Coldplay X&Y Album Art Generator

Seen the pixel-like blocks on the cover of the new Coldplay album "X&Y"? Think it's cool? Well, it is kinda retro in some way and futuristic at the same time. Well, some brilliant guy has written up a Javascript thingy that will generate similar art work for you based on the characters that you type in. In fact, the picture you see above is generated by typing in my name. Cool!
Link

Explaining Creative Commons

Tech columnist John Dvorak recently wrote that he does not see the value of Creative Commons. In fact, he calls it "one of the dumbest initiatives ever put forth by the tech community". Maybe he just wants to be different. Or maybe he just doesn't get it.

Fear not. The Benlog blog has a easy-to-understand piece in response to Dvorak's article and explains in simple terms what Creative Commons offer. Call it "Creative Commons for Dummies".
Link

Xiaxue got hacked...

The famous... or infamous (depending on your view) local blog by Xiaxue has been hacked. Go ahead, get the whole scoop on her blog. The scary and sad thing is that all her 3 years of online presence has been axed. Shudder... that is why you must obey the tech generation's most important law--BACKUP!!!

The moon is made of cheese...

Google is doing something fun in honour of the first manned Moon landing which happened on 20th July 1969. They've done a Google Maps version of the Moon surface. They've also marked out the various Apollo landing sites. Of course, like the Google for Planet Earth, you can zoom in and out of the map if you want to get a closer look. The fun part is that when you zoom right to the max, you get to see what the moon is actually made of... yes, that's cheese. It's paradise for mice.

GTA San Andreas given AO rating

The "Hot Coffee" GTA: SA affair has exploded. The ESRB is giving the game an AO rating, meaning that it's for Adults Only. Which also means that the game will not be sold in major retailers. Read these links for more details and comments:

• Hot Coffee Boils Over
  Gamespot.com has the scoop and details on what happens in the "Hot Coffee" saga and what is going to happen now that it has been slapped with an AO rating.
  
• Sexy Extras Earn Game Adult Label
  Details of the case by Wired News.
  
• My Take On "Hot Coffee"
  This is a blog entry on the affair from the developers' point of view. The basic idea is that sometimes, things are left in the game because developers don't want to break the game and introduce bugs. It's a pretty interesting read and gives a different take on the case.
  

Bottom line? If you can grab a copy of GTA:SA now, you'd better go get it. Future copies will have the offending code removed. In other words, these are collector's items.

Rock & Surf mash-ups

Mash-ups are fun. The mix of two songs usually is a blend of unexpected and amazing. This album is no different. The album titled "Sounds for the Sun-set:2005" by mashers RIAA (Really Interesting Audio Adventures) totally rocks with sun-kissed fun. You can download the full album at the website. Go ahead... rock and surf!
Link

More on ESRB ratings

ESRB is finding themselves in the hotseat and here're some more articles examining what ESRB is doing in terms of rating of video games.

• Video game rating board in hot seat
  This CNN piece looks at ESRB and what critics think of the rating system.
  
• How game and movie ratings work
  This one is from the Kotaku.com site. It not only looks at the game rating system, but also MPAA's movie ratings.
  

Get your blog seen in space

Want your blog to be beamed in space? You can do it via this Bloginspace.com site by MindComet. And it's free! You simply add your blog's URL and the RSS feed on the site. I'm actually taking advantage of it and hope my musings get seen by friendly extra-terrestial beings. It's really a silly thing but hey, I'm just doing it for fun and it's great to know that your blog will be in space. Unless I find out that it's really a scam.

Oh, on the content, just have to remember not to post anything that may provoke an alien invasion.

How ESRB rate their games

With the recent "Hot Coffee" controversy in GTA: San Andreas, the US ESRB game rating system has come under some scrutiny. Slate has an article on how the ESRB rating process works. Interesting read if you're wondering how the rating labels get on the box of your fave games.

When submitting a game for the board's scrutiny, the developer fills out a questionnaire that describes potentially offensive material, especially sequences involving drugs, sex, or violence. The company must also supply the rating board with the scripts for any scenes with dialogue and material like song lyrics. The package sent to the ESRB will also include a videotape showing the game's basic plot and each questionable scene. Such videos can be several hours long.

Best freeware list

Some of the best things in life are free. The same can be said for software. Some of the best and most useful software are actually freeware, and they are way better than any commercial or shareware apps out there. Here's a list of some of the best freeware that you can try. I'm actually using some of the items on the list, including the popular Firefox browser, the AVG anti-virus software and Free Downloader.
Link

20 Things You Didn't Know Your PC Could Do

PCWorld.com has come up with an interesting list of 20 things that your PC can do. It's pretty interesting as it includes some things we already do, for example charging your cellphone with USB, and also some far out stuff, such as using your PC to heat a small room.
Link

Forest invading the subway

It seems like the Singapore subway, also know as the MRT, is being invaded by vegetation. Just take a look at the leaves curling round the hand-holds in the train. Well, it's actually just a promotional stunt by the airline SilkAir. It's an attempt to create an off-the-beaten-track look signifying that the airline flies to exotic locations. Company promos/ads sure are doing unusual things to grab our attention.

Honest talk on NKF boss

This posting on the "Talk Rock" blog is probably the most direct and honest view I've seen on the recent NKF fiasco. It's also the most crude posting so beware if you can't take this stuff. Here's an excerpt.

I do not hate charity organisation, I think people must help other poor and sick people. But fuck lah, you mean when on the tv the people who earn $1000 a month donate and the number on the NKF tv show jump $100,000 to $200,000 to $300,000..... when reach $600,000 of donation, is only cover this CEO salary?

No wonder Zoe Tay have to do so many cheebye stunt!!!

Now that the NKF boss has revealed his 25K salary as the boss of a non-profit, folks have sounded out on the whole affair, including an online petition asking for his resignation. The petition now has more than 15,000 signatures.

Using Flickr on the Xbox Media Center

This is going to be really cool... accessing your Flickr photos on the XBMC. This will add another way for you to view your photos on your TV using your Xbox. This XBMC thingy is really shaping up to be the most useful device I have on my TV console. I'm going to try this out.

101 reasons to use Mozilla

I've been using Mozilla FireFox browser for some time now, and I'm liking it. Although I've not been using IE for some time, prefering the Slimbrowser enhancement instead, I've started using Firefox more often now. The only time that I'm not using Firefox is when I use Safari on my Powerbook. Reason? I still like the look of Safari on the Mac platform.

