When Star Trek meets Star Wars

This brilliantly done video mashup gives us a rare glimpse into what happens when the starship Enterprise from Star Trek meets the Death Star from Star Wars.

(Thanks luvboa)

Freaks Monsters, Prodigies and other Fantastics

The Cornell University Library has an impressive collection of images of the Fantastic and the supernatural. This one is a pic showing the side and front views of a mutant mummy in sitting position. If you like freaks, monsters, angels and demons, then this collection is definitely a must see.

(Thanks James)

How revolutionary can Google's GBuy be?

The title of a Forbes story about Google's new product sure is eye-catching. It says: Google's GBuy Could Be 'Revolutionary'. I'm thinking how revolutionary can one's "GBUY" be? LOL. From Forbes:

Consumers using GBuy, which is set for release on June 28, will be taken off the merchant's site to complete the payment. This will enable Google to capture e-commerce transaction data, driving more precise targeting in future searches.

"If harnessed, the precision of this targeting could be revolutionary," wrote RBC analyst Jordan Rohan in a report Friday.

On its core search results pages, Google will designate each merchant accepting GBuy as a "trusted GBuy merchant."

For those of you who don't understand Chinese, then most likely you won't get it. Say GBuy out loud and fast and it will sound like... C^%$#@i. Well, go ask your Chinese mates.

Watching the World Cup

Today on my photoblog Katoomba Syndrome: Watching the World Cup

Using the iPAQ rw6828: Photo taking and Printing

I have been taking lots of photos using my new HP iPAQ rw6828 Multimedia Messenger and I have to say I'm impressed with its 2 megapixel cam. Just what I need to take those casual snap shots.

Today, I took some photos of me and Rupert using the iPAQ rw6828 and tried out printing one of the photos via its bluetooth function.



Rupert and me. I love the display. It is so big, bright and clear.



For printing, I'm using the HP Photosmart 385. This pic shows me plugging the bluetooth adapter into the printer.



Turning on the bluetooth on the iPAQ.



Printing with bluetooth is so damn easy. Just go to the photo, and select send to Infrared.



And even before I can run to the fridge to get some ice-cream, the printing is done! Now that's fast.



There you have it. Nice!

Previously:

Sillycelly, me and our babies
More iPAQ porn yeah!
Unwrapping my new baby

Hong Kong pollution worse than Los Angeles

A study carried out in Hong Kong finds that the air pollution there is worse than places like Los Angeles, London, New York and Paris. What is worrying is that the air pollution has contributed to the deaths of more than 1,600 people in Hong Kong. From The Standard:

Researchers said air quality improvements could bring benefits of more than HK$20 billion a year.

In addition, 64,000 hospital "bed days" and 6.8 million family doctor visits could be avoided, findings show.

"If it was an infectious disease, there would be a crisis," professor Anthony Hedley from Hong Kong University's School of Public Health said. "This is a medical emergency."

Unlike infectious diseases, the harm caused by pollution is "unobservable" but this is affecting the health and lung growth of young people, Hedley added.

The study says Hong Kong has poor visibility 45 percent of the time.

Oh man, if Hong Kong is that bad, I'm sure Beijing will be far worse.

(Thanks Yanling)

Yoda Plush Backpack

Thanks to the Yoda Plush Backpack, we can now carry Yoda everywhere we go on our backs just like what Luke Skywalker did in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. I think this makes an excellent gift for any Star Wars fan. It would be better if Yoda can speak though. Maybe for the next version of the Yoda Plush Backpack, they should put a button on his hand that will activate his voice when pressed. So cool, it is!

Remember Guy Goma?

Remember Guy Goma? The story goes like this. Guy Goma was at the BBC for a job application and the BBC thought he was Guy Kewney, the person whom they wanted to interview for a live show. The clip (watch it here) has become a classic. In the end, Guy Goma did not get the job at the BBC but he became a superstar. He appeared in various talk shows in the UK. There's a website dedicated to him called The Wrong Guy. He even has his own Wikipedia entry. Now, he is auctioning off his lucky blue shirt that he wore during that BBC interview. Proceeds will go to Oxfam he says. There's even a Youtube video of the BBC interview with a remix of the music from a classic children's television programme 'Round The Twist'. And oh, about his failed job application at the BBC, well, thousands have signed an online petition to give him the job. Guy Goma rocks!

Previously: BBC interviews wrong dude on TV

England to win the World Cup!

The World Cup is just a few hours away so I decided to do some prediction of the matches with a little help from my crystal ball. I will assume the following for the outcome of the First Round Group matches.

