Dear Chette,
First of all, thank you for the tips and articles in your website.
My questions is, our year-end bonus is coming up, and I would like to buy myself a new laptop. What brand would you recommend?
- Lisa D.

I'm not usually brand-centric, but with laptops/notebooks, I tend to favor two brands alone because of its reliability: Fujitsu and Toshiba.

I know ... they're not as cheap as the Acers. However, for something that you would use for a couple of years or more, it's probably worth the investment. (As a side note, the notebook I probably won't buy ever again is a Compaq. We had a number of Compaqs at work which kept on experiencing the weirdest problems.)

Nowadays, I'm leaning towards the Fujitsu more because of their hard drive technology. They way they were able to squish a hard disk in a 1.8" is just amazing. I would definitely give my business on a company that invests on this kind of R&D.

The Q series of Fujitsu, when bought in Europe, comes with built-in HSPDA -- no need to lug around a separate 3G data card. Just stick in your 3G or HSPDA capable SIM card, and you're all set. And, at 2.2 lbs, it's almost too good to be true.

But don't take my word for it: Go to your favorite PC store and try out some of the notebooks on sale. Visit some of the popular notebook review websites, too.

By the way, I currently have my eyes set on the Fujitsu P1610. My bitter half is scoffing at the idea (I haven't used a tablet in my life), but I'm pretty much drawn to it. I'm holding out for a while, as it's probably best to wait for Vista to come out before I do any serious purchasing.

Hope this helps.

Got this SMS from Globe Telecom on Christmas Eve:

Globe Advisory: We will be sending the correct settings for ur unit w/in the next 24 hrs for u to experience GPRS/MMS services on ur phone. Pls save the settings even if u have previous settings to ensure that u have the complete GPRS/MMS settings.

I wonder if this has something to do with IMEvrywhr? Or maybe they merely figured out they were giving the wrong APN all along.

For the other Globe users out there, you might have noticed that whenever you request a GPRS setting over-the-air or contact Globe's customer support, they give the APN www.globe.com.ph. This, of course, does not work for mobile apps (except maybe for wap browsing), and we figured out for ourselves that we should use internet.globe.com.ph instead.

By the way, I did receive a setting configuration for Globe within 24 hours. I also got a "feature not supported error" on my Nokia phone when I tried to open the message [insert smirk here]

Below are my current internet settings for Globe:

WAP over GPRS

MMS

Internet

At the winter solstice, December 22, 2006, J.K. Rowling released the title of the last book of the Harry Potter series: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

at the solstice will come a new … and none will come after …"
-- Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix

Eerie, huh?

For something that was initially touted as a children's book, the title's quite unexpected. I wasn't particularly fond of it myself, being a person who avoids any fiction which even slightly imply "horror story." But it's Harry Potter, and it's J.K. Rowling, so ...

To experience the revelation of the title:

1. Log on to jkrowling.com.
2. Click on the pink eraser on the desk. A locked door will appear. On the mirror on the right, click on the opened door. A Christmas tree will appear.
3. On the main door, click on the middle part. A wreath will appear.
4. Click on the mirror again, near the ceiling. Garlands will appear.
5. Click on either of the spider webs beside the main door. The webs will disappear.
6. On the window on the left, click on the wind chimes. A key will appear. Drag this key to the key hole. The door will open.
7. Click on the gift on the desk. The gift will open to reveal a card which says "Hangman."
8. Click on the card. The hangman game will now load.
9. Play the game until you get the title of the book.

Speculations are now going on regarding the release date of the book. Even Amazon has included the book with the updated title in its catalog. My guess is December of 2007 at the earliest.

In the meantime, I am quite contented revisiting both the books and the audio books. There’s nothing quite like ‘em.

A highly-charged and always-on-the-go job is more susceptible to technostress, and in my experience, a mobile phone adds more to this than anything else.

Here are some things I learned along the way in how to keep my sanity:

Ring Once

Set your ring tone to "Ring Once." Do yourself and others around you a favor. You only need to be alerted once when someone is calling. Your phone does not have to ring ceaselessly while you rummage thru your bag for your phone or while you decide whether to take the call or not.

And by the way, if you were not alerted on the 1st ring, what are the chances that you will be alerted on the 2nd ring? Pretty slim, if you ask me.

(Note: This tip is not advisable for those high-risk and health-related professions.)

Get another number

I carry 2 phones with me -- one for "public" number (for work & friends), and another in a much smaller phone. This is my "in case of emergency" phone number, and strictly reserved for family. This is the phone I never turn off.

That reply can wait

There is an unconscious obligation to reply to SMS as soon as they come in.

Ask yourself why. Do you think it rude not to? Are you worried that people expect you to reply immediately? If yes, do you think it is right for them to continue to keep this expectation?

Sending SMS in quick succession is fun in times of boredom, but generally, I treat SMS like email -- something that should be handled at a set time, and in the proper frame of mind.

