Viet's Weblog

How to Take a Screenshot

Viet — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 16:01:20 +0000

Microsoft Windows
For any Windows version:

Press (Print Screen) key to capture a screenshot of the entire desktop and places it in the clipboard. To capture only the active window, press both and keys.
Press V to paste the screenshot into other application like Paint or GIMP or Microsoft Word or LibreOffice Writer.

Another option for Windows Vista and Windows 7 user: Use Snipping Tool to capture screen shots . It a free utility included in Windows Vista and Windows 7

Ubuntu Linux
Press to take a screenshot and save

iOS
Pressing and holding the Home button and the Sleep/Wake button. The screen will flash and the picture will be stored in PNG format in the "Camera Roll" on the iPhone or in "Saved Photos" on the iPod touch. The screenshot feature is only available with iOS 2.0 and later.

Mac OS X
On Mac OS X, a user can take a screenshot of an entire screen by pressing ⌘ Cmd+⇧ Shift+3, or of a chosen area of the screen by ⌘ Cmd+⇧ Shift+4. This screenshot is saved to the user’s desktop, with one PNG file per attached monitor.

New Laptop

Viet — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 22:09:28 +0000

As I mentioned last month, my four years old laptop overworked. Its screen could not display more than one minutes. I must use an external monitor to see. It was my first laptop to fail. My other eight years old Toshiba laptop worked great with email, DOS applications, Windows-based applications, documents, spreadsheets, but not with media web-based applications or games. In the past, I upgraded my computer only when it was too slow and I need a fast CPU and big hard drive to work more efficiency.

At first, I thought I’m going to get a laptop with no operating system or with Ubuntu. I will install Ubuntu 10.04 by myself. Since last year, when I went back to GNU/Linux, I love to use Ubuntu. I used Ubuntu Desktop on daily basic. I also working with many Microsoft applications every day, everywhere. So, it’s practical to get a laptop with Genuine Windows® 7, partition its hard drive into two. One for Microsoft Windows® 7. One for Ubuntu 10.04.

My first task on my new laptop was applied on Windows updates. Next, replaced the trial-ware anti-virus software with Microsoft Security Essentials. After installed Microsoft Security Essentials, I installed or updated to the latest version of essential applications:

Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Adobe Flash Player.
Mozilla Firefox. Mozilla Firefox is my primary default browser. To me, it must more secure and faster than Microsoft Internet Explorer. It’s better to have two browsers on your computer.
OpenOffice.org, a free open productivity suite. My new laptop has preloaded Microsoft Office Starter 2010. I don’t use them since it could not open my password protected documents. With OpenOffice.org, I can open any Microsoft or OpenOffice.org documents, spreadsheets, presentations.

In addition to these essential applications above, as a developer, I needed these stuffs to work:

Notepad++, a free source editor.
Visual Web Developer® 2010 Express.
Visual C# 2008 Express Edition.
Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express.
Android SDK.
Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers.

That all for my Windows 7 partition. I will write about my Ubuntu next time.

Google I/O 2010

Viet — Fri, 21 May 2010 04:28:35 +0000

Since Google I/O 2010 soldout early, I could not attend this great developer event. I watched the I/O keynotes live on the GoogleDevelopers YouTube channel from my office. With two computers, I multitasks: listened to speaker while worked on my desktop.

What I learn from Google I/O 2010:

HTML5, VP8, webM
Google TV
Chrome Web Store
Google Web Toolkit integrate with Spring Roo
Using Google Wave to collaborate
Google Apps Engine for Busines
Google Google Storage for Developers

and of ourse, my favorite, Android development.

There are a lot of technical sessions I need to view. I’m so excited about Google development. I tell myself I will not miss the next Google I/O.

Unexpected email

Viet — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:17:34 +0000

Yesterday, I checked my email. There was one email caught my attention. The subject "Thank you from Google!" from sender "resume-thanks". I laughed myself. Yes, I’m interesting in Google technology as I metioned in previous entry but I have no intention to looking for new job yet. This tough economy create no new jobs. The spam filter worked good. It moved the faked email and its zip attachment to the Junk folder. As a precaution, I delete it from Junk folder.

Never, never open an unexpected email.

Sold out

Viet — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:23:46 +0000

Earlier this year, I planned to attend the Google I/O 2010. It would be my first technical conference in 10 years. Yesterday, I checked it back prior to register. It sold out. Yes, "Google I/O is now sold out and registration has closed." Oh geez, Google I/O 2010 is hot. Many people interesting in Google technology.

Haiti Update: CRS response continues. We need your help

Viet — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 02:47:56 +0000

Here is the email I received from Catholic Relief Services today:

Haiti Update: CRS response continues…we need your help

January 16, 2010

Dear Viet,

We wanted to update you on the situation in Haiti and how Catholic Relief Services is responding. Almost immediately following the earthquake, CRS began delivering lifesaving supplies, including food and water, to desperate survivors. The supplies were already in place in CRS’ Port-au-Prince warehouse.

“We are fortunate to have had water in our warehouse,” says Karel Zelenka, country representative for CRS Haiti. “We also trucked in family food kits from Les Cayes.”

CRS has a staff of 313 on the ground, with more personnel arriving daily. CRS Haiti’s headquarters building was damaged but did not collapse. Until its structural integrity is assured, aid workers are working and sleeping outside in tents or cars.

Additional food will arrive soon. “Fifteen hundred metric tons of wheat and oil will arrive in port shortly,” says Schuyler Thorup, Regional Director for CRS Latin America. “We will distribute it immediately.”

In the neighboring Dominican Republic, CRS is preparing food packages to feed 50,000 people. The packages are five-gallon buckets loaded with ready-to-eat foods that don’t need to be cooked. CRS is also readying water storage containers, water purification tablets, hygiene kits, cookware and plastic sheeting in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

But we can’t do this without your help. We are asking you to please support our efforts to feed and shelter the earthquake victims in Haiti. Your help is urgently needed. Please donate now.

If you have already given, we thank you so much for your generosity and ask that you consider deepening your support for the people of Haiti with a second gift.

God bless you,
Ken Hackett
President
Catholic Relief Services

School Loop

Viet — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:27:18 +0000

Among of three web services that our school district using: Webgrade, Edline and SchoolLoop, I like SchoolLoop most. Second is Edline. The school district made a right choice when choose SchoolLoop as a web tool for all schools in district.Using SchoolLoop, the parent like me can help the student and teacher. SchoolLoop is a great communication tool for school and parent.

Life Is For Living

Viet — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 03:20:11 +0000

Poet: Unknown

Life is a gift we’re given each and every day.
Dream about tomorrow, but live for today.
To live a little, you’ve got to love a whole lot.
Love turns the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Life’s a journey
always worth taking.
Take time to smell the roses… and tulips…
and daffodils… and lilacs… and sunflowers…

Count blessings like children count stars.
The secret of a happy life isn’t buried in a
treasure chest… it lies within your heart.
It’s the little moments that make life big.

Don’t wait. Make memories today.
Celebrate your life!

Bill Gates offers free physics lectures

Viet — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 02:20:10 +0000

Just read this from CNET: Bill Gates offers the world a physics lesson Click here to view the lectures host at Microsoft Research web site..

Now, I like Bill Gates

How To Stay Young

Viet — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:39:14 +0000

How To Stay Young
By George Carlin

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. – This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctor worry about them. That is why you pay him/her.

2. Keep only cheerful friends. – The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening whatever. – “Never let the brain idle.” “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” And the devil’s name is Alzheimer’s.

4. Enjoy the simple things

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. – The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. – Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: – If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don’t take guilt trips. – Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER, Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.