Take a cloned Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) games console, put it into a NES controller and what do you get? A NES Mini! The controller now comes loaded with more than 70 old school NES games and there's also a cartridge connector at the back. Sweet!
(Thanks GeekGod)
1. Snapping up tech toys at rock-bottom prices at Sitex
2. Glitch hits baggage system at Changi
3. SingTel hangs up dial-up service
4. Singapore and France to boost creative and media exchanges
5. Winning designs on shaping Marina South waterfront garden homes
6. Singapore PM hands Finance Minister job to Deputy Finance Minister
7. Dragon boater had bad instinct about race in his last blog entry
8. Over 1,000 attend memorial service for dragon boaters
9. It'll soon cost more to fly on SIA and SilkAir
10. MediaCorp wins Terrestrial Broadcaster of the Year title
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
Dude travels the world to visit filming locations of movies like Hostel, Any Way The Wind Blows, The Illusionist and 28 Days Later. He then takes a photo of himself at the location where a particular scene of the movie was shot.
The International Poster Gallery recently had an exhibition featuring over 50 consumer advertising posters (most of them extremely rare) from the 50s to the early 60s. You can view the posters here.
These cardboard animal figures from Cardboard Safari make great home and office decorations. Each cardboard puzzle is laser-cut for precision fit and easily assembles using slotted construction.
1. Singapore gets 2nd spot in global reading literacy survey
2. SEA Games: Singapore clinch five gold medals
3. Youth Challenge gets clean bill of health after revamp
4. Wives show passion for Singapore's history and culture
5. Oversupply looms in Singapore's office sector
6. Kids raise record $450,000
7. Memorial service for 5 who died in dragon boat tragedy begins
8. Singapore eases labor rules to attract more foreign talent
9. China-made pork products taken off the shelves
10. Washout for businesses as waters rise in town
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
Kick ass "translation" of a clip taken from a Bollywood film starring Sushmita Sen, a popular actress and former Miss Universe.
"O is for Obstinacy... The obstinacy of the pig, Is nature—as you see; But boys and girls who have a mind, Should never stubborn be." The Fireside Picture Alphabet is a really bizarre alphabet book and definitely not the first book you buy for kids who want to learn their ABCs.
The Hollywood Handy Coaster Handles, an invention in the 1950s, turns every glass or canned beverage into a clever drinking mug. I thought the idea was brilliant. It also acts like a coaster to protect the table.
The Wii Light Sword works with your Nintendo Wii games console to give you a lightsaber-like sword. Slip your Wii Remote into the handle and press the on button to instantly power up your light sword. The sword uses 22 ultra bright LEDs to give it the power up and down effect.
I was looking at some shops in Square 2 at Novena when I came across one where they teach parents how to take care of their new born babies. Then I saw this little creature behind its window display. On a closer look...
It's Baby Gollum! Don't think I heard the word "precious" coming out of his mouth yet. Soon. I think. Very soon.
1. Civil servants to get two-month bonus in December
2. SGX launches Catalist to replace Sesdaq
3. Electro-static therapy machines a hit with senior citizens
4. KDF and NUS in $750,000 project to develop cure for diabetes
5. Singapore to Shanghai with just one smart card?
6. Water safety council wants clubs to review safety procedures
7. Joint funeral for dragon boat rowers
8. Shell out $1 million to get the best views of Singapore's F1 race
9. MDA rap video high on global 'hit' list
10. Employment hits historic highs
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
Dark Roasted Blend has posted several retro-futuristic space graphics taken from popular Soviet tech & science magazines. I've always admired how artists visualize the future of space travel and colonization. Looking at the state of space exploration now and comparing it to the images by these artists, we humans still have a long way to go if we are going to be living among the stars.
(via Slashdot)
Two complete sets of Playboy magazines from December 1953 to December 1979 are now up for grabs. Cost of this huge softcore collection is a sweet US$100,000! Seller says:
Selling two COMPLETE COLLECTIONS of the first 26 years of PLAYBOY MAGAZINE.Each collection contains all 312 Playboys published between December,1953 and December,1979.In addition,the winning bidder will also receive another 670 monthly issues of Plaboy magazine FOR FREE!Oh, he also mentioned that the new owner of this Playboy magazine collection will also get some extras that he cannot list due to eBay's categorization restrictions. Hmm... cannot list huh. Maybe it comes with a Playboy cover girl or two. Yeah baby, yeah!
All 1,294 Playboys are protected by clear poly bags (unless still in their original wrapping) and are stored (standing,so no weight is on any issue) in chronological order in one of approximately 80 Playboy black vinyl library cases.The condition of these magazines is EXCELLENT,ranging from "Fine+" to "Pristine",in magazine grading terminology.They have been kept in a dry,temperature-controlled and smoke-free home for decades.
An Al Jazeera news report about the recent failed efforts to repeal the law against homosexuality in Singapore, due in part to the religious right.
(Thanks Mr Big)
1. Keeping healthy for the young: Here's how
2. Ex-teacher starts blog on boy with a 'ready smile'
3. Bloggers want in on panel's new media study
4. Bus, MRT and a Chinese restaurant among S'pore's noisiest locations
5. S'pore enjoys record employment, higher wages
6. New guidelines on how charities should be run
7. Bodies of Singaporean rowers return home from Cambodia
8. Experts say wearing life jackets will not impede speed
9. Dragon boat teams 'warned' of strong currents at pontoon
10. S'pore less attractive to expats: Survey
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
Coasters, fridge magnets and other crafts made from Perler beads to give the pixel effect of video game characters! You'll find a few popular characters there like Pacman, Mario and Pikachu. Too bad these works of art aren't for sale.
Planet Tyler's Flickr photoset contains some of the wonderful things found in University of Buffalo's History of Medicine Collection such as the Oxypathor, electric chest and lung protector, and this 1861 Illustrated Manual of Operative Surgery and Surgical Anatomy.
If only I had this amazing money jar bank when I was a kid then I wouldn't be breaking my piggy banks everytime I want to find out how money I have saved. This money jar bank by Discovery Kids automatically counts the value of each coin as you drop them in. It will then display the total value on its LCD. Neat!
(Thanks Rickie)
This stamp keyboard is absolutely beautiful. The person behind it has made about 10 such keyboards for his friends and family. Each keyboard is pasted (I think) with stamps of a single nation and often commemorate a royal coronation or celebrate a particular sport. Now I know what to do with that dusty old stamp collection.
(Thanks GeekGod)
If you have US $34,500 to spare (and an empty room), you could be the new proud owner of this impressive toy collection that includes mostly Star Wars figures. Time to break that piggy bank! Seller says:
This is my lifetime collection of collectibles. This is a big step I'm taking in order to move on and accomplish a new plan I have for my future.
This collection is mainly Star Wars but also has over 15 carded Spawn figures, about 15 carded Austin Powers figures, 18 inch Mini Me, 18 inch Hellboy Tower Records exclusive, 16 inch Ozzy Osbourne 'Bark at the Moon' Werewolf and many many more misc. figures. WWE figures of Trish Status and other girl figures are also included.
You can pretty much start your own toy store or just continue this giant collection.
.. Many loose figures of Star Wars, some vintage vehicles, Comic-Book Girl character figures. Almost everything is in excellent to mint like condition. There are over 1,1160 modern carded Star Wars figures.
