The Japanese have taken their fetish for sexy maids to a new level with this Maid PC case which is a Mini-ITX compatible case hidden within the hips and legs, and covered by a choice of one of two maid skirts.
Also read: The Bikini Babe PC
Prince did a cover of Creep, one of my favourite songs by Radiohead, at a concert recently and videos of his performance on YouTube were shamelessly blocked by Prince's own record company and that made Radiohead very angry. From Yahoo News:
In a recent interview, Thom Yorke said he heard about Prince's performance from a text message and thought it was "hilarious." Yorke laughed when his bandmate, guitarist Ed O'Brien, said the blocking had prevented him from seeing Prince's version of their song.I just did a search on YouTube and some videos of the performance are now online. Here's one of them. Watch it before Prince blocks it again.
"Really? He's blocked it?" asked Yorke, who figured it was their song to block or not. "Surely we should block it. Hang on a moment."
Yorke added: "Well, tell him to unblock it. It's our ... song."
This Dream Desk may look so old and out of place in the modern office - well, it's made in the 40s - but check out its "play side" which has a built in fridge for all your beers and other drinks, a pull out mixing bar, bar racks, two decanters and even a personal safe. Just make sure your boss isn't around when you party aye.
(Thanks primus)
Wanna make your own fine wine in the comfort of your home? WinePod is a state-of-the-art tool for small lot artisan winemaking that is easy to use. It integrates fermentation, pressing, and ageing in one elegant unit. It also comes with an interactive winemaking software that guides you step-by-step through the winemaking process and records your winemaking data. Ok, I want one at home!
This Hot Dog Rotisserie by Giles & Posner is the perfect appliance to have if you want cinema style hot dogs at home. It easily cooks up to 4 hot dogs and it can even heat your two buns to toasty hot!
(via DVICE)
Panties are for girls. MANties are for guys. Crikey! These folks even have a wide range of them from plain to lacey. I think this is just so wrong and yes, you guessed it, I'm not going to wear them.
1) SIA bans work-related matters on personal blogs
2) Dragon boat team which lost 5 rowers encountered strong currents
3) Survey shows most people unaware smoking can cause blindness
4) Resorts World at Sentosa drops shark's fin from its menu
5) Singaporeans come to Johor for more than just fuel
6) StarHub says pay TV subscribers to grow 5 to 10 percent a year
7) More low-income earners gambling bigger sums
8) 20 firms pledge to give one-off payout to help workers
9) JBJ to defend Chee siblings
10 Critic confronts Lee in Singapore court
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
I've just submitted my pledge to get Firefox 3 during Download Day and help set the Guinness World Record for Most Software Downloaded in 24 Hours. So far there are 748 pledges from Singapore.
The Japanese sure like to dress up their trucks. These Dekatora trucks look so awesome with their huge body kits and colourful lights that I wish they would transform into a blinged out Optimus Prime.
Finnish artist Mimosa Pale created a giant vulva bicycle taxi so disgusting and shocking that I had to post a censored image of it here. Who in their right frame of mind would actually ride inside this? I know pussy and bikes are two favourite things for guys but combining the two into one is not a good idea.
In what could be the most daring or foolish act ever in the history of the blogosphere, a blogger has challenged MM Lee to sue him. I really hope he has a lot of money to spare. From Singapore Dissident:
This is Gopalan Nair in Singapore today, May 29, 2008. I have been in Singapore since May 25, 2008, and staying now at Broadway Hotel, Room 708, 195 Serangoon Road, Singapore 218067.Update: No reply from MM Lee and company, so he writes another post.
I am deliberately stating my identity and my present exact location for a definite purpose. On day 2 of Lee Kuan Yew and son verses Dr. Chee Soon Juan case, Lee senior had said in answer to a question by Dr. Chee, that if he, Lee Kuan Yew, knew the identity of bloggers in cyberspace who defamed him (defamation being used of course in the Singaporean sense), he will sue and bankrupt them.
He had earlier sidestepped the question by saying, that he had difficulty suing critics of his in the Internet because their identities were not usually known. When pressed, he categorically and deliberately stated that he will sue if they made known their identities.
These Ultrasonic Batgoggles will allow you to feel what it's like to be a bat and "see" with your ears instead with your eyes, if you don't mind looking silly wearing 'em.
(via Engadget)
Download Spiderman, Hulk, Wolverine and other superheroes here. Man, these superhero papercrafts are so awesome that I'm tempted to go fix my faulty colour printer so that I can make some myself.
(Thanks Gareth)
Dude draws cute chicken cartoons on sticky notes. He says, "Like some sort of haunting supernatural force, the chickens bubbled up from the ol' subconscious mind. In a trance-like state, I drew them on office whiteboards. I drew them in notebooks. I drew them on anything that sat still long enough. People started asking, "Who's drawing those damn chicken cartoons everywhere?" The chickens were unstoppable. To retain my sanity, all I could do was grab a stack of sticky notes, and release the Savage Chickens.
The late David Wasserman nailed small pieces of tin cans, aluminum soda cans and other metals to sheets of plywood, to create large-scale but incredibly detailed pictures of people, powerful beasts, the depths of space, family photos and urban cityscapes.
Send artist Shawn Feeney your photo and a photo of one of your close friends. He will then draw a composite of your two faces. His aim is to draw a total of 64 facial images of composite friends. He will then draw a series of composites from the composites; 32 drawings combining four faces each, 16 drawings combining eight faces each, and so on until finally there is one drawing derived from all 128 faces. Amazing project!
Baker Duff Goldman made this special Star Trek cake that will be featured on a TV show called, "Ace of Cakes". Will Trekkies eat this one?
(Thanks Sir Thomas)
The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRise) camera on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has captured a breathtaking image of the Phoenix Lander passing infront of a huge crater on the way to its picture perfect landing on Mars. HiRise has also taken images (here and here) of the lander hardware hours after its landing. The HiRise blog has more updates and also check out NASA's Phoenix website for more info about the Phoenix mission.
