated digicam.<br /><br />So here comes my new <a href="http://images.digitalcamerainfo.com/images/upload/Image/Canon%20G9/Product%20Photos/G9-front.jpg">G9</a>.Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-74590014659508267002007-06-12T16:56:00.000+05:302008-12-09T09:26:13.864+05:30Road Worriers...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0dNbzqTijp-sruBNV56Jphuf84fCzD2eTgSxq3rIquXim_ZAWIsoljVTPI7jSv7YfbbhtyboXa3okaPF5nySrBdQSlJLGGnbY-JZ14VL1_Q6Y50pRYQcWCrl0-En1o-Ffui-sA/s1600-h/polgahawela.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0dNbzqTijp-sruBNV56Jphuf84fCzD2eTgSxq3rIquXim_ZAWIsoljVTPI7jSv7YfbbhtyboXa3okaPF5nySrBdQSlJLGGnbY-JZ14VL1_Q6Y50pRYQcWCrl0-En1o-Ffui-sA/s320/polgahawela.jpg" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0dNbzqTijp-sruBNV56Jphuf84fCzD2eTgSxq3rIquXim_ZAWIsoljVTPI7jSv7YfbbhtyboXa3okaPF5nySrBdQSlJLGGnbY-JZ14VL1_Q6Y50pRYQcWCrl0-En1o-Ffui-sA/s320/polgahawela.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5075141129555081122" border="0" /></a><br />I don't know how this came to be this worse. We, our selves to blame. In Sri Lanka getting into a four wheel is a very risky job. We have all the posh cars in the world but got the worst kind of roads and driving manners in the planet.<br /><br />Our road manners and ehtics, boy, this is something never heard of. Everyone wants to go first, fast, but all the city roads are narrow, congested, jam packed.<br /><br />Heavy long body Viking buses are killers, they cut corners, go too fast, defens you with their zillion decibel f...ing horns, overtake you in bends, mostly all of Sri Lanka's fatal accident are involved with some kind of bus jerk.<br /><br />Then comes the trishaw fellows, shame on them no one has a class, manners or the patience. Cut corners, takes 90° degree turns with no signals, trying to overtake everyone elase like they can do Ferrari's. Harsh language, no smiles make them even unpleasant. And the two wheelers, cheap Indian bikes. Riders thinks they want three wholesome lane to take a mere turn, act like they own the roads, give way is never haerd of.<br /><br />To worsen this harassments, now some politico has decided to introduce registration not required Mopeds. The fly fish like 50 CC bikes that go in the middle of the road. No helmets, no lanes, no manners and zig zig driving make motorists insane.<br /><br />So day today driving in and outer Colombo has become life and death struggle for average people.Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-77374780189444764102007-05-23T09:51:00.000+05:302008-12-09T09:26:14.172+05:30Wedding PlansI don't find this surprising and obviously Wedding Plans take quite a bit of stress and running around for anyone.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzrgwmKd5M83WCef25qLBdnjypA0xfijOX7MW1hsLTL8atY2zj9Hnp8JMtag1eeEY4D87y0fOPTeVygpU_tJKQf80c3Eg68QgSIrkEsGIzKFfZ8pfwP4agaRXYVh2tvCzPtgZ4Q/s1600-h/ne_sign.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzrgwmKd5M83WCef25qLBdnjypA0xfijOX7MW1hsLTL8atY2zj9Hnp8JMtag1eeEY4D87y0fOPTeVygpU_tJKQf80c3Eg68QgSIrkEsGIzKFfZ8pfwP4agaRXYVh2tvCzPtgZ4Q/s320/ne_sign.jpg" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZzrgwmKd5M83WCef25qLBdnjypA0xfijOX7MW1hsLTL8atY2zj9Hnp8JMtag1eeEY4D87y0fOPTeVygpU_tJKQf80c3Eg68QgSIrkEsGIzKFfZ8pfwP4agaRXYVh2tvCzPtgZ4Q/s320/ne_sign.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067611074653814434" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />When we prepare for the day, initially nothing much was done. Anyway here when dates are closing in last couple weeks we were actually ridden by this stress course.<br /><br />Looking for places and people to do the needful seems interesting, quite involving. But for us this means long drives and tired weekends since things happen in three different remote places. We live in Colombo, the wedding will take place in Nuwara Eliya and the home coming is in Kandy. So this preparation is killing our peaceful weekends. I miss my long sleep in the weekend, the Sundown, unwashed clothes, uncleaned house, empty pocket and then ultimately the fresh Monday morning. Meanwhile the lack of exercising bulge my tummy out.<br /><br />And this all leaves us in somewhat always tired mood.<br /><br />Hope these days are will soon be over or as one of my friends put it, he says for getting married, " You'll see, it's only the beginning" :-) And I wonder will life be the same again?Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-84804852538126399422007-04-24T11:17:00.000+05:302007-05-23T09:50:40.299+05:30Just like me!<img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/176/470935633_2521966368.jpg?v=0" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/176/470935633_2521966368.jpg?v=0" border="0" />Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-35160273750402825752007-01-11T13:22:00.000+05:302007-01-11T13:28:57.440+05:30Apple's new calling, I'm getting that nagging feeling again!