Tech. Guy's Blog

The Things Behind The Veil- MICSS Science Camp CHHS KL

2011-06-08T00:30:00.013+08:00

1 June 2011 5.00pm - On my way back to my rental room in SS15, Subang Jaya right after the dusk of the 7th MICSS Science Camp, a procession of stuffs - the people, the 3D glasses, the lectures, the water rockets, the notes, the "Woa!" and so on - kept swinging around in my mind despite the fact that I was seriously worn-out at that moment.

With all due introspection and now retrospection, I feel an exciting realization had been learned throughout the whole process. 7th MICSS Science Camp was my third experience as a part of this national splashy festival. I would say, if there were one-word-definition for these three experiences, it would be the 'Exploration' for the first, 'Reach-Out' for the secon d and 'Understanding' for the third, for this time.

Obviously, I'm not going to spend much more time talking about the fun stories and social activities in the science camp, which most of the participants was already done the job. Instead, the 'Understanding' will be the protagonist of this entry - the understanding of the essence behind the veil of science camp, and just as much, the understanding of the seamless influence between the people and the living environment.

The Things Behind

Chong Hwa Independent High School, Kuala Lumpur was the host of this 7th MICSS Science Camp, which is one of the finest independent Chinese high school in my country. Being as one of the team leaders, I worked with the teachers and the student facilitators to make sure the whole process of the science camp was in the right pathway. I was wholly impressed in each time when we were in the meeting room discussing the related matters. First, the teachers, energetic and reverend, they tended to ensure every single tiny stuffs of the science camp would follow their way - the proper rules - ahead. We did been scolded and advised because we didn't seriously bring their instructions into account and wind up the jobs which we should completely take care of. It made sense, we deserved it. They created a phenomenon to perk up all of the working team people doing their right jobs determinedly and delibetately cut down the possibility of the occurrence of mistake.

Second, the student facilitators - the students from CHHS KL, they were another big impression I found in the science camp. They kept working, kept working and kept working under the deadline pressure. They not just worked efficiently and feverishly, but also willing to share out their ideas of coping the problems when teachers were exhausted and struck in several particular plannings - this was a very important element that I'm always talking about to my follow juniors - the involvement. I saw this spark over there which performed extraordinarily and differently from a group of machines - the machines only run the task that have been told - which produced by our sealed-minded education system. You guys were really awesome.

In the end, that kind of spirit turned out to make the 7th MICSS Science Camp become the most time-efficient and work-efficient science camp after all. So, what is the true reason in behind? I would like to cite out one word for this - Discipline. They were the great examplers of that, they did it. Discipline is the vital and fundamental principle that shape up a co-operation work. It's the result of successful leadership and organization. People might have tons of big dream and ideas, but if they forgot to hold on the underlying discipline - slowly climb up the ladder, just thinking to spring from bottom to top, they will just keep falling down, those big dream will still always be the far and unreachable dream.

"To turn really interesting ideas and fledgling technologies into a company...requires a lot of disciplines." - Steve Jobs, Apple Inc.

The Difference of the Environment

One of the major reason that I love to engage in this kind of national camp/event is because I get to meet and know the people from everywhere of our country, ranging from rural area to big downtown. It's true that a group of people living in a same community would have a smiliar collective of mindset, they create their unique way of communicating with people, they follow the way what their predecessors coped with the matters, I think that's what so-called 'culture'. Another fact that, the world is so huge from an angle of view as a human being. People from every corner of the world shape their own unique culture and which is very different than others, I think we call it 'diversity'. When various 'cultures' meet with mixed 'diversities', a significant impact will happen and people starting to exchange their beliefs, perspectives, attitude and so on - It's absolutely what the chemical change behind the every camp and event. However, I noticed that, some of the students was misunderstood the concept, they were aiming just for the prizes/awards - I know, a fraction of them were under the pressure of school as well.

A good story like this: It was really an unexpected surprise when I was talking with a girl who was a senior one student from CHHS KL. She asked a lot about my post-high-school opinions and, you know, according to my past experiences, I assumed that something a senior one student might not know, I unwittingly tried to make my answer to be simple. However, I was wrong afterwards. Apart from the way she talked, she does have a clear idea of the world issues and something like SAT, AP, Ivy League - In contrary, most of the students, even the teachers in my high school would just know the 'SAT' as the past tense of 'sit'...Woe. The apparent difference as a result of the difference in both living and study environment.

So, the importance of conveying this story is to point out the uncanny problem in our current society - public ignorance. Undeniably, we might born into a small town with limited information, but all of us, in normal situation, have the same privilege to get to know the information through newspapers, internet, social works, books and so on. Here are my suggestions: Grasp the chance to talk with people when you're in front with a group of new faces, for instance, in the science camp. Secondly, read more, listen more and be enthusiastic in one or more hobbies. Make sure to follow up the current world issues and probe into the particular area that you're interested. Even though those informations would never appear in your exams or tests, but they're basically the practical wisdom and knowledge that would enrich your personal life and mold your own personality and critical thinking.

Oh ya, lastly, I would like to apologize over here for my less 'caring' on my team members. Unlike my second science camp experience, I did have plenty of time sharing and interacting with my fellow members, we had a great time over there. This time, I was rushing around and turning around throughout the science camp which turned out to have only a fleeting moment to talk and accompany with you guys. Haha. Since the social networks are ubiquitous now, let's keep in touch no matter where we're =)

Gonna stop over here now. I'm getting more sort of like anthropological-style of writing. Haha.

Seize on every opportunity to explore out yourself. The experience will be more precious than getting an award or attending a class. Think about it.

Monthly Report: April 2011

2011-05-02T17:06:00.020+08:00

Alright, I know. It was an unproductive month for me. Unconventional zero blog post, slumping network traffic and certain stuff which I'm always working on remain its inertia. The true is, instead of dipping my fingers down to keep grappling with some 'visible' accomplishments, the lapse of time was more likely to be categorized as sort of the fresh mental enrichment act - stay out to glean an idea of hatching up an ideal pathway.

So, what does it mean? I started to spurn away the mechanical lifestyle that I used to follow up since I had gotten myself back to work - repeatedly having the classical-city-fast food in daily basic and doing the same thing at the same time everyday. It was cool and steady but lack of spark. I spend 40 hours per week in Klang where is a suburban town far away from the downtown. Unlike the major Cantonese-English speaking city, it's a Chinese-Hokkien speaking and relatively traditional town. I wandered around the stalls and went to the Pasar Malam to enjoy a variety of rustic foods. It really provides me a sense of familiarity while I'm 240miles away from my hometown, the familiar taste and smell.

I went to several places in Kuala Lumpur lately where I further realized that there do have a slew of fascinating places are out of there in Malaysia, even just within the boundary of the main city. I would say, I do have a great relish to stay at high-tech city, but the experience of throwing myself into those traditional and rich-cultural places somehow spontaneously lead myself toward a new era -a philosophic approach to life. I can't really depict out the chemical changes behind that notion, but it's quite true. I would strongly recommend anyone to seize on the free time to live out your life without the creature comfort that you're used to, you will be able to get ahead of the curve and understand the impact of difference.

It was absolutely a great delight when the coveted fancy of watching the live Formula 1 Racing had come to fruition. When the deafening sound from the high rpm engine pierced through my ears and numerous cars fleeting before my eyes at the peak of an over 150mph speed, you gonna know, how gratifying the experience was. It was all about an ardent fever over the feeling of the top speed. Awesome!

I had been confirmed a place as a counsellor on the upcoming MICSS Science Camp in Chong Hwa High School, Kuala Lumpur. It's going to be my third appearance on the said science camp following up my past participations. What to expect? Tons of fun! =)

Cheer for my Hong Kong friends who wound up their HKALE in few weeks ago. Really wish them to successfully achieve their (satisfied/expected?) results and dash toward their dream schools. No more dilemma. Enjoy your summer time :)

Sony Malaysia announced its new employee scheme last week (Finally) to enhance its poor managment system - from my angle of view - and filter out unqualified employee. It's pretty happy to..'witness' a major change with that unappealing and 'getting dying' management team. Since Sony is a large and well-known Inc., feckless and inefficient in both soft and hard managements should not happen in that standard of level. However, it's P&C issue, I can't really manifest too much about that over here. Pros or cons to the whole eco-system? Remains doubt.

Following up a surprise of Thanks-to-Dad HTC HD7 Windows Phone and my new-joined-gadget ThinkPad, undeniably, Windows Phone OS, XNA Studio, Sliverlight will be my new toys to play around with. Ready to get wired in! A detailed review of the Windows Phone will be come to a post afterwards. Wondering why not Andriod or iPhone to create a 'Happy Family' with my Mac and iPad instead? Apparently, it will have me to lay down an over thousand words essay to refute it- too many mumbles in behind. HAHA

Movie of the month: 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart'. Romantic + sweet scenes in every frame and my all-time-favor song - David Tao - Love Is Simple - as the theme background music, I was seriously obsessed with this romance when I first stumbled across it in Youtube. Hmm..It really incites my desire to......ah ha, okay. No matter you're single or in couple, I believe you're not about to be immune with it. Unprecedented.