Professional computing gaming is big business in Seoul which also happens to be the home to the world’s first ever professional computer games league. The Listening Post travelled to the South Korean capital for an insight into the country's strange world of professional computer gaming. From Listening Post:
Kim Eun-dung, the director of the STX Soul team says there are about 22 people currently living in the squad's house.
"Living in the house at the moment we have the pro-players who take part in match games, apprentices trying to become pro-players, and a few coaching staff … all eating, sleeping and training here," he says.
"Some apprentices are as young as 12 and players generally continue their career into their 20s. It seems the players aiming to become pro are getting younger and younger."
A lot of gamers spend many years living in their team house.
"I started my gaming career when I was 17, so I've now been leading the life of a pro-gamer for almost 3 years,” Jin Young-soo, one of STX Soul’s star gamers, says.
"In my third year of high school I went before my parents and told them: 'Mum, Dad, this is better suited to me than studying. I'm going to live as a gamer, I’m going to Seoul to try out at the team house.'"
Although they live away from home the gamers are fully cared for. The team director's sister, Ajumah Kim, lives in the house and does the players' laundry, cleaning and other housework.
Vuestar, a Singapore company which owns patents focusing on internet searching via visual images, identity security and copyright assets, is demanding website owners to pay them a fee if their website "has been developed by or for a URL addressee/owner and uses visual images to hyperlink to other pages in which any first or subsequent page provides the contact details of an Organisation would in Legal terms appear to use the steps and methods outlined in a claim of the Patent".
Yup. WTF!
Vuestar has started issuing invoices (see a scanned copy above and view the rest here) to a number of websites in Singapore. According to its Vuestar's FAQ page, those who do not pay up will not be able to use images to link to other pages on their websites:
What happens if I don’t pay?I think this is perhaps the most ridiculous thing that I have ever come across and no one should pay these suckers a single cent at all. Violating their intellectual property? Intellectual property my ass! Since when is linking images be deemed as an intellectual property?
You will not be granted the VUESTAR User Licence and will be unable lawfully to use visual images to access the worldwide web. Our collection agencies will recover unpaid fees.
What if I still use visual images to access sites/content?
Having been provided with proper notice of VUESTAR ’s rights, you will be deemed to have entered into a user Licence and be liable for a fee each year based upon usage/traffic. Our collection agency will recover any annual unpaid fees.
1) Sparks fly as opposition politician questions Singapore leaders
2) Singaporeans likely to cut down on trips to Malaysia once petrol sale ban starts
3) No news of Singaporean attempting to be the first woman on top of Everest
4) Sex and the City fan duped in $19,000 show package
5) Singapore universities using Facebook and Wikis to teach
6) Online scams soliciting 'donations' for disaster-hit
7) S'pore conman in Thailand: 13 more victims
8) More see gambling as leisure, more start gambling younger
9) More degree programmes for poly students by 2010
10) Fast downloads on the go for Singaporeans
Read them at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
Tokidoki is a company that designs and sells apparels, bags, cosmetics, toys, etc. It is famous for its unique interpretation of Japan. The colourful artwork used on all its products is amazing and I especially love the girls. Pretty!
Etsy member cyberhadji says, "This is a print from a series of illustrations on vintage book pages. The illustrations are my re-imaginings of the video game characters nearest and dearest to my heart." Check out his work here.
(via Level Select)
These rust and scratch stickers are designed to make your beautiful bike/car look rusted and scratched so that passing thieves assume it's not worth stealing. Dude who's selling them says, "I have stuck them to my shiney new red bike and can confirm it hasn't been stolen yet. 13 days of not being stolen in London probably equates to 7 years of non-stealing in the friendly countryside."
(via Gearfuse)
1) 'Unreasonable' to fault ISB director for escape
2) Singapore's superjumbo gets Olympics call up
3) PUB clears river sludge along Robertson Quay
4) Chee fails to oust PM, MM from court
5) 24 hours to report all accidents to insurers
6) Study on retrofitting seat belts in small buses to be ready in 3 to 6 months
7) Singapore refuses to grant maids mandatory days off
8) S$9.5m raised so far by TV charity show to help Sichuan quake victims
9) Singapore sacks superintendent of detention centre over escape
10) Singapore, Malaysia grapple with UN court decision
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
Watch this famous short film that takes you exponentially outward from a picnic in a park — first one meter, then 10 meters, then 100 meters, etc. — to show humanity’s place in the universe, and then reverses the process, going inward by powers of ten to look inside the human body and finally inside individual atoms.
(via Nerdcore)
Chinese babes, bikes, guns, bullets and weird fashion - what's not to love aye? Chen Zhun took these yummy photos for his photo comic novel. These were scanned from FHM China 3rd Anniversary issue.
(via Juhana Petterson)
Related: FHM China's Olympic Epic Photo Spread
An auction house is helping Dow Chemicals sell the services of India's Prime Minister on eBay for 10 million rupees. From eBay:
DOW Chemicals, headquartered in Michigan owns a substantial portion of the professional services offered by Dr. Manmohan Singh (henceforth referred to as the product), currently anointed as the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India. Because of the high price commanded for his services, he is widely regarded as the most honest politician of India. And despite the high price tag, the product has excellent VFM and RTI factors. He has consistently been the most valuable service provider for Dow Chemicals, a multi-milllion dollar company with thousands recruits. Dow retained the right to lease him out or sell him to third parties without any explicit approval. The company has decided to sell its stake in the product, and any individual or corporation is free to place an open bid for his services. It must be said that like gold, oil, food and land, the value of prime minister of India increases exponentially with time and experience.
Mike Sacks' funny little piece for the June 2006 edition of Esquire, is about the perils of reading those Ikea furniture instructions. The ending is classic! You can view his other works here and here.
Luke Skywalker, C-3PO, R2-D2 and Chewbacca meet Kermit the frog, Miss Piggy and other characters on the The Muppet Show. Watch it here and cringe!
I was at Sheng Siong in Woodlands yesterday when I spotted this strange looking tomato growing what looks like a nose or a dick. I should have bought it and sell it on eBay.