Anyway, the Neil's Place blog has a list of 101 things that Mozilla can do but IE can't. If you need more reasons on why FIrefox is so popular, go ahead and read the piece.

What's your gangsta name?

Hey, according to the Gangsta Name Generator, I'm the gangsta dude called Heavy Nutz da Couch Bouncer. This website generates a gangsta moniker for you if you can't think of a hip and dangerous one, or if you just want to see what your alter ego could be called. Just something fun on a Monday.

Grandma plays video games

There's this blog called "Old Grandma Hardcore" which is suppose to be the chronicle of a senior playing video games. I don't know if this is really true... hard to believe that it is, but you never know. Anyway, the description of the blog is as follows

This blog is chronicle of my experiences with Grandma, the video-game playing queen of her age-bracket and weight class. She will beat any PS2, XBox, GameCube, etc., console game put in front of her, just like she always has. Her favorite game of all time was Final Fantasy VII, her current task is reaching 100% in tour mode of Outlaw Golf 2.

Good luck to Grandma on Outlaw Golf!

Photos of London 7/7 bombing on Flickr

The bomb blast in London shocked many, especially right after London's triumph in the Olympics IOC bid to host the games in 2012. Proving that the Internet community can bring updated pictures to you fast that's different from the mainstream media, there is a pool of photos on Flickr showing pictures from the scene.

Grokster decision good for file sharing

Here's an alternate opinion on the Grokster decision. This USA Today piece argues that the Supreme Court decision is actually good for file sharing. Perhaps so... go read to see if you agree.

What is that in your Windows XP services?

If you've dug deep into your Windows XP system, you'd know that there are things called "Services" which are software processes running in the background and taking up RAM usage. Some of them are essential, others are dumped there when you install software. If you've busy installing software, you'll soon find out you don't know what the services are for anymore. This website provides a handy guide to the services running and recommends which of these may be disabled. Word of caution here... do so at your own risk.

Here comes the Grempod

I've finally succumbed to the lure of the iPod. I bought a 2nd hand 60GB iPod Photo for a pretty good price, almost what I would have paid for a brand new 30GB iPod. And from the picture above, you can see that it's enclosed in a Sonic Blue iSkin evo2, and what a good fit it is.

Why did I eventually buy the iPod? Well, one thing is that it's such a pretty device. But more importantly, it is the ease that the iPod works with iTunes. Plus, now that iTunes supports podcasts, it makes more sense for me to get one and use it to listen to my fave podcasts. It just plain makes sense. Of course, it's called the GremPod.

Now, I'm in the process of transferring my CD collection to the iPod. I probably can't put in all, but it seems like a lot will fit into the device. It's actually pretty amazing when I pull out all my old CDs, how much good music are kept on CDs and probably won't get heard much. With them stored digitally in an iPod, hopefully I can enjoy them more often.

10 films for children

The Guardian UK website has come up with a list of films that are great for kids. There are some great films on this list, including the excellent Spirited Away Billy Elliot, E.T., and Where is My Friend's House. Pretty good choices. I've actually not seen a few of the others mentioned, like The Princess Bride and the French Kirikou et la Sorcière. So maybe it's time I start searching for them to give them a viewing.

RSS creator slams Apple's podcast approach

With iTunes 4.9, Apple has made receiving and subscribing to podcast really simple. My experience with it has so far been positive but there are some problems with some feeds. Although it's simple to use, you don't seem to have a lot of control over it. Still, I'm using it over iPodder Lemon, which I was formerly using. Simply because syncing to my new iPod is really simple.

Of course, Apple's approach to podcast seems to be a way to add content to their music store and get people hook onto buying iPods. There have been some comments on the way that the Cupertino company is implementing the RSS standards use in the feeds. Check out the piece on Tom's Hardware.

With the release of iTunes 4.9, Apple included the first edition of a long-anticipated XML document type definition (DTD) for RSS 2.0, that will enable access to podcasts. Apple aims to build podcast support directly into both the software and iPod, but leaders in the RSS community, including the standard's own creator, are taking Apple to task for developing an ill-advised DTD without seeking input and guidance from the community.

How to Burn Xbox Games

On 8bitjoystick.com, you can find a guide on how to burn Xbox games and other protected CD. It's suppose to work for all games, including PS, PS2, and even GameCube games. In fact, using the technique on the page, you can burn just about anything. It's really quite cool, in a funny sort of way...

Doom is coming... really!

The Doom movie is really coming... and the logo is revealed on the Comingsoon.net website. There are also four shots of the movies, in one of them you can see the fabled BFG! Doom fans will know what that powerful weapon stands for. You can also see the production press release here.

Water taps as decor

Water taps as decor
Originally uploaded by Gremlink.

I saw this when I was out shopping today. In one of the shops, some clever designer has decided to make use of the humble water tap as decor and serves as a place to hang their wares of handbags. Clever use of hardware products.

Vader in a skin tight fetish suit

The Koreans must be crazy. There's this Darth Vader-in-a-fetish suit on this Korean Yahoo! website. I don't know what it's all about but there's something strangely fasinating... and maybe even sexy about it.

Building a LEGO Star Destroyer

So how long does it take to build a LEGO Star Wars Star Destroyer? These guys at "a dog named fish" website put together their set in 10 hours and they documented the whole process and made it available as a video clip. All I can say is WOW!!!
Link

More on Grokster decision

Here're a few more links in response to the US Supreme Court Grokster decision.

• Grokster: Confusing sin and sinner
  Always interesting, The Register's take on the decision.
  
• The Real Lesson of Grokster
  Wired New's opinion piece on the matter.
  
• Grokster May Haunt Podcasting
  With Apple providing podcast support in the recently released iTunes 4.9, it's on wonder tech writers will start linking the Grokster decision to podcasts.
  

Should Engadget be in Singlish?

Engadget is the popular blog focusing on the latest gadgets and technology. They have recently launched the Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish version of their website. I'm just wondering if there can be a Singlish version of their website. An entry on the iPod on the Engadget Singlish site could go something like this.

This white box thing is called the Apple iPod lor. Looks very chio leh. Can listen to many many songs and got this round circle wheel. Turn round and round damn shiok ah. The iPod is also damn tok kong, the picture version got 60GB sia, powderful! If you dun want the tua one, can also take the iPod mini lah. Very small and got many many colour, very stylo milo. Actually hor, compared with the Creative Zen Micro, also got many colour lah, but they look a bit obiang leh. If use, sure kena suan by your friends one.

