Watch some folks re-enact an episode of Space Ghost using puppets! Space Ghost is a cartoon character created by Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1966. You can compare this amazing re-enactment with the original episode here.
TR Rose has scanned the covers and selected pages of Nintendo Comics System comic books, published by Valiant Comics in 1990 and 1991. The comic books were part of a licensing deal with Nintendo, featuring characters from their video games and the cartoons based on them.
You can now view the winners and honorable mentions of the English Language Edition of National Geographic's 2008 International Photo Contest. This is the People Winner, "A Portrait of Sarah" taken by Joshua Monaghan.
(Thanks Marilyn)
The is the news that everyone in Singapore has been dreading ever since we found out that a Singaporean was among the hostages in Mumbai. The hostage, 28-year-old lawyer Ms Lo Hoei Yen, has been found dead in Oberoi Hotel. Those bastards!!! My heart goes out to Ms Lo's family. It's a terrible tragedy. You can follow #Mumbai on Twitter or BBC for live updates and also check out Wikipedia's Mumbai attacks page for more info.
Update: It is highly probable that the terrorists killed Ms Lo because the Indian army stormed the Oberoi Hotel. Earlier, the terrorists had demanded that the Indian authorities refrain from storming the Oberoi Hotel, otherwise they would harm her.
Update: Facebook has a memorial tribute page for Ms Lo Hoei Yen.
James Auger's SMELL+ is a project aimed at blind dating agencies to help them match individuals wishing to meet a suitable partner for procreation. Basically, you'll have to get naked, wear that stupid contraption and smell your way to your new love. (NSFW)
The Fortune Compass, the world's first electronic Feng Shui compass, detects frequencies that can enhance your personal vibrations and help you to attain success, strengthen relationships, improve health and obtain personal growth while also showing you energies that are challenging and can negatively influence your life. Wow! Who needs a Feng Shui master now?
Those of you who still bring lunch boxes to work will be glad to know that now you don't need to fight for the use of the microwave oven to heat up your lunch. Just plug the USB Lunch Box into your PC and its integrated heater will keep your food warm.
Some crazy amateur rocketeers idea of fun is to have a Evil Bert drag race. They constructed small rockets using Bert puppets - each flying on a two-motor cluster of Aerotech G motors! Now, the next thing they should do is to include Ernie in the mix.
The Ikimono Camera is a super compact, simple camera on your keychain that claims to take great looking 3X5" or 4X6" prints - on a bright sunny day, of course. It's cute alright but where the hell do you get 110 film nowadays?
(Thanks Shane)
Here's how you can make your own Smart Coaster which will tell you when it's safe to sip your hot coffee or tea. You'll need a round metal container, simple circuit consisting of a thermistor, a special low-power operational amplifier (op amp) IC, an LED, and a couple of passive components.
Duckage has a cool collection of vintage rock posters in his Flickr photoset. I've never heard of some of those singers before but boy, I sure love the cool designs on the posters alright.
(Thanks kohl)
Bootstrike has scanned more than 100 images of flyers (containing price lists) from SITEX 2008, one of Southeast Asia's largest consumer electronics fair now on at the Singapore Expo. Go download the zip file. It's 44MB large but it's worth your time downloading. You can then look through some of the deals before you head down to the fair.
(Thanks GeekGod, Mr Big, Shy)
Watch 10 crazy inventions by Cosmo Kramer from the hit TV sitcom, Seinfeld. Among his inventions, a roll-out tie dispenser, a coffee table book about coffee tables and my favourite, the Bro (video above) aka Mansiere aka the Man Bra! Crazy alright but looks like one Japanese company has used Kramer's idea (the Bro) and turned it into a reality. Hey, it's even an online bestseller!
The following are stories that are making the headlines over at Topix Singapore News today, edited by yours truly.
-Ex-DPM’s wife reaches out: Former Deputy Prime Minister Dr Goh Keng Swee’s wife Phua Swee Liang has set up a private charitable foundation in his name to provide financial assistance — including grants, bursaries and scholarships — to “disadvantaged” young Singaporeans and to “impoverished patients in need of medical or healthcare”.
-Nuclear energy in Singapore not an option: The use of nuclear energy in Singapore may not be a feasible option. This according to the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency or IEA, Nobuo Tanaka.
-Singapore services industries grows: Singapore's business receipts for services industries rose by 11.6 per cent in the third quarter of this year over the same period of 2007, the Singapore Department of Statistics said Thursday.
-Changes planned for Singapore track: Singapore Grand Prix organisers are planning to make a few alterations to the street circuit for year's race.
-Town councils' sinking funds not mismanaged: The coordinating chairman of PAP town councils, Teo Ho Pin, has clarified that PAP town councils have not mismanaged public funds. He also stressed that PAP town councils are financially secure.
-Last batch of China dairy products lifted for sale: Food safety authorities here have released the last batch of China dairy products for sale, with the exception of six products which have been newly found tainted with melamine.
-Fewer malls offer motorbike parking lots: More shopping centres are taking away motorcycle parking lots and bikers here are not happy.
-Singapore tour bookings to Bangkok down: The unstable political climate in Thailand has shaken the confidence of some Singapore travelers.
-Local Indian community here shocked by Mumbai's bomb blasts: The Mumbai bomb blasts have triggered fears and anxiety among some members of the local Indian community, who expressed shock at the appalling act.
-Singaporean taken hostage: The Singaporean being held hostage in a Mumbai's luxury hotel stormed by a team of militant gunmen managed to contact family members here, who in turn alerted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) early on Thursday morning.
-Singaporeans jailed for kangaroo T-shirts in court: Three Singaporeans were jailed on Thursday after being charged with contempt of court for showing up at Singapore's Supreme Court wearing T-shirts depicting kangaroos in judges robes.
At the Anime Festival Asia 08 which was held over the weekend at Suntec, visitors to the festival were also treated to Singapore's Annual Bandai Action Kits Universal Cup (BAKUC) Challenge. BAKUC is a yearly contest held amongst modelers using Bandai Kits. You can view some of the models here. Don't forget to view the pics in their high resolution glory.
Update: More pics in this gallery here. (Thanks Mr Big)
Previously:
Anime Festival Asia 08: Videos and Pics
Anime Festival Asia: Press Conference and Media Preview
I want this for Christmas! Sony's Wireless Keypad for the Playstation 3 will be available in Asia this December. The Keypad fits precisely into the SIXAXIS or DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controllers, and can be easily attached or removed. I surf quite a bit on my PS3 so having this Keypad is a godsend! I really hate using the PS3 on-screen keyboard. For those of you who type a lot on the PS3, you'll know what I mean. Typing on this new QWERTY Keypad will be so much better.
This could be an isolated incident but The Register reports a reader in Japan was shocked to find that HP has delivered his tiny RAM in such a huge box. This isn't the first time that HP has resorted to excessive packaging. See here. It seems that some people in HP are either overly paranoid about protecting their products or they just simply have too many boxes to waste.
Congratulations to author Rachel Johnson for winning this year's Bad Sex in Fiction Award. Here's an excerpt from her book Shire Hell. You can also read excerpts from other books that are shortlisted for the award. From Guardian:
JM comes over and pushes me gently back down on the fake fur. I try to rise up to kiss him – it's so lovely, the kissing – but he pushes me down, again. He likes to kiss me all over before he does anything else. He starts with my eyes, and plants a tender kiss on each lid.
… He moves on to my ears, a kiss that makes my nipples stand erect, and me emit little moans that drown out to my own ears the loud, distracting sound of Cumberbatch swiping dock leaves and tearing nettles and long grasses very close to the rickety stoop.
JM's hands are caressing my breasts, now, and I am allowed to kiss him back, but not for long, for he breaks off, to give each breast the attention it deserves. As he nibbles and pulls with his mouth, his hands find my bush, and with light fingers he flutters about there, as if he is a moth caught inside a lampshade.
For those of you who missed Jean Charles de Castelbajac's Spring/Summer fashion show where he showcased his latest Lego inspired clothing, don't worry cause here's a re-imagining of his show created by Four H using Lego minifigures. Go watch it!
Zilly Rosen of Zillycakes in Buffalo, NY, makes a portrait of President Elect Barack Obama using 1240 cupcakes. You can read an interview with her here. I love blue cupcakes.
Tan Kin Liang retired from NTUC Income on 28 February 2007, after completing 30 years as the chief executive. Recently, he was in the news for leading five investor rallies and now he wants to be the President of Singapore. Sign the petition here. He needs 100,000 signatures.
The following are stories that are making the headlines over at Topix Singapore News today, edited by yours truly.
-Singaporeans welcome move by Civil Service to cut pay: Singaporeans welcomed the move by the Civil Service to reduce pay, and some said the wage cut announcement did not come as a surprise. One economist commented that the move is not unlike other wage cutting measures in previous downturns.
-Singapore digital policy sets brisk pace: It is an understatement to say Singapore likes to see itself as a hub. Government policy makes the city-state a hub of many things -- from moviemaking to casinos, from silicon chip manufacturing to oil refining.
-No to cluster bomb pact: Singapore will not sign an international agreement to ban cluster bombs but has imposed an indefinite moratorium on their export, officials said on Wednesday.
-Malaysian veggies cost more here: An early rainy season has forced prices of several varieties of Malaysian vegetables up to 10-year highs.
-Singapore court fines Wall Street Journal: Singapore's High Court fined Dow Jones Publishing Co. (Asia), a subsidiary of News Corp.'s Dow Jones & Co. unit and publisher of The Wall Street Journal's Asian edition, 25,000 Singapore dollars (US$16,573) -- the highest amount ever levied for such a case in Singapore.
-Amid layoffs, contract work may see boom: Some outplacement firms which help companies find jobs for their retrenched workers said all signs point to even more lay-offs in the first quarter of next year. But on the bright side, contract work opportunities look set to rise.
-Singapore builds up private cash stash: Singapore has set out its stall as a center of finance for the entertainment industry in Asia, mixing a generous supply of soft-money options with a largely favorable regulatory environment. Now being added into the mix is a series of funds run by private-sector operators.
-Institute for men's health: To raise awareness of men's health issues among the public and the healthcare sector, a group of doctors have come together to set up the Institute for Men's Health - a first for Singapore.
