Category Archives: Technologies

Technologies

How to Use AI to Boost Your Productivity

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Motivation:

You want to leverage AI to boost your productivity. However, you do not know specifically what it can do for you.

Suggestions:

I. If you are reading a book, you can try the following tasks.

1. Ask ChatGPT to help you summarize the long content you have read to clarify any unclear points, so that you can follow the subsequent content more easily.

Example prompt: summarize the content below in 5 sentences:
[Your long content here]

2. Ask ChatGPT to clarify unknown concepts in the summary.

  • Example prompt 1: what is [unknown concept here] in 1 sentence.
  • Example prompt 2: Give a bit more detail about [unknown concept here].
II. If you are writing an article, you can try the following tasks.

1. Ask ChatGPT to help you rewrite your sentences grammatically and fluently.

Example prompt: grammar? [Your content here]

2. Try asking ChatGPT to translate content to English.

Example prompt: translate the following to English: [Your content here]

III. If you are learning a topic, you can try the following tasks.

1. Ask ChatGPT to explain difficult terms using specific examples.

Example prompt: Explain hashtable using simple, specific examples.

2. Ask ChatGPT to distinguish between two or more concepts.

  • Example prompt 1: Distinguish virtualization from emulation.
  • Example prompt 2: Distinguish library, framework, and platfrom.

3. Ask ChatGPT to search for research paper related to a terminology or product.

Example prompt: Give me a research paper related to qemu.

4. Ask ChatGPT for a diagram that explains the relationship among three or more concepts.

Example prompt: Give me a diagram explaining the relationship among hardware, os, qemu, xv6, and xv6 programs.

5. Ask ChatGPT to clarify your understanding or answer your question.

  • Example prompt 1: Does the page table store program data or the physical RAM addresses of that data?
  • Example prompt 2: Does PM2 automatically use the .env file?
  • Example prompt 3: Why does the Azure WAF block requests to WebResource.axd?
IV. If you are maintaining a product, you can try the following tasks.

1. Ask ChatGPT to fix a maintenance issue after receiving an error message.

Example prompt: How to fix the Salesforce issue: “Cannot deactivate the Default Workflow User”

2. Try asking ChatGPT for the quickest way to complete a simple task.

Example prompt: Give me the quickest way to serve static HTML files from a folder using Node.js.

3. Try asking ChatGPT to convert a Unix script into a Windows script.

Example prompt: Convert the script below from Ubuntu to Windows:

[Your script here]

V. If you are developing a product, you can try the following tasks.

1. Try asking Cursor to code a simple feature.

Example prompt: Implement a user-level sleep program for xv6, along the lines of the UNIX sleep command. Your sleep should pause for a user-specified number of ticks. A tick is a notion of time defined by the xv6 kernel, namely the time between two interrupts from the timer chip. Your solution should be in the file user/sleep.c.

Technologies

How to Install Only Outlook from Microsoft 365 Suite

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Problem:

  • You already have Office 2007 with license key. However Office 365 email service does not work with Outlook 2007.
  • You have to use Outlook 365 to connect to Office 365 email service.
  • However you still want to use Word, Excel and Power Point 2007 because you do not have to log in Office 365 account for activation and you want to avoid accidential uploading files to your Office 365 account.
  • You also still want to use Word, Excel and Power Point 2007 because of their speed and the ability to paste an image to center of a slide.
  • In summary, you wish to install Outlook 365 only.

Solution:

  1. Download Office Deployment Tool.
  2. Extract the exe file to C:\Users\admin\Downloads\O365. (Replace admin with your Windows username.)
  3. Copy configuration-Office365-x64.xml to outlook.xml.
  4. Modify the content of the outlook.xml file as below. 
    <Configuration>

  <Add SourcePath="C:\Users\admin\Downloads\O365" OfficeClientEdition="32" Channel="Current">
    <Product ID="O365ProPlusRetail">
      <Language ID="en-us" />
      <ExcludeApp ID="Access" />
      <ExcludeApp ID="Bing" />
      <ExcludeApp ID="Excel" />
      <ExcludeApp ID="Groove" />
      <ExcludeApp ID="Lync" />
      <ExcludeApp ID="OneDrive" />
      <ExcludeApp ID="OneNote" />
      <!--  <ExcludeApp ID="Outlook" /> -->
      <ExcludeApp ID="PowerPoint" />
      <ExcludeApp ID="Publisher" />
      <ExcludeApp ID="Teams" />
      <ExcludeApp ID="Word" />
    </Product>
  </Add>