Last, what to describe my current situation? A limbo, I would say. Things are right on the path slowly getting their momentum ahead, however, few of the vital factors and real hassle remain unclear - that's what I really concern about. Stay on the course and keep pushing up myself - believe the things will somehow be connected with each other in the end - tenaciously.

WWDC 2011 Hits The Downtown, Again

2011-03-29T00:41:00.005+08:00

No doubt, very soon, the annually Apple WorldWide Developers Conference (WWDC 2011) is going to happen on this year right at San Francisco again, likewise, from 6 to 10 of June precisely. Apple named the headline of this splashy event as 'Join us for a preview of the future of iOS and Mac OS X'. Apparently, an evolutionary Mac OS X Lion and most probably the sneak peak of iOS 5 will be unveiled right at that moment. If you were a Apple developer and meet the attendence requirement and - of course, the most important - holding a 1,599 buck, have your time to grab the ticket right now which normally will be sold out in a second.

For anyone else, like it peers, it just the matter of time. Mark down your calender and stay tuned =)

Happy Birthday To Myself. Random Check Out.

2011-03-25T22:27:00.017+08:00

There are few bottles of beer in my room. Oh.. No, I'm not gonna have the leaning to trigger a shot for it in order to gain a little bit more psychologically mirthful feeling - I was seriously drunk two days before in a boisterous farewell party for my colleague. Okay, I know it was awful.

It seems to be raining out of there. The wind is whirling and the starry night sky is gonna turn out to be in complete darkness, of course, with light pollution as well. The background music is one of the famous song from Jacky Cheung. I'm unconsciously fond of his songs recently, so soft and so harmonious. Inconsistently, this entry is going to be wholly a gaggle of murmuring, unusual, super random.

Thanks and thanks to my lovely friends and family. Your blessings and supports are always be the only, you know, the most tremendous force to keep driving me to the ever-further destination. Social networks make the 'amount' of birthday blessing increase dramatically, it makes people lives easier, full with great blessings from everywhere. It does turn out to make it not-so-exclusive, as well. Haha. Sorry to be so straight-forward, but it's quite true. However, the exclusive one would always remain its exclusivity, special thanks for the air mails from Taiwan and special gifts in my room. They're absolutely adorable.

20 years old, ironically, a big quarter of my life, an uncomplete puzzle. Well, I'm so desperate to jump out from the current world recently, maybe somehow being inspired by the popular narrative story. If there did have a birthday wish for me, I will give it a bet for 'Opportunity'. It's by no means limited to study, relationship, work, travel and all that. It's about the opportunity to explore the ultimate meaning of life and further stuff up my excessive hunger and boundless curiosity. We can't live our lives to please other. As when you step forth, you will be alone, the decision and fate must be yours. I know we're not living in utopia, things never come easy. We're forced to follow some 'rules' in order to survive in the current world. No matter how, don't lose your soul and originality. Quote from my favorite Jobs' quote again: Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

I hate time and distance. Time just always be its way lead ahead quietly and leave behind the memories. It makes people understand the past would never come back and the future will not always in a straight-line. People recalling, waiting and looking because of the time is beyond control. The feeling of time is ambiguous in each occasions, I dislike it.

Distance makes people disconnected, either in physically or mentally. I know, global internet connection might be the remedy of that, but you know what? The getting farther distance between hearts are not those virtual stuffs are able to really make up. Distance tames down people expectation, hope and willingness, severely.

Woops, yep. I bought myself a much-yearning ThinkPad as my birthday gift, added up a new member to my ample series of gadgets family. Gonna embrace to Windows system once again and digging into the Windows-based programming stuffs which I was wholly immune in these few months. Thumbs-up!

Notwithstanding a devastated recession of market recently, the back-to-Sony-Malaysia work has been in the progressive and smooth direction. Attending weekly meeting, sending out formal report, managing the stock level, shooting out the stunning photo have been all part of progress. The only drawback is just the usage of time - the working time fills up a large part of my daily life in this period, yet, it has to be arranged efficiently. Thus, ice-staking becomes the only sport that I'm having recently. I'm so desirous to find back the feeling of a "runner's high" spurred by the endorphins released by exercise and enjoying my sweat trickle at the running path once again. I miss both my running, basketball shoes and follow teammates so much.

It has been quite a period of time, I exposed myself to the real heart of our society nakedly. Keep discovering and unfolding the dreadful fact behind the dim veiling. How uncivilized, materialistic and mediocre our societies are. The world is in polarization. People get used to the incentive-oriented society. People bamboozle, disguise, fight, drive for the fame, profit and the dirty bucks and it ends up with the extinction of the virtue and right, its essence is no longer been understood. Oh-no, of course, it does have some sparks, too. I saw few awesome examplers, but not too much around there so far, far below the expectation. What's wrong? The education. Not the academic one which most of us having, but the general education which beneath the foundation of our civilization. We need it, desperately.

I still couldn't really convince myself to have an unique dinner for my special day. Well..truth to be told, it seems to be ended up alone and alone, doesn't mean so much at all. Haha. Seriously. An understanding, I would say for today. I did fail, succeed, thrill, frustrated, lost and all that. Nonetheless, the whole process was in the way of self-endured and self-satisfied. I still haven't been..hmm..you know, that kind of understanding by someone else. Maybe it did exist over there, but I didn't realize or miss out, not really sure in which case so far. Haha, a little bit emotional right here. Despite being a science-y guy, I do believe in some superstition, oops no, it calls the believing of fate. Haha. So..in restrospect, maybe it just doomed to be and the dots will continuously connect themselves forward? Jammed, not so sure.

Alright. The day just passed by, when I was writing this entry. It looks just as ordinary as the other 365days in a year, depends upon how you deal with it. Happy Birthday to me and anyone who having the same birth-date with me. Best and best.

David's Review: iOS 4.3, How Things Get Better?

2011-03-22T22:22:00.009+08:00

Prologue
Pierced through a handful of the rumours and finally, iPad 2 was unveiled by our look-thinner-but-stiff-enough Steve Jobs last tuesday. Like what I wrote in my forecast and probably most of the Tech. guys did as well, the new iPad 2 is about a third thinner and over 10% lighter, yet speedier and more powerful than the original version, for many users, challenged their laptops as a digital tool. And it costs the same as the original. No doubt, iOS 4.3 hits its final release in iPad 2. It was apprently a big letdown for most of the developers without seeing any clue of iOS 5 SDK on the stage.

While it's evolutionary rather than revolutionary like the first model, the changes Apple has made are generally pleasing and positive. Its improvements, including front and rear cameras, compensate the few drawbacks and feature omissions that people found at the first generation of iPad. iPad 2 offers an excellent balance of size, functionality and price, not surprisingly, keeps Apple ahead in the tablet race.

However, the iPad 2 comes better but not prefect. Its cameras take mediocre still photos and Apple didn't even reveal their megapixel ratings. The company says they were designed for video, not still photography.

They did capture decent video in my tests, including high-definition video from the rear camera and video good enough from the front camera for satisfying video calling. But, for a company known for quality, which bundles a new still-photo app with the device, the cameras are disappointing. －Walt Mossberg, AllThingsDigital

In my view, unless you are desperate for the cameras or feel you are laboring under the greater bulk of the original model, I don't advise that iPad owners race to get the new version.

The Body: iOS 4.3
Okay, the protagionist of this entry is not about iPad 2 but iOS 4.3 itself instead. As you know, the final release of iOS 4.3 is available at iTunes on Wednesday prior to the first sales of iPad 2 on 11 March. Very soon, its brother with little bug-fixed iOS 4.3.1 revealed itself quietly too. Let's see what Apple software engineers had done in iOS 4.3:

About iOS 4.3 Software Update

This update contains new features and improvements, including the following:

Personal Hotspot*
Share iPhone 4 cellular data connection with up to 5 devices (combination of up to 3 Wi-Fi, 3 Bluetooth, and 1 USB)
iTunes Home Sharing
Play music, movies and TV shows from a shared iTunes library on a Mac or PC (requires iTunes 10.2)
New AirPlay features**
Play videos from the Photos app including the Camera Roll album, iTunes previews, enabled third-party apps and websites on Apple TV
Play slideshows from Photos on Apple TV using transitions available on Apple TV
Faster Safari performance with Apple Nitro JavaScript engine
HD video out using the Apple Digital AV Adapter***
View 720p HD videos from Videos app, iPod app, Photos, YouTube, Safari, Keynote, and enabled third-party apps on an HDMI display
Ping features
Push notifications for comments and follow requests
Post and Like songs directly from the Now Playing screen
Parental controls
New Settings
Messages setting for number of times to repeat an alert
iPad side switch setting to lock screen rotation or mute audio notifications and sound effects
Single tap conference call dialing with a pause to send a passcode
Bug fixes

*Requires iPhone 4 with tethering data plan
**Requires Apple TV (2nd generation) running software version 4.2 or later
***iPhone 4, iPad, iPod touch (4th generation)

For information on the security content of this update, please visit:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

Testing, Comparision
- The Changing in Setting Page:
A new Location Services Setting reveals in left side bar and the new setting for iPad side switch shows in General Setting Page.