Looks like I'm not the only one who is complaining about my StarHub DVR set-top box not recording the final moments of the American Idol finale during the live telecast last week. Those in the U.S. faced the same problem too with their TiVos. From Buzzwatch:
“The winner is … David …” Argh!
That’s how last night’s “American Idol” finale wrapped up for some viewers who had taped the show on TiVos and other digital-video recorder devices. Because “Idol” ran slightly long, some DVRs cut off the show before the winner was revealed–leaving those viewers hanging at the most suspenseful moment.
The poorly timed cutoff has become something of a tradition for the Fox program. Viewers who timeshifted the show with DVRs were denied the climactic moment last year, too.
If anything, this year’s incident was worse. The “Idol” finale came down to two contestants, both named David. Some viewers report that their DVRs stopped recording just after host Ryan Seacrest uttered the words, “The winner, by 12 million votes, of ‘American Idol’ 2008 is…David”–but before he revealed the last name.
Slobs of Gaming list their 11 most scorching-hot female cosplayers ever. I'm not a big fan of cosplay but this chick who gives us an absolutely stunning version of Mai Shiranui, is very much welcomed to turn me into one anytime man.
No cutting. No pasting. Easy to assemble! Toy paper models produced by Fawcett Publications back in the 1940s, from an eBay auction that just ended recently.
The folks at Robot-Models use old car and motorcycle spare parts to make this wonderful sculpture of Optimus Prime. They can also make other Transformers such as Bumblebee, Blackout, Megatron, Jazz, Ironhide and Blackout too.
Stephen Wiltshire who was diagnosed with autism when he was 3 years old, uses his incredible photographic memory to draw amazingly accurate huge drawings of cities like Rome (above) and Hong Kong after just one helicopter ride.
(Thanks prissy)
I'm about halfway through browsing this beautiful Flickr photoset of old paper stuff - ads and illustrations from old Spanish papers, magazines and books. There are 360 pictures in the collection!
Dude sent away a briefcase with a GPS device to DHL with instructions to where it should go to around the world. The GPS then recorded the briefcase's journey and its paths were used to create his self portrait on the world map!
(via Mefi)
1) Expect bigger bargains at this year's Great Singapore Sale
2) Singapore economy grows slower on weak demand
3) Singapore bans two sex video websites in symbolic move
4) Work, live and play at Paya Lebar Central and Kallang Riverside
5) New initiatives launched to promote green building movement
6) Petrol nears $2.40 a litre with second rise in a week
7) Pay rises for Singapore workers unlikely
8) HDB targets frivolous applicants
9) CashCard glitch: One-stop relief from next week
10) Singapore is 29th most peaceful country
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
The folks at New Tork Times now allow anyone to browse through their past issues from Volume 1, Number 1 on September 18, 1851, through December 30, 1922. Amazing! They call it their TimesMachine. Now, if only our Straits Times will do something like this instead of charging people for old news.
Dude built the world's lowest street legal car inspired by the Batmobile and it's even jet powered! The jet engine is fitted behind the internal combustion engine at the very rear of the car. It is a home built gas turbine jet engine. Man, I have to get one of these beauties.
The Incredible Edible Anus is a new line of chocolates by Bisous. These chocolates are created with one thing on their mind: to produce a combination of taste and touch that takes you to "chocolate anus heaven". What will they think of next?
You are in an enclosed area roughly the size of a basketball court. There are no weapons or foreign objects. You are not allowed kicks to the groin. The children are merciless and will show no fear. If a child is knocked unconscious, he is "out." The same goes for you. So how many 5 year olds can you take in a fight? Me: 26! Bring them on!
MIT Free Culture, a student organization at MIT creates YouTomb, a site that tracks videos taken down from YouTube for alleged copyright violation. From YouTomb:
YouTomb continually monitors the most popular videos on YouTube for copyright-related takedowns. Any information available in the metadata is retained, including who issued the complaint and how long the video was up before takedown. The goal of the project is to identify how YouTube recognizes potential copyright violations as well as to aggregate mistakes made by the algorithm...
When a user-submitted video is suspected to infringe copyright, the rights holder is contacted and given the option to take down the video in question. In addition, rights holders can submit DMCA takedown notifications at any time that cause YouTube to immediately remove alleged infringing content.
MIT Free Culture became especially interested in the issue after YouTube announced that it would begin using filtering technology to scan users' video and audio for near-matches with copyrighted material. While automating the takedown process may make enforcement easier, it also means that content falling under fair-use exceptions and even totally innocuous videos may receive some of the collateral damage.
As YouTube is not very transparent with the details surrounding this process and the software used, YouTomb was conceived to shed light on YouTube's practices, to educate the general public on the relevant copyright issues, and to provide helpful resources to users who have had their videos wrongfully taken down.
![P22-05-08_11.01[01]](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2191/2512972631_9e609396ab.jpg)
Last night, Star Movies held an exclusive preview screening of Indiana Jones and The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull at Lido in Orchard. Ok before I write further, I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of the Indiana Jones. I don't know why. I love George Lucas and I've watched all his Star Wars films - religiously, I must add - but I never could find the same the love with his past Indiana Jones movies but oh boy, did I love this latest one alright.
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull features Indiana Jones who not surprisingly has aged quite a bit, against the bloody Russians for a crystal skull. I have to say that Harrison Ford is amazing once again in this latest Indiana Jones. Only in Hollywood can you get an old man do all the jumping, fighting, running without breaking any bones. The movie has a surprising alien theme to it. Yup you read that right. Aliens! And spaceship. It's like watching an episode from The X-Files!
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull is one hell of an entertaining movie from the start to finish and it may just be able to give the aging Indiana Jones some more new fans. The casting of Shia LaBeouf as Indiana Jones' son is a masterstroke by both Lucas and director Spielberg because Shia is like the next big thing and he can definitely carry the mantle of Indiana Jones for years to come. I also think Shia LaBeouf is the luckiest young dude on the planet now man. He got to play with big farking robots and now this. Also having George Lucas and Steven Spielberg as his friends has got to be really cool. Damn I'm jealous.
