Just thought of blogging this last night before I went to bed.

Did you all actually count how many monitors, televisions and computers are there in your household?

Here is a breakdown of mine for a family of 4 living in a HDB 4-room flat.

My Room:

• 1x LCD Television
• 2x LCD Computer Monitors
• 1x Desktop Computer
• 1x Laptop Computer

Brother’s Room:

• 1x CRT Television
• 2x LCD Computer Monitors
• 1x Desktop Computer
• 1x Laptop Computer

Parents’ Room:

• N/A

Living Room:

• 1x LCD Television
• 1x LCD Computer Monitor
• 1x CRT Computer Monitor
• 2x Desktop Computers
• 1x Laptop Computer

Kitchen:

• 1x CRT Television

Total:

• 2x LCD Televisions
• 2x CRT Televisions
• 5x LCD Computer Monitors
• 1x CRT Computer Monitor
• 4x Desktop Computers
• 3x Laptop Computers

I am a sucker when it comes to changelog. I document almost every changes I made to my WordPress plugins’ under their respective changelog and I am hopping to bring that good habbit to this site as well.

It has been 1 month since the launch of lesterchan.net Version 3.0. Along the way I fixed many bugs and added a few new features to the site.

1 month later, I present to you lesterchan.net Version 3.10.

Version 3.10 (4th July 2008)
Index

• NEW: Reorganised “Welcome to lesterchan.net” box
• NEW: Seperated My Computer and My Desktop in “Welcome” box
• NEW: Added 10 Recent Posts from My WordPress Plugins Blog to “Welcome” box
• NEW: Added 10 Recent Posts to “Welcome” box
• NEW: Added 10 Recent Comments to “Welcome” box
• NEW: Added user IP below Last Visited date
• NEW: Added a link to my Twitter profile
• NEW: Renamed “Lester …” to “Lester Chan on Twitter” and moved it to “Welcome” box

Blog

• NEW: Renamed “x Comments” to “x Responses”, “1 Comment” to “1 Response” and “No Comments” to “No Response” as reponses are made up of comments, trackbacks and pingbacks
• NEW: Trackbacks and Pingbacks are displayed separately from the comments and they are counted seperately as well
• NEW: Prefixed a “arrow point right” icon to the “Read More” link
• NEW: Suffixed Word, Image and Video count to “Read More” link
• NEW: Added “By Author” in Blog Archive page
• NEW: Added a Star icon beside my name when commenting
• NEW: Added Gravatar to comments
• NEW: Added Tag support for breadcrumb navigation
• FIXED: Duplicate crumbs when doing paginating Category/Date/Author
• FIXED: RSS feed URL now points to Feedburner
• FIXED: Spread the listing of categories and tags into 3 columns instead of a single column

Menu

• NEW: Menu items (not boxes) slides up and down when toggled
• NEW: Menu fading in and out when changing from left to right
• NEW: Paypal donation image now shown by default
• NEW: Added “Quick Links” menu box in order to access my plugin page within 1 click
• NEW: Renamed “Others” to “Network” and moved it from “Navigation” to “Quick Links” menu box
• FIXED: “Menu Settings” menu box icon now reflect the position of the menu sidebar
• FIXED: Menu is now able to move to the left and back to the right in IE7

General

• NEW: Added Google Analytics tracking code
• NEW: Combined portfolio.css and gallery.css with style.css
• NEW: Optimized style.css

Site

• FIXED: Associate links within “lesterchan.net Network” with Lester Chan instead of GaMerZ
• FIXED: “lesterchan.net Network” Link Category named wrongly

Portfolio

• NEW: Added “Lester Chan’s Webpage”, “AllEventsGroup.com”, “FirstFood.com.sg” and “Raffles Airline HR Management System” to websites
• FIXED: Removed Demo link for WP-Wap as it is no longer in development

Gallery

• FIXED: Gallery image description is now centerized

I have been using Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate 64-Bit for more than a month and I must say I am pretty comfortable with it. Even though not much changes from Windows XP besides the GUI, it supports DirectX 10 which is a must have for all gamers.

Till now, I have gotten only 1 Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) when I am upgrading to the Windows Vista 64-bit service pack 1. Since then, I have not gotten a single crash *TOUCH WOOD*.

Most of the applications out there that works for 32-bit WILL WORK WELL with 64-bit. The only exception I can think of is anti-virus software like NOD32 where it specifically requires a 64-bit version of it.

As for games, the only complain I have is with Steam. Regardless whether I do a proper exit or an improper one for any Steam games, once the game exits, Windows Vista will gave me the stopped working message, “hl2.exe has stopped working”. Apparently after doing some Googling, it is a known problem and there is a fix for it. I am still waiting for Valve to resolve this issue.

