Before I forget, first things first - if you're looking at this page and it looks messed up (mis-alignment, huge text etc.), just clear your cache/temporary internet files, close your browser, and reload the site. Your browser is probably using a cached version of the stylesheet (because you've been to this place before), and all the CSS files have now been updated.

That's right. The site that you now see does not contain a single table.
You probably don't see a change in the look, but the code has changed dramatically. The layout of everything is now controlled by div elements that inherit their positions and properties from external stylesheets. I was working on getting this done towards the end of summer break, and it looks like the transition has worked smoothly.

The question: Why?
Tables were never designed for layout purposes. They were always meant to hold data in a tabular form (as their very name suggests). In fact, the W3C, in its Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, explicitly says "Do not use tables for layout..."
And of course, if you've been visiting often enough, you probably already know that I've been trying to stick to W3C standards for a while now. So this was just one more step towards doing things the "correct way."

More importantly though, using CSS for layouts is just a more modular and efficient way of doing things. Any changes that I need to make to the layout just involve changing a few lines in the stylesheet rather than editing all my table properties.

Here are a few more reasons that you can take a look at if you're interested: Why avoiding tables (for layout) is important

The screenshot says it all...what more could I want?
That up there is almost 24 Mbit/s! :o

(In case you didn't already figure it out, that is downloading an ultra-high resolution trailer of Matrix Revolutions)

Just one little add-on to the site before classes commence.

If you visit e-piphany on a regular basis, and if you want to be automatically notified when a new entry is up, just enter your email address in the box in the right pane, below the shoutbox.
Then sit back and enjoy the spiffy new notification system.

If you have any problems with the system, make sure you let me know.

Just spent some time this evening walking around campus, and figuring out where all the buildings are. Two new random pictures are in the UCLA gallery in the Pictures section. Check them out!
The Royce Hall pic has to be the best pic I've taken with my Nokia so far. It's also my new webcam shot for now.

Okay...so now that I'm finally back in my room, it's time to post the events of the so-called Mandatory Monday.

After sleeping really late yesterday (because of the movie), I ended up waking up almost at 1:00 PM today! I didn't see the need to set an alarm yesterday, since there wasn't really anything to do until late afternoon. Skipped breakfast, and went right for lunch instead. I was glad to see how flexible the lunch hours at Rieber are - it's open until 4:30 PM! Then it was off to Pauley Pavillion for a convocation (pictures of which are posted). The place was huge and really impressive! A barbeque on the field followed. I met up with Aashish and Arian (whom I got to know at orientation) there.

We had an all-hall meeting later in the evening with a presentation about everything that's available at Rieber and all the people involved in the administration etc. I actually saw Jeff David there - the guy in Physics from junior year at Uni! Didn't know he was here at UCLA...and living in Rieber. Didn't get a chance to talk to him though.
Then there was a floor meeting at the fireside lounge, just for people to introduce themselves etc., and for some more announcements. I just realized that our floor RA (resident assistant), Kim, graduated from Uni in 2001 too!

There's a Capture-the-flag event at midnight, and another one tomorrow at 9:00 PM. I don't think I'll go tonight...don't want to end up waking up really late again tomorrow...

Pictures of the Welcome Week events so far are up on the pictures section of the site.
All pics were taken on my cell phone and transfered to the laptop via infrared. So handy!

I have to leave for a floor meeting at the fireside lounge in a few minutes, so I'll make another post later tonight...

Back to the dorm now...on this really sweet connection. Heck, it feels good moving to this even from my cable connection at home. Can't imagine how the 56k people must be feeling like right now. For the first time in my life, I've seen a download go into MB/s. Good stuff.

Anyways, the room is all set up nicely now. Moved the desk around a bit from it's default position, making more space for the rest of my stuff. Unpacked my printer and speakers today as well. Setting up the computer has never been this easy...oh, the perks of having a laptop! Had dinner around 7:00...that has to be the earliest dinner I've ever had. Food was good though!