(Thanks WH/Star Movies)
1) Great Singapore Sale kicks off on Friday
2) Singapore aims to be self-sufficient in water
3) Only 10 per cent of Singapore firms hit by corruption
4) Leisure Plan drawn up to enhance recreational options
5) Trash and burn: Singapore's waste problem
6) HDB refines flat application process
7) Political film on freedom in Singapore under probe
8) Government to spend S$30m on Punggol Waterfront town
9) Haze may hit in 2 weeks - it all depends on the wind
10 Sexually active women in Singapore advised to use the Pill
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
Congratulations to my boy David Cook for winning American Idol. The result was announced this morning (Singapore time) live on Ch 5 in a two hour American Idol Season Finale. Some would say that David Cook winning the competition is a shocker but I wasn't surprised at all.
Yesterday, I already knew who's the likely winner thanks to the folks at DialIdol who once again correctly predicted the winner of American Idol. If you look at the data collected by DialIdol throughout the season, you can see that David Cook got most of the votes every week. There's no doubt. David Cook is the deserving American Idol.
Many thanks David for bringing us your own version of hits like Always Be My Baby and Billy Jean, and for turning me into a big fan of yours. I'm so happy that you won and I'll be looking forward to your album man. Rock on!
What's scarier than having toy monsters in your room at night? Have them glow of course! Here is a gallery of Glow In The Dark Classic Monster Movie Kits. Aurora Plastics made these monsters back in 1975 to capitalise on the monster craze back then.
Flickr photoset of Spanish science fiction novels from the '50s. Interesting. Too bad they are not in English. I think a couple of them are worth reading thanks to their eye catching covers.
(Thanks Dave Rivers)
The Japanese Nipple Dance involves female dancers rotating their "breasts" and beaming bright lights from their "nipples". Warning: It can be very hypnotic so don't watch too close aye.
(Thanks xXx)
Italian comic artist Donald Soffritti imagines how Batman, Robin and our other favourite superheroes would look like when they grow old. Push Robin, push!
(Thanks damelyn)
Amazing photos taken at Wolong nature reserve in China where hundreds of giant pandas were rescued during the recent quake. Awww those poor pandas.
(Thanks Johnny Q)
1) Expert sees bright future for solar research in Singapore
2) Payment holiday for credit card is not worth taking
3) Quake aid scam exploit Singaporeans' generosity
4) Buddhism is the fastest-growing religion in Singapore
5) Robertson Quay restaurants claim stench from river affecting business
6) Getting food delivered to your home? It'll cost you more
7) Singaporeans waste 558,900 tonnes of food last year
8) Crackdown on those who do not pay TV licence under way
9) Jurong dogged by strays: Cat & dog lovers at odds
10) Starhub cuts BitTorrent connections of half of its subscribers
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
Oh no! Japan has gone bonkers. It has appointed Hello Kitty as its ambassador to welcome tourists from China and Hong Kong. From AP:
The tourism ministry on Monday named Hello Kitty as its choice to represent the country in China and Hong Kong, two places where she is wildly popular among kids and young women.(Thanks Guy Kawasaki)
Officials hope that tapping into that fan base will lead to a bigger flow of tourists into Japan, and closer toward their goal of attracting 10 million overseas visitors every year under the "Visit Japan" campaign...
At a press conference, Sanrio Co. President Shintaro Tsuji called Hello Kitty's new appointment "an honor" and pledged to "work hard to attract many visitors."
Forget plastic surgery, the Japanese girl in the video above has an ingenious way for anyone to get a double eyelid using just a glue and a pointy stick. More Japanese fashion and style tips here.
(via Japan Sugoi)
Download your Stormtrooper, Mr Stay Puft, Rocketeer, Batman and other cool papercraft toy characters at Cubeecraft. Each toy features interlocking tabs for construction - eliminating the need for tape, glue or other messy adhesives.
(via MeFi)
A student gets creative with his answer to a question in his biology paper: Draw the human body and locate the various parts such as Pituitary Gland, Adrenal Gland, etc. Check out his answer. If that's an art paper, he'll get full marks for creativity.
Here's a living proof that overworking yourself may help accelerate the process of aging. These photos taken from 2004 to 2007 show a Japanese newscaster turned from a handsome young man with black hair into a man that looks very frail with hair all becoming gray. Scary!
Fans of Pac-Man will love these Pac-Man Ghost lamps created by Brazilian product designer Anderson Horta. You can also check out other interesting designs by Anderson on his blog here.
(Thanks grafixal)
Kids draw the craziest things, you say? But for Korean photographer Yeondoo Jung, their drawings actually provide him with the artistic inspiration for a series of amazing photos he took. He recreates scenes found in children’s drawings like this wizard on a broom stick. I love his work!
(via Ectoplasmosis)
It's amazing how popular my post, Watch Intro Clips of 1980s Cartoons is. I posted it back in November 2006 and to date, it has been linked by dozens of sites, blogs and forums and read thousands of times. I spent this morning watching all those clips I've linked to in that post again. I've also updated some of the YouTube links that aren't working. Go watch them aye. Enjoy.
This is another one of those crazy Japanese inventions. The USB Head Massager looks like a distant cousin of those evil Sentinels from The Matrix movies. But unlike the Sentinel's search and destroy role, the USB Head Massager is far less deadly. It helps to ease your headache by gently moving its tentacles to massage your head. Ok, that's scary.
(Thanks GeekGod)
Nightmare King has a collection of artwork and videos by my favourite director Tim Burton including all the drawings from his story book 'The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and other Stories'.
It looks like one, tastes like one and smokes like one but it works on rechargeable batteries. Introducing the SuperSmoker! I really want to try this out.
1) SMRT to run 700 more train trips from Tuesday
2) Take a coach up to KL from your doorstep
3) Singtel chosen by Apple to launch iPhone because of its strength
4) Cameras on buses will record illegal moves by motorists
5) Singapore hotel rates will rise further
6) Singapore companies pledge more money to help Chine quake victims
7) Singapore's rescue team arrives in China
8) China grateful for Singapore's quake aid
9) SingTel upgrades mobile network
10) Mrs Lee in serious condition
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
I hope you people did not miss Fantasia's batshit insane, chicken dancing, terribly-fun-to-watch, voodoo ritual of a performance on American Idol yesterday. If you ask me, I don't really know what to make of her performance. Energetic? Brilliant? Crazy? Horrible? But looking at Simon's reaction sums it up for me. Yup, to say he was shocked at what he saw is an understatement.