The only thing you need to take note is peripherals drivers. If you are using 64-bit OS, you NEED to be using a 64-bit version of your peripheral driver and not a 32-bit one. If your peripheral don’t support 64-bit OS, I think it is time for you to dump it and get a new one.

Somehow I feel safer when using Windows Vista 64-Bit as compared to Windows XP 32-bit as I know there are lesser viruses for Windows Vista and even lesser for the Windows Vista 64-bit as compared to Windows XP. I am keeping my fingers cross.

PS: I am NOT paid by Microsoft to promote Windows Vista, what have been mentioned are my personal views.

June 2008 Total Traffic

• Total Hits: 7,080,355
• Total Files: 6,379,971
• Total Pages: 623,724
• Total Visits: 152,955
• Total KBytes: 23,339,839
• Total Unique Sites: 102,765
• Total Unique URLs: 17,040
• Total Unique Referrers: 16,419
• Total Unique User Agents: 4,622

June 2008 Daily Traffic

• Hits per Day: Average: 236,011 - Max: 307,398
• Files per Day: Average: 212,665 - Max: 281,803
• Pages per Day: Average: 20,790 - Max: 29,335
• Visits per Day: Average: 5,098 - Max: 6,099
• KBytes per Day: Average: 777,995 - Max: 1,108,793

Note: Green denotes increase and Red denotes decrease when compared with May 2008.

Previous month site traffic: May 2008

I spoke about Developing Plugins For WordPress on Wednesday, 18th June 2008 at the Singapore PHP User Group, June 2008 meetup.

This is the second time I am speaking at the user group. The first time was in December 2007 meetup where I spoke about the same topic WorPress Plugin Development With PHP.

I think this time my pace was slightly better.

By embedding this video, it breaks my site XHTML validation!

Powerpoint Slides and Source Code can be downloaded here.

OMFG! Blizzard has finally announced Diablo III.

Introduction
Two decades have passed since the demonic denizens, Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal, wandered the world of Sanctuary in a vicious rampage to shackle humanity into unholy slavery. Yet for those who battled the Prime Evils directly, the memory fades slowly and the wounds of the soul still burn.

When Deckard Cain returns to the ruins of Tristram’s Cathedral seeking clues to new stirrings of evil, a comet from the heavens strikes the very ground where Diablo once entered the world. The comet carries a dark omen in its fiery being and it calls the heroes of Sanctuary to defend the mortal world against the rising powers of the Burning Hells – and even the failing luminaries of the High Heavens itself.

Features
Explore a fully-realized Sanctuary – the living, breathing gothic fantasy world of Diablo III rendered in gorgeous 3D.

Battle the unholy forces of the Burning Hells with all-new character classes like the otherworldly Witch Doctor, or with re-imagined warriors from Diablo’s past: such as the fierce Barbarian.

Rain Hell on your enemies wielding the interactive environment as a weapon: lay cunning traps, turn destructible objects against your foes, and use environmental obstacles to your advantage - all powered by the Havoc physics system.

Experience the intensity of multiplayer Diablo III over an all-new, wickedly-enhanced Battle.net platform with numerous enhancements to make connecting with your friends easier – and cooperative gameplay more fun.

Go: Diablo III Official Site

You may want to go to the Diablo III Media Page to see the goodness first.

Read: Diablo III Press Release

I seriously DO NOT think that is a good idea. Lawyers and analysts has already said that ICANN vote will cause URL chaos!

This is really a RETARDED decision by ICANN. I think when they are in need of money, they will just launch a new TLD and companies will have to buy them to protect their intellectual property.

This is just another form of business to them as you can see they are charging $50K to $100K for the new names, which is ridiculously priced.

At its meeting in Paris, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a not-for-profit organization that oversees the naming scheme for web sites, voted to accept a proposal that will allow companies to purchase new top-level domain names ending in almost whatever suffix they choose.

So, for example, instead of being restricted to sites ending in .com or .org., eBay could have a site that ends in .ebay, or New York City could end its website address with .nyc.

The new naming process will begin in 2009. The first suffixes will probably be given to businesses and other major organizations. Countries are expected to keep their specific suffixes, but, as in the example above, cities could also get individualized URLs, such as .london or .chicago.

In an effort to deter cybersquatters, the organization is likely to charge a hefty price for the new names. Some experts have estimated that the new domain names could cost anywhere from $50,000 (£25,200) to $100,000 or more. ICANN plans to give companies with trademarked names priority for those names.

Source: ‘.wow’: ICANN to allow almost any domain suffix

Caught Wanted last night at GV VivoCity. It was a 109 minutes show. The show is pretty good especially the visual effects. Lots of bullet time and lots of slow motion which I like personally.

There is a twist towards the end which I think was pretty good. I would call it a “different perspective” rather than a actual twist.

I think they focus a lot on Angelina Jolie (Fox) rather than the main character of the movie who is James McAvoy (Wesley Gibson) in terms of advertising and promoting the film.

