Adding Symbols In OpenOffice.org Math

I needed to insert symbols for therefore and logical equivalence in my OpenOffice.org Writer documents These are not present in the symbol sets available in OpenOffice.org Math. However, I was able to figure out how to add these and other symbols in an existing symbol set (Special):

1. In OpenOffice.org Math, choose Tools > Catalog > Edit.
2. In the Font list box, select a font containing the desired symbol. All the available symbols for that font will appear in the symbols pane. (In my case, I found the symbols for therefore and logical equivalence in the Mathematica1 font stored in my computer.)
3. Click the target symbol in the symbols pane.
4. Type a name for the symbol, for example, therefore.
5. In the Symbol set list box, select the Special symbol set (or type a new name to create a new symbol set). The new symbol is displayed in the right preview pane.
6. Click Add and then OK.
   

The new symbol can now be inserted in the formula by

1. Choosing Tools > Catalog,
2. Choosing Special in the Symbol set list box,
3. Clicking on the symbol and
4. Clicking Insert.
   

A faster way is by typing the name of the symbol preceded by a percent sign. For example, typing everything on the first line of the image below, highlighting the same and invoking the Formula command will give you the symbols you see in the second line.

VMware Fusion Or Parallels Desktop For Mac?

Gee, I never thought that choosing a virtualization solution would be this difficult. All I want is to be able to run multiple operating systems, like Windows and Linux, on our new MacBook. When Macs started using Intel processors, virtualization software for Macs started appearing as well.

So what makes choosing difficult? First, there are actually choices to choose from. There are two very good products. There is the already released Parallels Desktop 3.0 for Mac and the soon to be released VMware Fusion. Parallels has a head start. Here is a picture of Parallels with Windows XP running full screen. (Yes, it is Windows running on a Mac!)



VMware is the industry leader but is playing catch up here. But it promises better features like being able to run both 32- and 64-bit operating systems, which makes our investment future-proof. Here's a picture of VMware Fusion with Ubuntu running full screen (again, it is Linux running on a Mac!):



And second, VMware is pricing Fusion similar to Parallels: $79.99. This is around PhP3,700+. But if we pre-order before August 15 (which is near Fusion's target release date), we get it for $39.99 or PhP1,800+. Another good deal.

So which one? We'll decide later.

Spacing Around Formulas

I have been bothered from the start with the way formulas are rendered in OpenOffice.org in relation to the surrounding text. There is just too much space around them. See the first line of this image? The second line, for me, is better.



So how do you change the default spacing in OpenOffice.org Writer? Here are the steps:

1. Open the Stylist by pressing F11 or by clicking Format > Styles and Formatting.
2. In the Styles and Formatting window, click on the icon for Frame Styles.
3. Right-click on "Formula" and select "Modify...".
4. Select the Wrap tab page.
5. In the Spacing group, decrease the "Left" and "Right" values to 0.00".
6. Click OK.
   

"Sweetheart, We Have Another Baby."

A picture paints a thousand words. So here are two thousand words worth of pictures:





Beaming with pride eh? Her face in these pictures reminds me of how she looked in each of those five hospital deliveries. "Sweetheart, we have another baby." Hehe..

Including the payment for a bigger hard drive (120GB, where the basic is 80GB) and for Apple Care, this baby costs 198,150 yen (75,297 pesos at .38 peso per 1 yen). She would not have been able to buy that same package in the Philippines at that same amount. As I pointed out in the previous post, a MacBook (with 80GB) costs almost 90K here. Adding the price for the increased hard drive capacity and the Apple Care will surely raise the price to around 100K.

This discrepancy was brought about by the strong peso. It is now about .38 peso for every yen. Last year, at about this same time, it was .46 per yen. So we reckoned that we have to do the buying there. The 198,150 yen price would have translated to 91,149 pesos.

And because she got a certification from Kyushu University that she is a student there, she also got a discount of 22,000 yen (8,360 pesos). So the baby actually cost her 176,150 yen or 66,937 pesos. Good deal indeed.

In the next couple of days, she will shop for infant accessories like a mouse, a USB modem, a VGA connector, and a backpack. Congratulations, Mrs. Nocon!

We Are Buying A MacBook!

After more than a month of exploring and comparing options, my wife and I have arrived at a decision. We are buying a MacBook! I started out with the following supposedly non-negotiable specifications: Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 1 GB of memory, 12.1-inch display (so it is small and will not be a hassle to carry around) and must be installable with Ubuntu. She, on the other hand, is casting moist eyes on a MacBook, because her acquaintances in Japan are proud owners of the machine and have given her good reviews: sleek and durable.

Well, the MacBook actually passed two of the four criteria. It runs on an Intel Core 2 Duo processor and has 1 GB memory. The screen size though is wider by an inch. And Apple's Boot Camp doesn't do Ubuntu.

I initially told her to wait for an impending Dell announcement regarding machines with Ubuntu pre-installed. And the announcement did come in the last week of May. But Dell offered only three machines. And the laptop, an Inspiron E1505, has a bigger 15.4-inch display and is only available in the U.S. But how about other Dells with the desired specs? Like the Dell XPS M1210? Not available in Japan. I was actually leaning towards a Dell Latitude D620. She tells me that although it has a 14.1-inch display, it is a light machine. We also looked at HP, Toshiba, Fujitsu and Sony. The ones that matched the specs are not available in English, only in Japanese (keyboard and OS language).

So, do we buy a 14.1-inch Dell Latitude D620 or a 13.3-inch MacBook? And how about Ubuntu on Mac? Well, we can buy Parallels for Mac, and run Ubuntu and Windows as virtual machines within the Mac OS. I asked her some more questions about the two machines and, gaging from her answers and from her facial expressions (as seen via the webcam), letting her buy the MacBook will make her happier. And so, I told her to buy one.

She is so excited! The MacBook's sleekness and wow effect thrills her. As for me, I will have to learn (and then teach her and the kids) about a new OS and virtual machines too. And here's another factor we considered: a MacBook costs around 89K here, in pesos. If you convert the amount (in yen) she is spending in Japan to buy the same MacBook, it translates to roughly 64K pesos. Good bargain eh?

Printing OpenOffice.org Writer Files

Last Saturday, I printed about a week's worth of work of course materials. I observed that I have some undesirable rendering in my Math elements like radical signs and brackets in the printed copies. It is probably the font and font attributes from one computer to another as I used a different workstation for printing from where I did my encoding. Not portable eh? I will try using the save to PDF feature of OpenOffice.org more in the future, and print the PDF files instead.