<p>Until yesterday, as <a href="http://palmaddict.typepad.com/palmaddicts/2007/01/iphone_im_getti.html" target="_blank">Jonathan</a> says in his post. I would too say that I was fully satisfied with my newly brought Treo 680, and in fact that it still holds true in many ways. It does just about everything I throw at it. and I love it. That said, even after 7 years of being a loyal Palm OS user, I find myself wondering in this morning, shaking more and more about something that doesn’t run Palm OS or Windows which are essentially a part of my life. Palm, Microsoft releases every darn kind of products all over the year but I have never been so overwhelmed by any other hi-tech product release. Not even with the original Treo, not even with the iPod.<br /><br /><img src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/iphone_9.jpg" alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/iphone_9.jpg" border="0" /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">The display is awesome</span><br /></em><br />Listen Palm. I’m already sold. Though I’m loyal to Palm, but in many occasions I have felt that Palm isn’t treating me right as Apple does with iPod experiences. I have lived the iPod generation for two years now I am yet to get a trouble either in my iPod or in iTunes which it syncs with. In contrast since the initial Treo 650 release with problems all over, whining Palm TX which my girl has, buggy slow LifeDrive my brother brought, and my early Sony CLIE with problems that I don’t recall now.<br /><br /><img src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/iphone_7.jpg" alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/iphone_7.jpg" border="0" /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">The Interface is the Industry Best</span><br /></em><br />The point is, you get a Treo expecting bliss, instead you get a hiss in your earpiece. You're thinking Palm should fix it soon.''Not the case here. Palm take ages even to acknowledge that there’s a problem at all and washes it's hands of responsibility and tells you to deal with your own ROM updates and third party developers (like VolumeCare) which figures out by some geek while Palm lies in it’s laurels. Palm never learns, even with new Treo 680 there’s a network time sync issue which circular around public forums but Palm hasn’t even acknowledge that yet. I lived it all and still I never really thought anything else as impressive as the Palm device I’m holding, until now.<br /><br /><img src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/iphone_3.jpg" alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/iphone_3.jpg" border="0" /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Desktop scale browser in your fingertips</span><br /><br /></em>So suddenly, for me iPhone kills many birds in one shot. Being in Asia I’m away from holding this beauty in my hand anytime soon, not a happy feeling though good that I can save some money for the big day. Got a number of months to follow this up and close, let Apple fix whatever the shortcomings with it. No offend Dear Mr. Ed Colligan. I guess <a href="http://palmaddict.typepad.com/palmaddicts/2007/01/what_palm_ceo_e.html" target="_blank">here</a> you are wrong this time around. I work for a software company and do consider as a promoter and power user of Treo. In the next January my money surely will go to Steve Job & Co. if unless you release a 320X480/ Wifi Treo by then. If Treonauts can figure out how to make officially unsupported FAT32, SDHD, WIFI supported on their beloved Treo 650s. The iPodians will make theirs what they want in no time. The iPhone accessory market will be in prime time with all sort of QWERTY, BT keyboards, devices for what iPhone isn’t. Don’t forget Steve hinted that this beauty can handled the native Mac OS beast apps as well. I can assure it seeing the fluid motion the iPhone works, this will change the mobile industry. Smartphone segment in no time.<br /><br /><img src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/iphone_8.jpg" alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/iphone_8.jpg" border="0" /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>The flid motion is intuitive and really realistic<br /></em></span><br />The business case for it, the <a href="http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1575743-2,00.html" target="_blank">TIME Magazine here</a> outlines pretty well. Good reading.