"What the hell is that?!"
Definitely the highlight of this season's American Idol. Love it!
Kate keeps a record of some of her daily purchases by drawing them on her blog, Obsessive Consumption. So far she has accumulated three years worth of purchase drawings! Kudos to her for keeping it up. You can also view the drawings on her Flickr photosets here.
Two dudes take their love for the popular game Halo to a higher level with these awesome Halo 3 Marine Armour costumes that they made themselves. They look so darn real that you could be forgiven for mistaking them as props for a Halo movie.
(via Kotaku)
Is your man a super husband? Or is it time for you to get a new wife? This vintage booklet titled "Tests for Husbands and Wives" is meant to provide married couples with a blueprint for happiness via a Marital Rating Scale. It's also suitable for those who are planning to get hitched. Try it out. It's fun.
(via BoingBoing)
ManBabies.com is one of the most scariest website ever created. Seriously, I think I'm going to have nightmares after looking at all those pics.
(Thanks xXx)
Why isn't this surprising? It will be David Cook vs David Archuleta in the final of American Idol. Now finally I can get to see David Cook kick David Archuleta's small butt on the biggest stage and wipe that cutie smile off his face. And if judging by the predictions over at DialIdol.com, I think David Cook's going to win it. I hope he does because he is the best thing ever to happen to American Idol and I think his record will outsell the records by past Idol winners and contestants. Good luck David Cook and rock us hard aye!
1) Same brand of rice but very different prices
2) Travellers advised to plan journey when using land checkpoints
3) 43rd National Day Parade will have something for everyone
4) ITE team attempts to climb Nepal's Island Peak
5) Gao Ning and Tao Li named Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year
6) S'poreans prefer to relocate than travel 45 mins to work
7) $1b tech push to beef up services in public sector
8) Singapore to donate $200,000 for earthquake relief
9) Holidaymakers still stranded in Chengdu because of landslides
10) No reports of Singaporeans injured in China's earthquake
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
I did not fall asleep at James Blunt's concert in the Indoor Stadium last night. Phew. I must say that he definitely has one of the most beautiful voices that I've heard. And I'm sure glad that I listened extensively to his two albums before the concert. Familiarising with his songs and memorising the lyrics helped me tremendously in singing along to some of his songs. Yup, I can be quite a noisy guy at concerts.
It's a pity that he did not sing My Triangle but You're Beautiful really sounds so beautiful live. I can't recall how many songs he performed in the concert but it did feel a little short - even with the three encore songs.
Overall, it was a wonderful concert and I love every second of it but I would rather be headbanging at Linkin Park's which to date still remains my favourite concert.
Update: Videos of the concert are slowly appearing in YouTube. Here are two good ones: 1973 and You're Beautiful. And they said no recording allowed. LOL.
Scientists have discovered that listening to powerful, heavy music makes wine seem richer and heavier. From Times:
Professor North's research showed that when a powerful, heavy piece of music such as Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns 'N' Roses was played, people drinking a cabernet sauvignon thought it was 60 per cent more robust than when no music was played. The research could have implications, such as spelling the end of piped music in bars. It also raises interesting questions about music and food matching.
David Williams, editor of Wine & Spirit magazine, said: “I love the idea that music has such an enormous effect on the way we taste wine, and I love the idea that people in the wine trade might make use of this information. Maybe we'll start seeing buy-one-get-one-free offers replaced by free Mozart with every bottle of Mosel Riesling, or a Nick Cave CD with a case of Barossa shiraz. And maybe one day there will even be music lists in Michelin-starred restaurants.”
Dude creates an amazing 3D version of one of Pablo Picasso's paintings, Guernica. He says, "My primary intention for the project was to create a provoking and deep contemplation of Pablo Picasso’s Guernica. Is my model a true reconstruction of the Picasso’s painting, or is it merely a rough re-visualization? Is it still Picasso’s art or has it, through my addition of third dimension, become something completely different?"
Check out Singaporean.com and see for yourselves the evidence that all Singaporeans actually belong to... China! All hail our new overlords!!! That's not all. A check on Whois reveals that Singaporean.com is registered to:
Web HouseHmmm, you know what this means? The Chinese are working together with the Malaysians to take over all of us. Nooooo!!!
28, Jalan Balau 10, Taman Rinting
Masai, Johor 81750
MY
The Original Sushi Pillow makes cute giant sushi in the form of a soft and comfortable pillow! The pillows are handmade and come in a variety of styles: rolls, nigiri, and appetizer styles. The two folks behind this are formerly actors from the musical Miss Saigon and they came up with the idea because one of them wanted a pillow that looked like a sushi roll.
For those of you who follow me on Twitter, you would have read that I was so excited to catch the official release of The X-Files: I Want To Believe trailer yesterday. The trailer debut on IGN, of all places. You can watch it above. It doesn't provide much clue to what the new X-Files movie is about - thanks a lot Chris Carter - and the highlight of the trailer for me is probably the part when they were showing Mulder and Scully about to kiss. Yup, about to. Damn. Oh, there's also a HD version of the trailer. I bet it will look awesome on my LG HDTV. I can't wait.
After months of keeping its mouth shut, SingTel finally announced that it has roped in some friends to sell the iPhone in Singapore, India, Australia and Philippines later this year. From Reuters:
Singapore Telecommunications Ltd and its mobile associates will bring Apple Inc's popular iPhone to Singapore, India, Australia and the Philippines later this year, Southeast Asia's largest phone company said on Monday.SingTel did not mention any date for the iPhone arrival in Singapore in its news release but I'm still betting on 08.08.2008. Heh.
SingTel said that it, Bharti Airtel Ltd, Globe Telecom Inc and Australian unit Optus had signed the agreement with Apple.