Location Services Setting Page

- iPad side switch
In iOS 4.3, users are able to customize the switch on the side of your iPad to lock the screen rotation or mute the volume. Just configure the side switch in Settings.

Screen Rotation Lock Mode and Volume Mute Mode

- iTunes Home Sharing
A new Home Sharing function shows up at the setting page of iPod. Home Sharing is all about your music, videos, podcasts and more— if it's in your iTunes library on your Mac or PC, you can now play it on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch over a shared Wi-Fi network - it makes life easier. I did try with this new feature with my Mac, it worked fantastically without any complicated configuration. Awesome!

- Safari - Apple Nitro JavaScript Engine
The core update of iOS 4.3 as what Apple feverishly promote about - the much-expected improve in Safari - Nitro JavaScript Engine. By performing the SunSpider JavaScript Benchmark at both iOS 4.2.1 and iOS 4.3 on iPad, we got two radically different result: 8072.1ms and 3346.6ms respectively of the sum-up point in the same setting of testing environment. We do know the benckmark still the benchmark, sometime it doesn't really reflect its real performance. I have been tried with my iPad by browsing through several websites which having massive Javascript Framework in a period, I found it does make a sense with that benchmark point. The feeling of browsing through the website with faster response and higher stability was completely satisfied.

In addition, Personal Hotspot for iPhone user, Airplay and Airprint are also highlighting with iOS 4.3. However, unfortunately, I couldn't have the hand-on experience for that due to the limitation of testing devices.

The Bottom Line
With a sort of improvements, both exteriorly and interiorly, in iOS 4.3, it undoubtedly makes iOS devices go ever further and better. Nonetheless, the super-unstable Wifi connection in iPad/iPad 2 and the frequent crash-down of Safari/Apps due to unclear reason still exist around there without a critical fix.

As new contenders move into the field, Apple isn't likely to keep its 90% share of the booming tablet market. But the iPad 2 moves the goal posts, by being slimmer and lighter, boosting speed and power, and holding its price advantages, available apps and battery life. As of now, I can comfortably recommend it as the best tablet for average consumers.

Super Weird: "SUPERMOON"

2011-03-14T19:15:00.011+08:00

Thanks to an epidemic of the social media and social network. News and informations are spreading too fast to be aware of. Since the Japan's devastated earthquake and worst-ever nuclear crisis are roaring up recently, tons of dim rumours regarding natural disaster, leak of radiation, iodine aid, even the 2012-The-End story are brought into limelight. However, without precise information and authentic judgement, a procession of unnecessary panic over people keep arising from hollowness. What a weird scenario when you were keep witnessing people foolishly proliferating the rumous which derived from unreliable source and starting to be in fermet over that. Gossips and rumours are always interesting and fascinating, people take great relish on them. But, as a civilized man, think about them before you believe on them.

For example, the title of this entry, SuperMoon. The tragic earthquake and tsunami in Japan Friday set the Internet abuzz with the idea that the moon, which will be at its fullest of the year on March 19, played a role in the devastating natural disaster. Even worse, the buzz indicates that an ever-greater disaster will descend upon our lovely earth on that day, keep tons of people into the dismal mood.

The seed for the idea was planted by an astrologer, who contended that this large full moon – a so-called "supermoon"– would touch off natural disasters like the Japan earthquake since the moon would make its closest approach to Earth in 18 years. Remember, astrology isn't a science.

So, what is the real theory behind? In accordance with the info. source from NASA. NASA scientist Jim Garvin explains the mechanics behind the moon's phases and the causes of the supermoon. Garvin is the chief scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

"'Supermoon' is a situation when the moon is slightly closer to Earth in its orbit than on average, and this effect is most noticeable when it occurs at the same time as a full moon," Garvin wrote in the NASA statement. "So, the moon may seem bigger although the difference in its distance from Earth is only a few percent at such times."

The full moon of March will occur next Saturday on March 19, when the moon will be about 221,567 miles (356,577 kilometers) away from Earth. The average distance between the Earth and the moon is about 238.000 miles (382.900 km).

"It is called a supermoon because this is a very noticeable alignment that at first glance would seem to have an effect," Garvin explained. "The 'super' in supermoon is really just the appearance of being closer, but unless we were measuring the Earth-Moon distance by laser rangefinders (as we do to track the LRO [Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter] spacecraft in low lunar orbit and to watch the Earth-Moon distance over years), there is really no difference."

It was astrologer Richard Nolle who linked the full moon of March 19 to natural disasters. He claimed that this "supermoon" would trigger massive earthquakes, volcanoes and powerful storms when it arrived. But scientists assure that this is not the case.

Garvin, for example, said the moon's effects on Earth have been the subject of extensive studies.

"The effects on Earth from a supermoon are minor, and according to the most detailed studies by terrestrial seismologists and volcanologists, the combination of the moon being at its closest to Earth in its orbit, and being in its 'full moon' configuration (relative to the Earth and sun), should not affect the internal energy balance of the Earth since there are lunar tides every day," Garvin wrote.

But while the moon helps drive Earth's tides, it is not capable of triggering devastating earthquakes.

"The Earth has stored a tremendous amount of internal energy within its thin outer shell or crust, and the small differences in the tidal forces exerted by the moon (and sun) are not enough to fundamentally overcome the much larger forces within the planet due to convection (and other aspects of the internal energy balance that drives plate tectonics),"

Full story and more related scientific articles right here:

Space.com: NASA Scientist Explains Science Behind 'Supermoon' Phenomenon

Life's Little Mysteries: The 'Supermoon' Did Not Cause the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami

___________________________________________________________

My thinking: Whenever we come across any of statements, informations or rumours, please seriously ponder over them. Use our rational judgement and practical wisdom to distinguish between the truth and fake. Don't be so impetuous to show your caring by sharing them out to others. Checks the source of the rumour, reviews the content by using scientific method and intellectual mindset. The creators of those phonies are not the only one to be blamed for. The person who spreading out the lame rumous is the one who hold the responsibility as well to avoid any unnecessary panic.

Be wise to use our social tools. Don't be dim-witted to get involved into the part of irresponsible rumour-spreading progress.

19 March 2011, hava a good night with our stunning and peaceful 'Supermoon'. =)

David's Opinion: Japan Tragedy - The Vital Role of Social Media

2011-03-12T21:56:00.008+08:00

The Scenario
Friday afternoon, while I just arrived at my working spot, powered on the wifi, went through my daily mental consumption - scrolling down bunch of updated articles which featured on several news websites. A sudden headline with red color embroidered popped up right at the Wall Street Journal website. Just a second, more and more of my favorite websites - CNN, BBC continuously happened to report the latest situation of the 8.9-magnitude earthquake. Live videos were up, recording from a high altitude of helicopter, showing the dumbfounded tsunami, not so far from the epicentre, relentlessly eradicated the farms, houses and slammed on bunch of ships. Extremely astounded. Tons of related news started to flood my Facebook wall, people showed great concern over the debacle and managed to try every means - Skype, MSN, Facebook, etc. to contact their friends and families who were staying at the high risk areas or countries of this unexpected disaster.

Japan Live Blog Update began to run on a handful of websites, provided with the latest news from the battlefront to all of us. Google person finder has been established for those looking for or with information about people affected by the Japan earthquake; see here (in Japanese), or here (in English). The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released the list of estimated arrival times of tsunamis across the globe, following by the alert announcements from several global agencies and authorities. In Japan, as mobile phones remain down, Twitter is proving to be one of the best ways to contact loved ones and get updates on the quake.

One of the Twitter's user wrote that they were “walking home with the rest of Tokyo”, as trains and subways remain stopped: It’s “amazingly calm and orderly.”

The American School in Japan, the largest international school in Tokyo, sent out an email message to parents saying everyone was safe about a half-hour after the quake. All the chief mobile service providers in Japan incessantly took actions to cope with the lack of mobile connectivity problem. An emergency phone service has been set up, an online emergency message board as also be created to help people confirm the whereabouts of those in struck areas. NTT provided free public phone service in the rendezvous for victims. KDDI, SoftBank followed up the NTT created an internet platform for people to send out the message of peace to their love ones. Bic Camera, one of the biggest electronic equipment chain stores in Japan, handed over the free battery charging service for mobile phone users. Suntory has been prepared tons of free drinking water vending machines for emergency purpose since 2005 and it turned out to be so invaluable at this moment. Thanks for the integrated TV function on their high-tech mobile phones, people were able to catch up the live stream from TV network.