<br /><br /><img src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/iphone_4.jpg" alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/iphone_4.jpg" border="0" /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Any destop widgets at your disposal</span><br /><br /></em>As TIME says, either it’s Nokia basic or Palm Treo 680 our phones are broken and Steve Jobs & Co. seems to fix it. “<span style="font-size:85%;"><em>When our tools don't work, we tend to blame ourselves, for being too stupid or not reading the manual or having too-fat fingers. "I think there's almost a belligerence—people are frustrated with their manufactured environment," says Ive. "We tend to assume the problem is with us, and not with the products we're trying to use." In other words, when our tools are broken, we feel broken. And when somebody fixes one, we feel a tiny bit more whole</em>.</span>” Exactly!</p>Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-1165401991989409592006-12-06T16:16:00.000+05:302006-12-06T16:22:25.893+05:30Ceylon Theater hurdles at Majestic Cinama<p>Hay, kudos for pointing out this very truth. Either in USA or in Sri Lanka, the problem and the solution seem the same. This story is inspired by the post <a href="http://palmaddict.typepad.com/palmaddicts/2006/12/defeating_the_t.html" target="_blank">here</a> at <a href="http://palmaddict.typepad.com/palmaddicts/" target="_blank">PalmAddicts</a>.</p><p>This is roughly the same way I do to get things done most of the time. These morons, the bureaucrats and the front desk officers in most of the places hardly help you out or solve any matter on behalf you even though they are paid for to "help" customers out.</p><p>So to get done things you have to raise the voice, make the point loud and clear and they may be reach a ranked man.</p><p>Two days before I went to the cinema with the girly to watch the hyped "Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest" film Ceylon Theater run Majestic Cinema in Colombo. I asked for ODC tickets (Don't know what it means, but it's the back middle rows where you can get the best view without breaking your neck), the fellow gave me two without saying anything so we went in. Assuming that they were ODC.</p><p>To my surprise the back was all full, except two middle (best view) rows saying "Reserved" .The film was about to begin. I tell the guy inside, I asked for ODC tickets so we should get one of those. Then the fun begin. He was saying that they are “Reserved” (yeah, I can read) and they have a "flat rate". There's no ODC all the blah blah and did not allow us to get a seat but directed us to the neck breaking empty front rows. If there is a “Flat Rate” the logic seems there can’t be reservations and we should be able to sit anywhere we want.</p><p>No point arguing with the poor guy. I came out, went to a guy who seemed a bit ranked one, raised my voice and told the story asking a reimbursement for our tickets.</p><p>Bingo! We were straight away directed to one of the “reserved” best view seats in the middle with no further hassle and we enjoyed the movie in full.</p>Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-1164960148599632062006-12-01T13:32:00.000+05:302006-12-01T17:02:14.776+05:30 Ghotabaya Rajapakse escapes a suicide attempt and our van also caought in between...<p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">A suicide attack targeting Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapakse has injured fourteen security personnel. Luckily he <span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">was not injured. My friend Dilum was also caught in the middle of this crisis.</span><br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/vnt2.jpg" border="0" /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The attack has been carried out at Dharmapala Mawatha (Piththala Junction) opposite City Bank at Kollupitiya in Colombo today at about 10.25 a.m.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/vnt1.jpg" border="0" /><br /><em>Not much clear though foremost one is our van</em></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN-TOP: 0pt; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0pt"><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Several vehicles have been damaged and Dilum was also driving along at the same time. He was lucky to escaped unharmed though the van is severely damaged. A few of other vehicles were seen burning at the time and this photos was taken from a camera phone. </span></p>Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-1163486871746981512006-11-14T12:17:00.000+05:302006-11-15T09:58:41.213+05:30Nature's Revenge - One wild ride<p>2006 November monsoon season is a disastrous one for Sri Lanka. Specially the last Sunday 12.11.06 was historic.</p><p><em>All of this environmental debacles in recent time has something to do with improper planning, unauthorised land fillings and buildings. It brought more chaos and misery for this war-torn country. Floods, land slides and lost of lives reflect another abandoned and raped issue in this paradise isle. For whatsoever the excuses made by the authorities and the people, I think this should be expected and we are all responsible for this kind of nature's revenge.</em></p><p>The Sunday, we eye-witnessed and were lucky to stay unharmed some of the late breaking news on the TV in the evening.