In February, Twitter was first to break news that a quake has struck the UK. Today, at around 3 hours ago, while I was reading my Twitter, Robert Scoble sent a tweet saying that there is a quake in Beijing. The quake, a 7.8 on the Richter Scale actually hit the area in Eastern Sichuan.
When I first read Scoble's tweet, I immediately checked the news websites and blogs for any reports but I couldn't find anything. In fact the first news reports that I saw came out only around 15 minutes later. So there you have it. Twitter has done it again!
For those of you who want the latest info on the China quake, follow casperodj, lyrrael and inwalkedbud on Twitter. These three folks are in China and they are twittering their quake experience. Latest reports say that so far 4 dead and the authorities are warning those in Beijing that a quake will happen there later tonight.
Update:
Beijing quake warning later tonight is false. (Thanks Lord Kimbo)
It's now 5 dead, 100 children injured and many more people were feared injured or dead in Sichuan as many houses had collapsed.
Some photos of the quake here. This one caught my eye: University students evacuate from dormitory after quake. Ok, I understand the need to quickly get out of a building during an earthquake but don't you think these two guys should put on some clothes first?
Numbers looking grimmer and grimmer. 107 dead and 900 students buried in quake.
The latest official toll is 8,533 dead. Expect this number to rise even more when the daylight breaks.
Here's a video taken by a Sichuan University student in his dorm when the quake struck (Thanks Rickie) :
And not forgetting a big hello to all you CNN readers. Thanks for dropping by.
The Fizz is the first ever reusable ice cream float cup. It screws onto any soda bottle, and keeps the ice cream separated from the drink, allowing you to mix only the amount you desire, so you can drink only soda or eat only ice cream, and keep the rest fresh for later if you wish.
(Thanks Prissy)
Dude wore 23 polos, popped all 23 collars and went home with the Planet Douche World Record for the most popped collars worn at the same time by an individual. No, I'm not going to try this.
(Thanks Mr Big)
Sakurako Kitsa makes bento creations so amazing and beautiful that I don't think I will have the heart to put them into my stomach. This one on the left is a bento featuring Canadian geese. She can create almost anything alright.
Yahoo Movies is showing the first 8 minutes of Speed Racer! Not bad Yahoo. Now how about showing me more? Say, the first 30 minutes or the entire movie will be nice. I'm greedy, I know.
There are a lot of innovative and weird looking USB flash drives out in the market today but this one has got to be up there, high on the list. The Spinacz is a USB flash drive in the shape of a wooden clothes peg! Besides its main purpose as a storage device, you can also use it as a fashion statement (see pic on the left) and of course, you can use it to hang your wet clothes for drying.
(via LikeCool)
For fans of Dilbert, here's an archive of all the Dilbert comic strips from 1989 to 2008 and more! Enjoy.
(Thanks Agagooga)
My eyes nearly popped out when I saw this headline on BBC: "Great tits cope well with warming". Ah, so that's why so many women are going for boob jobs nowadays. Got great tits, will survive global warming. I got it now.
Mr Brown spotted this Moth's Day Promotion. It's ok having a day specially to celebrate moths but I wonder why would moths want a mini tower fan. Anyway, Happy Moth's Day, I mean Happy Mother's day mum, wherever you are. I've been a good boy this year. Really. And I miss you, always.
Dude made this giant NES controller coffee table complete with a glass top. It also doubles as a storage box and it is fully compatible with your Nintendo system - yup, you can even play the darn thing! Now that's truly awesome.
(Thanks Tony)
* Singapore's Unloved Chinese Labor Boom
* Singapore's Foreign Workers: Do they steal or save local jobs?
* Singapore's inflation may ease
* Needy elderly to get subsidised care from all GPs next year
* Dunman High students can bypass China varsity exam
* New mobile 'casino' service launches in Singapore
* Special court to settle family disputes with less antagonism
* Expect to pay higher electricity bills
* $1.5m of govt fund mismanagement uncovered by public accounts panel
* Hip fractures on the up in Singapore
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
They taste milky, sweet and slimy and will jiggle when you shake them. Yummy! These Breast Puddings from Japan should satisfy your cravings for boobies for awhile until you get the real thing. Check out the unwrapping pics here.
Awesome Flickr photoset by Cindy G. that follows the secret lives of 8 Stormtrooper action figures. She says, "These little guys are just way too fun and deserved a set of their own. They've got so much personality and I think everyone who loves toys, Star Wars fan or not, NEEDS one of their own."
Dino Run is a fun flash game to play on a slow Friday. It's 65 million years ago. You're a dinosaur. And a super massive asteroid has just crashed. You need to outrun the destruction that is left behind behind by the impact. Run dino! Run!
(Thanks GeekGod)
One of my favourite actresses, Isabella Rossellini gives probably one of her most memorable performances to date by showing us how Earth's tiny critters make love. The short films, about one minute each, are currently available only in the US on Sundance Channel but people elsewhere (including in Singapore!) can still watch all the films here: Bee, Dragonfly, Earthworm, Firefly, Fly, Praying Mantis, Snail and Spider. They are all very safe for work unless your workplace forbids you from watching harmless critter sex. Remember kids, the female praying mantis will eat the head of the male praying mantis while they mate. Nasty!
(via MeFi)
On Monday, I blogged about The Cans Festival held by well known British graffiti artist Banksy. Lots of beautiful graffiti work there. Now here's a surprise. domtheclown has pics (see above) of our very own PAP and Uniquely Singapore logos sprayed on the wall of an abandoned access road in London used for the festival. I don't think PAP will be too happy seeing their logo being used for the face of what looks like a Hitler graffiti and on a body of a pig.