1. Nature lovers fear coral project will cause damage
2. Singapore cinema chain to open multiplexes in Dubai
3. One in two believes family violence is a private affair
4. Jurong residents will be able to cash in on their trash
5. Western-trained docs get TCM diplomas
6. Team 'decided not to wear life jackets to paddle faster'
7. Singapore working with Cambodia to fly bodies of five Singaporeans home
8. Singaporeans found dead after Cambodia boat accident
9. Mahjong for the elderly to be played in the community
10. Bear gall bladder sold at food fair
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
It sure is getting interesting for our neighbours across the Causeway, with more and more people staging protests nowadays. Following the more than 30,000 people that took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur a few weeks ago, it's the Indians turn to stage a rally over the weekend. From AFP:
Witnesses said police beat up some protestors with batons. Organisers said at least 400 people were arrested and 19 injured. Police, however, said more than 100 people had been detained.Two million dollars for each Indian in Malaysia! Crikey! I bet there must be quite a lot of Malaysians now checking their family history to see if they have any ancestors from India. You know what? Maybe we all should blame the British for whatever misfortunes we had and demand some compensation too. I would settle for just half a million. Don't want to be so greedy like those Malaysian Indians.
"Over the last 50 years Indian have been marginalised in this country and we now want the same rights as enjoyed by other communities," M. Kulasegaran, opposition lawmaker with the Democratic Action Party (DAP), told AFP.
"They have no rights to stop us from protesting today. This is the will of the people," he said.
The lawsuit targets Britain, Malaysia's former colonial ruler, and is aimed at highlighting what ethnic Indians here say is continuing discrimination by the Malay-Muslim majority government.
It seeks four trillion dollars' compensation for the estimated two million ethnic Indians whose ancestors were brought here as indentured labourers by Britain in the 1800s -- two million dollars each.
This YouTube clip contains a scene from The Matrix movie which was then redubbed in Tamil with sound effects taken from various Bollywood movies. It was done by students for their school project. Their aim was to capture the sound and feel of Bollywood fight scenes while using Morpheus' and Neo's Dojo scene. Really slick, I have to say and super funny too. "Insect! WOOAARRHH!"
Brian McMahon wrote a remarkable piece for Mental Floss about the British Secret Service's master plan during World War 2 to smuggle escape gear to captured Allied soldiers inside Germany using the popular boardgame Monopoly:
In 1941, the British Secret Service approached Waddington with its master plan, and before long, production of a “special edition” Monopoly set was underway. For the top-secret mission, the factory set aside a small, secure room—unknown to the rest of its employees—where skilled craftsmen sat and painstakingly carved small niches and openings into the games’ cardboard boxes. Along with the standard thimble, car, and Scotty dog, the POW version included additional “playing” pieces, such as a metal file, a magnetic compass, and of course, a regional silk escape map, complete with marked safe-houses along the way—all neatly concealed in the game’s box. Even better, some of the Monopoly money was real. Actual German, Italian, and French currency was placed underneath the play money for escapees to use for bribes. Also, because of its collaboration with the International Red Cross, Waddington could track which sets would be delivered to which camps, meaning escape maps specific to the area could be hidden in each game set. Allied soldiers and pilots headed to the front lines were told to look for the special edition game if they were captured. The identifying mark to check for? A red dot in the corner of the Free Parking space.You can also read a PDF of Brian's story from his website.
An English opera singer singing the Croatian national anthem before the England - Croatia game at Wembley made a huge blunder at the end of the song. He has since apologised to Croatians who were offended. From BBC:
He should have sung 'Mila kuda si planina' (which roughly means 'You know my dear how we love your mountains').
But he instead sang 'Mila kura si planina' which can be interpreted as 'My dear, my penis is a mountain'.
Now Henry could be one of the few Englishmen at the Euro 2008 finals in Austria and Switzerland as Croatian fans adopt him as a lucky omen.
They believe his mistake relaxed their chuckling players, who scored an early goal in the 3-2 win that put Croatia top of the group and knocked out England.
The Military Vehicle Technology Foundation has the largest private collection of military vehicles in the world. It has hundreds of tanks from different time periods and other vehicles like a SdKfz 2 Kleines Kettenkrad half-track motorcycle, a SCUD missile launcher and a M48A5 AVLB armored vehicle-launched bridge. Pics of a tour of the impressive collection can be found here and here.
Here's a Flickr photoset of beverage ads found in old magazines. There are currently 140 different ads in the set. Enjoy.
Becky, an avid banana label collector, has been collecting banana labels since 1991. Now she has 6757 different banana labels in her collection! She also has 93 broccoli and 157 asparagus bands.
(Thanks Hana)
Now here's a damn good reason for me to download Joost, a software that allows anyone to watch TV shows for free. The entire first season of the Transformers Generation 1 series is now on Joost! I'm not kidding. And they are also adding new episodes from season two every week. I love you, Joost!!!
Realdoll Doctor (link not safe for work) has pictures of breasts, hip, neck surgeries (and more) done on Realdolls (also not safe for work) - yup, those love dolls made famous by the movie Lars and The Real Girl, one of my favourite films of 2007!
(Thanks xXx)
I'm adding Covering The Mouse to my favourites. It is a delightful blog that pays tribute to artists that did covers of the music of Disney. Reading it, I found out that Kiss singer Gene Simmons actually did a cover of the song When You Wish Upon A Star in 1978. What a surprise! After listening to his cover, I thought it was very nicely done. I wonder if he sang it while wearing the trademark Kiss face paint and stage outfits.
1. First M18 video game out in shops today
2. S'porean youth could be in S'pore F1 support race next year
3. S'pore seaweed 'satisfactory', says AVA
4. Disabled girl tops her school in PSLE
5. St Hilda's pupil gets record score in PSLE
6. Singapore's Claim On Pulau Batu Puteh Flawed
7. Do S'poreans understand high-risk behaviour?
8. S'porean students are a sensible lot, health survey shows
9. New NUS centre to study effects of natural disasters on S'pore's buildings
10. BSA raises anti-piracy reward to $50,000
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
My mate Josh from Advertlets has informed me that an advertiser (an international client that that supports creative independence involving something that everyone listens to nearly everyday) has come in with a huge Singaporean media buy - traffic from the entire Advertlets Singapore blog network, for approximately a week.
If you are already serving ads by Advertlets on your blog (great!), you will automatically be included in this CPM campaign. And since it's open to all Singapore blogs, if you have a blog and have yet to sign up with Advertlets, quickly do so here and then put up the Advertlets code on your blog to take part in this ad campaign.
The campaign starts 27th November 2007. For more info check out this post on the Advertlets blog.
(Disclosure: I'm an Advertlets Blog Ambassador and I also advise them on "company matters".)
DivineCaroline posted several pictures of product names, food labels and signs with rather odd English translations such as this "Unbelievable this is not butter" butter. Check out her parts two and three too.
Dude is selling two extremely rare vintage Star Trek Rocket Pistol toys. Bidding ends in 3 days. Seller says:
The toy was produced in 1967 by Remco Toys and follows the Hamilton Invaders, Monkey Division and Land of the Giants pistol toy line of the Sixties. The exciting difference is the toy’s Star Trek decal inserts, photo box decal and box specific printing with Desilu Productions (owner of the Star Trek series at the time). “Based on the Exciting NBC TV Series”
The grenade launching, cap snapping toy pistol is in very fine almost mint condition with no missing, worn or broken parts. Decals are fine and unworn. The cap gun part has been fired as there is powder residue in the discharge area. It is unknown if there were ever caps supplied with the toy. The box or instructions do not list them. Color combination is a black body / blue handles and muzzle; box shows blue body / black handles and muzzle.
I love these clever Christmas cards made by Singaporean graphic designer Jonathan Yuen (check out his flash portfolio site - it's the most beautiful I've ever seen). Each laminated envelope box comes with four thick X'mas figure cards that can pop out a mini Christmas tree, reindeer, Santa Claus and Snowman.