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/Castlereagh1.jpg" border="0" /><br /><em>Picturesque Nortonbridge Reservoir</em><br /><br /><strong>Story goes like this.</strong> Since we spend the weekend in Nuwara Eliya. On our way back, yesterday, there was a big land slide at the Colombo-Hatton road in Ginigathhena. To avoid that and come to Colombo we had to take an alternate route. We were suggested a route thro Nortonbridge Reservoir. It was a beautiful narrow one but finally completely blocked by all out-bound traffic to Colombo. Then few others and we turn back to Ginigathhena thro another narrow road in the Nortonbridge Caslteriegh mountains. From there some headed to Kandy road. Since Kandy road was also uncertain and very long we looked around for an alternate. For our surprise we were to find one. It was a most bizarre kind of small barren by road, a risky one, that we didn't know at that time, roughly 10-15 Km long, that leads back to Colombo main road avoiding the land slide. We came out unharmed though we seriously felt that we shouldn't have taken that road risking our beloved Chevy and our lives themselves. A slight mistake, a drift over, a gas running out, a flat tyre, anything could have left us stranded. A night without sleep.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/Castlereagh2.jpg" border="0" /><br /><em>Nortonbridge mountains</em></p><p>It was raining cats & bulls and as dark as midnight around 5.00 pm. Starting part of the road was okay and fun to drive when it wasn't broken. But in one particular abandoned section (nearly 10 km block) was an utter nightmare. Continues heavy rain had uprooted all the road foundation stones and rocks all over the path. Steep. Water was drifting all over like we were in a rocky stream. As driving on rollers on a wet slippery land we were descending at a slow pace. Wheels were creaking locked by pushed to the wall brakes but still sometimes the car was sliding and moving downward. Boy! No way up now either. I was praying for our Chevy's tyre's not to give up on us. Our beloved Chevy, warm and nice inside, while nature takes it's heaviest toll on it's outside, kept our spirits high, we were safe inside, or so we felt. Finally hours later we reached-back the main Colombo-Hatton Road safely. <br /><br />And it's only when we came to the civilisation that we heard elsewhere in Kandy – Gampola Road a land slide was taken place with few vehicles underneath killing 5 or so people on board.<br /><br />Gosh! It was a main road while we took even worse not-on-the-map road to come back to the Colombo main road.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/12nov06%20(4).jpg" border="0" /><br /><em>Land slide in Kandy-Pussellawa Road killing a few people</em><br /><br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/water.jpg" border="0" /><br /><em>Most flood gates were open<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/12nov06%20(5).jpg" border="0" /><br /><em>Imagine it could have been us</em></em></p><p><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/12nov06%20(1).jpg" border="0" /><br /><em>People had died here too</em></p><p>On the same day elsewhere in the country it had flooded many places. In Hatton Town (the way we passed) there was another land slide taking few lives. Reservoirs were filled and spilling. Most flood gates were open. Rivers were filled without their banks. People were drowning. Roads were blocked. Some leaving no sign where they were. All chaos and misery brought by the monsoon rain.</p><p>Now I leisurely lie down on my bed and jot down this blog post though It's been one heck of a day. We travelled nearly 350 km while it should have been somewhere 200 km thro the main roads.</p><p>Sadly unlike other times whole adventure was without pictures due to sub-zero visibility and all the time we were dealing road worries than getting a chance to touch the camera. Above shown ones I have picked from various media reports.</p><p> </p>Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-1160653633755955532006-10-12T17:10:00.000+05:302006-10-12T17:17:14.046+05:30Blog picture posting thro Flickr is nightmare!<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmblog/71414612/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/34/71414612_81f0789815_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dmblog/71414612/">wrapped</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/dmblog/">Dreamsmademe Blog</a>. </span></div>I've been trying this for long. Post picture to Flickr and use those images in the blog. Doesn't seem to work as it should even now. The problem is I am behind a firewall may be. Or something else.<br /><br />Anyway I figure out this way, first post the pics to flickr and then say "blog" this from there. It's a way around it but still it make me happy so that I can save some web space where I have hosted the website.