-Visitor arrivals fall in Singapore: The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) says the country's visitor arrivals and tourism receipts are expected to fall short of this year's targets.
-Travel agencies monitoring situation closely: Local travel agencies also say they're monitoring the situation in Bangkok closely. Many have asked customers left stranded in the Thai capital to stay put for now, after the airport was shut indefinitely.
-Singaporeans' Thai hols disrupted: More than 200 Singaporeans and other travellers had their travel plans to Bangkok disrupted on Wednesday by the anti-government protests in the Thai capital.
Recession? What recession? A Great Dane owner shows us that when you have the money, spend it by shelling out £250,000 for a doghouse complete with spa, plasma TV, sheepskin-lined, temperature-controlled daybeds, elevated to allow the dogs to guard their empire and more! I'm so friggin' jealous.
The folks from the Planetary Society are inviting contributors to their 365 Days of Astronomy daily podcast. You'll be given a maximum of 8 minutes to talk about anything that is astronomy related. Cool! From Planetary Society Blog:
We're asking individuals to contribute five- to eight-minute podcasts on the space topics of their choice, and we have a lot of interesting shows on the calendar already. But we need more! Speaking now from my own point of view, I think we don't have enough people lined up to talk about the planets and moons and other interesting places in our solar system, or the missions that are exploring them.
So, dear readers, do any of you want to contribute? We will handle all the post-production, hosting, and so on -- all you need is an idea, a microphone, and the ability to talk for eight minutes about some space topic. If you have an idea but no microphone, think about contributing a script that we can get someone else (maybe me) to read; eight minutes is about four double-spaced pages of text.
Listen to an MP3 audio stream of Radio Astronomy, an art and science project which broadcasts sounds intercepted from space. Some of these sounds are rather spooky! From Radio Astronomy:
Radio Astronomy correlates the processes associated with broadcast radio - the transmission of audible information, and the processes of radio astronomy - the observation and analysis of radiated signals from planets, stars and other astrophysical objects. The work synthesizes these two areas. The signals from planets and stars are converted into audio and then broadcast on-line and on-air. The project is a literal interpretation of the term, "radio astronomy". It is a radio station broadcasting audio from space...
Many of the sounds emitted by these objects are fascinating from both an aesthetic and conceptual perspective, prompting comparisons with avant-garde music and electronic sound art. Yet very few people have heard these sounds, considering space to be silent, rather than the rich acoustic environment it turns out to be.
Watch this game footage of NIPPER's de_haunts, an incredible Counter-Strike: Source map replica of Disneyland's The Haunted Mansion. You can download the map pack here. Dang! I've got to start playing Counter Strike again.
(via Nerdcore)
Some dude thought that Garfield comics make just as much sense if you throw random panels together. He got a cease and desist letter. So he made the code available for people who wanted to try it for themselves.
The folks over at Akihabara News have posted the unboxing pics of the first ever Hello Kitty Netbook. The limited edition notebook measures 265 x 31 x 185 mm (WxHxD) and weighs 1.2 Kg. It runs on Atom N270 1.60 GHZ and has 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM and 120 GB Harddisk. Surprisingly, it is not in pink but you still get your Hello Kitty cuties like your Hello Kitty face logo carved on the front and 11 different Hello Kitty wallpapers. How exciting! Bleh! It costs US$890 here.
Here's an illustrated set of common http error codes by Adam Koford for use on your blog or website. Adam is the cartoonist behind the Laugh-Out-Loud Cats, a hilarious and charming mash-up of LOLcats with the stylings of early 20th-century American comics.
Someone stitches this anatomy of the ear as a gift to a doctor. The person says, "I love my doctor. He is the kindest man in the world, and he's been looking after my family for over 20 years. I wanted to make him a present, to show how much I appreciate him. So I decided on the anatomy of the ear."
(Thanks jagd23)
Make this extremely detailed papercraft Hellboy revolver complete with bullets! The weapon known as The Good Samaritan, is commonly used by Hellboy in the comics when he is fighting evil monsters.
(via Neatorama)
The new Guns N' Roses album, Chinese Democracy is on top of the world according to Apple's iTunes charts. It is currently the number 1 album in the US, Germany, Canada, Austria, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland! For those of you who have yet to get the album, go buy it now! It's the best 18 bux you've spent this year.
Update: Chinese Democracy tops iTunes Rock charts worldwide and HMV Canada CD sales list for week ending November 26.
Also read:
Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy Pre-Launch Listening Party in Singapore
My letter to Axl is on Reuters
Rolling Stone reviews Chinese Democracy by Guns N Roses
PingMag interviews Brian Ashcraft, the author of the new Arcade Mania! book published in English by Kodansha International. The book - a must read for every gamer - takes you on a turbo-charged tour through a typical Japanese arcade, with facts about the history, background, and characteristics of each game. It is also full of interviews with game makers and star players. You can buy it at Kinokuniya Singapore for S$28. From PingMag:
A great part of your book is about the people behind the games. How did you select them, such as the genuine Sakurina the Sticker Model Queen from the sticker-picture booths?
The thing is, talking about video games is interesting, but talking about people and their interaction with these games or why they made them is much more interesting! Some people can read about the nuts and bolts arcade games, and that information is there for them; other people are more interested in the pop culture angle and what it means for society. So, that is also in the book and it was a matter of balancing those two different angles. Being a contributing editor at Wired, I thought that the best way to do that was find somebody to tell that story. For each chapter I wanted to find someone who would be a good representation of that genre. For example sticker pictures, who would be someone who knows a lot about that? There was this model, Rina Sakurai, who has been in advertisements for sticker-picture machines and she has worked for a company designing the machines. From her, we could branch out to other people.
I don't play World of Warcraft that much so I'm quite surprised to learn that you can actually date gamers there. For those of you who want to try, first check out Felicia's tips on how guys can successfully woo a girl in World of Warcraft. Her first tip is real helpful, imho. From Asylum:
So what advice would you give to guy trying to meet a girl in World Of Warcraft?
Well, most of the female avatars in World of Warcraft are actually guys. So if you're a guy looking to meet girls, you need to make sure to put the person you're interested in through that vetting process. And if you're a girl, be prepared to fight guys off with a stick because there's a lot more of them than there are female gamers. You should join a large guild and pair with other people to go on missions. Try and meet people who are on your same level.
I was just looking at some videos on YouTube today and realised that their videos have gone wide! It's about time. Oh, and don't forget to check out my YouTube channel for all my videos. From YouTube Blog:
We're expanding the width of the page to 960 pixels to better reflect the quality of the videos you create and the screens that you use to watch them. This new, wider player is in a widescreen aspect ratio which we hope will provide you with a cleaner, more powerful viewing experience. And don't worry, your 4:3 aspect ratio videos will play just fine in this new player.
Finally, the contest that most of you have been waiting for. Here's how you can win the stunning Scarlet LG70 42 inch HDTV. Just write an email to five of your friends with the subject line: "Win a Scarlet LG70 now!" and cc me (izreloaded at gmail dot com) in the email. Also in the email, don't forget to include the link to this contest and also the link to my review of the LG70 and tell your friends 3 reasons why they should get the LG70. Contest ends a week from now and it is only open to those of you living in Singapore. Good luck!
Philips held an exclusive event for bloggers on my birthday, November 21 at the beautiful Scarlet hotel. Bloggers were driven in limousines to the hotel where we were treated to drinks and food and then introduced to some of the very latest Philips tvs, audio and personal care products in the comfort of the hotel's luxurious suite.
You can watch the videos that I took at the event here: Inside The Limo, Philips and L'Oreal team up to give us tips on personal grooming and a Philips lady demos the GoGear digital audio video player (video below).
Some of the Philips products that were featured at the event are: the Philips 42PFL9803H next-generation TV with intelligent LED backlighting which gives it a whopping 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, the BTM630 Micro Hi-Fi System which lets you enjoy music from your mobile phone and PC wirelessly, the Philips GoGear digital audio video player SA5245BT with the patented FullSound Technology which brings back the liveliness and natural dynamics back to Mp3 music by restoring the sonic details to compressed Mp3 format, the Philips GoGear LUXE digital audio player (SA2420BT/ SA2422BT) and the Philips Advanced Acoustics In-ear Headphones (SHE9850), designed to deliver a vast improvement in sound and comfort.
It was a lovely event and all the bloggers had a good time there. The limo ride was one to remember, the suite was beautiful and the entire Philips team was great and I think all of us were impressed with the Philips products that we got to try that night. I would like to thank Philips and XPR for inviting me and hosting the event and for giving me the suite for the night. More photos here.
You can now view my videos (Part 1 above, Part 2 here) and photos (66 of them!) taken at the Anime Festival Asia 08 (AFA08) over the weekend. AFA08 is the first annual event of its kind in South East Asia, showcasing a wide array of Japanese Pop Culture related content, spanning over 5,000 sqm of space with 6 experience zones: Akiba Town, Anime Live, Anime Blockbusters, Industry, Mangaka and Planet Mech, where visitors will gain access to exclusive content, merchandise and live acts straight from Japan. Highlights of the event include: the 40th anniversary world tour of Shonen Jump, 2008 Bandai Action Kits Universal Cup (BAKUC) Challenge and the first ever nationwide Arcade Gaming Competition.
Previously: Anime Festival Asia 08 Press Conference
Just like the talented Mari Kasurinen whom I blogged sometime ago, AnimeAmy too makes cool My Little Pony variations. She writes about her Joker Pony: "So right after I saw the movie I was determined to make a Batman and Joker pony. He and Batman won first place at the Cincinnati Ohio Meet. He is fully sculpted with Apoxie Sculpt. His tiny "Joker cards" were printed on cardstock."
Not as eerie or depressing as the ones found in North Korea, but I thought you guys would still love to check out these abandoned amusement parks in neighbouring Seoul. I love those Giant Pez dispensers!
Thanks to both LIFE and Google, you can now search millions of historic photographs like this 1950 pic of Walt Disney sitting in front of a backdrop filled with his Disney creations from the LIFE photo archive. It's an impressive collection, stretching from the 1750s to today!
Here's a timeline of what happened yesterday, November 21.
5.30pm: Universal Music Singapore delivers the Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy album to me - the first person in Singapore to get the album! It is only available in stores on November 22 after 6pm.