I'm sure there are folks who can do better. For non-Singaporean readers, you may want to use the Coxford Singlish Dictionary to help you decipher it. Oh, disclaimer here... this is not endorsed by Engadget.

US Supreme Court strikes a blow against P2P sharing

The US Supreme Court has ruled in the Grokster case that P2P companies can actually be liable for the copyright piracy found on their networks. This has the potential chilling effects on innovations for tech companies. Plenty of websites are chiming in with their opinions. Here're some links that you should check out.

• File-swap fallout
  CNet's round up of news and perspective on the ruling.
  
• Hear the Grokster decision
  Want some irony? Use the P2P Bittorrent network to listen to the Supreme Court's decision. The link leads to a Bittorrent file.
  
• Read the decision instead
  Read the decision on PDF format if you wish.
  
• RIAA and MPAA's "victory" conference
  Notes of the press conference by the music and film industry group on Corante.com.
  
• Pro-Grokster press conference
  The supporters of Groksters have something to say too.
  
• Cory Doctorow chimes in
  Sci-fi writer and P2P supporter muses on the decision on Popular Science.
  
• More stuff on Copyfight
  

There will be more in days to come.

R2-D2 and Chewie seen in a new light

Now that all six Star Wars films are released, shouldn't we start looking at the original trilogy in a new light? This interesting article looks at R2-D2 and Chewie as agents and folks who knew the whole rebellion plan. Afterall, they are the survivors from Revenge of the Sith. Interesting read and perfect for those who love to come up with theories on the plot in Star Wars.

If we accept all the Star Wars films as the same canon, then a lot that happens in the original films has to be reinterpreted in the light of the prequels. As we now know, the rebel Alliance was founded by Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bail Organa. What can readily be deduced is that
their first recruit, who soon became their top field agent, was R2-D2.

Link

Crying, while eating

It's just astonishing what Net dwellers can come up with. This site contains videos of people who cried while they ate. They either have too much time on their hands, or they're just trying hard to spread a meme.
Link

Magazine for LEGO fans

If you're a LEGO fan, you'll want to get your hands on this new magazine called BrickJournal. It's a LEGO magazine about everything LEGO, including incredible models that were built and the people who built them. The first issue is online for download and any true blue LEGO brickheads will want to grab it immediately.
Link

Directory of freely available music

CommonTunes is a website that lists the legally available free music on the Web. Some of the top downloads now include Beethoven's Symphonies from the BBC and the Wired Commons CD.
Link

Movie based on American McGee's Alice announced

While it is not the best game around, I actually enjoyed playing the game American McGee's Alice. The premise where Alice has to find off creatures based on those in Lewis Carroll's book carries with it a certain kind of charm. There have been talks of an Alice movie for some time, seems like according to Eurogamer.net, Universal Pictures is going to make it with Buffy aka Sarah MG as the lead.

According to Hollywood news site Variety, Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar has already signed up to take the title role. Marcus Nispel, whose other credits include the 2003 Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake and the forthcoming Pathfinder (some nonsense about Vikings and Native Americans), will direct.

The movie will follow the plot of the game, which adds a twisted spin to Lewis Carroll's classic tales. Some years after her adventures in Wonderland, Alice's parents are killed in a house fire and, devastated by the loss, she winds up in a mental asylum.

Link

Parents 'ignore game age ratings'

Are game ratings really effective? Well, at least according to this research done in the UK, it does not prevent parents from buying games not suitable for their kids. So whose responsibility is it when kids play violent games?

"Most parents think their child is mature enough so that these games will not influence them," Modulum researcher Jurgen Freund told a games conference.
...
"Parents perceive age ratings as a guide but not as a definite prohibition," said Jurgen Freund, Modulum chief executive.

"Some may have not liked the content but they did not prohibit the game."

Link

What does it take to be Batman?

Forbes.com has an interesting piece on what it takes to be Batman, i.e. how much do you need to spend to be able to take on the role of the caped crusader. It breaks down for you the items that you need, including the training you need, the car, the cave, etc. Well, seems like if you have plenty of spare cash, such as a total of US$3,365,449 in the bank, it's not impossible. Take for example, here's what you need for your utility belt.

Batman's utility belt is a one-of-a kind prototype climbing harness, paired with a magnetic grappling gun with a monofilament decelerator climbing line. Fortunately, you've got other options. A decent nylon utility belt can be procured for about $10 from any martial arts supply store. You can also equip yourself with:

Climbing spikes: $70 (Black Diamond Spectre Ice Beak Ice Piton)
Small digital cell phone: $150 (Motorola RAZR, with cellular contract)
Ninja spikes: $10 (Set of three)
Throwing stars: $30 (Set of four)
Medical kit: $20

Link

Useful things to do with your USB drive

The USB drive has more or less replaced the floppy. This website gives you an idea of what you can do with your USB thumb drive. Some of the things that you'll learn from the PCStats website include using the drive as a boot disk, a portable web browser, a portable word processor, and even a portable media player. Ah... you never thought that your thumb drive would be so useful, right?
Link

List of sexy podcasts

If you're looking for something more raunchy for your MP3 listening pleasure, the Fleshbot website has a list of what they call Sexy Podcasts. They range from the famous Dawn and Drew Show to the erotic Open Source Sex. There are also others that are more "hardcore". Strictly for adults only.
Link

V-Gear LANDISK-network your storage

I'm actually quite interested in this device. It's a harddisk enclosure that allows you to put in your disk, and then you can hook it up to your network and it'll work as a network storage device. It runs its own Samba and FTP server so it's just plug and play. Nice. The only problem I have with it is that the website does contains some funky Engrish. Just take a look at the FAQ here.

Why Landisk only support FAT32 format?
As a Data storage unit which should be compatible as much as priority with all OS(operation system). Therefore, Landisk is not only a defect but also support NTFS. So far NTFS can support Win NT, 2000 and XP to read and write but read only on Win98, ME and Linux. FAT32 can read and write on all WIN OS, Mac OS X and Linux. File limitation is the only one issue between FAT32 and NTFS. FAT Support LBA frame, support to Max. IDE format up to 2TB(2,000GB) and file up to 4GB Max.