  <!--  <Updates Enabled="TRUE" Channel="Current" /> -->

  <!--  <Display Level="None" AcceptEULA="TRUE" />  -->

  <!--  <Property Name="AUTOACTIVATE" Value="1" />  -->

</Configuration>
  5. Open Command Prompt (Admin).
  6. Execute the commands below. 
    cd C:\Users\admin\Downloads\O365
setup.exe /download outlook.xml
setup.exe /configure outlook.xml
  7. If you have any issues with the steps then recheck Microsoft guide.
  8. You may also use online Office Customization Tool to to create a configuration file and download it for using with the Office Deployment Tool.

Increasing Classic Outlook font size:

  1. On the File tab, choose Options > Mail.
  2. Under Compose messages, choose Stationery and Fonts.
  3. On the Personal Stationery tab, under New mail messages or Replying or forwarding messages, choose Font.
  4. Refer to Microsoft guide for more information.

Creating Classic Outlook signatures:

  1. On the File tab, choose Options > Mail.
  2. Under Compose messages, choose Signature.

 

Technologies

How to Log in Windows Safe Mode

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Motivation:

  • You get a blank screen after installing graphic driver on Windows 11 (e.g. Intel HD Graphics 520 graphic driver).
  • So you want to log in Windows safe mode to remove or disable the installed graphic driver.

Solution:

  1. Turn on your computer.
  2. When you see the Windows logo and circle progress, press the Power button and hold it for 10 seconds. You computer will be turned off.
  3. Turn on your computer again.
  4. When you see the Windows logo, if you do not see Preparing Automatic Repair or Please Wait message then press the Power button and hold it for 10 seconds again.
  5. Repeat the 3rd and 4th step until you see Preparing Automatic Repair or Please Wait message.
  6. Click Advanced options button.
  7. Click Troubleshoot button.
  8. Click Advanced options button.
  9. Click Startup Settings button.
  10. Click Restart button.
  11. Press number 4 or number 5 to enter Windows safe mode.

Solution for solving graphic driver issue:

This solution is useful when you want to use your computer as a server without proper Intel HD Graphics 520 graphic driver and control your computer via remote desktop connection.

  1. Log in Windows safe mode without networking. If you want to avoid logging into safe mode then you may log in your machine via remote desktop connection.
  2. Install the latest graphic driver.
  3. Open Device Manager.
  4. Disable graphic driver.
  5. Log in Windows normal mode.
  6. Open Device Manager.
  7. Right click your display adapter and select Update driver.
  8. Select Browse my computer for drivers option.
  9. Select Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer option.
  10. Select Microsoft Basic Display Adapter.
  11. Enable graphic driver.
  12. Restart your machine.

 

    Technologies

    How to Combine an Image and Audio File to Video File

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    Motivation:

    • You have a JPG and WAV file. You want to combine them to a FLV file in order to upload it to YouTube without losing audio quality.
    • You have a JPG and MP3 file. You want to combine them to a MP4 file in order to upload it to YouTube.

    Combining JPG and WAV to FLV:

    1. Download ffmpeg.
    2. Unzip the downloaded package to C:\Users\admin\Downloads\ffmpeg-7.0.1-essentials_build folder.
    3. Copy your image.jpg and audio.wav file to C:\Users\admin\Downloads\ffmpeg-7.0.1-essentials_build/bin folder.
    4. Open Command Prompt.
    5. Execute the two commands below. 
      cd C:\Users\admin\Downloads\ffmpeg-7.0.1-essentials_build\bin
ffmpeg -r 1 -loop 1 -i image.jpg -i audio.wav -acodec copy -r 1 -shortest -vf scale=1280:720 output.flv
    6. Open output.flv file to verify result.
    7. Upload ouput.flv file to YouTube.

