Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.8 Web Browser Released

loketyLeave a comment

For those Mozilla Firefox 1.5.x users who are cool with their version and can wait for 2.x to be downloaded automatically, your browser will probably be downloading 1.5.0.8 right now.

This version resolves three bugs and improves the update feature for it to download lean and custom FF 2.0 installation instead of full installer.

FF 1.5 will be supported and updated until April 27 2007. Although most extensions work in FF 2.0, your only reason to stick with FF 1.5 is the themes, unless you can find FF 2.0 versions.

I’m giving one last chance to FF 1.5 not to crash occasionally when I open a link in a new tab…

Meanwhile, let me recommend a really fun extension, called StumbleUpon. It is a social bookmarking service which lets your surf to pages recommended by others. You can share interesting pages that you have visited and give reviews. Pretty useful extension when you have been surfing for eight hours already and can’t seen to find any more and will crash and die of fatigue. Check it out using the link below.

Oh, FF 1.5.0.9 and 2.0.0.1 are planned to be released on Dec 14 2006. So, you got some time to really think carefully if you want to move on to FF 2.0. ;)

Related posts:

Mozilla Firefox 2 Web Browser Released
<URL:http://glob.lokety.com/2006/10/mozilla-firefox-2-web-browser-released.html>

Firefox Into The Sky!
<URL:http://glob.lokety.com/2006/05/firefox-into-sky.html>

Links:

Mozilla Firefox 1.5.0.8 Release Notes
<URL:http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/releases/1.5.0.8.html>

Download Firefox
<URL:http://www.spreadfirefox.com/?q=affiliates&id=187103&t=213>

StumbleUpon
<URL:http://www.stumbleupon.com>

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Blogger.com Template Tip: Render Previous Post Link At Bottom Of Main Page

loketyLeave a comment

More experienced bloggers using Blogger.com have been able to put “previous” links to lead visitors to the previous post of their blog. On the main page, there is a fixed number of posts that you can choose to display, usually 3. Some visitors may be reading your main page from top to bottom. Now, besides having to refer to the list of previous posts in the sidebar, how can you provide a link at the end of last post of this main page for the visitors to continue reading?

I have written a bit of JavaScript and Blogger.com code just for this. You just need to copy the following code in the right places of your template and it will render a link to the previous post after the fixed number of posts on the main page.

Copy this chunk to the <head> section, preferably after the bunch of <meta> tags. Replace the number “3” in the line that contains “nMaxPostsOnMainPage” to the fixed number of posts on your main page, if it is not 3.

<script type=”text/javascript”>
// This JavaScript code created by Teng-Yan Loke
// Date: 7 Nov 2006 1119hrs
// Website: http://glob.lokety.com
// E-mail: lokety-at-gmail.com
var nMaxPostsOnMainPage = 3;
var aPosts = new Array(nMaxPostsOnMainPage + 1);
var n = 0;
<BloggerPreviousItems>
if (n <= nMaxPostsOnMainPage)
{
aPosts[n] = “<$BlogItemPermalinkURL$>|<$BlogPreviousItemTitle$>”;
n = n + 1;
}
</BloggerPreviousItems>
function writePrevPostOnMainPage()
{
var sTmp;

sTmp = aPosts[nMaxPostsOnMainPage].split(“|”);
document.write(“<a href=\”” + sTmp[0] + “\”>” + sTmp[1] + “</a>”);
}
</script>

Place this line just after the </Blogger> tag near the line that has the HTML comment “End #main”. If you want to apply any CSS style to the line, specify it in the <div> tag.

<MainPage><div style=””>Previous post: <script type=”text/javascript”>writePrevPostOnMainPage();</script></div></MainPage>

Save the template and publish your site. It should work now.

Note: avoid using “|” in the title of your posts as it is used programmatically in my code.

I can probably expand this code to:

  • display a specified number of previous posts, instead of just one
  • display a dropdown list of previous posts to quickly jump to any post

If you find this Blogger.com template tip useful, please link back to me using this permalink. Thanks!

Update (December 13 2006): I’ve made some enhancements to this stuff. Click here to see the next post.

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Identity Cards, Phone Calls and You

loketyLeave a comment

UK’s Prime Minister Tony Blair is defending for the nation’s plan to have identity (ID) cards for non-EU immigrants from year 2008. Similar ID cards will be compulsory for locals from 2010. Although not considered as a comprehensive solution to combat illegal immigration, welfare fraud, and terrorism, setting up the identity system, known as the National Identity Register, will improve protection and enable effective checks, Blair said.

This news ought to cause a few seat adjustments from the civil rights groups.

The Register may store about 49 types of information, see the link “What data will ID cards store?” below. The most accurate identification tokens that will be recorded will be fingerprints and other biometric information, which I believe will be at least the iris and facial photograph. Multiple-token recognition is statistically accurate, down to the one in hundreds of million odds.

Malaysia and Singapore have both adopted national ID cards for their citizens. The set of data that is contained in the card is similarly large. Fields such as addresses, race, religion, signature, physical attributes, and biometrics are stored; in the case of Malaysia, on a 32KB computer chip. Cards are issued for newborns, and it is an offence not to bear the ID card outside of the citizens’ homes (see links below).

The national ID card is meant for bringing products and services to the electronic form of identification for purposes of consumption or access privileges. It is supposed to combat identity forgery and enable effective security checks. At the same time, the card abolishes civil privacy and makes the citizens vulnerable to bribery, identity theft, and breaking laws that were created just for the card system.

Again in these two countries, mobile phone numbers and their interconnections are recorded in a main system that the mobile telcos have to route to. This is a regulation or law of their respective media or communications ministry, created to fight against crimes such as terrorism. Singapore is the first country to implement such a mobile phone call “brokering” system affectionately known as the mobile number portability system, Malaysia is in the pre-implementation stages. All calls that you have made using your mobile phone can be recalled from the system, including pre-paid numbers since these need to be pre-registered with your identity.

Big brother is watching you. Be a good lemming, mate, or don’t get caught! :)

Links:

BBC News – Blair defends identity card plan
<URL:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6120220.stm>

BBC News – What data will ID cards store?
<URL:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4630045.stm>

Wikipedia – British national identity card
<URL:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_national_identity_card>

Wikipedia – MyKad
<URL:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MyKad>

The Star – NRD (National Registry Department) warns of RM20,000 fine or three years’ jail
<URL:http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/7/7/nation/14765105&sec=nation&focus=1>

Singapore Police Force – Information On Police Procedures
<URL:http://www.spf.gov.sg/epc/procedures/intro.htm>

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