1. Odex website hacked
2. Checks show new taxi penalties are working
3. Singapore sees fastest office rent rise in world
4. Bought 'original' software for new PC? It may be fake
5. Mobile TV services to be launched in Singapore
6. Top PSLE student attains highest score in 17 years
7. S'pore OKs concert by US gay couple
8. ASEAN summit in S'pore achieves significant steps forward
9. Jump in locals enrolling in international schools here
10. Singapore red-faced as PM's car tyre punctures
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
"When the sun shines
We’ll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be your friend
Took an oath
I'm sticking it out 'till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we still have each other
You can stand under my Umbrella
You can stand under my Umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)"
I'm fucking pissed. Thanks to England manager Steve McClaren (yup, that's him with that stupid umbrella in the pic above) for ruining what could have been a perfect birthday for me.
Here's a guy who was standing at the touchline using an umbrella to protect himself from the pouring rain as his charges were out on the football field trying to win the game last night against Croatia. I tell you what. He looked stupid. I have never seen a manager of a football team with an umbrella. What the hell was he doing with it? Trying not to get his hair wet maybe. No wonder he couldn't inspire his team because he looks like a faggot under that umbrella. Crikey! This is a football match dude. If you're afraid of the rain, please don't manage a football team.
The final score: England 2 Croatia 3. England will not be playing in Euro 2008. Fuck! Thanks a lot McClaren. Now, good riddance.
Update: Steve "You can stand under my Umbrella" McClaren has been sacked by the English FA!
It's Nov 21 yet again and that means I've just turned one year older. That's right. It's my birthday! And that also means more white hair growing on my head and more wrinkles forming on my face. Argh! Anyway thanks to everyone (friends, readers, fans, fellow bloggers and loved ones) who have sent me their birthday wishes, greetings, gifts, etc. I love you all.
Now, are you ready for some of my birthday pics?
First up, my birthday cupcakes baked by this lovely gal.
And here's me looking all so excited in front of the cupcakes.
I got more excited when I unwrapped this - an ultra cool Transformers t-shirt! Just what every 31 year old Transformers fanboy want for his birthday!
For my birthday brunch, we went to Mimolette located at 55 Fairways Drive.
The mini wagyu burgers and the steak there are really delicious. Definitely must try!
![P18-11-07_12.11[02]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2356/2051509919_11ac7b7b24.jpg)
New haircut and the new Transformers t-shirt (I really really love it).![P18-11-07_12.08[01]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2358/2051509695_2817a3e611.jpg)
Here's to a great year ahead! Cheers!!! Damn, I'm feeling old already.
1. Singapore Design Festival 2007 transforms nation into a vibrant hub of design activity
2. Temasek says it did not break rules
3. First dog in Singapore trained to sniff out pests
4. Teen put on probation for obscene act with schoolmate
5. First-time buyers get better shot at executive condos
6. Orchard Road sees Myanmar street protest
7. Mandai to get new nature attraction on 30-hectare site
8. Why marriages in Singapore ending earlier
9. Singapore ranked second among shortlisted cities to bid for YOG
10. Singapore Closes Case On Sovereignty Dispute
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
Weewar looks like a fantastic online game. It is a round based strategy game featuring real action on real maps. Up to 6 players command their colorful pixel armies against each other on the many maps available. I'm requesting an invite!
Illustration students from the Norwich School of Art & Design spent the summer examining ways of representing the human head. The students drew close to 6000 heads.
Wikipedia has an excellent entry on Pedra Branca, the tiny island that is currently the subject of a territorial dispute between Singapore and Malaysia. Both countries are now presenting their case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). From Wikipedia:
The chief reason that the island belonged to Johor was laid in the Treaty of Cession of Singapore, between the British East India Company and the sultan and the temenggong of Johor. It implied that Johor had sovereignty over islets beyond 10 miles of its coast. The island is located 25.5 nautical miles from Singapore. This is further strengthened by the fact that the British government had requested approval from the Sultanate of Johor to build a lighthouse on the island, which Johor agreed to provide in 1844. Apart from that, the Singaporean claim on the island violates the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824.According to a friend of mine who has pretty close relations to the Malaysian team fighting the case, he said Malaysia is very confident of winning it because of their success record in the past. In 2002, the ICJ awarded two islands, Sipadan and Ligitan to Malaysia after a similar dispute between Malaysia and Indonesia.
There is a growing concern that the next big earthquake and tsunami will happen in the city of Padang in Indonesia. Scientists say that all the different segments of the subduction zone along Sumatra have released their energy except that of Padang. From AFP:
"We now know that the Mentawai segment (facing Padang) has accumulated a lot of strained energy. It will be the next one to rupture," he told AFP.
Natawidjaja estimated that the quake's magnitude could reach 8.5 to 8.9.
"The shaking will be very strong" in Padang, he said, with many buildings likely to collapse.
The number of casualties "will depend on how many people can escape" but, according to a worst-case scenario, a tsunami wave would be 5.5 metres high and go two kilometres deep into Padang, devastating "half of the city".
This Radiographs photoset contains several crazy but real x-ray images such as this one that shows a large dildo beyond the point of self-retrieval in the rectum and sigmoid of the poor patient. Remember ladies, be careful when you're playing with those dildos aye. You don't want them to go in too deep.
The world's first Barbie entertainment theme store has opened in Argentina. The Barbie Store's founders are hoping that young girls all over the country will flock to the store and dress like Barbie for hours. Too bad the store has nothing for boys. Pics of the Barbie Store here. From Canadian Press:
"There are girls who come every single day," Loizeau said. "No one understands it."
The $7-an-hour playroom inside the store has toys and dolls, costumes, makeup and jewellry, and a small catwalk for girls to parade on under disco lights. The store also includes a beauty salon, where girls can get everything from a glamorous hairstyle to a painted butterfly on a cheek, plus a coffee shop. And the Barbie playroom is available for parties, starting at around $650.
A few Barbies are for sale, but selling dolls isn't the retail focus of the store. Instead, there are T-shirts, skirts, pants and handbags - most in shades of pink - that are designed and made in Argentina and only available at the Barbie Store. The items sell for 10 per cent more than similar clothes at other stores without the Barbie logo, Loizeau said.
I'm not too keen on bondage (I don't like to tie or be tied, really!) but somehow I find myself liking these Bondage Cellphone Charms - mini baby dolls tied up S&M style. I think they are cute.
Body Bags are wool felt and leather purses with magnetic clasp, featuring images of internal organs. You can choose from the uterus, heart, kidneys, or lungs.
(Thanks xXx)
This rare handmade robot Zippo lighter is just awesome! The brass and copper lighter is made by an English jeweller. It has arms and ears on the side, rollers for feet that go around from the front onto the base and up the back.
Photos of Witness Appeal signs in London. From the photoset: "Today, the Metropolitan Police have taken this literary device and added a twist – reducing news events down to the bare bones, printing them as stories on attractive fluorescent yellow boards, and then placing them at the exact location where those events originally occurred."
(Thanks Tony)
Dude bought a 1975 Chevrolet Camaro and wants to transform it into Bumblebee, as seen in the Transformers movie. He is still working on the car's interior but as you can see from his pics, the exterior already looks like Bumblebee!
Also read: At the Singapore Gala Premiere of Transformers
1. Teacher under investigation for altered answers in PSLE papers
2. S'pore in the running to host inaugural Youth Olympic Games
3. S'porean marries woman with Aids
4. Junta not welcome in Singapore's Peninsula Plaza
5. Protest Singapore Style; 3 Marchers, 19 Media, 1,000 Police
6. NTUC leads way by giving workers' age profile
7. 1st-time EC buyers can now buy 2nd subsidised flat
8. Taxi fare surcharges: Too much of a good thing?
9. Allegations by Malaysia baseless, says Singapore
10. Parents may get help to understand new media soon
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
The 2007 best magazine covers as chosen by the American Society of Magazine Editors. Read the stories behind the covers and view all the entries.