    Combining JPG and MP3 to MP4:

    1. Download ffmpeg.
    2. Unzip the downloaded package to C:\Users\admin\Downloads\ffmpeg-7.0.1-essentials_build folder.
    3. Copy your image.jpg and audio.mp3 file to C:\Users\admin\Downloads\ffmpeg-7.0.1-essentials_build/bin folder.
    4. Open Command Prompt.
    5. Execute the two commands below. 
      cd C:\Users\admin\Downloads\ffmpeg-7.0.1-essentials_build\bin 
ffmpeg -loop 1 -framerate 1 -i image.jpg -i audio.mp3 -map 0 -map 1:a -c:v libx264 -preset ultrafast -tune stillimage -vf "fps=10,format=yuv420p,scale=1920:1080:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease,pad=1920:1080:(ow-iw)/2:(oh-ih)/2" -c:a copy -shortest output.mp4
    6. Open output.mp4 file to verify result.
    7. Upload output.mp4 file to YouTube.

     

     

     

    Technologies

    How to Fix EPUB Processing Failure on Google Play Books

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    Problem:

    You uploaded EPUB file to Google Play Books but received Processing Failed error message.

    Solution 1:
    1. Open https://ebook.online-convert.com/convert-to-epub.
    2. Click Choose File and select EPUB file.
    3. Wait for the uload to be complete.
    4. Click the Start button.
    5. Download the new EPUB file.
    6. Upload the new EPUB file to Google Play Books.
    7. If this solution does not fix the issue, please try solution 2 below.
    Solution 2:
    1. Open https://www.zamzar.com.
    2. Click Choose Files and select EPUB file.
    3. Click Convert To and select azw3.
    4. Click Convert Now button.
    5. Download the azw3 file.
    6. Return to https://www.zamzar.com.
    7. Click Choose Files and select azw3 file.
    8. Click Convert To and select EPUB.
    9. Click Convert Now button.
    10. Download the EPUB file.
    11. Upload the EPUB file to Google Play Books.

    Note: https://www.zamzar.com offers only 2 free daily conversions.

     

     

    Technologies

    How to Automatically Create a Subtitle for a Video

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    Motivation:

    You have MP4 video file.
    You want to create a subtitle to understand the video content.

    Solution:
    1. Split MP4 file to 9-minutes files (please refer to https://huybien.com/how-to-trim-or-cut-mp4-files-without-re-encoding/ for details).
    2. Log in https://www.veed.io
    3. Click the “+” icon.
    4. Upload a 9-minutes MP4 file.
    5. Click the “Subtitles” tab.
    6. Click the “Auto Translate” button. Select the language for the subtitle.
    7. Click the “Start” button. Wait for the process to be complete.
    8. Click the “Export” button.
    9. Ensure that the “Burn Subtitle” option is selected.
    10. Click the “Export Video” button. Wait for the process on the left to be complete.
    11. Click the “Download MP4” link.

     

    Technologies

    How to Convert M4A to WAV File on macOS

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    Motivation:

    You have downloaded some M4A audio files.

    You want to extract convert them to WAV files to listen to them in other devices that do not support playing M4A files.

    Procedure:

    • In the Music app on your Mac, choose Music > Preferences, then click Files.
    • Copy the path of Music Media folder location. (An example path is Macintosh HD/Users/admin/Music/Music/Media.)
    • Click the Import Settings… button.
    • In the Import Using pop-up menu, set Import Using = Wav Encoder, then click OK to save the settings.
    • Drag M4A files to the Music app.
    • Select songs in your library, then click File > Convert > Create WAV Version.
    • Go to your library folder (i.e. the Music Media folder location) and copy the WAV files to other devices.
    • Delete the M4A files from your library.
    Technologies

    How to Move Outlook Data to a New Computer

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    Motivation:

    You need to move Outlook data and settings from an old computer to a new computer.

    Solution:

    1. On the destination (new) computer:

      • Type Control Panel in Search box.
      • Click on Control Panel.
      • Select Large icons for View by.
      • Click Mail (32-bit).
      • Click Add. Set Profile Name = Outlook.
      • Follow the instructions to setup an account.

    2. On the source (old) computer:

      • Open Outlook.
      • On the File menu, click Data File Management.
      • Click the data file that you want to compact, and then click Settings.
      • Click Compact Now.
      • Close Outlook.

    3. Copy and overwrite all the contents of %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook to the destination computer. Create the Outlook folder if it does not exist.

    4. Open Outlook in the destination computer.

    Note: If you are using POP3 protocol then all the messages will be re-downloaded again once. If this is true for you then

      • Let Outlook finish downloading the messages, then
      • Click on Unread Mail folder below the Search Folders,
      • Select all the messages,
      • Press Shift, right click and click Delete to permanently delete them all.