"It's very convenient being able to watch live TV when the phones are down," said Minori Naito, an employee of Royal Bank of Scotland in Tokyo. "Otherwise, we'd have no idea what is going on."

Throughout the whole story, not surprisingly, you find the social media sprouting like weeds in a garden - that is, everywhere.

The Vital Role
Those epoch-making inventions - World Wide Web, social website, telecommunication - all of them turn out to become so essential and effective nowaday for all the people get connected, get know the latest movement out of the world, no matter where you are. Japan tragedy slowly dawn on us that social media is not just about the entertainment, games and fun, but it's all about connect, caring and accessibility. As you know, social media shows its great heap over this incident, it's by no means limited to spread the immediate and precise information for people to get aware of the upcoming threats, but also the handy tool for people to connect and find out their love ones. Fancy the scenario when all of this happen without social media, people might never know what the hell was going on out of there, the alerts couldn't reach the people on time, deteriorate the threat of the disaster and the rescue operations would be so messy and complicated after all. Social media, no matter which particular website or service, spontaneously contributes so much to our daily lives, we use it everyday. Chatting with your parents in a distance, getting know the score of your favorite football match, checking the highly fluctuated stock market, applying to an oversea college, more and more. Thinking back, the infrastructure itself is absolutely amazing and stunning. We're in such fortunate to born on this age, the age of social media, the age of practical use of technology.

Contemplation
By witnessing the whole progress, Japan is arguably the most disaster-aware nation in the world, and has spent several decades developing mitigation strategies for a variety of hazards, including earthquakes and tsunamis. This event directly shows us the state of the art in readiness for earthquake and tsunami disasters which wholly minimize the damage and save thousand of lives. The Japan government didn't seem to be delayed for any rescue operation but giving out aid rapidly instead. The victims didn't seem to be panic and anxious but calmly flee from the riskful areas instead. The mass media in Japan didn't seem to be overblow the disaster but precisely convey the useful information to people instead. The effectiveness of the government, the steadiness and attitude of the people, the quickness and discipline of the mass media are what other countries, especially our countries, should really learn and apply. Ponder over it.

The Buttom Line
The terrific story still didn't come to its end, at least untill the moment that I was writing on this entry. Blast at nuclear plant follows the Friday's 8.9-magnitude quake, might cause the meltdown of the reactor and has the potential for a nuclear catastrophe. More than 83,000 people live within 10 kilometers of the two dangerous plants, the evacuations were immediately proceeded. The experts and workers are now out on a limb to flood the reactor containment structure with sea water to bring the reactor's temperature down to safe levels. The effort is expected to take two days. In the next hours, days, weeks and months, Japan will go about the emotionally painful task of assessing the damage and counting the casualties and injuries. It will rebuild homes, roads and lives for thousands of individuals.

"Today's events remind us of just how fragile life can be," U.S. President Barack Obama

Life is vulnerable. Cherish for your love ones and the time you hold.
- It would never come back once it gone.

God Bless Everyone.

David's Opinion: iPad 2's Rumour At Its Peak

2011-02-24T00:24:00.013+08:00

It has been a busy week for both Apple Inc. and Tech. blogs. The rumour of the much-expected next generation of iPad - temporarily called it as the iPad 2, at its all time high during this week. It was not just about the Wall Street Journal officially unveiled the news of iPad 2 production according from a dependable source but also the executive of All Things Digital sputtered out the release date of iPad 2 will be exactly on next week 2 March with great ebullience.

Apparently, to those who care intensely about this kind of stuff – which would be pretty much everyone in the tech ecosystem – are pretty enjoying the hedonic treadmill of keep guessing and following the every single step that Apple trudged for its upcoming superb weapon.

In its last earnings calls, Apple said it had sold nearly 15 million iPads, since it went on sale last spring. It's no doubt that the next iPad 2 will going to burst out as an propulsive missile anew to the a-little-bit-shabby economy, especially those high-demanded emerging markets.

As one of tech. enthusiasts who keep pouring great attention with this matter, it would be kind of interesting for me to make a bet on iPad 2 in accordance with my own perspective. My personal prediction on iPad 2, how it build and how it looks like:

-Remains the same resolution of 9.7 inches screen, maybe higher contrast/better colour?
Reason: iPad 2 won't go for Retina Display which what iPhone 4 particularly have. Don't be fed up. (1) Imagine that the Retina Display hooks up with that 9.7inches screen, it will turn out to become an incredible 2048x1536 pixels resolution. So, here is the cheese: battery life or higher pixel? (2) Such a high resolution screen will further bring much more burden for developers to design the GUI of Apps and developers have been happily worked with that decent resolution, it obviously sounds like not really necessary. Unless Apple's talented engineers figure out the instant solutions for those both matters.

-Faster processor, bigger memory and slightly longer battery life?
Reason: No reason for that. It's a rule. People are suffering enough trauma of the crash-down with their Safari when they linked to an over-hundred-photo album in Facebook and an immediate shut-down when they accessed to their massive iBook.

-Thinner than its predecessor with more curvy design.
Reason: No reason too. People just foolishly fond of that.

-Front-facing camera with Facetime video support or maybe a high-pixel camera in behind?
Reason: Like its peer, Apple will going to build up an ever stronger relationship between all of its products. I had been talked about this in my previous post.

-Better and faster network support.
Reason: Market demand. It's impossible that a cutting-edge product just come along with a very old-fashioned connectivity support. Dual GSM-CDMA based system expected.

-Bundle with iOS 4.3 system?
Reason: Apple has been spending plenty of time in iOS system beta testing with all the Apple developers since its first release. iOS 4.3 version is so far the latest version that we heard which much-anticipated will soon to be the final version for the iPad 2 with more interesting gesture control (4 to 5 fingers at a time?) and more personalized features (Personal hotspot, Airplay video support).

-One more thing?
Reason: It's Apple's culture and innovation, leading by its founder Jobs. It's always been the crucial factor that fascinates us. Apple will definitely show us something astonishing apart from the current state that we all already knew.

At least for me, the release date or the spec. of iPad 2 are not the major points that need to really concern about. Instead, the big speculation will be around whether Apple CEO Steve Jobs will appear or not in this should-coming announcement.

He is currently on leave to deal with ongoing health issues, although has been sighted all around Silicon Valley at various places. In addition, Jobs sat right next to President Barack Obama at a high-profile meet-the-tech-moguls dinner(The photo on the bottom) in the area last week.

There aren't right or wrong with all kind of frenzy over the next yardstick of the tablet market. When the warm invitation of the announcement rolls around, the familiar stage with our respected Jobs (Nope?) and the Apple-style-classical music, we will soon to know what exactly happened.

Sony Alpha Convention 2011 Right At The Downtown

2011-02-23T00:53:00.004+08:00

Do you hold a DSLR camera? And which have an emblematic earmark ' α ' on it? If you nodded your head right after that, Sony Alpha Convention 2011 is just an absolutely mirthful festival that you can't even miss it.

Sony Alpha Convention, like its past-annual-splashy successes, organized by Sony Malaysia, planning to bring up a platform for those Sony Alpha DSLR owners, ranging from beginner to enthusiast, to share their joyfulness of taking tons of marvelous photos and to shape their photography skills by learning from each other. By attending to several workshops and competitions which well-prepared on this convention, participants will able to dig into the ultimate aspect of photography and shine with Sony Alpha technology.

Steel your resolve to partake of this can-not-miss event by reserving a place right here. Check it out :)

Google Targets Southeast Asia: Malaysia Stands Out

2011-01-27T13:13:00.003+08:00

Google is setting its sights on the increasingly lucrative Southeast Asia market, where Internet traffic is rising and the use of technology and social-networking platforms is gaining speed.

As part of its push to expand in Southeast Asia, Google said Wednesday it is opening a new office in Kuala Lumpur, its first new Asia office in four years. The Mountain View, Calif., Internet giant set up offices in Singapore and South Korea in 2007.

Google SEA managing director Julian Persaud, Dato Mukhriz and Sajith (from left-right) at the opening of the new Google Malaysia office.

Riding on the back of Malaysia's 55.6% internet penetration and the fact that Malaysia also has one of the highest usage percentage for Google's Chrome web browser in Asia Pacific, Google Inc. have announced their deepening investment into Southeast Asia by opening a brand new office in Kuala Lumpur.

Headed by Sajith Sivanandan - Google's previous head of online advertising business for the travel sector in South East Asia - the new office is a big step for Google to more efficiently bring its leading advertising platform, web services and search experience to users, advertisers and partners in Malaysia.