<br clear="all" />Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-1156238178777034762006-08-22T14:46:00.000+05:302006-08-23T09:24:26.586+05:30Long drive and the cold mountains...<p>This weekend we spend some nice time in Nuwara Eliya. <br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/NE_1.jpg" border="0" /><br /><em>Cold mountains…</em></p><p>After a long drive from Colombo, those beautiful tea capped mountains, the wind, the mist, the fog and the cold were the sings of a heaven in a paradise. <br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/NE_5.jpg" border="0" /><br /><em>Sometimes the visibility was sub-zero levels…</em><br /><br />On our way to the Nuwara Eliya area the landscape seems more polluted and disturbed than ever though we enjoyed the drive.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/NE_2.jpg" border="0" /><br /><em>Trees cut the barren land is exposed to land slides but still beautiful…</em></p><p>Following day was awesome with the beautiful sun shining all the day. For my surprise there wasn't any rain while Colombo and most of the country was about to be flooded by the heavy rains. I think this is the sheer beauty of Sri Lanka having all kind of whether at the same time.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/NE_7.jpg" border="0" /><br /><em>Clouds were seen below us…<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/NE_6.jpg" border="0" /><br />Dreamy roads…</em></p><p>It is sad our morons too still continue to cut even the last forests we have in these misty mountains started first by the British for the tea plantations.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/NE_9.jpg" border="0" /><br /><em>It was cold and rainy all the way…</em></p><p>Gayani says we would have been much better off without those tea plantations or the British invaders. It is arguably correct though I guess our moron politicos had enough time to correct those if they really wanted. But they never did and now it's too late. At least the British did it to a plan our ones still doing it in a hap hazard unplanned manner.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/NE_8.jpg" border="0" /><br /><em>These historic big old trees can no longer be seen in the landscape…<br /><br /></em>Gee’s sis’s little one was so much of life bundle to have around…<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/NE_4.jpg" border="0" /><br /><em>So we never missed our fun putting five for five ;-)</em><br /><br />(Sorry, the low quality pictures were taken form a video footage)</p>Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-1155923247911248432006-08-18T23:17:00.000+05:302006-08-21T11:01:57.320+05:30Over the air blog posting using TreoThis is fantastic. Now if I want I can directly post my blog posting from Treo itself. The software is called HBlogger from <a href="http://www.normsoft.com/" target="_blank">Normsoft</a> the maker of famous PocketTunes mp3 player for Palm. <br /><br />So this is the first test posting thro my Treo!<br />Cool! Isn't it? <br /><br />[Posted with hblogger 2.0 http://www.normsoft.com/hblogger/]Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-1154690718481152842006-08-04T16:55:00.000+05:302006-08-04T16:55:18.596+05:30Viola!<font face="Arial" size="2">Surprise! After long long delays BT Option (Sri Lankan dealer for Palm and Apple products) have finally sent me my long awaited Treo replacement for my troubled unit. Old one had some memory issues having a loop-reboot.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/replace.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /></font><div><font face="Arial" size="2">Yeahooo... It's a brand new unpacked one. Now having all the fun syncing the new phone with my old data. Palm OS reigns supreme here than any other NOKIA or MS based smartphone. Palm’s award winning PIM suite and the Palm Desktop Software backs up everything up to the PC it only takes mere 2–3 minutes to re-sync all your settings and data form the old phone to the new one. <br /><br />Everything means contacts, notes, user registrations, colour theme to the ringtone you have set to a particular person gets right back on your new unit and rings right away when that particular person calls. <br /><br />Viola...<br /><br />NB: Meanwhile I heard the news of Plam is about to release the successor to this Treo 650 <a href="http://msmobiles.com/news.php/5421.html" target="_blank">here </a>without the bulky antenna.</font></div>Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-1153827491879192222006-07-25T17:08:00.000+05:302006-07-26T08:48:54.320+05:30Scooty goes bye bye!<p>After <a href="http://dreamsmademe.blogspot.com/2005/12/fully-loaded-but-still-manageable.html" target="_blank">serving me</a> nearly two and half years my beloved <a href="http://dreamsmademe.blogspot.com/2005/03/ablic-transport-system-and-scooty-pep.html" target="_blank">Scooty Pep</a> goes bye bye today.