Wednesday, December 30, 2009

FYI: Persian Leopards

Source: Yahoo!News - At The Zoo
Persian Leopards Razan and Marum are pictured at the zoo in Chemnitz, eastern Germany in 2007. Russia on Tuesday asked Iran if it would be prepared to supply rare Persian leopards as part of a Russian project to reintroduce the big cat to its Caucasus region. (AFP/DDP/File/Uwe Meinhold)

Sunday, September 13, 2009

FYI: Cuban Tree Frog, Florida

Source: National Geographic on Photo of the Day: Best of August 2009

Quote from the original article:
"This is a Cuban tree frog on a tree in my backyard in southern Florida. How and why he ate this light is a mystery. It should be noted that at the time I was taking this photo, I thought this frog was dead, having cooked himself from the inside. I'm happy to say I was wrong. After a few shots he adjusted his position. So after I was finished shooting him, I pulled the light out of his mouth and he was fine. Actually, I might be crazy but I don't think he was very happy when I took his light away."

Photograph by James Snyder

Sunday, September 06, 2009

FYI: The Secret Slaughter of the Dolphins

While I was browsing the news in internet, I read a shocking article in thesun.co.uk website about the secret slaughter of the dolphins.

The most shocking moment was when I saw the picture of the sea turns red with the blood of the dolphins massacred by fishermen in the cove at Taiji, in Japan (below).

Taiji, the small Japanese coastal town - population 3,000 - is the largest supplier of dolphins to marine parks and programmes around the world.

Once the Dolphins are trapped inshore, dolphin trainers fly in from around the world to select the fittest young, mainly female, animals to put them in captivity. But it is what happens to the hundreds remaining that is so shocking. The locals herd them around the edge of the bay to a secret cove, fenced off with barbed wire and patrolled tightly by security men and police. The dolphins are never seen again.

Nearly 2,000 dolphins are slaughtered in Taiji every year - stabbed with sharp poles as they desperately try to escape.

While we are so happy and amaze watching the Dolphin shows (most of the Dolphins were taken from their free life at the sea into captivity) and praise them for their intelligence, we don't realize what was happened behind it... how they were captured, what happened to thousands of them, how some people didn't realize they ate slaughtered/massacred Dolphins meat (as substitute of whale meat)... I just can't imagine it does happens... :(

Read the full article here.

FYI: Baby Panda Sleeps

Source: TheSun.co.uk, published on 10 Nov 2008.

Text quoted from the article:

"IT’S hard work being a panda cub – and these exhausted specimens can bearly keep their eyes open.
The cuddly characters curled up for fur-ty winks before feeding time at a busy breeding research centre.

Bosses at the base in Chengdu, South West China, hope to boost numbers of the endangered beast via artificial breeding techniques.

But this dozy lot were more interested in their bamboo-ty sleep.

After all, they wouldn’t want dark rings round their eyes."

Friday, September 04, 2009

FYI: Gundam Fiesta 2009 in Singapore

So far, I only know that my nephew is big fan of Gundam... everytime he came to Singapore, for sure he will buy one or two, and he has collected quite number of Gundam plastic models. And, so far, I only shake my head everytime he bought it because it is not cheap... at least SGD25 per model.

Since yesterday, there is Gundam exhibition in the mall near my house. They call the event, Gundam Fiesta 2009 (2 - 14 Sep), to celebrate its 30 years. Curiously, I walk through the exhibition and, instantly, I amaze with it... so many kinds of it and not only little children and teenagers love it... even young adults love it too!! I took out my Samsung Omnia and start took picture of those plastic models.

Well... it reminds me of my childhood time, this kind of toy is considered expensive item for me and, that time, I only had one F18 Hornet model (don't know where it is now)... assembled it took quite amount of time but very enjoyable...

Interested and want to know more about Gundam? Visit this Wikipedia page.

Here are the complete photo taken from the Gundam Fiesta 2009.

Saturday, August 01, 2009

FYI: Viliv X70 EX - A Cool Windows-based Gadget

Before the boom of netbook, started by Asus Eee PC, it was concept of tablet PC in form of UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) that initially introduced to the market. But, seems market didn't accept it well... probably the lack of physical keyboard made it a bit difficult to use... users still very get used to notebook with physical keyboard. So,UMPC concept cool down... hardly saw it in the market, while netbook is all over the place, and the big players join the trend.