I used to get chided for my "delayed responses" (in SMS lingo, delay means more than an hour of lead time). But I realized that I cannot allow myself to be interrupted for every SMS that comes in, and that I need to take control over my phone, instead of it controlling me.

Archive your SMS

My phone allows me to create an Archive folder. After I have replied to a message, I move it to this Archive folder. This keeps my Inbox clutter-free, allowing me to easily view the SMS that I still need to attend to.

I could also delete the message. However, as my job requires me to document all messages from clients (as they usually contain requirement changes and clarifications), the Archive system works best for me.

Turn it off

If you can't take a call, forget the silent mode. Just turn your phone off.

I attend a school with very strict mobile phone rules. I found out that the best way to please both the school authorities and my clients is to simply turn off my phone during class. My clients are more understanding when they receive an "out of coverage" recording messages rather than a series of unanswered phone rings.

Alternatively, you can also divert your phone to your voice mailbox. That way, you will still be able to receive SMS.

SMS before calling

Except for dire emergencies, always send an SMS before calling, asking if they are free to talk. Call only when you get confirmation. That way, you will be sure that your intended recipient has put himself in an environment where he can give you and your call its due attention.

I have implemented this practice with almost all my call recipients, and they in turn have returned the courtesy. The "callee" appreciates the fact that I was polite enough to inquire about their availability, and that they can take the time to physically and mentally prepare themselves for my call.

The caller, on the other hand, appreciates that when I take their call, I am ready for it, and have the necessary note-taking instruments at hand.

It works. Trust me.

I never knew whether it’s proper to apologize for not updating my blog. I read somewhere I shouldn't; but I usually feel guilty about the simplest things, so allow me to say sorry to all of you for the brief interruption.

As some of you know, I have a highly unusual job. Handling clients in 3 different time zones practically makes me on-call almost 24 hours a day. And for some reason, I seem to get assigned to the most complicated projects. I used to think it was because I was amazing. Now I think it's simply because I say yes to anything :)

But here I am again, in my fortress of solitude, still getting used to my phone not ringing every few minutes, contemplating on how the year 2006 was like for me.

2006. Wow. I had typhoid around May, and was bedridden for a month. Then in mid-September, I got diagnosed with some form of severe skin asthma. (Gracious. I never knew such an animal existed.) Juggling school with work suddenly became such a huge ordeal.

But now that I think about it, I guess I don't really have a right to complain. You see, I've always been blessed: great family, a wonderful relationship, good friends, fulfilling job ... I've always wondered what I did to deserve all these.

Storm Large once said that I need to go thru a lot of thorns to get that rose. And she was right. It was definitely worth it.

I lost an insanely expensive fountain pen months ago, & have been heartbroken ever since. My efforts to find a suitable replacement proved futile, as stores over here seem to think that there are no other brands in the world except for Parker & Cross.

As time went by, desperation started to set in, and I decided to try my luck online. My Google searches led me to various sites on pens, crafts, GTDs, & lifehacks, until I finally narrowed down my choice to a Lamy Safari. It wasn't too expensive for me to experience cognitive dissonance, & it wasn't too cheap as to be mistaken for a disposable. Plus, charcoal gray is my favorite color.

I headed on to Pendemonium (I heard Swisher Pens has pretty good deals, too), and placed my order:

• 1 Lamy Safari Pen, extra fine nib
• 1 Lamy Safari Pen, fine nib (because I couldn't decide on a nib)
• 2 bottles of Noodler's Ink (as if I will buy anything else)
• 2 converters

After a few weeks of waiting for my order (from Pendemonium, to a US delivery address, & finally to the Philippines), I was finally able to hold the glorious pens in my hands. They were perfect.

I was warned the Safaris were too light to hold -- they weren't. The combined weight & diameter of the body was just right. It was very comfortable -- not at all tiring on the wrist.

I'm also glad I got both nibs. The fine nib is great for taking down hurried notes, and extra fine was awesome for numbers & math formulas.

Sample writing using Lamy Safari fine & extra fine nib

The Safari in charcoal has a great finish, but not so much the royal blue -- I could already see tiny little scratches on them.

In the next few months, I'll be adding the Studio & the AL Star to my Lamy collection. There are some brands just worth being loyal to.

Firefox 2.0? Ho-hum. After all, how can such a great browser impress us further? But a spellchecker’s there, & that’s always good; and a feed reader, which unfortunately didn’t live up to the standards of Sage.

The scrolling tabs need some time to get used to. The tabs are also wider. This means that it only takes a few tabs to be open for it to start scrolling -- not fun for the multi-tasker in you.

There is a way to decrease the size of the tabs, though:

1. Enter the following in the address bar:
   

   about:config

   
   
   
2. Look for browser.tabs.tabminWidth & doubeclick it.

   
   
   

3. Enter desired size. The default is 100 pixels. You can set it to 80 or 90.