(via design fckr)
Hot Dog inspired bag and shirt designs by Thea Kluge are so cute that I may buy a few as gifts for some of my hot dog loving friends.
(Thanks Shirlyn)
This life-sized Lego Man made totally from cardboard, has separate head, torso and legs pieces that interlock like the original Lego Man. His arms and hands can rotate/swivel 360 degrees and his legs can move from 'upright' to 'sitting' position.
Gal used Monopoly money to make this sexy dress. To match it, she also made a purse from Monopoly "Chance" cards and a necklace using rolled up Monopoly money and the car token. Also, check out the equally awesome dress made using UNO cards.
1. Singapore raises GDP growth forecasts for 2007, 2008
2. MP proposes a new taxi surcharge
3. China signs Eco-City pact with Singapore
4. Call to CSOs: Please speak up
5. Ren Ci chief in new controversy over PhD
6. Active Ageing Festival starts with vroom and dance
7. MAS to maintain monetary policy despite rising inflation
8. Punggol waterfront promenade to be ready by 2010
9. Singapore lifts ban on Xbox game with lesbian scene
10. S'pore has world's most reliable power grid
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
I didn't know that walking in a park in Singapore can be so dangerous. Spotted this sign at Chua Chu Kang park after a meal at the restaurant there. Next time, I'll bring along a kevlar helmet.
This cool video mashup brings together the voice of popular scientist and author, the late Carl Sagan and a scene in the Matrix movie. In it, Morpheus gets bored to death listening to Agent Smith (using Carl Sagan's voice) talking to him about atoms, protons and electrons. I can almost feel what the poor Morpheus is going through. Argh! No! Stop it! Enough! Stop!
Comic Life, the cool software (previously only for Mac) that allows anyone to create astounding comics easily is now available for the PC. Yay!!! I'm going to try out the 30-day unhindered demo.
714 DC comic books from the Golden Age are up for grabs on eBay. Seller says, "A total of 714 DC Golden Age Comic found in a collector’s attic…..Everything Unrestored ….This is a complete intact unpicked collection with a full inventory….Collection is made up of Runs….We have never had something like this before, a fantastic find….Golden Age Collections are impossible to track down…." The total value of this collection according to the seller is a staggering $101,024!
Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited is a subscription service that gives unlimited access to thousands of Marvel comics through your web browser. For a limited time only, they are now providing 250 free samples for viewing.
The Penta PC is a wall mounted computer shaped to look like a pentagon. The whole case is made from layered 5mm acrylic sheets!
(via Gizmo Watch)
Remember the Pizzaburger that I blogged few months ago? Well, here's another person who uses McDonald's burgers, fries and nuggets as pizza toppings. I might just wanna try this out. Really.
I've come across many Star Wars related products (some original, some not) but this R2-D2 soy sauce bottle is pure genius! From the product page: "Ever dreamed to go space journy with your R2?? Unfortunately, such a dream can't be true at the moment. But now this tiny R2D2 can serve you Soy Sauce by your one-hand little move, leaning the R2 body a little to put appropriate Soy Sauce on Chinese or Japanese fried rice."
1. Office schemes don't cover crucial health issues
2. Minister brings 2 feuding community groups together
3. Hospitals hope for healthy returns with new surgical facilities
4. Singapore May Extend Longest Expansion in 16 Years
5. PSI reading hits 83
6. Roadblocks and checks at event venues as S'pore hosts ASEAN Summit
7. Upskirting on the rise in Singapore
8. S$25m scholarships launched to boost manpower in clean energy
9. Singapore is just a 'lighthouse operator'
10. SPCA offers $1,000 reward to find cat killer
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
[Now body jewelry is getting as popular as conventional jewellery. From diamond rings, we are all game for engagement rings that are not diamonds.]
This gal has 200 orgasms a day from almost anything thanks to a condition she's suffering from known as Permanent Sexual Arousal Syndrome (PSAS). Lucky gal! From News Of The World:
Sarah, from London, developed PSAS after being prescribed anti-depressants at 19.According to Wikipedia, Permanent Sexual Arousal Syndrome (aka Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder) is rare among women. From Wikipedia:
She believes her condition was brought on by the pills.
She said: "Within a few weeks I just began to get more and more aroused more and more of the time and I just kept having endless orgasms.
"It started off in bed where sex sessions would last for hours and my boyfriend would be stunned at how many times I would orgasm.
"Then it would happen after sex. I'd be thinking about what we'd done in bed and I'd start feeling a bit flushed, then I'd become aroused and climax.
"In six months I was having 150 orgasms a day—and it has been as many as 200."
Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder (formerly known as Persistent Sexual Arousal Syndrome) results in a spontaneous and persistent genital arousal, with or without orgasm or genital engorgement, unrelated to any feelings of sexual desire. It was first documented by Dr. Sandra Leiblum in 2001, only recently characterized as a distinct syndrome in medical literature.[1] In particular, it is not related to hypersexuality, sometimes known as nymphomania or satyriasis. In addition to being very rare, the condition is also frequently unreported by sufferers who may consider it shameful or embarrassing.
Physical arousal caused by this syndrome can be very intense and persist for extended periods, days or weeks at a time. Orgasm can sometimes provide temporary relief, but within hours the symptoms return. The symptoms can be debilitating, preventing concentration on mundane tasks. Some situations, such as riding in an automobile or train, vibrations from mobile phones, and even going to the toilet can aggravate the syndrome unbearably.
I know some of you may think that it is exciting (me too!) but please don't do it at work fellas, unless you own the office. Ahem. From Snakes and Ladders:
One in five people claim to have had sex in their office building. I did some asking around (and, of course, some looking on the internet) and discovered exactly where:(Thanks Shy)
1. The boss's desk. Some surveys suggest that up to 25 per cent of people have bruised their spines - or someone else's - on their manager's table.
2. All 25 desks in your office. Don't think that you have the energy? Follow the example of this Australian woman.
3. Against a filing cabinet. It might be noisy and it's possible that at least one of you will end up with handle marks imprinted in your buttocks; on the other hand, a naked break-dancing civil servant might jump out of the cabinet mid-way through, making the whole escapade less private but potentially more exciting, if you like that sort of thing.
1. Sex services offered on Mediacorp's classifieds website
2. HDB sets aside S$6m to revitalise neighbourhood shopping areas
3. New fund to get housewives, retirees back to work
4. Fast-food takes hold of Singapore's kids
5. 800 primary school students pledge to change lifestyle to save Earth
6. Children to learn about Olympic values in school
7. Singapore says protest laws apply during ASEAN meet
8. People's Association plans bigger, better Chingay 2008
9. Mental health, chronic diseases rank low at S'pore workplaces
10. Singapore bans Microsoft's video game for sex scene
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
Follow Bacteria Buddy, Device Dude and System Sally in "Adventures in Synthetic Biology", a free comic by Drew Endy, Isadora Deese and The MIT Synthetic Biology Working Group together with artist Chuck Wadey. You can read issue 1 here (flash) or download the comic and other future issues here.
Some dude is selling his Hot Wheels Redlines collection - all 225 of them on eBay! "Redlines" refer to the red stripe that adorns the tires of the early Hot Wheels made between 1968 and 1977. The starting bid is US $8,499.99. Good luck!
Wiliam Hundley takes photos of people jumping while covering themselves with all sorts of cloth. The photos in his Entoptic Phenomena photoset give an impression that these ghostlike objects are floating in midair.
Dude made this cool PC mod based on the Matrix movies, complete with Sentinel and tentacles creeping out of the computer case. Oh, he even added a Neo action figure! Well, no Matrix PC mod will be complete without the chosen one aye.