Now it has been almost 2 years since the first Asus Eee PC introduced to the market with very affordable price. And, at the same time, PDAs and smartphones also gain market shares in mobilephone market and people start enjoying faster mobile internet through Wi-Fi, GPRS, EDGE, 3G, and then 3.5G (HSPA). People start get used to with touch screen devices and internet everywhere... and the popularity of social networking (Facebook, Friendster) and instant messaging (YM, MSN, GTalk, etc) came in a big way, so some manufacturer starts looking back and redevelop the UMPC.

While browsing today... I spotted an interesting gadget, it is very cool indeed... made by a Korean company. It called Viliv X70 EX, see picture below...



What makes this Viliv X70 EX interesting?

First, it is running on Windows XP Home (not Windows Mobile), means it functioning as a normal PC, and there are so many ready-made applications that can be installed to make the device more useful...

Second, it has built in 3G/HSPA modem, so mobile internet is just as simple as slot in your unlimited 3G Data SimCard and there you go... plus Skype, YM/MSN, phone dialer, and Facebook... a complete communication device... have fun!

Third, the battery last quite long enough for continuous usage, it claims 5+ hours... very good enough compare to netbooks.

Lastly, the price is quite reasonable... in Singapore, it will cost S$1,499. Well, compare to the high-end Windows-based PDA which also in the region of S$1,200+, that price looks very attractive...

Here is the full technical specification of Viliv X70 EX:
Intel Atom 1.33GHz processor, 7" WSVGA (1,024 x 600) touch screen, Windows XP Home, 1GB DDR2 RAM, SSD 32GB, 1.3M pixel camera, IEEE 802.11 b/g wireless LAN, HSPA/WiMax, 2.0+EDR Bluetooth, SirfStarIII GPS, SDHC, Audio, USB, USB (link), Multi I/O ports. 210(W) x 117(H) x 22.5(T) mm size, and 660g (with battery) weight.

Close up picture of Viliv X70 EX:


Here is a quite long review of Viliv X70 EX Premium 3G:


For more information, you can visit its official website

Monday, June 22, 2009

FYI: "Best" Animal Dads

Source: National Geographic on FATHER'S DAY PICTURES: 'Best' Animal Dads.
June 18, 2009--Father's Day, which falls this year on Sunday, June 21, annually honors committed human dads. But seahorse fathers (above, a newborn hitches a ride on dad's tail) might just blow those proud papas out of the water.

Seahorses are a type of fish in which the males actually get "pregnant." The female seahorse deposits her eggs in the male's specialized pouch, and the male carries up to 2,000 babies during its 10- to 25-day pregnancy.

"They're fascinating males have more or less become females, [almost] transgendered," said Mark Pagel, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Reading in the U.K. "They're devoted fathers."

In general throughout the animal kingdom, males leave parenting to the females, because males have more chances to reproduce and so can create many more offspring, Pagel said.

Pagel calls this a "cruel bind [that] often favors men"--as soon as the female gets pregnant, the male just runs off.

U.S. comedian Chris Rock has said that "a man is only as faithful as his options," he noted, and "that's exactly what happens with animals."

But there are exceptions, and "what's wonderful," he said, "is that the range goes all the way from males that simply provide sperm that are never seen or heard from again through to seahorses, where females just provide eggs and are never seen or heard from again."

--Christine Dell'Amore
—Photograph by Paul Zahl, NGS Image Collection

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Thursday, April 30, 2009

FYI: Swine Flu - Does This Child Hold The Key?

Source: TODAY Online, 29-Apr-2009 (morning edition)

Monday, April 27, 2009

Music: Imeem - Can't Embed Playlist Anymore

I used to embed my Imeem playlist in this blog... but as of today I realize that all the songs can only play 30 seconds... After further checking, I found out that Imeem has imposed new restriction so the full song can only be played within Imeem website, no more allowed in embedded form... well, it probably due to copyright issue... so sad... but as long as it can be played fully in Imeem website, no problem...

Hmm... now I only have Grooveshark playlist that still can be embedded in my blog... so, no choice, I need to create similar Heavy Slow Rock playlist and embed it here...

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Korean Drama: Han Ji Min

Last night, I just finished one of the latest Korean Drama, Cain and Abel, a 2009 production.

Well, it is not much different to typical Korean Drama, never far from story about love triangle, old time scandal, hate, evil mind, and fight among family for inheritance, control of family business, etc. The interesting part only the beginning part, roughly a quarter of the story, quite full of action with most of the story took place in China. I won't write about the story here because there are already many websites you can go and read about it, e.g. koreandrama.org

I would prefer write about the main actor & actress of this drama. Honestly among them, I think So Ji-Seob is the main attractiveness of this drama, name that can be sold to wider audience since he is one of the popular Korean actor. But, I won't write about him, I will write about the main actress, Han Ji Min, instead.