Wow! Come to think of it...it's actually pretty COLD in the room. Guess that's because there's such a huge window and it's wide open. My roomie and I have left our door open too, so people from the floor have been stopping by now and then, just to say hi and introduce themselves. Friendly bunch of folk here.

Oookay...so I think I'm going to close up some of my stuff before I go to watch a free screening of LOTR: The Two Towers in 15 mins. Was a great movie...definitely worth watching again. I'm out...

• TOTAL_OBJECTS - Congratulations, the total objects on this page (including the HTML) is 3 which most browsers can multithread. Minimizing HTTP requests is key for web site optimization.
• TOTAL_CSS - Congratulations, the total number of external CSS files on this page is 1. Because external CSS files must be in the HEAD of your HTML document, they must load first before any BODY content displays. Although they are cached, CSS files slow down the initial display of your page.
• TOTAL_SIZE - Congratulations, the total size of this page is 18779 bytes. This page should load in less than eight seconds on a 56Kbps connection - or 4.34 seconds. But there's always room for improvement.
• TOTAL_SCRIPT - Congratulations, the total number of external script files on this page is 1. External scripts are less reliably cached than CSS files so consider combining scripts into one, or even embedding them into high-traffic pages.
• HTML_SIZE - Congratulations, the total size of this HTML file is 17016 bytes, which less than 20K. Assuming that you specify the HEIGHT and WIDTH of your images, this size allows your page to display content in well under 8 seconds, the average time users are willing to wait for a page to display without feedback.
• SCRIPT_SIZE - Congratulations, the total size of all your scripts is 674 bytes, which is less than 1160 bytes. This will fit into one higher-speed TCP-IP packet.
• CSS_SIZE - Congratulations, the total size of all your internal and external CSS is 1089 bytes, which is less than 1160 bytes. This will fit into one higher-speed TCP-IP packet.

Perfect!

Yay! Pictures on my phone from Sunday evening will be up soon. I just ordered a USB-to-IrDA (infrared) adapter online today.
Should be here by Friday.

Last couple of days...so many things to pack, so many things I need to remember to do when I get there. Also have to get my last Hepatitis B shot on Friday. Not looking forward to that lovely sore-arm sensation.

Mixed feelings...excited on one hand - excited to finally get back to school, to learn new stuff, to make some new friends, to experience what it's like to live alone (at the same time, having the convenience of being able to come home almost every weekend); yet sort of hoping summer break would continue for a little longer. I don't understand - there was a time when I had almost nothing to do, and I was desperately waiting for classes to start. Now it seems like I have so many things that I can do, but probably won't be able to pursue once classes commence. Ah well, I'm sure that's what everyone felt before they left for their respective universities...

*Gasp* Only 3 days left...

Got my cellphone plan activated yesterday, along with a Nokia 3650. The phone is so awesome!

Here's a nice, detailed review that I had a look at before picking the phone: Nokia 3650 review @ HowardChui.com
And the official blurb from Nokia is here: Nokia 3650

I've been playing with it for two days now...getting accustomed to the numerous capabilities of this thing - a phone, PDA, and camera all in one. What more could I want?

Here's a letter I received through email this morning. It's addressed to the terrorists who were responsible for the recent bomb attacks in Bombay. Superbly written...

Dear Terrorist,

Even if you are'nt reading this we don't care. Time and again, you have tried to disturb us and disrupt our lives - killing innocent civilians by planting bombs in trains, buses and cars. You have tried hard to bring death and destruction, cause panic and fear, and create communal disharmony but every time you have been disgustingly unsuccessful. Do you know how we pass our life in Mumbai? How much it takes for us to earn that single rupee? If you wanted to give us a shock, then we are sorry to say that you failed miserably in your ulterior motives. Better look elsewere, not here.