I know cyber bullying is a bad thing but I was amazed after reading this story about Japan's worsening cyber bullying problem. From Reuters:
For many Japanese children, a cell phone is a social lifeline they can't imagine being without. For high school student Makoto, it became an instrument of mental torture that nearly drove him to suicide.Read that again: "My cell phone kept ringing with harassing e-mails." I think I must be still living in the past. I don't even check my emails using my mobile phone! The Reuters story says that most cyber bullying in Japan is conducted through mobile phones with Internet and e-mailing capabilities. Damn these Japanese kids are so high tech.
"Even when I stopped going to school and stayed at home, my cell phone kept ringing with harassing e-mails," said Makoto, who became anorexic and rarely emerged from his room for nearly half a year after becoming the target of "cyber bullying".
This report by Channel NewsAsia boasts that Singapore is Asia's most desirable city to live in (woah!!!) but fails to mention the obvious - that Singapore fails to make it to the top 10 of the 2007 Country Brand Rankings. From Channel NewsAsia:
According to the latest Country Brand Index, Singapore is – among Asian cities – the country that most people want to live in.Australia is once again named the world’s top country brand (yay!!!), with the United States ranking second and the United Kingdom third. The only Asian country in the Top 10 Country Brands is Japan which made it to the 10th spot. I find this strange because in the Most Like To Live In category, Japan wasn't even included. Singapore is fifth (and the only Asian country) in that category but yet we are not good enough for the main rankings. I guess the Singapore Tourism Board has to work harder to build a better brand for Singapore.
Singapore also came up tops among Asian countries in this annual global survey when it came to shopping and fine dining.
On the global stage, Singapore was number three in this category.
MyFootballClub, a website that gives fans the opportunity to buy and then take control of a professional football club, has strike a deal to acquire Conference League side Ebbsfleet United! From BBC:
The 20,000 MyFootballClub members have each paid £35 to provide a £700,000 takeover pot and they will all own an equal share in the club.It will be interesting to see how the fans decide on which players and tactics to use for a game. I think this system will just barely work for small and unknown clubs. I doubt managers like Sir Alex Ferguson would want fans to tell him who to pick for his Manchester United team. Anyway, I wish MyFootballClub and Ebbsfleet United all the best and hope to see them in the Premiership soon. Now, that will be some story.
In a landmark for English football, members will vote on player selection, transfers and all major decisions.
"We are united in believing this is a great opportunity," Ebbsfleet chairman Jason Botley told BBC Sport.
"This extra finance and support will enable our club to progress."
The deal is expected to be completed in a few weeks after a due diligence process and the website will purchase a 51% controlling stake, while also having the option to buy the club outright in the future.
1. Singapore is doctor and alleged banker to Myanmar's generals
2. More S'pore couples divorcing earlier
3. Survey shows Singapore is Asia's most desirable city to live in
4. PM throws 5-minute challenge at policymakers
5. Most Singaporeans will continue to get same amount of GST Credits
6. Singapore government to delay some projects
7. Customers complain about online clothing retailer
8. 'Steady stream' of young game addicts seek help
9. More government services to go online
10. MLM firm Sunshine Empire under probe
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
According to sources obtained by GameAxis, the upcoming Xbox 360 game Mass Effect has been banned here in Singapore because of a lesbian love scene. Dang! Watch the scene above.
Mass Effect is an action role-playing game developed by BioWare for the Xbox 360. The game takes place in the year 2183, with the player assuming the role of an elite human soldier named Commander Shepard, set out to explore a vast universe on the ship, SSV Normandy.
Mass Effect has a November 20 release. Unfortunately for gamers in Singapore, getting a hold of the game has to be done discreetly overseas.
It's a pity because I think the so called love scene is pretty lame. You can't see much anyway. I think banning this game has shown that Singapore is indeed a homophobic country. Maybe it doesn't want its young people to be corrupted by playing lesbian sex on their Xboxes.
Update: Singapore lifts ban on Mass Effect and now selling it with a M18 label.
The Chinese have taken the act of recycling to a new level. They are recycling used condoms (yup, you read that right!) as cheap hair bands. Gross! From AFP:
In the latest example of potentially harmful Chinese-made products, rubber hair bands have been found in local markets and beauty salons in Dongguan and Guangzhou cities in southern Guangdong province, China Daily newspaper said.
"These cheap and colourful rubber bands and hair ties sell well ... threatening the health of local people," it said.
Despite being recycled, the hair bands could still contain bacteria and viruses, it said.
"People could be infected with AIDS, (genital) warts or other diseases if they hold the rubber bands or strings in their mouths while waving their hair into plaits or buns," the paper quoted a local dermatologist who gave only his surname, Dong, as saying.
1. No plans to introduce new measures to cool property market
2. Will new penalties make 'disappearing' taxis reappear?
3. Need a cab in CBD? Get to a taxi stand
4. Singapore expects inflation to rise
5. Over 2,000 visit Changi Airport Terminal 3 Open House
6. Programmes in place to educate students on cyber gaming
7. Pricier bowl of noodles and signs of two Singapores
8. Singapore outlines new energy policy
9. Use of solar energy still limited due to higher cost
10. Mystery powder sparks alarm
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
Morning Musume's latest single Mikan is growing on me the more I listen to it. Watch the Mikan PV (with English subs) above. I love the PV a lot because I get to see the photographs of the gals when they were little kids. As usual, my Risa Niigaki is as cute as ever. The single will be released on November 21 - my birthday (great choice gals)! For a higher quality video, check out Dohhh UP!
Previously: Morning Musume visits Taiwan! Taiwanese go crazy!
This awesome work represents every Star Wars episode (from The Phantom Menace to Return Of The Jedi) in one picture! Now I wish I have this printed on one giant poster so that I can hang it in my study.
Linzie Hunter, a talented freelance illustrator based in London, created these cute hand lettering graphics based on spam subject lines in her mailbox. You may also want to view her portfolio. Beautiful stuff there!
The Neon Museum in Las Vegas, has a collection of neon signs from the 1940s to present day. Some pieces are restored as public art while others are kept in its neon graveyard known as the Boneyard. View a Flickr photoset of the Boneyard here.
Dude (no that's not him in the picture!) documents his astronomy observations in his blog, NightEvents. You can read about the equipment he uses, how he took videos and pics of meteors, comets, etc. In his latest post, he managed to capture Comet Holmes using a CCD and a huge telephoto lens. I've always been impressed by amateur astronomers here because they have to continually "fight" Singapore's light pollution and lousy weather just to enjoy the beautiful heavens.
Related: To read all my Comet Holmes posts, click here.
Jack Kirby was one of the most influential and well known artists in American comic books. Some of the popular comic characters that he co-created are the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Hulk and Captain America. Here are scans of some of his pre-superhero works that are never reprinted.
The World Clock Project collects photos of clocks from around the world. Its goal is to have enough pictures to account for all the minutes of the day. You can contribute pics of clocks via its Flickr group.
(Thanks hbk38)
1. "Lady Boy" not allowed into a Clarke Quay club
2. Women can have kids first, careers later: MP
3. Changi Airport sets record number of flights
4. 11 people swim from Batam to Changi to raise funds
5. Many S'poreans haven't financially-secured their old age
6. CGH moves ward to St Andrew's
7. Singapore will not starve
8. Workers' Party A team in Aljunied now Awol
9. Anti-drug campaign targeting youths goes high-tech
10. Harassed by loan sharks
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
The amazing James Blunt has sold his soul to Sesame Street! Watch this clip of him singing My Triangle, a parody of his popular song You're Beautiful. I bet he was drugged by those fury creatures in Sesame Street. It had to be!
Here's a nice story about my favourite TV writer, the brilliant Darin Morgan. I love Darin's work on The X-Files episodes, 'Humbug', 'Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose', 'War of the Coprophages', and 'Jose Chung's From Outer Space'. I really think he should start his own TV series or do a movie! From Uninflected Images Juxtaposed:
Morgan's writing style is severely unique, packed full of literary references, bizarre, memorable characters and quirky humour - yet always a poignant study on the human condition. More often than not, they end on the very depressing yet consistent theme of loneliness. Anything but typical episodes.