Since her appearance as supporting actress in Jewel In The Palace (a.k.a Dae Jang Geum), I know Han Ji Min has future and will have good career in Korean Drama industry... she is pretty, cute, and adorable. Since then, she has acted in several dramas, among them, the ones those I have watched are Resurrection and several first episodes of Capital Scandal. But, those didn't impressed me much... it's only in Cain and Abel, she acted quite well and gel into the character. She seriously learned North Korean accent and also Mandarin language for this drama and finally, yes, she looks prettier and cuter... he he he...

Here are some of her pictures that I found after googling her name and then edit them a bit. Very cute...




Saturday, April 25, 2009

FYI: Red-tailed Hawk Chicks

Source: BBC News - Day In Pictures

Life: Facebook, Y!Messenger, and Life Goes On

I didn't write that much in this Blog this year... blame it to Facebook & Y!Messenger... ha ha ha... my daily life full with this addictive social networking activities, thanks to robust and affordable Singapore internet infrastructure.

It was a busy social networking life since last quarter of last year. Since my involvement in Facebook, almost everyday full of surprises met, chatted, shared stories & photos with old friends... my university friends, highschool friends... then even my junior high school and elementary school friends... What a power of social networking!

It is also become my productive period of my poetry writing ever! I'm very happy and delighted with my friends' comments and responses... which in turn make me want to write poetry even more... thanks to those experiences and memories of my 40 years of life...

Since Facebook messenger is not powerful enough, can't even do conference, then Y!Messenger became the needed additional communication tool. In Indonesia, Y!Messenger is more popular than MSN Messenger, so I use it to communicate with my high school friends.

Facebook nowadays has become a must have tool to open the door to old days life. Indonesia has become a major source of growth of Facebook in Asia, it grows so fast... friends to friends... colleagues to colleagues... family members to family members... even BlackBerry become so popular handphone in Indonesia, its sales grows suprisingly 400% last year... which I believe this social networking addiction is one of the affecting factor.

After the busy 6 months of facebooking... it seems that things get cooling... the activities and communications were not as often before... probably some get boring, found it less and less fun, no more story to tell, back to daily life activities, and might also realize how costly their internet cost has become!
I feel that way too... especially since Facebook update its interface and remove the live feed feature which, in my view, one of the most exciting feature of Facebook... it becomes less fun... I really miss monitoring my friends activities where I be able to instantly react and response almost instantly to any interesting development... all now become so static and boring.

Well... here I am... back to my daily life, my pre-facebook activities... yeah... life goes on with or without social networking.

Monday, March 16, 2009

FYI: Touch Book - A New Interesting Gadget

Can't find new, innovative, and interesting gadget @ IT Show, I open my Firefox browser and googled 'tablet netbook'... hmm... I found an interesting new gadget called Touch Book from a company called Always Innovating. More or less this gadget is like something that I dream of, something that I can always bring along (means small and light), can use it while standing in packed MRT, works like normal PC - enough to be used for internet browsing and social networking (Facebook & Messenger), and long lasting battery life.



The interesting about this Touch Book is that it works as both a netbook and a standalone tablet thanks to a detachable keyboard and a 3D touchscreen user interface. The Touch Book uses an innovative ARM processor from Texas Instruments that delivers the power of a traditional desktop computer but uses a fraction of the energy, resulted in 10-15 hours of battery life. Like a cellphone, it is always-on, so there is no need to reboot each time. And without noisy fans and disk drives, it's completely silent, so it won't intrude on your inner space.

Touch Book specifications:
* 9.4" x 7" x 1.4" for 2 lbs (with keyboard)
* ARM Texas Instruments OMAP3 chip
* 1024x600 8.9'' screen
* Storage: 8GB micro SD card
* Wifi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth
* 3-dimensional accelerometer
* Speakers, micro and headphone
* 6 USB 2.0 (3 internal, 2 external, 1 mini)
* 10h to 15 hours of battery life

What Operating System will it used? Well, the company claims that since everything’s Open Source, the following OS can be installed: Google Android, Ubuntu, Angstrom and Windows CE (not recommend)... sorry, no Windows XP/Vista for this device.

This new gadget to be launched in Q3 of 2009. How much will it cost? The tablet version will cost US$299 and the netbook version will cost US$399... quite affordable.
Hmm... couldn't wait... will it be featured in next IT Show? Hopefully...

Read in detail about this interesting gadget here or in its website.