(Thanks Lancerlord)
* Singapore water makes global waves
* COE rates plunge to lowest levels in a year
* It is time for Singaporeans old enough for NS to be allowed to vote
* It's Up!: Number of people who married last year
* Teens, sex and Aids in Singapore: Time to face up to today's realities
* 300 motorists have trouble passing ERP gantry
* Govt agencies setting up video channels on YouTube
* Singapore Airlines raises fuel surcharge
* Singapore Airlines to fly A380 to Beijing due to Olympics demand
* Mica to mull over bloggers' Net freedom proposals
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
I think this is the most brilliant concept for a new drink. Y water is an organic, low calorie, functional drink for kids available in four different versions: brain water, immune water, muscle water and bone water. Not only will the drinks provide the vitamins and mineral for kids, but the empty bottles will also provide kids with endless fun - the bottles can be joined together to form different shapes and objects!
Nine Inch Nails has got to be the coolest group of musicians on the planet. They have recently released their latest album, "The Slip" online and it's free! Their previous album, Ghosts I-IV was also released online under a Creative Commons attribution-noncommercial share alike license, which allows anyone to use or rework the material for any non-commercial purpose, as long as credit is provided and the resulting work is released under an identical license. From nin.com:
as a thank you to our fans for your continued support, we are giving away the new nine inch nails album one hundred percent free, exclusively via nin.com.You can also listen to all the tracks here. I'm downloading all the mp3s!
the music is available in a variety of formats including high-quality MP3, FLAC or M4A lossless at CD quality and even higher-than-CD quality 24/96 WAVE. your link will include all options - all free. all downloads include a PDF with artwork and credits.
for those of you interested in physical products, fear not. we plan to make a version of this release available on CD and vinyl in july. details coming soon.
...we encourage you to remix it, share it with your friends, post it on your blog, play it on your podcast, give it to strangers, etc.
Thanks to Prissy for this nice gift! Finally I have a t-shirt that goes well with my nickname. For those of you who don't know, Astro Boy is a nickname that was given to me many years ago because of my love for astronomy and also because I used to style my hair like Astro Boy. Anyway this Astro Boy t-shirt is really cool. It has a holographic effect that allows you to see the Astro Boy's robotic skeleton when viewed at different angles. Here's the video.
Update: You can get a full line of Astro Boy t-shirts at a shop in Bugis Junction (Level 1). Not sure of its name though.
The Chinese edition of FHM published a 32 page special and a pullout poster, titled 'Olympic epic photo spread — the journey of the sacred flame' which features four sexy Chinese models engaging in combat and sport. There are 15 glorious pics. Yummy!
(via Danwei)
Dude has an impressive collection of vintage records from Brazil. He has been collecting them for 15 years! You can view the covers of his records here.
Here are some North Korean propaganda posters that went on display in London this week. These hand-painted posters date from the peak of the Kim Sung Il's power in the 1950s to the present regime led by his son, Kim Jong Il and many of these posters are still being used today.
(Thanks Sir Thomas)
You may call it brilliant or simply foolish and a waste of money, but I think LG's Scarlet campaign to promote its new line of HDTVs is definitely the most ambitious to date and may even change the face of advertising in the future.
Agency.com, which created the campaign says, "Rather than having to fight for a share of media, we used culture, which is not [ad] spend-driven but idea-driven. People from now on will talk about Scarlet when there appears to be something that is clue-based marketing. This will be a reference point."
If you have yet to watch the Scarlet ad on TV, you can watch it in the "Behind The Scenes" special above, courtesy of the folks from LG Singapore.
Previously: Scarlet Revealed: It's LG's new HDTVs, not a new TV Series!
Interesting report (with slide show) by Morgan Stanley reveals that social applications are dominating the internet. From Techcrunch:
* YouTube + Facebook page views > Google or Yahoo page views (and may be bigger than both combined)
* 6/10 top internet sites are social (youtube, live.com, facebook, hi5, wikipedia, orkut); none were on the list in 2005
* YouTube has 258 million users, 50% visit weekly or more
* >50% of Facebook users log in daily, 95% of Facebook users have used at least one third party application
* Skype revenue is $1.67/user/year, up 9% Y/Y
* 14 million photos uploaded daily on Facebook
* Google + Yahoo = 61% of U.S. Online Ad Revenue
* Google: $4.4b ad revenue in Q4, paid out $1.4 billion to partners
* Yahoo: $1.6 billion in ad revenue in Q4, paid out $429 million to partners
The talented Rob Sheridan made this wonderful illustration of cereal mascots Trix Rabbit, Frankenberry, Count Chocula, Cap'n Crunch and Tony The Tiger in a reunion and looking all so gloomy. I guess being cereal mascots is not easy and that has probably taken a lot out of them all these years. Poor thing. From SketchBlog:
For some reason this image has been swimming around in my head for a few years now, and finally - after chipping away at it bit by bit over the last couple months - I've brought it to life as a large, absurdly detailed print. It's kind of about the strange, uncomfortable feeling of reuniting with old friends only to find that the magic just isn't there anymore - and in turn, about the melancholy "nothing will ever be as good as it used to be" type of nostalgia, of which I am increasingly fond. And of course, a tribute to the late, great, wood-paneled, shag-carpeted 1970's rec room.
British graffiti artist Banksy transformed an abandoned access road in London with graffiti by 3 dozen international artists in an event called The Cans Festival. View the photoset here.
Can't fly to the moon? No worries. You can still send your name to the Moon thanks to NASA. I'm definitely sending mine. From NASA:
NASA invites people of all ages to join the lunar exploration journey with an opportunity to send their names to the moon aboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, spacecraft.
The Send Your Name to the Moon Web site enables everyone to participate in the lunar adventure and place their names in orbit around the moon for years to come. Participants can submit their information at http://lro.jhuapl.edu/NameToMoon/, print a certificate and have their name entered into a database. The database will be placed on a microchip that will be integrated onto the spacecraft. The deadline for submitting names is June 27, 2008.
1) High demand for local Amahs
2) Refuelling in Malaysia? You may have to show IC first
3) Singapore in a fine state, no joke
4) Number of dengue cases expected to be higher this year
5) Ministry considers making seat belts on school buses compulsory
6) One-stop bus and MRT maps for six HDB towns
7) S'poreans want more consultation on Govt policies
8) Aljunied trash index aims to wipe out litterbugs
9) Cybercafes circumventing rules to draw young patrons
10) Free meals salvation for poor in wealthy Singapore
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
She's dazzling. She's exciting. She's intelligent. She's extraordinary. She's Scarlet! And for 3 months, everyone was fooled to believe that she's actually part of a hit new TV series by David Nutter and starring Natassia Malthe as the show's lead character. Yup, Scarlet's no hit new TV series. It is actually a new line of full HD LCD TVs by LG!