<br /><br />Sad though since one fellow was asking for it to buy and I thought of getting a new one at the same time, selling it seems a logical thing to do. <br /><br />And there she goes…my indispensable urban transport beauty Scooty!</p>Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-1153113301164946212006-07-17T10:45:00.000+05:302006-07-17T10:45:01.170+05:30Long stupid journey, one fabulous bath...<p>Over the long weekend this time we went to Kandy and then to the Wasgamuwa National Park in the following day.<br /><br />Though the Wasgamuwa route was never meant to be through Kandy, for some stupid reason we went thro that long way passage passing Reverston Area and then to Wasgamuwa. The drive was fun thro those beautiful semi savanna mountains though the journey was useless.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/small_elephonts.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />See the above, Seeing those four elephants in the distant view was the whole purpose of the day wasted covering nearly 200 Km across. Simply stupid. Since we have mastered the art of taming them and domesticating, elephant is the most seen wild animal in Sri Lanka. In our famous <a href="http://www.sridaladamaligawa.lk/sinhala/perahara_in5.html" target="_blank">Kandy Perahera</a> you can see them in hundreds. There is no point seen them in the wild at this distant while we can even touch and go on their backs even here in Colombo.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/delthota.jpg" border="0" /><br /><em>(Sorry for the poor quality photos which were taken from a video footage)<br /><br /></em>Following day was really worth the journey having found this beautiful rever bank where we spend the whole evening submerged in the cool stream.</p>Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-1153110532076014752006-07-17T09:58:00.000+05:302006-07-17T10:03:07.663+05:30Only once in a year, still glorious!<p>This is spotted in May/ June season every year. <br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/wesak_mal1.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />This plant in one of our pots that we call Wesak Mal bears this magnificent flower once in a every year. It last for couple weeks and goes to extinction for the next whole year. The flowers are really big and beautiful around a size of a coconut.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/wesak_mal2.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br />Enjoy!</p>Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-1150784541004898622006-06-20T11:52:00.000+05:302006-06-20T11:53:27.523+05:30Dancing where angels fear to tread, and then...<p>Yesterday was a long day. It remembered me many a things. Good and bad, happy and sad.</p><p>To start with my long time friend Asanka had come from UK for a vacation. So we some of our few remaining old Interblocks guys had a nice dinner sharing those good old memories. It was fun. </p><p>The other even I don't know whether it's a good or a bad thing. More importantly I’ve got no clue over what I “<em>should feel” </em>about this. I felt numb and emotionless though. I remained silent over listening to a self confession.<br /><br />It is being said that you forgive for one’s mistakes since it’s only human. I try to do that most of the time, but for the people who “<em><a href="http://dreamsmademe.blogspot.com/2006/04/when-coyotes-get-lions-coat.html" target="_blank">crossed the line</a>”</em> I don't know how should I react other than feeling a little pity.</p><p>I knew this day will come that people realize their mistake. Now being nice to came and say sorry. Big deal after taking my good faith for granted. Okay, apology accepted. But there's no way. Not in heaven, if you treaded where you shouldn’t, no, things wouldn't be the same again. </p><p>The day was done. Lessons were learned. And no, neither I entertain nor they get the lion's share ever again. Period.</p>Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6976761.post-1150701412809116792006-06-19T12:46:00.000+05:302006-06-19T12:48:40.696+05:30Seedless PapawsI don’t no how this is possible. No I haven’t removed a single seed. This Papaw is completely seed-less. It’s very unlikely here in Sri Lanka that this could be a genetically altered one.<br /><br /><img alt="" src="http://ichandana.brinkster.net/blog/papaw.jpg" border="0" /><br /><em>(Sorry about the poor quality picture taken with a phone’s camera)</em><br /><br />Yeasterday we brought it from one of the side by shops on our way and when we cut it open to serve I could not belive my eye. There is not a single seed it it where as you normally get a thousand seeds in a papaw.<br /><br />A mutation, genetically altered whatever it tasted so good too.<br />Chanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01987423721037603110noreply@blogger.com0