Or, see its demo video below:

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Life: A Visit to IT Show @ Suntec

What would be an IT Show in the middle of World's so-called 'Financial Crisis'? It was still crowded and people still willing to queue to buy products!! Well... it still looks promising... but need to see the real transaction figure before making judgement on consumer spending.


I went to the IT Show @ Suntec this afternoon... as usual... traffic jam (but don't care because I took bus to go there) and very crowded with spectators and bargain hunters... I thought it will be very packed exhibition hall and very difficult to move... but actually once I was inside, there was still space to move around quite smoothly.

What was new and innovative gadget? Nothing! There was no new gadget that attract my attention... everywhere were netbooks and notebooks... less and less desktop PC... then LCD TV price is getting cheaper and cheaper... imagine, a 47" Palladine LCD TV Full HD went for SGD 1,299!! very attractive price considering I bought my Sony 32" LCD TV for SGD 2,499 3-and-half years ago... wish all well-known brand LCD TV to fall to that level of price within this year... ha ha ha... dream on it!!

I was there, roaming on Level 4 and then Level 6, until 7pm... roughly 2 hours before I decided to go home, quite boring and tired...

Sunday, February 08, 2009

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Sports: Nadal Needs One More Grandslam Title To Make It Perfect

Last Sunday, it was another glory for Rafael Nadal and a tearful night for Roger Federer... after another tight 5 sets game between the two nemesis, 7-5 3-6 7-6 3-6 6-2 in Australian Open final. It was a hard fight by Nadal to win 1st & 3rd set while it seems so easy for Federer to claim 2nd & 4th set, but the last set was really went to Nadal way.

Came to this Final after his 5 sets game, in 5 hours and 14 minutes, against his compatriot Fernando Verdasco, many predicted Nadal will face tiredness while 2-days break for Federer gave him a better chance to win his 14th Grandslam Title... but in the end, it was not the case.

Probably because of he felt quite confidence enough to win the title after his much more better performance than his last year, Roger Federer got so upset and emotional that he downed with tears. It seems this is the first time the world saw him cried like that so it became big news the next day rather than Nadal's glory.

But Nadal, as my wife said, probably should be thankful to Verdasco, regardless that 5 sets tiring semifinal, because he defeated Andy Murray (who defeated Nadal in their latest match) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (who defeated Nadal in Australian Open last year), Nadal's potential threat, on his way to semifinal.

With 3 different Grandslam titles in his pocket, Nadal need one more title, US Open, to make his tennis career perfect since not many players be able to bag those 4 different Grandslam tittle, not even Roger Federer who eventhough have 13 Grandslam titles in his pocket - one more short of Pete Sampras record, a great achievement as a tennis player - still not perfect without French Open, where he still failed in Nadal's hand.

Go... go... go Rafael Nadal... chase that US Open title...

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Japanese Drama: Innocent Love

I just finished watching this nice J-Drama titled "Innocent Love". Great story... and later I found out, after searched for information of this drama, that it has the same writer as "Last Friends", a J-Drama I have watched before and wrote about it in this blog. In my view, while "Last Friends" emphasizes heavily of each person's psychological state, "Innocent Love" more emphasizes on the greatness of love. At least there is something that I can learn from this drama.

The guy, Nagasaki Junya (performed by Kitagawa Yujin), shows his great love to his bride-to-be, who tried committed suicide but failed and become paralyzed, by keeping at her side for so many years with so much patience (eventhough at his lowest state of emotion, he blame God for what happening...). But, alas... even a great love doesn't guarantee that he can find happiness with her since she was actually in love with his other close friend who actually a gay and in love with him... what a mess and complicated...

The girl, Akiyama Kanon (performed by Horikita Maki), experiences the toughness of life after she lost her parents in an arson and her big brother was convicted of murdering the parents... She has to move from town to town to find job for a living but the dark shadow follows her wherever she go... and worse, she was a victim of sexual abuse by her own father!... what a difficult, traumatic, and psychological-exhausted of life... until she met the guy and learn how great his love is (to his paralyzed bride-to-be) and, in the end, she falls in love with him... But, she shows another kind of greatness of love... be able to let her love one go if that meant for his happiness... A great love sometimes need a sacrifying, not merely possessive.

It has nice and touching ending though... so quite entertaining...

The lead actress, Horikita Maki, has very teenager look.... she has cute smile (at least in my eyes)... but sorry... still much less pretty than Masami Nagasawa, my favorite... ha ha ha.

One of Horikita Maki picture:


The theme song is also very nice, "Eternally" by Utada Hikaru.

Herewith Innocent Love MV:

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Saturday, January 03, 2009