On Friday evening, Scarlet was finally revealed in Singapore at a grand launch party held at The Singapore Flyer. Of course, those who bothered checking the internet before heading to the launch would have known about Scarlet's true identity which was already revealed in the US on April 29. The launch was attended by members of the media, some celebrities and of course, bloggers!
After the screening of the Scarlet TVC, the real Scarlet was finally revealed to everyone at the launch party.
Ah, now that's the real Scarlet! Presenting the LG60 Series, LG’s new flagship LCD TV series for 2008, which come in 32”, 37”, 42” and 47”inch models.
The LG60 is the focal point of LG’s Scarlet launch – a brand initiative by LG that introduces a range of upscaled, and highly desirable audio-visual products aimed at the discerning consumer. At just 1.7 inches (45mm) thick, LG claims that its LG60 is the world’s slimmest LCD TV. The main features of the LG60 includes a bright red back, a very feminine silhouette and a round aperture surrounded by LED lights at the bottom of the bezel that further serves as a decorative focal point. The LG60 also features invisible speakers tuned by audio expert Mr. Mark Levinson and it is equipped with LG’s industry-leading advanced technologies to provide viewers with the best possible picture quality.
I got a chance to get really upclose with the LG60 when everyone left the event area to take a ride on the Singapore Flyer. First impressions: The LG60 looks very sexy indeed. The design with the hole at the bottom is really unique. Unfortunately, I couldn't really test the image quality of the LG60 - no thanks to the highly pixelated video being shown on the various sets - nor its much talked about sound quality coming out from its invisible speakers. Therefore, I won't be able to say if the performance of the LG60 is as spectacular as its advertising and marketing campaign. I guess I'll have to wait until the nice people at LG pass me one for a review. Hehe.
Watch a video of the LG60 below.
And lastly, here are two more pics showing the goody bag and a photocard taken at the event. The goody bag contains the press kit, a VCD of the Scarlet trailer, advertising and Behind The Scenes special, and a very cool LG Digital Photo Frame.
Oh btw, I love this! Nice one, Mr Photographer.
(Thanks Sabrina, LG Scarlet, Gavin Foo and Fleishman Hilliard)
Also read:
Watch the Making of Scarlet
LG 42LB7RF HDTV: A Review
The LG KS20 Smartphone: A Review
LG KS20 Smartphone: The Unboxing Pics
Bloggers at the LG KS20 Smartphone Launch
You can download paper crafts of insects, dinosaurs, the solar system, a giant telescope and more over at Creative Park's Science Museum. The site is in Japanese but I'm sure you will be able to click your way to get those paper craft goodies aye.
(Thanks Asami)
The University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences has a nice collection of southeastern peach labels, mostly from the state of Georgia. I love peaches!
(Thanks tommidrake)
I blogged about the downloadable pinhole cameras by Corbis in March but today I found out that you can download their latest creation, a paper pinhole camera created specially for the World Pinhole Camera Day.
Craig Adams aka Superbrothers has a unique style when it comes to drawing his pixel art. Craig is a designer and production artist at Koei Canada where he worked on the Xbox360 edition of Fatal Inertia. Don't forget to watch Children Of The Clone, his pixel animation short film found among his portfolio of pixel art.
(via Drawn)
This is definitely the best thing to come out from Blogger/Blogspot in a long time. Future posting is now live on all Blogger accounts. Yay! From Blogger Buzz:
Scheduled post publishing, which we talked about testing on Blogger in draft last month, is now live for everyone. If you set a post’s date into the future, Blogger will wait to publish until that time comes.
Have you ever wanted to announce something on a certain date but knew you wouldn’t be at a computer to make a post? Or you wanted to keep posting regularly but knew you’d be on vacation for a few weeks? Scheduled post publishing is here to help you out.
I read this on IS Magazine last night while trying to fall asleep. I have to say that this dude's crazy interest with Transformers is really reaching into unhealthy levels. Anyone who thinks that Autobots and Decepticons are way sexier than human beings must be nuts. And I thought I'm crazy.
The Maharaja Mac and other strange menu items that you probably have never tried before at McDonald's around the world. What?! They served beer in McDonald's in Germany! That's so damn cool.
(Thanks Vic)
Jennifer invented the Cupcake Courier to solve one of the biggest headaches in her life - transporting cupcakes! The Cupcake Courier is a rectangular, translucent plastic container that holds three stackable cupcake trays. Each tray has 12 deep cups to hold each cupcake secure. It has a comfortable handle, and 4 bottom latches that hold the base securely. For a cupcake lover like me, I think this is a brilliant invention!
Total Rewind is a virtual museum of vintage VCRs. Dude behind the museum explains why on Earth he collects old video machines: "At first people thought I was crazy; these old machines were treated as junk - worse than that, an embarassment, an expensive mistake made by your parents. But, as these memories faded, gradually they began to seem like artifacts from a lost era, and with the current fashion for 70's retro style, it seems much more reasonable to see them as collectibles."
Flickr photoset of modern graffiti found on the streets of San Francisco, Berlin, Tokyo, Belgrade and more. For a good history and write-up of graffiti, read the Wikipedia page here.
* Rapid HIV test kit not a hit in Singapore
* Local invention to detect carbon monoxide build-up in vehicles
* 3-D Fest Coming to Singapore
* Rivals join hands for Singapore next-gen network bid
* Compulsory training proposed for school bus drivers
* Singapore economy faces dark storm clouds
* Send away foreigners and jobs for locals go too: PM Lee
* Union leader challenges Workers' Party to hire only S'poreans
* No seat belts in school buses: Are our children less precious?
* Singapore prefers providing direct help to needy, not price controls
Read them all at Topix Singapore News, edited by yours truly.
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