They really only worked because they were juxtaposed against what viewers had come to know and expect. And episodes like that can only succeed every now and then, not all the time. If your goal is to land a staff series job, you need to first prove you can 'write the show' before you un-write it.
TOMY's new bomb-shaped piggy bank vibrates, shines, beeps and "explodes" to remind kids to feed it coins. What a way to encourage kids to save money aye.
Download free games from the website of the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab, a five-year research initiative that focuses on building collaborations between Singapore institutions of higher learning and several MIT departments to accomplish both research and development in the digital game industry. I can't wait for them to release their multiplayer third-person shooter game called TenXion : "One player controls a robot fighting to escape a prison and his mutant captors, and other players control mutants trying to bring the robot down." Sounds like fun.
At least 30,000 Malaysians surprised the government as they took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur to demand a free and fair elections next year. From IHT:
Thousands of people defied a government ban against the rally Saturday in downtown Kuala Lumpur but were scattered as police fired tear gas and water canon near the Merdeka (Independence) Square where they had gathered.More YouTube videos here, here and here. The excellent Malaysiakini has more in depth reports.
The crowd, many wearing yellow T-shirts, later regrouped and marched to the royal palace in a procession more than 300 meters (yards) long, shouting "Save Malaysia" and "Long Live the People." Yellow is the color of Malaysian royalty.
Protesters presented a memorandum to a representative of the king, urging him to intervene to ensure the election system is revamped ahead of general elections widely expected for early next year.
"This is our right. Our rulers are so proud of our democracy but in fact our democracy is worse than Burma, worse than Bangladesh," said Rosli, a 40-year-old government worker. "We just want to correct what is wrong. We just ask for fair elections."
1. Wonderkid in Singapore searches for suitable university
2. $1b promise of this green oasis
3. Sleaze moves in to Kampong Glam
4. Singaporeans picking up fish therapy for smoother skin
5. Road accidents involving children on the rise in Singapore
6. Ren Ci CEO is a monk like no other
7. What are Worker's Party GRC chances?
8. National Library appeals to Singaporeans to donate heritage items
9. Meet Bukit Panjang's 'ang moh leader'
10. No cane, no gain?
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
Within Range and I'll Get It! are two educational flash games developed by students for the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries. I've just played I'll Get It! and found out that I don't make a good librarian.
The Aquatic Pod-Racer is an eco-friendly homemade watercraft built by lifelong boater Joey Ruiter. He wanted to create a scaled-down recreational boat that would handle like a small twin-engine airplane and could maneuver into hard-to-reach places typical cruisers can't go.
Flickr user Roadsidepictures found a group of Polaroid photographs that were taken by an employee of a sign company back in the 60s. All of the signs are/were in Washington. View the photoset here.
I've just added What the Fish! to my bookmarks. It's a blog about fishing in Singapore. I think it's the first of its kind and it's very well written. Gosh, I miss fishing now. From What The Fish!:
After a quick casting lesson, J threw out her line. And within the first cast, she landed something. Wow, talk about luck. Fish turned out to be a good one, a Wrasse. Hm, these buggers not usually easy to catch due to their minuscule mouths. J was naturally all excited and did a cart wheel. After the customary photo taking, fishing proceeded on. WC cast out his line and then also on the first cast, got a tamban! Holy tornado. These students were good. I had never before gotten a tamban at Six Pipes.
Since the 2 of them had gotten the swing of things, I too rigged up my Black rose and cast out. I had wanted a slightly bigger catch, and rigged mine on a size 8 owner hooks, baited with about 1/2 a prawn meat. A while into the waiting, rod dipped and I got a decent fish on the other end. Reeling back, fish ran into the pipes and I was snagged. Argh...but I could feel the fish still struggling despite not being able to reel back the line. I played the waiting game, and finally fish ran out again, and was soon on the losing end. When it broke the surface, it turned out to be a slightly larger than my palm Silver Biddy (WuaBee). Hmm, I was expecting a larger fish. Not a bad fighter.
For the video gamer geek in you, here is the (ultimate) history of Atari from 1971 till 1977 in 20 pages! From Gamasutra:
Atari founder Nolan Bushnell was a Go player who learned the hacker ethic at the University of Utah. When Bushnell finally decided on the name for his pioneering video game company, he called it “Atari”. In Go terms this is like saying “watch the hell out, I’m just about to win the game”. A couple years later, Atari would adopt a curious looking logo -- a three-part, vertically split triangle, that looked a bit like an “A”, but more like a mountain.
This symbol would commonly be known as the “Fuji”, and it was under its shadow that an entire new industry was created. It was also under this shadow that the simple lessons of Go would affect the design of video games in their first decade. The “simple to learn, difficult to master” game design philosophy is the one that helped propel Atari’s games from mild parlor amusements into the psyche of an entire generation.
Some students in New York University's Interactive Telecommunications Program show off their Photoshop skills in this ITP Superheroes Mashup Flickr set. There are a few that are very well done, I must say.
The Steampunk Tree House has got to be the coolest tree house ever built! It is a metal tree (with a semi-exposed skeleton) and it has a wood and metal house perched within its branches. Recycled gears, gauges, pipes and other metal objects adorn the tree and the house. What a work of art!
If you like Han Solo in Carbonite, you may be interested to know that Barbie in Carbonite is now for sale over at Etsy for US$45! In Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Han Solo was captured by Darth Vader and then frozen in carbonite before given to Boba Fett as a reward. As for the Barbie version, there are so many reasons why this is so wrong but somehow, I kinda like it.
(Thanks Lord Kimbo)
1. Singapore's population rises to record 4.68 million
2. Scoring revamp sees NUS drop from 19 to 33
3. Study finds super bugs increasingly prevalent in community
4. Free Nokia Wifi Zone on Singapore Buses
5. S'poreans attempt to set Guinness sport stacking record
6. CTE 'cowboys' run loose
7. Charities urge public not to pre-judge Ren Ci
8. Discrepancy at Ren Ci $200k-$300k, says its CEO
9. 'Half-landing' lifts: Blocks in Clementi offered solution
10. Singapore had 'control of island since 1851'
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
From the wonderful land of Japan, comes these cool G-Force mobile phones by Softbank. Besides the G-Force artwork drawn on the shell of these phones, they also come complete with G-Force wallpapers and icons! G-Force (also known as Gacchaman) is a popular cartoon in the 80's. Catch its intro clip here.
"All you need is sex. All you need is love." by the extremely talented Eduardo Sarmiento. Cuban born Eduardo is an award winning freelance illustrator and graphic designer who is now based in Miami. Check out his portfolio here.
Probably the best post on Slashdot for quite some time now:
CNET has just put up a story about what it thinks are the best online flash games of all time. These include titles like Line Rider, Bejeweled, Desktop Tower Defense and Portal, all of which I enjoy playing a lot. But my thirst for free games is peaking at the moment, probably due to an incredibly boring job and lack of imagination. Can you suggest any more good free games online?"I'm happily reading all the comments in that post and digging up all the awesome games recommended by Slashdot readers. Looks like my entire week will be busy trying out some of those games.
Dude is hoping to become US$10,979 richer by selling his entire 1768-piece video game collection which he has been collecting for 30 years, on eBay. Now that's a lot of video games and consoles! But er, 30 years of collection and he sells it for a meager sum of US$10k? He must be nuts.