“We are delighted that Google has decided to set up an office in Kuala Lumpur. Their presence is a testament to their commitment to Malaysia as well as Malaysia's suitability as a regional multimedia hub. We hope that Google's entry will encourage more local businesses to go online and tap into international markets. The Ministry of International Trade and Industry looks forward to collaborating with Google more in the future,” says YB Dato' Mukhriz Mahathir, Deputy Minister of International Trade & Industry.

“Malaysia is a very significant country in Southeast Asia in terms of its digital economy and tech-savvy population. We are excited to be investing in Malaysia and, through our search and display solutions, helping small and large businesses grow, reach new markets and contribute to the growth of the economy. We also have a very engaged set of local users with whom we look forward to interacting much more closely,” said Sajith Sivanandan.

Google Malaysia is also currently hiring for its KL office and job openings can be viewed on their website, www.google.com.my/jobs. Welcome To Malaysia Google!

Source: Wall Street Journal/Lowyat.net

New Year ⋅ New Hope ⋅ New Path

2011-01-17T22:15:00.011+08:00

Will it be a little bit out of fashioned to write about some kind of stuffs regarding new year while it has already come to the end of January? Woops, as a pure-real-tranditional Chinese young man, since it still left several days before the Lunar New Year descends upon us, I personally think that I'm still in the right time to catch up the last train :)

Okay, enough chattering. Year 2010 was a big year for me. It brought me to hop from a tempting pinnacle of starting point, push me down with an extremely frightened 'falling down' feeling and then straight away hit to a glossy surface but full with caves. In the end, I woke up with an ever-broadened prespective. Failure in SAT I, rejection from NTU, mistake in applying UCLA, UC Berkeley, those experiences undoubtedly provided me with a precious moment to really comtemplate about my ability and to really understand how much effort that I still need to put it on. Tons of people might wondering about this part, I mean, my education/further studies, in promise, I will further interpret for it once everything work out OK. On the other hand, work in Sony Malaysia, participation in Asian Science Camp, involvement in several national conferences and events, led me to realize how astonishing that the people in the other communities. Their passion, enthusiasm and attitude were what I should learn and keep working on.

Thus, what's the next plan for the Year 2011?

You know, right after undergoing the dreadful year of 2010 which sort of like leading to nowhere thoughout the year, I'm now so much hungry to set out a distinct path for the new year. Collecting all sort of jigsaw puzzle piece by piece and matching up them toward my ultimate goal. In a short speculation, I prepared a neat 'To-do' list for that. Let's see what should I do/ought to do/eager to do in year 2011. Of couse, they're not sorted in priority.

To-Do List:
• Be more proactive. At least five blog posts per month. (Okay, I know I failed on this month)
• Exposed to oversea experience. Both study and travel.
• Raise back my entrepreneurial bent. Gonna kick start for something big.
• Be serious in computer studies. Going to complete my self-study in web technology: CSS, XML, PHP, SQL, Javascript, Ajax, in both theory and practical works and further up my step toward Objective-C and Cocoa.
• Set out a real-valuable-professional research work in Computer Science. Not the topsy-turvy that I did before.
• Improve my second language - English. Both speaking and writting. At least getting near to a native speaker.
• Get deep into business area stuffs. Stock, forex, business managment, etc. Understand the real theory behind, keep following up the latest movement of the world business topics.
• Relationship? Okay, this one to be really optional @_@

The roads are there, tread them softly.

Happy New Year to everyone, wish everyone have a good good year :)

Apple Store New Year Surprise!

2011-01-11T13:20:00.006+08:00

Calling out all the Apple fans in Malaysia! Apple Store Malaysia will going to burst out a spark on Friday, January 14 as a part of spicing up the upcoming Chinese New Year Festival. It supposes to be a sort of one-day-pricing-cut promotion for few of the Apple products. So, what are you waiting for? Leave your hands down, start planning your purchase list today! Grab off your favorite gadget right at this precious date.

Apple's Mac App Store Now Live With 1,000 Apps

2011-01-06T23:15:00.004+08:00

Apple kept to their 90-days word—it's January 6th, and the Mac App Store is ready for your custom. There's over 1,000 apps—both free and paid-for—for Macs, with all that's needed is Snow Leopard and an iTunes account.

You'll have to download the software update Mac OS X v10.6.6 to install the App Store, and as expected, iLife '11 programs (iPhoto, iMovie and GarageBand) are sold individually through there for $15 each, along with Pages, Keynote and Numbers for $20 and Aperture 3 for $80.

True, 1,000 apps isn't that many—but as with the iOS App Store, we expect that number will grow quickly. We're going to take a big look at the Mac App Store later today, but in the meantime let us know what you think of it all, via the comments field.

Apple's Mac App Store Opens for Business

CUPERTINO, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)— Apple® today announced that the Mac® App Store℠ is now open for business with more than 1,000 free and paid apps. The Mac App Store brings the revolutionary App Store experience to the Mac, so you can find great new apps, buy them using your iTunes® account, download and install them in just one step. The Mac App Store is available for Snow Leopard® users through Software Update as part of Mac OS® X v10.6.6.

"With more than 1,000 apps, the Mac App Store is off to a great start," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We think users are going to love this innovative new way to discover and buy their favorite apps."

The Mac App Store offers apps in Education, Games, Graphics & Design, Lifestyle, Productivity, Utilities and other categories. Users can browse new and noteworthy apps, find out what's hot, see staff favorites, search categories and look up top charts for paid and free apps, as well as user ratings and reviews.

Entirely new apps, as well as current Mac favorites, are available from developers such as Autodesk, Ancestry.com and Boinx. iPhoto®, iMovie® and GarageBand® apps from Apple's popular iLife® ‘11 suite are available individually in the Mac App Store for $14.99 each, and Pages®, Keynote® and Numbers® apps from iWork® are available for $19.99 each. Aperture® 3, Apple's powerful photo editing and management software, is available for $79.99.

"We're delighted to bring our professional-grade paint and drawing app, Autodesk SketchBook Pro, to the Mac App Store on its first day of launch," said Carl Bass, Autodesk's CEO. "We've seen tremendous success on the Mac, iPhone and iPad with multiple apps. We're excited to offer SketchBook Pro on the Mac App Store so artists can easily create everything from quick sketches to high-quality artwork right on their Macs."

"By offering the Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker app on the Mac App Store, we're making it even easier for people to discover and access their family history," said Tim Sullivan, Ancestry.com's CEO. "The Mac App Store will drive a new generation of innovation on the Mac platform."

"We're thrilled to have our award-winning animation, video production and photography software available on the new Mac App Store," said Oliver Breidenbach, Boinx Software's CEO. "The Mac App Store makes it easier than ever for consumers to access all the innovative software designed for the Mac."

To get the Mac App Store, download the Mac OS X v10.6.6 Software Update or visit www.apple.com/mac/app-store. To find out more about developing for the Mac App Store visit developer.apple.com/programs/mac.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple is reinventing the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

Source: Gizmodo

Merry Christmas 2010!

2010-12-25T20:02:00.008+08:00

Merry Christmas! It has been the third times for me to be right here giving out my earnest blessing to everyone since I set out to beef about my stuffs by blogging in Dec 2008.

Sprang out from my bed while whole of my family had gone for Johor Bahru for a shooting of new year stuffs, swayed back to my desk with the chicken rice that packed by mum, embarked on all the formality - Firefox, Gmail, Facebook, Wall Street Journal. It's the dawn of my little bit shabby Christmas Day. When all the tavern, alley and everywhere in the town were full with revelry, riot last night because of this domestic, gift-giving but getting more commercialized holiday, I was particularly immune. No boisterous count down, no mirthful celebration. Extremely quiet and ordinary.

Haha. I'm not being autistic. Neither has it distracted me from studying nor has it recalled my dreadful trauma. I just simply have the leaning to decamp from all the agonizing stuffs and indulge myself into a real relaxing state. Leaving my fingers down on my keyboard to think about what that hell I was doing recently.

I just wound up my first semester in Taylor's University - RMIT University Bachelor of Computer Science lately. People might wonder the weird part of my course - the name. Actually it's a twinning program or so-called a partnership degree program between Taylor's University and RMIT University. In simple words, it means that the course students are pursuing their RMIT University Degree in Taylor's University Campus. The course students are having the same study curriculum and privilege no matter they're studying in Taylor's Campus or RMIT Campus. Thus, course students are free to transfer to RMIT Campus if they have the bent.

Of course, like any Computer Science course in any other Australia universities, we're required to enroll in four subjects in one semester. I acquired three High Dictinction in Programming 1, Computer Organization and Maths for Computing subjects and one Dictinction for Database Concept subject for this semester. Nevertheless, unlike the high school caged-fixed study mode, I know how much that I learnt thoughout the whole semester which the grades are inept to truly depict them. Ok, for those who personally know me, you guys should know I do have some grumbles for the course and school. A little bit more cumbersome and tedious story, I will talk more about it in later blog post.