Germany, Argentina, England, Portugal, Italy, France, Brazil and Spain will all top their respective groups while Sweden, Mexico, Poland, Holland, Croatia, Ukraine, Czech and Switzerland will come in 2nd in their respective groups. Only the top two in each group will proceed to the next round.

So based on the above, here are the Second Round matches.



First match of the Second Round is Germany (Winner of Group A) versus Sweden (Runner-up of Group B). I do not see how the host nation Germany will lose this game against the Swedes. Germany to win.

Second match of the Second Round sees Argentina (Winner of Group C) taking on Mexico (Runner-up of Group D). No upset here. Argentina will be too strong for the Mexicans.

Third match of the Second Round is England (Winner of Group B) versus Poland (Runner-up of Group A). Both these teams faced each other before in their Qualifying group therefore I expect them to know each of their strengths and weaknesses well. In the Qualifying Group, England finished top above Poland. This will be an easy tie for England. I see England winning by a few goals.

Fourth match of the Second Round sees Portugal (Winner of Group D) taking on Holland (Runner-up of Group C). I feel the Dutch with their speed and attacking play will dump Portugal out of the competition.

Fifth match of the Second Round is between Italy (Winner of Group E) and Croatia (Runner-up of Group F). Italy has always been in the later stages of the World Cup and I don't see them faltering in this match. It will be a tight game though and I see Italy winning it by a single goal.

Sixth match of the Second Round is France (Winner of Group G) versus Ukraine (Runner-up of Group H). France will want to improve on their poor showing in the previous World Cup. The likes of Thierry Henry and Zidane will prove too strong for the Ukrainians.

Seventh match of the Second Round sees Brazil (Winner of Group F) taking on the Czech (Runner-up of Group E). I don't have to tell you who will win this one. Brazil is the defending champion and tournament favourites. Brazil to win comfortably.

Eight match of the Second Round is between Spain (Winner of Group H) and Switzerland (Runner-up of Group G). Spain has more class than the Swiss who are very hardworking as a team. Spain to go through.

So there you have it. The winners of the Second Round matches will move to the Quarter Finals. The World Cup has just got more exciting now.



Germany versus Argentina in the first Quarter Final match. This isn't the best Germany team in a World Cup. They have made it to the Quarter Final with the help of their home support but I think their journey will end in this match. Argentina will be too strong for the Germans.

Italy takes on France in the second Quarter Final match. The French will rely heavily on Thierry Henry who has been superb in the English Premiership. Henry has always fail to deliver in the biggest stage and I think this World Cup will be no different for him. The Italian defence will be too strong for the French forwards. I suspect Italy will win by the odd goal.

England meets Holland in the third Quarter Final match. The Dutch has a lot of youngsters in their team this year. England meanwhile has its best team since winning the World Cup in 1966. The English players are far more experience than their Dutch conterparts and they are at their peak in their footballing careers. England will go through.

Brazil versus Spain is the fourth Quarter Final match. Can Spain provide an upset here? No! Brazil to win comfortably.

So the Semi-Finals will be Argentina versus Italy and Brazil taking on England. I take Argentina to beat Italy and move to the Final. The Brazil-England game will be a cracker! England lost to Brazil in the last World Cup but I strongly feel that if there's any country that could beat the favourites Brazil, it will be England. It is just a shame that these two countries will not face each other in the Final.

So, down to the last two matches of the World Cup. The Third Place match will be between Italy and Brazil, the two losing Semi-Finalists. After losing to England, I see Brazil will be all out to redeem themselves in this match and take the Third Place as a consolation for not winning this year's World Cup.

Ok now finally to The 2006 World Cup Final. Argentina taking on England! These two teams have a long standing rivalry between them. Remember Diego Maradona's Hand of God goal that dumped England out of the World Cup many years ago? But since then, England has triumphed many times against Argentina. The Argentines will provide a hell of a fight for the English and it is anybody's game during a final of this magnitude but surely England will beat Argentina. It will be one hell of a final with lots of goals.

England- World Cup 2006 Winners!!!

Now let the real games begin.

Why you shouldn't drink and drive

Funny video of a dude brought into a police station for drink driving. Another reason why you shouldn't drink and drive.

(Thanks WH)

Six Degrees of Smoking

Six Degrees of Smoking is a cool project by British artist James R Ford. Anyone who smokes or know someone who smokes can take part in this global collaboration. The project aims to find out what happpens to a lighter when it is being passed around. To participate, email him with your address. He will then mail you a lighter with a special note pasted on it. Photograph yourself lighting a cigarette with the lighter and then pass it to a friend or a stranger.

(Thanks Sir Thomas)