arya [at] posterous

when I'm exhilarated and mobile

Removing Microsoft Silverlight on your Mac

I've been dealing with removing Microsoft Silverlight for sometime and I really think that I should write it down because there's no "easy" way to completely remove Silverlight on my Mac.

So, this is how you remove Microsoft Silverlight on your Mac - under Snow Leopard

1. Remove the Plugin in ~/Library/Internet\ Plug-Ins/Silverlight.plugin
2. Remove Silverlight folder in ~/Library/Application\ Support/Microsoft/Silverlight
3. Remove the receipts (try using Command + F, type "silverlight") in ~/var/db/receipts

That should do it.

Q is an extra convenient key for BlackBerry

Press and hold Q on QWERTY BlackBerry to change to vibrate profile. Press and hold Q again to switch back to normal profile.

I love my BlackBerry even more. I usually use "f" shortcut key and use the trackball to choose the profile. This extra convenient key somehow reminds me to my old Treo. It gives you the ability to switch your profile between normal - vibrate easily.

Howto: fix scratched CD

Sometimes pulling out an old CD from your music archive reveals some discs haven't fared well in the passage of time. CDs are vulnerable to fingerprint smudges, a bit of dried syrup, perhaps even some scratches from the time that CD disappeared under the passenger's seat three years ago. There are ways to get that disc spinning again so you can transfer the music or data to a more respectable media, like MP3s.
Excerpt from Wired.com.

I just realize that, to clean a cd, the damp cloth should be wiped from the center of the cd to the outside edge in a straight line.

The best ways to teach kids to read from Oprah.com

A post from Oprah.com on the best ways to teach kids to read.

In general, these are steps that you need to learn:
  1. Begin the process early. Sometimes you see your kids are pre-reading, the act of pretending to read but gaining interest in stories, this is definitely a start;
  2. Read for meaning. Reading always involves a purpose, in this case your kids need to understand what you read or what they read;
  3. Choose the best possible text, balancing the challenge to read and a lot of opportunities to success, even if it means to read a Harry Potter series;
  4. Set a good example. You, as parents, are their role model - you should read too;
  5. Enjoy the outcome. Ultimately, every second you spend reading with your child will make a difference. Not only will you be reinforcing good habits and comprehension skills to help them succeed, but also making amazing memories along the way.
Now, let's see where we, me and my wife, are with Nayyara.