Call it the Great Wheel Of China! China will soon have the world's largest wheel thanks to the same company that is building our very own 165m Singapore Flyer. From BBC:
The observation wheel, due to open in 2009, will stand at 208m (686ft) - the third-tallest structure in Beijing.This means the Singapore Flyer which is expected to be completed in March 2008, will only have less than a year to wear the crown of the world's largest wheel. I guess very soon the company behind the Singapore Flyer has to make some changes to this statement on its website:
Designed to commemorate the 2008 Olympics, the Beijing Great Wheel is expected to hold about 1,920 people.
Officials say visitors will get "an unsurpassed view of the city", although some analysts have joked that pollution might stop visitors from seeing much.
When completed, the $99m (£50m) structure will eclipse the Star of Nanchang - the current highest wheel, also in China, which stands at 160m.
The Singapore Flyer, a giant observation wheel that features brilliant engineering breakthroughs a world apart from the traditional ferris wheel, is set to be Asia's most visible iconic visitor attraction.Maybe they can change it to "Asia's SECOND most visible iconic visitor attraction".
1. 39 more errant cabbies nabbed
2. Budget 2008: What they want
3. 10 individuals clinch SuperStar Award for excellent service
4. Watch rising food costs
5. Singapore Attracting Record Number of Global Entrepreneurs and Investors
6. A new focal point for Jews in Singapore
7. Sandra Yeow is first female winner of Subaru Challenge
8. A floating icon on the Singapore River
9. New genes linked to dengue are identified
10. Old HDB flats vacated for en-bloc rebuilding to be leased out
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
This hilarious sketch was performed by Peter Serafinowicz and gang in an episode of The Peter Serafinowicz Show, a BBC Two comedy show. In this clip, Darth Vader falls for Commander Ada Larkin, a female co-worker wearing a pink version of his armour. Watch his ill fated attempts to court her. Poor Darth. It's tough to fall in love, even for the Dark Lord himself.
(via MeFi)
This little toy kitchen is built from recycled corrugated cardboard covered in contact paper. What's more amazing is that no glue and nails were used to join the pieces together. The entire kitchen is held together using clever joining cuts!
Dude builds his own lightsabers (Vader and Skywalker versions) complete with glowing blades! I've seen some really quality lightsabers sold in shops but they cost a bomb so maybe I should just make one myself.
(Thanks prowlr)
1. European entrepreneurial spirit for S'pore's fourth university?
2. NEA partners schools to broaden environmental education
3. Singapore's success with water treatment
4. Quicker CTE rides with new ERP fees
5. More are aware of signs of problem gambling: survey
6. Opposition MPs, PAP rivals team up for estate upgrading
7. Final race begins on proposals for Singapore Sports Hub
8. Singapore comes in No. 1 in World Bank shipping survey
9. 'Flat-fee' roaming for mobile data users
10. Contestants suffer exhaustion, hallucinations on day 3 of Subaru Challenge
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
Polls for The 2007 Weblog Awards close in two days! Vote IZ Reloaded for the Best Asian Blog. Ask your friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, etc to vote okie? Only one person per vote per day. Thanks for supporting aye... here's my version of Gone:
powered by ODEO
That should get me some extra votes. Hopefully.
Need to brush up on your kisses ladies? Boyfriend complain that you are a bad kisser? No problem. Read this dos and don'ts of kissing a man. From MSN:
Close your eyes(Thanks Shy)
“I had one girlfriend who, for some reason, always kept her eyes open when we kissed. I’d get this strange feeling that I was being watched while we made out, only to open my eyes briefly to find her staring back at me. Not only was it disconcerting as hell, but it made me self-conscious. Was she picking apart my moves? Did I make some kind of funny face I wasn’t aware of? I’d be completely thrown for the rest of the night.” —Jon, editor
Get your hands in on the action
“Run them through my hair, or, if you really want to get me going, stroke my neck. Yeah, it’s a bit effeminate of me, but it makes me feel as if she’s enjoying it so much that she can’t control herself. Just lip-to-lip contact is the missionary position of making out.”
—Timothy, writer
This is highly disturbing. Someone was actually searching for "what ways can i get my sister nad brother to have sex" and the first entry in the search results is my blog. Check this out:
Why the hell would anyone want to get their siblings to have sex? Crikey! Let me say that my blog does not encourage inter-family sex ok. Incest is bad, bad, bad unless you are an animal like the bonobos who practice sex between closely related individuals as a means of dispute resolution or greeting. Ha! And to the dude who was searching for this, you seriously need some help mate.
Fans of both Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG) and LEGO will be pleased to know that LEGO is now making its own MMOG game called LEGO Universe by merging the online world of social interaction with the LEGO concept of play. The game's features include character advancement, expansive social and community features. As a player, you’ll be able to customize your mini-figs and interact in the universe as any character you choose, providing unique opportunities for players to expand and explore with their creations.
Here's a different kind of world map. The countries in the map are re-sized according to the relative proportion of the world's population living there. India and China both get bloated while Singapore is no longer just a dot on the map.
Dude made this awesome samurai costume for this year's Halloween using Rubbermaid garbage cans and rubber stoppers he bought at a junk store.
Pac-Txt is a Pac-Man game with a twist. There's no graphics - you only get text! It's kinda like the old Zork games. From Pac-Txt:
To play, type "forward", "backward", "right", "left" and "eat" for the commands. I hope I did not miss out anything.
You awaken in a large complex, slightly disoriented. Glowing dots hover mouth level near you in every direction. Off in the distance you hear the faint howling of what you can only imagine must be some sort of ghost or several ghosts.
Steve Rubell writes in his blog Micro Persuasion that only advertisers can save Web 2.0 companies from dying a cruel death like most of its predecessors during the dot-com bubble. From Micro Persuasion:
Years ago the Advertising Council started a landmark campaign with Smokey the Bear that had a rather ominous tagline. It reads: "only you can prevent forest fires." (They still use it today.) The subtext, which the recent fires in California clearly reminded us, was that the word "only" implies that the "you" here is singular. In other words, if you're not out there preventing forest fires, then no one will.
While not quite as dramatic, a similar burden is starting to fall on digital marketers. Are your shoulders feeling heavier yet? They should because, you see, "only you" can save Web 2.0.
Nearly every online start-up you can think of is basing their business model on advertising. It's as if your digital budgets are a bottomless pot of money with more than enough to go around for everyone. Ask any of them how they plan to stay solvent and they all fire off the "a-word" - advertising.
After watching the TV ad for Fragrance Hotel, I now think the hotel is damn scary. Got giant teddy bears living there! Not sure if they eat humans.
Newly unclassified documents reveal that the CIA is more afraid of the remote possibility of alien invasion than the threat of a Soviet nuclear attack! And I thought I'm crazy. From SMH:
This memo suggested a plot that transcends Stanley Kubrick's Dr Strangelove: the CIA, in the face of unknown phenomena - or even an attack from outer space - was seemingly more concerned about what the Russians might do with UFOs than with the objects themselves. The CIA's interest in the Soviet and Chinese study of UFOs continued for decades. But on October 2, 1952, General Smith received this ominous note from his Office of Scientific Intelligence: "Flying saucers pose two elements of danger which have national security implications. The first involves mass psychological considerations and the second concerns the vulnerability of the US to air attack."
1. Rare cancer-causing syndrome found for the first time in Singaporean woman
2. Grocery bills increase as prices for foodstuffs go up
3. 10 short films by S'pore's filmmakers to showcase at leading UK festival
4. Participants hit with aching wrists, sore legs on day 2 of Subaru Challenge
5. 1 in 3 new patients are malnourished
6. Star Search 2007: A star is born
7. Two international cancer research centres to set up in S'pore
8. Gambling taking over your life? Help is at hand
9. Health tourism could be next big thing in silver travel
10. Changi Airport's T3 set to wow visitors the moment they step in
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
I've been lucky enough to have viewed some of the brightest comets ever - the likes of Hale Bopp in 1995 and Hyakutake in 1996 - but Comet Holmes has got to be the most unusual bright comet I've seen. Shining at magnitude 2.5, it is very bright - easily seen with the naked eye but unlike the two great comets Hale Bopp and Hyakutake, Comet Holmes doesn't display a glamourous tail like the other two.