Just read the portion that I've highlighted in bold. Makes you a bit wary of the product, eh?

PC inside an Xbox

This guy has placed a PC into his Xbox. Yes, we know that the Xbox is essentially a PC. But what this guy has done is to put a full-fledge PC into the box. The site has photos and takes you through the steps of his mod.

Life after Star Wars in 3D

Who says there's nothing to look forward to after the Star Wars saga has concluded with the Revenge of the Sith? Lucas and company are here to suck more cash out of us fanboys with a 3D reissue of the six movies. When it is released, you can actually reach out and touch the lightsaber, although we would strongly advise against it.

Rick McCallum, co-producer of the STAR WARS prequel trilogy, appeared at a press conference in Japan earlier today. He talked about the future of STAR WARS, specifically about the 3D updates of all six films and the upcoming TV series.

Babes to star in Dead or Alive movie

Dead or Alive is a game with hot, sexy babes fighting each other. Okay, so there are other male characters in this fighting game but the gals are the stars. Now that Tecmo has announced that there's a movie based on DOA and that Hong Kong action flick director Cory Yuen is directing it, we can expect to see these hot, sexy females played by hot, sexy actresses, including Devon Aoki as Kasumi. Other confirmed hot, sexy cast members include Natassia Malthe (Electra) as Ayane, Jaime Pressly (Not Another Teen Movie) as Tina, Sarah Carter (Final Destination 2) as Helena, Australian pop star and actress Holly Valance (National Lampoon's Pledge This) as Christie.

Hope that this doesn't turn out to be another Street Fighter.

iPod Users Hate Cell Phones?

Seems like iPods and cellphones don't really mix well.

A British sociologist has bad news for the mixed-media wizards looking to use streaming video and other tactics to tap into the lucrative IPod culture.

He's found that owners of Apple's popular digital music player love being able to shut out the world's distractions, hate their cellphones and would prefer not to talk to anyone.

So are iPodders unfriendly? Hmmm... although I don't have an iPod now, it seems like when I'm listening to my MP3s on my Treo, I tend to not want to talk to people too. Not exclusive to iPod owners, I should say. Bet the same thing applied to Walkmans too.

Doctorow's new novel available for free download

Cory Doctorow's new third novel is now available for download, if you don't wish to buy the hardcopy. Yes, the full novel is available online, just like his previous two novels, "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom" and "Eastern Standard Tribe". This one's called "Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town". Why is he doing this? Shouldn't he charge for it? Well, you can read why at this link, and I quite agree with him. For this novel, the plot summary courtesy of Publishers Weekly is as follows.

It's only natural that Alan, the broadminded hero of Doctorow's fresh, unconventional SF novel, is willing to help everybody he meets. After all, he's the product of a mixed marriage (his father is a mountain and his mother is a washing machine), so he knows how much being an outcast can hurt. Alan tries desperately to behave like a human being--or at least like his idealized version of one. He joins a cyber-anarchist's plot to spread a free wireless Internet through Toronto at the same time he agrees to protect his youngest brothers (members of a set of Russian nesting dolls) from their dead brother who's now resurrected and bent on revenge.

Go read it!

Orgasms ‘turn-off’ women

It's strange how the human body works. New Scientist has an article claiming that when women have their orgasm, their brains actually switch off.

For women, it seems, sex is a big turn-off, reveals a brain scanning study. It shows that many areas of the brain switch off during the female orgasm - including those involved with emotion.
...
“At the moment of orgasm, women do not have any emotional feelings,” says Gert Holstege of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.

So much for sex being emotionally-involving?

Memory reclaimed on Treo 650

After months of waiting, PalmOne has finally released the Treo 650 updater. The main problem with the Treo 650 is that due to the implementation of NVFS file system, it eats up all your storage space on the RAM. With only a couple of software, I had only 4MB left. After applying the update, I got 12MB free, as you can see from the photo, I reclaimed 8MB back! It's great that PalmOne fixed this memory storage issue and with more memory, I don't feel as restricted when it comes to installing and trying out new software. Well, it took Palm almost half a year to release this... better late than never. So if you've a Treo, follow the link to apply the update.
Link

AvantBlog updated to support titles

Long time back, I've highlighted this site called "AvantBlog", which allows you to post to your blog at Blogger if you have a mobile device that can connect to the Net. There was one problem with it that made me not use it as often as I would like, and that is that it does not support titles.

However, that's not a problem any longer. I've received an update email informing me that AvantBlog now supports titles. It'll be so much easy to post with a title now!

Bishan & Jurong in The Matrix Online

This is either very cool or very strange. In the online game Matrix Online, there are two neighbourhoods named after two estates in Singapore, Bishan and Jurong. This is how they describe Bishan in the game.

At the very edge of the International District lies the Bishan neighborhood, an odd mix of Chinese and Western influences. The neighborhood is a hodgepodge of tight alleyways and wide main streets filled with Chinese signs and banners and several small street vendors. The Bishan neighborhood is mostly residential accommodations for bluepills that work in the International District.

Link

How the Batsuit Works

First, we found out how the Lightsaber works. Now, Howstuffworks.com is telling us how the Batsuit functions.

The main element of the Batsuit is a modified, advanced infantry armor system called the Nomax Survival Suit. Like many pieces of the Batsuit, the Nomax Suit was developed by the Applied Science Division of Wayne Enterprises. (The exact nature of Batman's relationship with Wayne Enterprises is unclear at this point.)
...
The Nomax Survival Suit is comprised of a neoprene undersuit much like a SCUBA diver wears. The undersuit basically functions as waterproof, light armor with temperature-regulating elements that maintain the body's temperature and keep muscles from freezing up in the field.

If your bank account is like Bruce Wayne's and you plan to make your own Batsuit, you may want to check this out.

U2 iPod photo?

Fancy a U2 version of the iPod Photo? I guess that won't be anytime soon, unless Apple makes some surprising announcement. But there's this fellow who has modded his own by stuffing the iPod Photo into the case of the original U2 iPod. Check out how he did it.

Star Wars collectibles found on Virgin Airlines

This are certainly unique Star Wars collectibles and I bet they will fetch a good price on eBay or other auction sites in the future. What are they, you ask? Well, they're actually air sickness bags given out on Virgin Atlantic airlines. They are promo for the Revenge of the Sith game.

