7 Blind Mice (Apple Pro Optical Mouse)

August 12th, 2007

I just bought 7 spoilt apple pro mouse from ebay. 5 of them are the original first generation black color ones while the other 2 are white in color.

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When these mice were released in 2000, the design was just so beautiful. An elegant elliptical shape made of clear acrylic with a translucent black inner piece that emitted a little glow of red through the apple logo.

So what am I going to do with them? Well, a quick search on google revealed a mod turning the mouse into a belt buckle. Another person made a soap dish. There were a few sites about repairing it.

Possible ideas for now include:

A. Remove the guts and replace with a generic wireless mouse internals.

B. Turn it into a torch light similar to those ‘pop’ lights.

C. Make a frame to hold all 7 mice to create a bedside lamp powered through a usb hub.

D. Any other ideas?

Update:

One white mice has been nursed back to health exhibiting a healthy red glow. 

Another possibility for the remaining six was to modify the transparent shell to fit a mighty mouse. Anyone have a dead mighty mouse available for dissection?

Posted in Macintosh | No Comments »

Happy 42nd Birthday Singapore

August 8th, 2007

As Singapore prepares to celebrate it’s 42nd year of nationhood, students from all over Tasmania, Australia came together on the weekend for a huge party.

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The venue for this year’s Singapore Night was held at Wrest Point Hotel & Casino in Hobart. Everyone was dressed up in various traditional clothing of the many cultures that form a part of Singapore. The food was great with favorites from home like ‘fried hokkian seafood noodles’, ‘tandoori chicken’ and many more.

It was a wonderful day to spend in Hobart. The sun was out and a group of us had an enjoyable time browsing the eclectic stalls at Salamanca Market. The view of Mount Wellington was shrouded in misty clouds. Every now and then, we could catch a glimpse of the summit covered in white.

Just when we arrived at the foot of the hill, the barricades that stopped traffic at the springs (half way mark) was opened. We were greeted by a truck that had just cleared the roads as we drove up. The snow was falling gently and it was just magic.

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No matter how many times I’ve visited Mount Wellington, it always reveals a new side of itself.

Posted in Tasmania Holiday Isle | No Comments »

My First Apple

August 1st, 2007

Everyone is always going for the latest and the fastest computer. As a student, my first macintosh computer for my studies was bought through money earned during part time work. I like fiddling with computers and earned some extra income from fixing computers.

Before I started university, I knew that the school of architecture used only macintosh computers and so I thought it would be timely to switch to a mac. Technically speaking, my first mac was an Apple III. But that was eons ago and I only remembered playing lode runner and some other F1 racing game on it’s green monochrome screen.

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The year was 2003 and I could not find an affordable ibook for under a thousand dollars. I needed something small to bring with me and knew that the G4 Cube was the answer. It was not that small as today’s mac mini but it was the smallest desktop mac around. I found one going for $1100 and managed to bring the price down slightly to within my budget. Everything was stock standard.

Although it was not the fastest mac around, it sure was a pleasure to use. OS X 10.3 Panther was stable and everything felt snappy. Photoshop ran really well and seemed so much faster compared to windows pc’s of the same era. Another plus point was that the Cube looked really good on my study desk.

Time passes by and with the G5 processors out, I was contemplating an upgrade. The performance was still good but I upgraded the ram to the maximum 1.5 gb. I loved my Cube and it just kept on going. It sat in a corner working quietly unlike other computers with drowning out my thoughts with the sound of whizzing fans.

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My first mac, meet the G4 Cube. It’s hip to be square.

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Architecture is Dangerous Stuff

July 29th, 2007

I’ve been cutting the site contours since yesterday evening. Suddenly I am seeing contour lines everywhere. The extension wire sure caught my eye. Perhaps it was the bright orange colour.

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[newline]Another thing just occurred to me. In University, students are taught to make models to help visualize and communicate ideas. It might be the stuff in the yellow bottle that is making my mind imagine things a little more clearly.

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My room smells even though the windows are open and I am tempted to close them because of the cold weather outside. According to the little weather widget, it’s 5 degrees outside now.

Who said architecture was a safe profession? Playing with sharp objects all the time and surrounded by toxic chemicals.

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It’s Snowing

July 18th, 2007

The first day of semester 2 is also one of the coldest days this month. From our studio we could see the snow capped mountain tops in the distance. Last year’s winter did not have much snow and we decided on the spur of the moment to drive up to Mount Barrow. Friends around got excited too and we ended up with seven people going on this road trip.

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[newline]We did not own a four wheel drive or snow chains and could only venture up half way to the top. Even at this height, there was plenty of snow on the ground. We were so close to the summit yet so far. There was a nice view over all the forests and we could see the Bass Strait in the distance. We made a snowman and threw snowballs at each other. Oh well, typical stuff to do if you’re from the tropics. The sun was setting and we quickly made our way down.

Posted in Tasmania Holiday Isle | No Comments »

Gone Fishing

July 11th, 2007

Today marks the day when the results from semester 1 are released. Everyone from uni was online and ready to log in at 9 am sharp. All went well as everyone made it. It feels good to pass but it’s even better when all your friends struggle together and succeed together.

A huge weight and heaviness was lifted from my heart and I just wanted to hit the open roads in my car. L wanted to get out of the house too and we decided to go fishing.

We just kept driving for an hour up the Tamar River towards Beauty Point. Clarence Point is the name of the little town we ended up in. As we drove along the beach, we found a small public jetty that looked like a good spot.

The sky was just beautiful with a rainbow through the clouds. It was a bit windy but the sun was out. We caught 4 flathead but had to release one as it was 25 cm, below the legal limit. The other three was between 30 to 35 cm.

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We ended the day celebrating with friends over dinner at home. Dominos Pizza did the cooking tonight.

Posted in Tasmania Holiday Isle | No Comments »

The Number Seven

July 7th, 2007

I knew that today’s date was something special but thought nothing of it. Life went on as usual. I was working that day picking up new students arriving for the new semester. We had a barbecue that evening as two of our friends had acquaintances starting university.

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Coincidentally, there was seven of us that evening. As Andy phrased it best ‘7 mates gathered on the 7th day of the 7th month on the 7th year of the new millennium.’ It was great catching up with friends you’ve not met in person for sometime. I hope the new students enjoyed themselves and not feel too sad about leaving family and friends behind. At least they got a taste of the Australian lifestyle and probably a little too chilly Tasmania weather.

*Thanks Andy for the wonderful pictures taken that evening.

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