We are not Hindus and Muslims, or Gujaratis and Marathis, or Punjabis and Bengalis. Nor do we distinguish ourselves as owners or workers, govt. employees or private employees. WE ARE MUMBAIKERS (Bombay-ites, if you like). We will not allow you to disrupt our lives like this. Last time, when you struck with 7 deadly blasts in a single day (killing over 250 people and injuring 500+), we went to work the next day in full strength. This time, we cleared everything within two hours and were back to normal - the vendors placing their next orders, businessmen finalizing their next deals, and the office workers rushing to catch the next train.

Fathom this: Within 3 hours of the blasts, long queues of blood donating volunteers were seen outside GT hospital, where most of the injured were admitted. By 5 pm, the hospital had to issue a notification that blood banks were full, and that they didn't require any more blood. The next day, attendance at schools and offices was close to 100%, trains and buses were packed to the brim, crowds were back, and even the Bombay Stock Exchange (which had fallen by 120 points) struck back with a vengeance gaining 148 points!

The city simply dusted itself off and moved on - perhaps with greater vigour. If you thought that by planting bombs near a Hindu place of worship, we would fight and riot against our Muslim brothers, you were totally mistaken. We are Mumbaikers and we live like brothers in times like these. So, do not dare to threaten us with your crackers. The spirit of Mumbai is very strong and can not be harmed.

With Love,
From the people of Mumbai (Bombay)

Hahahaha! Take a look at this.

Following the recent lawsuits that the RIAA filed against twelve-year old music swappers, Penny Arcade has come up with a comic strip on the subject.
A Close One

Had my second "formal" driving lesson today, again for two hours. First, my instructor took me on these inside roads in some residential area where I had to drive at 25mph and tolerate a billion STOP signs. That part was quite boring, and if it had continued for any longer I would possibly have fallen asleep at the wheel.
But then came the exciting part - freeway driving. My dad hadn't taken me on the freeways before, so it was my first time driving on them. It was great cruising along at 70mph, and changing lanes so many times, just for the heck of it.

Just when you thought it was the end of the surge of new themes, here comes Apocalypse: another new look for the site. Credit for the background goes to morptrix of deviantArt.
And yes, Limits has replaced the plain "Lite" theme. The theme selection menu has been updated accordingly. Enjoy.

And thanks to all the regulars who drop by every now and then...especially to those of you who are nice enough to leave comments or flood the shoutbox.

Hahaha! Some of these are really funny

Alabama: Hell, Yes, We Have Electricity
Alaska: 11,623 Eskimos Can't Be Wrong!
Arizona: But It's A Dry Heat
Arkansas: Literacy Ain't Everything
California: By 30, Our Women Have More Plastic Than Your Honda
Colorado: If You Don't Ski, Don't Bother
Connecticut: Like Massachusetts, Only The Kennedy's Don't Own It Yet
Delaware: We Really Do Like The Chemicals In Our Water
Florida: Ask Us About Our Grandkids
Georgia: We Put The "Fun" In Fundamentalist Extremism
Hawaii: Haka Tiki Mou Sha'ami Leeki Toru (Death To Mainland Scum, Leave Your Money)
Idaho: More Than Just Potatoes ... Well Okay, We're Not, But The Potatoes Are Real Good
Illinois: Please Don't Pronounce the "S"
Indiana: 2 Billion Years Tidal Wave Free
Iowa: We Do Amazing Things With Corn
Kansas: First Of The Rectangle States
Kentucky: Five Million People; Fifteen Last Names
Louisiana: We're Not ALL Drunk Cajun Wackos, But That's Our Tourism Campaign
Maine: We're Really Cold, But We Have Cheap Lobster
Maryland: If You Can Dream It, We Can Tax It
Massachusetts: Our Taxes Are Lower Than Sweden's (For Most Tax Brackets)
Michigan: First Line Of Defense >From The Canadians
Minnesota: 10,000 Lakes... And 10,000,000,000,000 Mosquitoes
Mississippi: Come And Feel Better About Your Own State
Missouri: Your Federal Flood Relief Tax Dollars At Work
Montana: Land Of The Big Sky, The Unabomber, Right-wing Crazies, and Little Else
Nebraska: Ask About Our State Motto Contest
Nevada: Hookers and Poker!
New Hampshire: Go Away And Leave Us Alone
New Jersey: You Want A ##$%##! Motto!? I Got Yer ##$%##! Motto Right Here!
New Mexico: Lizards Make Excellent Pets
New York: You Have The Right To Remain Silent, You Have The Right To an Attorney
North Carolina: Tobacco Is A Vegetable
North Dakota: We Really Are One Of The 50 States!
Ohio: At Least We're Not Michigan
Oklahoma: Like The Play, Only No Singing
Oregon: Spotted Owl... It's What's For Dinner
Pennsylvania: Cook With Coal
Rhode Island: We're Not REALLY An Island
South Carolina: Remember The Civil War? We Didn't Actually Surrender
South Dakota: Closer Than North Dakota
Tennessee: The Educashun State
Texas: Si' Hablo Ing'les (Yes, I Speak English)
Utah: Our Jesus Is Better Than Your Jesus
Vermont: Yep
Virginia: Who Says Government Stiffs And Slackjaw Yokels Don't Mix?
Washington: Help! We're Overrun By Nerds And Slackers!
West Virginia: One Big Happy Family... Really!
Wisconsin: Come Cut The Cheese
Wyoming: Where Men Are Men ... And The Sheep Are Scared!