Available on Virgin Atlantic flights, the four designs include: Knowing Your Lightsaber, Lightsaber Etiquette, The Art of Jedi Combat and Seating Jedi and Sith. The backs of the bags all have the same Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith Video Game cover art. The collectible bags are limited in number and will be available while supplies last.

You can see the design in the link. Well, can someone get 4 of these cool items for me?

Communic Asia 2005

Communic Asia showcases new phone devices from mobile manufacturers. This year's show in Singapore is no different. However, for those who are looking for booth babes in the show, there are surprisingly not many around. The best models in the show has to be the ones at the Sony Ericsson booth. They brought in the power of Star Wars to help market their phones and the folks dressing up as Darth Vader, Stormtrooper, TIE Fighter pilot, and Imperial Guard are the best "models" in the show.


Seriously, one interesting trend in this year's show regarding mobile phones is the "face plates". These fashion accessories have been around for some time, but it seems like it's becoming more colorful, and the popularity of these things are still on the ascend.


Of course, there are some prototype devices on show. There is this CD-player looking device, which is suppose to be a phone, but there's so little info on it that I'm not too sure what it is. I'm guessing that it's a design-prototype.


For more pictures, click on the link below for my Flickr photo set.
Link

A look back at Batman

The new Batman movie Batman Begins is on at the movies now. Seems like there's a bit of Batman revival going on. It's no wonder that some and all things Batman are becoming cool again. This linked article not only review the movie, but also takes a look at the portrayal of the caped crusader over the years.

Since his first appearance in 1939, there's been many incarnations of Batman in the comic books, from silent vigilante, to master detective, wisecracking goofball, and dark brooding bastard. The Superfriends cartoons and the 1966 TV series handled the campy side of Batman just fine, but the movies just never seemed to get the serious Batman right. I had high hopes for Tim Burton's 1989 crack at the legend, but the horrible casting of Michael Keaton, the unbearably awful Prince soundtrack, and major fucking with the core origin left me disappointed. Jack Nicholson's show-stopping performance as The Joker at least made it worthwhile. Too bad the sequels got progressively worse to the point where they became the same campy bullshit the film series tried to get away from. By the time the fourth installment came out, there was just no way they could continue making the films without wiping the slate clean and starting all over again.

Link

Ode to the ringer switch

The Treo 650 may have a great screen. It may be a versatile little machine. It can play videos, music, take photos. But perhaps the best, yet most underrated, feature of the Treo 650 has to be the ringer switch. You don't have to wade through menus, press multiple buttons. With one little flick of the switch, you can turn off the ringer and mute the phone. Simple, yet effective. It's no wonder that Treocentral has an ode written to the ringer switch.
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Most haunted places in Singapore

The Singapore Paranormal Investigators has on their website a list of what they considered the Most Haunted Places in Singapore. The list include locations like Fort Canning and Kampong Java Park. What is interesting about the entries on this list is that beyond the paranormal investigations, the write-up of the places do include some quite interesting historial background about these locations. One good example is the write-up on Old Ford Motor Factory, which mentions some good info on World War II and the Brit's surrender at the location.

Sony snubbed by Apple's Steve Jobs

Did you know that Sony actually approached Steve Jobs to use the Cell Processor, but was rejected? The Cell Processor is the chip that will power the PlayStation 3. Read the link for more details.

Mr. Kutaragi tried to interest Mr. Jobs in adopting the Cell chip, which is being developed by I.B.M. for use in the coming PlayStation 3, in exchange for access to certain Sony technologies. Mr. Jobs rejected the idea, telling Mr. Kutaragi that he was disappointed with the Cell design, which he believes will be even less effective than the PowerPC.

Lord of The Rings using Neverwinter Nights

Simply put, machinima is a form of movies made using game engines. Here is a tutorial on how to recreate LoTR using the Neverwinter Nights Aurora engine. It may not knock Peter Jackson's version off the box office, but it's a quick and easy way to do your own interpretation of Tolkien's classic.

"Hot Coffee" humping action in GTA San Andreas

Although it is a available only via a modification for the PC version of GTA: San Andreas, it is probably going to attract the attention of those who have problems with the mature nature of this game. Apparently, you can get the girlfriend you have in the game to make whopee with you. There's even a video of this "coffee" drinking session that proves the authenticity of this mod.

Awesome LEGO models

This is a freakin' awesome photostream on Flickr. This fellow called Soren has posted photos of LEGO mecha models and plenty of amazingly looking robots, mecha weapons, and of course girls with guns. It's amazing how people can come up with LEGO bricks and a wonderful imagination. Just imagine the time he has spent coming up with the concepts and actually building the models. In fact, the photo of a schoolgirl featured here is the result of a challenge. Check out the cool images in the link below!

If that's not enough, you can check out the rest of his creations on his website.

Complete freeware collection

Not quite sure if I've blogged this or something similar before. For those looking for freebie software that are of real use, this is a good resource.

The "complete freeware collection" is a collection of hand-chosen applications, which when combined, make the complete freeware package. In other words, all you need is the operating system and you won't have to spend one cent on software. Nothing in this software bundle contains spyware or adware.

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Old time radio collection

This website is offering up old time radio programmes for downloads as podcasts. So if you're looking for some old time radio fix, i.e. old radio programmes of stories in the genre of sci-fi, adventure, etc, this feed will certainly satisfy you.
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OpenOffice.Org or Microsoft Office

Is the open and free OpenOffice.Org better? Or is the pricey but ubiquitous MS Office better? This guy has done a rather detailed comparison of MS Word and its equivalent called Writer. You can read his tests and decide for yourself which office application suite is for you.
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List of applications and their ports

Need some help setting up your router such that you're opening up the right ports for the right applications to work? This site has a list of the different apps and the ports commonly used for forwarding and triggering.
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Reenactment video of Grand Theft Auto

Grand Theft Auto is a great game. But detractors have also blamed the game for its violence, and some violent acts have occurred whereby GTA has been blamed. Of course, this video is actually a reenactment of the gameplay, and it's cool. Complete with car-crashes, bullet-time effects, and lots more, this is an amazing video for fans of the game. And no, it does not encourage violence. It's only a game afterall. Check out the video at the link below.
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Hacking the PSP to play backup games

With news that a utility to dump the ISO image of a UMD disk to a Memory Stick, it seems that those hackers will soon be able to play "friendly" games on their PSP. However, according to an article on Tom's Hardware, it may not be that easy to play copy games on the PSP. So unless someone smart comes up with a way, there'll be no "friendly" PSP games at least for now. Who's smarter, Sony or the hackers? We'll soon find out.