6.00pm: Meet other bloggers at the lobby of Fairmont hotel to wait for our limosines to fetch us to Scarlet hotel for a blogger event (not related to the Chinese Democracy Listening Party).
10.00pm: Event ends and I get the suite at Scarlet Hotel for the night.
10.45pm to 2.00am: A total of 56 invited guests and friends become the first people in Singapore to listen to Chinese Democracy at the Pre-Launch Listening Private Party hosted by me.
In all, I received an incredible 159 requests for invites to the party. I'm extremely sorry that I couldn't invite everyone because the suite has a limited capacity.
I would like to thank everyone who wrote in for invites, my friends and the 56 that showed up at my private party, the bloggers who stayed behind after the previous event, the Scarlet hotel technician for showing up two times during the night because of power failure and a mysterious burning smell in the room, Axl Rose for making such a brilliant album and Universal Music Singapore for the support and the CD!
It was an amazing night and now I can really look forward to growing old and tell my grandchildren the story of how I helped Guns N Roses launch Chinese Democracy in Singapore. Purrrrfect! Oh, and thanks for all your birthday wishes and pressies! Will post more photos but here is the first batch.
I'll be heading out soon to cover the Anime Festival Asia 08 at Suntec International Convention and Exhibition Center, hall 403 and 404. AFA 08 is an inaugural festival for both families and fans of anime from the South East Asia region.
Yesterday afternoon, I attended the AFA 08 press conference and media event. The media were introduced to the festival's A-List guests, J-pop superstars May'n and Ichirou Mizuki, Kunio Okawara (Gundam mechanical designer), director Koji Morimoto and animation storyboard artist Yasufumi Soejima. Video of the press conference here.
And here's one more video of Yasufumi Soejima demonstrating storyboarding live to the media. Soejima is the storyboard artist for Animax Asia's first multimedia, multiplatform original animation production in HD called LaMB.
You can view my photos taken yesterday here. Don't forget to visit AFA 08 this weekend! Tickets are at S$5.
Tonight, right after a blogger-only event at the Scarlet Hotel, I will be having a private pre-launch listening party for Guns N' Roses new album Chinese Democracy for a small group of friends and lucky readers.
If you're a GNR fan, email me at izreloaded [at] gmail [dot] com for exclusive invites (you and a friend) for the party. Chinese Democracy will only be on sale in Singapore on November 22 after 6pm but tonight, thanks to my friends at Universal Music, I'll have the album in my hands and will be playing all the songs in the comfort of the luxurious suite at Scarlet Hotel. Please note that Scarlet Hotel does not allow food and drinks in the suite. For those of you who are dying of thirst, you can grab some beer at the hotel's bar.
10pm: Guests to meet outside Scarlet Hotel before proceeding to the suite
10.30: Listening of Chinese Democracy begins
11.30: Prizes (5 sets of GNR Hamper worth $100 each) to be given out to lucky guests.
11.45: Listening party ends
What are you waiting for? Email me right now with answers to these questions:
1) Who is the lead singer of Guns N' Roses?
2) When is I.Z.'s birthday?
Simple aye, but if you need clues, check here. Quick. Invites are very limited.
Please don't forget to include your name, mobile phone number, your blog address or Facebook (if any).
You must have heard or read about the Singapore Zoo cleaner who was mauled by a group of white tigers recently. It was all over the local and international news. Well, I'm not surprised because it's not everyday you'll find a man crazy enough to commit suicide by jumping down into a tiger enclosure in a zoo. And for those of you who wondered why there are no videos of the incident online, well wonder no more, here's one.
(Thanks Clair)
I've been told that even President Obama plays Super Obama World when he's not too busy forming his new government. Why wouldn't he? It's a fun little flash game featuring the man himself and some pigs that looks like they are wearing lipstick.
(Thanks maxroh2854)
Photo gallery of the world's first museum devoted to the art and sculpting of action figures! The Toy & Action Figure Museum located in Oklahoma, was the brainchild of toy designer Kevin Stark.
(Thanks Matt F)
Check out these Lego photosets by talented Lego builder, Legoloverman. His Exo Suit creations are just amazing! He writes about the Exo Suit pictured here: "I did no research for this model. Obviously it's a nod to Aliens and the Matrix (and WH40k Sentinels). But I didn't look at a single reference picture till it was done."
Yesterday, LG Electronics together with world renowned audio expert Mark Levinson, launched the Golden Ear campaign to introduce the new range of audio and visual products by LG that are specially tuned by Mark himself. The event attended by the media and a few bloggers, was held at Raffles Hotel. Here's a video of the LG models at the event with the new LG HDTVs and audio systems.
Mark Levinson is a highly respected name amongst the world's top musicians and hi-fidelity enthusiasts. As the Chief Audio Advisor for LG Electronics, Mark played an integral role in the tuning of LG's latest Home Theatre and HDTV systems. During the event yesterday, he demoed the LG Sylish DVD Micro Audio FB163 to the media in his Presidential Suite. The FB163 is an impressive little audio system that boasts a superior sound quality that previously can only be heard on systems 10 times more expensive! How much does it cost? Only S$499. I was very impressed and I'm sure the rest of the journalists in my group were too. Check out the video (my apologies for the poor sound quality).
LG also launched the Golden Ear Challenge as part of its Golden Ear campaign. Just go its website and take an audio hearing test specially designed to determine how well one's capability is in differentiating music. Those who take part in this challenge can stand to win an LG Home Theatre System or an LCD TV! You can also view the full range of LG products that were featured at the campaign launch.
Click here to take a look at all the photos I took yesterday or click the thumbnails below. You can watch more videos here, here, and here. Enjoy.
The following are stories that are making the headlines over at Topix Singapore News today, edited by yours truly.
-Singapore women ignorant about contraception: An annual survey shows that while fewer younger women were sexually active compared to those polled last year, their knowledge of the risks of unplanned pregnancies had dropped as well.
-"Building" Entrepreneurs In Singapore: The National University of Singapore (NUS) sneaks up on you. One minute you're winding through Singapore streets, and the next minute you're in the middle of its collection of old-ish institutional buildings and treed streets. Down one street, however, you don't want to miss a small collection of buildings housing the university's Enterprise Incubator.
-Blame town councils only with hindsight: Mr Leong Sze Hian, president of the Society of Financial Service Professionals, the town councils should not have invested in the structured products. But, he told The New Paper: 'You can't blame the town councils. If you look at the last seven years, every year the most sold product in terms of volume in Singapore was structured products. They were seen as capital guaranteed.'
-Eggs cost more: Prices of eggs from Malaysia have risen in recent weeks, bucking a trend which has seen the cost of other staples like rice and wheat slide.
-A $10m leg up for 3D film industry: The Government is setting up a fund of at least $10 million to support the growth of the 3D media industry.
-Singapore ranked 16th most expensive shopping location in the world: Surveys showed that Singapore is the world's 16th most expensive shopping location, with prime retail space along Orchard Road going for US$405 per square foot.
-Singapore Q3 GDP shrinks: Singapore's economy probably shrank last quarter as a manufacturing slump and easing demand for financial services drove the nation into its first recession since 2002, adding pressure on policy makers to stimulate growth.
-Loo campaign targets S'poreans' bad habits: Singaporeans still need to improve their toilet etiquette, as many people continue to litter the floor and not flush after use.
-Singapore economy forces Burmese home: Hundreds of Burmese migrant workers in Singapore have returned home due to the impact of the economic downturn, according to Burmese workers.
-Consumer confidence sinks: Consumer confidence in Singapore has sunk to the lowest in more than three years as the economy enters its first recession since 2002, a survey has found.
-COE for small cars drops to historic low of S$2: The COE price for small cars, 1,600cc and below, dived by S$10,453 to a historic low of S$2 in the latest bidding exercise.
You've got to love these old ads. Gone are the days when mothers are encouraged to drink beer, babies and cigarettes go hand-in-hand and it's ok for kids to play with revolvers! Ah, those crazy times.
(Thanks @ndI)
A toy company has re-created the popular classic hand game Rock, Paper, Scissors into an exciting new game played on a 3-D console! Simply turn the wheel to pick Rock, Paper or Scissors and then flip the Reveal Shield. Score points for any player you beat.
(Thanks ericstar23)
Feast your eyes on these 173 pics of beautiful women in lingerie and bikinis at a recent Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. You'll find Victoria' Secret fashion models Heidi, Selita, Alessandra, Miranda, Marisa, Karolina, Doutzen, Adriana and more strutting their stuff. Yummy!
Last week, Sanrio opened their new Sanrio Luxe store in New York City's Times Square. The concept shop sellling luxury Hello Kitty items, hopes to attract fashion-forward women in their 20s who grew up with the Hello Kitty brand. View pics of the store opening featuring a kimono clad Hello Kitty with celebrities here.
This is blasphemy! How can they do this to my beloved Transformers? Mickey Mouse as a Optimus Prime-like Transformers figure? Takara Tomy, how dare you! What next? An entire line of Disney Transformers featuring Minnie, Goofy, Donald and friends? God, no!
One of the funniest guys on the planet, David Letterman asks how many guys wearing Spider-Man costumes can fit inside a Jamba Juice outlet in New York city. Hilarious! My tummy is aching now after laughing so much. Watch out for the "special guests".
Guns N' Roses fans in Singapore, listen up! The wait for the long awaited album, Chinese Democracy is nearly over. The album has a launch date of November 23 in the US but here in Singapore, you can start ordering your copy right now and get it as soon as November 22!
Quickly head down to Sembawang Music Centre. They are having their pre-sale for Chinese Democracy starting today. There will be a free gift which is an iron-on embroidery patch. The album (normal version) costs S$18.90. I've been told by Sembawang Music Centre that the Guns N' Roses record label may also release a version that comes with a T-Shirt. The price (not confirmed yet) is likely to be S$32.90 and should be released along with the normal version.
You can also pre-order Chinese Democracy at HMV Singapore. The album will be available in their Orchard Road and Raffles Link stores on November 22 after 6pm. That means, it's only 4 more days! 4 more friggin' days to Chinese Democracy!
Update: I'm having an exclusive pre-launch listening party on the night of November 21. For invites click here.
Previously:
Listen to Guns N' Roses newest single, Better!
Rolling Stone reviews Chinese Democracy by Guns N Roses
Chinese Democracy hits Singapore on November 24!