Otherwise, I was selected as one of the twelve winners in IT@Green Photography Competition which is part of the Taylor's Bario Community Project. My awarded photo will be printed with my name in a 2011 calender for the charity purpose and a press interview with New Strait Time (A local daily newspaper) regarding the Bario Project will be featured soon as well. Thanks for all kind of earnest attention, I have the inkling of surprise that my trivial contribution would turn out to be so imperative afterwards.

I will going back to job segment next monday in order to cope with my devastating bailout. And keep screwing up with few personal projects that I'm currently working on. Keep strengthening my own pillar and prop. It will be awesome if I got any chance to share with you all in later time. I need all your support, dude :) .Since I had completed the Oracle Database Workshop during the school semester, I'm now seeking the time(Frankly, the money) to proceed to the certification exam which will going to cost me USD125 in first paper but it's no doubt to be totally worthy after all.

Some mumbling: Actually I'm in the a roaring progress of cruising my direction to the other beacon of light which will going to be another trail-blazing and life-changing milestone for me. Desperate and desirous. Stay tuned :)

Right at the end of this fervent holiday, again, wish everyone Merry Christmas and all the best!

As there is a dream, so there is a hope.

Word Lens Promises in-Image Translation

2010-12-19T19:59:00.003+08:00

here are plenty of applications and websites that can translate text to other languages, but if you're looking at a sign or something, you'll have to type it into a translation app. What if, instead, you could take a snapshot and have an app translate the text in the image? That's the idea behind Word Lens, and it seems to work.

The caveat is that for now, the app only works from Spanish-to-English and vice versa, and it is also an iOS only app.

It took 2 1/2 years for founders Otavio Good and John DeWeese to develop the app, which is free. However, each language pack is $4.99 (as an in-app buy), and that means to have it work both ways it would cost $9.98.

Using OCR, the app translates the text and draws them back, in the image, on the screen. Here's how Good described it:

“It tries to find out what the letters are and then looks in the dictionary. Then it draws the words back on the screen in translation. The translation isn’t perfect, but it gets the point across.”

For some translation, like "restrooms," that would be good enough.

Naturally, Good is looking toward other languages. Hopefully the algorithm can be translated to Android easily. In the 2 1/2 years that they have been working on this app, Android has overtaken the iPhone globally.

You can watch a demo video below.

source: hothardware.com

Facebook Overtook SouthWest Airlines as the Best Employer in US

2010-12-15T16:11:00.004+08:00

Facebook employees think their company is a fantastic place to work. In fact, among users of the jobs site Glassdoor, Facebook was the top-ranked U.S. employer for 2010, scoring a rating of 4.6 out of 5.

Those smug smarties from Palo Alto (disclosure: my husband works there part-time, so I can say that with certainty) say they love the openness and cooperativeness of internal Facebook culture, according to Glassdoor (also the free food and commuter shuttles).

This is the first time Facebook has made the Glassdoor list. In second place is Southwest Airlines (which was last year’s winner), followed by Bain & Company, General Mills and Edelman, respectively.

As for other tech companies, SAS Institute placed No. 7, Overstock.com was No. 9, and CareerBuilder No. 11. Apple was No. 20 and Google No. 30.

Meanwhile, in more surprising news, Glassdoor reports that Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz is actually more popular now than founder Jerry Yang when he was in the top spot. Bartz has an employee approval rating of 56 percent, compared to 34 percent for Yang when he left.

Other comparisons: HP CEO Léo Apotheker has 62 percent approval, compared to Mark Hurd’s 34 percent when he left, and AOL CEO Tim Armstrong has 71 percent approval, compared to Randy Falco’s 13 percent approval when he left.

The most popular tech CEO is Apple’s Steve Jobs, with a 97 percent approval rating. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Google’s Eric Schmidt are both at 96 percent.

The Top-50 List, here we go:

Microsoft Online Windows Phone 7 Developer Guide

2010-12-14T17:47:00.007+08:00

After the splashy release of Windows Phone 7, Microsoft has vehemently poured tons of effort into advertising and promoting in order to batter its rivals, Google Android, Apple iPhone, RIM BlackBarry, to overhaul its losing market. Meanwhile, Microsoft is in dire need of ample and significant apps for its Marketplace, as the q&q, quantity and quality of the smartphone apps will inevitably be the crucial factor of determining the WP7 victory or failure.

The Microsft MSDN Library of Windows Phone 7 Developer Guide provide all of you with a free opportunity to dive into the Microsoft first-ever-handy software development platform, which hopping from the introducation of Windows Phone 7 to Silverlight Coding, XNA design and back to Marketplace interaction - a completed Bible for Windows Phone 7 App Developer to leave their fingers down with bunch of WP7 apps out of the whole cloth. All you have to do just bit the bullet, sweep through all the materials with hands-on works and churn them with your quixotic idea and ulitimate creativity. Of course, it does have some 'pre-requisite', like any other computer science courses in university, at least a little basic knowledge in object-oriented programming, such as Java, C++. If not, those codes might look terrible from you.

Are you interested to be the one to use apps to revamp the smartphone market? Check it out now: Microsoft MSDN Library

Google New Launched Program for Students: Code-In

2010-12-12T19:49:00.005+08:00

Are you a computer geek? Are you in between 13-18 year old? Are you eager to have a real and hands-on experience on IT-related tasks? If you nodded your head right after those questions, Google Code-in is wholly suitable for you to stuff up your tedious and agonizing school holiday.

Google Code-in is an open source development and outreach contest targeted at 13-18 year old students around the world. Of course, it's not the first time that Google embark on this kind of program. Google had run a pilot program called the Google Highly Open Participation Contest during 2007 to 2008, which gave 400 students around the world an opportunity to help out open source projects on the following kinds of tasks:

1. Code: Tasks related to writing or refactoring code
2. Documentation: Tasks related to creating/editing documents
3. Outreach: Tasks related to community management and outreach/marketing
4. Quality Assurance: Tasks related to testing and ensuring code is of high quality
5. Research: Tasks related to studying a problem and recommending solutions
6. Training: Tasks related to helping others learn more
7: Translation: Tasks related to localization
8: User Interface: Tasks related to user experiencec research or user interface design and interaction.

Since it was a huge success for Google at that episode, it's no doubt that Google fervently sets out to move its big stride to another milestone again with the contest with its new name, Google Code-In.

So, what are you waiting for? Check out its official website for more information.

P/S: Darned, I just slightly older than the age range of being the participant :(

The Lapse of Time

2010-11-26T15:15:00.006+08:00

It has been a couple of time since my last post to be right here to convey something so-called my inner voice, perspective. Just right after the dawn of my first-university-final examination, I'm spontaneous to dip my toe into deep immersion again to hand out some stuffs which nailing down several dim hindsight that authentically raised me up and hope it wouldn't be too wearisome after all.

When I incessantly stumbled across a sort of my fellow juniors' graduation photo recently, it suddenly burned my mind with a prossession of my high school scenario - a wonderful memory amused with lots of gaffe, disgrace and topsy-turvy. And yet it's dreadful and darned: Time just flows too fast for me to realize that it has been one year of time since I graduated from my lovely high school. While I tried to recall every piece of my mind to scrutinize them, I eventually got that: Instead of continously discovering myself, like what I did thoughout my past-eighteen-year life. I transformed. Of course, it was not the way how Transformers transform themselves but the way of fundamentally changing on my mindset which I didn't ever perceive before.

My intense desire is unanimously the best thing that I ever found of myself. It always intuitively drives me to overcome bunch of hindrance and rid me of being pessimistic. Frankly speaking, in past, my desire was bound up with fame, prestige and fortune. It was morbid and terrible. I was just like, did a thing mechanically because of 'something' or screwing up so badly for the sake of getting 'something', I couldn't find what it really meant to me afterwards. You know what, what our societies really inoculate to us is merely a scripted, lock-step curricula. It has been in the process of polarization and turns out to create a tyrannic phenomenon which hypnotize people to just follow the rules that something like: We're desperate in winning the competition to embroider our C.V. to get prettier, we struggle so hard in study because of getting a fat university admission, we go ballistic over work in order to get earning more and more incentive. And the cruel fact after all is simple as that: We're there, we 'ought to' breathe under this kind of spineless, grueling and rigid cage. I would say, most of us. WE LOST SOMETHING ELSE.

Ok, I know, I'm a little agitated at this point. The CAGE makes people just do because people told them to do, other people also do and worse, eventually they feel - it 'has to' do, even people had a great disinclination to cope with it at first. Guess what? Mediocrity. Yes, it makes us absolutely mediocre. We lost our individual character, emblematic personality, potential creativity, remarkable diversity, self-improvisation and more to name few. Hence, without them, what else we left? A solid machine produced by the other prototype of machine with a big and splashy ISO mark.