Ouch! My dad's Sony VAIO from work died today, and he could barely get any work done without a computer. So off we went to CompUSA to shop for a new one (no time to wait for online orders).
So now his new laptop for work is a Toshiba Satellite A25-S207 -- P4 2.66GHz, 512MB DDR, 40GB HDD, DVD/CD-RW, 15" XGA, integrated 802.11b WiFi, SecureDigital memory card reader, and all that jazz. The build quality seems solid, and the outer shell appears really tough. It's slightly bigger than my Dell, but weighs a tiny bit less.

This weekend, my job is to get all his software reinstalled, and to salvage all the critical data from his old hard drive. Guess the easiest way is going to be to remove the drive from my Dell, and to plug the old hard drive in - then transfer the files to the Toshiba across a network connection.

I'm finally done playing with the site for today. A summary of the many changes:
- New theme called Abstract, based on a wallpaper from this site.
- About section: Updated with a photograph
- Pictures section: Added two new picture galleries
- WebCam update...hehe
- Links section: Added a few more interesting tech links.

Now I'm going out for some fresh air...

I was planning to use the traditional thumbnail-style image gallery approach to the pictures section, but I happened to come across Qdig: a PHP-based image gallery management system that's unbelievably convenient.

So the Pictures section of the site is now up and running.
For now, there are only external views of our new home in Buena Park. The inside is still in quite a mess with plastic coverings and stacked cartons lying all around, so I'll take pictures of the interiors when we're settled, and the house in a more presentable state.
UHS Awards Night and Graduation 2003 pictures are also up.
I have some more pictures from various other occasions, but they are huge 3.2 Megapixel digital pics that need to be resized for the web. I'll do that in due course of time...

Now this is really cool:

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Fuel cells that can run laptops for 10 hours or more without plug power have captured the imagination of computer junkies. But first, backers must prove that they are as safe to fly with as a cigarette lighter or a duty-free bottle of vodka. Japanese companies are pushing ahead with prototypes of miniaturized fuel cell technology that use methanol to create power, even though experts say limited-life batteries are here to stay for several more years.

Methanol, a type of alcohol, is flammable, but fuel cells typically use less than 24 percent methanol in water, said John Goodman, president of the fuel cell division at Entegris, which makes fuel cell components. "The issue isn't 'Are flammable liquids safe on an aircraft?' They already are allowed with liquor and perfume," said Goodman. Fuel cell-powered laptop prototypes have been developed by Toshiba 6502.T and NEC 6701.T , who plan to start selling them as full-fledged products next year. Casio 6952.T , Sony 6758.T and Hitachi 6501.T and Samsung 00830.KS of Korea are also working on micro fuel cell technology.

Full Story: Reuters

I'm tired and sleepy now, so it's off to bed...