Guns N' Roses officially announces Chinese Democracy, first single hits worldwide today!
My letter to Axl is on Reuters
Kids, next time when your English teacher scolds you for using the Singlish word "meh" in class, tell him this: "You don't know meh? Meh is in the Collins dictionary liao!" From Times:
“Meh” started out in the US and Canada as an interjection signifying mediocrity or indifference and has evolved, via the internet and an episode of The Simpsons, into a common adjective meaning boring, apathetic or unimpressive in British English.
The word was chosen over hundreds of others nominated by the public for inclusion in the 30th anniversary edition of the dictionary, to be published next year. Jargonaut, frenemy and huggles were among entries suggested to the Word of Mouth campaign, run in conjunction with Waterstone’s. The panel that made the final selection chose meh because of its frequent use today.
Meh was submitted by Erin Whyte, from Nottingham, who defined it as “an expression of utter boredom or an indication of how little you care for an idea”. The dictionary will say that meh can be used as an interjection to suggest indifference or boredom – or as an adjective to say something is mediocre or a person is unimpressed.
To the folks who are running the town councils in Singapore: Your job is to control, manage, maintain and improve the common property of the housing estates, NOT to "gamble" Singaporeans' money in stocks, bonds and other financial instruments! If you have no idea what to do with that spare cash, please give them back to Singaporeans who really need them. From Channel NewsAsia:
Holland-Bukit Panjang and Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Councils invested a combined S$12 million using their sinking funds.
Going forward, the co-ordinating chairman of PAP town councils, Dr Teo Ho Pin, said future investments will remain diversified but will be on the conservative side.
Just like thousands of Singaporean investors who have lost money on failed Lehman-linked structured products, the Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council may lose its S$8 million investment.
The town council invested 6.7 per cent of its sinking funds available for investment in Lehman Brothers' Minibond Notes, DBS High Notes 5 and Merrill Lynch's Jubilee Series 3 Notes.
The following are stories that are making the headlines over at Topix Singapore News today, edited by yours truly.
-Why that 80% rule?: It may be a wheelchair-accessible bus, but if the bus stops along the route are not at least 80 per cent wheelchair-friendly, the wheelchair-bound commuter will not be allowed to board the bus in the interest of his or her safety.
-Layoff? FairPrice hiring more: Singapore's largest supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice says it will not retrench any of its 6,400 employees, even though the global economy is sliding into what many say could be the worst recession since 1929.
-Police scrap Emergency scheme: The Emergency Communication System (ECS), installed at 65 Neighbourhood Police Posts (NPPs) across the island, will be progressively scapped from Dec 1 (2008).
-More "die-logues" expected as govt considers changes to AMD: The government is considering amending the law to encourage more Singaporeans to sign the Advance Medical Directive (AMD).
-Singapore sees FY08 deficit at triple estimate: Singapore's budget deficit will be significantly larger in fiscal year 2008, at nearly three times the estimated S$800 million ($526.7 million). Singapore, already in recession, is set to announce final third-quarter GDP data on Friday.
-NEWater is safe: To ensure safety standards, the Public Utilities Board has taken several stringent measures, including 'a multi-barrier approach' in the design of the NEWater plants, comprehensive preventive maintenance programme and equipping plants with sensitive on-line instruments to constantly monitor water quality.
-PAP aims to click with young online: Singaporeans can now go online to watch short videos of People's Action Party (PAP) MPs at events on the party's revamped website that was launched yesterday. It is a new way to reach out to young and IT-savvy voters.
-More accuracy, greater comfort for eye patients: More accurate and comfortable laser surgeries to correct your vision — that is the promise for Lasik patients here, thanks to a new system launched this month at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC).
-Help for firms to get loans: The Government will take measures to help companies secure loans as it expects some 'inevitable' credit tightening among banks.
-2 town councils invested S$12m in Lehman-related structured products: The financial health of two Singapore town councils remains in the black despite their investments in failed Lehman-linked structured products.
-Singapore may weaken currency in recession: Singapore may change its exchange- rate policy in April to favor a weakening currency after exports last month slumped the most in six years, according to UBS AG.
"So bittersweet, this tragedy wont ask for absolution. This melody inside of me, still searches for solution." Guns N' Roses premiere Better on the radio! It is the second single from their upcoming album Chinese Democracy. 5 more days! It's only 5 more days!
At San Diego Comic Con 2007, Jacob invited various comic artists to draw sketches of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on his sketchbook. He says, "I figured why not get versions from as many of the alternative/indie comics gang as I can."
Did you know that there's 1 vending machine for every 23 people in Japan? The Japanese are crazy about their vending machines alright. These machines sell anything from drinks to even eggs! Here's a collection of interesting vending machines that you can find scattered throughout Japan’s cities, towns, and even countryside.
Dmitry Zagga writes about his new ghetto accessory for the iPod, the CupSpeakers: "This is a fun project. Four single-serving paper cups, two tooth picks (for holding cups together) + iPod with classic earbuds. The increase in volume, of course, is radiculous, but hey, you get stylish iPod accessory out of nothing!"
Watch The Cube, a bizzarre 1968 one hour long teleplay by one of my heroes, Jim Henson about a guy trapped in a cubical white room that anyone else could enter and leave but for him, the only way to leave is to find his own hidden door.
Japanese restaurant chain, Kuro-Hitsuji's menu has instructions on how to cook real damn good Genghiskhan mutton barbecue. Instructions come with helpful photos with ghetto-fabulous English translation.
(via Nerdcore)
jl.incrowd on his scholastic book covers photoset: "I remember in grade school how freaking fun it was to place an order for these inexpensive kids books, and that there may have been no greater thrill than when those books arrived in the classroom and were distributed. Like, just electric."
(via BoingBoing)
These He-Man and the Masters of the Universe redesigns by Marko Djurdjevic are simply stunning! I can see them - minus the faggot looking Skeletor - being used for the live action He-Man movie that is reportedly in the works.
Now here's a game that I really would like to play. Someone created this custom level that shows what happens when Mario enters the world of Metal Slug. There are rideable slugs, cameos from Fio amongst others, enemy vehicles and more weapons. Brilliant mash-up!
Dude makes a new lunch bag each day for his kids during his lunch break. You can view his lunch bag art here. I tell you, any dad who can draw Godzilla on a lunch bag must be an awesome dad! And his kids, they are one lucky bunch alright.
The Scarlet LG70 is the new TV by LG from its Scarlet line. I received a set last month thanks to the lovely people at LG. I've been using the LG42, one of the older LG HDTV, for sometime now and I was very eager to see how good the LG70 really is. Watch my video of the LG70 here.
The LG70 is a LCD TV with full HD 1080p resolution and 50,000:1 contrast ratio. Images on the LG70 look really good. It's very contrasty. In fact, the contrast level is much, much better than the LG42. The black pixels look really black and I can see plenty of subtle shadow detail information. Pretty impressive for a LCD panel. But of course the LG70 really excels when you're watching HD content such as from a Bluray DVD. My god, is the picture amazing! In addition to the very good contrast and black levels, images are sharp and they seem to "pop out" thus giving a distinctive 3D effect. My old LG42 has that effect too but the LG70 outperforms it many times over.
The LG70 comes with TruMotion 100Hz that delivers twice the number of images per second. This is apparent when I watch action movies or sports. I notice there's no motion blurring or distortion. Impressive!
Coupled with Intelligent Sensor, the LG70 really provides the optimal viewing experience. Like most of you, changing lighting conditions is a problem that I occasionally face when watching television. Intelligent Sensor automatically adjusts the LG70’s brightness according to available light to adapt for better picture.
In my tests, the sensor seems very responsive to sudden changes in the available light that it receives. And it's amazing how the LG70 adjusts the picture accordingly to give a softer and more natural picture. I think this is great especially for people like me who like to enjoy TV for long periods of time. No more eye fatigue!
LG prides itself with its speakers specially tuned by renowned audio expert Mr. Mark Levinson. The sound quality coming of the LG70's invisible speakers is good but not excellent. I expected to be blown away by the sound system but I wasn't. I also notice a significant drop in volume when I switch from watching a programme on Channel 5 on the normal TV mode to watching the HD5 version on the HDMI. But I've been told it's due to the source of my TV signal being amplified. According to one of the LG guys, during a change of input source, difference between the source sound and video quality will make you feel the difference between the 2 inputs.
The Scarlet LG70 is an excellent TV despite the minimal sound issues that I faced. I love the picture quality and it looks beautiful in the living room. You can view all my images of the LG70 here or click the thumbnails below. And don't forget, a very lucky reader will stand to win the LG70. Watch out for the contest very soon!
To celebrate the new James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, the folks at First Showing have put together a gallery of James Bond posters that have graced the walls of movie theaters over the years. My favourite is this poster of the 1979 James Bond flick, Moonraker starring my favourite Bond, Roger Moore. Space, action and babes! I like!
Lee Martin has a small collection of vintage low budget movie posters and trashy novel covers. Lovely stuff! This poster here is from the movie Not of This Earth, about a humanoid agent transported to Earth from the planet Davanna, where a blood-degenerating plague is killing the populace. You can check out his site for more retro goodness.
AsiaOne's infographic shows how a Singapore Zoo cleaner got mauled by three white Bengal tigers when he jumped down into their enclosure. The cleaner died of his injuries on the way to hospital. Visitors thought the attack was a show. The zoo meanwhile has stepped up patrols and ordered its zookeepers and staff to look out for eratic and abnormal behaviour in the animals, staff and visitors.
Update: Here's the Q&A from the press release issued by the Singapore Zoo (thanks Joel Pang) and a Reuters video of the incident (thanks Rickie). Video of the incident caught by a Zoo visitor shows up online!
The following are stories that are making the headlines over at Topix Singapore News today, edited by yours truly.
-Christmas switch-on to lighten up the gloom: This year’s Orchard Road Christmas light-up will be themed “A Sweet Christmas in Singapore” and feature environmentally-friendly light emitting diodes which will cut energy consumption by 70 per cent.
-Fresh Blood for the PAP Central Executive Committee?: A new PAP Central Executive Committee or CEC is due to be elected this Sunday in what could prove significant given the possibility of a General Election.
-'Banker refugees' seek a safe haven in Singapore: Enquiries from jittery overseas-based bank executives who wish to relocate to Singapore have reached record highs, according to checks with a dozen recruiters here.
