VLC media player is a replacement for media players like Microsoft Media Player. Granted, Media Player is good and is also free. Functionality wise there is no reason to replace it. But philosophy wise, I have three.
One, as an open source supporter and believer, I want to use open source applications for all my desktop functions.
Two, I dislike the way applications like Media Player and Real Player intrude and make
assumptions about my usage preference. No movie
trailers or latest news please. I just want to play media. No
prompting to update or to download media information, I can look for it if needed.
Three, dispite the pages of privacy policy that nobody reads, I am not comforted. There is have clue as to what information are being capture sent in the background.
As an open source application, VLC does not need to market or promote anything. It sticks to its job and does it well.
After trying many open source/freeware/shareware players, VLC stands
out as not been too technically oriented. There are no need to
understand the need for different codec, know where to find them, how
they conflicts and install them. Everything works right after install.
VLC media player has so many features that I hardly scrape the surface
as a light user of audio and visual media. I am all to happy that it
serves all my needs well. However, VLC packs enough functionalities to
satisfy even the demanding users.
What I like about ?
- Supports a large number of format with the need to download codec everytime.
- Simple to use compared to other more technical open source players.
- One player to play them all.
Where to get it?
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/
Current version:0.8.2
Function: Media player
The Live 8 banner on Technorati caught my attention. What is Live 8?
"Live 8 is a series of concerts and events across the world which are
being staged to highlight the problem of global poverty. It’s a chance
for ordinary people to call on world leaders at this year’s G8 summit
and tell them to put a stop to the needless deaths of 30,000 children
every single day."
Is this effort going to be effective? I hardly think so. Should people support it? Certainly!
For those old enough to recall, 20 years ago there was Live Aid, "We Are The World". In Asia, there is also 《明天会更好》. Now 20 years later? Poverty is still commonplace.
But every action in the right direction should be supported. Every bits counts. That’s why it is commendable.
Yet, the skeptic in me also caution that this might well be a media publicity stunt. What better way for a web property like Technorati to get notice overnight? What better way to drive record sales? Notice all these initiative are all media led? There has to be a reason. Granted that media is need to reach the mass. There is a lot to be gained. Only that gaining party may not be those that in poverty.
Published on
27 June, 2005 in
Quotes.
Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage.
If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out
and get busy.- Dale Carnegie
Change had been the dominant theme for me these few months. The sidekicks of change are doubt and fear. So I also got well acquainted with them as well.
Carnegie hit it right when he prescribe action to be the counter for doubt and fear. I went out and got busy. And suddenly doors are opened, hope blossomed, ideas ignited.
Really there is nothing can put us down except ourselves.
Published on
26 June, 2005 in
Quotes.
"First, you must separate facts from mere information. Second, you must separate facts into two classes - the important and the unimportant." - Napoleon Hill success scroll 10.
The internet is such a trove of information that we often spent more time gathering information than processing them. There is a danger that the information gathering process becomes the end itself. It is fun learning new information. One of my favourite is random browsing the wikipedia.
Because information gathering is fun and processing is hard work, we tend to delay as much as possible. It is critical to know when to stop looking and start working.
Published on
23 June, 2005 in
China.
For certain documents such as invoices, receipts, contracts or bank slips, the chinese uses a complex form of the written numeral. This caused some problem for me as they are not frequently used or encountered in Singapore. They are also not easily remembered.
The primary reason for using them is to prevent forgery. In the simple form, the number can easily be changed by adding a few strokes. For example 1(一) can be changed to 2(二) or 10(å��). In the complex form, there is no opportunity for forgery or ambugity.
1 一 壹
2 二 贰
3 三 å��
4 四 肆
5 五 ä¼�
6 兠陆
7 七 柒
8 八 æ�Œ
9 ä¹� 玖
0 〇 零
dollar 元 圆
ten å�� 拾
hundred 百 佰
thousand å�ƒ 仟
only 整
as in "nine thousand three hundred and seventy six dollars only" “玖仟å��佰柒拾陆圆整â€�
Change is the only constant.
Cliche but true. One must be accustom to change if one is starting a business. And this is what had happened to me over the past weeks.
Old partnership resolved and new one formed. People left, new people came. Opportunity lost, opportunities gained. Reworked business plan and direction. Evaluated and reset goals. Shifted working environment. Readjusted in work and life style. No holds barred, everything was examined and changed.
It may seems like a discontinunity, a break. Everything that was done are lost. In actuality, all is not lost. Past works are the groundwork and foundation, laid so that more can be built on top.
The most important thing for an entrepreneur is not to fear unknown of change. Ride the wind of change. The wind may not take you to Asia as planned but it may lead to the discovery of the New World.
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