Chris Gilbert -- well-known among the homebrew PS2 development community as "Neovangelist" -- told Tom's Hardware Guide that, even after someone dumped the contents of a PSP game's UMD disc onto a memory stick, getting it to actually run from that location may be a monumental task yet to be accomplished. "On the PSP, the binaries themselves are all encrypted, using some really strong RSA encryption," said Gilbert. A PSP decrypts binaries as it runs, and expects that stream to emerge from the UMD disc drive, not the memory stick. "It's not like you can just disassemble the binaries, change some stuff, and recompile it," he said.

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Alfred & Eve's wedding

Went for another wedding today, the second one in the last few weeks. This time, it's my friends Evelyn and Alfred. I knew Eve when I was writing for CNET. For Alf, he was in the same unit as me in NS and we are now in the same reservist unit. Wish them a happy and wonderful future together.


Guess what... they actually a local rock'n'roll star (and friend) to provide music at their reception. None other then Pat Chng from The Oddfellows.

The collective thoughts of the human race

There is this site called Boxed Thoughts that allows you to post your thoughts on the site, and it'll appear in the box. Looking at this site, you actually feel like you're picking up random thoughts of people around the world. You need to sign up before you can contribute your thoughts. Some of the thoughts are really personal, like "if I hurt him I will hate myself... he's too nice of a person for that, for me... ah love". Others are just mandane, like "I have left this window open for the entire two and a half hours... and I think a little over that...". Very interesting.

How much is music worth?

The Village Voice has an article questioning the high prices charged for digital music downloads. It compares the prices of CDs, down to iTunes store, down to allofmp3.com, and finally the Yahoo Music Unlimited subscription store. Seems like the music that record companies are valuing so highly are inflated. The music downloading controversy rages on...

Artist royalties for legal downloads are a fraction of the retail price. When that fraction means a thin slice of a penny for a "legitimate" download, and major labels are selling CDs for less than digital files, it becomes mighty tough to make the case that unauthorized file sharing is a real financial threat to anyone—or that music you can't hold in your hand is worth the inflated prices we've been asked to pay for it until now.

Micro$oft values Windows at $1

BBC is reporting that Microsoft is charging Windows used in their government for $1 per copy. It's rather cheap right? Consider that they are selling the originals for a couple of hundred bucks. Is that just pure rip off? Or just a strategy to get folks hooked on Windows and charge them later? You tell me...

Ministers said Microsoft had agreed an amnesty under which a token sum of one dollar will be paid for every computer found to be using illegal software.
...
"Microsoft is being realistic," Indonesia's information minister, Sofyan Djalil, was quoted as saying in the Jakarta Post newspaper.

"They can't force developing countries like us to solely use legal software since we can't afford it. They want us to gradually reduce our use of it."

Search words in podcasts

This search engine may just change the way we search for podcasts. What it does is that it allows you to search for words inside the podcast. Knowing that podcasts are actually audio, mostly MP3 files, it is quite a feat that you can search for words inside them. Try it out!
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Banned by the music industry

This web site is a one where you can get banned music. Okay, they're not really banned, but they are more like remixes that are legally threaten by the music labels where that are actually grounds for fair use. Some albums on the site include a remix of Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, and the famous Grey album with the remix of Beatles' White album and Jay-Z's Black album by DJ Danger Mouse.

When record labels send legal threats to musicians, record stores, or websites, we will post the music here for download and publicize the censorship attempt. There is a clear fair use right to distribute this music, and for the public to decide whether current copyright law is serving musicians and the public, they need to be able to hear what's being suppressed.

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Singlish getting popular with some Japs

It was reported on Tomorrow.sg that Singlish is winning some Japanese fans. It's ironic because Singlish is something that's truely "uniquely Singapore" but officially, it is discouraged. If Singlish becomes a pop cultural phenomenon with economic returns, will there be a change of heart by the powers that be to give Singlish some sort of "official" status?

Japanese pop culture (anime, cosplay etc.) is very popular in Singapore. But looks like Singlish is now winning some Japanese fans. Mousan has a couple of posts on her blog explaining Singlish grammar.

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Man Yoo-Life after Glazer?

Now that Malcolm Glazer has taken over Manchester United, what is life going to be like at the Theatre of Dreams? Guardian Unlimited has asked their readers to submit their version of the re-imagined Man U badge after the take over. Some of them are pretty funny, and all of them a realisation that Man U may not be the same after the event. I guess for fans, it's a chance to laugh at ourselves, and for the Man U bashers, a chance to poke fun at our recent fortune (or perhaps misfortune).
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30 things you could do on the Interweb

PCWorld has a list of things you didn't know you could do on the Net. Sure, we know that there's more to the Web than just surfing... but after reading this list, you'd be able to create your own reality TV show, increase your web site's IQ, become a T-shirt titan, and even be your own shock jock. All without leaving your computer.
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Your OS "sucks/rules"

The Operating System Sucks-Rules-O-Meter is an operating system quality and approval metric based on a periodic AltaVista search for each of several operating systems. It looks for words like "sucks", "rules", or "rocks", followed by the OS. As of print, seems like Windows sucks 53300 times but rocks/rules only 2570 times. Linux, on the other hand, rules/rocks 51800 times but sucks 25600 times. Maybe the next time you want to choose your OS, you should check how popular your choice OS performs.
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Asian booth bunnies

Booth bunnies are standard in tech-related shows everywhere in the world. Yes, even in Asia. So surely, there will be someone who will give these lovely gals, whose purpose is to show off themselves... ahem, the gadgets, a site. On Tech Babe Asia, you can find pictures of these booth babes that littered the tech shows in Asia. The latest show featured is the Computex 2005 in Taipei. Other shows in the archive include the Tokyo Game Show and Telecom Asia.
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Female orgasm in the genes?

Guardian Unlimited has an article on the female orgasm. So is the female big-O just a myth for some?

The findings suggest the failure of some women to orgasm regularly is not a dysfunction, but a sophisticated mate-selection strategy that evolved during prehistoric times.

Tim Spector of St Thomas's hospital in London, who led the research, said: "The theory is that the orgasm is an evolutionary way of seeing if men can prove themselves to be likely good providers or dependable, patient and caring enough to look after the kids."