-More flights operating out of Changi Airport despite economic slowdown: The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) said from November 1, Changi has seen a record number of weekly scheduled flights of 4,466.
-50 private clinics get lipo thumbs-up: 50 private liposuction clinics have been approved by a five-member accreditation committee after meeting standards set out by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in July.
-Foreigners not excluded in proposed amendments to HOTA: The Ministry of Health said that while the the proposed amendments to the Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA) does not exclude foreigners from being compensated, the focus will be on Singaporeans and permanent residents.
-Tigers kill Singapore zoo cleaner: A cleaner at Singapore Zoo has died after being mauled by three tigers. He was attacked by the white Bengal tigers after crossing a moat surrounding their enclosure. He was reportedly acting erratically.
-Students competing with retrenched for part-time jobs: As the economy enters a recession and companies retrench staff, students too, are feeling the pinch. More of them are finding it difficult to secure part-time jobs during their year-end school holidays.
-A social service hub at Tiong Bahru: A new social service hub would be launched at Tiong Bahru Central Plaza next year. It will house seven Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWO) which will share the facilities and tap on each other’s expertise to better meet clients’ needs.
-Bigger HDB flats lose lustre: The higher end of the public housing market is showing its first signs of cooling, with the Housing Board's latest condo-style flats receiving a lacklustre response.
-Former S'pore lawyer Gopalan Nair let off with warning: Gopalan Nair will not be jailed for contempt of court, but has been given a telling-off and warning against making attacks against the Singapore Judiciary in future.
For someone who plays Football Manager religiously, I was extremely excited to test out the new Football Manager 2009 game on my PC. Football Manager 2009 will be released on November 14 (hey, that's tomorrow!) for PC and Mac on DVD and there will be a handheld version of the game for PSP. For this review, I tested out the demo version which is available for download here.
Football Manager 2009 has all the old goodies that I like from the 2008 and earlier versions. You'll get the very latest in squad updates and managerial changes but don't expect to find Harry Redknapp at Tottenham. I was told the game was completed just before that appointment was made.
There are several new features in Football Manager 2009 that I would like to talk about. Firstly, the 3D Match Engine. I have to admit that I have always loved playing Football Manager in its simplest form so I was a bit doubtful if the new 3D Match Engine will add anything good to my experience of playing this game. Well, surprise, surprise, the 3D Match Engine blew me away completely. It allows you to view matches in 3D from multiple camera angles and re-watch any part of the match by fast forwarding and rewinding the action using a new match time bar that flags the key moments in the game. You can see the players do flicks, dribble, shoot and make all sort of movements on the pitch. In fact, from now on, I can't play the game without the 3D mode. It's really that addictive. But for those of you who prefer "old school", the old 2D view of the match engine is still there.
Other new features that I like are Assistant Manager Feedback, Preferred Moves and Transfer Rumours. In Assistant Manager Feedback, you as the manager, get pre-match and in-match feedback from your Assistant Manager on how the team is performing and your player’s motivation levels. He also provides you with hints on how your tactics are working and how you could outwit the opposition’s tactics.
Preferred Moves allow you to train your players to learn certain skills/moves to add to their game. For example, you can instruct your wingers to do stepovers before crossing the ball.
And which football fan doesn't like reading about transfer rumours? The new Football Manager has a new Transfer Rumours engine for the manager to view the latest news on what players are being speculated on, and who’s said to be interested in securing their services.
Ok. Now to some of the not so good points about Football Manager 2009. You need a really fast computer with at least 512MB RAM (Windows XP) or Vista: 1GB RAM (Vista) and a 128MB video card with supported chipsets to enjoy the game's 3D match engine. I tried using a machine with 500MB RAM and the 3D match engine doesn't play. You can still play the game though but features like the 3D match engine will be automatically disabled when using less powerful computers.
Setting a match can also be real slow for those not on fast machines. It could take as long as 30 secs! Painful wait for those who just want to get on with the match as quickly as possible.
In Tactics, there's no more old style arrows where you can instruct your players to run diagonally or drop back using a "curve arrow". All players in the new Football Manager can only be instructed to move forward or backwards in a straight vertical line.
The new Press Conferences can also be a hassle for those who don't like to wait too long for a match to begin. Managers have to attend pre-match and post-match press conferences with local and national journalists and build up relationships with them over time. It takes a bit of your precious time but you can of course send your Assistant Manager to those press conferences if you prefer to skip them.
Overall, Football Manager 2009 lives up to its reputation as the world's best football management simulation game and for football fans, there's nothing like managing your favourite club all the way to glory. Most of us can't be real football managers but with Football Manager 2009, we can at least live our dreams of having the greatest job on Earth. That said, you have to excuse me now. I have to take my beloved Spurs to the top of the Premier League.
View the screenshots of the Football Manager 2009 here or click the thumbnails below.
This very cool Sims-like documentary is made by Tokyo-based Groovisions for Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. It tells how Japan is ensuring the future of food for its people.
Found this over at Engrish Funny. Looks like the back of a Batman toy packaging. Probably one of those unlicensed merchandise. It's worth a read:
"When being a child Bruce Wayne had witnessed with his own eyes the fact his parents of millionaire were killed cruelly. So affected his strong desire of Revenging his parents. However, God had never given him a chance to fulfill his will. Following the advice of Raws Al-Ghul - the chief of Ninja Group, Bruce come to Gete, which was a corrupted city filled with various crime groups. Bruce found a basement under his villa that turned him into another person: Spiderman. With this mask Spiderman stroke all criminal activates and criminals everywhere. Such as Tougon, the chief of mafia, Dr. Jackstraw, the abnormal drug trafficker, even a mysterious opponent quite familiar with him"Bruce Wayne turns to Spiderman? Crikey! Have I been watching the wrong movie all these while?
Reggie uses Google Maps to show you where the things in the movie Cloverfield happen. Yes, everything from where the monster was swimming, to the location where the monster eats that one guy. Absolutely brilliant!
Illustrations from an old Spanish children's book titled Los Siete Vicios Capitales, depicting the Seven Deadly Sins: Pride, Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Sloth and Wrath.
(via Ectoplasmosis)
51 Japanese Characters is an insightful collection of figurines showcasing several typical members and cultural phenomena of Japanese society. Besides the cute figurines, you can also order the postcards and poster. This one is Bosozoku, a member of a teenage bike gang. He wants to become a Yakuza member one day.
(via Mira y Calla)
Artist Mark Wagner on his latest work, Collage With Currency which you can view on his site: "The one dollar bill is the most ubiquitous piece of paper in America. What might be done to make it something else? It is a ripe material: intaglio printed on sturdy linen stock, covered in decorative filigree, and steeped in symbolism and concept. Blade and glue transform it into something bizarre, beautiful, or unbelievable... the foreign in the familiar."
The Toronto Public Library's Local Flavor is a virtual exhibit that features the various aspects of eating in Toronto over a span of 125 years. Take a look at the vintage cookbooks, brochures, posters, etc that represent Toronto's eating history.
(Thanks Hanna)
Early this month, I blogged about Smashing Magazine's 50 stunning Asian movie posters. I was intrigued by one of those posters belonging to a movie that I've never heard of, called Super Infra-Man. It is a Hong Kong tokusatsu-style superhero movie produced by Shaw Brothers Studio in 1975. I managed to find an English trailer for the movie on YouTube. And that's not all. You can also watch the full movie here (Chinese with Spanish subs). Enjoy the first superhero movie in China!
The following are stories that are making the headlines over at Topix Singapore News today, edited by yours truly.
-Undergraduates' puff woes: Last week, some Management Development Institute of Singapore students protested over the implementation of a dress code. This week, two institutions are coming down hard on students who smoke.
-Middle Class Wish List for Budget: Many whom 938LIVE spoke with are hopeful that the government will not stinge on its handouts to households, especially for middle income families.
-Help lift gloom for the less fortunate: Now entering its 21st year — which has proved challenging with the hit it has taken from the financial crisis — the Boys’ Brigade Sharity Gift Box involves three new initiatives to better serve the project’s beneficiaries.
-AVA allows some China-made milk products to be back on sale: The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has given the go-ahead for some China milk products to be put back on sale with immediate effect. These include butter, ghee and non-dairy creamer.
-Singapore's Goh expects worse next year from global financial crisis: Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said Tuesday that the real economy had slowed down everywhere amid the current global financial crisis and next year could be worse.
-Building of Jurong General Hospital brought forward: Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan has said construction plans for the new Jurong General Hospital have been brought forward to take advantage of softening construction costs.
-Consumer confidence dips: Singapore consumer confidence for the next few months has dropped to below market's historical level, in line with regional sentiments.
-Town councils to look beyond price when sub-contracting conservancy jobs: Price will no longer be the most important factor when town councils award tenders for conservancy projects. Instead, they will be moving towards a performance-based system when both price and work quality will be equally evaluated.
-Singapore government will not bail out Las Vegas Sands: The Singapore government said Wednesday it will not bail out the troubled US gaming firm Las Vegas Sands should it fail to fund the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort.
-Completing Singapore casino number one priority: Completion of a casino project in Singapore remains the top priority of troubled US gaming giant Las Vegas Sands, the firm's chairman said Tuesday while announcing a halt to some developments in Macau.
David Fricke of Rolling Stone magazine has the first word on the most anticipated record of the last two decades, Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy and he gives the album four stars out of five. Wow! Brilliant! I can't wait to listen to it. It's only 11 more days! 11 more days! 11 more days! From Rolling Stone:
Rose still sings a lot about the power of sheer, solitary will even when he throws himself into a bigger fight, like "Chinese Democracy." In "Madagascar," which Rose has played live for several years now, he samples both Dr. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech and dialogue from Cool Hand Luke. And at the end of the album, on the bluntly titled "Prostitute," Rose veers from an almost conversational tenor, over a ticking-bomb shuffle, to five-guitar barrage, orchestral lightning and righteous howl: "Ask yourself/Why I would choose/To prostitute myself/To live with fortune and shame." To him, the long march to Chinese Democracy was not about paranoia and control. It was about saying "I won't" when everyone else insisted, "You must." You may debate whether any rock record is worth that extreme self-indulgence. Actually, the most rock & roll thing about Chinese Democracy is he doesn't care if you do.Previously:
Remember the lady who had to sell away her awesome Hot Wheels collection because of the financial crisis? Poor lady. Here's an interesting related story about Hot Wheels and how the tiny toy is a toy craze again. From Newsweek:
In the fad-driven fantasyland of toys, Hot Wheels has had an incredible ride. Those pocket rockets have been racing down their familiar orange tracks for four decades now and, unlike the real car market, show no signs of slowing down. Last year Hot Wheels set a record, as sales surged by 16 percent, and they continue to accelerate in 2008 even as the economy tanks. In fact, as Motown melts down, Hot Wheels is heating up. The tiny toy cars' parent company, Mattel, now has a market capitalization that surpasses General Motors. That's right—Wall Street thinks the maker of toy cars is worth more than the largest real carmaker in America.