I just love it when they “Curl The Bullet” whether it is the action of saying the 3 words.

I think I remember this sentence by Morgan Freeman (Sloan) in the movie, “if people didn’t tell you that bullet flew straight, would you think it is possible to curl the bullet?” Somewhere along those lines.

For those who like the show, Wanted 2 is already in development.

Fourth Jason Bourne Film
The Jason Bourne trilogy is one of the best trilogy of all times, it is definitely on par with LOTR. I can’t wait for this 4th installment.

Marshall told IESB on the red carpet of the Saturn Awards that Bourne 4, as it’s being called, will “absolutely” happen. Since the fourth book, titled The Bourne Legacy, was written by Eric Van Lustbader instead of Ludlum because he was no longer alive at the time, they’re going to go down their own path. “We’re probably going to take our own direction and we’re working on what that storyline’s gonna be right now.” As for where Bourne might be going to this time, since he already made it all the way back to New York City - South America. Marshall says that they’ll probably take him “down south” to South America in the fourth installment, but story details aren’t fully finished yet.

The Host 2
The Host 1 was quite a crappy show, I don’t think the 2nd one will be good.

Although it’s been mentioned before, Variety now confirms that a sequel to 2006’s Korean monster flick The Host is in the works. Although it’s being produced partially by the same Korean company, Chungeorahm, the film is a “Chinese sequel” that will explore what happens when people ignore a monster due to their desire for money. The production budget is around $12 million and shooting will start sometime early next year for release by the end of 2009.

Kung Fu Panda 2
Some people do want the sequel of Kung Fu Panda. But for animations, normally the sequels is worst than the 1st installment. Keeping my finger crossed.

This is completely unconfirmed, but the blog of The Animators Guild recently wrote a post that mentions that DreamWorks is already working on a story for a sequel to Kung Fu Panda. Considering the film has already earned $162 million at the box office, it’s very likely that this is accurate. The film definitely leaves open the possibility for sequels at the end and I think I’m not alone when I say I’d love to see Po the Panda return in yet another adventure.

300
300 was not bad, I wonder what will be the sequel called, 301?

We first mentioned that this was “in the works” after 300 hit theaters in early 2007, now it seems to be actually coming together. Producer Gianni Nunnari tells Collider that they’re currently working on a sequel to 300. He says that they’re working with Frank Miller and Zack Snyder to create something authentic which would involve a new story of some kind. If you don’t believe it, Collider says they spoke with Zack Snyder separately and confirmed that it is indeed true and is indeed in the works.

Hellboy III
Hellboy I was not bad, Hellboy II has not shown in Singapore yet. Also keeping my finger cross.

All eyes are currently set on Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army, due out in theaters on July 11th, and his work on The Hobbit soon thereafter. However, Guillermo told Collider that he would love to make Hellboy III after he finishes work on The Hobbit, so if all goes as planned, we might see Hellboy III in 2012 or 2013. Don’t hold your breath though - that’s so far out and the success of Hellboy II hasn’t been guaranteed yet, so the possibility of this actually happening anytime soon is very slim.

Cloverfield 2
Say NO to Cloverfield 2.

Cloverfield 2 - Unfortunately this is the bad news of the bunch today. Cloverfield’s director Matt Reeves also spoke to Collider and told them that unfortunately Cloverfield 2 is on hold. He confirms that they promised only to make a sequel if they could find a story that was as fresh and unique as the first Cloverfield and right now they haven’t come up with that. He does say that they do have a couple of exciting ideas, but it’s in the very early stages and it’s not clear if they’ll develop into anything.

The only sequel I am looking forward to is Bourne 4.

Source: More Sequels: The Host, Kung Fu Panda, 300, Hellboy and More! and More Sequels: Fourth Jason Bourne Film on Track for 2010

Gizmodo goes to Lego and gives you an article on everything you always wanted to know about Lego.

Q: Why did I always have pieces left over when I built my castle sets? Do they just do that to jack with kids?
A: For two reasons: first, because some pieces are so small that they weigh too little to be measured by their scale, during packaging (you will see this when I publish the factory tour. J.) Second, because it’s better to have too many of those pieces than have one of them missing. Since we statistically know what pieces may get lost, we include some extras when appropriate.

Q: How many Lego bricks are produced each year?
A: Approximately 19 billion Lego elements are produced per year. 2.16 million are molded every hour, 36,000 every minute.

Q: Approximately, how many bricks they’ve ever made since Lego started to produce them?
A: More than 400 billion Lego bricks have been produced since 1958. There are about 62 Lego bricks per person of the Earth’s population.

Q: How many Lego sets do they manufacture per year?
A: The number of sets varies per time of year and per year. In the U.S., we launch on average 130 new sets per year. Approximately 7 Lego sets are sold every second around the world.

Read: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Lego