Women who orgasm very easily may be more likely to be satisfied with poor quality men.

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Apple game developers on Intel switch

As expected, everyone has their views on the switch. This one is from a gamers and game developers perspective. Seems like the switch may be good for some, not so good for others.

Peter Tamte, MacSoft/Destineer: We think Apple's move to Intel is great. For one thing, it demonstrates that Apple is really serious about giving Windows-based computing head-to-head competition. For another, it lays the groundwork for the future of personal computing in a digitally connected home. And, for another, it's going to narrow the gap between the release of a game on Windows and the release on Mac -- maybe to zero.
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Anonymous Porter: This is the death of the platform. Unless Apple integrates DirectX, the port time would only decrease by roughly 33%. We really only spend about a 1/3 of our times AT MOST on Endian issues (ie, byte-swapping). The rest of the time is spent converting DX and Windows OS calls to OpenGL and Mac OS.

Mourning the Power PC

Ars Technica has an interesting and thoughtful piece on Apple's move to Intel. It also has a speculative FAQ on some questions you may have on the "switch". A must-read for Mac users and tech geeks.

So, why didn't it happen? I can think of two reasons, both of which probably contributed to the end result. First, it seems like IBM promised Apple something that it failed to deliver: a 3GHz G5 one year after the 2GHz G5 was announced. Steve Jobs stood on a public stage and declared it a fait acompli, presumably because IBM told him that it would happen. (Granted, this may be a big presumption, knowing Jobs...)

Two years later, a 3GHz G5 has not appeared. Steve Jobs looks foolish, and is undoubtedly pissed. This is the same guy who, back in the G4 days, famously (allegedly) told a senior Motorola executive, "I can't wait until we don't need you anymore." This happened in the middle a meeting about future CPUs that Apple still needed from Motorola!

Rewrite of Padme-Anakin love scene

Disappointed in the sappy lovey dialogue between Padme and Anakin in Revenge of the Sith? Do your own version then! In fact Cinematical did just that and has a contest asking for submissions to rewrite the scene. Here's the winning script... still quite sappy though, but for goodness sake, it's after all a love scene!

INT. CORUSCANT-PADME'S APARTMENT-TWILIGHT

PADME stands in the balcony brushing her hair. ANAKIN leans against
the wall, watching her lovingly.

PADME
---and I want to have our baby on Naboo, where our family can live in
peace. Why are you staring?

ANAKIN
I'm making up for lost time. Those unbearably long days protecting
the Outer Rim---I missed you.

PADME
And? Do I look different?

ANAKIN
(protesting)
Oh, no, Senator. You're too good with words. I'm a Jedi---I know
when I'm walking into a trap.

PADME
Serves you right for falling in love with a politician.

Anakin shakes his head in disbelief.

ANAKIN
Who would believe it? You're a Senator and I'm---

He falters.

PADME
What? Annie?

ANAKIN
(serious)
I'm yours.

PADME
Mine? You're not worried about enslaving yourself to a public
servant, my Jedi knight?

ANAKIN
It's only to you, Padme. Only to you.

END SCENE

Steve Jobs' WWDC 2005 keynote address

Apple has posted Steve Jobs' WWDC 2005 keynote address on their site. So if you want to witness the possibly historical announcement of Apple's switch to Intel, head there.

Surfing the web anonymously

I posted previously a way of getting around the proxy blocks that prevents Singapore Net users from accessing the 100 "symbollically blocked" sites.

A friend has actually pointed out an even easier way to bypass that. Use an anonymous proxy/encrypted gateway! Why didn't I think of that! I bet there are also other ways. So if you want to bypass the "blocks", try out the link.

(Thanks, Evil!)

Free downloadable computer pranks

Want to play a prank on someone? Here's a collection of software you can install on your friends' PCs and see their shocked expression. Some of the software listed include software that make them think their monitor is ruined, make their mouse drop little brown poops across their screen, and lots more. Be forewarned that after you install these on your friend's computer, they may not be your friend for long.

Online petition for Star Wars Ep 7-9

My cynical-self is telling me that online petitions are just a waste of time. But hey, perhaps signing such a petition is more a symbolic gesture than anything. So, for Star Wars fans who are keeping the faith for more Star Wars movies, especially Ep 7-9, here's an online petition that you can sign. Hopefully, this works and we may see more Star Wars movies on the silver screen. May the Force be with this petition...

Apple-a "switcher" to Intel

The biggest news for the Mac community these days is Steve Jobs' announcement at the WWDC that Apple will switch over to using Intel chips from their current IBM chips. Almost every tech website and every other major news site reported on this, and many are offering reasons why this is a good move, a bad move, a smart move, and many more.

For me? Well, since I just started becoming a Mac user (my days in the Uni can count but I didn't have my own Mac then and it was still using the Mac Classic OS), this switch doesn't really mean much, other than perhaps that my next Mac will may carry the "Intel Inside" branding. The truth is that it doesn't matter to me whether the chip is a IBM chip, an Intel chip, or even a potato chip. As long as it can run my applications, run the Mac OS (which I am quite fond of now), and do my tasks, I'll be happy. And if switching to Intel means that future Mac hardware will be faster, better, and perhaps cheaper, well, then I'd say it's a great move.

Oh, and thank goodness I didn't wait an update for the iBook to be announced, and went ahead to buy my current PowerBook. With this announcement, it seems like there may not be new notebooks on the horizon until the Intel-powered models are ready. I could be wrong, but we'll see.

HowTo: Bypassing local Net blocks aka censorship

This article teaches you how to route around the road blocks set up to prevent folks in the island Republic from accessing the 100 "high impact" websites blocked as a symbolic gesture.

Is it worth the trouble? Maybe not, but it could be a way to read those interesting interviews on Playboy. Nah... we're not interested in the pictures, but the articles, alright? I remembered when Google went IPO, there was an article on its founder published in Playboy that I wanted to read and couldn't get to it. Eventually got to read a reproduced copy on another site.

Lady Boba and other unfortunate Star Wars costume

The Cap'n' Wacky's website has a collection of pictures of Star Wars costumes gone wrong. The most interesting, or perhaps arousing is probably that of Miss Boba Fett. Is this suppose to be Boba's girlfriend? Boba's mum? Boba's sister? Perhaps the caption that comes with the photo best sums it up for most hot blooded male Star Wars bounty hunter fans.