You know times are bad in Singapore when a dude dressed up in ladies clothes, tries to rob a UOB branch in Geylang. Don't you just hate recession? From Channel NewsAsia:
According to a CISCO guard who pinned down the suspect, he already knew that something was wrong when the suspect entered the bank. He said the suspect was acting very suspiciously. Furthermore, he was wearing ladies clothes. After passing a piece of paper to the bank staff, the suspect turned around to face the security guard and warned him not to interfere. That was when the security guard pinned him down. CISCO security guard, Rosli MD Sa’ad, said: "The moment he turned to me, he said, ‘Don't be a hero. You got three minutes.’ The moment I pinned him down, the rest moved to the side. But I was very lucky as the staff also helped me in this situation."
Jeff Domke has created a collection of 24 high-quality dingbats featuring Barack Obama and various design elements. Each dingbat was converted from photographs found on web using a combination of Adobe CS3 adjustment layers and live trace. Go download them!
Fans of Batman would want to get their hands on Bat-Manga!: The Secret History of Batman in Japan. The book features hundreds of pages of Batman-manga comics more than four decades old that are translated for the first time, appearing alongside stunning photographs of the world’s most comprehensive collection of vintage Japanese Batman toys. View the gallery here and a video here and here.
(Thanks Trey)
The Eyes on the Skies is an official movie for the International Year of Astronomy 2009. It explores the many facets of the telescope — the historical development, the scientific importance, the technological breakthroughs, and also the people behind this ground-breaking invention, their triumphs and failures. You can download all 7 chapters of the movie including the High Definition videos!
The Xperia X1 is a beautiful little phone by Sony Ericsson and after using it for a week, I'm happy to say that it has become one of my favourite mobile phones! Watch the video of me talking about some of the best features of the Xperia X1.
There are so many things about the Xperia X1 that I really like but lets start off with its look. The X1 feels very solid in my hand. Its stainless steel body is very well crafted and it looks sophisticated and distinctive thanks to its Arc slider design that hides its wide-pitch QWERTY keyboard. Slide the screen upwards to reveal the keyboard. The keys on the keyboard may be small but I have no problems typing on it. In fact, I love the keyboard!
One thing that makes the Xperia X1 stands out from other Windows Mobile devices is its X1 panels which are active desktops from which you can access features and content. There are nine different panels to choose from and the best thing is you can download additional panels online. I like the panels a lot because they act as a one touch access points to my favourite mobile experiences. For example, I use the Google panel quite a lot because I like the idea of accessing Google search, maps, Picasa, calender and Gmail quickly.
Other features of the Xperia X1 that I like are its 3.2 megapixel camera with selective focus, Google Maps with GPS and the Opera Mobile Browser. The 3.2 mega pixel camera takes very good photos and video clips. I like its touch focus that allows me to set the desired focus location in the viewfinder by tapping the screen before taking the photo. There are several scene modes, auto and night mode, macro, auto and infinite focus settings and a camera light that I can activate for low light shots.
One program that I've been playing with quite a lot is Google Maps. The Xperia X1 is equipped with an A-GPS receiver that uses satellite signals to calculate my location. Combined it with Google Maps, the Xperia X1 can tell me where my location is and how I can get from point A to point B. There's also the Wayfinder Navigator that can be installed from the included CD. It takes you to your destination using voice guides.
Browsing the internet with the Xperia X1 is a really pleasant experience. There are two browsers in the phone: Internet Explorer and Opera Mobile Browser. Using Opera, surfing the net with the X1 is fast, fun and easy. I like the Pan and Zoom feature. Double clicking the screen zooms into my desired content. And of course the Xperia X1's beautiful and bright 3 inch high resolution screen adds to the web experience. Besides browsing the web, I can also chat using the Live Messenger, subscribe to web feeds and receive emails via direct push technology.
Other good things about the Xperia X1: Good battery life - very good when compared to other Windows Mobile devices, good phone reception and sound quality, programs and OS respond pretty quick, blazing fast 3G performance and surprisingly, the X1 makes a great ebook reader!
Although the Xperia X1 is a very, very good phone, it does have some slight flaws. I had a tough time opening the battery cover. Took me awhile before I "mastered the technique" to open it. Also, I would prefer that the memory card is located at the side of the phone rather than under the battery. I also have a complaint about watching flash videos such as those on YouTube. I use the Opera browser a lot but it doesn't allow me to view Youtube videos. For that, I need to switch to Internet Explorer in order to activate the Streaming Media software.
Previously:
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 gets unboxed!
Finally got my hands on the Vaio Z and the Xperia X1!
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 coming soon to Singapore
You can now get HP's new mini notebook, the Mini 1000 in Singapore, priced from S$799. I've been informed that it will gradually be available across all HP retail outlets here. The Mini 1000 comes with the 10.2" LED Brightview Infinity Display or a smaller 8.9" LED BrightView Widescreen Display. You can also choose between a 8GB (Solid State Drive Flash Module), 16GB (Solid State Drive Flash Module) or 60GB 4200RPM PATA Hard Drive. Powered by Intel's new Atom processor, the Mini 1000 runs on Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 3 and has a built-in webcam, microphone, WLAN and optional WWAN. It is less than 1” in thickness and is only 1.02 kg (8.9" model) in weight. View pics of the HP Mini 1000 here or click the thumbnails below.
Update: Only the 10.2" model (with Intel Atom 1.6Ghz, 1GB RAM, 60GB HD) is currently available in Singapore.
Head over to Computer Shopper to read my review of Sony Vaio Z. My original post can be found here.
I haven't had time to read much lately thanks to all the work that has been piling up but since it's the start of a brand new week, I thought I should start reading something again. No, comics don't count! This morning, I downloaded a copy of Cory Doctorow's latest novel, Little Brother on the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1. Watch the video. For those of you who are interested, a review of the Xperia X1 will be posted later today. In the meantime, view the unboxing pics here.
Little Brother is a story about a 17 year old geek name Marcus who finds himself caught in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco. He and his friends are wrongly arrested by the Department of Homeland Security. After days of interrogation, Marcus is finally released but only to discover that his city has become a police state where every citizen is treated like a potential terrorist. Here's a snip from Chapter 1 of the book:
"If it isn't Double-you-one-enn-five-tee-zero-enn," he said. Fredrick Benson -- Social Security number 545-03-2343, date of birth August 15 1962, mother's maiden name Di Bona, hometown Petaluma -- is a lot taller than me. I'm a runty 5'8", while he stands 6'7", and his college basketball days are far enough behind him that his chest muscles have turned into saggy man-boobs that were painfully obvious through his freebie dot-com polo-shirts. He always looks like he's about to slam-dunk your ass, and he's really into raising his voice for dramatic effect. Both these start to lose their efficacy with repeated application.Go download Little Brother here or buy the book at your bookstore.
"Sorry, nope," I said. "I never heard of this R2D2 character of yours."
"W1n5t0n," he said, spelling it out again. He gave me a hairy eyeball and waited for me to wilt. Of course it was my handle, and had been for years. It was the identity I used when I was posting on message-boards where I was making my contributions to the field of applied security research. You know, like sneaking out of school and disabling the minder-tracer on my phone. But he didn't know that this was my handle. Only a small number of people did, and I trusted them all to the end of the earth.
"Um, not ringing any bells," I said. I'd done some pretty cool stuff around school using that handle -- I was very proud of my work on snitch-tag killers -- and if he could link the two identities, I'd be in trouble. No one at school ever called me w1n5t0n or even Winston. Not even my pals. It was Marcus or nothing.
Benson settled down behind his desk and tapped his class-ring nervously on his blotter. He did this whenever things started to go bad for him. Poker players call stuff like this a "tell" -- something that let you know what was going on in the other guy's head. I knew Benson's tells backwards and forwards.
"Marcus, I hope you realize how serious this is."
Poor Angie. Looks like the global financial disaster is forcing her to sell away her awesome Hot Wheels collection for a cool US $12,000. Check out the video! The auction ends in 10 hours. From her eBay page:
This collection contains more than 7,500 vehichles, There are cars, trucks, motorcycles, railroad, construction, off road, airplanes and helicopters. There are many 1st editions,complete series sets and many different paint and wheel patterns. Everything from the Batmobile to the Oscar Mayer weiner mobile. There are also a lot of millenium vehichles with the red, white and blue paint patterns. I have been collecting these for over 17 years. They are in 35 + cases, unopened and in mint condition. I believe them to be a time capsule of very interesting and exciting ideas of realism and fantasy. They were not intended for sale until the recent global financial disaster. There is a manual of over 230 pages that documents each and every vehichle. The sale of this collection will be helping a family that is not part of the mortgage collapse, just a victim of it.
Michael Heilemann writes, "These are early storyboards from Star Wars, from before the Falcon was changed to its current design." Check them out here. Michael also has other Star Wars related photosets on his Flickr.
These pictures of eerie amusement parks in North Korea are just as sad as those photos taken inside an arcade in Pyongyang, which I previously blogged about. Found amongst the pictures is this must watch video of the "Roller Coaster of Death", the bigger (and more deadly, perhaps?) cousin of the "Wheel of Death" pictured here.
China born artist Daniel Lee uses Photoshop to combine human portraits with animal features. His works have been shown internationally and his photos are included in various public and private collections. For his famous Manimals, he took portraits of people who were born in each of the 12 Chinese zodiacal signs and then altered their human features by introducing characteristics of their specific zodiac animal features.
Print these cool vintage poison labels and stick them on old bottles or jars. Higher resolution images are also available by downloading the zip file.