We must, before setting out our head start, ask our inner voice, true heart, what the thing really meant to you? In term of our interest, responsibility and right, but not in term of benefit, acquisition and seducement. In order word, BE YOURSELF. You're the master of your fate. Ask and analyse always, your inner voice will be the beacon of light for yourself. Follow your heart and do the thing that you love or love the thing that you do (Ponder over it). Don't trap by others, just be the way you're.

I know in most of the time, in real world, it's always tough to reach the win-win situation. But if there have a choice, even just as tiny as nothing, choose and try for it. I do believe we're always able to at least make a gratifying balance between ourselves and reality. Just have to tenaciously believe it.

Right now, after the intuitive speculation, my desire was gradually transformed. It was not longer a matter of getting A or B in my final exam paper, nor the matter of Mum: Son, could you help.. Me in reluctant: Yes, mum.., but the matter of treading my path softly without cognitive dissonance, and also the matter of fulfilling my responsibility without any nausea. My desire lead me to learn, to improve and to strive because it serves my self-mental-comtentment. I disentralled from the cage of society, high school and myself. I gonna love the thing that I do. Anything else is secondary.

Second point, a quite straight forward idea that I truely wish to convey to all my fellow friends - Living as a Learning Process. Nowadays, it's obvious to see a lot of books, stuffs talking about: Self-motivation, Secret of Success, Grasp your Dream...blak,blak blak and all that. Definitely, we're always encouraged to think big, to weave your dream, to sputter out your ultimate goal. Nevertheless, there exist an underlying notion that people, especially the young generation, didn't catch up - The fundamental and basic. If you want to create another Facebook, please learning from HTML, if you want to probe into the mysterious Cosmic Microwave Background(CMB), please learning from Physics. The rule is simple as that. But a majority of people are more likely to be vehement to find out a 'short-cut' to boost up their vigorous ambition. Don't be too anxious to get overdo it, you may be somehow cruise near to the destination, but it will go haywire in once since your pillar and prop was not durable enough to handle with it. Worse, it will mess up and eradicate your previous effort. Thus, be step-by-step, keep looking and don't get pissed off. Don't just think and talk but plan and do. Have a clear picture of how to embody our quixotic dream into reality but not just dilly-dally in your house and wait for the bottle of accomplishment falling from the fixed, sturdy roof. Start learning thoroughly from the fundamental will show your the distinct direction of getting the seamless connection toward your ladder of success.

Last, again, Living as a Learning Process. As a youth, we should seize on any opportunity to learn thoughout our daily life. Oops, no..no..no.., don't get me wrong. I didn't compel your to keep reading the book page by page or crunching the dictionary utterly. The definition of 'learn' is far more not just limited in having a hands-on experience of E-banking system, getting an overview of government financial plan through the newspaper, changing the dining room's light bulb with some handy tools, processing a shipment at pos office, but also all the fundamental and ordinary tasks that I think as a human being should know. If you are already above eighteenth and you're still clueless about all of that, don't still ask someone else to help you this and help your that. LEARN THEM NOW. It never be lated to learn if you push yourself again right at the threshold.

As it's tale, so it's life.

So..Hey dude, how life treat your recently?

Apple 'Back to the Mac': What can we prospect of?

2010-10-31T17:31:00.001+08:00

Once again, Steve and his fellow team members wound up the 'Back to the Mac' event at an unique day of 20/10/2010 morning. I should say, the protogonist of this thread is going to be totally different. I'm not going to extol how amazing and gratifying of the new Macbook Air. Nor I'm trying to acclaim the glamorous sneak peek of the upcoming major release: Mac OS X Lion. Instead, I would like to sputter out how those crucial steps, which Apple currently working on, will drastically change our daily life strides. Of course, within the confine of my own perspective and conjecture.

First of all, in order to uncover the ultimate secret behind the Apple, let's list down what Apple going to surprise us after the 'Back to the Mac' annoucements:
-Mac Apps Store
-Mac OS X Lion with tons of new features mimicking from iOS
-FaceTime between Mac and iPhone as well as iPod
-An ever user-friendly and powerful iLife 11'

Alright, those are the major factors that I gonna concentrate on throughout my following analysis. As we know, in retrospect, after the successful releases of iPhone, iPods and of course iPad, Apple was hopping from a dying Apple Computer (Personal Computer-based company) to today Apple lnc. which all of its products incessantly flood everywhere of our lives.

Guess what? Ok, fancy a scenario something like that: You were a Windows user. But one day, you were enamored of the fascinating iPhone and you got one into your pocket. Since then, you were enjoying happily of downloading tons of Apps through iTunes 10' and next figured out that it was quite unsatisfying to sync your iPhone with Windows Edition of iTunes 10' as there are not available iPhoto, iCal and so forth to get things prefect. Soon, it turned out that: You bought a Macbook and cast away your Windows. All the stuffs went well afterwards before you stumbled across iPad. It dawned on you that you 'might' need a iPad to fit a gap between the Macbook and iPhone (Steve: Exactly you need). You know, especially when you were hypnotized by the privilege of tracking the stock market or get your stuffs done just by laying at the sofa. Undoubtedly, you added it into your order list. Wait a minute, what's next? Sorry for the little bit fussy story(Ok..I know I'm over bragged about that) but I guess the following gadgets will come to mind are: Macbook Air, AppleTV, iMac, iPods..what else?

Perhaps, some of you may resonate with me, maybe not. Whatever, what I was trying to convey is not how those rich people spending their money. I just wanna simply unveil the Apple's knack of enthralling us into its world in reality. And it's astonishingly effective. Apple creates a kindred 'connection bridge' between all of its products. We are always able to share, sync and reorganize our files, music, video, Apps between its various products without any effort. It provides us a sense of mobility, flexibility and accessibility of our important data. Moreover, the upcoming AirPlay, FaceTime on Mac, Mac OS X Lion and so on will further enchance customers' experience of the connection bridge. AirPlay for sharing file wirelessly without complicated configuration, FaceTime for 'face to face' connecting with your friends ad lib, no matter you're in toliet using your iPhone to show how bad you're or in the kitchens using your iPhone to teach him how to cook whereas he's doing his assignment with Mac in the room. It will be not surprise to divine a new iPad with FaceTime intergrated coming soon. Mac OS X Lion, mimicking a sort of impressive features from iOS, consumers will have the sense of familiarity when switching between iOS and Mac and it turns out to become the ever-user-friendly operating system. As a result, it's obvious that that 'connection bridge' indirectly(or directly) coax the consumers into embracing all of its products en masse and people just foolishly follow it. Ok, the first point, check.

"We have been improving it with every major release. We're very happpy with the Snow Leopard. But we know how to take it ever further." Steve Jobs

Next, Apps Store. It's no doubt that Apps Store has led Apple toward a lion's share of market since it announced. 'Over 7 Billion Apps had been downloaded from Apps Store', there doesn't exist any corporation in the world is able to stack up against Apple at this point. Apps Store is feverishly successful and now Apple brings it to Mac. But why? What actually Apps Store benefits us?

This occasion inadvertently hit my mind to recall the story of Palm OS. Eight years before, Palm OS was the most famous and popular mobile platform as well as PDA platform in the world. I was in part of it. User friendly GUI, stable and secure operating system, more important, a sea of applications and developers flourished the splendid moment of Palm OS at that time. Thinking back, it's weird but fact that people always eager to get more functions in a single device even they will never use it. Apple knows what consumer needs. The announcement of Apps Store apparently stuffed up the hunger of that psychological phenomenon.

Apple released the SDK(Software Development Kit) of iOS to developers once the the first generation of iPhone had been unveiled. In a short time, thousands of software developers were obsessed by the relatively easiest coding system and the best way to distribute their earnest applications. Low cost and less effort. They flocked toward it to be the first to trigger the handsome income from the Apps Store. Vice versa, the consumer segment. Instead of spending much of time to keep 'googling' the apps that they eager to have. Thanks for the developers, with the tremendous amount of apps exist in Apps Store, consumers are able to choose and grab their beloved apps just by tapping few simple clicks on a neat and well-organized list. As you can see, it's not just benefit in the particular fraction of the whole progress, but it works out with a win-win situation for both consumer and developer.

In the same case, we can easily to foresee that Mac Apps Store will going to weave another fairy tale in the IT market. Mac Apps Store will be another threshold to reinvent/subvert the new/traditional way of purchasing a software. It will going to be rampant, historical and people will inevitably thrill about it. So, what are you waiting for? Be the first to earn a bucket of asset and pop up your apps in the top ten list!

In corollary, Apple is now getting better and overwhelmingly dress all its rivals down. Apple drives by its creativity, innovation, fresh angle of view and so forth. Apple was no longer just a technologic manufacturer. You know, it's Apple, not an ordinary apple. Apple has already become a fashion brand - it creates a contagious phenomenon or a sence of superiority which billions of 'Fans' take great relish in its products and bindly/foolishly follow it. People could hardly immune for that. Still, it makes people feel good with it!