Words I never, ever wanted to go through my brain: "This picture is making me feel a bit aroused by Boba Fett."

This disturbing costume aside, there're plenty of funny and quite amusing costumes there for your viewing pleasure. Do check out the link.

Will sex in games ever actually be sexy?

Gamesblog on Guardian Unlimited has an article asking the question "Will sex in games ever actually be sexy?" Given advances in graphics and A.I., will sex in games come close to the real thing? For some gamers who don't have a life... maybe. But it's an interesting thing that developers are trying to recreate almost every human activity in games.

...the next generation consoles courting a wider social demographic and promising (I almost dread writing this) photo-realistic graphics (there, I did it), perhaps things will change. There's a chance we will begin to see Japanese dating games that graduate from high school. Or an evolution of the social gaming introduced by The Sims. I visited Lionhead on Thursday where Peter Molyneux chatted briefly about his latest ridiculously ambitious project, Dimitri, in which players will get to re-live their own teenage years in intricate detail with all the sexual angst that will inevitably include.

Course on how to write Technology Reviews?

You can earn money from teaching anything these days. For US$65, you can learn how to write a tech review here. Is it really necessary? I didn't need such a course when I wrote for CNetAsia and other publications. I bet the instructor didn't need one when he started out either. Anyway, Gizmondo has a list of humourous, and perhaps more practical, Insider's Tips on each of the items that the course is suppose to teach you.

TIE Fighter PC Case mod

ExtremeTech has a weekly case mod competition and they have a winner who has made a case mod that is a scale model of a Star Wars TIE Fighter. Wow... using a PC with the case mod must sure make you feel like you're a pilot of the Empire.

PCWorld's 100 Best Products of 2005

We all like lists, especially those Top 100 lists of things. PCWorld has a list of the 100 best products of 2005. The Product of the Year is FireFox... well, who cares if we're only halfway through 2005, eh?
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Yahoo! looks at 10 years, 100 moments of the Web

On Yahoo!, there's a flash thingy that is called "Netrospective: 10 years, 100 moments of the Web". It's an interesting look at the 100 important moments of the Web. Some of the things that made it to the list include Fanfiction, Napster, Wikipedia, and of course, Weblog. It's a little Yahoo!-biased but it's interesting anyway. Check it out.
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LEGO creator show @ Raffles City, Singapore

Went down to the LEGO creator show yesterday. The highlight of the show is the exhibit of famous landmarks in Asia, including Singapore's Merlion, China's Great Wall, and Sydney's Opera House. For those who're interested in the history of LEGO, there're also old LEGO sets and boxes on display.


No LEGO show would be complete, especially with the Star Wars movie out, without exhibits of Star Wars-related LEGO stuff. The highlight for me personally, is the Hoth battle scene from ESB, with Luke scaling up the AT-AT. Also, there's a life-size Jango Fett, for those who wants a photo opportunity, like me.


For more pictures, check out the link below for more pictures of the show. For my own souvenir, I bought a LEGO minifig soft toy, with his own removable cap, and a set of LEGO bricks magnet.


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Star Wars-spurned Bai Ling on Playboy

Bai Ling is the attention-seeking, media whoring Chinese actress whose appearance on Star Wars Ep 3 was left on the cutting room floor. She claims that it was because she appeared on the adult rag Playboy. George Lucas of course denied it claiming that his own daughter was also in that deleted scene. Now, the Playboy issue is now on the shelves in the US. Well, of course we can't get it here in Singapore. That's where the Internet comes in. No, we don't mean that you can get this sure-to-be-collectors-item on ebay, well, I'm sure yoyu can. But if you're curious, you can see Bai Ling in her naked glory in the link below. Oh, it's not work safe... obviously.


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Consistency in the Star Wars universe

The Star Wars universe is so vast that consistency is a real issue for the many folks who create content for it, ranging from novels to comics to video games. This article looks at the fictional universe and how complexity emerges from the creation of the fictional universe. It is certainly an interesting read for the hardcore fans who constantly look for plot contradictions.

Still, some of the tinier details of the plot might easily enough lead to contradictions. Luke Skywalker’s mentor, Obi-Wan Kenobi, seemed unaware of the existence of Luke’s sister Leia in 1980’s Episode V. But Kenobi, played by Ewan McGregor in Episodes I–III, is likely to be quite actively involved in the whole plot about Vader and his estranged children. Will Kenobi indeed be kept in the dark about Leia’s existence, or will a contradiction be introduced? Will the loyal droids C-3PO and R2-D2 witness all of these events unfolding—despite appearing to have no prior knowledge of Kenobi or Vader in Episodes IV–VI? Or, since 1999’s Episode I introduced the strange idea that C-3PO was actually built by the child Anakin Skywalker (long before he became the armored villain Vader), how can C-3PO be ignorant in Episodes IV–VI about Vader being Anakin and thus being Luke Skywalker’s father? (And will there be a moment of revelation in Episode III in which Vader tells C-3PO: “I created you—I am your father”?)

Official porn for the PSP

This is why Sony does not consider the PSP as a gaming system for kids.

Adult movies in the PSP-friendly Universal Media Disc format will be released in Japan this summer. Two publishers will offer a total of eight movies specifically for the PSP. Adult-content publisher Glay'z will release five titles starting on July 8, while fellow publisher H.M.P. will release three additional titles on July 16.
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Some consumers are questioning Sony's decision to accept material from adult-content publishers, while others surmise that the company has learned from the war between Betamax and VHS that adult-oriented movies can significantly affect the expansion of a new media format. One of the reasons for the failure of the Betamax format was the explosion of VHS adult movies, since this genre was not given production clearance in Sony's Betamax format.

With titles like "The Nurse Of A Big Breast", the PSP is certainly getting its porn fix.

Attack of the Famicom Clones

Many folks have fond memories of the Famicom, otherwise known as the NES. This console is the one that made many folk's childhood a joy with things like Mario and Zelda. This site actually contains pictures of Famicon clones. For those who didn't actually get to play the games on the original NES, maybe these are the subsitutes. To date there are 316 clones available on the site.

No more film censorship for Ontario

While countries like Singapore are moving away from film censorship to film classification, other places, in particular the Canadian province Ontario has chosen to do away with film censorship.

Movies will not now have to be classified before they are shown in cinemas, after the regional government yesterday passed a bill that stopped the practice. The act comes after Ontario's supreme court ruled last year that the law was flawed.

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