(Thanks Steve)
My first look at Sony's top of the line notebook, the Vaio Z, was at a media launch held by Sony in late July. Back then, I knew I had to try it out. So when Sony delivered the Vaio Z to me recently, I was extremely pleased. I've been using it for a week now and boy, am I impressed!
The Vaio Z is really designed for today’s mobile professionals. The model that I tested is the VGN-Z17GN/B. It is powered by Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P9500 (2.53 GHz). It runs on Windows Vista Business and comes equipped with a 320 GB Serial ATA 5400rpm hard disk and 4GB DDR3 SDRAM memory.
The Vaio Z is amazingly light. It weighs only 1.48 kg - perfect for lugging it to your business meetings. Its built-in 802.11n wireless LAN capabilities make it faster and easier to connect to compatible wireless networks. And thanks to its durable carbon-fiber casing and Sony's G-Sensor Shock Protection technology, you don't have to worry about all the knocks, bumps and accidents in your travels damaging your Vaio Z. And most importantly, there will be no data loss!
I love the bright 13.1-inch widescreen display. Sony uses its own XBRITE-DuraView LCD technology that prevents scratches and allows for 100 percent color saturation. The colours are rich and the images are sharp. The Vaio Z is ideal for use as both a desktop PC and as a portable machine. Its 16:9 aspect ratio is the same as Sony's BRAVIA HDTV, making it a larger desktop than standard size displays. Great for wide screen presentations and viewing multiple windows! And with the new pre-installed VAIO Presentation Support software, business presentations are now made easier. The software has a multi-display mode that projects your slideshow on the big screen while you view your presentation notes and upcoming slides in private on the Vaio Z's LCD.
The main feature of the Vaio Z has to be the unique hybrid graphics system that features on-the-fly switching between the power-saving graphics chip or the dedicated NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS chip for more robust performance. You simply toggle the Stamina or Speed switch without even rebooting!
Performance wise, based on my extensive testing, the Vaio Z is a performer! Opening multiple softwares at once is a breeze. It copes well with every high demand task. I do lots of photo and video editing and the Vaio Z excels at both. However, the battery life is only average. At full charge, it can last up to 5 hours on Stamina mode. I do love the seamless keyboard. Its isolated keys make it really easy and comfortable to type on. I think this is definitely one of the best notebook keyboards that I've used. Another pleasant thing about the Sony Vaio Z is that it doesn't generate as much heat as compared to other notebooks.
Overall the Sony Vaio Z is an impressive go-everywhere business notebook. It is sleek, powerful and lightweight. My only problem with it is the cost. The VGN-Z17GN/B sells at a whopping S$4299! You can get a cheaper version, the VGN-Z16GN/B at S$3199 but it comes with a slightly slower processor (2.40 GHz), a smaller hard disk (250 GB) and only 2GB of memory.
You can view more pics of the Sony Vaio Z here or click the thumbnails below.
Also read:
I.Z. Reloaded on Reuters: Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 gets unboxed!
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 gets unboxed!
Finally got my hands on the Vaio Z and the Xperia X1!
The following are stories that are making the headlines over at Topix Singapore News today, edited by yours truly.
-Singapore men losing sex drive at younger age: Men here are losing their sex drive at an earlier age, a study on the testosterone levels of 600 men has shown. The study concluded that one in five Singapore men aged 45 and above is experiencing hypogonadism.
-Kidney donors to be paid: Singapore's medical conscience has endorsed the Health Ministry's proposal to reimburse living kidney donors, so long as the amount is not so great as to act as inducement.
-No delay in upgrading or building: There is no need to fear that the economic slowdown will be felt in Singapore's public housing projects.
-Gloomy days ahead for VWOs: Many Singaporeans have already tightened their belts to brace themselves for gloomier days ahead. And the majority among those polled by 938LIVE say one area they're cutting back on is charitable donations.
-Next year's budget to be expansionary: Singapore will have an expansionary budget next year to help its citizens cope with weaker economic growth.
-Singapore to promote more energy efficient firms: The Singapore government is providing 22 million Singapore dollars to help companies defray the cost of purchasing energy efficient technologies and equipment.
-Help for firms with excess workers: This recession will be longer than previous ones, says Labour chief Lim Swee Say — but help is on the way for companies with excess manpower in this economic downturn.
-Jobs still available for fresh graduates: Job creation in Singapore's labour market may be moderating, but the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) said there are jobs for fresh graduates.
-DBS to axe 900 staff: DBS Group, which reported a slump in third quarter net profit, will cut 900 staff from Singapore and Hong Kong or 6 per cent of its workforce by the end of this month to reduce costs.
-Sub-prime crisis possible in Singapore: When Ministry of National Development announced last week that it was suspending sales of state land through the confirmed list till June next year, jubilant developers lauded the swiftness of the government action that will hopefully stem the poor sentiment in the property market.
Patrick Moberg has drawn the heads of every President of the United States of America. Yes, all 44 of them, from the country's first leader, George Washington to its current, Barack Obama. No points for spotting which head belongs to Obama.
Karen Horton took some shots of The Art of Romance: Mills & Boon and Harlequin Cover Design, a new book which pays homage to some two hundred Mills & Boon covers. The book offers a fascinating visual record of how our perceptions of romance, love, and drama have evolved over the years. A must read for all you fans of Mills & Boon romance novels.
UK's National Media Museum has been posting some of its impressive photography collection to its Flickr including this creepy photoset of spirit photographs taken by controversial spirit photographer and professional medium William Hope in the early 1900s. I'm so glad these are fake.
Retro TV Alarm Clock will wake you up in the morning by blasting theme songs of old TV game shows. To add to its retroness, the alarm clock even has a TV test signal background. I would definitely buy it if it plays the theme songs of my favourite 80's cartoons.
This Nanobama face consists of millions of vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes (tiny hollow cylinders of carbon) grown by a high temperature chemical reaction. The pictures were taken using optical and electron microscopes. Each Nanobama face is ten times the width of a human hair!
I'm digging these Noir-inspired movie posters created by Timothy Lim. Tim is an accomplished illustrator whose work has been published in several US magazines and comics. I especially love his take on the Batman, Spiderman and Transformers movie posters.
(Thanks kremepie54)
Ben Smith says of his vintage matchbook photoset on Flickr: "After getting elbows deep into the middle of Akron's Stagecoach Antiques, my wife and I dug up a few prime examples of Matchbook design from the days of yesteryear. Enjoy."
(Thanks Mark Lee)
Watch the first 9 minutes of A Romantic Port O' Call: Jungle Bound (Angkor, Cambodia), a 1930's documentary film shot in the ancient temples of Angkor Wat.
It's amazing how many people are interested in the new Xperia X1 mobile phone by Sony Ericsson judging from my blog stats which showed a huge number of hits coming from various search engines since my first post about the X1 on October 1. And of course, not forgetting all the emails that I received from readers asking me all sorts of questions about the X1. Anyway, I've just received word that the Xperia X1 will start selling in stores nationwide (Singapore) from November 8. You can view my unboxing pics of the X1 here. The post can also be read on Reuters here.
What a day! Barack Obama has been elected the new President of the United States of America! For those of you who missed my live coverage of the US elections today on Twitter, here it is republished in full:
A reader emails me saying that they are having a great party in the Japanese city of Obama. Damn, I so wanna dance with those hula girls. | |
| Thanks to @acidflask for pointing out to me that I have been spelling Barack Obama's name with a double r. Ooops. It's Barack IZ, Barack! | |
| I'm happy but envious of Americans because they got the change they wanted. I hope I live to see change come to Singapore one day. | |
| Looks like McCain will be slaughtered later today in Kenya. Enjoy the beef feast, you Kenyans! http://tinyurl.com/6gpuk2 | |
| Amazing and inspirational speech by President elect Barrack Obama. Congrats Obama! And to Americans, you've made the right choice. | |
| The road ahead is long, the climb is steep but Obama promises that America will get there. | |
| Obama says that this victory belongs to the American people. | |
| Obama talks greatly of McCain and congratulates his running mate Vice President Elect Joe Biden and say thanks to his family. | |
| Obama appears on stage accompanied by his wife and two daughters. His two girls must be so happy that their daddy is President. | |
| President Obama will address the American people in 2 mins. | |
| The saddest thing is that Obama's grandma who passed away a day before election, did not live to see her grandson become President. | |
| Everyone now is waiting for Obama to make an appearance and give his speech. I bet this will be the most played speech on TV in history! | |
| McCain has just made his best speech of the election campaign. Too bad for him and his supporters it comes at the end of the election. | |
| McCain is urging all Americans to congratulate and help Obama as he leads the nation. | |
| McCain is now talking to his supporters. He says he has called Obama to congratulate him. He adds he admires him and commends him. | |
| The US and the world can celebrate a historic day today as Obama becomes the new President of USA! Trust me. He will change the world. | |
| La-La-La-La-La Obama! Lala-La-La-La-La-La-La Obama! Obama is beautiful world! Obama is number 1! http://tinyurl.com/5589pf | |
| CNN projects that Barrack Obama is now the elected President of United States! Wooooohooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!! | |
| McCain once said that he rather lose the elections than lose the war. Looks like he is right. |
Here's how CNN beams its faraway interviewees live into the studio: http://tinyurl.com/57quvw | |
| CNN is showing off more amazing graphics/effects. The latest is this amazing interview they did via hologram. It's like Star Trek! | |
| @Scobleizer US now a "communist country"? LOL. If so, welcome to the club http://tinyurl.com/2yeghh | |
| Some of the graphics they show on CNN's Live Coverage is amazing! | |
| The secret to a very likely Obama win is the young and new voters! Also popular with Obama are Afro Americans and Latinos. | |
| McCain's advisors have just sent emails to CNN saying that they see no clear path to victory. | |
| The popular votes show that both McCain and Obama are equally popular but it's the electoral votes which count and Obama is way ahead. | |
| The Democrats have taken the Senate and they're looking strong in the House too. Very good day for Obama and co. | |
| It's 207-135 to Obama according to BBC while CNN reports Obama leads McCain 207-89. | |
| Want to know what was really said? Compare the quotes given by Obama and McCain. http://tinyurl.com/4oys3d | |
| I said it before and I'll say it again. McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as VP is irresponsible and foolish, and he is paying for it now. | |
| 70 electoral votes more for Obama to win! | |
| BBC says its Obama 200 McCain 124 while CNN reports Obama has 199 McCain 78. | |
| I'm not going to call it yet, no one will, but I can tell you now Obama is looking very very good to be the next US President. | |
| No Republican has ever got to the White House without winning Ohio. History doesn't look so good for McCain. | |
| Obama has just won another key state, Ohio! It's a big win for him. A big lost for McCain. | |
| BBC says Obama has 195 electoral votes to McCain's 90 while CNN reports it's 194-69 for Obama! | |
| Obama wins the key battleground state of Pennsylvania. Experts say it will be difficult for McCain to win the Presidency without it. | |
| A reader emails me saying that she's so excited now that she needs an Obama dildo! http://tinyurl.com/6ndfwa | |
| It's now 175-61 Electoral Votes to Obama according to the BBC while CNN says Obama leads McCain 174-49. |
I personally believe that an Obama win will change the world. It's nice that others think the same way too. http://tinyurl.com/6dj8f6 | |
| If Obama wins, people in Kenya will celebrate by slaughtering a bull named McCain. Poor bull. http://tinyurl.com/6gpuk2 | |
| For those of you who want to know how the US Election results are reported by the BBC: http://tinyurl.com/5bd68o | |
| BBC reports that Obama has 103 electoral votes compared to McCain's 49. 270 to win. Go Obama! | |
| It is still early and the votes are still being counted but Obama is leading McCain. |
Obama Is Beautiful World!, a Japanese song about Barack Obama performed by Anyone Brothers Band, is further proof of the Japanese obsession with the US Presidential candidate. I'm sure they will be singing this like crazy in Japan (especially in the Japanese city Obama) when Obama wins. Oh, wait. I can hear it already: "La-La-La-La-La Obama! La-La-La-La-La Obama! Lala-La-La-La-La-La-La Obama! Obama is beautiful world! Obama is number 1!"