Last, what's next for Apple? This, this or this? Check it out :)

(Photo source: Engadget)

Microsoft PDC 2010 KL: An exploration of KLCC@Microsoft Auditorium?

2010-10-30T14:55:00.013+08:00

PDC, Professional Developer Conference, is the Microsoft annually definitive developer's conference where various developers will gather to learn about Microsoft's latest technologies, share their own expertise and explore the new products that Microsoft have launched year to year.

And the shimmer of PDC incessantly leaps its stride to this year, PDC 2010. Instead of garthering all the enthusiastic developers from every piece of the world to Redmond, Washington where the PDC 10' going to be held. Microsoft provides more ways than ever before for us to experience the Professional Developer’s Conference closer to home. Microsoft is working with Microsoft offices, academic institutions, and 3rd parties around the world to provide us the opportunity to attend a PDC10 event near to us by using the broadcasting and live streaming technology through internet.

Of course, Microsoft Malaysia is on the list to bring this splashy event descends upon our town. As one of the Microsoft Malaysia TechNet subscribers, I was pleased to have this precious opportunity to be a part of this local event but also seize on this chance to have a first and fresh exploration of Microsoft Auditorum located in Pertonas Twins Tower Level 29.

Check out my random photo during the PDC 2010 KL:
*Click to enlarge

Hence, what we learnt from PDC 2010?

-Internet Explorer 9, the next major milestone of IE after undergoing an obvious period of losing big fraction of browser market because of the more gratifying Google Chrome and Firefox. IE 9 going to be ablaze again with the devastating support for HTML5, ever better API system and developer-approached modification.

-Windows Phone 7, a revolutionary mobile phone platfrom which going to potentially stack up against Apple iOS, Google Android with its ever amazing and user-friendly GUI, integrated consumer-demanded functions, the most simpliest and distinctive developer tools, Marketplace(The next Apps Store?) and even more fascinating privileges.

-Windows Azure, the pioneer of providing a flexible cloud-computing platform that lets you focus on solving business problems and addressing customer needs. We all know, building out an infrastructure that supports our web service or application can be expensive, complicated and time consuming. It turns out that cloud computing gradually comes to the limelight as the stronger demand from customers. Windows Azure is the easiest solution of cloud computing aiming to provide users to manage their web service in an ever-efficient way. Building out the network to support your peak times. Getting the right servers in place at the right time, managing and maintaining the systems.

For full video of keynote address and details of PDC 2010, please check out to: www.microsoftpdc.com
Have fun!

Best Jobs 2010 - Still a Great Time To Be In IT?

2010-10-27T13:55:00.007+08:00

An interesting question that may somehow inadvertenly emerge from graduates' or freshman's minds, "What is the best job in the world?" The latest list from CNNMoney.com "Best Jobs in America 2010" offers some encouraging news which seems to be sufficient to respond to this question. There are great nuggets throughout this article and as a whole - the write-up shares a vast amount of information. Here are some highlights I cited out for the IT field:

Software Architect is listed as the Number One job for with a 10-year job growth forecast of 34%.
Database Administrator is listed as Number Seven job with a 10-year job growth forecast of 20%.
Of the Top 100 jobs, 27 were IT-related
Of the top 25 jobs, 7 were in the IT field.
A variety of IT-related job roles are present on the list - security, development, consultant, engineer and many more, including IT trainer at #79.

Far more interesting stories in the following, more to name few: List of Top Pay Jobs, List of Low Stress Jobs, List of Society-benefited Jobs and so forth.

Check it out! CNNMoney.com

Alright, Should I be pleased as choosing the IT as the head start of my career? Hmm..maybe yes, maybe not. Stay tuned. :)

The Day Is 10/10/10: What It Really Means?

2010-10-10T23:38:00.004+08:00

I stumbled across an article about the the mysterious day of 10/10/10 when I was just leaving my fingers across a bunch of website this morning. I think it would be nice for you guys to take a look for it :)

It is being called a multitude of things: the Powers of Ten Day, Eames Day, 42 Day, etc. Some are just calling it 10/10/10 day, or Ten Ten Ten day. It's one of those calendar oddities that no one really know how to explain, but for some reason, we're all fascinated by it. It's probably because 10/10/10 will never happen again during the lifetime of any human alive to witness it today, and it definitely shows just how fixated we all are on numbers and strange patterns. For as much as the human race pretends not to care about "meaningless details," it seems that people sure care about numbers.

Eames Day has a huge amount of backstory. For one, people are being encouraged to watch the Powers of Ten, which is the Eames Office film. A YouTube video embed is below if you aren't familiar. According to Fastcodesign:

"Powers of Ten is arguably more relevant now than it was the year it was released. The simple idea executed in the film has become a powerful construct for thinking through design problems today. In it, Charles and Ray Eames guide us through a deceptively straightforward exercise -- zooming out to 10^24 and then back in to 10^-16 -- re-framing a simple scene by showing it within ever-larger and then smaller contexts.

If all the zooming in and out across the visual landscape seems vaguely familiar, think Google Earth. We've become very practiced with scaling in and out of satellite images of our earth, using those funny, awkward sliders on the edges of Web maps to peer in on our homes, our cities, and Area 51. But this mass application of Powers of Ten is not the reason we should celebrate the film today. Instead, we need to approach it conceptually, at the level of scale."

Of course, there's another reason for geeks to celebrate 10/10/10 day. In binary, 101010 converts to 42. If you've watched The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you'll know that it took a supercomputer millions of years to find the answer to life, which ends up being "42." In many ways, today is the perfect geek day. Reports have stated that thousands upon thousands of weddings were planned for today in hopes of this day bringing long-lasting luck to the couples involved. One particular wedding chapel in Las Vegas had to hire six extra Elvis impersonators to help with ceremonies.

But 10/10/10 day is going even beyond the geek crowd. The U.S. Green Building Council, San Diego Chapter (USGBC-SD) is partnering with 350.org, a non-profit environmental organization, to encourage San Diegans to take part in a global day of action to celebrate climate solutions and cut their carbon emissions this year by 10 percent on October 10, 2010 -- "10.10.10."

And that's not all. A sort of meaningful and interesting events or activites are helding on this day, Google it! By the way, so what are you doing to celebrate today? You've got 10 seconds to answer :)

Source: HotHardware.com

Fake iTunes Receipt

2010-10-09T19:31:00.004+08:00

Are you guys holding an iTunes Account? Did you come across a 'weird' iTunes Receipt hit to your email box while you don't even purchase anything in iTunes Store? Whatever, here is a story about my dad who received a fake iTunes Receipt few days before.

My dad do have a iTunes Account. He didn't make any order in iTunes Store (He didn't even input his credit card number when he registered for the account). Strangely, he received a 'look-alike' official iTunes Order Receipt from 'do_not_reply@itunes.com' stated that he had successfully ordered 'Whatever You Like' (Sweat..==) which cost a total 834.99SGD.

Here is the screen shot:

Without any hesitation, my dad lodged an report about that issue to Apple SG and of course the Apple SG Customer Support simply brought us out from the puzzle afterwards.

Here is the reply from Apple SG:

The spam is getting to flood everywhere in the internet world. The mentioned story tells us that don't be anxious at first when come to this kind of matter. Validate it and ensure what was really going on, everything should be work out OK.

IBM High School Will Churn Out IT Pros

2010-10-04T18:24:00.003+08:00

Earlier this week, New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the City University of New York and IBM are creating a computer science-focused school in the city that spans from grade 9 to 14 (students leave with an associate's degree). The high school, which will be the first to go through grade 14, has a valuable guarantee for students: graduates will be first in line for jobs at IBM.

But graduating students will be equipped to do far more than work at Big Blue, says Stanley Litow, IBM's Vice President of Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs. "The idea is to create a new [educational] model for science, technology, engineering, and math--areas where companies are aggressively hiring. If you look at hiring requirements, you won't see a huge amount of difference in a lot of entry-level IT jobs." So students will, theoretically, have the skills to work any entry-level IT position.

Students will be chosen to attend using the standard New York City lottery system--one third of selected students will be below grade level, one third will be at grade level, and one third will be above.

IBM will be directly involved in building the school's curriculum. Litow imagines that the company will bring employees into the classroom and offer mentorships for students and teachers, among other things. "The assumption is that we bring expertise to the table," he says.

Ultimately, IBM wants to use the materials developed at its New York City school in other locations--even in already-existing high schools and community colleges. "We would start with New York City, but will look towards developing materials in way that other school systems around the country could have access," Litow explains. Big Blue High: coming soon to a town near you.

Source: Fast Company

My Voice: It's really interesting to hear that one of the world most historical IT company dedicate itself into the education field to attract and cultivate more and more Greeks devote themselves into 'Binary World'. It merely the most simple and direct way to provide desperate youths who interested in the amazing computing world with the best study environment to dig into what they really love during the early age.