Early this morning at 3am, I spotted Comet Holmes again. This was my second time seeing it. This time, I had my 3 inch refractor telescope ready. The comet is an amazing sight through the telescope. It looks very much like a globular star cluster via a low power/wide angle eyepiece. It's diffused and you can easily tell the difference between the comet and the tiny stars surrounding it.
To show how one can easily spot the comet and photograph it, I used a Canon PowerShot A350, put it on a tripod, set the camera's ISO to 800 and do a manual exposure of about 10 to 15 secs.
To view the comet's position, click on the photos to go their Flickr pages.
I'm actually pretty happy with the results bearing in mind that these photos were taken with a simple "point and shoot" digital camera just next to the tennis court downstairs.
Previously:
Comet Holmes is getting larger!
I finally spotted Comet Holmes!
Comet erupts, now visible as bright star!
Photo above shows Comet Holmes as it expands rapidly in size. According to the astrophotographer who took it, Comet Holmes should be half as wide as the full moon come Sunday. The comet's brightness is still at around magnitude 2.5 - bright enough to be spotted without any binoculars or telescopes. If you haven't seen Comet Holmes yet, give it a try this weekend. Just face North at around midnight and you'll spot it at the constellation of Perseus. I'll be hoping to see it again later tonight - this time, with my telescope. For more info, read my previous Comet Holmes posts.
Previously:
I finally spotted Comet Holmes!
Comet erupts, now visible as bright star!
Illustrator Renato Q. Guerra shows us how he did this fantastic drawing for a publication he's working on. Check out his stunning portfolio here. He's an amazing artist!
This dude has been collecting Star Wars toys, merchandise, etc since the first Star Wars movie and his collection got so huge that he had to move to a ranch! Watch this video of him explaining how he got the idea for Rancho Obi-Wan. Here's a review of the place. I wonder if he is looking at adopting a son.
I think I have to agree with this blogger. Americans shouldn't cosplay! Leave all the cosplaying to the Japanese.
(Thanks groj721)
Watch this clip of toy commercials back in the 1970's. I especially like the Bing Bang Boing. It looks like a fun game to play and for a 70's toy, it's pretty "complicated" - I like! Here's how you can make a game like Bing Bang Boing. Have fun!
Voting for the 2007 Weblog Awards begins today. I'm up for the Best Asian Blog award. So please do vote for me - IZ Reloaded. You can vote only once a day. Don't cheat ok. I will have more to say about the awards, especially the Asia category sometime later. In the meantime... Vote! Vote! Vote!
Here's another one who has grabbed her free 20 prints from Snapfish. A very happy Vogue Crown (noticed that she's an Arsenal fan.. grrrrr) said:
Collect your free 20 prints from Snapfish by signing up now.I’ve printed the first 20 photos for FREE! Hee Hee ;) To add on, you just have to pay for the standard mail postage which is a mere S$1.90 :) Also, it only cost S$0.19 for a print. Cheap lor! :cool:
Glad that the quality of the pictures I have printed comes out pretty satisfactory...
Anyway, the types of print range from mugs to mouse pads! Fwah! So tempted to get a mouse pad with Ji Hoon’s cute face printed on it. But rolling the mouse on his face? Hmm… I need to think twice.
I received this from a reader. It's a vintage ad by Honeywell promoting the use of email in the office: "Electronic Mail is document distribution that's more timely, accurate and flexible than traditional methods... Tomorrow's automated office will clearly include Electronic Mail." Click here to view a bigger image.
(Thanks Sir Thomas)
To promote a fake diabetes drug in China, its makers even fake the website of government's food and drug watchdog. From Yahoo News:
While looking very similar to the State Food and Drug Administration's real site (www.sda.gov.cn), it has a totally different address -- and was still functioning on Thursday.
"This site is definitely not for real," an official at the regulator was quoted as saying. "These lawbreakers have got some balls!"
The fake site (http://www.tnb163.cn/sdfs/index.htm) can be accessed from another purporting to be from a research institute promoting the miracle benefits of a new diabetes drug. But not only is that site a fake, the drug is too, the report added.
This incredible website has a collection of scanned LEGO instructions for building 94 Star Wars sets - X-Wing Fighter, Darth Maul Bust, TIE Bomber, Millennium Falcon and more!
This is a news clip of Morning Musume's first trip to Taiwan recently. Lots more news clips here. Now, if only they decide to come to Singapore. It will make my marriage proposal to Miss Risa Niigaki a lot easier.
The Blue Dudes is a blog that documents Smurfs sightings. As you can tell by reading it, those little blue creatures are everywhere - at the beach, on a public pay phone, in the playgrounds and even inside a vacuum!
1. HDB flat sold for record $730,000
2. MRT services disrupted after short-circuit
3. Lung cancer awareness lax in Singapore
4. Slap on the wrist for sexy talk on radio
5. Dad fears for son's safety after loan sharks strike
6. Spike in phone scams
7. Maid agents baulk at new insurance rule
8. More employers hiring persons with disabilities
9. Ministry Of Sound denies closing down
10. Singapore marks first Library Week
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
I know lots of you have been writing to me asking why don't I post more of my pics lately. So just for you, pics (minus the cap!!) taken during a recent night. Yes, I was intoxicated as you can tell. Kawaii mode ON! Happy? Now stop asking me to keep posting more pics!
1. Is Singapore becoming price uncompetitive for foreign business?
2. 20 years for Workers' Party to match PAP?
3. Number of pay-TV pirates down by 30%
4. S'pore aims for WHO's 'safe' recognition
5. Full employment causes pay spike in rush for talent
6. NKF, Youth Challenge to revamp image through new programmes
7. Singapore distancing itself from Myanmar
8. Greater openness here now, says WP chief
9. Errant cab drivers may get licences revoked
10. S'pore Netizen fury over YouTube video
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
A week after I first posted the story of Comet Holmes, I finally managed to spot the bright comet at 3am this morning. It's surreal. I was in my room listening to the live commentary of the Spurs - Blackpool game on BBC London while I was sitting on my bed and looking out of the window - and there was the comet! That was definitely the first time I spotted a comet with the naked eye in the comforts of my room (and on my bed!).
I've been trying to spot Comet Holmes over the past week or so but I failed because of the bad weather. This morning at 3 o'clock, it was fairly clear so I decided to give it a go. The star Capella was shining brightly in the constellation Auriga and the Moon, Castor and Pollux (the two brightest stars of Gemini) and planet Mars were quite a stunning sight towards the east. There were still clouds moving around so no sight of the Perseus constellation yet but when the clouds did clear, I finally could spot Algol and Alpha Persei, the two brightest stars in Perseus. There's my chance. And to my surprise, there was another bright star-like object near the location where the comet should be. It's Comet Holmes!
Comet Holmes is bright - no doubt about that. I can see it with the naked eye from my room for goodness sake! I estimate that the comet is roughly at magnitude 2.5. The only other stars in Perseus brighter that it are Algol and Alpha Persei. It does look a little diffuse - wasn't much like a starlike object that many reported a week ago.
I wrote in my post last week that spotting Comet Holmes should be easy but I guess one needs to know a bit of the constellations in order to spot it. To find it, you can use the Interactive Sky Chart provided by Sky and Telescope. It now plots the location of the comet automatically. Comet Holmes should be shining brightly over the next week or so. I'll update again if there's any change in brightness. I can't wait to point my telescopes at it.
Previously: Comet erupts, now visible as bright star!
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