Previously: Japanese go nuts for Obama!
Hand Shadows To Be Thrown Upon The Wall is a book written by Henry Bursill and originally published in 1859. From the preface: "Of course the Shadows are not to be reproduced perfectly, on one trial only but I believe that in each case I have drawn the due position of the fingers with such care, that the most difficult subject may be accomplished after a few minutes." I just did a tortoise! Yay!
Seduction tips from eating tofu cakes? Yes, a gift store in Osaka is selling Akujo Tofu Cakes that come with instructions such as "show your skin" and "wear brand name goods and accessorize with good looking boys" for women who want to become an evil seductress. Tofu cakes for guys are also available. They come with tips on how to be the perfect gentleman.
Malacca is taking on Singapore with its new ferris wheel called the Eye On Malaysia. It is the largest portable wheel in the world and the first overhanging a lake. Malacca hopes that Singaporeans will flock to its ferris wheel because the Singapore Flyer is too expensive. From NST:
Eye On Malaysia chief operating officer Adam Yong Abdullah said their biggest market would comprise Singaporeans and Malaysians, followed by Indonesians and other foreigners visiting the state. "We understand that Singapore has the tallest Ferris wheel in the world and a ride costs about RM80 per person. It will set a family of five back at least RM400 and for that amount, they can get a better deal here."Here's a comparison of the ticket prices of the Singapore Flyer and Eye On Malaysia. Singapore Flyer charges S$29.50 for adult and S$20.65 for child while an adult ticket for Eye On Malaysia is only at RM 15 (S$6.27) and a child ticket will cost RM 8 (S$3.35)! No wonder he says Singaporeans get a better deal with his wheel!
The following are stories that are making the headlines over at Topix Singapore News today, edited by yours truly.
-Singapore drops drug trafficking charge vs Australian: Singapore has dropped drug trafficking charges against Australian journalist Peter Lloyd, who will plead guilty to lesser charges instead.
-Singapore restaurant rated top in new Asian guide: Singapore restaurants grabbed top spots in a new guidebook to the best Asian eateries that favours the region's twists on modern European cuisine rather than street stall favorites.
-Eco-park in January: RSP Architects and Jurong Consultants have been commissioned by the National Environment Agency (NEA) to study how to transform a quarter of the Semakau island — some 90 hectares — into an eco-park.
-Government wants to take Gopalan Nair to court again: The Singapore Government is going to take former Singaporean lawyer Gopalan Nair to court again. This time, the 58-year-old is alleged to have said, among other things, "that the courts were being abused for political ends."
-WSJ wages two-decade attack on judges: Singapore's attorney general accused the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday of waging a two-decade campaign to besmirch the Singapore judiciary, at the start of a contempt of court case brought against the newspaper.
-Singapore to replace picture of beggars: The Singapore government has promised to replace a picture of Korean beggars printed in its elementary school textbooks. The picture, printed in a social studies textbook for Singapore's public elementary schools, shows several Korean homeless people sleeping under dirty blankets at a subway station entrance, with the caption ``Homeless people on the street'' next to it.
-Another pump price cut: Oil giant Shell sparked off a price war on Tuesday morning when it brought petrol pump prices one cent lower than the five-cent reduction its rivals initiated on Monday.
-Singapore launches portal to boost games industry: Singapore launched a games resource portal for locally based games companies to feature their products and services and look for business opportunities.
-Singapore benchmarks itself against many global cities: Singapore may have been the first to implement bold initiatives such as the vehicle quota system and congestion pricing, but it gets many of its ideas from other cities.
-Ethics committee proposes how to compensate women: As the authorities attempt to come up with a system to allow compensation for kidney donors, one committee has firmed up a way to do the same for another kind of donation: Human eggs.
I spotted this retro looking console that plays CDs, radio, records and cassettes at Tanglin Mall. It looks strikingly similar to the one I found at Turf City back in April. The major difference is of course the price. This one sells for $780! Shocking because you can get it for only $190 at Turf City. It's understandable that some products available at Tanglin Mall have inflated prices because of the expats that frequent there but $780?! That's daylight robbery!
Walter Lim of National Heritage Board (NHB) shares with us the story of Yesterday.sg, a blog initiative by the Museum Roundtable and supported by NHB. Check out his slides. From Cooler Insights:
Sharing the story of how the National Heritage Board - probably Singapore's most ancient organisation - could leverage on social media, I hoped that I inspired some of the corporate representatives to venture forth. As an interest-based blog, Yesterday.sg took the slow and steady growth approach and the blog is still going strong after being around for two-and-a-half years (or 31 months to be exact). Social media outreach is a team effort driven by my great colleagues from team CCIP (especially Kim, Wei Chong, Kenny and Roy), as well as our dear Friends of Yesterday who have stuck with us through thick and thin.
Here are the unboxing pics of the Xperia X1 mobile phone that I received on Friday. The Xperia is a new brand by Sony Ericsson developed to meet the growing need for mobile Web communication and multimedia entertainment. It represents Sony Ericsson's vision for a premium, energised communication experience. The Xperia X1 is the first mobile phone from the Xperia line and as you can tell from the pics, it's a beauty! I will post a review sometime this week.
Update: You can now read my review of the Xperia X1 here.
Previously:
Finally got my hands on the Sony Vaio Z and the Xperia X1!
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 coming soon to Singapore
Dude had enough of making Transformers costumes so for this year's Halloween, he decided to go Star Wars and make himself a AT-ST costume using lots of cardboard and plastic. The result is one hell of a badass costume. The judges at a Halloween party think so too and he walked away as the winner! Videos of the costume in action: here and here.
Smashing Magazine collects 50 impressive Asian movie posters for your illumination and inspiration. I'm inspired alright, by this poster of Infra-Man. Never heard of it? Me too! The movie is a 1975 attempt by the Shaw Brothers to try and start a franchise super hero like Ultraman. I'm going to YouTube!
I want to get one of these! Head Hoods are hoodies designed by Clinton Van Gemert that feature the heads of famous personalities hand-printed on the hoods. My favourites are the Elvis Pressley and the Barack Obama hoodies. The Obama one should be a hot seller during this election season in the US and more so when Obama wins it.
Here's a bike that Hello Kitty would love to ride on. Theresa Honeywell knits an acrylic yarn cozy over a motorcycle! As you can see, it's too pinky for my liking. Besides knitting a motorcycle, Theresa also knits a jackhammer, a tool belt and a machine gun! Check them out here.
(Thanks tony99)
One more day and America will vote for its next President. Who will it be? Barack Obama or John McCain (oh please God, no!)? I'm rooting for my man Obama but what does an Obama victory really mean for Singaporeans? From The Anti Neo-Democracy Theorist:
For ordinary Singaporeans, the victory would inspire those who seek political change in Singapore to push for an agenda that is based a lot more on rhetoric of hope, bipartisanship and rhetoric. The lack of inspiration by opposition politicans is not the issue in Singapore, but rather the absence of a suave, intelligent and dedicated person behind the fierce rhetoric could be the issue for some. Ironically, the WP would probably be the party to step into the shoes of a potential obama, although the SDP would continue to broaden its niche within Singapore society to try to win power.
The Tesla Roadster, Hulu and the Large Hadron Collider are amongst the best inventions of the year as chosen by Time Magazine. From Time:
If someone invented a practical 200-m.p.g. automobile and that automobile got a flat tire, nobody would claim that the car itself was a failure. The same applies to the Large Hadron Collider, the world's biggest particle accelerator, which went online in September, ran for 10 days and then had to shut down at least until next spring because of an overheated wire. The mammoth machine will send protons wheeling in opposite directions at nearly the speed of light, then smash them together at 6,000 times a second to try to answer such deep questions as why mass exists and whether the universe has extra dimensions. If it takes a few extra months to find out, so what?
Dude did a remake of Michael Jackson's Thriller using 64 Acappella tracks of his own voice! He says, "There is no instrument, synthetizer, beatbox, or even sampler, but only the sound of my voice livened up with Reverb and slight Chorus on certain tracks. Regarding the looping parts, I've simply used the "looping" technique. Moreover, in the whole piece (which contains several thousand notes), I transposed 8 notes, which were impossible for me to sing in high-pitched. Because of my tessiture, I also must have resigned myself to sing certain parts in head voice, more particularly on the track corresponding to Michael Jackson's solo vocal."
(via MeFi)
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